Of Ravens and Hummingbirds.
Ch. 7
A/N~ Hehehe, what? Were you expecting a long wait? On this? F*** that! I'm so close! Yep, we're coming to a close my friends. Just one more chapter, and this fic will be done…or will it? X3 kidding, it's going to be finished. With maybe a drabble or two to play off of later on down the line when things settle down. So please enjoy, and look forward to the last chapter of this story!
Also, BIG NOTICE! PLEASE READ BECAUSE IT EXPLAINS SOMETHING FOR THIS CHAPTER!
Okay, so the events of the Tooth Fairy book happened differently here. Most of the events happened just like the book, EXCEPT! The matter of Pitch's daughter. Here, in this AU, she died during the Fearling War. He still has the locket, but it was never found by the Guardians, and it never merged with his hand or prompted his wanting to find the Winged Elephant. He remembers her and everything, and it's painful, but not so much that he wants her memories gone. So Mother Nature does not exist in this AU – makes things too complicated. So, Seraphina (I am using her fan name damnit, her canon name SUCKS) did not save Pitch from being killed by the Guardians, he just escaped. So…yeah. I just ruined sh** for you all. Please enjoy. XD
Enjoy!
Now edited!
Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)
Genre: Romance, humor, angst.
Rating: T (to be safe)
~S~
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Tooth awoke to the stillness of a shadowy realm. It was only ever broken by the quiet tick-tock of a gothy looking clock on the bedside table – the time read that it was barely morning, around three in the morning. Warmth surrounded her in the form of a nest of pillows and another's larger body curled around her own. She sighed, smiling lazily as she snuggled further into the warm embrace against her back, pulling the arm around her waist further around herself.
Last night had been something amazing. But it was also eye opening. Hours after their confrontation, they had settled into Pitch's bedroom, tired and physically drained, and simply talked.
Apparently Pitch's pain ran so much deeper than she thought. The events of their confrontation at Tooth Palace all those centuries ago had so much more behind it than she thought.
Pitch's form, on the whole, had been a complete accident. He had been experimenting with a new method of bringing about a new, more intelligent, minion. But the experiment backfired when a wayward raven got into his lair and ruined the project. It backfired, and in the explosion of potions and shadowy chemicals, he had woken up as a half raven, half man creature. At the time, he had not been able to turn back, and so took to trying to adapt to his new form.
He had explored the world, until he came to the jungles that surrounded Punjam Hy Loo. That was where he met Tooth. And the attraction had been instant.
"You were like an emerald angel," he had said, "You were radiant, beautiful, yet deadly."
But apparently the filter between what he was thinking to what he was saying was rather skewed. His version of 'flirting' consisted of nasty teasing and insults. But it was more of a defense mechanism; he did not want her to know he was attracted to this lovely creature. Revealing he was falling for her meant getting close to her. Getting close meant exposing all he had inside him. And showing what he was like inside was just a way of telling her how terrible and monstrous he was, and therefore, give her the best reason to never want to see him again.
"I was so scared," he had said that night, so quietly and almost shyly, his head resting against the swell of her breast, "I wanted you, but if I could only have you as a friend, an acquaintance, then that was enough."
"So you didn't tell me anything about yourself," she had said, running a hand through the feathers of his crest, "You were scared I wouldn't like who you were."
It all made so much sense to her. She had to wonder how she did not think of or catch it sooner. Pitch was a very insecure and frightened man. His very being was hated and despised by all, spirits and human alike. Why would have the ability to tell her who he was if he wanted to get close to her? Why would he ever give her his identity if all he knew was people rejecting him by the very mention of his name?
It was the safest way, he had told her. He had no idea if his transformation was permanent, but it was all the more reason to spend as much time with Tooth as he could. So he left his lair each and every day, at the same time it was evening on her side of the world, and would meet her at the same place they first saw each other.
Things had been going just fine – better even. And then one day, he told her his name in the whispered gust of an evening breeze.
And that's when things started going wrong.
Back at Pitch's lair, he had woken up in his old form, his feathers and wings gone. Shockingly, instead of being relieved, he had been frightened, devastated. In his mind, there was no way Tooth could ever love him without his feathers and wings. So desperate as he was, he captured a raven, remade the formula, and came up with a permanent solution. Using a handful of feathers from the raven, he merged the two and created a potion. And with a single sip, he had his feathers and wings back. But unlike before, the process was slow and painful.
