Art by @Casper_TheSilliest !!

Most of the students had gathered around the morning campfire, eagerly waiting for Lifering to announce the day's activities. They chatted amongst themselves, anticipating the signal to pay attention. Amid the lively conversation, Candle and Silver quietly slipped away, hand in hand, unnoticed by most. Balloon, peacefully sipping his tea, observed their leave. He suspected they were seeking a more private location, probably to make out—gross. Deciding it wasn't any of his business, Balloon returned to his tea, patiently waiting for the discussion about the day's plans to begin.

Balloon zoned out, staring into the distance, he noticed Knife and YinYang returning with their other cabin members. YinYang seemed engrossed in conversation with Knife, so much so that they hadn't noticed Candle was missing. Perhaps that was for the best—they needed to distance themselves from Candle, after all. Nickel sat close beside Balloon, happily sipping his coffee and kicking his legs. He was in an unusually good mood today, a rare feeling for him. The prospect of potentially having a boyfriend soon—especially if that boyfriend was Balloon—filled him with joy. He was gazing at him with admiration. He marvelled at how Balloon's still-wet hair glistened in the morning sun, the golden string in his hair beautifully contrasting with the salmon curls.

Balloon turned, sensing Nickel's gaze, and faintly smiled, his cheeks tinged pink. He wasn't used to this kind of attention; it felt... nice.

"Yes?" Balloon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nickel smirked. "Just admiring how cute you look." He chuckled cockily, fancying himself a master flirt. Balloon thought he tried too hard, but found it adorable nonetheless.

"Oh, really?" Balloon giggled. "Am I that cute?" He moved his cup to his face, covering his smile.

Nickel moved closer, placing a hand on the cup and lowering it. "Don't hide that cute smile," he teased.

In the midst of their flirting, Paintbrush plopped down beside them, with their girlfriend Lightbulb by their side.

"You two are going to make me throw up in my mouth," Paintbrush cringed at them.

"Painty! Be nice! I think it's cute!" Lightbulb giggled.

Balloon's cheeks flushed as he nervously looked away, sipping his tea. Nickel scoffed at Paintbrush and then turned to Lightbulb.

"Thank you, Lightbulb! At least you can see how cute Balloon is!" Nickel remarked cockily.

Lightbulb raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well... I didn't exactly say Balloon was cute... but okay?" She chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh, so you don't think Balloon is cute?" Nickel snapped, crossing his arms.

"Nickel..." Balloon placed a hand on his arm. "She doesn't have to find me cute. The only person I care about finding me cute is you." Balloon smiled faintly.

Nickel turned to Balloon and huffed, then smiled slightly. "Right, right. Who cares about Lightbulb's opinion? She isn't really that smart anyway," he said cockily.

"Wow... that's not what I said," Balloon replied, crossing his arms uncomfortably.

Before any altercations could occur, Lifering approached the fire with a proud smile, hands on his hips, ready to outline the day's activities.

"Okay, campers! I hope you enjoyed your morning snack and beverage, but now it's time to get down to business! Today, one group will go fishing while the other will explore the woods on a nature walk. Just like yesterday, the groups will switch activities afterward. Since I received a few complaints about some students not being with their friends, I've decided that today you can pick your own groups, as long as they're evenly spread!" Lifering announced. "Each group will have one camp coordinator, either myself or Goo—who, by the way, is coming around to collect your mugs—and one teacher, either Candle or Silver... Wait, where are they?" Lifering looked around, noticing that both Candle and Silver were nowhere to be seen.

YinYang hadn't noticed that Candle was missing as Knife was keeping them busy. The moment they heard that sheer panic filled them.

"What?! Where is she?!" Yang grumbled.

"She was right here before!" Yin cried.

Balloon saw them walk off together... should he say something or stay silent? He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to get them in trouble for being so careless at camp, but he also didn't want poor YinYang to find out the truth. Anxiously staring at the floor, he felt his stomach churn.

"Balloon, what's wrong?" Nickel whispered, sensing something was off.

