ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴜɴɴʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ| Jikook

10

🐰 pov

“Here, bunny, bunny.”The door to the room opens up and Chim’s silhouette is perfectly outlined against the hall light. “Wherever you’re hiding, you can come out now.”

“Jimin?” I lean up on my elbow and blink a few times to adjust my eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He opens the door all the way and sighs heavily. “My rabbit is gone.”

Shit. I forgot about that. “Um, maybe he just wanted to stretch his legs?”

“Maybe.” Jimin’s voice cracked and he sniffed into his elbow. “I guess.”

“Hey, there.” I sat up and reached for the lamp on the nightstand. “Don’t be upset. Come here.”

I was shocked when the words came out of my mouth but even more shocked when Chim rushed across the room and practically threw himself into my arms. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Well, maybe he’s not gone.” Damn, how was I going to explain this? “He might just be hiding somewhere. I’m sure he’ll be back.”

Chim shook his head against my shoulder. “He’s gone. I searched the whole house twice and he’s never not responded to me. He’s never even left his box.”

He sobbed against me and my heart broke. “Wow, you must really love that rabbit.”

He nodded and pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I do.” When he said the words, I could almost feel his truth resonating deep in my bones. The pull between us was like a steel rod holding his gaze to mine. “It’s stupid, I know. But there’s something really special about him. He’s just…” Chim closed his eyes and buried his face in his palms as he cried even harder.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him close to me. I wanted to tell him the truth but I wasn’t sure if that would ease his pain or make him feel worse. He wanted the bunny but that didn’t mean he wanted the man. Having a cute little pet was vastly different from being interested in a man...especially one that had the strange little habit of shifting into a rodent when the mood struck. “I’m sure he cares about you too, Jimin. He’ll be back.”

Jimin’s shoulders drooped, and he was quiet enough that I wondered if he’d fallen asleep. After several minutes, he cleared his throat and straightened his spine, pulling out of my grip. “I’m sure you think I’m crazy by now.” His sad smile nearly broke me in two. I wanted to make him happy again. I would do anything to see a real smile on his face. “Have a good night.”

Before I could stop him, Chim was out the door. The clock on the dresser showed it was almost midnight but I was wide awake. That power nap had done wonders for re-energizing me, and I felt better than I had in a long time. That was one of the other perks of being a shifter. A few good shifts and some rest were often more than enough to cure just about any ailment.

I didn’t let myself think as I jumped out of bed and headed out of the room to make sure Chim was okay. If he was still looking for me, well, the bunny version of me, I’d have to tell him the truth. Or at least some vague version of the truth.

When I found him balled up on the couch with tears streaming down his cheeks, I couldn’t help myself. I just wanted him to feel better and I was willing to do anything to make that happen. Unfortunately, I just made him feel even more crazy when I yanked off the clothes he’d loaned me and shifted into my bunny form, not two feet away from where he lay.

Chim didn’t react at first. For a long second, he just stared without so much as taking a breath. And then his good sense kicked in, and he realized he should be scared. Well, maybe not scared but definitely shocked. So shocked, in fact, that he hurdled over the sofa and fell on his face before shuffling back against the wall. “What are… Who?”

I almost shifted back just to tell him it was okay, but I wanted to make sure he understood that his bunny wasn’t gone. He was just...different. I was different. But I was still here.

I carefully walked to the end of the sofa and waited for him to control his breathing. He was hyperventilating and I was afraid he’d pass out.

“You’re…” He pointed at me and cocked his head. “But I don’t…”

I sprawled out on the wood floor so he knew I was harmless and would never hurt him. Bunnies weren’t exactly ferocious but the situation was overwhelming, even to me.

“Bunny?” he whispered as if afraid to say the word out loud. “Am I hallucinating?”

He tentatively reached his hand out toward me but then pulled back when I hopped closer.

Even though I knew and completely understood his reaction, it still hurt when he didn't want to touch me. I was sure I was helping the situation by proving to him that his bunny wasn’t gone. But maybe that was selfish. Maybe my own desire to make him happy had just made things worse. It wouldn’t be the first time my spontaneous decisions caused pain to someone I cared about.

And I definitely cared about Chim.

Even though I barely knew him as a human, I felt like I knew his true self when he interacted with my bunny. He was real and honest and silly, and…dammit. How did I always manage to screw up a good thing before it even became a thing?

This had to be some kind of record.

I couldn’t stand to see the confusion and fear and uncertainty in his eyes for even a second longer. I had to fix this. Even if he threw me out of his house or called the police, I couldn’t bear to witness Chim in pain because of something I did...or was.

The room wasn’t huge, but there was some open space in front of the fireplace, so I hopped over there and immediately shifted back, impressed with myself at how smooth the transition had been. I was getting my mojo back.

As soon as I was human again, I stood up and presented myself to Chim for inspection. I didn’t give any thought to my nudity as I held up my palms to him, pleading for his understanding. “Please don’t be frightened, Chim. It’s just me, and I promise you have nothing to be afraid of.”

I updated 😳