Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

‘Losing Easter took its toll upon all of us. Bunny most of all.’

North’s words echoed in Jack’s head as he flew toward the North Pole. It’d been a few days since that fatal Easter Incident. A few days since Jack had become a Guardian. That was possibly the greatest day of the Winter Spirit’s immortal life. And the most emotionally draining. 

After they left Burgess, Jack started to fill Sandy in on all of the things that had happened while he was...dead, I suppose. He did leave a few things out. Like what happened after the Nightmares attacked the Warren. And how Pitch broke his staff in Antarctica. Just little things like that. 

He tried to ignore the guilty expressions on his new friends’ faces. That didn’t stop Jack’s heart from wrenching when he glanced at Bunny’s face. The older Guardian looked a lot better—and more importantly, wasn’t a tiny bunny anymore—but his eyes made Jack want to either fly away from him or console the guy. 

So he turned away and kept talking. It was obvious that Sandy knew the teen wasn’t telling him everything if his concerned expression told Jack anything. 

But it was too soon. His emotions and memories were still raw from earlier. After practically blackmailing Jack into helping them in exchange for his memory box, after helping collect the teeth, after trying to save Sandy (and belief), the Guardians still thought he had betrayed them.

Not that he could blame them. Especially Bunny. The rabbit had held a grudge against the immortal teen since the unintentional blizzard of ‘68. It was only logical that he’d be wary to trust Jack. That didn’t ease the sting as much as Jack had hoped it would. 

Even so, Jack was determined to make it up to Bunny. Somehow. So he headed to North’s, shoving aside the feeling of joy and pride that he was finally allowed in on a regular basis. Once he finally reached North’s place, he flew in through an open window and raced to find the Russian.

He found him washing the sleigh and talking to a few yetis. The man’s eyes lit up when he saw Jack and grabbed the boy in a bone-crushing hug. “Jack! It is so good to see you again!”

“Didn’t you just see me a couple of days ago?” Jack asked as he recovered his voice after nearly being crushed under the weight of North’s arms. 

“True, true. But if that is the case, why have you come to see me? Not that I’m not excited to see you,” North winked at Jack as he picked up a rag and began to wash the sleigh once more.

“I was kind of wondering if I could borrow a snowglobe? I wanted to talk to Bunny but I don’t know where exactly the entrance to the Warren is so….” Jack trailed off, running a hand through his hair nervously. North’s smile grew bigger if that was even possible, and he pulled a snowglobe out of his coat.

“Of course you can! Might I inquire as to what the nature of your visit is?”

“I wanted to help clean up. The eggshells, I mean,” Jack whispered that last part, avoiding eye contact with North. He still wasn’t one-hundred percent comfortable talking about how he let them down. 

Fortunately for him, the ex-bandit seemed to understand and just handed Jack the globe. “I’m sure Bunny will appreciate that. I would say have fun, but you do that anyway.”

Jack clutched the globe nervously before he whispered as North had done. A few colored eggs appeared inside the globe. After North gave him a reassuring look, Jack threw it and a portal appeared. “Wish me luck!”

And with that, Jack was gone. 

Bunny hadn’t gotten around to cleaning up all of the broken googies when Jack showed up. He meant to, of course, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not yet, anyway. Besides, he had other things on his mind.

After Jack was initiated, something the boy more than deserved, they headed back to the Pole to recuperate for a few hours or so before going their separate ways. It was different than the last time the Big Four had been together, mostly because North had suggested that they start having monthly meetings to keep tabs on one another.

An idea that was without a doubt inspired by the presence of Jack. He’d had an impact on all of them, giving the older beings a kick in the tail so to speak about how isolated they’d been for the last few centuries. He definitely proved himself to be Guardian material. Knowing that only succeeded in making the Pooka feel even guiltier than before.

That was the only thing that Bunny could think about since returning to the Warren. He debated for an hour or so on whether he should try to track down Jack when he sensed someone entering through one of his tunnels. After Easter, Bunny was understandably a little on edge. So when Jack saw the rabbit charging towards his vicinity with boomerangs on hand and the egg golems not far behind, he wasn’t as surprised as one might have expected.

Instead, he just dropped his staff to placate his fellow Guardian and held his hands up in surrender. “Woah there, Cottontail! I swear I come in peace.”

Bunny’s ears flopped down with relief as he lowered his weapons and shooed the Golems away, though they stopped to eye the supposed intruder for a few seconds before leaving the area. “Sorry, mate. Wasn’t expecting you.”

“No kidding. I know you don’t get out often, but if that’s how you treat all your guest then I can kind of see why no one ever visits,” Jack quipped. Despite the huff of annoyance, the playful look in Bunny’s eyes told Jack that he wasn’t offended by the teasing.

“Only act like that with uninvited guests who tend to bring trouble with ‘em like yourself,” Bunny had always been fun to banter with, at least during the few times he actually contributed to the conversation without an irritated tone in his voice. 

“Ouch! And here I was coming to help you,” Jack grabbed his heart dramatically, smirking as Bunny rolled his eyes and smiled in amusement. It was such a rare event to see the taller being smile, especially when Jack was around. If his heartbeat sped up a tiny bit, he paid no attention to it.

“ You want to help me ?” 

“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I figured you’d need help cleaning up after, well, you know. It’s the least I can do, all things considered.” Jack tried to sound nonchalant, but looking at Bunny’s face told him he wasn’t buying it. Bunny’s smile grew dimmer, replaced with an expression of concern and...guilt? That couldn’t be right. Jack had to be imagining things. 

“Fr- Jack, it wasn’t your fault if that’s what you’re thinking,” Bunny stated. Jack opened his mouth to argue or change the topic when Bunny started talking again. “I’m not done yet. North, Tooth, and I all talked it over after ya left the park. We let our emotions, ‘specially me and my anger, get the best of us. Looking back, it was obvious that ya weren’t sure about how ya got there in the first place, and that ya were confused about how you got the memory box. I should’ a noticed how unsettled ya were before I got all worked up. I’m sorry, mate.”

Jack let Bunny’s words sink, too stunned to anything. He’d been worrying for days, afraid that his apology would be scoffed at and ignored but here Bunny was, beating him to the punch.

So he did the first thing that came to mind; gave the rabbit an explanation. Jack intended to be vague when he finally told one of the Guardians what happened after he left to take Sophie home, but ended up spilling the entire story about the memory box, Pitch and his taunting, and the fairies locked in those horrible cages. It took everything he had not to let the edge of emotion turn into a raging flood of tears. Bunny wanted to wrap the boy in a hug, but he wasn’t sure how the teen would take it. So he chose a different response, one that wouldn’t scare off the flighty spirit.  

“What do ya say we just put Easter in the past and forget ‘bout it?”

Jack nodded eagerly. If it meant ending the awkward silence and helping his new whatever (acquaintance? friend? co-worker?), then he was more than happy to shake Bunny’s paw in agreement.

“Water under the bridge,” Jack replied. It was like a giant burden had been lifted from his shoulders. All the guilt he’d let build-up, even if it was for less than a week, had been weighing him down. And now he was free.

He and Bunny didn’t talk much as they worked, just a random remark here and there. Normally Jack would be itching to talk, to fill up the silence, or just move around like the bundle of energy he was. But strangely enough, he didn’t feel that overwhelming need to make jokes or try to gain attention from someone. Anyone. Jack just felt...content. 

They finished a few hours after the sun had set and parted ways, Bunny heading back to his burrow and Jack flying through the tunnel that the main resident had told him would lead to Burgess. As he flew through, Jack couldn’t help but feel relieved and even happy that Bunny had forgiven him. It was funny; he’d set out to the Warren feeling bad about everything but left later that day feeling good about, well, everything.

Chapter Text

Bunny had hoped there wouldn’t be any more Northern Lights for at least another decade or so. Unfortunately, when the large Pooka woke up the next morning, he found the familiar glowing streaks of color in the sky appear once more. He muttered under his breath about taking a vacation from being a Guardian as he ran through the tunnel that leads to his friend’s workshop.

Jack was there first, surprisingly, and just laid on the couch near the fireplace. Bunny figured he’d be the last to show up if he even came at all since he couldn’t remember anyone telling Jack what the Northern Lights meant. Every Guardian had a signal that summoned the others, something that screamed ‘emergency!’. North had his lights, Sandy had his sand to send daydream, Tooth had fairy messengers, and Bunny had Begonias.

The Guardians never understood the significance of begonias, but they never questioned it. In the language of flowers, of which Bunny was fluent, so to speak, Begonias meant warning/beware. It was like an inside joke that only Bunny knew about. As he thought about it, he realized that sometime soon Jack would have to come up with his own signal. Speaking of Jack…

“Oi! Ya know where North is?” 

“Haven’t seen him in a while. I didn’t know there was a meeting until Phil told me. He hasn’t seen North either,” Jack replied as he sat up.  He stretched his arms and yawned. He’d been sleeping until Phil woke him up, having a wonderful dream. 

Ever since he became a Guardian, Jack had been having the best dreams he’d had in a long time. Most were about Jamie and his friends, having snowball fights and building snowmen with Jack. A few, including the one Jack had just had, were of memories of his sister. The life he had before he was Jack Frost when he was the son of a shepherd. Whenever he woke up, this feeling of bittersweet happiness always lingered. 

“So what were ya doing here before the meeting was called?” Bunny asked. 

“Oh, I was helping test out some of the toys. Steve and some of the other yetis made some great remote-control helicopters,” Jack grabbed a remote from the side table and shook it a few times. “But then the elves stole the batteries so I was just waiting around. Guess I fell asleep.”  

“Aren’t ya a little too old to be playin’ with toys?” Bunny ribbed. He made sure to say it in a teasing tone to let the boy know he wasn’t saying it out of malice. Didn’t need Jack thinking that he hated him when he was trying to gain the Winter Spirit’s trust. 

“I’m only eighteen. Besides, North wants my help reconnecting with the kids after the ‘Sophie Incident’.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“You got a better suggestion, Carrots?”

“Ya must be running low on names if ya can’t think of anything more creative, Icicle.”

“Lay off. I had to take care of this giant snowstorm that tried to take over a town earlier,” Jack swung his staff at Bunny, with barely any energy whatsoever. The Pooka deflected with ease and took a closer look at Jack. He looked completely exhausted, with bags under his eyes. He wore a tired smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I thought ya were in charge of making snowstorms?”

“In case you forgot, snowstorms existed way before I did. I just try to keep them under control. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. They have a mind of their own. And they don’t always obey orders,” Jack stated in a matter-of-fact voice. 

“Here I was thinking ya were just ‘snowballs and fun times’,” Bunny replied. He could’ve slapped himself in the face. Of course, he didn’t control them. After spending the last few days with him, he’d come to realize that Jack did care about kids, just like the rest of them. 

“Yeah, not my best moment. Sorry,” Jack winced when he thought about his attitude towards his fellow Guardians. Definitely not something he could look back on without guilt and regret. Especially now. Bunny seemed like a different person, almost anyway. A lot less stressed now that Easter wasn’t three days away. And, of course, vital to children’s beliefs and the safety of the world. 

“I can’t blame ya. After all, three centuries with nothing from Manny or us about why ya were here is bound to make someone a little bitter. Just glad ya still helped us with Pitch.” Bunny hoped that sounded less condescending and more grateful. Jack didn’t seem to take it personally so that was a good sign.

“Well, he did make it personal. Especially in Antarctica.”

“What do ya mean?”

Jack sighed in resignation. He had to tell them eventually, and who better to tell than Bunny? “It’s kind of a long story.”

About ten minutes later, Bunny was ready to kill Pitch. Okay, maybe not kill. But cause serious and/or permanent bodily damage. To prey on someone’s fear, to kick them when they’re already down, not to mention holding an innocent fairy hostage, was downright sick and one of the many twisted things Pitch had ever done. Especially to Jack. 

“Next time I see that bludger, I’m gonna wring his scrawny neck.”

