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Snowball laid in his bed in his hotel room, glaring daggers at the ceiling, as if his worst enemy was there. It had been a few hours since the last challenge, and now it was in the middle of the evening. He hadn’t bothered to get up and turn his room light on when the sun started setting, so now it was mostly dark. He didn’t care though. He couldn’t get his head to shut up about everything else to care. It was true. He couldn’t stop thinking about the last challenge. Or rather- He couldn’t stop thinking about a certain someone during the last challenge.
Needle.
It wasn’t like he really got to see much of her last episode, since most of it he spent inside the moon with his new team. And then he died at the end of the challenge. Whatever. From what he heard from other contestants, though, she was…. wow. He would never admit it out loud, but he had admired her ever since BFDIA, since TV had found a way to broadcast the episodes inside the LOL.
She was strong, athletic, fast, loyal— for the most part, at least. When she got stuck between WOAH Bunch and FreeSmart, he’d always silently root for her to break free of both of them. That season was hectic, teams were never solid, even Fries got to be alone for most of it. When she finally realized she was worth more than the way she was being treated, it was like a firework went off in his heart. He had to resist the urge to clap and cheer for her.
Hell, he even found it attractive when he saw her fighting with Pen over who was stronger on her own new team. She knew her worth, and he could tell. He thought back to the mental image of her lifting up that huge tree. Her muscles flexing taut under the weight, not even struggling to carry it. It made his face warm and his heart skip a beat. For once he didn’t feel the need to prove he was stronger than someone else. For once, he even accepted the fact she might even be stronger than himself.
Suddenly, he sat up, placing a hand on his head, the thought of her beating him in a fight making his heart flutter.
It was such a strange feeling. Love. He never felt it before, never felt it so strongly before. As time went on, all through BFB and TPOT, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, reflecting on her performances in challenges. Her strength, the way she cared about her friends… It was admirable. He’d catch himself sneaking glances at her, staring at her as his heart would beat faster and his face would warm up and the world would fall away as her shiny, grey, metallic surface would glow from the sun hitting it. At first he thought her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, but then he started perking up when he heard it, staring at her as she spoke as if her voice was the most heavenly thing he’d ever heard.
At first he thought he was sick. Then he thought she was some kind of witch and she’d put a spell on him. But then he told Pen about the way Needle made him feel, and—
“…Dude,” Pen would say, biting back a smile as he patted Snowball’s shoulder, “I think you’re in love.”
He remembered freaking out at first, thinking that this stupid crush would make him weak. But it didn’t. He found himself working harder, trying harder, trying to impress her. Sure he thought it was stupid, but it was motivating. It worked.
Sometimes he would talk to her after challenges. Only briefly, and he would never ask her if she saw him. That would be too obvious. Instead he would give her compliments hidden in snark. She’d always be confused and he would beat himself up over it after, but what was he supposed to do? He’d never flirted before, let alone compliment someone. And in front of everyone else? He had a reputation.
He tried to give her subtle hints. He knew she was smart, he had to try. This stupid crush was starting to eat him up. But it never worked.
For a long time, Snowball wondered why.
But then the realization hit. And it hit him like a truck.
She was a lesbian. Of course she never said it herself, but it made perfect sense. She always hung out with girls, most of the teams she was on were nearly 100% girls.
After that realization, he stopped all of his advances. No more hints. No more “compliments.” He even thought his crush on her would go away.
But it never did.
Snowball sighed and shook his head, freeing himself of his thoughts about Needle.
“This is why you still can’t get over her, idiot.” He muttered to himself as he stood and turned on his room light.
He had to take his mind off of her. Video games would work wonders.
……
Needle sat in the lobby of the hotel, at a table with the rest of her new team. The table was scattered with uno cards, which Pen suggested would be a good way to get to know everyone.
“I’m already pretty close with Tennis Ball and TV,” He’d said, placing the box of cards on the table, “But I’d love to get to know you three!”
