Disclaimer: I do not own "Rise of the Guardians" nor any of the characters who appear in "Rise of the Guardians," I just like to play with 'em every once in a while. Bunny and all "Rise of the Guardians" characters belong to William Joyce and DreamWorks Animation.
A/N: This one doesn't need much set-up, it picks up right where Chapter five leaves off. Please enjoy!
A Tea with Tooth and Bunny
In which Toothiana reveals some enlightening (and surprising!) truths, renders Aster Bunnymund repeatedly speechless and revels in the torture of a fellow Guardian
"As he carefully arranged Toothiana's meal upon his old earthenware plates, he was reminded that his simple cottage was a far cry from the opulence of the Palace and a pale comparison to the grandeur of the Pole and yet as Toothiana snuggled comfortably into her chair and gazed adoringly at his dazzling garden, he decided that perhaps great and grand was not so much better than warm and cozy after all."
Whenever Aster found himself in the company of Toothiana, time positively flew by. He could, and did, pass what he felt were mere moments in her presence, only to discover later that it had been hours. This day was no exception. It felt like they had just sat down when suddenly lunch had been devoured and the pair of them were lounging lazily at his table, chatting companionably and sipping their tea.
Their conversation had pin-balled in every direction under the sun but right that second they were immersed in a discussion on the pros and cons of selective horticulture verses the advantages of unmodified, wild plants. Bunny, who happened to be an expert in both was joyfully expounding on the intricacies of both processes as they pertained to his egg flowers when suddenly, Toothiana's smile grew sharp and mischievous.
Sensing the shift in the air, Bunny's speech tapered into silence and peering at Toothiana from beneath knitted eyebrows, asked tentatively, "W-what? What's so funny?"
Bright peals of laughter gushed from Toothiana and still smiling impishly behind her teacup she informed him that she'd heard that particular speech once this week already.
Bunny's eyebrows knitted further and he frowned.
"I-I don't understand, how could you have….?"
Toothiana laughed delightedly as he trailed off in bewilderment and her bright, wide eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Oh, Bunny," she said between giggles, "Don't you get it, I heard the exact same speech from Jack!"
Bunny's ears folded backwards in confusion.
"From Jack? Why'd Jack tell you what I said about cross breeding googie plants?"
Toothiana giggled hysterically and replied, "Well, that wasn't all he told me. He also reported to me your thoughts on soil quality, the best kinds of farming implements, the role of sunlight in the process of photosynthesis, the delicacy of tomatoes, the surprising versatility of the potato, mankind's universal affection for the egg and," she paused to take a quick breath and Bunny, seemingly embarrassed, frowned and interrupted.
"Ah, no, Toothy," he said a little stiffly, "I don't need to hear any more. All I wanna know is why the little imp told you all that stuff. I mean, if I was boring the kid, he coulda' just said so. It was just that, he had all these questions and I was tryin' to be nice and answer 'em, but if he wasn't interested-."
Toothiana's mood shifted swiftly from amusement to horror and she waved her hands frantically in the air as she tried to correct her friend.
"Oh, no, Bunny, Jack wasn't complaining that you'd told him all these things, he was bragging."
Bunny's expression remained puzzled.
"I-I don't understand."
Toothiana's eyebrows rose in surprise and noting Aster's impressive obliviousness, did her very best to spell it out for him as clearly as possible.
"Aster, Jack wasn't complaining or making fun when he was telling me all the things you'd told him. He was showing off, he was proud-excited, that you taught him all those things. For goodness sakes, Bunny, the poor dear was practically over the moon!"
Bunny's ears twitched and he gazed at Toothiana in complete and utter amazement.
"Why?" he asked finally.
"Why?" Toothiana replied incredulously, "Because, he likes you Bunny! He looks up to you, he respects you and ever since he's become a Guardian, and maybe even before, all he's wanted from you is a little attention. And," she added softly, "maybe even a little approval."
Bunny crinkled his muzzle in thought and then with an endearingly tiny voice, he asked, "Really?"
"Yes, really!" she replied ardently, "Aster don't you know that since you've been inviting him over, the silly dear has done nothing but talk about it? Every time I see him it's 'Bunny took me to the chocolate room' and 'Bunny let me plant the flowers' and 'Bunny says this' and 'Bunny says that' and to be perfectly honest, the rest of us were starting to get a bit jealous!"
Positively slack jawed, Bunny said nothing and Toothiana couldn't help but feel a tickle of amusement at his gob smacked expression.
But then his eyes flicked nervously away from hers and she realized with a start that they were wide and shocked….and misty.
Not for the first time, Toothiana was reminded of just how tender-hearted Aster could be and as he studiously avoided her questioning gaze her pink lips curved slowly upwards into a soft, sweet smile.
She was genuinely pleased to see him so touched by Jack's affection and was struck by just how far the boys had come in such a short amount of time.
It seemed like only yesterday, she had been legitimately worried that Jack's constant pranks and never ending jibes were finally going to push Aster's temper over the edge.
So much so that when Jack had come soaring into the Palace on the wings of frosty wind to inform her of Aster's invitation she'd been sincerely worried about how it would all turn out. But now, it seemed like the boys were getting along famously.
