Author's Note: *Slides into room* Hellooooo, everybody! Welcome back to another ROTG fanfic written by Yours Truly! *Bows* Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause, please...
*Crickets chirp*
*Blinks* Wow. I was expecting a little more than that...
Anyway, welcome! =D Dang, I had wayyyy too much fun writing this story. Not only because of delirious Jack (well, mainly because of delirious Jack *coughcoughcough*), but because of the wonderful, amazing, stupendously awesome...*jazz hands* family Guardiansssss. =DD I've read quite a handful of delirious Jack fanfictions, so I really, really, really wanted to write one of my own. =) With that, I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter! =D
Chapter One: A Blow to the Head
Jack Frost was bored. More bored than ever. And when Jack and boredom were put together, that was a very dangerous combination indeed.
After a long day of spreading snowballs, fun times, and his winter cheer to every corner of the world, Jack was bored out of his mind. He often found himself like this whenever he finished working early, which he had been doing more frequently than he used to. Jack guessed that he was finally adjusting to his new role as a Guardian, and because of that, he was able to easily get his work done. Spring was just around the corner as well, which meant that Jack didn't need to fly around to spread his wintertide as much as he would during the official season of winter.
But that was the problem. Jack was getting his work done early, and that meant that he had nothing to do after he finished. The simple cure to his boredom would have been to see what the other Guardians were up to, but for the past couple of days, the veteran Guardians had been very busy. Jack had been to all of their places to see if they were free to have some fun, but since they were still recovering from Pitch's damage and Bunny's holiday, Easter, was coming up, they were wrapped up in their work and didn't have much free time set aside. The Guardians had all promised Jack that once they were done, they would let him know so they could spend some quality time together. But when Jack was bored, he was impatient as well, so waiting for the Guardians to finish up their jobs was more difficult than it should've been.
Jack was sitting by the edge of his lake, entertaining himself by creating a snowman using just his two hands instead of simply conjuring one up with his staff. Jack added the final details by picking up two fallen twigs to use for arms, stuck them in the sides of his new snowy creation, and stepped back to admire the snowman. Jack quickly frowned, finding that he was once again bored after completing the one thing that had been keeping him busy for the past few minutes. Jack sighed and sat down by his new snowy companion, staff leaning on his shoulder as he looked out toward his frozen lake, wondering what he was going to do next. Start a snowball fight? How exhilarating that would be, but he had already had a snowball fight with Jamie and his friends a little while ago, and he wasn't in the mood for another one at the moment.
Ice sculpting? Jack would rather do that with North than by himself; the ex-Cossack always made the winter spirit laugh. Jack huffed; he was bored. Bored, bored, bored. He wanted to do something. Something fun…but what?
Suddenly, an idea came to mind that Jack wished he had thought of sooner. An impish smile crawled onto the Guardian of Fun's face. There was nothing better than a thoughtfully planned out prank to put an end to the treachery of boredom. Jack hadn't played any pranks recently, and he couldn't remember the last time he had pulled one. He had been so busy spreading his fun around the globe, that he didn't have time to come up with a new idea for a prank. Now that Jack thought about it, this was going to be his first prank in a long time, so it had to be good. And whoever he played it one would have to be shocked. Jack loved a good prank, and he even considered himself one of the best pranksters out there, which was probably true considering that he was the Guardian of Fun.
Jack tapped his chin, deep in thought. Who was going to be the victim of his prank? North? He was busy. Tooth? Nope. Sandy? Eh. Bunny…?
Jack grinned mischievously. Yes, Bunny. Jack was going to prank Bunny. The Pooka was Jack's favorite to prank since he always insisted that he had "nerves of steel" and wasn't surprised by anything…Anything except for Jack's pranks. They were always unexpected, always sudden, so Bunny didn't have time to fully process what was happening until Jack struck. This always resulted in a chase around the Warren or Santoff Claussen, and Jack escaped Bunny every time. He had never been caught. Not even once.
