NieR Automata: Life's Meaning

Suspicion. Tension. Distance.

A2 expected all of those things and worse from them once they returned to the cabin. Whatever her reasons, they had watched her kill and crush the head of an android.

Popola and Devola were maintenance androids; while they may have seen ugly wounds inflicted on those Resistance Members by the machines, unless they had experience with the Logic Virus, they'd probably never seen another android do what she did to one of their kind. Then there was Apex; while he wasn't one of them, one need only look at the way he treated the twins to know he didn't consider androids to be below him despite his claim of being human.

Keeping someone as dangerous as her at arm's length would've been the smart thing to do.

"You can have mine. I prefer the stew." Apex said, offering a crispy skewered fish to her. A2 took it after a moment and he flashed her a smile before returning to his conversation with the other two.

It'd been only a day since their trip into the those ruins, only a day since they saw what she was really capable of, and here they were, gathered around the burning campfire. Apex had set up tied wood over the fire so Popola could hang a pot they got from that mall overhead and cook more than simple skewers.

They talked, joked, and laughed, occasionally including her from time to time.

Devola would poke harmless fun as she called it and A2 didn't know how to respond to it so she just opted to look away and ignore it. Popola tended to ask if she needed anything or tried to excuse away some of the things her sister said. At first, Apex hadn't said much to her but after learning her name, he struck a sort of middle ground between the two. He didn't go out of his way to try and accommodate her but he also didn't feel the need to try and get a reaction out of her the way Devola did.

He was the easiest to speak with even if she didn't understand any of them.

A2 bit into her fish, enjoying the familiarly salty taste as she watched the three.

They were upbeat. Happy. Optimistic.

They reminded her of the squad she'd lost on her final mission under YoRHa. And he was at the center of the positive atmosphere.

While Devola jabbed Apex's side, teasing him about his messy eating habits, he rolled his eyes and caught A2's lingering gaze. He offered another smile. A2 snapped her attention away from him, opting to scan the distant forest line.

She didn't fit in with them. Not really. The twins believed wholeheartedly that Apex was human, a faith A2 couldn't bring herself to blindly share in.

Even so she'd stick around and protect them. She wouldn't let what happened to her team happen to them. Machines, YoRHa, it didn't matter what, she'd keep them safe. Keep that bright smile of his alive.

Its why she allowed him to believe she took down that YoRHa unit in self-defense. A2 had no idea why an E-unit had been all on its own in that area. She hadn't been the target of the android and there didn't appear to be any signs of other YoRHa in the area. Whatever the unit's reason and orders A2 revealed herself to the unit, knowing that she would be attacked on site, to ensure Apex's secret was kept.

It'd only taken a second, a momentary scan by those blindfolds, for the unit to realize Apex wasn't an android. A2 had no idea why he didn't trust YoRHa but it worked out for her. Those in charge of that group weren't worthy of the trust and faith the others placed in them.

Slowly, A2 found her gaze pulled back to the three.

Watching them had a way of digging up the brief days of hope and warmth from so long ago.

-Route A, No. 22-

A2 jolted to a stand, eyes flicking about as she reached for the greatsword taken from that other YoRHa unit, her vision partially blocked. Not unusual with how much her hair's grown out over the years. Oddly enough it wasn't her overgrown strands but a familiar cloak.

A2 lowered her guards and refrained from digging up her weapon, realizing where she was.

How long had it been since she'd fallen asleep, unbothered by machines or pursuers? How long had it been since she'd even felt comfortable enough for something like that to happen in the first place? And the cloak; Apex must've left it for her.

The way he treated androids was odd. If this human claim was genuine which it appeared to be -untrustworthy they may be, YoRHa wouldn't misidentify a human of all things with their advanced equipment and vast database- why not just give all of them orders? Its not like she would've followed them -she refused to make the same mistake of blindly following those in authority- but Devola and Popola would've.

She clenched the thin but tough fabric dropped across her shoulders, finding herself taking a deep breath. It bared the same flowery scent that all their clothes did after the twins washed them but there was something else mingling with it. A scent she couldn't quite describe but reminded her of Apex.

…she should return it.

