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I am making no money from this.

Chapter 12: Gifts

Sunlight peeked through the curtains of Team FADE's dormitory, curtains that remained closed despite the fact it was late morning, already nearing midday. The only sign of life was Felix fidgeting in his sleep, his subconscious trying to bring him closer to the source of the heat. It was a Saturday morning, three relatively uneventful weeks having passed since their trip into the Old Vale exclusion zone. The reason for the teams' apparent exhaustion was due in part to their classmates Team AQUA whom had discovered through trial and error that one of the myriad settings that the outdoor training area and it's hard-light, nanobot construct generators boasted was simply dubbed 'Paintball mode' and challenged them after lessons the night before to a friendly competition. The peaceful silence, disturbed only by the sound of soft breathing was shattered by the sound of a Scroll blaring out an obnoxiously jarring ringtone

"If someone doesn't answer that I swear I will throw it out the window" Diamond groaned, her voice croaky

"It's Felix's" Eagle mumbled, pulling the quilt over her head

"I left it charging overnight, can't reach" Felix dangled an arm over the side of his bunk, flailing it feebly to demonstrate his point "Answer it for me Eagle, it's probably Corey" the taller blonde groaned wordlessly before emerging from her cocoon of bedsheets and grabbing her partners' Scroll to find that it was indeed Corvid calling

"Hey"

"Hey Eagle" Corvid's voice greeted her, seemingly suppressing a fit of laughter for reasons that Eagle's sleep addled brain couldn't fathom "Do me a favour and put me on loudspeaker"

"Okay" as soon as she did so the dormitory was assaulted by the sound of the other three members of Team CLIR singing

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Xiao Long kids! Happy birthday to you"

"Okay, now you can pass Fluffy the scroll" Corvid managed to gasp out, having finally succumbed to laughter. Eagle, smiling brightly herself passed the device up mouthing 'Happy birthday' as she did so.

"Sis, I love you but you're an ass-hole" the Lion Faunus grumbled "How's the mission?"

"Don't be a downer, it's our birthday. Yeah the mission is going well, just covering a maintenance crew working on the train line between New Vale and Vaccuo. We ran into a big nest of Disembowellers yesterday, the Hunter we're with; Scarlet David-Vasilias is a total bad-ass….Seriously I don't think I've ever seen anyone use swords like that besides Aunt Penny" Felix gave a low whistle, Corvid was and always had been one of the greatest fans Penny Rose had, being said to be of a comparable skill to the android was probably one of the highest compliments Corvid Xiao Long could pay.

"Stay safe Corey….and happy birthday" Felix added as he gradually gained more of his faculties

"Ah, I wish I could be there for my baby brothers' eighteenth birthday….mainly 'cos I know what some of your presents are, by the way Arctus has mine" Felix could vividly imagine his sister sticking her tongue out at her Scroll despite the fact it wasn't a video call "Anyway I've gotta go, you don't get weekends off on missions"

"See ya soon sis" with that the call ended leaving Fox to scramble down from the top bunk and work out a crick in his neck, eventually becoming aware of Diamond and Eagle staring at him wearing expressions of confusion and slight hurt respectively

"It's your birthday and you didn't tell us?" Eagle demanded

"What are the odds of you and Corvid sharing a birthday?" Diamond added, Felix grinned and explained

"I don't actually know when my birthday is, neither does Corey. We both just celebrate it on the day we were adopted….it's kinda why I didn't tell anyone, it's weird without Corey here"

"Aww that's actually sweet" Eagle admitted, her previous feelings pushed aside. Felix made his way across the room to the other set of bunk beds and shook Arctus who had somehow managed to remain asleep

"Wake up"

"Fuck off chopper face" the slurred growl drew an amused snort from Diamond who swung herself down from her own bed above him and ruffled the still half asleep Bear Faunus's hair

"Come on big guy, it's almost noon" she pushed her silvery hair which had fallen in front of her eyes away and rolled her shoulders back, silently thankful that her Aura had healed the bruise between her shoulder blades she acquired during the previous nights' paintballing when one of Team AQUA decide to 'snipe the sniper'

