-_- Fun fact, that's how my face looks 24/7. Do people even use emoticons anymore? I guess not.
It's been a while. I don't even know what to say besides 'I'm sorry' and I'm gaining traction, Ideas are flowing. I'm going to stop overthinking stuff and just go with it. Slight warning for those with ED triggers.
Thanks for the support everyone. Every review, favorite, follow. I'm honestly just glad people are reading this continuation, especially after it started pretty rough, IMO. I've got other rainbow snowcone plans. Are we still calling the pairing that? I live in a cave. A cave where I overthink my fanfiction and don't write for ages. And eat junk. And wait for the new Florence and Machine album to drop.
Having a good May?
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Jack Frost wasn't scared of much.
Spiders could dance along the white on his fingers and he would twitch his knuckles to help them along their way. Snakes could cross his path and he would stare on, unfazed. Blood didn't stir anything primal in him and heights were somewhat favorable.
His fears were few, simple, and justifiable. Many others in the world, like him, feared bad decisions and the death of loved ones.
The stranger things that scared him were easy enough to hide. Cars that went a little too fast, liquor, lakes, swimming pools, the occasional bathtub.
The difference between him and the others was that one could know Jack Frost for years and never know what he feared, if he chose to keep it under wraps. He could drive cars now with a careful mask. He could pass large bodies of water without shaking. He could join conversations on tragedies and familial death without his palms getting too sweaty or his mind fleeing to the primal instinct of running.
He thought he had conquered most of his fears.
But after the first few weeks at college Jack realized that he feared much more than he originally thought. He was scared of not knowing where his life was going. He was scared of disliking school the way he did. He was scared of the future.
Most of all, he was frightened of Tooth's silence.
The smiles faded into nothing and the words died before they could even pass her lips. Silence was deafening without her words there to fill it.
Never had she been so quiet and blank as she had been the past few days.
Never had Jack been so scared.
"Are you hungry?"
She shook her head.
"Thirsty?"
Again, a quiet 'no'.
She could feel the bright eyes daggering her. She could see the frown reflecting out of the window she gazed in her peripheral vision.
A cold hand touched her shoulder gently. It spoke volumes more than the concern in his voice ever could, for Jack rarely touched people, if he could avoid it. She knew he was self conscious about the texture and temperature of his palms. Too many times he had accidentally brushed his fingers against the skin of someone else only to have them yelp and pull away.
Tooth had always thought it was stupid for him to hide it. It wasn't like he couldn't help it. So he ran a little colder.
Now, with the gaps in her teeth, she could understand why 'hiding' seemed like the right choice. She didn't want anyone to see, hear, or even hint at the disaster that her pearly whites had become.
Jack's voice brought her back to the present moment. She had been drifting often these days.
"Do you want to go back to your dorm room tonight?"
The only movement that she had done all day was the sudden grab she made for his arm. Squeezing it tightly she looked at him with a pleading expression.
"Alright," he said. He wouldn't force it.
She had been hiding out in Jack's dorm room over the weekend. And a few days into the week. And the weekend after that.
Tooth missing class was unheard of to Jack and their old group of friends. He hated to think of what the guys would say if they saw the state Tooth was in now. Though no one had said it out loud, Jack knew that the others had entrusted her to him. He figured he was doing an awful job of protecting her. "You can stay here."
She had slept on the little beanbag couch by the window, silently refusing Jack's offer to share his bed or take Rudolph's. She sent her homework in electronically through her computer. The only times she left were to grab new clothes, bathe, drink, or take a particularly important test.
Jack hadn't seen her eat in the last two days and it was freaking him out. She seemed to be drinking vegetable and fruit shakes to make up for the sudden absence of solid food, but that worried him even more, as if she were planning on not eating for a long time. He had brought her little gifts of her favorite foods that he had picked up after class, hoping she would at least nibble on something. All of the gifts remained untouched on the window sill.
He had a feeling it was either because her mouth still hurt or because she didn't want to feel the missing teeth as she chewed.
