Chapter Fourteen: Peaceful Reaction
Of course North, Jamie and the others found out about the joyful news, the next day they crammed in with grins and hugs – the staff had allowed a private visitors meeting. Tears were shed but only that of happiness. Tooth was beside herself, embracing Jack and Bunnymund together, laughing between her weeping. North broke a few bones with one of his hugs and even Sandy grinned and bounced forth to share his affections and relief.
As Bunnymund explained everything, Jack went over to Jamie, Sophie and their mom who all hugged him slowly and lovingly. Jamie rubbed away some tears that Jack teased him about but smiled all the same. Sophie ran up to the Australian who picked her up and hugged her close, nuzzling his face into her hair as she giggled with glee.
Tooth's daughter spent a bit too much time hugging Jack but he didn't mind, finding Baby Tooth cute as she complimented the fit of her big sisters hoodie on him. He thanked her with a sparkling grin that the younger girl near fainted at.
North was impressed with the scheme and was interested in meeting Wolf but the staff disallowed it so eventually the group left with cheerful waves and promise of return.
Bunnymund and Jack headed back to cell 68, sitting on Jack's top bunk, and cross legged opposite from each other as they gazed up at each other with such love in their eyes it fucking hurt.
"Did you mean what you said…in the...room?" Jack inquired, blushing and looking down as he twiddled with his long pale fingers. Bunnymund smiled and shuffled closer, pulling Jack into his lap and holding him close, resting his chin on top of the younger man's head.
"Of course I did, frostbite, I love you"
There it was again, that three word sentence that made Jack choke on air and grin like an idiot.
"I love you too, damn kangaroo" he leant up and brushed his nose against the older man's before kissing it lightly.
Bunnymund pulled him back and looked at him in concern. He took in the weary, darkened features of his once bright lover and his heart broke thinking of what happened to him during his 'execution'. The guilt bent his very soul and he held himself for a moment, sighing and looking down.
"What's wrong, Bunny?"
"…Look at you, you look ill Jack, I am so sorry I did that to you…"
"It wasn't your fault, you didn't know…besides, not very nice of you saying I look ill, jeez Bun" he chuckled and Bunnymund glanced up with a cheeky smirk.
"Sorry snowflake"
Jack made a meaningful coughing sound and Bunnymund fully looked up, slightly bemused.
"What?" he asked and Jack put on a playfully serious face.
"Sorry kangaroo, but sorry won't do it, you have to tell me how utterly dashing I am" he flicked his hair back dramatically and fluttered his dark eyelashes. Bunnymund burst out laughing until he realised his lover was serious.
"Shit, Jack, really?"
"Yup!"
Bunnymund gave an exaggerated sigh and pondered for a minute.
"Well, your hair is fluffy like snow and just as fucking white, mate…" he claimed "Your skin is spotless, pale as chalk though, and your eyes…well you have got some pretty gorgeous eyes Jack"
Jack smiled and crinkled his eyes with delight, only making them sparkle more.
Bunnymund pulled the white haired inmate closer to him as he brushed his hair out his face and continued, voice softer and quieter…only meant for Jack.
"Your teeth are like freshly fallen snow, thanks Tooth, your lips are really fucking kissable"
To prove this point, the Australian leant down and kissed Jack for a few moments, deepening the kiss until Jack moved him away with a high laugh and told him to carry on.
"Your body is freezing but I could cuddle it all day" Bunnymund chuckled and slipped his hand to the low hem of Jack's hoodie.
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen it in a while" he smirked and pulled it up fast making Jack gasp and blush, falling into Bunnymund. That is when the Aussie stopped and stared.
"Hey, Frost, how come my paint hasn't come out yet, tell me you have washed" he raised an eyebrow.
He heard Jack gulp.
"…I have…it's…a tattoo…" Jack trailed off as Bunnymund traced the neat, unadjusted artwork framing the right side of the younger man's body; identical to his own work, but this time permanently inked into his skin.
"...When?"
"On the day of your…execution"
"I thought you figured they were too painful" Bunnymund gave a nervous chuckle and gulped. Jack refused to look at Bunnymund as he replied.
"Not as painful as that day"
Well that earned a huge hug from Bunnymund who couldn't hold onto the white haired prisoner hard enough to feel every ounce of heat pour into his chilled body and turned him warm and fluffy. God he loved the kid so much.
