malfunctionbot | Rabbit & Alyss' Bedroom (of love)

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Rabbit & Alyss' Bedroom (of love)

Welcome to the room of organized chaos.

Alyss and Rabbit share one of the larger rooms in the Victorian-style Walter house - being the oldest son it is obviously the robot's right to take the second-best room in the house - on the second floor, right next to Peter's room.

The room itself never looks quite as nice as depicted in the picture because Rabbit is a slightly messy individual and Alyss doesn't mind his untidiness in the slightest. Which means there is no one to really clean it. Though most of their clothes make it to be neatly hung away in the closet, there will always be at least one or two various pairs of boots and gloves left laying around, a belt here or there, and the woman's collection of stuffed animals all over.

..And really, knowing them, that chandelier probably makes as an impromptu hanger at various points as well.

There is a nice window seat for Alyss to sit in and enjoy the sunshine on days with good weather or simply to listen to Rabbit yap on forever like he does, and Lil' Bunny's cardboard box bed is perched there usually too.

Both the robot and his lady can usually be found outside of their room, enjoying the family's company or simply out on the town, but they can be caught there in the mornings or late evenings generally, unless Rabbit is being a grump and sneaking off to hide elsewhere for a few hours or Alyss has disappeared from the grounds completely to do her own thing.

Current Pet Count: Mocha Road, Lil' Bunny, TomatoSoup, Macaroni, Cheese, BananaBread, TunaMelt, Captain QuackBeard, Fuzzybuttkins, and Bob.

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"Perhaps I should go and ask The Spine after all," but he wasn't moving from where he sat, nor was he turning to look towards Rabbit, "What I need to know is what happened; what you and they went through.

"I only know of the one in Africa, and the mechanics of war around then. With how humankind is it would have changed by then, and my intention was never to send any of you off to war," there was something off about his own tone. It had bothered him, still bothered him, and the copper 'bot's outburst had only added onto that.

"Yet I did."

Good job.

"Ya did." Not that Rabbit had understood why, had any clue what influence the government had been, no doubt Peter's worry over his own human sons who had been drafted, perhaps influenced in sending all of his sons together in hope that they could all protect each other, instead of simply allowing the more fragile two to go alone.

But Rabbit hadn't understood at all. Only been told he was leaving with his brothers, all five of them, thrust onto the battlefield in a war he'd never should have been a part of.

The copper 'bot finally shifted, frowning over to his father. "I ain't never meant t' say nuthin' 'bout it, Pappy. I'm sorry. I d-d-d-don't blame ya or nuthin'. None o' us do. Just didn't m-m-make sense ya'd throw us in there an' n-n-not let us protect ya against a smaller threat."

"I never wanted to send any of you into that first one," letting the bunny wiggle its way from his lap and onto the bed, shoulders actually slumping from where they'd been tensed. His entire posture sort of sank, a hand rested over his face, "Never wanted any part of it and yet-

"None of you were ment for war, and yet there you were."

Give him a moment, as muffled as he sounded from his own hand, fingers curled on his own side with the other. How many pleas had he ignored from Africa? Up untill he had gotten that visitor, and then he'd been in a mad dash to outfit them with weapons and the knowledge to use them, the other automatons he had created.

And then he sent them off to more.

Rabbit was there far too quickly for something as aged and glitching as he was, the ducks scooped off of his chest to be nestled carefully on the 'bot's pillow, his curved fingers resting reassuringly on Peter's shoulder, the automaton right at his back protectively.

"We d-d-did what we had t' do. Y'know we'd do anythin' ya asked o' us." A pause, shifting on the bed, shuffling the bunny towards the ducklings to rest out of the way.

"Th' f-f-f-first war only lasted a little over a year. Well, for us it did. America didn't enter t-till th' tail end o' it."

Only a year. What had Peter's boys been put through?

There may have been a very muffled None of you were ment for war again at that touch. Again, again they had to be sent away from home to fight, and he'd had to asked them, to send them off. Why, why?

Fighting for America- No, no that already sounded as if it had been something else given with no choice to him. What reason would he have to send them to fight for the country they lived in otherwise. Never someone for war, not a man for violence.

"Only a little over a year," that was sort of pained right there.

"Th' others were a b-bit longer." More than a bit really.

"We-we-we t-tried real hard t' not hurt anybody." As best as they possibly could, but of course there had been casualties, human deaths none of them wanted to think or talk about. "We worked in s-search an' rescue missions, tried t' save our soldiers. But it was bad, a world war. Th' first World War. Everyone was f-f-fightin'." Fingers twitching at that shoulder, trying to relive the experience without actually thinking about it too deeply.

At least the first world war had been the least terrible of the three human wars they'd been entered into. "Mustard g-gas was th' new thing. It, uh, incapacitated humans s-s-so we could run through th' field an' pull 'em outta it." Another of those awkward pauses. This was hard to talk about. Rabbit never discussed the wars with anyone other than The Spine these last few decades.

"We s-saved a lotta people." Just not going to mention the deaths. "An' we won. Our s-side won." At least that was what Rabbit had been told. He hadn't understood the politics behind any of the war. Despite the deaths of their own men and the destruction and tragedy it had brought on American soil, his country had 'won'.

Peter had eventually fallen silent, just listening as Rabbit spoke on, that hand at his own side moving to instead rest over those twitching fingers on his shoulder.

There wasn't anything he could say, and he didn't want to interrupt once his boy had actually started going into some of it. Going into this today he knew there had to be something that had stuck with him, and he was getting what he had asked for.

They'd won- there was no winning in war, there was only finishing it. Fighting untill one side was either wiped out or could no longer go on.

"... a world war." Quietly.

