Chapter Sixteen

The pair walked looking for North. Matthew heard him before Jack spotted him. They walked over and greeted the older Guardian.

"Hello, Jack, Matthew." North said. "What are you up to?"

"We're going to go out for a bit." Jack hummed.

"Oh, alright." The Russian said. "I'll take care of Kumakuro."

"Thank you." Matthew said with a smile. He pet the bear and he leaned into his leg. "We'll be back, Kuma." Kumakuro whined in confusion. The Canadian scratched him behind the ear. "Stay with North. We'll be back."

The Reaper pet Kumakuro again before letting him go with North. Jack pet the bear as well before taking his hand. The pair walked together down to the front door of the pole. He was still nervous to fly, but he was excited too. He was happy to feel the freezing cold outside of the pole. He loved the cold. He hummed as the wind blew ruffling his feathers as and pulling at his hood.

"Ready?" Jack asked kissing the back of his hand.

Matthew smiled nervously and nodded. He stretched his wings out and flexed them. It had been awhile since he'd used them. The winter spirit held his hand and called the wind. It swirled around them and picked them up. The Reaper kept his wings spread and let the wind carry him. He was on edge. He didn't really like flying. He had no idea where he was or how high up they were. He knew he'd be okay with Jack at his side.

"Okay, Birdie?" The Guardian asked.

"Yeah." Matthew said. He didn't sound very convincing. He took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. He felt for shadows and pieced the world below him together.

The Reaper knew they were still over the Arctic. There weren't any harsh lines in the shadows to suggest any buildings or man made things. He felt a bit better knowing what was under him. He only took a few snapshots as they flew. He didn't want to get too tired.

"Where do you want to go?" Jack asked from underneath him. Matthew shrugged. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pancakes?" The Canadian suggested. He heard the Guardian laugh lightly.

"Okay!" The winter spirit hummed. He felt a light kiss being pressed to his nose. Matthew laughed knowing Jack was probably flying upside down below him.

"Jack Frost nipping at my nose." The Reaper laughed. He heard Jack sigh. He smiled brightly. "I wonder who started that legend?"

"I don't know." The Guardian sighed. "Was it you?"

"No." Matthew hummed with a bright smile.

The pair flew quietly for a while. He felt more comfortable in the air now. He kept taking snapshots figuring out the world below him. He got better at piecing together what was underneath him. He could tell there was a city below them now. He knew by the harsh straight shadows. He could tell there were houses and others were bigger skyscrapers.

"I see a place." Jack said catching his attention. He took the Canadian's hand and let the wind take them down. Matthew's landing was a bit awkward. It took him a moment to get his feet on the ground. "Okay?"

"Yes, I just didn't exactly know where the ground was." The Reaper said with a small smile. Jack took his hand and kissed his cheek. He pulled him along.

Matthew used the shadows and his other senses to figure out were they were. He noticed they were in between two buildings. He could hear cars not too far off and he could smell food. He could also hear muffled talking inside. It was French, but Quebec French. He knew they were in Canada, he had felt it earlier.

"Wait here for a minute." The Guardian said and he nodded. "I'll be right back."

The Reaper listened and tracked his steps. He heard Jack open a door and people complain about the cold breeze. He laughed quietly to himself. He felt for shadows again. He found one that had a vertical flat side and assumed it was a wall. He walked over with one hand out and found it. He turned and leaned against it.

Matthew sighed closing his eyes. He felt liked he'd been overthinking about flying. He'd been nervous and terrified of getting lost or hitting something, but it wasn't that bad. He was able to feel the shadows and get an idea of what was below him. It would be a bit harder to tell exactly where he was in the world, but he'd always be able to find Canada. He could head North and find the pole from there. He felt a lot better about going out. He wasn't too nervous about it as much.

"Got 'em, Birdie!" Jack called happily as he walked up to him. He could hear some plastic rustling. "Where do you want to eat?"

"In a forest?" Matthew suggested. It was normally where they ate. "By a tree?"

"Sure, there's a forest just a few minutes walk away. Saw it when we flew in." The winter spirit said and the Canadian nodded. He took his hand and they started to walk.

Jack took them out to the Main Street. There were a lot of sounds and smells. It was a bit overwhelming. He concentrated on a few things like the smell of a bakery making bread and the sound of birds singing. He smiled as they walked. He liked being out, more than he thought he would. He did feel a bit weird without Kumakuro at his side.

The Reaper and winter spirit made it to the forest. They picked a tree and sat at the base. Jack handed him a plate and he knew they were pancakes. He could smell them and his mouth was watering. The Guardian gave him a fork and a bottle. He guessed it was syrup by the shape of the glass. He got the lid open and immediately smelled maple. He hummed happily pouring the syrup on his pancakes. He gave what he didn't use to Jack. Matthew ate quickly. He couldn't resist the food. He could hear his boyfriend crunching on his own frozen pancakes.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." The Canadian said as he finished his food. "North's got a ghost in his basement."

"Really?" Jack asked surprised and he nodded. "I wonder if he knows?"

"I doubt it." The Reaper shook his head. "He said no one had seen him at all."

"What did you think about flying?" The winter spirit asked.

"I think I was worrying way too much." Matthew sighed letting his head rest against the bark of the tree. "I think I'll be okay to go on my own pretty quickly." He smiled. "Thank you for taking me out."

"You're welcome, Mattie." Jack hummed kissing his cheek. He leaned into the Reaper's side and put an arm around his waist. "It's a good idea to get out."

"Yeah." The Canadian nodded. "I think it's time I start going to help souls again."

"Okay." The Guardian hummed kissing his jaw. He smiled at his gentle kisses and touches. "I want to go with you for the first while. Just encase."

"Yeah. I want you to come with me for a bit." Matthew said biting his lip. He sighed contently as Jack rested his head on his shoulder. He smiled and rested his head on top of his boyfriend's. "I'm so thankful for North. He's done so much for me."

"North's just that kind of person." Jack said kissing his neck.

"I don't know how much longer I'll stay there." The Canadian mumbled. He was comfortable at the pole, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome.

"I think we should stay longer." The Guardian said. "It's good to have the doctors there. You never know."

"I don't want to be a burden to North." Matthew admitted.

"You're not Birdie!" Jack said reassuringly. "North likes having us around. He likes helping people. He wants you to have a safe place to heal and adjust."

"North's a good person." The Canadian smiled. "I should find a way to thank him."

AN: If you wanna know what happens next, chapter four is up on my patréon. The full version is there with all twenty three chapters under the 'full' and 'birdie' tags. Its $1 a month for up to eight chapters of what ever fic I'm currently posting! or $2 a month for the full version and future unreleased fics!