"I'm a jealous, jealous, jealous girl

If I can't have you baby, if I can't have you baby"

. . .

Walking hand in hand, the two of them made their way back to the camp. Everyone else was already heading inside the kitchen for lunch and to meet up with friends from other groups. Upon reaching the door, Nickel felt a twinge of worry that Balloon might let go of his hand, not wanting to embarrass himself by being seen holding it... but he didn't let go. Instead, Balloon opened the door with his free hand as they entered together. Relief washed over Nickel. Their relationship seemed to be progressing well, and it was a promising sign. He had high hopes for them and really wanted this to work out. He was determined not to mess it up.

Everyone was already sitting at tables as Lifering and Goo passed around sandwiches and juice boxes. Unsurprisingly, the Bright Lights friendship group sat together, while Knife and Trophy sat with their friends Taco and Microphone. Yin and Yang also joined Knife and the others, appearing to make new friends due to their split, which Candle was glad to see. She sat with Silver Spoon at the last table. Both Yin and Yang shot Silver dirty looks from across the room, but to Candle, that didn't matter. They could get as angry as they wanted at Silver or herself; she was just happy to see them stepping out of their shell and making new friends. She also noticed that Yin and Yang seemed to be getting along better and understanding each other more, which was a positive sign. Hopefully, they'd be able to fuse again and possibly even forgive Candle collectively. She didn't want them to rush; she wanted them to reach a mutual agreement on what they wanted. Of course, she'd be upset if YinYang never trusted her again, but she wanted what was best for them, and that was all that mattered. Although YinYang being upset with her was saddening, it did allow her to spend more time alone with Silver Spoon, which was a plus. With YinYang around, it had been hard for her to reciprocate her feelings towards Silver Spoon for obvious reasons, but now that they were distracted, she could spend more time with her boyfriend.

Balloon and Nickel refused to sit at a table with Silver Spoon and Candle, especially since they both equally disliked Silver and seeing their teachers kissing had made them really uncomfortable. They knew they didn't want to sit at Knife's table because of everything that had happened, and besides, the table was full. So, they had no choice but to sit with their cabin mates, the Bright Lights.

Still holding hands, they walked over and sat down beside Fan and Test Tube. Fan immediately noticed them holding hands, his eyes lighting up with glee as he let out a squeal like a proud parent.

"You two!! You're holding hands!"

Nickel scoffed, using his free hand to hide his blushing face. "Yeah, so?" He tried to downplay it, especially since he knew Balloon didn't want to make a big deal of it either.

"Hi Fan, nice to see you too," Balloon chuckled softly before reaching over to grab a sandwich.

"How was it in your group? You had Knife and Trophy!! So cool... Knife is so cool... those guys barely ever talk to me and when they do... they kinda bully me–" Fan chuckled awkwardly.

Nickel scoffed, rolling his eyes at the mention of Knife. He despised Knife after what he did, even if Knife didn't know how Nickel felt about Balloon. It still upset him. Maybe he was still a little jealous that his crush was flirted with by one of the most popular boys at school... but not THAT jealous, just a little. Maybe.

"Forget about Knife! That jerk thinks he's so cool... Did you know he was gay? Because I didn't!" Nickel scoffed.

"He is?!" Fan exclaimed excitedly.

"Way too excited to hear that, buddy," Test Tube said, placing a hand on her boyfriend's head.

Fan leaned back, calming down. "Now that you say it... I'm surprised I didn't know!" He laughed. "Wait– how do you know that?" Fan quickly asked.

Balloon snickered cheekily, smirking a little. He felt a little proud of himself. I mean, someone as popular and cool as Knife did flirt with him after all, that was pretty cool... It was also really funny to see Nickel get so worked up about this. His jealousy was amusing.

"He flirted with me," Balloon suddenly murmured with a cheeky grin.

Nickel moved his hand away and crossed his arms. "Yeah! That jerk put his arm around Balloon and everything! Who does he think he is?" Nickel ranted.

