A/N: I actually made a flow chart for this. And I really need to consider what else I'm going to have this story follow. Will it just be romance? Will Pitch show up? I don't even know, I just want to write about Cupid falling in love with Jack Frost. Also, quick note, since I know a few people are thinking I'm basing this off the movie - kinda. It's a mixture of the movie and the new book that came out. So Frost was human, but he still has all the abilities in the book. I'll explain later if no one knows what I'm talking about.
The warmth wasn't what made him open his eyes; it actually had the opposite effect. Yet the blinding light behind his lids made him open his eyes, wanting to see what was causing such a pain. He could feel light brushes, grass perhaps, against his cheek. The sounds of birds chirping made his eyes turn to their source, but of course, they couldn't be found.
A cold hand cupping his face made him realize what was going on; he'd had this dream over and over again, always ending the same. Nonetheless, he looked at the owner of the hand, seeing their outline. He could never see their face. It seemed everything in this dream was fuzzy, never clear.
Ida sighed as the person ran their hands through his hair, a small chill running down his spine. Whoever was with him knew him well, perhaps hinting that this dream was set in the future, mostly due to the fact that Ida never told anyone that he was a sucker for having his hair pulled back, feeling fingers run along his scalp and the nails just barely scraping along.
He wanted to frown when they placed their hands back to his jaw, their thumb moving in circles.
Gently, he placed his own hand over theirs, a sigh of love, warmth, the feeling of being complete.
It wasn't that he could tell that this person was in love with him, and him them, that made him feel complete. Cupids, all of them, had dreams of someone that loved them, that was likely their soulmate. Ida could remember distinctly that one of his ancestors had a similar dream about her cat, and had ensured that the cat lived as long as she did, having been terrified of what would happen should that not happen. And his other ancestor, Juliet; her dream had led her to having... relations... with a dragon. At this thought, Ida ran a hand over the hair-like ends of his tail.
His sense of completeness was addictive, this much he knew. He moved his head into thie person's hands, letting them wrap their arms around him, bringing him to their chest.
Gentle kisses, first at his lips and then down, made him want to swoon, much like his elder sister did whenever she even remotely fell in love. He went to return the kisses, but paused.
That's when he felt the cold prickling on his arms, felt the cold breath puff into his face. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes snapping open.
The fuzziness that had ensnared him before was now clearing up quickly, letting him catch a glimpse of whomever had been showing him the affection and love. He only saw white hair and a flash of blue; then-
He sat up, breathing heavily and looking around.
He was fine, he was okay. He was in his bed, no one next to him, silk bedsheets and the pillows that appeared to have had an attempted mangling to them. He felt as if he'd run a marathon, and swallowed an ice cube. His entire insides were cold and he feld a chill run up his spine. He needed to drink something warm, else he freeze from the inside out.
He slid out of bed, his feet sinking into the warm carpet that was beneath his bed, which hung from the ceiling. The room seemed to be colder, although he couldn't place why, seeing as how it was June in the America's. Maybe the winter was finally setting in for him?
He shook this thought off, heading to his closet in search of something he could wear that day before appearing before his Mother. A quick few flicks, tail twitching in annoyance, and he found the outfit he'd wear for the day. Black jeans, of course. Black shoes, red shirt with long sleeves and a heart pocket.
He never could find it within himself to wear anything other than his usual vest, but for some reason, he felt as if he'd regret wearing the vest. So he went with the shirt. He threw them on, passing by his mirror and ruffling up his hair as he headed to the door.
The halls remained silent as Ida walked down them, breathing in the clear air. His lungs and stomach still felt as if he'd sucked in a glacier, but he tried to remain ignorant of this fact. He'd much rather focus on how the Tree was doing, if it was alright and if there was anything wrong.
The Tree appeared to be doing fine. Running his jointed hands over the smooth bark, he could tell that today was a day full of puppy love. His sister must be out and about, whisking around those who were falling in love.
And smacking the shit out of the pedophiles. Ida snickered to himself, glancing out the gigantic windows. He barely looked out when he found himself at the door of his mothers tearoom.
He pushed it open, sneezing when he did so. The room smelled thoroughly of peppermint. He glanced from his mother, who almost brushed up against the lower-hanging chandelier while she sat. She wasn't wearing her usual Cupid garb. Instead, she was wearing a nice, soft pink sweater, her hair wrapped up. He could tell, even without actual eyes, that she was looking to him.
He went over, getting her to lean down enough for her cheek to reach him. "Morning, Mother."
