A/N: Hello again. Got a much smaller chapter for you today. This is more of a filler chapter than anything else, but there are some nice character moments here that I wanted to write. And, full disclosure, this chapter was planned long before this whole epidemic business happened. It is a pure coincidence. Enjoy!
Also, forgot to mention last chapter, but go on to google images and type in wolf tongue, those things are surprisingly long. Just in case you thought I was making that bit of anatomy up.
One thing Fenrir had been quick to learn since coming to Beacon, was that the human body was a lot more high-maintenance than his Beowolf body. On top of now being required to eat, drink and sleep in order to perform at optimal levels, there were also a number of intricacies that his previous body simply did not possess. When he was younger, this fact left him feeling even more bitter towards the God who created his people. The Grimm would always be cursed to never feel or experience things the same way every other creature on Remnant could. When he was a little older, he'd reasoned that maybe having a body with more simple needs and fewer distractions, was actually beneficial, made him a more efficient guardian.
Now that this was no longer the case for Fenrir, and he could do things that all the other mortals could do, he'd quickly come to realise that there were indeed some aspects of a Human body he could do without. Sleeping, while it felt nice, always made him feel lazy. Taking seven to eight hours out of a day to just lie down and do nothing. He'd thought he'd left that behind once he was no longer a pup.
But as he would quickly come to realise, there were drawbacks to the human form even more severe than simply tiredness.
Throughout the entire flight back to Beacon, after completing the practical portion of his mid-term exams, Fenrir had begun to feel something was seriously wrong with his body. The sneezing had continued, which in itself was odd as Grimm didn't typically sneeze, but it was really alarming when the sneezing transitioned into actual coughing.
More than that, Fenrir's head was starting to throb badly. At first he thought it was just the standard motion sickness he felt whenever he was on one of these flying machines, but he couldn't deny that this felt so much worse. His vision was starting to blur by the time they touched back down on the academies grounds, and his arms were shivering but he still felt way too hot.
Another possibility was that this was just an unusual side-effect of his Aura being broken, and this was just his inner-self trying to claw its way to the surface.
But that idea was dashed when he looked down at his Scroll and saw his Aura had already recovered by the time they'd made it back to the academy. Plus, as he looked down at his scroll, the screen was soon covered in droplets that were certainly not from the rain, mostly because the rain had come to a complete stop.
Bringing a hand up to his face, Fenrir's skin crawled when he felt his nose was running with an over-abundance of mucus. Another sneeze violently sprayed the revolting substance all over his hand. Disgusted, Fenrir shook his hand to wipe away the revolting snot. To his frustration, this sneeze had just made his headache so much more worse.
As the others disembarked the Bullheads, some of them were quick to notice that their Grimm friend was starting to look a little under the weather. One of those people was Ruby, instantly noticing Fenrir's skin had turned as pale as it had been when he'd first arrived at the academy. Also, his nose had turned red, and he was shivering as if he was cold.
"Fenrir, you okay?" She asked, concern shimmering in her silver eyes.
Fenrir was about to say that he felt very out-of-sorts, until he noticed the others were staring at them as well. Even students whom Fenrir had never once interacted with were giving him weird looks. All the furtive glances of suspicion instantly brought Fenrir's defences all the way up.
"I'm fine." He said, trying to sound powerful but failing as he started coughing again.
"What the hell is going on?" Fenrir thought to himself, not liking the way the world was starting to spin.
"You look really sick Fenrir." Ruby continued, starting to reach a hand forward, "Maybe we should take you to see Ozpin."
To the girls surprise, Fenrir began to laugh before going into another coughing fit. Now the Alpha's throat was starting to tickle uncomfortably, but he kept up an air of superiority anyway.
"Please," He scoffed, "Grimm do not get sick. Our immune systems are much stronger than Humans, the very idea that someone like me could get sick, HA!"
The bluff was obvious, and the fact that the Grimm actually stumbled forward, eyes near fully closing, all but confirmed that he was absolutely not well at the moment.
As he was hunched over, Ruby caught Fenrir muttering something to himself. What was alarming about that was the tone he was using was very unlike his usual way of speaking. He sounded almost timid, shaky in the voice.
"No… dammit, come on… I have to be fine…"
The younger girl's eyes softened in sympathy. She'd long ago learnt that Fenrir's pride played a big part in who he was. There was an almost desperate need to always be on top of his game, never once falter or show weakness to anyone. It honestly reminded her of herself back during initiation when she'd been so insistent on showing Weiss she wasn't just some lucky little kid who didn't deserve to be here, that she'd actually ended up just getting in the heiress's way and nearly set the forest on fire.
The silver-eyed girl leaned forward; hand reached out to help steady the woozy Beowolf. When Fenrir looked up and saw the small hand getting closer to him, his eyes instinctively flashed red and he slapped the hand away from him.
"OW!"
Ruby yelped as she held her hand back. To Fenrir's shock and shame, he'd caught Ruby's hand with his claws and scratched her hand. Her Aura had thankfully protected her from getting an actual cut, but it still hurt.
"Hey, take it easy Fenrir." Yang snapped, instantly going into big-sister mode when she saw Ruby had been hurt, "She was just trying to help."
"I'm s-sorry, I…" Fenrir started before coughing violently, causing Weiss and Blake to back away, not wanting to catch whatever bug Fenrir had.
"I… I'm going back to my room." Fenrir finished weakly, clenching his fists in an attempt to make them stop shaking.
He couldn't be seen like this. Whatever was wrong with him, he needed to keep it under wraps. He already had to deal with certain students trying to get the jump on him whenever he was alone, they wouldn't dream of passing up an opportunity like this if they found out he was in a weakened state.
"But Fenrir…" Ruby tried again.
"Nobody follow me!" Fenrir snapped, struggling to keep his voice steady even as he felt another coughing fit start to build in his throat, "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me!"
The Grimm's voice broke again, and he shook his head in frustration before storming off. The two teams looked at each other apprehensively, the sounds of their Grimm friend hacking and wheezing, fading into the distance.
Every step became progressively harder and harder for Fenrir. This uncomfortable combination of hot and cold spreading throughout his body made him feel like his brain was swimming in some kind of thick, smothering broth. Anytime he swallowed, his throat burned and made him want to cough even more. All around him, students regarded him warily, making his anger rise and appear even more hostile to the students of Beacon academy. At one point he actually crashed into a team walking the other way.
Maybe they'd yelled at him to watch where he was going, maybe they hadn't. At this point Fenrir's short-term memory was beginning to become hazy.
By the time Fenrir was in the hallway that lead to his room, his legs felt like spaghetti and his head felt like it was on a tri-pod. He actually collapsed just in front of his door, the overwhelming urge to just lie down on the ground being sorely tempting.
"I just… need to… sleep this off." Fenrir thought groggily, reaching up with a hand as pale as a sheet to grab his doorknob.
The Beowolf quickly shed off his soaking wet clothes, shuffled over to his bed and face-planted on top of it. Surely, whatever this was would pass by tomorrow morning.
