Archive of Our Own

Ivan should have known better than to trust shady self-proclaimed witches in the street. He just didn’t want to be rude after accidentally making this old lady stumble while on his way home from school. But the woman insisted that he come along with him after “looking into his eyes”. She sensed heartbreak and yearning in his eyes, she finds him pitiful. Her words, not Ivan’s.

Ivan figured that it shouldn’t be that hard of a guess, he just freshly got off from a very difficult conversation with his best friend after all. Well, can you call him a best friend when Ivan’s been feeling more than that for years? His eyes are bloodshot from crying and his uniform is a mess from running away, anyone could guess he is not feeling his best right now. What happened you may ask? Well, Ivan doesn’t want to talk about it. Even more so with a stranger.

The woman apparently owns a small shop selling spiritual and magical trinkets, and she wants to sell Ivan this so-called “Potion of Love”. From what the woman said, she gave him this potion because she thought it was the push he needed to pursue whatever love he is craving. Which he calls bullshit (though he was nice with his words about it), he’s getting plenty of love right now, what more can he ask for?

He’s popular with girls, is the school’s vice president and an heir to a wealthy company, he doesn’t need the attention of his best friend to be happy.

He doesn’t need Till. He doesn’t need Till to love him back to feel whole, right?

Ivan pushes himself to not think about it or he starts spiralling further.

He ends up accepting the woman’s concoction and even drinks it right after, downing it all in one shot. If the potion doesn't immediately work, he can laugh at the face of the old woman and expose her fake business. Maybe that will make up for his oh so horrible day at school. Or so he thought.

He immediately felt a wave of dizziness hit him and the world started spinning around him. He collapses onto the ground of the pavement and dark spots start littering his field of vision, his body hurts and feels like it’s on fire. As his vision gets blurry, the woman muttered one last thing before he passes out,

“This curse can only be broken when love is returned.” And then his world goes dark.

When Ivan woke up, he noticed he was stuck under piles of fabric. It took him a while to free himself from the cloth prison, but he immediately noticed something was off.

The world instantly felt way bigger than him, the sound of the streets were even louder, and his vision of the world around him felt even wider. The way he’s walking is also off, he came out of the pile of clothes… walking on all fours instead of using his two legs. But he can’t seem to walk any other way. Not to mention, he can’t talk as well. Nothing comes out of his mouth when he tries to call for help.

What is happening?

He noticed a puddle at the side of the alleyway he woke up in and started hopping to it. Wait, hopping? He looked back at those piles of clothes and noticed that some of them looked familiar to him. Dark blue blazer, a green hoodie, his school uniform, and his school bag with a teal sea urchin keychain attached to it. The one Till bought for him.

This isn’t happening. To confirm the worst, he slowly reaches to the puddle and takes a closer look at himself. What stares back isn’t the perfect pretty face he practiced all these years, instead that face is replaced with the face of an animal.

If Ivan could scream in this body, he would be shrieking his lungs out for all the world to hear.

Fast forward now here he is taking shelter under the stack of empty boxes in the dark alleyway. Waiting for the heavy rainfall to change to a light drizzle. Not only is he stuck in the rain, he’s also stuck inside the body of something else.

The damn witch turned him into a bunny. She couldn’t even bother to change him into another person so he doesn’t have to face Till for the next few days.

Within the confines of a fluffy body, he wishes for the worst karma to hit this old hag.

The sun has long gone down when the rain finally comes to a stop, but Ivan has spent the entire time thinking about certain things.

What is he even gonna do when he goes back home? His parents are never around, always staying out during their business trips instead of spending time with their son. It’s not like anyone is waiting for him at home, all he has is truly himself. They wouldn’t care if he’s missing.

They wouldn’t care if he’s dead.

Even if they file a missing person’s report, who knows they might just say he’s causing a scene and he’ll come back when he’s ready to take over the family business. Letting Ivan’s disappearance fade into a closed case.

This can be said to not just his parents, but his other relationships as well. What will his friends do? Will they worry for him? They might just think he’s caught a disease and will be absent from school for a bit. But he doesn’t know how long he’ll be cursed in this body. After being “sick” for months, they’re gonna start to get really worried as “Ivan is not getting better”.

Will Till be worried about him? Oh, his dearest Till.

The lady said that the curse will only be broken when his love is returned, and Ivan started to get a feeling that this certain love he has is the one she was talking about. The cause of why he met her in such a dishevelled state, his burning heart that belongs to Till.

He’s loved Till all his life, but when Ivan bared his heart to him, Till snatched it and trampled it to the ground. They fought and Till left him alone. Ivan’s confession probably disgusted Till, well it’s not that common for boys to like boys. Maybe Till is one of those that would only be interested in girls, that’s how it’s supposed to go anyway.

Ivan’s love is impure, frowned upon and disgusting. Ivan is disgusting.