"Tooth," he tried, ignoring the threatening crack in his voice, "you can't just…shut down. What about your classes? What about your clubs?"
She curled in on herself and looked out the window. It appeared to Jack that she was trying to shut off the conversation.
He went on anyway.
"Your captain called. Thor too. They're wondering what happened. North, Bunnymund, they've-"
Tooth shot him an unbelieving look. He wasn't supposed to tell any of the old gang or anyone else about this for that matter! It was embarrassing enough that what happened at the party even happened, but for him to tell others about it…
"Yeah, I said something," Jack went on, insistent, "they're worried about you. I'm worried. You won't talk. You won't eat. I- I don't know what you want me to do."
'I want you to leave things alone.'
Jack paused as if he could hear her thoughts and frowned. "You just want to hide here forever? You need to talk to someone about it. You need to eat food, real food. You need to tell your dad what happened-"
"-Don't tell me what I need to do!" She raised a hand over her mouth, hiding it. Her voice was sudden and raspy, but angered enough to give the little volume in her tone power.
Jack responded back just as suddenly. "I'm only saying it because you know it's true! Your dad can help you out. He can fix the damage. Yeah, maybe he'll be disappointed that it happened at all, but you'll be happier that you told him in the end."
Tooth pointedly turned away from him to face the window.
"You don't want to hear it from me? Fine. Get another perspective. I'll call Sandy right now-"
"-No, he's busy-!"
"Too busy for you? Doubt it." Jack knew Sandy adored Tooth just like him and all the others did.
Calling a mute kid from Jack's phone would be trouble because Jack's old cellphone only had audio. Texting wasn't really an option right now. They needed something a little more personal.
Tooth's sticker phone had the visual face-to-face feature that allowed the caller to see who they were called. They could sign with Sandy through that.
"Where's your phone?" Jack asked.
Tooth shrugged avoiding his gaze.
"Is it back in your dorm room?"
"…"
Jack sighed and headed out the door and down to her dorm, worrying the whole way. It was only luck that their RA, Gilgamesh, hadn't realized that Tooth had been camping out in the boys living quarters for this long.
He passed Rudolph on the steps.
"Oh- hi Jack! How's uh…is she still…?"
Jack nodded in exasperation. "Yeah, she's still glued to that beanbag chair. I'm going to try and kickstart things with a few phone calls, get her out of this funk she's in. If she glares at you just ignore it. She's not feeling like herself lately."
Rudolph gulped. "Yeah, that's fine. I know she's…she likes teeth, right? And hers broke so…"
"…She's been having a week long meltdown. In our room. I'm sorry."
Rudolph shook his head. "Ah, it's alright. She's your girlfriend after all."
Jack stepped closer to his roommate. "Thanks Rudy. I know it hasn't been easy on you, the tension in the room the last couple of days."
Rudolph tried to laugh it off but Jack insisted. "No really man. You were a huge help that night up till now. You didn't have to do all that stuff. I owe you big time."
Red bloomed across Rudolph's face as he looked around nervously. "N-no problem!"
Jack nodded before continuing down the steps and heading across campus. Without his roommate's efficient helping Jack would have never made it to the party in time to stop Tooth from going with those drunk drivers. He still wondered how he ever made it in time. If only he could have made it there before she fell and hurt herself.
Ah well. He'd preferred that she lost a few teeth rather than her life. Small victories.
When he reached Tooth's room in her residence hall he knocked on the door.
A tall, creepy looking wraith of a girl opened it and Jack could see behind her that the room was pitch black. Did something just caw…?
The girl glared expertly at him.
"Can I come in…?" Jack asked hesitantly, not really wanting to anymore. "I need to grab a few things of Tooth's."
The girl's sharp eyebrows lifted at the name.
"Where has she been? What did you do to her?" She moved aside, letting Jack in the room but not letting up on the interrogation.
He tried his best to ignore the barrage of questions and made his way to Tooth's side of the room looking through piles and piles of books and clothing. He searched through her blankets before pulling out the familiar tooth-stickered phone.
