To say Three is shocked when she opens the door and sees Eight would be an understatement.
"Hi, Three!" she chirps with a smile.
"What," Three replies, blinking twice. "Why are you here?"
"To see you," Eight says plainly, shifting with her arms crossed behind her back.
"Well I, uh... I knew that..." Three steps aside to let Eight in. The door closes with a click.
"Then why'd you ask?" Eight looks around. Her face lights up as her eyes land on a candle. "Oh, Three, what is this?"
"It's a candle," she mumbles, slowly walking behind her. "That one's scented but, uh, anyways... It's kinda early, isn't it..?" Yesterday, the two had made plans to get together the next day. Eight wanted to take Three somewhere that was "really cool" and that it was "something Three was guaranteed to like," although she didn't say much beyond that. Three was excited, yes, but also a little scared. She was expecting Eight to text her about it, at the very least, but...
"It's 8:00," Eight replies as if that explains anything. "Is that early?"
"Yes, Eight," Three says with a sigh. "It is."
"Oh." Her face falls as she sets the candle down. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." Had it been anyone else, Three would have yelled at them until her voice was hoarse. But, well, it wasn't anyone else that showed up. It was Eight, and that was okay. "Did you eat yet?"
"Mmh..." Eight taps at her lower lip as she thinks. "I think I did?"
"Okay, well... I haven't yet." Three trudges into the kitchen, flicking on the light. She has to jump a little to reach the box of cereal, but the bowl is reachable and that's just fine. As she opens the fridge door to find the milk, she asks, "So... Do you mind telling me what the surprise from yesterday is?"
"Oh!" Three doesn't have to see Eight to know that her face lights up. "I wanted to take you to the aquarium. The one in the Square?"
An... Aquarium, huh? Three never really understood the appeal, to be honest. Fish were... Fish, and the surface is pretty full of fish. But, at the same time, it's probably why Eight wants to go - the Domes seemed a little, uh... Lacking in the fish department. Or, y'know, the anything-that-isn't-an-Octarian department. When Eight first made it to the surface, she was positively enamored with everything, from pigeons on the side of the road to the grass that grew between cracks in the sidewalk to spiders that crept into Three's apartment. Three simply saw it as an oddity at first, a quirk that would fade the longer she stayed, but it's been close to a year since then and that part of Eight has remained. Perhaps that's what drew Three to her in the first place - her warm smiles and nigh-constant positivity, her birdsong laugh and the sunshine glow in her eyes. Some part of her desires what Eight has; another part knows that if that were to ever happen, Three wouldn't be Three at all. If Three became sunshine, then Eight would become dull, and if Three needs her clouds and rain to truly appreciate Eight's sunbeam peeking through the clouds, then so be it.
And, well, if Three must sit through a few hours of looking at fish to make Eight happy, then so be it.
"Really?" she says as she pours the cereal into the bowl. "When did you find it?"
"Oh, Four and I were walking around and I saw it and I thought of you," Eight explains. "Plus, they have penguins there. You said you liked penguins, right?"
"I guess so," Three mumbles, taking a seat on the kitchen floor. Eight follows suit. Raising the spoon to her mouth, she asks, "When do they open?"
"Mmmmmh..." Eight checks the time. "In about an hour and a half."
"... You're a little early, then, don't you think?" The cereal is stale. Three keeps eating it. "Did you text me at least?"
"Uhhhhm... I think so, yes!" Eight lays back on the floor, tapping her foot to the beat of an unheard song. "Say... You don't mind that I'm here, right..?"
"No, I don't mind. I like spending time with you." Three laughs to herself. "Even if it's way too early."
"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asks. "I know you don't sleep much as is..."
"You didn't, don't worry." No, Three hadn't slept at all. Last night had been another sleepless night in a long chain. Maybe later she'd be able to squeeze a nap in, maybe just for an hour or two, something, anything. A few shoddy hours of sleep is better than nothing, and, well, they're the only things keeping her going. Three likes to think she sleeps better when Eight's there, even if it's just a marginal difference. Perhaps Eight is magic in that sense, but the more likely answer is that Three is simply terrified of being alone. Maybe they could work evening phone calls into their schedules. It's food for thought for another day.
