Chapter 21: This Gonna be a Standup Fight

Victor laid in his bed, sleeping peacefully with his new bed mate, Kristine Lykos. He slept on his side with Kris' back pressed against his chest and his arm wrapped around her. He slowly woke up earlier than his alarm would, so Victor took the moment to relax and enjoy the moment he had before he had to start getting ready for classes. He looked down on Kris, sleeping soundly in his arms with a smile on her face. Victor lowered his head and kissed in between her ears, Kris shifting in his arms and letting out a small breath.

Kris was wearing one of his grey shirts, even though it was way too big for her, and her short black shorts. Her chestnut hair was a mess, but that was expected since it was the morning, with her large brown wolf ears poking out of the mess. Victor wanted to pull his arm away and run his hand up and down her side, but Kris had an iron grip on his arm like her life depended on it. Sadly, the quiet moment was ruined as the group alarm went off, everyone groaning as they started to move. Kris rolled so she was laying on her back, happily groaning as she looked up at Victor "Good morning Victor."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a good morning kiss, Victor complying with it with a smile. After the kiss, Kris sat up and raised her arms over her head, stretching to try and wake herself up a little bit. Victor sat up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her head as he replied "Good morning Kris." Dev finally rolled out of bed, groaning "Are you two really going to start this early in the morning?"

"Relax Devy. Nothing is happening."

Kris shifted so she sat on the edge of Victor's bed and exclaimed "I'll see you in a bit Vic." The two shared a quick kiss and Kristine left for her own room to get ready for the day. Victor started his own stretching routine while Dev grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. Each member took their turn in the shower and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast, Team SNTL joining them as they made their way down. Kris wrapped her arm around Victor's waist as Victor put his arm around her shoulders.

Deveraux and Grey were a little tamer with their affection, the two sharing a quick kiss as they took each other's hand. The two teams made their way to the cafeteria and grabbed breakfast, joining Team RWBY, who was there bright and early like the rest of them. Victor sat down and Kris took her usual seat, as close to him as she possibly could without actually sitting in his lap. The teams talked about what they thought their classes would be like until Team JNPR walked in and joined them, with the exception of Pyrrha. She simply grabbed a to-go box and left the cafeteria, ignoring anyone that called her name as she left.

Victor noticed as Pyrrha walked out that she didn't exactly look too well. Her eyes seemed red like she had been crying with slightly dark circles under them like she hadn't been sleeping. He knew that Pyrrha liked him, but he never would've thought she'd take the fact that he was dating Kris this hard. Nabuya swallowed the food in her mouth and commented "Pyrrha looks awful." Kira bumped Nabuya's side with her elbow, causing Nabuya to exclaim "What? She does."

Jaune replied "Yeah, she… hasn't been sleeping very well." Victor noted the several glances towards his and Kris' direction, everyone knowing exactly why Pyrrha wasn't doing too well. He chose to ignore them and the group continued their breakfast until it was time to head to their classes for the day. His first class of the day was his Combat Tactics class, so he expected things to be a bit awkward since he shared the class with Pyrrha. He walked in and started heading to his normal seat when he noticed that Pyrrha wasn't where she normally sat.

He looked around the classroom and noticed she was sitting on the opposite side of the room, mindlessly eating her breakfast. Victor decided to try and talk to her, to try and push past this phase between them and at least try and be friends again. He walked over and took a seat next to her, greeting as he took out his class materials "Morning Pyrrha. How are you doing?" He smiled to try and lighten the mood, but Pyrrha merely glanced at him and gathered her things, moving to the other end of the classroom without a word. Victor took a deep breath and sighed since he knew it wouldn't be the same between them, which sucked since he still really liked Pyrrha.

He opened his notebook when Professor Goodwitch approached him and exclaimed "Mr. Roman, Professor Ozpin requires your presence immediately. Please go see him in his office." He nodded and replied "Of course, Professor." Victor packed up his things and contemplated asking Pyrrha if he could borrow her notes when he gets back, but he doubted she would be eager to help him. So he simply exited the classroom and started making his way to Professor Ozpin's office. Along the way, he ran into Grey, who was going to the same place he was.

