I apologize for taking so long, I was away at the lake with a friend D:

I'm going to be in Orlando for the rest of this week until Wednesday, but I'll try to start writing the next chapter while I'm there!

Anyways, enough about my life, please enjoy the new chapter!

Tooth made her way out of the kitchen, an apple in hand as she strolled over to her backpack, where her phone was sitting. Looking down, she picked up the small device which was shining brightly from Bunny's reply. It read:

Sure. I'll be right over.

Sighing, Tooth placed her phone into her back pocket before looping her arm through her backpack, sliding it onto her shoulder as she walked up the stairs to her room. Entering, Tooth tossed her bag onto the floor, not wanting to start on any homework but instead clear her mind. She took a bite out of the apple, wiping her arm across her mouth to get rid of the juice that was dripping down. She turned in a slow circle around her room, not entirely sure of what to do. Bunny didn't live far away, and he could be here at any minute! Tooth took a deep breath, reminding herself to calm down before she could start panicking.

"Okay, okay," Tooth said out loud to herself, "just remember to tell him everything. You've got this, Tooth, don't get scared, don't get scared.." an aching feeling was rising in Tooth's stomach as she sat down on the end of her bed, assuring herself it was going to be all right. She had to do this, for Jack, for her. Tooth knew Bunny was going to get mad, but it was frightening to think that for once he was going to be mad at her.

As Tooth thought, her fingers absentmindedly trailed up to her lips, and she caught herself thinking off topic. After Pitch had come at her, when he had forced himself upon her, Jack had attacked without a moment's notice. Tooth had been too scared at the time to really think about it, but Jack had bravely defended her, barreling into Pitch full force and battering him with punches. After Pitch had fled, Tooth hadn't meant to kiss Jack, especially after she had been awkwardly sobbing into his shirt, but at the moment it had just felt right. Tooth couldn't really explain it, maybe it was gratitude, but for some reason she didn't even feel bad about it.

Tooth pushed her thoughts away, standing up from her bed and walking over to one of her room's windows. Peering out, she could see her street, with trees and flowers in full bloom. As she stared at the green leaves on the trees, she saw Bunny's car slowly ease into view. Tooth let out a slow breath of air, steeling herself over as she turned around and left her room, traveling down the stairs. She threw away what was left of the apple, pacing the kitchen as she waited for Bunny, until finally the doorbell rang, somewhat eerie in the nearly empty house.

Tooth walked to the door with determination, opening it wide to reveal Bunny's somewhat confused and anxious face. Tooth invited him in, quietly closing the door behind her as she escorted him to the living room. He sat down, staring at her and nervously waiting for what Tooth had to say. Bunny's stomach was churning with worry as Tooth sat down in a chair close to his, hands on her knees as she thought about how exactly she should start.

After a few silent seconds, Tooth placed her splayed fingers together, taking a deep breath before starting, "Basically, I think you have a right to know what exactly is going on, why I've been acting different and what part Jack has to play in everything." she stopped to look over at Bunny, just to make sure he was okay with everything so far. Taking a deep breath, Bunny nodded, willing her to go on. He had been wanting to know what was happening for a while, but now that he was so close he felt nervous. Tooth was taking this really seriously, she couldn't have done something too bad, couldn't she? Bunny tried not to question Tooth or himself, instead watching Tooth fumble with her words as she began.

"Well, as you may know," Tooth started off, "a few months ago you were out for a soccer tournament, just after Valentine's. I told you that nothing had happened while you were away, but I wasn't telling the whole truth. Pitch invited Jack and I to the movies that weekend, and we obliged. Afterwards, I asked Jack to come get a bite to eat with me since I was starving, and Pitch had to leave. We went to Anna's diner, and he told me.. he told me the reason why he had been sent here in the first place, because of his sister." Tooth looked up to see Bunny's reaction to this, only to be met with chilled eyes. Tooth could tell Bunny wasn't angry or mad, at least not yet, but already he wasn't liking the story.

"So, what exactly happened with his sister?" Bunny asked as he slowly started connecting the dots. That would explain how Tooth had known to use Anna's food for his birthday, after all.

