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Chapter Text

Ever since he became a guardian Jack had been feeling better. Really he had. He has a new friend, a group of believers and he would even dare to call the other guardians family. It’s just that sometimes his mind will drift back to those three hundred years.

All those years of just wanting to be acknowledged. To just be seen. He would rather have people be mad at him then the ignoring. So he started playing pranks. Every single one bigger and more attention capturing then the last. But no one ever came by just for him. No one saw the vulnerability. The times he helped the children in ways even the guardians didn’t. The times he just wanted to end it all. The times he…. No he wouldn’t go back to that dark place.

Sometimes Jack wonders why the other spirits either ignored him or straight up hated him. Except for Sandy. Sandy was there, even though he is the busiest guardian of e them all. Sandy would just sit on a rooftop with him. Give him the comfort of having someone to listen to him. It was never for very long, half an hour at most. But it helped. It helped Jack out of those dark places in his mind.

And there was the Wind of course. He was there when Jack first came out of the ice. When he was trying to figure everything out. He always guided Jack to wherever he needed to be or away from where he shouldn’t be. The wind got Jack to children he could help. Places that could use a snow day with an amazing snowball fight. Or he would carry Jack away from the places filled with too much sorrow and danger. The deceased, the battlefields, the dark places in the real world.

Chapter Text

Jack has been hanging out with Jamie a lot ever since Pitch got locked away again. They did all sorts of things. Playing games, snowball fights, making art, hanging out with everybody from that night. Sometimes Jack would help Jamie out with his homework. Jack had begun to see Jamie as his little brother. One thing Jack was grateful for was that Jamie and him never ate something when they were together.

“Hey Jack, you want a bowl of ice cream,” Jamie called from the kitchen. Oh, Jack so jinxed it. “I- No, I’m not very hungry.” Jack stammered. “It’s not about being hungry. It’s not dinner. It’s ice cream, a desert and a snack. It’s just perfect. And it’s perfect for you. It’s cold and fun.” Jack didn’t know what to say back to that without telling Jamie things he’d rather not have the young boy know.

Jack had regrets that he accepted the bowl about five bites in. And they weren’t even nearly as big as the overloaded scoops Jamie had. But Jack was so not about to say anything to Jamie about his growing stomach ache. “I’ll search something on the TV,” Jamie said after finishing his first giant scoop of ice cream. Jamie scrolled through the channels before finally deciding on a cartoon.

After a little while Jack really couldn’t get another bite of the, by now molten, ice cream through his throat. He wasn’t even close to finishing. Jamie had long since finished by now. Jack tried another bite just as his stomach decided that, no, Jack would not get another bite of ice cream. Jack dropped the spoon and quickly ran into the kitchen sink, as he would not make it to the bathroom, and promptly threw everything up.

-:)-
Jamie immediately shot up as Jack rushed into the kitchen. He full on sprinted when he heard Jack retching. A lot went through his mind. Is Jack okay? What is going on? Is Jack okay? Is he having an allergic reaction? IS JACK OKAY?! As he skirted into the kitchen he saw Jack puking into the kitchen sink. “Jack! Are you okay!” He only got a mumble in reaction. “What happened?” Jamie asked in the softest voice he could muster up. The whisper that came out of Jack’s mouth was so soft that Jamie couldn’t even hear it standing right next to him. “Could you say that a bit louder, Jack?” “I ate too much.” “Why didn’t you stop earlier, sure you could feel something was up, right?” Jamie heard a soft sob and saw tears streaming down Jack’s face. It shattered him to see his brother figure like this. “I didn’t want to disappoint you, you seemed so happy and made the bowl for me,” Jack responded. Jamie answered: “That doesn’t mean you have to push through. I just thought you might have been a bit hungry since we had been hanging out for a while now and we didn’t eat anything. I just thought that if North ate a lot, you might need to eat too. I didn’t realize you didn’t want it. I’m sorry.” “’s not your fault.” Even thought they didn’t stream down his face anymore Jamie still saw the tears standing in Jack’s eyes.

“it’s because of my past,” Jack suddenly said softly. Jamie had no idea what that meant. “What do you mean by that?” ”I used to not eat a lot when I was human. We never had that much food. Then as I became a spirit I didn’t have anything. What I had I decided to give away to children who needed it more. I was a spirit, I wouldn’t die without food. So I never ate. And now my stomach can’t really handle it” “Jack you still needed to eat!” Jamie screamed out before he really noticed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scream,” Jamie said to the sprite as he flinched at the scream. “If you ever need to talk to anybody I’m here, okay?” Jamie asked. He got a small smile and thanks back. Then he decided to just go for it. He hugged Jack, tight. He felt Jack tense shortly before returning the hug. “Jack, you’re like my brother. I will take care of you.” He felt Jack stiffen before a soft reply got whispered into his ear, “And you’re my brother.” They stayed like that for a little while until they had to clean up to be done in time for Jamie’s mum to come home. After that Jamie got a quick hug before his hair got completely messed up by a certain spirit who then flew out the door.

-:)-

Jamie certainly had a lot on his mind that night. But one thing was certain. He would help his brother, always. Jack had helped him so many times. No it was time to return the favor.

Chapter Text

When Jamie next saw Jack it was Saturday the week after the confrontation. Jack looked really nervous. Like Jamie was about to do something he wouldn’t like. Jami wasn’t dumb, he knew Jack was scared because he knew his biggest secret. He gets it really, he just hopes Jack is willing to talk about it to someone. Not even necessarily him. The silence was killing him.

“Jack, can you help me with my homework?” “Sure, what subject.” “English, we need to learn the English literary history. It’s super boring,” Jamie answered. “Some things are, but there certainly are a lot of interesting things to,” the sprite replied.

-:)-

After about one and a half hour Jamie seemed to get everything he didn’t before so Jack decided it was time for a break. “You wanna do anything?” The winter spirit asked. Jamie seemed to think for a while before answering “We could play a game if you’d like?”. “Such as…?” “Maybe Life?” answered the younger child. “I have never heard of that. How does it work?” Came the reply. After a shocked gasp and an explanation they started an hour long game and had lot’s of fun.

-:)-

Jack would admit that hanging out with Jamie had been a whole lot of fun. Even though he was continuously scared for the other shoe to drop. That Jamie would ask him about what happened last week. But it didn’t come. After over two and a half hours of nothing going in that direction Jack released that Jamie would let him have some piece. Not really confronting him about it. Jamie had offered Jack some small snacks, of which he only ate about five small bites before filling full, but he never pressured him into eating more than what he wanted. Which was really nice. Jamie was just like that. Really nice. But smart too. He seemed to get that he shouldn’t push over Jack’s boundaries, even if just in worry. If he hadn’t already sworn it before, Jac would sear right then and then that he would put his life on the line to protect Jamie.

As the chaotic, but fun, game of Life ended and they cleaned everything up a car drove onto the driveway. “Jamie I have to go. Your mom is back,” Jack said. Jamie almost pouted at that before running into Jacks open arms for a last hug. “See you tomorrow, little Forst flower,” the sprite whispered before jumping out of the opened bedroom window and flying off. The wind carried a soft ‘See you’ before Jack fully disappeared into the setting sun.

Chapter Text

The guardians truly acted like a family to Jack. Who fulfilled what role, he hadn’t figured out yet. But they were family non the less. And with family came parties. Parties full of other spirits he didn’t know, didn’t like or were surrounded by too many people for Jack’s taste. And there was an overwhelming amount of food everywhere.

So when Jack got the invite to one of North’s parties he decided to go. He may not really like the party, but he wanted to see the spirits he liked. His newfound family was important to him. Because he needed them. They helped him. Once he was truly a guardian he met with them way more often. He thought the guardians met every now and then, but his often. That was not something he expected. That doesn't mean he was ungrateful. He really enjoyed the time they spent together. The playful bickering between Bunny and North. The chaotic interventions from Sandy.

The party was already in full swing when Jack arrived. And he wasn’t even late. They must have really been exited. Jack said hello to some spirits, he even met a few new ones. He genuinely did have fun. And he was going to see Jamie again tomorrow. That made him feel really happy. They were gonna have so much fun. The whole Sunday together with the children from Burgess.

