I do not own RWBY
Eyeing the full bottle in front of him, there was an urge to drain it dry. From the information they'd gathered war was coming to Mistral either from the inside or outside. Bloodshed was going to be inevitable. Truthfully it wasn't the idea of drowning the city in blood that caused his lungs to stop working, it was the fact his daughter was laying her heart in the hands of a man just like him. It was cold hypocrisy but he couldn't hide the fact that Ruby loving a man like him both terrified and elated him.
Adam was dangerous, after all, he'd been raised as a Branwen; it didn't matter that he didn't share their name. The boy was his sister's prized student, along with the next leader of their tribe. Even before he'd become a terrorist he had blood on his hands. Even with his eyes closed it'd be easy to see the similarities between them. They both were more than willing to burn the world for those they loved making them dangerous to anyone who claimed to be their enemy. More than once he'd hoped she'd settle down with someone easy maybe even safe. The faunus was going to hurt his daughter even without meaning too; however, he'd also kill to keep her safe. If she'd chosen someone like that who was he to argue?
Flickering his gaze upward, he caught a flash of amber as Cinder reached past him to grab two glasses. Resting his chin on his palm as the woman offered him a cocky smirk, he hated the urge to put her in her place. If it wasn't for the power she'd stolen, the woman wouldn't stand a chance against him. Part of him wished she'd get the hint and just walk away; instead, she sat down beside him before reaching for the bottle. Grabbing her wrist, he didn't hesitate to pin her with a glare.
"I'm drinking alone for a reason," he said only to gain a sharp chuckle.
Flickering her eyes between him and the unopened bottle she raised an eyebrow. Why did his daughter have to pick this woman? Groaning he let go almost hoping that she'd just take the bottle and leave. Of course when could anything go his way; he wanted to slam his head against the counter when she sat down beside him. Opening it with ease, she hummed to herself as she poured two glasses. Running a hand over his face, he considered just snapping at her to leave, but he doubted it would work. So, instead of lashing out at her, he simply glared at the glass she slid in front of him.
"When Ruby asked me to join her I thought she was insane," Cinder admitted causing him to still. The idea of his daughter recruiting dangerous people still wasn't one he felt comfortable with. Keeping his eyes on his drink, he considered his options. There was nothing stopping him from getting drunk out of his mind to forget that everything was going to go wrong. It'd be easy just to drown himself in a hazy fog until life was a little bit better again. Rubbing his forehead he barely noticed when she said, "here was this little kid barely able to reach the countertops asking me to become 'hers'."
"Seriously," he questioned hoping that his daughter wasn't running around asking criminals to join her using that wording. From the amused smirk, his hopes were unfounded.
"Pretty much. Of course, if she's insane then I've completely lost my mind."
The bitter chuckle her words drew from him filled the air around them like lingering death. They were all insane. Every single one of them were more than ready to take over a city at the urging of a sixteen year old girl. He knew that Ruby was a reincarnated soul like Ozpin, but she'd still been young when she died. Laying his fingers on the side of his glass, he didn't even twitch as Cinder downed hers easily. Part of him wanted to question why she was drinking at eight in the morning, but he wasn't Tai. There was no way he'd try to play parent to a woman like her.
"So, what do you want," he asked knowing that she wasn't just here for the company.
"Maybe I just came here to compliment our pretty little reaper," she taunted raising an eyebrow when he only groaned. He really didn't need people calling his daughter pretty in front of him.
"It's too early for this."
Shoving the glass away, he moved to stand only to freeze when she slid off the barstool. Stretching the woman seemed to hesitate before she grabbed the glass he'd just rejected. Watching her drink so quickly he thought she'd choke it was easy to see the anxiety lingering under her skin. If they were closer he might've asked what was wrong with her, but he couldn't. She'd never be his friend, just his ally, even if his daughter cared for her that didn't mean he'd forget what she did to Amber and to a lesser extent Ozpin.
"Tell the others I'll be back later."
