North was busily working on some new toys, working on this years Christmas. He went over his plans with his usual childlike excitement, even reading his list over a bit, then heard the quiet crackling of frost. He glanced at his windows, seeing the beautifully intricate and unique designs creeping over them. The room became colder by several degrees. North chuckled "So, Jack, even now you're trying to break and enter my workshop."

It had been years since the boy was initiated as a Guardian, years since the whole fiasco with Pitch, and yet he still didn't like knocking whenever he came over.

"Well, you don't have a rule about knocking." Came his usual laugh that was probably a little too deep for his youthful face. Funnily enough, North couldn't find him "And didn't you say I was welcome here whenever?"

"Yes, I did, but Frost, I do appreciate knocking." He sighed.

He brushed away some more frost that creeped onto his desk "Jack, stop that."

"Sorry..."

North blinked at how sad he sounded. He glanced down at his belly, not liking the feeling welling up inside of it. He then asked "Jack, can you come out? At least tell me where you are."

Jack laughed sadly "Nah, I've been missing out on beauty sleep, I don't think you want to see me." There he went, joking around when he was avoiding conflict.

"Frost-"

"Fine, fine..." He then softly landed on the plush carpet in front of North.

Indeed, he looked terrible. Now that he was closer, North could hear a slight wheeze coming from him, and the icicle that seemed to almost be dribbling down his chin was far from reassuring. His feet looked frost-bitten, as did his hands. Not to mention his skin was almost transparently white with not a single pinch of color anywhere and his hair, staff, and clothes were covered in more ice than he remembered.

"MOI DETI FROST!" North boomed in surprise. The whole workshop halted, staring at the boy. Jack winced deeply, leaning on his staff more than usual. He then grinned as much as he could- North was still bothered by that icicle -and waved his hand with a flourish "Here I am, Ta dah~!" He then started coughing profusely, holding up a finger in a signal of "gimme a few moments". He duobled over, still coughing, then stood, taking deep, wheezing breaths. He took a moment to collect himself, then said very plaintively and simply

"North, I think I'm dying."

North set aside his things, walking over and shaking his head "Frost, you're a Gaurdian, immortal-"

"North, having died before I am pretty sure I am." Jack said stiffly before once again leaning over and coughing. He leaned on his companion for support, his coughing racking and heaving his body. "Yeah- pretty sure- this- is- death." Jack got out between coughs.

North patted his back "Come now, you need to sit down." He called out to his workers "We're fine! get back to work!" Jack sighed "North, I'm serious, I might be dying-"

"You're just sick, that's all-"

Jack shook him off "WE DON'T JUST GET SICK NORTH!" He coughed some more, then sighed, leaning against his staff again "Okay, maybe I am just sick, but if that's so what would happen to you-"

"Go see Toothiana then."

Jack gave him a confused look "What would Tooth-"

North shrugged "She's the closest thing you can have to a doctor."

Jack smiled a little, then soon drifted up as a breeze swept through the workshop "I guess..." He then drifted downward "Hey North, I've been noticing... Belief's been falling down..." North held his shoulder "Frost, it'll only be a phase-"

"What if it isn't...?" Jack took a deep breath "I don't want to be alone again..." North hugged him "I won't let it come to that." He then gently pushed him on his way "Now go see Tooth about that cough."

Jack smiled a little, then when his back was turn to North he darkly muttered under his breath "I'm like some kind of crack addict-"

"Excuse me, what?" North was very intolerant of such unchild-friendly discussions here at Santoff Clausen. Jack said a little louder and angrier "I'm like some kind of crack addict! Just get a sudden dip in belief and it's like I'm relapsing or something!" He put a hand in his hoodie's pocket as he shook his head "I've seen enough of those people out on the streets to know the signs."

North shook his head "Jack, you're just going through a low phase like the rest of us have, it WILL pass, okay? Now go see Tooth, I have work to do."

Jack flew off, albeit a little unsteadily "Yeah, fine..." As he flew out into the night, he turned back at Santoff Claussen sadly

"I get it. I'm not wanted when I'm on my last legs."

