Hello everyone! :D This is the one shot for my 1st place 100th reviewer on FC: pandy334. She asked for a Pitch/Jack Father/Son story and I came up with this. Now they be a bit OCC but this was about the best I could get close to how they act to make it work for the story. :P So Enjoy Boy of Nightmares!
Pitch had been plotting for a long, long time. He had been waiting his time to take revenge on those so called Guardians. They are stupid to believe they could completely defeat fear. Fear was always there, no matter how hard you fight it.
They don't understand fear is needed in the world to keep it balanced! Without fear children and adults alike would surely being getting them selves hurt or killed. It annoyed him greatly when humans started to jump of things or go near things that spiked their fear but just kept doing it.
He loathed dare devils, acrobats, and any others who used fear for enjoyment.
Sure the up side was he got more power with every spike, but the taste was not the same. Every type of fear tasted different. Like for drowning it was a similar taste to water, heights tasted like cotton candy (light and air-y), and so on but when they used it for enjoyment it always took a bit of a bitter taste as it was mixed with happiness or excitement.
Children's fears were always the purest. Not understanding what was causing the fear and letting their imagination only fuel it more made it as sweet as honey.
Teen and young adult's fears were not always as sweet. While some of them that still try to cling to their childish mind-set, it only works so much as they now have an easier job at trying to find out what is making their fear.
Adult and elder's fear usually taste like the baking chocolate cooks use. A tint of sweet but mostly bitter. Adults are normally hardest to scare since they believe 'they know everything and nothing could surprise them enough to scare them.'
Pitch scoffed as he lounged in his throne-like chair. Not that he cared about what others thought of him. Him, the King of Nightmares, Pitch Black did not need others to like him.
He watched the shadows slither around the room; frankly he was to put it simply…
Bored.
He normally let his nightmares spread the frightful dreams , but tonight he felt like going out.
Getting up gracefully he glided out of the room and lair was soon looking at the moon-less sky.
Oh how he hated the Man in the Moon, or to those 'good' spirits Manny. He was the one who made the Guardians, he was the one they helped them end his rule.
Yes he truly hated the Man in the Moon.
Just the fact that he was not out tonight made Pitch's normal dark mood lighten ever so slightly. He walked off into the shadows of a tree and disappeared.
Not knowing that in only a short while he would meet the one person, or more like child, that would change his views forever.
(Line Break! Hope you like this story! Line Break!)
Pitch had been out for a few hours now, maybe three or four? After spreading some nightmares he was finally in the town a little a ways from his lair. It was called Burgess and was founded a little over 320 years ago.
Not many children lived here it was mostly adults and teens. So getting power from this town wasn't very easy.
He was about to leave when he caught a flash of white in the corner of his eye, he looked over to it. Just an empty ally, a few boxes with frost on them.
Since it was only early November it made him a bit curious about the frost, but shrugged it off. After all it didn't matter so why care about it?
He turned about to leave but-
Pitch slipped slightly on the patch of ice that came out of no where. "AGH!" He fell flat on his back. He lay there for a moment as he caught his breath.
He sat up when he heard a small sound that resembled a child's laugh. He looked around and sneered. "Show your self or I will make you face your worst fears!"
He waited a moment and was about to think the person or thing had left when a snow ball hits him square in the back of the head. He gasps at the cold chill that followed the snow as it slid down his back. "He-he you're funny, Mr. Nightmare Man."
Pitch turned around to see a small child, no older then 5 looking at him in amusement. The child had shaggy wind swept pure white hair, pale China-like skin and light blue eyes. He wore a small hoodie with overalls over a white shirt and no shoes. "Hello! I'm Jack Frost!"
Pitch stared at the child in shock. He could feel the slight chill in the air that hung around the boy, he could also see the thin branches of frost that curled around where he stood.
After about five minutes of just staring at the child, who said his name was Jack, he blinked when he found him waving a hand in front of his face.
"Hello? Mr. Nightmare Man? You wake?" Jack asked with his small voice, his doe eyes watching Pitch's every move.
Pitched snapped out of it enough to sneer. "Yes I am awake you annoying child. Also my name is Pitch Black, not 'Mr. Nightmare Man.'"
Jack just shrugged. "Sorry. I have been following you for a while but never heard your name. I saw you giving nightmares, so I called you that."
