Time for another chapter! Not much to say here, hope you like it!
Crue Cullen opened his eyes to find Neopolitan not in his arms. Rage and confusion flooded his veins, before he looked around and understood what was happening.
The world around him was grey, not due to any kind of monochromatic lens over his eyes, but due to the city surrounding him.
Concrete buildings towered over him, and down the end of the street he was on he could make out a series of statues in tiers. At the bottom were four winged women at the cardinal directions, above them was a circle of various fighters, and standing at the very top was a lone man.
Crue knew the set of statues well. And he knew what he would find when he turned around.
The Spire pierced the sky, and Crue's eyes instantly snapped to the base of the monument, where a massive creature waited for him.
Golden eyes watched his every move as he approached, and Crue took in the appearance of the monster before him. Even though it was crouched, it was easily a head or two above Crue in height. It seemed to have both claws and paws, it's hind legs resembled those of a regular wolf, though given the fact Crue saw it as a 'werewolf' they might just be considered it's legs.
It's arms, like the rest of the body, was covered in brown fur that hid remarkably strong muscles. And they appeared to be... chained. Glowing white shackles covered it's forearms, attached to thick ethereal chains that stretched off into the sky.
Ten long claws came to rest on the concrete, tapping on it in a rhythm Crue vaguely recognised. It stopped as Crue came within arm's reach.
Golden Eyes stared at Crue, as the Faunus stared back unflinchingly.
"So..." He said. "Is this where you hang out when my Aura isn't broken?"
Crue found it amazing that the creature before him managed to portray 'Fucking really?' with facial expressions alone considering it had a snout filled with fangs no real eyebrows.
"The fuck do you want me to say?!" Crue asked, throwing his hands out wide. "This is my headspace, I'm pretty sure. You're the one freeloading."
The beast before him growled in annoyance, as if it had a choice in the matter as to what head it ended up in. Crue crossed his arms against his chest as he raised an eyebrow.
"You're... surprisingly not filled with rage," Crue said carefully. The monster huffed, lowering it's head so that it was level with Crue. The two stared at each other, one of Crue's eyes matching those before him.
Then, the beast slowly blinked, and Crue felt a strange sensation come over him. "Calm." He murmured, watching as the massive head nodded, letting out huff of air that blew Crue's hair back. The Faunus winced, squinting his eyes as the hot breath washed over him.
"So, does this mean we're cool? Were we ever cool? Were we ever not cool?" Crue began to rattle off questions, unsure of what to do in the current situation. He couldn't remember the last time he had a dream like this, or one at all that didn't become a nightmare.
The Monster didn't respond verbally, aside from a short growl. Yet, Crue still felt an emotion that wasn't his own come over him. Annoyance at his questions. "Alright wise guy." Crue scoffed. "What do you think is going on?"
Unsurprisingly, the beast before him did not have an answer. It did let out another huff as it turned away from Crue, the Faunus feeling that same annoyance once again.
Crue rolled his eyes, and began to sit down, before remembering where he was. Dream or no dream, he was not about to sit down on one of the heaviest foot traffic areas in Dublin. Instead, he walked closer to the Spire, passing so close to the Monster the fur brushed against his fingers.
He turned, leaning against the gigantic metal spike and crossing his arms, recalling times he was in this exact position while waiting to meet up with friends.
Nothing like that would ever happen again.
Crue let out a sigh, before glancing at the giant werewolf. "I'm not gonna wake up and find out I've turned into you, am I?"
The Monster, for lack of a better description, shrugged it's shoulders. "Great." He sighed again. "Neither of us know a damn thing about what's going on." The back of his head gently hit the Spire.
"I need to give you a fuckin' name." He frowned, looking to the side. Constantly referring to it as 'Monster' and 'Beast' was getting tiring. The ears that so perfectly matched his own perked up, and Crue could feel the interest coming from the Beast.
"Mac?" He suggested. "For Mac Tíre?"
The Monster turned to stare at him, Golden Eyes unamused as it let out a huff. "Yeah I heard it as I said it, fuck off." Crue waved angrily at the beast that could bite off his hand without a second thought.
Maybe he shouldn't give it an Irish name. Crue had no idea if it was some deep buried personality within him, or if it only came to be because of him ending up on Remnant.
He desperately hoped it was the latter.
It probably was, due to The Author's fuckery, and that fact alone should make Crue hate the Monster's very existence. But, whether he liked it or not, it was a part of him. One buried deep within, but still him.
But what name to give a monstrous wolf...
Gold and Blue met molten Gold, and Crue spoke.
"Fenrir."
As soon as the word left his lips, Crue knew it would be accepted. The Mons- Fenrir closed his eyes as he let the name wash over him.
With the strange shared connection they had, Crue could tell he approved. "Well, now that you've got a name, I can say this properly." Crue pushed off the Spire and stood in front of Fenrir, crouching down slightly to eye level.
The Faunus' eyes narrowed as he stared down the wolf. "If you hurt any of them. I will kill you, Fenrir."
