Hello everyone! So here we go, I'm SO grateful to all of you who are my consistent reviewers, and have been with me from the beginning! I can always rely on you to leave excellent suggestions, hilarious quips, and sarcasm galore.
I love all of you!
Disclaimer: I realized…I haven't done one in a really long time.
I don't own ROTG…the end.
The winter spirit flew down the hall, his face still in a firm pout at the scene he had unwittingly walked into, before he brightened when he remembered the fact that Aster was awake. Putting an extra burst of speed on his flying, the teen rushed through the corridors and back to his brother's side.
"Bunny!" Jack cried as he bounded into the room, passing by North as the large man walked out, and wrapping his thin arms around the Pooka's shoulders and hugging him tightly "How're ya feeling?"
"Careful mate," Bunny groaned, wincing as his broken leg shifted within the cast encasing it "I'm not exactly 100% yet."
The winter spirit immediately jumped back, his face a mask of guilt as he remembered the injuries sustained by his older sibling "…Sorry…"
Bunny's ears glued themselves to the back of his head at Jack's crestfallen gaze, and he felt the poison give his heart a painful stab 'That's all I ever do' the rabbit sighed internally 'mess things up and hurt people's feelings'
"H-Hey," Jack stammered seeing Aster's eyes become dull and lifeless, the animal curling in upon himself with a muffled whimper "are you ok?"
"It's my fault," Bunny sighed, one paw scrubbing his nose as his green eyes welled up with tears "all of this is my fault."
"How is that true?" Jack jerked back looking like he had been slapped.
"It is," the rabbit said with a heavy sniffle, grimacing with one paw clutching his chest as the poison drove him deeper in agony "It's my attitude, and the way I treat everyone what got me inta this mess."
"That's not true," Jack leaned forward and stroked Bunny between the ears, biting his bottom lip in worry for his brother.
"But I just hurt your feelings," the Pooka wailed burying his face between his paws "besides, yer always tellin' me how I'm always actin' cranky, and I don't act my age, and…and…yer right!"
Jack felt a wing of panic beat in his chest when he remembered hearing the details of the poison from Pitch, and how they needed to keep him positive and full of hope without upsetting him. Yet here he was making Bunny freak out, and that certainly wasn't helping him stay positive. He needed Aster to beat the poison, and that meant not letting him dwell on negative thoughts, and getting all depressed.
Moving quickly, the pale boy grabbed the abandoned brush by the bedside and sat behind Aster on the side of the bed. His arm moving at a steady rhythm, Jack began to brush the rabbit's fur "That's not true, and you know it," he said softly, not pausing in his grooming of the disconsolate animal.
"Oh yeah," Bunny sniffled rolling his eyes "prove it."
"Well," the teen hummed "who was it that helped me get over talking to ice people? Who adopted me as his little brother, and even stayed by my side when I fractured my spine until I was completely recovered? Or…" Jack paused leaning over the rabbit so he could look Bunny in the eye, albeit upside down "what about when you babysat me during my off season?"
"I thought ya didn't know about us doin' that?" Bunny smiled weakly.
The pale teen chuckled warmly "It wasn't that hard to figure out after the third summer waking up at the pole on someone's lap."
"At any rate," Jack continued "the point I was trying to make was this, you're always the one who helps or takes care of me, and you're also the one who takes care of everyone else."
"But…" the emerald gaze slid away from his little brother "Rayne, Alvern, they told me that they hated me because I always act high and mighty, like I think I'm better than other spring spirits."
"Why would they say that, did they tell you?" Jack asked quietly, his arm pumping in repeated fluid motions as he brushed down Aster's spine.
"They said," Aster paused giving a heavy swallow as he considered his words "they said that they are the ones who are responsible for bringing spring, and that I ruin their work because of my job as the Easter Bunny. That all I do is stomp through the bushes, and trample the flowers in my hurry to hide the eggs, but all I really do is steal the credit for something I never do."
"And what do you think?" the boy prodded.
"I can't help but feel that they're right," Aster replied with a choked sob "I mean, what do I do? They are the ones that go over each and every leaf, they are the ones who craft the flowers, and bend the trees. They paint the grass, and they are the ones who bring spring inta the world. I'm selfish, acting like I'm better than them just 'cuz I'm the bloomin' Guardian of Hope. I don't do what you do Jack; you travel all over the world, and work hard bringing snow and ice for winter, and you still even make time ta be the Guardian of Fun. I do next ta nothin'."
"You don't do nothing," Jack pouted, wacking Bunny gently on the shoulder with the brush before continuing his previous action "remember when Pitch attacked on Easter, and you weren't able to deliver your eggs? What happened to the children? They wouldn't be able to really appreciate the nature, and blooming of spring if you didn't force them out into the woods and the fields, hunting for eggs? Besides, last time I checked, you were too busy to act high and mighty."
"Huh?"
"Come on Bunny," Jack smiled rubbing the rabbit's arm comfortingly "maybe you don't welcome spring in the literal sense, but you still play a major role. But what I said earlier, you are too busy freaking out getting ready for Easter and trying to bring Hope to others, you don't allow yourself time to socialize."