-:)-

Sanderson Mansnoozie had always been good at observing. Since he couldn’t talk he had to be really expressive with his body language and sand pictures. But just because he was very extravagant didn’t mean that he doesn’t pick up on the smaller signs. The guardians have gotten much closer ever since Jack joined them. Hanging out more often. He really enjoyed the time they spent together as a little found family. He saw everybody having fun during their little hang-outs.

But he also realized that Jack still was rather shy and reserved at times. Sure he could be loud. But he was hiding pain. You could see it in his eyes. There were times when he looked close to tears from happiness when was just acknowledged. Or the way he looked really hurt by some small comments. He should have done more for the boy. He feels so much regret that he didn’t give him some companionship earlier on.

Sandy was really happy to see that Jack came to North’s party. He talked a bit and hung around a bit. But about an hour or two after seeing Jack arrive he realized he didn’t see the teen anymore. He had just seen him so he couldn’t have gone far. So Sandy sent out on a search for the winter spirit. He found him not too much later. The teen had his hood up and was sat on a windowsill a little bit away from the party, but he still kept everything in his sight. Like always.

Sandy decided to just give Jack the comfort of his presence. He joined the windowsill quietly. “Hey Sandy,” The spirit said before he had even sat down. The Sandman replied with a little waving hand above his head.

The two just sat there for a little while every now and then they had a little conversation, but they mainly observed the other spirits. Sandy was just happy that Jack felt save enough to take his hood down. Which he realized only happened when the teen felt safe. He was happy to be a safe haven for the kid. After about an hour of the two guardians sitting together the dream giver had to leave for his job. Just as he was about to do so after signing it to Jack he decided to ask him one thing.

-:)-

Jack was surprised when Sandy came to sit with him. He was even more surprised when his fellow guardian stayed with him for over an hour. Just imagine how blown his mind was when Sandy signed to him if he wanted to come with him while he was bringing dreams. “I would love to, but I have to be in Burgess at 10 this morning." He got a thumbs up a plane with dreamsand whips and then a little Jack jumping of to a little Jamie. “Are you saying you can drop me of after?” Jack asked. He was a little hopeful, because if that was what Sandy asked, he would be delighted by that option. When he got an enthusiastic nod back from the Sandman he quickly agreed to join him.

Jack played around with dreams, had fun conversations with Sandy and spread snow and made super thick ice-skating lakes ethe whole night long. He was happy he wasn’t alone and he had a lot of fun. After a whole night of fun Sandy dropped him of in Burgess and went on while Jack made it a beautiful winter town. Even if it was a bit early in the year.

Chapter Text

Jack was really excited to spend the whole of Sunday with the children from Burgess. His first believers. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe it. He had believers. Even before the clock read 9:50 they were all gathered around the lake. The children looked so happy to see him and the snowy village.

“Jack!” “Hey Jamie! Hey everyone!” “Isn’t it early for snow?” asked Monty. “Nah, it’s alright. Now I can do this,” Jack said as he threw a snowball at the kid who looked stunned before bursting out in laughter.

-:)-

Jamie doesn’t think anything can ruin his day. He was with his friends, his little sister and big brother! They had the whole Sunday together. There was laughter, snow and fun all around. Jack made beautiful ice crystals on the lake before they all went skating on it. Soon the sun started going down and everybody had to leave. Me and Sophie were the last to leave and the lights had already sprung on so Jack walked us home.

“Can’t you stay with us tonight, Jack?” Sophie asked. “I can’t, I have to go around spreading snow.” My brother said with a smile. Sophie didn’t like that answer apparently as she just asked if he could come afterwards. “I’ll see if I can make some time Soph.” he said with a soft smile.

-:)-

Jamie was really happy when the guardian knocked on his window that evening. He immediately rushed to open the window with Sophie right on his tail. “Jack, you’re just in time. We were about to start a game of life, wanna join us?” Jamie asked. “Sure, should be fun,” answered the guardian. After a very intense game with Jack as the winner Sophie and Jamie brushed their teeth and hugged their mum goodnight while Jack had apparently cleaned up the game.

The three climbed into bed with Jack telling stories and bringing them to life with some floating ice figures. Sophie fell asleep rather early. Jamie talked a bit with Jack after that before he felt his eyes slipping shut, the last thing he saw a soft smile on his brother’s face.

-:)-

Jamie needed to pee, so bad. He rushed into the bathroom barely avoiding running into the door, twice. Once he came back to his room he smiled as he saw that Jack was still there and asleep. Jamie noted that he really must have been comfy then, he doesn’t let down his guard otherwise. He was happy that his brother trusted them enough to be so vulnerable. He snorted once he noticed the state Sophie was in. Her head hanging of the bed and her pillow on the ground, but her plushy still firmly in her grasp.

Jamie put Sophie properly on the bed before deciding that Jack’s shepherds staff probably shouldn’t be somewhere away from Sophie and her weird sleeping habits. He put the staff against the window and joined his siblings under the blankets. He snuggled a bit closer to Jack, even though the spirit was cold to the tough, he was comforting.

Then he saw it. His mind went blank. He didn’t know how long he was staring at the ceiling for before falling into a restless sleep. He would never forget this. But he would do everything in his reach and beyond to make it better.

Chapter Text

Jamie had been stressed out with the thought of having to confront Jack about his scars. He decided to do it on the next Sunday. You see, every other week all the believing children of Burgess would hang out with Jack. But the other weeks it was just Jack and Jamie, except for the few times Sophie joined in. But she wouldn’t next Sunday, as she and Bunny already scheduled an get-together for egg painting and a princess tea party, as they did once a month. Mom would be out working, as she did most Sundays. So next week Sunday would be the perfect time to confront Jack without interruptions.

Now Jamie needed a plan. He couldn’t just walk up to his brother and say ‘Hey Jack, I saw your self-harm scars, want to talk about it?’. Jamie may be a child, but he was not that tactless. No, he needed Jack to be comfortable. But he needed to have some time left to actually talk him to. So maybe an hour into their hang-out. Yeah, that sounded good. So that’s the time. But the rest of the plan.

To get Jack comfortable and to lessen the chances of escape Jamie decided on watching a movie. He and Jack started watching Harry Potter, as Jack was a big fan of the books, but never really got to see the films. So Jamie put everything in position. He made the living room dark except for the LED-strip on top of the cabinets and put a few snacks in small bit-sized pieces on top of the table he put in the disk for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and put a few extra blankets and pillows on the couch. About two minutes after he was done Jack nocked on the window to the backyard.

“Jack, you’re here. Hey!” Jamie screamed out as was picked up into a hug by his brother. “Hey Little Snowflake, I see you already set up everything.” “Yup.” “Good job, Jamie.” Jamie lit up at the compliment, however small it may be.

-:)-

Jack was really excited for the hang-out with Jamie today. But he did have a bit feeling. It was making its way through his stomach and churning uncomfortably. But!, Jack decided to ignore it, as per usual.

He should not have done that, he is regretting that a lot right now as the Jamie’s question echoed through his head, “Jack, are you really okay?”, why did he ask that, why did he ask that so seriously. It was the same tone his mother had used when he was hiding his grief over losing his father when he was still human. The sprite answered as quickly as possible with a “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be.” The winter spirit saw his little brother think for a second before he let out a sigh and shattered Jack’s hopes of getting away scot-free. “Because you have a certain type of scars no one should have, especially not a spirit with healing powers.” No, no, no, No, No, NO, NO, NO! Jamie did not know. Jamie would never know. “I don’t have scars.” Even Jack heard how fake that sounded. “I saw them, don’t lie to me, Jack,” Jamie said that with such a soft voice. Jack didn’t even notice the tears welling up in his eyes until the tears ran down his face freely.

-:)-

Jamie was scared when he saw Jack burst into tears after his confession. When Jack had asked for how long he knew he answered honestly that he had only known for a week. After a little while of Jamie comforting his big brother he calmed down. They talked about it for a while, after a while of Jamie trying to get Jack to answer that is. Apparently Jack hadn’t known what to do with himself after nobody could see him for decades. He started feeling sadness only. The pain was his way to fantasize over having somebody. Somebody he would get hurt for. It broke Jamie’s heart.

