Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nickel was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Balloon had left their shared room about twenty minutes ago, going to hang out with his best friend, Suitcase. Nickel didn't really know what to do ever since he'd been eliminated a few weeks ago, especially because he was forced to share a room with his sworn enemy; OJ said that the rooms had to be given out in elimination order, and much to Nickel's dismay, their double elimination meant he'd have to have Balloon as his roommate.

Nickel had mostly been ignoring him, only talking to Balloon to decide which part of the room was whose, or asking him to get something Nickel couldn't reach due to his short stature and such. He couldn't deny that he often found himself watching Balloon though, sometimes noticing small details that most people would have missed; for example, Balloon always looked so focused when he wrote his poems, he gripped his pencil hard in frustration when he couldn't come up with something to write, staring at the paper with a blank expression as he wrote a few words and scribbled them out a few seconds later.

But Nickel also had to admit he loved looking at Balloon's salmon curls, always tied in a small ponytail by a yellow ribbon Suitcase had gifted him, his hair reaching slightly below his shoulders. It always looked so put together, perfectly placed, his ribbon never loosening, to the point Balloon would sometimes struggle a little when he had to undo it to go to bed. And as much as Nickel hated his squeaky voice, he couldn't deny it sometimes had a soft, sweet edge to it, especially when he was whispering or humming a song to himself. Balloon also seemed to smell weirdly akin to strawberries, even during those days when he didn't use perfume.

Why Nickel noticed all of this? He didn't know. He just found himself oddly interested in those small things Balloon did. And he would never admit it out loud, but... He did find Balloon somewhat pretty. That's as far as his feelings went, though: Nickel would never love someone like Balloon, especially after everything that happened with his alliance.

He also still hated him. Nickel couldn't stand him, and he couldn't stand how often he thought about him, and he couldn't stand that weird urge to observe more and more of the things he did.

Nickel suddenly came to terms with the fact he'd been thinking of Balloon for a little too long, and he abruptly decided that now was the best time to take a walk and get some fresh air.

And so, Nickel exited Hotel OJ, sitting on a grass field not so far from where he came from. He brought his rubber ball from season 1 with him, often resorting to playing with it when he really had nothing better to do, moments like now. He spent a few minutes like that, until he heard footsteps approaching him, turning his head to see Baseball.

Baseball came up to him, waving at his best friend. Nickel waved back, though Baseball looked uncharacteristically anxious, his face a light shade of pink and fidgeting with his hands.

"Hey, Nickel..."

"Hey. You seem... Nervous? What's up?"

Nickel asked, feeling a mix of concern and curiosity. He'd never seen Baseball so tense, and Nickel was rather interested in learning what could've made his best friend so fidgety.

"Uhm, well, it's just... I have to tell you something."

"Oh, sure. What is it?"

"Nickel, I..."

Baseball paused. He took a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling at a steady pace.

"I like you. Like... As more than a friend."

He finally spat out, flashing an awkward grin at Nickel.

Nickel was stunned. Sure, he liked Baseball, he was his best friend... But in that way? He wasn't sure, to be honest. He always liked hanging out with him, working with him during challenges, even if he couldn't really do that anymore. He was the only one he didn't hate out of his alliance, and they'd been friends since season one, so this was definitely a very big change.

Nickel never expected Baseball out of anyone would have feelings for him. He'd never thought of Baseball like that, and Nickel assumed he hadn't either. But, honestly... A relationship seemed nice right now. At least it would help distract him from those intrusive thoughts he had every once in a while about Balloon. And Baseball wasn't that bad, I mean... He'd rather date him than Suitcase or something. Eugh, God... He shuddered in disgust at the idea. Plus, he wouldn't hurt Baseball's feelings if he just said yes. Nickel was never one to particularly care about what other people thought, but he certainly didn't want to lose his best friend.

"Um... Nickel?" Baseball asked, puzzled, frankly impatient for a response by now.

"Oh, uhh..." Nickel unintelligently muttered, realizing he'd been spacing out for about 5 minutes now.

"I... Like you too...?"

