In order to give Vik as much time as possible to hack into the ship's network, DH became particularly fastidious about cleaning out the medical cabinet. Medication tucked away in that back that would likely never see use they cataloged and packed up, wrappings of all kinds found themselves neatly organized, and DH even pulled out tools and equipment that TO had never seen before and carefully tucked them away in their bag. TO found a backpack that they could use as well - something they had bought when they went shopping and never used - and filled it with whatever DH couldn’t fit in their bag, as well as a few changes of clothes for them each, and comfortable shoes. They wanted to take the signed picture that DH had pinned to the wall with magnets as well. Melissa hadn’t just signed it. The actress had kissed it to give an imprint of her lips on the corner, and it had become one of TO’s treasured possessions. As TO removed the magnets that held it up, DH stopped them.

“We’ll be using this ship to leave the planet anyway, so might as well leave it there, right?” Their ears flicked in worry. “Besides, if you take it down, it might get damaged.”

TO wanted them to have it, and who knew how long they’d be waiting before they left? Still, DH was right, and if they took it now, then that was just an extra opportunity for it to get lost or damaged. There wasn’t much else for them to take, really; the only other thing that they had of any kind of personal value was the half-heart pendants that they each wore around their necks. Of course, TO never took theirs off.

Despite spending a good hour poking into every corner of their living quarters, Vik still wasn’t able to get into their system in time. 

“If I had more time, I could get in!” Vik protested as DH sat down at the computer, shooing Vik to the side. “Now that I’m here, and I have access to the console-”

“The security is tight.” DH said, “And it doesn’t use passwords only.” They typed in a few commands, and the computer’s lock screen disappeared to show the work that TO had been working on the last time they were here.

“So, once you’re done, can I access this system from underground?” Vik asked, their tail whipping back and forth excitedly. “Any time I want? And get any information I want?”

“Well, no.” DH said with a frown, “Even within the synth network, our superiors locked some information under such tight security that I couldn't get it. Also, I don’t know if I can trick the system into staying on. It locks once I’m out of range with my chip. Any synth chip, really. I’m hoping I can trick it-”

“Secured NFC connections?! I should have thought of that! Here, I have a writer built into my communicator, if you can transfer the right codes…”

“I’m going to go check the systems…” TO said, now feeling entirely useless and in the way since the two were talking about programming.

“Alright.” DH said as they looked up briefly from the screen and smiled at TO—their ears shuddering fondly as they caught their mates' eyes. “We’ll be down here.”

How DH looked at them made TO feel better. They hated feeling so left out when DH was getting so involved in their programming talk. TO just didn’t understand most of it now, and watching DH and Vik get so excited over some technical challenge like this made their stomach twist. Before, it was just because Vik was an insurgent, and how could DH be so at ease with an insurgent? But now, TO was ‌basically an insurgent as well, so there was no reason that any of this should bother them. Why did it?

DH loved them. They were DH’s mate. Even if DH had other friends that understood all the programming stuff that TO couldn’t, they were still DH’s mate. Still, they wished they could be as passionate about programming as they were, so they could join in when DH got so excited. A pang of guilt hit them at that though; they had never bothered to study programming beyond the basics that they needed for basic training; if they wanted to join in with DH’s excitement, then they had every opportunity to learn more. It just took a little extra effort.

Of course, where was that time for extra study coming from? They weren’t exactly idle, at least not until the insurgents locked them up in that room with DH. Even then, if TO were to be truthful, they and DH weren’t idle then either. 

It didn’t matter. The two had always had different interests, unique abilities, and they still loved each other and loved spending time with one another. They didn’t have to be so deeply involved with one another's hobbies to be wonderful mates.

Still, an odd sadness settled into them as they watched DH and Vik excitedly work on some bit of programming just before the elevator door shut. 

======

All while TO worked on the normal tasks that they would normally have performed every day to make sure the ship was ready to take off, their mind was buzzing with other thoughts. They should have been thinking about the plan to escape Arkane, or about Gyrini who seemed to suspect them, or about the coming fleet of synths, or even about the seven dead civilians. Instead, their mind went to DH.

Jealousy, they told themself, wasn’t what they were feeling. Not at all. TO had no reason to be jealous because DH loved them and they did far more together than work on programming. They had trained together, slept together. were intimate, and in the end, they had far more in common with one another than DH could ever have with any civilian; they were certain of that. 

