Jack Frost

"And if he falls in love tonight, it can be assumed,
His carefree days with us are history,
In short, our pal is doomed."

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Not too long ago, in a land North of pretty much everywhere, the big man himself sat alone in his large, red and gold chair. Santa Claus was checking over his list, checking it over twice, in fact, just to make sure it was absolutely perfect. Alongside the obvious joy the task brought him, due to seeing the practically endless nice list, it also left a sour taste in his mouth, worse than any old milk he'd tasted on any of his late night visits around the world. The naughty list wasn't as long as it's opposite, but it was still a disappointment to view. Mr. Claus sighed as he looked over the newcomers on the list, as well as the regulars. He let out a particularly loud sigh as he read over the name, Mr. Frost. The man topped his list every year, and it was obvious that he had no care in the world for anyone but himself. The pang in Santa's chest told him that he'd have to do something about the man this year, before it was too late. Deciding it had to be done, Mr. Claus was off to inform his head elves of his plan.
Around the same time, in a place quite below the North Pole, Mr. Frost was heading to bed after a hard working day of business. He was glad tomorrow was Christmas, not because he enjoyed the holiday, but because he had the day off and he was beyond exhausted. The man shuffled out of his living room, without a goodbye to either his wife or newborn son, running his hands through his thinning hair absentmindedly. He was rich; he'd do something about it eventually. Entering his room and closing the door with a loud bang, he was shocked to find out he wasn't the only one occupying the space.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" The tired man barked, "Let's get this over with so I can get my rest, shall we?"
Getting up from the chair in the corner of the room, Santa made his way over to the fretting old man.
"I have not come for anything of yours. Rather for a chat, if you may." The jolly fellow spoke, trying to stay on the other man's good side.
"Impossible," Mr. Frost shook his head with a roll of his eyes, "Of course you want something from me. Everyone does. Why else would you be in my house? Just have the decency to knock on the door first next time, yeah?"
"Ah, maybe you are correct. There is something I want from you," Mr. Claus chuckled, as he motioned for the other man to take a seat, "But not what you would expect."
Mr. Frost chuckled at this as well, the first happy gesture seen from him that entire day. It had a salty twist to it, though; Santa could only be disappointed by the man's lack of joy. "So you want something other than money, then, I assume?"
"That is not correct at all!" Santa bellowed, "Just listen for a mere second. I've known you ever since you were born, dear Harry, and all you've ever been was trouble. Your mother and father pegged you as a lost cause before you could even talk. You've been lying, cheating, and stealing ever since you could sit up, for Pete's sake! Have you no shame?"
"I don't believe I've done anything wrong," Harry Frost smirked, "I've just been utilizing my resources, unlike many folks these days."
"On the contraire, my friend. You have been putting everyone else behind yourself, all to fulfill your materialistic desires. I have come to warn you that, if you do not stop by next Christmas, there will be tremendous consequences." Mr. Claus shunned.
"Who are you to tell me that?" Mr. Frost barked, becoming frustrated with the situation. "You must be crazy! And what's with that stupid outfit? Get out of my house!"
Huffing, Santa shook his head. "Just remember what I said. If you don't smarten up, you'll regret it. Merry Christmas." With a snap of his fingers and a puff of dust, the man was gone.
Harry Frost was left sat in his room in awe, completely speechless. He didn't know how to deal with the situation, so he did what he knew best. He pushed it to the back of his mind, twisting and changing the message, deciding that it was just a fragment of his imagination. The greying man figured that the little visit was just a side effect of the sleep he wasn't getting at the moment. With that, he went to bed. He didn't listen.

Nearly a year later, and Santa Claus was back in the same position, checking his list and checking it twice. When it was time to look over the naughty list, the jolly man closed his eyes, opening them and taking a peek slowly, hoping and praying that the first person on the list was a new occupant of the spot. Tears began to form in his eyes, and a single one was shed when Mr. Frost's name was revealed to be at the top of the list once again. Mr. Claus shook his head in despair, adding himself to the list of people that lost hope in Harry Frost as he put his plan together.
The second time Santa visited Mr. Frost, on Christmas Eve once again, the man was sat alone, eating at his kitchen table while his wife was at an appointment with their son. He jumped in spot when Mr. Claus walked into view from behind him, and opened his mouth to begin speaking when he was interrupted.
"Listen here, and listen well, because I'm going to make this quick. It is obvious you do not value love, so there is no point in punishing you. Your son, on the other hand, is new to the world, and therefore has no perception of it. Because of your crimes and carelessness, he will not be able to fall in love when he grows up, as he will freeze whomever he falls for. He will have to prove his worthiness of losing the curse himself, or he will be doomed for life. Teach him, and teach him well, sir, or you've doomed another soul." Santa spoke fast and with precision. With that, he was gone once again, this time leaving Harry Frost with a rather... Funny feeling in his chest.

