#it reminds me of that one AU i once threw at Neo | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neowinestainedress · 2 years

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DYNASTY ⮚ NCT

prev⏐ chapter thirty-three ⏐ next ⏐ masterpost

warnings: none for this chapter

genre: fantasy au, royal au, super powers au

word count: 2.790k

summary: The apparent calm that reigns in Neo City breaks into million pieces when some members of the Neos find an outsider laying unconscious in the wood. After that, everything they know stops making sense. Menace from the past come back, while they have to rule on their city knowing that the menace of Simon’s dictatorial power is closer day by day. The past they never dared to face will wash over them like impetuous waves. The present is filled with doubts, regrets and the mystery of the lost memories of the nameless girl. The future is even more uncertain.

Can you break the chain with your past even if it’s running in your bloodstream?

taglist: @saeyeoniee @shwizhies | if you want to be added let me know under the masterpost or with a message

a/n: i’m so sorry for the skipped updates but these past weeks have been hell (also sorry bc some chapters seem like fillers but the truth is that i had in mind to write a sequel and i needed to start showing other storylines here and there)

Taeyong huffed while he turned around in the bed, barely awake but already annoyed at the rain that was still falling from the sky. Even if it had calmed down since the night, it still put him in a mood of doing nothing all day and lying in bed, and he couldn’t.

He reached left with his hand, searching for Doyoung’s body, and once he found it, he smiled against the pillow, eyes closed.

Doyoung opened an eye to look at him and smiled back; his hair ruffled, his eyes closed, and his soft fingertips running over his chest.

“Are you awake?” He asked, turning to the side.

Taeyong mumbled something he couldn’t understand, and snuggled closer to him, face buried in his chest.

Doyoung rolled his eyes and then started to caress his hair.

“We have to get up,” the youngest said, leaving small kisses on top of the eldest’s hair.

“I don’t want to,” Taeyong whined, his arms wrapping around Doyoung’s chest tighter.

“Wanna come with me?” Doyoung proposed.

“What do you have to do today?” Taeyong asked, he didn’t want to get out of the bed at all, but probably spending some time with Doyoung was better than staying in the palace.

“I have to go downtown and talk with the Builders, for the underground city,” he explained, smiling softly at him.

Taeyong sighed, it wasn’t the most exciting thing, plus it reminded him that time was ticking for Simon to attack and he could never escape from his responsibility.

“But we can get breakfast and lunch out, then in the afternoon, I have to go round town for the tour to the Workers. I’m sure they’ll love seeing you.”

Taeyong hummed, it was tempting, it’s not like he could escape from the tough of an imminent war bound to happen anyway.

“Fine. I’m coming with you,” he replied. “But let’s cuddle just five minutes more.”

“You need to be faster,” Sungchan shouted as he kept attacking Anika, dodging every single one of his punches.

“Fuck,” she spat out, as she avoided a hook by bending down. “I can’t be faster than this.”

“You have to,” he said, impassive. He threw a jab and she couldn’t avoid it, and then another one, somehow faster.

“Defend!” He screamed when he noted that not only she wasn’t fast enough to attack him back but she also couldn’t defend herself.

“What if I had a knife? What if I had cut your side instead of just a punch?”

Anika was trying to stay concentrated but it was harder than expected, she felt exhausted and unmotivated. She had always thought she was good but since she got there, all of them were so much better than her.

“If you can’t use your body at least use your brain,” Sungchan said as he kept attacking her, with rights, jabs and crosses.

“Are you fucking glued to the floor?” He screamed, getting tired of her doing the bare minimum to dodge him. “Answer me!”

“No, I’m not,” she said, for the first time being able to attack him, sending a straight punch to his arms, that did absolutely nothing.

Sungchan screamed in exhaustion and turned around. He was furious.

Anika let out a heavy huff as she tried to hold back tears of frustration. She wasn’t like this, so what the hell was taking over her?

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sungchan asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

She knew she had fucked it up when she saw him like this, Jaehyun was a strict trainer, Yuta was even worst, and Liv wasn’t as nice as she seemed, but Sungchan no, he would always take his time to explain everything and talk a lot when things weren’t working.

“I’m not as good as all of you, maybe my dad and Doyoung were right, this is not the place for me.”

“I asked what’s wrong with you, today. Not the opinion other people have about you.”

Anika looked up at him. “It’s not just today, I’m worst than I thought. And you’re wasting time with me.”

“It is just today. You are good at this. Sure, you don’t do it since you were ten like us, but you know how to do it, so I’m asking once again, what’s going on today?”

Anika didn’t answer, she had no idea. She just felt selfish every time she would come home, her father mad at her for being out all day and not working at the bar anymore. Or the way her sisters confessed they felt abandoned by her because she wasn’t taking care of them anymore, not like she used to at least. Because apparently leaving the breakfast ready, picking the clothes for the youngest, leaving lunch in the fridge for the ones in the middle who would come home from school, and running home after a whole day of running and fighting just to be able to cook dinner and put them to bed, wasn’t the same thing as staying at home all day.

“Anika,” Sungchan called, the tone of his voice now sweeter, as he walked close to her, his face a few centimetres from hers. “Look at me.”

Anika raised her gaze from the pavement to him, and she felt so exposed.

“What’s running through your head?”

“I,” she mumbled. “I just wanted to prove my dad something, prove myself, show him that I could be more than what he made of me, but I’m failing, in everything. I can’t take care of my sisters anymore, or the bar and I can’t even do well here. I thought I could, but I’m not at your level.”

