People actually liked mirror sex more than I thought. Also sorry for the lag in updates; I can't promise it will get better. This chapter lacks smooth transitions since most of it was written before Chapter 18.

Jack has mysterious business. A challenge leads to trouble.

(-)

I remember Mama said, "You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "Love don't come easy
But it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said, "Trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes"

You Can't Hurry Love- The Supremes

"Aster?" Jack's voice was soft. They were curled in his nest, almost asleep.

"Yeah, Snowflake?"

"Will you bite me?"

Aster's body flooded with tension, and his paws made tight fists. "No. And don't ask me to."

Jack looked hurt. "I'm sorry, I just…"

Teeth clenched, Aster said, "Snowflake, that's how I'll be Marking you when we Mate. I'm not putting my teeth in your flesh until you're ready to go all the way. Because I won't be able to stop myself."

Those blue eyes got wide. "Oh…"

"Yeah. So, I'm not going to bite you until I'm buried deep inside you, making you scream and filling you up and Binding us together as Mates."

Jack's heart was beating fast, and Aster could smell his arousal growing. Not helpful. Then Jack asked, "Do I get to Mark you?"

Aster hadn't thought about it. Biting was generally the way one Marked a Mate. But given Aster's fur and Jack's human teeth, they'd have to think of something else. No way Aster was going without some sign that Jack claimed him.

"You need to Mark me too, Snowflake. But since biting won't work…maybe you could cut me."

Jack shivered, and his arousal faded almost instantly. "I don't want to cut you, Aster."

The rabbit shook his head. "I need some Mark. You can't just leave me bare, Frostbite. The cut wouldn't have to be deep. You'd just need to imbue it with your magic, a thread of your power."

The little Spirit still didn't look convinced. "I don't want to hurt you."

Aster sighed and slid his paws through the boy's hair reassuringly. "Sorry to say, Snowflake, but it'll hurt when I bite to Mark you. Blood is part of the bargain."

Jack shivered again, but this time it was with a resurgence of arousal. "I don't think that will be a big problem."

Bloody little tease, that's what he was. "Still. You need to draw blood from me. You could use an icicle and draw a symbol or something. Something that makes it yours. I want to show that I'm yours, Jack, just as much as you are mine."

The boy's pupils blew wide. "Mine." He leaned up to kiss the rabbit hungrily, that arousal growing stronger. "I'll think of something," he said when he pulled away.

(-)

When Aster was ready to settle in the next night, Jack groaned and got up, shaking his head. "I have something to do."

The rabbit felt a little tense, instincts insisting he keep his future Mate close. "What do you have to do at this hour?"

"Something I can only do this late," Jack said. "It won't take more than an hour, promise. Please don't follow me."

Everything in Aster was screaming, "NO!" but he knew he couldn't control Jack. "Fine, Snowflake. But if you're late, I'm gonna punish ya."

Jack grinned. "I don't think that will give me the incentive that you want."

Aster tried to keep from getting aroused. He wouldn't let the little Spirit leave if Jack wasn't careful. "You'd better stow talk like that if you don't want to stick around for a few more hours."

"Fair point. I love you, Aster," Jack said as he kissed the rabbit's forehead, left the bedroom, then left the Burrow. When Aster heard and felt him leave the Warren, he felt very cold and lonely.

(-)

Jack returned a little under one hour later. "Get your business taken care of?" Aster asked. He had gotten up and set up his easel and canvas in the den. It was facing out of the corner, so it couldn't be seen unless one came around to look.

As he'd hoped, Jack looked curious. "Yes. I'll need to go out again tomorrow. Can I see what you're painting?"

Inwardly grinning, Aster said, "Not until it's finished. And if you try to peek before that, I'll know." He put his palette into a special wooden box enchanted to keep the paint perfectly fresh. It was a special Christmas present from North, one of the better ones he'd ever gotten. "Go get into the nest; I'll clean my brushes and be there in a moment."

"What if I don't want to get in the nest?" Jack asked, looking petulant. Really, it was just because Aster phrased it as an order. Frostbite could be a contrary little shit when he felt like it.

Aster brushed past him into the kitchen. "Then I'd tell you if you try to stay up any later, I'll get us up extra early to eat breakfast and go straight to work."

Jack gasped, and Aster grinned, his back to the boy as he washed his brushes. Then Frostbite huffed. "That would be as much punishment to you as it would to me. Maybe more."

Looking over his shoulder, Aster said, "You think I won't do it?"

"No." Frostbite's confidence was clear in his voice.

With a growl, Aster set his brushes aside to dry. "Fine. No matter when we go to sleep, that's what we're doing."

Aster went straight to the nest. Jack followed without hesitation and pressed against Aster, face rubbing into the crook of his neck. "Even if we fight, I love you, Aster."

The rabbit smiled. "I'll love you always, Snowflake." With those sentiments, they fell asleep.

(-)

After an early breakfast and straight to work in the fields, Aster knew that Jack was right: this punished him far more than the Snowflake. His skin was tight, and his loins ached. But he was determined not to back down. He was stronger than his instincts.

It was still nerve-wracking to do nothing when they took a break for lunch. And as the afternoon dragged on, Aster's nerves grew more and more frayed. When they quit for the day, he was nearly shaking as he went straight for a cold shower. It made him ache for his little Frost Spirit.

When he returned to the kitchen, Snowflake was wearing the apron again. Just the apron. Growling, Aster's control snapped, and he threw the boy to floor, tearing the cloth away to get at all that cool pale flesh. His cock was already out, and he started rutting furiously against the boy. Frostbite was shouting and calling his name, but that only spurred the rabbit on.

