Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The others went to Hotel OJ, or well, Hotel Hoot as of now, to celebrate Suitcase's victory after season two ended. Though MePhone4 would be nowhere to be seen. Where was he? He teleported away through the portal, and he never really said where he would go.

MePhone4 sat under a tree in an open meadow, far, far away from the contestants. The stars would be shining brightly. He would sigh heavily. Both seasons two and three had ended. 

.

"Ugh.." Was he REALLY going to end his hosting career this easily? No. But he didn't want to host another season— not if it meant putting them through everything again. But... what would he be without the show? He created this to rebel against him, but now... He's gone along with 'MePhone4's flame, which was once burning bright with passion.

.

MePhone4 would clutch his head, racking his brains about what he was going to do. "Come on, Mephone! Think of something! Anything!" It was useless. He gives up. He would let his thoughts drift around. What if this? What if that? What if? It's all just what-ifs. But- his thoughts suddenly drift to something else— his co-host in season three, Floory, and his silly little feelings for him. Despite all his eavesdropping and some other stupid stuff he's done, that cheeky smile and just this oddly enthusiastic feeling he gave off- MePhone4 liked it. He actually enjoyed his company. He thought of what Floory would think if he asked to be in a relationship with him...

.

"Why am I getting feelings over my own co-host!?" He would blurt out. Though he would immediately look around to make sure no one was listening... Especially not Floory. That wouldn't be good. At. All.

.

He tried to block out every thought of Floory, but it was useless. They kept flooding back in, more and more.

.

..

...

"Fine. Maybe I actually do have feelings for him..." Mephone4 would blatantly accept the fact he dreaded. He buried his face in his hands. The image of Floory’s grin wouldn’t leave him alone, and neither would the frustration of why he even cared.

* Istg this bitch needs to make up his mind. 

.

He would lie down in the soft grass, the cool night air blowing across his face. It was soothing. He wondered how the contestants were doing at the party— most likely having the time of their lives. They were finally free. They could live their lives normally, without being tied to a contest. Mephone would lose themselves in their thoughts for a moment, but then...

Chapter Text

"G'evening, mate!"

A familiar Australian voice calls out. Mephone turns around in shock. There was Floory, in an autumn green striped sweater and long jeans, along with old gardening boots, and his hair tied up.

"Mate, you look like you saw a ghost!"

Mephone would blurt out:

"Why aren't you at the party? Why are you here? Were you stalking me?!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa- mate, I've only got one mouth!" 

.

Mephone would shoot him an annoyed look.

Floory would chuckle.

"Aight, so- I got bored at the party and left early. Two, I was searching for you, because, y'know- a co-host should always stick by the host's side! And of course I'm not stalking you!"

.

Honestly, his presence is annoying, but I... Also want company? No. I want to be left alone; I just don't want anyone to be near me. I WANT to be alone right now.

.

"Could you leave? I want to be left alone."

"Aw, mate- I just got here! I can't go back now... Plus, I wanted to check on you!"

"Leave."

"Ma-"

"Just LEAVE ."

The smile on Floory would falter.

" oh. "

.

Floory would awkwardly get up, a little hurt. Of course, he wanted to help. Why did he even bother?

“Well, if y’ever need help, mate… I’ll be here.”

He would turn around and continue his sad little trot back to Hotel Hoot, which you could actually see from a very far distance, even in the dark, because of all the lights still on.

.

Only after Floory had disappeared from sight did Mephone realise how harsh he'd been. I mean, he was only trying to help Mephone, but yet again, Mephone decides to push away the people closest to them. And that meant breaking Floory's cheery personality just because he wanted to be left alone. Great. Just amazing.

.

His mind drifts off as he falls asleep.

...

...

...

Chapter Text

The sound of birds chirping woke up Mephone. It's 7:51 a.m. All the lights in Hotel Hoot are still off, except for a few early birds. Is 7.51 even early??? To me it's not...

He would rub his eyes. The memories of what happened last night flooded back into his mind. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to apologise, but he still didn't feel like interacting with anyone right now. He would groan. Mephone would get up and walk towards Hotel Hoot, which OJ told him was the new name. He was going to apologise to Floory for what had happened the night before. He didn't want to ruin his relationship with him.

.

He would arrive at Hotel Hoot after a gruelling 10-minute walk. He pushed open the front doors of Hotel Hoot to be greeted by warm, golden lights, but an empty lobby. They were probably getting breakfast. Suitcase saw him and greeted him with a warm smile. "Hey Mephone! You're back." Mephone would nod. His face was visibly serious. "Uh, something on your mind?"