Tooth quickly filled Bunny in on Jack's story, willing him to see the good parts of Jack as she talked to him about how Jack had saved his sister. Her hopes lifted as she saw sympathy wash over Bunny's expression. He commented, "So, that's why he's missed school some days. Court dates."

Tooth nodded in response before continuing, "It took a pretty big toll on him, telling me that. He hadn't spoken to anyone about the incident since it had happened, and he was pretty emotional about it. So, naturally, I was comforting him in the diner for some time, and then he offered me a ride home." Here Tooth paused, almost like her next words didn't want to come out of her mouth. She knew she couldn't clam up now, though, and tried to push through it as she stated, "He took me home, and I was in his car outside the house, making sure Jack was going to be all right. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he just.. leaned down, and... kissed me." Tooth winced slightly as the words came out of her mouth, and she cautiously stared back up at Bunny to see his reaction.

At first, Bunny sat there, not really knowing what to say. He looked completely surprised, eyes glazed over as if he were in a fantasy world. As the realization of Tooth's words began to sink in, his eyebrows furrowed, and the glazed look gave way to one of burning anger. After a few seconds, Bunny whispered in a voice that nearly sounded hoarse with rage, "Frost. Did. What." Before Tooth could even have a chance to respond, Bunny was on his feet, yelling, "That bastard! He forced himself on you, Tooth, and you couldn't tell me? I'm going to kill him! This is why you've been holed up, isn't it? I knew I should have knocked him into the hospital yesterday, that shitty little rat was never up to any good! Has he been forcing you to hide it, Tooth?!" Bunny wheeled on her, looking concerned and filled with hatred at the same time.

"Bunny, please, just calm down!" Tooth nearly screamed, "I'm not done yet. There's more to tell." She was back on her feet as well, grabbing Bunny by a muscular arm, trying to ease him back into his seat. Unwillingly, Bunny obliged, though it was obvious to Tooth that he wasn't calmed down in the slightest. He might not even listen to the rest of the conversation now, Tooth thought with dismay. She sighed before continuing, "For a few weeks, yes, I was holed up. I retreated and I didn't know what to think, Bunny. Jack and I drifted apart, and it looked like we weren't going to be friends again, but I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted. Yesterday, on Easter, during the egg hunt, I made Jack come with me, I was just so tired of the tension between us, even though I knew he could try something again. When we were looking for eggs, we started talking. Jack told me that he truly liked me, and he wanted to know what I thought. That's why we were late getting back."

Bunny questioned angrily, "He didn't... Frost didn't try to... kiss you again, did he?"

Tooth shook her head in response, "No, he just wanted to make sure that I knew."

Bunny's fists shook with anger as he growled, "If I ever see Frost again..." he looked at the arms of the chair as if he were going to rip them off, but suddenly his fists froze in place, and his burning eyes shot back up at Tooth with an accusing glare. He whispered, "So why have you been defending Frost lately, Toothiana?"

Tooth couldn't meet Bunny's eyes. She kept her violet pair aimed towards the ground, knowing that if she looked up she would see anger, accusal, hatred, and worst of all, hurt in Bunny's eyes. Tooth fumbled out an answer, "Bunny, I... I don't know, I'm still so confused..." Tooth drew her knees up to her chin, not wanting to say what both of them were secretly thinking. Jack had said he had liked her, but now was the time to say it out loud. Did Tooth really like Jack back, even more so than Bunny? Tooth thought to herself, wishing it didn't have to be this difficult.

Bunny, who had been making a meager attempt to control his anger, raised up off of his chair again, jumping to conclusions as he shouted down at Tooth, "So that's it, is it?! Frost forces himself on you and I take the fall for watching out for you, Toothiana! And now you're confused about liking Jack?!"

Tooth winced, trying to get up as she protested, "No, no, Bunny, this isn't how I wanted it to be, when Jack told me that he liked me, I responded-"

"You know I do try my best around you Tooth, for a reason. I do like you, and you know that, you should know that since we're DATING!" Bunny growled, not listening to Tooth anymore, "and suddenly Frost walks in and I have competition? You've taken his side over mine! I knew I should have told you to stay away from him earlier, then we could have avoided all of this! Frost is dead next time I see him, Tooth, and you are not allowed around him anymore!"

