PTX Oneshots

Sweet Dreams pt. 4 (Scomiche)

The next night, Scott found Mitch talking to a beautiful young woman.

"Kit, I can't just do it," he said. "We need to wait!"

"Do it soon, then," she snapped.

"Why?" Mitch demanded. 

"Because, like I said, he's getting too observant. He knows, Mitch. He knows."

"Who are you talking about?" Scott asked.

Mitch gasped, turning to face him. The woman turned and ran, pulling a scarf over her face as if to hide.

"Just someone I know," Mitch said. "We're trying to keep something from him. Let's walk. I wanna know what you did today. I didn't manage to watch you."

Scott frowned. "Worked, mostly." He hesitated. "You're just a recurring dream, right? Because someone asked me out today, and I feel like I want to say yes, but I'm so nervous, because I would feel like I was cheating on you, almost. So, you're just a weird figment of my imagination, right?"

Mitch gazed at him sadly. "Scott, no. I'm only in your head in the technical sense. But I do exist. And someday, I'll prove that to you."

"Can you affect things in my world?" Scott asked. "The real world, I mean."

Mitch shook his head. "No. I can't change anything physical in your life. Anyway, this is the real world, just not in the sense you're accustomed to."

Scott sighed. "Okay, then. So, if you aren't a physical entity, then can I date other people?"

"We aren't officially boyfriends, but maybe just dates."

Scott chuckled. "Can we go on a date?"

Mitch thought about it. "Sure. I'll make sure it happens. Tomorrow. Find me, and remember, you don't have to know it's a dream. Sometimes you think you're awake, but still approach me."

"Alright," Scott said. "Well, where are we going?"

"I know a place where we can cuddle," Mitch replied. "Come with me."

They went through a doorway, into a bakery.

But it wasn't a bakery; it was a field. The grass felt soft, and Scott stared around in wonder. There were woods to one side, there were mountains in the distance, and there was a cabin beside a burbling stream.

The two of them went into the cabin, and Scott gasped at the professional-looking pasta plates on the counter.

"Eat up, and we'll have dessert after," Mitch said, opening a cabinet and taking out breadsticks. "It's hot, so eat before it cools."

Scott nodded, eating happily. Mitch ate slower, but still quickly. He clearly enjoyed the food.

"What's dessert?" Scott asked.

Mitch laughed. "Check the counter."

Scott went to the counter. Sure enough, two plates had appeared, each with a huge brownie that had ice cream on the top. There was a centerpiece on the counter, with four tiers. All of these were filled with various desserts, each unfamiliar to Scott and absolutely spectacular-looking. Each one he saw looked unhealthier than the previous, and he wanted them all.

Mitch chuckled, walking up behind him. "I knew the bakery was a good option."

"You've outdone yourself," Scott said, between bites of his brownie with ice cream.

Mitch laughed again. "I'll do it again tomorrow. Do you want the same food? We'll go through a restaurant."

"How do you make it work?" Scott asked. "Each time I look away from something, or walk into another room, something impossible happens."

Mitch chuckled. "This is the world of dreams," he explained. "I exist on a bridge, of sorts, between worlds, between dimensions. The rules of space-time that exist in your world don't exist here. I can fit an entire forest into a bakery and teleport items into the place where we are. But you know that humming you hear? It's here constantly, and I don't notice it, because I've always lived here. But it's the speech of people who are in the same place, but in different dimensions. Well, not speech, necessarily. But any noises from where they are. Some people walked through that door and found a bakery. I simply took you with me when I switched dimensions."

"That's a lot to try to understand," Scott said. "I have so many questions."

"You can't comprehend what's really happening here," Mitch warned him. "The best way I can explain it is to put the information directly into your head. But it could cause you mental damage, and I don't know that it's worth it. Your brain could also burst."

Scott tried to get rid of the mental image. "Okay, I won't ask."

Mitch chuckled. "I don't try to be mean to you, but I have a more complex mind. Really, I can comprehend anything. I can handle an infinite amount of information."

"So, you're smarter than me," Scott said.

"More intelligent, yes."

Scott sighed. "Can we do something that doesn't take much thought?"

Mitch chuckled. "Let's look at the stars."

"We've been here, what ten minutes?" Scott asked. "It's midday!"

"Space and time doesn't apply here," Mitch reminded him, opening the door.

Moonlight poured into the cabin, and Scott stepped outside, shocked. There was no light pollution at all, and the stars seemed infinite.

"I expected to see the milky way," Scott said. 

"We aren't in the milky way," Mitch pointed out.

Scott shrugged. "They're still so beautiful," he whispered.

Mitch nodded, lying on his back. Scott joined him.

"They're so infinite," Mitch whispered. "They're just stretching on forever, it seems. But they don't, although we're seeing several dimensions of stars, so they technically do."

Scott laughed. "Are we ever just in one dimension?"

Mitch shook his head. "Never. Not here, at least. Let's go back to the stars."

Scott nodded. "Even in one universe, it's so big," he whispered.

"Right!" Mitch agreed. "And the multiverse is even bigger." He turned onto his side. "Do you ever comfort yourself with the idea of your own universal insignificance? Like, the universe doesn't care that you tripped in public. It doesn't care if you kill someone, even. And your planet is dying, yet the universe doesn't care about that either. There are planets being consumed by their stars right now, proving the inevitable end for all physical things, no matter how permanent they may seem, and yet, the universe doesn't care that much." He turned onto his back again, and shrugged. "Just a bit of food for thought."

Scott stared. "I said things that don't take much thought." 

"That doesn't," Mitch said. "It was a simple observation."

Scott shook his head, turning back to the sky. "It's so beautiful," he whispered. "Like you."

Mitch laughed, and Scott looked back at him, then climbed onto him. "Is it insane to say I love you? You aren't even a human."

"You aren't even an angel, but I love you, too," Mitch said, wrapping his arms around Scott's neck.

Scott didn't even notice the mention of angels until hours later, when he woke up. He was a bit busy until then, making his dream truly such under a starry night sky.

***

Well, that escalated.

Next chapter is the last part of the mini-series!