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Chapter 63: Amore

It was currently Thursday meaning that almost a week had passed since Atlas Academy's traditional dance and the campus had taken on an odd but enjoyable atmosphere once the hangovers had subsided; somehow peaceful yet excited at the same time as the many new couples who had attended the dance as a first date basked in their new relationship while the primary topics of conversation were both the now rapidly approaching Vytal Tournament itself, adverts for which had begun to be seen on Atlesian television and upcoming missions which would presumably conclude before the beginning of the tournament though concerning whisperings about teams being disqualified if they were unable to return from a mission on time had been heard.

Team FADE were currently in the dormitory enjoying the relative normality of working on an assignment that incorporated aspects of both Grimm studies and combat classes; eschewing the library in favour of being able to have music playing as they worked and also have snacks that Eagle had prepared on hand, the blonde herself currently taking notes at breakneck speed and muttering to herself as her pen accidentally pierced the paper

"You okay there?" Felix asked as he caught sight of his partners' steadily increasing annoyance out of the corner of his eye; Eagle put her pen down and leaned back as she exhaled slowly in attempt to calm herself

"Yeah, I just really wanna get this done" she explained, a small blush coming to her freckled cheeks as she continued "Hellion's never been to the movies before so I'm taking her out tomorrow night after class; I don't want assignments piling up over the weekend"

"Sounds nice" Arctus grumbled from his position on the bunk he and Diamond shared, any bitterness at being confined to the Academy hidden behind a toothy grin. After learning how many things that Eagle considered normal parts of life Hellion had missed growing up as a member of the Frost River Tribe the blonde had committed herself to making sure that every date they had was a memorable first experience of something; Hellion herself while somewhat bemused at Eagle's boundless energy had happily agreed.

"Just take a breather, you wanna borrow my notes?" Felix offered

"You mean mine and Arctus's notes that you copied?" Diamond snorted

"Our aggregated notes" Felix corrected without missing a beat, his friends still making teasing retorts when he felt his Scroll vibrate in his pocket; shushing them with a gesture he rummaged in his pocket for the device and seeing that the incoming call was from Corvid

"Hey sis, what's up?" he greeted her as he answered

"Not much, you doing anything tomorrow night?" the elder siblings' voice replied, the call being audio only

"Well I'm not being a third wheel for you and Onyx if that's what you're offering"

"Oh fuck off Fluffy" Corvid sighed, Felix had wasted no opportunity to tease for the dance with the Puma Faunus she assured him with clear exasperation meant nothing

"But seriously though I'm not sure what I'm doing tomorrow" Felix told her "Haven't made any plans with Helios yet, why?"

"There's a club in Lower Atlas I wanna check out….and I mean way down in Lower Atlas, called Club Depth and it's supposed to have a real nice set up; you in? Bring your boyfriend if you want" Corvid's own instinctual urge to tease her sibling barely being held at bay if her singsong tone was any indication; Felix rolled his eyes but paused to consider it

"I'll let you know by lunch tomorrow" he finally answered "Depends on who's doing what and if I get an assignment dropped on me for the weekend….the professors are taking it a little too far now" the last was spoken with an annoyed huff

"Cool, I think Iris might be coming….some fourth year from Vaccuo's got her attention right now though; anyway I'll see you tomorrow"

"Night Corey"

"Night Fluffy" with that the call ended and the Lion Faunus eyed the several pages of completed assignments and pages more yet to be done in front of him with some annoyance before trying to pick up where he left off

"Quiet night in for us?" Felix heard Diamond ask, obviously directed at Arctus

"Don't feel like you've gotta stay in for me, seriously go to the club if you want babe" the Bear Faunus offered

"Nah it's cool, the dance was only last week I don't wanna party every weekend" she shrugged, making a slight correction to her own work before adding "Besides there's a marathon of old crappy horror movies on tomorrow night, gonna text my dad while I watch 'em"

"Sounds like a plan" Arctus gently cuddled her from behind, privately glad that he wouldn't be spending the weekend alone while everyone else left campus to enjoy themselves

"Y'know what I'm making poutine….it's basically tradition" Diamond asserted, the dish something she and Mercury black thoroughly enjoyed gorging themselves on while watching movies that aged badly and were now unintentionally hilarious.

