Like many polar opposites, they didn't get along at first. They had arguments, incidents, and even a few scuffles, leaving both spirits with their fair share of injuries. It hadn't been until they shared a moment of laughter that they realized how much they had in common. A joke here and a prank there, a contest of elements, a battle of wits; they found a friend in each other in spite of their differences. Both dawn and dusk were times when they could have the most fun, for those were the hours when the heat of the day lessened enough for Jack to travel to his friend's island home. The reverse could not be done, for Julius could be afflicted by the cold as easily as he could heat it, and heating it would cause trouble in the ecosystem. Thus, Jack Frost made it easy on his friend by visiting him instead. Julius, in turn, always toned down his heat enough to keep Jack from being uncomfortable. The advantage of living on a relatively temperate island meant that their visits were many.
Jack regretted being so late with this one.
It had been far too long; years had gone past in the blink of an eye, and then those years turned to decades. He'd kept to himself in the time leading up to and after the harsh blizzard of 1968. A lot of spirits had been angry with him then. Well, especially older ones, angry with his childish recklessness. He never knew if Julius had been mad or disappointed in him. In all honesty, he had never even talked to Julius when it happened, and had stopped talking to him from then on, even after becoming a Guardian. Now, after decades of thinking, he realized what a mistake that had been. He'd had a friend, a companion who didn't judge him or disapprove of him or talk down to him, and he had just abandoned him, forgetting the time they'd shared.
That was why he had to make things right. It was late August, the last few stretches of the summer season. Jack glided over the Seychelles Islands, passing crystal blue water and white sand beaches, squinting away from the setting sun. He wiped his brow; it was still closer to day than night, and that meant it was far too warm for his liking. In fact, it was rather hot for the island country. The average temperature was already quite hot for a winter spirit, but Julius always withdrew some extra heat at sunrise and sunset. Today it seemed as if it was hotter than it would have been in the day. Jack wiped his face again, feeling small rivers of sweat running past his ears.
The winter sprite gave a grateful sigh when he found a familiar cove on the side of Ile Marianne. He stopped short when he felt the intense heat emitting from it. Julius was home, and judging from the hot air threatening to knock Jack out of the sky, he wasn't happy. Nevertheless, Jack Frost pushed forward, struggling to fly in a straight line toward the beach house he could see beneath him.
He was halfway there when his head began pounding. He struggled but failed to keep his eyes open, and could only remember a streak of spice-brown before he blacked out.
Jack woke up on something soft. He lay there and simply breathed for a moment, and eventually decided that the softness around him was a mattress. He recognized the feeling from his new room in the North Pole. The closeness of the fabric further proved that his hoodie was gone; when he shifted his body, however, he could feel the presence of his thin undershirt. Jack finally opened his eyes, his vision a blur of red and orange. It cleared slowly, and he could see shapes: picture frames on the wall, his staff leaning on a dresser, a doorway, a window from which sunset light streamed... and a figure sitting in a chair next to the bed he was laying on.
Jack jolted up in surprise. Ice blue eyes locked onto umber brown ones. Julius St. Ange was glaring daggers at him, his arms folded, spice-brown skin glowing gold in the sunset's light. He was still for a long, silent minute. Then he tossed his head, tied-back dreadlocks swinging, and sank down in the chair.
"You idiot."
"Hi, Julius." Jack sighed. He stretched his arms, wincing as his joints popped. "What's up?"
"Don't you 'what's up?' me," the summer sprite pouted. "you could have melted out there. What if I hadn't been home, huh?"
"I wouldn't be here," Jack replied. "I found you because there's a heat wave over Seychelles."
"No thanks to you," Julius was pointedly avoiding eye contact with his former friend. Jack cringed, knowing full well what the other spirit was insinuating.
"Okay, I know you're mad at me," he started. "I ditched, you, I'm terrible...I'm sorry." Jack's remorseful expression mixed with confusion, and finally concern when he noticed that Julius was trembling slightly. His chest was rising and falling quickly, and the anger on his face was fading away to pain.
"Are you okay?"
"You should go," Julius said curtly. "If you're feeling better, get outta here."
"At least lemme talk for a minute?" Jack insisted. "I know I can't make up for abandoning you, but I...I wanna try." the winter sprite gingerly climbed out of bed. "We can go hang out! You and me, on the beach."
