THANK YOU ALL!
So much.
When I started this, I did not expect people to read it at all, let alone come back to it. So, I thank you. This chapter serves two purposes: I need to work on writing characters OTHER than Crimson, so after a while, this chapter will become mostly dialogue. Also, you get to learn a bit more about Crimson's past (spoiler: you get nothing about his team). That, I am saving for a WAY later date.
One more thing, I am always looking to improve my work, and reviews are the best way you can help. All I ask in return is constructive criticism.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, only the OC's.
Enjoy!
Where they were going, as said by Crimson, wasn't anywhere fancy. So, Yang had opted for a simple t-shirt and her iconic overcoat, however, since it was still winter in Vale, Yang had chosen to wear pants in place of her short-shorts. Both Ruby and Blake were wearing the same things they had on the entire day, while Weiss had taken a shower, and upon returning, put on an exact copy of the outfit she had on before. The princess had ten, no! Eleven? Of those kinds of outfits with her. All lined up, all exactly the same. As for what Crimson had changed into, well… that was a sight to behold.
He had an elected to stay behind and do… something. He didn't say exactly what. But, when he returned, he looked exhausted. Sweat lined the collar of his black dress shirt, and he had his red coat slung over his shoulder. But, he seemed to be in a good mood. "What happened?" Yang had asked as he walked over to his bed and unzipped his duffel bag.
Looking over his shoulder, Crimson replied, "Huh? Oh, just… a workout. Helps me unwind. Let me take a shower and we'll go?" He looked over at the other three for confirmation. They nodded.
"I'm curious, where are we going?" Blake had asked.
"Nowhere special. They have a nice variety of stuff, so I'm sure that you'll all find something to eat. Just, give me fifteen minutes." He had retrieved a second dress shirt and another pair of pants from his bag, setting them down on his bed. Alongside the articles of clothing, he set his coat and his katana, and into the shower he went.
When they heard the water turn on, Ruby had leapt at the opportunity to talk about him. "So, he seems nice."
"Yeah, now! Did you see the way he treated us in Goodwitch's class?!" Weiss half asked, half shouted.
Yang was still pissed about what he said. "He was an asshole." Weiss nodded in agreement.
Blake did not. "He was being smart. Make your opponent lose their cool and they'd get sloppy. They'd be easier to take down. Besides, he apologized afterwards."
"And he's taking us to dinner. I'd say that more than makes up for what he said," Ruby added on. "Besides, the rest of the time, he seems actually kind of nice."
Yang conceded that her younger sister did have a point. Maybe Blake was right. Maybe he's only an asshole on the field. Besides, he was actually kind of cute. A thin face, little bit of stubble. His hair was a chestnut brown. And his eyes…unlike the rest of his face, Yang was slightly put off by his eyes. They seemed fake. Cold and uncaring. And besides, blue was not his color. And another thing- Yang's train of thought was cut short as Crimson walked out of the bathroom. His hair was tied back in a bun. That was new.
"You ready?" She asked.
"Yeah, let me just get my coat." He walked over the the bed, where his red topcoat lay. As he was reaching down to grab it, he stopped. And sniffed. Then, he stuck his nose into the collar of the shirt and sniffed again. "Oh, shit, I think I put on a dirty shirt. Ah, one second, please." This was when all previous trains of thought were brought to a screeching halt as Crimson took off his shirt.
HE TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT!
At first, all Yang could stare at were the muscles. While he wasn't a very bulky guy, he had tone. Lovely, broad shoulders. Stellar pecs. And oh, Oum, that six-pack!
What would it be like to drag my tongue across those muscles?
Woah! Where did that come from? Yang was about to blush, but then she noticed something else. The scars.
Three long, ragged blemishes ran their length across Crimson's chest and his abs. They were each a solid inch in width, and a foot in length. What could have done that to him? She wanted to say something. To ask him about what happened. But her words were stolen as Crimson walked past her, showing her the claw marks that raked his back. Up and down, left and right. They were all old. At least… over a year old. What happened to this guy? Yang couldn't ask him now. No, she'd approach him later. When he was alone.
He slid a clean shirt on, hiding the scars again. After tying his shoes, Crimson picked up his katana and gazed at it. Like he was considering whether or not he should bring it with him. He opted not to, but instead of leaving unarmed, Crimson reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a sheathed combat knife. Satisfied with his choice, he clipped the blade to the back of his belt. He then grabbed his coat, right before turning around to meet the shocked and speechless faces of Team RWBY. His own face downcast. But, then, he smiled. Not like the wicked grin that he wore on the battlefield. No, this one was genuine. "Right then, shall we?" Crimson asked as he gestured to the door.
