Fragile Bonds

Bunny watched with no small amount of pride as Jack coaxed his own collection of eggs down his own tunnels. Although he tried to spread the decorations out evenly, experience deduced that the frosty nature of Jack's own googies would probably be most appreciated in the colder areas of the world, so were mostly heading towards Canada and Northern Europe. Though he had spotted Jack picking out his best attempts and nudging them towards the tunnel that would lead to Burgess – well, Bunnymund knew everyone was allowed favourites, who was he to judge?

There was a soft scratching in the air, and Bunnymund tensed, ears up and snapped in its direction. At his action, a dozen sentinels darted towards the tunnels, prepared to take on whatever their master had sensed. Jack had grabbed his staff and watched nervously.

Slowly, Bunnymund relaxed, and called for the sentinels to stand down.

"S'alright mates. Just a twig, carry on."

He shook himself to gather his thoughts and continued with his preparations. He felt the cold breeze brush past but ignored it for the eggs. Only when Jack was in touching distance did he actually look at the other Pooka.

"Still on edge?"

Bunny sighed. "We haven't seen Pitch in months, but it would be just like him to show. I can't afford for anything to go wrong this time."

Jack was silent, but a few moments later, a hesitant hand was grasping the older Pooka's shoulder.

"It won't. Even if I have to carry each and every one of them through by hand."

Bunny smiled. "Hopefully that won't be necessary. But we'll stick close together in case something goes wrong."

"So...you take the city on the left, I'll take the city on the right?"

The winter spirit smirked, and headed over to his staff and cloak. "Sounds doable. Bet I can hide more than you can."

He got a chuckle at the bet. "Don't count on it mate. This is my thing remember. You'll be lucky if you can even keep up."

Jack rolled his eyes and grabbed the staff. But when he crouched down for the cloak, a furry grey foot quickly pinned it to the ground. Sighed, he looked up at Bunny and raised an eyebrow.

"Leaving the warren Bunny. Shift."

Bunny crossed his arms and stood solid. "True, but you're going out in my name. Any kid spots you; I want them to see a rabbit, not Jack Frost. My believers are thin enough on the ground as it is."

Jack winced. Damn the rabbit and his justifiable arguments. "How long were you thinking up that rationalisation?"

"Kit. Please?"

Jack stood and wrapped his own arms around his chest, ears flat and staff held close. "Bunny...I'm just not comfortable going out there as is. Easter or otherwise – I'm not leaving the warren without the cloak."

Bunnymund's eyes narrowed, but brightened as an idea came to him, and ruffled the young Pooka's ears up again.

"Well, maybe we can agree to a compromise..."

Bunny's solution had been childishly simple in retrospect. Jack would be allowed to wear the cloak, but was expected to keep the hood down whenever he was hiding eggs. He even managed to justify the cloaks existence by dumping several dozen eggs inside the fallen hood and pushed him through the tunnel before Jack could protest.

And he wasn't protesting really. Bunny tried not to be seen while hiding eggs, so Jack was actually expected to hide if he ever heard an early pitter patter of feet. And his ears had gotten used to being up and about – he was actually dreading tying them back down when all this was over, it was going to hurt to get used to that again.

Right now he was hiding eggs in Southern Canada. Bunny was no less than ten miles away in a neighbouring town, and they were both favouring Jack's eggs. He couldn't help but smile as he hid a few of the fractal eggs in the crook of the tree, shimmering slightly in the frosty snow. It had been light, but Jack couldn't help but coax a little extra snowfall to highlight his own work. Burgess was teeming with the icy eggs, a very heavy heaping of them hiding in Bennet's garden too.

His ears twitched as he heard laughter in the distance, and quickly grabbed the last few eggs in his hood. They were quickly positioned under a nearby bush and Jack jumped into the air, the wind plucking him up and high into a nearby tree. With no eggs left, he should be heading back to the tunnel for a fresh supply, but they were close to done, and he was a little eager to see Bunny get the proper appreciation.

