The following day arrived sooner than Nickel or Balloon had expected. They had planned to set an alarm for Balloon to return to his own bed, but in the comfort of each other's arms, they forgot, and now it was morning. The two lay entangled, legs intertwined, with Nickel's arm securely around Balloon, both deep in slumber.

Meanwhile, Paintbrush, an early riser who meticulously attended to their hair, was up at 6 am. Paintbrush had their own alarm that neither Nickel nor Balloon had heard. Paintbrush shut it off and got up. They grabbed their clothes and hairbrush, heading to the bathroom without noticing the pair still asleep in bed. After grooming their hair to perfection and dressing in black jeans, a white tank top, and an oversized brown jacket, Paintbrush left the room.

Outside, Lightbulb was just waking up, squinting against the morning light. Paintbrush greeted her affectionately with a kiss on the forehead before noticing Fan, who was groggily waking up and descending from his bunk.

None of them had yet noticed Nickel and Balloon still sound asleep.

A short while later, Test Tube, yawning from sleepiness, joined them.

"Gee... Up so early, everyone?" Test Tube asked with a yawn.

"Not everyone," Paintbrush replied, looking toward the bunk beds. To their surprise, Balloon wasn't in his bunk up the top. Their gaze dropped to the lower bunk, where they spotted Balloon snuggled up with Nickel.

"Oh my," Paintbrush exclaimed softly.

"Golly! How cute!" Test Tube giggled in delight.

"I thought they weren't dating?" Lightbulb tilted her head curiously at the sight of Nickel and Balloon snuggled together.

"They're definitely not," Fan chuckled. "Balloon always told me Nickel can't stand him."

The four of them continued to observe Nickel and Balloon, who remained fast asleep despite their quiet conversation.

"This is too good!" Paintbrush exclaimed, pulling out their phone and leaning in to capture the scene. They snapped a photo of the unexpected pair.

"Come on, Paintbrush, maybe they wouldn't appreciate that," Fan interjected cautiously.

"Nickel is always so jerkish with us! A little harmless teasing won't hurt. He could use a taste of his own medicine!" Paintbrush defended their actions.

"But Balloon is always kind to everyone... Does he deserve it?" Fan voiced his concern.

"For the sake of camp humour! It's all in good fun. They 'hate' each other, right? This is just playful teasing!" Paintbrush grinned mischievously at the photo they had taken.

Fan shook his head, feeling outnumbered as Lightbulb and Test Tube giggled over the situation.

"Come on, Fan, lighten up! They're the only non-couple in our cabin and the only ones not in our friendship circle. Besides, do you really want to defend them? Remember, they're the bad influences always hanging around Bot!" Test Tube argued, crossing her arms. "Maybe they deserve a little teasing..."

Fan stayed quiet, realising he didn't have much say in the matter. Instead, he grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day, leaving the others to continue laughing and taking photos.

It didn't take long for Balloon and Nickel to awaken, stirred by the constant chatter and giggling. Balloon groaned and tossed a bit, trying to adjust to the noise. As his eyes fluttered open, he heard faint whispers of "shh, he's waking up," then found himself staring at Lightbulb, Paintbrush, and Test Tube.

"AH!" Balloon squealed in surprise, rolling off the bed in a panic, which promptly woke up Nickel. The grey-haired boy shot up, looking around in confusion. Both were very disoriented and confused for a moment until Balloon remembered.

"Oh no..." Balloon muttered to himself, blushing.

"Did you two enjoy your cosy cuddles last night?" Paintbrush teased with a laugh.

Nickel's face turned bright red as he spun his head to glare at Balloon, feeling utterly embarrassed. Balloon, unable to meet Nickel's eyes, looked down shamefully at the ground.

"You were supposed to set an alarm!" Nickel snapped at him suddenly, feeling so embarrassed that he just caught cuddling with BALLOON of all people! What if this gets back to suitcase and Baseball!?

"I forgot! I'm sorry! I was just so tired and it was so nice and warm and–"

Nickel quietly slipped out of bed without saying a word. Fan was just exiting the bathroom when Nickel pushed past him and swiftly shut the bathroom door, turning on the shower. The room fell silent, and the jovial atmosphere dissipated.

