Just for one night [Tuomi/Little Hare]
Jul. 31st, 2020 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roesslyngTitle: Just for one night
Fandom: A Redtail's Dream
Characters/Pairing: Tuomi/Little Hare
Rating: G/0+
Length: 8.2k
Summary: It has been a year since they first met, and Tuomi and Hare are still seeing each other. This isn't easy to do when one is a human and the other a hare spirit - but Little Hare has a plan to fix this.
Other: Written for Terezimakara for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
raremaleslashex exchange! (Original post).
This was beta read by Robocryptid to fulfill services I won in the Fandom Trumps Hate charity auction. Thanks for the help! <3
Just for one night
"But I don't want to go! It's so boring. I'd rather just stay home."
"That isn't what you said last year," Tuomi's mom said breezily as she plucked her coat from its hook and slipped it on. "I seem to remember that you had a good time. You said you made a new friend."
Tuomi could feel his ears flushing hot. "I did not."
His mother sighed, looking like she couldn't believe she was having this conversation. "Well, okay. But you're going to come with us to the winter festival, and if you sulk the whole time, then that's fine."
"But -"
"Now, I need to go to work. I'll see you later, okay? I won't be home until late, but there's some leftover lasagne in the fridge. You and Paju can have that."
Tuomi mumbled a reply as she kissed his forehead. After she left, closing the door behind her, he stood at the living room window with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, watching her shape disappear into the wintry afternoon.
If only she'd listen. Both his mom and Paju never seemed to hear anything that he said, or take any of it seriously. It wasn't like he couldn't be left alone for one evening!
Based on past experience, Tuomi knew what would happen: he'd sit all night at the tables outside the Kuikka store, bored out of his mind, eating way too many cinnamon buns and listening to his school friends blather on, and on, and on.
The fact that it was only one night was what made his mom insist that it wasn't a big deal and that he should make an attempt to be social. Or something.
Ugh. No way.
Okay, Tuomi decided. He had to talk to somebody, or else he was going to explode. But there was only one somebody that he wanted to talk with about something like this.
He grabbed his keys and coat, and some snacks from the kitchen, and left the house.
The worst thing about it was that his mom hadn't been wrong when she pointed out that he'd made a friend last time. But she'd never actually met this friend, and there was a very good reason for that.
There was no way to say, "Oh yeah, I actually fell asleep and had a weird dream about a talking hare. But later, I found out that he's real. Except he doesn't talk in real life, but I don't mind that. Anyway, that's who I've been going to see whenever I go out."
Absolutely no way.
The air was sharp and cold, and the sun was starting its early dive downward, tinting the whole world orange. Tuomi pulled his hat down snug over his ears as he went toward the entrance to the forest walking trails. Snow had fallen overnight for the second time in two days. Already, it was packed down by tracks from boots and skis. It didn't take long before he reached the small passage branching from the main trail, and then the going was a little harder. He had to take big steps through it, grimacing as snow edged up over the tops of his boots. But finally, he made it to the clearing.
With a mittened hand, he brushed some snow off a log. Then he sat down and waited.
Sometimes the hare came. Sometimes he didn't. And the times when he didn't, Tuomi found himself wondering if maybe this entire thing was stupid after all, because hares didn't talk, and dreams weren't real, and of course if you bring an animal food, it'll keep hanging around. Hell, he couldn't even be sure that it was the same hare every time. Didn't they all kind of look the same?
But today was not one of those days. He only had to wait a few minutes before his friend showed up, hopping toward him over the surface of the snow.
"Hi," Tuomi said, pulling some carrots out of his pocket and offering them. "Ugh, you are never going to believe what my mom is saying now."
The hare gave him a sympathetic look, as if to say, 'tell me about it,' then took a carrot from his hand, nibbling it thoughtfully.
So Tuomi took that as an invitation, and he told him.
Little Hare looked up when Tuomi sighed and stood, brushing snow off the back of his trousers.
"Sorry," Tuomi said, bending down to stroke his ears. "I need to go. If I'm not home for supper, my sister is going to kick my ass."
Hare nuzzled at his hand, hoping that doing so would keep him there for a few more minutes, but it didn't work. Instead of sitting down again, Tuomi continued.
"Maybe I'll be able to sneak off and see you while everybody's distracted by the festival. It'll be three nights from now, so you'll have to remember to wait for me here, okay? I'll try to bring you something."
Hare watched him go, nibbling on the last remnants of the carrot Tuomi had brought him.
It wasn't fair, he thought, and not for the first time. Their experience in the dream had left him craving more. He missed being able to talk back when Tuomi spoke to him, at the very least! It was nice to be able to see each other, but being thrown back into their own lives wasn't any good at all.
As Tuomi would say, it sucked.
Three days. Okay. He could wait that long to see him. But a short evening visit while everybody else in the village was having fun wasn't the same as actually being able to keep Tuomi company. It wasn't as if they could go to this thing together, and... do whatever it was that humans did when they were having a good time.
The more he thought about it, the more jealous he was of Ville and Hannu. They got to do things together. They got to talk to each other, and see each other any time they wanted. And Ville wasn't anything special! He wasn't even a protective spirit – he was a dog who'd had a lucky transformation.
Little Hare thought about those two, stewing in annoyance at the memory of them. It wasn't even like Ville had been able to change shape on his own; it was because of someone else's magic that he'd been able to do it in the first place. He'd had help! A whole lot of it.
But if Ville had managed to get help with shape-changing, why couldn't Hare get someone to lend him a hand, too? Or a wing.
For a moment, Hare sat there in the snow, thinking it over. It was a crazy idea, but if he only asked for something small, something temporary, a tiny favour, then maybe....
He turned and dashed toward the giant eagle's nest.
It wouldn't hurt to ask, he thought.
Ordinarily, Little Hare didn't like asking for anything. But the fact that Kokko wasn't one of his family members helped. The worst she could do was say no; he knew she wouldn't make fun of him for this, or hold it over his head.
Somehow, it wasn't hard to tell her what he needed.
Kokko listened attentively as Little Hare told her all of his problems. She nodded her head and made sympathetic noises, and when Little Hare was done she looked at him with her dark, knowing eyes and said, "This isn't a small thing that you're asking me to do."
"Oh." Little Hare put his face in his paws. So. It wasn't a small thing after all, no matter how much he'd hoped it was. In fact, it was a pretty big thing. And an embarrassing thing.
Some day, his magic would be strong enough that he could do whatever he wanted with it. Little Hare was sure of this. In the meantime, this new plan was something bigger than he could handle. "There's nobody else I can ask for help with this, and I... I don't think it would cause any problems? It would only be for a few hours!"
"Hmm." Kokko clicked her beak. "How will he recognize you?"
"Uh..." Little Hare swallowed. "I hadn't thought of that." He hadn't considered the practical details at all, and now that he did, it was embarrassing. The thought of putting someone through the trouble of tweaking reality, even for one night, only to have Tuomi not know who he was, sounded awful. "I could..." He grasped at the first idea that came to mind. "I could tell him in a dream? And then he'll know."
"You'll have to make sure it's a memorable dream," Kokko said, not unkindly. Hare wondered if she was humouring him. "But all right. I'll help you. But only once! Please understand that."
Of course he understood.
"I'm going to come and see you when you're at the festival, okay?"
Tuomi's dreamspace was weird, Hare thought. It wasn't anything like the magical, relatively-stable dreams that experienced spirits could create. This one kept shifting. One moment, they were at the dock on the pond in the Redtail's dreamscape where they'd first met. The next, they were in their clearing in the woods, where Tuomi always came out to meet with him. The next, they were in what Hare could only guess was Tuomi's bedroom, with homework spilling from the desk, and an untidy pile of clothes stacked in the corner, and Tuomi's kantele resting on the bookshelf.
Tuomi sat down on the unmade bed. He shook his head. "Are you sure that's going to work?" he asked. "Everybody will think it's really weird if I have a wild animal with me."
"Well, yeah, but -"
"And you can't talk in the real world, so..."
"I know! But I've figured it out!"
Tuomi sighed. He reached down, lifted Hare up, and set him on his lap. The dream shifted again; they were by the pond once more, and everything was sunny and fresh and green. "Figured what out?" Tuomi asked, stroking Hare's ears.
"I, um. I got help. Someone's going to make me look like a human. So, you don't need to worry that people will think it's weird, okay? Everything will be fine."
"Really?" There was a bit of disbelief in Tuomi's voice, not that Hare could blame him for it. "Right. Sure. But, okay, let's say this is actually going to happen. How will I recognize you?"
"You'll just know," Hare insisted. "If you remember what I'm telling you now, then you'll know! Besides," he added as an afterthought, "You know everybody in your village, right? At least by sight. So if somebody you don't know comes up to you, that's a pretty good sign that it might be me."
"Okay, okay," Tuomi said, dipping to kiss the top of Hare's head. He pressed his face to his fur. "I'll take your word for it."
"And you'll remember this?"
"I'll try. But it doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes dreams are just dreams, and nobody believes that the stuff that happens in their dreams is actually going to come true. Only a crazy person would believe that. You know?"
Hare didn't know, not really. To him, all of this was completely normal, even with the weird, unsettling way that their surroundings shifted from one setting to the other. But this wasn't the first time that he'd realized that humans existed on a completely different plane of reality than his own. "I... guess," he said, nuzzling at Tuomi's cheek. "But you'll try to remember, right?"
"I'll try. I promise."
That would have to be good enough.
Tuomi paced around in front of the house, hands in his pockets, waiting for his mom and Paju to finish putting on their coats and hats and boots so they could go down to the winter festival.