Pitch looked shocked. He was a master of sneaking and hiding! How could this child have followed him with out him knowing?! He frowned. "How long have you been following me?"
Jack played with his hoodie zipper, which unsurprisingly seemed frozen to the bottom of it. "Since you walked out of the forest over there a few hours ago."
He pointed in the direction of his lair and Pitch's look of shock only was coupled with his jaw dropping slightly. The child had practically been following him since he left his home! It was astonishing to say the least.
"How-?" He asked the boy in from of him, he wasn't one to normally show his emotions but something about the child made it hard to do so.
Jack shuffled his bare feet. "I'm good at hiding and sneaking, and I'm really quiet. No one can see me, so I get to keep the stuff that people leave out."
Pitch almost face-palmed when he realized why he felt the cold from Jack, he was a winter spirit! Which would make sense why he couldn't be seen, it was harder to nearly impossible for season spirits to get believers because people just thought they were 'myths' for why the seasons changed, much like he was just a 'myth' for why children are scared of the dark.
Rolling his eyes at humans stupid-ness and looking back to the boy he stood and wiped off his robes. "Well as nice as it was to meet you Jack, it is time I go."
Jack's eyes suddenly filled with fear, and Pitch was surprised that Jack's tasted similar to vanilla ice cream. "No! I-I mean we just met why don't we talk more?"
Pitch's inner surprise showed as he looked over the child. His fingers were tangling them selves in his shirt and hoodie, his feet shuffled slightly and his blue eyes keep moving from Pitch to the ground.
Something else swelled inside his chest. It had been a long time since anyone had wanted him around, a child no less. A part of him, the Boogieman part, was telling him to just leave the child and go home. The other keep fighting back says this would more then likely not happen again, that he should get to know the child that didn't seem to have fear of him.
Finally he sighed. "I guess I can stay a little longer."
Jack smiled brightly. "Follow me! I will show you were I live!"
Jumping into the air, Pitch was once again surprised as the boy began to fly away. Pitch watched him for a moment, debating if he should follow him or go home but just sighed again and shadowed to where he was closer to Jack.
Following the boy just a bit deeper into the woods he came to a lake. Trees and a small boulders formation surrounded it, it looked rather breath taking. Looking around he looked for a small home or tree house of some sort but was shocked to find none.
"Where is your home, Jack?" Pitch questioned.
Jack just shrugged and landed on a low branch, balancing on it like a tight-ropiest. "I usually sleep on the branches or in snow piles."
Pitch stared at the child; he didn't even seem sad about not having a real bed or home! Jack sounded and looked happy and carefree.
Pitch frowned. "Just how long have you been like this Jack?"
Jack fused his brows as he counted on his small fingers. "I'm 300 years old."
Pitch almost fell on his rump. The boy had been a spirit almost since this town was found! How had the boy survived so long by him self?! Pitch was surprised when he found him self speaking these thoughts out loud.
Jack looked bit fearful as he rubbed his arms through his hoodie, as if he was cold which couldn't happen. "I said I was good at hiding and sneaking. And people are always leave stuff out…"
Pitch felt like Jack was leaving something, but decided not to push it. After all he had just met the boy!
"If you have been around so long surely you have met other spirits?" Pitch asks, it was the first thing he could think to ask in the silence that had fallen over the two. He frowned a bit more when he saw Jack flinch slightly and a light spike of fear come from the child.
"Y-Yes' Jack stutters slightly as he looked anywhere but Pitch. "I have m-met a few they weren't, uh, very nice to me."
Pitch felt his frown go deeper. "Why would that be, Jack?"
Jack rubbed his arms. "Well they don't like my pranks sometimes, and get upset. And don't like me 'cause I'm younger and a winter spirit, so they says I kill people."
Pitch's eyes widened as Jack almost whimpered the last part and curled in on him self, as if he was bracing him self for being hit. Pitch moved forward, without even thinking he pulled Jack close to his chest. He felt Jack flinch when he first touched him and lay stiff as a board for a moment before relaxing and holding tightly to his robes.
Pitch blinked and seemed to finally realize that he was holding the shaking boy. Never had he held a child that was fearful, let alone one he was trying to comfort! He didn't know what to do, or say.
But Jack didn't seem to need that as he pulled away and wiped his tears away. Smiling weakly the boy moved a bit away from Pitch and rung his hands in his shirt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…You know."
Pitch coughed slight to focus him self to focus and not feel the slight pang of hurt of Jack moving away from him. "Think nothing of it."