Golden Eyes stared back, as Fenrir let out a low growl. Never hurt the pack. Never. They kept eye contact, both refusing to back down from their statements.
"Good," Crue said eventually, cracking his neck as he stood tall. "Now. I'm going to wake up and hug Neo so tight she might break."
Fenrir's head tilted at an angle, his equivalent of raising an eyebrow. "No, I totally can. Watch."
…
Crue opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling. "Huh. That worked." The memories of the dream were fresh in his mind. "Fenrir..." The name fit, considering his destructive nature. He was distracted by a warmth on his chest.
He glanced down, and felt his heartrate skyrocket. Neo was still there, sleeping with him, using his chest as a pillow. He had to tilt his head back and push against the pillow to prevent any tears from spilling.
It wasn't a dream. She was really there. Crue felt his body slacken as he let out a sigh of relief that he had been holding in since Beacon. For the first time since the Fall, he felt like everything was going to be alright.
He hugged Neo a bit tighter as he stared down at her sleeping form. Her cheek was smushed against his chest, and he saw a strand of pink hair stuck in her mouth. Crue thought she had never been more beautiful.
As if she could sense his gaze, Neo's eyes blinked open, her lips smacking together as she realised how dry they were. Her pink and brown eyes suddenly widened as she realised where she was, a small gasp leaving her throat as she looked up to meet blue and gold.
"It's not a dream. I'm really here, and I'm not going anywhere," Crue said it before Neo could even begin to doubt. "I just went through the same stuff." He smiled widely, and Neo did the same, pushing up to give Crue a kiss.
A brief thought of the fact neither of them had yet brushed their teeth briefly passed through Crue's mind, but it was quickly overshadowed when Neo's tongue snuck in and began to wrestle with his own.
Blood rushed to Crue's cheeks as he kissed back. They had been without each other's touch for so long, and now they were drowning in each other and welcoming the fact. There was barely any breath exchanged between the two while they relished in each other's embrace.
Given the fact it was the morning and Crue had the most attractive woman in the world atop of him, it was unsurprising that the blood rushed somewhere else. Neo clearly didn't mind, judging from how she moved back and began to grind against him.
"Wait!" Crue said suddenly, breaking the kiss, a string of saliva connecting them as he swallowed. Neo blinked in confusion, her eyes swimming with concern as she met Crue's eyes.
"No-I mean-of course I want to." Crue reassured. "It's just, I haven't done anything since Beacon. And considering how amazing you are, I think I would pop like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis while brushing a hand against her bare skin.
The way Neo smiled and raised her eyebrows suggested she wouldn't have much of a problem with that as she moved her hips back and forth. "And…" Crue stressed. "I get the feeling the soundproofing here isn't as good as your old place."
As if to prove his point, a loud snore sounded out from the hallway. Neo pouted, glaring at the door as though it was solely responsible. She turned back to Crue, her expression soft. She leaned forward to press her lips against Crue's, a shorter, but much sweeter kiss.
Crue found it amazing even after all this time apart he could still understand her so easily. "I know you've waited this long, I have too." Crue smiled, sitting up in the bed and bringing a hand up to rest against Neo's cheek, kissing her once more.
She leaned into it, throwing her arms over Crue's shoulders and linking them as shared in each other's warmth once more. Eventually, they needed to breathe, and they broke apart, their foreheads resting against another.
"I've missed you so much," Crue said quietly, but with full certainty Neo had heard him. She nodded in agreement, giving Crue one more kiss and gently biting his lower lip, before leaning away as Crue tried to follow up.
"Oh, now that's not fair." Crue complained with a smile. Neo simply smirked and winked, shuffling back so that she could get out of bed. She made sure to move excruciatingly slowly as she passed over his morning wood.
"Neo, you're killing me here." He whispered out, his throat feeling dry. Neo smiled brightly as she tilted her head, knowing exactly what it was she was doing. With that, Neo swung a leg around and hopped off the bed.
Only to jump about a foot in the air and be caught by Crue in a princess carry. "Cold floors?" He asked knowingly. Neo rapidly nodded her head as Crue turned in the bed to let his legs hang over the side.
"Ooh." He brought his feet back up as soon as they touched down. "Christ alive, I thought Mistral was meant to be one of the warmer Kingdoms." He held Neo tight as he braved the icy floor, looking around for their shoes.
It wasn't the first time they had been in this position, thought it was the first while they were still dressed. "There." Crue spotted Neo's shoes. They were a white leather with a small heel, and would show a lot of skin, perfect for a tropical climate.
He angled Neo so that she could get a foot in without much issue. "This is much easier now that you don't have like a hundred buttons to do up." Crue joked. Neo nodded with a slight roll of her eyes, before letting her hand slide down Crue's chin.
"Of course I liked them, they were on you." He defended, causing Neo to smirk knowingly.
Crue glanced skyward with a smile for a moment, returning his attention to the search for his own shoes. He found them in a moment, but grabbed a pair of socks from his pack first. As he was putting them on, he looked at Neo's attire.
