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 Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 9:01 pm
Snowbunnies (1) : Winter seems to bring out the cutest of all rodents; this isn’t the first time that small, white rabbits have infested Destiny City. They’re small, rarely larger than a guinea pig, and have large eyes and wiggling noses. They are always pure white and seem to show up whenever there’s snow. They aren't menacing or evil, they're just everywhere. They seem strangely domesticated; they are sweet, curious, and friendly creatures that will eat anything you give them. They always seem cold to the touch, and when they shake, little snowflakes sprinkle off of them.
While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better…
Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
Shuffling into the kitchen, to find something to nibble on before dinner, the day had gone very well with Liam enjoying the mornings Christmas unwrapping. Everyone had been gathered for it, with gifts being handed out, he'd gotten to spend more time with his father and listen to the man talk about how he was enjoying the city and how thankful he was to be here - with his son. It was heart warming, to know he had a parent and that they wanted him, it was everything he'd wanted as a child growing up.
Dinner would be a shared event as well, as it should be, and Liam knew that the kitchen would soon be busy with cooking food and the smells which came with it. The clangs or pots and pans as dinner was prepared. But that was neither here nor there at the moment and rather he was here looking for a snack, not to start cooking, he would wait for Aloysius and his father before that started.
Finding something, someone had bought cookies the day before, Liam took his time nibbling it as he moved to look out the back window. The ground was covered in snow, nearly a foot off the white stuff, and he was ever so glad he was indoors and didn't need to go outside for any reason. He was glad the orphanage was closed down, no more children needing the place, because that place got drafty and chilly in the winter. It wans't that they hadn't had heat...but rather that they kept it on low in order to save money. Sighing, his gaze locked onto the backyard, Liam found hismelf leaning against the window frame easily as his ankles crossed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 5:03 pm
While he could see how happy Liam was with their father in the picture, it left Aloysius with some less-than-pleasant feelings. While everything he had seen and learned about the man proved that the worries he had over this new, unknown factor so close to home were not as accurate as he originally thought. In some ways, it was a pleasant surprise, but in others, it twisted the knife in on how far from good his own upbringing had been when it came to closeness and actual care, at least when it came to his own father and mother. Not finding his husband in their shared room or office, he went down to the kitchen and smiled as he saw the open cookie tin on the counter. The fact that they were eating more sweets made him smile, something he always wondered if it might rub off on them with how often he baked or ate his own pastries. Stepping up behind them, he carefully wrapped his arms around Liam's waist and rested his head on their shoulder. "Hello darling, I hope you enjoyed the holiday so far today." Since, in his mind, this was all more for his husband than himself. Looking out the window, following where their gaze had been, he thought he saw something moving in the snow. Nothing large enough to worry him, but he did take his husband's advice and have Desiree work something up for security just in case.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 10:26 pm
"I'm pretty sure I saw something out there....a bunny or something else white." Maybe an albino animal of some sort? He wasn't sure but he knew bunnies were a common sight this time of year, white ones, so that was likely the case. "I've enjoyed the day, it's nice." Comfortable and warm, it made him feel full of comfort and love...like a blanket right out of the dryer being bundled about him. It was hard to put into words, even in his own head, and he wasn't sure his spouse would understand if he tried to put it into words even. But going from nothing to a single parent...it meant so much. He'd come so far in his life, further than he'd ever imagined he'd manage, including a spouse which he never thought he'd have.
"I'm just thinking...how far life has come for me. I never dated in school - I never planned to. I didn't want anyone to find out my living situation, I didn't want pity, so I never planned to date...even once I hit college. I didn't have a family, at least not one blood related. Then came the mirror court, a boyfriend, and a father now. I have a family - a full family. It's more than I ever imagined or planned, I think I'm still in shock sometimes...especially on a holiday." Because it reminded him of it, he was surrounded by it, there was that warmth which filled him.
"Mmm, should we leave some food out for the bunnies? I know they are magical but they do eat." Even if he didn't know where they went when winter was over, if they came back, or if they just up and died...or even if they could die and didn't rather just vanish. Did they even need to eat or was it just a choice? A want.