"Fine" Arctus sighed, slowly dragging himself into a sitting position. Felix, using the rare opportunity to appear taller than his cousin loomed over him

"Presents, give them" he was treated to a pair of icy blue eyes being rolled in his general direction before the larger teen reached under the bed and fished out a plastic bag containing several gift wrapped packages which Felix gratefully accepted. As he did so Arctus turned to Diamond, a notion striking him

"Hey when is your birthday? I can't believe I've never asked, we'll have to do something….you're the only one who doesn't have any family nearby" Diamond flashed him a bright smile, touched by the consideration

"It's actually towards the end of the summer, so unless you wanna fly out to Mistral…." she trailed off

"Mine is actually at the start of summer vacation. Felix flew out to Atlas for a few days this year, we can always try and organise something….Eagle what about you?" the idea gained traction in Arctus's mind, he would admit that he had initially thought of it as a way to do something nice for the partner he still couldn't tear his eyes away from half of the time; but he didn't want someone he was coming to consider one of his best friends to feel left out

"In a few months, we'll still be here" Eagle answered

"We're definitely throwing you a party" Diamond grinned before turning to Felix "Get anything nice?" The Lion Faunus held up a large bottle of brandy of one of the more expensive variety

"That has to be from my Dad" Arctus noted recognising his fathers' preferred brand

"Yeah, I'll have to message him and say thanks. Oh and thanks for the Dust shells"

"No problem, saw you were running low. May as well put my family discount to good use" Arctus shrugged. Before Felix could turn his attention to Corvid's gift his Scroll rang once again, the Lion Faunus saw one of his mothers' caller ID and answered immediately

"Hey Mum"

"Happy birthday Fluffy….My baby boy is eighteen, where did the time go" Yang's voice gushed

"I am so glad this isn't on loudspeaker" Felix took the opportunity to give Arctus the finger, the only other Faunus in the room having heard what was said and was currently making no effort to hide his silent laughter

"I only get to do this once, let me have this" Yang faux-pouted "I hope you haven't got too much planned for today, me and Blake wanted to give you your present in person and we still haven't met your team yet" Felix turned to his team-mates

"Everyone up for a trip to Patch?" receiving affirmative answers from all three of them he returned his attention to the call "We overslept, we'll probably be a few hours at least"

"Can't you Mufasa than that?" Felix groaned at his mothers' pun

"See you soon Fluffy, if you see Ren or Nora around tell 'em I said hi"

"Will do" as the call ended he let out a small sigh as a broad smile formed across his face, highlighting his prominent canines even further than usual before picking up where he'd left off and unwrapping the gift from his sister, unfolding what appeared to be a T-shirt and leaving baffling his friends with his exclamation

"Oum damn it Corey" turning the offending garment around and holding it up to be seen. It was white with the word 'Pride' written across it in the colours of the rainbow flag

"It's a Gay Pride shirt?" Eagle was nonplussed. Felix grimaced and explained

"Pride….'cos I'm a Lion Faunus, she managed to work a pun into it"

It was mid-afternoon when Team FADE disembarked from the ferry and left the docks on the island of Patch

"How the hell do you get used to that smell?" Diamond demanded

"What smell?" Felix was genuinely confused for a moment before realisation hit him "Oh the fish, that's just how I know I'm home. Come on it's this way" with that he set off towards his house, his team close behind him. They made it through several streets before there was any sort of incident

"Um, Diamond….you're from a big city right? Just gonna put it out that there's a gang of teenagers in hoodies following us, that's not a good sign is it?" Eagle asked, speaking in her usual rapid fire way

"I mean it's broad daylight so they'd have to be pretty brave" Diamond shrugged before gesturing towards Felix "These Patch kids are a bit crazy though" the Lion Faunus merely shook his head disdainfully before turning around to confront the supposed gang, doing so he saw a group of less than a dozen teens whose age he was unable to discern beneath their hoods; though a simian tail covered in black fur belonged to a feminine form helped him easily identify one of the teens

"Hey Ammi"

"Hey Felix, thought it was you….nobody else is as tall as Arctus" Amethyst Wukong greeted him as she lowered her hood, revealing a small scar above her eyebrow

