Pink Spots.
Mike didn't expect his words to spread around like they did. He figured that their manager might tell someone with more knowledge on how to handle situations like this, but since it was a confidential matter he expected them to keep it secret, yet it seemed everybody knew. Most of them weren't even aware Mike had been the source since multiple coworkers came up to him to ask him if he knew. Some were honestly worried about Sulley while others couldn't care less. Some were even making jokes about Sulley in front of him. Mike simply stood there, helplessly wondering what would happen once Sullivan got there.
Meanwhile, Sulley awoke to find an innate sense of relief. It seemed he just needed to talk to someone who would understand the extent of his situation, and it seemed Mike did. And with that, he felt as if the weight he'd been carrying on his shoulders had been lifted. It was then that he realized his problems weren't as big as he thought they were; he had his dream job, he was meeting new people, and he was living with his best friend. And the best part was that he was finally at peace with himself.
He figured that the reason Mike had left early was to give him some time to reflect and analyze his life, which he decided to do. He poured some coffee on his mug, taking a sip from it as he leaned on one of the kitchen's cabinets. He looked over at the clock, it was almost time for him to go to work, but he took some time to relax and to think about what he wanted to do with his life. He looked over at the window as the sun shone the bright orange light it gave off in the mornings. He admired the outside scenery as he felt a fresh breeze blow through his fur.
He left the cozy indoors for the colder outdoors and as he neared the building, he saw the familiar words 'We Scare Because We Care' written on the entrance of Monsters Incorporated and greeted them as he would from that day forth, with admiration, respect and appreciation. He saw some of the workers casually stepping out for lunch when one of them stopped to greet him.
"Hey, Sullivan. How are you doing?"
"Better than ever, thanks for asking." Sulley said with a smile on his face.
"Are you doing anything after work?"
"Actually, I'm gonna try to work on my scaring skills."
Sulley didn't mean to sound abrupt, he was just being honest.
"Okay, well.. listen, I gotta run, but if you ever need anything my name is Jerry. I'm the supervisor for Scare Floor F, I'll be making sure everything runs smoothly."
He didn't know why, but as he saw him walk away he realized that that greeting felt different from the ones he'd ever received; he couldn't help but attribute it to his new attitude and perspective on things. Once inside he saw two General Maintenance workers he'd never seen before, and feeling good about his new attitude he stopped by to greet them.
"Hey, fellas."
"Oh, hey Mr. Sullivan." The skinny one said rather cheerfully, "You seem to be climbing up those numbers, at this rate it won't be long before you surpass Randall."
"Yeah, you can do it Mr. Sullivan!" added the shorter sludge-like one, his voice cracking as he spoke.
"Please," he chuckled, "call me Sulley."
"Will do, Mr. Sullivan, will do!"
"See ya later, fellas."
He could hear them whispering "Oh my gosh. He spoke to us!" as he walked away.
It didn't end there; other monsters started approaching him, being overly nice to him. At this rate he couldn't attribute all the positivity to Mike's advice. His mind starts to wonder, but he tells himself that he's crazy, that Mike would never do such a thing.
"Shh, shh! Here he comes." Sulley overhears someone from across the room. As he turns he sees Mike and Fungus pretending they were talking about something else.
Sulley stood still for a moment, letting it sink in. The relief he'd felt after telling Mike about his problems was quickly replaced with hatred and disdain for him. Just as soon as he had found color in the world, it was quickly becoming the colorless, black and white world he'd known for so long. It was all fake. Their concern, their kindness.. all of it. He felt as if something inside of him had broken, but he didn't want to be seen in the lowest, or any regard. So, he put his mask back on. Tough, scary, and careless. But deep inside, he felt like he'd lost his only friend.
Mike was almost certain Sulley had found out by now, especially after seeing him with Fungus. It might've looked like he was telling others his secret, but he was actually telling them to keep it on the down low. Naturally, he expected Sulley to leave work early, but he stayed, avoiding him. He knew he'd have to face him sooner or later, but he wanted to postpone that as much as possible. So, after Sulley was done collecting for the day, Mike decided to stay and do his paperwork, but Sulley had other plans. Mike could only guess what he was up to as he saw him walk out through the front doors of Monsters Inc.
