"Hey, you ever been struck by lightning, Bunny?"

Bunnymund paused, brush stilling over the delicate egg, and gave the immortal teen a peculiar look. "What?"

"Have you," Jack tapped the rabbit's nose, perched on the Sentinel's head as he was, "ever," he poked him again, "been struck," again, "by lightning?"

"Bloody hell, no, of course not," Bunnymund shook his head, scowling. "Why? Have you, or something?"

"Uh, maybe once or twice," Jack rubbed the back of his neck shyly, tapping his foot with his staff.

Bunny peered at him, arching one eyebrow. "Jack…"

"What?" Jack whined, pouting and crossing his arms. "It was an accident!"

The one eyebrow went higher. "Really now?"

"Well…" the sprite looked away, a light dusting of frost powdering his alabaster cheeks, lips turning a little blue. "The...first time...was an accident. But the second...maybe a little less so, okay?"

"And why are you running around zapping yourself with the forces of nature?" Bunny sighed, rolling his eyes and turning back to the egg. It had started squirming impatiently in his hand, small feet tickling his palm.

"The rush, man," Jack laughed, only slightly self-deprecatingly. "Oh, dude -when all that energy just goes through you it's like, wow, you can feel everything."

Bunny sighed softly, adding a small silver swirl to the blue egg before allowing it to run free and join its brethren. "Jacko, there are other, better ways to get your kicks than getting struck by lightning."

"Yeah, but...you've never been struck, you don't know how good it feels!" Jack protested, sliding down and draping his arms over Bunny's shoulders. "It's like...like life and death, the beginning and the end, all just whooshing through you at once. You know that, like, one wrong move and you're toast, but if not, you're all good, and it's like...you're everything and nothing...all at once."

Sighing softly, Bunny reached up and threaded his fingers through crystalline white hair. "Jack…"

"I know, I know," the frost sprite pursed his lips, sighing and nuzzling the thick patch of fur between Bunny's ears. "Perhaps not the most...intelligent of things to do, but…" he shrugged, comforted. "We all know I wasn't the most brilliant of stars in my youth."

"We've all done stupid things, Jacko," Bunny said, shuffling the boy around to be settled in his lap, head tucked under his chin. "You're no better or worse than the rest of us."

Humming softly, Jack settled back, hands carding through the Pooka's soft fur. "Thanks, Aster…"

Smiling to himself, Bunny rubbed the underside of his chin on the top of Jack's head, scenting him. "Just promise me you won't go storm chasing any time soon, eh, Jack? That's not a risk I like you to take."

The sprite whined softly, but sighed, settling back. "Fiiine," he pouted. "No more lightning hunting, even if it is really fun…"