Bunny was panting from his anger, arms shaking and eyes blazing with rage at Jack and her. Tooth quietly got up from her seat, violet eyes pierced with tinges of cold ice as she retorted, "Not allowed? Bunnymund, when did you start to control me? I'm not a dog!" Tooth walked closer to Bunny, arms stiff by her sides and fists clenched as she continued, "you know what, Bunny, I wasn't going to tell you this, but Jack saved me today, by getting in a fight. The only time you've gotten into fights is when you get angry, like your fight with Jack, and then you just wanted to fight him because you have some wrong opinion of him!"

Bunny looked stunned at first when Tooth mentioned Jack had saved her. His concern for Tooth was quickly thrown out by her words as he shouted back, "Wrong opinion?! I was trying to PROTECT YOU!"

"Protect me from what?" Tooth's voice was an icy calm compared to Bunny's yelling, "Jack would never hurt me, and I know that. You know what, I can't do this anymore." Tooth pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes. She didn't like fighting or yelling, she was tired of Bunny, and most of all Tooth was just scared. Bunny yelling at her frightened her more than anything, and she hadn't expected it to end up like this.

Bunny straightened up, breathing in and out a few times, seeing that Tooth was flinching away from him. He tried taking a step forwards to her, then placed himself back. Bunny drew himself up, trying to calm his voice as he stated, "This is it, Tooth. Either you stop talking to Jack and stay with me, or we..." his voice trailed off, but Tooth caught his meaning. If she didn't stop talking to Jack, Bunny was going to break up with her. Tooth wiped away tears that were forming in her eyes, but suddenly out of nowhere she felt calmer than before. Nobody was going to control her, imprison her in a set of rules.

"We're over." Tooth answered, resolute. Bunny took a step back, almost as shocked at Tooth's decision as she was. He tried to smooth over his face, nodding a bit reluctantly before turning around and stepping out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Tooth sighed, sinking into her chair. She pulled her knees up to her chin, body shaking as more tears came streaming down her face. As she was sitting there, her phone suddenly buzzed in her back pocket. Sniffling, she brought it out to see who it was. A message from Jack popped up, and she clicked on it:

Did you finish talking to Bunny? How did everything go?

Tooth quickly typed back:

We split.

Telling it to someone else felt so weird, so... official, Tooth thought as she sat up in her chair. Not a moment later a new text came up from Jack, and she opened it anxiously:

I'll be right over.

Tooth smiled weakly, wondering if Jack was serious. He was going to go waste a car trip from his house just to comfort her? She smiled a bit more at the idea, but her grin soon wavered, and Tooth sank lower into the chair, hot tears running down her flushed face.

Jack finished his text before stuffing his phone into his pocket. He jumped up from his bed, where he had been doing homework, and raced downstairs to get his keys. He snatched them up from the kitchen table, where Mr. Moon was going over some paperwork. As Jack quickly grabbed his things and passed by his father to go towards the door, Mr. Moon called out, "Hey! Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Jack stopped by the door, fingers inches away from the handle. He turned and quickly spouted an answer, though his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, "I'm going to go visit Tooth."

"Why, you're practically charging through the door just to go see her! Is something wrong?" Jack's dad sat up straighter in his chair, head turning away from his paperwork and towards his son.

Jack tried to think of a logical reply, but the longer he fumbled for an answer, Mr. Moon was slowly raking his eyes across Jack's face, noticing the bruises from his fight with Bunny. "What happened to you, son?" Mr. Moon asked with concern as he stepped out of his chair, beginning to walk towards Jack.

Jack quickly backed away from his dad's oncoming figure, coughing out an answer, "I just got in a little fight, dad, no big deal.. but I really, really need to go see Tooth. She just got out of what I think was a really bad argument and I can tell she isn't feeling well. I need to be there for her." Jack looked up at his father, hoping Mr. Moon would let him leave.

Jack's father stepped back, looking his son up and down before stating, "Fine, go see Tooth." As Jack wrapped his hand around the door's handle, yanking it open to let a fresh breeze in, his father stopped him again. "Don't think you haven't gotten out of explaining what the fight was," Mr. Moon said with a governing tone, "but go visit Tooth. If you really think that she's hurt, you need to be there for her." Mr. Moon patted Jack on the shoulder before turning around, starting to make his way back towards the kitchen table.

