And here's the next chapter. Roman's part was kind of experimental and I'm not sure how well it came out, and it ended up being a lot more intense then I thought it would be. TW: Sexual Assault.
He turned the corner, shoving past someone as he hurried to his dorm. He stopped in front of his dorm door, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck. He reached into his pocket, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled out his scroll. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the door. He took a breath before exhaling; now or never. He put his scroll to the handle, hearing it click as it was unlocked.
He nudged the door open, sighing in relief; it was still empty. He shut the door behind him, locking it, before going to his bunk. He sat down, looking at the blank screen of his scroll. He exhaled, clicking the screen, watching it come to life. He went to his contacts, his thumb hovering over Aurélie's picture. He hesitated, anxiety twisting his guts, and took a deep breath as he swiped her icon, and started typing.
"hey Auré, it's-" he stopped, balling his spare hand into a fist. He had to start it this way. "Joan. sorry i haven't talked to u in a while. ive been kinda busy" He hit send, resting his scroll on his bed. It chimed a few seconds later, and he snatched it up, his heart thumping as he opened her response.
"I thought your name was Jaune now?" He grimaced.
"howd u know?"
"You were on tv, silly." He face palmed, Ruby had been right. His scroll chimed and his hand slid off his face. "I like it J" His scroll chimed, Aurélie's contact taking up the screen. She wanted to video call. His swiped his thumb over the screen.
"Hi Jaune!" Aurélie said, waving at him.
"H-hey," he said, holding up a hand weakly. Her hair had grown out in the time he had been gone, it was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She was in the room they had shared, her back to the door.
"You look good, Jaune." She said. He rubbed the back of his head, looking away.
"Really?" She nodded, smiling reassuringly.
"I always thought you looked better with short hair." She said.
"D-does everyone know?" he asked. Aurélie nodded. Jaune swallowed. "Even dad?" Aurélie hesitated, her mouth opening and closing several times. Her head jerked back at the sound of a day opening.
"Aurélie, who are you talki-" Jaune's eyes widened, his father doing the same. Aurélie looked between them, biting her lip. His father narrowed his eyes, stepping into the room. "Give me your scroll, Aurélie." Aurelie hesitated, getting off her bed and handing her scroll to their father. His face took up his screen, his stern gaze, clenched jaw, and gray hair. "Wait outside." He said. The door clicked shut behind him.
Jaune's throat was dry, his heart pounding against his chest. He weakly raised a hand in greeting.
"Hi, dad," he said, his voice uneven. His father's gaze was unwavering.
"You have a lot of guts calling here after the shit you've pulled." Jaune grimaced. "Stealing Crocea Mors and the family armor. Running away from home. Joining a Hunter Academy when the combat instructors and I all told you, you couldn't be a Hunter." He smirked. "I guess I was wrong, son."
Jaune's mouth fell open, tears welling in his eyes. His father smiled at him.
"I never believed in you. You were so frail and weak, not like Dijon at all, how could I expect you to be able to survive out there as a Hunter." His father snorted. "And yet here you are, a real Hunter in training at Beacon Academy. And a team leader at that. You're making our family proud, fighting in the Vytal Tournament."
"I want you to come back home during winter break. Your mother and sister miss you." His father's smile grew. "And I can see about getting you some better fitting armor, and a new sword. The family heirlooms aren't the best things to fight with."
Jaune smiled at his father, trying to hold back tears. His voice was thick as he spoke.
"Thanks, dad." His father walked over to the door, opening it.
"I'll let you and Aurélie get back to it. Oh and one more thing." His father's smile grew mischievous. "You're grounded when you get home." Jaune laughed.
Pyrrha opened the door to the dorm room, Ren and Nora behind her. Her eyebrows raised, surprised to see Jaune already in the dorm room, sitting on his bed, his scroll held out in front of him. He looked up at them as they came in. He smiled and waved them over.
"Who are you waving at, Jaune?" a female voice asked.
