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"Firey!"
Coiny couldn't believe it. Their team had a separate fireproof bed specifically for him, and what did Firey do? Fall asleep on the other lone bed and set it aflame. That's what he did—and Coiny was less than happy about the result.
Yeah, he and Firey had made up years ago, but this incident definitely didn't make it any easier to be friends. Now, with eight members and only seven beds, there were sure to be issues tonight.
So Coiny yelled his name in his face once more, louder this time. "Firey!"
Firey flinched, taking a step back. His lip quivered, which only made Coiny more indignant.
There wasn't even a good reason to scream. The bed had already been tossed outside to prevent any further damage—at least to the cabin. And it was a simple mistake; the fireproof bed looked nearly identical to the other single bed, which a sleepy Firey could have failed to notice even with his light to guide him.
A hand gently rested on his back, familiar and grounding. Coiny didn't need to look behind himself to know it was Pin.
"Coiny," she said, her voice small. "Leave him be." And somehow, he felt the anger fizzle out through his fingertips at the sound, silencing the pounding in his ears. The muscles in his face relaxed, like there was never any tension there.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Firey. I... I don't know what came over me." Coiny gave him an apologetic glance. "You can go to sleep now. We'll take care of everything."
Firey stared at the ground. "Really?"
"Yeah, good night. See you tomorrow." He watched Firey walk back to his fireproof bed and lie down.
"Good nigh..." Firey was out like a light before he could pronounce the "t" sound.
Coiny sighed and turned to Pin, clinging onto her hand and looking into her eyes. "I really don't know why I did that. I mean, me and Firey... we have history. You've seen it."
She nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I get what you mean. It's easy to fall back into those destructive patterns." Her thumb ran over his knuckles, and it shouldn't have felt so natural. "What matters is that... you try to fix them. And own up to it all."
Pin was right. The moment had tempted him to revert to his rivalry with Firey because that was the easiest thing to do in the moment, when he did something wrong. But Coiny couldn't let it take control of him anymore, not when they were both moving on.
She grinned at him, but the way she raised her eyebrows made him think she was a little nervous. "Am... am I making any sense?" she asked.
He leaned in, placing his free hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. I'll try to do better with him, promise." Without thinking, he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. "You're a really good listener, you know that? And you give great advice."
"Y-you mean it?"
"Of course! That was just what I needed to hear," he said, affectionately bumping his forehead against hers. He pretended not to notice the way she shuddered when he got close. Or the ooze dripping from her palm. Does that always happen, or is it just when she's with me?
But honestly, apart from her physical reactions, Pin seemed pretty relaxed. She hummed quietly into the air, and they fell into a comfortable silence, just embracing in the middle of the cabin. It was the best kind of peace.
Peace that crumbled as soon as the rest of the Losers stumbled inside. When he heard their raucous footsteps, Coiny fake pouted and withdrew his arms from around Pin, leaving them hanging by his sides. She snickered at him, and they turned to watch their incoming teammates file in.
"So, uh, what are we gonna do about the bed situation?" asked Clock as he strolled inside the cabin, eyes flicking from place to place. "It's getting late, and we all need some sleep."
"One of us could sleep on the floor," said Coiny, bending over and regretting his offer as soon as his fingers touched the wood. It was dirty, creaky, and cold—polar opposite of the soft, inviting beds they usually slept in. "Never mind."
"I'm so tired," huffed Needle, "and carrying that burning mattress outside didn't help."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not sharing a bed with anyone," said Eggy, eyebrows furrowed.
"W-what if one of us shared a bed with Loser?" asked Cake, glancing over at Loser, who shrugged.
"I don't have a problem with that," Loser drawled coolly.
Eggy sighed, turning half-heartedly to Clock. "Of course he's the one to suggest that."
Cake's eye twitched. "What was that?"
"Oh... nothing."
He scoffed and stood in front of her, rising to his tiptoes in a meager attempt to meet her formidable height. "Oh, excuse me for trying to help out, but-"
"And yet here you are, taking advantage of the situation. I think Loser must feel suffocated by how obsessed you are-"
"Well, I think Loser appreciates the fact that he's in such high demand," growled Cake, gritting his teeth. His head whipped around. "Don't you agree, Loser?"
