V2E10: Down, Down, Down...
The loud clinking noise of weapons being dropped shook Hope out of his thought. He shrugged as he saw Pyrrha beat yet another overconfident idiot, adding to her near-perfect win-tie record. He still isn't sure who's the mad bastard who managed to tie with her but at the current, his mind has little care for it. He tuned out Glynda's congratulations for another "hard" fought victory on Pyrrha's part, using her semblance to drag away the unconscious competitor in the meanwhile. He leaned back in his seat, his dour mood finally marking itself on his face. Glynda gave him a quick glance as he sighed.
"Mister Hope, could it be that you find my class to be a waste of time?" She questioned scoldingly.
Anon blinked slowly.
"Honestly? I don't feel too well." He hung his head tiredly. "Is it fine if can retire for the rest of the class?"
Glynda gave Anon a concerned look before checking the time.
"Well... Since there's time for only one last match, I presumed that you could."
Anon nodded sluggishly.
"Thank you." He softly nodded thankfully before getting up.
Glynda returned to the lesson at hand, asking if anyone else wanted to get flattened by the prodigious gladiatrix. Well, not in those words, but it was implied.
"I'll do it!" Hope heard Mercury shout with confidence.
"Mercury Black from Haven, was it?" Glynda gave a short glance to Anon then back to Mercury, this time eyeing him with suspicion. "Are you certain that you wish to fight miss Nikos?"
He smirked cockily as he rose to his metallic feet.
"Oh, do I."
Glynda asked Pyrrha with a look if she wanted to continue, earning a nod in response.
"Very well." Glynda accepted. "Combatants, make your way to the arena."
Anon reminded himself to text Pyrrha about Mercury's disability. For fairness' sake, of course.
Me: 'Just FYI, Mercury has prosthetic legs. So if you notice that his strike are particularly heavy, that's why.'
MapleLeaf: 'I see.'
Me: 'Also, don't use your semblance. He asked to fight you specifically for that.'
MapleLeaf: 'Why would he?'
Me: 'His team, CMEN, are competitors from Haven. They want to find anything and everything about you to rub your face in the dirt during the tournament.'
MapleLeaf: 'Understood, I'll watch out for them. Thanks for the tip, Hope.'
Me: 'NP'
As he left the fight pit, RWBY looked to their morose friend, noticing his sour mood.
"Did something happen?" Ruby wondered with worry.
"He has been looking down since..." Weiss paused to think. "About the day after the investigation."
Yang shrugged.
"Who knows," She nudged Blake in the sides playfully. "Maybe he got turned down when he asked out someone for the dance."
Blake glared at her blonde partner.
"I somehow doubt that." She closed one eye, looking irritated. "Although I do have my suspicions."
Yang smirked teasingly.
"You think it had something to do with Velvet again, aren't you? Especially seeing as he saw them off on their mission."
Blake groaned in annoyance.
"Oh for the gods' sake, Yang!"
"I know, I know." She made air quotes with her fingers. "'Not like that.'"
The black cat sulked at the teasing as Yang giggled to herself. Weiss and Ruby looked at each other.
"Think we should go see him?" Weiss asked her leader.
"I'm sure that if we ask him, he'll tell us what's wrong" Ruby pondered out loud. "I mean, Anon's always been pretty open."
"That he is." Weiss blushed. "Sometimes to an... Incredibly embarrassing degree."
Ruby blanked.
"What?"
"Anyways! If you think we should go see him, we should do it soon. We still have to deal with the preparations for the dance!"
"I know." Ruby jolted suddenly, having had an idea. "How about we do it one at a time? That way, there will always be three people working on the preparations."
Weiss hummed.
"Sounds fine. You go first?"
"Alright!" Ruby stood up and threw a fist in the air enthusiastically. "Operation: Cheer up Anon has begun!"
Glynda coughed loudly, making Ruby cringe at the realization that class was still underway.
"Miss Rose," If Glynda was amused, no one could tell "Whilst I approve of students aiding one another, could it bother you to wait after class to start doing that?"
Ruby sat back down docilely.
"No, ma'am." Ruby squeaked, red in the face. "Sorry, ma'am."
Weiss shook her head.
"Every time."
Shots rang out, the echo of gunfire was dampened by the walls of Beacon's firing range. Anon held his pistol in one hand, aiming carefully through the iron sights. He fired again, this time missing the target entirely. He looked at his reflection in the gun. The reflection looked at him quizzically, perhaps wondering what its wielder was feeling right now to have such shit aim. Hope unloaded his gun and kept staring at his reflection. Yet again he's back to his thoughts, even though the whole reason he came here was to drown out the noise in his head with the thunder of guns.
