Chapter fourteen: Ruby's risk and Jaune's torment

"My little baby."

I knew that voice. I knew it so well, why couldn't I remember who it came from? I tried to look around, look down, look anywhere. I couldn't see a thing, other than my own hands in front of my face. They weren't even my hands. They were hands like Weiss's, the hands of a baby. I could move them around, but only to a certain extent. I could feel a comforting presence against my side, the strange sense that someone was smiling down at me. I saw a pair of bright silver eyes swim into view, a smile appearing right beneath them. "Wake up little Ruby… wake up…"

…

"Wakie wakie snowball!"

I slowly opened my eyes, looking down to see that I was still in my dog form, laying on little Neo's chest. I looked up, seeing the girl that had given me my new name: May Zedong. She was smiling down at me, lightly rubbing behind my ear. I leaned up, pressing into her hand as I felt a smile spring to my face. She reached over, picking me up and setting me on her lap, running a hand down my back. "YIP! YIP!" "Shh! Be quiet snowball!" May said, leaning down, her eyes slightly panicked as she looked around. I got the message: I wasn't really supposed to be here. I heard the sounds of movement, a light groan coming from nearby as I saw Neo slowly sitting up, her hair sticking up every direction as she let out a quiet yawn, rubbing her eyes.

I heard the door opening as May set me beneath the bed, her eyes pleading with me not to move. I waited, watching as two, black boots walked across the floor, stopping when they were right next to the bed. "What are you two doing up?" I heard a deep, male voice ask. I felt myself start shaking slightly. Something about that voice… I didn't like it. Not one bit. I couldn't explain why but… something told me there was nothing good about this guy. "I had a nightmare… Neo's so brave I thought-" "Shh… quiet time." I heard the man say. I slowly padded back, looking out from behind one of the beds to reveal the man before me. He was tall, rather thin at that, and his eyes looked like a serpents. Thin and slippery, aiming down at May. He was too distracted to notice me. May's eyes widened as she looked up at him, "Wait… who are you mister?" "I'm a friend sweetie. Why don't you two come with me? I've got something you'll want to see." he said, smiling down at them. I felt my eyes widen as May nearly stood, Neo holding her back down to the bed.

I had to do something, I had to do something! I couldn't let him take them! I started padding back towards the entrance, racking my little brain for something I could do. I saw him lay his hand on Neo's shoulder, "Relax sweetheart, I'm a friend. Now come with me. You two have been adopted." he said, both of their eyes widening. They looked at one another, both shocked at the news. I could tell the man was lying, why couldn't I do anything about it!? I felt my eyes widening as Neo and May stood, him reaching out and taking both of their hands. "Oh god! WhatdoIdo?! WhatdoIdo?! WhatdoIdo?!" I thought, skittering around as I searched for something, anything to stop him. I looked down, my eyes widening as I saw just what I was looking for: A broom. "Uh, I'm too small to do anything!... unless…" I thought, biting my cheek as I thought of it. Was I really willing to risk my secret? The secrets of all faunus for the sake of these girls? "Where are you taking us?" "We're going home children, we'll have plenty of fun there."

Yes. Yes I was.

I felt the familiar stab of fear as I morphed into my human state, leaning back against the door as I grabbed the nearby broom. I reached back, my eyes widening as I turned, seeing something that might work a bit better than the flimsy wooden broom: A metal rod. Now, why there was a metal rod next to a supply closet, I had no clue, but I wasn't about to complain. I picked it up, gripping it tight in my hands as I stood low, rearing back the rod. "Are you adopting us mister?" "That I am child, you can call me 'daddy' from now on."

CRACK!

I swung, hard. I saw the man fall down, his head hitting against the floor with a loud thud as I tossed the rod away, frowning down at the children. "Are you two okay?" "I… you… who… huh?" May said, looking back and forth between me and the man. To her young mind it must've seemed odd to say the least, seeing a tall, naked woman with an iron rod come in and knock out the man taking you away. I leaned down, Neo's eyes widening as she pointed behind me. I looked back, watching my tail wagging back and forth. "Yeah… guess I have some explaining to do." I said, sheepishly rubbing behind my head as I turned back to the two girls. Both of them nodded, looking at me with a confused expression.

