3rd Person POV
Team JNPR Dorm
Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, Y/n always wondered how things tend to go either perfectly right, or perfectly wrong.
Thankfully this situation could be considered part of the former, but still, what the fuck? The odds that his range from Ruby allowed him to move freely around the JNPR dorm no matter where Ruby was across the hall in their own dorm was stupid. Here he was though.
He sighed and chose to overlook it as he looked back in the standup mirror he had conjured in front of him.
Honestly, this was as formal as he was willing to tolerate, dressed for the most part comfortably in black dress pants and shoes. He wore a white collared long sleeve button up shirt with a black, open front suit jacket with silver trimmings.
He thought about adding a bow tie...
Y/n: "...*sigh*...the things I do for you Ruby..."
With some hesitation, he conjured up a black bow tie with rose red lining. Casually summoning the accessory directly onto his outfit rather than trying to figure out how to tie the damn thing.
Even though he was able to summon it at the perfect fitness as to not choke home or anything, it still felt constricting. He seriously didnt like getting all dressed up. But...he wanted to look nice for Ruby.
He wasnt fixing his hair though. He just wouldnt. He'd come to like how it had grown down to his shoulders in thick messy black locks. He liked it. It felt good. It was staying that way.
No exceptions.
Ren: "I really dont understand your reluctance to dress up."
Y/n turned in Rens direction, the silent member of team JNPR putting the finishing touches on his suit in front of a similar mirror.
For the sake of decency, the three males of teams RWBY and JNPR were changing in the JNPR dorm, while the girls did so across the hall in the RWBY dorm. Jaune had been surprisingly speedy in his changing, and had already left.
Y/n: "Its just not really my style. You seem to be rollin right along with it though."
Ren hummed in response as he fixed his own bow tie. He smirked, a rare sight to be honest.
Ren: "I'll admit, I dont mind the opportunity to show off a little."
A short laugh left Y/n before he decided to bring up Rens chatty self.
Y/n: "Well at least your talking about something. Normally it's hard to get you to say anything."
Ren didnt respond at first.
"Any particular reason why if I may ask? I'm simply curious."
He seemed to think for a moment. It was highly likely that Ren hadnt even noticed the change himself.
Ren: "I suppose I find it easier to connect with you. I wont get into the nitty gritty of it but...Nora and I dont have the most...colorful...background."
Turning towards the door, Ren began to walk out, but stopped as he rested his hand on the doorknob.
"I suppose what I mean is I've seen through both lenses Y/n. You arent alone in that sense."
And like that Ren pulled open the door, departing with one final thing to say.
"We shouldn't keep the girls waiting."
Y/n merely stood staring at the open door for a moment in thought. He certainly hadnt expected that. He always had a feeling that there was more to Rens past than met the eye, but he was slightly ashamed of himself for not seeing anything.
He took family seriously. And they were all family to him
Deciding that there was no use brooding over it, he sighed and turned to the door as well, exiting the dorm and closing the door with a click.
Seeing that Ruby was nowhere in the hall, and that she couldnt exactly have left without him, he deduced that she was still changing. That's fine. He had all the time in the world.
But despite all the time he did have, he still found himself quite literally twiddling his thumbs as he leaned against the door he just walked out of. His eyes drifted shut, and without realizing it, whatever song was at the back of his head drifted forward.
Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now
Backbeat, the word was on the street
That the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how
He didnt bother suppressing a dumb grin on his face as one more verse drifted out of him. He couldnt help it.
Y/n: "Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me..
And after all, you're my wonderwall..."
And as if the timing couldnt have been more perfect, the team RWBY dorm creaked open, revealing none other than the Rose of the hour.
Y/n of course didnt even notice at first. Too busy being distracted by the natural tightness around his neck that he couldnt seem to wring out of this cursed bow tie he was wearing.
However the heavy, clumsy steps taken towards him, the small squeak of a yelp, and the overwhelming sensation he was about to be hit by something allowed him to look forward.
Just in time to cushion Ruby practically crashing into him, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling to the floor. A short laugh came naturally as he spoke.
Y/: "I was wondering whether you were gonna try heels or not."
The absolutely exasperated sigh that followed his statement didnt fail to punctuate how much she was hating the heels she was in. Neither did her response.
Ruby: "I seriously dont understand how people walk around in these things..."
Y/n: "Its like that bullet trick Rosebud. It takes practice. But I can always make you some boots later if we need to."
Another sigh.
Ruby: "Thanks Umbra..."
