Cuteness Overload! (Tomer)

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle was practically skipping as she made her way down to the common area of the dorms. Normally she wasn’t so giddy and excited after getting a text from her math tutor, but today was different. This wasn’t for going over algebra or fractions or any other math thing she wouldn’t ever use again.

This was to meet Clover!

She thundered down the rest of the stairs, eager to meet Tomer’s bunny. This was going to be so much fun! Since leaving her husky, Bear, at Christmas, she’d been in fluffy withdrawal. Sure, she had Blip, but while he was great company and a good listener, he wasn’t a soft, fluffy pet. But Clover was, and the fact that Tomer was letting her meet him was a huge bonus. Maybe she would even keep the whining to a minimum at the next tutoring session.

Cruising into the main floor common room, she lit up when she spotted Tomer… and a bunny on the smallest, cutest leash ever. “Hi Tomer! Is this Clover? He’s so cute!”

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Before meeting Joelle, Tomer had held the near-universal opinion that pet fish were pretty to look at but not very... interactive. Sure, Blip didn't have a great deal to say and was far from a dazzling conversationalist (both points, Tomer had thought fairly, that he shared with Clover), but he hadn't figured a fish would be a legitimate source of meaningful company. Glad that Joelle proved him wrong, this just opened up new anxieties over fish languishing in pet stores or Walmarts. He tried not to think of it too much.

It was undeniable though, that Clover was a wonderful companion for him. The little bunny wasn't quite two years old yet, and had, true to his breed, remained small, about four pounds. Sometimes Tomer thought half a pound of that was floof. He also got along quite well with his uncle's bunny Mopsy.

Better power control meant he'd ditched the neck brace and the full length torso support, but he still walked with crutches and had braces on his extremities. His trainer credited Clover with helping him loosen up and keep active.

Now that Erik was gone, Tomer let his bunny out of the room more, on his little harness and leash, carefully supervised, of course. Tomer often wondered if he was a helicopter parent. Today though, Clover had a playdate. Smiling when he heard the familiar voice and familiar tone (people's voices tended to rise by whole octaves when they saw his rabbit), slowly moved them over to a quieter corner.

"This is Clover, yeah. Oh, here." From his pocket, he took a handful of timothy hay and some baby carrots. "You can pet him, just move kinda slow. I brought treats you can give him."

For his part, the little brown bunny's nose wiggled busily, ears twitching, taking it all in. He hopped over to Joelle's shoes to have a sniff, though the second Tomer took food out his front paws were on his owner's jeans leg and his back legs were stretched, as if to say oh wow, what a coincidence, I was just hungry.

[Joelle McIntosh]

Now that he was settled into his new home, Blip could be remarkably talkative when he felt like it. His favorite seemed to be right as Joelle was either going to bed, or waking up. Apparently now he had someone to talk to he couldn't quite shut up when the mood to talk struck. Still, she didn't mind. He was very good company, especially on days that it seemed the human race wasn't making for great company.

But he still wasn't very soft, or cuddly. That was firmly Clover's department, and she was excited to meet Tomer's bunny. Having grown up with a dog, she knew her pet manners well enough, and while she had practically raced into the common area, she slowed down a little so as not to startle the little critter. Running up to unfamiliar animals was never a good thing.

"Hi Clover," she cooed softly at the bunny. Looking over at Tomer's offering, she took one of the carrots and crouched down to offer it to him. "He's really cute. You're so lucky."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

The second the carrot was within reach, Clover didn't-mind-if-he-did, hopping eagerly over to crunch. The little poofy things on either side of his nose wiggled up and down, not always at the same time, exposing flashes of his tiny teeth. Tomer could still get mesmerized watching his bunny chew, and still sighed involuntarily every time he saw Clover's little pink tongue. It was adorable. Tomer didn't subscribe to gender norms or feel he ought to be embarrassed when he made little 'eeeee' noises at his pet's various cute antics, but he was still a little disgusted with himself because he knew how annoying it was for himself, when relatives or other adults reacted to something 'endearing' he'd done.

"My uncle has a rabbit," he said, "so he could show me how to do everything." It wasn't luck, really. But had Uncle Josh not had his long line of Potter-themed bunnies, Tomer likely would've chosen a different animal. Maybe a hamster.

"But Blip talks to you. Clover can't do that. Hey, if you sit down he'll let you hold him on your lap." Tomer sat down himself. Most bunnies didn't like being lifted off the ground, but Clover was pretty chill and didn't mind.

Then he couldn't contain his curiosity any more. "What does Blip talk about?"

