Warning: Attempted self-harm and mutilation is in this chapter.
Thou hast been warned.
Over the next few months, she and Wynion hung out.
Once or twice a week, she would make the pilgrimage to Vale, where the two would meet up in the very same park they played tag. She always brought lunch (read: cookies), which they would eat and talk. Sometimes, they talked about random things. Sometimes, he helped her with her school work (he provided moral support), and sometimes, they talked about weapons (Ruby talked about weapons, he just listened).
For a while, everything was going perfect.
Then one day, she forgot her cookies.
"Have you ever gotten a job?" Ruby asked as they made their way to the bakery. Of course she insisted on going to the bakery for replacement cookies. A lack of cookies was sacrifc- sacrigde... sacrilodge... BAD! He looked nervous as the bakery came into view, but she ignored his strange reaction.
"I once tried to get involved in organised crime-" he started, only to be interrupted by Ruby rolling up her homework and smacking him on the head.
"No. Bad. No organised crime!" she chastised him.
"Kid! Stop!"
Oh those were the wrong words to say.
"STOP CALLING ME KID IF YOU WANT ME TO STOP!"
"SORRY!" Ruby giggled.
"So. Why aren't you in organised crime?" The unsaid message being: You better not be doing serious criminal stuff.
"Have you ever seen a seven year old walk up to a gang of criminals and ask for a job? Either a). The criminals get the kid doing something they'll regret, or more likely b). The criminals laugh their asses off and throw you outside. The second one always happened to me."
Wynion pulled her back by her cloak before she entered. His expression was unreadable.
"Wynnie? What's wrong?" She was a bit concerned.
"Are… Are you sure about getting cookies?" He sounded... scared?
"Always! Why?"
"I'll just wait for you outside then…" He was definitely scared.
Ruby Rose was not an expert in psychology. But she did know that the best way to confront fear was to face it. That's what they said at least… But if she can help her friend, then she will most certainly do her best to do so!
"Wynnie?" she caught his attention gently. "I don't know what exactly you are afraid of, but I, Ruby Rose, promise I'll be right here with you."
He swallowed, "Can't we just-" Ruby dragged him through the door.
"Hello. Welcome to…" The guy behind the counter stared at Ruby's companion.
"Hi! Can we get-"
"What's the mutt doing in here?"
...what?
"Are… Are you talking about…?"
"Yeah, the fucking dog in back of you. We don't allow pets in here."
...What.
...
WHAT!?
"HEY! DON'T CALL WYNIO-" Ruby felt herself being dragged by the cloak, and allowed it as she was still too far in shock to react. They nearly traveled an entire block before she could smack her friend's hand away, "WYNION, HE JUST-"
She felt herself falter as Wynion gave her a look she hadn't seen before. He looked… dead. Like the insults were something he heard every day.
She was the one who dragged him into the bakery. She was the one who promised she could help him. She was the one who failed, not only as a friend, but as a future huntress.
There was only one thing she could do.
It wasn't Ruby's fault for the first bakery. It wasn't her fault either for the next half a dozen bakeries she dragged him to so she could make it up to him about the scene in the first one. It was really unlucky that all of those bakeries also harbored grudges against the faunus. Sometimes, it felt like the whole city of Vale was against the faunus, but that wasn't true. It was only around the area he tended to steal from. Not because he had a sense of justice, but because he tended to find the most carrying lien from people there. It was a pretty decently sized chunk though-
"Wynion? Are you… mad at me?" Ruby asked. She wasn't touching her cookies...
He did this.
They made enough bad stops that the silver-headed faunus led them on a four mile walk to a bakery he knew was fine with his... deformities. He shook his head. How could he? It wasn't her fault.
It was his.
Ruby frowned, "I can't tell what you're thinking. I'm really sorry…"
"It's fine-"
"No it isn't!"
Silence returned from it's coffee break.
His stupid ears. They always got him in trouble.
This was a serious problem. One Wynion intended to fix.
The next day, Ruby went to check in on Wynion. She didn't know what he was feeling, but she knew it couldn't be good. She also made sure to bring cookies, but this time not for her. She couldn't believe how blind she was, dragging him across half of Vale- ignoring his silent pleas to stop. Ugh… She couldn't do anything about that now. Now, she had to fix this.
Wynion wasn't in their agreed spot. That was... worrying. She hoped he was alright.
So, to keep herself from worrying too much, Ruby Rose embarked on a short adventure. To figure out where her best friend was being kept!
