Jack was sitting alone in a tree when he sees a flash in the bushes below, realising he will be in trouble if Bunnymund found out he was still there he kept himself hidden, silent tears mingling with the blood on his arms that he had let out so recently.

"I know you're there Jackie, you can come down." Jack pulled down his hoodie sleeves and raised the hood to hide his face before letting the winds carry him down to the ground. Keeping his head downcast so that Aster wouldn't notice the tear tracks across his pale skin.

"Thought you wouldn't like me being here so I'd stay out of your way until I could make an escape. I don't want to ruin - ruin your day again."

"Well, you can stay as long as you promise me no blizzards this time."

"Thanks kangaroo." Finally Jack looked up and sent the bunny a small, sad smile as he said these two words, Aster immediately noticing the trails left on the boy's face.

"What's wrong frostbite?" the bunny asked gently as he moved quickly to the other. Jack raised an arm and used his sleeve to wipe his cheeks while forcing a happier smile onto his cheeks.

"N-nothing. Can I help you leave eggs around kangaroo?" Jack knew that the rabbit did not believe that it was nothing but he was thankful that he decided to ignore that fact, posting a tentative smile on his face as he nodded his consent.

"It's bunny. Come on then, Spirit of Fun, and mischief, I expect some REAL good hiding places from you." Jack wandered over and accepted the eggs offered to him, going about hiding them with little of his usual gusto which worried Aster but he didn't say anything just yet. Once all the eggs were hidden in that area the bunny moved over to Jack and just as the boy was about to ask what he was doing he thumped the floor twice and they both fell down the rabbit hole to reappear in the next town. It didn't move faster with two because of how slow Jack was being but Bunnymund made sure that they didn't fall behind schedule and after a few more hours his eggs were all hidden and waiting to be found.

"Thanks."

"What for frostbite?"

"Letting me help. Not making me leave. Trusting me even though I've ruined Easter twice before."

"What's wrong Jackie?"

"Noth-"

"Don't say nothing, I want the truth. You haven't been yourself today. Come on Jackie, tell me what's wrong? Is it Pitch?"

"Not Pitch."

"Aha, so you admit something IS wrong."

"You'd already figured that part out."

"I know you drongo, but this time you didn't lie about being fine, that's progress. Come on frostbite, you can trust me." With these final words Bunnymund took a hold of Jack's wrist, lightly but still with enough pressure that caused the winter spirit to flinch as one of the deeper cuts pulled open somewhat. "What's wrong Jackie, you hurt?" Aster didn't give Jack any time to answer or think up an excuse before he had carefully rolled up his sleeve, pulling the fabric away from the sticky blood gently.

Once the sleeve was rolled up he turned Jack's forearm over until he was able to see the deep slashes that took up their home there.

"I'm sorry bunny."

"Is it both arms, and don't lie to me?" Jack just nodded prompting Bunnymund to repeat his actions on the other arm, hissing slightly when he saw the wounds across both his arms.

"Who did this to you? Why didn't you tell anyone, why didn't you tell me?"

"No one did."

"Jack, these didn't just appear so tell me who it was. Please."

"But-but no one did this to me, I- I did it to myself."

"Why Jackie? And why didn't you tell me you were hurt when I found you this morning?"

"I just feel so- I'm a screw up, I can't do anything right. I didn't tell you because you hate me and I figured you wouldn't let me stay. I'd never imagined you'd actually agree to me helping since I've ruined two Easters, the second of which made people stop believing in you, a year ago." Aster pulled Jack forwards until he was enveloped in his arms, placing his head upon that of the teen to cocoon him from everything as best as he could.

"Oh snowflake. You aren't a screw up. You were the one who defeated Pitch, without your help, we wouldn't be believed in now. I did hate you at first but you aren't a bad guy, Man in Moon showed me what happened that first Easter when he saw how I was treating you. You did make people stop believing in me through no fault of your own, but you then made them believe again Jackie, in me, in all of us." Jack returned the hug when Aster stated that he didn't really hate him and listened to the rest of the words from the comfort of the embrace.

"Thank you."

