I know I missed Christmas by a lot with this, but at least I've finally got it up. So yay, another Human Jackrabbit AU! It's based on the pictures titled 'All I Want for Xmas Is You Jackrabbit' on deviant art. I take no credit for the pictures. Before I give too much away, please enjoy All I Want for Christmas.
All I Want for Christmas
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
He was lost. Plain and simple, he was lost. Where on earth was he? How had he even gotten here? He had been trying to go home and see his family for the holidays, but he ended up in some small town in the middle of nowhere. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket, trying to keep warm.
As he started to step backward, he ran into someone, sending them both sprawling to the ground. He skidded across the icy ground, almost colliding into a street light. He managed to sit up and look at the person he had ran into.
Oh holy hellfire.
He was hot.
And he was currently staring at him like he was an idiot.
He jumped to his feet and offered a hand to the guy he had knocked onto his butt. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't see you."
"'S alright," the guy said, taking his hand to pull himself up. "I didn' see ya either."
Wow. His accent was heart-meltingly gorgeous. He found himself grinning despite himself.
"So, uh, Random-Guy-I-Just-Ran-In-To," he started "my name's Jack. You?"
"Aster," the Australian said. "Wha brings ya ta town, Jack?"
Jack flushed a pale pink. "Um, I'm actually lost," he admitted. "I was heading home to see my family and I must've taken a wrong turn or something. You know, 'I should've taken that left turn at Albuquerque.'"
Jack sensed his joke fell a little short when Aster frowned. Okay, so the quotes from funny shows were out. What else could Jack do to get him to smile?
"Did ya just use a rabbit joke, mate?" Aster asked, a small smile creeping up onto his face.
"Um, yes?" Jack said uncertainly, not really sure what answer the Aussie wanted. Why did he want to know if he used a quote from Bugs Bunny?
Aster started chuckling, surprising Jack. "Mate, that's probably the funniest thing I've heard all day," he laughed. Jack's smile grew; well, he managed to get the man to laugh. But why did he think the rabbit joke was so funny?
"Um, what's so hilarious about a quote from Bugs Bunny?" Jack inquired.
"Me last name is Bunnymund," Aster explained, still chuckling to himself. "E. Aster Bunnymund, to be exact."
Jack was silent for a split second before he started laughing too. His unwitting pun had been pretty funny. He had to wonder what the E stood for, though. Eugene? Emerson? Edmund? Probably not, but Jack could always ask. Not that he would, though. That would be a bit too much.
"So, ya said ya were lost?" Aster continued once the two had calmed down.
"Yeah," Jack admitted. "I'll be back on the road tomorrow, though. It'll probably only take a few tries to find the right way."
Aster tilted his head in consideration. If the bloke was lost, that must've meant he didn't have a place to stay, right? There was no harm in asking, was there?
"Hey, do ya have a place ta stay the night?" he asked the alabaster-haired man.
Jack thought about it. "Um, I'll probably just check into a motel or something."
"Nuh uh," Aster decided. "Yer not gonna go stay in some roach motel when I've got a spare bedroom ya can use."
Jack immediately started telling Aster that he didn't need to intrude, but the Aussie was insistent. After several minutes of listening to the man's begging, Jack finally caved.
"Alright, I'll stay," Jack allowed. "Just lemme grab my suitcase."
He headed to his small car with a smug Aster following. Soon the younger of the two was toting a small navy suitcase on his shoulder. On their walk to Aster's house, the Australian managed to get Jack to tell him his last name.
"Yer last name is really Frost?" he laughed.
Jack felt yet another light pink blush spread across his face. "My parents had a sense of humor," he mumbled. "They thought they were being funny by naming me Jack freakin Frost. It's embarrassing."
"Well, I don' think its tha bad," Aster commented. "It's better than Easter Bunny."
"I thought your name was E. Aster –oh. Now I get it," Jack laughed. "Geeze, our parents hated us, didn't they?"
"I think so mate," Aster chuckled. "I think so."
Make my wish come true
The next morning, Jack awoke in a soft bed in a place he didn't recognize. For a second he was completely disoriented, but then he remembered what had happened the night before. He was offered a guest room by a very attractive guy whom he had knocked down. Somehow he had fallen asleep in his jeans and hoodie, as well as his scarf and earmuffs. How had that happened?
Jack got up and headed into the kitchen, where the grey haired man was already making breakfast. The smell of coffee and bacon woke the nineteen year old up enough to call out a coherent greeting.
"Mornin," Jack yawned. "Wha time is it?"
Aster turned around and laughed. The kid still had on his dull red earmuffs from last night. Had he just fallen onto the bed and passed out?
"It's 'round nine," he answered, an amused smile still on his face. Once he finished cooking, he set the food onto two different plates. The Aussie made pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, and orange juice.
