i need you - an inanimate insanity au

6 • Helping her by ripping my heartstrings

a cold wisp of hopelessness under the heaps of anger.

a person.
a person who got absorbed in their rage and judgement. months of it all. weeks of it all. days of it all.
one year.
a year of hopelessness and desensitization.
then another.
and another.

a girl.
a girl they argued with till their heart ached, then handed the girl the key to their heart, only for the key to be lost and broken with months of neglect.

a boy.
a boy who had a way to get on their nerves yet calm them, and turn their frown to a scowl or grin.

a girl.
another girl who they handed the spare key to their heart to, teared at their own heartstrings for her, but she left them and everyone else in the dust to rust while she basks in knowledge and fame.

a girl.
this one a close friend, but one who had ran away because of the constant aggression they had on the surface.

now they have nobody.
they have lost all they once cared for.
they lost everyone.
everyone.
everyone.

but they still have people.
they just don't see it yet.

Wake up, Paintbrush.

.
•
warning:
this chapter contains...
blood
mental disorders
cuts
sharp objects
violence
you have been warned...
•
.

You jolt awake when you feel something on your lap... You glance down to see a certain someone. "Lightbulb?" You ask, nudging her.

She's asleep. On your lap. You'd think your face would flush with embarrassment or your eyes would shine with a longing for this kind of affection. Instead, as you glance at your reflection in the powered-off TV, you see your face pale due to the absence of sunlight and your eyes dull due to the absence of anticipation. You gently nudge Lightbulb off of you, still allowing her to sleep peacefully while you could be free to roam the hotel.

Did Test Tube recover and leave already? Test Tube...

Your bristles spark with anger, your fist clenching with rage. Test Tube dumped Fan and attempted to dump Lightbulb. You're glad you called her out on it, and you felt no pity when she broke her leg. She's a self-loving, self-absorbed menace who has a habit to cheat and lie in-game.

Why is she still the same outside of the game too? Who even is she, besides the façade she hides and cowers behind?

"Woah! Paintbrush! Calm yourself, man!" OJ laughs, "and I mean that in a genderless way, you hothead-"

"Shut it," You grit your teeth. What's up with OJ? One day he disappears, then he return and is all messed up! What the heck is wrong with him?! You frown, turning away from him and walking up the stairs. There is no use staying in the main lobby. Lightbulb wasn't even here when you fell asleep! What did she do, come in and lay on you? What a creep!

You begin to head up the stairs when the lights start to flicker... ..And eventually, it's all dark. You try not to let your panic rise - it's probably just a power outage - but there is no storm... Why would - "Oh boy, someone messed with the power box. I'll go fix it," OJ's voice echoes throughout the dark, quiet hotel. His footsteps echo too.

"Awh! The internet is down!" Fan's voice echoes from the next few floors up.

"Nickel?!" Suitcase shouts throughout the hotel, her voice shaking and bouncing off the walls. She probably snuck in like Lightbulb did.