Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After the long walk back to the fields, One had carved a small hole into the ground with her newfound power, just big enough for her to fit. She lies in the makeshift "bed", feeling more comfortable than ever before.
"Night One," Three calls out, tone hushed in order to not wake up the others sleeping nearby.
"Night," She almost mumbles as she looked up at the night sky.
The very sky that brought the strange meteor that not only gave her powers, but someone she could call a friend. Someone to hang out with. She smiles to herself, her excitement draining away as sleep wraps its warm embrace around her.
That night she dreamed of the moments shared on top of that mountain, figuring out how to use their powers together, as a duo. How she wished that it lasted longer. The joy, the laughter, the excitement shared. She could never tear her eyes away from the red number in front of her. As she woke up, the only fragment she could recover from the dream was the smile of a friend.
Shaking the remnants of any form of tiredness, she stepped out of the hole to look around her. Nine's skateboard appears to have been fixed, as it was nowhere to be found. Voices in the distance told her that the others are nearby; maybe she could show off or maybe do all the amazing things she could now do, finally getting the attention she craved.
Six was being a menace as per usual, tripping Ten and snickering when they took a mouthful of dirt. Seven was somehow listening to music of all things, how they were even able to wear headphones in the first place baffles her. Nine seemed to have went off to find something "radical" to do. Four and X were still at the Equation Playground, likely still trying to help X figure out his value.
Then, there was Five and Three, doing the same thing they were yesterday, throwing an orange ball to each other. She couldn't help but pause and watch as Three tripped and missed the ball, laughing after as if it never bothered her. Dear Math, she is amazing.
..At being a friend, of course! When she approached, Three quickly took notice.
"One! How are you doing?" She asks as she dusted herself off, wearing a slightly amused and surprised expression.
She ignored how her pulse jumped. It's not everyday she was noticed, after all! "Well, I saw you trip and was going to ask if you were okay!" One plays it off casually, and nearly failing in the process as she kicked the ball over.
"D'awh, you're too kind," Three picked up the ball and waves to Five before tossing it over. "Do you want to join us?"
She froze for a good second. Someone was inviting her to play? She might just faint on the spot. Despite what happened last night, she half expected for Three to ignore her. "Wh.. Well, maybe," she began to frown. "But what about my lack of, ahem, arms?"
"Don't you-" The red number paused, thinking. "I'm sure we can find a way!"
"Really?" Dear Math, this might be the best day of her life! "I mean, I'd love to!"
Three catches the ball as it was thrown back, tossing it to One as it bounced off of her. "One!" She sighs with a stupidly stunning smirk as she plucked the ball from the ground effortlessly, "you're supposed to bounce it back to me!"
"Oh! Sorry!" She answers, thinking about using her new powers to play.
It seemed like Three was thinking about it too, as she leaned in close and whispered "aren't the powers supposed to be a secret?"
Ignoring how her mind began to reel at the closed distance, she blinks and hums. "Oh, right. Yeah."
No matter how tempting it was, maybe the powers could be a secret between them both. As the game continued, One did her best to contribute, bouncing the ball to Three and occasionally Five using her feet and her body as a whole. Despite how tiring it started to become, it was so fun! Sometimes other Algebraliens like Nine and Seven would chip in, but it mostly stayed between the three of them.
By the time the sun set, Four and X has returned, no closer to figuring out X's true value. Three reassures them saying that they'll find out one day. As they all began to sleep for the night, One felt a tap at her side right as she was about to fall back into the hole of her "bed".
The red number smiles, "you know, maybe we should go back up there, to figure out these powers more," she whispers, almost like a siren's call.
One remembers the events of last night, and nods. "Why not?" She whispers back, stepping away from the hole and walking in the direction of the mountain "what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Chapter Text

As One jumped from lily pad to lily pad, she couldn't help but look back at the red integer behind her, struggling to maintain balance on one of the lily pads. Before she fell into the water, One used her power to stabilize her, shooting a smile over.

