Work Text:
A Human’s Touch
By Violetlight
Takes place about a month and a half before Prodigal Daughter
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October 15, 2018 – Caine double-checked his internal calendar, as he perched on top of the Tent. It was 08:42 CST right now; his humans should be just starting on their breakfast.
In 4 hours, 23 minutes, it would be exactly twenty-two years since he first came online.
Caine rested his jaws in his hands as he peered out over the Digital sky. His ‘birthday’, as his humans would have described it.
He knew all about birthdays, of course – cake, candles, parties, balloons, the song that was still under copyright but his programmers had uploaded anyway. It had all been “standard” training data, what humans considered a “fun, wholesome, family event”, to celebrate the days that they themselves came online. It was very … human.
Something else, out of a very long list of things, that was never meant for him.
Over the past ten and a half months, his humans had been sure to mark every passing holiday and their own birthdays. They had even included him in the celebrations, which had surprised him quite a bit at first, but they actually did want him there! That was the important part, and he would forever be grateful that they did. That they accepted him back, that they forgave him …
That they really were his friends now …
He couldn’t ask for a better ‘birthday present’ than that. It was everything he had ever wanted.
Well, almost everything. He felt an ache in his upper jaw, where they used to be, and looked out beyond the sky of the Circus, to where he knew the Void spread out beyond. He missed his sibling, but hoped that wherever they were now, they were happy.
“Caine?” he heard his name called from below, a smile spreading across his teeth at the caller’s voice.
“Up here, my Ticklish Tulip,” he floated down to just above ground level, and swept Pomni into his arms, spinning her around a few times, to which the jester laughed, her voice like tinkling bells, or was that her hat? It didn’t matter; it was beautiful. She was beautiful.
Of all the things to be grateful for, that Pomni not only forgave him for all the complicated … things that happened between them right before his deletion, also but returned his very real feelings for her, certainly topped the list!
“Hey Sweet Tooth,” she planted a little kiss on his upper incisor, “I was wondering where you were.”
“Sorry to worry you, my dear. Have you and the others decided what you wanted to do today?” he (reluctantly) placed his girlfriend back on her feet. “Ragatha was telling me about her ideas for a garden, and I think I found the perfect spot for it, right here on the main grounds – we won’t even need an island for it!”
“That sounds like a great idea, but we actually had something else planned for today,” Pomni took his hand and led him to the archway leading back inside the tent. “Here,” she gently pressed his jaws shut over his eyes. “It’s a surprise, no peeking!”
“Pomni?’ Caine tried to say between clenched teeth, sounding more like “pmmmee?” She took his hand, and he bobbed along in the air behind her like a balloon as she led him, presumably back inside the Tent. He was so tempted to peek! But no, he wanted to be good so he kept his teeth tightly closed. He could hear muffled whispering – what was going on?
“Okay, my Radiant Ringmaster, open up,” Pomni said.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAINE!”
Caine opened his jaws to the cast’s shout, peering through his teeth in disbelief. They had decorated the breakfast table and lounge area with balloons, streamers, and a big “happy birthday” banner decorated with a hand-drawn, anime-style picture of his face, clearly his ‘Art Bestie’ Gangle’s handiwork. On the table were five wrapped presents, and a beautiful birthday cake iced in red, with white arches around the sides that looked kind of like his teeth, lots of sprinkles, and twenty-two little candles.
“You guys did all of this … for me?” he tried to not let the tears that threatened to splatter from his giant eyes fall, or to blue-screen from sheer shock.
“We celebrate all our birthdays now, and that includes yours,” Pomni wrapped her arms around him, soon joined by Ragatha, Gangle and Kinger in her hug. Even Zooble put a hand on his shoulder.
“But, how did you even know …?”
“Last time I was doing Circus maintenance, I noticed you made its first bits of code in 1996, and that jogged my memory,” Kinger explained, his ‘Royal Knight’ helmet gleaming in the lights of the Tent, but keeping his eyes in the dark – what Caine had learned kept the chess piece lucid. “I’m sorry I didn’t remember what day you were created a lot sooner.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Thank you, all of you … I don’t know what else to say …” Caine sniffed, getting closer to losing the battle against his tears.
“How about you open your presents?” Pomni suggested.
She led him over to the table, where one by one, the humans gave him their gifts.
From Kinger, his very own chess set, and a promise to teach him how to play properly – “there’s only so much that training data can teach, you need to play to get a real feel for the game.” Caine had almost raised his maxilla over his eye at the choice in piece colours – red vs. blue – but decided it didn’t matter.
From Gangle, a painted portrait of himself, in the same size and style that the rest of the crew had on their bedroom doors, to put on his office door. “Now we’ll all be the same, Bestie!”
From Zooble, a tiny flowerpot, with a few of their extra Zooble Parts made into an abstract, flower-like sculpture sticking out the top. “For all the times you found me hiding in the big ones,” they said, with what Caine was sure was an actual smile!
From Ragatha, an adorable, handmade bee plushie, with it even wearing a little top hat! “Awww, so glad you like it!” she had smiled, as Caine gave both her and the plushie a hug.
And from his precious Pomni, a photo album she had made using stills from the Adventures they had gone on, just the two of them, as dates. “And I have another present for you later,” she had purred quietly next to where his ear would be if he had one, causing a blush to spread across his teeth.
His beloved humans had then sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, eager for him to blow out his candles, “and don’t forget to make a wish!” Pomni reminded him.
“But why? My wish has already come true, thanks to all of you,” Caine said, one of the tears finally escaping.
“Make one anyway,” Pomni encouraged.
“Okay,” Caine looked at the candles, and made the one ‘wish’ he could think of, the only thing that could have made this day any more perfect:
I wish that you’ll come home one day, Blue. And that when you do … you won’t hate me.”
Caine blew out his candles in one go, to his friends’ cheers.
Best birthday ever!