Rip Runner checked the time on his phone. It would only be a matter of minutes at this point. At any moment, his brother, along with Tech, would ring the doorbell. He felt nervous, but he was not particularly sure why. Well, that wasn't true, he knew why. It was because his brother was going to come in, and then his father was going to start a whole argument, and then everybody would be back to where they were yesterday, before the idea for this whole dinner had even been proposed. Nevertheless, Rip was unsure what the point in getting so worked up over something he had no control over was. He could sway his parents to a certain degree, but for the most part, things were out of his hands. He would be an observer throughout most of it, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
As he paced back and forth nervously in his room, his mother was busy downstairs getting everything ready. She zoomed all over the house, making sure every item was in its proper place, that there was not a speck of dust or clutter in sight, and that the food was in perfect shape. Ralph Runner, meanwhile, sat in a recliner chair, not much caring how things looked. He had been dreading this dinner all day, and as far as he was concerned it was a lost cause. No matter how good of an impression they tried to make, there was just no way their Rev would see reason.
"Dear, I-really-wish-you-would-at-least-try-and-act-like-we-have-to-get-ready-for-guests" Harriet said as she lifted his feet to dust the stool he had been resting them on.
"What-do-you-mean-guests?" He flipped a page over in his digital newspaper, "One-of-them-grew-up-here, and-the-other-one-is-a-coyote. I-know-for-a-fact-they've-both-seen-worse."
"Well-that's-no-excuse-to-not-make-an-effort" Harriet huffed, running back to check the oven.
Meanwhile, Tech and Rev were already on their way over, flying in one of the many jets they had at their disposal. The mood on the drive over was certainly tense to say the least. Rev was a bundle of nerves, and even though Tech was never the best at reading people, even he could tell the tension his boyfriend was feeling.
"Hey, I know you're kinda… stressed about this."
"Understatement-of-the-century."
"All I'm saying is, just try and relax. I mean, we fight villains who are out to kill us on a regular basis, and dinner with your parents is what freaks you out?"
"Most-of-those-villains-are-a-one-and-done-thing. We-throw-them-in-jail-and-that's-it, this-is-a-totally-different-beast."
"Hey, I get it. I mean, you know I have a whole host of issues with my parents, but I genuinely think there's a chance of repairing things here. I mean, if nothing else then Rip and I will be there right beside you."
"Thanks-babe." Rev placed a hand on Tech's shoulder. His parents' house was now in view. He wanted so desperately for this evening to go as smoothly as possible, but in his gut, he knew it was an impossibility. Unless his father had magically changed his outdated world views since the last time he knew him, there was simply no way Rev would be able to get through to him. His mother was a different story. Harriet might have been old fashioned, but the truth of the matter was that she loved her kids enough to put those prejudices aside, at least partially. That letter she had given Tech, while creepy, was evidence of that if nothing else.
They parked and somberly strolled up to the front door. They stood there on the front step for a moment, both waiting for the other to knock. Rev looked over to Tech, hoping for some reassurance. The coyote wore a face of confidence, but the fear in his eyes betrayed him. Rev took a breath, far slower and deeper than normal, and tapped his knuckles against the door. Some chatter could be heard on the other side, mostly Rev's mother by the sound of things. The door then opened, with Harriet's smiling face there to greet them. At the very least, it was some comfort.
"Welcome-home-dear" she leaned in enthusiastically, giving Rev a hug, "Nice-to-see-you-to" she added, patting Tech on the shoulder briefly. The three walked into the living room, where Rip waited. Their father seemed to take little notice, still sitting down reading the newspaper.
"Oh-honestly-Ralph! Your-son-is-here!" Harriet chastised, swiping the paper away so that he would have no choice but to pay attention. Ralph looked up grumpily, not bothering to give much of a response. As this was happening, Rev walked over to Rip and gave him a firm hug. The younger brother then turned to Tech and shook his hand.
"Nice to see you again Tech" Rip said.
"Again?" Ralph raised an eyebrow.
"Last-time-was-the-robo-amigo-incident" Rev clarified. His father seemed to give a begrudging grumble, accepting this fact. Rev approached him, about to shake his hand, but Ralph simply folded his arms, looking down disparagingly. Harriet immediately glared at her husband, prompting him to, begrudgingly, shake his son's hand. The coyote was not privy to the same treatment.
