Endlessly

By: Carmen Veiga

Author's note: FEM!Jack and HUMAN!Bunnymund. Got this idea from a BunnyXJack amv. Here's the name of the video:But I will love you endlessly! - JackRabbit, FrostBunny by Melanocetah. Thanks to nighthunter1220 for his editing skills. Love ya, babe!

There's a shop down the street

where they sell plastic rings

for a quarter a piece,

I swear it.

Yeah, I know that it's cheap,

not like gold in your dreams,

but I hope that you'll still wear it.

E. Aster Bunnymund sat there on the bench. Warm summer breezes blew through his blue-gray hair and rustled the leaves on the trees. The park was filled with a great deal of activity today. Children cavorted on the playground, while a group of teenagers had set up a volleyball net and were playing a competitive yet playful game. Adults walked around the lake with friends while others lounged out in the sun in beach chairs. It was one of those perfect early summer afternoons. And to Aster, what made it even more perfect was that it was a certain someone's special day today.

Jaqueline Frost, or Jack as everyone called her. The two teens had been best friends since they met first day of Middle School. Jack had been the new kid who had moved to town with her father from Japan. Her dad, or "North" as he made Aster address him as, was the CEO of a famous toy company. The man had traveled all over the world, never being able to settle in one place, as the green-eyed teen would soon come to learn. Jack had of course traveled around with him, but a month before she would be starting the fifth grade, North had already decided that the next place they were moving to, they would be staying permanently. The August before school, the two of them had moved to Vine Bay, Massachusetts.

Jack had been friendly her first day. She had tried to make friends, but many of the children found her snow-white hair strange and felt uncomfortable around her. They also thought that since her father was rich, she would inherently have a snobbish attitude and have expectations of things being handed to her. Not very appealing to those who would have otherwise wanted to make her acquaintanceship. The lonely girl began to hate school when people began to make fun of her because of her hair and her father's job. Her luck changed, however when she met Aster. The little boy had gone up to her in class one day and asked if she wanted to be his partner on their project. From that day forward, the two were inseparable. As they grew older, Jack became friends with Aster's other friends Jamie, Toothiana, otherwise known as Tooth, and a short mute boy with rough blonde hair they called "Sandy".

Now, the two teens had just finished their sophomore year of High School and started their summer. Today just happened to be Jack's seventeenth birthday, and Aster had told her to meet him at the park. He was going to give her present and tell her something very important: He was finally going to tell her that he loved her.

He had loved Jack for quite a while. Ever since the beginning of Freshman year of High School. Everyone seemed to suddenly be hooking up everywhere Aster looked. Even some of the guys who had bullied Jack back in Middle school were now asking her out on dates, though the silver-haired beauty didn't have a strong desire for a relationship. Aster knew this, but he hoped, and he did so desperately, that if he were to offer his affections, she may reciprocate them. There was of course, the small nagging feeling that lingered in Aster's mind. It was like a parasite that had a truly insatiable hunger for sheer misery. It was the small voice telling him that Jack would shoot him down. Not only that, but she would take his heart and crush in-between her fingers like it was an insect. Aster tried his very best to ignore those thoughts, but he could only mask his worries, and never really escape them.

Aster kept glancing around to see Jack, but her beautiful visage continued to elude the field of his vision. He snapped his head back and forth from each side to search for her.

"Hi there," a liquid smooth voice said from behind him. Aster quickly jumped and fell flat on his face onto the freshly cut summer grass. Laughter met his ears from behind.

"Damn it, Jack," he said in exasperation, standing up and brushing grass off his ripped jean shorts. "Why do you always-" his next word became caught in his throat as he turned around and laid his eyes upon Jack. His jaw dropped open and green eyes widened.

Jack was standing behind the wooden bench. Her signature mischievous smile was on her smooth and thin lips, but her blue hoodie, shorts, and T-shirts had been replaced with a sundress. The dress was pale blue, a little lighter than Jack's sapphire eyes, and came down just below her knees. Her white-silver hair was pulled back with a white snowflake clip. A pair of blue summer sandals the same shade of the dress were on her feet.

Usually Jack would often be found dressing like it was cold all the time, even when it was over ninety degrees outside. That was another thing about her that Aster loved. Even being born in the summer, Jack seemed to have a natural love and inclination toward winter. Her eyes would glow bright with happiness when the first snow would come, even if it was only a small dusting and it would be gone by the time they got out of school. She would be the reigning victor of every snowball fight and won all the downhill sledding races. It seemed like wherever she went, the snow followed her.

"Aster?" Jack's voice brought the blue haired teen out of his reverie. Realizing he was staring, he shook his head and redirected his attention properly to the silver-haired beauty in front of him. "Yeah?"

"I asked you if I looked okay."

Clearing his throat, Aster didn't trust himself to speak for a few moments before he replied, "Y-yeah. You look...great."

"Awesome! Dad just gave it to me this morning. I wasn't sure if it was going to look stupid or not but I'm happy you like it!"

"You're the last person I would expect to worry about the way ya look." Aster joked in his Aussie accent, trying desperately to relax. He sat back down on the bench and Jack joined him a second later. They started chatting away about everything and anything. Summer, her birthday, what they were going to do over the vacation, getting their driving permits, anything. Aster was so into the conversation that he almost forgot about the bag resting against his sneaker on the ground.

"Oh, I gotcha something," he said, bending down to pick up the bag.

"Aster, you didn't have to get me anything," Jack said, though her eyes were shining with curiosity.

"You're bad at lyin', ya know."

"And you're bad at flirting, but we all can't be perfect now can we?" Jack joked pretending to be deeply offended. Luckily she didn't catch the blush that dusted Aster's cheeks. He inconspicuously took out a small box from the bag and gripped it in his hands so tightly he felt as though he was going to cut himself. He took a few deep breaths and regained most of his cool. Jack noticed his excessive breathing and raised an eyebrow.