“Is this also so you can get your mind off of Eraser?” TV asked, almost smug.
“…No.” Pen answered quietly, shuffling the cards. TV laughed.
The game was going on for a little while now. Basketball and Bottle had won the first two rounds… But truthfully, Needle wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes kept drifting toward the window, staring at the sky.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Snowball. Brash, arrogant, but… loyal and handsome Snowball. Her face felt warm.
She wasn’t supposed to like him. Not many did. But she couldn’t help but steal a look at him whenever she had the chance, or admire his determination, his strength. Or admire his soft side whenever he had Grassy with him.
She didn’t talk to him often, but when she did, whenever he would go up to her and give him his strange version of a compliment, it would make her heart flutter. Of course she would always respond confused, but she would never know how to react. He made her melt, and he had no idea. The subtle hints he would give her were cute too. The smiles, the subtle glances, all the small things. It made her feel special.
That was— until recently. Until around the start of the season, when he suddenly stopped completely. She would catch him staring at her and he would look away, a hint of shame behind his eyes. It was confusing. Frustrating. Her brows furrowed. Did she change in a way he didn’t like all of a sudden? Did she do something unattractive? Did he suddenly realize he was being “soft”? It didn’t make any sense, why would he—
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her head whipped around. It was Pen. He was a friend of Snowball’s, right? Maybe he knew?
“Uh, are you okay?” He asked, concerned, drawing his hand away, “We’ve been telling you it’s your turn for the past… minute.”
“Oh. Sorry,” She said, quickly glancing at the pile and playing a card, “I’m just thinking.”
“About your last team? Because same…” Pen admitted with a sigh, sadly lowering his head. TV rolled his eyes beside him.
She stared at him and blinked.
“No.”
“Oh?” Bottle mused, perking up, “What’cha thinking about then?”
Needle stared, thinking. Would it be a good idea to tell them? They were her teammates, but she didn’t exactly consider any of them friends. Especially not Tennis Ball. He knows what he did.
…But Pen is a friend of Snowball’s. And Basketball used to be on his team. Maybe they would have some insight.
“C’mon,” Basketball started, grabbing her attention, “This game is for us to get to know each other, right? This is how. So what’s on your mind?”
Bottle and Pen nodded in agreement.
Needle sighed. Might as well.
She went on to explain what was going on between her and Snowball- or at least, what wasn’t going on between her and Snowball. The game slowly continued as she spoke, though it seemed none of them were really paying attention to their own cards.
“…And now I’m just confused and frustrated. I’m starting to think he led me on as a prank,” She finished, muttering the last of her sentence.
The table was silent for a moment, then she looked up, glancing between Pen and Basketball.
“You two were close to him, right? Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Oh—“ Pen started, his brows raising, “Uh, Snowball and I haven’t… talked in years,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head, “but I know that’s definitely not something he’d do. Not even Blocky would play the long game like that just for a prank.”
Needle nodded, relaxing just a little bit. That was good to know, at least. Something else must have happened. She turned to Basketball.
Basketball sighed.
“Judging you for falling for him of all people aside, truthfully, I don’t know how to help you. He isn’t exactly the type to talk about his feelings.”
Needle deadpanned, looking back at her stack of cards.
“Great. So I’m back where I started.”
“But—“ Basketball spoke up again, “I will say, even after he stopped actually saying anything to you, I would notice him looking your way just the same as before. Honestly, those were the first few times I saw him looking upset.”
The table was silent again. Tennis Ball whispered a soft “Uno.”
“Have you tried talking to him?” TV offered suddenly.
“About what?” Needle scoffed, “We’ve barely had any full conversations in the last… I don’t know, forever.”
“Well you definitely can’t just sit there and dwell on it,” Basketball commented.
“Yeah. I mean, you like him, and he clearly liked you back. It couldn’t hurt to try,” Pen added, shrugging as he placed down a plus two.
“I don’t even know what I’d say,” Needle stated, stacking on top of his plus two.
