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Needle needed time to think.
Even if it had been some weeks since the fiasco that was setting up a proper Cake at Stake ceremony, her mind still struggled to comprehend that she was a finalist. From being pulled between different teams to finally playing for herself, Needle had gone through a chaotic journey that saw her emerge, somehow, on the cusp of winning it all. While she was a competitive person at heart and never liked to give the prospect of elimination much thought, she couldn't help but be surprised to see more and more contestants fall before her. As the cast shrank further, her drive to win only grew with each passing challenge and by the end of it all, she wound up in the final two.
Her and Book.
Needle scanned the immediate vicinity for any place she could rest for a bit to nail down the whirlwind that was her thoughts. She found herself near a small creek not too far from Tennis Ball’s questionable Cake at Stake arena, and decided that this spot would make do. Accompanied by the sounds of rushing water and a gentle breeze, Needle closed her eyes.
Book. Right.
Book was one of the competitors Needle had grown closest to, especially during the game’s later stages. She had a seemingly endless amount of compassion and kindness that nobody else in the game carried, still choosing to play fair when everyone else was devolving into using dirty tactics to get their way. ‘I don’t get how she does it…Maybe it’s silly, but I really admire her for being able to be so nice.’ Needle thought to herself.
Perhaps even more remarkable was the fact Book chose to help Needle during the individual immunity challenges. Whether it was her untangling Needle during the scramble up the radio tower, plummeting into the Earth’s core in a vain attempt to save Needle from that drill, or giving Needle anti-poison in the final challenge when she very well could’ve cruised to an extremely easy win, Book always made an effort to help her.
It was comforting to know that somebody held her in high enough regard to go out of their way to help her in challenges, even if to their own detriment. Usually, Needle was seen by others as an asset to get themselves further in the game, but Book genuinely cared for her and respected her, treating her as a close friend and close friend only. It felt liberating compared to Coiny constantly bringing up their shared time on W.O.A.H Bunch as a reason for her to surrender any challenge to him, or Pencil’s obsession with performative acts to prove her loyalty to Freesmart. Book just wanted Needle to be her.
Positive thoughts aside, Needle began to wonder what the future held for their friendship after the season ended. Would they still be able to spend time together? Would Book’s status in the alliance drive them apart? Would—
“Hey, Needle?” Speak of the devil…
Needle jumped back with a small yelp, having to slowly readjust herself back to reality. She turned to her left and saw Book standing, arms retracted from Needle’s reaction. She murmured a quick apology and focused her gaze onto Needle, which she met. “It’s fine.” Needle reassured. “Do you need something?” Book’s attention snapped back to Needle. “Oh, N–not really…I guess I just wanted to talk. If that’s okay with you, of course!” Book stammered out to correct herself.
Needle gave it quick thought and scooted to the right, motioning to the grass next to her as her sign of approval. Book soon joined her, sitting a few feet away from her. They enjoyed a few seconds of silence before Needle broke it. ”Talk about…what exactly?” Book replied “I didn’t have anything in mind, really. It’s…always nice talking with you. Takes away my boredom.”
Needle gave a soft hum of approval in response. "Yeah, that goes for me too." Needle said, a bit quieter. Talking to Book was something that always managed to cheer her up, the other woman's constant enthusiasm rubbing off on her Needle presumed. The two slipped into a comfortable silence after that. The late afternoon sun made the creek shimmer, long shadows cast around them. Needle found a unique type of peace during this time, and her gaze turned to Book, wondering if it made her feel the same. Book took Needle glancing at her as the cue to restart the conversation.
“So, are you excited for the finale?” Book questioned. Needle…wasn’t sure. Even if she never expected to get this far, losing now would make everything she did this season to win be pointless. And against Book? The odds weren’t in her favor.
Needle made a noise of apprehension which caused Book’s smile to falter slightly. Needle saw her reaction and decided she should elaborate. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to win, but…I think i’m just lucky to be here. You’re way more popular than me.”, her voice dropping to a flat tone.
Book evidently didn’t like this response and turned to face Needle to offer a counterargument. “You’ve definitely earned your place here, Needle. You’re…a lot better at challenges than me, at least.” Needle scoffed. “So? It’s a vote to determine the winner and you always get so many likes, and I don't think I can keep up.”
Needle turned away and shut her eyes again, unwilling to look at Book. “Just– if I don’t win, then what’s the point? I tried so hard, I did so much for other people a–and I just want to be…”
Needle’s voice trailed off as the last word died on her tongue. Appreciated. After switching to Freesmart, she felt as if nobody fully trusted her. There was always something that she did or didn’t do that prevented her from getting too close. Even if Coiny and Pencil had tried to make amends with her recently, she still couldn’t trust them to respect her as an equal. If she were to end up being in second place, would they act the same? Would they actually give her respect? Would they still try to walk over her?
This wasn’t fair. She tried her damnedest to be a good teammate and friend, and yet they still seemed so distant and fake.
“Needle.” Book gently placed her hand on Needle’s shoulder, reeling her back in from her rapidly spiraling head. "Listen...I'll always care about you, if that's what you meant." Needle's eyes forced themselves open at her saying this, surprised at the honesty of her words.
”You’re—You’ve really inspired me. You’re strong, athletic, fearless…it’s made me want to strive towards being better at…not losing?” Needle was starting to smile, stifling a giggle at Book’s sudden loss of eloquence.
Book nudged herself closer to Needle, noticing her happier demeanor. “And I appreciate how kind you’ve been to me, even when you went solo. Ever since Pencil got out, I couldn’t really connect to anybody still in the game besides you, and you being here with me has been great!” it was becoming hard for Needle to ignore the warm feeling in her chest, she was never flattered by anyone this much, and, strangely enough, it being Book felt…right?