"...Answer me, boy!"
Jack grabbed a few of the books he was looking for and put them in his duffel bag. He turned to the girl. "Don't worry. I'm glad she has a roommate like you to care for her so much."
"Are you being sarcastic with me?" Maleficent asked lowly.
Jack shook his head. "Nope. I mean that. Honest. I would've been worried if you hadn't asked anything about where'd she been the past couple of days. I'm sure she misses you too."
Maleficent guffawed. "'Misses'…? I don't 'miss' her and I'm not worried. We're not even-"
"-Friends?" Jack looked at her skeptically. "Tooth makes friends faster than anyone else I know. If she's not your friend you're definitely hers. Besides you have weird, sharp canines. She digs that stuff. Oh," he said, spotting the large raven, "nice crow. Are pets even allowed in here?"
"Raven. And we're not friends. And my canines are perfectly shaped, how dare you suggest otherwise?"
"She'll be back either tonight or tomorrow if my plan goes well. See you around."
Maleficent fumed behind him as Jack walked out and closed the door before the tall girl could slam it on him.
Turning around, he jumped.
Another girl stood before the door looking as if she had been about to knock. Her white fist hovered near Jack's forehead.
For a length they stared at one another.
Jack's head cocked to the side. Looking at this girl was almost like looking into a mirror. It made him feel a little weird.
"Is this room 364?" she asked stiffly.
"Yeah." Jack responded.
"I found it in the school's directory."
"Did you?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
"Does…Toothiana live here?"
"Yeah. No. Well, she does but she's fused to a beanbag chair in my room right now. So no, she's not here right now."
The girl frowned. "Should I come back another time?"
He nodded.
A look of curiosity flashed through her eyes and she opened her mouth before closing it and walking away.
He watched her before going his own way.
Jack jogged down the hall and exited the building before juggling Tooth's things in his hand and bringing up her phone. The screen lit up and he navigated through her contacts as he walked.
Most of the pictures for her contacts were smiles. Smiles of the people listed in her phone.
Jack couldn't stop the cringe that overtook him. 'Uh...' It was kind of…no it was really creepy. He wasn't surprised, but…really? And how did she get them all to…and when did she take that picture of him…?
Jack brushed away the questions and quickly found Sandy's name, his small-toothed smile picture next to it. Jack called the boy with the face-to-face setting enabled.
Sandy's face soon took up the entire screen. The chubby boy's initial excitement faded into confusion at the sight of Jack's face.
"Sorry, I'm not Tooth. I'm in a hurry and my hands are full so just hear me out?"
Sandy nodded.
"You in class?"
"Sandy nodded again but after a few moments of shuffling on screen, the blonde boy was out in a hallway somewhere. He faced the phone again, giving it a thumbs-up.
"Cool. So, erhm, to cut to the point Tooth got hurt at a party a few nights ago. She fell and lost two teeth and fractured one, but I'm not completely sure. She hasn't opened her mouth to show me since that night and puts her hand over her mouth when she talks now. Which is rarely."
Sandy's eyes bugged.
"Yeah. You can imagine how she's doing right now."
Sandy did a few frantic signs.
Jack looked apolegetic. "Sorry man, I've been kind of rusty on the ASL. We haven't all been together in a while."
Sandy rolled his eyes before nodding and pointing at Jack.
"Me? How am I doing?"
Sandy shook his head.
"Oh. Um..Me? What am I doing?"
Sandy shook his head again before pointing to his teeth, making explosive hand movements, and then pointing once more at Jack. Jack had to guess a few more times before pinpointing what Sandy was asking. "Where was I when she broke her teeth?"
Sandy nodded eagerly, a glint of something dangerous in his eyes.
Jack tried not to look unnerved. "I was waiting for her on the other side of campus. We were going to hang out that day but her dance team went to some gig at a frat house. That's where she got tipsy before tripping and you know."
Sandy's eyes bugged even wider.
