An Early Bunny Birthday (Tomer)

[Joshua Bernstein]

As the car door slammed shut Josh waved to his partner and foster daughter. "I'll call you when we're done!" He yelled, patting the cellphone in his pocket as indication that they still had some line of communication. Of course, even without it he knew that Sean's telepathy was such that his partner could probably pick up signals without the phone, but he didn't want to risk that failing. Not when he and Tomer would have a real, live animal with them that needed to be brought back to the school and settled in as quickly as possible.

He watched the car sputter cautiously away from the pavement as Sean and Bailey left to run errands, then turned his attention back to his nephew. "Let's go on in, then."

He had wanted this to be a surprise, and so had done his best to lure Tomer with him by vague proclamations that he needed to get Mopsy something. Pellets, maybe toy for Hanukkah. But as the automatic doors swished open for them it wasn't the food aisle he headed for.

"Let's go look at the bunnies first."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

While Tomer had expected to see a lot more of his uncle than he usually did now that he attended a school that was so close to where Uncle Josh lived, he sometimes wondered if his presence was... a bother. It worried him. He didn't want his uncle and Sean to try to go out of their way to include him in things just because he was... there.

So this trip was sort of a puzzler. He didn't quite know why Uncle Josh would want him to come with on a pet store run, especially since he couldn't really help with anything, but he'd been rather emphatic (though wasn't he always?) and Tomer had finally caved. He still felt tongue-tied around Bailey, though he'd managed a smile for her today that didn't look entirely forced. He hoped she wasn't offended by him.

Following his uncle into the shop, the bit about getting something for Mopsy for Hanukkah had made sense, so he kept his eye out for things she could chew on. At his uncle's comment, Tomer smiled a little, though his eyes reflected his confusion. "I thought you said Mopsy was it."

The presence of visiting shelter bunnies certainly didn't clear anything up, though Tomer's smile widened at the variety of tiny one and two year old rabbits available for adoption.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh knelt before the tiny balls of fluff, keeping his face carefully turned away from his nephew. "Ahh...well...Mopsy isn't the only reason that I wanted to come," He admitted, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. He wasn't very good at keeping secrets or surprising people (and given that his best friend was a telepath, he hadn't had much opportunity to practice, either) and further, he was always so obvious when lying.

That he had kept this secret as long as he had was nothing short of a miracle.

"Do you like any of them?" He asked anxiously, reaching out one hand to allow one of the bunnies to hop over and sniff him. "I thought you would like to have one, since you have so much fun with Mopsy."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

"Ahh... well... Mopsy isn't the only reason that I wanted to come."

Even with that and how his uncle was pointedly not looking at him, Tomer didn't understand. Uncle Josh looked and sounded guilty, but... what was there to be guilty about in a pet store? Unless something had happened to Mopsy, but he didn't think that was it. If something was wrong with Mopsy, Uncle Josh would be at the vet's. Tomer felt an eyebrow raise, but didn't say anything.

"Do you like any of them? I thought you would like to have one, since you have so much fun with Mopsy."

The other eyebrow rose to join the first, and Tomer's mouth fell open. At first his expression was surprised, not pleased-surprised but 'seriously?'-surprised, then it was concerned, since he had (essentially) two uncaged snakes for roommates, then skeptical, then worried (for the prospective bunny), then worried (for himself, which was a completely different expression that held more self-disgust and less sympathy), then a bit perplexed (he'd mentioned that a bunny wouldn't be a good idea, hadn't he?), then guilt (since Uncle Josh was just trying to be nice), and then finally indecision. Underlying it all was a very tiny secret thrill. Tomer had always wanted a pet, and the idea of getting his own bunny was pretty incredible. But his worries and anxiety covered most of it, as per usual.

Still, he looked down at the bunnies inside the little penned in area. Tomer couldn't kneel (or, he could, but it was so awkward he wasn't going to do it in front of everyone), so he just bent over as far as he dared. All the little bundles of fur were adorable. Some had lop ears, some upright ones, there were a few white, some spotted, a couple dutch colored, and several brown. Some nosed about, a few were snoozing in a pile, many were understandably nervous around so many big people.

Well, he couldn't tell anything about them standing. Leaning his crutches against the pen walls, Tomer lowered himself to the floor with as much grace as possible, which was... almost none. Sitting with a thump that scattered the bunnies near him, he whispered apologies and held his hand out.

