Sunlight began to seep by the windows, illuminating all Santoff Clausen.

The yetis, ready to start one day once again, returned to their works after a well-deserved rest and the Guardian of Fun was returning from Dreamland with a big and loud yawn. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and sat up, still half asleep.

He had had a really fun dream, credits to the Sandman. He was with Jamie, Sophie and all the kids from Burgess, everyone had ice-skates and he was teaching them how to ice-skate on his lake.

But there was a moment where he got distracted and the ice under Jamie started to break. When he saw this, Jack almost had a heart attack. He approached Jamie slowly so he could help him and freeze the ice, but it also cracked under him, something odd when you were winter personified. The other kids started to shout and cry.

Jack nervously, tried to reach Jamie, but if he moved, the ice under Jamie suffered the consequences. Jamie looked at him scared, pleading him to help him. The boy was about to fall when, suddenly, the ice froze strongly again and the cracks disappeared.

Jack smiled relieved and walked towards Jamie, his feet freezing the ice this time, and both got out of the lake to start an awesome snowball fight.

Jack looked at the hour. 8:00am. He sighed and frowned slightly when a thought struck him. What happened in his dream wasn't a good dream…it was as if he would have started to have a nightmare but everything returned to normal.

Pitch wanted to give me a nightmare? He thought accusingly. He did it on purpose!…No. He finally said to himself, shaking those thoughts away. Pitch was different now, may-maybe it was something else…

With that thought, e stood up, grabbing his staff and going out of his room without bothering to change clothes.

He walked by Pitch's room, the door was closed. He was going to let him sleep and maybe eat something but his curiosity won, he wanted to see what Pitch was doing. So he turned the knob and pushed the door gently, floating in direction of the bed.

Pitch was sleeping after all. Calm breathing and mouth partly opened. He was grabbing part of the blankets in one tight fist and a long black lock of hair had fallen over one eye.

Aw…look at the baby sleeping…so adorable…it would be a shame if someone- "WAKE UP PITCHY!" Jack shouted at the top of his longs but Pitch didn't move an inch.

Jack half sighed half groaned at his failed attempt. So it is difficult to wake him up, just like Sandy.

"Psst, Pitch. Wake up" He whispered loudly, kneeling next to him and poking his cheek.

"Nnnnnnn" Was Pitch answered, still with his eyes closed.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up" He said shaking the bed a bit.

Pitch opened an eye, just enough to see who was the insufferable boy who had woken him up, obviously it was Jack, and he closed it again, mumbling angrily.

"Nn..go away…sleep"

Jack remembered that a few years ago, he watched with Sophie and her friends a movie about a princess with blond hair and ice powers who froze her kingdom and at the beginning, her sister woke her up to build a snowman.

When Jamie and his friends found him squealing almost at the end of the boring girly movie, as they had called it, Jack said as an excuse (obviously when it finished, he didn't want to miss the end, but it wasn't as if he had told them that), he only watched it because he was asked to, AND that the girl had the same powers as he…it was a complete different story that now they teased him with her, saying she is his girlfriend.

So, throwing himself over Pitch, making the poor teen to bounce on the bed, he said with mock suffering. "But I just can't. The sky is awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!" Jack put a hand over his forehead and they lowered it, hitting Pitch in the face.

Pitch groaned and more coherently this time, he shouted. "Go play by yourself, then!" He turned away with force and Jack really fell from the bed.

Jack smiled, and ignoring Pitch's annoyed face, he opened one golden eye and said. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

The winter spirit´s smile fell when he heard Pitch literally growling. He kicked him on his stomach and shouted.

"Go. Away! Go bother someone else!"

The kick hadn't hurt that much, but it did make Jack back away slowly, hurt. He had really hoped to play with Pitch in the snow. He lowered his head and said quietly. "Ok…I will go…I am sorry if I bothered you, Pitch"

"Just leave!" Pitch covered his head with the pillow. He was remembering what happened the night before, he felt bad, angry, alone…he didn't like it.

