A/N: Hello there, fellow Rise of The Guardians lovers! I, Bebe, have decided to jump the Rainbow Snowcone bandwagon, and write an AU series! And trust me, it was a lot of fun coming up with this motif! After seeing so many great AU's, I thought - hm, most of these have Tooth being the same age or in the age range, so I decided to be risky! I hope you enjoy, and updates aren't going to be frequent, but feedback IS appreciated! Enjoy! :)

-Feather Dance-

Chapter One:

Meet and Greet

When Toothiana was four, she lost her first tooth. It was during the evening, after she crunched on a carrot a little too hard, and felt the wobbly molar fall. And unlike normal children who may cry at this revelation – she looked at the bloody gums with enchantment, completely immersed in the way the roots would remove themselves from the roof of her mouth. Her father chuckled at her... strange new enthusiasm, her giddy mother getting the camera ready.

At the prime age of fifteen, she was ostracized by her fellow classmates for her unusual obsession with the oral cavity, often left alone in the stalls at lunch. To make up for the lack of social life she had, Tooth would sketch, paint, read, study – anything to keep her average above spectacular. If anything, she was obsessed with her scores in tests: even mock papers, that it warranted her a nerd. Tooth liked to think of it as her being a hard-worker.

In truth, she was.

That dedication got her into one of the highest-testing university's in her area. With her grade average at a boastful 84%, she had every reason to be proud. She wanted to study dentistry any shape or form.

(It was ironic, considering the name her mother had picked out... perhaps that is why they nick-named her 'tooth fairy' at school. Or for her obsession with molars and central incisors and innocently bloody gums and – well, no matter. If anything, she found it rather flattering.)

And at twenty-one years old, she had begun her two-year course in Biology and Chemistry – her pre-dental courses in order to be accepted into one of the more well-esteemed dental schools. Which one she went to didn't matter to her – yes, somewhere local would have been more fitting, but she loved to travel. But she wanted to study to become a dentist so badly, and it looked like her dream was finally realized...!

"Fei! Come on, you need to hurry up! Do you need help brushing your teeth again, sweetheart?"

...Well, she would have loved to study dentistry.

The small girl shook her head, brown pigtails bobbing and mouth foamy.

At twenty-six years old, Toothiana was a part-time single mother, part-time nursery worker, and part-time dental assistant. Days were long, tiring and repetitive, but seeing her little girl's toothy smile gave her the energy to keep going – even if her worn-down body protested otherwise. Long baths really did do wonders, especially with bath salts.

"All done?" Tooth confirmed, Fei nodding eagerly, wiping her mouth in a tissue, before disposing of it. She chuckled – Tooth was always positive, and Fi was always so responsible.

"Fei, did you remember to floss?" She held up the small wire – covered in the white gunk as proof, before throwing it away. "Mouthwash?" Again, she showed her the empty lid in her small, tawny palms.

Clapping her hands together in unadulterated glee, Tooth gave a wide smile. "Good! ...Wait, you're wearing your hairband again?" Fei nodded again, rolling her eyes.

Frowning at Tooth, the small girl placed her arms over her head protectively, feeling the soft accessory underneath her warm skin. Fei often insisted on plastering herself in feathers, like the hairband with yellow and green feathers that she wore on her head, ever since Tooth made it from her own hands. She loved feathers – like mother, like daughter.

"Well, I can't stop you from expressing yourself, little bird. Nor do I want to." She pinched her nose lightly, causing the girl to grin. "Anyway, c'mon! You have to get to nursery again, talk to your friends!"

Offering her hand (her mass of golden bracelets chiming from the movement), Fei walked sluggishly, her face exaggerated tired. Tooth gave a hefty sigh, knowing what was coming.

"Fei, I know you don't like it there, but look at all your lovely pictures you made! And that model of a tooth you made last week was just so cute! Plus, you get along with Merida, right? She'll be really, really happy to see you again!"

Tooth and Fei both cracked a smile at the thought her feisty and fiery co-worker, wondering how someone with such a loudmouth could be so gentle and caring around children. Both sets of their teeth gleamed like pearls.

