NESTING HABITS
A/N IMPORTANT: Trigger warning kids, for a miscarriage scare. I know it's a bit spoilery to put that right here, but guys, it's a pretty serious thing and I don't want to hurt/trigger/shock anyone with it, so I thought I'd better put a warning to be safe. Note the scare at the end of that warning (hint-hint-nudge-nudge).
ONWARDS
It starts small. Blankets going missing from the burrow, small pieces of cloth and pillows disappearing into the void, even some of Aster's old clothes up and walking away. Aster had thought nothing of it, thinking that the items had just done what things tended to do when ignored for years, that is disappear with no hope of ever being found.
Jack hadn't made any comments on the matter, and it wasn't much of an issue to Aster, thus it had gone mostly unnoticed. The white haired sprite had been acting a little off recently, now that it came to mind, being a little more grumpy and mood-swingy than he usually was. Once again, nothing that would raise any warning bells in Bunny's mind. According to Mother Nature, seasonal spirits tended to get a little moody during their off season, and since it was currently the middle of summer, that seemed like quite the logical explanation. It would also, supposedly, explain why Jackie had suddenly started eating much more that he usually would.
Nothing to worry about.
Supposedly.
But then Jack had up and vanished sometime in late June, along with a rather large amount of food, and Aster had begun to worry a little bit. Not a lot, Jack was allowed to come and go as he pleased of course, but it was still rather confusing. Where exactly was it that Jack needed to be? Aster and Jack had always spent summer together; it was the one time of the year that they both were workless and free. Then again, who was Aster to stand in his way? If Jack wanted to get outside for a week, then why shouldn't he be able to?
But then a week turned into two.
And two turned into three.
And at one month Aster officially started to freak out.
Which is how Aster somehow found himself trudging through the abandoned part of the Warren, down in the tunnels that led down to underneath Antarctica, cursing the cold that bled into his feet with each step. He had a... feeling that his mate would be hiding down here. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but he somehow knew that Jackie would be camped out down here.
He felt it, for lack of a better expression, in his belly.
The cave is cold, not freezing but decidedly colder than the rest of the Warren. It's not exactly dark, but it's not as bright as it could have been. Shadows play up along the walls of the cave, distorting the look of the earthy barriers.
The darkness is what almost causes him to miss the small splash of blue amongst the browns and greys. Aster's ears perk up at the sight of his mate's blue hoodie, hanging off the edge of an outcropping of stone set higher up on the wall. Of Jack himself there seems to be no sign, but it was a step in the right direction. With a slight jump Bunny's able to latch his hands onto the ledge, and with a grunt he hefts himself up onto the outcropping with no major issue.
It's even darker up there, the ledge leading to a small cave about five meters in and four meters high. The darkness is hard to see anything in, and Aster is forced to stay at the edge of the ledge for a few seconds to allow his eyes enough time to adjust to the newly found inky air.
A strange noise, something along the edges of a growling hiss sounds from inside the cave, nearly scaring Aster into falling backwards and off the ledge. He manages to stop himself with one flailing hand on the packed earth, and his green eyes stare in shock as they meet a familiar pair of blue ones.
"Jackie?" He murmurs, creeping forwards. Relief floods his system at the sight of his mate, completely fine and dandy, but abates as he takes in the look of the sprite.
Jack's not looking too shabby, he's still somewhat clean and up kept, but the look in his eyes and his body language is enough to deter Aster. The boy looks positively feral as he hunches over the edge of a... holy hell was that a nest? Jack hisses as Bunny tries to move forwards, and Aster is quick to back off.
Aster can see all his missing linens from his place two meters away, can see that they've been packed together in a hodgepodge of cloth that still looks crazy comfortable. He can also spot the occasional item that he knows belongs to North, Tooth, and... holy shit the entire thing's been sprinkled with glittering dream sand. No guesses who's fault that was.
Jack seems to calm down as Aster stops moving, even going so far as to back up into the nest and sink back in, burying his face into what looked to be Aster's old coat, the green one with the egg buttons. He'd wondered where that had gone off to.
