Apocrypha: An Iron-Wrought Promise

It all went so fast... Three months passed in the blink of an eye... so much has happened, yet I wouldn't change a single thing. And all of that was thanks to them. I can't thank them enough, tell them how happy they made me, how much they made me love life again...

How much they made me love them with all my heart.

But... I did give them something. Something that, even if I were gone, would remind them of how much I loved them.

The dorm hallway was quieter than before, as if Blake's sobs chased away any and all noise. Even after she calmed down and thanked him for his support, she did not want to leave his embrace. Flashes from the semester break clouded her mind with a pink mist, and the memories she had just made with him became rosy, as they did when he held her close during that embarrassing moment in their relationship. There was no other way to say it other than she wanted to go further than they did before. Her heart couldn't stop pumping with the same vigour from then. She had sworn off love when Adam became Sienna's pet monster, and yet she couldn't resist the man who had protected her with his body, who was her greatest friend and ally, her partner-in-crime.

The man she had fallen in love with.

But even she could tell that his damaged body needed respite from her tightening embrace. The feline of RWBY let go, timidly playing with a lock of her hair.

"Sorry, I must be getting too clingy." she self-criticized.

Hope merely shrugged, clearly unbothered by Blake's need for physical affection.

"As I said, I'm happy to be of service." he smiled. "I'll be there as long as you'll need."

Blake paused, a flutter in her heart further tinting her perception. She looked away, her face reddening.

"You..." She hesitated. "Do you... Mean it?"

Hope's smile turned into a cheeky grin as he pulled a ring from his pocket. Blake froze, her eyes glued to the piece of jewelry.

"I-is that what I think that is?" She asked, both flabbergasted and desperate to be right.

Hope thinned his smile and closed his eyes.

"No!" He exclaimed cruelly.

Blake deflated, her head hanging in disappointment.

"No, I understand..." She mumbled depressedly. "I'm not good enough to be anyone's wife, let alone yours."

Hope spluttered.

"Oh, please! Neither am I!" He self-deprecated.

He gave her a shitty grin as he poked her with his elbow, eliciting a pout from his kitty friend.

"Besides, neither of us are financially stable enough to get married. That and my gambling habit would make you tear your hair out."

Blake sighed, a small smile across her mouth.

"You really know how to break a girl's heart, you know? My maidenly dreams, dashed by a brooding bad boy!"

Hope's face scrunched in amused disgust as he let the ring fall into his friend's hand. Blake inspected the ring curiously. It was quite similar to Hope's signets, with the same strong, engraved wrought-iron frame. The main difference was the gem encrusted on the face of the ring, a deep purple amethyst set in the shape of her emblem. Her eyes twinkled at the beauty of Hope's gift.

"It's... Gorgeous!"

Hope smiled smugly.

"A promise like mine ought to be good-looking!"

One of Blake's ears flattened behind her bow to match her confused squint.

"What?"

Hope relieved Blake of the ring before slipping it on her right pinky finger. Blake held her hand out, her heart pumping and her face flushing despite the admitted platonic intent of her beloved friend. Hope then hooked his own ringed pinky with hers.

"That ring is my promise to you." he proclaimed. "That I'll always be there for you, and that only in death will that promise be ever broken."

Blake's cheeks became completely red, her eyes lidded and hazed in pink. She looked away from him, looking at her ringed pinky. She rubbed the textured metal ring, a big goofy smile appearing on her face.

"I'll cherish it... I promise I'll cherish it forever."

Hope kissed Blake's cheek, shortcircuiting the black cat as steam shot out of her ears and her pupils turned into hearts.

"It's a promise!" Hope whispered cheekily into her ear.

It was a rare thing to see Weiss so vexed. Not the vexed part, it wasn't unusual for Weiss to be irritated. No, it's the fact that her sister had an embarrassing, childish slap fight with a man twice her age. In front of her team, no less! Her only outlet to vent her excess aggravation was to plop down on Hope's soft, comfortable therapist's couch and let out a long, overdrawn groan while burying her face in one of his pillows.

"Damnit, Winter." She complained, her voice muffled by the pillow. "What is wrong with you?"

Hope poked his head over her way as he brewed some coffee for his impromptu guess.

"First time?"

Weiss lifted her head from the fluffy cover to look at Hope.

"Why? Have you ever been embarrassed by your siblings?"

Hope's eyes turned glassy and hopeless.

"Oh, you have no idea."

