Disclaimer: "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media

Happy Tree Friends: Camp Sanguine

Chapter 10 – Blinded By Affection

"Would all the couples please follow me to the campfire site?" Pop requested; led the smiling pairs towards the mentioned destination. Splendid chuckled as Moonlight suddenly cowered behind him and shut her eyes. "What's up with that?" Flippy asked as he studied the 'not-so-ordinary' scene before them.

The campfire burned with a bluish-purple tint, the off-colour flames seemingly soothing to the eye. Lumpy and Mole then set up two ramps and a large metal hoop…which is positioned right above the dancing flames. "Boys to one side; girls to the other, if you please…" Pop requested.

The counselors then had them slather some lotion all over themselves – on their skin, hair, and even their clothes. They were relieved (yet confused) as the sweet-smelling 'gel' appeared to absorb as soon as it made contact. "Fire-resistant gel," the camp director explained, "In case you happened to slip and fall into the campfire, you won't get combusted too easily…I hope."

'That makes me feel so much better…NOT!' Moonlight thought miserably. "He's just kidding," Giggles assured, saying she's performed this ritual ever since she had Cuddles in her life. "Stand back and watch the 'pros' show you how it's done," said blond boasted as he and Handy stood a small distance from the ramps; Giggles and Petunia did the same on their side.

Then, taking a running start…Cuddles and Giggles leaped through the hoop at the same time, slapping their hands in a quick high-five as they passed each other before rolling as they made contact with the ground. 'You gotta be kidding me!' the teen soldier and his sister mentally screamed as Handy and Petunia copied the previous pair, the cobalt blue-haired girl's hand slapping her orange-haired boyfriend's stub. "Ow!" Handy yelped as he landed quite hard on the other side.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Petunia insisted as she watched Flippy appear to hesitate as he stood before the ramp. Cuddles had to nudge Flaky on the other side, although she said he didn't need to since she had gone through this before. "Alright, here goes nothing!" the army-clothed teen yelled before sprinting up the ramp; Flaky seemed to mirror his movement and before they realized, they leaped through the hoop.

SLAP!

"Nice~!" Handy cheered as Flippy rolled and crouched upon landing. He then turned and found Flaky lying on the ground, panting as she laughed. But then frantic uncontrollable whimpering snapped his thoughts to his part-albino sister – her pyrophobia was slowing getting out of hand.

"There's nothing to be scared of…" Flippy whispered as he hugged her, successfully calming her a bit, "Besides, you got that stuff all over you – there's no way you could get singed." He didn't wait for her to complain and shoved her towards the ramp, the momentum forcing her to half-stumble as she ran. Splendid followed suit and the two leaped towards each other.

CRACK!

'Oh, shit!' he thought as the blue hero heard the familiar sound of bone cracking; turned worriedly to Moonlight and cringed as she cradled a dislocated wrist. "Nice going, Bro!" Splendont yelled sarcastically as he watched nearby, lounging on a tree branch. "You're not helping!" Splendid angrily yelled back.

"Would you guys stop? I'm fine!" the white-haired teen assured, wincing as she relocated her wrist. Pop immediately rushed over and checked – it was slightly swollen but not serious; it'll be gone by tomorrow. But Splendid couldn't bear the guilt of hurting her. He then turned as Flippy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shake it off. She's had stuff worse than a dislocated wrist," the teen soldier whispered. "How much worse?" Splendid asked, but was unable to get an answer as Moonlight's scream interrupted his thoughts.

While they were talking amongst themselves, Lumpy had doused the dull hoop in kerosene and lit it into a blazing inferno. The resulting explosion had snapped Flippy and Moonlight's sanity in an instant; nobody noticed the change as the ritual continued.

This time as pairs jumped through the 'ring of fire', the boys will have to use their strength to catch the girls in their arms; roll together safely on the ground. "This is to prove you are willing and able to protect your partner in their time of need," Pop explained, "Now…begin!"

As before, Cuddles and Giggles were first in line; the former successfully caught his girlfriend around the waist and the two rolled to safety down the ramp. Handy and Petunia followed; the latter having to catch her boyfriend instead due to his lack of forearms. "Ow!" the orange-haired teen yelped once again as the back of his head connected with a rock on the ground – luckily, his helmet stayed strapped on.