Maybe he deserves to be cursed, to be stuck in this body forever. Because in reality, Ivan doesn’t really exist. His parents can always have another baby if they needed an heir, it will be easy to replace his spot in the student council, and Till could always find another friend. (That last part he is unsure of, but Till will move on and find new friends anyway) He barely sees himself as a person, it is only fitting that being stuck in a bunny’s body is a fitting end to his fate. He’s closed his heart forever and will rot in his misery.

His body is getting cold, the piles of clothes getting soaked through the rain doing nothing to keep him warmer for the night. He’s also hungry but he is not gonna double down and dig through trash just for sustenance. He’s not just a bunny, he’s a bunny with dignity! He might as well just starve and freeze to death in this alleyway. All alone with no one to look for him. Because he is truly destined to be alone, and maybe it’s fine that way.

The cold and hunger is making him weak, he flops onto his side and curls up further onto himself. If he can’t hug anyone with this body, at least he has himself to softly soothe the ache he needs. One last act to make his death more comfortable. He hears footsteps at a distance but the voices are starting to get muffled, the cold rapidly enveloping his body making it the only thing he is able to think about. And when he could no longer keep his eyes open, he dreamed of a life where the world was kinder to him.

It was raining in town tonight, and a young boy was walking to the convenience store with an umbrella in hand. The umbrella actually belonged to his friend and they were supposed to walk home together. When something happened that caused the two to separate and ruin their plans. He planned to return it to him when the guy is feeling better. Both of them had a lot of talking to do.

As the boy finished getting his groceries, he stopped in his tracks when he looked at the alleyway down the corner of the building. He swore he saw the boxes moving and he went closer to inspect it. He is not a coward, much like his friend liked to tease him for.

He carefully lifted up one of the boxes and gasped when he saw what’s inside. A little black rabbit shivering in the cold, all alone in the darkness. It was bundled up in one corner of the box with a pile of clothes (which were a bit… too familiar for comfort), clearly trying to seek warmth in the cold. He poked the furball with his fingers and checked for a pulse. It was really weak, the guy was barely hanging on by a thread. But still alive.

“Shit, who left a little bunny out in the cold near the dumpster? What is wrong with these people? Poor thing.”

The boy carefully lifted up the bunny into his palms, trying to be as gentle as possible and placing it into one of his hoodie pockets. Blowing a bit of hot air on it to keep it warmer, the bunny was freezing.

“Hang on, buddy. You're coming home with me, mom probably knows what to do. Please, just hang on.”

Before the boy ran home, he took one last look at the school bag and wet clothes and his face had an unreadable emotion. A few minutes went by until he hesitantly grabbed them too and took off back to his house all the while balancing the umbrella in his hands.

Ivan realized he wasn't completely removed from this world when he felt warmth slowly dissolving the cold in his body. He still felt too weak to open his eyes, solely focusing on the feeling of something stroking his little body. It felt… nice. How long hasn't he felt this sense of comfort being directed to him?

He feels his head being stroked in gentle waves, trying to lull him to sleep. He likes it when the heavy weight rests on top of his head, and it feels even better when the sensation starts to scratch behind his ears. The pressure feels so good. Is he actually in heaven? Because this felt too good to be true. For now, he'll savor this moment of goodness and go back to his dream world.

Hours probably had passed since Ivan fell unconscious and he was jolted awake by the sudden sound of an alarm clock blaring loudly, interrupting his beauty sleep. Bunny ears are very sensitive to sound so the loud ringing was even louder for Ivan, making him fully alert and unable to fall back to sleep.

He actually made it alive?

He glanced at his surroundings, long gone is the damp cold alleyway as it is now replaced with a comfy little bedroom. He finds himself snuggled in a pile of blankets right next to a heating system. Right next to him is a bowl of water and a few chunks of chopped-up carrots. Some kind soul must've noticed him in the cold and brought him to their home.

He helps himself with the carrots as he didn't eat anything after lunch at school yesterday. He didn't even make it back home to make dinner for himself because of his predicament. He was truly starving.

He was so devoted in his quest to devour all the carrots that he didn't notice the owner of the alarm clock turning off the device and slowly walking up towards him. Ivan had only noticed the moment his body was being scooped up by large hands mid-way into chewing on the last carrot.

His field of vision immediately replaced with sharp teal eyes staring back at him, eyes that are very much familiar to Ivan. The piercings and long teal locks loosely tied into a half ponytail also gave away the mystery person’s identity. Ivan only knows one person who fits this description. The realization of who it was that saved him from the cold last night made Ivan jump back in shock. Almost falling off from the hands that are holding him.

Till????

Till was the one that saved him???

“Careful! Stop squirming!” Till gripped Ivan's fur body tighter as he secured his grasp on him. Not letting him fall off to the floor. The moment the bunny in his hands calmed down, he sat down in his bed and looked straight at him.