"What! No fair!" Fan squeaked.

Test Tube turned to him with a 'are you serious' look.

Nickel raised a brow at Fan then leaned over to look at Test Tube.

"Are you sure your boyfriend isn't some gay twink, Test Tube?" Nickel asked.

"Sometimes he makes me wonder the same thing..." Test Tube rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Noo! I love you!" Fan whined as he wrapped his arms around Test Tube, smothering his head into her side.

Test Tube kept her arms crossed, glaring down at Fan.

"Mhm..."

"I do... please Testy..." He whined.

Test Tube scoffed, she uncrossed her arms and wrapped them around Fan. Fan squealed happily, and moved off his seat onto her lap, he wrapped his arms around her and smothered his head into her chest. Test Tube looked unphased as she held Fan like a baby.

"I swear Fan, you're the only boy in our friend group, yet you're the girliest out of all of us." Paintbrush points out.

"Uh– are we not your friends?" Nickel scoffed, glaring Paintbrush down.

"Oh. I guess you guys are?" Paintbrush didn't really consider them friends, but whatever. "You're not a part of our group though." They added.

Balloon smiled a little, it was nice to have other friends that weren't Baseball, Suitcase and Bot, it felt nice to make new friends, this camp really was helping them grow. Who would've thought?

"Aw Painty, be nice! They can be an extension to our group, the bright lights and the silly gays!" Lightbulb giggled.

Nickel chuckled a little, he didn't mind this, and usually Nickel hates everyone, so for him to not really mind this group of people, it was odd for him. Sure, they weren't best friend material, but he could tell Balloon enjoyed their company, and that was what mattered to him.

"So, are you two dating? I am not sure if I should ask..." Lightbulb asked nervously.

Balloon's face flushed a little, he awkwardly looked away, hiding his face with his hand to his cheek.

"No... not yet," he murmured.

"Yeah! But there's nothing wrong with taking things slow! It's better for us!" Nickel chimed in, wrapping an arm around Balloon. Balloon felt his face heating up from the contact, he liked this a lot more better than when Knife did it.

Test Tube smiled at them both, she noticed Balloon was looking better, he didn't seem as stressed, which she theorised was because he ended up talking to Nickel about how he felt, which seemingly, went well given that the two were still close. She was happy for him.

"I almost forgot to ask, was there any challenge for you guys? We didn't get one, so I was wondering how they'd pick winners for the luxury cabin." Paintbrush spoke up.

"We didn't get any either, maybe Lifering will choose names out of a hat or something." Balloon responded.

Paintbrush huffed, they obviously wanted the luxury cabin again, and well Balloon and Nickel did kinda ruin their time in there with their blow up of emotions, Paintbrush seemed really annoyed at them for it.

"Well you can still play uno in our cabin, we can even play with you guys." Balloon offered.

"I guess." Paintbrush crossed their arms grumpily.

Soon enough, Lifering and Goo came over to gather the empty platters and put them away. Eventually, it was time for everyone to part ways with their friends and return to their groups. Nickel didn't hesitate to grab Balloon's hand when it was time to leave, almost as if he was shoving it in Knife's face, making it clear that Balloon was with him and Knife stood no chance. His jealousy was still through the roof, and it was probably going to cause a few issues later on, but Balloon tried not to let that stress him out right now.

The Bright Lights said their goodbyes to their "silly gays," as Lightbulb called them, before leaving with their group for the nature walk.

Before Candle could leave to go with her group, she wanted to check on Yin and Yang to see how they were doing. She walked up to them, with Silver, of course, following her. Yang tried not to look pleased to see Candle, crossing his arms and grumpily looking away. Yin smiled faintly as she approached.

"Hi Yin, Yang, how are you both doing?" she asked them calmly.

"Fine." Yang snapped.

"We are going quite well! We are making new friends, just like you wanted us too!" Yin exclaimed happily.

"I am really proud of you both, I am always proud of you, Silver was actually telling me about how well you both were doing on the nature walk." She hummed.