Tooth found out that his second transformation would give Pitch the ability to shift back and forth between his raven and original form. However, his body need time to take in the forced transformation and the potion. This was part of why he had vanished for so long. He was suffering through the pains of his body ripping itself apart to try and conform to a new, secondary, form. It took him a whole week, he said. Of bones shifting, nerves and muscles tearing and reforming, before his body finally settled and accepted the new form. And after a day of recovery, he could shift forms without a fuss in a matter of seconds. And he headed back to find her.
But he had run into trouble or rather, trouble had run into him. As he was passing over a grove, he had overheard the chatter of monkeys. Nothing new to him, but he had paused when their garbled speech suddenly became more human. He stopped and listened, curious.
And to this day, he sometimes wish he hadn't.
"They were talking about you," he had growled, disgust lacing his voice, "How their king wanted to capture you, and perform the vilest of acts upon you. How he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, and how much more he was going to enjoy breaking you."
Tooth had, on the whole, not been too surprised. She always sensed an underline current of lust from the Monkey King. But even so, she had been just as disgusted and frightened by Pitch's discovery. He continued on, though he left out all the lewd and degrading comments they made towards her around their little camp.
He was angry, he had said. And whether it was out of pure rage or impulse, he had attacked and killed all but one of them. The one he left alive, he had interrogated on who their king was and where he could find him. Of course, the ape didn't give the information right up front…
"I think I still have his teeth somewhere," Pitch said absently, "I only managed to get three out before he caved, but I thought you would like them."
Although Tooth would never admit it, she had swooned under the rather grotesque proclamation. Pitch continued then, after regaining his breath after Tooth seemingly tried to suck his soul out through his mouth.
He found the Monkey King. And in his original form, he presented himself as a humble servant and a fan of his 'work'. He offered to help the Monkey King find Toothiana, saying he had methods in finding her through the shadows and darkness. The stupid ape had agreed, and figured he had found the upper hand in the hunt. He never knew Pitch was the one pulling the strings. Secretly, Pitch had been winning the loyalties of the Monkey King's minions, and they eventually overthrew him.
By then, it had been a month or so since Tooth last saw him, and he knew he was running out of time. He had to destroy the apes as soon as possible, and free Toothiana from her life of a hunted animal.
"You needed to be free," he had said, "I knew you were being hunted; I could sense your fear of being found and captured by an unknown predator. And I could not stand it, how you would reluctantly sleep with a dagger under your pillow, or how you would flinch at every unexpected noise. I wanted it to end…"
Tooth was near tears at this point, her heart aching yet pounding with heat as she listened to the Boogeyman continue his tale.
Pitch's plans progressed, as he laid a trap for the apes. However, he did not count of the guardians being nearby, or their youngest companion losing a tooth. And like any other time, Toothiana sensed it and planned to trade it in for a piece of treasure. And like well-seasoned soldiers, the apes disregarded Pitch's protests and went after the girl as well.
It all fell apart then.
"You met them," he said, "And aligned with them. As I was trying to regain order, and possibly get that blasted girl back to her ilk, it became obvious things were not going to work out. So I destroyed her tooth, hoping it would sway you into turning back and leaving the Guardians. But I seemed to forget how much children meant to you, not just their teeth. All of you arrived, and for me…it was too late."
Everything crumbled. He had to put on a farce. He could not let Tooth find out who he was! He just couldn't, he would die if she found out and rejected him!
The fairy queen listened in rapt attention, her eyes swimming with tears as the Boogeyman recounted their battle, but through his eyes. How scared he was, how utterly helpless he felt. He felt like the one soldier downed and being stampeded by the other side's forces. He recalled how he had locked eyes with her at one point; and there was recognition in her eyes. But that was all. There was no acceptance, nothing but hatred and anger. She knew who he was and did not want to accept him for who he was. He had felt a pain in his chest then; a sickening twist, and something had just broken inside him.
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly his identity did not matter. The battle did not matter, the apes did not matter, and Toothiana did not matter. All that mattered was getting to the Winged Elephant, and having it erase his humanity – and therefore, the pain of a broken heart.
But like the slippery slope the situation was, it all just did not go according to plan. They defeated the apes and downed Pitch. Instinct kicked in then, and all he could care about was surviving. He fled, and he had vanished for months from the Guardians' sight.
