HERE I AM, BACK WITH MY SHIT! God, it feels so good to have motivation once again! Anyway, this chapter is a little more lighthearted, we'll get to the more serious stuff as they get closer and closer together.

Also, I really enjoy the texting format, it's quite fun! Please, leave a review, tell me your thoughts. Talk to me. I am lonely.

Jack focused on his breathing, on the rhythm of his feet hitting the pavement, and kept his gaze forward, trying to ignore the familiar, yet welcoming burn in his lungs and the pain shooting up his side with every step he took. After lying awake in his bed for nearly two hours, unable to fall asleep once again, he found himself jogging through the park not so far from his apartment.

His adrenaline playlist blasted in his ears, definitely doing its job, if Jack said so himself. He hadn't felt a rush like this sinc—

Not going there, Overland.

Instead, he let himself get lost in the music. The bass, the guitar, the clean vocals, the throat destroying growling.

He closed his eyes for a second, the sadistic part of his brain enjoying the fatigue, the pain, the sense of accomplishment after running for nearly forty minutes straight. When the side stitch eventually became too much, Jack decided to take a quick break and just breathe. Which, of course, meant that he unceremoniously threw himself on the ground and groaned.

Honestly, Jack didn't care what people thought of him, save for his friends, but for once, he was glad that the park was empty. It was four in the morning, after all, and the sun had just begun to peek through the clouds. Normally, Jack would've enjoyed the sight of the sunrise, but he was currently preoccupied with swallowing grass and breathing deeply through his nose.

After what felt like a million years, but was, frankly, about ten minutes, he forced himself to get up. His t-shirt was clinging to him, and while he felt a great sense of accomplishment, he also felt mildly disgusting. Looking around, Jack noticed that he was fairly close to his apartment building. He breathed a sigh of relief and checked his phone. Scrolling through the notifications, most of which he ignored, he checked the time. It was still way too early, but he began to notice some early morning joggers in the park. He sent a nod to those he knew, and they nodded back.

Jack's stomach growled.

„Shit, I could eat a horse!"

Normally, Jack got to campus on foot each morning, enjoying the crisp, fresh air and the cardio. After his stunt some hours prior, he decided to forgo this tradition, as he was fairly sure he would not be able to walk by the time of his classes' end. Also, the first class of the day was starting in ten minutes. Mounting his motorcycle, a gift from North for his eighteenth, the beastly machine rumbled to life, and Jack had probably never felt a deep sense of satisfaction and comfort.

The bike was his baby, and finally, he got around to stretch its legs. Five minutes later, Jack found himself on campus grounds. Taking his helmet off, Jack ran a hand through his hair, making the messy locks of silvery-grey hair even more mussed up. He checked the time.

„Shit," he cursed.

The class had just started, and Elsa felt a slight twinge of disappointment. Looking at the empty seat, which had usually been occupied by a certain barista in the weeks since the new term's start, she was pulled out of her daydreams by the sound of the hall door bursting open, with a slightly flustered Jack standing in the middle.

The twang disappeared almost immediately. Elsa decided not to dwell on it. By the sheepish look on Jack's face, he seemed to have noticed how loud his dramatic entrance was. Elsa looked down and smiled a little.

Jack, of course, sat down next to her, just as he had for the past three weeks. And, just as he had for the past three weeks, he looked at her and gave her a warm smile. Elsa, of course, smiled back.

She was not used to smiling around anyone other than Anna, and while it came as a surprise at how easily her smiles came out for this particular boy, she didn't really mind it. What she did mind, however, was the fact that they hadn't had a single conversation ever since Anna dragged her into the coffee shop Jack worked at.

Deciding not to dwell on it, or at least, not to dwell on it for the moment, Elsa focused on Counselor Westergaard's words, and shuddered. The man gave her chills.

Elsa felt something hit her shoulder a few minutes later, and as she look at the offending object in question, her look of surprise turned into a look of apprehension. A note. Seriously, a note? She looked at Jack, but he was firmly keeping his eyes on anything but her, even though she could still see him struggling not to smile.

Rolling her eyes, she looked at the note.

if i have to listen 2 him for anodr minute, imma explode.. wanna ditch? -J

Elsa bit her lip. She read the note again, then looked at Jack. He was looking at her rather intensely.

Elsa nodded. Jack's face broke into a huge smile, and she couldn't help but smile back.