Finally deciding she had enough of her balance back to stand on her own again, she pulled herself onto her feet, facing Y/n completely as the boy stood up straight from the wall.
Both students found their faces wearing a new shade of red at the other. Not at all minding to hide just how much they seemed to like the others outfit.
For Ruby, it was almost exactly what she expected. As casual as he could be for a dance like this. But she certainly didnt mind the way that his shirt and suit jacket hugged his form. And all the trimming of his outfit did a good job of distinguishing between the black of his clothes, and the near black shadow of his own skin. It was strange though. In her eyes, his skin seemed brighter with every passing day.
Y/n was never a man of fashion. That much about himself he was sure of. However he loved to pieces the dress that Ruby was wearing. To him, it seemed to perfectly highlight her. He simply didnt have words for it. She was just...
(I do not own this and all credit goes to the incredibly talented artist responsible for such a beautiful drawing, who I was unlucky enough not to find their name. If they somehow find this, I hope they see that their work is appreciated greatly.)
Y/n: "Breathtaking..."
Ruby: "W-what?"
Y/n: "You look amazing Ruby. Stunning, even."
Ruby found herself internally cursing the heat on her cheeks, attempting to will the blood somewhere else.
Ruby: "T-thanks...y-you look...really g-good too..."
She cursed her sudden flustered nature. She meant to say more than just that, but something about the gaze Y/n held on her just turned her to jelly. It held no coldness, no bitter afterthought. He simply loved looking at her.
She wanted to do much of the same, but he beat her to it. She knew formal was not at all his style, so the fact that he even tried to look nice just showed that he cared. And she absolutely LOVED how he rocked the formal casual energy.
And while Y/n didnt exactly have steel abs and arms, he certainly wasnt sore on the eyes. At least for Ruby. Bulky and wide, but by no means fat. Not even chubby.
Y/n: "Well then..."
Broken from her rampant thoughts, she refocused in time to see him extend his arm.
"Shall we get going?"
Without a moments hesitation, and certainly not lacking a smile, she took his arm.
Ruby: "Yeah. Let's get going."
And off they went, walking through the empty halls with arms interlocked. Time seemed simply to fly. But Y/n couldnt exactly helpnthe time getting away from him. He couldnt stop looking at Ruby.
She captured him in every way, with just her presence alone. Perhaps part of it was because of the ordeal with Roman Torchwick. That was his first near death experience since the initiation. He didnt know why it was so different this time.
But he knew now for certain. He couldnt allow himself to die. He would cross whatever line it took to made sure he was always by Ruby's side.
Yang: "Well look at you two! Arent you just Beacons cutest couple."
And just like that they were there. Yang stood at a podium just inside the ballroom doors, checking names off a list to make sure people were getting to the dance alright. She wore a stunning all white dress that ended in a skirt just before her knees.
It certainly wasnt something Y/n ever expected to see Yang in, but it didnt slow down his comeback at all.
Y/n: "Not so bad yourself Yang. You rock the white pretty good. Besides, Ruby takes the cake by far."
He absolutely delighted in getting to show off just how good he thought she looked. Even though Yang had seen her earlier.
Yang: "I know right? Took us ages to find the right one but she wears it like a glove. And dont sell yourself too short there, handsome. If you weren't walking in here holding her hand, you'd certainly have my eye."
Having said her piece, Yang scratched their names off the list, before promptly crumpling up that list and tossing it in a nearby garbage bin.
"Enjoy the party you two."
And so she walked off to do her own thing, leaving the duo to navigate their own way into the room. The seemingly large task provided by the practical wall of students in front of them forced them both to voice their frighteningly similar thoughts.
Y/n & Ruby: "And now I remember why I dont like crowds."
As if it was just a regular everyday thing for them, they looked at eachother.
Ruby: "So, bide by the punch bowl?"
Y/n: "Oh definitely. I'm making an Arnold Palmer."
Ruby: "Okay, but how do we get there? Pretty sure it's off in that corner."
She gestured accordingly to the far corner, conveniently far behind the figurative wall of students. Y/n turned to Ruby with a golden idea.
Y/n: "Wanna see somethin cool?"
Ruby: "Uh, sure?"
He tightened his hold on her arm, and before Ruby could even ask what he was going to do, the color of the world...shifted.
The color of the entire room and every person in it seemed to invert except for herself and Y/n. Everything was still in perfect motion, it just looked different.
Deciding simply to trust Y/n, she watched in awe as they walked straight through the crowd of students, completely unhindered by their forms.
Yang watched with curiosity as a large shadow of two people seemed to meander itself across the floor. She laughed lightly as she spoke to herself.