“Sheesh! You're quite a fussy one, you were so weak when I found you and now here you are immediately trying to kick my face. Is that how you thank me?” Till furrowed his eyebrows.

If Ivan could talk, he would come up with a teasing remark. But alas, the bunny form could only make his words come out in a small, barely audible squeak. It seems like he’s super stuck in this body if he can’t even communicate to anyone that it’s him. The witch was truly evil for this. Realizing this, he let out a small huff. Drooping his body in defeat and letting himself melt into Till’s touch.

“Hmm, you’re quite cute.” Ivan’s ears perked up a little when he heard Till saying that. But he must be talking about the bunny, Till would never say that to him when he was still in his human body. Speaking of which, does Till know that Ivan’s missing? He didn’t get to text him that night because of their fight earlier, would he be worried?

Would Till just not care about him disappearing?

If he never truly returns back to being human, would Till forget Ivan forever?

Those thoughts immediately disappeared when Till started scratching behind his ears. Ah, so this was the really nice sensation he felt when he was asleep. It feels even better when it’s Till doing it. Ivan further melts into the touch and wants Till to touch him there even more often.

“I have no idea where you came from, little bunny. There wasn’t even a family of stray rabbits around the area when I found you.”

It’s me, Ivan! I got cursed into being a rabbit by some old hag! Till, help me!

“Though, I think it’s better if I put you in my care for now. Because, I feel like this town is getting quite dangerous.” Till had an unreadable expression and looked swiftly at the corner of his bedroom. He was looking at something but Ivan couldn’t make up what it is, bunny vision being limited. Till continued, “Someone might’ve gotten kidnapped.”

Till is unhappy. I need to cheer him up.

Ivan suddenly jumped onto Till’s chest with all his tiny bunny strength, causing Till to fall back onto his bed. Now with Till under him, he went up onto his face and started nuzzling him on the cheek. He kept doing it until he heard a giggle come from Till.

“Hey, that tickles. Haha! Are you trying to cheer me up? That’s adorable.” Till had a small smile on his face, not much but at least he’s feeling a bit less gloomy than before. And that’s all that matters to Ivan.

Till looks at the bunny, petting him on the head. His eyes hold such fondness, it warms Ivan’s heart. Till deserves the world to Ivan, he would rather die than make Till unhappy. Whether it be metaphorically or literally. He will never forgive himself for hurting Till, and that’s what ends up actually happening.

When he was still human, all the faces he got from Till were scowls, angry and disgusted expressions. Occasionally he would adorn a cute blush when he gets embarrassed. Till gets so red when he’s nervous, Ivan finds it really cute and teases him more thus making him flush even redder. But rarely does he ever be a victim to Till’s genuine smile full of love and adoration. And he only gets this moment when he wasn’t even physically in his body. Only in this pitiful, animal state.

It kinda hurts to come to this conclusion, that Till is only nice to him if he’s not actually him. He must’ve been more of a burden than his best friend. Why is it that he’s unable to be on Till’s good side, does he not deserve to see Till’s smile?

Till doesn’t like Ivan, and would not cry when Ivan is gone.

“You’ve gone quiet, little bunny. Are you still not feeling well?” Till noticed the bunny was barely moving again and slowly lifted him up to the top of his face, inspecting the bunny for any hidden wounds. “Your fever is probably flaring back up, you did get completely soaked in the rain after all.”

Till lifted his body up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom, with Ivan in hand. Running his hands with tap water and slowly dabbing them on the bunny’s ears, making it much cooler and relieving for him. Ivan is starting to think he might have a thing for Till touching his ears, he’s so weak to it when he rubs one spot just right.

For the rest of the day, the boy spent the entire day nursing Ivan back to health. It was a weekend so Till didn’t have school, he was not the best at knowing how to care for rabbits but it is clear he is trying his best. Ivan, who is originally not a bunny, just gives in and takes whatever vegetable is thrown at him. He was told from a very young age to not be picky and eat whatever is available, this was second nature to him.

When Ivan had eaten enough and (hesitantly) took his medicine, they went to the living room and laid on the couch. Till having the bunny snuggle up in his lap while he is watching a movie. Ivan barely paid attention to what was playing on the TV, solely focusing on the fact he was sitting on Till’s lap. The holy Till area he dare not touch. And he immediately gets access to it when he’s a bunny. He shall savour this moment while it lasts.

Because a few hours later, he was placed back onto the couch. Till leaving him to go do something, it seemed like he was called to talk to someone. But Ivan was unsure what it was. Him being very tiny compared to everything around him makes it even harder and he can only figure out the conversation solely relying on his ears.

He could make out a few words like “investigation”, “missing” and “family” but otherwise he could not come up with something they would be talking about right now. It must be important though because when Till came back to him, he put Ivan back on his lap and put his face right on Ivan’s belly.