"Oh geez... what did I miss?" Fan said awkwardly, clutching his folded pyjamas to his chest.

Balloon felt a surge of emotion, on the verge of tears. He had finally been making progress in rebuilding his connection with Nickel, only to mess it up over such a simple mistake. How could he have forgotten to set the alarm? He believed they were starting to grow closer again, and now he feared he had ruined everything with one oversight.

"Yikes... wasn't expecting that," Paintbrush suddenly remarked, breaking the silence. "And they say I have anger issues..." Paintbrush spoke awkwardly, feeling somewhat responsible for setting off the chain of events.

"Sorry Balloon... we didn't think Nickel would–" Test Tube started.

"You didn't think Nickel would... lash out at me? Blame me? Get mad at me? Do you even know him? His whole persona is to basically despise me! It's like he refuses to let anyone see how he actually feels about me. When we're alone, he's the nicest person I've ever known. But around others, he acts like he wishes I didn't exist! I thought, just maybe, he was growing out of that and we could finally move on and be friends again. But because I didn't set a stupid alarm... Now he probably hates me again. So yeah, thanks, guys," Balloon snapped, his frustration evident.

"Wow, that's a lot to process. I don't think they meant any harm, Balloon. They were just trying to be playful..." Fan attempted to defend his friends, though he knew their actions had upset Balloon.

"Also... if I may ask, what's the deal between you and Nickel?" Fan asked cautiously.

"Would you like to go for a walk...?" Balloon sighed, returning to his usual feeble demeanour.

"Oh... I, uh, sure," Fan replied, though he had a feeling this walk would involve Balloon opening up about his feelings and the history of his friendship with Nickel. Still, Fan felt honoured that Balloon trusted him enough to share.

Balloon quickly threw on a hoodie and some socks and shoes, not bothering to change out of his pyjama shorts. Soon, Fan and Balloon left the cabin.

Meanwhile, Test Tube, Lightbulb, and Paintbrush remained behind.

"I did not see that coming..." Test Tube awkwardly remarked.

"Me neither... Hopefully Fan can help cheer Balloon up," Lightbulb said with a hopeful smile, trying to stay optimistic.

As the two redheads made their way down by the lake, they walked in silence for a moment before Fan began to speak.

"I know I'm not a therapist or great socially. I'm probably the most awkward person you'll ever meet, but you can trust me to be there for you," Fan said with a faint smile, placing a reassuring hand on Balloon's back. "You don't have to tell me what's going on between you two if you don't want to, but I'm here for you if you need to talk."

"Thanks... We don't really talk much, do we?" Balloon chuckled softly. "Sorry about that... I'm socially awkward too," he admitted.

The two paused and gazed out at the rising sun.

"It's funny, just yesterday, Nickel and I sat here together and... it felt like things had changed, like we were turning over a new leaf and becoming friends," Balloon sighed. "But every time I try... It's like he's building this wall to avoid me. I don't know why he resents me so much—he's so confusing! One minute he says he misses me and tries everything to get my attention, and then the next he wants nothing to do with me... I just... I don't know what to do anymore. It's so stressful," Balloon confided, holding back tears.

"What... What happened between you two? You mentioned you used to be friends, right? How did you become constant bickering enemies or whatever..." Fan asked, curious.

"I... I wasn't a good friend to him when we were younger. I did things that I regret—but that was years ago. I've changed, and he knows I have. Yet he still tries to keep this wall up, as if I'm plotting to hurt him again. But he knows I won't do that! I can see that he knows, yet he just keeps shutting me out. Why? And he doesn't want anyone to know we're friends; he refuses. He's only nice to me when it's just the two of us, and I just don't understand why," Balloon explained, sitting down by the riverbank and hugging his knees. "I miss him," he admitted softly.

Fan squatted down beside him, contemplating Balloon's words.

"It sounds like he still has personal demons he's trying to battle, something that's stopping him from making amends with you. Like he's scared of something—something that might come from being too close," Fan speculated with a thoughtful huff.

"But what?! What could be so possibly scary that he has to keep avoiding what we had!" Balloon exclaimed.

Fan fell silent for a moment, pondering his thoughts. Suddenly, a far-fetched idea came to his mind. It was a shot in the dark, and he wasn't sure if Balloon would believe him. Taking a deep breath, Fan decided to voice his theory.