Ruby jogged lightly towards the shooting range. Having already checked his room, she had hoped that he was either in the cafeteria, the gymnasium or the shooting range. Ruby thanked her luck when she saw him inspecting his gun in one of the booths. She slowly approached him, although it mattered hardly, seen as he was completely unaware of her.
She popped her head over his shoulder before resting on him. Anon jolted slightly and looked over his shoulder to see a smiling little rose.
"Hey." he greeted lazily.
"Heyo!" She greeted back chipperly. "What'cha doin'?"
Hope pulled the pistol's bolt back and inserted a fresh mag into the gun.
"Trying to shoot straight." he quipped as he sent the bolt home and aimed.
He took another shot, hitting to the left and clipping the holographic Beowulf in the shoulder.
"...Keyword being 'try'," he commented stoically.
Ruby looked at him intently as he fired the rest of his magazine. Technique is good, discipline is the same, focus... Nope.
"What's on your mind?" she asked bluntly
"A lot," he answered vaguely as he reloaded.
"Can you name one or is it a jumbled mess?"
"A bit of both. Right now, I'm thinking about home."
"Do..." Ruby hesitated. "Do you want to go back?"
Anon stopped shooting before exhaling softly and proceeded to unload his pistol. He waved Ruby over to a bench and the two sat down next to one another.
"In a way, Yes, I'd like to go back," Anon told her, answering her previous question.
Ruby frowned sadly.
"Oh..."
Anon patted her head gently.
"Ease up, I'd come back right after I dealt with some unfinished business."
Ruby cheered up slightly, glad that her (other) best friend would have come right back. Her joy, however, was tampered with curiosity.
"What kind of business?"
Anon looked at nothing in particular.
"First thing I'd do would probably be to give my mom one last goodbye."
Ruby leaned into his shoulder to comfort him. He brought her closer, holding her by her head and gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
"I understand," she said quietly.
"I know you do."
They stayed quiet for a brief moment, the silence broken by Ruby's curiosity.
"What was your mom like?"
He took a second to think.
"She was a hard worker. Had to, she was a single mother for the better parts of my formative years. She was kind and generous. In spite of being a lawyer, she would do her best to be honest."
Ruby smirked.
"In spite of?"
"There's a good reason that all lawyers have their mouths sewn shut once they reach Stygia. They'd just lie their way out of Death's grasp."
Ruby giggled. She leaned closer, swinging her legs back and forth under the bench.
"You once said that your mom did cases for free?"
He huffed in surprise.
"You remember that? Geez, if you had half the memory for studying than you did the stupid shit I say, you'd be half as good as Weiss!"
He slapped him on the shoulder playfully.
"Meanie!" she giggled.
Hope joined her with his own short chuckle.
"Ha. But yeah, mom was a good samaritan. She couldn't stay still to relax, she had to help someone. The amount of charity cases that she did is honestly dizzying."
She smiled kindly.
"She sounded like a wonderful person."
He smiled nostalgically.
"She was."
The two stayed quiet together, enjoying the moment.
"You're a good girl, Ruby." he finally said.
She smiled softly, a tinge of red on her cheeks.
"You too, Anon. You're a good guy."
The day after his talk with Ruby, Hope was feeling marginally better. Despite this, his focus was still lacking. At the current, he was stuck on a page of his homework. The library was quiet at least.
"Dust, Dust typing, elemental effect, chain reaction... Four basic: Water, Fire, Air and Earth. A few special types... fuck, which ones were they?"
"Gravity, Light and Power."
Anon raised his head from his book, catching Weiss from the corner of his eyes.
"And under certain environmental conditions, Dust can shift into a different type altogether. The perfect example being water dust turning into ice dust when put under cold conditions."
Anon noted it down quickly.
"Thanks for the reminder." He rubbed his head.
"Don't mention it." Weiss sat down next to Hope. "Still feeling off?"
Anon looked down at his notes, still scribbling.
"Did Ruby tell?"
"Even if she didn't, we can all tell that you're not feeling well."
He smiled honestly.
"So attentive. I feel lucky to have such great girl friends."
Weiss choked on her own spit, as her face turned red.
"G-Girlfriends?!" She stuttered. "T-there no way w-we-"
She stopped at the sight of his wide, mocking smile.
"Emphasis, dear. It's Girl Friends, not Girlfriends."
Weiss had stiffened, holding up a finger in protest. She slowly lowered herself to the table, pouting into her arms.
"You..."
Anon let out a small laugh before going back to his notes. Weiss joined in and quizzed him on his knowledge.
"Since Dust has nullifiers, neutrals and amplifiers, which are Fire's?" Weiss questioned.
"Water extinguishes, Earth does nothing and Wind caries."
"Correct. When Water and Fire mix, what happens and the historical ramifications thereof?"
