HollyWood

ch. 5- Box office Bunny

His cheeks were burning as a flame, and completely red.
He quickly placed his hands over his cheeks to subside the flush.
"What is happening?!" He thought to himself.
Ring ring ring
Picking up his phone,"yes?"
"Ah, Mr. Bunny ! We finished writing the script you wanted! It'll just be a quick short, nothing too fancy but the kids will love it! We have to have it finished by this coming February! Sound good?"
Bugs was slightly caught off guard and a simple fake cough to fix his manner, brought him back, "Oh, wonderful! Ill let D-daffy know asap! Thank you for telling me! When should we schedule a table reading?"
"Absolutely! No problem! How about tomorrow? We're free at 4 pm! Be there on time! And bring that duck with you! The study group loved it! You two have a strong character dynamic!"
Fumbling with thumbs, "Ah-h, Y-yes! Thank you! Ill see you then!"
He hung up the phone.
His mind was rushing. He stood still for a moment and couldn't think properly at all, but one thing he did know: he had to clean up his kitchen.
While cleaning up all he could hear is Daffy's chuckles and insults at the characters from whatever show he was watching. He couldn't stop blushing, and he wasn't even sure why.
He finished cleaning, grabbed two waters from the fridge and headed to the living room. Daffy who was laying down across the couch, sat up and let Bugs sit beside him, handing him a water. Daffy continued to watch the TV but, while Bugs was leaning to the right of the couch, he had no choice but to stare at what was in front of him.
He blushed harder.
Daffy, catching Bugs in his peripheral, turned to him, "why are you so red? You gotta crush this actor or sum? Cause, I did not say anything good about her pfft!"
Bugs responded in the most on brand ugly nervous laugh to ever laugh.
The duck quirked his eyebrow and faced back to the TV, "weird", he mumbled.
Bugs looked again at the duck, sitting in this giant t shirt, with only the light from the TV making him shine.

"Oh...uh Daffy..!"
"Yeah?"
"Tomorrow we have a table reading at 4 pm for the new project!" The duck smiles proudly. "Okay! Be prepared to make me a 6 course breakfast in the morning, cause all stars like me need to be pampered!"
Daffy continued rambling but Bugs just blocked that out.

The next day, at 4 pm , Warner's brothers studio

"So, what's the title?"
Bugs and daffy sat in a room, with a giant conference table and multiple other executives. They were sitting at one end and the others at the other end.
Elmer Fudd was also sitting next to the boys.
"We're gonna call "Box-Office Bunny! It'll be played at the theaters before the start of another film coming out."
The toons, each one having a copy of the script, were flipping through pages, taking note of what was written.
"We need to start ASAP! Can yall do that for me?"
The director took a moment before adding, "In fact, lets skip this table reading and start early in the morning tomorrow!"
"Buh wa-eet isnt dat too-uh soon?", Elmer leaned forward in his chair.
"Not of we want to get this done!".
Elmer repositioned himself in his fair, "okay".
Bugs and Daffy just gave each other a look only best friends know
The glance and "yeeesh".

Bugs had thought that it was weird that Daffy hadn't complained about anything yet but looked to his right to see him holding his script firmly. And a giant smile resting on his face.
Which in turn, also made him smile.
"Alright boys, you just need to sign this contract and we start at 5 AM!"
All three of them looked to the left to see the director standing to the left of Bugs, placing a sheet of paper in front of them all.
Daffy was the first to sign, not even reading the fine print. Bugs skimmed it and quickly signed. Elmer, however, brought out a pair of reading glasses and spent an hour reading it, forcing everyone to wait for him. He eventually signed as well.
After signing and leaving the room, the both stopped in their tracks.
"What about christmas?!"

"....."
"You think we'll get a bonus...?"
"I hope so, but its unlikely..."
"Damn..!"
They both looked at each other blankly.
"So.... What do you wanna do?"Daffy asked.
"I don't know... This was kinda my plans for today.."
"Yeah, me too..heh"
They started chuckling to each other, before soon being interrupted by Porky.
"Oh, d-didn't k-k-know you two were friends!"
They looked blankly at the pig and Daffy wrapped his arm around Bugs' shoulder, "Oh, we're bestfriends~"
Bugs' face was slightly flushed. The pig's eyes widened in surprise.
Daffy tugged Bugs' shoulder with enough force to spin him completely and face him in the direction, and facing that way with him. Just to start walking head fast from Porky. "See ya later, Pork!"
After the boys walked enough distance to not be seen, Porky mumbled, " But, I-i thought we were B-b-best friends....".

Going down a couple of elevators, Bugs and Daffy had made it to a commons room. This room was filled to the brim with other toons, and a lunch bar to the right.
They both headed their way to the bar. Bugs ordering a simple salad and Daffy impressing in the least way by ordering the greasiest burger and fries he had ever seen.
Then leaving to find a table, a familiar face stuck up motioning to sit with him. It was the fastest mouse in all of mexico, Speedy Gonzalez!
The boys placed their food at his table and sat beside him.
"Hey, Speedy!"
"Señor Bugs, I heard about that new short you and this tonto is doing!"
Daffy picked his head up, " What's a tonto?"
The mouse just look intently at the duck, who was now stuffing his mouth full of "meat" and grease, "ehhh its spanish for duck-" he said with a smile.
"Well that's just rude! I have a name you know! That's why Canada is killing us these days!" He took another bite of his burger, while continuing with his mumbled rambling.
Speedy sped up to Bugs' shoulder, hiding his mouth with hand and whispered, "Is it true you demanded the studio to make it and for the tonto to be in it? I thought they were gonna lay him off. Hes been out of work for months!"
Bugs didn't realize others would have heard about it. Did everyone know? How would Daffy feel if he knew?
He started to feel intense guilt, and just as that happened, a huge pile of cole slaw was plopped onto Daffy.
There was laughing from the whole room. Daffy scooted his chair, stood up, covered in cole slaw, and walked towards the mens restroom. Bugs, who was now horrified, looked to see who it was. It was none other than, Taz, surrounded by other toons at his table, laughing.
Bugs furrowed his eyebrows, while walking past their table, and into the mens restroom. As he started walking in, he could hear a toon extra say something like, "That's what he gets for getting handouts!".
Bugs aggressively walked into the room, to see his friend washing off the food on his body at the sinks.
"Oh, hey..! Well, that was weird... Right?"
Bugs fumbled his fingers in a nervous way, "yeah..."
Daffy turned the back of his body to the mirror peeking at his behind over his shoulder.
His front was now mostly clean but he needed help getting a spot on his back he couldn't reach.
"Hey, can you help me?"
Bugs, now flushed, walked to him, taking off his gloves and splashing water onto his back. For a second, he had touched him, and in that second, he could feel his slick feathers underneath.
He grabbed some brown paper towels and finished drying him off, putting his gloves back on.
Daffy faced him,"thanks."
He grabbed some paper towels as well and dried off his head and hands.
They both walked out of the restroom, seemingly fine and not bothered.
As soon as he walked out, many of the toons started shouting multiple things like "looser" "slacker" "failure" and "you suck!"
Bugs could see Speedy across the room giving him a concerned look.
And, when Bugs went to look for Daffy who was by his side.
He was gone.