"My team. I want them to meet you. Oh! Go and get the others, they'll wanna meet them too!" he said. Pyrrha sat down next to Jaune, Ren taking his other side, and Nora climbing onto the bunk above, dangling upside down above Jaune. The screen showed a bedroom, the walls a pale yellow, the door ajar.
"Who were you talking to?" Pyrrha asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"My sister, Aurélie." He said.
"Cool! We finally get to meet your sisters!" Nora said, her face starting to turn red.
"What made you decide to call them?" Ren asked. Jaune shrugged.
"I felt like it was time."
A moment later a group of blonde girls of varying age came into the room, all excited, trying to cram their face in the camera's view.
"Hi Jaune!"
"Is that Pyrrha Nikos?"
"We missed you!"
Jaune smiled, waving at the screen.
"Hey guys."
Pyrrha smiled, nuzzling Jaune's shoulder as he began to introduce them to his various sisters.
His wrists were chaffed, blood slowly dripping down. His breathing was noisy, his nose broken and his lip split. His teeth were broken and cracked, his mouth aching. Damn Atlesian scum had to be drugging him, putting something in his food to keep his aura from regenerating. He could feel blood caked on his upper lip, and his left eye throbbed with pain with every breath. His tiny cell reeked of sweat, and body odor.
He raised his hands, the chained cuffs not allowing them to go up very far. He lowered his body, gritting his teeth as he lowered his chest over his hands. He fished through his coats pocket's, pulling out his most prized possessions.
Torchwick leaned back, smiling contently. Two photographs; the only things he carried on him he would kill without hesitation to protect. He ran his thumb over the old photos; the photo Neo's mother had taken of him cradling Neo in his arms, adoration on his face, and the photo he had taken with his team before he had gotten expelled; Team REDD.
He ran across the orphanages courtyard, a book in his arms, and a smile on his lips. He found the shady tree he always sat under and plopped down, opening the book to the page he had dog eared. His smile grew as he continued the adventure; the dashing rogue saving the city and stopping the Grimm.
He looked up from his book, looking past the brick building he called home. He would get out of this place. He was going to be a hero, just like in the books.
Roman sat in the Great Hall of Beacon Academy, clapping as the next team took the stage. A woman in a white gothic dress and a white cloak took the stage, a zweihänder slung across her back. A solemn faced man in gray, and an identical looking woman in red and black joined the woman's side. They carried a scythe and an odachi. A cheery blonde man in bright clothes joined them. The four of them stood in front of Ozpin, waiting. Ozpin smiled.
"The four of you recovered the Golden Knights, from this day forward you will work together as Team STRQ. Led by Summer Rose." Ozpin held out his hand. Summer smiled, her silver eyes beaming with joy as she shook it. Qrow and Raven politely shook Ozpin's hand, their solemn expressions unchanging. Ozpin's arm shook as Taiyang shook his hand.
Laughter broke out in the packed auditorium at that. Ozpin massaged his hand as Summer and her team went back to their seats. Ozpin cleared his throat and the laughter died down.
"And now for the last team for the evening. Roman Torchwick. Eon Politan. Dahlia Khatri. Dandelion Lusus. Please step forward."
Roman smiled, looking over at his partner. She looked back at him, smiling as well, excitement in her pink and brown eyes. They stood up, making their way down to the stage, their soon to be team mates joining them. His stomach was in knots as he stepped onto the stage, resting his sweaty hands behind his back as he stood before Ozpin.
"The four of you managed to recover the Bronze Pawn. From this day forward you will work together as Team REDD. Led by Roman Torchwick." Ozpin held out his hand as the auditorium applauded. Roman shook his hand politely, worried the sweat would bother his headmaster. Eon shook his hand after him, and embraced Roman's side. Roman blushed, some of the other students starting to 'awww'. He bashfully returned the embrace while Dahlia and Dan shook Ozpin's hand.
