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arcane-vagabond · 1 month ago

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Til the Summer Comes Again: Prologue

Til the Summer Comes Again: Prologue

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x Reader

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'" — Lewis Carrol.

Summary: Stiles was a winter spirit who loved what he did. He loved making individual snowflakes. He loved the way the snow sparkled in the winter sun. He loved the laughter his creations brought to people around the world. What he didn't expect, was to fall in love with a human girl from a small town. He has until the summer comes again for her to reciprocate his feelings if he wants to remain on earth, but will the shadows that haunt her get in the way of happily ever after? (JackFrost! AU)

Content Warning: Winter Spirits, Magic, One use of "y/n", Longing, Yearning, Fluff, Prose. I think that's it, but please let me know if I missed something!

Word Count: 1.6k

Masterlist || Series Masterlist

Stiles didn’t know why more humans didn’t like the wintertime. It was his personal favorite, and he wasn’t just saying that because he was a literal embodiment of winter. Stiles loved everything about this time of year. He liked the untouched snow as it rested softly against the ground, and he loved the children who would clamber out of their warm houses to play in it. He liked how soft and fuzzy everything felt as the snow fell from the sky, and he liked watching people stick their tongues out to catch the flakes. He liked watching people dance across the ice of the ponds, sliding unseen alongside them. He liked the laughter of the children as they got the day off from school. He liked winter.

But he always wondered what warmth felt like.

He wondered what it would feel like to be snuggled under a blanket with a loved one. What it would feel like to wear a cozy sweater. What it would feel like to sip on a cup of hot chocolate. What it would feel like to embrace a lover by the fireplace.

“It’ll do you no good to dwell on it,” Noah had told him one day, eyeing him knowingly as Stiles sat perched on a branch by the pond. He had been watching the children play a game they called hockey for quite some time now, his mood growing more sour as the want to join became stronger. But he couldn’t. Because they couldn’t see him.

“I know,” he grumbled, his knees pressed close to his chest, the lower half of his head buried in his arms, muffling his words. “But I still want to join them. Why can’t they see us?”

“Because humans lost their ability to see and use magic a long time ago,” Noah explained patiently, resting a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “And it would do you no good to grow attached. You’ll live as long as there’s winter. They’ll live as long as they can. Count your blessings, son, for there is no joy in losing that which we love.”

It was moments like those that Stiles remembered why his father had been deemed “Father Winter,” having been nicknamed “the iceman” by the sprites his own age. The younger sprites, however, viewed him as a father figure, though Stiles had the privilege of actually being his son.

“But how can I know what love is if I never get to hold it?” He mumbled. Noah let out a long sigh.

“Love is not something you can hold, Stiles. It’s something you feel. It’s the feeling of never wanting to part from someone, of wanting them to be happy.”

“I feel love for you,” Stiles mused, thinking about the man he would call father if he had one. He thought of his fellow winter sprites, running around the woods and through the streets. “I feel love for the other winter sprites too.”

“That’s because we’re your family,” the older sprite smiled. “We love and care for each other. Now, come on, son, There’s still work to be done.”

Stiles thought about his father’s words often, wondering if the feeling of something missing inside of him would ever go away. Was there something wrong with him? The other sprites didn’t know what he was talking about when he mentioned it.

“I feel just fine,” Ellie would say, looking down at herself.

“No missing parts from me,” Ivan confirmed.

So Stiles stopped talking about it, and years passed. It wasn’t until one winter day years later that he realized what it was that he had been missing.

You were a tiny thing, old enough to walk and talk, but still young enough to discover the world. Your eyes were wide as they watched the flake fall from the sky, breath coming out in small clouds as you gasped.

“It’s snow, Mommy!” You grinned, tugging on the older woman’s hand. She chuckled, crouching down to meet your eyes.

“That’s right, baby. The winter sprites are working extra hard this year!”

“Winter sprites?” You asked her, head cocking to the side in curiosity. Stiles leaned in to hear better. It wasn’t every day that the humans talked about his kind.

“Yes, honey,” your mother smiled. “The winter sprites work hard every year to make sure that we have snow. Without them, we wouldn’t have winter at all.”

