I promise I was planning to have this out yesterday!
It's just... writer's block, how you do like to smack me with a hammer every now and then.
Anyways, interestingly enough, I tried to do Jack's P.O.V. on part of this chapter! I knew I was going to have to get around to it sometime... hopefully I didn't do too terribly at it !
Enjoy, hope you guys had a Happy Easter and that an Australian rabbit left you some goodies!
The dance had come sooner than Tooth had expected. She had been shopping the next weekend for a nice dress with Katherine, and had picked out one that matched her style perfectly. It was a beautifully multicolored dress, which seemed to shimmer and change whenever she moved. It would blend in and out of green and blue, and the bottom was decked in small, soft feathers. Her shoes were similar to ballet flats, because she always felt like she was a moment away from falling when she wore high heels. It felt awkward to be so tall, too, when she loved her small height. She was going to wear Bunny's necklace, hoping it went well with her outfit.
As Tooth pulled her hair up into a loose bun, she contemplated what the weekend would be like after the dance. Bunny was going to be away for the tournament, so Tooth would either stay at home or hang out with Jack and the others. She spent almost every weekend with Bunny, so Tooth couldn't help but wonder if it would be weird without him. She lifted her bangs up, using a small clip in the shape of a tooth to stick it on the side of her head. Tooth smiled to herself as she thought about the dance. Nightlight had asked Katherine, and she had said yes! Pitch said he might come, and Jack was definitely coming, but he hadn't found a date in time. Apparently Bunny had been keeping the tickets for a while, and most of the dates were already taken. Dances and school events usually just passed right by her, since she wasn't very used to going to any of them. She couldn't help but feel excited, and making sure she had her jewelry on, Tooth went into the bathroom to put a little bit of makeup on, humming all the while.
Jack smiled at himself in the mirror, fixing the bow tie he was wearing. He felt stupid in this ridiculous getup. Why did they have to dress so formally for a high school dance? His suit felt too big on him, and his feet were getting pinched in the shoes his dad had bought for him.
And on top of that, he hadn't found a date. Not that he had looked for one, really. Most of the girls in Burgess were either stuck up and constantly fishing for compliments, or too shy to even go to some kind of dance. Jack knew he could easily grab a girl, he wasn't the worst looking guy. Honestly, he hadn't even tried for a date, and Jack just hoped he could have fun with his friends. He still hung out with Jamie and the freshmen, but Tooth and the others in their small group were who he really enjoyed being with. It made his smile come back just joking and teasing with Tooth, watching her large violet eyes dart around the room, full of excitement. But Jack also knew the other side of Tooth as well, the gentle caring person who had gone through something traumatic. Multiple times Jack had thought of telling Tooth his own secret, but he always fought himself out of it. It wasn't fair to burden her with something that had happened a while ago.
He didn't want to change her opinion of him.
Stepping back from the mirror, Jack turned around, his navy blue suit wrinkling as he stretched. Would Tooth dance with him? She might want to, if Bunnymund would allow it. Jack shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He knew he shouldn't think about that, Tooth was dating Bunny. Still, he couldn't help smiling whenever he thought of Tooth and her vibrant personality. When he had first come to Burgess, he hadn't planned on opening up so quickly to anyone, let alone to a small girl with a teeth obsession.
It was just that Tooth was so... easy to open up to. She brought out the best in everyone, and tried to not see the worst in people, even if it was written plainly in front of her. Jack wondered what Tooth saw in Bunnymund. A hot tempered Australian who couldn't take a joke? No, he wasn't going to be like that, he wasn't going to judge Bunny. And he couldn't crush on Tooth.
And yet.. she really was nice.
Jack knew he had liked her since they had met. Maybe not in a crush kind of way, but something about Tooth he was really fond of. At first, Jack had even seen her as a bit prying, but when he realized she was just asking about him out of curiosity and not trying to get every little answer about where the new kid was from, why had he moved, et cetera, Jack found it was just her caring personality. He knew Tooth didn't see him as anything more than a friend that entire time, how could she when she had Bunny? But Jack had to admit...
He really did like her.
Jack tried to clear his thoughts as he walked downstairs. He scratched his head a few times, looking around as the clock ticked closer to the starting of the dance. Should he even go? No point not going if he was already dressed up. Jack walked into his dad's study, poking his head in.