Mephone would shake his head, but really, there was . Floory. He wanted to apologise. What if he was angry with him? He would say goodbye to Suitcase before dashing off to the dining room.

.

Mephone would open the doors to the dining room. There he was. Floory, in a yellow shirt, was chatting away with Bot. Floory would look up, and once he saw Mephone, he would enthusiastically wave at him. Wait. He wasn't sad, or angry, or anything?" Mephone would take a seat beside Floory.

"Hey mate!" Floory would chatter.

.

"Floory- I'm sorry about what happened last night." Mephone would blurt out.

Floory's face would turn shocked, but not the surprised, happy kind of shock, the shock when something absolutely horrifying happened. He would gain composure before joking:

"Whoa- mate, not even a good morning or a hello?" He would chuckle. "Well, mate- you don't have to be sorry! You just wanted some alone time after the show. That's fine with me!"

"You didn't seem fine when you got up and left." Mephone would mention.

Floory's smile would quickly fade for like a millisecond, before he plastered on another smile.

"Mate, that's really no issue!"

.

Mephone would furrow his eyes. He saw the smile fade. But was he actually not mad, or sad? Or was he faking it, and he really was hurt by his actions? 

"Uh..."

"Oh! Mate, you wanna get some breakfast? You didn't have anything last night."

.

Mephone would stare at Floory.

"Yeah... You definitely need some breakfast. Talk t'ya later, Bot!"

He would wave at Bot.

"Bye, Floory!!"

Bot would also wave back.

Floory would steer Mephone to the food stations, and he would hand him a plate he had grabbed.

.

"There are cookies! You'd definitely want some."

Mephone would be in a slight state of confusion, because he went from trying to apologise to Floory to getting breakfast with Floory.

Mephone would grab some stuff and sit down with Floory at another table. They'd sit in silence while he ate. When Mephone finished his plate, Floory would say:

"So, that got your head cleared up a little?"

"I guess so." Mephone would reply dryly.

"Great!" Floory said, clapping his hands together. "So, mate, what d'ya want to do now? Tend to my garden, go for a walk? Whadyasay?" 

Mephone would reply with another short answer: "I guess gardening."

He wanted to make up for what he did last night, but Floory didn't seem to think much of it. They would walk together to the back of Hotel Hoot, where Floory's garden was located. The garden was surrounded by white fencing. It was empty, except for many planters and flower pots, because he had just moved in yesterday. There were quite a few piles of dead leaves scattered everywhere.

"So..."

Floory would say awkwardly.

"There isn't exactly a garden... So instead, we're planting some flowers and cleaning out this place... And some other stuff!"

.

He would pick up a basket of seed packs. "I found a lot of these random packs of flower seeds lying around in the storage room, and I figured they wouldn't mind me taking them."

He takes a look at the first seed pack, Delphinium seeds .

"Ooh, Delphiniums, your favourite!"

Floory would continue to dig through the basket

"Lavenders, tulips, roses, lilacs..."

Until he reaches the pack with sunflower seeds.

"Ooh, and we also have Sunflowers, my favourite!"

"Here." Floory would hand Mephone a gardening apron. 

"It's so that your suit wouldn't get dirty."

"Thanks." Mephone would put on the apron, and the two would start planting the flower seeds, along with watering them. By the time they had finished, it was already a quarter to six, and they had started at around 10-ish, so about seven hours. It had been a while since they last did anything together.

.

"Thanks for the help, mate!" said Floory, while taking off his sun hat. "You want to do this more often?"

Mephone would get over the fact that Floory didn't mind about last night, and instead put on a slightly cheery voice, similar to when he used to host.

"Yeah, I would like to."

" There's your host spirit ! I knew it'd come back eventually." Floory would place a hand on Mephone's shoulder.

Mephone would randomly blurt:

"Floory- uh. Do you want to have a picnic with me when you're free?"

"Ooh, a picnic, you say? Definitely! When, though?"

"Seven in the evening sounds good?"

"Yeah mate, I can do that!"

"Alright."

"Well, see ya tomorrow!"

"Bye."

Floory would walk off, leaving mephone behind. Mephone would linger in the garden for a while, clutching the apron tightly in his hand.

.

Mephone would slowly walk back to his room after gardening, the sky now painted in soft shades of violet and blue. The hallway lights in Hotel Hoot flickered gently. Everything felt still .

.

