Jack irritably rubbed at his nose and squinted against the bright Australian sun. A few flakes of dried skin stuck to his hand and his lobster-red nose gave twinge of protest. Jack was sunburnt all over and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

Out in the water Tooth laughed, raising a hand in vain to protect herself from a particularly large splash one of her helpers sent her way. She countered it easily, knocking at least five little ones out of the air with a single wave. Small chirps of mock anger sounded faintly over the roar of the waves. With her opponents briefly distracted from their vicious splash-war, she looked up to spot Jack sitting stubbornly underneath an umbrella with a towels protectively layered over every visible piece of skin. Several empty bottles of sunscreen littered the ground around him.

"Jack!" she called, waving her arms above her head. "Come on out; the water's great!" Whatever response Jack was about to give her went unheard, as North snuck up from the left and playfully dunked her under the water. With an indignant shriek, she grabbed his beard and pulled him down too.

Back on shore, Sandy sat next to Jack's Small-Palace-of-Shade. Shimmering in the heat, he almost looked like a mirage. He wasn't really one for swimming; water just made it hard for him to keep his form. Instead, Sandy seemed really happy just soaking up the suns' rays.

Bunnymund sloughed through the sand, bringing extra towels. He dropped them unceremoniously onto the ground. "Get out there, ya' little frostbite."

"S'hot." came the mumbled reply.

"All the more reason for you to get in!" Bunny countered. "Water'll cool you right off. C'mon." He grabbed Jack's wrist and pulled him towards the water. Jack managed to snag a towel from the crumpled heap he had left and toss it over his head before they came into the full light of the sun.

He reluctantly walked to the water's edge and stuck his feet in. It did feel better than the surrounding air, that he had to admit, although it was still a bit on the warm side, if anyone were to ask him. Which no one ever did, but if someone were to ask for his opinion at least he would have one to give.

Bunnymund took off into the surf and joined North and Tooth enthusiastically in their splash-war. Jack looked down at his feet in the sand and adjusted the towel to cover as much skin as possible. Unfortunately, only his face and neck were protected. He tried to get his arms in the shade, but after several failed attempts let them hang by his side. He would find himself a nice, chilly spot in the Northern hemisphere later that night, cause a massive snowfall, and bury himself in the fluffy white flakes until his skin turned back to its normal, painless color.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he inched further from the shore. The water swirled around his knees.

The splash-war continued farther out, but Jack knew he wouldn't dare go that far. As much fun as it would be to soak The Easter Bunny, Jack wasn't exactly comfortable with water that deep. He sat down in the tide and let his hoodie fill up with water. He created a few tiny icebergs to surround himself with, and amused himself by making small, icy ships sail around them. They melted quickly, but the chill they left Jack feel refreshed after sitting in the sweltering heat.

Suddenly, a wave crashed into him. Knocked off balance, Jack went under.

Scrabbling to right himself and get back into the air, his hands clawed frantically at the sand. His nails scraped over rocks and shells, but they found nothing to hold onto.

Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breath!

His eyes stung from the salt flooding into them, but he couldn't seem to remember how to shut them. The water slammed him against the ground.

No air, can't breathe!

Panicking, he stuck his feet out beneath him, but they dragged uselessly against the bottom. Where was the surface?

No, no, no, no, no,

Finally, the water lulled and he managed to claw himself to the surface. He coughed and choked out seawater, struggling to get his breath back. His eyes smarted (From salt, not tears, salt, not tears) and he firmly reminded himself that there was no ice here to trap him under. He was fine. Absolutely fine. His feet carried him unsteadily back to land. Behind him, North, Tooth, and Bunny continued to play about, completely oblivious to the ten-second trauma Jack had just suffered. Grateful to have his feet back on the hot sand (something he'd never thought possible), Jack grabbed the soaked towel that had washed back to shore and wrapped it around his neck. Stuffing his shaking hands into his pocket, he made is was back to his seat. Pretending to ignore the concerned look Sandy was giving him, Jack slumped deep into his chair and pulled a towel over his face.