( Sorry that this chapter is only 3k words, I started back at University! I spent most of my afternoon studying, I have a lot of assessments that will be due :C So I may be busy, but I really like this chapter, it seemed sweet :) Enjoy! )

Nickel slowly pulled himself off the ground, clenching his stomach and groaning. There was no way he was going back through the same door. He'd have to pass Knife's table again, and he really didn't want to do that. Instead, he weakly walked all the way back around to the front door. He felt sick to his stomach, partly because Knife had just beaten him up, and partly because of what Knife had implied he would do. Nickel had no idea if Knife was serious, but it put him on edge. He couldn't afford to lose Balloon. No way. Not after everything they had been through. He was in love with Balloon, and losing him could destroy Nickel.

He had basically nothing left and saw Balloon as his only hope to keep going. If Balloon was gone, what hope did he really have? Was there any reason to keep living his miserable life? Sure, he had friends he cared about, but he was already planning on leaving them. This was a sign that the universe wasn't done with him yet, that he had more than he thought he did. Balloon was the push he needed. He couldn't lose that.

Back inside, Balloon was growing worried about how long Nickel was taking. He tried to remain calm, not wanting to appear clingy or obsessive just because of one kiss. He looked around to see if Nickel had come back while the bright lights discussed the games they wanted to play tonight, planning to stay up a little late but not past 1 a.m. Balloon was zoning out from their conversations, his mind elsewhere. He couldn't believe what had happened in the last few days... and tonight! They had made out. It was the first time Balloon had made out with anyone, and Nickel was also his first kiss. Nickel was his first real crush. It was a lot to take in, making his head fuzzy and his stomach whirl. He wasn't prepared for all of this to happen, and here he was falling in love with his idiot friend—someone he had always cared for but had to keep distant because of the past.

It was something to finally have Nickel respect him as a person and want to talk to him as a friend again, but it was entirely different for him to be in love with him and want to date him. It was something he wasn't really expecting, which, in retrospect, was strange. Nickel always seemed to care, even if he never showed it. Balloon could remember a few times when Nickel cared a lot about him, even when they were fighting.

⎯⎯ ୨ Balloon's Flashback ୧ ⎯⎯

11th Grade. Last Year.

Balloon, Baseball, Suitcase, and Nickel were all trying out for the basketball team because their teacher insisted it would be good for them. They didn't really have a choice, as Nickel had been caught selling weed to one of his classmates, and the other three had covered for him. Now it was either basketball tryouts or a suspension that would go on their school records. Nickel didn't care about a suspension, but the others didn't want that on their records. Outvoted, here they were at basketball tryouts. Balloon was furious at Nickel; once again, he had messed things up for everyone else for his own sake. Balloon understood that Nickel didn't have much money, his job paid poorly, and he needed to earn a little extra on the side, but why drag his friends into it? Balloon wasn't even sure why he agreed to help Nickel. It wasn't like they were friends, at least according to Nickel.

So here they were, the four of them trying out for basketball after school. Of course, it had to be after school! Among the group were some of the smart kids, Paper and OJ. They weren't the nerdy kind of smart, but the cool kind that everyone respected. Surprisingly, they were both really good at basketball. There probably wasn't anything those two couldn't do well!

They had to split into two teams for some basic training. Nickel, Balloon, Paper, and Suitcase formed one team, while Baseball and OJ made up the other. Nickel, of course, complained about being on a team with Balloon, making a big deal out of him being weak. Balloon was sick of his complaining. They bickered back and forth, with Balloon remarking that at least he was tall enough to play, unlike Nickel, who was probably the height of an eighth-grader—maybe even shorter, according to Balloon. Their constant bickering continued through practice, which involved dribbling and shooting on their side of the court.

When it was time for a practice game, all hell broke loose. Nickel refused to pass to Balloon, convinced he wasn't capable of catching the ball and would mess up any shots he took. Instead, Nickel either threw to Paper, who always immediately took the shot, or took the shot himself. Balloon was getting fed up with this bullshit. He could tell Nickel was deliberately avoiding him, and the other team was winning because they were actually working together. Nickel couldn't even aim right! Every time he took a shot, he missed. Paper was basically carrying the whole game, and even then, it wasn't good enough.

Balloon had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore and decided to tackle the ball off Nickel. Of course, if you know how to play basketball, you're supposed to tackle the ball from the opposing team, not your own. But Balloon was so sick of Nickel not trusting him with the ball. It wasn't just in basketball; Nickel never gave him a chance at anything. Balloon was fed up. So here they were, rolling around, trying to wrestle the ball from each other.

Eventually, the coach couldn't take their constant bickering and fighting anymore. The coach warned them that if they weren't willing to try and learn, they would both be suspended. Despite numerous warnings throughout the game, the suspension ended up happening.

So, great. Nickel got Balloon suspended. Of course, he did! Nickel at least wanted to be suspended; Balloon did not. His parents were going to kill him when they found out. He was furious.