Jack was clearly taking a step back from constantly aggravating the big Pooka and Bunny had very obviously become quite taken with the newest Guardian.
She pursed her lips in thought and glanced downwards towards his elaborately carved tabletop. She knew nothing and no one could ever replace his brothers, but maybe just maybe after all these years, he'd finally found someone who could give him something like what he used to have. Oh, he had great friends in herself and Sandy and even North, even if they did bicker constantly, but they were friends, colleagues, or peers, not brothers. That was something else entirely and maybe just maybe Jack could be that something else. Maybe he could be someone who was less like a friend and more like a brother.
That was her hope anyway, for both Aster's and Jack's sake. Because whether the two Guardians knew it or not, they had a lot in common and just as Bunny could benefit from once again enjoying such a relationship, so too would Jack, for whom the pain of losing his mortal family was still so very fresh.
Across from her, Bunny seemed to have regained his composure and he met Toothiana's eyes squarely and calmly.
"The kid's a good egg," he said gruffly, "Maybe I shouldna' been so tough on him for all those years, but ya' gotta admit, he didn't exactly make it easy for me; what with him going outta his way to ruin my egg hunts and all."
Toothiana said nothing, conceding the point and he cleared his throat and continued.
"Still though, I'm glad we're getting the chance to do things a little differently from here on."
Toothiana smiled brightly and the feathers of her crown puffed crazily with excitement. "That's exactly right, Aster. After all, what's past is past and we are all Guardians now, so it makes sense for all of us to try and get along. And it seems like whatever you've been doing is working, because I've never seen Jack this excited about anything. He wasn't even this excited when North let him take the sleigh down the chute for a test run!"
A tiny lopsided smile appeared on Bunny's lips and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Really, he liked planting googies better than he liked driving the sleigh?"
Toothiana nodded emphatically and Aster's grin turned predatory as he asked, "Did ya' tell North?"
Toothiana erupted with giggles and laid an elegant hand across Bunny's as she leaned in conspiratorially.
"Not only did I tell him but I told Jack that North would love to hear all about his adventures in the Warren and then I watched!"
Aster barked a laugh and Toothiana, tickled by his reaction, went on.
"Oh, Bunny, you should have seen the look on North's face when Jack just kept going and going and going. I thought he was going to lose it, really I did! And then, just when I'd thought that he'd absolutely endured all that he could take, Jack started in on how much more work Easter seemed to be than Christmas."
Bunny guffawed and clapping a hand over his mouth, gestured for Toothiana to continue.
She, with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, happily obliged.
"Then North tried to distract him by offering him a cup of cocoa and Jack took one sip, looked North right in the eye and told him, 'This chocolate seems kinda weak, maybe you should talk to Bunny about whipping you up a richer blend.'"
And that was it.
That was all Bunny could handle, because after hearing that glorious little tidbit every trace of composure that he'd been desperately clinging onto slipped hurriedly away into nothing and he collapsed forwards onto the table in fits of hysterical laughter.
Toothiana was not long in joining him and together, the two of them laughed until they were breathless.
On the other side of the world, deep within his fortress at the Pole, North rolled a mouthful of cocoa experimentally over his tongue and wondered, 'was it really that weak?'
Bunny dried off the last of the plates and with long, jaw breaking yawn, returned it to its spot in the cabinet.
Toothiana had left less than an hour ago and already, Bunny had successfully returned his kitchen to its former, immaculate glory. It hadn't been easy, the accumulated mess from lunch and an impromptu dinner had been considerable but Bunny was still so euphoric from spending the day with Tooth that he'd barely even noticed.
The afternoon had flown so quickly that by the time they'd realized just how much time had passed, it was already quite late in the day and Bunny had invited Tooth to stay a bit longer and join him for dinner.
She had hesitated; she hated to leave the girls alone for too long, but then she'd considered just how much fun they were having and just how overdue this little engagement was and she had agreed. She had however agreed only on the condition that Bunny allow her to help him with the preparations.
Thrilled by his good luck, Bunny had agreed to her terms immediately and then invited her into the main room where they could pass the time in more comfortable environs.
Once there, Toothiana had stretched out on her favorite chair and Aster had entertained her by lazily plucking out a few of her favorite songs on his banjo.
After more than a few rousing renditions, Bunny set the banjo aside and declared that they had best get started on dinner. Toothiana had drowsily agreed and followed Bunny into the garden room. There, he'd fetched Toothiana's favorite wide brimmed hat, watched with a smile as she'd carefully tied the satin ribbons beneath her chin and then, led her outside to select the ingredients for that night's dinner.
The dish had been a relatively straightforward affair, but Bunny had made sure to include at least a few of Toothiana's more exotic preferences and she, gracious as ever, had let him.
They'd worked side by side in the kitchen that night, comfortably reaching over one another to grab a knife or a pinch of seasoning. Neither got in the other's way, they were just easy and smooth, coordinated and calm and as complementary to each other in the kitchen as they were in battle.
Toothiana had hummed ancient songs beneath her breath and Bunny had swayed languidly along as the dulcet notes had wound their way in and around him, soothing his every nerve and calming even the most persistent and omnipresent of his worries.
