Here we are again with Toddler Bunny!
Hope you guys are enjoying it!
"Jack, stop it!" Bunny squealed, high pitched giggles echoing throughout the workshop.
"No way!" Jack cackled, his pale fingers attacking the Pooka's ribs mercilessly "You've been deserving this for a long time!"
"NO!" the Pooka kit giggled slapping Jack's hands with desperate little paws "No more tickles!"
"Ok," Jack sighed happily flopping backwards onto the grass.
It was the evening before the Eve of Easter, and come the next morning, Aster would be back to his original age and size. Jack was ready to have the older Pooka back, but a part of him was sad about losing the kit. Nonetheless though, they were enjoying their last evening together by having a picnic at the Warren, and then a tickle fight. The Guardians had warned Jack that Bunny wouldn't remember much of being a kit, if anything at all, but the winter sprite held out hope of him remembering at least enough to warrant Jack being allowed to tease him over sucking his thumb.
"You," the sprite chuckled tiredly with closed eyes and one finger pointing at Bunny "are one silly rabbit."
"I'm not a rabbit, I'm a bunny" Aster giggled softly as he crawled across the grass and snuggled into Jack's side his soft nose twitching as he inhaled deep drafts of the winter spirit's scent "You smell good."
"I what?" Jack laughed outright.
"You smell good," the little bunny repeated rubbing his head against the sprite's chest as he got comfortable "you smell like pine trees and new snow, and now…you smell like me!"
"Well yeah," the Jack smiled fondly giving the furry head a soft noogie "if you keep rubbing your head against me, I'm gonna smell like a Pooka. Do you want me to smell like you?"
"Yep," The rabbit yawned contentedly.
"Why?" the winter sprite asked genuinely intrigued by the idea.
"Because," Aster sighed, one little paw patting Jack's chest gently "it means I love you, and that you're my big brother. I want everyone to smell me, and know that you belong to me, and that we are family and we always will be."
Jack felt a ball of emotion lodge in his throat over the honest answer, and gave his reply by grabbing the toddler kit and rubbing his face all up and down Aster's head "I guess that makes us even, huh?"
Aster giggled giving Jack a small kiss on the cheek and hugging him tight "We're gonna be brothers forever, right Jack?"
The winter sprite smiled "That's right buddy, we're always gonna be brothers."
"Good," the kit smiled "hey…Jack?"
"Yeah Aster?"
"I feel funny," the bunny sighed.
"Whattaya mean?" Jack lifted his head, one protective hand reaching up to feel the kit's forehead for a fever.
"I don't feel good," Aster whined softly "my tummy just started hurting."
Jack's blue eyes went wide and he looked at the watch North had given him for Christmas the year before, it was almost midnight, meaning Bunny was going to start transforming any second. Jack hugged Aster close, snuggling the rabbit's head with his nose and planting a kiss above one of the ears. "Don't worry little guy," he whispered softly "everything is going to be ok."
Aster's ears flattened against his head, as he clutched Jack and a small pained groan whispered from his lips "I want mommy," he whimpered "it hurts."
"I know buddy," Jack sighed "I know, but it will all be over soon."
Once again the lights surrounded Bunny, and covered his furry frame, making Jack have to let go and the winter sprite scrambled away as he watched the metamorphosis begin. The little rabbit slowly grew into a luminous larger Pooka, and soon the lights had all dispersed leaving Bunny lying unconscious on the grass in his original form. Jack rushed forward, his blue eyes wide as he gazed on his now older brother.
"Bunny," he said gently shaking the Pooka's shoulder "Bunny wake up!"
No response came, and Jack groaned in frustration "Come ON kangaroo, say something, anything! Call me frostbite, insult winter, go on a stinking rant about how Easter is better than Christmas!"
A small groan came from the warrior and green eyes fluttered opened slowly "Easter is better than Christmas, ya git." The Pooka mumbled tiredly.
Jack grinned brightly as he tackled the rabbit in a big hug "BUNNY!" he shrieked "You're back!"