"Goddamn...it's beautiful"
"Bloody should be, it stung!"
So it was Groundhog, Pitch thought to himself; pressing his head against his wall, threading a pencil in-between his fingers, back and forth. His new cell mate was sleeping on the lower bunk, back facing Pitch, he had been here…twenty years, was thirty years old and looked twenty one, had a distinct Transylvanian accent, thick black hair and gleaming pale blue eyes, handsome and pale. His name was Dracula, in for serial killing and eccentric murder for life.
Pitch didn't care, Dracula wasn't scared or even bothered by Pitch he spent most of his time sleeping. But that was beside the point, the fact they gave Pitch a new cell-mate meant people still didn't respect him.
He wanted respect, he wanted power, and he wanted fear. Oh how glorious it would be to have every pitiful creature in this prison fear him, it would be something of a hideous beauty he would thrive in.
But to gain such an emotion, he would have to make himself known, he would have to have loyal allies and something that made him the finest weapon in the building, with only himself being allowed to obtain such greatness. He started chuckling until laughter spread through him.
That was then there was a loud rattle at the door that stirred Dracula and made Pitch look up with startled fear. It was a guard, looking grim as ever, gesturing for Pitch to come out. The dark haired man slowly approached the bars and glared out like a slinking cat.
"What?" he growled, his voice still maintaining its velvety purr through the threat. The guard simply rolled his eyes and leant closer.
"You have a private visitor, come with me"
Pitch blinked. A visitor? He hadn't had a single visitor since he first came here. Waiting until the cell was unlocked, he stepped out and looked around before following the somewhat smaller guard towards the visiting area, to which they then passed into a small room.
The guard left him and Pitch glanced around with bewilderment as the door was closed. Pitch sighed and sat down on the metal desk, running a hand through his hair, leaning down facing the metal solidity of the table. He was sick of never having answers and now was just like that, who the hell would want to see him?
The door opened and Pitch didn't even look up, that was until he heard the painfully familiar voice of someone he hadn't seen for some time.
"…Dad?"
Pitch shot up and stared with parted lips and wide eyes as in the light that consumed the frame of the door, stood two guards and between them, a young, beautiful girl of maybe seventeen years, long flowing black hair and golden eyes, a long yet lovely face. She wore a simple white dress clouded with pale gold and pink.
She looked nervous yet smiled at Pitch with a rose blush before walking towards her father as he stood up and steadied himself with his hands on the table.
"Oh my god…Seraphina!"
His little girl ran towards him and hugged him strong around the waist, he had to catch his breath for a few moments out of pure shock but eventually returned the embrace, holding her close and winding his hand into her luxurious ebony locks, the same shade as his own.
His daughter here after so long, why…why now?!
"Seraphina….why…why are you seeing me now?" he pulled her back and knelt to her height, clasping her face between his own sickly tanned ones.
"You didn't miss me?" she chuckled and smiled, tilting her head to the side as her beautiful sun gold eyes warmed with tears.
"Of course I missed you, I love you so much my Seraphina, but why now?!" he claimed, voice soft yet desperation clung to his words.
"I couldn't, I've been in Europe as part of an academy, when they told me where you were, I came as soon as I could. I will write to you every day from now on, we can rebuild what we have lost" she claimed, pride tinting her explanation yet a sadness was hidden in her eyes.
"Oh my child, oh my sweet Seraphina"
She smiled and pulled him back into a tender hug that Pitch responded to with gratitude. She was so warm and soft, smelt of vanilla, lily and verbena that he adored and missed with every inch in his soul.
But soon she went, with a goodbye and a final gift that she told him to open when she left, she went away with a wave and a smile that tugged his heartstrings enough to make him smile as well. When he returned to his cell, Dracula was still sleeping as Pitch sat on his top bunk, carefully unwinding the simple white package.
When he pulled out a small, black ornamental horse that she apparently made when she was twelve years of age and missing her dad; according to the letter she placed in with the present, he stifled a hiss and clenched his eyes shut. He would never forgive himself for ruining his daughter's life with his foolish crime and as he clutched the poorly made toy to his lips he promised that he would make something of himself in this hell hole. He wouldn't wallow pitifully.
