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A busy room lit up with a bright, festive, yet cozy cheer. Colourful lights lined the walls, while the space was otherwise illuminated dimly by a fireplace in the corner of the room. The flame nestled within its brick exterior danced joyously, occasionally crackling as it flickered. The warm glow it emitted bathed the surroundings in a faint orange light.
In the center of this room, a tall tree stood dominant, proudly exhibiting its glistening decorations for the world. Below it lay a mountain of brightly coloured boxes, waiting for their wrapping to be excitedly torn off the next morning. Various shelves around the place were stuffed by various decorations of all sizes; a snow globe here, a miniature sleigh there, and someone continuously wound up a music box. Its occasional twinkling noise gave a fresh spark of life to everything around it.
Beside this tree, a group of objects sat huddled together in an undisturbed circle of bliss, excitedly chattering about the coming day. The mood within this room was so upbeat and optimistic, perfectly mirroring the atmosphere around them. Perfection - that was the overwhelming feeling of this room. No room for any negativity or cynicism, just a sense of festive cheer.
Aside from this scene, a window was perched uncomfortably in the wall, distancing itself from the comfortable furniture so as to not let a draft in. This group of misfits were making the most of their situation, after all; locked in a quarantine area for the duration of the game, unable to escape into the outside world.
Not that anyone there wanted to. The outside was always so bleak, and the night certainly didn’t help. In the day, it wasn’t too bad here - the skies were golden, and the temperature was fairly warm. The problem was they could never get out there, for they were stuck, hanging precariously in some upside-down buildings, defying any sense of gravity.
This night was no different than the others. It held symbolic value to the objects in the small world of their elimination space, but outside, it seemed a lot more hostile and unpredictable. If you looked down, there were no stars to light up a pitch-black void below you. If you looked up, you couldn’t see any way out of this place. And if you tried going forwards, you’d be met by an invisible barrier. They were trapped there. It didn’t always feel like that. But they were.
After so much time in this place, some had begun to get used to it. Being locked in a hotel didn’t feel nearly as bad as being in a metal box for half a decade, that’s for sure, and they had each other to keep themselves company. They chose to ignore the fact that they were prisoners, and instead, they were content with the new lives they had adopted.
That wasn’t true for everyone, though. Some were desperate to get out, and have another chance in the game. Others simply didn’t enjoy being kept in confined spaces, and wanted to have more freedom. Breakout attempts were common, although they were always doomed to fail. That forcefield around the area kept everyone confined, with no means of deactivating it.
This night was supposed to be one of celebration and apprehension for the next day. A time to push these overarching problems away, and focus on making do with what limited freedom they had. They could still decorate, they could still give gifts, and they could still celebrate. For two objects, though, it wasn’t that simple.
Every night, Puffball and Fries would always find themselves flying out to the forcefield surrounding their prison. It had started as a genuine attempt to break out, but as time had continued, they had been growing ever restless. At this point, they continued it out of routine more than anything. Just something to do with the hours they would’ve spent otherwise doing nothing.
Out of everyone, it was them who wanted to escape the most. But even their hopes had been reduced. There was always a lingering sense of optimism between them that one day, with enough energy, they might just break through that forcefield. Alas, that hope had always been in vain.
It never stopped them. Even on Christmas Eve, the duo was back at it as always, trying to find some way through that damn border. Foldy and Eggy had tried, and failed yet again, to convince them to stay indoors. That they could bunker down with everyone else and enjoy the occasion.
They never listened to anything like that, though. At the same time that everyone else was laughing and talking inside, Puffball was flying across the sky, battling with a fierce wind that seemed to try with all its might to push her back to the sanctity of the indoors. Undeterred, she continued on, supported from atop by Fries, who held onto her reassuringly.
“Wind storm’s a bit worse than normal today, huh,” Fries commented with his usual nonchalant tone, seemingly unfazed by the swirling air. Meanwhile, Puffball was fighting for breath, her fur rippling ungracefully with the flow of the gale.
“D-Do you think we should turn back?” the latter managed to blurt out. Her autotuned voice was distorted a little by the elements. Fries appeared to wave this off. “It’ll probably be fine. We’re nearly there anyway, you can do this!”