A few days ago, he hadn't wanted to go at all. In a lot of ways, he still wished that he could stay home. Making popcorn and watching a movie while he waited for his family to come back wouldn't have been so bad. But more likely than not, he would spend the entire evening bored out of his mind.
Somehow, he had a feeling that now it would be worth his time.
He tilted his head back and let out a long sigh. In the illumination of the streetlamps, his fogged breath looked like dragon smoke. He watched until it disappeared, then blew again, waiting for the sound of the door opening. Why had he decided that coming along wasn't such a bad idea? Tuomi still couldn't feel it out. It was a weird feeling in the back of his head. Some kind of itch.
For the past two days he'd been dreaming about his talking hare.
Of course, he remembered promising that he'd try to go and see Hare while everyone else was distracted. He'd even stuffed his coat pockets with carrots in case he did manage to sneak away to their private clearing. But somehow, there was more to it than that.
There was something missing. But what?
Soon, his mom and Paju came out to join him, and they started walking down toward the Kuikka store.
Every year, the winter aurora festival was held in the wide open space in front of the store, and every year, it was pretty much the same. The whole village would show up, partly to watch the auroras, but mostly to eat cinnamon buns, play board games, and gossip. Tuomi's family would arrive together, but then they would separate: their mom would go help out the Kuikka family with the baking, and Paju would go off with her friends. Without anything better to do, Tuomi would join his school friends, and hang out with them until it was time to go home.
This year, it would be different. Maybe. Hopefully.
As they approached, they could hear music playing. When they got closer, the rumble of people talking and laughing and carrying on became audible. Their mom quickly went to join the Kuikkas, turning around to wave goodbye before she disappeared into the store. The scent of cinnamon buns and pastries tumbled out the door as she slipped through it.
"I heard there's a skating rink this year," Paju said, looking over at Tuomi. "Do you think you and your friends would like to go?"
Tuomi shook his head. "Ugh, no way," he said. In truth, he'd rather avoid his school friends altogether – and skating with them would be even worse than trying to socialize. He imagined them on the ice, yelling as they chased each other, loud and embarrassing and impossible to get away from. Absolutely not. "I don't think so."
Paju rolled her eyes. "Of course you would say that," she said. Shaking her head, she rummaged through her bag, then pulled out some cash. "Mom said to give this to you," she said. "For the skate rental. But if you don't want to, then I'll keep it."
"Give me that," Tuomi said, grabbing it from her. "Fine. I... uh. I'll see what they have to say about it." But that was a complete lie, and by the way his sister looked at him, he had a feeling that she knew it.
They separated after that. Paju went off to join her friends at their usual table, where a space had been saved for her. That left Tuomi to look toward his usual table.
Everyone he knew from school was there. Calling them friends was stretching the definition of the word a little. Over the course of the past year, he'd started to realize that maybe he didn't like them that much after all. They were loud, and clingy, and nosy, and sometimes he found himself thinking that the only reason they all hung out together was because they went to the same school and lived in the same village. It was nothing more than that.
Nobody had noticed him yet. Their heads were bent together, illuminated by light from the little candles in jars that were placed on every table. They seemed to be arguing about something, unaware that Tuomi was watching.
Tuomi hesitated, debating his options. Then he turned and headed toward the woods.
The noise and warm light faded as he stepped onto the familiar trail. All he was left with was the cold, and the night, and the possibility that he might get to see his friend.
Maybe after that, he'd be able to stand being around people.
Tuomi walked with his head down, thinking hard about this. The snow was packed down, and a few lazy flakes fell from the sky. It was dark, and the air was crisp, and the only light came from the moon and the sparse streetlamps lining the main walking path.
He didn't expect to see anyone else, and that was why he didn't notice that there was somebody else on the trail until he walked right into them.
"Wow, watch it!" Tuomi said, taking a step back before moving forward again, pushing down his embarrassment as he shoved past.
"Hey! Wait – Tuomi, it's me!"
"What?"
Tuomi stopped and took a good look at the person he'd just walked into.
It was a boy close to his age. He stood in the thin light of the trail lamp, staring hopefully at Tuomi with large eyes and ashy hair sticking out from under the long earflaps of his knitted cap. His winter jacket was way too big, like his parents had guessed at his size and decided to stick with it even after it was clear it didn't fit.
Tuomi had never seen him before in his life.
At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't. But at the same time, the boy looked familiar somehow, and there was a weird, itchy feeling in the back of Tuomi's mind telling him that he should know exactly who he was.
"Um," they both said at the same time.
This was ridiculous.
Tuomi shifted from one foot to the other. "Who are you?" he asked.
There was a long pause. "You don't recognize me?" the boy asked. He bit at his lip, looking like he wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed or annoyed.
"No?" But you should, a voice in the back of Tuomi's mind said. Look closer.
As much as he looked, he didn't know where he might have seen this guy before, or what his name might be. "Look, you're obviously not from around here. I'd recognize you if you were. So why're you acting like we know each other?"
The boy brought his hands to his face and made a frustrated noise. "Oh, this is so stupid! I should have known. But I told you I'd be here, and -"
"You didn't tell me anything!" Tuomi said. "Look, I have to go, I'm meeting somebody."
He tried to push past him again, but the boy grabbed at his sleeve, holding on to him tight and desperate. "You're going to meet Little Hare," he said breathlessly, "and you have carrots in your pocket."
Tuomi had never told anyone about Little Hare. Not his mom, not his sister, not any of his friends. He'd never breathed a single word about him. There was no reason that anybody should know about his friend.
But this person did.
"Who are you?" Tuomi asked slowly, staring into his face.
"I'm... I told you I'd come, but I guess you forgot. I'm Little Hare."
"No way." Tuomi took a step back. "This is crazy." But even as he said that, the memory of the dream from the other night started to come back.
Little Hare had told him that he'd arranged something. That he'd be able to go.
He hadn't said anything about this.
It was crazy, but even though it was crazy, Tuomi wanted it to be real. The part of him that kept coming back to the forest and talking to the hare in the clearing made him hope that it was real, even if it couldn't be.
"I... Okay," Tuomi said. He shifted from one foot to the other, absolutely at a loss for what to think. He took another long look at this stranger who apparently wasn't a stranger. The more he looked, the more he could see a resemblance. The eyes. The way long strands of hair fell to frame his face, like long ears. "This is way too weird, but okay."
"Okay?" Little Hare said, smiling brightly. "So, can I go to the festival with you?"
He asked it as if it were a normal question. Like meeting each other like this was something that could actually take place. As if they could spend time together the way people normally did. It was surreal.
"I guess!" Tuomi said, giving a full-bodied shrug. If this was going to happen, then it was going to happen. "At least this way it won't be boring."
They headed back down the path toward the Kuikka store together. Tuomi's head was reeling. All of it seemed too weird to accept. But it made more sense if everything was true, so for now, he decided it was better to simply go with it.
Maybe he'd wake up and realize that all of this was another dream.
Little Hare slipped his hand into Tuomi's, and that didn't help the weird feeling. Tuomi thought about telling him that humans didn't usually do that, and if anybody saw them like that, they would assume some things.
He thought about that very carefully, and then decided that he didn't give a damn about what people might assume. Let them guess.
Soon, they saw the lights, and heard the chatter and the music. The air smelled like a fresh batch of cinnamon buns. The picnic tables were crowded, and Tuomi frantically glanced around, trying to find one that was empty, or at least one that had room. But all of them were full, and the ones that weren't had reserves.
...And his friends had caught sight of him, and were waving him over to their table.
Tuomi sighed.
"Okay," he said, turning to Little Hare. "Here's what we'll do. We'll get some cinnamon buns and sit with those guys for a while." He nodded toward his friends' table, where the four of them sat with their hot chocolate and buns, a board game spread out between them. "Knowing them, if we don't hang out with them for a while, they'll come find us. But after that, we can do whatever we want."
"Okay," Little Hare said hesitantly. "But... I thought you said your friends were annoying. And they were really annoying when they were in your dream. And loud."
"They'll be even more annoying if I don't introduce you," Tuomi said, leading Little Hare over to the bakery stand that the Kuikka store had set up. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "But if we talk to them for a while, they'll leave us alone after that."
It was easy enough to be confident about it when trying to reassure Little Hare. It was a lot harder to keep his cool when, moments later, he found himself staring down a bunch of his school friends, with a nervous forest spirit at his side, armed with nothing but a plate of baked goods and his wits.
"Hey," Tuomi said nonchalantly as he took his usual seat, then scooted over so Hare could sit beside him on the end. "What's up?"
"Not much," Mari said. She flashed him a wide grin, looking extremely satisfied. "We borrowed your sister's Monopoly game."
"What, really? She let you?"
At that, they all let out a laugh. Sami nudged Tuomi, the force of it more like an elbow to the gut. "Nah, we kind of didn't bother asking." He paused, leaning his bulk over to peer at the person sitting beside Tuomi, then asked, "Who's that?"
"My, uh... my friend." Tuomi cleared his throat. He looked at Hare, then gestured around the table, pointing his school friends out to him. "See, here's everyone I told you about – Mari, Sami, Esa, and Petra."
There was a long pause. "Your friend, eh?" Petra said, exchanging a significant look with Sami. She said the word like she figured it meant something else, and by the look on the faces of everyone at the table, they seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Yeah, friend," Tuomi said. "It's not a big deal."
"Sure." Esa snorted. "It's not. And does your 'friend' have a name?"
"Uh..." Oh shit, Tuomi thought. He'd expected that even if they assumed the wrong thing, they wouldn't care about it. That was fine. But he'd completely overlooked this. Of course they'd ask. And he couldn't exactly tell them what Little Hare's real name was.