"Is that from what happened at the bar?" Amethyst nodded in response

"Yeah, Dad thinks the whole bar fight was a distraction for those guys breaking into Signal and that warehouse….still hasn't managed to find any leads besides a really beaten up boat boat that was registered to someone in Atlas"

"Damn….tell him to let me know if he hears anything, I still want a rematch with that little freak-show from before" in truth Felix had almost forgotten Raffia Dirge the Axolotl Faunus in the months he'd been attending Halo Academy. A slapping sound behind him alerted him to Arctus bringing his palm to his face in an over dramatic display

"Oh right, you're a big bad Hunter now" one of the other teens behind Amethyst noted "Come on they let Nyanza in, they must be desperate for warm bodies" Felix didn't bother disputing that, before unlocking his Semblance Nyanza's abilities had been laughable

"Well he does have a hot body" Amethyst's hands shot to her mouth as she realised that she'd said those words allowed before quickly trying to recover "Anyway, I'm assuming these are the rest of your team?"

"Yeah, Eagle's my partner and Diamond is Arctus's" the monkey Faunus's eyes narrowed at the sight of the taller blonde

"Cool" she drawled out icily. At which point Diamond burst out laughing, drawing the attention of everyone present

"Okay dude I'm sorry but I can't deal with this high-school drama any more" Amethyst looked thoroughly ruffled by the silver haired snipers' attitude

"What-" Diamond waved him off

"Look, you like Felix. Fair enough but he introduces a girl as his partner while he's wearing a pride shirt and you get defensive….they could not be less attracted to each other if they tried" Amethyst blushed and sputtered for a moment

"I….well, I" she then seemed to see the word emblazoned on Felix's T-shirt for the first time and make the connection "Oh….okay, yeah. Okay fine. Come on guys" with that she pulled her hood over her face once more and left, tail flexing and uncurling behind her. Her group of friends and cohorts following her, several of them turning and giving Team FADE withering glares as they left

"Diamond" Arctus murmured "You're honestly my best friend….You have no concept of letting people down gently do you?"

"Think I overdid it?" she winced, her cherry red eyes concerned "I didn't mean to upset the kid but Felix clearly wasn't enjoying the attention"

"Thanks" the Faunus in question sighed "Honestly that went about as well as it was ever gonna go. Still it gets the only thing about being home I wasn't looking forward to out of the way"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Eagle asked, she'd never had enough close friends at home for her coming out to ruin friendships

"Yeah it's fine" he forced his smile back into place "Come on, let's go. You guys haven't lived until you've tried my Mum's cooking"

It took them a while to reach the Xiao Long household, Diamond's good natured griping about how far everything was out in the sticks amusing her team-mates to no end. Eventually, however the fence around Felix's childhood home became visible

"Nice bikes" Diamond noted as they reached the path towards the front door

"Yeah, weird that Blake's is out here though. Usually she keeps it in the garage" the Bumblebee was parked in its' customary place near the gate, from where Yang could hop on it at a moments' notice if called upon in her capacity as a Huntress. The vehicle currently beside it was 'Fairy Blue' a wedding present from Yang to Blake, a superbike whose custom glossy black paint had swirling undertones of various shades of indigo and deep midnight blue; contrasted by highly chromed wheels and exhausts. Making his way passed them Felix led his team-mates to the door and knocked before entering

"Mum I'm home"

"SURPRISE!" Several voices shouted in response as party poppers were ejected of their contents in Team FADE's general direction. Before Felix could react he was buffeted by a pair of small bodies latching onto his legs

"Happy birthday Felix" two childish voices spoke in unison and the Lion Faunus gave a theatrical gasp as he crouched down to Summer-Pyrrha and Tai-Jaune's eye level

"You're even bigger than last time! Are you still eating other kids?"

"School won't let us" Summer informed him with an exaggerated pout

"My teachers are cooler than yours, they bring grenade launchers to class" Felix chuckled as he ruffled the twins hair and took in their wide-eyed stares of disbelief before seeing that his mothers were in the room alongside his Grandfather, Aunt Penny and Great Uncle Qrow. Felix pulled both of his mothers into a crushing hug

"Happy birthday Felix" Yang murmured "And nice shirt, I'm proud of you….it's a shame to see someone hiding part of themselves"

"Anyway" Blake gave Yang a look that Felix didn't know what to make of before continuing "Gonna introduce us to your friends?"