Jack mumbled a small thanks to his father before slipping out the door. As Jack piled into his car and quickly pulled out of the driveway, turning onto the street to start racing towards Tooth's, he couldn't help but let possibilities start flying through his head. Had the breakup been mutual, or one sided? Would Bunny have started screaming at Tooth? Jack had never seen Bunny yell at Tooth before, and they hardly ever seemed to get into arguments. Jack knew Tooth was hurting right now, and he didn't think she had expected to break up with Bunny. Even Jack had thought Tooth would resolve the issue and still be Bunny's girlfriend. It was probably Bunny's fault, Jack thought to himself, he didn't know when he had something amazing until it was gone.

As Jack lingered on his questions and concerns for Tooth, he couldn't help but notice a warm feeling in his stomach. It definitely wasn't over with Bunny, not yet, but Bunny was backing away for now. Tooth had broken up with him! A grin flashed across Jack's face, but he felt guilty smiling at Tooth's pain. The only thing he could do right now was be there for Tooth, just like she had always been there for him. Jack gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, nodding to himself as he made his way towards Tooth, the warm feeling still present.

As he pulled into Tooth's driveway, Jack noticed it was starting to get dark outside. Tooth's mom wasn't home yet, but she could be at any minute. Would she disapprove of seeing Jack there? Hoping everything would work out for the best, Jack shoved his thoughts away as he stepped out of the car. He quietly walked up onto the porch, hand hesitating over the doorknob. Should he knock? Jack thought to himself. Tooth might be angry and decide to not let him in if he did, so instead Jack quietly opened the unlocked door, slipping inside. The house was nearly dead silent, the only thing making any sound were some small sniffles coming from the living room. Jack hurriedly made his way towards the noise, finding the source upon entering the room.

Tooth was sitting in a chair, curled up nearly into a ball as sobs rattled her small frame. She felt a presence enter the room and looked up with red eyes to locate the source. Jack was by her side in an instant, crouching on the ground as he looked for something to say or do that would help.

Tooth smiled through her tears, almost giggling and she sniffled, "I thought you were kidding, I didn't think you were going to come."

Jack laughed silently with her, worry in his eyes betraying him. He replied, "Of course I did, I don't lie. Are you okay, Tooth? Can I help you?"

Tooth's smile flickered instantly, and she leaned towards Jack, twisting her arms around his back to hug him tightly. She pressed her face against his chest as she mumbled, "This is the second time I've done this today, I'm so embarrassed.."

Jack laughed, maneuvering himself so that he was sitting in the chair with Tooth as she still hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her small waist, bringing her closer to him. Jack could feel Tooth's hair, smell her faint perfume, and he closed his eyes, rubbing Tooth's back as she tried to get ahold of herself. After a minute or two of the embrace, Jack whispered, "Were you able to tell him? Everything?"

Tooth shifted her face so she was looking up at Jack, and she nodded slowly, answering, "I told him everything, except for who attacked me today and what happened afterwards. H-he got so mad, Jack, he was yelling at me and I was just fed up with him, I was tired and scared.."

Jack hugged her tighter, looking away for a moment so that Tooth wouldn't see the anger that flitted through his eyes. Bunny had yelled at her? Jack stated, "He should have known better, Tooth. He should have never yelled at you, he should have seen that you were frightened and known to just shut up."

Tooth whispered in return, "I deserved it. I said some rude things, so he just.. returned the favor." Tooth felt oddly comfortable telling Jack all of this, feeling safe next to his chest with his lean but muscular arms wrapped around her, rubbing her as he spoke with a soft calmness.

"It doesn't matter, he shouldn't have done that, not to you, Tooth." Jack looked grim for a moment, then decided to ask something that had been on his mind, "So, what exactly ended it? I know you fought, but about what?"

Tooth pulled away from their embrace to look Jack squarely in the eyes. It was hard for him to let go of her, wanting nothing else but to be as close as possible right now. Tooth responded solemnly, "He started to get angry after I told him you kissed me. Then I told him that on Easter, you had told me you liked me, and you wanted an answer. He jumped to conclusions and started yelling about how ever since you came he's had competition." Tooth sighed, taking a deep breath before she finished, "Bunny said that I could either stop talking to you and stay with him, or end the relationship. I.. well, you know what I chose." Tooth's violet eyes, which were puffy from crying, looked into Jack's. She watched his eyes fill with happiness and gratitude as she explained it to him, and she couldn't help but smile a little in turn.

