if anyone's still reading I appreciate it and hope you have enjoyed it so far and give recommendations to those who like edgy OCs or don't I can't tell you how to live.

_

Ruby shot up from the couch with a sudden wave of confusion and rage "that's not what I'm saying, not by a long shot!" she was blushing hard when those images resurfaced in her head "Gods above why's this so damn complicated" she said pressing her hands over her eyes with frustration and confused jealousy.

"Then what is it, you like him or something?" augus asked, handing her a can of soda.

Alyx looked at the two of them and watched them in case she was needed. "it's about that girl you two arrested, it's my fault she was near the perimeter" she lied.

Alyx flinched when she heard augus scream "WHAT!?" which made Ruby all the more anxious. "Why would you-"

"Because she led me here!" Ruby yelled out.

The silence was palpable, all three were frozen where they stood, and for almost a full minute no one so much as breathed. They all stood there for what felt like hours until alyx broke the silence and asked, "is it possible that you got lost and this civilian knew where this base was?"

"Yes, that's precisely what I was saying" she lied pressing her back into the couch in shame 'dad and uncle tai would be so pissed right now' she thought as augus smirked and soon started laughing hard, and a fit of laughing that lasted for about thirty seconds until she said "I'm- hehehe sooo hohoho sorr- hehehe ahhhh hahahahaaaa- hooooo ohh boy" she took a drink and cleared her throat "I'm sorry lieutenant, but the fact that that happened to me and my partner as well as half of us on base is common to the point that we keep score; hehehe we'll go have her released when she gets up from her nap"

She shot her a mortified look at her like shed killed her, so she had to clarify "relax girl, I tranq-ed her and had her put in a holding cell, she'll be sent home in a day or so"

"Can we please talk about the electric hunk of muscle that is this guy" alyx interrupted showing Cole in his black pants, cloth belt, and sweat shined torso choking out a guard using the triangle choke with his bandaged arm.

By his look in his eyes alone his eyes burned with unbridled and wild fury of a dozen beowolves and bared what looked to be a mouth full of perfect and sharp teeth; sadistic is what it looked to be but for Cole it was just a routine loss of judgement for where he'd been since he was a brawler.

'He's certainly changed; that hold looks too tight…aaaaand he just flipped that guy to the floor' Ruby thought.

"I got dibs on fighting him tomorrow" Alyx said after chugging another beer.

"Yeah, not happening private, rookies get first picks remember?"

"But- but I wanna feel those hard muscles against me when I beat him up"

"are you seriously going to just ignore what Ironwood said in the briefing, or are you just lookin to grab every di-"

Ruby got in between the girls when augus stood up and asked "okay, moving on! What's going on tomorrow and why's that such a big deal?"

They both traded looks and backed off, looking curiously at her.

"What did I say?" she asked, looking at them frantically.

"You tell her…corporal" alyx started.

"Tell me what?" Ruby asked.

"You and the other thirty transfers are going up against the war criminal named: Cole foster…and the winner gets him assigned to him or her as a personal trainer and bodyguard or your assistant" she explained exasperatedly.

Alyx snatched a bottle of Atlesian ridge vodka from her locker, and added, "and on top of that, he's obligated to do whatever the winner says and wants, and I mean Anything. They. Want." pouring herself a glass with three black olives and an ice cube.

"She's just a perv-" augus said, handing Ruby a set of keys.

"AND PROUD OF IT" she loudly boasted, throwing an olive at her head. Augus ushered her out the room and stopped halfway through the door and said, "save me some; a civie needs to go home"

She chuckled and snuggled into the couch watching them leave.

"General Ironwood, date june 17th, 17:30. Subject id C-013 has incapacitated nineteen of my best Atlesian operatives and still refuses to break from his habit of brutal one strike take-downs….*sigh* and I'm quickly running thin on troops for tomorrow's event" ironwood sat at his desk observing all of Cole's fights and smiled with obvious pride in his new possible protégé.

Watching as Cole ran towards a 6'10 hulk of a man he slid between the man's legs and in a crouched position jumped toward his back, kicked him in the neck and jaw with the top of his bare foot backflipping and watched as the large man rolled unconscious on the floor like a discarded bag of trash.

Landing in a crouched position, Cole took a deep breath and clenched his fists "HEY IRONWOOD!" Cole yelled angrily clenching his fist "why don't you come down here, so I can kick your tin canned ass!"

Pressing the button on his left he said, "Cole, I told you before, I have a ship load of reasons why I kept you from leaving, I'll tell you about it more when you're in your room-"

"Cell. It's a prisoner's cell not a room, I know the fucking difference!"

Cole watched a squad of medics leaves the room with the man he'd just lied out cold on his face.