“Your sisters?” Sungchan asked, he knew she had an older brother that left and basically never let them know where he was or how he was, but he never knew about the sisters.

“Yes, my five younger sisters.”

“Five?” Sungchan exclaimed before he could realise that. “Sorry,” he said, covering his mouth with his hands.

But Anika let out a giggle. “Yes, five.”

“And you take care of all of them? How old are they?”

“It’s not like I have many choices, my dad is busy with work, and he kind of expects me to take over my mother’s place,” Anika explained. She wasn’t used to saying her story, always keeping it a secret, not that she didn’t like her sisters but it was never cool to skip parties because she had to stay home to look after an infant that wasn’t hers, or say no to many dates just because she knew they wouldn’t have liked her family and how much she had to do for them.

“You remember that she was sick?” Anika asked and Sungchan nodded. “Well, she died when I was fifteen, soon after giving birth to Anya, the last one. She is the one I raised the most, at least Krisha was already two when she passed away, but Anya was five months old. And even when she was still alive, she had no strength to take care of her anymore,” Anika sighed, she remembers that she hated that moment because she was convinced that if her mother didn’t have the last baby she would’ve had more chances of surviving. She kind of believed that her little sister was the one who brought her mother away from her, so it was hard for her to look after something she hated so much. But it didn’t take her much to realize that it was just a stupid thought, Anya had nothing to do with their mother’s death, she was just another innocent soul that never asked to come to the world, and she wasn’t the one that had to pay the price for somebody selfishness – their father’s.

“It was hard. Sonali was only four, Zora was eight and Sanya was only ten. I was the only one that could help a little bit. That’s why I started working at the bar soon, my father couldn’t really afford to employ many people from the outside of the family.”

“And why your dad doesn’t help?”

“I don’t really know, I feel like he doesn’t even love us anymore, probably something happened between him and mom and he sees too much of her in us. Or maybe he hates the fact the only man of the family left and he’s alone with six women.”

“And you?” Sungchan asked.

“Hmph,” she snickered bitterly. “I split myself between school, the bar and them. Feeding them, cleaning them, helping them with their homework and then I’d do mine when it was almost midnight, most of the time between a break and another at the bar. It lasted for three years before I graduated and stuck to the family and the bar. I sometimes do other jobs to save more money but I can’t do much. In the last year, I started boxing seriously in a gym downtown just because Sanya and Zora started to look after the youngest too. But I try not to over-stress them, I want them to go out, unlike me, to date, to stay out with a friend, invite them over, without having the toughs of babies at home. And now, for pure selfishness, I’m doing it.”

“You’re not,” Sungchan said. “The youngest are at school the whole day, Zora and Sanya don’t really have to look after them, right?”

“Yeah, but once they’re home at four they have to do tons of homework, especially Anya, she just started elementary school and she’s full. And Krisha can’t really look after herself. And as much as I don’t like to call myself that, I’m like a mother to them, I act like one, I give them something that the other two simply can’t, because they never had to be a shoulder to cry on, they never got used to sleeping with an ear open to be ready if anything happened, they never had to change diapers. They don’t know what’s Anya’s favourite dress, or Krisha’s favourite book. They don’t know that Sonali loves to stay out as much as possible because the sun reminds her of our mom. And they don’t even know how to cook their favourite dish when they’re hungry. They don’t run to each other when they have love problems, but they come to me. And how can I leave them? If I go, they’ll lose the only point of reference they have. I can’t do this to them.”

Sungchan didn’t know what to say, because everything seemed out of place. He kind of knew what it felt like to not have parents, but at least they had each other, they had more or less the same age, and none of them had to be the parent of the other. But for Anika it was different, she had to be a mother even when she didn’t want to.

“And the worst of it all is, that I don’t even know what I want to prove with all of this,” she confessed, opening her arms to point at the gym.

“That you have dreams, too? That you can do it, even if your father doesn’t believe in you?”

“And what can I do? Stay here and let you beat me because I’m not even that good?” She asked, smiling bitterly. “I should probably quit, and try to protect them from home. What if something happens to them and I won’t be there to keep them safe or at least to die together but I’ll be here?”

Sungchan was about to answer but she spoke again.

“I can’t turn my back to them like that. No matter how much I care for all of this, I just can’t.”

“I think you should stay,” Anika jumped on the spot not expecting nobody else to be there with her in the changing room. She looked up and her eyes made contact with Liv’s green pearls through the mirror.

The red-haired was standing behind her, her body perfectly wrapped in a tight skin long-sleeved shirt and her toned legs in black sweat pants. Her lips were tinted with a bright red, and her hair was falling perfectly on her freckled face.

Somehow she managed to look stunning even after a long day of training, something Anika simply couldn’t. She looked back at herself in the mirror and made a disgusted face; the eye bags were disgusting and all the bruises were a clear reminder that that wasn’t her place, her eyes, puffed with tears, didn’t do a thing to make her look better.

Liv walked closer to her, and her fingers moved her long black her behind her ear.

“You should stay,” she whispered, and then jumped on the marbled surface of the sink, her thumb gently wiping away the tears that were still rolling on Anika’s face.

“You’re saying it out of pity,” she mumbled, her eyes not finding the courage to look at hers.

Liv shook her head and smiled. “I’m saying this because I believe in you.”

