A/N (PLEASE READ): Hello once again, everybody! As I promised, I'm back with the next chapter, and this time, we find ourselves welcoming back the stars of the show! Before we get into that, though, I just want to give a very special thank you to everyone who let their enthusiasm for this new story known in the past forty-eight hours. You guys are awesome and I'm very glad you're all looking forward to this journey as much as I am. With that said, how about we dive right in and see what the old gang, and our favorite Power Couple, are up to, huh? This is…
Chapter 1: Welcome Home
…..
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson couldn't be any happier to finally be back home. Three weeks ago, the universe had decided to once again throw a massive monkey wrench into his life when a freak incident had sent him, his cousin, Gwen, his friends Kevin and Cooper, and his Grandpa Max through a massive portal to another dimension. While the incident DID leave Earth without its greatest hero, it had also sent the group on an adventure that no one could have predicted. The world they had been sent to, Remnant, was home to dangers that none of them could have ever guessed could exist, but it was also home to some of the greatest friends they ever could have made as well… so they brought them all back to Earth once they were able to go back.
However, for Ben, Remnant wasn't JUST where he went on an incredible adventure to protect the world from an evil immortal witch and her army of villains and creatures of Grimm. The friends he made were a BIG plus in his book… but more so was the fact that he was pretty sure he found the love of his life there as well. Her name? Yang Xiao Long. Probably the kindest, funniest, most beautiful, and most badass ladies he had ever met. Never before had he met a woman like her, and the fact that they had hit it off practically right from the start was amazing to him. Within a week of being there, he had asked her out, and their feelings for each other had only gotten stronger ever since.
It was here where he was currently hanging onto her as they rode on the back of her motorcycle; Bumblebee, as they drove through the streets of Bellwood. Behind them was a small caravan consisting of Kevin's car and the Rustbucket, which were headed towards Ben's house for a simultaneous reunion and first meeting with the Tennyson Family. "Am I still on the right track, Green Boy?" Yang asked.
Ben perked his head up and nodded. "Yep, you're golden, Goldie Locks!"
Yang couldn't help but smirk at that. "Was that little pun intentional?"
"Well, knowing how my brain works, I'd say… probably?" Ben smirked as well.
"What HAVE I done to you?" Yang wondered out loud. Both of them had quickly discovered that they had a penchant for puns pretty soon after they had met, and they'd often trade them back and forth like it was a little game. Clearly, they were perfect for each other. "So, what should I expect when we get there?"
"Just be ready for my mom to practically glomp onto you." Ben answered. "I mean, you've talked to her a few times over the comm, but in-person, she's probably gonna be a LOT more excited."
Yang let out a chuckle at that. "Heh, I'll keep that in mind."
After a few more minutes of driving, Ben spoke up again, pulling one of his hands away from Yang's midsection so he could point toward a street. "Oh, hey, we're closing in. Turn here."
"McDuffie Road?" Yang piped up. "Okay, I'll keep that one in mind."
After turning onto the street, Ben then pointed to a certain house on the right side of the road. "There, that one. The white house with the reddish-brown roof." Ben took in a deep breath as they slowed down to a halt, with Yang putting down Bumblebee's kickstand. The couple disembarked and took off their helmets, with both of their gazes settling onto the Tennyson household. "Well… this is it."
"Not a bad place you got here, Green Boy." Yang nodded. "Your parents know how to live it up."
"Heh, well, it was actually my grandma and grandpa's house at one point." Ben explained. "My dad and uncle grew up here, and since the house was paid off by the time they grew up, dad decided to stay here while grandpa retired into the Rustbucket."
Yang's eyebrows rose up. "Wow… and there were no problems with that?"
Ben shook his head as he saw Kevin's Car and the Rustbucket pull to a stop behind them. "Not really. Grandma had gone back into space by then, so grandpa didn't really need all of that space for himself. Plus, my dad had already met my mom at that point, so grandpa decided it was better for him to get a mobile home for himself and let dad have the house."
"I see." Yang nodded as her eyes went to Kevin's car. From out of the green vehicle stepped the Osmosian himself, along with Gwen from the passenger seat. And then, from the back of the car came Yang's her sister, Ruby Rose, Yang's partner, Blake Belladonna, and Blake's best friend, Ilia Amitola. Yang gave the group a salute. "Well guys, we made it!"
"And it feels GREAT!" Ruby exclaimed, the Hooded Huntress holding her corgi, Zwei, in her arms. She set her little dog down to get a lay of the new land and used her Semblance to rush up to the couple, her silver eyes focused directly onto Ben in excitement. "Ben, I can't believe that this is the place you grew up! EEEEE! This is so exciting!"
"No kidding." Blake calmly said as she and Ilia walked up to the group as well. The cat and chameleon Faunus set their eyes over onto the house, the former smiling at the quaint home. "You have a very nice place here, Ben."
Ilia nodded at that. "Yeah, it's great." The former White Fang member crossed her arms a little. "I hope that Kevin's place is just as nice as this."
"Oh, don't you worry about that, Ilia." Kevin said with a smirk as he and Gwen came over as well. "Trust me, you'll really like where you'll be staying."
Gwen nodded at her boyfriend's words. "He's right. I've been to his and Evelyn's new house and it is REALLY nice." However, it was then that the Anodite perked her head up in confusion. "Wait… did anyone see what happened to Weiss and Rex—"
"INCOMIIIIING!" came a sudden voice from up above them.
…Which was then followed by a loud scream. "AAAAAAAGH!" As quick as a flash, a certain EVO and former heiress came hurtling from out of the sky on the former's Sky Slyder, the duo falling as the hoverboard retracted into Rex's legs. Rex landed first and Weiss came down after, the young Latino catching her in his arms as she finally stopped screaming.
"And you, mi hermosa novia, have reached your destination." Rex Salazar said with a proud smile as he eyed his girlfriend mischievously. "So, how'd you enjoy your ride, Ice Princess?"
Weiss Schnee couldn't help but roll her eyes at her boyfriend's behavior. She had only known him for a week and a half, but somehow, some way, he managed to keep getting on her nerves… while also being utterly endearing at the same time. It had only been a day since she had confessed her feelings for him, and in that time, he had proven to be a great boyfriend. But considering what she had just been subject to, he was still as unpredictable and doltish as ever, which had earned him the nickname of… "Robo-dolt, I have NO idea what went through your head at that moment, but could you give me just a LITTLE warning next time you decide to switch from your Ride to the Sky Slyder?"
Rex placed Weiss down on the ground and gave her a shrug. "Ah, c'mon, I thought you'd enjoy a little air time."
"Hmph, you're lucky that I didn't get sick…" Weiss scoffed before giving him a small smile. "But… I will admit that it was quite the rush, so I appreciate your thoughtfulness."
Across from the couple, Ruby crossed her arms with a grin. "Jeez, Weiss, are you mad or happy with what Rex did? I can't really tell."
Weiss's eyes widened and she glanced between everyone there, stammering out her answer. "A-A little of both… kind of."
"She secretly REALLY enjoyed it." Everyone's eyes moved up, seeing a certain other white-haired woman come walking up from behind Weiss. Winter Schnee set her gaze down to her younger sister with a smirk. "I think I know my little sister enough to know when she's playing hard to get."
"W-Winter!" Weiss exclaimed with a furious blush. "C'mon, are we REALLY doing this now?!"
Winter put a hand over her mouth and chuckled in amusement. "Apologies, dear sister, I simply enjoy seeing you flustered."
