Cinnamon breathed in the smell of coffee wafting up from her cup as she sat in the darkened kitchen area of her employer's newest hideaway. The modest Mantle apartment had been up for cheap rent, and Watts had jumped at the chance to secure another location to move between as needed. Predictably, the wallpaper was peeling, the carpet had a dingy smell, and there were only two beds available for such a modest fee, but Cinnamon didn't mind the lodging at all.
It was still far beyond what she had grown up with.
While Watts had declared a bedroom for himself and Emerald had taken the second as his senior lackey, Scarlet opted for an air mattress in the middle of the main room. Cinnamon occupied the couch, which was lumpy with uneven cushions and slightly torn fabric. Despite the less than comfortable furniture and the constant rattling of the nearby radiator, Cinnamon didn't mind taking the lowest quality place to sleep.
It made it easier to keep track of the others' movements.
A groan from the center of the living room caught Cinnamon's attention, causing the spines upon her upper arms to twitch in response. She narrowed her eyes as she watched Scarlet rise from his air mattress, clearly disoriented and holding his forehead. The adolescent boy blinked in the darkness and shook his head as he stumbled around the couch. Cinnamon knew that he couldn't see her without finding the light.
She had the distinct impression that Scarlet couldn't see most things right in front of him.
"Morning," Cinnamon lilted, a bit louder than necessary. She smirked as Scarlet jumped in surprise and nearly tripped his way into the kitchen. "Sleep well?"
"…I hate this place," Scarlet seethed as he pulled the chain dangling from the ceiling fan above Cinnamon's small, circular table.
The kitchen was flooded with light immediately, and Scarlet blinked several times before rubbing at his eyes. He stared at the older woman's attire for a moment, finding her in a pair of shorts and a tube top. Scarlet looked away after a moment, unsure of what to think.
"The apartment?" Cinnamon asked with a tilt of her head. "Mantle? Remnant?"
"Tch."
Scarlet said nothing more as he began rifling through the cabinets in search of something to eat. The cupboards were relatively bare beyond some generic cereal and a bag of bagels. He was less than pleased.
"Really, though- what's in it for you?" Cinnamon asked, raising a brow. "I'm aware of your connection to Sun, after doing a bit of digging. Are you really petty enough to serve a demon queen to get back at your friend?"
Scarlet stiffened as he opted for a bagel. He took his time retwisting the top of the bag before simply folding it under the rest and shoving the entire sleeve back into the cabinet. Slowly, he turned back to Cinnamon as he split the bagel in half, looking annoyed.
"…it's not about him, it's about what he caused. We had stability as a team. We had a future laid out for us… until he left and we were unable to find work at Haven as a team of three. No one could find work in Mistral for months, for whatever reason. Job postings on our scrolls led to constant error messages, and the few jobs we could find required a full team of four to take on. Several of the teams that took them never came back. Sun screwed us over. Salem offered a way to survive. So, I'm with Salem."
"…so, a marriage of convenience, and you believe that Sun is solely at fault for your situation," Cinnamon considered before taking a sip of coffee. "You have no idea why the entire system in Mistral wasn't working as intended, do you? Headmaster Lionheart was apparently in Salem's pocket all along, killing huntsmen for her and sabotaging jobs to force them to work outside the city. That's a little detail I picked up from Ozpin and Qrow after Haven fell. Apparently, he had one of those floating eyeball grimm in his office and everything."
Scarlet took a moment to consider the revelation as he popped his bagel into the toaster and leaned back into the counter. The haughty teen folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, only to flip his fringe out of his face as he gave Cinnamon a look full of disdain.
"…I didn't initially sign up to work for her. I signed on with Tyrian because he was offering work where there otherwise was none. There was an opportunity, and I took it. Simple jobs that… escalated, over time. It started as stealing some tech to help him construct a new tail. I didn't know it would lead to this… but I also don't care. The money's good, and consistent."
"And that's good enough for you to just keep going with this," Cinnamon said matter-of-factly.
"I keep my word," Scarlet asserted. "I get paid, and the Atlesian nobles getting what's coming to them is just a bonus."
"And what reason do you have to hate the Atlesians?" Cinnamon asked.