And in the cover of his darkness, in his lair, he had wept the whole time he had been gone.
He swore he would never take that wretched form ever again. He swore he would never trust anyone every again. And he swore he would especially never, ever forgive Toothiana for her betrayal.
Tooth couldn't take it anymore, and he had wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace as she cried into his chest, unable to stop weeping about how sorry she was. She just couldn't stop apologizing, even when Pitch repeatedly said he forgave her.
After she had had her moment of crying, he held her close and stroked her wings, continuing from where he left off.
"Things just changed then. We all changed," he said, "And once the Nightmare War came, I couldn't help myself. I was so angry, so sick of being forgotten. I wanted to destroy what was kept and remembered as precious memories to children – the same children who wrote me off as a bad dream. And I simply wanted to hurt you…and I am so, so sorry…"
"We were both stupid," Tooth said, her voice weak from crying, "We kept secrets, then we went off and did our own things in the hope of making the other feel better."
"Which lead up to mess that spanned over centuries." Pitch concluded.
'What a mess…' Tooth had thought. All of it, and it could have all been prevented if they had just told the other the truth.
That night, she swore to no more secrets, and he did the same. There would be no more secrets or lying. They would be honest with one another from then on, and never hide anything that could hurt them from each other. No more secrets, no more hiding, no more lying.
Which meant they had to tell the other Guardians.
Blinking, Tooth came back to herself as last night's events played behind her eyes. She sighed, snuggling down further into the embrace the other held her in. She jumped though as the hand around her waist suddenly moved, and nimble fingers gently caressed her waist with a feather light touch.
"Sorry," said the sleepy voice she heard behind her, "I did not mean to wake you, but I could not resist."
Tooth chuckled, and rolled so she was facing her bedmate. It looked like Pitch had just woken up, his eyes bleary and not entirely focused as he tried to bat away the sleepy haze from his mind. Laughing at his dazed look, Tooth reached up and smoothed down some of the bed-head feathers of his crest.
"I was already awake." she said.
Pitch hummed lowly, shifting so he could stretch languidly. The tooth fairy bit her lip as that lean, lightly toned body arched beside her, stomach quivering as muscles were stretched and awoke from their sleep-tension. Sighing, he relaxed and flopped back into their nest, boneless and a bit more awake.
"So…" he started, "What do we do now?"
Tooth got a contemplative look on her face for but a moment, before she herself stretched, making sure Pitch's eyes were on her as her feathers ruffled and her wings shuddered. She moaned as her body loosened up its knots, the hum of rushing blood invading her vision. Sighing, she relaxed back into their bed and turned onto her side to face Pitch, tracing a finger over the open v-neck of his feather line over his chest.
"I think we can just stay here all day, doing nothing," she smiled coyly, rubbing a finger against that spot on Pitch's sternum that made him shudder, "Or we can do other things here."
Pitch smirked, chuckling as he leaned down and stole a rough kiss from the fairy queen. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he helped her settle partly on top of him, his fingers gently rubbing the base of her tail.
"You know I would love nothing more, songbird," he said, before becoming a bit serious, "But truly, what should we do about this? You know your Guardian friends are going to wonder about you if we keep meeting in secret."
Tooth sighed, resting her chin on his chest as she absently played with the edge of a bandage. She frowned as the rough material scraped against her fingers, and looked up at Pitch.
"What happened to you?" she asked, concerned, "Is it from…?"
"The Nightmares? Yes, and no," Pitch said. Seeing the odd look on her face, he explained, "They were ravenous when they dragged me back down into my lair. I eventually escaped and got away from them, but they would find me soon. I knew they could not be tamed; they were far too wild and out of control."
"Using a similar spell to the one I used to gain my second form, I absorbed their essence back into my body – Nightmare and Fearling alike. It was…a very strange sensation. They of course put up a fight, ergo my injuries, but it was nothing serious." he concluded.
"So they…they're gone? What about Sandy's sand?" Tooth asked.
"The sand cannot return to being Dreamsand on its own, it needs Sanderson's influence. So when I took back their essence, their bodies just became piles of normal sand," Pitch explained, "But yes, they are gone…"
He sounded so relieved, yet defeated. He likely spent decades trying to perfect his Nightmare sand, but all that time and effort had gone to waste. His Nightmares were gone, and as were the Fearlings – but only because he had nothing else to go on anymore. No fear, no darkness, nothing.
