You've gotta be kidding me, right?"
Jack Frost could hardly believe his ears as North tossed him an ear to ear grin. A party? That has got to be the single most lowest thing that the Guardians could ever do to him. Sure, he could tolerate the annual Guardian meetings that he was forced to attend. He quite enjoyed being able to catch up with the others and spending time with them for one evening a month. He even went out of his way to visit them on the job. Now this was something Jack was most certainly not prepared for.
Jack normally avoided parties at all costs. That many people in one room for an extended amount of time made him feel claustrophobic. It wasn't just the loud music, sweaty bodies, and the hollers of drunks as they sang extremely out of tune to the song. It was the feeling of being trapped in a room full of people, and not a single one of them could see him. Wading through a crowd of non-believers was like drowning in a pool of ice cold water. He couldn't think straight, couldn't breathe. It was an extremely unpleasant experience.
"No, I am not kidding you!" North bellowed, laughing. "As newest Guardian, you are automatically invited to one of the biggest parties of the year, the annual spirit Solstice Celebration!"
Jack inwardly groaned. He'd heard of the party, alright. Every spirit who was somebody went to that party. Or at least… everyone but him. In all his 300 years of being the spirit of winter, nobody had invited him at least once.
Until now.
And yes, he was bitter about it.
"Do I seriously have to?" Jack whined. "Parties just…. They're not my idea of a good time."
"Wait, you're actually serious?" Annoyance hit him as the Easter Kangaroo spoke up, hopping forward to face him. "You mean to tell me that you, the Guardian of bloody Fun, don't like parties, the one thing that people do to have fun?"
"Thank you for summing that up, Bunny," Jack rolled his eyes.
Bunny burst into laughter, slapping his knee and clutching his stomach. "Oi… that is rich! Ya really are off ya rocker!"
"Bunny!" Tooth scolded, giving him a disapproving glare. He ignored it, still enjoying himself. Jack paid him no attention as he stepped away from Bunny's teasing and closer to the others. Tooth sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, sweetie, but it is kind of mandatory that all Guardians be present, especially considering we're guests of honour."
"Oh, and what an honour it is," Jack exasperated, waving his hands sarcastically. "To be in a room full of people who absolutely hate your guts and also neglected your presence for three centuries!"
Sandy chuckled softly at the remark.
"You just don't understand," Jack finally confessed, rubbing his arm shyly. "Just… after 300 years of being alone, and suddenly having all that attention on me… and then having to see all of them glaring at me…"
Sandy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and pointed above his head, where the image of him and Jack together with party hats on their heads appeared. Tooth gasped. "That's a great idea!" She said. "Sandy isn't really too fond of parties either. Would you feel more comfortable if he stayed by your side the entire time?"
Jack smiled meekly. "That… might help." Sandy gave him two thumbs up in response, beaming brighter than a star.
"Perfect!" North exclaimed. "It is settled! Jack will be coming to the Solstice celebration!"
Oh, boy. Just what was he getting himself into?
The Solstice Celebration this year was being hosted by none other than Jack's favourite group of people, Mother Nature and the Seasonals. Of course, with the date of the party being on the Summer Solstice, as usual, the summer spirit, Cain was feeling extra full of himself.
Which was very unfortunate for Jack.
Mother Nature usually dealt with the party details, accompanied by April, the spirit of spring. The two of them worked on creating the theme of seasons, of course providing every season other than winter.
Why exactly did they hate his guts?
It was obvious to everyone why. They seem to only see the side of winter that hurts nature. The side that was cold and dark and ruined everything they created. Winter was a murderer to them and nothing more.
It really didn't help to boost Jack's confidence.
The only reasonable one of the three seemed to be the spirit of spring, April. She, unlike the others, understood that Winter was needed in order to make way for new life. It was a fresh start. She had no quarrel with Jack, and tried her best not to become involved whenever Jack, Autumn and Cain got into a scuffle.
Autumn, the spirit of fall, on the other hand, despised Jack. She took pride in decorating leaves the colour of orange, bronze and red. When winter came along and ruined the beauty of her season, she took it very personally and sought vengeance every year. Cain had a very similar perspective. People typically looked forward to summer more than winter, and it didn't help that the two seasons were literally polar opposites.
