Title: Happy Easter Author: Snow Tigra Fandom: Rise of the Guardians Pairing: Sophie and Bunny, hints of Bunny and Jack Notes: I suppose this is an indirect sequel to "Spring is for New Beginnings." Takes place a couple years after that and implies that Bunny and Jack had a relationship in that time.
"Bunny?"
The backyard was empty, grass shifting a little under her feet. There was no snow this year and instead there was more mud in the yard then grass, with the little green spikes of her mother's tulip bed poking out near the edge of the fence.
"Bunny?"
White shoes, purchased and stored in the closet specifically for this day, carefully walked along the edge of the side walk. She didn't want to step in the dirt and get them muddy - her mother would have a fit! - but she wasn't sure if he could hear her from the side walk. In fact, after a couple more calls, Sophie Bennett was sure he couldn't hear her, because he wasn't showing up.
Kneeling down on the side walk, in the back of the house, Sophie undid the small buckles on her shoes. Leaving them on the side walk with her white socks, she gingerly stepped into the muddy yard. The grass was prickly and the mud cold, squishing around her feet as she took a few steps to a place that didn't seem quite as wet. Glancing once more around the yard Sophie took a small breath and jumped.
"Bunny! Hop hop!" The words felt silly at her age, but she still remembered them clear as day, jumping with him in that strange place full of frowning rocks, walking eggs and candy colored rivers. Underneath her the ground squished, and she pursed her lips as she waited, willing him to answer.
"Aren't ya a little old for that?"
Sophie turned to face a tree in the back of the yard and didn't even try to keep the smile from her face as she spotted the familiar tall blue rabbit. His left ear was twitching and there was a smirk on his face, making him look just as cute as she remembered. Sophie ignored the mud in the yard and rushed over, hugging the hare.
Sophie closed her eyes and snuggled against his fur. Ever since those days years ago, Sophie looked forward to every Easter when she could see the bunny and snuggle against him again. "You're supposed to call me an ankle biter," she chided him, frowning playfully.
"Little tall for that now, aren't ya?" Bunny pulled back and nodded to her, standing to his full height. He was right, of course, over the years she'd grown much taller. She was almost Jack's height now, though still shorter than Bunny.
"I know, but you always called me that." The tall bunny chuckled and patted her head, handing her an egg, as he did every year, with a design made of smiling faces and fairy wings. Sophie smiled at the egg and safely set it next to the tree, then turned back to him. She'd made a decision this year and she didn't want to break the egg.
"Do you like it?"
"Hm?" Bunny blinked and looked back at her curiously.
"My dress." Sophie tried her best not to blush as she held out the skirt like a proper young lady and gave a small curtsy. She'd practiced the move in her room for a week and even asked a friend for help, though she'd lied about why.
"Uhh, sure. It's cute."
Sophie stopped and pouted a bit at the answer. She'd spent weeks picking out the dress and pestering her mother for the shoes. It was a light yellow, the color of cheesecake or lemon ice cream with lace at the very edge. Her mother had said it looked a bit childish for a teenager, but she hadn't cared and she'd insisted. After all, Bunny was used to children, so he'd like the cuter dress, right?
Apparently not.
The tall hare in front of her fidgeted from one large foot to another and scratched behind his ear. Sophie noticed he was glancing around the yard almost like he was... actually he was looking around the way Jamie did when he was spending time with his girlfriend talking about college.
The smile returned to Sophie's face as she realized she'd gotten exactly what she wanted. That awkward moment that her friends always described on their boyfriends when questions like this came up and she'd gotten it with Bunny. Which meant he liked the dress right?
Sophie grasped her courage in that moment and stepped forward, leaning in. Before Bunny could react and before she could wonder how strange it was, she pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes.