“Violent much?” Jack teased. It felt so good getting to talk about the whole ‘staff being broken’ thing with someone. And while seeing Bunny angry was scary, it was nice to see it directed at someone else for a change. “I don’t think we have to worry about him anytime soon.”

“Worry about who anytime soon?”

Bunny and Jack turned to see Tooth fly in alongside Sandy. Bunny put away his boomerang, which he didn’t even notice he’d drawn out, and waved to them both. “No one important. North still ain’t here.”

Sandy’s face went from happy to irritate as he looked around for the large Russian. Tooth huffed and sat down to wait while a couple of elves brought out a plate of cookies. “No thanks. Too much sugar.”

“Well hello! What a nice surprise!” North smiled widely as he walked in to greet everybody. “What are you all doing here?”

“What do ya mean? Ya called a meeting!” Bunny exclaimed. North looked confused until one of the elves knocked something over and grabbed everyone’s attention. The elf, known to almost no one as Jingle, pushed down the lever that made the Northern Lights appear. “Are ya telling me that we came all this way because of an elf?”

“How you say, my bad?” 

The Guardians didn’t speak to North or Jingle for a week. 

Chapter Text

‘Today was a good day,’ Jack thought as he laid down by his lake. He’d just said goodbye to Jamie and his friends after a great snowball fight. It was, unfortunately, going to be one of the last ones for a while. Burgess was on the brink of summer and Jack had to leave before the Spirit of Summer arrived. It was okay to have snow in spring but once June was there, Jack would have to quit with the snow. 

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t still be in Burgess of course. He wasn’t going to leave his first believers and risk them forgetting poor ol’ Jack. Not that he thought they would, not after everything they went through during Easter. It was more of a ‘just in case’ kind of thing. Of course, if he really had to, Jack could always use the same trick he used to get Jamie to believe in Bunny again. Thinking about the large Guardian made him think about the youngest Bennett and the little chant she’d come up with. “ ‘Easter bunny, hop, hop, hop!’ She really is something.”

“You’re telling me.”

Jack whirled around to see Bunny standing right behind him. Literally right behind him. There were less than five centimeters of space between their faces. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Didn’t mean to scare ya, Snowball,” Bunny smirked. He rolled his eyes as Jack made some lame excuse about him not being scared or something like that. He let the Winter teen ramble on for a bit longer until Jack stopped to take a breath. He saw an opening and spoke again. “I just had a question I forgot ‘bout. It’ll just take a moment.”

“Sure. What’s up, egghead?”

“Egghead?”

“It’s better than Carrots, isn’t it?”

“Like I was saying,” Bunny refused to dignify the question with a response, but the smile on his face gave away his amusement. “I was thinking ‘bout Easter again, and- don’t look at me like that. I ain’t dragging ya out of another pity party. Anyway, I realized that I never did find out what it was ya did to get Jamie to believe in me again.”

“Random much?” Jack asked. It was kind of out of the blue, but he guessed he shouldn’t have been so surprised. He figured the others would want to be filled in about what happened at Jamie’s house at one point or another. However, Bunny didn’t seem like the type of guy who’d go out of his way to ask for a favor someone had paid toward him. Jack had just assumed that he’d be grateful but wouldn’t really say anything. 

Not that he had too. The look on his face when Jamie told Bunny that Jack had made him believe again was good enough for Jack. 

“Will ya just tell me?”

“Well, after the Antarctica thing, I went back to Pitch’s lair, to try and free the fairies, but they couldn’t fly. He had a globe like North’s, except it was black and there was only one light. It was in Burgess, and I figured that it had to be Jamie (and Sophie) since they’d both just seen you guys. So I went to Jamie’s and found him staring at Sophie’s plush bunny toy, which was pink and looked just like you, Cottontail. Really adorable and fluffy,” Jack teased as he ducked his head to avoid the paw that swatted at him playfully.

“Rack off, will ya? Finish the story.”

“Jeez, someone’s pushy. Anyway, Jamie was asking it to show him a sign, some kind of a hint that you were real. Right after he tossed the rabbit toy aside, I frosted his window and drew an egg. And he saw it. But I wanted to make sure he really believed in you, not that I cared if he did,” Jack paused with a smirk on his face and winked at Bunny who just huffed and shook his head at the younger being in amusement. “So I drew a little rabbit and focused my energy on it. 

“I’m not quite sure what I was trying to do but I somehow managed to bring it to life. Well, kind of. Here, let me just show you.” Jack knelt down and frosted a small portion of the lake. He drew a rabbit, ignoring the curious expression on Bunny’s face, and did the same trick he’d performed in Jamie’s room.

The rabbit hopped all around Bunny, who just stared incredulously, amazed at what he was seeing before it exploded into a bunch of little snowflakes. 

“That’s incredible. How’d ya do that?” Bunny asked. Jack ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. “Ya don’t even know?”

“I’d never done anything like that before. It was like the trick I used on Pitch after Sandy...well, you know. I didn’t know I could do it. No one ever really taught me how to use my powers,” Jack admitted. He’d tried to talk to Mother Nature and a few other winter sprites in the past about his powers, but no one had ever really cared enough or were too busy to help. So Jack had to try and figure it out on his own. “If I’m still learning new powers after three-hundred years, I think I’ve been doing something wrong.”

It was supposed to be a joke, but Bunny took it seriously. Once again, he felt guilty for not bothering to try and get to know Jack. He’d taken a serious blow to his pride on Easter when those kids walked through him. Then he took it out on Jack, an innocent victim who had been forced to deal with people walking through him for centuries . 

“Ya know, now that ya have your own believers, it’ll be easier to start building on to that number. I can help ya if ya want,” Bunny offered. The second he said that Jack’s eyes just lit up and he looked like a little kid at Easter. Because, obviously , kids are more excited about Easter than about Christmas. (Or so he liked to tell himself.)

“Really? You’d do that?” Jack exclaimed. Unknowingly, as Jack’s excitement grew, the air grew colder. Snowflakes began to fall lightly, not enough where it’d be noticeable because it wasn’t that cold just yet. Bunny sneezed as the temperature dropped, making Jack’s enthusiasm vanish. “Sorry. That happens sometimes.”

“What do ya mean?” 

“My powers are tied to my emotions. If I get too excited or upset, the weather reflects that. Like just now…” Jack trailed off, putting on a strained smile to try and convince Bunny it didn’t bother him. But it didn’t work. 

“So if ya are happy, the temperature drops enough to make some light snow. But if ya get really upset, the weather takes a turn for the worse and could cause a blizzard?” Bunny asked. Jack nodded and waited anxiously to see if he was going to get told off for not controlling his emotions better. “Is that what happened back in ‘68?”

Jack stayed quiet for a minute or two, his face expressionless. Bunny was about to try to blow it off, maybe tell him that it didn’t matter when Jack finally responded. 

“The Groundhog said there was supposed to be six more weeks of winter. That’s what he told me, anyway. And I...I believed him. He’d never been wrong before. I knew Easter was coming up though so I made the snow lighten up, so the kids could still find the eggs. They looked nice, your eggs in my snow. It made the colors stand out. 

“Then Robin showed up and started to yell at me. I guess he’d been lying to me. I think he wanted to see me get in trouble...with you. And he was mad I hadn’t listened to him and made a blizzard that day like he wanted me to. So he was shouting and cursing me out. I got angry and started to shout at him too. I didn’t realize I’d made a storm until Robin smiled that stupid, smug grin of his and left. That’s when you showed up.”

Bunny felt terrible. All those years, he’d held a grudge against Jack, and he’d never even bothered to get the real story out of him. Of course, Robin would do something like that. The two Spring-oriented beings had been at odds with one another for centuries, which often led Robin to make winter last longer just to mess with Bunny. And how was Jack supposed to know any better?

“I’m sorry, mate. For a lot of things. Ya think it’s too late to accept a grumpy rabbit’s apology?” 

Jack’s eyes widened in shock before his smile returned. “Nah. This just means you can help me prank Robin if we get the chance. What’s done is done. We’re good.”

“Great. Now, what exactly did ya have in mind for the prank?”

“Let’s just say it’s going to be fun. For us, anyway.”

Chapter Text

Bunny had a lot of free time since Easter had just happened a month or so ago. He normally didn’t get started on preparations until right around Christmas. Not because he wanted to avoid being pulled into North’s festivities. He always had big parties on the 26th of December (because he rested on the 25th after all those deliveries) and invited the Guardians. Sometimes he got away with not going. But more often than not, he didn’t. 

Since it was only June, Bunny was just sitting against a rock near one of the trees in his forest, sketching out some new ideas based on the designs of the leaves that had fallen to the ground. And then he noticed the wind began to pick up, the temperature dropped a degree or two. There were only a handful of eggs left in the Warren and all of them ran over to Bunny. 

He got out his boomerangs and stood up, trying to hear who it was that had come into his Warren uninvited. Pitch was supposed to be gone. Then the sound of Jack’s laughter echoed and he sighed in relief. Bunny put up his boomerangs and sat back down. It had only happened a few times but Jack had stopped by a few times, sometimes just running ideas for pranks (not just for the Groundhog) or even thinking up ideas to get kids to believe.

“Yo, Hip-Hop! You here?”

“In the woods, Frost,” Bunny called back. Jack had to get Wind to help him locate Bunny but he finally found the older Guardian sketching in what was probably one of the hundreds of sketchbooks that Jack was certain he owned. “What brings ya by?”

“Just dropped something off at Tooth’s and she asked me to bring this bag of tea leaves by. She says don’t forget to brush since tea stains teeth or something like that,” Jack brought out a small bag from his hoodie pocket and tossed it to Bunny. 

“That fairy, always fussing over the rest of us as a mother does with her kids,” Bunny shook his head as he examined the contents in the bag. “Saffron Kahwa Green Tea. Always gotta pick the exotic stuff.”

“It kind of reminds me of how my mom was. From what I saw, anyway,” Jack replied absent-mindedly. He fiddled with his staff and got a far off look in his eyes, which did not go unmissed by Bunny. 

“From what ya saw?”

Jack’s face flushed when he realized he’d said that last part out loud. He’d been thinking about his mom all day, and he guessed that it just kind of slipped out. “From my memories. Tooth says that now that I’ve seen them, the rest will come back in time. That’s what I dropped off at her palace; my memory box.”

“Ah, that’s right. I’d forgotten that you still had it. Glad to hear you were able to watch ‘em,” Bunny had to admit that he was kind of curious to hear what memories Jack saw since Jack had said that his memories were what empowered him to mend his staff and go to Pitch’s to free all of the fairies. But he wasn’t going to ask Jack if he wasn’t ready to share just yet. 

“Yeah…they were pretty amazing. Did you...maybe wanna hear about them? If you aren’t interested, you don’t have to, of course,” Jack stammered. He really wanted to share them with Bunny but wasn’t sure if his friend (which was something he never thought he’d have the privilege of calling Bunny) would be interested. After all, they were Jack’s memories, not Bunny’s. Why would he care?

“ ‘Course I’m interested. Let’s hear it,” Bunny replied. He leaned against the rock, gesturing towards Jack to begin. He was going to ask if Jack wanted to sit down but he knew the younger being hates to go very long without moving around/ So instead, he just watched as Jack paced back and forth as he told his story.

A lot of things kind of clicked for Bunny. Especially when it came to his ‘center’, as North liked to call it. Jack loved to have fun and even used it to save his sister’s life. But his heart sank a little when Jack, after a few moments of silence, admitted that he’d died. He died saving a child’s life and ultimately drowned. Thank the Moon (literally) that he was able to come back as Jack. And being through something that horrible and traumatic, it was no wonder that he’d lost his memories.

And it was a real eye-opener for Bunny, showing him a side of Jack that he’d never seen before. Which seemed to be happening a lot lately, what with all of Jack’s revelations about what happened throughout the Easter Incident (and the Blizzard of ‘68). 

“It hurts, not being around for my sister. I never got to see her get married, or play with her kids, or just talk to her one more time. And my parents...Dad and I were the ones who put food on the table. My mom was probably devastated but I had no idea. All I knew was that, besides Manny, I was alone. And since Manny kind of gave me the silent treatment after he told me my name, it was like no one knew I existed. Or cared.”

