The glowing light at the end of the tunnel led Big Lip and Small Lippy into a wide, open cavern. Giant mushrooms grew from every crevice, their caps glowing with an ethereal light, casting the room in a soft, pulsating glow. For a moment, there was silence—just the two of them, breathing heavily after the Trial of the Mushrooms. The air between them was thick, not just with spores, but with something more… complicated.

Big Lip wiped the sweat from his brow, his massive lips still tingling from the exertion. He glanced at Small Lippy, who stood a few feet away, her tiny lips pursed in concentration as she scanned the cavern. He couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of emotions whenever he looked at her—mostly annoyance, but also something that made his giant lips twitch uncontrollably.

“You okay?” Big Lip asked, trying to sound casual, his voice coming out a little more awkwardly than he intended.

Small Lippy glanced at him briefly, her tiny lips barely moving as she muttered, “I’m fine. Just trying to figure out what comes next.”

“Right,” Big Lip replied, his lips smacking softly. “Yeah, we should focus on that.”

But for some reason, he couldn’t focus. The memory of their lips accidentally brushing together back in the forest flashed in his mind, and he felt his face flush slightly. He stole another glance at Small Lippy, who, despite her small lips, had a way of holding herself with confidence that was hard to ignore.

Small Lippy’s eyes flicked toward him, narrowing slightly as she noticed him staring. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Big Lip’s lips twitched nervously. “I’m not… I mean, I wasn’t… I’m just thinking.”

Small Lippy raised an eyebrow, her tiny lips curling into the faintest smirk. “Thinking about what? How to keep your giant lips from getting in the way again?”

Big Lip flushed, his lips tingling with frustration. “No! I’m just… thinking about the Trial, okay?”

But even as he said it, he knew that wasn’t entirely true. His mind wasn’t on the Trial or the Queen Lipper—it was on Small Lippy, and the strange, uncomfortable feeling that seemed to settle over him whenever she was around.

An awkward silence fell between them. Small Lippy shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms over her chest as she avoided looking at him. Big Lip, feeling the tension rise, smacked his lips once in frustration, the sound echoing awkwardly through the cavern.

“So,” he said, trying to break the silence. “Are we… are we really doing this? You know, finding the Queen Lipper together?”

Small Lippy’s tiny lips tightened. “Well, I wasn’t planning on leaving you to get lost in this place, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Big Lip nodded, his massive lips pressing together in an awkward line. “Right, of course. I just thought, you know… maybe you had better things to do than hanging out with me and my big lips.”

Small Lippy’s lips twitched, and for a moment, Big Lip thought she might laugh. But instead, she gave him a sideways glance, her expression softening just a little. “Your big lips aren’t the problem, Big Lip. It’s your big head that gets in the way.”

Big Lip felt his face flush even more, his lips twitching with both irritation and something else—something he couldn’t quite put into words. Was she teasing him? Or was there something more behind those tiny, barely-there lips of hers?

Before he could respond, Small Lippy stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him, her lips twitching ever so slightly. “What’s your deal, anyway?”

Big Lip blinked, caught off guard. “My deal?”

“Yeah,” Small Lippy said, her lips curling into a tiny, almost playful smile. “You act all tough, but you keep staring at me like you’ve never seen someone with small lips before.”

Big Lip’s heart raced, his lips tingling uncontrollably. “I… I’m not staring!” he stammered, his voice louder than he intended. “I mean, I’m just… trying to figure you out!”

Small Lippy stepped even closer, her tiny lips now just inches from his massive ones. The air between them grew thick, and Big Lip could feel the tension buzzing through his lips. He didn’t know whether to smack his lips in defense or… something else entirely.

“Well,” Small Lippy said quietly, her tiny lips parting just enough for him to see the faintest hint of a smile. “Good luck with that.”

And then, without warning, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Big Lip standing there, his heart pounding and his lips tingling with confusion. He watched her retreating figure, his mind racing, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

His lips, however, had other ideas. They began to twitch uncontrollably, that familiar, uncomfortable sensation building inside him. It was happening again—that strange, unexplainable feeling he got whenever Small Lippy was around. He clenched his fists, trying to keep control, but the urge was too strong.

With a frustrated groan, Big Lip turned away, found the nearest mushroom, and began furiously rubbing his lips against its spongy surface. The soft, squishy texture of the mushroom soothed his oversized lips, but it did nothing to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cavern, Small Lippy leaned against a large mushroom, her tiny lips trembling with a mix of frustration and something she refused to acknowledge. She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly as she pressed her tiny lips together, trying to ignore the way her heart had raced when she got too close to Big Lip.

With a quiet sigh, Small Lippy rubbed her tiny lips against the mushroom beside her, the soft surface easing the tension in her chest, even as her mind swirled with thoughts she wasn’t ready to confront.

Both Lip Lippers stood on opposite sides of the cavern, each lost in their own confusing, lip-related frustrations, neither willing to admit what was really bothering them.