Frostbite❄ [h.s short story]

10.

"When wind blows cold, and the winter comes,
And all our fingers feel just like thumbs,
The Jack Frost comes along, you know,
And peppers all the world with snow."

a/n: Merry Christmas and blessings to you all! 🎄🎅
Again, for those of you who are not celebrating, I hope you have a great day. :) ❤

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"Jaz, stop bothering me, I'll be on my way soon," Ivy said with a smile, trying to locate her house keys. "I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"And don't worry, I don't have any embarrassing Christmas cards this year. Bye now." She looked at the neatly wrapped up presents she had prepared for her friends. Among them was this year's Christmas card with Jaz falling off the ladder when he was decorating his house Neve had sent her.

She eventually hung up and sighed, glancing out of the window. She was happy to see it was snowing, it made any Christmas day ideal in her opinion. Considering Jaz and Neve invited her to spend Christmas at their home, she had been busy preparing for it, not once thinking about Jack.

But now that she was done and ready to leave, her heart ached, the feeling of emptiness resurfacing. She craved to feel his cold skin against hers and kiss him, but for all she knew, he was gone or stayed true to his word and remained invisible to her.

Ivy almost slipped as she stepped out of her house, luckily not dropping any of the presents. "Don't break your neck, don't break your neck..." she muttered as she slowly balanced herself on the slippery ice surface, clutching the presents close to her chest. She walked towards her car and unlocked it, stuffing everything on the back seat. Her nose wrinkled at the thought of having to drive in this weather, but luckily, Jaz didn't live far away.

Despite telling herself to let it go and give up any hope, she made sure to leave a note on the window Jack usually used to get into her house. She wrote she went to celebrate Christmas at her friend's house and that he is welcome to join. Their address was scribbled underneath as well. If Ivy didn't know how to do something, it was giving up. She had spent five years waiting for Jack and he eventually came back to her, so she had hope he would again.

Starting the engine, Ivy began to drive, her eyes firmly focused on the road as the windshield wipers kept swiping over the glass, keeping it clean. She quietly sang a Christmas song currently blasting from the radio, her fingertips drumming on the steering wheel.

Ivy had always been a safe driver and made sure to drive slowly when the roads were slippery. But with all her caution, she didn't know that Jack was still working on removing the thick layers of his ice from some areas, particularly on the roads near the forest area she was approaching considering he had focused on the pavements and usually trafficked town roads first.

So despite all her caution, Ivy lost control of her car due to a layer of slippery ice beneath her wheels and it flew off the road, colliding with a tree.

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Jack allowed himself to release a breath of relief when he realised he was almost done with melting all the excessive ice. He floated through the air, staying low near the ground so he was able to look inside the houses, seeing people celebrating Christmas with their loved ones. It brought a smile on his face.

When he reached Ivy's house, he slowed down but didn't stop. He would visit her later when he was done with undoing the damage he had caused and was able to devote himself to her completely. He cursed himself for being reckless and endangering people all over the town.

Jack suddenly sensed something was wrong when he flew over the forest area, his eyebrows pulling in a worried frown. His heart almost stopped when he noticed a wrecked car near the road, his icy eyes widening as he rapidly flew towards it. His feet left deep marks in the snow from the impact as he landed,  approaching the car only to find it empty, the door widely open.

He looked around in panic, noticing a body lying on the snow, quickly making his way towards the person. He felt a sharp stab of pain when he realised it was Ivy, the wind getting knocked out of his chest. He sank down to his knees and tried to take her in his arms, but he passed right through her.

"No no no, oh my God, no... anything but this," he mumbled, desperately trying to pick her up, failing each time. "Ivy? Ivy, open your eyes."

Blood was leaking out of the wound on the corner of her head, her skin completely pale and cold, lips blue and unnatural. Her eyes were closed, but the faintest movements of her chest were a sign she was still alive. But she was dying nonetheless, both the accident injuries and hypothermia playing their roles.

"Let me hold her! I need to help her, let me hold her!" He shouted at the sky, hoping the moon would help him. "Please, help me! Please!"

"Ivy, look at me, open your eyes," Jack begged, still unable to hold her. "Don't you dare die on me, hold on. Don't... don't do this to me."

His pale blue eyes brimmed with tears for the first time since he became Jack Frost and began sliding down his pale cheeks.

"Please, I want to hold her! Help me!" Jack's voice cracked as he once again looked up, crying.

"Jack..."

Upon hearing her weak voice, Jack looked down. He widened his eyes when he realised she could actually see him, quickly taking her in his arms and pulling her close to his chest. "I'm right here, baby. I need you to hold on, okay? I-I'll get help."

Ivy managed a small smile, her eyes half opened. She felt tired and ached all over. "You came back... I knew you would, you always do."

"I never left," he sadly mumbled, looking down at her through his tears, sniffling. "I'm so sorry for saying all that, I didn't mean any of it. You loving me was the best thing that could happen to me."

Ivy raised her cold palm and pressed it gently against his cheek, wiping one of his warm tears with her thumb. "See, I knew you were warm inside..."

"Th- this is all my fault, it was my ice... I did this, I didn't mean to." Jack cried. "My ice did this..." The thought was absolutely shattering for him. He hurt her, she was dying because of him.

"Jack, look at me," Ivy demanded, her face grimacing from the pain. "It's not your fault, okay? And I... I want you to know that you made me warm too... I felt warm because of you, Jack. Thank you for that."

"Don't you dare, Ivy, stay with me!" Jack said as he noticed her eyes were getting droopy. "I'll get you out of here." His shaky hands tried to hold her properly, but Ivy cried out faintly.

"I feel so tired... I need to sleep..."

"No." He shook his head, looking up at the moon. "Help me! At least once listen to my plea!"

"I love you, Jack Frost."

"And I love you, so much," he told her, kissing her forehead. "That's why I need you to stay alive, so we can keep each other warm. Forgive me for all the pain I caused you, snowflake."

When she heard his nickname for her, she smiled. "There's nothing to forgive... thank your friend for everything he did for me."

Jack sniffled, shaking his head. "You'll thank him yourself." He rocked back and forth, holding her tightly in his arms. "Please don't leave me alone."

Jack couldn't bear the thought of losing the one person that made him feel human after centuries of nothing but solitude and cold. He would never feel warm again if he did and eventually, his heart would turn into ice irrevocably. He needed his sun to keep him warm, but she was fading right before his eyes.

"Stay warm for me, Jack, alright?"

Taking her final breath, Ivy locked her eyes with Jack's icy ones for the last time before dying in his arms.

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a/n: ....sorry?
Epilogue's coming tomorrow x