Chapter Text

Jack flew over Northern Europe, freezing lakes and covering everything with a thick layer of fluffy snow. He made frost flowers and other little patterns on the windows of houses he flew by. He went wherever the wind took him. It was a bit cloudy, but not to much too obstruct the stars from view. Nor the sleepsand that came flying in right at that moment.

As Jack went to touch the sand, as per usual, the Sandman came into his vision. The little man saw him and brightened up. “Hey Sandy.” The elder guardian responded with a enthusiastic wave. “That time already.”, wondered the winter spirit out loud to which he got another nod.

-:)-

Sandy was glad to see Jack. He always found it fun to see the teenager. The kid could get lonely throughout the school week. While Jack’s believing was growing, it still wasn’t big. So Jack really values his believers more than any other guardian or spirit. He was rather protective. He once froze Bunny in place when he suddenly popped out of the ground when Jack was with his believers. While they all, except Bunny, had a laugh about it, it showed just how protective Jack was over his believers. Which on itself is fine, but Jack is immortal. The kids are not…

Sandy had already made it a goal a long time ago, but tonight he renewed his vigor. He was going to get Jack more believers. After Jack said goodbye and Sandy waved him as the teen went of with the Wind Sandy spread out his sand. His sand was pretty self-sufficient, he just liked seeing the children happy. Sandy had a goal in mind and determinedly flew in his sand jet.

-:)-

To say Sandy scared North when he suddenly entered his office would be an understatement. He almost threw his chair at the little man before he realized who he was. That didn’t mean he was less tense though. The guardian of sleep didn’t really have a reason to be at the North pole. There was no team meeting (as they had taken to calling the hangouts they instated since Jack joined), nor had North called out an emergency.

“Sandy, what are you doing here? You know it is my busy season, almost Christmas.”, North decided to just ask. There came a series of pictures representing Jack, the children of Burgess, Jack again and some other things. “Jack and the children…. I don’t get it.” After the Sandman repeated it again, but slower and more extravagant, it hit North. “Jack needs more believers. He only has a handful, more believers would be better?” Sandy replied with a nod. “Ah, we should call the other guardians to see if they have any ideas.”

-:)-

As the eldest four guardians gathered around the table as Phil gave each of them a cup of tea as Toothiana had banned hot chocolate with meetings. Which, in Phil’s opinion, was outrageous. Hot chocolate is amazing and the tooth fairy shouldn’t worry that much, as long as they all just properly brush their teeth afterwards. Phil wondered where the youngest guardian was. He was really worried. While troublesome, as expected of teenagers, he was a good kid. At least when he was causing trouble he was okay. Now Phil didn’t have that confirmation.

“What’s this about? Where is Jack? Is he hurt? Is that why we’re here?”, the tooth fairy fired her questions at North. Phil was grateful though, as now his questions would be answered too. “He is fine Tooth. There was just a problem that we felt like would be insensitive to let him help with.”, North answered. Phil almost sighed of relief at the confirmation that the youngest guardian was fine. North continued “Jack has very little believers, Sandy and I felt as though we should do something about it.”

The yeti almost jumped in both shock and happiness at that. Shocked that they were going to be doing something about that and happy because now Jack would surely get more believers and that would raise the spirit’s power, which would help keep him safe. Also he is glad that Sandy had enough sense to not have Jack at this meeting. Now he knows what the gesturing of no and Jack was about earlier before they went and got the other guardians.

-:)-

Toothiana was very worried in the beginning of the meeting. Some of the tenseness left her body as the reason for the meeting was brought up. Though she was still a bit tense, she had to admit. Jack’s low amount of followers could be dangerous. She hated to admit it, but if any of those kids died, that would break Jack. With almost no other believers to rely on, that could get really ugly really quickly.

Toothiana was surprised it was Bunny who came up with a solution in the end. A good one at that. “What if we spread around his story more. It’s almost Christmas. We could give children who like to read a book and children that like films a film. Just about this bringer of snow days and ice-skating. Focus on Jack as an individual. Let him bring the fun of winter.” The easter spirit said, after which he replied to himself. “I can’t believe I just said the fun of winter.” The tooth fairy almost laughed at his antics. But it could work. Children that hear of Jack are likely to tell the story to their friends. Who will tell it to their friends. Eventually there will be enough kids for Jack to at least reach a few true believers.

After they decided that this Christmas was in theme of Jack, (sorry North, but it’s the truth) they got started with a plan. Bunny would stay at the North pole to help out with creating an appropriate story, as it was not his busy season while Tooth and Sandy would hop in every now and then. If they had time, that is.

Chapter Text

Christmas was approaching quickly. North got busier each year, as every year there are more children than the last and the toy industry invents something new which every child wanted, of course. It may tire him, but North did it with love. The children get really happy and believe in him. So the production of stories about Jack Frost would seem like something that would really pile his workload sky-high, while in actuality it lightened it. He didn’t have to make up nor make a lot of it. And it held the elves busy so the yetis could all work on toys instead of elf cleanup.

So what did Nort do with the extra time? More work of course. A little party for just the guardians, as they recently already had an all spirit party and New Year was also around the corner. So a get together for the guardians. And of course the elves and yetis. They have worked hard all this time too. So any free time was spent making a prefect, cozy party. North got games and films and a new couch (we don’t talk about what happened to the old couch) and bedsheets for the guestrooms and even some toothbrushes to make Tooth happy. So all in all it was going to be amazing. It would be the day after Christmas, as they would all be free then. The meeting for that day was not really going to be productive with North having worked all night and Jack spending the last day at the Bennet’s.

-:)-

While he knew that Jack didn’t really see improvement, Jamie knew Jack was making leaps in his recovery. Every time he came over he at least ate something. He even started eating things with actual flavor. Though his diet still mainly consisted out of turkey sandwiches and cucumber, there was improvement. Every now and then Jack would eat a carrot stick, ad cheese on his sandwiches or even drink some milk on the side.

There was even an improvement on Jack’s mental state. The scars on his wrists started healing a bit better. With his magical spirit healing they might fade completely someday. Jamie saw that Jack looked less tired and his eyes twinkled more often. Even when he was not pulling pranks. It was still far from being perfect, but Jamie would help Jack get trough this. Even if it was the last thing he did.

-:)-

To say that writing a story was hard work was a understatement. Aster gained a lot of respect for writers over the past few days. Especially if it has to be a bit realistic. The children needed to believe Jack was real after all. He wanted to put some things in, but Jack dying was not really child friendly, so he altered that. Just like a lot of other things. But Aster did it for his fellow guardians. No, Jack had not started growing on him. What are you talking about?

Even though he whined a lot about it, Aster thought the stories were coming along nicely. Hard work pays off. And he could hold it above North’s head that he came up with this amazing idea and story to help Jack. Because it would work. It had to work.

With determination shimmering in his eyes Aster got back to work. He did stop after five minutes ton grab a snack though. Some carrot sticks make everything better. There were even some little eggs snuggling up to him. They always gave him a sense of comfort. He vigorously got to work.

-:)-

Sanderson knew that Aster was working as hard as he could on the stories about Jack. And he truly did trust him on this. After all the Easter bunny liked the kid, no matter how much he pretended he didn’t. It’s just that every little bit would help Jack. So he could just not help it to include Jack in some dreams he gave. A little bit of Jack Frost here, a little bit of Jack Frost there. It would only help to get the children to believe in the sprite.

Sanderson also knew that he the winter spirit wouldn’t like what he did, both things, if he found out. So Sanderson vowed to never let the child know. It’s just that he could not help himself. Apart from slipping Jack into children’s dreams he could not help himself from putting Jack to sleep sometimes either. The kid just looked so exhausted sometimes. So if he found Jack trying to stay awake late at night he would hit him in the back with some dreamsand. The little amount needed to get the young spirit to sleep every time spoke about how tires he truly was. Every single time he would only need the same amount as an baby duck. Which is to say, very little. So Sanderson would keep on doing it until the kid looked less tired.

Chapter Text

Christmas was fast approaching. It was only two nights away! Jamie was super excited. After the celebrations with his family Jack would come over. Though the day after. But still, he was really excited for both celebrations. The celebration with the family would be the same as always. His uncle, aunt, cousin and grandma would come. Aunt Gwen and mom would cook while the rest played some game that one person had to organize and after they would eat. It was Jamie’s turn to organize a game. He had chosen a bingo after Jack came up with it. The rest of Christmas would be very relaxed.

