Chapter Text
haven't proofread yet
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The noise of an alarm clock blaring rung through both Paintbrush's and Fan's ears, waking them up.
"Ughh," Fan groaned, reaching his hand out for the clock to press dismiss.
After a few attempts, and accidentally hitting his hand on the table, he finally stopped the noise, but the morning light coming in through the window kept him awake.
Paintbrush sat up and rubbed their eyes. "Good morning," they said, squinting at Fan.
"Good morning," Fan replied, forcing a smile. The both of them were never morning people, the only people eager to get up were Trophy, Lightbulb, and a few others.
Trophy was the bully of the hotel. Everytime he saw someone smaller than him (Nickle, Tissues, and Fan himself), he usually stopped them in the hallway and intimidated them. But the strange part was that he never seemed to go for Cheesy. Salt swears that she saw Trophy flash a smile at him, which stirred up some drama in the cafeteria of the building.
It was usually ignored, but sometimes it would send one of them crying, they just couldn't handle it. Of course, their roommate always helped them out when possible, so comfort was always there when needed. Trophy was confronted about this, but his response was, "Hey, not my fault they're so tiny!"
When asked about the situation of dodging Cheesy, Trophy beat around the bush and walked off, rolling his eyes as he went to his destination.
Lightbulb was the most energetic of the group. Waking up even earlier than Trophy, she usually sang while eating something from the Cafe.
But knowing the poor sound insulation, it woke the first floor up.
Few complaints were made, but OJ did nothing but a warning to her. It did suppress her morning noise a bit, so it benefited the hotel slightly.
Paintbrush quickly got out of their bed and stretched before walking towards the door. "Gonna get breakfast, see ya." They waved slightly at each other before Paintbrush left the room.
Fan laid in bed for a bit while zoning out. He didn't really think about anything, buy he soon snapped out of the trance and grabbed his phone.
8:30 A.M.
Breakfast ends at 10, and he couldn't risk falling asleep by accident and missing it, so he decided to get up.
He stared at his phone as he pulled up his blog then wrote,
'Good morning! Hope all of you have a good day!'.
He thought about putting '(except Trophy)', but he knew that would intensify his mischievous behavior.
Once he hit the 'Submit' button, he walked out of the room, phone in hand.
. . .
The cafe was loaded with people as Fan walked in, astounding him. Most of the contestants were eating, but 3 or 4 people were getting food.
Trophy was missing, as usual.
He must've took the food up to his room. He calls us jerks but he won't even eat with us.
Fan scoffed a little as he grabbed a plate and started to grab some bacon and eggs. He usually sat with Test Tube, but when he looked at the table where the both of them usually sat, it was empty. Speaking of that, she was nowhere to be found.
She must have overslept again. I liked her better when she had those experiments to keep record of.
Fan sighed as he sat down at the same table by himself, his phone in one hand and utensils in the other. He slowly chewed his eggs as he darted his eyes around the room.
Some people were sitting by themselves, too...
So he wouldn't be the odd one out, but it still made him uncomfortable. He plopped his phone on the table and stared at his plate while he ate.
The thought really hurt him, and he was kind of offended that Test Tube would do something like this. But, of course, everyone makes mistakes. His heart felt crushed as he ate silently.
Knife was always the kind of guy to do things independently. Eat, move things, he insists he could do it all by himself. He happily ate his food as the chatter of the others filled the room.
Clang!
Fan threw his fork onto his plate as he finished, making sure to not alert anybody. He didn't want anyone to mess with him at such a low state. But at the same time... he needed someone to comfort him.
He gazed at his plate as he battled with himself.
Why did she do this? How could she-
You need to stop acting like a baby, Fan. Knife and the others are sitting by themselves, why can't you?
He sighed again, tears welling up in his eyes.
As Knife watched him from behind, he couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his chest. He had the sudden urge to sit with Fan, but he didn't want to invade his privacy.
Plus, people might see him having a soft side, and that is the last thing he wants to happen. It did make him guilty though...
They always look so happy together... He's a mess! I could help him, but... it seems to risky.
Oh, what the hell am I talking about? That doesn't matter, Knife! He's sad, and he needs some advice or something .
They were both in a battle with their thoughts, but Fan's ended quickly.
The tears stung his eyes, becoming almost unbearable to hold back, but he needs to stay strong. Sniffles could be heard from him, but not loud enough for the others to hear. Or so he thought.