"Water evaporates into steam, which eventually led to the steam engine's development. Once Environment Theory was proven, Power Dust was discovered soon after some experiments under lab conditions and replaced the different Dust combinations. It was also the first man-generated Dust."
"While technically correct, Power Dust was created at around the same time as Gravity Dust." Weiss noted. "So be sure to add that that in case Peach or someone else asks for the first artificially made Dust."
"Gotcha."
The two kept studying in silence.
"Ruby said that you had a lot on your mind," Weiss stated.
"Indeed I do," he uttered. "Lot more than is probably necessary."
"Like what?"
Anon stared listlessly at his book.
"Was I a good brother? Did I do my best with my sister? Did I deserve everything that my brother did to me?" He listed off.
Weiss scoffed.
"Considering how horribly you claimed your brother treated you, I hardly think that you deserve anything that happened because of him." she patted his stomach where his scar is. "Especially that."
Anon rubbed the scar under his shirt, its irregular texture standing out from his otherwise smooth skin.
"Yeah... Still. Was I a good brother?"
"What bought this on?"
"Hmm?"
"This whole questioning of yourself."
Anon paused.
"I guess just... Introspection. Old memories and photos from when my mind was stuck in the dark. And me looking back with my head cleared."
"I see..." She looked pensive. "Do you want to tell me about it?"
"Why are you suddenly interested?"
"Because it dawned on me that you know a lot about us and we know next to nothing about you."
"I guess that's fair."
He crossed his arms and legs, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"My twin brother is... was..." he paused before shrugging dismissively. "Whatever, Point is, he's been an asshole for a long time."
"But he wasn't always?"
"Everyone is born innocent, Weiss," he explained sagely. "It's actions that either maintain our innocence or tarnishes it. And once you fall, it's hard to climb back up. But even then, you'll never be the same again."
Weiss blinked.
"That was... shockingly wise of you."
Anon let out a drawn-out belch. Weiss's nose scrunched.
"And you ruined it."
He shrugged with a coy smile.
"Always." His smile turned melancholic. "I wish I could say that he was an exception but, that wouldn't be fair. Even though it's him."
Weiss leaned in as he continued.
"He was always really selfish, but he treated me as a brother should. Then..." his words listed. "Dad left."
Weiss frowned.
"Didn't you say that you barely remember your father's face?"
"It might shock you to learn, but my brother has a better memory than me. He has a near-perfect memory and one of the things I know he remembers is our father."
Anon scoffed in mock amusement.
"I say remember, he practically reviled and worshiped him."
Weiss's face scrunched in disbelief.
"How can you do both of those things at the same times? Isn't it contradictory?"
"Daddy issues are a fucking trip straight to crazy town, I'll tell you what." he joked. "He wanted to see dad again, whether it's to give him a blowjob or bite his dick off is anyone's guess."
"That's disgusting! This is family we're talking about!" She cried out in outrage and disgust.
Anon said nothing, his face stuck in a neutral expression. His mouth then curved into a restrained smile.
Oh, BOY. If only you knew the type of shit Fandoms are into!
He inhaled through his nose loudly.
"ANYWAYS! Point is, my father had a huge impact on my brother. And when he left, that impact shattered. Ever since then, he's gotten himself into trouble. And I had to bail him out. Worse yet, the ungrateful cunt would make me his fucking slave whenever he wasn't in jail."
"What did he do to get in so much trouble?"
"Getting into fights mostly, he's lucky he never killed anyone, otherwise he would have been shit out of luck even with the money we had. Otherwise, he was just a hoodrat doing petty gangbanger stuff."
He sighed.
"Every day he'd come back with bruises on him, and he'd let out his frustrations on me by berating and insulting me. Blaming me for his failings and failures. It all culminated with... Him doing something I don't want to get into."
Weiss brought her seat closer to him and held his shoulder supportively. Anon looked at the hand and smiled, resting his own on top of hers.
"But, that's over. He disappeared that day and never came back. And thank fuck for that."
He sneered contemptuously, his hatred all too obvious. Weiss softly tapped him on the cheek.
"What about your sister? I'm sure she wasn't as bad."
Anon cheered up slightly, smiling happily.
"Oh, she's a sweetheart." he reminisced. "Mom had adopted her when her shitty abusive parents went to prison. She's kind, caring, softhearted..."
He snorted.
"A bit too soft-hearted. One time, she saw a dog get yelled at by its owner for almost walking into traffic. She kept balling her eyes out for a week at the thought that the dog could have gotten hit by a car."
His happy smile became diluted with sorrow.
"She never really got over her parents, she was skittish a lot of the time and jumped at every shadow. It got better with time but, I guess once a scaredy-cat, always a scaredy-cat."
