Jamie fell asleep in Jack's arms, which bothered neither participant. The winter spirit's body wrapped around the teenager was comforting, to say the least. As Jamie's eyes grew tired, his Guardian positioned them so his forehead was tucked under Jack's chin and Jamie's arm would loosely drape between Jack's stomach and hip. His other hand linked fingers with Jack's while the rhythm of the spirit stroking his hair lulled him into a deep, placid state of mind. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of Jack's lips on his and a small, inaudible whisper that Jamie didn't catch before drifting off to sleep.
He had his first dream in seven years that night.
Jamie saw the scene as an observer and couldn't, in his unconscious state, fully admire the beautiful cavernous structure before him. Shades of pink and gold were all around him, and it was only as small hummingbird creatures zoomed past did Jamie realize that he must be at the Tooth Palace. Sure enough, the scene shifted, zooming in on two figures deeper in the palace. Queen Toothiana zipped in a frenzy, shooting commands at the rapid flow of tooth fairies flying in and out of the chamber.
"Hey, Tooth, can Guardians die?" Jamie saw Jack reclining on one of the curving pillars. The winter spirit had been previously lounging around the palace as Tooth worked. Jamie unconsciously wondered if Jack often just lay around in other Guardians' domain when he wanted to, simply enjoying the presence of someone else.
The queen glanced over at him. "Why are you asking?"She inquired between her orders.
"No reason." The ice spirit swung his staff lazily. "It just seemed that since people can stop believing in us, and we can 'go away' because of it, wouldn't that mean we'd die?"
Tooth returned to checking one of the enormous pillars containing what Jamie assumed to be teeth. "I... I guess so. I mean, Pitch isn't dead, but maybe that's because fear isn't completely gone from the world..."
Jack sat up, stroking the feathers of one of the tooth fairies as it passed by. "So if I stopped making it snow, people would stop believing in me and I'd eventually die? Like, for real this time?"
The queen fairy paused, facing the teenage spirit with slight concern. "This is all hypothetical… right, Jack?"
The winter guardian's face fell for a split second but he quickly gave a light laugh. "Yeah, oh yeah, of course. Why would I want to die? Being immortal is awesome, are you kidding? I can be young forever. My life is awesome!" The lies were obvious. Tooth didn't say anything, but continued to cast worried glances at her colleague until he finally rose from the pillar. He made up some excuse to leave and quickly kicked the air, propelling himself out of the palace and leaving a trail of snow in his wake.
Jamie woke to the familiar smell of mint and his weary eyes opened to focus on the blue fabric of Jack's hoodie against his face. Jamie's stifled groan and small stretch got Jack's attention.
"Good morning," He greeted with a soft smile and Jamie felt a grin slip to his face at the normality of the situation. He felt his Guardian's arms draped over his side and above his head on the pillow. Jamie moved from his balled position to snake his limbs around Jack, burying his face into the spirit's clothing. "Sleep well?"
Jamie nodded, not fully awake yet. It took a beat for the teenager to remember that he'd been dreaming a few moments ago and he raised his head.
"I had a dream!" Jamie's smile was huge and made Jack return the expression; for a moment, the teenager resembled the enthusiastic child he used to be.
"Yeah, I saw." The Guardian laughed and moved a hand to Jamie's hair, running fingers through it before showing it to him. There were a few sprinkles of gold dust on Jack's hand and Jamie reached up to retrieve more sand in amazement.
"There was dreamsand flowing over your head as you slept." His Guardian elaborated. "So, what was it about?" Jack asked out of courtesy; he had seen the dreamsand take the form of a snowflake and realized with satisfaction who Jamie was dreaming of.
Jamie's face fell when he began remembering the conversation that took place in his unconscious state of mind. "It was kinda... weird." His smile returned with a light laugh to cover up his confusion and concern. "You were there and..." He debated whether or not to actually tell him. "I... don't really remember. It was weird." Jamie repeated. "It... felt like a memory. But, like, it wasn't mine... but it felt so familiar... I'm not making any sense, am I?"
"Nah, I get it." Jack giggled at Jamie's vague explanation and offered some assistance. "Maybe Sandy's trying to tell you something." The Guardian suggested in jest. Jamie shrugged and nuzzled his head in Jack's hoodie again.