Mulling it over briefly, Fei gave a sharp nod and a click of her tongue, beaming brightly. She liked- no, loved colourful things, and although her home was plastered and covered in bright yellows, greens, and anything exotic, there was something about arts and crafts at that nursery that was so much fun!

"Let's go, then!"

And so, on the Monday of August 12th, the two set out of their small (yet lively) apartment, ready to face the boring and sombre world yet again.

Stepping off the intersection of the bus, Tooth paid the required amount – before taking the route to the nursery.

Tooth had been working her job for around three years now, and found the atmosphere there to be warm, friendly, comforting – something she'd been trying to replicate for Fei. It was a little way out from her home, and since she'd never finished her driving class (way too expensive!), the bus would have to do. Despite the gummy seats and nauseating smell.

Turning the corner (the road was surprisingly quiet this morning), she saw the red-bricked building in sight – her feet relieved. She could sit down, perhaps have a coffee.

"Top of the morning to 'ya, Lassie! 'Yar here a little earlier, don'tcha think?" The Scottish accent was thick, as Tooth smiled. Her hands were clammy from holding Fei's the whole bus ride down, but Tooth still gave a friendly wave to the calling girl.

"Good morning, Mérida! ...Are you okay?" Even in the dim autumn weather, Merida's hair remained like it was on fire – a forewarning to those who dared to challenge. Yes, that described the twenty-five year old Scot to a 't'. "You're looking a little... disgruntled." The frown lines on the redhead's face couldn't be rivaled. Even Fei gave a confused look.

Mérida let off an exasperated sigh, going limp as she pouted, "it's that Frost! Just had to take Aurora's hours, didn't he?! I swear, Tooth, that lass's got 'nuff sleep to count over couple hundred years! And Frost is the replacement, of all the people she could have chose - FROST! Why?! I swear, I outta-"

Clamping a hand over her mouth, Tooth clenched her teeth. "My daughter is right there – no need for violent phrases again, please Mérida!" She begged, a pleading look in her eyes. Mérida rolled her blue eyes, grinning impishly (with apologetic tendencies, though Tooth found that a common occurrence in her behaviour).

"Ah, sorry Tooth. Forgot." She bent down to the small girl's level, "why hello 'dere, Fei! How's about you and me go in 'gether, whilst your Ma here takes off all her spangles." Tooth could only laugh sheepishly, looking at her sparkling arms.

Since she was a child, she had prided herself in her Asian heritage – to be specific, she was Indian. Tooth often held true to her origins by wearing an entourage of golden bangles and neckbands, complete with hooped earrings (her ears pierced a whopping eight times, each with a golden or gem stud of some kind). Although her black and rainbow streaked hair was modernistic (blue, red, green, yellow, white), her wardrobe certainly showed her ethnicity.

Well, most of the time. Work being one of the few times she decked herself out in... ugh, trousers.

"Aha... I'll go put them in storage now. Fei, you behave yourself, okay?" Tooth told her, with the aforementioned child giving a brief nod of understanding. Her pigtails bobbed up and down again, and Tooth resisted the urge to hug her (last time, it was spontaneous, and Fei had moved out the way so fast that Tooth nearly sprained her ankle). She restrained herself.

Mérida cocked a thick brow, "lass, when has 'tha girl ever been trouble?"

Tooth paused. "...Not trying to be rude, but it is normally when you're with her-"

"Are 'ya implying sommat there, Toothie?!" Clenching her fists, Mérida gave a shaky, barely restrained smile. Her teeth gritted in annoyance. Tooth knew she was seeing red.

"No! No! Not at all, Mérida! It's just that... well, that she's..."

"Yes?"

"You know what? Never mind. I'm sorry."

Folding her arms, Mérida huffed in triumph. "Now, that's what I t'ought." She pulled her curly, wild hair back – before releasing it again, her tresses going anywhere and everywhere. "Right, you go put 'yar spangles in storage, I'll take the lassie off 'yar hands. C'mon, lass."

