9S returned to the Resistance's camp alone, and this didn't go unnoticed to A2's watchful eyes. Immediately upon seeing him she approached him, wanting to know where the others went.

"Why are you alone?" there it was the obvious question.

When he took a moment to answer, thinking how to explain the slaughter they had just witnessed, A2 asked again.

"Has something happened?" worry was evident in her tone.

"Well… it's hard to explain, but don't worry, nothing bad happened to either 2B or Robin." he told her, because that didn't happen in the slightest, and he didn't want her to think that way.

"We found an old machine friend, but all his animals were killed…" he held his arm, recalling the sight of all those dead creatures on the ground.

"2B took our friend to Pascal, but Robin wanted to stay in the forest longer."

She hadn't exactly specified why, just that he should have left and not wait for her, as she had something to do, or so she claimed. He could only imagine what she must have had in mind, unfortunately used to death much more than any of them was.

She seemed pretty troubled by it.

"I'll take her back." A2 announced, it was an expected outcome.

He made no move to try and stop her, after all, A2 was the one that knew Robin the most, and if there was anyone that could aid her, it was the rogue.

So for the time being he sought to make the new Black Box for 21O, so he at least could give good news for when Robin returned.

He felt that it would help.

A2 used Robin's Pod to help herself find his owner, after all, she left him with her for a reason. When she arrived in the forest, she immediately noticed the silent ambient, with the only exception of a few singing birds.

But right now she was interested in another kind of bird.

She knew well that Robin's mental health didn't do too well when exposed to a lot of death, whether it was caused by her or not didn't matter. She tended to get lost with back thoughts that A2 didn't want her to have.

So when she saw her, she wasn't all that surprised to see her sitting against a tree, hugging her knees, and looking in front of her, where A2 could see that the terrain had been moved around a lot.

If the shovel next to Robin and her dirty clothes and hands were of any indication.

Did she stay to bury those animals by herself?

Keeping her pace slow, but making sure Robin heard her well enough, and absolutely not wanting to startle her, A2 made her way over, and sat next to her, shoulders touching.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a soft whisper, using it as a mask to hide how worried she was.

Robin's response was to lower her head, burying it in her knees.

"I don't know…" was the response, muffled from the clothing.

She didn't even quite know why she stayed to give these animals a burial, maybe just a desperate attempt to prove herself that she could have some kind of respect towards the fallen. She never did before, did having people she cared for change that too? Or was it always that way, and her heart had been too cold to feel that way?

Perhaps it was both things.

She just knew that she was tired, sore and dirty.

There was still so much death, even if now they were supposed to be at peace. And she wondered if this suffering would ever end.

Everything lately just kept reminding her of Ohara, and even if it wasn't these people's fault, she hated it.

"Do you want to come home with me? 2B and 9S already finished preparing pur room at the camp."

Home… what a strange word…

A small nod was all she got, but enough for her to understand.

But as soon as she got up, head spinning, she stumbled forward, and would have fallen if it hadn't been for A2 holding her up.

"Are you sure you can walk?" A2 held her strong and steady, despite being so much smaller than her. It had usually been the opposite way around, with Robin carrying A2, that she never noticed, and never expected the opposite to happen.

Taking another step her legs gave out again. "Maybe I'm more tired than I thought."

She really needed rest, and maybe a shower too.

"May I?" A2 asked, motioning to hold her shoulders and legs, but didn't hoist her up yet, knowing how Robin felt about being touched and held.

"I'm heavy." it was Robin's half serious complaint, but the tone was not serious enough to say that she refused the offer, actually all the opposite.

"And I'm strong." A2 grinned, taking the taller woman in her arms with little effort.

"You've helped me so many times, now it's my turn."

"Right…" tired and not wanting to argue, Robin laid her head on A2's shoulder. "Thank you…"

Barely a whisper, but A2 heard it, as Robin closed her eyes and finally let herself rest. The white haired android only held her tighter.

"I'll always be here for you."

Every time she'll fall, she will pick her up again, like all those times A2 did. Robin kept her going over and over again, because she felt that she deserved to keep living despite being the failure she was, so now, it was only right that she gave everything back.

She'll be there for her, because this was how it was all meant to be.

Robin was still sleeping in her arms when A2 returned, at least this time no one was carrying a broken body into the camp, with the corner of her eye she noticed that 2B also returned, and took place near the infirmary, watching over 9S work with the twins.

Her younger sister gave her a worried look, probably afraid Robin had been hurt, but A2 shook her head, wordlessly saying that she'd just asleep.

As she passed by, she saw Anemone smile in their direction, before she took the slumbering woman to the room they'd been given, which had been just at a lower floor than the Resistance's Leader's own one.

Probably she just wanted both them and the other resident couple close by.