Only, Jamie had a second agenda. He wanted to make Jack happy. So after he brought up getting small prizes for a Christmas bingo to his mom he got a bit of money to get something small. He used the gathering of bingo prices as a cover if getting a small gift for Jack as well. Nothing expensive, the last time he tried giving Jack something worth $10 he got a lecture from Jack about keeping his allowance as it was his and he didn’t want Jamie to spent it all on him. Jamie still wanted to get him something, however. So he got leather strands to make a leather bracelet.

-:)-

Aside from the bracelet Jamie also wanted to get Jack some food. So he gathered some throughout the Christmas dinner Although Jack has been getting better, he still couldn’t stomach foods with too much flavor. So Jamie got some unsalted fries, stir fried veggies that he requested to not have any spices on beforehand so ‘everybody could do it however they liked it’ and a bit of vegetable broth that Jack could water down to his taste. So Jamie had a full Christmas.

His mom was currently getting groceries in another town as the grocery store in Burgess had a limited supply of vegies and apparently his mom wanted to ‘experiment with flavors from foreign vegetables,’ they didn’t have in the small grocery store. Which was fine, it meant that Jamie could hang out with Jack for a few hours.

Jamie had just about everything set up when there was a nock on the window. “Jack!” “Hey little frost flower.” “I’m not little,” Jamie definitely said without pouting while Jack raised an eyebrow. “See you’ve set up everything already.” Jamie felt the blush on his face as he stammered trying to find the right words while Jack just grinned. Jamie eventually found his voice: “We just need to heat everything up. I didn’t want to waste time setting up.” That got him a grin and a ‘let’s go’ before he was pulled into the kitchen. They quickly grabbed pots and pans as they started heating up things. Jack also grabbed the fryer to refry the fries, but Jamie was not allowed near it.

After a little while he realized something. “Jack stay here, I got you a little something.” Jamie was shooting up the stairs before there came a reply. He quickly came back with a little blue box. In it was the little bracelet he’d made for Jack. “I know you told me not to spend any money on you, but I wanted to give you something. So I made it myself. I hope you like it. And if you don’t like it you don’t have to wear it. It’s just something small and I-.” Jamie blushed as he realized he started rambling. After the spirit opened it he saw tears spring into his eyes before Jamie got picked up into a bone crushing hug as he put on the bracelet. There was a sniffle before a “Thank you, it’s beautiful. I actually got you something as well.” Jack pulled out a little bow with a Christmas themed wrapping paper around it. In it was a watch. The dial had little snowflakes. Jamie had no idea where and how Jack got his hands on this, but it was beautiful. He gave Jack the biggest hug he could. He definitely wasn’t crying. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

-:)-

Jack seemed to be enjoying himself, Jamie realized. He did not pile a lot onto his plate, but there was at least a full bite of everything on there. Which meant that there was more then the last time they ate together. Jamie had gotten Sophie ready while Jack had made her a plate. Jack had just given Sophie her plate when the bell rung. Jamie went to open the door and saw Jack following closely behind him. Overprotective is not enough to describe that guy, not that Jamie minded.

Jamie opened the door and was surprised to see: “Bunny? What are you doing here?”. “It’s time for another tea party with Sophie. Oh, hey Frost,” the Easter Bunny replied in return he got a ‘Bunny’ and small wave. “Come on in,” Jamie said after realizing it was indeed time for the paint and tea party.

“You want something to eat? Theres mostly vegies and broth left,” Jamie decided to say after which he added “We could even hang out together instead of in two lose groups. As we eventually have to split into two other groups. Me and Sophie will have to stay here, because mom won’t be out for that long, while you and Jack have to go to the North pole this afternoon.” His brother looked a bit proud at that: “Great idea Jamie! It would even give us some more game options. We could all have fun together, North would be glad we are feeling the ‘Christmas spirit’ or something like that.” Bunny just shrugged his shoulders and Sophie excitedly nodded wit a grin from ear to ear. Jamie gave a grin return and grabbed guess who, as Jack liked it and Sophie loved it, Bunny would have to deal with it of he didn’t.

-:)-

Aster loved the little get together he had with the Bennetts and Jack. He also loaded up on vegetables. The stir fried vegetables had no spices on them, so he love them. He saw that both Jamie and Sophie also ate a lot of vegetables. Jack only had some broth which looked a bit light, but oh well. He was probably going to eat a lot at North’s little meeting/party. There were always snacks at meetings and this was going to be a little party, everybody knew North well enough for that. Jack had hung out with the Yeti’s enough to also have heard of it. Aster overheard them speaking about it.

The games had been a lot of fun. They started with guess who in which Sophie and he had won. Jamie was good, but Jack was creepily good at twister, where are the bones. That can not be healthy. So those two had won that. Mario cart too. But Sophie and he had, of course, won hide and seek. They did get beat in life though, with Sophie and him together having only a little bit more than Jack while Jamie had even more. So all in all a lot of fun and chaos. They only had time for one round in each game. Just after having put life away the clock hit 12:30pm and the guardians had to go. They went though the tunnels as it was the quickest way of transport. They arrived at the North Pole in time for the ‘meeting’ and got settled in. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

To say the meeting was useless would be an overstatement, Aster thought. It lasted a total of 10 minutes before the Guardians decided to do something fun. Jack really wanted a snowball fight which the pooka found way to cold, but it did bring their youngest member a lot of joy. So he endured the bitter cold in with a coat from North.

After the games the real party got started. The Yeti’s went all-out with the food and drinks. The elves, they tried. Their drinks were delicious, but their food was both burned and raw at the same time. But their baking skills were amazing. How that made sense? Aster didn’t know.

-:)-

Aster noticed that Jack had a lot of energy. Like even more than normal. “Jack, you’re hyper. Something happen?” he decided to ask. “I don’t know what it is but ever since this morning I’ve gotten a lot more energy. When I tried to make some ice I made a whole lot, so I might even be more powerful.” It had worked. It had actually worked. Jack was reacting he same as he’d done after his first easter, when he gained a lot of believers.

After Phil came by Aster decided to tell the others the good news. Their youngest was gaining believers. Tooth squealed so loud his ears hurt, but, for once, he didn’t mind. Sandy gave him a bright smile and a thumbs up. North gave him such a strong hug he could swear he heard his ribs crack. Jack saw that happen and, even though he didn’t what had happened, he laughed at him. Brat.

-:)-

After a little debate it was Aster that was elected to go to Jack and tell him about his new believers. He found the winter spirit in a little corner by a window. A little snowflake floating above his hand as he absentmindedly played with it. Jack must’ve heard him coming, because before he could announce his presence Jack said: “Hey Bunny,” while he hopped of the windowsill he was sitting on. “Frostbite. I wanna talk for a bit. I haven’t seen you grab any food jet. I promise that everything the elves cooked is gone. Only their baked goods are left,” Aster joked. He got a little smile for that.

“Sure I’ll come with you. I don’t want to eat anything though,” The younger answered after a few seconds. Aster quickly checked to see if there was anybody else, as this was a sensitive subject, he could see that. It didn’t comfort him in the smallest bit.“Why not? I know you haven’t eaten anything since this morning. And you didn’t eat a whole lot then either.” Aster was getting worried now. There was nothing wrong with him right. He wasn’t sick, right? He wasn’t dying either, right? He- he? Aster didn’t know. He saw a small flinch at his question and his worry only grew.

He saw the hesitation Jack had when answering him. That was not a good sign. He mumbled something Aster couldn’t hear. Which said a lot on just how quiet it was, as he could hear really well. “I can’t eat a lot. It makes me sick,” came the soft whisper from the child. No. He … Aster felt tears well up in his eyes. For that to happen he must’ve not eaten a lot for a long time. Spirits have higher resistance against stuff like that than humans. So it must’ve been a long time. At least ten years. “How long?” he decided to ask. “Around the time I became a spirit.” Aster froze. That was almost 300 years ago. You’re telling me that Jack, this child has been in constant pain for 300 years!

The child had put his hood on again. There was a quiet whisper. “Please… don’t tell the others. Just… tell them I had something this morning or something. I don’t want to bother them. I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll be going soon.” Jack walked away after that.

