Archive of Our Own ^beta

The turning from Fall to Winter is almost the only time Amos Woolsey sees Jack Frost; besides the times they bump into each other at spirit events. The difference between now and then is that they’re technically on the clock, but that doesn’t stop the young spirits from ignoring their duties for a while to catch up.

Amos was very interested in the last year of Jack’s life, as he had heard about the whole Guardian thing from Eden, the spirit of Spring, as well as how they had allegedly defeated Pitch Black. Amos says allegedly, because he knows Pitch isn’t down forever, in fact they talked about a week ago; briefly but enough to know he’s recovering.

As they’re both sitting atop a leafless tree, Amos finally turns to Jack and asks, “Busy year for you, Mr. Guardian?” He says it teasingly.

Amos could not be less jealous of Jack’s position as a Guardian if he tried. Sure, it's a cool gig, lots of people believe in you, but it’s not really Amos’s style, and really, he didn’t think it was Jack’s either, but he kept that to himself. Both flow with the Wind, not sticking in one place for too long, but Amos can see it in Jack’s eyes, how he carries himself, he’s a Guardian, through and through, no matter where he is.

Jack chuckles, “Ah, yeah. Not that big a’ deal, really. I just do the same stuff as before, kids just... they can see me now. I’m still not used to it.”

Amos hums in acknowledgement. He may be older than Jack, physically and spiritually, but he had other spirits to talk to through the years. Jack was alone for 3 centuries, so this big of a change must have been a shock. Amos really does wish he knew about Jack long before; they could have been friends a long time ago. No point dwelling on it, the past cannot be changed.

Amos hums a tune with the wind, filling the comfortable silence between them. He suddenly thinks of another question, “Do you have any favorite kids yet? I know you must.” Leaning forward to get a better view of Jack, he can see a smile slip onto the boy's face.

“Oh yeah, it's this kid in Burgess, you know, my town?” Amos nods, they have been there before. Always early winter there. “He was my first believer. And he, like, saved the world.” Amos tilted his head at that. He had not heard any details of the fight between the Guardians and Pitch Black, none of the other spirits knew anything either. And Pitch himself did not want to talk about it, obviously.

“What do you mean? Apologies if it is a sensitive subject, you do not have to explain if you do not want to.” Amos backtracked quickly as Jack’s face darkened a smidge. Seems like the fight with Pitch was not an enjoyable one.

Jack hummed but continued, “It’s alright, it was just... a bad time for me. I won't bore you with the details, but Jamie—the boy—was the last believer in any of the Guardians because he had seen us, uh, not me though. Just the others. I went to his house to make sure he was safe and long story short, reconvinced him that the Guardians were real. And he saw me, after I made it snow in his room.” Amos snorts, only Jack would make it snow in a kid's room.

Jack crossed his arms defensively, “It was the only thing I could think of! And it worked! The kid saw me, and then the other Guardians arrived, and we went around getting a few of his friends, and that belief was enough to beat Pitch. So yeah, Jamie’s my favorite.”

Amos nodded at Jack’s brief explanation. He fiddled with his scarf absentmindedly, not knowing what to say next, but he didn’t have to, as Jack spoke up.

“What about you, Wooly?” Amos rolled his eyes at the nickname. “You got a favorite kid?” That question made Amos pause for a moment.

“Well, no kids see me. So, it is hard to have a favorite when you cannot talk to them, yes?” Jack nodded in understanding, but Amos continued, “But, I do think I have some favorites, yes. There is a worker, a teen, at a haunted house somewhere in Canada. Even while he is dressed as a monster, he is so kind to children, guiding them out of the house when they are too scared to continue. He has a bag of candy for them when they reach the end. It is one thing to help a child, but another thing to help a child that is scared, to help them face their fear.”

Jack nodded again. “Sounds like a good kid.” Jack paused for a moment, before asking, “I don’t understand the point of Haunted Houses. Why make yourself scared?”

“It is the same reason people watch horror movies, Jack. It is fun to be scared, in a controlled environment. The knowledge that it is fake protects them from real fear. You can always turn the movie off or ask a worker to let you out of the house. It is only fun, if you are not really scared. That is how I see it, anyways.”

Jack hummed, but still seemed confused. To him, fun did not involve fear.

“Let me explain in a way you can relate to. When a child goes sledding, why do they scream as they go down the hill?” Amos, while unfamiliar with true winter, knew enough to try to connect it to Jack.

“I... I thought they were just having fun?” Jack said hesitantly, and Amos is reminded that Jack truly will be a child forever. Not that Amos is much older than him, only a few years physically.

“It is the fear. They are excited, and having fun, but there is fear there too. The fear of crashing the sled, perhaps of breaking a bone on the way down, but it is an addicting fear. People chase that fear, to... well, I don’t really know why. But people enjoy it, and they come back for it, they will climb the hill and go down once more, screaming all the way, until it's not scary anymore. I think it is their way of learning.” Amos weaved some loose threads on his jacket around his finger. He is not the best at explaining things, but he hopes Jack understands.

Jack nods his head, and Amos can almost see the cogs turning under that white mop of hair. “So... People go through haunted houses because it's fun to be scared? Fun is like, my whole thing! You should take me to a haunted house!” Jack bounced up from his seated position, now bouncing on his toes as he squats on the tree branch. He holds his staff, almost ready to take off and find a haunted house right then and there.

“Jack, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I must protest. Don’t you remember why we are here? Today, you are to bring winter to this area. Haunted houses have been closed since October, as they are every year. Once Halloween passes, they close up shop, and people prepare for whatever holiday comes next, whether Thanksgiving or Christmas.” Amos leans against the tree branch; it almost cradles him. He gives the bark a few pats as thanks, promising the tree they will be leaving soon.

Jack pouts and sits back down. He twirls his staff, lightly tapping the tree's bark, frosting it over. Amos can almost feel the tree shiver.

“I will take you to a Haunted House next year, Jack. How about the one in Canada I mentioned? It is quite fun, and there are other things to do there, such as bobbing for apples, and a corn maze. I think you would enjoy it.”

Jack perks back up at that, smiling at Amos, “That would be awesome! Thank you, Amos.” Amos is shocked at the use of his real name; Jack almost always calls him some annoying sheep pun. When Jack uses a real name, it’s because he’s being serious.

“Of course, Jack. Now, don’t you have a winter storm to make? I’m sure the kids of this town would love a visit from Jack Frost.” Jack chuckles, and nods, flying off into the air to gather the clouds, leaving Amos alone on the tree.

Amos would not mind hanging out with the winter spirit more often.