Anon closed his book and stared emptily at the cover.
"At least, she left that place. I..." he choked up slightly. "I hope she found happiness, wherever she is now."
Weiss kept close to him, still keeping his hand on hers.
"I'm sure she's doing good."
He sniffled.
"I forsook my god. But even so, I hope to the Creator that she's doing well."
Weiss took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed the nascent tears from his eyes.
"Don't cry." Weiss comforted softly. "I understand you enough to know that you did your best for her."
Anon took the hand that wiped away his tears leaned into it. It was cool but... It felt nice and soft. Despite her cheeks burning, Weiss didn't protest.
"Thank you." he breathed.
Weiss smiled shyly.
"Y-You're welcome, Anon."
The day passed by, morning turned to noon and Hope was in his room staring at his scroll. He tapped on his scroll listlessly, talking with one of his online contacts.
Brazen_Bull_Samurai: 'You're telling me that in your community's game lore, a few of the races are basically just humans but with slight variations? Like... Elves are just humans, but immortal and with long ears? and Dwarves are just humans, but short and stout to a comical level?'
HeCalledHope: 'I mean, Faunuses are just humans with animal traits, so I'm kind of surprised this comes as a shock to you.'
Bull: 'Do you honestly believe what you say? Just curious.'
Hope: 'Like I once said to one of my friends: It doesn't matter what anyone says, A catgirl is still a girl. So who cares if she has cat ears?'
Bull didn't answer immediately like he usually did which piqued his curiosity.
Did I say something wrong?
Brazen_Bull_Samurai is typing.
...
Anon cocked an eyebrow.
Hope: 'Dude? You've been typing for like three minutes now.'
The typing message disappeared before reappearing a moment later, like if he had written a paragraph and chose to delete it.
Bull: 'Sorry, just... Old memories.'
It was easy for Hope to sympathize.
Hope: 'I feel ya, I've been thinking a lot too recently.'
Bull: 'I saw my ex, recently. And when I saw the word cat girl I was just hit in the face with the memory of our last interaction.'
Hope: 'What happened if you don't mind me asking?'
Bull: 'We broke up a few months ago.'
'Well, I got dumped more or less.'
'I've tried to win her back but... I don't think I can anymore.'
'I don't know.'
'Do you?'
Anon let out a long sigh.
Hope: 'More than I'd like to admit. Getting cheated on is basically my special skill.'
Bull: 'Shit, sorry.'
Hope: 'Don't be, I asked first.'
'But, yeah. I know what you mean.'
There was a small pause between the two.
Bull: 'Does it get better?'
Hope: 'Of course it does. Laws of probabilities means that you'll find the right person for you.'
'Just need to keep looking and even if you don't find the perfect one, a good one is good enough.'
Another small pause.
Bull: 'Thanks, Hope. I needed that.'
'It still hurts a lot but,'
'If things can get better then at least I have that to look forward to.'
'Even though I wish she'd give me another chance,'
Hope: 'Anytime, my friend.'
Anon heard a knock at his door.
"Door's unlocked," he shouted.
Hope: 'Got company, gotta go.'
Bull: 'Gotta go too, actually.'
'talk to you later.'
Anon closed his scroll and as he looked up from it, he was met with a pair of beautiful yellow eyes.
"Sup." he greeted casually.
"Afternoon." she greeted back. "You doing ok? You looked off yesterday."
"Yeah, it's just me being me. I guess."
"You mean frustratingly hard to fully pin down?"
Anon smirked.
"Not like that would be a problem for you."
Blake groaned quietly, her cheeks reddening.
"Oh! You know what?! You never said that you disliked it!" She blurted out.
"I distinctly remember that I was uncomfortable with doing that sort of thing with someone who didn't have all their head."
"That didn't stop you from doing Velvet! Why am I different?!"
"Because she had enough of her mind to properly give me consent. Big difference."
Blake grumbled to herself jealously. Anon smirked teasingly before dropping it and returning to his recent morose droll. Blake stopped whining and looked at him worriedly.
"Anon, you know you can talk to me, to us."
"I'm sensing a pattern here." Anon quipped sarcastically.
"We're partners-in-crime, Anon. We help each other. You can tell me what's wrong."
Anon sighed exasperatedly.
"Jesus fucking Christ, this is getting annoying," he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm just introspecting, Blake."
"I gathered as much." she crossed her arms.
"Then why does it feel like you guys are making a bigger deal out of it than it is?!"
"Because we care, you idiot!"
He groaned as held his face.
"I know! and I'm grateful for that, but don't you think that this is getting a little carried away?"
"Absolutely not! Your well-being is extremely important to me, to us!"
"Don't say that!" He shouted.
