Jack stared, stunned and confused at Bunny's back as he beat a hasty retreat down the hallway, hollering back some nonsense about cleaning up the dishes after eating. Jack wasn't really listening though, mind in a whirl.

Because honestly, what the FUCK had just happened?

Okay, they'd sat down to dinner, despite Jack's reservations about being able to get through a whole meal together. And sure, maybe Jack was just a little too sullen, and his table manners left something to be desired, but seriously? They hadn't even made it five minutes in before Bunny was bailing. Lost his appetite Jack's skinny white ass! Suddenly, furious didn't even cover what Jack was feeling. Livid, enraged, wrathful, hostile... Jack was a whole thesaurus's worth of angry right now, and what was he doing, sitting about with a blank stare and stewing like some kind of sucker? Like a guided missile seeking a target Jack leapt to his feet and stalked down the hallway, tracing Bunny's footsteps to the bathroom. He raised one fist, prepared to pound on the door for all he was worth; a bitter, hurtful tirade already rising in his throat...

A low, hungry moan met his ears from behind the door, halting Jack in his tracks; eyes wide with shock and hand paused inches away from the solid wood door. No, that couldn't have been, he had to be hearing things... But a second, equally desperate noise from beyond the door made Jack step back; withdrawing quickly down the hall to the kitchen, rage gone and replaced with clarity so crystal clear you could've made jewellery out of it.

Bunny was masturbating.

Bunny was in the bathroom, touching himself, after having eaten with Jack. Or, more accurately fought with Jack while food happened to be in their mouths, whatever. Point being, Jack refused to think that a good meal was enough to get Bunny that horny, even if he was super old and probably hadn't had a good fuck since humanity was still striking rocks together to start fires. Which meant the only other thing worth getting worked up over, unless it was the sink full of dishes or the fine wood grain of the kitchen table, was Jack himself. Which was the weirdest thought in the history of ever. Firstly, Jack was just a skinny little corpse boy who'd barely hit puberty before he'd croaked, he certainly wasn't sexually attractive. Secondly, even if someone was willing to look past that, his personality left a lot to be desired. Oh, he was a good Guardian, even Bunny could admit that, and Jack loved the kids, but as a person... well. Jack was high-strung, high-maintenance, and a high-riding bitch when provoked. It wasn't exactly a combination meant for glory. Jack was well aware that he came on too strong, and had a habit of pushing people away as a sort of ugly defense mechanism. It didn't exactly inspire the people that met him into romantic thoughts. There hadn't been anyone in three hundred years who'd wanted him, and Jack had long since gotten used to the idea that he wasn't the kind of guy that people felt passionately about. At least, not sexually passionate; he got people worked up enough to yell at him plenty, though!

Regardless, there was apparently one person who felt differently. Of course, in the endless tragicomedy that was Jack's life, that person had to be Bunny. Bunny, who couldn't even stand to talk to Jack for longer than thirty seconds without one or both of them wanted to strangle the ever-loving hell out of the other. Bunny who hated Jack on general principle as the antithesis of everything he was; life to death, spring to winter, responsibility to playfulness. If there was ever anyone that Jack was destined to disagree with, it would, and had always been Bunny. He'd come into this situation knowing that it was likely doomed to failure from the first moment he'd volunteered, but he'd stuck around firstly as penance, and then later because as much as it stuck in his craw, Bunny was right and Jack wasn't well enough to manage on his own; and due to his own stupid pride, to boot. He'd thought more than once about fleeing; about going to see Sandy or North or Tooth and sheltering with them instead. He knew they wouldn't turn him away; they were too compassionate and noble for that. But the thought of the look on their faces, of the disappointment, of putting them out the way Bunny had been put out caring for him... No, that wasn't an option. Strangely enough Bunny was Jack's best bet if only because he was always angry at, disappointed in, or inconvenienced by Jack, so really this was nothing new. Jack snorted to himself, falling back into his seat and burying his face in his hands, elbows propped on the table and barely avoiding landing in his forgotten plate. Somehow, despite all the many and varied reasons why no one should have the hots for Jack Frost, Bunny in particular, the other was currently locked in the bath cranking the love pump, most likely to thoughts of the winter child himself.

Well, Hellfires!