Sulley was more disappointed than angry. He thought Mike was different, but his actions showed otherwise. He abused his trust, making him just another one of them. Disappointments were all he ever knew, so he thought to himself that if this was all that life had to offer him, then he could live by himself, he didn't need anybody.
He got his suit case from the top shelf of the closet and started packing. He started asking himself some endless questions like: What will I do? Where will I go? How long will he be away? Will I end up working for Fear Co? Is it a crime to want a better life? Are my expectations too high? He sighed and thought to himself, I'm such a failure. I wish I could to go back to those carefree days.. if only life were that simple. Am I over reacting? How much did he tell them? He takes a deep breath and tries to calm down, but his breathing wouldn't let him. He hears the front door of his apartment open.
Mike comes home, surprised to find an empty living room and an empty kitchen. He wonders if Sulley ever made it home.
"Sulley?" he calls out as he walks into their room.
All the lights were off, making it hard for him to see, but he could see a big lump on Sulley's bed. As he walked further in he heard some light snoring. Relieved, he walked to his bed and slipped under the sheets, getting comfortable. It started to get colder as the night progressed and Mike found himself shivering from the cold. He gets up to lower the air conditioner, but it's broken. He shiveres, feeling goosebumps form on his skin. He has a small quarrel in his mind about his next move, but he's too tired and cold to mind any future repercussions. He walks over to Sulley's bed and sleeps with him. He wraps Sulley's right arm around his body and begins to feel warmth of his fur against his body as he slowly drifts to sleep.
"Sulley?" Mike asked as he saw Sulley's luggage packed. The room looked empty, all of his belongings were gone from their place.
"Don't do this, Sulley." Mike said as he saw him getting up. "What about all we had planned? There's still so much we can do."
Sulley stayed quiet, but his mind raced. That's what he was worried about? That selfish prick.
"Sulley, there is no reason to be ashamed of it. I just told Jerry, someone must've overheard. But I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I was worried about you, Sull."
He tried to search for dishonesty in his voice, but he couldn't detect any.
"It'll go away eventually, it always does."
He did care. He actually did care. Sulley tried to hold back his lingering emotions, but he let them out with a relaxed sigh,"Your intentions were pure, I guess that's all that matters."
Sulley's answer was so simple, heartfelt, and sincere. He had never felt like this before. Nothing ever compared to this. Nothing got close to this.
Sulley breathed in deeply, taking in Mike's apology. He felt like he was floating, and suddenly, he was in space, falling through the skies, falling through multitudes of other monsters who seemed to stand seamlessly in the atmosphere, staying in one spot as he fell through them. He didn't bump into anybody as he fell, the others simply danced into the night in slow motion. As he fell, he realized that he had it all. Everything he could dream of was his. He started to let go of everything; the past, his worries, and his expectations. His fall slowed down to a stop as he reached a different level of the planet's atmosphere. He heard Mike's voice calling his name, he turned around and there he was. Everything had lead up to this one moment in time.
"Thanks, Sulley."
"No, Mike. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the monster I am today. All of these experiences, even the bad ones have made me appreciate life more. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the monster I am today. And for that, I thank you."
Sulley wakes up to find Mike sleeping on his bed, cuddling his arm. Puzzled, he wonders what was real and what wasn't. He slowly gets up and leaves the room.
Mike gets up and meets him at the table for breakfast shortly afterwards. "I had a weird dream today." Mike said as he sat down.
If he was expecting a follow-up question, he didn't get one.
Sulley got the feeling that Mike had had the same dream and if that was the case, he knew how he felt about him. That conversation would be awkward, so he avoids it. And if they hadn't, he'd sound like a fool if he brought it up.
One thing was for sure though, even if it wasn't real, this vast, yet strange experience made Sulley become the monster we all know and love; a shy, introverted and emotional monster who tries his best to please others.
Author's Note: It's been a tradition of mine to post a playlist inspired by the story at the end, but now that fanfiction won't let you copy and paste directly from the story, it will be on my profile instead. Once you're there you can also vote for which story you'd like me to work on. Also, this might be the ending of the story, I'm not sure. I had an idea on how to continue it, but I forgot.
I guess one of the reasons I decided to write a story about Sulley was because he seemed to treat people with a certain.. I don't even know what the word is, but he seems to understand people and he behaves accordingly. He seems to judge people based on their intentions, not necessarily their actions. He makes me want to better myself as a person.