"Well this guy we won, he was a consolation on quiz night" Felix indicated to Arctus who merely rolled his eyes. Blake nudged her son, conveying the message to stop tormenting his cousin

"These are Diamond Sustrai-Black and Eagle Arc" Felix turned to Summer-Pyrrha and Tai-Jaune "Even Corvid thinks Eagle's weapon is cool" matching pairs of silver eyes widened, Felix indicated to his family for Diamond and Eagle's benefit "My Mums, Blake and Yang. This is my Granddad-"

"Call me Tai"

"Uncle Qrow, Aunt Penny-"

"Sensational to meet you"

"And my cousins, Summer and TJ" Tai-Jaune looked at at Eagle suspiciously

"Do you really have a cool weapon like Corvid?" Eagle merely smiled and withdrew her shield before crouching and deploying Sentinel

"Doot doot da doot!" the automaton was almost the same size as the six year old children and they sized each other up for a few moments before Tai-Jaune turned to Yang and Blake

"Can she just be part of the family please? she's blonde like Aunt Yang and Felix-"

"I don't think Antonia Arc would like it if we just adopted Eagle" Penny explained to her son amidst laughter from everyone else present, with the exception of Qrow

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind too much" Eagle laughed, albeit with a slight bitter edge "I don't see much of her anyway. She still lives in Atlas running Poly-Tech" Penny hearing this made a mental note to speak to the woman she considered her older sister at the first available opportunity. Felix caught sight of Summer making her way over to where Arctus and Diamond were stood, wearing a questioning expression

"Are you Arctus's girlfriend?"

"No, no she's my partner at Halo Academy" Arctus answered hastily as a blush crept across his face

"But she's pretty" Diamond looked utterly helpless until Yang took pity and made her way over

"So how's Merc? Haven't seen him in….Oum It's been twenty years since the war"

"You knew my parents?" Yang nodded, choosing her next words carefully as she was unsure of exactly which parts of Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai's past their daughter knew

"Met 'em at Beacon, faced off against Merc in the Vytal tournament. Was on a couple of missions with 'em during the war. Tell him 'Knuckles' says not to be a stranger"

"Will do Miss Xiao Long"

"None of that" Yang shook her head "My students call me that. It makes me feel old, call me Yang" Arctus made his way over to where Blake, Felix and Taiyang were speaking; Penny being engrossed in conversation with Eagle while Tai-Jaune attempted to ride Sentinel

"That's going to be a regular thing isn't it?" he motioned over his shoulder to Diamond

"It is if you can't stop your face from going red at the thought of it kid" Taiyang snorted

"Leave him be Tai, it's adorable" Blake grinned

"Does it remind you of Ninjas of Love?" Felix asked with a cocky smirk and a raised eyebrow. Arctus jokingly nudged him "By the way, where's Aunt Ruby?"

"Penny said she had a mission, she should only be gone a few days. Still, without her and Corey it seems a little empty"

"Yeah it does" Felix nodded "I spoke to her earlier though, sounds like she's enjoying her mission" Blake smiled

"She called us first thing this morning, sounds like Scar's glad to be away from New Vale itself for a while; Sun mentioned that there's been no leads on all those attacks on trucks on the mainland" Felix made to comment on the fact he'd been largely unaware of the attacks, however before he spoke he noticed Qrow watching Eagle with what could only be described as longing written across his face

"Uncle Qrow, I know what you're thinking and come on man! I know you have the whole 'Silver Fox' thing going on but have some respect" his Great Uncle had always been one of the people he could be as brutal and sarcastic with his put downs as possible, the old man had more than enough wits to match the Lion Faunus; something seemed vastly different this time however as Qrow turned to him and gave him a murderous glare until he and Taiyang shared a series of looks that Felix couldn't fathom the meanings behind. Sensing the tension in the room Blake placed a hand on Felix's shoulder, Yang made her way back over to them and whispered conspiratorially in her son's ear

"Come outside, you still haven't had your birthday present from us yet" Felix allowed himself to be led through the house and out of the back door, towards the garage in the corner of the back yard where Blake's bike was usually stored; thoughts of what could be inside said garage running through his mind and causing him to dare to hope.

