Sometimes, things are too good to be true. Take escaping some bullies, for example. Zaid should have suspected kicking their leader between the legs would not have been a permanent solution to his bullying situation. While he’s, it was a dang good shot, it should not have been a final solution. Turns out, it really wasn’t. After leaving work rather late in the evening, he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps following him. To make matters worse, some of those footsteps seemed...heavier than normal.

He was still several blocks from home, and today he didn’t have much cash on him. His hoodie was over his ears so he wasn’t even drawing the usual attention. But when he took a quick turn to the right, the pursuers got closer.

Well, there was only one correct solution in this situation. Get the heck outta there!

Zaid spotted a close tree and made to jump for it, but mid-jump something grabbed the back of his collar and whooosh! He swung sideways in a crash coarse for the pavement. His hood flipped down, and he got a momentary glimpse of several faces before a kick hit him in the stomach, and he doubled over in pain. He recognized the scents now. These were the same jerks from before. And they brought a friend.

“Hey Jessica Rabbit, how’s it feel when we bring friends this time?”

He was yanked off his feet and shoved against a nearby wall. Through watery eyes he assessed the man holding him. ”My, what big eyes you have.” he coughed. His feet didn’t touch the ground, so this guy had to be in the six foot range at least. He started to move a leg when one of the bullies hit his ankle. He wasn’t sure if that was a kick or a punch but stats that hurt!

And yet, Zaid spent enough time in the city to have two defense systems. The first was run for your life, and hide like a good bunny. The other was what he liked to call the ‘Officer Hopps’ card. He turned his head ever so slightly, and gave a wry smile.

”Well, your use of intimidating gets a solid 10 this time. But if we are calling names, I prefer Judy, if you’d be so inclined. Jessica is a little provocative for my style.”

A fist was coming out of the corner of his eye in response. ”Oh stars, not the face! I have a date Friday!”

When one was trying to sort out something Erik found a walk in the brisk winter air to be rather refreshing. Primarily of which on his mind this particular day was his fine luck in landing a excellent woman and thinking up ways to ensure he didn't royally screw it up. Normally he would just walk around in a shirt and pants, but he wasn't one for attention today so threw on a leather jacket to appease the curious, annoying masses. He drank deep the chill air into his lungs and set about his refreshing contemplative walk. 

Minutes later his mental gears had ground down to a proverbial standstill and came up with no brilliance in regards to relationships in general. Grumbling to himself until he heard, "My, what big eyes you have." Erik blinked out of his thinking haze and looked around. Was someone coming onto him and he wasn't paying attention? Looking hastily around to discover he wasn't unintentionally snubbing someone with a sigh of relief. That action proved to be short lived as he took in the scene. His brain snapped into combat assessment mode. Bullies. Bunny Ears=Probable Mutant.

Unfortunately for the assembled crew Erik hated bullies. The only thing he hated worse were people who picked on mutants. Of course the only thing he hated worse then people bullying mutants was slave traders. Making two out of three on his 'a**holes most wanted' list was never a winning proposition to whomever it was. Erik would get his pound of flesh eventually. Equally relevant was his thorough enjoyment of a good fight. Everything was coming up Aces in Zaid's good favor today. 

As it looked like the men were intent on messing up the mutant's pretty face he slipped his hands out of his jacket pocket and sprinted to close the distance. Military tactic blitzkrieg! Shrugging aside anyone in the direct path with the efficiency of a bulldozer to slap a hand on the wrist coming for the victims face to divert it into the wall and snapped a leg out into the man's kneecap with a hair raising crack. A quick shove pushed the man away as his grip loosened around Zaid and Erik was there to pull him free from what was about to be a grand melee. Erik didn't even realize he was grinning like a norse berserker of legend. "You alright?" He managed before the fastest recovering thug from his shocke and awe tactic slugged him across the face causing Erik to cut quiet before a bark of a laugh left him and he threw himself into the guys out for blood.  

The advantage of being part Bunny was quick reflexes. He wasn’t exactly feline with agility, but he managed to land on his feet when he captor went flying. Falling? It was a bit hard to tell what exactly happened because someone was pulling him out of the chaos. His sass melted with waves of fresh anxiety crashing into him. Now that he wasn’t staring face to face with the jerks he was realizing how frightening that had been. The new arrival asked if he was okay.