"Aster? Is everything all right?" she asked, moving closer to him, so much so that she could now see the tiny shades of red that began to swirl gently upon his cheekbones. He straightened himself upright, slicked back a side of his hair and responded "Oh ya, perfectly fine Jack. I just uhh...just..." He was going to show her about the gift he had gotten for her, but naturally all of his strength and bravado failed him the second he tried to express his affections.

With one movement, almost out of complete impulse he shut his eyes tight and stretched his arm forward, the small box clenched firmly in his hands. He didn't know he shut his eyes, it was almost always his response to incoming pain, and out of every single kind of painful experience or trauma that he could endure, the one by far theat he lived in constant dread of was rejection.

He slowly opened his eyes as Jack took the box out of his hand. She carefully took the snowflake wrapping paper off and then proceeded to take off the cover. Her eyes widened. "Aster...it's beautiful! I love it!"

Inside the box, resting on white cotton, was a dark blue plastic ring. Pure white snowflakes wound around the band.

"I told you you're bad at lyin'."

A confused look came over the blue eyed teen's face. "Why would I be lying? I really like it."

"...It's a plastic ring, mate. I got it in the shop down the street for a quarter. I know it's not a gold necklace that u've been wanting, but I didn't have the money on me to buy ya anythin' nicer."

"What about your job? Don't they pay you enough?"

An awkward silence filled the small space between the two of them. The sound of nearby children playing on the swing set continued to fill the air, but Aster and Jack felt there to be a sphere of silence around them. Aster looked down at his feet his hand scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Jack patiently waited for his answer oblivious to her friend's change in demeanor.

"...I got laid off..."

Jack's eyes widened a fraction bigger than they usually were. She opened her mouth a few times but closed it when no words came out. Finally, she said "Aster...I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, but thanks anyway."

"Maybe my dad could-"

"No, Jack," Aster said gently, yet firmly. He knew what she was going to suggest. That he come work for her dad in the toy business. As much he appreciated Jack offering, he couldn't take money from his best friend's father. He had too much pride to accept such an offer.

The Aussie lived alone in a small house near the park. His parents had been killed when he had been five. Someone had broken into their house in the middle of the night. Aster's father tried to protect his wife and son, but the robber ended up shooting both of his parents. The teen had moved around in foster care ever since then. Finally, when he had turned seventeen, Child Services gave him permission to live on his own.

The Aussie had gotten a good paying job back when he was sixteen. With the money he saved, he was able to buy the essentials and, despite his numerous protests, the house Child Services had generously provided for him had its mortgage paid off. It wasn't anything fancy, but as long as it had working toilets and heat, he could manage.

Then his boss had dropped the bomb on him. It had only been a few days ago, when he had sat in a chair opposite his employer's desk, when he was told he was being let go. The company just wasn't able to pay him anymore due to the ever declining economy. The Aussie had been job hunting ever since that day, but no such luck had come across his way.

They sat in silence for a few more moments when the silver-haired teen did something that Aster didn't see coming. She leaned over and kissed him softly but quickly on the cheek. "Thank you. I'll still wear it, even if you think it's the cheapest thing ever."

Aster completely froze eyes wide and staring at Jack. He felt his heart beating against his ribcage like a bird beating its wings trying to get free from a cage. Jack...had just kissed him. An innocent one, but a kiss no less!

He felt himself staring and shook his head. Luckily Jack had been distracted by seeing some people she knew and didn't catch the shocked look on the Aussie's face. "Now would be a good time to tell her," his inner voice chided. He picked at the holes in his shorts for a few seconds before raising his head. "Jack?"

"Yes, Bunny?"

Aster snorted. "Aren't we gettin' a little too old for that?"

"Nope! You can't have a last name like Bunnymund and expect people not to call you Bunny."

"Touche," the Aussie grew quiet while a million thoughts and worries raced through his head as he tried to think of exactly what to say. "Will you be my girlfriend" was obviously too forward. "I've loved you since we were ten" is too damn cheesy. He cursed why he couldn't make his mouth form the correct words!

Aster was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that Jack had moved even closer to him. It wasn't until she gently touched his hand and said his name that he broke out of his reverie and turned his head. Soft lips immediately connected with his and the Aussie froze. Jack's eyes were closed and she was leaning into him slightly. Aster's brain started working and he kissed her back cautiously. After a few minutes they parted with Jack blushing slightly and Aster looking completely red in the face.

"...W-what...how..."

"I like you, Aster. Ever since you asked me to work on that project back when we were kids."

The Aussie's heart was beating so hard he swore it was going to break out of his chest. Without thinking he wrapped his arm around Jack, pulled her close and kissed her again wrapping both of his arms around her waist. The blue-eyed teen relaxed and kissed back, linking her arms around his neck. They kissed for a few minutes, to Aster it seemed like seconds, before the Aussie pulled back and placed a gentle peck on Jack's forehead. "I love you, Jaqueline," he whispered, surprising himself. Thos four words were able to come out so perfectly that he couldn't believe he was saying them. They weren't much, but to Jack and him, they were perfect. He has always called her Jack and occasionally Frostbite or Snowflake, but he had never said her real name before.

Jack smiled and opened her mouth to say something when the loving moment was broken by a fit of squeals. Both teens looked up to see Tooth, Sandy, and North all standing there. Tooth was holding a camera and squealing like a little girl.

Aster sprang up from the bench. His eyes were ablaze with fury.

"This is totally going on Facebook!" Tooth cried happily.

"TOOTHIANA!"

The ink may stain my skin.

And my jeans may all be ripped.

I'm not perfect.

But I swear I'm perfect for you.