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle's face lit up when Clover took the offered carrot, delighting over his little twitches as he nibbles. "Aww Tomer. He's so cute!" A fish wasn't very much fun to watch eat, and Bear just looked content when he ate treats, not really cute. Except when he was a puppy, maybe. But Clover? Bunnies were adorable!

"That was nice of him. I didn't know how to look after a fish much, except for reading." An almost dopey smile took over her face as she thought about it. "But my friend taught me lots." Koty had been a massive help when it came to Blip. ... And it didn't hurt he was sweet. And nice. And cute.

She really had to stop thinking about him like a lovesick puppy.

"Oh, Blip talks." She giggled as she thought about her little fish while she petted Clover's soft fur. At the invite, she sat herself on the floor and tried to lure Clover closer with a carrot. She wasn't sure how much Clover liked being picked up, so she would let him come to her.

"... Fish stuff mostly. But I'm teaching him words for things. He likes talking about his castle. And colors. He's funny sometimes."

[Tomer Berelowitz]

The truly sad thing was, Tomer could and had had entire conversations with another person, Clover in front of them, that was nothing but variations on 'awww' and 'so cute'. Thankfully, he was mostly over that now, and always apologized afterwards with some craisins.

"He's had rabbits for a long time. And they seem to like him." Despite how noisy he could be. Bunnies liked to be talked to, or at least hear a voice. Tomer sometimes read him his textbooks. That probably wasn't what the manual meant, but Clover seemed quite attentive. Maybe he was trying to soak up information to trade with Mopsy.

Clover froze for a split second when she sat, but since the carrot was there he hopped right over. He even put his little paws up on her... legging leg? He wasn't really up on girl fashion despite having two sisters. All he knew was they weren't pants and sometimes were tights.

"Pet him a little and you can scoop him up," he said. "If you set him right on your lap he'll be okay. He'll like it, it'll be a new thing to smell."

Tomer had thought dogs sniffed everything; bunnies practically made investigations out of things. "Would Blip like it if you changed things around in his tank sometimes, or would that confuse him?"

[Joelle McIntosh]

At least Clover qualified as cute. Blip was pretty, but most people didn't really see him as cute. Jo liked him, but she was thoroughly biased between him being her pet, being able to talk to him, and her power in general. But as pets went, Clover was pretty great. And soft.

"That's good. Bunnies are nice." She couldn't think of ever hearing about an aggressive or mean bunny, so that was something. "Do you and Clover get to see his bunny a lot? Do they get along? Do they play?" How did bunnies play, anyway? Now she had something to YouTube later.

A soft squeak left her lips as Clover put his feet up on her leg. Watching him eat, she followed Tomer's instructions and let him finish his treat before stroking down his back and sides. When he seemed comfortable, she gently slipped her hands around him in a secure manner and raised him up into her lap, careful not to jiggle her legs around in excitement over having a bunny in her lap.

Continuing to stroke Clover and letting him smell her free hand, she kept an eye on him so as not to let him fall as she answered. "He might. I'll probably get him some new things eventually. Maybe the next time I go into town." She had a bit of allowance saved up. "He likes his tank a lot more than he liked it at the store. I think he'd be happy with anything I put in there." She'd seen a little treasure chest before that made bubbles, and it looked awfully tempting. Blip seemed to like bubbles. "We could go together sometime, if you wanted? To the pet store next time Clover needs stuff?" That was what friends did, right?

[Tomer Berelowitz]

"I see Mopsy almost once a week, but Clover only comes sometimes. Bunnies have to get familiar with strange bunnies over time, but Clover and Mopsy were okay with each other right off the bat." He smiled, thinking over all the little meetings. Mopsy was much bigger than Clover, and older too. So Tomer thought she saw bitty Clover as a baby to protect and educate. "They chase each other, and groom each other like how cats do, licking. They throw toys around, nap."

Up on Joelle's lap, finished with his snack, the little bunny fastidiously cleaned his paws and face, giving tantalizing little glimpses of his tongue.

"I know his type of fish likes to be alone, but could he deal with, like, a snail?" Snails helped keep a tank clean, and Tomer didn't think Blip would see him as competition. He brightened when Joelle talked about pet shopping. "Oh, sure, that would be great! It'd be fun to see what you get fish. Maybe you can get him some different colored rocks to talk about."

Finished grooming, Clover stretched, yawned, and then fell over onto his side in what rabbit aficionados called a 'flop' and what Tumblr would call 'like a French girl'. Tomer chuckled. "Aww. That means he likes you. When they feel comfortable enough to lay like that it means you've made them feel good."

