A Guardians of Childhood/Rise of the Guardians Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez
Author's Notes:
I had just a little bit of intention of following up on my "Music" one-shot. I had debated over and over again in my head whether I should continue on with it. I suppose you can say that the part of me that wanted to write a continuation won out. After all, here is the sequel.
I am actually blaming this on the people who added this to their 'Alerts' list: Irene Kagamine and Ismellpurple. And jtdarkman who was one of the people that reviewed "Music" asking me if Jack ever found the courage to actually admit his feelings to Tooth. Yes, it only takes people adding a one-shot into their Alerts list for it to give birth to a sequel of sorts.
So, to those three—as well as the others who reviewed and favorited "Music"—I dedicate this follow-up one-shot to y'all. I hope you enjoy. And please don't forget to review. :)
"A Push and a Shove" by Sakura Martinez
First Published on Tumblr (sakuramartinezfanfics)
Sanderson Mansnoozie always finds something fun in doing his job of spreading dreams to children. It doesn't matter if it is in the form of the children's entertaining dreams, or whatever else the night might offer.
Being the spirit responsible for dreams, he had little time for a breather. Night didn't end with the rising of the sun. For when one part of the world experiences day, another part bathes in moonlight. And always, the Sandman goes where the night is.
Still, the Sandman never felt lonely. The night was open to all sorts of wonders, all sorts of spirits. There were even times when he crosses paths with the other Guardians.
Sometimes, it would be Toothiana who had once again begun going out of her palace to collect teeth with her Mini Fairies. Once a year, it would be Bunnymund, followed by North. His most frequent companion, however, was Jack Frost.
Sandy had always felt close to Jack, even before he became a Guardian. The Winter Spirit was always so fun-loving. So much so that he often bordered on mischievous, creating chaos and mayhem without intending to.
The Sandman knew, being one of the oldest Guardians, that he should be stopping Jack. But he couldn't get himself to do so. Secretly, the Guardian of Dreams enjoyed and was always thoroughly entertained by Jack's antics.
Apart from being his fun-loving self, Jack Frost appreciates the intricacies of dream-making...which, of course, delights Sanderson Mansnoozie even more. That was one of the reasons he allowed Jack to play with his dreamsands.
However, lately, whenever the Winter Spirit boarded his dreamship with him, there would be a quiet—almost pensive—air surrounding him. It was disconcerting, at first. The only time Jack Frost was quiet was when he was sneaking up to someone.
It had been like that ever since the Guardian of Fun and Mischief had taken a liking to the pan pipe Bunnymund had given him. He wasn't sighing frequently before, though. Those sighs had only started days after the latest full moon.
Although the Sandman really wanted to know what was wrong with his friend, he couldn't get a proper answer from the Winter Spirit. Jack was never one to share his feelings. He didn't like opening up. He wasn't a fan of those kinds of things and nobody could get away with getting him to talk when he didn't. Well, nobody except for the Queen of the Toothfairies, that is.
The Guardian of Dreams was not oblivious to the fact that Jack allows Toothiana to get away with anything. The close proximity she has with the Winter Spirit? The constant poking and prodding she does with his teeth? No one could get away with those, except for her. Should any other spirit try, Sandy was certain Jack would wave them away and even freeze them on the spot.
"You're looking at me funny," The Sandman was surprised to hear Jack say.
Sandy smiled sheepishly at the young Guardian, who was grinning back at him.
"So, are you going to let me in on the joke?" the Guardian of Fun and Mischief asked, his eyes twinkling.
Sandy couldn't help wondering if Jack was asking because he needed to find something else to preoccupy his mind with. Other than what was currently residing in it.
Regardless of the reason, Sandy—not one to keep a secret from his friends—told Jack of his musings. Particularly of the strong friendship he has with the Guardian of Memories. Along with his worry over his young friend, what with Jack acting strangely.
"Strange?" Jack asked, defensively. "I haven't been acting strange."
"Yes, you have." The Sandman was confident of that. With the intricate hieroglyphics that he uses to communicate with others, Sandy went on to say, "You've been acting strangely since the full moon. That far-away look on your face? Sighing a lot? Looking like you're on the verge of making a decision? I've never seen you behave that way, and I have known you for a very long time, Jack Frost."
