Emiline's P.O.V
She was flying around the workshop, driving the yetis mad. Her nervous happy energy was impossible to contain as she waited for Bunnymund to get back. He had promised Emiline to take her to the warren today as soon as he got the place fixed up. North, who would not come out of his private workshop, had mumbled that it was okay for her to go when she asked. Emiline had wanted to comfort the Russian man but she knew no amount of comfort could ease his anger. What Pitch did to Emiline really affected Papa North.
"Hey Bookworm! What are you doing!?" Jack shouted as he flew over to her. His head had healed quickly after the yetis had fixed it up and now the winter spirit was as good as new. Emiline had been a bit more worrisome than she had needed to be when he was hurt but when he had told her he needed space she had let up her coddling quite a bit. But Tooth was a whole other story and Jack was constantly running from Mother Hen, which was Tooth's newest nickname courtesy of Jack.
Emiline gestured to her wings. "Enjoying the return of my wings. I didn't get the chance to conjure them back up earlier." She explained. Emiline had missed her wings greatly within the short time they were gone and was glad to have them back. The black parts of her wings had grown darker, becoming more noticeable, but Emiline couldn't help that. Her most recent nightmares had affected her pretty badly. This was the first time in hours she wasn't purposely trying to busy herself into forgetting the nightmares.
Jack looked around, noticing the angry yetis. It was a day after Christmas and yet they were already back to work. "Yeah, you seem to be enjoying them quite a bit. So much that you've got the yetis in a rage." He said, eyeing Phil as the yeti glared a little up at them.
Emiline blushed a bit, slightly embarrassed and slightly ashamed. "I didn't mean to, I was just having fun. Besides, they aren't working on anything overly important today just some touchups to old toys." She said.
"Aren't you supposed to be at the warren?" Jack asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Yeah but Bunny wanted to fix up a few things before I go there. Also, Tooth said it's only seven in the morning so I can't expect him to be here so soon." Emiline explained. She hadn't checked a clock in ages, not since she had died, so time usually escaped her. Now she could wake up or go to sleep whenever she wanted without worrying about any deadlines to get to school or somewhere else. Looking out the windows didn't always help either because with the snow storms the last couple of days she hadn't been able to tell night from day. Jack apologized for it but he couldn't help it with all of his bottled up anger controlling the storms instead of him.
Jack smiled a little too smugly. "So the rabbit's taking too long huh? He's gonna ruin his chance." The winter spirit said cheerfully.
"What do you mean by that Frostbite?" Bunny asked. The youngsters spun around to see Bunnymund standing by the fireplace, leaning against one of the columns in his classic "I don't care about anything" pose. The fur ball was glaring up at Jack suspiciously. "You aren't suggesting a competition or something, are you Snowball?" Bunny asked.
"Maybe I am. What are you going to do about it Kangaroo?" Jack asked, his eyebrows raised challengingly.
Emiline shoved Jack angrily. "I'm not a prize to be won." She said furiously, quoting from somewhere possibly Aladdin. Emiline glared at the boys, arms crossed over her chest. "If this is just a game to you two I won't date either of you." She growled.
Jack's cheeks and ears turned a light pink. "Er sorry Emie." He said apologetically, rubbing his neck.
"We were just playing around Emie. It was a really bad joke." Bunny said, smiling apologetically up at her. "Really though, if you're going to date two guys you have to expect them to compete at least a little." He said.
Emiline flew down to him, a grudging smile on her face. "Whatever. Can we just go to the warren now?" She grumbled.
Bunny grabbed Emiline's chin in his furry hand and smiled arrogantly. "Your wish is my command sheila." He said before hitting his foot against the ground. Bunny grabbed Emiline and threw her onto his back. Emiline laughed and clung to him, smiling wildly. "Buckle up." Bunny said jokingly before jumping down into the tunnel.