Balloon swallowed and looked up, then leaned into Nickel's ear and whispered, "I saw Candle and Silver walk off right before YinYang came back... I think they've gone to..."

"Oh, gross!" Nickel recoiled with a look of disgust. "You can't tell YinYang that! It will crush them!" he exclaimed.

"I know! But what am I supposed to do? They're going to find out eventually!" Balloon replied, a worried frown on his lips.

YinYang was freaking out, pacing back and forth, worried about where Candle had gone. They saw Candle as a mother figure—what if she was hurt? They were out in the middle of nowhere! Maybe she got lost! Or perhaps the evil, mean literature teacher Silver Spoon had kidnapped her! YinYang's thoughts were running wild. Balloon could see this and knew he couldn't hide the truth from them; he had to say something to put poor YinYang at ease.

"I have to say something," Balloon said, slipping off the log. Nickel wasn't about to let Balloon go alone. He quickly got up and followed, staying close as they approached YinYang.

"Uh... YinYang?" Balloon tapped them on the shoulder.

YinYang spun around.

"WHAT!"

"Hey! You don't have the right to yell at him like that!" Nickel interjected, arms crossed, trying to defend Balloon even though it wasn't necessary.

"Nickel, please, I can defend myself," Balloon said, putting an arm in front of him and gently ushering him back before stepping forward. "I think I know where Candle went. I saw her and Silver Spoon head back to their cabin, but I really don't think you should go looking for her, okay?" Balloon tried to reason with YinYang.

"Why not?!" Yang grumbled.

"Yes, why not! We need her!" Yin cried.

Balloon glanced back at Nickel, who gave him a worried shrug. What were they supposed to say? They couldn't tell YinYang the real reason they shouldn't go search for Candle—it would either upset them greatly or make them believe Balloon was a liar, prompting them to investigate and get a shocking surprise. There was no way around it; they had no reason or means to stop YinYang from checking on Candle.

"Alright... but what if we come with you?" Balloon offered with a faint smile. At least if YinYang got traumatised, they would have support to calm them down.

"Fine. We agree. Let's go find her now," Yang said, turning toward the cabin.

Balloon and Nickel followed behind. Nickel placed a hand on Balloon's shoulder. "What are you doing? This is going to crush them!" he whisper-shouted.

"What else am I supposed to do, Nickel? Besides, they have to find out at some point. Everyone knows but them!" Balloon replied. He was right; it was only a matter of time before YinYang found out anyway.

Balloon was right; there was nothing that could be done. Nickel fell silent and followed alongside Balloon. The three of them—or four, counting both Yin and Yang—walked up to the cabin. Balloon and Nickel were both nervous about what they might find inside, while YinYang, unaware of the possibilities, felt no fear. Balloon couldn't let YinYang be the one to open the door; he couldn't do that to them. He quickly moved in front.

"Let me open the door," Balloon said, awkwardly smiling to make it seem like he was just being polite.

"Aw, thanks, Balloon!" Yin chirped.

"Yeah, uh, no problem!" Balloon replied, carefully reaching for the door knob.

Silver and Candle thought they had slipped away unnoticed and believed they had more time than they actually did. Of course, they would never do anything inappropriate at a school camp; they weren't that foolish. What they were doing was harmless, but to YinYang, it would be a declaration of war. It had been evident for a while that Silver was infatuated with Candle, given the way he looked at her, spoke to her, and acted around her. Candle, who always laughed at his jokes and was frequently seen talking to him during lunch breaks, was clearly developing feelings for him too. Everyone could see it coming—everyone except poor, naive YinYang. YinYang had no idea what was about to unfold.

Inside the cabin, as innocent as it was, YinYang was not going to like what they were going to see. Silver with his hands on Candle's waist, and Candle with her arms wrapped around his neck, the two of them softly kissing each other.

The door creaked open, and everyone stood stunned, staring at the two of them. Balloon and Nickel had expected worse, but they were still pretty grossed out. Candle quickly turned when she heard the door open, alarming Balloon, who squeaked and quickly shut the door, his face flushed from being caught watching.

"Sorry!" Balloon quickly said as he stepped back from the door.