Jack thought he was bothered by this? Aster felt the tears in his eyes. He wanted to say something but he saw that Jack was talking to the other Guardians. Presumably saying goodbye. He left after that. Aster felt broken. He felt sad that Jack thought this would bother any of them in the slightest. He wanted to tell the others, but he decided to wait. Unless it got worse he’d keep it to himself. He had no idea how to help. But he would.

Huh, he never did tell Jack about his believers.

Chapter Text

Aster had been panicking internally for the last few days. He wanted to help Jack, to tell him it would be okay. But he didn’t see him again after the party at the North pole. It was fine. Jack was fine.

Tonight would be the annual new years party for all spirits. The guardians had agreed to all meet a few hours beforehand. So Aster went on his way to the North pole around 5.

Jack wasn’t there after even half an hour. He saw that the other guardians were starting to get worried too. “Does anybody know where Jack is?” Tooth asked. She only got a worried ‘no’. It was nearing five forty when the window blew open with a freezing wind, a wind that had Aster shivering within the second, while the winter child flew in.

“Sorry I’m late. I was still in Burgess and lost track of time,” the teen had to nerve to laugh. Did he not release how worried the rest of the guardians were. “It’s alright, we waited for you to start the celebrations,” Tooth said. The elder guardians decided not to say that that was because they were worried out of their mind. The child answered: “Well, let’s get started then.”

-:)-

They played some games while waiting for the yeti’s to finish cooking. Aster had decided to team up with someone he knew was good at games. Jack. He realized that last week. Sandy also joined them. To make the teams fair Tooth had the fairy that Jack had named Baby Tooth join their team. They absolutely crushed the others at charades. Sandy hadn’t even used his sand to make things clear.

Soon dinnertime rolled around. It smelled absolutely delicious. Aster loaded his plate with fried vegies, carrot sticks, a bowl of soup, some new tofu recipe that the yeti’s had made for him, filled eggs and more. When he looked at Jack he saw that the teen didn’t stack his plate very high. The sad realization was that this was quite a lot for the teen from what he had seen at the Benett’s. When North asked if he wanted something else because he didn’t like it Jack answered that he had eaten at the Benett’s. Usually none of the guardians questioned this. But Aster did now. He knew Jack hadn’t eaten at the Benett’s. he just couldn’t stomach more. He saw Jack shoot him a panicked glance as if he heard his train of thought. He softly shook his head. He wouldn’t tell the others, Jack told him he didn’t want that.

Aster was a bit sad that Jack hadn’t gotten any dessert and only went to take a walk to feel less full. Aster told the others he would accompany Jack as the child should not be alone on New Years eve. After he went around the corner he saw Jack sprinting to the end of the hallway. He darted after him and found the child puking over a toilet bowl.

“Still ate to much?” Aster asked. Jack jumped at this. Aster saw a bit of recognition in Jack’s eyes before he heaved again and puked out more vomit came out. Aster comforted the child while he kept gagging. After about fifteen minutes the child stopped. Aster was only a little shocked, but very sad, to see that the child didn’t look pained or sad, just resigned. As if he was used to this. ‘That is because he is,’ his mind helpfully supplied.

-:)-

The rest of the party was kind of a blur for Aster. He saw that Jack left rather fast after the New Year started. He usually left quickly if there were to many people. Aster stayed till the end and helped North clean up. He felt like a zombie. His mind constantly went back to that lifeless look Jack had after puking his guts up. Aster was going to help him, he would have to call in some help. But he did not want to betray Jack’s trust. There was still one option. But…

Chapter Text

Aster had a goal in mind so he was going to get help from someone a bit closer to the situation. He barely thought about it before he made a tunnel.

To say he scared Jamie when he suddenly jumped out of a tunnel was an understatement. The child jumped into the air with an shriek. “What are you doing here? It’s a Monday, you’re never here on a Monday. Is something wrong? Is Jack alright?,” the child asked so quickly Aster was sure he would pass out with another question. “Jack’s the same as yesterday, don’t worry to much.” Aster saw the look of relief with his answer. “He just- I don’t… Jack has some problems.” The only reaction he got to that was a cold and questioning glare that was way to intense for a child. “Did you.. did you ever notice Jack doesn’t eat a lot?” Aster threw it out before he carefully thought that statement out.
Oh no, this is a child, he shouldn’t have come here. Oh no, Jack’s going to kill him for worrying Jamie. Oh no, oh No, oh NO, o- “You noticed too?” That was certainly not the reaction he expected. “You knew?” Aster dared to ask after a few seconds of stunned silence. The child answered: “Yes, I’ve known for a while now. I’ve been helping him get better. He does eat a lot more now than at the beginning. He still waters down his broth, but not nearly as much. He can handle some more flavor and textures now.” This was more. It still was an incredibly small amount of food.

“I wanted to ask you to help me get Jack to eat more, but you’ve already been doing that, haven’t you?” Aster got a small nod in return. “Do you.. do you have any tips. I want to help.” Aster decided to just go for it. He got a small smile in return which he had barely registered before he was pulled along to the kitchen. “Mom is taking Sophie to the forest. I still had some homework to finish, but since I’m done now I can give you some tips and tricks.” The child excitedly said.

-:)-

Bunny got a whole book full of tips in the end. Jamie was really proud of his accomplishment. This was not how he expected his day to go, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. He got to indirectly help Jack. He gave Bunny an empty notebook and a pen at the beginning of the afternoon. The notebook was now filled with tips and tricks to get Jack to eat more, Jack’s favorite dishes, some dishes that were for if Jack couldn’t keep a lot down, what to do if Jack puked and more. They also agreed to exchange information about Jack, his progress or setbacks, if he liked or disliked a new dish, etc.. They would exchange this information once a month, when Bunny came for a tea part with Sophie. They each kept a few notebooks dedicated to Jack’s eating habits. The new information would be a note, shoved into the mailbox for Jamie and in the little teapot Sophie had just for the tea party’s with Bunny for Bunny. This way Jack wouldn’t find out, as he would not think himself worth the effort.

Jamie had gained a teammate in his battle for Jack’s happiness and health. He wasn’t sure if Bunny knew about the other thing, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. He would never betray Jack’s trust like that. Bunny and Jamie did decide they were not going to break Jack’s trust about the eating. Both had promised to not tell the guardians. Jamie would not have had a teammate if Bunny hadn’t realized he might have known. He wasn’t part of the agreement he had made with Jack, but Jamie still felt that it was a small betrayal. But it would help Jack in the end, so….

Chapter Text

Jack had a lot of feelings running trough his mind recently. On one side he was happier. More people seemed to care about him, he was making fun memories and he could even hold down a bit of food. But on the other side, he was still afraid for the other shoe to drop. For the Guardians to go back to ignoring him. Or for all of them to find out about his eating habits. Or for all of them to find out about what he did to himself. That they would al see him as weak as he really was and then leave. There was so much he was afraid of now he was thinking about it. That Pitch came back. Pitch killing Cupcake. Pitch killing Pippa. Pitch killing Caleb, Claude, Monty, Sophie. Pitch killing Jamie.

He felt like he was drowning again. But now it was a constant. Everything was getting tighter around him. He couldn’t see clearly. He distantly heard his own breathing pick up. He wasn’t getting any oxygen though. He was suddenly so scared of what he could lose. Three hundred years he had had nothing to lose. Now he suddenly had so much to lose. All of which he could probably prevent. He needed to keep them safe. He had to protect them. But him being near the children painted a target on their backs. He went to check on the Bennet’s first, seeing as he was the closest to them and it was two in one. They weren’t there.

Jack felt a little tug from the wind trying to bring him somewhere. He ignored it. He felt some snow piling up around his feet, he didn’t care. Where were the children.

Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. An adult sized hand. He turned around to see someone he wasn’t expecting, not at all.

-:)-

To say that the cries and whimpers from the front yard worried Mrs. Bennet was an enormous understatement. She heard a crying child. Out in the sudden snowstorm. Had one of her children come back home early from school and been unable to enter the house? Was the neighbors’ child? No. The cries sounded like they were from someone older. A teen perhaps?

When she stepped closer she saw what she immediately recognized as a teen in the middle of a panic attack. He didn’t hear her when she tried calling out to him. So she tried to get his attention and ground him another way. She laid her hand on his shoulder. After a second the child turned his face towards her and after a little while she saw a shocked look of recognition flash over his face. While she recognized the face, it wasn’t someone she knew. But who?

