Note: I've had this one over on AO3 for a while but I figured I'd share it here too. The usual warning applies for my Rise of the Guardian fics, it's Jack x Bunny. Also, I have to try to figure out how to fix the spacing. It looked fine until I uploaded here so sorry about that in the meantime.

Jack cursed loudly as, yet another, shot from his staff went astray and hit as far away from the intended target as possible. He threw his head back, glared at the sky (as if it had caused his mistake), sighed in frustration and closed his eyes.

A little over a year ago Jack had stopped Pitch, became a Guardian and received his first believer. He had proven to himself that his powers were a gift not a curse. Yet, here he was, still making rookie mistakes over and over again.

This wasn't the first time either. For weeks now his magic had been off. He couldn't concentrate, he felt distracted and he had a feeling he knew why.

After Pitch's defeat, Aster had talked to Jack about doing some training. He had been concerned. He told Jack that even with Pitch gone there was always a chance of a new evil arising. He had said it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Jack agreed.

The more Aster and Jack trained, the more their friendship grew. Soon Jack began feeling the need to spend more and more time with his fellow Guardian. Before he realized it, his feelings for his friend had changed also. However, it wasn't until Tooth said something one day that he realized just how they had changed.

Tooth didn't accompany Jack to training often but they had made plans for later that day and decided it would be easier for them both if she came along. They could leave directly after.

She had sat quietly in Aster's warren and observed. Tooth loved watching Jack and Bunny spar. It was impressive and left her awed. She had watched, excited, as shots of ice materialized from Jack's staff and shot towards Aster only to be dodged with practice and ease. Then Bunny would take a turn, attacking Jack with his boomerang and Jack would deflect it without problem. That was how it usually went anyway.

That day, Jack seemed distracted and got hit more than once by Aster's attacks. When they took a break so Bunny could talk to Jack, and presumably try to help him, Tooth noticed something interesting.

Bunny stepped close to Jack, real close, and Tooth watched Jack's reaction with interest. When Bunny stepped next him Jack seemed nervous, his leg twitched as if he was ready to step back. The younger Guardian didn't move but he did keep his focus off of Aster's face and kept playing with his hands. As Aster finished talking he placed a pawed hand on Jack's shoulder and Tooth's eyes went wide with realization as she watched Jack flinch at the touch and saw his cheeks begin to color.

After they talked, Jack and Aster went back to sparring. Tooth was happy to see that Jack seemed more focused and calm. A half hour later Aster ended their training and Tooth and Jack took off towards North's, heading there to watch a movie.

Tooth knew what she wanted to ask her friend but wasn't sure how to approach it. "That was fun." she began.

Jack snorted then let the wind carry him up to Tooth's side to look at her. "What part was fun for you? " he asked. "The time I got hit by Aster's boomerang or the time I got hit by my backfiring magic?"

Tooth chuckled lightly. "You seemed to do better after Bunny talked to you."

Jack rolled his eyes but laughed quietly and sighed. "Yeah, I guess. "

"You two seem to work together pretty good?" Tooth asked, easing her way to the question she wanted to ask.

"Mmhmm" Jack replied absently as he continued to gracefully follow the flow of the wind.

"It seems like you're becoming good friends too?" she pressed.

"Yep." Jack swung his staff out to help himself turn towards a nearby tree.

"You two spend a lot of time together don't you?" Tooth turned herself in the air to face her friend.

Jack raised an eyebrow from his new perch, suspicious of the current questioning. "Yeah.." He drew out.

Tooth wrung the fingers of one hand with her other one, then drew a slow breath in and let it out quietly before continuing. She knew Jack was getting suspicious and she'd have to ask him now if she was going to ask at all. "'You really like him don't you?"

"I said he was a good friend, so no, I guess I don't like him at all" Jack replied, sarcasm dripped from his tongue. He glanced at the fairy questioningly.

Tooth frowned at his sarcasm. "You know what I mean Jack." She replied pointedly.

Jack was silent for a minute then he leapt off the tree he'd been sitting in. "Please don't do this." he plead as he allowed the air current to take him back to where Tooth was still fluttering.

The tooth fairy took in Jack's sad eyes and offered a soft smile. "I'm right then, you do like him?" she questioned. Jack froze, staring at her like a startled deer. He remained like that for some time while Tooth waited patiently. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and nodded in resignation.

Tooth made her way to the ground, glancing up every now and then to make sure Jack was following. When they both settled on the ground and sat down, Tooth spoke up. "It's alright Jack." She offered as she watched Jack, with his down turned head, pick at his staff. "I'm sure once you tell Bunny …." she trailed when she heard the weird laugh from her friend. She gave him a curious look.

"I'm not telling him." Jack shook his head. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Tooth! " he grabbed her arm with a hand, a renewed panic showed on his face. "You can't say anything either."

"I'm not going to say anything Jack" she assured him. "But you should" she added before he could say anything else.

Jack let her arm go. "How can I?" he asked, but it wasn't directed at her. He stared off in the distance.

Tooth sighed. "We'll talk some other time. Let's get to North's." She stood and offered him a hand up.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "That sounds good." He took the fairy's hand and stood up. As they made their way to North's he managed to push his thoughts about Aster to the back of his mind.