"I know right?" Jack answered, heading into his residence hall. "Tooth doesn't even drink! I don't know why she was doing it. She won't tell me anything else. She barely talks now, Sandy. I need you to talk to her. She'll talk to you."
Sandy nodded determined.
"Okay, hold on. I'm giving the phone to her."
Jack pushed into his room before dumping the duffel on his desk. Tooth and Rudolph looked up at the sudden noise. Tooth's eyes roved over the items spilling out of the bag, familiarity in her eyes.
Jack stepped into her line of sight, pushing the phone towards her. "It's Sandy."
Tooth shook her head wildly, trying to get up and away from the phone. Jack moved towards her.
"Tooth, it's okay. He wants to talk to you, see what's going on. You don't even have to vocalize. I'll hold the phone while you guys do your thing via ASL."
Pausing a moment, Tooth nodded.
Jack couldn't see Sandy but he watched as Tooth moved through various hand signs and gestures, communicating towards the phone. Her expression tightened as the conversation continued. Rudolph stared at the scene, mesmerized.
Even though the room was silent Jack knew a lot was being said. Tooth's movements became less smooth and slower as the glassiness in her eyes became full on unbidden tears. It hurt to watch but Jack knew she needed someone to talk to, an outlet where she could express herself whilst hiding her teeth at the same time.
His arms strained but Jack held the phone for nearly an hour while Tooth continued to talk to Sandy. There seemed a moment where the two were arguing, Tooth making the same gesture over and over with a frustrated look before giving in and continuing on to other symbols.
Eventually, Tooth's tears began to roll and she sniffled, nodding her head in submission. She looked at the phone with a chastised look before smiling with her lips together, a giggle muffled behind them.
Then she did a few symbols that Jack did recognize.
I love you.
I miss you.
Goodbye.
Tooth lowered her arms and Jack turned the phone towards himself with aching fingers. Sandy looked back at him, eyes a little red-rimmed but smiling. Sandy gave another thumbs up before closing the call.
Jack put the phone on his desk and watched as Tooth rubbed at her eyes with a softened expression. She answered Jack's silent question with a hand covering her mouth.
"Sandy said the same thing you did. Tell my dad." She sighed. "I knew you were right. Sandy's right, too. It's just…hard. Dad had so much faith in me being on my own and I failed him. He's going to be so upset with me." Her words choked off and she buried her face in her hands.
His skin itched at the sight of her despair. Jack looked around before picking up a scrapbook out of the duffel bag on his desk. He opened up to a random page and stood next to Tooth, holding it up for her.
Tooth lowered her hands to see the various sketches of their friends and their teeth. Doodles were drawn all along the sides. She grew quiet and the tears slowly stopped.
Jack began slowly, thinking out his words.
"You made a mistake. I've made them too. But look. You drew all these. You love these. I know how much it hurts you that yours got messed up-" she flinched, "-but it is fixable. All you have to do is tell your dad. He's been in dentition for decades, he can fix this, he won't hate you for messing up once. Even if he does get mad, he'll eventually accept it and forgive you. There's nothing to forgive, really. Everybody messes up once in a while."
"After how long will he forgive me, though?" Tooth wondered vaguely, tracing a finger down her sketchpad. "Your dad didn't talk to you properly for a year after your mistake. How can I know what to expect from my dad?"
Instantly, Tooth realized it was the wrong thing to say, a low blow. Jack drew taught like a bow next to her.
She pulled her finger away from the sketchpad.
Should she apologize? But she honestly wanted to know! The words were harsh but true. She couldn't help but feel selfish and desired an answer more than she desired to spare Jack's feelings.
Maybe she shouldn't have said that. Did his roommate know about Jack's accident? Rudolph was still there in the room, glancing at Jack curiously, who pointedly kept his gaze from both of them.
Jack suddenly looked at her, really looked at her for a moment. Tooth seemed to wilt under his gaze looking away in shame.
He could feel frustration slowly turn into anger inside him.
