Someone on the RWBY subreddit (mewtwo15026) suggested the ship name "360 No Scope" and I just like that term in general xD so I'm gonna use that as the new ship name (and MayReese when/if I forget) On tumblr, I might keep it as MayReese because tagging it as 360 No Scope might incur the wrath of some FPS players/make it difficult to track…unless we use the tag "RWBY 360 No Scope"…Hmm.
Anyway, on with the story!
May darts back and forth between the trees in front of the campus, hoping this will exhaust her. Sweat begins to pour down her face and she wipes at it roughly with the sleeve of her hoodie. She stops in front of the largest tree in the area, slowing down her breathing and bounces on her toes.
She closes her eye for a second before opening it again, sprinting towards the tree. She runs up the trunk and hops up to one of the higher branches, unaffected by the leaves and twigs digging into her body. Bringing up an imaginary sniper rifle, she takes aim at an imaginary adversary and imitates taking a shot.
Dropping her hands, she leans back against the trunk. She wipes away the sweat again, letting out wisps of air. May shuts her eye for a second, taking in the stillness of the area. The cool breeze rustles the leaves, also causing her to shiver slightly. In hindsight, it might have been a better idea to have dressed a bit warmer. Then again, Vacuo isn't well known for a cold environment. Shivering again, she curls up and rubs her hands up and down her arms. It doesn't look like she'll be tiring out any time soon.
A humming sound passes overhead, causing her to stiffen reflexively. She scans the area for cover, waiting to see if the noise is getting closer. Deciding that the coast is clear, she slowly stands up and climbs upwards to the thicker parts of the tree. Reaching up, she grabs onto a low-hanging branch.
Unfortunately, it snaps just as she is beginning to pull herself up. She lets out a curse as she tries to regain her balance. The humming sound is suddenly louder and she freezes, pressing her body against the trunk and hoping that whoever or whatever it is doesn't notice her. She slows down her breathing to try and locate the sound. Realizing where it is, she glances down to see a figure…floating? No. They're on…something. Crap. What should she do? If it's one of the professors from Beacon, this could be extremely bad for her team and Shade Academy. She doubts other students would be out now at this time so it has to be a professor. A part of her prays that it isn't the blonde professor with the riding crop. She'd probably punish everyone just because of her. She shakes her head to try and rid that thought from her head.
She'll have to try and get down from the tree without getting caught. Then she'll have to make a break for it.
Ok…maybe it was a bad idea to be out here at night. Reese shivers, despite wearing three layers. She tightens her hood slightly and rubs her arms. At least the wind isn't super dry like Mistral's, but it's still pretty chilly.
Swerving to the side to position herself, she slips between two tree branches. Righting herself, she continues through the branches, keeping a straight path. Using the branches as practice, she forces herself to keep sole focus on the branches in front of her.
Coming towards a mass of branches, she smirks, ever so slightly excited for the challenge. She even urges her hoverboard to go a bit faster as she bends her knees in anticipation. Right before her board collides, she swings her legs up and skims the branches, splinters flying off. She exits the tree, a small branch attached to her shoulder. She peels it off and tosses it away as she flies towards a much bigger tree.
The wind picks up slightly, reminding her that she really shouldn't be out here for much longer. "Just one last obstacle course…" she promises herself as she circles around, examining it carefully. Once her observations are done, she chooses a starting point and prepares herself…when she suddenly hears a snap on the other side.
Curious, she heads for the source. She scans the interior of the tree when she spots a figure trying to move. Worry sets in as Reese starts to panic.
Why are they up there? How'd they end up there? Are they stuck? Should she go get someone to help? Maybe she should wake up Arslan and have her help her rescue this person. Which school is she from, though? If she's from another school, she doubts Arslan would be willing to help. Maybe Nadir or Bolin would be willing to help? But what if- Her rapid-fire internal debate stops when she notices the figure start to move, trying to descend. So, she calls out to them.