"Geesh! Ok, ok…You don't need to shout at me, I haven't done anything!" Jack said picking up his staff.

Why do you take it out on Jack, uh? He is just trying to help you, don't you see? He hasn't done anything to you, don't talk to him like that.

Pitch opened his eyes just in time to see Jack opening the door. "Jack! Wait! Don't go…"

Jack turned to look at him. Pitch was wide awake now, and sat up. He could see Pitch was feeling bad. His eyes were a bit red, as if he had been crying, and he had dark circles under his eyes…as if he hadn't slept.

Even though he was a bit angry with him because he shouted at him, he was worried for his appearance.

"Are you okay, Pitch?"

He doesn't care "It doesn't matter" He answered, but he didn't sound angry but sad.

"I think it does, I wouldn't be asking if not, don't you think?" Pitch didn't answer.

Jack looked at him thoughtfully. Pitch looked tired, annoyed, always on the defensive. The only time he remembered being like that, was years ago when…

"Hey…did you have a nightmare?"

Pitch stayed some minutes looking down at the blankets until he slowly nodded-

I didn't know Pitch could have nightmares…OH! Sure it was why I had one!

"What was it about? Do you want to tell me?" He had seen thousands of times that children told their parents about their nightmares. He didn't know why, but it seemed important.

Pitch hesitated before talking. "Ah-" Don't tell him.

"No, no…it's ok…it wasn't a big deal…"

"You sure?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I am fine" The black-haired boy smiled tiredly.

"Well, the most important thing is that nothing was real, ok?"

I wouldn't be so sure… Pitch thought remembering his bruises. He nodded.

"Good! Well, I am hungry…are you hungry? Let's go for something, ok?"

Pitch heard his stomach growled and blushing, he nodded, standing up and following Jack to the kitchen.

They said hi to the yetis who were working there and Jack asked one of them if they had seen North. They said no. Then, he asked them if they could prepare them breakfast because they were starving and in need of food.

They yeti looked at Pitch with narrowed eyes, and after seeing the boy cowering behind Jack and lowering his head, he started cooking.

While both teens waited for their breakfast, Pitch realized two things. The first one was that Jack and he were in pajamas, he didn't care too much. The second one was…that Jack was humming a song and singing quietly.

"…The snow glows white on the mountain tonight…not a footprint to be seen…a kingdom of…isolation, hmm and it looks like I am the king…The wind is howling…like this swirling storm inside…hmhmhm heaven knows I've tried…"

Pitch frowned slightly while a small smile appeared on his face. When Jack sang, his voice sounded deeper.

Jack started singing a bit louder this time. "Don't let them in, don't let them see hmhmhm you always have to be…concealed, don't feel, don't let them know…well now they know…!
Jack didn't notice he was getting louder, neither than Pitch was covering his mouth with both hands to keep from laughing.

"Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore! Let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the door…I don't care! What they're going to say! …Let the storm rage on…the cold never bothered me anyway.

Pitch couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing. Jack got out from whatever trance he was in and looked at Pitch with blue and frost covered cheeks.

"What-haha-are you-haha-singing- haha?" Asked Pitch between giggles.

"I-I wasn't singing…" Jack answered, face red in embarrassment.

(When Jack is just a bit embarrassed, his flush is blue, but when he is really embarrass, it's red)
"Uh huh, yeah, sure…Tell me? I won't laugh, I promise" Pitch said putting a hand over his chest, smiling.

"A song…"

"No, really?"

"From a Disney movie…Frozen" Jack muttered half understandable.

"Disney…Disney only do princess movie, right?" Pitch asked, but Jack didn't answer. He continued looking at the floor, flushed.

"You watched a princess movie? Pfft, wh-why?" Pitch said, snorting.

"They made, ok?! Jamie's sister, Sophie, was with some friends and they dragged me to watch the movie! It's impossible to say no to four pairs of puppy eyes that said, 'Please Jackie, don't leave us alone, the movie is pretty, the princess has ice powers like you!'" Jack said in a high-pitched voice. "Try to watch that movie and tell me that at least one song didn't stay stuck in your head" The winter spirit said with his normal voice again.