They found themselves walking around campus, both of them strangely shy. For Elsa, it wasn't anything new. She had always been a rather introverted person, her only friend being her baby sister. For the definitely not first time in her life, she didn't know what to say. Her companion, apparently, didn't know what to say either.

Luckily, the silence wasn't nearly as awkward as it could be. It was mostly comforting. After a while, however, he broke the silence. „It's funny," he said, his baritone catching her off guard. Seeing the look on her face, he smirked. „We barely know each other. We talked once. And yet, I feel strangely comfortable with you."

Elsa smiled gently, but the familiar feeling of butterflies returned. Whether it was the good kind or the bad kind, was kind of hard to discern at the moment. She didn't forget to take her pills.

„I feel the same way," she said eventually, her voice oddly quiet. Jack's eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled, and for a second, it seemed as though the deep circles under his eyes were gone. From then on, the conversation flowed rather smoothly.

Jack and Elsa found themselves on a bench sometime later, both of them forgetting the world around them.

They talked about trivial things, never going too deep, for both of them subconsciously, without thought, knew that some things were better left unsaid. For now. Jack asked about her majors, and Elsa happily described her adventures in Engineering and Business, growing fairly passionate as she talked about different branches of engineering. Jack paid rapt attention, not really understanding most of the theory she was telling him about, but just seeing the way her eyes lit up when he asked her to elaborate something he didn't understand, or the way her mouth curved into a beautiful, magnificent smile when he asked her if he understood something correctly.

Jack was pretty sure he had never seen a girl as beautiful and as passionate as Elsa. On one hand, she was reserved, a girl one would definitely notice for her beauty, but still a rather invisible person, who preferred to keep it that way. He had a feeling, though, that once she got out of her shell, she would be breathtaking. And not just for the asthmatics.

„Oh my God, I got carried away! I'm so sorry!" she apologized, sounding horrified. Jack just shook his head, and on reflex, he put his hand on her shoulder. Elsa flinched, and he immediately withdrew.

This time, it was him doing the apologizing. „I'm sorry."

Elsa smiled in response. „It's okay. I just.. am not used to people. Touching me. I'm not a very tactile person," she explained, and Jack nodded in understanding. „My sister, however, is the most tactile person you'll ever meet!"

„Tell me about her?" Jack asked. Elsa looked at him and shook her head. „Nu-uh, mister. Now it's your time to share."

Jack laughed a little. „Well, I major in English, mostly because I like writing. But," he said, „I want to become a teacher, actually."

„You minor in Education?" she guessed.

„Nope," he said, and after a few seconds, he clarified, „I minor in Psychology. I want to be a college professor."

„Why psychology?"

„Okay, this is gonna sound a little.. weird, but bear with me, alright?" He was quiet until she nodded, after which he started speaking again. „My goal is to become a college professor, yes, maybe a writer. Who knows. But I also really want to be a guidance counselor. A high school guidance counselor. One that actually helps the kids, you know? Not like that excuse of a teacher we just ditched."

Elsa nodded in understanding, giggling slightly at his last sentence. „There's a deeper reason for that, isn't there?"

„Yeah," Jack said. „There is."

He didn't elaborate further, and Elsa didn't push him. „I promised to tell you about my sister, didn't I, professor?"

Jack laughed. God, she was cute. „Yes, I believe you did."

And so, Elsa talked. She told him about how close they were, how much fun they used to have when they were kids. She told him stories, some of which even she was surprised she remembered.

„Oh, and she is a student here," she finished. Jack quirked an eyebrow.

„I've noticed." Elsa blushed and looked down, slightly embarrassed. Jack thought he offended her, but when she looked up, she was smiling.

„Yes, you did."

Jack's phone buzzed. „Oh, crap."

„What is it?"

„We've been here for three hours," Jack said, checking the message from Hiccup, asking him where the fuck he was and that his shift was starting in fifteen minutes.

„WHAT?" Elsa exclaimed.

„Yeah, I've got work in fifteen minutes," he said, smiling a little sadly.

„Let me walk with you to the parking lot?" she asked, and he nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Elsa didn't seem to mind. And so, off they went, chatting all the while. The conversation didn't get stilted the whole way, and once they reached his bike, Jack said quietly, „I really enjoyed your company."

He wanted to smack himself. I really enjoyed your company, Overland, REALLY?

Elsa did not seem to notice his internal self-roasting, and only nodded in response. „I did, too."

