Hey all.

We need to talk about some things before we start today.

As you may not know, Achievement Hunter member, Ryan Haywood, was recently...revealed to be a huge piece of shit manipulator and adulterer. The event has left the RT and AH community in shambles- no one expected this man to have all that stuff going on behind the scenes. My soul hurts deeply for the victims and the people he's hurt. There's no excusing cheating or manipulating vulnerable young fans for sexual activities.

My writing abilities were somewhat halted by the news- with this current generation of 'throwing out the trash', I thought it'd be easy to throw Ryan Haywood out of my life. But...no. The situation at hand weighed heavy on my heart- hell, I broke down crying when I read some statements. How could a man break the trust of THOUSANDS like this? How could he let his ego get to him? Was it all an act?

It just...hurts.

I encourage all of you- if you know someone in an abusive relationship, please. Reach out them. Form a support group for them. Abusers will try to break down that support, but shut that person out before they try to shut you out of their life.

...now, for some mood whiplash, yes. I did see the Reboot movie. I liked MANY of the ideas proposed in the story- it's a solid 7 in my book. You may not see a majority of those ideas here...

But my other project might have some more of that stuff.

Anyways, please, PLEASE leave a review if you can. And remember. Love, not hate.


Ruby felt the warm summer wind hitting her face, but Big Chill's arms were pleasantly cool. She kind of wanted to hide her hot, blushing face in his cold chest, but she figured that would be weird.

Why did Ruby want to do that in the first place? Simple.

Ben and Ruby had finally made out. And she really had to emphasize the 'finally' part, because holy crap Ruby had been wanting to kiss Ben's dumb boy face for ages now.

In any case, they had made out for a good long while, long enough for them to get hungry. The sweets at the dance had been tasty yet lacking, and Ruby really wanted some fries. So, Ben had transformed and they had flown off campus, and, well, here they were, flying through the nighttime sky.

"How are you doing?" Ben asked, his voice soft and reserved.

"Uh, pretty good...after we're done eating, wanna make out more?" Ruby asked, smiling cutely.

Ben's grin turned dopey and lovestruck. "Absolutely."

Eventually they landed in the middle of an alleyway. Ben set Ruby down, and she immediately went to fixing her disheveled appearance. "That was amazing," Ruby cheered, smoothing down her windstruck hair.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ben pouted. "I like your hair that way."

"I'm not sure I should take that as a compliment, Mr. 24/7 Bedhead," Ruby teased.

Ben crossed his arms. "Bedheads are in and you know it."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Rue, you are now literally dating a guy with a bedhead," Ben stated flatly.

"True," Ruby mused, smiling slyly. She kept getting a giddy, bubbly feeling in her stomach every time Ben said 'dating,' it honestly felt pretty great.

A car suddenly barreled past them, and Ben could hear screams of confusion coming from inside. Ben and Ruby shared a look before gazing back at the car.

"That's no joyride," Ruby stated as Ben opened his wings. "I'll go reserve us a table at Freddy's."

"Appreciate it." Ben grinned as he took off.

Big Chill flew overhead, watching the car barrel down the road, accidentally scraping into other cars and knocking over items that weren't properly fixed in place. The driver struggled to stop- the brakes weren't working and he was going WAYYYYY too fast. So, what else could the two do but scream?

"DUDE! YOU'RE MAKING ME NERVOUS, STOP SCREAMING!" the driver yelled.

"YOU'RE SCREAMING, WHY CAN'T I SCREAM?" The passenger shot back.

"FINE! YOU WANNA DRIVE?" The driver looked back to the road; they were now crossing a bridge that led out of town, but a slow truck obstructed their way. Not wanting to wreck the car even more, the man swerved off the edge-

And the car started to fall to the waters below. Big Chill dipped into the river and flew right back out, creating an icy ramp underneath the wheels of the car. He quickly phased through the car, and the drivers screamed as he appeared on the other side and grabbed the bumper. With all of his strength, Big Chill dragged his feet on the ramp, the car started to slow down...

And miraculously, his bullshit plan worked.

The driver and passenger stepped out of the car, shocked and relieved to be alive. The driver looked over at Big Chill, awestruck.

"What is that thing?" he breathed.

"Who cares? It saved our lives!" the passenger crowed, brushing off the question. "Thanks, man!"

Big Chill wasn't focused on them. He had been hungry before he transformed, he vaguely remembered, gazing at the car and salivating.

Without warning, Big Chill unhinged his jaw and took a large bite out of the car roof. The driver and the passenger wisely backed away.

"H-hey, man, don't eat my c-" the driver objected, but Big Chill simply hissed at him before flying off.

"...what the fuck was that?" the passenger said, staring after their savior

"What was that, Anthony? 'He saved our lives'?" the driver mocked him.

"Fuck you, Ian."

Ben swallowed and regained his senses. He looked behind him and saw something large and icy underneath the bridge. Something he must have done… but had no memory of actually doing.

"Must've been on autopilot," Ben muttered as he landed behind Freddy's. He walked around to the front and joined Ruby at an outdoor table.

"I already placed an order for you," Ruby told him, beaming. "Chili fries with an original double, and a good ol' milkshake we can share."

