Author's Note: Happy December eleventh! Thank you so much for all of the favs and follows. =) I wasn't expecting this story to receive this much feedback! X)

Here's the eleventh chapter of "That Time of Year!" I hope you enjoy it! =D


Chapter Eleven: Formal, Festive Attire

December Eleventh

Jack walked into the party room once again, which was looked even more formal than the last time he had entered. Silver Christmas lights hung from the ceiling, and tables had decorative cloth sitting on them, ready for a large buffet to be placed on them. Jack smiled. He couldn't wait for the giant feast that would come with the giant party, and Jack was surprised that he was even looking forward to the Christmas celebration after what happened with Autumn. Jack shook his head. He was going to that party no matter what immortal threatened him. Besides, the Guardians would be there if anything went wrong, but a part of Jack was hoping that things would go along smoothly. Party festivities, a big buffet, the announcement of his Guardianship, and then the party would be over. Jack could make it through that.

"Jack!" The winter spirit looked up at the sound of his name and Tooth fluttered down from the ceiling, a huge smile on her face. Jack wondered why she was so jubilant today. He knew that Tooth was a bubbly, vivacious person, but she seemed extra happy today.

"Hey, Tooth," smiled Jack. "What's going on?"

Some of Tooth's mini fairies flew up to Jack at the sight of his pearly whites and swooned. Jack had to keep in a laugh. Tooth's helpers never could seem to keep themselves together whenever his teeth showed.

North patted Jack on the back. "Glad you could make it, my boy. Now ve can get started."

Jack blinked curiously. "Get started on what?" he asked.

"Finding an outfit for you!" Tooth said enthusiastically.

Now, Jack had completely forgotten about the whole formal attire thing, and the winter spirit wasn't a fan of formal wear. He didn't understand why he couldn't just wear his usual hoodie and pants. It wasn't like the other spirits and immortals were going to pay attention to what he was wearing anyway. It seemed like only the Guardians would be doing that.

"But can't I just wear what I'm wearing now?" asked Jack as he gestured to his usual outfit.

Tooth shook her head. "You have to wear something nice. This is a pretty special event after all."

"And ya don't want to go up there lookin' like that when yer Guardianship gets announced," said Bunny as he pointed to Jack's clothes.

Jack was slightly offended. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing," said North. "But you vill vant to vere something nicer for party."

Jack frowned. He didn't want to change his usual outfit for the special occasion. If he was getting announced as the Guardian of Fun, shouldn't he wear what he usually wore on the job? Jack remembered having to wear slacks and a buttoned up vest whenever he and his family went to church. Jack did not like how itchy the pants were, and he always felt like he was being suffocated when he wore the tight vest. Jack didn't like formal attire.

Still, the winter spirit understood that the Guardians just wanted to help him, and Jack did want to look at least somewhat presentable when the time came to announce his Guardianship. Jack sighed.

"Okay," he said at last. "But whatever I'm wearing can't be too tight, too itchy, or too formal. Oh, and I'm not wearing shoes. If I have to wear shoes, don't expect to wear the outfit."

Tooth's feathers were flaring in excitement. "Great! North already made a few outfits for you, and there's some other stuff in the closets that we picked out for you too!" The Tooth Fairy led Jack out the door and the other Guardians followed. "We were thinking of having you try each of them on and see which one you like best."

"Do I have to put them on?" asked Jack.

"Ya haven't even seen 'em yet," said Bunny. "And yer already complainin'."

"I'm not complaining," said Jack. The Guardians soon arrived at Jack's bedroom and stepped inside. Jack saw that there were new clothes in his closet, and he noticed other outfits lying on his bed. And on the floor were different pairs of boots and shoes. Jack scowled at the sight of the foot wear, but was more shocked at the thought of having to try on almost every single outfit in the room.

"I have to try on…all of those?" asked Jack in surprise.

"Not all of them," said Tooth. "Just the pens you feel like trying on, and then once you find one you like, we'll be done!"