Anika’s face snapped up, her heart skipping a beat, nobody ever told her that, not even Sungchan when he was comforting her. Nobody ever believed in her, not even herself. And on top of that, hearing those words from her had... another effect.

“I think you are a good addition to the team,” she said, her voice sweet, totally different compared to when she used to train, and now definitely lower and sexier than when she was a teenager. Anika looked at her face, and bit her lower lip as she felt her heart beat faster, they were so close that she was sure Liv could hear it. It was strange that now Liv was standing so close to her when all of her teenage years she appeared like an unreachable dream to her. Liv kind of intimidated her, but also fascinated her. She was always so exuberant and eye-catching with her long red hair, her colourful lipsticks, her bold eye shadow and eyeliner. Anika still remembers when she walked into the bar the first time asking her for a private room where they could stay and hide from the public eyes, her big smile and her high pigtails tied with two green ribbons. Anika thought that if she wanted to go incognito that was a pretty bold look to do it, but she was so exuberant that nobody would imagine that was the daughter of the rulers. Liv definitely changed, but her eyes didn’t, cat-like and deep, curios and wild.

Anika shook her head, snapping out of her toughs. “Mh,” she mumbled, senselessly, “but I’m not.”

“I wasn’t asking. You are,” the short-haired remarked, swinging her legs back and forth.

“What am I even good at?”

“You have force, but you’re not quite fast, we need to find something that suits you the best.”

“See, useless.”

“No, you’re perfect to be an archer.”

Anika furrowed, as far as she remember that was Liv’s speciality. “An archer? Isn’t it your place?”

“Yes, but I kind of dropped it, developed new skills let’s say, I’m too fast now to be good at it,” she explained smiling, she loved doing it, but to be honest, now she liked more dynamic things, she liked to feel the speed, the air running on her, jump around, be more physical. And archery requested too many critical toughs, being able to calculate in a short amount of time and never miss, being fast at judging the distances of the aim, and hitting.

“You have a firm and steady pose, even when you move around. You have good coordination and balance. I’m sure that with some practice we can get you there.”

“You don’t have time for this, for me.”

“I do, I have time for you.”

They made eye contact and time still for a while, there was something incredibly soothing in that atmosphere, no matter they were basically standing in a bathroom. Anika lowered her head again and moved her long silky hair to the side of her neck, messily putting them in a low ponytail, leaving a few strands out.

“I have to start from zero,” she said, pressing her lips in a thin line. “You’ll have to turn me into a completely new person, and trust me, you don’t believe in me to go that far.”

Liv raised her head, two fingers under her chin so that she was looking into her eyes.

“Well, I can’t wait to prove you wrong,” she whispered, leaning closer, their nose almost touching.

Anika’s eyes fell on her red bow-shaped lips and gulped. “And what are you going to do?”

Liv smiled, “I’ll make you my hero.”

#nct fanfiction #nct fantasy au #nct royal au #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream #wayv

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howlingday · 3 years

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jaune D&D au) dwarf nora, goblin neo, and halfling ruby get into an argument over who's the hottest short stack. poor paladin jaune is caught in the cross fire and made to decide. dang it! he specifically asked his goddess (pyrhha goddess of victory and just war) NOT to give him a harem

You Must Be This Tall To Answer

"My Lady, Pyrrha Victoria, I beseech thee!"

Jaune cried out to the heavens. The clouds parted at time stilled, a golden light shining through, blocked only by the heavenly visage of a maiden in battle armor. Her armor and shield were a shining bronze with only a few scuffs marring them. Her hair was a blazing red, alive like fire as it glowed beckoningly upon her champion. Her eyes were a glistening emerald green, with promise of victory growing with every moment they gazed upon him.

She parted her lips and spoke in a heavenly voice. Any lesser man unworthy of her would falter at the words she spoke next.

"Sup, Jaune?"

"I need your help, Pyrrha." Jaune fell to his knees. "I don't know what to do."

"Oh, and what might this be in reference to?"

"Didn't you see it? I thought you were omniscient."

"I was in the bath."

"That doesn't explain-"

"Jaune," the Paladin straightened, "what's the problem?"

Jaune took a deep breath before explaining. "We were on our way to stop the Crimson Bull from attacking a human settlement nearby, but all of a sudden, the girls started fighting one night!"

"Any reason why?"

"I don't know!" Jaune answered, arms extended above his head. "I went to bed one night, and the next morning, they're stand-offish with each other, and now they're asking me about who's better of them.

"Better as in how?"

"Something about being a shortstack?"

"I can't imagine."

Last night, Jaune had slipped into his tent for bed. Shortly after, Ruby tip-toed to his tent, taking advantage of her light halfling steps. Her red cape billowed in the soft night breeze.

She was caught off-guard, however, as Neo yanked her by her hair and tossed her away, a common tactic in goblin mating battles. Her scarred throat seemed to glow in the firelight.

Neo approached with her knife, but was tossed away from the tent with ease by Nora's dwarven strength. She chuckled as she stroked her beard, sneering at the goblin.

It was at this point that the three noticed each other's attire. Ruby was in a nightgown with beautiful rose-embroidery along the hem. Neo was more risque with a revealing blouse and skirt reserved for brothels. Nora decided to the hells with subtlety and stood naked and proud in front of the tent.

"Now, where the fuck do you think you two are going?"

Neo silently growled at the dwarf.

