Requested by JustPlainOldMe
Summary: North teaches Jack how to bake, in return Jack teaches him how to skate, simply like that XD
Again , I own nothing, enjoy reading and I wanted to tell you guys, playing bowling with mountain dew bottles is fun :D lol
Jack lay on his back high on the rafters above North's vacant work area fiddling with a loose thread on the sleeve of his hoodie while staring blankly at the wooden boards. His mind emptied of thoughts, he had to choose between staying in the pole and doing nothing all day or doing something and getting in trouble. He had chosen staying in the pole and doing nothing in fear of destroying yet another holiday. Easter was coming, Jack was afraid to even swing his staff and cause a blizzard by accidental, not that he was scared of Bunny, he just hated being lectured. Now he is stuck in the pole with nothing to do, he couldn't mess with the yetis or the elves, North had told him they would all be very busy the night before. Now that Christmas was over, they had to start another cycle of preparation like a years work had gone down to the drain. They have to go though new wish lists build new toys and wrap them all over again. Jack wanted to help, but he was afraid he might ruin something again, his own actions were unpredictable, he will never know what might happen. He might just knock over one shelf; everything will all just happen like a domino fall and end up having the North Pole destroyed.
He moaned and shut his eyes as sunlight streamed across his face. He sat up, moving to the other side, away from the high window and laid back down with his limbs hanging limply in the air.
He heard the door open along with the sound of heavy footsteps against the wooden floor. Jack sat up, "Hey North." He greeted stretching his arms above his head with a yawn.
North's eyes shot up to find the winter spirit hanging upside down on the rafters with his legs hooked on the wood. "Get down from their, you might hurt yourself." He ordered, moving to the side of his desk and picking up a small box.
Jack flipped off the ceiling and landed gracefully on the table below, perching himself of the edge. "What's that North?" his curious gaze traveled to the brown box North was holding. "It's the children's wish lists," North replied. "I'm sorry Jack; I don't really have much time to talk."
"Yeah, it's okay" Jack reached to grab his staff that was leaned on the wall. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine." North responded with a nod, "Make sure you don't get yourself hurt." He pointed a finger at him before walking out the door and closing it behind him.
Jack shrugged and went back to whatever he was doing. The door opened again, North poked his head in, "Jack, you didn't need to talk about anything do you?"
Jack shook his head, "I'm just fine."
The toy-maker brushed his beard. "If you want to talk, tell me, I'll make time for you, okay?"
Jack smiled, "I'll tell you if I do."
With one last look at him the old Cossack dragged the door shut, marching out the paneled hallway.
The winter spirit sat on by the window, drawing his legs up his chest and tucking his knees under his chin. He traced his fingers on the glass, decorating the window with his playful frost. He might as well go around the pole and decorate every window to get rid of his boredom, but he'll just get in the way again. He marked the frost with his index finger, drawing the shape of a deer and bringing it to life with the flick of his wrist. The snow deer galloped around in the air happily, making rounds around the room before bursting into snow. Jack seemed amused; he drew more on the windows. The pictures came to life under his hands, each turning into 3 dimensional creatures. The workshop would have turned into a petting zoo, if only they'd stop turning back into snow.
Jack tore his eyes away from the snow figures. That was when he noticed the block of ice sitting on top of North's desk. "Hm…I thought that was a box" he sat on North's rotating chair and busied himself in chipping the sharp edges of the block of ice and sculpting it in the shape of an animal.
Time went by quickly, it was already noon. North used his shoulder to push open the door, carrying a large plate of cookies in his workshop. He set the plate down on the desk where Jack was working on his figure, "Here, you must be hungry by now." He turned to leave but Jack stopped him, "Woah North don't you want to sit down and eat?"
The busy toy maker turned on the heels of his boots, "Sorry Jack I am in big rush today."
"Oh and North," the immortal teen stood up and held his creation. "I made an ice wolf."
"It's beautiful; I'll take a closer look at it later." He rushed out the door, leaving Jack alone again. He sat back down, filling himself with a few cookies and returned to designing his animal. Sometimes he would listen to Jamie's complaints on how his father gets too obsessed with work he didn't provide time to play with his children. Now he knew what it felt like, he couldn't blame North or Jamie's dad either, he needed to work in order to earn a living for his children, he always told Jamie that whenever he gets upset. And North was Santa Clause, he has a lot of work to do.
