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“I have a bunny!” The words burst from Tamarack the same way they usually do; loud, sudden, and shocking both Qiu and Buckley into silence.
“Like, a pet?” Qiu asks, a furrow between his brow, wearing a confused smile on his face that held a twinge of amusement. Buckley’s eyes dart back and forth between the two of them, watching them interact with curious, shy eyes.
The three of them were outside in Tamarack’s backyard. Qiu was in the tire swing, casually and slowly swinging in it while Tamarack and Buckley sat on the ground; Buckley with his legs crossed and hands in his lap while Tamarack was leaning back leisurely.
Tamarack lets out a mischievous giggle, leaning back on her hands, the pieces of grass tickling her hands.
“Kinda! Omi and Opa don’t know I have her.” She says, happily.
“Like a surprise?”
“They don’t know you have a pet?!”
Buckley and Qiu both say at the same time, the furrow between Qiu’s brow becoming deeper and his previous smile replaced by a shocked frown. Buckley’s eyes are wide, looking at Tamarack with interest.
“They never said I couldn’t have a pet!” Tamarack says immediately, sitting up right. “Plus, they don’t have to know! I’ll take care of it by itself!” She says proudly, looking at the two boys.
“Um, bunnies need.. food..” Buckley comments quietly, shyly, his eyes darting towards Qiu for reassurance.
“Yeah,” Qiu says nodding, looking at Tamarack. “And enclosures and water and everything. How are you going to take care of it?” He asks, appearing genuinely puzzled.
“Well..” Tamarack trails off, seemingly actually thinking of what you need to actually take care of a rabbit. She looks around before her eyes eventually land on Buckley, bounding forward, grabbing his hands.
Buckley’s face flushes at her actions, his hands suddenly feeling sweaty. “Tamarack,” he says, the word coming out of him, suddenly, before he could stop it.
“Buckley!” Tamarack says excitedly in return, paying no mind to his sudden shift in demeanor. “We should keep it in your house! Your mom doesn’t go in your room, right?” She asks, wide, hopeful eyes looking into Buckley’s.
“Um,” Buckley says, his voice pitched higher, as he looks back down at Tamarack. He briefly glances at Qiu, who seems to be holding back a laugh, before quickly nodding. “Um, Okay. The bunny can go in my room.” He says quietly, a small shy smile appearing on his face.
“Thank you!” Tamarack says before pulling Buckley up on his feet with one hand and using a hand to point towards her house with the other. “We have to go get her! To my house!” She says, starting to run. Buckley stumbles before running with her, Qiu letting out a small snort of laughter, covering his mouth with one hand, before running after the two of them.
The three of them stumble up the stairs and up the porch and into the back door, Tamarack peeking her head up the stairwell before nodding, gesturing at the other two to follow.
The three of them walk up the staircase, varying levels of noise.
Qiu is the quietest, moving up the stairs with the lightness of a dancer’s feet, barely making a sound. Buckley is next, clearly trying to be quiet with his steps light, though occasionally stepping on a spot that creaks loudly. Tamarack is the loudest, favoring getting up the stairs and into her rook quickly rather than quietly.
They enter her room, Buckley softly shutting it behind him as Tamarack makes her way over to a toy box, surrounded by toys that appeared to have been dumped out of it, Qiu following close behind.
The three of them look inside and spot the rabbit, currently chewing on a wooden block Tamarack had left in the bin for her.
She had cream colored fur, her nose and tips of her ears a darker brown color. She was small, no older than a year old, and her ears were floppy, touching the bottom of the toy bin.
Tamarack reaches in the box, bending down to grab her and cradling her in the crook of her arm. “Hi, Mushroom! We’re gonna take you to Buckley’s house, okay?” She says, petting the top of her head gently.
“Mushroom?” Qiu asks, a laugh in his voice, moving closer to pet her gently. Buckley hovers close nearby, too nervous to actually pet the bunny, but curious enough to watch the two of them tend to her.
