The scent of blood had thickened around them, glazing the atmosphere in a coppery varnish that made Bunny feel positively sick.
They had been sitting like this, unmoving, for the past two hours and although Jack had stopped crying, he was far from okay. His face was pressed against Bunny's chest and his hands were still holding onto his back shakily, having grown tired from the effort he put into his grip. The Pooka was positive that if he could, Jack would have kept on crying till the end of time; it was only due to exhaustion and soreness that he had been silenced.
His paw grazed the top of the child's hair, smoothing it down to prove his presence, even though he knew it could never erase the deeds that had been committed. If only he could scribble over the mistake like he did with his eggs.
If only he could paint it white again.
He had long since stopped saying it was alright; it was hurting more than it was helping. The lack of sound surrounding them was less than comforting at this point, so much so that Bunnymund almost began to miss the sound of Jack's sobbing. Somehow, even that seemed better than this wretched unending quiet. At least when he had tears to go from he could see, with ease, what Jack was going through. But when he was like this..Bunny could only assume what kind of dreadful images were racing through his mind. Whenever the occasional whimper came or the tell tale tightening of fingers within his fur, Aster pictured childishly terrifying silhouettes moving through light and dark; conveying brief gestures and flashes of an event that the spirit's mind was trying and hoping to process in the least painful way it could.
Even for someone as strong as Jack, coping was a task too difficult. The sprite's purity faltered and his innocence trembled in the presence of such pictures. He blocked them out only to have them slip back into his thoughts with horrifying ease; he tried to watch and he tried to understand, but all that resulted were blurry faces and the tears that had made them appear so. His brain was broken and far too weak to fight off the shadows consuming it. He couldn't understand and he couldn't stand to remember..and, unfortunately, that was all his brain could do. All it was capable of was replaying images and sounds that had already been perceived and the only reprieve it offered was to dim the encounter's light and tone away it's clarity. At one point, it appeared almost like a crude drawing, features undistinguishable and movements choppy, cut off systematically as if Jack had shut his eyes. It was an infant's night terror, terribly vague and hazy, but distressing nonetheless. This was the only way Jack could tolerate it; he blocked out as much as could for as long as he could and when it came back he attempted to forget how vivid it had been.
A weak voice released a whine of pain while the weight in Aster's lap shifted uncomfortably, hissing sharply as it settled against it's will. "Bunny?"
Spring green spheres appeared swiftly from beneath gray lids, pulsing attentively at the small breath like utterance of his name. He carefully picked his head up, his chin sliding slowly off the child's shoulder before ducking down with just as much deliberation to press his nose into the mop of shaggy white locks below. His breath tousled the shimmering strands, expressing implicitly that the boy had his full attention.
"..It hurts.." he whispered tremulously.
The large rabbit bit his lip discretely at this and swallowed past an invisible lump that had formed within his throat. The sentence was so short and simple that it nearly sounded naive. That was what was breaking Bunny apart..the fact that Jack's answers were so childlike.. constantly reminding him that he had failed. He had failed miserably and the worst part was that Jack was the one paying for his negligence.
"Yeah..." he breathed regretfully. "..I know it does, kid." he murmured out softly. "I know." His response recieved a choked sob. There was really nothing Bunny could do and Jack understood this; he didn't like it, but he accepted it. Bunnymund wanted to help him, he could hear it in his voice, but he just...couldn't. There was no way for him to go back in time and fix everything. He couldn't magically right the wrongs Pitch had done against him.
He wanted to. He wanted to more than anything...but he just..couldn't.
"Jack?" Bunny spoke up, laying a steady paw on the back of the other's head. "I know you're hurt an' tired, but we gotta get ya outta here. Ya losin' blood an' just sittin' around s'not helpin' anythin'." he stated calmly, knowing that if he appeared anxious Jack would most likely mimic him, which was the last thing he needed right now. "If I bring ya to North he can- "
"NO!" Jack yelled out, clutching hastily to the Pooka with a vigor that had died away hours ago. Fresh tears found their way down the sprite's pale cheeks, "Please don't leave me," he pleaded hysterically. Bunny lifted his head up and stared at the winter spirit incredulously, "Hey hey, easy kid. I ain't kickin' ya to the curb," he hushed him quietly, petting his hair until he calmed down. He reached down, subconsciously, to wipe away the tears leaking from blue spheres, "I'm not leavin'. I just meant that we need to go somewhere to patch ya up," he reiterated, gentling the shorter male like he would a child closer to Sophie's age.
