A/N: Now that the recipient of this fic has read it, I can finally post this! :)
Based off of the art Kirstine the Artist on did for their Art Gift Tier reward for the Month of December 2021! My request had been "Pitch and her OC Awena sneaking around the North Pole, either stealing gifts as a prank, or stealing elves or something. They would definitely prank North as well!"
So this is what we're getting in this fic, plus a bonus present opening scene at the end, because I can't pass up the opportunity of friendship fluff for them.
For those of you unfamiliar with Pitch and Awena, this is a friendship that dates back to the golden years of RP on Tumblr, back when I actively (and obsessively) ran a Pitch Black role play blog. You can look up fearlingcontrolled if you want to take a look at past rps and exchanges. It was actually this tumblr blog that introduced me to Awena's mun, and our friendship began and thrived since then :)
This is a Christmas gift fic for Kissi. I hope you enjoy, Kouhai! 3
Words: 1705
Summary: Pitch and Awena get into some hijinks and mischief this holiday season as they ransack the North Pole.
Pitch tried to ignore the stifled giggling coming from behind him as they snuck around the North Pole. Nicholas St North had been particularly insufferable in the months leading up to Christmas this year, and while Pitch didn't abhor the season, he was fine with causing mischief the day after Christmas to take dear ol' Santa Claus down a peg or two. They chose this date specifically to not ruin Christmas, just make some mischief. After all, Pitch was an antagonist, not a villain! Awena had readily agreed to help him with his plans to rough up Christmas, and so here they were, sneaking into the North Pole.
To be honest, it was much more difficult to break in this year than previous years. The enormous Christmas Tree, which had been the target of previous years, was lit up with strand lights as well as globe lights that made the tree radiant. This, however, ensured that there were no shadows for Pitch and Awena to just appear in. No, thanks to North's decorating scheme, they had to do this the old fashioned way. And boy did that get Pitch's heart pumping.
Yetis and elves were underfoot everywhere, as if they expected some trouble this close to Christmas. Pitch chuckled to himself as Awena stifled another small giggle in her excitement at making mischief. They slunk around another corner, Pitch leading the way.
Every single small decorated Christmas tree that they passed made its way onto the ceiling, the decorations fixed so they were still secure against the forces of gravity. Presents under those trees were scattered around the ceiling as well, and Awena whispered into his ear at the last smaller tree they found.
"Oh Mr. Pitch, let's send one to Tooth!"
"Mr. Pitch? What's with the nickname?" he asked, waving his hand to send one of the fully assembled Christmas trees with accompanying presents over to his girlfriend.
"'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch? You really are a heel?' You know, How the Grinch Stole Christmas? Dr. Seuss?" she asked, and, at Pitch's wide eyed confusion, Awena stared at him incredulously. "By the gods, you've never watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas? We're doing it when we get back!" she exclaimed loudly.
"Shhhhh!" Pitch suddenly said as noise came from around the corner. They ducked into a corridor and hid as much as they could, Pitch using the shadows to cover them up.
They waited for a trio of security yetis to pass by before sneaking out of the corridor, aiming for the big tree before them. Ducking behind a rideable train set, the two waited for the coast to be clear before dashing over to the giant Christmas tree. When faced with the enormity of it, Awena cocked an eyebrow at her companion.
"So, how are we going to do this again?" she asked as she bent down to pick up a garishly wrapped orange and green present and hug it to her chest.
"We need to take out at least two of those pin lights on the floor. Once we can get some shadows at the bottom of the tree, we can send the whole thing home," Pitch replied. Awena snorted.
"No problem, Mr. Pitch," she replied cheekily before setting the gift down at her feet. Plucking a red ornament off of the tree, she pulled a hand sling shot out of her cloak pocket and took aim at one of the lights on the ground. Taking a moment to even out her breathing, Awena focused on the pin light before launching the ornament.
It hit the pin light perfectly, with a light clink, before bouncing off harmlessly and rolling onto the ground.
"H-hold on! Let me try that again!" she exclaimed quietly before pulling another ornament off the tree. This time she took a moment to imbue the ornament with some of the power contained inside of her. Once the glass ornament felt hot to the touch, Awena tried again, this time the ornament shattering on impact and making the pin light blink out.
"Yeah!" she cheered before flinching at her volume. Her eyes wildly darted around, to see if she had alerted anyone, but they seemed to be in the clear for now. Her eyes locking with Pitch's who gave a proud smile and nod, Awena felt satisfaction fill her. Grabbing two more ornaments, she took out two more pin lights to give them adequate enough shadows for their heist.
