T W O L O S T S O U L S
Modern AU || Third Person Point of View
[Trigger Warning: Mentions of Depression and Death]
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He never expected someone to understand him. He was always ever so lonely.
She never expected someone so alike her. She was always ever so alone.
Both of them were just two lost souls, lingering on the surface of the earth.
But that was before they found each other.
❆
The night was covered in hundreds of stars that glimmered in the night sky. The city skyline was glowing in neon lights and different screaming colors. The moon was full and bright, reflecting the shadows of trees and lamp posts onto the cement street.
It seemed like a perfect night.
But for Elsa Winters, never is that the case.
She may look like she leads a very wonderful life that could just make you wish you were her, but in reality her life isn't your fairytale. Or hers, in fact.
Because how can someone wish to live a life with nothing to live for?
She's been building a wall around her heart, adding one brick and a layer of cement every single time she wakes up the next morning. Wearing a smile as a mask to conceal her true feelings - hurt.
Her story's never been told. No one ever wanted to listen, anyway.
So she never spoke about it to anyone. Keeping it all deep inside her heart, hidden underneath the bricks she's been stacking. Wearing her smile like makeup.
No one seemed to care.
Sometimes, she really feels hollow. Other days, heartless and numb. But often, she simply feels alone and worthless. Because she had no one by her side to listen. No one to speak to or turn to when in need.
No one who loved her.
But she's used to being alone. She's used to being lonely. She's always often ever been that way. So she lives her life, thinking that it's totally normal to be on your own, fighting life's challenges with no one to support you through them.
She's used to it because that's how it has always been.
❆
The wonderful evening began to shatter as rain began falling, tainting the streets with puddles of water. The stars slowly vanished one by one from the night sky, and the moon was overshadowed by dark grey storm clouds.
The beautiful atmosphere of the night was gone.
But Jack Frost didn't care one bit.
The days will just come and go and even the weather changes won't make a difference in his life a single bit. Because really, what can the atmosphere do to piece up his heart? Nothing at all.
Let it rain, let it pour. Let nature take its course.
He's never really known what it's like to be loved. Or what it's like to love. Because all his life, he's been on his own. And only loneliness was there for him. It was the only friend he had - loneliness.
Nobody bothered to know his story. Nobody wanted to.
He never talked to anyone about what he really felt deep down. Never letting anyone know about his utter sadness. He's simply chosen to bury it with the remains and residues of his heart.
It never really mattered to anyone.
Sometimes, he wanted to talk about it. Other days, he would think about it. But often, he simply treats it like a mere memory, waiting to be forgotten. Because really, who would he talk to? Who would listen?
Who would understand?
But it's okay for him to just let it be. He's used to keeping it all inside. He's used to just living his life like everything is totally normal and okay, but really it wasn't. And to him, that was totally normal.
He's used to it because that's how it has always been.
❆
The rain grew stronger, and the sky growled with thunder. Everyone had taken shelter under an umbrella or under the safe custody of their roof because they didn't want the rain to soak their clothes.
Everyone except Jack and Elsa.
Her footsteps echoed through the puddled sidewalk as she walked through the rain, not caring a single bit about her clothes getting wet. The chilly breeze didn't seem to bother her at all. The rain wavered her loneliness.
He walked through the pouring rain, not bothering to use his umbrella. He let the rain taint his clothes. He liked the feeling of the rain drenching him. It distracted his thoughts.
Both lost in the rain, they didn't care about what others might say.
"Look at that idiot drenched in the rain."
"Why doesn't she take shelter for a moment and wait for this storm to end?"
"Is he seriously just going to walk through the rain like that?"
Only one thing was running through their minds throughout that time: Everyone had a say. Why didn't I?
❆
Sighing, Elsa looked for the nearest bench to sit on. Let the rain soak her clothes, it didn't honestly matter. She wanted to live through the moment when nature knew what she felt deep down. It won't last forever.
So she took a seat on the wet bench and simply gazed at the view. How the lights still twinkled in the city, despite the change of the weather. It was always like that in her life, anyways. People still lived the same way, not bothering to stop and listen to her.
She was so lost in the moment, she didn't notice the presence of another drenched spirit right next to her, with his umbrella open and protecting her from the rain.
Jack was simply walking, not bothered by the judgmental stares that he got. He was finally doing something good for him, and people still disapproved with glares and murmurs. They wouldn't listen, yet why do they have the right to speak?
He kept walking, though. Acting cool like he wasn't so irritated or annoyed by how the world worked. He was used to it, because that was how he lived his life. Always thinking to himself because no one bothered to know what really bothered him.