With that, Puffball lurched forwards, squinting her eyes to shield them from the piercing wind. As it turned out, the border really wasn’t much further. With a final decisive push, the two slammed head-first into the barrier, which promptly repelled them. Puffball bounced backwards in a daze, whilst Fries lost his balance and went tumbling towards the void below.
A slight yelp of terror from Fries before his downfall was all Puffball needed to spring back into action. She dived at top speed towards him, fighting against the onset of drowsiness, and caught him on her back. She then floated slowly back to the barrier, where she leaned on it to catch her breath. Fries lay on her back in a state of shock, clutching at her fur as though his life depended on it.
After a brief moment of collecting himself, Puffball was the one to break the silence. “W-We should definitely turn back,” she affirmed. Her usually joyful tone had vanished, replaced by an underlying fear for the safety of her companion. Through the many days they’d been doing this, that was by far the most dramatic thing to have happened.
“You sure? We didn’t even try to break out today,” Fries remarked, attempting to reassure her, though his voice was laced with shock. He tried to stand atop her again, but wobbled a bit, and with another fearful glance at the void below, resigned himself to sitting down, with one hand holding onto her fur for safety. Puffball glanced up at him, concerned. “Yeah, I’m sure… maybe we went a bit too far with this whole thing…” she admitted, defeated.
“...If you say so,” he gave in with a slight hesitation. His verbal confirmation was enough for Puffball to begin flying back to the elimination space, though it was clear she was trying hard not to turn to look back at the border. She was done being holed up in this building, wasting away while everyone else was probably having fun! Whenever she came out here, she was always motivated by her last few seconds in the game when she was conscious. That 3 vote difference was devastating to her, and she felt like she deserved to have another shot. The one and only upside to being eliminated was being able to see Fries again.
More importantly though, she loved the festivities that were held when it came Christmas time. Of all nights, this was the most important to her, and she was devastated that she was unable to experience that this year. That was why, in spite of the violent storm, she had begged Fries to try and escape with her on this night - and he had been more than happy to do so.
On the other side, Fries wasn’t all too worried about the game anymore. He would much rather be outside the elimination space, sure, but he wasn’t motivated by any desire to rejoin. His motivation was rooted in Puffball’s. He felt it was unfair she was forced to leave so early, and he wanted to set that straight.
The pair resumed their flight back towards the elimination area, the wind propelling them forwards this time. Fries continued to clutch desperately at Puffball’s fur, his body tense with adrenaline. This journey seemed to take an age, with the persistent threat of death beneath them. There wasn’t a recovery center anywhere in the elimination space, so if someone died, that would be it for them.
It wasn’t exactly like he was terrified of death. Sure, it hurt a lot when it happened, but it made time pass much faster, perfect for the coming years he’d have to spend locked up. For him, it would be the ideal scenario, and there had been plenty of times before that he’d considered it.
That was, until Puffball arrived. A part of him was relieved to be able to see her a lot sooner than he thought he would, but that part was overpowered by a strong feeling of empathy towards her. He’d never expected her to get out so soon, and she clearly hadn’t either. She was desperate to go back, and he was more than happy to support her in achieving that goal.
At last, the duo arrived back at the upside-down hotel, and Puffball flew through an open window, and all at once, they were back in the unwanted warmth of the indoors. They didn’t have the risk of death surrounding them anymore, but that came at a cost. The reward of escape was hanging all too far away for comfort.
Puffball tried to set Fries down on the floor, but he continued to cling to her, paralysed aside for a noticeable trembling. “Uhh, Fries, you can let go,” she reminded him, awkwardly hovering in the frame of the open window.
“Yeah, I know,” he responded simply, almost confidently, though that intended tone was tainted by a hint of terror remaining on his voice. With that, he sheepishly dropped to the floor, and walked over to his bed in silence. Puffball pushed the window shut, and looked back over at him, an expression of concern still plastered over her face.
“Do you want me to stay here?” she offered, with the hope that he would agree. She didn’t want to sit alone in her room, however many fluffy pillows were waiting for her there. “That would be nice,” he answered, his face brightening up a bit with her offer. “I’d rather not be alone right now,” he continued, and with that, she flew over to him, and sat herself beside him. After she shrunk down a bit, he placed his hand on top of her head, rubbing it tenderly. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the events of the past minutes.
