Jack looks nervous, hesitantly tapping the floor. he hoped the Warren would take him to Bunny.

he opens a tunnel and lands in a dark room just barely big enough for all the guardians to fit in. he swallows looking around, before his eyes come across Bunny in the corner.

the once proud looking Pooka looks rather weak and sickly now. his bones are poking out as though he hasn't eaten since the incident. his fur is matted as though he hasn't bathed in weeks. there are long, scabbed over deep claw marks from the base of his ears to the tips, the jagged edges on the wounds suggest that Bunny had repeatedly reopened the wounds. he has similar wounds on his arms and legs, as though he's been repeatedly hurting himself since the day it happened. Bunnys face is in his knees, arms tightly around his legs, knees in his chest. he's trembling in the corner.

Jack feels his heart break, this was not the Bunny he knew.

"Bunny?" Jack calls softly. the reaction is immediate.

Bunny jerks up from his curled position, slams himself against the wall furthest from Jack. his eyes are manic and lost. he's trembling as thorn covered vines surround his wrists, ankles, and waist to keep him put. he's terrified of hurting Jack. he doesn't say anything, though Jack wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't speak anymore. it had been almost four months since the incident.

~

Jack had been sleeping in his room in the den, Bunny had heard him scream and come running. a nightmare fairy, run by Pitch, had infiltrated his dreams, causing horrid nightmares of the Pooka attacking the Frost Guardian. Jack didn't realize it had been a nightmare, he didn't have nightmares, at least not made up ones. his bad dreams were all real things that had happened to him.

Jack hadn't understood Bunny hadn't been there to hurt him, like he had in his dream.

"Jack! hey! wake up! s'nightmare!" Bunny shouts.

Jack jerks awake, screaming, frosting over the room and freezing Bunnys arms. he's halfway across the room, back slammed into a corner, and staff held protectively in front of him before Bunny can understand whats happened.

"Jack?" Bunny asks, worriedly.

"get away from me!" Jack shouts. Bunny looks confused, putting his paws up quickly.

"m'not gonna hurt ya Jack, ye were havin' a nightmare." Bunny tries.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Jack hadn't been convinced. he was sure Bunny had attacked him, hurt him. couldn't register the pain he was feeling was from slamming himself into the wall so hard his back had bruised from his shoulders down to the back of his knees.

he'd run off, cried to the other guardians about the things Bunny had supposedly done... and Bunny had spiraled from there. the others had asked questions and Bunny began to question his recollection of events.

he'd cut off the other Guardians, blocked entrances to his Warren, stopped eating, stopped sleeping, stopped taking care of his garden. Jack had been so sure in his details of the nightmare, that after a few days, Bunny could no longer trust what was real and what wasn't.

had he actually attacked Jack?

had he actually done the awful things Jack had said?

had Jack not actually been having a nightmare?

had Bunny dreamed it up to make himself feel better in the end?

Jack was so sure, Bunny couldn't trust his memories. couldn't trust himself. he had to be a monster. Jack was so sure in his details his regailing. Bunny doubted himself. he didn't know what happened anymore.

~

Jack watches Bunny, the spirit he's broken unintentionally.

Bunny cut them all off, sealed off the Warren with thick thorn covered vines so no one could get to him. used magic to block Norths portals... but had never thought to block Jack. he'd given the boy the ability to create tunnels and enter the Warren at will, but never thought Jack would try after the incident.

Jack shifts, swallowing hard. the others had managed to get him to believe the truth, that Sandy knew it Bunny couldn't have hurt him, because he was helping Bunny sleep. the Pooka had recurring nightmares of the death of his people and often required Sandys assistance to get any sleep at all. Bunny couldn't have hurt Jack, it was all in his mind. Bunny had never hurt Jack.

but Jack had hurt Bunny.

badly.

the poor Pooka is obviously manic. there's a wild and fearful look in his eyes. he watches Jack, thick bushes of thorns and sharp branches form between them. Bunny can't let Jack get close, he'll hurt him again. he knows he will.

"Bunny...?" Jack asks, hesitantly. three months he hadn't talked to Bunny, hadn't seen him... and it appeared it had taken a toll on the Pooka from day one.

Jack knows from talking to the others, Pooka can go several months without food or water or sleep. a necessary survival skill developed from potions back in the war on Bunnys home planet.

North had tried to talk to Bunny, but the moment he sensed someone in the warren, he'd locked himself away and North had encouraged Jack to give it a try.

"Bunny... I'm... I-I fucked up badly." Jack says shakily. Bunny presses himself back against the wall further, the vines tightening around him. Jack can seen blood dripping from the vines, down the wall, pooling into the floor. Bunny is breathing harder than Jacks ever heard. "Bunny... ar-are you okay?" Jack asks, softly. the vines tighten again, Jacks heart clenches.

he can see tears pooling in Bunnys eyes.

Jack doesn't know how to help. he's not sure what he can do. Bunny doesn't know whats real anymore. Jacks become another nightmare for his already haunted mind. Jack swallows again.

"wi-will you come back out to the Warren with me? let me make you something to eat...?" Jack asks, softly. Bunny presses himself back further, ears flat against his skull. he's trembling harder, shaking his head rapidly. "please...?" Jack ask. Bunny flinches, clenching his eyes shut.

had Jack begged like that when he hurt him? probably.

he still couldn't remember what it did to the Frost spirit, but he knew he hurt him. Jack said he did.