"I gotta admit, it IS pretty funny." came a rather husky voice. From the Rustbucket came Yang's uncle; Qrow Branwen, the former drunkard wearing a bemused smirk as he continued speaking. "Kinda reminds me about how I used to egg YOU on, Ice Queen. By the by, you and your new boyfriend gonna have a… fun time right outta the startin' gate? Hehe…"
Winter sent a scowl to Qrow, resisting the urge to clench her fists in ire… namely because she was holding onto the painting she had been gifted. Over the past week, she had been… corresponding with Gwen's brother, Ken, over the interdimensional communicator that Rex and Doctor Holiday had brought with them when THEY arrived in Remnant. And since then, they had gotten on rather well. It wasn't a full-on relationship YET, but Ken had been kind enough to make a very wonderful painting for her, which he sent to Remnant via Rex's brother, Caesar. The military specialist composed herself and faced away with a huff. "Hmph, I will not dignify that with an answer, Branwen."
"Better not to, anyway." Everyone turned just in time to see Qrow's sister, Raven, coming around the Rustbucket, with her significant other, Taiyang, not far behind her. The reformed Branwen Tribe leader and current Spring Maiden smirked, nudging her brother's shoulder. "The more you give him, the worse he tends to get."
"Heh, sheesh, Rae, can you be any MORE brutally honest?" Qrow chuckled. In truth, he had missed moments like this. Ever since Raven had returned to their lives, things had only gotten better. Sure, there were some massive bumps along the way, but in the end, he had his sister back, Yang had a close bond with her mother, and Tai and her were beginning to repair their relationship. It was still slow going, but it was happening.
Speaking of, the blond man stepped up and put an arm around Raven's shoulders. "Qrow, you and I know her. I can guarantee that she won't."
"And he would be right." Raven confirmed before her eyes settled onto the Tennyson household. "Hm, well this is a fairly quaint little home you have here, Ben."
"Yeah, certainly a lot smaller than my place." Tai agreed. "I can see why you all agreed to separate the team into separate houses."
Ben gave him a nod. "Yeah, probably for the best. By the way, where IS everybody?"
"We're COMING!" came a familiar shrill, yet bubbly voice. "Just hold your horses, okay?" From behind the Rustbucket came a certain redheaded Pink Dynamo, along with her black and blonde-haired companions clad in green and white respectfully. "Listen, it was PRETTY cramped in the Rustbucket on the way here." Nora smirked as she jabbed a thumb toward the RV. "Can ya BLAME us for taking our time getting out?"
Next to her, Ren rubbed his eyes a little bit. "Yeah, plus, I think my eyes are still getting used to this planet's sun. I have NO idea why it seems so much brighter here."
"Me either." Jaune said with a shrug. "But hey, at least we made it." The blond knight craned his head toward the motor home and called toward it. "You okay in there, Pyr?"
"Oh, don't worry about me!" At that moment, a certain redheaded warrior stepped out of the Rustbucket, her green eyes focused on Jaune with an ear-to-ear grin. In her arms, she was holding a small wolf pup, the tiny canine panting excitedly. "Romulus thought that NOW would be a good time to start rough housing with his sister." Pyrrha then set her sights onto Blake and winked. "Don't worry, your boyfriend has her."
Blake smirked at that. "Heh, thanks for the heads up."
Jaune approached his girlfriend, rubbing Romulus' ears all the while. "Oh, are you starting trouble again, little man?" The wolf pup barked happily at his father, making him chuckle a bit as he put his arms around Pyrrha's shoulder. "Oh, we'd better keep an eye on you, then. After all, it sounds like Gwen's house is gonna be a pretty strict place to live…"
Gwen rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I wouldn't say strict. More… firm."
Nora raised her hands up into the air. "Hey, so long as the BEDS aren't firm, then that's fine with me!"
"Woo! Up top for that one!" Yang exclaimed, the two powerhouses high-fiving at the joke.
At that moment, Ruby saw a certain redheaded android beginning to disembark the Rustbucket as well, though she seemed to be lost in a bit of a trance. Nevertheless, Ruby smiled and waved her friend over. "Hey Penny! What's going on?"
Penny craned her head over to her best friend and gave one of her signature salutes. "Oh, Ruby! I'm simply attempting to utilize my new Mechamorph-enhanced systems to analyze the reasoning for why this planet appears to be much brighter than Remnant." A frustrated expression then came to Penny's face. "However, I'm having difficulties doing so. Even after a week of having them, there's still much I do not understand about my new upgraded systems. It bothers me greatly."
Ruby couldn't help but sympathize with her friend. After essentially being dead for two weeks and being revived through a combination of magic and technology, Penny was still learning to come to grips with her new-found abilities. She had gotten her new weaponry down pat, but internally, there were still a few things she was getting used to. "Don't worry, Penny, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Like Azmuth said, it'll probably take some time."
Penny nodded at that. "Hm, yes, I suppose you're right."
"Hey, hey, what's all the chatter out here, huh?" came a jovial voice from inside the Rustbucket, signaling the arrival of a certain blond and blue-haired duo. "We having fun out here yet, or what?" Neptune asked.
Sun sent a grin out to the group, the monkey Faunus holding yet another wolf pup in his arms. "Yeah, mind letting us in on what the big scoop is?"
"Oh, just talking about the weather." Ruby answered, pointing a finger upward. "Considering it's your name, I think you'd have noticed how bright it is outside."
Sun rolled his eyes at that. "Oh, har-har, very funny, Rubes." The monkey boy then shifted his attention to a certain cat girl who was sauntering up to him, her amber eyes focused directly on his own. "Hey there, babe." Sun leaned in and gave Blake a quick peck on the lips, which she was more than happy to return. He then lifted the wolf pup so that she was eye level with her mama. "Rema was being very rambunctious in the RV."
"I heard!" Blake smiled as she booped her nose against Rema's, earning a small bark from the pup. The cat girl had gotten over her fear of dogs quite a while ago, thanks in no small part to just how cute Rema was and how fast the little pup had imprinted on her specifically. Blake reached up and began scratching Rema's ears. "Were you being a little trouble maker in there? Were you? Yes you were!"
"Oh dear god, this is adorable." Yang said as she took out her scroll and set it up to record. "I've gotta take some video of this."
Blake's ears perked up and she whipped her head around to Yang, blushing all the while. "H-Hey, I never said you could—"
But Yang was quick to laugh and deny her best friend. "You brought this on yourself, partner. Besides, you know how RARE it is to see you like this?"
Weiss put a hand to her chin. "It IS really adorable how you dote on her, Blake."
"It sure is!" Ruby came over and put a hand to Blake's shoulder. "Speaking from experience, that's what pets do to all of us, believe me."
Blake sighed and lowered her head. "Yeah, I guess I kinda walked into that one."
The whole group got a laugh out of that before, without any prior warning, the front door to Ben's house flew open, causing everyone to jump in surprise. The whole group did an about face to see a certain blonde woman standing in the doorway, with a big, beaming smile having formed on her face as she locked eyes with her son. "BEN! Gwen, Kevin! You're home!" Sandra whipped her head toward the doorway and called into the house; "Everyone! They're here!"
Ben was still a bit stunned at the sudden sight of his mother. He hadn't seen her in three weeks, at least, not in person, and it almost overwhelmed him. Sure, there were some quirks to his mother that put him off a bit, but she was still his mother. He took a deep breath to steady himself and whispered. "Well, here we go." Yang gave him a small nod, ushering him to go ahead first. Ben did so and met his mother in the middle of the lawn, with Sandra having sprinted out there as fast as she could. "Hah… hi mom." Ben said as he was pulled into an embrace. "It's good to see you."