His lips were furry, she noticed, and his long whiskers tickled her nose and cheeks. He tried to pull back for a second but she leaned more forward, still kissing him as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Then her courage was gone and she had to pull back. Stepping away from Bunny and not looking at him, she turned and took a few steps across the yard, before doubling back and grabbing her shoes from the side walk. In seconds she was inside the house, leaving Bunny to stand in the yard, blinking in confusion at what had just happened.
It was minutes later before familiar laughter shattered the air and Bunny looked up with all the annoyance he could muster - which was quite a bit considering that it was Jack.
"That was priceless! She kissed you!"
Bunny glared at the snow imp as he leaned forward on his branch perch and imitated kissing the air. "And the look on your face! You'd think you'd never been kissed before!"
That was a subject Bunny was not willing to revisit with Jack, thank you very much. "Shut yer trap. Winter's over, get out of here."
Jack jumped down from the tree, landing near Sophie's forgotten painted egg and picked it up, still grinning. "And miss a show like that? Not a chance. You know I thought I had something to be worried about when Jamie got his girlfriend, but it never occurred to me that you were stuck on her."
Bunny crossed his arms and looked away. "I am not," he muttered.
"Uh huh, sure sure cottontail. Here."
Bunny looked back to see Jack holding the egg out toward him. Frowning he took it, careful not to break the fragile shell.
"Now go give it to her like a proper Easter Bunny, and don't pull away from the kiss this time. You should know how to kiss, I mean we practiced long enough."
Bunny leveled his worst glare at Jack - which did no good - and turned away, hopping off the ground to the roof of the Bennett house with practiced ease. He landed near Sophie's window and took a deep nervous breath before he tapped the glass.
Sophie opened the window after a moment, her cheeks still strawberry red.
Bunny smiled at her and leaned in, setting the egg on her dresser, then did exactly what Jack had said - but certainly not because he'd said to! He kissed Sophie right on her lips and ended up toppling though the window as she flung her arms around him and pulled him closer. Both landed on the carpeted floor in her bedroom as she giggled and he rubbed his head.
"Sorry Bunny!"
Bunny just smiled and her and shook his head.
This time the two kissed again and neither was nervous. Bunny decided that Sophie's dress was cute and told her so, meanwhile Sophie thanked him for the egg and the best Easter so far.
"Bunny?"
The backyard was empty, grass shifting a little under her feet. There was no snow this year and instead there was more mud in the yard then grass, with the little green spikes of her mother's tulip bed poking out near the edge of the fence.
"Bunny?"
White shoes, purchased and stored in the closet specifically for this day, carefully walked along the edge of the side walk. She didn't want to step in the dirt and get them muddy - her mother would have a fit! - but she wasn't sure if he could hear her from the side walk. In fact, after a couple more calls, Sophie Bennett was sure he couldn't hear her, because he wasn't showing up.
Kneeling down on the side walk, in the back of the house, Sophie undid the small buckles on her shoes. Leaving them on the side walk with her white socks, she gingerly stepped into the muddy yard. The grass was prickly and the mud cold, squishing around her feet as she took a few steps to a place that didn't seem quite as wet. Glancing once more around the yard Sophie took a small breath and jumped.
"Bunny! Hop hop!" The words felt silly at her age, but she still remembered them clear as day, jumping with him in that strange place full of frowning rocks, walking eggs and candy colored rivers. Underneath her the ground squished, and she pursed her lips as she waited, willing him to answer.
"Aren't ya a little old for that?"
Sophie turned to face a tree in the back of the yard and didn't even try to keep the smile from her face as she spotted the familiar tall blue rabbit. His left ear was twitching and there was a smirk on his face, making him look just as cute as she remembered. Sophie ignored the mud in the yard and rushed over, hugging the hare.
Sophie closed her eyes and snuggled against his fur. Ever since those days years ago, Sophie looked forward to every Easter when she could see the bunny and snuggle against him again. "You're supposed to call me an ankle biter," she chided him, frowning playfully.
"Little tall for that now, aren't ya?" Bunny pulled back and nodded to her, standing to his full height. He was right, of course, over the years she'd grown much taller. She was almost Jack's height now, though still shorter than Bunny.
