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Quiet thuds smacked the carpet floor, a dull smell of dim, nostalgic memories wafting from the ground.
Cool air flowed through the house; a beginning autumn season, pirouetting through the open door of March.
Even in spite of a simple world inside the head of a man lost to his senses, it appeared the chilled, bitter wind and temperature from the outside world reflected in the residence swathed by his memories.
Drops of cool water slumped from an invisible sky; spilling into the rising gradient of black, to grey, to white, collecting in wet mounds of slushy ground.
A lavender nose moved from centre to left, posed like a startled deer as unsight locked onto the noise of a telly.
From the perspective of the other, his eyes had been stuck to the series of morphing shapes of light, iron hands resting on his furled lap.
A muscular build; broad, hard shoulders; a firm sternum.
Vaguely oceanic-hued hair in untamed curls sauntered down his neck; a single pale eye, with almost silvery skin; half of his face almost reminiscent of a pit of torn charcoal.
An unearthly tall stature, easily exceeding two metres, donning an indigo, accented-black polo neck; black daks, with a distinct necklace encasing his throat.
A neon crown hovered above his head; his feet acting as shoes, shaped as such.
Knees bent and tucked to his chest, his vision wide as it sucked in every last detail on the screen.
The counterpart’s sightless gaze fixed on the other, palm placed onto the painted wall.
A blindfold had been wrapped around his head, covering “eyes” and buried under obsidian-hued hair; a heather hoodie hugging his torso.
Dark pyjamas encased his legs; nothing to cover his somewhat long, acicular hooves.
Orchid, pheasant-like wings rested on his back; black rings, composed of holograms, circled his wrists, ankles, and torso; a final, larger one settling above his head, studded with sharp lines, reminiscent of a halo.
An almost-silence took over.
Spared by the gentle discussion of factorial processes, as Mind consumed every detail of the information spewing from the blaring box.
Heart could nigh admire the peaceful scenario; Mind was much too focused on his odd show showcasing the creation of many common objects to descend into cacophonous argument.
It felt quiet.
It felt tranquil.
Sedate.
Calm.
Hard nails touched the between of each string on the floor, and Heart pulled himself to the kitchen with a short series of footsteps.
Mind’s focus reigned undeterred; ceaseless attention to each fascinating craft.
Each gadget that moved to perform its part; every robot succeeding in its life’s purpose, failure I present.
He’d wanted to be like those machines on the screen.
He’d wanted to do his purpose as well, just as effortlessly…
♡♡♡♡
After microwaving a sliver of butter atop a crumbly sheet of bread, Heart gripped the plate between his digits, confident legs forming an upbeat stride as he exits the room, reeking of a potent, foul aroma.
Hooves pushing him in the desired direction, cautious wings notifying him of any sneaky walls afront.
A cheerful hum danced from his nose.
Mind had still been exerting each array of perception onto the screen.
Heart, a moment before arriving at the comforts of the couch, made a final, triumphant look at Mind.
Mind hadn't afforded a single glance.
With a lift of the corner of his mouth, Heart deposited his body onto the seat, and started to close his teeth around the bread.
Another beautiful silence.
The shrill echo of morning avians swam from the outdoors; a memory of a polite awakening.
Rushes of black glided through the world beyond their secluded home; almost as if the ground had a heartbeat, pulsing and surging in a monochromatic style.
The floors and staircase creaked and croaked with age, rhythmic taps from the burgundy hue upstairs.
Dust spread limitlessly across each untouched slab of oak.
All was well. All was good.
Heart, after having consumed the bread, crunchy in incorrect places, lifted his skinny body and took to depart with his plate.
Clink!
The dish slept in a cluttered mass of other unhappy plates, bowls, and the such.
Now was time to wait for Mind to clean them all up, as he did, with his obsession with cleanliness.
A modicum of a smile pressed into each side of Heart’s lips, and he idled at the base of the stairs, a hand touched to the railing.
A single toe clunked against the step, and momentarily, he paused.
He then turned his personal attention to Mind, or at least the sound of him.