Pitch took a deep breath to control himself and not laugh, as he had promised, and just smiled teasingly. "Jackie has a girlfriend!" He sing-songed.

Jack glared at him, giving the 'you-will-end-up-buried-in-ten-feet-of-snow' look and stuck his tongue out.

The breakfast finally came and Jack smirked. "I bet I finish first"

"You think so?" Pitch challenged him to say it again.

"Oh, no…I know it" Jack said slowly.

"Very well…On the count of three. One…Two…Hey!" Pitch shouted outraged seeing that Jack had already started.

When the elves running there noticed the two boys filling their mouths with big amounts of food, they laughed and shook their bells to encourage them.

The yetis, both male and female, rolled their eyes. 'Boys'

Minutes later, Pitch and Jack discovered this was a dreadful idea.

Jack's face looked green, trying to swallow the weird combination of milk, jam and cheese, covering his mouth with both hands trying to not throw up everything. Pitch was in the same situation maybe even worse, it seemed he was about to pass out.

When both swallowed the food, they shouted at the same time. "Finished!" They leaned backwards against their chairs and they ended up falling to the floor, shouting.

They looked at each other wide-eyed for a moment until both boys burst out laughing.

They put the chairs up and while they discussed who won, North entered to the kitchen, Pitch's smile fell.

"Have you seen boys? They are not in-" North stopped when two pairs of yellow and blue eyes looked up at him.

"Oh, good! There you are!" North smiled, putting his hands on his hips.

"Hi, North!" Jack said smiling and standing up to welcome him with a hug North gladly returned. He was glad to be one of the few people Jack trusted enough to demonstrate love and receive it. While Jack giggled for the tickles his beard gave him, North noticed Pitch had turned his back to look somewhere else, resting his head in one hand.

"Hi, Pitch" He said, calling the attention of the younger spirit.

Pitch discreetly rolled his eyes and looked at him with a forced smile. "Good morning, Mr. North"

"North! Guess what! Pitch and I had a competition of whom eat faster and like ever, I won!" He said, sticking his tongue out.

"That's not true…" Pitch argued reluctantly.

North rolled his eyes and said "Are you really going to discuss about that? Not worth it, right?"

Pitch shook his head slowly, still looking down, Jack smiled mischievously and nodded

"Why were you looking for us, North" Jack asked.

"I went to your rooms and you weren't there…I couldn't find you, I didn't know where to start" He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Obviously you were only looking for Jack…" Pitch muttered under his breath, angrily.

North didn't hear him. "Well, I have to go, brush your teeth, Tooth will try to kill me if you don't, don't get into trouble, don't break anything and don't bother yetis while working" North looked at Jack with an accusingly look and went.

I only froze the toys once, ONCE! And it wasn't even my fault! It was of those sneaky elves who threw me water and I panicked. The yetis slip, get hurt, the presents open and I win the fame of Toy Destroyer

"What do you want to do, Pitch?" Jack asked, offering him some cookies, which Pitch refused.

Nothing

"No…I don't want to do anything" He said leaving the kitchen.

"Hey! Wait, where are you going?" Jack asked while he followed the young Boogeyman.

"To my roo-um-to the room Mr. North gave me" He answered without stopping walking.

"But why? Don't you want to play something?"

Pitch suddenly stopped and Jack bumped against him. "No! I don't want to! I just want to be alone!" Pitch shouted, looking at him seriously, but his lower lip seemed to tremble.

Jack cocked his head, confused. Had he said something that bothered him? Was he angry because he won the food competition? He didn't know Pitch would get angry for that.

"Why are you angry with me? Please, tell me"

"I am not angry…" Pitch answered flatly.