„I'd like to do it again, sometime," Jack said, his voice confident. He didn't feel confident. His hands were clamming.

Elsa's lips curved into a beautiful, wide smile, and she nodded. „I'd love that."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Elsa took out a piece of paper from her bag along with a pen, and scribbled something on it. Jack felt high.

She put the piece of paper onto his palm. Her hand was warm. „Text me."

Jack was pretty sure he hadn't smiled this wide in a year.

While Anna was engrossed in the movie, Elsa was trying very, very hard not to look bored. But she was. God, she was bored. Anna chose the movie, and Elsa being Elsa, she couldn't deny her anything. And so, there she was, sitting on a couch, her feet on Anna's lap, not paying the least bit of attention.

Her phone buzzed.

Oh, thank God!

She immediately backtracked her earlier praises of the deity when she saw the notification. She still smiled, though.

[Instagram] jackdad_overland has requested to follow you.

She bit her lip, looking at Anna. She was still too engrossed in her movie. Elsa, being an amazing sister, decided not to tell her about today's events. Or, well, today's event, also known as Jack And I Talked About Stuff For Nearly Three Hours And Then I Gave Him My Number™. She would tell her eventually, but while she loved her dear sister, Elsa also knew that Anna could be a little... too enthusiastic about any new people in Elsa's life. Or just people in general.

Shaking her head, she accepted the follow request and immediately followed him back. He, too, accepted her request almost immediately. Without hesitation, she scrolled through his profile. Jack didn't have many posts (to be fair, neither did she), but while they lacked in number, they more than made up in content.

His latest one, from nearly three months ago, was of him with a kitten on his shoulder. She liked that one immediately. Before that, however, his last post was from nearly a year and a half ago. It was obviously a selfie, capturing him and a girl who looked to be about thirteen. Where Jack was all pale skin, cool eyes and silver hair, the girl had a warmer complexion, with chocolate brown hair and honey-like bright brown eyes. That's where the differences ended. It was obvious from their facial structures that they were family, confirmed only by the caption, Best sister in the world.

She also liked that picture.

Elsa scrolled deep and found a post from nearly three years ago, capturing Jack and three other people. A girl with bright purple-green hair, a boy that looked like he could actually murder someone had he not been smiling, and, to her surprise, Jack's colleague – the other barista. Hiccup?

She took a good look at Jack. She knew he was younger than her by maybe about a year, and here, he looked to be about eighteen. What surprised her the most, however, was the bright, happy energy that seemed to just flow off him, even on a picture. He looked happier, there were no circles under his eyes. He wasn't as pale. There was still a little bit of sadness in his eyes, a sadness she saw every day in the mirror.

Should they become closer, Elsa hoped that eventually, he'd tell her what happened.

Of course, she liked that one as well, albeit by accident. Her shocked gasp pulled Anna out of her movie obsessed stupor.

„What's going on, Elsa?"

Elsa just shook her head. „Nothing."

elsa_arendelle: I gave you my number, you know.

jackdad_overland: i do, i saved it dw. texting is old fashioned tho

elsa_arendelle: We're texting right now, Jack.

jackdad_overland: ye i kno, but i actually get to look at u

jackdad_overland: ur profile pic, i mean

jackdad_overland: not u as in u, i swear im not a stalker

elsa_arendelle: Haha, don't worry, I didn't think you were.

jackdad_overland: u r tho

elsa_arendelle: What?

jackdad_overland: u do kno that when u like someones pic, that person gets a notification

elsa_arendelle: I plead the fifth.

jackdad_overland: fair enough

jackdad_overland: good choice

jackdad_overland: would it b too stupid of me to say (again) that i enjoyed our

jackdad_overland: uh... talk? 2day?

elsa_arendelle: No, Jack, it wouldn't. I enjoyed it very much, myself.

elsa_arendelle: And, as I have mentioned today, I definitely would not mind if we did it again.

jackdad_overland: over coffee, maybe?

elsa_arendelle: I'd like that.

elsa_arendelle: I'd like that very much.

jackdad_overland: its a date

elsa_arendelle: It is indeed.

Elsa came to the coffee shop the next day, along with Kristoff and Anna, who managed to pry the details of yesterday's conversation with Jack out of Elsa. Of both their conversations.

Elsa was pretty sure she developed tinnitus overnight from Anna's squealing, while Elsa herself had to take her pills before bed from all the anxiety her texting with Jack had brought her. She made a mental note to go to Sandy again for her prescription.

