Chapter Text
He didn't know when it started —or more specifically— how it started.
Curiosity could have been the answer. Sweet and simple. To Jack it was nothing more than curiosity when he first became a spirit. Wondering about the big bad guardians and who or what they were.
Some was common knowledge, like how North was a supposed bandit. Or how Tooth was from a supposed ancient civilization. All of which was from ear while talking to other spirits. Gossip is quite popular when you’re immortal and have nothing better to do.
But there were some whispers that said good old Sandman was a star, and that he knew the Man on the Moon personally.
What went unsaid, however, was who or what the Easter Bunny was. Rumors were around, and Jack listened to every single one. They were all different and a few were completely outlandish. ‘As if, the Easter Bunny being older than basically all the guardians? Total bull.’
So, Jack Frost, being the ever fun winter spirit he was , tried to find out himself who the mysterious —and fluffy— guardian had been exactly. To maybe put some rumors to rest.
It started off slow. About a hundred years after Jack awoke most likely. Trying to catch glimpses of the famed rabbit during Easter should seem like an easy enough job. He quickly found that the guy was just… never around no matter where Jack looked, or barely even during spring either. And that was the guys' season he ruled over!
But, as elusive as the hermit of a flea bag was, Jack tried his best to spy on him.
Easter after Easter, he searched him out. Spirit after spirit, he tried to gather as much information as he could. Only mildly accepting the repeating gossip. Key word, mildly. Because it could just be a fan favorite untrue fact. The results were the same despite all the effort he put into his nosing about: Jack shit .
And at this point, Jack was grasping at straws. His little bit of curiosity turned into a full blown rabbit hole (pun intended) as he doubled down his effort in finding out who this walking talking overgrown furball was!
It got to the point he bucked up to talk to the guardian.
Which turned into an utter waste of time! Ugh!
He was ignored as the rabbit hopped about while he hid the eggs. Jack tried to be nice, asking small questions at first. But when all he got was a cold shoulder in the end, he left him alone till next Easter.
The same pattern repeated time after time.
Though, after ten years he finally got a small rant on colors (after he goaded him) and a “Leave me the hell alone, I'm working.” Which was a total win in Jack's book! Heck yeah!
And thus, a new pattern arose. Jack still continuing to annoy the ever loving shit out of the Easter Bunny every Easter, and getting told to politely (though, not all the time) to “Fuck off.”
Progress!
After so many years of silence, hearing the guy even speak to him was like getting candy. And sometimes, if Jack were looking just right, he could swear he saw what looked like a fond eye roll and a smirk when Jack was rattling off recent drama he heard from some other spirits. It was fantastic! And over time Jack found himself looking forward to Easter every time winter ended. Excited for the one day of the year when Jack didn’t feel alone.
Then suddenly one Easter… it all came crashing down like a weak branch with heavy snow.
The progress Jack had been making ended. Bunny no longer spoke to him, returning to giving him the cold shoulder no matter how hard Jack tried to get him to talk. It stung more than Jack cared to admit. But he was Jack Frost, a winter sprite who was about causing pranks and having fun. He wasn't hurt by this setback. He- he wasn't. At least that’s what he tried to convince himself of.
Nobody knew the answer about the sudden shift in coldness, no matter how many people Jack asked.
So, Jack tried to forget about it. He stopped pestering Bunny every Easter. Stopped asking around. Silently, he gave up.
That was till a certain Easter Sunday in 1968.
Some spring sprites were telling Jack that they knew why Bunny stopped talking to him, and that was because he hated him. Worthless, a waste of time, a bother to Easter, a nobody who seeks attention from anybody and everybody because he was an invisible nuisance.
Jack's eyes widened upon hearing this, and his heart cracked slightly. “He said this? To you? Why would he- why would Bunny say that?” He practically croaked, unbelieving. There was no way! No way that he would say that- But… it made sense. Didn't it?
Jack was invisible. Nobody believed in him. All he did was make pranks and frost. Asking every spirit around for information about the Easter Bunny. Constantly pestering the guardian year after year on Easter.
‘All the times I helped hide the eggs? Didn't that mean something?’
