The morning arrived sooner than either of them wanted. Nickel was stirred awake by the alarm clock on Balloon's bedside table. He didn't know anyone else who still used those. The poor cat must have been waking up at 6:30 AM every morning while Balloon was away, as it seemed the alarm hadn't been turned off. Nickel leaned over Balloon and slammed it off, groaning at the noise. The shifting and weight on him woke Balloon, who opened his eyes to see Nickel on top of him.

"Hi..." Balloon smiled sleepily.

Nickel's cheeks flushed as he stared down at Balloon, a big dorky grin on his lips. "Good Morning, looney..." He leaned down and nuzzled his nose against Balloon's. Balloon leaned into Nickel's face, and they pressed their lips together, sharing a gentle morning kiss. It was as if they couldn't keep themselves away from each other. But to be fair, today was a big day for both of them, so they might as well enjoy their time alone before the school day began.

Nickel pulled back from the kiss, feeling Balloon's hand reach up to cup his cheek. He couldn't help but lean into the touch, letting out a gentle purr.

"Cute," Balloon giggled softly before sitting up, pushing Nickel back in the process.

Nickel scoffed. "I'm not cute..." he playfully rolled his eyes but still smiled.

"How are you feeling about today?" Nickel suddenly asked, the nervousness evident in his voice.

Balloon's smile immediately dropped, an anxious look appearing on his face. "Uhm... nervous," he admitted as he shifted off the bed and stood up. He stretched his arms behind his head and yawned. He just wanted to get to school and get this over with; the longer he kept it from Suitcase and Baseball, the more guilt and stress he felt.

Nickel moved to the edge of the bed and looked up at Balloon. "I can't lie, I'm nervous too... but we've got this!" Nickel assured him. "I worked something out... if we make the bus, we might be able to catch Test Tube, Fan, and Bot... and I mean, telling Bot could be our trial, y'know? Start easy?" Nickel suggested.

Balloon nodded a bit. "Yeah... I think that will work." He paused. "Oh, uh, put our phones on charge." Balloon almost forgot that Nickel had their phones so he wouldn't be tempted to text his friends.

Nickel did just that, grabbing both his phone and Balloon's phone. He walked over to Balloon's desk and opened a drawer filled with loose chargers. Taking two out, he plugged them in to charge their phones. While Nickel did this, Balloon rummaged through his closet for clothes. He had packed most of his clothes in his suitcase and was too lazy to unpack yet, so he grabbed whatever he could find: blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a red flannel shirt. He laid them out on his bed, then looked over at Nickel, who was pulling out the clothes he had worn at camp from his suitcase.

"Do you need clean clothes? The best I can offer is a clean shirt; I don't think my pants will fit you," Balloon chuckled softly.

"Ah... yes please," Nickel chuckled sheepishly, feeling embarrassed that he wasn't as well-off as Balloon.

Balloon pulled out another plain white T-shirt and handed it to Nickel. It was a little big, but it would do fine. Nickel decided he'd wear his black ripped jeans, the shirt Balloon gave him, and his usual grey jacket with patches he had sewn on himself.

"Uh, you get dressed, I'll make us some coffee," Nickel smiled, leaving his chosen clothes on the bed. "I'll change after you," he added before heading to the door.

"Can you also feed the cat?" Balloon asked with a faint smile, feeling guilty for asking so much of him.

"Of course I can," Nickel smiled. He didn't mind; he liked treating Balloon like a prince. He loved him and would do anything to see him happy.

"Thank you," Balloon said, grabbing his hand for a moment and leaning in to peck his cheek.

Nickel knew it wasn't that big of a deal, but his face still lit up. He liked small gestures of affection from Balloon; they made his stomach turn in a good way. He felt proud of himself when he did right by Balloon, making up for all the years he had wronged him.

