A/N: Hello! Sorry for the late update! I realize it's been ages, but life's been hectic! Thank you so much for all the reviews though- last chapter got 5 reviews in one go, and I believe that's the best count so far! Let me know what you think about this chapter!

Also, next chapter could potentially be one massive post (about 6-7k words), or could be cut down to two back-to-back chapters with a bit of an awkward cut in the middle. Which would you guys prefer? Do let me know!

Anyway, enjoy!

Jack had his hands pressed harshly against his lips, trying hard not to wake the sleeping girl with his laughing. He'd just gotten to the part where Sophie had accidentally switched Howl's potions, causing him to dye his hair. The book had been amusing, to say the least, and he had been trying to inconspicuously turn chuckles into light coughs for most of the evening.

His attempts to control his laughter were proving futile, so he put the book down and tried to take deep breaths through his smiling lips. It was then the girl's bedroom door opened and Maleya's father poked his head through the opening.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he watched the red-haired man make his way to Maleya's side, before turning the lamp by her bed on. Jack scowled. Why couldn't he let her sleep?

With a soft shake of her shoulders, Mr. O'Connor managed to wake his daughter up, who panicked and searched the room before her eyes met Jack's. He could tell that she wasn't completely awake, but she seemed to relax a bit when she saw him sitting in her desk chair. She was worried that it had all been a messed up dream, but there he was.

"D-dad?" she asked, looking up at her father. Her words came out slurred and thick. She looked and sounded like she was drunk on sleep.

"Hey, cherub. Just checking up on you. Did you take your medicines?" he asked, his voice soft and low. Maleya shook her head and stretched her hand to get to her pillbox.

"I took the anxiety ones," she stated, her tone was monotonous.

"I see…" her father sighed, watching her swallow all her pills with the help of the ever present water bottle. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her, out of nowhere, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Maleya simply nodded, still not fully awake and aware of everything. Seeing that, her father chuckled lightly before kissing her forehead. "Go back to sleep. You need to sleep this off in time for school tomorrow," he said, and she nodded again. Situating herself back to her bed, her father tucked her in and bid her good night before turning off the light and making his way to his own bedroom.

Jack was quiet the whole time and strained his ears when they were alone again, trying to hear if she was sleeping or not from her breathing rhythm.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, seeing the remnants of a tell-tale smile still on his lips. Jack jumped at her voice, not expecting her to be awake.

"It's alright…" he lied, and she chuckled, seeing through his fib. Her eyelids were heavy with sleep and she felt herself float back to unconsciousness.

"Night, Jack," she said, and was out cold before he could reply.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"No way in hell!" Maleya hissed, frustration finally showing through her features. She was trying to brush her hair and dissuade the annoying Guardian from joining her at school. The two tasks were annoying by themselves, and together they were insufferable. The last thing she needed in the already boring school day was an immature, and not to mention invisible, Winter Spirit complaining every step of the way. And having a bad hair day on top of that only made the situation that much worse.

"But Baby Tooth hasn't shown up yet," he pouted, and she sent him a glare.

"Not my problem," she countered curtly. Her curls were looking a bit better, but they would never be truly tamed. Instead, she began to use her thickest bobby pins to clip some stray locks away from her face. "Need to do something about all this fuzz…" she muttered angrily to herself, but Jack wasn't paying attention.

"Pleeeeeease," he pleaded, hovering around her.

"Jack. School is boring. You're lucky you don't have to go, and I don't think you'd handle it very well," she told him, trying to make him see the logic in her argument.

"But I've never been to a high school! I mean, I've snuck into a few, but I've never attended classes and stuff!" he retaliated and she sighed, leaning over her vanity desk while she applied kohl to the rims of her eyes and mascara to her lashes.

"You're just going to complain. You probably won't let me focus, and I'm having a hard enough time as it is," she said flatly. It took him a moment to reply. He was very focused on her make-up application. When he realized he was staring, he shook his head to clear himself of the horrific thoughts in his mind. That sharp pencil was so close to her eyeball, he was worried she'd poke herself with it, but she seemed confident and experienced enough not to do so.

"And if I promise I won't?" he asked, and she gave him a long steady look. She didn't get a chance to reply, however, as some faint knocking sounds were heard from the window. "Baby Tooth!" Jack greeted, and made his way to the window to let his little friend in. Maleya shivered as he let in even more cold air into her room.

At first, she couldn't see anything, but slowly, she began to make out the shape of a creature, about the size of a hummingbird and with feathers that made it pass off as one. It was a beautiful display of greens, blues, violets, and yellows. The thing was chirping, seemingly scolding the younger Guardian for something.

"I've been with her the whole time, and I have so much to tell Tooth and the others," Jack responded, apparently able to understand the little fairy. "And, she can see me now!" Jack beamed proudly.