"He does not care..." Yang glared at Silver who stood behind Candle.

"Yeah! He only says things to impress you." Yin frowns.

"Boys... I know you may not like Silver, but I can assure you, he does care about more than just me, and sure, even if his first priority isn't making you both happy, aren't you happy that he is at least trying, even if it's for the sake of me?" She asked.

"No."

"I guess."

"You should try to get along with Silver... you might actually get along with him if you try." She shrugged a little. "I have to go now, but I will check in with you both later." She waved goodbye before leaving with her group.

Yin and Yang turned to look at Silver Spoon with a dead expression.

"Get along with you? Yeah right."

"Listen here you little shoehorn. I don't like you both, and you don't like me, but don't you want to at least try and get along, for Candle's sake? I am sure we can find... some common ground, somewhere, right?" Silver Spoon wanted to try to get along with Yin and Yang for Candle's sake, the moment he can get on their good side is the moment he can actually spend time around Candle without having them upset, it would make things a lot easier. He also fears that Candle may distance herself from him if he doesn't do something about how YinYang feels towards him, so he has to at least try to get along with them.

"We'll think about it."

"For Candle's sake."

The two of them walked off, heading toward the group that was facing Lifering. Once everyone was ready, Lifering led them out of the kitchen and down to the docks. Balloon and Nickel held hands as they walked. Nickel noticed Knife eyeing them with an aggressive glint, which made him feel uneasy. What had he done? Knife couldn't be seriously mad, could he? Nickel looked away, trying to focus on Balloon and not let his jealousy get the better of him.

Down at the docks, they all stood around as Lifering taught them how to use the fishing rods. However, everyone was distracted in their own way. Nickel couldn't shake off the looks Knife was giving him and Balloon. Knife was a lot bigger and more intimidating than him. They might share similar attitudes, but Knife was stronger and could be violent. Nickel didn't want to get on his bad side, but he also didn't want Knife stealing his crush right in front of him. Feeling insecure, Nickel moved his hand from Balloon's and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. He whispered in his ear, trying to play it off as a way to get Balloon's full attention.

"Knife keeps staring at us," Nickel whispered.

Balloon, his face turning pink from the sudden touch, awkwardly glanced back. Knife smirked at him, causing Balloon to quickly turn back to Nickel.

"He doesn't look threatening," Balloon whispered back.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't have a problem with you, does he? If anything, he seems to really like you," Nickel scoffed in frustration. "But it looks like he doesn't like me or how close we are," Nickel grumbled.

Balloon raised an eyebrow, looking down at Nickel. He couldn't help but smirk.

"You're jealous," he said.

"Stop it! I'm being serious! I want to protect you from him. What if he wants to bully you or something?" Nickel asked.

"I strongly doubt that, Nickel," Balloon replied. "Maybe he's just into me, and you don't like it," Balloon shrugged a bit.

"S-Shut up! That isn't it at all!" Nickel grumbled defensively.

"Nickel! Balloon! Eyes up front! You are going to want to hear these instructions." Lifering snapped politely at them,

The two of them fell silent and looked ahead. Nickel still felt uneasy about Knife, but tried not to let it get to him. Maybe he was just being paranoid because of what happened earlier. Balloon assured him that he didn't like Knife or anyone else; he liked Nickel and only Nickel. So Knife shouldn't be a threat, right? Nickel wished he could believe that, but he couldn't help but have doubts. Knife was like him, but so much cooler. What if Balloon noticed that? It kept playing on Nickel's mind.

Once Lifering had explained how to use the fishing rods and how to successfully catch a fish, he began handing out rods and fake bait to each student. With everyone equipped, it was time to start fishing. Lifering loved to fish; it was one of his favourite activities, and he could get really absorbed in it. While everyone was figuring out their rods, he wandered off to start fishing himself, which meant he would be distracted.