"You know I'm innocent, Glynda , ozpin, Ruby, and hell even Anne wheeler knows I'm innocent, so why keep me here!?" he asked throwing a powerful lightning bolt at the glass window and created a five-foot wide burn in the glass. "I told you, I'll explain it more when I meet you in person"

'Yeah and look at where it's gotten me'

Ironwood thought to himself and looked at the computer with a smile and said, "training session concluded; security escort Cole to his room I have something for him, he'll love" he hurriedly rushed out the door of the booth and dialed a number.

"Corporal augus speaking"

"Hello augus, can you send private brown to the special treatment cell?"

"Oh general Ironwood, i-it's an honor to hear from you, uh yes I'll have her sent down right away"

"Thank you, and please do hurry it's important" he said before hanging up and walked to Cole's room as slowly as he could to give them time to get there before he did, going so far as to take the stairs.

James wished he could give Cole everything but oz was watching him like a hungry Grimm, and he needed to be careful in this day and age considering who ozpin was to the world and ever since Cole came in the picture oz showed a bit too much interest in the boy in his facility.

"No matter the sacrifice I will help you, Cole" ironwood spoke into the recorder. "If you found this ozpin, you'll be angry or worse but I'm confident you'll find that I did this for you because Cole need support not to be controlled; the entirety of remnant will either rally behind him or crucify him….our time is over, and I'm ready to usher in a future that peace can last for years, this was the best twenty years of my life and in that time I've learned that you need to face b reality. This is James ironwood of atlas over and out".

"Is something happening that I need to know?" she asked but got no answer while they quickly walked back towards the security desk and was immediately led to a room marked: 51-GM6.

"Don't do or say anything stupid, okay brown, just answer questions and nothing else" she said sternly

"yes ma'am" she said just before they both were searched for any metal and sharp objects before augus was told by one of the guards "sorry, but she's the only one cleared to enter the cell"

She looked at Ruby and said reassuringly, "it's okay, I'll see you back in the room" and left her to the security personnel.

Anxiety gripped her heart and stomach making her feel scared for what lied behind the door, but on the outside she was calm and Stoic to her current state of mind.

After she was cleared and stripped of her stolen sidearm and taser, she dressed herself down in military steel plated boots, light armored white camo cargo pants, and a short-sleeved Atlas military shirt. Satisfied that she wasn't a threat, she heard from behind her "don't do anything stupid brown" from behind and was nudged more than pushed -but it felt like a push- into the door straight into a wall of hard muscle and soft warm skin.

Regardless of the situation, nothing had prepared her for what came next.

"What the-" a familiar voice said in surprise as musculature arms held her close but quickly let her go said person connected to the mismatched arms rushed back and away trying to get away from her but tripped over the arm rest and fell on the small couch, eliciting an 'oof' noise.

"H-hey Cole, it's….good to see you and uhmm…" quickly recovering from his surprise, Cole got off the couch and held his hand up ready to shoot her if he had to.

"Why are you doing here?! " Freezing up he demanded, "did ozpin send-"

Suddenly ruby crashed against his chest hugging him so tight he'd assume he'd disappear if she let go and started crying.

"I'm so happy you're okay" she bellowed into his chest, crying her heart out. "I came here to get you out because…. I am so sorry…*sniff*….I didn't do enough for you, and it drove you out of your only home- I know everyone else seems to feel angry with you, but I couldn't take hunting you…*HIC….HIC*… Weiss is so worried as much as me and-" her grip got firmer with every second as she spoke and froze when he slowly hugged her back just as firmly and ran his fingers through her hair while his other hand rubbed her lower back. "I know Ruby, you don't have to explain anything"

Letting go, they both looked each other over and neither cared too much on choice of clothes, but what Ruby cared about was his bandaged arm and decided not to ask about it yet.

"But you and I both know you shouldn't have come here" Cole said trying and -clearly failing- to escape her bear hug and grip around his midsection, and honestly, she needed it more than he could have known, which made her internally feel better knowing some of his habits didn't disappear.

"Ironwood and the rest of remnant want me either dead or used as a weapon, oz was no different when you and your team rescued me that day, he saw me as a resource or worse a pawn on a chessboard"

"You don't know that" she replied, following him to the other side of the couch, "Glynda may have faked being your adoptive mother but the months you spent in beacon changed everything." She paused to look at him struggling to keep her composure, "and everyone too, because of you, things have changed for remnant, but they just don't know it yet" seeing his expression soften she bowed her head "well everyone except jaune's team, yang and Blake, They are getting worse each day you aren't in their view"

Cole finally managed to wretch her grip off him and scoff at her.