"Oh we've gotta have a movie night sometime-" Eagle added, the conversation being cut short by a Scroll audibly vibrating, this time belonging to Arctus who opened the device to answer a video call from his mother

"Hey Mum, everything okay?" he couldn't help the concern that crept into his voice at the sight of her face, Weiss looked exhausted with dark rings around her eyes suggesting that she hadn't slept in quite some time

"I'm okay, thank you for asking" Weiss assured him before getting straight to the point "I called you because I need to ask you for a favour"

"Yeah sure, what's up?" Arctus answering instantly, happy to help

"I know about you being confined to the academy but I've spoken to Winter, would you be able to come home for the weekend?" before Arctus could answer Weiss explained "It's just that with the Schnee Dust Company opening a new facility in Gerat-Handlung some of my research team are transferring, they wanted to try for management roles; Whitley is busy negotiating with Poly-Tech and the Coalition and your father is aboard his ship at the moment-"

"You need someone to look after AJ?" Arctus surmised

"Precisely" Weiss nodded "If you're busy with school I understand, I can ask Bjorn if he can make the trip from Eisenstadt Dritte-"
"Mum I'll be on a flight as soon as I change out of uniform tomorrow" her son assured

"Thank you" Weiss beamed, catching sight of Diamond in the periphery of the screen she added "And Diamond by all means feel free to visit, I'm sure Athena-Jade would love to see you again"

"Mum try and get some sleep" Arctus implored her

"I plan to the moment your sister is asleep" she told him before letting out a long yawn "On that note, goodnight son; love you"
"Love you too Mum"

"Bye Aunt Weiss!" Felix called, hopefully being heard before the call ended and the screen went blank; leaving Arctus staring at it for a few moments until Eagle reached over and nudged him

"Sucks when they work themselves into the ground right?" her tone understanding

"Yeah" Arctus sighed "She'll be fine though, her and Uncle Whitley will manage until they take on some new staff"

"Who's Bjorn?" Diamond enquired as she resumed her customary position leaning against Arctus "Your Mum mentioned him"

"Grandpa Bjorn" Arctus clarified "My Dad's Dad obviously; ran the Atlas branch of the Coalition for a bit, retired back to Eisenstadt Dritte where he grew up and opened a gas station for old times sake"

"When you're allowed out of here you've gotta introduce me" Diamond insisted "You've already met my Dad and that's fifty percent of my family there"

"Will do babe" he assured her, kissing her cheek before finding his discarded pen and returning to his assignment "So do you wanna come to Schnee Manor for the weekend?" Diamond's answer came easily and without hesitation

"Hell yeah Big Guy, your sister's adorable!"

The following evening came around quickly, lessons barely registering in Arctus's mind and before long he was on a privately chartered aircraft owned by Whitley Schnee, presumably for those occasions when he wanted to make an extra ostentatious entrance and one of his many sports cars just wouldn't suffice. He had been beset by his sister and ageing but equally hyperactive mastiff almost the moment he and Diamond had made their way through the large double doors of Schnee Manor; managing to say a brief goodbye and exchange a few pleasantries with his mother before she had to return to the Schnee Dust Company's primary research and development facility for work while Athena-Jade was preoccupied with showing off her hair style to Diamond, whom it was obviously modelled after; Diamond herself found herself unable to maintain any of her seemingly effortless charisma around the child and found herself falling victim to the contagious, giddy and undeniably cute energy that Athena-Jade exuded.

