I'm Not Yours

"Thank you for bringing him Olivier," the older woman sighed as the pair walked away from Ambur's bedroom door. Ambur's mother, Serena, had been far more ecstatic than Liv imagined she'd be. She knew that the woman had been waiting for Ambur to bring this boy home with her for years now and that this wasn't what she'd anticipated but it was better than nothing.

Ambur had been nervous about introducing Mydnight to them, not to mention they had only really been dating for no more than two months. There hadn't been time. Ambur had told her parents all about him and Liv knew they weren't the type to hate Faunus but still. Ambur was their girl. Liv's parents would probably harshly judge any boy she brought home and that was why she'd never done it. All her relationships in combat school had been strictly on school grounds back in Mistral. Now that she lived at Beacon she didn't have to worry about getting caught out somewhere with a guy on a date by someone who knew her or knew her family and would spill the beans.

Liv had come to know Ambur's parents from the several times she had come to spend time with Ambur during their first year at the school and she knew right away that their relationship was nothing like her relationship with her parents.

Ambur may have appeared to be a quiet little goth girl at school but at home, she had been far more comfortable. They had a great relationship with each other and Liv was shocked that none of what made Ambur into the girl she was when they first met came from problems at home.

She envied them really.

They seemed so close and they told each other everything and even now, in the middle of the night, on a work night, Serena had embraced the half-drunk Faunus on her front steps without hesitation. She didn't scold him, she didn't yell or try to chase him away. She pulled the lost boy into her arms and thanked him for being there for her daughter.

They didn't mention that they were dating, they didn't ask him what his intentions were. They just let him in and left him alone with their daughter who needed so desperately to be alone with him.

Liv parents would not have done anything of the sort. If a boy showed up looking for Liv the guards around the property were paid to shoot first and ask questions never. This was a big reason that Liv had never tried to have a boy over her house. It wasn't the only reason of course. She'd also never met someone she felt so confident about that she actually wanted them to meet her parents.

"I do what I can…" Liv finally sighed as they reached the kitchen. Serena turned to head into the living room before she replied.

"I'm gonna head back to bed. You're both welcome to stay the night, you know where everything is sweetheart," Ambur's mother smiled softly as she headed for the stairs.

"Thank you," Liv smiled back before she headed for the fridge. She pulled a trio of water bottles from inside and headed back toward Ambur's room. She pressed her ear into the wood and found the pair within were merely catching up. She half expected them to be making out but she wasn't sure if that was her jealousy flaring up.

She tapped her knuckles against the door a few times before Ambur spoke up. "Come in?" Her soft voice came and Liv opened the door. She found Mydnight sitting on Ambur's bed beside the amazon and their fingers entwined. He was sat up more straight than she was and her head was rested into his shoulder. He'd taken off his coat and it lay crumpled on her desk chair.

Liv produced the water bottles and both of her friends smiled as she handed them over. She sat herself on Ambur's other side. "You better chug that wolf boy," Liv smirked and she could feel Mydnight's scowl all the way on Ambur's other side.

"Yeah yeah…" he said before, to her surprise, he actually obliged. He needed to hydrate after all that drinking and if he was in the mood to actually do better then maybe she'd finally get a break from wolf-sitting.

"Are you guys tired?" Ambur asked before he took a sip from her own water.

"Eh, kinda?" Liv shrugged. She wasn't surprised when Mydnight hummed in agreement a moment later.

"Well you can sleep in here if you want," Ambur smiled. "There's room for all of us and I can put on a movie or whatever on the TV?"

"I don't think-" Liv started slowly before Mydnight spoke up and cut her off.

"I'll sleep out on the couch, it's cool." Liv let her lips drift shut as she watched for Ambur's reaction. She could tell when Ambur's mood began to sink but she also saw the smallest nod of her friend's head. It was a better idea after all. Finding Liv and Ambur sleeping in the same bed wasn't that uncommon. They slept together every time Liv stayed overnight.

Ambur's parents had been cool enough letting Mydnight stay over but maybe letting them sleep in the same bed was going a little far, even if Ambur was in no condition for debauchery.

"Alright…" Ambur agreed solemnly.

"Don't worry," he forced a smile. "I'll still be here when you wake up...okay?" He asked softly.

Ambur nodded silently and leaned over to him. Liv watched, the tips of her ears burning as her friends pressed their lips together. They lingered just a little too long, Liv thought. She could tell they were hungry for each other's kisses but they would just have to wait. She wasn't about to let Mydnight get worked up while Ambur couldn't move. They broke the kiss and Mydnight stood from the bed. He headed for the door and was soon out of their hair. Liv couldn't help but feel a little guilty but she knew this was for the best.

"Sorry if...me being here kinda ruined it…" she sighed but felt Ambur take her hand.