Turning to his dresser, he opened a drawer on his left, fished out and put a white and gray t-shirt on before sitting on the far side of the couch. "It's nice to know I still have allies in beacon…even if it's just you and Weiss…ish" he gave her the kind of neutral gesture before sighing heavy.

She scoffed at that and made him turn to her and when he looked her in the eye he felt anger rise in his throat when she looked at him but shoved it down and drank his beer and sat down far from her on the couch.

"I don't understand why everyone treated you so bad; I get that you went through hell and tried to change for the better, but you have no right to give me that attitude now. I don't know what changed in them yet, but I do know that jaune changed from a quirky blonde dunce into-"

"A cocky bitch with an ego so big he saw me as a threat to his little perfect world and got it in his head that because he has Pyrrha, has powerful friends and is somehow a team leader still, that it gives him the opportunity to try and-" he exclaimed grabbing a beer from the table.

Ruby cut him off with a smack to his arm, and sat next to him with a scowl, "for once just shut up and listen to me. You have plenty of people trying to dig you out of your hole, and you don't even want to see it."

Not getting a reaction she got up and unplugged the TV and sat on the table annoyed, "you're not being fair to me Cole, I have a family and a life you could be a part of, and you spit on it"

He stood up and hurried toward the door but found his arm being tugged at and a cute yet very agitating woman, "your feelings don't justify shit-"

"but I'm trying to give you everything you need to be happy and I'm probably the only one trying to help you in person rather than from a desk with evidence of terrible crimes labeling you a danger to everyone around you-"

He snapped At that moment and whipped around, causing her to flinch and fall to the ground.

Standing over her, clenching his fists and shaking with fury that raced through him like a torrent of fire, but he reigned in as he began lowering to her level. Sparking wildly with blue, gold and orange lighting he said in a rumbling whisper "why don't you try losing the only family you had, survive homelessness for years stealing and clawing to survive." His power flared like a storm around his skin, but he kept it at a small one as he started letting his voice go louder.

"Why don't you try watching your friends turn into spiteful pieces of shit and actively avoid you, betray you and hunt you like a rabid dog- or better yet go watch the only family you know get torn to ribbons then have to sell most of yours and their stuff to buy necessities to live day by day then and only then will we compare notes" letting his glare soften into a sad one he pulled her up as he sat down on the end of the couch. "Plus It's not like any of that shit matters anymore"

Gently touching his shoulder and shifting on the couch she asked "why wouldn't it matter, you still have me, Weiss, Glynda, and it may not look it but even Ozpin sees you as a friend as well as trying to keep you from prison." She noticed his indifference and backed away, "you do still see me as a friend….right?"

"Ozpin only cares about using others like chess pieces Ruby, he only cares about his own goals, nothing more than trying to save the many to sacrifice the few….even if they're at their best" Cole said standing up and walked into his kitchen and looked right at her letting his body somewhat relax to look at her and noticed how little he loved her "but to answer your question no, I don't see you as a friend…not any more Ruby"

Taken aback by his answer she stood up and walked over to him slamming his back against the fridge and angrily asked "you turned your back on me too!?" Cole said nothing, so she pushed into him and up the fridge, "after everything I did- why would you make me and all of us like you if you weren't going to treat us the same?"

"I treated them like family Ruby, or at least I thought they were…. Until jaune and the others proved my fears right about not believing I was able to trust people."

"YOU TURNED ON THEM TOO!" Ruby screamed after punching him in the mouth hard enough to knock him on the floor. Gritting her teeth repressing her other emotions she climbed on top of him sitting on his abdomen holding him down. "You let them drive you away and answered hate with more hate!"

Grabbing her wrists he rolled her off him and forced her to the ground exclaiming "I turned my back on your friends and family, i only seriously hurt a few of them for what they did to me. I lost my family and my life is just one home traded for another" he paused and looked at her in the eye and picked her up by her wrists and pushed her away when she tried hugging him tightly and after a moment she looked up at him and asked "how come you hold your pain inside all the time and expect the people that love you to ignore it when it explodes at the worst times? Why do you let your pain freeze your heart over like this?!"

He was taken aback by the question, but knowing he could trust Ruby he let out a shaky breath and explained, "I lost my family as a child; my entire village wiped out by raven, I had no one to help me through that and deep down I knew nothing was bringing them back." He took a shaky breath in and continued "I even lost a mentor and mother figure, I lost my only friends cause they were too shallow to see reason" he stopped again to calm down, but it wasn't working, his emotions were storming around inside, and he was losing. "Then I nearly lost you because of my power…now the world is after me with a fifty thousand lien bounty that is now gone because I proved my innocence to ozpin's little circle but remnant as a whole still thinks me as a monster"

She put a hand on his chest feeling his heart beat and asked "can you try to change your views and try to think about the better times…for Weiss if for no one else?" he let out a small chuckle and replied realizing how warm she was to his cold body temperature making it perfect to hold each other, but she knew his questions needed to be answered "I can try but no promises"

He took a look at her poor excuse of an adorable pouting face and felt his heart flutter at her glassy eyes reflecting his soul back at him with warmth and sisterly love instead of how he felt thinking about his painful life.

