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I left back for home. It felt like weeks had passed in hours. I landed and gently set down at my house. The house where I lived with my kids and my wife. My kids. I had to do better by them. Nebel would be going to school soon. I recalled false school days I had spent in the half baked delerium of my parent's brainwashing. School had gone fine by me but that was all fake pressure from Salem. School could be rough. My real school days at Beacon had been enduring at first. I had no intention of subjecting my son to the loneliness of being bullied.
I was bullied and alone once. It had been a prison of my own making but it had been a prison all the same. I'd had friends. I just hadn't taken advantage of them. It was careless of me but it was my own fault I'd been lonely at Beacon at first. But Nebel was a kid. And I wasn't sure how to share my wisdom in this regard. He was just a kid. And kids… they made mistakes. And kids could be cruel. I knew that much from my time at Beacon.
My other memories were good. Of school that was. Fake but good. They could have been awful but whatever machinations had been in my Mother's mind had granted me a good childhood. I couldn't really complain. The biggest thing was that they hadn't believed in me. Which had hurt. It had been fake but it still hurt.
I walked inside my home. It was quiet. I found Weiss in the office and leaned by the door.
"Cloud, welcome home."
She stood and embraced me. I held her in return. "Weiss. Another mission accomplished. And with only one minor little snag. In the grand scheme of things. How's Ruby holding up?"
"Not well. She's been sleeping a lot. I think that's what her depression tends to. She wanted to sleep a lot when you left. Both times."
It was a terse reminder. I'd faltered in my commitment to them. I'd done so the once in Mistral. But in Atlas it had been dread of my weakness which drove me from their arms. I'd never seen Ruby depressed. Maybe she did get sleepy.
"And the kids?" I asked.
"All down. They were out playing but they tuckered out."
"That just leaves you in a big empty house."
"I'm fine," Weiss denied when I turned things her way.
"What a relief. I wasn't sure how running things would affect you. Especially if what you say is true and you've been running things solo. What with me gone and Ruby out cold."
"I've managed. It wasn't easy. I'm glad to have you back," Weiss sighed. I squeezed her tight.
"Thank you Weiss. I know you didn't like me going after my father. Thank you. I just felt I had to. It was the appropriate time. Thank you. For holding down the fort so well."
"It really wasn't much of anything," Weiss continued to deny. "That isn't why I didn't want you to go. It's that same old thing. The fact you build up around a negative. I didn't want that for you anymore. The kids were fine. They were easy. Letting you leave... that was hard," she confessed.
"Ren would say something about swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die. But knowing what we know now about Summer and how little it cost me, I feel I made the right choice in bringing the fight to him sooner rather than later."
"You would," Weiss dismissed and she bopped my nose with a kiss. "Ren had no idea you would actually bring the pain. I did. I just didn't want that pain for you. Lords know you suffered enough."
"I've been doing better. I have my anchors. You compel me."
"Not enough," Weiss shot back. "Your kids do too but not enough. You've grown in these last few years but not nearly so much as you seem to think."
"You're saying I'm still weak."
"You're stronger and more independent than ever."
"Then what do you mean?"
"That's exactly what I mean. You don't rely on me. You can share your weaknesses with me more. I'm not frail."
I stuttered. "W-well. I can't exactly drop all my burdens on you. You and Ruby both."
"Why not?"
"Why not?"
"Yeah. Why not? Ruby and I both swore to help you with your burdens."
"Yeah. My kids and my responsibility to them. That's more than enough. The rest of it is on me. Killing my Mom. That's on me."
"It's on us too. I'm just saying you don't have to do it alone. Emerald I understand. I understood. But all this other stuff you shouldn't be afraid to drop it on me. I can take it. And if it means lighting your load I'll take that as well."
"I'll try. I promise," I vowed.
"So is there anything bothering you?" Weiss asked. "I mean you just crossed a big thing off your list. Is anything bothering you?"
"My son is going to school soon."
"Your son?"
"Nebel."
"I know which one. Why does that bother you?"
"All my memories of grade school are fake. I don't know what it's really like. What if he doesn't fit in? What if the other kids are mean to him? That bothers me."