"Why not?!" She shouted back.
"BECAUSE THEN I'LL GET ATTACHED AND IT'LL BE JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FUCKING TIME!"
Blake blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Anon froze, realizing what he just said. Hope exhaled through his nose, avoiding eye contact.
"Never mind, It's-"
"You being you?"
He stayed quiet, sighing through his nose. The feeling of Blake's warm hand on his shoulder didn't surprise him, but it didn't help his nervousness. She sat down next to him.
"Anon. Talk to me." She begged. "What did you mean?"
Anon gave her a pained look.
"I've already told you. I just... I can't be... Loved." He explained with difficulty.
She blinked before giving him an incredulous sneer.
"Say what now?"
"During my life, I've had five girlfriends. One ended on good terms out of the five."
Blake cringed, remembering his past words.
"Yeah, I remember now. You said that three of them cheated on you, right?"
"Every time I've tried to love someone, it ended with lots of hurt feelings and betrayal. With one exception but honestly, it was more of a friends with benefits situation rather than an actual relationship."
"Even with the other girl that didn't cheat on you?"
Anon inhaled deeply.
"She wasn't... Who she said she was. Because she knew that if I did know, we would have stayed just friends."
Blake scooted closer, holding him in an attentive embrace.
"I don't want to fall in love again." He admitted. "I just... I don't want to relive the pain. I'm so, so tired of heartaches."
Bull, I'm sorry. I'm such a fucking hypocrite...
"Anon, I... I understand. I too..."
Anon shook his head.
"No, you were on the giving end and you dumped him. I got cheated on, thrice. I got lied to in the worst possible way and I was in, honestly, a one-sided relationship." He scathingly shut her down. "You don't know a damn thing about being betrayed in romance."
Blake's ears flopped behind her bow. He stared blankly at the tarnished gold ring on his finger.
"I thought that I could love one last time... We had met in college."
Hope began reminiscing, his eyes scanning every imperfection that have accumulated on the ring.
"I thought it wouldn't last the year... Then a year passed and she was still with me."
Spring turned to winter yet her smile was as dazzling as the day he asked her out. Her cute petite body, big beautiful eyes, and a loving smile full of gladness but most of all, her kind heart devoid of malice.
"I thought I had broken the curse." He bit his lip. "That I had, for once, found actual love..."
It was a cold autumn morning, the feeling of his burning lungs from running because he was late to their date. Although he had a good reason since he bought her her gift for the coming holidays. A beautiful golden ring with a flawless ruby.
"Then..."
There she stood, holding someone else so closely. Their mouths connected, only separating for her to giggle happily.
"She looked so happy... with him."
He remembered the look on his face as their lips parted and the cruel grin he shot him as he held his girlfriend. His grip had tightened until his knuckles turned white.
That FUCKING smile...
He could still feel the emptiness that flooded him. So sudden the rush that at the moment, he dropped the ring and the ruby cracked against the pavement. He stared at his hand, the ring looked as it did once upon a time, only for him to blink and for it to return to its present desecrated state. He felt Blake's embrace tighten.
"I'm done." he declared with finality. "I'm done being brought so high only to crash down so low."
"I'm sorry," Blake muttered. "I'm sorry I brought that memory back."
He turned and held her back, petting her ears as he held her head.
"I made peace with it, it just hurts still is all. You don't have to apologize."
His own grip tightened, burying his face in her luscious black hair.
"Can we..." his voice hitched. "Stay, like this. For a while?"
She snuggled into the crook of his neck.
"As long as you need." She breathed.
A burning breath escaped his lungs just as the sweat that pearled his face began to drip. With a final grunt of effort, Anon let go of the pulldown machine's bar. He breathed heavily, finally resting after hours of strength training. The band on his wrist sponged off the sweat of his brow during a quick wipe. At this hour, the campus gym was mostly deserted with only the staff and a few of the night-owl students being present.
He thought back to when he saw Blake off after they went to have dinner. Team RWBY kept him company like they usually do but it all felt... Different for the lack of a better term. Anon couldn't tell if they thought he was made of glass or if that's just how they showed that they were paying attention to his emotional needs.
Either way, they were pretty overbearing.
He always found it annoying but with time and what they've demonstrated, he's come to be thankful for their love and support. Although, it would be nice if they actually let him do stuff without a fuss. He can take care of himself!
He hefted himself off the machine and went to sit down to relax. Once seated, he closed his eyes and eased his breath. His mind once so clouded felt much clearer now.
Must be the girls...
He smiled to himself, a soft snort escaping his nose.
Goddamnit, and here I was trying not to get involved or attached. If this keeps up...
He felt something heavy and warm set itself on his lap. Judging by softness, he knew exactly who it was.
