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Chapter Text

Music was blasting through the vast structure that was North’s Workshop. Wines and sweet, sugary drinks were virtually flowing through the Globe Room, various Elves and Yeti scrambling to and from the kitchens. Gold eyes watched as the hairy creatures garbled and barked at one another, Elves scurrying underfoot like the nuisances they were.

Pitch, ever the wallflower, stood off to one side of the vast room, nursing a glass of eggnog that had been shoved into his hands by an enthusiastic Sandman. He hadn’t really drank form it, only considering it with a small sip. But after the disgustingly thick and sweet drink touched his tongue, he immediately resolved to just swirling it in his hand and pretending to enjoy it whenever someone looked his way. Not that many were looking at him; and he was quite glad of this.

North’s annual Christmas parties always followed with a private after party with himself and the other Guardians. No one else was allowed to attend these private parties, so it had surprised Pitch when North had approached him with an invitation. He was still reeling from the fact that North had even invited him to the Christmas party itself – he nearly choked on his drink when the Russian had also invited him to the after party.

And despite it being months since their fatal encounter with the Monkey King, Pitch supposed things were…not great, but better. It was still a bit tense and awkward between him and the other Guardians. Not that there was any lack of trying on either side – Pitch made the honest effort to get along with them, if only because Tooth asked him to. He got along with a couple more than the others, and he supposed this was a good thing.

He and Sandy had somehow down the line manage to a fairly stable acquaintanceship. It even came to a point where they were actively swapping ideas for more ‘strange’ dreams humans often get. Those dreams between nightmares and good dreams – more Sandy’s territory, but at least now Pitch knew why they came to be. Who knew lucid dreams were the result of Sandy getting into North’s stores of ‘special’ eggnog?

And Jack…Pitch both wanted to snarl and smirk. Oh that brat knew how to play him like a damn harp. One minute he’s just having a rather one-sided conversation with Pitch (did that brat not know when to let others talk?), the next moment he was shoving snow down his jacket and laughing hysterically as Pitch chased him around, shrieking like a homicidal banshee.

All in good fun, the sprite would say – despite any bloody noses or bruises, “That’s just how he shows affection!” he’d say jovially.

Pitch supposed the sprite only pissed him off for attention. Damn frost-bitten, snowball throwing brat…

Things with North were also going fairly well – if you left out the fact that Pitch would actively avoid the Russian. Not because North was rude or mean, not at all. But he was so damn abrasive! Pitch was also scared for his life when North had once virtually cornered him and shoved a cookie down his throat. Then he was subjected to nearly having his sternum broken in half as Phil the Yeti tried to Heimlich said cookie out of his windpipe. Sad to say, Bunny was quite amused – until Pitch hacked up the cookie and nailed him right in the eye with it.

Bunny…never let it be said that the Pooka could not hold a grudge. Pitch was both annoyed yet happy that Pooka was keeping a ten foot barrier between them. The less idiocy he was subjected to, the better. He could only imagine the antics Bunny would try to get him to if he actually liked Pitch. Maybe he would try to get him to paint some eggs or something. Hmm, he wondered how Bunny would react to a black painted egg…

Great, now he wanted to paint one black just to see Bunny’s reaction.

Pitch sighed, swiftly setting his untouched eggnog on a tray being carried by a passing Elf. Blowing a strand of hair out of his face – he’d need to get it cut again soon – he leaned back into his little corner with his arms crossed.

He watched as the Guardians laughed over something North had said, food and drinks scattered about the room on trays and plates. He so far hadn’t touched much of the food, not feeling up for North’s overly sweet and sugary confections. Tooth would probably get on his case about cavities anyways.

‘Why the hell am I ever here…?’ he wondered.

Oh right. North. Apparently the Russian had gotten tired with this strange distance between he and the Guardians. Ergo why he invited Pitch to the party and after party. Madness…

“We have yet to bury the axe my friend!” he had bellowed.

“Hatchet…” Pitch corrected the Russian.

North blinked, “Why would you bury perfectly good hatchet?”

‘Well why would you bury an axe!?’ Pitch wanted to snap, but instead ignored the Cossack.

Raking a hand through his hair, Pitch adjusted the collar of his new cloak – or jacket it was more like. Apparently, since it was the season, gift giving was even extended to him.

