hello guys!

i'm back with another chapter! as I promised, this chapter is longer than the last one. i had some concern over changing the tone for the present chapter with dialogue, cursing etc etc. so hopefully you guys will still like this one.

jack has a wardrobe change here! can't have elsa have a pretty ass dress in frozen2 and jack just be stuck with his hoodie and pants. although all the credits goes to neimyarts_edits because it's her drawing and idea. i tried to do justice with the description but i definitely struggled lol. but you can find her beautiful drawing of jack on her instagram! it should be the ones she posted between january 22-28 of 2021.

i do not have a beta! plz forgive me.

other than that, if you have any thoughts about this chapter, feel free to comment! i like hearing from you guys :)

-eve

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do you get deja vu?

Pennsylvania, October 2022

"This is unsettling."

Jamie frantically stuffed papers and other documents in his bag. He whipped his head around to look at the floating being hovering on his bed. "You say this every two years."

Jack scoffed, "Don't give me attitude, you're wearing a messenger bag!"

In return, Jamie gave him a half-shrug, "It's comfortable and spacious."

"You look pretentious."

The Winter Spirit gave the newly turned nineteen-year-old a lookover. As Jamie fixed his navy three-piece suit in front of his floor-length mirror, his boyish features radiated nonetheless. As much as Jack gave him shit for his tuxedo ensembles and his excessive use of hair gel, he had to admit that he cleaned up pretty well. Must be what attending the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University did to you, he supposed.

Not to mention that the rest of the gang did as well.

OK, it was kind of suspicious that Pippa, Monty, Caleb, and Claude all got in. Sure. But it wasn't Jack's fault that all of their applications got knocked into the folders to send acceptance electronic felicitations for. The unpredictable swish and swoosh of air currents can be a bitch sometimes.

As he lowered himself to the ground, he swung his staff, resting it on his shoulder. The Spirit remembered when Jamie's room brimmed with space-themed ornaments, his toys sprinkled on the floor. Now, his room bore a pristine white wall, his wooden bed frame replaced with a gray upholstered bed frame instead. His L-shaped desk that used to occupy mythology books was replaced with a PC gaming set. (No complaints on Jack's part, he has dabbled in video gaming or watched streamers play with Jamie's PC.)

"What's this fuss about anyway?" Jack asked, tilting his head at the tumultuous commotion that was Jamie. This kid was driving him up a wall, with the constant pacing and shuffling.

"It's my first day interning at The AO Hotel, it's a really big deal."

"The Aureate Ode?" Jack's eyes widened.

"The Aureate Ode," Jamie stressed restlessly as he pulled his gaming chair to sit on. "I've been feeling like shit this past semester, I felt like I was going nowhere with my Business Management program. But I finally caught a break, my professor said I qualified for an internship at the AO."

The Guardian took a step back and sat on the corner of the bed, leveling with the kid, "So everything must be perfect today, huh?"

"Exactly." He fidgeted with the hem of his suit.

"You will do good, kiddo. If anyone is deserving of this internship, it's you." Jack reassured in a modulated tone. "I mean sure, there's probably someone much more experienced and smarter but-"

As a response, Jamie threw a pen at the eternal nineteen-year-old.

The Winter Spirit let out a hearty laugh, "Just messing with ya, but in all seriousness, that's impressive. I've only heard about good things about that place."

Jack has had run-ins with the hotel before. It was definitely luxurious, but also as modest as it could be as a five-star hotel. Big praise he had heard was that the hotel treated their staff nicely. He couldn't think of anywhere else Jamie could start his first venture in the "real" world, as they say.

Plus, he wondered if their chocolate was just as good as they say it was. More reasons to visit the little kiddo in his new workplace.

"Just walk in like you own the place!" Jack proclaimed, stretching out his arms and legs outward.

Jamie eyed him and raised his brow, "Probably not a good idea."

"Yeah, probably not."

Jamie released a lengthy breath, "How's guardianship going?"

"Same old, same old," Jack drawled, "it's really hard carrying all the guardians on my back. I should send my hospital bill to them, don't you think?"

"Yeah and while you're at it, check on your old age too."

Apparently, the talk of the town was his new ability to manipulate his age. The supernatural world might literally be running out of things to talk about because the word spread like wildfire. It wasn't even a big deal to anyone but him! Or at least it shouldn't be.

A decade had almost passed since becoming a Guardian, and two hundred years since he was reborn as Jack Frost. Sue him, alright? Shit got boring as centuries passed by. It really was the same old.