Nickel and Balloon stood together as they figured out how to use their rods. Nickel had a better grasp on it than Balloon; he actually really liked nature, camping tricks, and the like, even though he didn't go camping. He watched a lot of outdoor videos online. After getting his rod and bait ready first, he began helping Balloon. The salmon-haired boy seemed distracted, his gaze wandering elsewhere. He also noticed Knife repeatedly looking in their direction, which was odd, but he didn't mention it to Nickel. He didn't want Nickel to overreact and cause an unnecessary fight. So, he tried to look away and focus on fishing with Nickel.

Knife whispered something to Trophy, causing him to laugh. Suddenly, Knife approached Nickel and Balloon, choosing the spot right next to them to fish. As Nickel finished preparing Balloon's rod, he looked up to pass it to him and saw Knife standing uncomfortably close. What did he want?

"Can we help you?" Nickel snapped sassily.

"I dunno... can you?" Knife smirked.

"Don't be a smartass with me," Nickel said sternly.

"Oh, I'm so scared..." Knife chuckled sarcastically. "I'm allowed to stand here," he added.

Balloon suddenly felt non-verbal, anxiety creeping in as he stood between the two. They were oddly similar—both with attitude, rude tendencies, sarcasm, and even good looks. It was almost overwhelming but also strangely entertaining that they were both interested in someone like him—a dorky, nervous guy who likes to write poems in his spare time. It was flattering yet overstimulating for Balloon.

Knife noticed nervous little Balloon standing there awkwardly. Sure, Balloon was nothing special, but he was pretty darn cute, especially when he got nervous and shy. Knife playfully swung his arm over Balloon's shoulders right in front of Nickel, with no concern for how angry it made him. If anything, he did it just to provoke him.

"Hey, Balloon," Knife practically purred.

Balloon felt himself shrink into his shoulders, his face flushing pink. He felt so nervous around Knife. It wasn't like the crush kind of nervous he felt for Nickel, but he still got flustered. It was like the feeling you get when a celebrity talks to you—something about Knife showing interest in him made him feel good about himself and shy at the same time. It didn't mean he had feelings for Knife; it just meant he felt lucky to be talking to him, let alone having him flirt. It was flattering more than anything.

But Nickel didn't see it that way at all. Seeing Balloon get all giddy and nervous around Knife made him furious. Something inside him snapped every time he saw them together, his blood boiling and bones aching. His frustration was evident, inside and out.

Nickel's eyes were practically twitching, his grip on his fishing rod so tight his knuckles turned white. He would love to smack Knife over the head with the rod right now, but he knew he couldn't. He gritted his teeth, breathing through his anger. Who did Knife think he was? Nickel had already told him to stay away from Balloon. Knife was well aware of how they felt about each other, yet he still continued. He had a lot of nerve to think this was okay.

Balloon nervously glanced at Nickel and saw how upset he was. He felt bad; he didn't want Nickel to feel like he wasn't good enough or that Knife was better than him in any way because that wasn't true. Honestly, if Balloon didn't know Nickel from middle school, he'd probably react the same way if Nickel started talking to him and showing interest out of the blue. The fact that Nickel had a crush on him, out of everyone he could possibly like, made him so happy. And he felt the same way. But he couldn't help how nervous Knife made him feel.

Knife smirked wider at Nickel's reaction, loving how angry it made him. He moved his hand playfully up Balloon's neck to his hair, flicking his fluffy locks. He hummed softly, smirking at Balloon, who was a nervous mess, both from Knife's proximity and Nickel's growing anger. Balloon didn't want a fight to break out because of him. While it was flattering to have two guys vying for his attention, a physical fight would be far from flattering.

"I'm right here, y'know?" Nickel grunted viciously.

"Uh huh, I see you," Knife replied cockily.

"Mhm, well, you do realise how Balloon and I feel about each other, right?" Nickel asked harshly.

"Yep. Sure do," Knife snarked.

"Then maybe you should back off? Hm?" Nickel gritted through his teeth.

