Hey! I'm back. Thank you to LTFan for reviewing this story, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

So - two warnings - A} Desceiption of being physically sick/vomitting.

B} This is where things get kicked up a notch now. We are now entering Level 3/Level 4 sextual harassment. This would be inappropriate touching. Not outright groping, but close.

There may be a break after this chapter because I'm trying to figure out how this whole thing gets resolved. I've got a couple of potential ways it can go, but I'm not sure which on would work better.

Anyway, my ramblings aside, see chapter one for the disclaimer and let's crack on.

A week on and things were still tense between Bugs and Elmer. Bugs had tried multiple times to get Elmer to tell him what was wrong but was shut down every time. For example, two days ago over dinner...

[In Bugs's house]

"There ya go, Doc." Bugs said, cheerfully pushing a plate of spaghetti and meatballs [his speciality] at Elmer. "Whaddya think?"

Elmer tipped his head to one side and looked at the food critically. "At least they're not burnt this time." He said.

Bugs resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, are ya gonna try 'em or not?" He asked, a trifle steely.

To which the hunter picked his fork up and prodded at the food. "I suppose it's alright..." He said, miserably.

Bugs slammed his fork down. "Alright, what's up wit' ya!? Yer've been actin' off the past week! An' you was cryin' last week - don't think oi didn't notice!" He added as Elmer's mouth dropped open. "Now, will ya tell me what's up so we can fix it?"

The hunter seriously considered it. There was a part of him which knew this wasn't normal behaviour Robert was displaying and was nagging him to tell someone - anyone. And Bugs would be the best option, really. And they were dating. This was the sort of thing he should really be mentioning to his partner. But, he thought, chewing his lip nervously, what would he say? 'Help me, Robert keeps saying I look nice?' 'Help me, he's staring at me?' That was childish. The sort of things six years old would whine about. No, much better to keep quiet.

"Elmer?" He looked up at Bugs's imploring face and tried a smile.

The effect was not what he hoped for. Bugs looked at him with an unidentifiable look, then abruptly stood up, his fists balled and his whiskers quivering with anger. "Fine." He said, with considerable effort. "Oi get it. For some reason ya don't trust me."

Elmer looked up at him with wide eyes. "But, I DO trust you!" He said, voice quivering.

Bugs's scoffed. "Yeah, seems like it."

A surge of anger bubbled up inside the human-toon and he spat. "I don't have to take this! I'm going home!" And stormed out the house.

That had been the worst argument. And they still hadn't made up. It wouldn't be so bad but the toons had been summoned to a meeting with the directors to discuss the figures for the last couple of pictures they'd made and discuss who wanted to do what. Bugs and Elmer would now have to spend at the very least an hour in the same room. Everyone knew they were having problems and had silently taken sides. It was only toons like Daffy, Porky and Petunia - who were friends with both - who refused to pick one or the other.

When Elmer got into the canteen - the only room in the building big enough to accommodate all the toons - it was to see that the majority of the seats had already been taken. Slightly alarmed, he looked around for a spare seat.

"Elmer!" A familiar voice called out.

The hunters blood turned to ice and he shuddered slightly. Turning round slowly he saw Robert waving at him like an enthusiastic puppy. Elmer wetted his lips slightly and swallowed as he realised there was no way he could say no. Not without the other toons asking questions. As it was, several of them were looking at him curiously. And for good reason, Robert very rarely asked people to sit next to him or showed particularly attention to any one toon. It was one of his strengths that he could get on well with any toon/person and make them all feel equally valued and special in that moment.

So Elmer was essentially trapped, that much was clear. He was practically on auto-pilot as he walked towards Robert and sat next to him. Penelope was on the other side of him and she smiled at him, sympathetically. "Don't worry about Bugs." She said, reassuringly, having noticed his paler-than-usual face and on-guard manner. "I'm sure the two of you will make it up in no time. I mean, I should know." She added, leaning forward in a confidential manner. "Me and Pepe are always a bit on-off. It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Elmer gave her a smile and a small nod of thanks, not trusting himself to actually speak.

"And even if Bugs does dump you." Robert said, having clearly been eavesdropping. "I'm sure you'll find someone else in no time." And he smiled in a reassuring manner.

Penelope gave the intern a 'look' and patted Elmer's hand reassuringly, noting as she did that the hunter's face seemed to get tighter and he shuffled anxiously. "Hopefully it won't get that far." She said, confidently.

