Chapter Fifty

Trust Me

Pitch was more than happy now as he playfully dipped and darted through the throng of yetis and elves feeling a high to just be free again to move unhindered. The denizens of the Pole stumbled and stopped short in lurching motions as Pitch slid artfully between them and around them. Pitch hadn't realized that this maneuvering had become a bit of a game for him by now that although a bit surprising to the yetis traversing through the Pole's main hub, it was no more annoying to them than the elves that constantly bumbled about underfoot and was thus overlooked in the same manner. Pitch at least was dexterous enough to avoid getting stepped on (unlike many of the clumsy elves; this was much of the reason elves ended up in the medical wing as yetis although graceful for their size were still rather large weighing around six hundred pounds and could be rather damaging to be stepped on by.)

Tooth laughed as she zipped to and fro doing her best to keep up with Pitch and finally jetting above the crowd to hover a moment and lock onto Pitch's weaving form before zooming in a straight line to catch him off guard as she plucked him out of the crowd and up into the air. She pulled him up with a hand under the crook of each arm lifting him neatly by the shoulders to hover well above the heads of the yetis who seemed momentarily amused by the sight before moving along to their tasks.

Not expecting Toothiana to have made such a bold move as to grab him off the ground made Pitch gasp and go ridged as he stared up at her in surprise.

Tooth just smirked at him, "You know, there's easier means to get to the stables without almost tripping everyone you come across." Without saying another word, Tooth sped the both of them forward through the air toward the tunnel entrance in a spinning arch.

Pitch let out a yelp as he flailed wholly unused to flight in this manner, but by the time Toothiana set him down again he was laughing alongside her as he wobbled unsteadily from the spiraling loops she'd spun, "I think you may have shifted my equilibrium slightly!"

She chuckled ruffling his hair lightheartedly, "I have to keep you on your toes now don't I?"

"I think you were doing just the opposite actually," Pitch teased back enjoying how carefree their conversation was now. Toothiana seemed much more relaxed around him since their exchange, and he was thankful that everything seemingly had worked itself out. He was afraid that she wouldn't forgive him fully after how badly they had gotten into it. He'd never seen her so mad!

"I suppose you're right on that count," Tooth smiled brightly down at Pitch as they continued on toward the stables; she was feeling much better about their relationship over all now. She wasn't sure what exactly motivated her shift in opinion, but she supposed a better understanding of exactly where they both stood over the consistently flippant role of guardian and friend where her undefined role as a ward set her up to have to play good cop and bad cop in the same regard where her bad cop was severely lacking teeth.

She realized belatedly that her lack of a foothold in the way she approached Pitch had given cause for dissention between them. She couldn't expect Pitch to take her seriously if she couldn't take herself seriously. The fact that she'd moved their relationship into this next stage to solidify each other's roles gave her a feeling of furthered responsibility to the nightmare lord as well as something else she couldn't quite put her finger on… confidence? Maybe. Maybe it was the fact that Pitch had also readily agreed with her edicts without a fight that made Tooth finally agree that perhaps North really had been right all along.

Either way, she felt closer to Pitch than she had before, and she found that seeing his face light up once they had made up was enough to know that if they did find themselves at odds in the future, she wouldn't make the same mistake of pushing him away and distancing herself. He needed her, and although North had told her as much, she hadn't really realized until now how much Pitch's eyes reflected a true care for her opinion of him. Her guidance could help change him she knew, and from here on, she wouldn't waffle on her own convictions. Of course that was easier said than done especially when the two were getting along well Tooth knew deep down.

Pitch was eager to get to the stables after having been separated from the reindeer for so long, and to see that Jack was there already tending to them gave immediate mixed feelings of jealousy and aggravation. Pitch knew that he had no right to feel such emotions towards Jack, North had asked the winter sprite to care for the beasts in his absence, so to direct any animosity towards Jack wasn't really fair. He did his best to keep his face neutral sensing the frown forming on his face and working to suppress it quickly as he moved up to Jack who was whizzing around the chained Cupid brushing the deer erratically.