Jack had no idea what to do with that. He'd love to be mad about it, but that was mostly because being mad at Bunny for shit was just a default reaction by this point. Thinking about it more logically, and wouldn't the Pooka be stunned senseless if he knew Jack was actually thinking, Jack realized that he didn't know what to feel. He'd never encountered this before, and found himself floundering with the completely new experience. With a sigh, Jack sat back into the chair, arms flopping into his lap. He eyed the long-cold, congealed remains of his breakfast with distaste. No way was he going to be eating that now. Well, the toast, maybe. Jack would never admit it, but Bunny's homemade breads and preserves were heavenly, even cold. Nibbling on both his own and then swiping the piece off of Bunny's plate, Jack decided the least he could do was honour Bunny's request to tidy up. While he hated being told what to do, he hated even more being reminded that he was in debt to the other even further than ever for favours rendered. Jack scooped the remains of their meals onto the compost heap outside, before wandering back in and filling the sink to scrub. Bunny was a good cook, not prone to burning food onto the pans, so the work went quickly. Jack finished off with wiping down the stove top, counters and kitchen table before finally hanging the rag over the water tap to dry. Distraction finished, Jack quickly felt the thoughts all come piling back in. Collecting his staff from the corner, he meandered outside, determined to give Bunny all the time and space in the world to get himself back under control.

The sunshine was as bright as ever in the Warren, but the ambient temperature today was slightly cooler than it usually was outside of the burrow. That or Jack had been so far gone before that it had merely felt hotter, which was a distinct possibility considering how far down the spiral Jack had been before his collapse. Looking back, it was a miracle it hadn't happened sooner. Jack didn't want to feel grateful that it had happened in front of Bunny, but there were a thousand worse places and worse people to have been at the mercy of he knows, and while Bunny might activity dislike him, he wasn't out to cause any real lasting harm to him.

Or at least, Bunny disliked him only when he isn't busy cuffing the carrot to thoughts of him, that is. With a loud groan, Jack tumbled back onto the grass in a nice, shady spot beneath a large tree. How was he supposed to get this craziness out of his brain? Bunny was wedged up tight into all the dirty little corners of Jack's mind, gleefully taking shameless advantage of Jack's proximity to fuel whatever filthy perverted fantasies the other Guardian could come up with. Man, what WAS the other male thinking about behind that door? Jack naked? Aroused? Both of them naked and needy, pressed tight together, thrusting and rutting like wild, savage animals... Jack shuddered slightly, perplexed and possibly even horrified by the sudden flare of lust in his belly. Seriously though, was this shit catching? Bunny was a giant rabbit, for MiM's sake! Not that there was anything wrong with fur, or long ears, or those ridiculously chiselled shoulders that said fur couldn't hide, or anything... Jack squirmed, uncomfortable both with his current stream of thought and the tightness of his pants which accompanied it. Okay, but bits of Bunny were attractive enough, like his eyes and the aforementioned shoulders and his large, strong hands, although the fur was strange. Well, strange perhaps because Jack had just never thought about it. He hadn't minded thinking about Tooth at all though and she had feathers, so he supposed he should let the Rabbit-shaped thing go as a sticking point or risk being a hypocrite. Jack thumped his head onto the ground two, three times, hoping to help clear the turmoil in his mind with little results. Tooth had filled his fantasies for about a week after that hug on the day they defeated Pitch, before a trip to visit her had revealed her long-time romance with North and friend-zoned him so hard he thinks he wound up in 'you're like a kid brother to me' territory. Which was still a step up from the 'we hate your guts and think pleasantly on your epic demise' territory he was usually shoved into, so he still considered it a win. Bunny though; man, Jack had never once thought about Bunny as a lover. Oh, he'd entertained brief fantasies about a number of spirits over the years, most with little to no actual seriousness beside a loose curiosity; like, what could Sandy's sand be made to do to you, or would North's beard tickle? It was kid stuff mostly; a harmless outlet for the riot of teenage hormones that liked to rear their ugly heads from time to time, a way to take the edge off. With Bunny however there had always been so much animosity between them that even the mildest of curiosities were stifled as seeds without ever taking root. Until of course, Bunny had kicked down that metaphorical door, and now all Jack could think about was why.

Why why why. That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? What had changed? Or maybe nothing had, and things had always been this way for the other male and Jack hadn't known. Or perhaps it was something in his fragility, in his vulnerability that had called to the Pooka, has given him permission to feel things not felt before. Was thing Jack's fault somehow? For all he knew, Pooka's courted by being impossible dicks to each other all the time. Jack didn't think that was quite it though. It was something ephemeral, something intangible maybe, some slight change in circumstance that Jack might never know or understand. What he did know was that, like a tidal wave or an avalanche or the first domino in a row being knocked down, the scales had irrevocably tipped and nothing would be the same. Jack couldn't look at Bunny the way he always had anymore, not without hearing the timber of his pleasured cries muffled as they had been by that damned bathroom door. What would Jack notice now, looking at the other with his eyes newly opened? Would he see passion in that gaze? Would he see sensuality in the way Bunny moved and worked? Would he read carnality between the lines of their usual vitriol? Jack didn't know, but something inside him was wriggling like an excited puppy at the thought of finding out.