It must’ve been something difficult. Because it made Till sad again.

Ivan started nibbling on Till’s hair as an attempt to comfort him again. He wished he could use his human hands, but this witch’s curse is deemed permanent until they find a way to reverse it. Or when Till eventually finds out that the bunny he saved was actually Ivan.

Perhaps this life isn’t so bad, all human Ivan did was make Till’s life hell. At least bunny Ivan makes Till happier, maybe Ivan can start over with Till this way. Let Till forget about that annoying friend who scared him off with his impure love, and make better memories with this newfound animal companion.

Yeah, maybe it’s better to protect Till this way.

For the next few days, Till ends up adopting the bunny completely. The bunny seems to squeak uncontrollably and starts squirming away every time he brings up putting him into a shelter. Clearly not wanting to separate from Till, the life-changing rescue (to the bunny) has made it form an attachment to his rescuer. But since Till’s mom doesn’t mind its presence, he is here to stay.

Till has bought his new pet a few toys just to keep him busy when he’s away at school. The bunny misses Till during these times, but when he gets home, he gets showered with head scratches and kisses from his owner. Evening times are his favourite because of this, he gets to spend all his time cuddling with Till on his bed until they fall asleep.

Having a pet in his life has made Till much more colourful, because he now has a new responsibility that keeps him going and moving forward. On some days it does get bad and Till wouldn’t play with Ivan that much, only settling with soft pats on his body. It’s like he’s trying to comfort himself by holding something he loves dearly.

Ivan takes over during this time and licks Till’s tears away, sinking his whole body on Till’s face. Sometimes Till buries his face further into the bunny’s belly and Ivan can feel the tears soaking his body. It’s uncomfy but as long as Till’s getting comforted, it works.

I only need to make Till happy when he’s sad. That’s all that matters.

It’s okay if he starts to forget certain words, hearing human speech slowly morphing into gibberish he doesn’t understand. It’s okay if the world in his eyes starts to look bluish and greener. He doesn’t even remember what some colours look like anymore, what does the colour red look like again? It’s also okay when his cravings for meat are gone, now replaced with fresh greens and hay.

It’s all okay because Till is happy. It’s okay if Ivan loses himself and fades away because Till is all that matters to him. He’s happy if Till is happy.

Till has had his pet bunny for about a week now, and this time he came home from school with a red ribbon. He didn’t think a collar would suit a rabbit, so he opted for a makeshift collar in the shape of a bow.

He happily tied the bow onto the bunny and brought him to look in the mirror. It looked so cute on him, and it was the perfect fit.

“I just realized I’ve never given you a name, little bunny. I’ve always just called you little bunny. Though, calling you something else would feel very awkward. So…”

Till thought of it for a while and had an epiphany.

“Bunny. It’s cheesy but I think it still fits you the most. So, hi again Bunny. Hope you like your little bowtie.”

The bunny was having trouble remembering his original name lately, he is not sure why. But he is thankful that he can always count on his owner to remind him.

His name is Bunny.

Bunny’s owner is looking at that photo next to his bedside table again. That photo must have some evil cursed energy, because looking at the photo always equates to owner being sad. It pisses Bunny off.

Bunny doesn’t understand why owner won’t just throw it away if it makes him so sad. It’s ruining Bunny’s job to make owner happy all the time. It would be easier if owner could just let it go and just focus on Bunny.

So when human is out for school, Bunny jumps up into owner’s bed and looks at the photo. From Bunny’s perspective, it’s not that special of a photo. It’s just a photo of owner when he was still a kid alongside a black-haired kid Bunny doesn’t know of.

Who is that kid? Is he the reason owner is unhappy? Just what unforgivable sin did this human do that makes owner be such a wreck everytime owner looks at it?

Bunny deems that he does not like this person. Bunny needs him gone from owner’s life.

So he jumps on the photo frame and tackles it onto the ground. The photo frame shatters when it touches the floor, shards of glass start flying but that doesn’t stop Bunny from reaching his ultimate goal:

Destroy what makes owner sad.

He carefully hopped around all the broken glass and took out the photo from the debris and started ripping onto the paper with his teeth. Bunny is angry and on a mission. By the end of it the photo has been ripped to shreds, save for owner’s face being left unscathed in his wrath. Although the other person’s face has been ruined entirely, pieces of his face being ripped to the point of being unrecognizable.

Bunny has no respect for this person. He does not deserve Bunny’s mercy.

It was during that point his owner walked in, just getting home from school. When he saw the mess in his room, his eyes widened. And he started screaming, grabbing Bunny from the floor and glared at Bunny. Owner’s face is scary when he’s mad, but why is owner mad?

Why is owner mad at Bunny? Bunny doesn’t understand, wasn’t he being a good Bunny?

