I am SO happy to see all of the great feedback for this story! I really hope everyone continues to enjoy it, and please review! I am a Chem major, and therefore can more easily take time out of my busy schedule to write if I know people are enjoying it!
So, since there's such a positive response, here's another chapter! Hope I don't disappoint everyone!
"Fake hand?"
Jack started, head shooting up as his blue eyes searched for the source of the voice before finally alighting on Professor Bunnymund.
Or rather...Assistant Professor Bunnymund. It really rankled the old geezer that Jack was probably a decade younger, and yet held a much higher title.
"You wish," Jack grinned wryly at him, lifting up the hand in question to show him, "My little trick wouldn't have worked so well if it was."
"And why is that?"
Jack tilted his head to the side, looking at the older man with innocent eyes, "I'll tell you the same thing I told my students. They have to look it up for their own. Google is a marvelous thing," he then sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "I doubt many of them will, though. Too bad, it's going on the test."
"What?"
"Is there a problem with that?" a white eyebrow quirked.
"You can't put something on a test that you didn't cover in class!"
"I did cover it, though. I even told them to look it up," Jack shrugged again, "It's not my problem if they'd rather dwell in ignorance than enlightenment."
"It's your job as professor to tell them what they need to know to prepare for the exams."
"I did tell them. They have to learn that not everything will just be given to them on a silver platter. Otherwise, they're in for a rude awakening next semester. Now, please leave."
"Please?" Bunnymund looked confused at the polite word.
Jack just sighed, trying to hide his tiredness, "I've got a lot of work to do before this weekend. I'm afraid I don't have time to play games with you, Kangaroo."
The nickname had the desired effect, as an angry expression appeared on the Australian's face, causing him to glare at Jack before storming out.
Deliberately leaving the door open.
As usual.
Jack sighed again as the heat made him feel sluggish. If this was to become a habit, he needed to find a way to close the door without getting up. He could barely think like this.
But as he closed the door, and returned to his desk to finish working on the first homework, his mind drifted to his upcoming procedure.
Now that would definitely not be fun.
His head hurt just thinking about it.
"Are you alright, Aster?" Tooth asked as her friend grabbed another beer. The Art professor glanced over at the Assistant Professor for International Relations studies wearily.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Sandy tapped his shoulder, hands flying through various signals, all amounting to telling him that the Associate Professor for Creative Writing was worried about him.
"I said I'm fine, Sandy, just another year of dealing with those blimey ankle-biters."
"I think they're delightful!" the only full professor in their group, Nick, boomed (the only way he could really communicate), "So many minds so eager to learn!"
"Have you shown them your tattoos yet?" Tooth asked eagerly.
"Nyet," the professor for History in Russia shook his head, a twinkle in his eye, "I think I will wait for first test, da?"
"I don't know how much will scare them after Frost's class," Aster scoffed, "Unless you can beat sticking your bare hand in liquid nitrogen?"
The others' eyes grew wide, "He DID that?"
Aster just nodded, "Craziest thing I ever saw."
"Wow," Toothiana whispered.
"Yeah."
"How?"
"Refused to say. Told me to just look it up."
"And did you?"
"No."
She smacked him on the back of the head, "Aster!"
"What?" he yelled back, his hand rubbing the sore spot on his head.
"Why didn't you look it up?"
"Why did I have to?"
"CURIOSITY!"
"CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT, SHEILA!"
Then Sandy and North were separating the two, ushering them to their seats. While it wasn't uncommon for voices to be loud in these little parties, Tooth rarely argued with anyone.
Maybe she had drunk a little more than they had thought.
"Alright now," Sandy signed, "What is this REALLY about, Tooth?"
She sighed, slumping in the chair, "I just thought that it might be a good way to reach out to him. The kid just seems lonely, y'know?"
Aster snorted, "Lonely? The kid prefers it like that. Too frigid by far."
"Aster," North chided, "Let Toothiana finish."
She smiled at the Russian in thanks, "My point is, we haven't exactly been that welcoming to him since he got here. He's a young adult, and he doesn't exactly have his usual peers around him. I think WE should be the ones to reach out, rather than waiting for him to approach us."
North applauded at that, "An excellent idea, Tooth!"
Sandy nodded in agreement, two thumbs up.
Aster rolled his eyes, "I thoroughly reserve the right to tell ya that I told you so when this bites you in the rear."
North clapped him "lightly" on the back (light enough to fell a small tree), "Come now, comrade! Don't be such a downer!"
The Australian just muttered indistinguishable words into his beer as the others plotted how to get the new guy to join in the group.
And no one listened to Aster's murmurs of how it would all be a waste of time.
Then again, no one ever did.
Jack stared into the light as he felt the pinprick on his arm. How many times had this happened? Five? Ten? A hundred? A thousand?
It's not like it hurt. Not anymore, at least. Uncomfortable, yes.
Painful...not anymore. Just unimportant. Especially as the anesthetic raced through his veins.
"Jack, can you hear me?" he struggled to focus wearily on the greyish face above him, "I need you to relax. Let yourself go under."
Giving up control like this just kept getting harder and harder. When so much had been taken away from him, it was the little things that he clung to.
But he closed his eyes, willing himself to let go, to do as Doctor Pitchiner said.