He turned to look at Little Hare, trying to tell him with his eyes that he'd have to handle this part himself.
Little Hare looked like a hare caught in headlights, wide-eyed and biting his lip. Finally, he took a deep breath, and said, "Um... Jani? You can call me Jani." Under the table, he took Tuomi's hand and squeezed it hard.
"He's kind of shy," Tuomi explained, hoping like hell that would help.
"That's okay," Mari said. She leaned forward, arms folded on the table, getting that curious, nosy look she sometimes had. "So, where are you from, Jani?"
"U-um..."
"I mean, you're obviously not from Hokanniemi, so..."
"He's from outside Mikkeli," Tuomi said, thinking as quickly as he could. "Not actually very close to it. Kind of in the middle of nowhere."
"Since when do you hang out in the middle of nowhere?"
"I take long walks sometimes. It's boring around here." Tuomi shrugged. "Whatever. Did you hear about the skating rink?"
That took their attention off Little Hare, at least. The eye-rolling and exasperated groans were exactly what Tuomi expected.
"Ugh, that thing? Please."
"It's really small and dorky."
"Looks like it's for little kids."
"It is for little kids."
As everyone started talking about how dumb the skating rink was, Tuomi let out a long breath and squeezed Little Hare's hand under the table.
"That wasn't so bad," Little Hare said, whispering close to his ear.
"Yeah," Tuomi whispered back, leaning in close to him, fully aware that they looked way too close, and not caring about it at all. "I think they're done bugging you now."
"I don't know if I'll remember what you told them," Hare said. "About where I'm from."
"I'll keep it straight for you. Don't worry about it. Here, try some of this." Tuomi broke off a piece of the cinnamon bun and offered it to him.
Little Hare sniffed it, then gingerly took it and put it into his mouth. "It's good," he said, eyes wide with surprise as he licked sticky cinnamon goo from his fingers. "Maybe this was an okay idea after all."
Tuomi smiled. He wasn't sure about that, but at least it hadn't turned out as badly as he'd thought.
Tuomi's friends, Little Hare decided, were kind of nosy, but they weren't as annoying as they had been in the Redtail's dream a year ago. Sure, they were snoopy at first, and the way they kept looking over at him made Little Hare feel both confused and paralyzed with nervousness. But after a while, they seemed to let it go, and put any weird responses down to shyness.
Or maybe, Little Hare thought, they found him boring, and the curiosity brought on by seeing a stranger wore off quickly. Either way, it was a relief when the questions stopped. That was just fine with him. It was enough to sit with Tuomi and eat those sweet buns.
His hand kept finding Tuomi's under the table, and the warmth of his grip was reassuring.
What was not reassuring was what Tuomi decided to do after that.
"Come on," he had said, dipping his head close to speak by Little Hare's ear. "Let's go to the skating rink. I don't think they'll follow us there."
It had sounded like a great idea at the time. They'd slipped away with ease, leaving Tuomi's friends to their board game, barely having to make any excuses.
When they reached the rink, Hare started to have second thoughts.
And third thoughts.
And maybe fourth thoughts, too.
Seated on a bench, Little Hare looked down, watching as Tuomi knelt to lace up his skating boots for him.
They were at a park near the Kuikka store. A large square of space had been scraped clear of snow, and flooded with ice, and benches had been set up around it. Nearby, a stand was set up to rent skates to those who hadn't brought their own, and it also had hot chocolate, the sweet smell heavy in the crisp air. A few people were out on the artificial rink, gliding with apparent effortlessness on the ice.
It all seemed nice, and it looked easy enough, but....
Little Hare looked down at Tuomi again. "I've never been skating before," he said.
"Of course not," Tuomi said. "You're a hare." He finished tying one of Hare's boots, and started on the next one.
"Obviously." Hare looked from Tuomi to the rink again, then back, trying not to look as nervous as he felt.
Tuomi glanced up at him and smiled. "Don't worry about it," he said as he looped the laces around the hooks. "I'll show you how."
A small, fluttery feeling twisted in Hare's stomach at that. This time, it wasn't anxiousness. He knew what that feeling was, and he knew why it was there. He also knew that it was at least part of the reason that he had decided to do this whole crazy thing in the first place.
But. Still. He didn't mind the fluttery feeling. He didn't even mind the nervousness. Especially not after Tuomi finished tying his skates, and put his own on, and took his hands to help him up.
"Okay," Tuomi said once they were on the ice. "The important thing is not to think about it too much, I guess. Like, just do it."
Little Hare eyed the ice warily. "What if I fall?"
"I'll catch you. And... here, I'll hold your hands while we skate. You won't fall."
Tuomi took his hands and glided backward, pulling him along as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Little Hare's stomach lurched, and he grit his teeth to try and clamp down on the nerves. Slowly, he tried to glide forward, doing as Tuomi did, going toward him rather than back. His body felt impossibly stiff, without a single bit of grace.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, like that. Keep going!"
As soon as Hare felt that he was getting the hang of it, his skates hit a bump in the ice and he fell forward, tumbling into Tuomi.
The impact sent them both down onto the ice, limbs sprawling.
"Ow!"
"Are you okay?!" Hare asked, trying to get to his knees.
Tuomi swore. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just surprised." He sat up, pulling his hair out of his eyes. "At least I broke your fall?"
"What?"
"I didn't catch you, but you did fall on me, so...."
"Oh." Hare could feel his cheeks flushing, partly from embarrassment, partly from something else – and it only got worse when Tuomi stood, offering his hands to help him up.
It did get easier after that. Somehow, his body figured out what to do, even if his brain was overwhelmed by the strangeness of gliding on the ice, and the mess of feelings stirring in his head.
Tuomi didn't seem to notice, to Little Hare's relief. He kept skating, helping Hare stay steady, giving words of encouragement in between stretches of thoughtful quiet.
And he kept holding Hare's hand. There was that, too.
"How long are you going to be like this?" Tuomi asked Hare after a while. By then, Hare had found his feet, and they were slowly gliding side by side, hands linked.
"Like this...?"
"You know. Like. Human?" Tuomi looked to Hare. There was something hopeful in his eyes.
"Oh." Hare bit at his lower lip. "I, um. It's tonight. Just for tonight. I'll be back in my original form at midnight."
"That sucks."
"I know," Hare said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"No, I mean – it really, really sucks." Tuomi looked toward Hare with his lips tight with disappointment, letting out a soft huff. "We only get to hang out for one night together? That's it? It isn't fair!"
"Yeah." Hare sighed. It wasn't fair. "But this is the best I could do; it isn't even my own magic that did this. I had to get help with it." He stopped on the ice, turning to look at Tuomi, taking a deep breath. This was hard. A lot harder than he had thought. And there were things about it that he wasn't sure how to explain. "I wanted to spend some time with you, even if it was only for a little while."
There were some things that humans couldn't understand. As far as Hare could see it, there was no way an ordinary mortal could understand what spirits were capable of and what they weren't. But by the way Tuomi looked at him, it seemed like he wanted to try.
"Well..." Tuomi looked down at the ice, as if he were thinking hard about something, but he kept holding onto Hare's hand. His grip was tight, like he was afraid that if he let go, he might suddenly break the spell, and Hare would be a hare again – or maybe he wouldn't even be there at all. "You know, I'm still not sure that I'm not completely crazy, or dreaming, or something. So I guess if you're just here for tonight, it doesn't make any difference."
Eventually, more people came to the skating rink. As it started to get crowded, with couples hogging space and little kids falling over themselves, Tuomi decided that it would be best to call it quits. It was getting harder to talk without anyone hearing, harder to move around without bumping into somebody.
Hot chocolate. That was the solution. After reassuring Little Hare that it was almost as good as the cinnamon buns, he bought some for the both of them.
He managed to find them a quiet place to sit. Behind the back of the Kuikka store, there was a long bench. Usually it would be occupied by somebody on break, but with the festival on and all the store employees pulled in to help, there was nobody there. Trees ringed the area, muffling the noise, so they were left with stillness and relative quiet.
They sat together and drank their hot chocolate in companionable silence.
So, Tuomi thought. One night. Nothing else.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Hare, who was licking hot chocolate foam from the rim of the cup as if he had never tasted anything so amazing.
It was cute. He was cute.
This was a problem.
It was one thing to think his friend was cute when he looked like a small furry animal and could only speak in Tuomi's dreams. It was another thing to have him here, sitting beside him, looking like a very cute boy. As if this was normal. As if there could be anything normal about any of this.
What if he woke up tomorrow and realized that none of this had actually happened at all? What then?
"If I kissed you, would you stay a human?" Tuomi found himself asking.
Hare stopped licking at the sugary foam. "What?"
"That's, uh. That's how it works in fairy tales and stuff. Some of them, anyway." Tuomi could feel his cheeks heating a bit, and wished he hadn't said anything. Stupid, stupid.
"I don't think it works like that," Hare said after a moment. "Not for someone like me, at least."
"Oh."
They both fell quiet. Tuomi looked away, sipping at his hot chocolate to stop himself from saying anything else that he might regret. He was conscious of how close together they were sitting. If he moved to the side just a few centimetres more, they would be pressed against each other.
"You could kiss me anyway, you know," Little Hare said. "If you want to."
"Uh," Tuomi said. Suddenly, he felt as if his voice didn't work. And his tongue didn't work. And his hands might stop working any minutes now, too. He gingerly put his cup down beside him. "Do you actually know what that is? I mean, really." Considering this was Hare's very first day as a human, there was no way to know what he knew.
Hare snorted. "Of course I know. I do know some things about humans, you know."