Jack was still hesitant. "Are you sure that I can't just wear my regular clothes?"

The Guardians shook their heads. Jack sighed.

"Fine…" he grumbled. "But what if I don't find anything that I like?"

"You will, I'm sure of it," said Tooth with a smile.

"Do I have to wear the shoes?" asked Jack.

"I guess ya can just try on the clothes fer now," said Bunny.

Jack smiled, satisfied. He decided to get on with it. The Guardians left the room to give the winter spirit some privacy and Jack began to look through the clothes that he Guardians had picked. They were all different shades of blue, which the winter spirit approved of immediately. Black, white, and gray were mixed in on some of the clothes, and Jack deemed that the clothes did look somewhat cool, but he still didn't like the thought of actually wearing them to a party that was probably going to last past midnight.

Jack set his staff to the side and opened his bedroom window. The Wind blew in, wrapping around her winter spirit and she knocked over some of the shoes. Jack chuckled.

"I guess I'm not the only one who does like shoes," said Jack. The winter spirit decided to start trying out some of the outfits. The faster he did so, the faster he would be done with it. Jack looked through his closet and pulled out the first thing he touched. Jack frowned slightly at the sight of the dark blue tuxedo, but he slipped it on anyway. Jack neatly folded his usual clothes and placed them on his bed. Jack felt a little uncomfortable in the new clothing. The winter spirit buttoned the buttons and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The tuxedo was a deep blue, deeper than the waters of his lake. The inner shirt was white and would have had a bowtie tucked underneath the collar, but there was no way the winter spirit was wearing a bowtie in front of Bunny. He had already teased the Pooka enough about how people viewed the Easter Bunny wearing a tuxedo and bright colored bowtie, and he didn't want Bunny getting back at him if he put on the bowtie. The folds on the tuxedo's vest were black, and Jack had to admit that the suit didn't look too bad. But that didn't mean he was going to wear it to the party.

"Jack? Are you done yet?" asked Tooth.

"Yeah," replied Jack. "You guys come in now."

The Guardians entered and Tooth gasped when she spotted Jack in the tuxedo. "Wow, Jack! You look amazing!" she complimented.

"Toothy iz right Jack," North said with a smile. "You look very handsome!"

"But there's somethin' missin'," said Bunny, his eyes narrowed in slight suspicion.

But before the Pooka could realize that Jack wasn't wearing the bowtie, Sandy gave Jack a thumbs up. The Sandman liked the outfit too.

"I think you should wear that to the party," said Tooth. "It looks really great!"

"It does, but…I don't really like it that much," said Jack as he turned back to face his reflection. The winter spirit wasn't trying to be picky; he just didn't like the tuxedo. It was way too formal for the winter spirit, and he couldn't imagine himself flying around in it, not that he would be doing much flying at the party, but still.

Tooth patted Jack's shoulder. "It's okay. You can pick something else if you want to."

"Maybe try the outfit that vas sitting next to that one in closet," said North. "I made it myself. I think it vill look nice on you."

Jack nodded and the Guardians left the room. Jack pulled at the collar of the tuxedo, feeling as if he were being choked by the collar. The winter spirit walked back to the closet once again and pulled out the outfit North had suggested he would wear; Jack nearly dropped it. The pants were white, and the light blue top was military style with a black belt around the waist. Snowflake like patterns were weaved around the collar that seemed to replicate the look of Jack's old hoodie.

"Okay, interesting," said Jack. He already disliked the outfit before he put it on. Once Jack pulled on the clothes he stood in front of the mirror and cringed. The pants were a little tight, and Jack knew that there were definitely boots that went with this outfit. And Jack didn't want to wear boots.

Jack let the Guardians in once again to receive their opinions. Tooth loved the outfit just as much as she did the other. North liked it as well (although that was probably because he designed it). Sandy gave it a so-so with his hand, and Bunny had the same opinion as the Sandman.