The backyard was quiet and a brisk walk proved that to be true for the front of the cabin as well. With the sun up all the time and her unplanned sleep, she couldn't be sure of what time it was, but it looked like everyone else was asleep. Normally she didn't care to enter the cabin, enclosed spaces weren't ideal and it was far more difficult to pick up any approaching threats behind those walls.

All she was doing was dropping off a cloak. A quick in and out task.

Taking a quick look around the surrounding forest line for anything unusual, she headed up the front steps, quietly opening the door and slipping into the darkened space. Along with the flowery scent came recently burnt wood and the fading aroma of food. There was something about the atmosphere in here that reminded her of the many nights they joined her at the fire outside.

A sort of peace.

Focusing on what she set out to do in the first place, A2 grabbed the cloak around her shoulder as she approached the couch before the fireplace and-

"Mmh!" A distant moan, muffled by the door to the cabin's bedroom left her frozen in place, caught off guard by the sudden sound. More came, Devola's and Popola's voice mingling together.

Heat rushed up to her face as her eyes flicked towards the door.

This was far from the first time she heard them. Back then she'd been more than a little surprised but given the twins status as caretakers models she'd brushed it off as part of the duties that came with taking care of a human. Then she spent enough time with them to realize that there was more to it than that.

What? She wasn't sure, but they didn't live as servants and Apex didn't prop himself up to be above them. A2 knew that first-hand.

The fact that she'd destroyed those machines that he naively cared. How she struggled to figure out how exactly to talk to him, more often than not resorting to silence. Then when she did speak, she wasn't…nice the way the twins were. Once he realized she wasn't going to attack him, A2 expected some order to change her attitude, to be more like the twins and stop causing him issues. He was supposedly a human after all; it would've been the natural thing to do.

Instead, he let her be. More than that, while he was thankfully nowhere near as insistent as Popola, he spoke to her far more than she expected.

She wasn't sure what to make of him.

Another louder moan filled the air and A2 quickly but quietly made her way out of the cabin ignoring both the heat across her face and the more uncomfortable one blooming between her thighs.

She wasn't sure what to make of him or this strange feeling she got whenever she heard the twins attending to his needs.

-Route A, No. 22-

"Be safe."

"And don't do anything stupid."

A2 watched from her log as Popola and Devola gave their goodbyes to Apex who was prepped and ready to go hunting. After a quick hug with them, he took off from the cabin, threw a wave her way, then ventured into the trees with an effortless leap.

For whatever reason, he'd yet to take his cloak back. The thing still rested around her shoulders, swaying along with her hair.

"Not going after him, Two?" Devola called out from the back porch. A2 grunted as she stood up, not heading after him but joining the two at the cabin.

Normally, she trailed behind him whenever he went out on hunts. Machine presence might be at a low after all the fighting she's done but she decided to keep an eye on him just in case. A bit of a pointless effort; between his method of travel and unnatural strength, she suspected it would either take overwhelming numbers or the biggest of the machines to take him down. All the same, she made it a habit to be sure rather than take the risk.

Today was an exception.

"I need repairs done." A2 said as stopped before the steps leading up to them.

"Of course, come inside." Popola said quickly, heading into the cabin to retrieve what they would need.

"Really? You look fine to me." Devola pointed out after a quick once over. "Was it that overclock function of yours?" A2 nodded. It'd only been for a brief moment but she'd undid the internal limiters in place to destroy that YoRHa unit as quickly as possible. Those few seconds were enough to leave certain more sensitive parts within her damaged. "Do all YoRHa units have that or is it just you?"

"…I don't know." A2 said after a moment of thought. None of the models sent after her ever used the function and she only ever took the parts she was in need without poking around their bodies. They might attack her on sight, but they weren't her enemies. Not really. Killing them was bad enough; she wasn't keen on rooting around their remains any more than needed.

Letting her curiosity go for the moment, Devola led the way into the cabin. As A2 took her usual spot in the center of the main room, Devola's eyes lit up as they traveled over her once more. Before the twins had always asked for permission to do such a thing. A2 had always found it odd; why ask to do something like that when she was the one coming to them for repairs? She'd attributed to fear or something along those lines.

It was…good to know that was no longer the case.

