Chapter Text
Jinu had no idea what exactly compelled him to get the plush toy, and now his brain is trying to decide whether or not giving this to the woman it reminded him of would get him killed or not.
He had seen it through a window display while walking through Myeongdong. Having only been brought back to life a few months ago, one of the things Rumi suggested he do to get acclimated with modern human life was to explore Seoul to see exactly how life in Korea had evolved ever since his time. He never really thought about doing so during his tenure as the Saja Boys’ leader, and hadn’t been able to go far in his first month or so back due to Zoey and Mira (mostly Mira) having a pretty strict eye on him, which he never blamed them for.
But now, with things being much less tense between them and him becoming the unofficial fourth member of Huntr/x, he’s been making sure he didn’t take his second chance for granted. And so started his habit of exploring new corners of Seoul he’s never seen before after work or whatever errand he had that day, made easier with the fact that, despite turning half-human, he could still teleport. So there he was, in his public disguise consisting of a baggy hoodie, deep red sunglasses, and a silly looking face mask courtesy of Zoey, walking past the stalls and shops that dotted the district, warm Ginseng tea in hand, when he saw it.
On the window display of a small toy store sat a set of palm-sized plushies of the same white rabbit, each having a different cartoony expression. There was one with a big toothy grin, one with a shocked expression, another one holding a comically large gift in its hands. But the one that caught Jinu’s attention was the one where the white rabbit had its tiny arms crossed, a pouty scowl on its face, with a sewn on vein on its forehead. Jinu wasn’t really one to collect things, but he knew the girls were huge plushie fans. Rumi’s room alone had a ton of stuffed teddy bears from both her childhood and adulthood.
He stared at the tiny rabbit and snorted to himself. ‘Heh. Kinda looks like Mira.’
It wasn’t exactly an inaccurate comparison. While Rumi and Zoey always told him that Mira was, in their words, a “giant softie” deep down, from the time that he’s known her, she only really ever looks so serious, her signature scowl never far behind if she saw something that annoyed her, like Sussie stealing some of her jewellery and making a nest out of them, or whenever a work out session didn’t help with improving her mood. The only time he’s seen her smile was when she’d look at her sisters-in-arms fondly, if she was planning on doing something mischievous, or the (admittedly terrifying) joy she feels when taking down faceless demons the Underworld would occasionally vomit out like cannon fodder.
Without even realizing it, his feet had taken him inside the toy store, the clerk’s “Welcome!” passing him by as he approached the wall that held the plushies. He spots the scowling one and grabs it off the rack. He honestly had no clue what exactly was compelling him to buy it, but one thing was for certain: he was not going back home without this cartoonishly annoyed little thing with him. And so he takes it to the register, pays, and goes on his way.
Now within the penthouse’s elevator, he was starting to second guess his decision. ‘Would me giving her a gift come off as weird?’ he pondered as he adjusted the carrier of drinks in his arms, his new rabbit friend inside his shoulder bag.
‘I mean, friends give other friends gifts all the time right?’ he frowned. ‘But… I don’t even know if she sees me as a friend. For all I know she’s just been tolerating me for Rumi’s sake. I mean it’s not like I’d blame her,
but…’
For some reason, the possibility of Mira still not seeing him as a friend stung a lot more than he expected. A part of him feels as though he doesn’t deserve to feel this way. Despite having been given a second chance, he still did what he did. He had hurt them in more ways than one, even past his death. It was a miracle that she’d even bother giving him a chance to prove himself.
She didn’t owe him her friendship.
He knew that.
His pondering was interrupted as the elevator doors opened, revealing the living room on the other side. Rumi leaned against the back of the living room couch, scrolling on her phone. Zoey was sprawled across the cushions watching a nature documentary, and Mira sat at the kitchen island, snacking on a bag of shrimp chips. Their heads snapped up at the sound of the elevator doors. Rumi’s face brightened instantly, and she skipped over to plant a quick kiss on Jinu’s cheek. His face flushed red. He doubts he'll ever get used to that.
"Hey, welcome back!" she greeted.
"Hi. Sorry I took a while," Jinu said, gently shaking the carrier in his hands. "Got a little distracted, but I brought drinks."
The girls perked up. Zoey scrambled off the couch, tripping over a napping Derpy in the process, as they all came over to claim their cups.
“Aww, Thanks, babe,”
“Thanks Jinu!”
“Thanks,”
As they settled back into their routines, Jinu shrugged off his jacket and took off his sunglasses. His hand brushed against his shoulder bag. A cowardly part of him wanted to back out—to pretend he bought the toy for himself and just let it sit awkwardly on his and Rumi’s nightstand. But he knew that wasn't fair. And plus, Rumi would immediately clock that something was up, and he’s learned to never doubt Rumi’s intuition.
‘Don’t be so dramatic about this. It’s just a toy. If she doesn’t want it, then it’s fine. It’s not like it’ll kill you.’
He must’ve been staring at Mira the entire time he was in head because she had since approached him and flicked at his forehead.
"Ack! Hey! What was that for?" Jinu yelped, rubbing his head.
"Dude, you’ve been staring at me for like thirty seconds. It was getting weird," Mira said, her expression unreadable. "What is it?"
Jinu sighed. He reached into his bag, pulled out the small rabbit plushie, and held it out to her.
“I saw this at a store while passing through Myeongdong.” He said, refusing to look her in the eyes. “It, uh, reminded me of you so I figured, ‘why not?’” He finally looks her in the eyes. “And… Yeah. That’s, uh, that’s about it.”
Mira’s eyebrows shot up slightly in surprise. Jinu bought her something? She slowly took the plushie from his hand and held it in hers, examining it. She looked at the rabbit’s exaggerated pout and crossed arms, looking like the most annoyed mammal in the world. She then looked back up at Jinu.
“You bought me this because… it reminded you of me?” She asked, her face looking unimpressed.
Jinu’s cheeks burned. "I-I mean, I didn't mean any offense by it! I know you guys like plushies, and I was already there, so I figured I'd just—"
A sudden snort cut off his rambling. Mira started to snicker, her grip tightening slightly on the toy. “So you really aren’t some heartless demon, after all.” She teased.
“H-Hey!” Jinu said indignantly. Then he felt Mira gently smack the back of her hand on his chest, chuckling.
“Thanks man. I, uh, appreciate it.” She held out a closed fist towards him. Jinu looked at it before chuckling a little.
He bumped his fist with her’s. “Anytime, Mira.”
Mira smirked at that. “Wait, anytime?” She asked, her teasing voice returning.
Jinu shoved her gently with his shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.”
The two continued to banter with one another, both completely oblivious of the pictures Rumi and Zoey’s ere taking of them, the two cooeing at how nice it was to see them get along.
Ever since then, their dynamic had shifted. The tense and awkward exchanges were replaced by playful jabs, snickering at inside jokes neither Rumi nor Zoey got. They’d even spar from time to time, with Mira training Jinu so he could become an even more efficient hunter alongside them (Mira always won, but she had to admit, he was getting by the day).
The next time Jinu saw the little white rabbit was a month later, when Mira was leaving for a photo shoot. There it was, the scowling little thing, attached to her hand bag.
Jinu smiled. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it felt nice.