Still Dream

Pitch POV

After they finished breakfast and cleaned up the dishes, Mikayla gestured for Pitch to follow her. Curious, Pitch silently followed Mikayla through the house, wondering what she had planned. As they walked, Pitch noticed Mikayla smothering a big yawn. With him being a Dream Spirit, he always knew when someone didn't get a good night's sleep.

It didn't even matter that he was the Boogeyman and nightmares were his specialty; it still bothered him to see someone tired. Pitch frowned slightly as he realized that Mikayla must have had a restless night. Despite his reputation, he couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for her well-being. Contrary to what others thought or believed, he wasn't heartless. He was just picky about who he showed his softer side to.

Mikayla walked through a door, and Pitch followed her, only to stop short and gape in awe at the sight before him. Thanks to a bit of magic from Mikayla herself, the library ended up being an extremely large room with a high roof and beautiful fretworked walls and roof, but that wasn't exactly what had Pitch's attention.

It was the fact that the library itself had multiple floors. There were certainly a lot more floors than the exterior of the house suggested. In the very center of the room, quietly hanging from the ceiling, hung a massive Globe, one very much like his and North's, covered in bright lights that showed the belief of all of the world's children.

From what Pitch could see, there were multiple writing desks on just about every single floor of the library that were just randomly placed throughout the library, along with pop culture references, a very magnificent fireplace that was lit up, carpets, couches, and comfortable chairs on the colorfully carpeted floors.

The tall bookshelves possessed thousands, if not an endless, amount of books, with some spiral staircases and tall ladders that led up to the higher floors and shelves upon shelves of books, making Pitch grin faintly at the genius of it. The library seemed to have all kinds of books going back thousands and thousands of years, and the library seemed to contain every kind of book on every subject, by every kind of author, that had ever existed.

Softly gasping with delight, Pitch swallowed heavily and inhaled deeply. The smell of old books and ink, along with an underlying hint of apples, filled his senses. Once again, the memory of his late wife, Eira, tumbled through his mind, and he felt a pang of longing for her presence.

His fingers twitched as if remembering the feel of her hand in his, and he closed his eyes for a moment to savor the bittersweet ache in his chest. With a sigh, Pitch shook his head to clear away the memories and focused on Mikayla, who was looking at him expectantly.

"I apologize; I must have drifted off for a moment. What were you saying?" he asked, trying to push aside the lingering thoughts of Eira, and Mikayla smiled kindly, an understanding look in her eyes that made Pitch feel like she knew what he was going through. It was comforting to have someone who could empathize with his inner turmoil, even if she didn't know the full extent of it. Pitch felt a sense of gratitude towards Mikayla for her patience and compassion before clearing his throat softly.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Mikayla said before a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "When was the last time you had a friend?"

Pitch paused, surprised by the unexpected question. He racked his brain, realizing that it had been years since he had truly connected with someone on a personal level. The realization hit him hard, making him feel a pang of loneliness that he hadn't fully acknowledged until now.