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Jamil knows trouble is coming when Kalim comes home without fanfare. Usually, he is noisy, from the way he opens the door to his loud greetings but not today. So Jamil sighs, sets down his laptop, and gets up to see what it’s all about. He doesn't expect to end up face to face not with Kalim but with a cardboard box. A very big cardboard box whose sides are covered in small holes and bite marks.
“Jamil,” Kalim calls out from behind the box, “look at what I brought home!”
He puts it on the floor and Jamil can finally see what’s inside. A white furball- no a rabbit. A seemingly very sleepy rabbit that raises his head when he understands his cardboard vehicle has stopped, staring at them with big red eyes before closing them. Jamil looks at Kalim for an explanation.
“When I went home, Amira told me her school’s rabbit had babies but they needed to be adopted out so I took one! Isn’t he cute? His name is Mister Bunny!”
Jamil had long since stopped trying to understand the Al-Asims and their impulsive decisions. When they were just neighbors, it was an almost daily occurrence for Kalim to show up at his house unannounced for a variety of things from “Hey, let’s go to the park together” to “Dad brought home a snake, wanna meet it?”. Even now, his boyfriend brings home all sorts of things without warning him first – often gifted by his siblings, and of course, he can’t refuse these (inconvenient) presents. To say Kalim’s family has issues is an understatement and Jamil isn’t quite ready to think about it on a Sunday night. They don't have the space to put all of Kalim’s new treasures anywhere in this apartment.
He still takes issue with one particular thing, however. “Change his name.”
“Mister Bunny is a very cute and fitting name, Jamil.”
“It’s not.” Jamil takes the box to the living room, Kalim following him. “That’s what a seven-year-old names their thing.”
“Amira is nine,” Kalim says as if that explains everything. “By the way, she told me we can let Mister Bunny run around the house and he won't eat the cables, so don't worry about that! He's used to humans.”
Jamil isn't worried about that. First of all, he never accepted to take the rabbit in – well, he has to because Kalim is weirdly stubborn sometimes, and the rabbit is probably here to stay. But before he can say anything, Kalim runs out the door (“I have stuff in the car for him!”) and he is left alone with Mister Bunny – since he can't think of an alternative name, he will begrudgingly use this one. He takes the rabbit out of its box and puts him in his lap. Mister Bunny opens his eyes and sits up on his little furry behind, sniffing the air.
“Guess, it's your new home,” Jamil touches his twitching nose and the rabbit takes a step back before he decides it's safe to hop around. “Your other owner is noisy so try to be calmer than him, okay?”
He blinks and Jamil takes that as a yes. He doesn’t think of himself as someone who’s inherently good with animals – he just has experience taking care of living beings because of Kalim really – but it seems Mister Bunny (he refuses to call him that out loud) is happy enough. They stay like that in silence until Kalim comes back – and he’s loud this time which is oddly calming. The cling and clang of metal scraping against the door and the tiling of the entrance turns into a dull sound as Kalim steps into the living room and its wooden floor with his charge.
Under Mister Bunny's watchful gaze, they spend most of the evening slaving away, building the rabbit cage, and examining the toys and foods Kalim brought back. A bit after midnight, after Kalim has dozed off on the sofa using Jamil’s discarded hoodie as a makeshift pillow, Jamil finds himself in front of the finished cage with a very awake and hyper rabbit in his arms. He pushes the small animal into his enclosure, closes the door, and sighs. Without even looking at the clock on the wall, he just knows he won’t have enough time to rest properly before his first class.
The things he does for Kalim, really.
* * *
“Kalim, stop with the apple, it's bad for him.”
Contrary to their expectations, taking care of a rabbit is hard. The information given by Kalim's sister is just surface-level so they – mostly Jamil because Kalim just goes with the flow and it weirdly works – spend hours researching what is best for them. For example, not giving them too much sugar – fruits aren't recommended too often and Jamil is going to get Kalim to acknowledge that. Which is difficult because no matter how many years pass, he can't get past his habit of overfeeding pets. From the corner of his eyes, he watches Kalim take their rabbit in his arms and kiss his long ears.
