Warning: this chapter contains a lot of…hugs :3
He never thought he could open his eyes and see the light again.
After hours of laughter and numerous attempts to break out of the small room, Jack's wound began to sear again and his body was starting to feel hot. Eventually the guardians left him to rest—or at least the guardians left and Jack TRIES to rest. He was exhausted, all energy from his joy and laughter had already faded and he found it hard to keep his eyes shut when the door kept flying open.
Yetis kept rushing in, every time they came, they brought with them a fresh batch of cookies and a warm glass of milk, replacing the previous batch the elves made not long ago (he hasn't even touched them yet) even if he told them to stop, they bright him more, along with blankets, very fluffy pillows and other stuff that he absolutely didn't need.
Each guardian kept visiting, namely Bunnymund, he fluttered in and out, checking on his almost every hour. Jack was starting to grow uncomfortable with all the attention. Being taken care of certainly was nice, especially by the Easter Kangaroo who cared about nothing but painting hard boiled egg. It would be a good tale to tell the others some day. Jack would love to laugh and tease him about it, but all the fussing was staring to get annoying, he suddenly wanted the old Bunny back. For a moment Jack actually grew fond of getting all the attention, but now all he wishes for was to be left alone—well just for a few hours.
As for Bunnymund, the guilt still pestered at his heart, whenever he looks at Jack. He felt that no apology could ever make up for what he did last Easter, or on the blizzard of 68 or what he's done centuries before all that. He knew he hurt Jack, he just didn't see passed the joy in his eyes. He was surprised Jack still acted casual around him when he should be fleeing away from him in fear, maybe that's how he felt deep inside, he just didn't show it. When he looked at Jack before, he saw nothing but an irresponsible selfish trickster, and he proved his point to the others the time they thought Jack had traded Baby Tooth for his memories. He had been the least welcoming among the others the first time they gathered in the North Pole, maybe it is why Jack thought he didn't belong anywhere.
He knew the pain of being walked through, the bitter feeling still pierced his heart like a stubborn arrow and that had only been one time.
Jack has been walked through for 300 years, they should be suffocating with love and attention, which is exactly what he was trying to do right now…
It really made him wonder why Man in the Moon didn't choose him any sooner. Jack existed long before, not before them, but he is already centuries old. Why did Manny leave him in solitude for so long? Jack wouldn't have become like this if he was chosen sooner. Man in the Moon does a lot of questionable things. Answers may take centuries to reveal, sometimes the answers may never even come but they all knew Man in the Moon was doing the right things.
And maybe the right thing to do now was to fix the long broken winter spirit.
Jack may be centuries old, but nothing changes the fact that he has the form of a child, and he is a child, a lost child who is alone and confused.
But that was all about to change. Bunny swore Jack would never get hurt ever again and he was gonna make sure of that.
The longer he was left alone with his thoughts, the quieter Jack became. Things weren't the same anymore and he didn't act as casual with the guardians as he did before. His thoughts were still a whirl of turmoil. He couldn't properly contemplate his emotions at the moment. He felt so much anger, towards himself for being so blind and towards Pitch, slowly convinced everything he told him was a lie.
He felt embarrassed around the guardians. They've done a lot to make him feel welcomed, but all he did was turn his back on them. He couldn't bring himself to look them in the eye; a pang of guilt weighed his heart down, especially when they'd fuss over him.
Now he was just confused. Why would they even worry about him? Do they really care? They haven't cared for decades why start now? After he had sided with the enemy they have been fighting since the golden age and nearly causing them to fade away.
The better question is, why did they even accept him? Maybe they just felt bad for him since he took that shot for Bunnymund. It'll only take a few months before all this attention wears away and he'll eventually go back to living his old life, alone beside the lake, asking the moon pointless questions that are never answered. He was so afraid of the thought but he knew he couldn't belong (or that's what he thinks)
A cold harsh shiver ran down his spine. He was suddenly enraged. Maybe they took him in for man in the moon's sake. All his range suddenly melts away into sadness as he wraps an arm around his singeing wound. Why would Manny even give him a second chance to live when he's just planning to abandon him in solitude? Why did he choose him as a guardian when he knows he'll just be corrupted by darkness?
He has been alone all his life, at that's never gonna change. It's all just false hope. He felt tears stinging his eyes. Jack tries to blink them away but they end up rolling down his face, freezing into beads of crystals as they slid off his cheek. The cold wind stirred along with his sentiment, wrapping around him in a comforting shroud, perhaps it may not be his only source of comfort anymore...
When Bunnymund storms in the room for the fifth time today to check on Jack's condition, he found the frost child huddled up against the wall. He was looking outside the window, his eyes clouded and staring far off in a distance. In his hands he held his staff close against his chest, fern-like frost patterns traveled across as his palms contact and relaxes around it.