…
It had not passed by tomorrow morning.
In fact, when Fenrir awoke, he felt like he was dying. His throat was as dry as a desert, he was both burning hot and chillingly cold, and every single fibre of his body felt like gravity had increased on it ten-fold.
"What's wrong with me?"
"You're sick Fenrir," The soft voice said, for the first time actually scolding the Grimm, "You were sick yesterday, and because you didn't want to admit it, your sickness has only gotten worse."
"Shut up…" Fenrir groaned, "You're too… noisy…"
Fenrir dragged his woolly-headed body over to the mirror. The sight he was greeted with was a truly miserable one. His eyes had huge, dark bags underneath them, the product of a restless, fitful sleep. His skin was the colour of sour milk, yet he was sweating as if he was in the middle of a desert, and his nose was running like a tap.
"You should stay inside today." The voice instructed, "You're in no state to be around others right now."
A sensible person would heed such words. Fenrir couldn't deny that there was something wrong with him now, especially when his stomach now felt like it was doing backflips.
But, through a combination of a hazy mind, and his own Grimm stubbornness, Fenrir refused to simply lie down and do nothing all day.
So, as much as his body protested, he slipped into his default attire, and made his way out of his room.
"Fenrir, stop," The voice insisted, "You'll only make it worse for yourself."
"I told you… to be quiet…"
He was fine, why couldn't the voice in his head understand that. Whatever affliction this was, he'd be able to force himself through it and beat it. He was an Alpha Beowolf dammit. He'd sooner let himself be eaten by vultures, before he'd let something like an illness slow him down.
The walk to the cafeteria felt like it took an age. Every step up on the stairs that lead up into the main floor of the academy, was utter murder on Fenrir's legs. His body didn't want to move, all his lungs wanted to do was throw themselves up out of his throat and run far far away. But he kept moving anyway.
The whole walk to the cafeteria, students kept their distance from him even more than usual, all of them spotting that the Grimm was unwell. Walking by a window, Fenrir visibly flinched and groaned when the light of the sun hit his eyes.
While the Grimm was slowly making his way to the cafeteria, teams RWBY and JNPR were sitting at a table, talking among themselves. The main topic of conversation was their trials from yesterday. The mood quickly turned serious when Ren spoke up for the first time, only to talk about his fight with Fenrir.
"So… Fenrir doesn't hold any regret for what he'd done." Blake said when Ren was finished with his story, looking at the others uneasily.
"It seems that way," Ren explained solemnly, "He did go on to say that his people see their fight against humanity as an ongoing war. He sees himself as a soldier, so it seems like they detach themselves morally from their actions. I did get the impression that he tries not to think about it at all costs."
The others could only look around uncomfortably. Ruby particularly felt very unsure about everything. They all knew beforehand that Fenrir had killed, and a few of them had been tempted to ask Fenrir in the past if he ever thought back to those days. But anytime an opportunity presented itself where they could ask him, none of them had felt brave enough to take that leap. It was like they already knew the answer, but having Fenrir actually say it would be the thing that would make it official.
"It's funny," Jaune commented, "When we were travelling together in the forest, right up until we got to the ruins, I actually started to forget he was a Grimm. Hearing him say all of that though… It really does remind you how different he is from… well everyone."
"Still… it's hard to even imagine," Weiss said, hands having a tight grip on her cutlery, "to commit horrendous acts like those, and not feel even a little guilt."
"I don't know Weiss," Yang replied, "I think if he did regret everything he's done, the guilt might actually drive him insane."
"Yeah, I agree with Yang." Blake said, "I don't think we can expect Fenrir to feel bad about what he's done, especially not all at once."
Nodding in agreement, Ruby took a small sip of her drink. At the end of the day, Fenrir was a Grimm, which meant the way he thinks, and the way he perceives the world, would be vastly different from everyone else. Ozpin had instructed them all to help guide him throughout his time here, and harshly reprimanding him for things that had happened before he was changed would just be very counter-productive to that goal.
"Fenrir's our friend," Ruby said, catching everyone's attention, "Even after fighting Ren, he still saved him from falling off a cliff. He's not evil, he just comes from a different world than all of us. If he ever does start to feel bad for what he's done, all we can do is be there for him."
Murmurs of agreement circled round the table. Even Weiss gave Ruby a nod of approval. Much as the heiress couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by Fenrir's feelings, the implication that the Beowolf was just being evasive and avoiding thinking about it all together, did give her a little bit of hope.
"While we're on the subject of Fenrir," Said Pyrrha, "Has anyone seen him today? Yesterday, he looked a little out-of-sorts."
"Please Pyrrha," Weiss scoffed, "It was obvious to everyone he's fallen ill. If he's smart, he'll be tucked away in his room, sleeping it off. He's lucky this happened after, and not during our mid-term exams."
It was as Weiss made this affirmation; a loud, horrible cough made them all jolt a little in their seats. Looking towards the entrance of the cafeteria, Weiss nearly launched herself out of her seat as her mouth opened in disbelief.
"Unbelievable!" She shrieked, making Ruby wince from the proximity, "I thought he'd be smarter than this, but it seems inheriting your Aura made him just as dim-witted as you."
"Hey!" Ruby huffed indignantly.
Looking at the Grimm now, it was clear to the group that Fenrir was moments away from collapsing into a heap. His arms were wrapped around his chest, his whole body shuddering like he was locked in a freezer. His eyes were cloudy and unfocused, his hair even more of a tangled and matted mess than normal, and his teeth loudly clattering against each other.
He didn't walk so much as shuffle over to their table, head bowed down as he snarled at anyone who got too close to him. Even his snarls sounded frail, and they were quickly followed up by a painful sounding wheeze or choke. Even his glare looked like it was only operating at half strength at the very most.
Once Fenrir was in the vicinity of teams RWBY and JNPR, Weiss was quick to lay into him for his reckless actions.
"What are you doing here?!" She asked him, not even waiting for an answer, "You should be in your room resting you bull-headed Beowolf! What you're doing right now isn't just idiotic, it's downright DANGEROUS! You could get us all sick!"
"I'm fine!" Fenrir tried to shout back before his voice died again, "Nothing's wrong. I'm as fit as I always am."
"No, Fenrir you're really not." Jaune said, softly so as to not rile up the Alpha any further, "You're as pale as a ghost right now, and you're shivering."
Fenrir just waved a hand in front of himself, as if dismissing what they were all saying. He made a move to sit down, before a small hand was firmly placed on his chest. Ruby had darted over to the Grimm's side in a flurry of rose petals and was now looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Please Fenrir," She insisted, "You won't get better if you keep forcing yourself like this. You'll just hurt yourself."
Fenrir looked down at the hand on his chest. On the outside he appeared to just be wincing, on the inside he was trying to get his arms to remove the offending limb from his torso.
To his despair, his arms wouldn't even twitch as they now hung limply at his sides.
