I'm tardy to the party, as usual, when it comes to playing new games, but shipping knows no timetable!
—Kindness Has Consequences—
Operators, or Type O units, functioned as off-field support, guiding Type B and Type S units alike to fulfill objectives with as few casualties as possible. They were messengers that delivered commands from the higher ups to deployed field units and the voice of reason when critical decisions needed to be made. They read the data they received from field agents in order to paint an accurate image of the state of the dangerous world that humanity had all but abandoned and used that information in order to chart a course for humanity.
They did all of these things and more—usually.
At the current moment, 6O was a blathering, incoherent mess and 2B's temples throbbed with the repressed urge to grab the girl by her shoulders and shake her. Not that she could do that through the communication link, but the Bunker was just a brief consciousness transfer away.
Why had she made the mistake of asking what was wrong?
"Honestly, 2B? I don't know how I'm supposed to go on living."
Over some pretty rejection? Really? 2B glanced at 9S and found that he, too, seemed taken aback by the unexpected dramatics. "I am definitely NOT the person to discuss this with…"
There was a muffled sob. "I don't think I can stand spending one more day in this Bunker…"
2B fought the urge to sigh. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't completely heartless and she chose her words carefully when she said, "You leaving would be bad for me... It would effect mission efficiency."
6O sniffled, though from the sound of it, her tears had stopped. For now. "A-are you saying you need me?"
Technically, yes? But saying it outright felt strange and unnecessarily personal. Instead, she said firmly, "All model B Combat Units require the assistance of an Operator. So..."
The silence that followed that statement was heavy.
Finally, the other android whined, "2B..."
Okay. That was her good deed for the day and now she was at her limit. "That's all. Closing this channel."
*Click*
...
If only that had been all. No good deed goes unpunished and as soon as she and 9S returned to the Bunker, 2B found herself on the receiving end of a completely unwarranted bear hug. She looked to 9S for support and when he shrugged helplessly, her lips thinned into a disapproving line.
"What is the meaning of this?" No one touched her outside of providing maintenance, yet here this O-type unit was... Crying again?
Sure enough, tears wet her chest through the window in her dress and, this time, 2B failed to contain her sigh. Without another word, she grabbed the weeping blonde girl by her arm and dragged her towards the room that has been assigned to her, leaving 9S to stare after them, utterly at a loss.
The living quarters in the Bunker were small and Spartan in decor, but they served their purpose. Each android was provided with a narrow bunk and a storage chest and work desk, as well as a flat screen monitor where they could purchase supplies and receive directives. Other than that, there wasn't very much to look at. Actually, 6O had put up some faded photographs that were likely against regulations, but they broke up the drab, monochromatic palette.
2B marched the other android over to her bed and sat her down, wordlessly handing her the starch white handkerchief on the desk the monitor was mounted over just before the waterworks began anew.
'Great...'
She crossed her arms over her chest, seriously considering heading over to Command and requesting a new Operator.
"Thank you, *sniffle* 2B."
"For?"
She hiccupped, dabbing under blue eyes delicately. Even while crying, a YorHa-built android proved to be porcelain perfect. "For being so nice to me."
"Tch."
2B looked away from those big, glossy, appreciative eyes and surveyed the room a second time. The photographs caught her attention again and she studied one in particular that depicted two Type O units at work, one of which was 6O. "Is that her?"
Sniff. "Uh huh."
Most Type O units looked almost identical save their hair style or eye colouration and the black veil that obscured the lower halves of their faces didn't help. What made this one so special?
Rather than ask and invite another round of tears, 2B grunted, "She's not worth being upset over. You'll find better."
That seemed to calm her to a degree. "You really think so?"
"..." Given the rather limited number of units 6O was in constant contact with at her post here in the Bunker, that was extremely unlikely and 2B wasn't one for empty reassurances.
"..." 6O looked as though she was going to start crying again.
This was getting awkward.
"Are you going to be okay on your own?"
"N-no... Please stay with me, 2B!"
2B blanched. "I'll pass."
"Please?"
"No."
She removed her face covering, her lower lip already protruding, and 2B blinked. Crying or not, the Operator was actually quite... pretty. She tucked that observation away for later examination.
"Please please please please...?"
This was supposed to be a quiet time to rest and prepare for the next mission. 2B couldn't perform optimally without adequatea time for respite and maintenance anu more than she could without an Operator. She supposed it didn't matter where she rested, but if she was going to stay in 6O's room, that racket needed to stop.