“Mister Bunny, isn't your dad too mean? Don't worry I'll give you more apples tomorrow!”
“Who's his dad.”
“You,” Kalim states as a matter of fact. “It’s our Mister Bunny and we’re taking care of it so you’re the dad. I’m his papa by the way!”
“I don't remember having a kid. One who's a rabbit to boot.”
“You do now!” Then after a moment of silence, he asked in his best kicked puppy impression. “Please?”
Jamil knows Kalim feels in the apartment, especially on days when Jamil has to work late. Before they moved out together, Kalim lived in what Jamil would only call a “fucking noisy nightmare” and it's too calm in their two-person apartment. His siblings are too young to come here by themselves and they have school, his parents were already rarely home when he was a kid and it's not like they ever came here anyway. Same for Jamil's parents, always too preoccupied with work to take some time for their kids – he doesn't blame them, that's just a fact. At least, Najma passes by from time to time when she isn't busy with school. So if it makes his boyfriend feel better, if it keeps him from turning up the radio too loud when Jamil isn't here to feel less alone, well, guess his son is a rabbit.
“Do whatever you want. But don't feed him too much sugar. It's bad for a child's development.”
“Jamiiiiil!”
“Shut up.”
He told Kalim time and time again to stop hugging him when he is preparing dinner but since Mister Bunny is now on the kitchen counter trying to eat tonight's bell peppers, he has more important stuff to do. Like telling off his very hungry child.
* * *
Kalim really gets into cooking for Mister Bunny, even if said meals only consist of cut-up vegetables – he always arranges them to form a picture like a rabbit or a small house.
“Mister Bunny look, papa made a meal only for you!”
Still not used to using a kitchen knife, his fingers are covered in small cuts that Jamil rubs medicine in after and the vegetable dices are all of different sizes. Mister Bunny still eats them without turning up his small pink nose and Kalim puffs up with pride. Jamil thinks it's ridiculous but he still indulges his boyfriend by sarcastically praising him (he promptly gets a cushion to his face in return).
* * *
The doorbell rings making Jamil stop what he’s doing – petting Mister Bunny – to go see who is coming to see them without sending a text first. When he opens the door, he sighs – that's just his sister.
“Why are you here?”
“Hello to you too, Jamil,” Najma says as she enters the apartment. “I've come to see your kid.”
He knows her well enough that he gives up on making her go away. Plus, it's the weekend and she chose to come here instead of playing with her friends. (The real reason is that he can't do that without making Kalim angry because Najma will inform him of whatever Jamil decides to do.)
She crouches to look at Mister Bunny more closely. “Waah, so cute! He's way cuter than in the pics Kalim sent me!”
Of course, Kalim did that. He probably sent pictures of the rabbit to all his contacts including his professors – that may be an exaggeration. At least Jamil hopes so.
“So. What's the little one's name?”
He is so tempted to tell Najma his name is Kalim and be done with it, but she knows him well enough she won't be convinced.
So Jamil swallows his saliva and turns away from his sister. “It's… Mister… Bunny…”
“Sorry, I couldn't hear well, could you say it again?”
He looks at her and she's so obviously trying to contain her laugh with tears in his eyes that he wants to chase her out of the house. How dare she come to his place just to ridicule him? And that's when it dawns on him – she knows. Najma talks with Kalim on the phone regularly. He sends her pictures of the rabbit – she knows what his name is. It's just part of her plan to mock him.
“You knew it!”
“Of course, I knew! I just wanted to hear you say it!”
Until Kalim comes back from his part-time job, he entertains his sister against his will. They bicker (“Stop being so violent, he's delicate!” and “Who do you take me for?!”) Mister Bunny gets pats and cooing which apparently makes him happy – Jamil can't believe his own son is a traitor.
* * *
Between classes and part-time jobs, it’s difficult for them to get time to themselves. So they try to make up for lost time when they can.
