Warning! this story contains: violence, abusive behaviour, swearing, gay sexual behaviour : consensual and non consensual

My Jack would not hate Easter... :
Part 5: Butterfly burn:

Butterflies.
There were so many butterflies...
Each one as gold as the next, flying about a field full of flowers.
He didn't know where, or even who he was, or why he was here, as he sat underneath a tree in the centre of this field.
But he felt he knew this place somehow.
He sat there for a long while, just watching the creatures dance in the soft breeze, summer colours all around him.
It felt calm; so calm.
And he despised it.
It didn't matter how calm it all was, or how beautiful it seemed. It was all so wrong; his mind felt chaotic and couldn't stay still, unlike how he must appear. He felt something dear to him was missing, but he couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried.
He felt as if he should be trembling with the unease and fear that something was forgotten.
And yet, he couldn't bring himself to stand, couldn't move from where he sat.
He didn't even twitch; couldn't move in any way.
And then a butterfly landed on his arm.
He looked down and it was different to the others. It wasn't golden, but mostly blue with touches of silver.
He found it was so beautiful he couldn't look away.
But then it's colour began to change.
He watched it with new found interest as silver took over blue, and where silver had begun, black now began to engulf it.
It was nearly a complete black when it began to burn his skin.
He screamed out in fear and pain, his mobility returning, but unable to even swat the thing away before colour drained from all around him,
and he blacked out, falling through space...

He could hear voices now, in the cold darkness. Whispering and gentle.

The cold eventually began to warm, and unusually sweet smells began to fill the air...
Where was he?
The voices were muttering not to far away, light beginning to filter in from somewhere...
From what he realised must be... are, his closed eyelids.
He was... asleep... Dreaming?
He had to wake up.
Danger...
Suddenly he was filled with fear, something was badly wrong, something was different.
There was danger, he was in danger and he needed to get away from the shadows..!

Dull golden eyes opened with a start, and he could hear the quiet talking forming in to something he could comprehend as he tried to focus on the blurry ceiling above him.

"... if... ...someth... The.. yes."

"..ka...n... ... ...this is... and... Ja..."

Pitch recognised those accents...

"...No one deserves... this... No matter what he's done or how much I hate 'im... I couldn't just leave 'im like that."
He knew those voices.

"You did good thing, Bunny... You are right, no one deserves this..." Pitch knew he knew them, but, he couldn't quite remember...

"I just... can't believe Jack would do something like, like this..!" At this point, Pitch managed to turn his head to the side and look in the direction of the voices. it took him a moment still though to understand where he was and who was there with him. He sat up with a start when it all fell in to place in his mind and he at last understood who was there.
Bunny and North both noted the movement and turned to him.
"...Pitch." For a few moments nothing was said as Pitch stared with wide eyes at the two others in the room, obviously shocked and confused.

"What... am I doing here..?!" It was hard to talk, his throat was dry and sore, making him cough a few times.

"Please... remain calm. Perhaps I can get you some water?" North began to approach him slowly, but the moment he went to move Pitch shouted at him with a raspy voice despite his damaged throat.

"No! Stay a-away! I don't want anything from the likes of you!" With that he began to cough more furiously and he held a hand to his throat and another to his stomach that ached with the force of it. North and Bunny stayed still as the coughing faded, and the man wheezed as he tried to breath normally again. He looked down at himself, half covered by bright patterned blankets, his body adorned in nothing but bandages and a few fading bruises left uncovered.
"Where... where are my clothes..?"

"Ya weren't wearin' any when I found ya..." Bunny said lowly as he looked away. Pitch blinked a few times as if he was still slightly asleep and trying to wake himself fully, before taking a shaky breath.

"...Why did you bring me here?" Pitch spoke through clenched teeth. He could have never predicted this would ever be a possible turn of events but here he was, weak, near naked and seemingly in the care of his enemies after Jack had...

"Pitch, do you know... Do you remember what happened to you..?" Pitch visibly flinched at that, refusing to make eye contact, his cheeks heating up.

"I need something to wear..." Bunny and North glanced at each other, unsure exactly of how to act in this situation. Bunny took a couple of careful steps forward.

"Listen, mate, we both know what happened to ya, what Jack did to ya... We didn' want this, non of us did. We had no idea... We didn' know Jack was capable of, of..."

"What does it matter to you?"