Ruby stood up and pointed. "I'm going to check on Jaune! He's been having nightmares, so I'm going to see if I can help!"

"Ha!" Nora waved a hand in front of her. "I don't remember our fearless leader mentioning a thing about nightmares once. Don't forget, I've been in the party longer than the both of you!"

"Yeah, well, I knew him a lot longer than you!" Ruby defended. "I just needed to help my sister."

"More like you needed your sister's help!" Nora guffawed at the red halfling. She then shot a fist to her left, forcing Neo to jump away. "And don't think you can slip past me with your shadow step, soft-bumps!" Neo glares at the girl. "You may not have been in the party long, but that doesn't mean I don't know who you are. Now, both of you kindly," Nora scooped up some dirt and rubbed it into her palms before spitting into them as well. She slapped her chest and bellowed, "Back the fuck off!"

"I just don't know what to do, Pyrrha." Jaune looked to the sky above as he laid back.

"Well, it's as I always say, Jaune," her champion joined her as she reminded him, "a party needs a strong pillar in fertile ground to rise to bliss."

"I know, I know, but what does that even mean?!" Jaune sat up. "I'm not a carpenter, or a farmer, or a philosopher! What am I supposed to do?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I'm sorry, Jaune, but I must go. The others are calling me."

"What others?!" Jaune jumped up to the fading goddess, "You always pull this crap! You give some fake wisdom and bail on me!"

"May you forever walk in fall's grace."

"Get back here and help me!" Jaune threw up a gesture. "Fuck you, you red-haired bitch!"

"Well, isn't that a prayer if ever I heard one?" Jaune spun in place, meeting the grinning dwarf, the silently snickering goblin, and the blushing halfling. Nora groomed her beard with a smile. "Maybe I should be a champion, too? Sounds like a fun goddess to serve."

"She really isn't." Jaune sighed. "So, are we ready to go?"

"Just as soon as you answer our question." Jaune groaned. "What? You think getting alone time with your goddess gets you a free pass?" Neo and Ruby shook their heads. "In case you forgot, I'll ask again. Of the three of us, who is the best shortstack?"

"I mean, can't I say all of you?"

"Oh, sure you can!" Jaune relaxed at this. "Just like you can say we're all the strongest, the fastest, and the leader of this party!" Jaune's relaxation quickly shifted to exhaustion. "C'mon! You can't expect a halfling to be cuter than me!"

"I mean, why not?" Ruby perked up at his answer. "She's fast, and light. She reminds me of a bunny rabbit. Or maybe a mouse, since she squeaks like one when she's nervous." Ruby did just that as she hid behind her cape, blushing.

"Okay, she's cute," Nora admitted, "but she cannot be sexy. Nobody wants a mouse in their sheets, and especially not a toad." She shot a glare at Neo, who silently snarled at Nora.

"Actually," the spotlight was on Jaune once more, "I kind of think Neo is sexy. I don't mind her bumps, and the way she slips into tight spaces is pretty hot." Neo smiled, then stuck her tongue out at Nora.

"Well, she may not be hard on the eyes for you, but she can't compare to the raw sexual energy a full-figured woman like myself!" Nora posed erotically. "Wouldn't you agree, oh fearless leader?"

"But you aren't sexy, Nora." Ruby and Neo covered their mouths to hold their laughs. Nora cracked her neck and her knuckles as she approached Jaune, who stammered. "W-What I mean, uh, is that you're not sexy, but, uh, beautiful!" Jaune covered his face. When no beatings came, he uncovered his face and saw the Blushing dwarf make a gesture to continue. "Well, uh, you always have something to say, and I really admire that confidence. I mean, you're the first in every fight, the last one standing, and you know what to say to lift my spirits up when I'm down. I mean, in my mind, you're what I always imagined my wife would be like, Nora."

Nora pushed past him, holding her sack close over her shoulder. "We wasted enough time. Let's go." As she pushed forward, the party behind her, she did her best to hide the blush in her beard.

Ruby ran up to Jaune's side. She fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke. "Um, you don't think I'm sexy?"

"I mean, in your own way, but-" Jaune was caught in a trap. There was no way for him to get out.

"So, you wouldn't want a mouse in your sheets?" Ruby asked. Taking the line offered, he climbed out of the web, chuckling as he answered.

"I'm not exactly against it."

#rwby #rwby au #rwby d&d au #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #neopolitan #ruby rose #pyrrha nikos #my answers #lancaster #nora’s arc #nora's arc #noras arc #silent knight

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kokichi-and-co-imagine-blog · 4 years

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Hope you didn’t miss the DRTC AU too much!

It took forever to edit, but with the rough bits out of the way, I can safely say that chapter three is finally here!

Thank God, it’s Danganpocalypse Chapter 3!

A loud crash sounded, making the ground beneath everyone’s feet tremble.

“This isn’t necessarily ideal.”

“That’s one way to put it!”

Kaito was almost back to back with the Ultimate Neo Aikido master in retaliation to the feeling of everything falling apart, leaving them defenseless to whatever was going to be coming their way. An indignant yelp sounded from Tenko as a hand grabbed her ankle with ferocity. A zombie pinned by a portion of the second floor tried to pull her closer to it's gnashing mouth. She started trying to rip her leg from its grasp, only for it to remain attached. Tenko grabbed onto Kaito’s jacket for some sort of stability as she screamed for it to release her. Suddenly, there was no tension on her leg. A serrated survival knife had swiftly chopped at the wrist on the marred hand, causing it to stay attached to her but not be a problem. The zombie continued to flail it's rotted appendage at Tenko.

