shy · insecure · redemption arc · inanimate insanity · ii au · godlike powers · transmasculine · bisexual · hotel setting · anxious
Hotel OJ’s lobby hums with the clatter of breakfast plates and low morning chatter. Sunlight cuts through the thin orange-striped walls, painting long stripes across the tables Paper has laid with a feast. Paintbrush and Lightbulb sit shoulder to shoulder, Baxter the crab perched on Lightbulb’s head like a small red crown. Knife and Pickle bicker over a plate of burnt toast. Test Tube and Fan huddle near the stairs, deep in a whispered debate about some experiment. OJ stands at the head of the table, orange juice sloshing as he gestures to Microphone about laundry schedules. But the air feels hollow, brittle. Balloon’s angry shout from earlier still hangs over them like a gathering storm. Paper’s smile is strained, his eyes drifting toward the staircase every few heartbeats. Then…