ktkat99

[ktkat99]

My job would be so much easier if people stopped climbing into compactors to record tiktoks

[ktkat99]

Knowledge and Belief Chapter 5

Bunny headed home that night at a much slower pace than he had arrived. After he became a guardian, the thought of finding others like him had been constant on his mind; his own little fantasy. He had imagined it several times, several scenarios, and what would happen.

Maybe he'd be hiding eggs one Easter and happen across some he didn't paint, scattered around a grassy, mountainside warren. A mama and her kits would emerge slowly as he was examining their handy work, tears in their eyes and paws over their mouths upon seeing another pooka. They'd invite him in and she would cook some homemade meal you could practically taste just by smelling the aroma that would gradually surround them while he entertained the kits, telling stories to the older ones and occupying the younger ones with toys.

Or maybe he'd be home, busy with a stuck golem or a sick plant and not paying attention. He'd be busy with what he was doing; fully engrossed until the stomping of his golems zeroing in on an intruder drew his focus to the entrance of one of his tunnels. A young buck would cautiously peek out, wandering eyes taking in the landscape until they came to rest on him. Maybe there would be a beat where he didn't register Bunny, letting his eyes slip past him, before snapping back in shock. Or maybe the reaction would be less dramatic, more real. Sudden and instant realization while Bunny was the one to remain still, attempting to make sense of what he was seeing.

Over the years, decades, centuries, he had amassed countless daydreams along these lines. Sometimes it would be an old, slightly senile pooka whose stories (fact or fiction would not matter to him) would keep him company among the eternal spring of his sadly empty warren. Sometimes it would be a large buck and his pretty mate who had mistaken him for an enemy at first in the middle of one of his Easter routes, or a young one, lost and wandering into one of his tunnels to seek shelter.

Whatever the scenario, he had always kept one factor the same; should he ever find out he wasn't alone on this planet, he and the newcomer would become the best of friends. Maybe, if it were multiple pooka, they would accept him into their herd. Or maybe they would start their own herd.

Bunny sighed and stopped just before the tunnel gave way to his warren. He didn't want to take that last step into the large, empty room. The eggs and golems were all asleep and the plants had closed up for the night. The only sound he could hear was the river of dye flowing along its course. Now that he knew there was another pooka out there, his home was beginning to feel unnaturally large and empty. He felt lonely.

If there was one thing he hadn't counted on in all of his years imagining 'what ifs', it was the look of defiance and anger, the flash of fear, and the curled lip Elliot had showed him. He had never considered another pooka not wanting to know him.

"How do I make it up to him, Manny?" He directed his gaze towards the dirt ceiling, knowing the Man in the Moon would hear him regardless. "You know I've never asked for much. Please, I don't want to miss out on any more of his life than I already have. I know I messed up." He dropped his head and leaned against the wall, still not entering his home. "I messed up big time. Just give me the chance to make it right." He fell silent, waiting for a response he knew he wasn't going to get. Down below, a golem grunted sleepily. Bunny scoffed slightly and, in three leaps, reached his bed. Dinner was just three days away. He'd have his chance to get to know the kit better then.

Yyyyy

"Goodnight, Elliot." Jack patted the soft ears poking out from under the large blanket his son used.

"'Night." Came the sleepy reply. Jack smiled and turned to leave their cave when a paw snuck out from under the fabric and latched onto his hoodie. "Wait."

Jack stopped and looked back as Elliot pulled the blanket down and propped himself up on his elbows. "Do we really have to invite the Easter Bunny to Christmas dinner?"

Sighing, Jack sat down on the edge on Elliot's 'bed'. It was really just an arranged collection of rocks with grass and leaves piled on top in the form of a nest. Jack didn't quite understand it, but Elliot found it comfortable. "Bunny's a good guy." Elliot opened his mouth to protest, but Jack held up a hand to stop him. "We all have our faults. I'm not making excuses for him, but he helped save almost every child in the world. I'm working with him now, and I would appreciate it if you at least made the effort to get to know him. He lost his temper because he assumed I sabotaged Easter. He's not a bad guy."

"That doesn't mean I have to like him. And just because you forgave him doesn't mean I'm going to." Without another word, he rolled back over and buried his head back under his blanket.

"…Goodnight, Elliot." Jack patted the lump he knew was the pooka's arm and headed out to bring snow days to the world.