Nickel mirrored Baseball's awkward smile, his words sounding unsure. He felt kind of bad about lying about something like this, honestly. Nickel hoped this lie wouldn't be too hard to keep up with, or that he actually caught feelings for Baseball by dating him.

Chapter Text

Baseball's eyes suddenly lit up, going from nervous and expectant to relieved and content.

"Really?!" He exclaimed, his newfound cheerfulness evident in his tone. It only made the pit of guilt in Nickel's stomach grow stronger.

"Yeah..." Nickel replied, looking off to the side, unable to look Baseball in the eyes as he attempted to mask his remorse.

It wasn't long before Nickel's mind started wandering again, like it often did lately. He couldn't help but think about how it'd be like to have Balloon confess to him instead. Would he write a poem for Nickel, expressing how he secretely loved him ever since the day he first laid eyes on him? Would he gift Nickel one of those flower crowns he made with Suitcase sometimes, shyly whispering an "I like you" before leaning in, cupping Nickel's cheeks and...

Nickel's face flushed. What the hell was up with him? Daydreaming about Balloon kissing him, out of anyone? Nickel let out a quiet, frustrated groan. Thankfully, Baseball either didn't notice or didn't care.

Nickel remembered hearing somewhere that when you kiss someone, the world around you will fade out and your mind will go blank, only being able to focus on the person you're kissing. He thought it over for a few seconds.

Nickel stepped closer to Baseball, watching as the latter's face turned red and his body stiffened, Nickel now being mere inches away from his face. Baseball's gaze flickered quickly between Nickel's eyes and lips, his breath hitching. His nervous attitude from before came back briefly, his stomach flipping as Nickel stood there, motionless, for a few seconds before finally making a move.

Nickel lifted Baseball's chin as he suddenly closed his eyes, slightly parting his lips and leaning in, their lips meeting. Baseball let out a surprised noise, before melting into the kiss and wrapping his hands around Nickel's back. Baseball felt the remaining amount of tension in his body melt away at Nickel's touch, feeling entirely blissful.

Nickel was... Not happy with his own thoughts, to say the least. He tried so hard to focus on Baseball's mouth moving against his own, and yet his mind was stuck thinking about a certain someone. After a few minutes, Nickel briefly pulled away, catching his breath.

Nickel tried to fight it. He tried to pay attention to Baseball, he really did, but his mind just wouldn't leave him alone. Eventually, he gave up on fighting back; he told himself he'd worry about it later, and for now he'd just concentrate on kissing his soon-to-be-boyfriend, and, well... Fantasizing about his enemy.

"Bal-" Nickel cut himself off just in time. "Baseball..."
He whispered, sighing against his lips as he dove back into the kiss. Hearing Nickel say his name like that, Baseball's head spun. He couldn't think straight anymore, every thought in his head being replaced with Nickel, and how he held him tight, and the way he kissed him...

Nickel could feel his remorse growing stronger by the minute. He held Baseball tighter in an attempt to ease the feeling, gently tugging at his hair and running a hand through it.

"If only he had curly hair..." He found himself thinking.

...

After a few minutes, Nickel finally pulled away, taking a few steps back. Seeing Baseball grin like he'd just won the lottery, Nickel almost felt... Nauseous. How could he do this to his best friend...? His gaze dropped to the ground immediately as he clenched his fists.

"I... I should really... Go." He stammered out, his tone so filled with worry that Baseball's smile dropped. He placed a hand on Nickel's shoulder.

"Nickel... Are you ok?" Baseball asked, compassion evident in his voice.

"Oh, uh, yeah, don't worry. I... I just- I think I'm sick or something."

Baseball was even more worried about him now, his brows furrowing as he looked at Nickel with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Is there anything I can do for you...?"

Nickel just shakingly breathed in, still refusing to look Baseball in the eyes.

"No, really, you... Don't need to worry. I'll see you around, okay?"