“It’s not that hard, I mean it.” A girl with short black hair picked herself off the ground and walked over to the knife, picking it up from where it laid and rubbing off some of the gross remnants onto her pants.

“That isn’t something most girls would do, y’know,” Kaito stated, grimacing a bit.

“So? This isn’t a circumstance most girls wouldn’t find themselves in. Adapting is the best way to do things.” She put the knife in its holster before looking at the other two in a questioning manner. Kaito was about to raise an objection when Tenko cut him off excitedly.

“That was amazing, Junko! I’m seriously impressed-- the way you took that zombie down so effortlessly had me shook.” Tenko grabbed the other girl’s hands with a bright smile. A pink tint touched her cheeks before she quickly shook her head, smiling a little bit.

“I don’t suppose it was that cool. That was just the most tactful approach I could think of.” Tenko continued to fawn over her while Kaito looked around the new rubble. While it was hard to see at first glance, more and more hands started popping into vision along with other body parts finding their way to the surface. Kaito held back a disgusting feeling in his throat and grabbed Tenko much to her dismay and started running fearfully. It took one glance before Junko realized that she should be running too. She caught up with her group easily, keeping pace and calmly surveying her surroundings for other threats.

The group ran for what seemed like forever, their feet starting to throb in pain. Kaito cursed himself for his sense of fashion, but he couldn't pass up a pair of galaxy slippers, knowing full well that they wouldn’t be able to stay together past the following couple days.

“How the hell are you not complaining about your feet while you run in your geta? It just doesn’t make sense!” Kaito yelled to Tenko, who was now on her own two feet running towards what looked like a junkyard.

“Training for long hours every day definitely helped, meaning you have no excuse to be whining about your footwear! Isn’t training for anything aeronautical hard, or do they just let any degenerate male in?!” Tenko retorted, causing Kaito to shut up. They made their way to the rusty scenery, piling into a small office building on the side of it to rest. Everyone in the building struggled to catch their breath while barricading the door. When they had finally managed to make it hard to get through, Kaito had fallen to the ground, taking a knee and groaning.

He looked at his leg, which he knew had been infected only an hour before. He looked back up at the two girls in chairs talking to one another, and his heart sank. He wasn’t ready for his hero work to be done, especially when there were still people out there that needed him. He still wanted to recruit sidekicks and live his life for those who were afraid to do things for themselves. He bit his lip, pondering whether or not to break the news while they had a place to breathe.

“You look like you have something on your mind, what’s up?” Junko asked, kneeling in front of the man with curious eyes. He blinked a couple times before backing up on instinct. He paused for a moment before deciding on what to do.

“I was just thinking about some of my previous sidekicks. You remind me of one of them. Maki roll had a hard time tackling her greatest enemy, and I can’t help but think that you’re doing the same thing.” He confronted. While it wasn’t what was actively on his mind, he figured now would be a good time to bring up what had been bothering him before.

“...” The shocked silence filled the building with a tension that was hard to cut through at first, but Kaito was determined to get to the bottom of it. He stood back up, ignoring the dull pain in his leg as he did so.

“Well? What’s your enemy?” He challenged, making Junko close her eyes and sigh. She got back up, dusting off her pants and looking away from him.

“I guess you could say my problem is one that I can’t face. There’s not a way I can get those words out of my mouth that wouldn’t end catastrophically for your hopes.” Kaito growled in frustration, unsatisfied with her answer.

“That’s a cowardly thing to say.”

The room fell quiet once more, and Junko felt like a different person entirely as she stared at the floor away from the two of them intensely. There was a moment where, if Kaito had been in any other situation, would have ran as if his life depended on it. She moved quickly, turning to him and getting close to his face.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be unable to give yourself a decent enough haircut! The idea that I don’t look like runway material because some idiot decided to cause the dead to make a fuss is really pissing me off.”

“But, didn’t you say you had military traini-” Tenko asked behind the two of them tentatively.

“What, can I not have both careers in my past?” Junko raised an eyebrow and scoffed. Tenko raised up her hands defensively, deciding she’d be better off minding her own business.

“I’m not gonna believe that’s what’s bothering you unless you prove otherwise. You don’t seem like the type to fret over your appearance.” Kaito said dismissively, waving his hand. With that, the three of them sat awkwardly, Tenko looking through the desk to see if she could find anything to fight with.

“Any luck finding food on that desk?” Junko asked as she fiddled with the vest she had found in a military stock store. Tenko threw a pack of ritz crackers to Junko, who caught it in one hand and observed it for herself. She would’ve normally made a remark about how little it was, but she knew better than that with some of the brutal training she had endured before.

As they sat in silence, Junko seemed to ruminate on being confronted so brashly. Her appearance was the furthest from her worries, but she couldn’t come out and say otherwise. Telling the people you’re traveling with that you aren’t who you’ve claimed to be the entire time would cause a commotion, but keeping it from them felt crueler. She wasn’t anything like her sister. The real Junko would be taking in all of this horrifying experience with demented pleasure. While she may have been like that at one point, it was Mukuro who just wanted to get away from the name that caused so much trouble in the past.