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” Bunny doesn’t understand what owner is saying, but Bunny feels that he wouldn’t be able to comfort his owner that well tonight. Owner screamed so hard it hurts Bunny’s ears, it even alerted owner’s mama from downstairs. She was running up to check on him and went to rescue Bunny from owner’s grasp. In this state, Bunny is in danger if left alone with his owner in distress.

“He’s just a bunny, he doesn’t know any better!” Mama yelled.

“THAT WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD LEFT OF IVAN, AND ITS ALL RUINED! DESTROYED!”

Bunny doesn’t understand what they were yelling about, but one word felt familiar to him.

Ivan.

Who is Ivan?

It took a few hours for owner to calm down, his eyes red and dry from crying. Owner is tired, but Bunny was so scared and felt really guilty. He visibly flinched when owner tried to take him away from mama’s grasp, it seemed like Bunny will be sleeping with mama for tonight. Mama doesn’t trust owner with Bunny in his current state.

As Bunny laid down next to Mama, she petted him on his favourite spot behind the ears to calm him down. He was trembling from his owner yelling at him. It’s not as calming as owner’s touch, but Bunny is content with it regardless.

“It’s okay, darling. You didn’t know. Till really misses his friend a lot, so that photo was special to him. I miss Ivan a lot too. He’ll come back to you when he feels better, okay?”

The mention of the word Ivan must have triggered something in Bunny, because now he is able to understand a bit of what Mama is saying to him. It was weird but it seems that this thing called Ivan must be important. He still couldn’t get a few words, but he has managed to piece together something comprehensible that makes sense in Bunny’s head.

Ivan had disappeared from town a month ago, the blue people said Ivan’s guardians filed a report that night and owner told them that he found Ivan’s clothes and school bag near an alleyway behind a store, turning them in for investigation. That was where owner found Bunny, next to those pile of Ivan’s stuff. So they suspect that someone must have kidnapped Ivan. Owner was the last person that talked to Ivan on that day, and they were fighting before this. Owner was left alone in all this, and feels extra bad about it.

A whole month had passed and they still haven’t found Ivan, of course owner is always unhappy at night lately. Owner wants to make up for what fight he had with Ivan, and the human vanished when he needed him the most.

Bunny feels bad but also confused. Why was Bunny found next to Ivan’s clothes? Is Bunny related to Ivan in some way? This is so weird, why is Bunny getting dragged into this? Bunny is just bunny.

During a certain time of the night, Bunny hopped out of Mama’s embrace and snooped into owner’s room. Owner was passed out on his table, midway into working on something before sleep took over his body. Owner looked like a mess, hair falling all over and didn’t even bother to change into comfier pajamas, still in his school uniform. Bunny tried his best to not make any noise to disturb owner, and took one look at what owner was doing on his desk.

Owner attempted to piece the photo back together, but Bunny had shredded Ivan’s face in the photo beyond recognition. Some pieces were to small to be glued back together. At the side, owner had his sketchbook open, it seemed that he was trying to draw Ivan’s face to replace the damaged photo. But with every scribble, it was later accompanied with rougher and aggressive strokes graffitied all over the pages. It seems like owner is having trouble drawing and was getting angrier about it. There were also a few wet drops and smudges on the sketchbook, signs of even more unhappiness from owner.

Bunny has caused all this. If Bunny didn’t act according to what Bunny feels is best for owner, he wouldn’t be this mad at Bunny. It’s all Bunny’s fault. Bunny wants to say sorry.

Bunny climbed up the desk and laid next to owner’s sleeping head, slowly nuzzling his head next to him. Bunny does it hesitantly, in hopes owner isn’t mad at him anymore. All is well when Bunny feels that familiar hand resting on his head, pulling him closer to owner’s face. Owner was talking in his sleep, one teardrop falling from his eyes,

“I miss you, Ivan.”

Bunny licks the tears away as much as he could. If Ivan can’t be here for owner Bunny can help, if not much.

Please forgive Bunny.

Bunny and owner made up a few days later. Bunny was really happy to see owner back to his own self again. Since Bunny was behaving really well at home lately, owner decided to give him a surprise and bring him outside with him! A day out with his owner, Bunny could never ask for more.

Owner took Bunny to see the park, where there was so much grass for Bunny to munch on. Then, he took Bunny to the lake by the forest to look at the fish. And before they went home, he took Bunny for a walk around the neighbourhood. They stopped by a pet store and Bunny gets to pick out a new toy for himself! This day couldn’t get any better.

While they were on their way back, owner accidentally bumped into an older person and quickly said sorry. The old lady looked up at owner and then her eyes moved directly to Bunny. Her eyes lit up and she started laughing. Owner was confused and so was Bunny. Bunny had never seen this woman before, but his gut was being weird. It feels like Bunny’s body is saying that this old lady is bad news.

“How are you holding up, little guy? Has your love been returned yet?”

What is that lady saying? Bunny doesn’t understand what she means. Love being returned? What love? The weirdest part was that it didn’t feel like she was talking to owner.