Placing the glass on the counter gently, she spun on her heel before heading to the door. Despite whatever demons clung to her, the woman's spine was straight. Her shoulders might be stiff, but she wasn't hesitating. She'd be fine, he just worried for whoever got in her way. Rolling his eyes a bit at the idea of someone being foolish enough to stand against the pyro, he stood. Grabbing the glasses, he started making his way to the sink. Flickering his gaze to where a set of brown boots barely peeked around the doorway, he sighed. These kids were going to be the death of him.
"You know you don't have to hide," he said only to gain a soft squeak. Wiping the water off his hands, he offered a smile to the kid when a pair of hazel eyes met his own. They both knew Oscar wasn't as afraid of Cinder as he getting close to someone.
Shifting his grip on the door frame, the boy hesitated before stepping closer. It was only in the early hours of the morning that Oscar acted more like a skittish kid than the petty façade he put on. Taking a breath the boy straightened trying to make himself seem taller. He'd never thought about how old Ozpin had been when he became Ozma's vessel but he couldn't help wondering now if he'd been this young. Pushing away the idea before his stomach became a twisted mess, Qrow leaned back trying to make himself seem less threatening.
"I'm meeting Ruby soon," Oscar stated refusing to look away from the older man.
Flickering his gaze to where the boy's hands were shaking, he sighed. Just because Oscar had Ozpin in his head, didn't mean he needed or wanted to be left alone in a large city. Running a hand through his hair, he straightened before stalking forward to lay a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Want me to come along," he offered. It was hard not to wince when Oscar's face blanked for a moment, then he nodded slowly. Relief flooded his features before he was pulling away to head toward the front. Why was it always kids? Running a hand through his hair, he sent a quick message to Roman about Cinder having plans for the day.
(Weiss)
Aiden's lab had a clean and clinical hospital scent that caused her nose to wrinkle. Tugging on the sleeves of her coat, she didn't allow her eyes to wander from Yang who was hearing his proposal for the first time. Not even the off-beat humming from Penny could draw her gaze from her partner. From the wrinkled eyebrows to the heavy frown marring her face, the blonde seemed confused. To anyone that didn't know her, they'd assume that none of the words were getting through to her, but Yang was smarter than most gave her credit for. Still, genetic theory was more than a little complicated.
What if this was a mistake?
She'd taken the offer without consulting Yang. Even with the board pushing for an heir she'd rather burn than upset her partner. The pretty badge in her pocket labeled her a councilor but it was won with Ironwood's influence. She hadn't done a single thing beyond out her father and it showed. The whispers that followed were bad enough but the stares were worse. Part of her regretted even coming back to Atlas or rather she regretted not leaving when she had the chance. For all she hated her father, there had never been a moment that she'd realized that the power he flaunted was a shackle. If Yang refused this then she'd have to take the easier route.
Easier in the sense that having blood on her hands didn't bother her nearly as much as the thought of hurting Yang. Giving a sharp tug on her sleeve she tried not to think about how simple it was back at Beacon. Why couldn't things be that simple again? The power in her hands wasn't hers to use, it was nothing but a chain tying her to a city that flowed with age-old prejudice. Killing grimm was so much easier than running a company or controlling a city.
"Weiss…"
Jolting she almost forgot how to breathe when Yang's lilac eyes met her own. Hating the way the world seemed to spin around her, there was little more she wanted to do than sink through the floor. Looking away when those eyes cut into her it was almost easy to forget how to speak. What if this was the moment Yang finally realized she wasn't good enough? After all, no one had ever believed her good enough not even her own father. If not even her own blood thought she was worth it, then how could her partner?
"Fuck this! Everyone out."
Flinching at the order, she didn't notice the blonde moving until gentle hands were pressed against her skin. To anyone else, it'd be anger clinging to the words but to her, there was nothing more than frustrated concern. When Yang was worried she responded with anger, that fact made it all too easy to lean into the kiss that stole her sanity. Closing her eyes she would've been willing to dive straight into hell if that meant the blonde kept touching her. Gripping her partner's jacket she almost melted as Yang pulled her closer drawing her away from the storm in her head.
