Crowned

Arc 1, Chapter 8: Shrouded in Darkness.

TW: Alcohol, depression, mention self destructive behaviour

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Nickel stormed down the hallway. He was furious. He was only now starting to realize that this may have been a complete mistake... Treating Balloon like that... Balloon was a person. A person with his own problems. Reasons for doing what he did. He pondered the thought, pushing forwards despite his nerves.

Maybe they weren't so different.

He was acting like a complete hypocrite this entire time. Putting up walls to block people out, because he was afraid to be hurt... Again. But, in all honesty. Balloon and him were quite similar, if you looked underneath the surface.

Balloon clearly has been hurt by... Someone... It would explain his trust issues and, his fear of being 'different' or... Whatever that meant. He wanted so badly to be liked by the people he knew wouldn't hurt him. He would rather be around people he knows and watch his mental health decline rather than taking a chance with someone new. Nickel didn't fully understand how he got like that.

It was almost like Balloon doesn't understand that this is hurting him. Maybe because compared to whatever he experienced before, was so much worse that he doesn't even recognize it as mentally damaging.

It was... Sad...

Now that people were getting scared and aggressive towards him, maybe he's afraid something might hurt him again... That people will force him into situations that might do more harm than good. Or... Into a situation that he was in before? Whatever it was.

Nickel sighed. This could've been prevented if he didn't push Balloon... Push everyone. And all for what? To try to hide behind an unhealthy wall of lies?! He'd started to question if it's worth it to keep hiding... If anything is even worth it anymore...?

He's hurt people before.

And if he shows weakness, people will hurt him.

It's how the world works.

There wasn't a way to make everyone happy.

There just wasn't...

Nickel walked up the stairs and shivered. Why was it so cold all of the sudden?! Something was wrong. Very very wrong.

He finished climbing the few steps that were left and saw the hallway was basically a winter wasteland. It was covered in at least two feet of snow, and the winds that were blowing were incredible. Not to mention the walls looked like they had gone through an ice age. Twice.

A frosty sheen decorated the warm stripes of at age that stretched down the wall. The white boards beneath started to collect snow... and air felt as if was in the negatives. Nickel tried to make his way down the hall... but man was it difficult. The floors were slick, and he kept getting pushed back by the wind. The hallway got worse and worse as he continued too. He finally reached the source. His and Balloon's room. He struggles to get the door open and saw Balloon crying hysterically in the centre of the room.

Once again, this kind of cry is NOT the one you'd want to listen to. It almost physically hurt.

Balloon's wings were tightly pressed against his body. He winced every time the cold worsened and his wings grew out even more. Tears poured out of his eyes, snot dropped from his nose and barely fell down his face before they froze. His hands tightly gripped the arm opposite from its own and the nails dug in, they were leaving significant marks now. He shook violently and was nearly choking at this point.