Jack seemed to calm a bit as he had that long talk with Bunny. It went on into the night, through tea and supper and long past midnight, on until nearly dawn.

This time, though, perhaps because of the crying jag, perhaps because Bunny had let him cry all over him and comforted him instead of pushing away, perhaps because the Guardians had stuck with him through all his trying to force them away the way they'd said they would, Jack actually talked – as did Bunny.

Neither of them was good with the emotions thing, with the talking things out, and both had a tendency towards holding a grudge, but they were both trying.

Which was probably how they'd managed to have such a long, serious conversation without exploding at each other or poking too forcefully at half healed wounds.

And because they were being open about all of these things (save the fact that, though he didn't realize it yet, Jack had been married to them all for a little over a year now without even knowing that was an option), Bunny felt obligated to let Jack know that he'd be talking about this with the other Guardians, unless Jack asked him not to.

Because there were lines, and already it was obvious that until everything had been laid out clearly, everyone was going to have to be very, very careful about just where those lines were.

And, he didn't think Jack knew he'd noticed, but Jack had eaten like someone who could barely believe he was being given food, cautious as if he expected it to rebel against him at any moment, and Bunny wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He hadn't found the moment to bring it up, though, and now wasn't the time either.

But he was going to be bringing that up at the meeting, too.

Jack kept sneaking glances at Bunny before he left, and Bunny hoped he was reading Jack right when he offered a hug.

It seemed he was right, as Jack clung tight...but for a much shorter time than Bunny had expected, but it was still a hug, one freely accepted where before Jack would skitter away from touch, afraid to get too close. Jack pulled away quick, face flushed with both blush and frost, and looked away from Bunny awkwardly.

Before last night, Bunny might have let it drop, so he wouldn't upset Jack, but, well...better to bring these things up now, the way they'd been talking about all night.

"Okay, Jackie – spill," Bunny said, planting paws on hips, unconsciously mimicking himself from the night before. "What's...ah."

Jack paused and pointed his staff at Bunny. "No. Whatever you're thinking, just...no. No," he scolded, but he was trying not to laugh as he said it, still blushing frost.

"Yes," Bunny said, smirking, though it was soft. "Yes, just yes." He gave himself a shake, debating coming out and asking Jack if his idea was right. That Jack was craving physical contact...and also dreading it and unable to handle it yet.

It was obvious enough, and Jack embarrassed enough, that Bunny decided they'd both had enough heartfelt talk for the moment. He'd bring it up with the others, and they'd go from there.

"Right then," he said instead. "We'll be seeing you at the meeting, then? An' don't forget, you said you'd check in with th' others before that."

"Figures you'd remember," Jack said with a huff, slinging the crook over his shoulders. "But yeah, fine. I'll do it." The smile took the sting out of his words.

Bunny let it drop and watched with a wave as Jack flew off. Jack had promised, and while Jack may try to wiggle out of giving promises, so far he'd proven that once he'd promised, he'd do it.

As for Bunny, he wanted to write some of this down now, while it was still fresh, so he could talk to the other Guardians about it when their next post-meeting Jack Talk happened.

Jack hovered outside the range of the Tooth Palace, looking down at it hesitantly. He was pretty sure Tooth thought the heat around her palace made him uncomfortable, and that he could only visit for a little while each time.

Well, the joke was on Tooth. It was dry heat that got to him. Wet, humid heat like this gave him moisture in the air to work with, that went cold when it came near him and kept him chill.

It was actually rather comfortable.

But thinking about the heat and its effects on him were just him stalling, and Jack knew it.

Hopefully Tooth wasn't too mad about some of his pranks. He'd tried not to interfere with her job (okay, except for that one, but they'd all gotten a surge of fresh belief from that, what with all the kids knowing their parents wouldn't have been able to give them those coins, it was no worse than what had happened Easter before last with the elves and the trees and all the rest of it) so maybe...

A small pack of passing baby teeth made up Jack's mind for him, swarming the frost spirit and chittering happily. Jack laughed, unable to stay worried when he had Baby Teeth clustered around him.

The girls couldn't stay, each carrying a precious tooth that needed to be placed in its box. They did, however, accept a ride to the palace clinging to Jack's hoodie.

Not that it was a long ride, but still.

The girls were off as soon as he touched down, chirping their thank yous and goodbyes over their shoulders as they hurried to make their precious cargo safe.

Baby Tooth saw Jack and zipped down as he started walking towards the central hub, where all the other Baby Teeth were swarming about, moving so fast they were little more than blurs of color.