"No Liv...never," Ambur smiled genuinely before she pulled Liv into a hug. "You being here could never ruin anything...not for me. Thanks for bringing him by though…"

"Sorry for it being so late. I've tried to get him over here before but he's been...difficult."

"You mean drunk…" Ambur said softly.

"Yeah…"

"Sorry that I...stuck you with watching him...you're all I've got you know...you two are everything to me…"

"Well I appreciate the sentiment but you know that's not true, especially after tonight. Your parents love you, Ambur…"

"Okay yeah...I just mean...you two are the people I've chosen you know...not the people who were chosen for me…"

"Yeah," Liv smiled a little. "I know what you mean." She did too. Liv felt the same way about at least Ambur and lately, she'd even found herself growing more and more attached to Mydnight too.

The worrying thing was that she didn't find herself growing closer to Mydnight simply because Ambur cared about him.

She'd become worried that she may actually… Liv shook her head and shooed the thoughts into the back of her mind. She stood from the bed and headed to the wall before she flipped off the light switch. She found her way back to Ambur's bed and took her sneakers off, tossing them gently toward the door. "Let's get some rest alright?" She groaned as she invited herself under Ambur's sheets. She was relieved to find her friend mostly clothed. Her cheeks flushed warmly as Ambur put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, resting Liv's head in her shoulder.

Liv, rather than put up a fight, let herself fall into Dreamland after the exhausting day she'd had.

/

It was light outside when Liv woke to the sound of a door closing just a little too forcefully. She began to stir and she could feel Ambur beside her doing her best to sit up. "Hey don't worry I'll go see whatsup okay?" Liv said as quickly as her brain would let her.

At this time in the morning, Ambur's parents would probably already be headed to work so it couldn't have been them. That left only one culprit. Liv wiped the sleep from her eyes and got to her feet and headed for the door.

Out in the hallway she headed for the entryway and once there she could already see the problem through the glass panel of the front door.

She jogged to it quickly and wrenched the heavy door open and walked out onto the deck. The noise had come from Mydnight walking out of the house to meet an incredibly disheveled Qrow.

They were shouting at each other now. She wasn't sure if that was an improvement over not talking at all but they couldn't avoid each other forever.

"I jus' came to see iffff youwer okay!" Qrow slurred. Had he ever stopped drinking last night? Had he even slept at all since Liv had last seen him?

If Mydnight was the prince of self-destructive behavior after the accident then Qrow was the king. Liv silently counted herself lucky that she didn't have to babysit him instead of Mydnight.

"I'm fine!" Mydnight growled back at his older counterpart. "Now get out of here and go fucking sleep or shower!"

Liv thought Mydnight wasn't being particularly fair but then…she didn't know what Qrow and Mydnight's relationship was really like. She doubted Ambur even really knew the nitty-gritty of these two men's relationship behind closed doors. Was Qrow like a pet sitter or more like a father figure to Mydnight? She didn't know if them yelling like this was because of the accident or if it was normal.

"Can you two idiots go argue somewhere else? Ambur is trying to sleep," she shouted over them. Mydnight's ears twitched a little and Qrow's red eyes jumped over to scan her quickly. The older man's head drooped a little before he spoke again.

"I just want to talk about what happened...You need to hear me out!" Qrow shouted back at Mydnight.

"I don't need to hear shit! You weren't there when you were supposed to be! What else matters?!" Mydnight replied and Liv began to take a few more steps toward Qrow.

"Mydnight you need to lis-" Qrow began again but this time Mydnight cut him off.

"Stop telling me what I need to do!" He shouted. "It's always 'Mydnight you need to listen,' or 'Mydnight you need to train more,' with you! I. Don't. Need it Qrow! I'm not yours!" He yelled in a horse tone and Liv could see Qrow's eyes go wide as his jaw went slack.

Liv guessed she had the answer to the question she'd been thinking about a minute ago now.

"I'm not your kid, not your fucking pet!" Mydnight began again and Liv thought she could hear him holding back tears. Liv closed the gap between herself and Mydnight before she spoke again, this time directly at Qrow.

"Go home Qrow…" the laced words hit the older man's drunken ears and slowly his features softened and he turned to leave. "You!" Liv shouted up into Mydnight's face. "Go walk it off! Ambur doesn't need this from you right now," she said sternly and even though she hadn't laced the words with her semblance, Mydnight still listened to her. He began to walk off down the street in the opposite direction of Qrow and Liv gave a heavy sigh.

She headed back into the house and when she made it Ambur's room she found the amazon staring down into her lap. "Gonna assume you heard all of that…" Liv groaned.

"The entire street heard all of that…" Ambur confirmed without looking up to her.

"Sorry…for letting it go on so long…"

"It's not your fault…" Ambur replied. Liv could see that she was clenching her fists so tight that her fingers were turning white.

