Choice
*In which a girl introduced herself as Jack's soul mate as dictated by destiny and fate, but Jack was not interested and he was already committed. *
The mattress creaked from old age and wear as Jack plopped down. He sighed tiredly, rubbing his blue eyes with the back of his hand. In an hour, he would be needed again.
The downside to having a full-time job as the bringer of winter was going to various regions when needed, be it in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
The winter spirit stretched lazily with a loud yawn, wondering when Pitch will come back. Well, the man should better be home soon or he'd be missing out on any kind of sex Jack might be in the mood for. But cuddling a little would be fine… or maybe a quickie.
There was nothing special in particular that happened today that he must discuss with Pitch. Just the usual business: Sandy giving away good dreams, Bunny and North busy working their butts off for their holidays, and Toothiana exchanging baby teeth with quarters. Nothing unusual. Pitch was probably giving nightmares to every child out there on North's naughty list. Definitely.
"I swear! They go more and more ridiculous with each passing day!" Jack simply hummed in reply as Pitch stalked his way towards the bed and then plopped right next to the sprite, grumbling and complaining.
"Maybe if the parents properly assured them that eating vegetables won't turn them into walking bowling balls, then yes please. There were three children that made off with man-eating carrots on one night, and I can't find that remotely funny." Pitch sighed exasperatedly, turning and shifting on the bed until he lay on his side with his hand propped up as he held his head as he faced Jack.
"I'm sure that they'll grow out of it." Jack said with a casual wave, facing towards his husband (they should have a formal ceremony later, signed documents – even in just North's office –doesn't cut a proper ceremony; even if Pitch doesn't mind if it was a lot like civil marriages) . "I mean, it levels up to 'if you don't take out the garbage, the boogeyman will take you away' before they start hitting puberty. Then it becomes 'if you don't eat your vegetables, you'd have tons of diseases. If you don't take out the trash, new life forms will grow in the bin.' Come on now, even though you're an overworked ass, you're contributing to society, even by just a little."
A defeated sigh. "At the very least, they were a tad bit better than irrational fear. That and the sayings like 'The Boogeyman will eat you if you get too fat from eating too many sweets until your stomach hurts' can sometimes be satisfactory, not that I'm into cannibalism or anything." Jack snorted at that but otherwise kept quiet.
There was a comfortable silence, with Pitch spooning Jack. The mood for sex passed, but it was moments like these were the best. Jack's temperature was low enough to a refreshingly cold level, and Pitch was carding through snow-white hair absent-mindedly.
'Perhaps a day off is needed… I'm sure the Alps need Brocken specters this post-Walpurgis…' Pitch thought as he felt the hour of their rest come to pass. Not even ten minutes could make this schedule any less stressful so he nudged Jack who was starting to doze off.
"I'm trying to sleep…" the Guardian of Fun muttered in annoyance, the Guardian of Wisdom rolled his eyes.
"As much as I would love to keep you away from your job and rest, I have around hundreds of children to give nightmares and I can't afford to miss a bit of that." Grudgingly, Jack got up, a defiant pout on his face.
"You work too hard, maybe you should get a vacation…"
"We, Jack, we should get a vacation. Man in the Moon isn't paying me enough."
"… Neither of us gets paid."
Pitch rolled his eyes and escorted them back to the hole that would lead to the outside world. Before both spirits left to wherever side of the world they should go, Jack pulled Pitch back inside the entrance.
"Yes?" Pitch asked as he twined his fingers with Jack's, who had tugged at his arm before they could leave.
"Well, here, have a goodbye kiss." Nipping cold pecked gray lips, said lips twitched into an appreciative smile. "We should really ask for a two-week vacation…"
Nightmare sand spread to one corner of the world covered in moonlit darkness and clouds of snow floated towards wintry countries in the morning.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Jack was humming contentedly, while helping Sophie and Jamie build an ice fort. Just for fun.
Snowball fights were for later, after making this enormous castle of a fort, and Jack was totally going to help his first and favorite believer (he'll deny any mentions of favoritism). They were piling and shaping snow like construction workers with cement, with Sophie as their unofficial foreman. The winter sprite could have easily built one with his powers, but there were times that doing things the hard and backbreaking way were always the best and worthwhile. Even if Jamie didn't appreciate it at first and complained every ten minutes like the thirteen-year-old he was. The boy would definitely be ecstatic and far happier once they finished.
