starting somewhere
Written for March Madness 2022, Prompt: Streetlamp. Could technically follow 'my other RotG fic, Dark Horse, but works standalone, too. Comments and kudos would be awesome. Enjoy!
Jack is meandering down a quiet little street in a quiet little town. It's late, Sandy and Tooth have both come and gone already, having fulfilled their nightly duties, but Jack has no such set schedule to maintain. He wanders where he will, icing up a window here or a walkway there, leaving a layer of frost on the lawns. Winter is nearly over in this part of the world and, like always, he's determined to drag it out as long as he possibly can just to annoy the rabbit as Easter approaches.
He aims his staff at a nearly melted hockey rink that a few kids crafted in their backyard and freezes it over once more. It should last them a few more days now.
Another shot at a shoveled up mound of snow guarantees that the husky that likes to lounge upon the pile will not yet have to endure the loss of its favorite spot.
He's considering the merits of slicking up the just roads enough to get the children one last delayed start to the school day, but before he can make a decision on the matter, something else draws his attention.
There is a streetlight in the distance flickering ominously. After a moment, the bulb goes out completely. This, by itself, would not be that strange, but the fact that a second and a third and a fourth light follow suit in much the same way, moving steadily closer to Jack's position, that's… a little odd.
He watches as light after light goes out, bathing the quaint street in darkness. Only the silvery light of the moon overhead still lights the way. Jack wonders if the Man in the Moon is watching tonight, if he is aware of just what this means and if the other guardians will soon be made aware.
Finally, the darkness reaches him. He is aware of something lurking nearby. A shadow darker than the rest of the darkness. "Pitch," Jack greets, unafraid as the tall, dark shadow falls into step beside him. "Long time, no see."
There is only silence in response.
"Come on," Jack tries, offering a casual smile to the Boogeyman. "You're not here to cause trouble, are you? Because I'd really rather not have to deal with all that guardian stuff tonight. We can just, you know, be friends, if you want?" It's been nearly a year since Pitch's plan failed but those things Pitch had said in Antarctica are still stuck in his head – not in the way Pitch probably wanted them to, as Jack has no plans to change sides, but he can certainly understand how terrible it feels to be alone and unseen. He might be the only one who can.
Apparently, Pitch agrees. "…Is this really what you do for fun?" Pitch grumbles at him, apparently willing to humor Jack's frosty hijinks for the moment.
"Sure," he answers. "Just watch."
And Pitch does, stands by as Jack conjures up an improbably large ice statue in the center of the street. Much to Jack's surprise, he gets an evil cackle out of his dark companion when he realizes just what it is supposed to be. "Oh, he's going to hate that," he says, clearly delighted by the prospect.
Jack grins up at the very detailed statue of the small version of Bunny, surrounded by piles of icy Easter eggs. "I know, right?" he agrees, feeling very pleased with himself. "It's even better because he'll think that this means I'm planning something for Easter, too. I don't even have to bother to actually torment him to get him on edge these days."
"Hm," Pitch mumbles, and if Jack didn't know better, he'd swear there was a trace of a smile on the Boogeyman's face, "Perhaps we can be friends, after all, Jack Frost."