Chapter 12: Broken Bonds
When Yakko made a show of clearing his throat and raising an eyebrow at her, Dot knew she had to put at least six extra inches between herself and Skippy. Sticking her tongue out at her brother, she obliged.
"Maybe I should just go Dot, it looks kinda like Yakko's getting on your nerves," Skippy said, watching Yakko warily.
"No way, we haven't hung out in weeks," Dot protested, "besides, I'm so far away I'd need a yardstick to touch you, I don't know what his problem is."
Dot glared at Yakko, who matched her with an identical gaze. He was leaning against the doorframe of the living room like a grumpy gargoyle, arms crossed and glowering. Nutsy, who had driven Skippy to Bugs' house in the first place, had made himself at home on a recliner and was flipping through the channels on the huge TV, grumbling every third flip or so.
This made it incredibly difficult to have the conversation she wanted to have with Skippy – namely what he had discovered while he had been free and she had not. He wasn't privy to much more than she had heard on the news, and aside from a few more weasel sightings Skippy had no updates on Brain or any of the other victims. Unfortunately the WB Tooniversity had shut down, so he didn't even have funny classroom stories to share with her anymore either. But somehow Skippy always managed to make her smile, to cheer her up. Sometimes when he was talking Dot had a crazy urge to reach out and hug him tightly, but that would probably land Yakko in the emergency room with multiple strokes. And if Wakko ever caught sight of her in the act, he would torture her for days about it.
Older brothers were the worst.
For his part, Wakko had been staying out of her hair. After the argument in the car she could barely look at him without wanting to stick dynamite down his pants, and it appeared that the feeling was mutual. They had surpassed the point of arguing and were now at the stage where they simply pretended the other didn't exist. And that was just fine with Dot.
"How many more times am I going to have to haul Skippy to this preposterous house? Do you know how far out of the way the hills are?" Nutsy asked Yakko loudly.
"Yes, I know this exotic locale adds an extra ten minutes to your drive. But you've got to admit, there's a lovely view," Yakko said. Only because she knew him so well could Dot detect the fine layer of sarcasm.
"Why is the rabbit letting you live in his house anyway? It's no hotel! Besides, you're crooks as far as I'm concerned. What'd he do, lose a bet?" Nutsy asked. He shook his cane every few words.
"We're friends with Bugs," Yakko said calmly.
"The rabbit? Friends with you?" Nutsy exclaimed, looking Yakko up and down. "Don't think I'd call it 'friends' if I were you."
"And what would you call it? Give me your expert opinion," Yakko drawled.
"You're an investment," Nutsy said, digging into his ear. He looked at his finger before flicking away whatever he had uncovered. "All three 'a you."
"Somehow I doubt that Bugs Bunny needs our nest egg," Yakko retorted.
Nutsy growled, "I don't mean money ya nincompoop, I mean reputation. Even though his body ain't aging, his name is. Sayin' you're a Looney Tune don't mean the same thing it did fifty years ago. People parted like the red sea when one of them walked by, but now? People don't give a rat's fart about Looney Tunes, it's all human shows and that Japanese nonsense. He's a fadin' star, just like my cousin was."
Her tail whipping furiously, Dot snapped, "Slappy was never a fading star!"
"I don't think he means it," Skippy said, laying a hand on her shoulder. One look from Yakko though and he snatched it away as though she was on fire.
Nutsy continued as though she hadn't said anything. "The instant you're popular again the rabbit's gonna be all over you like white on rice. You watch – 'I taught the kid everything he knows' he's gonna say, 'I trained him, me.' I bet he's been grooming you to be a right old humdinger of a toon, giving you all kinds of tips, big star of stage and screen and all that? You're not the first kid he's tried that with."
Dot's eyes darted between the two of them. Bugs had seemed to genuine, so friendly these past few months…she really liked him…but not nearly as much as Yakko did. She watched Yakko as he stiffened and gave Nutsy a calculating look. She bit her lip. Judging by his face, Nutsy's words were like a punch in the gut when all his defenses had finally been lowered. There was no way they could be true. She crossed her fingers anyway.
"The rabbit's one and only goal in life is to entertain people. It's in his ink," Nutsy rambled on. "That's what he was drawn to do, it's what gets him and all his buddies up in the morning. You're just his next big meal ticket. Toons like him don't mess around with families and friends and all that sappy nonsense – take the rabbit's useless nephew, Clyde. Boy tried his damnedest to get into the rabbit's good graces, famous uncle and all that, but as soon as old Bugs found out Clyde was a Class C, well, let's just say they haven't talked since. And that was 1973!"
Nutsy broke off for a moment to stare into space before continuing blusterously, "Why in 1973 they tried to recruit me! I remember, they were nearly knocking down my door. You know that dent in the corner of the doorframe? That's what happens when a recruiting officer's head comes into contact with solid wood – "
Shaking his head, Yakko made a noise of disgust and turned for the door. At the same moment, Buster and Wakko came barreling into the room. Buster all but smashed his face into Yakko's, sending Buster falling into Wakko's arms while Yakko staggered into Dot's. She caught him with the help of Skippy, and together they pushed him to his feet as Nutsy grumbled, "I'm tellin' a story here!"
"What happened? You find Bugs' closet of all his cross dressing outfits?" Yakko joked, albeit with an edge that Dot couldn't place.
But Dot could tell by Buster and Wakko's faces that something was very wrong. They both looked pale, even Wakko. Breathing heavily, Buster said in an unusually serious voice, "Dude, it's Shirley."
"She's been kidnapped," Wakko added hurriedly.
Feeling her stomach drop, Dot gasped and turned to Skippy. Slackjawed, he stared back at her. They both turned to Yakko, who blurted, "Shirley – what? When? What happened?"
"Bugs just told us – I think he's looking for you, Yak – she's gone, that's all we know. I think Bugs has got some sort of plan though," Buster said.
"Yeah, he's calling up everyone that's left for another meeting – can I come?" Wakko asked breathlessly.
"Me too!" Dot cried, jumping forward.
"Guys, not now," Yakko muttered.
"Please?" Dot cooed, batting her eyes at him.
Yakko glared at her, but Buster ran a hand through his ears and said, "I'm gonna look for Babs, she's in this labyrinth somewhere. I don't know if she's heard or not. If you see her let me know, alright?"
