It was chaos in her mind.
"Thanks." Elsa's voice barely rose above a whisper, fragile and uncertain.
And then silence hung between them, thick and unbearable. The party inside faded into a distant hum, laughter, and conversation reduced to nothing more than...background noise.
Jack let out a long breath and lifted his gaze to the sky. The deep blue was already beginning to soften, streaks of orange creeping along the horizon.
Jack exhaled slowly, fingers twitching at his sides. The urge to reach for her, to close the space between them, was almost overwhelming. His hand clenched into a fist before he could betray himself.
"How have you been?" The question came out steady, though his body felt anything but.
A dry chuckle slipped past her lips, void of any genuine amusement. The sadness in her eyes was unmistakable. "Thriving." She looked up at the sky, avoiding his gaze, too. "How about you?"
"Fine." His answer came too quickly.
Finally, her eyes met his. Something uncertain flickered in her expression before she asked the question that had been pressing against her ribs since the moment he walked through the door. "Why did you decide to come here?"
Jack's hand moved absently to the cuff of his sleeve, fingers toying with the fabric as if searching for the right words. "This was always the plan." His voice lacked conviction. "And I've never been one to back away."
Suspicion lingered in her stare, unwilling to let him off so quickly. "What about your company?"
Fingers drummed lightly against the railing. The hesitation in his movements was barely noticeable, but she caught it. "I…I'm shutting it down."
Shock registered immediately. Her eyes widened as she straightened, trying to process the impossibility of his words. "That's not something you can just...do."
"I'll find a way."
They both knew how absurd that was. A company like his didn't just disappear. Too many people depended on it. Too much had been built.
"Why are you doing this?" The whisper barely passed her lips before her eyes fluttered shut, dreading the answer. "Why?"
Jack let out a short laugh, quiet and humourless. "I don't want to live the same life. I want to change it. Start over."
Elsa already knew where this was going, but the words still came before she could stop them. "Why?"
A slow shrug. "Well, I can't die, can I?"
The breath left her lungs all at once.
"Jack, you-" The words tangled in her throat, strangled by panic. This was never what she wanted. Leaving wasn't supposed to break him like this.
She had to do something.
Anything.
A desperate idea formed before she could second-guess it.
"I've got something to tell you." The words came in a rush as if pushing them out quickly would shift this entire conversation. With forced lightness, she told him about Ruffnut, about the ridiculous thing she had said earlier.
Laughter. A smirk. A roll of his eyes. She had expected something.
But Jack stayed silent.
He had heard her; she knew he had. Yet, not a single reaction followed.
Embarrassment crept in because the attempt had been foolish.
A weak chuckle left her lips, an attempt to fill the empty void between them. "Well…that was something. Ruff...she is something."
This wasn't Elsa. Making people laugh wasn't her thing.
That had always been Jack Frost. The joker. The prankster. The one who could make a room come alive with nothing more than a grin.
Shoulders sagged under the weight of her helplessness. "Did you not find it funny?" Hesitation laced her words. "I thought you loved joking and laughing."
Jack turned his gaze toward the fading sunset, watching the sky darken into richer shades of amber and violet.
"Yeah, it was funny," he admitted, though his tone was distant. "It just wasn't for me."
Confusion pulled at her brows. "What does that mean?"
A slow breath escaped him, steady but heavy. "I think it's time to stop acting like a kid. Stop chasing dreams and just…work. Survive. That's life right."
Shock settled deep in her chest. The words didn't belong to him. Not the Jack she knew. "But you're changing yourself." The statement came out like a plea. "I can't imagine you as…this."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It didn't reach his eyes. "A single day can change your life." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "And it's been six months, Elsa. I'm just Jack Overland now."
The name sounded foreign. It didn't belong to him because he wasn't him anymore.
Frustration bubbled up, raw and untamed. "I don't get you." She shook her head, hands curling into fists. "This isn't why I left. I wanted you to live, not-" Her voice cracked, anger laced with sorrow. "Not rot!"
Jack turned then, really looking at her. The emptiness in his stare was worse than any argument and any anger he could have thrown her way.
His eyes had lost their shine. It was just a dull blue now.
"I am alive." The words were calm...too calm. "I just stopped joking. What's the big deal in that?"
A scream clawed at her throat, but no sound came out.
Guilt was living inside her, wrapping around her ribs like a vice.
Jack coughed lightly, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Since I was a teenager, I always wanted to change myself." His voice was quiet, almost reflective. "And now I have." A slight shrug followed. "I'm happy. So don't be sad for me if that's what you're thinking that is."
The ache in her chest deepened because it was bullshit. He was trying not to let her feel guilty.
He could still read her, but she could no longer read him.
That hurt most of all.
Elsa smiled, but the corners of her eyes didn't reach her eyes. "If that's the case, then I am happy for you."
The weight of his words settled heavily between them, pressing against her ribs like an unbearable force.
