Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        Julia fumbled the key into the lock and shoved the door open, readjusting the bags in her arms as she walked into the house. With a heavy sigh, she let the groceries drop, kicking the door shut behind her before throwing herself onto the couch. Stretching out, her joints crinked and popped in response until she relaxed. Taking her shoes off, she tossed them in a vague direction then rubbed her aching feet until she was mildly relieved. 

        "Fuck, let's see how much we got this time." She mumbled to herself, fishing her tips out of her pocket. Counting the cash, she made a noncommittal sound before groaning as she sat back up. "Paycheck for bills, tips for college." She continued, putting the extra into her savings jar. With a bit more cash and hopefully that scholarship she applied for, she may just make it to college for the next semester. 

        "Seriously, Julia? Come on." A voice exclaimed, followed by the sound of the door. "You can't just throw things wherever the hell you feel like." Her wife, Mackenzie, said while shoving the tossed shoes out of the way. 

        "Sorry, Mack, it's been a long day." Julia huffed, preparing herself as she stood once again, her body protesting as she grabbed the grocery bags. "How was work?" She asked, beginning to put the food away. 

        The aforementioned woman shrugged, grabbing an apple out of the bag before taking her place on the couch. "Mission was a success, we've got another rover on Mars. Hopefully the last one, there's talk of finally getting people up there." Tossing the fruit back and forth, it was eventually bitten into. "Y'know, I've been thinking."

        With a grimace, she realized the dishes were beginning to pile up too. Deciding to deal with those later, she hummed for her partner to continue as she finished putting everything away. However, the other woman's next words had her pausing.

        "We should adopt."

        "Adopt?" She questioned, turning away from her duties to instead rest against the counter. "Adopt what?" A cat would be nice. It would make the house a lot less lonely when Mack went on missions. Even a dog could work. 

        "I know you don't want kids because of..." Mackenzie trailed off, gesturing vaguely with her free hand. They both knew she meant the other woman's past. "Honestly, I don't want any either. I can't stand children." She said, taking another bite before speaking again. "But, there's a new program where you can adopt robots to raise. Supposed to 'create a positive bond between human and machine for a better future'." 

        "You complain about robots all the time, wouldn't you rather get a pet?" Julia questioned, sitting down on the floor, sensing a long conversation ahead. 

        The other woman shrugged, "I'm not much of an animal person. I don't like the mess. At least with a robot you're guaranteed a smart 'kid' and you don't have to potty train. Besides, you can take it to work, we can get a pocket sized one. I think the neighbours have one, it's like the size of my finger tip."

        "Grey and Asha." She reminded, they were a nice couple. "He's so tiny though, I'd be afraid to lose one that small." 

        "Point is, I entered us into the program." 

        "Mack!" Staring at her wife, she shook her head. "I can't believe you! I'm trying to go to college, I don't have time to raise a kid, any kind of kid!" Looking around the house, she only became more frustrated. Talking about it was okay, but actually doing it? They didn't have the time or emotional maturity for it. She was still trying to heal from her own awful childhood, her wife wasn't always the most compassionate...

        "I'm covering all the costs, we both know I have the money for it. Besides, I don't complain about you putting your money towards your hobby, so let me have this. It's an investment, we're being handed a guaranteed genius. I'll teach it everything it needs to know and you just need to take care of it when I can't, we'll be fine." Getting up, Mackenzie tossed out her apple before sitting down across from her wife. "Come on, Julia. Will you have a weird robot baby with me?" Clasping the other woman's hands, she kissed her partner's forehead. 

        "Alright, but we do this together."

        Tapping her foot, Julia checked her phone again. Still no messages and the appointment time was quickly approaching. Her wife still wasn't here and her anxiety began to grow as she looked around the room at the few occupants there. Then her phone began to ring, so she quickly answered it. "Where are you?" She demanded, uncaring as a few people glanced at her. 

        "I can't make it, my sister needs something, you know how Lena is." Mackenzie sighed, before briefly putting the phone down to talk to someone else. "Just pick out a promising looking one. I need to go, love you." 

