A ruckus in the main hall was reported, and Jack, the Student Council's newly assigned errand boy was the one the girls sent to check it out. Obviously. Because those cute innocent angels were secretly sadists, and it was beyond Jack's power to reject any of their silly demands. So to investigate the alleged mess he went like the damn good boy that he was...
He had a feeling it was a false alarm, probably some bored dipshit wanting to watch him run around campus cleaning up after other people's like a moron, but when he, Tink, and Astrid got to the main hall, there really was a situation there: Frantic kids high on adrenaline and panic; some precariously altered skateboards; a shattered window; a pile of bodies whimpering at the bottom of the stairs; probably some broken bones; and an inevitable hospital trip just waiting to be addressed...
While Astrid and Tinkerbell partly escorted, partly dragged a (highly likely) concussed Snotlout Jorgenson to the infirmary, Jack evacuated the crime scene, carefully steering the other students away from the minefield of broken shards. As he worked, he also kept a close eye on the other two culprits so they wouldn't escape before receiving the sentence they deserved.
He confiscated their skateboards, announcing that they were to be used as evidence to determine the offenders' fate later on.
"You can't do that!" culprit number one, Tuffnut Thorston, argued as he stomped after Jack.
"Yeah, that's tyranny!" Ruffnut, the other Thorston twin added, taking her helmet off and letting her blonde hair swish around as she growled at the silverhead.
"We are supposed to be living in a free country as far I can recall!"
Jack rolled his eyes, throwing the boards over his shoulder and securing them in place. "Sorry, guys, but like I told you: You can get them back from the Student Council after this mess is sorted out."
"You know, sister dearest, I have a dream."
Ruffnut nodded approvingly. "Splendid, fair brother."
One hand on his back and the other raised with his index finger pointed upward, Tuff declared, "I dream that one day, we will be truly free. I dream that one day, we will slide down the handrail with our skateboards if we want to, and no one will have the right to penalize us for it."
"And if we wanted to break a few bones in the process, that would be our right to do so."
"Not when you're on school grounds, it wouldn't. That falls on the faculty and other authorities like the Student Council's responsibility, which means you have to abide by their rules." Jack scowled, the irony didn't escape him, but the words kept gushing out of his mouth like he had been reciting them since birth. "And also, you didn't just break a few bones. You broke a window. That's school property."
Ruffnut snorted. "Who are you? The Student Council's new lapdog?"
Jack clenched his jaw and, to ease some of his anger, exhaled through his nose slowly. "If you have anything to say..."
"I have plenty of things to say, Frost. For starters, you can tell the prissy little girls at the Student Council to shove it—"
"Forgive my sister. She doesn't know how to communicate without being rude," Tuff hurriedly stated, pulling the girl back by the braid and giving Jack an apologetic look. "What butt-elf here is trying to say is that you can't take away our boards. They're a part of us. Taking them away would be the same as ripping off our legs, and the Student Council does not condone dismemberments, does it?"
Ruffnut shook her head disapprovingly. "I would be appalled if they did, brother."
"Indeed."
"Of course, Astrid had to leave me alone with you two," Jack grumbled to himself. To the twins, he said, "Look, I'm just following orders."
"Aw, come on, J," Tuff whined. "Haven't you ever done something crazy because you have this itch you can't get rid of no matter what?"
Jack snorted. "Been there, done that."
"See? You can't judge us!"
"But I'd never purposefully put anyone at risk like you did!"
Tuffnut shrugged. "I mean, risk is a relative concept…"
"Snotlout almost died," Jack deadpanned.
Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Have you seen the dude? His skull is so thick he can headbutt a boulder and not feel a thing. Pretty sure he's gonna be okay."
Jack pressed his lips together not to let a smile slip and hardened his expression. "You're still coming with me."
"Like you have that authority," Tuffnut laughed.
"This week I do."
"You—this is TYRANNY!"
"I thought you were one of us. The hell happened to you?"
"You know, you start to see the world through a whole different lens when you're in someone else's shoes," Jack admitted with a sigh. "And if you guys don't shut up right now, I'm gonna make you regret not getting a concussion while you still could."
"TYRANT!"
The art of purposefully wandering around was something Elsa never thought she'd have to practice, but that was the task Hiro and company had given her: be seen doing nothing. The more innocuous she was, the less attention she attracted to the rest of the team. Elsa hated it. The lying, the selling of a fake story made her sick to the stomach. And her role as the figurehead, sitting still and looking pretty while everyone else worked didn't make her feel any better about diverting everyone's attention to something that wasn't even real.
