Chapter Text
namjoon was, above all things, content.
he had fulfilled his dreams early on - his teenage fantasies of being a seoul producer, of being a respected rapper, an in-demand artist had all come true by his early twenties, leaving him relatively wealthy, very successful, and dreadfully lonely. he had made great friends - yoongi, for one, a producer at the same company with the best style namjoon had ever heard in his life; seokjin, for another, his handsome neighbor with a string of handsome boyfriends and a handsome cat who hated namjoon for no reason at all. but that was the end of the list. the end of descriptors. two friends, a monochrome apartment to come home to, a dark studio to lock himself in, straining his eyes with the three monitors that constituted approximately nine tenths of his life.
he had everything he dreamed of, and yet.
he bought a cottage a couple hours south of the city. it was ostensibly a vacation home at first, for the once-in-a-blue-moon day off he was forced to take. it became a weekend getaway shortly after, a twice-a-month trip to clear his head and refuel inspiration. and then it was every weekend, to water the garden he had sowed as a spur-of-the-moment thing (or so he had convinced himself even though he has spent hours researching seeds and soil). and then—
“namjoon-ah.”
“halmeoni-nim,” namjoon greeted with a bright smile, bowing to the older woman sitting behind the stand. “i’ve brought an offering.”
she gasped dramatically at the meager bouquet, all flowers from his lovingly tended garden that brought him more joy from their beauty than their bounty. “namjoon-ah, you are kinder than my grandson.”
“didn’t you want me to marry your grandson?” he laughed. “you’d stick me with someone who isn’t kind?”
she waved her hand dismissively, carefully putting the flowers in a spare jar under her stall. “you’d be a good influence. if that was the offering, what’s the trade?”
“the usual, if that will suffice. i hope it does, i don’t know if i want to make the trip back home. but for you—”
“ah, don’t worry. your radishes are the best part of my kimchi.”
“your kimchi is the best part of your kimchi.” namjoon grinned, setting the basket of vegetables on the counter.
“flatterer,” she pointed at him accusingly. “but truthful. take your pick.”
he bowed again and took one of the smaller jars. “thank you, halmeoni-nim.”
whatever she was about to say was interrupted by sunflower’s sudden appearance. namjoon’s bag was jostled from the inside first as he stirred, shortly followed by black ears poking out the top, little paws appearing on the hem, yawning face rising up soon after.
“ah,” she said fondly, weathered fingers scritching the top of the rabbit’s head. “there’s our friend.”
♡♡♡
namjoon found him under a cabbage leaf.
he was a tiny thing, tinier than he should have been, much too thin with a bleeding paw. he was pitch black and looked up at him with huge, pitiful brown eyes, and namjoon was a goner.
“hello, little one,” namjoon said quietly. he knelt beside him, doing his best to not spook him. the rabbit didn’t flinch away like he thought he might, instead craning his head to sniff at namjoon’s offered hand, little nose twitching as it nearly touched his fingers. “aish, poor thing. that must be painful. why don’t you let me help you, hm?”
namjoon, of course, did not expect a response, but - the rabbit didn’t quite hop, given his hurt foot, but he wriggled closer, like he was giving permission.
namjoon blinked as he climbed into his lap. “i suppose that’s a yes?”
those shiny brown eyes blinked up at him, so trusting of a human stranger.
namjoon would never in his life even think to break that trust.
he was careful as he carried him into the house, cradling him close so he wouldn’t jostle him too badly. he kept up a quiet commentary as he cleaned him up, whispering apologies when he applied stinging medicine and assurances that he was such a good boy, doing so well. as hurt as he was, the rabbit chattered in his version of a purr.
“i have a hutch outside,” namjoon told him. “and a few friends for you.”
basil, won at a fair and promptly fed back into good health; honey, taken in at a mother’s apologetic favor when her daughter left for college; hawthorn, who appeared out of nowhere and didn’t want to leave. they were sweet rabbits and sweet to each other and would inevitably be sweet to their new companion. but namjoon hesitated.