"Happy birthday Fluffy" Yang beamed as she opened the garage door and Blake pressed something into his palm, he looked down and his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets at the sight of the car key in his hand. In front of him a tarpaulin sheet covered something that was clearly a vehicle of some kind

"I'm not much of a car person but I hope you like it. Yang did most of the restoration work" Blake murmured as the Lion Faunus pulled the sheet away revealing his new car; a vintage Carmine. The car was pure Vaccuan muscle and had clearly been modified, a supercharger protruded from the hood, the chassis boxy and angular chassis sat slightly with a front bumper that could almost double as a shovel, the wheels were larger and sported thicker tires accommodated by enlarged wheel arches, the windows were heavily tinted and a spoiler adorned the rear of the car. The paint was a shade of black so glossy that the Lion Faunus could see his reflection in its' surface with the exception of the twin yellow stripes running along the length of the vehicle

"It's perfect" he managed to breathe out before turning and pulling both Yang and Blake into another crushing embrace "Thank you"

"Just be careful" Blake sighed "I still haven't forgotten you taking one of Whitley Schnee's cars for a ride" Felix couldn't even manage to look ashamed at that point, he was too busy smiling from ear to ear and struggling to take in the fact that he had a car now, a very cool car

"Please do be careful with it….it's on my insurance policy" Yang added ruffling his curly locks "Halo Academy has on site parking, it's in the….well underground isn't the right word. The basement levels, I've already got it sorted with Nora. Keeping it fuelled up and maintained is your responsibility though" this only served to add pride to the mix of emotions Felix was feeling. His Mothers trusted him, which considering the amount of times he felt he'd let them down over the years, meant a lot

"So" Yang nodded to car "It's your baby, you've gotta give it a name" Felix paused and considered a moment before his dark blue eyes met Yang's amethyst ones as he gave his answer

"The Killer Bee"

Qrow downed the glass of water in his trembling hands in a single gulp before running his hands through his grey hair. He hadn't been able to stay at the small gathering at his nieces' home long, seeing Eagle Arc in person for the first time had unleashed a maelstrom of emotions, each of them vying for dominance. He never wanted or expected to be a father and would freely admit it he was woefully unprepared for it, there was also the seventeen years of absence which, if the poorly hidden resentment towards her mother was any indication, she would not be quick to forgive. All of those doubts were simply swept aside when he thought about her face, she had his eyes. Qrow had returned to his home on the edge of New Vale, specifically his basement, the rest of the house felt less like a home and more like a facade except for the times his nieces and their children were present. A report from Ruby detailing her progress on searching for the latest incarnation of the Wizard remained unopened while Qrow first drank, then struggled to sober himself up as he made a call he was unsure if he wanted answered

"Good evening Qrow, it's been a while"

"About eighteen years" Qrow growled, forcing his temper under control as he took in the woman who answered the video call. Antonia Arc, eldest of her eight siblings, successor to Geppetto Polendina, head of Poly-Tech, undisputed genius and still as beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair was cut short, practical and easy to keep out of the way; she wore a lab coat over a clearly expensive suit and her blue eyes were currently framed by a pair of safety goggles. Some things never changed it seemed, she looked much like she had when Qrow had provided cover to her and her assistants as they rebuilt parts of Lower Atlas's infrastructure and later when she'd built the room Qrow now sat in at Winter Schnee's behest and had decided to stay the night, several nights.