But, used to rise to meet others' expectations as she was, she did what was asked of her. She drifted through the hallways like an ethereal existence, smiling as she passed friends and underclassmen, but otherwise not further interacting with anyone if she could help it. Every dragged second of it was torture, and the tension in her muscles made her tremble involuntarily.
"Elsa!"
She blinked, yanked back from the turmoil of dark thoughts, and spun around to greet her sister. "Hey, Anna." She looked at the stack of books the younger girl was carrying and couldn't help but smirk. "Doing a little bit of reading, aren't we?"
"Gotta keep my grades up," Anna huffed, adjusting the books in her arms as she joined Elsa on the latter's walk.
"That may be overkill though."
Anna shrugged, nonchalant, and flipped one braid over her shoulder. "Well, you know what they say, better safe than sorry."
"Mmhmm…" Elsa nodded, glancing casually at her sister's jittery profile. "Was there anything you needed from me?"
"You know, since you mentioned…" Anna's words trailed off as she took a moment to frown. "Can we talk about Jack helping the Student Council, or is that like breaking a rule or whatever?"
"We can talk," Elsa replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, okay. Cool." Anna rolled her shoulders back, eyes set on a specific point on the path ahead. "So… I don't wanna sound like a big baby or anything, but I really, really miss you."
With a smirk, Elsa teased, "Should've thought about that before kicking me out."
"It's not like he's not helping—he is! In his own convoluted way..." Anna scowled as if recalling the past few days inflicted on her physical pain. "But I gotta say, as much as I love him, Jack's not the tidiest person in the world. And this is me saying that!"
If she hadn't been carrying such a heavy burden (the actual heavy pile of books, that was, not the emotional one), Elsa was sure Anna would have thrown her arms in the air in exasperation.
"And his code of conduct is so dubious! I swear, if we went by his book, half the school would have burned to the ground by now."
"Sounds like him alright," Elsa mused.
"But it's not all bad, I guess. Even Tink thinks that having him around is kinda fun."
"He keeping his side of the bargain, I take it?"
"Shyeah, debatable," Anna grumbled. "The girls and I have even more work now because we have to double-check everything when he's not looking."
"Shouldn't Astrid and Andy be helping with that?"
"It's kinda hard to reason with Astrid when she's in her state of perpetual ire, and I'm pretty sure Andy is using Jack to pull all the crazy stunts he never had the guts to pull until now. We're expecting a whole truck of bubble wrap to come in within twelve workdays."
"What?"
"I'm joking!" Anna laughed, gently bumping her shoulder with her sister's. "Relax, sis, we've got this. Things are kinda hectic, but it's all good training, right?"
Elsa took a long moment simply studying the other girl's face. Weirdly, it was only then that she realized how much Anna had grown in the short time she had been in the president seat. "You're turning out to be very suited for this job. I'm proud of you."
"Aw, thanks, Elsa." Anna beamed a little shyly. "But enough about me. How are things on your end?"
"There's never a quiet moment with that group, I'll tell you that," Elsa mumbled with a sigh.
"It can feel that way," Anna conceded. "But are they being good to you? I know the guys can be pretty rough sometimes."
"Yes, Anna. Everyone's been very welcoming." Elsa smiled fondly.
"Good. 'Cause I'd totally come after anyone who messes with you, you know."
"I appreciate that—"
"Oh, Annaaaa!"
The sisters stopped, following the direction of the male voice with their eyes. Braced against the upper floor's railing, Hiro and Hiccup waved.
"Does candy grow in trees?" a grinning Hiccup asked.
"Not as far as I know," Anna replied, squinting her eyes to look at the boys.
"You're in for a ride then," Hiro stated.
Anna frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's a surprise," Hiccup declared cheekily. "Els, if you're free, we could use your help about now."
"Sure," Elsa said at the same time as Anna shouted, "Wait, what is going on here?"
"Guess I gotta go," Elsa said, squeezing her sister's arm apologetically.
"Are you seriously not gonna tell me what they're talking about?"
"I'm afraid I'm sworn to secrecy," Elsa said, heading to the stairs. "See you later, Anna."
"Have fun—but not too much fun! I don't wanna have to report you to North about whatever you're doing!"
Violet sat on a table, feet dangling off the edge as she looped one strip of construction paper through the other to make a chain. Its end kept brushing on the floor as she added more ringlets.
"Shouldn't you be with Elsa?"
Defensive, she threw a glare over her shoulder to the guy behind her, a snide comeback on the ready. Wilbur sat cross-legged on the table, eyes glued to the sheet of paper he was cutting and a bored expression on his face, and she realized that his question had been an innocent attempt at small talk, not rebuke as she originally thought. It made her frustration slowly die down.
"Why's that?"
The guy put his scissor down and leaned back on his hands. "I don't know, because she has been thrown in a hostile environment and as her friend, you should probably look after her."