And then she had stood, walking off to talk to a neighbor. Stiles floated down from his perch on the tree branch, eager to see your wonder at his work. You dug your tiny feet into the snow, kicking up experimentally. You paused as you watched the snow settle, a grin breaking out onto your face. You leaned down, scooping as much snow as you could in your tiny arms. You sprung upwards, jumping as you scattered the snow about you, giggling with so much glee that it pulled a laugh from Stiles himself. You stopped, eyes wide as they zeroed in on him, an act that took Stiles completely by surprise.

“Who are you?” You called out to him, eyes wide as they took him in.

“I’m,” he started, glancing around. “I’m Stiles.”

“Stiles?” You hummed. “Why are you dressed like that? It’s cold out. Mommy says we have to dress warm or we’ll get sick.”

A smile tugged on the corner of Stiles’ lips. “I don’t get cold. And I don’t get sick.”

“You don’t?” You gasped, taking several steps towards him. He crouched down so that he was eye level with you.

“That’s right,” he smiled. “I’m a winter sprite.”

Your eyes grew so big, Stiles worried that they would fall right out of your head.

“You are?” You exclaimed, smiling excitedly. “You made the snow?”

“Some of it,” he nodded. You grabbed his hand with both of yours, and Stiles gasped at the feeling. Was this warmth? How could a creature so tiny create such a wondrous sensation?

“Thank you,” you whispered, eyes wide as they stared up at him, squeezing his hand tightly.

“Y/n! It’s time to get going!” Your mother hollered from over by her car. “We’re going to be late for your dance lesson!”

You glanced back at Stiles, smiling softly as you let go of his hand, dashing off towards where your mother stood.

That wasn’t the last time Stiles saw you, but it was the last time you saw him. He wasn’t sure why you had been able to see him that day and no other after that. But, he had sat back and watched you. He had watched you grow as a dancer. Had watched you go to school. Had watched you blossom into a beautiful, young woman. Every time winter would come, he’d be right where you were, clinging onto you until Spring forced him to let go.

The colors of the leaves had just turned when Stiles appeared again, waiting for the time when he could stick around longer than a couple of hours as the autumn sprites finished their work. His visits this time of year were limited to the bitter cold nights and the frosty days that were becoming more frequent as the months went on.

“Son, it’s time to let go.”

Stiles jumped, turning to see Noah standing behind him not too far away, a gentle smile on his face. He felt his cheeks turn red as he turned back to watch you through the window. You were curled up on your couch underneath a blanket, a mug of what he assumed was tea sitting on your coffee table as the fire crackled in the hearth. You looked content as your cat, Harlow he had heard you call it, dozed away on your lap. He imagined that was what cozy looked like, and he wished with everything he had that he could be curled up next to you, holding you in his arms.

“I don’t want to,” he murmured, eyes shining as he fought back tears. He heard his father sigh, drifting up and sitting down next to him with nary a sound. “I want to be with her.”

Noah said nothing as Stiles thought back to what the older sprite had told him almost twenty years before. He certainly didn’t want to part from you, and he certainly wanted you to be happy. If that was what Noah had called love, then Stiles wanted to know what he felt for you because there was so much more to it. He wanted to hold you, to celebrate with you when something good happened, to dry your eyes when you cried. He wanted to press his lips to yours, spending a life together with you. For the first time in his existence, he felt envious of the men who grew up and grew old. He wanted that with you.

“Is there no way that I can stay with her?”

A beat passed before Noah sighed, sitting back on the branch.

“There’s one way,” he admitted reluctantly. Stiles perked up, eyes widening with hope as he looked at the old sprite. “But I can’t guarantee that it’ll work.”

“I’ll do anything, Dad,” he pleaded.

“I can use my magic to cast a spell,” Noah started, staring at Stiles thoughtfully. “It’ll turn you into a human temporarily, but it’s up to you to make it permanent. I have a friend who lives in town. He can see us, and he’ll be able to get you settled while you work on making the spell permanent.”

“And how do I do that?”

Noah turned to face him fully now, blue eyes serious.

“She has to return your love by the first sign of spring. If she doesn’t, then you’ll turn back into a winter sprite for good.”

A/N: And here it! If you’ve been around long enough, you’ll know that I originally starting writing this series as a Bob fanfic, but I decided to write this for Stiles instead! I’m really looking forward to sharing this with you all again!

As always, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. I no longer do taglists, so if you would like to be notified on when I post, please follow my sideblog ( @arcanevagabond-library ) and turn on post notifications! You can find me and my works on AO3 under the username arcane_vagabond. Until next time!

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