Grey questioned "So why do you think Professor Ozpin is calling us up to his office?" Victor shrugged and suggested "Maybe he has a mission for our teams?"

"Or something happened to Mom or Marie."

"I would much rather stick with the mission theory."

Grey shrugged and replied "Whatever works for you little brother. So, how was class with Pyrrha?" Victor dropped his head and grumbled "She won't even speak to me."

"Can you blame her? I mean, you know how she felt, right?"

Victor stopped and took a breath, Grey answering her own question "You do know, and yet you're with Kris?" Victor turned and exclaimed "I slept with Kris during mating season, just like you and Dev." Grey shook her head and replied "Actually no, we didn't screw. Even if we did, I liked Dev and he likes me. Everyone knows how you feel about Pyrrha, hell, you're in love with her."

"I am not in love with Pyrrha."

Grey rolled her eyes and continued "Fine, but you like her… a lot more than Kris. Don't tell Kris I said this, but you two aren't right for each other. You should break it off before things get too serious and get with the girl you actually like."

"I can't do that to Kris. I can't just go 'Hey, thanks for letting me fuck you senseless, but I'm just gonna leave you for someone else.' That's just… it's not fair to her."

The two stopped in front of the elevator that led to Professor Ozpin's office, Grey commenting "It's not fair to either of you. Kris wants what you want to give to Pyrrha, and that's all I'm going to say on the subject." The doors opened and the two stepped in, Victor questioning "So, you and Dev didn't…" The doors closed as Grey sighed "No, we just fooled around. Dev is the 'wait for marriage' kinda guy… it's kinda cute."

"That's… different."

"Yeah, threw me off too. So, we just need to get Alexi and Kira together and find someone for Nabuya and our teams will be…"

She looked to Victor and put up air quotes as she finished "happy". The doors finally opened and the two approached the desk Professor Ozpin sat, typing away on his computer. The twins sat down at the chairs as Professor Ozpin stopped for a moment to take a sip from his mug and exclaimed "I suspect you have questions." Grey responded "We figured you would give us the run down before we would ask any questions."

"Of course. I'm sure the two of you are aware of the new threat we are dealing with?"

Victor nodded and replied "The Insectosaurs." Grey dropped her head and groaned "I can't believe you just called them something so stupid."

"What? They're giant bug dinosaurs, so that's what I call them."

Professor Ozpin cleared his throat, gaining the twin's attention and continued "Whatever you wish to call them, these new Grimm have become problematic." Victor questioned "So why aren't professional Huntsman and Huntresses dealing with them? Or the military?"

"Because they are hyper-adaptive. After several attacks, they adapted and changed their tactics."

Grey questioned "So what do you want us to do?"

"Your teams will go in to observe a suspected nest and report back. Do not get involved with these creatures."

Victor and Grey nodded as Professor Ozpin continued "Your teams have the rest of the day to gather and prepare. You'll be leaving around noon tonight for Vacuo. I'll inform the rest of your teammates of their time frame while you can give them the details." The two nodded once more and headed for the elevator, headed back to their floor. On the way down, Victor questioned "Does it really seem like I'm in love with Pyrrha?" Grey chuckled and responded "Yeah, it really does. Especially the way you looked at her before you were dating Kris."

"How would I look at her?"

Victor looked at Grey as she replied "Like this." She had a small smile on her face while she maintained a dreamy look in her eyes as she let out a small sigh, making Victor a little uncomfortable. Victor took a deep breath and sighed "What about now?"

"You look guilty… like you're cheating on her."

"I'm not… we aren't even…"

Grey looked at him and questioned "Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?" The doors opened and Grey added "The right thing isn't always the best thing. Think about it." Grey went off to her room while Victor stood and thought about everything him and Grey had talked about. He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his head as he started heading to his room. "I'm not trying to convince myself of anything. I'm not in love with Pyrrha, and I'm with Kris. Why would I even be guilty? It's not like we were even together."