"Looks like I'm gonna be paying then." Ben grinned, and Ruby gave him an odd look.

"Hey, you got something in your teeth," Ruby said, motioning to her own mouth and pointing in between the canines and incisors. Ben grabbed a napkin and managed to get it out.

"Ok, that's weird," Ruby declared as Ben held up a spit covered piece of metal.

"Eh." Ben shrugged and tossed the napkin in a trash bin. "I'm too hungry to care. That's future Ben's problem."

Albedo yawned, his eyes slowly fluttering open. He blearily looked around the room- he'd fallen asleep in his lab, probably from over work.

...Never a good sign in Albedo's book.

Much like an Archimedean, when Albedo was focused on a project, he would work himself to the bone. But unlike them, he could handle it. A day on Galvan Prime was 144 hours in Earth time, so he could work nearly a full week without a break.

The problem was that he fell asleep in the lab. Usually he'd be in the west quarters, where his shared room with Mercury was. (Well, whenever Mercury came back for missions or wasn't at Beacon. It was nice not to have snoring in the background.)

Something was absolutely wrong, Albedo thought, tapping a finger to his chin. Had he honestly lost track of time? He tried to retrace his steps a bit-

Neo had invited him out for a quick lunch at 12:30. They shared a nice meal at some place in Vale. Nothing strange there.

He spared briefly with Cinder in preparation for "the Fall" at 2:30. Nothing strange there.

Then, he was cooped up in the lab from 4 to...God, what time did he fall asleep, actually? Everything past 9 PM was a blur.

Albedo then noticed something strange- a piece of metal, on his desk, with a bite taken out of it. There was supposed to be a finished design of something Watt's wanted by today, not some...scrap piece of metal...

Albedo studied the piece carefully, before it all dawned on him.

"Is it that time already?" he asked out loud. He went to look at his 5-years-in-advance calendar on his computer desk. He flipped through a few pages before reaching today's date.

Written on that square was one message, in red ink- NECROFRIGGIAN REPRODUCTION, LASTS ALL WEEK.

Albedo stared down at the half eaten piece of metal in his hand and sighed. "And so it begins," he grumbled.

This was really going to fuck with his schedule.

Ben didn't know how this happened, but he thanked all the gods above anyway.

Ruby Rose, his girlfriend, was cuddled up to his side and sleeping.

Granted they were on the couch together, but Ruby was still sleeping next to him. After they had gotten dinner, the two decided to sit on the couch, just to cuddle and make out some more, and Ben had loved every minute of it. Last night was, altogether, a legendary moment in his short life.

...so why was he only focused on the bit of metal he found in his teeth?

Ruby yawned, nuzzling her forehead into Ben's shoulder. "Pancakes," she murmured.

Ben snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"

"...Pancakes. I want pancakes," she mumbled.

"Well, how about we shower first and then make some pancakes?" Ben offered.

"You know that one Ninja Sex Party song?" Ruby asked, yawning. "'Eating Food In The Shower', I think it's called?"

"Soggy pancakes are gross," Ben snickered.

"You're gross," Ruby teased, nudging his arm.

"Well, guess what?" He grinned. "You're dating a gross boy."

Ruby giggled. "I am~" With a smile she pecked Ben on the cheek. "...seriously though, can we e-"

"No."

"Party pooper," Ruby huffed as she took off her heels. Ben followed her back to the dorm area, and the two exchanged a long, searing kiss before heading off to their respective rooms. Ben sighed happily as he walked back in-

And screamed.

"ARE YOU TWO HAVING SEX?!" Ben screeched, covering his eyes.

Kevin looked over his shoulder. "Aw, what?"

"We are?" Min said, putting her bra back on. "I would've put my book down."

"Fuck you guys and your references," Ben huffed, blindly throwing a towel at Kevin. "What the fuck were you two doing?"

"Extreme making out," Min said flatly. "If you came just a minute earlier, you would've seen my boobs."

"...Oh my god, YOU PLANNED THIS!" Ben gasped, remembering Min's status as a chaos demon.

"Hey, I had to balance things out." She shrugged. "You're welcome, by the way."

"For what?"

"You know~"

"...remind me to get you a gift later on."

Kevin had forgone the towel and instead put his boxers and pants back on. "For what? What did she do?"

Min smirked, crossing her arms. "He and Ruby got together last night."

"Wait, for real?" Kevin gasped. "Fuckin' finally! I gotta go get my money from the betting pool!"

"...betting pool?" Ben asked incredulously. "Guys, what the fuck?"

Min looked unapologetic. "Hey, it's been going on for a few months now. Weiss owes me big time."

"I am going to have WORDS with them after breakfast."

"Whatever. I gotta go to an appointment," Kevin said, putting on a dark blue button up that paired well with his black slacks.

"For what?" Ben asked curiously.

"AntiTrix check up. Ari wants to see if the little shit's doing his job," he summarized.

"Aw, you have a name for me," Doppler gushed.

"Shut it," Kevin said as he slipped his shoes on. "If it goes well, we may not even need you anymore."