"Yeah, well. It's not like I would know that. I mean, you spend all your time looking small and furry."
"But now you know."
"...Now I know." Tuomi took a good, long look. Hare had put his cup of hot chocolate down and was watching him, like he was waiting for something.
When they had first met that evening, Little Hare had seemed skittish and shy. Now, he still looked shy, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, too. Something decisive and determined.
Okay, Tuomi thought. Right, then.
He reached out, cupping Little Hare's face in his hands. His gut twisted with nervousness, but Tuomi managed to keep his expression straight, at least for the fleeting moment between deciding to kiss him and actually doing it.
The kiss was gentle. Tuomi lingered, drawing it out as long as he could. At first, Little Hare didn't respond, as if now that he was actually doing it, he wasn't actually sure how it was supposed to work. But then, he kissed back, all soft and light and tickly.
"Is that it?" Little Hare said when they separated.
"Uh, yeah?" Tuomi wasn't sure how to react to that. He brushed Hare's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "It wasn't that bad, was it?" Not that he had a whole lot to compare it to, but he hadn't thought it was awful.
"Nah. It wasn't bad." Hare's hand came up to cover his own. "I just figured, since humans talk about that stuff so much, it would be something... more? But it was nice." He smiled. "I liked it.
Well, Tuomi thought. That was a relief. "Okay," he said. Then, before he could stop himself, he added, "We could do it again, you know. I mean, since you liked it."
Little Hare didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Instead, he cupped Tuomi's face, and kissed him.
That was a better way to answer, anyway.
They stayed behind the Kuikka's store for a long time after that. It wasn't until the volume of the music filtering past the barrier of the trees got higher, the chatty voices and laughter louder and more intoxicated, that they separated.
"What time is it?" Little Hare asked.
Tuomi checked his watch. "Eleven thirty," he said, frowning.
Little Hare sipped from his hot chocolate. It was ice cold, but still sweet. "I have to get back to the forest," he said. "I shouldn't turn back here. It would be weird, and somebody might see."
'Somebody' included Tuomi. Even though they were close – closer now than they had been before – Little Hare didn't like the thought of him watching as he changed back into a hare. Humans weren't that great about magic most of the time. They sometimes reacted in strange ways to seeing things they didn't expect, and while Tuomi wasn't entirely a stranger to magic, there were some things that he didn't need to see.
"You can come with me part of the way, though," Little Hare said.
Tuomi nodded. "I'd like that."
The night was deep and dark, and it grew even deeper and darker after they stepped away from the sounds and the people and the scents of food and drink. In between the walking trail's streetlamps were patches of shadows that only the moonlight sliced through, picking out the snowy path in front of them.
Little Hare held Tuomi's hand. He didn't want to let go.
"So. What now?" Tuomi asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll turn back. And then you'll go home. And I'll go home too." Tuomi kicked at a stray pinecone on the path. "And you'll be a hare again. Then what?"
Oh.
Little Hare was quiet. While he'd planned how he wanted this night to go, he hadn't thought this part through. It hadn't actually occurred to him at all. He'd been so focused on the thought of going to the festival with Tuomi that the question of what would happen afterwards had been a problem to handle later.
Soon, it would be later.
"I don't know," Little Hare admitted. "I'll see you in the dream world, at least?"
"Right."
It wasn't enough. Tuomi squeezed Hare's hand, but Hare could hear the disappointment in his voice. That was the thing about humans – they existed on a different plane. Hare could hop in between dreams and the physical world as easily as blinking, but for humans, dreams were something surreal and strange, only experienced in fleeting moments, and mostly forgotten when they were awake.
It sucked.
"I'll see what I can do," Hare said. "There's got to be something." If he could transform once, he could transform again. He could learn. It wasn't impossible.
"Okay," Tuomi said. He didn't sound convinced, but he also sounded like he was willing to drop the issue for the time being. "Tonight was nice, at least. I, um. I'm glad you found a way to come."
Though it was hard to tell in the dim light, it looked to Hare like there was warmth deepening on Tuomi's cheeks.
Maybe it was simply because of the cold.
They walked together until they came to the place where there was a gap in the trees, a small footpath branching off from the main trail. It looked still, black, and silent.
"So," Tuomi said. He looked from the split in the forest to Hare, then back again. "This is it."
"Yeah," Hare said. He shifted from one foot to the other. There was no way out of this; he'd have to go home no matter whether he wanted to or not, and that meant going back to his old form.
Still, he had a few minutes left.
He stepped closer. It seemed that Tuomi knew what he was going to do, because Tuomi took hold of both his hands and leaned in.
Little Hare kissed him gently, letting it linger, appreciating the softness. Tuomi's face was warm in the frosty air. If nothing else, at least they would both have a really, really nice memory. That was something, wasn't it?
"I need to go," Little Hare said softly as they parted. He drew away from him, knowing that if he didn't, it would be hard to stop himself from kissing him again, and again, until they lost track of the minutes. He imagined himself transforming in the middle of it, and – what would Tuomi think of that? It would probably turn him off the whole thing forever.
By the way Tuomi was looking at him, it seemed he might be thinking the same thing. He let go of Little Hare's hands and shoved his own into his pockets, his stance shifting as if he were trying to look cool, like he was unaffected by all of this, and that he wasn't disappointed at all. "Okay," Tuomi said. "I'll see you later?"
Little Hare smiled. "Of course you will."
Then he turned and slipped through the trees onto the dark path, and picked his way toward their clearing, feeling Kokko's magic beginning to unravel around him.
A week later, Tuomi stood at the entrance to the forest trails. It was a sharp, crisp, clear day, and the sun was still up, spilling bright light on the snow.
The winter festival might as well have happened a year ago. That was how real it all felt to him now.
Skating with Little Hare, drinking hot chocolate, kissing behind the Kuikka store – all of it felt like a dream. One of the best dreams he'd ever had, but a dream nevertheless.
At school, his friends had asked him a few curious questions about that boy he had been with, and that was how he knew that it hadn't actually been a dream at all. Tuomi brushed them off as best he could, giving vague answers about his "friend" from Mikkeli.
Eventually, they stopped asking.
Little Hare had come to him in his dreams again. He showed up as a hare, and Tuomi couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, even if he knew that he shouldn't. It was his real form, and anyway, Tuomi had never minded talking to him that way before.
The festival night had made a lot of difference.
He didn't even remember much about the dream, except that Hare had told him to come to their clearing.
"Come see me," he'd said. "I have something really cool to show you." His voice had lowered to a whisper, as if it was a huge secret; something so cool that he couldn't breathe a word about it, not even in the privacy of dreamspace.
Tuomi doubted that it was actually something that cool. In fact, he doubted that it was much of anything. Except for those few hours at the festival, Little Hare was always an ordinary hare, and when Tuomi was awake, he wasn't even a talking hare.
But he had said that he would come. And he did want to see him. Even if it wouldn't be as good as that one night, and never would be again.
Sighing, he slipped through the trails. Most of the snow was still packed down. When he reached the tiny deer path, he moved more carefully, not wanting to get snow in his boots.
He put his hands in his pockets and felt for the carrots he'd stashed there. His mom had noticed his choice of snacks over the last few months, but she hadn't commented on it aside from this morning, when she'd made a surprised comment about how many carrots they were going through.
The clearing came into view. And as it did, Tuomi saw that someone was there.
Tuomi froze, holding his breath as he ducked behind a tree. He listened, but didn't hear anything; maybe he hadn't been spotted. In the silence, he tried to think fast for a way to deal with this. There wasn't supposed to be anybody else there. Irritation bubbled up inside of him– this was his spot! His and Hare's.
Slowly, he bent to scoop up some snow, packing it into a snowball as silently as he could. Whoever this kid was, he'd teach them that they weren't allowed to push into his space.
Peeking out from behind the tree, he looked again, trying to figure out if he recognized them.
There was something familiar about that round face, that ashy hair. A knitted hat with long flaps hung down loose, like ears.
Wait a minute.
Tuomi dropped the snowball and stepped into the clearing.
"You!" he said, pointing at Little Hare.
"Me," Little Hare replied, giving him a smug grin from where he sat, taking up the place on the fallen log that Tuomi usually occupied during their visits. "Hi!"
"What the hell – how did you...?"
"Kokko said that now that I've changed once, it'll be easier to do it now and then. A little, anyway." Hare looked immensely pleased with himself. "She said she'll teach me how to do it for longer periods, until I don't have to wait any more."
Tuomi stared at him. Then, he sunk down, sitting on the log next to Hare, completely disregarding the snow melting under his ass. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Hare laughed, kicking at a patch of snow with his absolutely-not-hare-like feet. "I wish she had told me before, but I guess she wanted to be sure about how this would turn out. Like, maybe she was worried it wouldn't work out the way I wanted it?"
"Yeah," Tuomi said. "That might be it." In truth, he didn't care all that much about what Kokko thought of all this. As long as it meant that he and Little Hare could hang out together, it didn't matter how.
The only thing that mattered was that it could happen. That it was happening now, and would again.
Tuomi shifted closer to Hare, curling up against him. Hare felt solid, and real, and definitely not small and furry. "Does this mean we can do, you know, normal stuff now? Like..." He thought quickly, trying to come up with something. What did normal boyfriends do, anyway? "Like, can we go skating again?"
"Hmm..." Hare looked thoughtful. "Only if you promise to be better at catching me than last time."
"Deal," Tuomi said. "And after that, we can get hot chocolate. How about that?"
Hare leaned in close. "Okay," he said. His smile was broad and bright, and before Tuomi could say anything, Hare kissed him.
Tuomi slung an arm around him, and pulled him close.