Mother Nature, better known amongst spirits as Seraphina, respected Jack and his purpose, but she still held a grudge. It wasn't against him, but against the Man in the Moon. It seemed that Manny had chosen a spirit of winter without her permission, and while Jack had done a wonderful job, Seraphina would have preferred someone more mature.
She certainly wasn't expecting him to choose someone whom he had been planning to make a Guardian all along, the very spirits who were created solely to defeat her father.
While she accepted Jack's position as spirit of winter, it didn't stop her from acting bitter towards Jack whenever they talked.
The Guardians were not the first people to arrive, but they were punctual. Somehow they all had found time in their busy schedules to squeeze in this massive party. And massive it was. There seemed to be hundreds of spirits, some who Jack didn't even recognize. Still, the amount of people was overwhelming, and Jack mostly hid his small, frail body behind North to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
Sandy noticed this abrupt action and floated closer to Jack, making a fee symbols swirl above his head. Jack briefly caught a stop sign, and an arrow pointing to an area further away from the crowd. Jack's shoulders sagged with relief, and he nodded, wanting to get away from everyone as soon as possible. Jack was just about to inform North where they were headed, when North and Tooth were interrupted by Patrick, the Leprechaun of St. Patrick's day.
Patrick was a lot taller than some anticipated (up to North's shoulders in height), but what made him a leprechaun was his unusually pointed nose and ears. He was dressed in a plaid green suit and green top hat with a gold ribbon tied around it. He'd stopped to say hello to North and Tooth, though he was paying a lot more attention to Tooth.
"Top of the morning to ye, Toothiana!" Patrick tipped his hat.
"But it's nearly midnight."
"Midnight is the start of the morning, yes?"
"I suppose…" Tooth said hesitantly.
"Ye're looking mighty fine, Toothie, as usual of course."
Jack gave him a sour look. Is he flirting with her?
"Thank you, Patrick," Tooth gave him a nervous smile. "Listen… I gotta go-"
"Ye know, I've always said ye're the prettiest flower to ever bloom in the spirit realm?"
"Really." Tooth remarked boredly.
Annoyed by this guy's attempts to flirt with Tooth, Jack tapped Sandy on the shoulder. "Sandy… watch this." He murmured. Jack then proceeded to whistle casually as he tapped his foot on the floor. Ice sprouted from beneath it, creating a slippery pathway snaking beneath Tooth and freezing to Patrick's foot. Patrick cried out in alarm at the cold, and looked down to find ice pinning him to the floor.
"Oh!" Tooth cried in surprise as she spotted the ice. Knowing immediately who was responsible, she covered her mouth with one hand to stifle a laugh. Still, it didn't do much as she burst into a fit of giggles. Patrick tugged at his ankle to try to free himself, but it was hopeless.
North had burst into laughter, obviously not sparing Patrick the embarrassment. Jack was laughing too, Sandy chuckling along silently.
"Yeah, yeah, lads, laugh it up." Patrick grumbled, continuing to yank at his foot.
"We should get out of here," Jack suggested, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. Light as a feather, Jack drifted through the crowd out of sight. Amused, Sandy shook his head silently and followed suit.
—-
"Is it getting a little warm in here?"
Jack and Sandy had been minding their own business in a corner for a while now. Sandy shrugged, obviously not affected by the temperature rising in the room. It was most likely due to the amount of people trapped in one room for an extended period of time. Jack licked his parched lips and eyed the punch bowl and the ice glistening inside. Unfortunately, there was a copious amount of spirits gathered in that area.
"Um… I'm kind of thirsty," Jack murmured. "But… uh…."
Sandy raised a hand. Say no more. He pointed to himself, and Jack smiled. "Thanks for understanding."
The little gold man floated off to get some drinks, leaving Jack alone in the corner. He began to fidget uncomfortably, pulling his hoodie over his head to hide his face. He picked at the fabric on the inside of his hoodie pocket, waiting anxiously for Sandy to return.
Someone else found him first.
Back against the wall, Jack retreated into his hoodie, suddenly appearing small next to the towering figure in front of him. "We need to talk." The voice sneered. Jack paled recognizing it immediately.
"C- Cain."
Then he was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and rushed out of the room.