"Hey, I'm about to leave." He called as his father looked up, placing down the half moon reading glasses he wore.
"Ah, yes! The dance!" His dad replied cheerily, "You going to ask the Tooth girl?"
Jack blushed and mumbled under his breath, "Not helping, dad.." before answering, "Uh, maybe! I should be out for only a couple of hours."
"Enjoy yourself! Say hello to Tooth for me, and remember to have fun!" Mr. Moon grinned brightly, and Jack halfheartedly smiled back before walking out of his dad's office and to his car. He turned on some music and hummed along, trying to distract himself as he pulled out of the garage and made his way towards the high school.
Tooth watched the clock tick by as she walked around the house, not having much to do. She kept picking up and putting down her small purse, and dancing about as she waited on Bunny. He was supposed to be here any minute now, and Tooth was bouncing with excitement! Usually dances were pretty boring, but this one was a bit more formal, and Jack was going to be there! He always had a way of causing fun, either with pranks or jokes.
Tooth giggled to herself, then there was a knocking at the door. Bunny! She grabbed up her purse from the counter again and raced to her mom, planting a kiss on her cheek before running back up to the front and opening the door. Outside was Bunny, looking a bit awkward in a grey suit, and holding out box with a corsage inside. He grinned, placing the corsage on Tooth's dress before escorting her to his car. As Tooth stepped into the passenger's side, Bunny hopped in as well and commented, "You look great, Tooth."
Blushing, she replied, "You look handsome as well! Besides the fact that you look hardly comfortable in that suit." She giggled.
"Eh, it's not so bad," he replied, "Still, I'd rather be in regular clothing, if they'd ever allow it. Maybe I can wear something as colorful as yours." he teased, and Tooth couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Bunny decked out in a colorful suit.
As they pulled up to the school, Bunny opened Tooth's door for her. The school actually looked nice, with little lights strung on the outside and pleasant music flowing out from inside. It was strange being at the school this late at night, but still kind of pleasant. Tooth took Bunny's hand as she lifted herself out of the car, grinning. As she walked with Bunny towards the front of the school, a car pulled up next to theirs. After a few minutes of readjusting his suit, Jack hopped out of the car and made his way towards Tooth and Bunny. Wow, Tooth looked.. really good. Her dress shimmered and changed in color as she walked with Bunny, the bright highlights in her hair matching the colors perfectly.
"Hey guys, wait up!" Jack called as he trotted toward them. Tooth turned and beamed when she saw Jack, dressed up in a navy blue suit and white bowtie. She had to admit, he didn't look bad in a suit. He smiled back, running a hand through his hair before continuing, "Nice dress, Tooth! And you don't look so bad yourself, Cottontail." He laughed as Bunny playfully swiped a punch at him. The three of them walked into the gym, giving their tickets to Mr. Sandy, who was in charge of collecting them, as well as coat check. He smiled happily and waved at Jack in Tooth. They said hello in return before stepping into the auditorium, where the dance was being held.
The auditorium had been nicely cleaned up, with small tables set at the edge of the room and, at the corner of the room, a table filled with snacks and water bottles. There was a large dance floor placed in the middle of the auditorium, and a stage at the front of the room where usually speeches and assemblies took place during the normal school day. A music station had been set up there, along with some lights that were dancing off the walls with color, some of them with little designs as well. Tooth stared openly at the giant change from the normal, everyday boringness of the auditorium.
The three of them decided to go find a seat somewhere, and placed their stuff down at a nearby table. A small throng of students was gathering near the dance floor, unsure if they should start. A senior that Tooth didn't know, but had long blonde hair and was wearing a frilly pink and purple dress, stepped onto the stage and spoke up, "You guys join in dancing whenever you want to, if you have a request then just come up and ask the guy back here." she thrusted her thumb towards the small station, and she could barely see a man running forward and backward through the cords, making sure everything was going all right.
After a few minutes, boys hesitantly started asking girls to dance, and the auditorium filled up as more people came filing in. Bunny stood up from his seat, placing a hand down to Tooth's before asking, "Would ya like to dance, m-maybe?"
Tooth giggled at his slight stutter at the end, knowing inside Bun was just as nervous as a rabbit! "Sure, Bun!" She replied, lifting herself up out of her chair and accompanying him onto the dance floor.