He shook his state off, looking at Weiss strangely.

"Why did you come here exactly?"

The snow princess rolled onto her side and pouted at Hope.

"You told me that if I ever needed to talk that your door was opened!"

Hope blinked apathetically, unsurprised that she would take his kind intentions as an opportunity to vent.

To be fair, I did use those specific words, so I guess I am to blame for this.

"I mean, really?!" Weiss bitched. "What is their problem?! I expect that brutish drunkard to act like a buffon but for my sister to lower herself to his level is just... It's just!"

Weiss deflated, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her palms.

"It's the most asinine thing..." she grumbled.

Weiss's annoyed brow arched with disappointment.

"I just hope that you guys won't think less of her for it..."

Hope shrugged.

"If there are siblings who don't embarrass each other, I haven't met them."

"I guess."

Weiss kept grumbling to herself, a dark squiggle forming next to her face. Hope glared at the ever-shifting mass of discontent next to his friend's face but reminded himself that it was, in fact, inconsequential anime bullshit and not something to be too worried about.

It still bothered him, as it was very distracting.

Hope rolled to her and swatted away the discontent like a bug, snapping Weiss to attention. She glared at him for a moment, very confused.

"What were we talking about again?" Weiss asked, scratching her head.

"I was going to ask you about what you did with Winter before you came back to the dorm," Hope said, completely changing the subject.

The little snow princess grew a wholesome smile.

"Oh, it was so nice!" she gushed. "I showed her around Vale and we went for pastries at this very nice cafe!"

She shot up in her seat.

"Oh! She even showed me her technique for creating Summoning Glyphs!"

"Did she now?" Hope asked despite already knowing. "Did you learn a trick or two?"

Weiss spluttered.

"Nope. Summoning is such a hassle."

She held her hand out and summoned one of her Glyphs before playing around by rotating it.

"I've never really 'got' the Summon Glyph and honestly, I don't really care all that much."

"You sure? It could always be useful to, I don't know, summon a Lancer or a Beowolf or something."

Weiss shrugged.

"That's my sister's specialty."

The Glyph that manifested in her hand grew to cover the entire room, making everything float as if gravity had been nullified. Weiss smirked as Hope floated towards her with an incredulous expression.

"And this," she emphasized before grabbing him out of the air. "Is mine."

Hope hummed as Weiss held him still, the effect of her semblance stopping and sending everything back down with a loud bang. Weiss winced as she looked around the room.

"I hope I didn't break anything..."

"I'll send you the bill if I find anything." Hope grinned.

Weiss pouted in response, earning a chuckle from her best friend. Hope laid his hand atop her head, patting her like a cute child.

"Was it fun being with her again?"

Weiss smiled as she leaned into his palm, enjoying the sensation of his big warm hand on her head.

"Yes, it was wonderful!"

Hope's smile widened, Weiss's happiness rubbing off on him.

"Glad to hear it."

Weiss stared up at her taller friend fondly.

"Anon?"

"Yar?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Weiss's fond stare filled with curiosity.

"Anon? You're an older brother, right?"

Hope hummed affirmingly.

"Eldest of three, as a matter of fact."

"What's that like? Being the older brother?"

Hope's lips thinned.

"It's a colossal pain in the ass," he explained. "On one hand, you have the craving, the pure irresistible desire to fuck with them and just annoy the shit out of them. Then the other hand comes right around the corner and ruins everything.

"The other hand?"

"The wish to see them happy and safe, to help them grow and protect them from a cruel world that, as the eldest, we know a lot better than them. It's even worse if it's something we have experience with, like heartbreak or fights between friends."

Weiss nodded her head along as he spoke, properly listening to him.

"Is it like that with every sibling?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Hope shook his head.

"I don't think so. Every family is different, some are more tight knits, and others are more loose. some love each other too much and others hate each other to death. It depends."

He pointed to himself.

"My twin brother and I hated each other's guts, to the point where we nearly killed each other. But I would go to war if anyone tried to hurt my sister."

"I get you." She smirked in amusement. "Now that I think about it, we aren't so different in that instance. I love my sister and I can't stand my brother."

Hope huffed, himself entertained by the similarity.

"Shit, now that you mention it."

Weiss blushed, an errand thought blindsiding her.

"I wonder how we'd be like if we were siblings..." she blurted quietly.

Hope snorted.

"I mean, we kind of already are. So pretty much just like we are right now."