"What happened to your corset? The brown one?" He asked, making a gesture towards his stomach. Neo jabbed a thumb backwards over her shoulder. Crue didn't pout, but he did frown softly upon hearing she had gotten rid of it.
Neo smirked at the sight, pointing to him and then to where the corset used to be. Crue had a remark ready, but it was forgotten as his eyes landed on Neo's toned stomach. His mouth hung open, trying to form a retort as the neurons in his brain fired off one by one.
Neo glanced down, following his gaze. A pair of pure pink eyes were what stared back at Crue as she approached him slowly. The movement seemed to snap Crue out of his reverie, though a part of him was desperate to return to it.
"You are dangerously fucking attractive; you know that?" He managed to say. Neo nodded with a confident smile, stopping just before Crue as she stared up at him with pink eyes.
Before Crue could forget about his worries in regards to sleeping with Neo again, the slam of a door sounded out from down the hall, followed by a voice. "Yang Xiao Long I had first dibs on the shower!"
Weiss' exclamation immediately killed any kind of suspense within the room, and Crue let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. One of Neo's eyes turned white as she glared at the door, but returned to brown as she felt Crue lay a hand on her shoulder.
"You know, I'm pretty sure Neptune told me Haven won't have classes for another week," He said, Neo looking up at him in confusion. "Which means plenty of empty class rooms, dorm rooms, showers-" He didn't get any further, Neo having jumped up to kiss him while nodding rapidly.
Crue caught her before she could fall, extending the kiss for another few seconds before breaking. "I thought you might approve," He said with a smirk. Neo shared his expression, letting herself be lowered as Crue finished getting on his shoes.
Once he did, he grabbed his pack once more and rummaged around for a toothbrush. He grabbed it and some toothpaste, before pausing and looking to Neo. She tapped a hand against her chest and nodded behind her.
"You've got your own. Yeah, I think despite the fact we've had our tongues down each other's throats, sharing toothbrushes feels a bit…" He tried to think of a good description.
"Weird." He settled on. Neo nodded in agreement, making a few more gestures as she did. "Oh, it's with all the Faunus. Actually I never asked, how was Menagerie?" He had never been to the island nation, and had conflicting interests in going.
Neo waved a hand in front of her face, fanning it, before using her Semblance to make her face turn bright red. "So way too hot and way too much sun." He interpreted. Neo gave a thumbs up, though it faltered as Crue grew a smirk.
"Yeah, guess we can't go there ever again," He said, taking a step towards Neo and smiling widely. "I'm the only one who gets to make you hot and bother-hey!" Crue laughed as Neo began to rapidly smack her fists against Crue's arm, her face now red not from her Semblance, but from embarrassment.
She eventually relented in her assault, grabbing onto the shirt sleeve and burying her face into it. "I can't believe I want to fuck you for that..." She complained.
Her words caused Crue to stiffen all over, before he forced himself to relax. "Yeah, that ones on you." He chuckled, leaning down in an attempt to give Neo another kiss. It was a bit of an awkward angle, but Neo pulled down on his arm to him closer.
They shared a short kiss that was no less electric than any other before breaking apart. "You know I'm kidding right, we can go there if you want," Crue said softly, standing tall. "A little tiger told me about how Blake's Mam apparently has another daughter."
If Neo had been red thanks to Crue's comment about making her hot and bothered, she went absolutely crimson at this insinuation. Neo's hand reached up to grab Crue's face, pushing his cheeks in and causing his lips to puff out like a fish.
She held up a finger, instructing Crue to not mention that again. "Godsh you're fucking adorable." He ignored her request, leaning forward to try and kiss her. Neo's blush deepened as she pushed Crue back.
Crue did his best not to pout when his affections were rebuffed. "I'm being serioush by jhe- can you leth go?" Neo released him, the Faunus swinging his mouth from side to side as though he was swirling mouthwash.
"Thanks. But anyway, yeah I'm being serious. If you wanna go back to Menagerie at any point we can. You know, after we take care of Salem and all that bullshit." He rolled his eyes, giving a wave as though that was something done as easily as said.
Neo pointed to Crue, made a walking motion with her fingers and jabbed a thumb to herself. Crue let a soft smile appear on his face.
"Neo, I'd follow you to Hell and back and get ice cream along the way." It was too much for Neo, who walked forward and wrapped her arms around Crue and pressed her face into his stomach, hiding her expression and pure pink eyes.
Crue simply smiled, resting a hand on Neo's head and gently rubbing it. Neither needed to say anything, nor did they want to for fear of ruining the moment. Eventually, Crue and Neo made their way out of the bedroom and planned to take a shower. Maybe together, maybe not. Unfortunately, the plan came to a grinding halt when they saw the line currently filling up the hallway.
Five girls, each looking extremely tired and each holding a towel that matched their theme. "Morning, Pyrrha." Crue greeted the one closest to the door.
The Spartan turned around with a tired smile. "Good morning, Crue. Polly." She nodded to the smaller girl. Neo huffed in amusement, before tapping the meeting point of her hair. "Oh, right. Neopolitan. I'm sorry, it's-" Her words were cut off with a yawn. "It's very early."