"Elsa is a big girl. She can take care of herself." Shrugging, Violet returned to staring out the window. "And if you want a nanny, ask Hiccup."
"Ask Hiccup what?" Hiccup himself asked as the door to the study room opened and he and the rest of his posse came sauntering inside.
"Ask him about his hair care routine. Your hair is on fleek, king," Wilbur said, winking.
"Maybe another time…" Hiccup mumbled, slumping his shoulder sheepishly. Averting his eyes, he set a cardboard box on the table and beckoned everyone to gather around him. "We've got the goods. And we also got Elsa."
"Good job, boys." Wilbur nodded, jumping off the table, then shifted his gaze to the blonde. "How did it go with your assignment, Elsa?"
"Alright, I guess. I haven't told anyone what we're doing if that's what you're asking."
Wilbur frowned. "It's not."
"... I don't follow."
"As cool as the plan is on its own, I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd like you to at least have a little bit of fun while you stay with us."
Violet watched as a confused Elsa looked around the room and the others agreed with the boy, their expressions warm and encouraging.
"So let me ask again," Wilbur said softly. "How did it go, Elsa?"
Elsa sighed. "To be honest, all the sneaking around makes me extremely anxious. But on the other hand, it's been enlightening to observe the bond you share this up close."
Warily, Violet asked, "That's a good thing, right?"
"It is."
"Aw, isn't that nice to hear?" Hiccup grinned and gave Elsa's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
"By the end of the week, you'll be a fully-fledged member of team stupid," Hiro said.
"Can't wait," Elsa laughed, humored.
"And now that that's taken care of, shall we get down to business?" Wilbur asked, rubbing his hands together.
"You two got the rest of the supplies, right?" Hiro asked, looking at Violet and Wilbur.
"The ateliers' leftover scraps of paper are now in our possession."
"And Merida dropped the first batch of flowers on her way down to the stable," Violet said, producing another cardboard box and placing it in front of the three newcomers. Violet had already seen its content: a multitude of paper plants, in various sizes, shapes, and colors.
"They're beautiful," Elsa breathed out as she turned in her hands the flower Hiro had just passed to her. Petals, stems, leaves were all handmade; the thin layers of tissue paper intricately arranged together in the shape of a white lily, and the level of detailing made anyone wonder how much time it must've taken to make an entire box of those flowers.
"The girl has a knack for arts and crafts," Violet said.
"It's almost a waste for what we've got planned," Hiccup admitted as he perused the box's content. "Think we'll have enough to decorate all the classrooms?"
Elsa hummed, eyebrows furrowing as she probably ran some projections in her head. "We may need to burn the midnight oil to get everything done in time."
"Back to the grind we go then," Wilbur mumbled, already making his way back to his table.
"Who would've thought that bringing spring to school would be so hard?"
"No kidding. Makes you value Mother Nature on a whole new level..."
There was something thrilling about catching the entire school by surprise like that. Standing on the helm of that ship, Elsa began to understand how even some of the most brilliant students in school so often happened to be involved in those ludicrous stunts. The adrenaline was addicting and the hype was so high that it was easy to forget how time-consuming folding all those flowers had been, or how her eyes burned for lack of sleep. She hoped next time they'd have more than two days to prepare, but at that point, she knew better. Because as great as they were at making their crazy ideas happen, their process was even more chaotic than she could've ever expected.
But even so, despite the short prep time and the overall misery, the operation seemed to be going well, at least from their standpoint. There were paper decorations everywhere: vines cascaded from the ceiling lamps; leaves and buds wrapped around door handles, lockers, windows; flowers blossomed on staircases, on bulletin boards, and on every other nook and cranny imaginable, and on the back of each paper creation, just barely out of sight hid an individual piece of candy. Their special touch of madness in what would otherwise be an innocuous springtime celebration.
It didn't take long for the first chocolate truffle to be found, and the school soon became a war zone. Sugar-high kids with their pockets full of sweets pushed and shoved one another as they tore those carefully folded flowers into pieces. The first bell had rung long ago, but no one seemed to care. Faculty members and assorted employees tried to rein in the students to no avail—there was no stopping that disturbingly beautiful cacophony.
"You know what we're missing?" Hiccup said as he and Elsa leaned over the railing and watched the unleashed mayhem downstairs. "Someone should've dressed up as a fairy to throw candy at the kids."
"I'm sure we can still find a costume if you're up for it," Elsa said, her voice constricted by her tight throat.
"Maybe next time," Hiccup said then turned toward her, a frown on his face. "You okay there, Elsa?"
"I am on the verge of passing out," the blonde said with a shaky exhale.
