Warning: Violence, mild suggestive themes
"Hi, class."
"Hi, Four."
"Today for P.E., we're gonna do an activity."
"Ugh..."
Four had gathered the students to the school field for a P.E. activity. All the students knew that when Four said "activity," it...wasn't fun. The last time they did an activity in P.E., two people nearly died. So their expectations and hopes were pretty low.
"First, I'll randomly divide you sixty-four students into teams of eight. X! Bring out the dartboard!" X emerged from the gym carrying a dartboard with sixty-four slices, each one with a student's name on it.
"Here you go, Four!" X hung the dartboard on a nearby Tree and handed eight darts—seven blue, one golden—to Four.
"I have eight darts. The golden dart is your team captain," Four said as he held up the darts. "I'll throw them all at once, and those eight people will be on a team together." Four threw the darts at the dartboard, making Tree flinch in fear. "Spongy, Pie, Nickel, Rocky, Cake, Bell, and Eraser! You're with captain Pillow."
"...You have got to be kidding me," Nickel groaned as he and the rest of his team walked over to Pillow, their team captain.
"Next team!" Four threw the darts again. "Fries, Gaty, Bubble, Clock, Roboty, Tree, and Flower are with captain Snowball."
"Yeah!" Snowball cheered. "I knew I'd be captain!"
"Grassy, Pencil, Cloudy, Firey, Robot Flower, Taco, and Black Hole, you're with captain Gelatin."
"Aw, yeah!" Gelatin pumped his fist in the air. "This is gonna be the coolest team ever!"
"Book, Saw, Eggy, Bomby, TV, Pen, and Woody, you're with captain Blocky."
"Ha-ha!" Blocky ran over to Woody and slung his arm around him. "Hey, buddy!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Stapy, Loser, 8-Ball, Needle, Balloony, Lollipop, and Remote, you're with captain Yellow Face."
"YAAAAAAAAAAY!" Yellow Face cheered.
"Perfect," Lollipop muttered. "Just perfect. Well, this team's leader is psychotic."
"Your leader?" Nickel scoffed. "Look at my whole freaking team."
"Liy, Donut, Tennis Ball, Puffball, Bracelety, Barf Bag, and Marker, you're with captain Dora."
Donut facepalmed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"Leafy, Teardrop, Basketball, Fanny, Golf Ball, Foldy, and Coiny, you're with captain Pin."
"Uh—wh—seven girls?" Coiny spluttered.
"Hey, Coiny!" Firey called. "Don't steal our girlfriends while you're off in the woods!"
"FIREY!"
"And the last eight of you are on a team together under..." Four threw the golden dart one more time. "...captain David."
"Aw, seriously?"
X plucked the dart off of the dartboard and pocketed it. He then took the dartboard off of a petrified Tree.
"...Wh...why did...why did I have to wear that?" Tree breathed. "I saw my life flash before my eyes eight different times."
"Thanks, Tree!" X piped.
"Well, since Tree helped out with the darts, his team will start half a mile closer to the camp," Four declared.
"The camp?" Loser asked.
"Yup! I'll teleport all of you somewhere in the woods. Your objective is to get all of your team members to the camp." Four snickered. "Dead or alive," he mumbled under his breath.
".. .----. -- / ... --- .-. .-. -.-- --..-- / .-- .... .- - / .-- .- ... / - .... .- - / .-.. .- ... - / .--. .- .-. - ..--.."
"Last team to get to the camp fails the assignment. Go!"
Four snapped his fingers, and the teams were whisked into the secluded forest without a trace.
——————————
"Okay, Coiny," he thought. "Breathe. Just breathe. You're in the middle of the woods, none of you have any idea where you are, nobody can hear you, and you're alone with seven teenage girls. Oh, my mint, I hope the guys don't get mad at me." Coiny's team was surrounded by several tall trees, with no dirt path in sight.
"Okay, everybody!" Foldy clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "We need to find the camp, wherever it is. Anyone have any ideas?" Teardrop's face lit up and she pointed to a tree. "Oh! Good idea, Teardrop!"
Pin looked at all the trees around them. "But...for some reason, these trees have silky smooth bark. We'll never be able to climb them!"
"I think I have an idea," Basketball said. She walked up to a tree, crouched next to it, pressed her ear to the trunk, knocked it a few times, and punched a hole in it.
"WHAT THE—" they all screamed.
"I hate environmental violence!" Fanny yelled. "Basketball, what was that for?!"