His existence now was…desolate.
'Oh Pitch…' Tooth looked down at the battered body below her, saddened.
"What…what will you do now?" she asked.
Pitch shrugged, "I honestly do not know. Nightmares are natural things, they're not just things I myself create. I suppose I'll have to settle for what I can get from natural fear than what I can create…"
Even if it is not enough, was left unsaid, but it was implied. Pitch could not survive off of meager fears alone. He has lived off of those scraps for most of his immortal life, and it was no way for any spirit to live. And he couldn't do anything to keep himself in existence anymore; spreading fear like a madman was not an option for either of them. The Guardians would never approve, and go after Pitch. Pitch would then rebel and try to defend himself for the sake of survival. The Guardians would then fight harder, and Pitch would do the same until he was forced back into submission. It was a vicious cycle, a slippery slope. And now the she thought about it, Tooth seemed to realize that the cycle has been almost a part of their whole lives.
She frowned, disappointed in herself and the others. This was no life, it was a job. It was expected of them to defend the world's children, but not like this. They had to think of some other method for Pitch; something that could permit his absolute survival, yet also keep the Guardians off his tail.
A finger suddenly came up and poked her nose, startling her.
"What's with the serious face?" Pitch grinned smugly, "Something on your mind?"
Tooth pouted and swatted his hand away, earning a chuckle from the raven man. She sighed.
"I'm trying to figure out some way we can all just get along – or at least exist without living to rip each other's throats out." She said.
"But it's so fun." Pitch whined. Tooth smacked his arm playfully.
"No, it's not," she said, "I mean, what will you do now to stay alive? You need a certain amount of fear to live, right?"
Pitch nodded, though reluctantly, "I do. In reality, I cannot live to my fullest off scraps or natural fears. Nightmares always gave me the boost I needed…but that cannot go on, not unless I have standards that match the other Guardians'. And unless we can figure something out, I am afraid we will have to keep at our secrecy – they would never accept me otherwise."
He said it spitefully, but also sadly. He wanted to be by Tooth's side so badly, he was willing to at least try and be somewhat civil with the others. He cared enough about being accepted by them for her benefit – but for no other reason. It was all just for her. It touched Tooth, and it only made her more determined into figuring something out.
Nightmares were, on the whole, the best route to take. They gave Pitch the energy he needed to live, and in small, managed doses, he could thrive easily off of them. But the Guardians would never condone them, especially Sandy. But Nightmares were their only option; they were overall harmless, and only scare kids for the briefest moment. Add in Pitch's nocturnal nature, they had little no other options.
But what could they do with the option? Creating Nightmares was all Pitch knew, and asking him to completely change his ways was unfair. So what could they do?
'This would be so much easier if his powers could help keeps kids out of trouble…' she thought.
Nightmares…trouble…warning…
Tooth gasped and sat bolt upright, eyes wide and starling Pitch.
"Toothiana?" Pitch inquired tentatively, "What is it?"
"I got it…" Tooth whispered, "I got it!"
"DOH!" Pitch grunted as Tooth suddenly jumped onto him, straddling his waist and hands planted on his shoulders.
"Show me how your make your Nightmares!" she said. Pitch blinked, dumbfounded.
"Toothiana, I am not sure I follow-"
"Just show me!" she suddenly grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the bed and towards the door.
"Ow! Toothiana, what are you-!?"
"I figured it out! I know a way we can use your Nightmares without upsetting the other Guardians!" Tooth cried.
Though still confused, and his shoulder a bit pained form her insistent tugging, Pitch managed to regain himself and show her to where his lab was and where he kept his potions and magic texts.
Tooth grinned widely to herself as she tugged him further into the desolate lair, he rmind running a hundred miles a minute.
It was time to make some Nightmares.
To be continued…
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A/N~ Again, sort of shorter, but hey, we're nearing the end her folks! I am so happy so many of you stuck with me through this mini fic! Seriously, you all are just the greatest. A big, special thank you to Xion5! You are the absolute greatest my dear, you deserve a medal for all the help you've given me! Thanks so much for sticking with me! Much love to you sweetie! *heart*
What will happen next? Only I and my partner in crime (Xion5) know. But I know more. She just has a hint or two X3
Enjoy!
~S~
