Bit by Bit [II AU]

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Something was not right.

OJ had spent the past few hours pacing back and forth around the entire hotel, making sure everyone and everything was in good condition. But even after checking twice, thrice, even an extra fourth and fifth time, this feeling of something off would not go away.

He tapped his fingers against his glass body, something he often did when he was agitated or anxious. It wasn't the best habit to have, considering how fragile his glass could be, but he knew his limits.

That didn't matter to him, what mattered was getting to the bottom of this...offness. Yeah, that's a word, right?

He opened the door to his office. Everything seemed to be in place. His cabinets organized in alphabetical order, his desk as neat as he left it every day, and his desk lamb shined against the wood below it brightly when it was turned on.

Despite this confirmation, the feeling still wouldn't go away.

He began going after the little things. Checking his pen to make sure it wasn't out of ink, adjusting pictures to make sure they're perfectly aligned, making sure none of the cabinet drawers sounded squeaky, and dusting off the tiny, barely noticeable grime off of everything in the room.

It's still there.

OJ shook his head. Whatever was wrong, it's not in his office. He left as quickly as he came in, locking the door behind him-

Wait.

Before he fully locked the door, he slowly opened it. It creaked only a little bit. Was this what was wrong??

OJ quickly grabbed the nearest danish oil and cleaned the door's hinges as many times as he could. When he shut the door, there was no more creaking noises. He sighed.

But the feeling was still. There.

"OJ?" A familiar voice chirped to him. He winced, taken aback from the sudden broken silence. Paper stood behind him.

"Um.. are you feeling okay? You look... stressed."

OJ sighed. "I'm fine, Paper, just gotta make sure everything's going absolutely perfectly here!" He gave Paper a thumbs up, hoping his "hotel manager charm" would be convincing enough for Paper to leave him alone. Unfortunately, Paper could easily see right through this facade.

"Oh, OJ." Paper put his arm on his shoulder. "I've told you, you don't need to do this alone! I'm here to help! So is Pickle, and Bomb, and.. well everyone, really!"

OJ sighed. "I know, but you deserve a break, too! You should go.. uh.. check on the others! There's something I need to take care of by myself, okay?"

Despite Paper being clearly unconvinced, he walked away. OJ can be very stubborn, especially when it came to his hotel. It was like his baby, the baby he bought with his own prize money, one that he swore to take care of. It was weird, really, that he loved an inanimate object more than anything in the world, but Paper shrugged this off. Maybe OJ needed some space today...

OJ sighed and went back to wandering around the entirety of the property, checking every little nook and cranny he could spot.

This is useless. He thought to himself after the 7th hour of hunting. He took a look at every tiny detail he could find. Every room, the kitchen, the storage rooms, bathrooms, party rooms, Fan's Fantastic Features' room, even the outside of the hotel.

He found nothing wrong.

And yet the feeling would persist.

"GAAH!" OJ shrieked in frustration, causing a few wild inani-mates to fly off in fear. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" He felt his body heat up in frustration. Realizing his sudden anger, he took a deep breath and gently tapped on his glass side to calm down. The sound of tapping glass felt so soothing...

"I just... I need a different approach. And.." he looked up at the sky, now filled with stars. "I just need sleep. Yeah. That would be nice..."

He went back inside, only to be shocked by a sudden party that was thrown while he was outside. He was about to protest this, when Pickle jumped in front of him.

"Dude! Thanks so much for letting us throw this awesome party! Much appreciated!" Pickle laughed and ran back into the crowd before OJ could respond. He forgot he gave permission for a party this weekend.

That's odd. He never forgets stuff like this.

No. Nonononono. OJ shook his head, attempting to push the anxieties away. The party was only giving him a headache, so he decided then and there that sleep was 100 percent the best possibility right now.

"Uh, OJ? You cool, man?" Pickle asked, trying to stay in front of him.

"I'm fine, Pickle. I'm just... well I just need some sleep."

Pickle smiled slightly. "Alright then, you go do that, I'll make sure the party doesn't get too out of hand."

OJ nodded, leaving the downstairs managing up to him for the night. He trusted Pickle.

When he got to his room, he let out a small sigh of relief. He did everything he needed to get ready for bed. Taking off his tie, brushing his teeth, and putting on a protective case over the top of his glass to make sure none of his juice spilled in his sleep. He lied down, put the covers on himself, set his alarm for 6:00am, and slowly drifted away from consciousness.

———

OJ never remembered his dreams. He would forget them the moment he woke up, which was always frustrating for him, as he was always curious about what he dreamed of.

He wouldn't have to worry about that problem this time.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an empty void. The void itself was hard to make out, as everytime he looked in a different direction or blinked, it would change color. First black, then grey, then white, then back to grey, then white again. It was like a flashing TV screen.

The void felt very lonely, yet also full. It was hard to describe, but then again most dreams are.
When he turned around, he noticed something not too far in the distance.

A mirror. A tall, simple looking mirror. Usually, a mirror like this wouldn't be too appealing, something found in a normal bedroom or maybe even a bathroom, but this one felt... uncomfortably out of place.

Curious, OJ slowly began walking over to it, but every step felt disorienting because of the way the void often changed colors. Despite this, he managed to get rather close.

At first, nothing was in the mirror. His reflection didn't, well, reflect like a normal mirror should have. The closer he got, however, he began to see something coming into view, but still barely comprehensible.

Finally, once he was less than a foot away, he found his reflection.

A tall, in-conglomerate mass made up of shapes and colors he couldn't begin to comprehend or describe. The only thing he could truly make out were his eyes. They seemed petrified, exhausted, and angry. So very angry.

OJ backed away and fear and fell over. The colors of the void flashing brightly in his eyes. He could feel something, someone surrounding him, but everywhere he looked was more void. The mirror tipped over, growing larger and larger, towering over OJ as tall as his hotel would, stopping halfway down. It was taunting him, teasing him with his horrific reflection.

It finally fell upon his body.

———

OJ woke up in a sweat. Tears making his eyes glossy, his heart thumping in his chest. He looked at his alarm and wiped away the moisture from his eyes.

It was 1:12am.

Great.

He lied back down, attempting to fall asleep again, yet his mind forced him to stay awake. Somehow, his brain kept repeating the dream over and over in his head, and no matter how hard he suppressed it, it wouldn't go away.

The rest of the night until his alarm went off, he lied awake in agony.

The worst part?

That horrible, itching feeling surrounding him the entire day was becoming stronger.