"Be careful! You could've gotten soaked!" She lightly teases as she lets go, giggling to herself at the (admittedly poor) joke.

"As if doing this is as easy as you made it to be," she shot back before snapping her fingers, vanishing before One's eyes, and appearing on the other side. "I'm gonna be honest here, I forgot we can do this." Three admits.

One only "shrugs" as she teleported next to the other. "Same here, but I think the journey would be more fun!" If she were really honest with herself, she was too busy staring to remember something like that.

They continued to travel side by side as they ascended the mountain, reaching its peak slower than usual. Maybe it was because they were throwing snowballs at each other, seeing who would mess up first. Only when they reached the peak did they stop to rest.

To One? She could do this all night, maybe every night. The chill nipped at her face as she turned to face Three, who had just picked up her notepad and pencil from the night before (She must have forgotten, she later thought). Her eyes narrowed as she tossed a snowball directly in the red number's face with a playful smile.

"Oh, don't you dare get me started again, One! I will not hesitate to throw a huge one at ya! It has easily become one of my top fifty activities to do." Three did her best not to look amused, but the expression slipped through regardless as she crossed her arms.

"What, can't a number use her new powers to have fun?" One leaned against the meteor before slipping back to the ground, quickly getting back up to try again, mentally scolding herself for not being as put together like the other number was.

The red integer only shrugs with a huff, wiping the snow off of her face. "Please, that is hardly a valid excuse, and you know that."

She rolled a nearby piece of the meteor under her foot "so what if it was?" She said with a sly smile.

"Whatever, are we going to throw mountains like you did before or are we going to try teleporting to the moon and back?" Three asks, "because that is really cool."

Her? Cool? She's going to explode. "Cool?" One asks with a bit too much surprise than she intended to.

"Oh yeah, really cool. I want to be able to do that!"

"Well, if we're gonna go up here every night, shouldn't we try doing other stuff too? Like, like shooting lasers or figuring out where this meteor came from?" She asks, silently begging that there wouldn't be an end to this.

"Hm.." Three puts an inquisitive finger on her metaphorical chin, looking as if she was thinking very hard "oooh! What if we, like, see who can throw the farthest?"

"Okay!" One pushes herself off of the meteor, picking up a small ball of snow from the ground with her power. "Whoever throws the farthest gets bragging rights." She challenges.

"Psh, bragging to who? You?" The red number matches the challenge with a smirk, picking up a snowball of her own.

She playfully narrowed her eyes as she launches the snowball past the cliff, much to Three's surprise.

"Aight, bet." The red number arches her arm back before using her power to throw the snowball way past the mountain and towards the grasslands where they came from. "Whoops."

"Wow, that went far! Whoever's in that path is gonna get pelted with that, y'know?" One leans against her very best friend in the whole wide world as a way to hug.

--

Four might as well win the metal of waking up in the night to being hit with a snowball directly in their face, cause that's what happened. With a groan he sat up wiping the still cold snow off. Wait, snow? Looking up, he notices two lights at the peak for the second night in a row. That's odd. Someone must be very dedicated in order to bring a snowball all the way down just to hit them with it.

But nobody is awake. X was even still fast asleep, better than a toddler would. Three's missing, but she might be finding a way to replace Nine's old skateboard. If you ask him, the repairs could have been done better.

He's too tired for this, they'll ask around later. Wiping the snow away on the grass, Four laid back down to continue sleeping. Maybe he could investigate those lights if they get in the way of drawing equations late in the night. Their buddy needs to find his value, anyway!

--

One dangles her legs over the cliffside, her eyes rarely ever leaving her friend sitting beside her. Never before had a friend stuck at her side for more than an hour, much less than two nights and a day!

The red number looks up at the sky, at the two bright stars that had appeared the night before. "Do you think there's a reason behind those stars appearing?" She wonders as she wrote down in her notepad, little sketches dotted around here and there.

