Child's Play

Requested by my son XD

No one knew how it happened of even when for sure. North had been busy carving a new racetrack set when his belly suddenly twisted and that all-knowing feeling of something not being right. He paused in his work and turned off the chainsaw. He looked about his workshop but nothing seemed out of sorts there. He hesitated before setting the chainsaw aside and removing his goggles. Other than the normal sounds of his yetis hard at work all as quiet. That right there seemed odd. It was summer time and Jack was home for the season, he should be up to his usual mischief up now. Of course he could be sleeping. He didn't need to hibernate anymore – the boy had more than enough Believers to sustain him all year long – but from time to time he did feel the need to take a nap. Or perhaps he was in the library catching up on his reading. The boy sure did enjoy a good book or two and as an avid reading during the summer months.

North turned back to his work but that nagging feeling suddenly grew. Something was very, very wrong. Concerned he went out to the hall and looked over toward the production line. Everything looked fine there; all the yetis were still hard at work. His brows furrowed and he glanced toward the ceiling, half expecting to find a series of frozen elves attached to it. Nope, no elves. In fact there were no elves anywhere. No elves and no Jack. That could only mean trouble.

He called to the nearest yeti, asking if he had seen Jack or any of the elves. When the yeti shook his head, North's worry grew. A prank…they had to be planning a prank of some sort. Oh the summer months can be long when Jack got in the pranking mood.

Now North had never been a paranoid man. He was a warrior and the finest swordsman in the world but after living with Jack Frost for a number of years he had come to expect some of the most horrendous pranks imaginable. Usually they were never played on him. More often than not they were directed at the yetis or elves or other Guardians – namely Bunny – but there were times when North had accidently been the unfortunate recipient. It took forever to get the bright pink and purple dye out of his hair and beard. He had been forced to deliver Christmas gifts in such condition. The prank had been meant for Phil, North's chief of security, but it just happened that North had walked through the door first. Jack had apologized profusely but was still grounded for an entire week without his staff. North only prayed the boy had nothing like that planned again.

He investigated the library first, hopeful to find Jack curled up in one of the many arm chairs or window seats. Sadly, Jack was nowhere in sight. Neither were any elves. Next he headed to the kitchen but again there was no sign of Jack. So he moved on to the boy's room but like the first two rooms, Jack and the elves were not there. There were many places Jack liked to hang out; the stables, the garage, the entertainment room, the study, the Globe Room or maybe, just maybe he as outside. But none of them showed any sign of Jack or the elves. North's worry grew as his stomach almost twisted in pain. Something was wrong and he wasn't sure what. All he knew for sure was his adopted son was missing as were his elves and he was at a lost as to where to look next.

On instinct he looked toward one of the storage rooms. It was used to store the finished toys that were waiting to be wrapped as new wrapping paper was designed. The door which was usually closed was wide open and the jiggle of a little bell could be heard from inside. North frowned. Jack knew better than to go into that room. There were certain toys put aside for Jack to play with – yes the boy was a teen and often said he didn't need nor want such childish things but North had spotted the boy playing with them on more than one occasion, especially if Nightlight was visiting – but these were meant for the children of the world. The elves on the other hand rarely listened and were most likely getting Jack into some sort of mischief. They were a dangerous combination.

A giggle made North pause. A child? There as a child in there? No, one of the elves had to be trying to lure him in there for a prank. He was tempted to simply shut the door and lock them in there for a few hours but another giggle had him scratching the back of his head. That was a pretty convincing giggle. He shook his head with a sudden grin.

"Very funny, Jack," he said as he looked the door over for any bucket or strings, any signs of a trap. There was nothing. Carefully he pushed the door open and glanced inside. A dozen or more elves were sitting on the floor pushing around cars and trains and even planes. They all looked up at once with wide guilty eyes. North frown at them before gesturing for them to get out. "Off with you, you little monsters before I start putting lock on the doors."

They gave a joined gasped and quickly shoved the toys back on the shelves before scurrying out. The last one tugged on North's pant leg and pointed toward the back of the room. North raised a questioning brow. "Is Jack hiding in there?"

The elf nodded with a wide smile. Then he hurried after his cohorts.

Shaking his head North stepped inside and looked around. Jack was nowhere in sight. Of course considering how large the room was and the number of shelves filled with toys it would be next to impossible to see the youth without walking along the end of each. "Jack? Where are you? You know you're not supposed to be in here."

That strange childlike giggle was his only answer. North stopped and listened. It happened again. "Jack? Do you have someone here with you?"

Only more giggles answered. Then a small sing-song voice called out. "You can't find me!"

North's looked about in surprise. Now he knew for a fact that there was a child in Santoff Claussen. This was not good, not good at all. "Hello?"

"Can't find me!"

He couldn't help but laugh at the little voice. "Okay…where are you, little one?"

There as another giggled then all of a sudden, "BOO!"

North jumped and spun around. "Ah! There you…are?"

There, standing before him, as a tiny boy no more than three years old with bright blue eyes, shocking snowy white hair wearing a familiar blue hoodie that as at least ten times too big. The oversize sleeves hung over tiny hands that reached up to North, little fingers moving in a grabby motion.

North blinked as he knelt down closer to the boy's height. "Jack?" he asked softly.

The child smiled widely, pearly white teeth flashing in the dim light. "Hi!" Then the little bundle of energy jumped in North's arms and rubbed his cool cheek against the man's and snuggled into him. "Daddy silly."

North's eyes widened in confusion but he hugged the child to him as he stood. There was no doubt this child was Jack Frost, the cold clung to his small body as if part of his skin. "Jack, what did you do?" he asked the boy but paused as a small hand tangled in his beard and a small face pressed into the warmth of his neck. "Jack?"

A cool breath tickled his neck as a small nose pushed against it. "Sleepy. You're warm," the child said with a yawn.

A small smile tug at North's lips. He held the small child as sleep claimed Jack and searched the room for anything that could lend a clue to how Jack had become this way but found nothing. He searched high and low and even called the elves back to question them but it would appear no one knew what happened to Jack. Whatever had happened only Jack knew and now he was too young to help reverse it. North needed help.

Hefting Jack's now tiny sleeping form higher in his arms, North heading back to the Globe Room and sent out the Borealis. Hopefully the others weren't too busy. At least one of them was going to be very upset with this new development. Nonetheless Jack was incredibly cute in this tiny form. North sat in his arm chair as he waited for the Guardians to arrive. Jack was always small but now he was so tiny that North could cradle him in one arm. North smiled fondly at the little boy as he brushed snowy white bangs from closed eyes. He never held someone so small before but he liked it.

"Daddy, huh?" he asked the toddler, his smile growing as Jack snuggled into him more. "I like that."

I know there's a lot Jack being turned into a little kid fics out there but my son asked for one after seeing a cute little Jack picture with Baby Tooth and asked how Jack became that way and if North would be his daddy so we made up this little fic up at bedtime, but of course since I'm now writing it it'll be much larger and…fluffy? This Jack reminds me so much of my boy at the age of three. Think of Sophie and Boo put together to make little Jack.