"It's nice and all," said Bunny. "But it doesn't see right."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

"I think it looks pretty nice," said Tooth. Her mini fairies agreed. "Are you sure you don't want to wear it, Jack?"

Jack shook his head vehemently. He did not want to be seen like this.

"Okay then, onto the next one!" North bellowed. And the Guardians continued to suggest different formal attire for Jack. The winter spirit tried on each and every one, but he seemed to pick out even the tiniest of details that he didn't like. The outfits either had too tight pants, too tight vests, were too formal, too pattern-y, or included shoes. If any of the outfits included shoes, Jack would immediately dissent. It was difficult to find something that the winter teen liked, and soon, he had tried on everything that the Guardians had picked out for him.

"After all of that, ya couldn't find one thing that ya liked?" asked Bunny incredulously.

Jack shrugged as he pulled his regular hoodie over his white shirt. "I guess not. Maybe we can try again later?"

"But we have to find something for you to wear," said Tooth. "The rest of us already have, and it's best to be prepared instead of worrying about these things later."

North nodded in agreement. "Iz now or never."

Jack huffed. "But I already tried everything, and I didn't like any of them."

"I'm pretty sure there's more stuff in the closets," said Bunny.

Jack sighed. He didn't want to spend the rest of his day trying on outfit after outfit. He wanted to go outside and fly with the wind. Play in the snow with the kids. Maybe even give the kids a snow day, but for now, it seemed like the winter spirit was stuck in Santoff Claussen.

"How about you wear the tuxedo?" suggested Tooth. "I really liked that one."

Jack shook his head.

"How about the one vith vest?" prompted North.

Again, Jack shook his head.

Bunny threw his arms up into the air in exasperation. "Yer impossible! Ya have an entire wardrobe in front of ya, and ya can't pick a bloody thing!"

Jack gripped his staff and frowned. "I would if I liked any of them!"

"This is gonna take ages," mumbled Bunny.

"Sorry," said Jack. "I just don't really like any of them."

"Iz okay, Jack," said North. "Ve can just make you something you like."

"Make me something?" repeated Jack. "But why can't I just go in—"

Tooth held up a hand. "Jackson Overland Frost you are going to wear something formal, and you are going to go to the party in it," she said firmly. Jack winced at Tooth's tone of voice and at the sound of his full name being used.

North led Jack out of the room, the other Guardians following not too far behind. "You can help design it too! Then you von't have to vorry about it having things you do not like."

Jack thought for a moment. It sounded like a good idea. Jack nodded. "Okay. That sounds good."

North smiled. "Great! Ve head to library to start planning!"

So, the Guardians entered the library and sat around in front of the unlit fireplace, discussing what Jack's outfit would be. The Guardians had many ideas, a lot of them which were like some of the previous outfits Jack had tried on, but the winter spirit popped in several different things that he wanted in and on his new ensemble, and the Guardians didn't hesitate to put them in. North pulled all of the ideas together and announced proudly that Jack's new clothes for the party would be done by tomorrow, which meant that he would have to set aside a few things in the Workshop to help the yetis create it.

"North, you don't have to," said Jack. "You're busy and I don't want something that you're making for me to get in the way of that."

"Iz okay, Jack," said North. "I vant to do this. Yetis vill have things under control in Workshop…I hope."

Sandy, Tooth, and Bunnymund had to leave to get back to their work, leaving Jack and North in Santoff Claussen. North had begun working on Jack's clothes the minute after everyone left, so Jack decided to help keep things under control in the Workshop. Jack prevented four fights, managed to help some of the yetis complete toy robots and dollhouses, tested out a few drones and flying airplanes with the elves, and helped wrap up several different toys and organized them in the Holding Room. Wrapped presents were organized by child, so Jack had to walk through the many shelves and aisles, placing presents that were addressed to different children.

Once all of that was done, work in the Workshop began to come to a close. Jack helped the yetis and elves tidy up and Jack found that he was rather winded after so much work. He never realized how much time and effort were put into making the toys, and Jack admired how North was able to do so much under so much pressure. Christmas was not very far away, and Jack wondered if the ex-Cossack ever got tired.