"Nebel is charismatic. And he's a handsome young boy."
"Is he? He reminds me of me."
"You are charismatic. You are a handsome man."
"I have a way of making Heaven into Hell and Hell into Heaven. I let Cardin Winchester bully me and I ignored my true friends. If he takes after me he is fit for misery."
"That was different. You were a special case back then."
"Still. If he takes after me in terms of socializing he is setting himself up for failure and I don't know how to help him. How do I share what little knowledge I do have with him?"
"Nebel will be fine. The girls will be all over him. Just like his father." She brushed my hair with her hand. I leaned into her touch. I relaxed and slumped down.
"I don't know. It's not enough. He needs friends."
"Nebel is bright. He'll make plenty of friends. You're worried about nothing at least so far. We need to wait and see and trust that he can do it. We set him up with tools and social skills. Now we have to let him fly."
"He's so young. How can I just let him go?"
"You have to," Weiss murmured. "We should let Ruby know you're here."
"I'm busy holdin' you," and I was. I had my arms wrapped around her petite waist. I had her body pulled close to me and I didn't really feel like letting go.
I reached and rubbed my face with my hands releasing her for a moment with one arm. I put my hand back around her.
"It's cute that you're so worried about your son. Is that all that's bothering you?"
"Well, I consigned Rosé to a life of hardship. But she's a big girl. And I dragged my wife's mom's corpse across a continent."
"And you killed yourself? A clone?"
"Didn't even register. Not even a thing. I had to die. And I had to be the one to kill me."
"Trauma," Weiss sang. "We'll talk about it."
"No," I denied.
"Not a choice," she sang across each word.
"Really it was nothing. It was a pleasure. If only I could kill myself again. I deserve it."
"Was carrying Summer hard?"
"Well I was more worried about how it would impact Ruby. And it seems like I was right to be worried."
"Ruby will bounce back. She's a tough cookie."
"She's still a cookie. Cookies crumble," I pointed out.
"She can handle it. But you're worried about the princess?"
"More than a little. We were friends. I sort of set her up for a life with one eye on the cage door. Every day could be the day that she dies. That's my fault. I clear my father's lab alone and she walks free. I clear it with team RYPP's support and one of them ends up a maiden."
"But the power is in safe hands. Rather than somebody random or whoever else the power could have transferred to. It's a mark up for the good team. Don't forget that."
"That's why I called this whole thing a minor hiccup. I can feel this one. I like this one. Rosé will make a good maiden. Given time. And she has support from her team. Any one of them would have made fine maidens. A bit like your team."
"Team RWBY. The only thing capable of splitting us up was you," Weiss smirked jokingly.
"Do you regret it? You left your friends behind."
"Look at the family I built up here. No. No way. I don't regret it. I have my children. I love and cherish them. I'd never give them up in a million years."
"We always talked about how good of a mother Ruby was going to be. We very rarely talked about you. Darling. You are stern when you need to be and sweet the rest of the time. You've done so well. I feel like you run circles around me."
"Flatterer," Weiss dismissed.
"No flattery. Look at Nebel. He's so kind to his sisters and brother. He's so smart. He gets that from you."
"You don't do poorly in the brain department yourself, Cloud."
"Yeah but the kind of smart I am doesn't really pertain to the sort of little kindnesses Nebel is good at. And Pearle is so sweet. She's an absolute princess. And that's all you darling."
"You should check on Ruby," Weiss murmured.
"I'm not done checking up on you."
"I've been fine. Nothing bad has happened to me. I had to look after my babies for two days nearly alone. That's all."
"I'm sure you did well too."
"The young ones pushed me. But I managed."
"Weiss this is me you're talking to. You don't have to be so modest. I bet you rocked this ship."
She folded her arms. "So what if I did?"
I kissed her on the lips long and low and with some passion.
She smirked against my mouth and her hands came up to touch my face. One hand cupped my cheek and the other threaded my spiky hair. I didn't give her any tongue but I gave her all the stress I was carrying in that kiss. It was so soothing and it brought me back from my anxiety.
