I HAVE NEVER ONCE PROMISED THAT POOKA JACK WAS NEXT…. Just FYI…. But I felt that I owed it to you my fans to show that I could be trusted when it came to writing the one shot requests! Pooka Jack IS being written, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for what you might like to see in it? Any ideas for Pooka Jack please be put in reviews or PM me, ok?
This is the oneshot for FrostFan1, and their request was a glorious mix of angst and fluff. Woohoo! So read on my pretties, and enjoy this newest installation of my one shot give away series!
Once again…*takes deep breath* … I DON'T OWN ROTG!
"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts!" Jack sang to a group of eggs at the top of his lungs "There they are a standing in a row, big ones, small ones, some as big as your head…"
"Frostbite!" Aster groaned "I'm tellin' ya mate, if you sing that song one more blinkin' time, I'll throttle ya!"
The winter spirit sent a large grin over to Bunny "If I changed words to make it singing about eggs, would you like the song better?"
"NO!"
Jack pouted then shrugged, turning back to his egg that he was currently painting "Your loss, personally I think the song is great, especially since barely anyone has ever actually heard the full version of it."
"And just where did you hear the full version?" Bunny asked chuckling softly.
"I heard it when it first came out!" the boy exclaimed "You can still find the old black and white film clip of Merv Griffin singing it on youtube though, I discovered that when I made Jamie listen to it."
"I feel bad for Jamie's mum then," Aster smirked "it's bad enough that humans have such a short enough life span, I would hate to spend that time listening to that song over and over."
Jack felt a grin split his face as a loud gale of laughter echoed throughout the warren, making the Pooka smile proudly at having caused such a reaction from the young spirit. Giggling the boy gasped "Yeah, well you have to listen to it for all eternity."
Aster's face paled as he almost dropped the egg from the sheer thought of having that song haunt him till the end of time, which only caused the boy to explode into more raucous giggles. Flinging himself onto his back, the sprite kicked the air as his cheeks grew red from lack of air, a wide grin wreathed on his face. Bunny watched the boy laugh and snort until a malicious grin decorated his own muzzle. Standing up, the Pooka cracked his knuckles, and gave a dangerous laugh that rumbled from deep within his chest.
"A'right ankle biter, ya asked for it now."
Blue eyes sparked in glee as the boy scrambled to his feet and held his hands up in front of him as a fake attempt to placate the rabbit "Come on Bunny" he giggled "I was only joking; I won't sing it for all eternity…only the next three hundred years or so."
"That's three hundred years too long Frostbite!" Aster bellowed as he lunged towards the boy.
Jack squealed with laughter as he ducked and dodged, barely avoiding the rabbit before flying up into the air "Well it's your problem that you can't appreciate fine music!"
"I can hardly categorize that as music ya dag!" Bunny twisted in the air his questing paw missing the pale foot by millimeters.
"Gonna have to do better than that Cottontail!" Jack whooped his thumb resting on his nose as he wiggled his fingers and stuck out his tongue in a 'neener-neener' gesture.
"A'right mate" Aster smiled as he tapped the ground and leapt inside "I will!"
Jack felt his smile shrink just a tad as he cast out his senses, trying to ascertain where the rabbit would appear next, but he wasn't prepared for a tunnel to appear in the wall behind him. Aster lunged through, his arms wrapping around the sprite's waist as he dragged them both to the ground. Jack shrieked with laughter as he wiggled and thrashed, trying to get free from Bunny's hold, but the Pooka held tight, dragging the child towards one of his streams of dye. Jack looked to where they were going, and felt his mouth go dry and his smile disappear completely. Throwing himself into a whirlwind of activity the boy began to scream.
"No Bunny, Stop! Please, don't do this! Bunny…NO!"
"Not on your nelly mate" Bunny cackled, unaware of the boy's true distress "this is revenge for all the times ya dyed my shower water pink."
"No Bunny, you don't understand…!" Jack twisted around in Aster's arms, trying to find a way for the rabbit to see the terror carved into his features.
"I think I do," Aster continued obliviously still thinking that they were playing "you're scared of your comeuppance!"
