Nicknames
It was a fairly normal day on the base. Regular patrols were finished, there was no maintenance to be done and there was little else to do so the Commander called for the day to be a rest day for everyone. Most T-Dolls busied themselves with their own hobbies or simply relaxed in the rare day of calm without any major or even minor conflicts arising. AR-Team in particular spent their day in their personal dormitory. In the pleasant quiet of their room, sitting upside down on the couch, Sop brought up a topic out of the blue.
"Have you guys noticed that the Commander has a penchant for giving people Nicknames?" This caught the attention of the other members of AR-Team. AR-15 who was doing maintenance on her rifle, M4 who was brushing Sop jr's hair,M16 who was taking small sips out of a bottle of whiskey she'd managed to smuggle in and RO, being the most studious out of the squad, looking over and redoing battle plans for future operations. M16 hummed, swishing her bottle in her hand.
"You've got a point. He's taken to calling me either Jackie or Dan a lot cause of my particular choice of beverage most of the time" M16 chuckled and took a swig of her bottle while RO shook her head disapprovingly where she sat. She turned back to her papers with a thoughtful look on her face as she too thought about the nicknames the Commander gave out.
"Well… he only ever calls me Ro. But he's explained that it's because calling me Rochelle or Romina would've been a mouthful…" she trailed off, a blush spreading across her cheeks, and turned her attention back to her papers. Sop laughed at Ro's flustered look and righted herself, sitting up on the couch and putting a finger to her chin while she thought.
"Hmm… Well sometimes Commander calls me Pup or Soppo! He says it's because he thinks I act like a puppy!" She sounded oddly proud about her statement, puffing out her chest and smiling smugly. AR-15 mumbled something under her breath.
"Yeah, a rather bloodthirsty and deranged puppy that is…" Her breath hitched when Sop turned to her with an unnatural glint in her eyes.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" She quickly replied, going back to cleaning her gun and ignoring Sop. She was rudely interrupted when she bounded over from the sofa over to where she sat on her bed and got in between her and her rifle.
"What about you 15? What does he call you?" She let out a short strangled gasp as she backpedaled away until she had her back against the headboard of her bed. She was already instinctively reaching for the emergency knife she hid inside of it before she calmed down to think about Sop's question. She huffed, crossing her arms as she looked away.
"… Sometimes… he calls me… Star or… Aria…" She trailed off, covering her mouth with a hand to try and hide the blush creeping up her face. Sop and M16 laughed at her reaction while Ro and M4 let out more reserved giggles. Feeling indignant and wanting to turn attention away from her she pointed at M4 accusingly. "W-what about you M4!? You're the one he gave an oath ring to, he must have plenty of cutesy nicknames he calls you with!"
"Fueh?" All attention was on M4 now, who had stopped brushing Jr's hair and was slowly turning red in the face. "A-ah… well…" She looked around, searching for a means of escape, but everyone was curious, even the normally reserved Ro. She looked down and found that even Jr. was staring up at her inquisitively. She sighed, putting down the brush and cupping her hands together. "W-well… he usually calls me Mai… but…" She looked hesitant, fidgeting shyly with the jacket sleeves she had tied around her waist.
"Well? What else? Come on don't keep us hanging like that!" M16 egged her on with a bottle raised, though inwardly she was planning a quick and discrete exit in case she heard something she didn't like to "take care" of problems.
"He… calls me things like… Honey… and Sweetheart… and Dear… and Ci-Cinnamon Bun!- and! and!" She couldn't take it, she blushed red as a tomato as she buried her face in her hands and squealed into them. They could even see literal steam coming from her head. 16 just took a sip of her drink again, frustrated that she couldn't find any legitimate "evidence" to use as an excuse to go beat up the Commander. "Haauuuuuuuu! It's so embarrassing!" Everyone giggled teasingly at the blushing girl. Even 16 couldn't help but chuckle at the flustered look on the younger T-Doll's face. She sighed, setting down her now empty bottle, and leaned back on the couch.
'Maybe I should give the Commander a bit more slack. He might be a bit screwy sometimes but he's done nothing but care for us since we got here. M4 especially' She smiled as she saw M4 jump back in her bed with Jr in her arms when Sop jumped on and started teasing her with her nicknames. 'Yeah. This is a lot better than before. At least now we have a Commander that actually sees us as more than just tools. Although...' She focused on the ring on M4's hand and her smile hardened slightly. 'I'm still kicking his ass to the curb if he does anything to hurt her. Nothing's gonna change about that' she finished her thought with a clenched fist and a nod to herself, determined to ensure the happiness of her "Little Sister".
Elsewhere on the base, the Commander felt shivers down his spine. As though someone had stomped on his grave. He spent the rest of the day looking over his shoulder on the lookout for eyepatch wearing drunkards.