"Oh, please," Doppler scoffed. "I'm not doing THAT great of a job."

"Then maybe we'll just replace you," Kevin said coldly, walking out the door.

"...jeez," Ben muttered. "That was overdramatic."

Min cleared her throat. "...can I get in on the pancake thing?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Oooh, I hope they have blueberry."

Kevin tapped his fingers on the exam table, watching as Ari attached some wires to Doppler. "How are you even operating after drinking that much last night?" Kevin had to ask.

Ari gave him a smirk. "Archemedian blood, remember? I have a higher alcohol tolerance than humans."

"Alright, alright, you don't have to rub it in," Kevin said, rolling his eyes.

"What, did you have too much to drink?" she joked.

"He wasn't that drunk," Doppler chirped. "He was completely looooovedruuuuunk~"

"Just squish him," Kevin stated flatly. "Just tear him off and stomp him underneath your fancy combat boots."

"I honestly would if I could. Sadly, I like you alive," Ari lamented as she pressed a few buttons on her computer. ""Well, this fucker is keeping you alive...I think it's safe to raise your max transformations per day to five."

Kevin beamed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously, my guy." Ari grinned, just as something else popped up on screen. Doppler snickered a bit, and she shot him a withering glare.

"What's so funny?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just happy to see my work panning out," Doppler drawled. Ari raised an eyebrow, turning back to her computer. Her eyes widened in shock, before she dissolved into snickers.

"A-ah, I see..." Ari gasped between laughs. "C-can you get Ben in here? As soon as possible?"

Ben didn't even know why he was here. He just wanted pancakes, not a full examination. Plus, the fact he was in one of those weird hospital gowns made the experience so much worse.

(And Ari made it a goal to snicker when she did that 'turn your head and cough' thing. That did not help Ben's ego.)

Good news was that it was over soon. As embarrassing as it was, Ben was out the door in twenty minutes. That was one of the quickest and most thorough appointments he'd ever had.

...so why did he have to wait in a room with Kevin?

"Alright, so, uh...we got your test results back, and we found something interesting..." Ari said, looking down at her clipboard.

Kevin shot up in his seat. "I HAD A POPPY SEED BAGEL, I SWEAR!"

Ari gave him a look. "Don't worry, it's not that."

"Oh," Kevin said, embarrassed. "Forget I said anything."

"So, what's our issue?" Ben wondered aloud.

"Oh, simple." Ari grinned. "You two...are pregnant." With that final, damning word, streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling. Ari cackled madly as Lev burst into the room rolling on a skateboard, sparklers in both hands, and wearing a classic pair of bright pink shutter shades.

The two boys just sat there, slowly processing...before just screaming-

"WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ben yelled.

"IS THIS A JOKE? DID MIN PUT YOU UP TO THIS?!" Kevin screeched.

"Wait, am I pregnant because of the whole 'Charmcaster' thing?" Ben rambled. "Oh my god, you don't think-"

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID SHE DRAG ME INTO THIS, TENNYSON?" Kevin yelled, shaking the boy.

"NO, KEVIN, THE BABY-"

"Well, I shouldn't say your human forms are pregnant," Ari butted in. "It's your Necrofriggian aliens that are preggers."

"...what?"

"Yeah, those bastards reproduce every 80 years," Lev explained, extinguishing the sparklers and lowering his shades. "It's harmless, though. It's not like a Vaxasaurrian or Appoplexian birth, you guys are lucky there...oh shit, you guys lucked out on the Caskan births! Don't Caskans 'seahorse' the baby?"

"I think so," Ari replied. "But they also lucked out on the Prypiatosian-B way of reproduction. Sure, it's asexual, but GOD is it painful. OH! Don't get me started on the Gimlinopithecus way of birth...you guys could NOT handle it."

"The babies are pretty cute though. Shame they're delectable," Lev sighed.

"Well, in some cultures," Ari dismissed.

"...suddenly I'm more scared of space," Kevin stated, shuddering violently.

"You guys are just gonna have the usual motherly cravings and are gonna have to build a nest for the kids," Ari explained.

"...what kind of cravings, exactly?" Ben asked, suddenly remembering that piece of metal from last night.

"Oh, typical stuff in a Necrofrigian diet." She looked down at her clipboard as Lev got a broom and pan. "Like nearly every kind of metal."

"...so, we're gonna be eating metal as our Necrofriggian aliens?" Ben asked. "That's it?"

"Yeah. Just eat metal and have the babies," Ari explained. "We can help you with that nest part."

"I mean," Ben said, shrugging. "If it's just that...is it that bad?"

"As a male identifying teenager, it is," Kevin said flatly. "Do you have any idea how HUMILIATED we'd be if this got out?"

..both boys slowly turned to look at Lev and Ari.

"...we ain't snitches," Lev huffed, tossing confetti into the trash bin. "Your secret is safe with us."

"Especially with me," Ari told them. "Mainly because of doctor-patient confidentiality."

"What's that?" Kevin asked curiously.

"The objective of the confidential relationship is to make patients feel comfortable enough to seek treatment and provide any and all relevant information. We don't want to humiliate or expose this part of you whatsoever," Ari explained. "The only real breach of confidentiality would be if you guys needed more assistance or you commit crimes."