“I know what ya mean, mate. About being alone, that is. Our situations are kind of flipped,” Bunny admitted. Jack looked down as Bunny, who’d stopped drawing halfway through his story. 

“What do you mean?”

“My race were all killed eons ago. I’m the last one of my kind. The last Pooka. That’s what my species is called,” Bunny’s voice was barely louder than a whisper, and Jack had to strain his ears to hear him properly. 

“I didn’t know that,” Jack replied. He was at a loss at what to say. He thought his story was sad, but it was nothing compared to Bunny’s. His family had lived good lives (or so he told himself since he didn’t really know for sure) long after Jack had died. To think that everyone Bunny had ever known and loved to be gone like that...Jack couldn’t imagine how painful that must’ve been. “Can I ask how?”

“Ya just did, didn’t ya?” Bunny teased, allowing himself to smile. It’d been so long since it happened that it seemed like a distant memory. As if it happened in another lifetime. While it wasn’t exactly easy, it wasn’t as difficult to talk about as it once had been. “Pitch. He was known for destroying worlds and killing off hundreds, probably thousands, of beings. Including the Pooka Brotherhood.”

“I swear if I see him anytime soon, I’m not holding back any punches.” 

“Were you holding back last time?” 

“No...but now I definitely won’t,” Jack ran a hand through his hair nervously. He wanted revenge or something that would help Bunny. But he knew the pain of losing a family, and he knew nothing he did could replace the one Bunny now had to live without.

“I appreciate the thought, Larrikin,” Bunny either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the faint blue blush that spread on Jack's cheeks, freezing into patterns that resembled the snowflakes he created. “There’s not anything that can be done now.”

“I know...but I still wanna do something,” Jack finally sat down in front of Bunny, actually looking him in the eye for once, and laid his staff down beside him. “After all, the Guardians are kind of like your family now, aren’t they?”

Bunny was caught by surprise about that simple yet meaningful sentence. Jack had just admitted that the group he had only semi-recently joined were like family to him, therefore it should feel like one to Bunny. Which it did. Even more so now that Jack was a part of said family. “Guess we are, aren’t we? Well, if you wanna do something ya can help with my garden. I’m never able to properly tend to it when Easter comes around.”

“Garden? I can do that. Probably better than you,” Jack winked before he stood back up again and grabbed his staff. Bunny snorted in amusement before he too got up.

“We’ll see about that, Jacko.”

“Jacko?”

“Better than Hip-Hop, ain’t it?”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Text

For whatever reason, Bunny felt like planting snowdrops. Usually, he preferred to plant the more colorful ones, the ones people usually expect to see in the springtime. They did bloom during Spring, but it was really early Spring/late Winter. But Bunny woke up one morning with the powerful urge to plant some right away, in his personal garden right by the cottage he lived in. 

His personal garden consisted of his absolute favorite flowers, like asters (obviously), allium sphaerocephalon which produced egg-shaped bulbs, and poached egg flowers. They also consisted of flowers/plants with medicinal properties, such as calendula, St. John's wort, and yarrow. Look up ‘A List of 5 Essential Medicinal Herbs for Spring’ and it’ll show you what the plants are typically used for and stuff. 

And this year, he was going to add snowdrops into the mix, so to speak. Bunny wasn’t quite sure why he randomly decided to plant them. It most definitely did not have anything to do with the fact that the color reminded him of a certain Winter Spirit’s spiked hair. Or his pale skin that would’ve put Snow White’s to shame. Okay, Bunny had to admit that Jack may have played a key role in his choice. 

For whatever reason, that boy had been Bunny’s mind as of late. An image of Jack helping him in the garden a week or two prior popped into Bunny’s head. The boy had somehow managed to get a bunch of dirt in his hair of all places and occasionally mistook a flower for a weed. But it had been fun, as much as it pained the older Guardian to admit, spending time with Jack.

“Speak of the devil,” Bunny chuckled at the irony as the familiar scent of crispy snow flooded his nose and the sound of the Winter Spirit’s laugh echoed throughout the Warren. He heard the distinct sound of the Golem’s heavy footsteps headed toward from the sound. “Ya betta’ not be causing chaos in my Warren, Larrikin.”

“Don’t worry, Cottontail, I’m just having some fun with the Golems,” Jack came flying in, halting to a stop a mere inch away from Bunny’s face. “They don’t mind- hey!”

Jack ducked down as Bunny swatted at his head playfully. Bunny smiled despite himself and let Jack try to whack him with his staff in retaliation. The keyword in that sentence was trying. “Don’t be messin’ with my Golems.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. So what are you planting, Dr. Hoppster? And please don’t say it’s more of those flowers that look like scrambled eggs. There’s more than enough of those around this place,” Jack sat down on the ground beside Bunny, careful not to mess with his friend’s precious flowers. 

He still had some trace of the rainbow dye in his hair after Bunny threw him into the dye river when Jack pulled out one too many flowers instead of weeds on his last visit. And Jack did not want a repeat of that. Pink was not a good color on the winter teen. 

“No, it ain’t. Not that there’s any such thing as too many flowers,” Bunny nudged Jack at the part, ignoring the boy as he rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Was about to plant some snowdrops.”

“Snowdrops? Aren’t those supposed to be planted in the snow? Like, during winter?” 

“It’s just a name that comes from their Latin name Galanthus nivalis, which means ‘milk flower of the snow’. I mean, yeah, they’re supposed to be planted in late Autumn, but it doesn’t matter here. All plants grow at the same time and bloom at the same time in my Warren,” Bunny explained. 

Jack, surprisingly, didn’t interrupt him once when he went on to talk about the medicinal properties of snowdrops and how they symbolize hope and such. The boy always seemed to be on the move, never able to stay still even if his life depended on it. But he just sat and patiently listened as Bunny talked about the flowers. 

 It was strange to see the hyper teen not moving, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. It was good to know that Jack could slow down and just take his time every now and again.

“That’s actually pretty cool that you know all of that. Can all of your plants heal people?” Jack asked. Bunny shook his head, briefly explaining that some flowers had different uses that had nothing to do with healing. “Well, I still think it’s impressive that you know all that.”

“Thanks, mate. Don’t hear that very often,” Bunny admitted. Most beings, including his fellow Guardians, usually took advantage of the fact that he knew so much when it came to nature. It was so well-known throughout the galaxy that lots of people came to him and just expected Bunny to know everything there was to know about every plant that ever existed. “Now, not that I mind one way or the other, but was there any reason for this unexpected visit?”

Jack clutched his chest dramatically as he leaned away from Bunny, almost toppling over as he balanced on his knees. “I’m hurt! Here I am to spend time with my favorite 6’3 rabbit and you don’t want me here?”

“Knock it off with the dramatics, will ya?” Bunny pushed Jack and laughed when the boy fell over and landed on his back. “I was just curious. Ya never come here without needing somethin’.”

“True, true,” Jack sat back up and looked around for his staff, only to see Bunny had already grabbed it. He went to grab it but Bunny stood up and held it just out of reach. “Hey!”

Jack jumped up and kept reaching up for his staff, but it wasn’t until Bunny gave in and dropped it into the teen’s hands that he finally got it back. “Not fair.”

“Neither are you droppin’ by unannounced without giving me a heads up,” Bunny chided. Jack opened his mouth to retaliate before he thought better of it. “Guess I’ll have to always expect ya now, won’t I?”

“Yep. This place is great and I plan on exploring every inch of it. You’re gonna have to get used to having me around,” Jack replied. His heart skipped a beat and he felt nervous all of a sudden, and his palms felt sweaty. It wasn’t like he was lying. He really did want to explore the Warren, but he also wanted to spend more time with Bunny. 

Unbeknownst to him, Bunny wanted the exact same thing. Jack being around made the Warren feel a little less...lonely. Sure, he liked having his alone time, but with only eggs and Golems who weren’t very good talkers, it got boring sometimes. 

“Guess I will. But if ya are gonna be here, ya need to be useful. Help me plant seeds,” Bunny grabbed a small handful of said seeds and placed them into Jack’s hand. Jack rolled his eyes but he kneeled down and got straight to work.

The two Guardians spent the rest of the afternoon tending to different types of flowers and plants, with Jack often flying ahead to check out one tunnel or another. He even managed to make little slides out of ice for the seeds to travel down, just to make things interesting.

After a few hours of that, Bunny decided to make both of them something to eat for dinner and discovered something interesting about his younger companion when he told Jack he didn’t keep any meat in his home.

You’re a vegetarian?” 

“Yea, what of it?”

“Nothing. I don't eat meat either.” 

“Ya trying to tell me that ya happen to be a vegetarian?” 

“What can I say? Makes my stomach turn thinking about eating something that used to be alive.” 

“Good on ya mate. Ya gotta be the only other Guardian who is.” 

“Really? Even Tooth?” 

“Even Tooth.”

When they were done eating and decided that they’d done enough planting for one day, the sun had already set. 

“It’s getting pretty late. I should probably head out,” Jack stated once he’d finished putting up the gardening tools he had used earlier. Bunny took a look at him before he looked at the ground. He seemed to be contemplating something and after a moment or two, he finally spoke.

“North would kill me if I let ya go flying this late at night through tunnels ya still haven’t figured out yet. I got a guest room if ya wanna stay the night,” Bunny couldn’t quite look Jack in the eyes when he spoke but that didn’t take away the sentiment that Jack felt. 

“Why not?” Jack smiled nervously and ran a hand through his hair, hoping that the darkness hid his blush. “Sounds good to me.”

Bunny showed Jack to his room and went to leave when he heard the sound of Jack’s soft breathing turn into a slight snore. He shook his head in amusement; Jack and Sandy were a lot alike. Only the two of them could fall asleep so easily. 

“Goodnight, Snowdrop.”

Chapter Text

What many people (mostly the Author until she did the research) don’t know is where the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ originally came from. A guy called Thomas Gray wrote a poem, ‘ Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College’ . In that poem, the line, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise’.”

That basically summed up the relationship between Bunny and Jack during the next few months. Not to mention their new, foreign emotions that neither Guardian wanted to acknowledge. 

Jack came by the Warren nearly every day, and would almost always end up staying for hours at a time. He would go explore the tunnels, trying to figure out which one led to which place. Bunny even gave him a spare sketchbook so he could map them out. Or try to, anyway. 

And when Jack wasn’t exploring, he was with Bunny. Sometimes they worked in the garden, or just tended to the flowers that grew naturally in every corner of the Warren. Other times, Bunny would be in his confectionery room and would allow Jack to taste some new chocolates he made in preparation for next Easter.

“You just ruined chocolate for me. I can’t ever go back to the cheap stuff they sell at the store.”

“That good, eh?”

“Yeah. I can’t even have any of North's chocolate chip cookies. They aren’t anywhere near your level.”

“Make sure to tell him that next time ya see him. I’ll be able to hold it over his head for centuries.”

And he even allowed Jack to practice new designs on his eggs. Jack quickly learned that Bunny preferred absolute silence whenever they sat down to paint the eggs. So the two would just paint away, Jack using his frost to make cool, leaf-like designs, or sometimes used it as resistance to keep the paint from running. 

Jack looked at Bunny from time to time, holding back a laugh at how focused he was. Bunny was so calm, with such a determined look in his eyes. Whenever Bunny glanced his way, Jack would duck his head down and pretend that he was paying attention to the egg he was painting. 

Jack had noticed that whenever Bunny smiled at him or complimented the design on one of his eggs, Jack’s face would flush and his heart would skip a beat. That seemed to happen a lot more whenever the two hung out. Before, when they were just acquaintances, Jack was able to write it off as being nervous. He wasn’t used to being social or having to spend time with a guy who hated his guts. Or used to, anyway. 

But the more Jack got to know Bunny, the more difficult it was to pretend he hadn’t developed strange feelings he couldn’t identify for the Pooka. He felt his heart sink as he realized that maybe he was beginning to...like Bunny. He nearly dropped the egg he was painting when the thought crossed his mind.