Tooth had noticed the frown before Pitch could tuck it away, and although she made no reaction or comment, she took mental note tensing slightly and hoping that Pitch wasn't going to do something they'd both regret so soon after being released from restriction.

Seeing the two of them approach, Jack smiled warmly, "Hey Tooth! Hey Pitch! It's good to see you out and about! I'm guessing you're no longer grounded now? Or is Tooth acting as your chaperone like North was before?"

Pitch repressed the sneer that wanted to take hold of his face at the mention of his so recent punishment and the shame it made him feel to hear Jack referring to it so casually. He supposed he had become quite the habitual offender that North seemed to find need to punish him quite often enough for it to be considered business as usual. The further recognition of this fact though just made Pitch's stomach tighten in a knot as he forced a smile on his face, "Uh… yes, I'm free to move about now, and no, Toothiana is here not out of obligation but merely company," Pitch was doing his best to remain friendly, but there was an obvious edge to his voice.

It didn't help to look at the reindeer and see the boy had once more brushed those ridiculous swirls into the reindeer's fur that reminded Pitch of crop circles. He moved over to the wall grabbing a brush then before gliding back over to Cupid as he announced, "Now that I'm here, why don't I help?" Pitch didn't wait for an acceptance to his invitation as he immediately began brushing the odd patterns out of the reindeer's coat seemingly pleased by the sight of smoothing out the fur.

Jack had just shrugged with as bright a smile as ever, "Sure thing, Pitch. I've already brushed the others, and they're in the pen grazing already. If you want to finish up Cupid, I'll go ahead and finish up restocking the grain in his stall."

Pitch glanced up to watch Jack move off to do as he'd suggested, and he let out a long sigh feeling slightly guilty that he couldn't seem to discard these emotions that easily cropped up in him regarding Jack and the reindeer. It felt so petty, and yet whenever he was faced with the same situation, every time those feelings came soaring back to him even though he knew them for what they were. Maybe he hadn't changed? It was a disheartening thought.

Tooth floated over to Pitch and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You're doing well, Pitch."

Pitch was startled having temporarily forgotten about Toothiana in his inner reflection. He tilted his head to look at her, the surprise registering on his face, "What?"

She smiled warmly as her eyes traversed over the reindeer and shifted towards the back of the stables where Jack had retreated to perform the given task of refilling the grain buckets, "With Jack, I can tell that you're still feeling bothered by the fact he's been tending the reindeer, but you're holding back any negative comments you may have wanted to say. For that, I'm proud of you."

Pitch blinked not realizing he'd been that transparent, "Oh…" he found himself blushing as he looked down at the brush in his hand for a lack of wanting to look in her eyes as he began to slowly brush the beast once more. It did make him feel good that even though he knew the way he felt wasn't acceptable, Toothiana apparently saw that he wasn't reacting on those feelings and felt that he was doing well for it. He swallowed, "Thank you… although, it's hardly anything to be proud of me for. I am trying to do better even if my emotions are not always on the same page," he admitted.

Tooth nodded, "It's like that sometimes. Feeling a certain way doesn't mean that you are acting poorly or disgracefully. What matters most is your actions and intentions. I know you tend to wear your emotions on your sleeve, and that level of honesty has its own allure, but being able to hold back those emotions to save another's feelings is a mark of maturity, and for that I'm proud of you."

Pitch brought his eyes back up to look at her fully now as he took in her words; he beamed a smile at her now feeling genuinely better, "That means a lot, thank you, Toothiana."

Her own smile grew as she gave his shoulder a squeeze and let go, "Any time." She fluttered back a few feet and over to Cupid's muzzle as she pet the length of his snout jumping a bit when the reindeer gave its head a shake, "These guys always did make me a bit nervous," she confessed ringing her hands and trying to decide whether she would approach the creature again.

