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The news spread fast, faster than anyone expected. Every object, even those who weren’t part of this so-called “season 4,” heard about what happened to Fan. But calling it a season felt generous; no one was even watching anymore. It wasn’t a show, it was a routine, something to keep everyone busy, to give them some sense of purpose after Mephone’s disappearance left a vacuum. They were literally created to compete; what else were they supposed to do?
So Fan had stepped up to host, with Test Tube at his side. It worked… at least until he was literally struck by lightning.
Nickel wanted nothing to do with it. He refused the moment they asked. Three seasons were more than enough, and he wasn’t signing up for another, especially not when he and Balloon had just started dating. He wanted to spend every moment he could with him. And honestly? He wasn’t going to compete without Balloon, and he sure as heck wasn’t letting Balloon compete without recovery magic. Balloon was… well… a balloon. A stray gust of wind the wrong way could take him out. A blade of grass could kill him.
Nickel had been terrified ever since they defeated Steve Cobs and lost the Shimmer’s magic. From that day on, he became almost obsessive about keeping Balloon safe. He’d been urging, no, nagging, Balloon for weeks to visit Test Tube and get the same blue-ray spray Lightbulb used to keep herself from shattering. Balloon kept brushing it off, insisting he was fine.
But then Fan was struck by lightning. Struck by lightning. Sent to the hospital. Nearly died.
That was Nickel’s breaking point.
He stormed his way into their shared room in the mansion demanding Balloon listen to him. “That’s it, no more excuses. You’re getting sprayed today.”
And Balloon, shaken by the panic sweeping through everyone else, couldn’t even argue. Everyone was buzzing with fear! Objects crowding around Test Tube’s lab begging for the blue-ray protection, worried whispers trailing through the hallways like static.
Nickel was pushing Balloon along with his head, guiding him out of the mansion and down to the lab. Balloon’s trembling didn’t help.
“Nickel… Nickel wait—” Balloon stammered as they walked. “Are you sure we should…? What if she’s out? What if she can’t make more? What if… what if it doesn’t even work on me?”
“It will work,” Nickel insisted, voice cracking sharper than he meant. “And even if it doesn’t, we’re not leaving until she finds something that does. You know what happened to Fan! If that happened to you—”
He cut himself off, swallowing hard. Just thinking about it made his stomach twist.
Balloon’s eyes softened, worried for him now. “N-Nickel… I don’t want anything bad happening to me either. I just… I didn’t think I needed it before. I thought… I don’t know, I guess I thought I was being dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” Nickel stopped walking entirely and turned to face him. “Balloon, you’re made of latex and hot air. That’s not dramatic, that’s physics.”
Balloon let out a shaky laugh that immediately turned into a nervous hiccup. “Y-yeah… okay…”
Nickel exhaled hard, nuzzling his face into Balloon’s face, hug-like. “I’m not losing you. Not after everything. Not after we finally—” His voice dipped, gentler. “Not after we finally got here.”
Balloon looked down, his cheeks warming. “I’m scared too, you know… I was trying to pretend I wasn’t, but after the lightning… Nickel, I don’t want to die. I… I’m finally happy.”
Nickel brushed his face against his, guiding him forward again. “Then let me keep you safe, okay? Just this once. No arguments.”
“…Okay,” Balloon whispered. “Okay. I trust you.”
They pushed their way through the crowded hallway toward Test Tube’s lab, the air buzzing with frantic voices and panicked speculation. Nickel kept his head on Balloon’s back, practically acting as a shield as they tried to squeeze through the mass of objects blocking the door.
“Everyone move!” Nickel barked, his voice cracking sharply through the noise. “Half of you aren’t even high priority for this blue-ray stuff! You’ll survive without it! There’s limited supply and Balloon actually needs this! So get out of the way and let him through!!”
His outburst startled the crowd; a few objects jumped back.
“Nickel… it’s fine…” Balloon whispered, shrinking slightly as several heads turned. “Please don’t make a scene…”
But Nickel refused to relax, jaw clenched, eyes darting around like he was expecting someone to snatch Balloon away.
Inside, Test Tube’s lab looked like chaos incarnate. Bot was helping out with the blue-ray. Test Tube herself looked like she was one sleepless night away from collapsing, deep eye bags, trembling hands, and what seemed like seven different stress sweats happening at once.
“Next! N-next one… Balloon… Good, sit, sit, quickly, Bot, prep the applicators!” Test Tube stammered, already reaching for the spray bottle.
Balloon barely had time to settle onto the metal stool before both Test Tube and Bot descended on him, spraying and smoothing a shimmering coat of pale blue across his surface. Around them, the room erupted into shouting, objects arguing, shoving, insisting they should be next, they were more fragile, they were more important.
“This is OUTRAGEOUS!”
“I’ve been waiting for an HOUR!”
Then OJ stormed in.