        The other end hung up before Julia could properly reply, causing her to nearly toss her phone. This was absolutely ridiculous, being there wasn't her choice and she began to consider canceling the appointment. Beginning to stand, she was interrupted by a lady walking out.

        "Mrs. Mackenzie and Julia Wilson?" 

        With a sigh, she raised her hand. "It's just me." With an indication for her to follow, they entered another room before the lady sat across from her. Looking around the room, she saw many different designs for multiple models. Some were commissioned, others were simply customized, or there were pre-built also called the used. Mackenzie most likely wanted one completely from scratch, but she wasn't exactly here to help with the commission. Julia wasn't sure how the whole process worked and voiced as such. 

        "Well, you have three options. We can build you one however you want, we just need some information, paperwork, it's also more expensive. You can pick from a base model, customize it a bit, which is cheaper and the most common choice for most people. However, we do also get some returned or donated to us, typically from rogue creators who no longer have use for their creations or have been reported for mistreatment. Not as many people like to go the used route, there are definitely some bugs, but it is also the cheapest option we have. I see your wife has already paid, so I would recommend a commissioned bot, but in the end we want your choice to be the best fit for your family."  

        Maybe she was being a bit vindictive, maybe she just knew the power of second chances, but she couldn't help being interested in the third option. "Can I meet some of the used A.I's?"

        The worker seemed surprised, but didn't outright object. "Of course, you have plenty of time to make your decision, you may find some designs you like in there, I'll let you explore." 

        Another door was opened and she was let in, given free range of the facility. It was surprising, but they did have other people to attend to, so she took the opportunity to explore. Most of the rooms were for building or filled with customizable premade models, none quite caught her eye. They had no individuality and looked lifeless, which wasn't what she wanted. Thankfully she had a choice. 

        Eventually she found the room housing the used bots. Another worker allowed her in with only some brief exchange, then she was once again left to her own devices in a room filled with them. It was surprisingly lively inside, filled with machines of varying sizes doing what they pleased. Some were completely silent as they played or cleaned up, some were occupying themselves with reading or writing, others socialized. Mindful to not step on anyone, she took a seat in a clear spot, simply observing. A few observed her right back, but none approached her. 

        They were all so different in design and personality. A few hung from the ceiling or flew around the room, others were attached to walls or other devices. She didn't know how she was supposed to choose, especially alone. There were some doing mathematical equations or conducting their own experiments, ones her wife would likely be more interested in. This was her choice though. 

        Two flying A.I chased each other above her, bringing her attention upwards as she watched them crash into each other. The smaller one fell directly into her lap, which cushioned the fall. "Are you alright?" She quickly asked, picking the drone up. They had a silver spherical body, with two rotors on each side of it, a singular green optic focused on her. 

        "Who are you?" They asked in a soft voice, bouncing in her hand as they attempted to get back in the air. 

        "I'm Julia." She introduced herself, keeping her own tone quiet. 

        "Julia." The drone repeated, sounding it out a few times. "Thank you, Julia." 

        "No problem." It was hard not to smile, they were cute. "What's your name?" 

        "I am Tau, this is my nano-drone body." Tau told her, finally managing to gain flight once again. "Follow me, I want to show you my module." 

        Standing, she agreed, following the little drone and remained mindful of where she stepped. She was led to a table with a flat, black box, a screensaver of stars displayed on the monitor. At least until the drone landed beside it, then a triangular A.I formed on the screen. "Hello, Julia." The A.I greeted. 

        "Hi." She responded, sitting down on a chair and picking up the module. "Is this your main form?"

        "Yes, I also control more nano-drones and an Aries." Tau said, more of the drones landing on the table. Another bot transformed, arms and a head extended from the frame, looking at her with a bright red optic. That black bot must be the Aries body then. They were all so small, not pocket sized thankfully, but the module was the size of a tablet and the Aries was about up to her knee. Tau and their bodies were all adorable. 