Bunny paces closer, his large feet thumping loudly against the wooden floorboards.
Jack remains perfectly still, not even turning around to acknowledge Bunny's presence.
The Pooka clears his throat loudly, breaking away the tensioning heavy silence that hung over them. "What's eatin' ya now Frostbite?" he asks, voice soft but urging.
Jack pulls his hood up in response and ducks his head in his arms, avoiding Bunny's emerald eyes that were fixed on him. "Nothing big" he mutters languidly.
The rabbit's whiskers twitch, sensing the boy's unease around him (of course he'll notice, Jack wasn't acting like what he calls "his usual annoying self")
It was obvious that he was still shaken from everything that's happened, he was probably trying to get used to all the attention after 300 years of taking care of himself. Teenagers Bunny thinks he never really understood them.
"Hey, it can't just be nothing" he presses, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed, setting aside the glass he held in his paws. Before he could and grasp the boy's shoulders, he was nearly tackled down by the unexpected hug from Jack. He grunts a little, feeling the cold chill run down his spine, albeit he hugs him back, too surprised for words. Everyone knows Jack wasn't the type for physical contact."
"I don't want to be alone again." Whispers the young hellion in a hoarse tone, sounding more like the broken child he really is.
The rabbit slightly flinches at each word, his tall ears dropping slightly. "And you never will be" he tries to convince him, but he couldn't control the quiver in his voice. "Ya'll stay here with us ya ain't gonna be by yerself anymore"
"And how will I know that?" Jack spits, ripping himself out of the embrace. "How will I know that for sure?" he says again, his voice diminishing into a whisper. "What if I do something wrong again, you'll just send me away…and I'll be alone again"
"Jack" Bunny says firmly in an exasperated tone. "Ya have all the right to not trust me, or the others. I know I haven't been really pleasant with you this whole time. We've left you alone for so long, and after that we even blamed you for what happened….I mean I blamed you "he corrects himself. "But none of this is yourself alright? It's ours, and we're family now, we're stuck together no matter what and you are staying here, whether ya like it or not"
The corner of Jack's lips twitch and slowly quirks into a small smile, "wow that was touching" he quips sarcastically, sliding his hood off his head.
"Oh, so now yer back with the snarky tone again?" he crosses his arms. "Seriously, are ya having mood swings?"
"I'm sorry, I just…I just…" he trails off, gripping his staff tighter, his knuckles turn paler as the wood digs into his skin. "I don't get it"
"What?"
"After everything, why are you still helping me?" he asks, his blue eyes traveling to the ground guiltily.
"Ey, you were confused and ya didn't know where else ta go, forget about all that, yer one of us now." The guardian says states proudly, giving him a pat in the back.
"Thanks" the boy says, flashing his bright smile once again.
Bunny ruffles his hair playfully. "Alright, now that that's outta the way…here" he takes the glass he left on the nightshade and handed it to Jack. "Drink this"
Jack's smile disappears into frown of disgust as he stares down at the warm glass of greenish mixture he held in his hands. "Is this even edible?"
"Of course it is, drink it, it'll make ya feel better"
Jack groans and sets the glass back down on the nightshade. He yanks the covers over his head, burying his face in the pillows. "I already dank a lot of crap today" he whines, voice muffled by the fluffy pillows.
"Ey" Bunny pulls away the sheets and shoves the glass back in Jack's hands. "Just drink it and ya'll get better soon."
"But I already feel better" the winter spirit mutters stubbornly and crosses his arms, refusing to heed Bunny's commands.
Bunny brushes away his bangs and places his paw to feel his temperature. "Nope, yer heating up, drink this before you get a fever."
Jack hesitantly takes a sip. Bunny's medicine tasted worst than it looks. He nearly chokes as the herbal blend made its way down his throat. "All of it" the Pooka orders tipping the glass slightly.
Once the glass was emptied, Jack coughs and gags, trying to get the bitter taste off his tongue. "What's that thing even made off?"
"Some herbs from the Warren" Bunny answers simply, putting away the glass.
"Are you sure they're not rotten" he says bluntly with a slight smirk. "They taste horrible"
"'Cause that's how plants are supposed ta taste like, now back under the covers and get some rest." Bunny instructs, tapping open one of his rabbit holes.
"Don't you ever just use the door?" Jack teases and gestures at the door that was not even 10 meters away.
"I'm headin' back ta the warren for a while. Don't even think of tryin' ta leave this room, there are yetis everywhere." The guardian warns and drops down the tunnel, disappearing out of trace.
"Jack! How are you my boy?" greets a familiar boisterous voice standing by the doorway. Jack glances up at North who looks as jolly as ever, his azure eyes gleaming wonder-filled, no longer dull and tedious like the last time he saw him.
