Love Interrupted

"Watcha staring at thumper?"  Jack asked, looking at Aster with his head tilted, a slightly bemused grin playing at his thin lips.
Aster jumped slightly as Jack's words "What? Nothin" he said, his voice rough as he frowned at the winter spirit standing before him. He had been staring though, and he wasn't quite sure why. It was something that had occupied more than a few sleepless night for the Easter Bunny as a late, the fact that, whenever he was around Jack he found his gaze inexplicably drawn to him. The jokes and pranks that had always annoyed him at the least, infuriated him at worst seemed more amusing more…innocent.
"If you say so cottontail." Jack said, turning and walking over to talk to Tooth.
Aster watched Jack go, noticing the easy with which he walked, the general grace of his movements as he moved through the guests at North's Christmas party. He thought about that until Jack was hidden from his view by the other guests, then he was left thinking about why he had just watched Jack walk away admiringly. Aster's thought were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. Turning to investigate he saw Cupid was hovering at his eye level. Most people would assume that she was dressed special for the party, the pearly ball gown she wore contrasting beautifully with her dark skin, her hair pulled back into an intricately woven bun, but Aster knew better. "Cupid" he said gruffly "It's been quite a while."
"To long darling!" She said, leaning in and kissing him once on each cheek "How have you been?" She asked then stopped, cocking her head to the side slightly she squinted at Aster then squealed, her eyes growing wider "Oooh, who's the lucky person?"
"What?" Aster said, looking confused. He liked cupid well enough, she was a kind spirit, and always willing to listen and help where she could, but she was flightily, and that had a tendency to annoy him.
"Oh come on, you know you can't fool me! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I'll find out soon enough." She said with a devious smile "Either way they sure are lucky, must be someone extra special to catch your eye!" Aster looked at Cupid at though she was speaking some foreign language, his head tiled as he tried to make sense of what she was saying. Seeing the look on Aster's face Cupid let out a small "Oops." She seemed to realize something. "Well, it's been lovely, we simply must do this again sometime darling" she said quickly, kissing both Aster's cheeks and fluttering away quickly. Aster stood there staring at the retreating spirit, feeling, as he often did after speaking with Cupid, like he hadn't actually been there for most of the conversation.
An hour later Aster had had enough of the crowded ballroom that North held his parties in. He knew his friend loved the company and seeing all their friends together celebrating his holiday, but it wasn't Aster's cup of tea. He was a solitary person by nature, more at home with the company of his thoughts then with dozens of happily talking sprits, at least usually. There was really only one person's company he wanted at the moment, so he carefully slipped out of the party to find somewhere quite to think about why he wanted that company. As Aster walked through the winding halls of North's palace, he marveled at how North had managed to stuff even more Christmas into the usually festive decorations that adorned the passageways. Holly and Mistletoe from every surface, glinting lights shining from every corner and banister, tinsel and hand crafted ornaments covering the rest of the available real state. The whole thing came to gather in an effect that made it look rather like a Christmas tree had vomited on everything.
The brightness of the decorations was giving Aster a bit of a headache; it was just the lights and not the thoughts running through his head he told himself firmly. Making his way to one of the doors that led to the exterior of the palace Aster slipped outside, thrown as he always was by the light shining outside even though it was well into the evening. The sun shone half the year in the northern reaches of the world and North, for some insane reason, had chosen to settle farther north than any other person on the planet. Aster sighed as the cold air hit him, small eddies making his fur sway in odd patters. He normally hated the cold, but tonight it was calming, cooling his head and racing thoughts. He was feeling quite relaxed right until a voice sounded from the rooftop behind him, causing him to jump a good three feet in the air.
"What bring you our here Cottontail?" Jack asked, grinning broadly as Aster landed, clutching his chest with one paw, glaring at the winter spirit.
"Looking for some peace and quiet, I see that was a pipe dream." Aster said, irritation clear in his voice.
Jack merely grinned his usually grin, white teeth shining from just beyond his thin lips. "Party getting too much for you to?" Jack asked as he leapt off the shingles he's been sitting on, landing next to Aster.
"I'm not one fer crowds. What about you Frostbite, thought you love the attention." Aster said, some of the irritation draining from his voice as Jack stood there next to him. Aster started walking forward, finding himself pleased when Jack followed long with him.
"Honestly? It just got to be too much. After so long alone it's kind of overwhelming…" Jack said trailing off, his face falling into a frown.
Aster felt bad for Jack, along with the sudden urge to hug the winter spirit which he beat down quickly. Instead he lightly punched Jack's upper arm "You haven't been alone for nearly a year now Frostbite."
