It's been a while since the four toons had left Bugs' hole. Wakko was still sitting on Bugs' lap, Yakko and Dot were leading the way. The two siblings were talking about how it's been a while since they had visited this world. This reminded Bugs, "How did you three get here this time?" he asked. "Tricking Marvin again?"
"We decided to try something new." Dot answered.
"We stole a space rocket!" Wakko exclaimed.
"I'd call it borrowing." Yakko grinned. "It was a nice rocket, we had a lot of fun driving it here."
"Yeah, until Yakko crashed it." Dot said, annoyed.
"Hey, you are as faulty as I am, Mrs. Copilot!" Yakko retorted.
"You were the pilot, what could I do when you messed it all up!"
"I don't know, help ? You understand the flying stuff better than me!"
"Yes, flying planes !"
Bugs watched their silly fight in amusement. He had missed the kids a lot.
"Are they Daffy and Lola?" Wakko's question distracted them all.
Bugs looked forward and saw no one other than Daffy Duck and Lola Bunny, sitting together on a bench of the basketball court. Their backs were turned on them so Bugs couldn't see their faces. But he understood from their body language they were not having their happiest day. And seeing them like that broke his heart.
"Come on, kids. Let's brighten their day." Bugs gestured to the kids to follow him as he started walking towards the bunny and the duck.
"Ooh, brighten their day with explosives?" Dot's eyes shone.
Wakko had already pulled a bomb from his gag bag. Bugs took it from his hand and threw it away, "Not yet kids." Seeing their disappointed looks Bugs quickly added, "But I promise, you can go all zany you want later."
This earned him smiles from them, "Okay!"
As they got closer Bugs could hear the two Tunes' talking. He was on the front, the Warners behind him were trying to be as quiet as they could. Bugs put Wakko down once they had come real close, almost right behind them. While Bugs took a few steps towards the two Tunes, the kids stayed behind. They had pulled chairs and popcorn, ready to watch how this would develop.
"I keep going back to that stupid tree and doing the same thing again and again as if he'll appear out of nowhere like the old days. It is really dumb and I know but..." Daffy sighed.
Lola put her hand on his shoulder. "What you're doing is not dumb at all. You just miss him..." she said trying to comfort him. Then added in a lower voice, "And I miss him too. A lot."
Both of them looked on the verge of tears.
Alright, that was it. Bugs couldn't stand seeing them sad anymore. "Ehh, who's this lucky guy you two miss a lot, doc? Perhaps I've seen him around." Bugs joined their conversation.
Upon hearing the familiar voice Lola froze. Daffy on the other hand kept talking, "I don't think you can see him anymore. He's gone! Away!" he sniffed.
"Gone? Away? How come?"
"He turned to light and disappeared, poof!" He raised his head for a second to add a thought, "It was kind of cliché actually."
"Sad to hear that, doc. Well, at least I hope he was a nice guy. Probably nice looking too if he's nice."
"Nice? Yeah. Handsome, not as handsome as me." Daffy sniffed again.
"I don't know... he sounds pretty nice looking to me. What was his name again?" Bugs straightened as he waited for the duck to realize what was going on.
"Bugs-" then it clicked and Daffy turned his head to look at the bunny. "BUGS!"
Lola finally found the strength to look behind her as well. She was afraid of the person not being Bugs, but someone with a similar voice. But once seeing him she felt relief and joy and the tears started falling down her cheeks. "Bugs!"
Both Tunes got up and Lola immediately pulled him to a hug. "It's really you! You're back!" she sniffed. Then she suddenly broke the hug and started shaking him. "Don't ever do that again!"
"Yeah, what she said." Daffy agreed, crossing his arms while standing next to Lola. "Giving me hope and taking it back like this? Merciless. Very Merciless."
"I missed you too, Duck." Bugs smiled. As the expression softened on the duck's face he opened his arms, offering a hug with a smile. Daffy immediately hugged him and started crying on his shoulder. Not even a second had passed when Lola joined the hug crying as well, though her sobs were silent unlike Daffy's. Bugs had to remind himself to stay calm and collected. Keep it together Bugs, keep it together.
"Wait, we need to tell the rest of the Tunes!" Lola gasped, raising her head.
Daffy turned to her, "I got this." He said calmly, took a step back, pulled a hailer, and shouted "EVERYONE EMERGENCY MEETING NOW!"
Bugs and Lola had to plug their ears.
"There." Daffy said as he threw away the hailer, which went towards the three kids, Wakko jumped and ate it with one successful bite.
Bugs felt the earth shaking and saw a cloud of dust coming closer towards them from the city. He knew who they were. He felt his heart beating faster as the rest of his family came closer. He felt his hand squeezed by Lola and saw her smiling sweetly. Daffy too was smiling, even though he was looking much calmer than a few minutes ago. Both she and Daffy were quite emotional at this moment, and Bugs wondered for how long he could keep his emotions to himself.
"What's it, son?" Foghorn talked first.
"Please don't tell me you want someone to bring you a glass of water again." Speedy said.
"Or another untidy feather situation." Sam stared at Daffy.
"I-i-it better be an a-a-actual emergency this time." Porky said. He looked tired.