"Comfortable, Yang?"
He could practically hear her smile.
"Surprisingly, yeah, it is." She partially joked. "Wonder what clued you in... Perv."
"Not my fault your ass is unforgettable."
He opened his eyes as she rolled hers. Yang wore tight-fitting nylon shorts and tank top, the partially visible sports underwear also left little for the imagination. For some reason, it felt fitting.
"I'm starting to think I should get back at you, now that we're both here." She threatened lightheartedly.
He looked at the ceiling thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Sure, might as well get that out of the way."
Yang had to double-take.
"Wait, really?"
"You said that Xiao-Longs always keep their promises, right? Might as well let you prove your point."
Yang blinked before an aggressive and sinister grin spread across her face.
"Oh, you are so going to regret that."
He shrugged again.
"I know. But I'll endure." His eyes closed. "I always do."
Yang's smile disappeared, replaced by worry. And admiration.
"You've been through a lot."
He snorted.
"Gee, what clued you in?" He questioned ironically. "Was it the brooding? The endless bitching and moaning about my shitty past?"
"Kinda sorta all of the above." Yang played along.
Anon chuckled.
"Figures." He got off his seat and walked towards the sparring ring at the other side of the gym. "C'mon toots, You said you wanted to kick my ass right? Nows your chance."
She shook her head, glaring at him with a smile.
"I ain't no toots, big guy. By the end, I'll have you call me sir!"
Anon looked back with a teasing smirk.
"Good thing I have a jockstrap ready to go then." he taunted, grabbing his crotch.
"That's cheating!" Yang cried out.
"When my nuts are on the line, there is no such thing as cheating!"
...
It wasn't hard to imagine that Hope didn't stand a chance. Against Ruby or Jaune (I.E people who are helpless in hand-to-hand), maybe he could win, but it was a crapshoot even then. Comparing Ruby or Jaune to Yang was like comparing a toddler with Mohamad Ali or Mike Tyson. Barely two rounds in and Hope felt like he got rolled over by a bulldozer. He got a few good licks in, proof that his training was at the very least paying off, but it was practically impossible for him to actually squeeze in a victory.
And this was her going easy on him.
He panted heavily as he held up his fists to guard him. His guard was broken by her feinting a leg sweep before hitting him in his unguarded flank. He coughed from the hit but held strong despite the pain. He went low, almost crouching under her next jab and rose up with an uppercut. The hit connected and Yang backed away rapidly as she held her chin. A small amount of blood escaped her lips, cringing in discomfort and pain. Looks like she bit her tongue.
"I told you to wear a mouth guard, dumbass." Anon scolded through his own mouthguard.
"Shuth uh!" She demanded with her tongue hanging out, wounding up another blow.
He attempted to block but it was pointless as Yang feinted again, Ducking low uppercutting him through the space under his guard and into his stomach. He hit the floor like a bag of flour and groaned at the pain. He felt lucky she didn't get his upper chest, otherwise, he would probably be at the infirmary on life support. As he clutched his stomach, Yang did the responsible thing of checking if he was fine.
"Meh, you'll be fine." She shrugged.
She snorted at a thought before giving him a playful kick to the ass.
"There! Ass kicked as promised!" She quipped mirthfully.
Anon groaned.
"I hate you..."
"I love you," she replied jokingly.
He panted heavily, covering his eyes with his forearm. He let a soft chuckle escape his lips.
"I love you too, Yang."
She grinned ear to ear.
"Glad to see you're feelin' better, Nonon."
He snorted.
"That nickname's awful."
Yang joined him on the floor, laying opposite to him with her head next to his.
"Which is why I'll keep using it from this point on. Besides, it's kinda cute."
He joined in her smile.
"Are you trying to say something, Yang?" He snidely insinuated.
"What? You are, objectively, a cute guy." She snarked.
"Hey! Stop stealing my lines, you hack!"
"Then stop stealing mine first!"
"I'll grab your ass again!"
"I'll kick your ass again!"
The two friends began laughing to themselves. Anon felt a nice warmth in his chest, his thought becoming clearer as well. He hiccuped as he recovered from the laughing bout.
"Ohhh! Heheh." He breathed out. "Thank you. For everything."
She tilted her head so that hers touched his.
"Any time, Nonon."
Yang suddenly sat up.
"No offence but I'm not spent yet. Though I guess I could still use a spotter." She waved at him to follow. "C'mon."
He cocked a brow.
"What?" Yang asked, confused at his expression.
"You're not gonna question me about what was wrong?"
She shrugged.
"The others already did that, so I don't really see the point."
She held a hand out to help him up, one that he took gladly.
"I know I can get pretty worried when you do stupid shit-"
"You almost gave me whiplash from shaking me back at the bridge."
