It seems in my last chapter, TriangleButterfly , was one of the only ones who wanted a wholesome chapter before my angsty series. I asked for a request from them specifically.
This chapter is going to be a wholesome, chapter with Jack, Archie, and the Bunnymund family. A part of it will be a little angsty because it brings up a moment of the way past but it turns back into wholesome. It will be told from Archie's point of view.
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Tuesday
"I need to spend more time with your family." Archie felt Jack tense under his hand. He was laying on his side, a hand going through Jack's hair as they laid in his nest at the Warren.
"You sleep here. That's spending time." He pressed his lips together to hide the smile. Jack was hesitant to let him be alone with the Bunnymund group even after all resentment and problems fell away. He knew this would be a part of getting to be Jack's first relationship, first real anything.
"It is. But there should be more." He felt Jack fidget around before looking back down at his sketchbook. He looked at the drawing of Elliot in the flower field before going back to Jack's expression. He could see him getting his thoughts together, his eyes going back and forth across the page.
"W-Why do you think there should be more? Has anyone made you feel uncomfortable? Do you want to leave? I can-" He quickly put a hand over Jack's mouth. They looked at each other as he watched the blue eyes he adored fill with overthinking and doubt. Another thing he knew would be a part of being with Jack Frost. He fought with his thoughts on a daily.
"I never meant or said that. I just simply mean that getting to know your family is a part of something I want to do. They mean the world to you. I'd like to be more in the know with them. I want to be accepted in more." He took his hand off of Jack's mouth before leaning against the side of the nest again. He watched Jack take in his words.
"You...You want to be a part of my family." He held his breath for a quick second, Jack's eyes meeting his. He nodded. He watched Jack's eyes take him in. He waited. Jack was staring at him but no longer looking at him. He hoped this wouldn't scare him completely off. He knew asking questions like this would be a big risk.
"That's a big thing. It's a big thing to be in this family, you understand that right? Getting into a Pooka relationship is a different type of thing." He nodded again. He had been speaking with Pitch about what it would take for him to fit in the Bunnymund family.
"I know that. I also know that getting on Bunny's good side is something I've already done, mon amour. I'm in the circle with Ridley and Liam. Ares still likes to test me but I think I'm closer to him now. The only ones left are Eleanor and Lily. I can do it, I want to do it."
He watched Jack take in his words before moving out of the nest. He raised his eyebrow at Jack's frustrated face that he was making. Half of him was afraid that Jack was running away from the serious question but the other half of him knew something good may be about to happen.
"Where are you going, Jack?" He hid his smile behind his hand as Jack sent a glare in his direction.
"There's a picnic this Friday. I'm going to ask Bunny if you can go." Archie waited until Jack fully left the room before letting his smile shine, throwing himself on his back to wait for the answer.
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Friday
"Hurry up, Spring fairy." Archie rolled his eyes behind Ridley's back. If anyone else called him that, he would already be in an argument with them but he knew this was in a wholesome way. It was along the same lines of Bunny calling Jack "Frostbite" sometimes. It was something just between them.
He grunted at the weight of the box in his hand. He was given one of the food boxes. One of the most important boxes of the whole trip as they walked up the largest hill in the Warren. He wasn't allowed to fly either. He could feel Jack's worrying glances towards his way but Liam was keeping him from looking at him.
This was their test as Uncles.
He glanced over to see Ares smiling with no shame as the Chief Pooka watched him struggle. He saw Eleanor glaring at her sons, then glaring at her husband, then giving him a soft smile of encouragement.
He didn't even try to look behind him at Lily. Aster was meeting them up the hill. He could feel her looking at the back of his head. She was the only one who he wasn't on the best side with. He didn't understand where her grudge against him had come from but she had one. It was the one thing that made him want to do this.
When they finally got to the spot, he hid his exhausted breathing behind a cough as he placed the box beside the others. He felt Jack step beside him, cold air slowly going over his clothes as the sweat on his back dried. He felt goosebumps cover his skin before he finally looked over at his lover. He noticed Jack was clenching his fist and jaw in silent anger at the test. He slowly took Jack's hand, lacing their fingers together.
Archie felt eyes on him as he held Jack's hand. He glanced over to see Lily just watching with a blank face. She was looking between him and Jack before looking away. She was the one last one he had to get through. Eleanor had trapped him in a corner this morning giving her two cents in.