"What does it matter?! What matters is that my friend's turned in to a complete psycho who'll rape n' beat the bastard he's suppose to be in love with!" Pitch kept his head low, eyes on his open palms as his will to do anything but give in faded with those words that made him fully acknowledge what had happened.

"... Maybe, that's just what I deserve. Have you thought of that? You must have; I know how much you despise me. So why am I even here? You should have left me there where I belong."

"Because I never believed you actually cared about 'im; thought that you were the one treatin' him this way... Then I find out I had it backwards? That Jack turns out to be the one doing that fucked up shit?! Fucked up shit that ya won't even defend yerself from?! I'm not so hateful that I'd just leave ya there after what I saw... We wanted to save him from that. But the difference now, is that Jack ain't the one suffering from that abuse."

"The difference is that... Jack wouldn't deserve this; but I do." Both Bunny and North were shocked at how Pitch was reacting. He would never admit to deserving anything bad, let alone this.

"Has Jack been telling you this, Pitch?" North asked calmly; but got no answer. He sighed and went to the door to ask the Yeti outside to bring water as well as a few other things. As he did this, Bunny sat in a chair to the side of the bed, not looking away from the man who currently looked like a completely different person. He couldn't get over how different Pitch seemed.

"How many times?"

"... What?" This time Pitch turned to look at him with a blank expression.

"How many times has this happened. Was this kind of thing already happenin' before ya, ya know, came here last time..?"

"tch..." Pitch looked away again, his hands fidgeting over the blankets.
"It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"We just wanna know more about what happened to y-"

"Don't you know enough already?! Just look at me! You have eyes, you know what happened! I'm weak and humiliated; Isn't th-this enou-enough-" He began to cough again and he covered his face, wanting to hide away from everything but knowing he couldn't.
"I... It's never been this bad... He never... He's never... He wouldn't do something like this..!" It was a rare thing for Pitch to panic, but he seemed to be doing so just now. Not just that, but he was afraid he was about to start crying again. And in front of Bunnymund of all people...
"I don't think; I don't think that was him..."

"What d'ya mean..?"
At this point the Yeti had returned with a few items, placing some of them down on a chair beside the one North had vacated to after requesting them, at the other end of the lush guest room were he sat to listen from a distance and think things through. The Yeti then walked over to place a jug of water on the bedside table along with a glass.

"I, I need to be left alone."

"Pitch..."

"Please, g-go; just go..." His face still hidden behind his hands, nails scraping at his scalp, he couldn't take their eyes on him and their questions anymore. Bunny looked over to North, who nodded before standing to leave. He looked back at the broken man in front of him with mixed feelings, and stood as North spoke and began to walk over to the door.

"Okay Pitch, we will leave you in peace for now so you may rest. One of us or a Yeti will be back later to see how you are doing and if you need anything. There are clothes on the chair if you want them." With that the two Guardians began to leave through the door.

"I really shouldn't be here... He's going to come for me; you know that, right?" Bunny turned one last time to look at him.

"We know." And with that he shut the door. And Pitch let the tears role through his fingers and down his face. His soft sobbing lonesomely echoing through the room for only him to hear.

Bunny followed behind North as they walked through the hall from the guest room where they'd placed Pitch. He sighed deeply and watched his paws as they padded forwards along the well maintained and lavish flooring.

"As I said before, you did good thing, Bunnymund. Try not to worry too much, we will find way to fix this..." Bunny looked up at North's back, then turned his head to stare at the passing walls instead. He really didn't know what to feel about all this; what he was sure of was that he was confused by his feelings. Perhaps it was because of guilt about the way he treated Pitch the last time he was here, perhaps it was the time of year, but he almost felt the need to protect the man they'd left in that bed, in an unfamiliar room on his own.
He didn't like that he'd left him on his own...
A Yeti guarding the door didn't seem enough somehow.

"What if he tries ta leave? Pitch, I mean..."

"We will stop him."

"What if we can't?"

"It will be fine, he is too weak."

"And what's the plan for when Jack shows up? 'Cause we both know he will, sooner or later. What about when that happens and he tries ta take 'im?"