Basketball paid no attention to her and punched another hole slightly up and to the left of the first one. She made two more holes significantly higher than the first two and placed her hands in the upper holes and her feet in the lower ones. She punched a few more holes in the tree trunk and slowly made her way up the tree.
"Whoa!" Pin said. "She's punching holes in the tree!"
"Holy..." Coiny breathed. "She's gotta be super strong to do something like that! That's so cool!"
Five minutes and several punches later, Basketball managed to break the tree line. She stuck her head over the top of the canopy and looked around. "Guys!" she called out. "I think I see a hole in the tree line over there!" She pointed to a clearing with small dots—dots that Basketball presumed to be buildings—and cheered, not that the others could see her. "I'm coming down!" Basketball jumped off the tree and landed on the grass gracefully, earning a standing ovation from the others.
"That was amazing, Basketball!" Coiny said. "Dang, you're strong."
"Yeah," Pin thought. "She is pretty strong. Way stronger than me."
"Thanks. I try," she replied. "We need to go that way." Basketball pointed in the direction of the clearing and started walking. "Come on, guys!" She became confused when the others just stood there. "What?"
"Basketball..." Leafy pointed to her. "Your hand."
"Huh?" Basketball held up her right hand and looked at it. Sure enough, there was a six-inch splinter sticking out of it. "This little thing? Pfff." She plucked it out with ease and threw it by the wayside, only for her hand to start bleeding unusually plentifully. "Oh. That's a bit of a problem. Um...I know!" Basketball ripped off her right sleeve, exposing her shoulder, and wrapped it around her hand. "Problem solved. Now, let's go!"
The group followed Basketball through the forest, and soon enough, they came to a heavily beaten, yet distinguishable dirt path. A worn sign about a hundred feet down the path read "Camp" with an arrow.
"All right!" Leafy exclaimed. "We just need to follow this path, right?"
"I believe so," Foldy said. "Onward, fellow adventurers!"
——————————
The next ten minutes were spent walking on the dirt path. For a while, there was nothing but trees, grass, trees, dirt, trees, clouds, trees, pebbles, trees, sunlight, and trees.
"Why do forests have so many trees?" Basketball whined. "This whole time, it's been nothing but trees!"
"Don't forget grass, dirt, clouds, pebbles, and sunlight," Leafy said.
"Oh. Uh-huh. Yeah, real wonders of the world there."
Suddenly, a group of ten small children emerged from the woods. They turned to the group curiously before running over to them and hugging them, smiling and laughing. Most of the group immediately melted.
"AHHHHHHHHH! They're so cute!"
"Awww...come here, little guy!"
"Hey, buddy! How are you?"
"Look at you! So adorable!"
"Well, hi there, little fella!"
"Hey, bud! What's up, tiger?"
Fanny rolled her eyes as the seven others started laughing and playing with the kids. One of them ran up to Fanny and stood in front of her. Fanny started sweating. "Um...hey."
"Hi!" it said back.
"...Uh...yeah. Go, uh...go play with your...friends?"
"Okay!" The kid ran back to the main group.
"...I hate children," Fanny grumbled.
"Hey, guys!" Basketball pointed to the group of children, who were running along the dirt path. "I think they want to show us something!"
"Let's follow them!" Leafy suggested. Teardrop nodded, and the seven others ran to catch up with the children. Fanny sighed and walked after them.
"Why do people find children so cute, anyway?" Fanny muttered. "I don't get it. They're people just like everyone else." Fanny saw the group break away into the woods. She shook her head and jogged to catch up with them. After a few minutes, she came out of the forest and gasped.
In front of her was a massive stone pyramid. Moss and vines were strewn all over it. Crumbled stone statues were at the base. There were inscriptions in a long-lost language etched into various places.
"Whoa..." Fanny slowly walked up to the pyramid. She spotted the group sitting on a stone slab, and the children about twenty feet in front of them. One of them was making a picture frame with his fingers and nodded.
Fanny happened to notice that the slab the others were sitting on was split in two. But...for some reason, it didn't look like a normal split. The crack was perfectly straight. And now that Fanny looked closer, she noticed that two of the kids had their hand on a statue's arm. She saw the statue's arms shift, and her eyes widened.
"GUYS!"
Too late.
The slab under the group opened, and the seven students fell into a black void, screaming. The kids donned tribal masks and ceremonial knives, seemingly out of nowhere, and jumped in after them. Fanny tried climbing the steps and getting to the trapdoor, but the slab closed up just before she could get there.
"Uh-oh."
——————————
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The group screamed as they fell deeper into the black void. Finally, their bodies collided with cold, hard stone. They all groaned and slowly sat up.
"Ugh...is everyone alright? Nobody's hurt?" Foldy asked. Everyone gave small murmurs of confirmation except Basketball, who had been knocked unconscious from the fall.
"What was that?" Coiny asked.
"I don't know," Leafy said.
Suddenly, torches all around them lit up to reveal that they were in a room. They gasped as they saw the blood covering the walls. There was a pentagram in the center of the room, and an altar surrounded by skeletons. "Wh-where are we?!" Pin screamed.
The kids from earlier landed on the ground and brandished their knives. Several more came from a door behind them, and they were all wearing hand-carved, wooden, bloody tribal masks. The group protectively surrounded the unconscious Basketball, despite the fact they were thinking that they were completely outmatched.
"Uh..." Pin nervously laughed. "Hey, guys. Don't suppose we could talk our way out of this one?"
"Leafy!" Foldy said. "Basketball's out cold! You're the only one who can take on those...cultists? I don't know!"
"I-I don't want to hurt children!" she protested. "Teardrop! You do it!"
Teardrop vehemently shook her head. "I'm good, but I'm not THAT good!" She gestured at the horde of children.
"Leafy! You have to!" Coiny pleaded. "If you don't, we're not gonna survive the night!"
Leafy gasped. "What? It's already nighttime?" she fearfully asked.
An idea suddenly came to Coiny's head. "Yes! It's nighttime, and it's about to be a bloody night if you don't start whipping out your knife and working your magic!"
"Coiny!" Pin whispered. "What are you doing?! It's still the day!"
"Watch this," Coiny replied. "Firey told me about this one day. It's wicked awesome. You just gotta roleplay a bit, and she starts murdering like bloody...well, murder."
Leafy suddenly clutched her head and fell to her knees. "No...no! What...where is he?" she thought. She was pulling her hair and shaking her head rapidly. "Where am I? What's happening?! I...I need him! WHERE IS HE?!" She shut her eyes tightly and started hyperventilating.
That was Coiny's cue. He grinned and turned to the children.
"Why?!" he yelled, pretending to be heartbroken. "Why did you kill Firey?! What did he do? He was...he was so young!"
"Coiny!" Pin whispered again. "Firey's not even here, and...uh...Leafy?"
Leafy's eyes snapped open. She stopped quaking, slowly stood up, and glared at the children. "You?" she asked coldly. "It...was...you?" She gritted her teeth. "You. Killed. Him."
The children simply laughed at her and mocked her. She flipped her butterfly knife open, extended her hidden blade, and started dashing at the children, roaring a battle cry. "YOU KILLED HIM!"
She kicked a child's mask off and ran her knife through its throat. She punched another one in the face and kicked it to the wall. She grabbed a fistful of one head's hair and scalped the child. She stabbed two of them in the gut and slit their stomachs all the way through. Another one came running at her with a spear. Leafy turned around and grabbed the spear by the tip, yanked it out of the child's hands, snapped it in half, and stabbed both parts through the child's eyes. Her blood boiled hotter than molten lava itself as unbridled fury coursed through her veins. Every punch, every slash, every stab, every kick had the force of a million boulders. She didn't care about how many six-year-old skulls she was crushing to dust. She didn't care about how many limbs lay on the ground, bloody and mangled. She grabbed a fragmented spear tip and shoved it down another child's throat. The children's teeth were flying. Their blood was flying. Heck, even some of their corpses were flying. Leafy grabbed another child, held it horizontally by the neck and thigh, and snapped its spine with her knee. She tossed it aside and ran her bare fingernails across another's throat. Her anger and rage were seemingly endless as the bloody slaughter continued.
Finally, she stood over the bloody corpses—or what was left of them—and started breathing heavily. She was covered in blood, yet not a single drop of it was her own. Every single child in the cult was now dead—dismembered, disemboweled, decapitated, or otherwise mutilated. Leafy fell to her knees and started crying her heart out.
"Great," Pin muttered. "We got rid of the cultists, but now we gotta take care of Leafy."
"Hey, relax," Coiny reassured her. "I got this." He walked up to Leafy and knelt beside her. "Hey. You okay?"
"Why?" she sobbed. "Why did they..."
"Hey, hey," he soothed. "It'll be okay."
"But...but...he's—"
"I know, I know." Coiny pretended to be completely serious. "Leafy. I think his body's in here somewhere. Do you...do you want to find it and give him a proper funeral?"
She sniffed. "Yes. I need to tell him everything he meant to me."
"Okay. Okay. That's okay. We'll do that." Coiny nodded and stood up. "We'll find him, Leafy. Don't worry. You can do this."
"...R-right." She shakily stood up and smiled. "I can do this." She turned to the door.
Coiny turned to Pin and pointed a finger gun at her. "Told you I got this."
"Are you sure?" she asked, clearly in doubt.
"Relax. One glance at the sun in the bright blue sky, and she'll be back to normal in no time." He turned to Leafy. "Hey, you're pretty athletic, Leafy. That was amazing!"
"He's right," Pin thought. "Leafy is really athletic. Well, more than me, anyway."
"...Wha? What happened?"
The group turned to look at Basketball, who had just come to. "What happened? Where are we—HOLY AIR, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"
"Leafy happened," was all Foldy said.
"I'm...not gonna question that." Basketball uneasily stood up and tried to keep her lunch in.
——————————
The group walked down the stone hallway and stopped at a deep pit full of spikes and skeletons. "Great," Basketball said. "What now?"
"Yeah," Pin said. "There's no way across this pit."
Teardrop examined the walls and ceiling. She noticed that several rocks were protruding from several points in the room. Without warning, she ran to the edge of the ledge, jumped to a rock, and grabbed it.
"Teardrop!" Basketball called. "What are you doing?!"
Teardrop hoisted herself onto the rock and jumped onto another one. She leaped into the air and grabbed a small spike on the ceiling. She swung herself to another spike on the ceiling before swinging one more time and barely catching the edge of the opposite ledge. She pulled herself up and pulled a lever, extending a bridge from her ledge.
"Whoa!" Coiny said. "That was amazing, Teardrop! You're really dextrous!"
"Wow," Pin thought. "Teardrop's extremely dextrous. I couldn't do that if I tried."
Teardrop took a stage bow and motioned for everyone to follow her. The group crossed the bridge and came to another room. There was a small multicolored cube on a pedestal in the center of the room. A door was on the other wall.
"A puzzle room?" Foldy asked. She cautiously walked to the cube and slowly picked it up—off a pressure plate. Immediately, ticking sounds emerged from the walls around them. The group was startled and looked around.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"What's happening?!" Pin asked.
Tick. Tick.
"I don't know!" Coiny yelled.
Tick. Tick.
"What—was it the cube?!" Foldy asked.
Tick. Tick. TICK.
The last ticking sound echoed off the walls. The cube Foldy was holding turned to dust, and a new cube materialized on the pedestal. "What the...okay, what just happened?" Pin asked.
"I think...the ticking was a timer," Foldy slowly said. "There were ten ticks, which means we have ten seconds to do something?" She walked back to the pedestal and picked up the cube again.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"What if I...put it back?"
TICK.
The cube turned to dust again, and a new one took its place on the pedestal.
"What? It just turned to dust as soon as it hit the plate!"
"Great," Pin muttered. "Now what do we do?" Everyone started clamoring at once.
"I don't know!"
"How are we gonna get out of here?"
"This is impossible!"
"Oh, we're gonna die!"
"We're doomed!"
"A speedcube."
The group instantly froze and turned to the voice. For the first time since they'd landed in the woods, Golf Ball had spoken up. She had been looking down at her feet the whole time, but now she was finally looking up at them. "It's a speedcube," she repeated.
"...Golf Ball?" Foldy asked. She walked over to her and cautiously placed her hand on her shoulder. Golf Ball unceremoniously brushed past her and inspected the cube without touching it.
"There are several painted spots here on the edges and the corners. And the cube has joints that let the sides rotate."
"What are you saying, Golf Ball?" Leafy asked.
Golf Ball didn't respond. Instead, she placed both hands on the pedestal. The group surrounded her, curious as to what she would do. She took a deep breath and quickly picked up the cube. Her fingers started flying. Everyone's jaw dropped at how fast she was rotating the edges. She looked extremely focused, so everyone thought it was best to not interrupt her. She started mumbling words to herself.
Tick. Tick.
"Cross."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"First two layers."
Tick. Tick.
"Orient last layer."
Tick. Tick.
"Permutate last—"
TICK.
The cube turned to dust in Golf Ball's hands, and a new one materialized on the pedestal. She looked at her hands in a brief moment of disbelief before sighing and turning away. She sat in the corner and pulled her knees to her chest.
"Golf Ball?" Foldy asked.
"I can't do it."
"Yes, you can. You're the only one in here who can, Golf Ball. You can do it."
Golf Ball looked up at Foldy and gave her a dull, skeptical look. She stood up and walked back to the pedestal. She placed both hands on the pedestal and quickly picked up the cube.
Tick. Tick.
"Cross."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"First two—ugh."
Tick. Tick.
"First two layers."
Tick. Tick.
"Orient—"
TICK.
Once again, the cube turned to dust, and a new cube formed on the plate. Golf Ball walked back to her corner and sighed. "I can't do it."
Foldy walked to her side and sat down next to her. "Hey. Are you okay?"
"No."
"Why?"
"You should know why."
"Golf Ball. Listen, you can do this. You can't let something from your past bring you down. Like you always say, you need to keep moving forward. Don't let your mistakes control you. Control your mistakes. Use them to make you better. I know you can do this. I believe in you. We all believe in you."
Golf Ball looked up at Foldy. "Really?"
Basketball nodded. "Hey, if there's anyone here who can solve a puzzle, it's you." Golf Ball stared at all of their reassuring faces before nodding.
"Okay."
She stood up and walked to the pedestal for the third time. She placed her hands on the pedestal and started thinking. "What if I try using...no...well, it's worth a shot," she mumbled. She walked around the cube and inspected it again.
"What's she talking about?" Leafy whispered.
Pin shrugged. "No idea."
Golf Ball stood back in front of the pedestal, took a deep breath, and quickly picked up the cube.
Tick.
"First block."
Tick.
"Second block."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"Corners, last layer."
Tick. Tick.
"Orient."
Tick.
"Edges."
Tick.
"Slice."
Golf Ball slammed the finished cube on the plate after nine ticks. The room rumbled, and the door on the opposite wall slowly opened to reveal a hallway.
"Yes! You did it, Golf Ball!" Basketball hugged Golf Ball, who neither returned nor rejected the hug.
"Wow!" Coiny said. "You're pretty smart, Golf Ball! Probably one of the smartest people I know!"
"I guess..." Pin thought. "She is the smartest person in the school. I wonder how long it would've taken me to do that puzzle."
"Let's go," Foldy said. The seven of them walked down the hallway. They noticed that the hallway was getting darker and darker. Finally, the hallway turned. The group walked to the end of the hallway to find...
"Nothing?!" Pin yelled. "After all that? This is a dead-end?"
"There's gotta be a switch or something here somewhere," Foldy muttered as she felt around the smooth walls. Suddenly, the seven of them heard a faint sound.
"What was that?" Leafy asked.
Tink.
"There it is again!" Pin said.
Tink.
"...Is it just me, or is it getting louder?" Coiny asked.
TINK.
"Uh..." Foldy pressed her ear to the wall.
TINK!
Coiny realized what the sound was. "Foldy, look out!"
CRASH!
Coiny reached his hand out and pulled Foldy back to him just as the wall came crumbling down. Foldy was scared out of her mind and pressed herself against Coiny instinctively, making him blush slightly. "AHH!"
Dust filled the room, blinding everyone. The group coughed and tried to clear their vision. The hallway was suddenly a lot brighter. The seven of them, confused, turned to the wall and saw a figure standing on top of the debris with a pickaxe. As the dust cleared, they heard a familiar voice.
"I hate mining."
——————————
The seven of them ran out of the hallway and nearly collapsed on the grass.
"Oh, it feels so good to be on the grass again!" Basketball sighed.
"Basketball, we couldn't have been in there for any more than five minutes," Pin pointed.
"Shush. Let me enjoy myself."
"Thanks, Fanny," Leafy said. "We were in a dead-end, so lucky for us you were there."
"I hate giant stone pyramids," she said.
"How long were you there chipping at that wall?"
"At least two hours."
"What? But...we couldn't have been in there for any more than five minutes!"
"Think I'm lying? Look at the sky."
And sure enough, the sky was turning pink. "Wow..." Leafy said. "Then time must pass differently in that pyramid or something because it certainly didn't feel like a long time. Right, guys?"
"Yeah," Coiny said. "I didn't realize you were that persistent, Fanny. Thanks for not giving up on us."
"I know," Pin thought. "I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish mining that wall."
"Yeah," Foldy nodded. "Great work, everyone. Now let's get to the camp. Look, the dirt road's right there!"
"Wait..." Leafy looked at the sun and blinked several times. She suddenly stared at her blood-stained clothes and gasped. "What the...how badly did I slaughter those children?!"
"Pretty badly," Coiny explained. "You thought they killed Firey."
"Killed Firey? But he's not even here!" Leafy suddenly noticed Coiny's small grin and blushed. "Did you trick me?"
"Yup!"
"C-Coiny! You know I don't like fighting!"
"Tell that to the blood all over you."
"I-I-I don't like blood!"
"Sure, sure. Hey, it was to save our lives."
"But—but—but—"
"Come on, Leafy. The sun's gonna set any time now, and I don't want to be next to this creepy pyramid when we have to make camp."
The group proceeded onto the dirt road and chose one direction to walk in. On the way, they saw a sign pointing ahead to camp, which cheered them up since they had no idea where they were going.
"Hey, guys?" Coiny said, squirming. "I gotta take a call real quick. You mind giving me some privacy?"
"But there's no cell service here," Pin pointed.
"Nope. It's a speed dial from Mother Nature herself."
Everyone groaned and turned away. "Go do your thing already, Coiny," Basketball grunted. Coiny beamed and hopped into a roadside bush. Foldy looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark. We should probably make camp."
While Leafy, Teardrop, and Foldy were getting camp set up, Basketball and Pin were making the fire. "Hey, Basketball?"
"Yeah?"
"That was pretty cool how you punched your way up the tree back there."
"Thanks. I try."
"Everyone did something cool. Today was a great example of teamwork at its finest."
"Yup. I'm strong, Coiny's shrewd, Leafy's athletic, Teardrop's dextrous, Golf Ball's smart, Fanny's persistent, Foldy's a natural leader, and you're...uh..."
"I'm what?"
"Um...uh..." Basketball racked her brain and tried to compliment Pin. "You're...supportive?"
Pin saw through her lie, though, and sighed. "You're right. I'm the only one who hasn't done anything for us so far. I'm supposed to be the team captain, but even Foldy's a better leader than I am."
"Oh, Pin—"
"Basketball?" Leafy called. "Can you help me with this tree trunk?"
"Huh? Oh, sure!" Basketball stood up and ran to assist Leafy, leaving Pin to her own thoughts.
"Basketball's right. Leafy's really athletic, which is probably why Firey admires her so much. Teardrop's dextrous and reckless, which is probably why Woody likes her: she helps him see new things. Golf Ball's really smart, and so is Tennis Ball. It's a perfect fit...well, it was a perfect fit, anyway. Fanny's persistent, and I remember Clock's speech at lunch that one day. That's why he likes her. Foldy and Stapy...they just click. Everything about them...gosh, they're just made for each other. But I'm not any of that. So...what's special about me? Why does Coiny love me? Or...does he love me?" She shook her head and stood up.
"I'm gonna go take a walk."
Foldy nodded. "Just don't stay out too long," she called as Pin left.
——————————
Coiny came back from his bush and sighed in relief. "That. Was. GREAT. Hey, Pin, do you...uh, where's Pin?"
"She went to take a walk," Foldy said.
"Foldy, that's dangerous! She might get hurt or something!"
"She told me earlier she found a waterfall. She's going over there, and she knows how to come back."
"How long has she been out?"
"Um...I think a few minutes? I dunno. The sun was setting, so—"
"Wait. She left when the sun set?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Foldy, the moon's right above us!"
Foldy looked up into the sky. The moon was directly overhead, signifying midnight.
"She's been out for hours! She could be hurt!" Coiny paced back and forth before turning to Foldy. "Which direction did she go?" Foldy pointed in her direction and watched Coiny run after Pin.
——————————
"Who am I?" Pin asked herself as she stared at her river reflection. "I'm not strong. I'm not dextrous. I'm not athletic. I'm not persistent. I'm not smart. I'm not even a good leader. So what am I?" She sighed and shook her head as she threw a rock at her reflection. "Useless. That's what."
"Pin?" she heard a voice call. "Are you out here?" She turned around and saw Coiny walking through the bushes. He looked around for a little bit before spotting Pin on the river bank and running to her. "Oh, thank mint you're alright. You've been out for hours! I-I was worried about you! You could've gotten hurt!"
"Yeah, I could've," Pin grumbled. "But not any of the others."
"...What?" Coiny simply stared at her. "What do you mean?"
"Coiny, why do you love me?" Pin turned to Coiny with a small tear in her eye.
"What? What kind of question is that?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"Why do you love me? I'm not athletic, like Leafy. I'm not dextrous, like Teardrop. I'm not smart, like Golf Ball. I'm not strong, like Basketball. I'm not persistent, like Fanny. And I'm not even a good leader, like Foldy. So why do you love me? What's there to love?"
"Pin?" Coiny couldn't do anything but stand in complete and utter shock. "Are you...what's going on?"
"Coiny, I'm the only one without a 'thing.' I'm the only girl in our group that isn't awesome, or inspiring, or even noteworthy. I can't do anything. I'm useless."
Coiny's heart broke and he sat next to her near the river. "Pin, you're not useless."
"Yes, I am. I'm just a burden. You didn't trust me to take care of myself out here, and I can't blame you. I'm not awesome like the others are. I'm just...me. Plain, old, boring me." She turned to Coiny with tears now streaking down her cheeks. "I...I think you made a mistake, Coiny."
"WHAT?! How...how can you say that?!"
"Look at me. I'm...I'm nothing. I can't even pull my own team together, so Foldy's doing it. I won't dispute that we're friends. We've always been friends. But...I think you were too quick to choose me as your girlfriend. You deserve someone better. Someone who can make your life exciting. Someone who can take care of you and make your life brighter. Someone to give you the moment of your life. I can't do that, even though I love you. The best thing I can do is let you find someone who can."
"Pin..."
"Coiny. Tell me now. And I won't get my feelings hurt. Did you or did you not fall in love with me for no reason?" Pin was quietly sobbing as she awaited Coiny's answer. Coiny placed his hand on Pin's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
"Pin. Do you really want to know the truth?"
"Yes. I do, Coiny."
"...I never fell in love with you in the first place."
Pin's heart nearly shattered and broke. Her heart stopped and her mind was shut down. Feelings of despair, betrayal, deceit, all of them—they pierced through her like a silver arrow. "...What?" she thought. "Never?" She was about to get up and run away somewhere, anywhere, in a bush, up a tree, heck, even over the waterfall.
But Coiny raised his hand to stop her.
"Do you know why I never fell in love with you?"
"*sniff* ...Wh-why?"
"Because I walked into love with you."
Pin was utterly confused. Mixed emotions overtook her as she asked, "...Wh-what's the difference?"
"When you fall, it's an accident. You have no control. You keep going on the same path downward because you have no choice. And a fall is incredibly short. Once it ends, it ends with a painful impact. But when you walk, it's intentional. You control your path. You are fully aware that there are several paths to choose from, and you choose yours regardless. And a walk can last for eternity." He looked into her glimmering, teary eyes and smiled.
"Pin, I didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you. My eyes weren't shut, bracing for an impact. My eyes were wide open. Cupid's arrow didn't just strike me in the heart one day. I know there are other girls out there with all those traits you just mentioned, and I chose you. I know that the other girls are all that you just said. But that doesn't stop me from loving you. Because you're the only one for me. And as for the dates, well, I don't need pumping adrenaline to have a good time with you. Leafy likes beating up bad guys, good for her. Teardrop likes falling out of the sky with a backpack and a giant piece of paper, good for her. But I don't care about any of that. I don't need excitement. I don't need new, interesting dates. All I need...is you. As long as I'm with you, I don't care if we're watching the worst movie in history. And I don't need you to make a banging entrance to entrance me. I know you're a pretty girl. I always think about you. And when you say hi to me, butterflies go right through me. Every time we touch, I get this feeling. And...and every time we kiss, I swear, I could fly. You don't have a single defining trait, Pin. You're unique. You're special. You're you. And I couldn't give you a defining trait of yours if I tried because there's just so much I love about you. I don't want a vivid, exciting life with someone else. I want to live life with you. You make me happy no matter what you're doing."
He held her head in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her. She was still unsure of what to feel, but Coiny was letting his feelings spill out on the floor. He'd do anything to keep her, and if she thought he was the reason for her sadness, he would never forgive himself. When he pulled away for air, he gazed into Pin's uncertain, yet hopeful eyes and smiled.
"I would rather have a life full of moments with you...than the moment of my life with someone else."
Pin was gushing tears down her cheek and she threw herself into Coiny for a tight embrace. She was crying and laughing at the same time. Coiny hugged her back just as tightly, patting her back and leaning on her hair. "I'm so sorry," she croaked, voice breaking.
"Why?" he asked.
"I...I thought you were just staying with me because you felt like you needed to...y-you know, after that one day. I thought maybe it was just a flight of the heart and you'd gotten over it. I didn't want to be selfish and keep you to myself, so...I...I'm so sorry, Coiny."
"No, no, no. You've got nothing to be sorry about."
"I...I...thank you."
"Of course. I'd never want you to think for a second that I'd leave your side."
"*sniff* R-really?"
"Yes."
Pin buried her face deeper into Coiny's chest and laughed a teary laugh. "You're the best boyfriend ever, Coiny."
"Only 'cause I'm yours." They both laughed and hugged each other in the light of the full moon, perfectly content with each other's presence until the morning.
——————————
"Thanks for the soap, Foldy," Leafy said. "Glad to finally have all that blood off of me."
"No problem. Good thing the river was nearby, too."
"Yeah, good thing," Coiny said. The two of them spun to face him. Foldy was annoyed, and Leafy was blushing. "Hey, don't look at me! I was in my bush!"
"Oh, Leafy," Basketball said. "You got a bit of soap still on your shirt and face."
"What?" Leafy was about to look for the soap on her clothes but was interrupted by a jubilant yell from Foldy.
"It's right over there!" Foldy exclaimed as she pointed to the camp. Immediately, everyone broke into a mad dash for the camp and threw themselves into the clearing.
"Good job," Four said. "Pin's team is the sixth team safe. Only one team left. Who's it gonna be?"
"Yeah!" Pin's team all cheered and congratulated each other. Some people from other teams came over—specifically, the five waiting boyfriends.
"Basketball!" 8-Ball came over to her and high-fived her. "You made it!"
She smirked. "Was there any doubt?"
"How was the trip, Fanny?" Clock asked excitedly.
Fanny just snorted in response. "I hate the forest."
Woody ran over to Teardrop and gave her a big, loving hug. Teardrop rolled her eyes, but soon smiled and hugged him back.
"Foldy! You're back!" Stapy ran over to her. "You made it!"
"Stapy! I'm so glad to see you!"
"Leafy!" Firey came running over to her team. "Are you okay—"
"FIREY!" Leafy hugged Firey and squeezed the air out of him. "You're not dead!"
"Can't...breathe!" He patted Leafy's back to let her know he was asphyxiating. Leafy hurriedly released him and stepped back, blushing. "Why would I be dead? It's not like I've never gone camping before."
"It's...a long story," Coiny said.
Firey stepped back and saw the soap still on Leafy's face and clothes. "What...is that?" he coldly asked, pointing to the soap. Before Leafy could answer, Firey rolled up his sleeves and stormed toward Coiny.
"THAT'S IT!" he yelled.
He tackled Coiny to the ground and yelled in his face. "One thing, Coiny! ONE THING! The only thing I asked of you was to not steal our girlfriends while we were in the woods, and WHAT DO YOU DO?!"
"Firey!" Leafy pulled Firey off of Coiny. "It's just soap! It's just bath soap!"
"Y-yeah!" Coiny said. "Leafy was just washing in the river! Not what you're thinking at all!"
Firey nodded and was about to leave when he realized something. "Wait a minute...HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE WAS WASHING HERSELF?!" He pounced back on Coiny and started strangling him. "You little—"
"FIREY!" Leafy chopped him in the back of the neck. He instantly fell to the ground, out like a light. "Sorry, Coiny," Leafy apologized. "He can get a bit...overprotective at times."
"You're gonna explain the story to him when he wakes up, right?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I am."
"Hey, Four!" Pin called. "Where are we going now?"
"You'll see when the last teams get here," he answered.
"Really?" Pin turned to Coiny, who was walking up to her. "I guess we don't know where we're going."
"Huh," he said. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Well, at least we're together."
"Yeah," she said. They both hugged each other one last time before joining the other teams at camp.
Pin felt joy. All this time, she'd thought she was inadequate. Boring. Plain. But Coiny had reassured her that she wasn't. Not in his eyes. And that was all that mattered. No matter where they went next, she knew they would always go there together. Because he didn't fall in love with her. He walked into love with her. He controlled his footsteps. He chose his path. He had walked to Pin of his own free will, arms wide open.
And she had walked right into them.
A/N: Finally! For the first time in 20 chapters, a true Coinpin fic without Needle in it! Wow, this took forever to come up with. And even longer to execute.
Also, completely unrelated to the story, but JnJ broke their BFB posting pattern as of today (or June 24, whichever makes more sense at the time you're reading this). Honestly—AND THIS IS JUST AN OPINION PLEASE DON'T KILL ME—I was kinda disappointed in BFB 20. Even though I had high hopes for it, I should've seen it coming. I mean, at the end of BFB 19, half the characters were in space, half of them were dead, and X was on fire. Of course they had to resolve that.
But! Now that that's all resolved—the Have Cots are back on Earth, the Have Nots are alive, and X isn't on fire anymore—I have high hopes for BFB 21. I personally think BFB 18 was the best post-split episode yet, but that's just my humble, 9-follower opinion.
Also, several questions remain unanswered. What does BRB stand for? Where did the algebraliens come from? Will TPOT 1 or IDFB 2 come out first? Let me know what you guys think!
Hope you guys enjoyed! Don't forget to leave a comment, and I'll see you in the next one!