And with that, Nickel turned around and left. He didn't know whether Baseball caught on to the fact that Nickel didn't actually like him, or if he actually bought his cheap excuse. Either way, Nickel knew he'd gotten himself into a big mess, and he had no idea how to handle this situation now. He knew he shouldn't string Baseball along anymore, and that he'd have to tell him the truth as soon as possible. But how would he even start that conversation? Just go up to him and say something like "hey, look, I never liked you at all and I mostly did it just to make you happy and distract myself from something"?! He'd make an absolute fool out of himself!

Nickel sighed. This really was a bad idea...

______________

"... And then he kept staring at me, and he looked away every time I stared back." Balloon continued explaining, twirling a flower in his hand as he awaited Suitcase's response.

"That's... Kinda weird. Didn't you say he's been keeping his distance, and it kinda seems like he's not mad at you anymore, too?"

Suitcase replied, puzzled. He didn't seem like he changed at all since his elimination, at least from Suitcase's perspective. Nickel still gave her dirty looks whenever he passed by her, and no matter how much she tried to ignore him, she'd still catch him rolling his eyes whenever he saw her and Balloon together. Suitcase usually disliked when Balloon talked about Nickel, she wanted to forget their "alliance" and everything he'd done to her; this time, though, she was somewhat intrigued by Nickel's sudden change in behavior. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind:

"Maybe he... Wants to be your friend...?"

The idea sounded weird, she had to admit. And she didn't know if she'd be fully okay with that, either. I mean, after everything Nickel had done...? Suitcase surely wanted to steer clear of him. Balloon didn't seem like-minded, however: even after being shunned away by him countless times, he seemed like he was willing to forgive Nickel nonetheless.

"Nickel...? Being my friend? I mean... I wouldn't mind, I guess, but..."

He paused, setting his half-done flower crown down.
He thought it over; He'd seeked out Nickel's approval ever since they'd been placed on the team together, even after being rejected by him for as long as he could remember. To finally gain the one thing he'd sought after for so long...

...

Nickel was making his way back to the hotel, looking down at the ground in shame. He suddenly heard two familiar voices.

______________

Balloon was laying on the grass, admiring the sunset. "Only 20 minutes until dinner..." He realized, looking at his watch. He focused on the little shapes the clouds made, following them with his eyes, until he was abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone sitting next to him.

"Balloon." A familiar, annoyed voice said. Balloon sat up, only to be met with Nickel's irritated face.

"Huh?" He answered, confused. Nickel paused for a second before continuing.

"Earlier. While you were hanging out with Suitcase. You were just so... Close to her. Were you two on a date or something?"

Nickel spat out, his tone uncharacteristically monotone, yet bitter. Nickel tried his best to seem uninterested, yet he clearly wasn't unfazed by this. He never was a good liar.

"What is he even mad about?" Balloon asked himself.

"... What? First of all, what made you think that? Me and Suitcase are just friends. And second of all, why do you care?"
Balloon replied, even more confused now.

"Well, it surely didn't look like it... I mean- you were just a few inches from each other! Are you dating her or not? Tell me the truth."

"...Nickel, we weren't that close. And, also... Like I said, why do you care?"

Balloon was frankly starting to get a bit annoyed himself. Did Nickel really come here just to insinuate he had feelings for his best friend?

"Well, I'm just... Curious! What, is it a crime to wanna know who you're dating?!" Nickel pressed, raising his voice, his irritation becoming more obvious.

Balloon blinked at him, perplexed; He knew Nickel was never the type to be overly interested in romance, much less care about who someone who he supposedly hates is dating. Balloon sighed, exasperated.

"Well, if you wanna know so badly... We really don't have anything going on. We're best friends and that's it."

"... Okay." Nickel seemed more relieved now, despite still trying to appear uninterested. He walked away, not even bothering with a "bye" or "see you around".

Chapter Text

... A few weeks later, Balloon and Suitcase planned to have a picnic together, pretty far into the forest. And like clockwork, Nickel was back in the bushes nearby, far enough so he wouldn't get caught and close enough so he could listen in. And yes, maybe spying on them was a little creepy... But it's not like Nickel had any bad intentions. He was simply... Observing what they did together, like he did sometimes in these past weeks.

