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IV. FROSTYS WINTER
WONDERLAND

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DECEMBER 12TH

THE MISER BROTHERS were on Sunny's shit list ━━━ which is especially hard to do considering she didn't have one. She'd faced many ups and downs throughout her life, but never before had she dealt with two people so hellbent on simply not getting along that it almost appeared like it was a full-time job for them. But thankfully, Tony had paid for all of the damage the brothers had done without so much as batting an eye when hearing what the price would be; Sunny had told him not to worry about it, be he insisted it was the least he could do for all she'd done for him and his family over the years; now paying that off that was one less thing she had to fret over during the holiday season.

Having siblings herself, she understood the constant bickering and picking fights over every little thing that made their skin crawl with annoyance and seething rage. However, her siblings always made up in the end and moved past all their feuds. It wasn't like that with all siblings as some were incredibly toxic and unbearable to be around, but after spending some time with Blaise and Noel, Sunny could see that there was still a chance for them to actually create a bond; she'd seen it for herself in the store when Blaise helped Noel. It wasn't much and might not have meant anything to anyone else who witnessed their little debacle in Walmart, but if Blaise disliked Noel as much as he led on, then he wouldn't have spared a few moments to help his brother off the ground.

All Sunny needed now was for the brothers to see it, too.

"I just don't see why you have to punish me, too, that's all." Blaise scoffed under his breath. Noel shook his head and tucked his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket, fiddling with his gloved fingers. Jack was a little way in front of them and easily maneuvering through the crowded sidewalk, his phone firmly pressed to his ear as he spoke to Sunny. They'd left the hotel not even two minutes ago, but Jack was already over the harsh cold nipping at his exposed flesh, and with no destination set in mind, he saw no point in wandering around the city with two annoying brothers who may or may not have been immortal; they refused to answer him when they asked but Jack had a feeling he already knew the answer. "This is pointless, Sunny. What am I supposed to do with them? Take them to a park and just let them run around? They'll probably scare the kids away!"

Noel scrunched up his face in offense, sidedly glancing towards Blaise. "Does everyone take us for children?"

Blaise puffed out his cheeks, adjusting the beanie on his head and covering his rigid ears. He'd never get used to the bitter cold that his brother was enjoying almost a bit too much. "I suppose," he muttered in response, clearing his throat. "I'm not surprised, though. You do tend to act like a child once things don't go your way."

Noel scoffed in disbelief.

It was already beginning.

"Must you always start a fight?" Noel demanded to know, keeping his voice low as not to capture Jack's attention. "Is it not enough that your temper is what got us sent to this Hel in the first place, but do you have to make us both miserable while we're here?"

Blaise halted in his tracks, eyes burning with anger. "Me? This is my fault?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Need I remind you that you were the one who blasted━━━"

"It was both of your faults, actually." The brothers faced forward, harshly staring back at Jack. The boy was no longer on the phone, hands stuffed in his pockets with his head tilted to the side with a boring look swirling around in his eyes. His arms were tightly folded over his chest, eyes sharply narrowed. "Mo━━━Sunny wants me to show you two around the city. . .but I have more important things to do, so, if you don't mind, I'll be leaving you two to guide yourselves instead."

"Really?" Noel asked in utter shock. He wasn't complaining, but he was surprised Jack would risk pissing off Sunny further after what happened the last time the boys were left alone. "Do you want to end up on Sunny's bad side along with us?"

Jack simply shrugged, beginning to turn away. "It wouldn't be the first time, and I highly doubt it'd be the last."

"I don't see an issue with it," Blaise murmured.

"Good," Jack hummed, turning on his heel.

Noel tilted his head and reached aside, firmly whacking Blaise on the arm. Blaise gritted his teeth, glaring towards Noel. "Why are you pouting like a child? This is a chance to━━━"

"Look around us, Blaise," Noel snapped, "We'll be lost in five minutes without his help." Blaise rolled his eyes, his gaze briefly falling on Jack's parting figure. Noel shifted, grumbling under his breath before he spoke. "I don't like it either, but I'd prefer not to get lost just yet, and I don't think you'd like that either even if your ego's too big to admit it."

Blaise mocked Noel under his breath, clenching his fists at his side. Then he sucked in a deep breath and then blew it out, trying to keep himself calm.

