sakon76

Scenes From the Life and Death of Jackson Overland Frost
Part 12: Cheap Candy
by K. Stonham
first released 31st December, 2012

April 17th, 2017

The six teenagers and one pre-teen convened at the Bennett house a couple hours after school, each carrying at least one stuffed bag of half-price Easter candy. They spread their loot across the dining room table, organizing and sorting and breaking open one of the bags of jelly beans to start the sugar high. Mrs. Bennett, used to these quarterly gatherings, only rolled her eyes. "Don't make yourselves sick," she warned, and disappeared into the living room with a cup of coffee and a manila folder of investment documents.

"Yes, Mom," Jamie and Sophie chorused in time with everyone else's "Yes, Mrs. Bennett."

"Eww, licorice." Pippa eyed the black jelly bean with distaste, and put it untouched into the reject pile in the center of the table. Sophie fished it out, stuck her gray tongue out at the other girl, and popped the bean into her mouth, chewing noisily.

"Eww," most of the rest of the table said, along with "Gross, Sophie!"

"If I can't be gross when I'm nine, I never will get to be," the youngest member of their conspiracy said sagely.

Her wisdom was interrupted by the crackle of ice spreading across the kitchen windows and door.

Jamie stepped fastest, and flung the door wide open. "Jack!"

The winter spirit stood there, grinning.

"Come in, come in!" Cupcake said.

"We left you a spot," Monty added.

"Awesome." Jack shut the door behind himself, ruffled Sophie's messy blonde hair in passing, and used his staff to rook a chair into the empty spot at the table, right between Jamie and Claude. "So, what's the haul, guys?" His eyes flickered over the table. "Wow. I can hear Tooth fussing from here."

"You get first pick," Jamie insisted.

"Hey, I don't actually want that much," Jack told him. "I just have something in mind for the next Guardians meeting."

Silence spread across the table as the teenagers (and pre-teen) considered what applications of cheap Easter candy might come to Jack's devious mind.

"Okay," Pippa said eventually, "you can't just tell us that and not tell us what you're going to do."

Jack smiled at his friends. "Well," he said, picking up a chocolate bunny in its box. "Hop hop hop," he suggested, making the box's motion suit the words.

"You're pranking Bunny?" Caleb's eyes were wide. "Man, you've got a death wish, Jack!"

Jack grinned. "The rabbit can run fast, but he hasn't caught me yet."

"That's 'cause you can fly," Cupcake stated.

"Yeah, but he's got boomerangs. And those things sting if I don't manage to duck them."

"Whatever." Pippa sighed, but she was smiling. "It's your funeral, Jack."

"I solemnly promise to tell you all about it if I manage to pull it off." Jack held up his hand to make the oath.

"Hey." Monty tilted his head. "I've just got to know, Jack... you don't have an allowance like the rest of us. Where do you always get ten dollars to toss in the candy pot?" He glanced at the Bennett siblings. "Jamie and Sophie aren't spotting you, are they?"

"No!" It was hard to tell who looked more affronted: Jack, Jamie, or Sophie. Jack rolled his eyes. "People lose money sometimes. They just drop it on the pavement. If I'm in the area and the wind finds it, it gives it to me. I've got a little lockbox in my room up north, with all kinds of bills from all over the world."

"Um, why a lockbox?" asked Jamie. "I mean, who at the North Pole is going to steal anything?"

Jack made a sour face. "The elves. They try to eat anything that's not nailed down."

* * *

Since Jack's induction into their ranks, the Guardians had taken up having semi-casual business meetings three times a year in addition to North's infamous Christmas Day parties. The meetings were ostensibly to educate the newest and youngest Guardian about their history and duties. In reality, it was just a chance to hang out and talk shop. The spring meeting was set, by tradition, a week after Easter, to give Bunnymund some time to come down from his big holiday.

Jack breezed in, literally, last, though not by much. Sandman had only arrived a moment before, and Toothiana only a few minutes before him.

The skylight thudded shut as Jack dropped through it. He landed atop the great globe, skated around it once to give a weather-accurate coating of frost on snowy locales, then jumped off, somersaulting through the air to land neatly on his feet in the gathering area before the fireplace.

The elves clapped enthusiastically.

"Showoff," Bunny muttered with no real heat as Sandy toasted Jack's acrobatics with a glass of eggnog.

"Hi, Jack!" Tooth fluttered up in his face. "How have you been? How is Burgess? Did Pippa tell you her brother finally lost that premolar? It's the prettiest thing ever - I bet she's been making him floss!"

