A/N: Again, huge thank you to Sumi_Sprite for helping me out with chapter. But oh GOD the damn chapters are fighting me for some reason, so I apologize sincerely for taking so long with it x_x
The Guardians had, in the many years since they had each been chosen, known that you could always learn something new every day. In this case, they learned something new, yet not completely unexpected about Pitch.
He was a bit of a control freak.
"Frost! I am NOT telling you again! If you bring another draft in here, I swear I'm going to beat you over the head with your own damned staff!" Pitch snapped at the winter sprite. Jack, who was currently crouched on one of the supporting beams under the roof of the stable, put his hands up in surrender with a slightly stunned look.
"I can't help it! It's the only way I can find out where there are cracks that need to be patched up-" he started, but apparently, Pitch was not finished, as he grit his teeth before swiftly turning towards Tooth.
"Toothiana, can you PLEASE quit that annoying buzzing? I am trying to concentrate here! You have legs, don't you?" he snapped.
Tooth gave an affronted look, from where she was currently trying to get a particularly stubborn nail picked from a wooden beam. "I work faster this way!" She exclaimed, which made Pitch scowl. "That is no excuse." He growled, "If you can't make yourself more efficient, then get out!"
"Geez, what a frikkin' grouch." Jack muttered under his breath, as he worked on closing up one of the drafty cracks he'd found.
North sighed and was about to break in, but paused as Bunnymund returned from the Warren, marching into the stables as he did so while carrying a large basket containing various plants and herbs.
"Well look who decided to join the party," Pitch sneered as he crossed his arms, while tapping his foot. "You're late."
Bunny glared at him, before he put down the basket. "It took a while t' find some o' the plants." He scowled.
"That's no excuse! You should have been here sooner!" Pitch riffled through the basket, his scowl intensifying, "And what is this? This isn't nearly enough of what we need for all these reindeer!"
"It's all I c'n carry on my own, ya bloody galah!" Bunny snapped back impatiently, before he bent over the basket himself, muttering: "Criminy, I'd've stayed in my Warren if I knew you'd be whining this much."
And those were Bunny's famous last words.
"Whining?" The Boogeyman snapped, as he glared at the Guardian of Hope. "I am NOT whining, I am complaining! Oh but do you want to HEAR whining?" Pitch's voice suddenly took on a higher tone, almost wailing like a mauled cat, "Thiiiis is whiiiiining!"
The other Guardians cringed, and Bunny almost wished he could tie his ears in a knot, so painful was the sound. Pitch was far from finished however, even though his own Nightmares, who had been doing their own smaller chores, cringed and backed away.
"HOW Am I SuPPOseD TO WORK IN THesE ConDITIONS if You PEOple CAN'T FOLLOW JUST ONE ORDER aND The ELVES KEEP GETTING UNDERFOOT, AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEIR STUPID SUITS THE WHOLE WORKSHOP IS GOING TO BE CONTAMINATED!" Pitch practically yowled, and in impressively in one long breath as his voice pitched high and low. "THE REINdeer WILL NEver GET BETTER IF You DON'T DO SOMETHING BETTER AND HOW am I supposed to get ANY MEDICINE made WHEN THE RABBIT CAN'T EVEN USE ANYONE BUT HIMSELF!"
Bunnymund was practically ready to pull his own ears off at this point, grinding his teeth furiously. "We get it, we GET it!" He bellowed, "ya weren't whining before, so stop whining NOW!"
Pitch stopped and crossed his arms with a harsh smirk. "Then how about you get off your furry rear end, and get to work? This hardly covers half of this stable!"
The Pooka didn't hesitate, but pretty much bolted.
"Pitch…" North growled, his patience feeling very worn thin at this point.
"North." Pitch responded in a bored tone, while giving North a firm glare.
For a moment, North looked very tempted to just outright punch the other male, his fists clenched tight at his sides. Somehow, he managed to draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly, before he crossed his arms and returned the glare with a hard look of his own.