Emiline had to admit, she had imagined what riding on Bunny's back would be like. Sophie had gone on and on about it, saying it was funner than a roller coaster. Emiline agreed, it was. It was like riding a race horse though Bunny was much faster. They reached the warren practically in seconds, bursting out of the ground into the wonderfully refreshing Spring air.
"I almost forgot how wonderful Spring is!" Emiline shouted happily, jumping off of Bunnymund's back. She flew up into the air, smiling as the Spring air wrapped itself around her. "It's so cold at the Pole, I've missed the warmth so much! Though I do love the Pole I really like warm weather too." She said, zooming back down to Bunny. "Thank you Bunny!" Emiline said, hugging him.
Bunny was blushing by the time she pulled away. "I didn't know Spring meant that much to you mate." He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with a crooked smile.
Emiline smiled back at him. "You're kidding right? Spring, like all the other seasons, inspires so many stories." She said, almost wistfully. That made Bunnymund blush even more and that actually pleased Emiline. Something about making the tough Australian blush was strangely entertaining and fulfilling. "Alright Bunny, you promised to show me you're pictures! And you promised to let me paint eggs with you! So, come on!" The excited girl said before flying off into the warren, dodging around warrior eggs and trees as she flew about like she actually knew where she was going.
Bunny was at her side in seconds, running alongside her. "Do you even know what direction to fly towards?" He asked her teasingly.
"I figured if I kept flying straight I'd eventually hit the center." Emiline said, shrugging. A playful smile was on her lips, she just felt so free! Sure it had only been a day since she had last been out of the workshop but it had felt like an eternity! Besides, she hadn't felt warmth like this on her skin in such a long time! Pitch's nightmares had left her so chilled…
Bunny rolled his eyes and grabbed one of her belt loops. He dug his feet into the ground, dragging them into a stopping point. Emiline stared down at him with a smile, not even minding the fact that he had pulled her waistband down slightly when he grabbed her belt loop. Of course she noticed it but Bunny didn't and she wasn't about to embarrass her Easter Bunny by cluing him in on that fact.
"Let me lead you there sheila. I don't want you running into any of my beautiful googies flying around here like this." Bunnymund told her. Emiline stuck her tongue out at him but let the rabbit guide her through the warren by her belt loop, her arms crossed over her chest as she stood up straight in the air. "You are such a stubborn girl, you know that right?" Bunny mumbled as he led her.
"I know." Emiline said proudly, a smug smile on her face.
Bunny's P.O.V
Bunnymund was already having fun and the girl had just gotten to the warren. He had been so excited to bring her here and finally here she was! He was just opening his mouth to comment on her concededness when they reached the center of the warren. The rabbit watched with a happy smile as Emiline's jaw dropped.
Bunny had to admit he might have gone a little overboard with the decorations but he had had so much fun doing it. He had made the flowers absolutely perfect looking, knowing that Emiline loved them, and had strategically placed his favorite googies around the clearing. His portraits were leaning against rocks in organized piles or sitting on easels. Bunny had poured so much time and energy into making this all perfect for her, he really hoped her speechlessness meant something good.
"Bunny." Emiline said quietly, staring at the center of the warren with wide eyes.
"Yes Emie?"Bunny asked nervously. He was completely ready to go and hide himself away in his nest for a week if she mocked him.
Emiline's face lit up as a humungous smile appeared on her face. "Bunny this place is beyond gorgeous! Beautiful doesn't even describe it!" She said excitedly, her eyes growing bigger by the second as she took in more and more. Her wings styled after Tooth's beat rapidly, propelling her over to a stack of paintings. Bunny followed her over to them and watched as she flicked through each one, letting out little outbursts of emotion at each one. "Oh Bunny you are so talented! I thought you might only be good with eggs!" Emiline said.
Her lethal but amazingly petite hands touched each painting as gently as if they were newborn babies. She silently marveled at their beauty and Bunny watched her with a smile. He didn't think his paintings were all that beautiful, he thought that they were amateur compared to his googies, but Emiline didn't seem to think so. Bunny had to admit that having someone stare at his pictures with that much adoration made him feel pretty good about himself. He didn't get praise from anyone except the kids so silent praise was like getting a basket full of carrots the size of him for Easter.