It wasn't like One was taking a peek, but she was a bit disappointed she wasn't in there. "Hm, I noticed the first star appearing when I got my power, and when you gained yours, too! So maybe they appear when someone gains their powers?"

"Honestly? I think so!"

They both sat in silence afterward, staring at the stars. But is One actually staring at the stars? Nope. She was too busy looking at her friend, her smile growing bigger the longer she stared. Math, she is so pretty, the small amount of light made by the stars and nearby planet and moon, she can never get enough of it.

If she could, she will preserve this moment in time, this perfect moment. Her perfect friend. Her best friend. Her second part of a duo, a song shared no longer alone. One closes her eyes, silently wishing this could last forever and ever.

Three turns to look at One, snapping her out of her musings. "One? Are you alright? You've been staring for a while, are you tired?"

"I.. What? No, no I don't think so?" This friendship must be getting to her head, she swears she can feel the other's warmth from an armlength away.

"We should be getting back anyway, I don't want to sleep half of the day away, no matter how appealing it sounds."

"Okay!" She stood up, stretching her aching legs. How long were they sitting there?

As they descended the mountain, One could be seen having a bit of a skip in her step as she walked side by side with Three. The chilly night air was little to snuff out the warmth she felt while Three began talking about one of her other 50 favorite scientific fields.

Chapter Text

One lay still in the small hole, having wished Three goodnight. The warmth in her body has yet to subside. A smile constantly present as she gazed at the stars, listening to the bugs nearby as they sang a symphony. Every thought she could ever had trailed back to the red integer eventually, and she would hum to herself.

Every time, Three wriggles her way into the front of her mind, taking up every spot possible. Could she ever sleep like this, her pulse beating so loudly? This is what it must feel like having a friend, One thinks as her gaze drifts over to the sleeping number at mention. How could anyone ever be so pretty?

She closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Having a new friend is weird, the idea of someone taking time out of their day (or night) just to spend time with her. One hums once more, a small tune she heard somewhere. Maybe, if every night was like this, she wouldn't feel alone anymore. Maybe, she'll have more friends.

One woke up to the sensation of rain, already soaked. The dirt below her had turned into mud, adding more discomfort to her predicament. When she stood, the blue number noticed the others huddled under the trees, each having split off in their own friend groups. Their own duos.

Frowning, she left her little hole and sat under an unoccupied tree, a little far away from the others. It would take forever for the mud to get off, and she would for sure not want to show up looking like a mound of dirt came to life and started talking. Though that would for sure get their attention. Not like she is just as interesting herself, if not more!

The clouds overhead don't appear to be clearing up anytime soon. Scanning her eyes across the grasslands, she realized that she is not only far from where everyone else usually hung out, but far from the tree the others were using to take cover from the rain. If she squinted, she could see a certain red number being questioned by Four.

From a distance, Three appeared to be nervous, almost fumbling for an excuse. She would sometimes look back at her, meeting her gaze. Whatever she then said seemed to satisfy whatever he was asking for, as the questioning had then stopped. One felt relieved, whatever the issue was, it didn't seem to be that much of a trouble.

The mud began to dry and the longer she remained under the cover of the tree, the worse it felt. Begrudgingly, she stepped out into the chilly rain. It was one of the only ways she could get rid of dirt and grime. Other than jumping into a lake, but she would rather be able to keep an eye on Three.

To make sure she's still there, of course. One kept watching as the red number sparked multiple conversations with what appeared to be ease. Occasionally, she would look back, and they would stare at each other for a moment, before someone dragged her attention away. She was noticed, even in the rain. Even from a distance, her friend would look back, as if she cared.

One sat back down under her lonely tree, churning the thought around in her mind. Again was the creeping warmth that bubbles just under her face. Maybe the more they hang out, the less it would occur? Or will it get worse? It's not an uncomfortable feeling, per say. With a small sigh, she dedicates herself to watching the rain.

She heard someone shout? Scream? No, call out her name. Blinking, she notices Three, having walked through the downpour.