The sun had sunken and the moon rose. Jack sat back beside the window, twirling his staff. His finished sculpture stood on a pile of North's books as if it was standing on the edge of a cliff, howling to the full moon. Every detail was present, including the fluffy surface of the fur and the claws of its paws. It took all day to make such a detailed statue.
The hellion was bored again. He unsheathed his saber from the scabbard and toyed with it, his mind far off somewhere else. He eyed the wall clock that went tick tock, sounding the quiet room. It was getting late; North hasn't even taken a break from work, was he like this every year? He felt a little guilty for causing the Blizzard of 68, that time he was just having fun, he didn't even get why Bunny was so mad, now he knew. It takes a lot of time to prepare for a holiday; Bunny probably didn't rest his eyes until everything was settled. The thought left him feeling guilty as always, now he had something to think about while waiting for North to come back.
He grew anxious as seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned to hours. He suddenly had the urge to go check on him. Setting his staff and sword aside, he marched towards the door.
He was five steps from the hatch when it promptly flew open. North trudged in, dragging his swords behind him. His indigo eyes have lost their shine, like all the wonder has been drained from them.
"North," Jack said in concern, matching his pace. "You look tired, are you okay?"
He placed a hand on his head and patted him, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern." He sat on his chair, delighted to feel the soft surface against his sore back after a tired day of work.
"Do you need some water?" Jack prepared to sprint out the door but North grabbed hold of his arm and stopped him. "No need for that I am fine, just a little exhausted like every year."
"It's like this every year?" Jack asked in shock. "What are you guys doing down there?"
"Well I had to help the yetis carry crates of materials into the Pole," the Cossack drawled. "Some of the elves keep getting in way, we had to pick them up and lock them somewhere," he chuckled at the thought. "But some of yetis get to busy baking fruitcake, they are absent at the factory, and I have to help them stack up the heavy crates."
"Every year?" the hellion still couldn't believe it.
"Every year," North replied. "But it iz nothing serious, I just need a little rest."
"Oh, then we better go to bed, it's getting late."
"You made this?" North picked up the ice wolf that stood tall on the stack of books. "It's beautiful."
"Thanks," Jack's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I was really bored."
"Sorry to make you wait," The jolly man said apologetically. "I'm sure I'll have time for you tomorrow."
"We should head to bed now."
"Yes, come on" North got up, clamping a hand around on Jack's back, leading him to his bedroom, making sure he doesn't start a chase with the yetis on the way.
He tucked him in as always, this time Jack willingly went to bed without causing mischief. He turned out the lights, took one last look at the teen's sleeping form and pulled the door shut. He proceeded to his own bedroom, promising to provide time for his child tomorrow.
/
The nest morning, Jack rose early, recalling North mentioning about the yetis were too busy cooking they forgot to attend their duties. He figured he could talk the yetis into teaching him how to bake, maybe then he'll be of some use to North.
He gingerly peeked out the door, listening for movements out the hall. He pressed his ears on the door opposite of his room to hear soft snoring. North was still asleep, which means Jack has just enough time to cook him breakfast.
He snuck out the hallway and into the kitchen where yetis were already up and about, baking a cake, carrying a batch of cookies above their heads.
Jack cleared his throat, catching the yetis' attention. "So hey…one of you care to show me how you guys make that stuff?"
The grey furred yeti shrugged and spoke a sentence in yetish. They shot each other a glance before they all nodded.
"And I take that as a yes." Jack slung his staff on his shoulder, if only he could understand yetish. Judging from the look on their faces, the winter spirit could tell it was going to be hard. The yetis could understand him, but he couldn't understand them. They spoke through gestures yet he didn't get their gestures either, but nothing too hard to learn, he was a fast learner after all.
The yetis aren't really good teachers, they didn't know how to explain it to Jack. So they used emphasis, grabbing the dough, frosting and all the other ingredients needed.