Jack still had reservations, naturally, but as time had proven he was definitely a shoot first and ask questions later sort of person. He couldn't go charging into this one to ham-handedly though; Jack knew enough about Bunny that at the first hint of his secrets being revealed he'd panic and run. Or more likely panic and kick Jack out permanently, which would spoil Jack's chances of ever figuring this whole thing out, as Bunny would never again let Jack close enough to do so. Jack blinked suddenly in surprise; since when did he care about being close to Bunny? Since when did subtlety matter? Jack and Bunny behaved typically more like battering rams onto barred doors than keys into locks when it came to each other. Everything was forcefulness if not outright violence, with no such thing as gentleness or mercy between them. Except, that wasn't quite true, was it? Bunny had taken care of Jack; he'd fed him, set him to sleep in his own nest, allowed Jack to avail himself of all of Bunny's facilities, to make use of his private spaces mostly without impunity. And if perhaps the other was somewhat surly or off-putting, well Jack hadn't exactly been sunshine and daisy's himself, had he? No, Jack had been a brat; rude and unappreciative and deliberately caustic, mostly at the urgings of his own selfish pride and insecurities. Jack would bet money that Bunny was probably being motivated by the same.

Several million years, two different galaxies and entire species apart, and Jack and Bunny were damn near the same person when you got right done to the meat and potatoes of it, weren't they? Both of them were abrasive, defensive, egotistical in their own rights and unyielding to their cores. Their cores, which coincidentally, were practically cousins. Hope and Joy, what irony! Jack knew he gave Bunny no joy, and the other certainly offered him no hope in return, and yet...

And yet Jack had come here unbidden, to try and make a difference to the man he had wronged; to fix what damage he'd wrought in his ignorance with his own two hands. It had not made him happy, it had not brought him joy or hope, but it had been good and right and Jack did not regret. How could Jack regret? The only thing worth repenting so far was his shitty attitude. What did it matter, that the stakes between him and Bunny had changed? Jack had come here with a reason, a purpose, one he'd nearly lost in the confusion caused by this new, intricate dance. It hadn't started in the bathroom a couple hours ago; no, this change had been coming slowly, gathering like a storm on the horizon. It had begun as a rumbling the moment they'd both made their initial hesitant attempts to reach out to each other, and built with each tiny concession they had managed over the last several weeks, few and small though they'd been. Jack just needed to brace for it the inevitable backlash and find his way through. What he meant to Bunny, and even what Bunny meant, or could eventually mean to him would remain to be seen. Only time and dedication to uncovering the mystery could give him answers now.

Pushing himself to his feet, Jack stood, determined, staff clutched tightly in both hands. Jack had never liked introspection, but self-awareness was an unavoidable evil when you had a literal eternity to think things over. No one could accuse Jack of being a coward and running away from his problems. Jack was going to pull himself together, get back on track and get the Warren fixed if it killed him. If he figured out what the hell Bunny wanted from him while doing so, then so be it. He was tired of fighting, tired of running and hiding and throwing up walls to keep people out. If he had to let someone in, he might as well try with the Pooka, who he knew through rumours and hearsay to be at least as battered and weary a soul as himself. This could all come down on him; fall right apart beneath his hands like a house of cards, but Jack refused to be swayed or discouraged. He had amends to make and a friendship to forge if he was ever going to get this Guardian thing right.

And who knows, maybe, just maybe, he'll get to find out what Bunny was thinking of; stretched out in the bath and working himself to completion in the embrace of the hot, soapy water. Was it Jack's name on his lips as he came? Jack grinned wickedly, daring to hope, just a little, that it was, even if he knew he ran the risk of the other male picking up on that little bit of hope in his chest and having everything unravel. What he'd do in that case, he didn't know, but the notion of being wanted; truly, completely wanted, was more than a little intoxicating. Regardless, Jack was clever, he'd figure it out; and with a bit of luck, they'd both wind up truly satisfied with the outcome. Whistling idly Jack set off toward the burrow, feeling the pull of hunger and thirst thanks to his aborted breakfast. He toyed with the idea of making lunch, and then decided to do so. Let's see what the other would make of him being nice and cooperative for a change.

Game on rabbit, game on.