"Well, about that. You see, as you said yourself, you aren't dating Balloon. He's free as far as I'm aware. Besides, it looks to me like he's enjoying the attention," Knife purred, glancing at Balloon, who shrunk further into his shoulders. If he were a turtle, he'd be retreating into his shell right about now.

Nickel scoffed in disbelief. "What? Are you calling him an attention seeker? Balloon doesn't like you. You're just making him nervous on purpose!" Nickel snapped. "And just because Balloon isn't dating anyone doesn't mean he's free. He isn't some possession to be won, y'know?"

Knife raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it seems to me that's exactly how you treat him. Acting like you own him, that nobody else is allowed to have him. You seem pretty possessive."

"I—I do not!" Nickel protested.

"Uh, seems like you do. I mean, you're getting jealous because I simply have an arm around him. It's not like I'm kissing him, though he'd probably like that..." Knife smirked, looking down at Balloon.

Balloon's heart raced in his chest, and he felt like he wanted to cry. He was so anxious; he didn't want a fight to break out because of him. The mere mention of Knife proposing to kiss him caused his entire face to turn red hot. His breath caught in his chest, and he visibly shook from nerves. He could barely even kiss Nickel without freaking out, and now another guy was mentioning kissing him? He didn't even think he was that much of a kissable person! He felt sick from nerves. He hated being in the middle of this and hated that he didn't have the confidence to speak out against any of it. He felt so weak, ashamed of himself, and guilty for making Nickel so angry because he couldn't stand up for himself. He had ranted about how he didn't need Nickel to defend him, but now he couldn't even prove that he could defend himself.

Standing in the distance, Silver Spoon was actually getting along with Yin and Yang. The boys were helping Silver learn how to use his rod, something they never expected to be doing. But they were doing it for Candle. Yin was mainly the one assisting, while Yang kept a close eye on Silver, ensuring he stayed in line. He didn't trust or like Silver, especially around Yin. What if Silver somehow convinced Yin not to like Yang anymore? Yang couldn't allow that. He was very protective of Yin and wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

While Yin struggled to stick the bait on the hook, Silver noticed the tension between Knife, Nickel, and Balloon. He saw that Lifering was distracted with his fishing and a bit away from the group, which meant it would be up to him to split up any fight. He stepped away suddenly, causing Yang to panic, where did he think he was going? He snatched Yin's wrist and tugged him along, Yin squeaked and dropped the rod, following along. The three of them approached the group, Yin and Yang standing back as Silver intervened.

"What is going on here? Don't think I can't see you lot arguing!" Silver crossed his arms and stared down at the boys.

"Nothing's going on. Mind your own business," Knife snapped at Silver Spoon. "It's not even involving you," he added.

Balloon looked up at Silver with a pleading expression, almost begging to be taken out of the situation. Silver noticed this and paused for a moment before speaking.

"I suppose it isn't any of my business, is it?" He put his hands on his hips. "Balloon, dear, Yin, Yang, and I could use your help with something. Could you be of assistance?" Silver asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes!" Balloon quickly said as he slipped away from Knife's grasp.

Yin and Yang looked up at Silver, almost admiring the way he handled the situation. Maybe Silver wasn't so bad after all? Nevertheless, they pushed that thought away and walked away with Balloon and Silver Spoon, back to the spot they were before.

Once away from Knife and Nickel, Silver placed a hand on Balloon's shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked calmly.

"I could be better... but thank you," Balloon faintly smiled.

Silver nodded. "Why don't you stay over here with us," he offered.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Balloon agreed.

He wasn't mad at either Knife or Nickel; he just needed to escape from that situation. He hated the awkwardness of being in between the two of them fighting over him. He needed space, a moment away. And honestly, he least expected Silver to actually act like an adult for once and help him out like that. He appreciated it greatly. He may have gained a slight bit of respect for the guy, which was shocking since he was generally disliked.