Noel watched in amusement, cocking a brow towards Blaise when he finally faced him again. "If you're done with your temper tantrum, we have a tour guide to catch up with."

Noel hurried after Jack before Blaise was able to respond, urking the older boy even more. He puffed out his cheeks, mumbling and grumbling as he rushed after Noel and Jack.

Jack lopsidedly smirked to himself as he heard heavy feet behind him only a few moments later, wanting to make sure they didn't get 25 feet away and get thrown against each other again to remind them they couldn't escape one another. Jack wasn't really intending on leaving the brothers on their own ━━━ though, going through with it was a tempting thought ━━━ he had to shove it the back of his mind. And with it being their first trip to New York, it was no doubt that no matter what type of beings they were, they were bound to get lost along the way.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you two to catch up," Jack said, not sparing either of the brothers a glance. Noel and Blaise shared a brief look in surprise, silently communicating with each other. "What? You think you're the only two with tricks up your sleeves?"

Blaise pursed his lips together, twisting his fingers. "Whatever," he shortly replied, examining the lively city. "Where are we going then?"

Jack breathed out a laugh, looking to Blaise. "I don't think you're gonna like it as much as your brother, but I have a feeling neither of you will enjoy it as much as I will."

Noel hummed, following Jack's lead. "I guess we'll just have to see about that."

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Blaise and Noel had no idea where they were.

If it wasn't for Jack, they most certainly would've gotten lost and struggled to find their way back to the hotel. It hadn't helped that Jack didn't speak much to them on their way to wherever they were headed, too focused tapping away at his phone. But, even with how much louder the city had become the closer they got to their destination, the more. . .joy the brothers felt inside their souls. No, they weren't happy, but with the overall cheerful surroundings and Christmas cheer that was becoming more enticing the closer Christmas became, it was almost impossible to ignore.

Blaise simply blinked, folding his arms over his buff chest. Noel stood a little off to the side of him in a similar stance, watching in wonderment as dozens of people glided across the slippery ground in an enclosed area, all dressed for winter. Jack was a few feet away from them, cheerfully chatting to a dark-haired girl that was slightly shorter than him. She was facing the opposite way so the brothers couldn't fully see her face, her hands faintly moving from time to time. More people crowded around the surrounding area, coming and going with ease like they knew how to get around perfectly. Friends of all ages stood in groups, sipping on hot chocolate or snacking on food as they chatted with their friends. Little kids tugged and pulled on their parents and siblings, leading them towards the ice skating rink with eyes shining bright with excitement.

"Does he expect us to be able to do this?" Blaise demanded to know. He focused on a teenage boy effortlessly skating, twirling around as if he'd been doing it for years. Then he and Noel saw a couple holding hands near a far wall as they struggled to stay balanced, one of them already slipping and no doubt about to take the other down with them. "We could die."

"Or break a bone," Noel said in agreement.

Blaise peered at his brother out of the corner of his eye, a small smile creeping onto his lips as Noel agreed with him ━━━ for once.

Jack skimmed over the faces that were spread throughout Rockefeller Center, eyes narrowed in concentration. He spotted Blaise and Noel near an empty bench, intently watching everyone skate around on the ice with hesitation evident on their pale features. "What are you l━━━"

"Don't look now," Jack frantically instructed, eyes suddenly widening when the girl tried to see what he was looking at. He let out a tired sigh, twisting his lips as he gazed down at the shorter woman. "I don't want them to know I'm talking about them."

Lien Tang playfully pursed her lips together, skeptically eying her boyfriend of two years. "How do you expect me to know who you're talking about if you won't even let me see for myself?"

"Trust me, once you see them, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about. And here." Jack reached into his pocket, pulling out some wadded-up cash and handing it over to his girlfriend. "Get us some skates. . .and maybe some candy. We'll meet you right by━━━"

"But Jack━━━"

Jack leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, grinning as he backed away from where she was standing with her lips parted in surprise. "See you in a few minutes, babe!"

Jack didn't wait for a response and turned on his heel. He headed towards Blaise and Noel, finding that their beady eyes were already pinned to his approaching figure. He let out a content sigh, brushing past a canoodling couple and confidently stopping in front of Noel and Blaise.

Blaise spoke first. "You don't actually expect us to do that, do you?"

