It was about 9pm in the evening. Eight was just on his phone, checking on stocks and his current investments. He shuts off his phone and the door creaks open. Five walks in. He seems tired, more tired than usual. He has dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he went through some kind of ordeal. Eight looks up, his usual blank stoic expression softens with concern.
“You alright…? You look pretty bad…”
Five doesn’t respond. He seems to try and hide whatever his tiredness. It was clear to Eight something was wrong, as he could easily read Five like an open book.
“You know you can tell me, right…?” No response from Five. Five sits beside Eight. He lets out a quiet, yet deep sigh. Eight sets his phone aside. “Alright, what happened? You look more tired than usual. Don’t try to hide it, I know something’s up.” Five looks at Eight, then he looks down on the floor. He nearly opens his mouth to speak, but he hesitates. He shifts somewhat uncomfortably.
After moments of hesitation, Five decides to try and open up. “I… I just don’t really feel good…” Eight looks at Five, slightly worried. “… You wanna talk about it?” “… Yeah…” Five takes a breath. “Today has been… worse… Nine has been on my case all day, another fight broke out, I’ve already been the butt of the joke about several times already… It just feels like no one takes me seriously… I’m supposed to keep everyone in check, and to make sure that there’s at least some form of order in the sheer amount of chaos… It just feels like I’m failing somehow… Especially after what happened…” Eight listens and nods in response and acknowledgement. He understands what Five had meant. Everyone had been uneasy after the incident.
“…. Can I just… have a hug or something…?” Eight nods. “Sure. Bring it in.” Five hesitates for a moment, then he hugs Eight, leaning onto him. He buries himself into Eight’s chest. It's been a while since he last felt some form of comfort. Goodness knows he needed it. Five sniffles a bit, feeling tears forming in his eyes. He tries to hold them back, but at this point, he’s too tired to do so. “Let it all out. Take your time.” Eight rubs Five’s back in a comforting manner. He isn’t the best at comforting people, but he is a really good listener.
After a few minutes, Five looks up at Eight. “Thanks… I needed it…” Eight makes a small smile. “Hey, it’s fine. I know it isn’t easy to deal with everything that comes with having to be more mature than others. I’ve had my fair share of downs too.” “… Can we stay like this for a bit longer…?” “Yeah. Take as much time as you need.”