Snakebite.
Ch. 12
Pairing: Naga!Pitch/Tooth (Cavity)
Genre: Humor, romance.
Rating: T (for swearing and minor sexual content)
~S~
X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X
They say familiarity breeds contempt – in other words, the more something is seen, done, or said, the more annoying it gets. Boredom and discontent are two factors of this saying, and are often associated with one another. Restlessness is also a contributing factor to this contempt. But it always depends on each individual person as to what will come of this sudden contempt.
For Pitch, it was all of the above.
Familiarity breeds contempt – and he was loathe to admit how bored, restless, discontent, and downright annoyed he was right now. Though at the same time, he was in a bit of a strange limbo of sorts. He was restless, but he was also in a strange state where all he wanted to do was stare into a wall for the rest of his life. This dazed, almost hypnotized state was disconcerting at best.
Was he truly so disturbed that his own mind and body were shutting down all their own without him? How ironic, he thought with a quiet sigh. He felt brain dead, and tired. But he could not sleep – he refused to sleep anymore.
What was he even doing anyways, another part of him wondered. He now knew why his powers were on the fritz, all he had to do was demand Tooth show him to the nearest human population, stalk it out for a while, then use the power he gained from the venture to go home. And yet, for some unknown reason, he was sticking around Tooth Palace – the thought of scaring people had not once crossed his mind up until that moment.
And it frightened him…
Like a light had suddenly been switched, in the blink of two glazed eyes, Pitch found himself back in his own body and fully aware of himself. No longer trapped in that disconcerting limbo, he looked around at his surroundings with an almost suspicious frown.
He was still in the ravine – that much was clear. Nothing much had changed, although a few things had been moved down for his comfort; or so Tooth had said to the spaced man. A small Chabudaiby the oasis served as a table for his meals instead of the usual boulders and flat rocks. Though right now it held a few books – four to be precise, and all annoyingly on the subject of teeth. Bored as he had been, he actually read them – and now he had a mild concern of tooth decay and his breath. He cursed the damned fairy for this.
A soft woven rug had been placed down in his sleeping spot under the tree, along with many silken pillows and a couple blankets, turning the once ditch-like pit into a cozy little nest. A long bench holding various items sat on the other side of the tree, all of which contained a basket of fruits and breads for whenever Pitch felt hungry, some cups for the oasis water, a rubics-cube (apparently one of her fairies thought books were boring and got it for him – little considerate twerp), and of course, a basin of water with a tube of tooth paste and a tooth brush and floss.
Did she actually think he was going to brush his teeth? Possibly, otherwise she wouldn't have brought them down for him. Though he did get a good laugh out of the notion, it was short-lived. Pitch's moods were becoming a bit more erratic, yet they all seemed to circulate through only a select few moods. One minute he's dazed and feeling nothing, the next he's feeling tired and down, then he might feel amused at something or other and feel fine, and maybe after that he'll be irritated or angry at nothing. It then all comes back to being spaced out, and it was becoming concerning to the Boogeyman.
He actively wondered if he was suffering from depression. He was bored and restless, yet uninterested in anything. He wanted to just do nothing – it certainly fit part of the bill. Whatever food he managed to eat was tasteless, and all the colors of Tooth Palace were suddenly dull and plain.
'The Boogeyman, depressed. How laughable…' he thought dryly.
Well, at least he wasn't alone in this strange endeavor. He only wished he could decide on whether or not he was glad for this or not…
The little group of fairies had snuck down into the ravine around an hour ago. About five of them, they all seemed innately curious as to what the Boogeyman did all day when Tooth was not with him. Turns out he wasn't the greatest of entertainment out there.
"Don't you little tarts have anything better to do?" He grumbled suddenly, slumped over his coils in a loose pile of scales and tail.
Shrugs from tiny shoulders were his only answer as little eyes strayed from scale to scale in desire. Shrill sighs of longing seemed to escape the little fairies every now and again, and he supposed the occasional noise was a good way to keep him from falling asleep again. He's had enough naps to last him a lifetime.
Now if only he could find something productive to do. That, or wait for Tooth to come down and entertain him.
"Unbelievable, I have to wait on that infuriating woman for entertainment?" he groaned, scrubbing his face with a hand.