“Careful there, Jacko. Ya break an egg and I’ll throw ya back in the river.” Bunny chided as Jack nearly dropped his egg. The boy smiled sheepishly before he went back to painting his egg. It was strange to see Jack sit so still and even stranger to see him focus on something so intently. Except whenever he’d turn to look at Bunny. The boy would act like he was focused on painting whenever Bunny went to meet his gaze, which Bunny found pretty amusing. After painting for an hour or so, Jack started to try and create more of his moving snow creations. 

They’d only last a few minutes but it was still fun to watch them move about. Especially whenever Jack made a little snow bunny that would hop around the older Guardian before exploding into a bunch of tiny snowflakes. 

Bunny had told Jack that these creations might be a good way of getting children to believe them (because of course, he hadn’t forgotten that promise he’d made to the Winter Spirit). So Jack spent any free time he had to create more of them and took every opportunity to show them off to Bunny. 

“What do you think, Sir Hops-a-lot?” Jack teased. Bunny rolled his eyes. He and Jack had an unspoken competition where they came up with ridiculous nicknames to try and outdo one another. So far, Jack had Carrots, Egghead, Hip-Hop, and Dr. Hoppster on the board (and now Sir Hops-a-lot). And Bunny had Icicle, Snowball, Larrikin, Snowdrop, and Jacko. Jack was in the lead, unfortunately, and Bunny was running out of good snow-related names for the Winter teen. 

“Not bad, mate,” Bunny was about ready to admit defeat when he had an idea. Until he could come up with any more nicknames, he’d just have Jack call him something the boy would never dare to make fun of (if he knew what was good for him). “Ya know, I have an actual name.”

“No duh, Bunny ,” Jack made sure to emphasize the word ‘bunny’ when he spoke. He could see from the mischievous glint in Bunny’s eyes that he was being set up but he couldn’t tell how. 

“Nah, the name’s Aster.”

“Like the flower?”

“Yes, like the flower,” Bunny sighed. “E. Aster Bunnymund. Don’t normally go by that name anymore. Bunny just fits better when it comes to the Easter Bunny.”

“E. Aster? That explains so much. What does the E stand for?” Jack asked. Bunny gave him a deadpan look at Jack put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I won’t ask. But if we’re giving out full names, I’m Jackson Micheal Overland Frost.”

Jack stuck his hand out, a teasing smile on his face. Bunny rolled his eyes (again) but shook the boy’s hand. 

“So do I have to call you Aster now?” Jack asked. Bunny shrugged. “I’m taking that as a yes...Aster.”

“Don’t push it, Jackson .”

“Hey! I didn’t say you could use my real name!”

More months passed by, and it was later November (almost Christmas time). To avoid another holiday catastrophe, all of the Guardians had taken it upon themselves to help out North whenever they were able to. 

On one particular day, it was Bunny’s turn to come over. North had told him to go to his office so he could go over some design plans after Bunny had painted some toy robots (red, because it’s more “Christmas-y”). 

So Bunny just leaned against the wall as he waited, wondering what design plans North could possibly want to show him. Neither of the Guardians ever really went over their plans for their individual holidays, mostly because both would try to outdo each other and that always led to a big mess and a scolding from Tooth and Sandy.

“Bunny! Good, you’re here,” North stated as he came into the room. The Russian picked up a dish on his desk and offered it to him. “Fruitcake?”

“No thanks, mate, I’m good,” Bunny replied. North shrugged his shoulders and then walked over to Bunny, getting right up in his face. “Eva’ heard of this thing called personal space?”

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing,” North smirked. Bunny cocked an eyebrow. To see North smirk was unsettling, and to hear him accuse Bunny, known for keeping his distance from pretty much everyone, was even more unsettling. “After all, you and Jack seem to be closer than ever as of late.”

“And what of it?” 

“Don’t be so defensive. I was simply curious as to what Jack does that makes him so happy when he comes back home at night,” North backed away and began to fiddle with one of his ice sculptures on his desk. 

“Come back home?” Bunny asked. Last time he checked, Jack lived...well, he wasn’t quite sure where the Winter Spirit lived. He figured it was in Burgess, near that lake of his. But then again, North wasn’t the kind of man to allow one of his friends to sleep outside. The guy was way too hospitable for that. 

“He didn’t tell you?” It sounded more like a statement than a question, but with his Russian accent, Bunny couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. “He’s been staying with me since he became a Guardian. Gave Jack his own room, similar to the ones you and the others are always welcome to stay in.”

“Glad to hear he has somewhere to go at night but I don’t see how that has anything to do with me.”

“Well, I must admit, Jack has come to be like a son to me. So it is only natural for me to be concerned when he is gone all day and comes home covered in dirt and leaves. And at one point, with rainbow-colored hair. Not to mention that one night he stayed at your Warren,” North still had a smile on his face with the same mischievous glint in his eyes Jack always got before he played a prank on Bunny.

“Ah, I see. Papa North getting a bit protective of his anklebiter, is he?” Bunny teased. He could tell where this conversation was headed, and honestly, he didn’t want to hear about it, especially from his rival. “Jack’s been helping out with my garden. And it was his own fault he ended up in one of my color dye rivers.”   

North shook his head in amusement. He’d figured as much but thought it was a good way to break the ice, so to speak, for the conversation he really wanted to have. Whenever asked a question about the Pooka, Jack’s eyes would light up, his cheeks would flush, and he’d go on and on about the rabbit. North couldn’t miss the fondness in the boy's voice or the way he smiled whenever he said Bunny’s name.

And while North wasn’t certain, he had a sneaking suspicion that Bunny did the same thing. It was a little hard to tell whether his friend was blushing under all that fur, but Bunny had the same fondness in his voice and amused smile when he said the younger Guardian’s name. Not to mention how defensive he’d been at the beginning of their conversation. Now all North had to do was get him to admit his feelings.

“I’m sure it was. That boy is always getting into trouble,” North’s voice was calm, almost nonchalant, but the way the Russian gripped his small hammer gave away his concern. “And that’s just it; he’s a young boy still getting used to all the new changes he’d gone through this past year. I’m glad you two are getting along, but I’d hate to see him expecting something he’s never going to receive.”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“They say ignorance is bliss in most cases. This, however, is not one of those times. I see the look in his eyes. And in yours too, my friend. All I wanted to say was that you must be careful about how you approach this. Though we’ve been friends for centuries, if you hurt that boy, there’ll be consequences.” North cracked his knuckles then picked up the fruitcake and took a bite. “That’s all. Thank you for your help. See you at the next meeting.”

Bunny shook his head and stomped on the ground, taking a tunnel back home. As he ran through the familiar walls of dirt, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly his friend had been getting at. He hadn’t seen anything wrong with spending so much time with Jack, though clearly, North did. 

“Bloody bandit can’t keep his nose out of other people’s business,” Bunny muttered to himself as he ran out of the tunnel and made his way to his garden. “Who does he think he is?”

“Talking to yourself, again, Aster?” Jack asked cheekily as he turned to face Bunny. The Winter Spirit was on his knees and a small pile of weeds laid beside him. Shirtless. Bunny glanced over to see Jack’s hoodie thrown to the ground. “Sorry, but it was getting a little too hot for me so the hoodie had to go.”

“No skin off my back,” Bunny replied as Jack looked back down and pulled out another weed. For whatever reason, Bunny’s face heated up at the sight of Jack without his usual hoodie covering most of his lean, upper body. Jack wasn’t skinny to the point where you could see his ribs but not that robust either. He was a nice in-between, and more muscular than Bunny would’ve thought.

The second Bunny realized he was staring he blinked his eyes and walked over to the other side of the garden, but found himself looking straight at Jack, who just glanced up at tilted his head in confusion. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing. Ya have any plants in particular ya wanna grow? Maybe some veggies or fruit?” Bunny asked, not really paying attention as Jack rambled on about berry bushes and whatnot. Meanwhile, Bunny could practically hear North’s words screaming in his head.

‘Bloody hell, he had a point,’ Bunny thought as he snuck a few glances over to Jack, smiling fondly as the boy began to tell some outrageous story that was almost certainly exaggerated. Then, suddenly, everything North said just...clicked, somehow, and Bunny had to resist the urge to groan. ‘Damn it, I like the tyke, don’t I? I’m so screwed.’

Chapter Text

Jack wasn’t entirely sure why, but whenever he was with Sandy, the teen felt completely calm with the urge to spill his guts to the golden man no matter what the topic was. And when he did that, he would go visit Sandy wherever the older Guardian was and sit with him on the golden cloud of dreamsand, just chilling (literally). 

Jack could lay up there for hours, even falling asleep occasionally, watching as dreams made their way to different homes. His personal favorite was the dolphins, though Sandy was partial to the stingrays.

“Hey, Sandy, how’s life?” Jack asked as he flew over to Sandy’s cloud, high enough where they could see the whole city beneath them. They were somewhere in Europe, but Jack hadn’t really paid much attention to where he was when he followed the trail of dreams that lead to their creator. 

Sandy gave him a thumbs up, a warm and friendly smile on the small man’s face. Jack chuckled and laid down on the cloud. “That’s good to hear. I’ve had a crazy couple of months.”

Sandy glanced over at him and gestured for Jack to continue. Jack took a deep breath. He knew he could trust Sandy, but it was still weird, scary almost, to voice the mixed emotions he was confused about.

“I don’t know if North told you, probably didn’t know that I think about it, but I’ve been spending a lot of time with Bunny,” Jack’s face flushed, which did not go unnoticed by Sandy. “We talked about what happened while you were...out. The whole Pitch’s lair and what happened in Antarctica, everything I told you.”

Sandy had been curious as to what happened after his supposed death, and Jack was the only one who had given him a straightforward answer. The golden man was not pleased with the way his fellow Guardians had reacted when Jack got his memory box, but he understood them nonetheless. That didn’t mean that Sandy felt guilt-free whenever Jack brought it up, despite the boy’s casual tone. 

“And after that, we started to really get along. Especially when I explained the Blizzard of ‘68. He lets me come to the Warren, nearly every day, and I help with the garden and practicing designs on the eggs. I’ve learned a lot about him, and it turns out he isn’t just some grumpy kangaroo who hides away from the world. I mean, he still is those things but there’s more to him than that,” Jack couldn’t help but sneak in a jab to the Pooka, and grinned as Sandy laughed (well, silently laughed). 

“He’s pretty patient, with the eggs mostly. Gentle too. He handles the eggs with such care, and he gets this cute, concentrated look on his face as he tries to perfect his designs. And he can go on, and on, about the different flowers and plants in his Warren, some of which are pretty cool. He even let me pick different stuff to plant!” Jack exclaimed, a fond smile on his face. 

‘Cute?’ Sandy thought to himself, a knowing look in his eyes. He’d talked to North a few days before, and the ex-bandit had dropped a few not-so-subtle hints about Bunny and Jack’s newfound closeness, but it was still strange to hear it from Jack. Not that he disapproved; despite being polar opposites, the two definitely had some chemistry. Though whether they realized it or not was another question entirely. 

“We even have this game we’ve kind of been playing, where we try to outdo each other with nicknames. I’ve got some pretty good ones, not including Kangaroo. Like Dr. Hoppster, Sir Hops-A-Lot, Egghead, and some others too. But then, and this is kind of weird, he told me his real name. And here I was thinking Bunny was his actual name,” Jack shrugged his shoulders with an incredulous expression on his face. 

“I think he did it on purpose, so I couldn’t make fun of it. He probably ran out of names for me,” Jack chuckled to himself, ignoring the smug smile on Sandy’s face. The older Guardian had a good feeling about where this conversation was going, and Jack had so far proved him right. “It’s funny; I like that he trusted me to say his name. He trusts me, despite everything that’s happened. And he’s so different from when we first met.”

