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English
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Part 20 of Bye Bye Birdy
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Published:
2014-02-02
Completed:
2014-02-06
Words:
2,468
Chapters:
3/3
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41
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568
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Feathers will fly

Summary:

Hey look, it's Baby Tooth! Jack is pleased to make a new friend in the middle of a blizzard.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

SNOW DAY! Or rather, it would be once the sun came up.

Jack whooped as the wind whipped him down the street, hand and staff flung out to cast frosted swirls over building walls and windows, calling snow down from the sky to thickly blanket the town.

Who didn’t love waking up to freshly fallen snow? It was a pristine canvas begging to be played with! The kids were going to –love- it.

The wind threw Jack over a fence, letting him coast the air with nothing to hold him up before catching him once more. It was like a roller coaster with no guide rails to give you warning where it was going to turn or loop de loop and it was Jack’s favorite playmate.

Though the Nightmares ran a close second place.

And nothing beat Pitch.

Dizzy with the spins and turns and upside downs, Jack took a break on a power line which he promptly froze with a long string of icicles because what was the point of new snow when the kids stayed inside to watch TV? What was the big deal with TV anyways? It was a noisy box that played pictures. Going outside for a game of Snowball was –far- better.

Jack noticed a few nearby lights go out, but shrugged. Sometimes you had to sacrifice of a few things if you wanted to have fun.

The air was thick with snowflakes now, and Jack laughed. Arms out in front of him and stick firmly gripped between his hands, he danced down the power line like a tight-rope walker and just as fearless. When he reached the part where the line split and trailed off to the side towards a house, Jack continued to follow it.

He liked to leave little pictures on kid’s windows, just for them. And- ohey. What was a hummingbird doing out in this weather?
It was tiny and green and blue and smacked right into the side of the building as it fought the wind, not Jack’s Wind but an every-day sort of wind, and it was losing fast. Jack jumped down from the thick electrical line and let the Wind with a capital W boost him up to snatch the bird from the air before it broke wing trying to fly in a snowstorm.

“You should be sleeping little guy, it’s after dark! Didn’t your mother ever tell you to be careful in bad weather?”

Yet when he peered into his cupped hands, hoody sleeves pulled over his fingers to protect it from his natural chill, it was not a hummingbird. “…oh. Hey little Tooth Fairy, what brings you out this far?” Hands brought close to his chest to block out the not-so-friendly blast of air, Jack studied the tiny thing.

So. Cute. It had to be a girl. Or a baby. Only girls or babies were this darn cute. Something about her looked different from the ones he remembered at the North Pole, but that wasn’t important as she cheeped at him like a hatchling for food. “It’s okay little Tooth, baby Tooth, really really small Tooth, I got ya. You’ll break something if you stay out here though, where are you supposed to be going?”

She held up a shiny white tooth, newly exchanged for a gold coin.

“Guess kids lose teeth even in bad weather. Especially in bad weather? You know how they can be, always up to dangerous stunts.” He winked at her and tried to decide what next.

“…wanna go home with me? Just till you warm up a bit? I don’t really know what to do with you otherwise. “Not getting a response other than some chattering teeth, Jack started to tuck her into his hoody pocket, only to reverse the motion to put her in his hoody hood instead because he didn’t think the Nightmare would appreciate the intrusion.

“This will be fun! Bet you’ll never have seen a place like our place, and maybe if I see you home later I can look around yours. I’ve heard it’s really pretty! Think your Mama Tooth would mind?”
Jack never actually needed a reply, cheerfully chattering to himself as he took off into the air which was a blizzard of snow now and other breezes, but Jack’s personal Wind would see him safely home.

And then he would show off the lair to his new friend!

Because of course they would be friends, hard not to like someone who just saved your life. Jack knew this with experience! Several experiences. A few too many experiences. “Did you know, tiny Tooth, that Leprechauns have really short tempers? I mean seriously short. Just like their height. And they really, seriously don’t like it when you point out either of those facts.”

Jack giggled, the wind spirally him around a mostly-invisible clock tower. “I didn’t think it was funny at the time, but I thought it was hilarious afterwards. Though Hollow asked if I was gunna try my hand at being a Spring Sprite... HA. Not when that long toothed kangaroo is still around. Grumpy bastard.”