I stepped over the man, taking both of their hands and guiding them back over to Neo's bed. I sat down as the two of them stayed standing, still eye-level with me thanks to the height of the bed. "Who or… what are you miss?" "Well… I'm snowball. Well, not really, my name's actually Ruby but -nevermind! I'm a faunus." I said, feeling the familiar stabbing of pain at saying the word aloud. I'd kept it secret for almost fifteen years… it was so weird to talk about it so outright like this. The two looked at each other, both still with those confused little eyes. I sighed, "Being a faunus means I can see in the dark, I've got this thing," I moved over, holding my tail up slightly, " and I can turn into… well, let me show you." I said, moving around so I was crouched on the bed.

I shut my eyes, letting out a breath as I felt my body shifting back into my dog state, the girls eyes widening as they saw the tall, naked woman suddenly shift back into that tiny husky puppy they'd seen the night before. I padded over to Neo, "Yip! Yip!" "Oh my gosh… it really is Snowball!" May said, leaning down and petting me. I rubbed back into her hand, letting her pick me up and lay me back on the bed. I shut my eyes, morphing back into my human state again as I flung my head back, getting my hair out of my face as I gave them a sad smile. "You two have to be quiet about this okay? If anyone finds out I'm a faunus… well, they'll take me away." "We don't want that! We want you to stay!" May said, Neo nodding in agreement.

I was about to speak again when I heard the footsteps, my tail stiffening as I crouched down, "Shh! Someone's coming!" I said, shutting my eyes as I morphed back into snowball. May set me down as I skittered beneath the bed, her and Neo jumping into one. I looked out, seeing none other than the head mistress of the Orphanage herself enter the room, holding a metal baseball bat no less. She looked around for a moment, only for her eyes to widen when she saw the man on the ground. She cautiously padded over to him, tapping his head with her baseball bat. When he didn't move, she let out a sigh of relief, turning around and pulling out a scroll from her bright orange nightgown pocket, holding it up to her ear. "911 what's the emergency?" "A man broke into the orphanage, I found him unconscious just a few moments ago. I'm not sure how." I heard her speaking to the operator.

She got off the phone a moment later, sitting down on a nearby bed and pulling back the covers. I saw the familiar red hair of Octavia, her hands beneath her pillow as she slept. She pulled the blanket back over her, repeating the process over and over again, with every different bed. That is, until she got to May's bed. "May!? Oh no…" "Miss Peach?" I heard May ask. I moved beneath the bed next to her, looking up to see her leaning up, rubbing her eyes and giving a rather convincing fake yawn. Peach, apparently that was the woman's name, let out a sigh of relief, walking over to her. "Thank goodness they didn't… wait, why are you in Neo's bed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Now that the relief was gone, the questions started coming in. May looked at the ground, grabbing at her arm as her face turned red. She gulped, "I-I had a nightmare… Neo made me feel safe…" she said, no doubt referring to the fact Neo had (thinking on her feet) wrapped an arm around May's waist.

Peach smiled, "Glad to see she's made a friend… I was starting to worry about her. Being alone all the time isn't good for a growing girl like her." she said, frowning as she walked over, lightly running her hand over Neo's forehead. I frowned… she made a point. If what I saw the earlier (maybe yesterday?) was any indication, the other kids were either afraid of Neo, or didn't particularly like her. Peach stood, looking over at the man down the rows. "Did you… see anyone May? When you were walking to Neo?" "Yeah, I saw a tall shadow hit a short one with something shiny… wait, maybe that was part of my nightmare… I don't know Ms. Peach." she said, frowning up at Peach. She let out a small sigh, giving May a smile as she ran a hand through the girls pink hair. "It was May… all just a bad dream…"

"All just a bad dream…"

…

"Roger Dispatch, I'm on my way."

