Snake and Bunny

Luckily, Snake Plissken’s fight was over. He had won. Everyone had fled the scene, there were more pressing matters for them to attend to. Or so he had thought. Snake’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sniffling. 

Having gotten out of the boxing ring he stood up at alert, looking for the source of the noise. And there it was, one person who hadn’t left the bleachers, sobbing into black oversized sleeves. 

Did they not care about what everyone else had run away so quickly for? 

Snake approached them. Slowly. As to not startle them in their already terrible disposition. He had plenty of time, his mission had no time limit.

“Hey.” He said in a soft voice that could still be noticed. 

They yelped in fear. Wide, teary eyes looked up at him from damp sleeves as they scurried backwards away from him. 

“Hey. You’re okay. I won’t hurt you.” He said, sincerely. He didn’t move any further, as to not scare them anymore than he already had. 

Snake was fascinated with them. He couldn’t decipher why. They wore a tattered pair of rabbit ears attached to a headband on their head. 

The softness of his words seemed to effectively calm them, as they straightened themselves back up. “A-are you okay?” They asked.

Him? Was he okay? “Let me ask you the same thing.” Snake said, finally approaching them more to take a seat next to them, which they allowed without any further fear.

He towered over them, even though they were sitting down. “Why are you crying?” 

“They… they forced me to be here…” They said, between sniffles. “T-t-t-to make me… b-braver… they think this is the way to make me b-b-braver…” They began to sob, burying their face right back into their oversized turtleneck’s sleeves.

Clearly, there was more context needed, but Snake didn’t need to know it right now. He instead let them cry it out. Figured they needed it. He was so damned curious about them, though.

When their sobbing slowed back down to a simple cry, and their face was unburied from their sleeves, Snake resumed with another question. “What has you so afraid?” 

They immediately turned away from him. “No! No fuckin’ way I’m tellin’ you that! You’ll just use it against me!!” Their sobbing resumed, except their back faced him this time. Welp, back to square one. 

While they were facing away, Snake noticed that aside from the ears atop their head, they also wore a rabbit’s tail, clearly cheaply made for some kind of Halloween costume, matching the quality of their ears.

He figured he’d save that question for another time, then. Maybe he could try a different one? “Can I ask about your… rabbit garb?” He didn’t know how else to put it. 

Their sobbing came to a stop once again, and they turned back around to face him. “Heh… you’re gonna think I’m another one of these crazies for this…” They laughed nervously. “But I’ve got no reason to be dishonest about this. I’m a rabbit. Through and through.” 

Snake didn’t get it. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean I’m a rabbit! Simple as that! This uh, this ain’t the right body. I’m supposed to have paws, and fur, and a little v-shaped nose…” Their eyebrows furrowed in sadness. “But I had to be born a human… a stupid member of this gruesome cruel fucking species. God. Fuck.” They rested their elbow on their knee and their sleeve-covered palm on their forehead. 

Snake had never heard of anything like this before. But he could tell they’ve been through a lot, especially from living here around these people. He figured he had no place to judge them. He didn’t know what to say, so he reached out and rested his hand in between their “rabbit ears,” giving their head a comforting pet. 

They closed their eyes in contentment, something they never thought they’d feel again. A contented sigh escaped them. “Thanks.” 

Snake withdrew his hand, seeing his attempt to comfort them had succeeded. 

The bunny-clad one couldn’t help but ask, “But seriously, are you okay?” 

“Why do you care?” Snake asked, not in a passive aggressive way, but out of genuine curiosity as to why they cared about his well being.

“That guy beat you up pretty bad, I’m sure you’re hurt… I-I have some bandages if you need some…” They said, looking at the small, brown satchel they wore over their shoulder.

“Oh, no, I’m okay.” Snake said, knowing he could handle the pain. He figured they might’ve cared because they’ve heard of him, but that didn’t seem to be the case. 

“No, no… l-let me help you. A-as thanks. For not laughing at me about my whole bunny thing.” They reached into their satchel and pulled out a little box. They unwrapped a bandage, which had a Cookie Monster pattern on it. 

Normally Snake would’ve said no immediately to that, seeing how childish it would look on him, but right now he didn’t mind it. “Sh-show me one of your cuts.” They said, and Snake obliged, leaning down towards them and showing them one that he had gotten on his forehead. Damned nail bat. 

They leaned up and slowly and carefully placed the soft pad of the bandage right where the cut was. Then they leaned back and said, “Y-you can take it off if people make fun of you. These fuckers are mean.” 

