While Cole never meant to end up in this situation he knew just how badly he messed up, and it was a big time screw up with his first mission to the more rundown parts of vale to help people in the ghetto feel safe for a while, it was working too well in ozpin's opinion but in the three months Cole spent in there the better it got for people who actually needed him. He was still violent in his work and only showed restraint when talking down conflicts and even made runs for people who were too afraid of leaving home.
The first day had been a house with a wife abusing the husband, and it made Cole hate these jobs already.
The second day was the mother abusing the kids, which Cole had to come off as intimidating and wore a hood to add to that creepy factor, especially when wearing his battle gear.
Third day….oh boy, the third one was the worst he'd come across. A husband…a father in the middle of the act of beating the wife while the kids were in the other room crying and bruised.
He made short work and had them taken out through the window and because it was his job to do it alone because he had more power than the cops had it was also because this man discovered a semblance called dominion and used it often, apparently.
Glass shattered against the wall as Cole made his way back inside through the front door, and Cole immediately raced up the stairs
With her eyes looking at the floor. She kept her hands clasped in front of herself, trying to look as small as possible. Without a word, a whiskey bottle whizzes past her ear again and smashes against the wall above her cot. Cole flinched at that one and froze halfway up the steps, breathing raggedly and couldn't help but start to tremble and hug himself. Whatever is about to happen, it's going to be worse if he didn't move to the noise.
The husband lunged forward and grabs her by the throat with both hands. She could feel tears coming to her eyes as the lack of oxygen turns the edges of her vision dark. She desperately clawed at his hands, trying to escape his grip, but it's no use. He picked her up by the neck, so she was at face level with him. His eyes are pitch black, indicating his semblance was on. His breath stunk from drinking and his face is red with anger. She started gagging and choking from the lack of oxygen. Unexpectedly, he threw her across the room as if she weighed nothing. Her back slammed against the wall and I land on my back on the cot. The shards of the broken bottle pierce the skin on her back through her thin t-shirt. The whiskey makes the cuts burn. She tried to muffle a scream as the pain seared through her. Coming across the room, he yanked her up roughly by the hair and she could feel the shards of glass cutting deeper as he pulled her up. He slapped her as hard as he can before throwing her to the ground. Kicking her in the gut he missed the last kick and stomped on her back over and over to completely break her.
Like a demon out of the darkness, Cole charged through the door charging his arms to their maximum output and choke slammed him into the floor with a blank expression on his otherwise hateful gaze.
The husband tried sitting up only to see a young man with a single icy dark blue eye bearing down on him as he straddled his midsection. On one knee he saw the man hold up his hand like a claw and bore hatred into his soul but remained silent.
Giving no response, Cole let loose and slammed his fists into his face harder and harder, he saw his father in this man and to him, it was payback.
Left cheek broken.
Right side of jaw shattered.
Tears streamed as he finished with a hook to the eye, swelling it closed.
"real men sheath their swords" he whispered, glaring despite the tears.
Despite his feeble attempts to fight back, he saw a lightning coated fist hit him one last time and blacked out from the pain before it hit him.
in ozpin's office *
The recording buzzed as it ended and everyone in the room turned to Cole, when sat cuffed to a chair and sipping on a cup of coffee and stared at them and shrugged.
Ozpin was massaging his temples.
Glynda was pacing behind watching his movements like a hawk.
Both rwby and jnpr stood on both side of him weapons trained on him as if ready to strike if given the opportunity.
Looking around at them all he smirked and stood up snapping the restraints off, "aura binding cuffs don't mean shit for dick with me ozpin and this is all asinine, you know that these eight don't need to be here" he said ignoring the multiple weapons drawn on him as he slowly and calmly walked over to ozpin's coffee table, grabbed the pot and a mug, poured more in his empty cup and drank it walking back in front of him. Everyone stared at him horrified with his disregard of them all.
"I told all of you what I wouldn't do if I saw shit like that, but did you listen?" he turned to the headmistress and cops, "….did any of you?"
All of them but weiss kept their weapons on him and hugged him, uncaring he didn't reciprocate it. "A bit late to share but…" he paused pulling the heiress off him, "my father beat me and my sister for months at a time when my mother wasn't home, so forgive the impulses if I have a lapse in judgment when I see that shit happen"
"regardless of how you feel; justified or no, I can't help but start to realize how little you care for order, restraint, and discipline-"
Glynda interrupted her boss glaring balefully "why are you smiling Mr. Valentine!?"
Admittedly it was snickering at first but quickly, he started belting out the loudest laugh he had for a solid few seconds until yang decked him in the face but unlike most targets she hit he not only didn't move, he'd caught her hand but couldn't stop his mask from shattering under the force of so much dust and buckshot.
Mask shards clinking on the floor drew everyone's attention to his face and weiss seemed to be the only one horrified of him, but for him.
