Imaginary Friend - Part One
Large brown orbs didn't break away from the ground beneath the small boys feet. He stood there, alone, by a large tree and some bushes. The air around him was cold, just like the freshly fallen snow that had been surrounding him. The brunette continued to stare at the small rock under his foot. He'd move it back and forth every now and then, just staring.
No one could understand what was so interesting about the rock. Neither could the brunet who stared at it. He pursed his lips into a straight line, as if concentrating on that small rock was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.
"Jamie!" The brunet looked up in response to his name. "What are you doing over there? C'mon, we're about to start a snowball fight. You're gonna be on my team hey?"Claude grinned.
"No- he's on my team." Caleb countered, starting a mini argument between the two.
"G-guys… Maybe we should let Jamie choose…" Monty said nervously as he fixed his red glasses, propping them back in their usual position. Only to have them fall down his face again.
"Stay outta this." The two who had originally approached Jamie spat.
"I don't want to play," Jamie said softly as he continued to stare at the ground.
"Jamie, are you alright? You've been really weird lately…" Pippa said with concern.
"I just can't believe you guys don't remember. There was huge amounts of golden dream sand everywhere, and all the guardians came to help us fight the boogieman. It was incredible!" Jamie grinned at the memories, turning to face his friends. "Why don't you remember?" As he asked the question, he turned to look down at the rock again.
"Cause it was all just some crazy dream we all had. I looked it up. Sometimes people can have the same dreams as people they're all really connected with. That's probably what happened to us after Easter…" Pippa stated.
"It wasn't a dream though! I still see Jack Frost and everything!" Jamie said defensively. The group looked at each other.
"Go get her…" One of the kids whispered to the other. After a few moments, Claude had turned and ran back to Jamie's house.
"He's not real though…" Caleb stated. "You wouldn't even know what it was if it wasn't for your mum telling you about him 'nipping at our noses'. Look man, it never happened." Jamie stared at his unbelieving friends. He thought it was horrible that they had stopped believing this quickly.
"Guys, he is real." Jamie pouted as he crossed his arms.
"And so is big foot." Caleb sarcastically stated.
"Jamie, have you been talking about your imaginary friends again?" Jamie's mothers voice came out of nowhere.
"No, I've been talking about Jack Frost. He's not imaginary." The small freckly boy pouted.
"Jamie, it's about time your friends went home and you came inside for lunch." Jamie's mother spoke sternly as she wrapped her hand around Jamie's upper arm. She started to walk, bringing Jamie along with her.
"See ya Jamie…" A majority of his friends said as he was taken back into his house. His mother closed the door behind him as she stared down at Jamie, poking out one of her hips as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You need to stop with this Jack Frost thing Jamie. Their parents have been calling me up asking me to tell you to stop. They're sick of their kids complaining about your imaginary friends." The woman said as she watched her son carefully.
"But mum, you don't understand… Jack isn't imaginary, he's real. I know he's real. I see him all the time."
"It's your imagination Jamie… At one point, it's all real. Santa, the Tooth Fairy. But there comes a time when we need to put the story books down…" The woman knelt down, putting a comforting hand on the boys shoulder. "Jamie, please put the books down." She smiled softly. Each word that came out of her mouth went against every little thing she had ever told Jamie when he was younger, when he was his sisters age. Jamie sighed, looking down at his feet.
"Fine…" He mumbled sadly.
❦ • ~ • ~ • • ~ • ~ • ❦
Jamie's sixteenth birthday was coming up soon. And all he wanted was to spend it alone. He didn't want to see his 'friends' or his family. He didn't want to be told that everything he said was wrong. He just wanted to go out into the middle of nowhere and just sit there. Although he wouldn't be entirely alone if he did so.
"So it's your birthday tomorrow hmmm? Pretty big day…" Jack said as he crouched on top of his staff. Jack Frost was positioned in the corner of his room as he watched Jamie walk around, trying to find a clean pair of underwear.
"Apparently it is," Jamie muttered.
"Hey- at least you're getting older. I mean- I get older all the time, but I don't look it. Heck- I don't even know when my birthday is." Jack chuckled, making Jamie laugh softly as he turned to stare at Jack.
"You look pretty good for someone who's over 300 years old." Jamie complimented as he returned to looking for his underwear.