She hovered in front of his face, chattering a mile a minute. Jack didn't have as much time with the baby teeth as he'd like, so he was still having some trouble understanding everything Baby Tooth was saying to him.

He caught enough to get the gist of it, though. Irritation with the meaner pranks Jack had pulled lately, concern over why he was pulling them and over Jack in general, worry that he didn't like them anymore.

Jack was already cradling Baby Tooth in gentle hands when she started peeping in distress, hurrying off to the side where they'd have a little privacy. He was frosting over hard with his own distress, frightened and careful not to let any touch the tiny fairy in his hands.

"Baby Tooth, please calm down! C'mon, please? I'm sorry about the pranks, I was coming to apologize!" Jack babbled, holding Baby Tooth close. When she didn't seem ready to calm he dropped a kiss on her head, gentle as possible so he wouldn't give her frost, before cuddling her against his cheek.

He kept cuddling her and murmuring nonsense until Baby Tooth began to calm down. Calmer himself now, Jack lowered his hands so Baby Tooth was nestled against his chest, so it was easier to talk to her.

"I really did come to apologize...for the meaner pranks, at least," Jack said, running a gentle finger over Baby Tooth's head. "I...guess I have more issues than we realized."

Baby Tooth chirped up at Jack, questioning and encouraging, bringing a smile to his face. "Yeah, I kind of expected everyone to drop me and I just wanted to get it over with," he admitted.

Baby Tooth's response to that was immediate and indignant. Very indignant.

Jack chuckled and took the scolding, which thankfully was fairly short and concluded with Baby Tooth rubbing her head against his cheek, the closest she could get to giving him a hug.

Jack gave a little sigh and patted Baby Tooth on the head again. "I should probably go find your Mama," he said. "Before I lose my nerve."

Baby Tooth chirped again, encouraging and hopeful, and letting Jack know that Tooth was letting her, Baby Tooth, be in charge sometimes now, so she could get him some more time, since Tooth wouldn't have to worry about hurrying back to work.

"That's great, Baby Tooth!" Jack said, honestly happy for her. "I, um, may have something for you and your sisters, later, if the talk with Tooth goes well," he added, suddenly feeling shy about it. "If your Mama says it's okay. It just didn't feel right when...well. Yeah."

Baby Tooth chirped out an answer, saddened at the why for Jack holding back from them, yet eager to find out just what present Jack had for them.

She fluttered out of Jack's hands, tugging on his hoodie strings to get him moving, making Jack laugh. "All right, all right, I'm going," he said, following the eager fairy towards where Tooth was directing her fairies.

He paused outside the central hub, watching the buzz of motion, and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes...everything," he muttered, before kicking off the ground to hover where Tooth could see him.

Tooth had been happy, if a little cautious, to see Jack. He didn't blame her for the caution after all his pranks, even if it did hurt, just a little, to see that flash of worry in her eyes.

Even if the prankster in him enjoyed it the tiniest bit, it wasn't enough to balance the hurt, when the hurt was from so many others with no reason to dislike or be cautious of him hiding caution when he came near them.

The Guardians weren't like that, Jack reminded himself, remembering his talk with Bunny. He could do this, he had to talk to Tooth and clear this all up.

At least Tooth believed him when he promised there were no pranks this time, and that he needed to talk to her. It soothed the small hurt, and made it easier to follow Tooth deeper into the palace, leaving Baby Tooth in charge, with a promise from the little fairy to send another to come get Tooth if something began to go wrong.

There was a somewhat awkward silence as Tooth prepared tea for them both, broken when she suddenly paused, setting down the pot and her hands fluttering as she spoke.

"Oh goodness, I didn't think...this is hot, can you even have hot things? I'm so sorry, I never even thought...I don't think I've even seen you eat, oh goodness we've known you a year now and I don't even..."

"It's okay, Tooth," Jack said in a hurry, cutting off Tooth, who was working herself up. "I...should probably talk to all of you about that, too," he said, anxiously rubbing his hands over his staff. "I did a little with North when we first...but he promised he wouldn't talk about it so...yeah. But hot things don't bother me, it's the dry heat that does, tea's great, I just had some with Bunny."

Tooth took a deep breath and picked up the teapot again, the motions of making and serving tea seeming to soothe her. "You visited Bunny?" she asked, and Jack hated how hard she was trying to be casual.

"I...yeah. And we talked. And...turns out there's some things I have to talk to you about." Jack took another deep breath, trying to pull back his frost as he frosted the cushion he was sitting on in nerves and he felt it trying to stretch beyond that. "I...think it might help if you let me get it all out before you say anything. Okay? So I was visiting Bunny as part of my 'get it over with plan'..."

