(no subject)
Title: Rabbit, Rabbit
Rating: PGish, PG-13 at most
Fandom/Pairing: Harry Potter/HP-DM
It had started out innocently enough. A couple of carrots left near the back door, a couple of leaves of lettuce, a pile of apple slices. He’d seen the way the poor thing looked, loping through the sad excuse for grass they had in their back yard. It was probably starving, so he’d sacrificed half of the carrot he’d been cutting. He hadn’t been able to get close to the creature, of course, but it stood there while he tossed the carrot into the middle of the yard, nose twitching nervously, until he slipped back into the house. Only then did it sneak over to nibble on the piece of vegetable. Once it was deemed safe, the little rabbit grabbed a hold of it and took off to hide behind the shed. Harry had smiled and gone back to his cooking.
It was on the seventh day of feeding the rabbit that Draco caught him. They were having a salad with supper that night, and Harry had taken the liberty to steal a handful of sliced cucumber to bring out to the rabbit. The little thing was starting to trust him some, and he’d managed to get within a meter of it this time, a true accomplishment in his mind.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Draco asked as he watched Harry sneak inside and immediately turn red at the realisation that he’d been caught.
“Um,” answered Harry smoothly. “…Feeding a rabbit?”
Draco was astounded once again by Harry’s stupidity. “A rabbit,” he repeated dully. Harry nodded. “A rabbit?” Another nod. “So you mean when I finally get around to planting our vegetable garden next spring, I can expect the little bastard to steal from us when ever it wants? And shit all over our yard? And, more than likely, procreate and lead more rabbits into our yard to eat us out of house and home?” Harry’s bottom lip trembled. And then he nodded again. Draco sighed, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. “You’re an idiot. Stop.”
Harry didn’t stop, though. He just made sure to do it when Draco wasn’t looking. Not that Draco didn’t notice an entire bundle of celery mysteriously disappearing when he knew Harry hated celery. Or a bag of mini carrots appearing in the fridge and slowly disappearing over the course of a few days. Or the pile of lettuce sitting next to the corner of the shed when he went looking for his broom polish. He just hoped Harry didn’t grow attached to the damned thing, because he knew, he knew that if something happened to it, it got killed by a dog or a fox or something, Harry would be devastated and hide in the bedroom for a day, like he did when that cat that lived down the street, the one that came over to “visit” around tea time, was hit by a car. He’d hidden in the bedroom, probably crying, before sending the owners flowers. Flowers. For a cat.
But Draco didn’t say anything. No, he was a good boyfriend, letting Harry pamper the rodent to his heart’s content. Until he came home from work early one day and caught Harry in the act of feeding it. No, not it. Them. Apparently his prediction was accurate, and the rabbit had done what rabbits were wont to do, and had procreated. Five little rabbits and big mummy rabbit, crowded around Harry’s feet as he smiled and fed the mother a carrot, one Draco had planned on using for the stew he was going to make for supper.
It was rather sweet, Draco supposed, to see that Harry had obviously worked hard to get this rabbit to trust him. Slightly demented, but sweet. Draco sighed. Whatever made him happy. That didn’t stop him from scolding Harry about the carrot, though.
***
It was some sort of freak accident, really, that brought an end to feeding the rabbits in the back. They’d been living in a burrow, of course, at the back of the shed, and they’d been fine so far, but Harry hadn’t expected this. Horrible thunderstorms had popped up one day in late May, but he though they’d be fine. They’d survived this long out in the weather before. Why wouldn’t they survive one little storm. Only it wasn’t so little. Once the flood warnings popped up on the telly in the middle of the show he was watching with Draco, Harry knew something was wrong.
“I want to check on the rabbits.”
Draco looked at him as if he’d grown an extra head. “Are you completely mental?” he asked, pointing at the window. “It’s pouring. You’ll catch your death out there.” But Harry was adamant. He shook off Draco’s commands, and then pleadings, that he stay inside where it was dry, casting a rain repellent charm on his glasses and stepping out the back door.
He was drenched before he could blink, and his shoes were soaked through on his first step toward the shed. He’d just check. He’d just pop over and see if the bunnies were even in their hole, maybe they’d found shelter in the bushes along the back of their property, and then he’d go back inside and dry off. No problem. Only his hopes were wrong. Two of the little bunnies were crowded together against the wall of the shed, soaked and shaking. Mother Rabbit and the other three babies were nowhere in sight. Harry immediately scooped the little ones up and tucked them into the pockets of his jumper, hunching his shoulders as he practically ran back inside.
“Well?” Draco demanded as soon as he walked through the door. “They’d gone and hidden, hadn’t they?”
Harry swallowed. “…Yeah. No sign of them. I’m going to have a shower and change.”
Draco only rolled his eyes and dried the trail of water Harry was leaving as he set off down the hall to their bathroom. Only when he was safely inside with the door locked did he remove the babies from his pockets, grabbing a clean towel from the linen cabinet and wrapping them up in a little homemade nest. He set them carefully in the corner, peeling off his wet clothes and leaving them in a pile next to the tub before kneeling in front of the bundle. “No worries, little ones. I’ll take care of you.” The little rabbits shivered and huddled together in the towel.
