Chapter Thirty-Three

The Naughty List

Toothiana and Pitch were carrying on their conversation crossing the hub when Pitch cringed hearing North bellow out his name. His eyes flashed with fear as he looked nervously up at Toothiana and then watched as the crowd parted revealing North storming their way.

North pointed straight at Pitch. "I have had it with your rude, disrespectful attitude! I have put up with it until now, but being rude to one of yetis is last straw."

Pitch gasped wondering how North had been informed so quickly especially since none of the offended yetis had left their posts as far as he could tell. For a split second Pitch considered fleeing in terror to get away from North, but it would be a futile gesture that would likely only severely anger the Cossack, so Pitch merely shrank as the imposing man strode forward leaving Pitch frozen in place. "No! I... it was a misunderstanding!"

"Oh? Then explain," North said, stopping in front of Pitch.

Pitch's mouth moved trying to come up with something suitable to say, but he didn't know what he could say that wouldn't be an all-out lie, "I... he... I thought, it wasn't meant to come out like that. He was being just as rude!" Pitch whined pitifully knowing he didn't really have any excuse.

North regarded Pitch a few minutes. "That is no excuse. Just because someone is rude, it doesn't mean you have to be rude back. A good strapping should remind you to think before you speak next time."

"What! Over that? Isn't that a bit much? I wasn't the only one at fault after all! But… but I'll go apologize anyway! Please! I'm… I'm sorry," Pitch's stomach rolled and his chest tightened. The thought of having to endure another strapping after only a day's time had him on the verge of tears.

"North," said Tooth, "I have to agree with Pitch. That's a bit much. Besides, it… it won't be necessary. I—I already gave him a swat for it and he's behaved for me."

North's eyebrows rose. "You swatted Pitch?"

Tooth nodded timidly.

Pitch burned in embarrassment hearing Toothiana and North discuss the fact that Toothiana actually smacked him, but he refrained from speaking in the conversation since it seemed Toothiana had at least given North pause, and Pitch didn't want to work against her progress. He merely nodded enthusiastically to affirm her statement to North in hopes that it would cool the Russian's exasperation with him.

North stood unmoving, glaring down at Pitch as if he were trying to decide what to do.

Pitch feeling acutely aware of the way North was staring at him took two cautious steps back behind Toothiana peering at him behind her shoulder. He was wringing his hands nervously now looking quite stricken with the obvious threat North exuded.

Finally, North waved for Pitch to follow him. He turned and started walking in the direction of his office.

Pitch gulped looking at Toothiana and back at North's retreating back. The strap was in his room, so this fact had Pitch relax a little thinking that perhaps North was just going to make him go back to the drudgery of wasting away in his office. He sighed stating sadly, "I guess this means our walk is officially over. Sorry to put you in the middle of all this Toothiana… I do appreciate you speaking up for me on my behalf." He turned back to North's office, the Cossack had just passed the threshold of his office, and Pitch didn't want to leave the man waiting especially after Toothiana had managed to mollify him, "I… I better go," Pitch whimpered as his shoulders sagged, and he moved quickly to make up the difference to catch up to North. The last thing Pitch wanted to do was set the man off again by not obeying him now.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tooth asked.

Pitch glanced back at Toothiana nodding vigorously. She was definitely a boon in his favor at this juncture he knew. He thought she may even serve to distract the Cossack through conversation, so North wouldn't see Pitch as much of a target for the ire the man still obviously held.

Tooth sighed and fluttered forward, following Pitch.

Pitch skulked into North's office now looking up warily at him as he scurried back over to the window sill. He stared at North with woeful eyes looking quite contrite with a small pout plastered on his face. Pitch clasped his hands nervously in front of him shifting from foot to foot and waiting on the sure to be lecture to come.

North was seated at his desk, eyes closed and a look of annoyance on his face. When he opened his eyes, he looked over at Tooth. He seemed bothered by her being there, but he didn't say anything. Instead he turned around to face Pitch. "I see now that I am not going to get work done today for having to constantly deal with you."