A prank, a chase, and some time spent with a fellow Guardian…It sounded perfect. Jack stood up and swung his staff onto his shoulder, quickly coming up with a prank that was sure to shock Bunny. And what was even better was that the Warren already had everything he needed.
Jack smiled. "Hey, Wind!" he shouted happily. Jack's oldest friend swirled around him, sweeping up snow and leaves. "Take me to the Warren!"
And the Wind complied, carrying the mischievous winter teen all the way to Australia.
…
Upon entering the Warren, Jack noticed that the atmosphere was rather quiet. Egg sentinels were sitting around calmly, and newly painted eggs were scampering around on their little feet, bashing and playing around with each other. A few of those eggs ran through Jack's feet once he touched the soft, grassy ground, leaving a small patch of frost where he stood. Jack chuckled and he waved his hand, creating a few small mounds of snow for the eggs to play in. The colored ovals took notice of the sparkling white powder that had just appeared, and they each happily took turns diving into them.
Jack walked deeper into the Warren, trying to locate Bunny as he looked around the spring oasis. The winter spirit didn't call out his name, though; he wanted his prank to be a surprise. All of Jack's pranks started that way.
Taking into account that there were several colored eggs running around, Jack guessed that Bunny was probably just about to wrap things up and was starting to put things away. Jack quickly took this as an advantage, and he quickly flew to Bunny's storage burrow, where he kept all of his paints, brushes, and other important materials he used. Jack dived into the tunnel, finding himself surrounded by colorful cans of paint, shelves stocked with brushes of all kinds, and a couple of empty buckets. There were also some gardening supplies placed on shelves, but Jack paid no attention to those; his eyes were set on the cans of paint. Jack picked up an empty bucket and placed it in the center of the room, grabbing every single shade of paint that his pale hands could grab (but he made sure to take extra cans of blue paint too). Jack dumped all the paints into the empty bucket, and watched as the colors blended and swirled, but didn't mix. Unlike paint made by mortals, Bunny's paints didn't mix together, so Jack ended up getting a bucket filled to the brim with rainbow colored paint. The winter spirit smiled in satisfaction; he grabbed a rope that was sitting coiled on one of the shelves along with a pair of scissors, and quickly got to work. He exited the storage burrow and flew for Bunny's cottage with his collected materials, ready to set up a trap that he knew would make Bunny hate his guts.
But that was what he wanted. A little bit of excitement. So without hesitation, Jack began to set up his prank right at the door of Bunny's home.
…
Bunnymund was tired. Exhausted even. So tired in fact, he hadn't even sensed when Jack had flown into his Warren. He had been too busy finishing up the last of his eggs, and he hadn't been expecting a visit from the winter spirit either. Bunny had simply carried on with painting his eggs, not taking note of the slight chill in the air.
Bunny sighed, placing down the last egg that he had finally finished painting, and reminded the small googies not to do anything that could possibly mess up their new paint job. Bunny picked up his brushes and the cans of paint that he had used, and carried them back to the storage burrow. When the Pooka entered, he didn't notice that some cans of paint were missing. It looked as if someone had entered and took what they needed, not caring if they left a mess behind. The Guardian of Hope didn't pay any attention to the clear and obvious signs that something was wrong, and he put away all of his materials in their rightful places before exiting the burrow and making his way toward his cottage, ready to take a long, restful, well-deserved nap.
Like the rest of the Guardians of Childhood, Bunny was working his utmost hardest to make sure that that year's Easter was perfect. Bunny worked all day everyday, not stopping until every last white egg was painted in bright, vibrant colors, which often left him very tired afterward. Bunny didn't mind, though. He knew that all of his hard work would pay off in the end when Easter arrived.
Bunny yawned when he finally reached the front door to his cottage. He was looking forward to a nice, long nap that he probably wouldn't wake up from until…he didn't know when, but he knew that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. Bunny reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open, ready to head inside when…
Splat!
