Work Text:
To Save What Matters
“Well, this is a mighty honor.” A waifish little sprite asked with a tilt of his head, eyes as green as the Spring he controlled, his hair the dark color of a healthy oak.
The sprite wore a sleeveless hoodie the color of his eyes with a light brown pelt that came from the animals that had died valiantly in the forest (in honor of their memories) and tight brown pants with vines wrapping them securely around his legs the color of teak. Brown armbands covered a part of his arms and in his hand was a staff the shape of a shepherd’s crook as vines grew around it. His shoulders were decorated with various complicated tattoos that recognized him as one of the elemental spirits.
“The guardians visiting my favorite little forest, tell me what brings you to my humble abode?”
“We have come to ask for your help.” North said as he shrugged off his coat at the warm climate. “One of us has been kidnapped.”
“Oh, now that you mention it, there’re only three of you.” The Spring sprite said as he twirled his signature staff. “Where’s your precious frost bunny? The King of all arrogance and coolness?” Jack said as he waved his hands in a sarcastic manner.
“That’s why we’re here Mr. Frühling-” Tooth began as she flew forward, the sprite raised a hand to interrupt her.
“Just ‘Jack’ is fine, thanks.” Jack said with a wink, a few of the tooth fairies behind their queen sighing heavily. “Go on, then.”
Sandy nodded as he made rapid sand figures while Jack leaned forward on his tree to watch. He sighed half way through the sandman’s explanation. “Thanks little man, but really, still not getting it.”
“Our friend, Bunny, has been taken by our arch enemy! Pitch Black! He plans to use Bunny to take over the world with dark and cold!” North intervened as Jack nimbly hopped of the tree he perched in.
“And the badass guardians came to me because…?” The Spring spirit inquired, green eyes glittering in an unreadable manner.
At this, North hesitated, unwilling to voice out his weakness, but in order to save Bunnymund his shame had to be forgotten. “Pitch has… gotten stronger. Our power alone can no longer stop him. You are Pitch’s opposite. Whereas he brings darkness and fear, you bring light and hope even-”
“-Even when no one can see me.” Jack finished, his green eyes steely, making the guardians stand back as he straightened. He looked away, a bitter hurt on his face he tried to mask, “Are you sure the power of one who has no believers will be enough? And also, I don’t think your precious Cottontail will appreciate being saved by me.”
“You are still bitter about the blizzard-” Tooth started and Jack slammed the butt of his vine-decorated shepherd’s crook on the ground. A warm breeze blew as leaves flew about.
“Yes!” Jack said, green eyes darkening to sadness. “I mean, I get that compared to him I’m pretty useless, I can’t even be seen but-” Jack choked as he stopped and North exchanged sympathetic looks with Sandy before he stepped up and placed a hand on the warm boy’s shoulder.
“Forget past hurts, Jack. When you rescue Bunny, we will make sure that he will apologize to you.” The Cossack said firmly.
The Spring spirit sighed in defeat and he only nodded as he said with a forced smile, “Nothing like having the Cotton tail owe me one.”
--
Unexpectedly, or rather, expectedly, the next time they tried to breach Pitch’s hideout, things were a lot easier with Jack in front of them.
The Spirit of Life and Hope yawned as he swung his staff, light erupting from the end of it as Nightmares tried to attack them. The nightmare would explode in black sand at the contact or either be tangled by vines with poisonous flowers on them.
“Don’t stray from me. You don’t want any of the shadows getting hold of you and torturing you in your worst Fears.” Jack said seriously.
The guardians followed behind Jack obediently as they literally waltzed into the Nightmare King’s lair. The shadows flickered about the aggravated as the literal light coming from Jack kept them at bay. It wasn’t long before a wide pillar of shadows appeared in front of them appeared.
North readied his swords, Toothiana took out her knives, and Sandy readied his whips-
But Jack just stabbed through the pillar as it dissolved into a mist.
“Really Pitch?” Jack drawled in a bored voice as he continued to walk forward. “Is this the best you can do?”