Yang: "You just keep picking up new tricks dont you Y/n?"
Arriving at the punch bowl in no time at all, the pair were quick to grab their drinks, Y/n managing to put together an Arnold Palmer with a mix of the lemonade and tea also at the table.
Neither of them were in any particular rush to jump into the crowd, simply hanging out, enjoying the evening. It wasnt long before they had company though, in the form of Jaune coming over and refilling his cup. Taking notice of the duo, he greeted them both with a smile and a wave.
Jaune: "Hey guys. You hiding by the punch bowl too?"
Ruby: "Yup"
Y/n: "Yeppers"
Jaune: "Well, to the socially awkward."
Earning a few snickers and giggles from the two, the three clink glasses in cheers.
Ruby: "Sorry things didnt work out with Weiss."
Y/n: "Yeah...we saw the video..."
Jaune stiffened slightly at the mention of his embarassing attempt to ask Weiss to the dance a few days ago. After an absolutely terrible attempt at singing at the door of the RWBY dorm, he was promptly shut down by Weiss, and had the door slammed shut in his face.
Nora had recorded the whole thing around the corner.
Jaune: "Meh. It's fine. Neptunes a pretty 'cool' dude. I get why she'd wanna go with him instead."
Ruby and Y/n share a fleeting, skeptical glance.
Y/n: "What do ya mean by that?"
Jaune scoffs slightly.
Jaune: "Well I mean come on dude. Theres not many people who can pull off blue hair."
Y/n sighed while Ruby picked up for Jaune, whose now taking a forlorn drink out of his punch.
Ruby: "What he meant Jaune, was Weiss came to the dance alone."
The punch Jaune was drinking suddenly found itself jumping in his throat as he choked in surprise, looking at the two with puzzlement.
Jaune: "Uh, what?"
Y/n: "Yeah, pretty sure she said something along the lines of 'not having time for boys'. I thought it was strange, she said she had someone in mind at first."
Jaune was noticeably vexed by the sudden reveal, looking Y/n dead in the eyes.
Jaune: "You're not just pulling my leg are you?"
Y/n shook his head slowly before pointing and directing his gaze across the ballroom, eliciting his two compatriots to look that way as well.
Y/n: "Afraid not Jauney boy."
Their gaze was promptly directed to a rather dejected looking Weiss, adorning a beautiful white dress, alone at a table trying to the best of her ability to coax life out of a wilting white rose decorating the table. Becoming visibly upset when she fails to do so.
Jaune clenched his cup tightly in slight rage, quickly scanning the rest of the room. He sees a fleeting pass of blue hair and goggles walk out the side, and sets course. Forcing his glass into Ruby's hand.
Jaune: "Hold my punch."
And storming off in the direction he witnessed his target leave. Ruby merely watched him go, slyly stealing a drink of Jaunes punch before offering it to Y/n.
With a shrug, the boy accepted the drink and took his own sip. He coughed slightly the moment he tasted it, before looking into the liquid and sniffing. He set it down on the table behind him.
Y/n: "You probably shouldn't drink any more of that stuff."
Ruby: "Why not?"
Y/n: "Its spiked. And spiked damn hard at that."
Ruby takes a few glances around the room, eventually catching sight of Yang leaning on the handrail just above them. Looking to her left and noticing the stairs, she turns to Y/n for a moment.
Ruby: "Hey, I'm gonna go chat with Yang for a minute. We'll still be close enough."
Y/n: "Go for it Rosebud."
Ruby dashes up to the second level, while Y/n remains at his spot, retreating farther back slightly as to be a bit further from the crowd. He dragged a hand across his face with a groan as he rubbed his eyes hard.
He ditched his now empty glass in favor of Jaunes retired glass of punch. Taking a long drink to try and take off the edge.
Y/n: "I've never been happier to run across a spiked drink."
His solitude was suddenly interrupted however.
???: "Somebody spiked the punch?"
Ozpin: "Well, it wouldnt be the first time something like that happened. After the fourth time, staff stopped checking the drinks. It was a rather fruitless endeavor."
???: "Hmm."
Y/n casually refilled his glass before turning around to face his visitors. He was met with the familiar face of proffesor Ozpin, as well as a new person.
He was a tall, well built man in white militarist outfit. He studied Y/n with hard light brown eyes. His hair was done in a tight millitary combover, and graying at the sides. But what stuck out most to Y/n was the thick metal strip across his right brow, as well as a singular glove on his right hand, while his left wore no such thing.
