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For what was meant to be a wholesome and fun baking project together for Two's birthday, the air in the kitchen was tense and awkward. Neither Pin nor Gaty had anything to do, or say. Obviously, Two's birthday was coming up, and considering the new teams after the Team Swap, and Pin being on the only one on the new team Gaty knew, and Gaty needing help bake a cake to surprise Two, she invited Pin to help. Pin was an excellent baker (evident by that one time on Coiny's birthday where Pin made a cake SO GOOD Gaty nearly got sick off eating too much of it) and was instantly willing to help.
Right now, the cake they were baking was in the oven. Pin had explained that she preferred making frosting once the cake was out of the oven, so while she made frosting, the cake could cool. That made sense to Gaty. But now they were waiting for the cakes to bake, and there was still over 25 minutes. For Gaty, it's very obvious why the room was tense. See, a not-so-secret fun fact is that she had a crush on Pin. She's talked to Two about it, for one. Another was the time when Donut, looking to borrow something from Gaty, walked in on her actively in the middle of writing a letter that she never planned to send to Pin but helped her get the itch of confessing scratched for a bit. And Gaty never told Donut to not tell anyone, simply to not tell Pin, and by the looks Barf Bag had given her, she could almost guarantee that Barf Bag knew.
So, yeah, Gaty had a big, fat crush on Pin. Pin's so strong, so experienced, absolutely unafraid to face elimination head on. While Gaty would get anxious every single time she was up for elimination, Pin simply never got scared. That in itself was admirable. But being able to bake as well, essentially able to make any sweet treat she wanted? Okay, maybe Gaty had a bit of a sweet tooth, but that, plus being big and strong, Gaty fell pretty hard for the trap. She could just imagine, Pin lifting her with big, strong arms, carrying her off to the kitchen to make her some sweet treats... Gaty tries to stop thinking about that as she feels a blush rise onto her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Pin's feelings on Gaty are like a puzzle, but you removed the edge pieces. Suddenly it's 10x harder to figure out, as you have no base to go off of. There was always Coiny, but he's different. For one, Pin's definitely never had a crush before. And secondly, Coiny's simply her best friend. Her tried and true, her personal assistant, her other half (at least to some, but she has more than just that), a testimony to friendship as a whole. If Coiny was all of that, then Gaty was... well Pin didn't know. That was the problem: she didn't know. Almost every single other object (or non-object) she knew she could state an opinion on. Pencil's controlling, Golf Ball's bossy, Coiny's the bestest friend she could ask for. But Gaty? No word or phrase really fits how Pin felt.
For one, Gaty was like a rock, unmoving and something to hold onto no matter what happens. After everything, especially after TPOT 9, Gaty stayed. A rock that Pin could always rely on. But Gaty was more than that. She was always willing to help Pin, whether at a high or a low. So when Gaty asked for help, Pin didn't hesitate to agree. And who doesn't love baking a good cake? And yet, with everything, nothing could exactly describe Gaty for Pin. For another point, Gaty envoked a feeling within Pin she had never felt before. A feeling she's meant to talk to Coiny over the phone about for a while now, but even trying to figure out how to describe this feeling leaves Pin lost for words. And, like a puzzle without an edge, it leaves Pin frustrated.
Pin doesn't want to be frustrated about her feelings towards Gaty. Gaty doesn't deserve that anger, that frustration, thrown at her. So Pin oftentimes lets the frustration bubble inside herself. Since BFDIA, she hasn't really had a proper way to vent frustration. More often than not, she waits for it to bubble to being too much, and unleashes fury upon her pillows. Either that, or she bakes it away. But Four and X don't really let Pin into the kitchen all that often, and she doesn't have the equipment to bake in her room, hence the fury unleashed upon her pillows. Obviously a lot of that frustration is from the game, but some of it is that impossible puzzle of her feelings.
Pin wanted to speak, wanted to let out the feelings bubbling within, but not a single word came. Gaty wanted to confess, wanted to spew her love, but not a single word came. Simply awkward, tense silence. Every attempt at small talk fizzled out before it got anywhere. Time felt like an eternity, not some thrilling wait for the cake to finish as time ticked down to admit everything. Without pressure to admit, just awkward, dumb silence, nothing special could occur.
They both wanted to scream out everything they felt, but the words were tangled in their throats. They both wanted the truth to be out there, but nothing would come. It was only once the beep of the timer yelled that the cakes were ready to be taken out that the silence seemed to vanish, but the air of awkwardness never went.