Chapter Text
For days, Bunny had been lost. He could see everything going on around him but was powerless to control it. The creature that had found him and taken control of his body had to great of a hold. He had been unable to stop his body as he made the conscious decision to close off the Warren to all but one of the Guardians.
Aster had watched as he took Jack for his own - in more ways than one. It was what he'd wanted, what he'd dreamed about but it had been turned into something horrible and wrong. While he'd enjoyed it, there was an edge of guilt to it that he couldn't erase. It wasn't real even if it had felt like it was. His mind tried to make it completely real, tried to tell him that the one he held to truly loved him as he wanted him to.
The last moments before he'd finally felt the spear that had pierced his heart pulled out were a blur. He remembered Jack's soothing voice and the worry on his face. There was the blinding pain of the tip leaving his heart but greed made him want to hold onto it. If he gave it up then he wouldn't have Jack near him any longer, he wouldn't have that feeling of love and being wanted for who he was.
Yet...
'Don't leave me, Cottontail.'
Jack's words were the last thing he heard before he blacked out. Those sweet words which had lifted the hold on his heart. Trusting to the folly of hope, Aster had done as he was asked and fought against the darkness. What had happened afterwards was lost to him. For all he knew, he was dead and he was just being reluctant to open his eyes and see his final resting place. Would he run in the endless field of stars among those he'd known long ago or would he end up somewhere else entirely?
Eventually he gave into it, opening his eyes a bit to find himself in a dimly lit room. He was idly thankful for that fact since he had no desire to be blinded before he had a chance to get his bearings. There were two candles on either side of the plush bed he found himself in, covered by a heavy quilt that was patterned with the distinctive style of North's workshop.
He was alive. He hurt like no tomorrow but he was alive.
"Bunny!"
The voice was like music to his ears. His name was said in a way that sounded like the first time they'd met when he'd gone to collect the troublesome winter spirit for his Guardianship. Looking over slowly, he saw the bright smile of Jack Frost as he leaned on his staff with both hands. He could see the chair that he'd undoubtedly been sitting in but, for how long, he couldn't say.
With a soft groan and a wince, Aster shifted in his bed and reached up, feeling the bandages that wrapped around his torso. It all hurt like fury, an ache that reached deep into his ancient bones. "Hello, mate," he said, his voice weak and gruff. It didn't matter the tone, it seemed, as Jack's face brightened more. "I'm all right."
A silence fell between them and he immediately knew why. There were unsaid words between them, things that had to be talked about. This was either going to be incredibly easy or impossibly hard to deal with. One thing was for certain: it couldn't just be left alone. No matter how much he wanted to avoid it, he owed it to Jack for many reasons.
"I-I've got to go tell the others," the young Guardian stammered out suddenly. He reached up to touch his head for a moment then held out a hand, not really pointing a finger at the Pooka but close enough. "North made me promise to tell him when you woke up. I'll be right back, okay?"
Bunny was left alone before he could even object, letting out a soft, shaky sigh as he leaned back against the bed. He only got a few moments of peace before the other Guardians filtered in, North leading the boistrous company. Tooth flew in and gave him a gentle hug while Sandy gave him thumbs up and a silent cheer. It would have been overwhelming if it weren't for the fact that there was a huge amount of relief coming from them.
"How did ya even manage to get into the Warren? I locked everythin' down," Bunny asked, looking between his fellow Guardians for answers.
"We couldn't use the snowglobes but North remembered that there were other tunnels you used to use," Tooth said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You forgot about them."
It took a moment before he remembered at least one of the long tunnels he'd built centuries ago. He had only thought of the immediate entries, ones that could easily be accessed by snowglobe travel. The only one he never remembered was the one built long ago in a remote area that was no longer inhabited. "Glad someone remembered it. Thought that thing was buried."
With the mystery solved, they chatted among themselves, barely touching upon what had happened. Bunny was sure that they weren't avoiding the topic on purpose, they were just trying to keep him comfortable. His mind was still whirling with thoughts, some of them not ones that he wanted to focus on and it must have shown. Sandy offered some of his dreamsand to get a decent sleep, one filled with pleasant dreams rather than the nightmares he'd had for days.