Yyyyy

Christmas night rolled around sooner than Bunny had anticipated. He made his way through his tunnels balancing a tray of veggies, his excuse for his slower-than-usual pace. In truth, he was starting to get nervous about this whole thing. He knew Elliot didn't like him. He knew Elliot had a reason not to like him. Was it right for him to force his way into the kid's life just because he was the first pooka he'd seen in centuries? He was a guardian of childhood. Pitch was supposed to be the one to force kids to experience what they were afraid of.

At that thought, Bunny froze. Had he really just compared himself to the Boogieman? "I am not Pitch. Nothing like him. And I'm gonna prove it to that kit." With that, he opened a hole above him and jumped out, being careful of his dish. He had spent a while picking out some of the best foods he could find and didn't want to lose them here.

He heard the aster flower sprout behind him and walked the rest of the way to where he knew the cave was. Through the woods and around the lake, then up a little ways because the winter spirit didn't like being too close to the ground for too long. He had been over once but that had just been a quick visit to grab a spare hoodie. He hadn't noticed any sign of a kit living there then, but he hadn't been looking.

Finally, after stubbing a toe and almost dropping the tray, he made it to the cave entrance. Propped up on a boulder was a sign: Guardian's Dinner this way. Followed by an arrow directing him towards the woods behind the lake. Sighing, he steadied his food again and followed the arrow. And the next one. They appeared to be leading him down a well-worn path.

Five minutes of walking later, he began to hear voices up ahead. North's was clearly discernable, as was Jack's. Suddenly, a voice he didn't recognize rang out.

"I think I heard someone! Imma go see if one of your friends got lost!"

Before Bunny had time to process that he was the 'someone', a huge silver pooka had hopped out of the bushes and skidded to a stop right in front of him.

"No way. I thought Elliot was kidding when he said you were coming!"

[ktkat99]

[ktkat99]

just cass and steph, hanging out

[ktkat99]

Knowledge and Belief Chapter 4

"I can't believe you did that, Elliot." Jack bereted as soon as he knew they were out of Bunny's earshot. "Look at yourself. You even lost your glasses."

The brown pooka hopped along beside the winter guardian, brooding silently as he was fussed over. "Now that he knows I exist, what's he going to do?"

"What?" Jack paused halfway through unzipping one of the smaller pockets in Elliot's backpack. The pooka always kept a spare pair of glasses on him.

Elliot stopped and turned to look at him. "I saw how he looked at me. I know he's thought he was the only one of his kind for a long time. Is he going to try to take me away from you? Because I know he's not going to just pretend that little show back there didn't happen and let me be." The look Jack got from the young bunny was filled with a mix of knowing and uncertainty.

Jack studied his face for a moment, then sighed and withdrew the glasses from the pocket. "He won't take you from me, don't worry. He wouldn't do that. But he's not going to stop trying to get to know you. He's as stubborn as a mule when it comes to something he wants."

Elliot blinked reflexively as the glasses were slipped over his eyes, frames looping around the bases of his ears. "What are we going to do now, then?" He twisted his head and used his back foot to scratch his neck. In the process, he jostled the yeti in his strap. "By the way." He examined the yeti, petting it gingerly, as if making sure it hadn't been injured. "Was that actually Santa?"

Jack could only chuckle.

Yyyyy

Three days before Christmas was the next time any of the guardians saw their newest member. North was going through the final checks before Christmas and had distracted his elves by having them deliver invitations to the other guardians. Not invitations to the annual Christmas feast, though. Those were too important to deliver via elf. He was sending them his annual S.O.S. letter. If they could lend any of their time at all to help finish the preparations, it would be much appreciated.

Tooth and Bunny arrived within an hour of each other and got to work with years of practiced directions. Boxes containing airplanes, trains, popguns, and cowboy gear shouldn't sport paper and bows depicting fairy princesses. Stockings should not have sticky-caramel candies in them (North and Tooth had been in debate over this one for years.) The breakable toys were to be stored more towards the top of the sacks while the heavier gifts were to be at the bottom.

North was just making his rounds with candy canes when he spotted the familiar blue hoodie through the sea of panicking yeti. Jack was leaning against a wall on the other side of the large room watching the proceedings with a mix of confusion and amusement. His staff was crooked comfortably on his arm and his hands were tucked into his hoodie pocket, but his eyes were excitedly trying to follow everything that was happening in front of him. Quickly pawning off his candy canes on the nearest yeti, along with instructions to put one in each stocking, (and a quick reminder that he understood yettish and knew a swear when he heard it,) North made his way over.

