Jamie felt the unusual sense of ease as he meandered down the crowded halls of his school on the way to lunch. Having spent already half of the academic day in Jack's company, Jamie was finally starting to enjoy school. Admitting it made him gag a bit, but it was true. As much as he looked forward to Jack distracting him from any actual work, he had to lay down some ground rules before his first class of the morning.
"Okay, no talking to me while I'm in class." Jamie warned his Guardian, pressing down the empty hallways in a rush. Although it seemed pointless considering he'd already missed the first five minutes of class. "People are gonna think I'm even weirder if I start talking to myself so just… play it cool. We're gonna Light and Ryuk this motherfucker."
"Alright." Jack glanced over at the teenager, gliding across the floor to keep up with Jamie's run. "Except, I'm not a death god and you're not a homicidal schoolboy with a God complex…" They rounded a corner and Jamie nearly slipped on the frictionless tiled floors. "…at least, I don't think you are…"
Jamie chuckled and looked at the winter spirit with appreciation. "Y'know, it's amazing how many of my pop culture references you understand."
"I've seen my fair share of television." Jack admitted. "I've had three hundred years to witness humanity unfold… Obviously the only way to kill time is to watch endless hours of TV through people's windows."
"Obviously." Jamie breathed through his laughter as his pace slowed. "Did you hang around Japan and watch anime?" He smirked up at the Guardian.
"Yeah, actually." Jack reminisced. "Things like that were pretty popular a few decades ago. I actually liked most of the shows, too."
Jamie's face fell when a thought occurred to him. "Oh my god did you have a weeaboo phase?!"
Jack chuckled. "I didn't say that."
"You totally had a weeaboo phase, oh my fucking god." Jamie failed at holding back his laughter. The idea was highly unlikely, but he couldn't help himself from imagining Jack becoming overly obsessed with Japanese pop culture; exclusively listening to JPop and inserting "kya~" and "desu~" after every sentence. "Did you wear cat ears and girly school uniforms?"
"Didn't say that either." The Guardian was still smiling despite himself. "Bet you'd like it, though."
"There may be a ninety percent possibility that it's the hottest thing I have ever pictured you wearing, yes." Jamie shrugged. "Next to… y'know… you not wearing anything at all…"
"Ah, man…" Jack swung his staff up on his shoulder, smirk remaining as he wet his lips. "You used to be so innocent."
The teenager had finally slowed to a stop in front of a classroom door. He grinned over at the winter spirit, who had landed on his feet beside him. "But you like me better this way." Jamie leaned against the door. Jack placed his hand on the wall, elegantly cornering him. Their eyes moved from contact to lips as the space between the two boys narrowed.
"Oh, definitely." Jack followed Jamie's movements and leaned in, catching the teenager's lips for a fleeting moment.
"Jack," Jamie pulled away regrettably, reminded of where they were. "I've got to get to class."
"We'll finish this later, then?" The winter spirit didn't shift his position, keeping Jamie close.
"Oh, definitely." He repeated Jack's words, giving him one last kiss before ducking under his arm to free himself and swinging the classroom door open.
Aside from the reprimanding he received from his teacher for being incredibly late, the rest of the day went pretty well. Jack occupied half the time listening to Jamie's teachers with a blank expression, progressively growing more bored with each passing question. The other half he spent messing with Jamie. While the teenager couldn't do anything to react, Jack had fun seeing how far he could go before Jamie swatted his hand away.
He would twirl bits of Jamie's hair, mimicking the action he enjoyed doing when they would lie in bed together. He traced the outline of Jamie's arm through his shirt, his cold fingers tauntingly trailing up to his shoulder. They'd come to a stop at the arc of Jamie's neck, then slowly drag down his spine and cause a stimulated shiver to overcome the teenager.
This was driving Jamie crazy. He could tell Jack was doing this to him on purpose. All he wanted to do was grab Jack's mischievous hands and pull him into a tight embrace, kissing him hard and let him run his fingers over every inch of his body as he pinned him against the table and let his legs wrap around his torso—
But he shook those thoughts from his head because Wow, it is so not cool to get a boner in the middle of class.
His other classes progressed similarly—with less touching as Jack became bored with Jamie's poker face—and before he knew it, it was time for lunch. The rushing crowds and swarms of students squishing past their peers had been a constant target of Jamie's grievance for years, but today it was simply amusing.
The one variable? Jack Frost.
The winter spirit made a habit of floating aimlessly above the crowds of people as he followed Jamie through the halls. He'd knock a few passersby's snapbacks off their heads with the flick of his staff, leaving them furiously searching for the culprit. He'd swing his staff close to the ground, causing a few people to stumble and fight to remain balanced.
Jamie also enjoyed it when he would walk next to him, holding hands and linking their fingers together—subtle enough to go unnoticed by anyone that might think it strange to see Jamie grasping thin air. Not only was the position comforting, it also became extremely entertaining when someone would accidentally walk through Jack.