Aster was finally feeling his intended Mate beneath him. It had been all day, and the boy no longer smelled like him. It wasn't right. He had to claim Jack to ensure that no one could contest his hold on his little Snowflake. His. Jack belonged to Aster, and no one else.

Whatever tiny rational part was still left worried that he was being too rough, that Jack had not explicitly consented to this and did not sound like he necessarily wanted it. But Aster was almost done, and there was no stopping.

Out of habit, he fisted his paw in Snowflake's hair as he spilled all over the little spirit. Through the pure ecstasy of finally marking his claim, Aster dimly noted that Frostbite had also orgasmed. That might happen if one rubbed a horny teenager enough. They might get off whether they wanted to or not.

It was like a bucket of lukewarm water. Oh, Jesus. Aster scrambled back. What had he just done? He'd promised Jack that he'd never force the boy, never. He was about to bolt for the door and hide in shame when the Snowflake stirred.

The boy groaned. "Oh, fuck yessss. We both needed that pretty badly, didn't we?"

Aster trembled. Was it consensual? Had he not betrayed his future Mate? "I didn't…force you?"

Frostbite gave him a tired grin as he sat up. "I wasn't expecting quite that fervor, but I was ready for you to get rough. Damn, Aster, we have to deny you like this again."

The rabbit felt himself relax, now safe in the knowledge that his Snowflake had thoroughly enjoyed Aster's loss of control. Lucky him. He had no idea what he'd do if he'd truly hurt the boy.

"I'm asking for it if I wear the apron, since I know now what it does to your instincts," Jack said. "Actually asking, like intentionally non-verbally begging you for attention." He glanced at the torn fabric on the floor. "Although I suppose I need a new apron now. Maybe with Velcro straps so it's easy to get off in a hurry."

Snowflake turned and gave him big doe eyes, pleading with him. "Aren't you going to clean me?"

The little minx. Aster crawled back over and started licking his seed off his Snowflake. "I thought I hurt you, Jack. I promised I'd never force you, and I thought…"

Jack made a small distressed noise. "I'm sorry. To me, the apron was an invitation. I thought that was enough to show that I wanted it. I didn't want to worry you."

"It just drove me enough out of my head and out of control that I wasn't sure of much besides my own needs," Aster said. "You deserve better than that." He was finishing, licking the last bits off Frostbite's thighs.

"I trust you, Aster. You'd never really hurt me."

But Aster just felt sick. "This proves that I would. I'm not in full control of my instincts. No matter what I promise or intend, I could become a mindless beast." It filled Aster with more shame than he'd ever felt about his body before. Never had he reduced himself to just an animal in his mind.

Snowflake climbed onto his lap and reached up to gently stroke his ears. The rabbit melted, unable to hold onto any shame under that touch. "Nah, I know your weak spot. And as long as we make sure I get scent-marked a couple of times before breakfast, it won't be a problem. We were pushing you today. Or we could do once before breakfast, and once after on the kitchen table. Either way, we'll be fine, Aster. I love you. You're going through a lot to make me comfortable with all this, and I appreciate it."

"You know, Frostbite, I don't think I'll ever be able to show just how much I love you. Once we're Mated, you'll see."

Jack looked thoughtful as he kept stroking. "Will I start to act like you?"

"No, personality shifts are the mark of a bad Bond. But we'll be connected. It won't be like anything you've ever felt before."

Now his Snowflake looked shy. "Is it anything you've felt before?

Ah, this was Jack's way of asking about his previous lovers. "No. I may have had lovers in the past, but they're nothing. A Mate is forever, Jack. If one of us dies, the other probably will too. Or, if not, they won't want to live anymore. It's one reason that few people do it. Not to mention that most don't have the specific inclination to Mate. It's more special; intimate than a regular Bond."

It occurred to Aster that perhaps Jack wouldn't want to take the risk, now that he was fully informed. But he didn't need to worry. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, even if we didn't Mate, life would be empty without you. I need you, Aster."

Aster pulled the boy close, loving how the small Spirit fit in his arms perfectly. There was a warm, tender moment that stretched between them. Then Jack said, "But, seriously, I need you to throw me down and take me sometimes too. Now that it's happened once, it has to happen again."

The rabbit couldn't help but laugh at the earnest gravity in the boy's tone. Who would have thought that Snowflake would like it rough? Well, the hair-pulling was probably a hint.

Slow, love, slow, time's so fast

Now goes quickly, see, now it's past

Soon will come, soon will last

Wait

Wait- Sweeny Todd

(-)

Sorry this chapter is shorter. Losing steam on this, especially the smutty bits. The scene in this was written before Chapter 18 was even posted, so it isn't a reflection of my brain's current status with this fic. This is mostly a problem since they haven't Mated yet, and Bunny should be getting more urgent about it. Jack too, really.

Upside is that the overall plot of this aside from the Mating is shaping up well.

Also, the brief sorta-dub-con thing hopefully didn't upset you. Aster is very upset he didn't have verbal consent, while Jack is like, "I'm naked in an apron and I know what that does to you so I'm obviously trying to get your attention." More miscommunication and temporary misunderstanding.

To those still hanging in there and enjoying this, I hope I can get this going again. Even if my brain isn't fixed on the Mating, there's some great plot in the works. Thanks for your patience, hope you enjoyed this, and feel free to review!