"Did you sleep at all?" Eight asks, voice soft.
"Yes," Three could lie, but she'd hate to do that. "... No," she mumbles instead.
"Did you try melatonin?"
"Yeah... Didn't work." She sighs quietly before drinking the soggy mash that was her cereal. "You wanna just hang out here for a bit then?"
"Oh, Three, when's the last time you showered?"
"I, uh..." She pauses to think. "Two or three days ago, I guess?"
"Do you..?" Eight's voice trails off. Three doesn't particularly feel like doing much beyond sleeping, but sleep is fleeting, always fleeing, so a shower would have to do. "I can help you with it if you're too tired."
Three gets up with a small grunt, dumping her dirty dishes in the sink with the rest of them. "It's okay," she mumbles, turning to head out of the kitchen. "I can manage."
"... Okay." Eight sits up, dusting dirt and crumbs off her jacket. "Take as long as you need, then."
Three gives her a small nod as she leaves the kitchen.
(As she closes the bathroom door, she swears she hears water running. While she'd be fine chalking it up to insomnia-induced psychosis, she later learns it's Eight washing the mountain of dishes piled in her sink. When prompted as to why, Eight gives her a sugar-sweet smile and simply says she had a feeling Three could use a hand.)
(Three doesn't know what she did to deserve a girlfriend like Eight, but she's not complaining at all.)
They leave at about 9:00. Three offers to drive, but Eight insists on taking the monorail.
("Why?" Three asks, and Eight takes her hand and squeezes it.
"The sky is pretty, isn't it?" she responds with a laugh, and Three desperately wishes she could see beauty in the little things, too.)
On the train, they get a few looks from strangers. Perhaps they wonder why Eight is wearing a jacket in the summer, or perhaps they wonder about Three's scar. Perhaps they're annoyed with Eight's chatter.
Perhaps it is all three.
It isn't like it matters.
By the time they arrive, it's a little before 10:00. Three dreams of a day when she wakes up at this time with Eight beside her, but she knows things of that nature only happen in fairy tales.
Three thinks she's seen the aquarium in magazines. It's a fairly nice building located in an almost secluded part of the Square with the name "George Marlin Inkopolis Aquarium" printed on a sign above the entrance. Eight walks at a pace that's slower than normal. Three is grateful - her limbs hurt already. She didn't think her pain was so obvious, but maybe Eight simply wants to match her gait.
"Do you know what kinds of fish they have here?" Three asks. Eight holds open the door for her.
"Tropical fish, not-so tropical fish, and there are penguins!" She keeps bringing up penguins. Three assumes she had to had offhandedly say she liked the bird, otherwise Eight wouldn't have thought of taking her here, right? How long ago had it been since she talked about birds in general, anyways? Three's memory may be faltering, or Eight's may just be too good. Three likes thinking it's the latter, that her girlfriend is simply amazing at remembering little bits and details. With a girlfriend as perfect as Eight, Three sometimes feels inadequate. Of course, there has to be a reason why Eight sticks around, one bigger than pity, but Three cannot find one. It's food for thought she could use at another time.
"What animal do you want to see first?" Three asks, fishing around her pocket for her wallet.
"I'll pay," Eight tells her. "And, um, I don't knoooow... There's a lot here, you know?"
"Eight, come on, let me pay-"
"Nope! You paid last time." Before Three can protest further, Eight's already at the counter buying tickets. Three admits defeat.
"Fine," she grumbles, "But I'm buying lunch."
With the blue wristbands on both their wrists, Eight takes Three's hand again. "Are you ready?" she asks.
Three nods. "... Yeah."
The first tank that they stop at is decorated with coral and rocks. It takes Three a moment to find the fish, while it takes Eight an instant.
"Oh, it's right there!" She taps at the glass. Three looks at where she's pointing and sees the angelfish.
"It's pretty," Three comments. The fish flits about the tank while another hits the glass where Eight tapped. "Don't tap, okay? You'll scare them."