"We will achieve things better, if we work with each other." He finally said sternly, "not against." This earned him only a disdainful snort from the Boogeyman.
"Oh please. I may owe Sandman a boon, but that does not mean that I owe you morons any sort of nice behavior. It's not my problem if the rabbit can't take his own medicine."
"As if you are one to talk." Tooth muttered darkly, while working on prying out a particularly stubborn nail. She gave the nail a hard glare and an even harder yank, before it finally came out. "I mean, considering how you acted in the Dark Ages…"
"Oh Moon, don't get him started." Jack groused from his own spot on the wooden beam, rolling his eyes. "I am so not up for hearing another rant about how happy he was, because everyone else was miserable." Pitch gave him a nasty glare in response.
"Yes, because in the end, it seems at least one person in the world has to be miserable for others to be happy…" he deadpanned, going back to examining the plants Bunny brought.
"Well maybe you wouldn't be so miserable if you weren't such a monster." Tooth shot back.
No one would say it, but they were a bit surprised by the involuntary twitch of the Boogeyman's shoulders. But even more shocking, he said nothing, and only continued riffling through the herbs and medical plants. The uncomfortable silence weighing on them, the Guardians decided not to press their luck, and they too went back to their tasks at hand.
A few minutes passed in the awkward silence, with the occasional huffing and sneezing from reindeer, and other small shifts in the room from drafts being sealed and nails being pulled. But, it seemed North could not keep to it, nor could he actively ignore what was obviously a cold shoulder.
He turned his head to look slightly over at Pitch, mostly presented with the obviously preoccupied Boogeyman's back. Maybe it was just North's overall view, but he couldn't help but mentally note how thin Pitch was.
He cleared his throat, "Pitch, Toothy did not mean-"
"Let me stop you right there, Nicholas St. North," Pitch interrupted, not even turning to look at the stunned North, "We both know you agree with her, and quite frankly, I myself am inclined to think myself a monster. So don't try to make light of it; at this point I'm used to it."
North frowned, and had the unsightly urge to comment on just who else has called Pitch a monster. Nevertheless, the dark man continued.
"I am at least honest in my disdain for you lot, so don't even make a sad attempt to be nice to me," Pitch hissed, "It's quite sickening actually. Save it for the brats you love so much."
Jack broke in, "Hey, he's only trying to-"
"And that's another thing," Pitch once more interrupted, "We are not here to make nice, you kidnapped me and blackmailed me into helping you, only a short time after you put me in the ground…"
He suddenly turned on them all, looking for all the world as if he wanted to spit on them.
"You all have no right to try and play nice with me, let alone the obligation. So stop it." he said through clenched teeth.
There was a very deep silence after that, broken only by the pained snorting and coughing from the reindeer and the ruffling of Pitch sorting through the herbs. North on his part however, finally gave a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Tooth. Jack." he said slowly, "if you please. If Bunny needs help with herbs, you should go help him."
Jack nodded. "You got it, North. Come on Tooth." He darted down quickly and grabbed Tooth's hand, and though Tooth looked ready to object, she was dragged off too quickly to do so.
North on his part just grimaced and went over to one of the reindeer, patting it along its neck and murmuring gently to it. Then, he grabbed the pliers that had been left behind by Tooth and went to continue her work.
The silence continued between him and Pitch, even as Sandy finally returned with some water for the animals. While the Dream weaver gave them both a thorough look, as if trying to figure out what had happened, he made no comments and instead waited for North to help him with getting the water poured up, making certain it wasn't too cold or anything, as that wouldn't be good for the animals in their current condition. Eventually, North ended up heading to the other stable to check on his animals there (or at least get some sort of update from the elves), while Sandman stayed back to keep an eye on Pitch.
The last thing North saw, as he closed the door to the stables behind him, was the Sandman trying to engage some sort of conversation with Pitch, which the other firmly ignored.
North sighed. He was starting to regret going with this idea.