Currently Arctus was in the pristine and well stocked kitchen that had been one of his favourite parts of the manor ever he since he'd been a small child trying to talk the late Klein Siebte into making him an extra helping of dessert. Whilst Diamond was helping Athena with her maths homework which the Mistrali had noted was advanced for her age, most likely due to the demanding standards set by the exclusive prep school both Slate children had attended, Arctus was preparing dinner and taking care to use vegetables that sister, who could be an amazingly picky eater at times, would eat without complaint as he was in a good mood and had no desire to spoil it with an argument; there was also the fact that he wanted to impress Diamond, Gangrel Slate had ensured that his children learned to cook reasoning that having enough Lien to hire help was no excuse for not knowing how to look after oneself; Arctus knew he was good and frankly felt like showing off a little, while at the same time hoping he wasn't completely out of practice. As he dished up the steaks and vegetables and made an attempt to make it look presentable he convinced himself that it was good enough and made his way into the dining room, where Diamond and Athena were waiting for him at one end of the gigantic table whose length Arctus had often questioned himself, nobody ever even sat in the more ornate seat at its' head anyway. His private musings stopped at the sound of Diamond's voice

"That smells great big guy, I didn't know you can cook"
"Don't get much chance to at the academy" Arctus answered, shrugging as much as the trio of plates he was carrying would allow before setting them down; Diamond stole a quick kiss which Athena, despite her adoration for her, mimed vomiting in response to. Dinner was a quiet affair, both Hunters in training still tired from the days' classes and Athena unusually quiet; a state of affairs Diamond picked up and gently nudged her partner, Arctus caught sight of his sister pushing her half eaten meal around her plate

"If you don't want it then you can say so squirt" he sighed "No point in sitting there playing with it….I'll feed the steak to Scruff later" Athena's eyes widened, Weiss had always been adamant about never feeding the dog table scraps; her expression quickly reverted to what it had been previously, sullen and unusually thoughtful

"It's not that….I wanna ask something and I don't think Mum and Dad want to answer it, can I ask you?" Arctus felt the atmosphere around the table shift, becoming somewhat uncomfortable

"Sure, fire away" he nodded, unsure as to what could have made such a negative impression on Athena that his parents wouldn't talk about considering that they had been open about Gangrel's membership in the White Fang.

"Y'know our Grandpa? Not Grandpa Bjorn….the other Grandpa, the one that looks like Uncle Whitley" Athena-Jade's lip quivered as she finally dared to ask the question "Why did he hate people like us? I don't want my Grandpa to hate me because I'm a Faunus!" Arctus saw tears welling up in her eyes and all but leapt out of his seat so that he could crouch beside the younger Faunus and wrap an arm around her shoulders

"Hey, what's brought this on?" he asked in the most soothing tone he could manage, a series of dark thoughts occurring to him in rapid succession; given shape by memories of his own time at prep school "Have other kids at school been picking on you?"

"No" Athena pouted, crossing her arms and folding in on herself, bitterly adding "We had a history class last week, people have been staring at me and whispering ever since….And answer the question you're doing what Mum and Dad did" Arctus looked over to Diamond hoping for some shred of guidance; she had none but made her way over to the two of them in an obvious show of moral support

"Okay first off I want you to know, I mean really understand that whatever Jacques Schnee thought of Faunus, your family loves you. You know that right, Aunt Winter and Uncle Whitley love you, Mum and Dad both love you"

"Uh huh" Athena-Jade nodded, wiping her eyes and leaning into her brothers' hug ever so slightly

"Now I only know what I've been told" Arctus sighed, mind racing as he struggled to figure out how to explain that their grandfather had been a hateful bigot who profited from the exploitation that had produced an army of bitter and angry Faunus which included the likes of Adam Taurus;

"So up until maybe fifteen years ago it used to be legal to pay Faunus like us less for doing the same job as humans-"

"Why?"

