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“What?” Jack peered up from his seat on the floor with a frown as he caught the pooka staring down at him from the couch. The two were sitting in the lounge room alone at the Pole while North and Tooth were off making everyone snacks and tea.
“Nothin’,” Bunny looked away and pretended to keep painting the googie in his lap despite its finished appearance. Bunny blinked at the egg in his hand, its different shades of blue almost shouting up at him. Out of all colours- darn it. Bunny sighed.
After the battle with Pitch, Jack and Bunny hadn’t realized how- awkward it was hanging out for the first time without the threat of Pitch distracting them from past rivalrous episodes. Sure, they made up in a sense, but it was still awkward.
The silence continued.
“Right, let’s do this.” Bunny muttered. Jack let out a confused hum at his statement. “Jackie,” the pooka patted the couch beside him. Jack gave out a troubled look as he swiftly clambered up to the seat.
“Er, I never properly thanked you for… y’know.” Bunny mentally cursed. With how large his ego was, thanking and apologising was hard. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with the frost spirit. “I want to thank you for making Jaime believe in me.”
Jack stared back, dumbfounded.
Bunny went on. “Especially since I now realize Jaime-” Thoughts of when Sophie visited the Warren and Jack taking her home entered his mind. “-not just Jaime, but Sophie, were your first believers, and you glossed over that accomplishment and instead worried about me.” Bunny blinked in surprise at his own sentence, now realizing what he said. Huh.
“Eh, it was no big deal.” Jack waved him off casually, but there was a hint of a shy happiness there.
“Ha! No big deal yeah right- of course it’s a big deal! Your first believers, and yet-” Bunny let out an astonished laugh. “Drat, what point was I trying to make again?” Bunny squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m also… sorry, about our whole back-and-forth fighting thing. I might’ve been a tad judgemental and inconsiderate- and blunt. Very blunt.”
Jack hummed in agreement. Then in a tiny voice, he replied, “I’m sorry too. You are right to be judgemental, I am a little immature. And messy. Especially with the blizzard of ‘68. I really didn’t mean…”
Once again, silence filled the room. But this silence was different; it had the air of opportunity and yearning.
Bunny had an idea. “Would you like to learn a pookan- well, rabbit custom?”
Jack nodded eagerly.
Bunny took Jack’s hands and gently leaned in, bowing his head and pressing his forehead against the frost spirit’s.
The pooka’s ears were flat behind his head in bashfulness, already turning red as he explained, “This is how we formally say sorry.”
Jack blinked as he stared down at their clasped hands. He smiled. “I like it.” Then he began to frown. “Does this mean I can’t name-call you, or pick on you anymore, or-”
“Nah mate,” Bunny let out a breathy laugh as they both looked up. “I like our banter and roughhousing.”
Jack let out a sarcastic sigh of relief. “Oh good, I didn’t think I could go on being all polite and civilized.”
Bunny grinned. “Me neither.”