He was planning on keeping it that way, until he saw a figure sitting on the benches. He paused, his eyebrow quirking up in question and surprise. But he didn't ask the same questions everyone else did about him.
He simply wondered, what's her story?
❆
"What are you doing?" was Elsa's first question to the silver haired boy.
"Don't you want an umbrella?" Jack replied with another question.
"If I wanted an umbrella, I wouldn't be sitting on this bench in the rain." She shot at him, adding a hint of coldness to the already chilly breeze.
He didn't respond to this though. Instead, he simply closed his umbrella, placing it back in his bag, and joined the platinum blonde haired girl in gazing at the view while drenching their clothes in the rain.
At first, she thought he was gone. She thought he left her alone, like everybody else. But what she didn't know was he wasn't like everybody else.
She was shocked to see him just sitting there, despite her cold response. Sitting there, all soaked, and practically giving her company she didn't know she longed for.
He didn't find it in him to leave her alone. Not because he was drawn to her, but because he knew that she felt the same. She felt sadness, like he did. Because what other reason would be behind her antics? He knew that was the reason for his.
So he just sat there, doing the same as she was. Simply looking at the wonderful city lights in the distance, while enjoying the drops of rain that rolled down his clothes and his face.
❆
"I don't understand." Elsa finally spoke, ending the silence between them. This made Jack quirk up almost immediately, alerted by her voice, which sounded softer and sweeter than how it did earlier.
"Why are you sitting here with me?" She asked him, turning to look at his face for the first time. But it wasn't how handsome he looked in the rain that she first noticed, or how drenched he already is, it was the sadness in his eyes that she saw first.
"Just giving you some company." He said casually, not bothering to look at her face. If there's one thing he learned all throughout his life, it's that everyone should come first. No matter how much it hurts. "Can't leave a girl like you in the rain now."
"Is that really the case?" She asked him cautiously. She knew something was up. And from all her experiences, she's definitely learned to hear others out before speaking out. No matter how painful it can be for you.
"I'd rather not talk about it." He simply said. He wanted to talk about it deep down, but he just couldn't right now. Not even when someone's willing to listen.
Because he's gotten so used to being neglected, speaking up felt foreign.
With that, silence crept in once again. And the two figures sat in the dim light of the moon, gazing out at the wonderful city view, enjoying each others company secretly.
❆
The rain may have wavered Elsa's loneliness, but it never wavered her thoughts. And as she thought of everything that made her hide away her heart, she found herself speaking to the odd guy that sat next to her about it all.
"You know," She began, her hands intertwining. "I may never know the reason to why you decide to sit here. So, I'll let it go.. and just assume you're here to listen."
Jack may have been shocked about it somehow deep down, but he didn't show it in his face. He simply looked at the girl's face for the very first time throughout the night. He may have taken note of how her hair gleamed in the moonlight, or how her face was dripping with rain, but what he really noticed was how her features were tainted with nothing but hurt.
"Just.." She sighed, pushing a stray piece of hair that had wandered onto her face behind her ear. "Just play along with me, please?"
"I'll listen." was all he had mustered. But he knew that he meant it. He hoped she believed he did, too.
She toyed with her fingers, taking a deep breath, before she spoke softly, her emotions flowing out of her body. "You see, no one honestly wants to hear about my life. I mean, who would? It's too ugly and sad and ugh.. I don't know. People think it's amazing, practically a dream. But how could my life be a dream? It never was, never will be. Once they hear the back story, they'd probably pity me."
"You see, when I was young, I saw the world differently. It was just like tonight, before it began to rain. Just wonderfully perfect. Just like any fairytale." She continued her story, staring into the distance, before paying attention to something insignificant nearby instead, like a leaf or a puddle. "But then.. I guess all good things come to an end."
She paused for a moment, feeling like her heart was trying to break free from all the bricks and walls she had built. Why was it trying to get out? She couldn't understand. Instead of being numb, she began to feel it all again - her hurt, her sadness, and most of all, her aching heart.
"T-They died. They all did. Why did they? Why?" She said in a whisper, a hand flying up to her mouth to muffle her soft sobs. She didn't understand why she broke. She didn't understand why one simple story telling made years of practice go away.
Despite her sudden breakdown, she needed to finish the story. She can never let it go when she never ends it. "My parents died in a car accident w-when I was still a child. I n-never really understood they were gone until I was a teenager. Then.. then it was my s-sister's turn to leave me alone to rot."