The mans gaze searched Y/n with an intensity. It was obvious he was trying to figure out what made the boy tick. Y/n remained calm, and greeted the face he was familiar with. Casually sipping his spiked beverage.
Y/n: "Hey, Oz. I see you brought a date."
Ozpin laughed warmly at the light jab, while the mystery man squirmed an eyebrow. It was clear that Y/n had successfully managed to throw him off his stride. Ozpin collected himself and spoke, patting the mystery man on the back.
Ozpin: "Only in his wildest dreams young man. No, this is my good friend and colleague from Atlas. General James Ironwood, head of the atlesian military, and headmaster at Atlas academy. He was the one responsible for your new ammo device."
The general formally extended his hand to Y/n, who shook it in a much more lax manner.
Ironwood: "A pleasure to finally meet you Y/n. I've heard a great deal about you recently. I trust that our device was able to help solve your weapon issues?"
Y/n nodded, allowing a small smile to fleet across his face.
Y/n: "That it did. Thank you for that. Trust me when I say it probably saved a lot of lives. My own included. I assume your the one responsible for the fleet parked on Vales front door?"
Ironwood stood rigid and tall as he responded. It was painfully obvious to. Y/n how the general was attempting to show he was in charge here.
Ironwood: "Merely extra security during the Vytal festival. We've had several reports of attacks in Vale recently. But Atlas is here for the kingdoms sake."
Y/n simplyvswirled his rapidly draining glass as he took yet another drink.
Y/n: "Hmm. Fair enough I suppose. Seems fairly extreme though. Makes people wonder what they're up against if you suddenly roll an army on their front door. Or even who their enemy might be."
Y/n met Ironwoods stare with a raised eyebrow, his smile gone and his face once again stoic. Ozpin smiled slightly as he glanced at the general beside him, who seemed rather surprised by the way Y/n challenged his military decisions.
Ozpin: "I did warn you James."
Ironwood: "I suppose you did..."
Ironwood noticeably relaxed as Y/n shrugged and refilled his glass again.
Y/n: "I dont mean to insult you sir. My point is, Atlas is very, very far from here. Its bound to put a lot of people on edge when the strongest millitary power on the planet suddenly appears on their doorstep."
Both headmasters watched as Y/n did not at all slow down with his intake of questionable party drink, only stopping for a moment to see Jaune in a dress, team JNPR performing an elaborately rehearsed dance. Rubbing his eyes again, he turned back to his visitors.
Ozpin: "Is something the matter Y/n?"
Y/n shook his head as he attempted to refocus his gaze.
Y/n: "No, no...I just havent slept much lately. Insomnia is a strange thing. Ot can disappear for what feels like ages, just for it to slap you in the face. I'm just trying to take the edge off."
Ironwood cocked his brow at the boys statement.
Ironwood: "Arent you a little young to be drinking that much? I'm mostly surprised you can even walk straight right now."
Y/n hummed slightly as he finally set down his once more empty glass.
Y/n: "I'd chalk it up to experience. Besides, sleep has been worse lately. Whenever I do sleep, its restless. Filled with the increasingly common nightmares..."
The two men shared a glance for a moment before facing the exhausted boy.
Ozpin: "Well, I merely wished to introduce the two of you, so since that is all said and done, we will get out of your hair. You know how to reach me should you need me Y/n. Have a good night."
Y/n: "Yeah...gnight Oz."
Ozpin was the first to walk away, while Ironwood lingered for a moment. Y/n looked at him questioningly, snapping the general out of his thoughts.
Ironwood: "Sorry. You just remind me of someone is all. A dusty old crow... goodnight Y/n."
Y/n: "General."
And like that the boy was left to his thoughts again. He rubbed his temples as he attempted to gather himself.
"Come on Y/n. You can make it. You've outslept worse. Do it for Ruby."
One last deep breath. Alright. He was ready. He figured he might as well join Ruby on the second floor. Quickly ascending the steps, he found Yang gone, and Ruby at the nearby balcony grabbing some fresh air.
She must have heard him come up, because she turned her head to see him walking over, smiling at him warmly as he joined her in leaning on the stone railing. Enjoying the silence outside the crowded ballroom as they gaze out over Beacon.
A solid minute went by, before they both caught a strange sight of a figure in black leaping across the rooftops. They met eyes again, as if asking eachother whether or not they were hallucinating.
With a sigh, Y/n summoned Ruby a pair of combat boots.
Y/n: "Come on, we've got work it seems."
