Chapter Text
Nickel was sprawled across his bed, FaceTiming his two idiot cousins, Coiny and Nickel—who were currently off competing in some show in the town over. And the two of them wouldn’t shut up about their partners. Seriously, every time they called, it was the same thing: brag, swoon, brag again. It was getting painfully exhausting.
Nickel was dressed for bed, wearing a white tank top and black-and-grey checkered pyjama pants. His dark grey hair was short and messy, and he had mismatched socks on. He looked more than ready to crash after this call with his ridiculous cousins.
Coiny, his cousin, had soft orange hair styled in a cute, boyish way with parted bangs and wore a darker orange beanie. He had on a plain white T-shirt under a loose, orange jacket. Their other cousin, Nickel (from BFDI) wore a cozy oversized grey jacket patterned with stars and a dog-like collar around his neck. His hair was a lighter shade of grey, semi-long in the front and trimmed short in the back.
“She’s so cute, ahhh! I seriously love her, man!” Coiny gushed, beaming like a total dork as he talked about his weird, violent girlfriend, Pin.
“And mine cuts up bananas for me! Like, into little pieces—like a baby!” BFDI Nickel added, kicking his feet and giggling like it was the cutest thing in the universe.
Nickel stared blankly at the screen, utterly unamused. How the hell did these two manage to get into relationships before he did? Coiny, okay, maybe. He had charm when he wasn’t being a moron. But his other cousin? Nickel?? That guy was bizarre. Sticky and annoying and just… gross.
Nickel rolled his eyes and leaned back against his pillow, crossing his ankles lazily as he listened to their obnoxious gushing. “It’s not even that cool,” he muttered. “Your partners sound like total weirdos.”
“Ohh, someone’s bitter,” Coiny teased with a knowing grin. “You’re just jealous ‘cause you’re single!”
Nickel’s eyes narrowed. That one stung. How dare they assume that? He hadn’t said he was single. He could’ve just been private about his love life. That was totally plausible. And he wasn’t going to let them get the satisfaction of teasing him for something like that.
Across the room, Balloon sat curled up on his own bed, legs tucked beneath him as he scribbled in a notebook. He wore a white collared shirt layered under a red sweater, paired with blue jeans and no shoes. His red, curly hair was pulled back into a small bun, and he wore small-framed glasses—straight along the top, curving gently downward at the edges.
He’d been half-listening the entire time, quietly chuckling to himself at the ridiculous things Nickel’s cousins were saying. He tried to keep to himself, not wanting to intrude on a family call—but it was getting harder and harder to stay out of it.
Nickel threw a side-eye at Balloon, who was now clearly holding back laughter. Oh, great. He thinks this is hilarious, doesn’t he?
“Who said I was single?” Nickel shot back, voice sharp.
Balloon glanced up, raising a brow. Uhh… pretty sure you were?
“If you’re not single, then why haven’t you ever told us about anyone?” Coiny challenged, calling him out.
Balloon had officially stopped writing. He was staring now, a smug little grin curling at his lips. He couldn’t wait to hear what kind of garbage excuse Nickel was about to pull out of nowhere.
Nickel’s glare intensified. Oh, he thinks this is funny? Sitting there all smug like he’s watching a show? Fine. Let’s give him something to watch.
“Well, they’re shy,” Nickel said coolly. “They don’t really want to talk to you losers. And they’re super busy, okay?”
“Busy being imaginary?” BFDI Nickel snorted.
“They’re not imaginary!” Nickel snapped. “They’re literally sitting right next to me!”
Balloon’s face dropped. His jaw opened in slow horror. Oh no. No no no. What the hell is he doing??
“See?” Nickel said, flustered but determined. He leapt off his bed, then scrambled onto Balloon’s bed and swung the camera around to point directly at him. “Ta-da!”
Balloon’s eyes went wide as the screen filled with his face.
“Oh my god—he is cute!” BFDI Nickel squealed.
“Wait, you’re actually dating someone? Huh! Didn’t expect it from you,” Coiny laughed.
Nickel smirked and flopped back against the pillow of Balloon’s bed, turning the camera back to his smug, victorious face. “Told you.”