After a record breakingly quick shower, Harry hung his clothes to dry and wrapped a towel around his waist, gathering the towel-bundle to his chest. He slipped down the hall as silently as he could, dressing and digging a shoe box from under the bed to make a proper next for the little ones. He used his warmest, softest jumper for the lining, drying each rabbit as best he could before settling them into the box. “There,” he whispered, smiling as they snuggled down beside each other and into the warmth of the jumper. “Now where can I hide you?” Because there was no way Draco would allow him to keep them, not when he’d protested against feeding them in the first place.
In the end, he snuck them down the hall to his study because Draco never went in there without him. He spread some newspaper into a corner and blocked off the rest of the room to the rabbits with a quick spell. After supper he would sneak them in some carrots, but they’d be fine until then. No problem.
***
For being so smart, Draco was surprisingly easy to hide things from. In fact, it took him an entire week before he found out about the little rabbits. Exactly a week after the storm, he skipped out on the last couple hours of work to surprise Harry and found him in the study, sitting on the floor with his back against a bookshelf, laughing as he watched the two rabbits chase each other around the room, playing and jumping. Draco cleared his throat and stepped into the study, shutting the door behind him. Harry turned red and closed his mouth.
“…I thought you said the rabbits were gone,” he finally said, moving over to sit beside Harry on the floor. Harry dropped his eyes and picked at a bit of lint on the carpet.
“Might’ve,” he mumbled. Draco rolled his eyes.
“You are such a bloody wanker.”
Harry looked up sharply, opening his mouth to protest, when one of the rabbits leaped straight into Draco’s lap. Draco looked down and blinked. Harry tried to hold back a smile. Draco wrinkled his nose and poked the rabbit. It didn’t move. Harry laughed, leaning over and kissing the corner of Draco’s mouth.
“I named that one after you.”
“Oh for Christsakes,” Draco mumbled, making Harry laugh again and nuzzle into his shoulder. “And I suppose you named the other Harry?”
“Of course not,” Harry replied matter-of-factly. “The other one’s called Rabbit.” Draco snorted, smiling and turning his head to kiss Harry softly.
“Silly git,” he murmured fondly. “I suppose I’ll have to buy you a hutch for them. They certainly can’t keep living in the study.” Harry smiled brilliantly and leaned over for another kiss.
“And you’ll have to start buying extra carrots when you go to the market.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“And they should have some proper bedding.”
“Of course.”
“And they can sleep with us as night.”
“No.”
Rating: PGish, PG-13 at most
Fandom/Pairing: Harry Potter/HP-DM
It had started out innocently enough. A couple of carrots left near the back door, a couple of leaves of lettuce, a pile of apple slices. He’d seen the way the poor thing looked, loping through the sad excuse for grass they had in their back yard. It was probably starving, so he’d sacrificed half of the carrot he’d been cutting. He hadn’t been able to get close to the creature, of course, but it stood there while he tossed the carrot into the middle of the yard, nose twitching nervously, until he slipped back into the house. Only then did it sneak over to nibble on the piece of vegetable. Once it was deemed safe, the little rabbit grabbed a hold of it and took off to hide behind the shed. Harry had smiled and gone back to his cooking.
It was on the seventh day of feeding the rabbit that Draco caught him. They were having a salad with supper that night, and Harry had taken the liberty to steal a handful of sliced cucumber to bring out to the rabbit. The little thing was starting to trust him some, and he’d managed to get within a meter of it this time, a true accomplishment in his mind.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Draco asked as he watched Harry sneak inside and immediately turn red at the realisation that he’d been caught.
“Um,” answered Harry smoothly. “…Feeding a rabbit?”
Draco was astounded once again by Harry’s stupidity. “A rabbit,” he repeated dully. Harry nodded. “A rabbit?” Another nod. “So you mean when I finally get around to planting our vegetable garden next spring, I can expect the little bastard to steal from us when ever it wants? And shit all over our yard? And, more than likely, procreate and lead more rabbits into our yard to eat us out of house and home?” Harry’s bottom lip trembled. And then he nodded again. Draco sighed, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. “You’re an idiot. Stop.”
Harry didn’t stop, though. He just made sure to do it when Draco wasn’t looking. Not that Draco didn’t notice an entire bundle of celery mysteriously disappearing when he knew Harry hated celery. Or a bag of mini carrots appearing in the fridge and slowly disappearing over the course of a few days. Or the pile of lettuce sitting next to the corner of the shed when he went looking for his broom polish. He just hoped Harry didn’t grow attached to the damned thing, because he knew, he knew that if something happened to it, it got killed by a dog or a fox or something, Harry would be devastated and hide in the bedroom for a day, like he did when that cat that lived down the street, the one that came over to “visit” around tea time, was hit by a car. He’d hidden in the bedroom, probably crying, before sending the owners flowers. Flowers. For a cat.