Poor YinYang was frozen in place, their whole body trembling, hands clenched into fists. Balloon could see the tears in their eyes. They weren't okay; this was crushing them.

As for Candle and Silver, the two of them were embarrassed. Silver couldn't believe how rude his students were for not knocking, his arms crossed over his chest and his face flushed bright. Candle felt terrible; she didn't want the students to see that, especially not YinYang. She knew she couldn't hide the truth from YinYang and had to explain. Awkwardly excusing herself from Silver Spoon, she opened the door. Silver stood behind her, feeling really frustrated that their moment was so rudely interrupted.

"Boys... I'm sorry you had to see that. Silver Spoon and I like each other, just like anyone with a crush. And, naturally, with a crush comes kissing. However, that doesn't excuse us sneaking away to do this. It wasn't the right time, and you didn't need to see it. I apologise." She realised there was little more she could say; the more she spoke, the more upset YinYang seemed to grow.

"Spoonhead is going to keep you away from us! He's going to steal you from us! He's evil, an evil man. He doesn't love; he only hates! Candle, you cannot be with him!" Yang shouted.

"You never even told us! You portray our feelings!"

"Boys... I am sorry, I promise this was new for me also, please calm down, Silver won't be replacing you–" She tried to reason with them.

Silver Spoon thought YinYang was being a little melodramatic! It wasn't the big of a deal, he wasn't going to steal Candle away. They needed to take a deep breath and relax, but alas, they did quite the opposite.

YinYang was visibly shaking, their entire body trembling furiously. YinYang placed their hands on their head, struggling to keep it together, but they were so upset! Balloon and Nickel awkwardly stepped back, sensing that YinYang was on the verge of exploding. No one anticipated what was about to happen. Suddenly, there was a violent shaking, followed by a bright flash that blinded everyone. When they reopened their eyes, they saw Yin and Yang split, lying on the floor opposite each other. Yin wore all white clothes, with white hair, a white polo shirt, and shorts. Yang, in contrast, wore black clothes, identical to Yin's but in black, with jet-black hair. It had been years since anyone had seen them separated. Candle gasped, placing a hand over her lips in shock, unable to believe that YinYang had split.

Everyone was stunned, staring at the two of them separated, unsure of what to say or do. It had been years since anyone had seen them in their separate forms. Yang was the first to get up, dusting himself off. With sharp teeth and scruffy hair, he snapped his neck towards Silver Spoon and snarled at him.

"I am not forgiving either of you! You are both liars! Mean, mean liars!" Yang snapped.

Yin anxiously stood up, immediately fiddling with their thumbs.

"Yang... please!" Yin tries to reason with him.

Balloon glanced at Nickel, then back at Yin and Yang. This was crazy and not at all how he had imagined things would unfold. He felt awful for bringing them here and partially responsible for their split. He had to fix this; he couldn't let Yin and Yang fight because of him! Even if they were blaming Candle, it didn't matter. Balloon knew the consequences and still brought them here to witness that. He could have hidden it from them, but he didn't.

"Yin... Yang, hey, we can work this out... Why did you see the need to split...?" Balloon anxiously asked.

"Because! Yang won't forgive! He says he hates Candle, but Candle is a good woman! She is always here for us, helping us, I forgive her... even if I do not like Silver Spoon." Yin explains.

"WELL I DO NOT! I will not forgive!" Yang snaps at Yin.

Candle felt awful. She never meant to upset YinYang, never intended to make them split or fight. This was breaking her inside. She adored them both so much, and although it was lovely to finally see them separated, it was not under terms she would have liked.

"Yang, you don't have to forgive me, but is it really fair to blame Yin just because he forgives me?" Candle spoke up, hesitant but knowing she had to say something.

As for Silver, he stood stunned. He had no idea that the two of them could even split. This was all new to him.

"Yin is so soft! He never listens to me! He never lets me be upset! I need time away from him! I need time away from you." Yang points at Candle. "I do not want you around me, or Yin."

"Yang! I get to make that decision for myself! And if I want to be around Candle, then I should be allowed! You don't always control what I say just because you are stronger than me! I have feelings too!" Yin cried.

