A/N : Thanks for the reviews, glad you liked the last chapter! :D
The following onehsot is dedicated to the hot cookie dough dessert at Pizza Hut. If you have ever eaten it you know what I'm talking about. So delicious and yet so fatal. And the first time I ever tasted it was right after watching RotG for the first time while visiting a friend of mine. Ah, good memories. :3
Miserable groans reached North's ears as soon as he had set foot into the globe room. He wasn't sure where it was coming from but he was determined to find out. Blue eyes curiously wandered around while he walked through the big hall, all senses focused on finding the source of the disturbing sound. When he headed in direction of the living area the increasing volume assured him he was on the right track. The groans weren't all that loud but still enough to catch his attention. As he reached the corner which was furnished with comfortable red velvet couches and the like he noticed a pair of pale feet dangling from the edge of an armchair whose back was turned to him. And there it was again, that pathetic groaning.
The Guardian of Wonder approached the seating furniture until he stood next to it and took a good look at the white-haired boy who was cowering on the soft fabric. His arms were tightly wrapped around his stomach while his head turned from one side to the other and his whole body didn't seem to be able to stay in the same position for more than a few seconds.
"Jack, what is wrong?" the big Russian asked with concern.
Under normal circumstances the winter spirit would have been startled about the sudden loud voice but right now he didn't give a damn. Maybe he had been aware of the older man's presence from the beginning but North doubted it. Jack shot a quick glance at him and then stared at the ceiling above him, all the while keeping a firm hold on his middle.
"I think I'm dying." he groaned.
The exaggerated dramatization in the frost teen's voice didn't go past the ancient guardian and he raised a suspicious brow at the statement.
"Might it be possible that it has something to do with cookies suddenly disappearing from kitchen?"
Jack groaned once more and clenched his eyes shut before he opened them again halfway and let out a strained sigh.
"Maybe."
Santa Clause rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he started his lecture.
"You know those weren't even finished baked yet, don't you? Elves took them out of oven too soon but they got distracted and when they returned to put them back in all cookies were gone."
"I was hungry." came the innocent reply.
"But they must have been very hot, how didn't that keep you from eating them?"
The teen looked at him as if he had just insulted his very being.
"Uh, hello, I'm the Spirit of Winter, cooling down some cookies isn't exactly something that overstrains my powers."
"Some cookies? Jack, elves said it were three trays!"
"Your point being?"
"Did you really think eating several dozend half-baked cookies wouldn't have any consequences for your stomach?"
Instead of looking at him Jack had turned his focus back on the ceiling.
"Like I said, I was hungry."
North covered his face with his hand and shook his head. No matter how old the winter spirit was technically, he still acted like a child so very often. Especially when it involved candy. Unteachable stubborn little fellow.
"Alright, I need to check if toy production is going according to schedule. Will you be fine on your own?"
"Yeah, sure, just leave me rotting here, no problem."
Jack Frost surely got cranky when he was suffering from stomach ache. Instead of giving in to the teen's foul mood the old guardian smiled brightly and waved his hand while walking away.
"That's great, I'll see you later then!"
A grumpy sounding groan was all he got as reply as he exited the globe room and headed back to the area where the yetis were working feverishly on new toys of all kinds and shapes.
In the meantime Jack kept slouching on the red armchair like a miserable pile of limbs. Right now he doubted he would ever feel like even touching a cookie again, let alone eat one. To get his mind on something else than the painful grumbling of his stomach he tried to think about the snowball fight he had with Jamie and his friends a few days ago or how he would annoy Bunny for a while as soon as he felt better. Probably he had dozed off for a moment because suddenly the sound of bells ripped him out of his peaceful and almost comfortable state. Tired blue eyes glanced around for the source of the disturbance and landed on the floor where an elf was standing, grinning from ear to ear and holding a silver plate with a pile of cookies in his hands.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me." the winter spirit moaned and waved a pale hand to shoo the little creature away.
Unsuccessfully, because the elf only came closer and held the, under different circumstances, alluringly smelling pastries under his nose. Jack had to admit the scent was nice but the mere thought about actually eating one of them made his stomach turn upside down.
" .away." he forced out.
The cold glare North's small helper was faced with was enough to make him retreat a few steps backwards before he quickly hurried away from the currently not so funny Guardian of Fun.
Said guardian took a deep sigh and relaxed against the soft velvet cushions again. That is, until the familiar ringing alerted him of another one of the pointy-hatted buggers coming in and marching towards him. He glared at the void above him with a guttural groan before he lowered his head to have a better look at the being who was presenting a plate once more, this time full of muffins. Jack didn't want anything more badly than wiping the smirk off the elf's face.
"If you haven't left in 3 seconds I'm gonna freeze your butt and will make sure it won't thaw until christmas." he threatened with a disturbingly emotionless voice.