Sure enough, a small handful of children were trundling into the clearing, yawning and shaky on their feet. One however, froze and pointed to the colour in the tree, and all signs of exhaustion vanished.

Jack smiled as the kids flocked towards the tree, hesitant but hopeful. Yeah, he could definitely see why Bunny loved his...

The winter spirit froze when he spotted the shadows under the tree. When the children reached the trunk, they seemed to falter as to how to reach their prize, and the shadows seemed to dance, curling near the children's feet.

Jack's eyes narrowed. Pitch.

He lunged from the tree, flying into the opposite side of the clearing and searching for the source, mindful of the children's watchful eyes. Pitch was not going to mess this up, even if he had to freeze the bogeyman solid and dump him at the bottom of Burgess Lake!

As if sensing his approach, the shadows slipped back into the trees, and Jack followed, lightly dropping to the ground and holding his staff out ready to fire.

"Get out of here Pitch. I'm warning you right now."

The exasperated sigh echoed through the clearing, and Jack's ears twitched as he tried to track the location.

"Really now, it's getting so a spirit can't have a little...fun."

Warm breath slid across Jack's neck, and he jerked back, firing a blast of ice. It hit nothing of course, but Pitch's laugh slid through the trees. Finally, a figure formed a safe distance away, leaning against a tree and cocking his head in curiosity.

"Well now Thumper, I must admit I didn't see that coming. Though it certainly explains a few things."

Jack just gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to pull up his hood.

Seeing the Guardians hackles raise, Pitch held up his hands in mock surrender. "Oh relax Frost, I'm just sightseeing. Those innocent little children are in no danger whatsoever."

"Really? You just happen to be out for walk?" Jack snapped sarcastically, and Pitch rolled his eyes.

"Last year shook the children to their core Jack. Bad memories don't just go away. Right now I'm basking in what little power I have left. Today has been a novel experience."

His gaze turned to the children, who had begun climbing the tree.

"The children are eager and happy, just as they should. But in the corner of their minds, there's a tiny little nugget of doubt. A crumb of hesitation, that glorious taste of fear. For all the Guardians attempts they remember the Easter Bunny didn't come last year, and they're afraid he'll do the same again."

"He won't" Jack growled, hands tight on his staff. "I won't let you ruin this."

Pitch snorted. "Really Jack. If I had the power this time around do you think I'd be wasting time talking to you? Although it did work so well last time..."

Jack's eyes widened in horror, and Pitch laughed.

"Oh relax. I'm just taunting. No, as much as I hate to admit it, the rabbit gets his holiday. That little touch of fear is just a few drops of water in the desert–"

He broke off as the two of them heard a shriek, and turned to see the kids climbing down with brightly coloured treasures in their hands.

Pitch sighed. "-That vanishes the second they find a silly little egg. Hope will have me back underground by sundown."

"Forgive me if I don't feel too bad about that" Jack mocked, and Pitch turned to him, anger simmering behind his eyes.

"You're one to talk Frost. I'll be 'Hope' will have you back underground in no time too."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

The bogeyman smiled, and began circling the Pooka. "Not like the rabbit to share his holiday. Especially since it worked so badly last time. But then, he always was so sentimental when it came to other Pooka. Must be so happy to have a protégé to form in his own image."

"It's not like that-" Jack started, but Pitch quickly rode over him, eyes bright and vicious.

"I remember you last year Jack" he purred. "That overwhelming fear that encompassed your entire being. You feared what you were, what you weren't. I misunderstood that fear when we met – I assumed the Man in the Moon had changed your form like so many others. But you've always been like this...always hated what you are."

Jack's ears were flat against his skull and looked away.

"And yet, just a year later, here you are, in full view. But I can still feel it Jack – you exude fear through every pore. This whole little dance you've been scared...but not of me...of them."

His hand gestured towards the children. "You, who longed to be believed in...Don't want to be seen."

"It's not my holiday" Jack muttered, and Pitch laughed.

"So why are you here?" The bogeyman cackled. "To make Daddy Bugs happy?"