"Bunny! You paint your memories!" Emiline exclaimed so suddenly that Bunny jumped. She was holding up the picture of their race at the Pole. Bunny blushed a little and nodded. "You captured it beautifully! You even goy Jack's tattoo!" She said, pointing to the miniscule basically unnoticeable patch of white on Jack's hand. It could have been just a regular snowflake but the way Bunny had angled it suggested that it was in fact the tattoo.
"You don't miss a thing, do ya sheila?" Bunny said cheerfully, smiling.
"Not often." The girl said vainly, though her sweet smile showed that she didn't really believe her own words. Her fingers brushed over Bunny's ears on the painting. "You have a seriously amazing eye for detail. You even added how messed up your fur looked." She said.
"It did look pretty bad, didn't it?" Bunny laughed. Emiline nodded enthusiastically then started looking through the rest of the paintings, smiling lovingly at the painting of their race before doing so.
Bunny let her search all of the paintings in the warren, occasionally repositioning some of them so she would see them first. He found himself hiding the portrait he had made of her, worrying about what she would think. But Emiline soon noticed how he was hiding it and became determined to get it.
"Emiline knock it off! Come on I'm serious!" Bunny said, running through the warren. He had the portrait strapped to his back and covered with a blanket so she couldn't see it. Emiline was flying above him, trying desperately to grab it off his back.
"No way Bunnymund! You thought I was stubborn before? You haven't seen nothing yet!" Emiline shouted, laughter in her voice. "Just tell me why I can't see it!" She shouted.
Bunny let out a groan. "Because I don't want you to!" He shouted before really pouring on the speed. When he was far ahead of her he ducked behind one of his warrior eggs and hid. For a long time he heard nothing and thought he was safe. Slowly, he peeked out from behind the warrior egg in search for Emiline. "Gave the sheila the slip." Bunny said proudly, though a little disappointed cause he had enjoyed the chase.
"Got you fur ball!" There was a pull on his back and Bunny felt the portrait come free of its strapping. Bunny let out a shout of surprise and spun around, desperately grabbing for the portrait, but Emiline was faster than him. She flew high up into the air, farther than he could jump and reach, and pulled the blanket off the canvas. Her surprised gasp filled the air.
Bunny wanted to run and hide but he forced himself to stay. He was tough right? He could handle a little rejection from possibly the most amazing sheila he had ever met. Though the way the corner of her lips tugged up in that familiar almost smile was a good sign he wasn't going to die. She slowly started to come back towards the ground, her fingers running over the portrait gently. Occasionally she would look over at Bunny and open her mouth to speak but she never said anything. Finally Bunny got worried she had gone into shock or something and pulled her down to the ground from where she was hovering three feet in the air.
"Do you hate me?" Bunny asked her nervously.
"Hate you? Why would I do that?" Emiline quietly asked, her eyes still focused on the portrait. Bunny smiled, relieved. "You made me look so," Emiline searched for the word, "perfect. I never looked anything like that." She said, running her finger over the pink he had painted on her cheeks. It was the exact same shade the usual pink her cheeks had.
Bunny chuckled and playfully poked her side. "You did look like that and you still do, with a few additions of course." He told her, twirling a formally brown but now silver curl around his finger. Emiline blushed wildly but smiled at him. "You look amazing Emie, all the time." Bunny added. That was then that he noticed the tattoo words "Happiness" and "Embarrassment" were glowing where they were on her skin. Embarrassment was on her neck, almost at the back where she usually rubbed when she was being awkward, and Happiness was on her arm. "You can't hide your emotions." Bunny commented, gently touching the glowing Happiness on her arm.
Emiline rubbed her neck awkwardly, hiding Embarrassment. She hadn't really noticed it before but it was true, she couldn't hide her emotions. "The only bad part of being a Guardian." Emiline said, her eyes once again on the portrait.
