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Lightbulb never knew someone could have such soft skin. Other than herself, of course. But someone in particular had the softest arms and legs she had ever touched, EVER.
Some night in May there was a small rainstorm during the day that eventually got heavier and heavier until everyone in Hotel OJ stayed inside. The grass was soggy, water dripped down every window. Recently, the past contestants had been working on reworking some buildings. But the hotel was really.. really ugly right now. There were some big glass windows, and the outside of the building was a grey concrete structure.
Lightbulb didn't mind, as there was one hallway filled with rooms. She and Paintbrush were splitting a room, much to her relief. They were the closest person to her right now, and she knew they had been worrying and fussing over her for the past year. She could get hurt! She could.. blah blah blah. Lightbulb was fine, she knew it.
The room they had been assigned was quite small, maybe enough space for two beds and one nightstand. Baxter's tank was placed on the nightstand and a light was installed on the ceiling. Neither of them had seen how big the other rooms were, but Lightbulb figured they were all stuck with small rooms.
Night was approaching, and they had a small dinner in the main area where OJ, Suitcase, and Cabby usually figured out plans. The seats reminded her of a church. They were dark brown wooden benches with a shiny look to it. Dinner was usually served in the Reality Restaurant, but the rain was crazy tonight. So most people skipped or had what they could successfully grab without anyone getting wet. Paper had a fear of water anyways!
Lightbulb returned back to the small room near the end of the hallway. She wasn't wearing any shoes, so her socks were quiet against the carpeted floor. This whole building was kinda creepy. Hopefully she could get a good amount of rest for the next day.
The rain only intensified. It pounded against the top of the hotel, the windows getting droplets blown against it. The wind whistled, making Lightbulb flinch on her bed. The light on the ceiling produced an ugly white shine into the room. It was hard to get used to all this new stuff. The door swung open.
"Paintbrush!" Lightbulb smiled, greeting them with a big smile. Paintbrush flopped onto their creaky bed, letting out a sigh. They looked soaked.
"I was just working on unclogging some stuff outside. It's AWFUL out, Lightbulb, you don't wanna know," They groaned, getting up and squeezing water out of their stupidly long hair. The water leaked onto the carpet on the floor and they looked up at her like it was her fault. She squinted at them. "You need a haircut, Painty."
They flapped a hand, hopping onto the floor to pull out the drawers that held their clothes. At least that was a perk. Paintbrush pulled out their pajamas and turned around to change. Lightbulb averted her eyes like usual, being very cautious about where her eyes traveled. She didn't need them to yell at her about being a pervert. She wasn't.
They swiftly changed into a new shirt and shorts. Paintbrush's back was.. oof.. something. Lightbulb didn't wanna focus on their body, she liked their personality. The rain continued, pattering down against Hotel OJ. Lightbulb was a bit freaked out, as it didn't usually rain this much. She didn't say anything about being possibly being afraid of the thunderstorm, even if Paintbrush would probably show respect and support for her irrational fears.
She sat quietly while Paintbrush stood looking at her. She peeked up at them. Paintbrush looked away, sitting down on their bed and staring down at the floor.
"What?" Lightbulb asked, now fully turning her head to them, trying to tease them a bit. They had the best face when they were a bit ticked off.
"Nothing, um, just kinda cold in here," they replied, pulling their feet onto the bed to situate themself into bed. It didn't seem too late yet, so they'd probably read something. Lightbulb nodded, it was pretty chilly in here.
"Yeah, I don't think OJ installed heaters yet," she sighed, pulling her covers over her lap. The sound of rain was persistent against their shared window. It was completely dark out by the time Lightbulb was getting drowsy.
She peered over at them again. Paintbrush was in their own bed, peacefully reading with their glasses on. That was new.
"You wear glasses?"
"No, they're just for reading, Lightbulb," Paintbrush said, turning the page in their book.
"What are you reading?" she asked, turning onto her side. They flipped over the book, reviewing the cover. "Uhhh, the Handmaid's Tale."
"Neat," she said, staying on her side and watching them. The light had already been turned off, leaving just the small book light attached onto Paintbrush's book.
The weather was still horrendous outside, it didn't seem like the rain was stopping any time soon. Lightbulb was getting bored, and she wasn't tired yet either. She couldn't help her imagination from drifting to her nice little friend over there. Paintbrush was rarely the clingy type, she noticed. They liked staying aloof and reserved. But, in their friendship, it didn't seem like they minded being a bit close to her. Was she special?
"Painty, am I special to you?" Lightbulb wondered out loud, her eyes half closed in the dark room. Paintbrush audibly perked up, inhaling lightly.
