Team8s and Counting

167. Ready?...or not

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains a depiction of intense anxiety, reader discretion is advised.

Saw and Gaty were alone in their room, chatting away. Bladey was outside playing with Coiny, Needle, and the other kids, Pin was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, and Barf Bag and Donut had yet to return from work.

The couple looked outside the window at the children, laughing, playing, and just having a good time. They were grateful that while Bladey was still an only child, there was no lack of people that would make sure she had a smile on her face.

"I'm so grateful for everyone." Saw said, "I was a little bit skeptical of this whole living situation at first...but it's times like these that remind me that we definitely made the right decision."

Gaty nodded, agreeing with Saw's statement. "The show, Team8s...it's like it was all meant to happen. Now we're here, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Saw looked at Gaty with a genuine smile. "So, Gaty...when do you think we're going to show Bladey BFDI?"

Gaty's expression faltered at the mention of BFDI. Her eyes darted to the window where Bladey was running around with the other kids, carefree and happy. She hesitated, fidgeting her legs in her lap.

"Ugh, I don't know Saw." Gaty said, not wanting to think about it. "I mean...the show was quite the adventure. Sure, she'll get to know how this group came to be, but...especially with the throuple, you know...they didn't exactly get off to the best start when the show first started."

Saw leaned her head back. "Well, we're gonna have to show her eventually. It's such a big part of our lives, Gaty."

"I know." Gaty took another look at her daughter out the window, running around carefree with her cousins, aunt, and uncle. "I just don't want her to see us any differently because of it, you know."

Saw placed a comforting hand on Gaty's knee, her voice gentle. "You and I have both said it a million times: Bladey is a smart kid, and she still surprises me with just how bright she is."

Gaty sighed. "BFDI is a lot, even for a kid like Bladey. All the crazy drama, it wasn't just a game, Saw. It was our lives for so long. And some of the stuff that happened—well, it wasn't exactly what I'd call suitable for the whole family."

Saw nodded, her thumb brushing lightly against Gaty's knee in a calming gesture. "You're right. It was intense. But it was also a part of what made us who we are. It brought us all together, even through the messy parts. And Bladey...she deserves to know the full story someday."

Gaty gave a small, reluctant smile. "You're always so positive, Saw."

Saw and Gaty hadn't been paying attention to just how loud they were talking, knowing that most of the house was outside playing. However, Pin, who was still in the kitchen cleaning up, heard everything the two said.

"Are they nuts?" Pin thought to herself. The idea of showing BFDI to her own kids was something that was buried in the back of her brain, and she had the idea that clips of the show wouldn't hit their eyes for a long time. But she knew one thing: the kids were only going to get older, and the day that they would witness the show that influenced so much of their lives would only grow closer.

Pin tried not to think about it anymore, but the thought refused to go away. It's just a thought Pin said to herself, It's just a thought. But what if that thought would be a thought no more. What if one day, one of the kids watched the show, seeing her in her earliest form, so bossy and selfish? What if they watched her in BFDIA, as she got her limbs plucked off, lost her face, and was shrunken down to a minuscule size, until she was just merely...an object?