Their mistakes were different. His mistake was plunging him and his sister into a near-hypothermic death. Hers was drinking too much at a party and losing her footing. The price of his mistake involved police and hospitals and years of guilt, trauma, phobia, you name it. Her issues could be fixed within a day or two. As if her parents would react similarly to how his had. How could she even think…
Something dark in him wanted to hurt her for even comparing their problems. After all the things he had done for her.
He gasped quietly, scared back into the moment.
He didn't…he didn't want to hurt Tooth. No. He wanted to help her. Yeah. That's why he was doing this. He had gotten past this side of himself hadn't he? He didn't need mean words or an icy disposition to defend himself. He fought down the icy retorts that had sprung on his tongue and tried to calm himself. He didn't want to lash out. He didn't want to be cruel.
Breathing deep, Jack tried to remember that Tooth was a studious, honest kid that never got into trouble and that this incident was probably the worst thing to happen to her so far in her young life. He tried to remember that he couldn't possibly understand how deeply this affected her, that he didn't love teeth as much as she did.
"I don't know your dad the way you do." Jack tried. Tooth's fearful look melted away at the calm in his voice. He continued steadily. "I do know he cares and wants the best for you. He would want you to tell him."
Tooth nodded eagerly glad to see that Jack wasn't mad at her. "I'm sorry for even mentioning-"
"-It doesn't matter." Jack waved it off like it was nothing.
"It does! It hurt you," she insisted, knowing good and well that it mattered to him. "What I said before? I know it did. I…I know our problems and parents aren't even comparable, I just was…I don't know-"
Jack shrugged and playfully elbowed her. "It's fine. I'm over it. We're good."
"Just like that...?" she questioned.
"Just like that."
Tooth lifted a hand over her widening grin and buried her face into Jack's collar bone, her arms wrapping around him tightly. He held her back.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Tooth nodded.
Jack seemed to be trying to lace his words with neutrality and warmth. "I know you're not a kid anymore and you can do what you want but...I thought you didn't like to drink?"
Tooth sighed, burying her face into him. "I don't."
"Then why were you? Drinking, I mean?"
Tooth thought about it. Why had she that night? Things were foggy and hazy, but she could recall feelings of inadequacy and needing to prove herself. She could recall something else besides liquor. A powder? A dust? But that didn't make sense. "If I tell you, you'll laugh at me."
"Try me," Jack insisted. He tightened his hug on her.
Feeling a little safer in his arms Tooth tried her best to explain. "I don't remember too well now but I think I was feeling bad about breaking my promise to you. Some friends noticed and told me to let loose. I wasn't going to drink anything but then I just started thinking about all these times I was a fun-suck or a party pooper. I didn't want to be like that and I didn't want to be sad anymore, so I...I drunk way more than I should have."
Jack looked confused. "You're not a fun-suck."
"I was just standing around feeling bad at a party, Jack. That's not exactly promoting fun."
"Did the drinks help?"
Tooth sighed. "Yeah, until I bust my face on concrete." Jack cringed. Tooth went on. "I must look so lame to you. We're in college and I can't even...it's like, I'm the cliche' goody-two shoes kid drinks to impress and can't even hold her liquor. I lost teeth over it. So stupid..."
Jack's cool fingers gripped her chin and tilted her face up to his. "Don't talk about yourself like that. Look, I'm not telling you not to drink ever. It's college. Of course you can. And you're also allowed to say no. No one's going to force you to. I just don't want you to overdo it again. I want you to be safe. If you ever feel pressured or weird or upset...you can call me, y'know? You can tell me. Even if you think I might get mad or laugh, I want you to tell me."
Tooth let her eyelids slip closed as she absorbed his words. Sometimes he made her feel so different than how she felt about herself. He often treated her like an equal, sometimes even like an average acquaintance that wasn't his girlfriend. Still, his cool nature and off-handedness made the intimate moments like these that much more special. Most days he treated her like she could handle herself, but he also remembered the days where she just needed to fall apart and have him help pick up the pieces. Tooth liked the days where she could become something fragile and simply hide away from it all in his arms.