Cole took a long drink of his coffee and said, "sorry about how I handled the outcome sir but I'm not the student to preach to about discipline or lack thereof." He shoved yang back and zapped a spot on her shoulder disarming her.
Scoffing at them, Cole walked over to a window and jumped out to a thunderous drop to the stonework below cracking it all over like a spider web.
Cole noticed but never looked directly at them, but everyone at beacon knew what he did and not a single person was in his way as he walked by staring forward where he zoned out as he walked to his dorm room.
Getting inside his room he slammed the door closed and stripped to his boxers, threw his clothes in the laundry bag and stepped into his closet gathering socks, a change of boxers, black pajama pants and his uniform for school assuming his mission privileges were not on hold or outright revoked.
"Just get your shower and go to bed Cole, you'll take care of it tomorrow" he said setting the uniform on his chair next to his desk and took a shower thinking on what he did after forcing his body to fight his personal demons and taking it out on the man his father was felt good, "no mercy to those who show none" he told himself as he washed his body and rinsed off under the best shower he'd ever had; ice-cold and relaxing to the heat he was radiating.
Dressed for bed, Cole sat down rubbing his face as he started feeling tired but that feeling vanished hearing a knock on his door.
"Cole it's Weiss, can I please come in?" She sniffed behind the door and hiccuped a few times.
Feeling bad instantly cole took a deep breath and said with a heavy sigh "yeah, I'm comin" and froze after opening the door seeing her crying with the bottom lip trembling. "gods be damned" he grabbed her in a hug as he said that. Blushing at the hug weiss had to admit, cole definitely had a softer side.
He led her to his chair and moved his uniform to his dresser and sat across from her, not trusting himself to say anything.
"I'm sorry Cole, I just needed to talk to you" she said, blowing her nose on a tissue he gave her.
"Why, I thought I was too dangerous for you guys?" he asked sarcastically
"it's not like that-" she flinched defensively.
"then what do you want, you here to tell me you feel bad for your behavior in ozpin's office"
"No, I- my father -in his own way- abused us; my older sister winter and I, we both were expected to be nothing more than chips in a game to garner or downright foster heirs of our own and spread his iinfluences. After winter left joining the military, He used me for my singing talents, my dancing and my position as his pawn were all suffocating" she looked up with dark lines streaming her face like black ink stains and phlegm running out from her nose, clean before continuing. "So in an odd way, I know what it's like…to feel like it was hell to live with a shitty father"
"Oh…uhh….shit Weiss I'm sorry" he replied sitting back against the wall away from her to give her some much-needed space, he was father aback with what she'd said and felt bad now.
Weiss took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh and climbed on his bed and sat against his shoulder on his right side, "scars aren't the worst parts, hmm, but you know that already didn't you?" she grabbed his hand tracing his scars and smiled.
"I'm not sure what to say to that…but I'm sorry anyway" he replied lying down on his pillow, "you should get back to your team's room or Ruby will worry"
He'd fully expected her to leave and go back to her bed, but instead she turned off his lights, climbed in bed with him and brought him close to her chest and put her leg over his stomach.
"She knows I'm spending a night comforting a friend, just don't expect anything more" she said running fingers through the wet mop of hair he had and laughed "I thought you were a brother my father didn't acknowledge, but then I remembered you have a kind heart he didn't have"
"I won't lie, I thought you all hated me after what I did" he replied pulling her closer to his body "and honestly, I wish my stepmom was here, she'd be proud of me" she chuckled at that and sighed at the tingling sensation that ran all over her body.
Unknown to both of them Ruby and the others were all listening In on the rest of their talk and for the first time in her life Ruby was jealous of someone besides her holding Cole like Weiss was, and honestly, it confused her as much as it infuriated her. The others had their reservations of why Weiss was doing this and what possessed her to ignore sound logic and lay with such a dangerous person; like a lamb sleeping under the fur of a wolf.
"Guys I hate to admit it, but Cole might not actually be a threat like they said he'd be, if they were right, he would have never this gentle with anyone" ruby said walking away from the door.
"You'd better be right Ruby, cause I have a feeling he's a short fused bomb waiting to blow" jaune said, following close behind her.
As everyone turned away, Blake stole one last look and froze when it clicked as to why she felt so uncomfortable with Cole's presence, "oh…by the brothers I messed up" she whimpered as she ran after them.
That night Blake had nightmares of cole hunting her for sport and tearing her apart after morphing into a humanoid Grimm. All night she hid under her blankets.
Yang spent that night being big sister to Blake and shushed her when she'd woken up crying for help and ruby was tinkering with a design that had to go in her footlocker for safety. For once she was asleep early and didn't say much for once.
The next morning Weiss woke up to an empty soft queen size bed and fresh tray of food sitting on the end table next to her side of the bed. Under the tray sat a note that read:
Weiss right? I'm sorry if this breakfast wasn't good enough, but I figured you'd want something since you slept over. I promise I did nothing you think I did.