As soon as she placed her on the bed, Robin stirred slightly, eyes blinking, trying to know where she was.

"This is our new room." A2 sat next to her, looking at the place herself, as she too had yet to properly see it.

But at least it looked like it had all they needed to place Robin's relics and books, and even a desk where she could work on them, a bed for them both, a chest with which she assumed spare clothing. Anemone did say she'd commission some new items that would fit them, especially regarding Robin.

There was even a bathroom to wash themselves, not that A2 truly knew how, she had never truly washed or had a shower, not even back at the Bunker, but maybe Robin wanted to.

Didn't humans wash themselves frequently? Especially women?

"It looks nice." it was the first comment Robin made, as much as she was fond of the little hideout at the facility, this was much more comfortable and less of a mess.

She just had a lot of memories of that place, and A2 did too.

But as long as they were together it shouldn't count where they were.

Sometimes all of this still felt weird.

"You look troubled." even if she wasn't looking at her, she knew A2 was frowning at her.

"I was just thinking… how all of this still seems surreal to me."

A2 didn't know where this was going, but out of instinct she reached out her hand to take Robin's one.

"After all those years spent running and alone, I never thought I'd even have a place I could call home, that I could have people I cared about and cared about me too, and much less be able to experience what love is." gently she squeezed A2's hand back.

"But here I am." a sigh. "Sometimes, even if it's been years since I was taken here, I'm still afraid to wake up and realize this has been just some kind of twisted dream."

Especially now that she had people she loved that she could lose. She had nothing before, and now that she did, she was so damn afraid to lose it all over again.

Without saying anything, A2 took her face in her hands, and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

"Does this feel like a dream to you?" she was here, she was real, and she was going to remind Robin for as many times as she had to. "I'm not going anywhere."

However Robin refused to meet her eyes once they parted, had she done or said something wrong?

"That also worries me."

"What do you mean?" did Robin not want affection anymore?

"This attachment… I'm afraid it could cloud your judgment." the black haired woman laid a hand on their still joined ones.

"Please do not get me wrong, I'm really, really happy to have you with me, you and all the others too, but what you've been doing has been all about myself, I appreciate it, but I don't want to be the only important thing in your life." a sigh.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I fear your programming acting up, because of what I was, yours and everyone else's." Robin's eyes looked in the direction of the door.

"Seeing 21O again reminded me of this. When we met she was extremely respectful, because of my humanity, but I didn't want a servant." finally, she looked back in A2's direction. "And certainly I don't want it in you. Your latest actions made me afraid of it, a bit."

She raked a hand through her hair. "And I may be still processing this whole thing too."

Robin just hoped her words hadn't hurt A2, that she wasn't thinking that suddenly she wanted to leave her, that never.

"I asked myself the same things when Anemone made me realize I was in love." it was a legit worry, from both sides.

And knowing that Robin desired love not based from some stupid strings of code, but from the fact that A2 wanted it, sort of reassured her, instead of angering her.

"I spoke with 2B about it, if my feelings were legit or not, much like you're wondering about it now." she didn't want some digital program to control the way she was supposed to feel about someone, much less about Robin.

"But know that I never did anything I didn't want to, that I am sure that what I feel is true, because I am not in love with you because you were a human, but because it is you." A2 then decided to straddle Robin's legs, taking both hands in hers and looking in those different eyes she so much liked.

"The person I love is Nico Robin, the only one that looked at me in the eyes and understood me and my story, and that treated me with kindness and respect, regardless of what you were and what you are."

A2 spoke with the most confidence she could muster, hoping to get the message across. Because she truly wasn't in love with the human that was in Robin, but she was in love with her for the good person she was, despite the cold exterior, that was there because she'd been hurt so much.

She didn't want to hurt her too…

"I want you to live and experience all that no one has ever given you before."

"Just… promise me that my happiness won't be the center of your life." because A2 had some much she could do, without needing to constantly worry about her.

"As long as you also take your words and apply them for yourself." A2 gave a small smile. "Because I recall someone that used to place my own life before hers too many times, hurting herself. I don't want to see any more of that."

If something went one way, it had to go in the other direction too.

She too had many people that loved her, and she didn't have to sacrifice spending time with them to favor A2, as much as Robin didn't want her to dedicate all her time to her too.

They both had friends now and again.

"No promises, but, I'll try my best to not throw my life away again." Robin replied, because if the need arose, she'd protect A2, as much as she was sure the android would do the same thing.

Despite what she said.

Because they were both bad at being attached to life.

"I guess I'll take the deal." A2 grinned. "But just if I can kiss you again."

Robin gave a little chuckle. "All the times you want."

So she did, with renewed vigor and confidence, now that she knew that Robin wouldn't pull away or not accept it, and the fact that the black haired woman held her arms tightly around her waist, encouraged her even further.