Victor sighed and grumbled "Dust, I do sound like I'm trying to convince myself." He made it to his room to see Dev and Grey making out on the wall next to his door. Victor made a quick gagging sound and exclaimed "Break it up you two. You've got all day to do that shit." The two separated as Grey responded "Can't tell me what to do, Little Brother." Victor rolled his eyes and went into his room as the two started to kiss again.

He grabbed his black duffle bag from the closet and started to pack some clothing when Dev walked into the room, wiping his mouth off. "You have one passionate sister Vic." Dev chuckled as he grabbed his dark blue bag. "I would rather not hear about, Dev." Victor exclaimed. The Black Hound pups emerged from their hiding spot, all of them happy to see company again. The smallest one ran over to Victor and jumped into his bag, sitting there with his tongue out and tail wagging.

Victor chuckled and pet the small Black Hound, exclaiming "You can't come Vanagandr." Vanagandr started to whimper as it pawed the bottom of Victor's bag. Dev questioned "Vana-what?"

"Vanagandr. It means 'Wolf of the River'."

"That's dumb."

"You're dumb."

"Am not, Fudge is a perfectly acceptable name."

Dev pet Fudge as he cuddled up to his leg, Dev petting the Grimm like it was a normal dog. Alexi and Nigel finally entered the room as Victor picked up Vanagandr and set him outside the bag. The other two began to pack, their own pups jumping in excitement to see company. It wasn't really fair to call them pups anymore since they were getting pretty large, a little too large to be living under Alexi's bed. Nigel pointed out "We really need to find them someplace else to live. They are getting far too large." The pups were now about 2 feet in length and standing a foot tall, their backs covered in small plates with red markings beginning to show.

Alexi stated "I'll look into a place for them after we get back from our mission. Until then… I don't know what we'll do with them." Since Kira was going on the mission with them, there was no one to watch over the pups while they were gone. Nigel picked up his pup and suggested "Why don't we take them with us? They could use the experience in hunting." Victor reminded "Our orders were to observe and report, not get involved. "

"Well, there goes that plan. So what will we do?"

Alexi thought for a second before he finally exclaimed "I got it! Give me a second." He stood up and walked out of the room, his Black Hound pup stopping and sitting by the door, waiting for him to get back. Alexi pulled out his scroll and dialed a number, waiting for the intended to pick up. Finally, Yang answered "Sup Alexi?"

"Hey Yang. I need a favor from you."

"Ooooo. Sounds fun. Whatcha need?"

"I need you to watch some… pets of ours while we're gone."

"You have pets? Unfair, but sure, I'll keep an eye on the little?"

"Pups, they're dogs."

"They're easy."

Alexi chuckled and finished "Thanks Yang, I owe you one." He hung up his scroll and walked back in, nearly kicking his pup, Gwyn, since it decided to wait by the door for him. "Gwyn, what have I told you about waiting right by the door?" Alexi exclaimed as he picked his pup up. The Blackhound simply yipped and licked Alexi's nose, Alexi chuckling as he set Gwyn down on his bed so he could start packing. Victor, almost constantly, had to pull Vanagandr out of his bag since the pup desperately wanted to go along while Fudge continuously rubbed against Dev's leg.

Gwyn jumped and yipped at Alexi, while Nigel's Blackhound sat calmly on his bed while Nigel packed. Nigel looked at the other Blackhound pups and chuckled "Why are your pups so unruly? Hound here is perfectly well behaved." Nigel patted the top of Hound's head as Victor answered "That's because you spend your weekend either training Hound or inside Velvet."

"That is false, good sir! Velvet and I have not reached that point in our relationship."

"Yeah, whatever you say."