Once, as he'd been reaching around her for the red peppers, Toothiana had caught his eye and smiled sweetly and he had realized that he'd been humming along.
Embarrassed, not because she'd heard him sing, because she'd heard him do that plenty of times, but rather because he hadn't noticed that he was doing it, he had ducked his head and looked away. Just as swiftly, Toothiana had laid a tiny hand upon his forearm, smiled and said, "Don't stop Aster, you know I love it when you sing."
Beneath his fur, Aster's face had flushed with pleasure and he'd smiled so widely that he was sure his cheeks would hurt in the morning, but after that, he'd hummed along with Toothy to his heart's content and she had smiled up at him with bright, sparkling eyes and in that moment, everything had been perfect.
She hadn't left until late into the night and for a second, Aster had worried that he'd selfishly kept her from her duties but Toothiana had waved him off, declaring that even the Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies deserved a night off every once in a while.
Aster had fervently agreed and as she'd stood at the mouth of the tunnel that led back towards the Palace, he had thanked her once again for coming 'round, pressed a tin of her favorite hibiscus tea into her graceful little hands and asked her to let him know when she'd be free for tea again.
The Fairy Queen had accepted the tin with a squeal of excitement, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck one last time and promised him that when she was free, she'd be sure to let him know.
It was the same exchange they had every time Toothiana came to visit and just like every time before, Bunny had grinned crookedly, leaned slightly into her hug and wished her a safe trip home.
After that Toothiana had turned, waved one last frantic little wave and zipped down the tunnel towards home.
Bunny, remaining where he was had raised one clawed hand in goodbye and watched as she disappeared swiftly into the night.
When he could no longer hear the furious humming of her wings, he had turned and made his way back towards the cottage.
As it always did following one of Toothiana's visits, the Warren had seemed especially beautiful that night and Bunny had taken his time in getting home.
He'd loped along at a leisurely pace, admiring the sights and smells of eternal Spring and had marveled at just how far his Warren had come since that last Easter Sunday.
On that day, following the destruction of Easter, the Warren had stood in devastation; death and decay had lingered in the air and even the streams themselves had fallen silent.
But now, the invigorating aromas of life and Spring once again permeated the air. The scents of freshly tilled dirt and cool, sweet water mingled with the rich perfumes of a dozen different flowers and everywhere there was life.
Inhaling deeply of the intoxicating medley of smells, Bunny had paused just for a moment to simply be. To stop and bask in the perfection of a singularly wonderful day, to drink it all in and to emblazon it permanently into his memory for a rainy day. It had only been a moment, but in that moment, the Warren itself had seemed to sigh in contentment.
And now, as he carefully shut the cabinet doors and headed towards his bedroom, he still felt lighter than air.
He had a long and likely arduous night ahead of him but even as he carefully arranged his boomerangs across his back and checked to make sure his gauntlets were on tight and fast, he felt nothing but peace.
As he had galloped through the tunnels towards a dark and dreary land, he was not worried, or anxious or even frightened.
He was rejuvenated, energized and determined.
Before the night was through, he would be shot at, chased by dogs, and even singed by a hail of shrapnel. But he would also (among other things) bring aid to a wounded child, lead a frightened one back home and leave enough bread, cheese and fruits to sustain a small, hungry family until their mother could return home with a fresh batch of supplies.
In the case of the last family, he knew his offering was but a little thing, but often it was the little things that kept a person going and besides, he would be back to check on them before the week was through and if there was anything else that he could do to help, he'd do his best to see it done.
By the time he'd finally returned to the Warren and collapsed, exhausted upon his bed, he had twice crisscrossed the globe, journeyed through dangerous lands and in his own small way, brought a bit of hope to those whose hope was gone.
All in all it had been a successful day and as he'd drifted off to sleep, ancient melodies from a lost and distant people filled his head and sweet, mellifluous laughter filled his heart.
That night his dreams were of lovely queens in wide brimmed hats, of life and Spring and good-natured contests to see who could eat the most chocolates in under a minute. But tomorrow all those dreams would turn to ash and there would be nothing but death and pain and loss and fear.
A/N: Well, there you have it my friends, part two of Toothiana's visit to the Warren! I hope y'all enjoyed it and I hope that you'll tune in next time to see what happens next!
Thanks a million times to all those kind souls who've stuck with me through the delay and a big hello to any and all new readers who've just come across this little story!
As always, thanks in advance to all who find the time to leave me a review, I really do love hearing from y'all, so thanks!
Stay tuned, because the next chapter should be up soon!
Up Next: Promises are made, promises are broken and the Easter Bunny doesn't take 'no' for an answer.
And to the folks I couldn't PM…..
Rubypearl-Hi! Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you liked it and I'm very excited that you're enjoying where it's headed! Have a good one!
Sleepysandman-Thanks for letting me know what you thought, mate! Means a lot and I hope I'll hear from you again.
Avatar Aang-Thank you! You're so lovely and you're so right, because of all the stuff Pitch is planning, absolutely none of it is good! Thanks for reading! Great to hear from you!