Pitch stood at the edge of the frozen lake, leaning against a tall tree with a thick trunk. His yellow eyes stared at the reflection of the moon in its waning, the bright crescent shape slightly blurred atop the icy water. Months had gone by since his failed attempt to rule. Things had gone right back to the way they were; he was barely feared, barely noticed, and barely alive.

The sound of a joyful voice on the wind caught his attention. He turned sharply just as a familiar face whisked past him and darted across the lake, laughing as he left a cold breeze behind him. Pitch scowled in dismay.

"Heya, Pitch!" Jack greeted as he skated close, swerving in front of Pitch and then darting away again.

Pitch crossed his arms. This was the first time he'd been out in weeks, and the little brat had to come and ruin his night.

"Hello…" he muttered under his breath.

He kept his eyes averted even when Jack began hovering around it. It seemed the imp was determined to make Pitch feel uncomfortable, but Pitch refused to move. Eventually, Jack paused long enough to give Pitch room to breathe. But it didn't last long.

"Whatcha doing?" Jack questioned.

Pitch turned to glare at the young Guardian. His cheerful face made Pitch's blood boil. He wanted nothing more that to give Jack his worst nightmare and tear that stupid expression off with his own claws.

"I'm standing here," he answered. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

Jack sighed in response, leaning on his staff.

"Looks pretty boring to me," Jack replied.

Pitch had to restrain the violent urge to slap the younger male, but he was distracted when he heard something moving above him. Fearing an attack, he glanced up and backed away from the tree. Curiously, he saw nothing but an odd plant tied to the branch above him. He stared at it for a moment before looking back at Jack. The boy had a smug look about him, but he said nothing.

"One of your… little games?" he asked with disdain, returning to his spot.

Jack shrugged, and Pitch scoffed before rolling his eyes. He glanced back up at the strange plant. It looked familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was.

The two stood in silence for a moment, before Pitch became fed up with Jack's unwanted company.

"Don't you have some filthy children to throw snowballs with?" the Boogeyman asked with spite evident in his tone.

He watched as Jack glanced around as though the snow seemed more interesting than Pitch's words. He was tiptoeing closer, inch by inch. Pitch stared at him warily.

"I thought I'd stick around…" Jack answered.

Pitch caught that mischievous look in the young Guardian's eye. He wasn't afraid of a challenge. Standing his ground, he didn't move an inch, even when Jack was so close that his feet were touching the edge of Pitch's cloak.

"You're testing my patience, Jack Frost," Pitch warned, but otherwise he wouldn't budge.

He watched as Jack glanced up above them, and Pitch did the same, looking at the little plant.

When Pitch tilted his head back down, he found Jack's cold lips pressed to his. At first, he didn't know how to react. He was so caught off guard that all he could do was stand there until Jack finally pulled away, leaving the barest layer of frost on Pitch's mouth.

"That's called mistletoe. North gave it to me," Jack informed him.

Pitch was absolutely stunned. The young Guardian gave him a wink before riding the wind into the sky.

He watched Jack disappear from sight before he brought his hand up to his face. The frost had already melted, but Pitch's shock had not. Deciding to stand there a while longer, he thought the little incident over inside of his head before evaporating into a cloud of shadow.