"Goddamned Leprechaun," Jack muttered under his breath with contempt. "I can't believe he pointed out my age and looks, he's looked the same for thousands of years!"

"I'm kidding, Jack," Jamie put his hands up, chuckling. "I think it's fitting."

"If you think that then it must be a bad idea then." The Spirit said, his facial features souring.

In all honesty, he needed change in his constant fixed life.

It was bizarre, but his time as a Guardian put some things in perspective. Not to say, he was all hard work and deadlines, but he had responsibilities now. He finally had a purpose other than going around the world and freezing stuff. It felt right to match the face with his new sense of maturity. Ew.

Again, not that earth-shattering as he only changed his features to appear to be in his mid to late 20s.

"Well I have to go," Jamie huffed, standing up and slinging his bag to his shoulder. "Stop bitching about your age, you know not everyone gets to be immortal right?"

"Such foul language, Bennett." Jack whistled, "I hope you don't kiss your mother with that mouth."

Jamie dropped his head back, laughing, "All the curse words I know I learned from you!"

It was true, not everyone gets to be immortal. He didn't want to acknowledge it because it was stupid. The itching feeling tended to surface when Jamie and the kids keep on hitting milestones. The first day of high school, first crushes, first heartbreak, first jobs. The list would just run further and further. He was happy for them, but they were growing older. And that he wasn't sure how to feel about.

Adults didn't usually stay and believe in fairytales such as himself, maybe that he could live with. It was just how it went. But growing older and the kids passing… he couldn't even think about it. The unmerciful cycle of life waited faithfully for everyone but him.

Dude, he's only nineteen, calm down. He told himself. Idiot, you were nineteen and you still died. A voice in his head argued back.

Jack gave half a smile, "Good luck, kiddo."

"Thanks," the kid returned the smile with mirth gleaming in his eyes. "Don't take three months to visit again."

"Oh, about that," Jack pulled something blue from his pocket and handed it gingerly to Jamie.

"Forget-me-nots," Jamie hummed before continuing, "I'd never forget you, Jack."

"Just had to make sure, kiddo." Jack scratched the nape of his neck. "Take it as a sign of luck for your interview today."

Jamie positioned the flower in his pocket square and patted it in its place.

As Jack approached the window, he glanced back at Jamie. There he was, his little light, standing tall on the threshold of the door. Looking ready to take on the world. A smirk crept on the corner of his mouth, and with a mock salute, he flew with the wind.

North's Workshop bustled with the little steps of the elves, and the clamors of the yetis. The place hadn't changed much except for the construction underground. Jack had thought that the workshop needed more space for toy-making shenanigans. Which the boss man agreed with.

Ever since the beginning of his guardianship, North had decided to take their organization seriously. Not that he wasn't taking it seriously before, but he had gotten rigorous around requisitioned meetings. Or as he liked to call it, the North Pole Conference. The NPC.

Setting up meetings once a month, the Guardians gathered to consult with one another. They held discussions over disputes and complications regarding their tasks. Or sometimes they become so off-tasked, it usually ends up with all of them immersed with their own thing. Sandy sleeping. Tooth talking among her fairies. North and Bunny arguing. And Jack being forced to run away from the yetis.

A decade ago, if Jack had seen the strenuous movement from the yetis and the elves, it would have overwhelmed him.

But as he landed on the stone floor of the workshop, he couldn't help but feel the warmth spreading through his chest. Jack had provided his input about the construction, sharing ideas with North. It was almost as if the workshop had become his little pride and joy as well.

He also couldn't help but feel the warmth that was emitting from the furious fireplace. Damnit, this was what he got for having layers of clothes on. To be fair, it wasn't always this warm in the workshop.

He loosened the laces of his cape and rolled down the cool gray turtleneck as far as he could. Thankfully the shirt underneath his hoodie was a loose-fitting thin material.

Jack's hoodie had lapels that were mostly buttoned all the time. It was very extravagant compared to his old one. It was North's gift to him, one of the Christmases that they spent together. The monochromatic turtleneck, hoodie, and cape pieces were custom-made. He said it was unacceptable to be wearing the same clothes for decades. Which was… well, fair enough.

"Am I early for the very first time?" Jack gasped, putting his staff on his shoulder.

"No, you're on time for the very first time and everyone is just late," North grumbled, shaking one of the elves clinging to the hem of his pants. "Shoo!"

North took a step back when the fire clamored, leaving stray sparkles to dwindle on the floor.

"So I'm early," The Winter Spirit approached a little closer, wiping the sweat that started to pool on his forehead.

Even with the dome open, the soot staunchly pervaded Jack's nostril.