Nickel exited the room, closing the door behind him, and allowed the cat to follow him down the stairs. He started by feeding the cat in the laundry room. Having been here many times before, he knew where everything was, and this wasn't the first time he had fed the cat. Even when Balloon and he weren't on good terms, he still fed Balloon's cat. He went to the small laundry cupboard, took out a can of cat food, cracked it open, and filled the cat bowl with half of it, saving the rest for tomorrow. After washing his hands in the laundry sink, he headed to the kitchen.

He stretched up to the top shelf where the mugs were kept, grabbed two, and took them over to the coffee machine that Balloon still didn't know how to use. He made them both lattes. Maybe now that they were dating and he was possibly welcome here more often, he could teach Balloon how to use the coffee machine. Part of Nickel hoped he would be allowed here more often. When they were fighting, he was only allowed over when Suitcase and Baseball were around; Balloon never invited him alone. Except maybe once for a project, but they barely spoke the entire time, and it was extremely awkward. It was nice to finally be here again because Balloon wanted him here, not out of obligation.

Maybe down the line, if Balloon's parents didn't mind, which Nickel was sure they wouldn't, he could move in. It was funny, but Balloon's parents had offered this in the past because they knew his situation. However, they didn't know that Nickel and Balloon were not on good terms at the time, so he continuously declined, not wanting to tell them they were merely tolerating each other for their best friends. But things are different now. Maybe he could take up that offer if Balloon was okay with it.

Nickel made their coffees and took them back upstairs. He stood at the door and knocked with his elbow. Balloon opened the door and took a coffee from him.

"Thank you." He smiled, taking a small sip. The coffee tasted amazing, which was no surprise.

"Here, get changed. I'll wait for you downstairs, okay?" Balloon said, slipping behind him and out the door.

Nickel closed the door and placed his coffee on the bedside table. He let out a huff. Things were going to be different now... that was something to look forward to, right? Well, it depended on the context. Between him and Balloon, things were different in a positive way. But for Suitcase and Baseball? This change might be hard for them both to get used to, which was what Balloon and Nickel were most worried about. Change can be overwhelming, especially when it happens so quickly. It's hard to process something that happens so fast. Only a few days ago, Balloon and Nickel were fighting. The whole reason they were on this camp was because of the fight they got into, and now they are dating, just like that! How would Baseball and Suitcase understand that? They wouldn't. They didn't know Nickel and Balloon all those years ago; they only knew how they were now. They had no idea that this love between them had always been there but hidden. They wouldn't understand unless they took the time to process it and listen to what they had to say, but it was a matter of if they would or if they could.

Why was it different for Bot than it was for Baseball and Suitcase to accept this? Because Bot had only known them for a year, while Baseball and Suitcase had known them since high school began. The two of them had to deal with the constant arguing and hatred between Balloon and Nickel for years, while Bot barely saw the front of it.

Nickel felt his head swelling with so many possibilities for today; it was stressing him out. The temptation to grab his phone and message them was there, but he told Balloon not to, so he wasn't going to either. He took a deep breath. It was only a few hours until school started and about an hour before they'd meet Bot on the bus and tell them everything. He could wait; he needed to wait. He also needed to be calm for Balloon; he needed to be the strong one and not let this get to him, even though it was eating him up inside. Nickel took a few deep breaths before changing into his clothes. The shirt was a little big, but it didn't look bad. He ruffled his hair, grabbed socks, slipped them on, and then slid on his worn-out shoes. He grabbed both their phones and slipped them into his pockets before grabbing his coffee and heading downstairs.

Balloon was sitting at the bench, drinking his coffee. Nickel walked over and slipped beside him. Balloon was trembling a little, holding his mug with both hands. It could have been because he was cold, but Nickel had a feeling it was nerves. He placed his own mug down and wrapped his arm around Balloon's back, rubbing it softly.

"You okay?" Nickel questioned in a soft tone.

Balloon hesitantly nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. "The bus is soon..." The time was getting closer, and it was really starting to hit Balloon how soon they would be in front of Suitcase and Baseball, telling them everything.

"Yeah... we get to see Bot!" Nickel tried to focus on the positives, which was hard for him, but he needed to do this for Balloon.