        "That's so cool." She replied, encouragingly. This may be the one. 

        "...Do you want to listen to my music?" They asked, sounding almost sheepish, as if she could reject such a thing. 

        "Of course, I would love to!" The other bots completely faded from her radar, she knew for sure, she wanted this one. As the music began to play softly, an unrecognizable and no doubt original tune, she was completely sold. Listening intently, she was impressed. Once it was over, she asked simply to prompt more conversation. "Did you make that?"

        "Yes, did you like it?"

        "It's amazing, you are so good. I like making music too." The thought of bringing a bot to college with her wasn't desirable, but if they liked music too, the prospect was far more exciting now. Firstly, she wanted to make sure the connection was mutual. "Do you want to come home with me?" She asked, hoping for a yes but not looking to pressure. 

        The light on the module seemed to explode from excitement, a visual 'mind blown', causing her to laugh out of fondness. "Really?" Tau sounded as if they were in total disbelief. 

        "If you want to, it's up to you." She made sure to clarify, before unexpectedly being tackled by multiple nano-drones. Rotors buzzing so erratically it almost sounded as if they were purring. 

        "Please! I want to go with you, Julia. I want to go outside and make music!" The A.I sounded and acted so much like a child, she knew she would love them regardless of being made of flesh or metal.  

        "Let's go then." She said, lifting Tau and making sure to keep a steady grip on the module, before holding the Aries servo with her free hand. The flock of drones flew closely behind her as she left the room, receiving a strange look from the worker who watched her parade of used bots. 

        Returning to the office she was in previously, the lady in there seemed equally flabbergasted. Before quickly covering it with a smile as Julia sat down, holding and surrounded by Tau. "Would the amount my wife paid cover them?" It wouldn't make much sense for the components to be separate as they weren't much use on their own, but she still wanted to clarify.

        "Yes, are you hoping to commission a similar set?" The woman asked, taking note of all the models. They were original creations, so recreating them would be difficult but the engineers could get it close enough. 

        "No, I want this one. I want Tau." Julia said firmly, smiling down at the A.I who seemed both nervous of her rejection and excited for the new environment. 

        The worker's expression turned to one of concern. "Are you sure, this one has a colourful past." Pulling up the A.I's file, the woman showed her all the information they had. The list of abusive behaviour from the creator was long, his picture alone sent a shiver down her spine. He looked so cold, it was hard to believe he could create something so passionate. He reminded her of her own father. 

        The worker and even Tau looked to Julia, expecting something so broken to be rebuffed by her. She had so many options, she could get a brand new bot personalized for her, she could also find a used bot with far less trauma. Tau's confidence dwindled, the module's lights gradually flickering with growing anxiety as she read deeper into the file. 

        "Can I get a copy?" Julia suddenly asked. "I want to avoid as many triggers as I can for Tau." She said, holding them closer. Looking at their history made her all the more determined to adopt them.

        The lady still didn't seem convinced, but gave in enough to print off a copy. Handing it over, she added more paperwork. "This is in case things don't work out, you have six months to return it." 

        "Alright." With that as the only response she dignified, she began to put the file and return paper into her bag. Tau's module went in as well for safe keeping. Thanking the worker, Julia made sure she had everything and everyone before walking out of the building. Holding Aries' servo and keeping an eye on the drones as they all took in the outside world for Tau. 

        Unlocking the door, Julia let the A.I enter first as they continued to eagerly look at their surroundings. The house wasn't immense, but the tour took a while. Tau was so full of questions and curiosity, they also spent a good hour in her music room. Eventually they got to their room, which she already had ideas for once she talked to her wife. Who she desperately hoped would like the bot and all their components. As much as Mack liked the idea of academic intelligence, she also liked to tell jokes, awful jokes, but that side may learn to love Tau. 

        "Where do you want your module set up?" Julia asked to distract herself.

        "Near a window!"

        "Alright." She laughed, before pausing when she heard the front door open. "I'll be right back." Running down the stairs, she greeted her wife, who looked exhausted. 