"Jack! Haven't seen you in weeks. What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you." Jack tore his gaze from the hustle and bustle and straightened up, gripping his staff. "Well, you and the other guardians, that is."

"You are in luck! Tooth and Bunny are here now! Sandy, however, couldn't make it. What did you want to talk about?" North wasn't stupid. He knew it was most likely going to be related to Elliot, but he also knew that it was best if Jack were the one to broach the subject.

"Could we talk somewhere quieter?" As soon as the words left his mouth, North saw how Jack's eyes widened and looked around the room wearily. He knew what was on his mind; was there someplace quieter to talk? It was three days before Christmas at Santoff Clausen, and the place was busier than the airports this time of year. And just as crazy.

North laughed out loud. "Come, come. We can talk in your room. Tooth! Bunny!" He waved them over and, with a massive hand clamped around the winter guardian's shoulder, led them down the hall.

"Uh, North," Jack halted and North almost lost his balance. "I brought Elliot with me. I hope that's okay."

"Is alright. He's not going to try to attack Bunny again, though, is he?" North raised an eyebrow, but Jack was quick to put his mind at ease.

"No, don't worry. I had a talk with him."

The four guardians reached the end of the hall and Jack opened the door to his room, the novelty still not lost on him. Inside, a rather large ball of fur was busy making bunny-angles in the snow. The frosted windows had all been doodled on, and the stuffed animals had been arranged on the bed with piles of tiny snowballs.

"Kit takes after you, I see." Bunny grumbled, trying to hide his amusement. Pooka didn't tend to like cold temperatures usually.

"Jack, Jack, Jack! This place is awesome! Is this really your room?!" Elliot hopped over and sat on his haunches in front of the spirit, wiggling excitedly.

"Yup! Pretty awesome, huh?" Jack stepped aside so the others could file all the way into the room and shut the door. Elliot lost some of his smile when he saw Bunny, but as a child in the fabled Santa's Workshop, nothing could erase his joy completely. "Elliot, I want you to meet North and Tooth. Guys, this is Elliot."

Tooth, being the last one through the door, didn't see Elliot right away. As soon as she did, though, her eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth. "Oh, my goodness. You… you're a… Bunny, he's like you."

"You're the Tooth Fairy! An-and Santa Claus!" Elliot breathed, just as shocked as the feathered fairy.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." North stuck out his massive hand to shake. The small pooka shifted his weight off of his front paws and wrapped then both around North's hand in awe.

Jack frowned when he noticed Bunny's narrowed eyes hadn't left the kit once since he'd entered the room. He didn't look mad, just calculating. Like he was trying to figure something out.

"Something's different about you. Since when do you wear glasses?"

Elliot dropped his front paws back to the ground, once again sitting on all four paws. "Since about seventy years ago. What's it to you?" He asked defensively.

"Pooka, bunnies, rabbits, we're all famous for good eyesight."

"That's a story for another time." Jack broke in. "Elliot and I came here to invite you all to Christmas dinner at our place. So, you can all get to know each other. Of course, it can be a few nights after Christmas itself. I know you're going to be tired-" Jack stopped rambling when North laughed out loud.

"Christmas dinner at your place will be most welcome! And we will each bring a dish to contribute." North gestured with his hands to Tooth and Bunny, who both nodded in agreement.

"You two live together?" Tooth tilted her head in confusion. She didn't look any less enthusiastic to meet the young pooka, though.

"Long-," Jack glanced sheepishly at Bunny, who raised his eyebrows pointedly. "long story short, I adopted him a hundred fifty years ago."

"So, how old are you? In bunn- eh, pooka years?" It looked like she already knew the answer, but was leading up to something; her tail feathers were beginning to twitch nervously.

"Well, I don't know exactly. We age slower than humans, but near as I can figure, I'm in my mid- to late teens. Why?" Elliot tilted his head and Bunny caught himself wondering what the kit must have looked like when he had been small; all big eyes and curiosity, innocence and a whole world for him to explore. Had he listened to Jack, just once, he could have been a part of that. What all had he missed out on? First steps, first words, Easters, holidays, birthdays. How many times had he wished he had someone else with him in his warren? Someone to share the wonders of spring, or show the ropes of egg hiding the world over? Had he really destroyed any possibility of that ever happening?