"No worries drongo. Now, come on, you've got no choice in the matter, you're coming with me to the Warren where we're going to patch you up and talk." Once again Jack found himself falling down the rabbit hole only this time in the clutches of the rabbit himself. Upon arriving at the hutch, Bunny didn't want to let go of the hurting boy so instead he used the advantage of his height to lift the boy while still keeping him tucked under his chin. Feeling himself being lifted, Jack's leg automatically wrapped around Aster's waist so he was clinging to him like a koala to a tree. Eventually he stopped walking and sunk to the floor with the boy in his lap before unwrapping the teen's legs and arms from around himself.

"Where are we, I don't recognise this bit of the Warren?"asked Frost as he looked around him.

"You wouldn't, none of the guardians have seen where I actually live within my Warren, they are constantly busy, I've got one day a year and perishables so I can't spend the year preparing like North."

"If you haven't let anyone else see your home, why now, why let me?"

"Because you have spent far too much time alone and you need someone's help."

"I'd be fine, always am. Eventually cuts will heal and the physical pain will fade."

"Oh Jackie. How old were you when you became Jack Frost?"

"I don't know, 14? 15? Something like that?"

"So still a child yourself then. Far too young to have spent 300 years without anyone else to be there for you, to look after you." The two lapsed into silence as Bunny began to stitch up and bandage the open wounds on his arm. After a few minutes the silence was suddenly broken by a whisper.

"It's warm, you know? The blood. It's the only part of me that is ever warm. I can feel the difference as it beads and bubbles out of the cuts, it's nice, it's like I am almost able to convince myself that I am alive if my blood is still warm. Even when I feel dead inside, the warmth can prove otherwise." Aster stayed silent as he listened to Jack's whispered confessions, knowing that if he made any noise the spell would be broken and Jack would shut himself off again. "It's like a little hug, providing the warmth and comfort of being alive still, I can close my eyes and imagine that just once someone believes in me, not just in the idea of Jack Frost but in who I truly am.

"Even you lot watch me as if waiting for me to mess everything up again, to fail, to not protect the children. You don't see me though, again, you just see the mischief and the trickster.

"I've been alone for 300 years with no one who even wanted to give me the time of day in the spirit world while humans just think I'm some sort of fairy tale and walk through me. It took its toll on you and Tooth when people stopped believing for one day, less than that even, 300 years wears away at you pretty quick. I just- I screw up everything, this is the one thing I can do that doesn't hurt anyone else. It's warm, it's life." By this point Bunnymund had finished looking after the tender wounds and was focused on Jack's words. Knowing that they rang true as he brought up when Pitch had got people to stop believing in them.

Arms once again went round the teen and a kiss was placed to the crown of his head while Jack cried silently.

"I'm here for you Jackie, to prove that you don't need to think that way whenever you need reminding, to remind you how wrong your words are."

"You're even warmer kangaroo."

"I'm from the outback you drongo, of course I'm warm, even if I am NOT a kangaroo."

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it, I think I'd realise if I were a kangaroo."

"No! No, I mean do you really mean it when you say- nah, never mind."

"Come on frostbite, talk to me, what were you going to ask?"

"I just want to know if, well, if you were serious when you said- when you said that you would be here for me?" Bunny smiled sadly into Jack's hair as he heard this question asked.

"Yeah frostbite, I mean it. I'm 300 years too late but I'll be here for you for now on." The room lapsed into silence once more as the teen snuggled closer into the embrace of the other, eventually the tears stopped and his breathing evened out. Bunnymund looked down at the boy only to find him asleep in his arms and knowing that his duties were done for another year he shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift off as well.

Several hours later Aster awoke only to see that the teen was still sleeping soundly in his lap so he left him there until a couple of hours, or so, later Jack woke up and stretched contentedly before settling back into Bunnymund's arms.

"Oh I've missed sleep."

"There's the proof that you're a teenager."

"Nah, there is the proof that although I don't NEED it, 300 years is a long time to go without it."

"Really?"

"What? It's always cold and there is always snow forming somewhere."

"But not today?"

"Like I said, you're warm."

"If that's all it takes... I'll be here for you."

"But-"

"But what snowflake?"

"You hate me."

