Work Text:
34 million years ago.
Light.
That was the first thing Jack Frost saw when he opened his eyes for the first time.
Light.
It was bright, and it was cold- no, he was cold! He was literally made out of ice!
He looked around for a moments, taking in the scenery. Nothing but clouds as far as the eye could see. Jack concluded that he must have been way up in the sky.
"Happy Birthday!" said a jovial voice behind him. When he turned around, he was met with another wintery being, one that he knew very well despite just meeting. The Snow Miser.
"Um, thank you?" Jack muttered, not knowing what the the phrase meant.
"You’re welcome. Now, im sure you know what you're supposed to do then?"
Oh, yes! He had a job to do didn't he? It was... "I'm supposed to go around the globe spreading winter everywhere." He replied unenthusiastically, as if this was a another regular, boring old job.
Snow frowned. "Oh, come now lad! There’s no need to be so glum! You have the most important and fun job in the world!"
He then chuckled for a few moments before addressing Jack once more. "Think of yourself as an artist, painting the world white every winter, crafting the most beautiful patterns!" Snow Miser nearly fell off his throne with how much he bounced on it, laughing all the way.
Even though Jack didn't know what an artist was, he fairly like the description Snow gave. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind." He said as he took flight.
"And if there's any trouble, you can always come to me about it. I got you covered."
"Like a pile of snow?"
"Now you're getting it!" Snow Miser guffaws & cackles.
Jack Frost couldn’t help but giggle as he set off.
And so, for many centuries Jack Frost coated the world in ice, while exploring everything it had to offer. He admired it all, but there was one thing in the world that Jack was intrigued by most of all.
Humanity.
1734.
Jack Frost sat on a nearby tree branch as he watched a little girl skate across the frozen pond.
He grew fond of humans over the years. Even decorating their settlements with frost and snow. The humans didn't seem to mind.
He then shifted his gaze towards the icy pond as he noticed it began to crack and break.
The little girl didn't notice, however, and she stepped on a crack, causing it to break. She screamed and braced for impact, but it never came. When she opened her eyes she found that she was floating above the pond.
Then she gently landed back on to the snow, her iceskates making it hard to stand properly. But something, or someone, was holding her, keeping her balance. When she lifted her head to see who it was, she was in awe, for she had never seen anything like Jack Frost.
Jack's eyes widened. Could she see him? How could she see him? A part of him expected her to scream and flea. That’s what they always did with the unknown and fantastical.
What he didn't expect was for the girl to wrap her arms around him in what the humans called a hug. "Thank you for saving me!" The girl exclaimed.
Jack was stunned. He didn't really know what to do, he's never experienced something like this before. But he didn't despise it.
The girl was warm. A good sort of warm. A warmth that didn't make Jack melt & instead made him feel nice. He was quite sad when the girl pulled away.
"What's you're name?" She asked. "Huh?" Jack stammered. He was so enchanted by the warmth that he forgot how to speak. "Oh- um, Jack, Jack Frost."
"Thank you so much Jack Frost. I must tell the whole village about you!" Before Jack could protest the girl grabbed him by the arm and took off, and the next thing he knew he was in a small village bustling with life.
The girl ran around, Jack in hand, excitedly talking about her new friend who saved her. But all the adults simply dissmissed him as being just an imaginary friend.
"He isn't imaginary!" The girl shouted, but nobody cared to listen anymore. She then saw one of the adults go right through him. She gasped in horror. "I-i don't understand. Why can’t they...?"
"That’s what i've been trying to tell you! They can’t see me because they don't believe in me!" Jack said.
"But if i tell them about you, maybe..."
Jack Frost shook his head. "I'm sorry, but im afraid that isn’t possible. Adults have a much harder time believing in things they cannot see."
He then removed himself from the girls grasp & put her hands in his. "Besides, I have a duty to fufill. I must spread winter in other parts of the world too. Not just here."
"Will i ever see you again?" The girl asks sorrowfully.
It sets an ache in his old, yet spritely heart to hear that. "I can’t guarantee it but, i'll...i'll try to visit as much as i can. Alright?"
The girl smiles at him, tears starting to form. The icy artist is quick to dry them away as he spoke. "But let’s not worry about goodbyes just yet. For now we're gonna have a little fun instead." And so, the two returned to the pond, playing together until the girl had to leave for supper.
Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain man in the moon was watching them. And he got an idea. A wonderful, wonderful idea.