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Operater 6O looked at the picture of the flower on her moniter and smiled, giggling to herself a little. The picture reminded her of the beauty of Earth, which she would never get to see in person, but it also reminded her of the android who was kind and thoughtful enough to have taken the picture for her.
“What's up with you, 6O?” asked the operator at the next work station over. “After that girl rejected you, I thought you said you would never smile again. Did she change her mind?”
“No,” siad 6O. “But I got over her. I've got a new crush now!”
“Excuse me, 6O.”
6O jumped and turned around to see combat unit 2B, along with her partner 9S, standing behind her desk. “Oh my gosh, 2B!” said 6O, feeling suddenly mortified. “You didn't hear any of that did you?”
“It's good to hear that you are feeling better so that you may once again operate at maximum efficiency.”
“I suppose!” 6O laughed nervously, somewhat releived that 2B didn't seem to get that 6O had been talking about her. “What brings you here today?”
“I'm on my way to see the director. I merely stopped by to say hello.”
“Awww, 2B! That's so sweet of you! You really do care about me.”
“Yes,” said 2B. “Well, hello.”
“Hello!” said 6O, giving a little wave.
“I will speak with you again later, at our next regularly-scheduled contact.” 2B turned to walk away. 9S gave a little shrug before following after her.
“She's kind of stiff, huh?” said 6O's neighbor after the combat androids had gone.
6O buried her head in her hands. “Oh my gosh! She's soooooo cool I can't stand it!”
“Um. . . okay, whatever you say,” said the neighbor.
#
“Operator 6O to 2B. Time for your regularly-scheduled contact.”
2B's face appeared on 6O's screen, along with some blurry images of vegetation in the background. “2B here.”
“How's your mission going?”
“Everything is going according to plan.”
“Oh,” said 6O. “That's good to hear.” 6O tapped her fingers on her desk.
“Was there something else you wished to say?” asked 2B.
6O gasped. “Um, not really! Why do you ask?”
2B responded. “Because you sounded nervous. Has there been an unexpected complication?”
“No, no, nothing like that. . .” 6O took a deep breath. “It's just. . . I like you, 2B!”
“I see,” said 2B.
“W-well?” said 6O. “Do you like me, too?”
“Your presence is important to me. I would have a diffucult time performing my duties without you.”
“That's not what I. . .” said 6O, sounding dejected. “Never mind. Closing this channel.”
#
6O walked along the corridor of the bunker, searching the name plates. “9S. . .” she muttered to herself. “9S. . . 9S. . . 9S! There it is!” She entered through the sliding door.
9S sat up from his bed with a start. “Ah! 6O! What are you doing here?”
“Shhh,” said 6O. “I heard that you and 2B were back on the station and I wanted to talk to you.”
“To me?” said 9S, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to sit in a more comfortable position. “But 2B is the one you have a crush on!”
6O squealed, covering her face with her hands. “Aaaaah, I can't believe you figured it out.”
“You told her over the com. I was there I could hear you.”
“I just wanted to ask you about how 2B feels! I'm so confused. I told her that I like her, but I'm not sure she understood what I meant, not really! Come one, 9S!” 6O grabbed 9S by the shoulders and started gently shaking him. “You know her better than anyone! You have to know how she feels!”
“I don't think anyone could know how 2B feels,” said 9S, shaking her off.
“But you've gotta know something! She's been acting so weird since I told her I liked her. . .”
“Well, she has been acting strange,” 9S admitted, absentmindedly scratching his cheek. “The other day, we were walking through the city when she suddenly stopped and stared at this bush. Then she said,” 9S began immitating 2B's smooth and monotone voice, “I don't understand why people become so attached to one another that they compromise operational efficiency.”
6O drooped at this news.
“But right after she said that she took a picture of this bush, which I noticed had these tiny flowers growing on it, and she kind of smiled a little bit, and then we went on our way.”
6O gasped. “She sent me a picture of that bush!”
“And then,” said 9S, “We were in the Machine Vill--” He coughed. “We were in the Resistance Camp and she went up to this random couple and asked how they had decided to be together and what the benefit of coupling was.”
“So maybe she's. . . thinking about it?” said 6O, feeling a glimmer of hope in her chest.
9S shrugged. “I don't know! You should just ask her.”