"Don't you mean I look pretty good for a guardian with only like- one believer? I mean- the others get so weak when people stop believing. Imagine how powerful I'd be if I had as many believers as them?" Jack said with happiness.
"Woah, careful there big boy. Wouldn't want you to go crazy with power." Jamie said as he grinned, finding a clean pair of underwear. "Y'know, the others still don't believe what happened on the night Pitch ruined Easter…"
"Of course they don't. You're special Jamie…" Jack said as he watched Jamie get changed. It wasn't creepy or anything, it was just a thing. Over the years, Jamie had slowly stopped wanting to talk to his friends, finding that Jack was all he really needed, well, all he really wanted. Even if no one else really believed in Jack. Jack was quite satisfied knowing Jamie was that one believer.
"Hey, y'know in some countries you're legally allowed to have sex," Jack stated with a playful chuckle. Jamie blushed a deep crimson, surprised with the guardians comment.
"Wh-what? Why would you tell me that?" Jamie asked, clearly flustered. Jack only laughed as he started to casually float around Jamie's room.
"I'm a playful spirit. Just because I bring joy to children doesn't mean I can't amuse myself…" Jack floated in front of a half naked Jamie. He made it look like he was lying on his stomach as he held his staff, floating in front of the brunette.
"Amuse yourself?" Jamie raised an eyebrow as he tried to hide how dark his cheeks were heating up to be. Jack chuckled sexily.
"I'm stuck in the body of a teenage boy. I'm not as innocent as North thinks." Jack said in a soft, husky voice. He smiled and winked at Jamie before he floated away.
"Wait- does that mean you're not a… Uhmm…"
"A virgin?" Jack's blunt question clearly answered what Jamie was trying to ask as the human had allowed the dark scarlet colour to cover his whole face.
"Yeah…" Jamie sounded slightly disappointed but you could tell he was very embarrassed to discuss such a topic with Jack freaking Frost… The playful spirit that granted snow days and hung out with people like the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Clause and the Sandman.
"Heh, well, yeah. I mean- I don't know much about my living life, we both know that. I've read about it a lot, but I've never done it. I mean- you're the only person who believes in me, so 'doing it' with humans is out of the question." Jack answered for the blushing teenager.
"What about the Tooth Fairy? She's absolutely beautiful…" Jamie stated as he finished getting changed.
"Well that's a different story. She's gorgeous, but not exactly my type, as you teenagers tend to say these days." Jamie laughed at Jack's playful smirk. "Nah, she's more of a motherly figure than anything else. I mean, we connect pretty well… But I wouldn't want to go that far with her." Jack laughed softly. "I have someone else in mind." Jack whispered before floating over to the window.
"So what're we going to do in the few days before you become an old fart?" Jack asked as he stared out the window. Jamie chuckled and stared at Jack's back. He was surprised himself that he could still see him, let alone believe him. His surprise was nothing compared to Jack's though.
"I was thinking about going to the library again. I got kicked out last time because of you." Jamie stated as he moved to walk over to his desk. He sat down at his desk, pulling out a random sketch book. He stared at the almost pull book before smiling to himself at the idea he had.
"It's not my fault you laugh really loudly in quiet places." Jack stated.
"Well if you wouldn't be an idiot jumping over shelves and messing with people I wouldn't laugh so loudly." Jamie retorted.
"Jeez, not my fault you find me so hilarious." Jack laughed softly. Jamie smiled and started packing a few pencils and drawing materials into a bag.
"Anyway, I have an idea. I want to draw you." Jamie declared as he stood up with everything he needed. He walked to his bed then grabbed a backpack out from underneath it, stuffing all of his required items into it.
"Draw me? Jack Frost? There's not that much fun in doing that… Plus staying still for a long time isn't really my thing." Jack complained as Jamie wrapped warm clothes around himself.
"Well, I think it'll be fun. Plus I'm a fast drawer. Just run around and have fun, like, play with the trees or something." Jamie said before warming himself up enough and throwing his backpack onto his shoulder.
Jack groaned and flopped onto the floor. His cold feet touched the floor of Jamie's room as he padded the room. He held onto his staff as he followed Jamie out of the room and down the small hall, then down the stairs. Jamie walked to the front door before his mother stopped him.
"Where're you going?" She asked in a sweet, stern voice.
