BFDI AND II ONESHOT BOOK!

Two Nickels, No Sense: Part 2

The morning came sooner than expected. Balloon and Nickel were still peacefully asleep, nestled close together, when the tranquility was shattered. Nickel's cousin, the other Nickel, was wide awake as soon as the first rays of sunlight spilled into the hotel room. Practically buzzing with energy, he bounced out of bed and hovered over the pair.

"GOOD MORNING! Time to rise and shine!" he bellowed, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.

Nickel and Balloon stirred with groans, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. It wasn't even 7:30 yet!

"Morning..." Balloon mumbled groggily, squinting at the light streaming into the room. Nickel, on the other hand, looked utterly unimpressed, his irritation palpable.

"Seriously?! Did you have to wake us up?" Nickel grumbled, shooting a glare at his cousin.

The other Nickel's enthusiasm dimmed slightly, his smile faltering. "Well... I was hoping you could introduce me to more of your friends! And maybe we could grab breakfast together... heh," he added sheepishly.

Balloon glanced at Nickel, waiting to see how he'd respond. They had talked about showing his cousin around and introducing him to some people.

Nickel sighed dramatically, throwing off the blanket and sliding out of bed. "Whatever. Fine. But never wake us up like that again, got it?" he said, standing in front of his cousin, who was once again grinning ear to ear, buzzing with excitement over breakfast and the prospect of meeting new people.

Balloon stretched lazily as he followed, letting out a yawn before glancing down at the two Nickels. The resemblance between them was uncanny-maybe the other Nickel was a slightly different shade, but it was hard to tell, especially for someone half-asleep. Their voices were the real giveaway: his Nickel had a gruff edge to his tone, while the other Nickel was louder and more upbeat.

"Uh..." Balloon blinked, squinting at the two of them as though that might help.

Nickel smirked, smugly. "Don't tell me you forgot who's who."

"Hehehe, I think he fooorrgooott~!" the other Nickel sang, his tone teasing.

Balloon crossed his arms, looking sheepish. "Well, sorry I'm not used to... two Nickels."

Once they spoke, though, it was obvious who was who. Balloon sighed, brushing off his embarrassment. "Alright, let's get breakfast. But please no more shouting in the morning."

Balloon looked utterly exhausted, his droopy posture betraying a rough night. Nickel had noticed him tossing and turning in his sleep-probably another round of bad dreams. A bit more rest would've done him good, but that idea was shot down the moment his cousin decided to be an alarm clock. Nickel made a mental note: Balloon could use a nap later.

The three of them made their way out of the room and down to the kitchen for breakfast. The lobby was empty, sparing them the hassle of explaining why there were two Nickels wandering around. At least for now.

The peace didn't last long.

In the kitchen, they found Paper and OJ, both sipping coffee and chatting like they usually did in the early mornings. As the hotel's owners, they had a habit of rising early to tackle the day's workload.

Paper and OJ froze mid-conversation, their eyes locking onto the odd scene before them.

OJ blinked, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Maybe I do need glasses..." he muttered.

"Nope. You're seeing Nickel's cousin," Paper said nonchalantly, taking another sip of coffee.

Nickel scowled, glaring at Paper. "What?! How do you know about this?!"