He would close the door behind him with a soft click. Tossing the gardening apron on the desk, he paused — then picked it back up, holding it tightly in his hands again. It still smelled faintly of dirt, sun, and maybe even lavender.

He would sit on the bed, staring at the wall.

Why do I care so much...? he’d mutter under his breath. His eyes would drift to the apron again.

He would lie back, the bedsheets cool against his skin. The faint buzz of a vending machine outside his room was the only sound.

Still.

He’d turn onto his side, pulling the blanket over his head.

Sleep wouldn’t come quickly that night. Not when his thoughts were still full of yellow shirts, flower seeds, and Floory’s smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

...

.. --/... --- .-. .-. -.--/..-. .-.. --- --- .-. -.--

...

Floory would quietly shut the door to his room, slipping off his boots with a soft thud against the carpet. The party was over, the hallway dim, and he was finally alone.

He pulled off his yellow shirt and swapped it for a loose sleep tee — it had a tiny flower stitched into the corner, something he didn’t remember owning, but probably picked up from the lobby gift shop.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the moonlight filtering through the curtains.

.

"...He did say sorry," he mumbled, fingers picking at the corner of his bedsheet. "But he looked so confused... like he didn’t believe me when I said I was fine."

Floory would sigh and lie back against the pillows. He clutched the flower seed basket he had forgotten to unpack from earlier. Sunflowers were on top.

"I am fine," he told himself.

But then he blinked a little too slowly, and his eyes stung a little too much.

"I am fine."

He rolled over, clutching the basket close to his chest.

Tomorrow, he’d act like normal. He always did.

Chapter Text

It was 6:27 p.m. 

The sun had started to fall behind the hills, casting the entire place in a warm gold glow, and the sky— it looked like it came straight out of a fairytale. The sky was a purple-orange ombre, with light streaks of pink in between. It looked so perfect.

Mephone was rushing to get ready for the picnic. He looked himself up and down in the mirror while altering his outfit again and again. Too formal. Too tight. He had to be perfect.

He sighed.

Why was he overthinking this?

He pulled off his jacket, then put it back on. He tried loosening his collar. "Ugh. Still too serious..."

.

He'd give up on his appearance and would walk over to the open picnic basket on his study table. There were a few lemonades and honey rose cookies, which he faintly remembered were Floory's favourite. He had asked Cabby for recipes and instructions to bake them the hour before in Hotel Hoot's kitchen. He would double, no, triple, no- QUADRUPLE check the basket, making sure he didn't forget anything. Then, he checked his watch. 

.

6:57 p.m.

.

" SHIT ." He'd panic, grabbing the picnic basket and dashing out of his room, past ex-contestants and out the front door. Floory was sitting at the top of the hill wearing his sunhat and yellow shirt, where Mephone would immediately run towards. Floory heard Mephone running and turned around. He sees Mephone and waves at him like a maniac.

.

"Hey mate! Took ya long enough."

"It was literally a straight path up."

"Yeah, but with your sense of direction, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up in the middle of the ocean!"

"Ha." Mephone snapped.

Mephone would sit down, setting the basket on the red checkered picnic mat. Floory would eagerly peek into the basket. He would audibly gasp.

"Honey rose cookies! You do remember!"

Mephone would blink.

"That was an accident."

Floory would give him a side-eye while smirking at him.

"Mmhmmmm."

Mephone would roll his eyes, but unknowingly , the corner of his lips would ever so slightly bend upwards.

They would chat in between bites of food, sharing more about themselves. Mephone would listen intently to Floory.

.

By nightfall, fireflies and stars were scattered throughout, and the sky had turned a deep shade of violet. It felt surreal . Almost all the food had been eaten, except for a half-empty lemonade glass, which was Mephone's, and a few uneaten honey rose cookies. 

Floory would lie down on the picnic mat, hands tucked under his head. Mephone would be sitting upright, staring at the sky. The words would slip out by accident.

"Floory... Were you really hurt that day?"

Floory would be caught off guard by this.

"I.. was ."

Mephone's chest would tighten, and his heart felt like it was getting squished.

Floory would let out a shaky breath, not quite a sigh.

"I mean— I came out all the way just to find you, and you yelled at me..."

He would tilt his head slightly to face Mephone.

"But... I get it. You push people away when you're overwhelmed."

Mephone stared at the grass, saying nothing.

"...yeah."

"Floory... I don't want to push you away."

Floory would turn over, smiling slightly.

" I know ."