"But doesn't that just make it worse?" the rabbit sighed "I'm an antisocial pain in the rear. I give people problems, and make a fuss over small things like people bothering me when I'm busy, or makin' fun of you just for actin' yer age when I'm the biggest hypocrite of all fer that, because I act like a grumpy old man."
"No," Jack stomped his foot in frustration on the side of the bed making the cabinet door underneath give a loud thump, smiling when he noticed Bunny tense at the sound "don't give in to those thoughts! You play games with me, you act immature and stupid with me, for heaven sakes you even sneak into the sitting room every Saturday morning just so we can watch the Ninja Turtles, and Naruto Shippuden! So you get stressed when you're busy, but so does North! And if you want a prime example of being scatterbrained and a tad antisocial when it comes to work, look at the Tooth Fairy. I mean for goodness sakes, Sandy doesn't even talk, and he even falls asleep on you in the middle of a conversation."
"Or he makes you fall asleep instead so he can leave," Bunny murmured with a small smirk that finally lit a tiny spark of hope in his eyes.
"EXACTLY!" Jack cried busting out into uproarious laughter.
The two chuckled together for a good minute or so, until Bunny gave a sigh and snuggled his head into Jack's lap, heaving a contented sigh. The winter spirit smiled, combing his fingers down Aster's long ears.
"Don't worry Bunny," he whispered ducking low to give his older brother a kiss on the forehead, and then hug him tenderly "none of the things those jerk offs said was true, they were all lies. You're my big brother, and like a son to North, and to Tooth, and even Pitch has become a part of our family…even though I don't really know what part he plays in this, I guess you could say that he's the crazy uncle, but then that would make Sandy the eccentric Grandpa, and I don't know if Sandy would like that designation…"
"Jack," Bunny moaned cutting the boys ramble concerning the Boogeyman's familial role.
"At any rate," the boy said getting himself back on target "my point is, that we love you, all of us, and we would never leave you, or abandon you, or hurt you. You're too important to us."
From within the sprite's embrace, Jack heard Aster give a heavy sniffle and felt him swallow back what was most likely another barrage of tears "Thanks frostbite," the Pooka croaked closing his eyes and cuddling deeper into his little brother's arms "thank you so much.
…
Scorpio walked through the portal, Sandy following close behind him, and his red gaze widened at the sight of the workshop.
"Holy cheese encrusted starfish Batman," he murmured with a whistle of appreciation.
Suddenly the constellation felt someone bump into him, shoving him against the wall, and Scorpio immediately turned to see the Boogeyman wincing down at him. "Watch where you're going!" the humanoid scorpion hissed.
"Well it would make that easier if people didn't just appear in the middle of the hallway," Pitch sneered.
"If memory serves correctly," the constellation snarled "you had plenty of time to swerve out of the way, perhaps it's time to get your eyes checked old man."
Pitch felt a smug grin stretch his lips "True, I may be older, but at least this ancient spirit has a sense of style, don't you know the mullet look went out with the 80's?"
"At least I have eyebrows!"
Sandy flew between the two dueling spirits, a giant golden whistle bigger than his head hanging from his mouth spitting out musical notes. Making the whistle disappear, the golden man created two paper fans in each hand and slapped them both upside the face.
"Ow!" Scorpio cried his hand flying to his now red cheek while his eyes were wide with both shock and accompanied by an indignant pout.
"Hey!" Pitch chimed in unison imitating the same actions as the constellation.
Sandy wagged his finger at the duo, his face a look of stern disapproval 'We're not here to fight,' he wrote in elegant cursive 'we're here to help Bunny by giving all due justice to Orion for his torment and crimes against a Guardian of Childhood.'
"He started it!" Pitch whined petulantly.
"Me?!" Scorpio scoffed "You were the one who insulted my hair."
"And you were the one who called me blind…and OLD!" Pitch spat.
Sandy let out a huff of frustrated aggravation and raised his arms to give the two another hard slap, but stopped when he saw them pause, and immediately raise their arms to guard their face 'Good,' Sandy wrote 'now, let's go check on Bunny, and then kick Orion from here to Ursa Major.'
Scorpio rolled his eyes and slammed a fist into an open palm "Finally something I can do that I know is fun," he smirked evilly "honestly that princess is such a pansy, I can kick him from here to Tuesday without even breaking a sweat, and it never gets old."
"Just make sure you save some for me," Pitch snarled "I still need to get my revenge for him stealing from my vault."
"I might," Scorpio replied cocking his head and pursing his lips thoughtfully as he turned his back to Pitch "but," he then looked over his head and flashed fangs at the Boogeyman in a cocky grin of excited malice "I will have to warn you that it's first come, first serve. So if you want to get a punch in, make sure you aren't late, because I can't guarantee that I will hold back once I get started."
Pitch snorted in laughter, shaking his head with amusement "Well then, I guess that goes for both of us, but if I get there first, stay out of my way."
"Agreed," Scorpio's grin stretched even farther as a mischievous glint filled his eye "Sounds like I'm gonna have fun this time."
YAY for me! Two updates within the space of a week!
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