Like today, when after getting a little tipsy they stumble on their bed. While Kalim struggles to untie the knot at the back of his halter-neck top, Jamil moves to kiss his collarbone… and stops. The door is open. The door is open and from the small gap, a very recognizable little furball appears, hopping into the room like he owns it. Sensing Jamil’s confusion, Kalim follows his gaze and stops what he’s doing. Groaning, he detangles himself from Jamil to go capture the tiny menace that’s disturbing their alone time.
“Must have forgotten to lock his cage…” Jamil mumbles, head hitting the pillow.
“That one’s on me, sorry,” Kalim says before whispering softly to the rabbit as he takes him in his arms. “Mister Bunny, you can't come here right now.”
Jamil watches him carry the squirming bunny out of the room and close the door with a sheepish smile once he comes back.
Everything seems perfect for another tentative – door closed, no kid (read rabbit) around, mood slowly setting itself… It’s going well as Jamil impatiently pushes Kalim on the mattress. It’s going very well when they start exchanging kisses. It’s going very, very well when Jamil reaches for the bedside table to get some important things (namely that pesky bottle of lube that has been gathering dust). It’s going well until it isn’t because Mister Bunny – who else? – is scratching at the door like a child in need of attention. Which he is.
Kalim has at least the decency to look apologetic when he pushes Jamil off him to go get their furry son from outside the room. He then spends most of the evening cuddling the rabbit while Jamil opens his laptop to start working on a report – the keyboard creaks as he types a little too forcefully.
* * *
When Kalim isn’t home, Jamil takes to calling Mister Bunny by other names. He tries multiple ones until he finally settles on Kalim for obvious reasons: one, the rabbit looks like Kalim with his white fur and red eyes, and two, if he’s Kalim’s son then he’s Kalim Jr. Simple as that. (He won’t admit it but he does understand why Kalim is more at ease with another presence in the house.)
* * *
Kalim buys a backpack with a window on it for when they have to go out with their rabbit. It's ridiculous. Jamil is the one holding it today and he feels every stare from passersby, especially when they stop to look at the imprisoned Mister Bunny for longer than five seconds. Kalim doesn't seem to notice them, too busy swinging Jamil's hand back and forth while humming a song. An improvised one about Mister Bunny being a good boy for going to the veterinarian without making a fuss – earlier, Jamil had remarked he is nothing like Kalim who refuses to go to the hospital until he collapses and he was met with a blank stare. Despite that, Kalim had quickly regained his good mood as proven by him smiling at Jamil when their eyes met.
After the obligatory veterinarian visit, they walk toward the nearby park for a bit of respite before Jamil has to take his evening shift. As soon as he gets Mister Bunny out of his jail of a backpack, Kalim grabs the rabbit in his hand to attach a bunny leash to him. It's the first time Jamil has seen that and he guesses that's just the latest of Kalim's impulsive purchases. He urges Jamil to come with them to wherever Mister Bunny wants to go.
Going on a walk with a bunny on a leash is ridiculous, but these two make quite the cute picture.
* * *
“Ka- Mister Bunny, come here,” Jamil tucks the rabbit in his arms to stop him from getting into the bedroom.
He has to be careful because despite the absolute silence the house is plunged in, Kalim (the human) is still here and he doesn’t want him to know what he’s been calling the rabbit behind his back. Though there is very little chance of it since his boyfriend is currently in bed with the flu and has asked Jamil to take care of their pet in his stead. It’s not the first time Kalim has been this sick – it’s actually rather frequent and it’s been this way since they were children – but it’s the first time since they got Mister Bunny and Kalim would not be able to forgive himself if anything happened to the little creature because of him.
Jamil brings the rabbit to the kitchen, closes the door behind them, and lets him hop on the floor with a small stack of hay to chew on while he prepares dinner. Soon, the kitchen fills with the smell of freshly cut vegetables and spices and he starts working on the soup base, sometimes stopping to listen if there’s any sound coming from the bedroom – the coughs have stopped a little while ago so Kalim should be sleeping by now.
It is really calm with only one Kalim (the one who’s a bunny) running around, he thinks and he misses the usual mess.
