Down on the dance floor, Nightlight floated towards where he had last seen Loki, finally dragged away from the buffet table and in an animated huddle with his brother, Freya, Frigga, and the Erotes.
Loki was smirking, looking smugly pleased with himself, while the spirits around him looked varying levels of fond and exasperated, so it was pretty easy to guess he'd just been up to something.
Thor was the first to notice Nightlight's approach, greeting him with open arms and a loud welcome.
He reminded Nightlight a little of a younger North, really. Blonder and more Nordic and more prone to sparking when he was excited, but North never the less. Enthusiastic, loud, and cheerful.
Not that Nightlight had really gotten to know any of them yet. Most of them had been busy when he and Katherine had set off on their journey of healing, and they hadn't been paying attention anyway. Pitch had been focusing on the newly formed Guardians, and most spirits that had gotten involved at the time had only come in for the final fighting, when Nightlight was too busy to form relationships, so he was left with passing impressions and the few quick meetings they'd snatched between fights.
No one would have believed that right now, as Thor grabbed Nightlight up into a rib cracking hug reminiscent of North's. Nightlight's ribs weren't given a chance to recover, as Cupid, Freya, and Frigga came in for their hugs once he was released.
The rest stood back, laughing and unhelpful, when Nightlight was finally put down and staggered before he could regain his balance, laughing and ruffled.
Aphoridite took a careful look around, noting where Jack was – on the other side of the ballroom, far enough away and distracted enough he would not overhear their conversation – and bent low to Nightlight.
"When are you going to tell him?" she whispered. "Keeping it secret much longer won't help your cause, I suspect. And despite what Jack thinks, there's quite a few of us here who wish to see him happy."
Nightlight glanced around as well, keeping his lights dim when he replied, the Star equivalent to a whisper. Katherine and I wanted to before the party, but there was never a proper time. The plan now is for after the party. But it's going to be so much worse when he realizes how many spirits knew when he didn't.
Loki and Cupid both snorted, eying each other warily before Cupid spoke, surprisingly softly. "Doesn't help to build trust, that. No marriage without trust."
Nightlight nodded solemnly. But, much as I'd like some advice, that's not why I came over, actually, he said. Have any of you heard of the Winter Court?
Eyes turned to Loki, who rolled his own.
"Once. I talked to them once," he said.
I just heard a rumor that they've been trying to approach Jack for a long time now, Nightlight said. And that they're getting impatient with him ignoring them.
The looks that passed across Loki's face were too quick for Nightlight to interpret, save for the final expression of dismay.
"No one ever tells Jack anything, do they," he grumbled. "So he doesn't have a clue. It's almost worth not saying anything just for the chaos."
"Brother," Thor rumbled, disapproval and disappointment lacing the single word.
"The chaos would be to the Winter Court and they'd deserve it," Loki shot back. He looked back at Nightlight and sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I'll tell you what I know, but only because Jack's my friend and a fellow trickster, okay? And the Winter Court doesn't have patience for Jack's style of tricks."
Thor slapped Loki's shoulder, making the smaller god stumble, but Nightlight saw the tiny grin on Loki's face before it was wiped away, quick enough for the surrounding gods to miss. Thor slung his arm around Loki's shoulders then, looking at Nightlight and beaming.
It's appreciated, Nightlight said instead. Tricksters have to stick together.
Loki looked Nightlight over at that statement, considering. "Okay, look, sum it up – Winter Court is old fae. Really, really old. There are a lot of fae courts around the world, there's probably even another Court that considers itself winter, but only one Winter Court. The Snow Queen is in charge there. Not the new one that's gentler and uses the legend to try and help people, the one who made the legend. You know it right? Well, that Katherine of yours should be able to figure it out pretty quick. Anyway, Snow Queen has this idea that every spirit who's connected to winter should be part of her court and obey her. Those who have any kind of power at least. I was too much trouble and not Winter enough, otherwise there would've been a problem. Actually, thinking about it, I take it back. You tell Jack to avoid them at all costs."
"I knew you cared!" Thor crowed.
