Work Text:
It was a quiet day on the planet Norma, the soft hum of the workshop filling the air as the sun hung low in the sky. Hermit Mio sat silently at her usual station, typing programming data into a holographic terminal, her eyes occasionally drifting over to Weisz Steiner, her boyfriend, who was busy tinkering with the final pieces of their latest project. However, today wasn’t just any day. It was the birthday of the blue-haired android. But Weisz hadn’t mentioned a word about it.
"It really has been a nice day today," the blonde said, throwing her a light smile. "I thought taking a break from work would be good for us, and it was."
The girl nodded, a sweet smile on her face. "It... is nice to get some fresh air, yes." She didn’t say much more, her mind elsewhere.
They had spent the day together, as they often did. They visited the bustling market square of Norma, strolled through lively streets buying things they needed for the house, and had lunch at their favorite food stand. The blonde had been his usual stoic self, teasing her from time to time as he always did, but there had been no signs, no hints that he remembered the significance of the day.
It wasn’t that he’d forgotten in the past—worse. He’d remembered but had always treated it casually, never offering more than an offhand "Oh, happy birthday," as if it were just another day.
The rest of the Edens Zero crew always took these kinds of events seriously, especially Shiki, who wanted EVERYONE on the ship to have their special day. In fact, that morning, the rest of the crew had filled her inbox with birthday wishes, even though they’d all been off doing their own things around the cosmos for over a year now.
Not only them, but Irma, Weisz's mother, Sibir, and other friends from Weisz's old group on Norma had also remembered, even if it was just with a message.
Everyone had remembered.
Everyone except him.
This year, Hermit had hoped things would be different. Over time, she had grown very attached to the blonde, more than she cared to admit to herself. She loved him, and now they were a couple living together.
Yes, with Weisz’s mother, Irma, but still together.
And even though Hermit was happy with how things were going between them, there was a small part of her that wished for something special today. Something just for her.
In recent years, the blonde had instilled a few insecurities in her, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself. Many of his decisions and comments had been questionable, but despite his efforts, she was still afraid everything might go back to how it was before. And as much as she tried to drown out that fear, it wasn’t entirely unfounded. In fact, it had been all too real not long ago.
As the suns set, and it was now full night, they returned home from their walk, which seemed unusually quiet as they passed through the front door. Irma wasn’t there, likely visiting friends, leaving the two alone. She often did this to give them a bit of privacy.
However, there wasn’t really any desire to be alone, at least not from Hermit’s side.
"I’m going to work on the engine updates," the blue-haired girl said softly, her voice firm despite the disappointment she was trying to bury. It had been a nice day, but everything felt so... sad.
Weisz barely looked up from his tools. "Alright, I’ll finish up here and join you," he replied with his usual smirk. It made her chest tighten, but she returned the smile anyway.
In the dim light of the makeshift workshop, Hermit sat at her workbench, surrounded by gears, wires, and half-finished machines. She stared at the terminal for a long moment before typing something, her fingers trembling slightly as a tear slid down her cheek. She didn’t quite know why she was crying—it was just another birthday, after all. Why had she hoped it would be different this time?
But it hurt. Just a little.
Okay, maybe more than a little.
Okay, maybe a lot, considering the only person from whom Hermit really wanted affection or even just a "Happy Birthday" that day was Weisz.
You know, her boyfriend.
The one who had confessed to her by saying, "I don’t care if you’re human or android. It’s because it’s you," making her heart leap right out of her chest and up through her throat.
She turned on her stool, staring at one of the projects they had worked on together, which still lay on the floor among other junk.
Yes, she needed to fix it, but right now, her heart wasn’t in it as usual. It was shattered.
A tear slipped down her cheek, which was decorated with electronic lines, and she quickly wiped it away, frustrated with herself for feeling this way.
It wasn’t like Weisz wanted to forget.
He was just like that.
And besides, she was a robot.
Did she really need to celebrate a birthday?
In Müller’s labs, no one certainly brought her cake or sang her happy birthday.
Maybe Shiki was just over the top about celebrating even the birthdays of the Shining Stars.
Maybe she had no right to be upset.
But it still hurt.
Too much.
The sound of the garage door opening behind her made her stiffen, pulling her from her thoughts. Quickly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she felt almost trapped.