And she very much enjoyed the flushed and breathless look on her lover's face afterwards.

"Say… do you want to take a bath with me?"

If possible A2's face turned as hot as she felt when she was using B mode. Robin had asked her to do what?

"Isn't it early for that?" she looked down in her lap instead, unable to meet the woman's eyes. Besides if she said yes would it mean she'd see Robin naked? A2 wasn't sure she was ready to see it.

"Not that, silly. But I really need to get cleaned up, I don't want 21O to worry that I haven't been taking care of myself when she'll wake up, and you should do too." Robin raised a hand to A2's cheek. "Don't you want to feel nice and clean again?"

Well now that she put it that way… maybe it would be nice to feel her skin smooth and normal again.

"Well I'm not sure if I know what to do…" normally androids didn't take baths, or showers, they had their own maintenance process for that.

And Robin knew that she was sure, but she had still been a human, and probably wanted to feel as such for these small things.

"I'll help you with it, if you want me to." A2 looked down in her lap again.

On one hand, she was filthy, she knew that, she never washed herself or had occasion to, showing herself naked while she cleaned up was not one of the ways she wanted to go out, also rather embarrassing if anyone found her too.

On another hand, maybe it wouldn't hurt now that she could allow herself to?

"I mean I guess? But…" he face turned red and hot again. "Does this mean you'll be naked?"

"Is that a problem?" Robin smiled at A2's shyness. "Besides, haven't you seen me naked already?"

"T-that was a different thing..." she'd been almost dead that time, she couldn't avoid it if she wanted to save her. Robin did seem to have a thing for getting stabbed in the chest.

"I know, I'm just messing with you." with a grin, Robin gently booped A2's nose. "Seems weird that you'd get shy on me, when you've been running around with nothing on until a while ago."

"But if this bothers you so much I can cover myself with a towel, does that sound better?"

Another blush, how cute. "Yes please."

"All right then, I'll set it up." but instead of moving A2 away from her lap, even if she was more than strong enough to lift her off, she waited for her to do it, as she removed herself and sat with her legs crossed on the bed, waiting.

So then, Robin wasted no time in preparing the bathroom, thankfully it did seem to have a rather spacious tub, probably Anemone gave them this room so she'd be comfortable, given her height.

Turning on the water and waiting for it to become warm, she placed all she needed close by, before undressing herself and throwing the dirty clothes in a corner, and true to her word, wrapping a towel around her midriff, so A2 wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Maybe it was still too early for showing too much skin, at least for her to see.

Robin lost that shyness long ago, because of other people.

Once the temperature was just the right warmth, she called A2 over. The woman had already removed her clothing too, looking the very same as she'd known her through these months.

A2 looked over instead, watching as Robin sat on the tub, before sitting in the water with a soft sigh.

"It's been so long since I had this luxury…" she heard her murmur, but didn't ask.

Following her example, the white haired android also sat on the edge, dipping her feet and legs in the water first, finding it pleasantly warm and soothing against her worn and old body.

She watched Robin move and sit straighter, holding her legs to herself, and they looked even longer here than usual, so A2 could fit in and sit on the other side.

So she did, letting her body be submerged by the water, and watching her long white mane of hair float around her, and tickle hers and Robin's legs too.

"Feels nice, yes?" she nodded at the black haired woman's words.

A bit of a foreign feeling, but she didn't mind the warmth and the gentle massage of the water on her tired body.

She played with the water a little with her hands, watching it move around them, as with the

corner of her eye she spotted Robin take a sponge.

"Let's get you clean first, shall we?"

With a nod, she allowed Robin to do what she meant to, as with utmost gentleness she wiped the sponge on her face first, scrubbing away the dirt from her cheeks and nose, it almost tickled, if she had to be honest.

A2 sat quietly as the black haired woman cleaned her arms next, her hands caressing the seams where skin blended into metal, and vice versa. She wondered if it didn't feel weird touching them, Robin had such smooth skin instead…

"This ain't so bad, isn't it?" the human smiled, and A2 nodded.

"But well… I'll need to clean other areas too, unless you want to try doing that?" she asked, assuming A2 didn't feel comfortable with being touched in certain areas, and being honest, neither did Robin.

She hadn't meant this to be weird, she truly wanted A2 to feel better about her body, and to care for it, now that she could.

"It's fine, I'll do that." the white haired android nodded with more confidence than what she was feeling, as she took the sponge from Robin's hands, watching as her partner reached for a second one for herself.

A2 did her best to imitate what Robin did and was doing right now to herself, as she cleaned the rest of her body, only that she was nowhere near as delicate with herself, nor the item she was using as Robin was.