Bunny didn't really know how to dance, but he sure did try. Tooth's mom had made her spend a dreaded summer in dance and ballet classes when she was younger, hoping that Tooth would like it, but when school started back Tooth threw a tantrum at the prospect of continuing, so Rashmi had let her out of it. Still, she had been able to learn some from the short class, and she moved with subtle grace while Bunny tried his best to keep up. He only stomped on her feet a couple of times, and Tooth would giggle when he blurted out his apologies afterwards.
Meanwhile, Jack was sitting at the table, feet propped up and sipping from a water bottle. This had been a bad idea. Almost all of the girls were dancing with their dates, and there was no chance of Jack asking one of them. He even saw Nightlight and Katherine, dancing happily together in the throng of people. As he watched everyone on the dance floor, his eyes always fell back on Tooth, who was dancing gracefully as Bunny clumsily followed. As Jack thought about getting up, someone fell into a seat beside him, sighing. He turned to see Pitch, his hair smoothed back and wearing a completely black suit.
"Well I was hoping this was going to be fun, but it seems there aren't any girls to ask." He stated, bored, watching dancing couples go by with Jack. He kept talking, "Need to ask someone sooner or later.. Damn, is that Tooth?" He looked up, a bit surprised, to see Tooth calmly dancing away with Bunny.
"Yep," Jack replied quietly. He didn't like the way Pitch gawked at Tooth, like she was some type of toy that he wanted to buy. Pitch was usually the shy guy; why was he acting like this all of a sudden?
Pitch commented, "She looks wonderful. I might even ask her to dance, if Bunny'll get out of the way-"
"No." Jack replied coldly, eyes blazing as he sat up in his chair. After seeing Pitch's surprised and suspicious expression, he added, "I mean, let Tooth and Bunny have a few more dances. It is their night, after all."
Pitch nodded, answering, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm gonna go see if the drinks are still regular or have been spiked yet." He chuckled to himself, getting up and roaming across the room. Jack eyed him suspiciously as he left. Listening to the music, Jack waited for the end of the song to come. He decided it was now or never, and he was going to ask Tooth to dance.
Tooth swayed gently with Bunny, rotating in small circles instead of anything elegant. Bunny smiled down at her, a hand on Tooth's waist. The song was nearing its end, and Tooth couldn't help but notice the couples around her. Many were clumsily dancing with their dates, and a lot were just standing there, kissing.
Tooth had never been kissed before.
Yeah, she was going out with Bunny, and yeah, he would occasionally give her a peck on the cheek or forehead, but Tooth had never had a real, genuine kiss. And she was happy with that! It wasn't as if Bunny hadn't tried before, but Tooth was never really ready to kiss him. She didn't know why, but any opportunity just didn't feel right. She wanted to remember her first kiss, for it to be special, and it just hadn't happened yet.
Shrugging it off, Tooth grinned back at Bunny, her violet eyes shimmering. As the song began to end, a sudden change came over Bunny. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer. Tooth giggled, staring down at his hand, before looking back up and trying not to gasp. Bunny was beginning to slowly incline his head toward hers, a bit nervous. Tooth's thoughts ran through her head quickly, questions washing her brain. Was this really going to be the place? Was she ready?
No. She wasn't.
As Bunny leaned in closer, Tooth leaned up and pecked him on his nose. He opened his eyes widely, realizing she hadn't kissed him. He could have been sure Tooth was finally going to kiss him, but he had been wrong again. Cheeks red with embarrassment, he tried to find a way to get out of his predicament.
"Mind if I take the kind lady?" A mischievous voice called out. Tooth and Bunny looked up simultaneously to see Jack, extending his hand towards Tooth. He added, "Or was I interrupting something?"
"Oh, uh.." Bunny stammered for a reply, still holding Tooth closely by the waist, "Yeah, fine with me, if that's alright, Tooth?" He looked down, relieved that Jack had showed up.
"Of course!" Tooth giggled, sliding out of Bunny's grasp and putting her hand into Jack's extended one. Bunny coughed a couple times, turning to go back to the table. Through his embarrassment and relief, he could hardly hear the slow dance that had started playing.
"Oh!" Tooth gasped as the song began to play. A slow dance? She wondered if Bunny would be okay with it..
