Title: Charcoal and Snow Breeze
Rating: K+
Primary Characters: Jack Frost, Noelle Carlson (OC)
Secondary Characters: N/A
Pairing: Jack/Noelle (OC)
Summary:When Noelle ventures to the park one Christmas Eve, she stumbles upon an individual she's wanted to talk to for years and is finally presented the moment she's waited for.
Notes: First and foremost, I'd like to say that this one-shot is written for my very special best friend! Girl, I love you and I hope you enjoy love this story!
Next... well, hello, Rise of the Guardians basically kicked ass. I fell in love with the movie (and Pitch, but that's not the point) and I've had an endless amount of inspiration, so i wrote this story pretty quickly. I hope everyone enjoys this story!
…Ten Years Ago…
Mrs. Carlson held firmly to Noelle's, her eight year old daughter, small hand as they walked down the slick sidewalk—last night was the first snow of the year in the small town. Every year they always got such beautiful snow in Monroe County and this year it seemed it would be no different. Like many of the local families, the Carlsons would go to the large park so the children could spend time together; nearly every day you could find the younger children out and about, having snowball fights or building snowmen and forts. In the last few years, it was often just Mrs. Carlson that would take her little girl about, as her husband had gotten a promotion at work and, thus, has many more hours to deal with. But that never made their time at the park any less pleasant—Mrs. Carlson would meet with the other parents and sit at the coffee shop just across the street while Noelle would spend time building a snowman or, sometimes, she would even participate in snowball fights.
At this time, Noelle could be found sitting on a swing, watching as a group of eight or so children were getting into a pretty heated battle—kids were making piles of snowballs as other built walls or tried forming alliances. As she sat there, Noelle drew with a stick in the snow, forming small pictures that, at the time, she would have believed to be masterpieces. She drew her neighbour, Billy, with his unnecessarily large hat, and she drew Jill, the girl she sat next to in class. She drew everyone, drew trees and buildings, and once she ran out of "canvas" directly in front of her, she would move over to the next swing or find a new place to sit to continue with her doodles.
After Noelle made her way to a new bench and sat down, she looked back to the children and spotted someone new, not only to the snowball fight, but someone new to her entirely. She had never seen the boy before, never saw him around the town, and immediately he drew her attention. He was obviously much older than the other children—by at least ten years, Noelle would assume—but the most striking feature about him was his hair. She didn't know any teenager with white hair, especially white hair that seemed to shine like snow or ice, or a teenager with skin so white that it looked like he was almost ill. Also, where were his shoes? This older boy drew Noelle in, held all her attention. And it seemed that no one else even noticed him, even as he threw snowballs at the children and chuckled along with them.
Noelle took quickly to drawing her stick figure rendition of the boy, wishing that she could colour the snow with the blue of his sweater. Noelle decided she wanted to talk to him, to ask him why his hair looked the way it did, but she was too scared to do so. Maybe she could get her mother to ask him later.
Once Noelle came to a decision, she stood to head over to the coffee shop to get her mother, but when she looked back at the fight, the white haired boy was gone.
Every year since then, winters have been the same—Noelle would go to the park, spend little time with the other children to rather draw (now with sketch pads and coloured pencils) and wait for the white haired boy. And every year she saw him. And every year she drew him. And every year she told herself she'd talk to him when she never did. The boy was oddly enchanting, he seemed as if he wasn't human. And the other children acted as such—they seemed to not even notice him. It made Noelle curious, even more curious than the individual already did—what was it about him that was so special?
After about a year or so of knowing about the young man, she told her mother about him. With a laugh and a warm smile, her mother simply replied "You must be seeing Jokul Frosti." Noelle accepted the answer at the time, because her parents had always told her how real he—along with Sinterklaas and other winter figures—was. But even then, would Jokul Frosti spend his time with these children when he was always busy?
Noelle eventually, at about age twelve, showed her parents drawings and doodles of this white haired boy, getting, once more, the answer that he must be Jokul Frosti (of course, they didn't believe it was him, but they were all for supporting their daughter's imagination).
So, every year, Noelle created collections of art pieces of the winter events, her skills always improving. The "Jokul Frosti" figure would show up in their small town about five times every winter season, and on each occasion she saw him, Noelle would draw him immediately. He was much more interesting than the others. Even as Noelle was reaching the end of her teenage years, she went to the park alone to draw the children and wait to draw the man.