"E-Everyone told me to let it go. They s-said I should move on." She said, still sobbing slightly. "So I pretended I did. I built walls to bury my heart in, a-and I wore a smile. But to be honest.. I never can let it go. I never can let them go."
"I mean, come on. H-How can you live through life w-without anyone, anyone at all, who'd be there for you?" She remarked, ending her story, tears flooding down her eyes.
He simply pursed his lips at her story, silently watching the broken girl pour her emotions out of her system as she sobbed quietly. He felt sad. For her, for him, for everyone else who had to go through this. He simply thought to himself, why did this story seem all too familiar to me?
He ran a hand through his hair, before landing it on her back. Sighing, he began to rub it slowly for comfort. "There, there. Let it all out."
And it was like that, just Elsa crying her whole heart out while Jack rubbed her back trying to comfort the girl, while the rain continued to pour out like the tears from Elsa's eyes.
❆
Elsa sniffled, wiping her tears away from her eyes, as she finally stopped crying. She knew why she found comfort in the rain, but what bothered her was why she found comfort in the boy with a head of hair that looked almost as white as snow.
Jack simply kept patting, staring at the reflection of the city on the puddle in front of them that continued to grow with the rain.
He wanted to tell her. So much since he's sat there next to her, since she's shared her story, but at the same time the sound of raindrops were enough to him.
She wanted to hear his story, though. Wanted to figure out so badly why he was there anyways. For sure there was a story behind the loneliness she saw inside.
But of course, knowing full well that he had no intention of sharing that story, she decides to break the silence with a question that she didn't know would strengthen the pain he felt.
"Why is your hair white?" She asks innocently. "That obviously isn't natural."
He sat straighter, taking his hand off Elsa's back, heart pounding in his chest. The memories he was trying to forget came flooding into his mind.
"Would you listen?" He muttered, barely audible through the rain, but Elsa heard it loud and clear.
"Of course." She breathed, her voice as comforting as the rain. He sighed, running his hand through his soaked, disheveled hair.
"My story isn't as different as yours. Someone dies and I start to live my life alone, with no one to love or live for. Death didn't seem to care for our happiness, huh?" He started, chuckling a little even if there was nothing funny about it.
He stopped to take a glance at the girl who was supposedly listening to him. She was just staring at her feet, pursing her lips. He couldn't tell if his comment hurt her, if she zoned out, or if she was still listening to him, but he decided it was best to just continue.
He stared straight into the citylights in the distance which looked more like stars due to the rain, before he spoke once more. "It was my mother who died, back when I was still a young boy who believed in dragons and had crazy dreams that were out of reach. I loved her, still do up to today, but I never really knew her because she left me a bit too soon."
"My father was broken by this. I knew from the very day of my mother's funeral that something was up. But being a young boy with an imagination bigger than the earth itself, I didn't think he'd become a drunken prick who would yell at me and treat me like I was nothing but garbage for looking a hell lot like my mom." He said, his voice breaking at the last word. He knew he could cry, that the girl on the bench wouldn't mind at all, but he was so done being a young boy that he chose against it.
He bent down slightly to ruffle his hair even though he knew it wouldn't do much to keep it out of his face, before speaking once more. "I started to dye it when I was merely 14, in hopes he'd treat me better. I was pretty naïve and I thought that it would do me justice. But then he still treated me like one of his cigarettes, pretty disposable. So I decided to go away. Leave him to be a worthless father and live somewhere as far away from him as possible. It barely sounded like a plan, but that didn't matter because my father's death came sooner than expected, and I didn't shed a tear. You could say I was heartless, but after everything he did, should I really cry for losing him?"
At this point, Elsa was staring at Jack. She felt pretty sick knowing how his father treated him, pretty sad for the loss of his mom which made everything in his life worse. And then, she felt understanding because they were pretty much the same. Left alone with no one to lean on.
"I don't remember who made the call, but I was taken into an orphanage. I lived there until I was old enough to leave, because no one wanted me. I mean, I'd turn into a soulless being. Who'd want a child who didn't even feel like he felt anything?" His lower lip trembled, the cold of the rain finally settling into him. But it didn't bother him. He wanted to get drenched in the rain anyway.
He continued despite many things telling him not to. Like how the figure next to him probably already knew enough. Probably had enough information to absorb. Probably didn't really care and was listening just because he listened to her. He continued though, because this felt right, like telling a stranger who understood was some kind of help. "I'd felt an urge to talk and reach out. Everyday, always. But of course, no one cared. No one listened. I guess I was just pretty lucky to stumble upon someone on a rainy night."
