A/N :
Q-A the Authoress : Thanks!
FFX2player : Uh oh, yeah, kittens can cause a lot of trouble. But they're so adorable that you can't be mad at them for long, right?
MikiFubuki : Me, too! I'm such a sucker for father / son or brotherly relationships. 3
AyameKitsune : Thanks!
Xion5 : You're right, it's too much of an understatement. Jack is just too awesome for words. ;)
Shamangirl1 : Glad you did!
Andipandi5 : *cheers for Jack*
AnnabethandPercyJackson17 : Thank you and yes, he totally is!
Hanyoualchemist1 : Aww, that's sweet! ^^
Hope you enjoy one more of my personal head-canons!
Another guardian meeting that went exactly the same way as all those before. Tooth was directing orders at a few fairies which were fluttering around her, seemingly talking to all of them at once and obviously having her mind on the tooth-collecting-business instead of paying attention to what her comrades had to report. Not that any of them had anything remotely significant to say, the meeting was merely a routine to check if everything was going according to plan. North was the only guardian who took great joy in telling everyone how the toy production was going, explaining the progress and minor incidents in minute detail. As usual Sandy was listening calmly while taking advantage of the endless refills of eggnog. Now and then Bunnymund boasted about being ahead of his own schedule and that the next Easter would be the most epic one ever. After all he had to make up for the disaster Pitch caused. And Jack...well, Jack endured this without a doubt boring part of his duties as a guardian. He showed that the wasn't exactly eager to witness the smalltalk by leaning back in his chair and staring holes into the ceiling but didn't interrupt or bother any of his friends during their monologues. There was only one fact he was grateful for. At each of those monthly meetings the yetis brought as much food as five people could possibly need. Jack was never in danger of starving since North had invited him to live in the workshop but having a huge table covered with all kinds of delicacies was a treat for his eyes and above all for his stomach. So, while the other guardians where talking or otherwise busy with themselves the winter spirit switched between remaining in a death-like state and devouring random snacks with obvious enjoyment. Bunny had noticed the younger man's appetite during the last meetings already but rarely addressed it. This time however he couldn't hold himself back from pointing it out because he seemed to be even hungrier than usual.
"Crickey, mate, ya eat like ya haven't gotten anythin' for years, leave somethin' for us, will ya?"
Suddenly everyone stopped talking and stared at their newest member who had just taken a big bite of a chocolate muffin, the 5th muffin in that meeting, to be precise. Among several slices of lemon cake, fruitcake, quiche and a cheese sandwich. Not feeling comfortable with four pairs of eyes directed at him Jack gulped down the mouthful of muffin and awkwardly put the remaining half back on his plate in front of him.
"Sorry, but to be honest, I really haven't eaten anything for...a while." he mumbled the last few words but they heard them nevertheless.
"How long is 'a while'?" Tooth asked gently, for the first time this day not caring about ordering her fairies around.
"Well, actually...since I became Jack Frost..."
Now everyone's eyes weren't just focused on him, no, they also widened in shock and disbelief. It didn't help much to get rid of the feeling that he was the new attraction in a zoo.
"Ya seriously wanna tell me ya didn't have any food for 300 years?!" Bunny blurted out and if you paid close attention you could hear a hint of honest worry in his voice.
Jack winced for a moment and diverted his gaze from them, grabbed his staff for comfort and stared at the rough surface covered with frost instead.
"Uh, yeah. I've never been hungry so I didn't feel the need to get something to eat. But when we had that party after Pitch's defeat and I tasted all the food the yetis and elves made I guess I got...a little obsessed with it. Never expected that it would be that good." he smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck.
It was true that immortals didn't need food to survive but many of them still took pleasure in eating at least once in a while. Others, like North, couldn't imagine a life without a daily supply of cookies, cake and other goodies. Even though it wasn't essential for staying alive, but the same counted for humans and chocolate. Not vital but definitely improving one's life. None of them had spent more than a few months at most without eating something. The news that Jack hadn't known the joys of food until he became a guardian was a fact they could only hardly grasp.
