Team8s and Counting Onwards

It was 5am on a weekday morning. Needle was up, cooking herself some breakfast, watching the sunrise through the window. With the weather warming up, Needle and Pen had decided to go on a morning jog together. It was rare that the two ever had some quiet time to themselves, since most of the time, they were accompanied by the noises that came with soccer practice.

Needle headed outside and sat on the stairs leading up to the front door, feeling the warm air hit her body. There was a light breeze and clear skies, the perfect conditions for a morning jog. She waited outside for not even five minutes when Pen's car made its way into the driveway. Needle smiled, getting up and saying hello.

"You ready?" Pen asked her.

Needle chuckled. "As always."

The two quickly started making their way down the sidewalk, jogging at a steady pace as the wind kept them cool.

While the neighborhood was dead silent, other than the soft sounds of nature, Needle's mind couldn't have been more noisy. Today was a big day; it was the day of Flare's court case. Match, with the help of her lawyer and Book, had everything planned out to fight for that little girl.

Pen could tell by the look on Needle's face that she had something on her mind. He slowed down, trying to catch his breath so he could talk to her.

"Something bothering you?" Pen said.

Needle sighed, slowing down next to him. "Kind of. It's...court day, if you know what I'm talking about."

Pen nodded. "I've been hearing. It's...a lot to take in."

"Yeah." Needle tried to catch her breath. "Thread's close with her, so it's definitely been a topic of discussion in our house."

"Dang." Pen shook his head. "I tried...I tried to talk with Pencil back on the show, thought it would help. I didn't know where life was gonna take her...but I would have never imagined it ending up like this."

Needle gave a quiet hum of agreement as they jogged past a row of houses, some with their porch lights still glowing in the early dawn. "I don't think anyone saw it coming. But I also think Pencil's been hurting for a long time. That doesn't make it okay, but...it makes me wonder who was looking out for her when she needed it."

Pen looked down at his feet as they moved in rhythm, then up at the sky just starting to brighten with color. "I mean...I gave my two cents. Obviously Donut tried to help her too. After I heard she and Match got married and had a kid, I somehow thought she finally moved on."

"We all did." Needle added.

The two looked in on their jog, their feet hitting the ground rhythmically. "You know, it's funny." Pen said. "I never realized just how close you were with her. I mean, sure, I knew that you had your days on Freesmart, but...I think Pencil might have had a special place for you."

Needle nodded in agreement. "There were...definitely some real feelings between us. It was so weird seeing that side of her...but also kinda nice. Minus Coiny and Pin, that was the closest I had ever really gotten to someone, you know?"

Pen gave a soft laugh through his nose. "Yeah. I can see that. She always had a sharp edge, but when she let her guard down... it was different. Real."

"Exactly," Needle said, adjusting her stride. "It's hard to explain to people. Everyone sees the way she is now — angry, defensive, all fire. But I knew her when she was trying. When she wanted to be better. I don't know if that part of her is still in there."

Pen was quiet for a moment, letting the breeze carry the conversation forward. "Maybe it is. But maybe it's buried too deep now. And even if it's not, that doesn't change what Flare's been through."