Jack was quiet on the way back to the Pole, as was Krampus.
Krampus was hustled off immediately, still surrounded and held tight by yeti. He was also still quiet, as if shocked by the turn events had taken.
The Guardians themselves were bundled off by the yeti much more gently, and all five soon found themselves in one of the deeper family rooms, piled into blankets and with mugs of hot chocolate or cider.
It was a little warm for Jack, but he relished it anyway. Warmth was still something to cherish after so long outside in the cold.
They were all quiet, soaking in the warmth and easing aches from the cold and the kidnapping and the fight that hadn't registered until now.
The silence slowly turned from comforting to oppressive, and the four older Guardians glanced at each other, not sure what to say or who should speak first.
Bunny finally spoke, asking, "First kill, Jackie?" gently, and Jack nodded, still mute, hunched into his blankets and gripping his cups with a white knuckled grip, as if what he'd done was finally catching up with him. "Ah, c'mere." He opened his blankets, inviting Jack to cuddle up against him.
To their mild surprise, Jack took the invitation. It was still a bit of a surprise when Jack accepted physical comfort – though he did take his blanket to keep his chill away from Bunny, despite being almost room temperature by now.
"I've been challenged before," Jack said softly once they were settled again. "But it never ended like that."
"Yer luckier than most," Bunny said quietly. "It's been a long time since anyone tried fighten' one of us, 'cept fer a couple 'o others a long time ago, and Pitch, but I'd heard about how hard some spirits'll fight fer power."
Jack looked up at Bunny though his bangs, pulling his blanket a little tighter. "So...I'm not getting kicked out of the Guardians for it?" he asked.
The chorus of denials that met his question, small as it was, outraged and indignant and protesting as they were, eased Jack's posture, and he leaned more heavily against Bunny.
"Well, there's that worry taken care of," he muttered into Bunny's fur. Bunny ran a hand over Jack's hair, dislodging bits of ice that had stayed from the fight and had yet to melt before squeezing him tighter. "I mean, there's a lot more, but..."
"We got ya, ain't gettin' rid of us that easy."
It took Jack a bit of time to come to terms with what he'd done.
Or to be more precise, to come to terms with how little guilt he felt at times over it. He felt guilt for taking a life, regret for what he'd done, finding himself staring off into space and replaying that moment over and over and wondering what he could have done differently, but he couldn't regret saving his family. He'd known General Winter for a long time, had gone up against him more than once, had heard the stories and had the close calls and knew what the General would have done if he'd had more time.
If he'd gotten to the Guardians.
It lessened the guilt, made it more bearable. And sticking close to the Guardians helped even more.
Maybe he was being a little clingy. Maybe he was still all churned up about just what he was feeling for the Guardians and trying to work his way through that.