‘Did he ever actually smile, or did I make it up…'
The spring sprites left Jack to his inner turmoil. The first person he considered an acquaintance, a friend , hated him. Like most people did.
Overcome with the information and the resurface of old self hatred, Jack was consumed by it all. The light snow that had been forecasted turned into a blizzard and impacted the North Western hemisphere, straight down the center of the continent.
Bunnymund had found Jack later and gave him hell for ruining his holiday. Accusing Jack that this was one of his pranks, and that Jack was better off alone if this was what he did all the time. Immature and selfish. A waste of time. It was a wonder anybody had ever given him the time of day.
It was the most the guardian had ever said to him.
Jack didn't know what hurt more; what the sprites had told him, or the fact that that was the most Bunny had ever spoken to him…
°•~*`+×+`*~•°
Isolation was an old friend.
After that day, Jack began to not only try to forget, but all out avoid the Easter Bunny. That, and avoid other spirits too.
For forty four years, Jack Frost was a myth even among the spirits. The only telling that he was there were occasional spirals of frost and ice along windows and streets. Freshly lain powdered snow glimmering in the moonlight. The only sure sign it was made by him was the slight hint of magic that thrummed from it.
Until suddenly Jack was a guardian.
It had been a few days before Easter, the year 2012.
After Sandman's little dream show, Jack was surprised to find that the sound he had been chasing was none other than Bunnymund himself.
It was a slight shock, but Jack hid it through playful banter. And Bunny, after all this time, still seemed a bit bitter about that blizzard forty four years ago. Which, yeah, Jack did basically snow-in Easter. Including the overgrown rabbit himself.
Turns out, however, Bunny wasn't there for chit chat. Instead, it was a kidnapping.
That of which Jack had been very displeased about of course, but the smile on North's face made him bite his tongue for any mean comments. The large man was happy that Jack (who was sarcastic as always, which went right over North's head) was here now.
Then the announcement of Jack being a guardian was cheered by North, elves and yetis performing a well revised little show in celebration. Torches, trumpets, horns and bells. It was too much too fast, and the utter look of disappointment on Bunny's face hurt. Which he didn't understand why, because he avoided and tried to forget about the guardian for forty four years, and he thought he did yet he still hated it when he looked at him like that-
With a bitter feeling in his throat Jack raised his staff and slammed it down, sending an abrupt stop to the celebration.
He tried to hide the hurt behind anger, which only worked somewhat. Bickering with Bunnymund can only do so much without letting old feelings resurface.
Then Pitch happened. Or more specifically: the destruction of Tooth's home happened.
Now Jack was in too deep. And with the promise of his memories, Jack couldn't back out now. He couldn't. For the kids, for his memories, and for Tooth.
And one huge and tiring fiasco later, with a whirlwind of fighting and protecting Jamie and his friends, of almost losing the other guardians and Bunny, Pitch was defeated.
Things returned to normal (with Jack now the guardian of fun included of course). People believed, laughter was made, and Bunny didn't seem to completely hate him anymore. It put Jack at ease and soothed some hurt part of his heart.
What was the cherry on top was that while Jack was a guardian officially, he had first hand access to all the books North had and scrolls from Tooth! He could learn about everybody and truthfully, 'no need for drama and gossip now.'
And weirdly enough, Bunny was recorded in every. Single. Thing.
They were small interactions and very small instances about the century, but there none the less. While Jack found out about the others' past, he couldn't find a thing on Bunny besides the fact the furball was very very freaking old.
‘Just what the hell is he?’ Was all that ran through Jack's head as he floated about the library in Tooths castle. Scroll after scroll was helpfully translated by some of Tooths fairies, and it all came to the same conclusion.
There wasn't anything about who or what Bunny had been, except for the fact the guy has been around for practically ever!
And with Jack's renewed curiosity (obsession), he decided to go ask around. After all, old habits die hard.
His first stop: Tooth.
°•~*`+×+`*~•°
“Tooth! Where are you?” Jack called out, searching around one of the upper floors for the guardian. Some of the fairies helped him locate her, and with a small gust of wind he propelled himself to the upper floor.
Landing with practiced ease Jack took a moment to look around the place, admiring the cozy area and dishes of fine China placed around. ‘Seems like Tooth was having a break.’
