Day Three - Part One
The morning after...
Jack woke up to an amazingly soft pressure against his head, cocooned in the smell of chocolate. Everything was warm, and he hummed in relaxation, pushing up into the strange, gentle vibrations above him.
He was sure he'd fallen asleep next to Bunny in North's guest room...
Peering an eye open, he glanced around in the darkness.
Well, he definitely wasn't sleeping next to Bunny anymore.
He was sleeping on top of him.
"Come on," he grumbled. It was bad enough that he'd been cuddling into Bunny the night before, he couldn't have him waking up to discover Jack using him as a pillow.
A really, really, really nice pillow, but that was beside the point.
Still half-asleep, Jack attempted to wriggle away, until he was pulled softly but firmly back to Bunny's chest, smooth arms wrapping around him, and the overgrown rabbit growled low, slowly rubbing his jaw over Jack's hair.
"Um, Roo?" he chuckled in a whisper. Bunny must have been sound asleep, because the vibrations grew louder and the deep rumble in Bunny's jaw and chest became stronger.
It almost sounded like...
"Are you... purring?!" he muttered with a grin, trying to look up. Annoyingly, it was too dark to see anything and Bunny wasn't giving him any wiggle room.
"So I'm not using you as a pillow, you're using me as a cuddly toy," said Jack, nuzzling drowsily into his fur. "Cute. Too cute."
He supposed he could push harder, or shout at him or prod him, he just... didn't want to.
It was so late, and he felt comfortable and relaxed and safe and he didn't care about the spooky shadows bouncing off the walls or the fact they couldn't leave or the howling winds outside the snow-battered window...
Nope, none of that mattered.
Not when Bunny's warm nose hit the top of his head and he gave a little sniff, a tiny growl, and then the purring started once more.
Jack had to bite his lip to stop himself from breaking into laughter, his entire body shaking with the effort of keeping quiet.
The big bundle of fur cuddling him close was so unlike the competitive kangaroo he was used to, and since it didn't look like he was going to be released any time soon...
"Okay, then. You can have me," Jack exhaled happily, snuggling deeper into the thick, long fur at the top of Bunny's chest, pressing his head into the space under his jaw. "All yours."
It must have been the right thing to say or do because Bunny seemed to curl over him, and the purring became a nice, low rumble.
Jack sighed heavily into it, closing his eyes, and he drifted back to sleep.
*
Bunny groaned, blinking, taking in the kaleidoscope of bright sunlight streaming in through the frosted window. The clouds were starting to thin, the loud and unforgiving wind throwing the snow that remained into the glass in wild flurries.
He wriggled further into the pillows. It might have been late in the day, but his head was still heavy with the aftereffects of wine.
Another hour's rest and he'd be right as rain.
His arms tightened protectively around the bundle he was holding, nosing it affectionately, until he heard a quiet exhale and he almost jumped out of his fur.
Oh, no...
He glanced down.
A mess of white hair. A peaceful face. His paw resting on a pale neck, his other hidden under a crumpled white t-shirt, thumb stroking back and forth on bare skin.
A potential mate...
No. No. No.
"No!" He kicked the sprite away and quickly scrambled to the edge of the bed.
"Ah!" Jack's head darted up, looking everywhere with wide, unfocused eyes. "Wh-what?!"
"I was... Y-You were sleeping on me!"
"Sleeping on..." Jack rubbed his eyes and collapsed onto the pillows, holding his chest. "Geez, Bunny, I thought we were being attacked! Is this just how you wake up sometimes? It's so early."
"It's midday! Probably?!" Bunny huffed, trying and failing to squirm free of the blankets he was tangled in. "You were sleeping on me!"
He gave up with the blankets, flexing his paws instead. He could still feel the chill from where he'd been holding Jack.
His head began filling with memories of the night before.
The stories, the laughter, the sudden need to pull Jack close and Jack's unexpected need to be held close...
He was going to burn all the blackberry wine in the Warren. It was the only thing for it.
"Oh. Yeah. That," Jack muttered, his eyes falling closed again. He snuggled into the pillows, blindly reaching out until he clasped Bunny's arm. "I forgot."
Bunny froze at the contact, his eyes flickering over the sprite's fingers as they buried themselves deep into his fur.
It would be so easy to lie down, to pull Jack onto him again, to let him curl up against his chest and doze off and-
What the hell was he thinking?!
"What do you mean, you forgot?" he snapped, shaking his hand off.
"Shh, too loud!" Jack whined through a yawn, stretching over the bed like a cat, peeking coyly at him from behind his arm. "Promise you won't be mad?"
"Not likely," he said bluntly.
Jack hit his forehead on the pillow, pressing into it tiredly before glancing back up. "So, it turns out you're uh, kinda cuddly in your sleep. You've got a pretty tight grip too. I wasn't exactly complaining. I've never been this relaxed. I could have lay here for another five hours. Best sleep of my life. You know, right up until I was kicked. Rude."