Something flickered across Yakko's face, which he covered up with a cough and a nod. Dot's eyes narrowed. He'd been acting like a complete weirdo around Babs for weeks – babbling incoherently when she looked at him, blushing and looking at his hands when she sat next to him on the couch, staring at her when her attention was focused anywhere but him – if she didn't know any better…
Dot was reasonably sure that she'd never seen Yakko in love. Naturally she'd seen him chase more girls in one day then he'd eaten meals, but that was different. He'd never actually loved any of them – he wouldn't even refer to any of them as his girlfriend. It was actually funny, even difficult, to picture Yakko doting on some girl. Giving her flowers, taking her out to dinner…the thought of it made Dot feel vaguely uncomfortable. It was much easier to think of him making some smartassed, suggestive comment that either got the girl giggling or got him slapped. But that meant that Dot had nothing to base his current behavior on.
No. It was ridiculous. Yakko couldn't be in love with Babs – there was that little detail where Babs was Buster's girlfriend. And Yakko liked girls way too much to pick just one.
Besides, Yakko had always told Dot that she was the only girl in his life.
Yakko and Buster left the room while Nutsy threw himself in the chair, muttering something about "criminals on the loose" before dropping his head back and snoring almost instantly. Wakko, realizing he was left with just Dot and Skippy, scowled at them before marching out himself. Skippy turned to her.
"I bet they won't let us go to Bugs' meeting," he sighed, "what a bummer, I really want to hear what they say."
Dot bit her lip. If Yakko's past record was any indication, there was no way he was going to allow either of them to sit in. Her eyes traced the room, looking for inspiration. Finally, they settled on Nutsy.
"Oh, we'll hear it alright," she said with a grin.
Yakko paced the familiar hallways of the mansion. His feet were able to carry him from room to room out of memory, allowing his mind to wander in all sorts of directions.
The voice that was deepest inside him told him that what Nutsy said was not true. That it would be a slight on Bugs to think otherwise. That even though he hadn't known Bugs for as long as Nutsy, he knew him better.
But there was the louder voice that circled him, taunted him. The one that told him he'd been a chump, and he should know better by now: to trust anyone like he would a parent was a fool's idea. His own parents were a joke – one who had left him behind and one he had never known at all. Plotz and the others on the lot looked at him with dollar signs in their eyes. Slappy and Buster's parents had cared for him, surely, but not nearly as much as they did their own children.
And he couldn't help but remember what Bugs had said to him the other night… when you're drawn you have a purpose, and it pushes you and pushes you… there wasn't much affection drawn in between us and we haven't spoken in years…
There was a certain anxiety to his heartbeat now, but he pushed it down. Pushed it away. He was an adult now, he didn't need and another adult to make him feel good about himself. He had his siblings. He had Buster and Babs. And he had himself.
He was dragged from his thoughts by a small whimpering sound, making him stop midstep. Following his ears led him to the rear balcony that overlooked the sunbathed hills. Babs was on the ground, huddled against the railing; she wasn't crying, at least not anymore, but Yakko could still see a few darkened tear tracks carving lines down her cheeks. It made his chest feel tight. Shutting the door behind him, Yakko took a few slow steps out onto the balcony.
"I'm gonna make an educated guess and say Bugs told you," Yakko said.
"I just needed some fresh air," she replied, her voice brittle.
Yakko made a low noise of acknowledgement and crouched down across from her, leaning his back against the cool metal railings. "Wanna talk?" he asked quietly.
"I'm sure you do," she said with dark laugh that twisted into a dry, tearless sob. Without thinking, Yakko's hand darted out to touch her, but he hesitated moments from her shoulder. They both watched his hand for a second before he pulled back. Staring at his hand for another breath, Babs shut her eyes with a sigh and dropped her head against the railing with such force that Yakko winced. When she didn't move he wondered if she'd accidentally knocked herself out. He leaned forward to check on her but she lifted her head, and he darted back to where he was and tried to look nonchalant.
"I'm sorry," she croaked, not noticing his shenanigans, "I just can't believe she's gone. I mean, it's not like I didn't know people were getting kidnapped, it's just that they never kidnapped someone I…oh Shirley, I bet she tried to warn the kidnappers about bad karma before they took her. It's because of the reporting, I know it, they wanted to shut her up, so they stole her away – "
Babs stopped to take a shuddering breath. Her hand curled around a metal wrung and hung there, while her other hand clutched absently at her ear. Eventually that hand gave up and dropped into her lap, leaving her ear to curve behind her cheek and across her neck. Shaking his head, Yakko forced himself not to notice these things and dragged his eyes back up to her face.
"I was just…just really shocked when Bugs told me," she continued. Setting her jaw, she tried to make her voice sound strong but it quivered in the air. "I'll man up, just give me a second. You know what they say, show must go on and all that jazz," she said, adding a Velma Kelly inspired husk to her voice.
"We'll find her, Babs," Yakko said, trying to inject as much confidence as he could into the words.
Babs' blue eyes flicked up to meet his dark ones. Her eyelashes were damp and sticking together. The sight made Yakko feel as though the floor had given way beneath him and he clutched at the railing.
"Look at you, Mr. Confident," she said.
"Mr. Confident's my father. You can just call me Optimistic," he replied.
The smallest of smiles perked up on her mouth, and somehow it seemed to make the rest of her face glow. She studied his face for a moment, and he wondered for all the world what she was thinking. Finally, she said with a shaky sigh, "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about Fifi."
"I deserved it," Yakko said. He was surprised that the words came out so easily, considering that he was finding it a little hard to breath at the moment.
"Maybe," she conceded, "but you're a much better guy than I ever gave you credit for, Yakko."
Again, Yakko's hand struck out of its own accord, but this time there was no hesitation. It wrapped around the hand that Babs held onto the railing with, enclosing it nearly completely. Despite being a Class A, Babs had always opted against gloves for some reason, so her hand was especially warm nestled within his own. She didn't yank her hand away, like he half expected her to, nor did she make an uncomfortable excuse and leave. Instead, she looked at their hands for a moment, as if she'd never seen such a thing, and then her eyes met his again. They were so wide and blue, swallowing him, and the sight of them made Yakko's hand twitch and clench around hers ever so slightly, and suddenly all the nerves in his body had come alive.
"What are you doing?"
Buster's cry was sharp and demanding. It burst Yakko's world like a soap bubble. Surprised, he immediately released Babs' hand and jumped to his feet, promptly slamming his head into the railing with a loud clang. When his vision cleared, he saw Buster standing in the doorway, his arms splayed as though he were holding back a crowd, alternately staring at him and Babs with angry shock. Yakko would never forget the look on Buster's face at that moment.
