i need you - an inanimate insanity au

8 • the truth reLeases

a shining gleam of determination breaks through the thick fog of betrayal and regret.

a boy.
a boy who plunged himself into sadness and regret when he was too frightened to face the truth. months of it all. weeks of it all. days of it all.
one year.
a year of hiding and pretending, just to try and reach a girl he once thought he knew, but who never truly existed.
then another year.
and another.

a girl.
a girl he once was friends with, who shined a light into his boring life. she helped him become more happy, as well as showing him how to have more fun, and she showed him that not everything needs to be thought out. play the game as it appears on the screen. one level at a time. but as it turns out, she played her game another way, always referencing previous levels and coating herself in layers of deception. the words she said were all empty, pre-written dialogue coded into her false identity. she tricked him. she never cared for him. so why does he care for her?

a boy.
a boy he never imagined getting close to. a boy who didn't shine a light into his depressing life, but a boy who led him out of it. he guided him through the levels, not just making it easier to reside within them. he told him that you need to move on, and can't stay stuck at level one. he told him that he needs to try again, and always keep looking for that retry icon. don't quit because of one bad experience. the boy hides himself behind a persona, programmed with rough edges. but inside him, past the shell, is a kind empath, someone that he needed. he needed someone like this boy, and now he has come. now he has come with him to take down each level, not alone, but now together.

now he has somebody.
his fog of sadness and emptiness being pushed away by a dazzling determination.
he realized the truth.
the truth releases.
it releases.

but, even as he overcomes his barriers, there are still many more.
because nothing and nobody is ever perfect. ups and downs are normal.

he just needs to acknowledge that.

Wake up, Pickle.

.
•
warning:
this chapter contains...
rude/offensive people
mentions of character death
characters mentioning alchohol and drug addiction
cursing/offensive language
you have been warned...
•
.

The notification ping snaps you out of your little rest that you almost had while standing up. You shouldn't have stayed up late last night. 'R3VIV3 B4LL00N.' It says. You watch as everyone's gaze turns to OJ. "It- I- It wasn't me!" OJ stammers, "I would never do that! Besides, Balloon was with Test Tube and her weird experiment for her collage!" What an odd debate to only hear half of.

Paintbrush glares at OJ, their bristles sparking, "Shut the hell up, OJ!" They pull down their scarf that they're wearing to show a nasty cut. Ew.. "Who did this then, OJ?!"

OJ takes a few steps back, "I... was fixing the lights-"

"How did you know this happened during the power outage, then?!" Paintbrush snaps back, holding their neck.

"G- G- G- G- Guys?" Bob asks, "D- During the power outage, Trophy and I were confronted b- b- b- by someone w- who asked us f- for a sharp thing a- and T- Trophy gave it to th- them... they didn't sound like O- OJ... their voice was... h- high pitched and s- scratchy..." Bomb hides amongst the crowds again.

"That could have easily been a voice changer," Nickel interjects.

"This doesn't involve you!" Paintbrush snaps.