Jack blushed as he heard the music, stating, "Tooth, we can wait for another one to come on if you wa-"
Tooth giggled, sliding her hand onto his shoulder before replying, "Nah, I think it'll be okay, it's just one song."
Jack nervously put a hand on Tooth's waist as they began to spin around. Tooth was surprised be how elegant Jack was! Unlike Bunny, he slid right into the rhythm of the music, keeping up with Tooth's every step. They slowly danced, Tooth's dress shimmering in different colors. Jack nearly froze up when Tooth placed her head on his chest, sighing.
Tooth felt Jack's short intake of breath, and looked up to see him looking a bit startled. She began to lift her head up, explaining, "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired from dancing with Bunny.."
Jack quickly blurted out, "No, no, it's fine! You can stay, I was just a little confused is all." Tooth smiled, placing her head back onto his chest and closing her eyes. Jack was glad Tooth couldn't see him, because he was grinning like an idiot. He watched her step in small circles, graceful even with her eyes closed. He was blatantly aware of his hand touching her waist, wrapping around it securely. Yeah.. he could protect her.
Tooth hoped she wasn't being awkward with Jack. He didn't seem like he minded her at all, and she was pretty tired. They might have to leave soon, it was getting pretty late. For now, she was just enjoying being with Jack, smelling his minty cologne and having her hands propped on his shoulders. It was really nice.
The music ended all too soon, and Tooth pulled herself away from Jack's chest, smiling. Her eyes looked a little heavy, even though she pretended she wasn't tired. She giggled, "Well, that was fun."
Jack smiled, eyes softening as he looked down at Tooth's giggling face. He replied, "Yeah, it was. You okay, Tooth? You look a bit sleepy."
Tooth tried not to yawn as she answered, "Yeah, I'm fine! I think I'm gonna get Bun to take me home soon, this face needs its beauty sleep!" she laughed with Jack as he escorted her back to the table, hand still on her waist.
As they neared the table, Pitch and Bunny looked up from relaxing in their seats. Pitch began to rise out of his chair when Tooth walked over with Jack, breaking away from him to say, "Hey Bun, you about ready to go home? I'm getting a bit tired. Oh, hey Pitch! Nice suit!"
Pitch, who had been about to say something, quickly clammed up and pretended to be going to get some more drinks. He stuttered, "H-hey Tooth, y-you look nice." before quickly walking off.
Jack snickered to himself, watching Pitch's shy confusion fade into a mask of anger as he stalked off. Turning back around, he saw Bunny give a giant stretch before getting up out of his own chair.
"Sure Tooth, it's beginning to die down anyways. See you later, Frost!" He picked up Tooth's purse and they headed out the main doors. Waiting a few minutes, Jack bent down and picked up his stuff, deciding to leave as well. He didn't need to stick around now, anyways.
The car ride home was pretty silent as Tooth lay back in her seat, eyelids drooping as she watched the stars. Bunny was still pretty embarrassed from earlier, and was tired as well. Tooth could only hope Bun understood why she hadn't kissed him. Her mind was still racing as Bunny pulled up to her house. She turned to him, smiling before stating, "I had fun tonight, Bun."
Bunny smiled back at Tooth, replying, "Me too, Tooth. Sorry about the... dancing."
Tooth, knowing what Bunny had been about to say, placed a hand on his before explaining, "It's all right, Bun. Thanks for understanding." Tooth smiled before remembering, "So, this the last time I see you before the tournament?"
He smiled at her forgiveness, answering, "We've got a pretty long drive, so yeah, I won't see you for the rest of the weekend. Miss me?" He teased.
"Yep! Can't wait for you to get back, I already miss ya." She leaned over, hugging Bunny tightly before saying goodbye and stepping out of the car, running into the house and away from the cold wind.
When Tooth made it up to her bedroom, she quietly slipped into pajamas and cleaned her face before falling into bed, exhausted. As she began falling asleep, she dreamed of Bunny and Jack, both smiling and laughing happily.
And so, emotions begin! Gasp!
Also, as a side note, I was going to have Pitch display some more personality stuff, but I got sidetracked...
I just want to thank all of you for following my story ;u; cookies to you all!
Please leave a review, they always help me consider what I should write about, and I love reading them ^-^ Hope you enjoyed it!