Neo made a small pinching motion with her hand, and Crue translated for Pyrrha's benefit. "Call her Neo. By the way, who's in the shower now?" He asked, glancing down the line of women. He figured out the answer to his own question upon seeing the massive mane of blonde that was missing.
"Yang." Pyrrha answered with a vaguely exhausted expression.
"Right… see you in a few hours when all the hot water is back then." It wasn't much of a joke, seeing as he knew from experience how long Yang could take in the shower. He glanced back to Neo, who looked decidedly upset about not getting to shower together. Or at all.
"We'll get ours later." He promised. "There's loads of empty dorms in Haven, anyway." It seemed to sate her, and the idea sparked something in Pyrrha as well.
"That's right." She seemed to stand a little taller, before slumping as she groaned. "But my room is probably being used by Sun."
"Oh yeah, the lads told me you were a team for a while. Sun Up?" Crue recalled some of the conversations he had with SSN.
"We were still Team Sun. We just used my surname. And they were quite adamant I not be the leader." She smiled. Crue tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"PSSN… Poison?" Crue murmured. He caught Neo shaking with barely restrained silent laughter out of the corner of his eye. When he looked to her for an answer, she made a universally understood gesture of moving her hand up and down while holding something invisible.
"Oh! Ha!" Crue laughed loudly while Pyrrha's face matched her hair, laughing alongside him.
"Yes. I suppose it's a good thing I wasn't chosen as Leader." She chuckled. "I fear to wonder what other Team names might have come from it."
"Well, before Team JNPR came together in the show, some people thought you'd be Team ANVL." Crue recalled. Pyrrha looked intrigued, but also very tired. "I can explain more once everyone is ready."
"That would probably be for the best." Pyrrha agreed, smiling with closed eyes. Crue was surprised how tired everyone was, and more surprised how tired he wasn't.
"Maybe it's because this was my first good sleep in a while. Or maybe cause of the dream? Or maybe…" He paused in his thoughts, looking down to Neo. She looked back with a raised eyebrow and switch of her eyes.
"Nothing," Crue said with a smile, nodding his head back. "C'mon. I get the feeling I know who's working on breakfast." He began to walk down the hall, greeting everyone and getting tired 'Morning's or just grunts of acknowledgement in response.
Crue made his way downstairs with Neo in tow, the smaller girl waving at the zombie-like Huntresses.
As the two hit the ground floor, Crue clocked two things immediately. A sight and a smell. The sight was a pair of long legs in grey pants dangling over one of the sofas. Apparently Qrow had a good night out.
The other was the aroma of cooked meat. Crue would be lying if he said it didn't make his stomach growl. The last time he ate was yesterday morning, as he had gotten breakfast with SSN and then found out about the attack on Haven from Sienna.
It took a while to acquire a Bullhead that, thankfully, the White Fang Leader knew how to pilot. Crue doubted everyone would be as welcoming to his return if he crashed the thing into Haven's Hall while they were fighting.
Even if it would have been one Hell of an entrance.
Crue followed his nose, finding the kitchen easily and hearing idle chatter between the two men working the stovetop. "This feels familiar," Crue said, loud enough for Jaune and Ren to hear and turn around in surprise.
"Oh, hey Crue! Neo." Jaune smiled widely. "Morning." Ren echoed the statement, as Crue approached the cooks.
"Mind if I lend a hand? I feel like we're going to need all hands on deck for three team's worth of mouths to feed." He only had one sleeve to roll up, but he rolled it up regardless as Jaune and Ren made room for him.
"Four, actually. Team SSSN said they'd be back, and I'm not sure there would be anywhere to get breakfast in Haven." Ren reminded him.
Crue clicked his tongue as he remembered. "Right. So that's three teams, me, Neo, Oscar, and one hungover Qrow." He counted on his fingers, quickly running out of digits.
"Yep. So we might have too cook everything." Jaune made his way over to the fridge, taking out several packets of sausages, puddings and other meats.
"Do you have rashers?" Crue asked, looking over the available food.
"You mean bacon?" Ren grew a small smirk as Crue narrowed his eyes at the ninja.
"There is an actual difference between them." He replied. "Not that I know what the fuck it is, but still!" Crue opened some of the packages and dropped the contents on a pan, hearing the satisfying hiss as the meat began to cook.
Neo picked herself a small chair on the opposite side of the kitchen and sat down, watching as the boys got to work with a smile as her eyes remained focused on Crue's rear.
Ignoring the sensation of being watched, Crue worked in tandem with Jaune and Ren, cooking and plating food while deftly avoiding each other and preventing any accidents. "This is much better than anything I had on the road. Soup is nice and all but you need something filling."
"Tell me about it." Jaune agreed with a smile. "We ended up having to hunt for some of our food once or twice. Wasn't too bad, but we had to make sure Ruby didn't see us, uh, preparing the rabbit."
