Whelp, this was an angst storm. Not quite what I anticipated, but here you go! Trigger warning for major insecurities, insecurities, and depressive thoughts

"-And then Rapunzel tripped on a tree root and went tumbling down the hill, taking Merida and Hiccup with her, and they all got tangled in her hair! Toothless got so worried about Hiccup, he tried to pull him out, but it just ended up making everyone more tangled and it was so funny!" Jack chattered on about the day he'd had, unknowingly making Bunny more grumpy by the second. The two were painting eggs on one of the many hills in the Warren, but even the rhythmic motions weren't successful in keeping him calm.

This was the first time in multiple weeks that they'd managed to get some alone time together, and of course all Jack could talk about were his new friends. Of course Bunny wasn't upset about Jack having friends, he was actually elated, glad that Jack had people he could relate to and have fun with. But these people were cutting in on their alone time, time that had been becoming slowly harder to come by. After living for countless centuries, the Pooka had become well-versed in the art of patience. But weeks of sparsely seeing his beloved would make anyone's patience quickly evaporate. Of course, even when they did manage to carve out time to spend time together, it was spent by Jack prattling on and on about them.

For the first few weeks, he allowed it. He was happy for Jack and loved how happy it made the sprite. But the longer it went on, the more bitter he became. He was a rather possessive rabbit, he could admit. He was used to having Jack all to himself, used to Jack's undivided attention. He wasn't used to hearing about people he'd never even met.

Before Jack, it'd been millennials since he'd been so close to someone. In ancient Pooka society, it had been commonplace to spend your days surrounded by dozens of other Pookas, but after losing that common comfort, he was desperate, starving for affection. He knew that Jack was as well, having spent his own period of time completely alone, and that was probably why he clung to these new friends of his. But Bunny had thought, he had assumed that he was enough for Jack.

As Jack flitted off, leaving for yet another meetup with the others, the thought hit him hard.

He wasn't enough for Jack.

How could he be? Jack was an incredibly bubbly and social creature. Bunny was gruff, rough around the edges, and snappish at the best of times. He was awkward with social situations, yet desperate for them all the same. Jack needed socially adept people surrounding him, people he could joke with easily, people that could effortlessly give him the praise and affection he craved.

Aster had thought that he was doing better, doing his best to try and share his appreciation for the sprite whenever he could. He had been trying to give out more casual touches, and he was always blown away by the responses he received every time he tried, which encouraged him to continue to try harder.

Of course, it still wasn't enough. Not even centuries could help repair the damage he had endured. The PTSD was still affecting him, even after so long. Jack deserved better than someone who woke him up in the early hours of the morning, one nightmare after another keeping them both awake, regardless of Pitch's influence, or lack thereof. It didn't take just a few years to cure all the damage he had been dealt. He was a failure, to his species and to his mate.

A hollow feeling started to build deep in his heart, causing a distinct ache to form. The loneliness overwhelmed him, and before he could get a handle on it, his magic had become affected. Flowers around the Warren began to wilt, as grass slowly turned to an ugly shade of brown. His colorful river remained unaffected, but the other artificial water sources began to dry up. The air became stagnant, and the happy sunshine began to dim. Tears were flowing before he could even consciously understand what was happening, and Bunny curled in on himself, a pained howl erupting from him before he could stop it.

"Oh, honey," the Pooka jolted, turning towards the voice, but unable to control his reaction. He continued to sob, even as he identified the voice. He blinked through his tears, blearily making out Cupid, crouched in front of him. It took him a few minutes to calm himself down enough to speak, and Cupid patiently waited for him, patting his shoulder gently and rubbing his back, letting him cry.

"Why are you here?" His words were stilted and hiccuped sobs interrupted the sentence, but the spirit of love seemed to get his meaning.

"Love is my scene, babe. All aspects of it." Cupid shot him a pointed glance, one eyebrow raised. "Even heartbreak, doll." Bunny's eyes widened, as more tears slipped down his furry cheeks.

"What happened? I thought you and Jack were Gucci." Cupid asked, concerned, especially when Bunny stiffened at the mention of his mate. "I'm not sensing anything from Jack, just you."

"It's my fault," Bunny could only whimper. "I'm not enough, he deserves better." He started to fall deeper into his self-dug pit of despair, only to be literally slapped out of it. He raised a paw up to his cheek, frowning at the unhappy spirit in front of him.

"You, E. Aster Bunnymund, last of the Pooka race, are an absolute fool," Cupid sighed, rubbing his forehead to ease the special type of a migraine that always formed around "idiots in love". With a wave of his hand, an image was conjured in front of them, depicting Jack and three others, who Bunny could only assume were his new friends.

Jack was propped up on a low-hanging tree branch, a girl with frizzy red hair was sharpening some sort of weapon, a girl with insanely long blonde hair was trying fruitlessly to braid the redhead's hair, and a brunet boy was leaning against a giant black... dragon? Before Bunny could become even more upset, his astute hearing caught the muffled conversation the four were having.

"-And he planned this whole elaborate evening, just to cheer me up!" Jack was talking animatedly, and it took Bunny a moment to recognize the story. "It was so sweet, we visited so many places, each one with a different one of my believers, who had prepared some sort of speech about how much they enjoyed snow and winter and why they were glad I had visited them. I was feeling so insecure, and he did all of that, for me! It was the best, he's so amazing, I don't know what I'd do without him." Jack finished, his tone dreamy.

"Y'anno, Jack, you talk about this guy so much-" the redhead started.

"Like all the time!" The blonde chimed in.

"When are we ever gonna get to meet him?" She finished, hardly phased by the interruption. "With those boomerangs, I want to see that, I've never heard of boomerangs for weapons."

