Chapter Text
When FL4K had seen Zer0, bathed in the bright neons and dark shadows of Promethea, they had assumed they were in the presence of a fellow machine. However, FL4K’s advanced sensors didn’t let them be fooled for long. FL4K noticed the slight rise of Zer0’s narrow chest as they took a controlled breath, the slight shifting of practiced yet still organic hands readjusting their grip on a blade handle. These little movements were imperceptible to the human eye, but FL4K saw them easily.
But while Zer0 clearly wasn’t a robot, they definitely weren’t human.
“You are definitely not human.” FL4K said bluntly, days later in the relative safety of the newly secured Atlas headquarters. Zer0 didn’t seem to register the non sequitur, not pausing in the idle inspection of their sword.
“Astutely noted,” they replied dryly, absently rubbing at the blood beginning to dry on the blade. “You are not human either.”
“Yet you do not see me bending to petty human customs.”
Zer0 tilted their head downwards, giving FL4K a deliberate once-over. “Fashion is petty?”
FL4K didn’t bother looking down at their clothing in offence. They dressed for function, nothing else. They had just enough fabric to protect their systems from cold nights and from the grit of sand and dirt, and the style was loose enough not to get caught in their metal joints during combat. If asked, FL4K would claim that the cute buttons on their jacket had been there already when they’d swiped it from a dead bandit, but this was an inconsequential lie. FL4K wouldn’t let this distract them from what they wanted to get at.
“Your allies call you ‘he’ and ‘him’,” FL4K stated matter-of-factly, “Yet your species has no concept of gender.”
“Species, Vault Hunter?” The assassin tilted their head, their voice cold. FL4K couldn’t see Zer0’s expression, but they sensed the way the assassin’s body seemed to harden, the casual grip on their sword shifting instantly to iron. An unstated threat.
“Apologies,” FL4K said with no change in tone. “My systems are still synched with the archive’s database. I could not help but notice.”
Zer0’s grip loosened slightly, and they let themselves continue to turn their blade over in their hands. “It ruins the mystery.” Zer0’s synthesized monotone couldn’t mask their petulant whine, nor the [:/] that appeared on their helmet. “You are right, of course.”
“So why bother?”
Zer0 sheathed their sword. “I do not bother. I let them make assumptions,” Zer0’s helmet flashed with a [¯\_(ツ)_/¯]. “And they assumed wrong.”
FL4K paused, reflecting on this. “I cannot imagine not correcting them.”
Zer0 tilted their head to the side. “Existing outside “petty human” binaries is not my gender.” Their helmet displayed a big red [X]. “I have no gender. Maybe it is you who clings to human customs.”
FL4K made their best attempt to huff indignantly without any lungs, then cursed themselves internally for yet another human quirk. “I cannot help it. I am neither man nor woman, but that is not the same as lacking gender. This sense of… self is as innate as any of my systems.”
“And I cannot help my absence of sense, either,” Zer0 rebutted smugly “And neither can Rhys.” Zer0 turned their helmet to where Rhys was working intently at a nearby computer terminal, unaware of the veiled insult. Zer0’s helmet lit up with an [LOL] but their controlled breathing did not so much as falter with mirth.
“I feel I understand less than I did before.” FL4K admitted, metal fingers toying with the nonbinary pin at their collar. Another human gesture.
“You are quite human,” Zer0 said, amused. “There are humans that feel both as you and I do.” Zer0 tilted their head, as if gesturing to Atlas around them, where the usual crowd of human employees were milling about. “A unique species. So different from each other, yet all are human.”
“I suppose,” FL4K replied, just to say something. A nudge at their leg saved them from further contemplation. FL4K looked down to see the familiar face of Mr. Chew, who wiggled his butt furiously upon being noticed. FL4K automatically reached down a hand to scratch under his bandana, causing one of Mr. Chew’s back legs to jackhammer involuntarily against the metal floor.
“Quite human, indeed,” Zer0 hummed. “Humans will pet anything.”
“You are immune?” As if sensing the challenge in his master’s voice, Mr. Chew suddenly pivoted his attention to the assassin, rubbing the side of his face against Zer0’s bony knees.
Zer0 gave Mr. Chew an awkward pat on the head, their helmet flashing a rude [:p]. “I did not say that.”