[rd][fic][Rise of the Guardians] Scenes, part 10

[sakon76]

Scenes From the Life and Death of Jackson Overland Frost
Part 10: Stille Nacht
by K. Stonham
first released 24th December, 2012

December, 2012

It was past ten in the woods of Burgess. Jack knew this because the children had been called home from their play, because the church bells had chimed it so, because the lights of the houses had started to go out as even the adults go to sleep. Sandman's dreams had came and visited, and then the other Guardian, with a wave to Jack, had moved on, chasing the night.

It was quiet.

Jack sat perched comfortably in a tree, his back to the trunk, his legs stretched out along the branch, crossed at the ankles. He could, he thought, catch the wind and fly on, to somewhere that children were awake, waiting to play, but for just now he was comfortable. He was content. And he was dreaming up ways to ice the pond and woods, to decorate the trees and the eaves of houses, to sweep snow across all of Burgess so that the town would wake tomorrow to his specialty: a snow day.

But that would only take a couple hours, and this chill December's night was fine and clear. Peaceful.

He didn't even think as he opened his mouth to sing.

* * *

Burgess in winter wasn't quite as cold as the North Pole (unless Frostbite was in a bit of a strop; then all bets were off), but it was still chill enough to make Bunnymund shiver when he existed the comforting warmth of his tunnel.

For a minute, he thought about abandoning the stupid idea and returning alone to the Warren, but Tooth had had a point. He needed to extend the furry paw of friendship to the kid outside of a crisis situation, because heavens knew Jack Frost wasn't going to come looking for Bunnymund on his lonesome.

So he was here, searching for the winter spirit in the place the kid called home, with the intention of inviting him back to the Warren to try some new chocolate samples Bunny'd whipped up. He needed a second opinion, he told himself. Tooth was useless, with her delicate shuddering horror of sweets; Sandy was working and not a chocolate fan anyway; North would just laugh and in his booming, pompous voice suggest peppermint.

Frostbite, however... well, Bunny had seen how jealously he guarded his mugs of hot chocolate from North's horde of thieving elves. So he was willing to try and bond with the kid over sweets.

He moved as quietly as he could through the woods, which was to say, very quietly indeed. There were slumps of old snow here and there, and delicate silver and white traceries on every tree Bunny passed. Definitely Jack's work.

Then he heard it, and stilled.

A clear sweet voice drifted through the air, caught just on the edge of Bunny's hearing. His ears twitched; he triangulated its source automatically.

The sound was eerie and husky and more than a bit hypnotic. He couldn't not follow the voice deeper into the woods.

It was snowing now, Bunny noticed as he stealthed in the direction of the voice. Fat, white flakes drifted down, almost seeming to glow in the moon's light.

Just like that, he realized what the song was. And who was singing it.

"Crikey," he breathed, moving more quietly than ever. He didn't want to interrupt this; he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

He finally reached the clearing around Jack's lake, and there, perched up in a tree, one leg dangling and the other stretched out along a branch, was Jack Frost. He glowed in the moonlight, and the expression on his face was one Bunnymund had never seen before. He could only describe it as "beatific."

* * *

Three hundred years of winter, and Jack Frost knew the lyrics to every Christmas carol ever sung. At times he'd gotten mightily sick of them, but he always cycled back to liking them again. Joining his voice in chorus with carolers or a choir was one of the ways he'd tried to fool himself over the centuries, to feel like part of a crowd.

He'd gotten pretty good at singing by now, and he'd always liked "Silent Night." But tonight, the line about glories streaming from heaven brought to mind Sandy, and the one about radiant beams made him think of the Man in the Moon. He was pretty sure that wasn't good doctrine... but then, he hadn't been a practicing Protestant since 1711. At first he hadn't remember that he'd been one, and now, he wasn't sure how to reconcile what he knew of the world with what he'd been taught then.

Maybe... maybe Jamie could help him with that.

In the meantime, Jack let the notes spill liquid from his throat. In the end, the song was about thankfulness, and he was that. So if he took some time to figure out what it meant to him, well, no one else was here. And only Manny knew he did this once in a while.

A minute after the song ended, someone said, "That was downright nice, Frostbite."

Jack froze.

Then he made himself relax. Bunnymund came out of where he'd hidden himself in the shadows. Listening. Curse his long ears.

"Been there long?" The question was inane, but Jack couldn't exactly take the last five minutes back. He'd heard the Groundhog could, but he'd never actually met the rodent, so popping over into his burrow and asking for favors wasn't an option.

"Awhile." Bunny examined his nails, then looked back up at Jack. "I wanted a second opinion on some chocolates, and thought you might be interested."

And, okay, Jack had heard about Bunny's chocolate. Rave reviews, even taking into account the hyperbole of ten-year-olds. And he was getting offered free samples? "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

Bunny pointed a finger at him, looking offended. "I told you. Opinions. Tooth and North are useless, and Sandy doesn't like chocolate."

Jack blinked. How could anyone not like chocolate? "Are you telling me the Guardians are your only test group?"

"Sadly, yes." Bunny looked away. "Can't trust anyone else with the magic in the chocolate."

And now Jack was in this exclusive little group of people Bunny trusted with his magic? Part of his brain poked the rest and told it not to be stupid. Free magic chocolate! The rest of his brain thought about that, and decided the pokey part had a point.

"Sure," Jack said, and floated down from his tree. "But I need to be back by four. I'm planning an epic snow day for tomorrow." He waved an arm, painting the air. "Schools closed across the entire county."

Bunny rolled his eyes. "I'll get you back in plenty of time. Now come on." A thump of his foot, and a tunnel entrance opened between them. Before he jumped in, though, Bunny smirked. "Nice voice."

Jack spluttered, jumped in after him, and decided he was going to slushball the kangaroo as soon as they were out of the tunnel and into the Warren.

Comments

[eerian_sadow]

ah, this is exactly what their relationship should be: snark and snowballs and candy and appreciating the other for what they can do, even if they'll never say it out loud.

[ytak.livejournal.com]

but Jack couldn't exactly take the last five minutes back. He'd heard the Groundhog could
That wouldn't happen to be a Groundhog Day reference, would it? :D

While I kind of consider having a beautiful singing voice as being a bit cliche in fanfiction, I will more than concede the point of it as a plot device for Bunny to tease Jack. :)

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

Yes, the Groundhog having (limited) time powers totally is a Groundhog Day reference. I couldn't resist. ^_^

And, yeah, it's a little cliche, but I couldn't resist it either once the idea poked me.