Guardians for a Family Chapter 21
I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of its characters or The Guardians of Childhood or any of its characters
No
The Guardians knew that, despite being immortal and a future Guardian, Jack was just like any other child. There was no way they could deny that, and they could prove it too. They were quickly beginning to notice how Jack was going through the phases of a normal child. And they seemed to be at their first phase, the "no" phase.
Jack seemed to be saying no to everything and anything, he even used the word when he wanted something or when he accepted something. North and Tooth found it amusing, Sandy was indifferent due to the fact that he knew that it was just a phase, but Bunny on the other hand couldn't help but be a little annoyed. He loved the little Guardian as much as the others but he knew that this was more than just a phase. A deep part of him knew that this was a part of Jack's mischievous side. The little boy loved attention and he saw this as a way to get it.
Bunny supposed that it was natural since he had seen other children go through such a phase but he never thought that he would be at the receiving end of it. He wondered just how long it would last.
It was Bunnymund's turn to watch over the little boy and so there they were. They were at Bunny's Warren and Jack was playing with the butterflies that flew around the gardens of flowers. The little boy giggled as the butterflies would land on his face and hands. He was careful though, he made sure not to hurt the little ones. Bunny was watching as the little Guardian played with the flying insects.
The Guardian of Hope decided to take some time off today so he wasn't painting or making any designs. He just wanted to watch Jack today, especially when he was going through such a phase. Even though it annoyed him a little, he still couldn't deny that the boy was cute whenever he did so. Maybe Jack's way of getting attention was working since Bunny now wanted to watch him instead of working while doing so.
The Pooka stood beside the future Guardian as he held the butterflies on his fingers. Some of the flying insects were landing on him as well. The butterflies weren't like other butterflies; their designs were more intricate and detailed. Their wings looked like something Bunnymund had designed himself. As Jack played, a curious thought came to Bunny. He wondered something.
"Jack," he addressed.
The little baby turned to the Pooka with a puzzled look on his face but it quickly turned into a mischievous one.
"No," Jack said.
Bunny snorted and rolled his eyes. Very well, he would play along for now. He wanted to see how far Jack would take this little game.
"What, ya ain't Jack anymore?"
Jack smiled and shook his head.
"No," Jack replied.
The Pooka chuckled a little before turning his attention back to the little boy.
"So what are ya?"
"No," Jack responded.
"Yer a no?" Bunny questioned.
Jack giggled once Bunny asked that, he knew what he was saying. Jack slowly allowed the butterflies to go back to the gardens as he gave the Guardian of Hope his full attention. He gave him his answer as well.
"No," Jack stated.
Bunny saw how serious the child was and he leaned closer to him. He had other questions he could ask the boy at this point. Even though he already knew what the answers would be he couldn't help but ask them either way.
"Are ya a yeti?"
"No."
"Are ya a Pooka?"
"No."
"Are ya a fairy?"
"No."
"Are ya a mermaid?"
"No."
"Are ya a Cossack?"
"No."
Despite already knowing what the answers would be, the Guardian of Hope couldn't help but be amused by them. He also laughed some more. Leave it to Jack to turn a simple thing into a game, one where he was determined to have the last word. Bunny wondered if he was picking up the habit from North, the Cossack had a habit of doing this as well and normally he won… much to Bunny's annoyance. That was when he chose to switch the topic of the questions. A sly look spread across Bunny's face as he thought about the next questions.
"Do ya like Christmas?"
"No," Jack simply responded.
"Is Christmas better than Easter?"
"No."
"Does North work harder than me?"
"No."
These questions made Bunny laugh some more, he felt as if he had a first victory over North when it came to this subject. But he had a feeling North especially took advantage of this; he had noticed how smug the Guardian of Wonder had been around him lately. He wondered if North had asked Jack similar questions when it came to holidays and him in general. Nevertheless, he changed the topic of the questions once again.
"Do ya like cookies?"
"No."
"Do ya like snow?"
"No."
"Do ya like toys?"
"No."
"Do ya like naps?"
"No."
Bunny looked amused, he wondered if the other Guardians did something similar to this now that Jack was going through the "no" phase. He knew that Tooth probably couldn't stop cooing and awing over the little boy every time he gave her his predictable answer. The Guardian of Memories did all that she could to spoil and fawn over Jack, this was no different. Sandy just let it slide due to the fact that the Guardian of Dreams didn't talk using actual words. But that didn't mean that Sandy wasn't as amused as the other two when it came to this. Sandy had told them times where Jack would just point to things and say no for no reason at all. The Pooka shook his head and he recalled that. He turned his attention back to Jack and opened his arms out to him.