Meanwhile, Flippy was trying to regain control of his body…but to no avail. The same could be said for Moonlight – if she hadn't 'blacked out' at the fiery explosion just seconds ago. The golden-eyed twins secretly winked at each other as Flipqy stepped up to the ramp.

…and then he noticed Flaky hesitating on her side.

'What's he doing there?' she though worriedly as golden eyes stared impatiently at her. She then felt someone nudge her closer to the ramp. Although she tried to plant herself to the spot, whoever-it-was wouldn't allow her. "We don't have all night," whispered a dark feminine voice. Flaky froze; turned her frightened ruby orbs towards Eclipse's golden eyes.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done that already," the insane part-albino added, "So…run before I change my mind." The redhead took her word for it and dashed, yelping as Flipqy easily caught her; the two rolled until they finally came to rest. He smirked as he noted their position: him on top, legs between hers as he pinned her beneath him.

Flaky scrunched her eyes shut and braced herself for the abuse (or worse)…but felt nothing. Her eyes blinked open as she was gently helped up; almost immediately sighed in relief as she glanced into Flippy's grass-greens. "He got distracted for a moment," he whispered. She trapped him in an affectionate hug before he could say anything else; he happily returned it and the two chuckled / giggled to themselves.

'Damn it, Flipqy! You were so close!' Eclipse screamed mentally as she watched the green-and-red pair cuddle, huffing to herself as she stood before the ramp. Her anger suddenly dissolved into confusion as she noticed Splendid smirking at her. His tense body and determined eyes seemed to convey the message, "I know it's you." Eclipse returned his silent greeting by smirking back. Adrenaline pulsed through their veins as they shot themselves up the ramp, the blue-haired hero almost a blur with his speed.

WHOOSH!

"Whoa!" the white-haired girl half-screamed as she was whisked into the air instead of rolling on the ground. "What happened? Put me down!" she demanded almost frantically. Noticing the sudden change in tone, Splendid checked her eyes – they were ocean blue. "S-Sorry, I thought you were…" he apologized, trailing off as he gently placed her back on the ground. He figured his 'surprise lift' must've startled her back to normal.

And all this time, the camp staff hadn't noticed what was going on and announced they (the couples) are free to do what they like until 'Lights Out'. "Of course, no 'funny business' on my watch – got that?" the camp director reminded. Cuddles and Giggles smiled sheepishly while Handy and Petunia shrugged. Flippy, Flaky, Splendid and Moonlight had no clue what he meant; decided to spend their time doing what they can together.

Meanwhile, Nutty and Disco Bear were watching the new pairs with envy. "This is what we're gonna do…" the candy-addict briefed, whispering instructions into Disco Bear's ear. "Are you sure it'll work, man?" the 70s teen asked. "It should…" Nutty replied as they followed the happy couples.

PLAN A: "Hurt Me, Hurt You More"

Flippy, Flaky, Splendid and Moonlight were busy enjoying themselves, completely unaware of the two stalkers nearby. They were strolling hand-in-hand near some rose bushes when Flaky yelped; glared at the needle sticking out of her left hand. Nutty (managing to conceal himself in the shadows along with Disco Bear) snickered quietly as he grasped the mini blow-dart in his jittery hand.

He should've shut up – Splendid heard him and pointed to the direction the sound was coming from. Flippy nodded, gently plucked the needle out of his girlfriend's hand; loaded it into his own blow-dart…but not before dipping the tip into a small vial he carried around – which happened to contain a weak dosage of paralysis potion.

Whoosh! Thwack!

"AH!" Nutty screamed as the needle got stuck into his neck, cutting short as his entire body suddenly stiffened. As his companion collapsed like a log, Disco Bear strained to hear what Flippy was saying. "He'll stand up and be fine – after about five minutes," the teen soldier ensured as the group walked away. "Plan B," the 70s teen decided, dragging Nutty's frozen body behind him.

PLAN B: "Sticky Situation"

While the pairs sat leaning against a tree and stargazed…Nutty and Disco Bear balanced themselves on a thick branch, quietly staring down at them. The candy-addict then handed his partner a large jar of glue – their plan was to dump its contents onto the boys and stick Flippy and Splendid on the spot while they snatch the girls and run off with them. "Careful…" Nutty whispered as Disco Bear unscrewed the top; both held their breath to avoid sniffing the fumes.

