For some reason, I am so totally stuck on sleepy people stories…*sigh* I need serious help…
So here is a chapter devoted to Jack and his adorableness when he is sleepy!
No…I DON'T own ROTG…sheesh…
Jack hovered in the air; his eyes shut in tight concentration with his hands outstretched his fingers twitching like a puppeteer, a blizzard raging around him. A huge snow storm had cropped up over the Northeastern side of the United States, and without any provocation from Jack, had gotten only worse as the days passed. Now hundreds of homes in several cities spanning across the Eastern coast were completely snowed in, and people were dying of hypothermia, and starvation. After hearing this, the winter spirit flew as fast as he could to the center of the storm, pouring all of his magic into slowing down the snow for just long enough to give the people a reprieve. Of course it didn't help that he had been suffering from horrible nightmares for the past few months, and was losing a lot of sleep. In fact Jack couldn't remember the last time he had actually gotten sleep, and he didn't know how Pitch had been able to send him nightmares, but after three months of nonstop horrors in his dreams he was scared of even attempting sleep. But he didn't have time for that, he needed to focus on closing down the storm, he was close but he needed to hold on for just a little longer.
Finally, the blizzard quieted to a dull roar, and then cleared, the blue sky peeking through dark clouds for the first time in over a week.
Exhausted arms flopped to heaving sides as Jack tilted his head back, panting from the exertion of keeping the blizzard in check. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, and pale toes touched down. Jack tried to take a few steps forward, but found that his legs wobbled like rubber bands, and soon was inches away from kissing the ground. Fortunately for him, North Wind was there to catch him. A hacking cough shook the boy's frame, and he gave a violent shudder at the pain shooting through his exhausted body. North Wind caressed his face worriedly, making the frost spirit smile gently.
"I'm fine, Wind," he croaked "take me home."
With a whoosh, the boy was taken aloft, and sped away to Burgess. Jack worried the entire ride, hoping, praying, that all were safe and sound, and that he had somehow made the blizzard stop before his hometown was affected. Mile after mile, Jack's vision swam in blurry waves as he fought the gags creeping up his throat from the nausea roiling in his stomach. He still had a job to do, and he couldn't recover until he made sure that his work was finished. Once arriving at Burgess, the boy looked around in a relieved silence, and began the clean up. Due to the town's small size, it did not take long to make the piles of snow more manageable for the city, now he only had to begin visiting the other cities and help them begin their ascent out of the snow that had buried their homes.
Minutes, hours, days, Jack didn't know how long he worked. City after city, Jack flew, his staff whirling as he attempted to free the many homes from their icy prison. It was his tenth, or twentieth, city that his exhaustion became too much to bear. To be perfectly honest, the adrenaline from stopping the storm was what kept him going, plus a good deal of stubbornness that also aided him in making sure every city was cleared. But he eventually felt the results of his exertions, and soon, he found that he could barely see much less lift his staff. Giving a heavy swallow, the child clutched his chest, his shoulders rising and dipping as he gasped for air. Nausea caused his eyesight to skitter and shake, and Jack reached out to lean against a tree trunk, but his hand was a few feet off causing the teen to fall forward and smack his head onto the rough bark.
Bunny hopped through the snow, his nose twitching as he sniffed out Jack's scent. A few hours before, one of the baby tooth fairies had found him and squeaked in apparent distress. After almost thirty minutes of charades and poorly written messages in paint, Bunny finally discovered that that particular baby fairy had seen Jack, struggling to stop a horrible snow storm, and then was cleaning up the aftermath, despite his exhaustion. Now the warrior rabbit was not normally one to show his softer side, except to children of course, but Jack had somehow managed to get under the carefully crafted tough guy façade. The ageless teen became a teammate, a friend, a brother, and the Pooka was fiercely protective of those he viewed as his family.
So now here he was, hopping around in the snow, trying to find a winter spirit in the last place he had been spotted by baby fairies. He snuffled at the powdery snow, sneezing when stray snowflakes went up his nose, until he finally caught a scent. His eyes narrow with determination, the Pooka took off, his feet flying over the frozen ground until he finally found who he was looking for. Just in time too, because right as Aster spotted the very obviously ragged winter spirit, Jack had pitched forward and smacked his head into a tree. Bunny darted forward, knowing he would be too late to catch him, but wanting to be there so to offer the help that was definitely needed.