Crue nodded in fairness, trying to ignore the fact that the simple word 'rabbit' conjured the image of Velvet within his head. "Hey, you guys have any idea what CFVY is up to?" He asked.
Ren gave him a side eye, suggesting he knew exactly where that question come from. "I heard someone say they went to Vacuo to study in Shade. They were already in their second year, and to continue their education it had to be either Shade or Haven."
"And I doubt they wanted to choose Haven, seeing as that's where you said Cinder was pretending to be from." Jaune scowled as he pushed some sausages around in the pan.
"Well we know how she managed that now, anyhow." Crue thought of Lionheart's expression when he saw his Golden eye. "What happened to him after I yeeted off the balcony?" Crue had been a bit distracted by the crushing group hug to pay attention to the Headmaster.
"Qrow dragged him to the door and then the Mistral police took care of it. I don't know what will happen from here, but he won't get away with his crimes." Ren explained, sautéing some vegetables as Crue and Jaune winced at the sight.
"Good enough, I suppose." Crue shrugged. Not to say he didn't have a horse in that race, but he was fine leaving the situation alone. "By the way, digging the hair, Ren. You too, Jaune." He was shocked to see how long Ren's hair had gotten, but he couldn't say it didn't look good.
"Thank you." "Thanks! Yours looks great, you've actually got a warriors wolf-tail!" Jaune nodded to the ponytail currently keeping Crue's hair together.
"I think a wolf-tail is supposed to be higher up." Crue reached back to bat the hair. His ponytail was lower, nearly at the nape of his neck. "Plus, the rest of your head needs to be shaved. Not really a fan of the skinhead look."
Jaune gave a shrug, not too concerned with getting it wrong. "It'll probably feel weird to go back to short hair, after this," He said idly, flipping over some black pudding. "But it's kind of funny we all ended up with longer hair."
"I recall reading a study saying men tend to grow their hair out because they are unable to deal with trauma." Ren commented.
The trio paused, each of them looking up from the food to stare at and through the wall in front of them, saying nothing as Ren's words sunk in.
There was no sound aside from the hissing of the food on pans.
"Hey, can you pass the pepper?" Crue asked.
Wordlessly, Jaune handed the seasoning to Crue as they all refocused on the task before them, rather than dealing with concerning realisations.
They worked silently for a moment, trying to figure out a way to continue the conversation that didn't involve hair or trauma. "So what was the strongest Grimm you guys fought on your walk?" Crue asked.
"That would be the Nuckelavee." Ren stated immediately, and Crue nearly dropped the pan he was holding.
"There's a Nuckelavee Grimm!?" He seemed startled, which surprised Jaune and Ren.
"You know what it is?" Ren looked both surprised and suspicious, his grip tightening on the handle of the frying pan. "Was this something that was in the show?"
"No." Crue shook his head. "No, I told you the last thing I saw was- well it was Salem monologuing about how we would fail- but before that it was the four of ye travelling from Patch."
"You did say that…" Ren sighed, his shoulders sagging as Jaune reached behind Crue to rest a reassuring hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Crue, how much do you know about myself and Nora?"
The question surprised Crue, as he thought about it for a moment. "Uh, sweet fuck all, honestly. Aside from the fact you're orphans and have pretty much stuck with each other forever, the show didn't go much into your background."
"I see." Ren nodded. "I suppose that would be understandable, given the show was apparently called 'RWBY'. Then how do you know what a Nuckelavee is?"
"Cause it already existed- well. Ok it didn't actually exist. At least I sure as fuck hope not." Crue desperately hoped he was right. "But it was a mythological creature, demon, from a nearby country's folklore."
"A skinless horse with its rider attached to it, brining plague and famine wherever it travelled." Crue recalled reading about it one Halloween night. "Oh, man. You guys don't have Halloween." He murmured.
Ren and Jaune shared a confused glance over Crue's shoulders. Now with the context of Crue apparently being from another world, a lot of his murmurs made a lot more sense. "The description is accurate," Ren said.
"It was that Grimm that destroyed my town, myself and Nora barely escaped with our lives." Ren closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose. "It was only thanks to the combined efforts of RNJR that I was able to kill it."
"As it turns out, avenging the loved ones you've lost really does wonders for your mental health." He stated, causing Jaune and Crue to snort.
"Fuckin' preach." The Faunus chuckled, before pausing. "RNJR? You guys went with Ranger?"
"It was the best we could come up with. Well, either that or JNRR, but that's not a colour." Jaune defended.
"But, why not RRNJ? For Orange." At Crue's suggestion, both Jaune and Ren stopped stirring.
"We can never tell Nora." "Agreed." The two vowed, leaving Crue looking between them in confusion. Eventually, he rolled his eyes, and shoulders, and got back to cooking as the heat began to make them all sweat a little.
"Man, I'm glad I had a shower yesterday. I've got no idea when the girls'll be finished," Crue said idly. Jaune and Ren leaned back so they could share a look, before sharing an unspoken conversation and nodding in agreement.
They pushed both their shoulders against Crue, pressing against the Faunus and practically trapping him as he reacted in confusion.