“(Hey, Mind?)” Heart cooed.
“[…]”
A quiet moment broke between their words. “[…Yes?]”
“(I’m… Glad we’ve been getting along today.)” Heart spoke, a soft, wispy voice, narrow lines of fought anger draping across each side of his tone.
“[…]” A deadly silence. “[I… am glad as well. It's been uncommon we've had days where we… Get along.]”
“(…)” Thus formed an awkward, but pleasant, smile.
Heart continued his ascent, before, once again, ceasing movement.
“(…)” …
Heart reversed his direction, and quietly stepped down the stairs, then trailing towards the couch again, hastily.
He leapt onto the such, and created a small circle as he crawled atop the cushions.
He then tilted his attention to the corporately-forced words emanating from the screen.
“[What… Are you doing?]” Mind asked, face contorting in sync with his puzzled pronunciation.
“(I… I wanna watch, too. So that I understand what you enjoy so much about this show.)”
“[Heart, you really don't have to…]”
“(But I must!)” Heart beamed. “(How else will we cooperate if we don't understand one another?)”
“[Heart…]” He could hear the humour in him slightly dispense. “[What did you do to the real Heart?]”
It was certainly an attempt at a joke.
“(Maybe the real Heart feels bad about how he treated the real Mind. Maybe the real Heart wants to understand him better.)”
He could only assume Mind was smiling, based on his lack of a disapproving huff and the vague “mrneh-mrneh-mrneh-mrneh” sound, singing from his modulator.
The sound of their kind showing interest; an alien voice.
♡♡♡♡
Heart made his best attempt to understand what was happening on the telly with his ears.
Wings curled behind his back, neatly bent and thoroughly relaxed.
The occasional adjustment of his blindfold, maybe a dance across his body with his warm fingers.
Mind had seemed much more focused than he had been, no big deal. Mind was logical, he was made for this. He can get the hang of it too, no worries!
Heart’s fingers bundled around his leg, watching with every sense except his own sight.
It was almost like watching a tutorial to create origami on a radio.
“(So… When the car is finished being built, how do they move it?)”
“[Were you not paying attention?]” A stern tone emerged. “[They use conveyor belts!]”
“(Alright…)” Heart sighed.
I’m not half as blunt as this when talking about my interests…
So many confusing words, such disorienting language.
His mind felt like it had reached a roadblock, and he couldn't view any thoughts anymore.
“(I… Have another question?)”
“[…]”
“(Wh… What does a ‘pneumatic press’ do?)”
“[Seriously?!]” Mind snapped, audibly standing up. “[It was explained, like, six times! It uses pressurised gas to…!]”
His thoughts had scattered.
A fog rolled through his mind.
“[Are you even listening ?!]” Mind shouted.
“(Well, I'm trying to!)” Heart’s form extended upwards. “(I can't understand all of these stupid fancy words that these shows keep saying!)”
“[Maybe if you weren't so dense –]”
“(Maybe if one of us wasn't born to be the logical part of the brain, while the other was born to be the useless emotional side –)”
“[And here you go, throwing yourself a pity party!]” Mind cried, his voice packed with infuriation.
“(It’s not my fault I was made this way ! It’s no help hearing you and Soul point out how inadequate I am, constantly , nonstop , without any pause, I didn't ask to be born this way!)”
“[Heart, none of us asked to be born. And besides, we were created ! Heaven knows why we exist, we only spawned just to merge with someone anyway! Our existence is devotion to a cause we were made in the name of!]”
“(You act like I don't know that?! So what if we’re just awakened clumps of brain cells, why is it my fault that I just so happened to be the weaker, meeker clump of brain cells?)”
“[You obsess over our host in the weirdest way possible, and yet you fear him in every way!]”
“(Well…)” Heart itched the side of his neck. “(At least I actually know how to stand up for myself! You just let Soul push you around all day, at least I can set and maintain my own boundaries!)”
“[Like that's even remotely true! You let him walk all over you! You have zero semblance of what real love looks like!]”