Jack wanted to hold onto Tooth so badly right then, to hold on and never let go. She had chosen him over her relationship with Bunny, and he was positively overflowing with joy. He questioned, "Did you ever tell him what you told me on Easter, when we were hunting for eggs?"

Tooth shook her head in response, "No, he started yelling before I could. I should have told him, Jack, I should have gone right out and said it, right? That I like you, truly, even more so than Bunny." Tooth sighed with an air of finality as she was able to tell it to herself for once. She repeated with confidence, "I really like you, Jack."

Jack could no longer hold in his joy, once again hearing the words escape Tooth's lips, this time sounding so strong and resolute. He grabbed Tooth by the small of her back, pushing her closer as he leaned down and their lips connected. Tooth, after a mere second of surprise, wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, leaning back into the kiss. They sat there for a moment, squished together in the chair as they embraced, hugging each other in comfort as they kissed. Tooth and Jack both felt bad, knowing that she had just broken up with Bunny, but it felt as if they had been waiting for this, for all the secrets to be pushed out, and now was the moment of clarity. Jack was brimming with joy, love and satisfaction as he finally tasted what he had been yearning for all along. Bunny was no longer controlling Tooth, she was free to be with him. Tooth felt as if it was her first kiss all over again, surprise controlling her at first before a new emotion came in, one of happiness and bliss as she leaned into Jack, realizing that this is who she had been waiting for. Frost was who it was meant to be all along, and maybe, deep down, Tooth had known that as well.

After a minute or two, they pulled away, breathing hard and light headed, giggling. They kept hugging each other, Tooth resting her head on his warm chest as he leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder. After a moment, Jack whispered, "Is that why you were mad with Bunny earlier, he was telling you to stay away from me?" after Tooth nodded, Jack continued with slight hesitation, "So, what now?"

Tooth took longer to respond, "We can't do anything... not yet. Bunny is mad, and he's going to be looking for you to pick a fight. We just need to stick together, and if everything pulls through.. maybe we can.. be together." Tooth shifted her gaze to look at Jack, and he nodded in consent before looking away. He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, knowing he had to wait longer. Jack calmed himself, knowing that if he had waited this long he could wait for Bunny to be completely out of the picture.

He responded, "I'll stick with you."

Tooth grinned widely, a beautifully bright smile that dazzled Jack and made him want to kiss her again. It had been ages since she had directed one of her amazing smiles straight at him, and he grinned widely in return. Jack rubbed Tooth's back as she propped her chin onto his shoulder, both of them closing their eyes in content. Their closeness suggested them being more than friends, but Jack's priority right then was to make sure Tooth was all right. And Tooth, for once in what seemed like a long time, felt perfectly fine.

"Ahem." a stern voice sounded behind them, and Tooth's eyes popped open as she pushed out of Jack's arms, rocketing out of her chair to stand straight up. Jack sighed, slowly turning towards the voice, already missing where Tooth had been.

"M-mom!" Tooth exclaimed, looking hot with embarrassment.

Rashmi eyed the two of them curiously, staring back and forth as she looked for an explanation. Her motherly instincts took over as she asked, "And what do you two think you are doing?"

Tooth shuffled her feet, looking caught in the act. Jack fearlessly looked into Rashmi's eyes, which were shooting daggers at him. He calmly explained, "Tooth wasn't feeling well, so I came over to make sure she was all right."

Rashmi looked almost taken aback at how calm Jack was, retorting, "Well, it looked a little close for comfort, if you know what I mean. I like you, Mr. Frost, but don't try any funny business with my daughter while I'm out. Tooth?" she turned towards her daughter, who had looked up from the spot on the floor her eyes had been so fixated on before.

Tooth could tell when her mom was really mad and when she was just giving a warning, and this was definitely the ladder. Feeling a small change in the mood, she replied with a smile, "You know me, mom, I'm not one to try anything like that. Jack just came over, we weren't planning on.. doing anything." Tooth turned her head towards Jack, who nodded in agreement.