"Hi, Tooth," Jack said, used to her hyperactivity by now. He looked at the others. "Who let her into the espresso already?"

Wordlessly, Sandy, Bunny, and North pointed at the elves.

"Joy." Jack unslung his staff from where it had been propped over his shoulder. He plucked the shopping bag off it, then claimed his usual chair, the one furthest from the fire.

"Oh, what's in the bag?" Tooth hovered over him, excited.

Jack laughed. "In a minute, okay? Thanks," he told an elf, accepting a mug of hot chocolate that cooled quickly in his grip. He took a sip, then set it between his knees. "Day-after-Easter candy. Thought I'd bring some up and share with everyone."

"Oh, Jack!" Tooth's eyes were wide. "That will ruin your teeth!"

"Ah-ah," he warned, fishing out a bouquet of lollipops and handing them to the hovering fairy. "Sugar free, just for you. I asked the kids to pick them up special."

Tooth accepted the lollipops like they were the most precious of flowers. She practically seemed to glow. "Oh, Jack."

"And, for your charming helpers...." Jack drew out a box of sugar-free gum.

The attending fairies practically fainted at the gift, and each took one stick, holding it covetously to her chest. Baby Tooth, the most daring, darted in and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. Then, with a quick glance at Tooth, who was distracted by her lollipops, Jack smirked and held out an array of miniature Cadbury's creme eggs to the fairies. Those disappeared even faster than the gum.

Tooth looked up suspiciously at the tiny squeals of glee, but was distracted by Jack's next offering.

"For Bunny--" Jack lobbed one, two, three larger eggs at the pooka, who caught them deftly. Each turned out to be a different variety. "I thought you'd like to check out your competition."

Bunny snorted. "Like human chocolate's any good."

"Well, if you don't want them...."

Bunny's hands tightened possessively on the eggs. Jack laughed. "For North, a selection," he said, handing the large man a flat box, "and for Sandy, since I know you don't like chocolate, some marshmallow Peeps." The Sandman lit up at the brightly-colored boxes.

"It's so sweet of you to bring, well, sweets, Jack." Tooth had opened one of the lollipops and was delicately licking at it.

"Anytime." Jack withdrew his own small box and stuffed the empty grocery bag in his hoodie pocket. "So, what deep and sordid tale of the past do I get to hear today?"

* * *

They were well into the tale of Bunny first meeting Tooth, Sandy acting out their parts with a yellow Peeps rabbit and a blue Peeps chick, when Jack finally opened his box. He tipped the chocolate rabbit inside into his hand, and just let it sit there, seemingly forgotten, while he listened to the story, interjecting "uh-huh" and "no way!" and "what happened then?" at the appropriate intervals.

He had angled the chocolate just perfectly for Bunny to see its profile. Attuned to his prey, Jack knew the exact second that the pooka realizes what the candy was.

Seemingly distracted by the history he was learning, Jack raised the chocolate to his mouth--

--and bit off the tip of one chocolatey rabbit ear.

Bunny twitched.

Hiding his triumphant reaction of YES!, Jack continued listening.

Another bite got him another twitch. A bigger one earned him a whole-body shudder. By now Bunny wasn't even listening to the story (or, rather, reading it in the symbols flashing above Sandy's head). North was starting to look at the Easter-bringer in concern, though.

Jack went in for the coup de grace.

In one feral snap of teeth, he bit off the chocolate rabbit's head.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY BLAZES IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Bunny demanded, jumping up out of his seat.

Jack blinked at him. Then he looked down at the chocolate in his hand. "Um, sorry, did you want some?" he asked, offering the decapitated rabbit to the, well, rabbit.

"You-- You-- Argh!" Bunny threw up his hands and stalked off.

Jack bit back his grin until Bunny was well out of sight, then pumped his fist in the air, doubling over in silent laughter.

Sandy caught on first, enlightenment stealing across his face before he joined in Jack's silent laughter. Then North's booming mirth washed over them. Finally, Tooth broke out in giggles. "Jack, that was... that was so mean!" she laughed.

"You should not be so cruel to Bunny," North admonished through his chuckles.

Sandy only applauded.

"Totally worth it," Jack announced. Then he gave them a fast wave, taking to the air just before Bunny, having heard everything with his long ears, came bounding back into the room with a war-cry of "FROST!"

On the empty seat, the headless rabbit lay abandoned. At least, until the elves got to it.