As it turned out, Astrid and Elsa had been mildly displeased with the boys' antics. If the whole jello prank wasn't enough for one day, they also had Jack's jailbreak—and all the mess that it entailed—to add to the tab. Fearing what could occur had they attempted to anger the blonde beauties even more, they agreed to submit to whatever the girls had planned as punishment. And boy, what a punishment Astrid and Elsa had picked.

The boys had been tasked with cataloging the library's new acquisitions, a repetitive assignment designed to drain the most dedicated humans off their creative energies. They worked quietly, and the afternoon dragged on and on as each of them focused on their roles in the assembly line.

Jack sat on top of a ladder as Hiccup handed him one book at a time and proceeded to place it next to its brethren on the shelf. The weird mixture between the smell of new books and dust made his nose itch, his butt hurt from sitting in the same position for too long, his shoulders were getting stiff, and he could not wait to get out of that cold, lifeless mortuary. He was wondering how deep a paper-cut would have to be for him to be excused from duty when a pained groan came from the table the rest of their group had taken claim of.

He looked over at their working station curiously. "What happened?"

"I'm done with this stupid library," Hiro grumbled, throwing his arms in the air.

Unimpressed, Jack rolled his eyes. Hiro had been complaining for the past hour, and it was starting to get pretty old. The silverhead stretched his limbs and took a moment to watch the others working.

"Manual labor is so last century," Hiro complained, sticking a tag on the inside cover of another book.

"Tell me about it," Wilbur mumbled, taking the book from the other boy. He absentmindedly stamped random pages as he continued, "It's the reason why we invented robots."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Suck it up, guys. Whining about it is not gonna make the job any less boring."

Hiccup poked the silverhead in the ribs with the edge of a cover, and Jack sighed, going back to work. But before they could advance much, he heard another groan.

"Why are we doing this again?" Wilbur demanded to know.

"Because it was either helping catalog the new books or becoming Astrid's new punching bag for two weeks," Andy explained with all the calm in the world.

Hiccup laughed. "Yeah, trust me, this was a bargain." Under his breath, he mumbled, "Volunteering to spar with her? That's a mistake I'll only make once."

Being the only one who heard his friend's last comment, Jack shook his head and chuckled to himself.

"I don't know what I have to do with that," Hiro stated. "I have done absolutely nothing to anger Hofferson."

"Not true, sir," Hiccup protested. "Just because you work behind the curtains, it doesn't mean you're any less a member of our squad."

"And I know for a fact that you helped Davis with the whole water-to-gelatine equation, despite my warnings to keep you out of it," Jack added, throwing a reprimanding glare at Andy.

"What was I supposed to do? I needed another set of eyes, you're obviously not an option, Frost—"

"What's that supposed to mean, jerkface?" Jack spat.

"And Hiccup was too busy with his new girlfriend—"

"Was that jab really necessary?" Hiccup grumbled.

"—So sue me for consulting with Hiro—"

Hiro snorted, throwing his head back. "Oh, so I'm only here because of you three idiot's complete incompetence?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Please. Are you seriously gonna pretend you're innocent now?"

"Can't argue with them, buddy," Wilbur conceded with a chuckle. "I was away from school and even I know what a naughty boy you have been."

Hiro narrowed his eyes at his roommate. "Stop talking like that, you weirdo. And whose side do you think you're on, you—"

The sound of the library's double doors opening silenced the Asian-American boy's words, and Jack and Hiccup even left their post to check the identity of the newcomer. They all waited with curiosity as decided footsteps approached their table. To the boys' general bafflement, Violet Parr appeared from behind a bookshelf and smiled cheerfully at them.

"Greetings, gentlemen."

Hiro crossed his arms. "Ah, it's you, Brutus."

Violet gasped, one of her hands running to her chest. "Mr. Hamada, you wound me! Must you really accuse me of treachery like that?"

Shaking his head, Andy waved at her. "Hey, Vi. Care to join us?"

"Oh, I would love to, Andrew." She sighed heavily. "But I know how precious your male bonding time is. I wouldn't want to impose on your masculine traditions."