"There's another shower." Jaune stated, as Crue's ears perked up and he craned his neck to join the huddle.
"You slept in the single bed, right?" Ren asked. When Crue nodded, he continued. "There's a large wardrobe in it, and within is a small latch. You open it, and it leads to an ensuite."
"Why the fuck is there a hidden latch in a wardrobe that leads to a shower?" "Because we got tired of moving the wardrobe." Jaune answered Crue's question, and he could only nod his head in a 'fair enough' fashion.
"Now," Jaune continued. "The most important thing is not to tell anyone-" There was a shattering of glass, and each of them jumped in place and turned round. Neo was gone.
"Welp." Crue hummed. "On the bright side, she won't be telling anyone." The idea of a private shower, well, semi-private, was probably one Neo would take to her grave.
"We'll let you know when we want to use it, seeing as it's attached to your room." Ren offered. Crue accepted the suggestion easily, seeing as they could probably get in and out quick enough before anyone noticed.
Although, with Ren's hair as long as it was that might have been wrong. "I need to get you and Yang to stand next to each other so we can see whose is longer."
"Oh, we already did that." Jaune laughed. "Ren's is longer normally, but if Yang were to straighten all hers out it'd be longer."
"And that's about as likely as her shaving her head." Crue realised, wondering how much he missed while he was 'dead'. He'd have to start making up for it.
"Oh, that reminds me." He instinctively reached behind himself, before remembering his satchel was upstairs. "I picked up some really nice herbal teas in Kuchinashi for you."
Ren's pink eyes widened in surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, Crue. May I ask why?"
"Cause I had no idea where to get a dance mat." He joked. "But, I've been picking up presents for the lot of ye while I was travelling. Figured I owed it to you for, ya know, being dead." He shrugged his shoulders.
"I really don't think you owe us anything, but thank you," Ren said. "The only thing we asked for was an explanation, and you already gave us that."
"Yeah, well I can't exactly return it. I think if I step foot in there again I'd be executed." Considering Crue decimated the entire Hana guild, and then stole a Bullhead, he wouldn't be surprised if there were warrants out for his arrest.
"Should we ask?" Jaune wondered, looking at Ren.
"I mean, word might travel about what happened anyway but if you want an expedited edition, there was a criminal gang called the Hana Guild. There is now no longer a criminal gang called the Hana Guild."
"I feel like you're skipping a few steps." Jaune squinted at Crue as Ren turned to stare at the Faunus with wide eyes.
"You took down the Hana Guild?" Ren asked.
"You know it?" Both blondes asked as one.
"It's the most ruthless criminal syndicate in Mistral. If there was one thing I learned growing up in Mistral it's that they are to be avoided at all costs." Ren explained, a serious frown on his expression.
"Yeah, sounds about right, but there was one thing you got wrong." Crue held up a single finger as a dangerous smile formed on his face. "It was the most dangerous criminal syndicate in Mistral."
"You... don't surprise me any more." Ren sighed as Crue let out a laugh.
"I'm sure I still got a couple of surprises lined up. Just wait until I explain dinosaurs to you." He chuckled. "And speaking of surprises, I've still got more pictures." He pat his pocket as he stared at Jaune. "So you better get a letter out or something soon."
"Yeah..." Jaune sighed in acknowledgement. "I don't suppose your 'gift' to me is not showing some of my most embarrassing pictures." He hoped.
"Your gift is the fact I'm not hurling you all the way back to fuckin' Vale to talk to your family!" Crue stated. Jaune could only sigh and hang his head.
"I knew I was forgetting something after Beacon..." He shook his head in disbelief. "I just didn't think it was that important."
"I'm surprised they knew you were at Beacon, actually," Crue said idly, plating some of the sausages.
"I'm, pretty sure I sent them a letter saying I got in." Jaune slowed down in his stirring as he tried to think. "I can't think of how else they might have known-oh God the Vytal Festival." He suddenly turned pale as the spatula dropped from his hand.
"Jaune, please don't tell me the first time your family found out you were in Beacon was when they saw you fighting in the arena." Ren requested.
Unfortunately, Jaune could not fulfil that request as he was too busy trying to figure out how to escape death. "For the love of God, send a letter." Crue instructed. "At least I told them you were alive, and that-"
Crue paused, looking around the kitchen to make sure it was just the three of them. "That a certain someone may have kissed you."
Jaune's eyes went wide as he stared at Crue, and Ren stopped stirring as he looked upon the Faunus with surprise. "Please tell me I didn't just spill a secret."
"No, he knew," Jaune said softly. "It's just... man. You really are from another world, aren't you. And we really were a show there. You knew we kissed."
"Yeah, I did. And then... everything went to shit." A clinking sound suddenly began to repeat, and Crue looked down to see his left arm shaking as the fork rapidly hit a bowl. He grabbed it with his other hand, glaring at it as he tried to stop the shaking.
"Hah. That's, been happening a lot lately." He frowned, staring at the hand as he dropped the fork and his eyes began to water. "You know..." He began, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he tried to hold back the tears.