Balloon rode his bike to school, so he had to go all the way to the other side of the school to the bike shed before he could leave, which made him even more annoyed. He got on his bike and rode out of the school gates, his bag on his back. He was so worried about what his parents would do when they found out that he was suspended... he started to zone out, his mind absent as he rode. Before he could react, Balloon rode off the side of the path. His bike wheel wobbled, and before he could respond, the bike fell sideways, sending him crashing to the ground in front of the main school gate just as Nickel was walking out. Nickel watched as Balloon crashed and fell off his bike. The salmon-haired boy sat helplessly on the ground, holding his knee in pain.

Nickel reacted quickly, and Balloon never understood why Nickel helped him until now. It all made sense. The grey-haired boy raced over and knelt beside Balloon, checking on him. Despite believing that Balloon was the cause of their suspension, Nickel still helped—not just by helping him up and making sure he was okay, but genuinely helping, as if he cared deeply and wanted him to be alright.

Neither of them spoke as Nickel carefully rolled up Balloon's pants past his knee, revealing a nasty scrape with a bit of cut skin from the fall. Nickel slipped his bag off his back, unzipped it, and searched through it. He pulled out a mini first aid kit. Nickel had been carrying a first aid kit around since Balloon had known him. He used to help Balloon a lot when they were younger, patching him up from falls like this. Maybe that phase never faded away, and he still felt the need to carry it around just in case.

Nickel opened the small kit and took out an alcohol wipe. He gently pressed it against the wound to clean it. Neither of them spoke during this. Balloon refused to even look at Nickel; he honestly wasn't sure what to say. He looked away, trying to breathe through the stinging of the wipe, squinting his eyes and clenching his fists.

"Stop squirming..." Nickel held Balloon's leg still as he finished cleaning the blood up.

"It hurts." Balloon answered.

"Of course it hurts, dumb, dumb, you scraped your knee..." Nickel moved the alcohol wipe away and scoffed. "You've always been so accident prone..." he muttered as he searched through the kit for a band aid.

"No I haven't..." Balloon grumbled in response, crossing his arms.

"Mhm... I don't know how many times I had to clean you up after a fall..." Nickel snickered to himself.

There was a moment of silence as the memory of their history together lingered in both their minds.

Balloon snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Nickel opening a band-aid package. It was a large blue band-aid patch. Nickel peeled off the clear covers and carefully pressed the patch over Balloon's knee.

"Thank you," Balloon muttered awkwardly.

Nickel nodded in response. He got back to his feet and extended a hand to Balloon. Balloon reached out and took Nickel's hand, slowly standing up beside him.

Balloon seethed through his teeth, clearly in a lot of pain.

"You aren't riding your bike. You're hurt," Nickel said bluntly. "Come on, let's wait for a bus." Nickel took the bike from Balloon and started wheeling it along as they walked slowly to the bus stop.

Balloon didn't argue. He wanted to say he was fine, but Nickel knew he wasn't. So here they were, standing by the bus stop, waiting in silence. They were silent on the bus, and then they parted their ways when Balloon got off at his stop, he took his bike, and left. They never spoke of this again.

⎯⎯ ୨ Present Day ୧ ⎯⎯

Balloon never realised why Nickel helped him that day, not until now. It all made sense. Nickel still cared about him deeply; why else would he still carry that kit around if he didn't? Balloon just wished he had said something more than thank you; he was so stunned and didn't know what to do at that moment. He couldn't understand why Nickel would help him, but now he did. Looking back on that day, it was strange how the events unfolded. What would have happened if he had asked Nickel why he was helping him? What would he have said? He could have questioned Nickel about why he still carried the first aid kit around, but he didn't. There were so many things he would have changed about that day, but he didn't. He regrets it now, but at the same time, maybe it was just meant to be? He didn't want to think too deeply into it.

Nickel approached the table, looking worn down and holding his stomach in a strange way, as if he were in pain. He groaned as he sat in the chair beside Balloon instead of where he originally sat, maybe because he was protective of him after what had happened... Either way he was attempting to mask his discomfort with a fake smile. Balloon could tell something was off; he wasn't an idiot.

"Nickel... are you okay?" Balloon whispered to him as he sat down.

Nickel knew Balloon could see through his facade, and insisting he was fine would only worry him more. He took a shaky breath before speaking. "I just fell." Nickel lied.

Balloon didn't buy it for a second. Something was seriously wrong with him; he looked worried, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost, and he appeared visibly unwell. Balloon noticed him clutching his stomach in pain. Carefully, Balloon moved his hand to remove Nickel's hand from his stomach and gently lifted his shirt to see bruises. He didn't want to argue with him or call him a liar. Whatever had happened, it didn't matter; what mattered now was tending to Nickel.

"We're heading to the cabin, right now." Balloon stood up and pulled on Nickel's arm.

This caught the attention of the bright lights.

"Is everything okay...?" Test Tube asked anxiously.

