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Jamie grunts as he balances himself atop a ladder, his feet staggering every few seconds. His friends watch from below, their faces uninterested as they watch their friend reach for a colorful object atop his roof.

He smiles slightly as he grasps hold of the object, only to gasp and stagger as he looses his footing. He quickly grabs the edge of the gutter, the ladder tumbling towards the ground before the boy follows suit.

Jamie groans as his back hits the ground before rolling over, his eyes falling as he sees the object he retrieved was nothing but a tennis ball, as it rolls across his yard.

He glares at the hall before jumping up, dusting himself off with a sigh and turning to his friends with a smile.

"Let's check the park again." He offers, taking a a step before his friends speak up.

"Really?" Caleb sighs, annoyed with his friend. "For what? The Easter Bunny?" He mocks the name, his friends all groaning in agreement.

"Guys I told you, I saw him!" Jamie pleads, turning to his friends with full confidence. "He's way bigger than I thought and he's got these cool boomerang things!"

"Grow up, Jamie.." Claude groans weakly, quickly becoming fed up with the boy.

"Seriously?" Caleb scoffs once more, taking a step towards Jamie.

His friends all follow suit, their faces downcast, eye bags prominent as they glare softly at Jamie. The boy gasps softly a she takes in his friends expressions. They weren't the same, they were..different.

"What's happened to you guys?" He breaths out, backing up slightly.

"It was just a dream.." Claude calls desperately, swinging his arm in frustration. "You should be happy you still get dreams like that, and not.." he trails off, Cupcake looking to him with a knowing look.

"Nightmares.." she sighs, the rest of the group all shivering at the word. They weren't sure when it started, but every night was the same. Darkness, a black hoarse, a terrible laugh that shook them to the core, and then nothing.

It felt like they were drowning, constantly drowning. The only way to escape was waking up, and even that couldn't stop them from feeling all alone.

"Forget it Jamie.." Peppa sighs dejectedly, placing the tennis ball gently in her friends basket before turning away. "There's just no Easter this year." She admits, her friends all sighing before following after.

"He really is real!" Jamie tries, watching helplessly as his friends leave him behind. "I know he is.."

...

One after the other, more and more lights begin to flicker out. The Yetis all watch, shifting from one foot to the other.

What was going to happen?

...

Jack stands at the edge of a cliff, his hands balled into fists as he sucks in a deep breath, the icy air stinging his lungs harshly.

He rushes forward, his eyes pulled together with both capsules in his grasp. He brings his arm up, prepared to throw away the only thing connecting himself to past.

He shakes harshly, shaking his head once before dropping his arm in defeat, shoving both capsules into his hoody pockets and turning away.

"I thought this might happen.." a voice speaks out, causing the boy to flinch and narrow his eyes. "They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that.." he admits, his face pulled into a pitiful frown.

Jacks eyes widen, his breathing picking up as he grabs his staff, his fingers curling around it and tightening.

"But I, understand.."

He spins around harshly, yelling with rage as he shoots ice at the man. Pitch yelps as he staggers back, using his magic to block the incoming attacks from the enraged boy.

"You don't understand anything!!" Jack yells, leaping over Pitch as he continues to fire his magic.

Pitch continues to block his attacks, his face raising in anger at the boys words. "No?! I don't understand what it's like, to be cast out?!"

He fires his magic at Jack, his eyes pulled in anger. "To not be believed in?!" He continued, his arms shaking with every breath.

"To long for, a family, to be loved?!"

Jack stops short of his attacks, his body halting as he listens to Pitch's words. "All those years in the shadows I thought no one else knows what this feels like." He stops himself, breathing in deeply.

"With (Y/N) there, it wasnet so bad, she was everything to me, my whole world.." Jack looks down as he listens, recalling the exact same words the girl had told him before. "But it wasnet enough..I needed to be seen, and heard..by everyone."

"But now I see I was wrong.."

Jack completely lowers his weapon as Pitch continues, his hostile demeanor slowly fading.

"We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you, and so will (Y/N)." The promise makes the boy look up with wide eyes. Pitch catches on, his hand curling into a fist before he lets it go.

"And I know children will to." He smiles, coming across as if he truly wanted to help the boy.

He turns and gestures towards a large ice spike. A mixture of blue and black swirled within. It was beautiful, no doubt about it. But it was dangerous, curved at the top with hundred of spikes, easily ready to pierce anyone who touched it.

"Look at what we can do! What goes better, than cold and dark!" He laughs, his eyes wide with excitement.

Jack stares at the ice for a while longer, growing as he catches his reflection.

"We can make them believe! We'll give them a world we're everything, everything is-!"

"Pitch Black?" A voice scoffs from behind, both Jack and Pitch freezing as they recognize the voice. Both men turn around, their breaths hitching as (Y/N) lazily struts into the open, her body sluggish as she approaches.

Jack watches with wide eyes as she stares at him, her eyes had sunken in, her cheeks hollow as she comes to stand infront of him. She grabs his hand gently, stroking his knuckles with her thumb before turning and facing Pitch.

The two stare at eachother for a long time, studying eachothers faces. Pitch watches her with interest, his eyes holding a soft longing to run up to her and hold her.