"Oh I know, Toothiana, but you know I must try to uphold some rules in this house. I don't even know who you're dating anymore, first it was the Australian, now you seem to be friendly with Mr. Frost boy, I'm too old to keep up with this." She waved her hand, tired, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Jack called out after Tooth's mom, "Uh, should I leave, Miss Rashmi?" Jack turned towards Tooth with an unsure look, confused about if Rashmi was really mad or not.

"No, no, you might as well stay for dinner. Just don't let me come back in there and see you two going at it like dogs, I don't think my heart could handle that." Rashmi called back to Jack.

Tooth's face flushed red, and she turned back to Jack with a stunned look. She whispered, "I'm sorry, about.. her.." she was glowing with embarrassment, and Jack couldn't help but laugh in return. He scooted up to the front of the chair, grabbing Tooth around the small of her waist and pulling her back into his lap. She squealed, giggling as she let herself fall into Jack's comforting grip. Jack held her with one hand on her arm, the other securing her leg so she didn't fall out of his lap. One side of her head was pressed against his right shoulder, and her hands found their way up to his neck, where she hung on with a loose grip. Sitting there, they became quiet, and Jack could tell Tooth was thinking hard about something. Her grin slowly faded off of her lips and her violet eyes began to darken with worry. Right as Jack was about to ask what was on her mind, she questioned, "Am I a horrible person?"

Jack was taken aback by Tooth's comment. Her, a horrible person? Why would Tooth ever even think that? Before he could respond, Tooth continued, "It's just that, I was with Bunny for a really long time, and then I started questioning myself when you came. And I kissed you today, before Bunny and I had broken up, and again after. I feel like a no good cheat, like some rude girl that just gives up someone she's been dating like he's nothing. I feel like I shouldn't have done that to Bunny. He doesn't deserve that."

Jack sat in silence for a while, trying to think of what to say. Finally he responded, "Well, I guess it is my fault. If I had never been here, you would have probably stayed with Bunny, or you could have eventually broken up with him. But if you're saying that you feel bad that you're.. happy, right now-" he trailed off, not really knowing how to go on.

Tooth nodded to herself, stating, "It's just.. I think I should be feeling worse about breaking up with him than I do. He was certainly hurt, and I was upset, but right now I don't feel sad. I mean, I do, sort of, that I had to break up with him, but I don't feel sad about the actual not being close with him anymore. Does that sound weird? I'm not even sad now, just upset that he made me choose." Tooth looked troubled as she tried to explain it to Jack, not meeting his eyes as she looked down at her lap. She obviously felt guilty, and Jack didn't really have an answer for her.

"You're not a horrible person," he whispered after a moment of silence, "There's always going to be one person that's more upset than the other in a breakup. And.." Jack thought for a second, wondering if he was cheesy enough to say what was on his mind. He continued, "And I may be part of what's making you sad, but I also believe I can be the one to make you happy. I hate seeing you sad, Tooth, when I can bring in fun, or at least try."

Tooth sniffled, a small smile flashing across her face as she whispered, "Who knew you were so cheesy, Jack." She tightened her grip on his neck, pulling herself up so that she could embrace him. Her head next to his, she leaned towards his ear, mumbling, "You did help, though. Thanks."

Jack grinned, laughing at himself. He took a hand and gripped Tooth's back tightly, one arm still placed on her leg so that she didn't start to slip off of his lap. He whispered back, "Of course, Tooth."

They sat together as noises soon started erupting from the kitchen, sizzling and popping along with a warm scent wafting into the room. Tooth sighed with a smile, breaking away from Jack's arms as she got out of the chair. She looked at Jack, who seemed to be a little upset with her leaving, and explained, "I've got to go help my mom. She doesn't usually cook, especially on weekdays."

Jack nodded in return, getting out the chair as well. "I'll help," he stated, "I do a bit of cooking at my house, too." He smiled, following after Tooth as they made their way towards the kitchen. As they walked into the room, Jack noticed that all of the windows were open and smoke was drifting around the room.

"Mom," Tooth groaned, walking over to Rashmi, who was stirring some food that was placed in a wok, "you're supposed to turn the fan on, not leave all the windows open!" she clicked a fan on that was placed over the stove, which immediately began to cut down the level of smoke. Tooth grabbed the wok from her mom, turning the stove on high and whisking the food inside around forcefully.

