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2B meandered down the halls of the Bunker, searching for the nameplate that marked her room. Her limbs felt as if they were weighed down, and her thought processors were jumbled. All she wanted to do was collapse in her bed and power down.As she spotted her name on the wall, a cheery soprano rang in her audio sensors, followed by a series of clacking footsteps. 2B's own gait jolted to a halt as someone grabbed her hand. Turning, she found herself face to face with her operator, 6O.“2B! I'm so glad I caught you!” 6O chased her words with a series of pants. “I know that you just got back from your mission, but I would like your help on something. I promise it’ll be quick.”Biting back a huff, 2B tugged her hand free. What could 6O possibly need her help with right now? “What is it?”6O's voice wavered, a faint shade of pink rising to her cheeks. “Well, you see…I'm writing a love letter to someone, but I'm not sure how to go about it.” She glanced down at the datapad clutched in her hands. “Last time I wrote a love letter, it didn't go so well. Maybe I was too sappy? Or not enough? The recipient seemed really embarrassed…”2B knitted her brows in a frown, all prior exhaustion evaporating. The concept of love was alien to her, something she’d only briefly read about in old human records. She had no firsthand experience with the human concept of love, much less ways to express it.2B shook her head. “I have no experience in love. I doubt I'll be of aid.”“Well, neither do I! It’ll be a great opportunity to learn about it together, don’t you think?”2B could only stand, unsure of what to say.6O's eyes widened imploringly at 2B’s silence, blizzard-blue irises glimmering in the pale light. “Please? I'll even throw in a little something extra for your help!”2B sighed, shaking her head. Knowing 6O, she was not one to back down when it came to something like this. “Fine. But don’t expect for me to be of much use.”6O clasped her hands together with a squeal. “Thank you so much, 2B! Follow me!”Before 2B could react, 6O had grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the corridor. Though she tried to pull away at first, 2B’s tired limbs soon abandoned any attempts at resistance, leaving her to helplessly stumble after her operator.The familiar whoosh of a door opening soon reached 2B’s audio sensors. As 6O hauled her over to the desk tucked in the back of the room, 2B caught a glimpse of a thick stack of paper on one side and an equally thick book lying open in the center. Her gaze was soon drawn however to the trash can overflowing with crumpled balls of paper, which she could only assume were many of 6O’s unsatisfactory attempts.6O let out a bashful giggle as she sidled up beside 2B. “As you can probably tell, this was surprisingly difficult.” Her face fell as her gaze lingered on the mound of failures.“I see you’ve been working hard.”“Yeah…I really, really like this person, so I wanted to make sure it’d be the best and I could get my words across. But it’s so hard! No matter how I try to write it, I can never seem to get it right.” 6O puffed out her cheeks with a huff. “It always ends up being too mushy, or too stiff.” She kicked at a wad of paper, sending it colliding against the metal can.2B surveyed the workspace, then turned and pushed the overflowing trash can to the side. “Have you tried looking at examples?”6O gestured to the book. ”I did, and they were all so pretty! Some of them even wrote entire songs!”“Songs?”“Yeah! I found old videos in which some wrote their love in poems called serenades and performed them. They were really sweet!”“Then why don’t you try that?”The shock in 6O’s eyes was palpable. “You’re suggesting I sing for her?!”“No. I meant write a poem.”“But I can’t even get my feelings down in a normal letter! What makes you think I can do that in a poem?”“Maybe you need to try something else.”“I suppose…I did find some amazing lyrics while browsing the old human archives.” 6O began flipping through the book. “Let’s see…Oh!” Her eyes lit up as she pointed at a page. “Right here! ‘How to Write the Perfect Love Poem’!”2B folded her arms over her chest as she gave the page a cursory glance. “That seems useful.”“Alright!” Sitting down at the desk, 6O pulled up a fresh sheet of paper. “Where to begin…it says that you should find a moment in which you felt love for the other person.” Her brows knit in concentration, then shot up. “Hm…Oh, I know! Once that person gave me flowers! Well, a photo of them anyway. But they were so pretty, and I felt really happy seeing them!”Grabbing a pen, 6O began furiously scribbling. “Oh, and you need a form for the poem, of course.” She glanced over at 2B. “You know any poems, 2B?”