”I’m fi—oh stars and aces!” A punch landed on his rescuer, and the laugh it drew made Zaid’s tail tremble. Fists were flying now, and Zaid had only one thought: retreat! As he turned to make a jump for the nearest ledge, one of the assailants wound his arm back for a punch, and there was a WHAP as elbow met Zaid’s face. He went down with a yelp, and put his arms over his head in a very dignified squeak of fear. Why did he ever get a job in the first place? Screw this! If he had a black eye later he was going to seriously have words with someone!

Clearly, the bullies were on the losing side of things because one after another seemed to stop fighting. Zaid was trying not to look. There was a limit to how much violence he wanted to watch. ”I just want ramen and video games, is that so much to ask?” he muttered to himself.

With enthusiastic gusto Erik fought until all the men were down. To Erik it seemed to end just as he was getting warmed up and he sighed wistfully. It was just what the doctor ordered! Well metaphorically anyway. Some of them were going to want to see a doctor. Erik had been careful not to leave them with anything life threatening. That still left an assortment of broken or cracked bones sprinkled about the lot of them. The worst had a single arm broken with a matching broken wrist and Erik couldn't clearly remember why until he moved to turn to look at his charge and felt a sharp pain in his side and saw the knife handle sticking out. After a moments consideration he shrugged and knelt by Zaid. 

His voice considerably more calm and genteel now the danger had passed. "You alright?" Looking the bunny over without touching unless he got a response either way. "Its ok it is all over and I doubt they will be picking a fight with you anytime soon." Glancing at the groaning assembly of men with a self satisfied smirk. Erik figured it was about 50/50 odds on him freaking the fellow mutant out. You never knew how a person was going to act in a situation like that as they came off the adrenaline high. 

Zaid’s ears had followed the fight closely. It was hard to block out the sounds of broken bones, and it made him feel a little uncomfortable despite the satisfaction knowing the bullies got what was coming to them. In fact, bullies seemed a little generous for what they were. Thugs had been a closer assessment. Then there was the scent of blood he always disliked. It left an iron flavor in his mouth just being around it. Wait, that was the taste of his own bloody nose. He touched his face carefully and flinched. Well, so much for his cute face. His nose wasn’t broken though so that was a relief.

>>”You alright?”

This time there was no interruption, so Zaid nodded. Then his eyes widened like marbles as he spotted the knife still stuck in the guys side. ”I’m okay but uh, do you generally use your side to store weaponry? That looks a little serious.” his brain was trying to process everything. The guy was clearly strong enough to take out all these thugs, but did that mean he was just strong or invincible? Did he need a doctor? ”If it is serious please warn me now because if you pass out there is no way I’m going to be able to carry you anywhere.” he needed to stop getting rescued by guys. He was feeling like a damsel in distress.

lAnd I really hope your right. If they come back with even bigger friends next time I’m going to think this is personal.” he looked normal except for the fact his leg was now shaking a little uncontrollably. Just a bunny having a nervous breakdown. That was perfectly fine.

In his best attempt to lighten the mood a bit he chuckled. "Not usually. Feels about as well as a few inches of steel can, but if I just yanked it out blood would get everywhere." Shrugging cause to him it wasn't a big deal. A punch in the face and a knife to the side to take down 4 people. He needed more practice. "Don't worry I am sure you would be capable of a speedy 911 call if nothing else." Smiling in spite of himself. "Can you stand? I can carry you if you need me too, but we should get out of here before we get tied up answering police questions for a few hours." Maintaining the same unflappable attitude as ever. Erik was an equal opportunity distress rescuer.

The knife clattered out of his side with far less blood then any normal person had a right to bleed. Tucking the offending piece of metal into his belt and throwing his jacket and shirt over it to hide the evidence. "Well if that happens you can give me a call. Name's Erik, who might you be? Try to focus on talking so you don't go into shock and I get the awkward experience of carrying your unconscious self somewhere safe." The nervous tick had him a little concerned and he placed a reassuring hand on Zaid's shoulder and gave it a soft pat along with flashing Zaid a brilliant grin as he focused on keeping the cute bun distracted. Afterall the knife could have easily been meant for him once all the pretenses of being 'bullied' were disposed with. Some people just couldn't stand mutants.