Pitch smiled slightly, fingering the soft material. Tooth had seen fit to commission it from North, before she added vine-like gold embroidery to the collar, bottom edge, and sleeves. His necklace hung down from his neck against the criss-crossing lace that held the coat to his frame, similar to the plunging neckline of his old cloak. It closed slightly just below his ribs, before it opened again to expose his belly – it was supposed to close all the way, but Pitch couldn’t help himself. Nor was he opposed to Tooth’s wandering eyes. The drag was much shorter than his old cloak, making it easier to traverse the deeps now, and ended just at his knees. Knee high boots adorned his feet, Tooth finding it unacceptable for him to go without them during the winter – the same gold embroidery boasted along the tops and outer sides of the boots.

He sighed again, watching through hooded eyes as Tooth scolded Vidya and baby-Tooth for pigging out on the punch bowl. The Mini-Fairies giggled before they flitted away from her, Vidya coming over to Pitch to perch on his shoulder. He grinned, raising a finger to poke her head.

“Causing trouble again?” he chuckled.

Vidya only gave an innocent look, “What are you doing over here? The party’s over there.”

“Exactly why I am over here.” Pitch responded –Tooth had managed to charm his necklace into a kind of translation devise for him, so now he could understand his fairy friend without her having to write what she was saying.

Vidya rolled her eyes, placing her chin on her tiny fists, “How are things under the palace?”

Pitch smirked, withholding a chuckle.

“Splendid.” He drawled.

He could recall as if it was yesterday, when his wound completely healed – leaving a scar a shade darker than his skin – Tooth had shyly approached him as he removed the bandages. And then proceeded to not so subtly ask him a very important question.

“I-I mean, the caves are real nice, if you like that kind of thing,” she said uneasily, hands wringing, “And…well, it would take years to get rid of and fill them. And we just don’t have that kind of time. So…and you said you’d be my Guardians so…and we have the extra room now, so…”

Pitch listened tentatively, slowly slipping his cloak back on as he peered at Tooth from the corner of his eye. He was barely managing not to smirk in delight at Tooth’s fidgeting, but he held his tongue until she was finished.

“-and your lair is still pretty hot and humid, and your Nightmares are probably still piles of sand – not that I think it’s a good thing! But it just seems that, well, I think you should, maybe, kind of, sort of…”

“Toothiana…” the fairy queen froze, Pitch smoothing the creases of his cloak as he turned to her.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” he asked, smirking.

Tooth flushed ten shades of red. Pitch only chuckled and approached the fairy queen, hands folded neatly behind his back. He loomed over her, taking her chin in one hand so she was forced to look up at him.

“You, my songbird, are adorable.” He chuckled.

Tooth had nearly fainted, the new nickname he had come up for her nearly knocking the breath right out of her.

Vidya rolled her eyes at Pitch’s smug expression. How mature…

Though really, she was actually quite glad he had made a second home out of the tunnels and caverns left by the Monkey King. He had done a great job of reconstructing the caverns too.

When she first saw the Boogeyman’s secondary home, she had thought she had entered an underground city of Greece ruins. Pillars of dark grey stone stood proudly over oasis of dark water, gnarled, dark trees looming over any who passed. Waterfalls spat out from cracks and crevices in the walls, and fountains carved into snake heads added to the cool waters of the caverns.

From the cracked ceiling hung more of Pitch’s cages – but the only thing inside of them were strange, dark plants only he could name growing out of them like ivy. Stalactites became free hanging platforms for more plants and eerie snake carvings. Small monuments and temple-like structures dominated the walls of the main cavern, all hosting ominous shadows and crawling with more plants. And in the center of the cavern was a large lake, surrounding a single island holding nothing but a large tree, and a well at its trunk.

The well – a simple stone brick cylinder – was no ordinary well. It was a portal that lead to Pitch’s old lair, and to various other wells he had scattered about the world for his personal use. Pitch had found that having pre-build portals saved him much energy when it came to travel. The portals could only be used by him and those he allowed to use them – mainly, Mini-Fairies. They used the wells as shortcuts to different parts of the world, flitting to and from Tooth Palace in record time, much to Tooth’s delight. Tooth collecting had gone up 40% in only a month!

Though she did ask why Pitch chose wells of all things. He had only smirked and said,

“Have you ever seen the movie, The Ring?” he asked, “And truly, come spring and summer, can you imagine the terrifying legends of a black Naga rising from wells around the world? It’s genius!”