"Because a lot of people who have a lot of money are mean and greedy and will make up any excuse to rip people off" Arctus found that answer at least came to him without hesitation "Now Grandpa Schnee was always mean and greedy and sneaky but when a group of Faunus said they'd had enough of the way Atlas was treating them he started being extra nasty to Faunus-"

"Why?" Athena repeated

"Because he liked things the way they were; he wasn't a nice guy AJ. He didn't want to pay Faunus more money and eventually those angry Faunus got even angrier and started stealing his Dust and burning down his factories" Arctus wondered if he should have added that part, it almost felt like he was using the actions of the White Fang to excuse Jacques; Athena seemingly didn't think so

"So he would've hated us because other Faunus wanted him to be nicer to them….that doesn't even make sense"

"Sometimes people don't make sense" Diamond lamented, wrapping her own arm around the child and turning it into an awkward crouching group hug with a chair in the way "But you don't know he wouldn't have liked you, he never even got to meet you"

"Exactly" Arctus nodded, biting his tongue and not mentioning that he knew what his maternal Grandfathers' response to his parents relationship had been and was certain that were he still alive their lives would be far more difficult "A lot of people only remember the worst parts of him and a lot of people were right to be angry at him; but I don't think he would have hated you…..you're too cute, nobody can hate you" Arctus ruffled her hair and hoped that he had at least convinced his sister despite not believing his own words in the slightest; Diamond reaching over to give his hand a gentle but reassuring squeeze confirmed that she knew or at least suspected the truth. Arctus flashed her a small grateful smile; the important thing right now was that Athena-Jade wasn't crying, she could learn more when she was older. In the meantime Arctus had one more thing he needed to take care of

"Now are you gonna have another try at those veggies? 'cos there's a big tub of ice cream that me and Diamond might need help with, but only people who eat their veggies can have ice cream" Athena glared at him, seemingly gauging if she could break his willpower through weaponised cuteness before finally giving in and picking up her cutlery

"What flavour?"

Celeste Lupus, High Commander of the White Fang and the supreme authority within the settlement of Tartarus walked at a pace that most would call leisurely, for her it was torturous; the cybernetic augmentations to her spine could only recover so much of the mobility that had been stolen from her by the destruction of the building she had been cowering in during the pitched battle that had haunted her nightmares since childhood. Her thighs and calves burned and she moved through her domain, muscles still unused to such strain after years confined to a wheelchair contorting her face into a grimace which made those she passed recoil slightly, conversations being brought to a halt and children being admonished by their parents for staring too long. There was seemingly only one person who dared approach the visibly displeased Celeste, leading to the almost comically incongruous sight of the Ram Faunus, Wilt at her hip despite the absence of her powered armour being followed by a chatty and exuberant girl no older than six who seemed to have no notion of how dangerous the adult they were telling about their day was. Hearing the words tumble from the child at breakneck speed brought a small smile to Celeste's face which in no way reduced the menace she was capable of projecting; the girl was the same one who had approached her some weeks ago, a Crab Faunus being taunted by her peers for being born with chitinous pincers in place of hands

"-nobody has called me 'fingers' in a while either, not since I grabbed that one boy by the cat ear and twisted until he said sorry" the child whose name Celeste had never learned, though finding out would be a simple matter, explained with a wide smile that showed missing teeth as her pincers clacked together excitedly

"Good little one. Never let anybody make you ashamed for being what you are, even if they're another Faunus….Stop them by force if you need to, better they learn before they can hurt our people any more" the Ram Faunus watched carefully as the little girl processed the information

"Kay!" she chirped earnestly and Celeste made a mental note to enquire after the child's family, she seemingly had few close friends, was pliant and eager to please with what appeared to be a willingness to use violence making itself known early on and if the way she followed Celeste around were any indication she was completely fearless; the White Fang would have many uses for such an individual if they were nurtured properly, perhaps Alpha could take the girl as an apprentice. Such thoughts were brought to a halt as Celeste caught sight of the familiar form of Kuro, the wiry haired Tarantula Faunus responsible for modifying Neon Katt's armour and one of the High Commanders' most trusted advisors in matters regarding technology, he simply bowed slightly before nodding in response to an unasked question and gesturing towards a door further along the corridor. Crouching down to speak to the child at her own eye level Celeste asked

"I have to talk to some people in private, I need you to run along now little one; but first but what is your name?"

