Ice Cubes
Summary: The guardians will protect the children, Jack will protect the guardians- but who will protect Jack in turn?
Prompt: In the final confrontation of the movie, when the other Guardians are still powerless, Pitch asks who will protect them. In response, Jaime and his friends step up and say they will, but just prior to that moment, Jack started to move forward as if he was going to face Pitch on his own.
What if he did?
Does he lose? Does he win at a great cost that leaves him too weak to go on? What if Jack DID face down Pitch at that time?
Wherever it goes from there is up to filler, just run with that.
Warning: Eh, I'm not sure if this is a good story, my sister convinced me to post it here but I was like -_- while I read over this. I'm sorry in advance!
Set during the movie
Who Will Protect You?
"And who will protect you?" Pitch sneered as the kids all shifted uncomfortably, their fear getting the best of them for that moment. North, paler than usual, paled even more as he tried to lift his swords, Tooth not being able to do anything but flutter her wings feebly, even Bunny- the brave warrior- shrunk down into a defensive ball.
Jack pursed his lips, stepping forward as wide eyes followed his movements. Unusually graceful still, his powers not tied to the children like the guardians.
His face was a perfect mask of calm as he smirked at the bogeyman who growled at him. "Really Pitch? Is that really something you have to ask?"
Pitch let out a wild laugh, "You? You expect that little Jack Frost will protect these- these vermin who call themselves guardians? You think you can win?"
Jack gripped his staff tightly, a smile on his face. "I can try."
"Jack..." Tooth said, covering her mouth in shock, violet eyes teary.
North shook his had, "No Jack! Pitch is too strong! Step back, boy- I-"
"Hey, it's fine." Jack said, not turning to look at them as he spoke. "I can handle a little fear."
"Frostbite." Bunny murmured. Jamie and his friends looked at Jack in worry.
"Little?" Pitch shouted, enraged. He lifted his arms, showing his impressive battalions of nightmares. Dark sand rising like wave over the city. "You call this little?" He laughed, "Are you mad, Jack Frost?"
"Maybe I am." Jack grinned widely, anyone would've been fooled, but even as he rose into the air, Jamie noticed the way his hands shook.
But he wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Oh, you are afraid." The nightmare king gave him a sharp toothed smile. "You're afraid of various of things. What if you lose? All hopes, dreams, memories will be wiped from the planet and only fear shall remain, of course! And who will protect the children when you're gone? Oh, certainly not the guardians! Look at them! Barely able to stand up on their own two feet."
Jack set his shoulders, not answering, swinging his staff, just as harsh wind blew to rush him towards his enemy.
A rush of ice and blue came at Pitch, which he deflected with a finger.
"Honestly, I don't understand why you'd fight for these losers." Pitch said as he dodged another attack, neatly side stepping to the side as the winter sprite attacked him head on. "I mean, really, you'd think that after three hundred years of not even talking to you or taking interest in you- someone would be put off. Are you really that persistent to get in their good books?"
Bunny's ears pressed against his skull at the truth of Pitch's words.
"They're better than you." Jack replied through gritted teeth as he came at Pitch again, tumbling on the air as he dodged nightmares that came around him like a tornado, keeping him trapped.
"In what way?" Pitch asked, bored.
"They protect the children!" Jack shouted as he blew away all of the nightmare sand with a loud scream. The kids jumped in awe at the display of ice overcoming darkness. Light blue against black.
Pitch snarled as he raised his hand, "But they're not protecting you!"
Jack let out a choked gasp as the sand caught him on the shoulder, spreading like his frost through his side, climbing up his hoodie turning it black.
The sprite fell to the ground gasping, a few feet away.
"JACK!" The guardians yelled in horror as the children let out their own cries. Monty looked like he was about to faint.
Tooth tried desperately to fly towards him but she kept falling down, North hobbling towards the fairy. Bunny was the only one nimble enough to get to the other as the kids ran to Tooth and North's side.
"Oh come now Jack, don't fight it." The bogeyman crooned. "It's useless. The guardians will protect the children, you'll protect the guardians, but there's no one there to protect you. Don't you just want to end the suffering and be my fearling prince?"
