The Bird and the Garden

Chapter 10: Family Matters

So this dives into another backstory. Ruby and Yang will reveal what their lives were like when the brothers ran away, and the traumatic experiences they suffered through. This is because I feel most Abused Reader stories do not cover how the family felt, at least not on the scale I'm doing this.

This takes place during the brothers' time at Beacon; the stories are simply being told by Ruby and Yang.

This is meant to strike the feels. It's meant to be sad, and it's meant to be depressing. It's also supposed to invoke feelings of anger towards Salem (remember, she's the one who destroyed the family's lives). Please let me know how this chapter made you feel, as it could help me write even better chapters in the future.

With all that aside, enjoy.

Cardin woke up to the sun shining down on his face through the curtain, and a warm breeze drifting in through the open window. He smiled warmly, he believed it would be a good day. He arose from his bed, and got dressed. He pondered who he would toy with today - Velvet was a good target, she was a Faunus after all. But Jaune, picking on him never got old. The bully smiled to himself as he stepped out of his room - and instantly got splashed with water. Y/N laughed hysterically, a bucket in his hand. Cardin turned to face him, but something struck his leg, breaking it in half. The bully fell to the ground crying in agony, as Y/N's face twisted in horror.

"VAO, you were supposed to throw glitter on him!" He screamed.

"I lost the glitter, but I found this really big stick! And it works great!" The drunk said happily. Y/N face palmed. "This is why we can't do pranks together..." he muttered. VAO shrugged, throwing the stick to the side. "Whatevs, lets get some grub. I'll pay this time, I guess... not."

"You are a very mean person..." Y/N growled. VAO smirked. "At least I'll admit it, eh?"

Y/N nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah... I guess..."

The two brothers made their way to the cafeteria, where Roman and Neo were waiting with team JNPR. Team RWBY was there, too. Y/N sat next to Ren, while VAO sat next to Nora. Yang stood up and moved closer to VAO, and Ruby moved closer to Y/N. Both sisters had overly-friendly smiles on their faces, and neither of the brothers liked it.

"... Bitch, pull down your scarf, I can see your cleavage," VAO said suddenly. Yang's face turned red and she tugged the orange fabric down, hiding the top of her chest. "Y-you're my b-b-brother, you s-shouldn't t-t-talk that way about me!" She retaliated. This triggered an argument between the two.

"So... are you going to help out with setting up the dance?" Ruby asked. Y/N shrugged. "I dunno. Probably, why?" He asked. Ruby smiled. "Because I have a big plan! Ruby and Y/N's big party blowout!" The younger girl cheered. Y/N smiled a bit, and continued eating. He swallowed his food before speaking again. "Yeah, I guess I could help... just leave the rest out of it, okay?" He said, his voices laced with venom as he referred to the rest of his family. With the exception of VAO, of course.

"At least I don't look like the opposite gender!" Yang shouted. VAO struck a fabulous pose. "I am proud to be a trap!" He shouted.

"E-eh!? B-but M-Mom and Dad w-want to..." she trailed off as Y/N shot her a glare. "They aren't my parents. You know this. Don't refer to them as my parents. I chose to give you a chance, do not blow it," he said coldly. Ruby whined. "You're colder than Weiss sometimes!"

"Well, at least you admit you're a trap..." Yang muttered. VAO gave a thumbs up. "I may be a man, but I would make a gorgeous girl!" He said cheerfully, holding a thumb up. Y/N turned to his brother. "Yeah, just remember what you have to do at the dance," he reminded him. VAO's smile fell, and he just stared at his brother, the latter turning back to Ruby.