"Just to the frozen lake. I'm going to go draw Jack there." Jack watched as Jamie's mothers face shifted emotions as Jamie answered her. She went from curious worry to irritated worry.
"Jamie, you're nearly sixteen." The woman stated with an annoyed tone as she leaned closer to him, wrapping her arms under her chest. "You need to stop influencing your sister like this. Plus it's not normal for boys your age to have imaginary friends." The woman whispered. Jamie stared at the woman in disbelief, wishing she would just believe and see for herself.
"Jack's not imaginary. I told you, he's a guardian with Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Sandman. Jack Frost is real." Jamie groaned the last part.
"Then why can't I see him?" The woman straightened her back and stared sternly at her son.
"Because you don't believe in him. If you and everyone else believed you would be able to see him." Deep down both Jamie and Jack wished that people would believe in Jack. But at the same time they wanted Jack to stay Jamie's little secret spirit.
"At least don't bring up this crazy stuff when you're friends come over." The woman said as she started walking away. Jamie sighed and walked to the door. He turned to look at his mother before opening it.
"I told you, they're not my friends. Jack is my only real friend." Jamie stated.
"If he's so real, why isn't he here?" The woman said softly as Jamie left the house, no one noticing that Jack Frost was following the brunette on his way out.
Jamie walked in silence, letting Jack awkwardly walk behind him. Jack did a flip and started flying through the air. He held his staff then pointed it down. He pulled it up, making a snow wall randomly appear out of nowhere. Jamie stopped in front of it and shrieked. He looked up to see Jack laying on his side with one knee facing the sky. He smiled cordially down at Jamie.
"Punch the snow." Jack commanded.
"Why?" Jamie asked blankly.
"Y'know that wall you're building with everyone?" Jack asked. He flew up then faced the wall, raising both of his arms. He held his staff tightly before ramming it into the snow. He watched as parts of the icy wall broke and fell. "You're going to have to break it one day."
Jamie grunted as he thrust his fist forward punching a hole through the snow. "It's not my fault they don't believe. What if I'm actually crazy?" He yelled as he punched another part of the wall.
"Trust me, you're not crazy. Pitch isn't even crazy. Crazy is what society calls people that don't have the same reality as them. Your reality is just a bit different because you believe in things that others don't. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here. Well, I would be here but you wouldn't know that. Kinda like before the whole Boogie Man thing." Jack smiled. Jamie sighed then looked at Jack, then averted his eyes to the wall. Drawing another breath from his lips, he softly slapped the wall then walked around it, allowing his hand to linger over the ice.
"I just wished people would believe me." Jamie said as he started walking again. Jack followed closely behind him.
"Trust me, I know how you feel. Imagine waking up not knowing where or who you are. Then when you go to look for help no one can see or hear you?" Jack said as he held his staff tightly.
"It sounds awful every time you tell me. Let's just go to the frozen lake alright?" Jamie looked behind himself to smile at Jack. Jack stared at him for a moment then simply shrugged it off as he flew behind the brunette.
They arrived at the lake that had been frozen over. The lake held a strong familiar sense to Jack. All the water was cold and frozen, creating a large lake of ice. Jamie walked alongside the lake then sat down, slipping his bag off his shoulders. He started to pull out his things as Jack awkwardly stood in front of him, barefoot standing comfortably on the ice.
"So… What would you like me to do for you?" Jack asked as he played with his staff.
"Whatever you want. I'll just be here, drawing whatever you choose to do." Jamie shrugged. Jack nodded, looking around at his environment as he thought of what he could do.
"Well, I hope I don't move too fast for you," Jack winked before speeding over the ice. Jamie chuckled as he prepared a pencil. He watched as Jack slid over the ice gracefully, pulling random poses every now and then before running his staff along the ice. The ice would grow thicker with frost as Jack continued to move around the frozen lake with ease.
He flew and he flipped, he ran and he slid. He started to play with the small bits of snow that surrounded the lake, building mini snowmen and bringing snow upon the lake area. Jamie looked at Jack then scribbled away, drawing all over his page. Random sketches were drawn all over the previously blank paper. He held the sketch book tightly as he shifted the angle so he could draw Jack hanging from a tree even better.
Jack huffed and flopped down beside Jamie, taking in a deep breath before looking over the teenager's art.
"Get anything good?" Jack asked.