A small ahem reminded him that his Mum was there as well, practically hidden by the sweater. He smiled sheepishly, going over to the black-haired woman and kissing her cheek as well.
"Morning, Mum."
His mum gave a smile. "You've been sleeping for a long time, Ida. We were starting to worry about you..."
Mother nodded, gently picking up her cup. "I could hear that your dreams were troubling you before you woke up."
Ida sat across from them, taking pastries from the small platter and getting himself some tea, avoiding their eyes on him.
"I was having another Novelty." He admitted, brushing his hair back. "The same one as before."
His mothers sat up straighter at his, their eyes showing their concern.
"Shouldn't your Novelty bring you longer rests? They shouldn't be waking you up with such horrible feelings..."
"Something must not be right, if it is. Have you been seeing the person in your dream?" Mother was trying to be helpful, this he knew.
"Well... no. Not in the dream or real life..." He was reluctant to admit this part. Cupid's always knew who they loved, and who they longed to be with.
All Ida knew was that this person had white hair and blue eyes, and there were dozens of people that matched that description in Valentines Village. It had been a struggle to even figure out what this person even remotely looked like, and Ida wasn't willing to date every single person that had blue eyes and white hair until his dreams stopped.
He heard his Mum's cup drop back to it's saucer. "Sweetie, are you sure you're willing to continue with these dreams? You say you haven't met them, but it's clear you have if all you've done is Novelties."
"Yeah, Mum, I'll be fine. I've got plenty of time to figure things out."
His Mother finally spoke up, adjusting her wife accordingly as she sat up. "We can talk more about this later; I know it's important, but a guest is coming over, and I'm sure Ida wouldn't want his problems to be spoken out so publicly."
Ida's mum started protesting, but Mother brushed her hair back, hushing her. Ida calmly ate his pastries, mulling his dreams over. A small chime alerted the family to their guest, cold air brushing past their feet and drawing goosebumps up their legs. Mum sat up, removing herself from her wife's lap as she headed over to the tearoom doors. She propped one of the heavy doors open with a small vase, walking out.
The feeling of an ice cube running down his throat returned as Ida heard her words from down the hall. "Jack! We've been waiting for you! Come along, we're all in the tearoom."
Ida slowly looked up, eyes wide. No, it must be someone else. It had to be someone else. He'd been avoiding him for years ever since the Incident, and he didn't want the face that was coming through the doorway to be the one he thought it to be. His face contorted in barely-supressed rage, tapping his finger on the rim of his teacup.
His Mum came through the door, all smiles, holding a familiar staff in her hands. She handed it to his Mother, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"I took it from him because of the no weapons rule." she giggled, his Mother nodding as she gently placed the staff in the corner.
Ida nearly broke his cup as he saw the next person that came through the door.
Still taller than him by a few inches, still with his rediculous white hair, his icey eyes, the fact that he was still barefoot- It all pissed Ida off. He didn't want him here, he was ready to scream.
His Mother stood, going across the room and wrapping her arms around him in a hug, which he returned, smiling.
"Jack Frost! It's been too long."
He patted her back. "You're telling me! Glad to be back; things got really hectic recently. I needed something to balance it all out."
She led him to the table, unaware of the dirty looks Ida was passing Frost, seeming not to notice how tightly Ida was clutching his cup. Frost stared at Ida, mostly in confusion. Ida wanted to smack the confusion off his face.
"Ida! I'm not sure if you've met him before! Jack, this is Ida, he's my son. Youngest in the bunch."
Jack gave a small laugh, looking at her. "You've stopped?"
"In your dreams, Frost, in your dreams." she said in a sing song voice.
Ida kept his gaze back down at his plate, now beginning to push the pastries around his plate. His mother, in his opinion, was far too happy to see him, considering what he'd done to Valentines all those years ago. Ida could feel eyes on him, and glanced up. Jack was still looking at him, still likely trying to piece together where he'd seen Ida before. Ida gave a glare in return, causing Jack's expression to change to startled.
His mother caught this, of all things. "Ida, that was rather rude."
"I'm sorry, Mother. Frost and I have met before... and not in a good way." his tone snipped at the end, making his mother set her cup down, folding her hands together.
Silence passed over the table before Cupid spoke, veering the conversation into what Jack had been doing for the past few decades. Ida ate his pastries as Jack spoke of Pitch, how he'd finally gotten a child to see him, and how he'd had the children help with defeating him. The most startling for both Valentines had to be that Jack willingly became a Guardian.