… Present Day…
As the sun was setting, a now seventeen year old Noelle strolled down the sidewalk, satchel slung over her shoulder as she walked back to the park—one of her sketchbooks was left there. She was supposed to be home, after all it was Christmas Eve—her family had plans. But her sketchbook was important and she wouldn't leave it overnight. As Noelle stepped into the park, she looked around, finding it completely empty. So, quickly, she walked to the bench she formerly sat at, not waiting to spend too much time here alone. As she walked along the snow covered sidewalk she thought she heard a man's voice and swiftly turned around, seeing nothing. Noelle continued walking and found her dark covered book with some snow across the top. With a slight smile across her lips, she picked it up and began to wipe it clean.
"Hmm," she froze up at hearing a voice from her right, "what are you doing in the park all alone?" Noelle took a small glance in his direction and her eyes widened slightly—it was the man with the white hair.
"What are you doing in the park all alone?" she countered in a small voice, causing the man to let out a slight gasp. He took a step—or, more of a leap—toward Noelle, in turn making her step back in fear.
"You can see me?" he asked surprised as he watched her in wonder. Noelle raised her eyebrow.
"Well, of course—why wouldn't I?" she responded as the man leaned toward her some. He then gave a large smile, his eyes brightening in a way that called attention.
"No one ever sees me!" he jumped into the air with a laugh, "This is fantastic!" a grin dared to make itself present across Noelle's lips as she watched him, intrigued.
"Why do you think no one can see you?" she questioned as the man seemed to float.
He let out another pleasant laugh, "Because I'm not like you." He said simply, "I don't think I know—" he froze and stared, "Wait… if you can see me… you believe in me." His eyes shone again as he leaned close to Noelle, causing her to blush and lean back.
"Believe in you…?" she stared at him as his strikingly cool breath brushed past her face.
"Of course; I can't be seen otherwise." He finally stood on his feet firmly, "I… well, I'm Jack Frost." Noelle's eyes widened as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"You… what?" he let out a chuckle.
"If you didn't believe in me you wouldn't have been able to see me." He said simply as he jumped up on the top of his staff. Noelle looked at him in awe as he sat there perfectly balanced, "It's simple, really. I'm a little flattered to know that not only children continue to believe in me."
Noelle took a moment to collect herself, "So… you're Jack Frost…" he gave her a simple nod, "but… aren't you a bit of a busy guy? Why are you always hanging around here?"
"Have you always seen me around here?" he asked and grinned when Noelle nodded, "Wait till Bunny hears about this."
She gave him another confused look, "Bunny?"
"The Easter Bunny." Jack said with a chuckle, "He still tells me people don't believe in me."
"Well, most people haven't heard of you…"
"I know! It's frustrating sometimes." He jumped back to the ground, "But you do."
Noelle gave him a shy smile, "I grew up hearing stories about you."
"Smart parents." Jack looked around himself, "You wanna stay here for a while—it's been a long time since I had proper human interaction."
She thought for a moment then looked at her watch—her parents probably wouldn't mind, "Sure, why not." Jack grinned largely as he flew up into the air.
"Great! What do you wanna do? Snowball fight, race, build a snowman? It's up to you." Noelle laughed at him.
"I… I wouldn't mind just talking." She said simply. Jack gave her a lopsided grin.
"That seems a little boring."
"We could try walking, too." Jack let out a laugh.
"Not a fan of excitement?"
Noelle gave him a grin, "If I didn't have my things with me, I would have been more open to ideas; I don't want to forget them." Jack thought for a moment.
"I won't let you forget them." He said simply, "We can have some fun, and then I'll help you remember your bag." Jack flew quickly toward her, "What's in here, anyway?" he reached for the bag and Noelle turned away.
"Just some art stuff, nothing special." She said quickly. Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, if you don't want to show me…" he trailed off with a grin. Jack then looked up toward the sky for a moment, "There's a lack of snow out here." He looked down to Noelle before looking back up and raising his arms. After a few moments, snow began to fall slowly, causing Noelle's eyes to widen as she grinned. Jack laughed slightly as he came down by her side, "This is much better."