Pitch's pout deepened as he spoke demurely, "I'm… I'm sorry that I've made things difficult for you. I… I can just return to my room if my presence is bothering you."

North turned to Tooth again. "Leave us, please." he said.

Tooth hesitated, looking toward Pitch, then nodded. She turned and left the room.

When she was gone, North turned his focus back to Pitch. He reached for a piece of paper on his desk, picked it up, rolled his chair over to the end of the desk, and handed it to Pitch. It was Pitch's naughty list, "I suppose you wonder how I knew so quickly."

Pitch took the paper, and clearly written on the page was the offense and whom the offense was done against. Pitch's eyes lingered on the page much longer than he'd needed to read the offense as the weight of seeing what he did spelled out like this had a wave of cold flash through him. He swallowed hard as he quietly stepped forward to lay the page down lightly on North's desk. He didn't know what to say. Everything was clearly written on the page, so there was nothing to argue against. His eyes flitted up to North as he laid the page down a grievous guilt washing over him, "I… I didn't mean to speak to that yeti in such a fashion. I was… I just let his rudeness influence my own attitude, and that was wrong. And… and Toothiana already punished me to make sure I won't make that mistake again," he was sure to add in the fact he'd already been punished even if what Toothiana did would have been considered a joke in North's eyes. He was of course not present, and so, he hadn't known the extent of his punishment at her hands.

Without saying a word, North reached out and took Pitch by the arm, pulling him over his knee.

Pitch moaned his heart leaping into throat, "But… but wait! I… I was already punished!" Pitch was squirming trying to remove his bottom from being in swatting range.

"This is for giving Tooth reason to swat you!" said North. "It is also for you taking longer time with deer on purpose, of which I also saw on naughty list."

He couldn't believe it! Here he was, once more being pulled over North's knee for a spanking! Pitch whimpered to hear North had also read about the reindeer infraction, that list was going to cause him no end of troubles! Pitch decided then and there, he was going to have to find some way to get rid of it. It was bad enough he managed to find too many ways to end up right where he was at this moment without the use of a list to record infringements that North would have otherwise not found out about.

Pitch was being adjusted now where his flailing kicking legs were easily being placed under North's massive thigh, and his bottom was positioned and ready for his sit spots to take the brunt of North's calloused palm. Pitch swore that the Cossack knew where all the most sensitive areas to spank him were. His aim was sure to hit just so, so that wherever Pitch sat, he'd have a firm reminder of the lesson North planned to teach him!

His robe and his pants would be the next to go Pitch knew, and he clenched now trembling in anticipation for North to bare him and humiliate him further. It hadn't even happened yet, but the thought of having it to come made tears quickly prick his eyes. They had done this dance so many times, it was beginning to become a dreaded routine where Pitch knew what to expect in successive reaction. And for this reason now, Pitch couldn't help but sob out pathetically, "No! Please don't North! I'm still so sore! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

North said nothing as he finished restraining Pitch. He pulled back Pitch's robe, choosing to leave his pants in place, and immediately went to work bringing his hand down on the Boogeyman's backside.

There was a small relief to have his pants remain in place although the thin material didn't do much in the way of stopping any of the pain from seeping through; it was however a little less humiliating. Pitch immediately began caterwauling as each stroke was applied. He was going a tad overboard letting all of his anguish out immediately in hopes that North might feel guilty for spanking him so soon after his latest bout and grant him a small reprieve to think that he was so pained he had suffered enough.

North paid no mind to it, even spanking him harder.

As the harder swats began to fall, Pitch jerked at the increased pain calling out in a shrill squeal noting the difference immediately as he cried, "Ah! Ow! No more! North please mercy! You've already hurt me so badly! This is abuse!" he whined piteously hoping that some part of North would feel regret for doing this to him. This was awful!

North paused. "The harder swats were for you trying to make me feel sorry for you just now. I saw it appear on your list. Be glad I don't use strap. If you do not wish to have more, then I suggest that you take care not to earn yourself more." He continued to swat Pitch's backside, applying ten more swats before stopping. He took his leg off Pitch's legs and allowed him to stand.