Jack was silent for a moment, deep in contemplation. It was a rare sight watching him have an inner debate. It was as rare a sight as seeing him sit still. The Sandman was about to drop it, not expecting Jack to really explain himself, when the Winter Spirit suddenly decided to open up to him. That, in and of itself, told the Guardian of Dreams how very much conflicted his friend was.
"Tooth heard me play the pan pipe." Jack's words came out slowly. It was as if he was thinking things through, careful of the words he chose to speak.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Sandy asked, frowning a bit as to why Jack would be worried about that. "I thought you said you wanted to learn how to play it so that you can play something for her?"
"I did," Jack replied, getting worked up. Agitated. "I do. She's still the reason...It's just...When I really think about what I want? I get cold feet all of the sudden," Jack chuckled at that. "Me. Jack Frost. Getting cold feet."
"Did you know how many times I almost ruined the whole song because I was so nervous? It was such a wonder how she enjoyed my performance even though it sucked." Another sigh from the young Guardian. "She even said it was beautiful. And you know what I did, Sandy? I stuttered like an idiot, made some lame excuse of being needed elsewhere, and ran away with my tail between my legs."
Had Jack Frost didn't look like he was really distraught by it all, the Sandman would have laughed. But Jack was—as uncharacteristic of him it was—upset. And although he wasn't really an expert on the subject of "love", he was still the Guardian of Dreams. And as cliché as it might sound, Toothiana had been Jack's dream for a while now.
He didn't exactly know when Jack first started to feel something more than friendship to the Queen of the Toothfairies. He couldn't really attribute it to "love at first sight". But he knew, somewhere along the way, while they were trying to keep the children's belief on the Toothfairy from disappearing, Jack began to truly care about Toothiana. More than how friends normally would.
It was a gradual sort of change. Not at all like a switch suddenly being turned on. Sandy knew that, and Jack knew that too.
"Have you talked to her since?" Sandy asked, though he already knew the answer. Jack Frost, after all, had been hanging around him during his free time since then.
"No," Jack groaned.
"Why?" The Guardian of Dreams was perplexed. "You've always been comfortable talking with Toothiana."
"It's not a matter of being comfortable or not," the young Guardian argued. "I can't just tell her."
"I don't think it's a matter of what you can or cannot do, Jack. And I know you know that, too." Sandy said. He had long ago stopped watching the young spirit and had, instead, focused his attention on the vast expanse of the evening sky. "It's not that you can't tell her. It's that you wouldn't."
"Well...yeah..." The way Jack responded make it sound as if that was obvious, and he wasn't even hiding it. "Can you imagine me just blurting it out? No. Wait. Don't answer that."
"Have you thought that, maybe, what you're feeling isn't one-sided?"
Jack snorted. With a tone dripped in sarcasm, he said, "Yeah, right. The Mini Fairies' infatuation with me is because their queen feels the same way." He rolled his eyes. "Get real, Sandy."
"Well, they are an extension of herself..."
"She gave them free will and their own personality. The bond she has with them isn't something passive. She doesn't even use it," Jack pointed right back out. "The Mini Fairies are practically their own person."
"Well, I'm just saying, give it a try." The Sandman shrugged. "Really, Jack. Just talk with her. She might surprise you."
Jack was about to say something, when he noticed where they were. Punjam Hy Loo. The Toothfairies' Palace.
He looked at the Sandman. His eyes, narrowed. Sandy, for his part, grinned. He can just be as mischievous as the Winter Spirit if he wanted. Of course, he wouldn't have been able to surprise Jack if Jack had only been paying attention to where they were going.
"Talk to her," was all the Guardian of Dreams said before he rolled his hands and had his dreamsands pick Jack up from his hoodie's collar before dumping him on one of the many pillars of Punjam Hy Loo.
Jack, not appreciating being picked up and dumped, was making such a racket that it didn't take long for the Mini Fairies to notice their visitor.
Sanderson Mcsnoozie didn't stick around to watch the Mini Fairies dot on Jack Frost. Silently laughing, he steered his dreamship away from the palace. He was certain Jack was going to get back at him for it. But the boy needed more than a little push. He needed a decent shove.