Jack saw the action made by the Pooka and he wasted no time in entering his soft and warm embrace. Jack giggled a little as he did so. He always like it when his caretakers cuddled with him, it made him feel accepted and he could feel their love as they did so. Even though he was still so young Jack could differentiate between the embraces his family gave him.
North's was firm yet gentle, Bunny's was soft and warm, Tooth's was delicate yet soothing and Sandy's was relaxing and lulling. He liked them all and he enjoyed their embraces whenever they gave it to him. As Jack was secure in Bunny's arms he placed his face against the soft fur and he felt the warmth radiating from it. He could also hear the comforting sounds of Bunny's heartbeat. A contented look was on Jack's face as he did so.
The Pooka held onto Jack as the little boy nuzzled into his fur. Bunny saw the gentle look on Jack's face and he couldn't help but gaze at it lovingly. Even though the boy had celebrated his first birthday not too long ago, he still looked so young and small. But Bunny remembered how small he was when he first arrived to them. Back then Jack could be cradled perfectly in their arms, but now he was beginning to sit up in their arms while occasionally lying down on them. It was a subtle reminder that Jack was growing up. It was hard to believe that the little life before him wouldn't be so little forever. He would age and one day he would have the same position as him and the other Guardians. He would be right beside them as they fought to protect the children while doing their jobs. And speaking of children, he wondered if Jack's age would affect how he saw the world around him.
To be honest, there was another reason why Bunny didn't want to admit that Jack was going through a phase. If Jack was going through a phase such as this then that means that he was really growing up. Even though he knew he had to accept that and even though he knew that this was Jack's destiny, at the same time it was still hard letting go of the little Jack they had now.
How much would he change? Would he grow up like other children did? Normally when a child grew up they would lose all interest and passion they had from the past, they became teenagers and adults. They stopped believing in the magic the world around them contained. They lost all the innocence they had as a child, and it never ceased to break the hearts of the Guardians.
Bunny was worried that the same thing would happen to Jack when he grew up. Would he lose sight of the world around him? Would he choose not to celebrate or interact with them as time went on? Would Pitch be able to corrupt him if this happened? There were so many questions he had about Jack's future and about him growing up. But he didn't have the answer to any of them.
What Bunny didn't realize was as he was worrying about the future; a certain someone had been paying attention to his actions. Jack noticed how stiff and worried his caretaker looked now. He cooed and titled in his head in confusion, he wondered why the Guardian of Hope was suddenly acting like this. Whatever the reason was, Jack couldn't help but grow concerned for him. He cooed some more as he reached out to the Pooka. He gently placed a small hand on Bunny's nose.
"Dadda Kangaroo?" Jack said.
That snapped the Guardian of Hope out of his thoughts as he heard that. Despite being a year old now, the Pooka could hear the worry in Jack's tone. There was concern in his voice; the little boy was worried about him. Jack always found ways to show his concern for his loved ones, this was no different. That was when Bunny's eyes widen as he suddenly had that epiphany. With that he felt his worries melt away, Jack's simple action was all that it took to convince him that his concerns were for nothing. Jack was still Jack, this proved it. The little boy who liked to cause trouble, have fun and make others happy was still there. And he would always be there no matter how old he got.
He should have known better, he allowed his paranoia and worries to get to him. Maybe it was just a sign of showing how much he cared for the boy and maybe it was all a part of being a family. A part of him didn't want Jack to grow up but then another part of him wanted Jack to succeed and become the person he was meant to be.
However, in the end he just wanted Jack to be happy and healthy. No matter what, even if he did grow up, the Pooka would always be by Jack's side. He made a promise to the Man in the Moon and to Jack and his previous family, and he intended to keep it. He knew that there would be many challenges down the road as Jack grew up but he felt confident that all of them would overcome them… together. He nuzzled his face against the little boy's and then he held him high in the air.
Jack giggled a little as the Guardian of Hope did so; a smile was on Bunny's face. The little boy was happy to see that his caretaker was happy now. He had been worried that Bunny was sad but his actions were proving otherwise. What Jack didn't realize that it was because of him that Bunny was happy now. That was when Bunny spoke.
"Yer not to change are ya little ankle biter?" Bunny asked.
Jack looked at the Pooka with a big smile now on his face; it was as if he understood what the Guardian of Hope was asking him. He replied with only one response.
"No."
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