"Well...it isn't your fault eith-"

"Yes, it is!" Ambur shouted down into her lap. She was gripping her sheets so tight that she nearly tore them. "Why does everyone keep saying that none of this is my fault?!" She cried as she looked back at Liv. "All of it is my fault!"

Liv stood in stunned silence as she watched tears begin to stream down Ambur's cheeks. "I screwed up and none of you will let me take responsibility for it and it makes me feel like shit!" She was breathing heavier now and growling her words through her teeth. "Like I'm some little stupid kid! I told Oz we could handle it. I told him we were ready and I was wrong! And now half our team is gone and I've ruined Mydnight's relationship with the only family he's ever had!"

"Ambur you…" Liv started but she didn't really know what she wanted to say. She should say something but for a long moment, she couldn't think of anything. Watching Ambur cry always did this to her. All her thoughts melted away and all she could ever think of was how badly she wanted to stop her friend's pain and tears. "Oz should have known that you weren't ready."

"Of course he knew we weren't ready!" Ambur blubbered loudly. "He's not that stupid Liv!" She was trying her best to catch her breath but even through her Shakey words, Liv could tell she was serious.

"What...what do you mean?"

"It was a test!" Ambur spat out before her hands came up to her face and wiped tears from her cheeks. "I was supposed to tell him we couldn't handle it. I was supposed to be able to admit that we couldn't do it alone and accept help. I failed. Why would he tell me he wanted me to be the new Fall Maiden without testing me afterward? And now I've ruined everything…" her words became thin as she struggled for air through her shirt and fast breaths.

Liv was silent. She wanted to tell Ambur she was crazy or that it was all in her head but for some reason, she couldn't. What if Ambur was actually right? Of course, she was wrong about it being her fault but...had Bronzine really been killed for nothing? Why wouldn't the Atlas patrols have been set out to deal with the Grimm? Why would four students from a foreign kingdom be sent to deal with such a big problem without a professional huntsman shadowing them? Why was Qrow so late?

The thoughts flashed through her mind quickly before one question remained and she clenched her teeth at the awful thought.

What if Ozpin really had thought that they could handle it alone. What if...this really all was just a mistake?

Could Oz really be that blind? Blind enough to not see that, whether a test or not, that they were still just students. Just teenagers.

"If that's how you think it is then you do have a problem, Ambur…" Liv finally breathed before she stepped toward the bed and kneeled on the mattress beside her. She pulled Ambur to her and rest her friend's tear-stained cheeks in her chest while she ran her fingers through Ambur's white hair. "He should have never asked you...and that's the end of it."

/

It was nearly dark when Liv decided that she had in fact been too hard on Mydnight that morning. She hadn't meant to shout at him and hours later he still hadn't returned. She'd probably hurt his feelings so bad that he'd found another bar to crash in. Why couldn't she get this right? Why couldn't she ever just find the right balance between the ways she spoke to him?

Either way, she'd set out from Ambur's house to find him. She headed the same direction down the road that he had gone and back into town, stopping everywhere she could get into to ask if anyone had seen him. He wasn't hard to pick out of a crowd in Vale. Barely anyone dressed in all black like he did and with his coat still sitting on Ambur's desk chair anyone would need to be blind to not notice his black and red tail trailing behind him.

She'd pieced together his journey pretty well it seems because eventually, she found him. Thankfully it wasn't in a bar or alleyway for once but she figured he must have already gotten drunk on his way here. After all, he'd been out of the house for hours now. Surely he hadn't been laying in this empty parking lot all day or the cops would have picked him up.

"Mydnight," she started quietly. She'd done her best to walk up to his side quietly but she knew of course that he could probably still hear and smell her anyway.

"Yeah?" He asked softly. His eyes were closed and his head was on his hands. He lay on his back starting up at the purple twilight clouds above the city.

"You sober?" She asked hesitantly and the only response she got was a slight nod of his head. "I'm...sorry that I yelled at you…"

"Don't be...you were right…" he sighed and Liv blinked in surprise.

"How long have you been down there?" She asked before he finally glanced over to her and back to the clouds.

"Not that long...an hour maybe…"

Liv ground the heel of her sneaker into the pavement for a moment, "mind if I join you?"

"...No," he admitted softly before Liv carefully lowered herself to the tarmac beside him and lay back.

"You couldn't have picked a comfier spot to do this?" She groaned as she felt the rocks and tar bite into the skin of her exposed calves and arms.

Her question actually elicited a small snort of laughter from Mydnight to her surprise. "I wasn't really thinking about it honestly."

Liv fell silent for a few minutes as they watched the clouds slowly move across the sky. The sun was hitting them just the right way to light the sky up beautiful shades of orange and purple and Liv was finding herself becoming lost in it.

"...Are you okay?" She finally breathed out anxiously. Mydnight, however, did not look away from the clouds or answer her. She turned her head to look at him and quickly found herself studying his face.

