Tiny Little Treasures

That is all we are

Chapter Text

The beginning is the most important part of the work.

--Plato, The Republic, 4th cent. B.C.

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When Jack woke one morning a week later the eggs were strangely quiet. Concerned, he looked them all over carefully, but they were still warm and alive. He fret for a while, but in the end let them be. There wasn't much he could do if they just didn't feel like being active in their shells. Jack left the cave, searching for more kindling for the fire. He had to light one to heat the stones for the basket before he left. There was a Guardians meeting today, and he wanted to makes sure the eggs were comfortable before he left.

As he piled small sticks in his arms, he began considering the complications he'd have to settle once the babies hatched. He couldn't keep them in that little cave forever. Maybe it'd be fine while they were infants, but once they grew up that would be a different story. He needed to find a place to live that was permanent, and would be complimentary to whatever species his babies were. Perhaps he'd find someplace mountainous, where it wouldn't be as difficult to find a better cave or build them a home from scratch. He was a skilled enough carpenter to make something happen. It wouldn't be extravagant or anything, but it would make do, and anything else they needed he could gather or ask his friends for. He was sure North had an abundance of blankets and quilts at the Pole, with all the guest rooms he boasted.

North would provide toys too, Jack knew. And if he ever needed babysitters while he did his duty he had the Guardians. Surely there would be one available if he really needed them to watch his kids? He had the strangest feeling that Sandy would be simultaneously the best and worst babysitter, with his bright sand and attitude (the guy had some serious sass) he'd be fun to play with. But at the same time Jack felt that if the kids ever got out of hand or annoying Sandy would probably just knock them out with sand and let them sleep the entire time. He wasn't sure if that was amusing or concerning to consider.

Tooth had her palace, and the fairies were responsible. There were enough around that someone would always have their eye on the kids, even if Tooth herself couldn't. And the palace was big enough that the kids would have room to run around and play. Tooth herself was a sweetheart and would adore them, he just knew it.

North as a babysitter seemed weird and a bit scary. The yeti were responsible, but the elves were always getting into things they shouldn't anyway. And he'd seen the number of weapons North left lying around; that certainly wasn't a safe environment for five tiny kids. Everyone always seemed so busy there, too. It would be easy to lose track of one small child in a sea of toys and giant yeti people. So, it seemed North would be most often regulated to visits where Jack was present to make sure nothing bad happened.

Bunny seemed like he'd be the best bet for a babysitter. He had the energy for it, and the Warren was a beautiful, safe place. Plenty of room for his babies to play in soft grass or flit between trees (if they flew, that is). The sentinels were always on guard and would watch out for them, too, but Jack had a feeling Bunny was the kind of person who would watch over kids with an eagle eye. What few dangers that might present themselves in the Warren were minor. The river of coloring wasn't very deep, and was in a completely different section of the Warren than Bunny's personal cottage.

Jack finished his task, his musings coming to an end as he made his way back to the cave. Besides, he should be worrying more about what sort of food he'd need once they were born. He could always talk some baby formula out of Cupcake and Jamie if he needed to, but he wouldn't know for sure until they came out of their shell.

Jack set the kindling down and approached the nest. He paused as he heard a tiny tapping sound. Coming closer, he looked over the eggs. It was coming from the egg with the sky blue base color, with a big pink starburst on the top and bottom, and a white stripe through the middle. He picked it up, and listened carefully. Sharp little taps hit the shell from the inside, and Jack gasped.