“Jack.” Came a hiss from the darkness as Jack saw a cliff overhead and jumped down with ease, the guardians following him. Inevitably, they arrived at a place filled with cages of different sizes hanging from different cliffs, some floating by some type of magic.
But what caught their attention was the biggest cage in the middle. A lone pale figure in the middle, unconscious, strong arms held up by chains. This person could be no other than-
“BUNNY!” Tooth cried out as she flew forward, but Jack expertly caught her by the wing with the hook of his staff.
“Stop.” Jack said when he saw North and Sandy about to rush forward as well. He sighed. Really? Were they that dense? “It’s a trap, nobody move.”
“As expected from my counterpart.” The voice from the shadows came again, before a figure materialized a few feet away. The Spring sprite calmly let go of the Tooth fairy as she fell unto a kneel, sobbing, before aiming a ball of light towards the figure before it vanished into a mist and reappeared behind them.
“Tell me, what gave the shade away?” Pitch Black questioned curiously when the being of Hope turned to him rapidly, his staff pointed at the other’s face.
“Aside from the fact that Bun-bun ain’t that colorless and fake? Hm, I don’t know.” Jack said with gritted teeth as Pitch disappeared again, reappearing beside the cage where the figure of the Frost King melted into shadows.
“Impressive, you can tell his coloring was a bit off.” The King of Nightmares said as he clicked his tongue. “You really have been watching him, haven’t you, Spring?”
“It’s in the job description.” Jack frowned as his hand on his staff tightened. “To keep Winter away from my Spring duties, I had to watch him.”
Pitch gave a thoughtful hum, “Really? Is that all? Nothing more?”
“ENOUGH!” North roared, getting angry in Jack’s stead when he saw the sprite freeze at the implication behind the dark being’s words. “Where have you taken Bunny, Pitch?”
“Ah, my Winter King…” He said in smooth words, “He is frightfully brave trying to resist the lure of darkness but I got to him in the end.”
Jack’s blood ran cold as Tooth shot up in anger, her face twisted in fury. “Don’t you dare lie! You killed Bunny’s family! He will never side with you!”
“True…” The bogeyman said with a sigh, “Well, there are other ways to make him mine. Like for example, controlling his dreams with nightmares-”
SLAM!
Pitch let out a stunned choked cry, as blood ran down from his mouth. Jack’s elbow was on his chest, peaceful face ablaze with fury as he pressed the other against the wall. For once, no smile lit up the being’s young face. His expression was dark as green stared down at gold.
“You will do no such thing, Pitch Black.” Jack said in a dark tone that made the guardians freeze. “Or so help me, I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” Pitch growled back as he melted into the shadows and appeared behind Jack who shot a ball of light in his direction. The other guardians rushed forward to attack, but only managing to graze the nightmare King as he sunk back onto the ground.
“You’ll tear me to little pieces with your light?” Pitch mocked as he appeared behind Tooth and wrapped her in the darkness as she shrieked.
“Tooth!” North reached out but the fairy was gone and had reappeared on one of the cages above.
“North!” She cried desperately as a dark shape appeared behind the Cossack. “Behind you!”
North spun around but another shadow caught his sword and although he impressively tried to pull away, his legs were caught and he was dragged down into the dark abyss before reappearing in another cage by the ground but faraway from Jack.
“Tell me, how can you do that Jack? When your own light is so tainted by such petty dark emotions…?” The shadows lengthened and the Sandman flew towards Jack as they leaned back-to-back, looking around.
“I am light itself Pitch Black. My light is not tainted. You cannot kill me or dim my light.” The Spring sprite said in a growl.
“True, true… If I snuff out your petty little light, the whole world’s life will go with you.” And Jack froze again as his well guarded secret was easily let known. All the guardians turned to him in surprise.
“Jack, what-?” Tooth gasped as even the Sandman turned to stare at the Spring being.
“Your life is connected to the world?” North choked out in surprise as well. Sandy was too stunned to form his sand figures.