"Like I said before, I don't hate you Jackie, I didn't particularly LIKE you. You appeared in '68 and conjured up such a blizzard that no one came out to find my eggs, to celebrate Easter. That was the first time I met you and I thought you did it because you were cruel, you wanted to be celebrated that day. It wasn't until after Pitch that I found out the truth but I was just too stubborn to change anything. Then Man in Moon showed me that day and how you stuck around because you knew I would be there and you wanted to meet me, you were excited to be able to actually have someone to talk to who knew you were there, I know now that you simply lost control over yourself in your excitement and I shouted at you for it and made you suffer through more. The first person you talk to in nearly 300 years tells you how you've ruined everything, that is enough to hurt anyone. I saw what little hope you had leave you and yet I never cared."

"I wanted to die. I couldn't control my emotions, people could have died in the blizzard, it was so sudden, they wouldn't have known."

"No snowflake, never wish for that." Aster's arms wrapped tighter around the broken teen, holding him there and making sure he felt loved.

"I didn't just lose hope that day, I lost wonder as well, I never had dreams and I didn't know I was missing my memories. At that point I realised that no one would care if I were gone but no matter what I tried, Manny refused to let me die, refused to let me give up my immortality.

"Then you showed up asking for my help, ME, and I thought that I did finally belong somewhere, finally had people I could talk to. Course once Pitch was defeated everyone separated and went back to doing their own thing, I went back to having no one and nothing. If you hadn't agreed to let me help yesterday, I have no doubt that my hope would have stayed gone and I could have walked through you, but you said yes, you gave me back some of my hope.

"Even though I've killed people with my snow, even though I ruined Easter twice, you were willing to let me stay. That- that meant a lot to me Bunny."

"Well, I'm just glad I could help you snowflake. I'm glad you didn't give up on me."

"It wouldn't have been you, I could never give up on you, I was giving up on myself. You guys mean so much to children everywhere, I know that you are real and that what you do matters. I'm just a name that people use as a saying, children could have fun without me around." Bunnymund let Jack's words hang in the air as he felt icy fingers playing with his fur absentmindedly, tracing the patterns it held before burying them in the length, repeating the actions.

"You know Jack, I'd of still believed in YOU."

"Why? I do nothing but mess up?"

"Look, it's true that children need hope, and wonder, and dreams, and memories, but they have that because they have you.

"You brought their belief back snowflake, you had some fun with six children and that brought back the belief in every other child in the world. Having fun enabled us to defeat Pitch.

"They wouldn't have any nice memories if you didn't have fun with them. They wouldn't dream of sleds flying everywhere in the snow. They wouldn't be hopeful of finding any Easter eggs because the hunts are meant to be FUN. Christmas would be just another day if they weren't having fun, there would be no wonder in their eyes as they opened the gifts.

"Don't you see, that- all those reasons- THAT is why I believe in Jack Frost."

"Thanks, love you Pooka."

"Love you too snowflake. Now, do you want some food?"

"Why, we don't need it?"

"And we don't need sleep but you enjoy that. Are you saying you haven't eaten in 300 years either?"

"Well, about 295 actually, I thought I had to eat at first so I made sure I did, eventually I realised that I never felt hunger nor did I weaken so I went without."

"What about North's cookies?"

"The yetis always hide them from me, doesn't matter though."

"Doesn't matter?! You're missing out Jackie. We're going to rectify that. Up." Jack stood at Bunnymund's command and offered a hand to the rabbit, helping pull him up from the ground. "Thanks mate," Aster stated as he began walking, not releasing Jack's hand as he went.

After Bunnymund had given Jack some of all of the food he had in the Warren he once again took up the child hand in his paw and turned to the teen.

"What do you want to do today? Snowball fight? Although not in my Warren."

"You don't have to pity me kangaroo. I'll be fine on my own." Jack tried to pull his hand back but found it only being held tighter so he looked up at the bunny in confusion.

"It's not pity snowflake. I know you'll be fine alone, but I WANT to be with you. Please Jackie?"

"Whatever but can we stay here?"

"I don't want snow all over my Warren though."

"It's too warm here for me to use my powers kangaroo, it would all just melt instantly."

"Admit I'm not a kangaroo and we can stay here."

"I don't want to lie to you though Roo."

"Frostbite-" warned Bunnymund as he let out a mock glare.

"Fine. You are not a kangaroo, you are the kindest, strongest, loveliest Pooka ever, and the most gorgeous friend I have ever had. Now, can we stay here?"