Jack put his hands on his hips and stared with arched eyebrows at the girl. "You're just gonna keep using my words against me, aren't you?"

Violet shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just a naive girl not worthy of being included in your dumb pack."

Hiccup frowned. "I'm confused. Do you or do you not want to be one of us?"

"I'd rather jump inside a volcano than get involved with the lot of you."

Jack roared with laughter and pointed a finger in the girl's direction. "Don't give me that, Parr. Once you're one of us, you'll always be one of us. Your seat is irrevocable."

"Says the guy who told me I would lose my position if I left," Wilbur scoffed.

The silverhead winked at the dark-haired boy. "You know I was only kidding, pretty boy."

Violet scowled, making gagging noises. "Ugh. Bromance."

Wilbur smirked at her. "My, my. Could you be jealous now, Violet dear?"

Violet shook her head, flipping her hair off her shoulder in a condescending gesture. "In your dreams, William."

Boy and girl looked at each other in a wordless challenge, waves of what Jack could only assume were unresolved feelings emanating from them both. The silverhead felt the buzzing of static charges in his skin, and as he looked at the thrilled expressions of his companions, he realized he wasn't the only one sensing the electricity in the air.

Pressing his lips together to hold his smile, Andy asked, "So what did you come here for, Vi?"

"Like she needs other reason besides liking to watch us suffer," Hiro said with a snort.

Violet glowered at the guy. "I actually do have a reason for being here, asshole. I'm representing the Student Council on official matters—"

"Uh, I'm a member of the Student Council, Violet," Andy reminded the girl. "There's no need for you to represent anything—"

"As I was saying," she continued with nonchalance, "this humble servant brings a message from our esteemed queen and her loyal right hand."

"You're adorable, Violet—"

"Shush, Haddock." Violet cleared her throat, straightening up. "President Arendelle and Treasurer Hofferson commend your hard work and expect you to have learned not to antagonize the representatives of school laws anymore." She took a moment to meet each of the boys' eyes with a gloating smile splattered on her face. "They would also like to take the opportunity to remind you that, in case you haven't finished cataloging all the books yet, you are to present yourselves back here tomorrow. And the subsequent day, and the day after that until your job is fulfilled or you drop dead on the floor, whichever comes first."

Jack narrowed his eyes, and his jaw tightened. He hissed, "Go to hell, Violet."

Violet blew him a kiss with a sickeningly sweet smile on her lips. "Love you too, Frosty."

Nudging Wilbur, Hiro mumbled, "I can't believe you dated that—"

"I can hear you, dumbass!" Violet shouted indignantly, glaring at the Asian-American boy.

Jumping defensively, Wilbur pointed at Hiccup. "So? Hiccup is dating Astrid Hofferson—"

"What are you implying, asshole?"

"Apparently, feisty ladies is a recurring taste in our group," Andy mused, scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner.

Hiro snorted. "Speak for yourself. I have no interest in those clinically insane bitches—"

"Watch it, kiddo," Jack's warning rang clear with authority.

Hiro stared at the silverhead. "Who the fuck you think you are, Frost?"

"I'm actually seconding that," Andy quickly added. "You're not gonna disrespect them on my watch."

Hiccup nodded. "Same."

With a nonchalant shrug, Wilbur said, "You're outnumbered, pal."

Disgruntled, Hiro let out a groan. "Fine. But that one is still crazy," he said pointing at Violet.

"I am standing right here, you little piece of shit—"

"I'm not taking it back."

"Oh, she sure is." Jack snorted, shaking his head. "No one is denying that."

"Seriously, am I invisible to you people?"

The occasional breeze blew leaves off the top of trees, but sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, making that a pleasantly chilly autumn day. Many students had taken the free afternoon to enjoy the sun's shy appearance, and they spread through the school gardens, sitting in small groups on the grass and lazing around with no worries in their heads.