"Uh, well... maybe he has a crush on you?" Fan blurted out quickly, then nervously looked away, fearing Balloon's reaction.

"What?! Nickel?! Have a crush on me?! No way! We haven't even properly been friends for years. He wouldn't just have a crush on me!" Balloon snapped, caught off guard by the suggestion. It seemed completely unbelievable. Why would Nickel have a crush on him? What made him so special? After everything Balloon had done to Nickel, it didn't make any sense.

"Balloon, hear me out! You say Nickel constantly seeks your attention, but then when you get too close, he pushes you away. What if he's scared that if you get too close, his feelings will show?" Fan explained earnestly.

"N-No, that wouldn't make sense. He has always hated me!" Balloon replied anxiously, feeling his head spin with the unexpected conversation.

"But what if he didn't hate you? What if all along, he liked you but just put on this fake persona of hatred? That's why he gets so upset when people see him getting too close to you—he doesn't want anyone, especially you, to know!" Fan continued.

"No way, not after what I did to him, Fan! You weren't there... I practically ruined his life," Balloon admitted, feeling himself overwhelmed by these accusations.

"But Balloon, what if he liked you back then too? And that's why whatever you did really hurt him. But you've apologised, right? You've done everything in your power to make him care about you again. So why does he keep pushing you away? Maybe it's just easier for him to hate you than to admit his feelings!" Fan exclaimed. "I don't think I'm insane for saying this. I really think Nickel likes you, Balloon."

Balloon felt lightheaded as Fan continued to delve into his theories. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts he had never considered before—the possibility that Nickel could have liked him, or still liked him. They used to be very close, and even now, despite their distance, Balloon noticed moments when Nickel looked at him with fondness, especially when Balloon laughed or rambled about things he loved. Balloon pretended not to notice to spare Nickel any embarrassment, but deep down, he saw the adoring looks. He always thought it was just nostalgia for their old friendship, not something deeper like a crush. Balloon wasn't even sure how he felt about Nickel in that way. He cared about Nickel and wanted to mend their friendship, but to have romantic feelings for him? Balloon was uncertain and confused. He didn't want to dwell on it any longer.

"So... what do you suggest I do...?" Balloon murmured.

"I, uh, well, you could try to secretly find out if he likes you... test the waters, like accidentally touching his hand and see how he reacts!" Fan suggested.

"But... I don't even know how I feel about him. I don't want Nickel to think I'm leading him on... Wouldn't that be wrong, playing with his emotions?" Balloon asked, fiddling with his hoodie strings.

"Oh... I thought you did like him—" Fan quickly averted his gaze, feeling awkward for assuming.

"Well... I don't know! I don't know how I feel about him! He makes me feel... fuzzy. But it's been so long since we've been fighting! I just... I don't know," Balloon admitted, feeling overwhelmed.

"Hey, it's okay. Maybe this camp will help you figure it out. First things first, talk to Nickel today. He seemed upset, so it might be a good idea to try to have a one-on-one with him," Fan suggested, standing up. "We should head back; everyone will be starting to get up, and you still need to get dressed," Fan redirected the conversation, feeling uneasy about being so involved in Balloon's personal dilemma.

As Balloon and Fan returned to the cabin, they found everyone dressed and ready. Nickel was just tying his shoes while the others kept their distance from him. When Balloon entered, Nickel glanced up briefly but then focused back on his shoelaces, deliberately ignoring him.

Test Tube pulled Fan aside and whispered, inquiring about what he had discovered. Fan quietly explained everything—their troubled past, Nickel's behaviour of shutting Balloon out, and even his theory about Nickel possibly having feelings for Balloon. Test Tube gasped softly but nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Balloon awkwardly moved to his bag, situated right next to Nickel's bed. He quietly rummaged through his bag for clothes to change into, intentionally avoiding eye contact with Nickel. Balloon felt uneasy after Fan's revelation, unsure of how to process the theory or if it held any truth. Nickel was clearly upset and avoiding any interaction with him.

After gathering his clothes, Balloon headed to the bathroom to change. Seizing the opportunity, the others left the cabin to join the rest of the camp for the day's activities. Surprisingly, Nickel remained behind, sitting on his bed with arms crossed, waiting for Balloon to return from the bathroom.

