Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D I don't have much to say other than the reminder that my family and I will be out of state over the weekend, so no updates will be made during that time. =) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll see ya'll on Monday! ^u^


~ XXII ~

A Troubling Case of Hiccups

Hiccups were rather tricky to cure

Jack wanted them gone

As soon as possible

North and Aster had a few tricks up their sleeves

But which one would banish

The irritating hics?

He wanted to know what they were doing, but he wasn't allowed inside. So, he stood outside of the door, peeking through the door, watching as closely as he could.

Jack was standing outside of the study, where inside, Aster and North were working on a new sort of contraption. Jack didn't know what it was, or what its purpose was supposed to be. But from the looks of it, the invention looked rather interesting. And Jack knew whatever North made was bound to be incredible.

North knew his boy well, and he made it clear that he wasn't to step inside while he and Aster were working. Whatever they were constructing was dangerous if not handled properly, and North didn't want the winter child to hurt himself. This only made Jack's curiosity about it increase tenfold, and he tried to sneak in once or twice, though North or Aster always caught him. So, the winter child gave up and settled on spying through the door, which perhaps wasn't allowed either…But he wasn't inside the study, and he wasn't intended on going in. He was simply observing, and Jac knew he couldn't get in trouble for that.

Still, no matter how long he watched Aster and North work, he couldn't place what they were trying to make. Perhaps it was a giant playhouse, or maybe a machine that dispensed unlimited amounts of candy. Oh, or perhaps a flying ship? Jack shook his head; North already had a sleigh. He didn't need something that could fly…

"I wonder what they're making," Jack whispered, shifting Wawa in his arm. The stuffed fox had accompanied him to the door, as he had been playing with her and his toys earlier. "I bet it's pretty amazing if it's top secret."

Wawa couldn't give her input—she was a stuffed animal after all. Jack pretended that she had agreed with him. He really, really, really wanted to see what was going on inside, but he couldn't. Jack huffed, wishing that he wasn't so little. If he were older, perhaps North would let him in without any hesitation.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and it bumped Jack against the head. He let out an, "Ow!" and backed away, rubbing his forehead. North and Aster hadn't seen him standing there. Their aprons and clothes were splattered with oil and dirt. The ex-Cossack and Pooka appeared to be tired, but they didn't seem like they were going to stop working any time soon. North and Aster looked at him, surprised.

"Jack? What are you doing there?" asked North.

Jack stared at the two; he was caught. "U-Um…I was…"

"Spyin' on us, mate?" Aster said.

"I wasn't spying!" claimed Jack. He scuffed his foot against the ground. "I just got here…"

North smirked and ruffled Jack's hair. "No need for lies, moy mal'chik. We knew you were there. Aster could hear you through door."

Sometimes, Jack forgot that Aster had incredibly accurate hearing. He should've considered Aster when he started listening in from the door. Well, neither seemed upset with him, so Jack deemed that he wasn't trouble.

"We were just about ta head on and take a break," said Aster. "Ya wanna join us?"

Jack smiled and nodded, and he followed North and Aster into the kitchen. He climbed into a chair and sat down, placing Wawa on the island. Aster sifted through North's fridge for carrots as the ex-Cossack began to prepare a cup of tea for himself. He gave Jack a plate of crackers and cheese, which he took happily. As he snacked, the winter child asked through his crumbs, "Sow, whatcha mafing?"

"Swallow before you speak, my boy" said North. Jack swallowed, and the ex-Cossack started the stove. "We are making alarm system to warn people when Pitch returns. It is more complicated than I thought it would be since it has to reach the entire Tsardom. Not only that, but it has to activate the stardust canons that Tsar Lunar has stationed at the wall to hold Pitch's army off if they break through the wall—"

"Which I why I suggested we jus' us magic," Aster cut in from the fridge.

"—But we can't allow Pitch to detect any form of magic being used," said North. If he does, he'll know that we know that he has returned." He completed his tea and took a sip. "We want to retain an element of surprise, da?"