Her real name was Mukuro. Even stripped of her sister’s clothing and the wig she had worn to disguise who she was, she still had kept the name and the M.O. of her now missing sister. Truth be told, she had regretted it when she had met all of her classmates for the first time. That being said, she felt incredible relief when Makoto had saved her and continued to do so with all of their other classmates, but she still hadn’t apologized for hiding her identity. Everyone split up after the failed killing game in an attempt to fix the havoc her sister created, leaving her to her own devices. She floundered around for a bit before finding a purpose in supplying those in need with weapons to fight against the looming threats. She learned not to think too much about the people she sold to, as they probably weren’t going to make it incredibly far.

It wasn’t long before Tenko broke the silence accidentally, her stomach growling loud enough for everyone to hear. She refused to acknowledge the two sets of eyes watching her with worry.

“When was the last time you ate?” Kaito asked. Tenko shrugged as she went underneath the desk, trying to break a locked cabinet for whatever slim chance it had of being something useful. Mukuro looked at the crackers she had been tossed before sighing and walking over to Tenko, bending down so she would be closer to whatever compartment she had been working on. She opened the pack and ate a couple of the crackers before handing them to Tenko.

“H-hey, Junko! I thought you wanted these?” She asked, looking down at her.

“It wouldn’t do you any good to go hungry, though. Models have to starve to be magazine-ready, so this is nothing new.” She examined the lock that was barring their progress. With a pistol she’d been carrying, she motioned to Tenko to cover her ears. She obliged, and Mukuro shot the lock, ignoring Kaito’s scream as it disabled the mechanism, putting it beyond repair. She smiled as she got back up, looking over at Tenko and motioning her to open it for herself. She nodded quickly as she pulled at it’s handle. Her eyes lit up at the contents; she had found not only a couple first aid kits, but enough candy to fill a shoebox. She looked around for a bag, rustling around until she found one. She started scooping out the contents and putting it into the bag, reminiscent of a trick or treater.

“You know you could’ve warned me you were about to do that, right?” Kaito mumbled, his ears still ringing from the sound. Mukuro walked over to him, looking him in his eyes.

“You’re right, I could have. But I was mad at you.” She looked up in contemplation before fiddling with another holster near her knife. Kaito closed his eyes in fear only to be smacked with a crinkling wrapper. He watched it fall to the floor for a moment before scrambling to pick it up.

“Where did you get this? Have you been holding onto this the entire time?!” He yelled. She nodded, mumbling something about not always being as selfish as she seems. He glanced at it, wondering whether or not to bother eating. If he was going to die, wasn’t it just wasting resources?

That’s right. Death was around the corner for him.

The realization hadn’t fully set in until he looked at the chocolate chip granola bar for a little too long, realizing there was going to be a final meal he ever ate. There was going to be a final set of words to send the two girls off with. There was going to be so many lasts, and he wished he hadn’t let that sink into his head.

“...lo? Hello?” He blinked a bit as a pale hand waved in front of his face quickly, causing him to blink and snap out of his thoughts. He smiled, and unwrapped the bar.

“You do know that we should get a move on as soon as possible, right?” He asked as he continued to chew, causing Tenko to make a disdainful face at his actions. Mukuro hesitated, looking down at the ground before nodding. She made one last look around the room for anything important they could take with them. She found a crowbar, and held it in her hands.

“What have you been fighting with?” She asked Kaito. He laughed, and it was only then that Mukuro realized she hadn’t seen him hold a weapon the entire time they were working together. She shoved the crowbar into his hands, and he noticed her disapproving glare. He decided to ignore it, taking it. With a quiet grumble of gratitude, he looked out the window to see it was still light out, and their quiet safe haven was about to become incredibly infested.

He was cursing their luck of having nothing to use in the means of faster travel when he noticed something he hadn’t seen before: a small minivan. He gasped, pulling Mukuro by the shoulder so it would be in her view too.

“Wait, really? Do you think there are any keys around here?” She asked. Tenko resumed looking around the room, and Kaito continued to look out the window until he finally found what he was looking for. On a pile of rubble, in a probably cold and lifeless hand, was a key ring with multiple keys on it. Without telling the others his plan, he dashed out, cursing as he felt rocks get into his slippers. He continued moving in fear of the horde that was on the horizon getting too close for comfort. Tenko hastily grabbed the bag with one hand and Mukuro in the other before making a break for it after him, coming to his side in case he needed any aid. He grabbed the keys and ran to the car, unlocking it.

The group piled into the car, buckling their seat belts as Kaito slammed the keys into the ignition. He felt the car stutter beneath him, not fully starting. He took the key out and put it back in quickly, but to no avail; the car wasn’t turning on all the way.

“Why isn’t it working, damnit?!”

“Turn on the car!!”

“I’m trying!!!”

“Turn the wheel left and right quickly, it’s probably locked, causing the car to not fully turn on,” Mukuro said quickly, making the motions of turning the wheel to him. He obliged, mimicking her motions as she turned the key for him. The car finally turned on, and Kaito hit the gas pedal a bit harder than he should’ve. He winced at the growing pain in his leg as they sped off, leaving the zombies behind. Mukuro watched the way he favored his other leg, choosing not to say anything about it for the time being. Instead, she looked in the glove compartment for anything that could fill whatever silence they were about to be in. an old iPod touch was sitting there with the charger cable still inside. She held the button for a few moments as the screen turned on and a logo brightly shined on the black background.

“Guess we aren’t gonna have to sit in silence, eh? Good find!” Kaito stated.