Hearing Book fawn over her gave Needle the confidence to return the favor. “I’m not nearly as nice as you, even if I tried to be.” she said with a smile as she turned once more to meet Book’s gaze. “I admire how you’ve been able to keep helping others, me, even when you shouldn’t. Seeing you do that shows me that you’re a great person to be around, and I’m so glad that you’re my friend.” Book’s expression was now complete adoration, which only made Needle’s heart melt further.
Needle continued. “Speaking of that, you’ve done things nobody even considered doing for me. It means so much to be…”
“Appreciated?” Book’s voice was a mere whisper, but it drowned out every other thought in Needle’s head.
”Yeah…Appreciated.”
“Needle…” Book softly said, eyes watery. Needle also found it increasingly difficult to prevent tears from spilling out, the comfort she felt around Book being something that she couldn’t compare to anything else.
“Thank you…so, so much.” was the only thing Needle could say to express her feelings. Her voice came out weak and quiet, a tone she hated coming off as. But, in this moment, she couldn’t care less, her mind solely focused on Book.
A couple of long seconds passed before Book pulled Needle into a tight hug, which Needle easily reciprocated.
A part of Needle wished this could last forever. Even if Needle never liked physical affection such as hugs, this felt great. Book’s grasp on her was firm but gentle, compelling Needle to sink further into it. She couldn’t possibly know what Book’s thoughts were, but she wished it was something similar to hers.
Unfortunately for the both of them, time moves on. After a long time, Book was the one to break it. There was a blush very obvious on her face, causing Needle to wonder if the warmth she felt also showed. The two could only stare at each other for another minute before Book opted to ask a question.
”Are you feeling better?”
”A lot better.” Needle’s quick response was an understatement, but she couldn’t find the exact words to describe her feelings. Especially not about Book.
“I’m glad. I…didn’t know if I was going to be good at cheering you up.” Book hesitantly admitted. Needle let out a scoff of surprise. “What? You’re so caring, it only makes sense!” A still flustered Book nodded and conceded. “…I guess you’re right.”
After Needle’s reassurance, a calming silence set in. The sun was now nearing the horizon, the sky turned into shades of vibrant orange. She was content with going to sleep now, despite the fact the sun hadn’t set yet. It would be nice to have Book’s kind words settle in her mind, but the other woman had other plans.
“So, do you feel better about your chances of winning?” Book posited after a long while. Needle reconsidered the question. Her mood had improved significantly since it was first asked and her drive to win was only strengthened. She might as well have some fun with it.
Needle stood up and gave Book a smirk. “Yeah, don’t know why I was so worried about it to begin with. It’s not like you’ll win or anything.”
Book’s expression shattered upon hearing this. “Wha–, Hey!” Needle, in turn, was reduced to a series of stifled giggles. Book also stood up, albeit wobbly. This made it harder for Needle to contain her laughter, causing Book to shoot her a mildly annoyed look. “And I thought you said I inspired you to be nicer?” Book lightly scolded.
“Don’t worry ! I’ll let you on to the island once I win! That’s being nice, right?” Needle teased, eliciting a grin from Book as she continued to play into the banter.
“It’s a piece of dirt! What could you possibly use it for?” Book questioned. “Uh, it’s a farm, right? So…farming?” was Needle’s snarky reply. Book raised an eyebrow at this. “Are you sure it’s even arable? What could you even grow on it?”
Needle gave her a light shove. ”You’re such a dork, I don’t know how I’m able to stand you.” Book put her hand to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh as she turned away from Needle. “And I believed we became closer after that conversation, but, alas…”
It was Needle’s turn to sigh, this time in defeat. “Fiiine. I’m sorry.” Almost instantly, Book turned around and beamed “Alright, apology accepted!”. Needle resisted the urge to slap her for switching up so fast before settling on a simple eye roll instead. “Now that I’ve forgiven you, do you wanna hang out?” Book said. Needle pondered for a second before giving a nod of approval. Book briefly considered Needle's state, the both of them not looking to be in the mood for anything too tiring.
Eventually, Book proposed her plan. “Maybe a movie night? The Supervan has a built-in projector, we can use that!” That was enough to garner another eye roll from Needle. ”Of course it does. Is anybody else using it?” Book stopped her pacing for a second to think. “I don’t think so? I’m not confident, but the movie night idea is stuck in my head now…”
'...It wouldn't hurt to spend more time with her.' Needle thought. After a few more seconds of deliberation, she answered “Well, it’s worth a shot. I’m down for it if you are.” This caused Book to let out a squeak of excitement. “Alright, follow me! I know so many good things we can watch! Maybe horror, action, or romance–” “Shush! We’ll figure out when we get there.” Needle crossed her arms in slight annoyance at Book’s ramblings.
Book put her hands up defensively in response. ”Ah, sorry! We can go now.” Needle couldn’t help but find Book’s gesture endearing. ‘It’s hard to stay mad at her for long…’
As the pair started their journey to the Supervan, Needle decided to stay a few steps behind her, head still clouded with the earlier conversation. Book noticed her lacking pace and called out to her. "Needle? Are you feeling okay?”
‘I’ll focus on my thoughts later. It’s better to live in the moment.’
“…Yeah.” Needle was soon at Book’s side again, face only slightly warm. Book gave her a wide smile before looking forwards. Looking into the sky, Needle found time for one last reflection on Book.
’I'm so lucky I have her.’