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The best part about Two being out of commission was that Rubber Spatula had a lot more free will than usual. Today, he managed to sneak out of the hotel with no one noticing, and ran off. Where to, he was unsure, but the feeling of warm spring air as the sun reached its peak in rotation definitely motivated him. He was wandering through a forest, not very dense, but very scenic. Trees towered over him, making him feel smaller than usual, but he'd take that for a change. As he wandered, he stumbled across a hammock. He'd never gotten the chance to lay in one before, and from a distance, it looked unoccupied.
Pen had spent the better part of the day alone. He was going through a lot of emotions of grief, losing so many close friends and unsure where to follow from there. He told his team he wanted to be alone - and as such, found himself alone in the forest, laying in a hammock he set up. He wanted to sort through his emotions, and wasn't fully sure how. He felt alone, kinda wanting someone there, but knowing his team, felt like they just couldn't exactly help how he felt.
Pen felt himself being watched as he adjusted his position to see better outside of his hammock, only to catch a blur dart behind a tree. Someone was here... but who? His voice was dull and pained as he spoke, "Hey... Who's there?"
"Er, Pen-" Rubber Spatula poked out from behind the tree, "Are you okay?"
Pen looked away, pushing down the half of the hammock closer to Rubber Spatula to encourage him to join.
Rubber Spatula climbed into the hammock, sitting next to Pen, who once helped him, "What's bugging you?"
"I'm... kinda losing all my friends to the elimination. Plus, Needle's straight up missing!" Pen flopped down, almost knocking Rubber Spatula off.
Barely staying on, Rubber Spatula falls atop Pen, collecting himself before following up, "Well, you still have me if you ever need someone! I know I'm meant to stay in the hotel, but you could always come visit!"
"Wait," Pen's brow furrowed, "Then how are you out here?"
"I snuck out!" Rubber Spatula smiled, "Impressive, right?"
Pen chuckled, "Yeah."
The two sat in silence for a moment, a peace overtaking them that Pen hadn't felt in a long while. He looked down at his failed debuter friend - someone so kind who deserved so much more than the measly 177 votes he was given - feeling something he hadn't quite felt with anyone else. It was more than a deep connection with someone like Eraser or Needle, who, yes, he did deeply miss. It was something more, something he couldn't quite place, but he was surprisingly okay with that. Rubber Spatula had shuffled to lay next to him, as the two watched a cloud peacefully roll by.
Rubber Spatula eventually spoke, calm and quiet, "We should do this more often."
"We really should," Pen smiled.
Rubber Spatula hugged around Pen's arm, the two's hands meeting. Pen's weren't the softest, but not too rough, while Rubber Spatula's were carefully taken care of and extremely soft. Pen nuzzled ever closer to his friend, smiling. The clouds rolling overhead didn't fully block out the sun, but did provide shade, and with how comfortable they were cozied up to each other, the world faded around them.
Golf Ball and Tennis Ball were exploring the forest, looking for specific plant life to study. Strolling through the woods, they found a hammock, and, by extension, Pen and Rubber Spatula, cuddled up to each other, fast asleep.
They promised each other not to mention it at all, just in case. They didn't want to make Pen or Rubber Spatula mad or embarrassed.