Clutching his head, Yakko stammered, "I, um, Buster – wow, that hurt a lot more than I expected – listen, Bust – "
"What's going on? What the hell is going on?" Buster demanded. The color had drained from beneath his fur.
Babs, who had also gotten to her feet, took a step toward him and said, "Relax Buster, this isn't anything – "
"Bullshit," Buster cut in, glaring at Yakko.
" – he was just talking to me about Shirley," Babs continued firmly.
"Talking, huh?" Buster snapped, "like always, right? Talking. So that's what you're calling messing around with friend's girlfriends now?"
Buster's appearance was like someone turning on a light, illuminating all the reality Yakko had been ignoring. It suddenly seemed outrageous that he'd thinking about Babs in such a way, let alone touching her – Buster had been the truest friend Yakko had ever been able to call his own, and here he was, sniffing around in his territory behind his back.
"She was upset so I was talking to her, Buster," Yakko blurted, desperate to defend himself, "I don't want to know what you think we were doing, but get it out of your fuzzy brain because there's nothing's going on."
"Oh yeah? How do I know? How can I believe either of you? Is that what the silent treatment is for?" Buster accused, pointing to Babs. He turned to Yakko. "And how the hell am I supposed to know you're not lying? You've got a lot of fingers pointing at you right now, hell, for all I know you really did murder those weasels – "
"Buster!" Babs shrieked, "What's wrong with you – "
"There's nothing wrong with me, Babs," Buster corrected darkly.
"Ears, come on – " Yakko began.
"Don't call me that right now," Buster spat.
Buster might as well have punched him in the stomach.
"Fine, Buster, maybe you could put those big ears to use and listen me for a second," he said, "Babs was upset so I was comforting her – "
"Yeah I'll fucking bet – "
" – because I'm her friend," Yakko continued, forcing himself to keep calm, "you have to believe me."
In all the time that they had been friends, Buster had never looked at Yakko with anything aside from absolute trust. But now, in the harsh light of the noon sun, Buster was looking at Yakko like a stranger who he'd caught trying to pickpocket him. And beneath the anger, beneath the betrayal, there was a wounded quality to Buster's wide-eyed stare that would resonate with Yakko for the rest of his life.
Babs stepped forward, away from Yakko and toward her boyfriend. "Yakko's right," she said, her voice firm, "we're friends." And then she turned, locking eyes with Yakko and appearing as though she'd just woken up from a strange dream. "Just friends," she reiterated.
Yakko's eyes widened slightly, but he kept his mouth pinned shut. Turning back to Buster, she held out her hand, opposite of the one Yakko had touched. Buster stared at it for a minute, then lifted his eyes to her face. After another expressionless minute, Buster reached forward and, ignoring her hand, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. It was a possessive gesture that did not go unnoticed by Yakko.
"Okay," was the only thing he said, and with that he steered Babs away and into the house. Neither rabbit looked back.
Exhaling, Yakko fell back against the railing and sank down until he was sitting on the ground.
"Ew, I can't believe I'm touching this thing," Dot said, grimacing as she held Nutsy's hearing aid between two fingers.
"I can't believe I picked it out of his ear," Skippy countered.
Dot snorted at this and pulled a napkin out of her hammerspace to try and wipe some of the ear crud off of the tiny apparatus. They were currently taking advantage of the darkening sky and crouching behind a weird statue Bugs had as decoration in his hall. Dot assumed it was meant to be "abstract" but really it just looked like someone smoothed down a big rock and tossed it on a pedestal. Either way, it made for a perfect hiding spot, so she was going to keep her critiquing to a minimum.
"Bugs hasn't shut the door yet…who else do you think is coming?" Skippy whispered.
Dot glanced at the large rec room that Bugs was currently converting into a top secret conference room. Shirley's disappearance had prompted a spur of the moment meeting of Bugs' friends, much like the one they'd had after Slappy's death. Yakko, Babs and Buster were already in there, as well as Scratchensniff. Shrugging, she muttered, "Dunno, whoever could make it here without getting kidnapped I guess."
"How are we gonna listen in though? Yakko said he was going to booby trap the door so we don't try to eavesdrop," Skippy continued.
Dot rolled her eyes. "Yakko says a lot of things."
"But Dot – "
"Take a chill pill Skip, I've got it all worked out!" Dot hissed, "Bugs wanted a room with no windows, right? Well, no windows means plenty of vents. There's one on the other side of the hall. And Nutsy's more deaf than Beethoven, this thing could pick up a mouse sneezing in San Francisco."
"We're gonna listen to them through a vent?"
"Hey, it's cliché, but effective," Dot shrugged.
Her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps down the hall. They flattened themselves impossibly further into the corner, shapeshifting slightly so they were completely hidden. Angry voices soon joined the footsteps.
"Listen lady, it wasn't my insane idea, ask the rabbit," came what was unmistakably Daffy's voice.
"A blindfold? Really? I'm still deciding if you're the kidnappers or just a pair of sickos," snapped a female voice.
Clenching her teeth, Dot growled, "Oh, don't tell me it's her…"
To Dot's infinite displeasure, Daffy rounded the corner with none other than Minerva Mink. There was a handkerchief tied around her eyes as a blindfold, and every time she tried to pry it off Daffy pushed her hand away. Clanking beside her in his cowboy boots was Yosemite Sam, a hard scowl carved in his face.
"If you two don't shut up I'm pluggin' ya both," he snapped, "now git yer hides in the room before run outta patience."
"Big talk from a tiny man," Minerva jeered.
"Ooooh," Yosemite growled, "one a' these days, Mink…"
They disappeared into the conference room, and seconds later the door was shut. A small click told Dot they had locked the door.
"C'mon!" she urged, and Skippy followed her around the corner. The vent was slim and embedded into the wall near the ceiling. Concentrating, Dot pulled a small step ladder from her hammerspace. It only managed to go up about three steps, but it was sturdy and held both of them. Skippy was tall enough that he could hold the hearing aid right up to the vent and if Dot stood on her tiptoes, she could listen.
"Turn it up!" she said, and Skippy fiddled with it until Bugs' voice rang in, picking up a small echo from the vent shaft.
"Would everybody calm down? This ain't a UN meeting for crying out loud…"
Dot grinned and gave Skippy a thumbs up.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you two sucking face," came Wakko's voice. He was leaning against the doorframe, and he looked so much like Yakko had earlier that it threw her for a moment.