"Oh Ben, we missed you all SO much!" Sandra said as the hug went on for a good few moments, the woman pulling away once she was sure that her son was ACTUALLY there. She planted a kiss on her son's forehead and ran a hand through his hair, sighing in relief. "Things just haven't been the same without you here. I'm just so glad that you're home."
"Heh, I can imagine." Ben chuckled as Gwen and Kevin came strolling up to them. "Though from experience, I know that some people would probably see me being gone as a good thing."
Sandra rolled her eyes at that. "We can rag on Harangue later, honey. Trust me, once he sees that you're back, I'm pretty sure he'll have an aneurism." That got a good laugh out of the hero before Sandra beamed to her niece, not hesitating to give HER a hug as well. "Oh, and Gwen! It's so good to have you all back!"
"Good to see you too, Aunt Sandra." Gwen grinned as she returned the hug. "So I'm guessing that everyone's inside, right—"
"GWEN!" The redhead's eyes widened as she heard two very familiar voices shout her name at the same time. She fell out of her aunt's hug and snapped her eyes up to the front door to see her mother and father come running out across the long, along with her Uncle Carl in hot pursuit. Natalie was quick to bring Gwen in for an embrace, with Frank putting his own arms around both of them. "Oh sweetheart, you're finally home!" Natalie said as she gave a kiss to her daughter's cheek.
Frank let out a small breath, thankful that his daughter had made it back safely. "What a relief. Am I ever glad that interdimensional portal thing actually works."
Gwen chuckled and pulled both of her parents closer, letting the happy moment wash over her. "Heh, it's definitely good to be back home, guys. I really missed you, too."
"Ben!" Carl exclaimed as he threw an arm over his son's shoulders, bringing him into a hug as well. "Ah, there you are, son. I was wondering how soon you'd be getting here." The two Tennyson's separated soon after and Carl quirked a brow at his son. "So, did you enjoy your big, unexpected getaway to another dimension?"
Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a "getaway". After all, we pretty much WERE fighting the forces of evil every day. But overall, it was a pretty awesome experience, to say the least."
"I'm sure." Carl nodded before noticing that a certain someone was absent; the driver of the Rustbucket himself. "Hey, uh, Ben? Did your grandfather stay back at the Plumber base, or…"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" came a rather familiar voice from behind the Rustbucket. All at once, the crowd of Remnant natives parted to allow a certain Hawaiian shirt-wearing old man to stroll up to his family, beaming out to them as he approached. "Heh, sorry about the small wait." Max chortled. "It was rather packed in the Rustbucket on the way here, so I wanted to make sure that everyone was off first."
Carl and Frank immediately brightened up at the sight of the old man. "Dad!" both of them exclaimed before the Tennyson boys came up and gave their father a hug, to which Max laughed and returned the embrace. "Ah, it's good to see ya, pop." Carl grinned.
"Yeah dad, glad to see that you're safe." Frank added.
"Oh, it's good to see you boys, too." Max said as the three Tennysons broke the hug. "But hey, I'll be perfectly honest; I've been through a LOT worse than what I went through over in Remnant. So no need to worry about me." He spotted Sandra and Natalie and gave them a wave as well. "Hi girls, how're you doing?"
"Oh, Max!" Sandra said as she and Natalie both came in for a hug of their own. "We're doing just fine, but it's good to see that you're doing well."
Max returned the hugs and let out a chuckle, along with a small sigh. "Well, I know one thing's for sure; I'm glad to be back home. Remnant was interesting to be sure, but sometimes, there's no better feeling than getting back to what you're familiar with."
Kevin was about to make a sarcastic remark, however, the sound of a certain voice stopped him short of doing so. "Kevin?" The Osmosian's eyes widened and his head whipped out toward the lawn, seeing his mother, Evelyn, standing there. Her dark eyes were focused directly onto his, her relieved smile immediately melting away any form of sarcasm he was about to make. "Oh thank god, you're home." she breathed out.
The raven-haired teen smiled back to his mother before jogging up to her, pulling her into an embrace of their own. "Heh, hey mom." Kevin said softly. "How's it going?"
"Better now that you're home, dear." Evelyn said as she moved up onto her tip-toes in order to kiss her son's cheek. "So, how does it feel to be back?"
"Honestly? Kinda surreal. Like waking up from a dream…" Kevin said before shifting his eyes back toward the rest of the team, who were waiting patiently for their own meeting with the family. "The only difference is that the dream turned out to be real."
Evelyn's eyes widened at the large group standing a few feet away from them, which led Sandra, Carl, Natalie and Frank to do the same. "Oh my. Well… this group definitely seems a lot bigger when they're here in person." Evelyn commented.
"Ah, you'll get used to it." Kevin assured. "C'mon, let's get you guys acquainted."
…..
Meanwhile, Sandra and the other parents had been staring at the large group of Remnant natives for a few seconds, all of them unsure of what to say at first. The group of teens and three adults all appeared to be quite friendly, with many of them giving greeting smiles. However, the blonde woman was still a bit unsure where to even begin. But then her gaze landed on another certain blonde, and Sandra's eyes immediately rightened up. With excitement beginning to bubble up in her stomach, Sandra steadied herself and strode forward, walking up to her son's new girlfriend with a beaming smile. "Yang Xiao Long… so, we finally meet in person."
Yang let out a calming breath. She and Sandra had talked over the communicator a few times before hand, but meeting her in-person for the first time was admittedly a little nerve-wracking. It WAS his boyfriend's mother, after all. However, the moment she saw the smile Sandra was giving her, Yang knew that there was nothing to worry about. "Heh, yeah, seems so." She offered a hand in greeting. "It's awesome to finally meet you in person, Sandr—AH!" Yang let out a yelp as Sandra suddenly pulled Yang into a tight hug, much to the Blonde Brawler's shock.
"Oh yeah, my mom's a hugger, Goldie Locks." Ben advised.
"He's right!" Sandra said giddily with a little laugh. "Yang, it's SO nice to finally have you here! Oh, I've been looking forward to meeting you!"
Yang blinked in surprise at the sudden action, but after a few seconds, she grinned and went with it. "Same here, Sandra. Though I WILL say that I was a bit nervous…"
"Oh, no need to be nervous, sweetheart." Sandra said before pulling out of the embrace and setting her hands on Yang's shoulders. "After all, you've made it clear that you and my son share quite the special bond." She gave Yang a wink. "Plus, you're going to be living in my home, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm literally going to welcome you with open arms!"
Yang blushed profusely at that, as did Ben. "Heh, w-well, thank you. I appreciate it." She eyes her boyfriend and gave him a small grin. "…It's gonna be VERY interesting living here."
"It certainly is." Raven piped up as she, Tai and Ruby all moved forward as well. "And it's quite the warm welcome, to be sure." She bowed her head slightly to Sandra, as did Tai. "In any case, it's good to finally meet you, Sandra. We talked earlier over the comm, but—"
"RAVEN!" Sandra exclaimed as she pulled the woman into a hug as well, making the Spring Maiden's eyes nearly bug out in shock. "Oh my goodness, welcome to my home!" She then broke her hug and went over to Ruby, extending her hands to gingerly grasp the Hooded Huntress' own. "Oh, and Ruby, it's so nice to meet you as well!"
"N-Nice to meet you, too, Sandra…" Ruby stammered a bit. 'Wow, Ben's mom is pretty out-going, huh?'