"Yeah, Jack!" The brunet grinned. "He sounds awesome, plus his designs sound so cool, I wonder if he'd be interested in comparing art, or if he'd have input on some of my inventions."

"Does he really have fur? I wonder how he keeps it clean. I'd like to see his art, too, maybe we could paint together!" The blonde inquired, matching and almost exceeding the others' enthusiasm with her bubbly personality.

Bunny blinked, watching them chatter, as Jack brightened at the others' interest in his mate. "I'd have to ask him! He's super busy, but maybe you guys could all come to visit us at the Warren. Speaking of which, I should probably get home, it's late and I promised I'd be home for dinner, and he's so stubborn he'll wait until I get there, and he's so grumpy when he's hungry." Jack emphasized, grinning and starting on his goodbyes.

Overwhelmed by the new information, Bunny barely noticed when Cupid waved away the image. "You two need to talk," Cupid murmured, and Bunny nodded minutely. The rabbit barely noticed when the spirit of love left his presence, setting his mind on returning the Warren to its normal state. He forced himself to focus on the task and refused to allow himself time to think, quickly setting to work on the dinner that Jack had insisted on coming home for as soon as the Warren was to his liking.

The moment Jack returned, Bunny knew. He'd always been hyperaware of the winter spirit, but after their courting had started, that awareness had only increased. He picked up on the two-degree difference in temperature, the hint of a cool breeze, and the twinge of a minty scent that slowly diffused into the air around him. Every one of his senses had become so attuned to his mate, without him even consciously doing so. He propped open the door to the Burrow, coming face-to-face with a slightly pouty Jack.

"Someone's been here," his mate stated, a curious eyebrow raised. Jack didn't question it and didn't pressure him for answers, but his straightforward nature refused to allow him to filter his thoughts. Of course, Bunny loved this about him, but he was unsure how to broach the topic.

"Dinner's ready," He changed the subject, chinning Jack in greeting, and his mate allowed it, slipping past him to flit in the direction of the stove, eager to find the source of the delicious scent in the air. They didn't necessarily require sustenance, as their life-force depended on their believers, however, most spirits enjoyed the indulgence of warm meals upon occasion. And Jack, as someone who had once been human, enjoyed the domesticity of sitting down to eat together. Bunny took comfort in it as well, though he wouldn't admit it.

Neither spoke as Jack set the table and Bunny dished out the food, companionable silence falling between them as they ate. It was only after they had finished that Bunny tried to pull together his thoughts, and Jack remained silent, allowing him time to do so.

"Cupid was here," he finally offered, for lack of a better opening.

"Oh?" Jack tilted his head, face neutral, non-confrontational, and open, allowing Bunny to get all of his thoughts out into the open before truly responding.

"Apparently along with the traditional aspects of love, they're also involved with," Asper cleared his throat, searching for words. "The more unsavory aspects of the emotion." He stared at his plate, fiddling with his utensils.

Jack slowly reached over the top of the table, having learned early on that it's best not to startle a member of a traditionally prey species, placing his hand over Bunny's paws, stilling them in a silent comfort.

"I was... upset," Bunny admitted softly. "Insecure, I suppose you would call it."

"Bunny," Jack tried, but he wasn't finished.

"It's not that I don't want you to have friends, I'm happy for you and I love seeing you so happy, it's just, we haven't seen each other lately, and it felt like every time I did see you, you were talking about them, and I just felt..." Soft fingers touched his cheeks, and Bunny realized that they were wiping away the tears starting to fall.

Jack rose, floating right up and over the table to sit in the large rabbit's lap, wrapping his arms around Bunny's neck as Bunny leaned down to rest his forehead on Jack's shoulder. Bunny took a moment to gather himself once more, before trying to speak again.

He opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly the dam was broken. "Before I knew it everything was wilting and drying up and I couldn't control it, and it just hurt so much, because even though I know better, I couldn't help feeling like you didn't need me anymore, and then suddenly Cupid was there, and they showed me you, and you were talking about me, and how much you love me, and I just felt so stupid, because I know better, but I was just feeling so lonely, and I didn't know what to do." Jack listened quietly, rubbing Bunny's shoulders comfortingly, allowing silent tears to fall as he heard how upset his mate was.

"I'm so sorry you felt that way, Aster. I knew we hadn't been spending that much time together, but I kept assuming that you'd be fine with it, and I didn't stop to think about how you were feeling. It's my job as your mate to make sure that you're feeling loved and happy, and I didn't do my job properly. I promise I'll do better in the future." Jack murmured, rubbing Bunny's ears in a way he knew would help relax the upset Pooka. Once Bunny was calm, Jack pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes, gently wiping away both their tears and smiling at his mate.

"So," the sprite continued gently. "What can we do in the future to help prevent this from happening again, to either of us?" Bunny sat back, calming himself and allowing his previously volatile emotions to settle.

"I don't know," Bunny answered, starting to feel drained. Jack, thankfully, caught on quickly and gently pulled the rabbit out of his chair and towards their nest for a nap.

"Alright, but we're discussing this later," Jack whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Bunny's forehead as they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

After creating and implementing a plan not long after the incident, the two's difficulties became few and far between, much to the relief of their friends, and even to the strangers that had previously been caught in the crossfire. Because as everyone who spent any time with them learned early on: a feuding Bunny and Jack were a volatile pair.

It took a few months of their new happiness before someone finally managed to work up the courage to ask what had changed between the two. And their surprisingly mature list of simple rules surprised anyone who dared to ask.

1. Mandatory uninterrupted time spent together, at least once every few days

2. All feelings are valid. If you're feeling upset, insecure, angry, etc., you have to say so.

3. Don't assume. Ask before reacting.

Of course, those rules were hard to follow. And they made mistakes. But at the end of the day, they loved each other. And they made it work.