She would have fallen off the ladder had Skippy not grabbed her and pulled her straight. "Shut it, buttface!" she snapped, and Skippy hushed her with nervous glances toward the vent.
"Oooh, buttface, I'm gonna go cry – " Wakko teased, but froze as his eyes traveled from Dot to the vent and then to the hearing aid in Skippy's palm. "Are you listening to them?" he asked sharply.
"What's it to you?"
"Through a vent? Really?"
"Jeez, would everyone lay off the vent idea already?"
"What are they saying? Let me hear!" Wakko said, and began pushing his way between Dot and Skippy. Dot shoved back with all her might, and they squabbled for a moment before Wakko stumbled back down to the ground.
"Knock it off, we're gonna get caught!" she scolded.
Wakko let out an angry growl before his face contorted with concentration, his tongue sticking out, and his legs stretched until he was a good four feet taller and his ear was directly next to the vent.
"Show off," Dot said in answer to his smug grin. Realizing she didn't have much of a choice, she scooted closer to Skippy so Wakko could listen with them.
Fidgeting impatiently, Yakko glanced around the table. The table itself was classy and modern looking, much like the rest of Bugs' house. A tasteful amount of framed pictures lined the window-less walls, and an extravagant liquor cabinet took up most the corner nearest Bugs, who sat at the head of the table. Scratchensniff was a few seats down, and across from Yakko were Buster and Babs, neither of whom was looking at him.
The door burst open and Daffy and Yosemite Sam marched in, twin looks of extreme annoyance on both their faces. Daffy threw himself into the seat next to Bugs and his beak was a blur as he whispered rapidly to the rabbit, every now and then accentuating a word with a flamboyant hand gesture. Yosemite grabbed a chair, slung it into the corner, and sat down in a huff.
"What's up with you? Woke up on the wrong side of the – " Yakko began, but stopped midsentence as Minerva Mink strut into the room. Her dress was a vibrant, blood red, revealing in all the right places, and entirely inappropriate for a meeting to discuss increasingly dire circumstances. Oh well. He supposed he wasn't too terribly offended.
She slid into the seat directly next to Yakko despite that fact that there were many more open seats at the long table. He was suddenly and strongly reminded of their last meeting back on the lot, and how their numbers had dwindled since then. The air was much more thick this time, the conversation much less flippant and carefree.
With a rather coy smile in his direction, Minerva cooed, "Hello, gentlemen."
"And lady," Babs snapped irritably. This time Yakko didn't bother to disguise looking at her, and he found that she was glowering rather pointedly at Minerva.
Unfazed by this, Minerva added, "And girl."
Babs looked like a bull about to charge. Quirking an eyebrow, Yakko glanced at Buster out of habit. Buster met his gaze, but then seemed to remember that he was annoyed at Yakko and looked away.
"Oookay," Bugs said slowly, his eyes flicking between the four of them, "anyway, I brought Minerva in to shed some light on Shirley's disappearance. Miss Mink insisted on a face to face meeting, so I'm hoping she has something, eh, worthwhile for us. If what she says is to be believed – " Bugs paused to raise his brow at her, "we may have a lead."
"I'm going to take this time to question your definition of 'a lead,'" Daffy interrupted, "because all of your so-called 'leads' have only led to me having my beak rearranged on my head more ways than I'd want to recall in front of your collective sensibilities."
Yakko could only assume that Bugs' reply was rather snide, but he didn't hear it because Minerva had chosen that moment to slip off her shoe and run her bare foot up his leg. He shot a look at her from the corner of his eye, but she was calmly watching Bugs and Daffy's exchange as if nothing was happening.
"Anyway," Bugs continued with one parting look at Daffy, "Minerva, if you'd care to share, all of us, including one little black duck in particular, would love to hear what you have to say."
At this Babs made a sort of incredulous huff that Minerva coolly ignored. Tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear, she said, "Oh, I do. I saw the loon girl get kidnapped."
"Shirley," Babs corrected waspishly. Her whole body was stiff, and she was fixing Minerva with the kind of focused diligence that Yakko had only formerly associated with attack dogs.
"Whatever," Minerva said, waving her hand, "they nabbed her at the corner of Sunset and Chuck Jones. What she was doing in that part of town is beyond me, but anyway…"
"And what were you doing?" Babs grumbled, but Bugs shushed her.
Minerva continued, "I was doing my best to keep a low profile – it wouldn't be the first time I was almost kidnapped, I know they'd love to get their hands on me – so I was keeping to the shadows. But Shirley was just strutting her stuff out in the open. Didn't take long for them to jump her."
"Who?" Yakko and Bugs asked simultaneously.
"Three weasels and a man in a uniform. A bear. Don't know him."
Scratchensniff gasped and threw his hands over his mouth. Up until now he had been steadfast in his belief that the Toontown police force had not fallen to corruption.
"What did they do?" Bugs asked.
"The weasels pinned her, and the cop threw a sack over her head," Minerva said, sounding horribly calm, "they dragged her around the corner, and I didn't see what happened but then the next thing I knew they sped off in a black van."
"And you didn't do anything?" Babs shrieked. She was on her feet now.
"Babs, chill out…" Buster muttered, pulling her back into her seat.
"And get myself thrown into a van too? I don't think so," Minerva shot back. She glanced at Daffy and Sam, then added, "though honestly that wouldn't be different than how these two yahoos treat their guests."
"You weren't exactly a treat yourself – " Daffy began, but Bugs cut over him and asked, "You said one of them was in a uniform. What kind?"
"That's what I wanted to show you," Minerva said, raising an eyebrow at him. Arching her back unnecessarily as she reached into her hammerspace, Minerva pulled out a small object and tossed it into the middle of the table. Like everyone else, Yakko leaned forward to inspect it. It was a small, round badge with a globe and anchor symbol in the middle encircled by lettering. Before Yakko could read it, Daffy snatched the badge up, causing Yosemite to swear at him.
"United States Toon Marine Corps. Pendleton," Daffy read aloud, twirling the badge in his hands as he did so, "who's Pendleton?"
"It's not a person ya idiot, it's their base camp. 'Bout a good eighty miles south of here," Yosemite said gruffly.
"How'd you get this?" Yakko asked Minerva.
"Good question Yakko," she cooed affectionately, and Babs rolled her eyes, "I think Shirley tore it off the officer when she was trying to get away. I found it on the ground after they left."
"How convenient," Babs spat in an acid voice.
Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Minerva kept her eyes on Babs as she leaned toward Yakko ever so slightly. "Why if I didn't know any better I'd say you didn't like me, Little Miss Thing," Minerva drawled. Before she even finished her sentence Yakko felt her foot sneak underneath his pant leg and rub against his fur. He tried valiantly to remain composed, but he couldn't help but jerk a little in his seat. Even though she couldn't see what was happening, Yakko could tell by the disgusted look on Babs' face that she had a relatively good guess.
"Well Miss Mink, it's been a pleasure," Bugs said loudly as he clapped his hands together, "I think we've heard all that's worth hearing for one evening. In fact, you did such a good job we probably won't have to talk to you for days – weeks even. So if you'll please step outside, Daffy and Sam will catch up with you in a moment and escort you home.
Minerva, whose face had been rather serene, suddenly looked at Bugs with intense dislike. "You want me to wait outside?"
"Not outside. Just outside the door."
"You dragged me all the way over here so I could talk for five minutes before you kicked me out the door like a dog?" she snapped.
"Times are tough toots," Bugs said, shrugging, "if you don't want to leave I'm sure Babs here could find a very creative way to show you the door."
Minerva caught sight of Babs' wicked grin for a moment before she gave her the dirtiest look Yakko had ever seen. "Fine," she snapped, then nodded toward Buster, "wouldn't want to make someone late for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting anyway."
Babs gasped angrily as Buster jumped to his feet and shouted, "That's nothing compared to the shit I've heard about you – "
"Simmer down!" Bugs demanded. He turned to Minerva and raised an eyebrow, "We'll get you when we're done."
She didn't protest. Instead she stepped gracefully to her feet, sliding something into Yakko's pocket as she did so. "Bye Yakko," she cooed at him then, with one last look at Babs, she left the room and slammed the door behind her so hard that a framed picture of Bugs with the President crashed to the floor.
Reaching into his pocket, Yakko felt a small piece of paper. He pulled it out, doing his best to use his palm to shield it from Scratchensniff, who was closest to him. Without moving his head, Yakko glanced down and read the curvy handwriting: "Come find me."
Babs rounded on Bugs. "You're letting her wander your house by herself? Are you nuts?"
"Relax Babs, I've got the security locks on. She'd have to bomb her way out if she wants to get further than the rec room. And if she does that, well, let's hope that out of the three rabbits in the room, one of us hears it," Bugs assured, gesturing to his large ears.
"Well, ye of grand auditory abilities, hear this," Daffy said, "that chick was full of it. Full. Of. It."
"Agreed," Babs snapped.
"Judgmental group, ain't they?" Bugs commented to Scratchensniff.
"What's she got to gain by lying to us?" Yakko pointed out.
For the first time Babs looked at him directly. She hissed, "Oh, of course you'd defend her."
Yakko opened his mouth angrily, but Bugs cut over him, "Cool it you two. Look, I ain't sayin' we take every word Minerva said as the gospel truth, but I hate to say that some of her story has weight. My southern source has told me there's been more than a handful of rumors about something shady going down at Pendleton."
"It was a real underground hotspot back in the day," Yosemite added. Yakko glanced at him, but turned his eyes back to Bugs when Yosemite glared at him.
"So are you saying we just mosey on down there, knock on the door and ask, 'hey, do happen to be at all involved in a criminal kidnapping spree? Yes? Oh, well please don't do that anymore,'" Daffy jeered.
"Yes, but maybe not with quite as much Daffy flair," Bugs said.
Yakko's ears perked up. "You saying you want to go check it out?" he asked. Because that would involve leaving the house.
"I think we're gonna be forced to," Bugs said, "we can't count on the cops. Too dangerous for the humans. Public's terrified. Hate to say it, but we're Toontown's next and best ambassadors. But we need to plan this carefully. Ain't gonna lie, this is gonna be dangerous. Sam, Doc, what are we up against?"
"It is my understanding that our enemies are most likely in possession of the DIP which, as you all know, is lethal to a toon. Maybe it is being used as a projectile, but I do not know for sure. At the moment we do not have an antidote. You can try to block it with hammerspace entities but honestly, your best option is to run away like your life depends on it," Scratchensniff said.
"That's it? That's your advice?" Daffy scoffed.
"Well, I myself plan to wear a raincoat. It may repel the first round of an attack, perhaps buy you a moment or two of time," Scratchensniff added.
"Yeah, all of us running around the desert in raincoats won't be conspicuous at all," Yakko drawled.
Scratchensniff crossed his arms. "It is better than nothing!"
"Sam?" Bugs asked, resting his cheek in his hand.
"They've got gangs out in the open now, weasels mostly, patrolling the streets. Public's callin' 'em smugglers. They snatch up toons they see on the street and drag 'em away. They target Class A's and B's, don't know why. They look for gloves, usin' yer hammerspace, shapeshiftin,' all the telltale signs. Smugglers ain't smart though. But if that tarty mink is tellin' the truth, they've got pack leaders with half a brain. It ain't unlikely that there's trouble afoot in Pendleton. Like I said, more deals went down there in one day than all of LA combined before the feds cracked down."
"And what about Rocky?" Bugs pressed.
Yosemite's eyes were hard and cold beneath his black mask. Even though everyone was watching him now, they never strayed from Bugs' face. Holding himself very still, Yosemite said in a sharp voice, "It's got all the makin's of his handiwork."
Bugs nodded and asked no further questions. Yakko looked between the two toons as though clarification was going to spring up magically between them.
"We go to Pendleton on Saturday," Bugs began, "we'll iron out the details between now and then. No one breath's a word of this, understand? And I'm gonna be upfront about this: no matter how many precautions we take, there's a, eh, strong possibility it's going to be dangerous. So I ain't forcing anybody to go. If you go, it's your choice."
"I'm going," Yakko said immediately.
Bugs frowned slightly before Buster and Babs added their own 'me too.'
"I think I should be going as well, if you encounter the DIP you will need medical attention," Scratchensniff volunteered.
"What are you gonna do if we get DIP'ed? Hand us a moist towlette?" Buster asked.
"It is a much more complicated process than that," Scratchensniff said crossly.
"Wait, who's going to watch Wakko and Dot?" Yakko asked. He had been gambling on the fact that Scratchensniff would play babysitter again. If no one stayed behind, he was going to have to do it…
"Sam?" Bugs asked, raising his brow.
It took Yosemite a second to catch on. He blinked at Bugs before his small face contorted with rage. "You want me to play mother hen to a bunch a youngins? Are you outta yer cottin' pickin' mind?"