"Jack, get out of here," Julius said through gritted teeth. "I mean it, go!"
"Julius, what's wrong with you?" Jack stepped toward the chair. Julius shrank away, his face scrunched up in pain and concentration.
Jack saw it before he felt it.
His eyes caught the shimmering air around Julius's body. He saw the beginning trails of smoke curling around his clenched fists. There was peace, silence, and then the warmth hit him full force. Jack staggered back and onto the bed, looking at Julius in shock. The summer sprite jumped from his seat and bolted for the door. He stumbled out of the room before Jack had the chance to right himself. By the time he did, Julius was gone and the room itself was stiflingly hot. Jack held his spinning head and looked to the window; the orange sunset had been blotted out by dark gray storm clouds. Taking his staff from its perch on the dresser, Jack hobbled out of the bedroom.
He was met with even more uncomfortable heat. The entire beach house was stuffy despite the open windows, and warm wind blew in from outside. Jack's heart sank when he realized how different it had felt when they were in Julius's room together. It had been cool. Not cozy, not warm, but cool. Jack pushed forward with his staff, heading for the open front door. He wiped his face continuously, for sweat and melted frost were pouring off his forehead and soaking into his shirt. He could see Julius on the beach, swaying on his feet. Gritting his teeth, Jack stepped out of the house and onto the wooden porch.
"JULIUS!"
Julius looked back at him with wide, frightened eyes. He fell to his knees, and Jack could see the rippling air growing around him. The bits of tropical flora around the spirit were withering to death. If there had been any critters on the sand still, they had already scurried for the minute treeline and the ocean water. Neither was safe for long; the trees shook in the angry storm wind and waves pounded violently against the strip. A thrill of fear burst through Jack when warm water rushed up to the house's foundation beams. The wave pulled back, and Jack saw Julius coughing up water and struggling to his feet. He gripped his head in his hands, and the warmth in the air seemed to recede before spreading out again. In that moment, Jack understood perfectly.
Because it had happened to him.
His mind flashed back to almost 50 years ago, in 1968. He remembered his emotions, feelings that seemed rather unwarranted now, but harsh and powerful at the time. He remembered those feelings swirling and battering him from the inside out. He remembered trying so hard to rein them in, and he remembered failing, and he remembered the damage he caused that Easter Sunday. As he looked back to Julius's shaking form, Jack understood exactly what was happening. His friend was holding his powers in, holding his emotions in. Jack remembered when he had woken up; he remembered Julius's look of intense concentration, his brusque demand for Jack to leave. He hadn't been that angry with him. He'd needed him to go so he could release his energy safely. He'd been storing it all for Jack's sake, and now it had been pent up for far too long.
Jack tripped as he climbed down the stairs. He just barely caught himself, hooking his staff on the banister before he could fall to the ground. He inched himself down to the beach, wincing at the hot sand on his feet. Still he pressed on, gingerly stepping toward the now-smoldering figure of his longtime friend. He was growing weaker with every movement forward, but he didn't stop, not even when Julius noticed him and yelled at him, shouting warnings as he backpedaled away.
"What are you doing, stupid? Stay away!" Julius screamed. "Get out of here!"
"Julius, you've g-got to calm down," Jack choked out. He was all but slipping off his staff, just barely staying on his feet. "It's okay! I know you're mad, and I'm sorry. Please..." Jack trailed off and his eyes widened in horror. Julius followed his gaze, turning around to face the sea.
A monstrous wave was looming over the beach. Stormy Southern Wind tossed the water into itself, morphing sinister gray peaks into fizzing white foam. Julius stood there, paralyzed, and Jack looked on with trembling knees.
"Julius!" Jack shouted. He tried to step forward but fell, still clutching his staff. The wave was curling, ready to pound back into the sea and send its water over them both.
There was little time to think, so Jack simply acted. He thrust his staff forward and poured every bit of strength he had into it. He closed his eyes.
Julius flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for water to slam into him. He didn't expect a blast of cold air and icy slush. The frigid sensation shocked open his eyes, he was met with a sight that could only be described as terrifyingly strange.