I let go of the button as I started my car, driving down the road. "A break-in at an orphanage? What could you possibly steal at an ORPHANAGE of all places?" I thought, swiping my green hair out of my face as I drove down the street, not bothering to turn on my siren. There was virtually no traffic, so it wasn't really all that necessary at the moment. That and it was, what? A two-minute drive? "I'll deal with this and get back to the search… who'd have thought that little puppy could give me this much trouble?" I thought as I parked next to the sidewalk in front of the orphanage. I stepped out of my car, straightening my hat before I walked in side, seeing a rather odd sight. That sight, of course, being Ms. Peach with a metal bat standing next to a man lying on the ground. I raised an eyebrow, "You take him down Bella?" "Don't call me that Reese… no, I didn't. I found him like this." she said, lightly tapping him with her foot.

I nodded, giving a smile to the woman as I crouched, patting the man down. I gritted my teeth when I found two very incriminating things. One of them was a bottle of chloroform next to a white rag in his pocket, while the other was a needle, filled with some unknown substance. "Sonuvabitch… lucky this guy didn't get one of them." I said, placing the evidence in a bag as I handcuffed the sick bastard. Peach's face went pale with fear when she saw them, then flushed with relief when I handcuffed him and stored them away in bags. "Any clue who knocked him out?" "No. One of the children said they saw a tall man knock him out with something shiny… my guess is it was a metal pipe of some kind." she said. I nodded, reaching back and pulling the man out of the plain view of the children. Best not scar them for life with the idea of what could've happened to them.

She smiled at me, "How're you Reese?" "Good… busy but, good. Had my hands wrapped up in a missing animal case recently." I said, walking over and sitting down on a nearby chair. Peach walked behind her desk, sitting in her all too familiar chair. She raised an eyebrow at me, "I didn't take you as the missing pet hunter type." "Well, it's kinda my fault she ran off. Little Husky Puppy named Ruby. I was chatting with the owner when she ran away so… yeah, trying to make up for it." I said, taking off my cap and running my hand back through my hair. I was already dealing with enough guilt for letting the little, innocent puppy run away on my account. Not to mention the image of Jaune's sobbing form, breaking down over her… it was almost too much weight to bear. Peach only smiled, "Well, I'm sure you'll find her soon enough. You tracked down who was stealing the cookies from us after all." "That was you Peach." I said, smirking slightly at her. No doubt she was referring to the infamous cookie caper she put me on back when me and my sister were in the orphanage.

She giggled, "Oh I know, but still. I guess you best be taking him to the station hmm?" "Yeah… see you later mom." I said, walking over and lightly pecking her cheek. This time there was no sarcasm in my voice, no mocking tone. This time, I meant it. She smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks as she watched me hoist the man over my shoulders in a fireman's carry. I walked out the door, giving her a brief smile before the door shut behind me, leaving me with the unconscious criminal. I opened the back door, laying him across in the cruiser before getting in the front, starting the drive back to the station. All the while, I kept my eyes peeled for the little husky puppy, watching for her little barking and jumping around people. "Don't worry, I'll find you girl."

"I just hope Jaune's doing okay."

…

"Thank you! Come again!"

I said, waving towards the older gentleman as he walked out the door, guiding his dog by her new collar. I sat back down, reaching over and opening Weiss's little cabinet. I saw she was, just as she should've been, fast asleep. I smiled down at her just as I felt a pressure on my shoulder. "I have to say, she looks really cute when she's sleeping." "Yeah… just wish I didn't have to hide her so much." I muttered, looking over to see Blake leaning on my shoulder, leaning in to get a closer look at Weiss snuggling with her bear in her little crib. She giggled, "Well, you haven't done all that much hiding her, now have you?" "Hehe… you know what I meant. I can't take her to the park, the zoo, I can't take her anywhere unless it's inside the store." I said, frowning down at Weiss. It was better than still being in that alley and -assumingly- wherever that one 'Adam' character would've taken her… but it was no way to grow up.