"The tower looks wonky!" Sophie pointed towards a tall protrusion tilting dangerously to the side.
"I'm on it!" Jack floated towards the area, pushing the snow up so it wouldn't fall off and then forming more snowballs in his hands to strengthen the structure.
"You could have easily made a fort with magic!" Jamie called out, Jack grinned at that.
"Where would be the fun in that?" the sprite retorted with a grin as he fixed the wobbling tower. "Hard work never kills anyone Jamie and look!"
The boy looked at him, puzzled, and then shrugged. Jack rolled his eyes. "Look at the thing, what do you say Sophie? What can you say about what Jamie and I did?"
"It looks neat!"
Jamie followed Jack's instruction with a huff, stepping back to look at their work, and then his eyes widened. The fort was a good eight feet tall and six feet wide, with sturdy looking walls, and windows large enough for Sophie to fit through and stand on the ledge.
"I… I did that too?" A grin was forming on the boy's face and Jack smiled proudly at him.
"Of course you did! See, you could do awesome things too on your own, and you have to admit, it was fun building this." Well, it really did seem that Jamie did learn a thing or two about having fun in something like work. It would certainly be a good and useful lesson in the future, especially that Jamie was growing up, and being an adult was anything but easy. Oh, he was channeling work ethics, but eh -he's a responsible adult while staying a child at heart.
"Jack Frost?" All three turned towards a new voice. A girl with flaming red hair and golden skin floated towards them and Jack was almost alarmed that she might melt the fort, considering the amount of heat radiating from her form.
Then that was when he felt it.
The urge to kiss the girl and give every bit of himself to her rose from within him. The need to protect and make the girl as he happy as he can rose next. Then blind perception that she was the only spirit unique in the world and only they could understand one another.
He stomped these feelings with growing horror and defiance. He thought of one of Pitch's old stories of tormenting a man named Howard with dreams of men with tentacles for a mouth and of formless masses of cosmic horrors, just to see what sort of literature the man could write with this mental plague. He remembred stories of men tormented with dark corners and hypersensitive to the world to the point of murderous madness and then would end up writing their nightmares as stories with shaky hands with fountain pens. He recalled a man writing book after book of horrors from his home, another man who recorded horrors that would drive a man insane just by thinking it. He was desperately driving the love away with the rawest form of fear he managed to feel when Pitch would share his so-called masterpieces.
Thankfully, the urge and the emotions faded away by Jack's own choice and volition. He straightened when he regained control, and then he looked back at the girl with a wary glance. He did not like what the influx of emotions meant, not even one bit.
"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked with suspicion, eyeing her with a narrowed gaze. She looked hurt by how callous he threw his words, and Jack was rather thankful that whatever emotions that involved feeling bad for the girl that would have arisen a few seconds ago were easily ignored and then grounded into dust long before they could truly manifest themselves.
"My name is Jillian Blaze, a summer spirit, and…" She gazed at him with large golden eyes and a quivering lip. "I'm your soul mate."
"…"
Jack snorted and then doubled over in laughter. The winter sprite guffawed loudly as he held his stomach in mirth.
Jamie and Sophie stared at him incredulously then back at the summer spirit… that for some reason, could be seen without any need of belief. It took Jack five minutes to calm down and regain his bearings; even then, a few chuckles still escaped his lips as he stared at the other spirit, wondering if she was serious.
"Uh huh, and I was born yesterday. So sorry, but we all have busy schedules and I'm sure that summer is needed elsewhere, so… I don't think you'd appreciate the cold." He made a shooing wave with his hand and then floated towards Jamie and Sophie to take them on top of the fort.
"But Jack! Didn't you feel it? Like we were made for one another! I know you could feel it, it was as destiny had made…" Jack snorted.
"And Pitch Black isn't my husband." The girl was about to open her mouth to reply but Jack ignored whatever she said and crouched low so that only the Bennett siblings could hear. "Jamie, Sophie, go back inside your house for a cup of cocoa, I'm going to handle this, okay?"
Jamie looked like he was about to protest, but a pointed look from Jack kept him from saying anything and staying, so he pulled Sophie to start their trek back to their home. Jack turned back to the girl, noting that the girl had gone quiet when she noticed that he was ignoring her.
Now that the children were gone, a more serious expression graced Jack's face as he stared piercingly at the girl. "So? What do you expect me to do? Run over to your arms and love you?"