The darkness of Beacon Academy at night was enveloping, crushing. Roman kept his hands in his pocket as he walked through the courtyard. Late night studying was gonna be the death of him. He shrugged; if he wanted to be a Hunter that meant getting through all the boring crap Oobleck taught.
"Please! Stop!" A woman screamed. Roman stopped, his head jerking over in the direction of the scream.
"I said shut up you fucking animal!" The woman cried out in pain, and Roman ran into the darkness, anxiety shooting through him. He rounded a corner, skidding to a stop, his breath catching in his throat.
Maximus Rust Winchester, a beast of a man, was pressing a Faunus woman with dark brown hair and rabbit ears against a wall. Her shirt had been ripped open, her bra shredded. One hand was wrapped around her throat, his other hand wresting on her skirt. His zipper was undone. Roman held back the vomit at the back of his throat, his body trembling as he stepped forward, his hands balling into fists.
"Let her go!" He shouted. Maximus looked back at him, his hand still on her throat.
"Get out of here, boy. Don't try and be a hero." Roman sneered, and shook his head. He raised his fists, trying to keep his body from trembling. He charged at Maximus with a yell.
Maximus let the woman go, sidestepping Roman as he swung at him. Roman spun around, kicking Maximus in the crotch. He yelped in pain, crumpling to the floor. Roman pounced on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor, pounding into his face. Roman yelped as Maximus shoved his arms forward, knocking Roman off of him. Roman landed on his back, scrambling back as Maximus tried to kick him. Roman got to his feet, ducking under Maximus' hook.
Maximus yelled out in pain, crumpling to the floor again. The woman was breathing hard, tears in her eyes as she lowered her leg. Maximus glared up at them, snarling as he spoke.
"You're gonna regret this." Maximus looked over his shoulder at the woman, hate in his eyes. "You say a word about this, and I'll kill you." Roman scowled and kicked him in the face, stomping on his head. Blood spurted from his nose at it broke, his body going limp as he went unconscious.
Roman was breathing hard as he looked over at the woman. She stared at Maximus in terror, clutching her shredded clothes to hide her dignity. She turned and ran, he could hear her hiccupping as she fled.
His hands were trembling as he held them behind his back. Headmaster Ozpin was glaring at him, the green light from his windows enshrouding him.
"As I'm sure you are aware, this school has a strict policy on harassment. I got a report from Mr. Winchester that he caught you trying to sexually assault Ms. Scarlatina, calling her a slur as well. And that when he confronted you, you physically assaulted him. I had Professor Goodwitch and Doctor Sorrel talk to Ms. Scarlatina as well, and her account matches Mr. Winchester's."
His eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock.
"What?" he said, stepping forward. His hands left his back, motioning with them as he spoke. "That's impossible. I saved her! If I hadn't been there that monster would have raped her! Or even killed her!"
Ozpin stood up, glowering at him.
"Mr. Winchester and Ms. Scarlatina have no reason to lie about this. From this moment forward you will no longer be a member of my school."
"What about my team? They need me, I'm their leader!" Ozpin's gaze was stony.
"They will continue their education without you. You are expelled from Beacon Academy, Mr. Torchwick. And I have notified the VPD about what transpired here. They will be taking you into custody once you leave." Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "Which I would advise you to do. Now."
He was alone in his cell, the metal bench uncomfortable. His hands were in his lap, his head hung low. He had saved that girl, why would she lie?
There was a metallic clanging and he looked up, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.
A man in a white suit stood before his cell, his black beard oily. The man smiled, his teeth yellow.
"Roman Torchwick, right?" he asked. Roman nodded, narrowing his eyes. The man laughed. "No need for that look, I'm here to help ya. Names Nero. Nero Sangria" The man started to pace. "I heard what ya did, raped that animal girl."
"I didn't-!"
"Shut up." Nero said coldly. Roman closed his mouth, looking away.
