Work Text:
Whole sat curled up on his bed, his face buried in his hands as he rubbed his eyes. He didn't feel like getting up. His eyeshadow was smudged, but not from crying. He hadn't done that in forever. It was more because he didn't even have the energy to wash his face. His eyeshadow was all messy and his nail polish was chipping, not that he cared enough to fix it, though. What was the point? It was such a menial task in the grand scheme of everything. And either way, doing anything that didn't require laying in bed was a tremendous feat. A feat whole was not about to perform.
[How lazy], Mind scoffed. He wished whole would do something productive with his time. But of course, rather than blaming anything else, he turned to scowl at Heart. [And it's your fault.]
(My fault!?) Heart raised his voice, offended.
Mind narrowed his eyes. [You heard me right. You're pathetic. He won't get up to do anything because of you. Maybe if you'd stop depressing him with your silly emotions, he'd actually be doing something beneficial.]
Heart balled his fists at his sides. (Don't act like it's not your fault, either! You're always wearing him out! Maybe he wouldn't be so tired all the time if you stopped mentally straining him!)
Mind opened his mouth, about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by a sharp {Shut up!} from Soul. Mind and Heart turned to look at him, he seemed fed up. {Maybe we'd ALL be better if you two focused on solving the problem rather than finding someone to blame for it.}
Heart and Mind paused, feeling like they needed a snappy remark to shoot back at that statement but realizing he was absolutely right. They looked at him, then at each other and simultaneously sighed. Soul's glare softened a bit as he brought a hand to his chin. {Now, maybe if we find something to cheer him up, things would get better?}
Heart and Mind thought, Mind obviously taking longer to think of an answer than heart. (Ooh, I know!) Heart blurted out after a not-very-long moment of thought. (We could eat sweets! Sweets make everyone feel happier.)
[Not everyone enjoys your nauseating over-sweetened desserts, Artemis] Mind spat. Heart shot mind a dirty look accompanied by a rude gesture, causing Soul to roll his eyes. [Perhaps a walk in nature?] Mind suggested.
Soul shook his head. {No, we should start small as to not burn up the tiny drop of energy he only has...}
(Well, maybe we could just try to drag ourselves to the kitchen. I think he'd feel a lot better if he just got up and maybe grabbed a snack) Heart declared. Mind wanted to protest, but it was a good idea he couldn't exactly argue with.
{Alright then,} Soul decided. {We can try}
After a while, Whole felt slightly more energized. He slowly shifted and planted his feet on the ground, getting up from his bed. He lazily dragged himself to the kitchen, shuffling his feet and sighing heavily. He began to rummage through cabinets and drawers, looking for something to eat or drink to hopefully improve his mood. He scanned the cupboards. Chips... unrefrigerated soda... cup ramen... wait.
[Stop. Stop right there.] Mind said, making Heart and Soul even pause. In front of Whole, a bottle of vodka sat behind a few cups and bowls in a cabinet. It wasn't really his, as he never drank. One of his friends left it there after a party - which was quite a while ago, considering he hadn't invited other people over in a very long time. His eyes were stuck on it.
(The... alcohol?) Heart asked, confused.
[Think about it] Mind said. [Nothing else here even looks appetizing. We obviously don't have a choice. When was the last time any of us felt good? Be honest]
Soul and Heart looked away, not being able to deny Mind. (...I always have wanted to try it. Maybe it'll ease things for a while.)
At first, Soul seemed suspicious. But, he was quite easily influenced by Heart and Mind. He hated it, but he was. {Alright. We can just try it this one time. No big deal}
Whole moved the cups out of his way and took the bottle in his hand. He wasn't even sure how to exactly drink it. And he hadn't really eaten anything in a while, either. Was that bad? He examined the bottle for a moment. It looked just like water anyways. Surely something so clear couldn't be that bad. He popped the top off, the scent of the liquor hitting his nose immediately. Whole coughed and slightly gagged. It was a lot stronger than he expected.
Nonetheless, he put the bottle to his lips and quickly took a big gulp before the taste could hit his mouth. It was a terrible idea. He immediately started choking and coughing, it burned like hell. He didn't take another sip. It was absolutely disgusting, and he figured such a large swig in one go was enough. He set the bottle back down and sighed, his journey to cheer himself up being in vain. Sulking, he retreated back to his bed.
Heart was visibly disappointed, Mind and Soul feeling the same but not expressing it as much. In due time, however, Whole and the others began to feel the effects...
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
It'd been about a month later. Whole sat in his bed, surrounded by empty bottles. He groaned, rubbing his head. He'd just woke up, and he had a horrible hangover. Day after day and night after night, ever since he felt that high the first time he got drunk, he'd kept on drinking. He couldn't help it. He felt at peace for once. Like there was no constant discord going on inside him. He'd grown attached to drinking. Dependent on drinking.
[Damn it... m-my head...] Mind complained. He'd been seeming a bit disoriented ever since Whole started drinking so much. Heart wasn't doing too good either. His breathing was all ragged and he was feeling antsy recently too. Soul grumbled. {This happens every morning. Why won't he just stop?}
[Well m-maybe if Artemis wasn't so desperate to drink every damn hour...] Mind hissed. {It's your fault, too!} Soul shot back, and Mind knew it was true. Neither him nor Heart could keep going without it. It made them happy. It calmed them down. Calmed them down enough to stop fighting and actually get along. It was addicting and neither of the two could help it. Mind and Heart looked away, feeling guilty. Soul shook his head. {You should be ashamed... both of you. Is this your idea of helping him?}
Mind gritted his teeth, wanting to say something back but then sucking his teeth from a sharp pain in his head again. Heart frowned. He wanted Whole to reach for one of the fuller bottles next to him. It'd take their pain away, after all. It always did. Mind wanted him to have another drink as well. [Just... shut up. And reach for that bottle over there.]
Soul's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but Heart nodded in agreement. (Please...) he begged. No. He wouldn't listen to them this time. He wouldn't give in. But he couldn't help it. Despite how much he didn't want to, he didn't exactly have a choice. The viscous cycle would just continue. Heart and Mind would never break it and Soul would have to suffer from his brother's stupid choices. But at the same time, he couldn't help but pity the two. Deep down he knew that all they wanted to do was get along. Harmonize. But they just couldn't. Unless they were under the influence, they despised each other. Alcohol was the only way they could get along... He just wished it didn't have to be that way.
----------------･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ----------------