Twenty years later, and Harry Frost was long gone. He had tried his best with his son, watching his mouth and his actions as much as he could, but he hadn't had long to do so. Mr. Frost passed ten years after his first visit with Santa, leaving his ten year old son, who he'd named Jack, alone with his mother. His father had had a heart attack, all of the risky business he'd done finally crushing him under its weight. Jack Frost, now twenty, was left with a bitter feeling from the absence of his father, as was his widowed mother. Jack had been on the right path until his father passed, but once the event occurred, it spiralled him into a horrible series of events, much like his father's prior ones. The young man had decided to carry on his father's legacy, he was now a liar, a cheater, and a thief, just like his old man once was.
It wasn't always this way, though. Jack had a wonderful childhood, as his dad had eventually smartened up. His life had been quite normal, that is, until his father fell ill.
Once Harry Frost was certain that he was on his deathbed, he knew it was time to tell his son about the terrible curse. He would have taken it from his child in a heartbeat, though; Harry had learned that Jack was more important to him than anyone else, and he wanted his son to experience the greatest of things, love being one of them. This was not possible, though, and Jack Frost would be left to fend for himself, if he ever found himself wanting the spell to be broken.

Awakening with a yawn, Jack Frost sat up and rubbed his eyes blearily, ready to take on the day. As he made his way across his bedroom towards the bathroom, he caught sight of his calendar. December first; he'd have to collect rent today, and possibly raise some, if he felt like it. Sometimes the whines of how his tenants 'couldn't afford the rent they already payed' got on his nerves, so he liked to mess around with them.
Once he'd finished getting ready, the young man ran a hand through his dark, platinum streaked hair absentmindedly as he tried to locate his roommate. He found the other boy, who went by the name Zack, in their living room downstairs.
"Hey man, what're you up to today?" Zack asked, looking up from their TV and his bowl of cereal.
"Off to get a coffee and collect rent, then maybe we can do something later?" Jack asked, fetching his shoes from the corridor.
Zack nodded his head in reply as he took a bite of his food, and then Jack was out the door, bidding a farewell to his friend.

Every morning, Jack would start his day with a coffee. He'd go to a particular shop, and buy the same black drink, every single day. Most of the employees knew the man and his schedule; an order was barely ever needed for the drink to be made. He was rarely ever late; especially on the days that he had to go to school after.
On this particular day, though, Jack noticed a new boy working the counter at the small coffee shop. Checking his phone, he noticed it was a bit after ten, later than his usual run. Deciding he could have some fun with his new discovery, he walked up to the counter, flashing his best smile at the barista. Noticing a hint of red in the employee's face as he greeted his newest customer, Jack hummed to himself triumphantly, before responding back with, “Just a regular, black coffee, please.”
The boy working the counter, whose name would be Alex if his name tag served correctly, gave Jack an odd look. The customer raised his eyebrows in question, confused as to why the other boy seemed to be questioning him.
“It’s just that, you don’t see many people ordering stuff like this these days. Everything’s always so fancy, but that’s definitely not a bad thing. I mean, I guess you can like what you like, but there are some other great options too. It’s fine, though, that’s fine.” Alex rambled, only catching the amused look Jack was giving him after almost a minute he was speaking. Boy, was he lucky there wasn’t anyone else in line.
“Okay, let me just get that for you.” Alex finished, giving the customer his total before turning around and cursing himself as he prepared the drink. Since the shop wasn’t so busy at this time of day, Alex was the only one working.
Turning around once more with a drink in his hand not long after, Alex handed it to the intriguing boy, along with a smile.
“Thanks, sugar,” Jack winked in return, taking his purchase from the brunet, before swiftly exiting the shop.

Later in the day, Jack finally arrived home to a still-lounging Zack after his eventful morning.
"Seriously? You’re still laying here?” Jack scoffed, swatting at his friend as he passed by to the next room.
“Excuse me,” Zack remarked, before continuing, “And why not? I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just as important to me as doing other things, so why shouldn’t I do it? If something is important to you, then it matters. Sleeping is important to me.”
Jack shook his head at his roommates sly smile from where he could see him from the kitchen. Coming back into the living room, he threw a drink to Zack as he sat down on the couch opposite of him.
“Well, how’s this for starters? By doing so, you’re completely living off of me, and that is extremely selfish.” Jack lifted an eyebrow, satisfied with his response.
“That’s funny to hear, coming from you.” Zack rolled his eyes. “Alright, Mr. Generous, let’s go watch a movie or something. I’ll pay.”
The two young adults grabbed their jackets and such, and witha final shake of the head from Zack, they were out the door.