Why? Well, Nickel just... Wanted to know what they had to do all day, every day! They really hang out a lot.

Did Nickel wish it was him instead? Well... Maybe.

He knew he had no right to feel that way. Nickel couldn't even have a simple conversation with Balloon without it turning either incredibly awkward or in an argument. And Suitcase... Suitcase had been his best friend since the very beginning.

So... Then why? Why couldn't he shake off that weird sour feeling he got whenever he saw the two of them together? When he saw her sit a little too close to him, or stare at him for a little too long.

Maybe it was out of guilt...? Maybe he just regrets his actions, and now he wishes he could've been there for Balloon like Suitcase was. Still, he feels like he shouldn't. He did the right thing back when he was competing. Balloon wasn't to be trusted; who knew what would have happened if Nickel wasn't as wary of him! Well, his alliance ended up falling apart either way, but still...

Or at least, that's what he was supposed to think of him, what he'd thought of Balloon ever since he first joined the game. But lately, he found himself wondering: What if Balloon really wasn't that bad? What if Suitcase was right...?

Well, Nickel had to admit Balloon was actually kind of... Bearable to be around. He could be sweet sometimes... And he always seemed so happy to help anyone with even the smallest of favors. That trait of his was... Actually kind of admirable.

... Also, his eyes were honestly a really pretty shade of red. They almost matched his hair, only being a few shades darker, almost ruby colored. And at sunset, the sun always had a way of hitting his face so perfectly; the orange-pinkish light mixed so well with his features, it made his skin look even more warm and his smile all the more bright. Oh, and that half-asleep tone in his voice when he just woke up... The usual squeakiness of his voice was toned down, being replaced with drowsy mumbling as he attempted to blink the sleep away.

... Oh my God, not again! Damn it, these intrusive thoughts always striked at the worst possible times. Because that's all they were, intrusive thoughts and nothing more. His mind was playing a cruel trick on him, that's all.

Nickel snapped back to reality, realizing he'd missed most of the conversation between Balloon and Suitcase. But when he turned his gaze back to them, he found himself unable to take his eyes off Balloon once again, involuntarily focusing on the way he covered his mouth with one hand as he laughed, probably giggling at some joke Suitcase made.

... And those thoughts threatened to come flooding back. He sighed, making sure to not be too loud.

It'll go away soon, right? He didn't see Balloon as anything more than an... Acquaintance, if he could even call him that... So there was no reason for these thoughts to keep tormenting him.

______________

Just as Nickel was heading back, he saw Baseball, who had most likely gone out to search for him.

"Nickel...? What are you doing here?" He asked, curious. Nickel didn't usually venture into the forest; matter of fact, he usually preferred staying inside.

... And they were supposed to be on a date right now, which made it all the more weird for Baseball to find him here. "It must've slipped Nickel's mind," he told himself, but truthfully, this wasn't the first time this had happened. Nickel wasn't really the forgetful type, but maybe he was just... Very busy lately?

"Oh, uh..." He paused, taking out a small leaf that had gotten caught in his hair. "Just... Taking a walk?" Nickel had an awkward grin plastered on his face, the kind of expression that had "liar" written all over it.

"... Really?" Baseball replied skeptically. He might be naive at times, but he had a hunch that Nickel wasn't telling the truth.

"Yeah..." He hesitated, before mentioning, "I saw Balloon and Suitcase on the way back."

Truthfully, Nickel just wanted to complain about how he still didn't believe those two were just friends. Again, he wasn't sure why, but something about the mere concept of the two of them dating made him almost... Mad.

"That's... Great?" Baseball braced himself for another one of Nickel's "reasons why I hate Balloon" rants, that he often did when they were competing, and even back in season 1, maybe this time even directed at Suitcase. He felt bad for them both, really... He knew that Nickel's behavior wasn't right, that they'd done nothing wrong and didn't deserve to be talked behind their backs like this... But Baseball supposed he had to be a good friend back then, and a good boyfriend now.

"They're definitely dating, aren't they?"