Candle took a deep breath, accepting that this was her fault and that she needed to fix it.

"Listen, here's what we're going to do. You two will take the day separated to figure this out. It seems you both have some personal issues with each other that you haven't shared with me, and I suppose this was just the cherry on top to trigger it all. I will stay away from you both and let you work it out, coming to an agreement if you want to forgive me or not, as a pair, not individually. I know you both can work this out together. For now, why don't you both stay with Nickel and Balloon for the day?" Candle smiled as she spoke calmly, her voice peaceful and understanding.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good... I'll request that you four stay in the same group today. As for me, I think I should be in the opposite group, which means you will have Silver. Are you okay with that?" Candle asked calmly.

"As long as he stays away from me." Yang grumbles.

"What Yang said..." Yin adds.

"See, you're both already agreeing. I believe you'll be able to work this out by the end of the day," Candle smiled.

"Wow... a mutual agreement to hate me, how nice," Silver scoffed sarcastically.

Nickel couldn't believe this! Why was the responsibility being put on him and Balloon? It wasn't even their fault! Balloon was trying to do the right thing, and now they were stuck with both Yin and Yang all day, having to sort out their problems? How was that fair? Nickel wanted today to woo Balloon, treat him like a prince, and show him what it would be like if they were a couple. Instead, they had to babysit? This was ridiculous! How was he supposed to get close to Balloon with Yin and Yang in the way? At this rate, the two of them would never have time alone together!

"What! How is that fair to us? We never agreed to babysit them! We aren't even involved!" Nickel snapped grumpily.

"Excuse us for a moment!" Balloon said with a nervous, frustrated smile.

Balloon put a hand on his head and gently pushed Nickel away.

"Nickel, will you be quiet? You don't have to babysit them if you don't want to, but I am just as involved as Candle is, and I'm going to help. Whether you want to help me or not, I am helping," Balloon snapped at him.

"But we just confessed yesterday, and we haven't had any time together yet! I just want to spend time with you alone..." Nickel confessed, his face flushing a little.

Balloon felt like he was going to rip his hair out. Although, it was cute that Nickel just wanted time alone with him. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

"We can still spend time together... but we need to be there for them, okay? Just do this for me, please?" he pleaded, looking up at Nickel with hopeful eyes.

"Fiiine. Fine. Because you're stupidly cute," Nickel grumbled with a flushed face.

"Yay! Thanks Nickel!" He hummed happily, turning back to the others. "Come on, Yin, Yang, let's go back to the campfire."

"Whatever..." Yang grumbled and followed behind Balloon and Nickel, who led the way.

As for Yin, he paused for a moment to give Candle a hopeful smile before quickly turning around and following the others.

Candle and Silver stood silently for a moment. She felt guilty about what had happened, but she hoped that maybe this would help YinYang make new friends instead of always relying on her. They needed to learn that there were other people out there who were fun to be around too.

Silver Spoon turned to Candle and sighed. "Are you alright, my dear?" Silver asked.

"I'm fine, Silver... I think this will be good for YinYang... Come along now, we have to go and inform Lifering of everything that happened," Candle said, taking Silver's hand and guiding him back to camp.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

Upon returning to the campfire, everybody stopped and looked. It didn't take long for whispers to spread about Yin and Yang being split. For many of them, it was a surreal sight as they had never seen the two separated before. Yin and Yang barely acknowledged anyone, staying close to Balloon and Nickel as they followed them to sit by the fire. The campers stared at them with shock, speechless at what was unfolding before their eyes.

It wasn't long before Candle and Silver arrived, drawing more attention. Everyone had their own theories about what had happened, whispering their thoughts and opinions on the cause of the split. Candle approached Lifering, who was just as stunned as everyone else. He didn't even know the two of them could split; he honestly never understood what they were. Candle pulled Lifering aside and explained the entire situation to him, and he was understanding.

Once Candle finished explaining, Lifering went back to the campers, clapping his hands together to stop the whispering.

"Attention, campers! Please choose your groups! We will be starting activities soon!" he called out. "Once you have your groups, come to me."