All the rest of them could do was nod.
'Nowhere fancy.' That's what he said. Weiss groaned as they stood outside Quelque Chose de Chic. The fanciest restaurant in the entire city. Not only the fanciest, but also the most expensive. How in the world does he expect to pay for all five of them?
"You said dress casually!" She shrieked right in Crimson's ear.
He winced. "No, I said it's nowhere fancy. Look, let's just go inside. See if they have any tables open for us. Okay?"
The rest of them could not believe it when Crimson strolled into the building, breezing past the massive line of patrons. All of them severely outclassing the huntsman in attire. A few of them were even gawking at the gall of the man who walked in wearing a maroon topcoat. What was he thinking?!
"I cannot believe this! He brought us all the way out here only to embarrass us in front of all these-" Weiss could not finish her thought.
Crimson walked out of the restaurant, waving them over. He didn't! He couldn't have! Not even SHE could get a reservation at this place, but HIM!? "HOW!?" Her outburst made the people standing in line jump. All Crimson did was smile, and it was that shit eating grin, too. Oum! How she hated that smile of his.
But, then Ruby smiled back. And Oum! How she loved that smile of hers. Never in a thousand years would Weiss tell their team leader how she felt about her. How she secretly loved the adorable little redhead. Even in a simple red hoodie and black jeans, she was so cute it was unholy. And for a moment, all the anger drained from Weiss as Ruby skipped along into the building. For a moment.
As the heiress followed her team leader in, she took in the majesty of the establishment. Amazing white walls with marble pillars lining them, stretching up above to meet a ceiling that was sprinkled with massive chandeliers. All around the place were tables. Tables with the most fashionably dressed faunus and humans of Vale. And here she was… in the same uniform that she always wore. And now that she thought about it, the specific one that she was wearing was torn along the skirt during a sparring match that the team had two weeks before. Gah! Would this embarrassment never end.
Weiss was still expecting them to be turned away gloriously, but when they walked up to the host, it seemed as though the wolf faunus knew Crimson. "Mr. Harrison! How good of you to join us! And these would be your guests for the night?"
"That's right, Adrik. We'll dine inside tonight." The host nodded as a waitress gestured for them to follow them. "Oh, and if you get the chance, say 'hi' to my mom."
The host nodded and smiled at the huntsman. "Always for you, Mr. Harrison."
The host knew Crimson's mother? Now, Weiss was more confused than anything else. But, she took it in stride as they were seated at a table in the back. Going clockwise, it was Crimson, Yang, Ruby, Blake, then Weiss. When their butts hit the seats, it was as if the floodgates were opened and a tidal wave of questions washed over Crimson.
Ruby, being the (second) quickest on the draw, managed to ask first. "Wow! How'd you manage to get us into this place?"
Weiss nodded. "I'm wondering that as well. Especially considering how underdressed we are."
Crimson answered, "My mother owns the chain, only opening establishments in the finest parts of the kingdom. 'Where humans and faunus of class can dine, socialize, and coexist.' She made that up, herself. By the way, Blake, you need not wear that bow here. No one is going to judge you."
The faunus scoffed at him. "Yeah, maybe at this table."
He held his arms out to his sides. "Look around at the people eating here." They all did, and Weiss noticed something she didn't before: there were faunus here. Lots of faunus. Just next to them, she saw a man in a fine suit, with a tail, speaking with a lovely, human girl. Even the host was a faunus. "I don't think they'd mind that much."
Blake reluctantly undid her bow, letting her cat ears shine. They wiggled a little, and soon she relaxed. A waiter brought them menus. Perusing the numerous options, without looking up from it, Blake said, "I have something to ask you. And I feel as though it's on all of our minds, but… what happened to you?"
Crimson cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… well… the scars." The mood suddenly turned dour as Crimson shifted uneasily in his seat. Clearly, Blake had hit a nerve. A particular one in fact, as she asked the question that was also on everyone's minds. "Does it have to do with-"
"Don't." Crimson said, no, demanded. He closed his eyes, Weiss could tell he was trying to get the memories out of his head.