—-
He'd been shoved into a storage room, onto the dirt floor. Jack scrambled to his feet and tried to dart around the Summer spirit, but to no avail. The Summer spirit simply kicked him out of the way. Jack held his staff up protectively, its glowing icy blue tip shining through the darkness.
"What are you doing here, Frost?" Cain hissed.
Jack gulped, but tried to hide it. "What, I thought all spirits were invited to the Solstice Celebration party?"
Cain scoffed. "Every single one… except you." He stopped to crack his knuckles, and Jack cringed at the sound. "I thought I made that clear before."
"Things have changed."
"Really…. and what makes this time different than the others?" Cain challenged, glaring at Jack with dark coal eyes. After a moment, something dawned in him. "The Sandman? Please, Guardian or not, he's still a softie."
"I wouldn't get on his bad side if I were you," Jack warned.
Cain's eyebrows narrowed. "Was that some kind of threat, Frost?"
"No, but if you don't leave me alone, it will be."
Cain laughed heartlessly. "What, you think that Guardian will help you? Please, when have they ever helped you before?"
"He'll realize I'm missing, and come looking," Jack said, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself instead of Cain.
"Oh will he?" Cain said. "Then where is he, Frost? Where are your precious Guardians to protect you, the only child they failed to protect?"
Jack said nothing.
"That's what I thought." Cain aimed a kick to Jack's stomach, and Jack lurched backward, slamming hard into the floor as dust clouded around him. Cain's normally crimson tunic lit up with embers as flames appeared on his palms. Jack squirmed back to avoid them, only to find himself against the wall once more. There was no way out. He was trapped.
"You scream, and I end you," Cain threatened. Fear clouding his eyes, Jack kept his mouth shut as Cain came down on him. Hand was glowing bright red, he slid it under Jack's hoodie and planted it onto his bare stomach. Burning pain erupted, and Jack bit his lip and whimpered softly, a tear escaping his eyes.
His instincts went haywire, as he thrusted his staff towards Cain and aimed a blast of ice directly at his face. Cain yelled in alarm and was blasted backwards into the stairs, the arm that had burned him encased in ice. Both of them were panting, one out of terror and the other out of anger.
"You little brat!"
A whipping sound like helicopter blades slicing the air caused them both to pause from confusion.
WHAM.
Something struck Cain in the head, hard, and flew back into the hand- or paw would be more accurate- of its owner. A boomerang.
Bunny.
"Bunny!" Jack cried, pushing himself to his feet. As Bunny pinned Cain against the wall, Sandy floated to his aid. A hasty question mark appeared above his head, accompanied by a worried expression.
"I'm fine, Sandy," Jack assured, though he winced as the fabric of his hoodie rubbed against the burn on his stomach. Sandy's eyes widened, and he lifted up the blue hoodie for any damage. His eyes landed on the nasty burn, and he gave Jack a scolding look.
"It's… not that bad?"
Sandy frowned, the lie clearly not fooling him.
The two turned their attention off of Jack's burn, and over to Cain and Bunny. Bunny was seething with anger, pressing his forearm against Cain's throat. "You coward," He snapped. "Rotten, good-for-nothing-"
Cain was surprised. "Wh-what? Bunnymund? Why are you defending Jack Frost?"
"And why are ya bloody attacking him for no reason?!"
"The winter brat deserved it!" Cain screeched. "You used to agree with me, but now you're helping him? That worthless waste of space?!"
Bunny pressed harder, causing Cain to gag.
"Shut up," Bunny hissed. "Leave Jackie out of this!"
"Ohhh, so it's Jackie now? Whatever happened to Frostbite, or Pain-In-My-Arse?!"
Bunny side glanced at Jack before returning with a glare. "Jack may be a pain in the butt, but he's family now. I care about family."
From behind Sandy, Jack's fearful expression turned to one of shock.
"F-Family?!" Cain sputtered out. "What-?"
"You heard me right," Bunny had pressed his arm onto Cain's windpipe so hard, his eyes were going bug eyed. "We ain't just the Big Four anymore, mate."
He released Cain, and the Summer Spirit collapsed in a heap on the ground, coughing violently. He shot daggers at the three Guardians in the cellar, and his eyes hardened with a frightening realization. "H-how long?" He choked out.
