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“The Spine, what is a date?” HatchWorth asked one day, out of the blue. The Spine looked over the top of the newspaper he was reading. HatchWorth stood in front of him, leaning forward expectantly. The Spine put down his newspaper and thought for a moment.
“Well, Hatchy, a date is when there’s two people, and they like each other. They spend time together, doing something fun, like having dinner together or watching a movie or maybe just going for a walk. The point is, they’re together and having a good time,” he explained carefully. HatchWorth nodded slowly, taking in the information. Suddenly, he stood up straight.
“Thank you, The Spine! I have to go!” he said, dashing out of the room. The Spine watched the other robot leave, one eyebrow quirked up in amusement. Then, with a shrug, he returned to his newspaper.
~
Rabbit came into the kitchen to check on the appliances later that day, and was greeted with stacks of sandwiches, covering the entire counter. HatchWorth stood at the kitchen table, spreading a tablecloth over it and placing a candle in the center. Rabbit narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Hatchy…w-w-what are ya doin’?” he asked. HatchWorth turned around and smiled at Rabbit.
“Oh, I am going on a date with The Spine!” he exclaimed. Rabbit gave a half smile and a small chuckle. He knew that HatchWorth didn’t understand much about the world yet, so he just let it go.
“A-Are ya really gonna eat all th-those sandwiches?”
~
It was late afternoon, and HatchWorth found The Spine sitting outside, playing his guitar and singing. He tapped The Spine on the shoulder. The titanium robot turned around and nodded at HatchWorth. The cast-iron robot cleared his throat.
“The Spine, would you like to go for a walk with me?” he asked quickly.
“Sure, let me just put my guitar away…” The Spine said absently. He pulled the strap from over his head and carried the guitar inside. HatchWorth followed closely behind. The Spine saw Rabbit in the hallway on his way to his guitar case. “HatchWorth and I are going for a walk, do you want to come?” he asked. Rabbit looked between the two robots and gave a sly smile.
“N-nah, that’s ok. You k-kids have fun now!” he laughed. The Spine gave him a questioning look, but Rabbit just shook his head and continued down the hall, humming “On Top of the Universe”. The Spine shrugged and put his guitar away, then followed as HatchWorth took the lead.
~
The pair walked down a quiet pathway of the park. It was a nice, sunny day, and lots of other people were out enjoying the weather. They smiled at the robots as they passed them, who nodded and smiled in return. HatchWorth saw a couple walking the opposite direction holding hands. He watched them for a moment and then looked down at his own hand next to The Spine’s. After a moment of hesitation, he took the other bot’s hand. The Spine looked down.
“What are you doing?” he asked with an amused sound in his voice. HatchWorth nervously let go and put his hands behind his back, but The Spine took it back. “It’s fine,” he said. Hatchy let out a puff of steam as he held his friend’s hand a little tighter.
~
When the sun began to set, the two automatons made their way back to the manor, where HatchWorth immediately led The Spine by the hand to the kitchen. He gestured to the table. The candle had already been lit (likely by Rabbit).
“The Spine, sit down, if you would, please,” HatchWorth instructed. The titanium robot did as he was told, admiring the setup. He was a bit confused when the cast-iron bot put a plate in front of him and one at the other end of the table, finally sitting down and facing him. Despite the fact that robots did need to eat, The Spine picked up the sandwich on the plate in front of him and took a bite to humor his friend. HatchWorth followed suit, devouring the sandwich on his plate. After he took another bite, The Spine swallowed and cleared his throat.
“So, what’s all this about?” he asked. HatchWorth perked up.
“Well, The Spine, you said that when two people like each other they go on dates and walks and have dinner,” he said simply. The Spine choked on his next bite of sandwich. “Are you alright?” HatchWorth tilted his head with concern. The Spine managed to stop coughing after a moment.
“Is that what this is? A date?” he asked, trying not to laugh. HatchWorth nodded.
“That is right, and after this, we will watch a movie, which you said is another thing people on dates do,” Hatchy explained patiently. The Spine chuckled softly, shaking his head. The other robot cleared away their plates when they were finished and put them in the sink. After he blew out the candle, he took The Spine’s hand and led him to the sitting room, where a large TV was set up.
Peter Walter VI sat on the couch in front of the TV, watching one of his shows. HatchWorth cleared his throat, and Peter turned around. He looked between the two robots holding hands and raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me, may The Spine and I use the television? We are on a date,” HatchWorth said resolutely. Peter raised the other eyebrow and looked at The Spine, who nodded in response. Peter clicked off his show and stood up to leave.
“Have fun, you two,” he said as he left. The robots sat down on the couch and HatchWorth took the remote and switched over to the movie he had chosen. He put the remote down and scooted closer to The Spine. The titanium bot draped his arm over the other bot’s shoulder. The two sat comfortably next to each other and watched the movie quietly. About halfway through, The Spine turned to the other robot.
“Hatchy?”
“Yes, The Spine?”
“This has been a pretty good date. Maybe we can go again some time.”