"You're like a ghost." Jamie chuckled as a freshman passed through the winter spirit and shuddered profusely at the gust of cold air the sensation caused.
"Yeah, well…" Jack appeared to be cringing.
"Does it hurt when they do that?" The teenager inquired, noticing his discomfort.
Jack had let go of Jamie's hand and returned to floating above the approaching crowd. "Ah, no… not really…" He subconsciously pressed his hands against his torso, as if they would pass through it as well. "It just… tingles a little. Plus, it's kinda unnerving. It used to happen all the time before I became a Guardian…"
"Bad flashbacks?" Jamie attempted to sympathize.
"That's… a bit of an understatement." He shook the disgruntled feeling from his memory. Jamie turned a corner and bumped his shoulder accidentally against a girl chatting loudly on her phone.
"Sorry," He offered, but she walked on, casting Jamie an abhorred glance over her shoulder before returning to her conversation. He was grateful for the jet of ice that suddenly encased her phone.
"Nice shot." He grinned up at his Guardian, who bowed in midair.
A few steps of silence between them as more obnoxiously loud students travelled in small clusters of three or four, blocking most of the hall so Jamie had to pin himself against the wall to avoid collision. He gagged slightly at the overwhelming, unbalanced mix of cologne and perfume as the lacrosse team and their boyfriends passed by.
Once fresh air had returned and the last few people remaining in the halls had found their respective classes, Jamie was free to speak to Jack without seeming insane to onlookers.
"I wonder what it feels like," Jamie mused aloud, catching Jack attention. "Passing through you, I mean. Is it just cold, or…?"
The winter spirit shrugged, avoiding eye contact as he returned to walk by Jamie's side now that the halls were clear. "Well, it's obviously unpleasant for me, I don't know about other people…" He cleared his throat. "Though, I thought you might remember."
Jamie looked at him with surprise. "I've done it before?"
"Yeah, ah… Back when you were a kid, before you believed in me." Jack had begun swinging his staff nonchalantly across the tiled floor.
Jamie was having difficulty remembering a time when he didn't expect Jack to be an ever-present entity in his life. Of course he could recall the night he started believing; that memory had never left his head for almost eight years. But he couldn't think of how he felt before that, let alone an instant when he might have walked completely through the most important person in his life.
"I… can't remember…" He finally admitted.
"That's alright. It only happened once, no big deal." But Jamie could see that wasn't true by the way Jack's eyebrows knit, holding back a pained expression.
"…Why don't you try and remind me." Jamie suggested in a casually soft tone.
"Well," Jack looked up, glancing at Jamie before returning to stare straight ahead. "It was… right after that sofa knocked your tooth out." Both of them smiled at that. "I… uh, got a bit upset that the Tooth Fairy seemed to have stolen my thunder… but if I gave you guys cash instead of blizzards you'd like me better than—"
"Jack." Jamie laughed a bit but reminded him to get back to the point.
"Right, sorry." He focused. "I followed you and your friends and stupidly made the decision to stand right in front of you and… you just walked right through me. It actually… upset me more than it should have. I'd had three hundred years to remember not to let anyone do that anymore… so I guess that was just a dumb mistake on my part…"
Jamie couldn't think of a way to respond to that, but a realization was dawning on him. "Wait, while we were walking down the street?"
"Yeah," Jack looked back at him, mild shock on his face.
"And Clyde was bragging about how much money he'd gotten that one time?"
"Yes." They had both stopped walking, Jamie facing Jack with a pondering expression.
"I remember that!" Jamie exclaimed and put a hand up to his cheek, as if feeling the distant sensation of the moment. "Oh, god I remember!" He repeated. "It was the weirdest thing. There was just this random, short, freezing gust of air and… It felt like… there was a presence close to me, so I glanced around a bit, but there was no one there… and… oh my god, that was you!"
Jack nodded, unsure whether to be pleased or upset.
"That… that's amazing…" Jamie pressed a hand to Jack's chest, only now realizing how much he valued its solidity. "I'm glad I can't do that anymore." He muttered.
Jack gave a small smile and took hold of Jamie's hand, squeezing it softly and then moving it up to his own cheek. "Me too."
Jamie took the hint, leaning in close and pressing his lips against Jack's. He liked the way it felt. Solid. Real. Jack wasn't a myth or a fairytale or enigma or ghost. Jamie needed that confirmation as much as Jack did.
They proceeded until they heard the sound of approaching crowds.
"Wanna continue this… somewhere private?" Jamie bit his lip and tugged on the strings of Jack's hoodie.
"Definitely." The Guardian replied with a grin, one hand still positioned on Jamie's hips.
"C'mon." He grasped Jack's wrist, keeping the winter spirit's body close as he slipped down the halls, past the cafeteria and down to the locker rooms. Jamie wasted no time, pressing Jack roughly against the wall and moving his mouth from the spirit's lips to his neck. Jack's hands slid under the teenager's shirt and pulled his body tightly against his chest. He let out a hum of approval when he felt Jamie's teeth nip at a spot near his shoulder.