"You jumped off a building unto incoming traffic. You do not get to act like I was that unreasonable." She scolded. "Anyhow, I may go overboard, but I know you're strong."
She tapped him on the back.
"That big scar on your back more than proves it."
Anon took a moment to shake off his surprise at her words.
You really think that I'm that strong?
He smiled.
"Thank you."
She matched his smile.
"You're welcome."
...
By the time they were out of the showers, The gym had to close for the day. The two friends left utterly exhausted, with Anon being unable to feel anything.
"Remind me to get an appointment at a massage parlour next time I work out with you," Anon whined.
"Wimp." She retorted weakly yet playfully.
The two crashed on a bench on the way to the dorm, too exhausted to go all the way to the dorms in one go. Yang let out a content sigh.
"That was a good workout."
"Can't deny that we worked hard."
Yang could barely lift her hand to give him a playful jab on the shoulder. Even if she could have done it normally, Hope was so numb that he wouldn't have felt it either way. The sun began to fade from its golden rays and into its peaceful orange dim. Corvids hung about as they seem to do on a normal basis. Yang stared blankly at one of the birds, a raven if its tail feathers are anything to go by. Fittingly enough Hope recognized a certain especially intelligent corvid who was hyper focussed on the pair.
"Thinking about your mom?" Hope asked, glancing at the bird.
Her natural smile drooped.
"Not always but, Sometimes. I should go with Ruby next time she wants to visit her grave." She frowned sadly. "Maybe I could bring her some flowers too."
Anon inhaled sharply.
"Not who I meant..." He muttered loudly through his teeth.
Yang blinked before getting the hint.
"Oh, you meant Raven."
Yang shook her head, unintentionally looking at the intelligent corvid.
"That... Person, Is not my mom."
The raven hung its head, almost shamefully before hopping out of sight. Anon winced with a slow nod of his head.
"Right, a mother's not the same as a mom."
"One gives birth to you, the other takes care of you," Yang explained, leaning into her knees.
An uncharacteristically bitter look took over her beautiful face.
"But to answer your question... Yeah, I'm thinking about her. I always do when I look at the birds she's named after."
"Want to talk about it?" He offered.
She snorted.
"What?"
"Sorry, it's just... Weren't you supposed to be the one who needed to get things off his chest?"
"Yang, I already had three people to do that to." He gave a lidded stare.
"Oh. Right."
"Besides." He exhaled. "You guys aren't the only ones who want to help."
He gave her a kind smile.
"I'm here for you guys too."
Yang blinked, her cheeks heating.
"Ok, wow. That was really sweet of you out of nowhere." She looked away and scratched her cheek.
Anon let out a soft giggle.
"Anyhow, my door's open if you want to talk about this stuff."
Hope hefted himself off the bench. As Yang did the same, Anon gave her a playful pat on the ass. Yang yelped at the feeling of his warm hand on her butt.
"Why you!" She shook her fist at him as he walked away.
Anon turned his head, stunning her with another kind smile. He closed one of his eyes and pulled out his tongue cheekily. He shook his hip teasingly as he walked. Yang blinked before bursting out laughing.
"You dumbass..." Yang muttered to herself, looking at his back with a smile. "Hey, wait up!"
She began walking to catch up to him and once she did, she began trying to grab his butt. Hope, accustomed to Coco's usual behaviours, found Yang a lacking opponent in the art of ass-catching. He dodged and blocked her attempts with ease.
"Try harder~" he taunted.
"Just you wait!" she retorted happily. "Your ass'll be mine in no time!"
The two kept playing as they walked to the dorms. As of today, Anon's four to zero.
The day of the dance was closing in but the girls of Team RWBY had gone above and beyond to make sure that everything went smoothly. All that was left now was arranging the finishing touches. Ruby looked both bored and exhausted, having just finished dressing up the tables. Now Weiss was waving a pair of cloths in front of her.
"Which one do you think would be best?" Her pale partner asked.
The difference between the two tablecloths was negligible at best. Ruby glared at the cloths for any difference but came up with nothing.
"Aren't they both the same?" She asked in confusion.
Weiss hummed disapprovingly.
"Nevermind. Don't even know why I asked you."
Meanwhile, Yang was hauling some audio equipment just as her feline partner was hanging some banners onto the ceiling from a rickety ladder. Blake wasn't so much standing as she was balancing herself on it, which didn't seem to bother her in the least. If anything she looked like she was showing off.
"Someone's having fun," Yang commented.
"Maybe," Blake said as she rocked back and forth on the tip of her toe without breaking a sweat.