"I know, but you always called me that." The tall bunny chuckled and patted her head, handing her an egg, as he did every year, with a design made of smiling faces and fairy wings. Sophie smiled at the egg and safely set it next to the tree, then turned back to him. She'd made a decision this year and she didn't want to break the egg.
"Do you like it?"
"Hm?" Bunny blinked and looked back at her curiously.
"My dress." Sophie tried her best not to blush as she held out the skirt like a proper young lady and gave a small curtsy. She'd practiced the move in her room for a week and even asked a friend for help, though she'd lied about why.
"Uhh, sure. It's cute."
Sophie stopped and pouted a bit at the answer. She'd spent weeks picking out the dress and pestering her mother for the shoes. It was a light yellow, the color of cheesecake or lemon ice cream with lace at the very edge. Her mother had said it looked a bit childish for a teenager, but she hadn't cared and she'd insisted. After all, Bunny was used to children, so he'd like the cuter dress, right?
Apparently not.
The tall hare in front of her fidgeted from one large foot to another and scratched behind his ear. Sophie noticed he was glancing around the yard almost like he was... actually he was looking around the way Jamie did when he was spending time with his girlfriend talking about college.
The smile returned to Sophie's face as she realized she'd gotten exactly what she wanted. That awkward moment that her friends always described on their boyfriends when questions like this came up and she'd gotten it with Bunny. Which meant he liked the dress right?
Sophie grasped her courage in that moment and stepped forward, leaning in. Before Bunny could react and before she could wonder how strange it was, she pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes.
His lips were furry, she noticed, and his long whiskers tickled her nose and cheeks. He tried to pull back for a second but she leaned more forward, still kissing him as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Then her courage was gone and she had to pull back. Stepping away from Bunny and not looking at him, she turned and took a few steps across the yard, before doubling back and grabbing her shoes from the side walk. In seconds she was inside the house, leaving Bunny to stand in the yard, blinking in confusion at what had just happened.
It was minutes later before familiar laughter shattered the air and Bunny looked up with all the annoyance he could muster - which was quite a bit considering that it was Jack.
"That was priceless! She kissed you!"
Bunny glared at the snow imp as he leaned forward on his branch perch and imitated kissing the air. "And the look on your face! You'd think you'd never been kissed before!"
That was a subject Bunny was not willing to revisit with Jack, thank you very much. "Shut yer trap. Winter's over, get out of here."
Jack jumped down from the tree, landing near Sophie's forgotten painted egg and picked it up, still grinning. "And miss a show like that? Not a chance. You know I thought I had something to be worried about when Jamie got his girlfriend, but it never occurred to me that you were stuck on her."
Bunny crossed his arms and looked away. "I am not," he muttered.
"Uh huh, sure sure cottontail. Here."
Bunny looked back to see Jack holding the egg out toward him. Frowning he took it, careful not to break the fragile shell.
"Now go give it to her like a proper Easter Bunny, and don't pull away from the kiss this time. You should know how to kiss, I mean we practiced long enough."
Bunny leveled his worst glare at Jack - which did no good - and turned away, hopping off the ground to the roof of the Bennett house with practiced ease. He landed near Sophie's window and took a deep nervous breath before he tapped the glass.
Sophie opened the window after a moment, her cheeks still strawberry red.
Bunny smiled at her and leaned in, setting the egg on her dresser, then did exactly what Jack had said - but certainly not because he'd said to! He kissed Sophie right on her lips and ended up toppling though the window as she flung her arms around him and pulled him closer. Both landed on the carpeted floor in her bedroom as she giggled and he rubbed his head.
"Sorry Bunny!"
Bunny just smiled and her and shook his head.
This time the two kissed again and neither was nervous. Bunny decided that Sophie's dress was cute and told her so, meanwhile Sophie thanked him for the egg and the best Easter so far.