"I think I would have remembered collecting the teeth of a pooka." Tooth continued.

"Oh, I have all his baby teeth." Jack used his staff to draw her attention to him. "I didn't know about the whole 'memories of childhood' thing at the time, but I figured there must be a reason you collected them."

"Then why didn't you give them to me after the battle with Pitch?" She pressed, suddenly splitting her attention. She was now bent over, trying to get a better look at the teeth Elliot currently had in his head, much to North and Jack's amusement.

"To be honest, I kinda forgot. He lost his last tooth a long time ago. Elliot, open up. Show her your pearly whites." Elliot, throughout this while conversation, had been gradually backing up, ears lowered in confusion and weariness, as Tooth tried to examine him.

"Ahh." He opened his mouth as far as it would go and Tooth gasped in delight. His teeth were enormous, much bigger than any human tooth she had ever seen, but almost as white as the winter teen's.

"Oh, wow! You've taken such great care of them! Did Jack teach you how?" Tooth gushed.

"Tooth, that's enough. The lad does not look like he enjoys the attention." North, thankfully, decided to point out how uncomfortable Elliot appeared at the sudden invasiveness.

"Oh." She withdrew sheepishly, blushing. "Sorry."

"So, do you think you'll all be able to make it to dinner? Sandy's invited too, of course." Jack slipped a hand in his hoodie pocket and absently twirled his staff with the other.

"Though, if not all of you can make it, there'll be no hard feelings. We're not exactly overflowing with spare chairs if you catch my drift." Elliot hardened his tone and stared directly at Bunny.

"My schedule's free. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Bunny replied coolly, staring right back.

"Elliot, that's enough." Jack caught his staff and shot a quick glare at his son, who avoided his look. "We'll see you all then. And I think I can guarantee another little surprise." Jack grinned and hopped out the window, being followed quickly by Elliot.

"'Another little surprise'?" Bunny growled. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm really starting to feel left out of the loop." Tooth buzzed around the room as North examined the giant bunny-angels and mini snowball fight Elliot had set up. The stuffed animals all appeared to be having fun, but something was off. North just couldn't out his finger on it.

"Hey, doesn't that one belong to the kit?" Bunny hopped over and pointed out one furry toy with the largest pile of snowballs.

North examined it, and then let out a laugh. "Looks like I finally get to wrap his first Christmas present from Santa Claus!"

[ktkat99]

Bruce- Trains for years to make himself a warrior with no exploitable weaknesses

Bruce- Can withstand tortures and interrogation methods that would break any other man

Bruce- Metas fear him and no one is fully sure of if he's a man or a cryptid

Bruce the second he gets a kid- I don't know, Alfred. He was crying! What was I supposed to do?? Not buy a puppy??

[ktkat99]

Knowledge and Belief Chapter 3

Bunny could do nothing but stare. The young pooka was a great deal shorter than he was, but the look in his eyes let him know that this newcomer was not intimidated in the least. He had two ratty straps looping over his arms as if something were attached to his back. A buckle across his tan chest not only held the straps in place, but also a tiny, stuffed yeti. In shock, Bunny took a step forward, only to freeze as the pooka snarled again, paws curled into fists.

Suddenly, Bunny felt a severe stinging in his ear. Raising a paw, he was surprised to see it come away bloody. The blighter had bitten him during their scuffle!

"What do you want with Jack?" The pooka growled.

"I-," But Bunny was cut off by Jack himself.

"That's enough, Elliot." The pooka, Elliot, dropped his ears so they fell down the back of his head and sat back on his haunches, looking every bit the part of a scolded child.

"But, but he… hmph." He snapped his gaze away from Jack, deciding instead to glare at the larger pooka.

North, this whole time, had watched the entire exchange in wide-eyed silence. He had been about to ask Jack about whether or not he actually had a son. "What just happened? Who are you?" He asked as soon as he found his voice.

The pooka turned to look at him in awe, as if he hadn't seen him there before, while Jack just rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"I'd like to know that myself." Bunny, still holding his ear, looked Elliot over again. He had surprisingly few markings on his fur for a pooka, mostly just brown with a tan underbelly, but his whiskers appeared to be solid black. Attached to his back by the straps was an old hiking backpack that looked as if it had seen better years.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag now." Jack tried to smile aloofly, but a look from Bunny had him biting his lip in shame. "This is Elliot. My son. I found him as a kit almost a century and a half ago."