Maybe he hadn't needed to put those carrots in his pockets after all.
Fandom: A Redtail's Dream
Characters/Pairing: Tuomi/Little Hare
Rating: G/0+
Length: 8.2k
Summary: It has been a year since they first met, and Tuomi and Hare are still seeing each other. This isn't easy to do when one is a human and the other a hare spirit - but Little Hare has a plan to fix this.
Other: Written for Terezimakara for
raremaleslashex exchange! (Original post).This was beta read by Robocryptid to fulfill services I won in the Fandom Trumps Hate charity auction. Thanks for the help! <3
Just for one night
"But I don't want to go! It's so boring. I'd rather just stay home."
"That isn't what you said last year," Tuomi's mom said breezily as she plucked her coat from its hook and slipped it on. "I seem to remember that you had a good time. You said you made a new friend."
Tuomi could feel his ears flushing hot. "I did not."
His mother sighed, looking like she couldn't believe she was having this conversation. "Well, okay. But you're going to come with us to the winter festival, and if you sulk the whole time, then that's fine."
"But -"
"Now, I need to go to work. I'll see you later, okay? I won't be home until late, but there's some leftover lasagne in the fridge. You and Paju can have that."
Tuomi mumbled a reply as she kissed his forehead. After she left, closing the door behind her, he stood at the living room window with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, watching her shape disappear into the wintry afternoon.
If only she'd listen. Both his mom and Paju never seemed to hear anything that he said, or take any of it seriously. It wasn't like he couldn't be left alone for one evening!
Based on past experience, Tuomi knew what would happen: he'd sit all night at the tables outside the Kuikka store, bored out of his mind, eating way too many cinnamon buns and listening to his school friends blather on, and on, and on.
The fact that it was only one night was what made his mom insist that it wasn't a big deal and that he should make an attempt to be social. Or something.
Ugh. No way.
Okay, Tuomi decided. He had to talk to somebody, or else he was going to explode. But there was only one somebody that he wanted to talk with about something like this.
He grabbed his keys and coat, and some snacks from the kitchen, and left the house.
The worst thing about it was that his mom hadn't been wrong when she pointed out that he'd made a friend last time. But she'd never actually met this friend, and there was a very good reason for that.
There was no way to say, "Oh yeah, I actually fell asleep and had a weird dream about a talking hare. But later, I found out that he's real. Except he doesn't talk in real life, but I don't mind that. Anyway, that's who I've been going to see whenever I go out."
Absolutely no way.
The air was sharp and cold, and the sun was starting its early dive downward, tinting the whole world orange. Tuomi pulled his hat down snug over his ears as he went toward the entrance to the forest walking trails. Snow had fallen overnight for the second time in two days. Already, it was packed down by tracks from boots and skis. It didn't take long before he reached the small passage branching from the main trail, and then the going was a little harder. He had to take big steps through it, grimacing as snow edged up over the tops of his boots. But finally, he made it to the clearing.
With a mittened hand, he brushed some snow off a log. Then he sat down and waited.
Sometimes the hare came. Sometimes he didn't. And the times when he didn't, Tuomi found himself wondering if maybe this entire thing was stupid after all, because hares didn't talk, and dreams weren't real, and of course if you bring an animal food, it'll keep hanging around. Hell, he couldn't even be sure that it was the same hare every time. Didn't they all kind of look the same?
But today was not one of those days. He only had to wait a few minutes before his friend showed up, hopping toward him over the surface of the snow.
"Hi," Tuomi said, pulling some carrots out of his pocket and offering them. "Ugh, you are never going to believe what my mom is saying now."
The hare gave him a sympathetic look, as if to say, 'tell me about it,' then took a carrot from his hand, nibbling it thoughtfully.
So Tuomi took that as an invitation, and he told him.
Little Hare looked up when Tuomi sighed and stood, brushing snow off the back of his trousers.
"Sorry," Tuomi said, bending down to stroke his ears. "I need to go. If I'm not home for supper, my sister is going to kick my ass."
Hare nuzzled at his hand, hoping that doing so would keep him there for a few more minutes, but it didn't work. Instead of sitting down again, Tuomi continued.
"Maybe I'll be able to sneak off and see you while everybody's distracted by the festival. It'll be three nights from now, so you'll have to remember to wait for me here, okay? I'll try to bring you something."
Hare watched him go, nibbling on the last remnants of the carrot Tuomi had brought him.
It wasn't fair, he thought, and not for the first time. Their experience in the dream had left him craving more. He missed being able to talk back when Tuomi spoke to him, at the very least! It was nice to be able to see each other, but being thrown back into their own lives wasn't any good at all.
As Tuomi would say, it sucked.
Three days. Okay. He could wait that long to see him. But a short evening visit while everybody else in the village was having fun wasn't the same as actually being able to keep Tuomi company. It wasn't as if they could go to this thing together, and... do whatever it was that humans did when they were having a good time.
The more he thought about it, the more jealous he was of Ville and Hannu. They got to do things together. They got to talk to each other, and see each other any time they wanted. And Ville wasn't anything special! He wasn't even a protective spirit – he was a dog who'd had a lucky transformation.
Little Hare thought about those two, stewing in annoyance at the memory of them. It wasn't even like Ville had been able to change shape on his own; it was because of someone else's magic that he'd been able to do it in the first place. He'd had help! A whole lot of it.
But if Ville had managed to get help with shape-changing, why couldn't Hare get someone to lend him a hand, too? Or a wing.
For a moment, Hare sat there in the snow, thinking it over. It was a crazy idea, but if he only asked for something small, something temporary, a tiny favour, then maybe....
He turned and dashed toward the giant eagle's nest.
It wouldn't hurt to ask, he thought.
Ordinarily, Little Hare didn't like asking for anything. But the fact that Kokko wasn't one of his family members helped. The worst she could do was say no; he knew she wouldn't make fun of him for this, or hold it over his head.
Somehow, it wasn't hard to tell her what he needed.
Kokko listened attentively as Little Hare told her all of his problems. She nodded her head and made sympathetic noises, and when Little Hare was done she looked at him with her dark, knowing eyes and said, "This isn't a small thing that you're asking me to do."
"Oh." Little Hare put his face in his paws. So. It wasn't a small thing after all, no matter how much he'd hoped it was. In fact, it was a pretty big thing. And an embarrassing thing.
Some day, his magic would be strong enough that he could do whatever he wanted with it. Little Hare was sure of this. In the meantime, this new plan was something bigger than he could handle. "There's nobody else I can ask for help with this, and I... I don't think it would cause any problems? It would only be for a few hours!"
"Hmm." Kokko clicked her beak. "How will he recognize you?"
"Uh..." Little Hare swallowed. "I hadn't thought of that." He hadn't considered the practical details at all, and now that he did, it was embarrassing. The thought of putting someone through the trouble of tweaking reality, even for one night, only to have Tuomi not know who he was, sounded awful. "I could..." He grasped at the first idea that came to mind. "I could tell him in a dream? And then he'll know."
"You'll have to make sure it's a memorable dream," Kokko said, not unkindly. Hare wondered if she was humouring him. "But all right. I'll help you. But only once! Please understand that."
Of course he understood.
"I'm going to come and see you when you're at the festival, okay?"
Tuomi's dreamspace was weird, Hare thought. It wasn't anything like the magical, relatively-stable dreams that experienced spirits could create. This one kept shifting. One moment, they were at the dock on the pond in the Redtail's dreamscape where they'd first met. The next, they were in their clearing in the woods, where Tuomi always came out to meet with him. The next, they were in what Hare could only guess was Tuomi's bedroom, with homework spilling from the desk, and an untidy pile of clothes stacked in the corner, and Tuomi's kantele resting on the bookshelf.
Tuomi sat down on the unmade bed. He shook his head. "Are you sure that's going to work?" he asked. "Everybody will think it's really weird if I have a wild animal with me."
"Well, yeah, but -"
"And you can't talk in the real world, so..."
"I know! But I've figured it out!"
Tuomi sighed. He reached down, lifted Hare up, and set him on his lap. The dream shifted again; they were by the pond once more, and everything was sunny and fresh and green. "Figured what out?" Tuomi asked, stroking Hare's ears.
"I, um. I got help. Someone's going to make me look like a human. So, you don't need to worry that people will think it's weird, okay? Everything will be fine."
"Really?" There was a bit of disbelief in Tuomi's voice, not that Hare could blame him for it. "Right. Sure. But, okay, let's say this is actually going to happen. How will I recognize you?"
"You'll just know," Hare insisted. "If you remember what I'm telling you now, then you'll know! Besides," he added as an afterthought, "You know everybody in your village, right? At least by sight. So if somebody you don't know comes up to you, that's a pretty good sign that it might be me."
"Okay, okay," Tuomi said, dipping to kiss the top of Hare's head. He pressed his face to his fur. "I'll take your word for it."
"And you'll remember this?"
"I'll try. But it doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes dreams are just dreams, and nobody believes that the stuff that happens in their dreams is actually going to come true. Only a crazy person would believe that. You know?"
Hare didn't know, not really. To him, all of this was completely normal, even with the weird, unsettling way that their surroundings shifted from one setting to the other. But this wasn't the first time that he'd realized that humans existed on a completely different plane of reality than his own. "I... guess," he said, nuzzling at Tuomi's cheek. "But you'll try to remember, right?"
"I'll try. I promise."
That would have to be good enough.
Tuomi paced around in front of the house, hands in his pockets, waiting for his mom and Paju to finish putting on their coats and hats and boots so they could go down to the winter festival.