Carl came up and offered Tai a handshake. "Yes, welcome! It's good to finally meet you all. Sandra told me of your talk earlier, and I've been dying to talk to ya. You're Tai, right?"
Tai perked up at that and returned the handshake without hesitations. "Ah, yeah, you must be Carl! Yep, the name's Taiyang, nice to finally meet ya!" He nudged his head over toward Ben, not breaking eye contact with the Tennyson patriarch. "I gotta tell ya, your boy? One of the greatest kids I've ever met. You and Sandra raised him pretty well."
The brunet let out a laugh at that. "Ha! Well, thank you. I like to think we did…" He eyed his son with a knowing gaze. "…Even if there've been a few hiccups along the way." Ben chuckled sheepishly at that, with Yang moving over to elbow him lightly in the side with a small smirk.
Sandra went back over to Raven, setting her hands on the woman's shoulders. "Oh, this is going to be so great! I hope that you and your husband enjoy your stay here!"
"I-I'm sure we will, thank you!" Raven stammered, unsure exactly how to respond to this sudden affection. She briefly glanced over to Tai with a nervous face, seeing the blush coming to his cheeks. "…Even if he's not technically my husband."
Sandra's eyes popped open in surprise, as did Carl's and Gwen's parents. "…I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Tai cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… heh, yeah… Raven and I never got married."
"W-Wait, really?" Natalie asked before looking over to Ruby and Yang. "B-But, you have two teenage daughters." She craned her head over to Tai and Raven once more. "And while I'm not saying that you HAVE to be married in order to have a happy life with children… it still seems a bit out of the ordinary that you aren't."
Once again, Raven and Tai exchanged nervous faces, the duo clearly uncomfortable. "Well… that's ALSO a very interesting story." Tai started. "One that we'll have to carefully explain, I'm sure."
Raven shifted her eyes over to Ruby, who also had a rather sheepish expression about her. "Yes… and if you'll recall, I told you, Sandra and Evelyn that I was only Ruby's step-mother." She saw the three women's eyes widen as they remembered the conversation, as well as the fact that Ruby was younger than Yang. "…Yeah, like I said, an interesting story there."
Sandra swallowed a bit and let out a breath. "Hah, w-well, I'm sure it will be. N-Now, where were—" Ruff! Sandra's eyebrows snapped up and she craned her head down, feeling something prop itself up against her leg. There, down near her feet, she saw a small, black and white corgi staring up at her, its deep brown eyes gazing directly at her as it panted with what appeared to be a happy expression. All at once, the awkward conversation had left Sandra's mind as she let out a scream of pure joy. "AAAAAAH! OH MY GOODNESS!" She knelt down and grabbed a hold of the corgi's front paws. "And who is THIS little ball of cuteness?"
Ruby smiled and moved over to them, kneeling down as well "Oh, that's my dog, Zwei. You saw him during our last call, remember?"
"Ah! Oh yes, I DO!" Sandra gasped as she picked Zwei up and began rubbing her nose against his. "Oh, you are MUCH cuter in person than you are on a screen, yes you are!"
The whole group got a little laugh out of that before Blake and Pyrrha came forward, holding their respective wolf pups in their arms. "Well, if you think Zwei is cute, Mrs. Tennyson, then perhaps you'll find these two even more adorable?" Pyrrha said as she and Blake held up their pups for all to see. "Tennyson Family, and Mrs. Levin, meet Romulus and Rema."
"And before you ask, yes, they're wolf puppies." Blake added.
Nobody could stop what had happened next. Almost immediately, Sandra, Natalie and Evelyn all gasped, the three women practically zipping over to get a closer look at the tiny wolf pups. "Oh my gosh, they are precious!" Evelyn exclaimed as she set her eyes upon Blake. She was about to speak what was on her mind… but then she spotted Blake's cat ears and her eyes widened. Sure, Evelyn had seen the Faunus' features during the few calls they had over the past week, but to see them in person was a whole other thing entirely. "O-Oh my…"
In the past, Blake would've shied away from someone staring at her ears like that, but ever since the Battle for Beacon, she had gained more confidence in showing them off. She wiggled them a little bit and asked; "So, surprised?"
Evelyn let out a small yelp, getting herself back on track. "O-Oh, I am SO sorry! I-I just wasn't expecting that."
"Oh, it's okay." Blake assured. "Trust me, I think I'm going to get those kinds of looks ALL the time now that I'm in this world. Might as well learn to get used to it now, right?"
"Ahem, r-right." Evelyn cleared her throat as she got back on track, giving Blake a small smile. "So, you're Blake, right? Would it be alright if I hold your little bundle of joy?"
"Of course, go on ahead!" Blake approved, handing Rema to Evelyn carefully, much to the woman's glee.
"AH! This has to be one of the greatest things I've ever done!" Evelyn said as she pet Rema and rubbed her ears, with Sandra peering over her shoulder. "Never did I think that I'd be holding and petting an ACTUAL wolf puppy!"
"Hello, little cutie!" Sandra said giddily. "You and Zwei are gonna be living at my place!"
Evelyn's face fell slightly at that. "Oh, yes, that's right…"
But Blake was quick to send a reassuring wave to the woman. "Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Levin." She jerked a thumb over to Sun. "My boyfriend's staying at your place, after all, so I'm sure that Rema and I are going to be over there pretty frequently."
The black-haired woman's face brightened up immediately. "And just like that, you've cheered me up immensely!" A curious expression then took over Evelyn's features. "By the way, where ARE the kids who I'll be housing? I was hoping to get to know them a little bit before we moved them in."
"That'd be us, Mrs. Levin!" Sun called over as he and Neptune sauntered toward the group of women, the duo greeting her with beaming, toothy grins. "I'm Sun, Blake's boyfriend."
"And I'm Neptune." The blue-haired boy said as he jerked his head over to his teammate. "I'm THIS dingus' BEST friend."
Sun gave his friend and indignant look. "Hey, who're YOU calling a dingus. Pretty sure that Sage and Scarlet called YOU a dingus WAY more times than they did to me!"
Blake deadpanned at this, her ears folding downward at the display before her as Sun and Neptune glared into each other's eyes. She leaned over to Evelyn and whispered; "Fair warning; while I adore Sun and think that Neptune's a nice guy, they're BOTH huge dorks, so be prepared for conversations like this."
"O-Oh, thank you, Blake." Evelyn blinked in shock before addressing both boys. "W-Well, it's certainly good to meet you two."
Sun and Neptune snapped out of their small stare-off and smiled back to Evelyn. "Heh, yeah, nice to meet you too, Mrs. Levin." the monkey boy said as he scratched his head. "And thanks for letting us crash at your place."
"Yeah, it means a lot." Neptune nodded.
"It's no trouble, really." Evelyn smiled. "After all, any friend of Kevin's is a friend of mine." She grinned over to her son knowingly. "…And it helps that he's actually MADE friends outside of Ben and Gwen for once." Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly and his mother before glancing away, letting out a small huff. "Don't give me that, Kevin Ethan Levin, you KNOW it's true." She received a small "hmph" from her son before spying Ilia and Penny approaching her out the corner of her eye, which caught her attention immediately. "Oh, well hello there!"
Penny gave her signature salute, followed up by one of her familiar catchphrases; "Salutations, Mrs. Levin! My name's Penny, and it's an absolute pleasure to meet you!"
"And I'm Ilia." the chameleon girl followed up, extending her hand toward Evelyn in the process. "I know that Sun and Neptune already said this, but I want to also thank you for letting us into our home. It's much appreciated."