"With all of us gone Toontown's going to be even more vulnerable. I need a pair of eyes and ears I can trust back on our turf," Bugs reasoned.
"What do you mean, 'with all of us gone?'" Daffy interjected, "I don't recall signing up."
"Well you're a given," Bugs replied.
Daffy crossed his arms. "What happened to 'it's your choice' blah-de-blah?"
Bugs batted his eyes coyly at Daffy, who let out an aggravated sigh. "If you think that's going to work on me, think again. Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids."
"But it's Saturday Daff. We can do lunch afterward."
"Ugh. Fine."
Talking over another sigh from Daffy, Bugs said, "Alrighty folks, we'll be in touch. Daff, Sam, escort our lovely mink friend home. Doc, Buster and Babs, you're welcome to stay. And Yakko, well, I'll talk to you in a bit."
They rose and left one by one, Babs first, Yakko last, leaving Bugs and Daffy to chat quietly in the room. As Yakko slipped out the door, he fingered the piece of paper in his pocket.
Leaping off the ladder, Dot hit the ground running and bolted in Yakko's direction. Taking off after her, Wakko hissed, "Dot what are you doing? Do you want to get busted by Yakko?"
"Don't care!" she huffed back.
"Well I do!" Wakko snapped. He began to close the space between them, and he was almost close enough to stretch out and grab her tail when Dot rounded the corner and ran straight into Yakko. Her brother grabbed her by the shoulders before she could fall flat on her tail.
"Dot…Wakko…what are you – " Yakko stammered.
"Where are you going?" Dot demanded.
Yakko raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't know I needed to give you a detailed report."
"You'd better not be going after her!" Dot continued, poking him in the chest.
His brow going from confused to annoyed in a millisecond, Yakko looked at both of them and said, "Eavesdrop much?"
Wakko raised his hands defensively and said, "Hey, leave me out of it."
"You were listening too!" Dot cried, and Wakko flung his hands in the air.
"Would it kill you to keep a secret?" he moaned.
"There's something up with Minerva, Yakko, I swear, she's got something up her sleeve – well, I guess I can't say that, it's not like she really bothers to wear sleeves, among other things," Dot spat.
"I hope you remember this conversation when you're sixteen," Yakko commented.
"I'm serious Yakko, ask Skippy!" Dot continued, jerking her thumb behind her. Skippy was peering at them from around the corner, but shrunk back. "She's bad news! And I'm sorry, but she doesn't need that stupid dress to look easy, she does that as soon as she opens her mouth – "
"Watch it Dot, you're already on thin ice as it is," Yakko said, "I thought I taught you better than to make sassy comments about costars behind their backs."
"Oh, so we can say that to her face?" Wakko asked. When Yakko glared at him, he splayed his hands and groaned, "Kidding, jeez!"
"It doesn't matter, we shouldn't even be having this argument because neither of you two should have been listening in the first place," Yakko said, and began to nudge Dot toward the stairs, "now look, why don't you just chill out in the game room, there's gotta be a hamster wheel or something in there that you can burn some energy on."
Her tail twitching angrily, Dot scowled at him. She knew a diversionary tactic when she saw one. Pushing his hands away, Dot cried, "Think you could make it less obvious that you want me outta the way so you can go find your stupid girlfriend?"
"What's this really about, Dot? We go through this song and dance with every girl I so much as say 'hello' to," Yakko said.
"Because you always go after the rotten ones!" Dot shot back.
Wakko, wide-eyed, watched the two of them like a tennis match.
"You've got a funny definition of rotten, dear sib."
"Name one decent girl you've dated. You know, one that hasn't made us want to move to another town and change our names."
"Cute, Dot. I'm not playing this game with you right now."
"That's because you can't think of one!"
"Okay, enough," Yakko snapped, an aggravated edge sparking in his voice that he rarely ever used towards her. The shadows from the dimly lit hallway made his scowl seem more prominent. "If I wanted my lovelife criticized I would've just picked up a copy of ToonTalk. You're out of line Dot Warner, and as much as I appreciate your insightful digs at my expense, you're grounded – "
Snatching both her ears in frustration, Dot finally growled through gritted teeth, "God Yakko, stop trying to be my dad and just be my brother for once!"
All three of them went suddenly still, save for Wakko's sharp gulp of breath. It was as though she shoved them all in front of a mirror and forced themselves to see each clearly as siblings. Dot and Yakko stared at each other, and she could sense Wakko watching the both of them. She waited for Yakko's reaction as he looked at her, unmoving, his face stony and unrevealing. If she had gone too far, she didn't care, it was only time she felt that Yakko had truly listened to her in days.
When Yakko finally spoke he sounded too old. "It's not a switch I can turn on and off," he croaked, "I can't be just your brother, Dot Warner, you should know that better than anyone."
"I wish you could," Dot replied and, unable to make eye contact with him anymore, marched past him, past Wakko and Skippy, and to the room that was distinctly not her own.
Yakko marched down the hallway, tallying how many people he cared about that he had managed to estrange today. Let's see…Dot, check…Wakko was still mad at him as far as he knew, so check…Babs, check…Buster, double check. Why, all he really had left to piss off was Bugs, and judging by what Nutsy had said he might not really matter anyway.
Dot's words were still ringing in his ears. And if it wasn't her then it was Buster's shocked face that was plastered across his mind and he couldn't stand it. Plunging himself into dangerous terrain on Saturday would almost be a relief.
These thoughts made him feel lonely, which he hated. He couldn't stand being lonely, he never could. He wanted someone to talk to, anyone, another body, someone to make him feel good when his entire day had been a litany of bad…
"Hey handsome."
Yakko jumped back in shock, colliding with a fancy vase Bugs had setting on a pedestal. It rocked precariously back and forth before he managed to catch it. Once it was steady he looked up, only to find Minerva Mink leaning against a doorframe.
"Speak of the devil," he muttered.
"You're always so jumpy," she said, her voice as coy as her eyes. She stepped toward him, her long leg emerging from the slit in her skirt. "You found me," she continued.
"I think it was the other way around," Yakko said.
She was circling him now, pacing around him slowly, winding her tail around his waist with each step. "You seem frustrated, Yakko," she cooed, "how long have you been cooped up in this big old place?"
"Eh, more than any one person would probably prefer," he replied with forced casualness.
"Alone?"
"Well not alone, exactly, I've got my sibs, and then there's the rabbit brigade – "
"So alone then," Minerva cut in. She had stopped her circling so she was now directly in front of him, her hands on her hips. "If I would have known where you were hiding I would have fixed that problem a long time ago…you turned out to be a lot more of a looker than I'd thought, you know."