Weiss blinked multiple times, staring at Hope's face intently.

"Big brother..." She mumbled absentmindedly.

He called Hope froze in place, nearly falling out of his seat. He took a deep breath, his heart both melting and thumping like a jackhammer.

"What's up, sweety?" Hope said with a broken voice.

Weiss's head turned into a veritable smoke stack as it erupted with a cloud of steam. The heiress buried her face in Hope's pillow and screamed in absolute embarrassment. She took her head out of it and shoved the pillow in Hope's face.

"FORGET EVERYTHING, NOW!"

Hope sniffled facetiously, playing into her embarrassment despite his own melting heart.

"It's okay, sweety." He teased. "Big brother Anon understands that you love him very much."

Weiss redoubled her vain efforts to bludgeon him into unconsciousness with a pillow. Efforts that were yielding mediocre results, only succeding at irritating Hope's damaged body. Still, he powered through the soreness if only to tease his friend.

"Now now Weiss. Just because big brother is teasing you, doesn't means you can hurt him."

"SHUT IT, YOU GOOFY FUCK!"

"Hey, you swore! I wonder who taught you that~"

Weiss groaned as she dove down on the sofa, covering her head with the pillow.

"I hate you!" Weiss yelled, muffled through the pillow.

Hope left his sweat and knelt on the floor next to her head. He grinned as Weiss peeked, her eyes slightly shining through the shade of the pillow.

"Come on now, do you really hate the idea that much?"

Weiss blinked before slowly covering her face again, steam escaping from under the pillow.

"...I don't." She squeaked quietly. "I don't hate it..."

Hope's cheesy grin turned into a soft smile as he reached into his pocket. He produced from an unseen pocket a signet ring made of wrought iron. Weiss peeked again, only to toss the pillow across the room and stare at the ring in disbelief.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked, recognizing the resemblance between Hope's rings and the one he was offering her.

"Yar," he confirmed. "Tis the old tradition I talked about."

Weiss stared at the signet, slack-jawed, before tentatively taking it from Hope. She stroked the ring, her emblem set on a cold blue-white diamond as the centrepiece of the jewelry. She stroked the diamond before looking at Hope, her face red and bearing a massive goofy smile. Hope scratched his head, looking away with mild embarrassment.

"Normally it's the parent that gives it to the child but neither of our parents are available. So I did the next best thing."

He called Hope took the ring before slipping it on the snow princess's pinky finger.

"Welcome to the family." Hope declared with a wink and a smile.

Weiss's grin grew tenfold, her eyes twinkling.

"R-really?" she asked, incredulous. "You mean it?"

Hope hooked his pinky with hers, their rings clinking against each other with a cute chime.

"Promise."

The coffee machine chimed, alerting Hope to their beverages' readiness. With a quick seat change, Hope went to get the hot bean brew, leaving Weiss on the couch. The young woman laid down on the couch, looking out of the window as the dying sun was slowly replaced by the broken moon. She lifted her hand, staring at the beautiful ring now adorning her last digit. The light of the rising moon shone through the diamond, reflecting her smiling face.

"I never knew I'd be so happy to have an older brother."

Hope reappeared within her line of sight, a small feeted tray with two cups of coffee atop them in hand.

"Well, I'm used to having little sisters, so I guess I'm used to it."

Weiss took the cup of coffee and took in the aroma. Black coffee was something she always enjoyed, a love that was birthed due to her sister's own addiction to the thick, black, energizing brew. But unlike her sister, who merely wanted the energy boost it offered, the snow princess was more intrigued by the torrefaction, the flavours and the complexity of the beverage. And despite Hope's propensity to drown it all in flavoured, sweet cream, the fact that he understood her tastes and catered to her preferences was something that she couldn't help but love. She took a long sip, the wonderful chocolate notes agitating her taste buds with delights.

"It's good." she complimented. "really good."

Hope smiled.

"Glad you like it, Snow Hope."

Weiss spat out her coffee with a chortle.

"B-beg your pardon?!"

Hope grinned ear to ear.

"I mean, if you ever relinquish the Schnee name, I think that that name would fit you."

Weiss's chortle worsened as she struggled to regain her composure.

"I-I hate you so much!" she managed to say between giggles.

"With a big smile like that on your face?" he questioned humorously. "I'd say you're full of it."

Weiss took in a deep breath, her giggle fit finally coming to an end.

"Y-Yang is rubbing off on you too much."