Whining when the other woman pulled away, she didn't hesitate to fall. Clinging to her partner, she buried her face against Yang's shoulder unwilling to even open her eyes. There were dozens of questions she had to answer, millions of things she need to do today. Even worse was the fact no one outside her circle took her seriously. It was like the entirety of Atlas was waiting on her to shatter into pieces and part of her wanted to just toss away everything she'd worked for. If Yang left her now, it might be better to just die. Tightening her grip on the blonde's jacket, she almost choked when a gentle hand rubbed her back. She couldn't break like this, right? As a Schnee, she needed to be perfect, or she'd be nothing.
"You're perfect," Yang stated like it was a fact.
Shaking her head despite the sigh from her partner, Weiss wanted to scream. It wasn't that simple. She had to be stronger than her sister, smarter than her brother, but most of all she couldn't crack like her parents. Fingers twitching she almost cursed when Yang pulled away to cup her face. She knew the other woman wanted her to open her eyes.
"Sure Whitley is a genius, and Winter can probably beat every one of us single-handed."
Brows furrowing she couldn't keep the frown from marring her face at the praise aimed at her siblings.
"But they aren't you."
Snapping her eyes open at the words, she pouted knowing that the blonde had been given exactly what she wanted. From the knowing smirk that painted her partner's face, she knew it too.
"It's not that simple," she said searching the other woman's eyes. It was selfish, but she wanted to hear it again.
"You are perfect," Yang repeated the smirk growing the instant red painted the white-haired woman's cheeks. Letting her hands drop from her face to her hips, she was hyperaware of the way Weiss bit her bottom lip. In her eyes Weiss was perfect just by existing. She'd say it until the woman believed it even if that took years.
"Idiot," Weiss stated although there was no heat in her words. Gripping Yang's jacket tightly she relaxed when all the blonde did was laugh. Smiling softly despite the rapidly fading fear, she leaned closer. Catching the way amusement faded from her partner's face, she wanted to tense but exhaustion kept her from panicking.
"Do you really want kids with me?"
What a foolish question. Narrowing her eyes, she bit back the urge to call her partner an idiot. There was barely hidden vulnerability in the eyes she loved so much.
"Who else," she asked tilting her head.
"My family is fucked," she warned. There was no other way to describe the insanity that clung to her mother, uncle, and cousin. Even her dad was a force of nature when angry.
"Worse than mine," she asked hating the way her fingers trembled. Trick question. Laughing bitterly as the words left her lips she relaxed when Yang hummed. Both of their families were more than a little undesirable.
"Still going to need a guy," Yang stated. The heated blush that painted her partner's cheeks at the words caused a grin to form on her face. It'd be amazing to tease her about the apparent embarrassment, but she'd have more than enough time for that later. Trying to push away her less than clean thoughts, she said, "Doc can only do so much mixing our DNA."
"You pick."
It was impossible to push down her embarrassed flush. The laugh that followed her words seemed to linger on her skin as the woman in front of her relished in her embarrassment. Sometimes she really wished her partner wouldn't taunt her like this. Despite the lie that flowed through her mind, she was too aware of the tightening grip on her hips.
"Oh, my standards are a bit different than yours," Yang warned as her partner's eyes darkened. Had she managed to poke a little to hard?
Shrugging at the words Weiss smirked. There was little doubt her partner was going to choose someone strong and determined. Blinking when Yang leaned closer until there foreheads were touching, she pulled away. No matter how much she wanted to lose herself in the blonde this was still Aiden's lab. Taking a step back, she crossed her arms trying to pretend that she hadn't been about to vote for checking how durable his tables were.
"As long as it's a faunus I don't care," she stated. There was little that would tick off her board more than having an heir with 'tainted' blood. Just imagining the way their faces were going to twist in rage brought a vindictive smirk to her face. Watching them lose their minds would be the highlight of her life.
"Really hoping to tick off the system aren't you."
Flushing at being called out, she didn't notice how close the table behind her was until she was trapped.