Jack sniffled, although he didn't retract from the furry touch rubbing beneath his eyes. "Why do we have to leave for that?" he asked hoarsely.
"Cause North's got more supplies than me. Sides, we need ta tell them about Pitch." The very mention of the man's name made Jack shudder. "No," he sibilated quickly, far too quickly. He could feel troubled irises boring downward, confused and unable to grasp the reason for such a response. Vulnerable sapphire orbs looked up at him with a look of hesitant trust followed by foreboding. "I..I don't want them to find out, Bunny." he admitted suddenly.
Bunnymund's brow creased worriedly at the statement, "Jack, we can' not tell em." he enlightened him.
The teenager's pale face twisted in distress as his throat tightened. He shook his head slowly, "You don't understand." he insisted hopelessly. Unwrapping his arms from around the rabbit, he leaned close to his chest, curling his fingers into the downy white fur there instead. "They can't find out..I-I couldn't live with myself if they knew what..what he did to me," he whispered so quietly that a regular person may not have heard. The older Guardian watched Jack hide his countenance, pityingly. "T-They'd hate me..." he said in a small voice.
Bunny's eyes widened, "Hate ya? Snowflake, they'd neva' hate ya cause a' what happened," he stressed, despising that this had occurred to Jack as a possibility. A weak, muffled, sob left the youth's lips; however, sounding defeated and subdued.
"Yes they would," he whimpered.
Aster frowned upsettingly and ran his hand along the side of Jack's head, watching spiky tresses flatten and jut out simultaneously, "Jack, this wasn' your fault, mate. Why would ya think that?" he mumbled, wondering what they...what he had done to make Jack believe such a thing.
Was it their neglect?
The centuries of solitude?
...Or had Pitch filled his brain with rotten whispers and fallacious insinuations?
Another shaky breath was drawn in, "B-Because I'm disgusting now," Jack replied. "H-How am I su-supposed to p-protect kids when I can't even protect m-myself? I-I don't even deserve to be a Guardian, B-Bunny," he choked out dejectedly, clinging to him even though he lacked the energy to do so properly. He didn't have enough strength to cry, all he could do was snivel whilst shameful tears streaked his flesh. He truly believed it, too. He was filthy. Why would the Guardians want him now? He was used and broken; humiliated and weak; he didn't belong with them. They would all think this... They would see him as nothing more than a regret...and the moon would see the error of his ways.
He would understand that everything he had ever done in relation to Jackson Overland Frost was, and always would be, a mistake.
Perhaps they would even convince Bunny of his fault in the matter. Maybe his companion would abandon him too...Maybe he had made a mistake of his own in coming here. Who was to say that the rabbit's opinion wouldn't change? Was anything he did or said set in stone? The other had no obligation to him after all; he was no longer a Guardian, at least as far as Jack was concerned. He had lost his privilege and ability.
How could he ever protect the innocence of children when his own had been ripped away from him?
Upon catching the traitorous remark, Bunnymund's gaze narrowed just barely towards the white haired immortal. "Hey! You a' not disgustin', mate." he retaliated sternly. He removed one of his hands from the spirit's head and used it to lift the pale face up from his fur. The upset youth instantly released a mewl of dissent and feebly attempted to escape the gentle grasp. It only tightened around him though, not enough to invoke fear or pain, but enough to stop his squirming.
There was a brief pause, and when Jack's eyes opened he found himself staring up into hardened, flaring, emerald irises. The emotion was deep and overwhelming, dragging the teen in closer then he felt comfortable with. He was by no means afraid. However, he was..anxious. Wary of what he might have done to arouse such a look from his comrade and nervous about what else the emotion encompassed.