Eggy rolled her eyes and ignored him. "At least one person would be unhappy with the outcome, and-"
Cake drew Loser in with a leg around him. "You don't get it! This is the best way to deal with-"
"No, I'm trying to-"
This is probably a good moment to intervene, thought Coiny, biting his lip as they bickered.
Loser's mouth parted. "I-"
"Hey! What if we all just compete to decide who gets to sleep with Loser?" Coiny blurted out. The word "compete" seemed to get everyone's attention, and the argument fell silent. "We could call it, oh, I dunno, Battle for Sleep with Loser!"
BFSWL. It could be like... oh mint, it could be like BFDIA all over again. This could be amazing!
"Th-that sounds fair to me," said Pin, crossing her arms. "Since Loser doesn't mind sharing a bed, we just need another willing person, and what better way to decide than with a competition?"
"Thank you. See, she knows what I'm talking about!" Coiny raised his hand, and they high-fived, the resounding slap echoing through the cabin. "You and I can host together! Oh, this is gonna be great."
Needle stepped forward. "Coiny, I'm sorry, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're worn out. One show is enough."
He didn't expect that Needle, of all people, would shoot him down, but she made a good point. They were all tired, and if they didn't get some sleep soon, how could they do their best at the next challenge?
"Yeah... guess you're right," he mumbled, the exhaustion just beginning to take its toll on his voice.
"Like I said, it's getting late," said Clock.
"We could quickly decide among ourselves who'll share a bed," offered Needle. "Although I don't think we want to discuss this at such a late hour."
"That won't be necessary."
Everyone's heads turned to Coiny, and he gulped. "I- uh..." He hadn't thought this through, but now he had to say something.
"Pin and I can share a bed."
Miiiiiint.
He put on what was hopefully his most charming smile as he met her gaze. She seemed more confused than worried, which was... unideal, but acceptable. "Pin, will that work for you?"
She stared at her feet, breaking eye contact. "I don't know," she said, clasping and unclasping her hands. "I don't want to take up too much room..."
Pin? Taking up too much room? If anything, he'd be the one taking up her room. Or would they be taking up each other's? Whatever.
"I won't mind," he reassured her, and something in her eyes softened. "Because you're my best friend."
"Well... okay, then. Let's do it," she said.
"Finally," said Cake.
"I'm glad we all could work it out," Loser rasped, his feathery voice cracking with fatigue. The team cheered together.
As everyone went to bed, Pin called out, "Night night, Losers!"
"Good night!" they chorused.
"Sleep tight..." said Clock.
"Don't let the bedbugs bite!" finished Coiny, beaming at Pin.
Cake jolted up from his bed. "There are bugs? Yikes!"
Clock hung his head. "No, Cake, it's just the saying. There aren't any bugs in here." Cake let out an overt sigh of relief. Finally, the cabin was getting quiet.
Coiny looked down at the bed he was going to share with Pin. Someone had pushed it against the wall. "After you," he said.
"Thanks," she said, glancing back at him briefly as she tucked herself in.
"No problem." With a deep breath, he sank into the mattress and pulled the covers over them both.
There wasn't a lot of space on the bed, so their legs were touching. Pin's side rubbed awkwardly against his when he tried to lie on his back, so he faced her instead.
Her leg was quivering against his. "You're shaking," he said. "Everything okay?"
"Sorry, I've... never shared a bed with anyone before," she whispered.
He got it. This kind of physical closeness was rare, even for them. "Relax," he said, "it's just me, Coiny."
He reached toward her, and a surge of euphoria shot through him as their hands touched under the covers, but he had to play it cool. This was Pin.
"Oh, uh. Hey," he said a little too loud.
"Hi," she said, looking at him through her lashes.
Pin, who looked so cozy when she was tucked in like this.
"So..." he said, not knowing where the conversation was going. It was like driving a bus with no directions, and it left him at a loss for words.
It was then that he got an urge.