"I was upset when Pyrrha died and it was just a show." His voice wavered as he held onto the counter to keep him stable. "And then I ended up here. And she was real, she ended up being a real person."
"You all did." Ren and Jaune had stopped what they were doing, regardless of the detriment of their breakfast, and placed a hand each on Crue's shoulder. "I had to do something. I couldn't just, just stand by and watch her die."
Not again.
"You didn't." Jaune reminded him. "Pyrrha is alive, thanks to you. And don't blame yourself for her being there in the first place." He added before Crue could do exactly that. "If it was your fault she was up there, then it was my fault she was up there."
Jaune was barely able to blink back tears before he continued. "Down in the vault, I was meant to protect her. And the original Fall Maiden. But, when I heard Pyrrha scream, I turned around. I couldn't ignore her when she was hurting like that. I cared..." He paused, looking around the room.
"I loved her too much."
"And because of that, I made a mistake. I was weak in a moment when it mattered." Jaune finished.
"Love isn't weakness." Crue stated immediately, and found Jaune smiling at him.
"I know. And I know you-" He poked the Faunus' chest. "Love her too. Different kind, obviously." He laughed awkwardly. "But, anyway, you loved her, you loved all of us, enough that you went against what fate had in store."
"I don't think anyone could blame you for that."
"To fight against an enemy you knew full well was stronger than you, when you had only just arrived in a world that wasn't your own..." Ren trailed off, a pensive smile on his face as he looked at Crue. "You truly are the strongest of us."
"Wait yeah!" Jaune suddenly exclaimed. "You had no training whatsoever and you were still able to beat Cardin! And Weiss!" He realised.
"I didn't know how to fight like a Huntsman." Crue explained. "I knew how to fight with a hurley. A lot of it was just, instinct. And a sword and a hurley aren't too different in terms of how to swing it."
"I have to disagree with you there." A new voice said. The three turned, seeing Weiss standing in the doorway and smiling at them. Her hair looked a little damp, suggesting she had only recently gotten out of the shower.
Crue grew a wide smile as he stepped away from the counter to approach Weiss beginning to hold out his arms. Weiss met him halfway, allowing herself to be lifted off her feet in a hug. Weiss didn't complain at all as she returned it, having missed the warmth of his hugs while she was in Atlas.
They came apart from the hug, Crue still holding her in the air as they looked at one another. If it were anyone else, it would almost look romantic. "Setanta does not swing at all like a sword, it's much too top heavy."
"That's because it's designed for me and not you." He explained, setting her down, Weiss unable to hide the small frown that she was no longer being hugged. "A hurley is meant to be just touching the ground when you're holding it with your arms relaxed, it should be to reach just about your waist."
He demonstrated it by letting his arms sag, and Weiss could easily picture Setanta in his grip with the head on the floor. "So I am, quite literally, too short to use it properly?" Weiss asked, looking up at Crue.
"Fuck no." He scoffed. "I saw you fighting Vernal, you kicked her ass!" Crue smiled widely, fangs bared in glee. Weiss practically vibrated as she smiled, before hugging Crue again. It had been so long since she had received such positive reinforcement that she had no idea how to handle it other than hurling herself at him for a hug.
Crue smiled and gently pat her head. "I don't mind if you hold on, but I still need to finish breakfast." He gestured back towards Jaune and Ren, not that Weiss could see. Regardless, the Heiress nodded into Crue's chest, before bringing her head back and resting her chin against his stomach as she face the ceiling.
Despite that, she seemed unable to meet Crue's eyes as her blue eyes glanced off to the side. "Do you think... I could sit on your shoulders." She looked as though she would rather be fighting in Haven again than ask it out loud.
Crue was surprised at the question, but not against it. It wasn't like they hadn't done it before. Crue smiled, stepping back and turning around before crouching down. "Just mind the skirt." He mentioned, as Weiss smiled widely.
Moving carefully, Weiss got onto Crue's shoulders and felt herself grow three feet taller as he stood. "I missed this." She made sure her hands weren't grabbing Crue's ears as she checked how much room was between her head and the ceiling.
"Yeah, simpler times." Crue shook his head with a smile as he returned to the stove, Jaune and Ren both wearing matching smiles at the situation.
"Oh, so that's what you look like from above," Weiss said, looking down at Jaune ad the blonde looked up at the Heiress.
"Har har." Jaune laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you above me-woah!" He had to duck out of the way of a heel. "Hey! I'm not afraid to use this." He gestured angrily with a spatula as Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile.
The three down below worked on food, while Weiss gave some unnecessary advice. There was some light conversation, before Crue remembered something he meant to ask Jaune in regards to Haven.
"Oh, while I think of it, Jaune, what was your deal with fighting Solaris? You looked pissed as all Hell." He asked, as Jaune tensed up at the question.
"You know her name?" His blue eyes looked at Crue questioningly.
"Yeah, I fought her once as The Wolf in Vale." He tried to crane his neck to look up at Weiss. "She was yer wan that we thought was going on a date with Mercury."
