Chapter 6: Headspace Hijinks
Inside Tony's mind, Pink was literally screaming at the top of her lungs in a state of anxious, ecstatic excitement. "We kissed Alice!!! We kissed Alice!!!"
Beside her, White was blushing furiously, holding a delicate hand over her mouth. "That was... honestly, very delightful..."
Pink froze, her expression dropping as a sudden realization hit her. "Hey, wait a minute... I wasn't Alice's first kiss!!!" She violently stomped her foot on the metaphorical floor, her face twisting in pure outrage. "No fair!!! It was that no-good, shameless, heart-eyed brat!"
"Who, me?" a familiar, melodic voice cooed.
Red suddenly materialized out of thin air, lounging casually on the couch right next to White.
White flinched violently, pressing a hand to her chest. "Ah... I finally understand exactly why Pink was so terrified when I first appeared. You literally just come out of nowhere."
Red giggled, looking over at the furious pink gremlin. "Pink, don't be mad-"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Pink flew across the room like a ballistic missile. She aggressively grabbed Red by her single high ponytail, yanking it backward. "You stole my kiss!!!"
Tears pricked the corners of Red's eyes, though her wobbly smile remained intact. "That was technically all of our kiss!"
Pink screeched at the top of her lungs, yanking harder. "No!! It was supposed to be miiiiiine!!!"
Red yelped in pain, trying to pull away. "I still love you!!! But you're genuinely hurting me right now!!!"
Sighing heavily, White had to physically step in, wrapping her arms around Pink to pull her away. Despite being significantly shorter than White, Pink was still fiercely lashing out, kicking her legs in midair. "Miiiiiiiine!!!"
White exhaled a long breath, holding Pink out at arm's length. "You need to behave yourself, or I will literally hold you up like a bad kitty for the rest of the day."
Pink gasped, staring at White with a look of ultimate betrayal. "After everything we've been through together?!"
Red sat up on the couch, rubbing her sore scalp. "She's right, White. She loves you!"
White blinked, looking from Red back to the dangling Pink. "She was quite literally just attacking you..."
Red shrugged, flashing a smug, unhinged grin. "Yeah... but it's only because she loves Alice so much that she's a little jealous. But... hehehe... I actually switched Tony back into the driver's seat a fraction of a second before the lips touched!"
Pink and White's eyes widened to the size of flying saucers.
Red's grin widened. "So, technically speaking, Tony is the one who actually kissed her!"
A horrifying realization washed over the headspace. Pink and White immediately looked at each other, and both of them screamed in unison, "Oh no, he's probably completely short-circuited!!!"
Outside, back in the blindingly bright reality of the Syndicate lobby, Tony was still lying completely flat on his back on the linoleum floor. His eyes were wide and glazed over, staring blankly at the ceiling tiles as a faint curl of imaginary steam rose from his ears. His brain had officially encountered a fatal error.
Maya poked him once with her boot.
"Yep."
She nodded.
"He's dead."
Alice was still standing right beside him, her golden dress had reappeared faintly glittering as she gently touched her own lips again, her face burning with a soft, genuine blush. She cast a worried glance down at her catatonic leader. "Tony...? Are you... still with us?"
Alice's smile softened. Bending down beside him, she gently took hold of his arm and gave it a careful shake.
"Tony..." she said quietly. "Come on... wake up."
He didn't move.
She let out a tiny, helpless laugh, her cheeks still glowing pink.
"You're... you're driving me absolutely nuts."