But first - "What made you decide I should have a rabbit?" he asked his uncle, curious. "Does Mom know about this?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

Because he wasn't looking at Tomer he didn't see the conflicting emotions pass over the boy's face. He did, however, see his nephew bend down from the corner of his eye.

"Ahh...." He began, stroking the head of the nearest bunny. "You enjoy Mopsy, and you looked so happy at the petting zoo."

He didn't mention how rare it was to see his nephew look content; that seemed unnecessary. Instead he asked cautiously, "do you not want one? Sean suggested a turtle, but I thought you would prefer a rabbit..."

He slowly shifted position so he could see Tomer, blue eyes full of concern that he had misjudged. "I ahh...may have hinted to your mother."

Which meant he had all but told her directly.

"If you don't want one I can call Sean to come get us after we pick up some things for Mopsy, but if you do want one..."

Then they would need a cart.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Tomer liked Mopsy and he had liked the petting zoo, but how that translated to 'let's get Tomer a rabbit' was still something of a mystery to him.

"Do you not want one? Sean suggested a turtle, but I thought you would prefer a rabbit..."

"No! Wait, I mean, yes, I..." Then the rest of what had been said got through to Tomer's brain, and he turned so that he was looking at his uncle, perplexity on his face. "Sean suggested a turtle?"

For a moment, that single thought blotted out all the others. There had to be context he was missing, but even with it he doubted it would make any more sense. That Sean had suggested an animal at all was something, but... a turtle?

...

Well. He supposed an animal that lived in a tank (picturing a small turtle that would live an aquarium life like a fish) would certainly be more user-friendly for a kid with Tomer's mobility issues. Turtles were interesting creatures and didn't make much of a mess and were quiet. Okay, he could sort of see it now.

Tomer smiled faintly. "You were right. I'd rather have a bunny."

When Uncle Josh said his mom knew and obviously hadn't objected (and had also kept the secret of it, which was only a finger's-width easier for her than it was for her brother) his own amused blue eyes met the troubled set. Partly borne of nervousness and part from the absurdity of the situation, Tomer laughed softly.

"It would be really cool to have my own bunny, Uncle Josh. I just... I didn't think I'd ever have a pet. Especially now." He looked into the pen again. How would he pick? "So. Yes. I do want one."

He wanted to know how his uncle had convinced his mother, but that would wait for another time.

"How does this work, then? I pick one and... what?" Tomer's brow furrowed. He only had sixteen dollars in his wallet, and... it was going to cost a lot more to get a bunny the stuff it needed. If his parents were in on this, hopefully they wired Uncle Josh some funds.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"You pick one and then we'll go get supplies," Josh answered immediately, shoulders sagging in relief. He'd been concerned that Tomer might reject his offer, and despite the numerous times Sean had assured him that this was an incorrect interpretation he could never help but feel that rejections of his gifts were rejections of his person.

His attention shifted to a second bunny that had hopped curiously in his direction, and his fingers scratched eagerly behind the little fluff ball's ears. "You'll need to pick a small breed," He cautioned, glancing around at the adoptable bunnies. "Because of Hammel's pet rules."

Somehow he managed to not go off on a rant about how unfair this was; plenty of places had strict policies regarding pets, and the fact that the boarding school allowed them at all was rather generous really.

"We'll then go find a comfortable cage or hutch, food, shavings, grooming supplies, a water bottle. Everything your new friend will need to live comfortably with you. Except your hugs, of course." He leaned over to his nephew, whispering in confidentiality, "Animals give the best hugs, you know."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Once Tomer knew it was cleared with his parents, he was tentatively okay with it. He was still a little nervous about it, but he was excited too. Excited enough that he was nervous about being excited, which didn't really make any sense, but he was. This could all go horribly wrong. The bunny could get loose. Erik could eat him. Someone could step on him. The bunny could end up being unhappy.

And he needed to stop thinking.

"I'd have to pick a small one, there's not much room in my room and I think they'd have to stay there almost all the time."

At the whispered confession, Tomer chuckled and whispered back, "I think so too."

Looking at the little bunnies in the pen, he grinned. "They're going to be tiny hugs, but they'll still be good."