“Enough!” he boomed. The room fell silent instantly. “Test Tube can’t spray everyone! There’s not enough, and it needs to go to contestants who are actually high-risk. If you’re not poppable, breakable, or living on borrowed physics, step back and let her work!”
With OJ’s shout echoing through the lab, Test Tube and Bot finished the last swipe of blue-ray coating. Balloon hopped off the stool almost immediately, rubbing his face as if trying to make sure the coating was really there.
“Th-thank you,” he mumbled, then slipped out of the lab in a rush, eager to escape the enclosed panic.
He spotted Nickel outside, pacing beside Baseball. Nickel was speaking fast, too fast. Baseball listened.
Balloon hesitated. He didn’t approach yet… he just listened.
Nickel sounded exhausted. “I can’t lose him, Baseball. I just… I can’t. Not after everything. Not after season three. Not after we finally, y’know.” He gestured vaguely, flustered.
Baseball nodded slowly. “Nickel, I get it. Really. He means a lot to you.”
“More than a lot,” Nickel muttered, voice dropping. “Ever since we defeated Steve Cobs and the Shimmer’s magic disappeared, I’ve been terrified. Every single day. One sharp rock, one fall, one stupid accident and— and that’s it. No recovery. Gone.” Nickel swallowed hard. “Do you know what that feels like?”
Baseball exhaled thoughtfully. “You’re not weird for worrying. It means you care.”
“I do. Way too much. And he never takes it seriously. He always says he’s ‘fine,’ but he doesn’t get it, he’s fragile! He’s literally—”
“A balloon,” Baseball finished gently. “But hey, he’s a balloon who just got blue-ray coated. He’s safer now.”
Nickel let out a shaky breath, some tension leaving his shoulders. “Yeah… yeah, I know. I just… I need him to be okay.”
“Then tell him that. Not by yelling, but for real.”
Balloon’s heart gave a heavy thump, he stepped forward.
“H-Hey…” he called softly.
Nickel and Baseball spun around. Balloon stood there, shimmering a pale, sparkling blue, the light catching off his surface in a way that made him look almost ethereal, fragile in a new, strange way. Not his familiar warm salmon tone. Different.
And Nickel bolted to him like a magnet snapping to metal.
“Balloon—! You look…” Nickel reached up and placed a foot to Balloon’s cheek, studying him closely.
“Different,” Balloon finished for him with a nervous little laugh. “Yeah, I know. It’s weird. Test Tube said it wears off eventually, so I’ll… probably have to come back for reapplications.” He swallowed, glancing past Nickel. Baseball had stepped back a few feet, giving them space but definitely still watching with that soft, knowing smile.
Nickel lowered his foot, still staring. “So this should keep you safe… Not that I’m going to, like, test it… well, actually…” He paused. “I want to be sure. Just to confirm. Just real quick.”
Before Balloon could question it, Nickel darted a look over his shoulder to see if Baseball had turned away (he hadn’t, but he pretended not to notice), then rose onto his tippy-toes.
And he bit Balloon’s cheek.
Not hard, just enough for his sharp teeth to leave a tiny dented crescent of a mark.
Balloon’s breath hitched, eyes wide, a burst of heat rushing to his face.
“Oh thank GOD,” Nickel exhaled, relief flooding him as he dropped back down. “You didn’t pop. Okay. You’re fine. It works.”
Balloon just stood there, dazed, blinking, before he finally sputtered out a response.
“Wh— NickEL!!” he yelped, shoving him lightly with both hands as his cheeks flushed a deep blue. “Y-You can’t just bite me like that!”
Nickel only smirked, completely unapologetic. “I needed data.”
“Data?!” Balloon squeaked.
Nickel softened just enough to lean in and bump foreheads with him. “You’re okay. That’s what matters.”
Balloon’s blush deepened. He mumbled something incoherent under his breath.
Baseball, still watching from a respectful distance, he will probably leave them to it now.
“Come on, let’s head back. I still don’t think being outside is safe,” Nickel muttered, nudging Balloon forward with his head. It wasn’t subtle, he was practically herding him like a stubborn cat, but Balloon let himself be pushed along. Honestly, he didn’t want to be outside either.
They made their way back to the mansion, the halls quieter now that the blue-ray frenzy had died down. Nickel shut their bedroom door with a quick shove of his foot, locking the chaos of the day out.
Balloon wandered over to their shared bed and sat down gingerly, hands folded in his lap. He kept glancing around like the room might suddenly sprout dangers. His nervous fidgeting only made the soft blue shimmer across his skin ripple slightly, catching the light in a way that made him look… different. Gentle. Almost celestial.
Nickel turned to look at him, and paused.
Because Balloon looked really cute.
Not that he didn’t always, but the pale blue glow made him look softer somehow. And the little crescent of teeth marks still visible on his cheek? Nickel felt his face warm. He hadn’t been able to leave a mark like that before. He’d nibbled, sure, but biting Balloon had always been off-limits, for obvious, poppable reasons.
But now?
Now he could bite him without fear.
