Bunny was used to Grim stealing his things. When she grabbed his boomerang, he hadn't thought anything of it. When she'd dodged his attempt to snatch it back, though, he realized something was different.
"What're you doing, Grim?" he asked flatly, raising an eyebrow as she danced out of his reach.
"Catch me if you can," she teased, showing all her teeth in a flirtatious grin before darting off in a trail of black smoke.
Bunny wasn't used to Grim using his possessions as bait, but he was used to her games. Typically they weren't quite as literal as tag, but he wasn't exactly surprised to find himself running through a forest, chasing her laughter and the swish of her robes.
(It was fun, a small part of him admitted. It was fun, to chase and track her down. It must be fun. Why else would his heart pound so wildly, his blood run so hot? Why else would his ears be straining so intently for some clue as to where she was?)
Finally he found his boomerang lying in the middle of a clearing, the trees forming a nearly perfect circle around him as he went to pick it up. He smiled to himself- she was frustrating, inexplicable, and a bit of a pain at times, but for better or worse Grim was what she was, and he wouldn't wish her to change a bit.
(If only he could understand why she didn't want to be friends anymore. At times it seemed like she did, but then-)
Bunny noticed the glint of the scythe's blade a second before it buried itself in the ground where he had been standing.
"Feisty today, aren't we?" he commented dryly, looking over his shoulder at Grim.
She made no witty retort, gave no cocky smile. Instead, the scythe swung towards him again, this time at his neck. Bunny ducked, backing away as soon as the blade had passed him.
"Oi!" he shouted, letting his exasperation show clearly enough in his voice that he hoped it would cover the fear and confusion lurking there. "What's the bloody idea?!"
She grinned at him then, but it wasn't teasing, wasn't playful. It was the grin of a predator, a hunter, and he felt an old instinct rise up at the sight of it.
Danger afraid run hide
"Run," she crooned, the lines of her face harsh, her eyes hungry and a little bit cruel. "Run."
He stood his ground, and her expression tightened.
"Why'd you want me to run for?" he asked irritatedly, trying to will his heart to slow.
She pounced then, knocked him onto his back, and he immediately put his arms up to protect his throat.
Grim didn't try to strangle him this time. Instead, she put a hand to each of his shoulders and set her face close
(too close)
to his, letting him feel the chill of her breath.
"Don't run, then," she snarled.
I could probably overpower her, Bunny thought. I could probably push her off and run while she was off-balance. I could fight. I can't die, so I should be able to fight her.
So why aren't I?
"Is this what you wanted, then?" she growled.
(I'm afraid, Bunny thought. He must be afraid. Why else would his heart feel like it was threatening to burst from his chest? Why else would he be so aware of the glint of her teeth, the grip of her fingers?)
"You chased me," she whispered, her eyes burning. "You caught me. Now you have me, and I have you." She punctuated the last statement by releasing one of his shoulders, walking her fingers up his arm, across his chest, up his neck. She tapped his nose with a mock-playfulness, her chest quivering with rage.
"Will you surrender so easily?" she hissed, and her nails dug into his fur, into his skin, piercing through. "Are you so willing to die?"
He threw his arms up and pulled her down on top of him, capturing her in a crushing embrace. She went very still before relaxing, curling up against his chest.
"Why do you welcome me so readily?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"You're my friend," he replied easily, and booped her nose. "Even if you're a bit crook sometimes."
He felt a slight pain and shrugged, assuming a mosquito had tried to take a bite of him. The pain intensified, and he frowned, looking down to see if he could spot the bloody pest. Then he froze.
Grim had latched her teeth into his neck, letting blood trickle out of her mouth onto his chest. Her eyes were stony as she stared up at him.
Danger afraid run hide
Fight
He didn't run or fight. How could he? The sight of the blood, his blood, spilling like some macabre paint onto the canvas of his fur...it was paralyzing. Mesmerizing.
Grim lifted her head from his neck and licked her lips.
(His eyes followed the flick of her tongue over red-stained teeth)
"You'll excuse me, I hope," she snarked. "I didn't get any breakfast."
He twitched, otherwise staying totally still, and her expression turned from bitter to blank.
"Why won't you run?" she asked hoarsely. "Why won't you fight?"
Bunny began to answer, but his words came out as a gurgle, more blood gushing out and dribbling onto the grass beneath him.
Grim sighed, pushing her hair back. It struck him that she looked tired, tired and sad.
"I'm sorry," she rasped, holding the hem of her robe over his throat to quell the bleeding. "I just...I'm sorry."
He swallowed, or tried to. "Hgggkkkkkkrgh."
She raised a finger to her lips, her eyes dull. "Don't, love. Just don't."
Several minutes passed before his throat healed enough for him to breathe properly, and he judged that it had been nearly an hour before he risked speaking.
"What, for the love of Mim and all that's sacred, was that?" he croaked incredulously.
She laughed, a humorless, self-deprecating sound. "Why didn't you run?"
"I'm not scared of you."
"Liar."
"I'm not scared of dying," he amended.
She rounded on him, fists clenched as if to keep from wrapping her fingers around his still-tender throat. "Why not?"
"Because I'm immortal."
Grim laughed again, crazed and broken, tears forming in her eyes. "No, you're not! You depend on belief, but not all believe, and those who do will die, and you'll die with them!"
He stared at her as she continued, her hands now gripping her hair so tightly he could see black not-blood shining at her roots. "You're going to die, and I'm going to come find you, and you'll leave, and...and..."
She took a too-deep breath, failing to steady herself, her voice shaking.
"You have to run," she told him, her tone begging. "You have to run or hide so I can't find you, or you have to fight. You have to beat me. You have to win, or you'll die."
She lowered her hands, and he saw the shine of black not-blood sprinkled amongst the wisps of hair freshly torn from her head.
Bunny reached towards her hands. Before he could grasp them, she collapsed face first into his lap, shaking with a joyless mix of laughter and sobbing. He put a paw on her back and cradled her, stroking her torn scalp until her body's trembling lessened, slowed, stopped.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bunny wasn't sure why he'd brought Grim back to the Warren. He knew where her apartment was, after all- he could've just taken her back there. Left her alone, let her wake up with a hangover and no one there to check on her...actually, yeah, he was pretty sure why he'd brought the Reaper with him instead of dumping her back at her place.
He poked his head out on the surface to check the time. The sun was peeking over the skyline- Grim would likely be waking up soon.
He went to check on her, carrying a pitcher of coffee. Not just any coffee: a strong brew of his own concoction, specially formulated to assist in getting over hangovers. Bunny had enough experience waking up after being legless that he'd figured out what exactly helped with the headache that came after. He began pouring some coffee into a cup, wondering if Grim was awake yet.
The question was rapidly answered when Grim knocked him over and pinned him to the ground, wrapping her fingers around his throat.
He gagged, scrabbling to pry her fingers off. He looked up to her face, straining to see why she was strangling him.
Her hair spilled around them, a dark curtain obscuring his view of her face. He managed to glimpse her eyes, wide and wild, staring down at him without really seeing him.
"G-grrk," he choked.
Apparently the attempt to say her name was sufficient for her to recognize it, or at least snap her out of whatever trance she was in. Her eyes widened further, this time in horror, and she jumped off of him as he gasped for breath.
Recovering, he sat up and began slowly rising to his feet. Grim flinched and drew away.
Bunny lifted a paw, reaching out to her. "Grim-"
She darted away, and his fingers barely brushed the fabric of her robe before she was gone.
Bunny stood there, alone in the dark, rubbing his throat and wondering what incident had just occurred.