Balloon was still processing everything. His cheeks were flushed pink, his fingers nervously twisting together in his lap. Seriously? He was… good enough to be Nickel’s fake boyfriend?
Even if it wasn’t real, even if it was just to get his cousins off his back, the fact that Nickel had chosen him… him, to show off like that… it made his heart skip a little. Just a little. Maybe it was stupid, but it felt nice. Like, for once, someone actually wanted him around. Chose him.
Lately, Balloon had been feeling... different about Nickel. Closer, somehow. He couldn’t tell if it was a crush exactly, he never really got those in the usual way. But he did love spending time with Nickel. They’d been inseparable since Season 3 ended, doing practically everything together. Still, this? Telling his cousins they were dating? Why didn’t Balloon say anything and debunk it? Instead he just awkwardly smiled!
Maybe... maybe he felt a little bad for Nickel. His cousins were constantly teasing him, rubbing their perfect relationships in his face. Maybe letting this little white lie slide wasn’t such a crime. It’s not like they’d have to kiss or go on a date or—
“Oh my mint! Wait, dudes, idea!” Coiny suddenly burst out. “What if we do a triple date?! Since Nickel has a boyfriend now! You two could totally come down for a weekend, stay at our hotel. I bet our host won’t care—come on, it’d be so fun!”
He was clearly scheming something, probably trying to catch Nickel in a lie. But his enthusiasm was loud and theatrical enough to mask it.
“Ohhh, yes!! That sounds adorable!” BFDI Nickel squealed, practically vibrating with excitement. “We have to do it!”
Balloon’s stomach sank like a rock.
His head snapped toward Nickel, shaking slowly in disbelief. They could not do this. A tiny white lie was one thing—letting a moment slide by without correcting it, sure. But an entire weekend of pretending to be Nickel’s boyfriend?
That was way more than he could handle.
He already had complicated feelings about Nickel, feelings he didn’t quite understand himself. Being around him lately felt… different. Warmer. Closer. Maybe he was catching feelings, whatever that even meant for him. He wasn’t the type to fall for people easily, but Nickel had carved out a space in his life so naturally that he didn’t know how to separate it anymore. And now pretending to be his boyfriend? For days? That would blur the line way too much.
It would feed into every confusing little thought he’d tried to push away.
His face was hot. Balloon was still scrambling to gather his thoughts, trying to think of a reasonable way to shut this whole thing down—
And then, just like that, Nickel spoke for him.
“What? You don’t believe we’re dating?” Nickel snapped, challenging Coiny.
“I never said that!” Coiny held one hand up defensively, the other holding his phone. “Kinda weird that you’d jump to that conclusion so fast.”
“Oh, please. You were basically implying it!” Nickel huffed. “Well, we are dating. Why would I even want to spend a weekend with you two losers!”
“I still think he’s lyingggg~!” BFDI Nickel sing-songed over the call, grinning wildly.
“I’m not lying. Fine. We’ll come.” Nickel growled. “See you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?!
Balloon’s heart dropped straight through the floor. Tomorrow was Saturday. That meant they’d have to leave tonight. This had escalated so much faster than his brain could handle.
Before anyone could say another word, Nickel hung up the call with a sharp tap and tossed his phone on the bed. He let out a long, tired sigh, then turned his head to look at Balloon.
Balloon was frozen. Still stunned. Still staring. Still trying to figure out if this was some sort of elaborate prank.
“Nickel,” he finally said, voice rising, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“What?” Nickel blinked at him innocently. “It’s not that big a deal. It’s like, two days. We’ll leave Sunday night or whatever.”
Balloon stood up, practically fuming. “Oh, come on! You know it’s not about the stupid trip! Why would you tell them I was your boyfriend?! You volunteered me into this whole thing!”
“You could’ve said something!” Nickel shot back, rolling his eyes.
“I didn’t even get the chance!” Balloon snapped. “You just—threw me under the bus, Nickel! Now I have to impress your idiot cousins, and pretend to be your partner for a whole weekend, and act all—couple-y! Like that’s so easy to fake!”