Pitch chuckled, "They sense fear you know," he informed a little too gleefully as he affixed her with a smirk taking in her given reaction to the reindeer's sudden movement that had served to alarm her.

She lifted a brow crossing her arms to give Pitch a smirk of her own, "If anyone should know that; I would have to say that it would be you."

His grin broadened as he continued brushing and stated assuredly, "Yes, it is my domain after all, but besides that, fear in these creatures only serves to rile them, so I would suggest that you not show it to them if you wish to have any rapport with them."

Tooth tutted, "Well, reindeer are North's thing and apparently yours and Jack's. I think I'll just stick with my fairies and watch from the sidelines."

Pitch stopped brushing the reindeer to dig a sugar cube out of his pocket and feed it to the suddenly very interested reindeer, "You know, perhaps if you worked out an understanding with them, you might not feel so afraid." He casually dropped the brush and held out a hand to her, "Would you mind?"

Tooth's brow furrowed not quite understanding what Pitch was wanting her to do, but she hovered forward towards him with a touch of unsureness as she put her hand in his and let Pitch guide her closer to cupid.

Pitch plucked a couple sugar cubes from his pocket and gently folded Toothiana's hand, palm up, to place the cubes into her hand as he lightly pushed her closer to the curious reindeer.

Tooth's eyes widened as she pulled in a gasp of air and Pitch shepherded her up to the awaiting reindeer. She laughed in both fear and excitement as she felt the reindeer slobber on her hand as it nibbled the cubes carefully from her open palm. She'd found she'd backed fully into Pitch now and could feel the bony structure of his lithe form against her back, and she blushed slightly as she giggled and jetted up into the air where she felt less confined.

She was still laughing Pitch noted as he beamed at her, "You see, that wasn't so bad was it?" He teased.

She floated back down and gave him a cheeky grin as she shook a finger at Pitch, "Okay, I'll admit, it wasn't so bad, but don't think you're ever going to get me to ride one!"

Pitch chuckled, "We'll see. Maybe one day I can get you to change your mind." Pitch was filled with a warmth now fully enjoying this time spent with Toothiana. She always had a way of calming him, and for once, he'd been able to return the favor, and that felt more than good, it felt monumental.

Having heard their last words, Jack laughed as he sprinted forward into view, "Aw come on Tooth! You know you wanna!" Jack teased playfully as he skidded to a stop beside Pitch to give the fairy a mock pleading look.

Tooth although still smiling crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Fat chance!" She couldn't help laughing though at the sight of both Pitch and Jack staring up at her with expectant goofy grins, "You two are not convincing me, so just stop while you're ahead!"

How did she manage to let them talk her into this? She wasn't sure, but she had a death grip on the reins as her knees hugged the sides of Donner's neck and she stiffly leaned to keep herself upright. Pitch was braced behind her for support, and Jack stood playfully on Vixen's back gently gripping the reindeer's antlers and smiling the biggest cheesy grin possible at her.

"Try to calm down," Pitch's voice thrummed melodiously from his chest as he looked down at her with a small proud smile to have gotten her on the reindeer's back with him at all. This was the most trust they'd ever shared, and he was surprised that Jack and he had managed to talk her into giving riding a chance (in actuality it was more Jack's persistence and his added gentle prodding that had gotten her to finally concede.) He was glad she was willing to share this with them though or more specifically him since riding was something Pitch adored, and the thought of sharing this with her specifically gave him an inner thrill because she'd been so adamantly against it. "No sudden moves, and we'll have just a leisurely ride… as promised," Pitch chuckled.

Pitch's chuckle made her a bit wary, and Tooth gave him a sour glace back over her shoulder, "You two better not pull any tricks on me," she warned as an afterthought realizing belatedly that she'd agreed to try this with two known tricksters although she trusted Pitch a little more to not prank her in this regard. Tooth was still quite nervous she found as Pitch gave a gentle prod with his feet to the reindeer's side to set Donner to jerk forward into a light trot.