"…look at them," Scarlet replied, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've never met one I didn't think was an asshole. Why are you even telling me any of this? Are you trying to get me to walk away? Give up the little bit of consistency I've found so you can take a bigger cut? Or do you think I need a specific reason to make a mess of things, and having one somehow makes you better?"
Cinnamon took another sip of coffee as Watts entered the room, wearing his usual full suit despite the early hour of the morning. The man walked with haste into the kitchen and seized the bagel from the toaster the second it popped up, leading Scarlet to draw in a sharp breath of annoyance through his nose. Cinnamon kept quiet, though only just as she rubbed her hand along her cheek to cover her smirk.
"Both of you are awake. Good," the mustached main praised as he rummaged through the refrigerator to find a tub of butter. "I have assignments for all of you, once Emerald decides to stop lazing about."
"I don't think she slept much, if at all," Cinnamon said nonchalantly.
"Is that so?" Watts asked, sounding rather bored.
"She left her room several times last night," Cinnamon clarified. "A few times to the bathroom, once or twice to the window in the living room. Once, she left the apartment entirely."
At that, Watts turned around, holding the tub of butter as he regarded Cinnamon with suspicion.
"…I see…"
"Might be worth keeping an eye on," Cinnamon said with a shrug as she circled her finger around the rim of her cup. "Might be nothing significant. Who knows? What do you have planned for us?"
"After that little nugget of information, the plan may have changed," Watts considered. "We'll be dividing into pairs. The question is who you're going with."
Weiss awakened to the aroma of sizzling bacon and the disorienting feeling of unexpected surroundings. She blinked several times as she tried to remember why exactly she was cocooned within a blanket and laying upon a couch instead of her mattress. The memory of watching the city lights for a while on the rooftop and then heading back down to the Academy halls was perfectly clear, and then…
She vaguely remembered being snuggled up against a surprisingly warm bare chest for the night. An even warmer hand cradled against the small of her back as she spoke to her friend into the small hours of the morning. Her head nestled just below his chin as they watched TV and talked, occasionally turning their attention to each other instead. None of the conversations or what they had watched came back to her, but for some reason, she knew that the specifics didn't matter anyway. It was all about the unfamiliar, wonderful feeling it all brought her- one of comfort, safety, and belonging.
A feeling that persisted even into the morning, despite the fact that she was alone on the couch.
Weiss slowly rose, holding her blanket tight around herself as she craned her neck to look over the back of the furniture. In the kitchenette, Marrow was tending to a frying pan, his tail wagging happily behind himself. The faunus had his hair down, the shaggy strands reaching down to his bare shoulders. He wore only his usual dog bone print pajama pants despite the cool temperature of the apartment and hazardous bacon before him. Weiss considered giving him a signal that she had woken up, but instead settled on simply staring for a while and reveling in the moment.
After several minutes of shared silence save for the sounds from the kitchen, Marrow happened to turn around and catch Weiss looking his way. The former heiress had her arms folded atop the back of the couch and her chin resting upon them. Her expression was one that Marrow had never seen her wear before, though he knew immediately what it meant.
"Hey there," the faunus cooed as he turned back to his culinary work. "How'd you sleep?"
"It's funny you should ask," Weiss began. "I know it was only a few hours, but with you? It felt much longer. This is the most well-rested I've felt since arriving in Atlas. You're… very comfortable."
"And you make for a good blanket," Marrow teased with a grin. "You're welcome to stay over whenever you'd like… I mean, as long as it isn't too awkward."
"It's a little awkward," Weiss admitted. "It's only going to get more awkward once the others realize where I've been all night, but… honestly, I'm not sure that I care. I'll certainly be staying with you every so often, though… maybe the bed, next time? My neck is a bit sore…"
Marrow went about plating food, doing his best to avoid Weiss' eyes.
"Would that… change things? Sharing a bed, I mean. I was tempted to move you there after I woke up, but… I wasn't sure if it would go over well."
"…does it have to change anything?" Weiss asked as she rubbed at her neck.
"…I guess it doesn't, no," Marrow resolved as he placed two stacked plates on the breakfast bar. "As long as you're comfortable w-"
The sudden sound of the intercom crackling to life and a harsh, feminine voice echoing through it caused both occupants of the suite to jump in surprise. Weiss nearly dropped her blanket to the floor as she stumbled while getting up from the couch, Harriet's voice immediately chasing away her feelings of contentment.