"Jack?" Aster tries again, sinking down close to the ground, ears down in submission. Jack's eyes crack open at the name, and he looks blearily at Aster with a nonplussed face. Bunny takes this as a good sign, and crawls forwards, eventually hitting the nest proper. With a small sigh Jack reburies his face, leaving Aster to look at his messy white hair. Bunny snorts at this, but crawls forwards to sniff at his mate.
Nothing smelled out of the ordinary, but there was a sudden hint of... something that hadn't been there the last time they'd been close enough for scenting to happen.
It takes Aster longer than he'll admit to finally figure out what's going on.
"Yer nesting?!" He shrieks suddenly, the implications of Jack's crazy-ass behavior suddenly making so much terribly sense. Jack was nesting, which was also a thing that seasonal spirits did when they became pregnant and...
"Oh strewth." Aster mutters, dropping into a dead faint.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
Aster wakes up somewhere around two hours later, laying on the outer edges of Jack's nest, the boy in question still sound asleep. Bunny, as gently as he can, reaches into nest that was a full two meters in diameter, and rolls his mate over from his fetal position. The sprite offers no complaint, simply mumbling slightly and sighing gently.
Bunny is shocked to see the start of a bump on the winter spirits abdomen. At least. At least things had started making a lot more sense than just blaming everything on Jack's off season.
The eating, the hoarding of food, the moodiness.
Oh.
Oh my god how stupid did Aster feel for missing all the signs before this? It's not like Jack was exactly secretive about his emotions and sudden binge eating.
Aster decidedly feels like a dumbass.
But there're more important things to focus on right now. Aster can see from his vantage point that Jack's food has started to run low, if the empty wrappers and bags were anything to go off of. Maybe Jack would stop his wild child routine if he got more food? And some lighting, as an afterthought, noting major, probably an electric lamp or something non-flammable. It was worth a shot, anyways.
Plan made, Bunny clambers back down the wall and back out into the main area of the warren. More and more things to do began to creep up in his mind, and the amount of shock his body was going into was starting to get higher and higher.
He'd need to dig out some more rooms in the burrow for the... oh god, for their kits. He'd need to figure out how far along Jackie was, and how many kits were gunna be around after all was said and done.
Aster works on auto pilot, working quickly while in a daze, to gather things for Jack. Every single piece of linen was gathered up so that the nest may grow bigger and warmer than it already was. Enough food for weeks was piled high into a basket. A small lantern style light with adjustable dimming was tossed in as an afterthought. Bunny wrapped all this up in the plushiest comforter he could find and hoisted the entire thing over his shoulder.
Careful not to drop anything, Aster makes his way back to Jack's nesting location. He doesn't know much, but he knows that after a seasonal has chosen their nesting roost then they would refuse to move until either their spawn had been born or the end of the world. Jack wouldn't be moved from his hidey hole, long story short. Aster could commend Jack on his choice of location though, it wasn't too cold or hot, and it was secluded, quiet, and out of the way. A perfect spot for a nest of any type.
Jack's awake again when Aster reaches the nest for a second time, and decidedly more coherent than he was the first go around. His blue eyes blink in shock when Aster clambers over the ledge with his burden, but he quickly scurries to the back of the nest and huddles down, not afraid, but nervous of Aster's response.
Bunny doesn't say anything at first, opting instead to start unpacking the supplies. Jack gets more and more fidgety as the second tick by in silence, and eventually can't take it anymore.
"I couldn't figure out how to tell you..." He sighs at last. "I was going to, but. I. I just couldn't find the words, and then the nesting started and it was too late and I couldn't leave."
Aster looks at him sharply, and Jack flinches. With a sigh Bunny runs a hand along his head and toys with his ears.
"I can't believe ya didn't tell me Jackie." Is all he finally says. "What if somethin' happened to ya and I wasn't around? I had no idea where ya'd gone. You scared me, Jack."
Jack looks ready to cry, eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry." He murmurs, looking down to his nest dejectedly. "I'm so sorry, Bunny."