"Oh... Sorry, little guy," Eight apologizes. Three can't help but laugh. "Should we name it?"
"But how can you tell them apart?" Three asks, watching the fish that slammed into the glass swim around, agitated.
"Well... That one's concussed, so I think if we can identify the concussed one, we're okay." Three looks away from the fish, already bored. She finds it's easier to watch Eight, staring at them with intent and delight. "What do you think about Conrad? For the concussed one."
"You want it to be Concussed Conrad?" Three snorts. "What do you do once it's not concussed anymore?"
"It'll still be Conrad," Eight replies cheerily. "It's kind of cute." Three looks over at Conrad. It bonks its head against the glass again. "I think it likes me."
"Maybe it's suicidal. Can you put a fish on antidepressants?"
"There's only one way to find out, right?" Eight asks, smiling. She reaches into her pocket. Three assumes she's going to somehow have an antidepressant on hand, but Eight just pulls out her phone. "I promised Pearl and Marina that I'd take some pictures for them."
"Make sure you turn the flash off," Three chides. Eight nods and checks.
"Smile, Three!" Before Three can figure out what's happening, Eight takes the picture. She looks at it and grins, turning it around to show Three. In the low light, Three looks a little dead, her mouth caught halfway open as she turned to ask Eight to not get her in frame. Maybe Three isn't very photogenic. Maybe Three is just ugly, with cracked lips and a mouth unfit for smiling, one with a jagged, misshapen beak. Her eyes look dead, empty, and the bags beneath them are more pronounced than ever. That scar around her eye is there, too, although fainter than it was a year ago. Three despises her appearance and once more she wonders why someone like Eight would stick around, but she fakes a smile and tells Eight it's a nice photo.
Maybe Eight knows all of Three's tricks by now. Maybe Three is bad at faking responses. It doesn't matter. Eight turns her phone off, puts it back in her pocket, and gives Three a hug.
"Sorry," Three mumbles. Eight only hugs tighter. She forces Eight away before she starts crying, and looks over at the next tank. "I think they have cephalopods over there."
"Oh, do they?" Three nods at it. Eight beams and starts walking towards it, but she makes sure to tell Conrad goodbye.
It's a little stupid of Three to feel jealous of a concussed angelfish, but she does it anyways.
The tank has an octopus in it.
"... It's weird," Eight mumbles, ogling it through the glass. She presses a hand against it, and its tentacle presses on the opposite side. "I don't look like that, right?"
"You're much cuter," Three reassures. "Though... Hey, can you shift for me?"
Eight cocks her head. "... Why?"
"Just curious."
Accepting her answer, Eight shifts to octopus form, looking up at Three. For starters, Eight's much larger than the one in the tank, but it makes enough sense. A seventeen year-old girl tends to have more mass than a relatively unevolved octopus, after all. The one in the tank also has arms of the same length, whereas Eight's are all different. Eight also looks a little floppier than the other, but that might be because she isn't in water. The city water they drink isn't acidic, so Eight could probably fit underwater in Three's bathtub...
Three snickers to herself. Despite not having very defined facial features, Eight manages to look a little annoyed.
Popping back to humanoid form, Eight places a hand on her hip.
"We don't look that similar, right?" she asks.
Three shrugs. "A little bit."
"Meanie..." Eight huffs, crossing her arms. "But I'm better, right?"
"Of course you are," Three says. Eight grins and whispers something in Octarian at the octopus. Three's grasp on the language is limited at best, but she thinks it translates to something like "Take that, you sorry excuse for a creature." Something along those lines, at the very least.
The tank beside it has cuttlefish. They're relatively small and they fly about the tank, some changing colors to match the girls' ink colors.
"Why don't cuttlelings exist?" Eight asks, watching the cuttlefish swim about. "Cuttlefish are kinda cute..."
"I mean, they could," Three replies. "You never know."
"Do you think Callie and Marie are?" The pink cuttlefish lands on the bottom of the tank, shifting to match the color of the rocks. "I mean, their last name..."