"T- So what if I am," she taunted falling into the easy dance that they'd created. Faking a pout when Yang's hands found their place on her hips, she accepted the position easily. From how lose the grip was all she had to do was shift slightly to break away.
"It's hot."
Leaning back as the blonde's lips touched her own, she didn't bother to stop herself from pulling her closer. It would've been easy for her to sink into the other woman and simply drown. After all, Yang approved of her ideas, she wasn't going to leave. She hadn't managed to ruin their relationship. All of that was enough of a reason to lose herself for a while. Too bad the door slamming open caused that idea to crash and burn. Flinching as Yang turned to face the angered doctor, she leaned back against the table.
"No sex in my lab!"
"Fuck you!"
Hiding a laugh behind her hand at Penny's confused expression, it was easy to relax. Even the back and forth between her partner and doctor wasn't enough to keep a smile from her face. Yeah, everything was going to be fine although she doubted it was going to be easy.
(Ruby)
Throwing her arms around Oscar the instant he came into sight, she clung to him tightly ignoring the sigh from her dad. Despite the fact he was clearly still wary of her, the boy returned her hug although it wasn't nearly as tight. She didn't really blame him for not trusting her; if she'd been a bit smarter she wouldn't have killed in front of him. Or he could be wary of her for another reason entirely. It was hard to actually pinpoint the cause of Oscar's discomfort around them, but at least he wasn't running away while screaming at the top of his lungs.
Resting her chin on his shoulder she almost purred when he patted her head. Tightening her grip on him for a moment, she barely noticed his hand tapping her shoulder. Bouncing away at the silent request she grinned hoping that he hadn't noticed the lingering scent of smoke on her clothing. Adam's people might be good at fighting but one of them defiantly didn't know how to cook. Brightening a bit when her dad ruffled her hair, it wasn't easy to put the redhead out of her mind; especially considering that she'd kissed him.
Flickering her gaze to her dad she almost expected him to question her whereabouts, instead, he only offered her a wink. Of course, he didn't care that she'd stayed the night with Adam. Most fathers would've at least offered a scolding word or two, but he trusted her. In his defense, most daughters weren't known for being the youngest Huntress in history.
"We should hurry," he stated throwing a pointed glance toward the gathering clouds.
Pouting a bit at the idea of the trip being interrupted, she motioned for him to lead the way. From both the darkening sky and the moisture in the air, it'd start raining soon. Stretching her arms above her head, she tossed a glance at the boy beside her. Despite the way he tried to be brave, Oscar was still a fourteen-year-old kid. Kids his age shouldn't have to worry about having ghosts stuck in their heads whispering at every chance they got. Bumping his shoulder with her own to get his attention she offered him a bright smile.
"Any idea what style you want?"
"Not really."
"Ozpin's style wouldn't suit you," Qrow stated knowing that it would get a rise out of the boy.
Stilling both the teens sent a cold glare at the man for even mentioning the ghost's name. Clenching his hands, Oscar considered wiping the smug smirk from Qrow's face if only with his words alone. There was so much he could target to hurt the man; the only thing stopping him from using that ammunition was the fact Ruby stood beside him. Taking a deep breath he pushed past the instinctive urge to bite back. The only reason Qrow decided to taunt him was to get a reaction, if he didn't react the man would let it go.
He'd wait, bide his time, then when Qrow least expected it he'd get his vengeance. How dare the man even suggest that he would wear the same style as the annoying ghost? His plan to ignore the situation wasn't really working. Pushing down another growl at even the idea of comparing him to Ozpin, he jolted when Ruby gently took his hand. Turning his attention to her rather than attacking, verbally attacking, her father. From the tight expression on her face she didn't really like Ozpin either.
"Just try on clothes until you find something you like," she advised trying to stop the impending explosion.
Eyeing the pleading glint in her gaze, he let out a heavy breath. Today was supposed to be fun.
"Alright."