Tooth was never letting Pitch pick their movies again. Ever. And she was never letting Pitch and Vidya brainstorm ideas for frightening people again. Ever.

Though this did not mean Pitch was the only inhabitant of the caverns. Many fairies had made little homes in the nooks and crannies of the ancient looking garden. Many of the stone buildings were used to house some odd items that had no home in Tooth Palace – Pitch was quite amused to find many Mini-Fairies collected animal teeth and other oddities, and he had been delighted to allow one Mini-Fairy that liked to collect animal bones the use of his caverns; he had named the fairy Bones.

Vidya sipped her drink from the tiny thimble she been offered by North. She and Pitch continued to watch the festivities, neither feeling like joining in. Too bad they had little to no say in the matter…

“Pitch!”

The named Boogeyman jumped, Vidya squeaking in surprise and spilling her drink on herself. Scowling, the puffy fairy glared and Pitch glared over at North as the Russian lumbered over to them, grin wide and positively radiating wonder.

“What is it Nor-GAH!” the poor Boogeyman didn’t stand a chance.

Her perch now taken up by a bushy white beard, Vidya fled from the tight confines of the one armed bear hug North had Pitch in – or perhaps it was better described as a headlock. The Mini-Fairy winced in sympathy as Pitch was squeezed to the point of his back popping.

“North…!” He rasped, voice cracking as he tried to pull out of the too tight hug, “Can’t breathe…!”

North only laughed, releasing Pitch only to smack him harshly on the back. Pitch cringed; that was definitely going to bruise.

“Pitch my friend! Why the long face? You should be joyous today!” North bellowed.

Pitch groaned, straightening his jacket and stretching his vertebrae, “And pray tell, why should I be ‘joyous’ today?” he groused.

“Because! Today is simply a joyous day!”

“…again, why?”

North chuckled, Pitch cringing as the Russian laid a beefy hand on his narrow shoulder. North grinned ear to ear, gesturing to the other Guardians in the room.

“What more is needed? We are all together, safe and peace between us now settled?” he said. Pitch frowned.

“I wouldn’t call a sealed contract peace…” he said uncertainly.

“Bah, skeptic,” North said, “We all may be under contract, but truly, do you not feel better about our situation now?”

Pitch’s jaw tightened. But he had to give it the Cossack, he was quite…content with the current places he and the Guardians now stood in. Honestly, if someone had waltzed up to him and said he and the Guardians would one day have a strong truce and he would one day somewhat work with them, he would have clocked the person in the mouth and then sicked his Nightmares on them.

And really, who would have thought the price of peace between them would be at the cost of a piece of paper?

Pitch sighed, shaking his head as he recalled just a few months ago – perhaps a week after his recovery – that North and the others had approached him with a proposition…

“…a contract.” Pitch deadpanned.

“Yes, a contract!” North bellowed across from him, “After some talking, Manny has agreed to…shall I say, allow you some leeway.”

Currently, he and the Guardians were seated in North’s main office around a large table. Although he was well and his wound had healed some days ago, North had insisted on keeping him at the Workshop for some unknown reason. He would have outright told North to piss off and left had it not been for Tooth. She did not say much, but said they were working on some way to smooth things out and make things easier for both sides.

He supposed this was going to be a result of their long thought considerations…

“Which means?” Pitch asked, quirking a brow suspiciously at the others.

“It means that you can go on scaring kids and stuff, but only if you keep to just frightening them, and not trying to harm them.” Bunny broke in, obviously impatient and not at all liking the idea.

Pitch blinked, frowning, “You are saying I’d be signing a permit for you all to put a collar around my neck.”

“No, Pitch!” Tooth said, rolling her eyes, “We’d allow you to do what it is you are meant to do. The only condition is that you don’t try to destroy us and take over the earth.”

“Or scar kids for life.” Jack added.

“Frost, scarring is part of my criteria. I can’t just not scare kids into reconsidering doing something utterly stupid.” Pitch scowled.

“And that’s a good thing!” Tooth said, shooting Bunny a look before the Pooka could protest, “Look, there would be exceptions. You are more than welcome to scare kids into making better decisions, and to ward them away from danger. We’re only asking that you not try and hurt anyone.”

Pitch’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms in thought. Don’t hurt anyone…but scaring was a form of harm; mental, sure, but still harm. He was seeing so many loopholes in this so called ‘contract’ of theirs, and he was not about to let them spring one on him if he was only doing what he was made to do.

