Jack has NEVER worn a pair of shoes. What happens when Tinsel the elf makes him a pair and gives him no choice but to try them?
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"No."
"Aw, come on Jack. It's Tinsel! He's your little buddy." Jack let his teeth grind together as he clenched his jaw. He didn't like shoes. He didn't like the idea of not feeling the Earth beneath his feet, the freedom that having nothing covering his feet. He had NEVER put on a pair in his immortal life.
"I'm not wearing them, Stray, give it up." Jack turned around to leave but stopped short as Tinsel stood behind him. The little elf held up a pair of blue shoes. Not any with strings, just slip on shoes. He swallowed at the innocent look on the little guys face. He hadn't ever been able to tell Tinsel no in the past to anything after seeing him being casted out of the other elves. He was the runt.
Tinsel lifted the shoes as high as he could as an offering. He knew Jack didn't like shoes but thought that maybe if he made them then Jack could protect his feet. He had seen the scars his feet held from stepping on random things. He had also watched Jack step in so many messes that were made here. He watched the struggle in Jack's eyes before he reached for the shoes. Tinsel let himself smile as Jack took the shoes.
Jack moved to sit on one of the couches as he watched Tinsel hop up beside him with a big grin. He ignored the laughs coming from Stray and the other Seasonals. They were all hanging out at the Pole today due to some dinner North and Manny had planned for everyone in their world. No one knew what it was about but nothing good ever came out of Manny making a plan.
"I'm only putting them on for a few minutes, Tinsel. No more than that." The little elf nodded his head before Jack took a deep breath, slipping them on. He moved his toes around in the shoes before frowning.
One time. One time Jamie had gotten him to place a shoe on and it nearly suffocated his foot. It felt to tight everywhere on him that he threw it off and told Jamie to shove it. This shoe thought, it felt light. It gave his foot room to move around in a comfortable way. He placed the other one to find it felt the same.
He looked to his little elf friend as Tinsel smiled. Jack wondered if Tinsel had put more thought into making these shoes than he thought.
Jack stood up before wincing, his feet felt weird. He took a step before stumbling. He was off balance. He heard the others laughing but ignored it as he got himself back up. He looked at Tinsel with surprise as the little elf started yelling at the other Seasonals in his own languages for laughing at him.
"Easy, Tin. I'd be laughing at them too if they were in my situation."
Jack let himself walk around in them for a few minutes before he realized these shoes weren't actually that bad. He looked up to find Tinsel smiling at him bigger than he had seen the elf smile before. It was then he remembered anything Tinsel ever made didn't get given to anyone other than him.
Maybe he could keep these for a while.
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2 Weeks Later
"Jack...why do you wear those shoes when you are here?" North had noticed Jack had started wearing a pair of shoes in the Pole. It was only here that he wore them though. He watched Jack turn to him with a slight smile before glancing to the elf in his hoodie hat. He watched Tinsel give a bright smile before pointing to himself.
"Tinsel made them." That's all Jack had to say for North to understand. He knew this little elf had attached himself to Jack the minute the boy became a regular in their lives. North watched as Jack walked away with Tinsel and laughed a little to himself. There was still a little wobble in his step despite wearing them the past few times he had been at the Pole.
North wondered if anyone else knew about Jack wearing the shoes.
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Ares
He had noticed the shoes. He just wasn't going to say anything.
If there was one thing he had learned about Jack Frost, if something new happened to him, he never wanted anyone to point it out more than once. He knew that almost everyone had pointed out his shoes other than him. He had watched Jack become slowly more uncomfortable with wearing them as time went on.
He wanted to say something about not saying anything with anyone but if Jack heard wind about that, he'd get an earful for trying to protect him.
"Jack, you're shoes just look amazing today." Ares rolled his eyes at Katie who was going out of her way to talk about the new pair of shoes Tinsel made. These were a black pair with gold laces. He knew Tinsel was going for Nightmare theme just like he had with any other pair he had made for the boy. Ares felt himself tense at the will to say something but kept it down. He didn't want to start anything with anyone.
"Katie, tone down the shit." Ares couldn't help but hide a laugh behind his paw. The laugh was short lived when he saw dark blue in Jack's eyes instead of the normal light blue. Jack was done with everyone's comments.
"I like the shoes. Tinsel made the shoes. I wear them here in the Pole because I like them here. It protects my feet from the sticky mess all the other elves leave around and the damn Legos they throw everywhere. I never give you any shit for those ugly dresses you wear on Saturdays."
Ares couldn't hide the laugh then at Katie's expression. He watched as Jack and Katie got into it then, throwing insults back and forth.
He watched Aster walk in to see them going at it before his son just rolled his eyes. He walked up, grabbing Jack by the hoodie before carrying him off like a kitten being carried by his mother.
"Leave my shoes alone, Katie, before I start commenting on your stupid headbands!"
"Shut your mouth, Popsicle stand!"
Ares laughed as he walked away. There was never a dull moment with the Seasonals.
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Jack does continue to wear the shoes, you'll see them in other chapters :)
I do have other chapters that are going to be posted sometime today so those will come out after I get back from my classes today.
I hope everyone is having a good day!