"Um…do you need help?" they ask. The question throws her off for a second; she hadn't been expecting that. She had been expecting a professor, but the voice doesn't carry the same sternness as a professor. Regardless, May doesn't respond, trying to find a branch close by to help in her descent. This person might try to turn her in if she talks to them. "Hey…" The person continues trying to get her attention, but she does her best to ignore them. If she's not careful… "Hey!"
She ducks her head down towards the person, the pestering starting to annoy her. Distracted by her attempt to stop the person, she hadn't noticed that she was a few inches off from the tree branch. "Shoot-" Her heart rushes up her throat as she free falls.
"Whoa!" May hears the humming intensify as she braces herself for impact. Brawnz is gonna kill her. She lands on something…softer…than she had expected, but she doesn't have long to determine what it is before she hears the person scream as well. Next thing she knows, she's tumbling along the ground with someone else. Something bounces off to the side with a clatter as the pair come to a stop. She blinks, trying to reorient herself when her she feels pressure on her chest.
Wait…She opens her eye, about ready to push off the person when she makes eye contact with them. The basil-colored eyes, full of concern but a faint glint of mischief twinkling in the back, scan her face to see if she's bleeding anywhere. Some strands of the girl's light-green hair are nearly touching her face as the girl bends down to examine her closely. Her face starts burning, despite the cold, when she remembers where one of the girl's hands are. "Um…"
She looks downwards, redirecting the girl's attention. She lets out a gasp, pulling her hand off May's chest and pushes herself off. Her face is just as, if not more, red as May's. "C-crap, s-sorry about that! I was just, uh, exploring the campus 'cuz I couldn't sleep! And then I was goin' by that tree…" she gestures to the tree behind her, "…when I heard a snap! I wanted to make sure it wasn't anybody, but then I saw you." The girl rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "You looked like you were gonna fall so I wanted to help you, but…"
May barely registers anything the girl is saying, openly gawking at her. Has she ever seen this girl anywhere before? Is she even a student at Shade? Or Beacon? The girl notices May's intense gaze and nervously looks away, trying to figure out what to say. "Um…" May begins, trying to find her voice. Why is it so hard to speak up? Keep it together, May! "What school are you from?" Real freaking smooth, May Zedong. Of all the things she could've asked…
"Oh, I'm from Haven Academy! I've never seen you at my school before so I guess you're from Beacon?" she replies without missing a beat.
May's jaw moves, but she's still struggling to form words. "Shade Academy," she answers succinctly. Damn it, the girl probably thinks she's rude. It's not often she interacts with anyone outside of her team – hell, she barely even talks that much with her team. But it's not like she can help it. She's always been an introvert, even before the accident. The mere thought of the accident sends a pulsation of pain and she reflexively curls up, her left hand instantly on her eye.
She grits her teeth as she hisses in pain, noting the shocked look on the Haven student. "Hey, are you okay? Should I go get your teammates or-?"
"N…no, the pain…will pass…" she mutters, shaking her head in case the student didn't hear her. Normally it doesn't hurt this badly. Amidst the pain, she senses the student's presence right next to her.
"A-are you sure? I can carry you to the infirmary," she offers. May slowly breathes in and out, feeling the pain finally subside. Once she's sure it's gone, she relaxes and opens her eye. The student looks on worriedly, ready to help her if the pain does come back.
"I'm fine now…" May whispers quietly, pulling up her scarf to hide the creeping blush. She also pulls down her beanie ever so slightly to prevent the student from seeing her ears reddening as well. She slowly stands up, the student standing up with her as well. She offhandedly notes that the student is slightly taller than her.
She starts walking away from the student when she calls out to her. "Hey! Wait up!" Despite her strong urge to keep walking, something about the girl's request forces her to comply. The humming comes back and she almost jumps when the student appears in front of her. She glances down and realizes that the source the whole time had been a hoverboard. "Lemme guess, you couldn't sleep because of the pain?"
May is surprised that she had guessed correctly; then again, it is rather obvious. She nods once. "The same to you?"