Okay, so getting stabbed was no big deal for this stranger. Zaid wasn’t sure if he was impressed or a little freaked out. Actually, probably impressed. When you were a bunny any mutant that had the ability to defend you from dangerous people was good to have on your side. Even if his meat gods were a bit, messy. When Javier rescued him last time there was a lot less blood, that was for sure.

>>”Can you stand?”

Could he? Despite the leg twitches, Zaid scrambled to his feet. Now the shaking was reserved more for his hands, and he could handle that. He fixed his clothing quickly so his ears were safely back in his hoodie. Now he just like your average teenager with a bloody nose. Whoops! He put a hand up before he got his own blood anywhere. It was a very slow bleed at least. ”I can walk, but my visibility is a little limited for the moment. Which way are we fleeing? You may have to lead.” the blood was making it hard for him to pick up scents as well. He realized he used his Bose to find his way home more than he expected. This was inconvenient.

Then omg, the guy smiled at him. Why were cute guys rescuing and smiling at him lately? Don’t do that to the bunnies heart! If nothing else, he was definitely distracted now. Although, he was rather attached to his new friend Jude already. Maybe it was the fact that they spent time wearing bunny ears together. Bunny bonding, you know? But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a weakness for being rescued and smiled at.

When the bunny decided he was ok Erik had to scramble up to keep from colliding with the bundle of energy. The fact Zaid was still shaking though left him concerned. He supposed not everyone entered into potential life or death situations on and regular basis like he did. Still he looked more than a little banged up. Noting the bit of a nose bleed he reached into his jacket sleeve and yanked the fabric off from the shoulder before offering it to the bunny so someone's clothes could be salvaged at least. 

"Anywhere but here at the moment. You live close?" Careful to maintain a soothing tone as well as placing a hand gently at his back for security and reassurance or if he had to catch the fading guy. Erik hoped the extra warmth was reassuring too. Treating the bunny man as if he had shock. Afterall he hadn't really answered who he was. That had to be a sign of brain trauma right? Perhaps it wasn't entirely cosher to be ready for Zaid to drop like some invalid after a few stops and meet the cold hard concrete, but it was better safe than sorry.

After being offered the fabric Zaid gratefully used it to collect the blood. It was extra distracting since it was full of some strangers new scent and his brain wanted to process too much at once. Pain, smells, blood, knife. Wait, why had their been a knife anyway? Then he started to remember the rest of the guys comments. Erik, that was the name he had given. ”I’m Zaid. Sorry, I got a little distracted. Do you think I’m going to have a black eye? It feels like it’s bruised. Man I told them not to hit my face... oh, I live around here. Uh, somewhere. Hang on, let me get my address up, I can’t see crap right now.”

He fished out his phone and unlocked it, locating maps and asking it to take him home. The little red blinker flashed and he held up the phone for Eric to see. He was regretting that his phone case had a cartoon rabbit on it now. The little bunny ears seemed childish when he was standing here with a nose bleed. ”I live in this apartment complex. Hopefully that makes sense.”

Behind them there was yelling and Zaid tried to move faster. The hand on his back was comforting and embarrassing at the same time. He felt like a helpless animal being rescued. Maybe he was a helpless animal? He should have taken a kick at those guys when he had the chamce. This was just getting silly now.

Zaid seemed to be doing better if how much he was talking was any indication. A little amused chuckle slipping from him before he shrugged. "Cool name. You have had a busy night so no need to be sorry. If we hurry and get some frozen peas or ice on it we might be able to prevent a full on raccoon eye, but if it knocked you down like that something is definitely going to show. Sorry, most thugs strangely aren't all that keen on talking requests." So much for an evening of philosophical contemplation, ah well. 

Well Zaid's phone certainly had personality. A smile breaking free when he saw the cartoon rabbit with a bit of lamentation by job and mutant requirement his own was very utilitarian black in its futile attempt to be indestructible. A brisk nod confirmed their destination. "I am familiar with it thanks. Closer than anywhere I else I could think to take you." 