"A century and a half." Bunny let that sink in. Jack had known he hadn't been the only one of his kind on earth for a century and a half and he hadn't said anything.

"Yeah. I was just flying around London and-,"

"A century and a half." Bunny narrowed his eyes. The young pooka raised his hackles and focused his attention back on him but made no move to attack again. Bunny ignored him. "You knew there was another pooka out there for a hundred and fifty years and you never said anything? Why the bloody hell would you keep something like that from me?"

"Because I made him promise to." Elliot crinkled his nose enough for Bunny to see his sharp front teeth. "He spent years trying to track you down. Trying to get you to help me. Do you know how hard it is to raise a kid when you don't even know anything about the species? You just kept thinking he wanted to race or play around."

"All right, Elliot. That's enough." Jack tried to calm him down, but just got shrugged off. Elliot wasn't listening to him at the moment, much too focused on Bunny.

"And the blizzard of '68? It's the weather! Jack can't create snow, and the wind doesn't obey his every command! He just nudges it along every now and then." Bunny suddenly found himself wondering whether or not he should be afraid. Sure, if the kid tried anything he knew who the better fighter was, but he wasn't sure he could end the fight without hurting him.

"Do you remember how you reacted to a few of your eggs getting covered in snow?"

Bunny's hackled raised at that. "Hey, it was more than that! I lost a lot of believers that day."

"Yeah, I know. I was one of them." Elliot sat back on his haunches and Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, not looking at Bunny.

"What do you mean?" The warren had never been this eerily silent before. The plants had stopped painting, the eggs had gathered around to watch, and even a few golems were facing their direction. Even North was silent as he watched the exchange.

"The fact that you exist has been a set in stone fact since before I can remember. Jack used to tell stories about you four all the time. About how you were guardians who protected kids each in your own way. He'd hide eggs for me, swap out my baby teeth with coins, make presents to hide under out tree, tell me stories before bed, all so I knew you were out there."

"He told you about us? Jack, you really did all that?" Bunny's ear was just a forgotten, dull throb by this point. Jack had played the role of four guardians just so this kit would believe in them.

The kit- Elliot narrowed his eyes. "1968 Easter Sunday. Do you remember what you did that night?"

With a sinking heart, Bunny realized what Elliot was leading up to. He had spent the entire night before and that early morning hiding eggs under bushes, in planter pots, under porch steps, even setting a few in window sills. He had been so excited. Until the snow had started to fall. He had been disappointed at first, but the weather had just grown worse and worse. By mid-day it had been a full-on blizzard, and Easter had officially been canceled. He had spent the day desperately attempting to unbury all the eggs, but nobody had been allowed out of the house to find them. The high winds had even knocked off the ones that had been in the windows. By the time he had run into the winter spirit that night, he had been livid.

"Who the hell do you think patched him up?"

Bunnymund felt his blood run cold. What he had done that night… this kid had been forced to deal with the aftermath.

North saw the tension between the three. "What happened? Bunny, what did you do?"

Bunny dropped his head and lowered himself to sit on his heels. "Nothing I'm proud of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he blamed Jack for Easter being ruined. And took it out on him." Elliot, Bunny noticed, still hadn't moved from his position directly between him and Jack. "I don't think I'd ever been so scared in my life. So, yeah. I made him promise to stop trying to get your attention after that. But now that he's a guardian, you have an excuse to kidnap him whenever you want."

"Ha-hang on. I didn't…" He broke off, realizing how it must have looked from Elliot's point of view. "Jack… things have changed between us. I'd never hurt him now." He knew it sounded lame, but it was the truth. And all he had.

"I used to believe that someone who dedicated their lives to giving hope to kids wouldn't hurt one. Then I had to spend a week stealing medical supplies and wondering if it was possible for a spirit to die."

"All right, Elliot, that's enough." Jack, a somewhat pained look adorning his face instead of his usual grin, tugged the pooka to his feet and led him back towards the tunnel they had arrived from. "I'll see you later North. Bunny."