Now that he had to choose one, he looked at them all as prospective pets. He didn't want any that seemed too afraid, or ones that seemed overly active. He skipped the ones that were already pretty big and inspected the very small ones. Half-listening to the staff talk to other people, he heard that some of the teensy ones were a fairly new breed called mini plush lops that had a max weight of five or six pounds but usually weighed about four as grown ups. That sounded perfect for his room. Tomer wanted to be able to let his bunny out to play on the floor as often as he could. He'd love to take it outside, but that would mean getting it through the common room area and he wasn't going to risk Dead John being there. Erik's pet wasn't big enough to eat a rabbit, but that didn't mean the thing probably wouldn't try.

After looking and considering, Tomer pointed at a brown of the species he'd heard being spoken of. The bunny had been watching everything with blinking, bright eyes, had been reasonably active, but looked calmer than his penmates. He had very soft-looking fur, and lop ears that seemed a bit oversized on its tiny body. "How about that one?"

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh's expression turned from expectant to enthusiastic the moment Tomer pointed to a bunny. It was tiny and brown, and he set aside the bunny he had been cooing at in order to give this one some attention.

"Is that the one you want?" He asked, crossing his arms over his knees. "You're the one who has to live with it."

The woman Tomer had been eavesdropping on heard this question, and, having finished up with the family she had been serving turned her attention to Tomer and Josh.

"Looking for a pet? That one is very sweet-natured and gentle. Do you want to hold him?"

Josh gave a short nod of encouragement. "We'll go look for all the rabbits things and they'll hold onto it for you, right?"

The woman nodded in confirmation at that. "We'll keep him while you shop, certainly."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

"I'd like to meet him, please," he said in his quiet voice to the lady, and she smiled at him and gently picked up the rabbit indicated and set him in Tomer's lap. The little thing was inquisitive, nose twitching and exploring, and Tomer held very still. It didn't mind being on Tomer's lap, and didn't react when he lifted it up to look at its little face. The bunny stretched out his neck to sniff his prospective owner's nose and seemed to find it quite satisfactory. Placed back on the floor, it didn't dart off, but stayed close, leaning into Tomer's petting. Tomer's was delighted. "Yep, he's the one. I think he likes me."

The lady smiled at him and took the bunny back into the pen, where it would wait for him. As Tomer got up and followed Uncle Josh into the rabbit section of the store, he turned to look back at his new friend, a bit of a goofy smile on his face. And then realized he'd have to name it. Tomer did not have a lot of experience naming things; the stuffed animals he had at home were Kitty, Mr. Bear, and Jorge Luis Manuel Ramirez. (Long story short, in exchange for first shot at reading the book set his parents had bought the kids as a group, he'd agreed to let Vivy name the stuffed animal he'd gotten from Grandma Berelowitz. Vivy had named his stuffed dog after her kindergarten crush. The school nurse. Yes. It was awkward. Tomer called him George. Vivy called him a cheater.)

"What's a good name for a bunny, Uncle Josh? Something I won't feel stupid telling people." Like Fluffy. Or Mr. Sniffles.

[Joshua Bernstein]

A quick detour took them to the shopping carts and then on to the back of the store. Pellets were the first item to go into the cart, several bags worth as he really did need to pick up more for his own pet.

"Name?" Josh repeated, surveying the water bottles. "I swipe my names from Beatrix Potter." In case that hadn't been obvious to everyone. "What about Benjamin or Peter. Or do you want a different naming scheme?" He asked, as it occurred to him belatedly that his nephew might not want to have the same pool of names to draw from.

He picked out a bottle, dropping it into the cart. "What about Honey? Or ahh...Clover?" He suggested, pushing the cart toward the hutches.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

"Clover?" Tomer thought about the little brown bunny and smiled. "That's a good name, I'll use that. Thanks!"

Pellets, hay, water bottle, bowl, and litterbox bought, the pair decided to make their own hutch after Tomer brought up the cages he'd seen online made of 12"x12" wire mesh panels that came with kits for customizable cube storage. It would be cheaper and bigger than the hutches at the store, and be easier for Tomer to access. They picked out some toys, too, everything a bunny would need to be comfortable, with Uncle Josh promising a quick stop at a grocer to get some fresh veggies too.

Their cart was... rather full. Into the new carrier went Clover after filling out the paperwork, and the little bunny nibbled the hay there calmly, sniffing and inspecting. Tomer was smitten with him.

A few hours later, everything was built and set up. Tomer gave his uncle an awkward but heartfelt hug. "Thanks! I love him. He's perfect. Thank you, Uncle Josh."

[END]