He was just...so tired.
To say that Aster was surprised would be putting it lightly. He had been walking home from another evening with the Guardians (as they called themselves), an evening full of ways to break past Jack's shell.
Ignoring the fact that the kid probably didn't WANT his shell to be broken.
As it so happened, Frost's house was on the way to his own.
And also, as it so happened, Aster walked across the front yard, just as HE came walking out, locking the door behind him.
Doctor Kozmotis Pitchiner.
How many years had it been now? They had gone to school together. All of the Guardians had.
Pitchiner had too.
That slimy, sneaky...
And then Kozmo caught sight of him too, freezing, half in the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" the Australian growled, clenching a fist. What he wouldn't give just to sock that guy right in the gut.
Well, why couldn't he? Pitchiner always thought he was SO much better than everyone else, just because he was a Biology major. He always had looked down at the rest of them, sneering at the "Humanities".
If he knew Frost, then that explained his attitude towards the humanities.
"Visiting a friend," that horribly smooth voice hadn't changed a bit, full of itself, "And you?"
"Walking home."
"Well then," a cordial gesture, "Do not let me keep you."
Pitchiner all-but-floated down the stairs, pausing just barely in front of Aster as he reached into his pocket for his key.
"Are you certain you can make it?" Pitchiner kept talking in that smooth voice, "From your appearance, you appear quite inebriated..."
Just one punch, what harm could it do?
But in the second the Australian swung at him, the Brit was ducking out of the way, sliding into his vehicle with ease.
He rolled down the window, just slightly, "I was going to offer you a ride for old time's sake...but now I do not think I will. Good day, Mr. Bunnymund."
And he drove off.
Aster glanced at Frost's house, hesitating.
If Pitchiner was in there, was Professor Frost alright?
He snorted.
It wasn't like he cared.
A rapping.
A tapping.
A rapping at his front door.
Only vaguely aware.
Jack felt himself pulled out of sleep.
Reluctantly.
Struggling.
He rolled off his bed where Pitch must've put him.
Rubbing his eyes from sleep.
He stretched out the kinks in his back.
How long had he slept?
Not near long enough.
He dragged his feet along the ground as he moved.
Feeling around for anything that might attempt to trip him up.
He leaned heavily on the front door.
The relentless pattern of knocking and ringing of the doorbell only intensified at the thud.
Jack pulled himself up to his full height to peer through the peephole.
What he saw there confused him.
Keeping the chain latch on the door, he opened it slightly.
"Kangaroo?" he was barely able to speak above a whisper.
"What took ya?" his voice was too loud, "I've been knocking for ages!"
Jack flinched back from the loud noise, before steeling himself to continue.
"Why are you here?"
At this, the older professor looked a little sheepish.
"I saw a suspicious figure..."
"And you thought you'd check on me?" somehow he felt a smirk cross his face as a teasing lilt trickled into his voice, "Oh, Bunny, isn't that just the nicest thing..."
"Open the door, Frost."
Jack frowned.
"No."
"Why not?"
Jack quickly thought up an excuse.
"Too hot out here."
"You're losing your frigid air just by cracking the door open. I just want to make sure you're alright. Just getting used to you. Don't want to replace you so fast."
He couldn't let him in here. The secret would be out.
Not much point in keeping a secret if he died.
No, stop the morbid thoughts.
Think of an excuse.
"It's past my bedtime. I'm in my PJs."
Professor Bunnymund looked confused.
Jack wanted to slam his head into the door.
Stupid pain meds. Making him all loopy.
Making that sound like a good excuse.
"Frost...it's only 10. Shouldn't a kid like you be out having a good time?"
Jack forced his easy grin to come to the front.
He tousled his hair, "See this? I'm old at heart, Bunny."
"If you're old, then I think I might be pushing up the daisies."
"Glad to see you admit it. Now, good night..."
The Australian's foot kept him from closing the door, "Not so fast."
Jack groaned. He just wanted to go to bed.
Nausea was beginning to stir in the pit of his stomach.
He needed to get rid of the guy before he threw up.
"Frost...you don't look so good?" the Australian's words slurred.
Drunk?
Relatively early to be drunk, wasn't it?
The professor was an old man after all, wasn't he?
"Yeah, really tired Bunny. Busy writing out that test."
"It's only been the first week."
"I like to be prepared."
"That cold stuff you work with?"
The grin was growing strained.
He needed to get rid of him.
Quickly.
"You gotta be more specific. But since I'm tired, I'll give it to you. Liquid nitrogen?"
"Yeah...how'd you do it?"
"I told you to look it up."
"Tooth got angry at me."
Jack wanted to sigh. He wanted to scream.
He just wanted to be alone.
"What's the answer, Frost?"
He couldn't take it anymore. His arm shot out through the small crack in the door, shoving the unsteady Bunnymund back.
And slammed the door.
He slotted the door locked in the same smooth movement.
He couldn't move away from the door fast enough.
Couldn't make it to the bathroom.
Couldn't do anything but rock heavily back against the door.
His hands went to his knees.
And retched.
Fluid came up. Just fluid.
He hadn't eaten that day.
In preparation for the procedure.
Just dark fluid.
All over his floor.
Dark red fluid.