        "I should have cancelled that appointment." Mack sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there. Lena is just so.." Releasing a frustrated sound, she finally turned to the other woman. "You didn't end up picking anything, did you?"

        "Actually, I did-"

        The loud groan in response cut her wife off. "Son of a...It's my fault, I should have cancelled, I knew I should have."

        "Why?" Julia questioned, her good mood gradually disappearing. At first she was far too happy at the outcome to be annoyed at her partner, but her ire was growing again. 

        With an annoyed roll of her eyes, Mack gestured to the door, before opening it. "Julia, meet Arti. A gift, from Lena." An employee from her work stood in the door, holding another A.I. It's frame was white, with a bulbous orb for a head, attached to a pole meant to secure it to the ceiling. Intelligent green lights moved in a triangular formation within its spherical screen as it observed Julia back. 

        "Hello, Julia. I am Arti. I have heard a lot about you." He said, earning a small smile from her. Based on vocal patterns alone he sounded like the intelligent type her wife wanted. Not to say her choice didn't hold intelligence as well, they were just more artistically intelligent. 

        "Nice to meet you, Arti."

        "Likewise."

Chapter Text

        Julia carefully shut her apartment door behind her, before leaning against it with a long sigh. She was exhausted. Taking off the wig she was wearing, she walked over to her mirror to remove her makeup. Once she could recognize herself again, she got up and stretched before announcing her presence. "I'm home!"

        "Welcome back, Julia! I missed you!" Tau exclaimed, nano-drones flying all around her.

        "Sorry, it was another late night at the restaurant...I was asked to close again." She explained, internally cringing. Lying to them felt awful. 

        Though it was true she was taking more and longer shifts, her server job still barely covered rent. Not to mention all the other basic life payments on top of that. So, she took a second night job, which she intended to keep hidden from them as much as possible. 

        "I made you dinner." They changed the subject. "It might be cold."

        "That's alright, thank you, Tau." She smiled and walked to the kitchen, there really wasn't much to eat, but they had managed to make some pancakes.

        "I wanted to make something special, but that is all we had." They explained, sounding sheepish. Their past creator had always demanded such elaborate dishes. "I also did the dishes."

        Indeed they did and it alleviated her stress greatly. "You really didn't have to, but I appreciate it." She warmed her food back up and dug in. However, she took a pause as her tired mind finally caught up with her. "It's our two year anniversary." She realized. 

        "You remembered!" Tau said, absolutely delighted.

        "Fuck, I didn't get you anything. I've been working so hard so I can finally get you that upgrade but the date really snuck up on me." Now she just felt worse. She was lucky they had so many components to spread their data storage, which allowed her to delay their upgrade. Regardless, they continued to grow and she was starting to push it. If she had to, she'd dip into her college funds to get one for them. Considering the situation, it didn't look like she would be going any time soon anyway.

        "I can wait." They assured her, resting on the table to watch her finish her dinner. "...I was hoping we could initiate a video call with Mackenzie?"

        Julia almost choked. "You want to see Mack?" She managed out between coughing fits. 

         It had been at least a year now since her divorce with Mack. With the inclusion of Tau and Arti into their lives, Julia began to take more notice of her ex-wife's bad behaviour. Once she could see how the woman treated the A.I's, her eyes opened to how she was also being treated. Things only escalated from there. Now Mack was gone and she took Arti with her. Thankfully she didn't want Tau, leaving Julia to find her own place for just the two of them.

        "More specifically Arti, it is also his adoption anniversary." 

        "I don't know if she'll answer or let us see him at all, Tau...but we can try?" She responded, quickly eating before pulling out her phone. Anticipation and anxiety bubbled up as she began to make the call. It had been a while since she had seen her ex's face or heard the woman's voice. Even longer for Arti. 

        "I hope she does." Tau spoke wistfully, watching the screen.

        They both waited for less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity before someone finally picked up. However, it was a man who answered. "Hello? Who is this?"

