Author's Note: Here is a short oneshot for the second day of Jack Frost Week on Tumblr. The theme is Barefoot, and it features Jack and North. Hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rise of the Guardians.

DAY 2—Barefoot

"For the last time, North, I'm not wearing those stupid shoes," Jack said as he glared at the Guardian of Wonder with his arms crossed while sitting on his bed in his room at the Pole.

"Jack, your foot…" North replied as he stood in front of the Guardian of Fun holding the pair of shoes that the elves offered to Jack when he first came to the Pole…after he was shoved into a sack and tossed through a magic portal.

"What about my foot?" the winter boy asked. He looked down at his left foot and saw the bandage wrapped around it. "So, I stepped on glass. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that if I didn't get that glass out, your foot would've been infected, and that would've made things worse."

"But, for the millionth time, you did. So, everything worked out. I don't need to wear shoes just because I stepped on a piece of glass."

North let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Talking to an immortal teenager was like talking to a brick wall. He and Jack had been locked in this conversation for about an hour, and it was getting nowhere. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not convince Jack to wear the shoes. He explained to Jack that they would protect his feet from stepping on glass again, but the winter child just did not see reason.

"But why, Jack?" North finally asked figuring that maybe he could get Jack to agree with him if he got to the root of the boy's refusal to wear shoes. "Why won't you wear these shoes…or any shoes for that matter? Don't you think you'll be better off with something on your feet so that this doesn't happen again?"

Jack shrugged feeling more relaxed when North actually seemed to want to understand his reasons. "Honestly, I don't really know why I don't like wearing shoes. I tried wearing them once when I snuck into a shoe shop one night, but I just…didn't like how they felt on my feet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it felt really uncomfortable and really tight. It was like…my feet were trapped and couldn't breathe, and I realized that I liked having my feet out in the open more…if you will."

North nodded as he listened to Jack. It did make sense…in a way. Jack was a free spirit, so it was natural for him to want to be able to roam free whenever he wished. Of course, he wouldn't want to wear shoes, but that didn't make the Guardian of Wonder stop wanting to protect the boy, who he had come to love as a son.

The big man finally sighed in defeat. "Alright, I can see why you would think that, Jack," he said. "It doesn't really make sense to me, but I respect your reasons."

Jack smiled up at North almost refusing to believe that he actually got through to him. It didn't make sense to the big man, but he was still okay with it. "So, you won't try to make me wear shoes?"

North chuckled at the sense of victory in Jack's voice. "No, I won't…but only if you promise that you will be more careful about where you walk next time. It would make me feel a lot better knowing that you're safe."

Jack's smile widened even more, and he stood up and wrapped his arms around North's middle hugging him. "Don't worry. I promise, North, and thanks for worrying about me."

North smiled and wrapped his arms around Jack returning the gesture. "You're welcome, Jack."

Well, that's it! Hope you all liked it! Happy Jack Frost Week! Don't forget to review! I'll be back tomorrow with another one!