"I hope not..." The teenager muttered.
"Hm?" Jack stopped stroking his brunet hair, glancing down at Jamie.
"Ah, nothing. Never mind." He shook his head, dismissing it. He didn't think telling Jack about what his dream had revealed would solve or help anything at the moment. The scene that had played out in his head had an abnormal quality to it. Even Jamie, who hadn't had anything to compare it to in seven years, felt like the dream was a bit too orderly and realistic. Maybe the Sandman really was trying to tell him something... The things Jack had been asking about caused a familiar unsettling sensation in Jamie's stomach.
But he didn't have time to dwell on the memory of his dream for long as Jack tightened his comforting grip on him. Jamie needed to relax. He pushed away the thought of Jack ever being unhappy. He had too much to worry about. Like the fact that their time together was numbered, Jack had disobeyed the Man in the Moon, and Jamie had just run away from home. Not to mention what might happen when he turned eighteen. Too much on his mind. Too many responsibilities. Jamie decided to ignore them and enjoy the time he spent with the winter spirit.
The teenager moved his hands to Jack's hair as he graciously accepted the kiss his Guardian placed softly on his lips. They remained like that for a while, kissing in bed as the sun began to shine through the gigantically beautiful windows. The dazzling morning cast light on the lazy dust hovering in the air all around them. Each icy surface of the room reflected crystal designs against an adjacent object. Everything around the two of them was so beautiful and comforting. The pillows were softer than silk and the blanket was light as air. With the chill of Jack's tongue and body, Jamie felt, while lying in that bed frozen to the ground, that he was actually among the clouds.
Jack and Jamie's hands were gently gliding over every surface of their partner's body. Jack's fingers traced the outline of Jamie's back through his shirt, causing the brunette to shiver. The teenager had slept in his clothes, and Jack wondered for a moment if he was cold in just a t-shirt and jeans. He quickly forgot the concern, though, as Jamie simply arched closer to Jack and traced the spirit's perfect teeth with his warm tongue. Every action was slow, but they didn't mind. The morning had never been a favorite time for either of them, so spending it with each other was enough to make the beginning of the day increasingly bearable.
It wasn't until the soft morning sun had turned to casting the shadows of the room with harsh noontime rays did the teenager and Guardian shift from their comfortable positions. Jamie stomach had given an embarrassing growl, putting an end to their kissing when Jack failed at stifling a laugh.
They ate lunch in the courtyard, as Jack insisted. The outdoor patio displayed a magnificent view of the ocean. The sun's rays reflected off its navy blue surface, making diamonds dance on the water. The food was brought by the Ice Imps on lightweight platters and the two of them ate every bite.
After they had finished, Jack signaled an end to their meal by stealing a kiss from Jamie.
The winter spirit laughed and pulled away from the teenager's surprised face, licking away the chocolate sauce he'd removed from the corner of Jamie's mouth. The brunette quickly recovered and caught on. He tugged on the blue fabric of Jack's hoodie and brought the spirit in for an extended kiss.
They never got tired of kissing. Even as they made their way back upstairs to continue, both participants fully enjoyed the sensation of the other's lips locked with theirs. Jamie didn't mind the cold feeling that shot through him every time Jack touched his skin. In fact, he found it soothing. And Jack loved the jet of warmth emitting from Jamie's fingertips as they glided across his body. Their mix of hot and cold leveled to a perfect temperature when they were together.
They had returned to lying on the bed. Jamie hadn't a thought on his mind aside from the flawless figure of Jack in his embrace. He loved this lazy day of cuddling and whispering and just laying around for hours. With all the practice, Jamie was becoming quite experienced in the art of kissing. He'd learned how much tongue he should use to earn a small moan from the back of Jack's throat. Which bit of Jack's exposed skin was the softest, and how hard to bite down once he'd found it. Jamie felt he was gaining more useful information while he wasn't at school.
That's how their first day together commenced. Simple kisses and bruising hickeys were enough to satisfy them for now. Soft, passionate whispers of "Let me stay with you." "Forever." were uttered over and over again between their heated kisses. The both of them could proudly label that day as the best they'd ever had.
It wasn't until the next sunrise did the teenager hit upon anything wrong with their current living situation.
