Sorry it's been so long, life tackled me.
Jack arrived at the monthly Guardian meeting exhausted. He floated wearily through the window about five minutes after the others arrived. His hood was up and his head down, successfully concealing his face. As he fell into the furthest armchair from the fire, the others exchanged a worried glance.
"Jack, is good to see you." North said, trying not to seem overbearing.
Tooth had no such inhibitions. "Oh Sweet Tooth, are you ok? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine Tooth. Just tired. Too many big storms." There had been several storms. They were all diversions, made to keep them away from him. It hadn't worked.
"Then what's with the hood?" Bunny asked, sharing a look with Sandy, who nodded and started sneaking around Jack's chair.
"Felt like wearing it." The winter spirit claimed, though in vain.
"Sure. Because we totally believe that." Sarcasm dripped from the Pooka's voice. "Ya only wear the hood when you're upset or hiding something. So which is it?"
"Bunny, nothing's going on. I'm-" At that instant, tendrils of dreamsand yanked back Jack's hood, cutting him off. Tooth gasped aloud at what had just been revealed. North gripped his drink so hard that his mug shattered. Bunny just stared, wide eyed and unbelieving. Sandy floated around Jack's chair to see what the fuss was about, and his jaw dropped.
Jack was sporting a black eye, a split lip, and what appeared to be a broken nose. Blood from the nose and lip had streaked the lower half of his face. After several tense moments, Bunny broke the silence.
"Who did this to ya?" he questioned, his voice quivering with repressed rage.
"No one, I hit a tree."
"Then why would ya hide it? If you'd really hit a tree, ya would have come up here and we all woulda had a big laugh once ya were fixed up. This" Bunny gestured to Jack's face as his volume increased, "was no accident! Whoever in the world dared do this to ya, won't be in this world much longer." All of the Guardians, bar North, sat with shock (and some fear) written on their faces.
"Bunny." North said, walking to the Pooka and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Calm yourself."
Bunny spun to face the old saint "You want me to calm down? Look at Jack. Do you think this is the first time this happened to him?! It could have happened thousands of times! We have no idea! He was alone for three hundred years. Anything could have happened. We left him North. I left him."
Bunny glared at his feet, hating his actions, and by extension, himself. And so he was startled by the icy arms that suddenly encircled him from behind.
"Don't blame yourself. Please don't. I'm not gonna say that it was easy, but it happened. It's over. You guys are here now."
"... Thanks Snowflake."
"Any time." As Jack pulled away, his side brushed against a table. He gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his chest. All the Guardians rushed to him.
"Ow." Jack muttered to himself, then he pitched forward in a dead faint. Bunny caught the boy and lifted him gently into his arms. After checking his vitals to confirm that Jack was stable, the group headed over to the Pole's sick bay.
Jack now had a splint on his nose, an ice pack over his eye, and a bandage on his lip. His face had been cleared of blood.
"We should check for other injuries. I doubt his face was all that got hurt." North stated. Tooth, realizing that Jack would have to be undressed, quietly left the room.
North and Sandy were looking for medicine in the cabinets at the end of the room. Bunny removed Jack's hoodie and absently glanced at his arms. He hadn't expected to see anything, but he was the Guardian of Hope. It had become habit to check for signs of losing it. Instead of nothing, Bunny saw thin parallel lines up Jack's arms and chest. The scars that were too... neat to be accidents, or even beatings. They could only mean one thing.
"North, Sandy, I think ya need ta see this."
Looks like Jack's secret is out! How will the Guardians react? We'll find out in the next chapter of... whatever this is.