-:)-

Mrs. Bennet? What? How? She couldn’t she him right? She never had been the last time he was still there when she came back home. It was only after a second that he realized the shock from her appearance had stopped his panic attack. Now he was just in a shocked stupor. “You can see me?”, he softly whispered. ‘A great thinking Jack, now you’re both confused,’ said the little voice in his head. ‘Shut up,’ he told it.

“What. Of course I ca see you. You’re right here. Are you alright? You were panicking quite bad and it started snowing. You’re not even wearing shoes. My kids are at school right now so you can come in, there’s no one.” Mrs. Bennet did not know how much of a relief that was to Jack. School. It was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. Of course they were at school. Just as all the others. “I’m fine thank you.” Jack was embarrassed by how soft he spoke. He could barely hear himself. Mrs. Bennet wasn’t having it though. “No, no, come inside, before you catch a cold.” Jack had to hold back a laugh at that. He brought the cold. He didn’t get a cold. Before he could process though, Mrs. Bennet had started dragging him along. Okay, inside we go.

“I’m Stephanie Bennet, feel free to just call me Steph.” “I’m Jack, nice to meet you. And … thank you for, you know, helping me.” Mrs. Bennet gave him a warm smile. “Not a problem dear. I can’t help but wonder what you meant by ‘You can see me?’ though. Do people usually ignore you?.” Oh no. Jack had dug his own grave with that comment. “Well, you see. I can’t really explain it well? There are people better than I am at explain it.” “Ah, sorry. So you want to talk about what made you panic or would you rather not.” “I’d rather not tight now.” “That is to be expected. Do you want something to drink?” “No thank you.” Jack suddenly saw a look of horror crossing Mrs. Bennet’s face. “Wait, you’re still barefoot. You must be freezing.” Before Jack could stop her Mrs. Bennett was already halfway up the stairs. What is it with this family and doing that. First Jamie, now his mom.

-:)-

The poor child. Stephanie had completely forgotten to get him something to warm up. He looked to be around fifteen years, but he was rather skinny. So maybe some of the old clothes from her late husband that had shrunk when Jamie tried to help with laundry. One of the sets for when Jamie was older. The ones he put into the back of his closet for in a few years, because he liked them so much.

As Stephanie dove in Jamie’s closet she stopped. She saw a drawing that Jamie and Sophie had made a while back. On it was the face of the child that was sitting in her living room. Jamie and Sophie were really proud of it. They had presented it as ‘us ice-skating with Jack Frost’. Jack. The child didn’t say his last name, but his name was Jack. Was her children’s imaginary friend not that imaginary after all. She had started believing that there was someone. They had said he was named the same as the winter spirit. From the stories she used to tell, about him bringing winter. She thought it might have been a teen from around the block, somewhere. But, maybe it wasn’t. She was scared out of her train of thought when she heard the school bus stop in front of their door. Jamie was back.

Staphanie decided to just grab a blanket and go downstairs. She would see the reaction Jamie had to Jack to see how she would react. When she got downstairs she was shocked to see that there were little snowflakes on the couch. Just what was going on here? She quietly opened the door to the hallway only to see that Jack hugging a laughing Jamie. She heard her son say: “What are you doing here? Mom’s her, you know.” The teen seemed conflicted on what to say. “So, she saw me. She brought me inside.” Stephanie saw the shock on her sons face. “I might have implied I’m usually invisible?,” the teen then said. “You what, how did she react to that?” “I avoided the question.” “Of course you did.” So there was really something. Her son saw her at that moment. “Hey~ mom, how much of that did you hear.” “Enough that I want an explanation.”

-:)-

Hearing world shattering news that spirits are real and that around two years back one had tried to kill her children was not something Stephanie had prepared for today. The again, she would probably never be prepared for that type of news. The teen she had brought in this afternoon was Jack Frost from stories she told her children. And he had apparently adopted her children, though mainly Jamie, as a brother figure.

After that realization she had to go pick up Sophie, who had gone on a playdate this afternoon. Jamie and Jack stayed home because they wanted to talk things over. When Stephanie came back the mood was a bit solemn. “So we wanted to ask your help. Considering you’re now probably the best person to help right now,” Those were the first words out of her son when she came back. Apparently the spirit, who was still a child in so many ways, had an eating disorder. Jack had started crying during that conversation. When they decided to tell her that he apparently also struggled with depression and that kind of stuff the spirit broke down in tears.

While Stephanie’s world may have shattered another time today, she was extremely happy that they decided to get her help. The conversation to get Jack that far must have been a hard one on both of them too. She decided from then on, she would help the spirit child. He would have a new mother. He wanted to be her kids’ big brother. Then he would get the same mother.

Chapter Text

With his mom knowing about Jack things went rather smoothly. It had been a week since his mom found out. She had a lot of questions, but she was rather accepting. They had decided together that they should tell the other kids that she knew too. If they ever had any problems with something like that they could ask her. Though there weren’t really any, considering how well Jack took care of them.

It was Friday afternoon right now. Jamie was doing his homework, but he was almost finished. Luckily, because he was about to die of boredom. Who decided that the literary history of English was something important they had to learn? Jamie certainly didn’t agree. But, if he did well on this test mom promised to get him a new boardgame, Jamie loves boardgames.

-:)-

After completing his homework and eating dinner Jamie and Sophie went to play in the playground. Well mom came too, but she didn’t go from any slides or something. She just sat on the sides of the playground. Some of Jamie’s friends came too, they played a few games together and had lot’s of fun. Sophie’s bedtime was fast approaching so they had to leave soon. After a last game of hide-and-seek they all went home.

When they got home Sophie went almost straight to bed. She was tired after an hour of running around in the playground. Jamie and his mom had to have a conversation though. “We should probably tell your friends this Sunday.” His mom began the conversation. Jamie nodded. “They’ll be fine with you being there, mom. You always make the best snacks, they like you.” His mom smiled at that. “Thank you kiddo. How about we make some together tomorrow, so you can take them with you. We could even make some for the easter bunny and Sophie,” mom said. Jamie quickly agreed. “Which snacks do you want to make?” mom asked. Jamie had a reply ready: “Choc-chip cookies please. Though, could we make a few with no chips? Jack has an easier time stomaching them.” “Of course we can sweetie. We should have most of the necessary ingredients, I just need to get a few eggs.”

-:)-

The entire Saturday was filled with baking and games. The family day was appreciated. The cookies they tried were delicious. The cookies they made for Jack were put into a separate container. The rest was in another container, one small enough to make it seem as if the others were put into that container because it didn’t fit into this one. Jack would likely appreciate it. They might start putting a few chocolate chips into his cookies in a few weeks. He was truly improving. Jamie felt like a proud little brother.

Jamie was really happy he could help Jack. Jack always helped him out. Jack gave him so much. His last birthday he got an entire set of travel games, some of which he didn’t even have the normal versions. Those are expensive. Jamie once tried to spare up for some, but never quite got there. He absolutely loves them. He took them to some of their hangouts. He would take a few with him tomorrow. He was both nervous and excited about tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Jamie was glad it was Saturday. He had many plans, so he didn’t have time to sleep in. He and his friend were having a sleepover. Of course Jack would be there to. They would be going to the park today and sleeping at Jamie’s. Because they wanted to include Sophie, but Jamie’s little sister was still young and had to go to bed earlier. This would actually be a prefect moment to tell the others that mom knew about Jack, Jamie thought. Sunday they would all hang out with the Easter Bunny. They would make some snacks in the morning and have a picknick with them for lunch. They would be picnicking at Bunny’s house though, as it was still a bit cold out.

So without any further ado Jamie got out of bed. The others would be here around 1 this afternoon. Mom had already got the groceries for the snacks yesterday, so they didn’t have to worry about those. Jamie had to help get everything ready in the living room. So after he got ready for the day, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, doing his hair, he went to get the pillows from the hallway closet. Mom was already moving furniture to make room for all the air matrasses.

It was a bit of work, but they got everything done by 11:30. The rest of the time until the others came was spent with making a nice lunch and playing some games. Jamie was really excited and he could see that Sophie was really excited too.

