Did you know you're my hero?

A delightful conversation with absolutely no stress involved

Eight power walked through the square with more purpose than she'd ever felt before. She hadn't even felt this determined down in the metro.

Well, perhaps that wasn't true. Or maybe it was? She'd been trying really hard to not think about her time in the metro.

She could see the grate in front of her now. She glanced around to make sure no one was looking at her, and dove down into it as an octopus.

She didn't turn back immediately when she got to the other side. She looked around at the yellow ink staining the ground, puffed out her cheeks, and turned yellow herself. Only then did she assume Octoling form once more.

She looked around. Everything looked just the same as the last time she'd been there. She couldn't remember much of her time living in the domes, but the last time she'd visited the cabin wasn't too long ago. The only difference she could see was the absence of the squid sisters and...

Ah, there she was. Three had waited for her, just as she'd requested. She was staring down at her phone with furrowed brow, eyebrows knit together with concern.

Eight honestly thought she'd still be scared once she saw her, but...nope, she only felt warm. She approached Three with a smile.

"H-hey!"

Three jumped, dropping her phone. "E-Eight! You didn't reply when I texted you back, I was getting worried."

Eight stopped and pulled out her phone. Checking for a reply after telling her friend to wait had...honestly slipped her mind.

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: Um, sure
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: Is something wrong?

Eight gave a nervous laugh. "A-ah, sorry, I didn't realize you'd replied. N-nothing's wrong, sorry to make you worry." She sat down next to the other agent, and her smile returned.

Three blushed again, and Eight's hearts skipped a beat at the sight.

"Ok, good, uh, what's so important that you needed to talk to me in person?" She asked, scratching a cheek with her finger.

Eight slipped her hand into Three's, beaming at her with a blushing face of her own. "You don't need to look so nervous, Three. It's nothing bad!"

The Inkling turned even more yellow at the sudden contact. She looked like she could barely formulate a sentence, but managed to do so anyway. "Wh-what is it, then?"

Eight put her free hand to her chest, sighing happily. "I've been...feeling feelings lately, and I just wanted to come clean about them. I didn't realize what they were, and I feel obligated to tell you."

"Why?"

The Octoling whipped her head around, an almost hurt look in her eyes at the response. "Wh-what do you mean why?"

Three, somehow managing to turn even yellower, withdrew her hand from the other's and laughed with nervousness and guilt. "I-I mean I didn't m-mean for that to come out that way I'm just, uh, confused because I mean it doesn't have anything to do with me I can't imagine hahaha!" She scratched the back of her head.

Eight tilted her head to the side. "But it does have to do with you, Three. Marina said so. And after a lot of thought, I agree with her."

"Wha...what did she say, exactly...?" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"That all those warm feelings I kept feeling? Yeah, apparently that's love?" She replied calmly, staring at Three in the face with a startling amount of composure. Three very much envied that composure.