"Mhm... I miss Bot," Balloon responded quietly.

"Me too," Nickel sighed. "I think they will be our number one supporter." He smiled, wanting to lift Balloon's spirits. He had no doubt that Bot would be okay with their relationship. He just needed Balloon to believe that so he had at least one thing to look forward to.

"You really think?" Balloon asked, a little unsure.

Nickel nodded. "Of course." He finished his coffee and placed the mug down before slipping off the stool. "You finished with your coffee?" he asked.

Balloon nodded.

Nickel took his mug and walked over to the sink, placing both mugs in it. They could load the dishwasher later.

"Say... when are your parents getting back? I'm sure they miss having me around," Nickel joked happily.

Balloon smiled. His parents had always adored Nickel. "Soon... they're on a work trip," Balloon answered. "Why? You gonna ask to live here or something?" Balloon knew Nickel all too well.

"Wh-What! No... pshh..." Nickel's face flushed a bit. "I mean... they probably don't want me here anyways..." he tried to act humble.

Balloon gave Nickel a 'are you serious' look before speaking. "I know they've asked you to stay in the past. They told me how many times you declined, how worried they were about you... I mean, living on your own at your age? Living off government money, which hasn't been a lot... doing random summer jobs to get by?" Balloon uncomfortably crossed his arms. "They were worried about you... got really upset every time you declined... I– I wanted to talk to you about it, force you to say yes, even if at the time you hated me... because I was worried too. But every time I wanted to bring it up, I got nervous, afraid you'd get mad at me for suggesting it... I mean, we really weren't on good terms." Balloon confessed.

Nickel never knew that Balloon knew his parents had asked him... and now part of him felt guilty that Balloon didn't feel safe enough to talk to him about it. "I didn't want to be a burden on you... and if I accepted, we'd have to pretend we liked each other..." Nickel muttered.

"But we did like each other..." Balloon murmured under his breath. "We just had our own walls up... we were never able to heal what was broken." Balloon chuckled sadly. "You could've been here all along if I had just talked to you about this... If... If I wasn't so afraid, I could've fixed this. We... we could've been together sooner. I–" Balloon's eyes were glassy; he was so emotional.

"Hey– hey..." Nickel quickly ran over to him, pulling him down from the seat and wrapping his arms around him, holding him close. Balloon leaned his head into Nickel's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault. I had every chance to talk to you, to confess how I really felt, but I was the one who was scared. I could've fixed it at any time, but I chose not to. Not you... you were under the impression I hated you! What were you supposed to do? It isn't your fault at all... but look, things are different now, okay? Everything will be different now..." He grabbed Balloon's curly head and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're really emotional today..." Nickel sighed. "This is really stressing you out, isn't it?" he asked.

Balloon sniffled, nodding.

"It will be okay, Loon, I promise you that... even if things turn bad, I won't leave your side, not again. I am not repeating our history... you're stuck with me now, okay? Any fight we have, I am talking through it with you. No more shutting you out and putting up my walls. I am going to be open with you... I am not letting you go, even if the whole world is against us. I am not letting you go," Nickel assured Balloon, holding him close.

Balloon was trembling, his arms tightly wrapped around Nickel's body. He was an emotional mess. Nickel couldn't let him leave the house like this, so he had to calm him down.

"I'm excited to tell your parents about us," Nickel said, pulling back with a smirk on his lips.

Balloon chuckled softly, wiping his tears away as a smile crept onto his lips. "Heh... and why's that?" he asked with a soft sniffle.

"Uhh, because they love me, duh," Nickel chuckled with a sweet smile.

Balloon let out a soft giggle. He wrapped his arms around Nickel's shoulders and rested his head on his. "They always joked about me one day getting with you," Balloon confessed.

"Did they now?" Nickel smirked, swaying a little as he slipped his hands onto Balloon's hips.

"Mhm... I guess they weren't wrong," Balloon sniffled again, leaning in to kiss Nickel's lips.

