Chapter 11 - Are you ticklish?
You see Jack's Ice blue eyes flutter open as he props himself onto his left arm. He doesn't notice you at first, looking at the space where you were once sleeping and panic crosses his face. His eyes search the room and eventually meet yours. You see the relief in his eyes as you chuckle, walking over to the edge of your bed and sitting on it.
"Morning sleepyhead, mind telling me what your doing here?" Jack chuckled, stretching and getting of the bed.
"Well" He replied while walking around the bed towards you "This is gonna take a while, mind baring with me?" He sat down next to you, looking down for a moment and then back up at you. His winter-pine scent not going unnoticed.
"Go ahead." You replied, smiling. Jack sighed.
"Well, it all started like this..."
Jack explained to you about when he got to the pole, North had been told my Man in the moon that Pitch had returned and he was stronger than ever. On that note Jack, worried, came back to see if you were alright, with Sandy tagging along with him just in case. Upon returning, Sandy noticed nightmare sand on your window, alarmed Jack, and they both flew into your room to see you having a nightmare, Sandy stopped the nightmare, left, and Jack lay next to you and guarded you, but was so tired, he fell asleep.
"And that's it..." Jack finished, looking at you, awaiting your response.
"Well..." You managed to say "That must have been one pretty heck-tick night, huh?" You smile, trying to make the situation less awkward.
"Yeah, it was" He chuckled, you could see in his eyes he wasn't alright though. He was hiding something from you.
"What is it?" You blurt out.
"What do you mean?"
"There's something your not telling me, Jack, what is it?" a flicker of sadness showed in jacks eyes as he looked at you.
"Uh, well..." Jack looked down pushing his white hair back. Fear emitted in your stomach.
"North told me... that if there were any, i mean any, signs of a nightmare being here, that i would need to take you to the pole.
"Its Pitch isn't it" He looks up at you and nods slowly, getting up and walking over to the window, looking outside
"He's after you, i don't know what for, or why, but he needs you for something, but were not gonna let that happen, I'M not gonna let that happen, i promise you" He looks at you with a serious face.
"I know you wont" You smile, but its interrupted when you hear the door creak open.
You turn around to see your mom at the door, the panic leaves you as you realize she cant see Jack.
"I see your already awake, i'm surprised. Your usually up later than this." you chuckle.
"Yeah, i just had a silly nightmare, no biggy" But it was a big deal, you couldn't tell her that. Her playful look completely disappears, you raise an eyebrow.
"A nightmare?" You nod slowly.
"Yeah, a nightmare... something wrong?" You reply concerned.
She shakes her head "N-no, no, i'm fine, its just, you've never had a nightmare for weeks... n-never mind, i'm just babbling on, breakfast is nearly ready. If you want to come down." Why is she acting so weird?
"Yeah, okay... thanks Mom." Before she leaves, her eyes flicker towards the window for a split second. before shutting the door behind her.
You turn back at Jack, who's still at the window, looking a bit shocked. Could she?...
"You okay?" You walked over to Jack, placing an arm on his shoulder.
"Y-yeah, she just... looked right at me... like RIGHT at me, like she could see me..." Your eyes widened
"Do you think she-"
"I don't know" Jack interrupted, scratching his head and walking over to the bed, sitting on it.
"You should go down and eat breakfast, we can talk after"
"You sure?" Jack nods, stretching over to pick up his staff which was leaning on the wall.
"Hey, you need to eat, and I don't want you to starve because of me" You raise an eyebrow
"When did you become so responsible?"
"Hey, I may be all fun and games, but i'm the DEFINITION of responsible" you chuckle.
on
"Oh PLEASE!, tell me one thing you've done that's responsible" You say, crossing your arms and leaning on your right leg.
Jack went quiet, proving your point.
"EXACTLY" You conclude, smirking triumphantly, That's until an evil smirk forms on Jacks face.
"Are you ticklish?" He asks, changing the subject completely. Oh crap.
"N-no" You reply, he gets up, placing his staff to the side again and starts to walk towards you, his tall stature making him even more intimidating, you start walking back.
"Don't you dare" You say, walking back until you hit your bedroom wall, Jack walks up to you, placing both of his hands on the wall either side of you so your trapped with no escape route. your heart starts beating rapidly from how close he is to you, you can practically smell his winter-pine scent. Your cheeks start to heat up.
"What if i do?" He says in a dark but seductive manner, his face inches from yours, your tempted to just kiss him right then and there, but you restrain yourself to save sheer awkwardness. His left hand slowly traces down your top, slightly tickling you, but you don't show it.
You duck and run in an attempt to escape, but Jacks to fast, his cold hands grab you from behind and he starts to tickle you, sending you into a fit of laughter.
"J-JACK!, S-STOP!" You shout, trying to break free but he's to strong.
"Not until you say i'm responsible!" He says.
"N-NEVER!" You reply in-between laughs, he starts to tickle harder.
You try to break free again, trying to turn around and push him away. But it only results in you falling back on the bed with Jack on top of you.
"Say it!" he says tickling you still
"F-fine!" You reply, admitting defeat, he stops tickling you, you look into his ice blue eyes, which are full of triumph.
"Your one of the most responsible people i know, if you hadn't come back last night, i'd probably still be in that nightmare. so thank you"
All you'd meant to say was that he was responsible, but that came out instead, your cheeks feel like there on fire and your hearts beating rapidly, partly from the non-stop tickling and the fact Jacks on top of you.
Jack's expression softens, a smile starts to plays at his lips, and his cheeks slightly turn pink. His left hand, now putting all his weight on his right hand. pushes a strand of hair behind your ear, before stroking your cheek. Your heart beating so fast you think its going to beat out of your chest.
"No problem" He murmurs, his eyes still locked on your own. He looks down at your lips for a split second, before looking back up at you.
Is he?...
Knock knock knock
"_, You alright? I heard laughing in there." you hear from the other side of the door.
It was your dad.
Any chances of a kiss happening were ruined.
You broke your gaze from Jack, turning your neck to the side so you were facing the wall where the door was.
"Y-yeah! i'm fine, My friend just sent me a funny text. Thats why"
"Okay... come downstairs soon, your foods getting cold" he sounded unconvinced, but you heard the creaking of the floorboards get quieter and quieter which probably means he went back downstairs.
You looked back at Jack who's cheeks were a slight shade of pink, unlike yours which were a deep scarlet right now.
"I should probably get downstairs, like you said, i need to eat right?" you chuckle, trying to make the situation less awkward than it already is.
"Y-yeah! you should!", he gets off you, chuckling sheepishly "I'll go over to the park while you eat, Jamie and the others will probably be there, so..."
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan" you reply, awkwardness filling the air like a smoke bomb.
He picks up his staff, and goes towards the window.
"I'll see you later" you say, going towards your bedroom door and opening it.
"_, wait" Jack calls, making you turn around.
"Y-You should smile more, it's cute when you smile..." you blushed, looking down and smiling before looking back up at Jack who was beaming.
"See?" he says, pointing at you "right there! that's the smile i love seeing"
You giggle, the awkwardness in the atmosphere luckily gone. Thank god
"I'll see you later?" you say, he nods
"See you later, Snowflake" he says before a gust of winds takes him off his feet and out the window.
"What that boy does to me" you say to yourself as you walk down the hall and downstairs to get your breakfast.
Even in the darkest of times, he always seems to make me smile