—
Said regret continued over the following days. Pitch had been bad enough, when they had been fighting him last Easter, and then when he had commandeered them around to their different tasks. However, it was as if the sharp comment from Tooth had hit home in some way, leaving him to prefer working in silence. If anything, North thought, it only made things worse.
The fact that the reindeer were gradually getting worse did not help at all, even after Pitch had worked up the first batch of a concoction from the herbs that had been gathered by Bunnymund and the others. It almost seemed to create a miasma of its own as Pitch cooked it over a small stove in the stables themselves, and when asked about it, he just gave North a look that could have curdled milk.
"Because it is a respiratory disease, it can't simply be ingested." He said in a tone that suggested what he thought of North's intelligence. "It needs to be applied in other ways." He pointed at the cloud of steam that bubbled up from the black pot it was all being stirred in, "the steam will help loosening up any mucus the reindeer have stuck in their passageways. The more steam, the better. It's one reason I wanted Frost to get all those holes shut up so there wouldn't be a draft."
North nodded as he listened. "But there is more to it?" He asked, "It looks like it, but I make no claims to be an expert."
"Once it has all boiled up and cooled down, the concoction needs to be applied in certain places." Pitch responded, and North noted idly that his tone had changed from its bitter one, to a more scholarly, and the Guardian wondered if Pitch had noticed it himself.
"And by this, you mean in some of the more harmed places? You mentioned they had cracked tongues."
"Yes," Pitch replied. "It needs to be applied in their mouths, in the roof of it to be exact. It will have about the same effect as getting peanut butter stuck in your mouth. The reindeer will instinctively lick at it; slowly get it in their system that way. With their tongues cracked, it will get it faster in their bloodstream."
The other nodded again, frowning in thought as he looked towards the sick animals. "It will not be pleasant for them…" He sighed, "But it is more effective, than making them swallow it all and then have them throw it all up again."
"Any more regurgitation for the moment might not be a good thing." Pitch responded, as he added a few more herbs to the mixture. "Like the steam, the paste will help loosen up any muck that's stuck in their lungs or throats, and make it easier for them to breathe." He huffed in a moment of frustration, though it did not seem to be aimed at North for once. "But… as forcefully advanced as the disease is, I make no promises to how effective the treatment might be. In fact, it's quite impossible to say at all."
North looked at Pitch, and was surprised at the Boogeyman's expression. He looked thoughtful, almost strangely regretful as he looked towards the reindeer. When he noticed North's gaze however, his expression hardened, and he gave a sharp, defensive: "what?"
"Nothing." The Guardian responded, "I am just surprised at how you care for the animals. They are not your Nightmares, and yet…"
"Well it's not the reindeer's fault, that you're a bloody idiot with a phobia of diseases." Pitch stated drily. At North's expression, he gave a wry smirk, before he snorted in disdain, shaking his head as he turned back to the pot and stirred in it. "I wonder how the others would react, learning that their great leader made an incompetent decision based on his own fears."
The Guardian of Wonder scowled. "At least my fears are for a good reason."
"'A good reason.'" Pitch echoed mockingly. "You were afraid that leprosy, a disease that has become treatable in these modern times. Which is also the case for most diseased that are related to humans, and even then they shouldn't affect you in your high and powerful role as a Guardian, unless Pestilence says otherwise." He raised a hairless eyebrow. "Or perhaps you didn't know that?"
When North said nothing, Pitch just rolled his eyes. "Well now I know that the Moon didn't choose you lot for your intelligence."
"No… He did not." North replied, much to the other's surprise. "He chose us for different reasons." He glanced at Pitch at that, a strange, thoughtful look in his eyes. "And for some reason, he chose you as well."
The Boogeyman froze and blinked, then narrowed his eyes in response.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
North was very tempted to poke further at the subject, but the narrow-eyed glare he was getting made him decide otherwise. Instead, he dared to smirk and shrugged.
"He certainly didn't choose you for your jovial nature." He then said innocently, to which Pitch responded with a string of rather foul words, that one should not repeat in polite company. Oh North knew, that you shouldn't always provoke someone whose help you needed like this? But it was so worth it.