“Um…” Racking her memory banks pulled up nothing. A sigh escaped 2B’s lips as she leaned against the wall. “You know I don’t know these things.”6O didn’t seem the least bit deterred by 2B’s reply. “Hmm…Then in that case, maybe I’ll just write free-verse!”“Free-verse?”“Basically, you make up the rules. You write it however you want!””If it works for you.”“Mhm!” 6O was practically bouncing in her seat. “Oh and one more thing: I gotta figure out what exactly I love about her!” She tilted her head. “She’s quiet, but she’s not afraid to speak her mind. And she’s super graceful and kind too!”“Is she?”“Yep! And she looks so pretty too! She has the most amazing outfit! It accentuates her figure and movements perfectly!”2B stood up straighter, electricity tingling through her gut. Could it be…?She quickly shook her head. No, it had to be someone else. Even as operator and assigned unit, they barely saw each other, and their only communications were long ranged from the surface. There was no way…“2B, you alright? You seem a little out of it.”“Yeah. It’s nothing.” 2B glanced over at 6O’s paper to see it filled with scribbles. “You’ve got a lot down.”6O brightened up with a giggle. “And it’s all thanks to you!”“I barely did anything. You figured this out all on your own.”“Aw, don’t be like that. Your presence was the support I needed to get this done!”2B bit back a chuckle at the sincerity in her operator's words. “If you say so.” She turned and walked over to the door. “I’ll leave you be then.”“Go and get some rest, 2B. You did great today, by the way!”2B nodded in thanks and headed down the hall to her own room, her thought processors swirling. By the time she spotted the nameplate marking her room, exhaustion had again seeped through her limbs and fogged her mind. Dragging herself in, she collapsed on her bed, sinking into unconsciousness as soon as she closed her eyes. 2B stirred hours later, slowly stretching her arms as she came out of rest mode. The haze of sleep dissipated as her eyes adjusted to the ambient light of her room.As she sat up, her eye was drawn to a rectangular object sitting on her desk. Climbing out of bed, she walked over to the desk and picked it up. Turning it over, 2B realized it was a sealed envelope addressed to her. Her gaze flickered over to the top left corner, her black box skipping a beat.“A letter from 6O?”Turning the envelope over, 2B carefully broke the seal and opened the flap to find a neatly folded piece of paper tucked within. As she pulled it out and unfolded it, her eyes skimmed the words, written in a neat script: “To my beloved: From the moment we met, my world changed.
My greyscale world began to bloom with color.
Blooming like the flowers you always sent me.
From the moment we met, I knew I loved you.
Every time you went down to Earth, I felt a part of me was there with you.
You showed me sights I knew I would never get to see with my own eyes.
And for that, I thank you.In battle, we were invincible.
You, with your grace and skill, and me, supporting you from afar.
Together, I knew we could do anything.Though you are quiet, your kindness is boundless.
You always found a way to cheer me up, no matter what.
You were always looking out for me, as I was for you.
For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.My love for you is like the stars twinkling in the sky.
I hope that you feel the same.
No matter what, know that I will always be by your side.
Because you and I were made to be together. - Signed, your love” 2B’s eyes lingered on the last words, a smile tugging at her lips as warmth bloomed in her black box. Though she had an inkling it would be for her, not for one moment did she think it was actually possible.“Mail notification received.” 042’s intone pulled her from her thoughts.“Got it.” Replacing the letter on the desk, 2B walked over to the terminal and navigated to the inbox. A new message from 6O flashed on the screen. “2B,
Thanks so much for your help earlier today. Thanks to you encouragement, I was able to write down how I truly felt. I hope the recipient enjoyed my letter!
You’ll find your reward enclosed, as I promised. Thanks so much again!
- 6O” 2B shook her head with a chuckle as she collected her reward. Some things never change.She walked back to her desk and reread the letter once more. This time her smile grew unbridled, and as 2B finished she held the letter close to her chest.She was going to treasure it for the rest of her days.