"I don't usually help people into bestiality. But what ya did after that caught my attention." Nero looked over his shoulder at him, his yellow teeth sickening in the dim light. "Ya beat the shit out of a Winchester; one of the Schnee lapdogs. Ya got a year of Hunter training under your belt, I could use someone like ya in my organization."
"Organization?" Roman asked.
"It's a family business, lots of good money for easy jobs. Just gotta move some Dust around. It'll piss off the Schnee's, Winchesters, and all those other families." Nero reached his hand into Roman's cell. "If ya want in, I can take care of this situation for ya. What do ya say?"
Roman left his bench, taking his hand. Nero's grip was firm.
Hei Xiong's club was gaudy, the neon lights hurting his eyes. The music was thumping, the bass messing with his chest. He climbed down the crystal staircase, stepping around people as they tried to leave.
Nero needed him to pick up the money Hei owed him. Simple job. Roman eyed the poorly dressed goons littered throughout the club, and tightened the grip on his cane.
He took a seat at the bar, next to a dark skinned woman with white hair and the big man himself. Hei was watching over the club's crowd, a martini in hand. Roman turned in his seat.
"Looking kinda old there, Junior." He said. Hei snorted, downing his drink. He set the glass on the bar counter.
"I told Nero I would have his money."
"Yeah about that, Nero isn't the waiting kind of guy. He wants it now." Hei gave him a cold look before sighing.
"Fine. Wait here." Roman leaned back in his seat, drumming his fingers on his cane as he waited, nerves eating at him.
"Roman?" He turned in his seat; he knew that voice. His eyes widened as he looked at the woman next to him.
"Eon?" She smiled at him, setting her drink to the side. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Graduation party." She leaned against the counter, resting her head in her hand. She was looking him over, at the new clothes Nero had him wear. "Dan and Dalhi are down there if you wanna go say hi." He shook his head.
"I'm here for a job. And besides…." He paused, looking at his hands. "I don't think they would want to talk to a villain like me." He felt Eon place a hand on his shoulder, her touch gentle. He looked back at her, her face warm.
"We don't think you did that Roman. You're not that kind of person. You got a good heart deep down. Panne was scared, and who wouldn't have been if that happened to them. She didn't think the school could protect her, a Faunus, from someone with the kind of pull a Winchester has." Roman frowned.
"Well, glad to see you three know the truth." Eon slid her hand down his arm, her touch caressing. He looked into her pink and brown eyes. She flashed him a smile.
"Do you want to go somewhere after you're done with this 'job'? I've missed you." She licked her lips, the end of her tongue forked. "So much."
She had her mother's eyes, her little tufts of hair matching; pink and brown. He smiled at her, waving a finger in front of her face, cooing. She drooled, grabbing his finger with her stubby hands. He looked up as Eon came over, a milk bottle in hand. He gingerly handed her over to her, scooting over so Eon could sit next to him. Eon rested her head on his shoulder as she fed their daughter, their little Neo.
He killed the car's engine, the rain pitter pattering against the windshield softly. He sighed, resting his head on the car wheel. This daycare cost so much. He glanced at the frilly pink umbrella that she loved so much. But she was worth it. He grabbed the umbrella and opened the car door. He walked across the daycare parking lot, the air chilly and cutting through his jacket.
He opened the door, grunting in disgust at the pastel colors and bright lights that hit him as he entered. The woman in charge looked up from the table she was crouched next to. She straightened out her blouse, looking uneasy.
"Mr. Torchwick I wanted to have a word with you about your daughter." He cocked his head to the side.
"Oh?" She glanced at the children at the table before motioning for him to follow her. She started to walk to a different part of the daycare.
"Since she's been here she's been rather…" she made a face as she thought of the word. "Antisocial. She doesn't talk to any of the other kids, or to us."
"She's mute." He said. The woman blinked.