They didn't have much Student Council work to do, so Elsa released the team from duty, and Hiccup took the opportunity to drag Astrid outside with him. They sat together under a tree, her reading a book whilst he played with her fingers on his lap. And despite her reluctance at first, she had to admit that the change of pace had a pretty calming effect on her. Above their heads, a multitude of yellows danced with the wind, and one of his hands rested on her thigh, warmth emanating from his calloused skin.

She finished reading the open pages on her book, and that was when she realized Hiccup was still tracing her fingers with his. He seemed so mystified with the shape of her knuckles, her short nails, the lines on the palm of her hand that she couldn't bring herself to disturb his thorough inspection. Instead, she decided to ask, "Don't you have anywhere else to be?"

He slowly lifted his eyes from his lap. "Hmm?"

She shrugged, putting her book down on the ground. "I figured you idiots would run off causing mayhem as soon as you were done cataloging those books. Aren't your dumb schemes piling up?"

Hiccup chuckled as he sat up. "Yeah, we all agreed that it would be best if we laid low for a while."

It was Astrid's turn to hum. "Smart choice. Would be smarter if you didn't get in trouble again, though."

He sighed. "You're probably right." Then, he took her hands with both of his and turned so he could fully face her. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were filled with determination, and the sudden change in his semblance confused Astrid.

"What?" she asked.

"I think we need to establish some ground rules here."

One of her eyebrows shot up. "Ground rules?"

A sheepish smile colored his lips. "You know, to make sure this works." His gaze moved down to their intertwined hands.

Astrid pulled her hand back in a swift motion. She held it in the air between them. "Wow. Are you second-guessing… whatever this is?"

"What?" Hiccup shook his head vehemently. "No, of course not!"

She crossed her arms, and her eyes narrowed. "I am so not letting you dump me, Haddock."

"Like I would ever think about dumping you," he said with a contemptuous snort, but the glare she threw at him made him stop and clear his throat. "I just thought that chances of you getting mad at me would lessen if we had some rules. And maybe I'll live a little longer that way…"

Astrid shook her head. "You're an idiot."

With a pout, he wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned closer to her, his eyes on hers. "But I'm your idiot."

She had to bite on the inside of her mouth to stop the smile that threatened to form on her lips. Astrid grabbed him by the cheeks to stop him from getting any closer, but Hiccup threw himself over her, trapping her in his arms.

"Get away from me!" she shouted, just to have him firming his hold on her.

He chuckled as his lips brushed against her cheek and traced a line down her jaw. He was barely making any contact, but his breath tickled her skin, and she shivered. Gritting her teeth, Astrid grabbed his ear and gave it a forceful tug.

The effect was immediate, and Hiccup cried, dropping his arms and flinching in pain. "Was that really necessary?"

She glared at him. "Shouldn't you be naming your rules right now?"

Still annoyed at her, he clicked his tongue. "Right…" He messed his hair with a hand as he took a moment to think. Finally, he said, "You can't ask about the things the guys and I do together."

"Is that about your precious guys time Violet was complaining about the other day?"

HIccup scowled, then shrugged. "We're constantly doing things you don't really approve of. I'm not gonna lie to you, so you can't ask me about it either."

"A lie by omission is still a lie..."

His face was adamant, and his expression didn't break even after a solid minute of scrutinizing.

She huffed. "Fine. I actually have a rule for you too."

"What is it?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You can't go to the gym while I'm there."

"I can't? Why not?" he asked with a frown.

Astrid put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Because it's my alone time, Hiccup," she snarled.

He hummed with a pout. "Can I at least wait for you outside?"

"If you must."

He grinned, resting his arms on her legs and leaned in. "Then I'll wait for you outside."

Their eyes kept locked together, and she smirked back at him. Astrid's hands slid up his arms, and his fingers intertwined on her lower back. She brought her lips closer to his but kept herself just out of reach. "What's your next demand?"

Hiccup licked his lips as his eyes went to her mouth. "My... what?"

She arched an eyebrow at him and waited.

Hiccup blinked, and he seemed to slowly compose himself. "Oh. Yeah. Uh…" He scrunched his nose. "How about… keeping the PDA to when it's just the two of us?"