“You’re keeping your secret too guarded Jack. But then again, we do not want the wrong spirits hearing that now, do we? Or many people will be after your pretty little head.” Pitch appeared behind Jack as he caressed the brown hair with long bony fingers.
Shadows began to lengthen, almost about to envelop the other, but before Jack could react, a golden whip circled his waist and pulled him away just as the shadows lunged. Instead of getting Jack however, they ensnared Sandy instead.
The guardian of Dream disappeared and reappeared in a cage at the ground, the opposite direction of North’s.
“He is Spring, the almighty Spirit of Hope…” Pitch gave a sharp toothed smile as he appeared near North’s cage. “… and Life.”
“What do you want, Pitch? Why capture Bunny? Why capture the guardians?” Jack asked through gritted teeth as the other circled him. Why lure me here?
“Oh, I want a lot of things Jack. I want to destroy the guardians, use Bunnymund’s powers to take over the world in cold and dark…” The Nightmare King said with a high cold laugh that made shivers run down the sprite’s spine. “But you know what I want most Jack?”
Pitch appeared behind the boy, as dark sleeved arms encircled the other by the shoulders and covered the bright green eyes.
Jack couldn’t move.
“I want you , my dear opposite, to turn out like me.” The Bogeyman said as Jack finally found it in him to move and swipe at the other with light from his staff. Pitch disappeared just as he did so.
“I want that wretched Light tainted.” Pitch purred from above Tooth’s cage as Jack aimed his staff there. The fairy squeaked as the cage swung precariously. “I want that Hope crushed.”
The King of Darkness appeared by the large cage that hosted Bunny’s fake body again. Jack was about to charge but he stopped when dark shadows formed in the cage before they sunk onto the ground.
The pale humanoid six-foot-one figure of a certain Aster Bunnymund slumped against the cage. His mouth was gagged, blue eyes wide, and tied sky blue-grey hair disheveled as his rabbit ears limped to the side. He was wearing his usual long sleeved coat with a fake white pelt by the hood and dark leather pants and boots, although they seemed torn. A delicate circlet of ice was on his forehead, like usual, accentuating the dark blue tattoo on his head.
“Bunny…” Jack said, gasping and the familiar loud thudding of his heart against his ribs told him that yes, this was the guardian of Winter. “BUNNY!” He called out, reaching for the other but then his distraction caused a tentacle of shadows to grab him by the neck, making him choke.
“JACK!” Tooth and North called out as Bunny struggled harder in his binds and Sandy whipped at his cage.
The Spring spirit fell unto a kneel as his staff clattered to the ground, his hands reaching, trying to grasp for the darkness around his throat.
“Yes, Jack… that’s right…” Pitch crooned as he appeared beside the other, his gray hands tangling against soft brown hair. “Fall into the darkness of despair, watch your own helplessness as I make the Winter guardian fall into darkness. Fall with him and maybe, just maybe…” The bogeyman leaned forward and whispered against the other, “You can be together.”
Green eyes widened as Jack froze at the words. Bunny continued to look at him with wide blue eyes but Jack seemed to be too out of it to notice.
“I’ve seen the way you look at him Jack.” The Nightmare King disappeared and reappeared inside of Bunny’s cage, tilting the pale chin upward. “You find him interesting, this guardian who fights with you and scorns you. I know you find his blue eyes beautiful, like the cloudless sky on a spring day you so love.”
Bunny glared at the Dark King as Pitch laughed, letting go of the other, his gray hand coming to rest instead on top of the sky blue- gray hair of the guardian. “His pale translucent skin, fascinates you, the way he moves and creates beautiful sculptures of ice for the children astounds you. You want him. And yet you despair, because he clearly does not want you.”
Bunny’s blue eyes widened as the guardian all look at Jack in shock. Jack’s green eyes turned to the ground in shame, his shoulders slumping down in defeat as Pitch reappeared behind him. Gray hands covering green eyes once more, and Jack let him because he no longer wanted to see the look on Bunny’s face when his obvious and unrequited affection is realized.