Bunny stared at her nervously. "Do you miss being human?" He asked her gently.
"No way." Emiline said immediately, shooting him a smile. She touched her painted lips, marveling at them. "But I do miss being able to see the kids whenever I want. I love being protected but sometimes North and Tooth can be a little smothering." Emiline smiled again, laughing a bit.
"They can be but they don't mean to be. When Tooth first met me she smothered me with her motherly ways." Bunny said. Emiline laughed at that, releasing her neck as Embarrassment stopped glowing. A new tattoo lit up, Brave, the one on her other arm. With a determined smile, Emiline leaned forward and placed a kiss on Bunny's cheek.
Bunny froze, surprised. He felt the blood rise to his face and knew he was blushing wildly. Emiline chuckled a little when she saw his face and how his mouth hung open in stunned silence. Bunny felt a smile appear on his face though. The sheila had kissed his cheek, she must like him. He thought that Snowball would certainly be jealous about it and he chuckled slightly. Emiline smiled, Embarrassment lighting up again.
"Hey we still have to paint eggs!" Bunny said excitedly, suddenly remembering. He had no clue how that thought had come to his mind but it was a great way to ease out of the awkwardness.
Emiline's eyes lit up and her smile became slightly relieved, like she was glad they had something to talk about now. "We do! Come on!" She said, heading back towards the center of the warren.
Bunny laughed and caught her belt loop again. "Hold on my dearest brumby, we don't paint eggs in the center of the warren during Winter." He said. Emiline stared at him in confusion and he smiled at her. "During the winter I only paint eggs at my nest. It's more comfortable, plus its where I keep all the paint so Frosty can't get it. Since he learned how to travel here without my help he likes to cause as much problems as possible." Bunny explained.
Emiline laughed, probably imagining the mischief Jack caused with the paint. "Alright, lead the way my Easter Bunny." She told him. Emiline unhooked his finger from around her belt loop and clutched his hand in hers.
Bunny blushed deeply which seemed to please Emiline cause she smiled. "Alright, come on." He mumbled awkwardly.
Emiline's P.O.V
Emiline let out a squeal when she saw the rabbit nest. "Oh my gosh it's adorable! I can picture you sleeping here it's adorable!" She said excitedly, throwing herself down into the nest. It was so comfortable and she grabbed one of the blankets there. She wrapped it around her and breathed in the scent of Spring that clung to it. "Oh it's so comfortable! I can picture you with little baby bunnies lying in here!" Emiline said.
Bunny awkwardly sat down at the edge of his nest, watching her. "Uh thanks? Please don't make me care for baby bunnies. I'm not a mother." He said, laughing awkwardly.
"Aw but it would be so cute!" Emiline squealed happily. Visions of Bunny holding little baby bunnies filled her head and she fell into girlish giggles caused by the sheer adorableness of the idea. "Seriously, I'm going to get you a pet and we can name him Easter or something like that." Emiline said.
"You know I'm a Pooka, not a real bunny, right mate?" Bunny asked, still watching her.
Emiline suddenly sat up, very interested. "What's a Pooka?" She asked.
Bunny inched a little bit farther into his nest. "Well the Pooka were an ancient species that I am a very proud member of. They were warrior rabbits, bigger and much more impressive than the regular ones, and they were from a different planet too." He explained. Emiline stared at him with wide wonder filled eyes, the kind of wonder that North would praise her for having. "I'm the last one after what happened though so there's no way you're getting me a baby Pooka, which you've probably already thought of doing." Bunny added.
Unfortunately, the thought hadn't crossed Emiline's mind. She found people guessing her thoughts or presuming they knew them irritating but she didn't say so. "What happened to the other Pookas?" She asked, thinking that was the more important thing she could ask.
Her Easter Bunny's eyes were suddenly filled with a sadness that crushed Emiline's heart. "Let's not talk about it right now Emie. It's not a story you want to hear on a date." He told her, staring at the ground.
