Author's Note:

Fun fact: I wrote this chapter after I've written the chapter you're about to see next.

The reason for that is that halfway through writing that chapter, I realize how important this chapter is in terms of Yang and Ruby's characters.

This chapter's really important. Especially for Yang. You'll see what I mean once you've read the next chapter.

Strangers: Become Lovers

Act II

B74NW3N

04:00

FRIDAY

He didn't rest, didn't power down any of his body parts, both internal and external.

He paced around the room, glancing at the clock, his worry growing with every hour passing.

The little squirt wasn't home, and it was well past midnight - to the point where it was practically morning already.

…The fucking hell happened to his niece?!

Firecracker had gone to bed. She didn't know her little sister was gone. And by the time she woke up, he'd make sure she never knew she was gone in the first place.

"Uncle Qrow!" a voice called from the front door. "Please, help!"

He'd never moved faster.

Even before he opened the door he was already ranting, "Do you know how scared I was, Squirt?! Where the hell have… you…"

The words died in his throat upon seeing his niece…

Carrying an unconscious human female in her arms.

No, wait. She wasn't a human. She was an android.

… Like that was any better!

"I- I didn't want to bring her back to that place, she- she's gonna get in trouble! They'll erase her memories if they knew what happened! Uncle Qrow, please!"

-[TAKE HER HOME]-

-[SEND HER HOME]-

Terrified silver bore into shocked maroon.

"Please, help her."

And then one of the options changed.

-[TAKE HER HOME]-

-[HELP HER]-

He knew his niece would never forgive him if he were to choose the rational, logical, safe option.

"… Get inside, now." She took one step and stumbled. The android in her arms was the same height as her, but most definitely heavier due to the mechanical parts. "Give her to me." And she did just that.

He wanted to lay her down on the couch; it wasn't exactly comfy, but it would do in this situation. Yet his niece insisted with teary eyes she should be laid down in her bed. And so he had to comply, to calm Squirt down more than anything, but also because it was darn near impossible for him to say no .

"Now, tell me what happened."

"I- I don't know! I was crying, and she- and she was t-there! And I- I kissed her and s-she kissed back- oh my gosh she actually kissed back but then she- she just- she went unconscious, and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, hey. Calm down, Squirt." He placed his hands gently on her small shoulders, kneeling down to see her eye-to-eye. "Just breathe. Everything's gonna be alright, yeah? Your old man's gonna fix everything," he finished, forcing himself to wear a confident, cocky grin.

In truth, he didn't know if he could fix anything.

He was no longer the strong android he used to be.

Time had worn him down.

And even if his beloved nieces keep on replacing old parts with newer ones… he knew it was inevitable before he-

"Ruby?" another familiar voice called out, slightly slurred from waking up. He turned to find Firecracker groggily sauntering to them, rubbing her eyes. She halted and dropped her jaw upon noticing who was lying peacefully on their bed. "What…? Is that a SCHN33?"

"Firecracker, take your sister to bed," he commanded.

"NO!" Immediately, Squirt placed her hand on top of the android's, glaring at him defiantly. "I don't wanna leave her alone, she could be in danger!"

He put a hand on his head, scratching. With a calm voice, he spoke, "I can't focus if you're hovering all over her like this." He met the older sister's eyes knowingly.

Firecracker, still in doubt, asked, "Are you sure you can do it? You're…" She winced, trying to find a polite way to say it and failing miserably. "You know..."

He raised an eyebrow. "You calling me old?"

"You are old." She snorted.

"Fair enough," he didn't deny. He took a short glance at his other niece, noticing how worn she looked. "Firecracker."

"Got it."

It was trying, but Firecracker managed to pry Squirt away from the Schnee, and coaxed her into the blonde's room, leaving him to his devices and his devices alone.

"Alright, Schnee, or... whatever the hell you've been called… Let's see what's up with you."

He was past his prime, that was true. But that didn't mean he no longer could perform the most basic function of an android.

His LED was no longer there. He'd cut it out to blend in with the humans. But if it was still there, it would've blinked yellow at the same time the girl's LED did the same.

He hovered over her, his eyes scanning beneath the artificial skin.

"Huh… Your body's completely fine, it's just shut down, but…"

There was still an activity - small as it may be. Up there. In her temple.

If she were a human, he'd label her as dreaming.

But she was no human, and, perhaps a tad shakily, he placed his hand on top of her head, applying enough pressure to wash out the creamy tone of her skin, revealing the pure white of an android's metal surface.

The coloration in his own hand disappeared as well, though his surface was not as shiny white and was dented and worn, showing his true age.

"Your memory core is... fixing itself." He tried to figure out what it meant. And it didn't take him long to do so. "Squirt did say you have missing memories…"

Again, how his niece somehow befriended such an android was beyond him.

But that was his squirt, alright. Giving people heart attacks left and right. Even he, an android, wasn't spared from her wrath.

He didn't know what was wrong with her exactly. Nor did he know what he, of all people, could do to help her. This was beyond him. But his niece depended on him, and, well… he guessed he could let her stay in his home. At least, for the night.

It was the only thing an old, rusty robot like him could do.

He took one last look at the android, shaking his head slowly as he closed the door. "Tsk, amnesiac androids. What a world."