"Hey One! Thought you would like some company." Three started as she sat down "I mean, who wouldn't? And honestly it was starting to get crowded under there."

"I thought you liked their company just fine."

"Well, after Four asked me where I was last night, it kept getting awkward."

"That's what he was asking about?"

"Yep," she threaded her fingers through the grass for a moment. "Turns out turning up missing in the middle of the night is 'suspicious'."

Pulling her legs close to herself, she asked "did you tell them?"

"Only a half-truth. It would be unfair of me to tell Four without you." She said as she nudged One with an elbow.

A small smile found its way to her face "thanks, Three. It means a lot to me."

"Of course! You were the one who found the meteor first. I just can't take the credit for myself, that would be selfish of me."

"But, what did you tell them?" One asked, leaning closer to the other number.

"I simply told them I went to grab something from the Equation Playground." Shuddering, she added "it was not an easy thing to do, to lie blatantly in their faces like that."

"It is our secret after all," she lightly whispered.

Giggling, Three only waved it off "you can trust me to keep the secret. We're a duo, after all!"

A duo. Together. Friends. It's their secret and their secret alone. That alone stirred sleeping bugs from their burrows in One's body. Her smile grew bigger "yeah! A duo!"

They began to share small jokes together, laughing before every punchline. When the rain grew more intense and lightning began to strike, they only huddled a bit closer not only to the tree, but also each other. One might just go mad from how close they were, she wanted to scream and bury herself in the mud to quell the buzzing in her nerves.

It only ended when the rain stopped and the sun came back out. Three waved as she went back to the others, agreeing to meet back at the meteor when the sun set. As Three made her way to the others, One only thought about the words shared. A secret, kept between the both of them.

She does her best not to think about how her pulse raced, how she wanted to stay longer next to the other. It must be the feeling of friendship, right? Friends always want to stick together. Yeah, that's it. But why does the term feel wrong?

Must be nothing. She should maybe head there now, as it appears that Three would be more busy helping than usual. Case in point, Nine's skateboard broke yet again. Nobody would notice if she just.. vanished. Yeah, nobody would.

So, One began her journey to the mountain, moving along a mentally-carved path through the forest. Nature itself appeared to be breathing, beating with pulses of noise and life, it's starting to make her feel sick. It serves as a reminder that she's alone once more. Every reminder makes her sick to a point she could only wallow in her thoughts. Not like anybody else would care.

Even black holes have something that makes them stand out. Before the meteor, she had nothing to make her stand out. It was thanks to the meteor that she now has a friend, no matter the limited conversations. But why does she feel like this?

She looked up at the clear sky, wondering. No real friends, no family, nobody to safely rely on, nobody to lean against for comfort. No person to ask for help. The thoughts made her feel smaller, more vulnerable. Her eyes stung, and One tried to keep herself from crying in the middle of nowhere.

"Ah, what would be the use of crying when no one is around to hear me?" She whispered to herself.

She stopped midway across the lake, standing on a lily pad and staring at her reflection. Who would even look at her? Who would stare and say 'you're pretty' instead of nothing at all? Who would spare a glance? A small glimmer of hope in the form of a memory struck through these thoughts.

That's right, Three. She's her best friend in the entire world, the one who would care. The number who can do anything, even without power. She has someone to rely on now. The thought sparked alive a warmth within her, the same warmth they shared during the storm. Her insides felt fluttery this time, causing One to smile to herself.

Maybe she could surprise Three for being there. But with what? Maybe she could use the remainder of the day looking for it. Closing her eyes, One could feel, almost see the entire forest and swamp, including the base of the mountain. Tapping into the swirling power within her, she was able to teleport herself around. Using this as a more effective way to search, she began teleporting everywhere.

What finally got her attention was a bed of flowers in a clearing. Kneeling down, One noticed how the flower's petals are triangular, shaped like roses. How come they don't grow as a bush, then? As the petals grew further from the center, from yellow they become a vibrant red. She never heard of this flower, nor have seen anything like it.

