Chapter Text
A soft giggle filled the air, going over the general noise of the party going on. It was Christmas at North's and while the big guy was doing his rounds, the other Guardians gathered to celebrate and just enjoy themselves. Sandy was already demanding more egg nog while an elf or two hovered around him in hopes of stealing some of it. Jack was off to one side with Tooth who was the source of the giggling - and of Bunnymund's current irritation.
Flirting. They were blatantly flirting though it didn't always seem as though Jack knew what he was doing. He would hold up a cookie and frost it over then drop it, letting one of the elves pick it up and laughing when they nearly chipped a tooth trying to eat it. Tooth would laugh then mercifully take the cookie back, gently admonishing the winter spirit. The young Guardian would roll his eyes and do it again but this time in secret. He would quickly bore of the game and eventually start eating the cookies themselves. That was how it always went.
Tooth was obviously smitten with the boy. Her and her little fairies were both fawning over the winter spirit, making eyes at him as he went on about his normal business. Even taking a cup of egg nog from Sandy's tray and the minor disagreement over it was cause for more fainting and happy trills from the Baby Teeth.
Bunny simply sat on the sidelines, watching everything unfold as it always did with a dark look on his face. He tried so hard not to look so put out though many of them simply took it as him being surly as usual. That suited him just fine as it was always a chore to sit through these parties.
"Hey."
Looking up from his position, Bunny found himself almost too close to Jack who had drifted over to see him. There was that usual, insufferable grin on his face as he leaned in, his arms dangling and hands loosely holding to his staff. Knowing that the young Guardian wanted his attention, the Pooka shrugged and looked away from those eyes that he could get lost in. "What?"
Sighing, Jack landed in front of his fellow Guardian, trying to catch his eye again. "Just trying to figure out why you come here and then completely ignore us all night," the winter spirit said with a small smile. "Why don't you join in the fun, Cottontail?"
"What fun? It's you bein' a show pony while we stand around and laugh," Bunny said, trying hard not to crack a smile as Jack leaned on his staff.
The young Guardian made a pouting face then picked up his staff, perching it over his shoulder. "If you say so," he murmured, starting to walk away before he turned around to look over his shoulder. "I really thought that you were okay with me being here."
Bunny furrowed his brow then shrugged lightly. "I am, mate. I've never been all in for these things." Especially not now, not when he had to sit here and watch someone he had slowly realised that he'd fallen in love with flirt with someone other than himself. "You know how it is between North and I."
Clearly having Jack's attention now, the winter spirit just chuckled and turned around to face the Pooka again. "Having a bit of fun won't kill you, Cottontail. I know you're the big, grumpy Easter Bunny but it's Christmas, a time for family." It felt strange to hear these things come from Jack Frost but Aster knew that family was a big deal to him. "Come on, let's go see if we can steal some egg nog from Sandy before he drains the world's supply."
The party actually went smoother from then on. Rather than focusing on just Jack's comedy, everyone else got in on it as well. The yetis had time off and the elves... Well, the elves were always going to be who they were but now they could join in on the festivities and not be a terrible nuisance.
Aster was close to admitting that he was actually having fun as the four of them played a game of charades. "Sandy, you're like a free point. Maybe you shouldn't use the dreamsand, little man," Jack said with a laugh that was echoed by Tooth and Bunny.
Bells announced North's arrival only moments before he burst into the room with a loud whoop. Clearly he'd had another successful toy delivery and children were already waking up around the world to experience the wonder of Christmas yet again. There was no real need for a huge speech or anything like that, not like it had been for the first hundred years or so of the tradition. Now it was something common but it was no less important, especially after what Pitch had done only four years ago.
Even Bunny was happy that things had worked out for once, setting aside his rivalry to just enjoy the moment. It helped that Jack was there beside him and the two actually nudged each other with a grin. He and Jack didn't fight nearly as much as they used to but sometimes the Pooka's feelings got in the way and Bunny would end up frustrated. Right now, his heart was satisfied with this neutral and friendly exchange and Bunny could just sit back and enjoy the moment for what it was.
Then the music started up.
"Oh, I love this song!" Tooth chirped as she zipped to flutter in front of Bunny and Jack. She reached down to grab the winter spirit's hand then started leading him to the wide open floor in front of the fireplace.
If Bunny had a moment with Jack, the spell was broken now as he watched the two Guardians awkwardly try to dance with one another. He didn't stick around to see how it turned out, their laughter ringing in his ears as he moved away.
"Leaving so soon, Bunny?" North asked, holding out a tankard of what was undoubtedly spiked egg nog. They didn't enjoy alcohol all that often but a little every now and then hurt no one. The Russian patted his friend roughly on the back. "Stay a while! We have much to celebrate."