"Wait, really?" Ben arched an eyebrow. "So, no big 'I O U' thing?"

"Nope. It's a quick process. They should be ready to go by...end of the week, right?" Lev asked.

"Give or take." Ari turned to the boys. "No need to worry, we have it under control."

Kevin sighed. "Well, there's that off our chest. It's gonna be a rough time for the two of us..."

"Actually, it's three," Lev pointed out.

"...I'm sorry, what?" Ben sputtered.

"Doesn't that Albedo guy have a Big Chill form too?"

Neo wandered around the halls of the castle, lost in her thoughts. And also lost in general, this place was huge.

Last night was the Beacon Dance. Neo had wanted to attend, but...no date. And it was hard to communicate because, well, she was mute.

But had she gone with Albedo, would things have gone differently? Would he prove himself to be a suave charmer, just like in her daydreams? Would they grace the dance floor together? Would they ki-

"Neo?"

Her face red, she spun around to see Albedo. Oh, hey! She quickly signed. What's up?

"...Can I talk to you about...a pressing matter?" Albedo asked. Neo quickly noticed how serious his tone was, and immediately nodded.

"We should talk in a private room," Albedo declared, leading her back to the lab. He shut the door behind them, and Neo began to fear what he was about to say.

"I'm pregnant."

She blinked.

...you're kidding, right?

"I'm not," Albedo said, pulling out an actual pregnancy test that was POSITIVE, WHAT-

Alright...so, you're pregnant...is that because you're an alien or whatever? Neo inquired, willing her hands not to shake.

"Well, it's not so much my base form's work, but rather the asexual reproduction cycle of a Necrofriggian," Albedo explained. "Necrofriggians reproduce every 80 years. Much like any Earth plant, they self pollinate and develop 'spores' that will eventually spread from their wings. The evolved version of my Necrofriggian form uses a much more 'combat' oriented version of it. You could say I'm 'weaponizing' their developing stages."

Neo took all that in, and slowly nodded. So, are you going to tell anyone else?

"I did tell Mistress Salem. She took it relatively well..."

"-and that's why I must request these next few days off," Albedo explained. "I need to make sure my offspring are born properly. I worry my modifications may cause some birth defects."

Salem nodded solemnly. "I appreciate your honesty on this matter, Albedo. Not many of my servants have ever been this open about a pregnancy...especially not the males. Now, go do what you must."

"Thank you, Mistress." Albedo bowed before turning to walk out.

"One more thing," Salem began.

"What's that?"

"...is this the ONLY alien that gets pregnant?" Salem asked, brow furrowing. "I may be nice now, but if another alien gets pregnant..."

"...and then she told me I may have to skip maternal leave if that's the case," Albedo continued.

Neo pursed her lips in worry. Well, is it?

"Nope. All of my other aliens don't reproduce asexually," Albedo reassured her. "So, we're in the clear."

She flopped down in a chair, processing everything.

I have no idea what else to say. I've never dealt with a pregnancy like THIS, Neo signed. I signed up for...God, I don't even know what I signed up for!

"I only request one thing from you," Albedo said.

Don't tell the others?

"...make that two things." He winced. "To keep this a secret...and to bring me food."

I...I can do that. What do you need, exactly? she asked.

"Scrap metal."

And just like that, Neo's mind blue screened.

Ruby wanted to know why Ben was acting weird all through breakfast. The way his eyes darted around, the way he stumbled over his words, his weird side glances with Kevin-

What even happened at that doctor's appointment?

"These pancakes are great," Min crowed, throwing a knowing smirk at Ben and Kevin. "Did you use your mom's recipe?"

Ben averted eye contact again. "No. Just one I stole online."

"You suuuuure?" Min grinned. "They say cooking is a mom's best skill in some horribly sexist cultures."

"I-it's just from online. I swear," he blurted out defensively.

"Dude, what is up with you?" Ruby finally asked.

"Nothing, nothing! We're fine!" Ben grinned nervously, elbowing Kevin in the side. "We're in good health, honest."

She gave him a look. "Dude, if it's serious, you can tell me in private."

"...alright, fine," he grumbled, standing up. "Can we go into the next room?" Ruby smiled, blissfully unaware of the bombshell that was about to be dropped on her. The two made their way to the deserted laundry room, while Kevin and Min continued to eat. Min's fork moved on over to Ruby's plate, but Kevin smacked her hand.

"Don't even. She's gonna need that to process," he chided.

"Awww, party pooper," Min pouted, sipping her cup of blood (generously donated to her by Ari, Lev, and the bear they hunted down).

Ruby's schedule for the next week was...hectic. Very, very hectic.

First, there were classes. They were always pretty challenging around this time, seeing as classes would be canceled for an entire week for the tournament. Ruby could practically feel her grades in certain classes dropping because of the quick pacing and heightened expectations.

At least the grades situation kept one thing out of play- people's suspicions.

Since the rest of RWBY and Zeta Squad were focused on tests, no one noticed Ruby slipping out with Ben, Kevin, and Min to...well, feast.

