Deathless

A/N: Hey everyone! Here's another drabble for you all to enjoy :) This one is Deathless, a drabble I originally had as a separate story. I'm just consolidating the standalone Cavity one-shots that I have :) I hope you all enjoy!

((Edit: 2/25/21: fixed spelling, grammar, cohesiveness ))

Summary: Pitch Black sometimes hates his duty as the Boogeyman. This time is no different. His vengeance upon an adult, however, doesn't make his failure feel any better. All he wants to do now is to crawl into bed and pretend nothing ever happened. Except someone is already in his bed. . .

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood book series. I also do NOT own this version of Death. She belongs to Neil Gaiman, of course.


Tonight had been rough on him. Tracking some fear that a pair of siblings were emanating most deliciously, the feeling turned bitter in his mouth when he saw it was not he who had caused it, but the father of the children. There was nothing Pitch could do, since the three humans didn't believe in the lowly Boogeyman. Oh, he did try to pick up items and throw them at the man to try to distract him, but it only served to incite the adult's wrath further.

Pitch stayed with the two children after the man had finished with them, feeling hopeless, throughout the entire ordeal. He didn't move until an hour later, when Death's dainty hand landed on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over it," she whispered into his ear as she picked the smaller of the two children up and placed her on her hip. She then gently took the boy's hand in her own. "Come on, children. It's time to go see your mother."

"But Daddy said she left us behind and was never coming back," the boy stated sleepily, as if he had just woken up from a nap. Death's voice was sugary sweet when she replied.

"You daddy made her. I traveled with her too," she said. "But don't worry. I'm going to take you to her." The boy nodded at her and they started to leave. She called over her shoulder, "See ya later, Boogeyman."

Before they could disappear through the wall, the girl looked back at Pitch.

"Thanks for trying to help us," she said in a small voice.

And then they were gone.

Pitch had to take a few steadying breaths as he stood up, leaving the two bodies on the floor. He moved through the house with a purpose only to find the man had drunken himself into a stupor. Pitch grinned.

"What unexpected luck," he muttered as he held up a hand. Several shadows detached from underneath the stairs and they flew to him. "You fear abandonment. . .you fear of hatred. . .you fear of never being good enough…" Pitch glared hotly at the scourge before him, his next words ground out through gritted teeth. "Well, you weren't good enough." He blew the shadows onto the despicable excuse for a human being and turned as the man's screams started to pierce the air. Pitch had plagued the man with nightmares that he will never be able to get rid of. It was one thing to murder somebody. But when it came to children, Pitch had no mercy. The man had no right to sanity after what he had done to his own flesh and blood. Pitch made him pay.

The Boogeyman didn't even bother waiting to watch what happened to the man as the drunkard waited for the sirens to arrive. A neighbor must have called the police, hearing the commotion, and so Pitch knew that the man who never deserved the title of 'father' would be getting his just desserts. He would probably be jailed, and left there to rot. Yes, abandoned there and forgotten about. Such wonderful things to fuel the man's nightmares with. After a few months in jail, perhaps Pitch would have mercy and let him go insane. Usually he would.

But no. The King of Nightmares would make that monster pay for the rest of his life.

That was his last obligation for the night, and Pitch, feeling weary and millenia older than he actually was, slipped back into his home silently. He passed by the kitchen that still had splatters on the ceiling from this morning's breakfast fiasco. He passed by the art room where his adoptive daughter's artwork hung from string and close line pins. He passed by the guest rooms where Tooth, at the moment a visiting dignitary, was currently sleeping to get to his room. He opened the door, and blinked.

Well, Tooth was supposed to be sleeping in the guest room.

He stared through the darkness as fine green feathers shifted in his bed, his blanket a rumpled mess. Sighing, not even wanting to deal with anything, Pitch moved over to his dresser and changed into sleep pants. He made a quick detour to do last minute cleaning up, but when he finally collapsed into bed, he just wanted to curl up in a ball and lose himself to unconsciousness.

As soon as he pulled the blanket over himself, however, Tooth had turned in her sleep to snuggle up against him. Sighing again, he wrapped his arms around her and shut his eyes tightly, trying to forget that his entire night ever happened. . .or if not forget, then at least lock away.

Tooth nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, and the last thing Pitch remembered thinking before seeing the welcoming golden tendril of Dreamsand invade his room was that Tooth made a nice teddy bear.


A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a fave, a follow, or even a review! :D You are all awesome for giving me some of your time, and I hope to see you all for the next chapter! :)

Until next time! ^.^