Nigel looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it and continued packing his bag. All of them were just about done packing when there was a knock at the door, the pups instinctively ducking under Alexi's bed as he went to the door to see who it was. Alexi cracked the door, seeing Yang in her uniform and her usual "eat shit" smile as she greeted "Sup Alexi. So, where are these pups?" Alexi fully opened the door and she walked in, Alexi calling as he closed the door "Coast is clear, pups." The pups emerged from their hiding spot, Gwyn immediately approaching Yang and sniffing her.

Yang knelt down and greeted in a pet voice "Hewhoa ther wittle guy." She held out her hand for Gwyn to sniff, who immediately started licking her fingers. Yang chuckled as Gwyn approached her "Looks like he likes me." That thought changed almost immediately as Gwyn jumped up and started humping her leg, Yang blurting "No! Down boy!" Everyone else started laughing except for Alexi, who was busy pulling Gwyn away and apologizing "I am so sorry Yang! I had no idea he would do that."

"It's fine. As long as he doesn't do it again. So, where do you keep their food and stuff?"

Alexi gave Yang all the directions she needed for taking care of the pups as well as introductions and how to identify each pup. Yang sighed at the end of it "Wow, that's quite a bit of information." Victor shrugged and exclaimed "Gotta have the best for our pups. Have fun, don't let them stay up too late, and behave yourselves."

"Very funny Big Guy. You, uh, talk to Pyrrha today?"

Victor's demeanor immediately changed to a sad look as he grumbled "Let's get going guys. Don't want to keep our mission on hold." Victor walked out of the room, Yang questioning "Is it really that bad between them?" Dev sighed as he shouldered his bags "Grey told me that Pyrrha won't even talk to him."

"Ouch. Maybe the rest of us can talk to her into at least speaking with him."

"That would be great, if it will work. The Big Guy is torn up about it."

Nigel reminded "Come along gentleman, we have a mission to go on." Alexi shouldered his bag and replied "Well, see you in a few days." Yang waved as Alexi left and closed the door, turning back to the pups, who all had their heads cocked to the right at the exact same angle.

Team SNTL packed their stuff, chatting about the mission and what it might entail, and also about the current events. "So Kris, you happy about finally dating Victor?" Nabuya questioned as she sat on her suitcase to close it. Kris held a shirt she was holding close and sighed "Absolutely. He's just so… amazing and caring and hot. What about you Grey? Happy with Dev?" Grey laughed as she packed "Hell yeah, Dev is just, oh man."

"I know what you mean."

Kira quietly exclaimed "So are we just not going to talk about Pyrrha?" The room was quiet other than the sounds of packing until Kris sighed "Look, I do feel really bad about Pyrrha getting her heart broken, but all is fair in love and war." Nabuya shrugged and exclaimed "If she really did like Victor as much as she did then she would have asked Victor out sooner."

"Thank you Nabuya. So Kira, how goes asking out Alexi? Since you're so keen on talking about relationships."

Kira immediately became quiet and finished pacing her bag, muttering "Didn't have to go there." Nabuya immediately jumped to Kira, planting her chest on Kira's back and throwing her arms around her, defending "You leave Kira alone! She will find her boyfriend in due time!"

"Thanks Nabuya."

Grey cleared her throat and everyone looked at her, the team lead announcing "Enough. We have a mission and being at each other's throats isn't going to help. We need to learn to play nice when it comes to relationships, okay?" All of the other girls looked at the ground until Grey repeated "Okay?" The rest of the team replied in a monotone voice "Okay."

"Thanks. Now let's finish getting packed so we can go watch some Insectosaurs."

Kris chuckled "That's the stupidest name ever."

"Laugh it up! Your boyfriend came up with it."

"He's also your brother."

Kira quietly pointed out "Nabuya, you can let go of me now." Nabuya turned pink and apologized "Sorry." Nabuya let go of Kira and finished closing her bag. The girls grabbed their bags and headed out of the room, seeing that the guys were heading out themselves. Victor took Kristine's bag from her with a smile, questioning "You guys ready to go?" Everyone agreed and the group headed to the airship that would take them to their destination; Vacuo.