Necrofriggians had a very specific diet of metal, mainly iron. Literally iron. The metal helped to preserve the many vital functions in their bodies, including general energy and focus, the development of gastrointestinal and immune systems, and the regulation of body temperature.

...that, and their stomach acid was so strong that metal was the only thing that properly digested.

Ruby's job in these affairs was relatively simple. She just had to guide Big Chill and Numb to their nests (that Ari and Lev made, thanks to some generous contributions from both Plumber health centers and scrap yards). She and Min had to use these special flash lights to get their attention since Ben and Kevin were effectively 'feral' and 'territorial' in this state.

"The flashlights mimic the light patterns of the Psycholeopterrans," Lev explained as he handed it to Ruby and Min on the first day.

"Psycholeopterrans? What are those?" Min asked, eyeing her flashlight.

"Psycholeopterrans are a species of insectoids who normally prey on Necrofriggians. They're a rare and endangered species that is close to extinction due to poaching," Ari explained. "When rapidly vibrating its wings, the Psycholeopterran seems to project red spiral patterns that stimulate the reward and pleasure centers in the brain. This causes a sort of hypnosis-like state in its prey, causing them to see whatever they want most when they look at the patterns."

"...so, we're basically making them sleepwalk," Ruby simplified.

Lev nodded. "Exactly. We can't have them going around town, eating all the fucking metal. That's just rude."

"Just guide them into the woods when they transform," Ari told them. "It'll be harmless for them. They won't even hurt you."

And they were right- it was easy to guide the Necrofriggians to their nests. However, it was eerie to see Big Chill's usually barred teeth unhinged and chowing down on a goddamn washing machine or a car or even eating utensils.

"So," Ruby said, halfway through the week. "What's it feel like?"

Ben blinked as he swallowed a bit of his N&SJ sandwich (Nutella and strawberry jam). "It's…weird. It's like sleep paralysis. When Big Chill gets hungry, it's like I freeze up-" Ben cleared his throat. "Pun not intended. But it feels like I'm in a trance and my body just can't control itself. I just have one concern."

"What's that?" she asked.

"...The children," Ben said in a fake falsetto.

Ruby laughed, punching Ben in the arm. "Seriously?"

Albedo's pregnancy, on the other hand, was spent doing shady, awful things. Every night, he and Neo would make an excuse to go scan Vale's grounds for anything that may hinder the plan. Then they'd go to a scrap yard in a shadier part of Vale (fun fact: the same one Ari and Lev used to gather material!) and ate whatever Albedo's Necrofriggian form found tasty.

For whatever reason, Albedo's form was a picky eater. It wouldn't eat anything with rust or corrosion, so that made Neo's job a little harder- having to find something that was in near pristine condition, or just washing rust off of certain things.

...plus it's way of consuming the metal was fucking weird. Due to his genetically altered form, Albedo would regurgitate his stomach acids and then consume a liquid form of the metal. Neo felt sick just watching him.

You're a total nightmare when eating, Neo signed halfway through the week. There were some notable grey circles under her eyes.

"I apologize," Albedo sighed, scarfing down chili fries. "I didn't account for any of those traits."

Neo rolled her eyes...before coming to a realization. Hey, Ben and that emo guy have the moth aliens too, right?

He blinked. "I...believe so, why-"

Albedo cottoned on to the thought, and snickered. "...oh, that is actually hilarious."

Ben wanted to say that no one outside their little group knew about the pregnancies. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The encounter happened sometime during the week.

Ben and Ruby were sitting under a tree inside the campus gardens, mostly just decompressing after a long day of lessons.

"I wanna kill the dude who made math," Ben sighed, looking up at the sky with bleary eyes.

"You said it." Ruby rubbed her face. "I wish I could drink right now."

"Someone say 'drink'?"

Ben and Ruby turned to see Qrow approaching the both of them. Ben could detect the faint scent of whiskey on his person.

Ruby managed a small but sincere smile. "Oh, hey Uncle Qrow. What brings you here?"

"how's the kid?" Qrow asked.

Ben's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"Fucking...what's your name again?" he grumbled.

"...Ben. My name is Ben."

"Ah, right...right…" Qrow sighed. "How's the pregnancy?"

Ben nearly jumped out of his skin. "YOU KNOW? HOW?! Did Ari tell you?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea who that is, but I'm gonna guess she's your doctor. No, she didn't tell me."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Then how did you…"

Qrow just smirked. "Uncles know these kinds of things. Don't worry about it."

Last night

Qrow, in his bird form, decided to take a rest from flying. He was close to Beacon anyway, he could probably sleep outside in his bird form and still make it there fairly early. He stretched out his wings like he normally stretched out his arms and settled into the branches. "Caw caw," he chirped, his human voice exiting out of his beak. That never failed to amuse him; it was especially hilarious when he did that trick around unsuspecting people, their reactions were always priceless.

Qrow was about to go to sleep, but then he saw Ruby and Ben going into the nearby scrap yard. He glared into the darkness, thankful that his eyesight was so sharp in this form. Both teens had immediately gone to one specific pile, and Ben turned into that Mothman alien.