“You’ve been alone for so long, haven’t you Jack?” The Nightmare King taunted as a sob racked the small body of his Light counterpart. “You want Bunnymund to accept you, you came with the guardians because you thought you’d get in their good books and his if you somehow help them save the other guardian.”
And arm wound around Jack’s shoulders as the other continued to shake. Eyes still covered by the bogeyman. “I can taste your fear Jack. You love him but you know he doesn’t like you and you hate yourself for being his exact opposite. Such delicious darkness in your heart…” He purred. “You want them to accept you but they don’t. Not really. And you feel so alone and so scared, what if you’re not strong enough to be the Light that guides the world? What if Bunny breaks your heart and dims the Light you protect? What if the creature you love, crushed your hope? The only thing that’s kept you going all this centuries, gone because of such fickle love.”
“Don’t listen to him!” Tooth yelled as she tried to rattle the cage. North tried to cut the bars of shadows with his sword to no avail.
“Jack! What he say is not true! We will not hurt you! Bunny will not hurt you!” North yelled as the sprite continued to shake in Pitch’s arms.
Bunny struggled against his restraints, blue eyes darkening and narrowing as Pitch met his eyes and chuckled.
“Well, Jack let me ease your mind about one thing.” The Dark being continued. “They will never accept you, not really.”
“Stop it…” Jack mumbled before he reached down rapidly and grabbed his staff. “STOP IT!” He yelled as Pitch was thrown off him from the force of rejection. Dark green eyes with angry tears running down his flushed cheeks, greeted the sight of all the guardians.
“Now Jack…” Pitch said as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
“You don’t understand anything, Pitch!” Jack spat angrily, as he step forward. Light illuminated the dark cave and the bogeyman winced at the intensity as thick vines began to form on the ground. “What I feel does not matter in this case. What I want, what I desire…” Green eyes flickered instantly towards blue ones before Jack turned back to the other. “It will not- not affect the light. Even- even if I’m hurt or paralyzed… Even if I’m rejected or- or broken…” He whispered as his grasp on his staff tightened. “Light will prevail, hope will strive! I will bring back the balance, and I’ll start doing that by eradicating you!”
A bright light burst from Jack’s staff as he aimed it directly at Pitch who dodged. But the Nightmare King, miscalculated, the Spring spirit wasn’t only aiming at him.
Light enveloped the large dark cage Bunnymund was trapped in, drowning out the darkness and dissolving the binds. The Winter being stood up, removing his gag as he slammed a hand on the ground, a uniquely shaped sword forming from ice and frost.
Jack threw his light on the three other cages where the guardians were and soon, Bunny wasn’t the only one set free.
Pitch staggered out of his shadow as he felt the light drain the darkness in his home and also in himself. He stumbled and looked up frightfully as a saber, a whip, knives, and a sword made of ice was aimed at his face. The Nightmare King licked his lips.
“Now Jack, the balance-” Pitch started carefully, but the Spring spirit didn’t even look at him as vines started to crawl around the weakened nightmare king. Fear enveloped the Dark being like never before and to his horror, he saw this Nightmare steed snort in his direction, golden eyes glaring at him as Jack approached the creatures of darkness.
“Take him away from here.” The Spring spirit whispered, his face carefully blank. “He has upset the balance too much.”
Pawing at the dirt, the nightmare steeds ran towards Pitch as the guardians side stepped and allowed the former King of Nightmares to be taken. The bogeyman screamed as he was dragged into the dark abyss by his own creatures of the Night, leaving the guardians in the silence of the cave once more.
“Well, I guess that takes care of Pitch for now.” Jack said as he turned his back on the four legends. He reached up a hand to wipe at his green eyes. “I guess I’ll see you guys in the next crisis or s’mthing.” He mumbled the last word as he started to walk away, shoulders slumped.
But then a cold hand on his stopped him, and Jack turned, stunned, to stare into the concerned blue eyes of the person he came to save.
