If Jack had done this months ago, Bunny was sure he would have leapt up and tried to flee. As it was, he felt only a little tension as the winter spirit approached and then situated himself in the Pookaâs lap. It was brief and he relaxed quickly as Jack leaned against him, the differences in their body temperatures becoming more pronounced when they were this close.
Truthfully, he liked that. He liked the cool feeling he got when Jack was near and he hoped that he didnât make the young Guardian uncomfortable with his contrasting warmth. They were both opposites in many ways but heâd actually never felt this close to anyone before. Jack was the exception to all the rules, quite fitting when he thought about it.
He grinned, looking down at Jack as he spoke. âBees donât like beinâ confined. They wonât sting ya if youâre not threateninâ the buggers. Iâve got a few in the Warren, helps pollinate the flowers so I donât have to go everywhere just to do it myself,â he said, shrugging just a little. Bunny smirked at the thought of Jack with a swollen mouth, unable to even make a single quip. âWouldâve liked to seen that. First time Iâll bet ya had nothinâ smart to say for yourself.â
Letting out a soft breath, Bunny wrapped his arms loosely around his lover as he closed his eyes. âThink ya might like it in early spring if ya stuck around. Ya know that thereâs flowers that grow around the snow,â he said, opening his eyes again. âSome people think winter is when things die but they donât, not really. They sleep, takinâ a rest and cominâ back better and brighter than ever.â
It was only after the words left his mouth that Aster caught himself and grimaced with a growl of irritation at himself. âSorry, mate. Gettinâ a bit too relaxed, I think.â He gestured to the ceiling of the Warren where the sun blazed down. âItâs the sun.â Yeah, that wasnât a flimsy excuse at all.
Jack would have been content to sit there with the arms around him and being lectured about bees and spring and winter. He wasnât content with the apology. What was it for? For touching him? That seemed silly, Jack touched Bunny all the time. He was uncertain, but he didnât care. It needed corrected either way.
It was a slow shift, but he turned around in the Pookaâs lap. It was awkward like that, so he shifted so his thin legs were resting on either side of Bunnyâs thighs. Honestly he stood on his knees so he could ensure he reached his mouth, and the kiss he demanded certainly had no permission behind it. It was short, however. âMy bad,â he murmured, moving his gaze up to Bunnyâs bright, springtime eyes. âI donât know what got into me. Probably the sun.â He teased. He moved his hands up to Bunnyâs cheeks. He had a lot of fur there, but Jack rather enjoyed pushing his fingers through it. It was also a fun place to grip to ensure their lips aligned properly, which was exactly what he did for a second, and somewhat longer kiss. It wasnât a rough kiss by any means. It was slow and lazy, just as the sun seemed to imply. He let go of his grip on the fur, smoothing it just a little and in turn draping his arms over Bunnyâs shoulders.
Once more he pulled away, amused by the tiny cloud of breath that dispersed between them. Hot and cold, but Jack truly loved the heat now. Just Bunnyâs. He couldnât tolerate some heat, it often made him uncomfortable, but he craved the Pooka. âWhen you say it like that, you sort of make it sound like the spring really needs the winter. Iâd be careful if I were you, I might take that to mean you need me.â He needed Bunny. His entire existence seemed to rely on him now. He relied on being allowed to touch someone whenever he wanted. He never had to look at Bunny and worry that he was invisible. He was always seenâeven if he was sometimes annoying or frustratingâand lately he felt like he was truly cared for, or even really loved. Love was a strong word, and Jack could remember Bunnyâs decision from earlier. To love each other and see where it went. Back then, Jack thought that meant Bunny felt incapable of loving Jack as anything more than a friend. He hoped that thought process had changed⌠but even if it hadnât, Jack would be happy to be friends who kiss and never call Bunny out on that. For that reason he was hesitant to bring up the word love. Jack had never been in love, so how should he know when he had achieved that?
No, it was easier just to kiss him. At this point maybe he was pushing his luck, by straddling him and kissing him and talking in hushed tones. Maybe it was obvious he was feeling stronger for Bunny than he used to, or at least feeing strongly in new ways. It wasnât like heâd said a word on the subject of asking for more, yet. All he was doing now was asking for kisses. They kissed all the time. Did where Jack was located make that big of a difference?
Sort of. He felt the difference. They were closer, and he was vulnerable. Bunny must have felt vulnerable too. Wasnât being trapped between Jack and the tree something similar to being pinned? He doubted that was something Bunny liked. But Bunny was also not the same as an animal, and by being such a humanoid shape it truly surprised Jack to think that this was not something common around his species too. Or was it? Bunny had implied once or twice he tried to seem more human. What if, like when he ran, most Pooka had always remained on all fours?
Well that would be a shame, because when Bunny stood at his full height his shoulders were easier to see. Wide and strong shoulders. His small waist, as well. It baffled Jack constantly just how slender Bunny was in his middle. The thoughts made it hard for him not to slide a hand down, once just trailing down his chest and then sliding back up. His fingers came to a stop when they were properly tangled up in the fur, and he curled them loosely as he often did. He meant, in that moment, to stop kissing him. To just give Bunny the chance to react, to say that he didnât want Jack to straddle him or to say that he did. Instead he got lost and pecked his lips again. The fur really didnât bother him. The whiskers didnât bother him. He surely had proved that, by now. He truly didnât mean to sound quite so breathy when he said âI actually didnât mean to kiss you this many times⌠youâre kind of hard to resist. But if you donât mind too much⌠Iâd really like to kiss you some more.â At least that clarified he was trying to ask permission. He just had trouble doing so, considering how absolutely addicting Bunnyâs lips were. Did he know? He should have known. Jack was only a little obsessed with him.