Making sure that Rema was still secured in her grasp, Evelyn extended her hand and shook Ilia's. "And like I said before, it's really no problem. I hope that you girls will make yourselves right at home." She then went to Penny to shake HER hand as well. "And the pleasure is really all mine. I don't think I've met an ACTUAL sentient robot before."
Penny brightened up and giggled a little bit. "Hehe, indeed, I am certainly one of a kind!" She then reached over and put a hand onto Ilia's shoulder. "But so is Ilia! Due to her Faunus trait, she can change color!"
Evelyn's eyebrows rose up at this, as did Sandra's, the blonde woman still standing with the group. "Really?" Sandra asked with an intrigued grin. "That sounds amazing! Can we see you do it, Ilia?"
Ilia was stunned by the question. No matter how many times she was asked, she STILL couldn't believe that people actually wanted to see her change color. "W-Well… sure, why not?" Ilia grinned sheepishly before, all of a sudden, her skin changed color to a vibrant green, with her spots and hair changing to a deep blue. Sandra and Evelyn gasped, though their visibly excited smiles were all Ilia needed to see that they weren't afraid of her. "So, what do you think?"
"What do I think? I think that's astounding!" Evelyn exclaimed. "You certainly have quite the unique trait, Ilia."
"Th-Thank you." Ilia said as her skin changed back. "You really have no idea how much that means to hear someone say that. Back in Remnant… being a Faunus isn't exactly something to be proud of, at least in certain parts of the world." Sandra and Evelyn wore concerned expressions at this information, though Ilia was quick to push it aside for now. "B-But we can get into the ins and outs of Remnant later. Right now, we should focus on the positive stuff, right?"
As much as Evelyn wanted to know more about what Ilia was talking about, she had a feeling that it wasn't exactly a comfortable topic for Ilia to talk about, so she quickly obliged to her wishes. "Oh, of course, Ilia. So, now that we've all gotten acquainted, why don't we discuss the rooming situation—"
"Ahem." Evelyn's eyes widened at the sound of someone clearing their throat, making her turn to her left… only for her voice to hitch in her throat. All at once, she recalled the conversation that she had with her son earlier that day over the interdimensional communicator. Kevin had told her about a certain man who was hoping to stay with them, one who also happened to be Ruby and Yang's uncle… as well as a recovering alcoholic. While she had initially been on the fence about the whole thing, she quickly changed her mind and agreed to the arrangement.
And why was that? Because she had seen the man's face over the call for a brief moment… and was awestruck. Of course, her first husband, Devin, wasn't someone who could just be replaced. While she thought she had loved Harvey and married him soon after, she had soon come to the realization that she had only wanted a good father figure in Kevin's life. A decision that would backfire greatly.
But this man, the one that was standing in front of her at this moment, he was a different story. He was undeniably quite handsome, and Sandra had gone on record to even call him a "silver fox" when she and Natalie were teasing her about it. But really, that WAS probably the best way to describe him. His slicked back greying black hair was very attractive to her, as was the stubble running across his jawline. His eyes were a brilliant vermillion color, the very sight of which felt like they were staring right through her. All in all… he was hot as hell.
'Goddamn it, Sandra, I AM thirsty for him.' Evelyn admitted to herself.
"Sorry if I'm bein' a bother, but uh… I'm also in that group." Qrow said as he rubbed the back of his head. "The one stayin' at your house, that is." The former drunkard had to admit, seeing the woman in one of Kevin's pictures was one thing… but it was another entirely to see her in person. Sure, he had been labeled a skirt chaser since his academy days, but if he was being honest with himself, the sight of this woman before him made him feel… different. A good kind of different at that.
"O-Oh, that's right." Evelyn spoke up, making sure her voice was steady. "Kevin did mention you over the comm. You're Qrow Branwen, right?"
"Yeah… and you must be Evelyn." Qrow bowed his head to her slightly. "I just wanna say, thanks for letting me stay at your place. I know that the kid told ya about my… situation, along with my Semblance. So it means a lot that you let me stay."
Evelyn nodded at that. "Yes, I do know." She mustered up a serious expression before moving on. "That being said, considering that you WILL be staying in my home, I hope that you will at least help out around the house."
Qrow immediately raised a hand to her. "O-Oh, trust me, you won't have to worry 'bout that. I'm not about to just be a freeloader, if that's what you think."
"Good." Evelyn said with a small smile. "I'm glad that we're on the same page then." She cleared her throat a bit as her grin turned slightly sheepish. "I-I hope that you enjoy your stay, Qrow."
"Yeah, you bet." Qrow said with a small grin of his own.
All the while, Kevin couldn't help but narrow his eyes again in suspicion. 'The hell was THAT all about?'
…..
Back over with Natalie, the red-haired woman was beaming a friendly smile toward Pyrrha as Jaune, Ren and Nora came walking up to them. "Alright, now if I remember correctly, you must be Pyrrha…" Her eyes then went up to the rest of Team JNPR. "And you are… Jaune, Ren and Nora, right? It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to you all staying in my home."
"And we're grateful to you for letting us stay there, Mrs. Tennyson." Jaune said with a bow of his head. "Really, it's much appreciated."
Ren bowed his head as well. "And we promise, we will be on our best behavior while inside your house." The green ninja glanced over to his best friend… and probable crush. "Right, Nora?"
The Pink Dynamo let out a groan and threw her head back. "Yes, Renny, I remember what we talked about before we left." She counted off on her fingers; "No hammer in the house, no live grenades in the house. Trust me, I know."
While Natalie sent Nora a sympathetic expression, she also couldn't help but be taken a back a little bit by just what these kids were talking about. 'How dangerous must their world be if they need giant war hammers and grenades? This witch and her creatures must make their lives pretty hard…' Natalie gave Nora a small grin and spoke to her. "I appreciate your dedication, Nora. But, if you ever need to let off some steam, there IS a large field near our house that's publicly owned. I'm sure that if you feel the need to blow something up, you can always go there."
Nora expression practically did a one-eighty, her frown turning upside down. "Really?! That's awesome! Thanks, Mrs. T!"
"Hmhm, of course." Natalie chuckled before shifting her focus back to Pyrrha, though her gaze was also on Romulus, too. "Now, if it's not too much trouble… could I maybe hold your little pup?"
"Oh please, I insist!" Pyrrha assured as she passed Romulus over to Natalie, the older redhead being very careful with the pup. "It's really the least I can do."
The moment that she held Romulus in her arms, Natalie felt a lot of the stress that plagued her everyday life begin to melt away. Her therapist HAD always recommended that being around animals could help her more with her mental health, and just seeing this utterly cute canine in her hands, she was finally starting to see just what she had meant. "Oh, well aren't you just the nicest little thing?" Natalie gave the pup a boop on the nose. "I can tell that I'm going to enjoy seeing you around the house."
"Ahem, just so long as he doesn't have any accidents." Frank jumped in with a hopeful tone. "After all, that house is pretty well taken care of." He pointed a finger to the pup after that. "Also, when he DOES go to the bathroom, the er… bombs should be picked up and disposed of."
Jaune waved over to Gwen's father quickly. "Oh, don't worry, Mr. Tennyson. Trust me, Romulus has been effectively potty trained." He gave the man a thumbs up. "And don't worry, we've got plenty of poop bags."
"Good man." Frank nodded. "Glad that's the case." He shifted his eyes around before murmuring to Jaune; "Because being perfectly honest, son, we've never had dogs or cats in the house, so this is gonna be a pretty new experience for us."