The tea had gone cold by the time Jack was done. He told Tooth everything he had told Bunny, including why he'd finally broken and talked to Bunny, and it wasn't easier a second time. Jack could see Tooth about to speak more than once, but she managed to bite back the words after a pleading glance. If he was interrupted this time, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep going. He might let himself be drawn into a side track, like he had with Bunny, and he just wasn't up for that.

Finally he finished, looking down at his now-cold tea, unwilling to look up and see the disappointment on Tooth's face. Bunny may have taken it well, but that didn't mean...

There was a light touch to Jack's shoulder, feather light but still there, and Jack glanced up to see Tooth watching him with worry written clearly on her face.

"Jack, can I hug you?" she asked. Stunned that she would ask, even after hearing all the problems Jack had with touch and trust, he nodded dumbly.

Her arms slipped around him and he clutched back, desperate for the touch yet knowing it would be overwhelming soon, so he wanted to get a taste of it quickly.

Tooth's hug was very, very different from Bunny's, but they both were solid and reassuring, like a balm, a promise that they weren't giving up despite everything...and this time, Jack thought he might be able to believe that promise.

Jack wanted to hold on, but he couldn't breathe properly, had to get away, could feel the panic trying to set in, so he reluctantly pulled away.

He could feel Tooth's reluctance to let go, but she returned to her side of the table without a word. She picked up Jack's teacup, carefully topping it off with hot tea and handing it back.

Finally she sighed. "Well, that explains a lot," she said softly. "Thank you, Jack, for trusting me enough to tell me all this."

"Took me long enough," Jack said sourly, frost creeping up the sides of his cup. He frowned at it, pulling back his frost sharply.

"Jack, we left you alone for three hundred years," Tooth said. "It's going to take more than a year to heal from that. We thought you might be trying to push us away, but I know I, at least, thought that maybe you just didn't want a relationship with us and were trying to get rid of us."

"No!" Jack blurted out, tea spilling as he jerked to look at Tooth, eyes wide and a myriad of emotions behind them. "It's not – I didn't...you didn't leave your palace for longer than I've been alive, it's wasn't that...well, mostly it wasn't that, I..."

"Jack, it's okay," Tooth said, reaching out as if to pat Jack's hand. She hesitated when Jack flinched. He glanced between her face and hand and gave a miniscule nod, and Tooth took that as permission to pat his hand gently before pulling back.

"It really is okay," she continued. "No, listen," she said when he began to shake his head. "You aren't the only Guardian with issues. You don't live as long as we do without picking up a few problems and traumas along the way." Tooth smiled down into her tea, as if looking at memories swirling in the dark brew, and her smile was both fond and bitter. "There's...downsides to immortality and power. Not that being helpless is exactly fun either..."

Tooth gave herself a little shake, feathers fluffing out and settling back into place. "Well, that's a talk for another day. I just want you to remember, Jack – you aren't alone anymore. We weren't there before, but we are now. I hope you'll feel able to talk to us about these things, instead of assuming how we're going to react and pulling elaborate pranks to get us to drop you."

The look Tooth gave Jack at that was Sahara dry, and he chuckled. "Hey, some of those were funny and you know it," he said, brushing it off, and Tooth cracked a smile in return. "But...you can't really blame me for thinking it," he added, a lot softer. "It wouldn't be the first time someone only wanted me around for a little while..."

"Jack, who..." Tooth asked, reaching for Jack again, but stopping with her hand outstretched, with Jack's admittance of still being a bit touch-shy even as he craved it on her mind, something he had meant to tell Bunny but had gotten distracted from during one of their many sidetracks, yet still the Pooka had seemed to pick up on it in the end.

Jack took a deep drink of his tea and made himself reach out for Tooth's hand, holding it briefly. "No, Tooth, I..."

"Jack, please, no more secrets," she asked quietly. Jack slumped.

"I...okay, just...can it wait? A little longer. Please. I don't want you rushing after spirits because of something that happened in the past. And I'm not sure how much more emotional stuff I can do today, especially since I have to do this two more times."

Tooth didn't seem happy about Jack's answer, but she accepted it, and seemed to understand. She sipped at her tea again, more to buy time than out of thirst, watching Jack out of the corner of her eyes.

"So...no more pranks then?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"I wouldn't say that," he answered, grinning behind his own teacup, and Tooth laughed. "You did invite Jack Frost in."