Work Text:
My birthday has never been a big deal. It’s never really been a deal at all. Sure, I got the cursory “Congratulations on surviving another year! Have an extra meal bar on us!” from my benevolent employer, but that’s it. I’m fairly certain it isn’t even my actual birthday. My parents had better things to focus on in the mines than me so we left that box blank on my application. I was honestly surprised when it auto-filled to my employment anniversary.
Regardless, it was my first free birthday. I moved through my day smiling at my coworkers and eating their free pastries and waiting on 3 feed messages.
I understood. My SecUnits had their own lives. 02 spent most of its time on the planet at FirstLander pursuing its engineering research. 01 and 03 were off dismantling corporations or exploring planets or something similarly official and dangerous.
It was okay if they didn’t have time for me. They weren’t mine anymore.
It didn’t matter that I had their manufacture dates blocked off in my calendar or that my last automated corporate birthday message, which a certain someone with high level access to my personal correspondence had personalized entirely, was one of the few files that came with me when we left. It was fine. I was fine.
So at the end of the night, I settled into my big, empty couch with a tub of ice cream and an episode or four of an old serial that I definitely didn’t plan on crying into.
Just when the opening credits began and my ice cream was just melted enough to get my spoon in without bending it in half, the door to my apartment slid open.
I was entirely unsurprised since I had spent most of my life surrounded by SecUnits with a masterkey and a dubious understanding of privacy, so I just yelled, “I’m on a rest period. My working hours are posted,” over the couch.
Now imagine my surprise when 01, my 01, yelled back, “We know that, Handler. That’s why we’re here.”
I whipped around and sure enough, there was 01, 02, and 03 standing in my doorway with their crooked smiles and various uniforms. 01, who was the least tolerant of physical greetings, got to hold a small pastry box and a bouquet of wooden flowers.
“What are you doing here?” I tossed my ice cream on the coffee table and rushed to hug 03. “I thought you were all working.”
“It is your birthday.” 03 squeezed my shoulders. “ Aperture was happy to make a slight detour on our mission.”
“And Dr. Elhag knows that they do not control my actions.” 02 grinned at me.
“Universe, I thought you forgot.” I laughed into 03’s chest before stepping back to hug 02.
03 snorted. “When has 01 ever forgotten anything?”
“More importantly, when has 01 ever let us forget anything?” 02 joined.
01 made a rude gesture at them after depositing the pastry box on my dining room table.
“I apologize for worrying you.” 01 said. “It was my intention to surprise you.”
“Well, you succeeded.” I wiped the corner of my eye.
“Come on, Handler.” 03 tugged me to the table. “We brought fire!”
“They are candles, 03.” 02 said patiently. “Ones that comply with local fire regulations.”
Unperturbed, 03 continued, “And a cake from Duke’s!”
I let them pull me over and light the candles and sing. Well, 02 and 03 sang, 01 stood behind them and looked vaguely bemused and embarrassed.
It was the best birthday I’d ever had.