Paintbrush hadn't dared to leave their room during the day once settled in. They knew that their heart-to-heart with Lightbulb had aired for all to see, including the rest of the buildings' residents. There was a great fear of judgement looming over their head, and for right now, minimal social interaction was enough for them.

Normally, they spent the daytime sleeping through any noise from the rooms below. Waking up at dusk was hard to get used to at first, but routine and especially habits develop quickly. Creeping downstairs to the occasional sounds of video games was nice, they would say hello to Pickle and that was that.

Using the microwave at night was a big no-no, so most of the time all they had was a very quiet sandwich and an even quieter bottle of water. Paintbrush soon became sick of the same foods, but there wasn't much to be done about it.

They thought about how much easier it would be if Marshmallow were here. Having a friend around would surely help them be more confident, and probably much less nocturnal. Paintbrush shook the thoughts from their head to better focus on avoiding the creaky steps on the stairs. They reached their door now, slipping inside and slowly closing it behind them.

They flop on the bed and reach for the remote, but hesitate. Another downside of being the resident night-owl was that there was no good TV to watch. It was all old sitcom episodes, always shows nobody cared about anyways. There was solace in these boring times, in the form of taking care of Baxter. He seemed to be the most active at night, and Paintbrush would allow him to crawl around the room for a while before eventually returning him to his small aquarium.

His presence reminded them of Lightbulb, and how they had felt when they were eliminated. Ever since they looked back at her radiant face and stepped through the portal, there was a new swell in their chest. Paintbrush, of course, denied it was even there.

What was important now is that tomorrow Hotel OJ would be gaining a new resident. Everyone staying in the building is expected to watch the premiere together at 8PM. To Paintbrush, this was a problem to say the least. It would be their first time speaking to some of the ex-contestants since they had left the show.

The time came soon enough, and on that day, Paintbrush woke bright and early at 6PM. This would allow them enough time to get ready for the night and still be punctual. Being on time was important to them, after all.

Due to their most recent lifestyle changes, looking "not tired" is forever a challenge. The mirror mocked them, but it wasn't enough to stop Paintbrush from staring. Eventually, their bristles were neat enough for their liking, and it was time to shove fear out of the way and go downstairs.

Yes, opening the door would be a great thing to do right now.

6:30- Just have to go through the door!

7:00- It's almost door swingin' time!

7:30- They can't do it

The anxiety over the situations that could possibly occur downstairs was getting to be too much for them. They sat back down on the bed, head in hands, accepting that it wouldn't happen. A knock came from the door. If they couldn't open it, whoever was on the other side probably would.

"Come in," they say, voice hoarse from disuse. The figure that appears is none other than OJ himself, looking just as awkward in the face as Paintbrush felt right about now. He shut the door behind him but did not leave his spot.

"Heyyy," he began, shuffling his feet a bit, "I have a question for you."

This earned him an eyebrow raise, but he continued.

"Would you be willing to skip the premiere tonight? I need you to help out our newest eliminated contestant with me."

Woah, a real excuse to miss the premiere? This was almost exactly what they needed. Paintbrush smiled, hopped up from their bed and asked, "How can I help?"

The tangerine hallways of the hotel were maze-like at times. Paintbrush never bothered to wander, mostly out of fear of bumping into anyone they didn't wish to see. OJ talked as they made their way down a long stretch.

"I really didn't want to do this to you, but I couldn't think of anyone else who might be willing to share."

"It's no big deal, it's not like I use both beds anyways," they pass a decorative mirror, eyes following their own reflection until it was out of sight. Soon, OJ stopped, gesturing to a strange light creeping through the cracks of a doorway. Paintbrush had never seen this room before, though that didn't make it unlike most other rooms in the hotel.

This room turned out to be small, almost closet sized. The portal had chosen the far wall to attach itself to in wait of the new arrival. Paintbrush and OJ braced themselves for whatever or whoever would come through.

A flash brightened up the tiny space. Paintbrush shielded their eyes with a hand and looked forward. In an instant, the portal was gone, and in its place was a small, distraught looking person.

"Oh! Fan, nice to see you!" OJ offered a hand to help him up. Fan's expression did not change, but he did take the other mans' hand and attempted to gather himself. OJ's smile was a practiced one, but it seemed to calm Fan down nonetheless.

"You'll be rooming with Paintbrush, alright?" Fan's eyes flicked towards them, and they gave a small smile.

The three made their way back to Paintbrush's room, and OJ went his separate way to join the others. Paintbrush walked in ahead of Fan, and gestured to what is now his bed.

"Make yourself at home," they watched as Fan didn't move at first, but he began to solemnly make his way over. Paintbrush closed the door behind him, visibly worried. Fan was never like this, what happened to his usual friendly attitude? Right now, he looked miserable as he stared intently at the wall.

Paintbrush nervously passed him and sat on their own bed, trying to think of ways to brighten the situation a bit. What would Lightbulb do?

"Hey, do you wanna watch the new episode?"

Fan looked at them and shrugged. This was going nowhere. Paintbrush wouldn't have that, nobody was allowed to be more miserable than them.

"It would help me understand your situation better, if you don't want to talk about it right now."

There were a few seconds of silence before Fan hugged his knees and mumbled, "Okay."

Paintbrush gave Fan a look as he turned his head toward the TV, and the taller roommate decided to let it go for now.

This episode felt different. The atmosphere was much tenser, and nobody looked too enthused to be there. Paintbrush could tell already that something was due to go very wrong.

Whenever Fan was onscreen, he looked away and back at his phone. He was obviously ashamed of what happened, but Paintbrush still didn't understand what had him so upset, that is, until Test Tube found out about what he had been up to.

Fan actually watched this part, though he could feel Paintbrush looking more at him than they were at the screen. Before he knew it, the credits were rolling, and his tall friend was now standing in front of him.

