This is my first Rise of the Guardian fic, so I hope that you enjoy it
If you have any constructive criticism, don't forget to comment and tell me what you did or didn't like, or what is downright bad! Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own RoTG
"Mate, I'm sorry," the bunny's thick hand fell onto Jack's shoulder. Jack leant heavily against his staff, staring down at the freshly covered grave.
"For what?" Jack was bitter, despaired, and a tad bit broken.
"Mate…we understand," Bunnymund tried to comfort his mate. After sixty years of working together as guardians they had quickly gotten closer.
"Understand? You don't understand," Jack snapped, spinning around quickly "when was the last time you were actually on the field? When was the last time you befriended a kid?" Jack continued, walking forward angrily with each word.
"We were close to Jamie, too!" Bunnymund snapped, poking Jack hard in the chest.
"Oh? Did you fly to check on him every night? Did you have snowball fights and watch him smile and grow throughout his life? Did you spend forty years looking over your friend, watching as he slowly stopped being able to see you? Huh, did you?" Jack was slowly feeling tears fill his eyes, memories overcoming him.
"Jack…" he looked up as Tooth flew over Bunny's shoulder.
"When was the last damn time that you guys leave your holes? You spend all your time working for the kids that you stopped seeing them! You stopped playing with them and being there the entire damn time! I didn't!" Jack turned, looking at the grave as tears fell from his eyes.
"I was always there, always watching, always waiting for the day that he might be able to see me again! Instead…instead he never did. Instead he told stories about his overactive imagination and how he 'believed' I was real. I watched as he grew up…" Jack shook his head angrily; the bottom of his staff hitting the grass angrily as ice quickly covered the gravestone.
"At least he believed in ya, mate," Bunny sighed.
"You guys don't get it! This won't be the first time this'll happen. There will be another kid that I'll become friends with, that'll believe in me, and then they'll grow up and I'll watch as they stop, I'll watch as they no longer care and die! I hate it!" snow began to fall, an abnormality in spring; the only explanation being Jack.
"This is what it means to be a guardian, Jack," Tooth flew forward.
"Ugh, stop feeding me the crap! You guys don't become friends with the kids! Tooth you never leave your centre, North you see them maybe once a year, the same goes for you bunny! I'm here every winter, every snowy day, playing with them, watching them have fun!"
Jack turned, falling to his knees in front of Jamie's grave. His head bowed as the tears began to fall, turning into ice as they froze on his cheeks.
"You're right, mate, we never know the kids as well as you do, but what you do isn't for nothing. You can't hate loving the kids," Bunny crouched beside him, an arm around Jack's cold shoulders.
"I know," Jack sighed "but why?" And his shoulders began to shake, turning his head into the Bunny's chest as sobs racked him. Sandy was the next to move, then Tooth, then North, all joining in on the hug as they comforted their mate.
The Bunny sighed, "Because, Jack…that's the reality of life. We all grow up and eventually, we all stop believing."