Hope hummed.

"I was thinking the same thing..."

Ruby was a simple girl, with simple desires. Not a point of derision, if anything, it was a part of her charm. She liked reading fiction stories and comic books, she liked cookies and she liked weapons of all shapes and sizes. Simple as. Although she's reticent to try anything out of her comfort zone, she was someone who latched on to things she liked. Something that she wasn't a big fan of at first, but grew to love, was hanging out with her friends.

Sadly, when your friends are also your teammates AND your roommates, their ubiquitous presence in her life tends to become mundane. Not that she disliked her team now or found them boring, just that she wanted some space from time to time.

It was a good thing then that she had one more best friend, who happened to not be a girl, didn't live with her AND was fun to be around.

Ruby whistled a chipper earworm as she carted Hope around the fairground of VytalFest. Hope leaned back in his wheelchair, a smile creeping on his face, Ruby's enthusiasm propagating to him.

"Someone's happy?" he asked rhetorically.

Ruby nodded her head as she hummed affirmingly.

"It's been a while since I've had a break, so I'm gonna enjoy it!" she revealed. "Since Vytal began it's just been sparing and sparing with a side of sparing, sprinkled with more sparing!"

Hope snorted as Ruby grimaced tiredly, and patted her head comfortingly. Ruby smiled as a warm feeling descended from her head into her chest. It felt so... Soothing.

"Take it easy, boss. You'll get to the end of this, just be patient."

Ruby puffed her cheeks.

"But I don't want to spar... I want to hang out with Anon!"

Hope smiled softly with loving eyes, his hand leaving her head.

"Ask and you shall receive."

Ruby smiled back, a tinge of red on her cheeks. Anon always had a nice smile but for some reason, his smile looked even better than normal today.

"On that note, what do you want to do?" Hope questioned. "We could shoot darts at balloons, there's pellet gun ranges, ball throwing games..."

Ruby stopped pushing her friend, the pair stranded in a crowd of black silhouettes. Ruby looked at the floor blankly before shrugging with a confused expression.

"I kind of... Don't want to do anything?"

Hope blinked dumbly.

"Why did you ask me to come with you then?"

"I... I don't know." She admitted. "I just... Wanted to spend time with you."

It had been a while since she just spent time with him, long enough that Ruby had begun to miss his presence. Normally, they'd get together and play games together. He even brought her to an arcade once and they had a blast playing fighting games on the cabinets. They would also go window shopping for weapons part and try out different guns at a gun range.

Of course, all paid by him. Her dad's allowance had limits she had to abide by, after all.

But still, he would flash his card and pay without winging or whining, just to spend time with her and have fun. Being with him was just... nice. And then the Breach happened, and their time together became really limited, not helped by Amity and all the training and strategizing.

She had come to genuinely miss Anon and now that they are together, she just wanted to hang out with him.

Hope hummed pensively until an idea made his grin wider.

"Oh, I know." he declared. "I want to show you something. Mind carting me there?"

"Sure, where to?"

"Not too far, it's near Beacon."

...

Ruby's forehead began to sweat slightly, a strong feeling of guilt slowly creeping into her heart.

"Should we really be here?" She asked nervously. "The sign said that this place was off-limit..."

Hope spluttered nonchalantly with a wry smile.

"Boss, we've bent rules before. Why are you hesitating now?"

With a clink, Hope opened the roof access door of Beacon's Tower. He rolled to the centre of the roof, taking in the slightly thinner air of their elevated position. He looked back at his friend who remained on the staircase.

"Well?" He waved for her to come. "C'mon."

Ruby sheepishly walked into the open roof. She looked over the horizon a gasp escaped her lungs. Before her was almost all of Vale City, unfurled before her like a tapestry of concrete and holographic neons with splashes of green parks dotted around. The wind picked up, aided by their higher altitude, and a sweet and fresh breeze blew through her hair and cloak. Ruby smiled wide, her eyes twinkling in the light of morning.

"It's so pretty!"

"It's even better at night when the moon and stars are out." Hope added. "It's quiet and lonely... I tend to come here when I need to just disconnect and appreciate the view."

Ruby kept looking at the horizon, Hope's words making the view so much more meaningful. She looked to her friend, a curious look on her face.

"So this is your alcove, away from the world?"

Hope smirked.

"It can be our alcove, if you want."

Ruby blinked multiple times.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeh, it'll be our little hideaway from all the crazy shit happening in our lives. Somewhere where we can just relax and take our time away from everything. Just the two of us."