I could hold you every night.
Agh!
"Th-that doesn't make sense!" stammered Bunny, something shimmering catching his eye. He looked down, only to see the lightest scattering of frost on his chest where Jack's head had been resting. He didn't feel cold though. Far from it.
He felt warm. Warm all over.
None of this made sense!
Why hadn't he just asked the snow globe for books and let the sprite take the couch? They could have spent seven days ignoring each other and have been done with it. He-
"Bunny, what's wrong?" A hesitant hand found Bunny's arm again but this time, the fingers didn't burrow. "I should have woken you, right? I wasn't thinking. I was being selfish."
Bunny caught Jack's troubled eyes, and he barely resisted the sudden (and near overwhelming) urge to take his hand. "No, Jack. That's not what... I didn't mean..."
Damnit, this wasn't fair. No matter how confused he was feeling, he shouldn't be taking it out on the sprite. He was sure he'd find something to get mad at him about later, but not this.
"You're not selfish, mate," he sighed, rubbing his paws over his muzzle, trying to boot his muddled morning brain into gear. "Furthest thing from it, I reckon. I told you before, it takes me a while to wake up. I can be a bit-"
"Grouchy?" Jack snorted, poking his waist softly. "Or is it cranky? Testy, maybe?"
"Shut it," he tutted, shoving him hard. "It's too early for your nonsense."
"Grumpy, that's the one," Jack laughed, clicking his fingers. He quickly rolled out of bed. "My giant, grumpy rabbit cellmate, who's just a big softy, deep down."
"A big softy, aye?" Bunny couldn't help a smile at that, dropping his paws to his knees. "And you're my cheeky, little brat of a cellmate. Nothing much else."
"Ha! Whatever," he chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "Why am I still tired? Thirsty and hungry too. Is this a hangover? Not sure if I like it."
"Not s'posed to," yawned Bunny, watching Jack stretch, then kick his staff into his hand as easily as if it was an extension of himself, wandering towards the window.
And, despite his best efforts, he couldn't take his eyes off him. From his chaotic hair, to his skinny hips, right down to his bare feet padding across the wooden floor...
He swallowed thickly.
A mild attraction. That's all it was.
A tiny, meagre attraction that would probably disappear over the course of the day. Easy as that.
"There was actually one other thing," Jack said, twirling his staff as he looked out at the falling snow. He fiddled with the window's latch, glancing over his shoulder with a glint in his eye.
That glint was pure evil.
Bunny fell back against the bed and tugged a pillow out from behind his head, holding it over his face with a loud groan. "What is it, Frostbite? I'm already at my limit for this time of day."
"Roo," Jack sang in the distance. "Grumpy, fluffy Bun Bun..."
He threw the pillow down the bed and glared at him. "What?!"
Jack turned around, biting his lip playfully. "You were purring in your sleep."
Bunny's ears shot up. "Okay, now you've gone too far," he said, almost tripping over the blankets as he clambered out of bed, quickly smoothing down his sleep-ruffled fur. He pointed at the terror. "Take it back."
"It's the truth!" laughed Jack, flicking his staff under his arm, looking like butter wouldn't melt. "And you must really like my scent, because you were rubbing your face on my hair too. You growled at me when I tried to move away. Not a bad one, more like a gloomy kitten growl. It was the sweetest thing."
Sweetest thing...
Did Jack even hear himself when he spoke?
And more importantly, rubbing his face on Jack's hair? Had he been marking Jack in his sleep?!
Bunny gulped. "I-I don't usually have a bedmate. It's instinct, is all."
That sounded pathetic, even to him.
"Instinct," repeated Jack, his smile faltering. "So you would have done that if you were sharing a bed with North or Tooth?"
"I..." The answer was a clear and definite no. Even if he'd found himself in this situation with anyone else, it wouldn't have been an option, because he would have taken the couch without a second thought.
"I knew it." Jack ducked his head, twirling his staff energetically, glancing up at him from beneath his spiky fringe. "I'm your favourite, and you love having me around. Admit it."
Bunny felt the air catch in his throat, his ears getting hot, but he outright refused to let Jack's eagle eyes spot it. He stomped towards him. "Right! You listen here-!"
"Finally." Jack flashed a wicked grin and swiftly kicked his staff backwards with his heel.
The tip of the staff caught on the latch and the window flew open, icy wind blasting into the room and knocking Bunny right off his feet. He landed in a bundle on the rug and just as fast, the howling stopped. He heard the latch close with an obnoxiously loud click.
He growled dangerously.
Forget last night. Forget the last few days. Forget the last few months!
He'd been awake for five minutes and he was ready to strangle the blighter! As he damn well should have done a year ago!
"Right!" Jack leapt over to him, holding his staff behind his back innocently. "Now that we're both totally awake, we should try to find- AH!"
Bunny swiped Jack's legs out from under him, and he joined him on the floor with a thud.
