First of all, More Faves and Follows? You guys are amazing, hence my second update today :D
Thanks to Night-Fury1, FuzzyLeaf, JJ100051,DancingMirror77, lightning lynx, prongslet101, Rise-of-the-writer and Aunna for the follows and faves :D :D You are all amazing! And thanks to everyone who reviewed as well!
Okay, this one is set... well, a couple of weeks after the last ones I guess, and does have a bit of angst and not good...ness in it.
More about Jack's history, and some buddy bonding...
Hope you enjoy!
Jack was too busy making it snow to notice the fall spirits, a small gang of spirits who made it their mission in life to make him miserable due to his constantly making it snow and making fall end-even if it was strictly necessary- and so was unprepared for when they jumped him as he landed in the woods near the pond. He managed to fight a couple of them off, but, in true fall style, when they began, they got worse and worse. Plus there were eleven of them against one of him. How was that fair?
Therefore when, a few minutes later, he got himself thrown into the pond, and barely managed to scramble back out, he was thrown straight into a rock face.
He wasn't sure what it was, but something broke... A few moments later, the fall spirits vanished, and Jack sank to the floor, curling up against the rock in a ball.
Everything hurt. He was sure he had fractured his leg, his ankle was swollen, his side was bleeding, he wasn't sure, but he thought he could feel a broken rib... or two... One of his shoulders was bleeding and so stiff he couldn't move it, which might have been a good thing, seeing as he had a long gash down the full length of his arm.
His other arm had a few scratches, but was otherwise unharmed. His head though? Urgh, he knew he had a concussion...
From past experience, on the odd year they were able to catch him off guard, he knew that it would take a couple of weeks for him to get back to normal without any treatment...
And it's not like he could move anywhere...
A sudden shuffling in the trees had him flicking his eyes and grasping his staff tighter, but he gave a small sigh when a familiar face popped up.
Flow, the small fall spirit, sidled up to him, eyes sorrowful. Unlike most of her comrades, she was soft hearted, even if she did make bets with shadow spirits about getting Jack to wear ridiculous outfits, he thought, mentally smiling.
The small spirit sighed as she took in his injuries.
"Not again... I'm sorry Jackie... I'm always trying to make them stop but they hate winter spirits and well-"
"Flow, I'm fine..." he gasped as he tried to move, "Okay, maybe I'm not fine, but I will be..."
Flow perked up slightly as an idea came to her and she smiled.
"Hang on, I'll go and fetch Bunnymund. He's not too far from here if I take the tunnels..."
She was gone before Jack could comment and he sat back with a sigh.
Great.
_
Bunny was lounging, for once, on the grassy hill, when the warren alerted him that someone had entered.
He leapt up, and realized, from what he could see, that it was a fall spirit. Why on earth...?
"Guardian, Bunnymund? My name's Flow... Jack needs your help-"
"What? What's the little frostbite done this time?"
"No, no it's...Oh, it's a long story. Can I tell you as we go... Please hurry, he's really hurt."
Bunny didn't need to be told twice and got to his feet, running alongside the spirit.
"So, what the hell happened?"
What he heard had him fuming, and he had a half mind to rage at Fall about it, but knew it was more important to get to Jack.
He opened up a tunnel out of sight of Jack, at the spirit's request, and turned to her, gesturing for her to say what she had to.
"Look," she started, faintly, "You have to be careful... You have to remember that Jack has been on his own a long time. He's used to dealing with these things himself... Just don't treat him like a-"
"Kid? Believe me, I know he's anythin' but."
She smiled, and nodded.
"Say bye to Jack for me... And tell him to visit soon...?"
"Sure... Oh, and in future, it's just Bunnymund. None of that formal stuff, eh?"
Smiling, she nodded and, with a twirl, she vanished in a swirl of leaves. Bunnymund sighed before heading through the trees himself and he cursed again as he saw the state Jack was in. Blood had soaked through his hoody, his shoulder was set awkwardly and he was clearly in a state of between consciousness.
Running up, he sank down next to the winter spirit and tapped him on his good shoulder.
"Hey Frostbite... You awake?"
"B... Bunny...?"
"Yeah... Just got dragged across the globe by a small fall spirit... Very pushy thing too..."
"Tell me...bout it... But... m' fine...h'nest..."
"Sure y'are Frostbite. Come on, let's get ya cleared up... Ya friend says ya hav'ta visit soon as well..."
Jack's protests that Bunny really didn't need to worry stopped as he drifted off into a light state of unconsciousness, and Bunnymund sighed.
"Ya shouldn'ta had ta get used to this, mate..."
A few minutes later, and he opened a tunnel right outside North's study, adjusting the still unconscious Guardian in his arms, before letting himself in. North jumped up at the sight of Jack, hurrying from around the desk.