A blush ran across Ruby's cheeks, a faster thump to her heart than usual.

"That's really sweet."

A warm smile appeared on Hope, a hand reaching behind him.

"I got something even sweeter," he declared. "mind closing your eyes for a second?"

Ruby grinned, an anxious excitement finding home in her brain.

"You got me something?" she asked. "What is it?"

"You'll know in a sec, just close your eyes."

The red reaper did as he asked, closing her eyes and (im)patiently waiting for Hope. the squeak of a hinge furthered her excitement but she dutifully kept her eyes closed.

"Can I open them now?" she asked.

"Soon, but I need you to hold out your hand."

Ruby's brow lifted and a confused grimace came and went. She desperately wanted to peek but she did not want to spoil Anon's apparent surprise. She offered her hand and a cold sensation wrapped itself around her pinky finger, causing her to shiver.

"There," he announced. "You can open your eyes now."

Ruby's eyelids parted and her silver eyes met a signet of similar colour staring her back with a ruby eye, its pupil shaped like her emblem. She blinked speechlessly, her stare fixated on her new jewelry. She twisted her hand around, looking at the beautiful ring from every angle. Her eyes wandered back up at Hope, her tongue still yielding no words. Her best friend smiled back at her dumbfounded self.

"Bit late, but then again, your birthday was before we met."

Ruby bobbed her head in acknowledgement, barely paying attention to his words. Her heart thumped in her heart with the vigour of when she just finished an intense workout. Her cheeks grew red without her realising it and her brain grew fuzzy. What was this feeling?

"It's... It's so..." she paused, her breath becoming heavy and her face growing redder. "It's so beautiful..."

Hope smiled softly, glad that his gift was appreciated.

"Happy to hear it!"

His smile looked so dazzling, his teeth, so straight and white like a movie star's. He looked so good with a smile but for some reason, it felt so different from every other time she remarked on it. The Silver-Eyed warrior held her hand to her chest, feeling the furious beating of her heart through her chest. What is happening? Hope scratched his cheek, a mild blush of his own.

"I know it's kind of corny but... It's kind of just me being dramatic about a promise."

Ruby took in a deep breath, hoping fruitlessly that it would aid in calming the beat of her heart.

"What... What promise?" she asked.

The sun reached its zenith as a soft breeze blew through Hope's soft hair. He smiled toothily, his blue eyes as striking as sapphires in the sunlight.

"That I'll be there, by your side, no matter what."

The crimson leader of Team RWBY gripped the front of her shirt, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. the fuzzy feeling in her brain expanded throughout her body and a nascent fluttery feeling installed itself in her stomach. She looked at the ring, almost speechless. She didn't want this moment to end, but she had no clue as to why she wanted that. so many questions flowed through her addled brain and yet there were no answers in sight.

Other than it was pleasant and that her best friend, Anon, was responsible.

She rubbed the gemmed emblem on her ring, its flawless reflection her twinkling in the sunlight.

"Thank you." she managed to say. "I... I'll hold on to it forever..."

Hope took his friend's hand, nearly giving her a heart attack, before taking hold of her pinky with his own. He flashed a benevolent smirk with a wink.

"Promised."

Ruby stared into her friend's eyes, the feeling slowly settling if still quite intense. A sudden alarm jolted the both of them out of their saccharine bubble. Hope checked his scroll, the alarm warning him that Penny's duo match was going to begin in half an hour. Hope waved Ruby closer to see. As she did, the smell of his cologne hit her all at once. She knew Hope used a generic brand but for some reason, the scent was as soothing as it was pleasant.

"We should get a move on if we want good seats." He explained. "Amity ho?"

Ruby immediately took place behind Hope, now realizing that her face almost matched her cloak. She cleared her throat, desperately trying to get a hold of herself and barely succeeding.

"Y-yeah! Amity ho!"

RWBY's fun-sized top dog didn't understand the feeling that overtook her. She wasn't one to get out of her comfort zone to experience new things, but she did latch on to things she liked. She didn't think that she could like Hope more than she already did, but somehow...

She liked Anon even more.

A bone-chilling scream reverberated throughout the beachside cabin as a young woman wearing naught but the sluttiest, most revealing one-piece swimsuit was nailed to the wall in a spray of gore and blood. The one responsible, a man whose quite literally sunburned skin was hidden under a snorkelling suit, ran his mangled fingers across his darkened visor to wipe off the blood. His large whaling harpoon was ripped out of the victim, her screams and pleas going ignored as the masked killer reduced her to a disfigured, mangled pile of ripped meat using a fishing knife.