Jack made a face. "Yes, I do," he said. His attention shifted to Noel, surprised to find the boy didn't seem very thrilled either. "Don't ━━━ you have ice powers, don't you? Shouldn't you already know how to do this?"

Noel mimicked Jack's expression. "My duties are to bring winters to the other Realms, not parade around in-in weapons that go on my feet," he firmly corrected, motioning towards the rink in disgust.

Jack slowly blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, they're not weapons, but I suppose they could be used as one," he responded. Blaise and Noel still didn't seem very interested or enticed. "This is called ice skating ━━━ it's meant to  be fun!"

"Just what I need," Blaise sneered, "Another way for my dear brother to torture me."

"How on Midgard do you expect me to torture you with this when I have no idea how it even works?" Noel bitterly demanded to know, brows furrowed together with irritation. "Does it physically pain you to use your brain?"

"At least I have one, you popsicle," Blaise shortly retorted. Jack heavily sighed, running a stressful hand along his face. Lien slowly approached the three boys, carrying four sets of skates for each of them; she hadn't spotted Jack right away, but as soon as her eyes had fallen on Blaise and Noel, she knew they were the ones he'd been telling her about just mere minutes ago. "All of your brain cells are probably frozen solid!"

Lien shot a wary look towards Jack as if to ask if she should come back in a few minutes. He just shook his head and moved aside, shoving the brothers onto the bench behind them. "God, do you two ever shut up?" he groaned, chest rising and falling faster than before. "Just put on the damn skates and get on the ice! All you gotta do is move your feet! It's not that hard."

"Don't bother listening to him. I've stopped doing it and life is much more enjoyable now," Lien teased, shooting a sharp look towards Jack for how he was acting. Blaise shifted in discomfort, carefully eyeing the woman. She offered them a small smile and held the skates out towards Blaise and Noel. "Here, put these on ━━━ sometimes that's the hardest part."

"Fine," Blaise reluctantly huffed, carefully taking a pair from the woman. "But I'm not going to like it."

"Good," Jack hummed, slinging his arm around Lien's shoulders, "'Cause I definitely will."

Lien shrugged him off with a roll of her eyes, muttering out a string of swear words in Chinese. Jack made a face, only knowing two words that she'd taught him a few weeks ago, but Blaise and Noel couldn't refrain from chuckling after hearing her. Lien turned her head as she tugged off her sneakers, tilting her head towards the brothers. "You both understand Chinese?" she asked in surprise.

Noel timidly smiled, answering for him and Blaise as he mimicked the girl by taking off his own shoes to tug the skates on. "We actually know every language known to man."

Jack didn't believe it. "There's no way."

Blaise narrowed his eyes, tying the laces of his skates ━━━ he only tightened them more when he saw Lien making hers as tight as possible. "He who doubts another man is lacking in becoming one himself," Blaise said in perfect Gaelic.

"That's quite poetic coming from you," Noel snickered in Latin, causing Blaise to chuckle along with him. "You come up with that one yourself?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jack hastily interjected, using his hands for emphasis in order to show them they could stop proving their point. Lien giggled to herself, pulling out a knitted beanie and placing it on her head. "Let's see how much shit you two have to say once you actually get to the ice ━━━ if you can even make it there."

Lien lightly nudged him with her elbow, giving him a warning glare. He shrugged it off and sat down to put his skates on. The girl shifted, carefully maneuvering forward so she didn't break an ankle before she stepped onto the ice. "It'll take some time, but once you get the hang of it, you'll do fine. Don't worry."

Blaise and Noel watched her shuffle past them once she'd adjusted her skates and clothing, taking very small steps until she made it to an opening of the rink. She held onto the surrounding wall as she moved out of the way of others trying to step inside, letting go and beginning to skate in the same direction as everyone else with ease.

"That doesn't look too difficult," Noel muttered, taking a shaky step forward. "I think we can handle it, or me at least."

"In your dreams, Frosty," Blaise snorted.

Jack laughed under his breath, watching with amusement as Noel stumbled and grabbed onto Blaise. He nearly took the redhead down, the two staggering the entire way towards the rink with their hands tightly holding onto each other. Lien was already rounding the rink, hiding her mouth behind her hand so they didn't see her laughing. Jack reluctantly stood up from the bench, letting out a howl of a laugh as the brothers fell on their asses as soon as they stepped out onto the slick ice.