Timeskip 5 minutes
CCTS TOWER
Y/n Pov
It didnt take us long at all to track tonight's intruder, seeing as they made a straight B-line for the CCT. Did I have any idea what they wanted? Absolutely not. But whoever they were, they meant business. The moment we showed up at the front doors we were greeted by the sight of several unconcious Atlas troops.
Ruby made the right call and instantly pulled out her Scroll, calling her locker to her position and retrieving Crescent Rose. I wasnt going to play around with this one. I summoned my normal Odachi to hand, and my sawn off as well. Shock rounds chambered.
Moving inside the CCT and watching the corners, we were greeted by the sight of even more unconcious troops.
'Shit.'
There was only one place that made sense for them to go, so we hopped into the elevator, also occupied by two knocked out guards, and hitched a ride up to communications. There was a tension in the air thick as oil as we ascended. I needed to warn Ruby.
Y/n: "Hey, whoever did this, they're no joke. Be on your toes, this could go any manner of ways. They may have spared these guards, but theres no guarantee they'll show us the same courtesy."
She didnt respond verbally, and took a moment to consider what I was saying. She got the point however and nodded.
As if on queue, the elevator doors opened and we entered the room. Ruby stepped in cautiously while I went slightly ahead of her, watching the corners of the room carefully. I could feel it, they were still here. Ruby must have felt it too, because she called out.
Ruby: "Who's there? Show yourself!"
A few moments of silence passed, before a woman clad in all black, and wearing a black mask stood from behind one of the desks. I couldnt shake this feeling. I know this person.
I just couldnt place it though. Ruby made the first verbal move as the woman just stood there, hand on her hip, smirking with I can only assume was confidence.
Ruby: "Hey! This isnt a masquerade party, so why dont you-"
3rd Person Pov
Ruby unfortunately couldnt continue however, as the intruder reached behind her back, before suddenly throwing a large amount of sand into the air. Before either student could react, the assailant somehow ignited the glass before propelling it towards them as a large amount of glass shards.
Ruby was successfully managing to deflect all of the shard with Crescent Rose, while Y/n opted to charge the woman, going for a heavy swing at his opponents midsection. In a burst of flame they swiftly summoned two obsidian shortswords, successfully deflecting his swing with one and going for a stab with the other.
Quickly warping to the side, Y/n used the momentum of the deflect to spin and land a hard splash to the intruders side, sending them flying slightly as their aura flickered a bright orange.
The figure landed with strong footing just in time to dodge put of the way of a heavy swing from Crescent Rose, successfully vaulting over Ruby and kicking her towards Y/n. The boy quickly caught his partner and set her on her feet as the reaper suddenly found herself short of breath.
Turning his attention back to the mystery woman, he was just in time to rock several arrows with his sword as the woman lobbed powerful shots with a bow. Slowly advancing through the hail of arrows, Y/n fired one of his two shots at the women's feet, forcing her off balance and to return to her swords.
Quickly dashing in, he locked blades with the woman as she struggled under his force. Acting quickly, he used his last shot to destroy one of the women's blades, breaking the lock and forcing her back. She remained perfectly calm however, and used her remaining sword to begin a savage offensive, with large, quick and powerful swings, forcing Y/n to use both hands to properly block.
Y/n found himself with no room to launch a counter attack as the onslaught continued, until finally, his blade could handle no more, breaking in two under the pressure of one of her swings. Suddenly finding himself defenseless, Y/n barely managed to dodge away in time to avoid a potentially fatal swing from his oponent, managing to slip out of his jacket as it was cut and burned to ash by the strike. Regrouping beside Ruby, who had managed to collect herself.
Discarding his broken blade with a shout of rage, he quickly replaced it with his pump shotgun axe, furiously chambering a burn shell as he prepared to go ballistic on this intruder.
*DING*
The sudden ring of the elevator stole his and Ruby's attention at the doors opened to reveal none other than General Ironwood. Quickly refocusing on his opponent, he looked back just in time to miss them, as they had already disappeared. Leaving no trace as to where they went.
With an enraged growl, he dropped his shotgun as it disappeared onto the air. As Ruby simply looked around in confusion. Ironwood narrowed his gaze on the two students.
Ironwood: "I believe you both have some explaining to do."
Dejectedly, Y/n retrieved the broken pieces of his blade. His tone sounded rather...disappointed as he spoke.
Y/n: "Let's get this over with. I need a drink."
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(Here we are. This chapter stands at about 4755 words. It's a little short, bit continuing it at the end here would be really forced. Hmmm...there isnt ready a theme to this chapter...so I'll just put in a random song.)
(Hope you enjoyed)
(Until Next Time.)