Family Moments
15
Jack could not help but worry about Jade sometimes.
No one knew her better than he did, and he had been the one to heal her wounds, physical or otherwise.
While Jade had grown strong, she was still very emotionally fragile, cracks visible around her scars.
This concerned the winter spirit, as well as the other Guardians, but they all kept their peace.
Jade had always respected their privacy, his privacy, so Jack could never bring himself to ask.
She’ll open up eventually, the frost-boy reasoned with himself.
When she’s ready, she’ll tell me…
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“Moon? I have a question to ask you…”
Hearing the soft voice, Jack paused on the threshold to their room and peered around the slightly-open door.
Jade was sitting on the window seat, hugging her knees and looking up at the moon through the open pane of glass.
“I know you don’t usually answer, but…I don’t know who else to ask.”
The winter spirit held his breath, eyes closing at the sad, lost quality in her voice.
“…I’ve heard that, if a dragon is good enough when they die, that their souls become stars. Is that true? My mother and father…Were they good enough? Are they up there with you?”
A hiccup in her voice, the first crack.
“Or…were they just like the others?”
The frost-boy leaned on the doorframe, trying to anchor himself because all he wanted to do was make her happy again.
“Sometimes, on bad days, when I look at all the scars…” Jade admitted, wavering. “I wonder, if they had never died…Would I just have different ones?”
A painful silence followed, and it made Jack’s heart hurt to hear.
“But…Thank you, for giving me Jack.”
The warmth in his chest flared up at those words, bittersweet on the boy’s tongue.
“I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t found me…”
And just the thought, the realization of what could have been, was all that Jack could take.
The hinges creaked as he pushed the door open, and Jade gasped, tears in her eyes as she turned away from the window.
“Jack!”
Rubbing the tears away, she tried to smile, failing rather miserably.
“What are you doing back so early? I thought North wanted help with testing the-”
Jack was so focused on the glassiness of her eyes, the wet drops hanging from her lashes, that the words fell on deaf ears as he pulled the girl into a hug.
The Night Fury tensed, wings twitching as if ready to unfurl, and the frost-boy clung tighter while whispering sweet words into her hair.
“It’s alright, Jade…It’s alright…”
After a moment, she internally collapsed, and tears soaked into Jack’s hoodie as the flood came.
Rocking her on the soft cushions, the winter spirit waited out the tears, face buried in her hair and wishing there was something more he could do.
When the girl’s sobs died down to sniffles, Jack sighed in relief.
“Jade?”
Hiccupping, she burrowed further into the embrace.
“I-I’m okay…”
Sure, because everyone breaks down into tears when they’re feeling alright.
“Please, tell me what’s wrong.” Jack begged, grip tightening. “I want to help…”
Jade said nothing for a while, and he thought she might not say anything until…
“It’s a long story, Jack.”
Tilting her face up, Jack managed a smile and kissed her forehead.
“I’m not going anywhere, beautiful.”
An answering smile bloomed in the corner of her mouth, and Jade sighed, giving in.
“Alright…I guess I should start from the very beginning.” She decided, and the teenagers shifted slightly to get comfortable as the dragon-girl organized her thoughts.
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been the last Night Fury…”
No one knew her better than he did, and he had been the one to heal her wounds, physical or otherwise.
While Jade had grown strong, she was still very emotionally fragile, cracks visible around her scars.
This concerned the winter spirit, as well as the other Guardians, but they all kept their peace.
Jade had always respected their privacy, his privacy, so Jack could never bring himself to ask.
She’ll open up eventually, the frost-boy reasoned with himself.
When she’s ready, she’ll tell me…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Moon? I have a question to ask you…”
Hearing the soft voice, Jack paused on the threshold to their room and peered around the slightly-open door.
Jade was sitting on the window seat, hugging her knees and looking up at the moon through the open pane of glass.
“I know you don’t usually answer, but…I don’t know who else to ask.”
The winter spirit held his breath, eyes closing at the sad, lost quality in her voice.
“…I’ve heard that, if a dragon is good enough when they die, that their souls become stars. Is that true? My mother and father…Were they good enough? Are they up there with you?”
A hiccup in her voice, the first crack.
“Or…were they just like the others?”
The frost-boy leaned on the doorframe, trying to anchor himself because all he wanted to do was make her happy again.
“Sometimes, on bad days, when I look at all the scars…” Jade admitted, wavering. “I wonder, if they had never died…Would I just have different ones?”
A painful silence followed, and it made Jack’s heart hurt to hear.
“But…Thank you, for giving me Jack.”
The warmth in his chest flared up at those words, bittersweet on the boy’s tongue.
“I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t found me…”
And just the thought, the realization of what could have been, was all that Jack could take.
The hinges creaked as he pushed the door open, and Jade gasped, tears in her eyes as she turned away from the window.
“Jack!”
Rubbing the tears away, she tried to smile, failing rather miserably.
“What are you doing back so early? I thought North wanted help with testing the-”
Jack was so focused on the glassiness of her eyes, the wet drops hanging from her lashes, that the words fell on deaf ears as he pulled the girl into a hug.
The Night Fury tensed, wings twitching as if ready to unfurl, and the frost-boy clung tighter while whispering sweet words into her hair.
“It’s alright, Jade…It’s alright…”
After a moment, she internally collapsed, and tears soaked into Jack’s hoodie as the flood came.
Rocking her on the soft cushions, the winter spirit waited out the tears, face buried in her hair and wishing there was something more he could do.
When the girl’s sobs died down to sniffles, Jack sighed in relief.
“Jade?”
Hiccupping, she burrowed further into the embrace.
“I-I’m okay…”
Sure, because everyone breaks down into tears when they’re feeling alright.
“Please, tell me what’s wrong.” Jack begged, grip tightening. “I want to help…”
Jade said nothing for a while, and he thought she might not say anything until…
“It’s a long story, Jack.”
Tilting her face up, Jack managed a smile and kissed her forehead.
“I’m not going anywhere, beautiful.”
An answering smile bloomed in the corner of her mouth, and Jade sighed, giving in.
“Alright…I guess I should start from the very beginning.” She decided, and the teenagers shifted slightly to get comfortable as the dragon-girl organized her thoughts.
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been the last Night Fury…”