He was worn out and she could see it. There were still dark circles around his eyes and much of the color had faded from his skin. His hair was ragged and unkempt, not to mention it was growing out like he used to wear it. It wasn't nearly as long as it had been this time last year but still. He'd worn it short for nearly six months and now it was starting to get shaggy again.

Ambur had expressed to Liv that when he showed up back at the school she had been shocked about how different he looked. It was jarring to see him so different, with facial hair and a short haircut. It had been strange for Liv too. She could have never pictured him looking that way until she saw it first hand the day she finally came back to school. Even now with how disheveled he looked…

He wasn't hard to look at.

"You know you...can always talk to me...right?" She asked and found herself wondering where those words had come from. Her stomach was tied up in knots and her chest felt tight. "About anything…"

"Thanks but...I really don't wanna talk about it right now...another time Liv…" he sighed.

He did only just have his argument with Qrow this morning after all. It would probably be a few days before he wanted to open up about that.

The pair fell silent again for a little while. In the meantime, more strange thoughts crept their way through Olivier's subconscious. Strange thoughts that she'd seldom had at all, nevermind lately. How close they were to each other. How much emotion he'd bottled up. How alone he must feel.

How red his lips were.

Liv was nearly upright before she even realized she was moving. She planted a hand into the tarmac beside his head and her long white hair fell from her chest and lay across his chest and the pavement between them. She was leaned over him, their faces only a foot apart or so.

He was studying her. She could see the curiosity in his big golden eyes, fixed back on her plum ones. He hadn't moved a muscle while she'd leaned over him. She was probably blocking his view of the sky but that wasn't nearly the first thing on her mind, nor was it the reason she thought he was staring into her eyes.

She thought it was much more likely that he wanted to look at her just as bad as she wanted him to.

She just wanted to feel like Ambur felt. To have someone look at her the way that Mydnight looked at Ambur. With desire and passion.

She could feel his breath on her lips now they were so close. "Liv," he breathed and she wasn't sure if his tone was questioning because he didn't understand what she was doing or because he didn't understand why he wasn't stopping her...but she wasn't sure that it mattered, not in the heat of the moment.

Liv's eyes drifted shut slowly and she kept drifting down toward him until finally, her lips hit skin.

Not the skin she had aimed for though. She opened her eyes and found his pointer and middle finger against her lips. It was only then that her head stopped swimming and she slowly began to realize what she'd done.

"Oh my God," she breathed as she jolted upward a few inches. "Oh my God," she said louder as her own hand came up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were glued to his still and she thought that for a moment she could see regret in his bright golden orbs and in his face. "Mydnight I…" she began slowly but trailed off. What was she supposed to say?

Now she'd lost control with both of them.

Now she'd tried to kiss them both and at least with Ambur she'd stopped herself. This was different. She was really going to do it this time. She was only a breath away from stealing a kiss from an emotionally wrecked boy who was dating her best friend. This time she was the one who'd had to be stopped.

"Liv just...don't okay?" He asked softly as his eyes darted away from her and back to the sky past her.

"How can you say that?!" She said, growing hysteric quickly. "You and Ambur are...and I just!" She said in disbelief. "Ohhh my gooddddd I'm so sorry!" She said as she shot to her feet and took a step away from him. "I didn't mean to! I don't know why I did that!" The words fell like vomit from her lips, hot and uncomfortable. She couldn't really have feelings for Mydnight could she? When could that have possibly happened?! Her mind raced and she needed to make it go away. Just make all of this into a dream and forget about it.

"Look just...don't try that again okay? Things are shitty right now and...I love her and…" he began but trailed off as he heard Liv's breath getting quicker and more shallow.

"Please just forget that this ever happened," She struggled to say, breathe hitching in her throat over and over again.

"Forget whatever happened?" He asked curiously.

"What do you think?" She asked hysterically. "Forget I ever tried to kiss you you id-" she managed to get out before she froze. "No...no no not again," she breathed as tears fell down her cheeks. Mydnight's expression was emotionless. Completely vacant of any of the regret or pain that had been there all day.

"Okay," he answered slowly and she knew it was too late. She shook her head violently, tears flying from her cheeks before she turned away from him.

"Go!" She yelled away from him and she heard him stand up.

"Go where?" He asked quietly and she sucked in a deep breath to try and calm her voice.

"Go be with Ambur," she sniffled. "That's where you belong," she blubbered the words out and heard him turn to leave. It only hurt more when she was alone.

She'd done it again. Talked herself into a corner. Tried to kiss a friend and then accidentally ordered them to forget about it. How could she do that to Mydnight, today of all days?! As she stood there in the empty lot and the sun finally dipped below the horizon the only words flashing through her mind were the ones she'd heard Mydnight tell Qrow that morning. "I'm not yours," she breathed shakily.

"I'm not anyone's…"