Strangers: Become Lovers

Act III

B74NW3N

SATURDAY

06:10

Of all the things that could make him feel so helpless and angry and small at the same time… Qrow never thought the disturbingly-familiar face of Taiyang Xiao Long would be one of them.

Though, he had to admit, even in this situation; Taiyang was a changed man.

He was no longer the pitiful man who grieved over the loss of his wife.

No, he looked and acted as though he knew what he was doing, as if he had a purpose that couldn't be swayed.

There was no longer alcohol-induced mist in his blue eyes.

And it both terrified and heartened Qrow.

"Ruby… Yang…"

A small sound was heard as concrete met the edge of his boot.

And that simple act was already triggering too many alarms in his artificial heart.

"Don't you dare take another damn step!"

His body moved on its own and he was in the front, splaying his palms wide to both guard his girls and ready himself if there was going to be a fight - and he expected there to be a fight. In fact, he yearned for it.

After what that man - no, that monster - did… getting beaten to a pulp was the least he deserved.

Three hours they had been running, trying to get here safely. For this to be the final obstacle they (hopefully) had to face was like blowing a hole in his head and passing it off as just a flesh wound.

But then he felt a hand, gentle and small and fragile, making contact with his broken and old artificial skin.

"Uncle Qrow, please…"

It was Ruby. His sweet, precious Ruby, who had been too young to understand what happened, too young to remember… who had looked a lot like her mother, who still looked a lot like her mother…

"You stole my little girls, Qrow," the man stated matter of factly.

But Qrow couldn't keep focusing on his little Squirt. Tai's voice - that voice that had the audacity to sound hurt and offended and mad - pulled his focus.

"You stole them from me."

He tried not to grit his teeth too hard. "Tsk, please. The last thing we all need is that shit-face Jacques sending you to 'convince' us what we're doing isn't the sensible thing!"

His face reddened in anger. Qrow momentarily froze when his hand went up to touch his belt. There must be a gun there, hidden by his shirt. But his hand froze, fingers twitching before he clenched them into fists as he pointed an accusing finger towards the old android.

"This has nothing to do with Jacques! You- you filthy machine!"

What bothered him wasn't the fact that Tai had raised his voice, what bothered him was that it caused his two girls to flinch and shrink. Bad memories had no doubt resurfaced. Trauma like that never truly disappeared.

Fortunately, Daddy's-Little-Android and Ice Queen were there to touch and comfort them, holding their hands and cupping their cheeks and whatnot. He was grateful. He didn't think he could afford being nurturing with how pissed off he was.

"You didn't deny that he sent you," he pointed out.

"He told me where you'd be," Tai said levelly. "And he was right." He then looked straight through Qrow as if he didn't exist. As if he had never existed. "Ruby, Yang… You don't want to do this, I know you don't." He put on a gentle smile and extended his two hands, kneeling on one knee, as he expected 'his' girls to suddenly forgive him for being a shitty father and hug him and his mistakes away. "Come with me, and everything will be okay. I'll do better, I swear. I'm clean now. I've been clean for years. I won't hurt you girls again."

And Tai looked so sure, so damn sure that he wouldn't hurt her again. His face and smile and voice were so gentle and fatherly that it made Qrow sick. In truth, he just wanted to laugh, because the kids wouldn't believe his shitty acting, right? They wouldn't- they were smart kids!

Yet Qrow felt the need to say, "I'm surprised Jacques didn't send an army to pick up his precious perfect robot." He was shocked at how desperate he sounded, yet he kept talking anyway. "Then again, he doesn't want to embarrass himself in public by letting everyone know that even his greatest invention turns his back on him."

But his words didn't get the bastard riled up. Tai acted like he didn't have ears, looking straight to the kids, that sad glint in his eyes never faltering.

"Kids... Let's talk. We can settle things, once and for all."

Turning around, Qrow felt betrayed to see the two girls looking as though they were considering his words.

It was Yang who first spoke to him. Yang, his little Firecracker… who wasn't so little anymore. "We have to do this."

And he wanted to tell her it wasn't worth it, he wasn't worth it, but then he remembered that Tai was their father and he was just an android - an android who raised them and took care of them and made sure they got what they deserved.

But he was just an android…

And maybe, his best wasn't enough…

And they deserved better than an old, broken android.

"Please, Uncle Qrow."

Silver eyes bore into his maroon ones with such desperation that he had no choice but to say, "Alright…"

And so Firecracker and Squirt started to walk, the younger sister keeping her arm snaked around the older sister's waist to help her balance. And with each step they took, their figures became less and less clear and Qrow wanted to just grab them and tug them away from him, from the monster.

[INTERVENE]

[DO NOTHING]

~'Let them go, Qrow.'~ Ice Queen's voice was like a chilly breeze in his mind.

~'They have to face him.'~ And Daddy's Girl sounded remorseful, bitter, like saying those words - even if she didn't actually say them - hurt. And maybe it did.

He looked. And he'd never felt more torn and broken to see those kids talking with that man that claimed to be their father - that man who was their father.

In the end, Taiyang truly was a changed man. A better man. A man who could provide a better life for his kids than Qrow ever could.

He chose the option he didn't like.

He chose the option he knew was the right one.

"What's even the point anymore?" he wondered aloud. "Why are we here if they're not with us?"

"We're our own people," said Ice Queen, stepping to his left side, looking straight ahead like he was. "We don't need them."

"Beacon will be our new life." And the other android was on his right side now. He saw her hugging herself from the corner of his eye. "We should be happy."

A beat passed.

And another.

And another.

And the fog thickened, and the figure became less clear, and they looked like a perfect family from afar.

The sisters were humans. They already had their freedom and their life and they never needed to struggle for it…

Ruby and Yang never needed Beacon… not like they did.

"You girls sounded so convincing," he said after chuckling a rueful chuckle. "I almost believed you were telling the truth."

He, Ice Queen and Daddy's Girl were androids. Squirt and Firecracker were humans. As much as they pretended it didn't exist, there was a line separating them.

And that line had never looked more visible and felt more painful until now.

A beat that felt like a century passed.

And another.

And another.

And then Ruby and Yang looked at them, watery smiles on their faces, and they walked to their direction.

And he'd never felt happier and more stupid in his entire non-organic life because duh! Of course they'd choose him and their partners over some douchebag who just happened to be their biological father! They were smart kids! They were his kids! How could he had ever doubted them?!

But then Tai's form shook, and his happiness was swept away.

The man pulled out his gun, and Qrow moved, and the last thing he heard was the ear-shattering sound of a gunshot.

Author's Note:

We're almost done with this. Wow. Thanks for all of your support. I know I rarely respond to your messages, and I apologise for that, but please know that I do read your reviews, and they do make my days better, even if it's something as small as "good chapter" or "keep up the good work". See you in another few days.