Nickel kissed back softly, holding Balloon there for a moment, letting him relax and release his stress. After a short minute, they pulled back.

"The bus is about to arrive... we should go," Balloon sniffed.

"Yeah, alright, let's go," Nickel smiled faintly, taking Balloon's hand.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Balloon and Nickel arrived at the bus stop on a slightly cold morning. Nickel leaned his head on Balloon's shoulder, eyes closed, as they waited for the bus. When it finally arrived, they stood and boarded, spotting Test Tube, Fan, and Bot at the very back. Test Tube was busy jotting down notes on her phone for an experiment, while Bot and Fan animatedly discussed a TV show they both enjoyed.

As Balloon and Nickel stepped onto the bus, they froze, a bit nervous about seeing Bot. Test Tube noticed them first and smiled. Bot followed her gaze and their face lit up. They bounced out of their seat, squealing loudly, and ran up to Balloon and Nickel, wrapping them both in a tight hug.

"I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!" Bot screamed, causing a mini scene on the bus. Despite the embarrassment, Balloon and Nickel hugged Bot back. Fan and Test Tube smiled at the scene, glad to see Bot so happy.

"Bot did not stop talking about how they missed you both," Fan said with a soft chuckle.

Balloon and Nickel glanced at each other and smiled, relieved to hear the good news. "Well, let's sit down so we can catch up," Nickel suggested. Bot quickly stepped back, nodding eagerly, and took their seat. Balloon and Nickel sat beside each other.

The back of the bus had five seats. Fan moved to sit beside Test Tube on the far right, leaving Bot, Balloon, and Nickel to sit together on the other side.

Bot turned to face them with a wide, beaming smile. "Before you say anything! I just want to say, I already know about you two dating! Fan told me!"

Balloon and Nickel shot a glare at Fan, who sank in his chair a bit. He couldn't keep his mouth shut! He was proud of himself for basically setting them up in the first place, how could he not ramble about it to Bot?

"But! Before you get mad at him, I promise he didn't tell anyone else, and neither did I! I know how much it means to you both to tell Suitcase and Baseball yourselves," Bot added quickly. They took a deep breath before smiling widely. "I am so happy for you both! Oh my goodness! I could always see something was totally between you two! Sure, you acted like you hated each other's guts, but I could see deep down you both cared about each other waaay too much! Ugh! It was only a matter of time before you got together, I swear!" Bot squealed.

Balloon and Nickel were thrilled and relieved by Bot's enthusiastic reaction. They hoped for a similar response from Baseball and Suitcase, though they knew it wouldn't be so easy.

"You really could always see that?" Balloon asked with a soft chuckle.

"Yes! Oh my god, yes! Even though I've only known you both for like a year, I could just sense it. I mean, sure, you two fought a lot, but I could tell you had this affection for each other, even if you wouldn't dare admit it. And once you told me about how you used to be friends, I pieced everything together! And EEE, now it's actually happening!" Bot squealed again, kicking their feet happily.

Balloon and Nickel couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces at how happy Bot was about their relationship. It relieved them both and gave them a glimmer of hope. However, they still had to consider that Bot hadn't endured years of their constant fighting like Baseball and Suitcase had.

"I would ask for all the details, but Fan kinda already filled me in on everything," Bot chuckled softly. "It's okay! So, when are you telling Baseball and Suitcase?" Bot asked excitedly.

Balloon tensed up, his happy expression dropping to a nervous one. Bot quickly sensed something was wrong.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Bot asked.

Balloon felt his stomach turn. Nickel decided to answer for him, giving him a moment to breathe.

"L-Look, Bot, I know you're super excited and happy about us being together, but Baseball and Suitcase have known us a lot longer than you. With Suitcase having a crush on me, and the fact that both of Baseball's guy best friends are now dating, and the years of torture we put them through with our constant fighting, we just think..."

Before Nickel could finish, Bot spoke.

"You think they won't be as supportive," Bot said quietly, almost understanding what was coming.