"Not exactly… but sure, just STOP!"
"Nah way kid."
Jack felt his chest heave as he began to hyperventilate, and with that last spoken word, the Pooka lifted him high in the air, and threw him into the pink dye. But something caught the grinning rabbit's eye, something that made his stomach sink, and his ears droop. As Jack flew through the air, Bunny had expected to see the furious yet happy face of the guardian of fun as he accepted his loss in this their latest tussle, but instead he saw blue eyes wide with fear and a jaw clenched as if it was hold back a shriek of terror. Sitting on the ground, Bunny hunched over, his nose twitching anxiously as he waited for Jack to resurface, but as the minutes ticked by, Bunny got the feeling that he had done something very wrong to their youngest guardian. Bubble surfaced, and a small ripple here and there, but eventually nothing, and that made Bunny's gut feeling grow even worse.
"Frostbite?" the rabbit squeaked a low hoot of distress coming from his lips "Jackie? Jack, ya there mate?"
Nothing, not even a ripple…
"Aw crikey…" Bunny murmured and without a second thought promptly dived in to save the winter child.
Jake thrashed in the thick dye, both hands covering his nose as he fought to keep the air in his lungs. His arms and legs thrashed, and the winter spirit fought to try to resurface but could gain no headway in the liquid. Already his lungs burned, and the boy felt a wave of panic as the walls closed in on him. Drawing his knees up to his chest, the boy clenched his hands into fists as the memories of his death once again washed over him. Flashes of his life, both as a human and as a guardian, played before his eyes and Jack felt the loneliness of death creeping over him. Hands clenching his hair, the boy let out a scream, feeling the liquid enter his mouth and coat his esophagus.
He was drowning, and there was no way to escape.
His mind began to grow fuzzy, and the spots danced in front of his eyes before finally he let himself go. His body relaxed as Jack gave himself up to the darkness, and just as he was about to make the final journey, a strong pair of arms wrapped around him and drug him up towards the surface. Aster pulled them both through the dye, and broke through into the fresh air with a bellowing gasp. Scrambling up the bank, the rabbit splayed the child across the grass, and placed one ear against his chest. His stomach clenched as the Pooka realized that he heard not even the faintest breath. Dye dripping from his ears and nose, the rabbit dove down his paws frantically pumping the boy's chest. Plugging Jack's nose, and tilting his head back, mouth to mouth resuscitation was administered, and then Aster went back to pumping.
Pump, pump, pump, breathe. Pump, pump, pump, breathe.
He continued that repetition for what felt like hours until finally he was rewarded with a gag, and then rolling the child onto his side was able to sigh with relief as a wave of dye was spewed out of the boy's mouth. Jack shuddered and gasped, Bunny pounding on his back in his own attempt of aiding the spirit of ridding himself of any excess liquid still caught in his lungs. Wave after wave of dye flowed from the boy's trembling lips, his eyelids fluttering as he walked the tightrope between consciousness and sleep. Bunny bit his bottom lip, his whiskers trembling as he waited for the boy to say something, anything, to prove that he was truly alive and well. Reaching down, the Pooka gave Jack's shoulder a gentle shake.
"Snowflake?" he asked tremulously "Jackie, ya ok mate?"
Blue eyes flew open, and Jack scrambled back from Bunny with a strangled yelp, his limbs visibly trembling as he crab walked backwards. The boy didn't stop until his back hit the stone wall, and the effect was immediate, his body curled up in a ball with his arms wrapped around his legs; face firmly buried in his knees. Aster hopped over, ears plastered to the back of his head in guilt as he gazed at the young spirit in what could almost be described as fearful concern. Reaching out with one paw, the Pooka attempted to touch the guardian of fun, but winced when Jack flinched, his body shying away from the comfort that Bunny tried to offer.
"Jack?" the rabbit said softly "I'm sorry mate, I didn't know that you couldn't swim."
At first nothing, and Aster wilted from the prolonged silence, but finally Jack spoke "It's fine." was the curt reply.
Bunny's ears twitched, he knew a lie when he heard one, and this was quite obviously a lie. "Nah, mate" he replied gently "It's not. I threw you into that stream without thinking, and that's my fault, I should have thought about whether you can swim or not."
