Tadaa! I made a one-shot since this had been bothering me for a long time and I have been itching to make this!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own ROTG!

"We've gotta help Sandy!"

Jack exclaimed as he saw the guardian of dreams struggle to purify the black cloud of sand that surrounded him. He whips his target as quickly as he could, but there were too many. Unfortunately, he was too busy to notice Pitch appear behind him. The King of Nightmares watched the little man struggle with sickening pleasure.

"HIYAH!" North steered the sleigh towards their friend's direction.

Jack gripped his staff in anxiety. The sleigh was fast, but not fast enough. The nightmares were not making things easier either.

He flipped his staff before swinging it like a baseball bat towards a nightmare that suddenly charged at him. He looked back at Sandy and his eyes went wide as he saw Pitch point a dark sand, shaped like an arrow behind Sandy.

Without even thinking things through, he quickly flew towards Sandy.

"Jack!" North called out.

He dodged the nightmares heading his way, knowing the guardians could take care of it. It was a selfish thought. Probably unfitting for a guardian. He always knew he wasn't meant to be a guardian. Not because he hated how busy they always were and how boring their jobs seemed, but that because…

…he was afraid to fail the guardians themselves.

And now, he knew he was about to do just that.

For he was about to do something crazy… and selfish.

Pitch remained silent as he let the arrow go and zoom towards the golden man with the speed of a bunny. His gold eyes widen in anticipation, but soon that anticipation was replaced with shock at what had happened next.

"NOOO!"

A blur of blue blocked his target and much to his dismay, he hits the wrong spirit.

Jack gasps as the arrow hit him right at the chest before exploding into black sand, then into nothing. Hot searing pain, however, bloomed at where he was hit and before he knew it he was plummeting down towards the far ground.

Sandy, meanwhile, could only watch with wide horrified eyes at the falling figure. He would've called out the other's name, if he could. He had heard the boy's scream, and just as he turned around in alert, he was met with a horrifying sight of a black arrow hitting the winter sprite. His horror only grew as he realized that that arrow… was meant for him.

Jack had just protected him…

He protected him…

"JACK!" North's voice was louder than the deafening screech of the nightmares. The jolly man looked like he was about to jump, fortunately Bunny was there to stop him from doing so.

Tooth was immediately in action as she zipped past the nightmares towards the falling boy, "Jack!"

"Oh dear, seems like I hit the wrong target…"

Sandy seemed to have forgotten about the danger he was in, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to care as he turned to face Pitch with anger. Sandy may look as jolly as North, and as caring as Tooth… but he was as hot-headed as a certain kangaroo.

He willed his whips to grow longer before lashing one of them towards the Nightmare King. He summoned all of his sand to overcome the dark cloud that surrounded him and no sooner was he able to turn the dark sand back to its beautiful golden form.

Pitch dodged the oncoming whips as quickly as he could, but he was immediately caught by the wrist.

"AH!" And before he could even summon a bunch of nightmares to help him, he was pulled towards the little man with unimaginable strength.

Dull golden eyes met with golden brown ones. Somehow, Pitch still managed to speak with a calm and taunting voice, "Oh don't blame me for what had happened. I clearly wasn't targeting the boy. It was his fault for getting in my way."

Sandy gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed in a dangerous way. The Guardian of Dreams balled his fist and before the Nightmare King could react, a powerful blow was sent towards his face and Sandy lets the boogeyman go, letting him fall from the sudden lost of support.

He listened as Pitch screamed in surprise and pain, before turning back to his other friends.

"We need to get to Frostbite!" Bunny yelled as the nightmares finally disappeared to rejoin their master.

North turned to Sandy with relief and worry, "You okay, Sandy?"

The anger he felt was now drained and Sandy's eyebrows were knitted together in guilt as he shook his head. It was obvious he was not okay. Jack… the poor boy… he got hit! Because of him!

He didn't know the boy well, but he knew him well enough as a mere child seeking for attention and fun. And he had never given that to the boy which made him feel guiltier for what Jack had done for him. He didn't deserve the protection he was given, so how come?

"Tooth's with him… let's go." North said.

Sandy did not wait for North and Bunny as he quickly made his way towards where Jack and Tooth were. He was afraid that the Nightmare King would be back for more. After all, a single punch was not enough to keep him down, but Sandy made sure to put some dream sand with it to at least knock him out.

He soon found himself descending towards a frozen lake, and there he saw Tooth kneeling down, with Jack lying on her lap and baby tooth sitting on his shoulder, chirping softly. The tooth fairy looked up at him and forced a smile. She was about to speak, only to be beaten by the winter sprite, "G-good to see… you… okay, li-little man…"

Sandy looked down in guilt. He couldn't bring himself to look at the other, but his intentions were immediately betrayed at the silent chuckle that made him look up in surprise.