Yang snickered, glad to see that her partner was cheery for once. She dropped one of the speakers in place, which made the entire place rock from the sheer weight. Blake's ladder began to teeter dangerously, much to the cat's indifference. Yang clapped her hands together after pushing the speaker into place.
"Before I forget, Did you pick your dress out for the dance, Ruby?" Yang asked.
Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Yes, mom!" Ruby complained, having been asked the same question numerous times.
Yang smirked, knowing that she was getting on her little sister's nerves. Yang looked at Weiss and it was her cue to complain.
"Oh for god's sake! Weiss!" Yang whined.
"What?" Weiss questioned. "Also, what did you just say?"
"I said no doilies!"
"And I said no fog machine and you didn't listen!"
"The difference is mine is cool, yours is wack!"
"Since when do you use these words?" Weiss questioned again. "Last I checked, Anon's the only person to my knowledge that uses those expressions."
Blake stood on one foot as the ladder did the same. She raised one of her cat ears to attention.
"What do you mean?" the Belladonna queried as she finished hanging the welcoming banner.
"God? as in singular? What, you worship the Creator now?"
"Who?" Yang asked.
"Anon's god."
"No? The way he tells it, he's kind of a prick."
They heard a loud exclamation from the entrance. In came Hope.
"HA! I've met a lot of pricks in my life, but him? He's the whole damn cactus!" Anon told chipperly.
Ruby beamed.
"Hey Anon!" she waved. "You seem to be doing a lot better."
He smiled back.
"I have you guys to thank for that."
Ruby waved down dismissively, contrasting with her goofy happy smile.
"D'oh, you! It was no biggie!"
Weiss looked at Yang with annoyance as she took away some of the doilies.
"Why you annoying!" Weiss gnashed her teeth. "If you don't put them back up, I'm trashing the fog machine!"
"Wack I said! WACK!"
The doors revolved again and in came SSSN's macaque leader and his blue-haired partner. The pair strolled in with bags of food, seeing as it's well past noon.
"Wait, you guys have a fog machine?" Neptune wondered.
Weiss cleared her throat and tidied herself up.
"We were thinking about it." She said, devoid of her earlier aggravation.
"That's cool," Neptune added cooly.
Yang sniggered to herself as Blake joined the group.
"Suckup." She playfully elbowed Blake. "Am I right?"
Blake rolled her eyes but smiled.
"I can't say you're wrong per se."
Anon gave the boys fist bumps as they passed him and released them of the food.
"You ladies all excited for dress-up?" Sun swaggered in, stealing Weiss's thunder.
Ruby spluttered.
"Yeah, right!"
As you can tell, she was not too excited. Yang meanwhile looked overly confident as usual.
"Laugh all you want, I'll be turning heads tomorrow night!"
Anon rolled his eyes as he spread the offerings on the table.
"You're gonna wear a plain white sundress that the moment you get a little sweaty will get semi-transparent," Anon revealed. "You're basically cheating."
"Oh! Like you can do better!"
Anon blinked before smiling ominously. He turned to Sun and gave him a strange, evil look. Sun, for once, looked quite fearful.
"I'm honestly freaked out at what you have in mind."
"Remind me to call up Jaune and Ren, we have some last-minute work to do."
Neptune crooked an eyebrow but didn't look against it.
"I have a feeling that the dance will be hard to forget."
Anon chuckled darkly as he joined Ruby at her table and looked on as everyone joined in. As they dug into some greasy as shit food, Anon refrained from eating immediately, looking serene and at peace. Ruby's smile turned sweet.
"I really like it when you're like this," she commented thoughtlessly.
He snorted before grabbing one of her cheeks, his eyes still closed.
"Munyu!?"
"What did I tell you? You're too young to be saying these sorts of things to older men."
Ruby turned rosy.
"That's not what I meant!" she cried out. "Stop insinuating things!"
Yang joined her hands and brought them next to her face.
"Aww! Is my cute little sister flirting with her best friend?"
"N-no! I-I'm not!" Ruby flustered. "I'm totally not!"
Anon let go and let Yang take over the teasing, his smile never leaving. He opened his eyes, looking at his friends sweetly.
Even though I wish I could go back, I don't think I could stay. The obligations I shirked, my ungratefulness towards those that stuck with me... I wish I could take it all back... But now that I'm here? I guess I'll just have to live with it, from now on.
Sun and Yang were having some banter, Blake ate quietly while throwing annoyed glances at Neptune and Weiss, the pair in question were flirting. Ruby was sulking next to him from both his and Yang's teasing. Anon chuckled at her cute pout, gently ruffling her hair. She was annoyed but let him do as he pleased, even if it left her hair a mess. His smile grew again, his heart beating softly and gratefully.
"Good thing I have you guys..." he muttered.
V2E10: END!
NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V2E11 - PLAY?