"Nickel fell over, I just want to check if he is okay..." Balloon smiled faintly, although he didn't believe that Nickel simply 'fell over' he had to go with that story for now.

"Oh... okay, well we'll be at the cabin soon!" Test Tube nervously smiled in response.

. . .

Balloon carefully helped Nickel out of the kitchen, and the two of them slowly walked back to the cabin. Once inside, Balloon closed the door and sat Nickel down. He grabbed two torches and wedged them between the bed bars of both bunk beds, casting a soft light in the room. Making sure Nickel was seated on one of the lower bunks, Balloon didn't speak as he kneeled in front of him. He moved his hands to Nickel's shirt and carefully lifted it over his head, exposing the bruises just below his ribcage.

"Jesus," Balloon muttered, crossing his arms. "Nickel, I know this wasn't from a fall."

"Heh... what makes you say that?" Nickel laughed weakly, then suddenly started coughing.

"Jesus... because this doesn't happen from a fall? What the hell happened?!" Balloon demanded to know.

Nickel shook his head, refusing to tell Balloon the truth. "I just fell... really! I was heading to the bathroom in the cabin. It was dark, and I tripped over one of the bags. I plunged into something heavy in one of the bags, that's all!" Nickel continued to lie. He didn't want Balloon to worry, especially because Knife was involved, and he didn't want him getting hurt.

Balloon still didn't believe him. Why would he? His story was absurd! But he had no choice but to take his word for it. He huffed, giving in to his idiotic story. "Fine... let me go and see if the kitchen has any ice packs..." Balloon stood up.

"My bag, first zip, there should be a little white case. It has some of those one-time-use crack-and-freeze ice packs, y'know, the ones that automatically freeze when you crack them, due to, like, chemicals and shit—" Nickel batted his hand.

Balloon tilted his head and then realised, a smile coming to his lips.

"Uh... what?" Nickel chuckled awkwardly, a little confused.

Balloon didn't respond. Instead, he turned around and rummaged through Nickel's bag, finding the first aid kit. Heh, ironic, wasn't it?

"You really brought it..." Balloon muttered to himself.

"What? The first aid kit?" Nickel chuckled, a little confused.

Balloon took out the ice packs, cracking one open. It took a moment, but then it started to freeze. He grabbed Nickel's shirt and wrapped the ice pack in it, carefully placing it against the bruise, causing Nickel to shiver from the cold. Nickel took it from there, holding the blue ice pack to his stomach.

"Thank you..." Nickel huffed softly.

Suddenly, it brought them back to that day, except this time, the roles were reversed. Now the significance of the first aid kit clicked in Nickel's mind.

"Heh... remember when we both got suspended... and you fell off your bike?" Nickel chuckled softly. "You messed up your knee so bad, dude..." He smiled.

Balloon chuckled softly. "Yeah, and then you wouldn't let me ride home. You walked me to the bus stop and made sure I got to my stop safely..." Balloon rambled, getting lost in the memory.

"I never asked you why..." Balloon sighed.

"Why what...?" Nickel asked, confused.

"Why you helped me..." Balloon looked up at Nickel, his face flushed pink.

"Heh... do you really need an answer to that now? Or do you already know the answer..." Nickel chuckled softly.

Balloon looked down, nodding. He knew the answer, but he still had a lot of questions.

"If you still cared about me... why did you avoid me and act like you hated me for so long?" Balloon looked up at him.

Nickel huffed. "I was scared. Scared that if I got too close to you again, I'd lose you all over again... It didn't mean I ever stopped caring about you. I mean, it's obvious, isn't it? I carry that stupid first aid kit around in case... y'know, you ever hurt yourself..." Nickel realised how stupid that sounded now.

Balloon chuckled softly, smiling like an idiot. "That's cute..."

Nickel smiled back. "You're cute..."

Balloon's cheeks flushed red. "Shut up..." Balloon giggled.

He moved onto his knees and leaned in, currently sitting on the floor as Nickel sat on the bed above him. Balloon moved his hand behind Nickel's neck and tilted it down a little, pressing his lips gently against Nickel's. Now that he had kissed him, he couldn't stop the urge to keep kissing him. Nickel happily kissed back, allowing his eyes to fall shut. The kiss didn't last long as Nickel leaned too far forward. He groaned and clutched his stomach, moving back.

Balloon shifted off the floor and slipped onto the bed beside him. Nickel slowly turned to face Balloon. It didn't take long before the two of them were back to kissing. Balloon held Nickel's cheek in his hand as they softly exchanged small kisses, smiling throughout. All of this reminiscing about the past and sharing romantic moments made Balloon forget about his initial worry that Nickel was lying to him about the bruises. It slipped from his mind as he melted into the kisses. Nickel was relieved. He really didn't want Balloon to know the truth. He had no idea how Balloon might react, and he couldn't stand up to Knife, especially if Nickel couldn't. He was also slightly afraid that Knife was serious about what he said and might somehow turn Balloon against him. He couldn't allow that. He had to make sure Balloon stayed as far away from Knife as possible.