A teensy tiny little urge, but it was absolutely delicious. He blushed, giddily smiling at the thought.
She arched a brow at him. "What's got you smiling like that?"
He snorted, shaking his head. So she gets snappy when she's tired. Noted. He liked learning new things about her.
"You," he casually replied, and when she heard him say that, she kinda looked like she was choking.
Maybe it was the sleep talking in his head, or her fingers grazing his, or the stupid blush on his stupid, stupid face, but he really wanted to...
To...
Before he could question it any longer, he hugged her. Reached his arms all the way around her body and hugged her.
Oh, yeah. Thanks, Firey.
His head naturally tilted into her side, and he realized how nice it was just to hold her like this. Like they were meant to fit together, to be together. Just like this.
Dopily, he smiled against her cheek. "Sweet dreams," he whispered.
She didn't answer, not aloud, but the way she wrapped her arms around him tighter, just to where he could feel it, was enough to coax him into a sound sleep.
The last thing he noticed was that she'd stopped shaking.
Ever since Pin could remember, she'd always had trouble sleeping. It was only recently that the racing thoughts came along and made it even worse.
But tonight, in Coiny's arms, she felt like... there was nothing to fear. Yeah, he was salivating on her face, but she could live with that.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she let herself have this moment. Something slow-paced. It was like a break from all the stress—who needed Yellow Face's gumballs when they had Coiny?
She nuzzled into him comfortably, feeling a deep sense of affection for him rise through her chest. Maybe tonight, she could fall asleep to the thought of what he would say if he saw her like this. Tease her about how comfy she was? Compliment her cuddling skills?
Content in this embrace, Pin curled into her favorite position, brushing everything aside as she drifted off into what would be the best sleep she'd had in a while.
At least, she would have if she hadn't heard whispers coming from the bunk beds.
"... It's about time that they got together, honestly." That animated voice was Cake's. Who was he talking about, though?
Eggy chimed in, "I'm gonna agree with you for once. They need to kiss or something."
"They're perfect for each other! I don't like to get involved in, well, lovey-dovey stuff, but just look at them!" Needle sounded like she was swooning. "Sharing a bed... it's so romantic, isn't it?"
Pin froze, the Losers' hushed murmurs fading into static. Romantic? No, that couldn't be right. She and Coiny were just friends. What were they on about?
She suppressed a laugh that was more of a dismissal than an expression of joy. The gossip buzzed around in her mind like an obnoxiously loud bee. She'd known Coiny for years and years, and things had never gotten... that way. How was this the first time she was hearing about this? People wanted them to get together? Since when?
It wasn't like she couldn't see it happening—they were already close, and... and they could probably make a good couple. She'd just never considered him that way.
But then he barely shifted against her, mumbling something in his sleep. Her eyes widened as a faint tingle shot through her from her toes to her chest to her cheeks, and suddenly it felt like she was getting a sunburn even though it was midnight and they weren't outside.
All because of Coiny, her silly, loyal, confident best friend, randomly moving while c... cuddling with her? Corkboard, he was cuddling with her. It was so weird to put this situation into perspective.
Was this normal for friends to do? Maybe it would've been less complicated if some people didn't bring up the idea of romance and... and get in her head.
But Pin couldn't lie to herself anymore. Not when he was right in front of her, quite literally forcing her to face her problems head on.
He was her safe place. The first one she could turn to. Just earlier today, he'd lifted her up when she thought she would tear herself apart.
And when he spoke to her, there was something in his eyes, something that tugged her in like a rip current. It was something so tender and hopeful that she didn't know whether it was real or... or just something she had made up.
She gripped at the sheets behind him, her breath growing shallow. Feelings were hard when she couldn't name them. This was new. This was scary. But with him, it seemed possible.
Coiny built her up, made her feel like she deserved to have someone like him in her life. Like she was worth saving. Like he wanted her around, not for selfish reasons, but because he l... l... l...
She clutched his sleeping body and groaned in frustration, not caring whether the other Losers heard. Because it was at that moment she knew she was done for.
After all, how was she going to get any sleep now?