        Julia looked at the man in confusion, he looked vaguely familiar. "This is Julia, I was hoping to talk to Mack...Wait...Sterling?" Her ex-wife's coworker. 

        "Oh, Julia. Mack can't talk right now." Sterling informed her, looking off to the side at something neither of them could see. 

        "And Arti?" She hesitantly asked, already knowing the answer. She'd heard it a thousand times.

        "He's busy too, call back later-" He faltered, still looking elsewhere. "Actually don't. Bye."

        The screen went black. 

        "Fucking prick." Julia muttered before she could stop herself, briefly shifting her glance to Tau to try to gauge their reaction. 

        They were silent for a moment, she struggled to interpret their reaction, but they spoke before she could. "Maybe next time." As unlikely as that was.

        She watched as they left the room before putting away her dishes and following them into the living area. "Doesn't matter, it's still your anniversary and we can still have fun." She stated, sitting on the couch and opening her arms to beckon the A.I closer. They easily complied, Aries laying down on her chest. The robot was steadily growing as well, the weight close to crushing, but she endured it to offer comfort to her child. "What else would you like to do?" The question came out wheezier than intended.

        They clearly noticed, shifting some of their mass off of her lungs before answering. "Can we go to the park?"

        Julia internally sighed. It was a great suggestion but her exhausted body demanded she stay home rather than leave again so soon. "Of course," However she wanted Tau to be happy and if this was what they wanted, she could do it. "But first, I want to hear about your day and then pick which frame you want to bring."

        They happily agreed, chatting to her about their day and all the new music they listened to on the radio; she refused to leave them on the internet unsupervised. She listened to a few of the new songs they really liked, trying her hardest not to fall asleep all the while. And once they had their fill they turned the question to her.

        Her expression tightened as she tried to think of what she could share. Dancing around the topic a bit, she shared some stories customers had told her during her actual job and quickly diverted attention to a different task. "Alright, park time!"

        Tau clearly seemed a bit put off, they were incredibly in tune to her mannerisms and they could tell she deviating from her normal routine. Regardless, they set aside their concern to instead choose a body to use at the playground. Aries seemed the most fit, so that is what they chose. 

        "Alright, off we go.” Julia took the robot’s servo and they both left the apartment in favour of the little machine friendly park across the street. Once the two of them had safely crossed she let the robot leave her side, running over to the swing set as she sat down on a bench to watch. 

        They sang some new songs they had learned, swinging as high as they could and she joined in, singing along to the ones she knew as she got up to give them a few pushes until she got tired again. “Is this high enough?” She asked, drumming a beat against the swing set as they kept singing.

        They paused long enough to answer. “Yes, thank you, Julia.”

        She smiled before sitting back down with a relieved sigh. As much as she wanted to do more, she was absolutely running on zero energy and they thankfully seemed content to just have her watch them play.

        “Is that Julia?!” A voice startled her and she turned to the source, seeing a tall woman with black hair pushing a man in a wheelchair. 

        “Asha? And Grey, hey.” Julia greeted, nodding her head to the couple as the woman parked her husband beside the bench before sitting down as well.

        “Hey, Julia.” Grey responded, giving her a smile as he couldn’t nod back. 

        “We didn’t expect to see you here, how are you doing? How’s Tau?” Asha asked, giving the blonde woman a hug, who awkwardly hugged back.

        “Uh, I’m good, they are too, they’re just playing on the swings.”

        “I want to play with Tau.” A cold, male voice pipped up from her shoulder. 

        “The swings are too dangerous, Stem.” She said, looking to her nano-bot son sympathetically.

        “Just ask Tau to hold him.” Grey suggested, winking at the micro A.I. 

        “Tau! Do you want to play with Stem? Remember to be careful.” Julia called, prompting her own child to come over and greet the newcomers.

        “Hi, Stem.” Tau responded, carefully taking the tiny machine in his servos. “What do you want to play?” The children’s conversation faded off as they went to play together. 