"Hey, you up? We're meeting in 30!"
Marrow gave Weiss an apologetic look and shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen to meet her in the main room of the penthouse.
"I should… probably answer that. Do you want to…?"
"It's fine," Weiss reassured as she offered Marrow a nod and tossed the blanket onto the couch, revealing her nightgown once again. "Go ahead and let her in. We have nothing to hide."
Marrow paused to watch Weiss pull out a stool and sit before the breakfast window, crossing her bare legs before herself. He couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as he moved to answer the door, only to find Harriet clad in her usual Ace Ops uniform behind it. Much to his surprise, his colleague looked uncharacteristically nervous.
"Hey, Hare," Marrow said softly as he leaned into the doorframe. "I'm up, and I'll be there. Just gotta eat and shower."
Harriet had her arms folded across her chest in a defensive posture, her foot tapping idly as she looked up at Marrow.
"Good. We've got a lot t-…"
"Good morning!" Weiss offered from her place near the kitchen as Harriet stopped speaking, their eyes locked on each other.
Harriet stiffened as she looked back up at Marrow, her uncertainty deepening as she tried to figure out what exactly to say.
"…hey," she replied, though she didn't look back over at Weiss. "I'll… leave you two alone. Just didn't want you to forget, I guess? Sorry…"
"What?" Marrow asked, eyes wide. "No, it's fine! You're not interrupting anything. I can put on some more eggs, if you haven't eaten y-"
"I'm fine," Harriet said coldly as she looked back over at Weiss. "Just… see you soon…"
With that, Harriet disappeared into the hallway and Marrow chuckled to himself as he made his way back over toward Weiss.
"Hey, that actually reminds me- could you grab my scroll on your way over?" Weiss requested. "The others wanted to talk this morning before our two teams meet up to discuss jobs. I feel a little bad for Harriet…"
"Of course," Marrow acknowledged as he made a brief detour to the coffee table to pick up Weiss' scroll. "And as for Harriet? She's… branching out, after what happened at the mines, sure, but walking in on something like this is probably beyond what she expected to see. We're not exactly wearing much…"
"Understandable," Weiss agreed as Marrow dropped her scroll into her palm. "But I meant more on a personal level. Awkwardness in the aftermath of failure isn't easy to deal with… especially when there's a large degree of separation between you and the people you feel indebted to."
"We're not that far apart," Marrow tried as he took up the stool next to Weiss and began to pick at his pile of scrambled eggs. "Or at least, we're getting closer. Right?"
"We are," Weiss agreed as she unlocked her scroll and immediately let out an annoyed sigh.
"Something wrong?" Marrow asked immediately.
"No, no, it's just…" Weiss began, only to roll her eyes as she scrolled through her messages. "I was hoping that the 52 new messages would consist of more than a still-ongoing discussion of Jaune's hair. At least Ilia is getting more creative, I suppose?"
Marrow raised a brow as he watched Weiss try to fight back a smirk unsuccessfully. The attempt brought him a smile of his own.
"How's that?"
Weiss brought a hand to her forehead before turning her scroll so that Marrow could see the screen. An image of Jaune's face edited onto a hedgehog with a yellow filter applied to its spines took up the majority of the screen. Underneath, a message from Yang reading "This is 100% my new background." was visible, while something else written in all capital letters from Jaune was partially running off the bottom of the screen. Marrow snorted in amusement, causing Weiss to shake her head as she bit her lip.
"Idiots, all of them."
"Maybe, but you love them," Marrow teased.
"I do," Weiss agreed as she set her scroll down and began to eat. "We've been through so much together, at this point. That, and… Marrow, we are getting closer to the Aces, but there always will be a dividing line at the end of the day. There are certain things even you and I can't talk about. That isn't true with Sun's crew, not that it's your fault…"
"What can't we talk about?" Marrow asked as he raised a brow. "I'm willing to talk about anything with you."
"Willing, maybe," Weiss considered. "But not able. When I was with Clover yesterday, he and I spoke quite a bit about Winter. His relationship with her, and… her work. Her other work."
Weiss watched as Marrow stiffened, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.
