Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D Yet again, I am at a loss for words today, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! (Spoilers: hurt/comfort ahoy ='))

~ L ~

Lost Temper

He knew Jack better than anyone

He knew when he was upset, even without a frown

He knew when he came home that afternoon

That something had happened

Something that left him feeling down

...

There was one person who knew Jack better than himself, and that was North. He had known the boy since he was just a baby. He knew whenever he was happy, and he knew when he was down, even if he didn't give him anything more than a frown. North deeply cared about Jack, and whenever his boy was upset, he did whatever he could to make him smile again.

So when Jack came home that afternoon with Katherine, a shadowed expression on his face, North knew that something had happened. Something had hurt him. And he felt more than compelled to take that hurt away.

He had been reading in the living room while Jack was away at school. North didn't read as much as he would've liked due to his busy schedule. But today was a slow day for him, so he made himself a cup f tea and made himself comfortable on the couch. North had a book that he had started several weeks ago, which he could've decided to continue from there and finish. But he had forgotten most of the story, so the ex-Cossack had started from the beginning, refreshing his memory of what was happening.

A sharp knocking came from the door, and North stood up to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Katherine and Jack standing before him. Though the snow sprite didn't look like his usual cheery self.

Jack's gaze was stuck to the ground, his cerulean blue eyes dull as if the light inside them had been snuffed out. He gripped his staff tightly, his knuckles snow-white from the tight hold. North immediately knew something was wrong, and Katherine did too. She glanced at the snow sprite and looked at North. Her grey eyes were filled with concern.

"Hello, North," said Katherine. She rubbed her arm shyly. "Um…Jack got into an argument at school, so I thought I'd see him home. I…won't go into detail since that's something Jack should do."

North nodded. "Thank you, Katherine," he said. Katherine returned his nod, gave Jack a small squeeze on his shoulder, and left.

Jack brushed past North as if nothing had happened. His aura was cold and tense. North shut the door and he turned around.

"Jack, what happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," the snow sprite replied sharply. His voice was tight with what North knew was hurt. He was lying, and North wanted to know why he was upset.

"Jack, I only want to help," said North.

"I don't need your help!" Jack snapped, glaring at the ex-Cossack. His eyes were as sharp as ice ad the temperature dropped several degrees. "I'm fine!"

Ignoring the cold, North insisted. "No, you're not. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Just leave me alone!" Jack yelled, whipping around. In a burst of blue, sharp icicle shards burst out in front of him. North quickly jumped out of the way. The shards of ice embedded themselves into the wood of the door, poking at least a quarter through before getting themselves stuck.

Jack's eyes widened, and his hand shook. He stumbled backward, and, without another word, he ran upstairs, and slammed his bedroom door.

North let out a breath, and he looked at the door where the four icicles had landed. The last time this happened was when North revealed that he wasn't Jack's actual father. The boy had unintentionally frozen his arm, but he was little then. The cold wasn't too nipping. But, as Aster warned him when he had first found him, Jack's powers were increasing in strength as he grew older. North had never seen him do something like this before.

Jack never stretched his abilities; he preferred to keep to small, safer magic tricks like snowballs and snowfalls. He only used a bit more power when he sparred with North or Aster, but even then, he didn't exert too much. Jack didn't want to hurt anyone. He knew that snow sprites were already viewed as bad, and he didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was. Since he had arrived in Santoff Claussen, however, people's viewpoint on the Sprites of Snow changed for the better.

He had his ups and downs, but Jack had really made an impact on the village. On the Guardians. On North. He was the complete opposite of what people thought snow sprites to be. He showed everyone that not everything was what it seemed, and North couldn't have been more proud of him.

But there were still times when Jack struggled. And North had a feeling that this might be one of those times. He walked up the stairs and stopped in front of Jack's door. He heard no sound from inside. This only worried him even further.

North gently knocked on the door. "Jack, it's me. And I am not leaving until you tell me what happens. You never act like this, and I'm worried for you, moy mal'chik. I only want to help you, but I can't if you don't let me."

Silence hung in the air for a while, but North still didn't move. Slowly, Jack opened the door. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs, but North could see that they were glistening.

Silently, Jack moved to the side to allow North inside. The ex-Cossack entered. When he walked inside, he was instantly hit with a wave of cold. It was snowing in the room, and icicles had formed on the ceiling. A thin layer of ice lined the ground, and North had to walk slowly to keep himself from sleeping.

Jack's powers responded to his emotions, or sometimes even actions. Whenever he sneezed, a burst of snowflakes would appear. When he was upset, the temperature would drop. When he was happy, sometimes a trail of snowflakes would follow him. These little hints and clues helped North know how Jack was feeling.

Another habit that told North that something was wrong with Jack was his hood. Ever since he had received his first cloak, Jack would pull on the hood if he was upset or distressed. Though he didn't say so out loud, North knew that his hood was his way of hiding himself—and his emotions—from others.

The hood of Jack's cloak shielded his face as he and North sat on the bed. The ex-Cossack placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. The snow sprite stiffened.

"Jack…please tell me what's wrong," North begged. Jack shifted where he sat, staring down at his feet. "I can't stand to see you upset like this."

Jack was silent for a few moments. Then, he drew in a shuddering breath and spoke

"A-At school today…s-some of the kids were saying how I'm not really your son b-because I'm a snow sprite," he whispered. "Th-That we aren't blood-related and that I-I don't belong here…They kept asking me about my real parents and where I'm really from. I…I got mad and accidentally f-froze one of their hands. They went home with frostbite, and I feel terrible. Everyone already views snow sprites as bad and cruel already and I…I just messed everything up…"

Tears rolled down Jack's cheeks, but he ignored them and continued. "I didn't know how to react b-beacuse everything they were saying was t-true…We're not related. We're not family…"

"Jack, stop," North interrupted. Jack looked up at him. North placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are my son. Just because we are not blood-related doesn't mean we're not family. I love you very much, moy mal'chik. And whoever said those things to you clearly doesn't know what family really is."

Jack sniffed, and North pulled him into a hug. "Th-Thanks, North…" Jack murmured.

North ran a hand through his hair. "You're welcome, moy mal'chik. Don't ever forget what I said."

Jack leaned into his embrace and closed his eyes. Though he was grateful for what North had said, deep within him, he wondered who his parents were.

And if they had cared for him as much as North did.

Author's Note: Aw, poor conflicted Jackie. =') But to be honest, if I was adopted, and I had no idea who my parents were, I think I'd feel the same way. QwQ

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see ya'll in the next one! ^u^

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203