He had to wonder just how much begging it would take to get Tooth to go into his lair and get his own books. Heaven knows he's been itching to finish that last one on his nightstand.
God he missed his home. Who would have thought that he, the Boogeyman, would actually be homesick?
"Sure, this place is nice and all that, but it's so…bright." He grimaced, picking at blades of grass absently; he would later be appalled by his own boredom induced fidgeting.
One of the wayward fairies chirped at Pitch, gesturing somewhat vaguely. The others nodded in agreement to their companion's words, looking back at Pitch expectantly. He merely fixed them a deadpan look.
"Yes, because I understood every word you said," He muttered, before he sighed, "What I would give for something to do. Haven't been this desolate since the end of the Dark Ages."
More chirping, this time sounding more inquisitive yet heated. Pitch scoffed, rolling so his back was to the fairies.
"I'm guessing you said something along the lines of 'you had it coming'," he grumbled, "But let me tell you something – I didn't exactly choose this existence. No one openly blames you for being born as extended versions of the twit."
Outraged squeaks. And then he felt little patters of tiny feet on his tail. Whether out of courage or stupidity – probably both – the fairies decided enough was enough and marched right up his tail until they stood on his hip. Arms either crossed, or fists planted on hips, Pitch was reminded of a scene of a disgruntled wife trying to get her deadbeat husband to get a job. Ironic, since he would at this point kill to get back on a scaring streak.
Pitch glared up at the little fairies, "I have a right to my opinion. Piss off."
They actually growled at him. He would have laughed; it was quite cute. He felt one of them stomp on him – though really, what it did was up to speculation. It felt like someone had simply blown a straw wrapper at his hip. Not the most effective way to get his attention.
"Oh shut it," he grumbled, "Gods I miss it. Perhaps you lot can make yourselves useful and get me some real reading material. Perhaps some Lovecraft, or Stephen King, or maybe Shakespeare for a change of pace."
"I never took you for the poetry type."
A startled, shrill hiss then, as Pitch veered up and froze into a defensive striking pose, teeth bared. Tooth, meanwhile, was startled back with a yelp and a dropped tray of food, her feathers puffed up and hands held up like there was a gun being pointed at her. The little fairies that had been thrown off of Pitch like a rider on a wild bull, while indignant, stared in anticipating fascination.
No one said anything for the longest time. Violet eyes wide as dinner plates stared at narrowed, almost crazed amber orbs in apprehension.
Another moment passed before a flush spread over Tooth's face and she lowered her arms, Pitch only relaxing minutely yet still conveying suspicion.
"I-I am so sorry!" Tooth stuttered out, "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just-"
"Scare me?" Pitch rasped, disbelieving.
Crap, Tooth thought. Here we go…
"I do not get scared!" Pitch snapped, his scales flaring, "I am the Boogeyman! I do not get scared, and you, my dear misguided friend, did not scare me!"
'Me and my big mouth…' Tooth thought flatly. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she set to work picking up her mess, half listening to Pitch.
"I don't even see how one could be scared of you," Pitch continued on absently, "No fangs, claws, not a feather out of place. Too pretty!"
"Wait, what?" Tooth looked up at Pitch with wide eyes.
It took him a moment, but Pitch soon seemed to realize the error of his wording and visibly flushed. Tooth bit her lip, watching as that fascinating color of violet, similar to her eye color, creeped up his neck and into his cheeks and tips of his ears. He suddenly scowled at the giggling Mini-Fairies hovering off to the side.
"Ahem, you…you know what I mean." Pitch grumbled, crossing his arms and refusing to look at Tooth.
Though still a bit flustered, Tooth felt a warm sense of pride at his – though unintentional – compliment to her. And although a part of her wanted to see how far she could go with this, a bigger part knew that he was simply not in the mood for teasing. She could see dark smudges under his eyes, and muscles twitching and flinching under his taut skin. He obviously did not sleep well last night; a fact she could empathize with.
Clearing her throat, Tooth put the last of the food back on the tray and pushed aside the books on the short table.
"Are uh, are you hungry?" she asked hopefully.