"So is this about tech support? Because it's been a long day….Or is this you calling all of your previous partners with bad news?" under normal circumstances Qrow would have cracked a smile and returned with some teasing of his own. As it was his eyes narrowed

"You never told me"

"Never told me what?" Qrow had to admit he was impressed at the sheer gall of the woman, but he caught the momentary faltering of her expression

"We have a daughter" he paused for a moment to see if Antonia would deny it, when she remained silent he continued "Yang, my Niece; her son is Eagle's Team Leader at Halo Academy"

"I've seen pictures, my parents sent me them" Antonia admitted

"Why?" Qrow demanded in a tone that could only be described as agonised "You never told me that you were pregnant or-"

"Qrow, this is going to be hard for you to hear" Antonia took a deep breath to steady herself "What happened between us….I was reeling after the war. My brother was dead, Victoria was never the same after Menagerie. I was throwing myself into anything that could serve as a distraction. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if I was going to keep the baby and….and I thought you'd be a terrible father" Qrow's mouth opened and closed several times, words utterly failing him leaving silence to reign for several tense moments before Antonia decided to justify the accusation

"You're a great huntsman Qrow, one of the best. But you never really retired, even if that's what you told Yang, while at the same time sending Ruby and Penny on missions all over Remnant. You can't be a father when you're watching over the whole world from the shadows, lying to your family about it and routinely trying to drink yourself to death"

"I don't-"

"You're drunk now Qrow!"

"AT LEAST I WOULD HAVE TRIED!" Qrow roared, flying from his seat "At least I would have tried and not just sent her to live with Ivory and Craven when it became inconvenient to have a child!"

"I sent her there because I didn't want to leave her in the hands of a stranger while I worked! I'm trying to make a better world for my daughter!"

"SHE'D PREFER ONE WITH HER MOTHER IN IT, SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM AND SHE RESENTS YOU TONI!" Qrow halted at that, stunned by the venom in his own voice "Toni I-"

"I deserved that" Antonia admitted, eyes scrunching shut as she blinked tears away

"So what happens now?" Qrow croaked out

"Please don't tell her" Antonia pleaded in a terrified whisper

"She deserves to know-"

"She does" Antonia agreed "But please let me be the one to explain, over the summer I'll have her come to Atlas-"

"You're giving yourself almost a year to find a way to spin this"

"I'm trying to find a way to still have a relationship with my daughter after this….I see pictures of her and I don't know her" Qrow's fists clenched as he exhaled through his nose. He would probably never be able to stand in the same room as Antonia Arc without losing his temper after this but he forced himself to nod

"Fine, I'll let her hear it from you. Understand that if you don't tell her then I will….And she definitely has something of you in her, that weapon of hers is the exact kind of genius that got you where you are"

"Goodbye Qrow" the screen faded to black and Qrow sunk back into his seat, eyes honing in on the remainder of the bottle of whiskey he'd been drinking. He pushed it aside and pulled a photograph from his desk close to him, staring at the picture of Team STRQ when they were all his daughters' age he murmured to himself

"Well Raven, you always said my lifestyle would catch up with me one day….If you were here I'm sure you'd have something to say about us being alike" his crimson eyes closed, he'd keep his word to Antonia and he wouldn't interfere directly unless it was strictly needed but what his one time lover had said about him rang true, Qrow Branwen knew how to watch over people and protect them from the shadows.

The car, newly dubbed 'The Killer Bee' came screeching to a halt, smoke billowing from its' tires as Felix brought it skidding sideways at an obscene speed into a vacant space in Halo Academy's car park which was sandwiched between what could be called the ground level, despite the fact it was situated on an enormous anti-gravity platform, which housed the academy itself, the grounds and the docking bays and the gargantuan generators which kept the structure airborne alongside their attendant facilities.

"Oh my Oum this thing is amazing" Felix gasped out, wearing a manic smile. Upon leaving Patch he and his Team-mates had taken the car to an abandoned shopping district with an expansive car park of its' own and several miles of unused road leading up to it that Eagle hold told them about, having heard about the place from one of her seemingly infinite amount of aunts and uncles who used to use it as a weapons testing ground. Team FADE had all agreed that before they take the car to the Academy, thus bringing Felix's ownership of it to Headmistress Goodwitch's attention, it needed to be thoroughly put through its' paces. They had not been disappointed.

"If by amazing you mean you can kill someone with it by making them throw up their own lungs then yeah sure" Arctus grumbled as he staggered out of the rear of the vehicle on shaky legs

"Diamond's Semblance helps, should have just grabbed her hand or something" Felix noted as he stepped out of what was now his most prized possession, a title previously held by his swords. Eagle exited the passenger side giggling softly as she realised that there was more to Felix's suggestion and his earlier insistence that his partner had reserved shotgun just on principle than initially thought.

