Carrots

This was written for Lionelle over on LJ. No bunnehs were harmed in the making of this fic. Characters are not mine. Enjoy!

"Cain! No!" The headcase called, racing with his somehow elegantly awkward step toward the man kneeling by a small wooden box trap set up by the woods bordering Cain's cottage.

"What's wrong, Glitch?" The tin man asked, unsure as to what all the yelling was about.

Glitch dropped to his knees beside Cain. "The… the rabbit. You caught him…"

"Yeah, the one that you've been complaining about for the last two weeks. The one that's been eating your garden plants." Cain answered, still confused.

"You're not going to kill him are you? You're not going to kill him are you?"

Cain noted the glitch, which happened more often when his lover was stressed out. "I'd…"

But that was as far as he got before Glitch interrupted again. "Please, don't kill him!"

"Well, why not, Glitch? We'd be set for dinner." When he saw Glitch's eyes widen in something he could only call absolute terror, he realized that might not have been the right thing to say.

"No!" The man protested, yet again. "No! Cain, don't!"

"What am I supposed to do with it then? If I let it go, it'll just come back and something else'll get it. " He rationalized, though he already knew he'd be losing this argument. "At least if I do it…"

Glitch was having none of it though. He struggled to open the trap, but there was a trick to it that he obviously was not getting. He whimpered and was forced to give up. "Cain," He turned to face the other man. "Please… we could keep him. We could build a hutch for him and he could enjoy my delicious gardening without eating us out of house and home!"

"But-"

"DG told me about something on the other side. Vega… vegetables? No, no, that wasn't it, we have those here. Vegetarians!" He announced, proud he'd recalled the name. "People who don't eat meat!"

Cain looked surprised such people existed. "I should've known DG was to blame for this."

"Can we keep him? Please, Cain?" He reached for the tin man's hand, gripping tightly as his chocolate eyes pleased with Cain's icy blue ones.

Heaving a huge sigh, and nodding reluctantly, Cain finally replied. "Yes, yes. Anything for you Sweetheart."

The next thing he knew he was swept into Glitch's arms, practically knocked to the ground by the force of it. And then Glitch was kissing him and a plethora of 'thank you's erupted.

"You'll need to find someplace we can build that hutch, and someplace to keep it in the meantime. Getting it out of the trap will be the tricky part." Cain told him, Glitch still clinging to him.

"I was thinking over by the garden, that way, if he ever got out, at least he'd be distracted."

Cain had to laugh at that. "That's some good thinking, right there." He stood then. "We can put him in one of the stalls in the barn for now, so he won't go escaping."

Glitch grinned, lifting the trap up and carrying it with caution toward the repaired barn. "Thank you so much for letting me keep him, Cain."

The tin man watched as Glitch sat down in the straw of an empty stall and, after making sure there were no places the little rabbit could squeeze through, let the creature out.

Cain had to admit the thing was cute. It was a light brown color and it could fit in the pocket of his coat. He was surprised, though, to see the rabbit hop right over to Glitch and settle in his lap. "Hmm. Guess the thing knew you saved it."

"His names not 'the thing'," Glitch answered. "It's Carrot. Because that's what he always eats."

What had Cain gotten himself into?