"... Maybe they are extinct." Three shrugs. "Imagine being named, like, Eight Salmon. That would suck."
"... Do you think they have salmon here?" Eight's gaze is hopeful.
"Salmon are farm animals," Three mumbles. Eight's face falls. "So I don't think so."
"Darn..." The starfish at the bottom of the tank reaches out to grab the cuttlefish. It takes off rather quickly. "Is there a particular fish you want to see?"
"I kinda like eels," Three responds after a beat of silence. "Some of them have two jaws, y'know? I think that's cool."
"Aw, geez, you like things with jaws?" Eight sighs. "I don't even have one..."
Three laughs. "I wouldn't date an eel. Not with you around." She pauses. "... Also, they're animals, so it'd be a little weird and also illegal."
"... Since when did you care about the law? Wasn't our second date trespassing onto private property?"
"I've changed since then, Eight." If Three had a cigarette, now would be the time to light it. She'd take a long drag, then smear the ashes on the wall, pushing herself off the wall. But she doesn't, so she just mumbles, "I'm a different person now."
"... That was two months ago, Three." She can't help but smile. "But we can look for eels if you want." Eight checks the time. "... The penguin exhibit's in thirty minutes, if you want to see them."
"Oh, is it, like... A feeding time?" Eight nods. "Cool."
"How big are penguins, anyways?" Three shrugs, holding her hand up to a little below her waist.
"They come up to here-ish?" she offers. Eight hums a little, then nods again.
"They're smaller than I thought they'd be, then..." Tapping at her lip in thought, Eight shifts in place. "Well, we still have time until then, right? I'm sure we can find some eels!"
Eight sighs when she sees the name.
"It looks like a banana," she mumbles. "They could have called it a banana eel."
The goldentail moray in the tank swims around. It does look a lot like a banana peel, now that Three thinks about it. "I think that's one of the names for it."
"I don't get it," she mutters. "Why would call an animal that?"
"Maybe it bit one of the scientists that discovered it," Three muses. "That, or its parents weren't married."
"... What?" Eight looks at her, confusion clear on her face. Three laughs.
"It's a bastard moray," she explains. Eight keeps looking at her. "... A kid born of wedlock."
"... The surface is dumb." Eight looks back at the eel, swimming around the tank haphazardly.
"Yeah..." Her voice trails off as she continues watching the eel. "I think this is one of the species with two jaws?"
"... Is there any way to check?" Three's going to tell her no, but Eight gets down on one knee and almost presses her face against the glass. The moray continues to swim about. "I can't see any jaws..."
"Well, its mouth is closed. That's probably why."
"You're so smart, Three." Eight pulls her phone out for another picture. Three watches her zoom in on the eel, and then she takes it. Checking it, Eight laughs to herself. "It's so stupid looking..." Turning it towards Three, she chuckles. Eight managed to catch it with its mouth somewhat open as it stared off at nothing. "Doesn't it kind of remind you of Four?"
Three laughs, sharp and raspy. She isn't the type that used to laughing, but Eight always changes that. "... Yeah, it kind of does. Can you send me it?"
Eight nods. "Are you setting it as her contact picture?"
"Yeah." Eight has the tiniest of smirks on her face, a coy little thing. If Four sees it, she'll probably get mad and roll her eyes at the two older agents. "You guys are the worst," she'd mumble, and Three would rasp out a laugh while Eight would burst into giggles, and neither of them would deny a thing.
"Oh, is that a clownfish?" Eight asks, pointing at the next tank. The little fish flits about, then ducks and hides within the anemone. She races over, leaving Three to walk after her. "It's so tiny..."
"I mean, most of these fish are." Three watches it swim. Truth be told, she's growing a little bored of the fish, and she'd much rather watch Eight. She shifts her gaze over to Eight. She's positively enamored with it, watching it swim with such delight in her eyes. Really, she's... Adorable. Three wishes she could find joy in things like that. Maybe it's because everything here is new to Eight. Maybe it's because the NSS just changed Three in ways she never thought it would. It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that Eight is happy right now, happy to watch the fish, happy that Three is here with her, just happy. And, well, in a way, Three is happy, too. Eight looks away from the fish and catches Three staring. She cocks an eyebrow.