Jack thoughtfully munched on his crackers and cheese. He had learned about the Boogeyman's reign during the Dark Ages in school, and from what he had heard, he was a man to be feared. Pitch could summon Nightmare with a flick of his wrist. Only one touch from his finger could plague a person with nightmares for eternity. He turned children into Fearlings, ancient beings older than the universe. They fed, thrived, and lived on fear. They craved the good dreams of children and sucked them dry until their minds were hollow and empty of dreams.

Jack knew about the impending return that Pitch was plotting; North was one of the Guardians along with Tooth, Aster, and Sandy, so often he heard them discussing Tsar Lunar's plan for when Pitch attacked. The tension of Pitch's return had loomed over Lunslruna for years, but Jack tried not to think about it. He didn't want to torment with endless nightmares, nor did he want to be turned into a Fearling. Jack was confident, though, that North and the Guardians would stop him if he did come back. He had faith in his family, for if anyone could stop Pitch, it was them.

"We do need ta get the prototype done before the next meetin'," reminded Aster. He couldn't find any carrots, so he shared crackers with Jack. The winter child didn't object. "And that day is approachin' fast."

"We're going as fast as we can," said North. He finished his tea and set the mug aside. "Besides, we are almost done. Just a few more parts to install, and then we'll figure out what to use as a power source."

"Can I help?" asked Jack.

North smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, my boy. But this is a bit too big of a job for you to handle."

"But I'm big enough!" insisted Jack.

"North's right, mate," said Aster. "There's a lot of complicated parts and too many fragile pieces. We just don't want ya getting hurt."

Jack frowned and took the plate of crackers away. "No more crackers for you."

"Eh, I had enough anyway," said Aster. He began to make his way back to the study. "Let's try and get this thing done North."

North nodded and gave Jack an affectionate hair ruffle. "I promise that we will play later, alright?"

Jack sighed. "Okay…"

"That's my boy," said North. and he followed Aster to the study. Jack finished his crackers and took Wawa from the island, walking back to the living room where he had been playing earlier. Playing with his toys helped Jack forget about the invention in the study, but he soon grew bored with his trains and planes, and his curiosity took hold of him once again. He could hear the tinkering taking place in the study, and Jack oh so desperately wanted to see what was happening in there.

The winter child placed Wawa down and stood up. "I'll be right back," he told his toys, and he ran over to the door leading into North's study. He paused in front of the door, reaching for the knob. He was about to creak the door open when, suddenly, there was a deafening BOOM!

The house shook briefly, and the explosion frightened the winter child so much, that he fell over with a cry. Moments after, Aster and North burst out of the study, coughing as grey smoke poured out from behind them. Jack could smell the scent of something burning.

"Well…" Aster gasped. "At least we know that firepower won't work."

North noticed Jack sitting on the floor, trembling. "Jack, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

The winter child opened his mouth to reply; it wasn't words that left his mouth, but a high-pitched, "Hic!"

"Uh oh," said Aster. "Looks like we scared him a bit too hard."

"W-What's going—hic!—on?" Jack asked, startled and confused.

"You have hiccups, moy mal'chik," North explained. "They sometimes come when you get too excited or frightened."

"How do I—hic!—make them—hic!—go away?" Jack asked.

"They usually go away on their own," replied Aster. "Ya'll be back ta normal soon enough. Although, some cases of hiccups do last a while…but I'm sure ya'll be fine."

That didn't help reassure Jack.

"If you want to get rid of your hiccups, moy mal'chik, I do know a few remedies that cure them," said North, lifting Jack and placing him in a chair. He stepped into the kitchen and returned with a cup of water. "Aster, hold Jack upside down."

Aster raised an eyebrow. "Uh…what?"

"Drinking water upside down cures hiccups," North said nonchalantly.

"How do ya know it actually works?" asked Aster. "It sounds like nonsense ta me."