Nickel scoffed. “Pssh. You didn’t seem to mind acting back in Season 1 and 2. Remember that?”
“That is not the same and you know it!” Balloon pointed an accusatory finger at him, cheeks still burning.
Nickel waved at him dismissively. “What’s the big deal? There’s no pressure.”
“No pressure?!” Balloon scoffed. “Are you kidding me?”
He stared at Nickel hard, voice quiet but cutting. “Don’t act like you don’t care about this. I know you, Nickel. You hate when your cousins act like they’re better than you. You hate being the only one without a win. You’re absolutely going to turn this into some weird competition. You're going to use me to one-up them.”
Nickel hesitated—just for a second.
That was enough.
“You want me to be some kind of perfect boyfriend so you can show off,” Balloon continued. “And maybe you don’t even realize it, but you’re going to expect me to say all the right things, do all the cute couple stuff, play the part perfectly—because you need to win. And you didn’t even ask me.”
Nickel opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“Look…” Balloon’s voice cracked, softer now. “I would’ve done a lot to help you feel less alone. I have done a lot. But this? This feels like you didn’t even stop to think about how I’d feel.”
Silence.
Nickel’s expression shifted just slightly less defensive, a little more… unsure.
Balloon sat back down, gripping the edge of his bed, chest tight. “I don’t even know how to pretend to be your boyfriend without actually starting to feel like I am.”
Nickel’s cheeks flushed a soft pink. Wait… what did Balloon just say?
He stared at him for a second, stunned into silence. it hit way too close. And it left Nickel’s heart stumbling over itself.
He suddenly felt awkward, the weight of what he’d started beginning to settle in. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he’d let his pride get ahead of him again. But it was too late to back out now, he’d already committed. He’d said they were dating, told his cousins they’d come, made Balloon part of the act whether he liked it or not.
Still, Nickel wasn’t ready to let go of the plan just yet.
“Please, Balloon?” Nickel looked up at him, his usual snark replaced with something softer—puppy-dog eyes and a pleading voice. “It’ll just be like… a little holiday. I mean, it’s not like we’re doing anything else, right?”
He sat forward, trying to make his case, searching Balloon’s face. “Plus… we’re already pretty close, aren’t we?”
Balloon raised a brow, guarded but listening.
Nickel went on, trying to justify it, to make it make sense. “I mean, we hang out all the time… I listen to your girly poetry without complaining… most of the time,” he added with a teasing smirk. “We even cuddle sometimes… you let me play with your hair… uhh so like, what’s the big difference?”
Balloon blinked, caught off guard by how casually Nickel said that. But he wasn’t wrong, technically. They had gotten really close. There were nights Balloon had fallen asleep in Nickel’s bed… Days where they’d stayed inside, just the two of them, playing dumb games or sharing snacks or talking about nothing. The closeness was already there.
“Yeah, but…” Balloon’s voice dropped into a whisper. “What if they ask us to kiss?”
That stopped Nickel in his tracks. His face flushed deeper now, his expression faltering as his thoughts scattered in a dozen directions. Kiss him?
“I mean—heh,” Nickel laughed nervously, eyes darting away. “It’s not like we’d have to make out in front of them or anything… just, you know… maybe a peck or something.”
Balloon looked away, fiddling with his poetry book.
Neither of them said it out loud, but both were thinking the same thing. A kiss, even a fake one, would be hard to shake off. Because whether they admitted it or not, something real was brewing beneath the surface. Nickel glanced at Balloon from the corner of his eye, heart beating a little too fast. The truth was… he wouldn’t mind a kiss. Not really. Not if it was Balloon.
Because the thing was—unlike Balloon, whose feelings were only just starting to bloom—Nickel had been falling for him for a while now. Since sometime during Season 3, honestly. He wasn’t sure when it happened exactly. It was slow at first. Barely noticeable. But then it became everything.
He liked the way Balloon got mad, it was cute… He liked how weirdly specific his poems could get, and how his voice softened when he read them out loud. He liked how Balloon always seemed to understand him, even when he didn’t say much. He liked being around him—needed it, almost. Like Balloon was the one person who made him feel grounded.