She was talking directly to Bunny.

“Seeing as you’re still trapped in this body, it seems like your efforts are futile. You poor thing.” She tried to put her finger on Bunny’s head but Bunny bared his teeth on her. Owner has also stepped back a little as she got closer.

“Hey, back off! Be gentle with him! What do you want and I’ll give you!” Owner grunted, shielding Bunny away from the scary person.

“This is just hilarious. You’ve been in your love’s care this whole time but he doesn’t know it. Therefore this curse will always be a dead end for you, poor little bunny. Poor little Ivan.”

There goes that name again, Ivan.

But Bunny’s not Ivan, so what is this lady saying?

Owner froze when the lady said that name and started to pry,

“Ivan? What do you know of Ivan? Hey, answer me! What did you do to Ivan!?”

The lady doesn’t seem to find the situation as hilarious anymore, feeling like it had lost its fun. But she still held a little smirk on her lips,

“That little boy came up to me a while ago, all heartbroken and on the verge of tears. So I just gave something that will make him feel better, a little push I would say. A way for his love to come back to him, I just didn’t expect it to have… this effect. It is quite amusing though. Magic truly works in the most mysterious ways. Anyway, Mr Till. To spare you the stress, I’ll just say one thing to you. Ivan’s fate rests on your hands, please be kind to him. This curse can only be broken when love is returned.”

Owner had no idea what she meant by magic, all he could focus on was the fact that Ivan met this woman on the day he disappeared. And now he’s told a month later that he is the key to Ivan’s disappearance? But before he could pry further, the woman seemed to have vanished.

That night after the encounter with the lady, Till had a nightmare about Ivan. This wasn't the first time he dreamt about him, always happening when he was at his lowest.

The dream would always come back to the evening of that day in the empty school classroom, the day where everything fell apart. If Till was fast enough to catch Ivan from running away maybe things wouldn't have come to this. Ivan wouldn't have met a weird stranger that day and disappeared without a trace, he wouldn't have left Till all alone in this world.

It was Valentine's Day. Not expecting any gifts directed to him, Till was quite surprised to find one letter under his desk. He opened it after class when everyone had already left the school, thinking something like this deserves some privacy. He started reading it and thought it was legitimate and genuine until he reached the end of the paragraph, the feelings being poured out of this love letter were from Ivan.

Till didn't think through the genuineness of the letter. All Ivan ever did was prank and pull jokes on him. Nothing about this guy screams that he genuinely feels about Till that way. It doesn't make sense to him. He concluded it was another one of Ivan's pranks and laughed it off, even ripping it apart.

Stupid, Ivan. Thinking he can pull off a joke like this on Valentines’ Day just to poke fun at the fact Till is not popular with girls.

At that exact moment, Ivan walked in with an umbrella in his hands. It started raining and Till had forgotten his umbrella at home so he planned to offer him a walk home together. Then he saw Till in the process of ripping up that letter and froze. They stared at each other in silence, until Ivan spoke,

“Till, why are you tearing that?”

“You know very much why.”

“...No, I don't think I do.”

Till gets confused, why is Ivan reacting like that because of a prank he himself made?

“This is another one of your jokes, isn't it? You made it sound so believable but the moment I saw it was written by you, it must've been a lie.”

Till really shouldn't have said that to Ivan. That was beyond cruel what he was saying, he should've known better.

Ivan had gone quiet, which is unusual to him. So Till decided to break the silence and continue,

“...Besides, someone like you wouldn't really like someone like me.” Till starts scratching his neck to wear off the nervous jitters, looking outside the window instead of looking at Ivan.

Till is a loner in school, barely had any friends except for Ivan who he met during childhood. He doesn't make himself approachable with all the earrings and the unkempt long hair that is very much against school rules. His grades are below average and he eats lunch at the school rooftop. Nothing about him in his opinion would catch someone's eye. So it is genuinely really hard for him to accept that Ivan feels this way for him. He doesn't love himself, so how is he able to love another?

It took a few minutes for Ivan to come up with a respond, the moment he spoke Till jumped for a bit at the sudden interruption,

“...Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have revealed my heart to you ever. If my feelings are just part of a silly joke.”

Now that doesn't sound right.

Till immediately turned his head around, only for Ivan's face to be directly a few inches between him. He's glaring deeply at Till, the boy slowly getting lost in those dark irises. Those eyes felt emptier than usual, like Ivan had just lost something very important to him.

“If I already ruined my chance with you, it wouldn't hurt to make it worse. I hope this is a joke to you too.” And with that, he grabbed Till by the back of his neck and closed the gap between their lips.

Till eyes widened in shock. He was frozen in place, taking in what was happening right now.

Ivan is kissing him.

His best friend likes him and is kissing him.