"I'm feeling better" there was something in the way North calls him 'my boy' that seems to make his years of loneliness dissipate.
"Good" the former Cossack strolls over to ruffle his hair affectionately while laughing mirthfully. "Your center?" he inquires, tilting his head questioningly at the boy.
Jack struggles out of North's grip on his head, his gaze immediately averting to his feet. "I still don't know" he says sadly with a small shrug "Do I even have one?"
"Of course you do" North spread his arms welcomingly and Jack openly accepts the embrace and hugs what he could, clinging onto the fur on his coat, allowing the toasty feeling of company devour him. He was having quite a problem of his own; he was growing obsessed with hugs. He never had someone hug him before, then again he didn't experience any type of physical contact before the guardians and he found it extremely uncomfortable the first time Tooth touched his face to examine his teeth, or the first time North held him by the shoulders, but now he craved for hugs more than ever. He just felt so secured when he was in someone's embrace.
"To find your center, you must keep looking" the Russian continues in his thick accent. "Dig deeper, I believe you can find it, of course it takes time, but you can do it…I feel it"
"In your belly" Jack continues for him, giggling.
"Yes!" North laughs too "and as much as Bunny hates to admit, my belly is always right" he gently pries the child off and reaches into the pocket of his coat and fishes out his center, the tiny wooden baby with immensely large blue eyes. He takes Jack's small hand and places it in his palms, closing his fingers around it
"But, that's your center and….I left it in the park…" Jack protests weakly.
"Hold onto it"
The boy nods and slips himself back in North's embrace.
"So are you ready now Jack? To make it official"
"Yeah, I'm ready" he lifts his head proudly, his blue eyes glassy with intense emotion. Now he knows his place in the world, he knows what true happiness feels like.
And so North organized another grand ceremony in the main hall. Everything seems to be happening all over again, except there was no music, for the elves are still mad. His heart burned with a strange feeling, and this time it was not his wound that caused it.
The new guardian looks all around him, at Tooth who offered him a bright smile, at Bunny who was mouthing the words 'that's my boy' at Sandy who hovered above him and created sand fireworks, then back at North who held the thick book in his hands, beaming at him like a proud father.
So yes, this might not be the kind of family Jack wished for, but it was no different from a real one and he couldn't help but say his thanks to man in the moon, for answering all his questions at long last.
All his questions
"Will you Jack Frost vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes their wishes and their dreams for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."
Jack did not hesitate anymore, whatever happened in the past, is the passed. "I will"
"Then congratulations Jack Frost, you are now and forever more a guardian!"
The room erupts with cheers and Jack was again picked up into a hug by North, then Tooth and then Sandy and surprisingly Bunny as well.
So this is the story of Jack Frost, despite being led into an endless spiraling road of nightmares, in the end he found his treasure more precious than any relic in the world, which was family.
The End
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Nope that is certainly not the end yet, there is still a lot more to come. A lot more *Evil grin* so what do you guys think happened to Pitch? He's probably down in his little hole plotting his revenge, don't worry.
Sorry for the extremely late update. I'm kind of lacking a little motivation lately, I'm a little upset about the number of reviews I've gotten on my last update. Sorry, I sound like an awful person right now, reviews are one of the few things that give me motivation, I don't really have much confidence in my writing and what you people say really means a lot to me.
I understand you guys are busy due to school and other stuff but I'm also busy as well with school and projects and rushing to update my stories just gives me an even harder time.
My grades are dropping already, and I am in no mood to write when that keeps happening. No I'm not forcing you guys to review, it doesn't matter if you guys don't leave one whenever you read, as long as you guys are enjoying. I am just informing you that updates will generally go slower than before, since I'm only limited to working on my chapters during weekends. Plus there were some one-shots that I've been itching to work on for a long time now.
Thank you for all your support guys, you are the best! And again I am so sorry for everything.
Night-Fury1: my tumblr is under the same username The-Silver-Butterfly150
Destiel101: Hm. Thank you so much, I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for being so loyal to this story too *sniffles*
Majestic beauty sealed in ice: Oh gosh you're gonna make me cry! You've been supporting almost all my stories, which is also making me cry too! Thank you so much for your reviews, comments and everything else.
I don't deserve that title! I'm too dramatic Q_Q you should just call me Silver-cries-a-lot instead.
Phantom Ice: I'm glad you like it ;)
Book girl fan: I know right! Although chaptered stories are twice as exciting XD yeah, Pitch just might show more of his soft side in the future chapters.
OinkyThePiggy: Me too lol, I once squealed so hard when I saw a picture Bunny/Jack bonding time lol.
Don't worry guys, this story isn't over yet, and I'm not quitting either!