Of Blood and Bronze (RWBY x Vigilante Male Reader)

Prologue (1/5)

It was never uncommon for things to go poorly in my life. I'm sort of used to it at this point.

Rain pounded against my head, the drumming hurting the fresh bruise that was just forming, the histamines barely having reached the injury.

I'm lucky to have this ice pack. It's one of the few possessions I do have. I'd just gotten into a fight with another kid. We fought over a box of peanut butter wafer bars.

I won, of course. The other children generally stay away from me. I'm one of the only kids who manages to put up a fight when the bullies of the block come by.

Still, there are some that are braver than most, so I'm forced to put them in their place. This one got one good hit on me, but he was forced back by the ruthless pummeling I issued.

I slowly removed the ice pack from my face and felt the bruise. It was painful, but the histamines have gone down, so it's no use to keep on with the ice pack.

I heard whispering when I walked back through the door. However, it all ceased as I walked into the sleeping area. I returned my ice pack to my portion of the freezer and opened my foot locker to pull out a package of beef jerky.

It's not much for a meal, especially for a ten-year-old boy, but it'll have to do. The headmistress won't be cooking for a few more days, so I'll have to make do with what I have.

As I finished my food, I heard the doors open. For a few seconds, I could again hear the sound of rain hitting the ground before it was quieted again by the distinct sound of wet shoes hitting the wooden floor.

I gritted my teeth. The squeaking sound pierced my Faunus ears. However, my curiosity overpowered the mild pain.

The first person to turn the corner was the headmistress, followed by a family of four. A man with blonde hair, wearing khaki shorts and sandals, he also had some kind of dress shirt, along with a vambrace and pauldron on his right arm and shoulder.

The woman had dark hair with red tips. She wore a black dress and a white cloak.

Their children wore simple tee shirts and pants. The younger of the two looked similar to the woman, but she wore a black long-sleeved shirt that prominently featured roses. The older one looked more like the man, but she wore a bright yellow tee shirt that had a dragon spitting fire.

The headmistress was talking to the two adults and was saying something about letting them meet all of us to decide who they wanted to adopt.

The others did their best to look good for the family so they would have a better chance of being adopted.

I didn't bother. I'm a Faunus. The chances that they'll choose me are slim to none, to begin with. There's no sense in getting my hopes up. I chose one of the few books I had and started reading it, just to pass the time.

In an hour or so, that family will be gone, along with one of the other kids, and I'll be able to go on with my life and get some much-needed sleep.

They spent some time talking with the other kids, and they eventually got to me. I looked over my book before marking my page and closing it.

Man: Hey there, buddy! I'm Tai!

He pointed over to the woman and the girls.

Tai: This is my wife, Summer, and these are our girls, Ruby and Yang. What's your name?

I blinked slowly. Is that what he wanted to know? Not what I could do, what talents I have, what skills I know?

I'm wary of this man. Nobody has ever been nice to me unless they want something. Still, I answered his question.