Balloon and Nickel couldn't keep their hands off each other, their lips tangling together in a passionate kiss, oblivious to the world around them. Nickel's hands threaded through Balloon's salmon locks, while Balloon leaned over him, careful not to press on his ribs too much due to the bruises, but practically pinning him to the floor. One of Balloon's hands rested beside Nickel on the ground, while the other gently cupped Nickel's cheek. Nickel felt a bit prissy about being pinned; it gave Balloon more control over what happened, how fast the kissing was, how gentle or rough it was. Nickel wanted more power than just to lie there and helplessly kiss back. He was so needy! It didn't help that Balloon occasionally teased him. They would be kissing, happily enjoying themselves, then Balloon would pull back mid-kiss and just stare at Nickel, giving him a look that made Nickel really nervous.

Balloon would gaze lovingly into his eyes with pure gentleness and adoration, delicately rubbing his cheek, a stupid grin on his face. Nickel couldn't take it! It wasn't fair! Balloon was extremely pretty—everything about his face, from his adorable nose to his pink lips, his little freckles spreading across his cheeks, his long eyelashes, and his green eyes. UGH! Nickel felt repulsed. But... he didn't. He really, really liked Balloon, and it annoyed him how nervous that made him. Nickel's face flushed dark red every time Balloon looked at him like that. He grumpily avoided eye contact, letting out a nervous huff. It had happened three times now, and that was three times too many. Nickel decided to speak up.

"Stop looking at me like that," Nickel grumbled. He wasn't used to this much affection. It felt weird, but of course, he liked it. He just wasn't used to being looked at like that, like he was actually loved by someone.

Balloon let out a soft giggle, a smirk playing on his lips. He found it amusing how flustered Nickel became, which is why he kept doing it. He loved seeing Nickel get nervous and shy. Nickel put on a tough persona with everyone else, but Balloon always knew the real Nickel—the gentle, adorable, and needy side. Nickel was desperate for attention, constantly, whether it be romantic or just friendly. He was more sensitive than he let on and would do anything for the people he cared about. He loved nature and was actually really sweet. It was almost like coffee: he might act or appear bitter, but there was a hidden sweetness about him that not many people saw. They assumed he was just rude and sarcastic, a complete jerk, but they didn't know Nickel like Balloon did.

"Like what?" Balloon hummed as he leaned in to kiss Nickel again. Nickel turned his head away and grumbled, causing Balloon to pull back.

"Awww, what's wrong?" Balloon teased.

Nickel scoffed. "You know what's wrong!" he complained.

"Do I?" Balloon chuckled softly.

"Why do you keep pulling away? Stop it!" Nickel frowned.

Balloon smiled faintly, humming. "Because when I'm kissing you, I can't see your adorable, handsome face. So, I have to pull away occasionally, don't I?" Balloon giggled as he leaned in and kissed Nickel's nose.

Nickel let out a squeak, a sound he rarely made. He quickly covered his face in embarrassment, his entire face bright red.

"You didn't hear that!" he ordered.

Balloon smirked brightly, thoroughly enjoying the moment. He moved his hands to Nickel's wrists and gently pried them away from his face.

"Cute," Balloon giggled happily.

Nickel let out another grumble before speaking. "Fine! Let me be the one in control, and then we'll see how much you like being teased, hm?" Nickel snapped, feeling a bit bullied.

Balloon shrugged and shifted off of Nickel. "Alright, Nickel. Go ahead," he offered.

Nickel tilted his head. "Wait, really?" he asked.

"Yep," Balloon answered shortly.

"It was that easy?" Nickel chuckled a bit.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" Balloon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! Duh! I'm getting there, patience..." Nickel grumbled as he scooted forward.

Awkwardly, he moved his hand to Balloon's slightly chubby cheek and leaned in closer. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed as he gently pressed his lips against Balloon's. He kissed him delicately, as if fearful of hurting him. Balloon found it adorable how careful Nickel was with his kisses. Nickel always saw Balloon as sensitive, someone he had to protect and keep safe, someone easily hurt. Lately, it seemed the opposite. Maybe that was making Nickel feel insecure? He liked being the tough one between them, but instead, he was appearing as the softie who needed to be taken care of.