"Awww, Jack..." Tooth began but was at a loss for words.
"Hey, it's really no big deal. I didn't miss eating because I simply didn't know what it was like." he reassured her, not liking the amount of pity directed at him.
"But now you know and there will always be enough food available for you here!" North broke the awkward mood, pointed at the half muffin on Jack's plate and winked.
"Don't you want to finish that?"
The winter spirit gave him a dumbfounded look but then let out a small chuckle as he grabbed the piece of sweet pastry and only two huge bites later it was gone.
"Haha, no worries, my boy, no one's going to take food away from you, so there's no need to gulp it down like this." the Russian guardian smirked.
"Sowwy." Jack mumbled with his mouth still full of the muffin, which he swallowed a moment later.
"Sorry, but it's so damn good!"
He deliberately ignored the reprimanding glare Tooth shot at him due to his choice of words and was relieved when North nodded in agreement while grabbing a cookie himself.
"Yes, yetis really know how to cook and if there's one thing elves are experts at then it's baking."
"Gotta admit the lil' buggers make a pretty decent carrot cake." Bunny admitted as he finally decided to join the feast and tasted a slice of said cake.
Sandy, who had chosen a chicken drumstick with mashed potatoes, made a thumbs-up gesture before he continued to enjoy his meal. Only Tooth didn't seem to be overly excited about it.
"I just wish they didn't use so much sugar, almost everything here is sweet and I can already see your teeth rotting and getting cavities and I really don't want all that candy to destroy your perfect teeth, Jack."
As usual the fairy's worries went unheeded and only resulted in heads being shaken and amused snorts and giggles.
"Nah, this won't have any effect on my teeth just like it won't have on the rest of my body. I'm stuck in this shape forever, remember?" Jack pacified her and as if to prove a point, took another cupcake to munch on.
"But you never know, it would be a shame for those pearly whites to get damaged."
"Ghee, Tooth, let the kid eat what he wants. He had no sugar for three centuries, for heaven's sake. He has ta catch up." Bunny stepped in while finishing the last bit of his carrot cake.
For a moment the white-haired teen thought he had misheard something. Had the grumpy Easter Bunny really just taken his side and defended him? The realization brought a smile on his face.
"Thank you very much for the common sense, kangaroo. And don't worry, Tooth, I brush my teeth..." Jack said and added in a barely audible whisper : "...once in a while."
Only Bunny, who wasn't in the mood for freaking out over his darn nickname right now, had heard it and couldn't suppress a chuckle. Jack glanced at him with his famous half-crooked smile, finding it highly amusing how everyone else was looking confused at each other because they had no idea what had been so funny.
"But really now, Frosty, I'd like ta know how ya can eat all this stuff! I mean look at ya, ya gotta be literally full at some point!" the pooka uttered in a mix of amazement and disbelief.
The Guardian of Fun merely shrugged his shoulders and let his cerulean eyes wander over the table in search of his next snack.
"Maybe it's because I'm pretty active and need a lot of energy? Dunno, just a guess." he replied absent-mindedly, his attention focused on all the different kinds of goodies in front of him.
It actually made sense. For spirits food was like fuel. They didn't digest it like normal living beings but converted it into pure energy. The more they moved the faster it subsided so it was no suprise that someone like Jack, who was always in motion, could devour such insane amounts. It literally fizzled out the moment it landed in his stomach.
"Yeah, that'd explain a lot." the Australian rabbit agreed after a moment of consideration.
Even if Jack had still been mortal, Bunnymund was sure he would be one of those people who could eat whatever they pleased and never gained weight. The snow teen had once told them that his family in hist past life hadn't been wealthy but none of them had to starve. So Bunny assumed he was simply born this way, stuck in a lean body.
"I really can't comprehend how I ever managed to live without this." the white-haired teen muttered while admiring a piece of chocolate fudge in his hand.
After finally being believed in and having a ( very uncommon ) family, the joy of food definitely was another one of those magnificent enhancements of his new life as a guardian.
A/N : I totally ship Jack x Food, in case you haven't noticed that yet.
Please comment, because reviews are the author's food! ;D