“Hey, can I talk to you about something?” Jack asked Zack, as the pair were leaving the movie theatre.
“Sure, but first, where are going?” Zack asked, trying his hardest not to block the way of other citizens on the busy sidewalk.
“I don’t care, you choose.” Jack replied, falling behind as Zack took the lead.
“Anyways, you were saying?” Zack reminded Jack, looking over his shoulder.
“How do you think I would do in a relationship? Like, do you think I could ever make it work?” Jack thought out loud, surprised when Zack suddenly pulled him to the side of the walkway.
“Are you crazy?” Zack gawked, “You can’t do that to someone! You know what’ll happen!”
“Maybe I am,” Jack admitted, sighing to himself as Zack continued to give him an unamused look. “I mean, we don’t really know what’ll happen. Maybe it’ll work. Doesn’t ‘falling in love’ prove that I’m not some huge prick anyway? And besides, who says I even will?” Jack reasoned, before Zack spoke again.
“Yeah, because it’s not like anyone won’t notice how cold you are, and I mean that in both ways. You definitely are crazy.” The older concluded, before grabbing Jack by his sleeve and guiding him to the near coffee shop that they were finally approaching.
“No! No, no way.” Jack suddenly sputtered, and Zack turned around once again, with another annoyed look.
“What now?” He huffed, waiting for a reply.
“It’s just, I mean,” Jack tried, “The person who got me thinking about all of this, he’s the one working here. I met him here. Do we have to?”
Zack chuckled at his pleading friend, completely taken by surprise at the loss of his usually calm, cool, and collected personality.
“Oh, yes. Now that I know that, we most definitely have to. No matter who’s right, a little fun won’t hurt. Now go order,” Zack urged, pushing his friend inside and following after him.
As Jack took in the sights of the coffee shop, he prayed that the boy from earlier wouldn’t still be working at this time. Though, to his dismay, he noticed the other as a customer moved out of the way, clearing Jack’s view of the register area. It seemed that Alex had also noticed Jack, too, as the warm and inviting look he was giving Jack had the other boy moving forwards through the shop.
“Back so soon?” Alex chirped, as Jack was once in front of him.
“My friend wanted to come this time,” Jack shrugged, motioning over to Zack, who was standing not too far away.
Alex took a curious glance in the aforementioned direction, before his eyes were back on Jack once again. “So are we going to mix it up this time?” Alex asked, smiling shyly at his customer.
“Pardon?” Jack asked, slightly confused with the barista’s question.
“Your drink. You aren’t just going to get the same thing again, are you?” Alex pouted, receiving a chuckle from Jack.
“Fine, you know what? Make me whatever you want,” Jack smiled, “And the same thing for my friend, too.”

That’s how it went for the next couple weeks. Jack would come into the coffee shop every day, and Alex would make him a new drink, the former leaving it up to whatever the other boy’s heart desired. He’d changed his regular visiting time to fit Alex’s hours, and the pair got to know each other over the following visits. Alex had finally learnt Jack’s name, as well as his age and where he was going to school. Jack learnt Alex’s age too, that he was seventeen (Eighteen by the end of the year!”) and had recently graduated high school.
One morning, as Jack was rushing out to pick up a coffee and visit Alex before school, an idea popped into his head. He’d known for a while that he wanted to get to know Alex somewhere other than the boy’s workplace, and he’d decided that today would be the day that he’d change that.
Later on, Jack entered the cafe with a plan in mind. Alex spoke as soon as the door opened, as the place was usually empty and quiet in the later morning hours.
“I just finished making it,” he called sheepishly, “I got bored.”
Jack’s laugh rang through the space in response, before the elder replied with, “What if I don’t show up one day?”
Alex shrugged in response. “I’ll drink it. Anyways, do you want to know what’s in it?”
Jack shook his head in reply. “Actually, I’d like to make my own request today. Whatever that is,” Jack nodded to the cup, “And your number.”
Instead of the cute, blushing response Jack would have expected, he was met with Alex’s laughter, which he decided was much, much better.
“Took you long enough,” the brunet murmured, as he looked around for a pen. He then wrote his number down on the cup, and handed it to Jack.
“I’ll be in touch, sugar,” Jack winked, leaving the coffee shop with that.