Aster lets the guilt settle deep in his gut, before finally opening his gob to comfort his mate. "It's alright, mate." He says softly, reaching out to Jack, "You were overwhelmed. I get it. I wish you would have told me, though, because then we could have been overwhelmed together, yeah?"
That's enough to startle a laugh out of him, and blue eyes begin to soften as they blink away tears. Jack reaches towards Bunny with grabby hands, silently demanding his monthly quota of cuddles. Aster is quick to hop into the nest, helping Jack to arrange the rest of their newfound blanket stash before curling around his mate with a contented sigh. Jack still fidgets though, twitching and shifting every few seconds.
Finally the boy rolls over in Aster's grip. Bunny looks down at Jack with a slightly confused look, which is answered by Jack looking nervous and slightly terrified.
"Are we even ready for this?" He murmurs, burying his face into Aster's chest to break the eye contact. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, I don't know if we're ready for this... I'm scared. And I was so worried that you'd..."
The sentence trails off awkwardly, but Aster refuses to leave it there. "That I'd what?" He prompts, determined to hear Jack out.
The boy responds by burying his face into the nest, muttering something into the fabrics. Upon further prompting, Jack finally manages to spit out an answer.
"I was worried you'd leave me. Leave us. Alone. That you'd think I was a freak, and you wouldn't want to... to. Stay."
Aster reels in shock as Jack buries his face back down, a blush of frost barely visible past the linens of an old blanket. The air drops a few degrees at Jack's distress, but Aster doesn't notice as he wraps his arms around Jack and hugs him firmly, more for Bunny's reassurance than Jack's.
"I ain't going anywhere, frostbite." He murmurs into Jack's hair, pulling the boy close so that there wasn't a single part of skin separated from the other. The sprite's thin body shakes slightly with relief, the adrenaline of finally getting everything off his chest coursing through his veins.
"I ain't going anywhere."
They lapse back into comfortable silence at this point, both dropping off into sleep slowly and warmly, contented to be with each other after so long apart. Jack all but forces his way into Aster's personal space with little to no resistance. They've just begun to toe the line between asleep and awake when a sudden thought crosses Aster's mind, one he must voice.
"North's gunna kill me, isn't he?"
Jack's snoring is all he gets as a response.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
Oddly enough, Jack isn't exactly awful to be with when hormonal and bitchy. The sprite actually spent most of his time sleeping, which was apparently a thing that seasonals did as they grew closer towards their due date. Aster had been slightly pinned as to what to do, as he had to go seek council with Mother Nature and the other Guardians, but he very well couldn't leave his pregnant mate behind.
His instincts were going haywire. A Pooka doe, when pregnant, did the exact opposite to what Jackie was currently doing. Pooka carriers and females weren't the type to settle down and nest, oddly enough, and would continue to move and operate until the date had arrived. This allowed both buck and doe time to plan and process, as well as ready their burrow. Aster's instincts were telling him to get Jack up and moving so that they could start digging, building, and preparing, but all Jack did was camp in his nest. It was driving Aster batty with pent up energy, the want to go out and do something, and no way to relieve it.
So, long story short, he was kind of stuck. No leaving Jack. Jack won't leave nest location. Guardians had no clue what was going on, and had to be informed as to what exactly was going down.
And he still had to start hollowing out a room or two for their kit.
When Jack enters month five everything gets a little better. The kid stops sleeping so much, but he grew easily tired. Eventually he managed to get Jack awake enough to get him lucid, and thus was able to finally head out of the Warren with a small degree of peace of mind.
The Guardians had been joyous at the thought of a little bundle of joy, even if North's enthusiasm seemed a little forced at the idea of Bunny and Jack producing said bundle of joy. They'd all quickly trooped back to the Warren, where Jack had apparently fallen back to sleep.
Bunny creeped up onto the loft first, silently crawling forwards so as to not startle Jack. Upon reaching his mate, who had filled out quite a bit in the past few months, Bunny brings a wet nose to Jack's forehead, snuffling around his hair line. Jack wakes quickly with a small laugh, grabbing Bunny around the neck and pulling him down into the nest.
"Jackie," Bunny says, "North, Tooth, and Sandy have come for a visit, is that okay? I can tell them to leave if you don't want them near your nest."
