As soon as all the movement had stopped, Jack peeked through the mouth of the sack, staring at the tiny elves grinning at him, chasing them away with his scowl. He heard someone ask for silence and then he saw them; the last group of people he thought would be kidnapping him, right in front of him.

"There he is!" Santa—or how was it that he was called, North?-announced, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture that did nothing for Jack. "Jack Frost!"

Jack managed to scramble out of the burlap sack half-way, staring at the short man of sand and the flickering fairy looking back at him next to North. "You gotta be kidding me" He said, shouting when two yetis grabbed his arms and lifted him up and out of the sack to stand on his feet, shrugging off the one that patted his back.

"I hope the yetis treated you well" North said, although it sounded kind of like a half-question.

Jack smiled with what could only be described as passive aggressiveness. "Oh yeah" He kicked his staff back up into his hand, poising it against his shoulder as he stepped forward. "I love being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal" He frowned at the end of the sentence, glaring at the bearded man. He had other things to do right now, if he was held here he was gonna get killed...

North laughed and proceeded with the introductions, the Easter Bunny—who seemed more interested in his claws than in their guest-, Sandman and the Tooth Fairy. After managing to get the half-bird's finger out of his mouth, and a good amount of flailing around, Jack raised his hand, asking for silence, which was given with just the right amount of surprise from the Guardians, because, well, they expected for the spirit to let them do all the talking, was Jack already informed of the situation?

"Yeah, okay, this gathering is niiice and all but" He waved his hand around, trying to find his words. "..okay, the truth is I have no idea why you guys brought me here-"

"Been askin' the same thing" Bunny muttered from his place, still fixed on his claws, as if trying to make the whole scenario disappear.

"-I just wanted you to know" The ice spirit continued, putting emphasis in his words, glaring at the rabbit. "That I really need to get out of here, PRONTO" He looked at each guardian, trying to get the point across. "Okay? So, if any of you could be so kind to show me the nearest window, that'd be great, thank you"

Sandy nodded happily and started drifting away, but was stopped by North's hand on his shoulder. The small man huffed and went off to chase the nearest yeti carrying a tray of eggnog.

"Jack, I don't think you should leave so soon" Tooth said, flying around the teen quickly, her hands drawn to her chest. "We really need you here right now" The tiny fairies surrounding her nodded in agreement, chirping rapidly to their Queen.

"And reason is, you have been chosen!" North bellowed, once again moving his tattooed arms around ominously.

"Wha-chosen for what?!" Jack was completely lost. He had been peacefully strolling around Burgess, not causing trouble for anyone when a noise had caught his attention and he found himself herded into an alley by the Kangaroo himself, not having time to excuse himself before the pair of yetis grabbed him and sent him through the wildest loop of his 300 years. He had somewhere else to be right now and if he didn't make it...

"My friend" The jolly man said, voice grave and oddly proud. "You have been chosen by Man in the Moon himself! You, Jack Frost, are now Guardian!" He finished loudly, just as, for some reason that Jack did not want to now, hundreds of elves appeared out of absolutely nowhere, some carrying trumpets and playing them while they marched in something that had definitely been rehearsed a lot, including yetis doing some kind of thing with batons on fire and even some of the tooth fairies participating in the weirdest intent of a parade Jack had ever seen.

Jack tried to dodge whoever got too close to him, giving the eye at the elves that tried to get him to put on a pair of ridiculous blue shoes, and talking off the yeti that caught him as he walked backwards to avoid the fairies approaching with some sort of necklace resembling those people wore at Luaus. He saw another yeti marching up to North with a thick book and he knew that was it.

He raised his staff in the air and brought it down to hit the floor, right when North was about to start his speech about whatever being a guardian was. Jack didn't want any of that right now, thank you.

The elves slid away when the floor froze over, the strong winds summoned making the guardians and yetis lose their balance and stare at him in surprise.

"What makes you think I want to be a Guardian?" He asked, angry at the lack of any inquiry about his opinion in the subject.

