The two entered Uzi's workshop and took in the state of the room. Uzi pointed to the table in the middle, "that's gonna suck to move".
"No problem for me", N gave her a thumbs-up.
"Like I want you lifting everything and straining a servo", Uzi chided him, "you keep in mind that your auto repair isn't as good as it used to be".
N laughed, "what? I'm not that old. We're not that much apart even".
Uzi nudged him, "just looking out for you, dork".
"Thanks. So what do we move first?".
Uzi thought it over for a moment before moving over to some toolkits on the floor. "Something small", she said, "no idea if dad put anything in my old room so let's take a look". N nodded in agreement.
Together they took a few small objects with them to Khan's place. Khan opened the door and greeted them kindly.
"We're here to put my workshop stuff in my old room", Uzi stated.
"Yes, yes. Of course!", Khan threw his arms out in acceptance, "is there any way this old man can help out?".
Uzi's eyes shifted over to N briefly before she told Khan, "some… small stuff. I guess".
Khan stepped aside letting the two in. Uzi opened the door to her old room and let them in.
She looked around as some emotion made itself known. Longing? Nostalgia? It was hard to place. What few things she hadn't taken to their new place were still there. The walls still had some of her and N's artwork from over the years. Of course, she'd taken the most sentimental pieces with them.
"Really brings me back", N said as he looked around, "the first time I was here I nearly died!".
"And that'll never happen again", Uzi said without thinking. Remembering saving him and V from the Solver's influence brought back uncomfortable memories.
N's tail pointed out the bench still there, "put everything else there while we bring in the stuff from your workshop?".
She shrugged, "seems like a good bet".
N looked back for Uzi's father, "hey, Khan. Maybe you should-". He stopped when he noticed why the elderly drone was so silent. "Uh, you don't have to-".
"Uzi. Uzi what is that", Khan asked.
"Huh?", the realization hit, "oh". A blush appeared, "it's… uh… tail".
"W-Why do you…".
"I just wanted one. You know I used to have one and I kinda missed it…", she said.
Khan regarded the appendage in confusion, "and you'd willingly hurt yourself for it?".
"Dad, it's ok. N was gentle helping me put it on".
"Yeah Khan!", N blurted out, "it's fine! Putting it on was no issue".
"But it's a tail…".
N blinked, "I have one".
The two looked at each other in confusion for a moment until Khan gave in. "Sorry, it's just… different", he said to Uzi.
Uzi's eyes narrowed, "I've always been different. Don't get mad at me for going with it".
"Sorry…".
"If that's settled", Uzi said, "how about we get to moving my stuff into this room so these past, I don't know, three weeks of planning can go somewhere". Both men nodded vigorously.
Though it was N's idea, since the room was still Uzi's she found herself directing most of the moving. They started with the big table she built on and carefully moved it in. She and N had lifted that one, Uzi telling Khan to just sit out while they did that.
They began to lift smaller and smaller items into the room. Uzi had set the table up where she wanted it. Tool shelves were put where she wanted them. The room was coming together.
It wasn't hard to see how different Khan was treating this situation. He was making every effort he could and Uzi found the whole matter oddly uncomfortable. To see him suddenly so helpful for her was… wrong. Sure, he'd been making an effort over the years, but she couldn't shake the fact that this was the same drone who left her for dead after years of neglect. It was oddly infuriating that he was only now trying to be a positive presence in her life at a point where she really didn't need him.
Thankfully, she didn't care too much about that since N was a good distraction.
"Lookin' good, right?", N asked.
"You, or the room?", Uzi smirked.
A small but deep smile appeared on his face, "daww, Uzi! If this was a contest, then I couldn't beat you~ ".
She blushed, "just don't call me-".
"Cute!", N exclaimed, "come on Uzi! One of these times you'll let me call you that!".
"N, this is so childish", she said as she splayed a hand towards herself, "I'm elegant , not cute".
They heard a laugh from behind them, instantly becoming flustered over being overheard. They turned around to see Khan laughing hard. "What?", Uzi asked, "is this actually funny?".
"No, not in the way you think", Khan managed out, "reminds me a lot of you two when you were younger. Maybe even a bit of how your mother and I were".
Uzi grumbled, "yeah, thanks…".
N's face lit up in wonder, "you and your wife? We really remind you of-".
"N, don't", Uzi warned.