"I know you did. That's just my darling."
"Why darling?"
"Huh?" I wondered.
"Why am I your darling?"
"Well you didn't like princess, snow angel, or ice queen."
"I'm serious," she hit me in a darling fashion.
"So am I? I wasn't exactly heavy with options. And while you're sweet you're not my sweetheart. And while you're an absolute doll you're nobody's plaything. Darling fit. You just became my darling. I promised to find a pet name for you and you seemed to like it. Should I stop?"
"No. I was just curious."
"So you like it."
"I didn't say that."
"Didn't have to," I returned. "Darling."
"Don't let it go to your head."
"I just might. Maybe I deserve this little shot."
"You don't. Not quite."
"What if I did?"
"Go check up on Ruby."
"Very well," I released her.
I took long strides towards the master bedroom. Ruby was curled up in the sheets.
I bent and kissed her face on the cheek. She stirred and I stroked her short red and black hair. Ruby was such bullshit. Her hair naturally did that. I knew because the carpet matches the drapes.
"Cloud?"
"It's me sweetheart," I returned.
"You're back."
"I am. I've returned."
"To stay?" She beamed. She stretched like a kitten in the bed.
"For now. For the foreseeable future."
Ruby curled up with some sheets under her face. I kissed her again and stroked her hair. Her hair was so pretty. I almost still couldn't believe it.
"I heard you're feeling sleepy."
"Oh did Weiss tell you?"
"She did. She also mentioned you got sleepy when I left in Mistral and Atlas."
"What if I did? Nothing wrong with a little sleep."
"How about a lot of sleep?"
"Well you know how it is. My mom died."
"She did. How are you feeling little love?"
"Little love?"
"Because you're little. And you're my love."
"It's cute."
"How are you feeling little love?"
"I'm tired. I know it's not healthy."
"But you'll be back. Right?"
"I will. I'm just sad about my mom. And you."
"Me?"
"Well you're always going through it and it feels like I can't help you."
"You do help me. You do. You and the kids both."
"It doesn't always feel like it."
"You do. You ground me. You make me want to walk away from all my responsibilities. You anchor me so tight I don't know which way is up or down."
"I don't mean to disorient."
"You do anyways. You leave me crossed. You leave me plastered. I sometimes wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind."
"Hm," Ruby hummed.
"Not impressed?"
"Flattery doesn't work on me. I'm not Weiss."
"Flattery doesn't work on Weiss."
"Yours does," she murmured tiredly.
"Does it?"
"Yours does."
"It doesn't work on you? Why not?"
"I don't know," she purred.
"Well then I have nothing but myself."
"It's enough."
"Is it?" I wondered.
"It is."
"Well how do you think that makes me feel?" I wondered.
"Helpless. Same as me."
"Cruel of you Rubes."
"Not as cruel as you. What with your leaving and father hunting."
"What if your mother suffered a day more. I couldn't live with that on my conscience."
"You didn't do it for her."
"I did it to free myself. To better be with you."
"Maybe so. You confess some selfish motivations."
"Of course. Of course I do."
"You didn't do it for my mom."
"But I did it to be with you better."
"Did you?"
"I did. I did! What? I didn't do it just for you or for me. I did it to live a life with my children. My father had to go down. Look at what he did to your mom," I protested.
"You're coming up with excuses after the fact. You left us again."
"I did. I did leave you again. And I will at least once more. At least."
"I don't want you to go," she sounded infantile and pathetic and it made me hang my weapon up on a rack and bend low to kiss her forehead. I shushed her.
"Rubes you're being unfair. I have to go after my Mom."
"I don't want to be reminded. Remember?"
"Right. Right. Well it still stands that I'm around for the meantime. Back and better able to be with you and my children. How are you really holding up Rubes?"
"Not so good. I'm tired."
"Sleepy little thing. Well you just rest away sweetheart," I stroked her face again and she leaned into my hand like a puppy. I walked to the closet and took my armor off. I hung it up on a rack. I took off my clothes and showered. I scrubbed myself clean. I climbed into bed behind Ruby and spooned her close to me.
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-WG