“I have a bone to pick with ya, Jackie…” The Spirit of Winter said as he slowly let go of the warm hand. Blue eyes stared into his determinedly, making the Spring spirit fidget. “Was what Pitch said true?” Jack was about to ask with sarcasm, ‘which part?’ but Bunny added a more specific line, “Do ya like me?”
The Spring sprite’s green eyes widened as he gulped and look down. Several seconds later, the spirit laughed a hesitant laugh. “Look, it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, Bunny, okay? I saved you, Pitch was an idiot and a jerk- so let’s leave it at that okay?” He said as he turned to leave again.
But then certain guardians stopped him from leaving, forming a three people barricade in front of him. Green eyes narrowed in frustration.
A hand forced him to turn back and stare at Bunny’s impatient blue eyes, “Do ya like me or not?”
Jack gritted his teeth, the pretense of a smile slipping from his face. The guardians except Bunny stepped back at his fury. “Okay, fine!” Jack threw his hands up. “You won’t leave me alone unless you get some answers right?”
The winter guardian nodded as Jack frowned at him, staff slamming onto the ground and vines formed together, blue asters growing from them and forming a bouquet as Jack grabbed them and shoved them into the stunned guardian’s chest. “Yes! I do like you! Here’re some asters the color of your eyes, happy?” Jack said as he blushed fiercely.
Bunny took the flowers from the other as Jack let his hands drop and he stared at the ground in concentration. The winter guardian began to chuckle, stunning the other four people.
Wide green eyes stared at blue ones as Aster raised an eyebrow at the other’s direction, “What?”
“You’re laughing.”
The Winter spirit snorted, “You make it sound like I can’t laugh.”
“You know what I mean, Ice King.”
Bunny scowled at the nickname as he crossed his arms. “I’m just amused at the fact that we are both idiots.”
Jack’s eyebrows crinkled as he said, “Excuse me? No riddles please, especially when I’m trying to get as faraway from you as I can.”
“What Bunny is trying to say…” North said as he placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder before Bunny could retort. “Is that he’d been stupid not to realize that you feel the same way as he feels about you.”
Jack’s green eyes widened as he stopped breathing. “What?”
“Oh yes, he can’t stop talking about you.” Tooth said with a giggle as she fluttered about. “Always ‘Jack did this’ and ‘Jack did that’.”
Sandy nodded as he made a sand figure of a swooning and melodramatic Aster, while said Frost spirit frowned at the others.
“Geez, stop it ya gumbies.” He grumbled as he looked down when green eyes turned to him. Jack turned to North who nodded as Sandy gave Jack a soft shove, making him stumble right into Bunny’s surprised arms.
The coldness seeped into his warm skin as Tooth let out happy coos behind him. “I thought you hate warmth.”
Bunny huffed as he placed his arms around the Spring spirit, “I guess I don’t hate is as much as I thought. Especially when I see ya smiling when Winter’s about to end.”
“You’re corny.”
“Well yer annoying and kinda stupid for never telling me about ya know- liking me.” Bunny said as he buried his face in brown hair the scent of sun and flowers.
“Hey! That’s not fair! You were the same too!” Jack protests were muffled by Bunny’s coat.
“Fine, we’re even then.”
Silence as the guardians smiled at each other and turned to leave the new couple alone. It was only when they were gone, that Jack started up the conversation again.
“Bunny?” He said hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“You’re freezing me.”
The winter guardian immediately let go, sheepishly running a hand through his bunny ears as he sighed. “Sorry.”
Jack shook his head as he tackled the other into another hug. “I didn’t say to let go though.”
Bunny’s cheeks frosted, “Oh.”
“Bunny?”
Aster sighed. “What is it now, Spring?”
Jack closed his eyes happily. “I like you.”
Blue eyes widened and softened as the guardian of Ice and snow, tightened his hold on the Spirit of Hope and Life with a smile. “I know, and I like ya too, Jackie.”