"Oi Snowflake," Bunny grunted, one paw grasping the spirit's shoulder and giving it a firm shake "ya a'right?"
"Huh?"
Bunny winced, a bruise was already forming on the kids head, but what was really worrying was the dark bags under Jack's eyes that stood out like black punching bags. Blue eyes, usually bright with mischief, were dull and unfocused, his thin chest heaved, and Bunny was relatively sure that the boy was starting to develop a small fever from overworking. With a sigh, the rabbit pulled Jack into a sitting position, quickly giving him a field physical, and asserting that yes he was feverish, and he needed bed rest NOW. Standing up, Aster picked Jack up by the hood of his shirt, and tossed him over one shoulder.
"HEY!" the winter spirit cried indignantly "Put me down!"
"Nah mate," Bunny grumbled "yer coming with me."
"You can't just kidnap me whenever you feel like it," Jack snapped "I've got a job to do, remember?"
"Ya did good enough," Aster retorted "the humans can take care of themselves from here on out."
"I still have at least thirty cities to visit!"
"Too bad…"
With a tap, the bunny Jumped down the hole, and raced towards North's workshop. He knew Jack needed rest, and he needed cold, and the best place to achieve that was the Pole. Jack fought the entire way of course, but his weak punches barely felt any worse than bug bites, and so the Easter bunny was quite able to ignore his protests. Once there, Aster bounded out of the hole, and into the globe room. North, who had been standing there studying the lights and ensuring the safety of their believers, whirled around to face Bunny. One eyebrow raised as he took in the scene of Jack slung over the Pooka's shoulder, still weakly punching Aster's back and throwing various tired insults.
"Did something happen," North found himself chuckling "or do I need to mediate another fight?"
"Nah, no fight," Aster smirked "the little ripper just needs a nap is all."
"WHAT?!" Jack shrieked "What am I, four? Babies take naps Cottontail, not me!"
"Well you're acting like one, mate," The Easter Bunny snapped back "and by my reckoning, ya need to take yourself a nap and recharge yer batteries."
"I reiterate," The winter spirit snarled "I do NOT need a nap!"
Bunny raised an eyebrow at North as if to say 'There, ya see?', and North could only laugh. Ruffling Jack's hair, the large man chuckled "I think Jack, that it is wise to take Bunny's advice. You look tired, and maybe nap would be good thing?"
"I have a job to do," Jack bellowed "You cannot force me to take a nap against my will when you know there are countless people still trapped in their homes and unable to be rescued!"
"I'll take care of that with yetis" North consoled "you go to room and rest."
Jack's jaw dropped as his last excuse for why he should not be put to bed. With a resigned scowl, the boy finally allowed himself to be carried up to his room. Bunny marched him up the stairs and into the room North had designed specifically for him, then threw him onto his bed. Jack immediately sat up, his face set in a firm scowl of stubborn disapproval.
"You can throw me in here," Jack growled "you can even make sure I don't leave, but you can't make me take a nap."
"Oh yeah?" Bunny smirked "How about I send for Sandy and have him slap ya, how would that work out for your plan?"
Jack's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure "That could take hours, we all know that Sandy is the busiest out of all of us."
"Frosty," the rabbit growled crossing his arms in his own show of stubbornness "ya can either go to sleep, or I'll know ya out, but either way you're getting rest."
"Oh come ON!" Jack snarled "YOU'RE the one who always says that I don't take my job seriously enough, and now that I have a serious job to take care of, you want to get in my way?"
Bunny sighed "North already said that he would take care of it, and I only say those things to rile ya up, I don't actually mean it. Ya have been working yourself to the bone lately, and if ya don't rest, then ya gonna be useless."
"I'm just fine!"
"Oh yeah," Bunny gave a mocking laugh "then prove it."