"Well-how-about-we-stop-beating-around-the-bush-and-start-the-meal?" Harriet said, clearly trying to disrupt some of the tension before Ralph could say anything to Tech which would elicit conflict. The group quickly found themselves being whisked into the dining room. The Runners had a rectangular table which sat six; two on the long sides and one on each end. There was little illusion as to how much freedom they had in choosing their own seats. Harriet quickly guided each person into a carefully selected spot. Ralph sat at the head of the table, then to his right was Rev, then to Rev's right was Tech, then to Tech's right was Rip, who sat opposite his father. Harriet sat to her husband's left, leaving an empty seat to her left.
The food and silver wear had already been set out. At first Tech thought that the item at the center of the table was a meatloaf, only to look a bit closer and see it was comprised of birdseed. In fact, looking around at everything available, it seemed all the food was made out of bird seed. He leaned over in order to whisper in Rev's ear.
"Um, Rev, I'm not expected to eat this stuff, am I?"
"Just try and go along with it, you might like it."
Their side conversated must not have gone unnoticed as Ralph said, "Hey-you-two! None-of-that-lovey-dovey-stuff-at-the-table!" In a very harsh tone. Not another word was uttered as the seed-loaf was passed around, along with the side dishes Harriet had prepared. Tech could tell just from looking at it that a lot of work had gone into making it, but the whole idea of eating it just seemed so unappetizing to him. Whether or not he could ingest the stuff was up in the air, but either way, it would be unable to meet his dietary requirements. He looked up, seeing Ralph Runner scarfing it down. Harriet pecked at her food far more gently, aware of the awkwardness of the situation. Rev and Rip sat there for the most part, pecking at their food every once and a while, but clearly not eating as much as they normally would have under different circumstances. The lack of conversation was palatable enough.
"What's-wrong-coyote? Our-food-not-good-enough-for-you?" Ralph noted in a hostile manner, just as he was finishing up his first portion.
"Oh no, it's not that" Tech quickly said, trying to find some sort of excuse. The patriarch of the Runner household eyed him suspiciously.
"I-invite-you-into-my-home-and-offer-up-the-food-my-wife-has-so-graciously-prepared, and-you-don't-even-have-the-decency-to-eat-it?"
"Pa! That's-completely-uncalled-for!" Rev snapped.
"No Rev, it's fine, calm down."
"But-"
"I said it's fine!" Tech nearly raised his voice. The table once again fell silent. He looked directly into the eyes of Ralph Runner. In that past, this would have been a stare down between predator and prey, but here things were different. This was simply a matter of struggle, and conflict, the line as to who was encroaching on who had been blurred. Was it Tech who was in control for dating and winning over his son, or was it Ralph who maintained the power, being the father of the man he was dating? Tech could not help but wonder if a Roadrunner had ever held this sort of ground with a coyote. The two species had a long history together, so it was certainly possible.
Tech picked up a fork and skewered a piece of seed-loaf. Everyone at the table watched intently, as he took a bite and swallowed. The coyote did his best to maintain a poker face, but the taste was not at all to his liking. By no means awful, but he could tell why coyotes had not gone with bird seed as a meal, historically speaking. He looked over to Ralph, defiantly, as if this were some sort of great victory. Rev glanced between the two, already tired of this.
"Oh-for-heaven-sakes, I'm-sick-and-tired-of-all-this-conflict" Rev professed, gaining the attention of the rest of the table, "I-came-here-to-try-and-make-up!"
"Listen-son, I-don't-want-it-to-be-this-way, but-if-you-insist-on-dating-a-coyote, then-surely-you-see-why-this-is-so-difficult-for-me" his father said, a twinge of condescension in his voice.
"Now-dear, we-discussed-this-last-night! You-said-you-would-at-least-make-an-effort" Harriet huffed.
"I'm-willing-to-make-an-effort-with-my-son, but-that-mutt-over-there-is-making-things-difficult!"
A ruckus suddenly emerged amongst the group, each trying to intervene, voice their opinion, and defend themselves at the same time. It had become so heated that most of the group had not even noticed that they were now standing.
"Now that kind of language is entirely uncalled for!" Tech yelled.
"Oh-really? You-wanna-say-that-a-bit-faster-so-that-I-can-actually-make-out-what-you're-getting-at?!"
"Pa, please-just-calm-down!"
"You-stay-out-of-this-Rev! I'll-have-a-word-with-you-in-a-moment-once-I-finish-with-this-coyote-here!"
