Jack points to the obvious lump slithering around the thin man’s body.
Pitch: Nothing out of the ordinary.
Jack shoots him an unconvincing look but shrugs it off and heads to North’s office. As soon as the boy rounds the corner, sandman pops out from the scandalous neck plunge.
Pitch: You ought to make yourself smaller if you don’t want any prying eyes to question.
The little man only answers in a mischievous smile before dipping back into the sweet abyss of pitch’s robe.
I’m certain there was a time Jack slip the thought of bunny turning smaller so he could caress his tiny fluffy body in his hands but was quickly denied 🐰
<I can’t believe this. That you would stoop so low—>
“Now, Sandy—”
<How long?>
“Don’t be dramatic, old man,” Pitch scoffed, folding his arms.
<HOW LONG!>
He fixed the short man with a unamused look before looking away. “Sometimes on the weekends… or when we argue,” He paused, watching the way the bright little cream puff seemed to physically crumple at the response.
<You’ve been engaging in a scandalous affair this whole time!>
“Affair?! It’s just tea time!”
<It is an affair—especially when it’s with one of the other Guardians! Especially when I’m the one who bought you that tea in the first place!>
With a final flourish, he snatched a handful of lemon-ginger tea bags and pelted Pitch with them. Without another look, he summoned a cloud of dream sand and floated off, leaving a trail of tiny broken hearts in his wake.
Pitch brushed a tea bag off his shoulder and sighed. “So dramatic. Guess tooth will be getting an earful today.”
Jaime could be dead wrong about this. I mean, the kid only heard about it today- - and from his mom, no less! It was likely to be total baloney. A fact cooked up to keep nosy kids from asking too many questions so they can continue doing whatever boring task they were finishing. If Jaime was wrong, where would that leave him? Probably kicked in the face by an angry oversized kangaroo.
But that tail was calling to him. That ridiculous, white, fluffy tail.
Ah, screw it.
Jack pinched the tail between his fingers and gave a gentle tug. To his amazement, it didn't stop; it just kept going!
“Wow!” Jack laughed. “I guess Jaime’s mom was right. Bunny tails really do stre—”
Suddenly he was airborne. Landing face first into a batch of freshly piled snow.
“When you said you’d take me on a ‘magical carpet ride,’ this was not what I had in mind,” Pitch muttered.
He crossed his arms, attempting to hide as much of himself as possible behind the flimsy, golden two-piece. Beside him, Sandman steered the carpet through the clouds in a fit of silent laughter.
Pitch and sandman switching bodies for a day. Now that would be something.
Though they would have to learn about eachothers bodies in order to use their powers.
I’m just not sure if sandman would talk or still use signs or if pitch, in sandman’s body, would speak. The concept of trying to figuring how the opposite works could be a hell of a hectic and sensual challenge…
This concept battered my brain with possibilities for the two.
Jack hadn’t planned on bringing it up; honestly, the behavior hadn’t really bothered him.
Most people would assume that when someone circles you, they’re either trying to decode you or sizing you up out of suspicion. That was Jack’s first thought whenever Bunny did it back at the Warren. He figured the Pooka was just checking for hidden tricks, worried Jack might frost the freshly grown grass or mess with the eggs. While Jack had done exactly that a few times in the past, he’d eventually learned to show a bit of restraint when it came to Bunny’s home.
The revelation came during a visit to Jamie’s. Jack had found the boy watching Animal Planet with his little sister, and as luck would have it, the special of the day was "Rabbits and Hares." Jack hung around, hoping to scavenge some strange facts he could use to tease his furry rival later.
What he found was far more interesting than he could have hoped.
Aster wasn't sure what to expect when Jack swung by the Warren for the second time that day, but it certainly wasn't this. Jack was circling him with a look of insufferable smugness, keeping the pace steady.
Aster felt his whiskers twitch at the subtle provocation. "What are you up to, Frost?"
"Did you know," Jack started, his eyes locked on Bunny as he continued his loop, "that rabbits circle people, or their mates, to show or want affection and attention? It’s mainly a courting thing— found that out today on Animal Planet. Fascinating stuff ya’know?”
Jack noticed a distinct twitch in Bunny’s ears.
"Of course," Jack added, stopping directly in front and wrinkling his nose playfully at the taller Guardian, "it has to be be a two-way streak. Can’t just leave the other hanging— especially if its one you plan to court."
.
.
.
Later that afternoon, North dropped by to deliver a pair of freshly sanded boomerangs. It was a reward for Bunny’s long streak on the Nice List, and a subtle bribe from North, who hoped a new gift might encourage him to be a little more patient with the new guardian since all they do is bicker and banter.
However, North stopped short at the entrance. Instead of the usual bickering, he found Jack overjoyed with laughter, darting in celebratory circles around the Pooka, who laid with his head in the overgrown grass. Even through his thick fur, Bunny was vibrating with a blush that reached the tips of his ears.
North looked at the boomerangs, then at the scene.
Maybe I’ll just leave these on his desk, he thought, backing away.
“A princess? No!— a fairy princess! A princess riding on a horse— a magical horse? A magical horse riding princess?!”
Sandy waved his arms frantically, attempting to lead tooth in a different direction not involving any magical fairy princesses.
Before he could get anywhere the timer had gone off, meaning the next person had to step up and guess. Pitch, who was sitting next to tooth, took one look at Sanderson's pose.
“Are you…” he squinted. “Joan of Arc?”
Sandy smiled. <Bingo!>
“Aww,” Tooth groaned, “I’m never good at charade nights.” North patted her back in sympathy.
“How did you guess that?”
“What? Like it’s difficult.”
Aster rolled his eyes at the response. Of course he'd known, all those two had to do was look at one another to know what the other was saying.
Aster only answered in small grunts as the wet tooth brush brushed against the fur between his eyes. His head rested in Jack's lap, ears laid back as his eyes drift shut, feeling comfort and an odd sense of dominance in the grooming.
“I’m going to take that as a yes then.” Jack smiled as he continued on.
It’s no uncommon though. Some grow out of it. Some are… less fortunate. It helps with uneasy nerves but do it often and you get the nasty reward of bleeding from your fingertips.
Things like that don’t go unnoticed. Especially not with Sanderson.
He cradled his slim cold fingers in his warm pudgy hands, looking over the damage. A small question mark appeared overhead, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Why do I do it? Well, maybe I just like to sink my teeth into something before tearing it apart.” He made a show of snapping his sharp teeth against each other.
Sandy only shook his head. He thought for a moment before the sand made light bulb flickered on then changed into a small nail polish bottle.
“That won’t do much.”
<It will. Unless you like the taste of chemicals.> he raised his brow.
“I don’t mind the acid taste.”
Sandy smacked his hand lightly before stroking it, looking over his broken nail beds in worry.
“If it displeases you so much then put on a coat, though, your efforts will be wasted.”
Sanderson wasted no time making his own brand of Polish and applying it to pitch’s nails making sure each nail was carefully tended to and polished. After that, he kissed each of them individually before carrying on with his duties.
Pitch looked down at his newly coated nails.
The bright yellow stood out more in the night than it did in the day. Twinkling ever so slightly whenever he moved his hand just so. It was very eye-catching. Beautiful even, on his pale complexion. Too beautiful to tear into. But he tried and when he did he found himself stopping just as his teeth grazed the Polish.
The next time Sanderson found him he was chewing on a stick, grumbling as he looked over the untouched nails with fondness and irritation.