A few days ago, he hadn't wanted to go at all. In a lot of ways, he still wished that he could stay home. Making popcorn and watching a movie while he waited for his family to come back wouldn't have been so bad. But more likely than not, he would spend the entire evening bored out of his mind.
Somehow, he had a feeling that now it would be worth his time.
He tilted his head back and let out a long sigh. In the illumination of the streetlamps, his fogged breath looked like dragon smoke. He watched until it disappeared, then blew again, waiting for the sound of the door opening. Why had he decided that coming along wasn't such a bad idea? Tuomi still couldn't feel it out. It was a weird feeling in the back of his head. Some kind of itch.
For the past two days he'd been dreaming about his talking hare.
Of course, he remembered promising that he'd try to go and see Hare while everyone else was distracted. He'd even stuffed his coat pockets with carrots in case he did manage to sneak away to their private clearing. But somehow, there was more to it than that.
There was something missing. But what?
Soon, his mom and Paju came out to join him, and they started walking down toward the Kuikka store.
Every year, the winter aurora festival was held in the wide open space in front of the store, and every year, it was pretty much the same. The whole village would show up, partly to watch the auroras, but mostly to eat cinnamon buns, play board games, and gossip. Tuomi's family would arrive together, but then they would separate: their mom would go help out the Kuikka family with the baking, and Paju would go off with her friends. Without anything better to do, Tuomi would join his school friends, and hang out with them until it was time to go home.
This year, it would be different. Maybe. Hopefully.
As they approached, they could hear music playing. When they got closer, the rumble of people talking and laughing and carrying on became audible. Their mom quickly went to join the Kuikkas, turning around to wave goodbye before she disappeared into the store. The scent of cinnamon buns and pastries tumbled out the door as she slipped through it.
"I heard there's a skating rink this year," Paju said, looking over at Tuomi. "Do you think you and your friends would like to go?"
Tuomi shook his head. "Ugh, no way," he said. In truth, he'd rather avoid his school friends altogether – and skating with them would be even worse than trying to socialize. He imagined them on the ice, yelling as they chased each other, loud and embarrassing and impossible to get away from. Absolutely not. "I don't think so."
Paju rolled her eyes. "Of course you would say that," she said. Shaking her head, she rummaged through her bag, then pulled out some cash. "Mom said to give this to you," she said. "For the skate rental. But if you don't want to, then I'll keep it."
"Give me that," Tuomi said, grabbing it from her. "Fine. I... uh. I'll see what they have to say about it." But that was a complete lie, and by the way his sister looked at him, he had a feeling that she knew it.
They separated after that. Paju went off to join her friends at their usual table, where a space had been saved for her. That left Tuomi to look toward his usual table.
Everyone he knew from school was there. Calling them friends was stretching the definition of the word a little. Over the course of the past year, he'd started to realize that maybe he didn't like them that much after all. They were loud, and clingy, and nosy, and sometimes he found himself thinking that the only reason they all hung out together was because they went to the same school and lived in the same village. It was nothing more than that.
Nobody had noticed him yet. Their heads were bent together, illuminated by light from the little candles in jars that were placed on every table. They seemed to be arguing about something, unaware that Tuomi was watching.
Tuomi hesitated, debating his options. Then he turned and headed toward the woods.
The noise and warm light faded as he stepped onto the familiar trail. All he was left with was the cold, and the night, and the possibility that he might get to see his friend.
Maybe after that, he'd be able to stand being around people.
Tuomi walked with his head down, thinking hard about this. The snow was packed down, and a few lazy flakes fell from the sky. It was dark, and the air was crisp, and the only light came from the moon and the sparse streetlamps lining the main walking path.
He didn't expect to see anyone else, and that was why he didn't notice that there was somebody else on the trail until he walked right into them.
"Wow, watch it!" Tuomi said, taking a step back before moving forward again, pushing down his embarrassment as he shoved past.
"Hey! Wait – Tuomi, it's me!"
"What?"
Tuomi stopped and took a good look at the person he'd just walked into.
It was a boy close to his age. He stood in the thin light of the trail lamp, staring hopefully at Tuomi with large eyes and ashy hair sticking out from under the long earflaps of his knitted cap. His winter jacket was way too big, like his parents had guessed at his size and decided to stick with it even after it was clear it didn't fit.
Tuomi had never seen him before in his life.
At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't. But at the same time, the boy looked familiar somehow, and there was a weird, itchy feeling in the back of Tuomi's mind telling him that he should know exactly who he was.
"Um," they both said at the same time.
This was ridiculous.
Tuomi shifted from one foot to the other. "Who are you?" he asked.
There was a long pause. "You don't recognize me?" the boy asked. He bit at his lip, looking like he wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed or annoyed.
"No?" But you should, a voice in the back of Tuomi's mind said. Look closer.
As much as he looked, he didn't know where he might have seen this guy before, or what his name might be. "Look, you're obviously not from around here. I'd recognize you if you were. So why're you acting like we know each other?"
The boy brought his hands to his face and made a frustrated noise. "Oh, this is so stupid! I should have known. But I told you I'd be here, and -"
"You didn't tell me anything!" Tuomi said. "Look, I have to go, I'm meeting somebody."
He tried to push past him again, but the boy grabbed at his sleeve, holding on to him tight and desperate. "You're going to meet Little Hare," he said breathlessly, "and you have carrots in your pocket."
Tuomi had never told anyone about Little Hare. Not his mom, not his sister, not any of his friends. He'd never breathed a single word about him. There was no reason that anybody should know about his friend.
But this person did.
"Who are you?" Tuomi asked slowly, staring into his face.
"I'm... I told you I'd come, but I guess you forgot. I'm Little Hare."
"No way." Tuomi took a step back. "This is crazy." But even as he said that, the memory of the dream from the other night started to come back.
Little Hare had told him that he'd arranged something. That he'd be able to go.
He hadn't said anything about this.
It was crazy, but even though it was crazy, Tuomi wanted it to be real. The part of him that kept coming back to the forest and talking to the hare in the clearing made him hope that it was real, even if it couldn't be.
"I... Okay," Tuomi said. He shifted from one foot to the other, absolutely at a loss for what to think. He took another long look at this stranger who apparently wasn't a stranger. The more he looked, the more he could see a resemblance. The eyes. The way long strands of hair fell to frame his face, like long ears. "This is way too weird, but okay."
"Okay?" Little Hare said, smiling brightly. "So, can I go to the festival with you?"
He asked it as if it were a normal question. Like meeting each other like this was something that could actually take place. As if they could spend time together the way people normally did. It was surreal.
"I guess!" Tuomi said, giving a full-bodied shrug. If this was going to happen, then it was going to happen. "At least this way it won't be boring."
They headed back down the path toward the Kuikka store together. Tuomi's head was reeling. All of it seemed too weird to accept. But it made more sense if everything was true, so for now, he decided it was better to simply go with it.
Maybe he'd wake up and realize that all of this was another dream.
Little Hare slipped his hand into Tuomi's, and that didn't help the weird feeling. Tuomi thought about telling him that humans didn't usually do that, and if anybody saw them like that, they would assume some things.
He thought about that very carefully, and then decided that he didn't give a damn about what people might assume. Let them guess.
Soon, they saw the lights, and heard the chatter and the music. The air smelled like a fresh batch of cinnamon buns. The picnic tables were crowded, and Tuomi frantically glanced around, trying to find one that was empty, or at least one that had room. But all of them were full, and the ones that weren't had reserves.
...And his friends had caught sight of him, and were waving him over to their table.
Tuomi sighed.
"Okay," he said, turning to Little Hare. "Here's what we'll do. We'll get some cinnamon buns and sit with those guys for a while." He nodded toward his friends' table, where the four of them sat with their hot chocolate and buns, a board game spread out between them. "Knowing them, if we don't hang out with them for a while, they'll come find us. But after that, we can do whatever we want."
"Okay," Little Hare said hesitantly. "But... I thought you said your friends were annoying. And they were really annoying when they were in your dream. And loud."
"They'll be even more annoying if I don't introduce you," Tuomi said, leading Little Hare over to the bakery stand that the Kuikka store had set up. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "But if we talk to them for a while, they'll leave us alone after that."
It was easy enough to be confident about it when trying to reassure Little Hare. It was a lot harder to keep his cool when, moments later, he found himself staring down a bunch of his school friends, with a nervous forest spirit at his side, armed with nothing but a plate of baked goods and his wits.
"Hey," Tuomi said nonchalantly as he took his usual seat, then scooted over so Hare could sit beside him on the end. "What's up?"
"Not much," Mari said. She flashed him a wide grin, looking extremely satisfied. "We borrowed your sister's Monopoly game."
"What, really? She let you?"
At that, they all let out a laugh. Sami nudged Tuomi, the force of it more like an elbow to the gut. "Nah, we kind of didn't bother asking." He paused, leaning his bulk over to peer at the person sitting beside Tuomi, then asked, "Who's that?"
"My, uh... my friend." Tuomi cleared his throat. He looked at Hare, then gestured around the table, pointing his school friends out to him. "See, here's everyone I told you about – Mari, Sami, Esa, and Petra."
There was a long pause. "Your friend, eh?" Petra said, exchanging a significant look with Sami. She said the word like she figured it meant something else, and by the look on the faces of everyone at the table, they seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Yeah, friend," Tuomi said. "It's not a big deal."
"Sure." Esa snorted. "It's not. And does your 'friend' have a name?"
"Uh..." Oh shit, Tuomi thought. He'd expected that even if they assumed the wrong thing, they wouldn't care about it. That was fine. But he'd completely overlooked this. Of course they'd ask. And he couldn't exactly tell them what Little Hare's real name was.