"No, you're on time," North insisted, grimacing at the smoke. It was starting to excrete a concentrated pungency.

"Everyone's not here yet so I'm early."

"Your time management is wrong," North stated as he tended the flames roaring high in his fireplace. "Pointy, can you not see the hazardous conditions of the fireplace? Run along!"

Jack heard the big man murmur something along the lines of 'der mo.' He grabbed a long poker to try and spread the wood. It did nothing but agitate the flames even more.

"Do you need help or something? I can try and freeze it if you want." Jack prompted.

"No, because if you put out the fire, it'll just get colder. I'd rather prefer burning than freezing, thank you very much." North shook his head.

A hole appeared on the ground and spat out Bunny with antipathy.

"Rough landing there, buddy?" Jack whistled.

"Put a sock in it." Bunny croaked, dusting himself off. "The tunnels are not as cooperative as they usually are."

"My sled would never do that," North interjected. He exhaled deeply when the flames pacified after poking it for what seemed like hours.

"The tunnels will always be better than your sled. At least my transportation isn't through slaving animals, mate."

"How dare you! The reindeer are on the payroll!"

"Woah, how about us? Do we get paid leave or something?" The Winter Spirit chimed in, half-joking. Not that Jack was complaining about the lack of compensation. It wasn't like he had anything he wanted to spend money on anyway. Also couldn't think of a way how he could buy an item over the counter. What type of soulless teenager working a minimum wage cashier job would believe in Jack Frost?

A flash of gold burned through Jack's peripheral vision.

"Sandy! Finally! Couldn't come any sooner?" North bellowed, opening his arms wide.

Sandman merely shrugged.

Tooth arrived with a resounding buzz that echoed from her bewitching wings. "Our North American division is a little bit lacking in effort lately. We've always prided ourselves on being productive. I need you guys to level it up, as the kids would say."

The fairies' murmuration reverberated as they followed Tooth. Some fairies flew away to attend to other important matters.

North tutted, "Tooth, not you too."

Tooth rolled her eyes playfully as she lowered herself closer to the ground. "Sorry, not everybody gets to work one day a year unlike some of you."

Sandman's nose wrinkled as if there was something rancid pervading his nostrils. Symbols appeared above him, "I just got déjà vu. An omen, maybe?"

An unforeseen benefit of Jack's guardianship was finally being able to interpret Sandy's symbols and patterns of speech. Sandy had been one of the first spirits that Jack had encountered. Seeing him a couple of nights after being reborn was comforting, to say the least.

For almost two centuries, he only had Sandy's smile and nods to decipher. He was glad that he could hold conversations with the Guardian of Dreams without a pen and paper to utilize.

"Sandy, don't be so glum." Tooth said, flying to Jack's left.

"Actually, Sandy may be right."

Sandy bounced triumphantly at his right. He tugged at Jack's calf-length aegean cape, only stopping when he realized the insinuation within North's words.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Jack asked, his hold tightening on his staff.

The Guardians gathered in a circle around the floor with etched designs. North stroked his pearly beard as if in thought. He took off his fifty-something pound robe and threw it to one of the yetis walking by.

The Spirit of Wonder stood tall and rolled his sleeves. "My belly."

Bunny snorted, "You called us because you're having bowel problems, mate?"

"No, Bunny. I meant there's something brewing—"

"—your bowels?" Jack lit up, high-fiving Bunny in the process without looking.

Tooth and Sandy looked at each other then looked down, suppressing their smiles. They didn't want to instigate any further and distract North from the meeting.

"Funny, Jack. Haha," North grumbled. "I didn't call you guys, Manny did. He set off the aurora. My belly has been in knots with this meeting. Something bad is brewing."

Bunny took out his boomerang and began sharpening it. With a roll of his eyes, he said, "OK calm down, this could just be a false alarm."

"You think I'm wrong? Manny set off the aurora! The belly—"

"—has been inconsistent for years—"

"—statistically, it's been 96.2%—"

"—the yetis keep record whenever the—"

"—the yetis? My eggs are way better—"

And these, ladies and gentlemen, were the highly esteemed protectors of children. Jack chuckled, his forehead falling to the palm of his hand.

Tooth from his left nudged him with her shoulder. Jack looked up to see her nectarous smile, one of her eyebrows rose as if to say, here we go again.

He grinned at Tooth widely. Jack planned on calling her out for trying to get closer to him, but something else caught his eyes instead. He did a double-take before his eyes landed on the moon. It became more visible each second as it moved at the center of the dome.

"Um, guys…" Jack called, still squinting at the full moon approaching.