And it seemed the other woman noticed too, that she was being too rough. "Easy there, if you were a human you'd be full of scratches." she chuckled.

However A2 sat there, looking at her reflection, disappointed. "It's okay, you'll learn, this is all new for you." Robin put a hand on her shoulders.

"Let's wash your hair now, is that fine?" Robin gestured for her to sit with her back turned, A2 heard her hum as she took the long mane in her hands, and pulled all the hair backwards, even the strands on A2's face.

"This might take a while, just bear with me for a bit."

"All right." Robin reached for a small bucket, and filled it with water, and with her free hand she tilted A2's head slightly backwards, and then dumped the bucket on her hair.

"Do you want some conditioner too, it's something that makes your hair smell nice." also would help untangle the knots she knew were there.

And that they were probably a lot.

"You're the expert here, I'll leave it to you." was A2's reply, honestly, Robin could do anything she wanted and she wouldn't complain about it. Yet she was being respectful, knowing this was a new thing for her.

A2's nose caught the scent of something flower scented, lavender her brain told her. Must have been the thing Robin was talking about, and she wondered if both of them would smell of flowers once they finished washing.

Honestly she wouldn't mind smelling this on Robin, she thought as the woman once again took her long hair in her hands, this time with that soapy substance on them, and began gently applying it to the white mane.

As her fingers massaged her scalp, A2 could feel herself relaxing to it. Perhaps she'd take baths more often if they were so relaxing from now on.

Though not alone of course.

Robin's expert fingers and brush untangled the knots one by one, slowly and carefully, not to pull too hard to not upset or hurt A2, as she sat there with her eyes closed, that she wondered if the white haired android had fallen asleep as she did.

At least she no longer was uncomfortable anymore, which was good.

Gently she rinsed the hair, passing the brush one more time through the strands, to make sure they were now smooth. Pleased with her work, she placed a small kiss on A2's forehead.

Blue eyes lazily stared at her as she did so.

"All done." she smiled. "I just need to wash my own hair now."

A2 opened her mouth to offer to do so herself, but recalling that she had no idea what to do she rejected the idea, even if she was sure that Robin wouldn't have minded, she was sure she'd be too rough.

So for today she let it slide.

There would be more occasions.

So A2 waited as Robin washed her own much shorter hair, they were barely over shoulder lenght, though she wondered how she'd look with her hair long.

Would they be still straight, or all messy and wavy like Number 16's ones were whenever she wasn't holding them up in her usual bun. Which was really rare, but she'd been able to catch glimpses of them.

"There, we're settled." Robin said as she squeezed the extra water from her hair, raising herself in a standing position to exit the tub.

Right there A2 was painfully aware of how close those long legs were to her face, though Robin didn't seem to notice what she did.

With yet another blush, she did the same and got out of the tub, and then the other woman wrapped something soft around her, a towel to dry off, as she reached for another one, holding it before her and getting rid of the wet one around her midriff, and placing the dry one instead.

"I'll just go get dressed." she excused herself, because the possibility of seeing Robin naked in all her naked glory was still embarrassing for her.

Perhaps she was the one that wasn't ready for more here.

What was she expecting? When she had barely ever seen a naked body besides her own, and well… Number 4's one, a couple of times…

Number 16 was also hardly shy, and her skirt was so tight that some movements easily exposed her backside. Number 21 was too careful and modest to ever show any skin with anyone.

Which made her wonder just how Anemone did it.

She shook her head as Robin returned, she was at least wearing a new set of pants, similar to the previous, and a new shirt, a purple one, now, while A2 had chosen to wear whatever ended up in her hands.

Which in her case was a red top and some kind of black shorts, more her style, and of course, the cape she'd been gifted, that couldn't be missing.

"I kind of want to braid your hair." Robin suddenly announced. "Mine is too short to do so."

"If you want of course."

A2 shrugged. "Why not?" at least she knew what that meant, given that Number 4 loved styling her hair.

So then, brush in hand again, Robin had her sit in front of her another time, as she passed the item through the strands, and divided them, and then overlapped them with one another.

The ending result was one long white braid, tied with a red bow that matched her shirt, with the usual loose strands she had over her face, and left eye.

As soon as Robin finished her work, there was a knock on the door.

"9S wants you two at the infirmary, says your friend is settled and ready to be awakened." it was Anemone's voice.

Perfect timing.

She let Robin go first, as she hanged at the back with the Resistance Leader.

"You're looking great, Number 2." it was good to see her finally look well, and pretty content too. Anemone was happy that she found someone that truly cared for her, after all the wrongs she had to deal with.

She made a mental note to thank the black haired woman sometime, for not letting her friend waste away, and for not giving up on her.

But for now, it was time to see if it was true that the phantom of another old friend, a close friend, would return.