"When I first met you, I thought nothing of you, then you asked me about weapons and helped build my armor…" he paused to stare at his arm as if hating that he knew nothing but how it consumed Grimm smoke; he guessed it was their souls after the taint was physically destroyed.

"I thought you were funny and a bit cute. But…after I started going on missions with you, training with you, studying with you, laughing, crying, and confessing my every sin with you….even that day I sang to you, I realized how great you were; I started seeing you differently- i…." as he trailed off he let her go turning around to go into the bathroom…or he would have if Ruby hadn't rushed in, grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around.

"what was that last part?" she begged with those beautiful silver pools she possessed.

"I said I feel like your family alright" he said quietly, blushing hot red and felt the heat burning in his body.

"when did this happen?" she asked confused as she sat him down in a chair at the table near the window.

"when we were on the Glenn mission alone together" he replied softly.

She knew full well what mission he was referring to and her blush deepened as well as a smile of remembrance spread over her face.

She sat there for almost a full minute until she spoke up, "the mission when we spent the night in an abandoned house near mountain Glenn- you had to take care of me cause I got careless and almost…" she froze and looked right at him and stood up taking her shirt off to show him her stomach but noticed he'd looked away in pain and tears threatening to fall as well as trying to his rage in check, after all It was her near-death experience that kicked off this crap.

She grabbed his face and whispered "look at me…please Cole." as tenderly as she could.

Furthermore, she looked into his eyes seeing pools of emotion she had seen many times and this was no different when she saw through him and the real Cole was truly shown to her, but it was buried behind years of pain and heartache she barely comprehended.

On their mission together his reaction was too slow to stop an attack from a nevermore and caught her off guard impaling her with a talon and pinned her to a wall, though he successfully took it down in one well-placed hit to its neck it was at the cost of accidentally stopping her heart. Yang blamed him, and after he no longer held Ruby and stood in the courtyard he got the beating of a lifetime, one he didn't defend from nor run from believing he deserved each one of yang's blows to his everything for the whole thing, Pyrrha and jaune were disappointed with him and told him to stay away from her, Ren and nora avoided him, Blake informed Glynda and ozpin that he should be arrested for attempted murder because not only had Ruby nearly died but their leader and Platonic sister was -according to them and more students- a danger to her and everyone who came into contact with him. If not for Ruby to clear some of it up it would've been far worse.

Although the staff of beacon were on Cole's side, the students were out for blood and spilling it was all but certain on their list of things they wanted to do to him. When he remembered that he held her in his arms while she had almost bled to death, he became quieter and more distant towards everyone. It was the first time she saw him cry, and still, he held on to the guilt, hell even Weiss of all cold-hearted people consoled him and even let him use her personal caches of lightning dust directly from SDC mines that hadn't been touched when she took him to learn of dust (they both used it as an excuse to take the rarest dust crystal called a citrine's charge it's the only pure dust crystal that seemed to never run out of power, so she took it to give Cole as a birthday gift but never got the chance; she made it into a pendant and boxed it up and put it away in a safe she had made that no one but her knew of.

Pulling himself from his thoughts he jerked his chin from her grasp, but she took her shirt off completely and grabbed his chin again and said sternly "this wasn't your fault" he opened his eyes and slowly looked down at her scar and sighed, taking him by his wrist she led him to touch her stomach and let it ghost over the large scar "my dad and uncle tai don't blame you Cole, just as I don't"

He couldn't take the pain anymore and let the walls break, freeing his tears as he poured out all his pain onto her smooth peachy chest. "I don't know that, but when…*hic*…. We got back to beacon they treated- god sake ruby your sister beat me while you were in the valian hospital, dying!" his pain turned to bitterness while Ruby watched him wreck the place "yang, jaune, Pyrrha, and Glynda were the first to believe that I was a problem while Ren, nora, and Blake…..they did nothing!"

just before he but you and Weiss stood by me through it all" standing up he wiped his eyes and gave her shirt back, after she put it back on and sat together for a few moments he got up and walked into the bathroom not caring that she followed.

Thanks for reading I hope to improve the next chapter.

I'm limiting each chapter to 4000 words from here on.

Comment anything you think could be worked on at:

H6pp1n355_in_misery.

Criticism is appreciated