Sometimes people at Mythos wondered if they were actually dating, if the icy boy really cared about her and her dyed hair and her teeth posters. Feeling the cool arms wrapping around her and slotting their bodies together, she knew she already had her answer.
She burrowed further into him, gripping tightly into the hug. Jack stood still and let her get her fill before she lifted herself onto her toes and planted a long kiss on his jaw.
Blushing, Jack tried to aim one on her lips but she backed off like his lips were on fire.
"Not until my teeth are fixed!" she squealed. "I don't want you to feel the broken ones!"
"I don't care," Jack said honestly, "the less that are in the way, the easier it is to get to your-"
"-ohmygodJack!"
Rudolph grimaced. "Gross. And I hardcore feel like a third wheel right now."
Jack turned at that with a quirked brow. "What? What happened to that kid, 'A Wee Loopty'? The Cherokee kid? I thought you guys were hitting it off great."
Rudolph looked as if he wanted to crawl into a hole. "His name is 'Awi Usdi', and-
"-Or the Canadian guy Bambi from your volunteer group? You were talking about him for ages-"
Rudolph shook his head wildly. "Jack, um, please stop revealing all of my cru-"
"-Or that girl Qilin? She was pretty. I thought she liked you."
"I am never telling you anything else again!" Rudolph yelled, leaping across the room clapping his hand over's Jack's mouth. "Stop telling the world my secrets!" His nose grew intensely red.
Tooth laughed loud, forgetting to cover her mouth as Rudolph pulled away from Jack with a wet hand. "Eugh! Jack, is this…spit?! This better not be spit, man…why is it so cold? This is sick!" Rudolph wiped the wet hand across Jack's forehead, who yelled in surprise.
"Rudy, that's freezing."
"It's your spit!"
Jack turned back to Tooth with Rudolph's hands still wiping at him. "Speaking of guys and girls- there was a girl looking for you back at your dorm."
Tooth tilted her head. "Who, my roommate?"
"Nope. Some other girl. Didn't catch her name."
Tooth nodded. Who would be looking for her? She shrugged before picking up her phone and dialing
"Sawatdee kah, dad. Sabaidee mah? …Yes, I'm fine! Well actually…I have something to tell you."
Maleficent looked up as her long lost roommate entered their room.
Sitting up, she hovered over to the girl.
"Where have you been?"
Tooth looked exhausted and dumped her things on her desk before flopping back on her bed. She didn't bother brushing off the pet raven that jumped heavily onto her and settled on her stomach.
"I was at Jack's place."
Maleficent frowned. "I know. For a week. What happened?"
Tooth looked over to her, flashing a smile in her direction. Maleficent gasped loudly at the sight of the two gaps and half tooth.
"Yeah," Tooth nodded. "I felt the same when it happened. Except there were a lot more tears involved. And snot. I feel waaay better now."
"You were gone a week because of a few teeth?" Maleficent asked.
Tooth stared for a long time before noticing Maleficent fidgeting and frowning. She spoke. "Teeth are very…important to me. If you couldn't tell from the name, of course. And the posters on my side of the room. And seventy percent of anything that comes out of my mouth."
Maleficent smirked. "My sass is rubbing off on you. And it's more like eighty percent of what comes out your mouth, be honest."
Tooth giggled. "Yeah. I'm driving down to Burgess tomorrow to get my teeth fixed. You'll have the room to yourself again. How's it been without me?"
Maleficent looked down at her nails. "Quiet. I met him earlier. He came to get your things."
Tooth smiled. "What'd you think? An evil boy like all the others, out to do me wrong and eat my heart?"
Maleficent shot Tooth a look before settling back. "He was…decent. Assumptive little brat though, just like you. I can see why you two are together."
Tooth chuckled. "I'm glad you got along with him."
Maleficent frowned. "I did not, I assure you."
A knock sounded at their door. Tooth stood to get it. The raven on her jostled and pecked at her fingers. She sighed and picked it up alongside her, letting it nest in her arms. "Oh, but he thinks so. He said you were nice."