Yang acted quickly. "Let's talk about something else… um, oh! Hey, uh, you ever been to Patch?"
"Mm, no. I heard it was a nice place. You and Ruby grow up there?"
"Yup," the brunette said. "Born and raised. Learned at Signal before Beacon."
"Same. But, before that I lived in Menagerie. My mom has a house right up the street from the Belladonna estate. Nice place."
Blake asked, "You miss it? Home?"
Crimson nodded. "On the occasion. But, for the most part, I'd rather be out and about. That was the reason I wanted to become a huntsman. To go out and travel the four kingdoms, see rare sights. See rare Grimm. And kill them." He stated, smiling at that last part. Ruby let out a small chuckle.
"But, wait, I thought only faunus lived in Menagerie," Weiss had said.
Crimson turned to face her. Those eyes. There was something off about them. "Technically, no. But, I know where you're going with this, so I'll just put it out there. I am half faunus. On my father's side."
Weiss was, for lack of a better word, done. Everytime she thinks she has this man figured out, he goes and drops something like this on them. Usually, everybody she met, she could get a bead on pretty quickly. That's how it was with her team. But, not him. He didn't telegraph it as much.
Blake, ever the perceptive one, said, "But, you don't look like a faunus. You don't have any defining features."
Crimson rubbed his eyes. Not in annoyance, no it was something else. "Well, not any that you can see right now. I hide it, much like you hide your ears with a bow. Let's just say that I have a bow of another kind." Crimson held each socket open, plucking what was revealed to be contacts from each eye. But, he shut them too quickly, so none of them could see what his eyes actually looked like. "See, my father was a bat faunus. Had the wings and the fangs. Didn't have the pointy ears, but that didn't mean his hearing wasn't amplified. That, he passed down to me. Another thing that he gave me were his eyes." Crimson opened his eyes. And everyone at the table knew right then why he was named that. His eyes were a bright, glinting red. There was no iris or cornea. The entire orb of the eye was a solid, singular shade of crimson.
Yang was frozen in her seat. All she could was stare into the deep, red orbs that Crimson had just revealed. They were… beautiful. But, they also showed something else: hurt. The kind that stays with a person every day of their lives. Like a scar. Like the physical scars that lined Crimson's wonderfully perfect body. Yang must've been swooning, because her sister nudged her in the ribs, bringing her back to reality. Yang's head snapped around to see if anyone else had noticed her… ahem, "appreciation" of their new roommate. Thankfully, no one did.
Rather, her attention was stolen by the irked expression of Blake's face. "You told me that I don't have to hide here. And yet there you were, hiding your eyes."
"Blake!" Weiss snapped. "Don't be rude. I'm sure he has his reasons."
Crimson held his hands up, trying to prevent a fight from breaking out. "Now, now. Let's not talk about me like I'm not here. You have a point, Blake. But, so does Weiss." He gingerly picked up one of the contacts that he had placed on a napkin, before setting it back over his right eye. Blinking a few times, he did the same with the left. Then, continued. "The thing about a bat's eyesight is that it's absolutely horrendous. Not to mention that I'm practically blinded by anything other than absolute darkness. The contacts sharpen my vision while also blocking out the light. They serve more of a purpose than your bow."
Blake was silent for a while after that. But, soon after, she joined in on the conversation as they ate. Soon, Ruby and Blake got into their own conversation. Weiss was in the bathroom. Leaving Crimson and Yang to their own devices.
The older huntsman leaned over and whispered into Yang's ear, "Don't think I didn't notice you staring."
Her cheeks grew hot, but she took it in stride. "I only stared as much as you did," she countered. Throughout the rest of the day following Goodwitch's class, Yang had caught Crimson looking at her. On more than one occasion. Especially when she bent down to pick up her scroll.
"Fair enough. In my defense, you are rather stunning."
Was he… was he flirting with her? "T-thank you." The compliment left her flustered more than anything.
"And from what I've seen, you're quite skilled." They were so close now that Yang could feel the heat of his breath.
"You ain't seen nothing, yet," Yang returned, her voice a breathless whisper.
"AHEM!" Crimson and Yang shot apart from one another as the heiress loudly announced her return from the bathroom. Ruby and Blake had stopped their conversation in favor of watching the two of them. All Crimson and Yang could do was refuse to make eye contact with anyone. Especially not each other.
Still though, what would've happened if the Ice Queen didn't interrupt us?
Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review if it's not too much trouble.