"Agreed," she quickly replied. "No pet names, and definitely no baby talk."

"Oh, bummer. I was kinda looking forward to it." He sounded upset, but he was smirking as he kissed her.

His lips were soft and gentle as he gave her a sequence of quick pecks, the last one lasting a little longer than the one before. Not one to let him have the upper hand, Astrid grabbed a fistful of his hair to bring him down towards her and keep him there. Hiccup seemed to understand her message with clarity, and even if he had objections, he didn't show. Instead, he tightened his arms around her and pressed her body closer to his.

He was still smirking when he mouthed sweetheart against her lips. And that idiot's audacity boiled something inside her, and her eyes shot open. She took a swing and hit him in the shoulder.

Hiccup squealed, grabbing her wrist. "Okay, here's another rule: stop hitting me!"

She crossed her arms. "I will not comply with that one. Besides, you totally deserved it."

Still scowling, he rubbed his injured arm. "You're crazy, you know that—"

"Here's a rule for you two." Their silver-haired acquaintance materialized from out of nowhere and looked down at them with his hands on his waist. "Jack has dibs on Hiccup over Astrid."

"Were you eavesdropping on us, Frosty?" Hiccup asked with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

The silverhead shrugged. "I have been looking for you everywhere." He gave the blonde a nod. "Hey there, gorgeous."

"Jackass," Astrid greeted back.

"Oh, ha, ha." Jack rolled his eyes. "Never heard that one before."

"Listen, we're kinda busy here, so if you could come back another time—" Hiccup waved the other guy away as his other hand returned to Astrid's hip.

Jack shook his head. "Nuh-uh, Third. We have places to go."

Hiccup groaned, letting his head fall against the tree trunk. "Says who?"

"Me. Now get your lazy ass up before I kick you."

Hiccup peeked at Astrid with one eye and whispered, "Maybe he'll give up if we pretend we can't see him."

"Hiccup, you have five seconds to come with me," Jack declared loudly. "Or I'm humiliating the fuck out of you in front of your perky little girlfriend."

Astrid glared at the silverhead. "Who are you calling perky, dumbass—"

"Haddock, NOW."

Hiccup put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm coming!" He looked at Astrid and squeezed her hand. "I'll find you later, okay?"

"Sure…"

Kissing her one last time, Hiccup got on his feet and rushed after the silverhead.

"Honestly, Hiccup, how did you two manage to live without each other until now?"

It took Anna a good half an hour to find Merida after choir practice, and even after she did find her friend, she still had to drag the grumpy redhead down the stairs. Literally.

"Come on, Mer, work with me!" Anna shouted with a huff.

"I don't see why I have to come with you," Merida grumbled, every step she took thumping loudly against the floor tiles.

Anna sighed tiredly. "I already told you: Jack said I could bring a friend with me!"

"Why me, though? Why not Rapunzel? You were with her until now!"

Anna shook her head. "Yeah, like Punz would ever agree to meet up with Jack and his crazy friends—"

"I don't recall agreeing either."

Anna turned to the redhead, her eyes begging and lips trembling with unease. "Please, Merida. They're all seniors, and I need the moral support."

Merida crossed her arms and pressed her mouth in a thin line as she glared at the blonde girl. Throwing her hands in the air, she groaned. "Fine. But I'm only doing this once, Anna."

"Yay!" Anna jumped, tugging on Merida's arm. "Now hurry up, we're running late."

As they resumed their walking, Merida kept glancing at Anna. "So…" she carefully started. "Are we talking about your new detention pal?"

Anna scoffed. "You make it sound like I'm in detention all the time."

"You met him in the detention room." Merida shrugged. "Ergo, he's your detention pal."

"I feel a bit of judgment in your voice, Mer."

"No Judgement, just curiosity."

Anna sighed but said nothing for a moment, as she sorted the words in her head. "He's Jack Frost," she stated, giving great emphasis to his name. "I mean, everything he does is so exciting, and he's a bit of a rockstar, don't you think?"