        “He’s so delicate, I always worry he’ll be dropped and snap in half.” Asha sighed, watching with a small smile.

        “He’s been bugging for a body for years now, he’s even suggested using mine and helping me move again.” Grey said to Julia. “I like him, but I don’t trust him.” 

        “You don’t trust any machine, it took me years to convince you to adopt an A.I in the first place.” Asha wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his forehead. “Thank you for agreeing to get him at least. He’ll earn an upgrade eventually.” 

        Julia began to tune out of the conversation and watched the two A.I’s interact, now playing in the sandbox. It was nice seeing Tau get to interact with someone like him. It was disappointing she couldn’t gain custody of Arti for them. “Have you seen Arti at all lately?...or Mack?”

        The couple went quiet for a moment. “Not really, It’s been a few months...” Grey answered. 

        “And we ended up moving closer to the city, better job opportunities and care for Grey.” Asha followed up. “Sorry, Julia. Mack is very closed off and we never got invited over after you left. So even when we were there...We didn’t see him ever.”

        “Is she with Sterling now?”

        “I think so.”

        “He was moving in not even a week after you moved out.” Grey uttered, huffing out in sympathetic frustration. However before anyone could respond, his watch began beeping. “Crap we gotta go.”

        “It was nice catching up Julia! Stem! Say bye to Tau!” Asha called, waving Tau over and giving them a hug before picking up Stem. “Maybe we’ll see you around, we'll be back in an hour if you are still here, but if not, good luck with everything!”

        “Write down your number and put it in my pocket, we should invite you two over sometime.” Grey said and Julia did just that, giving them her number.

        “Sweet! We should set up a play date.” Asha smiled, before giving a little wave and beginning to push her husband back the way they came. 

        Julia watched them go, before turning to Tau. “Do you want to go home or wait for them to come back?”

       Tau looked a little sheepish, Aries tapping their fingers together. "Can we stay? I miss having a friend to play with."

       Julia sighed sadly to herself, but smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Chapter Text

        Just as promised, the family was back again and the children resumed their play.

        “Your owner has a secret she isn’t telling you about.” Stem suddenly spoke up as the two A.Is played in the sandbox. “I heard Grey and Asha talking about it.”

        “She is not my owner, she is Julia. My mom.” Tau corrected, flicking sand at the nano-bot. “And I know, but if it was important, she would tell me.”

        “If you were important, she would.” Stem continued, knowing if Tau did anything worse to him they would be in big trouble.

        “You are mean.” Tau responded, their anxiety levels rising regardless. “If you keep being mean I do not want to play with you anymore.”

        “She probably thinks you are bad.”

        “I am not bad!” Tau shouted, catching the attention of the adults talking on the bench.

        “Stem are you being rude again?” Grey called, getting a defensive “no” in response, before he directed the conversation back to the two ladies. “He’s getting a really bad manipulative streak. Sorry about that, Julia.”

        “Maybe I should sit and play with them.” The aforementioned woman said, but his wife quickly stopped her.

        “It’s fine, look, I invited some friends of ours to come to the park too and they brought their son.” Asha piped in, waving to an approaching couple. A very tired and stressed out looking man waved back, an auburn haired woman held his hand and smiled. "Frank! Gabby! Hi!"

        "Hey, Asha! Good to see you as always Grey, and I assume this is Julia?" Gabby greeted, shaking hands before sitting down with them, her boyfriend giving the three other adults a nod. A small robot rolled up beside them, he was black and dome-like, resembling a security camera. Clearly a model meant to install into a wall or ceiling, but instead he was given an extension with wheels that allowed him to move and navigate.

        "Howard! You're a good influence, why don't you go play with Tau and Stem?" Asha said, causing the robot to pause.

        "Uh, sure, I guess I could do that." He seemed hesitant at first, but eventually rolled over to the other two robots. "Hi."

        “Hello.” The other children responded.

        “Uh, so, what are you playing?” Howard asked awkwardly.