Bunny yelled in surprise when a wet, cool, liquid substance poured onto him. The Guardian of Hope brought his paws up to his face and wiped the liquid off his face. Bunny blinked his eyes and looked down at his paint paws to discover that they were covered in none other than…rainbow colored paint. But there was more blue than most of the other colors. Bunny's lips curled back into a growl when he thought of the one person who absolutely loved annoying him to death and would stoop so low to pour an entire bucket of paint over his head.
As he had expected, Bunny's ears soon picked up the sound of Jack's light laughter erupt from a nearby tree. Bunny whipped his head around to face the winter spirit, spring green eyes flashing with irritation. Jack grinned with amusement.
"Hey, Bunny! Do you like your new look?" asked Jack flippantly. The winter spirit laughed, and Bunny balled his fists angrily. Jack smiled, and he pretended that he was hurt.
"Aw…you don't like your makeover? I worked really hard on it! Hey, maybe I should've colored you blue instead…then we could've been twins. How about that?"
"Get yer bloody behind down here, Frostbite!" Bunny yelled as he lunged at Jack. The winter spirit dodged the Pooka with ease and flew away from him, laughter ringing like bells chiming in the wind. Bunny grumbled and chased after Jack; he hated it when Jack pranked him. He never saw the boy coming and now he was drenched in his own paint, looking like he had taken a dive in one of his dye rivers.
Jack turned around and laughed at Bunny once again. Bunny didn't see how him being covered in paint was so amusing. "You know, rainbow suits you! Maybe I should call you Rainbowroo instead of Kangaroo!"
Bunny growled and reached for one of his boomerangs, hurling it at Jack with precise aim and yet the Guardian of Fun still managed to dodge it. Jack looked back at Bunny with a smirk.
"You don't like that? Don't worry, I'll come up with something better," the winter spirit said playfully. Jack laughed again and continued to fly away, enjoying the thrill of the chase and simply just having fun. He had been so bored earlier, but pranking Bunny gave him something to enjoy.
Bunny on the other hand was absolutely enraged with Jack. He wanted to get revenge on him and punish the winter spirit for making him look like…like some sort of clown! Several revenge plots were already running through Bunny's mind as he bounded after Jack, but the Guardian of Fun managed to evade Bunny's paws and boomerangs every. Single. Time. Jack was swifter than the wind and lighter than a snowflake, and Bunny pushed himself to go faster, hoping that he'd catch up to the winter spirit at this rate.
Jack turned around, flying backward, and once again laughed at Bunny's look.
"Sophie really loves rainbows, you know. She'd love a picture!" teased Jack. Bunny's eyes narrowed in rage, but quickly widened when he realized that Jack was flying straight toward one of his egg sentinels, and the winter spirit didn't even notice. Jack continued to laugh, and Bunny wished that Jack would pay more attention. At the speed Jack was flying at, he was going to crash rather forcefully into the egg sentinel.
With the prank completely forgotten and worry for Jack taking over his thoughts, Bunny quickly yelled, "Jack! Look out!"
Jack stopped laughing, but it was too late. A head of pure white bashed against the stone hard egg sentinel, and Bunny thought that he had heard a sickening crack. Jack let out a cry before slipping to the ground, falling limply on the green grass below him.
"Jack!" Bunny cried. He ran up to the winter spirit and gently lifted him into his arms. Jack's face was contorted with pain, and a rather large welt was forming on the back of his head. Bunny shook his head and hoisted Jack into his arms.
"Ya really are a bloody galah, ya know that?" the Pooka told the winter teen, even though he couldn't hear him. Despite the annoyance Bunny felt toward Jack, he couldn't help but feel worried for him. The medical supplies that he had didn't work right away like North's did, so Bunny decided to take Jack to Santoff Claussen, knowing that he would receive better treatment from there. Bunny slammed his foot against the earth, and a tunnel formed. He hopped into it and dashed for the North Pole, holding a limp Jack Frost in his arms.
