Rise of the Guardians One-Shots pt.2

A Terrible Thing

This request is from Angie04005 , Jack's past isn't a good one and something happens that makes him reflect on it. He finds himself seeing his past in someone else...

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Jack flew over Connecticut as the snow fell softly, landing on a roof top near town hall. This wasn't a special town to him as he checked to make sure none of his snow harmed anything. It didn't take much to jump over to the tree beside the building. He sighed as he let himself enjoy his own creation as he laid on a tree branch, the night sky lit up by Manny's light.

He felt the man's eyes on him as he rested on the branch and let himself relax for a moment.

"Why are you watching me?"

"Is it so wrong for me to pop in and see how you are doing, Jackson?"

"Yes. Go check on someone else. I am fine."

"Mhm, sure you are fine. and I don't live on the moon."

Jack smiled as he heard the new found sarcasm in Manny's voice. He had been teaching the man the ways of talking like him and the others instead of the poetic and rhymes he spoke in. It was time for him to get rid of the riddles and old way of speaking. Jack was getting somewhere in his success as he kept the happiness of hearing the moon's tone and new conversation. He wondered how the others would act.

A loud bang caught his attention as he turned to see a house light turn on in an upper room. He frowned when he noticed through the window a child's room. It was past midnight according to the town hall clock, past bedtime. He took to the wind to get closer as he heard another loud noise come from the house. Was something wrong?

He got close enough to see directly into the room. A boy stood against the door as he tried to catch a breath, holding it closed. Jack wondered if someone had broken in before he felt himself go cold. Not a comforting cold from himself but a freezing in fear cold. A loud voice echoed through the cracked window, behind the door the boy was holding closed.

"Open this damn door, boy! You're gonna get what's comin' to ya!" A slurred voice echoed through the kids' room. He watched boy wince before seeming to hold the door tighter, it moving like something slammed into it. Jack took two seconds before making his decision. They weren't supposed to fully meddle in human lives but he couldn't sit by and watch.

Jack jumped to the window, pushing it open as he watched the boy notice. He could be seen but that didn't matter now. He ran over as he held the door closed too. The boy looked around early teens, maybe nine or ten. He quickly noticed the bruise forming above his eye, blood over it. Jack swallowed as the man yelled again.

"Boy, open this damn door!" It slammed as the man must be slamming his whole body weight. Jack let his hands go cold as he decided it's fate. He had to keep the door closed. The ice covered their side of the door as it spread to the floor and roof as it made a barrier. The boy beside him took deep breaths that quickly became rapid. He was going into a panic attack.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You're alright. The door won't open." Jack put his hand's on the boy's shoulders as he tried to calm him down. He wasn't prepared for the little arms to wrap around him tight as he quickly hugged back. He knew what it felt like to need a tight hug during something like this.

"What's your name?" Jack whispered as he tried to keep his voice low. The boy didn't need something loud right now as he felt the hiccups going through the boy from his crying.

"Nicky." Jack swallowed a lump down as he heard his friends name, just in a different way. A flash of Nick ran through his mind, standing above his abusive step-father's body but he quickly pushed it away. Images ran through his brain of him in this situation from his past. He shook those away, this wasn't the time for him.