"Coral Scylla Miss Lupus!"

"Good night Coral, I'm sure it's passed your bedtime" Coral hurried along on her way, Celeste watched her leave for a moment before rising back to her feet with some discomfort and making her way to Kuro

"That child, Coral Scylla….find her parents and tell them that the High Commander may have a way for their daughter to serve the cause" without waiting for her response she made her way towards the room that the Tarantula Faunus had indicated towards; even if she hadn't sent for them personally she would have known who was waiting for her from the look of mild revulsion in his eyes

"Stand" at her behest the Cult of Taurus who had been bowed on bended knee rose as one, Alpha stepping forwards slightly

"High Commander" she breathed out reverently, head still bowed somewhat while the toxic spines intertwined with her hair lay flat against her back in a display of supplication. Behind her Beta nodded, the Snow Leopard Faunus's expression inscrutable despite his mask showing more of the face beneath than his comrades. Delta remained still and silent, seemingly trying to attract as little attention as possible while Gamma was their opposite, puffing out his bare chest with pride

"I have an assignment for you, one I would only trust to my most loyal" Celeste paused for a moment, letting the praise hang in the air before continuing "With the gifts given to us by the human Eldritch the time for our declaration of war against our oppressors grows close-"

"Can the human be trusted?" Beta asked, cultured voice betraying no hint of emotions; Alpha however made no effort to contain her anger as her weapon 'Judgement' unfurled around her clenched fists

"It is not your place to question the High Commander!"
"Calm yourself Alpha" Celeste admonished gently, the Lionfish Faunus's devotion had the potential to be as dangerous as it was useful "Beta is right to be suspicious of humans, they're a race of deceivers"

"My apologies High Commander" Alpha all but genuflected before her while Celeste continued

"You recall the mission I had you undertake over a year ago, purging the children of deserters and savages who dared to use our name" her voice shook with anger at the thought of the Shadow Cadre of the Frost River Tribe whom the Cult of Taurus had put to death for the crime of their existence "Necessary as it was, it was also a test of your abilities to lead a larger force….when the White Fang steps out of the shadows and makes its' intentions known and undeniable, so to will the Shadow Cadre step out of the shadows; I want you at my right hand leading the charge"

"It would be an unimaginable honour High Commander" Alpha almost gasped, an odd sound coming from the smoky voiced killer

"Good, rest tonight and leave for the cities and settlements tomorrow, I want you to raise an army. Tell each of our cells that you speak with my authority and that they should prepare for war" Celeste thought to herself for a moment, cursing her own uncertainty before making a decision and committing herself to it "I may also have found a candidate with the potential to expand your ranks….though not for some time, tell me Alpha how do you feel about children?"

Club Depth was loud, it's sound system alone costing more than the house that the Xiao Long siblings lived in; the nightclub whose lights fluctuated through various shades of blue and purple as they pulsated in time the pounding bass, was rumoured to have been founded by a famous local gangster; a Faunus who criminal who had amassed a sizeable underworld empire while at the same time rejecting the advances of the White Fang. Corvid had relayed these local rumours and urban legends to her brother en route to the establishment, Felix's response had been to roll his deep blue eyes and note that it was small wonder she had seemingly honed in on the place, she had a knack finding cesspools. Currently both Corvid and Felix were taking a break from the dance floor and had sequestered themselves away at a corner table with drinks with an alcohol content they burned Felix's sensitive nose every time he raised the glass to his lips; despite the noise the two of them were managing to hold a conversation and be heard

"Shame nobody else could make it" Felix noted as Corvid used the frontal camera of her Scroll to check her make up, satisfied that she still looked presentable she collapsed the device and shrugged