"—ha! Did you just hear yourself? Eggs?!—"

Jack raised his staff and descended it in full force, sending a blast of wind in the process.

"Manny is trying to say something so shut it!" He shushed.

All eyes were on him and for a second and Jack swore he could hear a pin drop. He bit his lip, as much of an attention whore he was sometimes, he didn't like the way the other Guardians gawked at him.

North broke the silence with a clap.

"Ahh– Man in Moon! Jack, why didn't you say so?" Jack's left eye twitched at North's response.

Sandy's eyes widened and inaudibly gasped. "Déjà vu!"

The moonlight sought a path to illuminate the designed stone that represented all five spirits. All the Guardians glanced at each other one by one, understanding the severity of the situation. Jack's eyes landed on Tooth's expression last, dread seized her features.

"Before he shows us, any idea what this could be about?" Tooth asked, rubbing her hands together.

"Maybe Manny has finally seen how much of a bloody schmuck Jack is and revoked his guardianship?"

"Get bent," Jack responded in a monotone voice almost immediately.

"Only thing I could think of," Bunny gave half a shrug.

Sandy pointed at Jack, "New guardian! We've been here before!"

A hooded shadow materialized from the moonlight… which was as vague and senseless as it could be. Just like Sandy's repetition about déjà vus and whatnot.

"OK, people with their hoods on, cool. That's like half the population. Look, I have mine on right now." Jack pointed. "We need more than this."

"It's not a lot, but it's something," Tooth assured.

The North Pole rumbled with compulsion. A crystalline statuary emerged from the ground. Everyone stepped back in anticipation.

He's choosing another guardian? Jack wondered. It took the Man in the Moon centuries to augment the addition of another spirit among the big four, yet another guardian was on the table? Talk about a blow to his ego.

Sandman floated up to Jack's height and held his face with his tiny golden hands, "Déjà vu!"

Bunny stepped closer to the incandescent crystal. "Guess Manny agrees with you, mate."

"Ooh, could it be? Is he picking another guardian?" Tooth buzzed, her eyes widening in excitement.

Et tu, Tooth?

"I'm not sure." North hummed.

The crystal elucidated Manny's rationale; it reflected a swarm of people in a grandiose establishment.

In a sea of people, Jack could single out that one brunet with a shitty-ass posture anywhere.

"Jamie?" Bunny queried with a frown.

Jack glanced up to the other Guardians, "Jamie's in danger."

"Fuck," Jack muttered to himself as he thumped on the concrete floor. "Wind, what is up with the rough landing? We landed a mile away from the AO!"

Good thing Bunny wasn't present to call out his instant karma.

He pushed himself up and tapped the concrete with his staff, leaving frost on the surface. "Can we please do this right this time? I'm pretty sure I messed up my elbow. Please and thank you."

Propelling skyward, he immediately spotted the gargantuan hotel that almost resembled a castle. It had those old-timey designs but in a good way.

This time, Jack had to grab onto a nearby tree to prevent the wind from hauling him too far. His forehead creased from all the effort.

He stood in front of the overwhelmingly gigantic doors. When Manny showed Jamie at AO's lobby, Jack's feet were already running in a hurry to leave the pole. Now that he was standing in front of Jamie's new workplace, he didn't know what to do.

"You're quite the beaut, AO," Jack whistled, mesmerized by the intricate design on the exterior. As someone pushed the door in, Jack saw an opening to enter the hotel.

Thank the gods because if he had to search through the hotel for Jamie, Jack would have lost his mind. The kid was fortunately just sitting in a lounge area by the lobby.

"Jamie!"

"Jack? What are you doing here?" Jamie looked up from his phone, standing up but stopping mid-way. Recognition dawned on his face, no doubt remembering the fact that nobody else but him could see Jack. Jamie sat back down in his seat, patting the empty seat next to him.

The Guardian took up the vacant spot and crossed his legs. "Had to check up on you."

"Why?" The kid's eyebrows drew together.

"Cause Manny said so," Jack explained. He was certain Jamie couldn't argue with that iron-clad defense. The last time the moon warned them all, Pitch Black almost destroyed the world. As baseless as his words were, Jack had nothing but faith in the man up there. Manny's words, or lack thereof, were the law.

Jamie's pupils flared. "I'm about to do another round of interviews, so what's up?"

"Another round?" The spirit's face scrunched up.

"Yeah, I met with HR for an interview earlier. He told me that I did so well that I have my second interview today with the new President." Jamie exclaimed before talking in a hushed tone, almost whispering, "I'm freaking out! I wish they spaced it out because I'm overwhelmed now."