Ruby took a stroll in the park, keeping an eye out for the dirty white hoodie with silvery ears poking out of the hood. The trees were really nice, but they were quickly losing leaves. Winter was coming after all. She was a bit worried for his health, but Wynnie assured her that the shelter he stayed at was warm enough.
She saw a small bridge and decided to travel the path that went under. There wasn't anyone in the park today. So quiet…
As she walked the beaten rode, she came into view of the familiar white hoodie. She kept her footsteps as quiet as possible-
"Hhhguuuhhh..." Wynion groaned, he was clutching his head in…
She came to a stop as she saw what he was doing.
In his right hand was a razor.
He wasn't grabbing his head.
He was holding his wolf ears.
Trying to cut through his wolf ears.
"Wynion?"
He didn't know why he let Ruby see.
Maybe it was because he wanted to show that he was prepared to do anything to become her friend.
Maybe it was because he wanted to show her just how disgusting he truly was.
Maybe he knew that she would see through him if he tried to do it after they talked, and he felt like he was putting it off long enough.
The truth was lost to him.
It was funny how one little detail could change everything. He wanted to be friends with her so badly. But he knew that he couldn't make her suffer the consequences that came with being his friend.
So he decided to solve that problem.
His fucking ears never did anything good for him anyways.
"Wynion?"
Well, there she is…
He stopped his painful cutting, but couldn't bear to turn around and face her.
"Wynion. Wh-what are y-you doing…?"
"It's... for the best."
"You're hurting yourself…"
"No," he countered, "I was hurting you by not doing this sooner. I… I wanted to be your friend, but-"
"We are fr-" Ruby hurriedly tried to correct.
"But I have to make up for my flaws somehow. I'm removing them."
Her mind raced as she tried to think of something… Anything… to make him stop.
But they were so soft. I wanted to pet them again.
"Why would that matter? They're just ears. ALL THEY FUCKING DO IS MAKE ME A TARGET!" He began to cut again, more blood leaking from his right ear, groaning.
STUPID MOUTH! I SAID IT OUT LOUD...
"B-because…"
Oh no.
"Because…"
Fuck oh fuck oh fuck idontknowwhattosay…
"BECAUSE I WON'T BE YOUR FRIEND IF I CAN'T PET THEM!"
NO NOT THAT!
She slapped her hand over her mouth before she could say anything worse
Wynion stopped.
"Th-that's not fair…" He sounded… unsure?
It was silent under the bridge, the only sound was the heavy panting of her friend.
Time seemed to stand still.
It was a moment that stretched on for eternity.
The razor dropped out of his hand.
Ruby ran to him, grabbing into a tight hug, wrapping her hands around his arms, forcing him to drop them from his head. She held him for a minute, before dragging him out of the shadows and into the light, headed to the nearest water fountain.
Neither of them spoke, as she checked the cut, and wiped away the blood.
It was a quiet day in the park.
So. Just wanted to say a couple things.
First order of business, all events in the story are used to further the character development. There will be no political commentary or remarks from me. A lot of authors tend to slip in their personal opinion about race relations when the topic of faunus comes up. It's neither a bad nor good thing. I'm just sayin', don't read into all of this too much.
Y'all failed me in telling whether or not I should update the rating.
Silence is becoming it's own OC at this point
You may be questioning my decision to jump directly to Wynion cutting his fucking ears off. Y'all have lost the right to question me when y'all didn't tell me whether or not I should update the rating, but I'm a merciful soul so I'll explain.
There were two reasons, one: Ruby was Wynion's first friend. Does it make sense? Not really. Is it for character development? yes. And never question the development (unless questioning improves it or y'know what? Question it).
The second: I'm a bit lazy. I tried to think of an event taking place such as a group of faunus haters beating up Ruby or Wynion. But all of those events introduced elements which are not supposed to be present this early in the timeline.
Next chapter is gonna be the second part of the prologue, where we'll meet Ozpin, and the plot is going to start.
I lowered it back down to a T after remembering that the youth of today are no strangers to self harm. This story's sticking with T since Chang Gang (god bless your soul) said it was fine as long as it doesn't get more descriptive in violence, and this story ain't gonna get more of that violence. I think.
Okay. So I'm now completely done with editing the previous chapters (who am I kidding? I'll probably go back again for something minor or to change a word or something). Next chapter is being worked on, and I need to re-watch some RWBY to get my bearings.
I always found it fascinating that the idea of removing the animal traits from faunus doesn't come up more often. I mean, it happens in the real world (skin bleaching, ect.), not too far of a stretch to imagine it happening in RWBY.