whoa haven't published anything for a while. this is a little excerpt i wrote for my dear friend viri, for an AU roleplay that we and some other friends are planning on tumblr.

"Daddy, it hurts…"

"I know, sweet pea, I know it hurts." His voice is barely above a whisper as he wipes the blood from her porcelain white skin, dabbing at the edges of her wound. A whole chunk is missing from her arm; an entire mouthful, and it's already turning black. It's too late, but he doesn't want to face that. He pours more warm water over the injury, and she begins to cry again.

"It hurts!"

He blinks back tears of his own. The veins in her arm are beginning to blacken as the infection spreads, and he knows it's only a matter of time before she succumbs to it completely. Such a little girl; the infected blood will move through her quickly. A cold hand grips his heart.

He stands up and lifts her onto the countertop. She cradles her injured arm, still crying profusely, and he has to swallow hard to keep his voice steady.

"I promise it won't hurt anymore, I'll make it stop," he says. "I-I'll end it all…"

The gun is heavy in his hands, heavier than it ever was before. It feels as though he is holding a block of lead. She looks up at him, and her eyes grow wide with terror.

"Daddy?"

He wishes she wouldn't speak, wouldn't look at him. The weapon seems to gain 100 pounds, and his hands shake. A tear drips down his face.

"Daddy, what are you doing? What's that for?" she asks. Her voice is still full of innocence, simple curiosity. It hurts him more than anything.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispers. He can see that she doesn't know, doesn't understand why he is pointing this black thing at her. She is just as confused by his tears and the tremor in his hands. "Please, I'm doing this because I love you, Seraphina. I-I love you so much."

"Da—"

The click of the hammer is as loud as the gunshot itself, and her small body falls to the floor with a thud.

Pitch sits up with a jolt, drenched in sweat and breathing as hard as if he had just run a marathon. Bunnymund looks over at him from the cave entrance.

"You alright, mate?" he asks. "You've been muttering in your sleep for a while now."

"I'm fine," Pitch replies. He picks up his rifle. "Let me take the watch. Get some rest."

"Well, it's North's shift next—"

"Let me do it." Bunnymund shrugs, and they swap places. Pitch settles down and leans against the rocks, staring out at the forest. Sleep isn't the best thing for him right now.

"Hey, Pitch?" He looks back at Bunnymund.

"What?"

"Who's Seraphina?" Pitch gazes at him for a moment, then turns away again.

"The reason I kill."