Pitch at first wanted to say no, he wasn't. But on the other hand, he was somewhat grateful for her intentional change in subject. If it meant he had to eat even though he felt like his stomach was in knots, he would do it if it meant avoiding another embarrassing confrontation. Perhaps the food would do him good as well…
Sighing in exasperation, Pitch slithered over to the table and took his customary position of sitting comfortably on a thick coil, while Tooth simply sat on her knees on the other side of the table. She served herself some fruit – the cut fruit she dropped was put off to the side, now dirty from the ground. She'd give it to some of the wild birds later.
Not wanting anything too heavy, Pitch settled for a slice of plain flat bread. It was quiet between them, almost uncomfortably so. Seeing how tense everything was, the Mini-Fairies eventually left the two to their lunch and got back to their work.
Nibbling almost hesitantly at the plain bread, Pitch's eyes veered up towards Tooth, studying her. And what he saw made him frown.
Tooth's eyes were rimmed with red, slightly puffy and darkened. She looked pale, and her appetite subdued; she literally ate like a bird. And he would have laughed at this too, had he not sensed the undercurrent of apprehension and anxiety coming off of her in faint waves.
"…restless sleep last night?" he asked offhandedly, hoping he didn't sound too concerned.
"What?" Tooth asked, blinking, "Oh, uh…heh, yeah, long night. I uh, had a lot of work, and went to bed later than usual."
Lies, Pitch immediately thought. But why was she lying? What did she have to cover up? She was obviously still disturbed with what had happened yesterday, likely upset with him still with how he talked about that boy.
'That boy…' Pitch shuddered, setting his food aside. His appetite was completely lost, and his stomach seemed to knot even further. Swallowing, he held a hand to his mouth, suddenly feeling ill.
"Pitch? Are you alright?" Tooth asked, noticing how pale he had suddenly gone. Pitch nodded stiffly.
"The food does not agree with me…" he muttered.
He hadn't even touched anything aside from that bread – he didn't even take more than four bites of it. But Tooth chose not to comment, watching as the Boogeyman picked up the given cup of water and chugged it down. His throat bobbed steadily as he swallowed the cool liquid, and Tooth found herself mesmerized.
Once he set the cup aside, rubbing his forehead, Tooth shook herself out of her stupor and spoke.
"Um, listen, I was thinking…" she started.
"A dangerous venture." Pitch muttered. Tooth ignored the comment.
"You were right yesterday – it probably gets pretty boring down here," she said, catching Pitch's attention, "So…what do you like to do? I mean, in your spare time, what do you enjoy doing?"
Pitch opened his mouth to immediately respond…
"Aside from scaring children." Tooth added hastily.
And he closed his mouth with a huff. Tooth crossed her arms.
"Come on Pitch, you have to do other things aside scaring people." She ushered.
"And do you do anything outside collecting and gushing over teeth?" Pitch deadpanned.
"Of course I do!" Tooth responded, face flushing in slight embarrassment.
"Oh? Such as?" Pitch asked, smirking slightly.
Tooth groaned, "Pitch…this is not about me. Come on, help me out here. Obviously you like scaring people, and getting under their skin. What else?"
The Boogeyman sighed, finally losing his teasing manner. He seemed to think for a moment before he responded.
"Read mostly. Craft different creatures out of my Nightmare sand. Sometimes visit the night side of the world." Pitch listed off stiffly.
Tooth nodded, "What else? What do you do when you're out and about?"
A shrug, "Sometimes I'll meet other spirits similar to my ilk. Not many, but when I do, we often chat or stir up trouble. Once in a blue moon one will come by my home and we play chess…"
"Chess?" Tooth asked.
"Don't sound so surprised, I happen to like strategy games," Pitch scoffed, before seeming to wilt, "I even once got roped into playing Battle Ship with an old acquaintance of mine."
Tooth snorted, before covering her mouth to hide her giggles. Pitch once played Battle Ship? Unbelievable!
"And…?" she probed.
Again, he shrugs, "And that's it. I'm not overly active. Sometimes I just sleep if the day is getting long."
"No, I mean…did you win?" Tooth asked, smiling slightly humorously.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Pitch snapped.
"Oh come on! Spill it, you lost didn't you?"
"Shut up."
"You totally did!"
"Ugh…" Pitch put his face in his hands, his fingers rubbing at his temples, "Yes, I lost.
Tooth laughed softly to herself, grinning from ear to ear at Pitch's pouting. Clearing her throat, Tooth composed herself, though her amused still remained.
