Team8s and Counting Onwards

By this point, the news of Pencil and Match's divorce spread like wildfire throughout the whole BFDI cast. After all, it was a shock to just about everyone that the nearly inseparable duo was now facing a legal battle.

Donut was scrolling through Boing! videos, and Pencil was the thumbnail of nearly every one. After watching a few videos, Gaty walked by to see what was up.

"So, What's the update?" Gaty asked.

Donut sighed. "Pencil wants custody, Match is taking it to court next week."

"Really?" Gaty's face scrunched up. "That's disappointing. She just...can't let go."

"Yeah." Donut said. "It's definitely disappointing to hear."

Gaty could see the look of defeat in Donut's eyes. "You two were on the same team back in phase two, what was she like then?" she asked.

"We actually talked a decent amount." Donut said. "She clearly...was having her issues. I tried to be kind to her but, I never really, you know, got to her, if that makes sense."

Gaty sighed. "I didn't know her too well personally, but after hearing that her and Match had a child, you'd think that something was going right for her!"

Donut nodded. "Knowing just how close she and Match were, yeah. It sounded like they got their happy ending."

Gaty grunted. "And now that poor girl is caught up in this whole mess. You've seen Flare over here, she's such a sweet kid, especially to Thread."

Donut nodded in agreement. "You'd never think her situation at home was as bad as it was."

Gaty leaned against the counter. "Thread lights up when she's around. You know how shy she can be sometimes, but with Flare? It's like she finally has someone who gets her."

Just as the two were talking, Needle walked by, throwing out some garbage that the kids had left on the couch. "You two heard about the case, huh?"

Gaty and Donut nodded. "Yeah," Donut said, glancing over. "Hard not to. It's all anyone's talking about lately."

Needle let out a breath through her nose, sharp and tired. "It's a mess. I've been trying not to weigh in too much, but it's hard not to, considering the fact that Flare is, you know, literally best friends with my daughter. I can tell it hurts Thread to see her going through all of that."

Gaty sighed. "At least she's got a safe place to stay for now."

Donut nodded. "Unlike me trying to talk with Pencil, it's clear that you snapping at Book all those years ago really made her think."

Needle leaned against a wall. "Book went through a ton on the show. I mean, when I first spoke to her in BFDIA...she seemed like such a sweet one, and all she wanted to do was keep Freesmart strong. But Pencil clearly just saw her as dead weight towards the end."

Gaty faintly smiled. "I mean, I haven't spoken to her all that much since the whole incident back in BFB, but...it's clear to me that she's really found herself. She has a partner that loves her, a very sweet daughter, and the guts to barge into Penci's house late at night to get Flare out of there."

Needle smirked. "Yeah, that's Book for you. Quiet until she needs to be loud. And when she gets loud, it's because she cares."

Donut chuckled. "It's wild thinking about it now. Back then, none of us really thought of her as the type to stand up to Pencil. But she did. She saw what was happening and she said, 'no more.'"

"And Price Tag backed her up without blinking," Gaty added. "That's what I mean when I say stable. They're solid. They're what Flare needed."

Needle nodded thoughtfully. "And Pencil hated that. She couldn't stand the fact that Flare had another support system that wasn't her."