The girl shakes her head, "Nah, just really nervous about the tournament tomorrow. I was out here to try and clear my head…We both know what happened afterwards." She chuckles slightly, causing May's stomach to suddenly have butterflies in her stomach. Suddenly, the sound of that girl's laughter is the only thing that matters to her. She'd do anything to make her laugh like that again. The girl notices that she doesn't seem to be responding. "Hey, you're spacing out on me again…Oh! I know, wanna go to the top of one of the towers?" She points towards the neighboring spires of the Beacon tower.
"J-just the two of us?"
"Why not? I was planning on it after I finished my little impromptu training with the trees. I was hoping some stargazing would help me fall asleep."
"I…I'm not sure if we're allowed to…They might have security there."
"Oh…you're right." The girl's excited expression changes to a rather dejected one and May desperately tries to think of a solution. It hurt her physically and emotionally just looking at that expression.
"…How about…" She spots the aqueducts, hesitating for a brief moment.
"The aqueducts!" The student exclaims, the cheerful expression now back on her face. The hoverboard hums for a moment as it slowly rises. The student extends a hand out to May, urging her silently to join her. "Do you trust me?" The lopsided smirk and the mischievous glint in her eyes are both alluring and a warning that they might not be returning to their rooms anytime soon…and yet…
May finds herself placing her hand into the student's. "Yes…" The student pulls her up and the hoverboard almost whines in response of the extra weight.
"You might wanna hold on tight. If you're not used to this, you might fall off," she warns May. As the hoverboard rises more and more, May finds herself clinging tighter and tighter to the girl, closing her eye so she doesn't have to look down.
Once reaching the same altitude as the aqueducts, the student directs the hoverboard towards it, not really noticing the speed. May tightens her grip even more – if it's even possible – and buries her face into the student's shoulder. She skims over the water, the vapor spraying onto both passengers. May just presses her body closer to the student's, her heart ready to leap out of her chest.
Soon, the student lands at the edge, laughing happily. She helps May down first before getting off herself. Her cheeky grin only grows wider when she notices May's fearful expression. She turns off the hoverboard and sits down on the edge, her feet dangling over the ledge. "C'mon! Sit down next to me!" She pats the spot next to her as her eyes practically beg May to come.
Once her heart rate has slowed, May walks towards the student and carefully sits down, her hands fidgeting as she tries to think of something to say. She spares a glance over to the student, suddenly realizing she doesn't even know the girl's name! "Um…" The student immediately turns to her, sending her stomach aflutter yet again. Her heart skips a beat as she tries to remember what she wanted to say. "I…just realized…we never…exchanged names. I'm…May Zedong." The student blinks before her face suddenly reddens. She abruptly grabs the hood of her sweater and pulls it down over her face, shaking. May is unsure of what to do, but she presses her lips together to try and stifle her laughter. "What's wrong?" she asks, a small chuckle slipping out.
"N…nothing…" the student mumbles, her entire face hidden by her hood. It seems as if she didn't notice May's laugh. She takes a deep breath before readjusting her hoodie. She turns back to May, her face completely red and answers, "I'm Reese…Reese Chloris." Reese looks away for a moment before turning back to May again. "I'm from Haven Academy; although, I told you that earlier…I'm on Team ABRN and my partner's this dude with pink hair and our leader's this super strong girl. Believe me, she'd completely destroy you…" Reese pauses for a moment, realizing the implications. "A-although, I'm pretty sure you're just as strong as her and…um…" Reese sighs, suddenly not knowing what to say.
May giggles and Reese stares at her in awe, as if this is the first time she's really seeing her. "My team is Team BRNZ and I'm the only girl on the team."
"What, really? What's that like?"
"It isn't too bad. They all respect my space and our leader, Brawnz, always builds the strategy around covering me."
Reese tilts her head, "Covering you? Why, because you can't handle the weather or something?"
May smiles. "No, I'm the long-range fighter on our team. Normally, I would fall back and focus on openings my team makes and then…Bang. I snipe them."
"Man, I'd hate to go against your team," Reese comments, looking up at the sky to think of another topic. "By the way, is your team okay with you out and about right now?"