It was a short kiss, only serving to get a point across. When Ivan pulled back, it finally dawned on him what he just did and he started to panic.

“...I-I'm sorry! I didn't know what came over me, it just happened! Sorry, you must feel truly disgusted with me now. Haha, a boy liking another boy, that's unnatural! I'm so gross, Till. I don't mind if you start avoiding me after this, even I myself hate that I even harbor these feelings for you. I'm so disgusting, you deserve better than someone like me. I’m so sorry…”

“Ivan-”

Before Till could finish, Ivan slammed the umbrella onto his desk.

“Here! You can have my umbrella, I just remembered my parents are coming home tonight and I need to prepare dinner! I can't accompany you, I really need to run back home as soon as possible. Goodbye, Till!”

And with that, Ivan took off. Till swore he saw Ivan's face breaking when he muttered the last few sentences. He was about to chase after Ivan to clear things up, but Ivan had already ran far. He was an athlete therefore also impossible for Till to catch up or even outrun him.

The kiss made him unable to get a headstart. If only he didn't stand still and run for Ivan the moment he bolted, maybe Ivan wouldn't get taken away. He could deal with Ivan ignoring him for a few days, but the fact he went missing and is possibly dead. Till couldn't take it.

There was so much left unsaid between them, and now it was too late. Till blames himself a lot for Ivan's disappearance, his worst nightmare coming true when he saw his belongings left near a dumpster in an alleyway. He pleaded for the police to find Ivan, it doesn't matter if they found him dead or alive. As long as he comes back to Till's arms.

Ivan added colour to Till's life, always making sure he's included in his hangouts. Without that, Till is left with nothing.

Swirls of black start to distort Till's figure, as all the negative voices start to take over his mind. The memory distorts further until he’s left with nothing.. He was now floating in a black void, there was nothing around this space but at least it was quiet. He enjoys the quiet and lets his mind rest.

He misses Ivan a lot.

He prays to whatever deity inhabits this world.

To please let his Ivan come home.

He is begging.

When he was about to succumb to the darkness, he saw something in the corner of his eye. It was hard to miss because it was the only other thing floating in this space. He swam towards it, what could this thing be?
As he floated closer, the shape that was small as a speck of dust slowly got bigger and revealed a person. Someone else is floating in this space with him. The mysterious person had his back turned to him, but he slowly floated to the side facing Till as he moved closer. That’s when he realized the face felt familiar to him.

It was Ivan.

Ivan! Till quickly scrambled towards him and held him in his arms. Ivan was unconscious, not waking up when Till tried to. Or is it something that is preventing him from waking up? Till soon found out something was off, at the side of Ivan’s head were two floppy rabbit ears. A little red bow tie wrapped up around his neck.

Much like the ribbon collar he gave to Bunny.

Somehow, things started to slowly make sense. Bunny was found right next to Ivan’s clothes. Bunny showed up at the area where Ivan was missing. Ivan went out drenched in the rain and Bunny was soaking wet when Till brought him home. Was Bunny-

His theories were confirmed when Bunny- no. Ivan slowly started to open his eyes, and his eyes met Till’s.

“My dear owner, were you crying again?” Ivan’s lip formed a pout, but he started caressing Till’s cheek in an attempt to soothe him.

“Don’t worry, Bunny is here to comfort you when you’re sad. Come on and give me a hug, it always makes you better, doesn’t it?” Ivan was still in a half asleep state when he offered. Till didn’t make a sound, he finally saw Ivan after so long. He held him in a tight grip, afraid that if he lets go Ivan will disappear and leave him alone again.

“It must be really bad today, huh? That old lady really did rile you up by mentioning your old friend.”

Old friend? What is Ivan talking about? Ivan is his only friend, why is he referring to himself in the second person? Unless…

“Ivan-”

“I know, Bunny knows you probably miss Ivan a lot. He must be so special to you, if you’re thinking about him all this time. You might like him more than you think you do.”
“...”

“Am I right, my dear owner?” Ivan gave him a little smile as he caressed Till’s head, trying to soothe him. Just like how Bunny would always nuzzle next to him when Till is falling apart.

Till made the connection soon enough, but he was afraid that he might be too late again. This Ivan had been trapped in this form for so long, he started to adopt more animalistic behaviour. Ivan’s identity is slowly getting lost in favour of Bunny, he doesn’t even remember his own name. This must be the effects of the curse in its work. If Till doesn’t come up with the cure, Ivan will be gone forever. When he wakes up from the dream, the pet bunny he loved and cared for - his Ivan, will be lost forever. Bunny would remain, and Till has to live with the guilt that he let Ivan go just like that.

When Ivan was gone, Till took the time to reflect. When he thought back to the times they spent together growing up, he started to notice the signs of Ivan liking him. It wasn’t jokes, Ivan’s feelings were genuine for Till. Going from subtle touches to hidden smiles when he wasn’t looking. Always occupying the empty space next to him, whether he wants the company or not. Always making sure Till isn’t lonely.