"I'm-" Jack gasped, Bunny sniffed the dark sand, green eyes wide. The Frost spirit turned to the Pooka giving him a pained smile before breathing heavily. "I-I-"
Jack gritted his teeth as he touched his staff to his side. Pitch's eyes widened when the frost overlapped the darkness, freezing Jack's contaminated side. Blue eyes, one darker than the other, glared at him. "I won't be your fearling, Pitch." He gasped as his expression became more determined. "And no one has to protect me. I took care of myself for three hundred years. And I know that won't change."
Bunny looked up the other, green eyes darkening in sadness, "Jack."
The nightmare king growled as he raised a scythe made of dark sand. "Fine!" He yelled. "DIE! AND SEE IF I CARE!" He threw the massive scythe towards the immobile frost boy as Jack picked up Bunny and turned his back on Pitch, to cover the guardian of Hope.
"JACK!" Tooth yelled in desperation, violet eyes let out a curse as he hobbled forward, hands outstretched but falling, tripping, his swords clattering to the ground as he looked on with horror-filled eyes.
However, a small figure ran past them and towards Jack.
Jamie Bennett sprinted as fast as his legs could carry towards Jack, hands outstretched when he saw blue eyes closed as the scythe was mere seconds away from him.
"NO!" Jamie shouted, his fingers outstretched and barely brushing the black sand.
It was only a second of contact, but it was enough.
And just like that, there was an explosion of light-
Golden sand spread across the dark sand, overlapping darkness with light as Jack looked up in wonder and amazement, still clutching the small rabbit in his arms.
"Sandy." Jack murmured in awe, blue eyes following the stretch of the familiar golden sand. However, he looked down when he felt Bunny tug at his hoodie.
The mini sized rabbit look up at him, green eyes, so wise and old for his current form, shining with an unreadable emotion.
"Everything's going to be alright now, mate." Bunny whispered and Jack smiled.
"Yeah." He whispered, looking up again. "I know."
He missed the frown Bunny directed his way.
Sandy looked Jack up and down, a nurse's hat made of sand on top of his golden hair. He smiled widely as he gave a double thumbs up towards the other guardians.
North and Tooth let out a sigh of relief as Bunny crossed his arms. The recently named guardian of Fun placed a hand on his shoulder, twisting it experimentally.
"No trace of Pitch's dark sand anywhere." Jack said as he gave them a cocky simper. "See? I told you I was fine!"
"Ah, but we still had to make sure Jack." North said with heartfelt worry that made Jack lose his mischievous look.
The boy looked down awkwardly, "Er yeah, thanks for taking me back to the North Pole to patch me up." He watched his feet swing over the ground, as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You didn't have to really, I could have rolled around on the snow and gotten better anyway."
"Of course we had to do that Jack!" Tooth said as she hovered closely. "You saved us and the children! It's the least we can do!"
The sprite sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It was Jamie who saved us, not me."
"No, you saved us too." North assured him. "We are eternally grateful."
"Yeah." Jack bit his lip, still not looking up at them. North raised an eyebrow and he exchanged looks with Tooth.
Sandy looked at Bunny and the two seem to have reached an understanding.
"Although there's something I have to run through with you Frostbite." Bunny spoke as Sandy hovered, nodding. The sprite's eyebrows scrunched as he looked up. "It's about something you said earlier to Pitch, something I don't agree with."
Jack looked at the rabbit, not knowing what he was getting to. "What? You upset that a small ice imp like me protected the big bad six-foot-one Easter Kangaroo?"
The Pooka grumbled, unamused, but Sandy gave him a look and he rolled his eyes as he spoke again. "No, ya galah. I was talking about the 'taking care of yourself' bit."
Jack's mouth fell open as Tooth and North stared at Bunny and Sandy who was nodding fiercely. Even though Sandy had been buried in Pitch's sand, he had seen what had happened.
"Oh." The sprite's voice was small, as he looked down again. His lips pursed, "What about it?"
"'What about it?'" Bunny repeated as he raised an eyebrow. "What are we? A bunch of stunned mullets?"
Jack's head snapped up, confused. "What?"
Tooth got what Bunny was trying to say as she smiled and flitted to the Frost child. "What Bunny's trying to say, Jack, is that-" She looked over to North who stepped forward and placed his large hands on the other's shoulders.
"You are alone no longer." The Cossack whispered.
Blue eyes blinked in surprise. "I-" Jack's face scrunched up, blue eyes closing. "I don't understand."
