We're Here for You
Jack smiled and watched as the little snowflake he created flew down toward Burgess below. He and the Guardians had done it. They had defeated Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, and restored the belief in children all over the world.
Could this day get any better? thought Jack. While on the outside, the winter spirit was smiling like crazy, but on the inside, Jack was doing backflips. The Guardian of Fun even considered doing one right then and there, but he restrained himself.
Baby Tooth chirped from his shoulder and Jack turned to face her, his smile never leaving his face. Baby Tooth gave him a small hug, and then flew to Toothiana and the two began chirping about teeth.
"So...what now?" asked Jack. He flew to one side of the sleigh, sat down next to Bunny, and slung his staff over his shoulder. "We won, the children believe again, and…"
"And you're a Guardian," said Tooth happily. "That can only mean one thing."
Dreamsand swirled over Sandy's head, creating the image of balloons and confetti.
"Sandy iz right! This calls for party!" bellowed North from the front.
Bunny rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face. "Ya know, everything calls fer a party ta ya, North."
Jack shrugged. "Well, Kangaroo, pretty much anything good is worth celebrating."
"Yeah, but I don't think wakin' up in the mornin' ta a party is somethin' ya want ta deal with every day," he said.
"Anyway, after the party, we should probably think about how we're going to recover," said Tooth. Baby Tooth perched on the Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies' shoulder. "Pitch left behind a lot of damage that we're going to have to clean up before things go completely back to normal."
North turned to Tooth. "Vhy talk about that now? This is time to celebrate! Like you said, ve can deal vith that after party."
Tooth nodded. "You're right."
Jack smiled. "So, should we talk about party stuff?"
"Yes! I already have a few ideas," said Tooth.
Bunny smirked. "It has ta be cool."
All of the Guardians deadpanned.
"Never do that again," said Jack.
Bunny elbowed him. "Come on! It was good!"
"It really wasn't," said Tooth. Baby Tooth nodded in agreement.
"It was a hare-able joke," said Jack with a smirk.
"We should hop to it on planning that party," Tooth giggled.
North and Sandy were laughing and soon, Tooth and Jack followed afterward. Bunny's ears flattened against his head.
"Oh, moon," he mumbled.
Jack laughed even harder but abruptly stopped when pain suddenly erupted from his chest. He gasped at the sudden discomfort and wrapped an arm around himself.
"Whoa, mate, are ya okay?" asked Bunny.
The other Guardians looked at the winter spirit worriedly and Jack suddenly felt on the spot. Jack shook his head and managed to crack a smile.
"I'm fine," said Jack. He unwound his arm from around himself and said, "So, about the party?"
The Guardians exchanged worried glances but returned to the party conversation. Jack didn't pay as much attention as he had been earlier, though. The winter spirit knew something was wrong with him, he just couldn't bring himself to admit it.
Jack guessed that the fall he had taken while fighting Pitch had to have done something to him. It was a rather long fall and the garbage bin he had slammed on top of before hitting the hard, stone ground did not make things any more comfortable. And Jack thought he had heard a crack when he had hit the ground.
Jack shook his head. He was going to enjoy the fun while it lasted. He managed the entire battle and the pain decided to show up now. The Guardian of Fun decided to just ignore it. He would be fine. He had been for 300 years after all.
While Jack wasn't the type of person one would label as "clumsy," Jack still got hurt from time to time. He had gone through multiple types of broken bones, scratches, and wounds, but always found a way to get by. Jack had learned to take care of himself in his 300 years of desolation, and didn't want to be a burden for the other Guardians just because of an injury. He could take care of himself.
"So, what do you think, Jack?" asked Tooth. Her voice snapped Jack out of his thoughts and he looked at her.
"Wh-what?" stammered Jack.
"About the buffet course," said Tooth. "No sweets, just healthy things so your teeth don't get any cavities."
Jack blinked. "Uh...no?"
"I told ya he wouldn't like it!" said Bunny.
Tooth crossed her arms, her feathers flaring. "Well, it didn't hurt to ask!"
"How about we just do a balance of everything?" suggested Jack. "We can all come up with something to add to the menu."
"That iz great idea, Jack!" said North.
Jack smiled. The winter spirit wasn't missing out on the party. He had to be there.
…
Since the Guardians had just defeated Pitch in battle, North had said that the party could wait until tomorrow, which meant that Jack had to hide his injuries for only a few hours, and then he could go to bed. The winter spirit had considered staying in his room all day, but the Guardians would become suspicious and Jack didn't want to seem like something was wrong.
Even though Jack had been with the Guardians for three days, it seemed as if they could read him like a book. When Jack insisted that he was fine, the Guardians knew he wasn't. It was something Jack would learn to get used to eventually, but at the moment, Jack wished that they didn't know him so well. He had excused himself from the chatter to check on himself, and the Guardians had followed him.
"Jack? Are ya in there?" came Bunny's voice from the door. Jack shoved his white shirt over his head, covering up the bruises and possibly broken ribs and quickly scrambled to look as fine as possible.
"Uh, yeah! Just give me a second!" As Jack was pulling on his blue hoodie, he tripped over the shoes North had given him on the day he was brought to the North Pole to be made a Guardian and fell flat on the floor, face down. Pain ran through Jack like lightning and couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
"Jack? Are you okay?" asked Tooth from behind the door.