Nickel was completely, hopelessly, infatuated. And yet, he couldn’t say any of that out loud. He couldn’t risk ruining what they already had. So instead, he just smiled faintly.
“I mean… if it comes up, we’ll cross that bridge, right? It’s just for the weekend.”
Balloon didn’t look convinced. But part of him, deep down… wasn’t entirely opposed either. Maybe he was scared, sure. Confused, definitely. But there was also a little voice whispering that… maybe pretending wouldn’t be so bad.
Not if it meant being with Nickel.
Balloon inhaled sharply, letting the breath sit heavy in his chest. This was going to be difficult. Messy, even. But…
“Fuck it,” he muttered under his breath. What did he really have to lose?
They’d already crossed the line by not denying it. And truthfully, he and Nickel already acted like a couple half the time, constantly hanging out, casually leaning on one another like it was second nature. Their friends were still off competing. The two of them had been stuck together in this weird limbo ever since Season 3 ended. So maybe this fake date thing? It could actually be… fun.
It might even bring them closer. Maybe one of them will finally confess?
Balloon looked at Nickel again. He was watching him with those ridiculous, eager eyes, practically begging without saying a word. Something warm curled in Balloon’s chest.
“…Fine, fine! I’ll do it!” Balloon finally caved, throwing his hands up in surrender.
Nickel’s eyes lit up.
“But only because it’s like a little holiday,” Balloon added quickly. “And… I guess it does sound kinda fun.”
Nickel grinned like he’d won the lottery, but Balloon wasn’t finished.
“But—please,” he said, tone firm, “don’t take this too seriously. Can we just… be chill about it? Like, let’s not get too competitive, or weird about it. Just keep it fun, okay?”
“Not competitive. Chill. Fun. Got it,” Nickel said in rapid-fire agreement, nodding a little too enthusiastically. “Totally easy. Can do.”
“Uh huh.” Balloon gave him a suspicious side-eye.
Nickel was already halfway under his bed, dragging out an old duffel bag and throwing it open on the mattress. “Welp, we said we’d be there tomorrow, right? Gotta get packing! Train leaves at, like, 3AM. We'll get there by eight. Beautiful. I love this plan.”
Balloon sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. “3AM?” he muttered. “This is already a nightmare.”
But he crossed the room and grabbed a smaller overnight bag from his cupboard. It was only one night and two days—they didn’t need to pack much. Still, he took his time, carefully folding clothes and setting aside essentials: toiletries, socks, a small notepad in case inspiration struck. Something about being organized made him feel in control, even if the rest of this situation was way out of his comfort zone.
“I think I’ll just wear this again tomorrow,” he said thoughtfully, glancing down at his current outfit. “I want to… look nice and stuff.”
Nickel shrugged without looking up from the half-folded hoodie he was stuffing into his bag. “Sure. Whatever makes you feel good. I’m just gonna throw on, like, a band tee and some shorts.”
Balloon cracked a small smile. “Classy.”
“Always.”
They settled into a comfortable silence for a few moments, the soft rustling of clothes filling the room. Then Balloon reached for the hem of his sweater and tugged it off, neatly folding it and placing it at the end of his bed. Next, he began unbuttoning his white shirt.
Nickel glanced up, caught the movement—and immediately looked away.
He always did that.
Every time Balloon got undressed around him, even just down to his pyjamas, Nickel got weirdly quiet. He’d turn his back, bury himself in whatever he was doing, pretend like he wasn’t even in the same room. It wasn’t that Balloon was self-conscious… he was used to sharing space, but he’d definitely noticed the shift in Nickel’s energy every time.
Balloon changed into his sleep clothes: a warm red hoodie and black bike shorts, He took out his hair, yawning as he sat on the edge of the bed.
Nickel risked a quick glance and caught sight of Balloon’s legs curled up on the mattress, hoodie sleeves tugged over his hands. His heart did a small flip. God, why was he so cute?
“You ready for a fake romantic getaway with your fake boyfriend?” Nickel teased softly, breaking the silence as he zipped up his bag.
Balloon flopped back onto the bed with a dramatic sigh, throwing an arm over his face. “Mentally? No. But my bag’s packed, so I guess I’m all in.”