The girl brightened at that, her aura causing a bit of a heat wave that Jack definitely did not appreciate. He breathed through his nose in frustration and held the fort with his magic to keep it from melting. "Not exactly, but we need to bond so that we could strengthen our connection!"
The winter sprite gave her a look, and it was one of skepticism and slight annoyance. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm afraid I must go check on my wards."
Believing that his business was over, he began to drift towards the general direction of the Bennett household, but he felt a hot hand grasp his in desperation. He snatched it away by instinct, literally burnt.
"Please, you have to give this a chance! I promise that—"
"Look here, what was your name again? Juliet, Jane, Jenny—"
"Jillian, but call me Jill."
"Justine, whatever. I am in a committed relationship, and I suppose that you know that anyone in a committed relationship is off-limits. I am just as off-limits as my husband, so please, leave me alone. If ever you want a friend, sure, fine. But what you are asking…" Jack shook his head, giving her an expectant look. "You do know that I am married, albeit in papers, but it's still marriage, right?"
He showed his left hand and held it palm down. Nightmare sand formed around his ring finger and into a thin onyx wedding band, with his name and Pitch's engraved with ice. "I have a ring on me, so yeah, no can do."
"But!" Jack would have none of it. He blasted the girl with frost and then he flew towards Jamie's house at breakneck speed.
The two were just making opening the door to their house when Jack stopped by them. "Meet you later! I need to get rid of this crazy woman!"
He managed to catch a pair of bewildered looks before taking off to Pitch's Haunt.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Jack paced inside the dark and dreary lair; waiting for the other person he gave half his life. He was behind schedule and he should probably get out soon, but Jack didn't want to chance on meeting that summer spirit to avoid another confrontation.
He didn't like the idea of having a soul mate other made by destiny at all.
Jack had heard of the legends, of fairy tales, of myths, and many more other stories and records of the phenomena. As a free spirit (his commitments and Guardianship were on his own choice, thank you very much), it went everything that he believed in and stood for. He knew the signs someone forcefully mated to another soul would have, and what the other person on the other side of the bond could do once the signs manifested themselves, and that was why Jack had to get away lest he be overwhelmed. He didn't want to forcefully have a relationship with someone just because some greater power out there thought that it would be nice. In fact, it was far from nice. That concept was downright cruel to him.
When Pitch arrived, Jack almost rushed and flung himself towards the taller man in an embrace but stopped himself. Pitch could feel he was agitated, judging by the marks of frost crawling on the floor and expression on the sprite's face.
"What happened?" the Nightmare King asked in concern. Jack took a deep breath, already have rehearsed what he was going to say to the older spirit.
"A summer spirit came to me, claiming to be my soul mate. I said that she should go away and I'm not interested since I'm in a relationship, but I already have a bad feeling from her and that's not counting the signs." Pitch nodded carefully. "I don't think she'll give up until I return whatever delusional infatuation she harbors for me or whatever. I know it sounds a little ridiculous and it's most definitely best left ignored, but I want to cut this thing on the head before it turns into something messy."
It took Pitch a few moments to process what Jack said before replying. "Alright, I don't think she knows what she's getting into."
Jack smiled wryly at that. "Beats me. All I know, I don't want to turn into a puppet controlled by whatever higher force or something out there. I chose to be with you, and damn, I'm going to see this through for eternity."
"Now that's sweet, but?"
"We have an issue needed to be discussed, so shoot." Pitch tapped his chin in thought, pacing inside the lair as well. Jack had his arms crossed as he tapped his foot on the floor in odd rhythms as he schemed of a way out.
The Fearling King's eye twitched a little and he sighed. "Jack, your tapping isn't helping my concentration."
"Huh? Oh, it helps me concentrate."
Pitch opened his mouth to retort but he closed it and shook his head. A small argument would hardly result into anything productive. Instead, Pitch pivoted on his heel and then walked towards the bed to sit on the edge; the frames creaked from the sudden movement. "I think that it's best that you avoid her and whenever she confronts you, tell her to back off and avoid contact."
Jack snorted.
"I already told her that three times or more in the first meeting, I think she'll be pestering me for millennia… You do know that summer spirits are hot-headed and stubborn?"
"Not all of them Jack, there are differences and—"Pitch suddenly stopped, a grin formed on his face. "Explain everything in one go and be the responsible adult."
