"Man, was that fun or what!" said Victor.
Team RWBY and team BSCO waltzed down the dorm halls, clearly joyful and a bit exhausted after the party. Weiss's eyes glazed as she drifted from side to side, clearly drained. Oliver was even more tired, having fallen asleep after a night of vigorous dancing with Yang. Speaking of, Yang had Oliver slung over her shoulder, carrying him down the hall. Blake and Bruce strode down the hall as a pair, holding hands.
"Of course it was fun Vic." said Weiss, yawning, "But we're just a little drained."
"Especially Ollie here," said Yang, shifting Oliver's weight in order to keep her balance, "He's out like a light."
"I can carry him if you want." said Vic.
"Naw, it's fine." said Yang, "He was upfront about his feelings, I can at least return the favor in some way."
Blake smiled, squeezing Bruce's hand, "You know, I never expected you to be such a great dancer Bruce."
"It's funny, I learned to dance in Mistral." said Bruce, "Picked it up on the side during my time abroad."
"Time abroad?" said Blake, "Is that when you trained for all this crime-fighting stuff?"
"Yeah, and more often than not it was a hellish time." said Bruce, "But it wasn't all bad, I even met some people along the way."
"I assume one of them taught you how to dance." said Blake, "Mind if I ask about them?"
Bruce's expression saddened a little as some painful memories began to surface, though he tried his best to hide it, "I'd rather not talk about that."
"Oh," said Blake, feeling a little bad, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
"It's ok," said Bruce, "I know you didn't mean it."
The group stopped at the dorm of team BSCO as Oliver began to stir.
"W-Wha..?" mumbled Oliver, "Why am I being carried?"
"You fell asleep in your chair after we danced for a few hours, I wanted to get you back to your dorm." said Yang, "I can set you down now if you like."
"N-No, I like this." mumbled Oliver, "Just lay me on the bed please."
Yang chuckled, "Alright sleepyhead, I'll grant you your wish."
As Victor unlocked the door, Yang pushed her way in, laying Oliver on the bed in a way not dissimilar to putting a child to sleep.
"Uh," said Victor, "That's my bed."
"Shhhshsh." mumbled Oliver, "Don't ruin the moment."
"Alright, I'm going to bed, have a nice night Ollie." said Yang, standing up and preparing to leave.
"Wait," mumbled Oliver, "can I at least get a good night kiss?"
Weiss growled, "Let's go Yang, I think he should get some sleep."
Yang sighed, "No, it's fine."
Walking back to the bed, Yang leaned in as Oliver closed his eyes, a smile on his face. However, instead of a kiss, Yang wrapped her arms around Oliver, squeezing him with a tight hug.
"Uh." said Oliver.
"Remember?" said Yang, pulling back, "We've gotta get to know each other first."
Oliver laid there, pondering for a moment, "...That's true. I appreciate the hug though!"
Yang flashed Oliver a smile, "Good night guys!"
"Night!" said Victor as Yang left the room.
Bruce walked into the dorm, turning around to bid Blake farewell.
"Thank you for the night Blake." said Bruce, "It's been a long time since I've felt this...alive."
"Glad to hear it!" said Blake, "But there's something I've got to tell you."
"What is it?" asked Bruce.
"Lean in, I have to whisper it." said Blake.
Bruce raised his eyebrow, leaning in as Blake put her mouth up next to his ear, "I hope we do this kind of thing again."
Leaning even closer, Blake planted a kiss on Bruce's cheek before pulling back to the surprise of Bruce. Smiling, she waved goodbye as the door shut.
"Bruce, you are one lucky guy." said Victor.
"Heh," chuckled Bruce, a smile on his face, "I'm inclined to agree."
"Alright Ollie," said Victor, "out of the bed."
"But I'm so tired!" complained Oliver.
"Then get in your own bed!" shouted Victor, "It's literally 10 feet across the room."
"I'm...too...tired!" groaned Oliver.
"Alright, that's it." said Victor, "Clark, I need you to remove Oliver from my bed."
A silence followed as Victor looked around, confused, "Clark?"
"Is he not here?" asked Oliver, "He told me he was just on a walk with Ruby."
"It's likely just a long walk," said Bruce, "I know he likes to soak in the outdoors."
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
A fist rapped against the dorm door, prompting Bruce to walk over.
"Hello?" said Bruce, Opening the door.
Standing in front of him was the towering figure of General Ironwood, clad in his winter jacket.
"Ironwood?" said Bruce, "What are you up to at this hour?"
"Come with me," said Ironwood, "I'll explain on the way Bruce."
"What's this about?" asked Bruce.
"It's your teammate Clark," said Ironwood, "He's told us about your activities, we'd like to talk."
Bruce's veins bulged within his forehead as his hand tightened into a fist.
"Clark." said Bruce, "What. Did. You. Do?"
