Jack groaned as he lay there on the cold floor. Confused why he even fell seeing as the wind usually wouldn't drop him like that. Pitch stifled a laugh as he looked down on his unexpected guest.
"Well if it isn't Jack Frost. Thought you had forgotten about me what with all your guardian duties now." Pitch looked over Jack with a crude grin. He was pleased that Jack hadn't changed much since he saw him last. Still the same ruffled white hair, smooth ice tinted skin, a bratty smirk plastered across his face, and playful frost patterns spread on the edges of his navy hoodie. Pitch crossed his arms in front of himself as he observed Jack from above.
Jack arose from the ground, his hands reaching to his head to straighten out his hair. He then surveyed his surroundings to see the vast darkness of the shadow lair. It was even creepier with its new abandoned look to it since it had not been used properly in the past few months. When he looked up to the source of the voice, he was slightly taken back.
Pitch was definitely different than what he had seen him last. He had similar features as his lair: worn out, wretched, depleted, and nearly pitiful. Pitch didn't tower over his surroundings like when he last saw him, nor did his shadows outstretch from him or curve and coil onto his prey. He seemed more thin and his cloak was torn and dirtied. He was not nearly as heinous or fearful as Jack once knew.
"What happened to you?" Jack said without thinking.
"Nice to see you too, Frost." Pitch rolled his eyes "How typical of you to blurt out such a slander."
Jack ignored the sarcasm, still baffled by the state of the other spirit. "Well I mean look at you! You're not all tall and shadowy and creepy and all that! You look like you got ran over by a truck."
"How kind of you." Pitch remarked, looking away from the boy to go on, "Well since you asked oh so kindly.. the Nightmares devoured on my fear and drained my powers from me. Leaving me to become well, like this."
Processing this information, Jack's expression changed in a more concerned manner. He wasn't expecting to hear that from him. He went on more carefully "What do you mean devoured?"
"I really don't see what would benefit me in explaining it to you." Pitch said, beginning to descend the stairs of his lair. "I'm powerless now, isn't that what you want? The feared boogieman is no longer a threat to the precious Guardians. His own creations turned on him and left him utterly hopeless. And of course you all live happily ever after."
Jack looked down, feeling guilt at what Pitch had just told him. He was so caught up in himself and his own new beginning to the world that he never really stopped to think about what happened to Pitch. Of course there must be consequences for his extreme actions against the guardians, but did he deserve it all?
Reaching the bottom of the lair, Pitch paused in front of Jack. He grew agitated from looking at Jack and his confused expression. He knew the boy was over privileged, but to see him not even be aware of others conditions was appalling.
Growing tired of waiting, Pitch questioned "And just what has made you seek me out like this to come to my own lair, hm? Come to mock me now have you?"
"Though I should be here for that.. no." Jack scuffed his foot against the ground and looked to it, trying to find the words to bring next. He wasn't sure if he should tell Pitch of the Man in the Moon, much less knowing how to explain it. "I just wanted to.. Well I think I should uhm.. Well.." Jack stumbled on his words, feeling cautious of himself and how he was to bring up what he came for.
Pitch's brow raised, looking at the conflicted boy that blundered in front of him. Growing tired of Jack, Pitch urged "Well..?"
"Well I came to talk to you about something." Jack exclaimed.
"Right.." Pitch processed, expecting to get a more detailed response. "And that would be..?"
Jack breathed in, then out, trying to prep himself for something even he wasn't sure about. "All that happened during that time you went up against the guardians, I've been thinking about it all. And you know, I never quite understood how someone could want to hurt kids like that. It just didn't make sense to me.
"Though I hate to admit it, you do have a lot of power. But why would you want to use it against the guardians rather than use it with them?" Jack looked up to Pitch and met his gleaming eyes. Keeping hold of his attention, Jack continued "Then I realized that, they didn't care or even stop to think of you over all the years. They only took real notice of you when you were messing with their work or hurting the children somehow. Even though they knew you existed and could see you and talk to you, they never did. You were pretty much invisible to everyone unless you were messing shit up. And I think I get it now.
"I understand you, Pitch. Your whole plan thing and trying to take over the guardians, I know why you did it all. Getting revenge on the people who ignored you after so long. And I dunno if you really want to hurt the kids or not, but I do know that you want to be seen by them. You're so desperate for it that you don't even care if they see and believe in you for hope, or they know of you and fear you. You just want people to know you're there. You want people to care, Pitch."
There was a short pause as Jack still looked up to Pitch intently with complete seriousness in his eyes. Then Pitch began to laugh at what he had heard. "You're kidding right? You really think I want people to care for me? That's the stupidest thing that's come out of your mouth Jack, and you say a lot of pretty stupid things."
Jack's brows furrowed as he was laughed at, feeling anger begin to rise within him.
Pitch went on, still chuckling a bit at the boy "Sorry to disappoint you Jack but, I don't want any of those things from people. How sad that you came to see me just to give me some free therapy session."
Upset from having worked himself up for all this just to be laughed at, he looked to the exit above, wishing to leave. He noticed the faint glint of the moonlight that seeped into the lair. He was reminded of what the Man in the Moon encouraged him to come for. "Well whatever. And not that I care at all, but I'm sorry."
Pitch stopped for a moment and observed Jack, slightly confused. "I'm not quite sure what you're apologizing for Jack. Care to explain?" Pitch asked.
"I think you know what I'm saying sorry for. You don't even deserve it so I'm not going to bother explaining myself." Jack said rather annoyed.
"But Jack, there are so many things you could be apologizing for." Pitch reminded, "For one thing you utterly ruined my plan. You also dismissed my offer I made to you in Antarctica, remember that? Or what about when you ran off after I gave you a hand job?"
Jack's eyes widened and his face flushed at the mention of the event. "That's really not what I meant, god.." Jack said, looking away from Pitch and shook his head as if it could rid the memory from his mind.
"Ohh you really think I'd let you forget that now?" Pitch grinned, noticing he had flustered the boy so easily. Moving forward to close in on him, Jack moved backwards only to hit the wall. Pitch once again had control over Jack, even without his powers at hand.
"You know, leaving like that wasn't a very wise decision." His hand reached to the side of Jack as he began to lean on the wall, cornering him further. "I thought you understood me, Jack. Leaving me like that on my own wasn't very caring." Pitch said being completely manipulative and taking advantage of the situation.
"Like hell I care about you. And like hell you're going to do this again to me!" Jack shoved Pitch to keep distance between them. He turned to leave only to have the back of his hoodie tugged on, pulling him backwards.
"Like hell I am going to let you run off like a selfish bastard again." Snarled Pitch as he brought Jack closer to him again. Jack struggled in his hold, grasping onto his staff.
"Let go, you creep!" Turning with his staff to conjure up a blast of cold, sending Pitch backwards. The whisps of the spell tinted Pitch's cloak with frost patterns and chilled the air. Jack was free from Pitch's hold and darted towards the exit. The wind must've picked up on what he wanted for he was picked up into the air and brought back to the surface, not even glancing back.
The wind continued to carry him higher and closer to a hill not far off. Jack was relieved to get away from the situation so quickly, though he was confused why the wind was taking such charge of where he was going. He observed his surroundings, snow lightly covered the ice solid pond and forest that scattered around him. The sky indicated that it had just reached nighttime, making a stunning frozen dusk.
Suddenly Jack was falling and hurtling down the snow hill, his staff being carried further away. The sound of laughter echoed into the cold and growingly dark opening.