The bright lights took this as an opportunity to ask what happened, the four of them approaching Yin-Yang, Balloon, and Nickel.

"So... what's up with that?" Fan asked curiously.

"None of your business shortie!" Yang snaps at Fan.

"You're a shortie too, Yang!" Yin exclaimed.

Balloon took a deep breath before responding.

"Look, they just need some time apart. Let's not make this uncomfortable for them. Candle wants Nickel and myself to stick with them and help them work out their differences..." Balloon decided to leave out the part about finding Candle and Silver kissing, respecting their privacy.

"Golly... sounds complicated... Are you sure you can handle this right now, Balloon? I know you've got a lot on your mind..." Test Tube frowned, genuinely worried about Balloon taking on more than he could handle.

"I'll be fine! Heh... Thank you, though. Really... I'll be fine," he said, mustering a faint smile.

Test Tube gave a supportive smile before turning back to her friends.

Nickel raised a brow and turned to Balloon curiously. "Uh... what does she mean by that?" he asked, his worry evident.

"N-Nothing! Don't worry!" Balloon quickly brushed it off, smiling anxiously. "We have to find two other team members... Come on!" he changed the topic, eager to distract from the moment.

Knife and Trophy approached.

"Hey, we were wondering if we could be in your group. It'd be an all-boys group if we did," Knife tried to play it off as if he was trying to create an all-boys group rather than expressing concern for YinYang.

"Oh... uh, sure!" Balloon smiled nervously, feeling intimidated by Knife as always.

"ALL BOYS CLUB! LET'S GO!" Yang cheered.

"Of course you'd like the sound of that, Yang." Yin giggled.

Knife smiled faintly as he approached the two of them.

"Wow, you guys split... cool stuff," he said with a smile.

"Yeah... just for the day, I hope!" Yin smiles faintly.

"We'll see..." Yang grumbled, his arms crossed.

Trophy didn't really care much about anyone, but somehow Knife convinced him to team up with these guys. Why not? It's not like he had much of a choice.

In the other group, there was the Bright Lights friend group along with Taco and Microphone. Mainly all girls, besides Fan and Paintbrush, but they didn't care; they just wanted to be with their girlfriends.

Once Lifering saw that the groups were sorted, he sent the teachers to their allocated groups. Silver was placed in the group with YinYang as Candle requested to be away from them for a day to let both Yin and Yang heal without her help. She was sent to the other group. Lifering decided he should go with YinYang's group to keep an eye on everything and report back to Candle how everything went during their switch over breaks. Goo was sent to the group with Candle; their group would be fishing first, while Lifering's group would be going on the nature walk.

. . .

Lifering approached their group with a positive smile, holding a crate full of bags.

"Alright! Looks like an all-boy group! How fun! We'll be going into the woods for a few hours on a nature walk! I've already packed a few backpacks with everything you'll need: water, snacks, and a GPS." He placed the crate down for his group to grab a bag each.

Everyone quickly snatched a bag for themselves and put it on their backs. It wasn't long before they were all ready to go.

They started their walk towards the woods, Nickel staying close to Balloon while he chatted with Yin, trying to cheer him up. It seemed Yang was having a good time socialising with Knife and Trophy. This was new for both of them; they never really had a chance to split and talk to others like this. Maybe this would be really good for them both? Balloon hoped it would be, and hoped that by the end of the day they'd be able to see eye to eye again and come together as one. Sometimes... you need to take a break from others, even those you really love.

As Balloon and Yin spoke about things they enjoyed, such as catching butterflies, Nickel grumpily walked beside them, kicking up rocks as he walked. He couldn't help but think about what Test Tube said... What did she mean that Balloon had a lot on his mind? Was he okay? Was there something that Balloon wasn't telling him? This really worried Nickel; he wanted to make Balloon happy if he was sad, and the only way he could do that was if Balloon was being open and honest with him.

Nickel hoped that maybe he could get Balloon to be more open with him today. He wanted to help; he wanted to be there for him. He still wanted to treat him like royalty, despite everything that had happened today already. Was that too hard to ask?