…
Santoff Claussen had never been so busy. Everything and everyone was moving at almost 100 miles per hour (if the speed of the yetis and elves and North could be measured like that), bustling around and working harder than ever. Christmas wasn't due for another eight months, but North wanted to make up from Pitch's attack and get a head start on toy preparations.
The yetis were building at a remarkable speed, but North still had to check the toys for any defects or errors. The elves were being…elves. Mostly getting in the way and making a mess, but North could tell that they were trying their best to help. He eventually shooed them away to the kitchen, though, once they broke an entire tower of porcelain dolls.
North was walking through the halls, four to six yetis trailing after him with clipboards and papers that were asking him to approve toy designs. North quickly signed each one, sending each yeti out to a new working station or to check on the elves. Phil was the only yeti who consistently stayed with North, and the ex-Cossack was about to sign the clipboard that Phil had for him when Bunny suddenly appeared right in front of him. North bumped into Bunny, dropping the pen he was holding. Bunny stumbled backward, nearly dropping Jack in his arms. North was surprised to see Bunny at the North Pole since he and the other veteran Guardians have been very busy. There also wasn't a Guardian meeting scheduled for that day, so North wondered why Bunny had brought himself to Santoff Claussen.
"Hello, Bunny!" greeted North cheerfully. "What brings you here to Santoff Claussen?" It was then that North noticed Jack, who was still unconscious, in the six-foot rabbit's arms. Concern flickered in North's eyes.
"What happened to Jack?" asked North worriedly. He raised a curious eyebrow. "And you for that matter."
Bunny looked down at his rainbow colored self and rolled his eyes. "Frostbite decided that it would've been fun ta prank me back at the Warren," he explained. "So the kit got a bucket of paint, hung it over my cottage door, and it dumped all over me before I could even process what was goin' on. I chased after him to get revenge—"
"Wow, Bunny. That is very mature of you," North remarked sarcastically.
Bunny frowned. "Ha, ha. Anyway, Frosty here wasn't lookin' where he was flyin', and he crashed into one of my egg sentinels head-first."
North winced and he examined Jack; the winter spirit still looked as if he was in pain. "I'll take him to the infirmary and call others," said North. Bunny nodded and handed Jack to North, who handled the boy with gentleness that only a father could possess. Bunny hopped off for the showers and North turned to Phil.
"Keep things order in Workshop and send some yetis to infirmary," he told the furry creature. Phil nodded obediently, and North turned on the Northern Lights before heading to the infirmary to treat Jack.
…
Shortly after laying Jack in bed, North returned to the Globe Room to find Tooth and Sandy in the middle of the room. A small troupe of fairies was at Tooth's side as usual, and Sandy was floating in the air. The Sandman was the first to spot North, and he along with Tooth flew up to him, both wondering why they had both been summoned to the North Pole.
"Hi, North," greeted Tooth kindly. "What's going on?"
Bunny came from the direction of the showers, and Tooth cocked her head in a bird-like manner. "Was there a Guardian meeting today?" she inquired.
North shook his head. "No, Toothy. There is no Guardian meeting today. I called you here because Jack hit his head against egg sentinel."
An exclamation point burst in a puff of dreamsand over Sandy's head, and Tooth and her fairies gasped.
"Oh no! Is Jack okay?" the Tooth Fairy asked in concern. Sandy nodded and put a question mark over his head, silently asking the same question.
North gestured for his friends to follow him to the infirmary, and the other Guardians followed him as he led them to the room Jack was staying in. Bunny explained the story of what happened to Jack along the way, and Tooth and Sandy both felt just as concerned as Bunny and North were for Jack.
"Has Jack woken up since he had hit his head?" asked Tooth.