Further conversation was halted by Fritz yelling at the top of his lungs for everyone to shut up and listen to Avery. The whole canteen promptly went silent and halo's appeared over the top of the toons head to show they had heard the request and were going to follow it.

The first bit of Avery's speech went fine. Elmer even forgot - so far as he could forget - that he was sitting next to Robert and managed to concentrate on what Avery was saying, mainly that the studio was in trouble as there wasn't much demand for their cartoons anymore. It wasn't until some time later that Elmer became aware - with a jolt - that something didn't feel right. Literally. He felt something heavy and warm on his thigh and that made him jump slightly. Penelope caught his arm and gave him a concerned look and he smiled at her reassuringly. When Penelope had refocused her attention on Avery, Elmer risked looking to see what was invading his personal space. It was a hand. More specifically, it was Robert's hand.

Elmer gulped. Truth be told the minute he'd felt it clasp his thigh he knew it had to be Robert. Who else was it going to be? Not even Bugs had dared to go this far. A quick cuddle, a peck on the cheek and an arm slung comfortably round his shoulder was the closest Bugs had got to anything intimate. Elmer was fine with that. That was fine, that was a level he was comfortable with.

This. This was not. There was no way he was able to listen to anything Avery was saying now. He was to busy trying to A} Keep a straight face and B} Not throw up. The hunter looked at Robert, incredulously. It was absolutely beyond belief. The man clearly had absolutely no shame. He was looking at Avery in a way that suggested he was actively listening. The intern wasn't even looking at Elmer at all. No wonder no one had noticed. The man was practically an ice-berg he was playing it that cool.

"Elmer?" The hunter jumped a little and Robert quickly removed his hand from the toons thigh. Penelope was looking at him, in concern. "Are you alright?" She said, in a low voice. "You're very white."

Elmer surreptitiously looked at Avery and the other directors - who hadn't noticed anything because they were all wrapped up in their own world - and muttered back. "Actuawwy, I don't feew well. Can I switch with you? I might need to make a break fow it."

Penelope nodded and the two quickly switched. The advantage to being a toon is being able to switch positions very easily and with next-to-no fuss. Unless someone had been watching the entire exchange it'd be hard to say that anything had changed. Apart from the fact Elmer no longer had Robert's large, slightly sweaty, unnaturally warm hand on his thigh, that is.

The rest of the meeting went without a hitch and by the end of it Elmer was feeling much calmer. By the end of it he felt almost happy. He'd filled in a form [with Avery's help] that said he wanted a few less speaking roles. He felt it wasn't right now that Brian* had passed away, to continue as if nothing had happened. After Avery had given them permission to go, the cast got up and proceeded to the exist in an orderly manner. Well. As orderly as they could. Witch Hazel flew, for instance, as did Tweety. [Being chased by Sylvester, of course.]

Somehow, as they were leaving, the order had changed and Penelope had dropped back slightly to join Pepe. The result of this was that Elmer was now directly in front of Robert. The hunter could feel him. Looking at him. If Elmer had had hair he was sure it would be standing on end. Like a cat's when it felt under attack. The young toon took a small, shuddering breath. If only someone would stand in between him and Robert! He'd pay them if he had to - he had enough money...

What happened next happened in a flash. One moment Elmer was deep in thought, imagining his dark-haired tormentor being shipped of to Australia or being attacked by Taz or something, the next thing he felt a small pain in his buttock. He stopped instantly, not sure what had happened. He realised though, what had happened Robert sauntered past him and gave him a cheeky, confident wink before melting away into the throng.

Elmer, meanwhile, was fairly certain he was going to have a panic attack. Although no one had explicitly sat down with him and said 'This is a bad touch and this is a good one' he knew, instinctively that this was not right and now he was very certain he was going to be sick, but he couldn't be sick, he was in public. The toilet, he needed the toilet...

He started running, pushing past toons, knocking some of them to the ground. He was receiving angry shouts from all angles, but was beyond caring. He couldn't breath, he was gasping, he was dizzy, he was going to be sick-

-And then he was. And after he finished he spent a long time rocking himself back and forth and silently crying. It took a lot of willpower - his instinct was to sob freely and allow the tears to spurt out of him like a faucet - but he knew that would bring 'attention' and he didn't want 'attention'. What he wanted was Bugs, but Bugs wasn't here.

He was alone.

* Arthur Q Bryan, who died in November 1959