Maleficent gaped in disbelief. "Me? Nice? Are you two socially challenged? Does the hostility and the dark clothes and my pointy possessions not affect you?"
"Oh, so you do all that stuff on purpose? I wondered." Tooth opened the door and nearly dropped the raven. She readjusted it in her arms as it angrily pecked at her. "Ow! If this is about the cawing at night, its music, and this thing in my arms is a plushie, I swear-"
Her words died in her throat as she finally lifted her gaze.
The girl. The girl from the night of the party and the one she had knocked down on the first day of school! The girl that had stopped her from getting in that car from before.
Without the haze of hurrying somewhere or liquor, Tooth could see her clearer than ever.
…And Tooth had thought Rapunzel had been beautiful.
The girl standing before her now was pristinely stunning. Her hair was platinum blonde, like each strand had been stripped from the moon itself. It was pinned behind her skull in a tight, pristine bun. The skin was smooth and fair, unblemished from head to toe with not a single blemish to be seen. Tooth would have thought her and Jack to be related if not for her dark blue eyes, rounded features, and impossibly neat clothing.
There was something else there too, Tooth noticed. The way the girl carried herself, just standing there in the hall…she seemed regal. Neat. A little too neat. Stiff, almost.
Guarded.
Tooth's mouth opened and closed like a fish before she squawked a bit and abandoned her attempts to speak.
"I've been searching for you." Even the girl's voice was neat, each syllable pronounced perfectly. It didn't hint at any emotion beneath.
"Oh." Tooth said dumbly, awed over how the voice was just as beautiful as the face was. The scene felt oddly familiar to how she first met Jack during lunch years ago. He had been looking for her too.
"I…" the girl looked as if she wanted to ask something but decided not to. "Here." She handed Tooth a bundled handkerchief.
Tooth stared at the girl a little too long before peeking in the bundle.
Two teeth and a fragment of one stared back at her.
Hers.
She looked back up at the girl with a feeling she couldn't yet identify. "…What's your name?"
The girl fidgeted as though she wanted to leave. "Elsa."
For a moment nothing happened.
Then, Tooth put down the raven softly and let her feet move on their own. Before she could blink she was wrapping her arms tightly around the other girl's neck, a difficult task since the blonde was taller than her.
Elsa gasped before patting Tooth awkwardly and trying to pull away. The smaller girl wouldn't let up.
"Thank you," Tooth repeated in chant, "thank you thankyouthankyou…!"
"You're welcome, it's not an issue, please don't-" she silenced as Tooth burrowed herself into the pale neck.
Tooth off-handedly noted how Elsa smelled a lot more like chocolate than she expected her to. Tooth had expected the oak and pine smell that Jack gave off to be on Elsa as well. Was that creepy? Was she creeping her out?
Tooth pulled back hurriedly. "Sorry. I'm touchy. I'm also getting my teeth fixed tomorrow. Your timing is awesome! My dad- my dentist too, he's both, isn't that the coolest thing? Um, I mean, he might be able to use these to reattach. Or at least make a mold for some new ones."
The blonde closed her eyes gathering herself before responding. "Oh."
"You are so awesome right now."
Elsa seemed to pale at that, unable to form the words she wanted.
"Do you want to come in?"
Tooth tried to hide her disappointment as the blonde took a step back.
"Thank you, but…"
"Is it the raven? Don't be afraid. He only pecks if you get too close. It doesn't even hurt that much." Tooth ignored how her throbbing fingers said otherwise.
Elsa shook her head. "It's not the bird. I just…I can't…" she paused at the look on Tooth's face "…right now." She added.
The sad look flew from Tooth's face and she smiled before quickly lifting her hand to cover her mouth. "Oh! Alright. Can I get your number then? Let's hang out some other time. I totally owe you for this. We can go for drinks or something after classes."
Elsa's lips tightened once more as Tooth pulled out her phone. "I- that's not…you don't really want to hang out with…"
Tooth frowned. "Huh?"
"…Nothing."
"Oh. Tell me your number!"
Elsa bit back a sigh before relenting.
