Just a one-shot with my crack!Headcanon that the Guardians get an extra power boost if an adult human believes in them.
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters except Sandy…
Jack didn't question why Bunnymund was suddenly reduced to his smaller form; he already knew that the Pooka was weak from the disbelief Pitch had spread the year before when he tried to destroy them all. What he did question, however, was why he was riding shotgun with North as he held the Easter Bunny in his arms while the large guardian flew his sleigh across the skies of Texas.
"Not that I mind going here during January, but uh… Where exactly are we going?" He yelped when the sleigh took a sudden sharp turn to the right. He felt Bunnymund's small claws dig into his forearm as he himself grabbed onto the front to steady himself. North merely laughed and continued to captain the reindeer.
"We are visiting a friend! She can help Bunnymund." Before Jack could ask who this friend was, Bunnymund let out a shriek when the sleigh got a little too close to a mountain.
"Oi! Learn to drive yer bloody sleigh!" North ignored him and looked ahead. After a few minutes of silence while flying above the desert, Jack cleared his throat.
"So, uh… Where does this friend of yours live, anyways?" North hummed happily.
"El Paso, Texas. Border town close to Mexico…" Jack quirked an eyebrow; he didn't remember hearing about any spirits living in a border town.
"Oh… Is she a spirit of some sort?"Bunnymund and North looked over at him and merely laughed in response. Before Jack could respond to their teasing, He felt the Pooka's tiny paw pat his forearm.
"You'll see when we get there, mate…" the winter spirit rolled his eyes and sat back. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. North carefully parked his sleigh at the curb of a house in what looked to be a rather quiet neighborhood. The Guardian of Wonder stepped off the sleigh and stretched his arms before turning around and smiling happily.
"We are here!" Jack followed after him and climbed out, relishing the icy wind that Texas had in the winter. As he started to make his way to the house, North took Bunnymund from his arms and leaned against the sleigh. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at him in confusion.
"Uh… what are we doing?"
"Waiting… She needs to make sure everything is fine before she comes out…" Before Jack could answer anything, the front door opened and closed hastily before someone started making their way towards them. His eyes widened; a human girl, around twenty-two years old and wearing jeans and a hoodie was walking towards them. Her hair was cut into a pixie style, and she wore thin-framed black glasses in front of her brown eyes. Jack got back in the sleigh, afraid that she would pass through him. His confusion and curiosity grew when he noticed that she was looking at North and Bunnymund and picked up her pace.
"Santa! Conejo!" She cried out happily as she practically ran over. She gave the large guardian a big hug before taking the Pooka out of his arms. "I missed you guys so much! Thanks for the watercolors… I really love them!" North beamed as he ruffled her hair.
"You were good girl this year! And you need to stop cutting hair short! You look like boy!" She laughed at his teasing.
"The lady cut it a bit short, but it'll grow out…"Her smile fell when she looked back down at the rabbit in her arms. "What happened to you?" Bunnymund hid his face in his paws as his nose wiggled sadly.
"Losin' power, Sheila… Some kids aren't believin' in me anymore…" She hummed in though.
"I thought something was wrong when I didn't find a package of Marshmallow Peeps on the counter this past Easter… You never forget about me…" She scratched his ear affectionately. "But at least you're alive… Do you need a boost?" He nodded in response. North glanced back at Jack in the sleigh when he realized a certain winter guardian wasn't around.
"Come over, Jack, don't be shy! Come introduce yourself!" Jack swallowed nervously as he slowly floated over, landing next to the girl. North cleared his throat.
"Sandy; I want you to meet our newest guardian Jack Frost." He said as he gestured to her right. Tilting her head in confusion, she turned around to face him. Her eyes widened when the spirit suddenly materialized in front of her, but smiled at him.
"O-oh… Hi there… I've heard about you in stories…" Feeling a rush of heat pool in his cheeks, he smiled back and rubbed the back of his head.
"Uh… H-hi…" She gave him one last smile before looking back down.
"So, about that power boost…" Bunnymund sighed sadly.
"Please, Sheila? I need it badly! I'm an insult to my kind in this form!" She rolled her eyes in response.
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen, Bunny… Now hush up and concentrate so you can get back to normal!" Sandy teased before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Bunnymund closed his eyes as well, nose wiggling cutely as they both seemed to fall into a meditative trance. Confused, Jack stepped back and looked up at North. As if reading his mind, North answered in a hushed voice,
"When adults believe, it makes us stronger. They are like energy boosts, especially when we are in physical contact with them. In emergencies, like Bunnymund, we go to our most trusted believers for help. Usually, physical contact for a prolonged period will help. But this is emergency, so they must go into meditative state for transfer of energy…"Jack looked on in amazement as a warm, golden aura surrounded the young woman and the Pooka. He never knew belief from an adult could be so powerful… "They are almost done…" Slowly, but surely, Bunnymund began to grow back into his normal size. Once Bunnymund was at his full height, the aura dimmed until it dissipated like dust. Bunnymund opened his eyes and smiled before pulling Sandy into a hug.