"It doesn't matter."
But Bunny wasn't having any of it. He could tell that the boy was shaken by the experience, literally. His body was still trembling from the shock of almost drowning, and his breath was still coming in ragged gasps. No, the boy was most definitely not fine, and Aster couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't stemming from something deeper than even he knew. Crouching onto all fours, the Pooka hopped forward until his nose was touching the boy's temple, and snuffled him softly with a gentle nudge. Peeking through the tangle of arms and hands covering his face from view, Bunny saw the boy's bottom lip begin to tremble as his chin wrinkled up and quivered. Once again nudging his head, the rabbit gave another low hoot.
"Jackie…?" he practically whispered "Ya gonna be ok kid?"
Nothing. The Pooka watched as the thin shoulders twitched and jumped from the effort it took not to melt into a ball of tears. "Oi Snowflake, ya a'right?"
Finally Jack shook his head, conveying that 'no, he was not alright, and probably wouldn't be for a while yet'. Bunny sat next to the kid, his ears drooping with guilt as he sat feeling completely useless against the distress that the boy was feeling. "Uh…" he began slowly "I'm sorry…"
"Stop apologizing!" Jack suddenly exploded his blue eyes swimming with tears finally rising to meet Bunny's. "The more you say it, the less sincere it sounds!"
"Look kid," Bunny sighed "I don't even know what I'm apologizing for, but I know that I crossed the line…"
"You shouldn't have thrown me in…" Jack interrupted his eyes darkening with the hurt of being betrayed "I told you to stop, but you didn't!"
Bunny deflated at the truth in Jack's statement "Yeah, yer right kid… I'm-"
"Don't apologize when you don't mean it!" the winter spirit broke in again "if you feel so bad, then why did you do it in the first place?"
"Oi!" Aster's ears perked up to full height "I know I did something wrong today, and I'm ready to make things right, but don't pull that tone with me! I can name a few times where you pulled a prank in the name of fun that didn't turn out too well!"
"But nothing that could have killed anyone," the immortal teen protested "I may have pulled a few pranks that turned out pretty badly, but I never endangered anyone's life!"
"How am I supposed to know what will endanger your life when you don't tell us anything or let us in on what you can and can't do?" Aster bellowed back.
Jack's mouth opened in order to shoot back a retort, but all protests died as quickly as they were born. Bunny took this opportunity in order to continue his rant.
"I mean, seriously Jack," the rabbit spluttered one aggravated paw running through the fur on his head "you disappear for weeks on end making us nearly worry ourselves to death. Every time things get too difficult for you, or make you uncomfortable you take off without a word to anyone without any way for us to find ya! We try to get to know ya, we try to make ya understand that we're your family, but you won't let us get close enough to see what you're thinking. Today could have been avoided if you had just been honest with us!"
"Honest about what?" Jack yelled "Honest about my fears? About the nightmares that keep me from having a decent night's sleep? Or how about the fact that I just recently got my memories back and I found out that I had DIED!?"
"That's a start!" Bunny yelled before his face went blank when his brain finally processed Jack's words "Wait…What?"
"I d-d-" the winter spirit's voice broke as he struggled to finish the sentence before he was finally able to spit it out "…died… a long time ago…before I was ever Jack Frost."
"I…I…" Bunny's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find the words to accurately convey his shock before he was finally able to squeak "How?"
"Drowning…I drowned saving the life of my younger sister." Tears began their lonely trek down the agonized face of the youngest guardian "I died with the last thing I see being an unbreakable ceiling of ice. I died in the cold, in the dark, and completely alone!"
Bunny felt a harsh wince overtake him at Jack's words as his head bowed in grief, understanding washing over him in icy waves. Jack stood there in front of him, his eyes glued to the grass beneath him as both of his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. His breath coming in sporadic shuddering gasps, the boy fought to continue his words, and discovering just how difficult they were to say.