"Are you okay?" Eight asks.
"Yeah," Three replies hastily, feeling her face warm. "Sorry."
"I know I'm an octoling and all, but I figured you'd be looking at the actual fish..."
"I think you're prettier than most of them, anyways," Three mutters. Eight blushes and smiles.
"You're such a dork," she mumbles, growing closer to Three. Briefly pressing a kiss to Three's lips, Eight then pulls away and smiles. "The penguin thing is soon," she says, taking Three's hand. "We should hurry a little."
(Somehow, no matter how many times she does it, Three always forgets how to speak after they kiss.)
"I, um- Okay," Three stammers, blindly following Eight throughout the aquarium. Eight laughs, and it's an angels' choir.
(Once more, Three finds herself wondering how a person could be so perfect. She's close to just chalking it up to divine intervention at this rate.)
They arrive at the penguin exhibit two minutes before 10:30. There are a few kids there, all far younger than shifting age. Three spies an octoling in the mix, but she doesn't say anything. An inkling tugs at their mother's sleeve, asking her about fish. She shakes her head 'no' and says that they're birds. Another inkling next to them rolls their eyes and says that they're "in a aquarium, so it's- they are all a fishies." Eight laughs quietly at that.
"What time is it?" Three asks quietly. Eight checks the time.
"10:30 now," she mumbles. "Soon."
Soon indeed. A few seconds later, and an employee enters the rocky enclosure with a bucket. She's wearing gloves and a standard uniform, and she waves at everyone.
"How are you guys doing today?" she asks, and gets various responses from the tiny children. "Good, good!" Three has a feeling she didn't hear any of the responses at all. "These are all Jellian penguins," she explains. A few waddle over on the rocks. Eight whispers "Aw..." beneath her breath. "They're one of the most common species of waterfowl today, but fifty years ago these poor little guys were almost extinct!" A child or two makes a sad noise. "Does anyone here know what penguins eat?"
Three's tempted to raise her hand and share, but she's a little nervous and the questions are directed at the little kids anyways. There's a beat of silence, and a toddler raises their hand.
"Fish!" they chirp, and the employee nods with a bright smile.
"Correct!" The child frowns.
"Does it- Is it gonna eat me?" they ask. The employee shakes her head.
"No, it eats smaller, unevolved fish, like these!" She pulls a fish from the bucket. Three is unsure if it's alive or not. Tossing it at a nearby penguin, it dives at it and catches it. The child cheers, while it elicits an "Oh!" from Eight. "I'll answer any questions you have about them, okay?" The employee gives them all another smile, and then continues tossing fish.
Eight raises her hand, cocking her head. "So, um, this might be a dumb question, but... Can they fly?" Quickly, she adds, "I'm not very familiar with most animals..."
"Nope, they're entirely flightless." Eight furrows her brow. "They're pretty good at swimming, though."
As if on cue, one of the birds hops into the water, diving down to eye level with one of the kids.
"Oh... Okay." Eight smiles back. "Thank you!"
"It's nothing," she replies.
(At the end of the feeding, Eight babbles on and on about how cute the birds were. Three agrees, to an extent, but she can't help but feel a little jealous. The birds are getting more attention than she is, after all, and yes, she knows it's a dumb thing to be envious of.)
The gift shop towards the back of the aquarium is stocked full of various items. Some are shirts, all bright neons with the aquarium's name on it in a black font. Others are hats of a similar style. One is a pair of fish-shaped sunglasses. Eight's a little disappointed they don't have any bastard moray items, but it's quickly forgotten once they reach the wall of penguin paraphernalia. There are some mugs, while others are shirts with penguins on them. Eight's close to buying a shirt when she sees the penguin plushes, which she makes a beeline for. When Eight grabs one and squeals at how cute it is, Three decides she should definitely be jealous, no matter how irrational it is.