"Who's the President?"

"All I know is that she's a she and that position just recently landed on her. I think her name is Erin, Eloise—no—It's Elsa. I think? Elsa Winters?"

"You're going to be fine," Jack rolled his eyes, "let me just stay with you for a while. If Manny thinks it's serious, I have to treat it as it is."

"Whatever dad," The brunet teased, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.

"Shut up," Jack glowered.

Jamie shuffled in his seat. He took out his phone again and looked at the reflection, "Does my hair look OK?"

"I think she'll be looking at your resume rather than your hair," Jack side-eyed him as the kid continued to fixate on his hair. Jamie's fingers fiddled with the illusory astray strands.

"Me working at Burger King and being a camp counselor is going to interest her, you think?" Jamie's fingers fiddled with the illusory astray strands, legs bouncing in a compulsive manner.

"Uhh… I think so? Don't ask me, I was jobless for like two centuries," Jack said, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"You were jobless before you turned into a spirit?" The believer asked in a strident tone."Aren't you like nineteen? Don't people start working at the age of eight from wherever you're from?"

The spirit squinted at the brunet before saying, "idiot."

"Still don't want to check your memories?"

Jack shook his head no.

That was a can of worms that he was not trying to open today. Or tomorrow. Or ever. That was an exaggeration; maybe just not now. The last time he checked his memories was the first and last time he unfastened the memory box ten years ago. A decade had passed yet he still couldn't overcome his consternation over it.

Jamie's sharp gasp deferred any other thoughts that could have intruded Jack's mind. (Which he was secretly thankful for.)

"Oh god, that's her!" The kid blurted. "Shit, she just saw me talking to you meaning she saw me talking to literal air!"

The spirit followed Jamie's line of sight, his sapphire eyes stopping at the twenty-something woman talking to one of the employees. She wore her platinum blonde hair in soft waves, the front strands of her hair pinned by scintillating barrettes. The woman donned a long black v-neck dress with a crisp white button-up shirt underneath. The bodice hugged her figure well, the long slit revealing the sheer tights on her legs.

Jack blinked with such great force. What was he doing? He glanced back at Jamie to check if he saw him ogling at his soon-to-be boss just right now. Jack was glad to see that Jamie was too immersed in his outlandish ways. The kid was pretending to be cool around his maybe-boss who wasn't even within earshot.

His eyes deviated back to the woman, her soft facial features, and her stature. She seemed young for a dignified rank. Although just by standing and talking, her demeanor exuded regality and coolness. Maybe this was a person Jamie should befittingly dread about, she was surely intimidating.

Jack cleared his throat, "Hmm she looks pretty—"

"—true—"

"—young. I meant to say pretty young." His eyes originally fixed on the woman shifted back to Jamie with an unamused stare. "For a president."

"Oh."

"Almost a decade with me, still haven't learned your lesson? You're not talking to me here in the hotel, you're talking to me through your bluetooth earpiece." Jack tapped on Jamie's airpods that were holding on for dear life on his earlobe.

"You're right." Jamie shook his head, his forehead unfurling. "Also, you just changed the song."

"Maybe don't listen to music while having a real-life convo?" Jack stated, cocking his head to the side.

"It was only on three dots." Jamie sheepishly answered.

The kid bolted from his seat. "OK just wait for me here–"

"But Manny said–"

"No offense, but Manny can't give me $35 per hour with medical insurance for an internship," Jamie stressed, waving his arms animatedly. "I'll see you later, Jack."

"Fair enough, I don't even get paid for this either." Jack sighed.

Jack watched the kiddo follow the woman—Elsa—who was on her way to somewhere he didn't know.

Standing up, he wiped his clammy hands on his grayish-blue pants. Jack didn't even notice the sweat or the quickening of his heartbeat before, but he just disregarded it to be a by-product of Manny's ominous warning.

He wanted to pay no heed to the twisting of his stomach or the way his chest felt like it was caving in. But as he watched the woman strut away before vanishing into a corner, he decisively distinguished the knots in his stomach.

That was what it was. He couldn't put his finger on it at first. The dizzying nostalgia plagued his insides, the sentimental tang on his tongue. The way the light hit her hair just right and her perfect posture. Something about it fired his brain synapses into action.

Jack doesn't know why that matters and it wasn't like he cared. He doesn't even know this woman.

Not sure where or when, but he was sure that he'd seen that face before. She was familiar. Like déjà vu.

Fuck, Sandy had for sure gotten into his head.

a different girl now but there's nothing new

i know you get deja vu