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6O doesn’t know if androids can dream or not and no one she asks seems to have an opinion. No one has an opinion about anything, frustratingly enough. Whenever 6O leans over to her deskmate to ask a question like, “Do you like the ocean or the desert more?” she gets scolded for engaging in frivolous conduct. Conversation isn’t frivolous! Without talking how do you know what someone else is feeling? How do you know what you’re feeling and if you’re feeling anything at all?
There might be something wrong with 6O. YoHRa operatives are supposed to be cold, callaous, the model of what an android should be. Everything that 6O is not. She is warm, bubbly, talkative, and she wears her nonexistent heart on her sleeve. Forget dreams, androids aren’t supposed to feel things yet she swears she feels everything so awfully hard that it makes her circuits spark and whir. Is that an adept metaphor for blood? She isn’t one for fancy words like that, she prefers plain and simple, as long as that plain and simple isn’t devoid of feeling.
Then again, 2B’s words are plain and simple but jus as cold yet they make her melt. Not physically, she isn’t that defective. 2B this, 2B that, everyone around her is probably sick of how often she interrupts their work with talk of 2B. It isn’t 6O’s fault! 2B is just so cool, charming, and passionate in her own deep burning way. YoHRa androids can’t be in love, it would conflict with their mission to protect humanity from destruction, but somehow 6O has managed it. She is completely, utterly, foolishly in love with 2B.
She doesn’t know how it happened. 6O has always been prone to falling into love with other operators. The commander told her it wasn’t really love but a simulation of it programmed into her personality. 6O doesn’t like to think about how her entire being is just code so she won’t. Instead, she’ll think about how 2B is the first non operator unit she’s fallen for. The unprofessionality of it embarrsses 6O but she can’t stop herself from thinking about 2B’s cold, melodious voice. All she does these days is think about 2B and her stupid, beauitful voice.
Which circles back around to the dreams. 6O swears she’s been dreaming about 2B, that’s how bad she has it. Ever since 2B sent her the picture of the desert rose, 6O has been lost in her feelings for 2B, lost in dreams she shouldn’t be able to have. Every rest period when she shuts down she’s greeted with an expanse of flowers known as a meadow. There are all sorts of flowers in this meadow, flowers of different colors and sizes. It’s an impossible meadow, desert roses without a desert, flowers from all around the world growing together in harmony.
She thinks, “Oh, this is Earth,” and walks further into the meadow. 2B is always waiting for her because why wouldn’t she be? She walks towards 6O, flower in hand. They get close to each other, too close, not close enough. 2B puts the flower, a desert rose, in 6O’s hair. She tucks it behind 6O’s ear and her hand travels from ear to cheek. They stand there in the middle of a sea of flowers and look at each other, no masks, no blindfolds, just their eyes meeting in silence.
6O always wakes up before their lips meet.
She doesn’t know if she’s malfunctioning and if she is she isn’t about to tell the commander about it. It’s irresponsible, she knows, but she doesn’t want to lose the time she has with 2B in her dreams. They’re little motivators for everything she wants to achieve.
Surely someday, she will be surrounded by flowers. Someday surely she will be with 2B.
6O jolts back into attention. She shouldn’t drift off like that, especially in the middle of such an important mission. If they succeed the war might finally end. Humans will be able to return to Earth and 6O will join them down there. Something is really wrong with 6O if she’s able to loose focus during something so high tension, something so important. She looks down at her display. Nothing out of the ordinary. The units 6O is assigned to are all giving it their all. Her eyes wander to 2B’s section of her controls. 6O has to stop thinking about 2B constantly, it isn’t ever going to happen. 2B would never be interested in someone as vapid and obnoxious as 6O, if she was interested in anyone at all. Asking her out would be stupid, it’s not like they could do anything with 2B busy all the time. Then again, if the mission goes as planned the war will be over; they’ll both have nothing but free time. It’s decided! After it’s all over 6O is going to ask 2B out.
She throws herself back into her part of the mission, which is just monitoring the situation but hey it’s important! Things are going oddly well. It must be because 2b and 9S took out the two server units. 6O’s fingers type quickly across her keyboard when something catches the corner of her eye.
It couldn’t be.
Quietly excusing herself, 6O gets out of her chair to walk to the door. Of course, it’s gone… but the door opens and there it is again. A flower growing on the cold, hard floor of the Bunker. It’s impossible, yet here it is. Her head hurts as she stoops down to pick it. Unsurprisingly, it disappears as her hand reaches through it. A glance forward reveals a path of flowers of all kinds. This is unreal, this isn’t happening 6O thinks she as she follows the flowers around the circle of the bunker. Each loops fills the hall with more and more flowers until the entire Bunker is covered in them.
This has to be a dream. 6O’s chest hurts, it hurts so badly. Her desolate world is so colorful, so beautiful. Is she finally at someday? Her head is splitting open in pain as she walks through her meadow. If only 2B was here she thinks and her wish is granted like magic.
6O turns to see 2B walks towards her a flower in hand. A long, sharp flower to pin in 6O’s aching head or perhaps through her aching chest.
“2B, you’ve come,” 6O’s voice doesn’t sound like it should.
“Yeah,” 2b says with the most emotion 6O has ever heard in her voice. To think she could make 2b feel something like that! The thought makes her so, so happy.
“2B!” 6O runs towards 2B with her arms wide open. The flowers are so beautiful, 2B is so beautiful. This is what it’s like to be on Earth, it has to be what it’s like to be on Earth. What a wonderful feeling, what a perfect feeling, what a wonderful feeling feeling feeling.
2B’s flower pierces 6O’s chest before she is able to wrap her arms around the other android. It feels so badgoodbadgood. 2B is so wonderful.
“2B,” 6O feels something drip from her mouth, “Will you go. Will you go. Out with. Out with. Will you?” The words aren’t coming out right and all the flowers are turning red. Why are all the flowers turning red?
6O doesn’t hear 2B’s answer over a horrible whirring sound in her head. The flower is pulled out of her chest which leaves her staggering to the ground. Oh, she’s getting the flowers all red. Her fault, it’s her fault. Did 2B say yes? Her vision is blurring and the flowers are wilting.
Someday, 6O wants to visit Earth. She’ll see all the flowers from her dream meadow, all with 2B of course! They’ll pick flowers and it hurts it hurts it hurts. 2B will — where are you going 2B? Why are you crying 2B? 6O can see the tears dripping down her chin from the ground. They’ll pick flowers and hold each other’s hands tight. After this battle 6O will ask 2B to pick flowers with her. 2B don’t go. 2B do you want to pick flowers with me? Surely someday they’ll pick flowers together on Earth.
Surely someday surely someday surely someday surely someday surely surely surely surely.