An odd twitch went through his shoulders, a shock going through his circuits, his expression unable to hide the surprise he felt. Was that an auditory malfunction, or...
Did... Arven...?
This... wasn't like before. Not like in Area Zero, where Arven called him 'Dad' while still coming to grips with the fact he was not his living, breathing father.
Now he knew everything. Now he knew that the being before him was simply an AI copy, and...
And yet...
Even knowing that...
Arven... still?
He could feel something... warm, deep in his chest. That same feeling he remembered when he first saw the picture of Arven and Mastiff on the professor's white board, that carried him through his time there.
Now he... truly understood what that feeling was. It wasn't simply just the echos of the professor anymore, was it?
It... was also just... him. His feelings.
His good arm hesitantly reached out to the young man, gingerly pulling him close to hug him. He couldn't do it fully with one non-functioning arm, but that would be better, if Arven needed to pull away.
"I know you will. I have complete faith in you."
There was a conviction in his voice now, that he had held back before, scared to let show. Because for so long, he felt he didn't have the right to love Arven like a father loved his son. Was told he was just a copy, albeit a perfect one.
So he had spoken for a dead man, trying to assure the young man of the feelings he'd shared with the Professor. But now, he ...
Could say it for himself. Mean it for just himself.
"...I ... I love you, Arven."
Ever since he woke up in that small lab, buried in crystal, he'd always known...
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An odd twitch went through his shoulders, a shock going through his circuits, his expression unable to hide the surprise he felt. Was that an auditory malfunction, or...
Did... Arven...?
This... wasn't like before. Not like in Area Zero, where Arven called him 'Dad' while still coming to grips with the fact he was not his living, breathing father.
Now he knew everything. Now he knew that the being before him was simply an AI copy, and...
And yet...
Even knowing that...
Arven... still?
He could feel something... warm, deep in his chest. That same feeling he remembered when he first saw the picture of Arven and Mastiff on the professor's white board, that carried him through his time there.
Now he... truly understood what that feeling was. It wasn't simply just the echos of the professor anymore, was it?
It... was also just... him. His feelings.
His good arm hesitantly reached out to the young man, gingerly pulling him close to hug him. He couldn't do it fully with one non-functioning arm, but that would be better, if Arven needed to pull away.
"I know you will. I have complete faith in you."
There was a conviction in his voice now, that he had held back before, scared to let show. Because for so long, he felt he didn't have the right to love Arven like a father loved his son. Was told he was just a copy, albeit a perfect one.
So he had spoken for a dead man, trying to assure the young man of the feelings he'd shared with the Professor. But now, he ...
Could say it for himself. Mean it for just himself.
"...I ... I love you, Arven."
Ever since he woke up in that small lab, buried in crystal, he'd always known...
"...I've always loved you."