[Joelle McIntosh]

"Oh. That's nice you get to see Mopsy lots. It's a really cute name for a bunny. Almost as cute as Clover." Maybe she was biased, because Clover was one of nicest bunnies she'd ever met. Upon learning what bunnies did when they hung out, she giggled with glee. "Oh my God Tomer that's so cute! I didn't know bunnies liked toys!" Now she had to Google that for sure.

Watching Clover groom made her smile, and until he was done she kept her hands to herself. She couldn't imagine him liking being interrupted during grooming. Once he was done she gingerly stroked his side again.

"I don't actually know." There was a lot she didn't know about Blip. "But I can probably find out. Or ask my, ummm. Friend." That made her face color slightly as she thought about Koty, but she tried to brush it aside. "He knows lots about bettas." At least, more than she did. "It would be nice if Blip could have a friend. I could ask him to be nice, but he doesn't always listen." Case and point, when she and Koty had been bringing back Blip and Koty's fish, Ash. Blip had kept flaring his fins at Ash, and despite being told off for it he'd kept on doing it. They knew each other better now, but maybe that didn't matter. She didn't want him to hurt another tankmate. Definitely something to ask Koty.

For a moment the flop worried Joelle, wondering if Clover was hurt or sick, but when Tomer explained, she grinned and ran a finger softly down one fuzzy ear. "I like him too. He's really sweet. Thank you for letting me meet him." A fuzzy pet absolutely had it's perks.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

"It is," he agreed. "My uncle's had rabbits since before I was born. He's named them all after the ones in Peter Rabbit. I think his first one was Cottontail. But I don't think he's had a Peter." Tomer smiled. "He came up with Clover's name."

Her surprise made him laugh. "Bunnies are like... dogs, sort of. They like to play with stuff. They're smart and if you don't give them things to do they can get bored. They can do agility too, like dogs. Well, some of them. I don't think Clover's got the temperament."

As curious and wiggly as his bunny could be, Tomer thought Clover was more of a Netflix and chill type than an X-Treme sports one.

The way Joelle said 'friend' made him look at her with an eyebrow raised. And then when she sidestepped the friend's name with all the subtlety of Uncle Josh he chuckled. "Do I know him?"

Still, "Could be Blip's happy alone. If you got him a fish friend they might fight." Or Blip could eat him. Tomer didn't know if that was possible, but he knew some tank creatures were less picky about their meals than others.

"Aw, you're welcome. It's good for him to get out and meet people. Socialization and all, right?" Tomer smiled a bit wryly. "One of my past roommates was a snake shifter. So Clover hasn't seen much of Hammel. Hey, can I ever meet Blip?"

[Joelle McIntosh]

"Oh wow, he's so lucky! We just have a dog back home. Bear. He's a big fluffy Husky." She knew Jeff missed their dog a lot, and while she did too, she also had Blip now. Besides, she could talk to Blip. She couldn't do that with Bear, not in the same way. But she still missed him regardless. "I like Clover's name. It suits him." Adorable, just like Clover himself.

"Oh! Can I see him play sometime? Does he have toys here, or just at your Uncle's house?" The idea of watching the little guy hop around after toys was magical and she really, really wanted to see it. Same with rabbit agility, but if Clover wasn't the type she'd settle for looking it up on YouTube.

Oh gosh, Tomer wasn't supposed to have caught on. Didn't most boys totally ignore that kind of talk? Or was that just Jeff? Nibbling her lip, she couldn't hide the coy smile that appeared. "I don't know if you know him. His name's Koty." There couldn't possibly be many Koty's at Hammel, right? Well, maybe Cody's, which sounded similar, but not quite.

She had to stop thinking about this or her face was going to get redder.

"He hasn't mentioned being lonely or anything, but I can ask him. I doubt he's ever had a fish friend before." But maybe he'd like a snail or something. She'd have to talk to him, and research what could peacefully share the tank. Koty had said something about community fish when they had picked out Blip and Ash, but she hadn't really asked about them then. ... Mostly due to distraction.

Still petting the soft critter in her lap, Jo looked up in alarm over the snake shifter. "Would he have hurt Clover? That would have been so scary!" She didn't have much love for snakes, but she knew they liked to prey on little animals. Yes, she had Kit as a roommate, and Kit liked fish, but she had sworn up and down not to hurt Blip. "Yeah, you can totally meet Blip. He likes people." Even if you couldn't pet him. "Maybe next time we have a tutor session you can come to my dorm?" That was the nice part about the co-ed dorms.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Tomer snorted a laugh. "My uncle... he's pretty social. I think he did it to get a roommate."