"I was busy holding the cake" Diamond snorted, upon receiving a home made birthday cake from his mothers, both of whom insisted that one was never too old Felix had pushed the confectionery into her hands and told her to ensure nothing happened to it on the trip as if it were the most precious cargo imaginable

"Actually, yeah keep doing that. Arctus's innards staying in can be left to chance" Felix joked as he passed the evidently still dizzy Bear Faunus, patting him on the back as he went. A series of bleeps behind him informed him that sentinel had been deployed and the four students and their mechanical companion made their way out of the car park via a stairway that brought them to the gates of the academy and the yellow brick road that led to the entrance

"Looks like someone's been locked out" Diamond noted with a snort as she caught sight of an individual sat facing towards one of the statues lining the path

"So are you pretending you didn't sleep in an airship terminal that time, then choke me out for waking you up?" Arctus asked

"Still think you're a dumb-ass for that" Diamond teased while winking at her partner. As the drew closer the identity of the student outside at such a late hour became readily apparent, the golden armour that gleamed as the lights positioned around the grounds caught it could only belong to one person

"Hey Helios, what're you doing out here dude?" Diamond asked, a concerned note to her voice. The armoured teen rose to his feet, giving one last look at the statue that they now realised portrayed Pyrrha Nikos

"Ether and Olivine have the dorm. Nyanza is out gambling….I dislike cheats and liars-"

"He uses his Semblance and cleans people out" Felix explained to his team-mates, being more than aware of the felines' tendencies

"So I decided to train, I found my way here….My Aunt Pyrrha, it's a shame I'll never meet her" he turned to Eagle "Jaune Arc was your uncle yes? They had something I'll never have"

"They saw Professor Ren with a bedhead?" Felix asked with a smirk, shrugging at Eagle's affronted gasp and Diamond's disparaging sigh "What? We're all a little Rensexual aren't we?"

"Oh my Oum" Eagle placed her hands over her ears to block out the filth pouring from her team-leaders' mouth

"They had friends here" Helios's admission caught them all by surprise "My team tolerate me at best. I'm trying to lead them, I've been taught to lead my people for years but I don't understand them"

"You need to get out more" Diamond answered bluntly "You don't understand each other because you never spend any time together as a team unless it's Nyanza dragging you to a club to be his wingman….It doesn't make you less of a Nikos to open yourself up to new experiences" Helios visibly bristled before seeming to remember who was speaking and that Diamond usually made good points

"Fair….it's just hard to see them as anything other than people who need to be protected" he admitted slowly "I've spent my whole life protecting people from outside of the tribes moving through our territory-"

"And what you think we're all less than you?" Felix growled

"Less competent, definitely. Less as people, no" Before the Lion Faunus could retort Diamond stepped in once again

"Well you can hang out with us tonight instead of sitting out in the cold. Seeing as you weren't properly socialised as a kid you can get it now….if everyone's okay with that?" Eagle nodded happily

"Yeah sure" Arctus shrugged, he liked seeing Diamond happy even if his current expression would lead an onlooker to think of a kicked puppy

"Fine, five way split on this cake it is" Felix grumbled. He'd agreed to be civil with the crimson haired Hunter after all

"It's your birthday?" Helios asked before reaching between two of the plates of his armour and withdrawing a small flask "Many happy returns"

"Wait" Felix eyed the proffered drink with some incredulity "Do you just have that on you at all times?"

"I'm sure I've seen you drinking out of that in lessons" Arctus noted. Helios merely grimaced

"I have two of my team-mates seemingly determined to see where uncomfortable ends and public indecency begins sitting on one side and my partner on the other recounting his….exploits, usually while hungover. I earn it" Team FADE broke down laughing at the deadpan response, Felix eventually taking the flask and gulping down a few mouthfuls of its' contents

"Holy Oum what is this stuff?" he gasped out as he choked and sputtered, his throat and chest burning from the alcohol

"Old Nikosi brew" Helios informed him with a smirk "I don't know what ethanol is exactly but from what I've heard it seems like a fair comparison" Felix turned to Diamond, a look of faux horror on his face

"No don't give him people skills, nobody else can ever be subjected to that drink" the mocking plea was punctuated by Felix doubling over and succumbing to another coughing fit

"Come on Fluffy" Helios slapped a hand down on the Lion Faunus's back and the five of them made their way out of the cold night air, nobody seeming to realise that the Mistrali had just referred to Felix by the nickname reserved for family without incident.