"No need to take the mickey snowflake."

"I wasn't, promise. Now, please?" Jack took hold of Aster's paw and pulled him towards the door.

"Patience snowflake," Bunnymund chuckled but acquiesced all the same, walking to the door with Jack in step next to him.

"Thanks for this Bunny." Jack sent a sad smile towards the pooka that grew somewhat happier when he noticed it being returned.

"My pleasure Jackie, now what do you want to do in my Warren?"

"I don't know, I've never really been allowed to stay for Spring, I've never really seen what it is like, I just want to see Spring for once, want to see the flowers in bloom."

"I can do that Jackie. Not all the flowers here grow eggs, let's go to my meadow."

"Thanks Bunny."

"You don't need to thank me constantly."

"Yes I do Bunny, you're the only one who's ever shown me kindness like this, who's ever shown that they cared about me. That deserves thanks, even if I do make your life a living hell most of the time."

"Aww, it's a good kind of hell though snowflake. I wish it weren't the way though, you should have others, not just one grumpy pooka."

"But he's my grumpy pooka."

"Yeah, I suppose I am." The rest of the walk to the meadows was done in silence as Jack took in the scenery around him while Aster took in the sight of the boy next to him. The green grass and the bright flowers, the blue eyes and the white hair. Contrasting beautifully against one another but neither dulled in the presence of the other. Jack looked at Bunnymund with adoration clear in his expression making said Pooka turn his head in embarrassment for being caught staring.

"What's wrong grumpy?"

"Nothing."

"Then why won't you look at me?" Jack asked while pulling his hand away, suddenly realising that he was still holding the other's paw.

"No need mate."

"Nah, I guess not." With these words Jack carried on walking, head set forwards and eyes shining with tears that he refused to let fall. The determination not to break in front of the Pooka as he repeated his words within his head.

The rest of the walk was somewhat awkward as Jack focused on not allowing the tears to roll while Bunnymund watched the teen's back, wondering what it was that he could have done that was wrong.

"I can go if you want snowflake, leave you to look around?"

"Do you want to leave me?"

"No Jackie, but I'm not too sure what I've done wrong, you seem to be mad at me. I never want to leave you."

"'m not mad at you Pooka."

"You certainly seem it."

"I'm more mad at myself."

"Why snowflake?"

"Because I had to go and fall in love with the guardian who seems to hate me the most. The one that I know will never love me back. I had to go and fall in love with you and you can't even look at me when I smile at you. Just- never mind, I'm just going- just going to leave, head back to Burgess or the Antarctic." As Jack prepared to fly away on the winds Aster gripped his arm tightly and held him in place in the Warren.

"You- you love me?" Jack nodded shyly. "Me?" Another nod. "No, but Jack, ME!?"

"Yes, you! Who else would I possibly mean!? Now, can you let me go?"

"I'm not letting you go anywhere right now."

"Fine, I won't leave, but can you still let me go, it feels as though you may have opened a couple of cuts." Bunnymund released Jack's wrist so fast as if he had been burnt, taking a couple of steps back from the boy and raising his hands as if to show that he meant no harm.

"Oh gods, Jack. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry. I swear I won't do it again. Are you alright snowflake, I didn't hurt you too badly, did I? I truly am sorry Jackie."

"Hey stop that." The winter spirit took a few of steps forwards until he was stood right in front of the giant bunny and lifted a hand to the animal's cheek. "You didn't hurt me, I've just grown used to knowing when the wounds are aggravated, I swear it didn't even sting, it never does anymore." A slight sad look came over Jack at the last few words before he straightened up and drew his gaze back to the rabbit's once more. "Even if it had hurt, I know it was just an accident and you didn't mean to so don't apologise." Aster raised his own paw and placed it on top of the hand Jack was holding to his cheek.

"I had to go and fall in love with the brat who ruined Easter didn't I."

"Now who's taking the mickey kangaroo?"

"Watch it frostbite. I was just as sincere as you were before, unless of course you weren't."

"No! No, I- I meant what I said Pooka."

"Me too snowflake. How's your arm?"

"Fine, I told you, I don't even feel the pain of it after all these years."

"I meant how bad is it physically, not how much is it troubling you."

"Oh, sorry. I don't know, I can't feel it bleeding anymore so it probably wasn't bad."