He turned to look at Little Hare, trying to tell him with his eyes that he'd have to handle this part himself.
Little Hare looked like a hare caught in headlights, wide-eyed and biting his lip. Finally, he took a deep breath, and said, "Um... Jani? You can call me Jani." Under the table, he took Tuomi's hand and squeezed it hard.
"He's kind of shy," Tuomi explained, hoping like hell that would help.
"That's okay," Mari said. She leaned forward, arms folded on the table, getting that curious, nosy look she sometimes had. "So, where are you from, Jani?"
"U-um..."
"I mean, you're obviously not from Hokanniemi, so..."
"He's from outside Mikkeli," Tuomi said, thinking as quickly as he could. "Not actually very close to it. Kind of in the middle of nowhere."
"Since when do you hang out in the middle of nowhere?"
"I take long walks sometimes. It's boring around here." Tuomi shrugged. "Whatever. Did you hear about the skating rink?"
That took their attention off Little Hare, at least. The eye-rolling and exasperated groans were exactly what Tuomi expected.
"Ugh, that thing? Please."
"It's really small and dorky."
"Looks like it's for little kids."
"It is for little kids."
As everyone started talking about how dumb the skating rink was, Tuomi let out a long breath and squeezed Little Hare's hand under the table.
"That wasn't so bad," Little Hare said, whispering close to his ear.
"Yeah," Tuomi whispered back, leaning in close to him, fully aware that they looked way too close, and not caring about it at all. "I think they're done bugging you now."
"I don't know if I'll remember what you told them," Hare said. "About where I'm from."
"I'll keep it straight for you. Don't worry about it. Here, try some of this." Tuomi broke off a piece of the cinnamon bun and offered it to him.
Little Hare sniffed it, then gingerly took it and put it into his mouth. "It's good," he said, eyes wide with surprise as he licked sticky cinnamon goo from his fingers. "Maybe this was an okay idea after all."
Tuomi smiled. He wasn't sure about that, but at least it hadn't turned out as badly as he'd thought.
Tuomi's friends, Little Hare decided, were kind of nosy, but they weren't as annoying as they had been in the Redtail's dream a year ago. Sure, they were snoopy at first, and the way they kept looking over at him made Little Hare feel both confused and paralyzed with nervousness. But after a while, they seemed to let it go, and put any weird responses down to shyness.
Or maybe, Little Hare thought, they found him boring, and the curiosity brought on by seeing a stranger wore off quickly. Either way, it was a relief when the questions stopped. That was just fine with him. It was enough to sit with Tuomi and eat those sweet buns.
His hand kept finding Tuomi's under the table, and the warmth of his grip was reassuring.
What was not reassuring was what Tuomi decided to do after that.
"Come on," he had said, dipping his head close to speak by Little Hare's ear. "Let's go to the skating rink. I don't think they'll follow us there."
It had sounded like a great idea at the time. They'd slipped away with ease, leaving Tuomi's friends to their board game, barely having to make any excuses.
When they reached the rink, Hare started to have second thoughts.
And third thoughts.
And maybe fourth thoughts, too.
Seated on a bench, Little Hare looked down, watching as Tuomi knelt to lace up his skating boots for him.
They were at a park near the Kuikka store. A large square of space had been scraped clear of snow, and flooded with ice, and benches had been set up around it. Nearby, a stand was set up to rent skates to those who hadn't brought their own, and it also had hot chocolate, the sweet smell heavy in the crisp air. A few people were out on the artificial rink, gliding with apparent effortlessness on the ice.
It all seemed nice, and it looked easy enough, but....
Little Hare looked down at Tuomi again. "I've never been skating before," he said.
"Of course not," Tuomi said. "You're a hare." He finished tying one of Hare's boots, and started on the next one.
"Obviously." Hare looked from Tuomi to the rink again, then back, trying not to look as nervous as he felt.
Tuomi glanced up at him and smiled. "Don't worry about it," he said as he looped the laces around the hooks. "I'll show you how."
A small, fluttery feeling twisted in Hare's stomach at that. This time, it wasn't anxiousness. He knew what that feeling was, and he knew why it was there. He also knew that it was at least part of the reason that he had decided to do this whole crazy thing in the first place.
But. Still. He didn't mind the fluttery feeling. He didn't even mind the nervousness. Especially not after Tuomi finished tying his skates, and put his own on, and took his hands to help him up.
"Okay," Tuomi said once they were on the ice. "The important thing is not to think about it too much, I guess. Like, just do it."
Little Hare eyed the ice warily. "What if I fall?"
"I'll catch you. And... here, I'll hold your hands while we skate. You won't fall."
Tuomi took his hands and glided backward, pulling him along as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Little Hare's stomach lurched, and he grit his teeth to try and clamp down on the nerves. Slowly, he tried to glide forward, doing as Tuomi did, going toward him rather than back. His body felt impossibly stiff, without a single bit of grace.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, like that. Keep going!"
As soon as Hare felt that he was getting the hang of it, his skates hit a bump in the ice and he fell forward, tumbling into Tuomi.
The impact sent them both down onto the ice, limbs sprawling.
"Ow!"
"Are you okay?!" Hare asked, trying to get to his knees.
Tuomi swore. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just surprised." He sat up, pulling his hair out of his eyes. "At least I broke your fall?"
"What?"
"I didn't catch you, but you did fall on me, so...."
"Oh." Hare could feel his cheeks flushing, partly from embarrassment, partly from something else – and it only got worse when Tuomi stood, offering his hands to help him up.
It did get easier after that. Somehow, his body figured out what to do, even if his brain was overwhelmed by the strangeness of gliding on the ice, and the mess of feelings stirring in his head.
Tuomi didn't seem to notice, to Little Hare's relief. He kept skating, helping Hare stay steady, giving words of encouragement in between stretches of thoughtful quiet.
And he kept holding Hare's hand. There was that, too.
"How long are you going to be like this?" Tuomi asked Hare after a while. By then, Hare had found his feet, and they were slowly gliding side by side, hands linked.
"Like this...?"
"You know. Like. Human?" Tuomi looked to Hare. There was something hopeful in his eyes.
"Oh." Hare bit at his lower lip. "I, um. It's tonight. Just for tonight. I'll be back in my original form at midnight."
"That sucks."
"I know," Hare said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"No, I mean – it really, really sucks." Tuomi looked toward Hare with his lips tight with disappointment, letting out a soft huff. "We only get to hang out for one night together? That's it? It isn't fair!"
"Yeah." Hare sighed. It wasn't fair. "But this is the best I could do; it isn't even my own magic that did this. I had to get help with it." He stopped on the ice, turning to look at Tuomi, taking a deep breath. This was hard. A lot harder than he had thought. And there were things about it that he wasn't sure how to explain. "I wanted to spend some time with you, even if it was only for a little while."
There were some things that humans couldn't understand. As far as Hare could see it, there was no way an ordinary mortal could understand what spirits were capable of and what they weren't. But by the way Tuomi looked at him, it seemed like he wanted to try.
"Well..." Tuomi looked down at the ice, as if he were thinking hard about something, but he kept holding onto Hare's hand. His grip was tight, like he was afraid that if he let go, he might suddenly break the spell, and Hare would be a hare again – or maybe he wouldn't even be there at all. "You know, I'm still not sure that I'm not completely crazy, or dreaming, or something. So I guess if you're just here for tonight, it doesn't make any difference."
Eventually, more people came to the skating rink. As it started to get crowded, with couples hogging space and little kids falling over themselves, Tuomi decided that it would be best to call it quits. It was getting harder to talk without anyone hearing, harder to move around without bumping into somebody.
Hot chocolate. That was the solution. After reassuring Little Hare that it was almost as good as the cinnamon buns, he bought some for the both of them.
He managed to find them a quiet place to sit. Behind the back of the Kuikka store, there was a long bench. Usually it would be occupied by somebody on break, but with the festival on and all the store employees pulled in to help, there was nobody there. Trees ringed the area, muffling the noise, so they were left with stillness and relative quiet.
They sat together and drank their hot chocolate in companionable silence.
So, Tuomi thought. One night. Nothing else.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Hare, who was licking hot chocolate foam from the rim of the cup as if he had never tasted anything so amazing.
It was cute. He was cute.
This was a problem.
It was one thing to think his friend was cute when he looked like a small furry animal and could only speak in Tuomi's dreams. It was another thing to have him here, sitting beside him, looking like a very cute boy. As if this was normal. As if there could be anything normal about any of this.
What if he woke up tomorrow and realized that none of this had actually happened at all? What then?
"If I kissed you, would you stay a human?" Tuomi found himself asking.
Hare stopped licking at the sugary foam. "What?"
"That's, uh. That's how it works in fairy tales and stuff. Some of them, anyway." Tuomi could feel his cheeks heating a bit, and wished he hadn't said anything. Stupid, stupid.
"I don't think it works like that," Hare said after a moment. "Not for someone like me, at least."
"Oh."
They both fell quiet. Tuomi looked away, sipping at his hot chocolate to stop himself from saying anything else that he might regret. He was conscious of how close together they were sitting. If he moved to the side just a few centimetres more, they would be pressed against each other.
"You could kiss me anyway, you know," Little Hare said. "If you want to."
"Uh," Tuomi said. Suddenly, he felt as if his voice didn't work. And his tongue didn't work. And his hands might stop working any minutes now, too. He gingerly put his cup down beside him. "Do you actually know what that is? I mean, really." Considering this was Hare's very first day as a human, there was no way to know what he knew.
Hare snorted. "Of course I know. I do know some things about humans, you know."
"Yeah, well. It's not like I would know that. I mean, you spend all your time looking small and furry."