Grinning, Tooth thumbed it in. "Perfect. Now smile for me?"
Elsa stared.
"For your contact picture! On my phone?"
The blank stare continued.
"That's not a smile," Tooth joked. "Er…we can always take the picture later, I guess…?"
Tooth gazed a little too long before realizing that the blonde didn't have anything else to say. "Oh! Uh. Well see you, Elsa! Thanks again."
Closing her door, Tooth turned to Maleficent. The taller girl peered at her curiously. "Who was that?"
Tooth grinned, hand over mouth. "She said her name was Elsa. She found the teeth I lost and returned them to me! She was so sweet, she wrapped them up in this nice handkerchief and everything! Oh. I should probably give it back. After washing it, of course." Tooth smiled. Now she definitely had an excuse to see the shy girl again.
Maleficent's brow quirked. "Wait…did you say 'Elsa'?"
Tooth nodded as she walked back to her side of the room, arranging things. "Yup! Do you know her?"
Maleficent scoffed. "Do I know her? Please. Everyone knows Elsa Arendelle."
"What do you mean? Is she popular or something?" Tooth could see how that was a possibility. The girl had been very beautiful. One of the prettiest girls Tooth had ever seen on campus.
"Yes. She's the daughter of some wealthy family. She's a professional model, too. Has an agent and everything." A tinge of envy laced Maleficent's voice.
A model? Tooth perked up. "How do you know?"
Maleficent shrugged. "I've seen her spreads. I like her work. The colors are a bit too bright for me, but there's something about her look. She looks fierce. Like she's about to rip your heart out and use it to apply her lipstick."
Tooth cringed. Ew.
But…it didn't make any sense to Tooth. Sure, Elsa was gorgeous, but she seemed a little too rigid to be a model. Really rigid. Like a steel rod had been implanted in her spine. Didn't models have to adapt and be flexible people? At the door, Elsa had been quiet and it seemed like her natural facial expression was titled 'unsure and uncomfortable'. Tooth wondered what she looked like in her photos.
Maleficent seemed to read her mind. "Don't believe me? I'll find one of the magazines tomorrow and show you. You'll be surprised."
"It's not that I don't believe you," Tooth said, "it's just that Elsa doesn't seem like…like the 'fierce' model type to me."
Maleficent shrugged. "She's got a following on campus. Kids trailing her around like ducklings, things of that sort. They all think they're going to be the one the ice queen picks for a boyfriend or a bestie. Unfortunately for them, she lives up to the nickname."
Tooth paused. "What do you mean?"
"Ice queen. That's what they call her. She doesn't talk to people apparently? Doesn't date or have friends. Doesn't engage in normal human activity. She just goes to class and clubs and keeps to herself. She's got a sister. That's all I know."
Tooth wanted to laugh. Elsa was starting to sound a little too much like Jack, or at least the Jack that Tooth used to know. It was beginning to freak her out. "Is he sister younger than her?"
"Yes."
"Oh my god," Tooth murmured. "I have to tell him. He's got a female doppelgänger walking around campus."
Maleficent went on. "I'm not sure why the others say she's cold. I had her in a class a while ago. We partnered for a project. She wasn't rude or mean. Just reserved."
Tooth nodded. "I felt the same about her when we spoke at the door. If the rumors are true and she doesn't have friends, well…she has one now!"
"What do you mean?"
Tooth waved her phone around cheekily. "I got her number! Actually, I should text her so she has my number too."
Sent Message
XX/XX/XXXX From: Tooth
Hi! It's Toothiana! Let's hang out soon okay? :)
Maleficent huffed, watching her. "Well, don't let her rabid fans figure that out. They might skip past trying to bribe you for Elsa's number and go straight to attacking you."
Tooth giggled before leaping from her bed onto Maleficent's. "You're funny, Mel. That won't happen!"
Maleficent yelped, dodging Tooth's landing. "Don't ever call me that again. And we talked about leaping onto peoples' beds already! And…it's good that you're feeling better."
Tooth grinned widely, gaps be damned.