"Would… Would you all ju…" Fenrir mumbled, voice beginning to slur as his head slumped forward.
Ruby worried that the Grimm was starting to fall asleep standing up, started to move to his side so he didn't fall to the floor. Her fingers just grazed his arm, when he lurched back up and stared at them all with wild eyes.
"Would you all just leave me alone!" He shouted, voice sounding strained but still powerful as he forced himself to stand up straight, "I told you I'm fine, why can't you just listen to me!"
Nearby students were now looking over at the commotion caused by the stubborn wolf. The Grimm in question couldn't even register he was making a scene, his mind steadily shutting down as his head throbbed painfully.
Ruby continued to hover around Fenrir fretfully as the others backed away in alarm. Fenrir's eyes were flickering from blue to red again, but unlike all the other times this happened, the red was very intermittent and brief, only weakly flickering as opposed to flaring dangerously like it usually did.
The Grimm's ears flicked on the top of his head, picking out bits of conversations happening nearby. In his muddled state, what little he could hear only fuelled his growing paranoia.
"What's that freak doing now?"
"He looks like he's sick or something."
"Never heard of a Grimm getting sick before."
"Ha, hope it's painful for the monster."
"Look at him, yelling at those first years. Utterly disgusting!"
"Maybe we'll get lucky, and it'll kill him."
Fenrir froze when he heard that last part. Was that what this was? Was he dying? No, he couldn't possibly fall like this. He wouldn't go down in such a pitiful way.
"Fenrir, maybe you should sit down," Blake suggested, seeing how Fenrir was starting to wobble in place.
The dark-haired girl tried to gently ease the Wolf onto a chair. The second she tried to put any pressure on Fenrir's limb however…
"GET THE HELL OFF ME!"
Fenrir exploded backwards, eyes now searing red as he bared his teeth at everyone. The fact that his gaze wasn't focused on anyone, and he was leaning heavily to one side, told Ruby that Fenrir was now delirious and not thinking clearly.
Whirling around, Fenrir seethed at the gaggle of students who were staring at him. They were just waiting for him to lower his defences, weren't they? Now that he was in this sorry, miserable state, they'd jump him and kill him. Well, he'd show them that he was far from weak.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?" He bellowed, fighting back the cough building in his throat, "I CAN STILL TAKE YOU ALL ON, YOU HEAR ME?! I'M NOT WEAK! I'M NOT… I'm no… I… I."
Fenrir's voice started to die as he wobbled back and forth. His eyes glanced up at the ceiling, the red glow sputtering out pathetically. The others didn't get a chance to react as the Grimm leaned back and with all the grace of a corpse, collapsed onto the floor, head smacking against a chair on the way down.
"FENRIR!" Ruby cried out in alarm, rushing to the downed boys side.
"Well, you wouldn't need a teaching degree to see that coming." A new voice piped up suddenly.
All present jumped back in surprise as a new figure had silently made their way to the middle of the commotion. A shock of green hair and wide, round spectacles instantly identified this new person as Doctor Oobleck.
"P-professor, when did you…" Weiss trailed off, wondering how the man had sneaked past all of them so quietly.
"Doctor," The man said in a warning tone, "I followed Mr Lupus the whole way here. It was pretty obvious he was in a bad way when I was standing right next to him, and he didn't even acknowledge my presence."
Oobleck crouched down, looking over the half-conscious Grimm as he mumbled and groaned. The doctor waved a hand in front of Fenrir's face, and saw that his eyes didn't even try to follow his hand.
"Hmm, most curious…" Oobleck hummed to himself, "Although, this does present an opportunity, I wonder… Yes, yes this will work wonderfully. MISS ROSE!"
The sudden increase in the teachers volume made Ruby flinch.
"Y-yes sir?" She asked.
"Kindly help me escort Mr Lupus to my office," Oobleck instructed, "Let's have a closer look at Mr Lupus's symptoms."
The bespectacled professor darted off without another word, leaving Ruby standing there bewildered. Turning to look at her friends, she gave them an awkward smile as she scratched the back of her head.
"I'll uhh… Catch up with you guys later." She said, before crouching down and wrapping an arm around Fenrir's shoulders.
"OOF!" She grunted, "He's heavier than Crescent Rose."
"Do you need some help sis?" Yang asked, being the only one still standing.
"No… No I got him." Ruby wheezed, finally lifting the limp Grimm back up to his feet.
"Ge… Geh offfff meh…" Fenrir slurred, head lolling to one side.
"Come on Fenrir, once Oobleck's had a look at you, we're taking you back to your room." Ruby said firmly.
"No… No I fin…" Fenrir mumbled, feet dragging across the floor
The Grimm mumbled and protested the whole way to Ooblecks office.
…
"Well now Mr Lupus," Doctor Oobleck said after removing the back of his hand from Fenrir's head, "Looking at all the symptoms: a high fever, dry cough, sore throat, headache, feelings of lethargy and an aching body, I believe we can conclude that you have contracted the common flu."
To say the Grimm had been uncooperative while Oobleck had been running his tests, would be accurate but also understated. Once the Alpha had regained some lucidity, he'd fought against Ruby's insistent guiding the whole way to Ooblecks office. He'd even held onto the doorway into Ooblecks office, trying to tug himself back out so he could escape. Luckily, in his weakened state, Ruby was easily able to overpower him, and quickly forced him to sit down so the Doctor could get to work.
"I know he doesn't like to be seen as weak, but Weiss was right. He's normally smarter than this, if something is wrong, he's the first to pick up on it, so what gives?"
Even when they had got Fenrir to sit still, he'd done nothing but complain the whole time, telling them both over and over that he was fine, despite still coughing and sweating and shivering all at the same time. Ruby, by this point, was now starting to get frustrated with the Alpha. Even she knew, she wasn't this bad when she was ill.
"This is ridiculous!" Fenrir griped, leaning his head to the side to get away from Oobleck who was trying to take his temperature through his ear, "I am a Grimm. Grimm do not. Get. Sick!"
"Perhaps not," Oobleck responded in his usual rapid manner, "There are certainly no records or documents of a creature of Grimm getting sick in the wild. However, you are not a full Grimm anymore mister Lupus. Your new body must have also come with a new immune system. Which reminds me, we'll need to set aside a day for you to be properly vaccinated."
Ruby felt a shiver run down her arm at that last part. She could remember vividly the day when she'd had to have her shots. It was precisely because of that day that she now had a fear of needles.
"The readings I'm getting off of you right now mister Lupus, are truly fascinating," The green-haired Huntsman commented, quickly scribbling something on what was one of many pages of notes he'd taken since the Grimm had entered his office, "It makes me regret that we didn't take you in for further study when you first arrived."
"I'm not some damn lab-rat for you to experiment on!" Fenrir seethed quietly.
"Well!" Oobleck suddenly shouted, making Fenrir wince and Ruby jump, "Now that we have determined the issue Mr Lupus, as your teacher I recommend immediate bed-rest for the remainder of the day. Return here tomorrow morning so I can determine whether or not the sickness has passed. Now, run along you two."