Taking his time Jack sauntered around the place; acting cool, calm, and collected despite the questions raging under his skin.
A buzz of wings to his left had him smiling a little, using his staff to hop up and over into the cushion across from Tooth, flashing her his teeth that she loved so much. She huffed a small chuckle, sipping a cup of tea with her wings folded neatly behind her back.
“Back so soon from the scrolls? Usually you take at least another hour before leaving there.” She commented, tone light and airy. A part of why Jack enjoyed hanging around her so often was how easy to talk to she was. Never trying to force him into anything and always keeping to herself in her business (except for when it came to teeth, more often than not Jack finding fingers trying to open his mouth to see).
He offered a small shrug, propping his feet up and crossing his ankles as he fidgeted with his staff.
“It’s just the same stuff over and over at this point.” He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. Who would have thought staring at small scribbles on paper for too long would hurt a person's eyes?
“But, I still have no answer. I’ve searched high and low, and I’m about this close to pulling my hair out.” Using his hand, Jack pinched his finger and thumb together to the point that they were only a hair width apart. Tooth giggled at the action as she leaned back in her seat, raising a brow in question.
“Maybe I can help you solve that, yes?” She offered ever so helpfully, feeling bad for Jack and his frustration. This, of course, was all part of his plan to get information from her. Was it a tad manipulative? Possibly. Did it matter? Nope!
Jack sat up, looking as pitiful and frustrated as he could to get her to relent without a second thought. “Well, I've always sorta looked up to you guys. You’re all these epic guardians, and I’m just… me.”
Oh yeah, really playing the miniature violin here.
“I feel terrible, especially to Bunny, because you guys know all about my past but I feel like I know nothing about you guys. And I thought if I could find out about all your pasts, then maybe it will help us connect. I’ve learned about North, you, and Sandy, but I can’t find anything on Bunny. ” And for good measure he drops his head into his hands. Hiding the grin on his face as Tooth gives a sad noise in her throat and stands up, moving to sit beside him and resting a hand on Jack's shoulder.
“Oh Jack, it’s okay. You’re new, so you won’t know everything right away. And I'm sorry you feel that way, but you belong here. And we all care about you.” She begins, trying to reassure the young guardian the best she could. She hesitates to answer his question about Bunny, but seeing Jack like this made her restraint crumble like sand.
“I’ll be honest, Jack, I don’t know much about Bunnymund myself. He likes to stay privy, and I never push.” This has Jack quiet for once, slightly surprised to hear that. Tooth and Bunny have been friends for this long and she doesn’t even know much?
“But if you really want to know about him, asking won't hurt. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind telling you.” Tooth offers, trying to get Jack to understand. Of course, the slight shake of his head in disagreement made her let out a small sigh. “Hmph, stubborn as always. Like I said, I don’t know much, but what I do know is that he’s not from here.”
Now that has Jack's head rising in intrigue, eyes fully focused on Tooth as he tilts his head. “Not from here? Like, this continent or something?” He didn’t quite understand what Tooth was getting at, because everybody knew that Bunny wasn’t from this continent. Did Tooth not even know his original home?
Tooth laughs a little at the confusion on Jack's face and shakes her head gently. “No no, not like that. I mean not from Earth .”
A long pause followed after, Jack staring dumbly as it took an embarrassingly long amount of time for him to comprehend just what Tooth meant.
Bunny was an… alien ?
“No way.” He mumbled running a hand through his hair. There was no way! Tooth had to be pulling his leg- but it made sense! All the records Jack had found on Bunny had him dating back to when the darn records were first being made! Or at least, the ones that were still intact. Jack didn’t know if there were any that were destroyed. But Bunny -the darn grumpy as hell freaking cottontail furball- was an alien!
Tooth only gave him a sympathetic smile and nod. Her wings fluttered as she rose up off the cushion and floated up to a swarm of her fairies.
“Afraid I’m not joking, Jack Frost. Now, I’ve got to get back to work. I do recommend yet again to just ask Bunnymund. Never hurts. Bye now!” And with that she fluttered off to another part of her castle, going back to checking on teeth and children, and leaving Jack with more questions than he had before.