Carefully, she tapped into her power to reach out and pluck a flower from the ground, neatly severing the stem from the dirt. The flower is beautiful. She held it close, taking in every detail, in its perfection and every hidden flaw. This could work as a gift, to let Three know she loves-- appreciates her friendship.

She held the flower close to her body as she watched the sun set, shivering a little as cold mountain air blew past her. No cold wind could ever freeze her alive, the metaphorical flame in her pulse wouldn't allow it. She'll wait patiently for Three, no matter how long it takes.

A little after the sun sunk under the horizon, One spotted her friend near the base of the mountain, pulse jumping at the mere speck of her red hue from her spot at the edge of the cliff. She's finally here! She swung her legs back and forth while she watched Three climb up.

One immediately teleported to her side once she just reached their area, leaning against her as a friendly greeting. "Three! You're here!"

Returning the hug, she hides something behind her back "of course, One! I couldn't forget you, even after a busy day." Noticing the flower, Three smiled knowingly "were you planning to give this to someone?"

"Oh! Yep!" She stepped back and held the flower in front of the other number "it's for you! I thought it would be nice to give you something, since you, well, er, ..stuck around." She mumbled the last part nearly to herself. Why is this so difficult? "I, I thought you'd like it, you know.."

Three stared back at her for a moment, almost stunned. Did she do something wrong? Did she not like flowers? One swore she heard her gush about some language about flowers or their colors. Maybe she shouldn't have brought it..

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the red integer took the flower and hugged her tightly. "Awh, thanks One! I like it a lot!"

One could barely think, warmth spreading across her face like steam as she leaned against the other. She will not tell another soul how much she loved it, contact with another person. She hums into Three's shoulder, "no problem.."

When the red number let go of the hug, One was momentarily upset at the subtraction of warmth until she then took out what looked like a take-out box. "We went to a bakery this afternoon, so I thought you'd like some pi pie!"

"You shouldn't have!" She exclaimed, surprised at even the notion that the other number thought about her enough to take some pie to-go "thank you, thank you!"

She only waved it off with a shrug "oh, it's nothing, it felt a little emptier without you around."

Taking the box, she opened it to the scent of strawberries and jam, paying no mind to what Three just said, mouth watering. "It smells so good!" Looking back at her, One then adds "would you like some?"

"Huh?" Seeming surprised, she only slightly nodded "I mean, yes. I don't think I have eaten that many goods either."

Together they shared the pie at the cliff, cutting the pie into neat even slices with their power (Three forgot the utensils) and chatting. One listened as the other number recounts how Six started a food fight in the middle of the bakery and nearly everyone got kicked out. They laughed to each other at how dumb the entire situation was.

The moment will forever linger in her mind, One thinks. She would love to simply talk throughout the night, sharing each other's warmth on top of a mountain. It's only when the pie has been eaten did either of them consider going back to the grasslands, before they get their secret exposed.

Chapter Text

"This should be the spot," Eight called out, putting down supplies commonly used for fishing.

Taking a small look around, appears to be a bay-like spot, and everyone is gathered up on one of the cliffs. Why it took literal days to get here is a story for another time, and One is exhausted. The long grass all around makes it easy to get lost, and even easier to not get noticed, she quickly realizes.

While everyone else gets busy flattening the grass, she went off to explore, not forgetting to grab one of the fishing rods that were tossed together in a pile. It took more than a second to get the lines untangled, and it nearly got her caught using her powers. Oops. Taking some bait as well, One scurries off until she was under the cliff, a clear area to not get spot while also participating!

Having gotten a better control of the power and after observing Eight do this for the months long they were fixated on this hobby, it was really easy to hook on the bait. After tossing it out on the water, she was left to think alone for a while. Nobody would really notice her either way, but this spot is only a precaution.

The only reason why the secret lasted longer than precedented was a small promise Three made that eventually One will get recognized and receive the attention she so desperately wanted, and it was the small spark of hope that kept it alive. Why it stirred such a motion within her is a mystery, but she's willing to put her trust in her friend.

