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OK, we've done action and fluff, what are we missing? A bit of angst.
North, Sandy and Tooth were already at the workshop when Jack crossed the portal. He had little time to take in what happened next.
Tooth literally threw herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her hands around his neck in a tight embrace. He pressed his lips hard against hers, kissing her with everything he had, oblivious to Sandy and North, too aware that this may very well be their last kiss. He didn't notice Bunny and Gretchen crossing another portal next to them.
Bunny felt his blood boiling. He looked at Tooth, her movements innocent, imprecise, giving away the fact that she was still inexperienced and naive. He looked at Jack, boasting with confidence, his hands snaking around her body like a pro, his mouth devouring Tooth's like a hunter to his prey. Bunny never really had a problem with them being intimate before. He expected Snowflake to be innocent as well, maybe even more so than Toothie was, not having ever touched anyone for 300 years. He didn't have a problem with the kids experimenting because he didn't think that Frostbite would take advantage of Tooth's sweet nature, he expected things to be mutual, innocent. But that thing was not Jack.
He wanted to push Frostbite away from her. Was this really why she was afraid? Did he have an episode with her? Did he hurt her? Did he force her to do things she wasn't ready for?
Gretchen saw Bunny's troubled face and took it for pain. She imagined him being in love with the fairy for centuries, bringing her flowers every week, expecting her to return his affection and then this kid comes along and steals her heart. She thought he was hurting because Tooth's heart belonged to Jack, just as she was hurting because Bunny's heart belonged to Tooth.
The moment Jack's tongue touched Tooth's Bunny completely lost it. He hopped towards the two lovers, breaking them apart and pinning the winter spirit to the wall.
"Get your hands away..." Aster couldn't finish that sentence.
Tooth's face was crimson with rage as she punched the pooka's jaw, throwing him off balance. Bunny landed on the floor, spitting blood.
"Wow! You are stronger than you look" said Gretchen smiling at Tooth.
"What on Earth was that all about?!" growled the fairy. She was more dangerous at that point than evil Jack would ever be.
"Him" said the pooka, touching the spot Tooth had hit "he's not totally himself and you know it. That's why you're scared. I saw him turning into... the other Jack."
Tooth gasped. Jack's sharp eyes were staring at Bunny, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"No..." said North, his eyes wide open.
The pooka looked at the Russian man, as if apologizing for what he was saying. The Guardian of Wonder closed his eyes as Bunny continued talking.
"I saw the green in his eyes, and Pitch's powers didn't work on him and... wait a minute... You knew about this, didn't you?!" he said, reading North's face. "You've bloody known about this all along and you've been putting everyone at risk! Tooth! You've let Toothie be alone with him! How could you?! His only purpose was to kill her and you left him alone with her!"
"Bunny, it is not like that, I just figured out when he said Pitch was afraid. He had acted a little strange sometimes and I worry, no? I've watched, testing him, but no episodes, no green eyes. Whenever he lost control he snapped out of it. I thought he was OK. I thought he was just getting used to not living alone. I would never risk Toothie like that."
"That's why you're so...sexy" whispered Tooth.
"I think I speak for all the girls in the world when I say we all wish we had your problem." said Gretchen looking at the fairy who seemed frozen with her mouth open.
"So what the in bloody Hell do we do now?!" asked the pooka " if he flips, if he gets the Algae, given the state of things..."
"I know. I think we should just leave him behind. It's too dangerous for him to come because of Gaia anyway. We'll find a way to fix him when this is over." said North.
"I'm standing right here!" snarled Jack. He didn't like being ignored and he certainly didn't appreciate being treated like a menace. Truth be told, if he really was possessed Bunny would be dead by now.
"Too risky mate. We have to lock him up. If Pitch or Gaia show up and they provoke Frostbite..."
"Wow! No one is locking me up, Cottontail!" said the winter boy, gripping his staff tightly.
"We're not locking Jack up! If something happened he won't be able to escape!" said the Russian man.
"If something happened he wouldn't be able to escape anyway!" said Bunny. "Look, don't think that I don't care about him, I do. Because of that it is best that we keep him locked where he can't hurt himself or anyone else. If he hurts Tooth, if he frees the Algae, he'll never forgive himself."
"I'm out of here!" said Jack, flying towards the window.
"Jack!" yelled North but the hellion ignored him.
"Jack!" Tooth screamed, so loud that her winter boy turned around to look at her. "Wait for me. I'm coming with you."
"Are you nuts?!" asked Bunny but Tooth ignored him as she flew towards Jack, and held his hand.
"I trust you" she whispered in his ear. She knew that she had brought him back before and she could always do it again. She trusted that if they were together everything would be fine, and she dreaded the thought of her winter hellion all alone and upset out there, at Gaia's mercy.
Jack felt so much love and gratitude for his girl. There he was, thinking she didn't trust him when she was literally trusting him with her life. He couldn't help but smile at her.
Golden sand covered the windows so Jack and Tooth couldn't leave, but Sandy wasn't frowning at the two lovers, his anger was directed at North and Bunny. How could they treat Jack like that, making him feel unwanted after all that he had been through?
Gretchen rubbed her forehead. She felt a bad headache coming. So these were the almighty Guardians? Peter Rabbit was overreacting, Jolly Rogers was worried about his 300 year old baby and Little Miss Sunshine was preoccupied with her boyfriend being too sexy. The world was screwed. At least Goldie seemed to have his act together.
"You're not possessed, are you handsome?" asked Gretchen, getting closer to Jack.
"Gretchen, don't!" said Bunny, a little louder than necessary.
If looks could kill he would be six feet under, the way the Groundhog glared at him.
"Bunnymund drop it! If he was really evil your ass would be frozen by now!" she said and Jack's chuckle confirmed it.
It was the first time she had used his name, well the second time if he counted earlier when she was falling to her death and called him Bunny. Somehow it didn't sound as sweet as he expected.
"I was there too, remember?! I know what you mean, I saw it. I saw the evil eyes staring at Pitch as if handsome was going to finish him right there. And he probably would have had you not interrupted. I also saw his eyes turning blue the moment he saw us, I saw his creepy face turning to concern over my safety. Whatever this is he controls it, it doesn't control him." said Gretchen with a decisive expression in her face.
"You were not there last spring. You don't know what he's capable off if he looses control." said Bunny.