P.s. don't tell anyone or I'll kill you ;-)
-Cole valentine.
Looking at the food he left her it seemed like it was just set down fresh from the stove top, in a small bowl was raspberry oatmeal with peaches and cream, a couple of egg sandwiches with bacon and tomatoes, a pot of coffee and a cup with honey and some creamer.
She blushed at the thought and heart put into this breakfast, she was an heiress sure, but this much affection by someone she knew for about a week or so before his long mission to the underbelly of vale.
She moaned with delight at another taste of Cole's cooking and the best part was it was a meal made for her, "I guess we were wrong about Cole, he's a great guy" she said getting out of his bed taking the tray to a washing machine in his kitchen.
Hoping he was gone, Weiss tempted fate and slipped into his bathroom and closed the door to take a shower, then froze at the full-body mirror.
She recalled how sweaty she got, so she took off her pajamas and slept in her underwear forgetting where she had been, but at some point Cole must've slipped a robe on her in her sleep, and it took her a quick few seconds to realize he'd been given the opportunity to do whatever he wanted but all he did was cover her up and left before she awoke.
"Guess he's the perfect gentleman father must've spoken of" she joked stripping out of the robe and began admiring herself and how much she'd developed over her years.
Her hips widened a bit more than last year, her butt, and thighs got longer leaner and thicker, her bust was now close to winter's and her hair was braided, so it would stay out of her way easier. All in all, she was beautiful and wore it well, "why am I so upset about Cole…let alone why go to him for comfort when I barely know him?" she asked herself while turning on the water only to shriek at the icy blast of water hitting her back and neck, "wh-who takes such cold-" she exclaimed when she stopped short "oh, of course someone as odd as him would…damned snow hair probably loves it so cold" she chided heating the water and washed herself with the mango shampoo and lavender body wash.
'At least he has taste in good soap' she thought while rinsing off under his shower head. Satisfied with her shower she got out and dried off as good as she could before spotting just her dirty underwear and the robe, just as she had a knock at the door startled her a bit making her yelp.
"Sorry Weiss, but you forgot a change of clothes, so I brought you a box Ruby gave me and said it had your stuff in it" Cole said.
"Thank you, uh…um, just leave it on the floor I'll grab it in a minute" she replied blushing red.
"Might want to hurry, she wants me to go with you on an errand or something" he said reading his scroll, "I didn't know you had errands to run. When you're ready, I'll be in your team's room, I guess"
"Thank you" she said gratefully 'in more ways than one'
Cole set the box down and closed the front door, walking towards ruby's room hoping the errand was quick because he felt a bit uncomfortable today for some reason.
Rounding the corner Cole walked full force into jaune knocking them both down, Cole was the first on his feet and tried helping him up, but his hand was batted away with a scoff, "don't think you're better or superior to me cause Weiss likes you"
Cole raised an eyebrow at him as he asked "what makes you think I'm trying to sway her my way, I'm just helping her out, not my fault she came to me with her problems"
June glared and shoved past him "shut the hell up freak, she'll get tired of you too, just wait."
Cole took a deep breath and blew out, turning to walk off toward the hallway leading to a staircase and ran up to each floor until he got to the floor with Ruby and Pyrrha talking in a whisper.
Cole hid under the stairs and began to eavesdrop on the conversation, "Cole gave her the box right, you made sure?" Pyrrha asked urgently
"a hundred percent pyr, she'll love what he gave her; dinner reservations were expensive, so I appreciate your sacrifice for friends in desperate need of bonding"
"Glad to see Cole possibly doing something other than fight and study"
Cole couldn't listen anymore, so he stalked toward them and leaned on the wall "I think I should get that choice don't you?"
Both girls flinched at his sudden appearance, Cole scoffed and walked away grinding his teeth at being so easily tricked. Ruby grabbed his wrist forcing him to turn away from her "I'm sorry Cole, I just-"
"don't bother explaining, I'll take weiss out with my money and you two will cancel the restaurant reservation, after this don't expect anything from me" Ruby took in a breath to say something, but Cole cut her off "never ever again"
Nora was shoved into Ren's arms and walked towards the center of the gap in the stairway and jumped over the side, "manipulative pricks!" screaming on his way down.
His body slammed Into the ground feet first creating a diameter of at least twelve feet wide in cracks and split concrete, anger hit its boiling point when his thoughts drifted from their blatant disregard of what Cole or Weiss wanted or who they spent time with so to quell the anger curdling in his heart he dialed Weiss hoping she wasn't wearing the mysterious outfit.
"why am I doing this?" He asked just as she answered the phone.
If you liked this I appreciate your attention to this one, I tried to edit a few things but ultimately it wasn't too big.
Comment anything you think could be worked on at: H6pp1n355_in_misery.
Criticism is appreciated
I'm doing my best to fix this story and if I can, I'll give more chapters on beacon and this romance between Cole and weiss would need to be fleshed out.