"Is that a compliment?" Yakko asked. He was proud that he could still be skeptical in the midst of how fogged his brain was at the moment.
Smirking, Minerva laid her palm flat against his stomach. Then she pushed it upwards, bunching the fabric of his shirt in little waves, rippling sparks down his spine, until she reached his chest. "What do you think?" she purred.
Making a conscious effort to focus on anything other than the pressure of her hand, Yakko took a deep breath. His brain felt sluggish, like it had been drugged, and logic seemed like a long forgotten concept. There was a part of him that knew something wasn't entirely right, but that was a very small part compared to the portion of him that noticed the way she was pressing against him right now. There was a familiarity to this, forward girls and their hands in the dark, as well as the nagging voice that suggested that this girl could be absolutely anybody.
"Why don't you relax?" Minerva whispered, and she began planting little kisses along his jaw line.
"Honestly? You're making that a little difficult right now," Yakko said thickly, shutting his eyes when she moved to his neck.
He felt the vibrations of her chuckle against his throat. "One of my many talents," she replied.
Swallowing, Yakko opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was gazing at him beneath hooded eyelids that were caked in far too much makeup that, up close, looked slightly tacky. But the look hurtled him back to the balcony when Babs had looked at him so…so…
The look Minerva was giving him was so drastically different from Babs', and for a moment he considered pushing her away. But then thinking of Babs only reminded him of the finality of her words, of her letting Buster's arm navigate her waist, of Babs turning her back on him as she allowed her boyfriend to guide her away. It reminded him of the empty feeling he had tried to reconcile for the next half hour afterwards, alone on the balcony.
What had he been expecting, really? That Babs was just going to leave her boyfriend of seven years for him? That everything would work out fine, that they'd be happy, and he and Buster would go on as if nothing happened? Yeah right.
Fine. Babs had made her choice, and he was free to make his. Until this moment his hands had remained stiffly at his sides, because he could still feel the warmth of Babs' hand in his palm and he didn't want to erase it. But now he lifted his arms and let his hands settle on the curve of Minerva's hips, and she hummed happily, digging her nails painfully through his shirt and into his skin. Her tail tightened around him, making Yakko feel uncomfortably like a boa constrictor's prey.
"You know Minerva, I was always under the impression that you didn't like me very mu – " Yakko began, but he was cut off as she covered his mouth with hers. He inhaled, and her overwhelming perfume filled his nose.
"Just shut up for a second, 'kay?" she whispered when she pulled away. Before he could offer one word of protest she hooked her fingers in his belt loop and tugged him close, locking the door with a flick of her tail.
Sighing, Wakko absently flipped a page in his comic. He had to be careful: the pages in Phantom Blot had seen this so many times that they were loosening from the binding. Some were already held in by scotch tape alone. It was okay though, he'd keep reading it until it disintegrated. Each panel was a comfort to him.
With that thought in mind, he nearly tore half the pages out in surprise when Dot flung his door open with a sharp bang!
"Jeez Dot, learn to knock!" he yelped.
Not seeming to hear him, Dot leapt in mid tirade, "I can't believe Yakko, I just can't believe him! I know he went after that floozy, I can tell."
"Go whine about it to your boyfriend," Wakko responded.
Dot gave him an icy glare. "If you're referring to Skippy, Nutsy took him home."
"That's a relief."
"Shut up. But c'mon, don't you think Yakko's functioning at braindead level?"
Wakko shrugged and leaned back into his pillow, opening his comic back up. "He can do what he wants. He's the oldest," he said, ending in a mocking, nasally voice.
"I don't care! It's the principle of it! I mean, who does he like more? Me or her?"
"You're just jealous," Wakko muttered.
Dot wheeled on him, and Wakko swore he saw smoke come out of her nostrils. "I. Am not. Jealous!"
"That's what a jealous person would say," Wakko teased.
"Nice Wakko, real nice. Oh, and thanks for sticking up for me, by the way," she snapped in such a sarcastic way she could have passed for Yakko.
Wakko closed his book. "What are you talking about?"
"You just stood there when I was trying to stop our stupid brother from being a complete neanderthal!" Dot cried.
Sitting up, Wakko retorted, "Why are you always blaming me for all your crap? You were the one who wouldn't stop with the 'your girlfriends are trashy, blah blah blah.'"
"I'm sorry I'm asking you to grow a spine, I know that's probably difficult for you," Dot growled.
Grinding his teeth, Wakko's hand darted behind his back and in less than a second he hefted a rotten tomato at her. But Dot ducked with such speed that Wakko would have been impressed if he wasn't so annoyed with her. Her retaliation was quick – he heard the tomato splat dully against the wall as Dot threw a lit stick of dynamite into his lap. With a yelp, Wakko barely had time to slap it away before it exploded in cloud of smoke. Coughing, Wakko staggered to the window and heaved it open, letting the smoke pour into the night air. When he turned around with an angry snarl, Dot was already gone.
He stomped over to the site of the explosion. The damage was minimal, the only thing a stick of dynamite from a toon Dot's age could do was cover his room in soot. But now that meant that most of his few remaining belongings were covered in grainy black grime. His comic was so coated in it he couldn't tell Mickey from Phantom Blot. Furious, he gave the wall a good kick, realizing a moment too late that he didn't shapeshift. His toe crunched painfully against the wall. Soon he was clutching his foot and hopping on the other one, cursing loudly.
Younger sisters were the worst.
Yakko found that trying to pull his shirt back over his head was difficult when Minerva Mink wouldn't leave your neck alone. And it was starting to annoy him.
"What's the rush?" she cooed, traveling north so her lips brushed against his ear.
Yakko rolled his eyes. "Daffy's only been shouting for you like a maniac for the past twenty minutes."
"So they can toss me in the back of their car again? They can wait for me," she scoffed. Twisting away from him, she gathered her hair to the side to reveal her long, pale expanse of back that was visible through her open dress.
"Zip me?" she asked him over her shoulder.
His eyebrow spiking up, Yakko stared at her for a second. There was a demeaning quality in her question, but he'd be a liar if he said the sight wasn't tantalizing as hell. Then he realized that these two thoughts pretty much summed up his experience with her. It was fun, he wasn't going to lie. But if it was so fun then why did he feel like shit now?
He reached for the zipper, which was hovering beneath the very bottom of her spine, and yanked it up rather dismissively.