North waved his free hand dismissively. "Bunny, I have seen many use this cure, and it always works," he said. Aster remained incredulous.

"Whatever will get rid of my—hic!—hiccups, I'll—hic!—try," Jack spoke up.

"If ya say so," said Aster. He lifted Jack and held him upside down. The new perspective was amusing to the winter child. Jack giggled.

"The floor's on the—hic!—ceiling and the ceiling's on the—hic!—floor!" he remarked.

"Interesting observation," said Aster. He looked at North. "Go on and get on with it. I don't want ta hold him up like this too long."

North walked up to Jack and held the cup up to his lips. The winter child drank the water, finding it a little difficult not to spill from his current peculiar positioning. Water did spill on his front, but Jack managed to finish the glass. North set the cup aside and Aster turned the boy right side up.

"Well? Are they gone?" asked North.

Jack was silent for a few moments, but to his displeasure, a "Hic!" broke the quiet.

"There still—hic!—there," Jack frowned.

"Guess that trick doesn't work on everyone, eh North?" Aster said, somewhat smugly. North glowered at the Pooka.

"And perhaps you have a better idea?" asked North.

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Aster. He turned to Jack. "Hold yer breath, mate. Try to keep in for at least a minute."

Jack nodded, and drew in a breath. He puffed out his cheeks and closed his eyes, holding his breath. North stared at Aster.

"And what is holding breath supposed to do?" he asked.

"It's a classic cure, mate," said Aster. "Since hiccups are consumption of air, holdin' yer breath interrupts the respiratory system, causing them ta—"

North zoned out as Aster continued to explain. He knew that Aster was a medical expert, but often he didn't understand half of what he was saying when he went into further, deeper details.

Aster was interrupted when Jack suddenly gasped for air. North and Aster were surprised that he had held his breath for so long.

"Yer hiccups still there, mate?" asked Aster.

Jack stayed still for a moment. When no hiccups sounded, he smiled. "Nope! I think they're—hic!"

As the winter child slumped, North sighed. "These hiccups are quite stubborn, da?"

"Luckily, there are several other cures we can try," said Aster. "One of them's bound ta work."

So Aster and north recalled every hiccup remedy that they could. And Jack tried them all. He bit into a lemon (North's suggestion), gargled water (Aster's recommendation), yodeled while gargling (again, North's proposition), and gargling while yoldeling (Aster's proposal, although it was backwards of what North had said). Jack tried every cure that North and Aster came up with for him, but his hiccups obstinately remained.

Jack began to grow frustrated. "Am I gonna have—hic!—hiccups forever?" he wondered.

"We will find a way to cure them," reassured North.

Aster had an idea. "Oi, North. I think I know how we can get rid of Jack's hiccups. We're going ta have ta discuss it in the study, though."

Bemused, North followed Aster to the study. Jack was unsure of what they were planning, so he headed into the living room as they discussed. He sat down on the rug, playing with Wawa as he waited. It was quiet for some time, and Jack wondered what was taking North and Aster so long.

Suddenly, North and Aster burst out from behind the couch! They yelled loudly, frightening Jack enough that he screamed and shot a bolt of ice in their direction. North and Aster quickly ducked, dodging the blast. They stepped out once all was calm. Jack was trembling on the floor.

"Oh no, Jack, we're sorry," apologized North. "We did not mean to startle you so—"

Jack held up his hand. "Do you hear that?"

Aster's ears twitched. "Hear…what?"

Jack smiled. "No hiccups!" He stood up, raising his hands in the air happily. "I'm cured!"

Aster smiled. "Well, since scarin' ya is what got ya hiccups, I thought scarin' ya would make them go away."

"I can't believe I forgot about that cure," said North. He patted Aster's back."Nice thinking, Bunny."

Aster stiffed. "It's—Ya know what, I'm not even gonna bother."

Jack laughed, glad that his hiccups weren't bothering him anymore.