Meanwhile, Yang had been laughing since the part where she got nailed.

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"

Hope rubbed his eyes, himself baffled by the abhorrent CGI blood spray.

"Really?" He asked. "Who's the greasy monkey prick who made this shit and how did he get this shit past the production crew?"

"What are you talking about, this is amazing!"

Hope noshed on the steaming plate of nachos set between him and his blonde friend, looking at her like she was an alien.

"Luv, the acting is so wooden, it's not even funny. Let alone the mediocre special effect!"

"Oh c'mon! It's what gives the movie charm!"

"Lizard Invaders: Dawn of the Moon Kings has charm," he countered. "This is just lame."

Yang spluttered.

"You just like it because your people are in it."

Hope grimaced in mock offence.

"How dare you! We deep-water Jews are amphibian, not reptilian! You racist bint!"

Yang had a good belly laugh as she hopped off the couch to get more beer, knocking over one of the many other cans she already emptied. As she reached the fridge and pilfered a crisp can of refreshing ale, Yang noticed something on Hope's desk that twinkled in the light of the TV screen. Yang casually approached the desk, a curious attraction animating her step. Once at the desk, she noticed amid the different trinkets and papers strewn about the surface a small hinged box containing a ring. Yang squeaked adorably at the sight of it.

"Who's the lucky girl?!" She asked excitedly.

Hope turned on the sofa with a quirked brow as Yang rocketed to him with the boxed ring in hand, almost shoving it in his face.

"Who's it for?! C'mon~ Tell me!" she teased. "Is it for me?"

Hope took out his scroll and lit the room remotely, revealing the ring's design. A wrought iron frame holding a brilliant topaz, on whose surface Yang's emblem reflected. Yang blinked multiple times as she stared at the ring, completely at a loss for words. Hope smirked.

"Yeah, actually. It is yours."

The blond bombshell kept staring at the ring, a light blush on her face before spluttering dismissively.

"C'mon man, an iron ring? You couldn't afford gold for a wedding band?"

Hope scoffed.

"Gold can't burn a fuckwit fae's face in." Hope explained matter of factly. "If you want fancy metal, pick silver. At least it'll keep a Grandchild of Cain the fuck away."

Yang blinked blankly at her friend, not understanding a single thing he said.

"Yes..."

"Besides, marriage?" he questioned. "With you?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"You do realize that being your spouse would be the biggest pain in my ass imaginable right?"

Yang took hold of her voluptuous assets, moaning seductively.

"You sure~? I could make it all worth it for you in ways you can't imagine~"

Hope blinked, unimpressed.

"Virgin."

Yang's face became completely red.

"I-I've had boyfriends!"

"Have you gotten laid?"

"I've... I've done mouth stuff!"

"Kissing doesn't count."

Yang let a whine escape before dropping her butt on the couch, sulking and mumbling. They returned to their movie marathon but despite all the action, nudity and gore, Yang'S mind kept wandering to the ring. She popped the box open and looked at it again. A fact reemerged inside her mind and looked at her friend's hand.

"I just noticed," she announced. "The ring you got me and yours look really similar."

Hope hummed, confirming that he was paying attention.

"Are they, like, related or do they have some kind of meaning or?"

"It's an old family tradition of ours." Hope explained. "Grandad got one from his dad when he became a man, mom got hers from him, and I got mine from hers. It's a proof of bond, kind of like extra fancy friendship bracelets.."

Yang ate some of the nachos still on the plate, deep in thought.

"Where'd you get them?"

"I know a guy. He's a fucking creep but, goddamnit, he's really good at making jewelry."

Yang finally gave in and took the ring out of the box, trying and failing to put it on her middle finger.

"Oh god, it's so tight!"

"That's what he said." he joked. "Also, wrong finger."

Hope took her hand and delicately put the ring on her pinky. Yang held her hand out, a twinkle next to her head.

"Damn, I look fine with bling."

Hope put his finger in his mouth, retching comically. Yang grinned, amused at the knowledge that Hope was disgusted with her.

"How'd you get my finger measurements right, by the way? Cause this fit is awesome."

Hope shrugged.

"I don't, it's all the Indian's doing."

"The Indian?"