And then something bright and glittery appeared before their eyes – a large rainbow-coloured lollipop wrapped with a shimmering red-and-blue bow. Nutty responded on instinct and made a grab for it…which resulted in shaking the branch and making Disco Bear spill the glue onto himself. "Whoa!" the duo screamed as they fell to the ground, surprising the couples as one landed with a soft THUD and the other a wet SPLAT.

"Looks like Disco Bear stuck around too long tonight," Splendid joked, the group laughing as they walked away. By the time Nutty was finished with his snack (courtesy of Splendid, he found out later), he proceeded to pull Disco Bear off the ground. "We're moving onto Plan C once you're done cleaning up!" the candy-addict ordered, fuming when he realized their hands got stuck together.

Not far off, Lifty and Shifty laughed like hyenas as they witnessed Nutty dragging a half-naked glue-covered Disco Bear (his clothes got ripped apart and were stuck to the ground). 'So much for decency…' Lammy thought as she noticed them. Mime laughed, shrugging sheepishly as she glared at him.

PLAN C: "Sweet attraction"

Refusing to give up, the jealous singletons set up a giant makeshift slingshot and carefully aimed a beehive at the targeted pairs; not considering they could also harm the other couples as they're all having a picnic in a prepared clearing. "FIRE!" Nutty ordered smirking as Disco Bear shot the beehive smack in the middle of the clearing.

…and that was when they realized the loud buzzing was directly behind them.

Nobody bothered looking up at the running / screaming duo as they were chased by aggravated bees; instead noticed the honey-slathered beehive and used the sickeningly sweet syrup for their toasted bread.

PLAN D: "Tripping Head Over Heels"

After receiving treatment for multiple bee stings, Nutty and Disco Bear tracked down their targets and found them chasing each other in a childish game of 'Tag'. 'This has gotta work!' the jealous candy-addict determined as he and his partner hid themselves on opposite sides; in their hands they stretched a skipping rope across the path.

"Gotcha!" Flippy chuckled as he grabbed hold of Flaky while Splendid playfully tickled the soldier's sister. The girls were so busy trying to escape the boys' clutches they didn't see where their feet were going. "W-W-Whoa!" they yelped as the rope tripped and made them roll down a hill.

"Shit!" Nutty and Disco Bear screamed as they were dragged along before being shot into the air like a catapult – Splendid's ankle was still caught and his strength had caused it. While the pairs landed on a bed of fallen leaves at the bottom of the hill, the duo found themselves headed straight for a tree; crashed and sent some nocturnal birds flying off their branches.

Meanwhile – Flippy and Splendid laughed along with their girlfriends as they lay next to each other, abruptly stopping and blushing as they were pecked on the cheek. Their eyes locked onto each other for the longest time that night as they unconsciously sat up, the girls snuggling into their boyfriends' chests while the boys held them close, sharing the warmth.

Emotion sent butterflies fluttering in their stomachs as they leaned in, locking their lips as they shared their first kiss…unable to let go and not caring if they've been at it all night.

And speaking of emotions…

"No…" Nutty sobbed as he witnessed the scene. Disco Bear couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry as tears dripped out of his orange-yellow eyes. "I guess we should just move on and find other soul mates…" the 70s teen half-mumbled. The candy addict's lower lip trembled and before he knew it, he bawled and cried into Disco Bear's chest. Said teen could only pat his back in a feeble attempt to comfort his broken-hearted friend.

Back with the newly paired couples, they were heading back to the camp when they noticed the two. "You think those guys will be alright?" Moonlight asked as they watched those two boys wipe their eyes and trudge back to camp. "They'll be fine – don't worry," Splendid assured. Flaky shrugged and leaned closer to Flippy as they walked back to their cabins.

Later that night – Flippy, Flaky, Splendid and Moonlight were unable to sleep. Not when their hearts and minds were filled with undying affection for their newly-found love…

[I know, it's been nearly (or more than) a month since the last update – I'll still try and keep up, okay?]