Not for long though because as soon as Kalim recovers from the flu, he’s back to being his insufferable self again. This time with the added goal of making up for his absent days by spending as much time as he can with Mister Bunny – including bringing friends over after classes to introduce his son. (Silver is fine as he’s good with animals and quite responsible, but he’s seriously considering banning the twins from coming here because Mister Bunny fits into just one of Floyd’s hands and just imagining what could happen sends shivers down his spine. Jade is the type who enjoys watching the chaos unfold so he would do nothing to stop his brother.) Jamil can only watch from afar (meaning from the sofa) as Kalim rolls on the floor to play with the rabbit. And gets ignored because Mister Bunny prefers nibbling on Jamil’s books and Kalim’s haphazardly thrown-out shoes and scolding doesn’t stop him because he tries it again when their backs are turned.
Maybe a calmer day wouldn't be so bad from time to time – as long as both Kalims are healthy, of course.
* * *
“That's weird…”
“What?”
“When I call him Mister Bunny, he doesn't seem to recognize it as his name…”
He never did , Jamil wants to say. He settles with a “Maybe that's how rabbits work.”
Kalim doesn’t look convinced but he nods. Internally, Jamil sighs in relief. As long as he doesn’t suspect anything, it’s fine. There are plenty of things Kalim doesn’t need to know and Jamil has always preferred keeping secrets. So he stays silent and goes back to typing on his laptop while Kalim coos at Mister Bunny.
The “name problem” as he dubs it in his mind starts becoming a little more annoying a few days later.
“Kalim, it's time for dinner.”
Kalim runs up to him. And Mister Bunny (aka Kalim) comes to him too. At Kalim’s (the human) questioning gaze, Jamil feels cold sweat gather on his back. Damn, that’s embarrassing and since he’s only wearing a tank top he can’t hide his face. He chooses to look away and pretend he’s busy transferring the food from the pan to the plate. A perfect diversion if he says so himself. Just for a second to regain his composure. When he looks back, Kalim is crouching to the level of the rabbit.
“No, listen,” Kalim takes Mister Bunny in his hands and rubs their noses together, “Kalim is my name! Not yours, okay? Why would you think that…”
Jamil clears his throat. “It’s not that important. Come on, it’ll get cold.”
“Jamil…”
The look in Kalim's eyes screams that he suspects something but he doesn't say anything. Either out of respect for what's left of Jamil's pride (bad) or because he legitimately can't connect the dots (good).
* * *
The door makes too big of a noise when Kalim slams it on the way out. Absent-mindedly, Jamil thinks he is usually the one to storm out after a dispute. It’s almost refreshing for Kalim to be the one to do it instead – though it’s a bit worrying how much he rubbed off on his childhood friend – and something like satisfaction sparks in his chest. Not very appropriate for the moment though, if you consider they kind of just got in a fight. He remembers seeing Mister Bunny flee because of the noise, probably under the sofa or the cupboard which are his hiding places of choice.
Of course, he feels bad about it. Not enough to apologize or even recognize his own shortcomings but, hey, it’s a beginning. A few years ago, – when they had their first big fight, actually – he would have never felt that many regrets, but maybe that means he matured (not enough to actually apologize though). He still spits cruel words to Kalim on occasion but it's more like a habit he can't shake off than to hurt him truly. When he sits on the sofa, Mister Bunny is already there, looking at him with his accusatory red eyes.
“You’re the only Kalim here now,” Jamil whispers.
The day ends with Kalim (the rabbit) eating his lecture notes because apparently, his bunny senses determined Jamil is in the wrong for what happened earlier. Kalim (the human) comes back with a cake from a well-known bakery and some rabbit treats for the little demon in hand. Jamil has already prepared dinner, complete with all of Kalim’s favorite dishes – it’s a little too much food but they will manage.
Apologies are brief as usual – “I love you” and “I know” – and it’s not ideal but it fits them. Mister Bunny doesn’t apologize for forcing Jamil to contact Azul for his notes, yet Kalim insists on giving him a reward. Jamil thinks it’s his way of bullying him.