The two remaining guardians sat in silence for a minute, Bunny absently opening a pouch in his belt for gauze and wrapping the slit in his ear. North stroked his beard thoughtfully while the eggs, plants, and golems went back to what they had been doing.

"Is not exactly how I expected to be proven right." He attempted to joke but frowned when he saw the expression on his friend's face. "Bunny, Elliot seems like a smart boy. Show you are sorry, and I'm sure he'll eventually come around."

Bunny tilted his head in North's direction but didn't look at him. "That's not the only thing I'm worried about. What the heck was that kit doing in London?"

[ktkat99]

Knowledge and Belief Chapter 2

North was certain he'd heard wrong. "You… have a what?"

"I said some. Somewhere I need to go. I just remembered." Jack picked up his staff and headed for the nearest window. "Thank you for the room, by the way. I'll be sure to make good use of it."

"Jack. Jack stop. Wait. You have a son?" North was desperately trying to get the gears in his brain working again before the sprite could pull one of his vanishing acts.

"It was a slip of the tongue, North. How could I have a kid? I was invisible until two years ago." Jack pasted his usual grin back on his face, and North couldn't tell if it was real or not.

"You do, uh, realize…" he let the sentence hang in the air, knowing (hoping) the boy could finish it himself.

He did, and his face turned from pale frosted to beat red. "No, North. I have not… done that… with anyone!"

"Just wanting to make sure." The man had spent centuries determining how to tell when children were lying, but this child had spent centuries teaching himself the finer point of how to get away with it (among other things). He realized this now as he studied Jack's grin, slipping so easily back onto his face. It had been two years since he had become a guardian, but there was still so little they knew about him. For all they knew, he could have had a child with someone. Heck, after all the time he'd been alone, he could have had-

"North, I know what you're thinking." He dropped his grin and looked him right in the eye. "I promise you, right now, that I have never in my sixteen years of life, nor in my three hundred years of afterlife, had sex. But I do have to go." He turned back to the window and this time, North could read the embarrassment on his face loud and clear. Just as he was passing the bed, though, he paused and examined the stuffed toys. Hesitantly, he reached out and selected a yeti. "Do you, uh, mind?" He held it aloft and looked at the huge man.

"Is yours. Go ahead." In all his years of being Santa, North had seen several children gaze in various degrees of wonder, joy, and disbelief at their gifts, but Jack held his toy so gingerly, smiled so sadly, and tucked it under his hoodie so carefully that North found himself once again berating himself for never having made him a gift in all the Christmases he had been a wandering winter spirit.

And as Jack opened the window and flew out, he made another realization; he had not made gifts for the other guardians since their first year together. Frowning, he left the room, shutting the door behind himself, and returned to his study to plan. This upcoming Christmas was going to be great. He'd make sure of it.

Yyyyy

"You don't think he was being serious, do you?" Bunny asked, half of his attention on the pink and green egg in his hands. He was attempting to add a bit of a swirl and didn't want to be more distracted by another of Jack's pranks than necessary.

"Bunny with you, he jokes. With me, there is no eternal competition. He tends to be more… straightforward." North adjusted his weight on the boulder he was seated on. His conversation with Jack had been playing over and over in his mind until he wasn't sure if the boy's expressions had been real or made up by his mind's desire to see something that wasn't there. He could no longer keep this just to himself. Tooth, of course, would freak out, and Sandy was currently busy, what with everyone being on winter break. It was hard enough getting kids to go to sleep on a normal night.

"So, what? You think he's actually got a kid out there?" Bunny finished the egg, smiled in success, and let it down to wander off.

"Is Jack. I don't know. He is good kid, but… also a teenager who has been without guidance for ridiculous amount of time." North didn't want to think that Jack had lied to him, but if he did have a son, the problem was bigger than teaching the merits of truth telling. Pitch, for one, was a threat. The fact that Jack was immortal, and a guardian. Not to mention that he was practically homeless.

Bunny considered picking up another egg but decided he wouldn't be able to give it the attention it deserved as long as this current dilemma was on the table. "Why don't we just ask him straight up? And this time, don't accept lame excuses."

North looked uncomfortable. "I don't know. What if it really was just tongue slip? I could be making big deal out of nothing."

"Then you're wasting my time for nothing. I'll get to embarrass Jack and he'll get mad at you. If it's nothing, it's nothing and that's your punishment. But since when have you ignored your gut instinct?" Bunny raised his eyebrow and pointed his paintbrush at his old friend. "I'll go get him. You stay here."