He looked down at his phone as he pushed his plate to the side, tears falling onto the screen. The pain was too strong, and he knew it was a small matter, but he was so... fragile. He took a few deep breaths to calm him down as Knife watched.
Once the sadness had been reduced to a sliver, he looked back on his phone and started to scroll through social media.
Knife felt pity towards him as he watched it, but he dismissed it.
Test Tube will probably come back tomorrow .
But it still hurt him to see him in such a state of despair. The tingle in his chest intensified, startling him.
What is this? Come on, Knife. You're strong, don't give that up.
He got up from his chair and threw the plate away before heading back to his room. Fan still sat there, scrolling through countless pictures.
. . .
Knife's room is on the same level as Fan and Paintbrush's. When he came across it, he stopped and turned slightly towards the door. Room 206. A thought hit him as he stood in place.
I should wait here... He seemed pretty sad, I need to cheer him up.
But... Wait, no buts. I'm setting my mind to do this.
He kept searching for atleast half an hour, but he finally stood up and threw the plate into the trash can. He still stifled a sniffle, but once he was in the elevator he calmed himself down even further by breathing in deep through his nose and breathing out deep through his mouth.
When the elevator dinged and opened, he saw Knife standing near his door, leaning against the wall.
Please don't tell me he saw...
Fan hesitated to walk down the hallway, but he gulped and pretended to saunter. Once he finally got in range of Knife, he cocked his head to the side.
"Um, can I help you, Knife?"
Knife sighed as he kneeled and stared into Fan's eyes. "Hey, listen man, I saw what happened back there-"
"O-Oh, you did...?" Fan interrupted, forcing a grin. "Sorry for causing such a disturbance, I'll-"
"No-no-no, it's not that. When I saw what happened back there... it made me wonder if you were okay."
"I-I'm fine, seriously," Fan quickly insisted, causing Knife to become skeptical. "I just... well..." He tried to think of a good excuse, but it backfired.
"Listen, Fan. I understand you were sad back there, but I'll give you advice." Fan started to tear up a little as he was being confronted. Knife brushed away the tear with his thumb.
"Don't cry, okay? Just because a small inconvenience happened doesn't mean it's the end of the world. She made a mistake. Just because she did something wrong once, it doesn't mean that she's fully betrayed you. Stay strong for me, okay? I promise, everything will get better."
Fan struggled to keep himself from sobbing, but he managed himself.
"T-Thank you," he responded, smiling. As he looked into Knife's eyes, he felt a rush of heat run to his face. A warm feeling in his chest emerged. "Nice to know you care."
Knife smiled back before standing back up. "If the same thing happens again, you can sit with me. I'll be there if you need me, got it?"
Fan nodded as he turned around and walked to his room.
The speech reminded Knife of the situation with Pickle, and how he wanted to quit because he failed. His smile grew as the mushy feeling in his chest expanded. He was glad he could aid someone; he made it his goal to be a better person. Actually contributing to that goal gave him another level of joy.
After Knife walked into his room and shut the door, Fan beamed in happiness as he went into his room.
The soft feeling in him was familiar, he usually felt it whenever Test Tube/Lightbulb did anything fun with him. But... this feeling was much more intense.
He plopped down onto his bed and stared blankly.
Knife seems like a pretty nice guy now... It's nice to know he's trying his best. But what is this...? I'm feeling weak, my body is shaking, and my mind races when I'm around him.
Maybe I should talk to someone about it.
He thought of some of his friends that could clarify the weird situation, but his mind soon landed on one.
Test Tube could work.
If he did see her soon, of course. But, for now, he was bored, so he went onto his computer.
Ever since the competition ended, OJ gave the offer of living at the hotel, and everyone unanimously agreed, since they didn't have many things to do back home. A few days after the decision, the group went back to their homes to gather things. Devices, medicine, anything they would need.
Fan came back with a few things: his phone, his computer, and a few other things for entertainment.
He logged onto his computer and started to play Roblox (not sponsored).
As he scrolled through the selections, his mind still wondered about Knife.
He's never usually that nice. It might just be temporary, he usually goes back on his word.
He agreed with that and pushed the thought away, then went back to scrolling.
. . .
"Hey, jerk!" Knife heard Trophy say, jogging in place. "Saw what happened back there."
Knife rolled his eyes. "So what? Aren't you meant to go outside on your run right now?"
"No, it's gonna rain, idiot. Seems like someone has a soft side!" Trophy explained, chuckling as he continued his jog.
