A/N :
Hanyoualchemist1 : Thanks for the corrections! ^^
Purplefern : I'll definitely do more chapters with Jamie, Sophie and Jack, the chapter was fun to write. Jack is the best older brother ever!
JackrabbitFan77 : Thanks and I'll try. :)
SaiyanPrincess : You're very welcome, I'm glad when people read and review my stories!
*Sequel to "Jack's Revenge" and "Advantage"*
The fact that Bunnymund held grudges much longer than North should have been pretty predictable. Deep inside him was a soft core, but the hard shell on the outside could have competed with an armour made of steel if he felt the need for it.
While the old Russian hadn't been delighted about a certain winter spirit refining his beloved cookies with tobasco and setting his mouth on fire the moment he bit into the freshly baked pastry, he also valued a good joke and was willing to laugh at himself. And if he was honest he also had deserved it. After all, Bunny and him had pranked Jack as well and that's what incited him in the first place.
The pooka however wasn't going to let the matter drop so easily. Mutilating his faithful sentinel eggs would have been half as bad hadn't the little bastard used his waterproof paint for it. And when the Easter Bunny created waterproof paint he made damn sure it really was waterproof. For emergencies there were a few bottles of special terpentine stowed in the supplies room of his Warren, but there wasn't nearly enough to remove the paint from 11 huge stone eggs. Manufacturing more of the necesarry liquid would take a lot of time, time he had originally planned to use for egg designs and preparations for next Easter.
So yes, saying that Bunny wasn't happy would have been quite an understatement.
Several days he had stayed in the Warren and tried to wash off as much of the demolishing paint as possible, but in the end there were still 6 sentinel eggs running around with mocking, happy and colourful faces. His paws felt sore from scrubbing the stoney surfaces over and over again and by the time he had run out of terpentine he was an aggravated mental wreck.
One day later he and the others gathered at Santoff Clausen for the monthly guardian meeting.
Although he had prepared himself for meeting the culprit who had caused this mess and decided that murder was not an option, this intent was thrown into a bag and burned in the fireplace the moment he set eyes on the winter spirit who had flown in through an open window and looked as smug as ever.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Jack greeted with his typical crooked grin and flipped his staff over his shoulder.
To Tooth's dismay Bunny jumped in front of her before she had the chance to embrace the boy in a welcome-hug. By instinct the youngest guardian backed down a few steps and grabbed his shepherd's crook firmly in both hands as the large rabbit stomped towards him with a threathening expression written all over his face.
"YOU! You have any idea how bloody much of a nuisance ya are!?"
"Eh, guess so?"
The amused smile about the pooka's irritation only fueled it even more.
"Have ya, for once, thought about the consequences of yer actions? Yer stupid prank costed me days of work, I'm behind schedule for the preparations for next Easter, I hope ya're happy now!"
Just like several months ago, Bunny deliberately missed the guilty and shocked look on Jacks face as he shouted accusations at him and kept going on, now with a calmer voice but disgust dripping from every word.
"Of course ya are. That's all ya can do, have fun on other people's expenses, cause them trouble for yer childish pleasure. And ya wanna know why? Because yer a selfish little immature brat!"
North, Tooth and Sandy stood there watching the scene, deeply shocked about the pooka's outburst. All eyes diverted to Jack who still seemed frozen after what had just been screamed at him. It wouldn't have surprised anyone if he had replied with a snarky remark and if they were honest, they longed for it to happen. His hurt but otherwise unreadable expression was worrying them. The gears in his mind seemed to be turning nonstop as they nervously waited for a reaction.
"Selfish…" the frost boy repeated after what had seemed like forever.
Everyone except the Guardian of Hope, who was still obviously disgruntled about the whole situation, shuddered at the soft chuckle that followed. It was far from resembling his usual cheerfulness and sent cold shivers down their spines.
While he had been staring down into the void above the floor during his mental search for an appropriate comeback he now looked his accuser straight in the eye. Also his posture changed from defence to attack.
"You of all people call me selfish?" Jack suddenly blurted out, his voice getting louder with every word.
An icy glare was sent into the other three guardian's direction.
"You think that, too?"
They didn't know what to say, too big was the surprise about the young man's sudden and disturbingly angry seriousness. For Jack, the silence was answer enough.
"This is funny, you know…after all, you were the ones who didn't even bother to say hello to me for freaking 300 years!"
A small part of him screamed at him to shut up right now, he never had been the one to talk openly about his feelings, mostly because he never had someone to talk to. People should see him as the Guardian of Fun and not as the emotionally broken boy he actually was. And yet, his anger and the frustration about the unfairness of everything got the better of him. Just like his powers building up inside of him when he hadn't used them for too long did his welled up emotions fight for release now. He took a deep but shaky breath before he continued.
"If I recall right the only reason you ever contacted me, excuse me, kidnapped me was because the Man in Moon told you so, right? And the only reason why he chose me to be a guardian was because he needed my powers to help you defeating Pitch. If it wasn't for him, you would have NEVER ever come to me. Guess I should have thanked the old boogeyman for it, huh? Without him I would still be out there all alone without anyone of you giving a damn."
That same creepy chuckle left his mouth as the temperature in the globe room seemed to be dropping continously. Jack was still glaring at Bunny but North, Tooth and Sandy knew his anger was directed at all of them.
"I could have turned down the offer like I had wanted to right in the beginning, you know? Could have gone after my tooth box on my own and abandoned you to your fate, just like you abandoned me for three centuries. But I didn't and heck, I don't even know why! Just that it was the right thing to do, so DON'T dare to call me selfish! Because if anyone here is selfish, it's got to be you!"
Never had any of the guardians seen their youngest comrade so utterly furious. Every word he spit out at them was fueled with so much anger, so many emotions which he had suppressed deep in his heart for decades if not centuries.
Had he really thought they were taking advantage of him right from the beginning?
A/N : I think Jack is one of those people who bottle everything up inside them and suddenly explode when someone pushes the wrong button. And he has every reason to be upset. Next chapter coming soon!