6O shook her head. “I can't! Not again! I still haven't recovered from my first attempt yet! I don't think I could stand any more ambiguous answers.”
“Then you'll just have to wait, I guess,” said 9S.
#
Over the next few weeks, 6O noticed that 2B began routinely calling her for their scheduled contacts instead of waiting for the call. But the calls played out as normal otherwise. And 2B sent her several more pictures of Earth foliage. But when they saw each other on the bunker, 2B still wouldn't say anything more then a simple “hello” before going back to her mission.
Eventually, 6O had had enough. She was determined to get some answers. So she put on a serious face and marched over to 2B's room on the bunker. 6O lost her nerve as soon as she saw 2B in her room, standing with such a nobel bearing, so self-assured and elegent.
“Yes, 6O?” said 2B, with a small smile.
6O deflated. No longer angry, but almost despairing, she said, “Do you want to go out with me or not?”
2B looked almost surprised.
“When I said I like you, I meant I like you romantically.” 6O had tears at the corners of her eyes. “I don't know if you understood that or not. I can make all these guesses, but I won't know how you feel unless you tell me directly.”
“I don't understand,” said 2B.
“I'm saying I love you!” said 6O, her face scrunched up in determination.
“No,” said 2B, stepping closer to 6O. “What I mean is that I thought we were already going out.”
“What?” said 6O, suddenly shocked out of all display of emotion.
“You told me you liked me and I also expressed affection towards you,” said 2B. “Is that not dating? Since then I have attempted to increase my level of communication towards you and also send you more gifts.”
“Oh, 2B,” said 6O putting her hands to her chest. 6O looked back on these last few weeks, viewing 2B's actions through this new lense, and she suddenly wanted to cry for entirely different reasons. “2B I'm so happy. But 2B you have to tell me more directly how you feel! It's hard to understand you sometimes.”
“I'm sorry,” said 2B, stepping even closer to 6O, reaching out her hand to lightly brush 6O's upper arm. “I'm not very good at expressing my emotions verbally,” said 2B. “I'm a woman of action. Let me show you how I feel through my actions.”
2B slowly lifted the mask that covered 6O's mouth and kissed her softly, her hand now resting on 6O's hip. 6O closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, deepning it, lifting her arms to lay them across 2B's shoulders.
“Oh, 2B,” said 6O, dreamily, when they broke the kiss.
“At first I was not sure about entering a relationship with you,” said 2B. “It seemed to me that others who are in love seem to act irrationally, and I was worried that our relationship would negatively impact my performance as a YorHa agent. However, after examinging my feelings I have come to the conclusion that losing contact with you would do even greater damage to my job performance. Your absence would significantly damage my emotional wellbeing. I'm sorry, that's not very romantic. I've been studying the sorts of things people should say in a relationship. I will attempt to rephrase: I love you and I can't imagine life without you.”
“Oh, 2B,” said 6O again. She had to take a moment to calm down before she could speak again. “2B, I don't want you to have to force yourself too much. I want to get better at listening to you, so that I can understand what you mean even when you don't say much at all.”
2B nodded. “Yes, if we both make adjustments to our behavior I believe this will go more smoothly over all. 6O, you light a fire in me.”
#
“No way,” said one of the operators who had gathered around 6O's desk to listen to her story. “'You light a fire in me?' Seriously? There's no way 2B said that! That's way too cheesy!”
“It's true!” said 6O. “And then we sat next to each other on the bed, just holding hands and talking for hours. And she told her that all the flowers on Earth remind her of me because I'm so beautiful and delicate just like them!”
“Yeah, right,” said another skeptical operator. “That doesn't sound like 2B at all!”
“Yeah,” said the first skeptic. “And 'woman of action?' There's no way 2B would ever talk like that!”
6O crossed her arms with a frustrated hmph.
Just then, 2B approached. “Hello, 6O.”
“2B!” said 6O, jumping up to her feet. “What are you doing here!”
“I'm here to sweep you off your feet,” said 2B, in her usual monotone.
The other operators all looked at each other in shock.
“You're such a sweet talker,” said 6O, taking 2B's arm and walking away with her. “You know, just when I think I'm the happiest I've ever been, you find a way to make me happier?”
2B smiled faintly. “I'm always happy to serve, my princess.”
9S, who was following behind 2B as always, groaned. “Can I die yet?” he asked.