Santa looked at him wide eyed before starting to laugh, so loud even Bunny smiled a bit before remembering who exactly was the one in front of them, his usual scowl returning. "Of course you do" The man said simply. "Music!"

"NO music!" Jack ordered as soon as the elves started playing again, causing one of them to throw his instrument and stomp off angrily. "Look guys, I really appreciate the chance and all but...truth is, I don't wanna be a guardian, I'm not material for the job"

"That's exactly what I said!" Bunny said, elbowing North meaningfully.

"Besides" Jack added. Jesus this furball never shut up. "I have to be going, like, since an hour ago. So if you could please step aside-"

"But Jack, this is important!" Tooth exclaimed, flying near him before going near the gigantic globe spinning leisurely in the middle of the room, filled with flickering lights in every continent. Uh, Jack hadn't seen that thing. "You see, each of those lights is a child"

"A child who believes" North continued, this time completely serious and with a voice slow and strangely soft. "And as guardians, it is our duty to protect them. A new menace has appeared, and it seems Manny has deemed you proper for the job"

Jack stood silent for a while before sighing deeply, running a hand down his face, looking tired all of a sudden. "I know, I know. But as I said, I really don't think I'm made for this job. And I have to leave right now or else-"

"Or what, mate, what is it so important that has you on the tip of your toes" The rabbit huffed, hopping closer to the ice spirit. "This is a serious matter, and as much as I want you to go we can't just waste all this time on you and get nothing for it, I think whatever you need to do can wait a couple of-" He was cut short when, in the middle of the room, right in front of Jack, a small ball of fire materialized from nowhere, catching everyone by surprise, everyone except Jack it seemed, who only flinched and took a step back.

The fireball unfurled and it suddenly wasn't fire anymore, but instead a small green lizard with tiny curved horns and big, flapping wings—a dragon.

The creature searched around until it found Jack, and then launched itself at him, screeching and roaring in something that Jack must have understood, if the nodding and attempts at answering said something.

"I-I know, I just—look I didn't mean to, I swear, just that this bunch kinda kidnapped me and I...what? No! Of course not, I would never skip my turn...okay, just go tell him I'll be there as soon as I can" He waved the dragon away, who in return huffed but nipped playfully at his fingers, before curling back into a flame and disappearing.

Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking at the guardians who were, for lack of a better word, dumbfounded.

Tooth had stopped flying and was tilting her head this way and that, Sandy was signing a mile a minute and North had dropped the book over his foot, not that he noticed. Bunny, who had been in front of Jack a moment ago, had leaped to the other side of the room, and was crouching with with hackles raised and fur on point.

Jack would've laughed if he wasn't in so much shit already.

"...Can I go now? As you can see, I'm already in for a whooping when I get home, I don't wanna make it any worse" He mumbled, slouching against his staff while the Big Four resumed their previous positions.

Sandy shrugged, he was fine with delaying the meeting a while, and Tooth seemed doubtful about it, but then Bunny was at it again, walking carefully back to the spot he was in previous to the dragon's appearance, as if afraid it would appear again and char his whiskers.

"Look kid, I dunno what that was but if you think a little trick is gonna get you off the issue then I-" He interrupted himself when he heard Tooth gasp and Jack's face pale even more, his eyes widening in fear at something right behind Bunny, so when something poked his furry shoulder softly, he sprang away and turned to look at whatever was behind him.

The "whatever" turned out to be a kid. A teen that looked no older than Jack, if only a bit shorter, with a face covered in freckles and a mop of auburn hair falling over his displeased green eyes. He seemed to be wearing an outfit made mostly of dry leaves and green and brown fabric. A pouch was attached to his chest with something bulking from the bag hanging in the front. And was that a metal leg...?

"Sorry for that" He said, glancing at Bunny before stepping up to Jack, and lo and behold, the tiny boy got the Winter sprite to take a few steps back. "What are you still doing here? I sent Sharpshot for you and he comes back and tells me what, that you're with a bunch of people and won't be coming?"