“Speak from your heart,” Basketball offered, stacking another plus two on top of hers, “It’ll come to you.”
Tennis Ball groaned, drawing six cards.
“Okay. Okay, fine. I’ll go talk to him,” Needle said, stacking up her cards and sliding them under the draw pile. She stood up from her seat.
“Thank you.” She said finally, before heading for the stairs.
Once she was out of view, Pen turned to Basketball.
“That was some really solid advice!” He praised.
“Thanks. I read it from a ‘how to ask your crush out’ manual.”
……
Snowball groaned, slouching into his blue beanbag chair, red covering his TV screen. He died again in the first-person shooting game he was playing. Normally he was good at it, but of course, Needle was on his mind again. This sucked. He had no chance, why couldn’t he—
A knock at the door pulled him out of his spiral. He sat up quickly, pressing the home button on his playstation controller. For a moment, he considered not answering. But whoever it was knocked again. He sighed, standing.
“Coming.”
He padded across the carpeted floor, stopping in front of the door, the hinges creaking as he pulled it open.
He looked up and froze, his heart skipping a beat and dropping all at the same time. His eyes widened, if only for a moment.
Oh, snow, it was Needle. Did he just summon her or something? Play it cool.
“What do you want?” He asked, feigning disinterest.
Needle narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t give me that.” She sneered and his heart lurched again.
She’s pretty when she’s mad. Why did he think that?!
She stared down at him for a little. And then a little longer. Her brows furrowed, and he shifted awkwardly, glancing away. It was so quiet, he could almost hear the gears turning in her head.
He wanted to close the door, to tell her if she’s not gonna say anything she could leave. But he didn’t… He didn’t want her to leave. He wanted her to stay.
Needle sighed.
“What happened, Snowball?” She asked suddenly, the sharpness in her voice a little softer than usual.
His heart sank again. He hated this feeling of dread.
“What are you talking about?” He answered, crossing his arms and cocking a brow at her.
“Don’t play dumb!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air, “I’m talking about those stupid little compliments you’d hide behind competition, the little hints you’d give me, the smiles! What happened to that?!” She demanded, jabbing his chest with her finger at every mention of what he used to do.
“I—“ A soft blue color dusted her face as she glanced away, “I… liked it.”
His heart fluttered again, yet only sunk a little more, the whole conversation feeling like a rollercoaster. He felt like a cornered animal, and for a moment, he had the urge to fight back, to shove her out of his doorway, to yell at her never to yell at him like that— but he didn’t. A sense of hope squirmed into his brain, his heart, and he didn’t want to ruin this. Yet still, he couldn’t believe what she said at the end. She liked it? She liked his dumb attempts at flirting?
“…What are you getting at?” He mumbled, his voice too quiet.
“God, you’re dense,” She huffed, “I…I like you, Snowball. I’ve had this stupid crush on you since BFB and I thought you felt the same. But then you stopped acting like it. So what happened?”
He couldn’t believe his ears. Needle liked him back. It didn’t make any sense. He glanced away, his face starting to feel warm. He couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or something else, but either way, he tried to fight against it.
“I thought you didn’t want me.” He said bluntly.
“What made you think that?” She asked, her voice softening slightly. She moved closer to him, her hand almost twitching towards him.
He tensed, feeling even more like a cornered animal. Snowball balled his hands into fists.
“You weren’t reacting well to my hints!” He blurted, finally locking eyes with her again, embarrassment bubbling into frustration and anger.
“Bullshit!” Needle barked, “I was flustered and didn’t know what to say to you, that’s why I would look away! You would approach and my heart would flutter and I would look away because I thought I would embarrass myself!”
He glared up at her, a light pink blush undoubtedly brushing across his face. He couldn’t back down, but he had to admit, his heart was racing, trapped within her gaze.
A bead of sweat rolled down Needle’s face, briefly glancing away from him as if she was considering her next words wisely.
“You made me think I did something wrong, Snowball,” She admitted reluctantly, gritting her teeth.
