Chapter Text
“Okay, okay, um… I was not going to tell you about this, but Marina said I should. Four, I… I think I may have feelings for you, just like I do with the Captain.”
———
The words kept repeating in Four's mind without fully processing. She was confused. Eight really felt that way? But… No, that should not be possible. She loved the Captain — Four knew that very well.
Seeming discouraged from Four’s silence, Eight spoke up again, beginning to pull away from the hug. “Sorry, I don't expect you to feel the same way. I just really needed to get it off my chest. We can… We can just forget about—”
“No, no! Um… You just surprised me, is all. I… I do feel the same way. I have for a long time, I just didn't want to say anything because you seemed so happy with the Captain…”
Eight sighed with relief, relaxing once again. “That’s good to hear… And, well, I am. I love them very much. But… I don't know, it feels like something is missing. I feel like I want to be with you and the Captain. Is that wrong of me…?”
“I don't think so… I mean, I read once that some people prefer having multiple partners, but I didn't really give it much thought.”
Four was silent for a moment, thinking. She was never one for relationships — she had always been more focused on school, and her parents never would have allowed it. She knew next to nothing about the topic, aside from things she read online or in the romance books she enjoyed. “So… What does this mean for us? Does this change anything…?”
Eight seemed to be thinking hard about the question, her tentacles wriggling. It was cute, Four thought to herself.
“I’m… Not entirely sure. This is kind of complicated.” She paused to think more, gently rubbing Four's shoulder.
“I guess… Maybe we could try and talk about this with the Captain? I don't know what they'll say, but I think it's worth a shot. I just— I love you as more than a friend, and I want to be with you…”
Four felt her cheeks warm when she heard Eight say I love you . This definitely was not the first time she'd heard her say that, but this time it wasn't platonic. The thought made her hearts skip a beat, but the idea of talking with the Captain — the one who seemed to hate her — made her feel slightly nervous.
“Okay… I, um… I love you, too.”
Eight smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to Four’s cheek that made her giddy on the inside. “You’re adorable… Now, it’s definitely time for bed. I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep, alright, hun?”
Four nodded, and Eight moved them both to lie down on the couch, pulling her close. It hadn’t been unusual for them to cuddle back when they were living together — it actually happened quite frequently, when Eight would get nightmares, or Four would overthink too much, or just simply because they wanted to. The physical affection was probably the thing Four missed the most when Eight left to help Off The Hook with their world tour.
Eight would gently play with Four’s tentacles, rub her back, and nuzzle the top of her head, just like she used to. The actions quickly put Four to sleep.
———
In the morning, it was slightly difficult to act like everything was normal, but Four managed. She’d helped Eight out with breakfast, which gave them a bit more time to catch up. After breakfast, Veronika mentioned they were going to someone else’s place since the rain seemed to have stopped. The Captain nodded and signed something to them that Four didn’t understand.
Now, she, Eight, and the Captain were sitting in the living room, the other two on the couch while she sat in an armchair adjacent to it. To say she was nervous would be an understatement — she was downright anxious. She was more than willing to sweep this whole thing under the rug just so they wouldn't have to talk about it, but it seemed a little late for that.
Unsurprisingly, Eight was the first to speak up. “So… This is something serious, but it’s nothing bad, alright?” She waited for a nod from the Captain before continuing. “Okay, ah… Recently, I realised I have feelings for Four. Romantic ones.
The Captain quickly signed something. Four assumed it was probably something regarding their and Eight’s relationship, judging by the slightly worried look on their face. Her assumption was immediately confirmed by Eight’s response. “No, no, this doesn’t mean I’m breaking up with you, I promise. I still love you, Three. This is what I wanted to talk about.”
Eight glanced over at Four for a second, taking a deep breath before she spoke again. “I… We , actually, were wondering if you would be alright with including Four in our relationship as well.”
The Captain seemed to be conflicted about the idea, from what Four could guess based off of their face. They signed, Eight responded with more reassurances. Four really wished she knew what they were saying; maybe she would have to start learning sign language. The back-and-forth continued for a couple of minutes, until the Captain stopped signing.
It was quiet for a few moments with the Captain thinking. Four was completely sure that they were going to say no.
“I guess… we could try it...” Came their mumbled, slightly grumpy response.
Eight’s face lit up, and she immediately squeezed them in a tight hug, smothering their face with kisses. “ Thank you!! Oh, I love you so much, I just wanna squeeze you!” The Captain rolled their eyes, but Four could see a faint little smile on their face.
For the first time since they’d all sat down for this conversation, Four timidly spoke up. “So, um… How is this gonna work?”
Eight released the Captain from her affectionate attack after a moment longer, turning to Four. “Well, I think it’ll just work like a regular relationship, just with 3 people instead of 2.”
That did not help Four at all; She had no idea how a real relationship worked in the first place. However, she would probably embarrass herself if she were to ask that. “Right, okay…”
“Aw, no need to be nervous. Cap doesn’t bite. Most times, I mean.” Eight giggled, patting the spot on the couch beside her. “C’mere, hun.”
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Four did as Eight asked, moving from the armchair to sit beside her. Once she was settled comfortably, Eight wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
———
Most of the day was spent watching movies and talking. The Captain still gave Four an occasional glare when she was close to Eight, but they actually seemed to be trying to hold back from doing so this time.
Around noon, the topic of where Four was staying came up. When she mentioned that she was staying in a hotel, Eight insisted that she should be staying with her and the Captain instead, and went with her to grab her belongings and cancel the booking (she also insisted that she would pay for the cancellation fee; Four tried to argue, but Eight wouldn’t let her get a word in).
When it was time to go to bed, Four was about to settle down on the couch when Eight took her hand and asked her to follow her. Upon seeing Four’s confused expression, her response was simple. “You’re our girlfriend now, silly. You don’t have to sleep on the couch.”