"This easter," Bunny confirmed.
Cain's face melted into pure hatred. He roared in anger, charging out towards Jack, who stepped back in surprise. Sandy summoned a stream of dreamsand, and it weaved into his whip. The whip snared Cain's legs, and the spirit tumbled to the ground.
Bunny picked up Cain once more by the collar of his tunic, making sure the summer spirit was looking him right in the eye. "Ya mess with Jackie, and ya mess with us. Ya so much as lay one finger on 'im again, and I'm comin' after ya. Do I make myself clear?"
Cain stayed silent.
Sandy punched a fist into his palm. Bunny grinned maliciously. "I've always liked your ideas, Sandy."
—-
The Guardians left the party early that night.
Many were left confused, wondering who had been yelling earlier, or why the Easter Bunny and the Sandman looked so angry, or why Jack Frost had been accompanying the Big Four that evening. Their surprise was taken a step further, for whenever somebody dared to even look wrong towards Jack, they would shift closer to the winter spirit protectively.
But nobody stopped them.
The five Guardians left on the sleigh, and the cool air waved Jack's snow white locks. The winter spirit relished in the wind's protective embrace. Tooth was busy fussing over him, examining the horrid burn on Jack's stomach. Sandy sat on his other side, rubbing his shoulder. It felt nice.
Bunny sat apart from the others and North piloted the sleigh. Both of them were completely silent. North was disappointed and angered by the events that had occurred that night, but his anger was nothing compared to Bunny's. Bunny radiated rage. He was a ticking time bomb- one wrong step and he could easily explode. Nobody dared to try talking to him.
"Tooth, stop worrying so much," Jack said. "I'm fine… I've had worse…"
This nearly set Bunny off. Worse than this? How much pain had Jack had to endure during his 300 years alone?
Why would anyone want to hurt such a good kid?
Why did I want to hurt him?
"I wish I could've been there," Tooth said apologetically.
We all wish we could've been there.
"It's okay, Tooth."
No, it's not.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not," Bunny said harshly. Jack froze, head darting to the Pooka's direction. Bunny turned to him. "You're not. So stop lying."
Heartbeat escalating slightly, Jack gulped. "I'm not-"
"What, lying?" Bunny snapped, shaking his head. "Ya've got to be the worst liar I know."
Tooth shifted in her seat uncomfortably next to Jack. "Bunny…"
Bunny's anger gradually ebbed away. He sighed. "I'm sorry."
Jack frowned. "For what?"
"For this Easter, for '68-"
"I already-"
"For everything," Bunny snapped, throwing his fists at his sides. He grit his teeth. "I was a complete jerk, an' I don' even know why. I didn' even have a reason to hate you, but I did. Ya can't tell me you forgive me for all that- all the pain I caused you!"
Jack pondered on it for a moment, then sighed. "You're right… I didn't." Then, he smiled. "At least not until tonight. I forgive you now, Bunny."
Bunny looked up, then smiled back.
Jack leaned in towards Bunny, and gave him a gentle hug, mindful of his burn. Bunny was thrown off guard, but finally hugged him back. Jack smiled, feeling safe in Bunny's arms. His big brother.
He supposed he could live with that.
—
A/N: Haha well this is awkward.
So… guess what? I'm not actually dead! It's been soooo long since I've posted something on FFN. Not only did I discover a new fandom (Minecraft Story Mode… great game and excellent storyline. Definitely would recommend it), preventing me from being able to write anything from ROTG in a long time, but I also switched fanfiction sites.
That's right! I moved onto Wattpad! If you'd like, you can follow me X_EmLee_X. I'd appreciate it!
I've gotten into this bad habit in not only writing but school too where I start off a piece of writing really strong and then finish it really weak. I'm hoping writing more ROTG one shots will help fix that. Let me know how I did in a review!
I really enjoy my interpretations of the Seasonals. Originally I was gunna have all three of them, but I ended up with just Cain for now. I may do some more fun stuff with Cain, Autumn, April and Jack in the future. If you have any ideas feel free to suggest! Doesn't mean I'll use them though.
Anyways, it's glad to be back! Expect more coming from me soon!
~ Star