Jack's face twisted with stubborn determination, and he clambered to his feet. He swayed only a little, but as he began to walk towards the door, he leaned more and more heavily on his staff. Despite the valiant effort, Jack didn't even make it past Bunny before collapsing in a quivering heap. Quickly catching the young guardian, and scooping him up into his arms, Aster gave a tolerant yet grieved sigh.
"Listen Snowflake, ya can't even stand up and walk proper, how ya gonna finish out the winter if ya can't even do that?"
Placing him onto the mattress, Bunny tucked the boy into bed, and sat on the mattress. Jack felt his eyelids droop, but he fought hard against sleep's sweet embrace. "No," he murmured as he kicked out with distressed hands and feet "I can't go to sleep!"
"Why ya fightin' Jackie?" Bunny groaned "Ya got to feel whatcha doin' to yer body."
"If…If I…sleep" Jack mumbled incoherently, his mind losing the battle to stay awake and maintain his tough mask of indifference "Nightmares…come…they always come."
Bunny's ears twitched at the mention of nightmares "What ya say?"
"Don't wanna…sleep…" Eyelids fell closed only to spring back open with a fearful gasp.
Aster leaned forward and ran a paw through white hair "How long ya been havin' these nightmares Jackie? When was the last time you slept?"
"Few weeks…" Jack guessed "Months...maybe?"
The rabbit heaved yet another sigh, his mind reeling on how one spirit could be responsible for making him so worried and frustrated all in the same moment "Ya need to sleep kid," he said gently "yer runnin' outta steam as it is."
"But…the nightmares…" Wide blue eyes, look more childlike than ever as the mask slipped just enough for the rabbit to see the genuine fear underneath.
"They won't come," Aster smiled ruffling the sprite's hair "I promise."
A pout set on his face, Jack merely gave a solemn nod then snuggled deep into his covers. Bunny watched the boy for a few moments, and then prepared to walk out and let Jack rest, but a small voice stopped him.
"Bunny?"
"Yeah Frostbite?"
"…I'm still scared…"
"A'right."
Walking over to the bed, Aster seated himself once again on the mattress, and then in a rare show of his softer side, began to sing to the boy. Jack's eyes widened at the deep rumbling voice, that was at once beautiful and nostalgic. It was a voice of the ages, that held within its timbre secrets long forgotten in this modern world. Bunny sang of rivers, of valleys, of mountains, and flowers. His soft baritone captured the essence of the stars, and painted the glories of a sunrise. Leaning back, Jack listened to the song, allowing it to wash over him, and paint pictures in his mind.
Mountains stand
Oceans break
The fair sun rises
At break of day
The winds they blow
Cross meadows framed in gold
That's where you'll find me,
Yes friend, that's where you'll find me.
To feel the breeze
As it dips and plays
To hear the thunder
Of the ocean spray
To climb a mountain
and feel its strength
That's where you'll find me
Yes friend, that's where you'll find me
When you're sad
Or afraid
Look to the stars
And count away
The sun will gleam
Its morning rays
That's where you'll find me
Aye, that's where I'll be
So do not fear
Or in sorrow be
I'll be right here
Right next to thee
And if you stray
Just climb a tree
That's where you'll find me
That's where I'll be
As Bunny's voice softened, and the last note sung, he gazed down on the sleeping winter spirit with a fond smile. Running a tender paw through his hair, the rabbit snuffled his temple, and gave a comforting nuzzle. Pulling the blankets up, and assuring the child would not fall out of bed, the Pooka finally deemed it time to sneak out. Closing the door behind him, Aster spared one more backwards glance over at the winter child, and smiled.
"Good night Jack."
OK!
The winner of the 300th review goes to the Guest Reviewer Little Apple, so congrats. If you do not remember my rules, reference previous chapters; and if you cannot do that then tell me and I will PM them to you. Send your one-shot request in a PM, or via your review. Congrats!
To those of you who do not know what the surprise was, reread the end of the chapter, I clearly typed that Jack got a snowboard!
Ok…that's all, hope you enjoyed, and please forgive my horrible song writing skills. I literally made the song up off the top of my head. PEACE!