Hearing the yelling he picked up the pace with Zaid. The poor guy seemed a bit deflated in needing rescued. "There is nothing wrong with not being a fighter. All things considered I think you handled yourself quite well." Was his tentative attempt to soothe some ruffled.. fur? Erik was NOT the sort of person you went to for a pep talk. The Russian had only recently broken out of his shell and still prefered actions to words. "I would suggest a different job or taking a different route altogether next time." The wake of destruction he left didn't seem to be calming down anytime soon. Hearing a shout that was no doubt directed at them he muttered a fast, but sincere. "Sorry!" Before scooping Zaid up in his arms and taking off running. Pride and embarrassment were secondary to their immediate needs! Given his own raised temperature the journey would be warm and comfortable at least.    

Zaid was disappointed with Erik's evaluation of his eye. While he was hoping it wouldn't show, he knew that was a long shot. With his fair skin, he was probably going to look like a raccoon one way or another. Hopefully it would heal fast. He knew work would never let him get away with wearing sunglasses to hide the shiner anyway. But if he kept his hat low enough, maybe it would be okay.

>>"I think you handled yourself quite well."

Zaid gave Erik a doubtful look. "You don't have to protect my ego. There is only so much a bunny can do to look tough." He did frown at the mention of switching jobs though. "There aren't many places that will work with me to keep my mutation under wraps, so a new job isn't a great plan. But I may be able to find a different way home. At least they haven't followed me very far so the general path is safe."

And then, he was scooped off the ground. His hood fell down from the sudden movement, and two rabbit ears sprang right up in front of Erik's face. "Ack, sorry!" Zaid freed one hand and fixed the hood, momentarily feeling a tickle where his fur met breathe. There was a good chance Erik got a mouth of fur. It probably tasted like coffee, considering he just came from work. He tried not to flinch as his tail was squashed momentarily, and there were a few moments of confusion where his hood was covering his eyes, one hand against his nose, and an abnormally warm person was carrying him. He did his best to stay still until the movement stopped, and eventually, he could tell that they had reached his apartment building. His ear twitched inside his jacket, and he noted that there were no sounds of pursuit.

"Uh, I can walk from here." Zaid waited until he was back on his feet, and led the way to his door. After confirming his nose had stopped bleeding he fished inside his pocket and retrieved his keys, unlocking the door. He froze for a second, glancing back at Erik. "Uh, sorry if it's a little messy. I don't really get visitors." He hoped he at least put his laundry away.

When the door swung open, his eyes did a quick scan of the room. It was small, with a simple kitchenette, a stacked washer and dryer, and a bed tucked around the corner. He had a computer wedged to one side, the single chair set between the T.V. and the computer monitor. His gaming console was on a table, and various nerdy mugs were spread on different surfaces. The wall had a number of posters, including Legend of Zelda, and the open closet had a couple of his cosplays hanging alongside several jackets. His bookshelf was hidden by a laundry basket, thankfully, so his manga collection wasn't on full display. And despite the number of random figurines laying out, it was as clean as he could hope. It looked like a college dormitory for the most part.

Zaid slipped off his shoes by the door and swapped into a pair of slippers, an old habit from when he lived in Japan. He scurried to the kitchen, turning on the sink so he could clean the blood of his hands. "Uh, you can sit wherever. I'm sorry, it's kind of a small place." Honestly, it probably felt a bit like a rabbit burrow. New York was known for these hole in the wall type lofts, which had expensive rent and little living space. [/b]

It was clear Erik had forgotten about the ears or at the very least hadn't considered they would get in his face. A soft 'ptspspsp' as he ran and tried to clear the fur from his mouth. A new experience he won't soon forget. Coffee ala fur certainly wasn't going to be the newest flavor coming to a chain restaurant near you. He was pretty sure he had gotten most of it out of his mouth by the time they reached the apartment.

"Hmm? Oh yeah sorry." Almost forgetting he had been carrying the bun. It wasn't much of a strain and he didn't really get tired as far as he knew. The hesitating pause earned Zaid a silent eyebrow raise. Erik rarely got to see the inside of normal people place. They also always claimed to be messy. A surety of fact unless you were affluent enough to have a maid. Since the apartment building ran on the cheap side of what New York had to offer and the fact Zaid was a barista pretty much told him that wasn't the case.