The line tugged, and she immediately began to reel in whatever caused that. It put up a very good fight, nearly tearing the rod from the notably not very strong grip her power has on it. Once it was on the sand, it was only a tiny fish. Copying what Eight mostly did, she unhooks the fish and tosses it back into the water.

How in math it was able to be that strong, One will never find out. It was so tiny. How can something so small cause that much of a tug? Sitting down, she watched as other lines were casted down from above long after. Someone's line got crossed with another's and it had to get sorted out.

The funny part? It happened again, and then yet again. It happened a total six times before one of them gave up and never casted again. That was one of the more eventful events other than watching someone finally hook a fish, but lost it halfway up, and Nine being a show-off by reeling in a huge fish. She could easily tell from the yelling above.

Math, she could really go for a pi pie right now. The taste still lingers in her memory, as well as the certain red number that had been infesting her sleeping hours. That bakery always had the best pies, such a shame she missed out. Then again, she wouldn't want a bagel thrown her way.

Standing back up, One picks up the bait and rod as she made her way back up. Putting it back in their respective piles, she walked back down to look for sea shells. Who knows, she might make a sandcastle too. Right now the weather is much nicer than before. Instead of overcast, it's only slightly cloudy.

Putting each shell in a pile, she was nearly about to toss another over before she noticed the others approaching the beach too. So much for having peace. Eight seemed to have stayed behind to continue fishing for a while longer.

"Hey, One!" Three calls out as she approached "what's with the pile there?"

Her pulse jumped, and she was left scrambling for words "oh- hey Three! I've, I'm just collecting sea shells. Maybe I would make a sand castle."

"Can I help? Despite what I thought earlier, I don't actually like fishing all that much."

"Sure!" One was going to go off to collect more shells until she looked back at the red number's face. Math, it looked more pretty than before. "Wait, your eye..?"

"Oh, this?" She pointed to her un-bandaged eye. "Yeah, it healed."

Remaining as cool as she possibly could without going haywire and drowning herself in the bay, she began to move towards the water to look for more shells. "I'll go get more shells, maybe you could.."

"Build the sand castle? Of course!" She giggles, already starting to push sand together to start on the base.

Resisting the strong urge to continue staring, she continued to find small shells. Horns, conches, sometimes even sand dollars. Dragging what she found, One considers this enough for the castle. Sitting back down, she watches Three slowly bring the vision of the castle together.

This attracted attention, however. Seven woke up from his spot in the sun, Six climbed out of the giant hole in the sand they made with Ten, Four and X approached from playing in the water, and Nine returned from surfing. Even Eight stopped fishing to see what was going on.

As the others gathered around to also build sand castles of their own, Three scootched a bit closer the more their original castle gets crowded. One felt like she was going to scream. Her friend was so close they could almost touch, the thought alone stirred internal currents of emotion.

Eventually, the day finally ended and everyone else went to bed. Everyone but One and Three. From their spot on top of the cliff, they at first sat together in the grass. Then, Three noticed fireflies in the distance, and encouraged One to follow her lead. As the duo walked together, the disturbance in the tall grass caused more fireflies to fly up into the sky with their glow.

"Watch this," the red number whispered, gathering power between her hands before pressing it down into a small shockwave that radiated out, causing all fireflies in the area to fly upward.

"Woah.."

"I know, right? I've been itching to show you this for DAYS." She grabbed One's sides and shook her a little, smiling.

The warmth from her hands spread throughout her body, and One couldn't do anything else but stare in awe. Her smile, the warmth in her gaze, everything she does is so.. awesome. Everything about her, from the way she talks to how she thinks, is beautiful. Who could not stare? Who would forget her?

"One?" The warmth fades as Three's hands left her body "are you alright?"

Startled out of her daze, she nods, warmth spreading across her face. "Mhm.. Yeah I'm fine."