"So it was a fight, then. I'm sorry you had to go directly from that to being here." Their arms were crossed, staring down at him, awaiting a response.

Fan finally spoke up, "The fight was stupid! The way we both acted was uncalled for," he brought a hand to his temple. Paintbrush stepped closer. "And now, that's all anyone is going to think of when they hear the name "Fan," an ignorant, inconsiderate-"

"Woah there," Paintbrush cut him off, "look, I know this isn't the ideal situation. But you said it yourself: the fight was stupid! That's all there is to it, and it's time to move past what happened and make it right."

Fan turned away. He hated what happened, though he wanted to trust Paintbrush's advice and Test Tube's decision.

Paintbrush wondered if they had said the wrong thing. Fan just looked away from their stern face. This wasn't the reaction they had expected. They broke the silence with a sigh and a carefully placed hand on Fan's shoulder.

"I get it, you know. Everyone has mistakes they'd like to erase. Let's focus on the present, okay? Even if you can't fix it right now, you can always try to get better."

"Paintbrush?" Fan smiled up at them, "Thanks for that, I needed it."

Paintbrush exhaled a sigh of relief, "Yeah, no problem," they took their hand back. Fan missed the contact already. They decided to change the subject, "Do you want anything to eat?" Fan perked up at that.

"Oh man, do I ever."

The two of them made their way down the stairs, chatting a bit as they headed toward the kitchen. They passed through the living space, and it suddenly occurred to them both that other people live here too.

A few pairs of eyes now met their own, and the room became quiet. Paper spoke to avoid the strange silence.

"Hey Paintbrush, nice seeing you out and about. Welcome Fan!"

Fan was confused about what Paper had said, did the residents not normally see one another every day? Paintbrush just nodded and continued toward the kitchen. Fan noticed Salt murmur something to Pepper, and the girls earned a glare from Soap, who was sitting on the floor near them.

Fan followed his friend into the kitchen. The Cherries had just closed the fridge, soda can in hand. They stared at Paintbrush for a beat, eyebrows raised, then turned on their heels and left the room. Fan cleared his throat.

"Is everyone always so tense around here? Paintbrush, opening a bag of chips, rolled their eyes.

"No, its just, ever since I got here I've been somewhat of a-"

"Shut in?" A voice interrupted them. Fan and Paintbrush whirled around to see Nickel in the doorway. He walked into the kitchen and leaned against a counter. "Relax, I'm not here to harass you like the two nosy-Nancies out there." As if his words couldn't get any more confusing, he paused and decided that it wasn't the right time for trash talk. "Hey Fan, nice to know you're holding up alright."

Nickel moved to face the cabinet above him, retrieving a glass. Fan was so confused, he hadn't interacted with Nickel much during his time competing, but he knew that he used to be a lot more of a jerk. He was so small, and they were practically across the room from one another, but Fan felt intimidated by him. Paintbrush didn't react, but they were stiff and obviously wanted to get out of this situation. Nickel turned on the faucet and began filling his glass.

"Listen, I'm only gonna say this once: I'm glad you two are here. From what I remember, you aren't all that bad, and I've been getting real sick and tired of the rest of these bozos."

Paintbrush was frozen to their spot, what were they supposed to say to that? Fan opened his mouth and closed it again, seemingly in the same headspace as them. Nickel looked unamused, clearly bothered by their lack of response and his difficulty getting what he wanted across without sounding rude.

He sighed, turned towards the door, and said his final words for the night, "Just, don't be strangers okay?" He left the room, and Fan shot Paintbrush a look, which they returned. Their shared expressions turned into laughs as they finished gathering snacks to sneak up to the room.

This time, they walked quickly and faced straight forward through the common area, Fan held his breath the whole way to the stairs. He let it out in the hallway, and hurried to catch up with Paintbrush, they were already climbing the steps.

Back in the safety of their doorway, Fan addressed the elephant in the room. "What did Nickel mean by shut in?"

Paintbrush closed the door behind them and debated on how to explain. They decided on the easier way.

"I haven't left my room at all during the day since I got here." Fan was bewildered, it had been a few months.

"Not once?" He blinked a few times, Paintbrush scratched the back of their neck.

"Nope. Arrived here at night, messed up my sleep schedule, figured it was for the best."

Fan could tell there was more to it than that, but he didn't press them for it. "So, what do you do all night then?" He sat on the edge of his bed, munching on the stolen chips.

"Uh, read, watch bad TV, chill with Baxter," they ended their sentence with a shrug. There wasn't much else to say than that. Fan shook his head.

"You know, you always struck me as the early bird type," he smiled and stood up again, "You know, the "I get up at 4:30am sharp every morning, go for a run, and then manage to work a 9-5 shift" kind of people." His joke was well received. Paintbrush couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously? Oh man, even when I wasn't nocturnal I basically survived on coffee! I barely got through that stupid haunted house challenge." Paintbrush couldn't believe they came off as "well rested" to anybody.

Fan was honestly shocked about this misconception. "Yeesh, well theres the reason for your moodiness then. You actually seem to be doing much better."

"Oh, well, I have been doing a bit of drawing since my elimination, helps to calm me down. Then again, so does being alone all day." They laugh at their own observation.

Fan thought for a moment. He set down the bag of chips he was holding and placed his hands on his hips. "I'll do it. I'll be a night owl with you."

Paintbrush held up their hands, "Oh! No, don't let me ruin your sleep patterns. Please, I'll be okay." Fan pointed to the digital clock, it read 11:08pm.

"Haven't we already started? Besides, I didn't plan on spending much time with anyone else here anyways," he paused to give a small smile, "I would be glad to."

Paintbrush nodded, "Alright then," they looked down at him, "what do you wanna do first?"