Jack furrowed his brows then an understanding dawned on him. "Oh. Now I feel stupid. I don't know her, so that's the first thing. Also, care to write my script?"
"Alright, let's start with the pros of this situation. What are the good things about having a soul mate?"
Jack floated towards Pitch and then sat cross-legged on the foot of the mattress.
"Well, there's the eternal love thing, always happy together and never having a fight, or something. Whatever. The world revolves around one another and stuff."
Pitch raised a hairless brow. "And?"
"That's about it."
"Cons?"
Jack grinned wryly. "No freedom, no choice, no life. Everything is forced, nothing will ever come from choice, and freewill goes bye-bye. Thinking would be painful, and growing brain cells and balls would be difficult once into it. Control would fly out of the dictionary and life would be meaningless unless the other person is there. Even if both sides are practically strangers, having nothing in common, and nothing to talk about whenever together. I think that's good enough reason."
Pitch nodded. "That could work out. Do you… want me accompany you or would you rather do this on your own?"
Jack tapped his chin in thought then shrugged with a large smile. "Well… maybe when I start feeling like I could not handle it. In case she decides to be touchy and feely, I could always have you to show her who gets to be touchy and feely with me."
"… Don't you know her name?"
"Beats me, I want nothing to do with her, so the small details shouldn't even matter."
Pitch was quiet at first. "Not to be cruel, but I'm glad that you think that," he paused. "I'm glad that you chose to be with me instead of following whatever higher power out there bent on setting you up with that summer spirit."
"Aw, you're so sweet. I think I had a cavity." The Guardian of Wisdom rolled his eyes, pulled Jack to the bed, and gave him a reminder just how great he could be once the pants were off.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Pitch could easily be called through the Nightmare Ring, should Jack want him by his side.
The sprite was flying over his hometown once more when he felt an odd heat wave.
'Oh. She's back,' he noted wryly. He landed on the edge of his lake, just near the darkening shadows of the forest for easy access for Pitch.
The glowing form of the summer spirit settled over his lake and then she began to float towards him. Jack raised his staff defensively and he mentally cheered when she stopped.
"Look, as much as I appreciate that you think I could be boyfriend material, it won't work out." Jack never let his hold on his staff waver even by just a second.
"But we can make it work out! All we need is some time and—"
"Look, I'm going to be honest with you, okay? The first time I met you, there was trust and love, and—"he stopped, noting the bright and hopeful expression on her face. On one hand, it was a little cruel to stomp on, but it was better before it goes out of hand.
"So you did feel the connection! See, we—"
"I hated it. Okay?" He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming when the realization of his negative reaction hit her.
"Huh? But… why? There was a connection, a bond! There was trust and—"
"It was without basis. Look, it isn't easy. The world isn't black and white and that kind of thing backfires horribly." Jack sighed through his nose, holding a hand up to keep the girl quiet. "You haven't done anything to warrant my trust, and yeah sure, Pitch was a bad guy once upon a time, but he's better now, okay? I know it because I have proof, I have basis, and it was built on rational observation and proper communication. What we have is bright looking in the long-run and I wouldn't have proposed it had we didn't have a mutual purpose."
Wow, that was probably one of the most responsible adult-sounding speeches he made in years. He felt awesome and badass for saying those things. "By the way, that mutual purpose is to have a pleasurable sex with hands-off from other people policy, and loving feels for the rest of eternity. Besides, I don't know you and you don't know me. Even if there are some people that do know one another, that doesn't automatically make them couples, maybe I'd hate more things about you and I may not enjoy your company or personality."
It was blunt, but that was true. What the heck did people try to find in relationships nowadays? To always be happy and loving, expecting that their relationship would not have any fights? Giving expensive gifts and exchanging sappy poetry during expensive dates? Never letting the other out of sight even for a minute yet always expecting that there would be necessities available? Those would have drove Jack insane.
"There was a reason I liked Pitch and I chose to like him. I have the choice to be destiny's puppet or live life the way I have to." Jack turned his back to leave, believing that his purpose was done and his message had sunk in.
"But Jack! We'll love one another forever and—"
"I don't think you're in love with Jack in the first place." Jack cheered mentally. "I think you're infatuated with the idea that destiny had set someone up to be your significant other."
