Baffy (Bugs Bunny x Daffy Duck)

Chapter 2 (Daffy's POV)

Bugs seemed bored and unhappy. I shouldn't have taken him as he was, without having dressed nice, but I hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise. It hadn't been too surprising.

He was playing with his empty water glass, as though he didn't notice. He didn't talk--then again, he never had really been the talkative type. I sighed inaudibly, turning to glance at the couples around us. Most were chatting amiably with one another, with the exception of those who were ordering or eating, though even they seemed content.

I wondered what Bugs and I had in common to talk about, desperately wanting to reach out to him. As I opened my mouth, he murmured something in a muffled voice. Bugs had the habit of doing that and no one that had noticed had told him anything. To be honest, the only person I had noticed him talk to in that laid-back manner was me, I guessed because he allowed himself to relax around me.

I didn't know whether that was good or bad.

He had large ears, so I supposed when I murmured something, he didn't have many difficulties understanding. For ears, I had holes in the sides of my head.

I'm pretty sure I could've worded that less awkwardly.

He cleared his throat and repeated himself, shooting me a look of annoyance which made his reddish blush die down somewhat.

"What's the occasion, Doc?"

"Didn't you ask that already?"

"I can't remember." He probably could, and was lying to me. Over the years, I had learned there were few things Bugs forgot, whether large events or small, such as the simple question he posed now.

"You should know," I said, looking away in embarrassment. His stare was questioning, and I sighed in fake annoyance. "Well, don't you know what tomorrow is?" He racked his brain.

"I don't have any plans. Aside from my party, but--" he waved that away as though unimportant.

"That's it," I said. He stopped moving the glass. "Your birthday celebration. I k-knew that tomorrow would be a busy day in which I would see little of you due to your, our, other friends occupying your time, so I wanted to do something quiet and special. I'm sorry that I wanted it to be a surprise, which was why I didn't tell you to wear anything fancy. I didn't know it'd embarrass you." My gaze flickered from him to the approaching waiter, and I licked my bill anxiously. Why was he staring at me with that dumbfounded expression? It made me goddamn nervous.

I felt I'd done something wrong, and I always did something wrong, and that pissed me off--that there was something I could never do right concerning Bugs.

That was an extremely repetitive statement.

The waiter placed our plates in front of us, lingering for a moment longer to take my glass and refill my tea (it surprised me how much I'd drank of it).

"I didn't think you'd remember my birthday," he said honestly, blinking and grabbing for his napkin, from which he would pull his utensils.

"Why?" I cut him off as he was in the middle of formulating another sentence, and used my heel to crush my other foot.

"Because you haven't before, Daff, that's why. Each year my birthday comes around, and, because I don't bring it up, you learn of its occurrence from friends on the day of. That's the only way you ever realize. You also learned this year. Who told you?"

"No one told me, I remembered on my own."

"Yeah, right."

"Everyone changes. Even the most self-centered of us mature," I said jokingly, stuffing a portion of salmon into my mouth. He smiled, but his smile didn't meet his eyes, and my heart fell. "Can't you forgive me?" I continued in a more serious tone.