The moment Balloon left with Silver, Nickel turned his attention back to Knife, a glint of fury in his eyes. He was furious at him. Balloon and him were having a fine rest of their day until knife came along and tried to ruin it, again! Nickel wanted to kill the guy right now!

"You're a jerk!" Nickel snapped.

"Okay? Didn't ask." Knife scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why can't you just leave Balloon alone? You already know he likes me, so why not back off and quit embarrassing yourself?" Nickel snapped, poking a finger in his face.

"Why don't you actually make Balloon your boyfriend? You like him so much, so date him?" Knife offered his 'advice'

Nickel awkwardly crossed his arms. As much as he wanted to date Balloon... Balloon wasn't ready for that.

"He doesn't want to date yet... he isn't ready." Nickel murmured, feeling a little embarrassed that he was getting so possessive over a boy he wasn't even dating.

Knife couldn't help but laugh. So Balloon didn't even want to date him? Wow.

"So he doesn't even like you, is what you're telling me?" Knife smirked.

"What?! N-No! He does like me! He likes me a lot actually! We cuddle and hold hands and–"

"Aww, aren't you two just adorable~!" Knife teased. "Cuddwing and howding hands!" He continued to tease.

Nickel's face turned bright red, feeling embarrassed. Knife's teasing made him feel small, like they were both just kids.

"S-Shut up!" Nickel snapped, his voice cracking a little. "Balloon doesn't have to do anything else with me if he isn't ready. Stop being such a prick!"

"Whatever, dude. I'll stay away from your 'wittwe cwush' so you two can continue being babies!" Knife chuckled. "Seriously though, I hope he doesn't expect you two to just stay in this babyzone forever... that'd be pretty shitty on you," Knife pointed out.

"We will do more when he's ready," Nickel grumbled. "Just... stop flirting with him. Please, it'll make this process go a lot faster," he huffed.

Knife shrugged. "I honestly just wanted to make you angry, bro," he answered truthfully. "Sure, the first time I was trying to hit on him, but the second time was for fun. I have no interest in a relationship with Balloon; I just thought maybe we could have a camp fling or something, but he's obviously too much of a baby for that, so I'll back off."

"He isn't a baby," Nickel murmured as Knife turned to walk away.

"And that's disgusting, by the way!" Nickel shouted out to him.

"Whatever, man!" Knife responded as he returned to Trophy.

Nickel took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He was so angry, but he knew he had to relax, especially if he was going to approach Balloon and ask if he was okay. Nickel took a moment for himself to breathe and collect his thoughts. Today had been overwhelming, and Knife hadn't stopped getting on his nerves and making things worse.

Sure, maybe he was jealous and overprotective, but could anyone really blame him? Knife openly admitted to flirting with Balloon! Nickel didn't want to lose Balloon, and he didn't want anyone to come between what they had going on. He knew they weren't dating yet, and he understood that to some, it might seem weird. But it wasn't weird if Balloon wasn't ready for it. Nickel wanted to date Balloon, he really did, but he liked him so much that he was willing to wait as long as it took. He didn't care what Knife thought, or that Knife wasn't the type of person to wait. It wasn't up to him. Nickel loved Balloon and was going to wait until he was ready.

Once Nickel had calmed down, he approached Balloon, who seemed to be at ease, casually chatting with Yin. Yin was making sure Balloon was okay, while Yang attempted to teach Silver how to cast his rod, failing in the process. At least they were communicating, but Nickel didn't care about that right now. His only concern was Balloon. As he carefully approached, Balloon looked up from where he and Yin sat. When Nickel was in front of him, Balloon stood up.

"You okay?" Nickel asked as reassuring as he could.

"Better now you're here," Balloon smiled faintly.

Nickel couldn't help but smile, his cheeks turning rosy pink. "Glad to hear it."

Balloon smiled and then looked down at his feet. "I'm surprised you're not mad at me..." he huffed.

"Hey... Why would I be mad at you?" Nickel moved his hand to Balloon's cheek, gently lifting his face.