Ida bit his tongue, annoyance growing. How come this impulsive, childish boy managed to become a Guardian, someone meant to protect and serve others?! Ida drummed his fingers against the table, his glare getting worse as time wore on.
It wasn't long before his Mother looked out the window, straightening as she saw that the day was gone. "Oh! I'm sorry Jack, it seems that we've held you for much longer than you wanted..."
"it's alright." Jack smiled, standing. "I can grab my staff and leave, it'll be okay."
"I don't think so." Ida had spoken without meaning to, and now both pairs of eyes were on him. Ida cleared his throat, looking away, "The Tree seems fine, lately, but it's getting around the time where it shuts down, and attacks anything that leaves before the times because it's confused. Remember?"
As much as he hated Frost, he knew that the world would hate him if he didn't prevent Jack Frost from being killed, especially since he was now a Guardian. Therefore, he was now an important piece to the puzzle that was the world.
"You're right.." Mother mulled it over, before looking at Ida. "Sweetie, can he sleep in your room? I understand that you... don't like him." she narrowed her eyes at this. "But if you're right, then if the Tree will be upset if he sleeps in a different room, and I'm sure that your presence will deter the Tree from making any hasty decisions while we sleep."
Ida wished that he kept his mouth shut, but he sighed, knowing the look he was being given by his mother. "Alright..."
She smiled, kissing the top of his head before she got up, heading out. "Goodnight, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning."
Now Jack and Ida were alone, Ida sighing as he sat up, picking up the plates that were now empty. Frost still ate the remaining food, Ida taking the plates as they were cleared and placing them in the woven baskets that laid at the entrance to the kitchen. Finally, everything was put away, and Ida motioned for Frost to follow him. Frost grabbed his staff, rushing to catch up with Ida, who'd begun walking away without checking to see if he was following.
The young Valentine was fuming with himself, mentally facepalming at the fact that despite his hatred, he had once again allowed his mother to convince him to do something that he'd rather die than do. Granted, it was only for a night, and it was to ensure Frost's saftey, but he wouldn't have minded shoving Frost into a linen closet and shutting it tight. His mother offering Frost his room meant that she was up to no good, and he didn't want to take chances.
The two boys remained silent was they walked down the long, elegant hall. Ida glanced at the walls, and noted that he'd been right; the wood was twisting, turning, and changing colors at some points. He'd made the right call when he'd said that the tree was trying to kill everything it didn't know. Frost, on the other hand, wasn't so immersed with his thoughts. He hummed, twirled his staff (Twiner, if Ida put his memory to the test to see if he could remember what the damn thing was called) round his hand, and even tried to strike up conversation with the Cupid that continued to lead him down twisting halls.
"So. We got off on the wrong foot?" He glanced out the window, seeing the village that sprawled over gentle hills.
No response. Ida hardly looked back at him, the only response he even recieved was that of an ear twitch.
"Got any important responsibilities to do today?"
More silence, before a quiet, "Wouldn't you like to know."
"I'm just trying to be nice and conversational here, and I can't exactly talk to myself."
At this, Ida turned and glowered, before facing forward once more. He stopped outside of a pale white door, which curved high above them. Ida pushed it open easily, despite the door appearing to be made of a heavy kind of wood.
"You can, and you will." Ida's tone remained clipped as he walked into his room, Frost following on his heels.
"What did I do to make you so mad at me?" Jack scoffed, still fiddling with Twiner as he gathered a sense of where he was.
To put it simply: He was in a room that screamed musical aesthetic. Ida headed towards a closet in the far corner, pretending not to hear Jack's question as he dug out some huge shirts and some sweatpants. He chucked them at Jack before returning to the closet and it's contents.
"Go get changed. Bathrooms on your left." Ida seemed to be changing in the closet, not coming out until he was changed.
Jack tilted his head, confused. "I have to change?"
"If you're going to be sleeping in my clean bed, I don't want your dirty, muddy pants and feet on my sheets. Go take a shower and get changed." Ida's tail swished in annoyance, the pink flashing brightly in the candlelight.
Jack found no reason to argue; he was a guest in the home, and Ida technically had just saved his life, despite the clear unwillingness of having done so. He walked into the bathroom, but came out a second later.
"What." Ida glared back at him in irritation.
"I don't know how to work bathrooms." Jack put this bluntly. He'd walked in and had been lost right away.
Ida returned to his journal, writing a few things in it as he spoke. "Go in. Remove clothes. Walk into water. Nymphs will handle the rest since you're rediculously stupid."
"Well that's not very nice, now is it?" Jack scoffed, taking up the towel he'd been given once more.