Jack sat on the counter top as if he was watching a movie. He observed the yetis' actions, how they shape the dough in and how they baked it. Eventually he began doing it himself, grabbing a metallic bowl and a whisk, he did everything he saw the yetis do; only he felt like he was doing it all wrong. He was holding a bowl that looked more like a molded yellow shell; it didn't look anything like what the yetis made. His looked more like dried cement in a bowl. He moved back, planning to dump whatever junk he's made in the trash, but he accidentally stepped on a glaze of frosting, scattering it everywhere.
"Okay, I can fix that," He said crossing over the mess. He tossed the hardened dough down the trash and grabbed a towel wiping away most of the mess.
He bumped against a yeti, carrying a perfect good plate of cookies, causing him to topple over and drop them onto the ground. The elves wasted no time, they ate the cookies off the floor, liking them like it was the only source of food left in the world.
"Okay, now the floor is filled with crumbs." Jack said frustration welled inside him. "What else will happen?"
The yeti he knocked down slowly got up, but slipped on the remnants of the icing. It grabbed the light counter, causing it to flip with him.
"Oh no…."
One of the yetis forgot he had something cooking in the oven, the smell of burning cookies radiated. Without thinking, Jack ran and threw the lid open, trying to get the tray out before their completely toasted. But he didn't know how stoves work, the tray was burning hot, being a winter spirit it had a lot of effect on him. He quickly recoiled his arm and held his blistering hand close to his chest. Tears began to fog his vision; he felt the heat burning the flesh of his palms. One yeti immediately ran out the door to call for North.
"I'm fine," He said in a raspy voice. "I just really need to clean up this mess."
North was going to be furious if he sees the mess in the kitchen, he was supposed to stay out of the way, he was trying to help but trouble followed everywhere he went .The pain was too hard to ignore, his cheeks were already stained with tears. He just squeezed his wrist tighter, hoping it would just go away.
"Jack!" North's booming voice could be heard all the way outside, it made Jack's heart stop. North was mad, he WAS furious.
The doors busted open and North rushed.
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to help, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry I'm sorry." He spluttered and tensed when he felt North crouch down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Jack," his voice was gentler; another hand took his own hand. "What were you thinking?"
"I was trying to help…" Jack's voice came out small and scared. North stood, picking Jack off the floor like he weighed nothing. He carried him out the door, and mentally had a nervous breakdown. He had no idea what would happen to Jack. He was a winter spirit, and he got burned, everybody knows fire and ice are two very different elements and it might be a severe burn.
He brought him back to his bed room and set him down on his bed, reaching for the emergency kit he always kept by the nightshade due to the fact that Jack hurts himself almost everyday.
"Are you mad?" Jack shifted uncomfortably, his hand still held on to his wrist tightly.
"Mad about what?"
"About making a mess," Jack answered softly, staring guiltily at the ground.
"I am mad," The Cossack retorted sternly. "But not about the mess, that can easily be cleaned, I am mad about getting yourself hurt again." He paused, walking to the bathroom and filled a basin with water. He sat next to Jack and dipped his burnt palm in the cooling water. The winter spirit hissed in pain, trying to pull back but North held a firm grip, "It will feel better later." He didn't have to worry about hypothermia, He was a winter spirit, he needed to cool down.
After the pain subsided, North applied some ointment and wrapped it with a small bandage, hoping it would heal in a normal rate even if Jack is a winter spirit.
Then he began his lecture, "Jack, what were you thinking? How many times do you plan to get yourself hurt?"
"I was trying to help, I wanted to learn how to bake, so maybe the yetis won't have to do it and they could focus on their work." Jack said gravely.
"If you wanted to learn why didn't you just tell me?"
"You were busy…"
"I will make time, how many times do I have to tell you to remember that?" North placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair.
Even if it was utterly embarrassing and Bunny might tease him about it, he loved it when North did that, it made him feel like…a dog…
There was suddenly a strange moment of silence between them, North still sat next to him, slipping into a trance. Jack felt uncomfortable listening to the tick of the clock. "So North…."
"Tell you what, I cancel all my duties today, and I teach you how to bake." The bearded man pronounced.