(Y/N) watches him with distaste, her eyes set in a firm glare as she looks at the man she used to call a friend.

"They'll fear us, Pitch.." she spits his name out like a bad joke, both Pitch and Jack flinching at her tone, watching with wide eyes as she stuffs her hands into her pockets. "And that's not what we want."

She turns to walk away, Jack nodding with understanding. He grabs her hand, Pitch watching the interaction with hatred.

"Now for the last time." Jack speaks up, turning his head slightly as he turns away. "Leave me alone.."

Pitch breaths out deeply, shaking his head slightly. "Very well, you want to be left alone, done. But, first.."

A small squeak makes both spirits stop dead in their tracks. Turning around, the watch as Pitch lifts his fist up, Baby Tooth clutched tightly in his palm, her little head peeking out in discomfort.

"Baby Tooth!" They both yell, leaping to grab the little fairy, but Pitch pulls her away, a glare set on his face. Jack aims his staff dangerously at the man, (Y/N) clutching her daggers tightly.

"The staff, Jack!" Pitch warns, jerking his head to the boys weapon. "You have a bad habit of interfering, now hand it over..and I'll let her go."

Baby Tooth squeals loudly at this, shaking her head at the boy. Jack sighs heavily, looking to (Y/N) and watching as she shakes her furiously at the boy, wondering if he was actually considering giving up his only weapon.

He looks down slightly, sighing before nodding with closed eyes. He flips his staff around, offering it to Pitch with a glare. (Y/N) watches with wide eyes, about to interfere when she stumbles into Jacks side with a weak cough.

Jack's eyes widen as he catches her, rubbing his hand up and down her side to soothe her pain. He looks to Pitch, gesturing to the small fairy with his head. "All right, now let her go.."

Pitch looks between the two, seeming to consider the option before simply shaking his head. "No.."

Jack looks to him in disbelief, (Y/N) glaring harshly at him through her coughing fit.

"You said you wanted to be alone, so be alone!" He hisses with a smirk.

Baby Tooth puffs out her cheeks, looking down, she pricks her pointy nose into Pitch's finger, causing him to recoil at the feeling. He looks down at the little fairy with a glare before bringing his arm up and throwing her twirls the edge of the mountain.

"No!!" Both Jack and (Y/N) scream, turning around, they watch as Pitch swiftly grabs Jack's staff. Curling it between his fingers, he brings the weapon down against his knee, easily snapping it in half.

(Y/N) gasps as Jack groans in pain, clutching his chest, doubling over in pain. It felt like he was being stabbed from the inside out, like his entire being was being consumed by flames.

He leans against his friend, breathing in deeply as he goes to stare at Pitch once more. The man swirls a bit of magic into his hands before launching it at the two. It strikes them both, slamming them into the edge of the mountain and sending them falling into the deep ravine.

Pitch watches as they both get knocked unconscious. He glares slightly at (Y/N), his eyes lingering before tossing Jacks staff down with them, the broken wood landing in a pile next to their feet.

...

Jack groans slightly, turning over, his eye lands on (Y/N), the girl had her back pressed up against the wall, her knees tucked against her chest tightly. He watches as her hands cupped against eachother, the little fairy snuggled tightly in her palms.

"(Y/N).." he mumbles, groaning a he goes to sit up and lean against the wall. He presses himself against his friend, shifting slightly to hold Baby Tooth in his own hands.

The fairy squeals at the cold, sneezing quickly, she looks up to glare at the boy. Jack sighs with a sad chuckle. "I'm sorry.." he apologizes, looking between Baby Tooth and (Y/N), "All I can do is keep you cold.."

(Y/N) sighs, gently removing her coat, she draped one part around Jack's shoulders while wrapping the other around herself. She tucks in her knees and leans against her friend, her legs tangling themselves with his.

They both look at eachother and smiles, leaning their foreheads together, they close their eyes tightly before Jack quickly pulls away. He looks down as Baby Tooth scrambles her way into his pocket.

They stare down at his pockets before chuckling together, enjoying the quietness.

Jack sighs, "Pitch was right, I do make a mess out of everything." (Y/N) glances at her friend, sighing softly before quitting as his pocket begins to glow a bright gold. Jack stumbles back, yelping slightly as he digs into his pockets and pulls out both capsules.

"Jack?" The same, small girls voice calls from before. Jack takes his capsule into his grasp, his eyes widening as his younger self stares back at him.

"(Y/N)!" A loud, male voice calls. The girl quickly looks down at her own capsule, her younger self smiling wildly at herself.

They both stare at their capsules gently before looking to eachother. (Y/N) bites her lips, her brows pulled together as she thinks for a moment.

"Hey." Jacks voice calls softly. Looking up, the boy smiles at his friend before grabbing her hand. He nods his head encouragingly, his eyes holding understanding.

(Y/N) smiles back, looking down at their capsules with a soft grin, she grips her friends hand before leaning her head back, her fingers gently hovering over the top.

"Together?" She suggests, Jack nodding as he goes to press his fingers against the surface of his own.

"Let's do this."

——