“i should keep an eye on you, hm?” he reasoned. “make sure you’re healing well.”
the rabbit chirped in happy agreement. or what namjoon thought was happy agreement.
“let’s find you a nice pillow. and a treat, little one, such a skinny boy—”
the rabbit chirped in sad agreement. or what namjoon thought was sad agreement.
either way, he found his softest cushion, his freshest water, and his healthiest, bunny-appropriate snack. the baby carrots might have been a little too cliche, but his guest didn’t seem to mind, nibbling with enthusiasm.
“slow down!” namjoon laughed, petting the soft spot between his floppy ears. “they aren’t going anywhere.”
the rabbit blinked at him and his chews grew less frantic. namjoon had to laugh at the silly coincidence. his tuft of a tail wagged when namjoon gave his chin a scritch.
“sunflower.” it was an abrupt decision, but one that seemed right. “i’ll call you sunflower.”
sunflower seemed to like the idea and crawled carefully from his pillow to namjoon’s lap, allowing himself to be scooped up to avoid messing up his bandage.
“little one,” namjoon chided with a click of his tongue. sunflower did not look apologetic, though he propped himself up against namjoon’s chest and nuzzled his neck. namjoon couldn’t help but cuddle him a little closer. “aish. i can’t help but hope you stay.”
♡♡♡
sunflower stayed, and sunflower stayed close.
more often than not, namjoon woke to find him nestled on the pillow beside his head, either stretched out as long as possible or curled up tight with his ears covering his eyes to keep out the morning light, nothing in between. he unsuccessfully tried to convince sunflower to sleep in the hutch outside a few times; sunflower had made good friends with the other rabbits and didn’t mind being put into their fenced-in yard when namjoon went out or had to do chores that would be dangerous for a little rabbit underfoot. but when the sun went down and namjoon made attempts to bid him goodnight, sunflower’s ears drooped and he chirped at him so sadly that he couldn’t do anything but scoop him back up, press kisses to his soft head, and let him be a laprabbit for the rest of the night.
nearly every meal was spent on namjoon’s lap or on the table right beside him, either being hand fed like the spoiled bunny he was or nibbling off his own vegetable-filled plate. namjoon tried his best to keep his diet completely healthy, but he loved apples so much he had to indulge him. he was still too thin, he reasoned; a little bit of sugar should help fatten him up. the way his cheeks puffed up happily as he ate as his tail wriggled in excitement were just collateral benefits.
perhaps the most charming thing about sunflower was how he lounged under actual sunflowers as he watched namjoon tend to his mushrooms, taking lazy naps in the shade stretched out on his back or resting his chin on his slightly-too-large paws. his favorite spot almost seemed intentional, given the way he hopped enthusiastically over to it, running in circles in the soft patch of grass underneath, looking up at namjoon with those beautiful eyes. sunflower with his sunflowers. a silent bunny laugh.
♡♡♡
a consequence of mushroom farming was an abundance of mushrooms - a fortuitous thing, of course, but there was a certain magic to wild mushrooms. he had never seen one, but fae seemed to like his land, especially the mossy ground around the greenhouse. there was one fairy circle inconveniently places in his direct path, one he had managed to expertly avoid despite his supposed clumsiness and tendency to stumble.
sunflower often followed his footsteps, hopping along beside it without crossing its boundaries. but he was excited today, after namjoon had mentioned going to the farmer’s market that afternoon with a fresh basket of paengi mushrooms to exchange for fresh milk and honey, one of their favorite treats. he loved adventures, too, namjoon knew, and he zigzagged with joyful little jumps on their way to the greenhouse.
namjoon didn’t see him hop into the circle, but he did feel the sudden shift in the air, the surge of magic from behind him, the indistinct but palpable knowledge that something was much, much different than it had been a second and a half ago.
with a sense that was more curiosity than foreboding, namjoon slowly turned.
sunflower was gone.
and a boy was in his place.
a very naked boy, long limbed and solid, with furrowed, confused brows, pouty lips, and extraordinarily familiar brown eyes. if the black ears protruding from his fluffy hair didn’t give it away, those eyes surely would.
“joonie?” sunflower whispered.