"Hey, I never said that!" He looked at the angry storm in front of him, then at the guardians looking the exchange in silent amazement. "They can tell you! I was just leaving, I swear!" The brunet tapped his foot against the still frozen floor around Jack, melting the ice immediately. "C'mon Hic, I-"

"Shoosh" Hiccup said, raising a finger, before turning around to face the other spirits, his expression changing from angry to a polite smile in seconds. "Sorry about intruding in your home like this. My name's Hiccup, I'm the Chief Spirit of Autumn, and this moron('Hey') had to be home a while ago now. I was just fetching him"

North blinked and suddenly clapped once, laughter erupting from his mouth. "I see! Well, this has all been misunderstanding then. You see, friend, we are having a very important meeting here, and it would be great if you could join us so we could-"

"No"

There was a beat where nobody talked after that, just Jack slightly keening could be heard.

"I'm sorry?" North asked slowly, watching at the Autumn spirit, not quite understanding.

"I said no" Hiccup simply repeated. Tooth was about to say something when she caught sight of Jack slowly shaking his head, trying to get the message across. Don't. Say. A. Word. "I am very busy with my round in the Southern Hemisphere and I need Jack to take care of things at home"

"Listen kid, I know what it is to be busy right now" Bunny said, trying to make out the spirit from what he knew about Autumn beings. "But even if I don't agree with the whole point of this meeting, Frostbite needs to be here right now and maybe even for the next few days until-"

A rustling sound cut him short, both Jack and Hiccup instantly diverting their attention to the bag now trashing in Hiccup's chest, a whine cutting through the air.

"Oh no" The brunet said, not taking his eyes off the pouch as he walked towards the nearest chair, followed swiftly by Jack who stood behind him, watching into the bag with a small smile. "No no no, shhhh, it's okay. Toothless!" He called out towards the window Jack had just opened with the wind.

A scratchy sound preceded the black mass that scrambled to get into the room, its claws scratching the outer wall trying to climb the side of the building. The dragon shook the snow off of his body and trotted to the pair, laying down harmlessly next to Hiccup, allowing Jack to crouch next to him and search for something in the bag attached to the reptile's saddle.

The guardians, having decided to just stand at a respectful distance, stared in wonder how the brunet reached into the pouch and fished out a tiny bundle, squirming and crying, to cradle it in the crook of his arm, rocking it softly when it started crying.

Jack patted Toothless' head before standing, a bottle in his hand. He handed it to Hiccup who promptly gave it to the kid in his arms, the sound of suckling the only thing heard after that.

As if noticing the sudden silence, Jack looked up and blinked a few times at the guardians, who seemed to have migrated from their spot towards them, almost entranced while looking at the kid peacefully feeding in the small spirit's arms.

Tooth was cooing at the baby, her hands in her cheeks as if trying to keep her smile at bay, while Sandy distracted him with small sand figures. North was trying to make out the whole situation silently while Bunny...

Bunny was...smiling? Looking at the kid as if all the wonders he had seen in his uncountable years as a spirit didn't compare to the little infant happily sucking away at the bottle. Jack chuckled and turned his eyes to the brunet, who was too busy with the baby to focus on anything else.

"So you need to leave, because your boyfriend has to work and you have to take care of your child, is that it?" Bunny asked for the fifth time, the little baby boy cradled carefully in his furry arms.

"Yeah, I was about to get going when you started the whole chasing thing in Burgess. An express kidnapping wasn't precisely in my plans for the night" Jack was sitting on the chair this time, the brunet on his lap watching like a hawk how the Pooka handled his son.

After little Eril had calmed down after eating his fill, he had been really curious about the place he was in and the people watching him; he had touched feathers, pulled beards, disintegrated sand figures with his chubby hands, and had lastly made grabby hands at the big rabbit that looked like one of his toys back at home.

Bunny was more than happy to oblige to holding the baby, grinding his teeth into a purr that resonated through the place and calmed the kid down while he played with the bandolier across the rabbit's chest.