“If someone makes fun of me I’ll kill them.” He smiled at them. 

They smiled back. It was the first time they had genuinely smiled out of happiness in who knows how many years, and it showed. It showed to Snake.

“By the way, what should I call you?” Snake asked, before he forgot to. 

“Oh, um… y-you can just call me bunny. If you like.” They said, unsure.

“Bunny it is.” Snake nodded. “Call me Snake. Not sure if you’ve heard of me or not.” 

“I-I haven’t, actually…” They looked at the floor. “S-s-sorry…” 

Snake let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, don’t apologize. I’m glad someone out here doesn’t know who I am.” 

Bunny looked back up at him, relieved. “N-nobody out here really likes you, Snake… um… w-well I guess that’s a bit of an understatement.”

“Oh, trust me. I know. I’m glad I made it out of that fight alive.” 

“I’m glad too!! These fuckers don’t need any more murder victories!” They sighed. “Sorry. I’m just so goddamn tired of seeing everyone so excited over fucking violence.” 

“No need to apologize. I get it. …is that why you were crying?” He figured he’d try asking again. 

“Ah… p-partially, yeah…” Bunny looked away again. “I-I just uh… I have this fear, y’know… a-a real bad one. They keep thinking, oh, if we just keep exposing them to what makes them break the fuck down, eventually they’ll get braver about it and they won’t cry about it anymore! Which is so fucking stupid!! And then they get mad at me for breaking down about it!!! Like of course I fucking broke down, idiot, you know what makes me panic and you knowingly expose me to it!! All that’ll do is make me fucking hate you!!!” They slammed their fist into the bleacher in frustration. Then they really started crying. 

Impulsively, Snake leaned down and wrapped his arms around them. They quickly wrapped theirs around him back, sobbing absolutely wildly into his shoulder.

Snake figured he shouldn’t keep prying into what their fear is until he’s gained their trust a little more. They were clearly avoiding stating what directly they’re afraid of, what they’re being forcibly exposed to by someone who Snake is assuming is threatening them. He softly rubbed their back in another attempt to comfort them, which yet again worked successfully as he felt their sob slow back down to a cry.

Eventually they broke the hug, and shook the fist around that they had slammed into the bleacher. 

“You alright?” Snake asked.

“God, I’m just… fuck, I’m sensitive to pain, I shouldn’t’ve done that…”

Their eyes widened, and they covered their mouth with their sleeves.

“Fuck, I shouldn’t’ve told you that.”

This was something else that Snake could tell had been used against them, had been taken advantage of. 

“I won’t hurt you.” Snake said, deadpan.

“How can I believe you?” Bunny’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What can I do to make you believe me?”

Bunny froze. 

Very hesitantly, they freed their right hand from their sleeve, holding their pinky out to him. 

Snake understood, and gently wrapped his pinky around theirs, shaking their hand. His promise was bound.

“O-okay. Thank you, Snake.” 

Snake only nodded.

“If I could ask one more thing…” 

“Go ahead.” Bunny said, having made a newfound level of trust with him.

“Why are you here? In New York?”

“Oh. Right.” Bunny rested their head in their sleeve. “I guess I should be more emotional about this, but after the years, I guess I don’t care anymore. I got framed for murder. Wrongly. Got the guilty sentence and got sent me here.”

Snake’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you do anything?” 

“Didn’t I do anything?!” Bunny scoffed. “Snake, nobody fuckin’ believed me! I got no arguing skills! I’m a sad fuckin’ puppy of a person! Nobody gives a shit about me anymore! Case closed! Sent ‘em to prison! Justice done, onto the next case!” 

Snake took Bunny’s clothed hand into his own and stood up. “I’m getting you out of here.” 

Bunny jolted upwards. “Your, a- wait, you’re what?!” 

“I’m getting out of here, Bunny. And I’m taking you with me. I’m gonna set things right for you.” He began to walk down the bleachers back to the floor

Bunny trailed behind him, their hand completely surrendered to his grasp. “Y-you don’t understand, Snake! I’m gonna bring you down! I get one cut, one scrape, I’m a crying mess! I’m not one to take on a venture like this!” 

“I’ll take care of you.” Snake didn’t look back. He brought them along towards the exit that everyone else had run out of earlier. 

“You… won’t mind it?” 

“Not if it’s you.” 

Snake came to a halt, looking behind at them. “You ready?”

Bunny nodded, a new, determined glint in their eyes that had never been there before. Never in their life. “Take me to the ends of the earth, Snake.” 

Snake chuckled, and continued onwards. “Now come along.”