Manny was impressed with Wolf, he hadn't thought it of the older, rugged prisoner but after a while he realised it must have been to do with Man in Moon always going on about the issues revolving around his friends, the detective in Wolf would not stay dormant and with all Manny's knowledge of things around the prison being passed on through casual conversation in the cell, he must have latched on to quite a lot to derive an outcome to the situation.
Manny and Wolf shared a drink in the cell later that evening, becoming closer for the first time in a long time, even so Man in Moon was anxious regarding Groundhog's actions now he had been accused and was going to be put down for punishment as he had been discovered…
Groundhog was waiting, they had already been to his cell and were deciding on punishment for his crime, he couldn't believe fucking Wolf was some hard-core detective, the piece of shit. Now he could either attempt a pathetic escape or wait for his demise, either way he was angry at Jack and no way was his little snowflake going to get away with his fairy-tale story with the fucking Aussie without Groundhog ridding him of the last thing he had going for him.
His dignity, his purity and his fair, slim, beautiful, chilled little body.
A/N: I am sorry it is short and doesn't have as much Bunnymund in as usual, but I am tired, really tired. Aww, cute Pitch and daughter moment and some JackRabbit Fluff!
-LAW09
To yay: I love ice cream! My favourite food, so thank you and yay, Bunnymund is okay! North and the others have found out and Groundhog is on his way to getting his indeed justly reward…or is he? Thanks for the review!
To LadyMinuialwen: Haha, indeed, thank you for the review!
To the black raven: Aww, hon, thank you thank you thank you, *takes cookie* see you next time, thank you for the review!
To I'mBelleGoose: Goodness no I couldn't kill him off! And my god, I am sick to death of him! But thank you so much for the review! More is on its way!
To slyangelfox: Haha, look at the size of your review! Well thank you and I am glad you like how it went, I am sad to hear you went through depression, I went through something akin to that and I know how it felt but I am glad you think it was realistic and you should have been a detective! I have also noticed you reviewing each chapter and for that I am beyond happy! Your review really made me smile and I will definitely be writing more in the future, thank you again for the review!
To SomaKlainer: Aww, I kind of intended for that to make people feel "oh god no" so the twist was more prominent at the end but I am glad you are getting into it and I hope your feels are okay, thank you for the review!
To RizReviewer: Dance my reviewer! Dance! Aww, thanks for getting so into it, I am so glad you are pleased with the ways turned out. Haha, I am very tempted to just hand him over to you, so he gets what he deserves, aww, thanks for the consideration with this fool that is messing around with me. And yes, I don't know what made me think Wolf should be important, but he ended up being so since he spent so much time with Manny which meant he knew about everything. Thanks for the lovely review!
To mlequithinh: Aww, thank you it means a lot to me, I am glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for the review!
To Ruerajaram: I hear you! *curls up in bed trying to avoid eye contact with creepy elves* I am glad you are getting into this so thanks for the review!
To Night-Fury1: Thank you so much, and you did indeed make me laugh *resuscitates* hold on, there will be another soon. Thanks for the review!
To Kid Darkness: I did indeed see the joke there, haha, thanks for the review; let us hope they will finally be happy!
To beanie-art1: This made me squeal and smile, I think I will do a quick prequel since many people seem interested so thanks for your opinion and such a lovely review! I think the Hook and Jack one would be kind of intense, but good hopefully. Thanks again!
To TissuePaperWings: I really like your username and ahaha, I didn't know whether to be frightened or amused by your reaction, aww, sorry you got so emotional but thanks for getting into it and yeah, it is one of my big aspirations, I would love to get work published, and soon! Aww thanks for your faith and it is a lovely thought knowing you would read my work so thanks for the review!
To Guest: Aww, stay alive, I need you! Thank you so much for the review!
To Byakushiki69: I am a fan or manga and anime but have never heard of that so will check it up, aww, sorry about you getting so emotional but I am glad you got into it all, with the accusations, Groundhog and Wolf and everything. Thank you for the review!
To The Secret Winds: Aww, such emotion! I squealed and smiled when I heard how you danced; it is so nice you are getting so into it, thanks for the review!
To Salvanas: I realised that shortly after, so thanks for pointing it out, glad you liked it anyway, thanks for the review!
And to my honoured followers and favourites, thank you!