"Wow, this is a lot of food," Jack commented. "What's the occasion?"
Aster frowned at him. "This isn' a lot, mate. This is just more than normal, tha's all."
Jack thanked his –what were they? Acquaintances? Friends? –friend before he started eating. Wow, the Aussie could really cook. The food was amazing!
Aster watched Jack's face light up as he started eating. Geeze, was he that glad he had food? If so, that said a lot about the kid's upbringing. Whereas Jack dug in, Aster ate a bit slower. Once breakfast was finished, Jack helped Aster with the dishes. It didn't take long, so afterwards the two sat down in the living room next to the brightly lit Christmas tree.
"So, when do you want me out?" Jack asked suddenly.
"Wha? I can't kick ya out a few days before Chrissie, mate. Tha wouldn' be right," Aster insisted.
Jack laughed. "As nice as it is here, I do have to go and see my family for Christmas. My little sister talked my ear off the last time I called her, telling me everything she wanted us to do on Christmas day. I think she has every minute planned out from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed."
Aster laughed. "Alright, but I can't kick ya out tonight. There's supposed ta be a storm comin' in later, and ya might wreak that shit house car of yers."
Jack laughed at the use of Aussie slang. He sounded a bit odd, didn't he? But Jack thought the accent made the guy sound hotter, so he didn't say anything about it.
"Well, if you insist, then I couldn't exactly say no, now could I?" Jack teased. "At least I've got enough clothes for a few days at least."
"Hey, have ya ever gone 'round and seen the lights?" the Aussie asked suddenly.
"It's only twelve," Jack stated in confusion. "No lights are on yet, are they?"
"No, but I thought I'd invite ya ta see the lights later on tonight," he explained.
"Oh, well in that case I'd love to come."
That night, just after the sun set over the small town, Jack hopped into the passenger seat of Aster's Jeep. They were about to go out and see the lights, and Jack couldn't help but be excited. This was the first time in years he had gone driving around to see the Christmas lights.
"Ya seem a little too excited 'bout the fact tha we're gonna drive 'round town just ta see lights," Aster commented with a smile.
"Well, this is the first time in about five years I've gone out to see the lights," Jack admitted. "We used to do this all the time when I was younger, but for some reason we just stopped."
"Huh," he commented. As he started the Jeep and took off down the road, Aster couldn't help but smile as he saw the joy and delight in the white haired boy's grin.
The longer they drove, the calmer Jack became. By this point he wasn't even pointing out every interesting decoration he saw. Now he was just sitting back and enjoying the view. And what a view it was, too. The Aussie sitting next to him was looking pretty fine in the reflection of the lights.
Almost an hour later they pulled back into Aster's driveway and hopped out of the Jeep. Jack was all for going back inside the house and going to bed before he had to leave in the morning, but Aster had other plans.
"I've got one last light ta show ya," he grinned, tugging on Jack's sleeve. The two walked around the house to a small picnic table set out in the yard. Jack was confused; where was the light? Then he noticed what was sitting on the table.
There was a small candle in a jar in the middle of the picnic table, ready to be lit. Aster grinned as he pulled a box of matches out of his pocket and handed one to Jack.
"Light her up," he smirked.
Jack recoiled in fright. He and fire didn't mix. He had had some bad experiences with fire in his life. He couldn't use a match. There was no way.
Aster seemed to notice Jack's fear and slid the box back into his pocket. Why was the man so afraid of a box of matches? Aster blurted out his question before he could stop himself.
"When I was younger, I almost burned myself to a crisp with a firework. Ever since then, I can't set a fire without freaking out. Sorry Aster." Jack kept it as short and unemotional as he possibly could. He didn't want to have to deal with the memories.
"I'm sorry, mate. I didn' know," Aster apologized.
Jack forced a laugh. "How could you know? I've known you for all of twenty four hours. Not even my closest friends –not that I really have any –know about it. It's not something I care to share. But that's enough about that. How about you light the candle?"
Aster took the matches back out and lit one, holding it away from the electric-blue eyed man. Once the match was lit, he quickly set the wick on fire before shaking the fire out. When he glanced back at Jack, Aster saw the man was mesmerized by the flickering flame.
"I thought ya didn' like fire?" Aster teased.
Jack's gaze didn't shift from the fire as he spoke. "I can't light a fire. That doesn't mean I can't like looking at a fire. Thanks."
"Yer welcome?" It sounded like a question, but Jack didn't care. He was spellbound. Aster smiled at him. Jack was cute, adorable even. How come he was just now noticing this?
Underneath the Christmas tree
The next day, the snow had finally started to fall. Jack knew that he wasn't getting home today. Maybe Aster wouldn't mind a guest for one more day. Actually, Aster didn't mind at all. If anything he was a bit too happy to let Jack stay, but they both ignored it for the sake of passing by the awkward moment.