"I...I owed it to him" Jack tried to defend, and Pitch scoffed.

"Let me guess. You offered to help, and the second he got you alone he was on you every second of every day. All disapproving and pushing, and you let him because you owed it to him."

"Don't talk about him like that!" Jack snapped, and Pitch rolled his eyes. "Bunny's been great. Okay so he's a little bit...smothering, so what? I'm still me!"

"Are you though? Is that what he wants? Really?"

Jack stepped back in confusion.

"Don't you get it? He doesn't care about you. All he sees is a Pooka – and he's lost too much to let you be raised wrong. Doesn't matter what you want or think – the rabbit will groom and mould you and leave you thinking it was your idea. And the other Guardians will let him because you're family – Bunny knows what's best."

The Pooka shook his head. "...You're wrong."

The children were leaving, and Pitch was slipping into the dark of the woods, his eyes focused on the winter spirit as he left parting words, thick as treacle.

"Am I?"

For a few moments, Jack just stood there, wavering. Part of him wanted to chase Pitch and make the Bogeyman take back his words. The other part was reciting them over and over in a frantic taunt. So torn, he never even heard Bunnymund's hole open behind him. When the other Pooka leapt out, the sound jerked him out of his thoughts and he swung round, staff raised. Bunny immediately held his hands up, eyes on Jack.

"Crikey! Just me kit. You okay?"

Jack faltered, the staff dropping back to his side. "Yeah...fine."

Bunny wasn't convinced, and as his eyes swept the area, his body tensed.

"Pitch..."

The winter spirit jerked his head back, expecting the man to have returned. Instead there was just the wood, and Bunnymund by his side, grasping his shoulders and looking him over frantically.

"Don't try to hide it kit, I can smell that mouldy bedbug from ten miles away. Did he hurt you? Was he going for the googies?"

Jack forced himself to react, and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Uh...no. No, he was just...watching I think. Said some things."

The white Pooka wasn't meeting his gaze, so Bunnymund gently placed a hand under the Pooka's chin and forced his head up.

"What things?"

Jack blinked, then roughly pulled away.

"Nothing. Let's just go."

"Kit..."

"I'm fine Bunny" Jack snapped. "We should be going, unless you want Easter coming late to the rest of the sector."

He brushed past the other Pooka and jumped down the hole. Behind him Bunny was a tense figure, but he ignored the uneasiness and pulled up his hood, obstructing his view.

This? Could wait.

If Bunny ever got his hands on Pitch, the Bogeyman wouldn't be able to talk for a month...

Jack had been telling the truth about Pitch only talking – the area and Jack himself were in too good nick for there to have been a fight. But Pitch's tongue was a weapon as sharp as any blade. Just because no blood was spilt did not mean wounds weren't split open.

And Jack had been wounded, that Bunnymund was certain of. He'd bit back the protest when the boy had pulled back up his hood, even carrying the remaining eggs in his arms or baskets. The winter spirit had refused to be brought into conversation, quickly heading to wherever Bunnymund sent him without even a witty retort.

With Jack silent, the two Pooka finished the Easter preparations on a sombre note. Bunnymund had been hoping to have something of a celebration when the two of them were done, but judging from the mood, that might have to wait.

Returning to the Warren, Jack had immediately flown to his room, and it was there Bunny found him, digging under the bed. Not for the first time, Bunnymund frowned at the sheer sparseness of Jack's living quarters. Despite giving him permission to 'decorate', the other Pooka hadn't really done much – frost patterns on the wall and bed, most of which Bunnymund was certain were just a side effect of Jack being in one area for a certain amount of time.

"Ah! There you are..."

Bunnymund's eyes flicked back to Jack, and couldn't help the groan when he found Jack holding up the dreaded boots. The sound caught Jack's attentions, and though his face was clouded by the hood, he could feel the winter spirit's glare.

"I thought we settled this" Bunnymund began.