Now that Maleya could see the almost human face (save for what looked like a beak instead of a nose), she saw the little fairy raise an eyebrow and look at him disbelievingly.

"I'm serious! Isn't that right, Maleya?" Jack asked, turning his head to the right to glance at his new believer.

Maleya was too stunned to respond. She recalled David's description of the little fairy, and was almost excited to be seeing her for herself. Taking the girl's silence as a 'no', Baby Tooth turned back to look at Jack, a bemused expression on her face. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the little fairy realized the redhead had been staring straight at her. Whipping her head back to face Maleya, Baby Tooth's little jaw dropped slightly.

"Hey," Maleya said shyly, and Jack shifted. She had a weird expression on her face. "It's nice to meet you," she greeted, and the fairy began to chirp excitedly, flying up and around the teenager as she tried to communicate with her.

"Think she's happy?" Jack asked, tilting his head to the side as Maleya rolled her eyes. Baby Tooth stopped flying before her face, smiling widely and extending a tiny hand towards the Thesan.

Maleya giggled lightly, before putting a finger forward. Baby Tooth could barely manage to wrap her whole hand around the girl's index finger, but it was a worthy attempt.

"You're so beautiful!" Maleya complimented, slowly running a finger down some of her feathers. "I've never seen anything so mesmerizing." Baby Tooth seemed to bask in the admiration until Jack cleared his throat. "And your eyes!" Maleya gushed, realizing the little fairy had heterochromia.

"Baby Tooth, any idea when Bunny's coming back?" he asked, and Baby Tooth turned to face him, her expression falling slightly. Why did he have to ruin a healthy session of praise-exchange? She gave a few chirps and Jack nodded.

"Hm?" Maleya asked, prompting him to translate.

"Some time this evening. Which means…" he continued suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Nope," Maleya responded with finality and went about putting on her socks. She'd chosen a simple outfit of jeans and a grey hoodie for the day.

"Come on, Baby Tooth. Tell her how reliable I am! I just want to experience one day as a regular teenager!" Jack huffed, looking at Baby Tooth (who was pretty clueless about the situation) in hopes of her support.

The little fairy made a noise that almost sounded like: "Weeeeeell…"

Maleya stared at the white haired boy before her, his dark eyebrows scrunched up in hopelessness as his backup plan failed on him. He looked almost heartbroken.

Biting her lip a bit harsher than she meant to, she released a pained sigh and shrugged. "If you promise you won't bother me-" she began, but couldn't finish since the Spirit was practically bouncing off the walls, reiterating one "thank you!" after another in childish excitement.

"You're bothering me already," she warned, and he immediately stopped, standing completely still in the middle of her room and smiling sheepishly at her. Maleya rolled her eyes. "Come on, Baby Tooth," she called, having already formed some sort of connection to the little helper. Maybe it was her avian features that tugged at her heart? She was just too adorable.

The house was still relatively silent as the rest of Mallie's family slept. Her parents had cars and didn't live too far from their workplaces, and David would be dropped off at school by her mother. Mal, on the other hand, was expected to walk, so she would be leaving the house before they even began to get ready for the day.

Grabbing a banana muffin from the pantry, Maleya took a bite before reaching for the milk carton in the fridge. It wasn't until she realized she was being watched that she froze and grimaced.

"Sorry. I'm being rude. Do you want to eat something?" she offered, and Jack stared at her blankly, still making up his mind whether he should laugh or not.

Baby Tooth politely shook her head to decline, and Jack forced himself to do the same, an amused smirk creeping to his face. Maleya's look of horror at her impoliteness slowly melted into an annoyed glare at the Spirit.

"I'm guessing you guys don't eat?" she said sharply, and Jack only nodded, the smirk still on his lips. Baby Tooth tapped his head with her tiny limbs, and chirped something to Maleya.

"She says we don't need to, but we can if we want," he translated. "North likes his cookies and hot chocolate, at least," he offered, and Maleya just nodded absent-mindedly. She drank her milk in one gulp and put the glass in the dishwasher, then went to the porch, muffin in one hand and back pack in the other. Setting the bag down, she shrugged her fall coat on and wrapped a scarf around her neck, the pastry securely held between her teeth. With that, she opened the door and left the house, keeping the door open long enough for the two Spirits to walk out, before she closed and locked.

The walk to school was almost 45 minutes long, but Maleya had never complained. Sure, it was frigid outside already, but she welcomed the exercise and the chance to get some fresh air before a chaotic school day. She liked to sort out her thoughts during her walks, but she did not have the chance to this time, what with her company and all…

Jack was spewing all sorts of excited chatter, having apparently never experienced the "high school life". None of his potential believers had been in that age group, so he never bothered with teenagers, but he was looking forward to his chance now.

"It's not all that great," Maleya cut him short once she'd finished her muffin and lit a cigarette. "I sit in classes, the teachers drone on and on about their subjects. The only fun moments I have are during breaks and lunch," she told him, taking a puff.