At lunch, Jack asked Aster what he would like for Christmas. The Aussie thought about it for a few seconds.
"I dunno," he decided. "Why?"
"Well, if I'm staying with you for a few days, it's only right that I get you something."
Aster grinned. "Ya don' have ta get me anything Frostbite."
Jack frowned at the man. "Did you just call me Frostbite?"
Aster hadn't even realized what he had said. "Huh. I guess I did. Was I not supposed ta?"
Jack shook his head, a smile on his face. "It's fine," he said. "Now, if you could have anything on earth for Christmas, what would it be?"
'You' is what Aster wanted to say, but he figured that might sound a bit creepy. It wasn't every day that he got knocked over by a white haired man who ended up staying with him –and was incredibly attractive to boot –after all.
Jack saw the look Aster gave him before he glanced away. Hmm, he could work with that. Yep, he knew exactly what he was going to do.
Aster walked into his living room later that night with a cup of coffee in his hand. He had just wanted to sit down beside the fire and relax after working all day in his painting studio. But he hadn't exactly been prepared for what he saw sitting underneath his Chrissie tree.
"Hiya," Jack greeted. "Merry Christmas, Aster."
"What the bloody hell?" Aster stated, pausing in his step. What was Jack doing under his tree with a scarf tied around his neck like a bow? "What are ya doin?"
"I didn't know what to get you for Christmas," Jack admitted. "So I got you me! Have fun."
Ignoring what Jack had said, Aster sank into his favorite chair and sighed. While the offer was obviously a joke, he could hope that Jack had been partly serious. Jack liked him, didn't he? That's how the sapphire-eyed man had been acting.
Jack frowned at Aster's lack of reaction. Was he coming on to strong? Was he just hopeless? After a while Jack just stood up and made his way to the couch instead of staying under the tree.
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
After the semi-awkward Christmas present incident, Jack headed into the guest room to get changed into his pajamas. Once he was donned in a faded red sweater and comfy pants, he headed back out into the living room.
Aster had just started walking into the kitchen, and as such they met in the doorway. And there just so happened to be a small sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
They froze, standing there rather uneasily. What were they supposed to do? Were they supposed to kiss? Aster wasn't exactly sure if Jack liked him, and vice versa. What if they got it all wrong and the other didn't like them?
The two stood there for a few seconds more before Aster moved out of the way, his face flaming red. Jack waited until he was sure the Aussie was out of his path before he rushed into the guest room and dove under the blankets, a blush turning his face bright pink.
Well, that was awkward.
All the lights shining so brightly everywhere
Since the snow had come in really bad overnight, there was no way Jack would be able to leave until the day before Christmas Eve at the earliest. Aster told him he could stay as long as he didn't mind visiting the Aussie's neighbors the next day. After that was agreed, Jack called his family to tell them he was fine and wouldn't be home just yet.
His mother was fine with that, but his sister gave him a right earbashing for it. She yelled at him for almost fifteen minutes straight before hanging up without so much as a goodbye. That meant she was pissed off, as Jack knew only too well.
After that was settled, Aster suggested the two of them go out and do something. Jack suggested ice skating, which would've been fine if Aster had even the slightest idea of how not to bust his ass. But the sapphire-eyed man wasn't about to take no for an answer. Besides, he argued, he'd pay for them to get in. Aster didn't have the heart to refuse.
And that's how they ended up making fools of themselves at the skating rink.
Jack, as it turned out, was a professional ice skater. Or at least, he taught skating lessons at his local ice rink. He pulled Aster out onto the ice and laughed as the other man slipped and promptly fell right on his butt.
"This ain't funny," Aster growled as he tried to get back on his feet.
Jack helped him up, noticing how even when Aster was mad the other's eyes sparkled like emeralds. Okay, enough with the girly thoughts, Jack thought, shaking his head. Let's skate.
Once Aster was standing –or wobbling unsteadily on his skates –Jack grabbed his hands and pulled him across the ice. They were actually doing pretty well, thanks to Jack. As the two glided across the ice together, Jack looked at Aster. Not many people would take in a stranger who knocked them on their butt when they first met. What made him so different?
They skated and spun and leaped –well, Jack spun and leapt while Aster watched –all afternoon. When the two finally came to a stop, they were laughing. They didn't know why they were laughing, but they were. Jack was just stepping off the ice when Aster fell again, busting his ass yet again. When Jack noticed, he started laughing.
"Seriously?" he asked as he helped the other to his feet. "You seriously fell again?"
"Quit laughing, ya bloody show pony," Aster grumbled good-naturedly.