"If anyone's disgustin' it's Pitch, not you." he asserted firmly. The tone was reproachful and protective over him; frustrated indirectly, but still caring. Jack tugged weakly, but the Pooka held his regard just as steadily when he tried. The ferocity of the sentiment wavered a bit, softening and cooling the heat of viridescent discs. "It's not like ya asked for this. It's not like ya wanted it. Pitch forced you." he emphasized, despite the look of discomfort raging within the view opposing his own. "Snowflake, ya didn' do anythin' wrong. It's Pitch..it's all Pitch," he said reassuringly. "Blamin' ya for what he did would be like us blamin' Sandy for gettin' hit by Pitch's arrow. There wasn' anything ya could a' done, mate. An' I know that," he murmured quietly. "We know that."
The paw holding him loosened suddenly, and moved to push back the messy strands of snow white locks that fell against his forehead. The green stare pulsed with a certain warmth directed toward the winter bringer, "Nothin' you do could eva' make us hate you."
The younger male closed his eyes, releasing a silent sigh as the soothing gesture coupled with the gentle words temporarily shoved away harrowing memories. For a moment..or perhaps an hour, he would believe in what Bunny told him. He would hold it tightly with both hands and bask in the promises it spoke to him; the doubt would come later, but for now it would be bliss
Out of nowhere though, the seasonal spirit grimaced. His features twisted with sensitivity and abruptly reminded Bunnymund of the issue they had forgotten that was still very much at hand.
In the midst of their conversation, the Aussie had nearly missed the, still, metallic scent emitting the child in his lap. It was even more potent now and the stain had grown against the teen's clothing, seeping through the fabric and onto the rabbit's own coat. Scarlet mingled with gray and white, tinting it rancid shades of an inverted color wheel as it dried to a rusty hue. Bunny respired resolutely and shifted beneath Jack's minor weight, adjusting his arms so that they were positioned beneath his knees and shoulder blades.
"A'right," he breathed out lowly. "Let's go, Frosty."
Jack didn't reply, he only wrapped his arms around the other's neck and winced when strong arms picked him up. While the Guardian stood back to his full height, the wind brushed against the blue eyed figure, wishing to hold and comfort him in the exact same way Bunny was already doing. The position was filled; however, so it settled to leave cold kisses against the sprite's skin before it whirled back through the trees.
The gray warrior glanced down at the gnarled staff laying, neglected, in the grass and whistled, silently beckoning a few of his eggs over and instructing them to deliver the item to Santoff Claussen. He knew that the young Guardian would want it close by. With a few squeaks, the egglets clumsily managed to hoist the long staff on top of themselves and began to march in the direction of the tunnels.
The Pooka looked at Jack once more, but the boy wouldn't dare open his eyes, not even when he sensed Aster's paw bringing him closer and rubbing indistinct patterns onto his neck. It was pacifying, but it would not get Jack to comply. They were traveling to a place the immortal did not want to go, to have a conversation that he did not want to have. He would follow Bunny...but he would not watch.
A muted thump resounded twice and, immediately, the ground eagerly gave way below them followed by a gust of air.
An unnoticeable shiver ran down Jack's spine and he tightened his grip about the elder, securing his fatigued grasp for more than one reason. Warm breath ghosted along the tips of his ears, in understanding, while faint strokes of light danced unevenly behind his eyelids; illuminating darkness without letting it ebb.
"Don' worry Jackie. I won' leave ya..I promise.
...
North huffed as he scanned the list in front of him. Christmas was over and yet that still didn't give him much time to relax. It was almost astounding how a child's behavior could change so rapidly from nice to naughty after the holiday was over. At the moment, he was multi-tasking, reading over the various names written on the scroll and walking through the bustling workshop to observe the toy development process.
It was clear that the bearded man was oblivious to the somewhat organized chaos of the place, thoughtlessly ducking when a haywire plane zoomed toward his head and stepping to the side every so often to avoid getting struck by an elf that had managed to attach a kite to it's back, all while never looking up from his papers.
By the time the russian was through half of the 'R's, he noticed a distinctly different type of frenzy rippling through the atmosphere. Abruptly, the doors burst open, revealing two frantic yetis who North approached confusedly. He began to roll the large sheet back up, "What is matter with you two?" he questioned raising a thick brow. The furry beasts were waving their arms around and talking so quickly that even North had a hard time translating.