"Probably the best so far…" Jamie answered as he handed Jack the book. He was usually overly shy with who he showed his drawings too, as he always thought he was a bad drawer. Despite how wonderful the creations he had put onto his pages were. Jack smiled warmly regardless of his cold nature as he stared down at the drawings.
"These are really good…" Jack complimented.
"Th-thanks…" Jamie blushed. Jack soon started to open the book even further. Jamie instantly jumped forwards, trying to grab the book. Only Jack had jumped into the air, hovering just above Jamie's reach. Jamie tried to jump up and grab it, but his longest finger would only just graze Jack. Jack flipped through the pages teasingly, but he slowed down to admire each picture. He flipped page after page, being met with beautiful drawings of himself. He looked down at Jamie, slowly handing the book back.
"Do you have any other books in your bag?" Jack asked. Jamie took the book and held it tightly to his chest, closing his eyes as he nodded. His face heated up as a crimson blush burnt it. Jack fell to his feet then bent down, taking a seat on the cold rocks. He opened the backpack up and looked through it, pulling out a few notebooks. He opened them up and on a few pages a drawing of him would occasionally appear. There were drawings of him everywhere. Jamie thought that Jack would find it creepy, which made him blush even deeper and quickly snatch everything away from the snow spirit.
"I-I'm not stalking you or anything, I swear. I mean- they're all just little doodles y'know? You're like, my best friend. I can't help it." Jamie said softly. Jack smiled and took a step closer to Jamie. Only Jamie freaked out and took a step back, falling down onto the rocks. He hissed at the pain that hit his lower back from the fall.
"Are you alright?" Jack asked as he started to gather Jamie's things for him. While picking up all of the loose papers that had fallen out of a few books, he stumbled across a picture that really caught his attention. "Uhh- what's this?" Jack asked as he showed Jamie the picture he had found. Jamie's blush became incredibly darker as he snatched it up and stuffed everything in his bag.
"It's not what it looks like!" He yelled nervously, making Jack laugh at his reactions.
"Why are you so red? Are you cold or hot?" Jack asked as he hovered in front of Jamie. He pressed his hand to Jamie's forehead, realising that he couldn't actually tell what it would feel like. To Jack everything felt cold, which meant to him it was all just normal temperature. His body was comfortable with cold weather, and didn't mind hot weather. It just kinda went with the flow, just like he did. He dropped his hand then poked Jamie's cheek.
"Are you alright?" He asked again. Jamie threw his backpack over his lower body and held it there as he continued to blush and choke on his words. Jack continued to hover above Jamie, staring into the teenagers hazel eyes. Jack had seen Jamie in many different ways before, feeling many different feelings. He'd seen him angry, happy, sad, depressed, excited, annoyed. He'd seen it all. Well, that was what he thought until now. He watched Jamie carefully, moving closer to him to try and figure out what was wrong with him.
"Don't come any closer," Jamie warned shakily. He closed his eyes tightly, holding his backpack tightly. Jack looked down at the backpack then up at Jamie's face again. It took him a few takes until everything made sense in his mind. Jack moved away from the brunette then sat down in front of him.
"Could you please move your bag?" Jack asked. Jamie rapidly shook his head no. "Please?" Jack's plea made Jamie use one hand to cover and hide his face as the other held the bag securely in place. "Are you like this because of the picture?" Jack asked, allowing curiosity to grab the better of him. Jamie's slow nod made Jack's beat faster.
He remembered how detailed the picture was. Jamie had drawn Jack and himself naked, many times over the same page. He had drawn them doing inappropriate things in various positions with various expressions. Around the sexy pictures there were hearts and their names. Clearly Jamie's mind was a lot dirtier then Jack thought.
"I can't move it…" Jamie whispered as he bit his bottom lip, trying to suppress both his thoughts and his feelings.
"I know how we can fix whatever problem you've got going on down there…" Jack suggested as he stood up. Jamie opened his eyes and dropped his hand, holding the bag firmly.
"You can't be serious…" Jamie said softly.
"Maybe I am. Why don't we go home and find out hmmm?" Jack smirked as he flew forward, picking Jamie up bridal style. Jamie tried to grab at his bag, holding it in one spot as Jack started flying. Jack held his staff under Jamie as he started to make their way back to Jamie's house.
TBC