You sat barefoot on the edge of your bed still reeling from the day's events. That was not how you wanted that to go. Ideally, you hadn't wanted that to go at all. Cinder and Coco might have been all smiles, but you could feel the tension between them. Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were happy to meet your girlfriend and maintained a polite demeanor but on the other end? What had Cinder thought of them? Threats? Inconveniences? Or worse, other potential allies. You let out a sigh as you pulled your shirt off your back. Come dawn these questions would need answers but for now, all you cared for was the warmth of your mattress and the welcoming embrace of sleep. You closed your eyelids and let your half-clothed body fall against your mattress before sleep claimed you.
"Coco, is it?" Cinder asked, striding towards her with confidence. Poise.
"It is," Coco replied, "my brother was on his team when they were enrolled here."
"A shame. I would have liked to meet him. It's awful what happened in Thorne," Cinder said, the gap between her and Coco closing quickly, "tell me, do you miss him?"
"Of course I do!" Coco replied, "I'd do anything to get him back. Or get even,"
"Wonderful!" Cinder replied, slipping behind Coco and laying her hands on her shoulders. "I could always use another pawn. One to either serve..." Cinder continued, moving her blood-licked teeth closer and closer to Coco's throat, "Or toss away. For your queen."
"For the queen," Everyone replied in one unified voice. Jaune and Ruby, Yang and Blake. Weiss. Pyrrha. Nora, Ren, and even Coco, who said nothing else as she arched her neck, allowing Cinder's sharp teeth to dig deep and pull the skin from her flesh in one quick motion. You instinctively brought your hand up to your throat feeling a scar where none had been before just above your collarbone before averting your eyes to the ground. Patrick, Glen, and Dusty looked up at you with dead eyes, buried under rubble.
"For the-" they started in one unified voice before your scroll rang pulling you from your slumber.
"Last time I drink like that," you muttered to yourself as you saw the incoming call from Jaune. You let out a sigh. "Yeah right. And for my next trick, I'll walk on water." You accepted the call."This is (Y/N)."
"Hey, sorry for the early call but we're getting brunch with team Rwby and Ruby asked after you. I thought you might want to drop in?" Jaune asked, "It's fine if you don't want to-"
"Yes, please. I could use a distraction right about now. I'm down for anything.
***
"Wait, you're dating her?" Jaune asked, "Like, actually dating-dating her?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" You countered, "I'm allowed to have a love life."
"It's just..." Jaune started before Yang bailed him out,
"You're a mess."
"She's way out of your league," Ruby added.
"Honestly, until just now I thought you were Gay," Nora finished. The table's heads slowly turned to Nora, confusion playing out over everyone's faces. "What?" Nora asked, "He looks the type."
"Okay kids I think that wraps up this conversation, now if you'll excuse me I have to go home and rethink my choice in cologne, clothes, and everything else about my physical appearance."
"Before you go, are you still joining us at that village?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, I should be free to fly out with you guys while you shadow that sheriff," you responded, "I can also potentially show you some tricks regarding fighting without having to worry about collateral damage."
"I don't think Nora needs any help with that," Yang said as the entire group turned and looked at Nora, who was about halfway through her pancake stack.
"Whut?" Nora asked, mouth full of breakfast. A few moments later a laugh rolled through the table before you turned back to Ren.
"Well, maybe I can teach the rest of you something about not holding back. Where are we going exactly anyways?" You asked.
"A small village in Mantle. It's called Balur. They've had their fair share of bandit attacks in the past, and have had to create impromptu militias.
"Balur... why does that sound familiar?" You asked. You received a group of shrugs in response. "Well, I'm sure it will come to me. Now. If you'll excuse me I'm going to take off. It's a nice day and I plan to make the most of it," You said before placing payment for breakfast on the table.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ruby asked as you turned to leave. You motioned for her to follow. You walked in silence for a few moments before she finally spoke, well out of earshot of the others.
"I-I saw you the night of the dance. When you left the elevator," Ruby said, voice shaking.
"Oh, that. And here I was hoping you just needed advice on how to handle a crush or something like that," you replied, easily hiding the fear in your voice.
"I guess I just wanted to know if you were okay," Ruby started before you cut her off. You had to steer this conversation in a different direction and fast.
"It's just Ozpin and Ironwood Rubes. I've gotten so wrapped up in their little war that it's getting to me. And I think I had a bit too much to drink that night."
"If something was wrong, you'd tell me. Right?" Ruby asked. Innocently. Naively. You laid a hand on her should and peered straight into her big silver eyes,
"You'd be the first," You lied, unflinching.
"Okay," Ruby replied, wiping a single tear from her eye and putting on a smile that could light up a room. You said nothing as you offered a smile in return before walking away. You were getting too good at this.
***
(A/N): Kept you waiting, huh? ;p
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Arcfall (Male Reader Insert)
Fanfiction(Y/N) Arc is an ambitious brat determined to lead a life as a hunter. But when his sister ties to roadblock him and he runs out of options he finds himself under the tutelage of one Qrow Branwen, who sees to his enrollment at Beacon Academy. Unfortu...