"Y-yeah!" Jack lied. He slipped on his hoodie and proceeded to stand up from the floor, and another excruciating wave of pain made him hiss.
"Stupid, darn shoes," muttered Jack. He got up shakily and sat on his bed.
"Jack, ve are coming in!" announced North. Jack's head shot up toward the door, his blue eyes widening."
"N-no! You really don't have to! I'm...I'm changing!" shouted Jack. Jack knew it wasn't the best excuse since he wore the same clothes all the time, but he was freaking out.
"Changing? Don't you wear the same clothes all the time?" said Tooth.
"I wanted to try something...new?" said Jack, although it sounded more like a question. Jack heard the familiar sparkle of Sandy's dreamsand, and mutters of agreement come from behind the door.
"Okay, mate. Just come out when yer ready," said Bunny.
Jack heard footsteps, and the fluttering of Tooth's wings leave the front door. Jack let out a sigh of relief and stood up and walked toward the door. He decided to go to his lake and spend the night there to avoid any more concerned looks from the Guardians. He would come back to Santoff Claussen, hopefully feeling better. Jack grabbed his staff and opened the door and stumbled backward in surprise.
"W-what?" cried Jack. The Guardians were standing in the doorway, looks of concern and slight amusement on their faces. "I thought you guys left!"
"We've had a lot of practice in stealth," said Tooth. She fluttered up to the winter boy, placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Jack, is something wrong?"
"No. Everything's fine," said Jack automatically. "Why do you ask?"
"Ya've been actin' weird all day," said Bunny.
"Weird? Aren't we all a little weird?" said Jack. "Anyway, I'm going back to my lake, so I'll see you later." He tried to walk past the Guardians but they blocked the way.
"Guys, really, I'm fine," said Jack. "Now can I please leave?"
"Jack, you're not fine," said Tooth. "We heard you from the hallway. Is something broken? Are you hurt?
"N-no," stammered Jack. He silently chastised himself for stammering. He just gave himself away!
"I'm fine, really," said Jack. The Guardians didn't look convinced.
"Come on, you guys," said Jack. "You can't keep me here forever!"
The Guardians sighed.
"Okay, Frostbite. Ya can leave," said Bunny. Jack pursed his lips and walked out the door, but then Bunny tripped him.
"Hey! What the?! OW!" cried Jack as he fell to the floor. His arm instantly wrapped around his chest and he hissed in pain.
"So, something is wrong with ya," said Bunny.
"Did you have to trip him?" asked Tooth. "There was probably another way!"
"He wasn't gonna admit it," said Bunny. "Might as well get it outta him."
"Yeah, I would totally want you as my doctor," said Jack sarcastically. He sat up and another agonizing wave of pain flared up again. Jack bit his lip and swallowed down a whimper.
"Jack, what's wrong, Sweet Tooth?" asked Tooth as she kneeled down beside him. Jack sighed.
"I think I might have broken something," said Jack. He pointed to his chest. "Here."
Tooth caressed a hand over his chest and frowned. "It does feel like a rib is broken." Tooth felt another bump. "Or two."
"Crikey, Jack!" exclaimed Bunny. "How were ya even standing?"
Jack shrugged. "You get used to ignoring the pain after a couple of injuries." He realized what he just said and added, "It's fine. I'll just rest at my lake and—"
"Jack," interrupted North. "Vhy didn't you just ask for help?"
"Because I don't need any help," said Jack. He fiddled with his staff. "I...I've already done enough by ruining Easter and you guys already have a lot to clean up after not just by Pitch but by me." Jack sighed. "I just don't want to be another burden for you guys."
Jack picked up his staff and pulled himself up. He swallowed down another whimper and said, "I'll just go to my lake and rest for a while."
"No, Jack," said North. "You're staying here."
Jack blinked. "What?"
"Jack, you do realize that you have us now," said Tooth. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're here for you. We can help you anytime you need it. You're not on your own anymore."
"Shelia's right, mate," said Bunny.
Sandy nodded and dreamsand swirled over his head creating the image of them all standing together. "We're not just the Guardians, but we're friends. Or better yet, a family."
"Sandy iz right," said North. He patted Jack's head. "And families are always there for each other."
Jack didn't know what to say. After 300 years of isolation, he never thought he would ever have friends or a family. Jack shook his head, a light smile crawling onto his face.
"I...you guys don't have to…"
"Jack, moy mal'chik." said North "Ve vant to."
Jack drew in a breath. "Okay...fine. I'll stay."
The Guardians smiled and Bunny swiftly picked up Jack in his arms. Jack yelped in surprise.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Jack asked as he squirmed slightly.
Bunny shook his head. "Ya really expect ta walk all the way ta the infirmary like this?"
"I could," said Jack.
Tooth ruffled his hair. "Just let Bunny carry you."
Jack crossed his arms and huffed, his lips turning into a childish pout. "Fine."
Tooth giggled at his expression and picked up his staff. The Guardians then walked to the infirmary and Jack couldn't help but lean into Bunny's fur. He knew that it would take some getting used to, but maybe, just maybe the Guardians could be his family after all.
Author's Note: Some more family fluff between the Guardians. I just love their familial relationship so much! =D
Until the next story!
-BeyondTheMoon1203