"Anyways, so…books, huh?" she inquired.
"Yes, Toothiana, I like books…" Pitch deadpanned.
"Oh don't be such a sour-puss, what kind of books do you like?" Tooth asked. Pitch quirked a brow at her.
"You mean you can't guess?" he said. Tooth rolled her eyes.
"I'm making a point in trying not to assume things about you." This earned a scoff, but none the less, Pitch relented.
"Mostly horror, mystery, books with plots that make you think and wonder," He said, "Poetry is just something I like to dabble in every now and again."
"Huh…again, never took you for the poetry type." Tooth said. Pitch shrugged.
"Again, it's only a small interest, but an interest none the less. Some are rather fascinating and telling, others are complex, yet they can hold more meaning than a thousand words."
"Kind of a poet yourself aren't you?" Tooth teased. Pitch scoffed.
"Hardly. I just happen to possess a more robust vocabulary." He shot back.
"Whatever…" Tooth said with a fond eye roll, "So…I guess I can take you to my library."
"You have a library?" Pitch asked in surprise.
"Yeah, though I hardly use it, and it's likely smaller than yours, but it has books on various subjects." Tooth explained.
"They're not all about teeth or mouth care?"
"Not all of them!" Tooth scoffed, "I have some interests outside teeth you know."
"Gee, I couldn't tell…"
Again, Tooth finds herself rolling her eyes, but does not argue. Yes, she has a bit of a one-track mind when it came to teeth, but she genuinely had other interests. Botany was one of them, as was textiles and weaving. She didn't have too much time for these things, but she enjoyed them. She found her hobbies soothing, a good way to unwind and get lost teeth out of her mind. She had to wonder what else Pitch liked to do besides read and scare people…
"Well, if we're done here, I can take you to my library…" she suddenly paused, "Wait, can you even get up to the second level?" she asked.
Pitch blinked, but looked up to consider the height of the ravine's sheer wall. Mentally, he groaned. By the end of this, he was going to have a splitting headache and a sore body…
~s~S~s~
And he was right.
It took him a half hour, but eventually, Pitch did get over the ravine wall. Though it came in handy with scaling pillars and spires, his tail did not work too well with scaling flat rock walls with little to latch onto. He at one point wondered why he didn't chose to turn into something with wings in the beginning; like a half condor form, or a raven.
"You need to put some stairs up or something, because unless I get some form of energy on a regular basis, this is not going to be a regular occurrence." He rasped. He was winded and exhausted, slumped against the base of a spire on the second level.
Tooth bit her lip, suddenly quite a bit apprehensive. She should have thought things through before mentioning her library. He was right by one thing though; they couldn't do this often if he was just going to be tired from lugging some two tons of snake tail up a ravine.
And his energy…she had to think of something. Pitch needed fear to survive and thrive, at least some form of anxiety and negative emotion. Food could only sustain him for so long, and whenever he did get a whiff of fear after a long time, he would virtually go mad with ravenous hunger. He nearly sank his teeth into her neck that one time, and it was an experience she did not…well…
"Maybe there will be something in the library that can help," Tooth said thoughtfully, "I have a few spell and incantation books, something useful has to be in at least one of them…"
"You're not going to tell me it's many more floors up, are you?" Pitch groused. Thankfully, Tooth shook her head.
"No, thankfully," she said, "It's on this level. This way!"
Pitch sighed and regained his bearings, slithering after the excited fairy woman. Though he was tired, sore, and had dull scrapes on his underbelly from rocks in the wall, he was eager to see some real books and a library. It would certainly be the first time he's seen one in Tooth Palace. He's visited nearly every library in the human – and immortal – world, and each one held a special place in his regard. He was definitely looking forward to what a library of Tooth Palace could provide. Would it be as bedazzled and jeweled as the rest of the palace? Will it be a noisy place full of the twittering and fluttering of hundreds of Mini-Fairies?
"Here we are!" Tooth stopped at a pair of gold double doors, both easily larger than her and nearly half his length from tail tip to head.
