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"When did you know it was me?" Pitch asked Jack. He wrapped his shadow-clad arms around the frost spirit comfortably enthroned on his lap. He nuzzled the top of Jack's head, since Jack was currently leaning against Pitch's bony shoulder and all that soft white fluffy hair was in easy reach.
"Oh, come on!" Jack replied, his voice vibrating through Pitch's chest. "How were YOU, Mister Nightmare King, supposed to be able to resist the temptation of haunting a ship named 'Terror'?[ And how was I supposed to resist finding out what you were up to?"
They were playing their favourite game of "Do you remember when?", while all around them the winter-over crew at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station were setting up the chairs for the annual back-to-back showing of all three film versions of THE THING.
Pitch made an unhappy face. "It would have been nice, though, if they had listened to my warnings and had turned back... Most of them left families behind. Left CHILDREN behind."
Jack knew that look. He also knew how to divert the spiral of bad thoughts which were the reason for that look. He rubbed his head against Pitch's jaw and said, "Doesn't it count for something that you inspired Lady Jane to never give up looking for her husband, no matter how many expeditions it took?"
"Bah. Those dreams came from Sanderson, not me."
"But you ASKED him to send those dreams to her."
Jack held his breath. He wasn't always successful in getting Pitch to not beat himself up. He relaxed when Pitch made a sound of agreement and acknowledged, "Hmmmmm, I did, didn't I."
"Yes. Yes, you did."
They both drifted into silence, and Pitch would almost have thought Jack had fallen asleep if the younger spirit had not been rhythmically rubbing one bare foot up and down the elder spirit's calf. Then Jack said, "So, my turn. When did you know it was me?"
"I must admit, I wasn't sure at first. A four-man team of scientists, all concentrating on hard work and deadlines? I didn't think that would be your cup of tea."
"Everything comes around to tea with you, doesn't it?"
"Don't change the subject." Pitch completely ruined the effect of the sternness of his words by kissing Jack's ear.
Jack surrendered to his partner's devious distractions for one more moment, then wiggled into a slightly more comfortable position across Pitch's knees. "Okay, I admit it. I'm a science geek. And under all that Soviet seriousness were some really fun-loving guys who were science geeks too. Especially Yevgeny."
He sighed. "When they came back from those first drifting ice stations, those guys were national heroes, and kids just loved them, and loved hearing about their daily adventures when they did school visits. Not like the later missions, where every bit of information was tucked away into secrecy in case it could be of 'military value'."
Pitch squeezed Jack's waist more tightly. "I got curious myself about the effects of most of a year of isolation and uncertainty, but they didn't even really need my guidance. And then I found you there."
"And now here we are, on the other side of the world, doing Fear-and-Fun Date Night." Jack wrapped his hands around Pitch's hands.
"Yes, here we are."
The Guardian of Fun and the Guardian of Caution were now boxed in between rows of chairs as the station staff finished setting up for the night's viewing and went off to dinner.
"Wanna move to the back row and make out till the movie starts?"
"Maybe even after the movie starts. But don't let me miss the head-with-legs scene. I'm REALLY proud of inspiring that one."