"Regardless, she's been having behavior issues. She doesn't play with the other children, and she's acted rather violently towards some of them." She stopped, and Roman looked past her to see Neo sitting by herself in a corner. "She stabbed another girl in the hand with her fork during lunch, and we caught her throwing stones at squirrels during recess." Neo looked up from her knees, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "And…. Don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Torchwick, but is your daughter a Faunus?" He looked at the woman. He narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you ask?" She crossed her arms.
"This is a Faunus free place, sir. I'll have to respectfully ask you to take your daughter somewhere else." Roman frowned and shoved past her, going to Neo. She hopped to her feet, smiling and holding out her hand. He took it, shooting the woman a death glare as he left.
"That little monster is not my daughter!" Eon screamed. Roman scowled.
"She's your kid you dumb bitch! You need to start taking care of her! I can't be the only one raising her!" Eon snorted.
"Oh, because you're so busy doing your 'job'. Any street rat can smuggle dust."
"Someone's gotta pay the bills! You certainly aren't with that Hunter salary!" Eon's head snapped over to their bedroom door; it was cracked open and Neo was peering in. Eon scowled and stormed off, slamming their bathroom door shut. Roman went to Neo, scooping her into his arms, patting her back. "It's okay, Neo. Mom and Dad are just having a disagreement."
He took her to her room, tucking her into her bed. Neo held her arms out, and Roman hugged her. He broke the hug, handing her her favorite stuffed animal. She smiled and snuggled with it. He left the room, closing the door gently.
He opened the door, his mouth falling open. A man in a black suit stood in the doorway, Eon's rifle slung over his shoulder.
"You're Eon Politan's husband, correct?" Roman nodded. The man handed him her rifle, his eyes were sympathetic. "I regret to inform you that she was killed on her latest mission. The village she was defending buried her remains, but wanted to send this to you." The man said stepping back. Roman's lip quivered, falling to his knees, clutching her rifle to his chest. He hiccupped, feeling the tears fall down his cheeks. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Roman looked up from the soup he was making, the front door slamming open. He cocked an eyebrow, lowering the ladle. He stepped out of the kitchen and looked into the living room to see Neo sitting in a chair, her legs tucked up to her chin, staring at the floor. Roman went to her side.
"You okay?" he asked. Neo shook her head.
"Am I an animal?" she signed. He blinked, his expression falling.
"Of course not. Who called you that?" Neo wouldn't look at him as she signed her response.
"Everyone at school calls me that. And…" she paused, her hands trembling. "You called mom that some times. And when you have work people over you use that word." Roman frowned, chewing his lip.
"Neo, you know how I smoke?" She nodded. "It's like that for me with that word. I know it's hurtful but I've just gotten used to saying it when I'm angry. I'll try and stop, for you." He rested a hand on her shoulder, offering a comforting smile. "And the next time someone talks to you like that, beat em to within an inch of their life, got it?" Neo nodded, a grin spreading across her face.
He checked his watch, frowning; Neo didn't stay out this long. He got up from his chair, peeking out the window. His breath hitched in his throat, and he bolted to the door, throwing it open.
"Neo!" he screamed, running from the door and down the sidewalk.
She was naked, blood on her hands and feet, her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her face. She was trembling, covering herself with her hands. She looked up at him, her mouth forming a voiceless cry. She collapsed onto the sidewalk, her trembling worsening. He slid to his knees, tossing off his jacket, and wrapping it around her. She pressed her forehead against his chest, sobbing in silence.
The rain pelted down on him as he threw open his car trunk.
"Augustus, my boy! So good to see you again!" he said, looking down at the naked, bound and gagged man in his trunk. His screams were muffled by the sock in his mouth. Roman grabbed him by his neck, hurling him out of his car and into the mud. He kicked him in the gut, enjoying the strangled cry of pain. He twirled his cane, smiling at the man as he spoke.