Meanwhile, Jack had taken to explain exactly how the little miracle was possible; how some freaky incident with a Shadow Witch had ended in them being cursed with something they didn't know what it was, but apparently the Witch's plan had backtracked when the news of Hiccup somehow carrying a child were known. Turned out, the fact that Jack was an ice spirit and thus a 'death spirit' didn't mean he was horrified by new life, especially when coming from himself and his lover.

The witch had promptly thrown a tantrum and moved so far away into the underground not even Bunny's tunnels could reach her. Which was kind of a relief actually.

Eril gurgled and waved his arms around, but before Hiccup could stand up Bunny was letting one of his ears drop in front of the baby's face, the small hands trying to catch it. Hiccup sighed and smiled, reaching for Jack's hand when the albino planted a kiss to his temple to calm him down.

"Relax, he's fine there" Jack mumbled against his head, eye hooded from the warm atmosphere that had set into the room. Hiccup hummed and nuzzled his neck.

"I know, but it's hard to not have him on me" He said, noting how his son flashed a gummy smile at the Spring spirit when his tummy was tickled with furry fingers, claws carefully retracted. "Toothless didn't want to come with me to make my rounds until you were back to take care of him"

The dragon raised his head from where it rested on his paws, blinking lazily at his rider and his mate, yawning before standing to wobble towards the lit fireplace, getting inside to lay over the flames and burning wood. Jack chuckled and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, rocking back and forth in his place.

"Do you wanna leave now? I think you've successfully delayed this meeting" He asked, looking into the green eyes of his partner as he looked up at him, thinking about it.

"Let's...stay for a few minutes more. At least until Eril gets tired, wouldn't want him to get cranky on the way back, you couldn't handle that"

"Hey, I'm more than capable of taking care of my son's tantrums, thank you very much"

Hiccup gave a small 'Ha!' and raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. Jack pouted in response and Hiccup smiled, rolling his eyes as he patted Jack's arms to get free and stand up, followed by the albino. As soon as Jack was on his feet, Hiccup wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him softly before turning back towards Bunny, carefully taking the baby from his arms. Bunny seemed almost reluctant to let him go, and Jack would never admit how adorable that was.

"Okay, I think it's time to get going" He said, fetching his staff and caressing Eril's almost bald head, the tiniest hint of brown hair showing. "So...if you're still trying to get me to join this thing, just send me a letter, okay? I'll be kinda busy for a couple of months"

"I can help babysit" Bunny blurted out, realizing what he'd just said after a second, flinching at his own eagerness.

Hiccup laughed and patted his arm. "Thank you Aster, but Jack can manage for now" As if on cue, Eril grabbed for Jack's hoodie, pulling until he was safely enclosed in his arms, the spirit nuzzling and kissing his little head lovingly. "But we'll have it in mind"

Bunny seemed almost dejected, but nodded anyway, hopping away to give them more space now that Toothless had gotten out of the fire and was waiting for his master to hop on to go back home.

He did, as soon as the child was back in his pouch and ready to go, Jack standing aside to fly next to them. The dragon jogged to the window, closed to avoid chilling the baby, and waited for Jack to open it before purring his goodbye and waiting for Hiccup to bid his own before jumping out of the windowsill and into the night.

Jack stayed behind, going to the guardians to at least finish the meeting/kidnapping in good terms, and hey, Bunny looked happier than Jack had ever seen. He even shook his hand and everything, wow, the power of children.

With a last general wave, Jack followed his partner's steps and flew off the window, his shadow cut against the moon.

North closed the window and smiled fondly. "Da, we can wait a bit, who knows, we could earn more than one ally in the end" He said aloud, directed to the guardians standing behind him.

Aster coughed, scratching his neck. "You think the ankle-biter will come too?"

The jolly man laughed. "Old friend, we might just have to get you a kit of your own after all this is done"

Bunny huffed and crossed his arms, but smiled nonetheless.