It was only their second morning together, but Jack felt like he'd spent another three hundred years with the teenager he adored. Time slowed when he kissed Jamie. It paused in the heated moments of their embrace and allowed them to ignore the world. Erase all misfortune from their troubled minds, at least for a moment. Forget about the responsibilities that lied ahead. Forget about living for another eternity. Forget about the inevitability of death. Forget everything and always remember how it felt to be close to one another.
Because now it was time to relax. Time to savor their numbered days of peace.
Jack was lying on his back, smirking from the unmade bed at the teenager entering the room.
"Enjoy your shower?" The Guardian eyed the single towel covering Jamie's lower half. The brunette held his old clothes in one hand, his red sweatshirt hung over his shoulder. His hair appeared even longer as it dripped water down his bare back. Jamie wasn't ripped, but Jack could definitely appreciate his modestly fit physique.
"Yeah," Jamie's face heated when he noticed Jack's eyes eating up every bit of him.
"You shoulda let me join you." Jack commented before rolling over onto his stomach, kicking his legs in the air childishly.
Jamie ruffled his wet hair a bit, smiling at the suggestion as he turned to face an ice wardrobe. "You would've made the water cold."
"Yeaaah, but you wouldn't be focusing on the water, sweetheart."
The teenager let out a chuckle. He swung the wardrobe doors open on their frozen hinges.
"Uh, Jack," A hand ran over his face, slicking back the few strands of wet hair sticking in front of his eyes.
"Yeah?" The guardian had turned over onto his back again, this time aimlessly knocking his feet together over his head.
"Two problems;" Jamie fumbled around the pockets of his sweatshirt and jeans.
Jack let his legs flop back onto the bed. "What?" He inquired, rolling onto his stomach again and propping himself up on his elbows.
"No clothes," Jamie gestured to the empty wardrobe and then placed a hand on his hip. Jamie wondered why he didn't think he'd need at least another change of clothing when he suddenly decided to live with Jack forever.
"I dunno, Jamie. I kinda like you better without them."
"And I don't have my iPod."
"Crisis."
"I'm serious, Jack." The teenager masked his slightly worried expression.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." The Guardian waved his hand and hopped up from the bed. "Well, what do you wanna do?" He put his hands in his pockets, sauntering closer to Jamie.
The teenager paused then mumbled "…I think we should just run back to my house for a minute."
Jack shrugged. "Okay, let's go."
"Right now?"
"Yeah, sure. We'll just go back really quickly and you can grab your stuff."
Jamie agreed with a thankful smile. Jack turned his back on the brunette to allow him to change into his old clothes. The Guardian rolled a snow globe lazily in his palm, bouncing it from hand to hand until Jamie was ready. With a smash to the floor, the globe bloomed into a portal. Jack took Jamie's hand, entwining their fingers before stepping through the vortex together.
Jamie's house was quiet. Even as he began rummaging through his closet and throwing his needed clothing into a bag on his bed, he didn't think anyone was home. Jack leaned against a wall as Jamie packed; taking a moment to smile at the nostalgia this room brought him.
The walls that had once displayed drawings of mythical and monstrous creatures were now covered in endless posters and pictures of band members. Jack's eyes glanced over each one and admired the variety. The Guardian wasn't very up to speed with some of the current bands and musicians, but could at least recognize the differences between metal and rock.
"'Mindless Self Indulgence'?" Jack read off the poster closest to him. He raised an eyebrow at Jamie. "Interesting name..."
Jamie didn't look at Jack and simply continued to stuff a few pairs of jeans into his bag. "Is that sarcasm? I think it is. You can get out, thanks." He responded flatly.
Jack chuckled, glancing over the posters and staring at a few that caught his eye. There were some notable ones. Like the poster of three guys in their underwear.
"'Blink-182'." The Guardian read the bold lettering over the picture. "What does that even mean?"
"Jack." Jamie's tone warned. He crossed his arms at the giggling winter spirit. "This could go a lot faster if you-"
"Jamie?" A voice shot through the air. The teenager's stomach lurched and Jack froze when the call rang from downstairs. "Honey, is that you?"
There was a pause and Jamie offered in a weak tone. "M-Mom?"
oh my fucking god i did it.
i finished chapter 10.
you all may kill me now.