He blinked, marveling at the craftsmanship of the carved doors. Dozens of miniature doors dotted it in rows, no doubt used for the Mini-Fairies to get in and out. He actually had to wonder how it is Tooth was going to open the mains doors with her petite frame…
Grinning to herself excitedly, Tooth simply touched a hand to the meet of the two doors. A moment passed, before the colorful diamond patterns of the door rippled and shuddered, before twisting away. It was not unlike how a Tooth-Box opened, the various shapes folding and spinning away from one another, until it was opened and revealed to them the vast room within it.
Pitch was amazed, to say the least.
It was in fact smaller than his own, but it was different too. Unlike the rest of Tooth Palace, it wasn't saturated in jewels or colors. Rather, it was calm, yet filled with richer colors reminiscent of fall. The dark red carpet complimented the dark cherry-wood bookshelves perfectly, each one stretching meters high and nearly bursting with books. Matching wood chairs and tables occupied little nooks and crannies here and there, and round nooks imbedded in the floor were filled with pillows and silken blankets. Miniature spires hung down for meters along the ceiling, each like a little gazebo for the Mini-Fairies to perch in and relax.
A rich gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, filling the large round room with a calm yellow light. Other lanterns and lamps hung or stood in various places, mostly in the reading areas. It wasn't too bright, but it wasn't so dark that no one could read in it.
Pitch dazedly slithered to the nearest bookshelf, curious. He paused when he looked back at the little hanging bird houses, and then back at the shelves. And sure enough, if he looked close enough, just above the normal sized books were miniature books that were perfectly sized for fairies. All boasted titles, seeming to be exact copies of their larger counterparts.
"How…?" He rasped.
"Hm? Oh, those. North helped me with those when I first built the palace," Tooth said, "He used a copying and shrinking spell for them. Some of my girls are real bookworms."
Pitch could only shake his head slowly, disbelieving. Well, he's certainly seen everything when it comes to libraries now. And he thought the flying books of Cupid's cloud citadel were a marvel.
"Well, go on and have a look," Tooth said, gesturing to the aisles of books, "I'm going to look for some books too, so take your time."
And with that, she flitted off to look for some reading material. Suddenly alone, Pitch almost felt enclosed and overwhelmed by the large library. It was an odd mindset, considering his own was vast enough to be considered a labyrinth – his own Fearlings often got lost in it. Yet here he was, intimidated by a smaller, warmer version of a library he could no longer get to.
He sighed, suddenly a bit more energetic. There was nothing to be done about it. He was out of the ravine, and surrounded by hundreds of books to choose from. He might as well try and find something that might catch his interest.
~s~S~s~
Meanwhile, Tooth was off near a section on the other side of the library that housed her spell books. Steadily, she was collecting a nice pile of books concerning energy and how to convert or sustain it. She did not have too many options, but she had enough thankfully. And worse come to worst, she could always borrow something from North and claim she was just curious and wanted to brush up on her magic study. Occasionally a Mini-Fairy would flit by and pass a quiet greeting to her, or ask how she was doing with the Boogeyman.
"He's still moody, but I think we're getting there." She replied to one fairy.
The little fairy nodded and flitted off, clutching its own miniature book to its chest. She looked through a few more titles and texts, before she decided she had enough and regarded her stack. It was easily half her size, and likely twice her weight…
"Baby steps, Tooth…" she muttered to herself. She took half the stack with straining hands and wings, and flew off to find a good place to read them.
Finding a cozy nook stuffed with pillows, she settled in and got to reading the first book on top of the pile…
It wasn't until one of her library fairies came by to tell her it was getting late did Tooth realize just how long she had been at reading. Hours had passed, and she was now nearing the end of her last book, and the end of her rope.
"Um, thanks, I'll be done in a second." She said.
The fairy nodded and flitted off, while Tooth sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration. Her eyes hurt from staring into off-white pages and black print so much, and she could find nothing to aid Pitch in his search for energy without being around fear. There weren't even any references on fear specifically in any of the books she had.
"Can you be any more complicated, Pitch?" she wondered aloud. Sighing, she stood and stretched her stiff limbs, feathers shuddering as she regained feeling back into her limbs.
Shaking her wings out, she resolved to put the books back before going to look for Pitch and tell him she had to go. He could stay in the library all night if he wanted to; it would be better than climbing back down into that ravine and out again the next day. She really needed to invest in some stairs or something…
Putting the last book away, Tooth sighed and flitted off to look for the wayward Boogeyman. She had to wonder if he would still be reading or not. But then again, what else would he be doing in the library?