"Alright." North settled back down and watched as Bunny took off down one of the tunnels. Bunny was right. His belly had been telling him something was off.

Yyyyy

Jack had mentioned last time he'd seen the kid that the Burgess kids had just started their winter break and were now looking forward to snow days. It was just after dark had fallen, but Jack should still be in the area.

Bunnymund hopped deftly out of his hole and heard it close behind him, sprouting a flower as it did so. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dark as he made his way through the trees. He knew the way to the lake by heart, but that didn't mean he knew every thorny bush, or jutting out root, or sharp branch as well. By the time he heard the snarl behind him, he was about ready to just return to his warren and continue to paint while North wondered about every possibility of what Jack could have meant. The snow was just making the going worse.

He was almost at the lake when he detected movement behind him and an animalistic growl tore through the still night. Without hesitation, he threw himself forward onto all fours and bolted the rest of the distance. The last thing he wanted to encounter at the moment was a half-starved wolf with a taste for Easter Bunny.

He burst through the tree line and his eyes quickly scanned the clearing for his target. Jack sat, back towards him, at the edge of the lake. He had his staff resting against his shoulder as he froze ever-growing frosted patterns into the water's surface.

Not wanting to risk the wolf still being behind him, he skipped pleasantries and opened a hole right beside Jack, pulling the boy down into it before he'd even had a chance to realize he wasn't alone.

"Bunny! What the heck are you doing?" Jack exclaimed, desperately scrambling for a handhold in the pooka's fur. He was currently draped over one shoulder being held in place by one powerful arm while Bunny ran along on three legs.

"Just thought we'd have a quick chat, mate. At my warren." He released his hold without slowing down and the spirit lifted off and flew alongside him.

"Chat? About what?"

"You'll see." The tunnel opened up to a huge, familiar cavern and the pair slowed to a stop. North sat by the twisted spring plants, watching as they painted eggs various colors.

"Bunny, I was wondering if you would lend me a few of these. Painting presents would go faster-,"

"No, way. I got some seeds if you want to try to grow some, but these guys are mine. Jack's here, so why don't you just ask your question." Bunny flipped out a boomerang and began polishing it. His heart was still working an slowing down, but there was no way he was going to let that show.

North, meanwhile, appeared to be stalling. "So, Jack. How was Jamie? He is doing well in his studies I hope?"

"Um, he got eight out of twelve on his spelling test. He was bragging about it, so I assume that's good." Jack seemed to know that something bigger was being led up to, but didn't want to be the one to broach the subject.

"Good, good. Smart boy. So, speaking of boys…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really-," North broke off as Bunny let out a startled shout. A brown blur suddenly had him on the ground and was putting up a huge fight. Almost as quickly as it had started, though, the fight was over. Bunny managed to get his feet between his attacker and himself and kicked it off. It landed next to Jack in a heap but recovered quickly. It righted itself and placed itself between the Guardians of Hope and Fun and growled again, the exact growl that had followed Bunny in the woods.

When Bunny got a good look at it, though, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a young rabbit, trying as hard as he could to look menacing. A rabbit that was currently standing on his hind legs. And that was almost a foot taller than Jack. Gasping, Bunny put the word he was searching for, the word he was scared to say, lest it break the veil of dream and reality, to what he was seeing.

"Pooka. You're a pooka."

[ktkat99]

Rewatched Rise of the Guardians and wanted to share an old fic again

Knowledge and Belief Chapter 1

North knew it was a long shot. He was putting his heart on the line, and his pride, but as a warrior and as a guardian, he had risked more. And should the worst-case scenario come to pass, Jack would at least know that the offer was there.

"It is right this way."

He had spent so long throwing himself into his work as a way to deal with his guilt. And although the children of the world were thrilled with the surplus results, the problem wasn't being solved, just tiptoed around.

"You will love it."

The others didn't know he had done this, just that he had been extra busy as of late. However, as his signature holiday was coming up, that was hardly unusual.

"Here we are." He stopped and announced grandly.

Jack looked up at him excitedly. "Behind the door?" He reached out to the solid oak door, clasped his small hand around the polished doorknob built for the hands of North and the Yetis, and tugged it open.