With his recommendation given, Oobleck quickly took a seat, took a long swig from his thermos, and began fervently typing away at his computer. Furious, Fenrir rose to his feet and slammed his fist down on Oobleck's desk.
"I am not spending all day stuck in my room!" He shouted, getting little reaction from the older man, "I am fine! I do not need to…"
Fenrir stopped talking suddenly and began clutching his stomach. It had been churning the entire time he'd been in the man's office, but it was now writhing like there was an actual snake in his belly, and it was rising up to his throat.
Ruby stared at the Grimm's back in confusion, before quickly turning away and clutching her nose as she started to hear Fenrir heave.
Quirking an eyebrow, Oobleck zipped past Fenrir, disappeared into his washroom, and came back out holding a bucket.
"In this please." Was all he said as he handed the bucket to Fenrir.
The Beowolf didn't even have time to look at the Doctor in confusion, before he was leaning into the bucket, and emptying the contents of his stomach.
It was the most uncomfortable sensation Fenrir had ever experienced, his stomach forcibly convulsing as he wretched into the bucket. The sounds alone, were nearly enough to make Ruby be sick herself. Oobleck just looked on as Fenrir collapsed to the ground.
Once the sensation of someone squeezing his guts had subsided, Fenrir lifted his head out of the now foul-smelling bucket and looked up at Oobleck with bleary, genuinely fearful eyes.
"What the hell was that?" He asked, voice weak and warbly.
"Vomit Mr Lupus." Oobleck explained casually, "Another symptom of the flu, and you're body's way of trying to expel whatever's wrong with you."
Fenrir looked down at the bucket, lips curling up in disgust, before setting the thing aside where he couldn't see it.
"So… Does that mean I'm better now?" He asked hopefully.
"Not in the least Mr Lupus." Oobleck answered, swiftly dashing Fenrir's hopes, "My previous recommendation still stands. Miss Rose, would you mind escorting Mr Lupus back to his room and make sure he stays there."
Ruby was about to mention that she [And everyone else in her circle of friends] had no idea where Fenrir's room even was, but the Beowolf found his voice again.
"I can walk." He said through painfully clenched teeth, "I can go by myself!"
Now Ruby was starting to get angry. She knew why Fenrir was acting the way he was, but this was too much even for her. So, she crouched down, grabbed the stubborn Grimm by the front of his jacket and looked him right in the eyes.
"Fenrir." She said firmly, "You are sick, I am taking you back to your room so you can get better. No ifs, ands, or buts. If I have to, I'll drag your body all the way to your room. But either way, you will not be out of my sight for the rest of the day, understood?"
Fenrir stared wide-eyed at Ruby. He'd never seen her talk this sternly to anyone before, much less himself. Even when he'd blown up at her back when everyone had just found out his true identity, she'd spoken calmly the whole time. Seeing now, that there was no way out of his, Fenrir stared down at the floor as he tried to keep the anger and humiliation out of his voice.
"Fine."
Standing up, Fenrir moved towards the door to exit Ooblecks office. Just before he could open the door however, Oobleck leapt up in his seat and shouted as if Fenrir was on the other side of a football field.
"Wait Mr Lupus," He said, "Just two more things before you go!"
Fenrir was about to ask what those last things were, but the professor was already moving. Zipping around at his usual, stupid speeds, Oobleck grabbed the bucket, took it back to the washroom, cleaned it out, and handed it back to Fenrir.
"Take that with you, you will need it."
He then produced a syringe from seemingly nowhere, and jabbed it into Fenrir's neck before he could so much as attempt to protest.
"GAH! WHA…"
"Checking your blood for any infections."
Darting back to his desk, Oobleck carried on with his work as if he hadn't stopped at all. The two teens could only look at him in bewilderment, before Fenrir rolled his eyes and walked out the door, rubbing at his neck.
….
The walk back to his room was just as long and tortuous as walking to the cafeteria had been for Fenrir, only now there was the added humiliation of having Ruby along with him to witness his pain. Sometimes, the dark-haired boy would lose all feeling in his legs, and Ruby would rush forward to help support him. Every time, Fenrir would start to yell at her, but she'd just look up at him with those kind, shining silver eyes of hers, and he'd completely forget whatever he was going to say.
So instead, Fenrir would just direct Ruby on where to go as she kept her arms wrapped around his sides. Due to the close proximity, Ruby was able to get an idea of just how feverish Fenrir had become.
"Wow, he's burning hot." She thought, a pang of sympathy filling her thoughts, "Were you really going to try and fight through this all day Fenny?"
Eventually, the two made their way down to one of the lower levels of Beacon academy, and Ruby quickly heard the deep, low sound of a boiler working away.
"Do you live in a boiler room?" She asked Fenrir incredulously.
"Next to one," Fenrir answered gruffly, "It's just down the hall here."
As the two got closer to their destination, Ruby couldn't help but feel a small rush of excitement at the prospect of being one of the first people to see Fenrir's room.
"Oh god, if Yang knew I was going to a boy's room by myself, she'd freak out, HARD."
Meanwhile, all Fenrir could think of was what state had he left his room in?
Arriving at the door, Ruby politely waited for Fenrir to open the door. The Grimm hesitated, his hand hovering above the doorknob. An irrational part of his brain told him that if he did this, Ruby would tell everyone in Beacon about this place and then, there'd be no end to all the attempted ambushes he'd have to deal with.
"Get a hold of yourself Fenrir," The soft voice chided, equally unimpressed with Fenrir's excessive stubbornness, "You know Ruby wouldn't do that. She only wants to help you."
Realising he'd been completely still for way too long, Fenrir finally opened the door to his room. Ruby looked all around in fascination as Fenrir hobbled over to his bed. At first glance, Ruby thought Fenrir's room looked an awful lot like a storage room. The bland, grey walls with nothing on them, the high shelving units stuffed with an assortment of tools, cleaning products, lost property and assorted knick-knacks, and the only window being high up on the back wall, letting only a tiny sliver of sunlight into the room. The thing that was especially odd about this room, was how neat it all was.
Fenrir wasn't sloppy by any means, but she'd kind of been thinking that a Grimm wouldn't care all that much about the condition of his room. Instead, all the shelves looked neat and orderly, there didn't even seem to be any dust. In the corner, she spotted a sink and bathtub that looked more than a little out of place in the room. Next, she saw Fenrir's desk, simple and plain much like a lot of his stuff in this room. While Fenrir sat down on his bed, Ruby took a look through the drawers on his desk.
What she found was spare shirts and jeans that looked identical to the ones he was wearing now, eliminating the theory she had that he just wore the same clothes every day. Hanging up on some overhead piping, Ruby saw the clothes Coco had gotten for Fenrir a few weeks ago.
"He should wear those more often. It's more colourful than what he wears now."
