Chapter Text
It was nearing midnight just as Anger popped himself into the comfiest chair he could find and settled in for a long night of dream duty. He still could feel the rush of exuberance from the late night hockey match between Riley and some rival high schoolers from the Junk Yard Dogs team. And for all of his unprompted shouting matches that day, his voice was still hoarse from all of the in-time yelling.
So with a side of popcorn, though burnt a little on the top and a cup of coffee he pressed one greyed out button.
It was just another night of semi-silent as Fear’s sleep talking had gotten to the point where he could make it out from the main floor. It was just the normal sounds trailing down from Joy’s light giggles, and Ennui gaming in the far corner in the back of the kitchen.
Though from Anger’s own perspective the world outside of Riley’s mind was a place that seemed far more exciting and at times unfair. It was a place where he simply could only watch from the sidelines as the young thirteen year old crossed into a new part of her life.
And he admitted to himself at least, that scared him.
It was still hard to be a mere observer struggling to not just impulsively reach out and try to just make sure she was alright.
It was hard enough the drive behind a want, no a burning want to make sure that the life of this young girl wouldn’t be for nothing.
These were two of the most defining things within Anger’s core; anything else just took a back seat. So even with a lifetime of memories coursing through a now pacing mindscape, Anger threw himself away from the console.
It was just as odd to him that he would just fling himself away but at the moment more questions tumbled around in his brain. They took root and imparted another question, ‘Would Riley ever like to meet me?’
It wasn’t like he hadn’t had time to mull over this impossible but odd thought, even for a second. It was also odd that right above him that the dream had shifted into a mere blue tinted coat of color.
The room itself surge into a wash of dancing azure blue light as a single image of Riley though now thirteen was left along on a field of blue.
That in itself wavered the crimson emotion as he felt his whole body fall towards the screen, even as he tried to reach it. The image of Riley sat unmoving on the ice at the high school but it was and seemed like it took place a few night’s or so ago.
For Anger, it might as well have been happening just this minute.
But still the dream played as if a reality as the sounds of clashing hockey sticks, the sounds of angry yells filling her ears. The feeling of sweat dragged out of her hair and starting to mix with the new scent of cold and ice.
It surrounded her.
“But this never happened?!” Anger pleaded, but the scene carried out anyhow without his input.
of the back of the school. Anger knew that area, it was where the ‘problem kids’ often went to vent out their issues without any teachers around. It was also where Riley actually had gotten beat up for the first time by the new bully, Felicia Redstone.
He could sense the wisps of building smoke linger near his head, just as his fists punched at the console, only for the dream to keep playing. It was as if it were happening because he was the one here tonight.
It enraged the almost tinge of deep guilt as he tucked his arms into his now ruffled shirt, balling one bare foot into the floor.
This bully and her little squad were nothing but trouble for all of his own concern. But Joy just had to go and try to make friends. Felicia wasn’t a girl who was that much older than Riley yet for whatever reason she liked to mock her behind her back and spread vile, harmful rumors.
And like glass both his and Riley’s whole world shattered.
Like glass he felt the cut of rejection and hurt.
Like glass they both felt the cut.
He hated whatever mind worker at DreamWorks’ Studio was placing this into Riley’s mind; did they just want to see her suffer? Was it for their own entertainment? Did they have something against him in general?
“Now I sound just like Anxiety!” Anger just tried to do his best to ignore the painful dream sequence, but as the final moment of Felicia hitting Riley came on. His soaring red particles flared with a warning glow of dark ruby red lit the whole of the room, barely letting any outer light in.
The oddity about it though was that a loud crash tumbled out from the now lonely kitchen as a head of long purple hair wandered out. The pale wash of now emerged flowing orange derailed against the mix of Ennui fleeing from the sight of Anger.
As Anger himself took one fist and started failing onto the console buttons trying anything he could to get that picture off the screen.
But it only seemed to make the scene itself go slower.
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Anxiety was just starting to curl herself up into her new stuffed plush of a unicorn when she felt something was amiss. The sense though wailed within her as her bloodshot green eyes darted around, alarmed and unfocused.
Why can’t I just sleep?
She started to try and count sheep just as her heavy eyelids closed but then heard the squeak of the bedroom door as a tall figure loomed in.
It’s a monster! No, it’s more likely to be an emotion eating monster!
But just as her thoughts ran with her, the now dimly glowing purple figure stood alongside her bed, “Anxiety, are you up?” Ennui said in her thick French accent, “Stupide tête de brique”* She swore under her breath wedging one hand just underneath Anxiety’s side.