Loki winced. "Please don't. The main thing is, Winter Court is bad news. General Winter was pretty highly ranked in there, and they still do Wild Hunts and gather yuki onna and windegos to them. They're welcomed there. That give you a better picture?"
All eyes flickered over to Jack, who was doing an impromptu rap battle with a group of dryads and Snegurochka.
"They'd eat him alive," Loki said softly. "Do their damnedest to put out that light. He's Winter, now, you know? As in, the main spirit of it? Connect to it the way Cottontail is to Spring? And he's gentle, despite everything."
He glared at his brother, though even Nightlight could see that this time, there was no venom behind it. "Don't get any ideas."
"Your tricks have been much nicer since Jack came about," Thor said anyway. "Ha! Remember the time you changed into a snake so I would pick you up? Then you changed back to yourself, yelled and stabbed me!"
Thor laughed while Loki smirked and Nightlight looked between them awkwardly. Around them, Freya and Frigga were shaking their heads while the Erotes reacted with little surprise.
"Ah, good times," Thor said. "But do not do that so much now. Had wondered why."
Loki waved it off. "Time isn't right for those pranks anymore. Surely you've noticed how things have changed? Jack's tricks are right for now. They're more fun, at that." He pointed at Nightlight. "Doesn't change anything. Winter Court hates fun. They almost certainly want Jack's power, now that he's really coming into it. They're gonna be pissed he's ignored them this long. Jack is Fun. You're smart, you can figure it out."
He shrugged. "Maybe you'll get lucky. Jack's almost as bad as me when he's irritated, maybe they'll leave him alone once they figure that out."
Nightlight giggled. Like the merciless prank war he did to the Guardians? He asked. He shrugged at the confused looks tossed his way. He didn't tell you yet? Maybe he doesn't want it talked about...it's nothing really, just...you know how tricksters get when they don't think you actually want them around.
Thor laughed again, quieter this time. "Loki has done same. Hope Jack's wasn't as vicious as Loki can be."
"I did not," Loki grumbled.
There was a grumble from the Eratos, who Nightlight had forgotten were still surrounding them and listening to the conversation as best they could, and suddenly Coyote and Raven were flanking Nightlight.
Raven, who had chosen for the party to appear as a young Native American man with raven feathers mixed into his hair, spoke. "So sorry to interrupt, but we've got a couple possible situations forming. Usually we'd take care of it ourselves, just us tricksters, but as it's a party to get Jack some of that attention he craves..."
Nightlight stiffened, immediately on high alert.
Coyote, who was in his anthropomorphic coyote form, gestured toward one corner of the great room. "Have a group over there chewing over the fact that Jack was chosen rather than one of them like scavengers chewing over old bones," he said, "And getting themselves about as worked up as those same scavengers who see a fresh kill and can't touch it. There are a pair of kitsune trying to distract them but not making much headway. Lightening a mood is difficult when one refuses to let go of grievances, no matter how imaginary. Puck's on his way to help the kitsune, so someone's going to have to control that situation soon."
"And in the other corner, a group of spirits angry that he hadn't been chosen before this and that he still doesn't know all there is to being a Guardian," Raven continued. "Anansi is distracting them, and is very put out about it. He wanted to meet the Guardian of Imagination and Storytelling and is tied up defending Jack's honor along with yours. He's a spirit of storytelling as well as a trickster, you know."
"And our last group in the final corner, a set who won't stop imagining what any of you would be like in bed, including our Jack," Coyote took the thread back. "Highly inappropriate. Normally we'd let the chips fall as they would, but, it's Jack. He has more friends than he realizes."
Jack heard a group like that last already, though they were being very crude about how unattractive they found us, Nightlight said, Loki only slightly begrudging about translating. Pitch put the fear of himself into them. I know, he added when the tricksters and Erotes and gods expressed noises of surprise at that, No idea why. He also told Jack and I about the Winter Court.
"The Erotes and I can deal with the third set," Cupid offered. "Jack's going to figure out something's up pretty soon like this."
"My brother and I will deal with the second group," Thor offered, ignoring his brother's "Thor, no."