Blake leaned back, "Well, given the circumstances, I'd say you're a pretty good father." "Thanks Blake." I said, giving her a smile before I turned around, looking down to see Weiss's eyes slowly opening. She held out her hands towards me, letting out those little giggles again as I picked her up, cradling her in my arms. "Pretty clingy… hey, has she taken her first steps yet?" "No… then again, I do carry her a lot…" I muttered, frowning slightly at her. She met my frown with one of her own, as if she were trying to imitate me. I smiled, and she smiled back. I scowled, and she scowled back. Blake started laughing, "Monkey see monkey do I guess." she said, leaning back against the counter. I nodded a few times, laughing along with her as Weiss joined us. I leaned down, rubbing my forehead against Weiss's -just to see what she would do. I stayed close and, sure enough, she leaned up… a little too fast.

"OW! You little… hehe… well, guess she can't get them all." I said through Blake and Weiss's laughter. I reached over, looking at my scroll to find that it was around twelve, nearing time for Blake's shift to be over. "Looks like it's almost quitting time for you. I better call Winter, ask her if she's coming in." "Need me to hold Weiss?" she asked, holding out her arms. I nodded, flashing her a smile in thanks as I handed her Weiss. The second Blake took her, Weiss started reaching up, taking handfuls of her long hair and nibbling on them. Blake didn't seem to mind that much, just pulling them out of her little mouth by tickling her. Weiss seemed to like their game, as no matter how many times Blake stopped her, she kept putting her hair in her mouth. I -reluctantly- turned away from the adorable spectacle, dialing Winter's number in my scroll.

I held it up to my ear as I waited… and waited… and waited. I was about to hang up when she answered, "Jaune?" "Yeah, just calling to see if you were coming in." I said. I heard what sounded like -oddly enough- rope snapping, a yelp of pain accompanying it. I raised an eyebrow as Winter spoke. "I'm uh… a bit busy at the moment… sorry but, I don't think I can come IN!" she yelped at the last word, a high pitched squeal causing me to hold the scroll away from my ear. I simply said goodbye and hung up, trying to get the strange conversation out of my head. "She coming in?" "No… said she's busy with something else." I said, standing up and pressing on the small of my back, walking around and restocking as I normally did in the lulls between customers. Being one of the only pet shop owners in town had it's advantages… then again, people can only buy so many dog collars and toys. That and, not everyone was cut out to own a pet.

"With what? This is her job isn't it?" "I… honestly I don't want to find out. Either way, guess I'm working a solo shift again." I said, stocking back a few dog collars. Blake walked over, still carrying Weiss in her arms. Though, she was at least smart enough to stand behind the rack, so that she wouldn't be in plain view of the front door. "You need me to stay in?" "It's fine. I'm sure you've got other things to do. I handled solo shifts since I started the store, I can handle one more." I said, smiling at her. She looked like she was about to say something when I heard the familiar charm of the doorbell. Yang and Pyrrha immediately looked up from their dog bed before laying down again, as they often did when someone entered. I walked over, "Welcome to Beacon Pet Cen… ter…" I felt my face pale as I saw the woman walking in. The long brown hair, the designer clothes and fashion bag… but worst of all, that brown beret and sunglasses. Coco Adel had just walked into my store.

And Weiss was right out in the open.

"Blake! Hide Weiss! FAST!" I whispered, panic slipping into my voice as I stepped around, smiling at Coco. I looked over, seeing Blake stepping away, slowly moving back around the other side of the store as I kept Coco distracted. "Oh hey Coco! Sorry, just restocking the shelves. What brings you in today?" I asked, feeling my nerves spiking as my eyes kept trailing back to Blake, watching her stalk through the shelves, hiding at the slightest turn of Coco. I grabbed the nearby box, lifting it up as I walked behind the counter. "Not much Blondie, just looking for a dog collar. Got one that says 'Coco' on it?" she asked, pushing down her sunglasses. I raised an eyebrow… was she conceited (and or unoriginal) enough to name a dog after herself? Well… it was Coco… "That's an… odd request. I think I might have one." I said, walking back to the collars. I saw Blake crouching on the other side of the counter, as if ready to either sprint around or leap over at a moments notice. "The Adoption center!" I mouthed to her. She seemed to understand, slinking over there as I leaned down, finding the collars with names on them.