Brightening the reaper tugged him along behind her father unaware that he was plotting to commit verbal homicide the first chance he got. Considering the man was leading them to an apparel store for Hunters, he was going to write a speech for the occasion. Simmering with untouched anger he barely noticed Ozpin returning from whatever mental cave he'd scurried into. Letting his eyes run over the clothing, he hated the almost overwhelming weight that crashed onto his shoulders. What if he chose wrong? He wasn't even supposed to be in a store like this in the first place.
Shifting forward slowly as Qrow mockingly waved his hand, it was almost hard to breathe. Logically he knew this wasn't a test, but that didn't change his inability to move. Taking in a sharp breath when Ruby nudged his shoulder with a concerned frown, he plastered a fake smile on his face. If anything the action caused her frown to deepen. Right there was no way he could fool the queen of deceit. Moving to mechanically search through the rows of clothing, he let go of her hand. Just because he was finally moving didn't mean he had any idea what he was doing.
He doubted he could simply copy Ruby's style or Qrow's since one had built their wardrobe around appearing harmless and the other just didn't care. Resisting the urge to storm from the building mainly due to the fact he did need new clothes, he wanted to scream. Why couldn't Ruby just do this for him? Glancing to where the girl had wandered over to a section of jackets, he pressed his lips together. If he asked she'd drop everything to help him? No, he wanted to do this himself or at least he didn't want the embarrassment of her cooing at him.
Humming, Ruby kept one eye on Oscar as he stalked through the rows of clothing. Sending a glance at her dad when he crashed onto the window bench she frowned. Oscar wasn't the only one who needed a new outfit. Huffing, she abandoned the jackets in favor of moving to confront him.
"You could use a new outfit too," she stated causing him to move his arm just enough to meet her gaze.
"Is that so?"
"Your cloak is almost shredded."
Pointing at the garment, caused him to shift as if to hide it. Narrowing her gaze when he rolled his eyes, she tilted her head wondering how much blackmail she was going to need. Instead of ignoring her, the man sat up. For a moment the sudden grin on his face was one she'd see in the mirror. Maybe taunting him wasn't the best choice.
"I'll shop if you tell me where you were last night," he offered with smug eyes. He obviously didn't expect her to answer.
That was unexpected. If she was anyone else she would've run away; too bad that he'd chosen a topic that'd make him just as uncomfortable as it made her.
"Adam's bed," she said with a smirk that matched his own. Catching the way his eyes widened, she didn't bother to hide her amusement as she asked, "Did you expect embarrassment?"
"Are you making me a grandfather so soon," he shot back hoping that she hadn't noticed his discomfort.
Instead of flushing a dark scarlet as he expected, she flinched. Eyes widening the reaper bit her lip as her scar burned. He didn't know, none of them knew; which was a good thing. Straightening she hid the pain behind a cocky smirk despite knowing that he'd seen her face pale. What if Adam did want children in the future? Ignoring the almost painful way her chest ached, she shrugged.
"Nope, a good kisser though."
"R-"
"Now go buy something."
Stalking away to find her little brother, she pretended not to notice him cursing behind her or the rain that now poured from the sky. There was no way she was foolish enough not to recognize the mixture of fear, hurt, and rage that flowed under her skin. Part of her wanted to hunt down Ilia and skin her alive, but that wasn't an option. The woman belonged to Adam; if she suddenly started killing his people for no reason… either way it wasn't possible. Biting her lip it was easy to admit she hated this feeling even more than she'd hated her own weakness. Still, she'd chosen to let this happen the only person she could actually blame was herself.
Rubbing her arms to warm up as Oscar came into sight, she relaxed. The boy was looking through turtleneck sweaters with feigned disinterest. At least he'd found something, she'd been a bit worried. Shivering despite the lack of cold it was a bit hard to breathe. This wasn't something she should be affected by; she'd never thought about children, even less about having some of her own. Even now she knew Adam wasn't going to abandon her just because of one fact; so why wasn't she calming down. Flickering her eyes around the store, she stumbled toward the bathroom hoping to avoid being noticed.
Why was she still so weak?
