Weathered Walls || MCYT AU || DISCONTINUED!!

Chapter 15

The first day was normal. Tommy had spent hours talking and petting Mary, and the hare soaked up every bit of attention she could get. The little room didn't have a clock, like all the other rooms, so his time spent in there passed like a blur. The company was nice, though.

The second day was when he started getting nervous. With no way to tell the time for sure, he had to rely on his internal clock, and he was sure it'd gotten fucked up during his time at the facility. Mary was good company, but he wished he had someone who could talk back. 

Tommy ran his hand along Mary's back, whispering soothing words out loud. She'd been extra stressed lately. 

She moved from his lap over to the bowl of water in the corner of the room. There had been a hatch in the door that someone was sliding water through each day, but they wouldn't talk to him. Despite their argument, he found himself missing Eret. They weren't that bad. Better than most humans, anyway.

Mary lapped at the water while Tommy looked on. He'd refrained from drinking too much, since he didn't know much about hare care, and didn't want to deprive her. He could handle it.

The hare shuffled back over, draping herself over the boy's legs with an alarmingly little amount of her normal energy. Tommy stroked her head, taking in the sight of her belly. It was shrunken in, and he could just barely see the outline of her ribs. It was sickening. If these people didn't want to feed him, that was fine! But Mary was an animal. An innocent animal who knew nothing of society or prejudice or being treated like shit just for being different-

Tommy closed his eyes, listening to Mary's shallow breaths. She'd be fine. She had to be. She was Mary, for Christ's sake! Maybe he'd beg the water guy to bring some food, for her, at least. Usually he'd consider himself above begging, but this was an extreme circumstance.

He drifted off into a fitful sleep, Mary curled up against him.

On the third day, Tommy rose with the sun. Or, well, he hoped he had. Either way, the water guy hadn't come yet, so there was still ample opportunity to plead.

Mary looked worse for wear, but Tommy reassured her with full confidence that she would be fine. Because she would. He would make sure of it.

He heard the telltale footfalls of Water Guy, and began rehearsing his speech, during which he would beg the man to please just feed Mary. His own hunger wasn't much of a concern at the moment. After all, he'd counted three days so far, and he'd gone much, much longer before.

The hatch opened, and before the bowl even appeared in the opening, Tommy's words were pouring out.

"Listen, I know you don't talk to me or whatever, and I don't know what's going on, but can you please, please bring some food for Mary? That's the hare, by the way. You don't even need to feed me, but I'm on my knees, pal. I don't beg, I dunno if you knew that, but I'm desperate." Tommy was panting now, and Mary had shuffled over to lay in his lap once more.

He stroked her chestnut fur, careful not to be too rough with her frail body, awaiting an answer.

The bowl was pushed through, and Tommy drooped. However, before the hatch closed, he heard a voice from the other side.

"I- maybe. I dunno kid, I thought you'd be the hungry one by now." Honestly, Tommy wasn't even expecting an answer, let alone a maybe! The hatch shut, but he couldn't suppress the grin on his face. He did say that Mary would be fine, didn't he?

To pass the time, anxiously wondering if Water Guy would even come back, he launched into stories about his childhood. He regaled Mary with tales of punishments, starvation and beatings with bitter humour and venom-laced detail that would make a playwright swoon.