"Don't…don't give me that look…" Jack smiled softly, "I'll be… I'll be just fine…"

Sandy looked at the other in disbelief and slowly he felt his frustrations build up but the only thing he could do was give the winter spirit a skeptical look with a question mark hovering just above him.

Jack looked like he was ready to answer, but Tooth beat him to it. She gently puts a hand over the teen's mouth before setting it on his head. Amethyst eyes turned to Sandy and she spoke, "The arrow was meant for you, not for Jack." She did not need to remind Sandy that, "So the outcome it was supposed to bring doesn't really affect Jack as much as it would've affected you."

Jack coughed making baby tooth chirp in worry.

Sandy looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Tooth could only cringe, "He kept insisting that he wasn't being affected by it that much. He'll start complaining if I tell you otherwise."

Sandy sighed as he shook his head. He turned back to Jack and his frowned deepened. The winter sprite looked like he was struggling to breathe and it seemed like he was trying to soothe an unknown pain on his chest as he kept clutching it.

"The arrow was meant to corrupt your sand." Tooth continued as she runs her hand through the white locks, trying to help soothe the boy, "But it hit Jack instead. But since he's not sand, he's only… only feeling the pain of the corruptness." Tooth shut her eyes tightly and the tears she had been holding back leaked out, "Oh Jack…"

"I'll be fine…" Jack spoke, his voice sounding a bit soft and weak and yet stubborn, "Had to protect Sandy… children… needs him… and all the other guardians.."

"Jack!" They didn't even hear the sleigh land as their attention was solely on the boy. Tooth looked up to see Bunny and North running towards them, but Sandy kept staring at the boy with pursed lips and clenched fists.

"How is he?" Bunny hopped next to them, his pooka instincts ruling over him as he leaned close to the winter sprite to sniff on the boy's face. Jack tried to hold back a chuckle, "K-Kangaroo… it t-tickles…"

Emerald eyes soften as Bunny backs up a bit, "Glad to see you're alive, mate…"

"Don't even joke about it." Tooth scolded.

North knelt beside Jack and put a hand on the winter sprite's head, almost like what a father would do to his son, "Where does it hurt?" He apparently did not need to ask if he were okay, because judging by his look. He wasn't.

Jack winced a bit before answering, "Chest."

Sandy squeezed his eyes shut and he let his head drop. He had failed Jack. He shouldn't have been so careless. Now Jack had to deal with the consequences he wasn't supposed to face. Why did he even protect him? What did he do to deserve it? He knew the isolation Jack had to face for 300 years and he had never done anything about it. So… how come?

Jack didn't deserve the pain he was facing right now.

Never did he ever deserve any pain at all.

A hand on his clenched fist made him look up. The first thing he saw was Jack smirking at him, "I saw what you did to Pitch up there… remind me to never ever mess with you."

The Guardian of dreams' eyebrows crinkled together and his lower lip trembled, and before Jack knew it, Sandy stepped closer to him and buried himself with a hug. The winter sprite was a bit surprise at the sudden affection but smiled either way. He let Sandy bury his head on his chest, which surprisingly didn't ache.

The three other guardians exchanged looks before smiling softly.

However Baby tooth's chirping made them turn back to the two immediately. All eyes widen as they saw a bit of a golden glow coming from Jack.

The winter sprite's eyes were wide as well as he noticed the glowing, he unwrapped his arms from the sandman and watch in fascination as golden sand started surrounding him.

"The sand!" North exclaimed.

Sandy had pulled away from the hug to see what was happening and was surprised to see the golden sand as well. He soon found it strange for he did not summon them… then it clicked.

These were the dark sand that was corrupting him. He must've turned them back from their original form when he touched Jack. Just like when his whips would touch the nightmares.

Slowly, Jack pushes himself up and to the winter sprite's surprise, firm hands tried to help him and he looked up to see the guardians smiling at him. He turned to Sandy who had the biggest smile of them all. The said guardian floated a bit before holding out a hand. Jack laughed and accepted the hand letting him pull him up.

"See? I told you I'll be fine." Jack grinned, his eyes trailing away from the slowly vanishing sand to the guardian.

Sandy sighed with a smile and hugged the other once more. He had so many things he wanted to tell the boy, and yet… his sand has yet the ability to let them realize what he truly wants to say.

But hopefully, this warm and gentle gesture spoke those messages he wants to relay on the boy. Just like how he wished the punch he had delivered to Pitch made the Nightmare King understand what his message was.

Jack returned the hug and Sandy knew Jack does not need to know the unspoken words. What matters now is that their soon to be guardian is okay and hopefully, after all these chaos is over, Jack would someday realize he was just as important as they were, and that if he were threatened with an arrow as well -all of them would all be willing to follow his example.

Can't say I tried? xD