* * *
During a lecture, his phone lights up – the notifications are only on for one person so he unlocks it, expecting the usual “i forgot my keys (´；ω；｀)” text but he finds something else.
From: Kalim
💕💕💕 [bnuuy.jpeg]
The attached picture is of Mister Bunny in a rabbit-sized red hoodie. Another picture arrives shortly after, of Kalim with Mister Bunny in his lap. It takes a moment for Jamil to recognize Kalim is wearing one of his hoodies, presumably to match their rabbit’s outfit. It’s cute enough that Jamil saves the images before setting his phone down to listen to his teacher. (Later, Azul teases him about looking at his phone too much and he ignores him as usual.)
* * *
When Jamil comes home that night, it’s already late and the only sound in the apartment is coming from the television. But when he steps into the living room, Kalim is asleep on the sofa, in a frankly uncomfortable position – his head almost falling out of the headrest and one leg dangling off the couch. Covered in ill-fitting bandages, his right hand is covering Mister Bunny’s body whose little bunny head is tucked under Kalim’s chin and he seems deeply asleep too. Jamil turns off the TV, fetches a blanket from the bedroom, and lays it on the two sleepers.
Careful about not making any sound, his steps lead him to the kitchen. The dishes and pan by the sink are still wet and dripping on the counter but he remembers cooking something for Kalim before leaving, so the kitchen should have been left as it was this morning. When he opens the fridge, he finds an answer. Covered by a pan, there’s a plate of curry in there.
The sauce lacks flavoring, and the vegetables are weirdly cut, but he eats everything while thinking about how to repay the ones who waited for him.
* * *
Jamil is reading a novel, comfortably installed on the sofa when Kalim joins him silently. He buries his face in the crook of Jamil’s neck and stays like this while Jamil keeps turning the pages. It’s not the usual display of affection he has come to expect from Kalim, nor is it an invitation to bed – Kalim is just tired is all. Used to it, Jamil raises his hand to thread his fingers through Kalim’s hair from time to time without talking.
When he finishes the chapter he is currently reading, he reaches for the cup of coffee on the table but instead of warm ceramic, his hand meets with something soft. Sighing as quietly as possible not to disturb Kalim who’s still clinging to him, he gives up on getting his drink and starts petting Mister Bunny. Why did he even hop here? Is he imitating Kalim? Whatever. Soon, he also gives up on continuing his novel to fluff both Kalim’s hair and Mister Bunny’s fur.
(Jamil notes they’re both pretty similar in softness.)
* * *
When they go on errands and happen to buy new toys or foods for Mister Bunny – which is every time because, well, Kalim likes doing that – Jamil swallows his pride and lets his boyfriend pay. He did drag Kalim away from his family so he could have a semblance of a normal life and he doesn’t like Kalim using their money but what can a man do. A part-time job isn’t enough for a student to pay for all living expenses, especially with a pet at home – the apartment they live in too is a gift from the Al-Asims to Kalim. Until they can finally get by without them, maybe it’s not that bad to use that money on their rabbit.
Perhaps they should present Mister Bunny as Kalim’s legitimate heir.
“Jamil? Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing,” he finishes packing the groceries, “don’t worry about it.”
* * *
Jamil isn’t proud of it but he does hate insects with a burning passion. This is why he may or may not have screamed at the sight of one on the balcony before closing his eyes and hiding behind the TV stand. Thankfully, Kalim is home and understands the situation immediately. Jamil can only imagine (and he won’t) what is happening a few meters away from him as he hears the door to the outside open and Kalim steps into the balcony.
“Go away please, or I’ll have to scoop you up- wait Mister Bunny, don’t come here! Listen to Papa okay, don’t come here! No! Open your mouth! No creepy crawlies in the house or dad won’t be happy! Mister Bunny!”
Crunch.
“Noooooo!”
God, son or not, he isn’t approaching this rabbit ever again.
* * *
One afternoon after class, Jamil goes to one of the cafés near the campus, one he knows Azul frequents on the regular – information courtesy from Floyd. Without a word, he sits in front of his classmate and waits for the other man to look at him.