"No one could ever like someone like meeeeeeeee..." The last word/wail devolved into a fresh wave of sobbing and 2B flexed her fingers. Just one good shake and she'd feel better about this entire distasteful situation.
Everything in her said to walk away, back to the safe haven that was her own room, but instead she sat down gingerly next to 6O on the bed. The moment she patted a heaving shoulder, the action awkward in its unfamiliarity, 2B once again found herself being crushed into a hug. Today alone, she had gotten more personal physical contact than she had ever over the course of her existence. What in the world was going on here?
"Stop crying," 2B commanded in a tone that brooked no argument. "You're being ridiculous."
To her surprise, the sobs died down to sniffles again. "S-sorry."
That was a already a vast improvement and 2B was able to unclench her jaw. When the other android nuzzled the hollow of her throat, her entire frame went tense, her lips twisting into a silent snarl—
"You're the best, 2B. No one else is half as nice to me."
There it was again: that word, nice. 2B didn't do nice... Yet here she was.
"..."
"Can we stay like this for a little while?"
2B was normally the queen of snappy rejections, so she wasn't sure why she nodded. Pity, perhaps? No, that wasn't quite it. "... I don't ever want to hear about this moment again. Got it?"
"Pinky promise," she giggled. It was a strange thing to say, but then again since she was confined to the Bunker, the blonde had a lot of time to read old data on humanity before its fall.
2B shifted and blonde hair tickled her nose, which made her grimace. "Do you mind?"
"Oh, sorry." 6O scooted over to make room for her and, once 2B was no longer perched precariously at the foot of her bed, she rested her head in the combat android's lap.
"..." 2B glanced around the room again, if only to distract herself from the bizarre turn her evening had taken.
There were also stuffed animals on shelves across from the bed. They were crudely shaped, but kind of cute in their own way. It occurred to 2B that finding fully in-tact relics like that, much less being allowed to keep them for personal use, was incredibly unlikely. Her combat visor allowed her to look closer without disturbing the other android, whose only indication that she hadn't dozed off was the occasional muffled hiccup. The number six was stitched into the foot of what looked like a rabbit. Had 6O made these?
The blonde sniffled and wiped her nose with the handkerchief that 2B had handed her earlier and it was then that she realized it had been monogrammed similarly—presumably by hand. Despite herself, she felt a new bit of respect for the other android. 6O was making the best of a bad situation in her own way. Come to think of it, this episode had been the first time the bubbly Operator had been anything but upbeat. She was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise grim world—how was 2B only just noticing?
6O stirred. "2B?"
She looked down at the blonde android. "Hm?"
"Thank you."
"Stop thanking me."
"Oh... Um.. Sorry."
"And stop apologizing." When blue eyes watered, she realized it had come out harsher than intended. She tried, though she wasn't sure how successfully, to gentle her tone as she said, "Just... Don't worry about it. I suppose even Operators need support at times."
The radiant smile that spread across 6O's face made her uncomfortable for a number of complex reasons and she looked away again.
Even the ceiling bore a splash of colour in the form of what appeared to be a printout of the world map as they knew it thanks to android exploration. There were still entire sections of it missing and she had penned her own hypotheses regarding what those blank spaces had in store for the field team. Her handwriting was large and sprawling, which somehow suited her personality.
"I'm still going to thank you because this means a lot to me. Truly."
2B returned her attention to the blonde. "... Fine."
When 6O sat up and kissed her cheek, 2B wasn't sure if the flutter in the pit of her stomach was disgust or something far more concerning.
"Time for your regularly scheduled contact!" Her Pod displayed the familiar visage of 6O and, though her face covering was back in place, 2B could tell she was beaming.
"2B here. I have nothing to report."
"Roger. There have been some seismic disturbances some distance northeast of your location. Command says it's up to you whether or not you investigate on the way to your objective."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Make sure you come back safe, 2B."
"Will do."
"I'll miss you until you get back~"
2B scowled and ended the call, but the damage was done. She couldn't see them, but she just knew 9S's eyes were wide.
"What was that about?"
"Let's get moving."
It was great that 6O was back to her normal, bubbly self and was therefore behaving rationally and providing proper support, but her affections were way out of line.
2B was going to have another stern talk with the starry-eyed android when they got back.
—Fin—