“And my Nightmares? What of them?” he inquired.

“They are allowed to do as they wish, provided they do not invade Sandy’s dreams,” North said, “They may cause bad dreams to those who have not been touched by Sandy’s sand.”

“Basically, it would be finders, keepers…” Pitch muttered.

“Essentially.” North shrugged.

“And my power?” Pitch glared, “If I were to reach a power level close to what I had in the Dark Ages, what will you do?”

“Like we’d allow you to reach that level…” Bunny snarled.

“Bunny,” North warned, before turning back to Pitch, “We won’t do anything – provided you do not abuse your powers. You may continue as you should, but must run any experiments and new ideas by us first.”

“And? Should the same not apply to you?” Pitch groused, “If I am to continue as I may, you lot are going to find ways to get around any new techniques I may develop. And I refuse to be kept on a short leash.”

“Is true, we would run any new ideas to combat fear and darkness by you.” North said, holding a hand up to Bunny before the Pooka could protest.

Tooth rolled her eyes, laying a hand on Pitch’s arm to get his attention.

“We only want what’s best for everyone, not just ourselves,” she said, “This contract would not be a leash or a collar for you. If anything, it would be a flexible thing we can make adjustments to down the line. But for now, we only ask that you do what you were made to do, and only that.”

“We understand you can’t help being you and doing what you were meant to do. We don’t want to hurt you, Pitch. I – we – all care about you…”

Pitch bit his lip, looking at Tooth from the corner of his eyes before averting his gaze to the table’s edge. He crossed his arms over his chest, lips thinning in thought. The others waited patiently, recognizing that he was truly taking the situation apart piece by piece and examining every art of it. This was a good sign in their eyes; it meant Pitch was taking this seriously, and giving even more serious thought to the matter of forming a truce.

“…if I were to go on doing what it is I am meant to do,” he started, catching their attention, “Who is to say you won’t show restraint and outright attack me?”

“We cannot guarantee we would not interfere…” North said levelly, “However, we will do our best to not jump to conclusions. You do not interfere with our work, we will do the same for you. It will just be a matter of…trial and error.”

Pitch frowned, posture tensing. That was probably the best he was going to get out of them at the moment. And if he were honest, he wasn’t too sure if he would be able to resist the temptation of tainting Sandy’s dreams or sabotaging one of them for a laugh or two. So he supposed they were on even ground, all things considered.

“And should one of you attack me, and vice versa?” he inquired.

The others looked at one another uncertainly, before they all turned to North. He sighed.

“Penalty for contract violation – minor violation – would result in a day or more confined to the offender’s home, depending on how large violation is.”

“Are you serious?” Pitch scoffed, “The punishment for either party is a ‘time out’?”

“I voted we tie you to a pole and flog you…” Bunny growled.

North shrugged, “Is best we could think of for minor violation. Plus, it keeps animosity between us at minimal.”

“And a high violation?” Pitch leaned back in his seat, “Say if I completely turn against you lot and try to subjugate you all?”

North didn’t hesitate, crossing his arms, “Then we tear up contract and fight you. We back to the way things were.”

“Though we doubt that’ll happen,” Jack broke in, “I mean, would you really go against someone like Tooth?”

The Boogeyman looked to the fairy queen, who smiled brightly at him. His cheeks colored slightly and he looked away. Damn, if he did decide to completely turn on them, he wouldn’t be able to fight against Tooth…

“And the Tsar?” he asked.

“What of Manny?” North inquired.

“The Tsar is childish and naïve, should he see something I am doing he does not like, he’s going to order you lot to attack me,” Pitch said with a scowl, “My only real concern is whether you will put your blind loyalty to the Moon before our deal.”

“Contract was Manny’s idea!” North said.

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Pitch said firmly, “You all may or may not realize it, but you essentially work for someone who is a child at heart and mind. And children are fickle things, their minds never fully focused on one thing. And they are dreadful at keeping promises that don’t benefit to them. So I’ll ask again; where will your virtues lie?”

The Guardians paused, looking to one another uncertainly. They knew Pitch was going to pick at this like a woodpecker, but they never thought he would mentally pit them against their leader and their integrity.

Tooth was unsurprisingly the first to break the silence, reaching over to twine hers and Pitch’s fingers together. She smiled up at the uncertain Boogeyman, squeezing his hand slightly. The look in her eyes, so full of compassion, understanding, love – it told Pitch all he needed to know. She wasn’t going to leave him or let him get hurt. She would not leave him to his own demons this time.