Apparently something entertaining, come to find out. As when Tooth turned a corner, she came face to face with an odd sight.
Brows scrunched in concentration, and chin propped up on a fist, Pitch regarded the chess board sat upon one of his coils. The fairy across from him – her feathers ruffled slightly, a purple spot around her left eye, and large, round glasses over her long nose – sitting on another smaller coil was virtually sweating, little leg bouncing in anticipation.
A moment passed before Pitch suddenly smirked, and moved a knight to the opposite side's king.
"Checkmate," He said, "Again."
The little fairy let out a shrill screech of anguish and fell onto her back, pressing tiny hands into her eyes under the thick, miniature glasses. Pitch chuckled, resetting up the chess pieces.
"Oh come now, you're getting better! You can't quit now." He said in mock cheerfulness.
The fairy only gave Pitch a very rude hand gesture. But it only caused the Boogeyman to chuckle mirthfully. Tooth blinked, stunned.
"Pitch…?" she offered uncertainly.
Startled, Pitch veered his head over towards the wide eyed Tooth Fairy. He himself seemed to be taking on the persona of a gaping fish. The little spectacled fairy though, was looking between the two with wide eyes and a stiff stance, as if she was the kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.
Tooth was the first to break the awkward silence.
"Pitch…" she started, "What were you doing with one of my fairies…?"
"I am working on building a rebellion in my glorious name to overthrow you." Pitch said innocently, playing absently with a pawn.
"Pitch…" Tooth said warningly.
He sighs, "Honestly Toothiana, you should name these little puff-balls. I nearly mistook this one for Frost's sidekick and said something foul."
"Pitch…"
"Alright! Calm down, we were playing chess," Pitch said in exasperation, "Apparently she had some fascination for a book I was reading that wasn't in her size, and she wouldn't leave me alone! Long story short, we eventually moved on to the chess board I found on the table there, and then you showed up. The end."
Tooth blinked owlishly, somehow unable to fully process everything Pitch had just said. It was like a trickle leaking from a dam; there was so much more to take in, but all she could manage was the smallest amount. It finally seemed to occur to her that maybe she just spent too long in the library and she was just going nuts.
"…you seem awfully surprised." Pitch deadpanned.
"Uh, yeah, kind of?" Tooth offered weakly.
The fairy spoke up then, flitting over to Tooth and wringing her little hands. She seemed to explain to Tooth what had happened, and it was virtually the same thing as what Pitch had said. She saw he had a book she wanted to read, it was too big for her but he let her have at it, and after some timid chirping and irritated huffing, Pitch got to kicking her tail at chess.
"You know how to play chess?" Tooth eventually asked the fairy. Pitch quirked a brow at her.
"I was playing a game with one of your little pom-poms, and that's all you got from this?" he asked.
"Oh give me a break! I didn't know! I don't even know how to play chess!" Tooth snapped.
"You don't?" Pitch seemed surprised, as was the fairy. Tooth flushed, suddenly put on the spot.
"Well…no…it just doesn't seem all that exciting to me. And come on, I'm busy, why would I play such a time consuming game?" she asked.
Pitch and the Mini-Fairy shared a contemplative, conspiring look. Smiles slowly spread over their lips, and Tooth was wondering just how hard the game could be…
~s~S~s~
"Why is this so damn hard?!" Tooth screamed at the board a half hour later.
The spectacled fairy, sitting on Pitch's shoulder, giggled shrilly to herself behind tiny hands. Pitch only shook his head, smirking smugly.
"Honestly Toothiana, you can remember the name of every tooth in the human mouth, but you can't even recall the difference between a rook and a bishop?"
"Ugh, Pitch, shut up…!" Tooth rasped, glaring in frustration at the chess board, "I'm trying to focus…!"
"Yes, don't hurt yourself…" Pitch muttered. The fairy on his shoulder giggled again.
A good five minutes passed before Tooth gave up with a frustrated groan, rubbing her temples as a headache set in. She finally moved a random piece – her last remaining knight – and waited for Pitch to make his move. He moved his rook full across the board and knocked over her king.
"Checkmate." He said.