"I know you are…I don't know if you got angry for the breakfast thing…and if it is that…I'm sorry I made you feel bad, but you don't have to go, you don't have to be alone. Sometimes, I say I want to be alone, but I really don't want to. I don't like to be alone and I am almost sure do not like it either"

Why is he telling me this?

Because he cares for you…

Pitch gave him a little but genuine smile which made Jack's heart to warm up.

"So…what are we going to do?" Pitch asked him shyly.

"…Do you want to build a snowman?"
-.-.-.-.-

Pitch went to change his clothes to go with Jack to the wintry landscape outside.

Twenty snowmen, ten snow angels, two forts and thousands of snowballs thrown to each other face were necessary to leave the teens gasping for air in the snow…well, leaving Pitch gasping for air in the snow; Jack seemed to have more energy than usual.

Jack smirked when he noticed Pitch was distracted and trapped him in a snow bank, seconds later, he poked his head out, coughing snow.

"Hey! Let me go, Jack!" Pitch said struggling to get out while the winter spirit burst out laughing "Mwahahahaha! Revenge!"

Pitch managed to escape various seconds later (Jack had thawed the snow to help him) and sat down, shivering. Jack's wide widened when an idea crossed his mind.

"Remember my friend Jamie?"

Pitch frowned and looked up, confused. "I think someone talking to me, but I can see no one here"

Obviously, he was upset for being buried in snow.

Jack rolled his eyes for the comment and hit Pitch in the face with a snowball, making him to fall backwards. Cleaning the snow off his face, he shouted. "What?!"

"Remember Jamie?" Jack asked once again and Pitch nodded.

"Do you want to meet him?" Jack said, playing with a snowball in his hands.

Pitch hummed . Why not.

"Sure" He answered shrugging. He shook the snow off his clothes and hair, and they returned to warmth of the workshop.

Pitch heard the yetis groaned painfully when he entered. He looked back and saw he was leaving a trail of snow behind. Jack too, but the yetis were complaining just for him. He pouted. "I am sorry"

They went to Jack's room, which was really tidy and clean, and Jack opened his wardrobe, searching something. After a moment, he cried "Aha!" and showed Pitch a snow globe. It was smaller than the ones North had, but Pitch didn't know that.

"This is called a snow globe"

No! Really?!

"They create magic portals to wherever you want and this will take us to Burgess, cool, isn't it?" Pitch nodded.

Jack whispered 'Burgess' and he threw the snow globe to a corner of his room, where a colorful vortex appeared.

Pitch carefully approached the portal and looked at Jack, skeptically. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jack rolled his eyes and with a movement of his staff, he pushed the boy towards the portal, jumping right after him.

Pitch screamed when his body was absorbed by the portal, and before he could react, he hit the ground with a thud.

He groaned loudly and slowly stood up. He could hear Jack laughing behind him.

"Thanks for the lift, Jack" Pitch said sarcastically while taking leaves out of his hair.

Jack chuckled but instantly frowned and groaned when he looked around.

"What's wrong?"

"The portal brought us to the other part of the forest…I should have been more specific…We will have to walk"

Pitch looked at him angrily and Jack just shrugged. "Oh, come on! Don't be lazy, it will be fun!"
It was getting dark in Burgess, the light was quickly disappearing and replaced by the black of the night.

Pitch walked by the shadows the trees gave, doing everything in his power to avoid being touched by the little light there.

"Why do you walk by the shadows?" Jack asked him, curious. The first time he met him in the Tooth Palace, he wasn't hiding in the shadows and there was a lot of light and sun.

"I…" Pitch frowned. "I don't know…I just don't like it"

"Why?"

"I don't know" Pitch insisted. "It hurts…" He really didn't know, he couldn't remember why or how it hurts, he just knew he was safe in the shadows.

"Ok…" Was all Jack said and they continued walking in silence.

When the light had completely gone, they made it to the middle of the forest. While walking, they arrived to a really familiar clearing, and Jack paled. The entrance to Pitch's former lair was here.

Pitch didn't recognize the place, for him, everything looked dark and the same, and continued walking, but Jack approached the hole.