Fei gave her mother her last toothy grin for the hour, before walking away with Mérida into the red-bricked building, allowing her mind to think.

Frost guy? So that was the one who'd taken over for Aurora? Tooth only worked on weekdays (Monday till Wednesday, and Friday afternoons), but never on the weekend. Was that when this supposed 'Frost' guy worked? Mérida had mentioned him being unbearably annoying, but anyone who beat her in anything was in her bad books (took Tooth nearly a month for her to stop being glared at, after she beat Mérida in an arm wrestle).

...Ugh. Not again.

She had a horrific tendency to over-think things, to the point she could ramble incoherently for several hours about one topic. It was no wonder people found her strange at school.

"Toothiana!" Turning her head around, she noticed her boss, folding her arms and smirking at her, leaning against the wall. "Come on now, stop daydreaming about shining teeth already. Get those bangles off of you - you have a job to do."

Her boss was a very kind woman – okay, she was not exactly 'lovely' or 'dulce in nature', but she had a suave elegance to her that made her someone that commanded respect. Seraphina – a name that drove fear and a mature look with one gaze. It was an utter mystery how she was even in a relationship. But then again, Tooth wasn't one to ask.

"Coming!"

Her eyes widened with a smile, the laughter of children filling the air.

Fei hated it there, at the nursery.

Not because of the building itself... but the way everyone looked at her.

All the other children liked each other, but never went near her. They would call her weird, stupid, or freaky. Just because she liked different things! She hated horses and princes and princesses, but loved teeth, colours and mechanical things. She had different coloured eyes, and wore strange things (what didn't they like? Feathers were so soft!). They thought she was so weird, and would tell her so all the time – and she didn't like it when they did that. But she never did anything about it. Not because she was scared to fight back, but because she couldn't.

She sat in the corner, crafting something that resembled either a boat or a spaceship. Adults always asked her which one it was – couldn't it be both? Why did it have to be one thing or the other? It annoyed her, annoyed her so much. She just wanted to be left alone to get on with it, and make her mother smile when they got home. She was always so tired...

"Hey there, you okay?"

She didn't bother to look up, but this voice was quite deep. Boyish. But it wasn't Merida's Scottish accent, and it definitely wasn't her mother's voice. Therefore, she didn't care about it.

"...Uh, hello?"

So, they were the persistent type. She gave a glance this time, stopping her crafts. And the sight in front of her was... new, to think the least.

"So, you look at me this time, hm?"

Fei blinked, her face placid. Was this a new worker...? He was wearing the same uniform as her mother, but he looked so... young. Okay, her mother wasn't exactly old, but she had dark circles under her eyes from experience of work. He had none under his blue eyes, and his skin was so pale. His hair was weird – white? He wasn't old, why was his hair white? It looked like he cut it himself.

The man chuckled. "Ah, you looking at the hair, are you? Yeah, funny thing, the hair..." He whistled a single, lengthy note, "there's a very long story behind that." He chuckled, crouching down beside her. She tensed up a little, hiding her newly made creation. "You made that?"

Fei nodded slowly. He grinned.

"It's really good! You going to show your parents that?"

Parent...s? Fei only had her mother. But it technically counted as two, considering how much love her mother gave to her every day (and her teeth), so she nodded again. He smiled, a little curious. And thinking of teeth, his were quite... bright. Like snow, almost. Her mother would like his teeth.

"Not much of a talker, are you? What's your name?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Don't want to tell me? Well let me introduce myself. I'm Jack. I've just started working weekdays, so I guess I'll be seeing you again."

His voice was so cheerful, too happy to be near her. Why was he even speaking to her? The workers here never went near her, wanting to be with the lively, normal children. And it was warmer today, so everyone else was outside, 'side her Mother, but she was under strict instructions to not play favourites. Mérida was also busy with papers (she was literally dragged to her office).That wasn't fair, not to Fei.

"You don't like going outside with everyone else?" He asked, blue eyes wide. Blue... blue! That was the missing colour in her model!

She dashed off suddenly (her small feet surprisingly fast), leaving Jack bemused. She left a trail of tiny feathers from her skirt behind her. Like a little bird, almost. A few moments passed, before she came back with vibrant cobalt felt, setting to work to cut the starry shapes.

