A/N: Yeah I really have no idea where this came from. I just heard the song and BAM here we are. So I own absolutely nothing in this fan fiction. Rise of the Guardians belongs to DreamWorks I believe, and the song is "Sad song" by Christina Perri. Not by me, but by Christina Perri. Once again I own nothing.
Jack Frost floated lazily around his pond thinking on one cold, January morning. He had been in kind of a bad mood lately, but that's to be expected when no human in the world could see you anymore, and when the only beings who can pay attention to you, just yell. It had been but a few years since their battle with Pitch, and the children were already starting to "betray him" as he put it. Most of the children that had been at the battle personally still believed, but they had failed in convincing their peers that he existed. A few had just dismissed the idea as a freak dream. Either way, he was again an invisible spirit that no one cared about. But he wasn't totally alone anymore. The Guardians often stopped by for visits. They always joked about his talkativeness when they did, but when you haven't had a conversation in over a month, you tend to talk more then the average person.
He was actually quite mad at the Guardians at the moment. After an accidental sneeze he had covered North's entire workshop in a thick layer of frost. He had decided to leave the scene for a little while, and upon his return he had over heard Bunny, North, and Sandman "talking". What they said, wasn't nice.
Jack let out a heavy sigh and allowed himself to plop into a large snow pile.
"Ow!" Jack yelped as he felt something hard dig into his back. He jumped up and looked back at his imprint in the snow. A small shiny object rested in the center of the imprint. He summoned some wind that lifted the object up and placed it on the ground next to him. It was rectangular in shape, had a small round button at the bottom, and a screen took up most of the front. Not wanting to freeze the object, Jack used another gust of wind to flip it over. On the back of the white device, in shiny silver letters, the word "iPod" was printed.
"Oh, so this is what an iPod looks like," Jack said to himself flipping it back over. "Wonder who lost it. Maybe they're still nearby. I guess I should play it and see if they can hear." He quickly tapped on the middle button trying not to freeze it over. The screen lit up and a lock screen appeared on the device. A spark of frustration went through Jack and he decided to try and double tap the middle button. A control pad appeared at the top of the screen. There were a bunch of small triangles and it took Jack a seconded to figure which one was the play button. As quickly as he could he tapped the play. The song started out with a slow acoustic guitar and piano. After a short while a female voice took over
Today I'm gonna write a sad song, gonna make it really long.
Jack let out a groan and contemplated changing the song, but decided it would risk frosting the screen over.
So that everyone can see, that I'm petty unhappy.
"You and me both," Jack mumbled not pleased at being reminded of it.
I wish I wasn't always wrong,
I wish it wasn't always my fault
All the emotion left Jacks face and he glanced down at the device as if daring it to go on.
The finger that you're pointing has knocked me on my knees
And all you need to know is I'm so sorry.
It's not like me, its maturity that I'm lacking…
"Ok guys, this isn't funny!" Jack yelled jumping up from his sitting position. He expected one of the Guardians to step out of the trees saying that they understood him the whole time and just did not know how to tell him. They under stood that he was longing for attention and that's why he was acting out. That they understood that he was hurting. But no one did.
So don't, don't let me go
Just to let me know
That growing up goes slow
Jack glared down at the iPod with his ice blue eyes, willing it to turn itself off.
I wonder what my mom and dad would say if I told them that I cry each day
It's hard enough to live so far away
"I do wonder what they would say about me being this way," Jack said to himself looking down. He shook his head and laughed at himself. The song couldn't know him.
I wish I wasn't always cold
I wish I wasn't always alone
Jack froze. The words stung like a knife. He felt his stomach churn and his icy gaze focused back on the iPod. He wanted nothing more then to snap it in half and throw the parts in the pond, but it wasn't his. For all he knew it could be a child's. How could it know so much?! He sometimes hated being cold to the touch, and he was always alone. It had been that way for over three hundred years, and up until recently he couldn't remember a time where he wasn't. He had hoped that would change after being a Guardian, but it didn't change enough.
When the parties are over, how will I get home?
His fun was all he had. Whenever the snowball fights and fun times stopped he often found himself in a sort of depression.
And all you need to know is I'm so sorry
It's not like me
It's maturity that I'm lacking
So don't, don't let me go
Just to let me know
That growing up goes slow
If all the rules were meant to bend and you swore you were my friend
Now I have to start all over again
By this point in the song Jack had sat back down, closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his staff. He was listening intensely to the vocalist who seemed to know his every emotion.
'Cause no one is going to take your place
And I'm scared I'll never save all the pieces of the love we made
And I'm so sorry
It's not like me
It's maturity that I'm lacking
So don't, don't let me go
Just to let me know
That I can slip and fall
A small tear escaped from the winter spirits eye, and it startled him. He wasn't crying over something as silly as a song was he? But each word was like a dagger into his bottled up emotions.
And you won't let me go
Just to let me know
That growing up goes slow…
And I'm so sorry…
It's not like me…
It's maturity that I'm lacking…
So don't, don't let me go
Just to let me know
That growing up goes slow…
The song ended and the iPod was quite. By the end of the song Jack was a mess. He was huddled over his staff tears streaming down his face in a steady flow. Silent sobs escaped his mouth and he felt like the entire world was about to come crashing down on him. The song had been a little too close to reality, and the whole thing was like a sturdy slap in the face.