"Oh, believe me, it has been a new experience for both of us." Pyrrha said as she placed an arm around Jaune. "My mother insisted that we train the pups ourselves, and I will not lie, it has been a rather… interesting experience." She sent a playful, yet narrow-eyed glance toward Romulus, who simply kept panting with a seemingly happy expression on his face. "Trust me, it's much harder than it seems."
Natalie let out a chuckle at that. "Hah, I can imagine. I—" But then, she cut herself off when she noticed a head of white hair not far from where she was standing, making her pause for a few moments in shock. There, approaching her with a calm yet somewhat sheepish expression, was Winter. The young woman was holding a piece of rolled up paper in her hands, no doubt the painting that Kenny had gifted her. After a few seconds of eye contact, Natalie sent a soft, caring smile to the younger lady. "Winter."
"Ahem, hello, Natalie." Winter started, attempting to calm her nerves. She was usually very good at that, but concerning the subject of what she wanted to discuss with the woman, it was proving to be a bit more difficult this time around. "It's very good to finally meet you." She then nodded toward Frank as well. "As well as your husband…"
"Please, call me Frank." The elder Tennyson brother insisted. "And don't worry, Winter, it's okay if you're nervous."
"He's right." Natalie said as she handed Romulus back to Pyrrha. "After all, Frank here was nervous too when he had to meet MY parents."
Frank's eyes widened at that. "H-Hey, I wasn't THAT nervous."
But the redheaded woman rolled her eyes. "Dear, you were sweating so much that I was afraid that you were suffering from heatstroke." Frank wore a defeated expression at that, looking away as Natalie gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. She then focused back to Winter, the ladies' blue eyes meeting and locking onto one another. "Trust me, Winter, everyone gets nervous when they meet their respective others' parents."
Winter took in a deep breath, with a sigh escaping her lips soon after. "Well, I must be doing a pretty bad job then, since Ken and I haven't even BECOME respective others yet."
Natalie's smile increased to a smirk. "And how long do you think THAT will take?"
"…Must I answer that?" Winter asked apprehensively.
"Haha! Oh dear, I think we may have found ourselves a winner." Natalie laughed as she suddenly stepped forward and pulled Winter into a greeting hug. "Welcome to Bellwood, Winter. We're very happy to have you."
Winter blinked a couple times before slowly returning the hug, feeling oddly at peace. A smile crept onto Winter's face before nodding. "And I am very happy to be here." The two pulled away from one another before Winter asked the question that she had wanted to in the first place; "So… where IS Ken?"
"Hey yeah!" Gwen piped up as she walked over to the group, placing her hands on her hips with a sly grin on her face. "Just where IS my brother anyway? I assumed that he was going to be here with you guys, but he hasn't shown up."
Both Natalie and Frank rolled their eyes at the same time. "Oh, don't you worry, he's here." Natalie assured, her eyes going to the open front door of the Sandra and Carl's house. "He's hiding in there."
"And he's being a big chicken." Frank emphasized, saying it loud enough so that his son heard it before walking toward the door. "I'll be right back."
Winter started to move forward, hoping to stop Frank from doing something unnecessary. "W-Wait, I can always just—"
But Natalie extended an arm in front of Winter, halting her from going any further. "Winter, dear, I know what you're thinking right now, but trust me when I say that this is necessary." The redheaded woman winked to Winter as Frank entered the house. "Our son needs to learn to start taking some initiative, after all, especially with the position that he's in. Trust me, everything will be fine."
The military specialist was a bit taken aback by that. "Well, if you say so. Though there certainly are better ways of helping Ken take initiative, I think."
"She's got a point, mom." Gwen agreed. "There's a helpful push, and then there's a forceful shove."
"Oh girls, you don't have to worry about that." Natalie assured. "Gwen, your father and I haven't been forcing Kenny to do things he doesn't want to, far from it. It's just that sometimes, he needs a little encouragement, especially after everything in New York fell through for him." The woman became visibly crestfallen at that. "He… hasn't exactly been in a good headspace after that, and it didn't help that his parttime job is wearing down on him as well." However, her smile returned as she set her gaze upon Winter once again. "But then, when he started having his talks with you, we started seeing signs of the old Kenny coming back."
Winter couldn't help but blush at that, her finger moving up to her front bang and curling around her hair. "O-Oh, I-I couldn't possibly be the ONLY reason."
However, Natalie just gave her a knowing grin and pointed down to the rolled-up painting in Winter's hands. "Kenny broke out his easel and paint to make that picture for you. What do you have to say about that?"
"W-Well, I know, but—"
"A-Ahem…" Winter's eyebrows shot up and her head whipped around… though she quickly wished she hadn't done that. Not for any bad reason, though, because now she was staring directly at the person she was searching for; Kenneth Tennyson. The redhead was standing with his father on the stoop of the house, and his eyes were directly locked onto hers. …And that was the problem. The moment they locked eyes, both of them froze. It was the first time seeing each other in person, having only talked to each other for a little over a week over a comm unit. Naturally, they were both nervous.
'Oh god, there he is!' Winter thought apprehensively as she took in Ken's features. '…Oh my, seeing him on a screen does NOT do him justice.'
'Dear lord, seeing her on a screen does NOT do her justice.' Ken thought to himself as he stared into Winter's icy blue eyes. 'She's GORGEOUS.'
Thankfully for Ken, his sister was able to give him a little bit of a reprieve. "Kenny!" The elder brother's eyes darted down just in time to see Gwen come charging up and envelope him in a hug, which Ken immediately reciprocated. "It's so good to see you!"
Ken couldn't help but smirk a bit at that. "Heh, Gwen, it's literally only been a few hours since we last talked to each other."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Gwen shoved her brother's shoulder with an indignant face. "You know darn well what I mean."
"Hehe, yeah, I do." Ken pulled his sister back in for a few more seconds. "Still, it's good to see you, too, sis. I missed ya."
"Hmhm, same here, Kenny." Gwen chuckled before separating from Ken, glancing over her shoulder toward Winter. "So… are you ready?" she asked quietly.
Ken breathed out through his nostrils apprehensively. "No, no not really." It was all he could do to keep his eyes off of Winter as he spoke, both to keep the conversation between him and Gwen only… and so that he wouldn't get mesmerized again. "Gwen, she's WAY more beautiful than that comm screen gave her credit for!"
Gwen couldn't help but brighten up at that. "Hey, well there's something! Not a half hour here and you're already giving her high praises."
The older brother couldn't help but deadpan at his sister's response. "Gwen, I don't think you're seeing the point here." he whispered. "I just can't go over there and talk to her!"
"Why not?" Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You've been doing it fine over the past week."
"You know very well why." Ken retorted. "Talking over the comm was one thing, but in-person is something totally different." The redhead cast his gaze downward in shame. "I-I'm a nervous wreck."
Gwen smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on Ken's shoulder. "I know you are, Ken, but you can't just avoid her. Especially now that you two have made eye contact." She leaned in a bit and gave him a wink. "And if it helps, Winter is pretty much just as nervous as you are."
Ken blinked in surprise. "S-She is?"
"Yep." Gwen nodded before stepping aside and placing a supportive hand on his back. "So keep that in mind when you're talking to her, okay? Besides, I'm sure that she has a lot to say to you."
Ken moved his gaze back up to Winter, who had been silently talking with Natalie. However, when she noticed Ken's head move, the military specialist's eyes went straight back to Ken, both of them staring directly at one another in trepidation. However, after a few moments, Ken swallowed his fear, nodded silently, and strode forward. 'I'm going to talk to this gorgeous woman if it kills me.'