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
The next day, Jack made good on his promise to go visit Aster's neighbors. It turned out that Aster had promised to play with the Bennett kids when the first snow fell. And the snow they had gotten over the last few days was the first snow the town had gotten that winter.
"Bunny!" a tiny blonde girl cried when she saw Aster. She latched onto him, and if she had grabbed his neck she would've strangled him.
"Hey Soph," Aster said happily. "Can ya lemme go?"
In response, the girl released the grey haired Aussie and dashed into the house, calling out for Jamie, whoever that was. A few seconds later, a young boy, maybe ten years old, came to the door.
"Hey Aster," he greeted. "Who's your friend?"
"I'm Jack," the white-haired man said. "I take it you're Jamie?"
"Yep. So, wanna build a snowman or something?" Jamie asked.
Jack grinned. "Sure thing, kiddo."
Ten minutes later, the Bennett's backyard was a mess of squealing kids and flying snowballs.
"I got you now!" Jamie giggled, dumping a handful of snow on Jack.
"Ah, I'm melting!" Jack laughed, falling to his knees.
While Jack and Jamie were joking around and throwing snowballs at each other, Aster and Sophie were making snow angels.
"Bunny, look!" Sophie giggled, hopping up so Aster could get a good look at the messed up snow angel.
"Tha's really good," he congratulated.
After a few hours, the adults had to leave. But Jack left knowing that he had a new friend if he ever came back to this town.
I just wanna see my baby
Standing right outside my door
The snow had completely melted by the next morning, meaning Jack could go home. Strangely, he didn't want to leave. Yes, he missed his family, but he was happy staying here with Aster. Unfortunately, he had to go or his little sister would figure out how to find him so she could kill him.
"Well," Jack said after he finished packing his things into his crappy car. "I guess this is goodbye."
"I guess so," Aster agreed sadly. He didn't want to see Jack go anymore than Jack wanted to leave.
"Thanks for letting me stay at your place until the snow cleared," Jack continued.
"No problem," he said. "If ya ever get lost around here again, my door is always open."
Jack grinned at him as he slid into the front seat of his car. "Thanks. I just might take you up on that someday."
Jack shook Aster's hand before he pulled away from the curb. It wasn't until after his car had vanished down the road that Aster realized Jack had slipped a piece of paper into his hand. On it was a phone number and an address. The Aussie grinned; he knew exactly what he was going to do. Now all he needed was to call Jack's sister. She'd help him figure things out.
Later that afternoon, Jack pulled into the driveway of his mother's home. She was waiting at the door, along with a young girl who was tapping her foot in impatience. Jack grinned at the sight as he got out of the car.
"Hey Em," he greeted, stepping out of the vehicle. Immediately the girl ran over and smothered him in a hug.
"Next time, use a GPS," she suggested laughingly.
Jack chuckled as he went to go hug his mother. He was home.
When the phone rang a short while later, Emma was the one to answer it.
"Hello?" she greeted.
"Is this the Frost residence?" an unfamiliar Australian man asked.
"Yeah, who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Jack's. Are ya his little sister?"
"Yeah . . . What do you want?" This guy was starting to creep her out.
"Well, I was wondering . . ." the Aussie explained his plan to the girl, who smiled
"Yeah, that'll work. Jack would really like that," Emma assured him.
"Thank ya very much," the man –Aster, he told her –said.
Once Emma hung up the phone, she laughed. Jack was in for one huge surprise.
Later that night, there was a knock on the door.
"Jack? Could you get the door?" his mom called out from the kitchen. Emma had told her the plan, and she was happy to help.
Jack got up and headed over to the door, pulling it open. He fully expected it to be carolers, but when he saw the familiar grey hair and emerald eyes, he paused.
"Merry Chrissie, Jack," Aster grinned, holding out the dark red roses.
All I want for Christmas . . . Is you
Aster didn't even have time to blink as Jack launched himself into his arms, wrapping his own around the Aussie's neck and pressing his lips against his. Aster responded in kind, kissing the smaller man with just as much energy. It was a single, perfect moment for the both of them.
When they eventually broke for air, Jack smiled at Aster with more happiness and joy then he thought possible.
"You came to find me?" he asked in a low voice.
Aster smiled back. "Yeah, Frostbite. I came."
"Why?"
"Because I love ya, ya bloody show pony," Aster chuckled. He leaned down to pick up the roses that had fallen to the ground. One he was upright again, he handed them to Jack.
"So, can I come in?" he smirked.
Jack laughed. "Sure, come on in. Me casa is sue casa, or however the saying goes."
As Aster walked into the Frost house, both men knew that this was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Again, I don't own the pictures. I just wrote the fic. I know that this is a bit after Christmas, but I only just finished it. Oh well. Thanks for reading!
~C