Snowflakes And Shadow Crowns

Vagary

  He was avoiding him. There was no way you could look at it and come to any other conclusion.

  It wasn't like he wanted to, but it just sort of ended up that way, or so he liked to say. Jack sighed for the billionth time as he sat in North's workshop once again. The older man almost always had a jolly air about him, so he'd decided to visit since he needed some major joy right about now, except what he didn't expect was to just be sitting there doing nothing like he always found himself doing.

  I really need a hobby. Jack put his head down on the intricately carved desk, peeking his eyes above his arms as he watched North carve in the final details of little ice figures. Jack had thought that just being here would help with his overbearing sense of depression, but the more he sat there the more he realized that he needed some help to sort out his mess of a brain. Except he couldn't ask North, or any of the Guardians for that matter:

  Because it was about Pitch. 

  Jack groaned in frustration and nuzzled his face into the cool cloth of his elbow. Scrunching his face as much as he could and then rubbing vigorously at his eyes, Jack stretched out his legs and flopped lifelessly back onto the table.

  "You alright?" Jack flinched at the sound of North's voice, having completely forgotten that he was even there. Jack looked up at him, the need to ask for advice suddenly hitting him like a train, and then averted his gaze quickly. 

  "Yeah," Jack mumbled. "I'm okay." He breathed out yet another soft sigh, the guilt of betraying the very man sitting before him festering within his lungs and dragging his mood down even further. He had never really kept secrets before, after all, he'd never really had any friends up until this point to even tell him secrets or to keep secrets from, but Jack couldn't even begin to comprehend just how hard it was. He wanted to just spill everything, to rip it out of his chest and throw it up onto the table for everyone to see, but Jack found that the more he needed to tell someone, the tighter his lips closed. 

  "You sure? You look little strange, Jack. Not like you to be so quiet." North's attention was completely on him now, and a part of him wanted to just melt into the floor, the other part still thinking helplessly about Pitch and thinking that it'd be really helpful if he too could just morph into shadow at will. Of course, he was no where close to a power that remotely allowed him to disappear, so he just had to do it like he always did and come up with some fabrication. 

  "I'm totally fine. I guess I'm just a bit bogged down from the season change." North smiled softly at him in a reassuring kind of way, and Jack felt more guilt pile on top of him. 

  "You could stay here for few days, if you want." The larger man suggested, returning his gaze back to his ice sculpting. Jack wasn't sure if it was really necessary to stay, but perhaps if he stayed away from home for awhile then his mind would sort itself out. After all, he'd never experienced something quite like the strange emotions that seemed to have just dropped into his lap, so maybe all he needed was a change of pace...

  "That sounds quite nice, actually. Get away from home for the time being I guess." North was still smiling, even despite not looking at him. 

  "Very good, I'll have yeti's prepare you a room."

  "Nah, that's fine, North. I like using the unused room upstairs." Jack has stayed the night here before, and there was just something about the upstairs, empty attic room that made Jack feel safe. He always figured it was because he was used to sleeping in trees or on his frozen lake, so sleeping in a bed just never allowed him to doze off, even if he didn't really need rest anyway. The room had a darker feel to it, but in a cozy way; sort of like when you huddle under a blanket, sheltered away from the world.