"Blue? Was that the colour that was missing?" Jack asked, as she gave a small smile. "You like making things like this?" She nodded at him again. He liked asking questions, didn't he?

'Strange man, but he's being friendly to me. So I guess I can let him sit next to me, for a little while.' Fei thought to herself, silently giggling in her mind. She then sighed, however. The room went quiet – everyone else was outside, except these two. Seraphina was in her office, keeping an eye on Fei, but... well, there's a difference between watching someone and actually speaking to them.

"You looked lonely in here." Jack admitted, breaking the content silence.

Fei looked at him, startled and her eyes wide. He didn't notice her change in mood.

"Are you always in here, by yourself?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, looking back to her model. 'Yes.'

"Well, I-"

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE 'YA DOING, FROST?!"

Both heads turned suddenly towards the door. Thick and tired, that voice sounded... but Fei's blue and purple eyes lit up with recognition. Smirking, Jack merely propped back onto the carpeted floor, arms behind his head and eyes lazily looking at the origin of the voice.

"Why good afternoon, Dunbrogy." He taunted.

"For' tha last time, Frost - it's Dunbroch! And what are 'ya, British?! What 'tha hell are 'ya doing here?" Merida's fiery hair literally stuck up on all ends, her blue eyes glinting a dangerous light and her face fuming.

"What does it look like? My job." His smirked widened. Fei looked on with confusion.

She groaned, before kneeling next to Fei, her face softening, "was he botherin' you, Fei? If he was, 'ya know what I'll to him for 'ya."

Fei shook her head, beaming as the red-head huffed, glaring at Jack. Mérida always made everything feel better. She was her first, and only friend here at the nursery, after all.

"C'mon, lass, Seraphina would shout at me again if she knew you were in here."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Shut 'ya trap."

He hissed, "that hurt so much, Dunbrig."

"Dunbroch! Argh!"

With an irritated sigh, Mérida led Fei out (the latter giving Jack a very small wave goodbye), as he gave a small smile. Glancing at the table, he rolled his blue eyes. She'd left her model behind – and seeing as she wasn't here to protest, he leaned forward, getting a closer look at it.

He was a little surprised – for a small girl (he was guessing she was around four), this was... actually pretty good. Okay, so it was obvious where the pieces of felt had been stuck on, and some of the windows were a little too small, and could see the cardboard, but... there was a lot of effort put into it. And it showed.

Did she make a lot of these? Probably.

"Heh." He laughed, tracing a finger around the left side. "Nice spaceboat."

"Bye bye, Toothie!" As Tooth saw the last of the children off, she watched with a fond gaze as they hopped on the bus, or their parents came to collect them. Her lips perked, showcasing her dazzling teeth (brushed them three times a day and regularly chewed sugar-free gum), as she went to storage to collect her jewelry.

Unlocking her small cabinet, she slid the golden bands back onto her wrists, fixing her earrings in and chiming them for a little effect. Each bracelet had an intricate design – they were hand-made by her own father, and prided herself when wearing them (even if she did get the odd stare). She twirled a little on dainty feet, remembering the dances she watched on the television as a child.

"Thought I heard a bell in here." Whipping her head around in surprise, she flushed as she saw a young man staring at her with avid interest.

"Uh... tell me you didn't just see that?" She tensed.

"I did."

Tooth blushed a little, laughing sheepishly. She cleared her throat, "um, I don't believe we've met? My name is-"

"Tooth, right? Merida's mentioned you." Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall, a smirk accompanying his attractive features. ...Well, slightly. He had stunning eyes, but... white hair? She raised a brow, though her own hair wasn't much in the realm of normality. It was raven black, fell to her shoulders in slight curls, but the tips were dyed white, red, green, blue, and yellow.

What could she say? Tooth loved bright colours.

"Mérida said- ...wait, are you the one she calls 'Frost?'" Jack laughed.

"Ha! She's called me that for ages. Ever since I beat the girl in-"

"Arm wrestle?"