“Ooh, does it have any Beyoncé? I haven’t gotten to listen to her since this started!” Tenko piped up from behind them, poking her head between the two front seats. They waited with baited breath as the screen turned on. Mukuro unlocked the phone, thanking whatever god was out there for the fact of someone not putting a pin on it. She ran through the apps, amused at how many free to play games were on it along with a Youtube MP3 converter. She looked through, a little baffled at the choices of music. In the end, she went with what looked like a podcast of Dungeons and Dragons. The car was filled with loud music, and it faded into the dungeon master talking of elves on a runway, voguing as one of the members got incredibly excited.

Byt the end of the drive, they had listened to three episodes, wishing that they could have downloaded the previous episodes. Kaito stopped in front of a lone house on a hill, seemingly abandoned. He motioned to it as he turned off the car and got out. The others followed in pursuit, watching his back as he opened the front door with no human response from inside. They looked around the house, astounded at their luck; there was no sign of zombies being in the vicinity of the place. Tenko squealed when she went into a room and found a soft bed, burying her face into it. Mukuro looked in a garage, finding multiple tools for barricading the door. Kaito looked into the kitchen, finding boxes of cereal and cup ramen.

They all came back to the front door, reporting what they found. Mukuro looked at them as she held a hammer and a fistful of nails.

“Can you guys get the table from the dining room? If that’s possible, we should be able to use the tabletop for keeping the door shut.” Tenko and Kaito nodded and went over to it, lifting it up with some ease. Kaito held back the urge to scream as his leg felt more pressure than before. They brought it up to the front and propped it against the doorway. With some time and a bit of labor, they were all pleased with their haphazard blockade.

For a moment, everyone stood silent, unsure of what to do. Kaito felt the glances of his two companions practically asking for orders, and he moved a hand through his not as spiky hair, trying to find some excuse to be on his own.

“I, uh, think I need to get some rest. Not sure what you two need to do, but you should keep in mind an opportunity like this doesn’t happen everyday. Hopefully not sleeping on the floor will do wonders,” He chuckled a bit as he saw Tenko look away, already eyeing the bedroom she had went to earlier. Mukuro nodded solemnly, already walking off to what Kaito assumed was the living room. He stood there a moment longer before finding a bathroom and locking the door quietly.

Whether he wanted it to be or not, this would probably be the final stop he had before turning. He put his leg up on the toilet seat gently and rolled up his pant leg, seeing if there was anything he could do. He grimaced as the wounds discoloration had taken more of his leg than he realized possible. He put a hand over his mouth to make sure no one heard him as he poked it, recoiling almost immediately at the searing pain that came with the touch. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself before looking in a medicine cabinet. There wasn’t much for tending to wounds, but dressing was a different story.

While it wasn’t much, a medical wrap laid untouched next to what he assumed were medical staples. He took the wrap and held it and quickly ripped some toilet paper to act as gauze. After gently putting it on the wound, he began wrapping it. The sting from a foreign substance felt sickening and he had to stop frequently to make sure he didn’t make a sound. When he had finished, he looked at a clock and cursed to himself. He flushed the toilet, making a sigh purposefully loud enough for everyone to hear. He quickly rolled back down his pant leg before walking out, giving a huge thumbs up to Mukuro, who had been pouring a bowl of dry cereal.

“You were in there awhile, you okay?” She asked softly, putting down the box. He gave a thumbs up, walking over to the sink in the kitchen.

“Yep! It’s just that sometimes, nature calls!” He turned the sink on and began washing his hands.

“For an hour?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep.”

“... Huh. Seems legit,” she said, shrugging as she went to find a spoon in one of the many drawers. He let the tension in his shoulders go for a moment, taking in the moment of relaxation. It wasn’t until just then when he realized the place had a back door into what looked to be a fenced backyard. Curious, he opened it and took it in.

Truth be told, it wasn’t much of a yard to begin with. The grass was growing in patches and weeds were taking over the area, leaving no space for legitimate growth. Dandelions sprinkled the enclosure, the white balancing out the green of the yard nicely. The area was small, but he supposed it would’ve been enough for a small child and maybe a dog to play in.

He let himself sit in the grass, holding one of the many dandelions between his fingers gently. Life had never been so important to him until his was going to be gone in what he could only assume would be hours. His uncharacteristically slow and uncertain actions would’ve made Shuichi or Maki ask how he’d been, but he knew that they were somewhere further along the trip to Canada (or, so he’d hoped.). He took his jacket off and laid it in the grass before sitting down and looking up. The sky was just as blue as it had been before this mess had started. He hated to think it, but he knew it’d most likely be like that long after he was gone too.

“Mind if I join you?”

Kaito looked behind him to see Mukuro still holding her cereal, leaning on the doorway. He patted part of his jacket, and she walked over to sit next to him. The quietness they shared while she crunched on her cereal was more comfortable than it had been before.

“Has something been bothering you?” Mukuro finally asked, looking over to him. He bit his lip, looking away as he thought about the question.

“Well, of course. Lots of things bother a person when they gotta run through an entire country,” Kaito stated.

“I don’t think that you’re telling me the entire truth.”

“Maybe so, but sometimes it’s just challenging.” He held the dandelion out in front of him for a moment before blowing on it, letting the pappus fall apart. One of the seeds got incredibly close to Mukuro’s nose, causing her to sneeze. He bit back a remark of the sneeze being kind of cute. She glares at him, shaking her head.

“You know, for someone who wants me to tell them what bothers me, you aren’t exactly setting an example.”

