Work Text:
Beyond the suburbs, a little ways from the edge of town, the untouched wilderness manifested itself as a proud forest. The trees swayed, the snow heavy on their branches. The entire forest stood silent in the chilled afternoon air, patiently awaiting the dawn of spring. Angela sat crouched in the woods, camera in hand, her breath visible in the frigid air. A hare came into sight, its nose sniffling as looked about, jerking its head. Angela raised the camera to her eye, unbelievably tense as she brought the rabbit into view. Today was scrapbooking day, and Mercy was not going admit she spent most of the winter inside.
Fareeha stood by the stove, scrambling eggs with curt swishes of her spatula, the frying pan sizzling on high heat. All true chefs cooked on high heat, as far as Pharah knew. The front door creaked as her wife came in, unbuttoning her coat and stepping into the warm entryway. “Mornin’, babe. Get any good shots?”
“Uh...Ja!” Angela smiled, keeping one hand behind her back as she kicked off her shoes, her camera around her neck as she side-stepped towards the stairs.
“Where’re you going? Eat some breakfast. Builds muscle.” Fareeha divied up the breakfast, sliding half onto Angela’s side of the table. Ziegler looked at the meal; eggs piled high with cheese, ham and tomatoes. But, some things are more important.
“Danke, but..” Angela took a backwards step up the stairs. “I have something to take care of. I’ll be right there. Don’t worry.” Fareeha shrugged, desensitized to her wife’s eccentricities as she took her seat at the table, digging into her eggs with gusto.
Pharah dabbed her mouth with a napkin, wondering what the hell was keeping Angela as she got up to wash dishes. The sink filled with soapy water as Major Amari scrubbed the frying pan, the steel wool scrunched in her hand. Cleaning dishes like clockwork, Fareeha rinsed the pan clean before setting it aside, grabbing the next plate from the sink. Pharah’s thoughts wandered as she went about the mind-numbing task, her gaze drifting towards the window, watching the puffs of cloud float aimlessly through the sky. She reached for another dish, recoiling when her hand touched something soft.
A bunny.
Fareeha blinked once, twice, staring at the white creature as it looked back at her from the counter, its black eyes unblinking. She slowly reached out towards the meek rabbit, convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her. Fareeha didn’t even notice Angela frozen fearfully on the steps; unaware that her potential pet had escaped the bedroom upstairs.
“Babe? Am I tripping acid right now? Did you put drugs in the cooking oil again?” Fareeha touched the hare lightly, a pair of fingers barely brushing its head as it shivered, frozen in fear of the giant amazon. Angela squealed as she swooped in, grabbing the bunny in her arms defensively, almost stumbling.
“Stop! You’re scaring him!” Dr. Ziegler comforted the wild animal in her arms, petting it reassuringly as Fareeha continued to stare at the actual live rabbit Angela had brought into their home from fuck-knows-where.
“Babe.” Pharah set her hands on the coffee table forcefully, in full family-meeting mode as Angela sat on the couch in front of her, squeezing the rabbit in her lap. “I don’t know what you were thinking, but that thing is a pest. Put it back outside.”
“Noooo~!” Angel held the poor rabbit in front of her face, demonstrating how human medical knowledge does not make one an adequate pet owner as she squished its face, rocking it back and forth so its legs swung helplessly. “Look at how cute it is! I can take care of it fine! I take care of you when you’re almost dead!”
Fareeha bit her tongue, wondering how the hell that thing got caught by Angela in the first place. Still, there was no room for budging. “That rabbit is a pest, babe. A wild animal. One bite and you could end up with rabies or something. Hand it over.” Pharah held out her hand, gently grabbing the bunny as it sunk its teeth into her hand. Hard. Fareeha screamed as Mercy ripped it away, holding it against her stomach as Pharah cursed loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
Fareeha winced as she wrapped up her hand, standing in the bathroom angrily. She had ran upstairs, cussing the entire time, holding her hand as it bled. The security guard made sure her bandages were taunt before throwing open the door, storming downstairs.
“Ah. Hey, sweetheart. I got him a cage so he won’t bite anymore.” Angela stood in front of a large cage, sitting on a fold-out table, fully furnished with bedding and chew toys as Mercy dangled a carrot through the bars.
“Where...what..” Fareeha pinched her temples, resisting the oncoming headache as she slumped onto the couch. “Where did you get that?” Angela scratched her cheek, laughing in slight embarrassment.
“Ahaha..well, truth be told, i’ve been wanting a pet for a while. It’s so boring when you’re at work.” Mercy grinned at the sulking rabbit, waiting for her wife’s response as Pharah made a quick trip to the fridge, cracking open a beer as she stood behind her.
“I want nothing to do with it. But if you’re going to keep it, it needs a name.”
Angela gasped, overjoyed at Fareeha’s permission. Not that she wouldn’t have kept it regardless, but still. “Dieter!” The winter hare sniffled in response, unamused as Angela welcomed Dieter to his new home, a bit hectic, but twice as sweet and loving in return.