"But now you know."
"...Now I know." Tuomi took a good, long look. Hare had put his cup of hot chocolate down and was watching him, like he was waiting for something.
When they had first met that evening, Little Hare had seemed skittish and shy. Now, he still looked shy, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, too. Something decisive and determined.
Okay, Tuomi thought. Right, then.
He reached out, cupping Little Hare's face in his hands. His gut twisted with nervousness, but Tuomi managed to keep his expression straight, at least for the fleeting moment between deciding to kiss him and actually doing it.
The kiss was gentle. Tuomi lingered, drawing it out as long as he could. At first, Little Hare didn't respond, as if now that he was actually doing it, he wasn't actually sure how it was supposed to work. But then, he kissed back, all soft and light and tickly.
"Is that it?" Little Hare said when they separated.
"Uh, yeah?" Tuomi wasn't sure how to react to that. He brushed Hare's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "It wasn't that bad, was it?" Not that he had a whole lot to compare it to, but he hadn't thought it was awful.
"Nah. It wasn't bad." Hare's hand came up to cover his own. "I just figured, since humans talk about that stuff so much, it would be something... more? But it was nice." He smiled. "I liked it.
Well, Tuomi thought. That was a relief. "Okay," he said. Then, before he could stop himself, he added, "We could do it again, you know. I mean, since you liked it."
Little Hare didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Instead, he cupped Tuomi's face, and kissed him.
That was a better way to answer, anyway.
They stayed behind the Kuikka's store for a long time after that. It wasn't until the volume of the music filtering past the barrier of the trees got higher, the chatty voices and laughter louder and more intoxicated, that they separated.
"What time is it?" Little Hare asked.
Tuomi checked his watch. "Eleven thirty," he said, frowning.
Little Hare sipped from his hot chocolate. It was ice cold, but still sweet. "I have to get back to the forest," he said. "I shouldn't turn back here. It would be weird, and somebody might see."
'Somebody' included Tuomi. Even though they were close – closer now than they had been before – Little Hare didn't like the thought of him watching as he changed back into a hare. Humans weren't that great about magic most of the time. They sometimes reacted in strange ways to seeing things they didn't expect, and while Tuomi wasn't entirely a stranger to magic, there were some things that he didn't need to see.
"You can come with me part of the way, though," Little Hare said.
Tuomi nodded. "I'd like that."
The night was deep and dark, and it grew even deeper and darker after they stepped away from the sounds and the people and the scents of food and drink. In between the walking trail's streetlamps were patches of shadows that only the moonlight sliced through, picking out the snowy path in front of them.
Little Hare held Tuomi's hand. He didn't want to let go.
"So. What now?" Tuomi asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll turn back. And then you'll go home. And I'll go home too." Tuomi kicked at a stray pinecone on the path. "And you'll be a hare again. Then what?"
Oh.
Little Hare was quiet. While he'd planned how he wanted this night to go, he hadn't thought this part through. It hadn't actually occurred to him at all. He'd been so focused on the thought of going to the festival with Tuomi that the question of what would happen afterwards had been a problem to handle later.
Soon, it would be later.
"I don't know," Little Hare admitted. "I'll see you in the dream world, at least?"
"Right."
It wasn't enough. Tuomi squeezed Hare's hand, but Hare could hear the disappointment in his voice. That was the thing about humans – they existed on a different plane. Hare could hop in between dreams and the physical world as easily as blinking, but for humans, dreams were something surreal and strange, only experienced in fleeting moments, and mostly forgotten when they were awake.
It sucked.
"I'll see what I can do," Hare said. "There's got to be something." If he could transform once, he could transform again. He could learn. It wasn't impossible.
"Okay," Tuomi said. He didn't sound convinced, but he also sounded like he was willing to drop the issue for the time being. "Tonight was nice, at least. I, um. I'm glad you found a way to come."
Though it was hard to tell in the dim light, it looked to Hare like there was warmth deepening on Tuomi's cheeks.
Maybe it was simply because of the cold.
They walked together until they came to the place where there was a gap in the trees, a small footpath branching off from the main trail. It looked still, black, and silent.
"So," Tuomi said. He looked from the split in the forest to Hare, then back again. "This is it."
"Yeah," Hare said. He shifted from one foot to the other. There was no way out of this; he'd have to go home no matter whether he wanted to or not, and that meant going back to his old form.
Still, he had a few minutes left.
He stepped closer. It seemed that Tuomi knew what he was going to do, because Tuomi took hold of both his hands and leaned in.
Little Hare kissed him gently, letting it linger, appreciating the softness. Tuomi's face was warm in the frosty air. If nothing else, at least they would both have a really, really nice memory. That was something, wasn't it?
"I need to go," Little Hare said softly as they parted. He drew away from him, knowing that if he didn't, it would be hard to stop himself from kissing him again, and again, until they lost track of the minutes. He imagined himself transforming in the middle of it, and – what would Tuomi think of that? It would probably turn him off the whole thing forever.
By the way Tuomi was looking at him, it seemed he might be thinking the same thing. He let go of Little Hare's hands and shoved his own into his pockets, his stance shifting as if he were trying to look cool, like he was unaffected by all of this, and that he wasn't disappointed at all. "Okay," Tuomi said. "I'll see you later?"
Little Hare smiled. "Of course you will."
Then he turned and slipped through the trees onto the dark path, and picked his way toward their clearing, feeling Kokko's magic beginning to unravel around him.
A week later, Tuomi stood at the entrance to the forest trails. It was a sharp, crisp, clear day, and the sun was still up, spilling bright light on the snow.
The winter festival might as well have happened a year ago. That was how real it all felt to him now.
Skating with Little Hare, drinking hot chocolate, kissing behind the Kuikka store – all of it felt like a dream. One of the best dreams he'd ever had, but a dream nevertheless.
At school, his friends had asked him a few curious questions about that boy he had been with, and that was how he knew that it hadn't actually been a dream at all. Tuomi brushed them off as best he could, giving vague answers about his "friend" from Mikkeli.
Eventually, they stopped asking.
Little Hare had come to him in his dreams again. He showed up as a hare, and Tuomi couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, even if he knew that he shouldn't. It was his real form, and anyway, Tuomi had never minded talking to him that way before.
The festival night had made a lot of difference.
He didn't even remember much about the dream, except that Hare had told him to come to their clearing.
"Come see me," he'd said. "I have something really cool to show you." His voice had lowered to a whisper, as if it was a huge secret; something so cool that he couldn't breathe a word about it, not even in the privacy of dreamspace.
Tuomi doubted that it was actually something that cool. In fact, he doubted that it was much of anything. Except for those few hours at the festival, Little Hare was always an ordinary hare, and when Tuomi was awake, he wasn't even a talking hare.
But he had said that he would come. And he did want to see him. Even if it wouldn't be as good as that one night, and never would be again.
Sighing, he slipped through the trails. Most of the snow was still packed down. When he reached the tiny deer path, he moved more carefully, not wanting to get snow in his boots.
He put his hands in his pockets and felt for the carrots he'd stashed there. His mom had noticed his choice of snacks over the last few months, but she hadn't commented on it aside from this morning, when she'd made a surprised comment about how many carrots they were going through.
The clearing came into view. And as it did, Tuomi saw that someone was there.
Tuomi froze, holding his breath as he ducked behind a tree. He listened, but didn't hear anything; maybe he hadn't been spotted. In the silence, he tried to think fast for a way to deal with this. There wasn't supposed to be anybody else there. Irritation bubbled up inside of him– this was his spot! His and Hare's.
Slowly, he bent to scoop up some snow, packing it into a snowball as silently as he could. Whoever this kid was, he'd teach them that they weren't allowed to push into his space.
Peeking out from behind the tree, he looked again, trying to figure out if he recognized them.
There was something familiar about that round face, that ashy hair. A knitted hat with long flaps hung down loose, like ears.
Wait a minute.
Tuomi dropped the snowball and stepped into the clearing.
"You!" he said, pointing at Little Hare.
"Me," Little Hare replied, giving him a smug grin from where he sat, taking up the place on the fallen log that Tuomi usually occupied during their visits. "Hi!"
"What the hell – how did you...?"
"Kokko said that now that I've changed once, it'll be easier to do it now and then. A little, anyway." Hare looked immensely pleased with himself. "She said she'll teach me how to do it for longer periods, until I don't have to wait any more."
Tuomi stared at him. Then, he sunk down, sitting on the log next to Hare, completely disregarding the snow melting under his ass. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Hare laughed, kicking at a patch of snow with his absolutely-not-hare-like feet. "I wish she had told me before, but I guess she wanted to be sure about how this would turn out. Like, maybe she was worried it wouldn't work out the way I wanted it?"
"Yeah," Tuomi said. "That might be it." In truth, he didn't care all that much about what Kokko thought of all this. As long as it meant that he and Little Hare could hang out together, it didn't matter how.
The only thing that mattered was that it could happen. That it was happening now, and would again.
Tuomi shifted closer to Hare, curling up against him. Hare felt solid, and real, and definitely not small and furry. "Does this mean we can do, you know, normal stuff now? Like..." He thought quickly, trying to come up with something. What did normal boyfriends do, anyway? "Like, can we go skating again?"
"Hmm..." Hare looked thoughtful. "Only if you promise to be better at catching me than last time."
"Deal," Tuomi said. "And after that, we can get hot chocolate. How about that?"
Hare leaned in close. "Okay," he said. His smile was broad and bright, and before Tuomi could say anything, Hare kissed him.
Tuomi slung an arm around him, and pulled him close.
Maybe he hadn't needed to put those carrots in his pockets after all.