And then Ben took a giant bite out of an SUV-

"CAW CAW WHAT THE FUCK?!" Qrow shrieked as he reverted back to human form. And then he plummeted through the branches down to the ground below.

"...ow…"

Present day

Ben sighed tiredly. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"I'll only tell it if you die," Qrow promised. "At your funeral."

Ruby chuckled despite herself. "Pfffft, uncle Qrow, don't joke like that!"

"Oh no, I'm being 100% serious. That is the best funeral story." He stopped smirking long enough to say, "I'll let you kids...go take care of that. Oh, and Ken?"

"...close enough. Yeah?"

Qrow just glared at him.

Ben sighed. "Alright."

Aside from the Qrow incident, there was another during the week. It was mostly due to a misunderstanding, but...well, you'll understand why it happened.

This involves an innocent girl named Penny Polendina. This happened before one of the classes Ari, Min, and Penny shared.

Penny overheard Min and Ari talking- no surprise there, the two seemed to be on good terms. Min and Ari were talking specifically about Kevin- again, no surprise, Min liked to talk about her crush/new boyfriend every so often. However-

"There have been no weird cravings right?" Ari asked, furrowing her brow.

"He ate an entire jar of pickles," Min stated flatly.

"Nothing wrong with that," she said with a shrug. "I like to eat super spicy kimchi every so often. My species loves spicy things, and we have something near identical to kimchi back in the Empire."

"But Kevin doesn't even like pickles!" Min protested. "Shouldn't he be craving foods that he would normally want to eat?"

Ari furrowed her brow. "Must be a particularly hungry batch, then."

What, Penny thought.

Min went on. "After last night, Kevin was so tired he just collapsed once he was in our dorm. He didn't even make it to the bed, he just landed on the floor and was out like a light. I had to put him in bed before anyone saw him."

"That's how Ceres is sometimes," Ari told her.

"But isn't Ceres constantly in the lab?"

"Yeah, but what Kevin going through…" Ari winced in spite of herself. "I mean, women in Sparta were considered war heroes for dying in childbirth, what Ben and Kevin is going through is brutal."

Penny wasn't sure what was going on, but if what Min and Ari said was true… then Kevin and Ben deserved some flowers, at least.

A week passed, and exams were finished. Tonight, the children would be born.

Ben anxiously paced around the student lounge. Yang and Kylie stared in confusion.

"What's his deal?" Yang asked the other girl.

Kylie shrugged. "Probably stressing about grades. Heard that history test was a bigger bloodbath than any of Malik the Sunderer's biggest battles."

Yang cringed. "Yeesh, poor guy."

Kylie looked back over. "We best let him be. God only knows when Port and his stupid mustauche will finally post those damn grades."

She sighed. "Waiting is always the worst part."

In a way, Yang was right- Ben was stressed and worried, but about the birth of his children, not his grades. Any mother would be, right? Did his mom feel the same when he was finally born?

"You okay, dude?" Kevin asked, walking over. He had his hand buried in a can of cinnamon and sugar Pringles.

Ben shot him an incredulous look. "Seriously? You're asking me that? I've been freaking out all day! The due date is literally tonight and...well, what if I fuck it up?"

"You'll be on autopilot when you give birth," Kevin said, snacking on chips. "Nothing to worry about."

"EVERYTHING to worry about, dude! What if the babies come out and some of them don't make it?! What if I die in labor? What if-" Ben rambled as Kevin stared at him blankly.

Pregnancy had really turned this poor boy into a nervous wreck. Kevin shook his head and offered Ben his can of chips.

"Eat one of these. I was freaking out earlier and Min just told me to eat these gross chips," he said.

"If they're gross, why are you-" Ben raised an eyebrow. "Ah, nevermind." He grabbed a few and began eating them.

"Feel better?" Kevin asked hopefully.

Ben blinked before swallowing. "Surprisingly. How come those gross chips taste..."

"Like the answer to everything? I dunno." Kevin shrugged. "All I know is that everything's gonna be okay. I can give you a quick list right off the top of my head of fears I've had over the years. Fear of being forgotten. Fear of dying. Fear of losing everything. Fear of needles-"

"You're scared of needles?" Ben interrupted.

Kevin glared. "If you repeat that, you will find yourself waking up in the middle of nowhere."

"...understandable."

"But right now? It's really not the time to freak out. We're doing something most guys have never done before." Kevin noticeably softened. "It's weird and it's gonna hurt, but for right now, let's just focus on the positives, okay?"

"...okay."

Ruby and Min quickly walked into the lounge. "Hey, guys," Ruby said quietly. "Ari told us that it's time."

"Better get to the nest before you guys give birth here," Min told them. "That's something you don't want spreading around."

Ben took a deep breath. "Right, let's get this over with."

Ruby clutched Ben's hand when they ventured into the forest. This had been a seriously weird week- her mind was still mush from all those exams and the nightly feedings. It was also hard to believe that literally last week, they had both confessed, kissed, and started dating.