That was... Unexpected, to say the least. Nickel had never been one to care about this sort of stuff, and the idea of the two of them together was clearly unpleasant for him, judging by his tone and the bitter look on his face. Baseball raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, even if they were... It's really none of our business, is it?" Baseball smiled, suddenly remembering Nickel was taken... By him. It was still hard to believe he'd gotten so
lucky... Nickel might not be everyone's dream guy, but he'd loved him for so long, ever since season 1. And to know he felt the same...

"Wha- Yes, it IS! If they liked each other, that'd be... Uhm..." Nickel left his sentence unfinished, seemingly at a loss for words. He couldn't really explain it. It was just... Wrong?

"It'd be...?" Baseball pressed, confused. What was so bad about the idea of Balloon and Suitcase dating?

Nickel stood there, motionless, for a few minutes. He stared at Baseball with an unreadable expression, almost pensive.

"Look, I..." Nickel took a deep breath. "I don't know, okay?! I really don't. I just know I'd hate that, and I have no idea why!" Nickel was basically yelling now, clearly frustrated with himself.

... Baseball had never really been a pessimistic person, but he could only think of one reason why Nickel would feel this way. And suddenly... A thought popped into his head.

He had a feeling that Nickel didn't really hate Balloon that much anymore. And some small details suddenly made a lot more sense. How Nickel had once described feeling almost nauseous when around Balloon, and justified it with: "...And that's how much I hate him! Can you believe that? Even my stomach can't stand his guts!". How he sometimes noticed Nickel's cheeks turning a light shade of pink when his eyes lingered on Balloon for a little too long, and he'd always blame it on either the cold or the heat.

No, no... He must be wrong. Nickel wouldn't...

"Nickel... Do you like him?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the ground. He couldn't stand to look at him. His voice was so small, almost cracking, his breath hitching as if he was getting ready to recieve some of the worst news of his life.

He wanted to believe Nickel's excuses, he wanted to believe that he was just overthinking this, or that he was simply jealous, but... His gut feeling was telling him otherwise.

"Well... Um," Nickel fidgeted with his hands, almost nervous to admit something. It only intensified Baseball's uneasiness.

"I... Fine, maybe I do kind of want to be Balloon's friend, and maybe I do kind of regret treating him like that..." Nickel spat out, murmuring so quietly he was almost whispering.

"But... But, I mean, can you blame me?! Who would trust someone like Balloon, who manipulated all his old friends and then claimed he magically became a better person, who could have-" Baseball took a deep, audible sigh of relief, startling Nickel out of his word vomit.

Maybe it was hearing Nickel clarify he didn't want anything more than friendship, or maybe it was hearing him still not fully admitting he was wrong, but a part of his worries vanished. Maybe... Maybe he really did worry for nothing.

Yeah, he knew it. He knew Nickel would never do that to him.

______________

It had been a few months of Balloon and Nickel living together, and they eventually... Came to tolerate each other. Nickel would sometimes ask for some favor from him, and Balloon would oblige with no hesitation; it seemed like he didn't hold a grudge against Nickel in the slightest. They'd even engage in casual conversation sometimes, and Nickel couldn't really deny that he liked not being on bad terms with Balloon anymore. Well, they were more on neutral terms now, some situations still feeling a bit awkward for the both of them... But there was some progress nonetheless.

Nickel had gone to pick up some mail for the Hotel, lazily skimming through each letter to check if any were addressed to him. Surprisingly, he found a few Spoiled Lemon concert tickets; they were apparently going on a "VIP tour". And, how lucky, he'd been invited! Well, he supposed a vacation would do him some good. He took his and Balloon's, who had received one as well, invites back to their room, and told himself he'd give the remaining invites to their respective owners later that day.

Nickel wasn't that big of a fan of Spoiled Lemon, but... Maybe this would help him take his mind off things for a little while.

Chapter Text

If there's one thing Nickel didn't expect from this "vacation", it was to be stranded on an island and forced to compete on season 3 of Inanimate Insanity.

Sure, maybe he should've suspected something was wrong when the boat that brought them there started to literally move by itself, but Nickel just assumed it was... Haunted or something? He had no idea, honestly. Did that even have anything to do with Mephone at all?