"Let's see, Cobie… Cocheta… Jezabel? What's that doing here?" I muttered, taking the collar off the rack. I shrugged, setting it down as I kept looking. I shifted through a few more until, finally, I found one that said 'Coco' on it. "How big of a dog?" "What's the biggest size you have?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow at her gaze, the small smirk aimed down at me she almost always seemed to have. Something was going on her… I just couldn't figure out what. I grabbed out the four different collars that said Coco on it, ranging from 'Chihuahua' to 'Great Dane', with 'Cocker Spaniel' and 'Jack Russell Mini' sizes in between. I handed the chihuahua sized one first as she -to my surprise- clipped it on her wrist for a second like a bracelet. Then she gave it back. "Not a chance that's big enough." "Okay… how big is your dog?" I asked, trying to narrow down the search.

She shook her head, "This one." she said. I raised an eyebrow, about to hand it to her when she shook her head again. I was confused… then I saw her flip her hair up, pointing to the back of her neck. "Mind collaring me Jaune~" she asked, smirking as she saw my face tinge pink. With shaky hands I did as she asked, holding the collar in front of her before tightening it. She smiled, reaching back and pulling it far tighter than I dared. She reached over, clipping a leash onto the back of her neck, placing it in my palm. "Walk me." "What!?" I asked, feeling my face burning red as the girls suggestion. She was asking me to walk her like I'd walk a dog? I hadn't even had to walk a dog (other than Ruby) in months! They new to stay close to me anyway! I gulped, nodding as I gently pulled back on the leash, only for her not to budge. I raised an eyebrow, pulling a bit harder.

Coco sighed, "You stink at this. I meant jerk me around! Pull me by the collar! I'm a naughty girl! You have to show some force to get me to budge~" she said, somehow putting a sexual tinge onto her words despite the frustrated tone. I gulped, nodding as I jerked on the leash, like I would with a disobedient dog. She smiled at me, "Now you're getting it, just take me around the store before I buy this thing." "You could've TOLD me this way for you!" I said, jerking on her neck as I did so. She was starting to walk normally now at least, to the point I didn't have to jerk and pull to get her to move. We did about half a lap before she stopped, looking at a large harness. The thing was made for Dalmatians, but Coco didn't seem to care as she took it off the rack. "Hmm… Jaune? When's rush hour for you?" "Uhh… three o'clock?" I said, raising an eyebrow. I had a bad feeling about where this was going. She only smiled, setting her beret and sunglasses on the shelf.

She looked back at me, "I'll give you a 20 lien tip if you let me strip down and try this on." "WHAT!?" I couldn't help but scream. I mean, this equipment was made for dogs! The fact that she's walking around, trying them on like it was normal was odd enough! Let alone asking to strip to try them on. She pouted, "Come on, please? You have my word I'll buy it afterwards." "That's not the issue!" I nearly shouted, looking away from her as she leaned down towards me. She sighed, picking up her sunglasses and pulling them back on. She walked over, placing a hand on my shoulder as she aimed down her sunglasses. "Let's make a deal Jaune. Come on, at least be a businessman about this." "I… you… fine. We'll negotiate." I said, stepping back as I tried not to think about what we were negotiating over.