"We should start making dinner soon." Nibbling the cookie still, talking around the biscuit, as he leaned back into his partner. "I like this family of ours, it's so good."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2026 11:29 am
Looking a bit closer, he was surprised to see rabbits out there in the yard. Not that he hadn't heard about them in passing from some students, but he'd never seen them personally. Holding them a bit tighter as they leaned back into him, he pressed a kiss to their cheek as they spoke with their mouth full. It was cute in a way, even if a bit indecent, but he didn't mind. "I am glad that you let me be an exception to that rule of yours, even back in the beginning when I was... well, how I was." Part of him didn't want to admit, even now, that things hadn't been fine, but he knew that in his own way, things had come a long way. The fact that even now, they had stuck around and indulged him, even when sometimes his worries might have been seen as irrational. The rings they wore were a sign of that, giving that extra reassurance of where his husband was nearby. "It does make me happy to see you so happy. I wish that things had been more like this for me growing up as well." Speaking a bit quieter as he squeezed them slightly tighter for one quick moment before relaxing his hold on them to a more comfortable level. "Why not go take a look at them? I never really had pets around. We do have some veggies to bring them, but will they eat them? I never know what rumors are true or not when they come from my students. We can work on dinner together, then after?" Pulling them around to face him, he thumbed some of the crumbs from their mouth. "I like it too, you, me, Desiree, and your father. Perhaps even Melody, though she has been quite busy with her fiancé." Things were amicable enough, something that had seemed impossible originally, but another show of how good Liam had been for him and his sister.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2026 1:37 pm
"I don't like seeing people hurting so much, I know what hurting is like even if it was different, and for someone with such a love for music and teaching...a gift. You made children smile and find joy in what you taught them. I couldn't not help." And somehow thigns had quickly progressed, become what he had never expected or planned for himself. Maybe it was helping himself as well, even if unknowingly, by finding for himself what he needed and had always wanted - a family and love.
With Aloysius so close he heard him, however quite he might have been. "I only wish you had been this happy growing up. But the past is the past and we can only go forward. We can make something for ourselves, and for the family we have, we'll make things happy and warm in this home. We'll make of the holidays what they always should have been." Reaching up to lay a hand over one of his hsnads - to give a gentle squeeze.
"Yeah, we can go see them together. I'd like that." He'd really like to see them, he'd heard enough about them as well. "Maybe we can get a pet, something to look into over time, not a bunny but perhaps something we could enjoy and give our time and love to as well." Most families, at least in his mind, had a pet of some sort. It added to a family, rounded things out. "Let's get some veggies and some winter clothing on and we'll go out and feed them." Because he really did like the idea, as he finished his cookie and found himself being turned around. "I made a mess, didn't I." He was certain he had, and he wasn't surprised, as he leaned in and pecked the others lips.
"Working on dinner afterwards sounds perfect."
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2026 9:55 pm
He didn't say anything for a moment; it was hard each time they brought up the reasoning. The fact that he'd been hurting wasn't something he liked to admit or acknowledge, and yet Liam again and again seemed to know better. Being wrong always felt offensive, but he couldn't argue with them, not on this. Just them being here, even if they weren't doing something together, was enough to help ease all the burdens he'd pulled onto himself. "Of course, darling, it will always be happier here with you." Stating that fact, he smiled a bit more when they noticed the crumbs themself and kissed him back. "If you want to get the veggies, I can get our coats and gloves from the closet. Did you want a scarf as well? I think some have managed to survive Desiree's most recent theft..." Giving them a knowing look, he was well aware that Liam was enabling his cat to steal all his scarves. Stepping back to do just that, he cast another glance out the kitchen window and saw a few more small lumps of white fluff moving around in the snow. Then, with another kiss, he left the kitchen and went to the coat closet. Grabbing both of their coats, scarves, and gloves, he laid them over the back of the couch and started to get layered up. Even if it wasn't dark out yet, he was certain it would be far too cold for him to be out there in the snow. The dry air was sure to bother his lungs as much as it had on Mercury.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2026 8:13 pm
"That sounds good, and I think I'll skip on a scarf." Since he also wasn't sure how many they actually had left in the house. "We should check the winter market this year, see if we can't get some more scarves." They really should stock pile the damn things, multiples of the same color and style, and maybe even order some year round from several places online. It was something he'd look into doing, slowly, wether he told Aloysius or not...well whose to say? His spouse might just find themselves drowning in scarves, made from all manner of material.
While his husband went to get the things they'd need to go outside, because it was far too cold to just walk out as they were, Liam went to find the veggies for the bunnies. It wasn't just carrots that he took, because bunnies surely needed a healthy mix of various veggies, so it wasn't just carrots but raddish and lettuce as well as red cabbage that was grabbed by him.
The raddish he had to chop up quickly, so they could manage the hard little veggies, but it was just a quick and rough chop on them. The cabbage was precut, bought from the store shredded, the carrots got the same rough chop as the raddishes.
It was once Aloysius returned that he started to layer himself, leaving the veggies piled on the counter top waiting to go out with them both.
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