Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Hghhhh..."

Candy Cane sat down next to Folder and Spraypaint as he let out a sigh of exhaustion. He removed his glasses, allowing himself to bury his face in his hands.

"Aww...again?" Folder said, giving him a pat on the back.

"Again," Candy Cane responded.

"This is just getting hard to watch," Spraypaint said.

"Well, is it my fault that I went to talk to Gas Tank right before Lightswitch teleported everyone for the next challenge?̈̈" Candy Cane retorted.

"No, but still..." Spraypaint muttered.

As CC lifted his head, Folder gave him a smile of consolation. "Well, at least you had the confidence to try! All you have to do now is try again at a better time."

"Yeah, um...about that." Candy Cane fiddled with his glasses, putting them back on as his voice fell to a mutter. "I...don't think I can do that again."

The girls' smiles turned to cold, blank stares as they responded in unison.

"What."

"I just can't!" CC cried. "That was the most nervous I've ever been in my life! My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was gonna rip through my chest!"

"Well, if not now, then when?!" asked a clearly exasperated Spraypaint.

"Who knows! Maybe I— I just won't!"

"But is that really what you want?"

"Of course not, but I also want to NOT die of a heart attack!"

"Oh my god, you spineless—"

"Spraypaint..."

Interrupting the other two's bickering, Folder put her hand on Spraypaint's shoulder. When she turned her head to Folder, Spraypaint was met with a look of reproach.

"Of course he should do it, but we don't need to rush him," said Folder. "He's scared and that's okay. I..." She broke eye contact and her face began to flush.

"I was scared, too."

"Aww, don't say that!" Spraypaint cooed, tilting Folder's head back up by her chin. "It was really, really brave of you to do."

"R-really?"

"Of course, silly."

"Aw, c'monnn..." Folder began to giggle.

"And I was sooo proud of you, wasn't I?" said Spraypaint, flashing a smug grin that was just inches from Folder's own giddy smile. Within a matter of seconds, their lips had connected and they were quickly losing themselves in each other's bliss—

"Ahem."

...And just as quickly, the lovebirds had separated, looking awkwardly at the third wheel before them with faces as stiff as they were red.

Candy Cane snickered. "I swear it's like you guys are trying to make me feel bad at this point."

"Nuh-uhhh, we're just...um..." Spraypaint's train of thought derailed, her mind still recovering from the rush. "Er— Gimme a hand here, Folder?"

"Just...showing you how nice it is to have a partner!" Folder said, her arms still around Spraypaint's waist.

"Y-yeah!" Spraypaint said, adjusting her posture as Folder's weight shifted in her lap.

"It's like...when you're with them, the world around you melts away. It's just the two of you and you want it to last forever," said Folder, squeezing her girlfriend in a tight hug.

"Aww..." Spraypaint returned the embrace, resting her head on Folder's shoulder before looking back up at Candy Cane. "Come on. Look at this and tell me you don't want it for yourself with Gas Tank."

Against his better judgment, Candy Cane did consider the thought—and almost instantaneously, said thought had sprawled into an entire fantasy. Being by his side. Holding hands with him. Holding him close and...kissing him...

"Hey. Earth to Candy Cane."

"Bwuh—!" CC yelped, snapping out of his trance with a jolt as Spraypaint stopped waving her hand in front of his face.

"So...did you learn something?" she asked.

After a moment of flushed silence, Candy Cane responded with a murmur. "...Yeah."

Immediately, Spraypaint and Folder both smirked at their lovesick disaster of a friend. Without saying a single word, their message was yet clear:

"You know what to do, then."

Candy Cane had been given a mission—one that could earn him the greatest treasure of all, or destroy him completely.

"I..."

The only question now was...would he accept it?

"...

Oh, fine!"

Chapter Text

That night, glowing red stars littered the deep purple sky of the mysterious galaxy, creating an astronomical display beyond anyone's imagination. Beneath this stellar scenery, Candy Cane had arrived at his checkpoint.

Now all he had to do was go talk to Gas Tank. Just...walk up to him...and start talking to him. That's all! It should have been simple enough, right?