She then tickled the orange emotion’s ribs as Anxiety started to ball her feet against the Ennui’s own attack of her second greatest weakness, being tickled. Anxiety finally got one breath out, “Okay, okay I’m awake stop!”
“Mon ami, that brick head is going crazy at the console!” Ennui even though she looked outright bored, her left eye was frantically blinking and her hands were now being rubbed against her head, “Il sera notre perte à tous”.*
Anxiety only nervously nodded pretending to know what in all of the mindscape Ennui was saying, “Yeah…something like that!”
“Go go, before he burns this whole place to the ground, make haste!”
Before Anxiety left she called back, “Why not wake the others up?”
Ennui’s own expression then went dark, “I don’t think they’ll be of any help!” She said coldly, just as her phone lit up and she pressed two buttons on it, “I want someone I can trust”.
The last statement Anxiety barely heard as she jammed herself out of the noisy squeaky door and dashed two by two down the steps. The first thing she took note of was the small, faint smell of smoke, popcorn, caffeine and an odder almost hidden scent.
The second was that the whole room itself was now greyed out as giant jet black puffs of smoke and ash simmered around her and made her choke on the thick air. A blooming plump of amber and brightly intense light came ripping outwards from the console.
As enlightened sparks shifted into balls of fire and an assault of deeply embraced embers of trails of ash as the one creating them stood in front of a half broken console.
In the dim haze that was the sight of Anger balling himself upright into a tightly pressed hug, almost like he was the smallest thing in the room. And maybe at this moment he was.
He just seemed to see nothing as Anxiety’s teeth bit down into her now quivering lips, as the images that he stared at were still being shown there.
She pressed out her hand to cover her eyes, but the smoke was too strong and now was making it hard to breath. But she needed to reach him.
She wasn’t able to make out whatever he was looking at with such unfocused attention, but if anyone she could tell a panic attack for what it was.
Just like glass he felt the cut of rejection and hurt.
Even as Anxiety finally slumped into the closest seat and waved her hands over Anger’s now pale red eyes. There was only a look of pure outright pain pressed onto his face.
She pulled herself into a hug around the still alight Anger, as she heard with some time the tiny gasps that came out of his mouth.
She just gave him time, even as the smoke choked around them, it did start to wind down.
Just like glass, he was fragile.
It seemed like far longer than it had been when Anger broke out of his trace and placed two rough arms around her. The both of them quiet incept for the sound of crying on the screen behind the two.
“Anger?” Anxiety asked; a silent question trailed off as the emotion beside her broke away from the hug as he glanced around him.
Anger then saw the mixture of now jutting out and torn bits of the half of the console he had literally pulled out. The right side on fire as the final embers flowed into his face. He couldn’t even do anything more than start to try and put the shattered pieces back but only winded up having them fall out.
He wasn’t even paying attention to her anymore now.
“Anger stop!”
He finally turned to face her, red to orange, as his eyes narrowed and one hand leaped to throw the pieces away, “What!?” His voice cracked, a bare amount of guilt tackled against the still numb Anger.
“What happened, are you…okay?” Anxiety asked with a small hindrance as the glare from Anger’s head shot up again.
He only shook his head, “No…not really”, he seemed lost and almost hopeless as he pointed to the buttons littering the ground, “I broke it!”
Anxiety let herself step closer as she touched his now trembling fingers, his hand though felt like fire, burning hot to the touch, “We can always get someone to come and fix it!” She tried to smile as warmly as she could, but it came across as a grimace.
“I don’t want them to know I did this!” Anger almost yelled his whole head now a mix of gold and umber. He bite down on his other hand, his brow nervously drooping, “Joy’s going hate me!”
She too surged with panic, but at the same time, “Anger if she has anyone to blame it’s the fact that people make mistakes right?!”
“Yeah…?”
“Then she’ll probably be the first one to forgive you”.
Anger seemed to ponder this, as his hand pulled out and grasped at his shirt, and then moved to wipe the soot from off his tie. His whole being was shouting at him that it all started from a stupid nightmare!
It wasn’t real.
Then why did it hurt him so much?!
That’s when Anxiety took a huge gulp of air, “Now Anger I’m only saying this because I love you but…”
His crimson eyes turn to give her a very surprised stare, and then a small smile tugged at his frown.
“You’re just as fragile as the rest of us!” Anxiety finished her smile now a mess of chattering teeth and a large blush.
“Alright..hmm, I’m uh calling the mind workers to fix this mess now! Anger said coughing a bit out of embarrassment; though he felt like he had gone through almost the whole range of emotions himself now.
Almost without another word Anxiety moved towards the seat near him, and they sat there together for the rest of the night.
