field day
Written for August Fic Challenge 2023, Prompt: Lavender. Can probably technically fit it with my other ROTG fics. Comments and kudos would be awesome. Enjoy!
Summer is boring.
It's so bright and green and yellow. Long, sunny days and hot, humid nights. Either drought dry or flooding from the intense thunderstorms. And the bugs! He does not care for all the bugs. And, sure, he can see the fun in it. There is a certain joy to be had in diving in to a chilly pool when the sun is sweltering overhead. There is nothing but pure childish delight in the messy enjoyment of ice creams and popsicles.
But Jack Frost unsurprisingly longs for winter to come again to this part of the world, longs for the crisp chill in the air and the long, cold, icy nights - all blues and greys and whites. Yearns for the days when children exhaust themselves building snowmen and sledding, and then go inside to curl up under cozy blankets with warm mugs of hot chocolate beside a roaring fireplace. That is the kind of warmth he loves.
This… this isn't so bad, though.
He's lounging in a field filled with life. There are flowers everywhere. Lavender as far as he can see. Sage and thyme and rosemary. Wildflowers in a thousand colors scattered throughout. It smells like an amazing bouquet of summertime and it's probably the closest he's ever come to enjoying the season. He's even willing to overlook the bugs (though they, unfortunately, seem unwilling to overlook him in turn).
All around him, people are having fun and it is that, mores than the cold, that he thrives on. Happy couples, old and young, on picnic blankets. Families splashing in the nearby creek or flying kites up on the hill. Children laughing, running, playing. Others are settled down to read or take pictures or just enjoy the moment.
The sun is just starting to set, finally offering some relief from the heat on this stifling day. Fireflies fly by in brilliant glows through the sky (he doesn't mind them so much, he decides) as the crowds start to thin out, people retreating back to their homes after a fun day in the sun.
"This isn't really your style, Jack," comes a voice from the growing shadows.
Jack laughs. He sits up on his elbows, peers into the darkness and it remarkably unsurprised to find Pitch lurking nearby. He finds Pitch lurking nearby rather frequently these days and he finds he enjoys the Boogeyman's company. "It's hardly yours, either," he counters.
"Nonsense," Pitch answers. He gestures to a trio of lingering children frolicking merrily through the flower fields. With a motion of his hand, there is suddenly a swarm of bees chasing after them, and the children run shrieking away from the flying insects back to their waiting parents. "See? There is plenty of fear to be had."
As the shadows move closer, so does Pitch, until finally he can reach Jack, sitting down beside him.
Jack rolls his eyes, and lays back, staring up at the sky as it changes from pinks and oranges to purples and blacks. Much to his surprise, Pitch lays down close beside him. Stars flicker into existence and somewhere up there the Man in the Moon watches on.