With that, he ended his sob story. Silence soon creeped in but they were contented. If anything, comforted enough to last a little bit longer in their lives.
Suddenly, Elsa piped up. "You still haven't answered my question."
Jack turned his head towards her, eyebrows creased in question and confusion.
She decides to repeat the question she asked earlier, completely convinced that he didn't remember her asking. "Why white?"
He let out a breath, leaning back against the bench, before replying like it was no big deal, even if it was. "I'd chosen white because it was a contrast to the dark brown hair of my mother."
"Oh." She simply replied, and the comfortable silence that filled the atmosphere earlier returned.
❆
The rain was starting to weaken, and the city started to stare back at them, looking more than just constellations.
It was a nice view, to be fair, but the two loved the rain. The rain is what brought them comfort. More importantly, what made them stumble upon each other. So they were scared that it was ending. Scared that maybe the other soul next to them would leave as soon as it's over.
And it also scared them to think that somehow, they didn't want the other to leave. It scared them to think that they had actually found comfort in someone who was not permanent. Someone who was probably going to get lost among a sea of strangers the next day, never to be seen again.
"Will you leave?" Elsa asked quietly when the rain had weakened enough for the both of them to wipe stray water droplets off their faces.
She realized how selfish that sounded so she immediately added. "You can if you want to." She felt a blush creeping to her cheeks and she was grateful it was dark that night.
That got Jack thinking. Somehow, the question had confirmed to him that she also felt this weird comfort being around him. And somehow, it scared him. So much questions were consuming all the space in his head, but right now it was her question that needed an answer.
Not giving it much thought but meaning it with all his heart, he replied with a small smile. "I'll stay as long as you do."
That was the first time he had ever smiled throughout the night, and that caught Elsa's eye. Of course, it ended as soon as it started and they were left in yet another comforting silence when she chose not to reply.
She was taken aback though. She hadn't quite understood why the simple statement Jack had uttered affected her so gravely. Her heart was racing in her chest, and with that she knew he was starting to mean something to her. More than just a person listening to her story. More than just a stranger who tried lending her an umbrella. More than just comfort.
She decided to steal a glance at him, and he was just staring at the sky - or at least, trying to. It seemed like his mind had gone to the clouds, which was actually the real case here.
Because he was trying to tackle the questions that Elsa's question had brought to him. And as he keeps crossing one question after the other, he grew more and more afraid of how much he's let the girl in the rain matter to him.
They weren't just comfort to each other anymore. No longer strangers, and yet they didn't know each other's names. Didn't know what the other did when the sun shined and the sky was clear. Didn't know anything but what wounded their hearts and tainted their souls.
And they both knew that had to change.
"What's your name?" Jack manage to croak out, mind finally back on the ground.
"Elsa.. Elsa Winters." Elsa simply replied, and before even realizing how silly it was, she stretched out her hand for him to shake.
He simply stared at her pale hand, bewildered. But he shook it anyway. "Jack Frost."
And that's how their night turned from a comforting calm quiet to an atmosphere of ice breakers that made their hearts almost beat in time.
❆
It was almost midnight. Strangely enough, neither one of them noticed. They were both engrossed in the calm quiet they lingered in after finding out that the other soul that sat beside them liked the color blue too. They were too into their heads now though, questioning everything they have once known and everything that they didn't know at all.
Too familiar to the feeling of loneliness, both were too afraid of what they think was happiness that would be lost once again.
Because everyone left them, why wouldn't the other lost soul do so too?
Sadly, neither one of them had even considered the possibility that the other lost soul wanted to stay. Wanted to at least feel the presence of someone for once in their lives.
"It's really late. You sure you'll be willing to stay?" Elsa broke the silence with a quivering voice, slightly on edge because she was too afraid to hear him say no. Too afraid that once again, she'd be left alone. Not like she didn't know how it felt to be alone - she knew pretty damn well - but she wanted to linger in this new feeling of being close to a living human being who understood for a little (a lot) longer.
Jack turned his head to look into her eyes, searching silently. Trying to see if she wanted him here at all, or if she was hinting that he should just leave because she didn't need his presence anymore.
Of course, as much as he wanted to stay, he would comply if he saw at least a slight glimmer of irritation in her eyes. Being invisible all thoughout his life, he was used to putting others before himself. Used to being used. And as much as it pained him to be rejected by Elsa, another broken soul, he'd get up and leave if she wanted him to because he'd be honored to have at least been hurt by someone who understood.
But then what he saw was not rejection. It wasn't irritation or boredom or even exhaustion. Not a glimmer or hint of wanting him to leave. What he saw, was more than need. More than pleading. It was something he's never seen before. An emotion no one had ever felt around him or for him.