Balloon did something to him that broke his character, making him feel all mushy and soft. He made him so needy and desperate for attention. He made him act weak. It was something Nickel had to get used to. The way Balloon made him feel had always been present; Nickel had just been able to hide it better in the past, especially when he pushed Balloon away. But now? It was almost impossible to do so.

Balloon hummed happily into the kiss, unable to help but smile. This felt so right. He couldn't explain why, but it seemed meant to be. He just hoped these feelings would remain once camp was over. He didn't want this to be something that happened at camp and stayed at camp, like in the movies. He genuinely wanted to move forward with Nickel. However, he was fearful of how Nickel might change when confronted with Baseball and Suitcase. What if it was all too hard? What if Nickel pushed him away again because it was easier that way?

Nickel noticed Balloon zoning out and moved back, giving him a gentle smile, worried he might have done something wrong.

"Are you okay?" Nickel asked softly.

Balloon, slightly confused by the sudden stop, fluttered his eyes open and looked at Nickel. Realizing he had zoned out during their kiss, he gave a small nod and smiled to show he was okay. He didn't want to burden Nickel with his thoughts.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Nickel assured, moving his hand to Balloon's hair and pushing a curl behind his ear.

Balloon nodded. "I know."

Nickel smiled a bit, still unsure if Balloon was truly okay but not wanting to push him. They had already dealt with a lot today.

"Okay..." Nickel smiled faintly, moving his hand back to Balloon's cheek as he leaned in to kiss him again. Balloon kissed back.

Nickel couldn't help but worry that something was up but tried to push that thought aside. He decided he might ask later if Balloon was doing alright. For now, they were both content with just kissing.

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Elsewhere, Knife and his group of friends were "searching" for the items they needed for the scavenger hunt. In reality, Trophy was doing nothing, while Taco and Microphone were chatting (flirting), leaving Knife to do everything.

"This flower is as pretty as you," Microphone said with a smile, handing a flower she found to Taco.

Taco's cheeks flushed pink as she smiled and happily accepted the flower. It wasn't even the flower they needed to find! "Thank you." She tucked it into her hair.

Knife rolled his eyes at his two best friends. They drove him insane sometimes. Of course, he cared about them, but they were always like this—always so close while he was left out. It's not like he could hang out with Trophy. Half the time, Trophy was too busy playing sports at school and trying to get a scholarship to study some sport at university. Knife honestly forgot which sport it was. He missed Pickle. School was so much more fun when he was around. He would never forgive Nickel for what he did. And to think, for a bit, he kind of saw Nickel like a little brother, a mini him, someone he could take under his wing. Yet Nickel betrayed him? Yeesh, what a friend.

"You look tense," Trophy spoke up as he walked with Knife, noticing his annoyance.

"Oh really? Of course I'm annoyed! Nobody is helping me! I thought you wanted to win, Trophy, or do you want to be a loser?" Knife snapped.

"Hey! Fine! I'll help. It just looked like you were doing a good job finding the items on your own!" Trophy crossed his arms, annoyed that Knife was getting upset with him for no reason.

"Well, guess what? I've only been collecting items for myself! So, good luck with that, losers." Knife scoffed before storming off.

"Wait, what did he say?" Taco asked.

"HE SAID HE HASN'T BEEN COLLECTING THE ITEMS FOR US!" Microphone yelled.

"Honey, volume control," Taco grunted as she rubbed her ear.

"Sorry," Microphone frowned.

"It's quite alright, love." Taco smiled faintly.

Trophy crossed his arms. "You two! Quit that! Come on, we have to find items. I'm not letting Knife beat us and keep the cabin all to himself!" Trophy grumbled, his competitive side showing.

"Fine," Taco rolled her eyes. She really couldn't be bothered, but she did want the luxury cabin, so she decided to pick up her game.

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The Bright Lights were actually doing quite well. Each member had at least one item, and every time they found a new one, they gave it to the person without an item. They figured this was the most optimal way of winning. However, the only person who didn't have an item yet was Fan. The short redhead was too busy on his phone. Who had allowed him to bring it? Who knows, but it was making everyone really annoyed. He kept stopping to take photos of random things, like bugs and trees, and would take random vlog videos, getting in everyone's way.