“And I feel so funny when I’m around him. My heart beats a little faster, and sometimes my face flushes without reason. Even when I’m annoyed with him, I’m still happy. And my stomach gets in knots and I smile whenever I hear his name or when he praises me. Which isn’t often, mind you. I’m not sure what, but there’s just something about him. You know?” 

Then realization seemed to dawn on Jack, making everything clear as day. A series of expressions passed on his face. Confusion, disbelief, denial, amusement, then joy. Sandy was glad to see that he wouldn’t have to help the boy identify what his emotions were. 

Jack laughed excitedly and flew up into the sky before he seemed to remember that he needed to say goodbye otherwise he’d be considered rude. “Thanks for the talk, Sandy. It really helped!”

And with that, the Winter teen was gone. Sandy laughed once more and went back to spreading dreams. He hoped that things would work out between the two Guardians. Both had been alone for so long and deserved to be happy.

“Aw!” Tooth squealed. Jack had stopped by her palace to ask for her opinion. Though he had a good feeling that he knew what his new emotions were, he wanted to confirm it with his other friends’. Jack looked up to his fellow Guardians and wanted to make sure he wasn’t doing anything stupid that might upset someone.

Not that he thought Tooth would discourage him. Honestly, he just wanted to hear what she had to say and ask for any advice the fairy might have. After all, what did Jack know about crushes or anything romantic at all? The answer was that he knew nothing.

“You sound like a young boy in love!” Tooth exclaimed. When she saw the discomfort on Jack’s face, though, she quickly tried to correct herself. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be love. Just liking someone is a big enough step.”

“So I wasn’t wrong?” Jack asked hesitantly. Tooth shook her head, resisting the urge to grab the teenager and hug him tightly, knowing fully well that he wasn’t really a touchy-feely kind of boy. 

“You’re never wrong when it comes to your feelings, Jack. If you think he feels the same, you should talk to him. If not, Bunny’s not the kind of person to hold something like this against you,” Tooth said reassuringly. “It’s at least worth a try, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, yeah, I do,” Jack admitted shyly. “I just...well, I kind of wanted to make sure it was okay with you, really. I talked it out with Sandy, and well, I know you and North are accepting and all but...well…”

Jack trailed off as he realized he was rambling. He ran a hand through his hair nervously, waiting for Tooth to say something else. Much to his surprise, she teared up a little with a soft smile on her face. “I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

“I’m not crying, I’m just...so touched. You really care that much about our opinion?” Tooth asked. Jack nodded in reply and she sighed inwardly. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that Jack cared that much but only because he wanted the Guardians’ love and acceptance. “I’m sure North will be thrilled to hear it.”

“I hope so.”

‘Guess Tooth was wrong,’ Jack thought dejectedly as he laid down on his bed. It was strange to have a bed after so many years of sleeping in trees and snowbanks, but North had insisted on giving the white-haired teen a room after Jack took his oath. 

North...North had done so much, letting Jack call the North Pole his home for months, treating him like a son. And when Jack went to talk to North, the Russian had been rather cold towards him. 

Jack was all about the cold since he was practically the embodiment of Winter, the coldest season to ever exist. But seeing the man he’d come to see as a father-figure be cold felt wrong.

He hadn’t outright said that he disapproved of the idea of Jack and Bunny maybe, possibly, being potentially together. North hadn’t approved either. The older man had said that it was up to Jack on whether or not he should talk to Bunny and that North wanted nothing to do with the matter since it didn’t concern him.  

And he’d been so happy to see Jack when he first arrived too! But the second Jack started to talk about Bunny, North’s face had changed into an expression completely void of any emotion.

“Maybe it’s a sign,” Jack whispered to himself. “Maybe I should’ve just kept my big mouth shut.”

He was supposed to go to the Warren later that day. Normally, just thinking about traveling through a tunnel to the home of his friend, his best friend if Jack was being honest, sent a thrill of excitement through his body. But Jack decided he wouldn’t go that day. It was too soon. 

He’d just go tomorrow. Bunny would understand. Maybe he’d even be relieved. Some time apart would probably make the Pooka happy, Jack thought sadly to himself. Maybe he was just supposed to be alone. His Winter powers drove people away for a reason...right? 

Chapter Text

“Ya haven’t been yourself lately.”

“Yes, I have. I’ve always been myself, and it’s not my fault you hate me!” Jack shouted. Bunny groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

“I don’t hate ya, Jack. Let me help. Why won’t ya just talk to me?” Bunny asked pleadingly. Jack huffed before he walked toward the tunnel that lead to the North Pole. “Don’t leave, Larrikin.”

“I’m not a Larrikin! When will you get it through your thick skull that I don’t want or need your help, Kangaroo ?!” Jack emphasized the hurtful nickname Bunny thought the boy had left behind. Apparently, he was wrong. Just like he’d been wrong about a lot of things. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

And with that, Jack was gone, leaving Bunny to contemplate everything that had happened in the past few weeks that had led up to this painful conversation. He groaned and put his face in his hands as he realized what an idiot he had been. 

Bunny hadn’t realized what was happening until it was too late. Now, he had to pay the consequences, no matter how terrible they might have been.

The day things first began to change was when Jack hadn’t shown up as promised to the Warren. When Bunny asked the next day, Jack had said that there’d been a blizzard he had to take care of and that he’d been too tired to come over. 

No big deal, right? That’s what Bunny thought. Blizzards seem to take a lot out of Jack, so it made sense that he wouldn’t feel like coming over. So Bunny just brushed it off, certain that it was nothing to worry about.

Jack still came by, he still laughed and joked with Bunny like he always did. If Jack’s blue eyes weren’t as bright as before, and his laugh didn’t sound as genuine, it was chalked up to the Winter Spirit being tired, or in a bad mood.

Weeks went by, and Jack went from coming to the Warren every other day to every couple of days. Then he just dropped by once or twice a week. Then it was once every couple of weeks.

Bunny hadn’t really paid much attention to how much he loved seeing Jack every day, hearing the boy’s mischievous laughter echo throughout his ancient home, and seeing that gleeful smile on the pale teen’s face until Bunny hardly ever saw it anymore.

Whenever he tried to ask, Jack would ignore Bunny’s concerns and would change the subject, sometimes by painting an egg wrong on purpose, or by pulling a flower instead of a weed. Despite the painful ache in his heart, Bunny would go along with it and pretend he’d forgotten his questions.

After Jack would leave, only after a few hours instead of staying for the whole day like he used to, Bunny would lie in his bed (well, a nest ‘cause he’s a bunny) and wonder what had changed. The Pooka would try to remember every encounter with the teen, and try to see if there was something Bunny had said or done that might’ve warranted the cold shoulder he’d been getting as of late (pun not intended). 

Sometimes, Bunny believed that maybe Jack had noticed the way the older Guardian looked at him, the way Bunny’s touch would linger whenever he brushed Jack’s shoulder, the way Bunny would smile every time Jack did something adorable. Maybe Jack was disgusted but didn’t want to say anything. After all, they were both Guardians and would have to work together. Perhaps the boy was just trying to subtly turn Bunny down.

But then Bunny would remember that ‘subtle’ was not a word that belonged in the same sentence as Jack. No matter how hard Jack tried, he would never be able to be subtle about anything. 

Which left Bunny with no ideas as to what was going on. It wasn’t until he mentioned how distant Jack had been to Tooth when she’d come over after Christmas (which was a major success, I might add) that Bunny finally figured out what was happening. 

“What are you talking about? He said he would talk to you ages ago.”

“Talk to me about what? The fact that he doesn’t seem to want anything to do with me?” Bunny asked, his tone harsher than he’d intended. “He’s been missing for months. Well, not missing, but I haven’t seen him for a while. Neither have the Burgess kids. 

“Missing? I didn’t know that...but anyway, the last time I talked to him, he told me that he...likes you, Bunny. Respects you, looks up to you” Tooth tried to be as vague as she possibly could while still helping her old friend. She’d never hear the end of it if she spilled Jack’s secret. “Jack had talked to me and said he wanted to tell you something. He said he wanted to ask North for advice about...something but I assumed he was going to come to the Warren right after.”

The kid respected him. Looked up to him. Had wanted to talk to him. Bunny recalled the conversation he’d had with North, where the Russian had told him not to hurt Jack, to be careful. Bunny huffed as he decided he’d have to have a talk with North. But first, he wanted to talk to Jack. 

“Ya haven’t been yourself lately.”

“Yes, I have. I’ve always been myself, and it’s not my fault you hate me!” Jack shouted. Bunny groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration, not sure if he wanted to yell or cry. 

“I don’t hate ya, Jack. Let me help. Why won’t ya just talk to me?” Bunny asked pleadingly. Jack huffed before he walked toward the tunnel that led to North’s, the person Bunny was almost certain had played a part in Jack’s behavior. “Don’t leave, Larrikin.”

“I’m not a Larrikin! When will you get it through your thick skull that I don’t want or need your help, Kangaroo ?!” Jack himself looked like he was close to tears too, and his act of bravado seemed to be more for him than it was for Bunny. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

And with that, Jack was gone. The two of them had a good thing going, but now it was over. At least, it looked pretty over to the poor heartbroken Pooka. ‘If it’s that hard, why’d ya do it?’

Bunny thought back to all of the signs he had missed as Jack had slowly but surely pulled away from Bunny, distanced himself. Bunny felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he thought about how badly the Guardian had screwed everything up. 

Not for the first time in his life, Bunny felt completely and utterly hopeless. As the Guardian of Hope, that was not acceptable. Not at all. And he was going to fix that. Bunny wasn’t really sure how, or if he even could, but he had to try. If not for himself, then for Jack. 

Chapter Text

Easter was in two and a half months, which left Bunny little time to prepare. After last years’ fiasco, Bunny knew he needed to bunk down and focus on painting as many eggs as possible each and every day, and weave baskets, and perfect his already perfected chocolate recipes. But for the first time in eons, Bunny’s mind wasn’t on Easter.

He knew it should’ve been, and that, logically, Jack could’ve waited until after Easter had come and gone. Bunny could’ve held off on tracking down the Winter Spirit for a few months. However, when Bunny went to paint a design he’d practiced a million times, his mind would go blank and all Bunny could think about was Jack.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Bunny had it bad. As Francis Davison once said, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Bunny hadn’t believed it when he first heard that stupid phrase, but now he completely understood what Francis was talking about. Because no matter what Bunny said or did to deny it, he missed Jack. 

And that’s what led Bunny to go running throughout all of Burgess to try and find the Winter teen. He’d started at the lake and the surrounding forest, even dropping by at Jamie’s house to see if Jack had been there recently. 

“Sorry, Bunny, but we haven’t seen him since before Christmas,” Jamie apologized. ‘But if you see him, can you tell him that me and the others have presents for him?”

“Easter Bunny, hop, hop, hop!” Sophie exclaimed excitedly as she ran around her favorite.

If Bunny was being honest with himself, he knew exactly where Jack was. But he wasn’t very good about being honest, especially when it came to his emotions. Or being scared. Bunny refused to admit it, but he was kind of scared to have the very much needed conversation he had to have. Not just with Jack, but with another Guardian. 

So instead of heading where he needed to go, Bunny decided to find Sandy. He knew how close the older Guardian was with Jack, so he thought that maybe the dream-giver could give Bunny some information.

“Have ya seen ‘im lately?” Bunny asked. Sandy shook his head and then made an image of a question mark. “Why am I asking? Well, I’ve had a crazy couple of months. I don’t know if Jack told ya, though that boy’s mouth is so big I doubt that he didn’t, but I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jack as of late.”

A wave of déjà vu washed over Sandy as Bunny began to tell him everything that had been going on with him and Jack, how he hadn’t seen Jack in what felt like ages, and all Sandy could think about was the ‘conversation’ he’d had with Jack months ago. Except that conversation had been a lot happier while the one Sandy was having with Bunny was a lot more...depressing.

At least, it was until Bunny started to explain (or tried to, anyway) why exactly he was so upset about the new developments between him and Jack. “North, ironically, was the one who helped me figure it out. Frost drives me crazy and makes me want to punch a wall or throw him in the rainbow dye river, which I have. He’s loud, noisy, can make a grand ol’ mess I gotta take care of, and he always wants to play these ridiculous games.” 

