an update hurray! once again i am so so sorry that it took this long! thank you guys for waiting so patiently, and an extra big thanks to those who have helped me brainstorm! 333

North had a very good memory. He remembered the majority of the customers that wandered into his shop, especially the regulars.

Jack Frost was a regular, and whether he knew it or not, North saw every time he dropped by just to have a look around. The small, pale -it couldn't be healthy to be that pale- boy with a shock of white hair had left an impression on the jolly man's mind and he was determined to find out who this boy was. (And if he needed any help. North wouldn't be surprised if the boy was homeless, with his tattered clothes and bare feet.)

There was a jingle at the door, and with a sigh, North set down the toy he had just been tinkering with, and went to go see just who had entered. He was greeted with the sight of his old friend Aster, who was unsurprisingly grumbling about the cold, and behind him -honestly, it looked like he was using him as a shield- was the very boy North had just been pondering about.

"Bunny!" Aster rolled his eyes at the nickname. "And barefooted boy! Welcome, my friends!" the Russian boomed, and patted Aster roughly on the back. The Aussie grunted and almost fell over, but North ignored it in favour of greeting the boy hovering uncertainly by the door.

"Hello! I am Nikolas, but you may call me North!" the man beamed.

Jack had to stop himself from grinning right back. This man's enthusiasm was contagious.

"Uh. I'm Jack." he replied, giving a small smile.

Aster seemed to have gotten his breath back from what North called a friendly greeting, and what Aster called assault. "Oi, North, anklebiter's freezin', you mind turnin' the heat up?"

Now that North looked closer, he could see that the boy was shaking, and trying to hide it. It was no wonder that he was cold, all he was wearing was a hoodie! "Yes, yes. Although I am sure it is not only boy who is cold! Come, sit! I will fetch hot chocolate and cookies!"

The Aussie almost groaned. North would use any excuse to bring out the sweets. But he complied and followed the older man to the back of the shop where a small wooden table sat, surrounded by plush chairs. Aster sank into one with a sigh, while North went to fetch the cookies and hot chocolate. Jack was just coming over and carefully sitting down in the chair across from him. Now it was time to grill the kid for answers.

"So, ya mind tellin' me why you were wanderin' around in nothin' but a hoodie, mate?"

"I like hoodies." stated Jack.

Aster rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Sure kid. Listen-"

North chose that time to burst back into the room, with a tray of cookies and steaming mugs. He set the tray down on the table, and plopped down onto a large red chair. Only after both men had taken a mug did Jack hesitantly grab his own.

"So! Is there reason that you have brought boy in, Aster?"

Bunnymund took a sip from his mug, swallowed, and nodded. "Yeah, mate. Found Pitch harrassin' 'im and decided to bring 'im back here so the kid could call his parents."

Jack was honestly getting a bit annoyed that this bunny guy kept mentioning . Sure, it wasn't like the guy knew what happened to them, but still. It hurt to have salt rubbed in the wound.

North stiffened at the mention of Pitch, but bobbed his head. "Good thinking, Bunny. Jack, you should finish snack and then call parents, yes?"

The boy frowned and set down his drink. It looked like there would be no getting out of this. All he wanted to do was go back to the streets and sleep. He didn't want to deal with people, although it was nice to have Aster think about his wellbeing, and North seemed like a great guy. Jack was used to being ignored, and he did not know how to handle this attention. It was nice, he supposed. But how could he tell them that he could not call his dead parents?

"I uh, can't really call my parents."

"Wha'? Why?" asked Bunny.

Jack ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed.

"They're dead."

i hope that was okay! thanks again for waiting!

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