Test Tube tried to stay calm with her boyfriend since she loved him and understood how much his phone meant to him. She just wanted him to be happy, so she smiled weakly and tried to get involved with Fan's fun, waving for the camera here and there while still trying to look for the items they needed.

Lightbulb didn't really care if Fan wanted to vlog; it was all just a bit of fun, right? But she could tell that her partner, Paintbrush, was growing really annoyed. Every single time Fan stopped and they had to wait for him, she could see the fury in Paintbrush's eyes. They were getting so frustrated that they looked like they wanted to hit him. Paintbrush was competitive and liked to win. They were a bit of a diva and couldn't spend one more second in that god-awful cabin. They needed to win the luxury cabin, and Fan? Fan was just holding them all back!

Fan hummed happily as he held out his phone, starting another video. "Part 12 of walking through the woods! We still haven't found an item for me yet, but my beautiful girlfriend got an item!" He panned the phone to her. "Show them, Test Tube!"

"Fan, it's in the sack. I'd have to stop and pull it out. We're wasting too much time," Test Tube tried to reason with her boyfriend.

"Come on, Testie, it will only take a second!" Fan begged.

Test Tube huffed, lowering the sack from her back and plopping it on the floor.

Paintbrush saw this and felt their eye twitch with anger. They were stopping. AGAIN? They couldn't take it anymore! Fan really knew how to push their buttons. Throwing their sack aside, Paintbrush stormed over to Fan. Lightbulb already knew this wasn't going to end well.

Test Tube stepped back, not wanting to get involved in Paintbrush's outburst. Fan noticed Test Tube stepping back and turned around, still holding the phone out. Paintbrush was shaking with anger, their hair standing on end. When Paintbrush got really, really mad, their hair would set on fire, a clear warning to everyone. But before Fan could apologise or put his phone away, Paintbrush snatched it from his hand and threw it as far as they could into the woods.

"HOW ANNOYING DO YOU HAVE TO BE?!" Paintbrush yelled, their hair igniting.

Fan squeaked and hunched his shoulders nervously. "I'm sorry, Paintbrush! I was just having a little fun, I—"

"No! NO MORE! This isn't fun! You're just making everyone annoyed! Even your own girlfriend is getting annoyed. None of us have our phones, do we? You haven't even got one item yet and you haven't done a single thing to help us! You're just messing around! This whole camp you've been nothing but annoying! Stop being so selfish!" Paintbrush shouted, their hair still blazing.

Fan couldn't even properly process everything. Why were they yelling at him? He didn't ask to be here! He wished he never had to come! He hated camping and just wanted to be at home. It felt like everything at camp had been his fault, no matter what he did. He tried to help Balloon and Nickel get together, but somehow that was his fault too. He just wanted people to understand him and care about him, but was that so hard? They all kept telling him what he could and couldn't do, and he was so sick of it! The only person who had actually listened to him and given him any time was Knife, but even talking to him wasn't allowed! Fan was so done. He just wanted to go home.

His eyes welled with tears, and he visibly shook. Sniffing, he shook his head. "Fine." Before anyone could stop him, Fan stormed off in the direction his phone had been thrown. He needed some time to cool off and to check if his phone was okay.

Once Fan left, Paintbrush took a deep breath, closing their eyes for a moment to calm down. Their hair returned to normal. When they opened their eyes, they saw Test Tube glaring at them.

"What the hell, Paintbrush?!" Test Tube yelled, crossing her arms.

Lightbulb hated fights. She stood anxiously, looking in the direction Fan had left, worried about her friend being on his own. However, she knew Paintbrush would be upset if she left, so she stayed put and remained silent.

"You're kidding, right? Don't yell at me! You were the one complaining about Fan earlier! How he's been getting on your nerves, remember? Well, I dealt with it, didn't I? Maybe now he'll actually pull his head in." Paintbrush crossed their arms defensively.

"I know, I just... Gee– did he really deserve that? He can be a bit much sometimes, I get it, and yes, he's been driving me insane this camp, but he seemed really upset! He doesn't mean to act this way; it's just who he is. And... I love him for who he is. He was the first person to accept me for who I was, and I accepted him back. Even if he sometimes really annoys me and says or does things that upset me, I love him, and he didn't deserve that. You know it, I know it, and I bet even Lightbulb knows it." Test Tube crossed her arms over her chest.