"Iris said she'll probably catch up, she's coming with the guy from Shade she's been talking to. Besides it's Friday we're bound to run into someone"

"With how shady this place is you're probably working out the odds of Onyx walking in" Felix snorted, feigning disgust

"Oh fuck off" was his sisters' reply, laughing while she said it "Seriously you're more bothered about it than I ever was, Onyx was just a little bit of fun….a one night thing"

"Did you have phrase it like that, I really didn't need that mental image" Felix dead-panned before adding "All jokes aside though sis do whatever makes you happy though"

"That's the plan" bro she answered, downing her drink in one before giving him a mischievous look "So since you started it, where's red? I thought you two were a thing….an absolutely adorable thing"

"He wanted to train tonight, he's been getting a little obsessive with it again because of the tournament and a mission coming up" Felix's face slowly morphed into a somewhat vacant smile while his tail swished lazily "But yeah, me and Heely….it's official, we're dating" before he could protest Corvid had reached across the table and ruffled the Lion Faunus's curly hair

"Look at you, all goofy and cute….Tell him if he breaks your heart I'll shoot his balls off with a rail-gun at point blank range" she laughed, the effects of the alcohol beginning to make themselves known "So when are you planning on introducing him to our Mums? They'll love him"

"I'm not sure, but I want to" Felix admitted with a fond smile before a thought occurred to him and he gave a small frown "Actually that reminds me, don't third years have missions coming up?"

"Yeah, Team CLIR are shipping out on Monday" Corvid nodded, a concern flickering across her face for the briefest of moments before she masked it behind her usual somewhat cocky smile "I'm planning on spending tonight and Saturday absolutely blackout drunk and recovering on Sunday"

"You okay, you're never usually this worried?" Felix asked having spotted the momentary unease and failing to be concerned by the attempt to cover it up. Corvid let out a slow breath before she answered

"Yeah well, first and second year you're more or less just shadowing qualified Hunters; third year gets more in depth. I'm basically leading this mission with minimal oversight….doesn't help matters that we're taking one of Atlas Academies' personal Bull-Heads out to rendezvous with a contact"

"They're letting you fly?" Felix gasped "Sweet!"

"They're letting Iris fly" Corvid corrected "I'm in the co-pilot seat working the guns….can't quite get the hang of the handling, it's not like the Omega Wing" she admitted with a slightly annoyed huff

"Still cool though" Felix assured her "You've got this sis"

"Thanks Fluffy"

"Second years ship out a week after you" Felix informed her "No idea what the mission's gonna be but it can't be worse than the last one….saying that you'd probably love the idea of spending a week in an abandoned city with Onyx" Corvid rolled her steely grey eyes at her brothers' taunting and decided to give him the reply she felt he'd earned

"I know right, plenty of privacy I can be as loud as I want" she watched the Lion Faunus choke on his drink, several sputtered curses spilling from his lips, out of the corner of her eye she spotted familiar white hair and brown skin; Iris Ramal had entered the club with the Vaccuan student deemed lucky enough to warrant her attention. Corvid watched her team-mate withdraw her Scroll and type out a message, her Scroll vibrating in her pocket a moment later

"Come on Fluffy, we've got company" as she rose from her seat another idea crossed her mind "Hey I just realised, if your mission goes to plan then you'll actually be getting back around the time the announce the fixtures for the tournament"

"Sweet" Felix grinned confidently as he rose to his feet and fell into step beside her "Can't wait to see who Team FADE are gonna beat first"

Athena-Jade Slate had been put to bed several hours ago, the energetic child finally falling asleep with the aide of a bedtime story courtesy of Diamond, said story had been one more unique renditions of a popular tale told to her by her own parents; Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black had never in their own bleak upbringings had the experience of being read to and routinely ad-libbed details and plot points, the result was a story that left both Athena and Arctus howling with laughter until the younger sibling had finally closed her eyes while Arctus and Diamond found themselves sharing a chuckle every time they made eye contact at the thought of such memorable moments as the 'Big Bad Wolf's attack on the Ministry of Silly Walks'

