“You’re taller than me,” Pete says, but he’s already standing, moving to the foot of the tree and reaching up, sighing when he realises Bunny is just that couple of inches too high.
Mikey frowns. “I haven’t. I mean, they were worried I’d fall out, so.”
Pete smiles slightly and rests his hand against Mikey’s arm, understanding the jumble of words. “I’ll go up, you can watch.”
In a flash of movement, Pete jumps, and this is exactly what they’d planned, but Hemmy can’t help the soft howl, because it’s his Pete, climbing high.
The tree sways as Pete climbs but when he’s at Bunny’s level, legs clinging to the trunk, reaching out, he still can’t quite reach, despite how far out he stretches, seemingly unconcerned with the fall to the floor.
Mikey seems concerned too, pacing, his hand shading his eyes against the mid day sun.
“I’m coming up.”
“No,” Pete says, but it’s too late, Mikey is already climbing, knees scraping against the trunk, clinging on and hauling himself up until Pete reaches down, holding Mikey securely until he’s seated on a branch.
They sit close, breathing heavily as the tree shakes, and Hemmy wants to finish this. He’s relieved when Bunny looks at him, arching a brow before she suddenly meows pathetically before backing along the branch.
It’s no surprise when Pete looks at Mikey before inching after her, and it’s no surprise when Mikey follows him. Because they’re Hemmy and Bunny’s humans, and they’d discussed every action that Pete and Mikey were bound to take.
It’s why the tree branches out over the pond, the water filmed with green stinking algae, the banks made of slippery mud. It’s why Bunny is inching back even further, slowly; her eyes open wide with pretend fear. It’s why Hemmy rolls his eyes as they keep on following her, despite the branch dipping, bending toward the floor.
“Now!” Hemmy suddenly barks, and Bunny jumps, clearing the pond with one mighty leap. Mikey and Pete aren’t so lucky. Startled, they wave their arms comically, groping for purchase in the air as they slip to the side, landing in the pond with a huge splash.
Barking with excitement, Hemmy watches as they sit, algae clinging to their faces, their clothes drenched as they look at one another, silent for seconds before they both laugh.
“We did it!” For once Bunny willingly lets loose her ungraceful side, and she jumps in place, looking satisfied as Mikey wrings out his hair, and Pete pulls out a lump of something green that’s lodged between his teeth. “Now they know how we feel.”
Hemmy nods his head, because they do look ridiculous as they attempt to stand, only to fall back into the water with a cascade of water against the bank. But as he watches Pete pulls a twig from Mikey’s hair, and Mikey use the back of his hand to wipe at Pete’s face, Hemmy wonders if they even care at all. They don’t seem to, just keep laughing as they help each other out of the pond, stinking and soaked and holding hands as they squelch through the mud.
“That was my plan all the time,” Bunny says, and she’s looking at Mikey, her expression soft. “It’s time he moved on.”
Which is something Hemmy agrees with, but he says nothing, just looks at Bunny with a knowing curl of his lip before making for the fence, and the walk back home.
3/3
Mikey frowns. “I haven’t. I mean, they were worried I’d fall out, so.”
Pete smiles slightly and rests his hand against Mikey’s arm, understanding the jumble of words. “I’ll go up, you can watch.”
In a flash of movement, Pete jumps, and this is exactly what they’d planned, but Hemmy can’t help the soft howl, because it’s his Pete, climbing high.
The tree sways as Pete climbs but when he’s at Bunny’s level, legs clinging to the trunk, reaching out, he still can’t quite reach, despite how far out he stretches, seemingly unconcerned with the fall to the floor.
Mikey seems concerned too, pacing, his hand shading his eyes against the mid day sun.
“I’m coming up.”
“No,” Pete says, but it’s too late, Mikey is already climbing, knees scraping against the trunk, clinging on and hauling himself up until Pete reaches down, holding Mikey securely until he’s seated on a branch.
They sit close, breathing heavily as the tree shakes, and Hemmy wants to finish this. He’s relieved when Bunny looks at him, arching a brow before she suddenly meows pathetically before backing along the branch.
It’s no surprise when Pete looks at Mikey before inching after her, and it’s no surprise when Mikey follows him. Because they’re Hemmy and Bunny’s humans, and they’d discussed every action that Pete and Mikey were bound to take.
It’s why the tree branches out over the pond, the water filmed with green stinking algae, the banks made of slippery mud. It’s why Bunny is inching back even further, slowly; her eyes open wide with pretend fear. It’s why Hemmy rolls his eyes as they keep on following her, despite the branch dipping, bending toward the floor.
“Now!” Hemmy suddenly barks, and Bunny jumps, clearing the pond with one mighty leap. Mikey and Pete aren’t so lucky. Startled, they wave their arms comically, groping for purchase in the air as they slip to the side, landing in the pond with a huge splash.
Barking with excitement, Hemmy watches as they sit, algae clinging to their faces, their clothes drenched as they look at one another, silent for seconds before they both laugh.
“We did it!” For once Bunny willingly lets loose her ungraceful side, and she jumps in place, looking satisfied as Mikey wrings out his hair, and Pete pulls out a lump of something green that’s lodged between his teeth. “Now they know how we feel.”
Hemmy nods his head, because they do look ridiculous as they attempt to stand, only to fall back into the water with a cascade of water against the bank. But as he watches Pete pulls a twig from Mikey’s hair, and Mikey use the back of his hand to wipe at Pete’s face, Hemmy wonders if they even care at all. They don’t seem to, just keep laughing as they help each other out of the pond, stinking and soaked and holding hands as they squelch through the mud.
“That was my plan all the time,” Bunny says, and she’s looking at Mikey, her expression soft. “It’s time he moved on.”
Which is something Hemmy agrees with, but he says nothing, just looks at Bunny with a knowing curl of his lip before making for the fence, and the walk back home.