"What happened? Hurry, to med room."
North was likewise angry, no livid was more the word for it, as he heard what had happened, but switched his focus to Jack. It wasn't long before the younger guardian was resting, lightly, in his own room, his chest bandaged, one arm in a sling and the other bandaged to stop the bleeding from the scratches, and his leg set. It would be a few hours till he woke up, Sandy having quickly dropped by to see what was going on and to send Jack into one of the best dreams he had made for the young guardian, before having to shoot of again.
Tooth was on her way, and it wasn't long before she burst into the study, wanting to see Jack.
Bunny was quick to stop her from racing off, and told her the same as he had told North.
"Look Tooth, Flow was right. E's been alone a long time, and 'e ain't gonna wan' us keepin' tabs on 'im. Frostbite's stronger than we give 'im credit for."
"Yes, but-"
"No buts, Tooth." This was North. "Jack does need space. We help, but cannot heal. He mustn't feel like we think he is useless..."
"But we don't think th-"
"No, but he might not think that. Must take slowly. 300 years is long time. Will take time to adjust to not being alone..."
Tooth nodded, realising that they were right. It would take time for Jack to fully adjust to not having to do everything for himself. They could only be there to help him...
Bunny waited till Jack had woken up before questioning him about the fall spirits.
Jack had shrugged.
"I'm fine. They can only catch me every other decade or so..."
"Dontcha fight back?"
"Well, yeah, but when there are eleven of them, and they can all vanish in a swirl of bloody leaves, there isn't much you can do really... Not without seriously hurting them. Freezing them properly is really not good for them, you see..."
Bunny stared at Jack for a few seconds, then stormed out.
North sighed as Jack asked where he was going.
"He is going to have... chat with Fall..."
"But... What if he-"
"He will be fine, Jack. If it will make you feel better, I will go too?"
"I- Yeah...but-"
Too late, the Guardian had given him a light hug, mindful of the injuries, and head out to follow Bunny. Jack sighed, turning to Tooth.
"Why are they making such a thing out of it?"
"Several reasons Sweet Tooth... You know we all regret not being there for you the last 300 years, but finding out these thing that keep happening to you because we never bothered to help...It's not easy for us Jack."
"But... It wasn't your fault that-"
"Please don't Jack. Just accept that we feel the blame for it?"
"I- But I don't-"
"Jack? Look at it from our point of view... With each new thing we find out about you, the things you suffered through... All the wars, the loneliness... and now this? We should have noticed, and we didn't... I guess you're just going to have to get used to us worrying all the time... I'm sorry if that's always making you uncomfortable but-"
"No... No, I-I think I like it... Having a... Family...?"
Tooth's heart nearly broke at the tentative way he asked it, and she pulled him into a hug.
"Just like a family. Because that's what you are Jack..."
He gave her a wide grin as she pulled back, and chuckled as Baby Tooth curled up into his hair, before frowning at the state of his hoody.
"Bugger... I loved that hoody... I'm gonna have to wear the leather jacket till I can get a new one-"
Two fairies who had just swooped into the room froze at those words, before fainting right above Jack's head. He easily caught them and smiled as he handed them to Tooth, who was grinning.
"Actually, Jack, I have something for you... I'll be right back..."
With that, she flew off, leaving Jack with two unconscious fairies and one sleeping.
_
Half an hour later, Tooth returned to find Jack in a light sleep, the three fairies curled up in his hair, and smiled, laying the wrapped package on the table beside the bed and setting herself down in the chair, soon dozing herself.
A couple of hours later, North and Bunny were leaping through a portal, several unconscious fall spirits behind them, and a very panicked Fall stuttering that he'd never touch the winter spirit again, and they gave each other a high five as the portal closed behind them. One problem dealt with.
They entered the room just as Sandy flew in through the window, and they both grinned as they saw Jack, nearly covered in fairies.
Tooth was clearly asleep, and Sandy threw a dream at her, doing the same for Jack, before shooing the fairies away, all aside from Baby Tooth who glared with enough ferocity to make the golden man back away.
North had to get back to work, but Bunny decided he could take a break, and he and Sandy began a game of cards to pass the time away.
A few hours later, Tooth flew into the room, grinning, and laughed as they plied her with questions.
"Jack's fine... Better than fine. He's just rolling around in the snow to get his energy back up and heal his injuries a bit more. It'll still be a while before the ribs heal properly, but he's gonna be fine. The snow should take away the rest of the headache, and reduce the swelling on his ankle and shoulder, and hopefully freeze the cuts over. Oh, hey North."
This was to the big man entering the room, and he smiled when he saw the grin on her face.
"He finally got up and went into snow, da?"
"Yeah. I've told him to rest up though..."