"…that's exactly what I mean," Weiss said softly as she placed a hand upon Marrow's leg. "I… believe I know what's going on, but I also know that you can't talk about it. Bringing up my theory as to what she's been assigned, especially if it happens to be true, is extremely unfair to you. I don't want to put you in a position of feeling like you owe me any sort of explanation, or that you need to choose between pleasing me and doing your job when it comes to classified information. So, we're dropping it now. I only said something to prove the point that the separation is still there… and that it needs to be."
"And you're okay with that?" Marrow asked hesitantly. "Even when it involves your family?"
"If family was going to factor into what happens between us, I wouldn't have just spent a night cuddled up to a faunus on the couch," Weiss reminded. "I'm not going to let your professional responsibilities clash with our increasingly unprofessional personal relationship. I promise. As much as I want to ask you about certain things… it isn't fair. I care too much about you to put you in a position like that. I can theorize and confide in my other friends until the time is right for me to know more."
"…you're something else, you know that?" Marrow asked. "And… I appreciate that. A lot. A lot more than I can say…"
"I know," Weiss acknowledged as she sent a message on her scroll. "You don't have to say anything at all. It's likely better if we just move on, and focus on… well, us. At least, for the next however long we have until you need to leave."
"I've still gotta shower," Marrow answered as he ran a hand through his hair. "My hair gets kinda greasy overnight, and I can't show up to an Aces meeting smelling like you."
"And what do I smell like, exactly?" Weiss asked as she casually bit into a strip of bacon.
"…wonderful?" Marrow tried with a nervous look.
"Good answer."
"I try. But anyway… you know, that barrier between us? It doesn't necessarily need to be permanent. Have you given any thought to what you want to do once this is all over?" Marrow asked.
"Not particularly," Weiss admitted. "For now, I'm just… surviving day to day."
"Well… with everything you guys are doing to help us against Salem? If any of you eventually wanted to join the Aces, I'm sure the general would be willing to fast-track you after she's taken care of. I think once the others work with you more, they'd love to have you on board."
Weiss found that in lieu of any sort of feeling, her mind simply went blank at the suggestion.
"…oh. I… I don't know," the girl considered as she furrowed her brows and focused upon her food. "I never even thought of that as a possibility…"
"It's still a ways off," Marrow reminded as he cleared his plate. "But… hey, you never know, right? I'm gonna head off to shower, but let me take a look at your neck once I get out, okay?"
"If you have time," Weiss asserted. "I don't want you to be late for my sake."
"Honestly? If I am, it won't be the end of the world," Marrow said with a shrug as he slipped off his stool. He raised a brow as Weiss copied his movements, only to briefly settle his head atop hers as she pulled him into a hug. "I won't be long."
"I might be gone before you get out, actually," Weiss replied. "The others want to meet as soon as possible about something or other. It's apparently important."
"Maybe Jaune shaved his head so Ilia and Yang stop bullying him," Marrow joked as he pulled back with a grin, his hands lingering upon Weiss' hips.
"Marrow," Weiss admonished, though she couldn't help but smirk. "…maybe. But I don't want to risk it. I should probably go, and avoid holding you up as well."
"Well in that case… where does your neck hurt?" Marrow asked. "Just one side, or…?"
"The left," Weiss clarified as she gave the area a short rub. "Just the way we slept. I'll live."
Marrow leaned in slowly, moving his head down to Weiss' level before planting a soft kiss on the left side of her neck. A tingling sensation rocketed through her skin in a pleasant jolt at the contact, and her eyes widened as she looked up to Marrow's while he pulled back.
"…usually I'd offer a massage, but…"
"…I think… that was just as pleasant," Weiss considered as Marrow gave her hand a squeeze. "Maybe more…"
"I'm glad," Marrow replied with a grin. "See you soon?"
"See you soon," Weiss agreed before turning to watch Marrow disappear into the bathroom.
Weiss lingered in the penthouse for a moment as she listened to the water turning on through the wall. She lifted a hand and rubbed at the spot on her neck where lips had been only moments before. The flesh was somehow hotter and more tender than the surrounding area, as though simply pressing upon it stoked some sort of internal fire that Weiss wasn't aware she had within her.
It was a feeling she could certainly get used to.
Author's Note:
I swear this is still primarily a story about Sun and Blake. No, like for real.
I swear!
In all seriousness, prepare for some major focus on both of them in the coming chapters.
-RD