The blue eyed Guardian rolled his eyes in aggravation, "Will you slow down! I can barely understand what you are saying," he remarked loudly to catch their attention. The dark brown yeti to the left sighed heavily before he garbled out something and motioned to the hallway. As the guard carried on, North's carefree expression gradually darkened with concern and dread.
"Bunnymund is here? With Jack?" he asked earning a nod from the large creature. "Why? What is wrong?" he interrogated. Having Bunny come here on his own was strange enough, but having him visit with the likes of Jack, no less, was just unsettling. Unfortunately, the yeti seemed just as confused as he was and shrugged, muttering softly.
"Jack is injured?" North repeated, hoping he had heard him wrong. Another nod brought forth a deep sense of alarm and anxiety from the master toy maker's stomach. In an instant the evidence of such fear was wiped from his face and replaced with a look of determination, "Take me to them." he ordered.
...
Within a couple minutes they arrived at the Globe room, where North entered through large double doors. All he had to do was take one step inside before he was greeted with the perturbing image of a battered, half conscious, Jack resting limply in Aster's arms.
A soundless gasp left his lips as he crossed the distance between them to inspect the wounded party. "How did this happen, Bunny?" he incited incredulously, his hands hovering centimeters away from the blue clad silhouette; too afraid to touch him, fearing that he would break. The Pooka's ears flattened instantly at the question and a frown appeared on his already tired features.
"It was Pitch, mate."
The specification was hissed in hatred while an all too familiar, yet different, voice cringed in reaction to it.
"But we defeated Pitch. How could he be back?" North asked, perplexed with Bunny's response. The Easter Bunny glared vaguely at the former-thief, "How the bloody hell should I know? Does it matta'? Isn't it enough to know that he's back and clearly able ta fight!" he snapped more harshly than he meant to.
His glower hesitated when he saw the sentiment of surprise on his friend's face as well as the shudder he had elicited from Jack. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head carefully, "I'm sorry, mate." he apologized, though it wasn't certain who he was speaking to at this point.
"Well then...what has happened to Jack?" North prompted eyeing the teenage prankster worriedly. Bunnymund was forced to push back his heated tears of rage and regret when he heard this. He could barely take hearing it himself...and he hadn't even heard it. He could barely stand to ask Jack...and he had never even asked. He wasn't sure if he could tell someone else out loud.
That would make this whole day more real than Bunny wished for it to be.
"I don' know how ta tell ya this..." he bit out difficulty, not meeting North's stare and gritting his teeth as he battled with the tightening sensation in his abdomen. "Pitch...Pitch.." Bunny was unable to resist cringing and shutting his eyes while he swallowed the bitter phrase that was burning the back of his throat. North watched his fellow Guardian struggle to speak, unsure of what was wrong with the man.
Aster shivered as small stinging tears welled behind his closed lids. When he opened his eyes, he grimaced, glancing back and forth at various floorboards with a helpless, agonizing, emotion, "He.." He gaped wordlessly as his emerald orbs watered with a thin veil of moisture that turned the edges of his corneas pink.
He took in a quivering breath and finally looked at the other distraughtly, "He raped him, mate."
He could hardly keep his lip from trembling when he uttered the foul truth. Still sound enough to hear, Jack let out a dazed whimper and consciously curled closer to the Aussie, who welcomed the closeness fully at this time. The room grew silent and it was as if the entire busy workshop had stopped in mourning. The ground beneath them felt unstable and it felt like the sky itself was about to come crashing in through the roof.
For a second, North attempted to ask; ask if he was sure, ask how, and if there was a possibility that it wasn't true. But, alas, none of these ever got as far as becoming a thought and the appearance of devastation took residence rapidly in his previously bright azure spheres. Bunnymund only observed in sorrowful empathy as the larger warrior lifted his hand to his face and put his back to them. He stayed like that for a minute or so, and although he was quiet, Bunny could see the manner in which his spine was shaking. When the russian pivoted, Aster chose not to comment on the redness of his countenance.
"How did he..."
The Pooka shook his head before North could finish. "I don' know. I didn' get ta ask..an' I don' think he'll wanna tell me if I do," he said knowingly. "We can talk about this lata'. Right now, we need ta get Frost, here, taken care a'."