Nickel dropped his bag on the floor beside Balloon’s with a heavy thud. He stretched his arms above his head, letting out a tired sigh before flopping backward onto his bed. His heart was buzzing, part nerves, part something warmer.
He couldn’t believe this was happening. He was going to spend an entire weekend fake-dating Balloon—his actual crush. Like, what? How was this even real?
It still felt kind of surreal that he’d even developed a crush on him in the first place. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be just friendship, just hanging out. But somewhere along the way, those quiet nights, shared inside jokes, Balloon’s sleepy smiles and soft words... it had all snowballed into something bigger. Now that he’d acknowledged it, there was no going back. The feelings were stuck with him, and no amount of sarcasm or denial could make them go away.
Nickel glanced over at Balloon again, watching him finish zipping up his overnight bag. He was always so meticulous. So careful with his things. Nickel liked that about him. Hell, he liked everything about him.
He knew Balloon wasn’t the type to wear his feelings on his sleeve. If he did have a crush back, he was hiding it behind layers of calm and logic and vague disinterest. But still... Nickel had hope. They were close. Closer than anyone else in his life right now. And maybe, if this weekend went well, if he played his cards right—Balloon would start to see him differently. Maybe he'd realize Nickel wasn’t just a good friend, but maybe… boyfriend material.
So, yeah—was this whole thing just to impress his loudmouthed cousins?
Maybe a little.
But deep down, this weekend was for Balloon. A chance to test the waters. A chance to be close, to act like something real, and maybe... turn that act into reality.
Nickel grinned at the thought, warmth rising in his cheeks. Then a mischievous spark lit up in his head, and a smug smirk crept across his face.
“…We should probably, like, train or something,” he muttered casually.
Balloon looked over from his bed, one brow raised. “Train?”
Nickel shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. “Y’know. For tomorrow. Bet they’ll make us share a bed, so… we should practice.” His tone was far too casual to be innocent.
Balloon stared at him, deadpan. “Just say what you’re actually asking.”
Nickel groaned, folding his arms and pouting like a stubborn kid. “Ugh. Fine. I’m saying we should lay together. And, whatever. Cuddle. Happy?”
He was already cringing at the word cuddle. Gross. He hated saying sappy stuff like that. But for Balloon? He could deal with it.
Balloon rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at his lips. “You say that like we haven’t already done this a hundred times.”
Nickel raised a brow. “So…?”
“Yes, Nickel,” Balloon sighed in mock-exasperation, pulling back his blanket. “Come on.”
Nickel didn’t waste a second. He practically leapt from his bed and scrambled into Balloon’s, wiggling in until he was nestled comfortably beside him.
“You still have your glasses on, dork,” Nickel mumbled, reaching up gently. He took them off with surprising care and set them neatly on the bedside table.
“There,” he said softly.
Balloon blinked at him, cheeks faintly flushed. “Thanks, boyfriend,” he teased before turning over to face away.
Nickel’s face scrunched. “Rude,” he muttered, disappointed. He’d wanted to look at him a bit longer.
Fine. Whatever. They’d have time for fake romantic stuff tomorrow.
With a quiet sigh, Nickel shifted closer and wrapped an arm around Balloon’s side. He was way shorter than Balloon, like, embarrassingly shorter… and Balloon was soft, a little chubby in a comforting way, so Nickel’s arm didn’t even fully wrap around him. But the gesture was sweet. It felt… right.
Balloon exhaled slowly. Then, with a quiet grunt, he nudged Nickel’s arm away and twisted to the other side.
“Turn around…” he murmured sleepily.
Nickel blinked, surprised. “What?”
“Just turn.”
Nickel did as told, confused but obedient. Then he felt Balloon’s arms slip around him from behind, pulling him close. Firm. Gentle. Like it was second nature.
Nickel swallowed hard. His heart was pounding.
“…Now sleep,” Balloon whispered against his neck. “We have to wake up early.”
Nickel didn’t respond. He just closed his eyes, the smallest smile tugging at his lips. If this was fake… he didn’t even want to know what real would feel like.