"I could say the same to you," May pouts, puffing out one of her cheeks. Reese coughs into her fist, trying to focus on something other than May's face. "But no, they don't. I didn't want to bother my partner nor my team in general."
"Are you talking about…?" Reese gestures at her left eye. May nods again.
"Most of the time, the pain is bearable when it comes. But there are some instances where it's so bad that I can't fall asleep. Normally, I'd wake up Nolan – my partner – and he'd either read something or just talk until I fall asleep. Sometimes, I'd wake up Brawnz or Roy, but tonight was different."
"Because of the tournament tomorrow."
"Yes, I didn't want to bother them. They needed their rest and I was hoping some exercise around the trees would help. But…"
"…If you don't mind my asking…what happened with…?" May looks away, signaling to Reese that it's a sore subject. "S-sorry, I shouldn't be asking you. It's pretty perso-"
"It was an accident during a simple mission during primary combat school…" May answers. "I'm still not sure what happened…all I remember was a pack of Beowulves…fire…screams…and then pain on my eye." She closes her eye and shivers as her mind blocks out the memory again. Reese hesitantly wraps her arms around the sniper as May slowly stops shaking. She buries herself against Reese's chest and continues the story, her voice slightly muffled by Reese's sweater. "When I came to, they said we had stumbled into a territorial fight between two packs of Beowulves and…that I was lucky I got away with just an injury. My partner at that time sustained severe injuries and wasn't allowed to train to be a Hunter anymore."
Reese tightens the hug, hoping that it would comfort her. May pushes herself out and Reese begins to regret having asked. "M…May, I'm…"
"You can…if you want…" May offers.
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't wanna force you to show me," Reese explains.
"I trust you." The fact that May said it so resolutely made Reese hesitate even more. Why? Why does someone who she had just met trust her this much already? Reese reaches out, giving May one last chance to back out. Noticing her hesitation, May grabs Reese's hand and bows her head, placing Reese's hand on the beanie. Releasing her hold on the Haven student's hand, she waits for Reese. Reese waits for one more heartbeat before she slowly pulls it up, her eyes slowly widening as she takes in the extent of the injury.
Where there should be another stormy-blue iris looking back at her is an opaque husk that stares back at her. Near the eyelids seem to be the most affected from the accident, parts of it puffy and the coloration was much darker compared to the outer parts of the scar. The outer parts aren't as severely burned as the area around her eye, most likely where most of the damage had been done.
Reese feels her heart twist in pain as she continues to gape, taking in every last detail of not just the injury, but May as well. To her, the scar does nothing to mar the beauty of the student in front of her. In fact, it just adds more to the mystery that is May Zedong. Reese can tell that she wants to know more about her. She wants to learn everything she can and understand this mysterious sniper from Shade Academy.
"Reese?" she begins, unsure of her silence. Something snaps in Reese's head as a small blush reappears on her face.
Reese slowly leans forward, expecting May to pull back. But she doesn't. Instead, it appears that May is waiting. Taking that as approval, Reese tilts May's head upwards as Reese moves closer still. She is inches away from May, anticipating her to pull away and pauses again.
May, apparently fed up with waiting, pushes her head upwards and her lips collide with Reese in a kiss. The moment their lips made contact, everything else fades away. Nothing else matters except the other. There is no Vytal Festival Tournament, there are no rivalries, nothing…except each other.
*crawls into hole to die of shame* Let me tell you, it feels weird to be writing about a May for this story and not think of my OC from my middle and high school days. *sighs* And holy crap, I ended up making this chapter a lot longer than I had planned…oops. The kiss even happened earlier than I had anticipated, but I couldn't stop it. My fingers just typed up the words and next thing I know, instead of them falling asleep on the aqueduct while talking (which was the original plan), they be kissin'.
The story is most likely going to end in the next chapter...But we will see xD
IMPORTANT: I'm still not sure what May's injury really is, but I showed the fanart to my brother and he said it looked like a burn scar. If it's wrong or if someone else has a reasonable explanation, please, please let me know and I'll fix it.
If you enjoyed it, please review!