"I left him resting in room," answered North. The Guardians then arrived at the room that Jack was staying in, and North pushed the door open. Jack was still lying in bed, a strained look on his face. The winter spirit groaned quietly and rolled over, and Tooth fluttered over to him, weaving her pink hand through Jack's snowy white hair, feeling the large bump that had come from Jack hitting his head against the stone egg sentinel.
"Is there anything else we can do for him?" Tooth asked as she looked up toward the other Guardians, who were all looking at Jack with slight concern.
North shook his head, and as much as he would have loved to say that there was some kind of magic spell out there that could magically bring one out of the depths of unconsciousness (which there probably was considering that his old teacher had been a wizard who had done things that seemed impossible to most), the Guardian of Wonder knew that it was best if they let Jack heal the normal way.
"We will just have to wait until Jack wakes up," said North.
…
The next few hours dragged on, and the Guardians spent most of their time staying close to Jack and making sure that he was comfortable. There were times where the winter spirit would scrunch his face up in pain and fidget in bed, and the Guardians would have to adjust the pillows, make sure the covers that had been kicked off were tucked in nicely, and soothe Jack with calming words or simply just giving him a comforting touch. The Guardians didn't know how serious Jack's head injury was on the inside; Bunny had said that Jack had hit the egg sentinel quite hard, so the Pooka stated that Jack might act a little…off his rocker when he woke up.
Tooth cocked her head curiously at the term. "What do you mean, Bunny?" she asked. The Tooth Fairy settled on Jack's bed, rubbing his back comfortingly. The winter smiled softly and let out a small sigh.
Bunny blinked incredulously. "Ya know, out of his mind? Crazy?" The Guardians stared at Bunny, looks of bemusement written on their faces. The Guardian of Hope rolled his eyes at his comrades' lack of expressions.
"Delirious," he stated simply. The Guardians all nodded understandingly.
"You could have just started with that," said North.
Bunny frowned. "I thought ya said ya knew yer expressions."
"I do," said North. "But that does not mean I know what they mean."
Bunny rolled his eyes again, and it was at that moment that Jack started to wake up. The winter spirit groaned, his eyes twitching. Tooth fluttered up from his beside.
"He's waking up, guys!" the Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies exclaimed.
The Guardians all waited in anticipation and soon, Jack's icy blue eyes slowly peeled open. The veteran Guardians smiled in relief; Jack was okay!
Jack sat up slowly, rubbing his head with a pale hand. "W-What happened…?" he mumbled.
Tooth flew over to his side and laid a hand on Jack's shoulder. "You hit your head against one of Bunny's egg sentinels and were unconscious for a few hours," she explained kindly.
At first, there was no immediate reaction from Jack. The Guardians were expecting for the winter spirit to simply shrug the fact that he had hit his head off and go outside to fly with the Wind to make up for the hours that he had spent stuck in bed. But instead, Jack snickered.
Then giggled.
And then he burst into full on laughter. The Guardians stared at him in bemusement; that wasn't the reaction they were expecting from the winter spirit, but Jack continued to laugh and laugh.
"Egg? I hit my head against an egg?" asked Jack. He laughed even harder and suddenly stopped. "Wait…does this mean I'm yolked?" The winter spirit laughed again.
Bunny deadpanned. "That ain't funny, mate."
Jack looked up at Bunny and he cocked his head. "What's a kangaroo doing here?" Jack looked around curiously. "Is this Australia?"
Bunny's ears flattened against his head in irritation, but North, Tooth, and Sandy were examining Jack worriedly. He wasn't acting like himself. He wasn't acting right. Jack looked up at the ceiling, blue eyes sparkling with confusion.
"Why's the sky rainbow?" he asked in bemusement. Bunny sighed, and the Guardians turned toward him.
"Great," said the Pooka. He looked at Jack, concern flickering in his spring green eyes but an overall expression of exasperation rested on his face. "Frostbite's gone crazy."
Author's Note: *Nods like a professional* Yup, Jack's delirious. Looks like the Guardians will be in for a wild ride. X)
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! =D
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203