Clark and Ruby sat uncomfortably in Ozpin's tower office, the center of both Ozpin and Glynda's silent gaze. Clark tapped his foot uncomfortably as Ruby squirmed in her seat.
"Repeat the details of what occurred please," said Ozpin, "but know that you aren't in any sort of trouble."
"I uh...ok." said Clark, "We were on a walk when we heard some commotion out by the tower."
Ruby shot Clark a confused look, but Clark simply looked back at her, signaling for her to play along, "We saw a bunch of knocked out guards outside, so we knew something was up. I got attacked by someone outside the tower while Ruby ascended, but Ironwood saved me in the nick of time."
"I fought two people in the tower," said Ruby, "one was a scary assassin guy with armor and a bunch of different weapons while the other was someone I've never seen before. She wore a mask and shot fire from her hands."
"Have you seen them before?" asked Glynda.
Clark hesitated for a moment, "...Yes, we have. I don't know much about my attacker, but he doesn't seem to be in control of his own body."
"And the assassin guy is supposed to be the most dangerous assassin in Remnant!" said Ruby, "This is the second time he almost got me! The masked lady is new though, I've never seen her."
"Second time?" said Glynda, "You two have clashed with these people before?"
"Well...uh!" said Ruby, "Maybe it would be best if we left the speaking to-"
*Ding*
The elevator doors to Ozpin's office opened as Bruce and Ironwood stepped into the room. While Ironwood held a stern and driven expression, Bruce's was one of frustration and anger. Clark notably shied away from Bruce as he walked in.
"I've already explained what happened to Bruce." said Ironwood.
"H-Hey Bruce," said Clark, "How was the party?"
Bruce just stared Clark coldly in the eyes, "We'll talk about this later."
Bruce walked up to Ozpin's desk, standing firm, "You asked for me?"
"Yes, I did," said Ozpin, "I'd like to discuss this matter with you, though without your peers."
Clark glanced nervously at Bruce as he turned around.
"Meet me back at our room." said Bruce, turning to Ruby, "We can talk about this later Ruby."
Ruby frowned, clearly frustrated that she was being left out, but ultimately she sighed before getting up and walking to the elevator. Clark followed suit, walking into the elevator while Bruce gave him the evil eye. Clark unhappily sagged his shoulders as the elevator doors closed.
"Sit down Bruce," said Ozpin, "we have much to discuss."
Sitting down, Bruce crossed his arms, "What did they say?"
"They revealed that they were attacked by people that they've fought before," said Ozpin, "though they didn't mention that they were doing it under your plans."
Bruce's eyes widened, "How did you know that?"
"I've been keeping a close eye on you for a long time now," said Ozpin, "your travels through Remnant were a source of initial interest for me, so I decided to keep some tabs on you. You've had some fruitful activities in Vale as of late, from apprehending the now-deceased Black Mask to forming your own team of fighters. I also know you've dug out a little base on school grounds without our permission, you should know that Beacon isn't zoned for that kind of installment."
Bruce's eyes narrowed, "Where are you going with this?"
"What Oz is trying to lead into," said Ironwood, leaning over Bruce's chair, "is that we all know that you're onto a sort of wide-ranging conspiracy against Vale. We've been trying to investigate the exact same conspiracy."
Bruce gritted his teeth, "Are you asking for my help?"
"In a sense, yes." said Ironwood, "I want everything you have on this conspiracy so I can take proper action."
"And by proper action you mean to go in guns blazing." said Glynda, "That course of military bravado is clumsy and inadequate, we need to be careful!"
"NO, what we need to do is root them out and purge them." said Ironwood, "A blunt military response would do exactly that!"
"Enough!" said Ozpin, raising his hands, "You haven't even heard if Bruce will agree."
The two turned to Bruce, incredulous.
"Agree?" said Ironwood, "He has to agree, or else he's giving our enemy a step up!"
"Or maybe he doesn't want to lose the advantage he has!" said Glynda, "He probably doesn't even trust us!"
"I accept." said Bruce.
The room went silent as all eyes honed in on Bruce, "Under a few conditions."
Ozpin smirked, "Name them."
"One, my group will remain an active participant in any operation against this conspiracy." said Bruce, "Two, any action taken must have my input. I don't doubt your years of experience but I've had more time underground than any of you. Finally, for any action taken, we must exercise restraint. As the great philosopher Monty Oum once said, the scalpel is often the best choice compared to the hammer."
Ironwood stood in silence for a moment before sighing, "I agree to these terms."
"As do I," said Ozpin, "Now, as a part of our new partnership, I'd like to request the information you've gathered thus far."
Bruce stood up, pulling out his scroll and tapping away at the screen, "Done, you should be getting it now."
Glynda's eyes widened as she got a notification on her scroll, "This is on Beacon's secure network! How did you-"
"I broke into it," said Bruce, standing up and walking towards the elevator, "If we're going to work together for the foreseeable future, I'd suggest you upgrade your cybersecurity."