"Thank you, darling…" She smiled and hugged him back before pulling away and looked up at him with a small smile on her face.
"No problem, Bunny…" Her smile quickly turned into a grimace when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. "Dammit… I forgot about this…" she muttered as she hugged herself.
"What's wrong with her?" Jack almost yelled, floating in front of North. He sighed in response, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Transfer of power like that has side effects… All different depending on which guardian…" He glanced at the Pooka petting the girl's head before continuing."Aster represents new life and birth… also represents fertility… Sandy is still young and virgin… She suffers heavy menstruation period when she transfers power to him." Jack blinked.
"…what?" North rolled his eyes before going into his sleigh and digging through his sack. Bunnymund sighed sadly as he rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry…" She waved it off.
"It's fine-OH SHIT!" Her sudden cry caught Jack off-guard. He jumped and tightened his grip on his staff as he watched her double over in pain.
"Are you sure?! She looks like she's dying!" She rolled her eyes before straightening up and walking back towards her house.
"I'm fine... just a really powerful cramp... I'll be right back… give me a few minutes…" She muttered before going into her home. At this point, North climbed out of his sled and was holding a box of what looked like very fine chocolates. Jack landed by him, arching a brow in question.
"Chocolates?" North smiled.
"Her favorites…" In a couple of minutes, Sandy walked back out wearing flannel pajama bottoms this time. Jack noticed her cheeks had gotten flushed as she came closer. Bunnymund stepped up and placed a paw on her shoulder.
"How ya feelin', love?" She shrugged.
"Like my uterus is trying to murder me from the inside, but that's normal…" she answered nonchalantly, which made Jack question if this human was 100% sane. She looked back at the Pooka and smirked. "You so owe me marshmallow peeps this year, Bunny~" He smirked back.
"I'll get ya a pound of 'em."She laughed, pulling him into a hug.
"Purple bunnies and yellow chicks in case you forgot… Now be careful, Fuzz-Butt." He scoffed at her nickname but hugged her back.
"I always remember…" She pulled away before making her way over to North and Jack. The Christmas spirit wasted no time in pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. She groaned slightly, but his jolly nature easily distracted her from her possibly-fractured ribs. He set her down gently before handing her the box of chocolates. Her eyes brightened.
"You got me See's!? Thank you so much!" North beamed and ruffled her hair.
"Is nothing, Sandy~ Is least we can do for this request…" Saying one last good-bye, North climbed back up into his sleigh. Ignoring the argument about to unfold between North and Bunnymund, Sandy looked over at Jack, who still seemed incredibly confused by the whole ordeal.
"What's wrong, Jack?" she asked politely. He shrugged.
"I don't know… I guess it's just that…you're the first adult who's seen me… not to mention that… meditation thing you did with Bunnymund… Heck, I still can't believe you're twenty-two and you still believe in these guys!" He said, throwing his hands in the air. Sandy merely smiled at him and shrugged.
"Well, Jack… it's hard to forget a big rabbit in your kitchen when you're five… I suffer from nosebleeds, but they were more frequent when I was little… On the night before Easter when I was five, I had snuck into the kitchen for some water until a rather nasty nosebleed hit me. I was scared of what to do, so I cried and tried to look for a tissue of some sort… Instead I bumped into Bunnymund… He helped me through it and sent me to bed…" The look of awe and wonder in Jack's face made her snort.
"Wow…"
"Yeah… I remember that night clear as day… Mostly because I got one of the best Easter baskets ever… But joking aside… You don't forget something like that… as weird as it sounds, you can't just forget the fact that the Easter Bunny set you on the counter as he made you tilt your head back…" He couldn't help but agree with her about that. A Pooka patching up a boo-boo wasn't something you see every day. His thoughts were cut short as he was pulled into a hug. He couldn't help but smile at the fact a human adult could see him and touch him. She pulled away, giving him a friendly smile.
"It was nice meeting you, Jack Frost… Oh, and this year, can you make it cold in November this time? I don't want it to be 80 degrees this coming Thanksgiving, okay?" He gawked at her, but her teasing smile was too contagious for him to ignore. He smirked playfully as he leaned on his staff.
"I'll see what I can do for you…" before Sandy could reply, a certain impatient Pooka called out from the sleigh.
"Oi, Frostbite! Get in!" Jack rolled his eyes. Sandy gave them all one last good-bye before making her way back inside the house.
"I'm coming, Fuzz-Butt~"
"Hey!" The last thing Jack heard was a certain human's laughter before he climbed into the sleigh.