"I don't know how to fix what I did...." Jack says, tears forming in his own eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Jack chokes. Bunny tenses more.

he's hurt Jack again. he tightens the vines more. he hurt Jack again. had he gotten free and not realized it? was it all a dream? was Jack still screaming in agony, trying to get away from him?

Bunny tries to speak, easily catching Jacks attention. he tries to force his mouth to cooperate.

"mmmm..." Bunny tries.

"Bunny?" Jack ask. it seems to take Bunny forever to be able to form the words he's trying, nearly 10 minutes.

"mmm so-ssss.... m'sss.... m-m'so-sorr-sorry." Bunny finally manages. voice trembling just as much as he is. its barely above a whisper and his voice cracks sharply. both of them wince.

Jacks heart breaks a little more. this isn't the Bunny he remembers. this isn't the strong Guardian of Hope he knows... this is a broken shell of what used to be.

he takes a shaky breath in.

"sorry? Bunny I'm the one who should be sorry." Jack chokes. "this is all my fault. look at you... I caused this." Jack says. "Pitch caused this." Jack adds.

"m'so-sorry." Bunny manages again. Jack shakes his head, wiping at his face.

"will you please, come back up with me?" Jack asks. Bunny closes his eyes and drops his head forward, shaking it again. "d-don't go anywhere, okay? I-I'll be right back." Jack says quickly, taking off.

Bunny watches him go, before slowly releasing himself, letting himself slump to the floor.

Jack had managed to get away this time, hopefully without Bunny managing to hurt him. Bunny can't remember. had he hurt Jack again? is that why the other fled so fast?

Jack comes back with the other Guardians as fast as he can. North offers him a carrot cake to offer to the other. Jack takes it shakily.

"he's bad... I really fucked up..." Jack says.

"its okay, we can help you fix this, just get him up here and we'll help." Tooth assures gently.

"I don't know if he can get up here.... he's so... broken. he looks... so bad." Jack says softly.

"we'll help him up." North assures. Jack nods and taps the tunnel open.

"just stay quiet." Jack murmurs, dropping back down.

Bunny is curled up again, there's blood everywhere now.

"Bunny...?" Jack asks. Bunny jerks, this reaction is the same as the first. "w-wait! don't do that." Jack says quickly, watching the vines try to wrap around him. Bunny freezes immediately, watching Jack. the smaller swallows hard and hesitantly inches forward. "I... I brought you something to eat." Jack says, inching towards.

Bunnys eyes glance down at the cake then back to Jack. pressing himself against the wall further. he can't hurt Jack again. he can't hurt Jack again.

Jack hesitantly crouches in front of Bunny, holding out the cake. the Pookas stomach growls loud enough the three can hear it above.

Tooth winces, looking over at North worriedly. they should've tried harder to talk to Bunny.

"I know you're hungry." Jack says softly, tears are pricking his eyes again. panic flairs in Bunnys eyes again at the sight of them. Jack holds the cake right out to Bunnys face. "would... would you please just try it?" Jack asks. Bunny's gaze dances back and forth between Jack and the cake.

his stomach is screaming for him to eat it, but Bunny won't. he hurt Jack, he doesn't deserve to eat.

Bunny pulls away as much as he can and Jack frowns. he breaks off a piece in his hand, holding it out, right under Bunnys nose. the Pookas nose is twitching like mad, his stomach growling louder. he winces, shutting his eyes. this is clearly hurting him, his stomach is causing him pain, but Bunny denies himself relief.

"he's not gonna eat." Jack says.

"time for extreme measures." North says. he jumps down into the hole and freezes dead in his tracks. he hadn't been expecting this when Jack described Bunny. he looks so small curled up, covered in blood, trembling. "o net...." North says softly. he moves Jack out of the way and easily picks up the Pooka.

Bunny doesn't fight. he lets North move him.

"ne volnuysya, staryy drug, my tebya ispravim." North murmurs softly. "Tooth! tell Yeti to prepare infirmary!" North orders. Bunny looks up at North, but his eyes are lost, he drops his head back silently.

why are they trying to help him?

he hurt Jack.

he deserves to die.

North climbs out with Bunny, his mere appearance almost sends Tooth into tears. she flies off quickly to get Phil to get things ready.

"Sandy, our friend has been awake far too long, da?" North asks. Sandy stares at his oldest friend, looking a little lost, for a moment, before nodding. he easily knocks the Pooka out with dreamsand, before glancing at Jack.

"this is all my fault." Jack chokes. Sandy can't argue or offer words of comfort, Jacks right.

~

Bunny wakes back up, feeling dizzy. his head hurts. his body hurts. he slowly opens his eyes.

he knows he's laying in the infirmary, by why is Jack at his bedside?

his stomach isn't growling anymore and he knows North has pumped fluids into him. he feels less dehydrated than before.

he doesn't deserve to feel like this, doesn't deserve to feel better. doesn't deserve to have Jack by his side. he blinks, head flopping over as he looks around. North seems to appear out of no where.

he has a grim look on his face.

"we failed you, old friend." North says softly. Bunny shakes his head, but doesn't try to speak. "we will not fail again." North assures, heading out of the room.

Jack shifts, lifting his head.

"Bunny?" Jack asks, looking relieved. Bunny looks away from him quickly. "please. please, just... I'm sorry." Jack murmurs. Bunny grunts softly, wincing. "I'll fix you. I know I can/. I'm a failure and a fuck up, but I can't lose you. I will fix you." Jack murmurs.

Bunny drops his head back, letting his eyes fall closed.

you can't fix a monster.