When Balloon exited, intending to pack his pyjamas, he found Nickel still there, which caught him off guard. Balloon took the chance to apologise softly as he put away his clothes and grabbed his shoes and socks.

"Sorry," Balloon murmured.

Nickel shifted slightly to make space for Balloon to sit beside him, which puzzled Balloon. He compiled without comment, sitting down beside Nickel.

"I told you to set an alarm..." Nickel grumbled. "Now everyone thinks we're dating or something!" He exclaimed angrily.

Balloon swallowed nervously. "I... I mean, so what if they think that? Why do you care what they think..." Balloon regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"So what? Maybe because I'm not dating you!" Nickel snapped, standing up abruptly and scoffing. "Besides, the whole sleeping in my bed was a one-off thing..." He added.

Balloon quickly tied his shoes and stood behind Nickel. "One-off thing...?" Balloon asked cautiously.

"Uh... yeah?" Nickel turned around, inadvertently realising how close they were. His face turned slightly pink before he stepped back. "You can't expect me to let you sleep in my bed again just because you're scared of the dark!" Nickel retorted.

"Why does it matter now? They all saw it happen. We can just explain that I'm scared and need company! I mean, come on, it's not like there's anyone else for me to sleep beside, besides you!" Balloon exclaimed anxiously.

"Don't care. Maybe I would've allowed it if you set an alarm, but you forgot, so you're not sleeping in my bed... just use my torch or something," Nickel retorted with a huff as he headed toward the door.

Balloon twiddled his thumbs nervously, standing there feeling unsure.

"So... we're good? You don't hate me...?" Balloon asked tentatively, his confusion evident.

Nickel turned around, looking at Balloon as if he were insane for even suggesting such a thing, though this reaction was not unfamiliar to Balloon.

"What—no!" Nickel crossed his arms. "I'm just annoyed," he snapped.

"Oh..." Balloon was taken aback by the response. Despite Nickel's annoyance, Balloon couldn't help but feel a hint of relief. This might be the first time Nickel didn't completely shut him out after a mistake. Quickly, Balloon followed after Nickel, standing beside him as they exited the cabin. Perhaps this camp was indeed changing how Nickel viewed Balloon. While they still had plenty of issues to work out, at least Nickel wasn't ignoring him anymore. Balloon recalled Fan's suggestion about finding out if Nickel liked him, without making it too obvious. He stayed close to Nickel as they walked toward the rest of the camp members.

"I'm glad you don't hate me... I would've missed you if you ignored me," Balloon said, flashing an innocent smile up at Nickel.

Nickel stopped in his tracks, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Shut up—you're the one who was ignoring me yesterday!" He retorted, looking away from Balloon.

"Yeah, I guess it worked out for me, because now you're being nicer to me~" Balloon teased, nudging Nickel playfully.

Nickel felt his body go stiff. Why was Balloon getting so close to him? It made him feel very nervous.

"N-No, pssh! I'm just—" Nickel paused, not really knowing what to say.

"Nice?" Balloon finished his sentence with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Nickel nudged him, but instead of his usual mean demeanour... he smiled.

Balloon was starting to seriously consider what Fan had said that morning. Maybe he was right. Maybe Nickel did like him. Now that Fan had planted this idea in his mind, Balloon would be looking for signs all day to confirm it.

Everyone gathered in front of Lifering as he prepared to explain the day's activities.

"I hope you all had an amazing sleep! We have a busy day ahead of us with two different activities: Kayaking and Barista Skills!" Lifering announced enthusiastically. "I'll be dividing you into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A will start with Kayaking in the morning and then move on to Barista Skills in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Group B will begin with Barista Skills and then go kayaking later. Now, you might be wondering how we can manage two activities at once. Well, I have my good friend... Goo!" Lifering introduced a short man with shaggy blue hair, dressed similarly to himself.

"Hello!" Goo greeted the group with a smile.

"Goo will be taking care of Group B!" Lifering explained. "Now, let's determine the groups with a lucky draw from this hat containing everyone's names."