"Wow…" Noelle began to walk slowly around.
"Wanna have a snowball fight now?" Jack asked hopefully. Noelle looked at her bag and thought for a moment. Finally, she let out a sigh.
"Help me remember my stuff, okay." Jack saluted as Noelle set her bag on a bench. Quickly, Jack formed a snowball in his hand and threw it at Noelle, who ducked quickly with a laugh.
"Well, this should be interesting." Jack grinned as he began to make more snowballs. Noelle began to pack handfuls of snow together as she sat on her knees.
"I can't even remember the last time I was in a snowball fight." She said while dodging another ball of snow. She then threw one toward Jack, but it fell short of him, causing Jack to let out a large laugh.
"It shows." He flew off quickly.
"Now that's not fair." Noelle called after him, "Not all of us can fly." She could see Jack behind a tree and began to run in his direction. He jumped swiftly up onto a branch to look down at her.
"Then I'll just give you a few free shots." He replied as she threw more snow at him. The ball came into contact with his leg, but had little effect, causing Jack to merely laugh, "This isn't really your forte, is it?"
Noelle gave him a smile, "Like I said, I can't remember the last time I was in a snowball fight." Jack looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments.
"Fine, you win, we can talk." He sat down on his branch, "So… tell me about your art." He smiled kindly at Noelle, who then looked down at the ground.
"I do portraits, mostly." She started, "That's why I come to the park, so I can draw people in action, and how they are naturally." Jack nodded simply.
"Have you drawn me?" a blush covered the young woman's cheeks.
"I might have once or twice…" she replied shyly. Jack grinned largely and flipped so he was hanging down from his branch and looking her straight in the face.
"Once or twice, hmm?" Noelle blushed again as Jack stared at her for a few moments, "You know, you haven't even told me your name."
"Oh…" Noelle laughed lightly, "I'm Noelle."
Jack grinned brightly, "Ha, Noelle—did your parents have a thing for Christmas or what."
Noelle smiled with a nod, "That, and, well… tonight's my birthday, so…" Jack's eyes brightened as he jumped up to stand on his branch again.
"Really!? Well, not only is it a Merry Christmas, but a Happy Birthday to you!" After a moment, he sat back down, "How old are you?"
"Once the clock hits 9:40, I'll be eighteen." She replied simply.
"Eighteen… that was the age when I—" he cut himself off, "never mind, you don't want to hear about that."
Noelle raised her eyebrow, "Why wouldn't I?"
"It's nothing; I'll tell you about it another time." He replied with a reassuring smile.
"Another time implies we'll see each other again."
Jack nodded, "Well, of course." He then looked up toward the sky, "You wanna come sit up here?" Noelle looked upward.
"I don't know how I'll get up there—I can't reach the branch." Jack gave her a grin.
"I can help." He reached his hand out toward her.
"Are you sure?"
"It'll be easy." Jack wiggled his fingers. With a sigh, Noelle put her hand in his, a chill quickly passing through her at the cold of his skin, and he was soon near effortlessly pulling her up to the branch, standing as he did so. Soon, the two stood together and Jack grinned, "You're skin is so warm; I almost forgot that my temperature is so much lower than everyone else's."
"Yeah, your hands are basically freezing." Noelle said while taking her hand back from his, "I might get frost bite."
"Well, if you didn't want me to bite you should have said something sooner." He joked, causing them both to laugh, "Let's go higher." Noelle glanced up.
"Only if you help me." She replied. Jack smiled and gave his hand back to her. As she took it and held onto his arm with her opposite hand, Jack began to fly up to branches toward the top. Noelle looked back to the ground, her eyes widening slightly before looking back toward Jack. Eventually, they landed on a branch and Jack helped to keep Noelle steady as they sat down. Once the two were settled on the branch, Noelle wrapped her arms around herself, "Are you always hanging out in trees?"
Jack smiled, "Not only trees; I enjoy rooftops, too." Noelle laughed lightly, "So, what about you—do you ever adventure onto rooftops?"
"Just going somewhere besides the park is an adventure." She said simply, swinging her legs back and forth.
"Aw, well that seems a little boring."
Noelle shrugged, "I enjoy a simple life—it's nice for me." The two were silent for a few moments, "What about you?"