The ocean water had rushed up to the beams of his house and was receding slowly. Mounds of slush were mixed in, along with a couple of very confused fish. Cold rain was falling from the sky, and Jack Frost was being pulled out by the ebbing tide. Panicking, Julius ran over to him, grabbing his staff before it could be washed out to sea.
"Jack! JACK!" Julius pulled the winter sprite up, and stumbled farther up the beach. He fell to the ground, just out of reach of the waves. He put his ear to Jack's mouth and his hand to his chest. He sighed in relief; there was breathing, there was a pulse.
"Why do you do this to me...?" Julius groaned. He sat back on his knees. There was a cough and a hack, and Jack sat up, sputtering seawater out of his lungs.
"You're the one...flooding your own beach," Jack choked.
"...I told you to leave," Julius frowned, turning away from his old friend. "You should've left while you had the chance."
"How could I? I...came to apologize."
"Yeah, forty-something years and you wanna call back? Real nice." Julius huffed, crossing his arms. Jack sighed.
"I know. I suck at friendship, I'm the worst."
"You're an idiot, that's what you are," Julius snapped. "Did you forget that it's summer? Or are you still without the slightest drop of foresight in that chilly brain?"
"Julius, I wanted to sort things out, and I wasn't gonna put it off. That would just make me feel worse!"
"How do you think I feel?! You knew it was hot and you came anyway. If you died it woulda been my fault, fool!" Jack gulped as he noticed the shimmering air forming around Julius again. He reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, fighting back a wince at how warm he was.
"Julius, it's not your fault."
"Yes it is!" Julius tried to pull away, but Jack abandoned his staff and grabbed him with both hands.
"It's not. You have natural powers and your emotions influence them. You can't help it all the time. Trust me, it happens..." Jack looked away for a moment, and then focused back on Julius with a determined expression. "It happens, but we can learn how to deal with it. I didn't know how before, but now I do. So...we can work it out, y'know?"
"Sure you won't be too busy for little ol' me?" Julius laughed bitterly. "Don't you have Guardian stuff or whatever now?"
"O-oh, you know about that?" Jack smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that's new. But it's not like evil rises to threaten all the children of the world every day. I can come visit, I promise."
"I dunno about your promises, man." Julius laughed, this one having a bit more humor behind it. "This sounds real familiar."
"I said I'm sorry!" Jack cried, finally releasing Julius. "I'm sorry, okay? I won't leave you again."
"...Forty n' fifty years ain't that long for us," Julius sighed. "Feels like it sometimes, though."
The rain was still falling, but it had gone from cold to warm. Jack and Julius sat in silence. After a few minutes, the rain began to thin, and finally it stopped. The gray clouds faded and made way for the night sky. The moon was shining brightly, and stars speckled the deep blue night. Shimmering wisps of golden sand were making their way through the sky to the minds of children sleeping on the islands.
"Let's start over, eh Jack?" the winter sprite turned to his friend. Julius was looking up at the sky, his eyes no longer stormy and troubled. "Let's be friends."
"Sure thing..." Jack trailed off with a yawn. Julius turned and smiled at him.
"You can crash here if you wanna. You'd better scram before morning, though."
"Yeah, yeah." Jack stood up, wincing at his aching body. "Ow..."
"You're not too hot still, are you?" Julius said concernedly. "Here, your staff." He picked the tool up from the ground and handed it back to its owner. Jack smiled gratefully.
"Thanks. I sure am tired, though." Jack sighed, reaching out a hand. "Carry me back up?"
Julius scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Don't push it, Frostbite. I already carried you once today."
"So you can carry me again!" Jack pleaded, leaning dramatically on his staff. "Please, I'm dyin' here..."
"Ugh, you jerk..." Julius groaned. "But I can't tell if you're serious..."
"Please?" Jack pouted childishly. His friend sighed heavily. Julius moved toward him, but before he could get far he got a faceful of snow.
"Agh!" he sputtered, wiping the cold powder off his face. He glared at Jack, fiery competition in his eyes. "Why, you..."
"Catch me if ya can!" Jack stuck out his tongue and made for the beach house.
"Not so fast!" Julius scooped up a handful of sand, still wet from the rain, and raced after Jack.
They ran about for ages, fighting with sand and snow until they were too tired to reach the house. They slept in the branches of a tree, and Julius saw Jack off in the light of early morning.