"Ow, Bun! Overreaction! I could have hit my head!"
"Chance would be a fine thing." He took a huge breath, flipping onto his paws and shaking the snow out his fur. "You're making me regret saving you from throwing yourself out of the window. Could've frozen my damn tail off..."
"Like I'd ever let anything happen to that fluffy tail," Jack gazed up at him impishly, leaning on his elbows and Bunny stood tall, moving slowly around him. "You looked like you needed fresh air! I was being kind! You feel a lot better, right? Be honest."
Well, his headache was gone, and he was enjoying the sight of the sprite sprawled on the floor...
"That's not the point!"
"And your point is?" Jack rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin on his palms with a sly smile, following Bunny's movements.
Bunny's ears twitched. "If we're going to make it through the next few days, we're gonna need to set some rules, starting with how we behave in the morning."
"How we behave? We? Are you joking?! You've kicked me awake twice!" scoffed Jack, rolling onto his back and leaning up on his elbows again, never losing sight of him. "It's only been three days!"
"That's because you were on top of me!"
"You wouldn't let me go!" he exclaimed, going back onto his stomach, his t-shirt riding up just enough to show off his pale lower back.
Bunny couldn't tear his eyes away, studying the delicate curve of it.
"And, yeah, I didn't try very hard to push you away because I'm not used to having a 'bedmate' either, or at all," he continued at a pace, "and it was nice and I didn't really want to move because you're... doesn't matter. It was wrong and if you want me to sleep on the couch tonight, I get it and I absolutely will. Just... Bunny, will you stand still? The circling is really cute, but I'm pretty sure it's predatory, no matter what you say."
"Circling isn't predatory, mate," Bunny reminded him absently, wandering around him, staring at his pale skin. "It's-"
He froze.
Jack raised his eyebrows, smirking with his tongue between his teeth. "Told you."
Bunny was circling him.
He was actually circling him.
Thankfully, Jack had no idea what that meant, and Bunny was in no mood to think too hard about it.
"You're right," he lied, matching the sprite's mischievous smile, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "It is predatory, and I am sizing you up. Just waiting for the right moment to pounce-"
"I can't wait," chuckled Jack with a strange eagerness. Then he suddenly looked down and cleared his throat, a light sparkle traveling up his exposed neck and across the shoulders of his t-shirt. "I mean... we can finally see who would win in an actual fight."
"Really?" Bunny snorted, staring down at the blighter in surprise.
Jack shrugged, picking distractedly at the threads of the rug, refusing eye contact. "Fighting's what we're good at, right?"
Just watching that oddly timid movement had his ears lowering in puzzlement. He sat back on his haunches and carefully tapped Jack's chin. "And here I thought you were more interested in dancing than fighting."
The words were out of his mouth before he could think better of them, but then again, maybe he was just a big softy.
It didn't matter. It seemed to do the trick.
Jack's head shot up, and he pulled himself onto his knees. "Don't you dare tease me, Bun Bun. We were both fuzzy from the wine, I just figured you'd pretend you never offered. And after all this, it would be fine if-"
"This... this is just me in the morning, Frostbite," he admitted with a sigh. "I'm bad at it. Nobody usually sees this, ever sees this really, and we don't have the luxury of... of storming away from each other like we usually do after Sandy's cursed dreamsand."
"Yeah, you're never great then either-"
"Alright," he interrupted, his lip twitching upwards, gently ruffling Jack's dishevelled hair. "Can't deny I had a good time last night, and I'm a Pooka of my word, wine or no. Better than fighting, in my opinion, and it'll give us something to do that's not finding ways to knock me on my arse."
That seemed to cheer the sprite up.
"So," Jack drawled, tilting his head into Bunny's paw. "Does this mean you forgive me for not waking you?"
"I'd need to blame you to forgive you, and I don't blame you," he said honestly. "Truth is, I'd have given you a right earful if you woke me up in the middle of the night. Best just to let me sleep. Especially after a bevvy. Keeps me from being a-"
"Giant, grumpier rabbit?" finished Jack with a smirk. He tugged on the fur of Bunny's knee.
"A giant, grumpier rabbit," agreed Bunny, rolling his eyes, knocking his shoulder lightly. "Not everyone can be a morning person. Terror."
Jack was suddenly on his feet, shoving Bunny back with his staff and hovering over him, pressing the length of knotted wood across his chest until they were almost nose to nose. "Okay! First things first, food. I have a feeling you'll get friendlier with a full belly. Then I've got a few more tricks to try for escaping, and then..." he stepped away, holding his staff behind him and offering his hand. "I'd be honoured if you'd show me some of your moves."
"'Some' implies I have more than two," laughed Bunny, letting Jack pull him to his feet. A thought struck him. "Actually, if we're going to do this, I have one condition."
Jack narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "A condition?"
"That's right," said Bunny darkly. "And you're not going to like it."
*
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