On toys, "Sure. He has some stuff here. Mopsy has her own toys." Then he admitted, "Most of them aren't toys like dog toys. Just things they like to play with, like the cardboard rolls inside paper towels or toilet paper, boxes, old magazines. Clover has a ball, it's just metal wire and it's hollow inside, and I fill it with hay. Some bunnies move their... furniture, I guess, around. Clover doesn't, but some drag around their litter boxes or food dishes and redecorate."

The stereotype of boys was that they were oblivious, but if Tomer was anything, it was the complete opposite of oblivious. Plus, he had two sisters and his best friend since kindergarten was female. Besides, he wasn't asking to make her feel bad or so he could tease her. Hammel wasn't a big school, and Tomer knew the names and faces of all the kids in his grade and a few above and below. "Koty... Hura? He lives next door to me."

He said it matter of factly, without any judging or baiting. He hadn't had much occasion to speak with the kid, but knew too that whatever he thought of him, it didn't matter, he was Joelle's friend.

"I don't think he would have," Tomer said. "He was... um..." finding a polite way to describe Eric was... trying... "...he had issues. So he'd threaten but he never did anything. But he also had a pet snake that he just let out to do whatever it wanted, into the common area, or wherever. So I kept my door closed and locked. The most I could do for Clover was to crack open a window to get him some fresh air, but his cage is really big." He smiled. "I tried to find a bunny who didn't look too... antsy."

Tomer had not seen the coed dorms. He assumed they were the same as the other dorms, just with males and females. "Sure, that sounds fun." He had to laugh a little. "This is the first time I've ever been excited about meeting a fish."

[Joelle McIntosh]

Joelle giggled, her fingers lightly brushing over Clover’s silky fur. “Hey, whatever works!” She and Nick were similar – both social butterflies, while David wasn’t really outgoing or a wallflower and Jeff… was Jeff. Pretty much hers and Nick’s opposite.

“That’s still cute, though. Toys don’t have to be fancy. Our dog at home is just as happy with a stick or a soda bottle as he is with actual toys.” Some of Clover’s toys sounded almost more appealing to a cat, which made her want to see him play with them all the more. Bunnies were so cool!

Joelle had grown up with one brother who more or less seemed to shun all kinds of female attention, and the idea of girlfriends seemed to make him physically ill at times, which, when they were younger, was fun to tease at. Now, she didn’t know what to do with him. Jeff was frustrating on the best of days. Still, when Koty was identified, she nodded, the shy smile returning. “Yes, that’s him. I didn’t know you lived so close!” Then again, why would she? It wasn’t like she was supposed to be in the boys dorms, which seemed to make Jeff happy. No annoying sisters pestering him.

“Oh gosh. That would have been super scary with a snake anywhere in the dorms.” She wasn’t so sure she’d like that idea. Thankfully, the only thing she had to worry about in her own dorm was the occasional cat appearing, which was less cat and more Kit, her roommate and best friend. So while she could be startling, at least she liked her. “I have a cat shifter as a roommate. Sometimes she turns up in my room, but at least I know she’d never touch Blip. She just watches him sometimes.” Which Blip, after an initial scare, didn’t seem to mind so much anymore now he knew that the cat was no threat.

The idea that Tomer was actually excited to meet Blip made her happy. She loved her little friend, and letting other people meet him was nice for both of them. “He’s worth being excited about, I promise. He’s not soft like Clover, but he’s friendly.” And would probably show off a little.

[Tomer Berelowitz]

Clover's toys, and indeed most bunny toys, had to be simple because they were probably going to be eaten at some point. Pet rabbit information sites advised untreated wooden baskets from craft stores or strong metal that couldn't be accidentally bitten through. They also recommended, of all things, phone books. Clover would love a phone book, but Tomer hadn't seen any. The little brown bunny shook his fur out, turned onto his back, and started washing his belly.

"I've lived next to him since I got here. He's pretty quiet." There was a suggestion of approval, and Tomer did. Koty was as circumspect and polite as Erik wasn't.

Tomer smiled faintly. "Erik... was... not really into rules. But he graduated, so it's okay." He had to laugh a little at Blip the talking fish vs. Kit the cat. "At least to get to Blip she'd have to get wet," he said. "I bet Clover would like watching him too."

Smiling, he said, "It totally will, since he can talk." More people came through the room, and Tomer thought it was time to get Clover back to his cage before he got too stressed. The bunny gave Joelle some goodbye sniffs, and hopped off, following his roommate when Tomer set him on the floor and waved bye to his friend.

When he got to his room, he googled 'presents for goldfish'.

[END]