Winter, though, was visibly surprised by the sudden confidence that Ken was exhibiting, though she could tell that there was still quite a bit of nervousness etched in his features. …Features that she couldn't help but find to be quite alluring. With one last glance toward Natalie, Winter put on a brave face and made her final descision; 'I will talk to this handsome young man if it kills me.'
With that, Winter walked forward, meeting Ken directly in the middle of the lawn… only for them to make a stunning realization when they met in the middle. …They were almost the exact same height. Winter had expected to be looking up at him, if only slightly. But no, they were staring pretty much eye to eye, with Ken maybe being maybe an inch taller than her.
It was definitely surprising to be sure, but both of them brushed it to the side for now. Because right now, it was time to bite the bullet. "H-Hey… Winter." Kenny shakily started.
"K-Ken, it's good to finally meet you." Winter smiled back before adding; "I-In person, of course."
"Hehe, yeah, same here." Ken blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "I-I gotta say… it's kind of odd not being on opposite sides of a screen for once. Almost kind of surreal."
"Agreed." Winter put a hand to her opposite arm, moving her eyes away shyly. "A-And if I might say… the screen did not do you justice."
Ken's eyes widened at the compliment. He almost didn't say what he was going to say next, but he managed to get it out. He needed her to hear what he thought. "R-Really? Huh, wow… I-I was actually thinking the same thing about you." Winter's lips parted at the statement as Kenny went on. "I mean, seriously, seeing you on the screen compared to being in person… there really is no comparison."
Winter's cheeks became beat red, the woman lowering her head so that her front bang was covering one of her eyes. "O-Oh… Ken, you… you certainly have a way with words." The two shared an awkward silence for a few moments, unsure where to go after they had essentially complimented one another's appearance. However, Winter's eyes widened and she quickly took control of the conversation, remembering the painting in her hand. "Oh, by the way…"
She unfurled the paper and showed it to Ken so that they could both see the work of art, the sight of the snowy winter landscape contrasting with the summer heat that they were feeling. Ken smiled and chuckled a little bit. "Heh, well, you were true to your word. You brought the painting back home."
"Indeed, I did." Winter said with a soft smile. "And I also bought a proper frame for it. I'm sure that this would look quite lovely on a wall. I'm not entirely sure which room I'm staying in, but I do know that I plan to hang this as soon as possible."
"W-Well, I think that's a great idea." Ken approved. "And… it means a lot, actually. Th-That you'd think my artwork is good enough to hang on a wall, I mean."
"Of course I think it's good." Winter assured, her cheeks flushing red once again. "After all, it's obvious that you have a great passion for art, and I can tell that this piece… it has a lot of that behind it."
Ken gulped and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "W-Well, I'm glad that you like it, Winter."
Winter trained her eyes onto Ken's, her icy blue's meeting his grassy green's as she said to him; "…It's certainly not the only thing that I like around here." Ken's eyes widened as Winter drew closer, the two now only about half a foot away from each other. "Now, what say we pick up where our last conversation left off, hm?"
"U-Uh… y-yeah, of course!" Ken nodded, hoping that he wasn't sweating profusely from the sheer amount of nervousness he was experiencing. He then noticed that his mother and father were gazing at the two of them… which slightly annoyed him a little bit. "But, uh… maybe we could do it where we're not the center of attention?"
Winter's head perked up and she turned her head around, seeing the proud smile that Frank was sending to his son… and the eager eyes of Natalie focused on the both of them. "Oh come now, Kenny, I doubt your parents are…" But then, she saw Ken pointing to her right and Winter shifted her eyes accordingly… only to see Gwen and Weiss giving them both cheeky smiles, their eyes lit up in excitement and glee. "…Yes, we should probably go."
"Inside?" Ken asked as he jerked his thumb to the house.
"Yes, come, let's go." Winter rolled up the painting and began ushering Ken into the house, away from their respective sisters' prying eyes. "The further away we are from THOSE two, the better."
…..
Weiss watched in disappointment as her sister and Ken left, pouting and crossing her arms in irritation. "Ugh, my sister really DOES have to be a spoil sport, doesn't she?" the former heiress rolled her eyes. "She DOES know that we're just showing her our support, right?"
"Well, yeah, but I can see why they're going." Gwen conceded as Winter and Kenny entered the house. "I mean, would you want someone watching you and Rex while you two were having a private conversation?"
A sigh escaped Weiss' lips at that. "No, I guess not. Still, I'm really glad that those two are FINALLY in the same place." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "And I cannot wait to see just how this all plays out." However, at the mention of Rex, the white-haired girl perked her head up a bit. "Speaking of, where IS my Robo-dolt?"
Gwen smirked at Weiss referring to Rex as hers. "Heh, already claiming ownership, are we?" As she saw Weiss' cheeks blush, the redhead laughed and pointed over toward the rest of Team RWBY as well as Raven, Tai and Ben, who were in the middle of a conversation with Sandra and Carl. Sure enough, Rex was with them as well. "He's over there with the others. I think they're talking about room arrangements."
"Ah, I see." But then, Weiss gasped the moment she saw Ben's parents, though. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered; I didn't even say hello yet!" Weiss hustled over to the group, catching their attention immediately as she stepped up to Sandra and Carl.
Before she could get a word in, though, Sandra brightened up and smiled at the former heiress. "Oh, Weiss! I was wondering when you'd join us."
"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry." Weiss bowed her head slightly. "I-I was kind of distracted for a moment. It's good to finally meet you in person, Mrs. Tennyson." She then bowed her head toward Carl as well. "And you as well, Mr. Tennyson."
The married couple were slightly taken aback by how hastily she had greeted them, though they still got a little chuckle out of it. Sandra put her hand on Weiss' shoulder reassuringly and said; "Weiss, sweetie, you don't need to apologize. Trust me, in our house, we're very lax about that sort of thing."
"And please, feel free to refer to us by our first names." Carl added. "In our house, we're all equals."
Sandra glanced over to her son with a slight smirk. "Though Ben still insists on calling us by our parental titles."
Ben sent his father a deadpan face. "Mom, we've discussed this before; it's weird and awkward. I mean, I don't think I even know ANYONE else who calls their parents by their first names."
"Well, that's probably because you haven't met them yet." Sandra said without skipping a beat, making Ben facepalm while the others laughed at his expense.
Once things had settled, Weiss gave Sandra and Carl a small nod. "Well, I'm glad that we're all on the same page, at least. And again, thank you for letting us stay in your home."
"Yeah, it really means a lot." Blake added, the cat girl having reclaimed Rema from Evelyn.
"Ah, it's really no problem." Carl assured. "Honestly, it's been pretty quiet around here lately, so having you all around should be pretty interesting."
Weiss gave a small chortle at the man's words. "Heh, well THAT I think is a guarantee." The former heiress then went over to Rex and crossed her arms at him, giving him an expectant look. "Well, now that we're all on the same page, I think it's time that you and I get down to business, Mr. Salazar."
Rex blinked in confusion, unsure what his girlfriend was talking about. "Uh… about what, exactly, Ice Princess?"
With a roll of her eyes, Weiss sent her boyfriend a deadpan face. "Uh, planning our first date, remember?"
It was then that Rex's eyes widened, the EVO smacking his forehead as he remembered that little fact. "D'oh! That's right! How could I forget?" He reached out and put a hand to Weiss' shoulder. "Don't worry, Weiss, I have it ALL under control."