They would lock eyes for a moment before Floory turned away, visibly blushing. Pink flowers would bloom on his cheeks.

.

.

.

Eventually, Mephone would lie down beside Floory, their shoulders brushing together a little.

The sky above them stretched endlessly, stars blinking in and out.

Floory's eyes would be drooping lightly, sleep tugging at him.

.

Mephone would check his watch. 9:21 p.m.

"Uh, Floory- we've got to go. It's already 9:21."

"Mm- alright mate..."

Floory would get up, rubbing his eyes. His hair was a little messy, and there were bits of grass in there from lying in the grass. The two would clean up in silence and walk back to the hotel together. When they opened the front door, OJ would be standing there, waiting for them.

.

"There you guys are! I thought you two went on a date."

"A picnic." Mephone would scowl.

Floory's face would flush once again, more pink flowers blooming. He'd hide them behind his hands.

"Yeah. A picnic." OJ would say with a smirk.

"It's not like you aren't in love with Paper ." Mephone snapped back.

"Okay? We're going to make it official soon." OJ would say like it was the most normal thing ever.

.

Mephone would stare at OJ like he wanted him dead. The two would slowly walk back to their rooms on the third floor. Their footsteps echoed through the hallway carpet.

.

At the door to his room, Floory would turn around.

"You're getting better at not hiding your feelings."

Mephone blinked.

"Only around you..." He'd reply without thinking.

Floory stared for a second, then grinned.

"Goodnight, Mephone."

"G'night, Floory."

The door clicked shut.

Mephone stood in the hallway for just a moment longer.

.

Then, he would walk back to his room, holding the empty picnic basket just a little too tightly.

Chapter Text

The sky was a cloudy mess, and not the thunder kind, the boring, dull grey kind. Everything felt slower, like the universe couldn't give two shits about the weather today.

Mephone would be spending his morning pretending to do something productive. He would rearrange his desk, stare at old reports from Season Three... Closing and reopening his email every second. He would reassure himself, saying that nothing was bothering him.

.

Though... spoiler: there was .

.

So when it was 2 in the afternoon, Floory would knock on his door and ask: "Hey mate! Wanna go for a little stroll?" with his usual cheery smile and his light beige cardigan slipping off his shoulder.

Mephone would go with it.

No arguments, no overthinking.

...

Maybe there was some overthinking... But less than usual.

.

The first few minutes were just silence. They would walk along the gravel path behind Hotel Hoot. Floory would be kicking pebbles around here and there out of slight boredom. Mephone had his hands tucked into his pockets, staring at the ground as if it was going to say something important.

The air would feel... damp. It felt like pure nothing, but it clearly wasn't.

"You've been really quiet." Floory would say eventually, tilting his head toward him.

Mephone wouldn’t look up. “I’m always quiet.”

“No. This is way too quiet. Thinking too hard kind of quiet. So, that usually means something’s bothering you.”

Mephone would sigh.

“Do you ever stop being right ?”

Floory grinned. “Nope.”

They would continue their walk. Mephone had nothing in his head except radio static and the fact that their shoulders would almost brush when they walked too close.

He wanted to say something. Not just something, something important .

...But, instead:

"I still have those cookies from the picnic," slipped out.

Floory would blink twice. "You do?"

"...Yeah. I still have like four left."

Floory smiled. "You kept them?"

"They were pretty decent, couldn't waste them."

.

Then—

Drip.

Drop.

Drip.

Raindrops from the sky hit Mephone's cheeks.

Another,

and another,

until it was officially raining.

Soft, light, and just barely there.

The rain made the path smell like earth, grass, and all kinds of what nature smells like.

"Ugh. Great." Mephone would mutter, pulling his jacket over his head.

Floory would laugh and point up ahead. "There's a gazebo just over there. C'mon."

They ran the last stretch. Mephone almost tripped over nothing. He blamed gravity and Floory's over-optimism.

They would duck under the small white gazebo just as the rain had started to come down even heavier.

Floory would sit on the rotting bench with a little bounce. Mephone stayed standing for a second before reluctantly sitting down next to him, not close enough to touch, but closer than usual.

The rain would keep tapping on the roof above them like fingers drumming on a table.

"I used to not like the rain," Floory would say, out of nowhere. "But now it kinda feels... honest. Y’know?"

"No," Mephone would reply flatly.

Floory laughed. "Course you don’t."

It would go quiet again.

Mephone stared out into the trees. The leaves were dripping, raindrops slipping off like it was a waterslide.