Satisfied, Ruby turned and smiled at the Grimm who was coughing into his elbow.
"Nice place you got here." She said, offering a wide smile to the Grimm.
"Hmm," Fenrir grumbled, before straightening up a bit, "Well, I'm in my room. You can leave now, go back to your friends."
Ruby's smile fell at Fenrir's curt dismissal.
"Well, you're my friend as well aren't you?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips, "Plus, I think you'll just try and leave again when nobody's looking."
Fenrir grimaced as Ruby hit the nail on the head. He had no intention of staying here, not when there were other things he could be doing. The Alpha looked down at the floor, trying to keep the bite out of his voice.
"I am not some helpless pup that needs to be watched at all times," He complained, ironically behaving very childishly in Ruby's eyes, "I've looked after myself just fine for over seventeen years. This is all pointless."
The younger girl said nothing, she just stared at the broody boy. Growling in frustration at Ruby's pointed look, Fenrir folded his arms and lay back on his bed, staring heatedly at the door like he was trying to melt it.
Ruby grabbed Fenrir's chair and sat down next to Fenrir's head. She quietly prodded the boy's shoulder until he glanced her way. When he did, his anger fizzled out a little bit when he saw Ruby's eyes shimmering with sympathy and concern.
"What's wrong Fenny?" She said, the use of her personal nickname for the Grimm making him tense up a little, "I know you feel like you have to be strong all the time, but whenever you were struggling before, you'd always ask for help. I remember when you asked Weiss for help in class because you couldn't figure out what was on the board. But now… What's going on, talk to me Fenny."
The boy felt that wretched emotion again: Guilt. Ruby stared up at him with those eyes of hers, and a smile that showed nothing but a desire to understand him. It was probably the one characteristic of her that he found the most infuriating. She carried in her a seemingly limitless supply of compassion, and she never once looked at him with fear or distrust.
"You can't help me with this." He forced himself to say, "It's something INSIDE me, nobody can help me. It's just… It's my own body, my own weak, failing, USELESS body!"
Fenrir's rise in temper, brought about another coughing fit.
"Okay, yeah, I can see how that would be frustrating for you," Ruby said delicately so as to not rile Fenrir up anymore, "But still, you've gotten really good at telling us when something's wrong with you."
"There are still things I don't tell you." Fenrir replied, eyes widening as he realised he'd just said way too much right there.
"Like what?"
Fenrir quickly turned away, facing the wall so he didn't give anything away by looking the girl in the eyes. He wouldn't tell anyone about his run-ins with the other students. That was one of the things he had to deal with on his own, much like how he SHOULD have been dealing with this on his own. What was it with Humans and trying to get involved in his business.
When it was clear that the Grimm wouldn't answer her, Ruby sighed and leaned back in her seat. She had a feeling Fenrir had been talking about his conversation with Ren, and all that had entailed. She debated talking about it with Fenrir, and assuring him that she understood and didn't judge him for his past, nor did the others. In the end, she decided to hold off on that conversation until the Beowolf was feeling better.
"Okay, well, you rest up." She said, rolling the chair back slightly, "I'm gonna stay here, until you fall asleep."
"That's gonna be pretty boring." Fenrir grumbled, still not even turning his head to talk to her.
"Eh, I got games on my Scroll." She said, shrugging her shoulders as she held the device in her hand.
With that, the two descended into silence, one comfortable as her face was lit by electronic, technicolour lights, the other disgruntled and fuming as his head throbbed painfully. Despite his discomfort, Fenrir did grin briefly as he remembered something about the girl who was watching him.
"Even with her scroll, Ruby can't stay in one place for too long. She'll get bored and leave. If I just pretend to be asleep, she won't even check when she leaves, and then I can go do something else."
With that thought in mind, Fenrir kept as still as possible, and like a true hunter, waited for the right opportunity.
…
Hours passed and Fenrir had found that even trying to pretend to be asleep, was a much more difficult task than he'd thought it would be. Because of his fever, he was constantly uncomfortable and never able to settle in to just one position. He kept tossing and turning, coughing and wheezing, and still Ruby just sat there. When he glanced her way, she'd just smile and give him a wave.
Having grown bored with the games on her Scroll, Ruby began texting her friends. At first it was just informing them of what happened, and how she was effectively babysitting the grouchy Grimm. At one point, she face-timed her sister so Yang could have a look at the miserable Alpha.
"You'd better appreciate my baby sister taking care of you Wolfy." Yang scolded, wagging her finger at the screen. Fenrir just winced and clasped his hands over his ears.
"Too… Loud…"
After that, Ruby began to look around Fenrir's room in greater detail. Doing this made it clear to the girl that this had indeed once been a storage room, used by the janitors that helped keep the academy spotless and pristine. Now though, it was the living quarters of a solitary Beowolf, who apparently liked his things to be nicely organised.
"OH MY GOD HE HAS A ROOMBA!" Ruby nearly squealed in delight when she saw the lightly battered, disk-shaped machine tucked away in the corner.
Before she could get a chance to see if it still worked, the sound of someone violently gagging made her cringe. Fenrir had started looking notably paler in the last half-an-hour, so it seemed like he was about to have another intimate encounter with the bucket Oobleck had given him.
"He hasn't eaten anything all day. I should get him a glass of water; he'll need a lot of fluids to get through this."
Grabbing a glass from one of Fenrir's many shelves, Ruby quickly zipped over to the sink and filled the glass up with thankfully crystal clear water. When she got back to the Grimm, he was just setting the bucket back down.
Her face fell, and her heart squeezed when she saw the state of her friend. He looked like he was on the verge of crying as he glared hatefully at the bucket. His eyes were red and irritated, and his hair was starting to stick to his forehead from all the sweating.
"You've really never been sick before, have you?" She asked as quietly as a mouse.
"…Never." Fenrir said in-between pants.
"I hate this body. I hate everything. I just want to be normal again!" Fenrir thought, his frustration now at its peak, and no way to express it without hurting himself even more.
"Here, drink this." Ruby instructed, using a tone one might use when speaking to a sick child, "I'll just go get rid of this for you."
Fenrir could only watch as Ruby picked up the bucket and left the room to dispose of it. The Beowolf gave a low growl as he felt even more ashamed of himself.
"She is two years younger than me. She should not have to be watching over me like I'm an infant."
He made to stand, see if he could at least help Ruby with what she was doing. But by this stage, all the strength in Fenrir's legs had vanished, he could only wobble before falling back on the bed. Burning with humiliation, Fenrir quickly chugged the cool glass of water, ignoring the pain in his throat every time he swallowed.
When Ruby returned, she moved to sit next to the Grimm. While she was happy that Fenrir had been able to drink the water, she still needed to check if his fever had gone down.
"Fenny, I'm just going to take your temperature, okay?" She asked politely.
Receiving only a vague nod in return, Ruby gently placed the back of her hand against Fenrir's forehead.
"Hmm, still pretty hot. Maybe I should have him take off his jacket."