"Well, obviously I get around a lot, I like exploring to different places. You've probably seen me getting in the middle of some great snowball fights around here."
"For years." Noelle gave him a smile.
"I'm a surprisingly busy guy." He looked toward the moon, "Believe it or not, I have what could be considered a job."
Noelle laughed, "A job? What kind of a job could you have?" Jack grinned.
"I, well, protect the children of the world." She looked at him with large, curious eyes, "I'm not the only one, there's a few of us."
"What do you mean by protect the children?" Noelle set her elbows on her knees as she leaned closer, "Are you like your own special superhero squad?"
Jack shook his head as he grinned largely, "Not exactly… we keep them believing, we keep harm and danger away from them." Noelle thought for a moment.
"I wouldn't have expected that of someone who is supposedly a winter-time trickster." Jack looked away from her with a smile.
"A year ago I would have believed the same thing." The tone of his voice had changed, Noelle noticed, and it intrigued her some—it made her curious to hear his whole story, made her want to get to know more of who he really is. With that, she felt a change in their newly made relationship.
"Do you ever really talk to others about this sort of thing?" she asked simply. Jack looked back at her.
"Only to the moon." He said while raising his hand up toward the large light in the sky, "I don't know too many people who haven't experienced it themselves. It's a different thing, talking to a human, someone who isn't one of us."
"Is it… a good different?" Noelle questioned.
"It's wonderful." Jack said simply, giving his companion a grand smile, "A welcome change." Noelle also smiled as the two stared at each other for a few long moments. Eventually, she looks away and glances at her watch. Noelle's eyes widened.
"Oh god, I've been here way too long," she looked back at Jack, "my parents are probably wondering where the hell I am." Quickly, Jack began to float in front of her and offered his hand.
"Then let's get you home before they worry." Noelle took his hand and the two were soon on the ground, "I'll walk you."
"You really don't have to; I bet I have better things to do."
Jack shook her head, "Nope, nothing; so, lead the way." With a sigh, Noelle began to walk down the sidewalk with Jack flying alongside her, "So, what are your family's plans?"
"Nothing special." She replied in a bit of a rushed tone, causing Jack to chuckle.
"Calm down, Noe." She raised an eyebrow, "No need to rush."
"Giving me a nickname?" she asked as she slowed.
Jack shrugged, "Eh, it happens sometimes." Soon, she was moving at a leisurely pace with him, "See, isn't this better?"
Noelle rolled her eyes as she gave him a smile, "Yes, it's nice."
"How far are you from the park?"
"Only about a five minute walk." She replied as she stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, "That might also be part of the reason why I'm here so often."
"Well, it's a good thing—we wouldn't have met otherwise." The two shared a smile.
Soon, they walked up to an older looking house and Noelle stopped out front, "This is my place." She looked up at Jack with a thoughtful gaze.
"I hope to see you again soon." Jack said with a bow, causing Noelle to giggle slightly.
"I hope so, too." She replied. Jack watched her for a few moments, expecting something more from her, "Jack…" he came a little closer as her voice grew quiet, raising his eyebrow expectantly. Quickly, without looking at his eyes, Noelle stood up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. She didn't linger long, but when she pulled away she breathed out even colder air than before and looked up with a smile, "See you later." She rushed inside quickly before Jack could say anything else.
He stared for a few moments before a wide grin spread across his face. With a large shout, he flew up into the air, laughing loudly as he stayed above the neighbourhood for a few moments. He eventually dropped back to the ground and wandered around Noelle's house before peeking in a window, seeing Noelle smiling and talking with her parents. Once he caught her gaze, he gave a wink and a smile before flying off.
Hours later, Jack flew to a window and checked inside; he spotted Noelle and let out a sigh before opening the window and dropping inside. He watched as the girl slept in the bed then sat slowly on the edge of it, picking up a pencil and pad of paper. Quickly, he began to scribble a note, smiling slightly. After a moment of reading it over, he stood and set Noelle's snow covered satchel at the foot of the bed, putting his note on top of it. He very quickly planted a kiss to her forehead, smiled, then flew back out the window as Noelle began to stir from the cold chill that was caused by his lips.
So, uh... was it enjoyable?