Insomnia

Outside the Frame

Huh, idk about the writing on this one but it kinda felt right

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If afterlife was just an empty abyss of grey, than it's really boring. It wasn't a blinding light or a hazy darkness like one would assume, but this almost light warm gray that enveloped the room. It was neither scary or comforting, but it was just there. But it was kinda cold, like a dead person cold. So that's the afterlife maybe? Just grey, coldness and Pickle.

Pickle shivered a bit, wondering why he has to feel cold if he's mostly likely dead. And if this was the afterlife, one would think there would be other bitter souls like Pickle wandering about. But no. Only the echoes of Pickle's mind gave him company as the endless walls of white surrounded him. It nearly felt like one of his video game levels. Speaking of which, he never finished his games, not that it mattered because maybe he's dead.

"Huh... afterlife is kinda mid..."

Pickle looped around the grey abyss, to no where really, there wasn't a goal in mind or a place to get too. Just kinda, wandering, with not a care in a world. Just like how Pickle used to be. He stopped for a bit, reminiscing about season 1 of Inanimate Insanity. When he was carefree and definitely not pondering about the meaning of himself.

"Man, younger me would think I'm a loser..." Pickle chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, I kinda do."

Pickle spun around in shock to see himself. The younger version of himself from season 1. In his puffy green vest and jeans, shorter hair, scarless and looking at him with mild annoyance.

"W-What the hell?!" Pickle sputtered, "Wait, wait hold on, this is really weird! Cuz, you're... me!"

Season 1 Pickle fake gasped, " 'Oh you're me and I'm you, oooOoOOoOOo!~' Yeah no kidding genius."

Pickle stood in stunned silence, did he used to be this mean?  "Well, little me, it's weird to see your younger self in the afterlife."

S1 Pickle shrugged, "I think its weird to falling off stairs and splitting your head open but hey! Here you are."

"My head?" He placed a hand on his forehead and felt nothing. Frantically, he tired to find his wound, "Wait, where is it?"

"Someone's patching it up for you." S1 Pickle stared at Pickle with a small smile, "Someone who  actually cares about you. Well, I guess us but mainly you."

A small bit of warmth creeped inside Pickle's chest. A small one that could be overpowered by the freezing temperature of the grey room, yet it was comforting and gentle that Pickle didn't mind that he was freezing everywhere else.

"Someone... cares about me?"

S1 Pickle groaned loudly that caught Pickle off guard, "Yes of course you bozo! Seriously, I knew the whole Taco thing messed us up but damn! Here, look!"

S1 Pickle then rummaged through his pocket and shoved something into Pickle's hands. It was a picture frame. The frame that contained the picture of him and Taco on that picnic they went on years ago. A feeling of nostalgia and love flowed inside of Pickle, but was quickly replaced with hurt, betrayal and anger.

"What's to look at? My stupid face who couldn't understand that Taco wasn't who she really was and was foolishly tricked like a dumb lover boy? Yeah. thanks younger me..." Pickle grumbled as he held onto the frame tightly with contempt.

"Look, you're too busy focused on the person inside that tiny frame." S1 Pickle said gently. He pulled out a picture from his other pocket and handled it carefully to Pickle. It was a picture that Soap took of the other Team Chicken Leg members and himself. Balloon, Bomb, Pepper, Salt and OJ. They looked so happy to be with Pickle. Genuinely happy.

Suddenly the grey room around the two Pickle blurred and swirled into a bunch of different colors. Bright colors painted the air of the room as it started to create itself into multiple images. And Pickle recognized every single picture. They were all from the hotel, and all of them had bright smiles.

Memories, frozen in time, decorated in the skies like picture frames. Each and every one of them had Pickle in them, along with others who smiled at him. A memory of Cheesy and Bomb cheering on Pickle as he played his saxophone on stage. The Cherries showing him a paper puppet of himself that they made. Another of Pepper and Salt begging Pickle to be a model for their mock fashion show. There was a memory of Knife giving him advice as well. And another more recent one when OJ and Pickle were sharing coffee together for one of their many sleepless nights.

A beautiful collage of the memories he's created within the years. The overwhelming sorrow Pickle felt because of Taco had made him forget about the small things that made him happy with everyone else. Everyone else who cared about him as much as he did for them. All of the little things put together made the one big bad thing look so small and insignificant.

All the sudden, Pickle's vision started to blur. He placed a hand on his face and felt tears. A thousand tears seemed to pour out of Pickle's eyes as he sobbed. Why didn't he see everyone else? He chased after one person who would never give the same care back but he had everyone else who loved and cared for Pickle deeply.

"There's a lot more people who care about you outside of the frame." S1 Pickle gently put a hand on Pickle's shoulder, "Maybe let them be part of your picture more?"

Pickle took one last good look at the smiling faces, frozen in time of the memories he made. "Yeah," Pickle rubbed some tears from his eyes as he smiled softly, "I think I should."

"Good!" S1 Pickle slapped Pickle in the back, "Okay, you're going to wake up now."

"Wait what?"

"Bye!"

S1 Pickle slapped Pickle out of nowhere, surprisingly knocking out Pickle cold as he stumbled back into the darkness again.