The shuffle of feet and echoes of conversation stopped them. Jamie glanced around, discontinuing their actions being on the top of a list of things he did not want to do.
"Empty stall?" Jack nodded in the direction of one of the showers.
"You read my mind." Jamie muttered, pulling Jack quickly and slamming the door shut just in time.
The time they spent didn't go exactly how either of them wanted it to. An unspoken promise begrudgingly formed between the two: No sex. Not now. Not here.
This proved to be a bigger problem the longer they progressed. Even though they thought they'd be able to control themselves, they were only teenagers, even if Jack was about three hundred years past his prime.
They had to stop every few minutes when either of them got too… "excited". The first couple of times they'd apologize, letting the awkward seconds inch by while they attempted to calm themselves. But after the fourth time feeling the growing pressure in Jack's pants, Jamie was getting frustrated. The sensation of Jack moaning into his mouth wasn't helping his own groin situation. He hated how much he loved each lick and bite Jack gave to his skin. He wished they were someplace else, someplace more intimate than the shower stall in the odorous boy's locker room. He needed a surface to be pressed against, to press Jack against, that didn't creak and threaten to topple with every thrust. He wanted Jack so badly, but maybe that was just his crazy teenage hormones talking…
Jack knew things were moving too fast. He took most of the blame, seeing as he really shouldn't be acting as ravenous as he was. They were only kissing, (And biting. And licking… And groping…) why did he have to act like a starving wolf given a fresh carcass?
His attitude was scaring him. Even if Jamie definitely appeared to be enjoying it, Jack's behavior only reminded him of the girl he'd messed around with back when he was alive. There was that obvious tint of lust driving his actions, but… right now seemed different. It was Jamie he was doing all those things to. It was Jamie who smiled into his kiss and moaned against his bite. It was Jamie he wanted to have his way with on the tiled floors, and… it was Jamie he cared about.
He felt more than lust as his tongue traced the outline of the teenager's teeth. He felt compassion as his fingers would tangle in Jamie's long hair. Gratitude when Jamie would cup the side of his face and kiss him deeper… Things were getting complicated. His emotions were becoming so muddled and excited that he could find one word to label the confusing mess…But do I dare say it?
He didn't. He couldn't! Not after letting so many people into his life only to see them taken away. He was always overcome with the reminder of Jamie's future, his fears and the facts often mixing into a dire combination. The back of his mind was nagging at him, saying things would be just like before; he'd lose the person he cared about. He knew Jamie's birthday was only drawing closer with every breath they shared together, but he couldn't help himself. He felt each hour inch by no matter how distracted he was. Like a physical gong inside his chest kept echoing the reminder, vibrating through his brain no matter what he did: You've got limited time. Jamie could be taken away from you any day now. Starting something with Jamie could only end in heartbreak. He knew. He had always known. Yet every conversation they had together and every action they performed made it impossible to ignore his feelings. He couldn't help it. He had to say it…
He was falling in love with Jamie Bennett.
wow this chapter started out so innocent.
i actually wasn't gonna reveal that little bit about Jack's feelings for a while, but... things are moving rather fast. these boys are no longer under my control i swear to god jfc. also all that talk of anime and weeaboos got me listening to LeetStreet Boys again please shoot me.
~~~she's so kawaii and i tryyy so hard to make her squee~~~~ catchy as fuck make it stop.
anyway hi. my vacation was fun, although i missed writing this a lot. if you're reading this right now, i've deleted my note to you guys i posted two weeks ago, but it shouldn't matter at this point. (but that scene up there^ wasn't the nsfw scene i was talking about and doesn't really earn a M rating just yet... eheeh.)
jeeezus fuck this chapter is all over the place. ... do i emotion? do i funny? do i smut? dO I POP CULTURE REFERENCE? we just don't know. have a little bit of everything
BY THE WAY GUYS YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT BONBONPICH'S FANART FOR THIS IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE IT UGH YOU GOTTA SEE IT *LINK ON MY PROFILE BECAUSE FFN'S A BITCH AND WON'T LET ME POST LINKS.*
okay there are like 50 things/characters i need to bring back into this fanfic to make everything work out because they were here for like a chapter and then i dropped them. (intentionally, though. they weren't relevant at certain points so they didn't need to be there for more than a chapter. but they will be. i promise.) (see: pippa, north, bunny, tooth, etc.) (o and sandy and pitch are gonna important soon okay just wait.)
okay i keep saying this is gonna get better next chapter, but i really mean it this time! since i've had my fun with a little mini High School AU, i need to bring the story line back to focus on the crucial plot and developments... wow who knew i'd use that shitty english class stuff in real life. writing and stuff. pshhh who needs it.
woah there i just wrote an essay for an author's note. i suck. okay i kinda like this chapter, but the best is yet to come. stay tuned.
kya~