Daffy raised one of his fingers. "First, these were emergencies." He raised another finger. "Second, I want to announce that somebody finally decided to show up." He stepped back, letting the Tunes focus on Bugs.
All the tired and annoyed expressions left their places to a shocked one. None of the Tunes moved, their eyes focused on Bugs. The hare wasn't moving too. He had thought he wouldn't be able to see them again. But now, they were here. All of them were here.
They had stayed. Everything was just like how it used to be. The famous toons were together in their own world.
Bugs just had raised his hand to wave to the shocked group when they jumped on him pulling him on a big emotional hug. The various lines about missing him and being worried about him along with sobbed yelling where were you?! filled his ears. Light sobs accompanied them. Now, Bugs was not someone to cry around people easily. Not if it wasn't something comedic. But Bugs Bunny couldn't keep the tears away anymore. Seeing them, hearing how worried they were and how much they had missed him... he let his emotions free as he hugged back his family. He was home, he was back and his family was still around. They really were here.
Lola noticed the three kids sitting behind when she heard a loud sob that didn't come from Daffy, Sam, or Taz. She hadn't noticed the Warners before. They probably were here the whole time, tagging along with Bugs. Considering how Bugs and the kids were close, it was a great possibility. The Warners had befriended the Tunes a long time ago, but still, the relationship between them and Bugs was something else. One could say Bugs was like a parent to them. She smiled towards them when the eldest Warner looked back at the group hug. She gestured with her hand to them to join. The boy hesitated for a bit, and his siblings too once they saw Lola. But when Lola nodded slightly they got up and joined in the big hug. With her right arm, she pulled them close to her and Bugs, while with her left arm she hugged Bugs even tighter.
Granny was the first to pull away, looking at Bugs with a caring smile. "I think you need some rest, sonny."
"Yeah, Bugs. You look tired." Speedy agreed.
Bugs shrugged it off, "It's probably because of the game."
"But it was a week ago." Daffy pointed out.
This made Bugs blink with shock. "It was when?" he asked, starting to feel anxious.
Lola, realizing how Bugs didn't know, held his hand and looked at his eyes, "It's been one week since you've been..." she came to stop for a moment, "...away."
He was gone for one week . No surprise his fellas did miss him that much. Well, it was fine now. He was back and everything was good. He felt like he was sick, but it was okay. It had to be, he had to stay calm for them. He was here and everything was back to normal now. Except that for glitching. Bugs got even more stressed remembering his little problem . But he was sure it was simply a side effect. Yeah, everything was okay. He noticed his hands started trembling slightly. He definitely needed a break.
"You know what, resting does not sound that bad." Bugs said as if he was completely calm.
"Good, because I got hot cocoa at my place. I am sure you'll love it." Granny smiled gladly as she started walking back to the city with Tweety and Sylvester following her.
"Hot chocolate sounds delicious!" Wakko gasped.
"Can we join?" Dot asked sweetly. She blinked pleadingly.
Yakko blinked too, "Pwetty please?"
The three of them kept looking at her with puppy eyes.
"Of course, all of you can. No need to ask." Granny answered.
The three kids cheered and jumped to Granny's lap to give her a kiss. They sure got along well with her. Not that Bugs was surprised, Granny did get along well with everyone after all.
"Hot cocoa? During summer? Are you nuts?" Daffy groaned.
Bugs heard Yakko retorting "Yeah we are. And you're not?"
Daffy shook his head, "I don't think anyone can be as mad as you three, even if they tried." He turned to Porky, who had started following Granny. "Don't tell me you want to drink hot chocolate too!"
"It do-do-does sound good." Porky said.
"And hot!"
"You can a-a-add ice?" Porky suggested.
"And freeze? No, thank you." Daffy refused. "And you would think the pig would have good taste in the food sector."
"I do have good taste!" Porky said back, annoyed.
"You sure do." Daffy said sarcastically.
Bugs watched the two bicker back and forth as they walked after Granny alongside the rest of the gang. He had stayed behind, and so had Lola.
"Bugs, is everything okay?" she gained his attention.
"Yeah, why would it not be?" Bugs smiled.
Lola squinted, "I know when you lie, Bunny."
Bugs started walking with a smirk, "Daffy says the same too and yet he has not figured out it was me who changed the Easter eggs in his garden with painted grenades last year."
"Well, I am not Daffy." Lola huffed as she ran after Bugs. He had to admit, messing with her was fun. She looked funny and cute when she was frustrated. "Come on Bugs, I can see something is wrong." Lola stared at him, her hands on her hips.
Bugs closed his eyes, "I know that and I am telling you everything is fine." He looked at her and smiled, "And I thought I was the one that needed to relax."
Lola sighed in defeat, "Alright. But if there's something you are not telling me you better forget the carrot pie."
"Not the carrot pie!" Bugs gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't."
Lola smirked, "Oh you can bet I would and will."
"I just came back and am already getting threatened."
"You don't have to worry about your dear pie unless you're lying."
"I do not worry." Bugs smirked as well. I'll get that pie no matter what , Bugs added as he thought to himself. They caught up with the rest of his family, heading to Granny's house.