Jack had shown intense protectiveness about his nest lately, even towards Aster. It was only right to ask before bringing up three more people into what was supposed to be a very private space. Even if they were family, nesting habits tended to mess with anyone's head, and Jack might not care who the Guardians were, only that they would be near his nest, therefore near his child/children.
And that could easily be seen as a threat.
Jack scrunches up his face in thought as he tries to process the names, before quickly nodding. "Yeah," he vocalizes, "Yeah, they can come up. They just have to be quiet; I've got a bit of a headache going on from the lack of winter spreading I've been doing."
Aster nods in understanding, prodding Jack's forehead again, gently scenting his mate. Jack sluggishly gets up, trying hard to keep himself from rolling onto his stomach. Bunny scurries to the edge of the cave and waves their comrades up. Tooth is instantly flittering around, quiet but still excitable as she nearly knocks Jack back onto his side through ways of tackle hug. Sandy is just as happy, floating in his relaxed way into the nest to pat Jack's arm softly.
Aster has to help North up into the cave, and the larger man has to bend at the shoulders to keep from hitting his head. The Russian thunks down right next to the nest, nearly pulling Jack out of it and into a massive bear hug. Jack laughs and returns the hug, mindful of his passenger.
The boy is tired but attentive as the Guardians fill him in on what's been going on in his absence. According to them the world was in for a warmer winter, but Mother Nature had taken up the gauntlet to control winter. That eases Jack's nerves a bit, knowing that winter was still going despite him being rather incapacitated.
Somewhere along the road of conversation Aster muscles his way into the nest and lays down next to Jack, silently making his presence known with a soft paw on Jack's stomach. The frost sprite sinks into the hold with a happy sigh.
They stay like that for hours, the five of them, talking and laughing and jokingly tossing out baby names. Jack joins in, though with a little less energy than he'd usually have. The aura surrounding the nest is one of warmth and calm, up until Jack shoots into a sitting position with a small shriek, thin hands shooting to his abdomen with lightening speed.
Aster's up almost as fast, locking Jack's panicked eyes with his own.
"Jack?! Jackie, what happened love, are you okay? Is the kit okay? What-"
"He kicked." Jack whispers, so low in his shock so that only Bunny can hear it. "He kicked!" The white haired boy repeats with joy, this time loud enough that their friends can hear as well. Bunny quickly rubs a paw on Jack's extended stomach and to his shock he feels the slightest flutter of movement. Jack, unable to help himself, begins to giggle like an idiot, giddily running his fingers along his belly.
Bunny, however, thinks to the thing Jack had just said, and the implications behind it.
"He?" Aster finally asks, causing Jack to look up and a thin blush of frost to snake across his face.
"Yeah." Jack finally murmurs. "He. I know he's a he. I can feel it."
Bunny joins in on the shocked laughter as the other Guardians muscle in to try and feel the baby kick, already contemplating what Jack's words had implied. Seasonals, Bunny knows, are very in tune with their children, especially when the child had yet to be born. Since the spirit world in general was such a dangerous place, with enemies and other forces that would seek to do harm, seasonal spirits had a strong link to their offspring so they would know the moment something was wrong with their child. If Jack was saying that there was just one kit, and that it was a boy, then Bunny knows he's right.
Only one room for him to dig out, then.
The other Guardians all make appropriate noises of joy as they too feel the little guy kicking around. Jack looks ready to explode, constantly touching his stomach with elation. Aster himself can practically feel his heart singing, fluttering around in his chest with joy. So much joy, in fact, he may or may not have to swipe at a few tears of happiness before they can escape.
But no one had to know that.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
"I want something... nutty." Jack murmurs sullenly. The boy is flat on his back, staring dejectedly at the ceiling as Aster sits close to him, digging out lunch from a nearby basket. Month nine had at last rolled around, though Jack wasn't actually due for another half month. The couple were in the end stretch, and they both knew it. Jack had been cooped up in his nest for nine goddamn months, and Aster doesn't blame him for being a bit stir crazy.