Whatever. Nickel guessed this was still a good opportunity to destress for a bit... If only a certain someone hadn't been invited there as well. It sure was hard to relax when he was forced to constantly be close to someone he had so much history with...

Well, since he was most likely gonna be stuck here for long, maybe it wouldn't hurt to attempt to make amends. They were on the same team as well, so... Maybe it was worth trying?

Either way, Nickel had something else to worry about right now. Tea Kettle was about to come out of the Calm Down Cabana, and it would soon be his turn to vote someone.

He weighed his options, still unsure whether to vote for Blueberry or Lifering. Sure, the latter was the reason they'd lost the challenge, but maybe they would have done better if Blueberry tried at all...

Just then, an idea hit him. He turned to Balloon, who was standing right beside him.

"So, uh... Who are you voting?"

Nickel had a sheepish grin on his face as he spoke, still looking apprehensive. Balloon paused for a second, confused that Nickel decided to strike up conversation out of nowhere.

"Blueberry, even though we technically aren't supposed to tell,"

Right. Mephone had mentioned the rule in passing a bit before he started actually broadcasting the episode, it was apparently to "Keep the suspense until elimination time". He dedicated about 10 minutes to explaining the rules and the first challenge off-camera; Nickel, like many others, truthfully hadn't paid much attention, still struggling to come to terms with the whole situation.

Still, it probably didn't matter that much, since Mephone wasn't the strictest when it came to enforcing rules. He couldn't care less if you disobeyed one or two, as long as it didn't become a big problem or affected the challenge directly.

"He probably won't care." Nickel shrugged, a not-so-subtle dig at Mephone's irresponsibility.

"Anyways, I don't know if I should pick him or Lifering," He continued, glancing over at the Calm Down Cabana one more time to make sure it wasn't his turn yet. "Honestly, they're equally bad."

"I know... I mean, sure, Lifering's the reason we're up for elimination right now, but maybe things could've gone differently if Blueberry helped..." Balloon replied, glad to finally get his feelings out. Everyone seemed so sure of their choice, so finding someone else who was at least a little undecided was great.

"Yeah, I don't know what his deal is. I get being pessimistic, but throwing away a whole challenge because of one mistake?"

Nickel leaned in closer as they began chatting about the two, which eventually evolved to talking about other contestants, and they soon found out they actually had pretty similar opinions regarding the others.

Maybe Nickel really did misjudge Balloon.

______________

Nickel's thoughts kept contradicting each other. On one hand, he finally had a chance to repair this, a chance to clear things up with Balloon. But then again, he had this odd urge to push him away. The want to befriend him only seemed to grow stronger with every second they spent together; because he wanted nothing more than friendship, of course.

Regardless, it almost... Scared him? Nickel had never felt this way about anyone, and it just had to be his arch enemy.

Nickel contemplated asking Mephone to change teams, or purposefully doing bad in a challenge so he would get eliminated, or even straight up ignoring Balloon for the rest of his stay on the island, just anything to stop feeling this way...

He then remembered one small detail that had slipped his mind.

Thanks to Box's incredibly persuading speech, Nickel ended up agreeing to sharing a room with Balloon once again. Oh, great. Just wonderful... Even more forced proximity.

Nickel sighed. Well... He'd have to deal with this sooner or later, didn't he? Better to get over with it now.

He called out to Balloon, the latter quickly wrapping up his conversation with Tea Kettle to follow Nickel into their cabin.

Every team had a cabin, and those were further split up to contain two contestants each. Most returning players, especially OJ, were shocked to find how different sleeping arrangements were from the hotel; the cabins were barely decorated, only being furnished with the bare minimum, while OJ's rooms were carefully curated based on who it belonged to, no two rooms were the same. Nickel and Balloon's specifically had the beds further apart than usual, and it generally looked more divided than a normal room.

As soon as they stepped foot inside the cabin, Nickel threw himself onto one of the beds, leaving Balloon to take the right side of the room. He placed various books on the bedside table, keeping the shortest one out of the stack as he sat on his bed and began reading it.