Elsa searched his face for something familiar, some trace of the man she had once known, but all she saw was a man she barely recognized. Jack Overland. Not Jack Frost. Not the one who used to laugh so freely, who found joy in the most minor things, and who made even the worst days feel lighter just by being there.
This version of him was quieter. Controlled.
It made her stomach twist.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, before she finally found her voice. "You say you're happy, but you don't look it."
Jack huffed a soft laugh though there was no amusement in it. "And what does happy even look like, Elsa?"
She frowned, shaking her head. "Not this."
Arms folded across his chest, posture stiff as he turned his gaze back toward the horizon. "People grow up. They change. You, of all people, should understand that."
"That's not what this is," she argued, voice sharper now. "You're not changing, Jack. You're erasing yourself."
A flicker of something crossed his face, but it was gone before she could grasp it.
"What do you want me to say?" His voice was quiet, steady. "That I miss who I used to be? That I wish things were different?" His fingers curled slightly against his palm before shoving both hands into his pockets. "You left, Elsa. I had to move on."
The words struck harder than she expected.
Of course, she had left. It was supposed to be for his own good. She had convinced herself that distance would heal the wounds, that he would be better without her in his life, free from the weight of their past.
But this wasn't better.
It wasn't even close.
A bitter wind stirred between them, carrying the distant sound of laughter from inside.
Elsa swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. "You were never supposed to." She hesitated, voice faltering before she forced the words out. "I didn't leave, so you'd become this."
Jack exhaled slowly as he had already expected this argument. "And I didn't come here for you to fix me."
Frustration clawed at her chest. "That's not what I-"
"You should go inside." The words cut through the night air, final and unmoving.
Shock flickered across her features. "Excuse me?"
A small, tired smile curved at his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You have people in there waiting for you." He gestured vaguely toward the door. "Friends. People who care about you. Go enjoy your night, Elsa."
Her breath caught.
He wasn't asking.
He was dismissing her.
A sharp sting settled in her chest, but she bit it back. If this was how he wanted to play it, fine.
Jaw tightening, she took a step back. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Jack."
For a second, he looked like he might say something. But then his expression shifted to calm and unreadable.
"I already have."
The words felt like a slap.
Elsa turned before he could see how much it hurt. Without another word, she walked back toward the door, each step heavier than the last.
Just as she reached for the handle, she hesitated.
Part of her wanted to look back. She wanted to believe that if she did, she would find him watching her, second-guessing his words, and regretting everything.
But when she finally glanced over her shoulder, he was still there, staring out at the dark sky, hands tucked in his pockets, entirely still.
She wasn't even a thought in his mind anymore.
At least, that was what he wanted her to believe.
The door clicked shut behind her, the party's warmth pressing against her, but she barely felt it.
Astrid was already making her way toward her, concern evident in her eyes. "Hey, you okay?"
Elsa forced a smile, even though everything inside her felt like it was breaking apart. "Yeah." She picked up a drink from the counter and took a slow sip. "I'm fine."
It was a lie.
Astrid was still watching her.
Elsa felt the weight of her gaze, the silent question written all over her face. But Astrid knew her too well to push, at least not here. Instead, she looped an arm through Elsa's and tugged her gently toward the kitchen, away from the crowd.
The moment they were out of earshot, Astrid leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "Want to tell me now?"
A shrug was the best answer Elsa could offer.
"That's not an answer." Astrid's tone was light, but the concern lingered beneath it.
A long sip of wine bought Elsa a few more seconds, though it did nothing to settle the tightness in her chest.
"He's different," she admitted, voice quieter than intended. "Jack."
Astrid didn't look surprised. If anything, she nodded like she had expected it. "Yeah."
A slight frown pulled at Elsa's lips. "You noticed, too?"
"Not at first," Astrid admitted. "He still looks like Jack and talks like Jack, but there's something…off." She exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Hiccup says it's just him growing up. Letting go of all the old Frost crap."
"That's not what this is." The words came out too fast, too specific.
Astrid studied her for a moment before nodding. "No. It's not."
Something in Elsa's chest loosened just a fraction. At least she wasn't imagining it.
She leaned against the counter, eyes fixed on the swirling liquid in her glass. "I thought I was doing the right thing," she whispered. "Leaving. Giving him space. Letting him live a life without-" Her throat tightened. "Without me dragging him into another ending."
Astrid was quiet for a moment, then let out a small sigh. "Elsa, you're not the villain in his story."
Fingers curled around the glass a little tighter. "Then why does it feel like I am?"
Before Astrid could answer, a familiar voice called out from the other room.
"Elsa! Astrid! Get your asses in here, we're playing Never Have I Ever!"
Ruffnut.
Astrid groaned. "Oh, Thor."
Elsa almost laughed. Almost.
"Do you want to go?"
"Absolutely not."
Elsa's sarcasm was evident. "Great. Let's go."