North had continued the steady stream of harder swats, and as North spoke, Pitch instantly regretted trying to make the Cossack feel sorry for him as North was sure to repay his rear end in kind to the tune of making sure the show Pitch had been putting on was more than real by the time North's palm stopped cresting his backside.

As Pitch was pulled off of his lap, Pitch couldn't help but reach back and clutch his very sore backside that throbbed not only from the current attention North had given his bottom but the previous ache of the strapping. The two combined coupled to throb so very uncomfortably for him. He sniffled still hitching back tears as his lip now quivered. His eyes laid on North now looking so very aggrieved to have suffered so.

North leaned back in his chair, silently eyeing pitch. A saddened, almost pained, expression was on his face. "It pains me that I had to do this twice so close together. I hope after all of this you have learned lesson."

North's words stung his pride and something deeper within him that stirred some greater emotion of regret; it shamed Pitch considerably causing the nightmare lord to lose eye contact with the Cossack for fear of being branded by the swells of disappointment that still radiated throughout those tired blue eyes.

Pitch couldn't understand how he seemed to go through these bouts where he was doing so well only to then have a streak where he found himself screwing up every time he turned around. It made him feel like he couldn't make any progress at all. He choked back the hurt this caused as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down his cheeks, "The …the lesson's been learned!" As Pitch hitched this, he regrettably rubbed at his very sore posterior; the lesson was learned, the only problem was how well.

"Glad to hear it." North said with a tired sigh.

Pitch could hear the weariness in the man's voice as he brought his tear stained face up to regard North, "I ...I know you're tired of hearing it, but I really am sorry. My intention was never to make you unable to get any work done." Looking back over the day, Pitch realized he had been rather petty and rude on several occasions for selfish gain. Of course as the day had progressed, Pitch hadn't given the actions more than a second thought until North had fully brought it to his attention in this way. Why did it take getting yanked over a knee to get the point across? It was shaming to know now that this punishment actually did work on him to the degree North intended to make him consider what he'd done and to feel regret for doing it.

"Pitch, I know some of yetis can be disagreeable, but the ones you encountered were just doing job. I'm sorry if one of them got rude with you, but that is no reason for you to be rude back."

Pitch's pout deepened, "I know; I just let the frustrations I've been feeling push me over the edge into responding poorly. I… I'm not very good at containing my anger in that way." One of the most difficult things he found to do was control what came out of his mouth; his emotions often spurred him to react, and in the case of negativity directed at Pitch, it was almost assured that Pitch would have an equally negative retort. He needed to work on that he knew.

North looked at him curiously. "Do you need help and guidance in trying to rein in your anger?"

He did. Pitch flushed looking down at the desk, "I… I've been working on it… just not overly successfully." It seemed the only way these days he was getting his anger in check was when he was getting threatened to have it curbed with a spanking. That was definitely an unacceptable means of control Pitch quickly decided although his efforts to restrain it himself had thus far been negligible.

"Perhaps we will work on that when we practice magic." North replied. "Until then, just know that you will get swat if you act out of line again."

Pitch gave a small nod of acknowledgement knowing without North having to say so that he should expect as much although he was worried now that North meant to do so more consistently to ensure quicker compliance.

"You may go." said North, nodding toward the door with his head.

Pitch glanced back up at North taking a moment to wipe the tears from his face before inquiring, "Go? …back with Toothiana… or… back to my room?" He hoped North would let him go back to Toothiana, but he wouldn't be at all surprised if he was getting sent back to his room after his recent behavior.

North smiled. "I believe Toothiana is waiting outside door."

His lip tugged into a small smile, as he gave an appreciative soft, "Thank you," before he moved back to the door rubbing at his face one more time to make sure no tears were present, although to look at him, it was obvious that Pitch had been crying.