After all these years of gossip, theories, and stories, it turns out that the Easter Bunny wasn’t even from Earth?! And how could Tooth just leave him like this? The guardian probably did it on purpose. Knowing that Jack would be stumped in the end!
Clearly, he won’t be getting any more answers from her either, but that’s fine. There were two other people he might find the answers from, which made his next stop Sandman.
°•~*`+×+`*~•°
Like Tooth's palace, Sandman's castle in the sky never failed to amaze him.
The place was decorated and stylized with large giant rooms, pillars that reached the ceiling and sometimes further if it was open roofed. Ornate statues and intricate carvings lined every wall, and despite the fact everything was made of sand, it was all clearly well made.
With a small thanks to the wind Jack gently landed on the outside of the sky room. The sand beneath his feet was warm as it slowly shifted. Every particle of sand here was moving, which was another question of Jack's for a later time.
It wasn't hard to spot the fellow guardian as the star was currently watching over the globe model in the center of the sky room. the golden glow of children's belief shining in harmony with the surrounding sand.
Folding his hands behind his back while his staff rested in his left grip Jack took his time moving into the room. Unlike Tooth's palace, Sandy's home was more mellowed. Not frantic or anything of the like. It left Jack feeling like he could just breathe . Most likely due to the fact Sandy whole thing was sleep and the quiet of the night.
Before the winter spirit could get a word out to call like he had previously done with Tooth, Sandy turned from the globe and smiled, giving a wave in greeting as he floated over to Jack. The sand above his head formed into a simple question mark, silently asking what Jack needed.
“Sorry to bother you, Sandy, just popped by for some questions.” Was the answer vague? Yes, yes it was. Was it to also try and make sure to get an actual answer instead of whatever the hell Tooth gave? Absolutely.
Sandy nodded and formed some chairs for the two to sit in across from one another. Jack taking the one on the right while the other floated to the one on the left.
The seat, despite being made of sand, was surprisingly comfortable. With a smile Jack couldn't help but sink into it, sitting now at an awkward angle. But of course, when did he ever not .
Again, Sandy made a question mark, to which Jack sighed and finally sat up a bit straighter to answer.
“Long story short, I can't figure anything out about Bunny. His past that is. Asked Tooth and she didn't say anything except that he's an alien .” He sets his staff up beside the chair, crisscrossing his legs as he shakes his head in exasperation. With the best puppy dog eye look he could muster (courtesy from being taught by Jamie and Sophie when the two mortals were younger) Jack clasped his hands together to beg. “So come on, Sandy. Throw a dog a bone. Think you can help little old me? Pretty please?”
The guardian in question could only roll his eyes with a deadpan expression. He pointed up above his head where his sand slowly began to form the shape of Jack.
“That's me- okay, so Jack ,” As he began to piece together what Sandy was making — which was at a snail's pace— Sandy continued to form more shapes, a traffic light but the bottom light was on. ‘Wait, was the green light usually on the bottom? Yeah, it should be. And green means.. uh…’
“Go? Uh, Jack go?” Uh oh, was Sandy telling him to leave?
The guardian of dreams chuckled soundlessly and kept pointing. ‘Good, so, he wasn't kicking me out then.’ Jack sat more at ease with that and let Sandy continue. To which he made the shape of the number ‘2’. The winter spirit furrowed his brows.
“Jack go two?” He asked while raising two fingers for the number, and Sandy shook his head, replaying the images for him again until Jack finally understood and let out a small “oh” .
“You meant it as going to . Not the number two. Alright, see? I'm learning.” He grinned, waiting for Sandy's next picture.
Sandy smiled and made the last image: a Bunny.
Now it was Jack's turn to deadpan. “Jack go to Bunny. You're telling me to go ask Bunny, aren't you. Not cool, Sandman. Not cool.”
While Jack fussed, Sandy shrugged and floated back off his chair, making a clock above his head while pointing to the sky. ‘Ah, he had work to do.’
Jack took the hint and with reluctance left the guardians domain. Not before shouting “Goodbye!” of course. After of which he let the wind fly him in the direction of his next stop:
The North Pole.