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Paintbrush was never the same after they saw their friends’ lifeless bodies.
They scared them.
They scared them so much.
Being around their friends was never calm. Lightbulb was always jumping around, playing with Baxter, or trying to tell Paintbrush a funny joke. Test Tube was always writing something down, probably calculations or notes about the things she's seen. Fan was always recording for his blog, interviewing Paintbrush, which always made them get angry.
When MePhoneX took their lives away, it became calm. Yeah, Paintbrush loves calm from time to time, but this? It was too much. The calmness was painful. Lightbulb's grin was wiped away. The green liquid that was unique to Test Tube spilled. Fan was silent for the first time. And Paintbrush missed the chaos coming from the group.
Eventually, everyone was revived and they escaped from MePhone and slaughtered Cobbs and whatever. While everyone partied and rejoiced, Paintbrush stayed cooped up in their room, scared of all the things that could happen to them and their loved ones. Lightbulb shattered easily. Test Tube also shattered easily. The worst, however, was Fan. Being made of thin paper and wood, he could be burned into a crisp in seconds. Especially if Paintbrush loses their temper. When the Safety Squad formed, Paintbrush joined as fast as they could. They swore that as long as they were around, no one would die or be lifeless again.
But Paintbrush was stupid. They couldn't do anything right.
They were there when Fan got struck with lightning. They should've done something. Instead, they just stood in fear, watching as their friend started burning to a crisp. So stupid was what Paintbrush was. They could've poured water immediately on Fan. They could’ve tried climbing over the wall. They should’ve done something. Yet they didn’t. They just stood there in horror. When the Safety Squad found Fan, he was already half way dead. His paper was burned and his wood was brown. His eyes that were once full of life were now empty, and his busy hands were limp. The moment Paintbrush saw Fan's body, they immediately backed away, scared.
"Paintbrush?" Box had asked, concerned. "Are you ok?"
No. No they weren't. They had just seen their friend's motionless body. Of course they weren't 'okay'! They were horrified! Who looks at a body and is fine with it?! No one! But Paintbrush couldn't say that. They knew if they tried explaining to Box how they felt, they would end causing a fire, or breaking down in tears. And they couldn't do that. They had to lie and be strong.
Currently, Paintbrush was standing over Fan's body in the hospital. Fan looked so burnt and pale, hanging on by a thread. The machinery and tubes connected to Fan beeped, making the room sound less uncomfortable, unlike Paintbrush. Fan shouldn't have been in a position like this. It should've been Paintbrush. Maybe then they wouldn't be as much of a hazard anymore.
It was kinda ironic that Fan was burnt badly. All those year ago, back in season two, Paintbrush would always yell at Fan, making their hair go up in flames. Fan should've been more careful back then when talking to them. Thinking about season two brought Paintbrush chills, especially of how no one knew about their host. Trying to fill into the shoes of a famous person must be hard for Fan, especially one who had done questionable things. If Fan knew about what was coming for him, would he continue trying to be host for these new games?
Paintbrush liked to think that their friend would choose the safe option, aka the reasonable one, but deep down, they knew he wouldn't. When Fan is passionate about something, he sticks with it until the very end. That's what happened with the egg, and what'll happen with the show.
Paintbrush's eyes started tearing up, looking down at Fan's body. They looked at Fan's heart monitor, and watching Fan's heart rate go the normal pace. Although Fan was resting, Paintbrush could tell that Fan was fighting against death.
A tear dropped down from their eye. "You're much stronger than I am." They said, their voice cracking. "I'm rooting for you."