"Hey, watch the dress!" she snapped before her tone reverted back to seductive. "I guess you're right, I should be leaving soon…you guys have a busy day tomorrow. I'm sure you're driving down to the military base to find that hippie girl."
"What? Oh. No we're not going 'til Saturday or something," Yakko muttered. He wasn't really listening to her at this point. Rubbing his face with his hands, he wondered if Buster had already figured out where he'd been. Or worse, if Dot had.
"But that means I can't go with you! Are you sure?" Minerva pouted, and draped her arms over him. He noticed that she angled them specifically so one of the straps of her dress slipped off her shoulder.
"I don't remember you going with us ever being part of the plan."
"Make it part of the plan."
"Just a hunch Minerva, but I feel like that suggestion will go over about as well as asking Plotz for free money."
"What's that supposed to mean, Warner? You're saying I wouldn't be any help?" she asked sharply, eyeing him.
"I'm saying…" Yakko paused, "actually yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
He braced himself, waiting for her inevitable explosion. But to his surprise, Minerva calmly withdrew her arms from him, rose to her feet and fixed the strap of her dress. Smirking at him in a predatory way, she replied, "I'm going to remember you said that."
"I'll make an entry in my diary," Yakko retorted sarcastically.
"Hilarious," she said in a dry voice. She studied him for a moment, then her tail flowed out from behind her and nuzzled him beneath his chin. Raising an eyebrow, she cooed, "For a little boy, you could have been worse."
Yakko's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, anything so she wouldn't have the last word, but before he could she chucked him roughly under the chin with her tail, jerking his head to the side.
With that parting blow, Minerva sauntered out of the room.
Yakko did not try to follow. Hell, it took him close to five minutes of self-composure before he was able to leave the room. Then it only took about another minute before Bugs was shouting his name from across the hall, managing to look panicked, winded, and peeved all at once.
"Where have you been?" Bugs snapped, sounding irritated.
Yakko blinked. Jumping from Minerva's touch to Bugs' stare was jarring. He hoped he didn't smell too much like perfume.
"Oh you know, wrestled a couple weasels, eradicated corruption in the police department, solved some mysteries, reconciled with my siblings…you know, essentially eliminated all of my problems," Yakko drawled.
"Cute, kid," Bugs said in clipped tones. He was giving him what Yakko had dubbed the "X-ray look." "I noticed you were missing the same time Minerva was. Quite a coincidence."
"Yeah, what are the odds?" Yakko shot back, not meeting Bugs' eye. God, and to think he'd woken up this morning in a relatively good mood. What had happened to his day?
Bugs studied him for a moment, and Yakko shuffled on his feet, feeling awkward. "Babs seemed upset earlier," Bugs said suddenly.
Resisting the urge to thump his head against the wall, Yakko muttered, "One of her best friends just got kidnapped, I think that warrants a couple tears."
"I've known that girl since she was learning to crawl. Trust me, I know her moods. That wasn't the only thing she was upset about."
"Well if you know her so well then you should know why she's so worked up," Yakko snapped. He moved to leave the room, but Bugs blocked his path. Yakko winced and rubbed the bases of his ears. He had a headache.
"You got somethin' you want to share kid?" Bugs asked evenly.
Finally, Yakko looked him in the eye. Until now Yakko had never quite appreciated his old life where he had no adult influence. Having no adults interested in your day to day meant never having anyone to answer to. Ever. Well, sometimes he had to answer to Plotz but that was usually about business or why he had said what to who. And when he did answer to Plotz, it was usually with heaping doses of sarcasm.
"In case you haven't noticed I'm not a kid," Yakko grumbled for lack of anything better.
"Let me rephrase," Bugs said archly, and his ears gave an irritated twitch, "you're acting like a bit of a jackass and I'd thought I'd give you a chance to explain yourself."
Quirking an eyebrow, Yakko did his best not to let his surprise streak across his face. Control, he had to have control. But it was getting difficult, considering that his desire not to talk and his desire not to be out-talked were currently doing battle. It didn't help that Bugs was staring at him now; when he tried to ignore Bugs' stare he thought of his siblings, and if his thoughts didn't swirl with them it was Babs or Buster or Minerva or anyone else on the laundry list of people he'd upset.
God, he was tired.
"Look, your judgments on my behavior are insightful. Really. But they don't exactly compel me to explain myself," he snapped.
Yakko moved to sidestep Bugs, but the rabbit blocked him with an outstretched arm. "Well let me explain myself," Bugs began rather forebodingly, "you're wanted by the police and you've got a bunch a' maniac toons on your tail – so if you're not too busy giving me an attitude you can figure out why it might bother me if you disappear for nearly an hour to do…whatever you just did with who I think you did. And by the way kid, you can do better than her, that's all I'm gonna say."
"Well then if that's all, can I leave? If you want to keep lecturing, then by all means. I'd hate to deny you the entertainment," Yakko shot back.
"Is this a thank you for letting you and your siblings hide out in my house for months, huh?" Bugs snapped, and in a bizarre moment Yakko noticed that his New York accent got stronger as he got angrier, "I didn't have to do that ya know, I could have just let ya get arrested and have who knows what happen to ya – "
"What was stopping you then? Afraid all your hard work would be trashed if it got out you were associated with us felons?" Yakko cut in.
Bugs shook his head. "What the hell are you talkin' about kid?"
Yakko dragged a hand across his face and grumbled, "Quit callin' me kid, I'm not your kid."
Like most things that came out of his mouth during an argument, Yakko hadn't given what he'd said much thought beforehand. But something flickered on Bugs' face when he said that, something he couldn't pinpoint. It was a look he'd never seen on the rabbit's face before, and certainly not a look that he'd ever received from anyone else. But Bugs smothered the look before Yakko had a chance to interpret it. Fixing Yakko with a stone face, Bugs growled, "Fine, Warner. You can leave now. Hell, leave altogether after Saturday. No fur off my tail."
"Fine," Yakko snapped.
"Fine," Bugs shot back.
Yakko made to move past him again, but Bugs held his ground, staring him down until finally removing his arm. Not hesitating, Yakko marched past him and into the darkened hallway and toward his room. Somehow, he was supposed to go to sleep after this. He was supposed to work together with Bugs, Buster and Babs on Saturday despite having managed to all but sever ties with all three of them. He was supposed to be just a brother to his siblings, a role that seemed far too average and empty after years of loving them more than life itself.
Whatever Pendleton had to bring, it couldn't be worse than this.