And judging by the looks the Guardians were wearing, they knew this as well. It filled Pitch with a smug sense of accomplishment; having ‘turned’ a Guardian against the others in its own way. He had honestly thought he would turn Jack on them. But he wasn’t complaining. In the end, Tooth would choose him over the Guardians.

North finally spoke after a pause, linking his hands together over the table.

“We will always be loyal to Manny,” he said, “However, our personal affairs have nothing to do with him.”

“I beg to differ…” Pitch muttered, earning a playful shove from Tooth.

“In any case, you, Pitch, are our business,” North continued, “Manny’s only involvement is agreeing to let us draw up this contract. Nothing more. And unless he somehow becomes involved, this is our affair, not his.”

Pitch crossed his arms again, giving each of the Guardians a searching look. He felt Tooth touch his arm absently, as if trying to comfort him and soothe his thoughts. Long seconds stretched into minutes, the Guardians becoming more and more uneasy by the minute. Pitch would be lying if he said he wasn’t milking it a bit for his benefit. But for now…

“…I can perhaps work with this,” he said, “However! I want a verbal and written agreement on this, and I want the same done for an agreement of you lot allowing me to use my power not just to survive, but to live.”

North nodded, grinning jovially, “Is deal! And we have already drawn up contracts. Phil!”

The mentioned Yeti entered the room from where he had apparently been waiting outside the door. In his large hands he held a large sheet of paper scrawled with elegant writing and boasting silver filigree borders.

The Yeti set the paper on the table in front of North, bringing over an ink well and quill from the Russian’s desk. The Yeti then went over to what appeared to be a series of levers by the main window of North’s office. Pulling one, a skylight opened up above them, filling the room with silver moonlight. Moonbeams spilled over the large table, Pitch frowning and pressing back into his seat as if the Moonbeams were venomous snakes. Tooth took his hand again and squeezed it, smiling up at him as the beams settle.

North picked up the contract and the quill.

“Now! We all sign with Manny and Phil as our witnesses.” He said.

“Great, an overgrown hairball and a rock are my witnesses…” Pitch grumbled.

Bunny shot him a scowl, but North quickly placated the Pooka before he could retaliate. Silently, North signed his name at the bottom of the contract before passing it over to Sandy. One by one, the Guardians all signed their names before passing the contract on. Bunny had hesitated at first, but eventually did sign his name before passing it to Jack. The frost sprite scrawled his name before passing it to Tooth, who wrote her name in elegant cursive just under North’s.

Pushing the paper over to Pitch, they all watched him as he accepted the quill. He regarded the contract levelly, eyes narrowed as he seemed to be reading over it word per word. When a full three minutes passed, Bunny groaned and threw his arms up.

“Just sign it already!” he snapped.

Pitch rolled his eyes, but did not comment. North pushed the ink well over to Pitch, the quill having run dry. But Pitch ignored it. Instead, he took up the quill and, to the other’s surprise held his free palm upwards. With a swift flick of the wrist, and a gasp from the others, Pitch pricked his palm with the quill, his inky blood dripping from the quill tip. Once he had enough, he pulled it back and clenched his fist, signing his name in elegant cursive just beside Tooth’s name. The blood seemed to write before it settled and soaked into the paper, and he pushed all three items back to North.

“Blood runs thicker than ink.” He said, barely paying any attention to their gaping looks.

After a moment, North nodded and accepted the contract from Pitch. Rolling it up and tying it with a red ribbon, he pushed it to the center fo the table. Everyone watched as Moonbeams swirled around it, lifting the paper from the table before it vanished in a burst of silvery light.

“Manny shall hold contract for us,” North said in response to Pitch’s questioning look, “Lowers risk of tampering.”

And as they say, that was that.

“…it is acceptable.” Pitch said after a pause in his memory.

“Acceptable? Hah! You are the one who got the girl in the end, I would say this was more than ‘acceptable’.” North chuckled, snatching a tankard from a passing Yeti.

Pitch shrugged, pushing North’s arm off his shoulders.

“Perhaps, but it still makes me wonder why I am here at all.” Pitch said.

“What do you mean?” North asked, noisily chugging his drink by the smell of it, Pitch could only guess it was alcohol laden eggnog.