Barely making it into the secluded room, she slid down the wall trying to breathe. Ilia shouldn't matter. Having children shouldn't matter. She was a Huntress not some little girl unable to protect herself. Hugging herself tightly, it was hard to keep from shattering. Logically she knew this had been a long time coming. There was only so long she could keep her own mind from tearing her apart; she'd just thought she'd have more time until it happened.
Catching a hint of pale gold, she froze when gentle hands gripped her shoulders. Concerned brown eyes met her own as the blonde woman in front of her frowned. Watching the woman's mouth moved silently, she tried to force herself to hear instead the pounding in her head grew worse. Eyeing the dark frown that twisted the woman's lips, the hands dropped from her shoulders coming into view as a light blue glow surrounded her eyes.
Jolting it was instinct for her eyes to sharpen as snow began to fill the room. Tilting her head as panic gave way to wonder. Reaching out a hand she caught the falling snowflakes easily, so this was the Winter Maiden. Taking a deep breath, it was easy to push back the emotions that had been rampaging through her body. Given how many times she'd come close to losing control it shouldn't surprise her that she was able to shove her stress into a tiny box.
"Feeling better?"
"Sure," she stated refusing to allow her weakness to show. Just because this woman had helped her that didn't make her an ally. Catching the way an almost amused glint passed through brown eyes, she idly wondered if Cinder knew about the woman's presence.
Part of her wanted to kill the woman just because she might be a threat. It was an urge that she had no idea how to deal with. On one hand tomorrow she might have to meet the blonde on the battlefield, however, killing someone due to the fact they could become an enemy would make her nothing but a monster. Eyeing the blonde, she frowned before blinking when a pale hand was offered to her. It might not be today or tomorrow, but one day they might have to kill each other. This woman was dangerous, but Ruby did have a habit of collecting dangerous people.
Fighting back a bitter chuckle, she allowed the woman to tug her off the floor. She'd wait until it became clear if the woman was her enemy before making her move. If they weren't enemies, then she'd try recruiting her. Taking a step back, she raised an eyebrow as the woman's scroll began to beep. A bemused smirk crossed the woman's face as she reached down to check her scroll. It was the perfect opportunity to kill her. Shoving the thought away when apologetic brown eyes met her own, she tried to pretend she hadn't just thought of how easy it'd be to kill her.
"Sorry, my… friend is calling."
Nodding, she took a deep breath. It was time to get back to being human. The way her hand shot out to grab the woman's wrist was nothing but instinct. Eyeing her own limb as if it had betrayed her, it was hard to keep from losing her mind. Squeezing the woman's wrist gently, her gaze flickered up just enough to catch the confused expression before turning her attention to the floor.
"Thanks."
It was tiny, nothing more than a whisper, but it filled the air like early morning fog. Shivering internally as it clung to her skin, she hated the weakness that hung on that single word. Releasing the woman's wrist, she almost darted out the door refusing to look back or hesitate. Plastering a fake smile on her face it was easy to ambush Oscar who'd taken to searching through trench coats. One day she was going to shatter like glass but that day wasn't today.
Hi guys, so I just finished signing up for Full Sail University.
Anyway Ruby is not having a good day, but she's hanging on anyway. Moving on, I finished reading the light novel version of Villains are Destined to die (or Death is the only ending for the Villainess) which ticked me off more than a little bit due to certain characters surviving till the end. So, I've started work on the sequel to Black Ice, and plotting for the next chapter of Feral. I also spent an hour staring at the outline of my barely thought of Walking Dead fanfic before deciding 'not today' and playing Minecraft. On another note, the next chapter of Hollowed will be coming out today too.
So, in upcoming chapters, we'll be seeing Ruby and Adam's date which will be not the next chapter but the one after, the appearance of Jay, and Ruby meeting with her estranged relatives.
What are you guys looking forward to the most in upcoming chapters? What did you guys think of this chapter?
Also, I've outlined Alice's upcoming lives too if anyone is interested in that (Adam's too since I don't want to separate them). The only lives I'm having trouble with are those in the Naruto universe since I can't decide who they should reincarnate as.
Right, stay safe and have a good day
Shyla
ps. is the romance in this good?