Funny how life works, Ruby thought as Ari and Lev guided the boys to the nest. (Ruby and Min stayed behind, because Ruby did not want to see the birthing process. Min probably did, but stayed behind because she didn't want to leave Ruby alone in the woods.) It had been an eventful few months, and possibly the busiest time of her life. Last week was the dance. Next week was the Vytal Festival. The week after next was...some new adventure, wasn't it? It always would be.

Ruby looked up at the night sky, avoiding the sounds of stress and strain coming from nearby. It was a beautiful crescent crumbling moon tonight. She remembered all those times she and Ben had stared up at the moon, joking about what possibly caused it to shatter. Some careless spacecraft flying through it, some monster that took a bite out of it, whatever. Those were good times.

Ruby's silver eyes glanced over to Min, who was kneeling down and examining some of the wild roses. Min had known the two of them were going to hook up, right? She should thank her.

"Hey, Min," Ruby called out. Glowing yellow eyes turned to her, startling her severely.

"Yeah, what's up?" Min asked, standing up and brushing off her knees.

She had to take a moment to regain her footing. "...I wanted to thank you? Since you're the reason Ben and I are together now."

Min blinked slowly, before her lips curled upwards. "You seriously think I did that? I was joking."

"Huh?"

"Ruby, most of the stuff I say is just for shits and giggles. I love it when people believe I'm some 'immortal undying goddess of chaos'. That's how I gain most of my cults." Min laughed. "That's also a joke. I don't have a cult. My dad, however, has many."

"So... you had nothing to do with any of the events at the dance? None of the couple hookups or anything?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Obviously. I'm not the Goddess of Love. I'm a normal demoness with situational powers." Min smirked. "I just knew you two were gonna hook up eventually. I didn't expect it last week, more like...at the end of the story. Tease everyone and make them suffer. You two should've weaponized your wholesomeness, made a Youtube channel and profited off the cutesy vibes. You'd probably end up as sellouts, but hey, money is money."

"...huh." Ruby blinked. "Sorry, I just kinda figured you had something to do with it. That night was too perfect."

Min shook her head. "That was all you, Ruby. That situation was completely in your control. You stomped out whatever doubts you had and look where we are now."

"Is it the same for you and Kevin?" Ruby asked curiously. "No luck involved?"

"Nope!" she said cheerfully. "I'm going in blind. If we don't work out? Fine, we'll still be friends. If I end up spending the rest of my life with him? Also fine. I can't control destiny as a whole. I just did some edits here and there to make sure things reached the most likely possibility. It ain't easy, but hey," Min smiled, "we're in the moment. And that's all that matters."

"Speaking of moments..." Ruby trailed off as Lev and Ari came running.

"You girls wanna see some cute babies?" Lev asked hopefully.

The constructed nests were basically a giant mess of metal, but stacked in a way that made it look organized. Big Chill and Numb stood close by their nests, tired from labor.

Ruby shuddered. "I don't want to know how those things came out."

Ari patted her back. "Believe me, kid. Becoming a medical professional is the greatest accomplishment of my life, but Oum above, I see some fucked up shit."

"Eh. I've seen worse, believe it or not," Lev told them. "This is, like, number 9 on the list of 'Things I Wish I Could Unsee'."

"...how many mental lists do you have?" Min had to ask.

"Oh, you know, the usual: 'Top 10 Most Wicked Burns', 'Top 10 Moments that Made Me Wish I Was Jared, 19', it goes on." Lev shrugged and ran a hand through his messy black locks.

Min grinned diabolically. "Oh, we really need to be best friends now. Imagine the evil we could accomplish…"

"Shush," Big Chill chided, raising its hand. "They're coming." The sounds of something bubbling began to fill the air. A blue orb floated up from inside of Ben's nest, and a few from Kevin's own joined it. They were decently sized, about the size of a basketball.

"What are those?" Ruby asked, her voice a whisper.

"Embryos," Ari stated. "Hard to see them since they're so opaque, but there's a baby in there."

"Necrofriggians don't undergo normal pregnancy cycles. Aliens, remember?" Min said. "...still pretty weird, not gonna lie."

The embryo began to 'hatch', as it suddenly formed eyes, antennae, a body… and then became a tiny baby Necrofriggian. The offspring strongly resemble their parent, only they were smaller and had much larger eyes. Min and Ruby clutched each other and squealed- the baby was beyond adorable.

Numb's offspring hatched next- similar to the ones preceding it, it started to form its eyes and antennae first, but it soon drifted to the ground, forming its quadrupedal legs. They were more of a smaller carbon copy of their parent. They stumbled around, like a newborn horse first walking. It got some more squeals from the girls, as more and more started to pop out of the 'primordial ooze' they were coming from.

Soon enough, both Big Chill and Numb were surrounded by their fluttering offspring- there was a cute chorus of chirps and purrs coming from their mouths, as if saying hello. In count, there were 32 Big Chill offspring (Lil' Chills, as Ruby called them) and 26 Numb offspring (Numblings, as Min called them).

Big Chill nodded as the majority of the Lil' Chills suddenly picked up the Numblings and carried them into the sky.

"Where are they going?" Ruby asked.