"EVERYONE-BE-QUIET-AND-SIT-DOWN-THIS-MINUTE!" Harriet's voice carried far more authority than any of them had expected, immediately shutting up any parties, with everyone quickly sitting back in their seats. It was only Harriet who was standing now, her feathers noticeably rumpled and a mad look in her eye. "Now" she said slowly, yet forcefully, "I have spent the majority of my day, planning out this dinner, and I will not have such chaotic behavior at the table! Is that understood?" Everyone nodded in silence. "We will discuss this in a calm and civilized manner. Is that understood?" The group nodded once more, in a manner the same as before. Harriet let out a sigh, then proceeded to quickly smooth out her feathers and sit down. She turned to face Ralph, "Now dear, I want you to explain to Rev how you feel, in a calm and respectful manner."
All eyes turned to Ralph, who actually seemed a bit bashful being thrown into this situation, at least, now that he no longer had full control of it. Rev could tell he was taking a moment to think through his words. It was a rather odd sight; he had never seen his father with such a lack of confidence before.
"Well…" Ralph started, "I… I-don't-like-the-fact-that-my-son-is-dating-a… a coyote."
Rev clenched his fist. Was this his father's idea of appearing polite and reasonable? Blatant species-ism? He was beginning to wonder if coming here was a mistake. After all, if this was going to be his father's mindset then there was no way he could change that. It was so annoying. He was certain that if Tech was just a roadrunner, or even some other prey species, then his father would be head over heels about him. Ever since he could remember, his dad had always been interested in machines and inventions that could be peddled for the family business, and that sort of stuff was Tech's bread and butter. It was ironic. He knew there was no way they would ever get along. His father's prejudice was simply too strong.
"And Ralph" Harriet continued, "why do you dislike your son dating a coyote?"
"What-is-this, some-kind-of-therapy-session? You-know-why! You-even-agreed-with-me-the-other-night!"
"Gosh-darn-it-Ralph! I'm-trying-to-help-you-communicate-with-your-son!" Her voice had regained an essence of bite.
"Ok-ok" Ralph surrendered meekly, "Look, I-know-it's-hard-for-you-kids-today-to-understand, but-back-when-I-was-little, things-were-a-lot-different. My-family-could-really-only-afford-a-small-home, and-so-every-night-me-and-the-other-kids-would-gather-around-my-grandpa-and-hear-about-his-stories-in-the-old-days. The-man-always-sat-in-an-old rocking-chair-on-account-of-his-missing-leg, bitten-off-by-a-coyote. Every-night-he-would-tell-us-about-what-it-was-like-when-he-was-growing-up. He-told-us-about-how-resentful-a-lot-of-coyotes-were-back-then-about-all-the-recent-laws-about-not-eating-prey, and-how-a-lot-of-them-seemed-to-ignore-it-and-chase-after-him-anyway. I'll-always-remember-how, even-on-his-death-bed, he-warned-me-to-be-careful-about-coyotes, no-matter-what-the-rest-of-society-said, and-I've-taken-that-advice-to-heart-ever-since."
"That's-it?" Rev scoffed, "Do-you-have-any-genuine-reason-for-hating-coyotes-other-than-your-upbringing? Have-you-even-had-a-negative-encounter-with-a-coyote-that-you-didn't-start?"
"That-is-no-way-to-talk-to-your-father!" Ralph snapped back.
"Both of you calm down!" Harriet ordered, once again restoring silence, "Now, either explain yourself calmly, or don't explain yourself at all."
Ralph took a deep breath, "All-I'm-saying-is-that-just-because-you-might-not-think-my-fears-are-justified, that-doesn't-mean-I-don't-have-a-point."
"So, your concern… is that Tech will eat me."
"Precisely."
"Pa, your-concern-is-so-unfounded-it-hurts. You-haven't-even-bothered-to-attempt-to-get-to-know-Tech. For-all-you-know, once-you-begin-talking-with-him, you'll-find-that-he's-a-really-great-guy!"
"I can vouch for that statement" Tech said in a tongue in cheek manner.
"So can I" added Rip, a bit more sincere.
Ralph was clearly about to open his mouth, when Harriet raised her hand, indicating for him to be quiet, "Now let's hear from Rev" she said. Everyone's eyes shifted to him. Rev inhaled, taking a moment to think about what he was going to say. For the first time, he was not in a rush to get out the information. Now, his father would have to sit and listen.