"Hey Dee, I love you" Arctus murmured contentedly, the two of them were currently on the sofa in the living room of Schnee Manor; a space so normal and at odds with the grandiose exterior and main hallway it almost seemed out of place. They were currently watching the vintage horror movie marathon that Diamond had been looking forward to, her Scroll vibrating following every major scene or any time a classic line that had made its' way into pop culture was spoken due to Diamond texting her father, she and Mercury had always watched movies like this together on nights that he wasn't working as a pilot when Emerald's charity work kept her away from home.

"Love you too Big guy" she mumbled, hastily swallowing a mouthful of what she described as 'unhealthy cheesy, gravy coated goodness' while sprawled atop the Bear Faunus, the two of them huddled beneath thick blankets to keep the cold at bay while the wind howled outside

"What's on after this?" Arctus asked as he yawned and stretched, taking it as opportunity to snake an arm around Diamond's waist

"Terror-Forming, a bunch of colonists on an alien planet run into the natives….the best kind of trash" the sniper grinned

"Did they get Corey to name it, sounds like something she'd come up with?"

"Hey, you leave my crappy movies alone" Diamond stuck her tongue out at him "Don't make me go wake up Athena and get her to help me out in a pillow fight"

"You wouldn't dare" Arctus gasped, feigning fear and outrage, Diamond rolled her eyes

"Dork" she snorted before leaning down to kiss him, her lips lingering against his while her arms slid around his neck and a small gasp escaping her as Arctus's hands trailed lower from there they grew more passionate in their kisses, before long Diamond had found herself beneath her lover groaning in pleasure as he nipped at her neck and collarbones while his hands moved under her tank-top; her response was to pull his shirt over his head and pull him down into a searing kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth and muffling her own moans as his thumb brushed against her nipple through her bra, without thinking she wrapped her legs and held him in place only to almost whimper as she felt him grind against her. Her fingers curled in his ivory hair and she gently pulled him back, giving herself a chance to catch her breath before frantically discarding her tank-top and unclasping her bra, as she reached to pull Arctus into another mind-numbing kiss the Bear Faunus stopped her

"Do you want to…." he trailed off, he didn't need to explain what he meant and Diamond only needed a moment to consider before nodding and reaching into her pocket and quickly shedding the sweatpants that she had been wearing beneath the sheets

"And this time we don't have to worry" she informed him as she handed him the little square package containing a condom that she'd retrieved from her pocket. The sound of Arctus's belt and pants being undone was a precursor to the Bear Faunus resuming his previous position atop Diamond kissing her slowly and passionately while using her moans and gasps as guidance while teasing her through her panties with his fingers, when he heard his name stumble from her mouth as her breath hitched, cherry red eyes rolling back as she shivered under his touch Arctus pushed her panties to the side and positioned himself while making eye contact, silently making sure that Diamond was sure

"I love you" she breathed out and Arctus needed no further encouragement, Diamond's back arched as he thrust forwards, her nails digging into his back and the two of them remaining like that for a moment; taking their time to get used to the sensation. Arctus started with slow, gentle movements but soon built up a more robust rhythm, spurred on by Diamond's moans of sheer ecstasy with each stroke; he kissed and bit at her neck while she slipped a hand between her own thighs, reaching her climax moments before Arctus. The two of them panting heavily and glistening with sweat as they held each other, sharing slow gentle kisses. Arctus's arms wrapped around Diamond and she made herself comfortable, tucking her head under his chin and nuzzling into his chest. They both knew that they should probably get dressed or at the very least move upstairs yet neither made any move to do so, their exhausted panting eventually giving way to slow rhythmic breath as they both fell asleep; mercifully being spared an embarrassing moment by Whitley Schnee who returned from the Schnee Dust Company headquarters in the early hours of the morning and merely shook his head and smirked at the sigh of the sleeping couple before sending Weiss a text informing her that it would be better to avoid the living room if she returned home before noon.