"I knew she looked familiar!" Weiss gasped, before covering her mouth as she looked at Jaune.
"Did you see Solaris at all in the... in the show?" He asked slowly, pausing in his cooking.
"Uh, no." Crue replied, raising an eyebrow at his tone. "I never saw any of Salem's side until I met them face to face. The only reason I thought she might be working with her was cause she was with Mercury. Why?"
Jaune sighed, the of the spatula clinking against the pan. "Solaris is... my Aunt."
Crue's head turned so fast he nearly dislodged Weiss, who held on for dear life as Crue looked at Jaune with pure shock. It looked as though he wanted to shout in disbelief, but he reined himself in as he tried to think of what to say.
"That's rough buddy." He decided on, patting Jaune's shoulder reassuringly.
Jaune managed to laugh despite the situation. "Yeah, yeah it is." He agreed. "And I don't know if I should mention it in my letter, because what if Solaris goes to them just to see if they know, and it turns out they don't she'll just leave them them alone! But if they do-ow! Hey!"
Jaune rubbed his ear angrily as Crue lowered his hand. "I've been down that spiral before and I'm stopping it now before it gets worse." He stated. "I don't think you should tell them, mostly because you'd probably have to also explain Salem. But, ultimately, this is your family. It's your decision."
Jaune fell silent, thinking about the situation with a concentrating scowl as he stared at the food. After seeing Jaune fall silent, Ren decided to add a comment.
"That's rough buddy?" He asked, as Crue sagged and Weiss laughed from atop his shoulders.
"It's the first thing I could think of. Plus, that's what he said when me and Neo broke up the first time, I'm just repeating his amazing advice." He gestured to Jaune, who managed a smirk.
Above him, Weiss groaned as she rested her arms on Crue's head. "I can't believe Neopolitan was Polly this whole time... and I can't believe I didn't realise it on the names alone!"
"Yeah... I'd like to say I would've told you all eventually if I managed to stop the Fall, but honestly I have no idea when it would have been a good time." He had never really figured a way over that hurdle, but thankfully it seemed to have sorted itself out.
"I hugged her." Weiss whispered in disbelief.
"And she was honestly very grateful for it." Crue told her. "She cares about you." He knew, or at least certainly hoped very strongly, that Neo wouldn't mind him telling Weiss that. If she did end up having a problem with it, he'd have to make it up to her.
He made a mental note to have a talk with Yang about the whole situation, as she was the one who fought with Neo on the train. He refocused on food, Jaune and Ren plating what remained as they grabbed what dishes they could, giving one to Weiss to carry as well, and made their way to the dining room.
They set the table and put everything in it's proper place, though it left Crue wondering how they were going to get everyone down in time while it was still hot. Before he could wonder any further, he heard Jaune and Ren inhale deeply.
Weiss' hands pressed over Crue's ears, but he could still hear the yell. "SOUPS ON!"
The effect was immediate, a stampede sounding out from upstairs as a dozen footfalls quickly sprinted downstairs. Crue watched as a blur of colour rocketed from the staircase and took seats at the table.
Crue blinked once and accepted the sight before him, turning round and beginning to kneel down so that Weiss could get off, only to freeze as he found a set of pink and brown eyes looking up at him.
Neo raised a singular eyebrow, meeting Weiss' eyes rather than Crue's. "I'm sorry for taking your spot." She apologised.
Neo's nose crinkled upward in amusement as she pointed to Crue's head and rotated her hand. "I think I could have gone my whole life without knowing that, thank you." Weiss cringed and rapidly tapped Crue on the shoulder.
Crue kneeled down so that Weiss could get off, and stood back up before Neo could trade places. The small girl looked rather upset about the fact. "It'll be a pain for you to have breakfast if you're up there."
Neo let out a breath as her eyes switched colours, but nodded all the same. She sat down at the table next to Blake and pat the seat next to her expectantly. As if Crue needed to be told. He sat down next to her with a smile, greeting Nora, who was on his other side.
There was a hum of conversation in the air that Crue only caught bits and pieces of, and he found himself smiling.
Surrounded by the people he cared about, hands and forks reaching across the table to snag food from unsuspecting friends-quickly-turned-enemies all while talking about whatever happened to come up in conversation...
It felt right.
It felt like home.
A long chapter without much happening but with a lot of heart to heart moments. But a few more questions answered, and an interesting conversation that took place within Crue's mind. Fenrir finally has a name... and it might lead to some interesting interactions with a certain other character based on Norse myth. Time will tell.
And as I'm sure you all would have noticed, Neo and Crue are starting to get more comfortable with each other now that they're back together, which leads me to a question I have to ask:
Should I have smut within the story? I posted a Poll on my KoFi(shameless plug lol) but you don't need to donate to access it or anything. I just think it'll make things easier, but it is just a yes or no question, so if ye have your reasons for either you can leave them in the reviews.
Anyway, I think that's everything. I hope you liked this chapter, let me know if you did, and as always...
Until Next Time
-Friday