"Just remember, if all else fails, you can fly, so you can get off the ride at any time," Pitch reassured with a sly smile. It was rather humorous to see Toothiana so out of her element, and he'd be lying if he didn't acknowledge that he was drinking in her fear. This fear was a good fear though as it brimmed with enthusiasm and was tinged with a layer of excitement; it didn't make Pitch feel guilty for enjoying it, and that in itself was refreshing for him.

It was in fact that she flew that was the only way they'd actually convinced her to try riding at all. Knowing that she could abandon the expedition at any time safely and that Pitch would still have full control of the animal made the experience less frightening she had to admit, and the two weren't going to give it a rest unless she at least gave it a go she's figured. Tooth took in a gulp of air trying to adjust. She found herself staring in awe at the rippling muscles and was absorbed in the sensation of the animal moving under her. She'd never really had need to ride an animal having had wings from a very young age, so to do so now was interestingly soothing she found.

Pitch noticed that Toothiana was finally starting to relax, and he leaned forward coming so close that her head crest tickled at his cheek, "Well? What do you think? Do you like it?"

Tooth was a bit unnerved by the unexpected closeness, not that it bothered her, but Pitch's nature always left him to move so fluidly and quietly that she hadn't realized he was leaning down to speak with her until his face was already within inches of hers. He was smiling brightly at her she noted obviously quite pleased with his efforts, and this made Tooth smile back as she nodded, "It's nice. I think I do like it."

"Good!" Pitch glowed, "I knew you would! You just had to give it a try," he stated this as he leaned back swiveling his head in a cocky fashion to depict his self-confidence regarding her opinion was a given and expected response.

Tooth just scoffed playfully, "Okay, okay. You two were right, this is kind of fun."

Jack guided Vixen closer and sat down backwards to look fully at Tooth with his ever present smirk that hinted of mischief to come as he bouncily rocked about in a carefree manner, "If you think this is fun, wait till we really get going! Trotting isn't really fun as much as 'fun-lite', and trust me," Jack pointed at his chest knowingly, "I know fun!"

Amused by the fact Jack's words alone had caused Toothiana to stiffen, Pitch added, "You know, he's right. What do you say we liven this ride up a bit?" His words oozed with eagerness. Pitch wanted to see her reaction to a little more speed and jostling if only to get the waves of invigorated panic he knew the event was sure to evoke in her. It was all in good fun after all.

Tooth chewed on her bottom lip looking back and forth between the two and feeling her resolve crumble a bit she cleared her throat, "Alright. I think I can handle a little more speed… not too much!" She exclaimed quickly as she felt Pitch give Donner a kick to send the reindeer into a full trot.

Jack's laugh trailed beside them as he flipped back around and hooted in his excitement spurring Vixen into a full out run.

Donner followed suit, and Tooth screamed in her fright feeling exhilarated and rattled by the suddenness as she squeezed her eyes closed tightly. She was close to disengaging from the reindeer to fly off the beast and end the ride, but she felt Pitch's arm then cradle around her waist to secure her, not forcibly, but comfortingly.

Of course he'd known when she was on the brink of losing it (he'd been honing in on it all along; he couldn't help himself.) Pitch had let Toothiana ride that roller coaster until he felt her about to give in; he didn't want her to, so in an attempt to calm her, Pitch had pulled her to him in hopes of making her feel safer. Pitch had been worried the action might have made her feel more afraid to think he was keeping her held in place, so he had done so gently to show full intent that he was not restricting her but supporting her; she still had the freedom to disembark as she willed.

Toothiana's frame sidled against Pitch and the anxiety that coursed through her leveled out as she continued to laugh and scream out from the sheer delight of the unexpectedness the ride gave her fully confiding in Pitch to steady her.

Pitch was more than pleased when he felt Toothiana relax with him pleasantly surprised that she was confident enough in him to know he could keep her secure from harm.

The three of them rode across the snowy expanse laughing and thoroughly enjoying the ride. By the time they had made it back to the stables, they were trotting at a moderate pace once more just quietly relaxing and taking in the view.