"..." North stopped and turned to face Bunny, brow creased.
"To tell truth, I don't know, Bunny... I don't know. ...We try to talk Jack around, and if that does not work..." Bunnymund nodded, understanding what North was trying to say.
They already knew of what the outcome of trying to talk to Jack would be. Even if they had hope that it would be different this time, they still had to keep a clear and realistic mind about this. They had a mutual dread that filled the air around them; the dread of an impending fight. It felt inevitable.
Bunny's mind wandered back to Pitch once again; that once incredibly powerful man, now a scared broken and frail creature, a shadow of what he once was; because of Jack. But also because of them. Because of himself. And he actually felt guilt rise in his gut like thick tar; and it made him feel sick.
There had to be a way to save them both, right? There just had to be something they could do to fix this; he refused to think otherwise. After all, he was the Guardian of hope. It was Easter; what better time than now to spread that hope? The others, including Pitch, were lacking in that very thing. And even if just for this weekend, Bunnymund wanted to use it to rise their moral; to lift their hearts, even if it would just be by a little, he would try.
And if he couldn't, well, he would just have to hold enough hope strongly in his own heart for all of them.
No matter what, he could not lose hope.

The golden butterflies were back.
Flittering their little glittering wings all around him.
But, this time he couldn't see anything other than the swarm of these glowing creatures, as if he were in a void were nothing but they and himself existed.
He was terrified. Every time one got a little to close he shied away.
He was scared of one of them turning out to not be gold, but silver and blue. If that one came back it would land on him and turn black, and it would burn him again. He didn't want it to burn him. Didn't want the pretty little thing to hurt him again.
Didn't want to turn it black...
And yet... he found himself searching for it, as if he was hoping it was there somewhere, hoping that it hadn't left him alone amongst the golden ones that had no interest in him, as if to them he did not exist; as if to their eyes he was invisible.
He did exist, he knew he did.
He was alive, wasn't he?
He was. Must be.
He was alive and he existed and he was seen and he... was loved... right?
There was someone who loved him, wasn't there..?
He felt sick as it felt like this world was flipping him upside down, and the glowing of the butterflies started to flicker out of existence. Until there was one light left in front of him.
It wasn't gold, it wasn't silver.
It was just a bright glowing white in this black void.
Just... white...
He reached for it, calling out for someone who he couldn't quite remember...
Was it the one who loved him?
He wanted them to come back, didn't want to be left alone.
They did exist, didn't they?
He was in love with them... he remembered that, so...
They had to, they just had to be real!
He didn't want to be alone...
But more than that he couldn't stand the one he loved forgetting him.
He didn't care if he would get hurt any more he just wanted them back..!

Pitch woke with a start, gasping for breath and soaked in sweat. His heart was racing and he felt as if he'd been panicking, but he didn't know why; the memory of his dream to dim to recall.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. Slowly he sat up, glancing around the room as he did.
Oh, yes... He was in one of the Workshop's guest rooms.
He sighed, remembering that he was practically naked, and that there were clothes waiting for him on one of the plush chairs by the unlit fireplace in front of him at the other end of the room. He sat there for a few minutes, just staring, until he forced himself out of bed. He felt nothing right now, felt so numb... But limping forward he approached the chair, picking up a pair of dark purple boxers when he got there. Slipping them on, he hardly registered what he was doing; in the back of his mind he understood this and wondered how he hadn't fallen over yet.
Once they were on, he reached for the neatly folded black pants. For a moment he stood there holding them, running them through his fingers. They were made of a sort material that wouldn't be too tight, so they probably wouldn't rub or press too badly on his wounds. He wondered if this was because whoever had picked them out had kept this in mind, choosing them so he would be more comfortable. He shook his head and decided that probably wasn't the case and that it didn't matter ether way.
As he lent down to put them on he hissed, the damage on his body making itself known as his mind woke up a little more, the pain becoming more apparent. Carefully he pulled them up, trying not to snag them on any bandage or compress in the process; then he struggled pulling on a pair of grey socks that had small black reindeer designs on them.
After that, he picked up the last garment, a... Christmas jumper... It also was made up of blacks and greys, apart from touches of gold here and there. At least they'd had the courtesy of giving him some of the darker and more simply decorated clothing that he presumed they had here, instead of something more bright and Christmassy. But... there was one thing that bothered him about that sweater, and that was the gold pattern. The dots of gold around the black sleeves and hem were no problem, but the golden snowflakes that spread across the chest in a floating pattern from one side to the other... They were something that made his heart beat faster. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure why they bothered him so much, but they did. He had to close his eyes tightly and pretend he'd never seen them as he gingerly pulled the damn thing over his head. Better this than having his body on show any longer after all.
Turning his head to look out of the windows, he watched the falling snow, wondering if Jack would come for him, or if he didn't matter to him as much as he thought he did. At least, not anymore... Maybe Jack had forgotten him..? Pitch shook his head and scrunched his eyes closed, wondering why he was thinking like this. Of course Jack wouldn't forget him, right? Jack was still in there and he loved Pitch just as much as Pitch loved him, so... But then why did he.. do those things..? That was a silly thought; of course he'd end up doing those things. But would he still want to bother getting Pitch back now that he'd had his revenge..?
Did he really want Jack to come for him? He shouldn't, should he?
His mind felt torn between thoughts that felt like they were coming from two different people, even though he knew they were all his own thoughts. He covered his eyes with his palms and pulled lightly at his hair, trying to stay calm as he felt he was losing his mind.
Then a knock came at the door and he found he couldn't move; he was too scared.