"Pa" Rev began, "I want you to know that I don't enjoy this. I want to be close to you, but at every corner you make it so difficult. From the moment I've been born, you've been dictating to me what I should do with my life, and it's not the one I want to live. Now that I'm an adult, I can't go living in your limited view of what I should be. I have a job I care about, and I'm dating someone I really love. That's the decision I've made, and plenty of people in the world are totally fine with it, because there isn't anything wrong with it. If you can't see that, then I sure would like you to." They all sat there for a moment, not saying anything. Rev almost wished that his father would yell, at least then he would have gotten some kind of response. Instead, Ralph just sat there, with a sour disposition to his face.
"So, that's-really-what-you-think?" his father eventually answered, "I-have-done-everything-I-can-to-provide-for-this-family-and-raise-you-to-the-best-of-my-ability, and-this-is-how-you-treat-me?"
"Oh my GOD just SHUT UP!" All heads whipped around to see Rip now standing at the end of the table. He had a mad look in his eye, "You have the gall put yourself on some kind of pedestal after everything you've done?! Do you… do you even comprehend how controlling you are? My entire life you've been breathing down Rev's neck, and not giving a shit about me!"
Rev was taken aback at how impassioned Rip had become. He had never seen his brother so angry, or with such energy and volume as he had in that moment.
"Ripley-Miles-Runner, now-you-listen-here" their father began, but he did not get the chance to continue.
"No, you listen, for once in your fucking life just listen!" Rip yelled.
"Language!" Harriet reprimanded, though he did not seem to take notice.
"How thick is that skull of yours, that you genuinely can't take a moment to conceive of the fact that you might have screwed up? Has that ever even crossed your mind? You hate coyotes like Tech here, but you know what? He's a better man than you'll ever be! Rev chose to date him, and that's his right! And you know what, while we're at it, let's talk about my bundle of issues, because goddamnit I'm on a role here! My entire life you've made me feel like a nobody in my own home, like I didn't even matter just because I wasn't fast like the rest of you, and never got the best grades in school!"
"I-can't-help-it-if-your-just-lazy!" Their father scoffed.
"I'm not lazy! We've been over this a hundred times dad! I have dyspraxia and dyslexia, and I'm actually pretty damn good at dealing with them, considering the only person who has ever really helped me out is Rev! Sadly, you don't seem to acknowledge this, no matter how many times I remind you!"
Their father huffed, turning away with his arms folded. Rip stood there, out of breath from how loud he was yelling. He glanced down to the glass of water on the table and took a sip, before collapsing back into his seat. Seventeen years of pent-up frustration finally released. In some ways it was a relief, in others it was a shock, and to Rip himself, it was terrifying. Rev had not expected some big outburst to come from his brother like that; if anything, he had thought it would either come from Tech or himself. It made sense though. Rip had to live with these people, he was probably reaching his breaking point.
"I think it best you all leave" Their father eventually said, still not bothering to look in their direction.
"But-Pa-" Rev began.
"I-said-leave!" He slammed his fist down onto the table, causing everything to shake. Rev, Tech, Rip and even Harriet all leapt back out of shock. Ralph slowly retracted back into his chair, folding his arms in defiance once more. Rev, Tech and Rip all stood up, slowly walking towards the door as Harriet looked on in despair. She stood up, looking between her husband and her children.
"Oh, wait!" She pleaded, the strength in her voice now having been usurped by fear, "We can't just end it here!"
"I think it's been made clear that it has" Tech said gloomily. He reached for the doorknob, ready to leave the house along with Rev.
"Hold on a sec" Rip placed his hand on Rev's shoulder, causing both of them to look back at the younger roadrunner. This was the first time in a long while that Rev had seen his brother wear an expression of open, emotional, concern. "Can I… can I go with you?" he asked. Rev had not expected this, although, having seen how this evening went, it did not come as much of a surprise.
"But… I thought you were still torn up about it. Are you sure, you're not even eighteen yet?"
"I'm certain, just get me out of here." Rip's voice was grim, he was dead certain.
"No! Just hold on a moment!" Harriet pleaded, now standing in between the table and the door as if she had been caught in some invisible tug-o-war. "Ralph, you can't just let them leave like this! They're your sons, and Rip you're so young!"
"I'm sorry mom" Rip ran over to give her a quick hug, before the three of them promptly left without another word. Ralph had not moved, simply sitting there with his arms still folded. His expression had not changed an ounce throughout the entire scene. Harriet walked over, and sat down next to him, her eyes beginning to water. Without a word, Ralph reached over, and filled his plate with a second helping of seed loaf.