He sighed, “North, I am not a Guardian – I probably will never be a Guardian. And yet here I am, at an after party exclusive to you lot, and I have no idea why.”

North looked at Pitch oddly, setting his tankard aside. He slapped a hand on Pitch’s shoulder, grinning widely.

“You may not be a Guardian, but that does not mean you are not family!” he bellowed.

Pitch blinked, dumbfounded. North, seeming to sense Pitch’s confusion – or rather seeing it plain as day over the Boogeyman’s face – only chuckled and pat his shoulder. He leaned towards Pitch conspiringly, a strange twinkle in his eye.

“Tooth loves you, and you are family to her. That means you are part of our family as well!” he said.

“And that means you’re stuck with us Boogey-boy!” Jack suddenly broke in, startling Pitch. The sprite smirked at Pitch, his breath stinking of eggnog and cookies.

He winked at Pitch, teeth sparkling through his smirk, “You have nowhere to hide!”

He said it in such a foreboding manner, Pitch was almost impressed. In fact, ‘almost’ nothing, Pitch was impressed.

Tooth was suddenly by his side, all attention now on the Boogeyman. Much to his dismay; he was trying to be discreet!

The fairy queen grinned at the Boogeyman, linking her arm around his own.

“Come on Jack, leave him alone,” she said, “He’s not used to parties.” She punctuated her words by pinching Pitch’s cheek, and he gently swatted her hand away as she giggled.

The others laughed, Bunny grunting something about wallflowers and buzz-kills. Pitch only rolled his eyes, sliding an arm around Tooth as he regarded the other Guardians.

“As much as I enjoy a party, I’m afraid I must wish you lot goodnight,” he said, before smirking, “Oh, and I’ll be taking this lovely lady with me.”

With a yelped, Tooth was suddenly pulled into a shadow with Pitch. They tumbled through the darkness, Pitch laughing hysterically in glee before they landed hard on their feet in the middle of Pitch’s secondary lair. Tooth, dizzy from the sudden transport, clung to Pitch as she swayed. The Boogeyman easily held her, muttering a chuckled apology.

She shook her head, clearing it of the vertigo. She blinked, looking up at Pitch with a pout.

“That wasn’t funny…” she said.

“Are you kidding, that was hysterical!” Pitch chortled.

Tooth scoffed, smacking his arm playfully as she tried to squirm out of his arms. But he held her tight to his chest, grinning down at her.

“What?” she asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Pitch said nothing, instead lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. A small thud was heard suddenly, and no sooner after that, music.

Tooth blinked as the slow, steady melody echoed throughout the caverns, making it seem louder than it actually was. Confused, she looked back at Pitch. He only grinned and stepped back from her, bowing deeply before he held a hand out.

“May I have this dance?” he purred.

Tooth blinked, dumbfounded, But once his words sunk in, she grinned widely and laughed, taking his hand.

“You may.” She said.

Grin widening, Pitch pulled Tooth back to his chest, settling a hot palm on her hip, the other holding her hand out. A dainty hand rested on his shoulder then as Tooth kicked her wings into gear to be at a proper level with the tall Boogeyman. Waiting for a beat, they began to dance, swaying gentle to the beat of the music.

For minutes, they simply swayed and spun, Tooth’s giggling only breaking through the melody every now and again. Pitch chuckled at her gasp when he suddenly stepped onto the black water, but he did not sink. Ripples expanded over the surface with each step he took, Tooth staring down at their feet in awe as they danced over the lake, his feet never once breaking the surface.

“It’s rude to stare at one’s feet when dancing.” Pitch chortled.

Tooth bit her lip, unable to fight the excited grin breaking her face. She squealed as he suddenly spun and tipped her, the tip of her crest nearly touching the pond surface. She laughed as he pulled her back up, spinning her round and round as he muttered the lyrics of the music.

Tooth sighed, laying her head against Pitch’s throat. The thrum of his voice traveling through his neck was soothing, rumbling like the purr of a cat. He tightened his arms around her, her wings flickering before stopping altogether, the only thing now holding her up being the Boogeyman himself.

They weren’t even dancing anymore at this point, simply holding one another and swaying in lace, Pitch’s feet barely moving. He sighed against her crest, pulling back from her slightly to look down at her.

“Toothiana…” he said lowly, eyes hooded.

Tooth smiled, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek.

“I love you.”

END.