First Words
Today was the day. The one she'd waited on for so long. Ever since she'd been brought in, fearful of whether she'd be accepted despite being broken, incomplete, and being surprised when instead of being rejected like so many other times before she was received quite literally with open arms. As she walked down the hall towards the repair bay, where she'd finally be given a part of her that she should've had from the start, she reminisced about the time she'd spent here, of how the others had welcomed her with as much excitement and joy as the Commander did, of learning what a family was, of how it felt to be in one.
Never in her admittedly short life did she expect that she'd get to experience these things. And yet all this was made possible by that dopy mask wearing Commander that she'd come to think of as someone dear to her. She smiled as the doors to the repair bay slid open and she walked in. Kalina was there, preparing the machinery and the materials needed to make things happen.
"Ah! Chi-chan! You're here a bit earlier than expected. Sit down over here, it'll only be a few more minutes before we can start" She greeted, using the cutesy little nickname that P7 had come up with for her a while back. She smiled and walked over to hop up on the table next to Kalina to sit on it. Kalina couldn't hold back the urge to give her a pat on the head before going back to her work.
M200 swung her legs around as she waited, looking around the room while Kalina worked. She hummed mutely, a noiseless tune only she could hear, as she thought. 'Chi-chan... the name the Commander gave me when I arrived here...'
Several Months Ago...
"Well Commander here she is, M200. I will have to warn you though. Persica told me that she may have some... defective parts" Kalina said, stepping aside for the Commander to see the petite T-Doll beside her. The silverette shuffled nervously where she stood, averting her eyes and looking everywhere but the masked man before her.
"Huh. What do you mean by 'defective'?" M200 wanted to shrink in on herself and disappear. She'd heard this so many times now she could already tell how this was going to end.
'Oh no... here we go again. Another rejection...'
"Apparently according to Persica her voice module is broken, so she's unable to speak. So it might affect communicating with other T-Dolls, if only slightly" Kalina flipped through her clipboard, looking over what Persica had detailed about this particular M200 T-Doll
"Hmm. I see... and is there any particular reason why Dr. Persica decided to have her sent to us specifically?"
'Eh? Dr. Persica... asked for me to be brought here?'
Kalina glanced at the demure T-Doll and leaned in close to the Commander, bringing up her clipboard to hide her mouth she whispered. M200 could barely make out what she was saying.
"Well... apparently because every other commander who got her didn't want a 'broken' T-Doll" The Commander looked aghast, turning to look at Kalina, who nodded gravely, then turned back to M200.
'Is he... is he disappointed with me too? Is he going to throw me away as well?'
Then, surprising her with both his actions and his speed, the Commander stepped forward and picked her up in a hug. She was lifted clear off the ground, her legs dangling as the Commander wrapped her in his arms tightly, but not enough to be uncomfortable for her.
"Who would do something as cruel as that!? Christ I thought Helian made everyone go through the same test that my batch did. If it were any of my senpai's they wouldn't have even thought of doing something like that!" While he ranted he adjusted his hold on her. To others he looked like an incensed parent comforting their child with M200 sitting on his arm while he gently patted her head with the other. "Honestly! Kalina I want you to get a record of exactly who those f- those ba- those people are so we can at fu- so we can be more careful about them in the future!" Kaline giggled, finding it hilarious that the Commander was censoring himself around the poor girl, who looked confused more than anything at that moment. He turned to her and even through the mask she could tell he was smiling. "It's alright, you don't have to worry about being rejected or thrown away anymore. Here you'll have a home. A home and a family and you'll never have to feel alone or unwanted ever again"
She didn't know what she felt at that moment. The feeling of something welling up from her throat, of something that had been held down for so long bursting like a bubble. But the next thing she knew her eyes were leaking fluids and she was pressing her face against the Commander's shoulder, weeping silently. He didn't shy away or try to push her away. Instead he hugged her closer, drawing circles on her back comfortingly.
"Shhh it's okay. You can let it all out if you want to..." He gently rocked her back and forth, humming a tune as he comforted her. She didn't know how long she cried. But the next thing she remembered was being tucked into a bed in a room with several other T-Dolls sleeping, the Commander sitting next to her. He spoke quietly so as not to wake up the others.
"Hey, your weapon. It's the Cheytac M200 Intervention yeah? How about we shorten that a bit so it's less of a mouthful?" He looked thoughtful, looking down in contemplation as he rubbed his chin. Then he snapped his fingers quietly, like a lightbulb had appeared over his head. "How about Chi-chan? How does that sound to you?"
'Chi...chan...' She mulled it over, her tired digi-mind using what it could to process the information. She didn't find anything wrong with it and nodded, smiling for the first time in... ever. The Commander nodded, satisfied.
"Chi-chan it is then. Well, tomorrows a big day! You'll be getting a proper welcome from everyone. So rest up so you can enjoy it to the fullest!" She nodded, already feeling her body go into sleep mode. The Commander reached out a hand to pat her on the head. It made her feel... warm... and safe...
"Good night Chi-chan..."