"Yeah, w-w-world war. Can't s-say I understood any o' th' politics behind it, 'cept what th' soldiers would talk 'bout at th' camp at night if things were quiet." Another twitch of fingers, bellows still, steam rising in a silent wisp into the air behind Peter.

"Five million, five hundred an' twenty-five thousand ally soldiers killed in action." Some of those specific details, the numbers, the dates, the names of some soldiers, those would never leave him. "It was b-b-big." A pause. "Though t-t-that was small compared t' World War II." Still beside Peter, hand on his shoulder, optic shudders closing. "Seventy-three million casualties over eight years."

Quite a jump there.

Fingers curled over that hand on his shoulder, squeezing Rabbit's hand even if he could not feel it as more than some pressure likely-

"You don't have to tell me anymore," Peter wasn't sure if he could stand to listen anymore, let alone if he could make the copper 'bot go on. Not with those specific numbers, all of those years. No wonder it had stuck so heavily with the automaton.

It was too late for stopping, not when all that Rabbit had been keeping inside was finally rushing forth, not when Peter had been one of the two individuals the copper 'bot had ever been able to speak to as candidly and openly as he could. Those optics were squeezed shut still, mouth twisting behind his creator, stuck in those memories that never seemed to go away, a slight tremble in his frame.

"Vietnam was th' worst, even if th' death toll wasn't so high. B-but we hadn't been upgraded... Had no chance in battle against new technology, missiles an' tanks an' all o' it. Not even Spine, we couldn't keep Jon safe, no matter how hard we tried. They caught us, dragged us behind enemy lines. K-killed th' humans with us, our f-f-friends." A waver in that tone.

"Then kept us there. Wanted t' see how we worked. What they could m-m-make us do. How f-far we'd go t' keep each other safe. Took 'em eight years till they g-got bored an' sent us home." In pieces.

Nope.

Nope.

He didn't try to stop Rabbit when he continued, not when he could feel that tremble as he went on. Peter listened, fingers curling more over that hand that rested on his shoulder. It all answered whatever questions he might've had really, where the anger had come from. He could understand it now.

It wasn't even long after Rabbit had finished that the man had finally turned, taking that hand from his shoulder and just wrapping his arms around the copper 'bot. Face hidden away, even if he had to move onto his knees to embrace his eldest as he was, without a word and a slight tremble to himself. Yep.

The sudden embrace seemed enough to pull the copper 'bot from his memories, skinny, but powerful arms immediately encircling his father, dragging him closer and resting a plated chin against a broad shoulder.

Silent as well, after that waterfall of words, just happy for the reunion and the openness that had so abruptly emerged between them. Perhaps Peter really wasn't so far away from the man he had become later down the road after all.

A hand rested against the back of Rabbit's head, hugging all the tighter once he had settled as fingers curled against the copper 'bot's back. There were certainly things he needed to know, even if he didn't want to know as this had shown, but it helped bring a better understanding for the boys he had here compared to those young 'bots he was familiar with in his own young age.

For the moment words simply wouldn't do, or they simply couldn't be found. Oh, his boy....

Rabbit allowed the closeness, not only allowing but returning it as well, curled up there with his father, head resting on his shoulder, some of the trembling in his copper frame finally beginning to subside-

"We d-d-didn't wanna tell ya." Because that just wasn't anything any of them wanted to deal with. "S-sorry for spillin' th' beans."

"I can understand why," a very subtle tremor in his voice, letting out a slow breath, "but it is also something that I needed to know."

Not letting go of that hug, sorry Rabbit.

Absolutely nothing to be sorry for, because the physical contact with his father was so needed.

But after a full week of upset, sparking emotions and absolute stress, Rabbit's crooked shoulders dropped a little in exhaustion, steam rising from the air from his cheekvents, limbs going a bit limp. "Okay, Pappy," because it still didn't feel right to tell him, but at least it was over.

Peter sat back on his knees, hands lifting to rest against those shoulders; not so much a hug, but it was still keeping some physical contact with the 'bot. "It looks as if you could do with a little rest." Sounded like he was going to leave him to do just that, didn't it.

Wasn't as if Peter couldn't do with some rest himself, not when he'd been going between the workshop and other things while avoiding sleep, or any sort of resting at all. Several used cups in and around the kitchen sink, an empty coffee pot, and the dark circles that had started to form at his eyes could attest to that.

When upset, or avoiding particular emotions, Peter A. Walter threw himself completely into working. There was no time to rest.

"You too, old m-man." Not getting away quite so easily, Peter, not when your son wasn't so ready to let go yet.

The man was dragged backwards as Rabbit flopped on the bed, safely to the side of the nesting animals, the 'bot releasing a hefty burst of steam as the trembling and inner angsty upset finally came to a grinding halt within him. This was much more like Rabbit now, an arm loosely wrapped around his father, a twitching hint of a sharp grin at that lopsided mouth.

"Nap s-s-sounds nice."

There was a very amused sound at being dragged back, a hand resting against that arm as he just settled in place. Really, in this position there wasn't any use in trying to get out of it, not with Rabbit.

Not that he had the heart or energy too by now.

"That it does."

And Rabbit would allow the man to settle in there by his son's side, the ducklings already quacking over to nestle up against their duck mama's warm, ticking chest again, the 'bot's optic shutters closing as one last hiss of steam was drifting into the air.

A nap truly did sound nice. Even better with his father nearby.

There'd be talk about those ducklings later, for now Peter just let his eyes close -after that pudgy bunny hopped over to tuck itself in like a giant ball of fluff. Too tired to argue or try to move, it really wouldn't be all that long before he just drifted off.

Really, it was just another average day in the Walter house. Weird, but average.

Also a watchful giant shadow-dog thing.

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Rabbit & Alyss' Bedroom (of love)

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