"I hate how you talk about yourself bleeding out so calmly, you should be panicking."

"What's the point in that bunny?"

"What's the point? Snowflake, you are injured, that should be cause for concern."

"After 300 years? I don't see why it matters any more now than it did before. Besides, panicking would only increase my heart rate so I'd bleed faster."

Bunnymund drew Jack closer into a hug and whispered the order to close his eyes before lifting him as he had the day before and continuing on the short distance to the meadows. "Keep 'em closed mate," he whispered as they reached the destination and he placed the teen back on his feet, turning him around slowly so that he could see the field.

"Can I look yet bunny?"

"Yeah, open your eyes Jackie." Jack did as he was told only to see the empty grass field and turned to look at the Pooka in confusion. "Ah, so, no one ever told you my other job?"

"What other job?"

"I'm the one that makes the flowers bloom as I pass through town, I'm in charge of making wild flowers appear and grow," Aster whispered lowly into the teen's ear, the husky whisper sending butterflies to Jack's stomach.

"Really?"

"Really really. All me Jackie, so tell me, what kind of flowers do you want?"

"I don't care, anything, everything. Whatever you want, what are your favourites? I want to see your favourite. Bright ones? I bet they're bright coloured ones. I'll bet my staff that you love the ones that are all different colours, just like your Easter eggs. No. YES!

"Whatever is easiest, I don't want to put you out anymore than I already have. I've heard about roses and tulips before, oh, and daisies. I think there's one called something like coronation, umm- CARNATIONS, that's it, what else, what else, what else?" Aster chuckled at how excited the boy was and prepared to show him many different flowers.

"Come on then Jackie," he whispered again as he took a hold of the frigid hand in his paw and began walking into the bordered off green, patches of flowers appearing before their eyes as Bunny forced them to grow. They walked around the field, each different flower patch being pointed out and named to the winter spirit as they spiralled closer to the centre (leaving a clear path for them to get out of the field again afterwards).

"I bet these are your favourites, aren't they? They seem to be the most colourful," Jack stated simply as they passed a section where Aster had just allowed wild flowers to grow.

"I think you'll be glad that I didn't take up your bet of your staff."

"Hey, I bet my staff they would be colourful, not that they would be these necessarily."

"-and that is where you are wrong snowflake. My favourites are those over there." Bunnymund pointed at the small area of the field that they had not yet reached and Jack ran over to them, crouching down to look closely at the white flowers before looking back over his shoulder at the Pooka.

"They're gorgeous, I think I might of seen a few of these in the snow."

"You probably would have done. They mainly grow in the winter but some grow in spring or autumn, like these. These were my favourite for many years, the way that they endure through the harshest weather. Although they fell off my list in '68, I've found they returned to their top spot in the last year."

"What are they?"

"Snowdrops." Jack looked up and smiled at the bunny who had moved to stand next to his crouched form.

"Gorgeous."

"They are, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah, the flowers are too." It was at that point that Bunnymund realised the teen's icy blue eyes were looking at him rather than the flowers.

"Cheeky, that mouth will get you in a lot of trouble one of these days."

"Mmm, I'm sure with the right Pooka, my mouth could get me OUT of all sorts of trouble as well though."

"That sounds like something we will have to test to prove your claim mate. And since I'm the last, well-"

"Well, I'll just have to prove it to you then won't I?"

"Brat."

"So what if I am, can we go down to the river, with the paints?"

"Am I going to regret saying yes?"

"Only so much in that you probably won't get me to leave for several hours."

"I think I can handle that. On we go then snowflake." The two walked in comfortable silence towards the river of colour, both occasionally looking over at the other. As soon as they reached their destination, Bunnymund retrieved, and passed over the brushes and paints to Jack who had sat down on the ground with his legs tucked to the side of him.

"Thank you."

"What are you planning on painting then, am I going to end up with a colourful Warren?"

"Nah, your Warren will be fine," Jack stated as he dipped the brush into the pot and began the task of painting his hand and bandages in a pale blue.

"Turning smurf on me Jackie?"

"Smurfs are a brighter blue. This is just the first layer, give me a chance. I was just hiding the bandage until it's taken off." Gradually various shades of blue were added in swirling layers until you could not tell where his skin stopped and the bandage began. Finally Jack took up the finest brush in the collection and began painting a delicate flurry of silver and white snowflakes against the background, each one different just like a real snowflake.