He didn’t know why he was here.

Wait— no, he did . He wanted to be around Floory.

...ugh.

.

"I don’t know what I’m doing," Mephone would say quietly.

Floory blinked. "With what?"

"Anything. Everything. My whole... existence ."

“Oh,” Floory said.

..." Honestly, same."

Mephone looked at him.

"You seem like you've got it together, though."

Floory would chuckle. "Mate, I’m literally held together by hope and flower pots."

.

Silence again. The bench would creak slightly when Mephone shifted.

.

"Can I ask something?" Floory said.

Mephone would brace himself, nodding.

"Do you... Uhm- actually like hanging out with me? Or is it just you trying to make up for yelling at me that night?"

Mephone would turn sharply.

"What? No. It’s not like that."

Floory stared at the floor (wow, the floor staring at the floor). "Just wondering. I mean, I don’t mind if it was. I just—"

"It’s not." Mephone would cut him off.

Floory would look up.

Mephone swallowed. He stared at the wet ground just outside the gazebo.

"I like spending time with you."

A pause.

"I like you ."

Floory froze.

His mouth opened like he was going to say something, then closed again.

His face flushed pink.

And then—

Little yellow flowers started blooming all over his cheeks. Slowly. Softly.

“Oh.”

Mephone felt like he was going to short-circuit.

"I um— wow."

Floory smiled like he couldn’t help it. "You’re terrible at saying stuff like that, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Still cute though." Floory would say, with a smug look on his face.

"Wh—" Mephone blinked, completely malfunctioning. His face was turning crimson, and it felt like his inner systems were overheating.

Floory would chuckle. "Too late. I said it."

Floory’s hand would be resting on the bench between them.

Without thinking, Mephone would slowly place his hand over it.

.

Just for a second.

.

Just long enough to count the raindrops outside and pretend it didn’t mean anything.

.

.

.

But it did.

The rain would start to lighten.

The sun peeked through the clouds in the tiniest, most annoyingly romantic way possible.

"I like you too , Mephone."

.

They didn’t say anything after that.

They just sat there, surrounded by the smell of rain and dirt and something unspoken that finally wasn’t unspoken anymore.

...

...

...

That night, Mephone would sit in his room, staring at his ceiling.

His hands still felt funky.

He wasn’t sure what they were now. Friends ? Something more ?

But for once, he didn’t need to figure it out right away.

For once, it was enough to feel .

.

He pulled out one of the leftover honey rose cookies from the basket and bit into it.

It was a little dry, but it still tasted like flowers.

It reminded him of Floory.

He smiled.

Just a little.

...

Chapter Text

As the morning sun rose, Floory would crawl out of bed. Looking at his hand, it still...

Tingled.

His whole body felt it.

Floory's face would flush an even brighter red, this time. As per usual, flowers would pop up all over his cheeks. But- this time, the effect seemed to be even stronger.

"Wh-" Floory would yelp in surprise.

His right arm was covered entirely in flowers of all kinds. Gladioluses, Tulips, Azaleas, Hyacinths... whatever you can think of. It's like those rose sleeve tattoos, except they're actual flowers.

He would roll up his sleeve, revealing even more. It covered his forearm and a tiny part of his shoulder.

(Don't worry, readers! This doesn't hurt him. Think of it as- uhhhhhhhhhh... weird pimples!!! Yeah!!!)

.

Floory would bury his face deep in his hands out of pure embarrassment. This has never happened before, ever.

Should he hide it?

Yes.

Would Mephone know?

No.

Does he want to hide it?

...Maybe.

No.

...Yes?

No. Don't hide it.

He'd calm himself down and continue with what normal people usually do in the morning. Brushing teeth, changing clothes, yada yada yada.

.

He would walk to the hotel's dining room. Brushing off questions from curious ex-contestants, and even his great friend Bot, who saw his arm and got a little worried.

When he arrived at the dining hall, he would immediately go to get his breakfast and sit down with Bot at one of the tables at the far left end.

Mephone wasn't there yet, to Floory's slight dismay.

.

Halfway through his breakfast and his chat with Bot, the dining hall doors would creak open. There was Mephone, in his usual suit, which he always wore when he hosted seasons one and two, but he wasn't wearing it because he wanted to host a new season.

Floory would stare at him, and Mephone caught this, returning a small smile. He would also grab his plate of breakfast and sit down opposite Floory. Mephone would eat in silence while Floory and Bot chatted away.