Bunny had everything ready; the nursery had been dug out and furnished, painted blue and ready to go for the new arrival. Both Aster and Jack knew they were prepared for their boy to arrive, but that didn't do anything to ease the tension going through them both.
"What do ya mean nutty?" Aster does his best not to laugh at Jack's put upon expression.
"I mean nutty. And sweet. And salty. Yeah. Nutty-sweet-salty. Go forth and get me some pretty please?"
Aster can't hold back the laughter at that, chuckling and finishing his task of emptying the basket. Since his back is turned he only hears Jack's gasp of offense.
"Are you laughing at me?!" Jack yells in irritation, suddenly angry.
"Nah Jackie, I'm laughing at the way yer describing yer cravings."
"You're laughing at me!" Jack wails, and Aster turns around to see him actually close to tears. Another mood swing, then. Jack had been getting a sudden influx of hormones, and Aster had just been doing his best to try and ride out the storm.
"I can't believe you're laughing at me!" Jack continues, getting angrier. "I'm like this and it's all your fault, and you're laughing at me you massive dick!"
Aster has to force his face away from an amused smile, and he simply grabs Jack into a hug.
"Do ya want some peanut butter, love?" He asks softly.
"Oh, yeah, I could totally go for some peanut butter right now." Jack exclaims, his mood taking a one-eighty degree spin. Aster then actually begins to laugh, letting Jack go and leaving to go forth and find some peanut butter for his darling mate.
The Warren is quiet with nothing but the wind blowing to break the silence. It's calming, Aster notes as he hops to the burrow.
However, once he gets there he can feel that something is wrong.
Something deep in the pit of his gut tells Bunny that there is something wrong with his burrow. He raises his nose to the sky, sniffing heavily as he enters the house proper and is smacked in the face with an intense reek of death and shadows.
Pitch.
Every single hair on Bunny's body raises, his hackles going up quicker than is probably possible. His is instantly on high alert as he creeps silently through the burrow on all fours.
He finds Pitch standing in his kitchen.
The shadow man is just standing, hands clasped behind his back and staring out the window and into the Warren. A sly smirk rests upon his face, and it instantly makes Aster's anxiety levels skyrocket.
"I was wondering when you'd finally show up, rabbit." Pitch says mockingly, "I've been here for nearly an hour. Where have you been, hm? And where's your lovely mate?" The last word is spoken with so much scorn it's nearly physical. Bunny growls when Pitch mentions Jack, especially with how defenceless Jack was right now.
"That's none a ya business, Pitch." Bunny says angrily, standing upright and trying to deter the conversation away from Jack.
"Oh, isn't it?" Pitch asks in a condescending tone. "He's been giving off such delightful fear, you know. Nine months ago he was nearly overcome with it, fear of a certain rabbit leaving him, I think. Then it was fear of the future. How is the little bundle of joy, anyways?"
Aster nearly breaks a blood vessel at the mention of the kit, and he's pretty sure he twitched.
"Ya won't go anywhere near 'em, Pitch!" He shouts, jumping towards the Nightmare King.
Pitch merely ducks into a shadow and disappears, all while wrapping a band of nightmare sand around Aster, pinning his arms to his chest.
"Oh, but I've a present for the expecting mother." Pitch chuckles, bodiless in the shadows. "And it would be such shame to let it go to waste."
Aster struggles as the sand tightens around him, fighting even as he's lifted about a meter off the ground and two nightmares suddenly appear nearby.
The air seems to lighten as Pitch takes his leave, leaving into the darkness now that he's sure Aster won't get in the way. Bunny flexes against the sand and receives a bone twisting tightening as a response. With a huff he glares at the nightmares who are decidedly unfazed.
Once he stops struggling, however, he can feel the grasp the sand has on him start to wane, eventually coming loose. Pitch must have made a mistake, Aster thinks, in ordering his sand. Bunny waits for about thirty seconds, staying absolutely still and trying to ignore the urge to bolt to his mate. Hopefully Pitch didn't know where Jack had set his nest, and couldn't find it before Aster got there.