The Present...
"-hi-Chan? Chi-chan are you awake? We're ready to start now!" She was snapped from her reverie when Kalina waved a hand in front of her, giving her a smile and stepping back. "Miss Persica is here and the equipment is all fixed up. We can get started as soon as your ready! Just lay down and close your eyes and we'll do the rest" Persica moved into view, setting aside her coffee cup after taking a short sip of it. She gave the petite T-Doll a small reassuring grin and she couldn't help but smile back. She swung her legs up and onto the table and lay down, allowing herself to slowly slip into sleep mode. "And don't worry! By the time you wake up the Commander will be here so he can hear your first words too!" She smiled as her consciousness slipped away, the thought bringing her no small measure of joy and comfort.
A few hours later...
The Commander ran as fast as he could down the halls of the base, almost slipping and falling over himself a few times. Keeping pace with him was M4, running with the same urgency to her step but keeping pace with the Commander.
"Shit shit shit! I hope we aren't too late!" He skidded at a corner and nearly slammed into the wall if M4 hadn't grabbed him and lightly shoved him in the right direction. They'd just finished dealing with a sudden bout of Sangvis activity occurring around the border of S-09 in a joint operation with Gentiane. M4 herself had just jumped off the helicopter and onto the helipad where the Commander waited for her and the moment she landed they'd both taken off for the repair bay. As they reached the doors to the place M4 slid to a stop. This time she was too slow to react and winced as the Commander ended up slamming face first into the door, his hand smacking into the release control at the same time. The door slid open and the Commander fell forward, faceplanting on the floor with a loud thud that drew the attention of the others in the room.
He picked himself up and shook off what he felt was a mild concussion and stood up, walking with M4 at a slower pace down to where Persica and Kalina stood around the table M200 had laid down on. Said T-Doll was in the process of waking up, shaking her head and sitting up with some help from Kalina. M200 rubbed her eyes, yawning and stretching her other arm above her. She opened her eyes, looking at everyone gathered around her. Kalina was the first to speak.
"So what are your first words going to be Chi-chan! Anything on your mind?"
'Oh I know exactly what I want to say...' M200 turned to the Commander and M4, the biggest smile on her face, and said-
"Papa... Mama... Thank you!"
There was silence. One that didn't stretch on for too long before the Commander began sobbing. Tears leaking through the lenses of his mask. M4 was in a similar state, holding a hand up to her mouth and looking away, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. M200 almost began to panic before the Commander spoke.
"Papa... she called me Papa! And she called you Mama!" In one fell swoop he dragged M4 and M200 into a group hug, crying tears of joy as he hugged them close. "Chi-chan I'm so proud of you! I'm so happy that you think of me like a father that I- I-" whatever he wanted to say next was unintelligible, cut off by his own bawling as he hugged them even closer. M4 laughed, returning the hug and M200 did the same, laughing for the first time in her life and crying alongside them, her family. Off to the side Kalina and Persica smiled at the display.
"You know, I had my doubts about sending her here, all those months ago" Kalina turned to Persica, who once again had a coffee cup in her hand (a different one from the one she had earlier somehow) and tilted her head in confusion.
"Really? Why's that?"
"Because I was more... cynical I suppose. I didn't believe that the Commander was as compassionate and as accepting as our reports described him to be... I thought it was all just an act to get a better paycheck" She watched the small misfit family in front of her break apart from their hug and talk. M200 doing most of it while the other two listened to her intently. A sparkle of childish innocence in her eyes as she animatedly gestured and spoke at a mile a minute.
"And now?" Kalina inquired. Persica hid her smile behind her cup as she took another sip.
"Now? I just feel a little silly for worrying about it to begin with... Theres no way this goofy idiot would do anything to harm the girls... intentionally at least" Kalina smiled again, content with that answer. She nodded with a hum and started walking towards the three before her.
"Oi! Don't celebrate without me! Or the rest of the base for that matter! We didn't stockpile on rations and sweets for nothing now did we?"
While they did that Persica began to make her way out unnoticed, leaving them to start plans for a celebration party. A well deserved one considering their stellar performance this last few weeks. As the door slid closed behind her she sighed, looking at the ceiling as she walked.
'I hope you'll continue to treat these girls well in the future. Commander...'
Well this didn't take a month to upda- wait it did take at least a month to update. FUG. Oh well, at least it's here now. I hope y'all enjoyed reading this chapter cause I wanted to make more sweet cutesy wholesomeness with precious potato daughter cause she finally got a voice!
AND NOW. An Omake/Outtake. That probably definitely shouldn't exist.
First Words: Outtake
"So what are your first words going to be Chi-chan! Anything on your mind?"
'Oh I know exactly what I want to say...' M200 turned to the Commander and M4, opening her mouth and taking a deep breath.
"NI-"
[The following was censored due to content deemed inappropriate for public viewing. We hope you understand and we apologize for the inconvenience]