Fenrir, meanwhile, gasped as he felt the sensation of Ruby's small, smooth, cool hand pressed against his forehead. Without even thinking about it, he reached up with trembling hands, gently grabbed Ruby's hand, and switched it around so the palm was pressed against his face.
"H-h-huh! F-f-f-Fenny?!" Ruby stammered, blush blossoming on her face as Fenrir's rough hands held her arm.
"So… cool…" He mumbled, looking Ruby right in the eye, "Please… keep your hand here…"
He said it with such weak desperation that Ruby quickly forgot about her own embarrassment. Adjusting her position so she'd be more comfortable, Ruby kept one hand on Fenrir's brow, while the other started rubbing small circles on his back. The action was surprisingly comforting for the Grimm, and his face released some of its tension as he started to relax.
For Ruby, it gave her a clear indication of just how much bigger Fenrir's hands were when compared to her own.
"How do you people cope?" He asked after a while, opening one of his eyes, "You humans are always getting sick, how do you get anything done like this?"
"We're not always sick," Ruby defended with a giggle, "And when we are, well, I just think to myself that it's not gonna last forever. You wait and see, by tomorrow, you'll already start to feel so much better."
"Gods, I hope so. I cannot wait for this whole ordeal to be over."
After another period of silence, Fenrir finally let go of Ruby's hand. The girl flashed another kind smile, and the boy couldn't take anymore after that. Here she was, going out of her way to help him, and he'd given her nothing but a hard time. So although all his thoughts were cloudy and difficult to sort through, he gathered up his nerve, and sacrificed his pride for what felt like the thousandth time.
"I'm sorry Ruby," He apologised, speech still a little slurry, "I'm just not used to… any of this. I've been looking after myself for so long, I started thinking that was the only way to live."
"It's okay Fenny," Ruby assured him, before smiling cheekily, "And hey, even with all your complaining, you're still nothing compared to Yang."
Fenrir looked like he wanted to smile, but his facial muscles couldn't really work up the energy anymore. As he turned away to cough into the crook of his arm, Ruby's face fell as she thought about discussing something. It was risky, but hopefully it would get the Grimm to open up more. The sickness did seem to be making him a little less guarded, if him grabbing her arm was any indication.
"Hey Fenrir," She said seriously, catching the boy's attention, "I just thought you should know… Ren told us about what happened yesterday."
Fenrir straightened up a little, bleary eyes doing their best to focus on the girl next to him.
"He told us about how, you don't regret the things you did before coming here, how you see yourself as a soldier. I just want you to know, none of us are going to hold it against you. What you did before, it was no different than what any other Grimm does, or is still doing. You're still our friend Fenrir, okay?"
Fenrir stared open-mouthed at Ruby. He could sense nothing but pure intentions from the girl. From day one, this girl who had changed him forever back in the forest, had never shown hatred or disgust towards him. How could that even be possible? How could someone look at past as dark and bloody as his, and still want to be near him, much less insist being friends with him?
"I… Thank you Ruby," Fenrir said, looking down at the floor as he began wringing his hands in apprehension, "But… That wasn't what I was talking about earlier."
Ruby looked confused, but said nothing. Fenrir couldn't keep this up anymore, not in the face of such overwhelming compassion. Combined with the pain of this sickness, the boy had grown fed up of just keeping his thoughts to himself.
"I am hunted Ruby," He said slowly, pointing to the door to his room, "Sometimes, there are students waiting outside my door. Waiting with their weapons, waiting to kill me."
Ruby nearly gasped at that revelation. She knew most of Beacon academy's students didn't like him, but she had no idea the wolf was the subject of a witch-hunt.
"You want to know why I don't regret the things I did before?" He asked, "Because it was easier then. All my life, I knew what I was, what I had to do. Everyday, just like the day before it, there was only the next mission, the next hunt. And I liked it because there was never any doubt or uncertainty."
"But ever since I came here, I've had nothing but doubts. Doubts about if anything I did before even mattered. Doubts about if I'll ever get this body to do what I want it to do. Hell, recently I've begun to question if it was the right thing to take all the lives I've taken, no matter how many times I tell myself I did it for the good of Remnant. And now, because of those students, sometimes I doubt I'll even make it to see the next day. Nothing makes sense anymore… For the first time in my life, I don't know what I'm doing."
Fenrir looked towards a stunned Ruby. The Grimm gave a humourless chuckle as he carried on.
"I bet that's hard for you to wrap your head around, huh Ruby?" He asked bitterly, "I mean, you've always known what you want to do, you've got your whole life planned out."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"I've got your Aura remember." Fenrir said, tapping the side of his head, "I know you've wanted to be a Huntress since you knew what a Huntress even was. I know you trained at Signal academy just so you could apply to Beacon. I know your uncle taught you how to wield a scythe. You have never once questioned you own life's goals."
"Maybe…" Ruby started, before shaking her head, "But that doesn't mean I don't have moments where I don't know what I'M doing. I never expected to get into Beacon two years early. I never thought I'd be picked to be team leader. I didn't even think I'd have as many friends as I do now. I used to think having friends would be… nice but not necessary. Truth is Fenny… I don't think anyone knows what their doing ALL the time. Everyone gets doubts."
Fenrir frowned as he gripped his knees, tail curling around his waist.
"But I SHOULD know." He whispered, eyes betraying his fear.
"I'm an Alpha Ruby. I have to be better, there's no choice in the matter for me."
The Grimm leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. His eyes were starting to burn, and he had a feeling it wasn't from the sickness.
"That's what my father always told me. 'Do not be sorry, be better'. But how can I be better, when I don't even know what to do with my life. Once my four years at Beacon are done, where do I go from there?"
The Grimm stared up at the wall on the other side of the room. Ruby felt her heart squeeze again when she saw Fenrir's eyes looking watery and his lip starting to tremble.
"I act big and tough and scary Ruby." He said, "I pretend like I know what I'm doing. But the truth is, ever since I changed… I've been terrified… all the time."
Ruby couldn't take anymore after hearing that. She understood now, why Fenrir had said what he said to Ren yesterday. He didn't regret his past actions because he was scared. He was scared that if he did look back and feel guilty for the things he'd done, then he'd be completely, hopelessly lost in life. If he started to regret the deeds of his past, he'd begin to think that it was all for nothing, and worse than that… he might start to think he was nothing.
Not caring about catching what Fenrir had, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Fenrir's breath hitched in his chest as Ruby nestled her head into the space between his shoulder and neck.
"You don't have to be terrified of me," Ruby whispered, "Or any of the others. We'll help you Fenrir, I promise. We'll all get better together, and you'll know what to do by the time we graduate. I guarantee it."
The Beowolf said nothing, merely absorbing Ruby's words. While he made no move to return the hug, his head did lean to the side so his chin could rest on the smaller girls shoulder.
After a minute of the two quietly embracing each other, Ruby stood back up to her full height, a determined glint in her eye.