“But...it’s all worth it, ya know? I can’t really explain it very well. I just, well, I miss him, alright?” Bunny groaned and looked away from one of his oldest friends, not wanting to see the knowing look in Sandy’s eyes or the smug smirk he just knew was the golden man’s face. “And I don’t know what to do.”

Sandy crossed his arms before he made an arrow appear over his head. Then a picture of a candy cane popped up, followed by a snowflake. Both Sandy and Bunny knew what Bunny had to do, but he needed a push. And if anyone was willing to give him a push, it would be Sandy. 

“I know,” Bunny’s ears dropped down dejectedly. He smiled despite himself. “As always, you’re right. Alright, thanks for the talk.”

‘They really are made for each other,’ Sandy thought to himself as he watched Bunny hop into one of his tunnels, most likely the one that led to the North Pole. 

Bunny thanked Phil as the yeti let him into the workshop, then walked towards North’s office. He’d heard about what happened the last time someone startled North in his ‘sanctuary’ and decided to knock before he entered. Just in case the Russian was making another one of his flying trains composed of ice and magic.

North turned around, and his eyes widened upon seeing a 6’1 ft tall rabbit instead of a yeti, or even one of his elves. “Bunny! What a surprise! What are you-”

“What’d ya say to him?” Bunny cut North off. 

“Getting straight to the point, I see,” North muttered before he sat down. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Nah, I’m fine. All I want to know is what the bloody hell ya said to make Jack hate me all of a sudden,” Bunny replied. North opened his mouth but Bunny kept going. “Don’t ya dare say that ya had nothing to do with it. Tooth told me that Jack wanted to talk to you about something right before everything went wrong.”

“Don’t blame me for everything not going your way. I warned you to be careful,” North stated firmly. “And all I did was say to leave me out of it. Whatever happens with you two is none of my business.”

“That’s bull, North, and ya know it! Jack adores ya, and your opinion means everything!” Bunny shouted before he sighed and lowered his voice. “Do ya have any idea what that must’ve sounded like to him? How he might’ve felt when the man he’s come to see as a father-figure acts as if Jack’s done something wrong? I don’t know what he talked to you about, but even an oblivious rabbit such as myself could see how crushed he was afterward.”

“You are in no position to talk. I haven’t forgotten what you said last Easter when we thought Jack betrayed us,” North retorted. The harsh glare Bunny sent him made the “jolly” old man feel guilty immediately. 

“I’ve already beaten myself up about it. Hell, I went out of my way to apologize and make things up to the boy. It’s not like ya stood up for ‘him. I mean, who was the one who came up with the brilliant idea to bribe Jack with his memories?”

“I didn’t mean it like that-”

“It doesn’t matter! We’ve all made mistakes. We all did stuff and said stuff to the kid we regret. Just don’t pretend that I’m the only one in the wrong, here, mate,” Bunny had started to pace and stopped himself before he headed towards the door. “I care about him, North. Let me talk to Jack myself. Please.”

“I won’t stop you,” North winced as Bunny slammed the door closed. He groaned and put his face in his hands as he began to wonder if he too owed Jack an apology.

Meanwhile, Jack sighed for what felt like the millionth time. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought again. He could do nothing but think about all of the horrible things he had said to Aster- no, Bunny. He didn’t deserve to call him Aster anymore, not even in his mind.

After their last conversation, Jack had gone to the lake and cried his eyes out. He wasn’t even sure why he’d said those things, or why he’d pulled away. No, scratch that. He did know why. North hadn’t seemed very thrilled about it all, and that alone had fed the seedling of doubt Jack had about whether or not he was imagining the connection he thought he’d felt with Bunny. 

Still, it took every ounce of Jack’s willpower to keep himself from dropping by the Warren each and every day. He, of course, hadn’t said anything to North, who acted as if Jack had never told him anything at all. That hadn’t really helped either. In fact, North pretending nothing ever happened made Jack feel like he was in the wrong somehow like his feelings were wrong. 

If there was any surefire way of getting Jack to stop doing something, the best way to do it was to guilt-trip him and/or make him feel like he was the bad guy somehow. That didn’t do anything to stop the longing Jack felt to go back to the way things had been. 

“I shouldn’t have left,” Jack sat up and ran a hand through his hair as he debated on whether or not he should try and talk to Bunny. If the Pooka even wanted to see him. 

“As if that was gonna stop me from seeing ya.”

Jack looked to his right to see Bunny standing in the doorway of his room. He wasn’t sure if he should be scared or amazed that Bunny had somehow managed to open his (creaky) door and stand there for who knows how long without Jack noticing. 

Ast- Bunny, what are you doing here? I mean, uh, well, I just,” Jack stuttered, not really sure what to say. But as always, Bunny did. 

“The two of us need to have a little chat, Jackie.”

Chapter Text

Bunny hadn’t wanted to be interrupted by an elf, yeti, or even worse, North, so he’d suggested they go back to the Warren. And while Jack just said “sure” as nonchalantly as he possibly could, inwardly he was thrilled to be going back to the Warren. 

He was, however, not thrilled about the very awkward trip through Bunny’s tunnels. Normally, Jack loved flying through the tunnels, whooping with glee as he tried to go faster, anxious to meet up with his friend. But Jack did neither of those things, instead, he just flew by Bunny’s side, ignoring the older Guardian until they finally reached the Warren. 

Jack flew over to the garden more out of habit than anything else, glad that Bunny didn’t question him, instead he just followed the teen silently. Jack placed his staff gently against a tree, only for it to fall to the ground. Jack laughed uneasily as he picked the staff back up again, deciding to just hold on to it. He wouldn’t be in the Warren for long, anyway. 

“Ought to have some kind of a holder for it or something,” Bunny commented. Jack nodded absently as he fiddled with the crook of his staff. “Kinda like with my boomerangs.”

“That’s not a terrible idea, Kangaroo,” the nickname left a foul taste in Jack’s mouth but he kept talking as he looked at the ground, unable to look Bunny in the eye. “I’ll have to talk to North about it.”

It had been Bunny’s idea to talk, but now that he finally had Jack’s attention, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He observed Jack’s body language, taking note of the spirit’s defensive stance, poised to take flight at the first sign of danger. Bunny knew if he said the wrong thing, then Jack would take off in an instant. It was like the teen was a scared animal who was cornered. Bunny had to approach this carefully. 

So he took a step toward Jack slowly, giving him plenty of time to back away. But he didn’t. He just stood there as Bunny got closer and closer until the two Guardians were face-to-face. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” Jack asked with a nervous laugh, still not looking Bunny in the eye. “Thought I made it clear I wanted some space.” 

“Ya can cut the act right now ‘cause I ain’t buying it,” Bunny stated calmly as he ignored the pounding of his heartbeat. Bunny had never been so thankful that Jack’s hearing was nowhere near the Pooka’s level. It saved Bunny from embarrassment (because let’s be honest; if Jack could hear how fast Bunny’s heartbeat was just by being in the same presence as the Winter Spirit, he’d never let Bunyn live it down). 

But it also came in pretty handy sometimes, especially since Bunny could hear just how fast Jack’s own heart was beating at that moment. Not that he’d ever brag, but it was good to know that Bunny got to Jack as much as Jack got to him. 

“What are you talking about? What act?” Jack lifted his head slightly to see the disapproving frown on Bunny’s face. He sighed inwardly; there was no way Bunny was letting him get out of this conversation. “Do we have to do this now?”

“Tried to do it sooner. I’m not the one who walked away,” Bunny retorted. Jack winced. He knew he deserved it, but the reminder still hurt. Bunny’s gaze softened slightly and he continued. “I just want to know why.”

“North...well, I can’t just blame this on North, I guess,” Jack smiled sheepishly before he finally looked Bunny in the eyes. “Well, I...I like you. And I wanted his advice on what to do but then...then he said he didn’t want to know or talk about it, really. So I second-guessed myself. That’s why I didn’t show up the first time I bailed on you. I was kind of busy sulking in my room.”

“Jack Frost, sulking over me?” Bunny teased, happy to see a small smile on Jack’s face. He decided to wait until Jack was done before he asked what kind of ‘like’ Jack meant. Because if it was the one Bunny thought it was...well, he wouldn’t get his hopes up just yet. (Ironic considering what he’s the Guardian of, huh?) “Adorable.”

“Shut up,” Jack mumbled as his face frosted over and took on a bluish hue. “Every time I came by, all I could think about was whether or not I was doing something wrong, or maybe Tooth and Sandy had been wrong. So I quit coming every other day. But I still wanted to be here, to be with you, in this amazing place because I really do love this place. It feels so right, somehow. Like home.”

Bunny made a mental note to thank Tooth and Sandy later since they’d helped him and apparently, they’d tried to help Jack too. “Glad to hear it, Jackie.”

“Heh, yeah,” Jack didn’t realize he’d been staring at Bunny until silence (not awkward, this time) fell over them. He cleared his throat and looked away for a second before he continued. “It hurt too. I didn’t know how you felt, and it killed me to think that I’d never get to tell you. Or have the courage to tell you, actually. So I stopped dropping by so much until I just...never came back, I guess.” 

“Jack…” Bunny trailed off. Jack shook his head and raised a hand to stop Bunny from saying anything else. 

“I need to get this off my chest. I need to be able to say this,” Jack stated. Bunny nodded his head and gestured for Jack to continue.

“You’re so amazing and irritating at the same time. You listen to me, and no one else has taken the time to do that in years. You understand me better than anyone, and you play and race with me even though you have work to do. You can lose your temper but you also can be so incredibly patient when you need to be. Whether that’s with kids, or the eggs, or with me. And you’re so kind, even when we joke around and call each other names and I get on your nerves and you throw me in a river.

“It hurts to be away from you, and it hurt even more when I said I didn’t need you because I do! And you were right, I wasn’t acting like myself. And I know I sound ridiculous and lovesick and clich é but everything I’ve said is true,” Jack took a deep breath. He was on a roll, and even if he wanted to, there was no stopping the words from coming out of his mouth. Jack could feel the tears that threatened to flow down his face but he pushed them away, determined to finish no matter what. 

“But I was scared, scared of what North though, scared that I would screw it up, and scared of what you’d say. Thinking about it terrifies me, and I felt like everything was so...hopeless. Then I started to think I was imagining everything between us and if I am, please stop me before I ruin things for good. If I haven’t already.”

Bunny could almost hear what Jack left unsaid. ‘I’ve lost enough already, I don’t want to lose you too.’ That alone was enough to help Bunny power through his own speech and put the young Winter Spirit at ease. Because if Bunny was scared, then Jack was plain terrified. And there was no way Bunny would let fear consume the younger Guardian. 

“I was scared too. I mean, I had so many doubts about...everything, really. I mean, you’re Winter, I’m Spring. You’re all about having fun, and being so damn loveable and happy while I’m just a grumpy, workaholic bunny. Every time I thought that maybe I should just quit while I’m ahead and be happy with what we had, you’d go and be your crazy, obnoxious self, and logic would fly out the door.

“North was the reason I figured out how I felt, and I kicked myself for not realizing it sooner. Ya may not see it, kid, but you’re something else entirely. I’ve been all around the world, all around this galaxy and then some, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone quite like ya. And I don’t want to. Ya said this was clich é ? Mate, we’re about the furthest thing from clich é as you can get. An alien rabbit who hides painted eggs for children and the freakin’ embodiment of Winter? Don’t think I’ve ever heard of something like that before,” Bunny tried to be as reassuring as possible, and was relieved when Jack visibly relaxed.

“Really?” Jack asked, and Bunny could just feel the hope radiating from the young man. “You mean all of that? Like, you’re not messing around or trying to prank me?  

“Like ya had to ask, Snowflake,” Bunny smiled softly as he pulled the Winter Spirit closer, embracing him. Jack was startled into dropping his staff but did nothing to push the Pooka away. “Besides, you’re the one who likes to pull pranks, not me. I should be the one asking ya that question.”