Paintbrush started to feel a little bad now. Maybe they had gone overboard. "Sorry. Maybe it was too much... Sometimes I really can't control my anger. Fan is one of those people who really get on my nerves to the point of breaking. Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy; he's one of my best friends. But sometimes it's actual torture for me to deal with him!" Paintbrush explained, offering a half-hearted apology.

"I get it, Painty. I do. But he was just having fun. Yes, it was annoying, but is winning really everything? Fan has been out of his comfort zone for almost a week now. He never does anything like this. He hasn't been able to access the internet at all during this time. The least we could do is let him have a bit of fun with videos and stuff, right?" Test Tube frowned. "Even if he does get a bit annoying..."

Paintbrush grumpily crossed their arms. "Yeah, I guess. But we're all out of our comfort zones! I hate camping too! I know you do also! You're away from all your science stuff. The only one of us who seems to love camping is Lightbulb." Paintbrush pointed over at their girlfriend, who was currently eating a stick. She nervously smiled at the other two.

"Golly... I guess you're right. We're all a bit on edge. I mean, I've never had an issue with Fan before. Sure, sometimes he makes me a little annoyed, but not as bad as it's been here. I guess our tolerance is really low. But doesn't that show you that we need to be there for each other instead of fight?" Test Tube explained.

Paintbrush huffed and nodded. "Yeah... I'm sorry." They meant it; they didn't want to hurt Fan and felt awful for doing so.

"Should we find Fan?" Test Tube asked nervously, clearly worried about her boyfriend's well-being.

"Yeah," Paintbrush answered bluntly.

"That could mean we lose. Are you okay with that?" Lightbulb asked softly.

"Yeah. I need to say sorry. Like Test Tube said, we all need to be there for each other." Paintbrush felt pretty awful now, realising what they did was wrong. They wished they could take back how they treated Fan, but now all they could do was apologise and hope Fan forgave them.

"Okay, let's go! I think he went this way–" Test Tube pointed, the complete wrong way.

"I thought he went this way..." Lightbulb pointed the opposite way. Yeah... this may take a while.

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Fan continued in the direction he saw his phone fly, scanning the surroundings until he spotted it in the distance. With a quick dash, he reached it, brushing off dirt and dust. Checking the screen, he found it cracked but still functional—thankfully. A sigh of relief escaped him as he slipped it into his pocket.

Closing his eyes briefly, tears welled up. Paintbrush's words echoed in his mind—was he truly such a burden? The thought gnawed at him, tempting him to feign illness just to escape. He couldn't bear staying where he felt unwanted.

As he reopened his eyes, panic set in—he was lost. Lost in the woods with no signal. Another nightmare realised. Fan's despair deepened. Had he let everyone down, even Test Tube? Shame washed over him, and he struggled to breathe, feeling an anxiety attack coming on. He sank to the ground, curling into a ball, trying to steady his breathing, eyes squeezed shut.

A rustle nearby snapped him back to alertness. Fan's eyes shot open in panic, fearing some wild animal.

It was Knife. They locked eyes, and for once, Knife's expression held genuine concern. He approached cautiously.

"Fan?" Knife's voice softened, a rare display of concern for the usually brash contestant. He moved closer as Fan scrambled to his feet, hastily wiping away tears.

"Are you okay?" Knife asked, perplexed by Fan's presence alone in the woods.

Suddenly, Fan wrapped his arms around Knife, burying his head against his chest and sobbing. Knife stiffened at the unexpected embrace, unsure how to comfort someone. His interactions with Fan had been contentious lately, filled with manipulation and flirtation. This display of raw emotion caught him off guard. He awkwardly placed his arm around Fan, patting his back, silently offering support.

Fan pulled back quickly, wiping tears and sniffing. "I'm sorry... I know that was strange and pathetic. You probably think I'm a total baby for crying like this," Fan rambled nervously.

Knife shook his head awkwardly. "No, it's okay. You're not weak for feeling emotions," he reassured him hesitantly. "What happened out here?" he asked, though unsure if he really wanted to know.