"It's beautiful Jack," whispered Aster as the teen began to wash out the paint from the brushes he had used, his head had been resting on the teen's shoulder after the first hour or so of painting and it was clear that they had been sat there for three or four hours from how their legs needed stretching.

"Thanks bunny."

"I'll have to get you to paint some of the eggs in future."

"Yeah?" The guardian of hope could feel the spark of it that ignited within the boy and refused to crush it or let it burn out.

"Yeah Jackie, although no snowflakes on the Easter eggs."

"I'd like that."

"Me too snowflake. That really is gorgeous work, you should be an artist."

"I create pictures with my ice, that's all I'm really able to do."

"You create things with your powers?"

"How do you think I got Jamie to believe in you again? He was asking his stuffed rabbit for any sign that you were real, that he hadn't just imagined you, so I frosted over his window and drew a rabbit in it, then brought it to life so that he got his sign."

"You really are an incredible person snowflake."

"Not really."

"How can you say that? You listened to a child's pleas and used your powers to make him believe, not in yourself but in others when that was what he needed. A true guardian." Aster knocked his forehead gently into Jack's cheek before nuzzling him slightly, Jack returning the action with his eyes closed. "I'd never really thought about how you managed to get Jamie to believe in us again. I was just grateful that you did and then we were so caught up with Pitch that it didn't occur to me how you did it, just that you did." Jack turned and wrapped his arm around one side of Bunnymund's neck while placing his head on the other side, chilled skin burying into the fur on the crook of the rabbit's neck.

"I did what had to be done, you were always the one that I believed in the most and you were the one that Jamie needed at that point. It was easy enough to do. You are used to being believed in, the lack of it affected all of you guys, I'm used to not being believed in by anyone so I could do what I have always done, only this time I chose the right child at the right time. I didn't do anything special, it was all Jamie."

"You really believe that, don't you? You were the most important person in the word last Easter."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that, especially when North said that, last year, Easter was more important than Christmas."

"Just shows how special you really are then, doesn't it."

"I guess."

"Well I know."

"Can- can I stay in the Warren? Not- not all the time, I promise I won't get in your way, you can say no of course. I just, I- never mind. It was a stupid request." Jack pulled away from where he was against Bunnymund and turned back to all of the various paints. Slowly arms began to wind around his waist from behind and legs were splayed out with one on either side of where he sat.

"I would love for you to stay if that is what you want. You wouldn't be in my way, I am only busy at one time of the year, being in another 11 months or so, and even then I've already said that I am enlisting your help with that when you're free from your duties anyway. The rest of my time I spend going around making random flowers grow randomly, it's not a taxing job."

"Thanks Roo. I swear I won't get in your way."

"I don't mind you being around snowflake, I like your company."

"I think you must be ill Pooka. First of all being nice to me, now being really nice to me. Are you dying or something?"

"Ha ha, brat."

"You love me really." Jack pouted as he said these words, trying to look upset at being called a brat but failing miserably when he smiled blindingly at the Pooka's following words.

"Thought we'd already covered that particular fact, but yes, I love you really. Brat." Jack turned in his arms until he was straddling the Pooka's legs and nuzzled into Aster's neck affectionately.

"Love you too. Roo." Jack smirked before bumping his nose against that of the Pooka.

"You're adorable, you know that right snowflake?" A bright blush covered the teen's cheeks, quickly turning blue as they frosted over to cool the skin once more. "Aww, you're even cuter when you're embarrassed." The icy layer grew thicker as his flush darkened. "You going shy?" Aster teased, relishing in the boy's face and neck being almost entirely covered in ice as the blush spread, longing to see just how far he could get the blush to cover.

"Please stop." Jack whispered as he hid his face in his hands.

"Sorry snowflake, you just look so delectable when flushed."

"There are more enjoyable ways to achieve that without embarrassing me."

"You're right, shall we head back to my room?" Jack swallowed and his eyes widened at the thought of being alone with Aster, not that he wasn't already but he knew that this would be a whole new level in their relationship, especially considering less than 24 hours earlier he had thought himself hated by the Pooka.