“I would never,” Jack replied earnestly as he accepted the hug with ease. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d wanted to do something like that, just hug Bunny. Jack didn’t like the heat, what with being all about the cold and whatever, but he had to admit, he liked Bunny’s warmth. “Sorry for calling you a kangaroo.”

“It’s the accent, isn’t it?” Bunny quipped. Jack laughed as he was reminded of the first real conversation they’d had in the Warren when Bunny had been holding little Sophie in his arms. “I’ll forgive ya this time.”

“Then...can I call you Aster again?” Jack asked hesitantly. Bunny ran a paw through Jack’s hair absently as he pretended to think about it. Jack gripped the fur on Bunny’s chest in annoyance. “Bunny!”

“Alright, alright, don’t whine,” Bunny rolled his eyes fondly as Jack smiled brightly. “Never said you had to stop.”

“I didn’t think I’d be allowed to,” Jack admitted, feeling a lot better than he had during the past few months. Jack could’ve stayed like that forever, just being held in the larger being’s furry arms. “Glad I still can, Aster.”

“Needy little bugger,” Bunny quipped as Jack pulled Bunny even closer to him. He let out a laugh as Jack pouted, happy to see that Jack was in a better mood than earlier. “Ya ever gonna let go, Snowdrop?”

“Nope!” Jack announced playfully as he shook his head. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Sounds like torture,” Bunny said lovingly. Jack’s face flushed again as Bunny tilted the Winter Spirit’s head up. “Wanna have some fun?”

“It’s my center, remember? I’m always up for fun,” Jack let out a weak chuckle as Bunny leaned in, feeling both anxious and excited at the same time. 

Until Bunny pulled away, releasing his grip on Jack. Jack glanced up, wondering if he’d done something wrong. “Everything okay?”

Bunny put a finger up to his lips. He’d heard movement but he couldn’t discern what, or who, it was. Jack glanced around nervously as he silently picked up his staff from the ground.

Both of the Guardians were on edge as they looked around, weapons in their hands. *Think back to when Sophie invaded the Warren* 

“I don’t hear anything,” Jack whispered quietly. Bunny tried to listen again but couldn’t hear anything that seemed out of place. 

“Guess I was wrong,” Bunny put his boomerangs up and Jack leaned his staff back against the tree (no, it didn’t fall again). “Now, where were we?”

Jack smirked mischievously before he pulled Bunny down by gripping onto the leather strap that also worked as an egg holder, blue eyes meeting green. “This ring any bells?”

“Maybe. Should probably make sure, just in case,” Bunny wrapped his paws around Jack’s slim waist and once again leaned down. 

“Hello? Is anyone home?” 

Bunny and Jack groaned in unison as they heard North’s loud, boisterous voice. Bunny pulled away, again, and watched as Jack straightened out his hoodie. “His timing is horrible.”   

“No kidding,” Jack muttered right as Tooth and Sandy walked over towards them, followed by an apologetic-looking North. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

“North said you guys were here,” Tooth nodded over to North, who avoided eye contact entirely. Sandy nodded in agreement, missing the glares Jack and Bunny sent toward North. Bunny had to hold back another groan as the fairy proceeded to make small talk. He had the feeling they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

Forget what Bunny had said about thanking Tooth and Sandy. Instead, he’d have to remember to add this latest offense to the mental list Bunny was planning on bringing up when he finally got the chance to talk to North again.

Jack had a similar thought, though he was thankful that North had given them a warning. It wasn’t much of a heads up, but it had been enough. He’d just wished his friends had come at a later time instead of interrupting him right before him and Bunny had, well, he wasn’t exactly sure what was about to happen between them, but he still wanted something to happen. It didn’t look like he’d get a chance like that again anytime soon. But really, was a kiss (hey, a guy can dream) too much to ask for? 

Chapter Text

For the fairy who remembered everything and the golden man who had observed more than anyone would ever know, both were painfully unaware of the dozens of hints Bunny and Jack had dropped in the past fifteen minutes. 

“I was about to put Jack here to work-” “Oh, your flowers can wait, Bunny. Let Jack enjoy himself.”

“I actually just took some medicine for my headache. It’s supposed to make me drowsy.” “That’s what they always say. I’m sure you can talk for a few minutes.”

“Tooth, really, the Warren isn’t at it’s best right now-” “Bunny, it looks better than it has in years.”

“I don’t have much food or drinks any of you would like. I’m sure North has more than enough if you’re hungry.” “We already ate at the North Pole before we headed over here.”

For every excuse, Tooth (unknowingly) shot each of the reasons down with logic, making it impossible to get her and Sandy to leave. Unless, of course, Bunny outright asked them to. But both he and Jack knew that it would hurt the fairy’s feelings, no matter how polite they were about the issue.

North, however, did seem to understand how very unwelcomed Bunny’s uninvited guests were. He made up an excuse about wanting to see how the eggs were turning out, so he and Bunny walked away from the group and left Jack to make small talk. And no, Jack was not happy about it.

Once Bunny was sure that they’d gone far enough away, he started to whisper-yell at the Russian. “I thought ya said you’d let me and Jack talk. What’s the deal with bringing them here?!”

“I tried to stop them!” North protested. “They came by, saying that you had been worried about Jack. Tooth was very concerned about it, as was Sandy. Nothing I said could soothe their worries. When I realized they’d go with or without me, I tagged along so I could help. That’s why I shouted so loudly earlier.”

Bunny bit back a comment about North always shouting loudly, mindful to not upset his and Jack’s only ally in their situation. “Alright, I did go and bother them earlier, so I should’ve seen this coming. I guess I can’t be too mad ‘bout that. If ya help us kick them out, I might let ya off the hook for causing the mess between Jack and me.”

“Hey! You two weren’t looking so terrible when we arrived,” North protested as he looked over to Jack. “I am sorry for the part I played in it though. I didn’t think he’d be affected so much.”

“He’s impressionable, North” Bunny commented before his ears picked up on something. Something he most definitely did not want Jack to hear. “Which is why we gotta head back now.”

Bunny walked as fast as he could without running, not stopping to wait for North to catch up, so he could join back in the conversation. “Sorry ‘bout that. What’d we miss?”

“Well, it sounds like you missed me,” Jack grinned. Bunny shot a look at a certain fairy, who showed no remorse. 

“Don’t look at me like that. You did,” Tooth placed her hands on her hips firmly as she stared Bunny down, silently daring him to deny it. “You mentioned something about it the last time I talked to you, and Sandy told me you’d come by earlier, so we thought we’d pay Jack a visit.”

Sandy waved his hand to gain his friends’ attention before he started to make symbols appear over his head. Everyone was pretty good at playing ‘ Sandy’s Charades ’ as they jokingly called it. They were fluent, so to speak. Unfortunately, for Bunny, that meant Jack understood what Sandy meant perfectly when he showed an image of Bunny, of a worried face, and then of Bunny running around, pacing at some point. Sandy smirked slightly as Bunny refused to meet Jack’s eyes.

“You were worried!” Jack exclaimed gleefully. Bunny huffed and crossed his arms. Jack decided to cut Bunny some slack...for the time being. But the second their friends were gone, Jack had every intention of teasing Bunny about it. And Bunny knew it, too. “And all over little ol’ me.”

“If ya know what’s good for ya, you’ll shut up,” Bunny growled. Jack held his hands up in surrender, but the mischievous glint in his eyes let Bunny know that the Winter Spirit won’t be letting that piece of information go anytime soon. “Is that the only reason all of ya came by?”

“Well, no, it’s not the only reason. Right, North?” Tooth glanced over to North, who looked between her and the others before he nodded hesitantly. “We were talking, and, well, Jack made a very good point last year. None of us really see each other very often. And not seeing very much of you guys these past few months just proves it.”

“What Tooth is trying to say is that we should do something like a monthly Guardian meeting. Keep each other up-to-date, as the young people say,” North added. 

“No young person says it like that,” Jack replied. “But that doesn’t sound too horrible. Where will we have the meetings?”

“I thought we could alternate, have them at everyone’s places,” North suggested. “Or we could just hold them at my workshop. The yetis make a mean hot chocolate. And the cookies are excellent.”

“But North! Do you realize how bad that stuff is for you? And how much it’ll stain your teeth?!” Tooth exclaimed. Bunny rolled his eyes before he recalled something Jack had once said.

“Didn’t you say something about those cookies, Jack? Something about them not being anywhere near my chocolate’s level?” Bunny asked, smirking at the surprised expression on North’s face. 

“Sorry, North. It’s not my fault,” Jack smiled sheepishly. Then he got an idea. He nudged Bunny slightly, subtle enough that Tooth and Sandy didn’t (seem to) notice. “Why don’t we go get some and you’ll see what I mean?”

Before anyone could say anything, Jack grabbed Bunny by the arm and started to walk over to the confectionary kitchen. Jack sighed as they got far enough away that the others couldn’t hear him talking. “I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of miss being alone right now.”

“No kidding,” Bunny didn’t fail to notice that Jack had yet to let go of his arm. So, after checking to see if the coast was clear, he slipped his hand down to grab Jack’s. “They have terrible timing, don’t they?”

“Yeah…”Jack’s face heated up and he had a hard time concentrating on anything except for the fact that his hand was entwined with Bunny’s. “I can’t believe North came with him.”

“He said he came along to try and help us out. Don’t really know how he expects to do that, but at least we’ve got back up,” Bunny used his free hand to open the wooden door that led to his confectionary kitchen. 

It was set up like a regular kitchen, with lots of counters, a fridge/freezer, and plenty of cabinets. But there were several stoves and ovens, as well as a few different sized mixers. And a few other machines meant specifically for making chocolate. 

“Good on ya for coming up with a way to get away from the others. But ya better realize now that they aren’t leaving anytime soon,” Bunny pulled out a small tray of different types of chocolate treats (truffles, plain candy-like chocolate, cookies, brownies, and some good old fudge). 

Jack nodded his head in agreement as he leaned against one of the counters casually. “I know. I just...I don’t know, I don’t really feel like hanging out with them. Is that bad?”

“Nah. Just means they’re starting to get on your nerves. We’re like every other family now,” Bunny ruffled Jack’s hair before he finished putting the treats in a small wicker basket. “Alright, I think that’s good.”

Jack took the basket from Bunny and placed it on a counter before he used the hook part of his staff to pull Bunny down to his eye level. “We’re finally alone again.”

“Guess we are, Snowdrop.”

Before anything could happen, once again, they heard North’s booming voice come as he swung the door open. 

“I think I have an idea- oh,” North’s eyes widened as he stared at Jack and Bunny, the latter of whom had his arms wrapped around Jack’s waist, mere inches away from each other’s faces. “I’m sorry.”

“Does no one know that a closed-door means do not come in?” Bunny asked exasperatedly as he took a step away from the Winter teen.

“Come on, this is the third time today!” Jack groaned as he grabbed the small basket, annoyance written across his face. 

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” North protested though the damage was already done. He sighed inwardly; today was not going the way he’d expected it to. All the Russian had wanted was to work on his ice trains, not deal with...well, everything he’d had to deal with that day.

Chapter Text

“Why didn’t we just lead with that?” Jack asked as he, Bunny, and North made their way back to Tooth and Sandy, who had sat down next to a small tree, both looking a little too comfortable for unwanted guests. 

“I have no idea,” Bunny admitted. North’s idea made so much sense that it should’ve been the first thing they thought of. Unfortunately, both Bunny and Jack had been a little...distracted to really think up a good excuse. “At least we’ve got an idea now.”

“Hey, guys. What’d you bring us?” Tooth asked, looking at the small basket suspiciously. 

“Nothing sugar-free, I’m afraid. Haven’t had the chance to make any yet,” Bunny had to hide a sly smile. He had plenty of sugar-free things, but Tooth didn’t need to know that just yet. 

Sandy’s eyes widened before he made the image of a clock appear over his head, followed by the number two with a ½ sign beside it.