"Yeah, I'm back," Aster said gently as he gave a fond shake of his head and patted the sprite's back "now can ya get off o' me? I can't breathe."
"Oh, right!" Jack leaned back up and smiled as he watched Bunny sit up and give a long stretch.
"I tell ya kid," the Pooka sighed as he stretched his paws high over his head "that transformation gets worse every time."
"What do you mean worse?" Jack cocked his head in confusion.
"The more I go through it, the more disoriented I feel." The rabbit shook his head "I'll be lucky ta make it halfway through my rounds this time and still be on time."
"I can help!" Jack volunteered.
Bunny sat back, and considered carefully before answering "Ya, why not?"
"AWESOME!" the winter sprite shot into the air with an excited whoop before plummeting back to the earth.
Bounding forward Jack once again wrapped his arms around the Pooka "I'm glad you're back Bunny," the boy sighed "I missed having my big brother, I think I actually prefer being the younger sibling."
Aster smiled, and hugged Jack back before giving the child a gentle shove "Careful Jack, yer gonna ruin yer image, all this mushy stuff is scarin' me."
Jack burst out in loud laughter "Alright kangaroo," he grinned "let's get hopping and take care of finishing up Easter!"
"Sounds good kid," the Pooka nodded.
…
Much later, Jack and Bunny sat in the Aussie's living quarters in the warren, both recovering from the strenuous activity of pulling off Easter. Bunny sat in his favorite armchair, his large feet propped on a footstool, and a mug of homemade herbal tea between his paws. Jack had fallen asleep on the couch, his own tea lay forgotten on a side table, and a nibbled on cookie held between delicate fingers. Aster smiled at the exhausted child, his paws gently tapping the mug of tea and his whiskers twitching as he became lost in thought.
In truth, he did not have many memories of his time as a kit, but contrary to popular belief he actually did retain some memories should the experience make a strong enough impact to forge a memory that could withstand the transformation. Now that he was himself again, Aster was sorting through the memories, examining each one.
He remembered Jack yelling at him, scolding him for not listening, making Aster chuckle softly at the role reversal. Then he remembered making Jack "play Easter" and eventually chasing the boy around the workshop with a plant that he had manipulated to grow into a zombie plant with teeth, which again made the Pooka crack up at the memory. The next memory caused him to pause, his furry lips pursing in thought as he considered it. He had rediscovered his ability to shape shift, and had overused it, resulting in him falling off the rafter and down through the workshop. The rabbit shuddered at the memory, his old fear rearing its head making his paws shake in terror, but then he remembered Jack diving down towards him his arms outstretched and mouth wide open as he screamed in fear for the life of the kit. Aster cocked his head at the memory as it progressed to Jack calming him down, giving him a teddy bear, and wrapping him in a blanket.
But the memory from right before his transformation, that one struck a chord with him the deepest:
"We're gonna be brothers forever, right Jack?"
The winter sprite smiled "That's right buddy, we're always gonna be brothers."
Aster looked over at Jack, his smile becoming warm as he remembered how Jack called him his older brother without fear, reservation, or even hesitation. It made the Pooka have to swallow a large ball of emotion as feelings of gratitude and affection for his odd family welled up in his heart. Walking over to the sleeping winter child, the rabbit gently coaxed the cookie out of Jack's hands, and then leaned down to pick up his little brother. Tucking the white head to lay on his shoulder, Aster carried Jack to the sprite's room, dipping his muzzle to snuffle the boy's temple. Jack let out a sigh, and snuggled closer to his adopted sibling, making the Pooka chuckle.
Placing Jack on the boy's bed in his room, Bunny tucked him in, and ran his paw through the soft white hair "Thank ya Jack," he murmured softly "fer everything."
A small smirk quirked one side of the winter child's mouth "Aw," the boy muttered incoherently "you do care."
Aster let out a surprised bark of laughter at the boy talking in his sleep "Ya brat," the rabbit chuckled before leaving the room to its current sleeping occupant.
So…how was that for closing out the arc? It needed to be done guys, I know you didn't want it to end, but we had lots of fun didn't we?
Can't wait for the upcoming one shots and future arcs!