Tooth was examining her precious teeth, making sure every little molar was properly organized and babbling off directions to her fairies and teaching Baby Tooth- did she mention this was all at once? Because it was. She didn't notice Jack slipping into her domain, heck, didn't even acknowledge his presence until he sent a soft snowball at her.

"Jack! Don't do that when I'm working!" She snapped at him, whirling around and diving into his face "I'm a very busy person and- and..." She trailed off upon seeing how terrible he looked. He smiled a little- oh those poor teeth now glittered from frost instead of perfectly kept enamel -and sighed "Hey, I've had a bad cough lately could you-"

"Of course, now say ahh!" She said as cheerily as she could. She was VERY sure there wasn't supposed to be an icicle hanging out of anyone's mouth regardless of magic. Jack muttered "Better not choke me while you fangirl over my teeth..." Then opened his mouth wide "AAAHH."

Toothiana felt her jaw drop, and heard a few plinks as some of her fairies fainted. "Sweet Saint Apollonia..." Jack closed his mouth, asking annoyedly "What? Are my teeth too beautiful-"

"Jack... Your whole mouth is frozen."

She trembled at the sight of frost creeping over his esophagus and mouth and teeth, almost like some kind of virus. Tooth felt like the wind was knocked out of her. How on earth could anything like this happen? Jack rubbed his throat "My breath has felt kinda icy recently..." Tooth stared at his frost-bitten hand in horror. Jack then sighed "So I was right..." He then started coughing.

Tooth waved her hand dismissively "You just have some kind of illness-"

"Tooth, less and less people are believing in me now."

She shrugged "Well, then you just revert to your mortal form-" she froze, and felt her feet touch the ground "Sweet Saint Apollonia again..." She then asked frantically "Jack, you died before-"

"I know." He turned from her, tucking his hood up and over his head "I am dying..." She then said hurriedly "W-we can fix this-"

"How on earth can we get people to believe in me? I'm just the guy who keeps winter up, no biggie... nothing to note. They already have their stupid science about the seasons...!" he said bitterly. Tooth held his shoulder "Jack-"

"I gotta go." He shook her off and was carried away by his wind.

He stared at the lake below him. HIS lake. The lake he DIED in. If he squinted he could still see his limp corpse, perfectly preserved by the cold. He sighed, and clutched his staff despite his hand ringing out in pain. He glared at the moon "Oh, so you planned this?!"

It didn't reply.

Jack stood, pacing and already used to his feet feeling like he was walking on knives "So YOU planned this? Me becoming a Guardian only to lose almost all my belief a few years later and DYING?!" He sobbed frustratedly "I have only a week at most the way people are letting me go!" he then screamed at the moon "HOW COULD YOU?! I FINALLY GOT SOME RECOGNITION! SOME LOVE! NOW IT'S ALL BEING TAKEN AWAY!"

He panted, staring at how nothing had changed in those gentle moonbeams. After three hundred years, he should've known:

They never would for him.

He clutched his staff, tears pouring over and freezing on his skin "You never told me anything, then you gave me a chance, and now I'm gonna die!" he glared at the heavens again "Did it ever occur to you I'm just a kid?!" He took a struggling, wheezing breath "I just want to be recognized... to be loved..." then a soft croak

"I'm not ready to die yet..."

Still as silent as ever.

Jack the flew off, leaving his body behind "I'll go waste what little time I have left thanks to you..." He glared back at the moon

"Just give me a break, I may be three hundred and twenty-ish, but I'm still the Guardian of Fun, a kid at heart. Kids weren't meant to deal with this shit."

Woo, first RotG fic and I haven't even seen the movie yet ^_^* Leaving the ending ambiguous so you can draw your own conclusion on whether or not Jack survived. I hope I got the characters right... my only sources were Tumblr and TvTropes. (Ohgodthisreallysucksdoesn'tit?) Oh well, a little bonus for you guys, the Saint Tooth mentions is considered the patron Saint of dentists ;)