‘Hook, line, sinker,’ Jack thought as he observed Tooth and Sandy’s worried expressions, only feeling a little guilty. “That’s kind of why I came by. I know the layout of this place pretty well, and Bunny’s taught me how to do the basic Easter prep stuff. We were about to get to work when you guys showed up.”

Tooth made an ‘o’ face. “I’m sorry. We’ve been keeping you from your work. After last year, this Easter needs to go smoothly.”

“Yes, we’ll have to do the comparison of chocolate another time, friend,” North reached into his coat for one of his snowglobes. “And believe me, my yetis will outdo any dish you can make.”

“We’ll see ‘bout that,” Bunny muttered. North rolled his eyes before he whispered into the snowglobe and tossed it, making a portal appear almost immediately. “Nice seeing you lot.”

“Mmhmm. If you need any extra hands, you know where to find us,” Tooth waved before she flew through the portal, followed by Sandy, who gave them two thumbs up. 

“Enjoy your alone time,” North winked before he too jumped through the portal, which closed behind him.

Jack and Bunny both sighed in relief as they sunk down to the ground. Bunny rubbed the bridge of his nose and placed the basket down beside Jack’s staff. “Ya see why we don’t talk to each other much? They’re like the annoying relatives you can never get rid of.”

“No kidding,” Jack grabbed one of the cookies from the basket then laid down on the soft grass as he looked up at the sky. “But they could be worse.”

“How so?”

Jack stayed quiet for a moment and chomped down on his cookie as he waited for Bunny to lay down beside him before Jack finally responded. “They could be running all over the place looking for you, being worried sick, and even pacing around, from what I saw.”

Bunny knocked Jack upside the head and flicked his forehead. Jack grabbed his head dramatically, acting as if it had actually hurt. “What did I say about shutting up?”

“Did you really think I’d let that go? I mean, were you really that worried about me?” Jack asked, his smile getting even bigger as Bunny reluctantly nodded his head. “Aw. How sweet.”

“I’m warning ya…” Bunny left the threat hanging, though both he and Jack knew full well he wouldn’t actually do anything. It’s not like Bunny could deny it. He had been worried.

“I’m flattered, really,” Jack ate another cookie, not noticing the mischievous glint in Bunny’s eyes as the Pooka slowly inched closer to the Winter Spirit. “Never knew you could be so protective. Or is possessive a better word for it?”

A dark shadow blocked Jack’s view of the sky. Correction; Bunny blocked his view of the sun. Jack cocked an eyebrow in confusion as Bunny placed a paw on either side of Jack’s head. “Shut up, will ya?”

“Make me,” Jack’s breath hitched slightly as Bunny leaned in. Bunny smirked as he finally kissed Jack. Pooka’s mouths weren’t exactly designed for kissing, but the cool pressure of Jack’s lips mashing against his wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Far from it actually. Sure, it was a little sloppy, but Bunny couldn’t be happier.

Jack ran his fingers through Bunny’s fur, amazed at how freaking soft it was. The kiss itself was a bit clumsy on his part, but Jack hadn’t really had much experience. A couple of pecks here and there and that was it. Not that Jack really cared. He was too happy to feel embarrassed or worry if he was doing it wrong.

Bunny didn’t seem to care much either. Jack swore he heard the older Guardian purr but didn’t want to be the one to break the kiss so he made a note to tease Bunny about it later. Jack just tried to focus on how warm Bunny was, and how nice it felt.

After what felt like hours (though it was probably just five or ten minutes), Bunny pulled back, panting heavily. Jack took a moment to catch his breath, certain that his face was the color of a tomato. 

“If I knew this was how you’d react, maybe I would’ve gone missing sooner- ow!” Jack winced as Bunny hit his shoulder. “What was that for?” 

“Worry me like that again and see what happens,” Bunny glared sternly at Jack, who smiled sheepishly. “Not funny.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said sincerely. “I’ll try not to do it again.” 

“Guess that’s good enough for now,” Bunny muttered as he moved away from Jack and sat up, giving the boy room to do the same. “Ya know, I do need to crack down on preparations for Easter. Don’t suppose you’d be interested in helping, would ya?”

“Of course!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. Bunny felt a distinct drop in the temperature of his Warren, but he said nothing. As long as it didn’t start snowing, Bunny could put up with the wind nipping at him. If Jack was happy and willing to work, then there was no reason for Bunny to bring up the coldness.

They spent the rest of the day together, painting eggs, making some wicker baskets (well, it was mostly Bunny since all of Jack’s baskets looked like a bunch of bird nests that had been stepped on), and Jack ate more sweets than was probably good for him.

Jack was thrilled to be back in the Warren, and happy when he and Bunny fell back into their regular routine. It was like he had never left, and nothing had changed.

Well, it felt like that until Jack and Bunny took a few more breaks than usual that may or may not have involved a few kisses here and there. As the day went on, Jack felt himself grow more and more confident and a lot less shy around Bunny. 

They went back to the way their banter had been in the beginning, without the awkward pauses or any hesitation. Which of course meant that the nickname game that Bunny and Jack had (almost) forgotten about was back on.

“Whatever you say, Long Ears.”

“That the best ya can do, Snow King?”

“Come on, Fluffball. I’ve got a million more.”

“Bloody Showpony, ya just don’t know when to quit, do ya?”

“You should know the answer to that by now,” Jack retorted before he got an idea. It would be embarrassing but totally worth it. “I never give up, Babe.”

Bunny froze and nearly dropped the egg he’d been facing. He darted a quick look at Jack, who had a smug smirk on his face. Bunny wracked his head to think of something that would ensure victory, at least for the day.

Once he knew what he’d say, Bunny leaned over to Jack and looked directly into those blue eyes of his before he whispered to him softly. “Neither do I, Darlin’. After all, there’s no way I’m gonna lose to ya, Sweetheart.”

“That’s...that’s not fair!” Jack protested as his face heated up. “You can’t use two!”

“We never made any rules saying that,” Bunny replied smugly. Jack glanced back at the egg he was holding and muttered something about stubborn rabbits as Bunny laughed at him. 

‘I’ll remember that for tomorrow,’ Jack thought to himself slyly as he vowed to lookup more rabbit-related nicknames the second he went home.

Chapter Text

Easter went off without a hitch, unlike the year before. The Guardians all chipped in, and not a single Nightmare showed it’s face. The children were happy. And if a certain group of kids in Burgess found more eggs than the others, especially a certain hyperactive blonde, nobody said anything.

Bunny couldn’t believe it’d been a year since Jack became a Guardian. A year since the two of them had gotten close. A year since everything in his life had changed. 

“Babe? Bunny? Hello? Aster, are you even listening to me?”

A year since Bunny had to start putting up with Jack’s annoying traits on a daily basis. He sighed to himself as he glanced up at Jack, who had stopped pacing back and forth to glare at Bunny, who had sat down and leaned against a tree to stay in the shade. “Sorry, must’ve zoned out. What were ya saying, Jackie?”

“I was saying that Phil had told me something interesting,” Jack replied as he sat down and laid his staff on the ground. Bunny was in the process of making a holder, one that Jack could strap onto his hoodie (which Jack wasn’t currently wearing because it was hot that day) and another one for whenever Jack came by to the Warren. 

Which was every day without fail. Even if Jack had to leave early, or could only stay for a little while, he always made sure to visit. Jack had really missed being in the Warren and took the time to enjoy every second he spent there. He knew the layout like the back of his hand. Every tunnel, every inch of Bunny’s cottage, every river, every forest, every- well, you get the point. 

The Warren was like a second home to him, a place where he spent a majority of his nights (in his own separate room. No minds in the gutters here, reader). Sure, Jack still stayed at North’s, but the Warren had something that Santoff Claussen didn’t have; Bunny. 

“And what did Phil say?” Bunny asked as he entwined his hand with Jack’s. Jack shook himself out of thoughts and leaned against Bunny’s shoulder.

“He said that Tooth and Sandy have a running bet with North. And get this...the bet has to do with us. And you should’ve heard what the stakes were,” Jack chuckled as he remembered the exasperated look on Phil’s face, who clearly thought the bet was a waste of time. “North’s gotta give up cookies of he loses, Tooth has to quit making teeth-related remarks whenever one of us eats something that’s not healthy, and Sandy has to quit ringing a bell every time he wants our attention. And all for two months, depending on who loses.”

“Hold on, what exactly is the bet?” Bunny ran his free paw through Jack’s hair absently. He had a bad feeling about whatever his fellow Guardians were gambling on and the mischievous smile on his boyfriend’s face pretty much confirmed his feelings.

“They’re betting on when we’re going to get together. I mean, North already knows but I think the bet is more of when we’re going to announce that we’re together.” 

“Guess we ought to do that soon, then, I guess. When exactly did each of ‘em say it would happen?” Bunny wasn’t keen on telling his friends just yet. It’d been a couple of months, but Bunny liked having Jack all to himself. And frankly, it was a lot easier to get alone time without everyone knowing about the two Guardians’ new relationship.

“Sandy said before two weeks from today has passed, Tooth said three, and North said a month. North actually asked me while I was there when we planned on coming out,” Jack glanced up at Bunny, who didn’t look annoyed but wasn’t entirely happy either. “What’s wrong?”

“I just don’t want them to go overboard or anything,” Bunny admitted. “Like, I don’t want it to be some big spectacle or whatever.”

“I doubt they’d make a big deal out of it. Well, maybe Tooth, but that’s just how she is. I’d be more worried about telling the Burgess Bunch,” Jack had taken to calling his first set of believers the ‘ Burgess Bunch’ , kind of like the Brady Bunch. Thanks to Bunny, and the other Guardians, Jack had a bunch more believers now, but Jamie and his friends would always hold a special place in Jack’s heart. 

“Crikey, I hadn’t thought of that,” Bunny muttered. For Pookas, being with someone of the same gender was no big deal. It was quite a common occurrence, actually. And most spirits and immortal beings had no problems with it either. But for a group of young, impressionable kids that had different upbringings...well, he wasn’t quite sure how that conversation would go. “How do ya tell little anklebiters that the Easter Bunny is dating the Spirit of Winter?”

“Dunno. I’m sure Sophie would be happy for us,” Jack smirked and took on a more playful tone. “And if she’s happy, you’re happy, right? The kid has you wrapped around her fingers. If she says ‘Easter Bunny, hop, hop, hop’ I’m positive you’d go jumping around her room. You’re going soft.”

“I am not going soft!” Bunny protested. Jack moved so he could be face-to-face with Bunny, mostly so he could see the embarrassed look on the Pooka’s face as Jack continued to egg him on.

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too!”

“Keep this up and I’ll throw ya back in the river.”

“Not if you can’t catch me!” Jack exclaimed before he grabbed his staff and took off running. Bunny huffed in fake annoyance before a grin broke out on his face. The rabbit raced through the Warren, sniffing the air for the faint scent of snow that always followed the Winter teen around.

Once he finally found Jack by his cottage, the guy took off again, which led to a long (and tiring) chase. Both parties involved laughed the entire time, and would even slow down to let the other catch up, only to speed back up again.

After who knows how long, Jack made the mistake of flying too close to the ground. That, of course, gave Bunny an opening to pounce into the air and bring Jack down with him. They rolled around for a bit until Bunny was able to pin the struggling Winter Spirit.

“That...was fun…” Jack panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath. When he tried to get up, Bunny’s hold on his wrists tightened, an evil smile on the Pooka’s face. “Are you really going to throw me in the river again?”

Bunny shook his head, then leaned so his and Jack’s face were scant inches away from each other. “Not today, Snowflake.”

“Then what are you doing?” Jack’s body tensed up as Bunny maneuvered Jack’s arms so that the older Guardian could pin both of them with his left paw, using his right to crawl up and down Jack’s chest (his hoodie was off, remember? “Aster?”

“Jack, sweetheart?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” Bunny’s words held no malice in them, so Jack saw no reason to reply. The fact that Bunny was kissing him, therefore making it near impossible to respond, had nothing to do with that whatsoever. Not that Jack would ever complain about that.