"How'd you know? She doesn't typically brag about her defeats." Jack pointed out.

"I was in the same boat, haha." Her purple eyes widened with the memory, about how red Merida's face was when someone with such tiny hands could hold such strength. It was amusing, to say the least.

"You were?" Jack questioned, though it was rhetorical, she answered with a nod. "Let's just get one thing cleared up; I'm not really called Frost. That's just because I love winter so much. The name's Jack." He shot her a smile, to which Tooth immediately froze.

His... his teeth... wow...!

"Uh... you okay-"

"Oh my days, your teeth!" She suddenly chirped, grinning like a madman, suddenly invading his personal space, her hands on his broad shoulders and her eyes so wide that Jack was sure they'd swallow him whole, "oh my gosh! You're teeth! Look at them! They're so white and pristine and... wow! They're like... like snow! I rarely see teeth like these! Yours are so... so... so white, so clean so shiny-"

"W...what?" Flabbergasted, he raised a brow.

The woman halted her grin, realizing her passion had yet again, surfaced into an embarrassing side of reality. She flushed a little, pulling away from him hastily, "...sorry."

He scratched the back of his neck, slightly amused. "What was that about?"

Rubbing her arm (a nervous mannerism of hers), "I... okay, I love teeth. Just ask Mérida about it... sorry, I kind of loose train of thought."

"That's quite... a unique passion you've got there." Tooth winced, "trust me, though, it's normal compared to some I've heard of," he remembered red robins and flutes, "you planning on becoming a dentist, Tooth?" Casual talk, the perfect way to escape the awkwardness. Jack was proud - he wasn't one for smooth talking, but that was good, if he said so himself.

Tooth sighed.

"I was, once."

He blinked, "was? Why not now?"

"It's a long, long story." In other words, not going to tell him? "It's not a big secret or anything, but... oh, right! Was there a girl still in the crafts room, by any chance?" She'd lost track of time again! Not that Fei minded, but still! Tooth had a bad tendency of wasting time at the end of the day.

Jack pointed, "yeah. Her parents haven't arrived yet. She's a quiet girl." He told her, with Tooth only laughing. "What?"

"I know that all too well. Fei! Sweetheart, it's time to go home!"

Jack nearly fell over as the small girl came into the room – the physical similarities almost identical. Tanned skin, wide eyes, sparkling smiles – and tiny hands and feet. Yet, Jack asked the dumb question: "she- she's yours?"

Tooth smirked. "That so hard to believe?"

"B-but... you don't look any older than me! I mean, not that having a kid young is bad or anything, don't get me wrong-" Tooth's eyes clouded with confusion, Jack's mouth hanging agape with the shock of this reveal.

"I'm twenty-six years old, Jack. How old are you, anyway?"

Jack's eyes widened, as his tried to backtrack his mistake – slightly flustered. "I-I'm twenty."

He thought she was twenty? She found it rather flattering, if not that - at the very least endearing (what girl wouldn't?). "Well, I'm flattered, Jack. But you've just caught me on a good day, that's all." She chuckled.

Running a hand through his white locks, he shook his head with a exasperated, lop-sided grin, "well, I'll be danged..." He knelt down next to Fei, who watched the scene with a bored look, "so I'm guessing this makes her a Baby Tooth, right?"

Fei pouted, 'that was terrible.'

"Not much of a talker, 'eh?" Jack commented, Tooth smiling sadly.

"Trust me, if she could, she'd tell you a lot."

"Huh?"

Fei sighed, tapping her throat. Jack got the message almost instantly, feeling regretful. "I-"

"Don't say sorry, please. It wasn't your fault, you didn't know. At least your considerate about it." She locked up her personal cabinet, before placing the keys in her bag - feathers decorating it - and gave Jack a smile. "I guess... I'll see you again?"

He smirked, standing up, "but of course. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Jack!" Toothiana waved to the albino male, Fei copying (but growing weary - looks like she needed an earlier night than yesterday), before they closed the door.

He grinned, before pulling on his own blue hoodie, and dialling the number at the top of his list.