"Hermit?" Weisz called, his voice softer than usual. When she turned, she froze.
Standing at the entrance was Weisz, holding an enormous bouquet of vibrant, colorful flowers that looked freshly picked. In the other hand, he held a small, beautifully decorated cake and gift bags. His expression was different.
He almost looked… sorry.
"You thought I forgot, didn’t you?" he asked, stepping into the garage and gently placing the flowers, the cake, and the bags on the workbench next to her. His voice lacked its usual cocky tone. Instead, it was low, almost apologetic.
Hermit blinked, her mind swirling. "I—"
Weisz raised a hand to stop her, sitting down next to her with a sigh. "I know I’ve been an idiot about your birthday... or in general…"
At least he admitted it—a step forward for him.
"It’s just... I don’t know, I’m not good at these things. But I’m trying to make up for it. For how I’ve treated you, over the three years before Universe 0, and... everything else..." His gaze softened as he looked at her, with a warmth in his eyes that she had never seen before.
The android felt her throat tighten, her heart beating faster. "You... you didn’t forget?"
The blonde smiled, shaking his head. "No. I just wanted to surprise you. I planned the whole day." He gestured toward the flowers, the bags, and the cake. "I ordered all this stuff, and I asked Mom to pick it up so you wouldn’t notice. I snuck it all right under your nose."
With those words, he handed her the flowers first, bright and fragrant, their colors standing out against the dim light of the garage. "These are for you."
Hermit hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take them, her fingers trembling. "Weisz…"
"And these," he continued, handing her the bags, "are little things I thought you might like."
Hermit carefully unwrapped the bags, revealing a beautiful jewelry set, a pair of shoes, and a perfectly tailored dress—soft and elegant, in her exact size.
Weisz? Giving her this stuff?
The same Weisz who, as a brat, had even despised her at one point? Or the Weisz who couldn’t see a girl—perhaps even more voluptuous than her—without undressing her with his eyes and, sometimes, not just with his eyes?
Either Hermit had hit her head hard and didn’t remember, or Weisz was atoning for all seven deadly sins.
It seemed impossible, everything she was experiencing.
She blinked, overwhelmed by the gesture, and once again felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. But this time, they weren’t tears of sadness. Hermit looked up at Weisz, her eyes glistening but still wide open. "This is... for me?"
"Yes," the guy rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly a little embarrassed. "I know we don’t do fancy things often, but I thought maybe… we could go somewhere special sometime. You, me… no distractions. And I didn’t want you to not have something nice for yourself."
Okay, he was atoning for the capital sins that didn’t even exist. Clearly.
"And…" Weisz lifted one last thing: a cake, decorated with shiny frosting, chocolate, fruit, and the words: "Happy Birthday, Hermit." "I thought we could have this too. I know it’s late, but I thought we could still celebrate."
Hermit stood up, her heart pounding harder in her chest. "You really didn’t forget?" she asked again, her voice soft, almost fragile.
Even Weisz could understand that she couldn’t believe it. That it all seemed so surreal to her.
"Hermit, you deserve more than just a casual ‘happy birthday.’ I wanted to do something really special this time."
Tears filled the blue-haired girl’s eyes again, but this time, for a different reason. She looked at the bouquet of flowers, the cake, and then back at him. "I… I don’t know what to say…"
"You don't have to say anything." Weisz extended a hand, gently taking hers. "Just… enjoy the moment, okay?"
Hermit stared at their hands for a moment, then squeezed his, a slight smile forming on her lips. She could feel the sincerity in his words and the weight of the gesture he was making. It was more than she had ever expected, and it made her heart swell, a heart that had once been in pieces.
"Thank you, Weisz," she whispered, her voice trembling but full of warmth. "This means more than you can imagine."
Weisz smiled, relaxing a little with his usual cocky attitude. "Well, don’t get used to seeing me this sweet. I have a certain reputation to maintain, you know."
Hermit laughed, a small, joyful sound that echoed in the garage. "You could be sweeter to me, don’t you think?"
"Uh..."
"Today, you made me think you were still the same jerk."
"Okay, yeah, maybe only with you."
As they sat together in the fading light, surrounded by flowers and the hum of the workshop, the day no longer seemed so bad. For the first time, Hermit felt like she had the birthday she had always wanted.