A sudden noise behind him caused him to snap out of it and stand up. He held his staff out in front of him and scanned the wooded terrain.
His shoulders relaxed a bit when he saw a two teenaged girls step into the clearing. One of them was tall, with blond hair and light green eyes. She looked to be athletic, and she wore a bright smile as her eyes landed on the iPod. The other girl was of average height, had shoulder length brown hair, and stormy gray eyes. She wore a look of annoyance and she was glaring up the blond.
"There it is!" the blond called happily. She ran over the iPod and plucked it out of the snow.
"I swear to God if you ever drag me through the woods again to find something of yours I will kill you in you sleep," the other joked. The first girl smiled sheepishly at her friend and said, "Come on we're best friends. You love me too much to kill me."
"That's what you think," the brunette said darkly and for a second Jack though he was going to have to break up an attempt at murder. The two stared each other down for a moment before they both breakout into hysterical laughter.
"Come on, let's head over to your place and play to video games," the blond said smiling.
"Don't tell me what to do," the second girl laughed. Jack had to let out a laugh himself. The blond girl stopped suddenly and whipped her head around in Jack's direction.
"What's wrong?" the brunette asked looking the same way. The blond blinked a couple of times and said, "I-I thought I heard, I thought I saw… never mind." The two girls walked out of sight leaving Jack with his thoughts.
He was a little disappointed that the girl had not been able to see him, but at least she had caught a glimpse of him. He took a deep breath and whipped his eyes feeling the tears well up again. He was about to walk back to the pound and continue his sulking when he heard a voice from behind him.
"Hello Jack!" North said happily.
"G'day mate," Bunny greeted
"Hi Jackie!" Tooth squealed and he bet the Sandman waved.
"Great, of all days for them to pop in," Jack thought. He quickly masked his pain with a goofy smile and turned around and exclaimed happily "Hey guys!" but the group didn't look convinced. Tooth fluttered over to him and ran her finger over his cheek, picking up a stray tear along with it. Jack closed his eyes and made a frustrated face.
"Crap," he thought his heart sinking.
"Jack what's wrong?" Tooth asked concerned.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Jack smiled.
"You're loosing your touch, mate, we can tell that you're lying," Bunny said stepping forward, "What did you do this time?"
"I didn't do anything," Jack snapped feeling another wave of mixed emotions come over him.
"Jack Frost, tell us what's wrong?" North asked sternly. The boy stood there for a moment looking at the ground. After a little internal debate he asked, "Do you guys like me?"
"Of course we like you!" Tooth and North said and Sandy spelled above his head. The group turned to Bunny and he, becoming embarrassed, said "Well…I wouldn't say like." Jack flinched he looked down at his feet.
"At least one of you is being honest," he said quietly, and the group started to feel the temperature drop.
"Aw come on Jack, I was only kidding." Bunny said hopping over to the winter spirit and placing a paw on his shoulder, "I like you fine." Jack shrugged him off harshly and stepped away.
"No, its okay. I know how you all feel; I can hear you when you're talking behind my back. I recall something North said a couple weeks ago. Hmm what was it… oh yeah, I remember 'that boy is not worth the trouble, why do I bother with him sometimes, he just comes bursting through the doors breaking everything in sight!' to which the Easter Kangaroo replied with 'what do you expect from a bullheaded child? Sometimes I miss the quiet times around here' and Sandy nodded" Jack yelled. The Guardians in question stared down at their feet.
"You weren't supposed to hear that," Bunny mumbled, his ears flopping down.
"North, Bunny, Sandy I'm ashamed of you!" Tooth scolded hovering over the two.
"Don't think you're off the hook Tooth, I have heard you tell your fairies that your job is much more important than me a numerous amount of times." Tooth joined the boys in their sheepish looks.
"So don't try and tell me that you care, no one has ever cared about me," Jack said slowly the tears returning and the wind picking up.
"So that's what's wrong," Tooth said stepping, or flying, forward, "You're lonely."
"Ha, just figuring that out?" Jack asked his voice cracking and his breathing becoming strained, "Three hundred years of being alone and you're just nowfiguring that out!?"
"We didn't mean what we said Frostbite," Bunny said soothingly.
"You had just destroyed my entire workshop," North put in, "We were angry."
"I'm so sorry guys, for everything," Jack sobbed falling to his knees.
"It's ok," Tooth said embracing the crying boy, "we're sorry too. We just don't know what its like to not be believed in for so long. But we'll learn, we just have to grow up a little bit to understand you and growing up goes slow." the rest said.
Jack almost laughed at the irony of the moment but he couldn't stop the tears. The rest of the Guardians soon joined in on the hug and before long they had quieted the teen. There was an awkward pause after Jack's last sniffle and he said with his face still in Tooth's shoulder "Okay, now I'm all embarrassed." The group let out a laugh and they knew they had their old Jack Frost back.
.