The brew was eventually finished, and Pitch basically shanghaied North into helped him with applying the medicine, especially since the Boogeyman could tell that North was very good at handling his animals.
North murmured soothingly to the animals, as he carefully made them raise their feet, or held open their mouths, as Pitch applied the medication, mainly by taking a thick glob of it and then smearing it up in the roof of their mouths. This did not amuse the reindeer for a good reason, and a few of them ended up throwing up more gunk on both North and Pitch, as they worked.
After what felt like hours, they eventually finished, and had to take a moment to catch their breaths, before Pitch then declared that they needed to wash up thoroughly, before heading over to the stables where the pregnant does were. North frowned, but when he thought about it, it only made sense. The pregnant reindeer were at just as much risk as anyone else, and if the medicine could keep them from getting sick, then it was better to be safe, rather than sorry.
Pitch on his part at least seemed pleased about not being questioned. Others were not so hesitant, especially the other Guardians, as North told them what was going to happen, while Pitch was taking his turn at washing up.
"North, are you out of your bloody mind?" Bunnymund scoffed, "For all ya know, he's gonna use it as an excuse t' poison the rest o' yer reindeer! How do ya even know this will work?"
North crossed his arms, giving the Easter Bunny a stern look. "Sandy knew about what he could do. Moreover, he has been using herbs from your Warren. Do you really think doubt their healing qualities?"
Bunnymund literally fluffed up with a very affronted look at that, as if North had just insulted his mother. Or worse, his Easter Holiday to the extreme level. "O' COURSE not!" He finally exclaimed, "But that don't mean you shouldn't be cautious!"
The Guardian of Wonder just gave a tired sigh in return. "Yes yes, I will be careful." He said, resisting the urge to pet Bunny on the cheek, like he usually did when feeling a bit patronizing. It was impossible to say how the disease might rub off, and the last thing they needed was to get the Pooka sick as well.
"Just be careful, North." Tooth warned, biting her lower lip in apprehension. "Pitch made it very clear that he is not very fond of this arrangement."
"I will be, Toothy." North assured her, "but I do not think it will come to that. You saw it yourself! He has not shown any animosity towards the reindeer. In fact, he has been more patient with them, than I had expected."
Sandy gave a small smirk at that, and wove a small figure of Dream Sand at that, showing Pitch and then a series of animals. Small heart shapes appeared around Pitch's head before he petted some of the animals, hugged another, and looked like he offered food to a third. Tooth tilted her head curiously as she watched.
"So you're saying that he has always liked animals?" She asked, to which Sandman nodded. "Huh… Makes sense, I suppose."
"Animals can be better company." North agreed, crossing his arms.
"Doesn't mean we can trust him." Bunnymund scoffed. "Mark my words, North… He's gonna think of some way t' get back at us, through yer reindeer, one way or another." He suddenly twitched his ears, then frowned. "Where's Jack?"
"Outside." North said, "he went to clear a path for us, so we can get to the stables, and then to see if there is any news of the caravan."
"Ya sure it's wise to leave him alone like that?" The Easter Bunny asked with a frown, which got the others to look at him in confusion. "I mean… What about Pestilence? If 'e gets wind of how we're trying t' find a cure… It's no secret that he and Pitch never got along."
"Will cross that bridge when we get to it. Besides, Jack is not the type to run with gossip." North said. He was about to say more, when he saw Pitch come walking, the Boogeyman carrying a satchel that looked ready to burst from the medical equipment he was carrying. North blinked at the sight of it. "What is all of this?" He asked, "I thought you were simply going to clean up."
"I did," Pitch said calmly, "and then I remembered that we are going to be looking at pregnant does." He scowled a bit. "And I also remembered your depleted supplies, and simply thought: why take the chance?" Without another word, he strolled past the Guardians, and towards the doors.
North looked the other three Guardians, and then simply shrugged. "He has a point." Was all he said, before he went to follow the Boogeyman.