"Well, neither was ruining Valentines' Day, but we don't get to be nice all the time, do we?" Jack didn't hear this, already on the move back to the bathroom.
It was nearly time for Ida to collapse onto his bed and pass out when Jack came back out of the bathroom. He grimaced with every step, and the clothes seemed ill-fitting for him, in Ida's opinion. To be fair, no one had seen him outside of his 'uniform' very often. No matter what he'd been givien, he'd likely have been just as unflattering.
Ida sprinkled red sand onto the still-wet ink, gently putting some blotting paper between the pages as he shut the journal, setting it back amongst the rest of the books. Jack stood awkwardly, watching as Ida stood, stretched, and headed to his bed. Ida didn't turn his head as he spoke.
"Yes, you're sleeping in my bed. Mother would kill me if she found out I let you sleep on the floor. Venus forbid if I made you sleep on the floor..." he scowled at this.
"So we'll be bed mates?" Jack gave a little grin, walking over to the bed that was large enough for both boys and then some.
"Don't test my patience, Frost." Ida flopped on the bed, face-first, grabbing a blanket at random and tossing it over his head. He was ready to sleep, even if it meant facing the nightmare once more.
Jack went quiet as his host fell asleep, crawling onto the bed and finding a spot that he deemed comfortable. He glanced at all the blankets Ida wasn't using, taking as many that he could and grabbing all the pillows that he could gather as well. Very quickly, he found that he had created a huge area simply for this (likely) short rest.
He laid back, looking over at the now-sleeping form of Ida. He didn't seem to appear so pissed-off when he was sleeping; granted, he still maintained a frown, but his eyebrows weren't furrowed, and his eyes weren't flashing with hate whenever he talked to Jack. Instead, he was frowning, eyes clothed, blankets wrapped around himself tightly, almost as if to keep away a chill.
Jack thought this over; he wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Ida hated him. It wasn't even questionable, Ida made his dislike clear. But why? Jack couldn't even remember a reason as to why someone would hate him so badly.
He shrugged it off, knowing that he was loosing sleep over trying to figure out something he could ask Cupid in the morning.
As he began to drift off, Ida's face changed, a face of pain and longing. His hand reached out, searching. It was such a strange sight, considering that earlier that same face had given him the death stare, and that same hand had made some rather rude guestures when Cupid hadn't been looking. Yet Jack couldn't help but reach back; maybe it was instinct from all the times children reached for him to hold his hand while they did some mundane task, or from when North had been teaching him manners (which didn't end well).
Ida relaxed the moment Jack's hand met his, the jointed fingers moving to wrap around Jack's hand. He couldn't pull his hand away even if he tried.
Jack watched as Ida shuffled in his sleep once more, pulling himself more towards the owner of the hand. The Guardian complied, bringing himself closer and meeting the Valentine in the middle. Finally, Ida laid still, the frown vanishing from his face. He now simply looked like any other resting being.
Jack closed his eyes, finding himself suddenly exhausted. He supposed he could figure out things tomorrow; he certainly couldn't figure out the opposing actions that Ida was portraying.
He faded into sleep, falling into a dream that was filled with plesantries.
Ida, on the other hand, got a good nights rest for the first time in years.
A/N: To make a few things clear: I've been working on this for a few days, so some things may seem rushed. Sorry for that. Novelties are soulmate dreams, basically. One Cupid even had a dream about cake, so don't worry; the cat Cupid isn't the only one to have a dream about a non-person.
Ida doesn't harbor any feelings for Jack... yet.
And he refers to Jack as Frost because in Valentines Village, it's a high form of dishonor to be referred to by your last name, unless you've recently been married (the time limit for this ends the day after the honeymoon).
As to what I was talking about in the beginning: Jack, in his new book, is able to change his age at will. His staff is named Twiner, and can also turn into a humanoid being, but obvioulsy I've left this part out.
At the moment, Jack's 17, whilst Ida is 16 (at least according to humans, that's what his mindset is. I myself am still figuring out ages and the years it'd take Ida to age a year in Cupid terms). I do plan on more mature things in the future? I guess? Not really; not explicietly. I just kinda maybe mention it in passing, or maybe I write the scene leading up to it before cutting it off-
Maybe I'll write it, fuck if I know. It's unlikely, as I'm not at the point where I'm comfortable sharing that kinda stuff despite the stuff that's already out there (looking at the HiJack fandom).
If you have any advice as to what parts I should extend and which ones I should shorten, or even if you just have questions about the fanfic/pairing in general, please ask! I'm more than happy to anwer.