He opened the door glancing back one last time at North before departing back out into the main hub. He felt an acute pang of shame as he exited now thinking the way he'd been carrying on in there must have echoed outside the room and into the main area. It was no secret at the Pole by now that North spanked him, so it left little to the imagination. He was sure it was easily ascertained what had been going on behind that closed door. His eyes darted shyly now around the mass of moving elves and yetis looking for Toothiana hoping to find her and leave this area swiftly.

It didn't take long for Tooth to see Pitch, since she had been keeping an eye on the door ever since North had ushered her out. She quickly flew up to Pitch, giving him a small smile.

He looked up to see her, and his eyes glazed over with tears again awash with knowing that she too surely knew what had just happened to him making his humiliation on the matter spike, "Uh… are… are you ready to go back to the windmills?" his voice was cracking under the strain of trying to keep the tears from coming as he felt them swelling anew which only compounded the emotion making it that much more difficult to keep at bay. He didn't want to cry in front of her now, but something in him wanted her comfort, and his want for this was driving the tears to the forefront. Feeling the tears begin to spill out, Pitch couldn't stay still any longer pushing himself to dart away from the moving traffic and Toothiana and into a quieter alcove where he wiped these new tears away quickly.

Toothiana followed after Pitch, struggling to keep up with him. When he stopped in the alcove, she approached him cautiously. "Is everything okay? I thought you wanted to go where the windmills are."

He kept his face turned away from her as he nodded vigorously, "Uh… yes. I'm fine. Let's go," he sniffled in a deep breath as he moved down the hall towards one of back sets of stairs that would bring them the long way about to the windmills. He was doing his best to hide his face from her now knowing that his tears were on the verge of breaking once more, and if he did look at her, they most certainly would fall.

Tooth fluttered along beside him, not bothering to say anything. She really didn't know what to say, and she hated commenting on what had happened since she knew it would do more to embarrass Pitch.

At the clip Pitch was walking, it didn't take them very long to make it back to the windmills, and he was quick to move to the window if for nothing more than to avoid the feelings that were culminating within him.

Tooth flew up behind him, hesitating a few minutes before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug.

Feeling her warmth press against him made his chest tighten as he let out a shuttered gasp before turning into her his tears coming unabated now as he tentatively reached out to hug her back.

She wrapped her arms tighter around him leaning her cheek on his head.

Pitch didn't speak as the ache for her comfort overwhelmed him and he whimpered his tears coming fast to leak on to her shoulder.

Tooth began stroking Pitch's hair with a hand. "Everything's going to be okay." she said, softly.

Her reassurances only served to make him cry harder grateful for the embrace and the ebb of caring in her voice. This tenderness she afforded him by stroking his hair left him stripped bare and lost within the confines of her touch as an unbearable sense of craving for affection surged through him. He sobbed out a muffled and broken, "Thank you."

Tooth smiled as she continued to run her hand over his head.

He hiccupped in air as the ministrations of her gentle fingers calmed him to the point he let out a soft sigh letting himself lay his head on her shoulder. The only thoughts that dominated his mind now was the feeling of her stroking his scalp and the odd sensations it thrilled through him as he took in her scent enjoying the closeness they were sharing.

"I… I don't know what came over me when I swatted you," Tooth said, softly. "I know it's the last thing you want to think about right now, but… I just feel a need to get that out. And… I'm not ashamed to say that I'm glad I swatted you. I mean, I'm beginning to see that it has its place and purpose."

Hearing Toothiana say this made a fresh wave of silent tears cascade down his cheeks. He hated to think she was not only okay with swatting him but glad she had. It was crushing that even Toothiana now agreed punishing him this way worked well for him.

She was right, he didn't want to hear it, but he was starting to wonder if he didn't deserve this treatment since it was painfully obvious that everyone around him seemed to think he needed it. This thinking brought on a wave of self-pity as he moaned, "I'm sorry I made ...made you feel the need to do it at all."

She squeezed him tighter. "It's okay. Like we've told you before, we all make mistakes. You're just still trying to adjust."

