The Duke's Killer Rabbit [BL]

Not wasting a second, Clint hopped fast, paws hitting the soft grass with quick, quiet beats, heart pounding as he tried to catch up without drawing attention from the Duke.

He darted between a bush and a small bench and was just a few feet away from Elric's fluttering robe when he crouched and jumped forward aiming straight for the wizard's pocket where the potion bottle was hidden.

But just as he leapt mid-air—

POP.

His body twisted violently, ears shrank, limbs stretched, bones cracked with a familiar pull, and in a flash of light and heat, he was suddenly human again arms outstretched, bare chest forward, eyes wide with shock.

"What the—?!" Elric barely had time to gasp before Clint's full human weight crashed into him.

Both of them fell to the ground with a heavy thud, Elric landing flat on his back in the grass, and Clint sprawled awkwardly on top of him, one hand braced against the man's chest, the other gripping the fabric of his robes.

Elric's glasses slid down his nose, his hair slightly messy now, and his eyes wide in absolute disbelief.

Clint blinked once, then twice, his face hovering inches from Elric's as the wizard stared up in stunned silence.

"…Well," Clint muttered under his breath, still breathless. "That didn't go as planned."

. As Elric lay there stunned on the ground, still processing how someone had suddenly jumped him, Clint slipped his hand into the folds of the healer's robe, trying to grab the small bottle of potion he'd seen earlier.

But Elric reacted fast.

His hand clamped around Clint's wrist before Clint could pull anything out. In one sharp movement, Elric twisted and rolled, switching their positions in an instant.

Clint grunted as his back hit the grass, and Elric now pinned him down, eyes serious, grip strong for a man who looked like he should be buried in books.

"Who are you?" Elric demanded, voice low and tight.

"You don't have to know, Now get off me." Clint frowned, trying to pull his hand free, but Elric wasn't letting go.

His calm face was gone, he looked sharp now, focused, alert like someone trained to deal with dangerous surprises.

Then Elric's eyes shifted to the side. He spotted movement in the garden.

It was the Duke.

Elric's jaw clenched. Without letting go of Clint, he stood and dragged him up with him, quickly pulling him out of the open and into a narrow alley between two stone walls where the Duke wouldn't see them.

Once they were out of sight, Elric shoved Clint's back against the wall with a thud and stepped close.

"Are you a thief?" he hissed. "Or a spy? You were trying to steal something from me, what do you want?!"

Clint blinked, caught off guard more by Elric's tone than the shove. For the past few days, the man had been calm, gentle, maybe a little curious, but not like this. Not someone who shouted.

Clint gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath, "Two-faced bastard."

Then, he stepped down hard on Elric's foot. The healer almost cried out in pain, mouth opening then quickly covered it with his own hand, glancing toward the garden where the Duke might still be nearby.

Clint took the moment to pull himself free, but didn't run because he might bump the Duke and turn into bunny.

He stood back, frowning, thinking fast. 'I need to come up with a reason… I can't just say I'm the damn bunny.' 

He looked down at his hands, then up again, thinking. 'But it's been like this for a while now… there are times I can transform and times I can't. It doesn't happen whenever I want…'

His brows drew together in confusion. 'So what's the trigger? When I was near the Duke… I changed without meaning to. But when I got away… I turned human again. Don't tell me it's because I'm away from him?'

Clint turned to the side, hand going to his chin, deep in thought.

"Hey! You-!" Elric, still holding his foot and scowling, watched him. The sun broke through the clouds, casting a warm glow that slipped between the walls and caught Clint's face.

Elric's gaze narrowed.

Now that the sunlight hit him clearly, he could see more details the strange clothes that didn't belong to any known region, slightly wrinkled and marked with dry patches of red, the messy black hair that brushed the back of his neck, and then those eyes sharp amber, striking even in the daylight.

Elric frowned. 'Just where is this guy from?' He studied him again from the toes up worn sneakers, strange fitted pants, and a casual black shirt with no crest or noble seal.

Then Elric blurted out without thinking, "Are you one of the Duke's lovers?"

Clint turned to him slowly, expression flat but disgusted. "What the fuck are you saying?"

He blinked, then his face twitched in realization. "So the Duke really is into guys?!" and thought 'That crazy blonde wasn't joking?!'

Elric sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "No, He's not… So who are you, really? What are you doing in the Duke's estate? Do you even understand what could happen to you for sneaking in?" His tone was no longer angry, just tired and wary.

Clint looked at him flatly. 'I don't have time to stay here and chat with this tower guy.' He shifted his weight slightly and reached out toward Elric's robe, aiming for the inner pocket where he had seen the potion earlier.

But Elric stepped back quickly, hand swiping his robe protectively. "Oi, what do you think you're doing?" he snapped, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You must be the one who's into men! Trying to touch me now?"

Clint's brows twitched in irritation. "What? Are you insane? I'm not trying to touch you!" he snapped, stepping forward again. "Just stop moving!"

But Elric sidestepped again, robes swaying, clearly avoiding Clint on purpose. "You're not even denying it properly," he said with a scowl. "Don't go throwing your hands on me!"

Clint's hand fell back to his side, his face now clearly annoyed. "I'm not into you, I'm into that bottle you're hiding."

That made Elric freeze for a second, eyes narrowing again as he clutched the potion pocket tighter. "So… you were trying to steal something from me."

Clint clenched his jaw, realizing he'd said too much. 'Tch… too fast. I let that slip.' He turned away slightly, clicking his tongue.

"You're suspicious," Elric muttered. "And weird."

"Right back at you," Clint muttered under his breath.

The two stared at each other tensely, neither one backing down yet, both annoyed and neither knowing what the hell the other's deal really was.