As they grew closer, Toothiana took to the air turning back to Pitch and Jack with a wide smile, "I have to get going, but …thanks. I never would have tried that if you two hadn't convinced me. I can say now that you were right Jack, going faster was more fun. I shouldn't have doubted your expertise," she giggled.

Jack perked as he gave her a salute, "Always happy to bring a little more fun to the table. Maybe next time you might want to race?"

Tooth laughed, "No. I don't think so! But… nice try Jack." He winked at her, and she turned back to Pitch as she regarded him fondly moving to hover at his eye level, "Thank you for helping me stick it out back there. You knew exactly when my courage was about to waver, and you helped me remain strong. That's… that's not something you typically do is it? I mean… I know fear is your thing, but you took the time to help me face it and made it so I wasn't as afraid anymore."

Pitch found himself blushing and ducking his head unable to continue staring into her bright cerise eyes. Her words were true, it wasn't what he typically did. In fact, other than the nightmare with Bunnymund, it never happened, he'd helped quell her fear over inflame it, and that too had felt good. He chanced a glance at her now, and she was still smiling that warm inviting smile that filled him with hope and a want to do better for her and them, "Maybe that's what I can focus my efforts on… I mean when I get back out in the world again… using my abilities. Tempering fear over causing it." His eyes shifted to take her expression in fully now wondering how his mention of eventual reemergence into the real world would go over with Toothiana as well as his suggestion.

Tooth's eyes glittered as she nodded eagerly, "That sounds like an excellent idea, Pitch. You should bring it up to North when you two next speak." It was an optimistic step in the right direction to see Pitch considering the future, and his idea to help buffer fear was definitely in his range of power. It could be a positive spin for him that North might get behind. Although she was sure that North would likely not be willing to let him do so anytime soon. North was a bit obstinate in that way, "On second thought, I'm going to see him tonight, why don't you let me bring it up."

Pitch blinked taking in her words, "Uh… sure. If you think it would be for the best," Pitch smiled appreciatively. Coming from Toothiana was far better than him he knew since North always seemed wary of his intentions. Maybe if Toothiana spoke to the Cossack first to put a bug in the man's ear, Pitch might have a better chance of actually gaining his favor.

Tooth gave Pitch a small smile as she turned about in the air to look down at her friends, "Alright you two, I've got to head out, so I'll see you later," as an afterthought she glanced over her shoulder giving them a smirk, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Both Jack and Pitch exchanged a look and gave her mischievous smiles. Tooth just shook her head and headed off towards the Tooth Palace. She had work to catch up on before coming back to see North later.

Pitch watched her fly out of sight a wistful expression taking over his features as he thought on the past couple hours and how he hadn't wanted it to end. His thoughts moved to the last exchange about his future Toothiana mentioned, and it made him realize that he really wanted a purpose, he needed one because what he was before he was discovering wasn't what he wanted anymore. He could be more, give more, and still feel good about it as long as he remained balanced.

He liked the feeling that came with using his powers where the aftermath wasn't terror. It was true that the headiness garnered from the level of fear Bunnymund afforded from his nightmare and Toothiana gave on their outing wasn't near the level that he'd gorged on when he'd normally sought power, but it had been enough, and small amounts in concentrated doses like that would still give him enough to not only sustain but be comfortably satisfied. The guardians would be happy with him, like Toothiana was, and this too made Pitch happy.

"Pitch? Earth to Pitch!" Jack floated upside down now in front of the nightmare lord waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

Pitch was quick to shift his eyes over to the winter sprite as he blinked and then gave him a smirk, "Were you ready to call it quits yet, or did you still want to race Frostcicle!"

Jack's smile broadened, "Oh you're on!" Taking to the air, Frost leaped on Vixen's back and made a chittering noise spurring the reindeer to jolt forward into a gallop and into the air.

Pitch laughed snapping his reins and giving Donner a kick to the sides to send the reindeer careening after Jack as he vaulted into the air to catch up.