“Finally ready to officialize our friendship?”
“I wouldn't come here for that. I just want to start writing the next report since I have free time,” Jamil says as he takes out his laptop from his bag.
Azul may be annoying, but Jamil won't deny he is a good study partner. They knock out the outline of their next presentation pretty quickly. When they finally take a break, he orders a coffee – he does buy one for Azul too as a sign of gratitude – and he half-listens as the man in front of him starts talking about stuff that isn't about school.
“Remember the menu I asked Kalim-san to check for the Lounge?”
Jamil answers truthfully, “No”. He doesn't listen to Azul when he starts talking about his personal life and Kalim probably only mentioned it in an off-hand comment.
“I was expecting that. Anyway, we are finally serving it to the public starting tomorrow. If you're free, how about you come see us and try it?”
It's a tempting offer because he knows it's a free meal and Floyd isn't a bad cook. And since Kalim was the one that thought about it, the menu is probably to his tastes. Plus, it's not like anyone is waiting for his meals at home and he doesn't feel like doing anything right now.
“You can bring Kalim-san too, of course, we still didn't give him compensation for his time working with us.”
“Kalim isn't here at the moment.”
“Oh, did he finally leave you-”
“Of course not. He's at his parent's house for the week.”
From time to time, Kalim has to go back there to help his father with the company as the future head. It's not ideal but it's one of the conditions they had to accept to live together and Jamil has learned to deal with it. And he took Mister Bunny with him so he could meet Kalim's siblings other than the little Amira, so Jamil is alone.
“Simple question, but did he take your rabbit with him?”
“Yes,” Jamil reluctantly admits. “Why?”
“Are you sure it's not a separation? Because he took your kid with him.” Azul takes a sip of his coffee before smiling – and Jamil is close to his breaking point. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don't know why I'm still talking to you,” he finally says and sighs. “Just hurry up so we can go back to working.”
Jamil's eyes fall on his cup. He should drink it quickly too. The bitterness on his tongue helps him concentrate on his paper and the discussion is forgotten as they go back to their books and notes. The bustling atmosphere of the café isn't bad but it doesn't compare to being at home and having the people you love around you.
Jamil takes Azul on his word and swings by the Lounge the day after. Though he doesn't really remember what he talked about that night after he started drinking – he receives a text from Azul a little later that day with a “Kalim mention” counter along with a “rabbit mention” one and the numbers are way higher than what he's comfortable admitting. He doesn't talk about them that much, does he?
* * *
After getting into bed, Kalim starts talking. “Mister Bunny has been with us for almost a year, huh… We should-”
“No party.” Jamil tucks Kalim under the blanket and turns off the light. Now is not the time to start preparing parties – it's time to sleep.
“Why?! It’ll be fun!”
“No. Last time people came here he almost got crushed.”
“Floyd wouldn't have done it for real… I think.”
“It's a no, Kalim.”
“Then, just the two of us! We'll buy a cake made for bunnies and we'll get him a little hat! It'd be fine that way right?”
Silence. Jamil rolls his eyes despite knowing Kalim can't see him in the dark. He sure is bad at giving up and he sure likes throwing big parties for small celebrations – Jamil always knew that but still.
“I'll think about it but don't expect anything.”
Kalim doesn't seem to get the memo the conversation is over and Jamil is tired because he continues speaking. “Maybe we should give him a companion! And we’ll call him Mister Rabbit!”
“Can’t you think of another name-”
“And since you already gave Mister Bunny a nickname, you can do the same with our new son. Maybe you’ll call him Jamil or something!”
“You…”
“Hehe, thought I didn’t know? Too bad, right?”
“Whatever. But know that when I call Kalim from now on I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to him.”
“So he's your favorite Kalim? You don't need me anymore?”
Instead of an answer, Jamil kisses him – he narrowly misses his mouth as his eyes aren't used to the dark yet but he manages to touch his cheek at least. He may have two Kalims in his life right now but he still has only one favorite – as loathsome as it is to admit it.