Khan's laughter stopped as he seemed uncertain what to do or say. "Um", he finally said, "carrying on. I think it looks pretty good if I did say so myself!". N gave him a thumbs-up as Uzi folded her arms and looked elsewhere.
"So how much more do we have to move?", N asked.
"Not much", Uzi said, "a few boxes and we're done".
N grinned, "neato! Let's finish it up!"
Uzi shook her head in her palms as a small amused smile appeared on her face. N ran off to assumedly grab them, Uzi staying behind as she sorted out some other materials.
"So", Khan started, "after this it's all ready for getting a baby?".
"Hm? Oh", Uzi found herself caught off guard by the question, "yeah, that's right".
An excited noise escaped Khan that Uzi immediately tried to ignore. She could hear him step around excitedly behind her, "oh! I'm so excited! So excited and proud of you two!".
"Dad, chill", she said.
"Aren't you excited Uzi?", he asked.
She looked at him, a grimace vaguely pulling at her features, "I- Yeah? I'm just taking it very privately. I want to be a better parent than you were, and how publicly you messed up with me is something I'm going to correct with this child. That's part of why only you, Lizzy, and V are the only ones who even know we want this".
Khan froze and after it sunk in, his posture softened. His features creased in shame. "I… I'm sorry", he said, "I know nothing will ever change that, but I just want-".
"It's always what you want and never what I want", Uzi said, her teeth baring, "I'm having this kid because I want it, not because you want grandkids".
"And… I…", he faltered, "I want to be a part of that kid's life. I want to show you that I've changed and learned from what I did to you. Because none of that was right for a father to do".
She raised him a questioning look, "really?".
"Really really!", he nodded, "I was an awful parent after what happened to your mother. And I know parenthood only comes once, I messed up awful with you, I just want to prove that I can be a good grandparent to your kid and not make any of those errors again".
Uzi looked at him an awful long moment as if she was trying to see past him and see if he had any other motives for this. He shuffled his feet around nervously. At last, Uzi had enough, "I'll allow it, so long as you hold yourself to that".
Khan breathed a loud artificial sigh of relief, "Thank you, Uzi".
She returned to her sorting as she waited for N to come back. Looking through a box, she found a nut that piqued her interest and pocketed it. A whole area now was all set up for her projects, and she was mentally glad this was nearly over with. Khan didn't bother her as she guessed he returned to the living area to stay out of her hair.
N finally arrived, greeting her as he stepped in. She took note of the other things he brought in. "Is that all the guns from over there?", she asked.
He shrugged, "I think? Wouldn't you know?".
She took them from him and stored them away. "Good call", she said, "meant to do that".
N looked at her with excitement, "so uh… Now that this is over do you wanna…".
"Today?".
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "uh, well, the colony's gonna close up soon anyway so can't be today. Tomorrow however…".
She blushed, "that's… a little soon?".
His eyes hollowed, "s-sorry! I don't want to pressure you or make things go fast I just-".
"N, it's ok. Sorry, I spoke before thinking", she said, "tomorrow… seems good actually".
He smiled and rushed in to hug her, picking her up as he pressed her against his body. Her screen lit up in fluster at the act. Their faces were level with each other and it took no amount of effort for them to lean forward and kiss.
N set Uzi back down only for them to remember that they had an audience. They turned to Khan who had a huge smile on his face.
The older drone clasped his hands together, "tomorrow, huh?".
"Oh robo-God we're really doing this tomorrow", Uzi said as she observed the state of their newly cleared-out room.
"Got a cradle at least", N pointed out.
With Uzi's stuff out, it sunk in how sparsely decorated it was. Just the cradle and some random decorations they had from the front room. A fake plant in a pot was against a corner of the room.
"We're gonna make it way more interesting later. Don't need to do everything before getting the kid", she said.
N nodded, "guess not".
At a loss of what to do, Uzi walked out of the room with N following her out. "Are you scared?", she asked.
"Not really", he said, "I'm not because you're here with me".
She smiled, "thanks. You're also a relief to me knowing that I couldn't have picked a better partner".
He chuckled, "not like we had much of a choice back then. If we didn't get along, then we'd both be dead".
She lightly jabbed him with her arm, "doesn't change that you're still the only one I'd do this crazy thing with. I honestly, genuinely, love you and all that".
"Likewise".
