"Am I on the Naughty List?"

I tried to keep the hopeful tone out of my voice, disguising it as playful curiosity. I hoped that the expression on my face didn't betray how much I needed to hear a positive answer. No, not because I enjoyed being thought of as a bad boy – although it might help me get girls…yeah, that and not being invisible. No, I needed to hear that I was on the Naughty List – or any list for that matter – because if I was, that meant that North had been watching me.

You know that old Christmas song about how he knows when you're sleeping and awake and stuff? Well you can't know what someone's doing if you don't know who the person is, or if you don't pay attention to them. Three hundred years and I could count the times I'd only encountered the Guardians on my fingertips. I'd never seen them together like this before and they'd never looked for me.

I'd always assumed I was just another legend to them. We all knew each other, either directly or by reputation. I guess I was mostly a by-reputation guy up until I'd been kidnapped by the Yetis. That was the first time anyone had ever reached out to me. I didn't know what they wanted yet, but they had to want something or I wouldn't be here. But you could bet I was going to make the most of this opportunity until they came to their senses and kicked me out like they'd always done before.

But if I was on the list…

North had been watching. Somebody had been keeping tabs on me, on everything I did. Somebody cared. Even if he was just doing his job, even if he just thought of me as a strange, psychotic delinquent...he hadn't written me off the first time we'd met like I'd assumed. He'd actually taken the time to look into my life and write my name down in his fabled list.

As if he could read my mind, North's eyes locked on mine as he laughed.

"Naughty List? You hold the record."

Possibly the shortest thing I've ever written. Anyway, I thought it was pretty good but what did you think? Feedback, please. Flames are okay, Jack will freeze them for me ;P Peace, me out.