Summary: M-21's phone vibrated, and he frowned for a second before he checked it.

Set post-season 1, but pre-season 2.

Written for Lucathia Rykatu for eastasianfandomgiftbag! *hearts*

Fine

By Dark Ice Dragon

M-21's phone vibrated, and he frowned for a second before he checked it. After the first text from him, M-21 had mostly stopped thinking that the Union had tracked him down. Mostly. There was always that niggling 'what if', and while he didn't know exactly how far and wide the Union reached, that alone said just how much power they wielded.

'How are you? ^^'

M-21 blinked at the message, before double-checking who had sent it (though, if it had come from Frankenstein, that would have been weirder). There was only one person he knew who used those…faces? (Then again, only two people knew his new number) He'd looked up the meaning of it, but he still didn't understand how that was supposed to be a happy face - maybe it was something they were taught in school.

M-21 was right – it was from him.

But why had-? Why did he care?

It was still a question he was being asked though, and then M-21 stared at his phone for a different reason. How was he supposed to respond? If a scientist or Crombell had asked him that… They were wanting to know if his body had gone through any changes since they'd last seen him, but M-21 didn't think he was asking about that.

He continued studying the text, trying to figure out if there was another meaning underneath it before he eventually shook his head, sending a curt 'Fine.' If he got a reply to that, asking for more detailed information, he'd give it (as if he had a choice), and then he'd know what the question really meant.

There was no response, and after a minute, M-21 slowly pocketed his phone again, expecting it to vibrate as soon as his fingers left it. But it didn't.

M-21 started to patrol the grounds again; it was an hour before he stopped expecting his phone to vibrate.

xOx

'How was your day? ^^'

M-21 didn't miss a step as he walked down the corridor, texting 'Fine.' back and putting his mobile back in his pocket.

xOx

'Good job~! ^^'

This…was becoming a regular occurrence and M-21 read the text, bemused. This one didn't have anything he had to respond to, so M-21 didn't.

But how had he known he'd just stopped two children bullying a third…?

xOx

Things continued from there, M-21 receiving a text every day, usually asking a question, sometimes not. M-21 answered in the same way, but that didn't seem to put him off.

Except, one day, he didn't.

M-21 kept double-checking his phone, wondering if he was somehow out of signal range, before he realised what he was doing. He shook his head, annoyed at how pathetic he was being; really, what did it matter if he wasn't texted once a day with a question he'd already answered before?

His phone vibrated.

…Of course that would happen.

Sighing, M-21 checked the new text.

'Master would like me to inform you that his mobile phone is currently out of battery.'

Oh. That would explain why he hadn't texted him.

M-21's phone vibrated again.

'He also wishes to know how your day has been.'

There was a strange light feeling in M-21's chest that he couldn't name as he texted back, 'Fine.'

...I am honestly surprised the ^ didn't get stripped.