The nightmares ignore him as he silently drops to the ground, his legs absorbing the blow without a single noise. He creeps up behind them before slamming into one, the beast dispelling into sand with a hard enough hit. The second mare shrieks shrilly, attempting to bite at him.
Bunny dodges with practiced grace, and manages to slam into the nightmare with a harsh, well timed kick. As soon as the monsters are dead and gone Aster's off and running, bolting as fast as he can towards Jack's nest, praying to whatever deities were listening that day that Pitch hadn't found his mate.
Those deities apparently weren't listening.
Because as he gets closer to the nest he can hear pained screaming, and he instantly knows it's Jack's voice. If there was a speed faster than his fastest sprint, Aster hit it in that moment.
When he scrambles up to the ledge, almost slipping once due to the rush, he's met by a sight he'd only seen in his worst nightmares.
Jack lies on the ground outside the nest, obviously having been ripped out of and thrown from it. Jack's unconscious, screaming in his sleep as he's pinned by nightmare sand around his wrists and ankles. Pitch looms over his prone figure, a sick smile over his face as Jack cries in pain, struggling for freedom as he screams.
Aster sees red.
With a loud, inhuman cry he launches himself at Pitch, catching the shade off guard and managing to knock the man from his feet. Pitch disappears into the shadows again only to appear behind Aster, bringing a blade of shadows down on Aster's prone back. Bunny deftly dodges out of the way and lands a solid punch to Pitch's ribs, at least fracturing a few if not breaking more than one.
Pitch hisses in pain but recovers, shooting a stream of sand towards Aster, trying to pin him down. The grey Pooka manages to duck and roll out of the way, but only by the skin of his teeth.
Jack goes silent behind them, no longer screaming. Aster's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, and it kind of scares him either way.
Pitch laughs as Jack suddenly makes a gagging noise. Aster abandons the fight to go aid his mate, and Pitch actually stops the fight to watch what happens next. Bunny's by Jack's side in a second, helping him roll onto all fours as he hacks, coughs, and gags for a good half minute, eventually starting to spit up black fluid.
In one final, horrific, conclusion Jack finally hacks up a small fearling, just the size of your fist. He lets out a coughing grunt of fear and quickly backs away into Aster's arms. Bunny quickly drags him into the nest before placing himself in between Jack and Pitch with a growl.
The black haired man only chuckles as he stoops to pick up the fearling. Aster's fur puffs up threateningly, but Pitch ignores it.
"Do give my regards to Jack once he wakes up." The man finally laughs before vanishing. Aster waits a few minutes in tense silence, waiting for Pitch to pop up again and attack, but it never comes.
Eventually he gives in and turns to Jack, who had passed out after hitting the nest. Aster shakes him awake gently. Jack pries his eyes open with a groan, looking confusedly at Aster for a few seconds before shooting up like a rocket, eyes going wide with fear.
"Pitch!" He shrieks, "Where is he?!" Blue eyes dart around in panic, and Jack's breath comes in short, gasping spouts.
"Jack. Jack." Aster shouts wrapping his panicking mate up in a firm hug. "It's okay, he's gone, but you gotta tell me if you're okay. If you're both okay. Jackie I need to know."
Jack's breathing starts to calm, but he begins to shudder in Bunny's arms. "I'm okay but..."
"But?" Aster prompts.
"I can't feel him." Jack says in shock. "I can't feel him Aster, I don't know if he's okay, he might be-"
"No." Aster cuts him off. "No, he's fine." He has no clue if their baby is alive. But he'll lie for Jack's sake.
Jack doesn't buy it for a second.
"Oh god Aster, no he's not. I can't... oh my god." Tears start to brim up in Jack's eyes as his hands clutch at his huge stomach. "He's... he can't be... oh god." Jack breaks, tears falling in droves as Jack begins to sob.
Aster just holds him close, even letting a few tears of his own drop. Jack clings to his chest fur with an iron grip, ripping a few hairs out but Aster can't find the will to care.
"We'll wait." He says finally. "We'll give it a day. You never know, he... might just not be responding because of Pitch. He might still be..."
Jack is silent, though the tears refuse to stop.