"Hey, it's me. Can I come in?" Pitch's heart calmed a little when he recognized the gruff voice and Australian accent. But he gave no reply, not knowing why he couldn't bring himself to speak.
The door opened anyway, Bunnymund walking in and closing it gently behind himself. He first looked in the direction of the bed, half expecting Pitch to be asleep there, but it was empty. So he turned his head to scan the room, and saw Pitch standing in the other end by the pair of chairs that sat in front of the fireplace. He was just stood there, unmoving with his hands covering his face, now wearing the cloths the Yeti had placed there for him a few hours ago.
"Ah, hey... Are you, erm... okay?" He asked as he took a couple of steps towards Pitch who's back was facing him. He stopped when Pitch brought his hands down slightly and turned to look at him. Bunny's eyes widened at the face he saw. Pitch was crying silently, his face no longer monotone, but one of pure sadness and confusion. Tears ran down reddened cheeks, brow creased in worry Beneath his now shaggy black hair and eyes as gold as the Sandman's glowing dream-sand. It was like he was looking at someone he had never met before; it didn't look like Pitch Black.

"I don't want him to come for me, I don't..." Bunny's ears were flat against his head as he got closer.

"We won't let 'im hurt ya any more. Won't let 'im take y-"

"I just, I just don't want to see what they'll do to h-him..."

"...Wait. What are ya talking about? Do you mean us?"

"I... I just don't think, I can't... I'll make it worse I think... But I-I..."

"Hey, calm down, I don't get what ya tryin' ta say..."

"They... they moved! M-my fault... Again!" Pitch was shaking now, becoming unsteady on his feet. Bunny noticed this and caught him as he fell sideways.

"Wow! Hey, careful..!" Pitch's golden eyes started to closed as he began to fall unconscious.

"I sh-should have... been guarding them..!"

"Guarding..? Guarding who?"

"...I'm sorry..."

"Pitch?" Bunny held the man in his arms, listening to him mumble sorry over and over again in his sleep. He held him like this for a few minutes, unsure of what to do, until deciding to just lay him back in bed for now. Once he'd done so he sat on the edge and watched him for a little longer.
When Pitch began to stir it became apparent that he was having a bad dream. The Easter Bunny's ear twitched at the realisation and he looked down at him, confused. He didn't know Pitch could dream, let alone have... nightmares... So he kept watching.
At some point a grey hand lifted from under the covers and twitched beside it's owners distraught sleeping face, as if Pitch was trying to reach for or hold something in his dream. So bunny gingerly reached for that hand and held it in his paw. The action seemed to calm Pitch down. Bunny hoped no one would walk in and see this, the thought alone made his face heat with embarrassment, but he kept a hold non the less. He'd stay and watch him for just a little longer.
Just a little bit longer...

Could it be Bunny's falling for Pitch? Bet you weren't expecting that non were ya, mate?
Then again he might just feel bad for him, but who knows.

Wow I was stuck with this chapter.
Sorry it took so long, not only was I a little stuck on what to write next but some personal and family stuff happened and that just slowed me down so much more... Not to mention my laptop breaking down leaving me with nothing but my old desktop. *cries*
Would of liked both this chapter and the next finished for this Easter, but oh well this one is at least, and hopefully the last won't be to far behind. So yes, there will be only one more chapter to this story!
But for those who want to see more of it, I will probably make this a three part series and write a sort of prologue to this story, showing you how Pitch and Jack got together, when the Guardians found about it, and things that happened between Pitch and Jack around that time (such as the fight they had that they talk about in this), then followed by a third part, a finally/continuation of sorts.
Would anybody be interested in reading those? What do you think?

Also, this was suppose to be a story about a 'broken' Jack and not Pitch being the broken one this time, and, well, I think I went and broke Pitch again...
Oops, my bad.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks for reading~