ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴜɴɴʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ| Jikook

6

JK's pov

Dammit!Why was I so stupid? Obviously, I didn’t expect to abandon my car and my clothes, but I should have done a better job of hiding it so I had a bit more time. Now the police were looking for me.

I guess it was good that this community looked out for people and all that, but the last thing I wanted was to have the police thinking I was in need of emergency mental health care when I was finally able to shift back. Being trapped as a bunny was proving hard on me. The same would prove true being trapped as a human. If I was hospitalized for a sanity check after finally getting my freedom, I really would go insane. I never wanted to experience this kind of forced containment again.

Ever.

I tried hard not to think about that as I eavesdropped on the two men through the open window.

The boy, Jisung , was still on Chim’s, as I’d nicknamed him, mind. He was such a caring soul. I knew from his babbling that he had worked in real estate for a while, and I just couldn’t picture it. I didn’t know him well, but I knew he wasn’t meant to be behind a computer in a suit and tie. Chim was right where he was supposed to be—caring for people and animals on that farm. And even though he mumbled about going home now and then, he was never more animated or excited as when he talked to the animals, myself included, about his day. Real estate was probably good for some people, but not my Jiminie. He was a caretaker through and through.

When the officers left, I expected Jimin to head out on his errands but he came straight back in and picked me up. “Hey, Bunny.”

I wiggled my nose and licked the side of his hand, my own version of hello for the moment.

“I don’t know if you heard all that but the nice officer is going to check on Jisung .” He scratched behind my ears. “My guess is he’ll probably be by to check on you a little later. So, if you want to make him happy, you can give him a little lick too. He’s probably worried about you.”

I doubted that. The kid only knew me for a few minutes before leaving me with Jimin . I wasn’t complaining because if he hadn’t brought me here, who knows what would have happened to me. I probably would have been a snack for his dogs. But if he came by, I’d lick his hand too. That kid seemed like he needed some care and affection, and I was happy to give him some.

“I guess I’ll run to the feed store now, so you get some rest before we have company.”

I curled into a ball in Chim’s palms, quite comfortable to nap right where I was.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Jimin lowered me onto the blanket I’d been sleeping on since my arrival. “Not on me this time. In your bed.”

I wanted to pout but had to settle for lowering my ears in defeat. I’d hoped to win him over but he just scratched my head with a finger before walking out of the kitchen and to the old truck out front.

* * *

“Are you sure he’s okay?”I woke up to the sensation of being lifted out of my bed. Usually, that was a welcomed feeling because it meant Jiminie wanted to cuddle, but the hands holding me were all wrong.

I opened my eyes and saw Jisung ’s little face staring down at me.

“Almost good as new.” Jimin  stood beside the boy and rubbed my back with his thumb. “You saved him at just the right time.”

Jisung  turned to Jimin  and smiled. “He looks like he’s ready to go back to his family.”

Chim cleared his throat and looked like he was going to take me from the child’s grasp but then folded his arms over his chest. “Yeah, maybe.”

“What do you mean?” Jisung  pressed me to his chest and I could hear his little heart pounding. “He’s not gonna die, is he?”

“No, no,” Jimin quickly reassured the boy before walking to the table and taking a seat. “I just mean that sometimes animals that have been injured or in captivity for a while don’t do well when they go back into the wild. He might not be able to protect himself as well as he used to.”

Jimun sighed heavily then held me up in front of his nose so he could look into my eyes. “Where will he live then?”

I immediately turned to Chim, wondering if he was about to disappoint me or make my freaking day.

Jimin  shrugged then reached for the edge of the placemat, not making eye contact with me or Jisung . “I don’t know, but I guess he can stay here. I have plenty of room and you can visit him anytime you want.”

“Really?” I glanced back at Jisung, wondering if he was happy or sad by that. It wasn’t easy to read his expression, but I got the feeling he was a little bit of both. It sounded like his home wasn’t exactly welcoming to stray animals, and maybe having a pet live next door was the best option in his eyes. “That’s really nice of you.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ve kinda grown an attachment to the little guy. I don’t really want to see him go.”

“But can he be my bunny, even if he lives here?” I could hear the hope in Jisung’s voice and knew Chim could too. His heart was too kind to not give in to whatever this kid wanted.

“Sure, he’s totally yours.” Jimin leaned forward, resting his forearms and elbows on the table. “But he’ll be safe here. No dogs or dads to bother him.”

At the mention of his dad, Jisung’s shoulders drooped and his chin fell to his chest. “My dad shot Stray, my dog.”

I nuzzled into Jisung’s hand and licked his fingers, hoping to give him comfort in the only way I could.

“I was afraid of that,” Jimin said softly. “Why did he do it?”

Jisung shrugged and held me closer to his chest. “I never know why he does stuff. He just gets mad sometimes and whoever he sees is the one who gets punished.”

Chim’s eyes narrowed and he looked as livid as I felt. “Does he punish you?”

Jisung nodded twice without looking away from his fingers in my fur. “Only when I’m bad.”

“You’re never bad enough that he can hurt you, Jisung.” Jimin read my mind, saying exactly the words I wanted to say...but in a much nicer way. If I were human, I would have thrown in a few extra curse words before stomping out the door to have a word with this dad of his.

“I try to be good so he doesn’t need to.”  Jisung looked up at me and met Jimin’s gaze with tears in his eyes. “That’s why the dog got shot. I dropped a plate and made a lot of noise. When my dad woke up and yelled at me, I got scared and ran out the back door. I hid in the shed til after I heard the gunshot.”

Jimin  got up and wrapped his arm around Jisung’s shoulder, giving him a gentle hug while pressing me against his hip. “I’m so sorry, buddy. That shouldn’t have happened. But I want you to know you can always come over here. Day or night, if you’re scared or you think your dad might want to punish you, just run over here and hide. I’ll deal with him if he figures out where you are.”

“Thanks, Jimin.” Jisung stood up and handed me to Jimin before wiping the tears off his cheeks with the back so his dirty hands. “But I’ll be okay. I know how to stay out of his way now.”

Last update  for today👌🏾

These were unedited  in my draft 🤡