Astrid groaned again but let herself be pulled toward the living room, where most of their friends had gathered in a loose circle.
Jack was already there.
Elsa hesitated at seeing him, but he wasn't looking at her. He sat on the floor next to Hiccup, his posture relaxed, his expression unreadable. Whatever emotions had flickered across his face on the balcony were gone. Now, he was just Jack.
Untouched by the past.
Or at least, that's how he wanted to seem.
Astrid flopped down on the couch, pulling Elsa with her, and Ruffnut grinned. "Alright, losers. Rules are simple. You hold up five fingers, you put one down if you've done the thing, and if you run out first, you have to shotgun a drink."
Tuffnut raised a hand. "And if you don't run out first?"
"Then you drink anyway."
Snotlout grinned. "I like this game."
Heather, already holding a beer, rolled her eyes but smiled. "Let's just get on with it."
Ruffnut wiggled her fingers. "Fine, fine. First one. Never have I ever…gotten kicked out of a bar."
Astrid and Snotlout immediately put a finger down.
Hiccup hesitated before sighing and lowering one, too. "It was one time."
Jack smirked, lowering a finger without explanation.
Elsa blinked. "Wait, you've been kicked out of a bar?"
The smirk didn't fade. "Who do you think got Hiccup kicked out?"
The game continued, shifting between ridiculous and borderline incriminating confessions.
Then, halfway through the game, Ruffnut grinned in a way that immediately made Elsa's stomach sink.
"Never have I ever." She let the pause drag out, purely for dramatic effect, before her gaze flicked between Elsa and Jack. "Been in a fake marriage."
Silence.
The room wasn't quiet...someone coughed, Snotlout muttered a low damn, and Heather smacked Ruffnut's arm...but it felt quiet.
Jack didn't react.
Elsa, however, slowly lowered a finger.
Everyone was watching.
Ruffnut had the audacity to look unbothered. "What? It was relevant."
Astrid shot her a look that promised violence, but before she could say anything, Jack finally spoke
"Guess that's me too, then." He lowered a finger, tone unreadable.
No one knew what to say.
Elsa wasn't even sure what she wanted to say.
Ruffnut, at least, seemed to realize she had crossed a line. She cleared her throat, moving on quickly. "Alright, next one."
The game continued, but Elsa was barely listening.
Her gaze flicked toward Jack, watching him swirl the beer in his hand. His eyes were distant, and his expression unreadable.
The game carried on, laughter and playful accusations filling the room, but Elsa barely registered any of it. Her fingers curled loosely around her drink, untouched for the last several rounds. Every now and then, her eyes flickered toward Jack, catching glimpses of him between conversations and bursts of laughter.
He was good at pretending.
To everyone else, he was just Jack. It was like watching someone expertly play a role they had no real attachment to.
Eventually, the game dissolved into smaller side conversations, people growing distracted as the night stretched on.
Snotlout had somehow roped Fishlegs and Heather into an impassioned debate about whether or not beef belonged on pizza.
Tuffnut was now wearing his shirt as a headband while Chicken sat contently in his lap.
Ruffnut, after downing at least three more drinks, had dramatically flopped onto Eret, demanding that he carry her home bridal style.
And yet, despite the chaos surrounding them, all Elsa could feel was the suffocating quiet that had settled between her and Jack.
She should say something. Anything.
Instead, her fingers tightened around her glass.
Jack glanced at his watch and let out a small sigh. "I should head out."
Hiccup frowned. "Already?"
A small, tired smile. "Yeah. Long day tomorrow."
Astrid arched a brow. "You literally just moved here. What exactly do you have planned?"
"Work." He stood, stretching slightly. "Gotta get settled in, meet some of the higher-ups."
Hiccup made a noise of understanding. "Right. No rest for the employed."
Jack let out a quiet chuckle, but it was absent of genuine amusement.
Elsa looked away.
The group slowly followed his lead, one by one deciding to call it a night.
Heather yawned, leaning into Fishlegs. "We should get going, too."
Snotlout threw an arm around Mindy's shoulder. "Fine. But I expect waffles in the morning, Hiccup."
Hiccup scoffed. "I don't even own a waffle maker."
"Then buy one!"
Astrid rolled her eyes before turning to Elsa. "Want a ride home?"
The question pulled her back into the moment.
Jack was already near the door, slipping on his jacket.
A slight shake of her head. "I'll walk."
Astrid hesitated but didn't push. "Alright. Call me if you change your mind."
The room slowly emptied, everyone slipping into their own goodbyes and half-drunken plans for the weekend.
Jack was the last to step outside.
Elsa lingered by the doorway, watching as he walked down the street.
The night air was crisp, the distant glow of streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement.
He never looked back.
For some reason, that hurt more than she expected.
She closed her eyes briefly before stepping outside herself, taking a different path home.
It was better this way.
Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself.
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