Chapter Text
People weren't exactly thrilled with Orange, not after all the disruption he caused while everyone was doing their designated chores for the day. They weren't exactly in favour of his chore being to annoy everyone, while they did the more manually tedious tasks.
As everyone went back and forth with each other, he decided to conveniently just act like this problem wasn't any of his business. In his opinion, he hadn't really done anything worth arguing over. That was until someone spoke up.
"I have an idea. Orange, why don't you help me with my 'clean up the freezer far away from everybody else' chore?" Passion suggested, the both of them probably just as eager to get away from everybody's bickering. It had an undertone of something else though, he dismissed it anyway, he had something else on his mind.
"Sure we can chill out together." He subtly slipped in a joke, accolading himself for his comedic timing before they made their way to the freezer, he could still hear the groups displeased debating in the background.
The shelves were crammed with various products, all plastered with the company name on the sides: DaneBoe's. There was everything you'd generally imagine a grocery store would have in stock. He still couldn't help being amazed, which probably stemmed from the fact he was usually amazed by the littlest of things anyway.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed, scanning the freezer again, as he said that he exhaled a cloud of vapour, which then dissipated into the air. He heard the door slam shut behind them, clicking into place.
"I know Orange, we're finally alone at last.. does that give you any ideas?" Passion looked up to him expectantly, he didn't quite get what she was hinting at by that as she inched closer to him. He decided to take it at face value and just put it off as her being friendly, which she is an awful lot now that he thought about it.
His eyes wandered, landing on what appeared to be a tub on one of the lower shelves, low enough for them to be able to reach it.
"Hey, look! Orange Sorbet!" He stated as he wandered across the shelf. He was curious for some unknown reason, he didn't particularly know why he was going towards it himself. He just felt like it was important, he had an urge to.
"If I got smashed up and froze, I'd be sore I bet!" He hopped down onto the rim of the tub, feeling the coldness creep up on him as he inspected inside the tub.
"You know who else is sore? Me!" He heard an agitated voice behind him, accompanied by shuffling that grew more distant as time passed. He didn't know why Passion was so upset or why she was leaving, maybe she just had a rough day. "Orange! You drive me nuts."
The door swung open before promptly being slammed shut again, sending a rattle reverberating through the freezer as it shook. He didn't quite catch what she said at the end, turning around to face her out of politeness, of which he usually had none when it came to other people.
"Huh, did you say something?" He whipped around, before realising she had already left and gone elsewhere. He'd just have to catch up later when he goes back to the cart.
He felt himself grow unsteady before he slipped into the sorbet tub, the lid snapping back onto the rim. It wouldn't budge no matter how much he tried to push on it. He called out for someone but the chances of someone being in there were low. The cold started slinking onto him, as he shivered slightly, feeling claustrophobic.
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Passion had arrived back to the fruit cart. The other fruits had finally seemed to have put their arguing behind them, that was one thing to be happy about atleast, ignoring her failed attempts on making a move on a certain someone.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Passion asked for good measure, incase their arguing was shielded with a level of deceit where they attempted to look like they tolerated eachother.
The cart seemed to have a slightly more airy and positive tone, as such meant it's inhabitants shared that feeling.
"Nothing, with Orange out of the way, we got done so fast that we don't know what to do with ourselves." Pear marvelled, relishing in the opportunity of having uninterrupted free time.
His admission being so blunt made her feel a pang of guilt and sympathy for Orange. People always made snarky or negative comments when under the influence the person would never hear. She viewed it as a worse offense when you considered yourself to be their friend. Not having the bravery to say it directly to them was cowardice.
With Orange out the way, everyone started considering important thoughts that had been racking around in their brain. Everyone clamoured over their own inventions, pitching their own ideas and explaining them like they were face to face with investors. The others drabbled on about the careers they were planning to follow through with.
"Now that I have some free time, perhaps I should pursue my goal of going into space." Everyone collectively cooed over Apple's ambitious goals, even if it was a fruitless dream, his lack of experience most likely putting a halt to it.
"I dream of a world where all computers are linked together, so we can send eachother videos, I'll call it.. Fruitube." Pear shared his idea, even though most of the fruits didn't seem as interested.
Passion shuffled to the edge of the cart, deterred by the idea of getting caught up in their conversation. She would've questioned why they all seemed so productive today particularly, but knowing the context it was blatantly obvious that the fact Orange was gone was the reason.
They all seemed slightly enthusiastic to have him gone, being able to finally focus at the task at hand. It was far more quiet than any usual day, which she found to be a slightly positive change, she'd just have to enjoy it in the moment. She felt particularly bad for wishing Orange took his time in the freezer, but the quietness him not being here brought was slightly blissful.
She didnt know that the silence was going to last a lifetime.
Orange tried once more to get the lid to budge, coming up short, ice formed around it, making any efforts futile. He felt himself weaken from the cold, his muscles paralysing and constricting, he banged on it aimlessly, trying to draw attention. That was the last thing he could remember before it all went blank.
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The door of the freezer stood tall, intimidating. Instead of being slightly ajar like it was the first time, its hinges locked it shut into place, making entry unbelievably hard. She settled for knocking instead, figuring it easier.
She spotted a small, yet sturdy crate far off to the left. Since none of them had limbs or appendages, they had to resort to other methods. Using her head, she began inching it towards the door, until it banged into it with a large thud, resembling a knock.
She was conflicted, knowing that seeking out Orange meant the others would have to put a stop to the things they were trying to achieve, yet not coming to make sure he's okay would be a new low, and extremely hypocritical because of what she thought about Pear's comment earlier.
She decided to follow through, clearing her throat before beginning to speak. She didn't need to project her voice or talk particularly loud, because the size of the room echoed it pretty far on its own.
"Orange?" She called out, waiting patiently as the silence stretched on for an answer. It was unusual that she hadn't received an answer yet, taking who she was talking to in consideration, it slightly worried her a bit.
"..It's been a while." She follows up with after the long period of silence, only to be met with it again. It could've just been that he didn't hear her, but the silence gave her a uneasy feeling.
She figured that he just couldn't hear her from in there, it seemed the most reasonable and also calmed her nerves the most. As she began shuffling away, she called out one last time, even he couldn't hear her.
"Well, come out when you're ready.. I guess." She turned away and began making her way back to the fruit cart. It calmed her a little to think there was a reasonable explanation, hopefully, and shifted her focus back to the rest of her friends.
If she had known the reality, she might've tried harder, but sometimes ignorance is bliss, if she had known, she couldn't have handled the fact that she played a part in it by leaving him alone. The fact that if she was there it wouldn't have happened, that it would've been such a simple solution to what resolved into something much greater.