"So why doesn't that reassure me?" Weiss countered slyly.
'Oh damn, now THAT'S a comeback.' Rex thought with an amused smile. 'Wouldn't have it any other way.' Rex cleared his throat and pulled Weiss into a hug. "Oh, trust me, Ice Princess, I've got something planned that's gonna stick in your mind for quite a while." He gave her a little wink and a smirk. "Believe me, when we have our first date, you're definitely gonna remember it."
Weiss smiled and moved up onto her tip-toes to kiss Rex's cheek. "I'll hold you to that, Robo-dolt."
"Aw, well isn't that adorable?" Sandra said adoringly. "My goodness, this group definitely has quite a few couples going around, doesn't it?"
"You have NO idea." Blake said with a roll of her eyes as Sun came over and put an arm around her. However, it was then that both Faunus perked their heads up, a certain scent coming to their noses. Their attention was drawn toward the house's backyard fence and Blake raised a brow. "Hey, uh… is someone cooking something out back?"
All at once, Carl's eyes widened and he whirled around toward the house, running toward the door as fast as he could. "Oh shoot, the grill!"
"Oh dear!" Sandra exclaimed as her hand went to her head, watching as her husband ran like his life depended on it. She sent an apologetic look toward the teens and sighed. "Well, we WERE making a "Welcome Home" barbeque lunch for you all… I just hope that nothing's been burned…"
Ruby brightened up at the mention of that. "Ooh, barbeque?! I'm definitely all behind that!"
Yang could feel her stomach growling at the mere mention of the word. "Yeah, helps that we didn't exactly GET to eat lunch before we left…"
It was then that Max started making his way to the door, intending to help his son with the grill. "I'm gonna go see if Carl needs any help." the old man said as he faced the entire group. "That said, how about we move this whole party out into the backyard, huh? Don't wanna potentially cause a scene for the neighbors, now do we?"
"Good point, Max." Sandra agreed as she ushered for everyone to file into the house. "Come on in, everyone and grab a plate. Provided nothing's been burnt, there's gonna be plenty of food to go around!"
As the whole group was entering the house, Ben and Yang hanged back for a little bit, the hero glancing down to his girlfriend with a small grin. "So, it's been your first hour and…" he checked the Omnitrix for the time, displaying it as 4:30 on his holographic watch. "…thirty minutes on Earth. How do you like it?"
"Well, that all depends." Yang smirked as she drew closer to Ben. "What would you say if I said I wasn't a fan?"
Ben's smirk increased as he lowered his face closer to hers as well. "I'd say that you were deliberately lying to get a rise out of me."
"Can you back up that claim, Green Boy?"
"Knowing you, Goldie Locks? Yeah, I can." With that, Ben closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers, a small giggle escaping Yang's lips as the couple kissed. It went on for about five seconds before they separated, the two holding onto each other all the while.
"Heh, yeah, I'm totally faking." Yang chuckled. "I love this place already."
Ben quirked a playful brow toward her. "Heh, thought so."
"Ahem." The couple's heads moved up and saw Tai and Raven both looking at them, the older couple standing with their arms crossed at the front door. "Alright, lovebirds, let's not give the entire neighborhood a show, huh?" Tai said as he ushered them to follow them.
Raven, with a rather sizeable smirk on her face as well, jerked her head inside. "He's right. Besides, what happened to you being hungry, dear?"
Yang knew the perfect comeback. She jerked her thumb toward Ben and winked. "Hey, his lips are my appetizer as far as I'm concerned." The response did two things. One; it made Ben's face ripen like a tomato. And two; it made Tai choke on his own spit. Raven and Yang couldn't help but laugh as the hero hid his face and Tai stumbled into the house choking and gagging, though the former tribe leader was quick to follow her partner inside.
"Haha! I-I have to go help your father." Raven waved off. "But seriously, get in here before everyone else takes your food."
"Ha! We're comin' mom, don't worry!" Yang assured before elbowing Ben. "Well Green Boy? Whaddya say?"
"I say that you're going to kill your own dad one day if you keep saying stuff like that in front of him." Ben responded, eliciting more laughter from the Blonde Brawler. The hero sighed and stared at his house, his smile returning as he secured his arm around Yang. "But I will say one thing; it's REALLY good to be home."
Yang smiled and put her arm around his waist, the couple walking in step toward the door. "And I can agree with that. Now c'mon, let's go. Maybe after all the chaos that happened this morning, we'll be able to have some semblance of a normal afternoon."
…..
However, little did the group of heroes know that there was something happening in downtown Bellwood… and it was something FAR from "normal". For, in a sizeable back alley, a large rift was opening in the fabric of space, causing a large, red and white spiraling portal to suddenly open up. From the portal, a large mechanical being suddenly emerged, one that appeared to be FAR from humanoid in nature.
The robot was very large, about twenty feet in height, and had saucer-shaped torso, being mostly black on the top part while its lower half was red. Rather than using a pair of legs to move around, it had a large, circular wheel at its base, allowing it to roll in several different directions. Its "head" was silver and cylindrical, with a big glowing red eye in its center while it was topped with a red "lid" of sorts. It had three large, silver arms that were segmented into eight joints, with its bladed hands resembling scissors or clippers.
Once it was out, though, from the portal came several more of its kind, all of them about half its size and blue in color instead of red. The larger robot scanned its surroundings as its minions filed out of the portal, speaking in a monotone voice as the vortex finally closed; "Arrival to Earth, successful. Mission: Search and Destroy." It's single eye glowed intensely as it made its final statement; "Target: Ben Tennyson."
…..
A/N (Please Read): To be continued… Indeed, it seems like our hero's homecoming is gonna be going a bit less smoothly than anticipated. Returning from Dimension 12, it's Computron and his minions! But… who in the WORLD was able to rebuild him? Well, only time will tell on that one. But with that said, our hero's welcome home actually went over quite well with the Tennysons and Kevin's mom (whom yes, I gave a name, one befitting of the Levin naming scheme). It seems like everyone's getting along great, especially when it comes to the Xiao Longs and Ben's parents (though that explanation about Raven's past is bound to be awkward). Also, as a refresher, I think it's best to go over what attire the Remnant crew are all wearing at this time;
Team RWBY are in their Volumes 4-6 clothes, as are Team JNPR, with Pyrrha actually donning a custom set of armor that I designed myself. If you want a description of that armor, check Chapter 82 of Volume 1. Winter and Qrow are both in their Volume 7 appearances as well, and Tai and Raven are wearing their usual clothes.
Team SN are in their usual attire while Ilia is in the clothing she wore at the end of Volume 6. As for Penny, she's in her Volume 7-8 clothes, but WITHOUT the long hair. Never was a fan of that. Also, keep this in mind; here, Penny here has become a Mechamorph hybrid thanks to the process in which her body was rebuild by Ben and Rex. She has a NIGH-INDESTRUCTIBLE BODY, so I have no plans on changing that, if you know what I mean.
Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Rex are all in what you'd expect them to be wearing, so no changes there. But, there is a SLIGHT chance that I'll fiddle with their apparel later on, so we'll see about that. That said, with all of that out of the way…
NEXT TIME! During their little barbeque lunch, the gang are suddenly met with an unexpected visit in the form of Agent Six and Doctor Holiday, the two informing the team of just what's going on in town. While Ben does see this as an opportunity to assure the public of his return, he also sees it as a chance to let the people see what his new teammates from Remnant can REALLY do… LLLLLet's get ready to RUMBLLLLLE! Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!