He probably would have accepted the offer if a small amount of movement didn't catch his eye. Jack stood in the corner, hood up and both hands clutching his staff as he watched. He didn't join in, he said not a word. Aster was pretty sure that it wasn't because he felt like a fifth wheel to the Guardians.
Shaking his head at Sandy and looking to North and Tooth, the Pooka smiled softly. "If ya don't mind, I'd like to have a word or two with frostbite over there. Alone, I mean." This completely changed the feeling in the room and he wondered how much Jack had told them. How much had they guessed had happened and how much had been spilled in moments of panic and fright?
There was a small nod from Jack, North taking the initiative and starting to lead the way out. It was a bit encouraging that the Russian wasn't looking at the young Guardian with pity, it seemed to be more encouragement. Bunny could barely see beneath that hood from where he was. Tooth nodded once more and Sandy drifted out before North closed the door, a loud sound that echoed in the now-quiet room.
Surprisingly, the winter spirit approached the bed without prompting, his head hanging low as he stayed a small distance away. Silence hung between them, making Aster feel uneasy. He wished he knew what was going through the teen's head right now. They'd done something that was so intimate but now it was like they were strangers all over again.
"I'm sorry." Jack was the one who broke the silence, his voice thick with emotion. "I should have stopped you."
Making a dismissive noise, Bunny swiped a hand in the air and then laughed nervously. "Would have liked to see ya try. Not easy to resist when somethin' big like me comes at ya, is it?" He wished he could look into Jack's eyes right now. Would he see his feelings returned there or would it be revulsion at what had occurred between them? "I should be the one apologisin' for what happened."
Quickly, the young Guardian looked up and shook his head, taking a small step forward. "No, it's okay!" he said, putting a hand on the bed. He hesitated a moment before he reached up to pull back his hood, those bright blue eyes tilting upward. He looked sad, anxious and...hopeful. "I-it didn't bother me." Jack moved his hands back to clutching that staff as though it were his only lifeline in this situation.
"Didn't bother you? Jack, I kidnapped you and held ya there against your will. I..." Ears going back, Aster hung his head and dropped his hands in his lap. What had he done? They'd had such a good friendship going and now he'd ruined even that. He couldn't blame anyone but himself for what had happened. "I got caught by one of the many demons that can take root in our hearts. It was all my fault and I'm sorry."
"Really, Bunny, it's okay. It's not your fault. I didn't help things, either," Jack said, a quick jolting movement suggesting that he had shrugged. His voice was low and riddled with something else that he shouldn't be feeling. "The truth is, I could have tried a lot harder."
Silence fell between them again until Bunny heard a growl of annoyance come from Jack. Whether it was at himself or the situation he'd been in, Bunny wasn't sure. What he didn't expect was hearing Jack set aside his staff and then the small shift in the mattress as the winter spirit climbed on it.
Looking up, he saw the young Guardian straddling him with a determined glint in his eye. "I said it didn't bother me, Cottontail. I'm glad you're alive and I don't hate you." Those wonderful fingers found their way on either side of Bunny's face, angling him up just a bit. Then he felt the cool lips of Jack Frost touch his own, one of Aster's hands coming up to rest on the other's cheek. When Jack pulled away, there was an obvious blush on the teen's cheeks.
Jack opened his mouth once then closed it, still seeming to hesitate. Finally, he let out a heavy breath and pulled his hands away. "I love you, Bunny. I have for a while but I..."
Had there been any doubt left in his heart, Bunny would have felt it leave him at those words. He kept his hand against Jack's cheek as he leaned in for another kiss which was returned eagerly. They lingered like that for a moment before Aster pulled away, feeling relaxed and completely ignoring the pain that still was at his back.
"I love ya too, Jack," he said, his words making the winter spirit's shoulders drop with relief. The anxious look was replaced with one of the brightest smiles that Bunny had ever seen on his new lover. "Sorry it took this to make me tell ya. I thought you were courtin' Tooth since you always seem so close to her."