Devola raised an eyebrow at her once the scan was over. "There is some damage to some of your components and joints but its not that bad. Well, not nearly as bad as usual when you ask for repairs." She said, as Popola emerged from the hall with a box, setting it down on the floor beside A2. "So, what do you really want from us?"

A2 suspected the two would find her request odd but didn't think they catch on to her so quickly. Since she'd started watching Apex, they offered her repairs whenever she suffered any kind of damage no matter how insignificant, all of which she denied until they started to affect her abilities in combat.

The idea of giving another free reign to manipulate her internal systems was hard to tolerate but there were limits to what she could repair herself. She needed their help whether she liked it or not.

"I…" A2 paused, struggling to figure out what to say. "…have a question about, Apex." His name got their full attention, both perking up and looking her way.

"What about him?" Devola asked.

"How…how do I thank him?"

The two stared at her. So much so that A2 felt a heat begin to rush up to her face that she tried her best to fight off. That heat only worsened with a snort escaped Devola.

"Really? That's it? I knew you were shy, but this is something else." Devola said while shaking her head.

"Devola, be nice." Popola insisted, flicking a stern look her way before refocusing on A2. "Well, what exactly do you want to thank him for?"

The cloak still hanging off her shoulders. His help during the fight in the city ruins. Constantly sharing food with her. "A lot." She finally said. Popola and Devola both nodded along, the sentiment shared between the three of them.

Popola gathered up certain parts from the box and a golden glow came from her hands, coalescing into a golden orb that held up the various pieces. Eyes aglow and orb held out, the pieces floated towards A2, a tingling warmth left where they sank beneath her skin. She never quite understood the technology that allowed such a thing to be possible, the data considered insignificant for a combat unit, but whatever they were doing allowed them to conduct in depth maintenance without needing to take her apart.

If that weren't the case A2 likely never would've never allowed them to do any repairs in the first place.

"As much as I'd rather not risk Apex being hurt, perhaps you should indulge in his requests." Popola said as she took care of the minor damage. "Much of his time is spent exploring his abilities. I'm sure he'd appreciate a training partner, and we can't exactly fill that role."

A2 couldn't help but grimace.

She truly hadn't seen the point in his attempts to fight her but she'd been quick to notice that every time they raced back to the cabin after a hunt he was just a little faster, forcing her to pick up the pace bit by bit. Being able to fight someone stronger than him, that someone being her, could result in the same improvements strength wise. And the stronger he was, the more likely he was to survive.

…but she didn't want to risk hurting him.

"If that's too hard for you, you could just stop being difficult and say thank you." Devola said, amusement as clear as day. She gave her a look similar to the ones she was always giving Apex. "Or you could a bit more physical about it."

"Physical?" A2 questioned.

"You know-"

"Devola."

"-use your reproductive functions." Devola continued, Popola completely ignored. "You have all the parts and from my scans it looks like you've activated them recently. Apex has got you riled up, doesn't he?"

A2 felt the heat she'd just barely manage to fight down return with a vengeance, her face set aflame. She'd been doing her best to forget what she heard the other night and ignore the odd feelings they roused but Devola had rendered that impossible with a few words; she should've known their scans would pick up on the inner workings of her body, voluntary or not.

"You don't need to be so embarrassed about it." Devola insisted. "Trust me when I say he's just as interested in you. I have no idea how you haven't noticed him checking you out."

"Why do I even try…" Popola muttered to herself while Devola kept on, suggestions becoming blunter by the second.

Apex was interested in her? The way he was in them? As if triggered by the thought, the uncomfortable heat that she'd only felt once before flickered back to life between her legs. Embarrassment at all time high, A2 abruptly turned on her heel.

"Wait, A2! I'm not finished with your repairs!" She ignored Popola's concerned yell and Devola's snort, swiftly exiting the cabin, grabbing the giant sword beside her campfire and taking off into the surrounding forest. She made sure to go in the opposite direction, Apex had taken off in.

Him interested in her? She doing what the twins did? Those…those sounds coming from her?

A2 shook her head, trying and failing to focus.

Just because she had the same functions to do as they did didn't mean it was what she was programmed to do. While she knew YoRHa couldn't be trusted, she knew destroying machines and protecting others were her duties just as it was for any android built for combat. That's all she needed to do. What she should be doing.

So why was it she couldn't shake these odd feelings?