Too winded to protest, the bearded swordsmen merely bobbed his head and lead his teammate to Jack's room. Jack didn't live at the Pole year round, but he visited the workshop often during winter and stayed there almost full time when the summer months rolled around. When they reached the location, Bunnymund might have smiled, had their circumstances not been so dire. The floor was wooden and glinted due to the tendrils of frost and snow littered about it. The walls were different vibrant shades of light blue, and Jack appeared to have made an army of icicles that hung from the ceiling. The bed was against the wall that the door stood on and beside that was a drawer that held nothing atop it but a small lamp. In the corner, there was a dresser that looked more for show than anything and a table, along with a shelf that was filled with ice sculptures Jack had no doubt created. Finally, the wall directly opposing the bed, had about three long windows that were decorated with icy ferns.
It was certainly the epitome of a winter wonderland.
Sadly, Bunny was only able to appreciate the room, fleetingly, in passing as he stepped over to the bed. "He's lost blood, but not enough ta kill him," he explained offhandedly. He stalled beside the mattress and gingerly laid the spirit down on it, only to pause when a force pulled at his chest. Baby blue orbs flickered out from underneath dark lashes and fogged while they observed the Australian in disorientation. Bunny frowned faintly, but managed to hide it well as he placed his hand over Jack's smaller appendage, "It's okay," he whispered soothingly. Very carefully, he untangled the white digits from his torso and lowered them, "Ya gonna be fine, mate." he assured him with a weary smile.
Jack vacillated, uncertain of wether or not he should trust in the elder's words. Eventually; however, he seemed to relax and permitted his lashes to lower again.
Aster released a deep breath and turned back to North, "We need ta clean him up," he stated. North called over a group of yetis and directed them to bring a list of supplies back.
A tan one, that Bunny recognized as Phil, returned first with a number of bandages and medicines, which he hurriedly set out on the small table beside Jack's bed. Once he was finished, he looked down at the bruised child. A lamenting growl resounded from his breast though when he perceived the bad shape the sprite was in. The yeti lingered a few more moments, but then swiveled and walked back to the door where he instantly ushered the various spectators out and back to their posts.
North released a sigh and came to stand beside Bunnymund. "How could we have let this happen?"
"Trust me..I've been askin' myself the same thing."
A pause.
"Come on..let's get to work," Bunny suggested walking around to the other side of the bed. He sat down on the edge of it and laid his hand on the youth's shoulder. Jack flinched, but allowed the elder to adjust him so that his back was propped against the Guardian's upper body. A groan lazily escaped his throat once he was settled against the other's reassuring weight. Bunnymund tore his attention away from the glazed over expression on Jack's features, in favor of looking up at his red-clad companion, "We should get his hood off first," he advised.
North agreed tacitly and leaned over the half-coherent frost to lift up the hem of royal blue article. The tips of his fingers vaguely brushed against the milky skin of the teen's abdomen, eliciting a hitched breath of fearful anticipation from their youngest. When North grasped the fabric and lifted it up, Jack seemed to spring to life, suddenly reinvigorated with energy and terror. His lashes darted skyward, exposing wide, dilated, aqua spheres that screamed almost as loud as he did.
"NO!" Jack frantically jerked away from the arms securing him as he sat up. He panted quickly and squirmed, scurrying backwards and away from Bunnymund. His eyes were large and terribly alert, glassy only with the faint glitters of a bad dream. Aster's face alighted with surprise, but he recovered quickly and swiftly placed his arms about the teenager's waist. This only served to make the boy more wild in his movements and vocalization. He twisted, painfully, and pulled against the bonds as if he was a wild animal.
"Leave me alone! Get away! Don't touch me!"
He screeched louder when North attempted to get near him and when Bunny retained his grip. The Aussie grunted as he kept the frenzied spirit in his lap. "Jack it's a'right!" he said loudly in order to be heard above the commotion. He sucked in a breath while dodging a flailing limb, "You're safe, mate! Pitch 's gone! No one's gonna hurt ya!"
The small form was vibrating against him again, evoking rough sensations from his forearms which strained to keep the silver haired trickster from falling off the bed.