“(You have– You have–)”
Heart let out a shout of ire; an inhuman, train-like screech following with his snarl.
A strong foot collided with the ground, and he made a fervent leap, gravity forgetting the shape of his body as his wings heaved and sent him through the air.
“[Heart! Stop that this INSTANT!]”
“(LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!)” Heart mocked, his person shooting through the interior of the house as he settled a few metres in the air.
After marching over, Mind crossed his arms, a strict stare stabbing Heart’s awkward position, whom had also had folded arms.
“[Heart. This is ridiculous.]” He scowled.
“(Mm-mm!)” Heart sneered, his head forced away.
“[Heart. Heart. This is very immature of you, and you know how that–]”
“(You're not making me want to come down anymore by insulting me, you wet flag!)”
It appears this would be more difficult than suspected.
“[Heart, come on!]” Mind yelled, clearly growing more frustrated by the second. “[You’re not a year old anymore, this is ridiculous!]”
“(No! You’re not coming up here! Get away from me!)”
Mind offered a sigh, and a package of heat began to curl within the soles of his feet, as he then started to levitate in a similar fashion.
“(HEY! NO! GET AWAY!)” Heart snarled, pointed nails tearing through the air and slashing blindly in front of him.
“[HEY!]” Mind hissed, descending until he regained connection with the floor. “[Don’t claw me!]”
“(Oh, I will claw you.)” Heart said, his lip recoiling to expose his violet teeth.
“[Heart, do not make me get Soul.]”
“(Soul?!)” Heart gasped, and performed a series of odd, almost flail-like movements. “(No! Don't get Soul!)”
“[Oh, I will.]” Mind smirked. “[You don't want that, do you?]”
“(…)” Heart pointed his head off to the side.
“[…Can…]” Mind blinked.
The id tossed and turned in the air, his lip bundled timorously.
His hands had been tightly enveloping one another, and his wings were open, almost like a welcoming embrace.
“[…Can you not get down?]” Mind asked, now stating concern.
“(NO! …Yes? I, I…)” Heart shuddered. “(I can't… I-I don't know how to… …land.)”
“[…Huh.]” Mind snickered. “[So that's why you never fly.]”
“(It’s EMBARRASSING, okay?!)” Heart yowled, shifting in air to appear almost seated.
“[Hey hey, you remember the id-half-of-a-whole-sort-of-brothers rule.]” Mind said, a clear laugh hiding behind his syllables.
Sigh.
“(That we get one free laugh , and then we help.)”
“[That’s right. Now…]” Mind then proceeded to erupt into cackling.
Heart produced a cross expression, but allowed him to proceed roaring with ecstasy.
This continued for a minute or two.
“(Okay, okay! Are you done yet?!)” Heart whined.
“[Okay, yes, yes I am…]” Mind spoke, a hint of residual giggles flicking his words.
Mind had once again assumed aerial suspension, then crawling through the open space to take Heart’s wrist into his own hand.
Mind carefully navigated him down to a standard position, fixing his posture to a proper pose to hold while grounded.
“[Why can't you land anyway?]” Mind questioned, setting the other’s hooves to meet the carpet.
“(…Remember what happened with Soul? A few years ago?)”
“[Which time?]”
“(…The time where I got brain damage.)”
“[RIGHT. I’m. I'm sorry for asking, I know you probably don't wish to be rem–]”
“(It’s fine, Mind… It was just a question.)” Heart said, awkwardly adjusting his legs, almost like a baby deer.
“[Okay… On the count of three, I want you to let go of your entire body.]”
“(…Ok.)”
“[One… two… three !]”
And just like that, Heart tumbled out of place, nearly plummeting before he was caught in Mind's embrace.
“(Thank you!)” Heart smiled.
“[You’re welcome,]” Mind internally returned the expression.
“(…Now what?)”
“[…Now.]” Mind thought. “[…Let’s… watch one of those awful nineties cowboy movies.]”
“(Now that’s something the three of us can all enjoy.)”
And so, the day was woven together happily.