"Yeah," Nickel replied, worry in his tone.

Bot bit their lip and nodded, thinking it over. "Yeah, okay... I can see why the circumstances might be different. But they are your best friends! They can't just hate you! And even if they get mad, it won't last forever, right?" Bot asked nervously. The thought of a rift in their friendship group filled them with fear.

Balloon felt sick, struggling to breathe. "Not to mention we also have to deal with Knife, who hates Nickel's guts. Did Fan catch you up to speed on that, or is he trying to protect his boyfriend?" Balloon sassed a bit, still bitter about the situation.

Fan's face flushed, and he crossed his arms defensively. "Hey! He isn't my boyfriend! And yes, I did tell Bot about it, well, Test Tube mainly did, but still." Fan had avoided discussing Knife in detail, leaving Test Tube to explain everything, including Nickel's involvement and the tensions with Pickle. Bot had learned about Knife's behaviour and Fan's role in the situation, prompting them to give Fan a mini lecture the previous night. Despite Fan's attempt to defend Knife, Test Tube had argued fiercely against his actions, highlighting the impact on Nickel and Balloon's relationship. Bot had developed some reservations toward Knife, aligning with Test Tube's perspective, even though Fan considered Knife a friend.

"Yes, I know about what happened with Knife," Bot responded thoughtfully. "I understand why he would be upset with you, since you were involved in getting his boyfriend expelled. But it was a sacrifice to keep your friends safe, which is commendable in its own way. Still, that doesn't justify his behaviour towards you both." Bot frowned. "Maybe Fan could try to talk to him, since he was partially involved in all of this," Bot suggested, glancing back at Fan.

"Me? Oh, please don't make me do that! Besides, I don't think Test Tube wants me spending any more time around him than necessary! Can't he just get counselling from Candle or something?" Fan pleaded, clearly reluctant to get further involved. The recent events had caused him a lot of trouble, and he harboured a fear that spending more time with Knife might lead to unexpected feelings for him, given Knife's attractiveness.

"No, it'll be fine, okay?" Nickel interjected, speaking up to reassure them. "Candle assured us she's handling it. She's arranging support for him to move past Pickle and let go of this grudge. I have hope that it will work out... hopefully." Nickel tried to sound optimistic, though he wasn't entirely convinced himself. He didn't want Balloon to worry any more than necessary, especially with everything else they had on their minds.

Balloon nodded slightly, taking a small, deep breath.

"Yeah, you're right. We need to focus on one thing at a time," Balloon said, glancing out the window as they rounded the corner towards school.

Knowing Baseball and Suitcase, they wouldn't be at school this early, giving them a chance to relax for a moment before facing their best friends. They could use the time to figure out what they were going to say and prepare themselves.

"We could sneak Bot into the senior common area," Test Tube suggested. "We can relax there, wait for Baseball and Suitcase, and we'll all be here for you both. No matter what happens, you'll still have us," she promised, a nervous smile on her lips. She also harboured doubts about whether Suitcase and Baseball would understand.

Balloon smiled slightly, feeling a sense of relaxation knowing he had the support of his other friends. It was remarkable to think they wouldn't have been close with Test Tube and Fan if it weren't for that camp. Balloon could see how happy Bot was to have their favourite four people getting along so well. As much as Bot loved and cared for Baseball and Suitcase, they were much closer to Balloon and Nickel. The two of them always put Bot first, supported them, and made them feel safe to be themselves. Bot cherished and loved Balloon and Nickel for that.

Before long, the bus pulled up in front of the school, signalling their arrival. The group disembarked, greeted by the quiet emptiness of the early morning school grounds. It felt like a sharp return to reality after the camp, reminding them of how quickly time had passed. In just an hour, they would be back in class, swapping the camp's freedom for academic routines. Despite this, they were glad to be back, albeit with lingering worries ahead. They made their way inside the school, heading towards the senior common area to relax and chat until more students arrived—and until Baseball and Suitcase made their appearance.