So Erik just grunted then shrugged waiting for the bunny boy to let them in. Appraising eyes looked around and he noted it mentally for some future reference of whenever he was graced to go into some other strangers house for comparison. Lately it was just rich people and their excess. More humbling surroundings suited him just fine. The bunny zipped to the kitchen sink and he made sure the door was secured before untying his own boots and slipping them off regardless of how long he might be staying. "Don't worry about it mine isn't much bigger." Was his probably pathetic attempt to console the nervous bun, he hung up his jacket and meandered around the place curiously. The cosplays caused him to stop and tilt his head curiously. Truly lost to their purpose until he made it to the bookshelf and raised an eyebrow. Japanese was not on his radar as far as languages he remotely knew and as he went to reach for one he stopped as he saw the blood on his knuckles.

Thinking better of it he poked his head into what served as a kitchen. "I need to wash up as well." Holding up his own bloodied hand with a smirk and a shrug. 

Inside the apartment, Erik was polite enough to remove his shoes, which actually made Zaid feel more comfortable around him. It felt weird to ask people to use slippers in his tiny apartment, but it also felt odd when shoes tracked through his small living space. Maybe it was just leftover emotions from living in Japan. He quirked an ear at Erik’s comment about his living space. ”I guess a lot of apartments are pretty small in this city. Still, it isn’t exactly a place to throw a house party.”

Noticing Erik go for the bookshelf, his heart leapt to his throat. While they were mostly in Japanese, that didn’t stop some of them from having some rather explicit scenes. Even the fluffiest Yaoi could have a spicy page or two. Thankfully, Erik changes his mind and came over to clean up.

”Here’s a towel. Don’t worry about it getting dirty, I can do laundry when you leave. You got injured because of me anyway,” he apologized.

”I only have one ice pack I think... not sure what else can help. Are you still hurt anywhere? I mean, you seemed to recover quickly.” he opened the freezer to examine the contents.

"Hm? Oh I live in a second floor loft above my landlandy. She is a sweetheart." It was, after all the furnishings and bookshelves, probably smaller than the Zaid's. Eyebrows fluffed up in interest at the mention of a towel. Was it that bad? Erik hadn't even given the mess he had much of thought until just then. "Don't worry about it. I like helping people regardless of looking like a brute." It was a crappy attempt at a joke, but the guy seemed nervous enough as it was. 

"You better use the pack for your face, I will be ok. You will probably get a shiner, but I am sure you don't want it to swell so bad it you can't see." Without ceremony or even any thought that it was a big deal he stripped off his shirt and looked at his side. Wetting the towel he scrubbed the blood off his side. Not even a scar. Not that he expected much different. Once that was all cleaned up he moved to clean the leftovers off his hands. "I should also check to see if you have a concussion. You're not feeling dizzy or anything are you?"

Zaid didn't know his landlord very well. He did know they were NOT a sweetheart, and the less they interacted, the better. Some landlords just seemed to wait around to raise your rent or fine you when they felt like it. It took a lot of convincing for him to avoid an extra pet fee just because of his ears. 'I only have a tiny bit of fur on me, I'm not going to damage any furniture." Yeah, that had been an argument and a half. "That sounds cool. I'm glad you like her." Zaid wondered if that was weird to say. He always seemed to react positively to things people said. If one of the girls at work said they got a new hat, he would be excited with them. He was just socially awkward all around.

With Erik's suggestion, Zaid applied the ice pack to his face, flinching slightly at the contact. He had place a towel around it but it still stung a bit. With one eye covered, he was spared a bit of the awkwardness of having a shirtless man in his kitchen. Only a little though. I already know I like guys, why does the universe have to keep testing me like this? He thought desperately. What would Jude look like without a shirt? Suddenly he wanted to know. It took effort to clear his head of that awkward wondering.

"I'm not dizzy, I think my nose took most of the hit." Zaid answered, pointing at the point on the bridge of his nose where he was developing the most bruising. "No dizziness--" other than from the mental image of hot shirtless men, stars, that needed to end before his cheeks got red, or Erik would worry he had a fever.