"...that's the sad part about this, Ruby," Ari said, tone melancholic. "As beautiful as this is, Ben and Kevin will most likely never see their children again. Those kids know to immediately fly to their home planet, and after they mature, they'll scatter throughout the universe."

"Necrofriggians are the galaxy's wanderers. Some say the cloak they've evolved into is because of how much traveling they'll do. You can find one on most planets, just hanging out, living their lives," Lev said solemnly. "And the same two never really cross the same path."

"...oh," Min whispered, a lump in her throat forming as she watched Numb watch their children fly away with the Lil' Chills. "I see."

Big Chill watched their children fly off, before they heard some rapid but soft sounds of fluttering. They looked down to see a smaller Lil Chill (a Tiny Chill, if you would) looking up at their parent, fear in its large eyes. Big Chill tilted their head as they looked at the baby curiously.

They cupped their hands around the baby. "Go on," they said, their voice soft and comforting. "Fly."

They raised their hands up, forcing the baby upwards. The Tiny Chill froze up for a second, before it quickly fluttered off, joining their siblings. The group watched the Necrofriggians fly off into the night, disappearing behind the shattered moon, never to be seen again.

There were green and red flashes, and instead of Necrofriggians, there were humans. Ben blinked as he looked around. "Is it over?"

Ari smiled gently. "Yes, Ben. It's over."

Ben gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I think the anxiety was starting to kill me."

"They...don't have to do this often, do they?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Well, Necrofriggians only reproduce every 80 years," Lev explained. "So, unless you guys wanna make plans in 2098..."

Ruby frowned. "No thanks."

Min hugged Kevin. "Oh, thank God, I'm back to being the weirder one in the relationship~"

Kevin frowned. "That's what you were worried about most? Your title?"

"Hey, hush now." Min pouted. "You know you love me for that."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "...alright, maybe I do."

Ruby walked over to Ben, who was still staring up at the crescent moon. Ruby walked over to stand next to him. "You okay?"

Ben shook his head. "I'm glad it's over, it's just...I kinda made myself sad," he explained. "I thought about the grand gist of this. I just produced life. And it's out the door- no memories being forged, no spending summers together, no watching them grow up...like, I know I couldn't raise them all alone, obviously, but the idea was nice. So I just told myself I'd wait until I eventually have a kid. A semi normal one. And...that's when it hit me."

"And what exactly…?"

"...Grandpa Max won't be here for the normal version of this either."

Ruby blinked furiously, willing back her tears. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"He was one of the people I talked to when I realized how I really felt about you. He encouraged me to go for it, and...if things had been different..." Ben's voice trailed off.

Ruby held him close. "I love you."

"Love you too," Ben said, kissing her forehead.

Albedo's nest...wasn't that good. Mainly because he didn't have one. All they needed for the pregnancy was a secluded area where no one could see them.

Albedo spread his wings and beams of light shot out, releasing tiny dots into the air. Neo watched in awe as those dots started to merge and form into tiny, winged creatures.

The baby Necrofriggians looked similar to their father, although their wings weren't as gorgeous, for a lack of a better term. The infants flew around, still getting used to their wings. One of the babies flew close to Neo's face.

Awwww, Neo cooed mentally, before it flew back over to daddy.

Albedo looked at them before looking up at the night sky. The babies immediately flew into the skies above, steadily disappearing between the stars. Neo gasped, but Albedo grabbed her shoulder.

Aren't you going to go after them!? Neo demanded to know.

"I'm afraid I can't," Albedo said, tone melancholic. "I may interfere with their flight home."

Home?

Albedo reverted back to human. "Newborn Necrofriggians will instinctively fly to Kylmyys, if they aren't already there."

Will you ever see them again? Neo asked, biting her bottom lip.

Albedo looked down. "...maybe. I wouldn't know myself." The two just stood there in silence, watching them disappear into the night sky.

"Neo, by any chance...do you like the stars?"

Neo shrugged. They're alright.

"Do you at least look up at them and wonder why are we here?"

...sometimes.

"All species have had one common action: looking up at the sky and wondering what's out there," Albedo said. "And then they get to work, searching beyond the sky in hopes of finding something...anything. Do you see that slightly blue star, in the distance?" Albedo pointed to a section of the night sky. Neo squinted, briefly making out the bluish glow of the star. "That's where they're headed. That's Kylmyys. Due to a cataclysmic event that occurred eons ago, Kylmyys is covered entirely by glacial ice and snow, trapped in an everlasting winter."

Interesting, Neo mused.

Albedo pointed to a slightly pinkish star. "That right there is Sangerosia. It's home to the galaxy's most ruthless warlords, despots, and mercenaries. Twice the size of Earth. Plenty of hunting ground."

What's that one? Neo said, as her eyes locked onto a greenish star.

"...that's my home planet, Galvan Prime," Albedo said wistfully. "It's home to some of the greatest minds."

...I see. Neo said. She smiled hesitantly. If it's not too much to ask, can you show me some more?

"...I'd like that," Albedo said, smiling fondly.

The rest of the night was spent peacefully stargazing. Neo could honestly care less about the stars and the Heavens above, but Albedo was there, so...it wasn't all bad.

It made up for the dance, at least.