A Shadow's Kiss ~ A Pitch Black/Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction

Chapter 16 ~ Snuggles & Sneaking Out

It was almost noon when I awoke the morning after Prom, making me silently thank the man in the moon that it was a Saturday. Yawning, I started to stretch my tired muscles. My movement triggered another that I was not quite familiar with, and being in my half-dazed state, it took a moment to process the source of the motion under the blankets. I finally registered the warmth of an arm around my waist, five long fingers splayed against the bare expanse of my stomach that had been exposed by my shirt riding up in the middle of the night. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Pitch to be sound asleep behind me, his cheek pressed to the pillow and lips slightly parted. I turned a dark shade of pink as memories from the night before came flooding back to me.

Prom night, dancing with Jason, humiliating him, returning home, Pitch, the ballroom, Pitch dancing with me, our kiss, our confessions of love, kissing again, coming home. The last thing I remembered was climbing into bed, curling against Pitch's side, and falling asleep with the Nightmare King's arm around me. It all hit me at once. Still, I couldn't help the happiness that had formed a halo around my heart. I wondered what Pitch and I were now. We both admitted we loved one another and wanted to be together, but did the Boogeyman consider me to be his girlfriend now? Or his lover? I suppose what we called one another didn't matter, but still, having a clear understanding of this would make things a little bit easier. For the moment though, knowing that Pitch and I shared each other's feelings was enough.

Not wanting to wake my friend, I waited to move until I felt him shift behind me. The Nightmare King had scooted closer to me, his hand softly stroking the skin of my tummy now. I could feel that he had discarded his long robe, the wiry muscles of his chest pressed against my bare shoulders. I shifted, feeling ticklish, and Pitch sat up a little bit to look at my face. He had awoken fully, looking moderately alarmed as he noticed we were in the same bed.

Then, he must've recounted the events of the past twenty four hours as well, as he visibly relaxed and grinned. "You look glorious in the morning light, my love." He complimented me, resting against the sheets with one arm behind his head. "You do too, Pitch. You seem comfy..." I commented, readjusting in the bed so that I was lying partially on his chest. I folded my hands under my chin and stared at the man before me, enjoying the intimacy of the moment. "Oh, believe me, I am. I haven't slept on something so comfortable in years." He exaggerated the final word of his sentence, one of his hands moving to rest on the small of my back. The Boogeyman rubbed small circles over my spine, growing silent for a brief moment. "Tell me something," He began, casting his eyes on my own. "Anything," I replied, waiting for his inquiry. "Did you truly mean what you said, yesterday evening. Do you really...love...me? I won't blame you if it was simply a statement mentioned on a whim...If you wish to never see me again, I would understand." The way Pitch was looking at me made it hard to miss the seriousness of his question. He was genuinely concerned about my feelings surrounding him.

I couldn't help but gawk at the Guardian of Fear. "Kozmotis Pitchiner, I meant every word I said to you last night. I love you more than you could possibly imagine. I think part of me always has. When I kissed you last night, I knew I was taking a chance, but it was not an action that stemmed from an overload of emotion." I reassured him, though he still appeared doubtful. "Do you really love me?" I turned the question on him. His hand on my back pressed down possessively, and his eyes flashed pointedly. "Of course. More than I probably should." The Nightmare King murmured. His admission made me smile even wider, cuddling closer to the man. "Then it's settled then." Pitch nodded, "Yes, I suppose it is." He agreed. I took a deep breath, content to stay there forever. Life had other plans though. "Anara! Lunch!" I heard my mother's voice calling out to me from downstairs.

Grunting, I started to move to let her know that I had heard her, even though my body greatly disapproved of the idea. Apparently, Pitch wasn't keen on it either, because his grip on my body tightened a bit in a silent protest. I glanced at him in confusion. "Don't leave. I wish to stay like this with you for the day." He finally told me. My heart melted in response to his confession. "I want to stay, but we both know she will worry if I ignore her or pretend I am sick. Tell you what, let me go eat lunch and then you can have my undivided attention for the rest of the day, save for dinner. Mom's got a lot of paperwork to catch up on, so we can't do much together today anyway. Plus, my feet are still killing me from all the dancing last night." I explained, sitting up fully. Pitch groaned but nodded, rolling back onto his back.