This story follows my two previous Rise of the Guardians one shots. I have thought about making them all one story, but for now I'll leave them as separate one shots. You can still understand this one without reading the others.
For the inspiration to write this, I have to thank my nana. I let her read my two other BenneFrost stories, which do imply romance, but could be looked at as pure friendship—and she really enjoyed them! I don't know if I'll have the courage to show her this, but I would like to. I don't know how she would react to two boys acting this way together. Anyway, she asked if I would write more about Jack Frost, and I told her I would. However, I felt it was also time to begin turning implied romance into actual romance. I hope she likes it, because I am dedicating it to her.
Snowflakes in Summer
Jack Frost was invisible to almost everyone. The guardians and one human, Jamie Bennett, were the only ones that had the ability to see him.
As Jamie got older, he'd nearly forgotten Jack's existence, but that changed by the time he was in college. After Jack reawakened the boy's beliefs, he made sure his presence remained known to the only person that was able to see him. Even when Jamie was engrossed in his studies, the winter spirit would drop by.
Jack's biggest fear was losing Jamie. He would always be able to see Jamie, but Jamie could only see him if he strongly believed he could. During the Northern Hemisphere's summers, it was much harder for Jack to visit his human friend, but he still did his best to check up on him.
It was the summer following Jamie's junior year of college. The winter spirit hadn't been able to pry himself from his work for nearly an entire month. By the time Jack had a free moment, it was already the end of July.
Jamie had just gotten home from work, and was lying on his bed with the window open. Even at night, the summer heat was unbearable.
A silver-haired boy appeared outside Jamie's bedroom window. Upon hearing a few light taps on the screen, Jamie sat up.
"Jack!" The boy quietly popped off the screen to let the winter spirit in.
"I'm sorry it's been so long. I missed you," said Jack, throwing his arms around his friend.
"I'm sure you were busy bringing winter across the globe. I understand that," said Jamie, very excited to see the blue-eyed guardian.
"A-are you going to let go of me?" Jack asked. Jamie buried his face into the crook of the boy's cool neck. "Did you really miss me that much?"
Jamie laughed. "I did miss you. But, my air conditioner broke the other day, and you're doing a fine job at cooling me down."
The silver-haired boy didn't know how it felt to suffer during summer heat spells. His body temperature was extremely low: the source of his power. Jack was glad he could cool the other boy off, but he wished Jamie would show him this kind of affection more often.
"I didn't mean to keep you from going to sleep. I just wanted to see you," said Jack, stepping back.
"Nonsense, Jack! You know you can come visit me whenever you need a break. Your life is dictated by the changing seasons, so I don't mind. Besides, this heat has been preventing me from falling asleep."
The cold boy managed a smile. "You always find a way to make me feel better. I guess I've been away for too long."
"That's why you shouldn't feel bad about visiting me! We can see each other, so you have no need to be bashful." Jamie kissed the top of Jack's head, and motioned for him to sit down on his bed.
The winter spirit cherished every moment he spent with Jamie—especially ones like this. Usually, the two shared short conversations about what was going on in their respective parts of the world, but this one was different. Every once in a while, Jamie reminded him that he mattered, even though no one could see him. He was saddened by the thought of Jamie growing old. Since he was a guardian, he aged much slower than the average human. Jack had never brought the fact to Jamie's attention, but the boy was bound to notice eventually. He'd known Jamie for over ten years, but hadn't aged a day the entire time.
Since that was a matter of less urgency, Jack decided to save it for later. Another concern of his were his feelings for Jamie. It was hard enough staying away from the boy during winter in the Southern Hemisphere, but even harder when he thought Jamie would never understand how strongly he felt for him. He wanted to show Jamie that he loved him, but he was afraid of what would happen if he did.
There were enormous hurdles in his path. He and Jamie lived completely different lifestyles. Being a guardian of winter and being a full-time college student were two separate worlds apart. Furthermore, Jamie was the only person that was able to see him. It was already difficult for the two to spend any amount of extended time with one another. When Jamie had time off from school, Jack was busy bringing snow in other parts of the world. Contrarily, Jack was lonely during autumn and spring, when Jamie was busy studying.
After considering all of that, Jack didn't know how to justify confessing his true affection for the boy, but he knew he would regret it more if he withheld it. It was also possible that Jamie would return his feelings, but the chances of that happening didn't seem promising. However, maybe Jamie was afraid to approach Jack about how he felt for some of the same reasons.
"What are you going to do after you complete your schooling?" Jack asked, taking a seat.
"I'm going to get a job…hopefully," Jamie shrugged. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know… Well, I wonder if there will ever be a time when we can see more of each other."
Jamie looked surprised. "You've thought about that?"
"I think about it all the time, Jamie," Jack confessed.
The two looked at each other for a few moments. Jamie pulled the blue-eyed guardian closer. "I'm sorry I never caught on. I've always tried to give you space, so you could take care of your responsibilities."
"I do have responsibilities, but I miss you so much when I can't be near you," said Jack.
Jamie looked at the winter spirit apologetically. "I am not going anywhere. Jack…can I ask you a question?"
The silver-haired boy was on the verge of tears, but nodded. "Of course."
"Can I…kiss you?"
Jack couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He willingly accepted. Jack's lips were cold, but they began to warm up upon touching Jamie's.
"I-I…you have no idea how long I've wondered if we'd ever do that," said Jack, with flushed cheeks.
Jamie smiled. "I guess we were both wondering the same thing, then."