Fan sniffled, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "I was just messing around with my phone, and Paintbrush got really mad at me. They threw my phone and called me selfish... I feel like I've been a burden to all my friends this whole week, like everything I do just makes things worse for them. I feel like I'm failing them, and they'll all leave me eventually. So I ran off to find my phone, thinking they didn't want me around... and now I'm lost. I hate this, Knife. I just want to go home." He buried his head in Knife's chest once more, sobbing softly.

Knife hesitantly raised a hand to Fan's head, gently stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort him. Fan seemed so fragile, much smaller than Knife in both stature and emotional strength.

"I'm sure they don't see you as a burden, Fan," Knife said with a sigh. "I stormed off from my friends too, but I lashed out at them. This camp... it's really getting to all of us," he admitted, his voice unusually soft and sincere. This vulnerability was new for Knife; he rarely showed such genuine emotion.

"I didn't mean what I said to my friends. I care about them a lot. And I know your friends care about you too," Knife added, gently pulling away from the hug.

He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to help Fan now, especially after trying to manipulate him earlier. Perhaps seeing Fan so broken resonated with his own feelings of being overwhelmed. Or maybe Knife simply wasn't used to comforting people, making this situation awkward yet strangely heartfelt. Whatever the reason, this was the kindest and most genuine Knife had been toward Fan.

Fan sniffled, wiping away his tears and nodding. "I don't understand why my friends want me to stay away from you. You're actually really nice," he chuckled sadly.

Knife's cheeks flushed slightly. It was rare for anyone to say that about him. The first person who had said anything like that was Pickle, and it still felt somewhat unfamiliar.

"Fan..." Knife sighed heavily. "They're right, you know? I'm not a good influence on you. You shouldn't be around someone like me. You have great friends who genuinely care about you. I used to bully you, Fan. Do you really want to be around someone who treated you like that?" Knife questioned with a hint of self-awareness.

Fan frowned and shook his head. "You've changed... You've been nothing but kind to me this whole camp," he countered.

"Dude, I've been using you to get information on Nickel and Balloon," Knife admitted, his tone tinged with regret.

Fan felt a pang of sadness, realising his hope might have been misplaced. However, he didn't let it fully bring him down.

"But... you're not using me now. There's no gain for you in helping me," Fan pointed out. "You're helping me because you care... So maybe it wasn't all fake after all," he added, crossing his arms in a mix of bitterness and contemplation.

Knife shook his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. Fan was definitely a character, and he was starting to see that in a new light.

"How many items do you have?" Knife suddenly asked.

"None?" Fan replied, puzzled.

Knife turned to his sack and opened it. "Cool, I've collected every item on the list," he said casually.

"What!?" Fan exclaimed, surprised that Knife had managed such a feat.

Knife took out a few items and placed them in Fan's bag. "Here."

Fan looked at his bag, now holding a total of four items. He smiled faintly before turning back to Knife. "But why?" he asked.

"Because I'm sorry for dragging you into the mess between Nickel and me... It had nothing to do with you," Knife replied with a huff as he slung his sack over his shoulder.

Fan simply smiled, picking up his own sack. Knife wasn't as bad as everyone thought; he was just troubled, missing his best friend Pickle. Fan wished others could see what he saw—that Knife wasn't such a bad guy if given a chance.

"Do you want me to help you get out of here? You've got four items, and I've got eleven... That should be enough. We can leave and relax by the campfire until everyone else is done," Knife offered casually.

"My friends can't see me with you," Fan murmured sadly.

"Eh, we'll take a shortcut through the bushes! No one will dare go through there," Knife chuckled. "We'll be completely off the radar. Once we're back at camp, I'll leave you be—maybe sit with Lifering for a bit? Then I'll slip back in, and we can pretend this never happened. Deal?" Knife suggested.

Fan smiled faintly, nodding. "Deal—but I want to remember this favour you did for me. It was really sweet."

"Fine, it stays between us," Knife grumbled. "And you owe me one!" he added with a smirk.

"Sounds fair to me!" Fan agreed, shaking Knife's hand.

Off they went, off the beaten track, where surely no one else would find them. :).