Jack Frost flew high on the wind somewhere over the Midwest. The sky was clouded over and it was really cold. And yet no snow fell. Jack found that his heart wasn't in it. His mind kept wandering to Pitch. He couldn't really tell why. he landed high in a tree trying to sort out his troubled thoughts. It had been almost three years since the guardians sent Pitch back into his caverns. Jack felt at that time that Pitch had gotten what he deserved, but now... he didn't know. Jack kept picturing that look on Pitch's face when Jaime ran through him. It was so full of sadness and pain. Sighing Jack stood and sped back to his pond, the high speed keeping him focused on flying and not on his confused feelings about the nightmare king.
In only a matter of an hour he was back, sliding across his lake. Oddly determined to find a way back into Pitch lair. He reached the familiar clearing where a broken bed once stood, the only thing left a bare patch of earth. Jack huffed in frustration and flew into a nearby tree, hanging his staff from a branch above him. He didn't know how long he sat there trying to find a way back into those caverns. Only when the sun had set did he start to think that this was pointless. He grabbed his staff and hopped down from the tree.
"I'm sorry Pitch." he whispered, looking down at the patch of dirt that once led to Pitch's home.
"Frost? What are you doing here?" A voice called from the darkness. Jack turned unable to believe what he heard. Could Pitch really be back? He scanned the woods and saw no sign of anyone else.
"Pitch...?" He said, his grip on his staff tightening.
"Who else did you expect?" The nightmare king said stepping silently from the shadows behind the winter spirit. Jack whipped around to face the taller spirit.
"I-I thought you were..."
"Trapped? I was. For three years I've been stuck down in that hole!" He said advancing on the winter spirit, anger glinting in his eyes. "For three years I've been doing nothing but growing weaker! And it's all because of you!" He said shoving the teen to the ground.
"How is this MY fault!?" Jack said as he stood.
"I had them Jack! I was so close to destroying the guardians! But you had to step in with that last child... That last pitiful little light! I could have won!" Pitch shouted into the night.
"You were terrifying children! There was no way any of us could let that go. And the amount of pain you put the others through-" Jack was cut off when Pitch roughly grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and slammed him into a tree.
"Shut up Frost! What would you know about pain when you and the guardians have the one thing I can never gain!? Though they may be few even you have believers Jack. But have you forgotten what it was like before that!? The loneliness..." He dropped Jack as a small flicker of sadness flashed across his face. Jack's eye's widened at the look Pitch's face held.
"I-I'm sorry Pitch." He frost spirit said reaching towards the nightmare king.
"Since when do you care!?" He said smacking Jacks hand away. "I don't need your pity!" Jack let his hand fall back to his side, not knowing what to say. "So if you came here to apologize in some foolish hope to try to 'befriend' me... Shove it! I gave you a chance before you don't get a second one!" With that Pitch melted into the shadows. Leaving Jack in the moonlit woods, more confused than he was before. Why did Pitch bring up the arctic? It seemed out of place in the entire argument. Jack thought about it as he angrily made his way back to his pond. Just as he reached the icy shore the realization struck.
Jack had been alone for over three hundred years and no one ever saw him. Pitch had been around so much longer than Jack ever existed. All those years crawling by and Pitch had not one believer. Not even the other spirits would give him a chance. Jack was the only person that knew how Pitch felt. So when Pitch said the they didn't have to be alone it was as much for himself as it was for Jack. Jack slumped down to the icy surface of his pond feeling terrible. How much of a slap in the face was it to Pitch to be ignored by the one other person who understands exactly how lonely being invisible is?
"I'm sorry..." He whispered to the darkness.
Pitch sat in the shadows of his home. Angry and upset thoughts buzzing around his head. Why? Why did he have this lonely existence forced upon him? And why did Jack have to show up and remind him how truly lonely he was? He leaned back against one of the cave walls, feeling his eyes become heavy. He fought hard to not slip into sleep, his heart pounding in his ears. He could feel them waiting for him to fall unconscious. But eventually, no matter how much he fought, he slipped into sleep. Which is when his nightmares attacked. Pitch's screams of terror and pain the only sound left to echo through the cave.