And what a heist it was.
The shadows under Pitch's control had systematically stripped the North Pole of all of its Christmas Decorations. The garland on the banisters, the little set of porcelain snowy houses, the hot cocoa mugs, the wreaths, the mistletoe, and even the Christmas letters sent to North that the Guardian had proudly hung up on a bulletin board…all of it disappeared into the shadows. The tree before them was the last thing for them to grab, and as the pin lights blinked out, one by one, the tree disappeared before their very eyes, leaving the two of them behind in a very empty gap.
"Let's go!" Pitch stated with a gasp, grabbing Awena's arm and pulling her along. She reached down and grabbed the green and orange gift before getting too far and hugged it to her chest again, her pockets already laden down with spare ornaments and gingerbread men. She plucked a candy cane off the ground and shoved it into Pitch's arms to save it for later.
Alarms sounded around them, and Pitch and Awena ducked into an unused corridor just in time to hide from a troop of security yetis marching by.
Pitch held out a hand and a few elves running by disappeared into the shadows. Awena looked up, per their plan, to find several of the elves stuck upside down on the ceiling, with ornaments now hanging from their ears. She had to bite her fist to stifle her giggles.
"It looks like we're in the clear for now," Pitch whispered, glancing around the corner once more. Stifling a snigger as Pitch played lookout, she reached forward with one of the ornaments she had snagged and hooked it onto the end of Pitch's hair, the hook catching easily on the Nightmare King's upswept hairstyle. She quickly put another on her hat, but it wouldn't stay and she had to bend over to make sure the ornament didn't fall and give them away. She stifled another snigger.
Pitch turned back to her and shushed her, his grin just as wide from his excitement of their prank. Everyone running around in a panic was a delight to him, and Awena was thrilled.
Pitch reached over and plucked the ornament from her back before hooking it onto her cloak clasp.
"Wha' happened here?!" came North's booming voice and the two of them burst out into quiet laughter.
"Okay, time to go!" Awena exclaimed and Pitch nodded. A shadow portal opened up at the end of the darkened corridor, and the two friends rushed through, Awena giggling madly the whole way.
Appearing back in the lair, the two burst out laughing at the success of their mischief. Pitch ran his hand through his hair, and when his fingers found the ornament hanging there, Awena collapsed in a fresh fit of laughter. Pitch shot her a wry smile before taking aim and bouncing the ornament off of her forehead.
"Alright, Mr. Pitch! It's time to put on a movie and open our own gifts!" Awena exclaimed before handing off the orange and green gift to one of the shadows awaiting commands. Awena took that moment to look around and take in the fruit of their labors. The large Christmas tree was set up in the pit, the tree large enough to rise well above the floor line. The lights were already sparkling on it, and the shadows seemed to be enjoying themselves as they started decorating the tree with their own ornaments. Other shadows were already repurposing the decorations they had stolen. The large dark cages were now filled with light and decorated with streaming garlands. The dark throne room was alive with the season, and those helping out seemed genuinely happy to decorate.
Following Pitch into the accompanying living area, Awena headed straight for the living room to set up the movie. The DVDs she had brought over earlier that month sat in a pile in the corner by the TV, and so she started the task of skimming through the stack to start the traditional movie experience that is Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
An hour later, Pitch and Awena were sitting in front of the couch, opening up gifts. Awena cooed over the silk lining for her cloak that could be snapped on and off for the ease of cleaning. The other box from Pitch held a moonstone, a crystal he explained that could help with insomnia. She hugged him tightly before urging him to open up her gifts, tearing his attention away from the TV once more. The Nightmare King seemed enthralled with the story of the Grinch. Pitch opened the first flat gift to find a picture frame of them both, with him grinning and Awena flashing her own wide smile.
"I have a matching picture frame too so we always have a piece of each other," Awena admitted. Pitch grabbed her in a one armed hug.
"This is brilliant, thank you," he replied warmly. His attention was caught on the other box.
"Go ahead, open it!" she urged, and Pitch tore into the paper. Inside was a tupperware filled with cookies shaped like mice. "They're almond mice. My sister and I make them every year. Try one, they're really good!" she exclaimed, grabbing the tupperware to crack it open and offer a cookie to him. "My sister wants the tupperware back afterwards, FYI, but she extends her good wishes to you this holiday season as well," she added before dissolving into giggles once more. Pitch pulled her into another hug, resting his cheek on her hair.
"Thank you, Awena. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Pitch! You're my best friend," she replied with a grin.
"You're my best friend too."