"... A day." He says finally, voice cracking.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
A day comes and goes. Jack feels no change, the other end of the bond staying as silent as the grave. As the hours tick by it grows worse and worse, a feeling of solemn finality falling over his entire being like a cloak. Aster is forced to go and get the other Guardians, and though Jack assures him he'll be okay, he knows Aster doesn't believe it.
Jack spends his alone time to mourn, the tears falling freely as the silence from his child rings in his ears.
Aster comes back, the Guardians in tow. Bunny looks slightly hopeful as he approaches Jack, but with a simple shake of the head from the frost sprite that hope vanishes like smoke. A sad expression falls over Aster, much like Jack's own.
But not quite.
The other Guardians stay for a while, each not exactly sure what to say. Tooth tries to comfort them both, but eventually just settles for hugging Jack to her and whispering comforts in his ear. North does much of the same, but Jack seems more receptive to his father figure than anyone else.
Sandy stays with Aster, the two eldest Guardians mourning in their own ways.
North's the one who gets Jack to agree to leave the nest for the first time in nine months. The first step from the nest is small and timid, as if Jack is still hoping his nesting instincts will still be in place and refuse his moving.
They aren't, and they don't.
Together they all quietly make their way towards the Pole, namely the Pole's medical ward. It wasn't safe for Jack if the child was dead.
As much as it pained all of them, they had to remove the baby before it could cause any harm to the mother. Jack's eyes lacked their normal spark, and Aster looped his arm around his mate for the entire walk there. They both pretended to not notice the other one shaking.
The group hits the Pole with sorrow, and the trip to the med ward is quiet and mourning. The Guardians leave Jack and Aster alone for a few minutes as North prepares for surgery.
The room is quiet between them both. Jack's hands have settled again on his stomach, and Aster can sense a habit from miles away. Jack's eyes are brimming with tears, and Aster can barely see through the salt water in his. They look at one another with equally crushed expressions.
Aster sits down next to Jack slowly, the both of them lying down upon the hospital bed, facing the other. The bed is thin, forcing them to be nearly kissing as they lay, face to face, sharing in grief.
Jack's body shudders with sobs, and Aster takes it upon himself to wrap himself around his mate, trying to protect him from what he could not be protected from. The boy shakes in his grip, clinging to the arms that wrap around him like a drowning man to salvation.
Aster curls further around his mate, not wanting to let go.
"Ahm sorry." Aster finally murmurs, clutching at Jack. "Ahm sorry I couldn't protect ya. Either of ya."
Jack sobs harder and shakes his head, bringing his arms up to wrap around Bunny's neck. "No." He says softly. "Not your fault." His voice is scratchy and shaky and just so sad. "It's not your fault. It's neither of our faults. We're not to blame."
Bunny nods quietly, thankful that Jack doesn't blame him, even if he still somewhat blames himself.
Jack's tears putter out and they sit in silence, knowing they aren't anywhere near healed, but decidedly better than they had been last night. They take comfort from one another, knowing they still have a long way to go.
North comes in soon after, having waited for them to calm before quietly asking Bunny to leave so that they may begin. Bunny doesn't want to leave his mate, but Jack squeezes his hand with a sad smile as Sandy douses him with sand and puts him under.
Aster sighs and leaves the room, going about a meter from the door before slumping against the wall with a sigh and sliding down onto the wooden floors, sitting resolutely against the wall, and beginning to wait.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
The first thing that lets Bunny know something's up is that he hears a baby crying about an hour into the operation. The second thing is that he hears North's shout of shock, a harsh stumbling sound, and the clatter of a glass being knocked off a table and breaking onto the floor.
Aster's already up and through the door before North even opens his mouth to call for him.
Bunny does his best to ignore the stench of blood in the air, as he does Jack's prone, unmoving figure, and focus on North, who's picking himself up from where he had bumped into a rolling trolley of medical supplies. North sharply calls Bunny over from where he was standing as a baby's crying resonates around them.
Aster quickly picks his way around broken glass as a well of shock and hope suddenly springs up in his chest. His throat tightens as North hands him a squirming bundle and tells him to go get a blanket.