Jack looked up at Aster and smiled the honest happiness on his face making Aster smile in response. Jack stepped forward and hugged Aster, the embrace lasting no longer then a heartbeat and said "I know, and thanks."
Aster was rather shocked by Jack's gesture and by the amount that he'd enjoyed it. He looked back as Jack and said "not going soft on me are ya Frostbite?"
"Of course not, you know me, heart of ice and all that" Jack responded with a wink as they reached the far end the platform they had been walking on, coming to another door. Aster didn't know why, but Jack's last response had upset him quite a bit. He knew that Jack didn't have a cold heart, quite the opposite.  His thought were interrupted by a particularly sharp wind that cut through his fur, chilling him to the bone. He shivered and made to open the door, looking back as Jack he gestured at the entryway. "Nah, I'm gonna hid out here a little longer." He said with a grin before jumping into the air, vanishing behind one of the many towers of North's palace.
Aster slipped into the warmth of the hallway, Jack's comment still weighing on his mind. Did Jack honestly think that of himself? He had said it in a joking tone, but his eyes hadn't held their usual amused look. Jack wasn't a cold person, he was one of the kindest people Aster knew. He cared about his friends and was always there when needed, he was an incredibly trustworthy friend, always fun to be around with a childlike joy that infected everyone around him. Jack was sweet, and innocent and playful and not bad looking to boot and…oh no. Aster's conversation with Cupid from earlier coming back to him 'who's the lucky person?' and her surprised reaction, as though she'd accidently told some secrete that Aster didn't know, the unknown force drawing him towards Jack…oh no no no no no! That couldn't be it, could it? Of course not, he was just over reacting, the events probably weren't even related…he was reasoning with himself and he was losing. Of all the spirits in the world, of everyone who he got along with better, of everyone who was a better match for him, he had to fall for Jack Frost.
Aster walked quickly through the winding corridors of North's palace, his head spinning with the very idea that he was falling for the winter spirit. It was absurd, he and Jack had only stopped fighting truly fighting a few months ago, he had never been really nice to Jack…and yet Jack was still always friendly to him. He tried to fight the thought, tried to push it away, tried to bury it and failed miserably. Every time he tried to force it from his mind it stuck more abstinently, not allowing him to ignore it and every time he thought about it at started to feel more…right.
Aster walked quickly, before long he found himself at the door of North's study. He opened the door without a second thought, wondering if North had any Vodka in the room, he could use some right about now. As he searched the room he found several tins of cookies, and box of wrapped cakes, two plated of cupcakes and a box of donuts but sadly no Vodka. Aster walked slowly over to the large window, trying to make sense of the thoughts and feelings currently at was inside him. Then Jack flew past the window, the guardian of fun stopping when he saw Aster through the thick glass. He smiled his signature, brilliant, heartwarming smile, the one that lit up his entire face with that innocent joy that was the sole domain of your children and Jack Frost. Jack waved at Aster through the window, the rabbit's paw rising automatically in response as a smile split across his own face, there were those confusing, irritating feelings once again.

Jack was now doing loops and flips in the air, snow flurries following him around, zipping around until the shape of a giant snowflake floated in the air in front of the window. Flying close to the window Jack took a bow and tapped the glass with his staff writing 'how's that?" in the resulting frost. Aster grinned and leaned forward, fogging up the glass with his breath and wrote '8.5' Jack moved away from the window, his jaw dropping in mock outrage. Then he brought his legs up at the knee, adopting a kneeling position and clasped his hands and started pleading. Aster couldn't help but laugh and after a moment he gave a thoughtful look and wrote a '9.8' on the window. Jack jumped up and clapped his hands happily, doing a back flip and bowing, blowing kiss out into the air before flying over and coming to a stop in front of the window. Jack smiled and Aster smiled in return, only a few inches of air and a sheet of glass separating them.  
Not knowing quite what possessed him to do so, Aster fogged up the window and pressed him lips to the glass, leaving an imprint of his lips and whiskers on the window. Jack stared at it for a long minute before leaning forward slowly. When his lips were an inch from the glass he did a 180 degree spin and pressed his rear to the glass. Several things flashed through Aster in rapid succession, annoyance at Jack vanishing almost instantly replaced by confusion at the fact he wasn't annoyed which was rapidly overtaken by honest amusement and a surprisingly powerful desire to reach through the glass and grab the ass pressed against it. He settled with smiling and laughing at Jack's antics, which seemed to surprise Jack when he turned to see Aster's reaction. Jack looked quizzically at the laughing Pooka, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
Seeing Jack fly upward to the skylight in North's study, and deciding that he didn't want to talk with Jack just yet Aster tapped hit foot gently against the carpeted floor and vanished down the resulting hole.