"Yeah well, you thought wrong" Jack replied, easing his feet into the poorly designed footwear. "Anyway, Easter's over, so I'll be getting out of your fur."

Bunnymund's ears flattened in dismay. "Already?"

Jack refused to look at him. "I helped you with Easter, there's no need to stay any longer."

The hand on his shoulder was more than expected. "Kit, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I said this room was yours, and I meant it."

Jack just brushed the hand away and headed for the door. He got further than expected – it wasn't until he'd taken several steps out of the home that Bunnymund was back on him, yanking his shoulder to spin him round and yanking the hood down.

"What's wrong Frostbite?" Bunnymund asked. "And don't say nothing. What did Pitch say?"

The winter spirit just wouldn't meet his eyes, something that twisted the older Pooka's stomach. Say what you want about the newest Guardian, but he'd never been anything but fearless when it came to meeting someone glare for glare. He tried to coax the Pooka's chin up again as he had before, but Jack just jerked from his grasp.

"Look!" Jack started, quickly putting distance between the two of them, though Bunnymund was quick to match step. "I just realised being here was a bad idea, okay? It's too warm, and I've still got a job to do, you know, bringing snow?"

Bunnymund crossed his arms, not buying it. "Too warm, yet you've been here nearly a month without a problem. Pull another one kit."

Jack threw his hands up. "Bunny, I am going. I followed your rules, but now I am leaving. And I am taking my boots, and my cloak, and trying down my ears and doing what I've always done. It was fun, but time to get back to being me."

The older Pooka quickly stormed over, grabbing a hand that had been making to pull up the hood. "That's not you. That's just a costume, why can't you see that?"

The winter spirit tried to pull away, but Bunnymund merely tightened his grip.

"Kit, you were making progress, you know you were. Whatever Pitch said, forget it – he's not worth this. Dump the boots, lose the cloak and come back inside."

For a moment, Jack was silent, and his resistance faltered. Bunnymund began to relax at the other's compliance, when Jack glared at him.

"...What if I say no?"

Bunnymund blinked in confusion, and Jack took the opportunity to yank his hand back and step away.

"What if I say, 'no, I'm not giving up my clothes'. That I prefer my ears flat and my fur hidden. And that I'm going to go the next three hundred years, the next three hundred thousand years dressed like this, not letting people see underneath. What happens then?"

"Kit..." Bunny began with agitation, but Jack interrupted him.

"Would you accept it? It's my choice, my decision."

"But it's the wrong decision!" Bunnymund snapped back without thinking. "And I'm not just going to stand by and let you destroy yourself."

"How is this destroying myself?" Jack yelled. "Maybe I'm a Pooka, Bunny, but you know what, you said it best yourself. It doesn't matter. I'm a winter spirit now, and a Guardian. And if I don't want children to know what I was before, it's my choice."

Bunnymund's hands were clenched, the Pooka trying to keep a hold on his temper. "Being Pooka is not something to be ashamed of."

Jack flinched and looked away.

"I'm trying to help you ya gumby" Bunnymund continued. "You fly around dressed in a getup that's designed to cripple you. I've seen you move without it, seen how comfortable you are without it dragging you down. Manny never meant for you to be like this-"

That snapped Jack back into the argument. "Frankly Bunny, given some of Manny's decisions, he can just deal! And so can you!"

With that, the winter spirit yanked his hood back up and jumped into the air.

"Jack!"

Bunnymund gave chase, only to be held back by a cold gust of wind. By the time it had receded, Jack's scent was leading out of the Warren, and the younger Guardian was nowhere in sight.

The Pooka sighed, hand stroking back his ears in frustration. Damn Pitch all to Hell. Jack was gone, whatever bond they'd been tentatively forming shattered.

...And he had no idea how to fix it.

Yup, a certain bogeyman finally decided to show up in this fic. And did so by making my life hell. As much as I love confrontational angst, I'm never entirely sure I pull a coherent argument. As such both Pitch's monologue and Bunny/Jack's breakdown at the end went through several rewrites until I was happy with them. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait.