Baby it’s cold outside

by Juni_stars

Summary:

Fireball didn't think he would become close with anyone, even after s1 was cancelled. But when Winter rolls around, Fireball finds himself helping a certain coin out.

 

Or

5 times Pound asks Fireball to help warm him and one time where he didn't have to ask.

 

**UPDATE: I said this in Wattpad but I’ll put it here too, this story will be finished (aka discontinued) once chapter 5 is eventually posted, after that I’ll release a chapter full of notes of my analysis of Fireball and Pound and the timeline on how this story was supposed to go and end (spoiler, there was supposed to be a second book in Pound’s POV)**

Notes:

After I rewatched all of c2bc when ep 7 was announced to come out tomorrow, I wondered how Fireball and Pound became close between s1 and s2. There's probably a canon story behind it but this is my own take on it, this will be full of headcanons so I'm sorry if it seems out of character.

Chapter 1: Blanket stealer

 

Ever since Football Ring had abandoned the contestants on the island, it had become exceedingly boring.

Without any challenges or reasons to compete against one another, everyone found themselves with nothing to do. As the days passed, the lack of entertainment on the island made them increasingly restless.

Fireball, in particular, felt the weight of this monotony. Despite his burning hatred for the game, it at least gave him something to occupy his time and a reason to get out of bed.

Though others found entertainment in conversations with the friends they had made during the competition, Fireball, unsurprisingly didn’t have that, thanks to his stubborn approach to socializing.

So what do you do when you’re extremely bored out of your mind with nothing to do and refuse to talk to anyone?

Simple.

You observe to what’s happening around you.

Fireball was never the best at observation, or at least even cared at all about what his fellow contestants were up too. But with nothing else to do, he decided to let go the small amount of pride he had left and just watched.

He never expected to get anything out of this, most of the time he would usually nitpick out certain traits to silently make fun of the others. But for some reason he felt a little pathetic doing so, realizing that he was falling back to old habits, assuming the worst out of everyone even if he wasn’t actively talking to them.

But after a while, Fireball began to notice a few genuine things about the others through careful observation.

For example, he noticed how Chip Stack used his hands to express his emotions, given that his face was obscured, or how Maple Leaf always clutched onto objects as if he might ‘fly away.’ He also observed that Oven Gloves did everything in her power to avoid getting wet.

But these were merely small quirks and details that Fireball could care less about; though he continued to observe out of sheer boredom nevertheless.

That is, until winter rolled around, when the lake froze over and snow began to fall. Most of the other contestants got excited because, of course, this was something different— a new way to relieve their boredom.

But once again, Fireball couldn’t even appreciate this change. While it was certainly prettier than the usual scenery, it was hard to enjoy the snow when it was actively trying to extinguish him. And without the luxury of a Recovery Center, Fireball had to be cautious. So because of this, he was now forced to confine in the cabins or the cafeteria, feeding more into his constant boredom.

Though even with this annoying development, he noticed something- something about certain shiny object that had recently caught his attention.

You see, Pound never really stuck out to Fireball. From the small few interactions they had during the game, Fireball had quickly learnt that Pound was quite a pushover and usually followed the crowd, though due to his nature, Pound was able to easily make friends with the other contestants from in and outside their team(to which Fireball was totally not envious of).

So at first, Fireball chalked Pound up to this one-dimensional people pleaser. But during the last challenge, Pound really surprised him when he was the only person who cared (or was stupid) enough to ask him if he was doing alright, while the others avoided him like the plague.

Fireball doesn’t know what was Pound’s stance on him, everyone else seemed to be a little scared, annoyed or not care about him but for some reason, his subconscious was telling him that Pound didn’t fit into any of these categories.

When the competition had been cancelled, like to all the others, Fireball was quick to push Pound away, keeping to himself and glaring at everyone who even tried to talk to him. Yet Pound still made a small effort to be kind, waving and smiling at him every time they passed each other, which admittedly wasn’t very often. Fireball usually returned these gestures with a scowl.

However, since winter began, Fireball started to see Pound around more frequently, lurking in the cabins or the cafeteria and seemingly never outside enjoying the snow like the others.

At first, Fireball didn’t care, why would he anyways? But the the more he saw him, the more Fireball began to notice several things: the small shivers, his strained expressions, and the way Pound hugged himself to stay warm.

So, Pound was sensitive to the cold? That was… kind of surprising.

It shouldn’t have piqued Fireball’s interest as much as it did. This wasn’t even a new phenomenon! Other contestants, like Caramel Apple, also got cold easily; he had literally started to turn into an ice block over the course of the week.

But the difference was that Pound seemed to be actively trying to hide this fact. While Caramel apple was open to complain and get pity from others, Pound kept his mouth shut and smiled through it all. He did his best to control his shivers and maintained a calm demeanor against the harsh winds, which left Fireball quite confused.

What’s the point of all this? Why is he hiding it?

But of course, Fireball couldn’t really care less.

…right??

 

1,

 

It was the middle of the night when Fireball felt someone poking his arm.

“Psst, Fireball!” a hushed whisper called out, rousing Fireball from his sleep against his will.

He opened his eyes to see a tired Pound standing at the side of his bed, illuminated by the warm glow of Fireball’s fire, barely noticing how Pound was hugging himself tightly.

“Pound, I’m literally going to punch you,” Fireball muttered, delivering the half-serious threat as he prepared to turn over and go back to sleep. But Pound quickly stopped him.

“Wait! Fireball, please give me a second; I need to ask you something,” Pound pleaded, grabbing his arm to stop him from rolling over but Fireball is quick to slap Pound's hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” he said firmly, watching as Pound comedically raised both hands in the air as if he had been caught committing a heinous crime.

Fireball stares at Pound for a few seconds, his tired eyes struggling to focus. With a heavy sigh, he relented.

“Okay, fine. What do you want?” he asked reluctantly, doing his best to keep his annoyance at bay.

Pound’s eyes widens at Fireball's response. “I didn’t think I’d get this far…” he admits, the disbelief still lingered on his face, and Fireball furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of it.

“Pound, just hurry up so I can go back to sleep,” he urged, irritation creeping into his voice.

“Oh, right! Um, can I borrow one of your spare blankets? I think Caramel Apple took most of the others” The coin gestured towards one of the top bunk, where Caramel Apple was buried under a mountain of blankets. Fireball paused for a moment, contemplating the request.

“Caramel Apple already took mine,” he replied, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.

“Liar,” Pound shot back, eyes narrowing.

“How the heck would you know I’m lying?” Fireball exclaimed, slightly raising his voice in protest.

“Hush!” Pound urged, pressing a finger over Fireball’s mouth, glancing around to make sure the two didn’t wake anyone else up in the cabin before turning back to the latter. “And I know you’re lying because we both know Caramel Apple doesn’t have the guts to take your spare blanket anyway,” he explained, a smirk creeping onto his face.

Now it was Fireball’s turn to look shocked, though his surprise was short-lived. He swatted away Pound’s finger and crossed his arms defiantly.

“Even if I still have it, I’m not giving it to you,” Fireball stated flatly, watching as Pound’s expression fell.

“But—Fireball, please!” Pound pleaded, clasping his hands together in a desperate, almost pathetic manner.

“Absolutely not,” Fireball replied, his deadpan expression unwavering.

“You don’t even need it!” Pound tried to reason. “Please, Fireball!”

For some reason, Fireball’s heart softened a bit—maybe he was just too tired to think straight. He found himself considering giving in. Wait—what was he thinking? There was no way he was going to give up this easily!

“No,” he said firmly.

“Please?”

“No.”

“Fireball.”

“Nope. I’m not looking at you.”

“Fireball!”

He was determined not to give in; he simply wouldn’t allow himself to.

“Please,” Pound said again, his tone softer now, likely because their back-and-forth had dragged on for a while.

…

Goddammit.

“At least give me a good reason why,” Fireball sighed. As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed the way Pound snapped out of his sleepy daze and looked at him with newfound hope.

That hope quickly morphed into realization and then dread.

“Never mind,” Pound replied, turning to walk away. Fireball acted quickly, grabbing his arm to stop him.

“Wait—no! no.” Fireball disputed, “ You don’t get to wake me up and pester me into giving up my blanket just to walk away,” He protested, his confusion and annoyance mounting at Pound’s sudden change of heart.

“Fireball, it’s fine, I’m sorry I woke you up, but I’m going back to bed now,” Pound said, apologizing before attempting to wriggle free. Fireball tightens his grip.

“You literally just have to tell me why. It’s not that hard,” Fireball reasoned, demanding an answer from him. But Pound remained stubborn, which confuses Fireball even more, since when can Pound become so obstinate?

“Fireball, let go.”

“No.”

“Fireball—”

“Shush! Don’t be so loud, you… you prick.” Fireball tried to silence him, but it backfired as Pound burst into small giggles.

“Prick?”

“Don’t avoid my question.”

Suddenly, Pound went silent. But before Fireball could pester him further, he notices something, the small shivers, the strained expressions, and even though Fireball had one of his arms captured, Pound still tried to hug himself tightly, trying to keep warm. (Though he didn’t have to try that hard since he was near Fireball.)

Fireball blinks

Oh

Of course, how had he forgotten?

With a final sigh, Fireball releases Pound’s arm. But before Pound could retreat, Fireball quickly gathered up his top blanket and shoved it towards a surprised Pound.

“If you were cold, you could’ve just said so,” Fireball remarked, irritated after realizing that this whole situation could’ve been resolved minutes ago.

Pound stared at him for a few moments, confusion etched on his face, before his cheeks flushed in a bright shade of pink. “I—! That’s not—” he stammered, struggling to deny Fireball’s words. Fireball rolled his eyes and shooed him away.

“Save your stupid excuses. You got what you wanted so can I please go back to sleep?”

Pound seemed too embarrassed to respond, so he just nodded slowly, turning on his heel and stammered off to his own bed with his head down.

Fireball watched him for a moment, the absurdity of the situation washing over him. With a shake of his head, he rolled over onto his side, finally allowing himself to drift back to sleep.

As he closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a small sense of warmth despite lacking the extra duvet.

He chalks it up to his sleepiness catching up to him.

Chapter 2: Is this seat free?

Summary:

Fireball expected many things, but he was definitely not prepared to for Pound to sit next to him during breakfast

Notes:

I just watched ep 7 and honestly it was just a rollercoaster of emotions for me, the elimination made me so sad tbh:(

Anyways posting this before I go to sleep so don't be surprised if you sees mistakes, I'll probably fix it up in the morning.

Warning!! : a little bit of angst, also this chapter in particular includes a lot of headcanons so I hope you don't mind it too much.

 

2

~

Fireball always had a hard time talking to people.

He can obviously hold a conversation or two, yeah no, the problem was that he could never find a way to really connect with others. It felt like a high-stakes game, one whose rules he could never quite grasp, which only fueled his frustration.

He understood that his negative attitude and frequent anger played a significant role in his social difficulties. Yet, he reasoned with himself that if people weren't willing to accept the darker facets of his personality, they certainly didn't deserve to see his better qualities(assuming that he had any at all)

Eventually, he gave up on the idea of having meaningful connections, convinced that no one was genuinely interested to actually getting to know him.

In the past, there had been half-hearted attempts, typically from prideful individuals who claimed that they could break down his defensive walls. Naturally, they all failed, because the truth was there weren’t any walls to begin with. That was simply just who Fireball was.

This realization affected how he perceived others. It seemed that most people only approached him to get something out of it or to boast about their brave encounter, declaring, “I was able to talk to Fireball and not die in the process!” It became clear to him that no one ever sought his company for its own sake.

As he reflected on this disheartening truth, he found himself spiraling into a deep sense of despair and dread at the thought of conversing with anyone.

To combat his fears, Fireball devised a simple yet effective solution: pushing everyone away. If people recognized that engaging with him was a futile endeavor, they would leave him alone. This strategy saved him from the constant disappointment and the harsh reality check regarding the pitiful state of his social life.

When he arrived at CTBC, he adopted the same approach, and it worked like usually, but maybe a little too well.

Typically, others would simply ignore him, but here, contestants actively avoided him. Even if he was merely within a two-meter radius, they would flee to the opposite side of the room. This only intensified his anger, creating a vicious cycle where contestants avoided him even more.

Fireball knew he was partly to blame for this situation. He recognized the consequences of the outburst he had during that one dodgeball challenge.

He had prepared himself for the judgmental glances and hushed whispers that followed him. He expected it all.

What he did not anticipate, however, was the sight of Pound sitting next to him during breakfast.

 

At first, Fireball was too lost in his thoughts to notice the sudden thud of a second food tray landing next to him, too busy in a daze, absentmindedly picking at his cold waffles with a fork.

It wasn’t until he heard the other clear his throat that Fireball snapped back to reality, realizing that someone was sitting beside him. He jumped slightly in his seat when he made eye contact with Pound, who was wearing a sheepish smile.

“Hi,” Pound said, his voice casual as he turned his attention to his own meal, giving Fireball a moment to gather his scattered thoughts.

“Um…” Fireball stammered, struggling to form a coherent response as the words became tangled in his throat. Fortunately, Pound quickly picked up on his hesitation.

“Oh, is it alright if I sit here?” Pound asked politely, his tone light and friendly. Fireball had to suppress a sharp retort about how he was already occupying the seat.

“Why aren’t you sitting with your friends?” Fireball inquired, the last word lingering in his mouth longer than he would have liked. Though Pound didn’t seem to pick up on it.

“What’s stopping me from sitting next to you from time to time?” Pound mused, tearing off a piece of hash brown and popping it into his mouth.

“Maybe me telling you to go away?” Fireball shot back, already feeling the pressure of the unexpected social interaction weigh heavily on him. However, Pound simply laughed, as if they were friends teasing each other—which they were not, friends that is.

Fireball’s gaze drifted to the table where he knew Pound usually sat. Sure enough, the objects there appeared just as confused as he was by Pound’s decision to join him this morning. When their eyes met though, they quickly averted their gaze after realising that Fireball was staring right back.

With a sigh, Fireball nervously looked back at Pound, who was smiling brightly, as if nothing was strange about this entire scenario. But there was something decidedly off—why was Pound sitting here?

Fireball understood that Pound wasn't here at the expense of his friends, the brief glance he had exchanged with them earlier had made that clear. This only complicated matters further, as it implied that Pound had chosen to sit with him by his own choice.

Fireball felt his cheeks grow warmer, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He quickly glanced at Pound, who was now focused on finishing his meal. As Fireball mulled over the situation, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart.

Maybe he wants to get to know me better, Fireball thought, his eyes widening as he turned away, keeping his head down to hide the current crisis he was having away from Pound. The very idea sent his heart racing, despite the nagging voice in his head insisting that it was illogical. Yet, his heart whispered that perhaps—just perhaps—maybe this time would be different.

“So…” Fireball began, unsure of where he was headed with this, but as soon as Pound perked up, giving him his undivided attention, he knew he couldn’t back down now. “What—why did you want to sit here, anyway?” he stuttered, embarrassment creeping in at the clumsiness of his attempt at conversation. He had a feeling this interaction would probably live rent free in his mind for the rest of his life, but he needed to know.

He carefully observed Pound's expression, searching for reassurance. Initially, Pound wore his usual smile, but his eyes widened as if he were contemplating his response. Fireball couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Pound struggling to find the right words.

“I mean—I um…” Pound stammered, fidgeting with his fingers. “I just thought that—not that I thought—I—” He took a deep breath, and in that moment, Fireball felt as though time had slowed to a crawl.

“I just thought I’d be warmer if I sat next to you,” Pound finally admitted, his voice faltering as he glanced away, clearly embarrassed. Fireball’s heart sank at the revelation, and he felt his face drop in response.

Oh.

Of course.

What else was he expecting?

Fireball mentally kicked himself for setting himself up for disappointment like this. He should have known better.

“And also—” Pound began, only to pause when he caught sight of Fireball’s downcast expression. “Fireball, are you…?”

“It’s nothing!” Fireball snapped, quickly turning back to his food, getting mad at himself for being so stupid. God, he had even let himself feel a hint of giddiness over this! How desperate had he become?

“I…” Pound started, his voice wavering as he processed what his words might have meant to Fireball.

“Oh! Fireball, I didn’t mean it like that—” Pound rushed to explain, but Fireball was quick to wave him off, too overwhelmed to engage further.

“Shut up,” Fireball groaned, feeling a mix of irritation and resignation. He should have been angrier at Pound, but he couldn’t really blame him. At least this reason for sitting next to him was slightly better than those of everyone else in the past.

“I’m leaving,” he announced quietly, rising from his seat and taking his half-eaten tray of food with him. Before Pound could even think to say goodbye, Fireball walked away, desperate to escape the awkwardness that had engulfed him.

As he moved toward the exit, he could still feel Pound’s gaze on his back, but he didn’t dare look back.

——

When Fireball walked into the cafeteria the next day and spotted Pound sitting at his usual table again, he felt an overwhelming urge to run away.

But running away felt like admitting defeat. Defeat to what exactly? He wasn’t entirely sure.

Despite the turmoil brewing in his chest, he took a deep breath and steeled himself, making his way to his usual seat not daring to make eye contact with Pound.

Just as he settled down, he silently pleaded to the universe. Please don’t say anything. Please don’t—

“So—” Pound began, idly tapping his fingers on the table. His voice was calm, but the thick, suffocating air of awkwardness drowned out his words, and Fireball barely caught what he said.

Determined not to look at Pound, Fireball focused on his tray of food instead. The other noticed this, but it didn’t matter anyways, he just needed Pound to hear him out.

“I just wanted to apologize for yesterday,” Pound said, glancing nervously at Fireball. The lack of a reaction from Fireball only added to his anxiety, but he pressed on nonetheless. “Well, it’s true that I went to sit next to you to stay warm, but that wasn’t the only reason I—”

“I don’t really care, to be honest,” Fireball interrupted, surprising both himself and Pound.

“...What?” Pound asked, his confusion evident as he blinked at Fireball.

Fireball sighed heavily, feeling a weight on his chest. If he were being honest with himself, he had actually enjoyed the company yesterday. It had been so long since he felt the warmth of having someone beside him, engaging in conversation, that it almost made him sad to think about it. Sure, it had ended on a bitter note, but reflecting on it later made him realize that he had been a bit selfish in his feelings.

He should be grateful that Pound had decided to approach him in the first place, regardless of his reasons. It was an opportunity, one he shouldn’t complain about.

“Look, I don’t care about why you chose to sit here,” Fireball continued, trying to keep his tone even. “Even if your reasons feel a bit exploitive…” He trailed off, watching as Pound’s expression fell slightly.

“If you want to leave, then by all means,” Fireball gestured dismissively. “But if you want to stay…” He paused, noticing how Pound visibly perked up at the possibility.

“Then… I won’t stop you,” Fireball concluded, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension.

“Okay then,” Pound replied, his voice brightening.

The two settled into a comfortable silence, but it wasn’t as stifling as before. Fireball realized that his shoulders had relaxed, and he breathed a little easier. If this was what it felt like to have a serious conversation, then perhaps he would rather continue to yell and complain about everything than this.

 

“Anyways—” Pound suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. “Do you think Football ring will come back?”

Fireball blinked in confusion.

…What?

“What?” he questioned, staring at Pound, who was wearing a nervous smile.

“I said, do you think—”

“No, I heard what you said,” Fireball interjected, feeling slightly puzzled.

“Okay,” Pound replied, motioning for Fireball to say something, which only left Fireball feeling more addled.

“And…?”

“And what?”

“Answer the question, Fireball,” Pound laughed, and Fireball could feel his face growing hot with embarrassment. Yet, it wasn’t in a humiliating way. Instead, the laughter seemed to lift a veil of awkwardness that had hung over them.

“Do I have to?” Fireball groaned, rolling his eyes in a feigned display of annoyance.

“Yes, you do,” Pound said firmly, crossing his arms in an attempt to appear intimidating, though Fireball quickly realized that “intimidating” didn’t quite fit Pound’s demeanor.

“Fine. I don’t think he will. He’s probably already forgotten about us by now,” Fireball answers.

“That’s kind of a depressing way to look at it,” Pound commented, but not in a manner that would make Fireball feel bad about himself.

“I… guess,” Fireball admits “But it’s better than getting your hopes up.”

Pound shrugged and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Now that Fireball thought about it, Pound always had hot chocolate during breakfast.

As they both returned to their food, the silence between them felt warm and comforting. It was a tranquility Fireball hadn’t expected, and he had to admit, it felt really nice.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. When Fireball stood up to put away his finished tray of food—he had always been a fast eater—he felt a twinge of reluctance.

“See you,” Pound waved, watching as Fireball stood.

“Yeah, bye,” Fireball stuttered out, a small smile creeping onto his face as he turned to leave. But the smile faded quickly when he passed by one of the tables and caught sight of Maple Leaf giving him a curious look. The sudden scrutiny sent a scowl to his face, and he quickened his pace, eager to escape the moment.

 

——

He spotted Pound sitting at his usual table again, but today there was something different about him—a newfound confidence radiated from him. Fireball could sense that Pound was up to something.

“Hey, Fireball!” Pound greeted happily as Fireball slid into the seat next to him. He doesn’t notice that Pound was sitting a little closer than usual.

“It’s too early for that cheery face,” Fireball replied, his tone flat as he took a bite of his omelette.

Pound chuckled at Fireball’s comment before continuing, “So, I’ve been thinking—”

“Never a good thing,” Fireball interjected, and Pound shot him a playful glare for a moment before pressing on.

“I think we should get to know each other a little better,” Pound suggested, punctuating his words by pointing his fork at Fireball. Raising an eyebrow, Fireball crossed his arms in response.

“And why should we do that?” he asked skeptically.

“Because! I want to know you better,” Pound beamed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Fireball felt a jolt at that simple declaration, a strange mixture of surprise and giddiness washing over him.

Fireball’s eyes widened, and he stared at Pound, his expression flustered. “Um…” he started with a uncertain tone, which Pound immediately picked up on.

“If it’s alright with you, of course,” Pound reassured him, but Fireball scoffed.

“I—of course I’m alright with that! I’m not afraid of a few questions,” Fireball retorted, a little more defensively than he intended.

“I wasn’t saying you were!” Pound mused, watching as Fireball became increasingly worked up over such a small matter.

“Okay, whatever. What did you plan to do anyways?” Fireball decided to humor Pound, noticing the way his eyes lit up.

“So I was thinking we could play 21 Questions—”

“Seriously?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Pound countered. Fireball opened his mouth to argue but realized he had nothing to say. A smirk spread across Pound’s face victoriously.

“That’s what I thought,” Pound said with a triumphant grin, causing Fireball to roll his eyes.

“Okay, fine,” Fireball sighed, “you start.”

Pound twirled his fork while contemplating.

“What’s your favorite color?” Pound asked.

“That’s so basic,” Fireball complained.

“Okay, fine,” Pound huffed. “What’s your opinion on hot chocolate?” he asked, this time with a hint of playful aggression that didn’t quite match the tone of his question.

“What kind of question is that?” Fireball furrowed his brows, bemused.

“A unique one, now answer it,” Pound insisted, his fork pointed at Fireball like a tiny weapon demanding a response.

“Um, it’s alright, I guess?” Fireball finally replied, watching as Pound’s mouth curled into a satisfied smile, visibly relaxing.

“That’s a good enough answer,” Pound said, and before Fireball could probe further, Pound locked eyes with him. “Now it’s your turn.”

“Um, what do I even ask about?” Fireball asks hesitantly

“Anything!” Pound exclaimed, unhelpfully, making Fireball sigh in frustration. He tapped his finger against his chin, his mind surprisingly went blank despite knowing he had a million questions he’d wanted to ask Pound somewhere in the back of his mind.

“Why did you join this show?” Fireball finally decided, deeming it the safest first question.

“Oh, about that…” Pound looked away, slightly embarrassed. “I was dared by a friend to join.”

“Really?” Fireball’s eyes widened, surprised by the unexpected answer.

“Well, it was to prove to them that I could survive longer than five episodes on a show like this,” Pound continued with a sheepish grin. “But I guess I was unsuccessful by default.” He sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice. Fireball nodded, unsure of how to respond.

“I’d probably join if there were a season two, though,” Pound said hopefully, turning to Fireball. “How about you?”

“How about what?” Fireball asked, still a bit lost.

“If there was a season two, would you join?” Pound asked with curiosity.

“No,” Fireball replied almost immediately. “Does that count as part of your question?”

“I—” Pound paused to consider. “If you at least tell me why…”

Fireball hesitated, searching Pound’s expectant expression. “But I already gave you an answer.”

“Yeah, but I need more context, you know? You can’t simply just say ‘no’ and move on,” Pound pressed.

“Actually, I can,” Fireball said defiantly.

“Fireball, please,” Pound asks softly. For some reason, that struck a chord within Fireball, giving him a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Okay, fine!” Fireball relented easily, and a smile spread across Pound’s face.

“I just don’t have a strong enough reason, I guess,” Fireball admitted with a sigh.

“Then why did you join this show—”

“Nope! You already asked a question,” Fireball interrupted.

Pound narrowed his eyes, but ultimately shrugged it off. “Fair enough. Your turn now!”

“Why are you always trying to be nice to others? Doesn’t it get tiring?” Fireball asked, concerned that the question might come off as insensitive. He relaxed when Pound’s expression remained unchanged.

“I always feel great when I make an effort to be nice to people,” Pound replied earnestly. Fireball had to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes at such a predictable answer.

“I know that sometimes it could cost me more harm than good, but I just can’t…” Pound trailed off, and Fireball leaned in, anticipating more.

“Ah, never mind. That’s a story for another time,” Pound waved it off, leaving Fireball confused. He didn’t press further, observing how nervously Pound fiddled with his fingers.

“Alright, alright,” Fireball finally said, and Pound smiles at him again.

Their exchange flowed back and forth a few more times, and Fireball gradually adjusted to the rhythm of it all. Surprisingly, he found himself enjoying it. Talking to Pound felt effortless; it was as if he wasn’t navigating an endless maze trying to decipher Pound’s feelings and emotions like how he usually does when talking to other people.

They continued their playful back-and-forth, eventually surpassing the 21-question mark, but neither cared to stop. They didn’t notice how the cafeteria had grown quieter, nor did they realize they were the last two people remaining, their meals long finished. Neither of them acknowledged the time passing, caught up in the conversation.

At some point, Fireball felt compelled to rip off the metaphorical bandage and pose his most pressing question he had on the back of his head for a good while.

“Why are you trying to hide the fact that you’re sensitive to the cold?” he asked.

“I—um…” Pound’s eyes widened, clearly caught off guard. “Whatever do you mean?” He flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Fireball shrugged as he continued, “Well, you always try to pretend that the snow doesn’t bother you, when it clearly does.”

“I didn’t know you paid so much attention to me,” Pound said with a grin that made Fireball’s cheeks flush.

“Just answer the question,” Fireball huffed. Pound nervously glanced to the side, as if contemplating an escape, but he didn’t run away. Instead, he leaned in closer to Fireball.

“Pound, what are you—” Fireball stammered, taken aback by the sudden proximity.

“I didn’t want to be viewed as weak,” Pound whispered, his voice barely above a murmur, as if revealing his most intimate secret.

Fireball felt a wave of confusion wash over him. Why was he whispering? They were in an empty cafeteria no one was gonna hear them anyways.

“Weak?” Fireball repeated, and Pound closed his eyes, leaning back with a sigh.

“I guess I don’t want to give others another reason to look down on me, you know?” Pound admitted. “I know that I can be…” He trailed off, leaving Fireball even more puzzled. Why would anyone look down on Pound? He was a genuinely good person. Fireball wanted to ask more questions, but he doesn’t know how much Pound was willing to be vulnerable with him, so he stays quiet.

Though moment of silence was abruptly broken by Pound groaning, burying his face in his hands. “That was such an embarrassing question!” he lamented.

“How was that embarrassing?” Fireball asked, genuinely perplexed.

“How did you even notice?” Pound complained, dodging Fireball’s question entirely.

“You were just really bad at hiding it,” Fireball retorted, stifling a laugh at Pound’s plight, which only made the latter wallow further in mock despair, but his teasing quickly backfired on him.

“Okay, you know what? Tell me something embarrassing about yourself!” Pound challenged, a spark igniting in his eyes.

“Huh?”

“Tell me something embarrassing about yourself!” Pound demanded once more, and Fireball couldn’t help but wonder if this was a side of Pound he had never seen before.

“Um…” Fireball muttered, taken aback by the sudden demand. He was certainly not ready to divulge any embarrassing secrets or childhood memories he’d rather forget. Yet, he didn’t want to lose the momentum of their conversation.

“…sorry, that was too harsh of me,” Pound says, noticing Fireball’s sudden silence. “You don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, no, no—it’s not that it’s just—” Fireball panicked internally, scrambling for something to say.

Say something, say something, say something.

“I… I’m a pillow hugger.” And immediately, Fireball regretted his impulsive confession.

“A pillow what now?” Pound asked, his eyes shot up in curiosity.

“No, nothing! Forget I said anything!” Fireball exclaimed, burying his face in embarrassment and wishing he could disappear on the spot.

“Do you mean you hug pillows in your sleep?” Pound mused, piecing the puzzle together far too quickly for Fireball’s comfort.

“No!” Fireball denied vehemently, but it was too late. His secret was out in the open, and Pound couldn’t help but smile.

“Awww, Fireball, that’s not embarrassing! That’s actually pretty cute!” he teased, and Fireball felt his face grow even hotter.

“Yeah, no—you know what?” Fireball suddenly declared, standing up. “I’m done talking to you! Goodbye!” he said, storming off.

“No, wait, Fireball—” Pound called after him, but then paused. “Okay, fine. See you tomorrow,” he waved goodbye. Fireball continues to walk off, surprised that Pound hadn’t put up more of a fight, but then he looked through one of the many wide windows in the hall that connected the cafeteria and cabins.

There, the winter sky swirled with a soft orange hue, snow filled clouds scattered about. Fireball admired the scenery for a moment, only to realize something important behind the display after noticing the darker sky.

‘Have we been talking until evening??’

 

——

 

Fireball still has a hard time talking to people, but he believes that he’s getting better.

 

Pound continued to sit next to him at breakfast each morning, always chattering away about anything and everything—from stories from his past to the latest things on his mind or just sharing the mundane details of his day.

One day, as Fireball was about to leave, Pound stood up to follow him, leaning close as they walked down the halls. To his surprise, Fireball found himself not minding it at all.

He knew that if it were anyone else, he would have felt annoyed, but somehow, with Pound, it was different—an exception.

Some days they would talk for hours on end, other days, silence felt just as comfortable for the two of them. Fireball found himself enjoying both types of interactions.

When he had first entered the show, there were many things he had expected, but growing close to Pound—of all people—was not one of them. Yet, it was a welcome development, not that Fireball would ever openly admit it to Pound.

Notes:

Thank you for reading:)

Chapter 3: Sleeping arrangements

Summary:

Caramel apple steals Fireball’s pillow which pisses him off, however Pound offers him a solution to his problems.

Pound has also been acting a little weird lately, Fireball can’t help but think it has something to do with him.

Notes:

So um, I haven't updated this book for a little over a month BUT IN MY DEFENCE I WAS BUSY!!! And besides this is a pretty long chapter, longer than the first two chapters combine so that makes up for my disappearance right???

Honestly I loved writing this chapter since I was planning it ever since I started this book and I'm super happy that I finally finished it!!Anyways enough stalling and lets start!

 

Minor warning:

Swearing
Second hand embarrassment
May be out of character (again I'm sorry if I don't get the character's personality, traits or interactions correct since this is my analyzation of the characters and my own personal headcanons)

 

3

Fireball and Pound started to act more differently towards each other compared to how they interacted with the other objects.

This shift didn't happen overnight of course, it took several days for their conversations to not end with Fireball storming off in either anger or embarrassment.

However, as time went on, a noticeable change began to take shape.

For Fireball, it was more apparent. He wouldn't glare or shout at Pound the same way as he did with everyone else. Instead, he appeared more relaxed and calmer when speaking with him. It was as though, amidst all the things he usually despised, Pound was one of the few things he could tolerate.

For Pound, it was more subtle. He still acted like his usual friendly self, but he seemed more lively and upbeat when he was around Fireball. With others, Pound was agreeable, neutral and happy, but with Fireball, he allows himself to be sad, angry, passionate, annoying, and everything else. It was something you wouldn't notice at first glanced, but Fireball, thanks to his improved observing skills, he did.

For some reason, Fireball liked the thought of Pound being comfortable enough to be so candid around him, knowing that he of all people could be somewhat of a 'safe space' for Pound. Be somebody to someone or however that saying goes.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realised how absurd it would be for someone like Pound to feel this way about him. He should be the last person Pound should want to open up to! His bluntness and harshness contrasting to Pound's kind and encouraging nature.

Hell Fireball had never intended to become close with anyone in the first place! From his experience, these types of relationships took so much considerable time and effort that he saw little value in them. But with Pound, it felt so easy, at a point where it was almost unsettling.

Despite this, Fireball occasionally allowed himself to enjoy the thought. Even if he was pushing the boundaries of their weird bond. Pound was already doing so much as by just making an effort to hang out with him, which Fireball very much appreciated. He shouldn't be pushing the line too much anyways.

For now, he was happy with how things were and didn't want to jeopardise the progress they had made.

Though what Fireball definitely wasn't happy about, was catching Caramel Apple red-handed trying to steal one of his pillows behind his back when Fireball was about to leave the cabin that morning.

"Caramel Apple," Fireball said flatly, standing at the front door, his gaze fixed on the pillow on the ground beside the culprit, a clear testament to Caramel Apple's crime.

"Look, Fireball—we can- let's talk about this, okay?" Caramel Apple stuttered, taking a few steps back.

"You are so dead!" Fireball yelled, lunging forward at him.

Fireball might have applauded Caramel Apple's audacity under different circumstances, but right now, his anger overshadowed any potential admiration.

The situation quickly escalated into a full-blown chase in the cabin, with Fireball threatening to throw Caramel Apple out the window once he caught him. Somehow Caramel Apple was able to escape from his grasp long enough for Chip Stack to arrive just in time to witness the chaotic pursuit.

Chip Stack tried to intervene and stop Fireball, but his efforts were futile against Fireball's wrath. Eventually, Maple Leaf arrived and joined the fray, trying to prevent Fireball from killing Caramel Apple.

The commotion continued unabated, with Caramel Apple growing increasingly desperate as Fireball showed no signs of relenting.

Soon other objects gathered near the cabin door, drawn by the commotion and intrigued by the wild chase unfolding before them.

Fireball remained oblivious to the growing crowd and to Chip Stack's attempts to restrain him. He was way too focused on getting his fists between Caramel Apple's (non-existing) eyes.

At some point, amidst the chaos, someone shouted something about 'getting someone' and hurriedly left, but Fireball couldn't bring himself to care.

"Fireball, you need to calm down," Chip Stack spluttered, struggling to hold the other down.

"Violence isn't the answer," Maple Leaf chimed in unhelpfully, trying his best to keep a distance between Fireball and Caramel apple by hiding the smaller one behind him.

"Maple Leaf, if you don't want to be torn apart, I suggest you step aside," Fireball warned, watching as Maple Leaf paled slightly but stubbornly held his ground, raising his arm to shield Caramel Apple even more.

"You would never," Maple Leaf said, his voice firm, to which Fireball scoffed at the naivety of the remark.

"Oh, I would," Fireball replied, his gaze darkening, causing Maple Leaf to flinch. "I'm—"

"Fireball!" A familiar voice cut through the commotion, and Fireball froze, recognizing it instantly. He slowly turns around to see Pound making his way through the crowd of onlookers, muttering out a stream of 'sorrys' and 'excuse mes' as he approaches the scene.

"What's going on?" Pound asked, surveying the room with concern.

"Pound, he's trying to kill me!" Caramel Apple shouted, peeking out from behind Maple Leaf but quickly ducking back when Fireball shot him a glare.

"Okay, so he's just being dramatic—" Fireball began to explain, but Chip Stack quickly cuts him off.

"Dramatic? No, that's a perfect description of what you were trying to do," Chip Stack said in a monotone voice.

"Oh my god, nobody asked you!" Fireball groaned, and with that, the room erupted into chatter. Caramel Apple shouting something out in Chip Stack's defence, Maple Leaf trying (and failing) to calm the situation down, and the crowd outside, consisting of Statuette, Speaker, and Service Bell, only adding more fuel to the fire with unnecessary comments while Fireball argued with everyone.

Fireball felt his temper rising by the second, his flames beginning to simmer with intensity. He was on the verge of exploding with anger and possibly setting the cabin on fire, but he was too enraged to care. The shouting around him only encourages this feeling, threatening to escalate the situation further. If this goes on for any longer then he'll-

"Guys—guys! CAN WE PLEASE CALM DOWN!?" Pound's voice cuts through the sea of chaos, halting everyone in their tracks. The room fell silent as they turned to see Pound, fists clenched, standing in the middle of it all.

Pound's eyes widened, surprised at his own sudden outburst more than anyone else, but he was quick to compose himself, brushing it off. "I'm sorry about that, but I was having trouble understanding what's happening here," he apologised, his gaze scanning the room.

Pound turns to lock his gaze with Fireball, catching Fireball off guard. "Fireball, what's going on?" he asked again, but this time directed at Fireball.

"Why are you asking him?? He—!" Caramel Apple began, but Maple Leaf was quick to pull him back. "Caramel Apple, please," Maple Leaf said firmly, which is enough to shut the other up.

"Um" Fireball pauses, averting his gaze away from Pound. Then, a sudden, unfamiliar feeling of fear washed over him in a way that he has never experienced before. Fireball freezes, what the hell was that? He thought to himself, confused.

Chip Stack, sensing that Fireball no longer needed to be restrained, stepped away and moved to check on Caramel Apple.

"Can we- can we discuss this where everyone isn't staring at us?" Fireball stuttered out, glaring at the crowd near the door.

"Of course," Pound replied with a nod. Fireball sighed in relief, appreciating that Pound was very easy to convince, even if it was sometimes more concerning.

Pound glanced around before turning back to Fireball with a nervous smile. "Meet me back at the cafeteria?" he suggested.

Fireball stared at him, puzzled for a moment, why not just go together?

"Okay," he eventually agreed, and with that, Pound's face lit up with a wide smile and scurried out the door, this time being able to easily get out as the crowd parted for him.

When Pound leaves, the room plunges into an awkward silence, and Fireball feels as if he could suffocate under the weight of all the expectant stares directed at him.

"Oh my god, do I have to tell you guys myself?" Fireball shouted, annoyance creeping into his voice. "The fight's over! Just leave and go back to whatever you do in your boring lives!" He pointed toward the door, hoping to dispel the crowd.

A few objects took his advice and hurriedly left, and Fireball felt a sense of relief wash over him. However, when he turned around, he found himself facing curious gazes from Maple Leaf and Chip Stack.

"What??" Fireball demanded, exasperation evident in his tone, confused by the looks they were giving him.

Chip Stack and Maple Leaf exchanged a glance filled with an unspoken understanding that left Fireball feeling irked. A bit ticked off by their silent conversation, but before he could voice his annoyance, Chip Stack spoke up.

"So, you wouldn't listen to any of us literally screaming at you to calm down, but you stop immediately when Pound says your name?" Chip Stack asked, his tone oddly challenging. Fireball narrowed his eyes, confusion mingling with irritation as he considered the implication behind those words.

"Yeah, and??" Fireball shot back, glaring at him defiantly.

"I don't know, I just find it interesting, that's all," Chip Stack shrugged, seemingly unfazed by Fireball's attempts at intimidating him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Fireball retorted, taking a few steps closer to Chip Stack and Maple Leaf, but Maple Leaf quickly raised his arm to halt Fireball's advances.

"What I think Chip Stack is trying to say is that we're happy you've made a friend, that's all," Maple Leaf said, offering Fireball a weary smile.

"Pound and I aren't— we're not friends," Fireball stuttered, the words feeling weird on his tongue.

"I call bullshit!" Caramel Apple suddenly yelled out from behind Chip Stack and Maple Leaf.

"Oh my god, this is none of your business!" Fireball shouted back with a hint of anger, partly because was still annoyed at Caramel Apple.

"Hey, Fireball, calm down before we have to call Pound back," a voice from the cabin's doorway chimed in. Fireball turned to find Speaker and Statuette leaning against the frame, looking far too amused by the situation.

"Say, Fireball, why is it that you only listen to him anyway?" Statuette asked, with a malicious smirk.

"I—! Um..." Fireball struggled to formulate a coherent response, feeling the pressure of the crowd's attention.

"Yeah, didn't you say you weren't interested in making any friends? What happened there bud?" Chip Stack continued, clearly relishing the opportunity to provoke him.

"Literally shut up, weird eyes," Fireball snapped, pointing a warning finger at Chip Stack. But before he could say anything else, Caramel Apple jumped in between him and Chip stack.

"Don't call Chip Stack weird eyes!" Caramel Apple defended, but quickly takes a cautious step back when Fireball shot him a glare.

"Don't try and discipline him, Caramel Apple," Speaker says in a weird tone that makes Fireball want to punch him. "It's not going to work, unless you're Pound, because he's clearly an exception."

"Oh my fucking god!" Fireball shouted, turning his attention to Speaker, feeling flustered. "Why are you so obsessed with asking me about Pound??"

"Because you keep avoiding our questions about him," Speaker replied, leaning in with a smirk. "What makes Pound so special, huh?" The jab made Fireball stumble back slightly, caught off guard by the sudden intensity of the scrutiny.

"Nothing's special, it's just..." Fireball's voice trailed off as he stared at the ground, desperately avoiding the relentless gazes of everyone around him. He felt overwhelmed by their questions, a wave of uncertainty washing over him.

What did make Pound special? As Fireball considered the question, he couldn't help but reflect on how effortlessly Pound had slid into his life. He thinks back to the very beginning.

Pound had first approached him wanting something, specifically his blanket and warmth. That had been the catalyst for their initial conversations, that's how it usually goes.

But it didn't stop there, Pound had wanted more, though not in a physical sense. He asked questions, wanting to know actual things about Fireball, his likes, dislikes, fears, and opinions.

To Fireball's surprise, he found himself answering those questions. It wasn't something he was used to anyways, no one had ever shown such genuine interest in him before.

And then Pound kept coming back, day after day, to the same table where Fireball always sat at. He would arrive with new stories and more questions, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And day by day Fireball could feel himself slowly softening up to the other, just because Pound decided to stick around longer than anyone else before him. (contrary to popular belief Fireball did have 'friends' in the past)

But anyone could do that, right? Anyone could pick a random person, ask a bunch of questions, and sit next to them every day. Why was it so special when Pound did it?

"Um, Fireball, are you—?" Maple Leaf began, breaking his train of thought.

"Oh my god—I don't know!" Fireball shouted suddenly, surprising everyone around him with his outburst.

"I'm not answering because I don't know!" Fireball says in an uneven tone, glaring at the group with frustration.

"And besides, I owe none of you an answer anyways! I don't even like any of you!" Fireball added defensively, probably more to assert his independence than to convey any real animosity.

"But you like Pound?" Statuette asked innocently, and that was when Fireball couldn't take it anymore.

"You're all impossible!" Fireball yelled, stomping out of the room and pushing past Speaker and Statuette.

He burst out of the cabins, not bothering to watch his step on the snowy ground, but it hardly mattered anyways as his fire was hot enough to melt the snow at this point.

He clenched his fists tightly, his frustration visible in every step he took as he made his way towards the cafeteria.

Fireball was seething. After weeks of being completely ignored, suddenly everyone seemed interested in every detail of his relationship with Pound. It was infuriating. He kicked a rock out of his path with more force than necessary, the act mirroring his exasperation.

The audacity of it all, how dare they pry into something that was none of their business? It was even worse that they were clearly only doing that just to try to provoke him. The urge to shout, to hurl something against the wall, was overwhelming, even if it seemed childish, he didn't care. They had no right to be so curious, no right to interrogate him, and certainly no right to mock him like that. God! Now he really wants to punch something-

"Fireball!" He hears Pound call out snapping him out of his thoughts, Fireball only now noticing that he entered the cafeteria at some point, away from the snowy weather.

Fireball looks up, easily spotting Pound due to the sunlight from outside reflecting off him and almost immediately, he feels relieved at the sight.

Though Pound was not alone, Fireball spotted two figures standing besides their table, one yellow and one pink.

"Oh, looks like we should be going now," said the pink one. What was her name again? Princess hat? Says as she notices Fireball approach the table.

"Oh okay then, bye, Princess Hat and Tape Measure!" Pound waved cheerfully to the two girls. "Thanks again!"

"No worries," Princess Hat said with a smile. "Let's go, Tape Measure." She gently tugging Tape measure. They brushed past Fireball and he could have sworn Tape Measure gave him a sidelong glance as he passed them, but he reluctantly decided to brush it off seeing as he already kept Pound waiting long enough.

"Hey," Fireball greeted as he slid into his usual spot next to Pound.

"Hi, Fireball!" Pound's grin was as wide as ever. Fireball's lips twitched upwards in response.

"So, uh," Fireball began, glancing to the side, "why were you thanking those two anyways?" Fireball asks, not really curious about it but felt obligated to ask anyway.

"Oh, Princess Hat was the one who told me about the—um," Pound trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"Fight?" Fireball finished for him. "You don't need to sugarcoat it, Pound. Yes, I got into a fight." Fireball sighed, feeling the weight of the situation.

"No—no, it's not that," Pound stammered. "Well, personally, I didn't see it that way- you know what? It doesn't matter. Just tell me what happened."

"Well," Fireball started, but he hesitated when he saw the same intense look in Pound's eyes that he had seen before in the cabins, a gaze that had stirred an unexpected fear in him. It didn't make sense, Pound wasn't a scary individual, and the look itself wasn't what terrified him, it was something else, something he couldn't quite place.

"Well?" Pound's prompt brought Fireball out of his thoughts.

"Oh, right—um," Fireball said nervously. "Well, when I was preparing to head to the cafeteria this morning, I caught Caramel Apple trying to steal one of my pillows, and—" He recounted the incident, only now realising how stupid the whole thing sounded. Had he seriously gotten so worked up over a pillow???

"And then apparently you tried to kill him," Pound recalled with a sigh. "Fireball, come on, it was just a pillow—"

"Well, he could've at least asked me!" Fireball argued, throwing his hands up in exaggerated frustration. "I mean, I would've said no regardless, but he still should've asked!"

"Fireball," Pound began, and once again, that unsettling fear overtook Fireball, confusing him further. "I—never mind. You're completely right. He should've asked you first."

"Wait, what were you going to say?" Fireball asked, studying Pound, who seemed unusually distressed at the sudden interrogation.

"It's nothing, Fireball, really," Pound said with a smile trying to reassure Fireball, but it doesn't work.

"Pound," Fireball said, eyeing him sceptically. "Come on, just say it."

"There's nothing to say," Pound insisted, nervously averting his gaze.

"Bullshit," Fireball retorted, crossing his arms. Pound snapped his eyes back to Fireball with a sharp look.

"Hey!" Pound said, pointing a finger at Fireball. "No swearing!"

"Seriously?" Fireball laughed. "Don't tell me you're one of those people."

"Unfortunately, I am," Pound huffed. "And now you have to deal with it." His response made Fireball laugh even harder.

"Anyways—" Pound said, changing the subject abruptly, something that Fireball doesn't seem to notice. "Can you come with me to get hot chocolate?"

"And you can't go yourself because?" Fireball asked with an amused smile, noticing the way Pound pouts at him.

"Please?" Pound implored, avoiding the question entirely. Normally, Fireball would have scoffed and dismissed such a request from anyone else, but with Pound, it was different.

"Yeah, okay," Fireball agreed, standing up and heading straight towards the kitchen. "Let's go."

He knows that he doesn't need to look back to check if Pound was following him as he hears a small cheer from the other and the sound of footsteps close behind him.

——

 

When Fireball saw Chip Stack dragging Caramel Apple towards their table later that afternoon, he immediately knew it was probably for no good reason. The way they were coming over had an air of forced politeness that made Fireball's suspicions even stronger.

"Hi, Chip Stack, hi Caramel Apple," Pound greeted with his usual cheerfulness as soon as he spotted them. His warm tone contrasted to Fireball's unwelcoming scowl.

"Hello, Pound... and Fireball," Chip Stack said Fireball's name with a certain disdain, as if it were a bothersome detail. Fireball rolled his eyes in response, finding the insincerity irritating.

"What brings you two here?" Fortunately, Pound was adept at keeping the conversation flowing smoothly, and Chip Stack quickly redirected his attention to him.

"Well, Caramel Apple and I have been discussing and we think—"

"Correction: you think, because I had no say in this!" Caramel Apple interrupted, turning his head away in a huff of irritation.

"... Anyway," Chip Stack continued, unfazed by Caramel Apple's display of annoyance.

"I think you have something to say to Fireball," Chip Stack prompted as he took a step aside, signalling for Caramel apple to take the stage. Fireball looks at them with a puzzled expression.

"Fireball, I just wanted to say that I'm sor—blegh—" Caramel Apple started, only to choke out the apology amid a series of strange noises.

"Um..." Fireball stared, weirded out by the bizarre act.

"Caramel Apple, are you okay..?" Pound asked worriedly, rising from his seat to check on him. Chip Stack raised a hand to stop him.

"No, no, it's fine. He's just being a big baby that's all," Chip Stack reassured, his tone dismissive.

"Hey! I'm not!" Caramel Apple retorted, his frustration evident. "Anyway, Fireball, I'm sorr—ack—" He made a dramatic retching noise, causing Chip Stack to sigh in exasperation.

"What he's trying to say is that he's sorry for earlier," Chip Stack interjected.

"Yeah, that," Caramel Apple said happily, evidently relieved with not having to say it himself. "So, are we cool now? You won't try to chase me around threatening to bash my head against a wall?"

Fireball hesitated. Clearly, he was still irritated, especially since Caramel Apple hadn't offered the apology himself. However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Pound looking at him with that same intense gaze that had unsettled him before. Despite his lingering anger, Fireball knew that he would be unable to outright reject the attempt at reconciliation, though he couldn't quite bring himself to fully accept it either.

Then, an idea struck him.

"Only if you say it," Fireball said, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"Say what?" Caramel Apple asked, confused.

"Actually apologise to me," Fireball clarified.

"What? But I did!" Caramel Apple protested, visibly frustrated.

"No," Fireball insisted. "Chip Stack did it for you. I need to hear you say it."

Caramel Apple groaned. "Ughhhh, doesn't it count or something? I got the message across."

"Dude," Chip Stack said in his usual monotone, "just do it. We don't have all day."

"Ughhhhhhahhahhhhh," Caramel Apple dragged out his annoyance.

"It's just two words. It can't be too hard, right?" Pound added, trying to lighten the mood.

"Pound, you are the biggest people-pleaser I've ever seen, so you have no say in this!" Caramel Apple snapped, catching Pound off guard.

"I—um," Pound stuttered, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Oh my god! Stop stalling and just say it!" Fireball urged, directing the attention away from Pound, not because he noticed that Pound looked uncomfortable by the statement, definitely not, he just wanted to hear Caramel apple properly apologise to him that's all.

"FINE FINE I WILL!" Caramel Apple shouted before taking a deep breath. Fireball scoffed at the overly dramatic gesture.

"I'm..." Caramel Apple began, dragging out the word.

"Yes?" Fireball said with a grin, leaning on his elbow on the table. Caramel Apple grimaced at the sight.

"I'm... I'm sorry, okay!" Caramel Apple blurted out. Fireball felt a sense of satisfaction, and he could hear Pound clapping beside him.

If this was a perfect world, then the interaction would've ended here. Caramel Apple and Chip Stack would have said their goodbyes and leave, allowing Fireball to continue on with his day. But, of course, fate had other plans.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Caramel Apple asked after a beat of silence, leaving Fireball confused.

"What the hell do you mean by 'I'm forgetting something??'" Fireball asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Fireball..." Pound sighed, disapproving of Fireball's tone. "But yeah, What are you talking about, Caramel Apple?" Pound asked more politely.

"Well, if I apologised, then he should too!" Caramel Apple pointed out with a sly smile.

"No," Fireball responded immediately, "absolutely not."

"Well, to be fair, you did try to throw him out the window," Chip Stack reasoned.

"To be fair Chip stack I think I should stick your mouth shut with a stapler" Fireball threatened, glaring daggers at Chip Stack.

"Now, Fireball—" Pound interjected, placing an arm in front of him to keep him calm. "I think Caramel Apple has a point there," Pound said.

Fireball's eyes snapped to Pound, his frustration boiling over. "No, I'm not apologising to him! He's the one who started it!" Fireball gritted his teeth.

"It's only fair!" Caramel Apple argued.

"No one was talking to you!" Fireball shouted back, causing Caramel Apple to fall silent.

"Fireball, please," Pound said evenly. But before Fireball could retort, he felt a sudden weight rest upon his arm.

He turned slowly to see that Pound had slid closer to him from his original spot, his hand resting gently on Fireball's arm as if to calm him down. Fireball shifted his gaze from the touch to Pound's face, which bore a gently pleading expression. There was no malice, he was only met with a soft, earnest look from Pound, signalling for him to apologise. Fireball felt his heart race and his face warm up slightly by the proximity.

"I..." Fireball stutters, taken aback by the sudden action, feeling himself heat up a little bit.

What is this feeling? Why is his body reacting so weirdly to this simple touch?

But before he could delve further into his thoughts, he hears an awkward cough coming from Chip stack, ruining the moment.

Oh right, those two were still here.

"Oh my godddd—fine! I'm sorry, Caramel Apple, for whatever," Fireball groaned, turning away from Pound and breaking the contact. Though out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pound's mouth twitch into a smile.

"Hmm, can you repeat that? I didn't quite catch that," Caramel Apple said with a grin, stepping closer.

"Get out," Fireball said flatly, expecting that this would spark another argument between them, however, Chip Stack suddenly pulled Caramel Apple away as if to prevent anything else from happening before waving goodbye at Fireball and Pound.

"And I think we have overstayed our welcome. Sorry about that," Chip Stack said half-heartedly as he dragged Caramel Apple away. "Bye guys"

"Bye you two!" Pound waved as the pair left. Fireball thought he saw Caramel Apple blow a raspberry at him but decided it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

The duo sat in silence for a moment before Fireball groaned loudly.

"That was so weird," he said, putting a hand to his face as he leaned back, exhausted by the encounter. He heard Pound chuckling quietly to himself.

"What are you laughing at?" Fireball asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Pound try to stifle his giggles.

' cute... wait what—'

"Oh no, no it's nothing. It's just..." Pound trailed off, staring at his lap with a small smile. Fireball leaned closer, placing his arm on the table.

"It's just?" Fireball prompted, studying Pound closely for any sudden movements.

The time he had spent getting to know Pound, Fireball had noticed that Pound was quite expressive in a way, not like Chip stack in a sense where he punctuated his words with his hands, no, it was more... subtle.

He swayed a lot, never actually standing still for a moment, and his emotions were easily displayed on his face as he talked, so Fireball never had to second guess to what Pound was feeling

But right now, Pound was still, and the same unsettling fear Fireball had felt before resurfaced.

"It's just that I'm happy you guys resolved the situation that's all," Pound finally said, turning back to Fireball. Fireball noticed how neither of them had moved away from each other when Pound had initially closed the distance between them beforehand. They were sitting so close, usually Fireball was so guarded when it came to his personal space, but he didn't seem to mind the close proximity from Pound.

"I guess," Fireball shrugged. "I still want to kill him." Pound laughed at that.

"You'd murder anyone here if given the chance," Pound said with a grin, to which Fireball smiled at.

"Not you," Fireball said without thinking. He froze, eyes widening at his slip up. When Pound looked at him with a curious glance, Fireball knew he couldn't just brush it off.

"What about me?" Pound asked, and Fireball took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't... I wouldn't murder you," Fireball stuttered, kicking himself for phrasing it like that as he turned his gaze away from Pound.

"Oh, um, thanks?" Pound chuckles, Fireball internally screams at the awkwardness of it all as he nods in response.

"So I'm the exception?" Pound asked with a playful grin, making Fireball sigh lightly as he finally looked back at him.

"Yeah, I guess you are," Fireball confirmed, feeling his heart beating a twinge faster than before.

He still didn't fully understand these feelings, but he realised that maybe he didn't need an answer right now. As he watched Pound's smile grow even brighter, Fireball decided that this was enough, that he was happy with how things are, for now.

 

——

 

Fireball finds himself glaring angrily at the mattress above him.

He couldn't believe that after apologising to Caramel Apple, Caramel Apple had taken it as permission to take Fireball's spare pillow, stuffing it along with all the other (probably) stolen pillows on his bed to keep him warm.

Fireball was furious when he discovered what had happened. He would've chased Caramel Apple around the room again If Pound hadn't intervened and held him back this time.

Miraculously, Pound was somehow able to get both of them to sit down and talk it out, which mostly consisted of lots of fighting and shouting mostly on Fireball's part.

The argument might have dragged on indefinitely if Caramel Apple hadn't asked this one question

"Why do you even need a second pillow?? If you tell me why then I'll give it back" He yelled, trying to sound as intimidating as Fireball had moments earlier.

Fireball was about to snap back when he realised Caramel Apple had unwittingly put him into a dilemma.

He could either reveal his embarrassing secret, that he was a pillow hugger which meant revealing one of his deepest darkest secrets to a second person that was not as trustworthy as Pound, or give up the pillow.

In the end, he has chose to keep his secret, which meant reluctantly letting Caramel Apple keep the pillow, much to Caramel Apple's delight and to his annoyance. Pound shot Fireball a few worried looks after the argument had ended, knowing the sacrifice that the other just made, but Fireball was too angry to care.

He shifts around in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but with the lacking feeling of his second pillow he finds it extra difficult. He had long since stopped glaring at Caramel Apple and now refocused his gaze onto the top mattress of the bunk bed.

He was frustrated and justifiably so, he can't survive the rest of winter like this! Fireball doesn't remember when he first picked up the cuddling habit, but once he got it, he just couldn't find a way to get rid of it.

His first few nights on the island were terrible with only one pillow, which probably didn't help his bad mood during that time. When Cheese Wheel had quitted and left the island, Fireball was quick to take his pillow from his now empty bunk bed, he still feels guilty about the whole situation but that wouldn't stop him from trying to sleep comfortably.

But now, with his pillow gone, he was back to square one, struggling to understand how he managed those first few nights without it.

He tried to keep his eyes shut, hugging himself in a futile attempt to recreate a sense of comfort, but nothing helped. He was on the verge of giving up when he felt a gentle poke on his arm.

"Fireball," he heard Pound whisper. Fireball groaned as he rolled over on his side, finding himself face-to-face with a weary-looking Pound.

"What?" Fireball asked, his tone edged with irritation, not caring if he was being too loud.

"So it turns out Caramel Apple took the spare blanket you lent me the other night," Pound explained, sounding exhausted.

"Oh my god, of course he did," Fireball replied, exasperated. "Do you want me to wake him up and get it back?" he offered, but Pound quickly shook his head.

"Um, no, that's okay. I don't want to explain to him why I need it back," Pound said. Fireball rolled his eyes.

"Oh, of course, you want to keep your embarrassing secret to yourself," Fireball mocked (yes he was projecting), to which Pound sighed.

"Yeah, I thought I could sleep through the cold, but it's just too chilly with the snow," Pound explained. Fireball's eyebrows furrowed.

"...Okay? I hate to break it to you, but I don't have another blanket I'm willing to give away," Fireball said, his exhaustion evident in his sharp tone. Pound waved him off.

"No, it's not that. I'm actually here with an offer since I see that you're also having trouble sleeping," Pound said. Fireball raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

"An offer?" he asked, watching as Pound swayed on the spot from fatigue.

"I was thinking..." Pound hesitated for a moment, "if I could sleep in your bed with you."

Fireball stared at him, initially confused, before he felt himself explode, completely caught off guard and flustered at the sudden request.

"WHAT—" he exclaimed, but Pound quickly covered his mouth with his hand to hush him.

"Shhh!" Pound whispered urgently. Fireball, still in shock, didn't push the hand away but continued to stare at Pound with wide eyes.

"Just... just hear me out," Pound began, removing his hand and meeting Fireball's gaze. He seemed unbothered by the awkwardness of the situation.

"You need an extra pillow to sleep. I have one I could offer," Pound said, lifting a pillow wrapped around his arm that Fireball hadn't noticed before, along with a blanket draped over his other arm.

"And I need to stay warm. We could combine our blankets, and besides..." Pound trailed off, nervously glancing to the side. Fireball remained too flustered to respond.

"...Besides, I think— I think you could keep me warm enough if I'm sleeping next to you," Pound stammered. He looked at Fireball with a tentative expression, who was still too stunned to reply.

They stood like that for a few moments, both of them barely being able to maintain eye contact with each other.

"I— you know what!" Pound suddenly said, breaking the silence. "I'm so sorry, I didn't actually think this through— oh god, what was I thinking!" He blurted, his gaze darting everywhere but towards Fireball. Fireball watched, unsure of what to say next.

"I'm sorry, Fireball. I'm just going to go back to my bed and—" Before Pound could turn away, Fireball reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

Pound froze and slowly turned to face Fireball, who had his eyes closed, as if contemplating whether he would regret his decision.

"I..." Fireball began, opening his eyes to meet Pound's nervous gaze. "I don't mind the offer, actually."

Pound's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... you're okay with that?"

"Yes, I'm okay with it! Please don't make me say it again," Fireball groans in embarrassment that Pound couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Okay, okay, I was just making sure," Pound said with a smile, fumbling slightly. The two remained in awkward silence, Fireball felt like he could cut the tension with a knife

"So, are you going to...?" Fireball asked stiffly, not even sure what he was referring to but it seemed to snap Pound out of his trance.

"Oh right! Um, can you move back a bit?" Pound asked, and Fireball quickly complied, giving Pound enough space to crawl onto the bed.

It took a while for them to find a comfortable position. The bed wasn't very big, but it was enough for both Fireball and Pound to fit in, leaving just enough space for the spare pillow to be put between them. Fireball instinctively grabbed the pillow and hid his face in it.

Even though Fireball couldn't see him, he felt small shuffling coming from Pound's side, hearing a soft sigh, likely Pound finally getting comfortable.

Fireball's heart started to race, beginning to feel self conscious about everything, is he breathing too loudly?? Is he taking up too much space?? Is Pound regretting asking already?? Is he-

"Good night," Pound whispered, snapping Fireball out of his thoughts. Fireball peaks out from the pillow to see Pound laying on his back staring at the mattress above them.

"Night," Fireball responded.

Silence enveloped them as Pound closed his eyes. Surprisingly, Fireball felt quite comfortable despite the reduced space and the presence of another body next to him, though he still felt the lingering jitters.

Is this normal? Why does it feel so strange? It's just a friend helping another friend, right?

Fireball paused, a memory flashing through his mind.

"Pound and I aren't— we're not friends."

...Are they friends? They haven't really defined it, but friendship isn't something you outright label, right?

Fireball glanced at the person beside him, already fast asleep. Their relationship was unconventional, built on deals that benefited each other.

But they took the time and effort to get to know each other and spent the majority of the day at each other's side, which is what friends do, right? If they weren't friends, why would Fireball agree to let Pound sleep in the same bed as him? Fireball clutched the pillow, lost in thought.

This cycle of contemplation continued, but his fatigue gradually took over, and soon he found himself drifting off to sleep.

———

When Fireball wakes up, he doesn't find Pound next to him.

Honestly, he would have thought that last night was just a dream if it weren't for the extra blanket and pillow that are now on his bed.

Fireball slept really well last night, much better than usual. Normally, when he wakes up, he feels groggy and disoriented, but this morning, he feels... great.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes as he tries to recall the events of the previous night, which honestly were quite hazy due to the fact he was extremely tired during that time.

Then it hits him—the agreement he and Pound had made.

 

"I was thinking if... if I could sleep in your bed with you."

"I... don't actually mind that offer."

 

Fireball's eyes widened as he slowly began to realise what he had agreed to. His face heats up, and it feels like the final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

WHAT DID HE AGREE TO???

Fireball quickly stumbles out of bed, not caring if a blanket or pillow fell onto the floor. He needs to find Pound and confront him about... whatever happened last night. Even though Pound is not in the cabin right now, Fireball knows he will likely be in the cafeteria. Pound was always an early riser anyways and was usually there before him.

"Uggghhh, what's all that noise..." Fireball hears Caramel Apple groan from his bed.

Apparently, his commotion was loud enough to wake Caramel Apple, but that is the least of his concerns right now. With his face bright red, Fireball bursts out of the cabin and into the snow outside.

He quickened his pace, heading directly towards the cafeteria. His mind races with a cascade of anxious thoughts, replaying the conversation last night with Pound.

What the hell was he thinking??? What the hell was Pound thinking?? Fireball gets that he was tired but he shouldn't at least have been able to think straight enough to realise how... how weird the offer was.
Oh god did anyone see them?? The other contestants had already teased him enough yesterday and he certainly didn't need to give them another reason to make fun of him.

But then again... why does he care about that?

Fireball suddenly halts in his tracks.

He tries to reason with himself. Yesterday was undeniably embarrassing, but in the grand scheme of things, the opinions of others didn't really matter to him all that much. And besides... He had slept surprisingly well last night, probably thanks to an extra pillow but that was beside the point.

As he stands there, Fireball starts to realise that he might be overthinking the situation. If the agreement with Pound was meant to benefit him, why should he complain?

And besides! bringing it up might only make things more awkward between them. Better to leave it unspoken.

With that thought in mind, Fireball's urgency to burst through the cafeteria doors fades, and he approaches the room with a more relaxed demeanour.

Upon entering the cafeteria, he spots Pound at their usual table, staring down at his mug, seemingly lost in thought and not noticing Fireball's approach.

"Hey," Fireball greets, causing Pound to jump in his seats as he snaps his head towards Fireball.

"Oh!" Pound exclaims, visibly relaxing when he recognizes Fireball. "It's just you. Good morning," he adds with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Fireball feels like something was wrong, that there was something he was missing but decides to not say anything about it.

"So, have you—" Fireball begins, attempting to start a conversation but falters as he notices Pound sliding closer to him, practically leaning on him.

Fireball remains silent, staring straight ahead to avoid meeting Pound's gaze, his face growing warm for reasons he can't quite place.

"It's colder today," Pound comments with a yawn, causing Fireball to raise an eyebrow.

"...Did you sleep well last night?" Fireball asks without thinking. As soon as the question escapes his lips, he realises he's just brought up a topic he was trying to avoid. Crap, he didn't mean to bring that up at all, Fireball can feel the familiar anxiety from yesterday creeping back in.

He doesn't want to know if Pound regretted the arrangement or if he slept poorly because of him or if-

"Yeah, I did. Why?" Pound responds casually, halting Fireball's spiralling thoughts. Fireball slowly turns to face Pound.

"I... nothing. Nothing! Just... that's good to hear," Fireball stammers, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. Pound chuckles at his response.

"Are you going to get food?" Pound asks, smoothly changing the subject. Fireball is momentarily taken aback. Was he really overreacting? Maybe the sleeping arrangement wasn't such a big deal after all he wonders. Though he snaps out of his reverie to answer Pound's question.

"Uh, yeah, I am. I completely forgot about that," Fireball admits as he stands up to head to the kitchen. Pound immediately follows suit.

"I'll go with you!" Pound says enthusiastically. Fireball can't help but smile at the familiar gesture. The tension dissipates, and he finds comfort in the normalcy of the moment. Without needing to check, he starts walking toward the kitchen, confident that Pound is right behind him.

———

This was the moment Fireball had been dreading all day. Today was fairly normal, as normal as it could be, he and Pound just stayed in the cafeteria talking about everything and anything for the whole day. Though as the sun slowly settled, he started to feel increasingly anxious about what was to come.

As he listened to Pound chat on, Fireball had noticed that they had stayed in the cafeteria far later than usual. Despite the unusual lateness, he didn't seem to mind too much.

He watched the snow falling through the big glass window, its flakes dancing through the dark sky and drifting down slowly. It almost felt as if the snow was counting down to his impending doom. Okay perhaps he was being a bit dramatic, but who could blame him!?

When Fireball and Pound had made their agreement that night, Fireball was unsure if it was meant to extend to subsequent nights or if it was just a one-time arrangement.

But it wouldn't have made sense if it was a one time thing since Caramel Apple still had his pillow and Pound's blanket, indicating that tonight they would once again share a bed.

The thought made Fireball's face flush slightly. Why was he being so awkward about this? It was just two fellows sharing a bed, nothing out of the ordinary.

Fireball wasn't even uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, quite the opposite actually, he had slept very well the previous night. Yet, something about it made him feel inexplicably nervous.

Fireball snaps out of his thought as he hears a yawn coming from Pound.

"I think we should head to bed now," Pound said, standing up and looking at Fireball with a knowing gaze, as if signalling him to follow.

"Okay," Fireball replied simply, rising from his seat.

Pound shuffled ahead, appearing somewhat groggy. Was he really that tired all this time? Fireball wondered. Despite his sleepy state, Pound still made the effort to open the door for Fireball, a gesture he had performed countless times before. Fireball couldn't help but smile at the familiar act of courtesy.

"You know you don't have to do that," Fireball said as he passed through the door.

"I know," Pound replied with a cheeky grin, quickening his pace to walk beside Fireball. The two walked in comfortable silence, a routine they had shared many times before.

Fireball's fire contrasted sharply with the dark night sky, casting a path for them to follow toward the cabins. The walk was quiet, with Pound staying close by Fireball throughout the entire journey. It was a familiar, comforting routine, yet Fireball still couldn't shake the jittery feeling he had from before.

The walk felt unusually short as they approached the cabins.

"Why are all the lights off?" Fireball asked, puzzled, pausing at the front door, noticing the lack of light peeping through the gap underneath the door.

"I guess everyone's asleep," Pound shrugged, quietly opening the door to the dark room.

As they entered, they found that everyone seemed to be fast asleep, quietly snoring away. Pound moved into the room casually, while Fireball remained by the door, confused.

Ever since Football Ring had left, their team had agreed to wait for everyone before heading to bed, for safety reasons and to ensure no one mysteriously disappeared. Although they had been stranded on the island for far too long to worry excessively about this protocol, it was a non-spoken routine they all followed. Even during Fireball's lonely days, no one went to bed if Fireball wasn't there.

Had he and Pound stayed up so late that the others had given up on waiting and gone to bed? Sure, Fireball and Pound were safe with each other, but it just felt so... weird.

"Fireball?" Pound's voice broke through Fireball's thoughts. Pound was already sitting on the edge of Fireball's bed, looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I..." Fireball started, feeling a surge of nervousness that seemed unwarranted. With Pound sitting on his bed, it meant they would be sharing it again tonight. This shouldn't be any different from the previous night, all Fireball had to do was get on that goddamn bed and sleep his nerves (that shouldn't even be there in the first place) away.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he finally said, quietly walking over to Pound, trying to avoid waking the others.

Fireball hesitated, standing in front of Pound who was still on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do.

"...Do you want me to move over so you can get to your side?" Pound asked nervously, sensing the tension. They never had arranged anything else when they made the agreement, what side they'd sleep on or anything like that, but in the heat of the moment, Fireball decided it didn't matter.

"Yeah, okay," Fireball replied with uncertainty. Pound nodded and shifted to the side.

Crawling onto the bed felt like one of the most awkward experiences of Fireball's life (besides a lot of other things). Every movement felt exaggerated, the sound of rustling sheets was amplified, and he could feel Pound's gaze burning into the back of his head.

After what seemed like an eternity, Fireball finally settled into a comfortable position, burying his face in the pillow between them. Pound started to settle on the other side, and Fireball closed his eyes, trying to convince himself this was perfectly normal, that there was no reason to be worked up about it.

"Fireball? You alright?" Pound's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

Fireball paused. Had he been moving around too much?

"Uh, yep! Everything's absolutely peachy," he said, cringing at how forced his cheerfulness sounded.

"...Okay," Pound responded, and with that they both settled into a comfortable silence and Fireball could finally feel himself relaxing.

He doesn't know why this whole... thing is getting him all worked up. But as Fireball listened to Pound's gentle snores, he felt a strange emotion welling up in his chest, threatening to burst out any minute.

'I really need to sleep,' Fireball thought as his consciousness was slowly drifting away.

——

He woke up again to find Pound missing from his side.

This time, it wasn't like the previous morning. There was no panic or frantic rush outside the cabin. Instead, Fireball quietly got up and went through his morning routine, which just consisted of mainly fixing the bed, before heading to the cafeteria to meet Pound.

Like he always did

No he's lying

It wasn't always like this. Fireball's schedule was something that was so important to him. He liked knowing exactly what his day would be and detested any disruptions or unexpected changes. Even when he first arrived on the island and his days weren't particularly busy, he still valued his alone time.

Then Pound came along.

Pound punched a hole in Fireball's meticulously planned schedule, placing himself in all the missing gaps and spaces. They basically spend nearly every waking moment together, keeping each other company even if they weren't actively talking to the other.

Fireball wondered how this had happened, how did he let this happen?. Reflecting on his conversations with Speaker, Statuette, Caramel Apple, and the others the day before, he really couldn't understand why Pound was the exception. What made him so special?

He hadn't given it much thought, being too preoccupied with the time spent with the guy himself. Yet, it just made him so... curious.

When Fireball opened the cafeteria door, he immediately spotted Pound at their usual table. But something seemed off. Pound was resting his elbow on the table, leaning on his hand, looking as if he might doze off at any moment. Fireball's brows furrowed in confusion and concern.

"Pound?" he asked once he approached the table. Pound blinked slowly, looking up at Fireball with a faint, tired smile.

"Oh, hey Fireball," Pound greeted, patting the seat next to him, signalling for Fireball to sit down. Fireball hesitated for a moment.

"Are you feeling alright?" Fireball inquired, eyeing Pound.

"...Yeah," Pound replied after a slight delay, his tone seemed sincere, but the pause before his response worried Fireball.

He wanted to understand what was wrong, why Pound appeared so off today.

"Are you—?" Fireball began, but then stopped himself from finishing the question, suddenly a thought flashed through his mind.

Pound's apparent exhaustion likely had to do with how he had slept the previous night. Realising this made Fireball's heart sink, and the fear he had felt the day before resurfaced. Suddenly, he didn't want to hear an answer anymore.

It must be him, right? He was the problem, wasn't he? It was his fault Pound was so tired. How selfish could he be? Fireball had slept so well the previous two nights, all the while Pound had to endure discomfort because of him. There was no other explanation, it had to be-

"Am I what?" Pound asked, interrupting Fireball's spiral of self-blame. Fireball gave him a confused look before realising that he hadn't finished his sentence from before. Panic set in, he didn't want to ask and hear the truth directly from Pound.

"Um, I— I was just asking if you wanted me to get you some hot chocolate?" Fireball offered, forcing a smile to cover up his crisis he was currently facing. Luckily, Pound responded with a soft smile.

"That'd be great, thanks," Pound said, and with that Fireball's doubts and fears seemed to disappear instantly.

"Okay, I'll get that for you right now!" Fireball exclaimed, standing up and quickly making his way to the kitchen, not daring to look back.

He slows his pace down once he approaches the kitchen entrance, upon entering, he is hit immediately by the familiar smell of soups and other savoury dishes made by the other contestants, along with a hint of soap from the dishwasher. The familiar scents instantly cleared his mind. Fireball walks over to the counter where the boiler was located.

He switches it on before reaching for the cabinet above to grab a mug, a small packet of instant hot chocolate, and a container of marshmallows with practised ease. He set everything on the counter and watched as the water began to boil.

"So, did you want me to add—?" Fireball began, expecting Pound to be behind him, but he was instead met with an empty room, surprising him.

"Oh," he said to no one in particular. The boiler's ding pulled his attention away from the vacant crowd.

'That was... strange' Fireball thought as he poured the hot water into the mug. Fireball and Pound usually went to the kitchen together, often so Pound could stay warm while getting food.

This time, however, without Pound being there with him, Fireball felt a strange sense of loneliness, not like the loneliness he had felt when Season 1 was first cancelled, but a more hollow, empty way, if that made any sense.

He drops a few marshmallows into the mug before exiting the kitchen and heading back to the table, taking cautious steps as he approaches Pound, who had once again had his head lowered down.

"Here," Fireball said, placing the mug on the table. Pound looked up, startled.

"Oh! Thanks," Pound said gratefully as Fireball sat down beside him.

Though even with that, they spent the next few moments in awkward silence as Fireball stared intently at Pound.

"...I'm sorry for not going with you to the kitchen. I was a little tired," Pound apologised, catching onto Fireball's unspoken concern.

"It's alright," Fireball replied, looking out the window, watching the falling snow.

Fireball is worried. If Pound wasn't actually sleeping properly because of him, he would probably never say anything about it to Fireball directly as that was just his nature. Fireball didn't want Pound to suffer, but a part of him was telling him to stay silent.

But why? Was it because of Selfishness? Him overthinking the situation? fear? He knows why he would probably be selfish about this, or the fact that he could be over analysing the situation, but fear was unfamiliar. Why was he scared? Why had this strange feeling been plaguing him for the past few days?

Suddenly, Fireball felt a weight on his shoulder. Fireball freezes as he slowly turns his head slightly to see Pound leaning against him. All his previous thoughts vanished instantly.

Fireball could feel his arm burning up in a good way as he unconsciously smiles at the sight.

Maybe he didn't have to talk about it. Emotional conversations were never his strong suit anyway. Maybe the situation wasn't as serious as he feared and he was simply overthinking it like he thought before. Perhaps Pound would get better in a few days.

For now, he allows himself to be selfish.

——

"Oh my god, again??" Fireball exclaimed in disbelief.

When he and Pound returned to the cabin that night. They once more found that everyone was fast asleep in their beds.

"I didn't think we stayed up that long," Fireball said, shaking his head as he walked toward the cabin. Pound shrugged before following him inside.

"I guess time flies when people are having fun," Pound reasoned with a yawn. He then makes a beeline for Fireball's bed, collapsing onto it in exhaustion.

Fireball sighed as he approached his bed, poking Pound's arm. "If you're not going to let me get to my side, could you at least move over?"

Pound glanced at him momentarily, seeming to ponder the request before rolling over to make space for him. Fireball pulled down the blankets and began to climb into the bed. But just as he was about to settle in, he suddenly realised that the pillow he had used the previous nights was now on the far side of the bed, up against the wall, out of reach due to Pound being in the way.

"Pound, can you pass me the—" Fireball began turning to his side only to find Pound already passed out, his exhaustion finally catching up to him.

Fireball paused, watching Pound sleep peacefully. He shouldn't have been too surprised anyways, Pound had looked exhausted all day. A pang of guilt began to stir inside him, but he decided to push it aside for now, as he was currently facing a more immediate problem.

He could just reach over and grab the pillow himself couldn't he? Fireball thought, but it could risk waking Pound up, something Fireball didn't want to do.

Yet, what other choice did he really have? Fireball sighed, before hesitantly reaching for the pillow, his arm slowly hovering over Pound, trying his best to be as careful as possible.

He feels tense the entire time, his arm shook slightly, threatening to drop any second. Despite the nerves, he steadies himself and at last, he feels his hand touch the pillow he was reaching for.

He lets out a huge relieved sigh as he feels the stress begin to leave from his body. He wasn't entirely sure why he had been so.. nervous but nevertheless he's succeeded and all he has to do is to lift the pillow and bring it back-

His breath gets caught in his throat when he suddenly felt a hand close around his wrist, holding him in place. Fireball looked down slowly and saw that Pound had unconsciously grabbed his arm, showing no sign of letting go.

Panic began to set in, and Fireball could feel his face growing warm.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no, no.

He tried to shake Pound's hand off his wrist, but the movement almost stirred Pound awake, causing Fireball to freeze.

He frantically tried to think of anything else he could try, but he's tired and his thoughts are going 90 miles per second that he currently can't think straight. Waking Pound was out of the question, he needed his rest, and Fireball didn't want to disturb him anyway. So, his only option was to hope that Pound's grip would loosen.

Carefully, Fireball began to wiggle his wrist in an attempt to slide it off of Pound's hand, moving slowly to avoid waking Pound. It seemed to be working as he managed to slide his arm down slightly, moving Pound's loose grip from his wrist to his hand.

Just as Fireball thought he might escape, Pound's grip suddenly tightened, wrapping his fingers around the palm of Fireball's hand. This made Fireball freeze once again.

Pound started shifting slightly, causing Fireball to panic, however, the feeling quickly dissipated when he heard Pound sigh contentedly and settle back into a deep sleep.

Fireball remained in that position for a few moments, his arm draped over Pound and his hand intertwined with Pound's.

He knew he should try and free his arm once more, grab the pillow, and pretend none of this had happened. But blame it on his sleepiness catching up to him or the fact that Pound looked so... comfortable right now, Fireball couldn't help but relax his arm, allowing it to rest on top of the other.

'It's fine. It's no big deal anyway' he reasoned with himself as he finally allowed himself to fall asleep, feeling more comfortable in this position.

As Fireball drifted off, he found the warmth and closeness oddly comforting. The soft rise and fall of Pound's chest against his arm was soothing, and Fireball couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment as he nestled into the bed.

Though his head was screaming at him that this was wrong, what would Pound feel when he wakes up to this?

But in that very moment it felt like none of it mattered, Pound wouldn't mind anyways would he? Despite Fireball only knowing him for a little less than a month, he knew that Pound probably wouldn't make a big deal about something like this.

The snow continued to fall outside, muffling the sounds of the night and creating a tranquil backdrop to their shared silence. In the quiet of the cabin, with Pound's hand still holding his, Fireball lets his worries drift away as he falls asleep.

———

Fireball wakes up that morning to find that Pound was gone once again. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it, whether he should be relieved or not but nevertheless it was something he was used to at this point.

As he sat up, he noticed that he felt more rested than he had over the past couple of nights.

He remained in bed for a while, staring at the wall with a blank expression. His mind was empty, until flashes of the previous night's events began to surface.

Him and Pound switching sides on the bed, the pillow being out of reach and...

A flush of warmth spread through him as he remembered the details, and he felt his face heat up.

Nope- NOPE he will NOT be thinking about that right now.

He immediately tried to dismiss these thoughts, resolutely telling himself that he would not dwell on them, not now, or ever.

He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing thoughts. He tries to remind himself that this was no big deal, that he was being overly dramatic, a phrase he had been repeating to himself a lot over the past few days.

But not today! Nope! Today was going to be different (or ordinary), Fireball decided firmly. He was determined to have a normal day, one without the whirlpool of emotions he wasn't used to that had been churning inside him lately. He wanted nothing more than a day of relaxation, free from worry and second-guessing. Just a perfectly ordinary day, free from the emotional turmoil, was that really too much to ask?

Just a break from these emotions, just a break from this confusing spiral, just wanting a break from his beating heart every time he so much just looked at Pound's direction.

And Pound! Where the hell does he start with him?

Ever since Pound had entered his life, everything had felt different. He may not have noticed it at the time, it was certainly there, which confuses Fireball to no end.

Why has Pound been causing him this stress on his heart? Why did he feel this complex mixture of calmness, guilt, fear, and everything else that accompanied Pound's presence?

Fireball had always liked to believe that he had a heart of stone, that he was not capable of feeling anything else beyond anger, anger at himself and at those around him. But Pound had shattered that belief in ways Fireball hadn't anticipated.

As much as he wanted to delve deeper into these thoughts, he had an ordinary day ahead of him, and he was likely keeping Pound waiting at the cafeteria. He pushed these feelings to the back of his mind, focusing instead on the goal of having a routine, uneventful day.

He looks ahead at the snow falling outside from the cabin doorway before taking a deep breath.

Not today.

——

In Fireball's defence, he tried, he really did try.

When he arrived at the cafeteria that morning, he found Pound in an even worse state than the day before. His eye bags were more pronounced, and his fatigue was evident. Fireball bit his tongue and reminded himself of the decision he had made today.

"Just one normal day," Fireball repeated to himself as he took his usual seat next to Pound.

"Hey, Pound," Fireball greeted.

Pound looked up and smiled, stretching his arms across the table. "Good morning, Fireball," he replied with his customary smile, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"So, I was thinking..." Pound began, placing his mug down and getting ready to go on a rant on whatever story that had recently plagued his mind. But then he suddenly seemed to lose his train of thought as he blanked, stuck in his current position. Fireball watched in confusion as Pound sat there, momentarily frozen. Fireball gently placed a hand on Pound's shoulder.

"Pound, are you—?" Fireball asked, snapping Pound out of his daze.

"Oh—sorry! Sorry I zoned out there for a second," Pound said, sounding apologetic. "Where was I? Uhh..."

He snapped his fingers, trying to recall what he wanted to discuss.

"Ah yes! I just wanted to ask you why you joined this show," Pound said.

Suddenly Fireball felt a sudden wave of nausea hit him as he was taken aback by the question.

"I remember asking you this a while ago, and I never got a proper answer," Pound continued. The question seemed simple enough, but for Fireball, it felt like his entire world had stopped.

"Um," Fireball started, struggling to find the right words. He could feel the awkwardness mounting as Pound noticed his discomfort.

"If—if you want to talk about it, of course," Pound stammered, trying to backtrack. "Sorry, that probably came out of nowhere. I just wanted to—" Pound's attempt to reassure Fireball, though it only made him more anxious.

He doesn't want to talk about it, he really doesn't want to, he doesn't want to dive into what happened, the emotions he experienced during that time, the anger the-

Stop it

Remember?

Today is suppose to be a normal day

Besides, Pound told him that he doesn't have to say anything about it, Fireball was just overreacting.

"I just... can we not talk about that right now?" Fireball said quietly, cutting off Pound's rambling.

"Uh yeah! Yeah of course, sorry" Pound says, adding another apology before awkward silence filled the air.

Fireball stares at his hands, avoiding eye contact with Pound, he never meant for that to come out as... as if he was sensitive about the topic, I mean he was but, not in a pathetic way if that makes any sense, he just didn't want to explain the complicated layers behind it on what was supposed to be a 'normal' day.

"I'll—I'll tell you another time, just—not today, okay?" Fireball said, unsure of why he had made that promise. To give Pound reassurance? To make a commitment? He doesn't know.

"Okay," Pound said before shifting the conversation to a completely different topic. He started discussing about the latest incident he heard about Chip Stack and Caramel Apple, to which Fireball really appreciated, and besides he really wanted to make fun of Caramel apple in any way since he's still mad at him.

But as the day went by, Pound's tiredness became more evident. He would zone out during conversations, forget what he was saying, or appear on the verge of fainting. Fireball had told himself already, he's not going to have any more of these... complex emotions today.

Even at the expense of Pound's well-being?

...

He tried, he really tried, he tried to ignore Pound's constant tired yawns, the way he swayed his head trying to stay awake and his droopy eyes, Fireball didn't want to speak up about it, because it would probably lead to a conversation he mentally wasn't y ready to have.

He didn't want to talk about how he was the problem.

He didn't want to hear it from Pound's mouth.

But even Fireball could recognise that this wasn't right.

Though as the sun began to set, Pound suddenly passed out, falling against Fireball's shoulder.

At first, Fireball didn't realise what had happened, and just assumed that Pound just wanted to lean against his arm again, but after hearing the small snores coming from the other, he froze, stunned.

Fireball slowly turned his head to the other and sure enough, he was fast asleep.

Fireball blinked.

Okay.

That's it.

He's going to have this conversation whether he wants to or not.

"Okay, that's it," he declared, feeling a mix of frustration and concern as he slammed his hands on the table. "We need to talk about what's going on with you!"

Pound jolted awake at the noise, blinking in confusion. "Huh? What?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Fireball sighed, regretting not addressing the issue sooner. If he had acted more quickly, perhaps Pound wouldn't be in such a state.

"Just tell me!" Fireball shouted "just- just tell me what I'm doing that's causing this" he says, but Pound looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean? You haven't done anything- what are you even referring to??" Pound says confused, Fireball could slowly feel his frustrations building up

"You don't have to spare my feelings, Pound!" Fireball insisted, he was so relieved that they were currently alone in the cafeteria and no one else was around to witness his emotional breakdown.

"I have to admit, I was a bit selfish yesterday for not speaking up about it sooner, but you don't have to continue... continue to suffer for me!"

"Suffer?" Pound asked, shocked. "I'm not—where did you get that idea?" Fireball groaned at Pound's confusion, why was he trying to act so oblivious?

"Yes! Yes you are!" Fireball pressed. "I've noticed you've been acting differently these past few days."

"I... I don't understand what you're talking about" Pound says, Fireball tries to find any hint of lying in Pound's face but he seemed genuinely confused.

"I'm talking about you being so tired all the time!" Fireball said, frustration building.

"I'm not? I'm perfectly fine," Pound said nervously, clearly not telling the truth.

"You literally just fell asleep during our conversation," Fireball pointed out, watching as Pound cringed with embarrassment.

"Okay, I'm sorry about that, but—" Pound started to explain, but Fireball cut him off.

"No- no! Don't apologise! Oh my god- it should be me! I should be the one saying sorry" Fireball said, though Pound seemed to be even more puzzled by this.

Fireball inhales, he's gonna have to explain it to Pound himself doesn't he?

"Look, I've been noticing that you've been acting so... so drowsy? Yeah, like lately you've just seemed so zoned out, even more so today! And, I'm just really worried about it so can you please tell me what's going on"

Pound stared at him, eyes wide, and suddenly, Fireball felt the fear that has kept tormenting him these past few days every time Pound looked at him that way come back.

He wants to run away, hide and disappear from the world, embarrassed by his vulnerability but stands his ground and shakily waits for Pound's response.

"I'm- I'm honestly surprised that you noticed that" Pound stammered, finally admitting to it.

"You weren't very good at hiding it," Fireball replied.

"I wasn't trying to. Most people don't notice anyway," Pound shrugged, Fireball raised his eyebrows at that, clearly that sentence had way more layers to unpack there but before he could say anything about it, Pound spoke up again.

"What I'm trying to say is that I appreciate the concern and all but what does me being... tired as you have put it, what does it have anything to do with you?" Pound asked.

Fireball took a deep breath, he really doesn't want to go in depth about his thoughts and feelings about the whole situation, deciding to cut straight to the point.

"Pound... I think we should stop this... this sleeping arrangement thing we have going on" Fireball stutters out. Now that he thinks about it, they've never talked out loud about this to each other out loud so this was definitely a first, but also probably the last.

There, Fireball had perfectly set it up for Pound to just easily agree with him and stop the whole thing. He knows that the following nights would most likely never be as comfortable as before but this wasn't about him, this was for Pound, and if this was the only way for Pound to finally get some proper rest, then so be it.

He turns to face the other, but he is only met with a very shocked, confused worried face.

"I- what?" Pound asks, in disbelief "why? Were you uncomfortable with it the entire time? Oh Fireball you should've told me sooner I would've-" Pound starts, which quickly makes Fireball confused.

"Wait, wait, what are you talking about?" Fireball interrupted, puzzled. "Isn't it obvious? I'm stopping it because it's clearly affecting you!"

"Huh?" Pound asked. "So you weren't uncomfortable with it?"

Fireball shook his head. "Pound I'm going to be completely real with you right now, I had the best sleep I've ever had in those past few nights," Fireball could feel his face heating up when he said that, and Pound's face also seemed to match his colour, but Fireball continued on nevertheless.

"But it's not fair! You clearly haven't been feeling the same way and I can't be the only one benefitting from this deal, so I've decided that we should stop it" Fireball explains "I'm sorry for not saying anything about it sooner and I understand if you didn't want to speak up about it but you shouldn't continue to do it for my sake Pound"

This was it, he finally spilt everything he was thinking to Pound, confessed a few vulnerable things but that's fine! All Pound had to do was to agree with him then they could pretend it had never happened, simple.

But of course, it wasn't.

"... wait so let me get this straight" Pound raises his hand, gears turning in his head as he thinks about what Fireball had just said to him, Fireball looks at him weirdly.

What's going on? Why isn't Pound accepting it?

"You think- you think it's your fault that I haven't been sleeping well? Why I've been acting more... tired nowadays?" Pound asks, Fireball looks at him, bewildered, wasn't that obvious? Fireball only nods, not sure how to respond.

"Wa- Fireball!" Pound smacks his head catching Fireball off guard. "It's not- your weren't- it wasn't your fault!"

...

What?

"What?" Fireball says, again confused, "if your just saying that just because-"

"No no! I'm telling the truth! I don't know how you got the idea that you were the problem" Pound says "it's not first of all... just to clarify things"

"...it's not?" Fireball questions, how is it not his fault? That doesn't make any sense...

Pound shook his head vigorously "yes, it's not," Pound clarified. "Have you noticed how we've been staying up way later than we usually do? And how I'm gone in the mornings?" He asks, looking directly at Fireball

"Um yes I have?" Fireball says, wondering how this has to do with anything

"Well, have you ever considered why?" Pound asked. "Why are we staying up late or why I wake up early in the mornings?"

"I mean, I've never minded staying up, and you were always an early riser so I just thought-" Fireball reasons but gets quickly cuts off by Pound.

"Yeah, I do usually wake up earlier than most people in our team, but not 4am early!" Pound said, sighing.

"You've been waking up at 4 a.m.?" Fireball asked in disbelief. "Why??"

Pound took a deep breath. "when I went up to you that night, and asked about... y'know what I'm talking about right? I realised you probably wouldn't want anyone to see us together. It would be embarrassing for you, right?" Pound explains.

Suddenly something clicked in Fireball's head.

Wait a minute-

"Which- which is completely reasonable! So because of that, I've been doing everything I could to make sure no one found out" Pound continues to talk as Fireball slowly realises the situation.

"So I've made sure that we stay up long enough so everyone's in bed when we arrive in the cabins and I try to wake up as early as possible so no can see us... see us sleep in the same bed" Pound stammered that last part, fiddling with his fingers as he stares at Fireball.

Oh

Oooooh that makes so much more sense.

"So what you're saying is, it's not that you haven't been sleeping well, it's just that you've been lacking it?" Fireball asks, clarifying the situation to which Pound nods.

"Yeah," Pound confirmed. "You can still cancel the sleeping arrangement if you want. I just wanted to clear some stuff-" Pound blabbers but Fireball quickly cuts him off.

"Pound, as much as I appreciate you trying to 'save me from embarrassment' I really don't give a fuck about what everyone else thinks about me." Fireball bluntly states, shocking Pound.

"But... but what about the fight you had with Caramel apple a while ago? Didn't you want to leave because you didn't want everyone seeing you-?"

"That was because I didn't want them watching our private conversation," Fireball explained. "They've never made the effort to get to know me like you did Pound, so in turn I don't give a flying fuck about their opinions on me"

The two stare at each other, the situation slowly dawning on both of them as they both realise that they've been concerned about nothing.

"I- wait... so I was worrying about nothing this entire time??" Pound says in disbelief to which Fireball laughs at.

"Make that two" Fireball adds, making Pound burst out into laughter with him.

"Oh my- oh my god!!" Pound exasperates "wait one more thing, you're not uncomfortable with the whole sleeping thing right?"

"If I was I would've told you a lot sooner but yeah, I have no problems with it" Fireball says, feeling a little bit awkward talking about it but it was a conversation long overdue.

"Dude" Pound starts "you have NO idea how much I've been panicking over it, like every-time you showed any sign of discomfort I was like 'oh no is he alright with this?' 'Does he think this is weird?' It's so good to know that I was really worrying over nothing" Pound laughs, but Fireball pauses.

Pound had basically admitted to having the same exact thoughts Fireball had during this whole thing, but he always thought he was overreacting since Pound never showed any visual signs of worry over the situation, which turns out to not even be true in the first place.

For some reason, it makes Fireball relieved in a way.

"Yeah" Fireball laughs along "I guess we were both being stupid"

"Thanks for bringing it up by the way, I have no idea how much longer I could do that, Fireball, I like you but I don't think I could mentally continue waking up at 4am everyday" Pound says jokingly nudging Fireball with his elbow, but for some reason, Fireball felt like there was something off about that sentence.

"Y'know... if there's something going on with you or if there's any problems between us, you don't have to wait for me to bring it up, just say it, I won't be mad or anything" Fireball states, watching as Pound's smile falters a bit, scaring him a little.

"I... I'll try, okay? I usually try to avoid confrontations like this because... I don't really do well in those sorts of things if that makes any sense?" Pound replies with a nervous smile "sorry you probably didn't want to hear any of that-"

"No no, go on I really don't mind, just- just help me understand so we don't have any problems in the future with these kinds of things" Fireball insists.

As much as Fireball hated these types of emotional talks, he knew it was important so he urged Pound to keep speaking.

Pound looks at him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting that.

"If you want to of course" Fireball adds, worried that he might've pushed a nerve but Pound just waves him off.

"No no, you're completely right, I should probably tell you these things, I've been meaning to for a while now anyways" Pound reasons, clearing his throat.

"I guess I've always really cared about what other people might think about me, it's not as bad as it used to be... but because of it I usually try avoiding doing things that might upset anyone, including bringing up any possible problems between our relationship" Pound sighed as Fireball listened attentively.

"I've noticed that this is not really the case anymore since I've been speaking up lately but that's the thing! It's been scaring me since that's not what I usually do" Pound says.

This suddenly reminds Fireball about the time when Pound had came into the cabin when he and Caramel apple were fighting, with Pound quickly taking control of the situation and calming everyone down, but he seemed so nervous the entire time.

'I guess I know why now' Fireball wonders.

"Change is scary" Fireball admits, since he's been experiencing it a lot himself "but, I think this, this is a great step for you, if you know what I mean"

"Yeah, I know, it's just so hard to get used to it but I'll keep trying" Pound sighs before smiling so brightly at Fireball effectively catching him off guard.

"Thanks for listening to me rant like that, most people don't usually take the time and effort to do so" Pound thanks, but Fireball doesn't feel like he deserves it.

"Yeah, no problem," Fireball says,trying to match Pound's smile.

"Also, one more thing" Pound added, "when you said that 'you don't care about people think about you' does that mean your ready to go to Caramel apple and tell him why you need your pillow back or-"

""I- ABSOLUTELY NOT" Fireball shouts out involuntarily, shocking him and Pound at his sudden outburst, but Pound just bursts into a fit of laughter.

"But didn't you say that-"

"I know what I said, Pound! I'm just- it's not- other than that! There's no way I'm letting anyone else know that I'm a pillow hugger" Fireball says extremely flustered.

"Except for me?" Pound asked, and for some reason Fireball got a sense of déjà vu when Pound said that.

"Yeah of course, you're more trustworthy than the other assholes on this island" Fireball said, making Pound laugh even harder.

"Good to know that I'm the exception" Pound says, to which Fireball fondly smiles at him.

"Yeah, I guess you are"

——

"I think we stayed up late again" Fireball observed, glancing out the window. The dark sky, painted with shades of navy and dotted with the pale moon, confirmed his suspicion.

"Oops," Pound responds, "I didn't even do it on purpose this time" Pound says as he yawns.

"Well, we should definitely head back now," Fireball said, gesturing toward the door. "You need to get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Pound agreed, following Fireball as they exited the cafeteria.

Outside, the air was cold as ever, with snowflakes fluttering gently around them as Fireball and Pound quietly made their way toward the cabin.

Well, at least it was supposed to be a quiet walk.

"Hey, Fireball?" Pound's voice cut through the silence. Fireball turned his head, meeting Pound's gaze. He felt a sudden pang of unease, as the unfamiliar fear creeped in.

"Yeah?" Fireball responded, doing his best to mask his apprehension. Thankfully Pound doesn't seem to notice.

"I was thinking back to our conversation from earlier and I just found it a little weird that you quickly blamed yourself for my well-being" Pound said.

Fireball blinked, taken aback. "Really? I thought it made sense. But I guess I was wrong anyways, so it's fine—"

"No! It's not fine!" Pound suddenly shouts out, catching Fireball completely off guard and halting in his tracks.

"I— sorry, I didn't mean to shout," Pound quickly apologised, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I just- you told me that I shouldn't be afraid to point out these types of things so I just figured I just start now"

Fireball stared at him, still puzzled. "I... I don't quite understand." Fireball says, suddenly feeling the roles reversed.

"What I'm saying is that you shouldn't automatically blame yourself for these things immediately," Pound explained, offering a reassuring smile. "You should give yourself the benefit of the doubt, you know?"

Fireball was left speechless, the simplicity of Pound's advice hitting him. "I... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Pound."

Pound's smile widened as he yawned. "That's all I wanted to talk about. Oh, look, we're here!" Pound exclaimed as he pointed towards the cabin, which Fireball had barely noticed until now.

They entered the cabin to find everyone fast asleep. But Fireball didn't seem to mind this time. The two moved quietly to Fireball's bed, like they have done many times before

"I'll let you get to your side this time," Pound said, stepping aside to allow Fireball to get through.

"Thanks," Fireball replied, his nerves on edge. He couldn't help but wonder if Pound's recent actions were related to the other night. Was that why Pound was-

Stop overthinking it.

Give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

That's not what Pound meant.

Fireball brushes off the thought as he climbs onto the bed and placing the pillow between them, Pound follows behind him, settling on the other side of the pillow. As they both found their positions, Fireball suddenly remembered something important.

"Remember, you don't have to wake up early tomorrow. I really don't care if the others find out about... this," Fireball said, turning to Pound who pauses.

"Okay, thank you. Goodnight," Pound replied with a contented smile before laying his head on the pillow.

"Goodnight," Fireball responded.

He grasped the pillow that separated him from Pound. After a few moments he could hear light snores from the other that he couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at as he listened to the soft, rhythmic sound of Pound's breathing.

Today definitely hadn't gone as planned, but it had turned out better than expected. Fireball was very grateful that he was able to clear up a few things between him and Pound that didn't make sense before, now he could almost go to sleep with no worries in mind.

Keyword: almost

Many things still remain unsaid, and numerous emotions still unexplained. But with the talk he had with Pound earlier, Fireball realises why this unfamiliar fear has been plaguing him for the past few days.

He wasn't scared of Pound per say, it was that he was scared of disappointing him, being the cause of his problems.

Fireball had always been quick to assume every problem was his fault. His anger, bluntness, and negativity had often led him into trouble in the past. So he always expected for others to look down at him, see him as annoying, rude or unfriendly

But with Pound, it was different, he couldn't bear the thought of Pound seeing him that way.

Maybe that's why Fireball was willing to go out of his comfort zone for Pound. Maybe that's why he only ever listens to Pound and treats him differently.

It all makes sense now, Fireball realises, why he's been experiencing these fragile emotions. It just came naturally with this weird bond he and Pound made, it's because Fireball realises that he actually cares about what Pound thought about him.

But wasn't that risky?

What happens if he actually disappoints Pound one day?

What happens if he actually gets hurt because of this?

Fireball pondered these questions as he glanced at the sleeping figure beside him, recalling all that Pound has done for him in these past weeks.

Maybe.

Maybe for Pound, he'll take that risk.

He was the exception, afterall

——

Fireball woke up that morning with a curious sense of difference.

As he blinked his eyes open, he was met with the sight of the mattress above him. Stretching with a yawn, he rubbed his eyes, feeling very much well rested as he had been from the other past few nights.

'Why does this feel different?' Fireball wondered, as he shifted to his side, preparing to slide off the bed. However, he froze when he saw Pound fast asleep beside him, wrapped tightly in the blankets.

Fireball stared at the peaceful sight of Pound, before he felt a smile tugging at his lips. It seemed like he was stuck like this (wouldn't be the first time anyways) but he decided it wasn't worth the effort to disentangle himself. Besides, Pound probably needed the extra rest so it was probably best to not risk waking him up with any sudden movements.

Just as he was about to settle back into his pillow and drift off again, he heard the clatter of someone climbing down the bunk bed ladder. Fireball's head jerked toward the sound, and saw Maple Leaf emerging from one of the top bunk beds across the room, stifling a yawn as he jumped off the ladder with practised ease.

Their eyes met suddenly, and Maple Leaf looked momentarily surprised to see Fireball awake. Fireball continues to stare at the other, unsure of what to do in this awkward situation. He watches as Maple leaf breaks their eye contact to look at the second figure in Fireball's bed, his eyes widening a little bit, before returning to Fireball with a supportive grin and a thumbs-up.

Fireball flips him off.

Notes:

oh my god, OH MY GOD I FINALLY FINISHED IT AHHHHHHHHH

Hopefully chapter 4 doesn't take this long- this chapter isn't even the longest chapter I'm planning to write (cries)

Anyways this was definitely inspired by that one stream that jokingly stated that Fireball and Pound shared a bed but I decided to run with it and bring it all the way back to this timeline, so basically they've been doing this ever since s1 was cancelled

Also fun fact! Maple leaf is basically the only person that actually finds out about it during this time, because obviously nobody outside of their team would find out about it and Caramel apple and Chip stack literally cannot see them or is too dumb to notice so it makes the excuse of 'Fireball might get embarrassed if anyone sees them' even more stupid

Oh well it's the thought that counts😭

Anyways I really hope you like this chapter and have forgiven me for taking this long to update it, fingers cross that chapter 4 doesn't take too long haha *dies*.

 

One more thing, I appreciate all the comments and kudos you have given to this book! I'll try to reply to more comments but Ao3 never notifys me so I'm sorry if I don't reply to them:( Thank you for all the support

Thank you for reading!!

Chapter 4: Set my heart ablaze

Summary:

Fireball has always thought that his flames will always be a nuisance to him, Pound unknowingly proves him wrong.

Also, the ongoing mystery of the broken boiler seems to affect the whole cafeteria, luckily Pound finds a way around it

Notes:

AHAAISHAUHSHQIAHSA AHHHH GUYS GUYS THIS BOOK HAS REACHED 1K HITS AND 100+ KUDOS WHAT??!?????

I know I mentioned this a while ago but I'm still so shocked! So as a celebration of reaching this milestone I have decided to do something a little special as this chapter was definitely not gonna cut it!

Have you guys noticed the picture below?:) That's right! I decided to make thumbnail art for every chapter! If you go back and look at the past chapters you will see I have added some art there too(some of you might've seen it in the CTBC discord art channel)! Hopefully it's good enough lol. (the format may seem a little weird since Ao3 doesn't have a proper way of inserting photos)

I'm not sure if I should have another milestone goal or anything but i guess we'll have to wait and see!

(Btw there's some very important announcements regarding this book at the end so make sure to read those!)

Minor warnings:

Swearing

Maybe out of character? (again I'm sorry if I don't get the character's personality, traits or interactions correct since this is my analyzation of the characters and my own personal headcanons)

 

 

4

 

 

Fireball always thought his flames were a curse.

They never worked normally like other fire-like objects, but were instead tied to his emotions, basically being the reason for his aversion to complicated feelings.

Surprisingly, his flames aren't as dangerous as they initially seem, at least when it's in a neutral state. In this form,  they resembled the same fire as one on a Bunsen burner's safety flame, warm but not hot enough to burn anything.

The real danger comes when Fireball feels any strong emotions, whether that be embarrassment, frustration or even the slightest flustered feeling could cause his flames to intensify, growing hot enough to scorch someone's hand. It's usually best not to get close to him when he's in this state and wait for him to calm down before initiating contact.

But when he gets angry? That was an entirely different story, Fireball has experienced it way too many times to know how it goes.

When his temper flared, so did his flames. Wild, untamed, and destructive. They would grow exponentially, consuming anything in their path, burning anyone who ventured too close. Growing so strong that it became practically uncontrollable.

He doesn't know why his anger triggered such extreme reactions compared to other emotions. Which is quite annoying for him especially with his delicate temper.

He knows that he really has to do something about it, his anger that is. He knows he can't continue to lash out on others knowing the consequences his actions would bring, physically and emotionally.

But he can't help it! Once his anger and flames get going, then there's basically nothing that could stop it.

It wasn't as if he hadn't tried either. In the past Fireball has tried to find ways to calm himself down when he's in this state. Stress toys, breathing techniques, for goodness sakes he's tried keeping a diary at some point!  (He threw it in the bin once he realised how stupid it was writing his emotions on paper). Nothing ever worked, and Fireball thought it would always stay that way.

Then Pound came along.

It didn't happen straight away of course, but as time went on Fireball found himself visibly relaxed and comfortable around the guy, even if he doesn't show it majority of the time.

The first time Fireball truly noticed it was during that one time in the cabins a couple of weeks ago. Fireball was on the verge of breaking because of the constant argument around him, he was about to accept that the cabin was going to be in ashes in a couple of seconds before Pound intervened and shutted everyone up, unintentionally saving them all, sparing Fireball  from what could have been another destructive episode.

At the time, he didn't realise the significance of what had happened. It wasn't until later, lying awake one night, next to Pound, that Fireball thought back to that moment and realised how unusual it was. For once, someone had managed to pull him back from the edge without even trying.

But that couldn't possibly be it right? There's no way that this one flaw that has defined and controlled Fireball for years was easily resolved because of one person. No, it didn't make sense, it was merely just a coincidence, a one time event.

But it wasn't, and it became more undeniable as days went by, anytime Fireball would feel any hint of anger, Pound was always there somehow diffusing the situation and be the one to calm him down by simply being there.

Of course, like with everything else, this confused Fireball, he just couldn't understand why Pound had this effect on him.

But he shoves it to the back of his brain, choosing to ignore it. He doesn't want to dive deep into these feelings because like he said before, he's shit with emotions and would rather never acknowledge them.

But how much longer could he keep running from it? How much longer would he deny the truth staring him in the face?

...

"Fireball!" Pound shouts out, snapping Fireball out of his trance. He blinked, realising with a flush of embarrassment that he had been staring blankly at the cabin wall unmoving for the past minute or so.

"Are we gonna go or...?" Pound asks, referring to if they were gonna start heading to the cafeteria that morning.

Fireball felt a wave of heat rise within him, embarrassed by the whole encounter. He hated being caught zoning out like that, especially by Pound. With a small shake of his head, he shoved the feeling aside, determined not to let it show. Brushing past Pound, who stood waiting by the cabin door.

"Yeah, let's go," he muttered under his breath.

Pound quickly shut the door behind them and hurried to match Fireball's pace. As they walked, Pound instinctively stuck close to Fireball's side, just like he always did on their early morning walks.

Even though Pound had been doing this for weeks, Fireball still felt a strange nervousness bubble up inside him whenever they were this close, which of course, doesn't make sense since he should definitely be used to it.

Still, despite understanding that this was purely for warmth, something about the proximity made Fireball feel oddly self-conscious. Nevertheless he tries his best to maintain his flames, making sure it doesn't flare hot enough to actually hurt Pound.

Over the past few weeks, Fireball has noticed that Pound has become more touchy, not being afraid to put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a pat on the back or even that one time where he held Fireball's hand (not in a deliberate gesture of affection, but to drag him into the cabin when it suddenly started raining. Yet, Fireball had been far more focused on the brief hand contact than on the downpour itself)

Pound wasn't typically this touchy with anyone else. At least what Fireball noticed when Pound interacted with anyone else, and while Pound was friendly by nature, he wasn't the type to initiate much physical contact.

So why was he different with Fireball? Was it really just for the warmth? That made sense, but still, the hand touches, the little nudges, it wasn't something Pound needed to do, but he still did anyway. It left Fireball confused and, admittedly, curious.

Of course, Fireball never minded it, even finding himself enjoying it more than he cared to admit. There was a part of him that kept wondering why Pound was so comfortable with it, and more importantly, why it stirred something unfamiliar in Fireball.

As the two carefully made their way through the snow, Fireball's thoughts swirled with unanswered questions. Why him? Why did Pound want to be close to him of all people? And why did Fireball feel so... different when Pound leaned in or offered one of his casual touches?

Though his thoughts were interrupted when Pound leaned closer, his usual grin spreading across his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Pound asked, bumping Fireball's shoulder playfully. The warmth from the touch - though slight - sent a flicker through Fireball's flames, and he quickly tried to calm himself down to keep them from flaring up. Despite his confusion and the odd feelings stirring within him, he found himself smiling, just a little.

"What do you mean?" He asked, staring ahead

"You like... Have this look on your face every time you're indulged in your thoughts" Pound shrugs, to which fireball raises his eyebrow at.

"Really?"

"Yeah, honestly you do it quite a lot, but enough of that, what were you thinking about?" Pound asks again, making Fireball pauses, considering an answer.

"Something today feels different" he decides to respond with, it wasn't what he really was truely thinking about, but it wasn't too far from the actual truth, thankfully Pound seems to buy it as he nods and comfortable silence falls between the pair.

Fireball couldn't help but indulge in the feeling. There was something about it, about being the one Pound stayed close to, about the way Pound always seemed to make him feel special.

 

Fireball didn't mind that at all.

 

—

 

 

That morning, when Fireball and Pound entered the cafeteria, they wasted no time heading straight for the kitchen to grab something to eat.

 

On their way, they passed by Caramel Apple and Chip Stack. Fireball immediately noticed that Caramel Apple seemed to be in a foul mood, but of course, he really didn't care. Pound, however, was different. He stopped to ask what was wrong.

"The boiler's broken," Caramel Apple announced dramatically, his frustration evident in his tone.

When Pound had heard this, his eyes widened and rushed into the Kitchen without a moment's hesitation to check it out for himself. And sure enough, when Pound tried to switch on the boiler, nothing happened. It was completely unresponsive.

Pound was obviously devastated at the fact, when Fireball had catched up to him he found Pound with his knees on the ground, staring hopelessly at the boiler.

"Dude what are you doing?" Fireball asked, confused by Pound's overly dramatic reaction.

"Caramel apple was right, the boiler isn't working" Pound sighs defeatedly pointing to the machine on the counter.

Fireball stepped forward, taking a quick glance at the machine. He wasn't a handyman but he was immediately able to see what the  problem was.

"Uh, Pound... the wire's been cut," Fireball pointed out.

"What?" Pound asks, not quite catching onto what Fireball had said.

"The Boiler's wire, it's been cut, look" Fireball says, grabbing Pound's arm and pulling him to his feet. Pound leaned in closer, his eyes scanning the machine until he finally saw the severed wire.

"Oh my god, it is" Pound gasps, exasperated and shocked "who would do such a thing?"

Before Fireball could offer an answer, a voice interrupted from behind them.

"Who would do what?"

Fireball and Pound quickly turned their heads around, following the sound of the sudden voice where they saw Caramel apple and Chip stack right behind them.

"I thought you guys left" Fireball sighs, already annoyed by the intrusion.

"We were, until Caramel apple realised he forgot to get something to eat because he was too upset with the boiler being broken" Chip stack explained, Caramel Apple grinned sheepishly at this, clearly a little embarrassed.

"But forget that," Caramel Apple said, stepping closer to the two. "I want to know what you two are talking about."

"It's none of your business," Fireball shot back, a bit more harshly than necessary. It wasn't that he had a good reason to be rude, he just found Caramel Apple's nosiness irritating, though thankfully Pound stepped in.

"Relax, there's no harm in telling them" Pound reasons calmly.

Fireball sighed, rubbing the back of his head "fine," he relented.

"So?" Caramel apple asks expectedly.

"Well," Pound began, "it turns out the reason the boiler isn't working is because it seems like the wire has been cut and—"

Pound didn't even get to finish his sentence before Caramel Apple gasped loudly, cutting him off.

"WHAT?!" Caramel Apple yelled, turning to Chip Stack in disbelief. "DUDE, HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE THIS?"

"No clue man" Chip stack says.

"I think I have a good idea why" Fireball comments with a laugh before getting lightly elbowed in the side by Pound.

Caramel Apple, however, was too caught up in his own theatrics to notice Fireball's jab. "Oh my god, we have a criminal amongst us" Caramel apple says "someone inside this building has committed a terrible crime and we must expose them for it!" He declares.

"Maybe the boiler could've broken on its own-" Chip stack tries to suggest before getting silenced by Caramel apple.

"No we have too many evil people here, it must be one of them" Caramel apple reasons, to which Fireball furrowed his eyebrows at, but had no energy and wasn't in the mood to call Caramel apple out on his stupidity this time.

Caramel Apple, on the other hand, was on a mission. "C'mon we have to interrogate them!" Caramel apple shouts out before dragging Chip  stack toward the kitchen doors. The two stormed out, flinging the doors open as they made their dramatic exit.

"Good luck with that" Pound says in an unsure voice as they watch Caramel Apple and Chip Stack run off.

"Oh my god they're so stupid" Fireball sighs, putting a hand to his face. He fully expected Pound to scold him for such a harsh comment, Pound was always the one to rein him in when he got too negative. So colour him surprise when he hears Pound laughs along with him.

"Yeah honestly I-" Pound trails off, his face paling releasing on what he just admitted to.

Fireball paused, as he looked at Pound, surprised.
"No way, you actually agree with me about that?" Fireball asks in disbelief as Pound turns his head away from the other, shaking it profusely.

"No- I didn't mean- I mean I know they're not the brightest but that doesn't mean they're stupid" He stammered, trying to take back his words, but it was far too late.

Fireball smirked, leaning in teasingly. "Wow I can't believe this, who are you and what did you do to the real Pound?" Fireball jokes to which Pound sighs at.

"I'm allowed to make negative comments about others once in a while" Pound huffs, crossing his arms defensively.

Fireball couldn't help but laugh "Yeah I know, it's the fact you barely do so, hell! You basically tell me off whenever I say anything!" Fireball points out.

"Well," Pound said, offering a faint smile of his own, "maybe you should consider talking more positively about others once in a while, throw in a compliment or two sometimes."

Fireball paused, staring at Pound as if considering the suggestion, then shrugged. "Fine."

Pound, surprised by the quick agreement, brightened. "Wait, really? That's great, I—"

"You're pretty cool" Fireball  said suddenly, staring straight at Pound as he said that, making Pound freeze at the suddenness of it all.

"...I beg your pardon?" Pound blinked, clearly caught off guard by Fireball's surprising compliment, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"You said I should compliment others more, so I'm complimenting you" Fireball says with a smirk, amused at Pound's reaction.

"Oh! Well, that's nice, thanks—um—anyways!" Pound stammered, desperately trying to steer the conversation in a different direction, but Fireball wasn't about to let him off that easily.

"And I love how considerate you are, how passionate you can be about certain things you like and oh! Your voice is-" Before Fireball could finish, Pound, now completely red in the face, slapped his hand over Fireball's mouth, clearly embarrassed.

"Alright! Alright! I get it! Please stop talking!" Pound says in a jumbled tone. Fireball playfully rolled his eyes as he grabbed Pound's arm and dragged it down removing Pound's hand from his mouth.

"What's wrong Pound? Can't handle a few compliments?" Fireball teased, raising an eyebrow.

Fireball honestly has no idea why he's acting like this, but seeing the flustered expression from Pound was something he couldn't get enough of.

Pound looked away, his face still flushed."I... I can! It's just... when I usually get them, they just sound so fake but you..." Pound trails off, his voice softening as he glanced back at Fireball, his eyes searching for the right words.

Fireball's teasing grin faltered, and his expression shifted as he noticed the change in Pound's demeanour. What did Pound mean by fake?

"You say them in such a genuine way I just... I have no idea how to respond" Pound stutters, looking up, making eye contact with Fireball.

For a moment, Fireball stood in silence, processing what Pound had just said. Obviously that sentence had a lot to unpack, and a few things Fireball should probably talk to Pound about later but for some reason the only thing Fireball could focus on was the fact that his compliments had the power to make Pound get so worked up.

But why? Why him? The question swirled in Fireball's mind, adding to the confusing spiral of emotions he'd been trying to ignore for weeks.

Before Fireball could get too deep into his thoughts, Pound abruptly cleared his throat "...anyways!" Pound said, his voice a bit too loud in his effort to change the subject.

"I still wanna get hot chocolate, even if the boiler is broken" Pound states, as he moves away from where he and Fireball was currently standing.

Fireball blinked, momentarily thrown by the sudden shift in topic. "God, you're way too addicted to that drink," he said with a laugh, watching as Pound grabbed a mug and the cocoa powder.

"Well, if we had any tea bags, I'd be drinking tea instead," Pound replied, pouring cold water into his mug without missing a beat.

"Of course you would..." Fireball mumbles under his breath.

"What was that?" Pound asks, glancing back up at Fireball with a curious gaze.

"Nothing!" Fireball quickly says, turning around to avoid Pound's stare, a smirk tugging at his lips.

He hears Pound chuckle slightly before comforting silence fills the air. Fireball looks around the kitchen as he waits for Pound to finish making his drink.

There's nothing special about it really, the messy counters, the cabinets, the dishwasher, it's all something that he's seen a million times before, things that he's kinda grown tired of seeing all the time.

Unconsciously, he feels his gaze slowly wander back to the man behind him. Despite Pound performing a mundane activity he's seen him do millions of times before, just seeing him lights up something inside of Fireball in a way he still couldn't understand.

Fireball feels himself smiling at the sight, at Pound,  a strange warmth spreading through his chest as he watches the other. He still didn't fully understand what he was feeling, or why, but for now, he decided to let it be. One day, he knew he'd have to sort out these emotions, to make sense of this growing connection he had with Pound. But today wasn't that day.

 

For now, he was content just to enjoy the moment.

 

 

——

 

Fireball was genuinely considering punching Caramel Apple in the face.

 

When he and Pound left the kitchen, they were met with an interrogation happening right in front of their eyes, with Caramel apple agonising a group of girls (plus banana slice) about the ongoing mystery of the broken boiler.

Caramel apple's relentless questioning had the girls clearly uncomfortable, and Fireball instantly felt his irritation rising. But rather than engage, he decided to just ignore the whole scene and head straight to the table where he and Pound usually sat. He was honestly half expecting Pound to intervene with the situation but was left surprised to see him following close right behind him, claiming that he doesn't want to get involved just in case things goes down.

And things very much did go down. Caramel apple and Chip stack soon migrated to another team's table (they were called the weirdos? Fireball didn't really remember) to interrogate them. But after a few minutes, the conversation got way more intense and heated (especially from Nail file and Statuette). Their voices started to grow louder and louder, which started to piss Fireball off.

"If they don't shut up I think I'm actually gonna lose it" Fireballs says, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Yeah it's actually becoming quite distracting" Pound admits, leaning on Fireball as he watches the commotion from afar.

"I mean I'm also upset about the boiler being broken but I don't understand why anyone would bother harassing others over it" Pound says, taking a sip from his (cold) hot chocolate before sighing.

"Right? It's not even that big of a deal," Fireball says.

"That's easy for you to say," Pound huffs. "You're a maniac who drinks room-temperature hot chocolate—no offence."

Fireball shrugs, unbothered as he whirls a spoon inside of his own hot chocolate mug that Pound made for him.

Honestly, Fireball could sense that Caramel apple and Pound aren't the only ones upset with the broken boiler situation. There had been a noticeable dull change in atmosphere in the cafeteria today, most of the other contestants also seemed upset at the fact that they couldn't make any hot drinks for the rest of the winter.

Though Fireball was actually never affected by this change, since due to his flames, anything he eats or drinks automatically becomes hot against his will, hence why he never felt the need to heat up drinks.

"Oh I think they've stopped now" Pound says, making Fireball look up to the weirdo's table, watching as Caramel apple was being dragged away by Chip stack as the entire table was glaring at them.

"Thank god" Fireball says relieved, but it quickly disappears once he watches Caramel apple look at his and Pound's direction.

Fireball pauses, making eye contact(?) with Caramel apple. Fireball's eyes darken as he slowly shook his head at the other, as if that was enough to convince Caramel apple to turn the other way and not bother him and Pound.

'Please don't come over, please don't come over, please-'

"Hey guys!" Fireball hears Caramel apple shouts as he drags Chip stack to their table, to which Fireball loudly groans at.

Pound quickly sits up, pulling himself away from where he was originally leaning against Fireball (to the other's disappointment) as Caramel apple and Chip stack settles down on the seats on the other side of the picnic table.

"We have a few questions we would like you two to answer" Chip stack starts, his tone serious, but Fireball was not having any of it, already feeling irritation boiling over him.

"We weren't the ones who broke the boiler so can you please fuck off?" Fireball says in a passive aggressive tone, Pound gives him a quick sideways glance, but doesn't make a comment about Fireball's choice of words.

"Yeah but-" Caramel apple tries to say but Pound quickly cuts him off.

"I have to agree with Fireball, don't you think it's a bit ridiculous that you think we had anything to do with this?" Pound says, a bit more politely.

"That's what all the culprits would say!" Caramel apple declares, jumping to his feet dramatically, playing too much into his detective role.

"Dude, sit down" Chip stack says, dragging Caramel back into his seat. "Anyways, Pound we know that you probably would never do such a thing, we're actually only here for Fireball"

"Excuse me?" Fireball asks, feeling his eye twitch and his flames growing hot.

"Ah, well I don't think that's necessary-" Pound tries to start but Caramel apple quickly talks over him.

"Nonsense! Heck he's my top suspect right now!" Caramel apple declares, to which Fireball scoffs at.

"Didn't you say that about the Speaker before?" Chip stack asks in a monotone voice.

"Er- well that was before he told me that he was never in the kitchen all morning" Caramel apple waves off "and the fact he threatened to kick my ass if I continued to bother him and his team but that's besides the point!"

"And you think that I'm not gonna do that?" Fireball asks, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Yeah? I mean Pound is here to stop you if you try so I'm not too worried" Caramel apple reasons.

Fireball pauses blinking in confusion, processing the implication behind those words.

"Wait what?" Pound asks, also seemingly puzzled by what Caramel apple meant.

"Okay we're getting off track here" Chip stack interjects, "Fireball where were you this morning?"

"Oh my god seriously?? I told you already I didn't cut the stupid wire!" Fireball exclaimed, exasperated.

"If that's true, then you won't have a problem answering my question," Chip Stack said calmly. "Unless, of course, you've got something to hide..."

Fireball stares at Chip stack in disbelief, before groaning out loud and rolling his eyes.

"Okay fine I'll tell you since you want to know soooooo badly" Fireball sighs, "I was just heading to the cafeteria with Pound, I only ever entered the kitchen after the boiler had been broken" Fireball says, hoping that this information was enough to get Chip stack off his back, but of course, fate still hated him.

"Now you see Fireball, we don't actually know if the wire was cut in the morning, it could've happened in the middle of the night for all we know" Chip stack mentions which just confuses Fireball.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Fireball asks, not understanding what Chip stack was getting at.

"Well, guess who usually stays up the latest, in the cafeteria, with only one other person that could've been easily distracted so that they can go and break the boiler" Chip stack says, slamming the palms of his hand onto the table, as if he just had a grand revelation. Fireball only stared back at him.

"Are you seriously accusing me of breaking the boiler last night??" Fireball asks, frustrated.

"Fireball was with me the entire time! He never left to go to the kitchen alone, it can't be him" Pound speaks up, defending Fireball.

"Maybe he didn't need to! You could've just been the apprentice!" Caramel apple butts in, eyeing(?) Pound suspiciously "How do we know that you're not lying and just covering up about what actually went down..."

"What- I'm not lying??" Pound stutters, confused.

"That's what all liars would say!" Caramel apple shouts out.

"So you two both schemed this entire plan to break the boiler and take away the hot drinks from everyone, shame on you" Chip stack says, crossing his arms and shaking his head in disapproval.

"Oh my god! You literally don't have any proof about any of this!" Fireball says, very much annoyed by the whole situation.

"Didn't you just tell me that I wasn't even considered a suspect??" Pound asks.

"Well, just like you Pound, I can also lie to manipulate you into feeling comfortable" Chip stack explains.

Fireball could feel himself growing hot, this whole situation was so stupid, Chip stack and Caramel apple are here agonising them and making shit up all because of a boiler that Fireball didn't even break! And it was even more frustrating that they were dragging Pound down this too for absolutely no reason, and with Pound's face looking uncomfortable by the second, Fireball knows that he can't let Caramel apple and Chip stack continue this ridiculous charade.

"Okay listen here you two little shi-" before Fireball could finish his sentence, Chip stack and Caramel apple suddenly let out a yelp as they were both dragged off the seats they were sitting on.

"Okay that's enough you two" Maple leaf says, appearing out of nowhere as he lifts both Chip stack and Caramel apple effortlessly off the ground.

"Wah- Maple leaf put me down!" Caramel apple says helplessly as he kicks his feet in the air, but to no avail.

"Dude, what the heck" Chip stack says, giving Maple leaf an annoyed look, though Maple leaf ignores both of them.

"Sorry about that" Maple leaf apologies to Fireball and Pound, both equally shocked to see him (Fireball was actually more impressed that he was strong enough to carry the two in one arm each).

"No it's- it's alright, thanks" Pound stutters, to which Maple leaf gives him a reassuring smile too.

"Well I'll leave you two to it, bye" Maple leaf says, before dragging Caramel apple and Chip stack to their own table.

Fireball and Pound silently watched the three leave, to which Fireball feels immediately relieved that this was all over, he feels his flames mellow out as he starts to relax.

"Those two are actually starting to get on my nerves" Fireball sighs, his annoyance still lingering.

"C'mon don't say that..."  Pound responded, nudging Fireball gently, trying to lighten the mood.

"What? It's true" Fireball says "and besides you don't have to continue to defend them, I know you think the same" Fireball continues, referring to the conversation they had earlier about them.

"I-" Pound hesitated, his voice unsure.

"I didn't actually mean that" Pound sighs.

"Yeah sure you didn't" Fireball says with a sly grin.

But Pound didn't smile back. Instead, he sighed, his expression softening. "Look, just try to be a little nicer to them, okay? Please?"

Fireball's grin faded, replaced by a confused frown. "Seriously? You want me to be nice to them right after they came over here, accused us of breaking the damn boiler, and made a scene? Yeah, no thanks," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"They only act like that because they know you'd be difficult about it, no offence" Pound asks, looking at Fireball with a nervous glance, afraid that he might've hit a nerve.

For some reason the way Pound looked at him made Fireball feel... bad? A pang of guilt crept up, but he pushed it aside, refusing to dwell on it.

"I... Pound look, just because I've been starting to act nicer around you doesn't mean I'm willing to do the same with everyone else" Fireball explains, placing his hands on his knees .

"I'll try, I guess but I can't promise you anything, and besides! they were also being a dick to me anyways" Fireball defends.

Pound let out a resigned sigh. "Fair enough, I'll stop bothering you about it now" Pound says.

An awkward silence settled between them, Fireball could feel himself tense under the pressure. Ever since Fireball had encouraged Pound to be open about any problems or concerns, these moments of awkwardness seemed to follow their more serious conversations.

Fireball knows that was probably the price to pay for healthy communication, but he still absolutely hated it.

He liked it when Pound would talk, not only because he always had something interesting to say (and a nice voice) but it kept Fireball distracted from his own thoughts.

Fireball has always been a huge over-thinker, to the shock of many. He isn't some brainless, hot-headed guy, he does unfortunately have a brain, but it comes in the form of analysing over  every little detail and overthink even the smallest of situations. Considering every possibility and outcome.

And unfortunately for him, this over analysing the brain of his, loves sabotaging him.

 

Any minor problems?

It's his fault

Any arguments or fights?

It's his fault

Any small inconvenience?

It's his fault

 

Even now in this current situation, where he and Pound had talked through the problem and somewhat reached a conclusion, his mind won't leave him alone.

 

Why is Pound still here?

 

...

 

What?

 

Why is he still willing to be around me? Why is he even trying?

 

...

Fireball tries to ignore it, sipping from his hot chocolate and trying to focus on the pretty scenery outside, but the thoughts just won't go away.

What is keeping Pound around him? He knows about the agreement they've made obviously, but that's not what he's talking about.

Throughout the course of the past month, Pound had basically seen the most vulnerable and worst side of him. Yet, despite all of that, Pound continued to sit by his side, talk to him like a friend, and treat him with the same kindness he showed to everyone else.

Even now, after Pound had pointed out something he didn't like about Fireball's behaviour, the silence of the conversation didn't make him leave. Anyone else would've walked away by now, but not Pound.

He's only here for your fire, a nagging voice in his mind whispered. It's keeping him warm. That's all.

But that didn't make sense. If that were true, why go through all the effort? At the very start, Pound had told Fireball that he wanted to get to know him personally, why the heck would he possibly want to do that?

He thought his flames would've scared him off, he thought he himself would have scared him off by now, but no, he's still here, leaning against him as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

His unconsciousness wanted to continue arguing with him, somehow twist the situation to suddenly become his fault and convince him that Pound's efforts were not sincere. That all of this—this friendship—was only temporary

 

"You should give yourself the benefit of the doubt, you know?"

 

Pound's voice echoed through his mind.

Fireball exhaled slowly, deciding, for once, to listen to his advice. Maybe, just maybe, Pound was sticking around because he genuinely wanted to, and maybe, this would be forever.

 

For now, Fireball chose to believe that.

 

——

 

 

The awkwardness in the air soon dissipated, replaced by a comfortable, comforting silence between Fireball and Pound.

 

 

Despite the relaxed atmosphere, Fireball still struggled to keep his flames in check, carefully controlling them so they wouldn't accidentally burn Pound, who was casually leaning against him (he still doesn't know why his fire reacted like that).

But for the past few hours, Pound had been looking at his unfinished hot chocolate mug with a saddened expression on his face, still upset at the lack of warmness from his drink.

Fireball thought that Pound would've gotten over it by now, but it seems like he was wrong. Though watching Pound sulk over something so mintare like this was quite funny to watch.

But suddenly, Pound's eyes light up, snapping out of his state, sitting up and looking straight at him with bright determination. Fireball was caught off guard by the sudden change.

"Pound what are you-" Fireball began, but before he could get another word out, Pound quickly grabbed his mug and lifted it above Fireball's head.

Fireball pauses, blinking "Pound what the heck are you doing" he asks, confused.

"Heating up my drink, obviously" Pound replies with a grin.

Fireball stared at him for a moment, feeling surprised, but his features slowly melted into a small smile on his face, luckily from where Pound was standing, he couldn't see it.

"I feel used," Fireball says in an amused tone.

"Hush, I'm desperate okay?" Pound huffs to which Fireball couldn't help but laugh.

The two of them fell back into a comfortable silence once again, with Fireball letting Pound warm his drink as much as he needed.

"Andddd I think that should do it" Pound says after a few moments, quickly taking a sip from his mug to test it.

"Oh my god, why didn't I think of this sooner? It worked perfectly!" Pound cheered.

Fireball chuckled, watching Pound's enthusiasm with mild amusement. Honestly, Fireball finds it surprising that Pound had utilised his flames to his advantage. Finding it as a useful tool rather than a dangerous thing. He doesn't mind it of course, he's just... found it shocking that's all.

From day one, Pound has used his flames in a unique way, using it to keep himself warm without a second thought. And for some reason not seeing it as something dangerous or to be weary of.

Which is probably stupid, like seriously who sees a walking flaming ball of fire and thinks oh! I should give it a hug, Pound did apparently.

"Y'know Fireball" Pound starts, as he sits down, cradling his now warm drink "I'm actually so jealous of your fire, you're lucky that you have it".
Fireball froze at those words.

...Lucky??? Please, it was far from that.  For all his life, he's always looked down on his ability because of all the troubles that it's caused.

All the buildings he had accidentally scorched, the forests reduced to ash, the hands he had burned when they got too close, those were all his fault. Things Pound completely was unaware of.

Fireball considered correcting him, telling him how wrong he was. That his flames weren't a gift, and that they were actually a burden to him, a curse, a hindrance to his everyday life. something that had only ever brought him trouble.

He really should've, but he realises that there's really no point in doing so.

Why?

Well it's because Pound is somehow, some way  find the silver lining and prove him wrong.

Pound in the past, or what Fireball has experienced, Pound has always tried to look on the bright side of things, in the complete opposite of Fireball, who looks for the negative. That's just their dynamic, Fireball has come to realise.

He could go on about how his flames were a curse, but he knew exactly how the conversation would play out. Pound would counter every point, insisting that Fireball's ability wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. Even though he didn't know the specifics, Pound would defend Fireball's fire, because that was just who he was.

 

Even though he doesn't know anything...

 

But Fireball found himself letting it go. There was no use getting into it. So instead, he gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Fireball decides to respond with.

Pound beamed at the response.  Fireball quickly turned his head, hiding his face, trying to ignore the small, unfamiliar warmth in his chest

He knows he's just lied to him. Despite the words that slipped out of his mouth, there's no real agreement behind them. Deep down, he still holds firm to his belief that those flames are more of a nuisance than anything else, doing way more harm than good. It's not just him, either, everyone around them seems to share the same sentiment.

But of course Pound isn't everybody, proving time and time again to Fireball, exceeding his expectations often without even realising it

A part of him knows that by now he shouldn't question it anymore, that he should just accept it for what it is but it sparks something inside Fireball, stirring emotions he can't quite pin down every time Pound treats him like a guy not to be afraid or bothered by.

Suddenly, as Fireball was lost in thought, Pound picked up Fireball's mug, taking it away from Fireball's hands.

It wasn't until Fireball felt emptiness around the palm of his hands did he realise what had happened. Fireball paused, but doing little to stop Pound, only staring at him when he hovered Fireball's cup over his head.

Pound glanced down at him, catching the odd look on Fireball's face. "What? I'm heating it up for you" Pound responds, after realising why Fireball was looking at him weirdly.

Fireball blinked.

"I thought I was supposed to be a maniac that likes hot chocolate at room temperature?" Fireball asks with a laugh.

Pound raised an eyebrow, adopting a theatrical tone.  "Well you should thank me for saving you from that curse" Pound says with a grandiose wave of his free hand.

"Ah yes my knight in shining copper!" Fireball says, deciding to play along, but when Pound laughs in response, a quiet, almost effortless sound, sends an unexpected, subtle shock through Fireball's body.

Fireball's breath hitches.

Pound, completely unaware of Fireball's internal reaction, slid the now-warm mug back toward him, the steam rising in soft wisps from the surface of the hot chocolate.

"Thanks" Fireball mumbles quietly, Pound responds by giving him a thumbs up.

Fireball gazes down into his drink, his eyes lingering on the faint reflection of his face shimmering on the surface of the hot chocolate.

What Pound did was practically pointless, but for some reason, Fireball can't help but feel himself heat up by the whole action.

"Glad to be of assistance!" Pound said with a playful smile, his tone light as ever. Without a second thought, he leaned against Fireball again, casually closing the distance between them.

"Wait no-" Fireball stammered, panic rising in his voice. His heart raced as he realised he hadn't cooled his flames down from earlier. The flare-up he'd experienced just moments before still lingered, he can't have Pound come close, or else he might scorch him.

But it's too late, as he feels Pound make contact with him, and Fireball instantly squeezed his eyes shut, getting ready for the other to jerk away from being burnt.

But to his surprise he doesn't hear anything.

There was no shout, no sudden movement. Silence hung in the air for a beat longer than Fireball expected. Hesitantly, he cracked one eye open.

"...are you okay?" Pound asks, Fireball blinked in disbelief, Pound was now facing him, no longer leaning against him.

"Are you alright?" Fireball rephrases the wording.

"Uh-" before Pound could respond, Fireball's hands were already moving, gently patting down Pound's arms, his sides, checking for any burnt marks.
Surprisingly he doesn't find any.

But that didn't make any sense... Fireball's fire was acting up, so Pound should've gotten burnt, or at least gotten hurt, But no matter how closely Fireball examined him, there wasn't a single mark. No burn, no singe. Nothing.

"...huh" Fireball says dumbfounded, his eyes slowly travelling up Pound's unscathed body meeting the other's gaze. Pound's expression was a mix of nervousness and flusteredness.

Fireball was at first puzzled at Pound's reaction, before realising that he was still holding onto Pound, his hands resting on his shoulders. The closeness of the moment hit him all at once.

"Ah-sorry" he quickly lets go, raising both of his hands in the air, Pound's eyes widened slightly, and he quickly turned his head to the side, his face a little red as he does so.

"No- no it's... it's alright" Pound stutters out.

An awkward silence descended between them, thick and uncomfortable. Neither of them seemed to know what to do next, Fireball mentally slaps himself in the head.  He hadn't meant to make things awkward. He just wanted to make sure Pound was okay, he didn't mean to come too close, oh god what if Pound was uncomfortable the entire time? What if he thought Fireball was being too forward or too weird or-

"So..! Who do you think broke the boiler?" Pound suddenly asked, shifting the conversation so abruptly that Fireball blinked, caught off guard.

"What?" Fireball asks, thrown off by the question.

"As much as Caramel apple and Chip stack's whole... the investigation thing was annoying, I'm actually still curious on who did it" Pound explains.

Fireball pauses, before responding "We don't even know if anyone broke it. I mean, have you seen how old that thing looks? It could've just fallen apart on its own" Fireball reasons to which Pound shrugs.

"Fair point. But c'mon, it's still fun to brainstorm who might've done it, right?" he said, taking a slow sip of his hot chocolate, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Fireball smirked. "Alright then," he said, leaning back. "What about you?

Pound looks back at him, tilting his head in confusion.

"I meant who do you think did it" Fireball rephrased.

"Oh right! Ummm" Pound says, bringing a hand to his face as he thought, looking around the cafeteria for potential suspects.

His gaze eventually landed on the table where Caramel Apple, Chip Stack, and Maple Leaf were sitting at.

"Probably Maple leaf,"  Pound declared with surprising certainty.

Fireball's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Why him?" Fireball asks.

"He's the only one those two didn't question during their so-called investigation."  Pound reasons, gesturing  toward Caramel Apple and Chip Stack "And besides, maybe that's why he shut down their whole investigation so quickly, so they wouldn't end up interrogating him."

Fireball opens his mouth to say something, because personally he doesn't think Maple leaf has done it, but considering the facts Pound has just laid out to him, he can't help but wonder if the guy really did it.

"But honestly, I'm probably wrong," Pound quickly added, his tone softening. "I mean, I can't really think of a reason why Maple Leaf would break the boiler. He doesn't seem like the type anyways" Pound says, defending Maple leaf from his own accusations

"Dude if you're gonna accuse someone at least commit to it" Fireball laughs.

Pound's face flushed slightly, his expression embarrassed. "I know, I know! It's... it's just that I feel kinda guilty, y'know? Accusing someone when there's no real proof..."

"Don't be, it's not like he's ever gonna hear it" Fireball reasons to which Pound shrugs.

"Fair enough" Pound says though he still looked a bit unsure, he leans forward but hesitated for a moment.

"Is it alright if I lean on you?" Pound asked, his voice casual, yet somehow catching Fireball completely off guard.

Pound had never really asked permission before about this, he just did it, as if it were second nature. Not that Fireball ever minded of course, but hearing the question, especially now, felt strangely... different.

"Uh, yeah... of course," Fireball stammered, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Pound nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, before carefully rested himself against Fireball.

Fireball exhaled quietly, feeling the familiarity of Pound's body against him, he could feel his flames heating up, but this time, instead of trying to calm them down, his curiosity got the better of him, and decided to test something, leaving his fire be.

He watched carefully, waiting for any sign that the other was uncomfortable, waiting for him to jerk away in pain or discomfort. But nothing happened. Pound didn't flinch. In fact, he seemed perfectly content, enjoying the heat instead.

Fireball blinked in disbelief. How?

This literally doesn't make sense, his flames at this current state should be able to at least burn Pound with how hot they've heated up.

Pound can't have been immune from his flame either, he wasn't made of the correct metal for him to be anyways. So what happened? Why didn't his fire burn Pound despite it heating up from the strong emotion??

But then again... he doesn't even know what emotion that he's currently experiencing is.

He would've assumed it was embarrassment or flusterness, but that those didn't fit the description of what he was currently feeling.

It felt... more thrilling and intense but he also felt nervous and all at the same time somewhat happy.

He couldn't pin it down, couldn't put it into words, but whatever this feeling was, it didn't make his fire flare uncontrollably like most emotions did. Yes, his flames heated up, but not in the wild, dangerous way they usually did.

It was similar to how his flames reacted with his anger, only the opposite this time round.  The heat wasn't destructive, it was... safe, contained.

 

...

 

Huh

 

How odd

 

Fireball could feel his face melt into a smile, it's been a while since he discovered something new to his fire, He'd thought he had everything figured out, that there was nothing left to learn.

And yet, here he was—proven wrong by Pound, of all people. Hell! The guy was completely unaware of it too!

But even with this... mysterious emotion, he can't help but feel there's still hope for him.

 

Maybe there was a positive side to this curse after all.

 

——

 

 

Bonus story:

 

 

 

By the time Fireball and Pound finished their drinks, the sun had long disappeared from the sky, the two being way too distracted from their conversation to notice how late it had gotten.

But when they both returned to the kitchen to put their mugs in the dishwasher, they were both startled to find Maple Leaf there—with duct tape in hand. Maple Leaf looked just as shocked to see them.

"AH-! PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE" Maple leaf blurted out, stepping in front of... whatever he was trying to fix with the duct tape.

"Woah! Calm down man! And- what are you even talking about?" Pound asks, titling his head in confusion, But Maple Leaf didn't seem to pick up on Pound's cluelessness.

"Isn't it obvious?" He begins  "I was trying to fix the boiler since I accidentally broke it and—" He abruptly stopped, eyes widening as he slapped a hand over his mouth, realising what he had just confessed.

Fireball and Pound's eyes widened in unison.

"Oh my god, you were right," Fireball whispered to Pound, still in disbelief. But Pound was far more shocked, staring at Maple Leaf in stunned silence before bursting out.

"WAIT, IT WAS YOU??" Pound exclaimed, to which Maple Leaf, clearly panicking, waved his hands frantically in an attempt to calm things down.

"NOT ON PURPOSE" He quickly responded "I was just trying to put it away the other night and suddenly the wire snapped when I went to unplug it" Maple leaf tried to explain, but Pound was hearing none of it.

"I can't believe it..." Pound said, feigning devastation as he dramatically stumbled back, catching himself against one of the kitchen counters.

"Look I'm sorry man-" Maple leaf tries to apologise, seemingly going along with... whatever this was. But Pound quickly cuts him off.

"I fear... that I might have to tell Chip Stack and Caramel Apple about this," Pound said suddenly, his voice grave. Maple Leaf's face paled, his eyes wide with fear.

"Ah- well you see Pound I don't think that's necessary" Maple leaf says, stepping forward in a desperate attempt to stop him.

Pound turned his gaze toward the kitchen door. "I'm sorry... but they deserve to know the truth," Pound says, looking sorrowful at Maple leaf.

Maple Leaf froze. "Pound, please don't take another step toward that door," he warned, his voice tense.

Pound's eyes flicked between the door, Maple Leaf, and finally to Fireball, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to do. Without warning, Pound grabbed Fireball's hand and bolted towards the door.

Fireball yelped at the sudden movement—and the unexpected contact—but didn't resist as Pound dragged him out of the kitchen, while Maple leaf ran after them, shouting and trying to stop them, but to no avail.

 

Needless to say they may or may have not accidentally woke everyone up with all the commotion that night.

Notes:

FINALLY I FINISHED IT QOHDIAJDJSIJWJEJS

Honestly this chapter was slightly less plot heavy then the chapter before but all the interactions and thoughts were all so fun to write!!

Also incase you haven't noticed, I have headcanoned that Fireball's fire change depend on his emotions and stuff, hopefully I did a good enough job in explaining on how they worked😭😭

Also overthinking Fireball was inspired from that one scene between Fireball and Pound in ep 5 when they were on the balance beam, I honestly thought it was interesting what Fireball said there, since he probably thought a lot about the scenario so I decided to add that overthinking aspect here!! Hope it wasn't too out of character for him lol.

 

Anyways I have some announcements regarding this book and about some other stuff.

I first just wanna say that the release of chapter 5 is gonna be a long wait, and when I mean long I mean way longer than it took me to get chapter 3 out. Which is why I wanted to warn you guys in advanced, that chapter is honestly already pretty long even though I'm only currently writing a draft for it (7000 words to be exact, not even half way done😭) and I actually haven't planned out completely on how the chapter may go so it will take a long while till this book might update and I wanna apologise for that:(

Secondly, I've been thinking of starting a second CTBC book, maybe not right now but definitely in the very near future. I have a few ideas which Im gonna list rn:

-Opposite C2BC au: a rewrite of C2BC but if everyone's personalities were altered, which I think would lead into some very interesting arcs and story lines.

-Another ship story: basically a second storyline between another ship (haven't decided yet) that overlaps with the events in this book.

-Oneshot CTBC book: send me any characters, ships or aus you want me to write and I'll do it!

-Fantasy CTBC au: this could be like Harry Potter/Genshin impact/DND/Percy Jackson/Dangoronpa/Maybe even a musical? I'll probably have Fireball and Pound as main characters unless I think that another character fits the role better.

Those are some ideas I've thought about, but I'll probably only ever start another book if I can find myself a editor or a second person to help me, which may be difficult since one I don't have any friends that are into CTBC and I'm too much of a pussy to ask the CTBC discord server for help😞😞 but I still like the idea tho.

And one last thing, I also have this book on wattpad aswell and when I was designing the thumbnail chapter art, I realised that the front cover I have in wattpad looks so ugly😭 I did a quick doodle for it since I needed a cover but I could've done way better than THAT.

So I'm gonna replace it soon, but I have no idea what I should draw for it, so PLEASE leave some suggestions (or if someone can draw the cover for me flutters eyes /JOKE)

That's everything I wanted to say, if your still here than thank you for everything and all the support you have given this book! I love reading all the comments you guys send and it always brighten my day!

 

Thank you for reading:)

Chapter 5: NOT A NEW CHAPTER.

Alright so…

So much shit happened in the last few hours (or at least everything I’m catching up on) and now Ctbc and Cole’s yt account in general is gone! Deleted

It’s crazy to think that I was just chatting with a few people on the server, went offline for about 2 hours to do something then just came back to everything being gone and Cole now being problematic and canceled.

*inhales*

WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKK

I DONT HAVE TWITTER SO I DONT KNOW HALF OF THE STORY, BUT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH COLE STEALING CHARACTERS, BEING RACIST, FIRING STAFF AND SO ON?? WHAT THE FUCK

What the hell happened?? I’m just, confused and upset.

Clash to be champion… was a show that I really REALLY loved

It was actually the reason why I got back into my object show phase after a year and got into writing and doing object show camps.

Now I don’t know what to do.

I feel so terribly sorry to everyone who was affected by this, I hope they’re doing better.

I don’t know what to think about Cole, he’s 18, I know people would consider that as an ‘adult’ but he’s still young and immature but MAN all of those things were really shitty, especially the racist shit because I’m a person of color too. I’m going to try to have a mutual opinion on him though, I never really ‘looked up’ to him or focused too much on him as a person, I was just interested in the show itself.

But other than that… I really don’t know what to do now, with this story, with my love for the show.

It feels awkward.

It feels wrong.

I don’t know if I should continue this book, I have chapter 5 still in progress, but I’m not sure if I want to continue writing, for my sake and others.

I’m lost, I’m opened to anything atp.

Sorry if this is kind of messy, I usually plan out what I want to write but… yeah idk.

I would still continue this book, regardless of the drama, I just need to know if it’s a good idea.

I’m sorry this is stupid.

I hope you’re doing well with everything that’s happening.

 

-juni

Chapter 6: Broken tables, broken promises

Summary:

A quick chapter, plus notes about how this story was supposed to go

Notes:

.....

It's been almost a year, oh my goodness, and I want to say sorry, but I have really lost passion in trying to get this chapter finished, I kept rewriting and scrapping and rewriting and scrapping, then my notes app exploded on me and I'm js.... Ugh, I'm so tired man:[

I don't have the same passion, the same fire to write this so you will be getting the first 2000 that I was able to rewrite after my notes app decided to crash out on me, I'm so so sorry, like extremely sorry, especially if you were waiting for such a long time.

Well... let's get on with the show? A very short show.

_____________

 

Fireball has learnt many things during the weeks he's spent here on this stupid island.

From how well of an observer he can be, the snippets of certain quirks from his fellow contestants, how hopeless he really can be when it comes to social cues, how much he liked listening, a new unfamiliar emotion that his flames reacted differently to, how a cup of how chocolate tasted better when you're with a second person.

And of course

Having a new friend

By none other than Pound.

He learnt a lot about Pound as a person.

Pound really wasn't this one dimensional people pleaser Fireball first made him out to be, he was so much more than that.

Of course, he liked making sure people liked him, for reasons Fireball still doesn't understand, but he learnt that Pound just liked being kind in general, making other people happy by agreeing to their opinions and shaping his views to fit theirs.

"But why though?"

Fireball asked Pound one random day, he vaguely remembers that at the early stages of their friendship he asked Pound why he tried so hard to be nice to other people, he got that Pound does it because it made him feel good, but there was more to it, a story that Pound promised he would tell Fireball one day.

"I hate it when people are upset at me" Pound said with a sad smile.

"Arguments in general are tiring, and I don't like being shouted at anyways, it's best to just agree and move on then fight it"

Pound said it like it was common knowledge, to which made Fireball conflicted, since his whole personality was everything that Pound didn't like.

"But... isn't that me? Someone who's all shouty and likes to fight?"

"When was the last time you shouted at me for having a different opinion from you?"

"...oh"

Pound smiled at Fireball afterwards, Fireball learnt that he also liked it when Pound smiled, more specifically when it was directed towards him.

"Is that why you wanted to be close to me? Because you didn't want me to dislike you?"

"Ehh, there was the warmth thing"

"Ah right, the warmth thing"

"But I was generally curious about you"

"Really? How so"

"I knew there was more to you Fireball, behind that fiery persona you put on"

"I see"

"Heh... get it? Fiery?"

"Oh my god- yes I get it you idiot"

 

After that conversation, Fireball thought that Pound treated him like how he treated all of his other friendships, but he soon realised how dumb that thought was.

He already knew that Pound was comfortable around him, allowed himself to have friendly disagreements with Fireball, hell they already established not to keep any problems between their friendship away from each other.

Fireball had to constantly remind himself that he made a genuine friendship with someone, and not to doubt it, but you can't blame him! Old habits die hard.

But every time Pound gave him that heart warming smile, asked one too many questions that gets Fireball thinking, or just sits right next to Fireball, Fireball is reminded that this friendship is different, and won't end the same way with all of his past ones. That he doesn't have to worry that it won't get ripped away from him once he starts caring too much.

Right...?

 

——

 

Fireball learnt that Pound shouldn't be allowed a 10 meter radius of a stove.

Okay... maybe that's a bit of a exaggeration, but he really thought Pound was joking when he said the only thing he has ever cooked in his lifetime was instant ramen and burnt scramble eggs.

"You're kidding right?" Fireball asked, exasperated, staring dumbfounded at Pound.

Pound nervously fiddled with his fingers, as he sinks deeper into the blankets, avoiding Fireball's shocked gaze.

"It's not too big of a deal right..?"

"Not to big of a deal-?? Pound if you ever want to move out of your parents house one day you need to learn how to cook!" Fireball reasons, still trying to keep himself quiet as everyone else in the cabin was still asleep.

Pound had mentioned to Fireball at some point that he wanted to move out of his folk's home at some point and Fireball has been brainstorming ways with him about getting money and stuff to get out (it turns out the second reason Pound joined the show was for the money)

"Oh well- your cooking skills can't be any better Fireball!" Pound accuses, to which Fireball gasps at.

"What are you talking about?? You've seen me cook stuff plenty of times!"

Fireball on the contrary, is very experienced when it comes to cooking, he's used to be embarrassed about it, especially since he had to learn how to at a very young age because his parents weren't really around that much to feed him themselves.

But lately he's stopped caring, even lending a hand and helped cook and prepare meals for the others after they all forced maple leaf to fix the boiler a while ago (Maple leaf was also somehow able to get the stove, microwave and oven working as well despite the electricity running out ages ago, Fireball still doesn't understand how he did it)

Pound laughed a bit, before sitting up on the bed.

"Alright Gordon Ramsay teach me then"

"Wait what?" Fireball paused, dumbfounded.

"Teach me the basics! You're right if I plan to move out of my parents house soon then I should start learning, besides everyone is still asleep"

Fireball blinks, before smiling, lifting the blankets off of him and Pound.

"Okay let's go"

——

 

The two arrived at the kitchen not long after, Fireball immediately went over to the cabinets where majority of the food was stored.

The competition was predicted to last for 3 months, so food was stored to prepare for that, there also seemed to be a planned food challenge as the walk in freezer was filled with sweets and cakes to which the other contestants happily helped themselves to.

Even with the abundance of food, when Fireball opened the cabinet, a few cans were seen left, plenty to keep them fed for a couple of more weeks if they plan correctly but it dawns on him that they really need to find a way to get off of here and stop hoping that football ring would come back for them.

'I'm... not going to think about that right now' fireball decides, grabbing a can of tomato sauce.

"Uhhh Fireball what are you doing?" Pound questions, as he awkwardly stands at the door of the kitchen.

"Grabbing the ingredients of course" he says grabbing the final thing from the lower cabinet and closing it.

He lays all the ingredients on the counter for Pound to see.

"Today, we will be making spaghetti"

"Spaghetti...? That seems a little hard"

"You'll be fineeee I promise!"

Pound smiles slightly, still a bit doubtful with his skills but matched Fireball's enthusiasm.

"If you say so"

——

Honestly the first sign should've been when Pound broke the spaghetti sticks in half so it could fit the pot.

"What. What are you doing" Fireball asks in disbelief, Pound looks at him with a questioning smile and his hands on his hips, unaware of what he's done.

"Hm? What's wrong? You said put the spaghetti in the pot" Pound says.

"Pound... I didn't mean break it" Fireball says, mentally slapping himself, being too busy slicing sausages.

"Well how else was it suppose to fit in the pot?"

Fireball had to remind himself that this was Pound's first time doing this.

"Nevermind... just watch it until it softens"

"Alright chef!" Pound says, saluting to Fireball in a playful matter.

"Aughh don't say that it's embarrassing" Fireball complains, looking down at the cutting board to hide his face away from Pound.

"Hm? Why" Pound asks innocently

"I... I dunno! It just makes me sound professional when I'm not" Fireball reasons.

"You sure? I've had some of the food you made it's absolutely amazing, I would definitely consider it professional!" Pound says with a smile

"Aughh okay stop talking"

"What? Why?"

"Just! Hush"

"But Fireball why? It was a compliment"

"God you're such a-"

Fireball looked up to look at Pound, despite what Fireball is saying, bashful smile on his face shows that he isn't actually annoyed with what Pound is saying.

But when he looks at Pound, he sees fire behind him.

"..POUND THE STOVE" Fireball shouts, panicked, dropping the knife he was using.

Pound looked at him confused, before spinning around to be met with the fire behind him.

It turns out, when Pound snapped the spaghetti in half, some of the pieces didn't go into the pot and landed around it instead, near the fire the pot was cooking on top of, making the spaghetti pieces set on fire.

Of course, it wouldn't have been too much of a big deal, if that fire didn't also spread to the oven mitts (that was hanging above it) and started to spread to the other flammable items on the kitchen.

"oh mY GOD" Pound shouted stumbling backwards and hitting his back against the counter.

Fireball acting quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher near by, tugging off the ring and pointed it towards the fire, only to see Pound with a glass of water and seconds away from throwing it at the grease fire. Fireball's eyes widen in horror.

"POUND NO-" he tries to warn the other but it was too late, as soon as Pound splashed the flames with the cup of water, it roared with fiery. Pound obviously not expecting this shrieks, scrambling back to get away until sudden a pair of arms wrapped around him pulling him behind the counter.

"YOU IDIOT!" Fireball shouted, twirling Pound behind him and picking up the fire extinguisher, and quickly extinguishing the fire. When the last bit of flames settled, Fireball drops the fire extinguisher and sighs in relief.

"I... oh my god I'm so" Pound stutters, trying to apologize to Fireball but Fireball stops him.

"Well, I guess I'm the knight in shining armor this time around" Fireball immediately says, lighting up the mood. Pound looks at him with wide eyes, surprised that he let it go so easily.

"My hero!" Pound decides to play along, but guilt still laced between those words. "But, I'm so sorry I should've have been paying attention... and not have used water"

"It's fine Pound, I was the one distracting you and you didn't know any better" Fireball says patting Pound on the shoulder "at least we learnt a thing or two about this experience"

"To not use water to put out a grease fire?" Pound asks

"That you shouldn't be allowed to cook, especially with how you broke the spaghetti" Fireball deadpans, Pound bursts into laughter.

"Are you still on about that?" Pound giggles, slightly kicking Fireball's foot.

"You are a MANIAC for doing that" Fireball argues back.

———

The two kept shut, giggling to themselves when Statuette asked why the kitchen smelled burnt when the others entered and left to let someone else do the breakfast that morning, that being pancakes and toast.

Fireball absentmindedly picked at his food while listening to Pound talk about another kitchen accident he had when he was younger, which proves that he was a menace in the cooking. It was routine at this point, something they did everyday, staying next to each other talking about anything and everything as the sun went down, it was nice.

Until it wasn't.

"Fireball can I ask you something?" Pound suddenly asks, after finishing his story.

"Hmm?" Fireball responds, his mouth full of waffle as he lazily stares at Pound, the sleepiness of the morning still lingering in his eyes despite the fiasco that happened a few minutes ago.

"I asked you before, twice I think and I'm pretty sure it's an appropriate time to ask now" Pound says, Fireball nodding along not thinking much about it.

Pound smiles, before clearing his throat.

"So why did you exactly join the show?"

Fireball drops his forks as he nearly chokes on his food.

"Fireball??" Pound stammers, hands reaching towards Fireball but the other waves him off, signaling he was fine as he swallowed.

"My god- warn a man first- why are you... eh..." Fireball struggles to get out, clearly caught off guard with the question.

"You... promised to tell me eventually" Pound tilts his head innocently, Fireball, with an unreadable face gazes at the other.

He... didn't want to talk about this, he's been in such a good mood the past few days, he doesn't want to ruin it by talking or even thinking about it.

"No" he finally says, Pound looks at him confused, though a smile still plastered on his face.

"C'mon, I'm curious! It's been a while since I've asked" Pound reasons playfully, but Fireball wasn't matching his energy.

"Pound I can't, not right now" Fireball attempts to drop it, hoping that his uncomfortableness would make Pound dropped it.

Pound looked at him with concern, and Fireball thinks that's the end of it, but of course it wasn't.

"Oh is it...Y'know you can tell me anything right?" Pound encourages, clearly not dropping it, Fireball furrows his eyebrows in frustration.

"I know that, I just don't want to" Fireball slowly feels his patience chipping away, but doesn't realize it.

"Talking about it might help? I don't understand why you're tip toeing around the topic but you can trust me Fireball" Pound puts a comforting hand on Fireball's leg, but Fireball felt anything but comfort.

"Pound I swear to god just-" Fireball snarls, but Pound persists.

"Fireball, I just want to understand" Pound pleas softly.

"What if I don't want you to understand?" Fireball snaps back.

"I- why not?? Didn't we have a talk about this? To not be afraid to bring up stuff that bothers us?"

"Stuff Between us Pound, BETWEEN US! This has nothing to do with you"

Pound's gaze tenses, Fireball didn't like that look on Pound, he wanted to wipe it away, see that smile again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it and instead fueled the fire burning inside of him.

"If it's affecting you like that then it has something to do with me" Pound says, confusing Fireball.

"How the fuck does that even make sense?? Fireball spat.

"Because, I care and you're my friend"

"Well if you were my friend you would drop it and respect my boundaries"

"Fireball-" Pound was about to fight back, before biting his lip and sighing "fine, geez you could've been a bit nicer about it."

Seconds ago, Fireball would've settled, relieved that the pestering was over and they could continue on acting as if nothing has happened, but that offhand comment that Pound made, had shaken him, and he snapped his head towards Pound.

"Excuse me?" He looks daggers into Pound's eyes, he could see the other fiddling his hands nervously, but he stands his ground.

"Hm?" Pound hums innocently, it pissed Fireball off.

 

__________
This is me summarizing the rest of the story... I'm too lazy to check for spelling mistakes, so I'm sorry if you find any typos.

Yeah.... So um, they were supposed to break into a huge fight, a fight where they were both supposed to be in the wrong, Pound shouldn't have pushed boundaries but Fireball shouldn't have became violent, this fight was supposed to get way heated then Fireball is about to punch Pound but redirects it to the table, which is why this chapter is called broken table.

Basically when that happens, some people (Caramel apple and Chipstack) were supposed to jump in and drag Pound away from Fireball, dragging him outside away from him, everyone else quickly leaves to comfort Pound and they leave Fireball all alone in the cafeteria where he reflects on his actions.

Oh course Fireball is mad, seething even, but once he calms down a bit he realizes how bad his reaction was and that he may have overreacted a bit, he then realizes that this might be the last time he will see Pound ever again as most of the time, this is how his past friendships have ended, with a huge blowout fight where Fireball hurts them (I have headcannoned this is why he seemed so anti-social at the start, as he keeps losing his friendships over his temper, this is because of the way he was raised, I will touch up on that later)

At some point he hears commotion outside the cafeteria then sees maple leaf being pushed into the cafeteria by caramel apple and chip stack to consult Fireball about the situation because apparently Pound wouldn't say anything and despite them being concerned for Pound they're also extremely nosey and wanted to know what happened.

Fireball is like in no mood for chatting and tries to scare maple leaf off but maple leaf actually stands his ground and gets Fireball to open up to him by asking him what happened and stuff.

He doesn't actually get a lot out of Fireball but Fireball does say he really cares about Pound but he doesn't know what to think about their friendship because he's frustrated at both Pound and himself, mainly himself though.

The next to days are awkward and lonely, and Fireball has kept himself at the team's cabins, refusing to go outside and basically bed rotting, (Btw Pound started to sleep in the team girls cabin) and he's left alone with his thoughts and memories, around this time he would be getting lots of flashbacks and internal monologues. But then suddenly, Maple leaf is pushed through the door of the cabin in a tray of food, muttering to a person outside of the cabin, a voice Fireball can vaguely hear, (the conversation going maple leaf: "what- dude I thought we agreed you were supposed to do this??" Pound: "just- just do it! I can't... face him yet") Maple leaf gives him the food and says it was from an anonymous person because they were worried that he wasn't eating enough. Fireball raised an eyebrow and asked if that person was Pound, Maple leaf runs away lol.

The tray of food had a cup of hot chocolate along with it, Fireball almost drops the mug due to his hands being too shaky.

The next day, Maple leaf does the same thing but before he leaves, Fireball asks him to leave a note for the 'anonymous' person, the note Fireball writes is super vague and somewhere around the lines of "we needa talk" as if it sounds threatening.

Basically the next day when Maple returns, he comes with a note with Pound that literally refuses to meet up with Fireball which makes Fireball pissed and wants to write a letter back but Maple leaf stops him, saying that he doesn't want to be Fireball and Pound's mail man and send notes back and forth for them, and that if Fireball wants to sort things out with Pound, he has to do it himself.

Fireball realizes that he's been also hiding away in the cabins and can't get mad for doing the same and he gets up to look for Pound.

("I'm not going to be your personal messenger!" Maple leaf sighs exasperated, waving the note in the air "we're not in middle school! You can't solve everything through passing notes, you need to go and actually TALK to him"

Maple leaf says, as if he's had this conversation before. Fireball pauses, letting Maple leaf's words sink in.

"You're right" he stands up "I need to talk to him"

"yes. YES! thats what I've been saying- wait. like right now??" Maple leaf's face turned from a look of relief to a look of horror in a matter of seconds when he saw Fireball heading for the door of the cabin.

"if I keep stalling now, it will never happen" Fireball says.

"NO WAIT FIREBALL! Should you plan something before-" Fireball closes the door before Maple leaf can even finish his sentence.)

He goes to the cafeteria and locks eyes with Pound, when Pound sees him, he freaks out and runs to the kitchen, Fireball tries to run after him but Princess hates blocks the door with the help of Banana slice and Tape measure, not letting Fireball get to Pound. (I really wanted to show off Princess hat and Pound's friendship in this chapter since they were close in s2, ya!)

Fireball js rolls his eyes and js pushes the trio to the side and enters the kitchen only to see the window wide open and footprints in the snow. Fireball gets pissed and starts yelling at princess hat for getting in the way (but he's really js shouting at her for the sakes of being mad) but Princess hat argues back and says he can't force Pound to talk to him, that Pound isn't ready. But then Fireball says that Pound might be 'not ready' forever and Fireball can't have that.

He tries to go outside to look for Pound but surprisingly, Speaker and Statuette stops him, saying that it's not a good idea and that he should wait for him to come back. Fireball hesitantly agrees and he waits at the cafeteria steps with those two and they talk a lot (I also wanted to show off these three's somewhat friendship? From what I remember in s2 they were cool with each other) Fireball really got to know these two and they kind of point of that Fireball's behavior wasn't really the best, especially in this type of situation and Fireball realizes he might've been actually SCARING pound (remember the flashback at the start of the fic? About how Pound told Fireball he hates being shouted at? Yeah....) and decides he needs to approach Pound better. Fireball doesn't spot Pound unfortunately and he returns back at the cabin.

The next day, Fireball pulls Maple leaf aside that morning to ask him for help to talk with Pound about this whole situation.

("Look" Fireball starts "you're right, I need to sort things out with him, but I really need help trying to pin him down and talk to him, he just keeps running away, I understand he needs space but it's been days and this has been killing me"

"...sure I'll help" Maple leaf agrees.

"I don't expect you to say yes- wait what?" Fireball says, surprised.

"Look man, I'm so sick of this whole drama between you two, and I really want the best for both of you so I'll help" Maple leaf explains.

"Huh, thanks man" Fireball says.)

Maple leaf suggests pulling Princess hat into the string operation, Fireball is hesitant and says that Princess hat won't agree but Maple leaf waves him off and goes find Princess hat, surprisingly he comes back with her, and even more surprising, she agrees to the plan, BUT ONLY if Fireball apologizes to her.

Fireball apologizes, like almost immediately, and genuinely too, (since he's desperate but also feels bad for shouting at her) something that shocks Princess hat but makes her happy. She says she could tell Pound to go to the team girl's cabin (where he has been staying) where Fireball can corner him. Fireball asks her why she was so fine helping him all of a sudden which she says that she thought over what he said the other day and thinks that he has a point there somewhere, and besides, she knew Pound also wanted to sort this situation out but was js scared.

The plan works and Fireball is able to corner Pound, Pound looks extremely scared when Fireball confronts him, the expression actually makes Fireball want to cry but he gets Pound to hear him out because even if they weren't gonna be friends after this, he js wanted Pound to know he was sorry for the way he reacted and how he almost hurt Pound. Pound also apologized, for pushing boundaries because he thought he was helping Fireball by forcing him to open up. He also apologizes for running away and making this situation 100x more dramatic then it should've been but Fireball says that it's not really his fault because he was literally hunting him down like a madman so Pound had every right to run away.

More talking and they hug it out! (Lol no kissing yet sorry guys)

They leave the cabin only to find Maple leaf, Princess hat, Tape measure and Banana slice spying on them and Fireball gets angry and drags Pound back to their cabin while Pound laughs. When the two arrive at the cabin, Pound immediately lays his blanket on Fireball's bed (since he took it with him... yes Fireball had to suffer without the extra blanket but he got to keep the extra pillow Pound lended him) but suddenly pauses and asks Fireball if that was okay, to which Fireball says yes.

When they go to bed that night, Pound says he missed the warmth and he thanked Fireball for letting him do this even after everything. Something flips inside of Fireball but he stays quiet.

In the morning they're about to go to the cafeteria together but Fireball tells Pound to go ahead and pulls Maple leaf to the side.

("I just wanted to say thank you for helping us I guess"

"Wow I'm getting a thank you from Fireball? Has hell frozen over?"

"Oh my godddd shut up, but in all seriousness, thank you for that, Pound just... means so much to me, I don't know what I would do without him"

"....what do you mean by that?"

"Like... I feel safe around him? Like... I can literally talk to him for hours without getting bored..? Look I don't really know how to explain this feeling man"

".... Do you perchance feel like he's the only one that can understand you? You care a lot what he thinks about you and your heart races every time you guys are together?"

"Yeah- wait, how did you describe it so well???"

"Fireball.... I think you might be in love with Pound"

Fireball stares at him.

"...excuse me?"

And yeah! Chapter 6 was supposed to be Fireball internally panicking about this and realizing that he likes Pound, that chapter was also supposed to be about the group getting off the island due to people finally getting them and being transported to a new show. Fireball tries to hide his feelings and blah blah blah, hones I was js planning to go with what the canon story was then twist it a bit to my liking and add some of my interpretations and headcanons but... well I'd rather die then rewatch that.

There was supposed to be a 2nd book where this story is continued in Pound's POV, I think I've mentioned it before. It was supposed to be called "on the flip side" (hahaha get it?) where it follows Pound and shows the 5 stages of falling in love. This being friendzoning, realization, freaking out, doubts and maning up (which aka was supposed to be the confession)

Sooooo yeah! There were so many things I wanted to explore in this book, other than Pound and Fireball I wanted to show their friendship with the other contestants and stuff since it's reflected how they interact with them in s2 (like I dunno if I'm dumb but I don't think Pound and Princess hat were that close for Princess hat to gossip to Pound about the Beer keg relationship?)

If you wanted to know the 'big' secret Fireball was keeping (which aka was the main conflict of this chapter lol) was that he was actually forced to go and compete by his parents. Basically, I headcanoned Fireball's parents are like huge influencers and obsessed with social media, so much so that they basically neglected Fireball, forcing Fireball to grow up by himself. This is why he has anger problems and has trouble making meaningful connections because the people who were supposed to be there for him never thought him how. One day, the parents decided that they wanted a break from Fireball and sent him to the competition, which led to a very huge fight. This is why Fireball didn't want to talk about it because he hated it, that's why he wanted to leave so badly.

Sooo yeah, if you guys had any questions about this book feel free to ask me, but other than that, I'm done. I can't so this anymore, I'm sorry, maybe we'll meet another day if I ever write another fic but life has been busy. Thank you for being on this journey with me and I wish you the very best. Thank you for everything.

-juniper

Notes:

I’m gonna add all the notes I had for the next book in Pound’s POV:

Summary:

Pound always felt so curious about Fireball, from day one the man caught Pound’s attention and lived in his mind rent free. At some point, Pound gave into these feelings and befriended the guy and after many ups and downs, Pound can confidently say that Fireball was the best thing to happen to him. But over time Pound starts to feel different about his new found friend, Fireball, but of course these feelings mean nothing.

Right?????

Or

Pound goes through the 5 stages of grief love

 

Stage 1: denial  friendzone (ch1)

 

Takes place after s1 was cancelled, after Pound started to hang around Fireball more due to the snow and the fact that he’s warm… But that's not why he wants to hang around him no! He was always curious about Fireball when they first met, even with that temper and attitude, Pound finds himself drawn to him but he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t act on his curiosity at first because curiosity kills the cat or whatever, but desperate times call for desperate acts, which led to a series of embarrassing moments that made Pound closer to Fireball. Then Pound notices that he started to act differently from the others, which kind of scares him, because he must always act like the perfect friend because if he doesn’t then who would like him? But he finds out that he doesn’t have to try so hard around Fireball and freely expresses himself.

Stage 2: anger realisation (ch2)

After the conflict he and Fireball had, Pound started to realise how much Fireball meant to him. At first, he thought ‘well of course he’s my friend’, but he felt so lonely and empty when he wasn’t with Fireball which made it all so confusing. When he makes up with fireball, he starts to slowly realise that maybe Fireball means way more to him that Pound had realised, but he decided to brush it off for now. When s2 arrives, Pound gets the feeling again when he’s separated into a different team, he tries to act nonchalant about it while trying to get to know his team better but he can’t shake this feeling off. It’s when after the 6 challenges that he starts to realise it. And after sleeping over in Fireball’s room like old times, he finally realises it.

Oh shit, he’s in love.

 

Stage 3: Bargaining freaking out (ch3)

Oh my god, Pound is in love with Fireball, like that isn’t soooo weird right?? RIGHT?? Pound tries to ignore it he really really does. But he just can’t! He tries to avoid Fireball for a little while after this realisation, but that just makes him feel even more hurt. He thinks about it, and realises that he has been feeling like this all the way back from s1! So he’s been in love and hasn't realised it???? He thinks it’s terrible, he took advantage of every small moment he had with Fireball, if Fireball ever knew then surely he would be disgusted right??? And besides, Fireball has a crush on someone else! He has no chance. But every moment he shares with Fireball he can’t help but treasure. From when he cheered when they were on the same team to when he comforted Pound when Pound went to seek help and comfort from him. Pound realises that these feelings aren't going away anytime soon and that he’s really in trouble…

Stage 4: Depression Doubts(ch4)

Pound doubting that Fireball likes him back plus some depression lol

Stage 5: Acceptance Confession..? (Ch5)

Pound decides if he should risk it all and confess…

Notes:

Thanks for reading! <3