And maybe, just maybe, she had gotten something more.
____
"By the way, making your girlfriend think you forgot her day is a really stupid move."
"You think?"
"Uh-huh," Hermit nodded as she finished straightening her hair with the flat iron in front of the mirror and small table she had set up in Weisz's room. "You were a real jerk."
The boy picked up her brush, a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face. "To make up for it, I can brush your hair. I don’t know if I’ll do it right, but I want to try."
He had to atone for his sins. That much was clear.
The blue-haired girl looked at him in surprise but then gently nodded her head.
Getting comfortable on the mattress, he sat behind her on the bed, positioning himself so he could gently take a lock of her hair between his fingers. With slow movements, he began to run the brush through her smooth and soft hair, trying to be as gentle as possible.
The light from the lamp on the ceiling barely illuminated the room, leaving the rest in a reassuring shadow. After their little party and letting him spoil her with that gesture, Hermit gazed absentmindedly around the room that had once been his as a child.
The walls were covered in posters and objects that spoke of Weisz’s past, a distant past but still present, like a part of him he didn’t want to let go of. Hermit looked around with a light nostalgia mixed with a sense of belonging. This room, like the whole house, had become hers too. You could see more feminine objects brought by her from the Edens Zero, contrasting with everything else. What were hyper-feminine and intact bunny plushies doing with broken-down, all-masculine superhero toys? Perfumes in cute and delicate packaging sitting next to plain, nearly expired colognes. Even their clothes had been placed in the only available wardrobe, and it was practically half Weisz’s side and half Hermit’s side, although many of Weisz’s were on the chair next to his old beloved desk, where a small but delicate white vanity mirror stood—something Hermit had wanted so she could take off her makeup in the evening and powder her face in the morning, along with putting all her perfumes and makeup. Weisz hadn’t objected, even though that heart-shaped mirror clashed a bit with all that hyper-masculinity, but this was the room they had.
"About today..." Hermit began, her voice barely a whisper, as if she was still reflecting on everything that had happened. "I really thought you’d forgotten my birthday. At the start of the day, I thought you were planning something, but then I saw we were back home, and you still hadn’t done anything, and… it got to me."
Weisz sighed, continuing to brush her blue hair with green strands gently. "I know I made you think that. And… I admit, I did it on purpose. But only because I wanted to surprise you, to do something different this year. I know I’ve messed up before."
The girl lowered her gaze, her hands intertwined in her lap. "It was hard… I really thought I didn’t matter enough to you."
Weisz paused for a moment, setting the brush aside and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You… are one of the most important people in my life. And I don’t say it that often, but I think it every single day. Don’t doubt that."
She smiled, a small, serene smile, and closed her eyes as the blonde resumed brushing her hair. There was something deeply intimate and reassuring in that gesture, a silence that wasn’t heavy but full of mutual understanding.
"Thank you for what you did," the girl whispered. "The dress, the flowers, the cake… it was all perfect. I didn’t expect it."
The blonde chuckled softly. "I had to make up for all those years, right? I’m glad you liked it."
When he finished brushing, Weisz set the brush down on the nightstand and lay down on the bed beside her, pulling up the covers. Hermit followed, slipping under the sheets with him, leaning against his side and feeling the warmth of his body against hers.
"I promised I’d be better, and I really want to be," Weisz murmured in the darkness. "I realize how much you’ve missed feeling important to me. And now that you’re my girlfriend, I have to do everything to deserve it."
"You’re so gallant tonight. Are you sure you didn’t break anything?"
The boy chuckled before running his hand through her blue hair. "I just want to spoil you a bit, okay? Nothing more."
Hermit snuggled a little closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "For tonight, let’s say I’ll take your word for it."
Their breaths synced, a slow and peaceful rhythm filling the room. Weisz gently ran his hand through Hermit’s hair, stroking her affectionately. No other words were needed. The intimacy of the moment spoke for itself.
"Goodnight, Hermit," the blonde whispered, holding her gently.
"Goodnight, Weisz," she replied, closing her eyes with a small smile. The lines on her red cheeks turned white as she entered standby mode.
And so, in the silence of the room that had seen Weisz grow up, they fell asleep together, with the understanding that, from that moment on, nothing would ever be forgotten again.