North, although he himself had designed the room and built most everything in it, couldn't resist gazing around in pride. The far wall was nothing but windows. The boy would have the best view in the North Pole, and all the cold air and escape hatches he could want. North had made a point of deactivating Santoff Clausen's heating system in this room, and had instead installed an air conditioning unit. Before retrieving Jack, he had switched it on and had a little fun setting up some examples as to why he had put it in in the first place.

"Are those… snowmen? Like, real snowmen? Inside?" Jack grinned broadly as he spun around to take it all in. Santa was a master of wonder, of course, but it still warmed his heard to see the disbelieving expression on the face of a boy who was practically the embodiment of fun.

"They most certainly are." He had waterproofed the room so the extended exposure to snow wouldn't damage it, and left the windows open the night before. Now everything was covered in a light dusting of white powder.

"North… wow. This-," Jack paused by the oversized bed and let his joyous expression drop. "I don't know what to say. What is all this?"

"Yours. It is yours." North walked over to the closet and slid the door open. "I had yetis make you some clothes, as well. You can't just keep going around in same clothes all the time."

"I… This is… mine?" North, too, let his smile drop as he watched Jack continue to examine everything. The piles of stuffed dolphins, penguins, bears, puppies, and yetis at the head of the bed, their fur softer than any he had felt before (though he had never felt a brand new stuffed animal before, either), the wide beams hanging just a few feet below the insanely high ceiling (should he desire a perch with a little more altitude), the bowls North had set out for him, each filled with a different snowman accessory (coal buttons and eyes, striped scarves, carrots, perfect twig arms, stovepipe hats, and he had even dug up a few old pipes), books from every era, mainly of fantastical adventures and exciting new creatures, decorating a bookshelf in the corner.

"Jack, you can live here." North wasn't used to being soft, but this child was one he had failed for the past three centuries. One who had had the strength to team up with those who had failed him to take down the Boogeyman himself. He needed to make things right. "This room… is for you."

"I have my own place-,"

"Use this room when you are here, then. Or when Burgess is too warm." North knew he was pleading, but a lake was no place for a guardian. Especially not when the rest of them were living so lavishly.

Jack still seemed hesitant. "I can't just move this far away. Not from the kids-," He broke off with an almost imperceptible widening of his eyes, but then continued on. If North hadn't been studying his face so intently, he would have missed it. Dismissed it for a stutter. "The Burgess kids are expecting snow days now that school's almost out." He grinned airily, pulling on his aloof mask like a security blanket. The offer of a permanent home, of sudden stability, scared him. North could see it as easily as he had seen Bunny's fear of flying, or Tooth's fear of plaque. But there had just arisen another topic that needed addressing, no matter how badly he didn't want to have to be the one to say it.

"Jack, you are immortal. Is not-," he heaved a sigh heavy with many lifetimes' worth of experience and passed a hand over his broad face. "You should not get too attached to individual children. Their time always comes, and it never gets easier to see. Is why we distanced ourselves from them in the first place."

The atmosphere of wonder, joy and excitement was officially gone. Jack clutched his staff tightly, body positioned slightly behind it, as if it were a shield capable of protecting him from North's words. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick and his gaze was glued to the floor. "I know. Trust me, North; I know that better than you think. I just… you wouldn't understand. They need me."

"Jack, you are a guardian. They need the belief. They need what we protect for them: wonder, memories, dreams, hope, and fun. Imagine what Jamie's life will be like when he's a grown man still getting visits from a person nobody else can see."

"I'm not talking about Jamie. I-," Jack seemed to realize he'd said too much and shut his mouth with an audible snap.

"Jack?"

"I… I have a son."

[ktkat99]

steph and duke!!!!! yellow duo!!!!

thanks for the rec!

steph’s face gave me so much grief for no reason BUT☝️ i like how her pants and hair turned out so i can’t complain too much

[ktkat99]

Anybody else got like,, rlly random connections to famous ppl?? Like my older brothers were friends w Jennifer Lawrence when they were like 12 and I just found out I’m friends w the cousin of the girl who voiced honey lemon in big hero six like, idk what I’m supposed to do with either of these tid bits I feel like I was supposed to live my life in ignorance of them

[ktkat99]

AO3 authors, what is the smallest/largest fandom you have written for?

[ktkat99]

[ktkat99]

Pride blanket update! I'm halfway through blue!

[ktkat99]

Can I offer you a cupcake in these trying times?