"Isn't it cute, Three?" she asks, smiling widely.
Three nods and agrees, but she flips off the wall of penguin plushes once Eight walks further into the gift shop. She thinks an employee caught her, because she hears a snicker, but no one says anything.
Stupid penguins, being all cute and junk.
"Oh, wait! Three!" Three looks up from the penguin mugs when Eight walks back over. "Do you want one, too?"
"I don't really need one..." she mumbles.
"Come ooooon, I wanna get you something." When Eight looks at her with her warm, pleading eyes and dazzling, radiant smile, Three knows in her hearts that she's lost this battle. The "Pleaaaaaaaaase?" she says afterwards doesn't help Three's case, either. She's thoroughly convinced.
"... Okay." Eight squeals again, holding the penguin plush against her chest. "But don't go overboard, okay?"
"I won't, I won't, promise!" Eight scampers off to go find an appropriate penguin... Something. Three decides she should look around for, uh... An object, maybe? One for Four. Her hand lazily runs over the penguin shot glasses, each one with a different name on it. Three yawns, rubbing at her eyes. She leaves the penguin section alone and opts to go look at the rest of the shop. She finds a stuffed eel, and while it's not a goldentail, it's about as good as she'll get. Three tosses it over her shoulder.
Walking back over to Eight, she peers over her shoulder and asks, "Have you found anything?" Eight squawks indignantly as she whirls around.
"You scared me!" she yelps. Three chuckles a little. "But, um... Sort of?" Eight holds up a penguin plush. It's a little bigger than Three would have bought if she purchased one for herself, and it has a small sweater on with 'George Marlin Inkopolis Aquarium' stitched onto it. "It's cute, right?"
"Yeah," Three agrees. Eight's face lights up. "I like it."
"I'll get it for you, then!" Three can't protest at all. "Is the eel for Four?"
"Mhm."
Eight giggles.
"I knew it."
Three smiles softly as she follows Eight to the checkout. "Do you want me to pay for the eel, too?" Eight asks.
"No, you already paid for a lot today," Three says, sighing. "I gotta at least buy something."
"Oh, speaking of... Where do you want to go for lunch?" Eight asks. Three shrugs with some effort - her body's starting to hurt a little more after walking through the aquarium. "Or we could just go to your apartment... Whichever."
"... Could we just go back to my place?" Three asks quietly. Her eyelids feel heavy, her body even heavier. She wants to sleep, or maybe just lie down, and taking a double dose of melatonin and a shot of NyQuil will probably do it. Eight nods. "Thank you. I can buy next time we go out, though."
"Don't worry about it," Eight says with a laugh, and it's so beautiful Three finds herself worriless for the first time in a while.
They place their stuff on the counter and the clerk rings it up. They rattle off the total, and Eight wordlessly swipes her card with a small smile. Three rings up her eel afterwards, and she inwardly winces at the total. She buys it anyways and Eight takes it and puts it in the bag with her stuff.
"Have a good day," they drone.
"You too!" Eight replies cheerily as they leave. Three doesn't say anything at all, but she's happy nonetheless.
"I love you, Eight," she mumbles.
"I love you too," Eight returns softly, rubbing a small circle into Three's hand.
She gently leads Three onto the monorail, carrying the bag with their newly-purchased stuff in her left hand. In her right is Three's hand, their blue aquarium wristbands almost touching. Today has been nice, even if it's still early. Three thinks sleep is finally catching up with her, with each step making her body ache more.
With lead limbs and gold eyelids weighing her down, perhaps these thirty minutes of respite on the monorail will be enough. The car is close to empty, the Inkopolis skyline a medley of blues and puffy white clouds. Three feels as if she's Atlas, the weight of the world pulling her down, begging her to rest. She leans on Eight, quietly asking if it's okay if she takes a nap.
"Of course it is," Eight replies, giving Three's hand a gentle squeeze.
(If Atlas sleeps, the sky will fall. Perhaps the sky can keep itself up for a bit.)
(It doesn't matter in the end - Three falls asleep with the smallest of smiles on her lips.)