Title: Frost-bitten Heart 1/?

Rating: T

Characters: Sebastian, Nick Warbler

Summary: Sebastian has been the spirit of winter for as long as he can remember. But he is lonely and sick of wondering whether or not he has a purpose. When he finds Nick, a sad boy about to venture into the abyss of adulthood, Sebastian feels the need to help him and it turns into a quest to save Nick's future and find Sebastian's past. Jack Frost!AU. Nickbastian.

Warnings: Minor reference to past self-harm

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used/mashed-up in this story.

.

.

CHAPTER 1:

Sebastian had been alone for a long time. He could not remember where he came from and did not know where he was going. All he knew was that the Man in the Moon had given him the ability to freeze things and create snow out of thin air. He was Jack Frost but with a cooler sounding name – in his opinion, at least.

One wintery day in a small town in Ohio, Sebastian was letting the wind carry him where it may when a young man caught his eye. He had short dark hair and was wearing a navy and red blazer. He looked cold, his arms wrapped tightly around his middle as he strode down the sidewalk. Sebastian flew down to the boy's side, watching sadly. The boy didn't look happy; a frown pulling the corners of his mouth down, and his eyebrows together as he stared intently at the footpath.

"Why are you so sad?" Sebastian mused to himself aloud as he always did – no one would ever hear him anyway.

But when the boy froze and straightened, Sebastian's heart began to race and he shot twenty feet into the air. The boy turned slowly on the spot, searching for something.

"Who's there? Who said that?"

Sebastian didn't move, gripping onto his staff as if for dear life. He was panting and he felt sick – the boy had heard him. Heard him. He watched as the boy shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You're going nuts, Nick," the boy murmured as he walked away.

Nick.

Sebastian let go of the breath he held in before he flew down, trailing behind the boy and watching him in awe. Nick. Nick could hear him. Maybe Nick could see him too.

Nick made his way home and Sebastian followed at a safe distance, making sure to never fall into Nick's line of sight. If the boy could see him, he didn't want to scare him in public and embarrass him.

Nick's house was smaller than Sebastian would have guessed. A beat-up truck was parked in the driveway and a small Christmas tree was standing in the living room window. Nick trudged up to the front door, unlocking it and shuffling inside. Sebastian swept in behind him, almost knocking into the boy as he tried to keep himself hidden. Nick pulled off his blazer, hanging it on a peg on the wall and kicked off his shoes before stalking into the kitchen.

A woman in a food-stained apron stood at the sink, her appearance frazzled as she scrubbed at a pot. Dishes were stacked either side of the stink and the trash can was full at her feet. Nick gently held a hand against the small of her back as he moved to stand behind her.

"Hey mom, how're you?"

"Exhausted – Harry and Michael are sick and Cory's in over his head with his homework. Your father's still on that damn business trip and it's looking like a storm is going to blow in on the east coast so he won't be home for at least another day and I just-" her words dropped off as she fumbled and the pot fell back into the water, splashing water and soap bubbles all over the floor and benches.

Sebastian watched sadly as Nick and his mother fell to the floor in a clumsy embrace, his mother weeping into her hands as she tried to hide her vulnerability. Nick simply watched on with a blank expression as he pulled her close.

Sebastian bit his lip before he quietly made his way up the stairs. In one room, two small boys were tucked into bed, sleeping through a fever. In another room, an older boy of perhaps thirteen was hunched over books on his desk, fingers gripped in his hair as he toiled over his homework. Sebastian shook his head before he drifted back and down to the closed door at the end of the hall.

Inside was the neatest room Sebastian had seen so far. The bed was made and the desk was neat, a study timetable pinned to the wall above it. Posters surrounded the timetable, of musicians and singers that Sebastian had heard people gushing over. But it was the pictures of the boys in navy and red blazers that caught his eye.

Nick was always in the middle, always smiling, and the only thing that came to Sebastian's head was "At least you belong somewhere."

Sebastian heard heavy footsteps headed for Nick's bedroom and froze where he was floating in mid-air. There was nowhere to hide. The door slowly swung open. Nick walked into the room. Shirtless.

Sebastian swooped forward, clamping a hand over Nick's mouth while he kicked the door shut. The boy's brown eyes were wide with fear and his cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain, but you have to promise not to scream. Please don't scream. They'll think you're crazy. You're the only person I've ever met who can see me. Please don't scream, Nick, please."

The boy relaxed slightly but he was still breathing heavily, his breath ticklish across the back of Sebastian's hand but not warm. He was too cold to feel the warmth. But at Nick's subtle nod he released him and floated away a few feet. Nick folded his arms across his chest, rubbing a hand over his upper arm as he watched the stranger floating in front of him.

"So who are you and why are you in my room?"

"I'm Jack Frost – but I prefer Sebastian."

"Why?"

"Just because," Sebastian answered but in all honesty he didn't know the answer to that question.

"And your reason for being here?"

"I saw you walking home… I was the voice you heard. I usually just say things out loud – no one has ever heard my voice before."

There was a moment of silence, Nick watching Sebastian apprehensively.

"You said you thought I looked sad. You asked me why I was sad. Why? Why do you care?"

"Because you don't deserve to be sad."

"You don't know what I deserve."

It was Sebastian's turn to frown then and as his eyes travelled down to the floor, he registered the thin white marks littered across Nick's arms and above the waistband of his trousers. Sebastian looked up at him sadly, drifting forward as he tugged up the sleeve of his thin white shirt. Barely visible against the pearly white of his skin were the same marks.

"You used to cut yourself too?" Nick whispered, his voice soft and hopeful.

"I don't know," Sebastian admitted.

This felt important. Sebastian couldn't dismiss this. The only person to ever see him and hear him had scars on his arms like he did. Maybe Nick was the key to his past. Maybe if Sebastian helped Nick and his family, Nick would be able to help him too. He had to try. He had to know. Jack Frost had been called Sebastian for far too long.

.

.

A/N: So this is the first instalment of my Christmas gift!fic to all of my wonderful followers and readers :) I got the idea this morning after Marissa (green-suspenders) went on a Rise of the Guardians/Jack Frost spam and this was originally gonna be an ROTG!AU but I cut it down to just Jack Frost because I didn't really know what I was doing when I started but I have a clearer idea now. I'm not sure how long it'll be but I know what's going to happen so consider it begun :p And I promise it's not gonna be a super-downer like some of my other fics have been. It's about being happy so hopefully it's going to be happy. But thank you for reading and have a happy holiday –Em xoxox