Tooth recalled seeing a cartoon playing out in a child's room when they were asleep, of a character flipping a table in frustration. And right now, she could see herself doing that exact same thing to the board. But she didn't – though by god she wanted to – but she was a lady, damn it. She does not flip boards!
"Well, that was a rather riveting experience wouldn't you say?" Pitch said teasingly.
"Pitch, I will yank your molars out if you do not shut your mouth…" Tooth groaned. Pitch shrugged, still grinning like the smug bastard he was.
"Yes, yes, straight to the Moon." Pitch droned.
Tooth groaned again, pouting at her fallen king. She had to concede though; it wasn't an overly exciting game, it got her brain moving, and was quite competitive. A part of her was outraged at being so easily defeated some unknown number of times. And another was just embarrassed she couldn't memorize which did what and what their names were.
Sighing, Tooth sat up and stretched from being hunched over the board for so long. Blinking to refresh her eyes, she looked to the area Pitch had been lounged in and previously reading in. She was shocked to see just how many books he had out and surrounding the pillow laden reading area, and all ranging in various subjects.
"Sure you got enough books there?" she asked.
Pitch scoffed, "When you're stuck in a ditch for so long with nothing to do, you try not going overboard. And I'm a fast reader."
"Right…" Tooth droned.
"Well you certainly took your time. What exactly were you looking into?" Pitch inquired.
"How do you know I was in here this whole time?" Tooth fired back.
"Oh please, you have the classic look most cramming students get after an all-night study session. You were looking into something, quite vigorously." Pitch said smugly.
Tooth flushed and touched her face, wondering if she looked as haggard as Pitch described. The Mini-Fairy on Pitch's shoulder chirped at Tooth, saying she looked fine – just tired.
"Ahem, yes, uh…a-anyways, did you want to stay here for the night?" Tooth asked.
"And make that hellish crawl into the ravine again? No thank you." Pitch said, crossing his arms.
Well, Tooth thought, at least he was on the same page as her in that regard. She really did not feel like helping Pitch lug himself down the ravine, nor did she feel like chancing a heart attack whenever he slipped and caught himself. Not a pleasant experience.
Standing, Tooth brushed her rumbled feathers off and stretched with her hands high above her head. She seemed oblivious to the serpentine gaze on her as she did so, and sighed in relief as the tense muscles in her body unwound and loosened. Relaxing again, Tooth yawned and looked tiredly over at Pitch.
"Well, while you and your fanclub gush over books, I'm going to bed. Night…" yawning again, Tooth kicked her wings into gear and flew for the door. She was about to open them again and head out, but was stopped when Pitch suddenly spoke.
"Toothiana…" he called.
"Hm?" Tooth turned, tired eyes looking blearily at Pitch across the room.
He looked tense and hesitant, but the fairy on his shoulder poked his cheek and chirped insistently. He sighed.
"Thank you…" he said, barely audible.
Tooth blinked, before a tired smile broke over her face.
"You're welcome." She said. And with that, she cast one last look at Pitch before she opened the door and flitted out.
Pitch sighed as the door was shut, rubbing his forehead. He suddenly seemed to realize how tired he was. Both he and Tooth also had completely forgone dinner, but oddly, he still wasn't hungry. Perhaps he was still in a funk, or perhaps he was just not feeling well. Looking to his pile of books, he frowned. He had read through at least eight books in the hours he spent there, all of them for leisure and to alleviate boredom. The problem was, they were all love stories…
Slowly, his eyes swerved to look at the fairy perched on his shoulder.
"You tell her about any of this…" he started, "I really will eat you."
The Mini-Fairly only rolled her eyes, but nodded. She suddenly yawned and stretched her stiff wings, taking to the air. She chirped a good night to Pitch and flitted off for her own little nook to sleep. Once she was gone, Pitch flopped into his coils with a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes. He was tired, that much was obvious. But his brain simply would not shut off.
He could not get the image of Tooth out of his head. Concentrating with all her might over the chess board, looking flustered and embarrassed over small things…Tooth stretching out in front of him…
"Urgh…!" Growling to himself, Pitch turned over so he was buried under his coils, clamping his hands over his ears. No, no more of this crap.
He had to find a way to get out of Tooth Palace, and he had to get out now…
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