Thor began to drag Loki off towards the indicated corner. Frigga and Freya rolled their eyes and followed. Frigga tossed back over her shoulder, "I'll make sure my boys don't cause more trouble. I believe Freyr is around here, perhaps you could get him to speak with some of them, or with Jack. They should get along, Freyr is such a sweet boy he gets along with most everyone."
"Considering how rock solid my brother's marriage with Gerd is, he'd probably have some good advice," Freya tossed over her shoulder. "Raven, perhaps you could go rein in Puck? Takes a trickster to understand a trickster."
"You might want to let another Guardian know what's going on," Coyote said to Nightlight, who was watching all this happen in bemusement. He'd had no idea anyone else cared so much for Jack, and he had a bad feeling Jack didn't either. Nightlight nodded quickly to Coyote's suggestion, rushing off to his amusement, mind abuzz.
Puck was here. He hadn't realized they had invited Puck. First he was going to make sure the other Guardians knew tensions were rising, then he was finding Robin Goodfellow.
Puck was one of the oldest fae. Loki might have been approached by the Winter Court, but Puck would have known about them when they formed. Puck would know more than the rest of them about any fae court.
Ugh. Spirit politics. Why couldn't the party just be fun?
It was a thought echoed by Bunny when Nightlight found him and Tooth. He hadn't known about any of it, from Winter Court to the three brewing batches of discontent.
"Can't any spirit jus' have fun fer one night? One? Wi'out the politicking?" he grumbled.
"Jack is," Tooth pointed out. "Let's keep it that way. We'll tell him about them as soon as the party's over."
Better to tell him to avoid them now, Nightlight said. We're keeping too much from him as it is. I'll do it, I wanted to talk to Puck too.
"Good luck wi' tha'," Bunny grumbled. "Tha' one kin be more difficult th' more fae they feel. Never know whatcher gonna get."
"I'll go let the others know what's going on, Bunny, you go find a group, and keep your temper," Tooth said, giving Bunny a quick kiss to the cheek to soften the command. "Nightlight, you find Puck. Let's hope Raven's cooled things down, or there's going to be a prank war started tonight that could make Jack's look tame. He still liked us, after all. I've heard an angry Puck can be pretty vicious."
Whichever I find first, Nightlight said. He flitted off, and Bunny followed, much more sedately.
They parted inside the ballroom. Bunny headed for the group with Thor in it, the blond head that towered over the surrounding spirits easy to spot in the crowd. Nightlight took to the air, looking around for Jack and Puck.
Puck they didn't know yet, which was going to make finding them more difficult, so instead he looked for groups. There was the one with Thor and Loki and a few other gods talking earnestly with a group of spirits, being joined by Bunny, in a corner just as Raven had said.
A second group was being regaled by a spider the size of an average human, who Nightlight guessed to be Anansi. Nightlight really hoped that one could shapeshift – he wanted to be friends for Jack's sake if nothing else, but a lot of nightmares made themselves look like spiders, ones with more legs and eyes than a natural spider but in the same vein nevertheless, and seeing them now put Nightlight on edge.
Jack had been with a group of Snegurochka and other friendly spirits, joking and goofing around, but Nightlight didn't see him now.
Then he spotted Jack, arguing with a small group of spirits, and his heart sank.
Jack was snapping back at them as Nightlight began to stoop, aiming to land near the group. Frost was beginning to coat the walls next to them, a sign of Jack's rising temper, though the words were still quiet.
Nightlight couldn't hear any of the argument as he rushed towards them, silently cursing the size of the ballroom.
Then Jack went still, a rush of cold air whipping around the ballroom.
Nightlight landed behind Jack just in time to hear him speak. "What are you saying?" he said, sounding bewildered, still furious and hurt alongside the confusion.
He turned at the sound of Nightlight's landing, eyes wide and hurt, anger sparking alongside the hurt.
"Nightlight, it almost sounds like...all this means...Nightlight...does being a Guardian mean...are we all...married?"
A/N: Please know I haven't seen any of the movies with Loki and Thor in them, so yeah...there may be some flavoring of those ones but don't expect them to be Marvel in-character, okay? Any flavoring they got is from fandom osmosis.