He thought on this remaining silent for long minutes as he closed his eyes just letting himself be petted by her before finally slowly withdrawing from her shoulder to bring shining eyes up to stare at her inquisitively. His face fell flaccid his mouth parting slightly as his golden and silver flecked eyes blinked searching hers now deeply. He looked at her as if he'd never seen her before just studying her features and emitting a mix of fear and wonder as he took her in. He was afraid to speak for dread of ruining the peace he was being granted within the solidarity the moment held. Finally he could hold her gaze no longer letting his eyes fall to his chest in a note of unworthiness. He didn't deserve her benevolence even if he yearned for it.

Tooth smiled at him, choosing not to say anything. She figured he needed some quiet time to think over everything and to pull himself together.

He brought his gaze back to her as he tried to smile and failed; it looked pained and forced, and he let it fall away before his eyes flitted to and fro unsure of what to say to her. Finally he found words for what he'd been thinking, "This… was probably not how you wanted to spend your time off. I …I do value your company though. Thank you for putting up with me. I know that I can be… difficult to be around."

She shrugged. "Not everything turns out like you planned. Although I would like for this to be the last time I have to spend my time off like this. I'm hoping the next time I come by, we can actually do something fun without it going sour."

Pitch blushed shaking his head, "Me to. We… we might still be able to turn the afternoon around." He looked up at her now able to give her a genuine smile, "We can go down to the kitchen and grab some of that stroganoff and take it on to the east wing balcony to eat. It's usually quiet there until the yetis and elves finish up for the day. That's still a couple hours away when the sun sets. It has a sky light there, but at this time of day the sun has already waned enough that it's coated in comfortable shadows," he said this as if the sun might be as bothersome to her as it was to him.

Tooth nodded. "It sounds great, but I'd rather stay here for a little while longer, if that's okay."

"Yes, yes of course," he smiled brightly at her before turning his attention back to the window to see the peaceful scene that greeted him. He closed his eyes as a fresh billow of wind crested through the window leaving the smell of crisp fresh air to filtrate through his nose in a deep inhale. He liked this. He was feeling much more sedated now having disclosed some part of the pain he'd been carrying within him to Toothiana. She really was too good to him he ruminated as he continued to stare out of the window.

"Sooo... are you going to begin practicing magic as soon as you get done rebuilding the conveyor?" Tooth asked.

"Uh… North plans to start teaching me once my punishment is complete," Pitch omitted the grounding skirting the subject delicately enough to not lie to her although he wondered now if he should tell her about it. He really didn't want to risk her not coming back by in a few days' time. The last time she left for almost two weeks, it had left him worried she wouldn't return and missing her horribly. Of course they hadn't exactly parted well either. These thoughts left him frowning in quiet contemplation.

Tooth nodded. Then she noted the look on Pitch's face. "Is there something wrong?"

He gave her a small smile, "Can you miss somebody when they're not even gone yet? I …I was just thinking I was going to miss you not coming by… it…" he trailed off feeling selfish for wanting her to come see him all the time. He knew she was very busy, but not seeing her made him long to see her.

He didn't understand why; he liked Jack, and he liked Bunnymund now, he even liked Sandy and North, but none of them made him feel the way Toothiana did. If they were gone for a time, sure he thought about them and wondered what they might be up to, but not seeing her left him feeling a little empty. She sparked a happiness in him that he just couldn't describe, and she always left him feeling serene when they were getting along like they were now. He needed the gentleness she granted him and the understanding, and her hugs… yes, he really yearned for that level of affection. North gave him hugs, and although he'd never admit it, he liked those to, but Toothiana held her own brand of hug that encompassed him in a comfort that was unlike any he could ever remember feeling. It radiated compassion and left him feeling light of spirit.

"I guess," Tooth replied with a shrug. "Aww, don't be sad. I'll come visit you sometimes."

He gave her another small smile. The thought of not seeing her did make him feel sad, but he didn't want to dwell on it while he had her here and now, "I'll always look forward to your visits," he stated softly.