They settled down on their couch. N put an arm around Uzi. She looked at him, "so… maybe first we should get married before thinking of having kids?".
"Uzi? What do you-", he remembered, " oh , yeah. That'd be great".
She smiled, "here's the redo". Reaching into a pocket on her jacket she produced a nut. "It's cheesy, but maybe that fits us", she laughed a little. He looked at her with a heartfelt smile. "So N, do you wanna…", she twirled the nut between her fingers, "get, like, married? It's a stupid human tradition and all, but the party would be fun to have".
"Uzi…", he said softly, urging her to go on.
"Oh, yeah. And because I love you and wanna be with you and… and…", she exhaled with a smile on her face, "N, nothing I can say could even get close to how I feel about you. You're honest and understanding and you've always been there for me. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to be with you forever until we eventually fall apart".
He smiled, "and you've always treated me like a person instead of a thing without thoughts and feelings. I think you're cool and smart and my life is better with you in it. You're my universe, never forget that".
Uzi laughed, "as if I could forget that! A certain someone still holds that against you!".
"My universe, my choice", N stated, "and marrying you is also my choice to make".
She nodded, "nobody up in our hair about getting married this time, this is how the original proposal should've been".
"Well we can't change that, but this redo makes for a nice memory", N said.
She nuzzled him, "yeah. This was nice. No tension at all". She pulled away from him a bit to grab his other hand. As she expected, the nut wouldn't fit on his finger.
N chuckled, "well, we don't even have rings anyway so that isn't gonna change anything".
She laughed, "it was stupid fun at least".
N pulled her down with him to lay down on the couch. They both lay up with their faces looking up at the ceiling. N wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her belly. An artificial exhale escaped her as she sighed.
"Feels kind of weird, doesn't it?", she asked.
"Nervous?".
She nodded, "a little. You know, it's only a lifelong commitment".
He laughed, "we'll get through it together. Nothing messes with us".
Uzi gave him a light pat on one of his hands, "you know you'll be great with the kid, right?".
"You will too", he said as he nuzzled her hair.
She blushed, "thanks. I'll prove that I can be a better parent than either of mine were".
"You don't need to stick it to them, Uzi", he said, "you just need to prove that to the kid. We're getting the kid because we want it, remember?".
She felt a little silly for saying that now, though the sentiment was genuine. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me", she said.
"I love you Uzi".
"Love you N".
A silence set in as they relaxed together. Time passed with only tender gestures toward each other happening periodically. At last, Uzi rolled over to cuddle up against his chest, N watching and smiling. She looked towards him with a kind expression, her arms cradled his head.
"You're really cute", he said without thinking.
A furious fluster appeared on her face, "o-ok, this one time I'll let you say that".
He pressed his face to her forehead, "I'm not lying about that or anything, I just really do think that".
"You're… handsome".
"I am".
"...Dapper".
Ok, that got a reaction out of him as he let out a muffled pleased noise. He parted from her, showing off his fluster. "I-I'm not even wearing anything fancy right now! You can't just-".
"N, that's exactly how I feel when you call me cute", she pointed out, "who's cute and dapper now".
"Both of us", he blurted out.
Uzi looked at him in confusion until she gave in and laughed, N joining in. "Alright, let's stop being goobers for a second and kiss already", she smirked.
"Gladly", he chirped.
They wrapped their arms around each other and deeply kissed. It started out fairly modest before becoming a full-blown make-out session. Uzi's hands felt his hair as N's hands kept a polite hold on her back.
The session was interrupted when Uzi pulled back and let out a long yawn. N looked up at her in disappointment, "is this boring?".
"Long day", she said, "didn't realize I was so tired. Sorry N".
He rubbed her back, "it's ok. Tomorrow's busy, so maybe we should get some rest".
"We should", she said before another yawn hit her like a truck, "ugh, never understood why this is in our programming…".
"It's cute-".
"Shut", she warned.
"You should get some rest", he said before she climbed off him and got off the couch.
Uzi stretched out, "ohhh lord I am tired".
"Busy day today", he said, "I think I'm starting to feel it too".
"Bed?", she asked.
He nodded, "let's do that".
They walked together into their bedroom and flopped down on the bed. With some shuffling, they got comfortable next to each other, N draping a wing over them. Their arms held each other.
"Good night Uzi".
"Good night N".
With a quick insert of their respective recharge cables, they fell into recharge.