"I've been here before they were," Aster said, thrusting a thumb in the general direction of the other Guardians. "I'm goin' to the Warren to get some sleep. Merry Christmas, North."
Maybe his old friend responded, maybe he didn't. Bunny found himself not caring overly much, preferring instead to brood over his hidden feelings. He couldn't exactly blame Jack for responding to Tooth's advances. The Pooka had never admitted how he felt and he was sure that the young Guardian wouldn't recognise a come-on from a male as he would a female. Bunny himself never understood the preoccupation with gender and why it was so important for it to be one way or another. Yes, offspring could only be borne from a male and female coulpling but that wasn't all there was to life and he'd learnt that when he was a kit.
Deciding to do more thinking farther away from this place, Bunny tapped the ground with his foot and opened up a hole that led to the tunnels in the Warren. He quickly dashed down the one that led directly to the wide open fields, pausing once he was out there to take a deep breath of the fresh air.
"Well. I never imagined I could catch you like this, Pooka."
The Pooka didn't get a chance to turn around before he felt something sharp embed itself into his back. It didn't stop at just his back, it kept going until it touched his heart. The pain was intense and he opened his mouth to make a vocalization of it but nothing came out but a choking sound. It wasn't just physical pain, it was emotional as well, a searing agony that went through him from head to toe. Was this what it had been like for Sandy?
Bunny's vision swam as he pitched forward, a shadow crossing over him. He looked up but he couldn't really see anything beyond the blinding pain that gripped him. "Don't fight it. There's more out there than just fear, you know. Loneliness, unrequited love, envy, hatred, fear... You're just a combination of so many wonderful things." The voice was in his head, taunting him. It wasn't like Pitch's voice at all, it was harsh and grating along with the suggestion that whoever owned it was quite confident in themselves. "You're wondering which one I am and I can't blame you. I'm just the demon that's waited a very long time to finally take you on as my own."
Everything was getting dark now and Aster struggled to remain conscious. "Someone may be able to turn you again but only if they touch your black little heart. You want nothing but that someone and they can be all yours if you just take them." A weight was placed on his shoulder, making the Pooka tremble as another wave of pain went through him.
"Surrender yourself to me."
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The Warren, Bunnymund's home. It's a representation of the life that spring brings with it. While the rest of the world is held in a balance of seasons changing, the Warren remains locked in eternal spring. Summer is too hot, fall would give a chill that would destroy much of the life held within and winter would be the death of nearly all who resided in the place right up to the tunnels. Not a single leaf has ever fallen other than when a strong breeze may blow it off and detach it or a bird decides to take one too many for itself.
A motionless figure lay underneath a tree, almost looking like they had been carried by a parent and laid out for a nap. Bunny's once light-grey fur now was darkened, the pure white replaced with an ashen grey. Nails that once were carefully retracted now stood out for all to see, deadly weapons that would harm any who got too close.
Egglets, clearly worried about their master, wobbled over and bounced anxiously around the Pooka. They had watched everything, powerless to stop it. Even the warrior eggs had not been able to mobilize against the darkness that had struck at their master. Now they were eerily still, as if they'd never moved at all. Even the egglets were looking strange, not as active nor as numerous.
One curious egglet got close to Bunny's nose, almost as if checking to see if he were breathing. A heavy breath escaped the Pooka and the egg fell over. This would have been comical if the magical egg had simply toppled over and then pedalled its feet to get back up. The outer shell started to show creeping tendrils of brownish-black, slowly starting to consume it until it stilled and then cracked completely. A foul mist rose from the shattered egg, quickly dissipating into the air. The other egglets that had surrounded Aster suddenly stiffened and then, one by one, they began to fall over. They were consumed by the same tendrils, their cracking shells piercing the air around the area. Blackened eggshells were now littered around the Pooka, looking very much like a disturbing offering to the still creature.
As if trying to complete the display, the green grass that Aster lay upon slowly began to turn brown. Life was being sapped from the place to be replaced with death. A single movement and Bunny put his hand against the grass for a moment then moved it away. The death started spreading around him, a daisy that was once bright and cheery suddenly wilted.
Not content to be confined to the ground, the death began to spread out further. There was a creaking sound as the tree's roots were gripped by invisible tendrils. All of the vibrance that the tree once held was slowly sapped from it, the very branches shaking as it tried to fight the rot that crawled up into its core. With a final shudder the tree stilled.
Surrounded by everything that had once been full of life but now lay dead upon the ground, Bunny took in a deep breath. He finally rolled over slightly, his nose twitching for a moment. His eyes opened slowly, the bright green colour turned now to a dull olive, just one more thing that had lost its lustre in the Warren.
Twisting slightly in the last breeze that blew through, the first leaf fell to the ground.