"Hmmm…"

Anna frowned with caution. "W-what?"

Merida pointed a finger between Anna's eyes. "You have that dreamy look on your face."

Anna shook her head, trying to keep her face as blank as possible. "No, I don't."

"You do," Merida argued, nodding. "Do you like this Frost guy?"

Her friend's suggestion was so silly that it made Anna laugh throwing her head back. "Of course not. He's alright, but he's not my type."

Merida laughed too, but her laugh was filled with scorn. "Oh, you have a type now? And what exactly would that be? Two-faced douchebags? Lying jerks? Narcissistic bastards? All of the above?"

"That is so not funny, Merida," Anna grumbled.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Anna. I was all judgemental this time." Merida rolled her eyes. "I told you that Hans asshole was no good, but did you listen to me? Of course, you didn't. And look where it led you—"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

The girls fell in awkward silence, and Anna focused on her shoes, not to let her mind drift to unpleasant memories. As she munched on her lower lip, she heard the other girl sighing.

"Just be careful, okay?" Merida's voice was gentle and sincere. "You have a tendency to not think things through, and I don't want to watch you getting hurt again."

"Aw, Mer. You're the best!" Anna threw her arms around the ginger and planted a wet kiss on Merida's cheek. "I love you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah." Merida groaned disgruntled, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. "Didn't you say we were running late?"

"Crap!" Anna cursed as they stormed down the hallway. "Come on, Merida!"

"Hurry up!"

Her brain had been replaced with a wrecking ball swishing back and forth on the loose. That was the only explanation Violet could find for the massive pain she had felt piercing through her skull since morning. In her weakened state, climbing the stairs up to the third floor was turning to be a way more draining task than she first imagined. She wheezed, her hair stuck with sweat to the back of her neck, and if she looked nearly as disgusting as she felt, the boys would be up to a delightful surprise when she made it to their assembly room. With no little effort, she reached the classroom and stopped at the door to catch her breath. She heard girls laughing inside, which was unexpected. Or maybe her ears weren't working that well either…

But no, her ears were working just fine. For some reason, Elsa's little sister was there. And a girl with massive curly red hair Violet was sure she had met in the hallways before. All eyes had turned in her direction as she opened the door, and she stared back at the girls as if their presence there didn't make sense to her. Which really didn't, malfunctioning brain or not.

"Nice of you to show up, Parr," Jack greeted her with a mocking smirk.

"When did you open a princess daycare, Frost?" she blurted out as her eyes shifted to the silverhead.

"Anna and Merida are our new recruits," Hiccup explained. "They were just—"

He was interrupted by Jack snarling at her, "Would you mind taking that stick out your ass so you can welcome them with some grace?"

Hiro let out a long whistle. "You really have a way with words, Frost."

Violet felt her face heating up, but she wasn't sure if it was out of annoyance, or if it was another side-effect of her body shutting down on her.

"Are you okay, Violet?" Andy asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine—" She started shaking her head, but it quickly turned out to be a mistake, as her vision darkened and she lost balance. "Maybe I'm not…" She pressed a hand to her eyes and took a slow, steady breath. "Listen, can I be excused from babysitting today? No offense—"

"Sure, why would we be offended?" the red beauty scoffed, and it did make Violet feel bad for the terrible first impression she was making.

"Maybe you should go lie down," Elsa's little sister suggested gently.

Violet gave the other girl a weak smile. "Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks."

"Wait." Wilbur jumped off the desk he had been sitting on and rushed to the front of the room. "Lemme come with you."

"No, thanks."

Wilbur snorted. "Honey, you were about to pass out just now. It's not the time to be picky."

Rolling her eyes, Violet turned on her heels to leave.

"Wilbs, make sure she gets to the infirmary safely," she heard Jack saying as she left the room.

"Got it."

Violet sped down the hallways as fast as her disabled self could manage, and she heard footsteps coming after her. "No, you didn't get shit," she hissed with a glare at Wilbur. "Stay the hell away from me."