"Archie." He looked over his shoulder as Eleanor was walking up to him. He looked around to see no one else and knew this was about to be a Grandmother/ Grandson's boyfriend talk.
"Yes ma'am?" He could see she liked the response by her little smile before it disappeared. He stood his ground as she walked right up in front of him. Their height difference was insane but he knew he couldn't show it intimidated him. He felt his breath catch as she raised a flower in the air.
It was beautiful but he knew exactly what it was. The Angel's Trumpet, one of the most poisonous flowers in the world. It was one he tried his best not to let it grow in areas near children.
"I assume you know what this is?" He noticed how she wore gardening gloves while holding it. A simple touch could spread the poison.
"Yes ma'am." He couldn't help but step back, his back hitting the wall of the house behind him as she stepped closer to him with the flower. He watched her carefully as she held it close to his face while holding his breath. Inhaling the plant was dangerous. She pulled it back with an evil smile.
"I know every poisonous flower in the world, just like you do. I know over 100 hundred ways to kill a person, 90 of them can look like an accident. Do we understand?" Archie nodded. He knew that Eleanor would never truly kill him but the intentions of what she meant where loud and clear.
Hurt Jack and she'd hurt him.
Archie blinked back into the present as Jack pulled on his hand to sit. He took his spot beside by Jack, not realizing that it meant sitting right next to Lily. He thought Bunny would be the one to sit next to them but he was wrong. He could sense the tension surrounding her. He didn't know what her problem with him was but he needed to figure it out.
They talked about random things. Production in the Warren. Seasonal Problems. Liam's relationship with Thea and how it was going. Ridley's mistake with the colors at the East river.
He fell into a comfortable conversation with Ares when the tension he felt finally snapped. He heard Jack place his plate on the ground a little harder than he should have. He glanced over to see Jack glaring with cold eyes at Lily.
"What is wrong with you right now?" Archie looked back at Ares to see the elder staring at Lily too.
"Nothing is wrong." He heard Jack scoff before shaking his head. He went to grab the cold hand but Jack was already standing.
"If you have a problem with him being here then say that. You're brooding in the corner of this family picnic instead of speaking. "Talk to me Jack" You're all about me communicating with you but here you are silently brooding. So what is the problem now?"
Archie glanced at Lily to see her ears twitching as if they wanted to fall but she wasn't letting them. He looked at Bunny to find him looking off in the distance. He wondered if Bunny knew what was wrong or if he was just tired of their arguments.
"And you can't use your instincts as an excuse anymore. Dad, Ares, Eleanor, no one else feels it anymore. So what is your deal?" Archie pressed his lips together as he looked in between each Bunnymund family member. None of them looked ready to go against what Jack was saying.
"It was right after a day when the Summer spirits attacked you before your fade, I was watching from the other side. It was one of my days to watch you. I followed the boys back to where they were going. When they were bragging about what they had done, he-" Archie felt her eyes on him. His body was tense because he knew what day this was,
"He went to the spot you were left at. He took you back to your lake, put you in the snow, and just left you. You were bleeding and broken and he left you laying there to be found instead of helping you. All he did was take you somewhere colder. He knew what was happening and never did anything to stop it."
Archie swallowed, bowing his head. He hated remembering those times. He looked up at Aster to see him already looking his way. He remembered back to the talk he had with Bunny right in the beginning.
"Is this some trick?" Archie jumped in the kitchen of the Bunnymund house. He had gone to get a glass of water while everyone else slept. Crystal, April, and him had come to sleep over. He turned to find Aster standing behind him at his full height with his arms crossed. He swallowed. Damn he was scary.
"Is what a trick?" He watched Bunny look him up and down before the older man leaned against the counter.
"Your feelings for my son." He felt his face go red at hearing someone else say it out loud. He hadn't admitted it to anyone since the kiss Jack had given him in the library to stop his panic attack.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Archie knew it was stupid to lie. He watched Bunny's eyebrows raise in disbelief.
"You don't realize the looks you give him when he isn't looking but I do. I'm telling you right now, he doesn't know what love is. He never has. If you like him, if you have feelings for him? You better think very hard to yourself if you'll stick around with him. Find out for yourself if you'll stay with him."