"Of course, Lightbulb. You're great," they said. She didn't want to doubt their words, but she felt needy in the moment.
"Yeah? How so?" she questioned, shifting around in her bed. Paintbrush seemed to be thinking to themself, because they took long to respond to her.
"Well, for starters.. you have a big heart. You're funny, and you- um, I like having you around," Paintbrush confessed, setting their book down. They thought a bit more, letting out a small sigh. "You're great, Lightbulb."
Lightbulb felt warmth bloom in her chest, her heart felt ten times bigger than usual. They were so nice, she wanted to show them some affection. However, she wasn't even sure if they were a touchy person.
"Painty, do you like hugs?" she blurted out. Paintbrush didn't seem too concerned about it, just surprised.
"I- Um, no, I don't mind them," they said, putting their book on the floor and lying down to face her. She couldn't see them that well in the remaining light from the hallway. Lightbulb nodded, reaching her hand out from the covers. She wanted to hold their hand. Paintbrush, however, did not seem to understand what she was trying to do, and closed their eyes.
"Psst," she whispered, "Painty, look,"
They opened their eyes to see a shadowy hand reaching for them. They raised an eyebrow, looking tired in the dark room.
"Hm?"
"Hold my hand."
They sighed out loud, maneuvering their hand to touch her soft smaller ones. Her hands were stocky and warm. Theirs, on the other hand, were thin and usually cold. She intertwined their hands, ravishing in the difference between their hands.
"Your hands are cold," Lightbulb smiled, pulling her hand away to sit up.
"Where are you going?" Paintbrush wondered, ignoring the fact she was in a terribly ugly pajama set. "Comin' to sit with you."
They blinked, then sat up. Lightbulb didn't seem too cuddly, but they wanted to hold her a lot more than they'd like to admit.
"What? T-Uh, to what?" they stuttered as Lightbulb sat her weight down onto the side of their bed. She was so unpredictable, but Paintbrush didn't mind having a close friend this close. Pun not intended.
"I.. just thought you needed maybe some hugs and cuddles. With all the work you do, I think you deserve some Bulb hugs."
"Oh, um.. thanks," Paintbrush said, lying back down to adjust their position in bed. Lightbulb was now pressed against them, chest to chest. This was uh.. quite a position for best friends. Did she want anything out of this?? Hopefully not, because Paintbrush automatically wrapped an arm around their warm friend. She sighed happily, grabbing them and tugging them half on top of her. They gasped a bit.
Was this friendly? Or was Lightbulb just a bit touch starved? They had to ask.
"Lightbulb, what's up? You're not usually this forward with what you want," Paintbrush asked her, their hands going straight to her messy curly hair. The rain started to slow down, producing a small dripping sound against the window.
"Just thought you.. deserved something. I don't have to explain myself, Paintbrush," she responded, as they slowly rubbed her back. Their arms were heavenly and soft and wonderful. Turns out they weren't sweaty anymore. "You're soft, too."
Paintbrush blushed to themself. No matter how stupid she was, Lightbulb would always make them blush just by complimenting them. They rubbed the side of her face, making her smile. Lightbulbs face wasn't too soft, as her facial hair was starting to come back. But, she was still adorable all close like this.
"I'm soft? Please, you're softer than me," they countered, proving their point by feeling how soft her chubby arms were. "Aha, see! Your arms are smooth."
Lightbulb whined playfully, shimmying closer to Paintbrush. They were getting kinda hot from this close proximity, with her body heat soaking into theirs, and the warmth of the fluffy blanket, Paintbrush was hot once again. They tugged the blanket under their arms, feeling the air conditioning lightly blowing against their arms. Lightbulb got cozier, trying to bury herself under them. Paintbrush forgot they were currently almost on top of her.
She was nice and.. solid. Paintbrush was glad they were friends with her because she was so easily grounding to them. Being in Lightbulb's presence made them smile and love being themself. She was so contagious, and.. and soft. They wanted to sleep now.
Paintbrush closed their eyes, holding onto Lightbulb tightly. They shifted fully on top of her, hopefully not squishing her with their weight. They softly nuzzled into her neck, their breath warm and polite. Lightbulb blushed, it all felt a bit intimate. Then again, she had been the one to climb into her friend's bed and forcing them to hug and snuggle around with her. Maybe she coaxed this out of them..?
Nevermind that, she loved having a pal on her. She loved Paintbrush. Lightbulb loved Paintbrush and she was comfortable saying that.
"I love ya, Painty,"
Paintbrush mumbled something like "I love you too" but it probably didn't mean anything. Not yet! She had time to try something with them.
She had all the time she needed.