But Draco didn’t say anything. No, he was a good boyfriend, letting Harry pamper the rodent to his heart’s content. Until he came home from work early one day and caught Harry in the act of feeding it. No, not it. Them. Apparently his prediction was accurate, and the rabbit had done what rabbits were wont to do, and had procreated. Five little rabbits and big mummy rabbit, crowded around Harry’s feet as he smiled and fed the mother a carrot, one Draco had planned on using for the stew he was going to make for supper.
It was rather sweet, Draco supposed, to see that Harry had obviously worked hard to get this rabbit to trust him. Slightly demented, but sweet. Draco sighed. Whatever made him happy. That didn’t stop him from scolding Harry about the carrot, though.
***
It was some sort of freak accident, really, that brought an end to feeding the rabbits in the back. They’d been living in a burrow, of course, at the back of the shed, and they’d been fine so far, but Harry hadn’t expected this. Horrible thunderstorms had popped up one day in late May, but he though they’d be fine. They’d survived this long out in the weather before. Why wouldn’t they survive one little storm. Only it wasn’t so little. Once the flood warnings popped up on the telly in the middle of the show he was watching with Draco, Harry knew something was wrong.
“I want to check on the rabbits.”
Draco looked at him as if he’d grown an extra head. “Are you completely mental?” he asked, pointing at the window. “It’s pouring. You’ll catch your death out there.” But Harry was adamant. He shook off Draco’s commands, and then pleadings, that he stay inside where it was dry, casting a rain repellent charm on his glasses and stepping out the back door.
He was drenched before he could blink, and his shoes were soaked through on his first step toward the shed. He’d just check. He’d just pop over and see if the bunnies were even in their hole, maybe they’d found shelter in the bushes along the back of their property, and then he’d go back inside and dry off. No problem. Only his hopes were wrong. Two of the little bunnies were crowded together against the wall of the shed, soaked and shaking. Mother Rabbit and the other three babies were nowhere in sight. Harry immediately scooped the little ones up and tucked them into the pockets of his jumper, hunching his shoulders as he practically ran back inside.
“Well?” Draco demanded as soon as he walked through the door. “They’d gone and hidden, hadn’t they?”
Harry swallowed. “…Yeah. No sign of them. I’m going to have a shower and change.”
Draco only rolled his eyes and dried the trail of water Harry was leaving as he set off down the hall to their bathroom. Only when he was safely inside with the door locked did he remove the babies from his pockets, grabbing a clean towel from the linen cabinet and wrapping them up in a little homemade nest. He set them carefully in the corner, peeling off his wet clothes and leaving them in a pile next to the tub before kneeling in front of the bundle. “No worries, little ones. I’ll take care of you.” The little rabbits shivered and huddled together in the towel.
After a record breakingly quick shower, Harry hung his clothes to dry and wrapped a towel around his waist, gathering the towel-bundle to his chest. He slipped down the hall as silently as he could, dressing and digging a shoe box from under the bed to make a proper next for the little ones. He used his warmest, softest jumper for the lining, drying each rabbit as best he could before settling them into the box. “There,” he whispered, smiling as they snuggled down beside each other and into the warmth of the jumper. “Now where can I hide you?” Because there was no way Draco would allow him to keep them, not when he’d protested against feeding them in the first place.
In the end, he snuck them down the hall to his study because Draco never went in there without him. He spread some newspaper into a corner and blocked off the rest of the room to the rabbits with a quick spell. After supper he would sneak them in some carrots, but they’d be fine until then. No problem.
***
For being so smart, Draco was surprisingly easy to hide things from. In fact, it took him an entire week before he found out about the little rabbits. Exactly a week after the storm, he skipped out on the last couple hours of work to surprise Harry and found him in the study, sitting on the floor with his back against a bookshelf, laughing as he watched the two rabbits chase each other around the room, playing and jumping. Draco cleared his throat and stepped into the study, shutting the door behind him. Harry turned red and closed his mouth.
“…I thought you said the rabbits were gone,” he finally said, moving over to sit beside Harry on the floor. Harry dropped his eyes and picked at a bit of lint on the carpet.
“Might’ve,” he mumbled. Draco rolled his eyes.
“You are such a bloody wanker.”
Harry looked up sharply, opening his mouth to protest, when one of the rabbits leaped straight into Draco’s lap. Draco looked down and blinked. Harry tried to hold back a smile. Draco wrinkled his nose and poked the rabbit. It didn’t move. Harry laughed, leaning over and kissing the corner of Draco’s mouth.
“I named that one after you.”
“Oh for Christsakes,” Draco mumbled, making Harry laugh again and nuzzle into his shoulder. “And I suppose you named the other Harry?”
“Of course not,” Harry replied matter-of-factly. “The other one’s called Rabbit.” Draco snorted, smiling and turning his head to kiss Harry softly.
“Silly git,” he murmured fondly. “I suppose I’ll have to buy you a hutch for them. They certainly can’t keep living in the study.” Harry smiled brilliantly and leaned over for another kiss.
“And you’ll have to start buying extra carrots when you go to the market.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“And they should have some proper bedding.”
“Of course.”
“And they can sleep with us as night.”
“No.”