"Pssh," Knife scoffed while he rolled his eyes. "No I don't. Remember, I'm the jerk of the hotel."
Trophy smirked as he began to stand still. "Does the jerk of the hotel give advice to others when they're sad?"
Knife's eyes widened as he said that, he was cornered. "W-Well I've been trying to change," he stammered. "Mind your own business."
Trophy gawped at him. "What's next, you two are gonna start dat-?"
"What are we, in 2nd grade? I just told him a few things, let it go! We're not dating."
"Uh-huh..." Trophy said, unconvinced. "Let me know how the love confession goes, I'll be in here."
Knife felt the urge to retort, but he instead ignored the remark and went out of the room.
Just staying in the hallway was too boring for him, so he decided to go downstairs and sit down, probably do something on his phone to pass the time.
. . .
Fan stared at his screen as he played one of the numerous experiences on Roblox, hardly blinking from his concentration. He liked rhythm games, so he decided to play something like RoBeats.
The noise of keys being pressed over and over again annoyed Paintbrush whenever they tried to sleep.
They tried for as long as possible, but they eventually sat up and ordered for him to go to sleep.
Because of the screens, however, he could barely sleep. He usually stared at the ceiling, thinking about some fantasy with dragons or something. It varied each night.
Anyway, Fan started to load up a song and start playing.
. . .
As Knife sauntered down the hallway, Lightbulb came up the stairs. She stopped in front of Knife, and held out a paper.
"Hm?" Knife raised an eyebrow as he took the paper.
"We're having a movie night! 8:00 P.M., come if ya want. Snacks and everything!" Lightbulb explained as he looked at the paper.
It was colorful, with words being barely legible.
'Come join our Movie Night! 8:00, come if ya want. It's a horror movie!
OMGA, so excited! There'll be drinks and snacks, everything!'
Knife thought about it for a moment as he glanced back at Fan's room. He wanted to have another conversation with Fan, but it was already 7:45.
"...Sure," Knife agreed hesitantly, forcing a smile. "Horror seems nice."
Lightbulb beamed. "OMGA! Thank you! You can come downstairs if you want right now. I'll tell the others about it!"
Knife nodded and walked past Lightbulb and towards the stairs. As he started to take the first step down, he looked back at Fan's door. He shook his head.
Why am I so concerned about him?! He'll be fine, Trophy shouldn't get in the way.
I hope.
He turned back around and felt a burden of guilt on his shoulders as he continued down the stairs.
. . .
Once Fan was finished with his first song, he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in!" he shouted, turning his chair.
As the door opened, he saw Lightbulb with a paper. "Fan, I have a cool event coming in a bit!"
Fan stood up and watched as Lightbulb approached him. She held the paper out to him, implying to Fan to take it. He took it and read it carefully.
"Horror?" he mumbled under his breath, reluctant. "I'm not a big fan of that."
Lightbulb must have heard him. "Oh, it's okay if you don't want to go!" she reassured, smiling. "I respect your decision."
Fan felt a burst of words come out of his mouth before he could even think.
"Is Knife coming?" he asked, covering his mouth afterwards.
Oh my God, why did I do that?!
Lightbulb angled her head. "Umm... yeah? He held the paper and read it and everything."
Fan's eyes widened as Lightbulb made the remark.
Oh my God he touched the paper- EEEK!
His heart raced as he pretended to examine the paper.
His big hands and everything-
"Y-Yeah, I'll go!" Fan exclaimed, heart still racing as redness crawled up his face. "What time?"
"Eight!" Lightbulb answered. "See ya in a bit!"
She walked out of the room as Fan sat back down and stared at the floor.
"Oh my God, Fan. Pull it together!" Fan muttered, slapping himself lightly. "He's not even that attractive. All he is, is muscular, caring... Whatever! Just calm down."
He took a deep breath before turning off his computer.
Might as well.
He stood up again and walked downstairs. Once he reached the lobby, he saw some of the others.
Paintbrush, Trophy (unfortunately for Fan), Knife, Cherries, Yin-Yang, Balloon, and OJ.
"Hey, twerp!" Fan heard Trophy yell. He rolled his eyes, provoking Trophy. "Oh, you wanna go? 'Cause I can beat you up any day!"
