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“I’d say you look dead but you are dead, Frost.”
Jack winced at the statement, his legs clutched close to his chest in his crouched position. He sniffled with a small sob as he spoke. His voice came out weak and broken. “Don’t remind me…” A strained sigh left his lips, the residual summer heat bouncing around the dark lair leaving him feeling burnt.
Pitch sighed. He took a slow step towards the younger spirit, his arms crossed behind his back as he kneeled in front of the other. A shiver ran through him, one that usually filled him with excitement, but the feeling of fear radiating off Jack made his chest ache. His hands rest on the winter spirit’s knees, acting as a comforting weight.
“A nightmare. Quite the violent one. We don’t need to discuss it, not unless you wish to.” The boogeyman’s tone softened to a whisper. He slowly moved his hands, taking a hold of Jack’s with the hope that his cold and heat-less body would provide at least a tiny bit of relief. The weak yet calm groan that left Jack told him all he needed to hear. Without another word, Pitch hoisted the boy up, holding his sweaty form close as he stepped into a nearby shadow.
-
A freezing cold breeze washed over the two spirits as Pitch stepped out of the darkness. Pitch felt how Jack’s body relaxed in his hold as the cold winds blew harder around them. Carefully, the boogeyman settled the both of them against the cold, dark, curved ice sculpture that sat untouched by the Earth’s natural elements after so many years. The familiarity of it all was comforting, not just to Jack but to Pitch as well.
Side by side.
Arm to arm.
The melting frost spirit curled into a ball, pressing his back against the soothing ice as he leaned his head on the taller spirit’s shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a while. Seconds, minutes, maybe hours. Time doesn’t feel the same for them as it does for humans, so who’s to know how long they sat there together?
As the sun set over the white, snowy plains, Jack slowly spoke with a weak tone.
“It–It was all so… Realistic… Like I was reliving something I’d already done and gone through.” He took in a shallow breath. His voice shook as he tip-toed around the words and phrases he used. “There was a hallway. Pitch black, not a single stream of light.” He paused. “No pun intended.”
A small and lighthearted huff left Pitch. “Dutifully noted. And rather expected.” Jack stifled a laugh and continued. A barely visible smile rested on his lips.
“The hallway was long as hell . Didn’t think I’d ever reach the end at one point. But I… I was shivering from the cold?” His voice shook more. “And it kept getting colder the longer I walked, and my skin wasn’t its usual pale white, it-it was warm and red … I was human again…” The winds blew harder around them, Jack’s voice trembling less and less as they did.
“I thought I’d be able to see my sister again, ya’know?” The winter spirit said with a sniffle. He curled further into himself, pressing closer into Pitch’s side as the boogeyman’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. A cool, cold comfort that settled his shudders. “I thought I’d finally see her and our mom again, go skating on the frozen lake again like we used to… Maybe even just play in the snow! But when I reached the end of the hallway and walked out, I-”
Jack stopped himself. Pitch nodded in understanding, his arm tightening as he lied back against the inner curve of the dark ice. There was a sort of silent conversation between them. An ache coursed through them both, sharing its harsh pain while holding one another close. And as the younger spirit cried softly, almost silent from the loud swirling winds, the older stayed with him.