The winter spirit stopped by the kitchen to grab a couple of cookies. He shoved them in his mouth and flew to the storage room where North was picking out blue fabrics and thread. He turned around and smiled at Jack.

"Hello, moy mal'chik," he said. "Vhat brings you here?"

"Just wanted to see what you were doing," replied Jack as he leaned on his staff.

"I'm just collecting materials for your clothes," said North. He carried the items under his arm and walked out of the storage room with Jack following behind him. The man in red turned around to the winter teen and smiled impishly. "You cannot follow me. This iz surprise! You cannot see it until it iz done."

"Oh, right," Jack said with a lopsided grin. "I'll let you get to it then."

North ruffled Jack's hair affectionately and joined a couple of yetis who were waiting for him. The winter spirit decided to head back to his room. He was a little exhausted after working so hard in the Workshop, and he was due to give three different countries a couple of blizzards the next day. Jack yawned on his way to his room, and once he entered, he flopped onto his bed, promptly falling asleep soon afterward.

The next day, Jack was up early since he wanted to finish his rounds before meeting up with the Guardians back at Santoff Classen. North had said that Jack's outfit was finished, and the winter spirit was looking forward to seeing it. He had asked the ex-Cosasck what it looked like, but North didn't reveal anything to him.

Jack waved his staff and directed the wind to Canada, making sure that this blizzard only lasted an hour or so. Once the winter spirit was done, he made his way to the North Pole. The Wind propelled him faster and faster to the wondrous village, and Jack soon dived through the open window and found that the Guardians were waiting for him in the Globe Room. Jack landed on his feet and walked up to them, anticipation glittering in his blue eyes.

"Where is it? What does it look like? Is it cool?" Jack asked in a rush, his smile never leaving his face.

"Well, hello ta ya too, Frostbite," said Bunny.

North chuckled. "Iz in bedroom. You can go see it now if you—" But before North could finish his sentence, Jack was already off, leaving only a cool breeze. The ex-Cossack laughed.

Tooth giggled. "He's so…"

"Much like a child?" finished Bunny with a soft smile.

Sandy nodded in agreement, a smile stretching across his face.

Jack burst into his room and looked around. At first, he didn't notice the folded blue clothes on his bed, but when his eyes landed on the aptly folded heap, Jack unfolded each and every part of the outfit and stared.

It was perfect. The clothing reminded him of his usual hoodie and pants but more formalized. The vest was the same color as his hoodie and there was a white collared long sleeve shirt for underneath. The pants were black and Jack couldn't believe that North had even added a cloak to the outfit as well. It was a darker blue, and the clasp was the mini "G" symbol of the Guardians. Jack put everything on and stepped in front of the mirror. The clothes weren't uncomfortable at all and Jack could definitely see himself flying around in them. The winter spirit smiled and stepped outside to show the Guardians how he looked.

"Oh, wow, Jack!" exclaimed Tooth. She fluttered around the winter boy. "You look stunning!"

Sandy pointed to the cloak and smiled. "I like the cloak

"Ya did a good job, North," said Bunny.

"Of course, I did!" North bellowed. "I never disappoint!"

Jack laughed. "I really love it," he said with a smile. "Thanks, North."

Tooth placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Be careful with this though, Jack. You don't want it getting ruined before the party."

Jack rolled his eyes, but his smile never left. "Okay."

"I designed it to last vhile," said North. "It vill not get ruined so easily."

Tooth shrugged. "Still, you want to make sure it doesn't get damaged."

Jack flew back to his room to change back into his regular clothes. He didn't want to ruin his new clothes so soon either. The winter spirit gingerly folded up his formal wear and placed them inside his closet where he could see them. Jack stared at them for a moment longer and chuckled.

"I never thought I'd ever like wearing formal stuff," said Jack to himself. "And now this is my second favorite outfit next to my usual clothes."

And with that, the winter spirit closed the closet door.