Jack was silent for a while, his staff bumping against the shoulder he rested it on. Maleya watched him from the corner of her eyes. This was so surreal. Realizing that she would probably appear bat shit crazy if any pedestrians saw her talking to herself, she hastily pulled out her mobile and earphones from her pocket. She plugged on into her right ear, leaving the left one free to listen to the Guardians. This way, she could at least pretend to be on the phone…

"Smart," Jack complimented her, giving her a smile of approval. She just rolled her eyes. "You know, I could fly you there if you'd like. We'd get there in a couple of minutes," he notified her, and she felt her jaw drop.

"You can fly?!" she asked him, baffled and he responded by laughing heartily. She'd completely forgotten about him bouncing around her room already.

"Of course, I can! The Wind is my friend!" he told her, and she had to stifle her own laughter over how crazy he sounded.

"As fun as that sounds, I'd rather walk. Don't want to look crazier than I do already," she told him, and he pouted.

"Later then?" he asked hopefully and she shrugged.

"Sure."

"I bet you'd scream," he said, a mischievous grin on his lips. "Like, really loud!"

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that," she responded, not taking the bait and choosing not to make any dirty jokes. She was very fond of rollercoasters and all sorts of crazy experiences. The amusement park in her previous town had been the favourite hang out of her group of friends, and if Maleya could afford it, she wouldn't say no to skydiving. She loved the feeling of adrenaline in her blood. It made the rest of her boring life a little bit more enjoyable.

But she kept these thoughts to herself. Maybe she'd surprise him with her hard stomach.

So they continued, Baby Tooth fluttering around them as Jack continued to ask question after question about school. "What classes do you take? Which is your favourite? Least favourite? What are your teachers like? Have you joined any clubs? How many friends do you have?" The list went on and on. Maleya felt the urge to smack her hand over his mouth to shut him up, but somehow managed to restrain herself.

After some mostly monosyllabic replies, Jack had turned to showing off to keep boredom at bay. Maleya shook her head as she saw him jump from roof to roof like a nonchalant parkour master. He occasionally allowed bursts of wind to send him flying across longer distances, and while the redhead had been impressed at first, she soon found it tiring to keep an eye on him.

Baby Tooth gave the teenager a pat on her shoulder, almost as if to say "there, there…"

They finally got to the school with a good twenty-five minutes to spare. Maleya hadn't said this aloud, but she had purposefully had a hasty breakfast so she'd have time to show the hellion around the school. If it was her first (and hopefully last) day accompanying the one and only Jack Frost to class, she might as well go full out.

They approached the large doors of the main building, and Maleya opened them with a grunt. Jack was basically buzzing from excitement and Baby Tooth just sighed. She was, after all, quite familiar with Maleya's school, having followed her around the week prior while she attended classes.

First stop was the student's locker, where she gently placed the books she didn't need for the first half of the day, easing the load on her back. Most of her textbooks were very heavy, and she sometimes wondered if the teachers were trying to break her back when she had to haul several kilos worth of literature home and back.

They trio walked around the school grounds as Maleya showed him the gym, the cafeteria, different club rooms, the auditorium and so on. Jack took everything in enthusiastically, nodding as Maleya fed him whatever trivia she know about the different places or history of the school.

"Didn't you say you're from Burgess in the first place? Haven't you been inside here before?" she asked him with an exasperated sigh as he examined an exhibition from the art students.

"Sure, I have," he replied. "When was that? Eighty years ago?" he guessed, his eyes looking up as he tried to recall. Maleya just shook her head. The bell rang, then, so she informed the duo with another sigh that she had to head to home-room.

On their way there, Maleya met her two friends.

"Mallie!" Priyanka greeted, jumping on the unexpecting girl from behind, nearly giving her a heart attack. "I know it's only been like, a day and a half or something, but I've missed you!"

Willing back her composure, Priyanka returned the hug. "I think I lost a few years with that scare," she admitted. Joseph was there too, and he gave her an almost patronizing pat on the back.

"You do that all on your own, dear. What with the smoking and all," he told her, a smug grin on his face.

"He's right you know," Jack chimed in, earning him a glare. He shrugged and looked away, examining her friends more closely while still making sure not to encourage them to walk through his form.

They continued to tell Maleya all about their Sunday, and she smiled and responded politely. Jack got the feeling that she was a bit reserved around them, and he wondered if it was because he was around.

To Maleya's chagrin, they weren't in the same homeroom, so with a quick hug from Pri and a wave from Joseph, they made their separate ways to class. Maleya thought she'd lost sight of the Winter Spirit, only to find him walking on the lockers with ease. Baby Tooth was resting on Maleya's shoulders. The poor teenager was finding it difficult already to act like they weren't there. She had strong urge to pet the fairy encouragingly, but willed herself not to.

And so, began Jack's first (and probably only) day of "high school".