He almost missed the cheep coming from his hood.

“What did they do? Oh, let me tell you all about it!”

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Jack crouched on a thick black chain, close to one of those giant spiked cages. “Yeah, those? Never go in those. For any reason. Because they’re booby-trapped and lock when someone goes inside. It’s not very pleasant so just try to stay out of them, kay?”

His tiny feathered fairy had defrosted and no harm done apparently, though they were having too much fun for her to flitter away so soon. Jack was showing her all his favorite places to play!

There was the library where he spent most of his time, even for sleep because it was boring to sleep alone and the first time he crawled into Pitch’s bed the Nightmare King had thrown an absolute –fit-. It’d been pretty funny, and had cured him of sleepiness at the time, so it had all worked out.

There was the Antarctica Room where he slept when really, really tired or injured or wanted to go play in the snow without having to make his own or travel really far to get to it. AND it had the best Snow Castle ever thanks to Sandy and his architectural skills.

There was the massive Great Hall where all the cages and chains and pathways and tunnels and odd things lay about and Jack used it as his personal obstacle course because it was just FUN.

“I think we can skip the bathing room, I never much cared for baths howabout you? It’s too much a hassle trying to keep the water from freezing. Ever take a shower in a waterfall? MUCH better option. The swans like to bath a lot but they’re swans. And girls.” He poked the jewel-toned fairy in the side as she examined the giant bird cage. “Like you! And see? The bars are so small even you’d be trapped in there until someone let you out so don’t get trapped. There are so many cages I might never find you if you do.”

 

***********

 

Pitch’s shadow senses were tingling. Something was afoot. That' something' was most likely a 'someone' and that someone would be Jack.

He knew the boy was in the Great Hall. But what he was doing in the Great Hall… He should go investigate and perhaps remind Jack how bad an idea it is to frost over the Globe of Believers. Again.

Pitch rubbed at his aching head with a sigh.

Oozing through the shadows to the Great Hall, Pitch looked for his Sprite weaving among the chains swinging high above. Usually he had a team of Nightmares playing a game of tag with him but he seemed to be all alone this time. …no. He was trying to catch something. Something small and brightly colored.

He hadn’t.

“JACK!”

The sudden roar threw Jack off course and he hit the side of the cage face first. Hands scrambling to grab onto a spike before he fell, the boy looked down with a bewildered stare. “Pitch?”

“What were you –thinking-? Were you even thinking at all?”

Wincing under his own shouts, Pitch snaked a shadow up to the tiny Toothfairy as she hovered nearby, eyes as wide and startled as Jack’s. He wrapped the shadow around her in a small cage and hauled her to him.

“I… we were... It’s just a game, Pitch.” The Letting go of the cage Jack landed on the floor lightly, bouncing on his toes nervously. He’d not done anything to be scolded for lately. Had he forgotten a meeting?

“You think this is a game? You cannot just kidnap one of the Toothfairies Jack, not for any reason. Or do you WANT the Guardians to come thundering in to rescue her, creating a fuss over nothing but a silly prank that you should have known better to do? They already think you’re a nuisance, you think this will help?”

“Wait, no, I didn’t-“

“That’s precisely my point! You didn’t think! I am very disappointed in you, and you will go to your room and stay there until I fetch you myself.”

“But-“

“GO!”

When Jack opened his mouth to protest one more time, he found himself falling into the shadows under his feet. Gaping at the white walls of his arctic room and no door to be found Jack couldn’t believe Pitch hadn’t even tried to listen. Jack could have explained! It was just a bit of fun!

This wasn’t fair!

Jack kicked at the icy wall and reached for his st-…

Where was his staff?

 

***********

 

Staff tucked under one arm Pitch stalked off with the caged Toothfairy. “Don’t look at me like that; I do not plan to kill you. You will go home and this will not happen again.” The ache between his eyes settled into a dull throb, and even the pale moonlight of the outside made him squint.

The shadowy cage dissolved and he batted her away, the squeaks making him want to claw his eyes as instead of flying off she circled around his head.

“Stop that! Go home!”