However… When they tried to come up with the list of things they had in common, TO fell short. DH enjoyed looking at paintings, art, and loved wearing beautiful clothes, while TO was far more utilitarian with their clothing, and while they enjoyed looking at delightful pictures, they were not as drawn to them as DH was, and couldn’t talk about art like DH did with Lendulin. TO liked fancy foods that were as much a meal for the eyes as they were a proper meal! DH was only concerned with how their food tasted and almost seemed offended by the extra effort spent to make food look nice. The things they found they had in common with their mate; hot baths, musicals, shows… Well, those were things common to so many people. TO loved flying, but the magic of flight and the wind around their wings didn’t thrill DH like it did TO.

TO loved learning, loved historical shows and documentaries. DH preferred romance and drama. 

It doesn’t matter TO thought to themself, DH and I have been friends for nearly our entire lives. We wouldn’t be so close if we didn’t have something in common. 

Well, of course, they had something else in common. It was the very thing that brought them together in the first place; they were strange; there was no companionship between them and the other synths, who were far happier being on their own. They needed companionship, and they found that in one another, and eventually in GiDi and Avery.

Their communicator’s alert dragged them from their thoughts and told them that the scans on the engines were done. The maintenance list the system gave them was a longer list than normal, but it wasn’t unexpected. They had been away from their ship for so long now, and hadn’t really done the maintenance in the days before their abduction, so they were behind on everything.

Of course, it didn’t all have to be done right away, but TO felt it best to have the ship ready for takeoff as soon as possible.TO refused to be in a situation where they had to leave, but they couldn’t because they hadn’t cleaned some filter. 

They did the required maintenance that was needed up in the engine room; tightening and loosening things, changing coolants, and tinkering here and there. It was simple work, but there were a lot of small things to be done and it took another hour for them to finish up in the engine room. Of course, they still weren’t done; there was some basic maintenance they had to perform on the lower levels. Some ‌tasks were two person jobs, or at least they would be easier with two people.

 They took the elevator back down to the ground floor to check and see how much longer they had before DH and Vik were done. If they weren’t too tired and there was no urgent reason to go back underground, they and DH could finish the work today. 

When they got back to the main living area, it was as though DH and Vik hadn’t moved. DH sat in their chair, Vik sat on the table. Both were typing furiously while talking about programming things that TO didn’t understand. Vik always seemed excited when they were working with technical stuff, but they seemed positively elated with their time working on a synth system. DH, likewise, sat with happily twitching ears as they went over the code and talked through the logic behind some of the programming. 

“This is so simple. It’s brilliant!” Vik exclaimed as DH showed them something, “If I do that, then I can make a fake chip and have it set up no problem!” 

“I said the exact same thing about your programming on that AI!” DH said, “brilliant in its simplicity. And you never studied programming formally?” 

“HA. By the time I was eleven, they kicked me out of the public school for hacking into the education network. It was such bullshit; I didn’t even do anything once I got in; I just wanted to see if I could get in! But… They kicked me out. My parents weren’t poor, but they couldn’t afford to send me to a private school. Still. I hacked into the education network again- carefully this time, so I didn’t get caught- and taught myself what I had to. Took my basic education test at thirteen and passed. “

“If you had had a synth level of programming education… I almost shudder to think what you could do with that!” DH said, grinning.

Neither of them had noticed TO yet, so they just waited until there was a lull in the conversation to ask if they had any idea how long they’d be. They didn’t mind waiting; it was good to see DH so involved, so excited about something… even if TO couldn't really understand it, couldn’t really take part in it.

They wished they could, and their stomach twisted again. Maybe they should have found the time to study this too. They recalled once a long time ago giving DH advice to help them with their programming work, back before DH had any interest in it. Maybe now they would ask DH to teach them?

“It’s good to talk to someone who actually understands all this!” DH said. “Someone who gets it, you know? Someone who has ideas!” they beamed at Vik, “It’s like just talking to you opens up new pathways with all this!” 

This time, the twist in their stomach planted TO on the spot, and they found they couldn’t move. The idea they had only a moment ago of asking DH to teach them seemed now so oddly naïve and stupid. DH didn’t have time to teach TO this stuff; they were using this now! They were busy… and Vik was useful to them in a way that TO was not. 

Silently, they backed up into the elevator. 

They were both strange. That brought TO and DH together. They both wanted companionship. They both loved one another. TO told themself that again, but watching Vik and DH had made them realize something else; something they had missed before.

They weren’t ‘strange’ to the civilians. That made sense, since apparently they had civilian minds. They were among people who had similar, raw minds now. They weren’t ‘strange’ here, and both TO and DH had made some friends among the civilians. 

They came together because they were strange; Now, they were not. They stayed together because they longed for companionship; now they had several new friends, and even family. The two loved each other; without interests in common was that enough to keep them in love?

TO didn’t know.