That was enough to make the little creature's rosy cheeks turn chalky-white and within a second only a cloud of dust was hinting at its former presence as it dashed out of the room like a lightning bolt.
This time the frost teen didn't dare to feel safe again. He had a suspicion that this was North's way of teaching him a lesson and that it wasn't over yet. As if he wasn't punished enough by his protesting stomach already.
It didn't take long to prove him right. Only a few minutes later the third elf walked in and shoved a huge freshly baked fruit cake into Jack's face, only about an inch away from his face. A loud grunt from his body seemed to shout 'Don't you dare!' and to emphasize the fair warning his insides started to twist on agony.
"Ugh..." he groaned and averted his gaze.
But the elf was stubborn and stretched its arms out even more so there was no way the white-haired boy could ignore the sweet pastry in front of him. Okay, enough was enough. With a swift motion Jack grabbed his staff, which had been leaning against the back of the armchair, and froze the little annoyance, including the fruit cake, into a bulky chunk of ice. A triumphant evil smirk appeared on his face as he put his foot on it and gave it a strong push so it slid the other side of the room and out of his sight.
"He had it coming." he thought and got comfortable again, hugging his staff to his chest as he attempted to relax.
'Attempted' being the keyword. His stomach really didn't get fed up with letting him know it wasn't pleased about his unhealthy consumption of cookies. He was literally sick of it.
After half an hour or so he heard the door opening again and steps coming closer. First he thought it was an elf again but soon he realized that the lack of bells ringing and the fact that the steps sounded much heavier and came closer at a slower pace hinted at someone else. When the intruder of his desperately needed restfulness stopped in front of him and he noticed a small plate which was covered with a white dishtowel in one of his beefy hands Jack shot a clearly unamused look at him.
"North, if that's a cupcake now under that thing I won't take responsibility for anything that happens..."
"Oh, I am sorry, aren't you hungry? You look starved so I thought I'd send elves to bring you something to eat." the big Russian smiled innocently.
Jack emitted something that one could only describe as a weird mix between a sigh and a groan.
"Yeah, okay, I admit eating those half-baked cookies wasn't my best idea. Won't do it again, learned my lesson, so can you please bring the food away again?"
The old guardian's features showed he was satisfied with the reply and that his plan had worked.
"Is no food." he objected and removed the cloth, revealing a shot glass and a small dark bottle.
"Uh, what's that?" Jack asked insecure and raised an eyebrow at the suspicious items.
"Bitter. Against your stomach ache."
Instead of easing the winter spirit's tension it only increased it as he remembered what kind of drink it was. He had heard adults talk about it several times when he flew past bars and restaurants at night.
"Isn't that, you know, booze?"
"Yes! What else!"
Okay, he should have known the Russian man obviously had a quite casual attitude towards alcoholic drinks. But Jack trusted him so he would just have to swallow his anxiety and believe him.
"Alright, if you're sure it helps." he agreed but still didn't look overly excited about it.
"It will, a swig from this and a little rest and you'll be as good as new." the Guardian of Wonder assured and poured some of the brown liquid into the small glass before offering it to the young immortal.
Jack took the shot glass and frowned, eyeing it suspiciously as the strange scent of liquor reached his nose.
"Just swallow it in one go." North advised.
With a deep sigh the frost teen lifted the glass to his lips and after a single swig it was emptied. As soon as the high-proof drink made contact with his tongue and ran down his throat he felt like it would burn his very insides. Heavy coughs errupted from the youth as he shoved the glass back into Santa's hands.
"Gheezes, that stuff can etch a hole into the wall!" Jack gasped as he waited impatiently for the unpleasant sensation to end.
"Nah, is nothing compared to good Russian vodka. You're just not used to it." the older man explained and set the glass and the bottle on a nearby table.
"I guess so." the teen muttered and was relieved when his body finally managed to cool the burning liquid down.
"Now have a little eye-shut and when you wake up you'll be fine."
"You mean shut-eye?"
"That's what I said."
"Right."
Normally he would have argued about not being tired at all but the bitter already showed its effect on him and he suddenly was a lot drowsier than he had been only moments ago. His eyelids were heavy, vision got blurry, his limbs like rubber and his whole body felt lighter than usual as he totally relaxed and let sleep take over.
The Guardian of Wonder watched in amazement as the winter spirit in front of him fell asleep in record time. He chuckled into his long white beard and left the peacefully slumbering youth who was cuddled against the soft cushions of the armchair, cradling his staff like a teddy-bear. On his way out he passed by a yeti and replied to the questioning look on the furry creatures face :
"Boy knocked out by booze."
A/N : Yeah, we all know that drinking liquor with an upset stomach could have ended less pretty, but let's give the poor guy a break. And you never know what North mixed into his booze. :P