"Don't touch me! Don't touch me, don't touch me, don't touch me!" Jack yelled feverishly.
"Jack calm down! You're safe! It's okay!" he pressed. Seeing that the winter bringer wasn't in his right mind, Bunnymund finally tugged the immortal against him, tightly, and trapped his arms against his sides, making it so that he couldn't move. He held onto him firmly as he fidgeted violently for a few useless seconds, releasing agitated breathless huffs through his nose.
"Ssshh...it's a'right, mate. Ya a'right," Bunny breathed out heavily, catching his breath for a moment until a majority of the spirit's strength was swapped. A horrified whimper came from Jack's flushed lips less than two seconds later. Bunnymund allowed his shoulders to relax a bit, "Steady now. Everythin's okay.." he hushed him tenderly, watching as the other tentatively leaned against his own body for support.
He kept his eye locked on the slim figure, absently reaching up to smooth his hair out of his face, and, wholeheartedly, avoiding eye-contact with the third person inhabiting the room.
He could feel his stomach filling with hot tar when he pictured the destroyed look he knew he would find on North's face should he search for it. He cleared his throat and mustered up an adequate tone to speak with, "Ya need ta call the otha's," he addressed the larger individual solemnly.
There was a string of silence that followed his order, proving to strengthen the strain building between all of them. "What about Jack?" The voice was known to the rabbit; however, the unusual somberness it was using, was not. The gray Pooka continued to look at the top of said sprite's head, "Don' worry 'bout him. I'll take care a' Jackie-boy," he assured.
Another pause.
"I don' think he'll let anyone else, 'sides me, even touch him," he admitted honestly.
At this, North's lip quirked downward and his irises darkened to an uncommonly dismal shade of sapphire. He lowered his chin and walked resignedly towards the door to leave the two alone. His furry team mate was probably right, but that didn't make the fact sting any less. Once he exited the space, he couldn't even bring himself to release the doleful respiration that beckoned his throat; he was too upset to even express it. He strolled through the hallways with a new sense of lethargy gripping to his heels. Passing the entrances leading to the workshop, North noticed that the hustle and bustle of the area seemed to have died down; not that he could bring himself to care anyways.
The only thing that took precedence in his mind was Jack and his less than positive reaction. He had been scared..scared of him. It hurt deeply. Recalling those, untrusting, icy orbs created a distinct stabbing ache in the toy-maker's chest.
North entered the Globe room for the second time and made his way to the control panel at the base of the large twinkling ball. He wrapped his hand around the mechanism that would activate the Northern Lights and twisted it to the left.
He knew that this would hurt the others once they arrived-
With a pursed lip and a hardened expression, the warrior pressed the handle down and watched the glares and flickers of pink and green wind through the sky.
-But he was certain that it was going to hurt Pitch a great deal more once they did.
TBC
F*CK YEAH! I finshed the second chapter! Hurray! This took me so frackin' long to do! But you guys responded so nicely to it and I can honestly tell each and every one of you that I'm absolutely flattered. Really! I was shocked that everyone liked this story that much. So I worked on an off and going back and correcting and then adding...hating it...going back rereading and correcting again. Lol! But it's finished and that's all that matters. I'm sorry if it's not as good as you expected it to be though. I was a little repetitive but I'll just have to ignore it or else I'll drive myself insane. Yeah I reused words specifically the word 'arms' and movements and it makes me crazy, but sometimes there is just no synonym, so please don't mention it. And I was reading over reviews and alot of ppl were like- "could you have bunny taking care of Jack's injuries?" and I was like..."Um..fuck yeah he will. Who else is gonna do it? Honestly guys." lol!
But yeah of course Bunny would be taking care of Jack! What do you guys take me for?! Lol! Okay so, sorry this took so long and it's a little short. But on the bright side next chapter will have everyone arriving -plus- Bunny taking care of Jack...SO YAY! Please review and remember be nice.
Srsly though I am so happy that all of you like this so much that some of you have actually read that one chapter over ten times. It really inspires me to work on the chapters and It just...I love you guys plain and simple. And I love when you give me feedback and I adore when ppl give me their input so don't be afraid to request or ask questions. Yes..I know sometimes my poetic bullshit can make your head spin. JK!