Looking up he saw the sky was now a lot lighter and the sun would soon be out. "I believe it is time for me to go."
Just as Pitch stood up Jack grabbed his arm, almost yanking him of his feet. "Wait!"
Pitch frowned at the pleading look in the boy's eyes. "What? I'm afraid I can not say any longer I must return home."
Jack let go of him and shuffled his feet slightly. "I…I wanted to ask if…if maybe I can go with you?"
Pitch froze.
Jack seemed to notice this and quickly began to talk. "If you don't want to take me that is ok! I mean I have been alone for this long its ok. Just being alone is really lonely and since you look lonely I thought maybe I could go with you. But that's ok! I-I'll just stay here."
By the end his face a bit blue, either from embarrassment or lack of oxygen Pitch couldn't tell. Really his mind was still trying to process that Jack wanted to go home with him. Normal after spending time with the Nightmare King people were happy to keep a distance, but Jack didn't seem to.
Jack now had his head down and was slowly walking away, he might as well have had a storm cloud over his head from how down he looked.
Pitch sighed, but couldn't help feel that odd emotion swell in his chest again at Jack wanting to spend more time with him. "Come along, Jack. I will not walk all the way home so you must go my way."
Pitch stumbled slightly when Jack hugged him tightly before letting go and smiling brightly again. "Thank you, so much Pitch!"
The feeling swelled again and Pitch couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're welcome, Jack."
Pitch picked him up and made him look him in the eyes. "Now this might feel a bit weird or even a bit scary but don't worry ok?"
Jack nodded and held tightly to Pitch's robes as he moved over to a shadow of a tree and disappeared.
This was the beginning of a very odd relationship.
(Line Break! BoN-BoN-BoN-Line Break! BoN-BoN-BoN)
(Time skip 1 month)
Pitch didn't know how to relay take his revenge against the Guardians and Manny anymore. He hated to say it but if not for Manny he wouldn't have Jack. He had certainly been surprised when he had found out…
Flashback:
Pitch and Jack were just sitting around in Pitch's lair since it was the middle of the day, in the middle of summer. Since his lair was far underground it was cool enough for Jack to be there, and since it was day both couldn't do much till night fell.
Finally Pitch decided to ask a question he had been meaning to ask Jack since 2 weeks ago when he met him. "Jack?"
Jack was playing with some ice blocks he had made out of boredom. Even if he looked 5 he sometimes acted like a 10 year old or even a teen when he was moody enough. Jack seemed to have two halves of him self, his kid side and his spirit side. Jack was mostly seen as his kid half, where he is carefree and mischievous. When something became serious his spirit side showed, the side that when you looked into his eye you could see an old man in a child's body. An old man that has seen wars and hunger, and sadness and loss, but still held on for something even he didn't know what was.
Both sides were complete opposites, yet seemed to completely summarize Jack Frost.
"Yea?" The boy asks without looking at him, trying to stack another block on the ones that were already 20 high.
"How did you become a spirit?" Pitch asks.
Jack froze, which was very odd since he never did that in less you were hitting a sharp part in his past. "I-I'm not completely sure."
Pitch knotted his forehead where his eyebrows would be. "Why?"
Jack set the block down and turned around to face him. Pitch could see a bit of spirit Jack showing through as Jack sat cross legged on the floor in front of him. "Well, I don't remember anything from before I woke up-'
Pitch didn't mean to interrupt but couldn't help but ask. "Wake up?"
Jack shrugged and continued. "I woke up at the bottom of my lake, I didn't remember anything. Something started pulling me out of the water, I looked up and saw the moon."
Pitch stiffened slight at mention of Manny but didn't interrupt, wanting to listen to Jack's story.
Jack sighed. "I broken through the ice and got my first breath of air. The moon was so big, like it was calling to me but it seemed distant. Like it wasn't completely sure what to do about me."
Pitch masked his shock thinking. "Manny saved or even brought back from the dead this sweet boy, only to not know what he was going to do with him?!"
Jack didn't seem to notice, to far in his memories. "It- It told me my name and then it just went quiet. I landed back on the ground and the ice fixed it self. I felt the wind begin to pick up, as if it was alive and happy to see me. I played around with the wind and found out I could make frost and snow. It took me into the air and it showed me what my frost looked like from up there, I was so excited! I saw some lights coming from a bit a ways and saw a small village."