"Alright Fenrir, you wait right here!" She declared boldly, "I'm gonna go back to my room real quick, and then, you and I are gonna kick this flu's butt."
Taken aback by Ruby's renewed vigour, Fenrir shook his head before offering the girl a weaker version of her own smile.
"Okay then. But you know, it's not like I'm gonna be going anywhere in a hurry in this state."
"Uh-huh," Ruby said smugly, nodding her head, "So you TOTALLY weren't planning to get up and leave if I left earlier, right?"
The boy tensed up, and his smile became more sheepish as he looked down at the floor.
"It's scary how well you can read me." He commented.
"That's cos you don't have a mask for a face anymore."
That got a big laugh from the Grimm. Ruby mentally pat herself on the back, even while Fenrir started hacking up a lung.
"Hey Fenrir," Ruby said as she turned to leave, "Maybe take off the jacket for a little while. You might cool down if you're not wearing so many layers."
"Yeah, you might be right," Fenrir agreed.
Waving a quick goodbye to the Grimm, Ruby darted for the exit, already preparing to use her Semblance to get back to her dorm room in record time. Before she left though, she turned to the little Roomba and turned it on.
"Hey!" She greeted cheerfully to the round contraption, "Do me a favour and watch your owner for me, okay?"
Without waiting for a response, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. The Roomba stood still for a moment, before turning around and trundling over to it's masters bedside. The Grimm knelt down and gave the mobile vacuum a pat on it's top, then removed his jacket and boots. Lying down on his mattress, Fenrir just stared at the door and awaited Ruby's return. Looking down at the light red petals floating in the air, the Grimm hit a sudden realisation.
He wasn't afraid of rose petals anymore.
…
When Ruby eventually returned, she did so with a plethora of items that she'd gathered from her dorm. An assortment of snacks that were neither too big nor too filling. They were purely light-bites for whenever Fenrir started to get peckish. Along with the snacks, were some fizzy drinks. Apparently sugar would help him feel less queasy.
She also borrowed some books from Blake's extensive collection, so Fenrir had something to read. She made sure to steer clear of the more… risqué selections that everyone knew Blake had but she still tried to deny. Finally, she also brought some of her own personal comic books that she'd brought with her when she first came to Beacon.
The atmosphere of the room was a great deal more relaxed now than it had been at the start of the day. No longer trying to get away, Fenrir and Ruby were able to engage in much more casual conversation. Despite the occasional coughing fit, or vomit scare [Fenrir never actually threw up again, just close-calls], Fenrir already started to look like he was on the road to recovery.
At one point, Fenrir grew curious about Ruby's own literature and asked if he could have a look. Feeling emboldened by all the recent revelations and getting the Grimm to open up more about himself, Ruby took it one step further and lay down next to the Grimm. Fenrir was surprised by the sudden close proximity, but he shrugged it off as just another weird human thing. Ruby then spent the next hour or so reading to the Grimm, going so far as to put on over-the-top voices for each of the characters that had Fenrir grinning the whole time.
For Ruby it was especially enjoyable, because the Grimm was like a personal heater and the girl had felt a little chilly in the draughty room. The only downside was there wasn't a whole lot of space, so they were quite literally shoulder-to-shoulder.
Fenrir's Roomba continued to wander all around the room, dutifully cleaning wherever it could reach.
"Hey Fenrir," Ruby said, breaking character all of a sudden, "Just a thought, but maybe you should talk to Ozpin about those jerks who are trying to pick a fight with you outside your room."
The Beowolf looked down at the silver-eyed girl, whose head was practically on his chest, and cocked his head to the side, the wolf ears on top of his head mimicking the action.
"Why?" He asked, his tone non-accusing or even suspicious.
"Well, you shouldn't feel like you're being hunted down all the time." Ruby answered, lips turning down as she thought about the people who wanted to kill her friend, "I know you probably want to deal with it yourself, but maybe… Ozpin can find a way to keep them off your back for a bit."
Ordinarily, the prideful Grimmborn would have dismissed such an idea. However, in light of all that Ruby had done for him just today, Fenrir felt he should at least take what the girl was saying into some consideration.
"I'll… give it some thought." He mumbled, not needing to raise his voice with Ruby being so close to him.
"Hee-hee… Thank you Fenny." Ruby giggled cheerfully.
As Ruby said that strangely charming nickname, Fenrir felt a strange thought enter his mind. Thinking it over a little bit, the Alpha decided to be a bit daring himself and say what was on his mind.
"No problem… Raudrmine."
"Huh?" The girl asked, recognising the first part of that last word as Grimmspeech, but not knowing the second half.
"It's my nickname for you now." Fenrir answered, giving a warm smile to the girl lying next to him, "It means: Red jewel. You like it?"
At the sight of that small, genuine smile that made Fenrir look like an actual teenager, Ruby felt her face become red-hot. Despite the embarrassment, she also felt weirdly happy, like seeing the Grimm being comfortable around her, enough to smile so purely like this, made her feel included in something that only she and him could know of.
"Yeah… I do like it." She answered.
After that little interlude, Ruby carried on reading to the Grimm. An hour passed, before the girl noticed Fenrir's breathing had become a lot deeper suddenly. Looking up, she saw that Fenrir had fallen asleep at last.
"That's it Fenny, you sleep it off."
Smiling over a job well done, Ruby stood up and dusted off her skirt. Her legs felt a little funny after staying still for so long, but the sensation of pins-and-needles quickly disappeared. The girl gave one last affectionate look to the peacefully sleeping Grimm. Looking up at his ears, Ruby had to forcibly fight the urge to stroke them, turning beet-red in the process.
"Gah! No Ruby, you'll wake him up. Oh, but they look so soft though…"
Quickly turning away to not be further tempted, Ruby gathered up her stuff and decided to give the Grimm some peace. The silver-eyed girl gave one last gentle pat to Fenrir's Roomba, and then left quietly as possible, shutting the door gently on the way out.
"Man, I can't wait to tell the girls about this. Well, I won't tell them about Fenrir's fears or the bullies, he probably wouldn't like me telling the others about that. He'll tell them when he's ready. We just have to make sure that we're ready for him when he's able to open up again."
…..
Fenrir slept for a solid twelve hours. It was four in the morning when he finally started to stir from a dreamless sleep. The first thing he noticed, was the distinct lack of warmth on his right-side. Lunging out a hand lazily, the Grimm felt the empty imprint of where someone had been resting, and quickly figured out that Ruby must have left sometime while he was resting.
The second thing he noticed was how RAVENOUSLY hungry he was. Standing back up, he quickly noticed he didn't feel anywhere near as feverish or groggy as he did yesterday. In fact, he could feel some of his old strength beginning to return.
"Guess all that not moving yesterday did some good after all." Fenrir leaned down and took a whiff of his shirt, instantly grimacing, "Definitely need a bath though."