Nickel inhaled sharply, suddenly aware of the thoughts running through his head. Thoughts he probably shouldn’t be having this soon after a life-threatening emergency. Thoughts that were definitely not medical or safety-related.
Balloon noticed immediately.
He narrowed his eyes. “Okaaay… what’s that look?” he asked, shifting in place. “Nickel, I know that face. You’re thinking something. Something you’re not supposed to be thinking right now… but definitely are.”
Nickel stiffened like he’d been caught with illegal contraband.
“What—what look?” he said a little too quickly.
“That one,” Balloon pointed accusingly. “The one that means your brain is going places. Places it shouldn’t be going.”
Nickel opened his mouth to deny it, then shut it again, lips twitching guiltily.
Balloon sighed, cheeks puffing slightly. “Nickel… what are you thinking?”
Nickel glanced away, then back at Balloon, then away again, before muttering under his breath:
“…I like that I can leave marks on you now.”
Balloon’s whole face flushed a soft purple beneath the blue glow.
“Oh my… Nickel!!”
Balloon grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it, flustered and squeaking.
Nickel only grinned, cheeks warm. “What? I’m being honest!”
“You can’t just say that!!” Balloon squeaked, his voice cracking adorably.
Nickel raised a brow. “Why not? It’s true, isn’t it?”
He crawled onto the bed without hesitation, practically pouncing. Balloon instinctively scooted back, his heart thundering as Nickel settled on his knees in front of him. There it was again, that switch Nickel had. One moment terrified for Balloon’s life, the next absolutely glued to him, craving every second of attention.
Balloon swallowed hard and looked away, his cheeks heating. He knew exactly where this was going.
Nickel leaned forward until their foreheads nearly touched, pursing his lips in exaggerated kissy motions just to make Balloon fluster more. “Now I don’t have to be sooo careful,” he teased, voice dipping in a playful hum.
“Seriously?” Balloon muttered under his breath. But the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed him. “Okay… I guess we’re doing this.”
He cupped Nickel’s head gently between both hands, steadying him, almost grounding himself, too, before leaning in. Their lips met in a soft, cautious kiss at first, the kind where both of them paused just long enough to realize how badly they’d both needed it.
Nickel melted instantly.
His legs slid around Balloon’s waist, drawing him closer.
Balloon let out a shaky breath against Nickel’s mouth, feeling the familiar warmth between them settle into something slow and sweet. Nickel’s lips brushed his again, more sure this time, affectionate rather than urgent, but with an unmistakable thrill behind it. When Nickel’s teeth grazed lightly against Balloon’s lower lip, a tiny reminder of that new blue-ray durability, Balloon let out a soft huff of a laugh into the kiss.
“You’re impossible…” he whispered against Nickel’s mouth, but the smirk stretching across his face gave him away.
They leaned together, tangled gently, breath mingling. The soft glow of Balloon’s new blue shimmer reflected faintly in Nickel’s eyes as he held him, both of them wrapped up in the comfort of being safe, of being here… after such a terrifying day.
The kissing deepened, slow and warm, until Nickel finally pulled back, though only by an inch. His eyes flicked over Balloon’s face, then down his body, studying that faint blue shimmer the same way a curious cat inspects a new toy.
Then he leaned in again.
This time, instead of kissing, Nickel began leaving soft little nibbles along Balloon’s cheek and jaw. They were gentle at first, barely more than feathery taps of teeth, but each one was deliberate, experimental. Nickel was clearly testing what the blue-ray allowed, how far he could go without causing harm.
Balloon shivered. Every tiny bite made a warm jolt shoot down his spine, not painful, just… new. Strange in a good way. He let out a breathy giggle he couldn’t hold back.
“Nickel…” he murmured, half flustered, half delighted.
Nickel hummed in response, already moving lower to leave another soft indent on Balloon’s cheek. Each time he pulled back, a faint little mark remained. Proof that the blue-ray coating really did work. Proof that Balloon could finally feel this kind of affection without fear.
Balloon’s hands drifted up, fingers brushing gently over Nickel’s head, tracing the edges of his dents with slow, affectionate motions. It made Nickel pause for the briefest moment before leaning in again, almost like the touch startled him in a good way.
“You’re really enjoying this, huh?” Nickel mumbled against his skin, voice amused and warm.
Balloon’s cheeks flushed, glowing a dark blue hue beneath the blue sheen. “I—I mean… yeah,” he admitted softly, smiling in that shy way he only did around Nickel. “It feels… nice. I never—” He swallowed, laughter catching in his throat. “I never got to have this before.”
Nickel nuzzled into him, legs tightening around Balloon’s waist with a protective squeeze. “Well… you can have it now,” he said, voice low but earnest. “As much as you want.”
Balloon rested his forehead against Nickel’s, heart fluttering.
For the first time, he felt safe enough to just… enjoy being held.
And Nickel looked like he intended to keep him safe for a long, long time.