A/N: Hello, hello! Oh man, it's been a while, and I'm so sorry for that! So a HUGE thank you for those of you who are patient enough to have stuck around! Unfortunately since it's been a while, things aren't quite as fresh as they should be...so please let me know if there's any inconsistencies! Of course, any other feedback will be greatly appreciated too. :)

Somewhat related to why I was on hiatus from this fic for so long, but I've decided to apply to art school! :D So I've been busy trying to practice and create a portfolio from scratch, as I've never really had a legitimate one before...deadline was on the 15th, so now all I can do is wait and hold my breath!

Chapter notes: Man, but I missed writing for this! Enjoy!

Irresponsible

Jack Frost was the Guardian of Fun, forever immortalized as a playful, mischievous teenager. In his mind, Jamie knew that very well. He knew, logically, that there would be times he couldn't expect Jack to act like an adult, to make responsible decisions.

But this, he fumed, was definitely not one of those times.

After bringing Jack back from Pitch's lair, he'd argued vehemently with the other Guardians to let him stay. His argument was that he didn't want to leave the winter spirit alone, that he wanted to be there to comfort him when he woke. Despite his protests however, the Guardians insisted he return to his normal life, that they promised to retrieve him the minute Jack recovered.

Thinking back now, he thought that at least Tooth had seen through him. It was true he wanted to be there for his friend- but at the same time, he had been burning with the questions that he'd managed to temporarily suppress in favor of worrying over Jack. Now that the Guardian was safe however, he hadn't been able to hold them back any longer.

Why had Jack kept his predicament to himself? He had to have known it was Pitch behind it all. Yet he'd allowed the nightmares to slowly wear away at him until he was too vulnerable to defend himself. Why hadn't he confided in anyone? Why hadn't he confided in him? He'd thought they trusted each other enough for such things, and it hurt more than a little to be proven wrong.

And now, the hurt and anger only increased at the news that Jack had finally woken, only to have taken off without a word to anyone. That had been over three days ago, and not a sign or a whisper as to his whereabouts. So now Jamie was left with the additional bitter thought that Jack didn't care enough to stop by to at least let him know he was alright.

"Dude, you need to calm down." Sam's insistent voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and Jamie looked down to see the cracked pencil clenched in his hands.

Shaking his head, he quickly pasted on an apologetic smile as he discarded the now ruined writing utensil. "Sorry, I'm just...a little preoccupied about something." He explained, grabbing a pen.

His friend shot him a dubious look at the weak explanation. "Riiiight. What about? Want to, um...talk about it?" The other boy shifted uncomfortably at his own words.

Jamie couldn't help but smile for real this time. He knew how much Sam hated what he dubbed 'touchy feely shit,' so seeing him make the effort meant a lot.

He couldn't help but think bitterly that of all people, emotion-phobic Sam was more willing to have an honest talk with him than Jack.

"No, it's okay...it's not a big deal. Thanks though."

"Okay dude, if you say so." Sam shrugged, barely hiding the relief. "Hey, do you have any ideas yet for the third essay question?"

Jamie wholeheartedly launched himself into answering the question, determined not to work himself up again, at least for the duration of Sam's stay.

However Sam did have to leave eventually, leaving the brunette alone with his thoughts again. Thankfully he was mentally exhausted by this point, enough that it was easier to keep his mind off anything related to winter spirits and their tendencies for being so infuriatingly stubborn.

Just as he was about to pull his bedcovers over his head, a sudden noise made him jerk upright. Despite the darkness of his room, he could clearly see a familiar silhouette hovering by his open window, framed by the soft light of the full moon.

"Jack!" Jamie shouted angrily, nearly tripping over his own feet as he lunged out of bed. Somehow he managed to stumble over to the window without completely knocking himself out. Unfortunately he did end up tripping over what felt like a stray textbook, and would have fallen out of the window had cold arms not reached out and caught him.

But gratitude was the last thing on Jamie's mind. He looked up to face the Guardian, bitter tirade ready on his lips.

"Jack, you-" Just as quickly as they started, his words died away as Jamie was finally able to see the other boy's face clearly. Despite their close proximity, Jack was clearly avoiding his gaze, pained eyes staring off into space. It nearly broke Jamie's heart to realize that Jack actually looked afraid of him.

In that moment, Jamie's resolve completely broke and he quickly threw his arms around the other teen, roughly dragging him through the window before sinking to his knees. Jack, trapped in the iron tight embrace, was forced to kneel as well.

"Jamie?" The brunette only tightened his already strong grip at the sound of Jack's hesitant voice.

A million words rushed through Jamie's mind, each and every single one of them intended to be spoken; I'm sorry I was so mad at you, it was selfish of me. Please don't ever look afraid of me. I'll wait until you're ready to talk. It's okay if you don't even want to talk, ever...

But all he managed to choke out was a single, barely audible sentence muffled against blue fabric now wet from his tears.

Jack smiled softly, returning the hug just as fiercely. "I missed you too."