Jack was behind the counter, making drinks and talking to customers, and when she caught his eye, he sent her a surprised look, along with a bright smile. She returned it automatically, her eyes crinkling slightly at the edges, and waved.

Anna didn't notice, as she was too busy exchanging heart eyes with Kristoff. Elsa rolled her eyes fondly.

Kristoff went to order their coffees while Anna and Elsa took a seat by the window, enjoying the sunshine. When Kristoff came back with their coffees, each of them having their names on it, Elsa gratefully took hers.

Kristoff's coffee spelled Christof, Anna was spelled correctly, Elsa's had Jack's phone number on i—wait, what?

There it was, indeed.

Elsa
202-555-0119 -J:)

She looked at Jack, who only winked before going back to his duties. Elsa took a sip of her coffee and smiled, enjoying the taste, all the while thinking about how Jack said last night that texting was old fashioned. Dork.

Kristoff definitely noticed the phone number written on the cup, by the way he was looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugged and smirked before casting his gaze at Jack. Elsa rolled her eyes and saved Jack's number.

So, yeah, he had given her his number. Two years ago, he probably would've pranked her and pretended to be a Nigerian prince before finally giving in and telling her it was him.

He had matured, obviously.

„Stop daydreaming, Overland," said Hiccup, hitting his shoulder. Jack stuck his tongue out at him.

„Kiss my ass, Haddock," Jack teased.

„Sorry, love, you're a bit too pale for my taste," Hiccup retorted, and Jack choked on a laugh.

„You didn't complain last night," Jack purred, and Hiccup's eyes widened. Jack shot him a look of confusion, but Hiccup wasn't looking at him. Rather, he was looking behind him.

Wincing, Jack turned around, coming face-to-face with his boss. „If you two are quite done?" their boss asked, his massive arms crossed over his chest.

The two boys gulped and nodded. Oaken's stern expression turned into a grin, letting them know he was just teasing. „Oaken, you son of a bitch, you scared the shit out of me," Jack said.

Oaken just laughed. „You'd think you'd know me by now, Jack," he wheezed, still laughing. Jack rolled his eyes.

He was working with children, honestly.

The letters were dancing. Why were the letters dancing? They should not dance.

„Ah, fuck it," Jack grumbled, closing the book, allowing his eyes to rest slightly. He had been studying for hours for his upcoming exam, trying to cram at least some knowledge into that stupid brain of his. It had worked for the first hour or two, but then it quickly became apparent that Jack's lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him.

„Good thing I can run fast," he mumbled, and then slightly laughed at his joke. Jack's limbs felt heavy, but the exam was fairly important, so he chose to push through and pull an all-nighter. He was just about to go and make something to boost himself when his phone buzzed, along with his stomach when he realized who the notification was from.

elsa_arendelle: Thank you for giving me your number, Jack.

elsa_arendelle: However, I'd still prefer to talk here, if that's okay with you?

Jack smiled, quickly typing out a reply.

jackdad_overland: no probs, i acc feel the same

elsa_arendelle: Are you busy? I can leave you alone if you want.

jackdad_overland: nah, just taking a break from studying, abt to give myself a boost, wbu?

elsa_arendelle: A boost? What do you mean?

elsa_arendelle: Also, I'm about to make dinner for my sister and I. Any recommendations?:)

elsa_arendelle: Bear in mind, I'm a terrible, terrible cook.

jackdad_overland: uh..how do i put it... imma make coffee

elsa_arendelle: That doesn't sound too bad.

jackdad_overland: BUT

elsa_arendelle: Oh-oh

jackdad_overland: instead of water imma mix it with energy drink

jackdad_overland: i call it the hyperactive death

elsa_arendelle: Jack, no.

jackdad_overland: JACK YES

jackdad_overland: anyway

jackdad_overland: for the cooking recs

elsa_arendelle: Cooking recs.

jackdad_overland: ye

jackdad_overland: for the cooking recs.. you can enver go wrong with lasagna

jackdad_overland: never*

jackdad_overland: also im p sure yaint that bad of a cook

jackdad_overland: brb

elsa_arendelle: That's actually a great idea! Thank yo—what do you mean brb?

elsa_arendelle: Jack, don't. You'll get a heart attack.

jackdad_overland: TOO LATE, ALREADY DOWNED IT

jackdad_overland: ...why can I hear colors

elsa_arendelle: Oh my God.