"The creepy fuck I talked about earlier. No one knows his name, only that he's an old Vaishya from Munger, India. So we call him the Indian."

"What make's him so creepy?"

"His face is not fun to look at, seeing as it got ripped off and he had it stitched back in place. So he looks like he's wearing a mask made of human skin."

"Good Grief..."

"Yeah, and he always seems to know the exact dimensions needed to make any piece of jewelry. Including... embarrassing pieces."

"Like?" Yang asked, morbidly curious.

"You know what a Prince Albert is?"

"No? Do I want to know?" Yang asked worriedly.

"You really don't." Hope admitted with a deep shiver.

Yang rubbed the ring, sweating nervously. Hope waved her worries away dismissively.

"Take it easy. He's a creepy fuck but he's plenty nice. And he makes a damn good cup of chai. As long as you pay him fairly, guy's golden like the jewels he makes."

Yang nodded absentmindedly, her eyes going back to the ring. Her doubts melted away into a restrained, dumbass grin. She held her hand out, the topaz shining in the light.

"You said you got yours from your mom, right?"

"Aye."

"And it's a family tradition, right?"

"Aye."

She flashed him a cheeky smile tinged with a mild blush.

"Does that make us family?"

Hope's mouth curled, revealing his teeth.

"Aye."

Yang blanked out for a moment before scooting closer to Hope and leaning against his shoulder. Hope wrapped an arm around her shoulder, petting the top of his head with his hand. Yang looked up, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Question is... What kind of family?"

"That's for you to decide."

She snorted.

"C'mon. You know girls don't like indecisive men." Yang teased.

"Are you sure you're not the one trying to proposition me?" Hope teased back.

"Would you say yes?"

"Keep dreaming, bimbo."

She lightly smacked the top of his thigh with the back of her hand.

"Fuck you."

"Fuck me yourself."

Yang pushed herself off of him before jumping on his lap, purring to him as their faces were inches apart.

"Is that a challenge, or an invitation?"

Hope rolled his eyes.

"Neither, I'd rather sell you for a bag of stale corn chips than fuck you."

Yang gasped, offended by the degrading value he gave her.

"Excuse you! I'm worth, at least, a fresh plate of nachos!"

Hope took the plate that held their movie snack.

"How's two-thirds of a plate sound?"

Yang hummed pensively, eyeing Hope, then the nachos. She rolled off of him before snatching the plate from his hand, stuffing her face with the spicy, meaty treat. Hope chuckled.

"You're way too easy."

"I am a simple girl with simple joys."

Hope shook his head with a big grin as he turned the lights off and let the night roll by with his new family member as they kept watching a bunch of entertainingly bad movies.

Another day spent with those he loved most in this world, another day that life seemed unbelievable. Even despite the hardships and pains, it all felt worth it.

Hope, a name that once felt like a bad joke, now felt genuine and fitting.

Anon rested atop his bed, his fatigue from the day not yet drifting him into sleep. He looked once more at the rings that usually adorned his fingers. A tarnished gold ring with a cracked ruby, a symbol of failed love and heartbreak, and a bloodstone signet engraved with a prideful lioness feeding her cubs that one belonged to his deceased mother. Hope held his last ring, his own, personal signet.

One no longer adorned with a wounded bird of prey, laying in misery but instead, the bird of prey rested peacefully with eyes toward the horizon.

Hope looked at his remade band with a soft, easy smile before slipping it on. The ring rested well on his middle finger, even more than it previously did...

A shame then, that this beautiful piece of wearable art now adorned the finger of a severed arm, laying in a small pool of its own blood amid the ruins of the tower of Beacon.

Farther away, buried between the broken marble and stone of the tower, Hope struggled to breathe as blood kept pouring from his arrow wound and his stumped arm. A paralyzed Cinder managed to swivel her eyes to meet his, his blue orbs slightly shining in the shade of the rubble. Hope blinked, the life slowly draining out of his eyes.

Those moments we shared... I hope they were enough.

Hope's head lulled, resting next to Cinder's, her mouth next to his ear. He heard her breathe, as she did him. Suddenly, Light poured over him, as the debris overhead was removed, letting in the rays of the Red Sun. A rough pair of hands ripped him from the remains of the tower and tossed him down. As he fell to his ultimate demise, He called Hope had but one thought, one regret.

Looks like I couldn't keep my promises to you all...

I'm sorry.

APOCRYPHA: END!

CONTINUE?