-:)-

Stephanie was very happy to house the children with the sleepover. A little before 1 o’clock Caleb and Claude arrived and a few minutes later Pippa and Cupcake arrived. At 1:00 at the dot Monty arrived. The children had taken over the kitchen and the half of the living room that wasn’t covered with air matrasses. Steph was getting a bit worried about Jack when he still hadn’t arrived fifteen minutes after the rest. But just as she was about to ask Jamie the bell rang. Before she had the chance to open the door though, Pippa shot by her and went to open the door.

-:)-

When Pippa heard the doorbell ring, she was confused, Jack never used the doorbell if any adults where home. And he was late, he’s never late. Maybe it wasn’t him? Pippa darted to the door regardless. If it was Jack she could let him in and if it wasn’t, she was curious enough to see who it was. She opened the door and it was Jack.

“Why did you ring the doorbell!,” Pippa whisper-yelled. She heard footsteps behind her and was about to say that it must’ve been the neighborhood kids playing ding dong ditch when she got surprised. “Jack, there you are,” said Steph behind her. She saw Jack? How? She didn’t two weeks ago when they were all here. So how does she see him now? “Hey Mrs. Bennet, hey Pippa! Sorry I’m late, I lost track of time making Canada look like a winter wonderland,” Jack said. “Non off that. Nor of that Mrs. Bennet stuff, I told you to call me Steph, or at least Stephanie,” Jamie’s mom answered. “I think we broke Pippa,” Jack said, with a barely contained laugh. Pippa could only agree. Just what in the world is going on?

-:)-

As mom, Jack walked in chatting with a stunned Pippa in tow Jamie remembered that the others didn’t know that his mom could now see Jack. Oops. Problem for later. “Hey guys!,” Jack called out. “Jack!,” Jamie called out, running to his brother. “Hey little snowflake,” Jack said while hugging Jamie tightly. “Looking at the stunned faces you didn’t tell anybody your mom could see me yet,” his brother said while putting him down. “Well, Stephanie can see me,” Jack continued. He was practically making Jazz hands with that statement.

-:)-

After a very chaotic morning and beginning of the afternoon Jack was content with relaxing in the park. They played a lot of games. Jamie did give him a dirty look if he didn’t eat for too long, though. So he made sure to eat a little snack every now and again. The evening was chaotic, but incredibly fun. All in all it was a fun day. The kids went to bed early, so Jack helped Stephanie clean up the mess around the house. Afterwards he went to do his job quickly. He had to spread around a bit of snow, say hi to Sandy and a few tooth fairies and make the sure the car door of a rude man got frozen stuck. All in all a good night of work. He returned to Burgess around two hours before sunrise and crashed on the last air mattress.

Chapter Text

Aster was actually really excited to spend a day with the squad in Burgess. He was even happy Jack was there, though if anybody says he thought that, Aster would tell you they’re a liar. A complete and utter liar.

Aster knocked on the window and was let in by Jamie. The kids were just finished with breakfast, if the stack of plates was anything to go off. Mrs. Bennet was working on cleaning them with Jack drying them of. Wait. Jack?! Mrs. Bennet can’t see Jack, right? “Jack? Why are you drying the dishes, she can’t see you.”, Aster asked. “I assure you I can see and hear both of you, mister Easter Bunny.” the woman replied. Asters eyes blew wide. Although very rare, it happened that children refused to stop believing and that an adult could see them. But… Mrs. Bennet hadn’t been able to before, so what changed? He heard a clicking sound and then heard Jack laughing while pointing a camera at him. “You better delete that now!!”, Aster screamed while chasing the spirit child.

-:)-

After a wild goose chase and an explanation the group could finally leave. Though Bunny was still salty, which suited Jack just fine. He managed to get out of the house before Bunny and had flown upwards, away from the Bunny’s reach. He quickly hid the camera when he made a loop around the house. He had motioned Jamie up the stairs and had given the camera to him through the window. Though the pooka did not need to know that. The face he had made was beautiful. The picture shows everything very clearly.

The group had split into two groups to play a game of capture the flag in a forest near Bunny’s lair. It was completely free of humans and beautiful. It was a lot of fun. Jack was wearing a blue vest with a yellow cross, his teams attack force’s color. He and Jamie split up a bit before this. Jamie went to check on the West side and Jack East. About five minutes after they split up he saw something red through the trees. The other team’s flag.
Jack went around the defense, Claude and Monty, and snuck up from behind. The kids were looking around nervously, but only towards the other team’s side. Not behind them. Jack quieted his footsteps even more, he was not allowed to use magic to keep it fair, and quickly snatched the flag. He only got about twenty steps away before he got noticed and had to run. He made a run for it, though keeping his pace a bit slower to give the kids a chance to win. When he saw Bunny running from the West Jack had to up his pacing. Jamie joined him. “There was a decoy so I came to help you!”, the kid screamed out excitedly. They where about to cross the border when Bunny sped up and almost caught Jack. Jack heard a small thump behind him just as he crossed the border. Jamie had tackled Bunny to keep him from tagging Jack.

Jack immediately went to check the kid up. He didn’t know whether to be proud of his bravery or scared for him getting hurt with this kind of actions. Jack was competitive, but this was just a game. But the scare was gone quickly when the kid was grinning brightly and not even scratched. Even if Bunny got caught by surprise by the kid, he had protected him. Jack got a soft smile in return for his grateful look.

-:)-

Jamie had had an fantastic day. Breakfast was amazing, he saw Jack eating a bit, even if it wasn’t as much as Jamie wanted it to be. After that Jack got the Easter Bunny’s stunned look from hearing his mom talking to him on camera, which Jamie now has in his room. He played many games. He had never played capture the flag before, but it was so much fun. He even tackled the Easter Bunny. How many kids could say that. They had lunch after, there were many plain vegetables and eggs, so Jack even ate some more then usual. After that they played hide and seek in the burrow. They went home after that, the other kids got picked up and by five everybody had left. But the fun didn’t end, Jack was still there and Jamie and Sophie had pizza. Jack couldn’t stomach that though so he and mom ate a soup. After a long day He had to go to bed early for school the next day, but Jamie had had a wonderful day.

-:)-

Jack was till feeling uneasy about something after he left. He went to sit by the lake by Burgess after an hour of still felling uneasy. He saw something gold and glowing after about thirty minutes of sitting there, Sandy. He decided to visit the little man. He shot of towards the center of sand, looking at a few dreams on the way. He found the Sandman on his favorite transport, a giant stingray. Jack’s favorite was the plane, because of the funny glasses and higher speed while staying safe, but the stingray was definitely very cool too.

“Hey Sandy! Good to see you.”, Jack started the conversation. He got a little wave in return. “How you doin’ little man?” Thumbs up, a finger pointed at Jack. “I’m fine.” A pointed look. “Just a bit uneasy about something, I’m sure it’ll pas.” A questioning look. “It’s just … when we were playing capture the flag this morning, Jamie sacrificed himself for me. And I know he’s fine, it was just a game. … But what if he does that one day when it’s not just a game. What is he gets hurt. What if it’s worse, if he dies, I don’t know what I’ll do. He was the first to believe in me. I was just so lonely, I was alone for three hundred years, I don’t want that again. I barely made it the first time, but I didn’t have anything before, now I’m just scared I’ll lose it all. I-I, I don’t know what to do. I-”. Sandy put one hand on Jacks shoulder and used to other to show his exaggerated breathing. Jack didn’t know why. The hand on his shoulder was grounding him from his rant, though. The breathing motions?, Jack didn’t kn- oh. Jack wasn’t breathing properly, when he started breathing again Sandy gave him a small smile and wiped away a few tears Jack didn’t know had appeared.

AN: I’ll be using “..” to show someone talking, if I use ‘..’ it’s either thinking, just grammar, or Sandy saying something, I’ll try to make it clear which is which.

Sandy gave him a tight hug after that. After a few seconds he pulled away. Jack felt way better already, but he still didn’t feel fully at ease. ‘Jamie is smart. He will be fine.’, Sandy ‘said’. “But still he isn’t immortal, I know that.” Jack said. A picture of the guardians appeared before his eyes. ‘We are. We will be here for you.’, came the Sandman’s response. Jack got tears in his eyes again, but these weren’t sad. At least, not fully. A little golden snowflake appeared and hit Jack in the face before everything went dark and he fell asleep.