Oh, please.

A good 15 minutes had passed since he had gotten there, yet he was still crouching behind a tree, his shaky fingers pressing into the ground. The fear of being rejected petrified him and he was nearly certain that Gas Tank would turn him down. After all, he didn’t even really want Candy Cane around in the first place...did he?

Candy Cane cautiously peeked out from behind the tree, his breath hitching at the distant sight of Gas Tank, lying on his back in the ocean-blue grass—completely alone.

That was when something occurred to him.

He recalled their conversation before the third challenge, where despite stubbornly refusing Candy Cane’s help, Gas Tank admitted that he did, in fact, enjoy his company.

He recalled the fourth challenge, where Gas Tank mentioned how he had always prioritized focusing on his studies over forming bonds with other people.

He recalled how outside of challenges, Candy Cane only ever seemed to find Gas Tank by himself—and when he did interact with someone else, it was only because they came up to him first.

In Candy Cane's mind, pieces of a puzzle were coming together. When he squinted his eyes, he could now barely make out a weary, far-off look on Gas Tank's face.

That was the last piece of the puzzle. Candy Cane's heart sank as the realization hit him: Gas Tank was lonely.

The pain of that loneliness resonated with him, for he'd never truly had any friends of his own either. If nothing else, that was something they had in common. Something that connected them. Brought them together, even.

As he looked longingly at Gas Tank, Candy Cane's resolve had been renewed.

For both our sakes...I want to be together...with you.

So, taking a deep breath, Candy Cane emerged from his refuge and took his first step forward. With every step he took, the storm of butterflies inside of him grew stronger and wilder. Nervous was an understatement—he was absolutely terrified—but he had to keep going. He just had to keep calm and everything would be fine...

Or so he thought, until Gas Tank turned his head to the side and they made eye contact. Despite having now seen through his cold exterior, Candy Cane still couldn't help but freeze.

“Uh...did I scare you?”

The sound of Gas Tank’s voice alone was enough to ground Candy Cane back in reality.

He quickly began to run his mouth before the silence could return. “Oh— No, I just— I wanted to see the stars too, and Spraypaint told me this was a good spot to watch from because she and Folder had a date here once...um...”

His eyes nervously darted around for a bit, before settling on what appeared to be a disc-like object in Gas Tank's hand.

"Oh, well— if you don't mind me asking, what have you got there?" He asked, gradually regaining his composure.

Gas Tank stiffened up and quickly hugged the disc to his chest, trying to hide it behind the large sleeves of his baggy hoodie. “It’s nothing. Just something dumb.”

“What do you mean? I think it looks cool!”

“I mean that—”

There was a pause. When someone bothered him, Gas Tank’s first instinct was always to argue with them. Then it occurred to him that out of everyone here, Candy Cane was probably the least likely to make fun of him. If no one else, he knew he could trust him.

Reluctantly, he slowly revealed the disc: the same shade of purple as the vast night sky, decorated with specks of red connected by thin white lines. “It’s a star map for... for finding constellations,” he muttered.

“Oh? I don’t think that’s dumb... Sounds really fun, actually!” Candy Cane responded.

“W-well—”

“I think I saw Orion’s belt once,” Candy Cane continued as he looked up at the stars. “Now, where was it again...?”

“On Earth, stupid!” Gas Tank snapped. “Did you just come here to make fun of me?"

Candy Cane could feel the knot in his stomach tighten. Fantastic—he was already blowing it. “Nooo, nononono! I– I just wanted to try it out with you, but I got overexcited and...kind of forgot where we were for a moment.”

Gas Tank's shoulders relaxed once he had let himself snap again. "Well...whatever. J-just make sure your head's screwed on tight." He looked back down at the star map with a huff, concealing a twinge of remorse.

“O...kay?” Candy Cane fiddled with his tie, trying to figure out what to say next. “Well, do you...mind if I take a loo–”

Without looking back up, Gas Tank patted the ground next to him.

Oh... He wants me to...

Candy Cane had to turn his head away as he gingerly sat down, lest Gas Tank notice that his cheeks were now peppered with a delicate pink.