"Because! I didn't do anything! I just stood there defenceless while Knife flirted with me—I promise I didn't like it! I was just really nervous and didn't know what to do! I really do like you, no matter what Knife says!" Balloon tried to defend himself, though he didn't need to.

Nickel gently caressed his cheek. "I know you do, amour."

"Ah, I see French class has been helping you with sweet talk..." Balloon chuckled, his eyes becoming a little glassy. He leaned into Nickel's hand, smiling like an idiot. He was so glad Nickel wasn't upset with him.

Nickel stopped to admire Balloon's face. He was so adorable... it warmed Nickel's heart, making him feel so helpless. He could feel his heart beating so fast in his chest. A feeling of haze over flowing him. He was so into him. If he could, he'd kiss him right now... but he knew he couldn't. Instead he admired Balloon's features, his pretty pink cheeks, his long eyelashes, soft lips... he was beautiful.

"I admit it." Nickel suddenly spoke up, chuckling softly.

"Admit... what?" Balloon leaned back a little, nervous to what Nickel was about to admit.

"I'm jealous." He smiled faintly at Balloon. "I don't want anyone else to have you... I can only see you in my arms... and it upsets me greatly when others come onto you." Nickel admits.

Balloon snickered softly. "Jealousy looks cute on you." Balloon paused for a moment... before quickly leaning in and kissing Nickel's nose.

Nickel's entire face heated up in an instant. He was not expecting that, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Although he wished the kiss was on the lips, he was glad to get what he got, it was a kiss nonetheless and he couldn't be more happier to receive it.

"Hey you two! Less flirting, more fishing!" Silver snaps his fingers at them. "You can be all lovey dovey back at camp, come on now!"

"For once, I agree with Spoonhead, no more icky romance!" Yang declared.

"I think it's cute!" Yin giggled.

Balloon chuckled softly and moved back from Nickel.

"They are right, we should probably start fishing."

Nickel snickered in response. "True, besides, these guys have no idea how to fish it seems, looks like I'm gonna have to teach them." Nickel snarked.

"Please do. This is exhausting." Silver admitted.

"Aw, I thought you were all about nature! That's what you told Candle!" Nickel teased.

"Shut it!" Silver snapped, slightly embarrassed.

"HAHAHA! SILVER ALL ABOUT NATURE! THAT'S A GOOD ONE!" Yang laughed.

This was nice. Everyone was getting along. Balloon couldn't help but step back and admire the scene. He was glad today turned out this way and happy to be at this camp. Only a few days ago, he was upset about being dragged to what he thought would be a boring camp, but now? He couldn't help but feel grateful for the experience. He had made so many amazing friends, seen new sides to people, and best of all, he and Nickel had finally put their differences behind them. They had talked about what happened between them and were slowly falling in love with each other. It was nice.

He was happy with how much progress had been made today. Part of him felt like he was starting to become ready for more with Nickel, to take their relationship to the next level and finally confirm it. But another part of him was still really nervous. There were so many factors stopping him from fully committing: the fact that they hadn't been close friends for years, even though they hung out almost every day with Suitcase, Baseball, and Bot; the fact that Nickel had secretly always liked him, but they had never really talked about what happened between them until now. What would their friends think, those who had only ever known them as constantly bickering and seemingly hating each other? He wasn't even certain how he felt about it all. It was a lot to process, knowing that Nickel had liked him all along, and that after all those years, they were basically skipping friendship and moving right into wanting to be lovers. It seemed too fast... but also not. Like it was meant to be this way all along, as if deep down, he had also had a crush on Nickel all these years but didn't know how to go about it. Balloon still couldn't believe Nickel admitted to being jealous. He thought Nickel would continue to deny his jealousy, but he admitted it. Something about that made Balloon feel good. For someone to be jealous over him? Protective of him? Not wanting anyone else to date him? Balloon liked that attention. He liked his silly, jealous crush. He liked Nickel.

. . .

"Jealous, jealous, jealous girl If I can't have you baby, no one else in this world can"