-:)-

Sanderson was glad the kid had found him. He was really scared of losing the kid and being alone again. Back then they hadn’t known the kid was a lone spirit. They thought he was with other nature spirits. They confronted said spirits and realized they didn’t know of Jack’s existence for a long time. When they found out about him they were to afraid to at first. When they finally worked up the courage he was with Aster, they thought the Guardians had taken him in. That they were training Jack to become a guardian and that that was how Jack joined them eventually. Only, they didn’t know Jack was pranking Aster at that time. He was trying to get attention. He was lonely. Tsar Lunar was the only one who knew truly how alone the kid truly was. After finishing his rounds Sanderson brought Jack to North. He would be able to take care of the kid as his busy season had just ended. He wanted to immediately call the others in, but Toothiana was doing a reorganization in the tooth palace. Easter was just around the corner and Aster had taken his last free day in a while today. So he decided to let that wait. He and North could figure this out.

Chapter Text

Sanderson rushed North with the sleeping child in the back of his little airplane. The child had tearstains running down his face. He looked exhausted. Sanderson pushed himself eve harder and arrived at the North pole shortly. He rushed past Phil towards where he knew the infirmary was. The yeti had ran off, hopefully to go get North. Sanderson put the winter spirit down and had just covered him with a blanked when Nicholas walked in, looking distraught.

“What happened? Is he okay?”, Nicholas asked, looking worriedly at Jack. ‘He is fine. I hit him with my sand. He was tired and needed sleep.’, Sanderson replied. “I’ll take care of the kid. Don’t worry about it. Do you have time to stay or do you need to go on with your rounds?” asked North. ‘I will not leave him alone.’ Sanderson responded. “What happened to get the kid so exhausted anyway, he is always bursting at the seems with energy.” ‘He is scared of losing Jamie and being alone again.’ “But we wouldn’t let that happen. He knows that, right?” Sanderson honestly didn’t know if Jack knew that. The kid seemed so scared of being alone again. They failed him. He is a kid. After you become a spirit you stop aging, that includes mentally. Jack had only been a child when he became a spirit, he still is one mentally. Which means that the kid thought like a child. Children are scared of being alone way more easily than adults. Sanderson didn’t know what Jack thought, but he feared the worst. He didn’t want to express that, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

-:)-

After making sure Jack was okay Nicholas quickly had a room set up for him. They were busy making him a permanent bedroom, but that one was far from done. And the paint was wet, so not really a place to sleep. Nicholas had really been scared when one of his most trusted yeti’s came running in, yelling that Sandy came in with an unconscious Jack in the back of his plane. Turns out he was just asleep. Though, Nicholas wasn’t really relieved. Jack still thought they would just drop him some day. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sandy and Nicholas had decided to let Jack sleep for a few hours and check up on him later. The child slept though the entire night, so Nicholas decided to get some breakfast started for him. Just before it was done Sandy had to get going. Otherwise he would fall behind. So after seeing Sanderson out Nicholas went to the kitchen. The yeti’s had cooked up some delicious dishes that made Nicholas hungry just thinking about them. There were plenty of different sandwiches, a few different soups and stews and more. Nicholas grabbed a bowl of zucchini soup and a plate of bacon pancakes with syrup for Jack.

“Jack, wake up it’s time for breakfast.” Nicholas said as he walked into the guestroom. Huh? Jack wasn’t there. He must be in the on suite. Nicholas put the plate down and knocked on the door. Nothing. “Jack, where are you?” He wasn’t there. He wasn’t there! “Jack!”

-:)-

When Jack woke up he was lost. Both mentally and physically. Mentally, because he didn’t know how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was talking with Sandy. Yikes, that was not a nice conversation. But Jack was also lost physically, he had no idea where he was. Jack was happy to see his staff leaning against the wall in the corner of the room and quickly grabbed it. He decided to get out. Jack quietly made his way to the door and peeked out. No one. Jack quickly drifted towards the ceiling. He hopped from ceiling beam to ceiling beam, looking around him after every hop. Hoping there was no one around. It was a long curved corridor. But Jack was determined to find out where he was, so he went up the spiral. After about ten minutes of hopping around he heard multiple pairs of footsteps around the corner so he hid behind a beam. The footsteps stopped just before he could see who it was and entered a door. He didn’t know who it was, but he didn’t want to find out, as he would be outnumbered. He quickly flew a bit ahead and saw a giant door. Weird. He kind of recognized it. When he entered he immediately knew why. This was one of the living rooms at the North pole. He was at Norths. Maybe he should go see someone.

Jack quickly went towards the workplace, there would be a few yeti’s and elves there. Even if it was the middle of the night. He knew that from all the times he tried to sneak in in the past. He heard screaming down the corridor he just came from, but thought nothing of it. Probably the elves playing with electricity or something again. Jack rounded the corner and walked into the workplace. He saw some yeti’s and decided to walk up to them.

“Hey guys, do any of you know why I’m here? Or where North is, I haven’t seen him yet.”, Jack decided to ask. Just as one of the yeti’s shrugged his shoulders the doors from the workplace were thrown open. “Jack! Where are you?!” Well, Jack at least had an answer to one of his questions, he thought as he saw the man he was looking for screaming out his name. “Hey North, why am I here?”, Jack asked. The teen didn’t get a reply though. He did get a smothering hug from North. “There you are. I was worried. I could not find you. Why’d you leave?” the bigger man asked. “Didn’t know where I was. I just wanted to get out.”, the teen responded.

-:)-

Phil was glad they found Jack quickly. He was worried when he heard Nicholas screaming out for Jack. Nobody had seen the teen. The only person who had been in the hallway at the time being North, as he was picking up breakfast and going to Jack. The teen had awoken in that time and snuck out right when nobody was looking. That they quickly found the child was the only reason there weren’t any broken glasses lingering around. Nicholas has a habit of breaking his glasses if he is stressed.

Now they found the child it was finally time for breakfast. The child had had an exhausting night, so he must be hungry. Phil would make sure the kid would eat a lot. Not like he wouldn’t otherwise, the kid looked way to thin for his liking. North was being a mother hen for the kid, so Phil decided to just get the kid’s breakfast in the meantime. When he came back Nicholas had the kid situated at the couch. Phil placed the food on the coffee table in front of them. “Come on Jack, eat up.” Phils boss said. The kid shook his head. “I’m not that hungry, thanks for the offer.” That worried Phil. The kid needed to eat enough, even if he was a spirit. Spirits don’t need food to survive, but it’s incredibly painful for them if they don’t eat. Especially as they need more than humans do. Especially when they exhaust their magic. They also lose a lot of their power if they don’t eat enough. So the kid must be starving. The kid must just not like what North chose for him and is embarrassed to tell them.

-:)-

Jack really did want to try and eat. He was getting better, but this was to much. He ate way more than what he could stomach yesterday. But Jamie looked so happy every time the kid saw him eat. He felt so nauseous by nightfall he almost puked. And while he didn’t, he did get close. He still felt awful. So, no, Jack did not need breakfast right now. Especially this. He knew how they yeti’s liked to cook. They used lots of oils. Their food was not smooth textured at all. They served big portions. They used heavy flavors. Those were all things Jack couldn’t stomach. Just the thought made him want to puke. From others reactions Jack knew the food must be good, but Jack just could not get himself to eat that. He never has. Maybe he never will. So, Jack just decided to wait. He could go his stay at the Nort pole without eating. It’s not like he hasn’t done similar things before. In fact, he has gone weeks and sometimes even months without eating. He knew it wasn’t healthy. And he didn’t want to break the unspoken promise between him and Jamie. Ever since Jamie found out about his eating habits he has tried to eat more. And he has. There was some kind of unspoken agreement. Jamie wouldn’t get mad at Jack for not eating, as long as he tried to eat as much as he could. The kid was a good influence on him. Jack didn’t want to break his trust, but he really wouldn’t be able to try the food in front of him without puking. He really wanted to, if not for himself then for Jamie, but he really-

Snap

“Jack, are you alright? You were really out of it.”, North said as he moved his fingers out of Jacks face. “Huh, yeah, I’m fine. Just not hungry.”