Every so often, Floory would look up, and their eyes would meet. Each time, both Floory and Mephone's faces turned just a tiny bit brighter shade of red, and more flowers would bloom on Floory's arm. After about three eye-meetings or whatever you call it, Bot would catch on.

"Ooo!!! You two have feelings for each other!!!" Bot would squeak excitedly. It was lucky they were in the far corner, otherwise someone else definitely would've heard it.

Floory's face would immediately flush a deep red, Bergenias and Carnations blooming on his cheeks, and more roses and tulips on his arm. He gives up trying to hide them because Bot would already know.

Meanwhile, Mephone's face was also a hot shade of red, and he could feel his face burning up again.

.

Floory would place his fork down in a panicked manner.

"BOT-" he hissed. "Could you please not announce that to the whole building?"

Bot would tilt their head slightly, putting on an innocent act.

"Nooooo!! We're whispering, see?"

Floory would lower their voice to a full twenty decibels.

A/N: (Don't ask how I know. Okay???)

" This is whispering."

Floory would groan, face planted in his hands.

.

Mephone would stare at his plate as if it had just insulted his entire bloodline. Wait, technically, Meeple creations don't have bloodlines... do they??? His hands were shaking, though not visibly. You'd have to look to see them shaking.

Floory was being stared at intently by Bot, as if he were a lab experiment that succeeded for once.

"Sooooo... When's the date?" Bot would say in a sing-song voice, which was no longer a whisper. You could probably hear it if you sat at the next table.

"There's no date-!" Mephone blurted, before catching himself. He coughed awkwardly. "Yet."

Floory would look at Mephone with widened eyes.

"Yet...?"

Mephone would blink rapidly, trying to blink the embarrassment out of his head. He would mumble:

"I mean... yeah, if you want to- Uhm..."

Floory's mouth would open, then close, and open yet again; he couldn't find the right words to say, or what he wanted to say.

(a.k.a yes, he wants to go on a date with Mephone)

His answer would be a jumble of words, not knowing what to do:

"I- well- uh... yeah. I- yeah... sure-"

Bot would immediately squeal as if they were a kettle going off.

"EEK!!! YAY!!!"

.

Floory would shoot a dirty look at Bot as once againnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn moreeeeeeeee flowers bloomed on both his arm and his cheeks. yay.

(A/N: At this point, he could make a bouquet if he really wanted to.)

.

Mephone would reach his hand out, resting it on Floory's flower-covered arm. Floory would lightly blush at this, but the sensation wasn't foreign, of course. And honestly, he really enjoyed it. The gentle grip of his hand on their arm, brushing against the flowers felt ethereal. 

They shouldn’t read too much into it… but the way Mephone’s hand lingered made it hard not to.

.

The Co-host and The Host would sit there for just a while too long, unsure of what to do next. His hand holding their arm, and their eyes darting everywhere except towards the other.

Bot would be sitting there, watching them eagerly as they vibrated with excitement.

"You two are so awkwardly in love!!! It's like watching a romcom in real life!!" they would squeak, slurping their juice as if it were popcorn.

Mephone and Floory would let go as if they had been electrocuted by that comment. Mephone would clear his throat so violently that it sounded like he was going under a system reboot. Yeah, he needed one.

.

The dining hall would get louder as more ex-contestants, mainly Mic, Taco and Soap, who were chattering a little, along with Cheesy, Yin Yang and the Cherries. Floory would receive a raised eyebrow from Mic and Soap as they walked past when they saw his arm.

Mephone would stand up stiffly, tray in hand. "I, uh. I'm gonna go check the lobby. Y’know. Important stuff. Host stuff. Paperwork. Ink. Documents. Data."

He walked off too fast. Wayyyy too fast. The speed-walking kind.

Bot tilted their head again. "Hm. That was the most suspicious walk I've ever seen."

Floory would chuckle a little, his chest felt full of warmth.

.

Later that morning, Floory would be gardening behind Hotel Hoot, tending to his plants, clearing out weeds and whatever gardeners normally do. He would look over to the basket of seeds and notice a note placed right on top. It wrote:

"Hi Floory. If you actually want to go on a date, just let me know."

-MePhone4

Floory would stare at the note, reading it over and over again.

.

Floory would pluck a single petal from one of the pink tulips on his arm, taking the note in hand with them and walking to his room, quickly writing on the back of the note in his somehow perfect handwriting:

"I would love to." Before sticking the single flower petal onto the bottom of the paper. He would walk to Mephone's room and gently place the note on his doormat.