Archie held his breath as Bunny stepped up to him, pinning him against the counter with one of his boomerangs right under his chin. He watched the way the Pooka in front of him went from passive to deadly. His eyes sharpened, his ears straightened, and his fur puffed up. He was terrifying.
"Do not put Jack on your list of short romances to entertain yourself, Archie Fall. I'll make your life hell if you hurt my kit." Archie watched him walk away as he held the glass to his chest. He looked down to the necklace charm Jack had given him, twirling it in his fingers.
"I don't think there is anyone else I'd want to be with after knowing him now." He whispered it, but knew Bunny heard it by the way he stopped in the doorway.
"I find it hard to look at him because when I do, I see the Spring spirit who never did anything to help you. I watched all those years of things happening to you and he did nothing. I'm trying, Jack. I've forgiven him for what he's done but I'm still getting used to him being around as the nice guy."
Archie could feel Jack preparing a speech back. He reached out, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him down. He bit his lip to hide the laugh he wanted to give at Jack's grunt with him hitting the ground but he kept it in. He took the chance to look over at Lily. She was staring at him now.
"I regret every day that I never did anything to help him. I regret never stopping to take a chance and get to know him. My biggest regrets will always be never looking for Jack, never taking the time to help him. I know you wish to hate me forever for the things you saw me ignore. I know that you want me to go away half the time because you still feel that I am a danger but-"
He took a deep breath before glancing at the others. Ridley and Liam were looking at him with raised eyebrows but small smiles. Eleanor was smiling bright with an encouraging nod. Bunny nodded at him to keep going. Ares was just staring at him while eating.
"But I don't plan on going anywhere. I'm going to be here for however long Jack wants me. I hope that someday, you'll accept me like the ones around you have." He held his breath. Did he go to far?
Lily watched him with a blank face for a few more seconds until it fell. A soft look showed through her eyes, looking past him. He turned to look over his shoulder to see Jack's face blushed but his eyes were shinning. He knew then that he had done something right.
"Alright, enough of this drama. Let's get to the main course. You can give each other heart eyes later." Archie rolled his eyes at Ridley's words but smiled when both Liam and Eleanor smacked the back of his head.
He felt Jack take his hand as they got back to the meal. The emotional speech was brushed to the side as they went back to casual conversation. He wondered what she had to say after this. Would she pull him aside and ask him to leave? Or did he say the right things?
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Archie stood outside the Bunnymund house as he went to leave. The picnic went well despite the near Jack and Lily argument. She hadn't spoke to him any after that but she did glance at him every once in a while. They had all left happy and full back to the house. Jack and him went back to his room to take a nap.
He had to leave tonight for a Spring run to make sure the season was going good over certain areas in the world.
"Archie." He jumped slightly, turning to find Lily walking up to his side. She seemed almost embarrassed and hesitant to walk up to him. He watched her look around in a way that seemed she was finding the right words. He flinched a little as she raised her hand but was surprised when she lightly held the back of his neck.
"Thank you, Archie. For everything you've done." He looked up to her eyes to find the motherly look she gave Jack sometimes was being given to him. He frowned when he felt his eyes burn from tears that he didn't want to show. Why was he crying? He let out a gasp when she pulled him close, wrapping him in a tight hug.
"I-I'm so sorry. I mean it. I regret never helping him. I lo-"
"Shh. Don't let me be the first one to hear you say it. Let him hear it. I can see it every time you look at him. I'm the one who is sorry for taking this long to accept you. I'm sorry for how I've treated you." He held back a sob as she pulled back from the hug, cupping his face in her paws.
"You're a good boy, Archie Fall. You're good enough for him." He went to say something but the feeling of someone walking up behind him cut him off. He looked over his shoulder despite the hold she still had on his face to see Aster walking up behind them. He watched as Bunny raised his paw, placing it on the back on his neck right under Lily's hold.
"Welcome to the family, kit."
He bowed his head, leaning into the arms wrapping around him. He felt Lily's nose go against his temple as Bunny rested his chin on his head.
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I need to write more wholesome chapters like this with Archie and Jack. Give me some ideas for chapters with them to write after my angst series ;)
I hope this is what you were looking for TriangleButterfly.
Up next... the angst series.