The pair definitely did get in touch. As well as his morning visits to the younger’s workplace, Jack also took Alex out on a plethora of small dates throughout the following few months. They went to see movies, took walks on the beach, went out for icecream, and did basically every other thing that you would name as a cheesy date idea. Jack received Zack’s support the entire way through, although the elder was skeptical on how it’d all really work out for young Alex.
Not much longer into their relationship, Jack decided that he needed to step it up with his dates, to show Alex that he really cared. As much as it scared him, he knew he had to. That was the night it happened. Jack took Alex to the most expensive restaurant in their city, the last one he had attended with both his mom and his dad. He picked the younger up at exactly seven o’clock, and off they went.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Alex asked for the millionth time, head tipped to the side as he looked at Jack inquisitively.
Jack nodded his head with a grin, laughing, “Don’t worry about it, sugar. It’s all good.”
“How are you even able to afford this, anyways? I know I won’t be a when I’m twenty in, like, two years,” Alex commented, provoking a sigh from Jack this time.
“My dad was into some pretty bad things,” Jack confessed, only earning a sympathetic look from Alex in reply. “We can talk about it another time, alright?”
Alex nodded once again, and then the couple were smiling at each other as they finished up their dinner.
Once they’d paid and left, the pair were enroute again, copious amounts of chat in the car along the way. About halfway through the ride, Alex realized where they were headed.
“Oh my god, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he laughed, leaning against the window.
“Nope,” Jack confirmed, “I’ve got blankets and everything.”
The elder of the two had taken them to a quite popular lookout sight on a mountain, and Alex shook his head as he realized he shouldn’t have expected anything different. It’s not like he didn’t love it, though, no, not one bit. He was absolutely head over heels for Jack, and everything he did for him. So, Alex followed along delightedly as Jack finally parked the car, and the two lay on the hood cuddled up to the many blankets that Jack had brought.
It had been silent for quite a while, until Jack finally spoke. “Thank you.”
“Thank you?” Alex mused, “Thank you for what? If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“No, no, no, no, no…” Jack whispered, taking Alex’s hand in his, and turning his head to the side. “You don’t understand. I mean, you’ve saved me. Just, thank you so much for being here for me.”
Alex giggled in response, mumbling an, “Of course,” taking on a shy demeanor at Jack’s seriousness.
Jack lightly caressed Alex’s cheek with his free hand, inching his face towards his beau’s. Slowly but surely, he placed his lips upon Alex’s, with no objection from the younger boy. That’s when he felt it. The soft, warm stature beneath him turned rigid and cold, and Jack pulled his head back slowly, fearing what was before him. Opening his eyes and taking in the solid, frozen figure in front of him, Jack let out a sob, one hand rushing to cover his mouth, while the other was set over Alex’s cheek once more.
“No,” Jack whispered, before he was practically screaming the word over and over again. Once his eyes were dried out and he was just letting out huffs of air, he began to wish out loud.
“I wish I could take it all back. Never again, not in my life will I ever hurt another soul. Not after this. It’s not about me anymore,” Jack pleaded. It seemed that his whispers had gone undetected though, and there he lay hours more, reevaluating everything he’d ever known.
Not long later, but certainly not right away, Jack could hear bells in the air. As he lifted his head from the blankets, he noticed the boy beside him changing slowly. It was almost as if he had his own little storm going on around him, until he was completely covered. Once it seized, Alex was left in it’s place. Warm, alive, and completely clueless Alex. Jack threw his arms around the boy immediately, taking him in as the brunet asked, “What the hell just happened? And where’d the white stripe in your hair go?”
That’s when Jack realized he’d had a lot of explaining to do.

Several months later, it was finally Christmas day on Earth once more. The entire world was filled with joy, including both Jack and Alex. After some unbelievable stories were passed from Jack to Alex, and the younger boy had asked for some space, the two finally reunited and began to get ready to spend the holidays together. It may seem a bit silly that that had happened, since the two were in love, but Alex had needed some time to wrap his head around many things, including the fact that Santa Claus was real. Although, after some pleading from Jack, and some confirmation from Zack, Alex finally had some sort of grip on the world once more.
All was well for Jack, too. He had finally come clean about everything to Alex, he didn’t have to worry about the stupid curse anymore, and his best friend and boyfriend were getting along very well.
This brings the set of friends to the current day, where they’re all settled around the Christmas tree in Jack and Zack’s living room. Jack had one final present left to give, and it was addressed to Alex. Jack handed over the small box quite unsurely, but Alex took it in a very sure matter. The now eighteen-year-old opened it with care, smiling once the contents were revealed. He held up a shiny silver necklace, complete with a diamond-shaped pendant with what looked like a swirling storm inside.
“They’re my powers,” Jack spoke, “Or what were my powers, anyway. I wanted you to have them, and a new friend of mine helped me create that.”
Alex placed the necklace down momentarily, the distant sound of jingles coming from outside as he leaned over to hug his lover. “Thank you, Jack.”
“You’re welcome, sugar.” Jack smiled.

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“And if he feels the love tonight, in the way I do,
It's enough for this restless wanderer,
Just to be with you.”