Set after the movie. Follow up on 'Mannequin Manhunt". Requested by ZombiekillerLevi.
Jack was not even sure when Bunny had gone into the laundry room. All he knew was that when Phil returned with his hoodie it was most defiantly not the same color as it had been before. Jack baulked at the yeti, whom had an equally perplexed look on his furry mug.
Jack's hoodie was a swirl of purple and pink. It smelled of egg dye. There was really one culprit unless the Purple Elf had gotten washed too, but Phil would have told him about that.
Jack always had Phil wash his hoodie when he needed it. The yeti did not ask awkward questions as to why Jack's three hundred year old blouse had random blood stains, or why he looked so frail and thin without his jacket. The yeti just accepted it and moved on.
"Take it back, wash it again," he told the yeti with a sigh.
Phil made a noise of irritation, but Jack knew that it was not directed at him, but at a certain pooka. Jack refused to leave his room without his hoodie. He did not want to risk the others seeing him and freaking out over something that was only going to be a big deal to them. But Jack was also not going to give Bunny the satisfaction of seeing him in a pink and purple hoodie. The nickname 'Twinkle-toes' would never die after that.
The yeti was examining something on the collar when the all too familiar sound of Bunny's huge feet could be heard on the landing. If Jack could get any paler, that was the moment. He rushed to his door, slamming it shut. He knew that it had echoed by the way Bunny laughed aloud on the other side.
"Aw, come one, Frostbite. Let me see."
"Go away!" Jack cursed his voice for the slight break. Bunny was paranoid by nature. If he figured that Jack was nervous for other reasons, then he would stop at nothing to break the door down.
Jack had to think fast. Which was the lesser of two evils: having the Guardians nitpick over his health or having Bunny have the satisfaction of finally getting him back? As much as his pride hated him in that moment, he would rather just have Bunny have his laugh.
He could not put on the hoodie with the blouse or it would turn the blouse pink. He would not stand for that because he would not be able to wash it out. The blouse would fall to shreds within seconds. He took off the blouse, ignoring Phil's indignant sound and reach for the hoodie.
Phil was not having it. He was not planning on giving the hoodie back until he had fixed it, and he did not seem to understand the dire situation with Bunnymund right outside. He jerked it away from Jack's reach, throwing the discarded blouse off to one side in his attempt to play keep away with the winter spirit.
"Give it back, you lump of fur!"
If Bunny ever made another comment about Jack's curiosity being the death of him, he would personally freeze the pooka's head to the ceiling. Jack heard the door open, and a strangled sound come from Bunny. At that point, Jack had tried to literally climb over Phil to get at the dyed hoodie, and Phil had one claw wrapped around Jack's knee to try to pull him off. They both froze when they noticed the Easter Bunny standing in the doorway.
Distantly, Jack had the feeling that this would sound like the beginning of a bad joke when they tried to explain it to the other. The Easter Bunny, Jack Frost, and a yeti all walked into a room…
In the momentary distraction, Jack tried to make a desperate grab for his jacket, feeling terribly exposed without so much as his blouse on. Phil yanked at his leg, pulling him down and standing up in the same instance. Jack was suddenly disoriented, but when he recovered, he was hanging upside down from where Phil still had him by the knee. The silence in the room was replaced by an obnoxious snort. It seemed as if the pressure in Bunny's head had finally exploded and the pooka fell over laughing.
Jack struggled for a moment, only for the yeti to drop him on his head in a graceless pile. They exchanged glares and Phil marched out of the room with his hoodie slung over his shoulder and a triumphant swagger in his step.
Bunny seemed to recover his wits as Jack righted himself and reached for his blouse. His face felt warm and he knew he was probably purple with a blush. Bunny was suddenly behind him, a warm paw wrapped around his bony shoulder.
"Do you ever eat?"
Jack gave him an angry look as he pulled the ancient shirt over his head and adjusted the laces on his chest. He still felt naked, but it was a little better. "No," he answered simply. "I don't need to."
"But you can." Bunny looked a little alarmed, but seemed unable to really express it.
"It won't matter, I won't fatten up any." He knew his tone was sharp as he pushed past Bunny to retrieve his staff by the window and to open the glass. He needed to go ask Tabe what the groundhog had said to him since the lazy little rodent had a knack for lying to the winter spirit. And besides, he suddenly did not want to face all the awkward questions that he knew was coming.
Bunny just frowned. "Yer not actually mad, are ya?"
Jack almost said yes, but in reality, he was not mad. Irritated with the pooka, yes, but not mad. "No," he sighed after a moment of making Bunny squirm.
Bunny smirked. "You don't want me to tell the others about…" He made a motion to Jack's torso.
The winter spirit hated looking at himself in the mirror because he knew he looked terrible. He knew that his shoulders jutted out sharply and that his ribs could easily be counted with his finger. So Jack shook his head mutely. "You know how they'd react."
Bunny sighed and smiled a little sadly. "Still don't get it, do ya? It don't matter how ya look, Jack. We're not gunna kick you out just because you're a skinny mini."
Jack snorted and hoped that that would not catch on as a nickname. 'Skinny mini' was almost worse than 'Twinkle-toes'. "No, that's not it."
"What then?"
"I-I don't want you guys to worry about me. I've always been small."
Bunny shot him a look. "Jack, it won't matter if you're as healthy as a horse. We'll still worry about you. That's our job now, y'know? As a family."
Jack rewarded Bunny's effort with a smile. "You still won't tell them, right?"
The pooka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll keep my yap shut about it." What were brothers for but to keep secrets, after all?
Bunny still never let Jack have the end of it. The others learned all about Jack and Phil's scuffle and how the yeti had manhandled him effectively. North had found it hilarious, despite Jack's excuse that his staff had been across the room. The story quickly became the stuff of legends and Jack's fear about it becoming a bad joke came true, of course. But he was relieved to know that Bunny had kept his promise.
Afterword: The ending was not being cooperative. So sorry if it seems crappy, but I've revised it about five times and I just don't know what to do with it.
There is no need to remind me about requests. I have them all written down and I consult them daily. If I have not done yours it is not because I have lost it or forgotten it. It is not because I hate you and don't want to do it. It is because I don't know how to do it. Those scraps I throw onto tumblr are pretty much what happens when I try to force myself through an idea. It's doesn't work and I end up hitting my head against a wall. I will do your request eventually, I swear. I just need to find the right mood and inspiration for it. Gage39, one of those scraps is yours, in case you need proof that I was trying. I like your request and will do it better, just not right now.
Okay, now that that is out of my system, I hope you all enjoyed! I borrowed Hatsu Yukiya's Jack-is-really-small headcanon because I thought it was brilliant and fit right in, so thank you darling.