It was a silver lining for Jack. A little shimmer of hope. An assurance that for once, he was wanted. He was needed. He was longed for and he was definitely not useless and invisible.
And this made him happy, which made him scared more than anything in his life because for once, he would have something to lose.
But of course he just replied a simple answer, not bothering to face the fears that were screaming at him. "Like I said, I'm staying if you do."
With that, Elsa smiled for the first time the whole night, a single tear falling down her cheek. She couldn't have hidden it from Jack, saying it was the rain, now that the storm clouds had gone and cleared. So as soon as it fell, she wiped it off, smiling wider at Jack, finally showing him how much she appreciated him through her eyes and her wide grin.
She was happy. Happy to show her heart to him. But she couldn't deny the fact that she felt really bare and vulnerable without all the walls that wrapped her heart.
❆
Fears enveloping the two, doubts started clouding their vision of what they really wanted - which was happiness. And though they had already felt it for a slight second, they grew more and more afraid because for some odd reason, they felt more lost than they once had.
With the rain gone and the night turning day now that it was way past 12 am, they didn't know why they were even staying.
So Elsa stood up, squeezing her clothes slightly in hopes that it would get warm - not that she was bothered by the cold. She looked at Jack, knowing well that he stayed because she did, and stretched her arm out to help him stand.
This slightly startled Jack because he didn't want to leave. Not yet. Not ever. But time flies and moments end, so he took her hand and steadied himself, before turning to the soaking figure who helped him up.
"Thank you. For staying. For listening." Elsa croaked out as soon as her blue eyes met brown. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, before her brain-to-mouth filter stopped working. "For having the effort to lend me an umbrella in the rain. For sitting next to me even if I rejected you. For everything you've done for me in less than a day. Really, thank you."
The emotion in her voice was so raw, it made Jack forget where he was for a moment. But everything the girl in the rain had said just now changed his life for the better, and as soon as he uttered his own thank you to the girl, which consisted of a breathy two-worded statement, he hugged her so tightly, their hearts finally beating together.
She understood immediately that even if all he said was two words, he was also saying so many different things. That the thank you meant so much more than just thank you. She knew he was saying that she mattered to him too. That listening to his story helped him unleash the loneliness and free it from his system. That meeting her was the best thing that has happened to him ever since his mother had gone.
She understood, which was one of the reasons why she didn't pull away when he hugged her. Didn't flinch at all. In fact, she welcomed him into her arms that it almost felt like they were two puzzle pieces supposed to join together to finally make a whole.
When they finally pulled away, though, they knew that this was no longer a moment. Or if it was, it could never end. They wouldn't let it.
"Meet you again here tomorrow?" Elsa asked the silver haired boy with caution, playing with her fingers in nervousness.
Jack beamed as soon as she asked, showing her how delighted he is to finally have a friend. "Seven o'clock it is."
And with that they parted, soon to meet again, their hearts finally filled with a feeling that they never knew could exist in them. A feeling that had been so foreign to the two lost souls. A feeling that reassured them they had finally found what was missing in their lives.
And that feeling was happiness.
T H E E N D
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A U T H O R ' S N O T E
Damn. 4900+ words for a one shot. Who knew I would ever write something that long?
But yeah, here it is. A brand new Jelsa one shot. Something you've been waiting for, huh?
I'm sorry it took forever to write. This has been saved in my drafts since last year and I thought, why not finish it? Although I can't deny that it was pretty hard, since I didn't know (more like didn't remember) where I was going with this. But tbh, I really loved this one. Probably one of the best one shots I could've written.
Alas there might not be more to come considering the fact that I am going inactive. But I have a lot of ideas flowing in the coconut shell I call a brain that maybe, just maybe I'll write another one soon. But don't get your hopes up.
I don't wanna make this A/N long since I know you guys are probably tired from reading such a long story. But I know in my heart that I can't end this without saying thank you to all of you.
So thank you. For sticking around. For reading this. For receiving an update on one of my books. You guys are one of the most important things to me, one of the most important reasons to why I even made this one shot. Without you, I wouldn't be writing this. So again, thank you.
I hope to write for you again soon. If I find the passion that made me make this once again, I'll promise you I will.
But for now, I shall go. And I hope that even if I go inactive, you'll still stick around and wait for a miracle which we call an update.
P.S. Jack's eyes here are brown because his eyes are actually brown. They only turned blue when he fell into the lake but in this story, that never happened so yeah.
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