After about half an hour of awkward silence, Nickel finally piped up.

"Hey... Balloon?" He asked tentatively, staring at the wall as he fidgeted with his hands.

Balloon looked up from his book with a puzzled expression. Nickel rarely ever talked to him unless he needed his help with something, so this was... Unusual, to say the least. Not to mention, this was the second time he'd done this today?

"Do you... Maybe wanna come check out the island with me? Mephone only showed us a small bit of it," His voice lowered, and Balloon barely caught Nickel whispering an "You don't have to though, only if you want to..."

"Oh, uhm... Sure?" Balloon's smile was evident in his tone. Nickel had been weirdly nice today.

Had he finally started to warm up to him? Today they had multiple casual conversation, all of which were started by Nickel. He even agreed to bunk with him, and now he was proposing to hang out?

Maybe this season wasn't gonna be so bad.

...

After having explored most of the forest, Balloon and Nickel eventually found themselves in a place close to the elimination area, watching the moon come up as they reveled in the fresh evening air. Nickel inched closer to the shore, dipping one hand in cold seawater. He watched Balloon slowly drift off to the gentle sound of the waves against nearby rocks, observing as Balloon's breathing became steadier, a small smile still on his face.

Nickel laid down next to him, still staring, seemingly unable to tear his gaze away from him. After some time, he shivered as a cold gust of wind hit him. It was getting dark now, and that meant it was also getting colder.

Wasn't Balloon gonna catch a cold if he stayed out here?

Before Nickel could second guess himself, he impulsively took Balloon in his arms, carrying him to their room while silently praying no one else was outside at this hour. He didn't want people to get the wrong idea about them; He only did this because he didn't want Balloon to get sick or something, and Nickel also didn't want to disturb him by waking him up. He blamed his flushed face on the cold, and desperately tried to ignore the way he could feel Balloon's slow breathing against his neck.

And when he finally got to their room, he laid Balloon down on his bed, staying close to his face for just a beat too long. Nickel felt a weird, fluttery feeling in his stomach; wasn't it a little late to be hungry right now? Plus, he had dinner not too long ago. That weird feeling was unimistakably different from hunger, though.

______________

The next day, Nickel found out the cabin had a landline installed. He took a deep breath, his fingers lingering over the dials as he shakingly punched in Baseball's number.

After two rings, Nickel heard his boyfriend's voice mutter a "Hello?", his tone immediately brightening up when he heard Nickel's voice on the other end. They made small talk for a few minutes, Nickel then having to explain the whole situation with the doctored tickets and "surprise competition". The conversation flowed pretty smoothly, until Baseball said something that made Nickel hesitate for a second.

"You know... You said Mephone's broadcasting the whole thing, right? Well, we have a TV over here! I could watch the episodes live!"

Nickel felt a bit anxious at the idea. Maybe it was because of... Actually, it was definitely because of Balloon. If Baseball had already been able to guess that Nickel's feelings towards Balloon had shifted, he wasn't sure how he'd react to them becoming... Almost allies.

God, Nickel wished he could just turn back time... If he just said no, then maybe this wouldn't be happening! He could've been focusing on the competition, not been trapped in this whole mess, and he could've been talking with his best friend normally right now.

Usually, Nickel's problems were never really his fault; or at least, he always had someone to place the blame on. Like Suitcase, for voting him out back in season 2– Yes, he was still mad about that. Okay, maybe he did make some mistakes back then, and maybe what she said was true, but... She still overreacted! Yeah, that wasn't his fault.

But this time... He was the problem, and that was undeniable. The thought was a sharp cut to his pride, yet Nickel couldn't deny that what he'd done was kind of cruel, and he'd done it to his best friend out of anyone. He had to fix this, somehow. If whatever this was was even fixable.

Nickel barely noticed Baseball's voice not being there anymore, realizing he'd hung up on accident. He hastily typed in the number again, making up some excuse about the power suddenly being cut off. Nickel supposed he'd worry about getting himself out of this another time...