"I'll pay you double what you have marked on the harness if you let me strip down, try it on, and walk me around the store with it." "No. What if someone sees you? That would ruin my store if my customers thought this is what I use the gear for!" I said, gesturing to her neck. She sighed, reaching up and lightly fingering her collar. She looked up in thought, tapping on the side of her glasses for a moment before she walked over, leaning closer to me. "Okay, double price, I strip down to my underwear, and you walk me around in that back room over there." she said, pointing to my bedroom. I still shook my head, trying to get the idea of Coco in her underwear, a harness, and a dog collar walking around my bedroom. Coco sighed, stepping back away. "Dammit Jaune! What'll it get for me to walk around in that harness!?" "Your clothes, on you, Coco." I said, giving her as much of a glare as I dared.

She sighed… but then she smiled, "Then how about this? I strip to nothing, put that on, put my clothes on over it, and you walk me around. Then I buy it for double price. Sound good?" "Well… okay. I guess that could work. If I hear anyone open the door though, I drop the leash and we both pretend not to know anything about it." I said. Coco nodded, smirking as she reached up, starting to unbutton her blouse as I looked away. I couldn't believe I let her talk me into this… but then again, Coco was a good customer, and she had a lot of sway with people. If she started rumors about my shop, they'd believe her. Frankly, I could deal without the bad business. "I've got one little condition Jaune. Turn around." I complied, blushing bright red as I saw her holding the harness, her only clothing her glasses, her bare rear exposed to me. She smirked, pushing up her glasses. "You have to get the harness on me." "I… you… okay." I said meekly.

I reached over, cautiously leaning down, trying to ignore her bare rear right above my head. She was so close I didn't doubt my hair was tickling her. I held the harness beneath her legs, watching her step into the holes as I slowly moved up, stopping when I felt the slightest resistance. She smirked, "Now the front Jaune." she said, keeping that same smirk on her face as I moved my hands in front of her, pulling the harness over her breasts, latching it into place behind her. She stepped closer, my eyes widening as I felt her rear against my groin. She smirked, "Like this feeling Jaune… who am I kidding? That feeling on my butt let's me know you do~" "Why do you torment me?" I muttered, looking away from her. She giggled, walking forward and -just as she promised- pulling on her underwear and clothes, cracking her neck as she slipped on her beret. Then she turned and, other than maybe the slight impressions, it was mostly impossible to tell she was wearing the harness.

"Simple really: It's fun. A little poke from a stick and you're claws and venom for almost an hour. A little peck on the cheek and you're a tomato for a week. Best part is, you're too honest with yourself to stop me. You'd never pull off being boring, it's not you. So, you can either accept that I'm going to tease you and go along with it, " she leaned further back into me, taking my hands in hers. "Or, you can fight it, and make it much worse." she said, forcing my hands up to where they were right over her breasts. I felt my face burning as she smirked back at me, hooking her leg against mine. She spun around, knocking both of us to the ground as I looked up, seeing her sitting on my chest, her hands next to my head. "Next time I come in, I'm wearing the harness and the collar. You can let me walk the right way in that little adoption center of yours, or… well, your business is gonna hit a real dry patch." she said, smirking as she leaned down, pecking my cheek.

She stood, pulling me to my feet before she unclipped the leash from her collar, clipping it beneath her shirt to the harness. "Now come on, I'd like to get a better feel for this thing. Don't agree I'll strip naked right now." "Okay okay! Come on!" I said, tugging on the leash as Coco bit her lip, following me around to the front. She stopped by it, her face tinged pink as she grabbed her purse, pulling out exactly what she owed. "Not taking them off?" "I've got to break them in, Fox prefers the feeling of used leather. So, that's what I'm doing." she said, turning around and walking out. She unclipped the leash, laying it in her purse as she started walking, turning around. She stopped at the door, fiddling with her front as I saw her pants fall down, exposing her underwear and part of the harness. She lightly pat her rear, "Don't forget. Dry patch." she said, pulling her pants back on before walking out of the store. Even after she left I stayed looking in the same direction, letting my blush die down. I heard the door to the adoption center open. "Is she gone yet? It's been twenty minutes!... Jaune? Jaaaune? Jaune!" Blake tried shouting, but I wouldn't respond to that, still looking out the door. Wondering. Thinking.

"Why, oh WHY do I keep letting her in?"