        “I am playing in the sand. Stem is annoying me.” Tau responded, beginning to build a sand castle.

        “Ah. I can’t really do that. No hands.” The newcomer said, wiggling his frame.

        “At least you can move more than I can.” Stem grumbled from where he was partially buried in the sand. Grumbling even more when he was picked up and placed on top of the castle.

        “Maybe we can play another game?” Howard suggested, driving in the sand to create a tic-tac-toe board. “Tau can draw the Xs and Os for us.”

        “Okay.” The aforementioned robot agreed. Looking at the board and waiting for someone to go first.

        Stem volunteered, telling Tau to put his X right in the middle. Then Howard told them to put his O in the top left. The game proceeded with the two combating A.Is tying. Stem demanded a rematch, confident he could beat his opponent, but the next game had the same result, and the next, and the next. Until Tau ignored his instructions and gave the win to Howard.

        “Cheater!” Stem yelled at both of them, throwing a big fit.

        “That is what you get for being mean.” Tau replied, crossing their arms and brushing away the games.

        “I am not playing anymore.” Stem declared, beginning to call for his parents. The commotion attracted all of the adults, who decided to call it a day and end the playdate. They all said their goodbyes and took their respective A.Is home.

        Julia placed Aries down on a recharging pad. “Did you have fun at the park?” She asked, waving for the nanodrones to go to their charging terminal.

        “Yes, thank you, Julia.” Tau responded, letting their screensaver lazily bob around their monitor.

        “Of course, happy adoption day.” She said, giving a kiss to each frame before turning out the light.

        “Julia.” Tau piped up before she could leave.

        “Yeah?”

        “Am I important? To you?” They asked quietly, their screen beginning to flicker in their telltale sign of anxiety.

        “Yes, Tau, you mean everything to me.” Julia responded beginning to crouch down. “Did something happen?”

        “Stem was being mean. He told me you keep secrets from me because I’m not important.”

        She bit her lip, looking away for just a moment before sighing. “I am keeping secrets but it’s not because you aren’t important. I’m just embarrassed and I don’t want you to feel bad.”

        “Oh.” Tau replied. “You don’t have to tell me then.”

        “I’m just working another job. It’s not a very good job but that’s why I’ve been getting home so late.” She explained, specifically omitting certain details, like what the job was. They didn’t need to know.

        “Oh,” They said, sighing with relief. “Thank you for telling me.”

        “I should have told you sooner but I didn’t want you to worry.”

        “I love you, Julia.” Tau said, Aries getting up and giving her a hug.

        “I love you too, Tau.” She replied, hugging them back tightly. “Now please, power down for a bit so you can recharge.”

        “Alright.” She watched their lights dim, waiting for the charging indicator to flash, before leaving the room. Closing the door, she leaned against it, sighing despite the small smile on her face. However, it shifted when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pulling it out, she groaned in annoyance and thunked her head against the door as she looked at the caller ID before answering. “What do you want?” She snapped, getting away from the door so not to disturb the sleeping A.I.

        “You’re the one who’s been calling me.” Her ex-wife snapped right back, before taking on a more pleasant tone. “I need a favour.”

        “From me?” Julia scoffed. “What could you need from me?”

        “Don’t brush me off so quickly. You’ll like this. I need you to watch Arti for a few days.” Mackenzie answered.

        “What?” Julia gasped, genuinely surprised.

        “Sterling and I need to go on a trip he’s not allowed on. Leena is too busy to babysit and I don’t trust anyone else. Despite our...altercations, I still trust you. Besides, it’s just for a few days and he’ll get to see Tau and realize how superior he is.”

        Julia rolled her eyes but kept her comments to herself. “Alright.”

        “Awesome, expect him by tomorrow.”

        “Tomorrow!?” Julia exclaimed but the other end had already hung up. “Fucking bitch...but I’ll take the win.” However, she couldn’t help looking around her small apartment. Where would she put Arti? How much had he grown? Does he still remember her? She was soon to find out.