"He will not list-"
"Yeah he will. We had a chat."
They all looked at her, and she shrugged.
"Hey, it was the motherly instincts..."
North rolled his eyes and sat down, taking a cookie from a passing elf.
"Has Bunny told you what happened with Fall?"
"Only that he won't mess with Jack again..."
"Da... I think he will stick with promise."
He and Bunny shared a look, and burst out laughing, leaving Sandy and Tooth to share a look and decide it was really better not to ask...
Jack was still grinning as he flew inside the French windows and settled on the bed, laughing when Baby Tooth tried to cuddle up to him, only to squeal and dart away.
"Sorry BT, I'm still a bit cold..."
He experimentally stretched, and winced slightly as his chest twinged. His leg was aching a bit as well, but the headache had cleared, and the scratches and cuts had healed with the scars already fading. Another day or two and he'd be perfectly fine... Unlike when he was on his own, when it could take a couple of weeks to heal...
He smiled as he picked up Tooth's gifts again.
It was basically his whole outfit, but brand new and... improved.
Full length brown trousers, and not only a blue hoody that was the same colour as his eyes, but also a black one and a pair of black trousers, which were pretty much jogging bottoms...
He could take a hint... And they were ridiculously comfy. The hoodys' were too... And she'd given him a long necked woollen-type jumper in the same shade of blue, as well as some soft t-shirts.
It was more clothing than he had owned in... well, centuries, and Tooth had been completely surprised at the gratitude he'd shown.
Before he'd explained, and she had vowed to get him more.
He was now dressed in the black jogging bottoms, and was feeling even more grateful to Tooth as he realised that, not only were they were a perfect fit, but they were ridiculously soft and comfortable, as well as not being too hot.
He decided to leave his top off, after some very heart-breakingly big puppy eyes had been shot his way by the fairies as he went to put one on, plus the fact it was making his shoulder ache a bit when he raised it, and he settled back against the headboard.
He thought through what Tooth had said, about everything the Guardians were feeling, deciding to try and make more of an effort to be less of a lone shark, and he smiled happily as he remembered what Tooth had said about them being a family...
It felt good to have a family again...
He felt himself slipping off, and made himself more comfortable, letting Baby Tooth curl up in his hair again, before he let himself doze off.
_
The other checked in on him several times over the next fourteen hours, as he slept, and North was pleased with his progress.
"He is smart boy. The more he sleeps, the quicker he heals. Is shame he had to learn hard way..."
Tooth was still horrified by how little Jack actually owned, and immediately set about getting a group of her fairies to plan an entire wardrobe, to which Jack had no idea, considering she knew he would be a little overwhelmed by it all. She still smiled when she remembered the joyful gratitude that sparkled in his eyes as he had unwrapped what she had made for him, and was glad that he liked them. He had even taken the subtle hint about the black!
Now she was preparing to head back to work, knowing she couldn't put it off any longer, as much as she wanted to, and made North promise her that he would let her know as soon as Jack woke up.
She let Baby Tooth stay with Jack, and grinned as the image of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell came into her mind. It was very much like that with those two... She gave him a quick peck on the forehead before taking off, leaving him to Bunny's care, Sandy and North likewise having returned to work.
Bunnymund found it was not at all boring to keep an eye on the younger guardian, who seemed to be subconsciously making swirls of snow, and lounged back on the chair.
It was another couple of hours before Jack stirred and yawned, pushing himself upwards.
He was a little disorientated for a second, until he realized where he was, and blinked as Bunnymund leapt out of the chair.
"Hey, how ya feelin Frostbite?"
"Good... I feel fine. Which is weird, seeing as how it normally takes at least a week to recover..."
He wished he had never said anything as Bunny flinched slightly, and hastened to change the subject.
"But I'm fine. Did Tooth finally get back to work?"
"Yeah. The mother hen finally left the nest. She should be back soon though. Sandy too. I'll just let North know you're up."
"I can do that..."
Bunny was about to complain, but then stopped himself. He got enough worrying from Tooth and North. He needed to be the one who didn't push him...
"Yer sure?"
"Yep."
Jack literally bounced to his feet, frowning slightly at the slight twinge in his chest, but knowing it would fade in a few hours, and grinned.
"Let's go annoy Phil- See North..."
Bunny rolled his eyes, as he followed the chirpy guardian out of the room, Baby Tooth flitting around his head before taking off to let Tooth know he was awake, and sighed.
The little nuisance was pretty much back to normal. Now he just had to set the traps at the entrance to his warren again...
Because, really, he had just got it back to being green again...
I know it wasn't my best work... But please review and let me know what you think!
(Oh, and sorry for any OOC...ness in this, the previous chapters, or future ones. I've only seen the film once *sheepish shrug*)
Raven xx