Finally he had to remove himself as the little fairy refused to go away and he couldn’t swat her too hard in case he actually harmed her. Damned fairies. And sprites. Such irritating, noisy creatures.

Notes:

This chapter fought me. I know what I wanted to do but getting it done was like trying to wrangle a handful of Garden snakes. Very wiggly, unwilling Garden snakes. Anyways. Doesn't everyone remember a time when their parent made an assumption and unfairly punished for it? Parents aren't perfect, sometimes they need a time-out too.

Chapter 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Walking into an unexpected blizzard was a curious thing. Pitch raised an arm to shield his face and squinted under it to look for Jack. He had the boy’s staff right here; Jack couldn’t use his powers without it. There shouldn’t BE a blizzard. And yet here it was, snow being hurled around by a roaring wind that seared right to the bone with chill.

Pitch retreated away from the door and back into the far less stormy bedroom. Jack was supposed to stay right here until fetched, Pitch had even removed the tunnel entrance to keep him here. Jack was powerless without his staff and should have been stuck here to think about what he had done NOT out throwing a tantrum and blizzard!

And when speaking of the devil...

Pitch was forced back another step as a hard icy ball hit him in the chest.

“You never let me explain!” Jack stood there with his fists clenched, hair whipping around and missing quite a few feathers. “It was a game and you just... you just…!”

“You’re acting like a five year old, stop this nonsense right this minute!” Pitch rubbed at his chest where it felt oddly numb now and bruised. Jack had thrown ice at him! Not a snowball, ice! “I thought we could have a reasonable discussion now but if you’re going to have a tantrum I might as well leave.”

The hair on the back of his neck bristled at the wordless screech Jack made next, pale blue light emanating from the floor where Jack stomped a foot. It crackled across the floor and up the walls and a thick layer of ice covered everything. Pitch tried not to let it go under his feet but still almost slipped.

“I SAVED HER LIFE! I was being good and kind and you just YELLED and PUNISHED ME and TOOK HER AWAY!”

…oh.

Perhaps he had been a little hasty.

Before Pitch could get over that bit of shocking info, he now had a Sprite thumping him with pale fists. There was not, thankfully, any more of the blue light and ice and that was something Pitch was going to have to ask about later but for now he grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pulled him close for a hug. A very tight, apologetic hug.

Jack fought against it and squirmed and even kicked at Pitch, but he had to give up eventually and sagged against the Nightmare King with a low sob. ‘I wasn’t hurting her!”

“I’m sorry Jack. “ He was. He had just assumed and never let Jack explain and didn’t listen when Jack tried. Pitch wrestled with the guilt and couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He couldn’t even be upset with Jack attacking him now. “I’m sorry. Next time... next time I’ll do better. I promise.” How was he going to make up for this?

 

***********

 

…what HAD been in that drink?

Pitch looked into his cup for a long moment, then back up at his latest house-guest.

Toothiana raised her empty hands up, wings fluttering behind her and feet off the ground, as she laughed nervously. “I come in the name of a truce, peace, and friendship!”

“What do you want Toothiana?”

“I would like to offer you a deal.”

“Not interested.”

“One that I’m sure you would grow to like if you just heard me out.”

“No.”

Over Toothiana’s shoulder a tiny little ball of chirps made herself known, coming over to make a few loops around Pitch’s head.

He tried not to swat her away.

“I would like to ask you…”

Oh here it was, asking him to be nice and treat the children kindly and-

“…about play-dates.”

Say again?

Later, with a face as if he’d been sucking on a sour lemon, Pitch sent Jack off to visit the Tooth Palace and Baby Tooth and Toothiana with the promise he’d only be gone for a few hours. In return of letting Jack come play, Toothiana was not going to send any more Toothfairies than the single one Jack had saved to the Catacombs.

The bright beaming smile from Jack made it all a little less painful, and it was a wonderful way to make up for his past actions regarding the Fairy. Pitch could handle one little fairy. Just one. JUST ONE JACK NO.

Notes:

I kind of see Jack with a very short-lasting temper. Not that he's quick to anger, just that it's quick to blow over. And he'd had plenty of time to tire out his rage before Pitch had shown up so it didn't last very long.

But now he gets PLAY-DATES with the TOOTHFAIRIES!

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