His heart dropped. He felt bad for once. Another weird feeling he doesn’t usually experience; guilt. He shrunk back, his muscles relaxing, expression of anger shifting to a look of concern, one he never wore before.
“…I thought you were a lesbian,” Snowball finally admitted, albeit sheepishly, quieter than usual. Almost softer than usual.
The silence following his admission was awkward. Needle stared at him incredulously, confused, flabbergasted even, slightly agitated. He shifted again, feeling her eyes boring into him, into his very soul. He hated this feeling. This was so stupid, and he was starting to realize how stupid his reasoning behind avoiding her was. He could have just asked.
“I’m bi.” Needle finally corrected after far too long.
“Well I can figure that now-“ Snowball retorted before she suddenly grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him closer.
“Just shut up and kiss me,” She ordered.
Without another word, she leaned forward, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. For a moment, he hesitated, but then he kissed back, their lips dancing together. His arms raised, his hands feeling over her back and her arms. He pressed his palm against her back, his other hand gently cupping her face.
He felt her press her tongue against his teeth, a silent request to let her in. His heart skipped a beat at the sensation and he tilted his head slightly, allowing her tongue access into his mouth. Their tongues slid against each other in a dance of passion, igniting the flames of their desire for each other. Snowball felt her begin to push him deeper into his room, kicking the door closed behind her as her hands roamed over his back and shoulders.
His head was spinning, feeling dizzier by the second. Every touch of her fingers against his cold body was like a lighter, every slight movement of her lips against his a burning flame. Frantically, he tapped his pointer finger on her back.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, both objects panting, eyes half-lidded, hot breaths mingling between them.
“Well…” Snowball started, breathlessly chuckling, “that’s one way to show how much you want me.”
Needle chuckled too, shaking his arm softly. “Oh shut up.”
“I’m surprised you let me take the lead,” She admitted after catching her breath.
“Oh, I won’t next time,” He said with a cocky grin, confidence returning to him.
“Next time?” She echoed, her eyes lighting up, “Does that mean we’re…?”
He stared at her.
“Needle, we just made out. Yes, we’re a thing.”
“Good.”
Another awkward silence befell the two. Needle fidgeted with her fingers, glancing around his room. Snowball glanced down at the ground, digging his heel into the carpet.
He realized he actually had no idea what people did when they were dating. Other than dates, obviously. He’d never been in a romantic relationship before, nor were any of his friends. Other than Eraser and Pen, but he hadn’t talked to either of them in years. Not until now, with Eraser on his team. Maybe he could ask him for advice… Even though that definitely wasn’t a good idea.
“…Wanna come play Uno with me and my team?” Needle asked suddenly, snapping him from his thoughts.
“Uh.” He hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure.”
He walked over to his TV, his playstation beeping as he turned it off.
“Can we tell them?” She asked, and he glanced over.
“Who’s on your team?” He asked, walking back over and opening the door.
“TV, Pen, TB, Basketball, and Bottle,” She answered, nodding a thank you at him and leaving his room. He followed behind her.
“…Yeah, we can. Just make sure they don’t tell anyone else,” He shrugged.
“Are you gonna tell your team?” She wondered, inching her hand towards his, reaching her pinkie towards his.
“Probably not,” He said casually, glancing down at her hand. His face flushed pink and he wrapped his pinkie around hers.
“Might just tell Eraser and Grassy. Maybe Book. I don’t trust the rest of them.”
Needle snickered.
“Of course you don’t.”
Snowball and Needle were quiet the rest of the way down to the lobby, hand in hand. He couldn’t help but smile softly, his heart racing the whole time. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he was excited despite the uncertainty that came with a new relationship- his first relationship. The past hour felt like a dream, if he was honest.
All he knew was that he was happy and holding the hand of the most important, most beautiful, strongest woman he had ever met or seen. And he wanted to do anything to make her feel that way.
Woah.
Here’s to new experiences.