Authors Notes:

I don't think I've got anything to add to this one, still wish I was getting more than one chapter out a week.

So let's summarise:
Teenagers don't wake up in the mornings on a weekend.
You know that 'Paintball mode' was something Nora thought of
Team CLIR have gone on their first mission, that means that the First Years including Team FADE will be going on theirs soon.
This two chapters in a row Scarlet's been mentioned, the question is where's Neptune. We'll see him in around five chapters time, roughly.
The reason Corvid and Felix share a birthday, anyone catch feels from that?
Arctus is head over heels and I love writing it.
YANG PUNS, You will never escape them.
Followed by Corvid puns.
You ever lived in or around a fishing town? My cousin used to, the smell hit me like a wall of fish every time I went to visit.
Eagle is about as street smart as a random woodland critter from a random Disney movie.
A boat from Atlas, Carcharodon and his group switched boats at Patch, the conversation served to bring the group back into Felix and Arctus's minds, before they meet again.
Does that High school drama comment count as another 'Almost fourth wall break from Diamond?'
Yeah Amethyst took Felix's sexual orientation badly, but I wouldn't say she's homophobic, she just got her hopes crushed in the bluntest of terms.
Blake's bike "Fairy Blue" is a Soul Eater reference because the lyrics in the song 'Paper Moon' "It is only for you, that I would smash the stars. And put them on display, to guide you home" is the most Bumblebee thing ever.
The twins are too fun to not bring back.
"It's a shame to see someone hiding part of themselves" you know exactly what that was about.
"Can she just be part of the family please?" Oh if only you knew kid, if only you knew.
The trend of kids just assuming Arctus and Diamond are a thing continues.
"Attacks on the mainland" Oh whoever could be behind those….
Come on you've gotta admit, Qrow's reputation precedes him.
I said in chapter 02 that Felix had a driving license.
I know I called the Killer Bee a 'Vintage' Carmine, but think of it as close to one of the newer Camaros. I'll add a picture on Tumblr of what I had in mind for it.
The whole Antonia and Qrow scene, I take no sides….family lives and parenthood are hard things to navigate.
Qrow has become Raven.
"Should have just grabbed her hand or something" Felix is the slickest wingman.
Nyanza abuses his Semblance in almost every way you can think of.
Rensexual is the only sexual.
Detached, ruthless bad-ass Helios has been getting shit-faced in class to help deal with his team-mates the whole time.

Thank you to JollyTheImmortal, TigersAndRoses, ShadowAlex2000, Ferrous, Fluffyfirefly, ShadowWolf, ThePrimeWolf and FleetOfWarships for their reviews on the last chapter….eight reviews on a single chapter, does that mean I have an actual fan-base now?
I mean I wasn't planning on building a karaoke machine into the Omega Wing, but since you said it….
Rover and Artemis deserve it.
Okay Sentinel is partly inspired by Bastion and the original concept for Rusty was McCree, also Iris of Team CLIR was originally based on Zenyatta. Her Morning star was originally a collection of solid iron orbs that she hurled at Grimm via her telekinesis, I don't have any other Overwatch characters planned but even if I do they'll either be throwaway characters or expand into more than just nods to other franchises.
Also is it weird that I've never played Overwatch, I just have a Tumblr account.
The Omega Wing needing a single was a much needed Nerf for Corvid in the last chapter, the way I'm going to hand wave it is that the tracking systems in the helmet of the armour mode still work in drone mode, it could follow Corvid because it could see her but because it isn't autonomous like Sentinel it won't transform until Corvid activates it, which is done by the touchscreen she wears on her left arm.
That ending was Phobos, a quirk of a lobotomised Grimm Hive Mind.
Yes, listen to metal while reading all subsequent chapters; even the fluffy ones.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.