Aster stares in shock at the tiny, alive, thing kicking in his arms, still covered in Jack's blood and screaming up a storm. A wave of emotions slams into him like a wave, bowling him over with shock, joy, and just the smallest bit of fear as one thought goes through his mind like lightening.
Jack had been wrong.
(THIS IS A LINE, ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?)
Jack wakes up to a white ceiling. He blinks in confusion, wondering where his cave had gone, when the realities creep back into his head like a parasite. With a small sigh and only the slightest well of tears his places a hand on his now flat abdomen. He takes a shuddering breath to steady himself, which alerts the person who had been reading beside him.
"Jack." Aster says happily, "Yer awake!"
Jack gives him a small smile as Aster nuzzles at his hairline and chins him, even going so far as to nuzzle back. He lets out a small noise of protest as Aster makes to leave.
"Ah'll be right back," Bunny says, "I've got something for ya."
Jack knows better to argue, though he doesn't exactly feel like presents at the moment. He doesn't really feel like anything right now. More like falling asleep and never waking up, though where would that leave Bunny?
Another shuddering breath.
He stares at the ceiling for a few minutes, waiting for his bunny to come back. When Aster does it feels like it's been forever. In his arms he holds a bundle of blue blankets, and Jack only looks on in confusion as Aster brings it close before gently placing it in his lap.
Jack closes his eyes, fearful of what he will see. He doesn't want to see his dead child, no matter if some mothers did, he didn't want to look down and see what could have been imprinted upon a dead, unmoving face that-
Just shifted on his lap and had made a soft cooing noise.
Jack stares in shock at his lap, eyes snapping open at a breakneck pace. He stares at the little boy in his lap, who kicks and coos and stares back at him. The baby laughs and shoves a fist into his gummy mouth with a smile. Jack can't operate, just stares down in shock as every single function in his brain short circuits.
"You were right." Aster says to break the silence. "He's a boy."
Jack's astonished stare snaps to Bunny, who smiles back.
"You were wrong, Jackie. He was fine after Pitch. Gave North a right scare, he did."
The baby wiggles, and Jack is suddenly holding him close, cradling the baby as close as he can without hurting him. Aster sits next to him with a grunt, pulling Jack close as tears of joy and disbelief well in his eyes.
"It's okay." He says, "He's alright. You've got him."
The baby lets out another giggle as Jack pulls back to get a look at him. The baby is smaller than most human babies, probably from being 'born' two weeks early. He's human, mostly, with human facial features and body structure, but he has a lovely set of white bunny ears springing up from a shock of white hair on his head and Jack doesn't have to turn him around to know there's a little bunny tail waiting at the other end.
He's already a pale little thing, white and white and white, just like his mummy, but with shocking green eyes that could only belong to Bunny. Darker skin, almost tan, creates marks just like Aster's on the baby's skin, looking almost like large, shaped freckles.
"He's perfect." Jack breathes, not even sure he's talking. Aster laughs and hugs them both close.
"That he is." Aster murmurs back. "We haven't named him yet, though. Thought we should wait for ya to wake up first."
Jack smiles at that. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Couple'a hours. Nothing major."
Jack nods, quickly accepting the information.
"Amaryllis." He says softly. "I like the name Amaryllis."
Aster nods at that as the squirt- Amaryllis, nods off to sleep again. "I love it." He says, "Amaryllis it is."
Jack smiles sweetly at that, still watching his child with rapt attention, as if the baby will disappear if he doesn't.
"He's here to stay." Bunny says in his ear, "He ain't going anywhere, and neither am I."
Jack sighs and leans back into Bunny's fur, content to sleep off the stress of the past few days.
Aster finds himself fit to join him.
The ward goes quiet again as the small family all nod off to sleep together.
A/N Da da daaaaaaaaaaaa have some mpregs. Because I've never done an mpreg fic before and I wanted to. Also miscarriage scares because I am an evil fucking bitch. As per usual, thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you made it to the end! Please review with any comments or thoughts you might have if you've got the time, I'd love to know what you thought of it!
Thanks again!