It was covered in dirt and grass but he sighed in relief when he saw that the ice hadn't been melted by the insufferable autumn spirit. He was about to create another layer of ice when he heard Pitch calling him. "Jack?! Where are you? Come here!"

It's not necessary, it resists. He told himself and run after the black haired boy, missing the little cracks on the ice.

Pitch was looking at some teenagers sat down around a bonfire.

"They are telling horror stories, isn't it cool?!" He whispered, fearing to interrupt the boy telling the story. Jack looked at the six teens. They were physically older than them, maybe 17 or 18, and it seemed they didn't believe in them anymore. He doubted they were going to sleep outdoors; October was finishing and the temperature had dropped really quickly.

"And they were never seen…AGAIN!" The red haired boy finished his story with an evil laugh.

The three girls hugged the three boys, apparently scared.
"That was so horrible, Kevin, protect me" a black haired girl said, hugging a brown haired boy and kissing him on the mouth, French kiss.

Jack and Pitch stuck their tongues out. "Come on, Pitch. We are really close"

"But I want to hear their stories" Pitch said, approaching them even closer. The red haired teen finished laughing and looked up at Pitch. He smiled brightly and waved at him, but the boy continued talking with his friends.

"Rude! Why didn't he answer?" He asked Jack, confused.

Jack frowned. "Because…they can't see us?" Jack answered, unsure. He could have sworn that Pitch would remember that.

The boy was shocked with the answer he received. "What? Wh-why not?"

-aMaybe, I want what you have….

"They have to believe in you to see you in order to see you" Jack told him, feeling guilty when Pitch's frown increased.

- To be believed in… Maybe I am tired of hiding under beds…

You will never be believed in…

"So, who knows another story?" the blond girl asked

"I know one! It's about Slenderman" a boy with glasses said.

"Duh! Slenderman isn't scary" The red haired boy, Kevin, complained.

"Of course he is! It's horrible! When you were telling your story, I saw something moving, he was there!" The black haired girl hugged her legs.

"Oh, god! Look there, Elisa! The Boogeyman will eat yooouu!" The brown haired boy said, moving his fingers in front of Elisa's face.

Jack groaned internally and facepalmed. They were talking about Slenderman. How the heck did they start talking about Pitch?! And just when I can't get him away from here?! Why!

He looked at Pitch, who was surprised by the comment, and carefully, he asked him. " Do-do you know who is the Boogeyman?"

To his surprise, Pitch nodded. "Yeah…i-it's me…"

"The Boogeyman doesn't eat people, he just hides under beds" A girl with wavy hair said.

"The Boogeyman is not even real" Kevin said, laughing at his friends' stupidity.

"Pitch, let's go, now!" Jack said firmly when he realized how was this going to end. This had happened to him thousands of times to recognize the situation, he didn't want that for Pitch, but he didn't even move.

"It's just bullshit everyone tell kids to obey their parents"

"Well, I remember I had a nightmare as a kid and when I woke up, I think he was looking at me. He had weird yellow eyes and had black clothes" Pitch took a hand to his face. He had weird and horrible yellow eyes…

"How is THAT scary?! Ok, if you really think this is real, I dare him to prove it! Let's see if he can scare me" Kevin shouted to the air.

Pitch looked away from them, his eyes glowing with rage and hurt, knowing he couldn't prove he was real. The shadows of the trees were moving.

Suddenly, a tree branch snapped and fell to the fire, making the flames to dance and throw sparks. The teens gasped and moved backwards.

Use the shadows, use the shadows, use the shadows…

Pitch did as asked and out of pure instinct, he looked to the shadows around the bonfire. The shadows seemed to react before the boy's anger, and they moved around the fire. The flames grew bigger, and bigger, and the shadows around the campers grew darker.

Jack could only see Pitch looking angrily at the shadows. What is he doing?

The flames were taking form of a monster but before it could be finished, the shadows vanished.

Pitch was gasping for air when the figure disappeared. The teens were frozen in their places for a moment, until Kevin started laughing, quickly followed by his friends.