Lien swiftly glided up to the brothers, stopping near the wall and placing her hand on it to stop herself from moving any further. Blaise grunted and pushed himself onto his feet, eyes growing wide when his feet started to slide out from under him. He desperately grabbed at the wall, seeing Noel doing the same. "Like I said. . .it'll take some time to get the hang of it," Lien softly told them, twisting her lips before offering them a timid grin. "You might wanna start by holding onto the walls and taking baby steps."

"Yeah, I think that might be best," Noel heavily panted in agreement, finally upright and holding onto the wall like his life depended on it. Blaise stood a few inches in front of him, teeth chattering and glove-clad hands clinging to anything that could possibly keep him stable.

Jack slowly maneuvered around them, almost slipping just as he reached his steady girlfriend. Thankfully, Lien quickly reacted, steadying him before he could crash as Blaise and Noel had already done so. He sent her a thankful expression, carefully straightening out his posture and slipping his hand into Lien's. "You guys look like baby deers," he snickered.

Lien snorted out a laugh. "And how graceful do you think you were just now?"

"This isn't about me," Jack defensively replied. "This is about Blaise and Noel experiencing ice skating for the first time!"

"I think I preferred it when I was far, far away from any ice and snow," Blaise distastefully grumbled, managing to get on his feet. Noel did the same, briefly glancing towards his brother. "I'd melt this all in an instant if I could."

Lien stole a weary look towards Jack. "What does he mean by that exactly?"

Jack dismissively waved his hand. "It's nothing," he answered with a faint shrug. "He's just being dramatic."

"He is very dramatic," Noel chimed in.

"I am not!"

"You are too━━━!"

"C'mon, ladies, just get to it!" Jack shouted, letting go of Lien's hand and going on his own.

Lien shook her head, facing the Miser brothers. "All you have to do is try," she said, slowly backing away. "That's what matters most."

Noel furrowed his brows together, lips parted as the couple skated away and rejoined each other on the other side, leaving the brothers in the dust.

Blaise puffed out his cheeks, rubbing at his rosy cheeks. "I'll say it once, and I'll say it again," he began, shooting Noel a glare, "I absolutely hate winter."

Noel glared back. "And I feel the same way about summer."

Blaise pursed his lips, muttering as he elbowed past Noel. Noel huffed, shoving his brother forward and nearly causing him to faceplant. He hobbled around Blaise as the man snapped his head in Noel's direction, eyes a darker shade of green. Noel carefully backed up, gradually beginning to glide instead of step in order to keep a good amount of distance between him and Blaise.

Blaise took a few steps forward, hands held out at his sides to keep his balance. People of all ages whizzed past them, a few just barely avoiding the brothers as if they went there often and knew how close they could get without bumping into someone. Noel kept glancing around, keeping a close eye on those around them and Blaise so he wouldn't be bumped into, or purposely shoved into the ground by a hothead with fiery red hair that was getting curlier with each day that passed. Gradually, Noel started to glide his feet forward more with one hand moving along the wall. A small smile appeared on his face as he started to get the hang of it, stealing a glance over his shoulder.

His smile widened when he saw Blaise slip again, harshly landing on the ice. Noel snickered under his breath, making his way towards his big brother. Blaise was muttering a string of swear words, only stopping when he saw Noel holding his hand out towards him.

"I don't need nor want your help," Blaise said with a sneer, "I can get up on my own, thank you very much."

"Get your big head out of your ass and accept some help once in a while, dear brother," Noel snapped, shaking his hand out towards Blaise to take.

"I could say the same to you," Blaise countered.

Noel nodded in agreement. "It's a Miser thing. Now take my hand before I just leave you here to freeze on the ground."

Blaise shot Noel a nasty glare but allowed Noel to yank him onto his feet. They staggered as they tried to remain balanced, tightly holding onto each other. They quickly let go and shuffled away from each other, but Jack could see they were looking out for each other as they began to balance and glide across the ice, occasionally looking towards the other to make sure they were okay ━━━ as well as they could be at least. An unknowing smile appeared on his lips, Lien grinning when she spotted it. Her gaze then followed Jack's, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading throughout her body when seeing the brothers finally skating and sharing smiles with each other as they did so.

Sunny already knew there was hope for them, and now, so did Jack.