Lifering dipped his hand into the hat. "First name... Fan! Next is... Balloon! Then we have... Knife, YinYang, Paintbrush..." Lifering purposely manipulated the draw to ensure no matter what that Nickel would be on Balloon's team. "And Nickel!" Lifering announced, though he had not actually drawn Nickel's name. He saw how sad Nickel was yesterday, but somehow Balloon turned his mood around... he liked that, he didn't want to separate them.

Balloon beamed when he realised he would be on Nickel's team. He leaned his arm on Nickel's shoulder, and though Nickel initially felt stiff, he eventually sighed and smiled faintly. Deep down, he was secretly glad to be teamed up with Balloon, even if he wouldn't admit it openly.

Fan's distress was evident as he struggled with the separation from Test Tube. He felt overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, anxiously rubbing his arms.

Meanwhile, Test Tube was celebrating with Lightbulb about being in her group until she noticed Fan's distress and couldn't bear to see him like that. She wanted to protest about the uneven numbers, especially since YinYang counted as two people, but leaving Paintbrush alone wasn't an ideal solution either. She excused herself from celebrating with Lightbulb and approached Fan with care.

"Love..." Test Tube murmured as she wrapped her arms around Fan. He buried his face into her chest, finding comfort in her embrace. "You will be okay... I promise," she reassured him softly, stroking his hair soothingly.

Balloon, noticing Fan's distress, felt compelled to step in and offer support. "H-Hey, Fan... it will be okay. You have Nickel and me, not to mention Paintbrush... We promise to be there for you," Balloon said with a faint smile.

Nickel, while not particularly close to Fan, recognized the situation and decided not to be overly harsh. He knew Test Tube would not appreciate any mistreatment of her boyfriend. "Yeah, Fan. It'll be fine," Nickel added, trying to reassure him.

Test Tube kissed Fan's forehead affectionately. She understood his anxiety, especially his separation anxiety, but she hoped this experience might ultimately be good for him.

The group's show of support seemed to calm Fan's nerves slightly as he took deep breaths, trying to steady himself for the day ahead. He appreciated the encouragement from his friends and felt a bit more reassured knowing they were there for him.

Paintbrush appeared behind Fan, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on, bud. My girlfriend isn't in my group either," Paintbrush said, looking up at Test Tube and silently mouthing, "I'll take care of him."

Test Tube nodded in agreement and gave Fan one last kiss on the top of his head before returning to her group.

"Now that the groups are settled, please gather around your camp leader!" Lifering announced to the assembled campers. He indicated that Candle and Silver Spoon would also need to choose a team to join.

Silver of course wanted to stay with Candle, but he knew how these things worked, they at least needed one teacher per team, and it wasn't like he had much choice where he'd be going, Candle would have to with Yinyang's group or else they would be upset, just as expected she started making her way to their group. Silver huffed, oh well.

The students headed towards their designated group leader, with Nickel and Balloon's group, Group A, being led by Lifering and accompanied by their teacher, Candle. Balloon wasn't entirely sure if he had ever been kayaking before or if he even knew how, but he was excited nonetheless. Nickel, on the other hand, couldn't muster much enthusiasm for kayaking. He considered feigning another episode to get out of it, but the thought of Lifering's suspicion held him back. He sighed and tucked his hands into his jacket pockets, stealing a glance at Balloon who appeared genuinely excited—his smile was bright and his eyes sparkled. Nickel felt a strange tug at his heart, his face flushing slightly as a smile played at his lips. What was wrong with him? Why did being around Balloon make him feel this way? He knew the answer but refused to acknowledge his feelings.

Realising he had been staring for too long, Nickel quickly averted his gaze when Balloon turned to him with excitement. Balloon noticed and made a mental note.

"Are you excited, Nickel?" Balloon asked cheerfully.

"No, not really," Nickel huffed, attempting to mask his feelings. "But I can tell you are..."

"It will be fun! And those kayaks down by the river looked like they had two seats... we can share one!" Balloon smiled brightly, hoping to elicit a response from Nickel.

Nickel could feel his face growing warm, but he turned away, afraid that Balloon might see through him. "Yeah, whoopdeedoo, I guess," he replied sarcastically. Deep down, however, he didn't mind the idea of sharing a kayak with Balloon. He secretly enjoyed the time they were spending together...

Actually, he liked it alot. This can't be good.