"Really?" was all he could say.
"Yes really! "North confirmed. "I still have 364 more days to prepare. And what did I tell you?"
"You'll make time," Jack answered his question mirthfully and slipped out of the comforter he was tucked under.
"'Woah, Jack you need to rest your hand," The older guardian pushed him back gently.
"It's just a burn, I feel fine," the winter sprite moved his wrist a bit.
"Are you sure?
"Yeah," nonchalantly, he climbed out of bed, taking his staff.
"Are you sure?" North asked again, showing the 'Crazily worried parent mode' he has been hiding all this time.
"Yeah, really sure I promise." He raised his right hand and flashed a grin.
"Fine," North gave in to those pleading azure eyes that looked like their carved out of sapphire stones. He stood and paced to the door, "Come on"
Jack ran after him like an enthusiastic child ready to go to the park with his dad. After years of watching, he is finally experiencing what it's like to have a dad.
He followed to the kitchen, where the mess he made earlier was already cleaned by the fast working yetis
"Go back to the factory and finish your duties without me." The Russian commanded in a gruff voice. The yetis instantly scrambled out the door, carping in their own language.
"First thing you need to know," North started his lesson. "Remember to putt mitts on before you get cookies out of over or ask ze yetis to do it for you okay?" he is a winter spirit for goodness sake, he wasn't even allowed to go anywhere near these things, although he agreed to teach him, and he is supposed to keep his promise.
"Yeah, I got it," Jack climbed on the marbled counter top.
"Now," he clasped his hands together, looking for the flour, the dough the bowl and the which, which were scattered around in different places.
"First ze eggs," He cracked an egg into the bowl and scrambled it with the whisk. He took a container filled with flour,, mixing it with the scrambled egg, creating a sticky substance. He sprinkled it with a pinch of sugar and a bit of cinnamon.
After they've been shaped into flat bits, he placed them in the oven until they've been baked to perfection.
"Did you get that?" North shot a glance at the teen, who's already stuffing himself to the freshly baked cookies.
"Yeah I got it," it was easier for Jack to learn, now that he wasn't trying to understand gibberish.
After that day Jack was the one who made breakfast instead of the yetis. He no longer felt like a free loader, North would never think of him as useless, but he felt so odd. He just sat in the North Pole all day without doing anything while the others were busy. Well now he had something to do.
One day Jack just appeared outside of North's workshop staring at him with the same eyes whenever he wanted something from him.
"What is it?" The toy-maker asked, looking up from the ice sculpture he was in the middle of.
"I was thinking, you taught me a lot of things, and I wanted to teach you something too." he responded.
"Something like?"
"Ice skating," The hellion stated with a smirk on his face.
"Ice skating?" he chimed unsure if he really wanted to go, but he feared he might break Jack's heart if he said no so he approved without hesitation.
But now he was having second thoughts, "Jack, I don't think ze ice can hold my weight."
"No it will, I froze this lake right to the bottom," as emphasis, he slammed his staff hard on the ice but it didn't even rapture. "See?"
"Well what would the children say if they see Santa Clause in the middle of the lake?"
"Jamie and the others are the only ones who come here," Jack glanced over his shoulder. "Their usually having lunch at this time of the day, so better hurry."
North smiled, teetering on the ice he was standing on, he trusted Jack, plus his belly told him everything was going to be alright.
Moments after watching North balancing on ice like a baby practicing how to walk, he jumped in, pulling him forward. "Come on North relax."
"I am trying"
"You don't try to relax, it's a natural instinct."
"Oh this is gonna be a long lesson!" Jack skated backwards, with his hands in his pockets. It was extremely hard to teach North how to ice skate, but the teen was determined and he had the patience to do so. They both shared laughter like father and son.
Sorry about that, I didn't know how else to end it XD
There is no such thing as a Mrs. Clause! North is single and epic and he has Jack Frost as his adoptive son! But that only happens in my head, which happens in the stories, and makes me love this website more XD
Now let's go poison the children on next generation that Santa Clause has tattoos and carry swords! WOOOHOOOO!
Leave a review, send in your request, do anything you want :D I suggest you go sky diving…
