[Closed] A Spring of Advice

[wintershepherd]

Characters: Jack Frost & Zatanna Zatara
Date: March 26
Location: Ice cream shop where Zatanna works
Situation: Jack needs advice on a girl, so he asks another girl! What could possibly go wrong?
Warnings/Rating: Maybe Zatanna's brain breaking a little...


Jack generally liked finding himself in new situations. He was a spontaneous sort himself, craved adventure and discovery as much as the mischief and snow, and believed that fresh opportunities were as much a part of Fun as anything. But this was so new and outside anything he'd experienced that he found himself at a loss, and thought it best to get some perspective on it before deciding what to do. It was certainly a strong distraction for everything that had been going on the last few weeks, but this on top of everything else was leaving the winter spirit feeling a bit frazzled.

So this afternoon after he was done his deliveries, he flew to the ice cream shoppe where Zatanna worked, knowing that her afternoon shift would have her here, and rapped his staff on the doorway before poking his head inside.

"Zatanna?"

Comments

[wintershepherd]

Jack suddenly found the surface of the tabletop exceedingly interesting. "She kissed me."

(Hard.

And against a wall.)

[backwordscompatible]

(Go, Jack.)

"Did you kiss back?"

[wintershepherd]

"Yes," he replied, the flush spreading a little more. "I mean," he added hurriedly, "it would have been rude not to, right?"

He drew a little frost flower on the table's surface. "And then she asked if I wanted to go on a date this weekend, and I told her yes."

[backwordscompatible]

Oh, Jack.

This was going to take a while, she had a feeling.

"You're supposed to kiss back because you want to, not because you think it's polite. Which I'm assuming you actually did, since you agreed to the date." The apron was off, now; not bothering to wait and circle all the way through the back of the store, she discreetly hopped the counter so she and Jack were on the same side, indicating towards one of the nearby tables. "And it's not that I'm not happy for you, Jack. I am. Really. I'm just...not sure I'm the best person to ask about this sort of thing."

[wintershepherd]

"You can want to do something and be polite at the same time," he countered. "And Orina's nice, it was just kind of... sudden. Not in a bad way! We just hadn't talked that much before."

Then he blinked at her, momentarily perplexed as to why she'd say that. "But you know all about dates."

[backwordscompatible]

"I know about dates. I know they exist, and that people go on them, and a lot of the time, they're even fun. That doesn't mean I've ever actually been on one."

Not a real date, at least.

[wintershepherd]

"Oh..."

Well, that wasn't what he was hoping to hear and it struck him as kind of odd, seeing that she'd made such a point of drawing the line between real dates and fake dates whenever they hung out together. (That Bunny had said sounded like real dates to him.)

"All right. I just thought it was something you might've known... I can always improvise."

[backwordscompatible]

"Improvise how?"

It wasn't that she didn't think he would know what to do when the time came. It was that she was positive he wouldn't, if their past...er...interactions were any indication.

[wintershepherd]

"I've watched other people's dates," Jack said, only belatedly realizing how strange that sounded. "I mean, when they were outside. Romantic walks on snowy evenings kind of outside. And she asked me to meet her at one of the coffee shops so I don't... think there might actually be that much walking. Or snow, because. Yeah."

[backwordscompatible]

Suspicions confirmed.

"Okay, trying to figure out what to do by watching other people? Bad idea. Very, very bad idea." she shook her head, trying not to laugh. Next thing, he'll be pulling out note cards with pickup lines on them. "They're not you, and last time I checked, you're the one she wants to date. Just be yourself and have fun." A pause. "...well, maybe tone it back on one or two things."

[wintershepherd]

"How is it a bad idea?" Jack protested. "It's not like they have books on this stuff! Wait, do they have books?"

A beat and then, "Tone back what one or two things?"

[backwordscompatible]

"They do. I think. But you don't want to go by those, either." You know, so she's heard. "Focus on showing her how to have a good time. Sort of like when you're with the kids...except, for one, I probably wouldn't try tickling her"

She still hadn't forgotten that.

[wintershepherd]

"I can do that," Jack said thoughtfully, although he wasn't sure if Orina would like the same slides and playtimes he usually conjured for the younger kids.

He hesitated when she mentioned not tickling, recalling how Zatanna's laughter and good cheer had gone out of her in an instant when he'd done it. "She didn't seem to mind my cold when she was kissing me," he mumbled. "But I guess I should probably get a pair of gloves anyway. Just in case."

[backwordscompatible]

...then again, maybe his date actually would like it.

"It wasn't just the cold. You growled at me, and two seconds later, you had me pinned to the floor. I thought you were about to kiss me or something."

[wintershepherd]

Jack was visibly taken aback by her words, stumbling over his words for a moment until he found them again.

"Zatanna, I di-- that's not... I was just playing around? Because you made me feel better after that whole thing with Kyle and then you were in a good mood so-- is that why you looked..."

[backwordscompatible]

"Well, I know that now. But, usually, when a guy does that to a girl, he has something in mind beyond just tickling."

This should be awkward. This should be incredibly awkward. Quite possibly the most awkward conversation she would ever have on the Turtle (she hoped). Yet, she couldn't help the amusement at his shell-shocked expression. Pun absolutely intended.

Welcome to hormones, Jack.

[wintershepherd]

Something of a cloud passed across Jack's expression when she said that, even though she seemed bemused at it now.

"But why would you have thought that at all..."

[backwordscompatible]

Because you asked me out once. She didn't say that aloud, of course, because a lot of his behavior since had made her question whether or not he understood what date meant. Which she was finding herself re-questioning. Again.

Instead, she leaned forward against the table's cool surface and countered: "Have you ever had a crush on someone before?"

[wintershepherd]

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yes," he answered. "Sort of."

[backwordscompatible]

New rule: she was no longer allowed to be surprised by anything he said. Just accept it at face-value.

"And how did being around her make you feel?"

[wintershepherd]

(That is probably the safest route.)

"I... she was-- I liked being able to come and see her," he said, partially unsure what Zatanna was asking here and partly because remembering was bringing up all kinds of emotions for him.

[backwordscompatible]

"Was that all?"

She had a reason for asking, of course, no matter how random the topic shift might have seemed; she wanted him to understand the difference between liking someone and liking someone.

"What about when you're together? Did you feel anything different that you didn't around other people?"

[wintershepherd]

"We weren't exactly together," he started, still seeming confused at the direction the conversation had taken but going with it for the moment. "But watching Charlotte made me feel... like everything slowed down a little. In a good way. Like it didn't matter what was going on anywhere else."

[backwordscompatible]

She let the slight misunderstanding side--she had meant literally together, not as a couple--because his next words were exactly what she had been hoping to hear. For explanation purposes.

"You liked her. Really, really liked her." Just to clarify. "Even being around her made you happy, no matter what you did. Getting to sit beside her. Hold her hand. Maybe even kiss her?"

[wintershepherd]

"No, I mean..." Jack glanced up at her and shrugged, affecting a casual tone at the recollection. "I mean we weren't together because she didn't know I was there... she couldn't see me. But I really did like her and I think that... I would have liked to have been able to do those things with her."