"What? Tooth and I are just friends," Jack said with a small laugh. He reached up to rub at the back of his neck then dropped his hand against Bunny's stomach. "I know she's got a crush on me but I don't like her that way. The truth is, I've wanted to tell you for a long time. You always seemed to just tolerate me so I didn't want to push it."
Bunny suddenly felt arms around his neck. Jack moved to put his head against the Pooka's shoulder as his body simply relaxed when Bunny's arms came up to pull the winter spirit close against him. The two slid into a comfortable embrace, something that should have happened a long time ago.
"Really wish I'd said it a while ago. None of this would have happened and we could have shared what we did without makin' you feel like ya had to do it," Aster murmured, still feeling guilty for the whole ordeal.
Pulling up out of the embrace but keeping close, Jack laughed and shook his head. "We're both stubborn, Cottontail. We could probably have held on for another fifty years without saying anything." There was nothing but joy and happiness written on the teen's face as he smiled at the Pooka. "I don't regret it and you shouldn't either. We'll have plenty of time to make up for it when you're better."
A wave of relief washed over him and Aster let out a heavy sigh before he perked up again. "The Warren. Is everythin' okay there now?"
Jack's nod was answer enough but the young Guardian seemed to want to say more. "When that thing was pulled out, it was like everything went in reverse. Remember when I blasted all those Nightmares? It felt a bit like that to me, like this huge rush of power coming out all at once." His arms spread wide as he tried to convey what had happened, Jack's usual excitement passing through to Bunny as well. "I've never seen anything like it. All the grass came back to life, trees got their leaves back! It was amazing."
There was a small shudder and a little bit of the excitement drained from the winter spirit. "We saw those dogs, too. They ran out of there with their tails between their legs." Not one to let these things drag him down, Jack's smile returned and he shrugged lightly. "I guess I only looked good when I was next to you."
So his home was safe and back to life again, the evil purged from even the smallest place where shadows would lurk. Bunny's guilt was completely wiped away and his heart felt lighter than it had in centuries. It would be difficult to say that everything was back to normal because things had actually changed quite considerably. Looking at the one who sat in his lap, blue eyes gleaming with ill-contained excitement with everything gave him the one thing that the Pooka hadn't had in some time. Not for himself, at the very least.
Another thought hit him and he looked over at Jack's staff. "How long did it take ya to find that?"
"Longer than you think. We had the yetis take you back here and then we checked every corner of the Warren." A playful smile appeared on Jack's face and he chuckled softly. "I wouldn't want to play against you in a game of hide and seek."
With a light-hearted laugh, Bunny shook his head and lifted one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. "It's easy to hide a stick, harder to hide a huge lump of fur like me, mate."
There was an amused chuckle and another shift of the bed as Jack left it, leaning against the mattress and pressing a small kiss to Bunny's lips. "Get some rest, Cottontail. We can talk more when you're not looking like something a yeti dragged in." Not giving Bunny time to argue, Jack took his staff and moved to the door but didn't open it yet. He looked over his shoulder, a soft smile on his face. "They don't know, by the way. They asked but I told them that you just took care of me."
"Thank you," Aster said, a soft laugh rising up in him. He winced as pain shot through him at the motion, sinking further into the pillows. He suddenly felt so weary and he understood why the winter spirit was going to let him get more rest. "We can tell 'em when we feel good and ready to."
"Not everything," Jack said, a blush creeping over his cheeks again. "Just enough." Laughing lightly, the young Guardian finally opened the door and walked out of the room. He peeked in one last time and nodded toward the Pooka. "See you later, Bunny."
This time the door closed quietly which was a relief to Bunny's sensitive ears. Left alone with his thoughts, he put a hand on his chest and smiled as he closed his eyes. What had been something so horrible and had nearly led to his demise had been turned around into the most happiness and joy that Aster had felt in many, many years. If he ever saw the one who had done this to him again, he would have to thank him for it. For the first time in centuries, Bunny could feel what made him a Guardian thrumming within his chest.
He had been given another chance, one that he'd used to make things right. Jack had turned from being an annoyance to his joy, holder of the Pooka's heart and happiness.
Who would have thought that Jack Frost would become his hope.