"Did you see that? Cool!" The blond girl said.

"I told you that stupidity didn't exist" Kevin said.

Pitch's eyes watered. It wasn't fair!

"Urgh! Wait! What do I have to do to prove you I am real?!" He almost begged. Kevin stood up to get something from his backpack. Pitch was in front of it.

The boy glared at him for mocking him. "Please, don't ignore me, I am here"

He walked right through him.

Pitch cried in fear when he felt a chill run through his thin body. He put a hand over his chest to feel he was still there, to know he wasn't invisible...

"…No…"

"Pitch…" Jack horrified face only grew bigger when Pitch run away.

Follow him, you fool! His brain cried, but his legs refused to move. He couldn't erase the pain and confusion his eyes showed when his body was crossed by this boy.

His worry started to affect the temperature, chilling the air.

"It seems that Jack Frost wants to freeze us here"

"That's just an expression, idiot"

Jack shook his head, getting out of his shock, and rolling his eyes, he went in search of Pitch.

"Pitch! Pitch! Come on, answer me!" Jack shouted. He was flying to have a better view of the forest. But there was no sign of the boy.

"Pitch!" Think! He could not have gone so far…

He was about to shout again when he heard a sound between the trees. He quickly went down to see if it was Pitch.

He noticed the forest was darker than usual, he could barely see. He gently shook his staff to create some snowflakes, hoping the light of the stars reflect on them and light the path.

When he could finally see, he heard the same sound from before; it sounded like…a sob…He followed the sound until he sighed in relief when he recognize a familiar figure of black disheveled hair. He was leaning against a tree, his knees against his chest, hiding his head between his knees.

"Oh, god! Pitch! The-!" He said, approaching the boy but he was interrupted by his cry.

"Leave me alone!" His voice cracked at the end and Jack knew that he was crying. He didn't know what to do, he had seen him, shout, shout at him, get angry, but this was the first time he saw him really crying.

"Th-they-no-no one wi-will ne-ver believe in me! The-they ma-make fun of me! I AM INVISIBLE! I-I do-don't exist for a-anyone…" Pitch cried, without being able to control the ugly sobs that escaped from his mouth.

Jack's heart clenched painfully, watching Pitch shook while crying. His face and hair were a mess, covered in dirt and mud, but apparently the boy didn't care. Jack remembered all those times that his frustration for not being seen and walked through grew too much and he ended up crying and shouting at the moon, alone in the forest. "I know how you feel"

"Yeah! Sure! You don't know what it's like…to not be believed in…to be…just a bad dream…to know…that for everyone…you are nothing but a lie, a tale! You-you are a guardian! Every child in the world love you and believe in you…obviously you don't know how it feels to be alone…" Pitch said, still with his head on his knees.

What a curious choice of words…he was the one who told in Antarctica that those were the reasons I would understand him. Wait, what has he just said?!

"That I don't know how it feels to be alone?! Do you really think I don't know how it feels that, no matter how hard you try, everyone will walk through you?! I have been a guardian for five years, and it was there when children started to believe in me, and they are only thirty in the entire Globe! Before that, I have spent three hundred years ignored by humans AND spirits, alone" He told him. He had never liked to say how he felt about that, but Pitch had really pissed him when he told him he didn't understand.

Jack crouched down next to Pitch and waited for the boy to stop crying, and wincing.

This was the exact thing that had happened to him for decades…

Pitch looked at him; salty tears kept coming down from his golden and silver eyes.

But with a difference…

Jack sighed and hugged him. The black haired boy fought him for a while until he gave up, succumbing to the cold and warm hug of the Guardian, the first hug he had ever received …

He wasn't alone…

"It-it's not f-fair!" Pitch complained before crying again, resting his head on Jack's shoulder, who did everything in his power to calm him down.

"I know…"

Patting his head, he let Pitch cry his frustrations, to let it go. If everyone did it, why couldn't the Boogeyman?