As the elevator door opened and Bruce walked inside, he turned around, hitting the button, "Until next time."
The doors closed, prompting Glynda to groan in frustration, "He's more arrogant than I was expecting."
"Not arrogant," said Ironwood, "Arrogant would suggest that he's exaggerating his own abilities."
"He's simply confident." said Ozpin, looking over his scroll, "And he's also sent us a goldmine of information."
Glynda and Ironwood pulled their scrolls out as well, "These are some dense and well documented psychological profiles." said Glynda.
"They'll certainly come in handy," said Ironwood before he squinted his eyes, "What is Purgatory."
"Not what, where." said Ozpin, "And oddly enough, I think I may have the answer."
Glynda turned to Ozpin, "What do you have in mind?"
Ozpin chuckled, "Hmm, I think I know where we'll be sending our students for their next operation."
Bruce stormed down the dorm hall, fists clenched. Bursting through the dorm door, he found Clark sitting on his bed.
"Bruce!" said Clark, "What happened?"
"What happened?" said Bruce, "Why don't I ask you the same question?!"
Clark stood up, "Bruce, calm down."
"No, you stay seated and listen to what I have to say first!" said Bruce, "There was trouble at the tower, trouble that involved people we've fought before. Why didn't you call for backup?"
Clark looked down, "I didn't want to ruin your night."
Bruce growled, "My night wasn't important compared to an event that may have furthered the very conspiracy we're fighting against! Your priorities are completely misplaced!"
Clark's face contorted into an expression of anger as he strode towards Bruce, standing face to face with him, "Are you serious? Did you even listen to everything we've been saying before the dance? You needed this Bruce!"
"It shouldn't be more important than a conspiracy that threatens the whole city!" shouted Bruce, "And worse still, you spilled the beans of our whole operation to Ironwood and Ozpin!"
"What?!" said Clark, "How can you be mad about that?! With them on our side, we have access to more resources than ever before."
"But with those resources comes complications!" said Bruce, "Now we have to deal with government puppets, generals, administrators, people who may not be trustworthy!"
"Oh, so you didn't accept?!" asked Clark.
"I had to accept Clark, if I didn't it would mean we would have direct government opposition to our cause." said Bruce, "But now I have to have people breathing down my neck whenever we do anything! With that kind of supervision, our entire operation is stalled and it's all your fault!"
Clark was taken aback by the words, shrinking a little, "I...I'm sorry. I didn't think about those things and I should have taken them into account."
Bruce grumbled a little, "Yes, you should have. Now get some sleep."
Clark's eyes widened as he watched Bruce casually walk over to his bed and slip under the covers, "Y-You're not gonna chew me out some more? Disown me?"
"Clark, I'm genuinely pissed off at you right now," said Bruce, "but that doesn't change the fact that we're partners, now get some sleep before I dose you with chloroform."
Clark chuckled a little to himself, "As if that would work." he whispered before getting into bed, "Bruce?"
"Yes?" sighed Bruce.
"Did you enjoy the party?" asked Clark, his question asked as sincerely as possible.
"...Yes, it's been the thing I've enjoyed more than anything else in recent memory." said Bruce, "Now go to sleep."
"Heh, alright." said Clark, turning over in his bed.
As he closed his eyes and drifted off, Clark's mind recounted the events that had happened that night. While the band performance was super fun and his meeting with a CEO was certainly memorable, what dominated his thoughts were two distinct moments, the fight and the mysterious figure in white. During the fight, he learned that the mysterious stone that seemed to harm him was from the very same place he came from. This, in addition to the mysterious man asking Clark the million-dollar question, Do you know what you are, prompted Clark to look within himself for answers he had always ignored.
As I grew up, I always ignored the fact that I wasn't born to Ma and Pa. I might have had gifts, but they didn't define who I was. But with this green rock in the picture, plus this old guy that keeps showing up wherever I go, it's making me ask the question.
Where did I come from?
New chapter woop woop! This one ended up coming out faster than I expected, and I'm excited because next chapter will see the debut of 2 new DC characters, plus an OC created by one of my readers!
Reviews:
Shadow Joestar: Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
Nat8 the Gr8: Clark's definitely beginning to get more interested in his origin. I promise that when the time comes it's going to have rippling effects on his mind as well as everyone else's!
Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
DCDGojira: I enjoyed the age of heroes idea scene, even if I haven't read any of the other fics mentioned. I have something a little different planned for Zwei, even though I like the idea of the scene!
Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
Red: I don't plan to add an arc based on Grimm Eclipse, though I do plan on doing a short lead in arc before the Vytal tournament (After the big crossover though). Thanks for the OP recommendation too!
Thanks for the feedback as always! :)
Next Chapter: New Missions, new stakes!