But then again, who was he to complain?

"Hey." He turned, finding Firecracker leaning against the wall, crossing her arms. He noticed, not for the first time, how tall she'd gotten. It made him ponder about how fast kids grew up and how much he missed the days where he could pick them up on his shoulders and twirl them around.

Heh. Good times.

"I put Ruby to bed." Good girl. "How's the verdict, doc?" Firecracker asked, grinning, trying to ease the palpable tension.

-[HONEST]-

-[REASSURE]-

… Eh.

Firecracker's a big girl. She could handle a bit of lemon in her life.

"Don't know if she'll wake up." She gaped at him. He shrugged nonchalantly before standing straight, narrowing his eyes. "Squirt told me she's not just any android…?"

"She isn't," the kid confirmed. "They only made the one SCHN33 model. New as shit. Expensive as fuck."

"Language, Firecracker," he glowered.

She chuckled and managed to look sheepish. "Sorry."

They went into a comfortable silence for a long while.

And then he tried to move.

And felt something stirring uncomfortably in his side, causing him to freeze for a moment.

Androids didn't feel pain, but…

It was still restricting and so damn uncomfortable.

He tried to mask his pain, to no avail.

Firecracker was looking at him sorrowfully. But there was also a sense of dull resignation there.

The latter hurt more.

She guided him down to sit on the couch.

He was relieved that Squirt was asleep.

He didn't think she'd be able to handle seeing him like this.

Which was why he hid it from her.

"Look," sighed Firecracker, who flopped down on the couch beside him. "I went and brought you a spare part the other day. I think it'll help."

It would.

For a short time.

But that wasn't what his niece needed to hear.

"Thanks, Firecracker."

Firecracker looked down on her hands, fidgeting.

He could tell something was on her mind.

So he waited until she was brave and comfortable enough to speak.

… He didn't have to wait long.

"Qrow?"

He hummed.

"Am I a bad person for being jealous of my own sister?"

He moved so he could properly see her. "The hell are you jealous for?" he gawked. "Her height?"

Firecracker frowned at him, unimpressed. Soon, that frown faltered and she took in a blank look. "She and… Schnee. What they have."

There was a short pause, and when she spoke, her words felt heavy.

"I want that."

-[ASK]-

-[COMFORT]-

No matter how badly he wanted to choose the latter, he knew he couldn't just accept her words. He was her uncle, after all. And what kind of an uncle didn't worry about his nieces?

"Just what do you see in that girl?"

Firecracker chuckled, looking up but not really seeing anything. "What don't I see in her? Blake's smart, she's witty, she's gorgeous." A small, honest smile graced her lips and a hue of pink tinted her cheeks. "But it's more than that, too. She really gets me, Qrow. She may not realize it, but I've been happier since I met her."

She then looked down, an impassive frown set on her face.

"Is it… is it too soon to call it love?"

… Eh. Probably.

The more accurate term would be crushing on someone hard and quick - too quick for his taste.

But that wasn't what her hormonal niece needed to hear.

"You're asking me?" he snickered.

She tried to glare at him but couldn't suppress the smile from forming.

"You know what I mean," she sighed exasperatedly. She sighed again, this time in a wistful manner. "I respect her. Trust her. And… I think the feeling's mutual. I keep telling myself that she doesn't feel the same way toward me, but… it doesn't change anything."

Lilac bore into maroon questioningly. Desperately.

"What do I do, Qrow?"

What to do, indeed.

"... I think you should trust your instincts and… well… do whatever the hell you want."

Was that a good enough advice? He hoped that was good enough advice.

Judging by how determination seemed to spark in those bright eyes, it looked like he did a good job at being a parent - even though he was technically their uncle… and even that wasn't technically true.

"In that case… I'm going for a walk."

Shit.

He didn't do a good job.

"It's not even five in the morning!"

Firecracker, already halfway through slamming the exit door shut, shouted, "Don't care!"

He groaned, flopping back down to his couch, wishing he were a human so he could drink one of beers or wines or stuff. He was too old for this kind of shit.

"… Teenagers are just the worst."

Author's Note:

Eyy, a little bit of 'Into The Spiderverse' reference there~

Why is it that all the Qrow chapters are so long?... Oh, probably because they're important and flesh out Ruby and Yang's characters more (not that they're not fleshed out before… I'm just saying we get to see them interacting with someone that's not Weiss and Blake.)

It only occurs to me now that we haven't really seen Ruby and Yang interact that in my writing. Though, I don't think that's a mistake on my part. It has to do with the writing style I chose.

Do believe that both Ruby and Yang have lives outside of Weiss and Blake. They have friends, interests, hobbies, etc. Their lives don't revolve around Weiss and Blake, and vice versa.

But because of the writing style I've chosen, the limited word count being 1.5k words for a normal chapter, and that this story is strictly about Bumblebee and Whiterose, well… most of the scenes should, logically, revolve around Bumblebee and Whiterose.

In the end, this is a love story. It's just… a love story including robots and mental slavery and physical slavery and other things.

Sorry / if / I give off the impression that Ruby and Yang have nothing to do other than gluing themselves to Blake and Weiss and admiring them in every way and can't think of anything other than them. That, I think, is a mistake on my part.

See you later~