Author's Note - This is a one-shot requested by an Anon on tumblr who asked for a story about Jack getting sick because it's too hot out, preferably with a bit of Jackunzel. And I love Jackunzel and soppy love stories so I couldn't resist :) So here you go Anon, hope you like it!
Set in a Season AU, where The Big Four have been seasonal spirits since the start of time - they haven't had previous lives. Not in connection to my main story The Final Four.
Where is she?!
Jack had been flying around the Springtimes of the world for the better part of a week now, searching for Rapunzel.
He had spent much longer than that wondering if he should even go find her in the first place, but once he had set his mind to it he could wait no longer.
As the Season of Springtime she was usually found out in the open painting flowers, or teaching the new baby birds how to sing, but he wasn't having any luck finding her anywhere!
He paused to sit on a tree branch in the woods he was currently searching. Squinting up at the sunlight that was filtering through the leaves he pondered over the fact that it was an unusually warm springtime this year.
"Rapunzel must be hanging out with Merida too often" he grumbled to himself. He and heat had never got along very well, but it was usually easy enough to avoid it by hanging out in late Autumn, Winter, or even early Springtime.
His delay in looking for Rapunzel however meant that he was currently searching for her in late Spring. The weather was uncomfortably warm for his liking especially when this was the first time he had stopped in any form of shade for ages.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, hating the feel of it against his skin. Sweat?! He'd never had that before. Actually, now he was paying attention to his body rather than concentrating on finding Rapunzel, how long had it been this hard to focus?
He gazed around him, blinking to try and rid himself of the haze that had fallen over his eyes. He swallowed. The ground below him seemed to sway as if he was on a ship. And next thing he knew it was suddenly rushing up to meet him.
Someone was humming. It sounded so pretty. Soothing. And there was something cold on his forehead. He groaned in bliss. God he'd missed the cold.
Blinking his eyes open it took him a few seconds to focus, but once he had he momentarily thought that he might be dreaming.
There she was – the girl he had been searching for so desperately. Sitting next to him and stroking his forehead with damp leaves as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
They were underneath a shady willow tree, directly next to a flowing river. There was a tiny waterfall created by a drop in the river bed, and the spray was landing over them in a refreshing mist. Rapunzel's long hair glistened as the light hit the water upon it.
He tried to sit up. "Rapunz-"
"Shhh" she interrupted him, pushing him gently back down to lie on the grass. "You're not well Jack. Do you know I found you unconscious out in the midday sunshine?! What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking I'd partake in a little tree-climbing" he quipped. "Who knew you actually had to hold on to the things to stay up there!"
She sighed and peeled off the leaves to re-soak them in the water. "Jack, you had really bad heat stroke. You know how badly the heat can affect you if you're out in it for too long, what on earth possessed you to come here in this weather?"
A faint redness tinged his cheeks, though he thought he could probably get away by blaming that on the fever.
"Well, I was looking for you actually…I – I needed to tell you something"
"For me?" She raised an eyebrow. "But we're all due to meet at Tooth's palace next month anyway, couldn't you have waited to tell me then?"
"No." His voice was full of determination.
With a sense of "it's now or never" he sat up and silenced her protests by leaning in close and placing his hand behind her neck. He leant forward until their foreheads were touching and he closed his eyes.
It had taken all the courage he possessed to get to this point and he was afraid that if he looked in her eyes he would be too scared of what he might see in them to continue. Pity? Rejection? Disgust?
Rapunzel had frozen the moment he had brought them close together but she did not pull away. In a whisper so quiet he could barely hear her she asked "What did you want to tell me Jack?"
"That I love you" he breathed; and he closed the last few inches between their lips. He kissed her; gently at first, but when she did not pull away he poured all the love and passion he felt for her into it, desperate to show her how he felt.
His hand was still behind her neck and his other fell to her waist, holding her to him. Then, just as he thought he should probably stop, he felt her hands grasp his hoody and pull him closer, responding to the kiss enthusiastically.
His heart leaped in joy, and he pulled her even tighter to him.
The two Seasons were far too busy kissing each other breathless to notice the unusual phenomenon occurring around them: hundreds of snowdrops burst from the ground, covering any hint of green grass that might have been there before. As the spray from the waterfall landed upon them they glistened like frost, surrounding the two oblivious spirits in their own floral- yet- frozen world.