"I h-haven't told anyone," he sobbed his face growing increasingly bitter as his tone became sarcastic "because how do you say that you died? What, am I supposed to just arrive at dinner and say 'Hey guys, thought you would like to know, I have nightmares about water because I died drowning to save my sister from falling through weak ice when I was still human, but it's ok because even though I can't swim I'm pretty sure I have a grasp on this thing, I mean I was alone for three hundred years, so I think I know how to avoid falling into water'?"
Aster tried to muster up the words to reply, but could only manage a shrug, his brain still reeling from the discovery. Jack snorted in derision at the Pooka's helplessness.
"What Bunny, you finally run out of insults?" the boy muttered bitterly "You know what it's like being alone for centuries, having nightmares about water, and dying, not knowing why? And then all of a sudden I get my memories back, and it all makes sense, but now I almost hate my element because it's what killed me. Snow and ice bring pain and misery, it kills people, and I know this because I experienced it firsthand! I don't know whether I still love or hate snow, all I know is the one thing that I can't forget… that I DIED, and I'm terrified of water because I can't swim and if I try, I'm scared that my powers will only make me die again!"
Aster reached out for the boy, but Jack pulled away, his face hard with pain and grief "Don't act like you know what I'm going through," he spat "You were invisible for only one day, I've been invisible for three centuries, so don't even think you have any idea how I feel, because you don't!"
Bunny felt an immense pain stab his heart from Jack's words, but then as he measured the child standing before him, he realized that despite all the bitter words and accusations, what Jack truly needed was for someone to show him that he wasn't going to be left floating in an endless lonely abyss anymore. Without another thought, the rabbit reached forward and wrapped the boy in a hug, his strong arms holding the child close as he tried to, in some way shape or form, transfer hope and comfort to the lonely soul trapped within winter's embrace.
"Let me go!" Jack screeched "You're only doing this to make yourself feel better, you don't care, so just let me go!"
"Nah mate," Bunny sighed tears rolling from his eyes and staining his fur "I'm not lettin' ya go, not now, not eva'. The fact of the matter is, I betrayed ya by leavin' ya alone all those years. Me, North, Tooth, even Sandy; we all failed in our duty as guardians by not makin' sure you knew that you had a family, and that is our mistake that we need to make up for. So I'm startin' now. I'll be there to pull you out when you get in over your head, I'll be there to light a candle when the dark overwhelms ya, and I'll be there to make sure that you're never alone ever again. That's what family, what brothers, is for."
The small form that had been thrashing within Bunny's embrace stilled, listening intently to the Pooka's words, and losing any semblance of composure that he had had left. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks, and heart wrenching sobs wracked his frame while pale fists clenched Bunny's fur in a desperate grip. Kneeling down, the rabbit held Jack in his arms, one paw rubbing the thin back as he whispered words of reassurance and comfort. The winter spirit allowed himself to be held as he wept into Aster's shoulder, all of the pain that he had bottled up inside since learning about his untimely death finally finding an outlet. Finally after a good ten minutes, the boy sat up, his hands wiping his eyes quickly as he felt a deep blush of embarrassment over his meltdown spread across his face.
Bunny smiled fondly, ruffling the boy's head "Feel betta'?"
"Yeah, yeah I do" Jack croaked finally looking up to meet the rabbit's eyes with a face shining with gratitude, but the moment was broken when the blue orbs widened and a snorted giggle exploded from the child's mouth.
"What's wrong now ya dag?" Bunny sighed.
"Y-you," Jack giggled "You're pink!"
A smile quirked one side of the Pooka's mouth "Yeah, and so are you Frostbite."
Jack looked down to see that his skin, hair, and clothes were all dyed an obnoxious shade of hot pink before he looked up again and exploded into another round of laughter in the rabbit's face. Aster sighed, shaking his head, and shrugged helplessly.
"Oh yeah, laugh now Snowflake" he chuckled "but because of our touching little talk, the paint has had time to set, you aren't turning back to ya normal state for at least a week."
Jack stopped laughing, his jaw dropping in disbelief "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
Once again, if anyone has any ideas for Pooka Jack, and what you would like to see in it, please place them in your review, or in a PM. I promise, the next chapter WILL be Pooka Jack, I just have to start writing it.
THANKS! And REVIEW!