She breathes a sigh of relief "whew! I thought I broke you there." She laughs a bit at her own joke, somehow not noticing how One feels like she would explode.

Dear Math, she might just die and still feel good. How could she ever have a friend like her? Laughing a bit as well, she adds "maybe you will one day, who knows?"

Using the power inside, One grabs Three's hand, gently tugging her towards the beach. With little to no resistance, she followed. Even when taking the lead, she couldn't stop herself from glancing back to admire her friend's cheerful, although confused smile.

Finally letting go of her hand, she sat down on the sand. The waves from the ocean beyond the bay crashed onto the shore, the sound easing her nerves. "Thanks for showing me that, Three. It was amazing."

"Of course, as a friend, I will not hesitate to show you cool things."

For some reason, the way she said 'friend' felt off. As if something was missing. Must be something like 'best friend' then. "I'd love to see what you find. Giant tree, glowing bugs? You can't leave me out of it."

"What would I ever do without you around?"

The idea in of itself was crazy, but with Three saying it? One might just kis- hug her. That was weird. The point was, she is no longer alone. They're a duo, with this secret between them that is shared with nobody else. Just between the both of them. Together.

This feeling might just get to her. She wants to do something, anything, get closer, tell her something. But she remained still, watching Three tell a joke and laugh. Something about it made her entire body feel like cotton, a soft weight settling on her. She could barely even begin to push past the solid mental wall that slows her down.

"Hello? One? You're staring again," she waved her hand in front of One's face, trying to grab her attention.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't know!" She said in a panic, realizing she was staring yet again.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! It's a little concerning, that's all. Are you sure you're doing okay?"

Three was asking her if she was okay? "I'm sure! It's just that, well, uhm, that I can't, augh, cmon!" She's becoming more irritated at herself for slipping up so much.

"It's okay, One!" Three assures her, placing a hand on the blue number's side "everybody slips up from time to time!"

Her pulse jumps again, warmth flooding her face. She looks down at the sand, a bit embarrassed "mhm.. I'm not used to having someone notice me."

"Awh. I'm sorry we didn't notice you sooner!" Reaching over, she hugged her tightly.

It was everything, being in the red number's arms, to feel the warmth flooding into her body. To be able to feel the other's pulse beating strong, a constant rhythm in comparison to her own racing pulse. She could stay in her embrace forever.

She wants to do something, but she doesn't know what. She wants so badly to nuzzle into Three's side, taking in her smell and never forget it. She wants to stay as close to her as she could without seeming weird. The last thing she wants is to watch her go. If she ever followed through with these wants, this could very much happen..

Oh, she's crying. One is crying.

"Shh, it's okay." She whispers, running her fingers through the other algebralien's short fur.

It rarely occurs to her that everyone else also has fur, due to how short it is, the thought alone made her want to cry even more. "I just, it's, it's been so long," she sobs, curling up against Three.

"You never had experienced hugs before me?" She asked in genuine concern, hugging her tighter "that's terrifying."

One could only nod, slowly beginning to calm down. "Mhm.."

Three momentarily gasped "hey, One. Look!"

Following the red integer's gaze, she noticed how the waves glowed a calm blue every time they crashed onto the sand. "Woah.."

They remained in each other's embrace for a long while, watching the waves' unique glow, sharing each other's warmth against the cold air. But eventually they had to get up and properly rest. On the way back, Three stopped.

"I think I see the others, and they're sleeping in a pile again." She whispers.

Indeed the others were practically sleeping together in a pile as a way to defend against the wind chill that settled in with the night. "You guys usually do this, right?"

She nods "yeah. You don't?"

"No, I just sleep alone."

"How about we stick together tonight? I'm not going to disturb anyone else trying to keep warm."

An invitation? To rest together? Side by side? "That sounds nice."

Worn out from her crying, One leaned against Three as they lay together, close to the others. As she drifted off to sleep, she could smile and think to herself, how lucky she is to have a friend like Three.