"Well I wish you had told me that sooner," Rashmi said with exasperation, "I've been cooking myself in here! Should've come sooner, I'm nearly finished now!"

"Did you get the rice?" Tooth asked, turning around to glance at her mom before she put her eyes back on the wok.

"Yeah, it's in the cooker." Rashmi pointed over to a small machine with a timer on it.

"Need any help, Tooth?" Jack asked from where he was standing. He leaned against one of the kitchen walls, but before Tooth could answer Rashmi walked over to him, looking tired.

"Tooth, need help? She's been cooking for ages, she could prepare a feast on her own if she wanted to." Rashmi sounded playfully exasperated, but Jack could see a glint of real admiration in her eyes as she talked about Tooth.

"So, did you teach her?" Jack asked, turning his head towards Rashmi.

"Ah, no. Her father, Haroom... He did. He was always a better cook than me." Rashmi nodded, and Jack could have kicked himself for asking. Not wanting to upset anyone, he quickly changed the subject, talking to Tooth's mom as Tooth finished the last few preparations. Getting out some plates, she scooped rice onto each of them, then placed the food that was in the wok on top of the rice. Setting down the plates at the table, Rashmi handed out some silverware and napkins as Jack got drinks. They all sat down, ready to dig in.

"So, what is this?" Jack asked, smelling the delicious food.

"Homemade teriyaki beef, one of my favorite dishes." Tooth smiled before taking a bite. Jack and Rashmi began to eat as well, and Jack was surprised at how good it tasted. He quickly began to envelop the rest, not realizing how hungry he had been. Tooth laughed as she watched him eat, taking small bites of her food.

"So, Mister Frost, what's with the cuts and bruises?" Rashmi asked as she ate. Tooth sighed, rolling her eyes at her protective mother.

"I got in a scuffle," Jack smiled, "and you can call me Jack, if you want."

"Mmm." Rashmi looked Jack up and down before continuing, "And why was Tooth upset earlier? I trust you to give me the truth."

Jack glanced at Tooth, who nodded, before he answered, "Actually, Tooth broke up with her boyfriend, Bunnymund. He's who I was in the scuffle with."

Rashmi turned to Tooth before questioning, "You alright, Toothie?" Tooth nodded in return, not wanting her mom to worry over her. Rashmi nodded in return, turning back to her plate as she commented, "You're a strong girl, Tooth. No wonder you're dealing with it like a trooper. And ah, thank you for being there for her, Jack." Rashmi tilted her head in Jack's direction, and he nodded back at her, glad that she wasn't angry.

Rashmi slowly rose out of her chair, asking Jack and Tooth if they were done with their meals. She picked up the plates, taking them over to the sink. When Tooth stood up to help, Rashmi waved her off, saying, "Go, I'll do this as thanks for helping me with dinner. You should be heading home soon, Jack, it's getting late and it is a school day."

Jack nodded, exiting out of the room with Tooth after he thanked Rashmi. Tooth walked him to the front door, standing by it but not wanting Jack to leave just yet. Jack stared down at Tooth, and he held out his hands as permission for a hug. Tooth nearly jumped into his arms, squeezing him with all her might as he held tightly to her small frame, leaning down so that he could feel the side of her head against his. Tooth buried her head into the crook of his neck, comforted by his warmth.

After a moment, they pulled away, and Jack's hand hovered over the doorknob for a few still seconds, before he slowly opened it to let in the cool night air. "See ya, Tooth," Jack smiled, "and stay safe."

As he turned around, Tooth called out, "Jack, wait." He turned around quickly, and Tooth cupped the side of his face in one of her small hands, closing her eyes and leaning up to give him a small, soft peck on the cheek. He grinned widely as she looked up into his eyes with her shockingly violet ones, whispering, "Thank you for everything, Jack." Tooth pulled away, and Jack wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then, but he held himself back, knowing Rashmi could come by at any moment. He said one last goodbye before turning around and leaving, Tooth watching from the house as her Frost slipped away for the night.

I hope you liked the chapter! At least Tooth and Jack are okay.. for now!
Please leave a review, it really helps!