Trophy approached Fan and grabbed his shoulders, startling Fan. "L-Listen, I don't want to offend-"
"Well you already did, fucking idiot!" Trophy shouted, catching the attention of the others in the lobby. "Time to say goodnight, Fan. Trust me," he started to lift his hand up and clench it into a fist, "you're gonna be out for a long time."
"Woah-woah-woah!" Knife shouted, running over and grabbing Fan, startling him. "Leave him alone!"
Fan could feel tears build up as he watched the scene unfold. Trophy threw his hand down.
"What, it's not my fault he's such a wimp!"
"JUST GET OUT!" a voice yelled. The three of them turned around to see OJ standing in front of the crowd. "WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"
"Heh, pussies," Trophy scoffed as he walked up the stairs. "See ya later!"
Fan sniffled as Knife looked at him. A tear ran down his cheek, worrying Knife.
"Hey, don't cry, it's okay!" Knife reassured, grabbing onto Fan's wrist. "You're safe here right now, don't worry!"
Fan's mind was racing. He was so dizzy he could pass out from the sudden change of events, it was too much. His legs were close to giving out, but he managed to stay up. He struggled to breath as he started to cry.
"I-I... I need to..."
"Sit him down," OJ suggested, pointing to the couch. "It'll help."
Knife pushed Fan lightly by his back and sat on the couch together. "I'm sorry..."
Knife shook his head. "No, Trophy's the one who should be apologizing."
Knife had never been in one of these kind of situations before, but he seemed to be pretty good at it. But the feelings of guilt weighed him down.
"T-Thank you," Fan sniffled, rubbing his nose. "I-I'm tired..." A feeling of drowsiness kicked in suddenly. He laid his head on Knife's shoulder.
"Y-Yeah, I brought blankets," Lightbulb said, handing one out to Knife. He grabbed it from her and laid it around Fan and him.
Knife felt a rush of heat come to his face as he watched Paintbrush start the movie. The soft, mushy feeling in his body grew again, much stronger than before. He smiled a bit.
As Fan sighed, a feeling of dread pervaded the air. "I'm sorry that happened to you." Paintbrush apologized, looking towards the stairs. "He's such a fucking creep, but we'll make sure he gets what he fucking deserves."
"OMGA, Painty, your language!" Lightbulb gasped.
"Not now."
Lightbulb sighed and rolled her eyes before heading to the kitchen.
As the lights dimmed, the movie started to play. Knife moved his arm and wrapped it around Fan. Fan nuzzled his head into Knife's shoulder, but he opened his eyes. "Thank you."
Knife smiled. "You're welcome."
No, Knife, stop being so overwhelmed. He was just hurt, it's wrong for me to be feeling this way! He's way too weak...
But... No! The weird feeling is probably just pity! He can't keep up with himself for a whole hour without getting emotional!
. . .
The movie wasn't even done, but the gore and screams were enough for Cherries, Balloon, and Yin-Yang to leave.
Cherries was shaking when she left, Balloon was also scared, but Yang complained that Yin couldn't take anymore. He didn't even seemed to be phased, so maybe he wasn't lying like everyone thought.
. . .
It was around 10:30, and the movie was over. Lightbulb was too sleepy, so she left a few minutes before the end. Paintbrush could be heard yawning, but they insisted they were fine.
As the lights turned back on, Fan moved Knife's arm and sat up, smiling at him afterwards. "Thanks."
"W-Were you awake this whole time?!" Knife asked, concerned.
"Um, yeah? What, are you worried about me messing up my sleep schedule? Worried that it was too much for me?"
"N-No!" Knife lied, rubbing his blade. "I was just surprised you made it through."
"Heh, guess you can say I can handle some things! Others... you know, not so much."
Fan felt the warmth of Knife's hand next to his, just an inch away from each other. His heart started to race. "Let's just forget about that," Knife suggested. "I'm getting a little sleepy. See you tomorrow."
"See ya." Fan stood up and walked towards the stairs, but he heard a voice call out.
"Don't forget about tomorrow morning. I'm always there to help!" Knife shouted.
Fan turned around and smiled.
Knife suddenly felt a wave of heat rush to his face.
His smile... It's so pretty...
Knife smiled back as his face showed a tint of red. Fan turned back around and footsteps could be heard as he went up the stairs.
Knife sat there on the couch in confusion as the others cleaned up.
If he watched the movie the whole time...
Did he like leaning on me?
Or was he that depressed from what happened earlier?
No, he would have gotten up...
Hmm...
No... I should just face it.
I'm in love with him.