The room was fairly bare, with dull furniture and beige walls. The exception was a single photograph hanging on the wall; it was of Fries and Puffball, posing together in front of a sprawling, mountainous landscape. It was as though the only glow of brightness in his dull life was her . Fries sighed, and glanced away from it. It only served to remind him of what they’d just given up.
Puffball looked up at him suddenly, wide-eyed, causing his stomach to flip. He loved spending time like this with her - just the two of them, alone. “Hey Fries? Do you think we’ve been doing something wrong?”
“What do you mean?” he answered with another question. They continued to stare into each other’s eyes, and though they were sitting beside each other, it was as though there was no distance between them.
“I-I mean,” she continued, her voice breaking slightly as she became more emotional. “I w-wanted to escape, but I d-didn’t want to nearly g-get you killed,” she sobbed, as tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Puffball,” he comforted, stroking along her fur. “I know how important this was for you, especially tonight,” he continued.
“I-It seems silly now,” she replied, “especially with how dangerous it is to go out when it’s like this.” She blinked back her tears, and looked down, a forlorn expression on her face. She was disappointed, of course; there was little more she wanted than to be out of this elimination space for Christmas. Alas, even that desire was overshadowed by the guilt she felt for the risk she’d forced Fries to take.
“That doesn’t matter to me,” he replied, his voice hoarse. “I just want to get out of this place - if not for me, then for you.” His red face was becoming even redder with that confession. Puffball’s face flipped from defeated sorrow to surprise with that statement, and she looked up to meet Fries’ eyes again.
“But don’t you want to be together - out there?” she asked. Fries’ face became even warmer with that question, as he leaned closer towards her. “I’d like to be out there, sure,” he continued, “especially if it’ll make you happy.”
His heart hurt, he wanted to do anything to make her feel better. “ But I’m also content here, as long as I’m with you.” He was becoming even more flustered, while Puffball was gradually beginning to smile. “...What’s so funny?” he questioned.
With that, Puffball burst into a giggling fit. “Awww, it’s just, I never knew you felt that way!” she exclaimed gleefully. “...and maybe I didn’t realise I felt that way either?” she pondered, confused. “I always thought being out there again would be the best! Especially on Christmas… but maybe I’m happy where I am as well…”
Fries extended his arm around her, and in response, she nuzzled into his side affectionately. She began to hum happily, and with that her fur twinkled and glowed in a rainbow of colours. She didn’t need Christmas out there anymore - not when she had Fries in here. He was more important to her than anything.
The two parted, and she hovered above the bedm her face becoming more mischievous as she continued to look at him. Then, without warning, she flew forwards, and tackled him onto his back with a laugh. “W-What are you doing?” he asked in surprise, falling back onto his bed. “I wanna cuddle!” she squealed back, burrowing herself into his chest. “Being closer to you makes me happy…”
Fries lay back comfortably, holding her in his arms. It was only after a second that he noticed a crack opening in the door. Normally, he would have got up and brushed himself down - but not today. All he wanted to do was make sure Puffball was happy.
“Wow, looks like you two are back early, and uhhhh-” a voice, then Eggy, appeared from behind the door. Puffball glanced up, grinning from place-where-her-ear-would-be to place-where-her-ear-would-be. Fries simply stared, half in disbelief, half in annoyance, that someone had walked in and interrupted them.
“-hhhhh I should probably go-” Eggy retreated immediately, closing the door back over. “No, no, it’s okay, we’ll be out in a minute,” he called after her, prompting her to peek her face back through the door. “Really? That’s great!” she cheered, before swinging the door open again, and walking back to where the other objects were gathered.
“If we’re not gonna be able to celebrate Christmas out there, we might as well do it here,” he explained to Puffball, causing her to nod in agreement. “I’d love that!” she exclaimed, and floated off of Fries towards the door. Her partner got up, and the two left the room together, with Puffball excitedly chattering to Fries about how much she loves Christmas. It might not have been exactly what they wanted - but they were both happy.