"It will change Jack. You are not alone anymore." North said quietly. "We will take care of you now."
Jack's mouth fell open, gaping at them in shock before he suddenly laughed. Blue eyes were wide with disbelief as he shook his head. "I'm sorry North but I think I just misheard you- but I think you just said-Oof!"
The young guardian was cut off when Tooth threw herself into the other's arms. "Tooth?" Jack said in a muffled voice.
"We can protect you too." Tooth said quietly.
"I'm sorry, what are you-"
Bunny sighed, "Yer a right gumby ain't ya?" North sat beside the frost spirit, Jack turning to look at him as the fairy finally let go, folding her hands over her lap as she sat on the sprite's other side.
"Jack Frost, we protect the children, you protect us..." North said with a smile, his expression softening significantly. "But we will protect you too."
Jack blinked in surprise his throat constricting suddenly with an unknown feeling as his hands fidgeted and he looked at Bunny who nodded in exasperation as Sandy gave him a double thumbs up.
"Wha- I..." Jack gulped, "Is this because I saved you guys? I told you, I didn't-"
"No." Bunny cut him off. "It's not because of that."
"It's because we care about you, Jack." Tooth smiled sweetly. "I know it's hard to believe after-" The guardian of Memories winced but she shook her head. "We care about you, and it would mean a lot to us if you let us show you, that we will protect you too." She turned teary amethyst eyes at the other. "Will you?"
There was silence as Jack contemplated the revelation.
Suddenly a small smile graced the young guardian's lips as he tilted his head, white bangs brushing to the side and his ice blue eyes shining with joy. "I would like that."
And this time Jack was prepared when Tooth pulled him into another hug. And he laughed when Sandy and North joined in, and eventually, so did Bunny.
And so, the next time Jack Frost was outnumbered, injured and breathing heavily, he does not shake in fear but rather, he grinned at the opponent instead.
The villain growled, "You protect the children, but who will protect you, Jack Frost?"
The kids cried behind him. Jack's eyes narrowed but his grin widened, luminescent against his pale features. "Why, I'm glad you asked that actually." He said breathlessly, "Guys! You ready yet?"
The enemy started when a boomerang suddenly came out of nowhere, hitting him right on the chest.
"Sorry we took so long, mate. You okay? Don't worry, we'll beat this guy up real good."
"How dare you damage Jack's face! You better pray hard that you didn't chip his teeth!"
"Bud'te gotovy , strannyy chelovek, odetyy v nizhneye bel'ye nazad!"
Various signs made of golden sand appeared before it took hold of the villain in a tight grip, Jack laughed when the enemy whimpered like a girl.
Life as a guardian is good. Jack thought as his smile softened when the guardians berated the enemy like overprotective parents. He found it amusing but also deeply touching. Then he inhaled deeply and thought back to what the enemy asked.
Who will protect you Jack Frost?
Jack smiled at that. Why, the guardians will of course! Jack thought happily as he flew to join the others in saving the kids.
Since, they promised after all.
The guardians will protect the children and I will protect the guardians...
And they will protect me with all they've got, in turn.
Translation: Bud'te gotovy , strannyy chelovek, odetyy v nizhneye bel'ye nazad! - Be prepared, strange man wearing his underwear backwards!
Important notes: I'm flattered with all the anons sending me requests via revews (XD) but I would like to make one thing clear, I'm not accepting requests at the moment, I'm sorry D: I'm focusing with finishing the prompts of the hundredths reviewers and of the first reviewers of a certain chapter. But if the anons would really like me to write their fics, then they can submit an official request on my blog where I will post their ideas, since Ice Cubes have a lot of lined up ideas to post it here. Thank you for understanding!
Author's notes: *glaring at what she has written* ARGH! I didn't want to- but- After all your wonderful reviews, support, and patience! I'm really sorry that the fic turned out *flinches* like this! I'M SORRY!
I swear I'll do better next time D:
Anyway, thank you once more for the wonderful reviews guys!
Special thanks to all reviewers, favoriters, and followers!
Thank you Book fan girl, I'm lucky to have a friend who had the patience of a saint T^T
And to Anonymous from tumblr, thank you for posting your wonderful comment *huggles* It meant a lot to me T^T
Thank you guys for all the support and reviews and likes and favorites! You guys rock!
THANK YOU!
Until next time!