Wilbur shrugged. "Hey, you heard the captain, I'm supposed to escort you to the infirmary."

"I'm not going to the infirmary."

"Sure you are."

"No. I'm not. I just need to take a nap. And I can very well do that in the comfort of my own room—"

He suddenly grabbed her wrist, and his other went to rest on her forehead. It was warm and soothing, and her eyes unconsciously slid shut.

"You're hot," he said.

"Thanks."

He chuckled, letting go of her, and in her inebriated state, Violet missed his touch. "I mean you're feverish."

Scowling, Violet continued down the hallway, but to her discontentment, he walked beside her, matching her pace.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Vi. You decide." He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "Now. Are we going to the infirmary or not?"

She ignored him and continued walking—

"Hard way it is."

Just to have Wilbur throwing her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"WILLIAM!" She screamed, and all the sudden movements overloaded her senses, making her throat tighten and her head spin. "Put me down."

"Just be quiet until we get there, will ya?"

"Wilbur." Her voice was little more than a whisper, and she doubted he could hear her. She closed her eyes. It was like her body had become oxygen intolerant in those few seconds he had been carrying her. "Please."

Violet felt him stopping, and she was slowly lowered to the floor. With her eyes still shut, she held onto him until the world stopped spinning. She took slow, tentative breaths, and Wilbur kept a steady hold on her, the hand on her arm stroking the space just above her elbow.

"I'll ask you again, Vi: are you gonna let me take you to the infirmary?"

The stubborn part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell, but the tired part of her won the argument, and she reluctantly mumbled, "Yes."

Wilbur smiled, unsticking the hair glued to her cheek and tucking it behind her ear.

"Good girl."

Violet wasn't sure how long she had slept, but it was enough to make her feel thousands of times better. The medicine Goethel had given her had probably kicked in, and the whamming in her head had diminished to a light pound. Her bones no longer felt like they were melting, and she didn't feel chills every time she let air into her lungs.

She rolled onto her back and moaned as she stretched her limbs.

"How are you feeling?"

Violet turned her head and found Andy looking at her. For some odd reason, heart sagged a little.

"Hey, Davis." Her voice was raspy, and the itchiness in her dry throat sent her into a coughing fit.

Andy offered her a bottle of water, and she thanked him with her eyes. She drank in sips until her throat calmed down, then moved to put the bottle aside.

"Drink the rest of it," Andy ordered. "You gotta stay hydrated."

She scowled at him but did as she was told.

"So are you better?" he asked.

Violet nodded. "How long was I out?"

"Probably less than an hour. Wilbur would know better, though."

She frowned unable to understand the connection between the boy in question and her condition. "Why?"

"He was here with you the whole time."

Violet shook her head. "Pervert."

Andy chuckled. "He got you that," he said pointing at the bottle in her hands.

She glared at it as if the object had deeply offended her. Had her eyes been a little more intense, she would probably be able to boil the water with her mind.

"He was worried about you."

She hummed, busying herself with taking another sip of water. Deciding to change topics, she looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "How was the meeting? What did I miss?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. We explained to the girls how we usually work, and what each of us ends up in charge of, that kind of stuff. Anna was overly excited, so I'm not sure if she'll remember anything after today... Oh, and Jack came up with a new idea."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you about it later." Andy glanced over his shoulder to the nurse working at her desk. She didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation, but as people said, it was better to be safe than sorry. Lowering his voice so only she could hear him, he continued, "We're meeting again on Thursday to figured out the details, but we voted, and you're not gonna be allowed back until you're 100% recovered."

"You're joking," she choked, narrowing her eyes. The idea of the boys sitting in a circle and discussing whether or not her contagiousness was a threat sounded moronic, but it kinda hurt to be left out again.

"I'm not," Andy said, and as if he could read her thoughts, he took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "So make sure you get better soon, Vi."

"Right." That simple gesture warmed her heart, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Looking at him, Violet tsked with faux-annoyance and flipped her hair back.

"I'll ask my body to stop dying."