Shedding off his disgusting yesterday clothes, Fenrir quickly hopped into his bath, and started running the taps. The hot water was heavenly on his body that was covered in a layer of cold, sticky sweat. Within minutes, all the aches and pains of yesterday felt like they were being slowly washed away.
Donning a fresh, warm pair of clothes, Fenrir decided to loosen up his stiff joints by going outdoors for a run. He knew it was still the early hours of the morning, but he really didn't feel like sleeping anymore.
Walking through the academy hallways at this hour was an almost other-worldly experience. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on the entire planet, the Grimm could not make out a single sound that wasn't his own footsteps. Stepping outside only intensified the ethereal atmosphere that surrounded this hour of the day where the night was coming to a close, but the world wasn't ready to wake up just yet.
Looking up at the dark blue sky, Fenrir predicted that the day would be a cloudless one, completely unlike the mini-monsoon they had to deal with yesterday in the forest.
Rolling his shoulders and stretching out his legs, Fenrir quickly set himself into a rhythmic pace, jogging around the outskirts of the academy. Once he felt his muscles had warmed up and air was getting into his lungs at a good pace, he decided to give himself a little test.
"Let's see how long I can push my Aura now."
Quickly getting his mind in the right head-space, Fenrir gradually started to charge his Aura into his legs. The cold, blue glow blended in with the sky above as he shot off like a bullet fired from one of his own revolvers. A trail of frost formed behind him as he started to circle faster and faster around the academy.
Sights and sounds morphed into one another as the world became a dim blur around him. All the while, Fenrir counted the seconds in his head as he pushed his body to as fast as it could go. His feet the ground with a ferocity that befitted his namesake.
"Ten seconds… Twenty seconds, COME ON, KEEP GOING!"
Round and round, Fenrir steadily creating an icy ring around the entire school as his legs pushed him faster and faster. Blue energy bolts started arcing off his body, trailing behind him while he ran. Pressure began to build in his throat, and his body began to throb painfully as his Aura started to reach its limit.
"Twenty-five, just a little more, come on!"
The Grimmborn grit his teeth and pushed himself for just a little bit longer. But sooner than he would have liked, his Aura finally tapped out, disappearing in a flash. Momentum carried the Grimm forward, causing him to slip and slide on the ice path he'd made, ending with him face-planting into the dirt.
He lay there and groaned for several minutes, the tweeting of birds beginning to sound like mocking laughter in his ears.
"Twenty-nine seconds… so close to a full thirty."
"I'm not so certain this was a good idea, little wolf." Fenrir could almost see the bodiless voice shaking it's head at his antics, "You've only just started getting better."
"Hey look, I spent all day inside yesterday. I think I've earned a little time to enjoy the outside air."
Picking himself up off the cold, sparkly grass, Fenrir arched his spine backwards and looked towards the large, proud towers of Beacon academy. Somewhere in there, Ruby and the others were still sound asleep. The Grimm smiled lightly when he remembered all that the girl had done for him yesterday, what they had all done for him since he came here. Resolve flooded through his body, making him stand tall and proud.
"Despite all my fumbles and failures. Despite my past being drenched in blood, they still wish to help me. To support me. From now on… I am going to do the same for them. They might not be Grimm, or a pack in the traditional sense. But I will help them as if they WERE my pack. I owe it to them to give them the same kind of support and understanding they have given me."
Fenrir walked back to the academy proper, a plan already beginning to form in his mind, a mind that was steadily starting to lean more into the light.
"Starting with a certain silver-eyed reaper."
….
"You guys think ol' Wolfy's doing any better yet?"
The question came from a Yang as she took a healthy bite out of her buttered toast. All of team RWBY were gathered around one table, the cafeteria being only sparsely populated due to the early hour. Normally the likes of Ruby and Yang would want to sleep in on a Sunday, but Weiss had insisted they get up early to beat the morning traffic.
"He was starting to look a lot better when I left yesterday." Ruby answered, stifling a yawn.
"Must have been pretty boring, being stuck with JUST Fenrir all day?" Blake questioned with a… unusual glint in her eye.
"No, I actually had a lot of fun." Ruby answered honestly, "When he's not being grumpy, he's actually really nice to be around."
"Ah, morning you four." A far more alert voice caught the girls attention.
Looking up, the team of four saw Fenrir, looking fresh-faced and in a much better mood than yesterday.
"Hey, there's my second-favourite canine." Yang announced with a cheeky wink.
"How are you feeling today Fenrir?" Blake asked casually.
"Much better than yesterday, that's for sure," Fenrir answered honestly, before looking over at Weiss and bowing his head a little bit, "I'm sorry for my behaviour yesterday. I… have never fallen ill before, so the experience… unnerved me a little bit."
"Well, the next time we tell you to do something, try doing it instead of stubbornly fighting against us." Weiss scolded, practically holding her nose up in the air like a stereotypical Heiress would.
Instead of growling, or scowling at being reprimanded, Fenrir just continued to smile and nodded his head at the white-haired girl.
"Of course." He said, before bringing his arms around to show he had been hiding something behind his back the entire time, "Here you are Ruby, these are for you."
Fenrir deposited a tray in front of the curious girl to reveal…
"OH MY GOD, STRAWBERRY TARTS!" Ruby's eyes were practically bursting with stars of joy at the tray of individually wrapped pastries.
"Where did you get those from?!" Weiss asked incredulously.
"I was up and awake before anyone else this morning," Fenrir answered, taking a seat next to the drooling leader of team RWBY, "Figured I'd sneak into the kitchens and see what I could find. Consider it thanks for taking care of me yesterday Ruby."
"OH THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Ruby cried with a happiness that would rival a child on Christmas morning, giving the Grimm to her side a big squeeze, "YOU'RE OFFICIALLY THE BEST GRIMM EVER FENNY!"
While Fenrir didn't mind the hug [He might have even considered returning it this time], but his whole body froze up when he clocked what Ruby had said.
"FENNY?" Blake asked before anyone else could, leaning forward in her seat with a look that genuinely unnerved Fenrir with how fiercely curious it was.
"I told you not to call me that in front of the others." Fenrir groaned as Ruby chuckled awkwardly.
Once again, the Grimm was set upon by the team of four that he had decided to call his friends.
He didn't REALLY mind it this time though.
A/N: Man quarantine has definitely made me a lot more productive out of just sheer boredom. Really happy with how this one came out as I'd been planning this chapter for quite a while. Full disclosure, this chapter was already being constructed WAY before the coronavirus was even a thing, so this is in no way related to current events. If they were, Fenrir would be smart, and stay inside for a lot longer than just one day.
With that out of the way, leave me your thoughts in your reviews, I'm always reading them to know what I need to improve on. Let me know your thoughts on Nightsky, and how you think it's developing.
Next time: We find out the real reason why Oobleck wanted Fenrir's blood, and the Beowolf's mighty howl reveals a powerful Semblance. See you next time.
Also for those who need a refresher:
Raudr= red
Golz= Stone
Mine [Pronounced me-nay]= Jewel.