"My dear little Neo went and told me what you did." He struck Augustus across the face with his cane. He stepped on his chest, slamming the end of his cane into his throat. "And!" smack "You!" smack "Should!" smack "Have!" smack "Known!" smack "Not!" smack "To!" smack "Fuck!" smack "With!" smack "Me!" Roman yelled. He smacked Augustus across the face with his cane, the schmuck's aura breaking with the hit. "Your daddy isn't here to help you, you little shit. Nero can't save you this time." Roman sneered, stepping off his chest and slamming his heel into his nose. He felt his nose break, blood running down his face, mingling with the rain.
Roman stepped away from him, his lip twitching as he turned to the car and motioned to her. Neo opened her door, stepping out, a knife in her shaking hand. Roman grabbed his hat, twirling his cane as he did a bow.
"He's all yours. He won't be able to hurt you." He put his hat back on, stepping out of her way. He grinned as Neo kicked Augustus in the crotch, his muffled cries for help were like music.
Neo dropped to her knees, Augustus trying to squirm away. Neo grabbed his neck and stabbed the knife into his knees, the gag doing nothing to silence his screams. Roman's smile grew as Neo yanked the knife out, stabbing it into his other knee, twisting the blade. She yanked it out, a grin starting to form as she stabbed his crotch repeatedly, her blade coated in blood. She looked Augustus in the eye, grabbing him by the hair as she jabbed the blade into his gut, blood and entrails spurting out as she sliced his stomach open. His body shook, growing still after a moment. Neo yanked her blade out, and stabbed it into the side of his head before standing up, turning to Roman with a sweet smile, specks of blood on her face.
Roman smiled back.
The shithole they were hiding in had a leaky roof, and was drafty when the wind blew. Neo was coloring, laying on her stomach on the floor. Roman sat in his chair, his scroll in his lap, his cane next to him.
There was a banging at the door and Roman' head jerked up. He stood up, grabbing his cane, motioning for Neo to stay put. He went to the door as it banged again.
He glanced up at the door as the banging continued. He scowled, painfully contorting his body to pocket the photos again. He straightened out his body, smirking confidently.
"What did you bring me this time, boys? The toys you used last time were pretty tame." The door slid open, and his smirk fell.
Neo stood in his cell doorway, her pink and brown hair pulled back into a bun. She wore an Atlesian officer uniform. Her mouth parted as she looked him over, at what the Atlesian's had done to him.
"Hi, dad," she signed. Her eyes lingered on his swollen eye. "How have you been holding up?" He rolled his neck, wincing slightly at the pain.
"I've been through worse." Her body shook, resting a hand on her lips.
"Liar," she signed after her laughing had ended. He shrugged, offering a smile.
"It's what I do best." He shifted in his seat. "I'm guessing she's done taking her sweet time?" Neo nodded.
"It's in a few days." Neo's lip curled over her teeth, smiling devilishly. "I can't wait to have fun." Roman looked at his hands, the dried blood caking his palms. He snorted. Fun. He looked back up at Neo. She had her head cocked to the side, an eyebrow raised.
"Are you okay, dad?" she signed. He nodded, flexing his fingers.
"I want to get this over with, Neo." Neo looked at his bloody wrists, before nodding. She glanced around her before stepping into the cell, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Roman smiled, nuzzling her shoulder as she hugged him. She pulled back a moment later, a warm smile on her face.
"Sorry this is taking so long." Neo's head perked up, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Her eyes widened, her hands almost a blur as she signed. "Troops coming. I have to hide. Love you, see you soon."
Neo turned and ran, the door to his cell sliding shut. Roman leaned back in his cell, exhaling, his expression falling.
There are no hero's in the end.
Green light filtered through the windows of his office. He rested a leg on his knee, watching the sunset. He closed his eyes and inhaled, holding the breath for a moment before exhaling. He pulled his scroll out.
"Glynda?" A moment of silence.
"Yes, sir?"
"Send her up." She sighed, her voice quiet.
"Yes, sir." He hung up, interlocking his fingers as he sat in his office. May the Gods forgive him for what he was about to do.
And that's it.