“You can pet it.” Tamarack says, glancing back at him. Buckley hesitates for a moment before nodding, bringing up a hand to gently stroke her back with two fingers. “She’s soft.” He mumbles, voice soft.
“Mm, yeah. Let’s go to your house now. We can make her a little nest.” Tamarack says, pleased, as she points to her bedroom door with her free hand.
The three of them make their way back out the door of Tamarack’s bedroom, Tamarack leading the way as Buckley trailed behind the two of them.
Tamarack made her way down much more carefully than she did the first time, taking account of the rabbit in her arms. She just reaches the end of the stairway when she suddenly stops, letting out a startled yelp when Qiu and Buckley bump into her, cradling Luna closer to her chest before the three of them fall into a mess of limbs.
“Ach—“
“Woah!”
“Ah!”
The trio begins to untangle themselves from each other, Buckley jolting again when Tamarack suddenly lets out a much louder yelp, looking over at her just to see Mrs. Baumann stood above her, her eyebrow raised with a slight smile and amused look in her eyes.
“What do we have here, hm? A bundle of children?” She asked, glancing over the three of them, a look of shock appearing on her face as she spots the rabbit nestled in her granddaughter’s arms. “Tamarack, what do you have?” She asks, looking down straight at Tamarack.
“Surprise!” Tamarack says, not at all affected by her grandmother’s slightly disappointed and bewildered stare, unlike Buckley who attempts to hide behind both Qiu and Tamarack at the sight of it. “It’s a bunny, Omi!” She says, grinning up at the older woman.
“I see that.” Mrs. Baumann says, clearly not as thrilled about the whole ordeal as Tamarack. “And why, pray tell, do you have a bunny in my house, young lady?” She asks, crossing her arms.
“She can be my pet! Buckley said we could keep her at his house!” She says excitedly.
Buckley shuffles as he feels both Baumann women suddenly staring at him. He grabs onto the edge of Qiu’s coat, his eyes darting around everywhere but to the people in the room.
“Uh, he was joking?” Qiu said, the lie falling flat as his voice went up towards the end, his tone wholly unconvincing.
“Mm, I’m sure.” Mrs. Baumann comments, looking slightly impressed by their antics— clearly not as upset as she wants them to think she is. The trio watch as she reaches for her phone, looking down at the number pad.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to call your parents, you two, stay here.” She says, looking over at Qiu and Buckley before turning to walk back to the living room. Qiu makes a quiet wincing noise, his face squishing up before shrugging, while Buckley looks up at her with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock as he watches her retreating form.
“Aw, it’s okay, Buckley.” Qiu says, wrapping a loose arm around the other boy’s shoulders in an act that’s meant to be comforting. It seems to work, Buckley leaning into the touch. “Your mom’s nice. She’s not gonna be mad.” He says, smiling down at him.
“Yeah!” Tamarack says, still holding Mushroom but saddling up to Buckley’s other side. “And we almost did it! Maybe next year we‘ll succeed!” She says, grinning up at Buckley.
Buckley stares at her for a moment, before letting out a slightly surprised laugh, Qiu’s harmonious laughter joining in soon after, followed by Tamarack’s giggle.
There’s a yell from the living room, calling Qiu’s name, cutting off their laughter. The boy quickly waves goodbye to his two friends before jogging to the living room.
In the left over quiet Tamarack’s smile mellows out as he reaches for one of Buckley’s hands, intertwining their fingers together. “Thanks, Buckley. For saying you’d keep Mushroom in your room.” She says, softer. Not just the volume— her tone. It’s tender, a moment meant just for the two of them.
“You’re welcome.” Buckley says back, just as soft. He looks at her, flushing, before looking away, pushing up his glasses to find something to do with his hands. “I— um,” he says, his eyes focusing on an old painting.
“I would’ve done it. If Granny didn’t catch us.” He says, words stilted, like he can’t quite decide if he wants to voice them or not.
“I know.” Tamarack says, letting her head fall on Buckley’s shoulder, her eyes falling shut. “I’m glad we’re friends, Buckley.”
“Me too, Tamarack.”