The guy chuckled. "I can imagine. Here, have some candy."
Elsa looked at the lollipop Hiccup held out toward her with incredulity stamped on her face. "Are you serious?"
He shrugged. "It'll help with the nerves."
She didn't think it would, but she still accepted the candy with a nod and a muted thanks. At least the taste was nice…
"Hey!"
Both she and Hiccup looked down to watch one Jack Frost marching across the busy hallway with one hand on his hip and the other pointed at a little boy climbing on a statue of a long-dead patron to reach the flower crown on its head.
"I told you to get down from there!"
The boy whined and said something they couldn't hear from the upper floor, but whatever he said was enough to make Jack throw his arms up in the air and groan to the ceiling. Then, the teen unceremoniously picked the boy up, threw him over the shoulder like a potato sack, thrust the slightly too big paper crown on his head, and carried him away from the statue.
"That was cute," Hiccup said, smirking.
Elsa nibbled the inside of her cheek for a second. "If you wanna call it that…"
As if sensing their gazes on him, Jack looked up, the young boy still squirming on his shoulder, and his eyes locked on the pair. His hands closed into fists and his jaw clenched like he was holding himself not to take any drastic actions.
"I think he saw us," Elsa mumbled.
"Yeah, maybe." Hiccup waved, which only made the silverhead glower at them harder.
Jack put the little boy down, and as the kid scampered off in his pursuit of more candy, he waited for the pair of troublemakers to approach with his arms crossed and a hard scowl on his face.
"I hope you're proud of yourselves."
Hiccup shifted his weight between his feet and laced his fingers behind his head. "Oh, we are. Thank you for acknowledging our hard work, though. Means a lot."
Jack rolled his eyes, but before he could retort, Elsa spoke.
"Looks like you're having a busy morning," she said casually.
"Understatement of the year." His eyes narrowed at her. "Is this punishment? Are you punishing me for being a brat to you all these years?!"
"Easy, buddy." Hiccup stepped in between his friends with both hands raised to appease the other guy. "Elsa already feels bad enough as it is, you don't have to dump this on her now."
Jack shut his eyes and breathed out slowly, letting his anger subside. He shoved Hiccup's face to the side, and with a softer voice tone, he said, "I guess the idea is pretty cool. And the fact that you went undiscovered? Props to you, Your Majesty."
"Thanks. But I'm merely a pawn in this whole mess."
"Sure you are," Jack smirked, but his smile faded as he turned to glare at the other guy. "Shouldn't you be in homeroom?"
Hiccup blinked innocently. "I'm sorry, do you want me to leave, Jack?"
"What do you think, idiot?"
Hiccup let out a shocked gasp. With exaggerated hurt painted on his face, he mumbled, "I can see my presence is unwanted here, so if you'll excuse me..."
He flicked his hand so Jack would step to the side and gave Elsa a knowing wink before walking away.
"What a moron," Jack grumbled before shifting his attention back to the girl and gesturing with his chin toward her. "By the way, isn't eating in the hallways against the rules?"
Elsa's eyebrows furrowed as she realized he was right, and she hummed looking down. "Maybe."
He laughed, shaking his head reprimandingly. With his arms crossed over his chest, he stepped so close that she had to raise her head to look at him.
"Well, I'll be damned. They turned you into a rebel."
Eyes locked on hers, he took one of her hands, intertwining their fingers together, and with the other hand, he held the lollipop stick she had between her lips. "I'm gonna confiscate that if you don't mind," Jack whispered as if sharing with her a secret before popping the candy in his own mouth.
Elsa sucked in a breath, her cheeks heating up as she continued to look at those eyes so full of mirth. She swallowed once, then with all the composure she could muster, she stated, "We are in a very public place."
"Who cares?"
"I kind of do."
Still keeping their hands linked, he took a step back, begrudgingly putting a respectable distance between them. "Alright. Get out of here. I don't wanna see you in trouble."
She tilted her head to the side and brushed her arm against his. "What about you?"
"Someone has to take care of this mess," Jack grumbled, gesturing around them, disgruntled.
"I'm really sorry about that," she said, and though her tone was sincere, she didn't try that hard to hide her lingering amusement.
"Right," Jack scoffed, letting go of her hand one finger at a time. "Off you go now."
Chuckling, she put her hands on his shoulders to push herself up and gently kissed him on the cheek. Her fingers stroked the hairs on the back of his neck. "Be careful."
"I always am."
With a final warning look, she started walking to her classroom. She walked past a group of students trading candies with the seriousness one would find in a stock exchange, but she hardly had time to contemplate the scene as, soon enough, a voice she could recognize anywhere was reaching her ears.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO CLIMB THAT!"