Ivan has always gone all the way to make him happy, even when he thought he didn’t deserve it. Although he always poked fun at Till and teased him until he got shy, he did it out of pure love. All of Ivan’s intentions were kind, even when his way of showing love can be questionable at times. Till took that kindness for granted.

Till has to do something, to show Ivan that his love isn’t impure, instead they were the purest form of love he could possibly be receiving. And he wants to give back to him for everything. Whether as Bunny or as Ivan, what matters is that it’s him.

Ivan loves him so much, and Till loves him back.

It’s time to make it known.

He placed both his arms on each of Ivan’s cheeks, and looked at his eyes. Ivan was confused by this, what is his owner doing looking at him this intensely?

“Ivan,” Till started.

“Eh?”

“You deserve the world to me. Sorry for making you wait this long, but here is my answer to you.”

He pressed his lips onto Ivan’s.

The sun started peeking through the curtains when Till awoke from his dream. It felt so real, he was starting to get disappointed until he realized something was off. The weight of the bed was heavier than usual, and he felt an arm slotted around his waist. A human arm.

He was about to freak out until he whipped his head around to the sleeping person next to him. The man was as naked as the day he was born, save for the ribbon around his neck. But Till had no time to process that, the man was clearly Ivan.

Ivan.

Ivan is back to normal.

And he’s alive and well.

Tears started welling up at the corner of his eyes. Whatever happened in the dream actually worked, the curse has been lifted. He got his dearest Ivan back, and he’s here with him in bed. Alive and breathing. Ivan hasn’t woken up yet, but his sleeping face was so cute Till couldn’t resist to start playing with his hair. He missed this goofball so much he’s actually going crazy.

At one point, Ivan started to stir from his slumber. When he finally woke up, he was met with Till’s fond gaze. And then he felt the sudden chill in his spine. He looked at himself under the blanket and his eyes widened with shock. What he saw under was flesh and smooth instead of furry and fluffy. He started tearing up as well, he didn’t think he would miss being human so much.

Till saw that Ivan was about to cry and immediately wrapped his arms around him. Rubbing circles behind his back to calm him down. “There, there.” He reassured him. It did little to make Ivan control the waterworks in his eyes though, soaking Till’s back with his tears.

“It was so scary, Till. I started feeling like I was no longer there. I didn't even recognize myself anymore.”

“I know, I know. It’s okay, you’re safe now. You’re no longer a bunny.” Till pats his back.

“It hurts being stuck like that, it’s a reminder that you wouldn’t love me that way-”

“Hey now, Ivan. Look at me.”

Ivan reluctantly pulled away from Till’s hug, he thinks he looks ugly after crying all over Till’s shirt and hid his face behind his palms before facing Till.

“Ivan.”

“Don’t look at me right now. I have no clothes on and my face looks terrible. Till doesn’t deserve to look at me in such an ugly state.”

“Ivan, you’re not-” Till let out a huge sigh, and took the lead.

He pokes Ivan on his ticklish side of his hip, causing Ivan to jump and let his guard down. And when his face was in full view, Till grabbed the opportunity and kissed him right on the forehead. He let the kiss linger for a while until Ivan got the message.

When he pulled away, a faint blush adorned his cheeks and answered,

“I love you a lot, please never leave me again.”

Ivan lets those words sink in properly.

His precious Till loves him back.

Till loves Ivan.

He is about to start crying again until Till hovers his fingers next to the fallen tears on his cheek.

“You’ve been licking my tears away for the past month, it’s time for me to return the favour.” As more tears fell, Till still tried his best to wipe them away from Ivan’s face. At one point he started kissing them to make them go away. Muttering little “I love you”s while he did it. Till is making sure Ivan knows he’s loved until it sticks into his little brain.

“Till…”

“Yes, dear?”

“I think I get it now. I love you too, you can stop sloberring all over my face.”

“Nuh uh, you still need to know that you're loved. I am not stopping until you say that you love yourself! You can't love me without loving who you are as well.” The kisses make their way to his neck and collarbone as Till continues his attack over there. And when he landed onto the spot behind Ivan’s ear, he made a little squeak. When Ivan realized what noise he had just let out, he flushed so red Till cooed at him.

“Do that again.”

“Till!”

“It seems you really like that spot huh? Even when you were just a little bunny, that spot always drives you crazy, you’re truly just the same.” Till let out a smirk as an evil plan comes to his mind.

Ivan starts sweating nervously because his boyfriend is up to no good now that he found Ivan’s weakness. Before he could escape, Till climbed over to him and pinned him down to the bed further. “Tell me if you wanna stop.” Till whispered as their lips hover inches apart from each other. He looks so ethereal on top of Ivan, making him fall even more in love with him.

He is not getting out of this bed until well into the afternoon.