Pitch smiled slightly at Jack's excitement but knew what was to happen next and felt pity for the boy in front of him. He was just a child after all, and too him, a full grown man, it was painful to get walked through no matter if it's the first or the 100th.
Jack's happy voice dulled slightly as he continued. "The wind took me there. There were people walking around, I tried saying help but they seemed to ignore me. When another boy walked towards me I acts him why everyone was ignoring me…He just walked right through me. I kept calling for people to look at me, answer me…but no one did. I went back to my lake and tried to get the moon to talk to me again but it did and wouldn't even till now."
Pitch gasped. "Manny has not spoken to you in 300 years?!"
Jack shrugged slightly and rubbed his arm. "If that is what his name is then yea, he hasn't said anything to me but my name that night."
Pitch fumed. "How dare he! How dare he make you a spirit, and then completely ignore you! Where have the Guardians been this whole time?! Even if I despise them they should have at least token you in!"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Pitch gave him a stunned look. "You do not know who the Guardians are?"
Jack nodded a 'no'. "Should I know?"
Pitch blinked. "You don't know: Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny or the Sandman?"
Jack twitched slightly. "In order: I have tried to break into Santa's workshop before but I never got past Phil, I have seen maybe one or two of her fairies but never her, I…don't like the Easter Bunny very much, and I have only seen his dream sand but never him."
Pitch sat there quietly. Right now he wanted to go storm into the workshop and all the other Guardians' homes and destroy them because they ignored Jack, and if his hate could get any deeper for the Man in the Moon it just did with hearing Jack's story.
Yet he couldn't help but silently thank them for ignoring Jack, because if they hadn't Jack wouldn't be with him right now. He would still be as lonely and hollow as his lair was. Jack had brought some life back to him, Jack understood the need for fear even if he didn't completely like his was of spreading it sometimes. He looked forward to when the boy dropped in to do nothing more then say hello and tell him all he had done that day.
Soon they fell back into bored silence.
Flashback End:
What didn't surprised so much as annoy him greatly was Jack was very forgiving. Despite them ignoring him for all of his life Jack didn't hold too hard of feelings towards the Guardians. He only had a grudge against Bunnymund was because he blamed Jack for Easter of '68 when it had been an accident.
Suddenly he felt a taste of fear he, dare he say it, hates to taste. It was Jack's vanilla like fear that he had only felt maybe three times since he had met the boy. He had learned it took a lot to scare Jack, so for him to feel it he knew Jack was in trouble.
Quickly getting up he rushed over to a shadow and to where he could feel Jack's fear was coming from.
Reappearing he found he was at Jack's lake, but looking at it he froze. Near the middle of the lakeJack was crying in fear as he tried to keep him self from drowning. Jack held as tightly to the ice as he could but with his splashing it was getting wet and in turn slick.
"Jack!" Pitch cries, moving forward.
Just as Pitch got to him Jack's hold finally slipped and he went under. Not caring about the cold biting at his gray skin Pitch plunged his upper body into the water and barely was about to grab Jack's wrist.
Since Jack was as light as a snowflake he easily pulled him up and out of the water. Jack coughed up the bit of water that had gotten in his lunges and shivered in fear on Pitch's lap.
Pitch panted slightly as the adrenalin left him and he shivered too, but from cold as much as fear. His own fear was very bitter, like black coffee. He had never really feared anything before so tasting his own was new and a bit frightening. It worried him slightly that this child he had only known for a month was about to scare him as much as he had. But he also couldn't bring him self to care, he only cared that Jack was ok.
"P-Pitch,' Jack whispers, making said man look down at him. 'Thank y-you."
Pitch smiled weakly and held Jack closer to him, who didn't argue and just held tighter. "Think nothing of it, my boy."
Pitch froze then he said this. Did he really think of Jack as a son? To be technical Mother Nature was his daughter and since Jack was a winter spirit that sort of made him his grandson. As strange as it sounded he was happy about that.
Jack didn't seem to notice as he drifted to sleep by Pitch's slightly warm body.
Pitch looked at the half unconscious Jack and gave him a small but warm smile. "Sweet dreams, my boy."
Pitch decided to drop all revenge plans against the Guardians, at least for now. Right now and hopefully for forever more, he had a child to care for.
Hope you liked that pandy! :D R&R PLZ! Ta.
GWDG