Emiline bit her lip and silently cursed herself for asking. Regret, which was written on the bottom of her left forearm, pulsed. Why was it only with Bunny that she noticed her feeling tattoos? Of course she had found out they did things when she felt them at the same time she learned to make other people feel them but since she liked her word magic better she didn't notice them. She wished she did know though and had the sense to cover the tattoos up. Anyone could have read her emotions during her rare poker faced moments.
"You said that Pookas were warrior rabbits right?" Emiline asked slowly. Bunny looked up at her curiously and nodded. "Then you are a rabbit! I can get you little bunnies!" She said excitedly, returning to the silly subject to lighten the mood.
Bunny stuck his tongue out at her childishly. "Whatever sheila." He said. His eyes drifted over to some blank eggs sitting nearby, watching them, and buckets of paint not far from them. "Come on ya gumby, let's paint some eggs." He said.
Emiline excitedly agreed.
Soon the pair were sitting side by side in Bunnymund's nest, painting patterns on eggs. Emiline found she was nowhere near as good as Bunny and wondered if she should be painting eggs at all. They were special to him after all and if she made them terrible looking she feared he wouldn't want to talk to him anymore. So Emiline started working very slowly, being as careful as can be. Bunny worked slowly too, making sure each detail was perfect, but his slow was much faster than hers. She found herself glancing over at his work continuously, comparing hers to his. It made her depressed but it also made her admire Bunny as an artist even more.
After about two or three eggs Bunny mumbled "You can paint whatever you like you know. I don't care." Emiline was happy about that because an idea had just formed in her head.
Emiline grabbed a new egg and started painting. She painted the egg into six different sections, each with its own color. One was red, another blue, the next green, the fourth pink, the one next to that yellow, and the final sixth one was a careful beautiful mix of all those colors. In the red section she painted a snow globe, in the green an egg, the pink had a tooth, the yellow one a bunch of swirls, and the sixth one had a book. Emiline bit her bottom lip and looked nervously over at Bunny who had just finished his fifth or sixth egg.
"Bunny will you help me paint words? I'm not very good at it even though I'm a wiz at speaking them." Emiline said awkwardly.
The overgrown rabbit, the Pooka, seemed pleased with the idea of her needing his help. "Sure Emie, I'll help." He said. Emiline offered him the paint brush but instead of taking it he placed his hand over hers, moving her fingers until they were grasping the paintbrush properly. A blush creeped to her cheeks when he didn't let go, guiding her hand until the tip of the brush was resting right where she wanted the first letter to go. "What do you want to write sheila?" Bunny asked her.
Emiline bit her lip. "Guardians." She answered meekly.
Bunny smiled and started guiding her hand. He helped her paint a golden G on the egg, which made Emiline smile even though her blush had deepened. She hadn't noticed before but to guide her hand properly Bunny had had to put his arm around her shoulders and lay his arm atop hers. To have them positioned like this and to have him teaching her his greatest skill was intimate, even more intimate than the kiss to the cheek she had given him earlier. When they finally got the word written out Emiline was kind of disappointed, Bunny had broken away almost immediately once they were done. He had given her such a loving smile though so she didn't mind it much.
"That's a beauty." Bunny said, pointing to the now completed egg in her hand. The little things legs kicked excitedly, seemingly pleased with supposedly being so nice.
"Thanks Bunny." Emiline said, smiling sweetly.
For a second they just sat there, smiling. Bunny seemed to be thinking about something and Emiline let him think, wondering what it could be that was pestering him. Finally the Pooka came out of his thoughts and he opened his mouth to speak. Of course that had to be exactly when a Nightmare came crashing into view.
I know, it was much longer than Jack's date and it didn't have any negative stuff till the very end. Sorry if that offends Jack fans but with Jack I didn't have that many things I could have her do with him. Flying she's already done and she's played in the snow a thousand times over. Besides, didn't you like the adorableness? :3 Anyways, I hope you guys like it!