Work Text:
Jack Frost had spent 300 years alone with no company from anyone. The man in the moon didn't speak to him. Neither did the guardians. Only a few spirits that he came across every once in a while would speak with him, but that only lasted so long. Usually, he was alone when he wasn't playing with kids who couldn't see him.
Then suddenly, the Guardians needed his help with fighting Pitch. He gained his memories from before he was a spirit, he gained his first believers , and he became a Guardian. All within 3 days.
So everything that had happened had been a lot to process with little time to do so.
Until now. Now he is sitting in the window sill at North's workshop, making little shapes and images with his frost on the window pane.
What does he do now? North said that he was welcome at the pole anytime. Tooth and Bunny said the same for their respective domains. But he can't help but feel like the offer will only last until he messes up again.
He felt unsure. He trusted the guardians to back him up in a fight, but he was sure just how much he trusted them outside of that. Can he trust them to still want him around if they found out about all his insecurities and issues?
What about his other job? What if they found out about that? They surely would despise him for being a shepherd. After all, it's the Guardians' job to protect children and their childhood. They would despise him for being one who has to cut them short.
Jack hates himself for it. But he doesn't have a choice. It's his job to end the pain of children suffering during winter. Logically, he knows that only children on the brink of passing summon him and that at that point, all he can do is make the process less painful for the poor kids. He always makes sure he tells them who he is and what's happening to make things less scary. He remembers the first child's soul, and he herded to the afterlife.
Jack, only spiritually a year or so old, was skating on his pond in Burgess when he felt the tugging in his gut. He was confused as this was the first time he had felt anything like this since waking from the very pond he stood on, when he was suddenly pulled faster than he had ever flown thus far. So fast he had to close his eyes. And when he opened them he was in a forest not unlike the one his pond was in but it clearly wasn't. Jack knew every inch of the forest surrounding his pond and the village below.
Jack slowly turned around, taking in his surroundings.The forest he was in was covered in a thick blanket of snow, and at his feet was a small child. The child couldn't have been older than six, and she was very clearly cold. Her fingers and lips were blue. She was shivering as he had seen people do when cold before. Jack wasn't sure what to do. 'She must have wandered off and got lost in the snow.' Jack thought 'What do I do? I can't leave her here she'll die! But people can't see me. What should I do? I don't know!'
"Argh!" he said as his frustrated internal thoughts showed externally in the form of him shoving his right hand into his hair, combing it back, when he heard a small bell-like voice call out.
"H-he-hello?"
Shocked, Jack responds with, " Can you see me?"
The girl nods, and Jack kneels down to be on the little girl's level.
"I'm Jack frost. What's your name?" He asked
"S-s-sarah"
"HI there, Sarah. I'm gonna do my best to help yah, ok?"
Sarah just nods, and Jack notices she has slowly stopped shivering.
"You cold sarah?"
"Not anymore. Mister Jack, am I dying?"
Jack paused at that. ' I don't want to lie to her in her final moments'
"I'm sorry, Sarah. But yes. I wish I could do more to help, "
"It's okay. Can you just stay with me? I don't wanna be alone."
"Of course I'll stay. You won't be alone anymore, " he said as he sat next to her, tucking her under his arm.
"Thank you. Can you tell me a story?"
"Sure."
As Jack told the little girl one last story, she slowly fell asleep. He continued his story until she let out one final sigh and drew breath no more.
What happened next shocked Jack. A small ball of bluish white light rose from her body and hovered as if waiting for something above her body. Jack still doesn't know how he knew what to do next. His body had just moved on its own. He took his crook and swooped the curve of it like a blade underneath the light, severing the connection and sending her soul to the next place. He then hung his head for a minute in respect for little Sarah. Then he left going back home.
He remembers feeling lost and confused for a while after that.
Jack decides not to tell the others just yet. He knows that Sandy has some idea, but he still isn't ready to talk about his job just yet. He will eventually, when he is ready. For now, he just wants to bask in the presence of the others.