The girl gawked at the sudden appearance of Pitch, taking in his rather surprisingly non-threatening form. "You are-"
"I know, I know. What I'm doing here is to tell you that you should stop harassing Jack because he obviously does not want your attention, and I wish to impart an advice."
"Advice?" The summer spirit looked bewildered.
"Live your life the way you want to, not because a higher power told you. If destiny did not say you're soul mates were Jack, would you have tried to seek him out?" The girl opened her mouth to reply then closed it.
"I… but I already feel the connection, so it's right that I should bond with him." Jack snorted and was about to retort but he looked to see if Pitch had anything more to say. The Nightmare King held a finger and Jack nodded, crossing his arms and then motioned for Pitch to continue.
"But is it right to make him do it when it appears that he doesn't want to? Is it right that you should force him into this even if it meant that he would be miserable and lacking whatever he perceives as freewill and choice? Don't you know that there is always potential for romantic attraction, but that does not automatically make it love? It's a two-way road."
"But we would be happy in the end!"
Pitch motioned for Jack next.
"No. We wouldn't. For all I know, we could be stuck forever miserable. I would rather not go with that. Even if one person ends up miserable, it would be unfair, don't you think? We don't know one another, might I remind you, and you keep on clinging to something that has a hold over you. Now, nothing seems to matter to you except taking me as your lover or whatever -even if it meant stopping to live life." When the summer spirit made no reply, the winter sprite motioned for the King of Nighttime terrors. "Let's go home."
The two were about to return to the Nightmarish lair when the spirit spoke once more.
"I, Jillian Blaze, hereby challenge Pitch Black also known as the Nightmare King and the Guardian of Wisdom into a duel over Jack Frost's right as mate and lover -all in the name of fate and destiny." Magic swirled around as it waited for the other contestant to give his reply.
Pitch glanced towards Jack who now held his chin as he pondered this development. "I would love to go, but I would want to know what you think about this."
Jack tapped his chin a few more times and then he grinned encouragingly at Pitch. "Alright, I'll stand witness then." Jack flew towards a branch and sat, ready to observe the oncoming fight.
"Very well then. I, Pitch Black, once Kozmotis Pitchiner, Nightmare King and Guardian of Wisdom, accept the challenge."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The summer spirit looked up, defeated. "Why? How… how could you beat me? I was destined to win…"
It was genuine pity when Jack floated down next to Pitch to reply to the girl. "You relied too much on fate, on something else to make choices for you." Jack grew quiet, and then he gave Pitch an annoyed glance who did not notice it, as the Guardian of Wisdom was staring down on the girl as well. Jack pinched him, Pitch looked back with slight bewilderment, and then Jack pointed back to the girl. Understanding dawned on the darker man,
"You didn't fail nor did destiny fail you. You were simply content on letting things be decided for you instead of shaping your own destiny." Pitch made a sardonic expression. "Of course, that doesn't mean you should force others to go your way. Everyone has choices and it wouldn't be right to force someone. Why Jack won't choose was because he already made a choice and you can't force him to change that."
"Then… what am I supposed to do now?"
Jack grinned, knowing that this matter was as good as solved... Alright, he was smug as hell and mentally gloating. It felt a tad bit mean for getting rid of her quick, but he was just glad that whatever that will take away his ability to choose would pose no threat between his relationship with Pitch and how he would live his life. He saw nothing wrong on making himself happy, but he did feel guilty about the part of crushing someone's hope for a love life. That's life, so there was nothing much he could do about it.
As far as he could see, the summer spirit looked willing to move on. It was a little disheartening that he could not give what she wanted, but he already made a choice and he'd see through it for all eternity.
"How about this, we set you up with someone. I think I may know some spirits that need to get laid some time… that and you'll love where he lives, there's a desert and lots of animals… and have I mentioned he loves chocolates?"
AN: I feel like a monster for holding up Spirited Away… On another note…
This was not beta-read, but it did go through several edits.
I've always hated the 'bonded by fate/destiny/soul mating' kind of romance. Whatever emotions formed are most likely forced up to the point that both participants are starting to lose capability to identify what was true and what was not. It's a subtle thing, and it's cruel as hell. I'd fight it tooth and nail if it happens to me. I would rather have a choice in my romantic life than no choice at all. ^_^
That aside and Jack is planning to set up Jill with Bunny. :D
So, any thoughts? Comments? Violent reactions? Leave it in a review if you wish~ ^_^