Authors Notes:

Okay that's the cute and fluffy (And NSFW) shit you were promised, now we move into the final third of Vol.5; prepare yourselves because much like the Cult of Taurus….I take no prisoners.

That being said, let's summarise shall we:
The hype for the Tournament in Vol.6 is real now Arc is adorable and I love writing it as much as you all seem to enjoy reading it.
"Our aggregated notes" Felix's comedic timing is perfect.
You know damn well Felix asked Corvid precisely what the fuck after the dance lol.
Club Depth is a call back to The Downward Spiral….one that will become relevant considering who I'm gonna be bringing back soon.
Okay I'm not even sure where Diamond loving Poutine came from, I'm not even Canadian (Although we do have it here in the UK, we just don't call it that….And I would go so far as to say we make it pretty damn well).
The new SDC facility being opened outside of the Hive Cities has been mentioned a few times….it's not a coincidence.
Bjorn Slate….I think the Downward Spiral readers want him to make a return, I should probably oblige.
Yep, Athena-Jade has adopted Diamond as her new big sister.
Klein Siebte died peacefully in his sleep of old age, just making sure we all understand that.
The Slate kids attended a prep school but they still came home after classes instead of living there.
Seriously guys, learn to fucking cook. In 2018 not being a man-child who can't is just unacceptable.
There's the difference between the Schnee family with and without Jacques in one moment, none of the Schnee kids feel a need to assert their dominance as "Head" of the family.
Just 'cos he doesn't get table scraps doesn't mean the dog doesn't get steak….You know damn well Weiss would cook an extra steak for him because she can't say no to a good dog.
Seriously being bi-racial and finding out your grandparents were super racist has gotta hurt, my condolences to anyone dealing with that.
I feel like Arctus was right to try and do some damage limitation there, telling Athena-Jade that "Yeah Jacques Schnee was a monster and he would have hated you just for existing, killing him was probably one of the best things Adam Taurus ever did" isn't gonna help.
When in doubt, bribe with ice cream….when my niece/nephew is born I will be relying on this strategy.
Celeste is charismatic and has produced consistent results that have made life better for her people, but let's not shy away from the fact that even confined to a wheelchair she was capable of ruling through fear….that should say a lot about how bad it's going to be when we finally get to see her in combat.
Coral Scylla aka "Fingers" Oh I have a plan for her, you're gonna love this.
There's the thing about Cults, they're really good at indoctrinating people….
A little hint towards the actual personalities of the Cult, their body language says a lot.
The Cult of Taurus are taking an active battlefield role; gee I wonder how that could be bad for our protagonists.
Yes Ringo Umi the Blue-Ringed Octopus Faunus has become and urban legend.
Seriously though Corvid finds all the worst/best hangouts.
Anyone got a ship name for Corvid and Onyx?
"Tell him if he breaks your heart I'll shoot his balls off with a rail-gun at point blank range" Corvid does not fuck around.
I honestly just love writing the siblings.
'Big Bad Wolf's attack on the Ministry of Silly Walks' is something I distinctly remember from an ad-libbed version of the three little pigs I told my little brother and it annoys me that I can't remember the context.
The only pun this chapter and it wasn't from Corvid….what the fuck am I doing.
So there you go it finally happened….exactly when I planned for it to happen, are you all happy now? Good.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, ShadowAlex200, iSassenach, FleetOfWarships, Funlander and TigerRose for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yeah, Battle-Cat and Cyberpet ships are now official.
Team CLIR and GORE are too much havoc for even me lol.
Clearly that was the last time I cock-block you.
Lux's Semblance is that he's a human flash-bang grenade (It's literally called Flash-Bang).
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the cuteness.

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