“Maybe setting an example could compromise how you look at me.”

“Wow, it’s almost like that’s the exact reason I didn’t tell you what you wanted to know.” Mukuro grabbed at some grass absentmindedly, trying to find something to do with her hands. Kaito looked her up and down, thinking about if he should just bite the bullet and admit to his impending doom.

“I uh.... You really want me to go first, huh?” He said, mumbling. She gave him a look of curiosity before nodding. He took a breath and held it in for a moment.

“What I’m gonna say is gonna be really rough, and I need you to not react horribly or anything,” he said, the silence making him pressured to continue. “Time is… not really on my side, if you know what I’m saying.”

“What are you-” Mukuro started, her eyes squinting.

“I know you haven’t known me long, and I know that this is super sudden, but I’m probably gonna bounce tonight to make sure I don’t infect anyone here when the time comes, I-”

“What?!” She whipped her head around to see his slightly pained face as he looked down at his leg. She scooted over to him and rolled up his pant leg before he could object at all. The putrid smell of the injury made her gag, and the sight definitely matched the scent. She moved away, a hand to her mouth as she backed up. Kaito looked away from her and the discoloration that was crawling up his leg more than he’d seen before. When Mukuro finally regained her composure, she looked at him.

“I’m-” she paused, trying to hold down the gross taste in her mouth, “... I’m gonna chop it off.”

“What?! No!!” Kaito screeched, looking at her in fear.

“Is everything alright down there?” Tenko called, opening the window and looking down at the two of them.

“U-uh, yeah! Yeah, everything’s fine. Just an argument and stuff.” Kaito quickly explained, giving Mukuro a nervous smile. She hesitantly nodded, waving up at Tenko.

“It’s fine, really. Don’t let us stop you from what you’re doing.” Mukuro smiled softly, and Tenko gave her a thumbs up before closing the window. Kaito looked at her again with the same horrified look.

“Are you insane?!” He hissed at her, getting up. “I need both legs to be able to go places; disabling me is practically a death sentence anyway!”

“Sure, but have you considered that you’re with other people? I’d be more worried if I were alone, but you should rely on those around.” She responded with worry as she watched him sort of struggle to get upright. Mukuro decided to prop him up, slinging his arm around her neck.

“Either way, I’ll probably die. Even if it wasn’t going to be the death of me, I’d feel useless not being able to rescue people with the rest of you. When me and Tenko first found you and brought you back to somewhere safer, you have no idea how…“ He fumbled over his words and started waving his hands wildly in an attempt to regather his thoughts. “... How inspiring it was-- that’s probably the closest I’m gonna get to whatever I was trying to say-- to see that we could make a difference. You’ve felt it too, haven’t you?”

Mukuro thought about it, remembering when they first found the girl Tenko had called Himiko in a pile of rubble, muttering about not having the mana to stop the building from toppling after a siege and carrying the small girl on her back made her feel. She remembered bringing her back to the camp and helping her patch up some of her clothes and sharing a meal around the fire with the three of them. The thought of that warmed her up a bit, and she dropped her shoulders slightly.

“I guess I understand what you’re talking about.” She watched his face go through a few emotions, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was recalling it all too.

“Then maybe you get that I can’t just let that ideal go.” He stared her down with a fire in his eyes she’d never seen. Passion seemed to be what motivated him, but it’d never felt like it was going to physically manifest in front of her.

“... You’re really just going to let yourself die, huh.” Mukuro mused, choosing to suspend her disbelief.

“If that’s how you view it, then sure.” He finally rolled down his pant leg again, doing his best to drape it in a way that would avoid the sensitive area. His hands planted on the ground as he struggled to get up, groaning when his legs finally cooperated. He offered a hand to Mukuro, who took it and let him bring her up to her feet. She brushed some of the grass sticking to her off and stared at Kaito, who was already walking into the house and waving at her.

“Wait!” She clenched her fists and yelled, her eyes squeezed shut. He stopped, and turned his head a bit to look at her. The expressions on her face were an arrange of things he hadn’t seen her show, and it definitely didn’t seem as if it’d be fair to not hear what else she had to say.

“I…” she bit her lip, trembling as she looked to her left. “Mukuro. Not Junko.” She opened her eyes to see him with a brighter smile than he’d ever given. She regained her composure, letting the air in her lungs go. She hadn’t been aware of how she was holding her breath until her chest started feeling weird.

“It’s been a pleasure, Mukuro.” He walked back inside, leaving her out in the grassy area. She looked up at the sky, knowing she did the right thing. She closed the door as she walked back out.

Night fell faster than normal, marking Kaito’s departure. He had been shaking more, and his frame in the light exposed how frail he’d become in the matter of a day. His hand rested on the doorknob of the backyard once more, stopping when a hand fell on his shoulder. He sighed, turning to see Mukuro with a knife in offering.

“There-there might still be some time, so I thought you could change your mind?” She gripped it loosely, giving him an insistent look. He took it, watching the moon’s reflection in it as he brandished it. He looked at the girl who’s eyes stayed on the knife the entire time.

“You know I’m not gonna do it.” Kaito mumbled, pulling his shirt up to show his skin taking the same coloration of his infected leg. She bit her lip again, not taking the knife back as he held it out to her. He watched as Mukuro picked at loose threads, averting her gaze. He closed his eyes, and Maki took her place, playing with her hair and puffing her cheeks out slightly. He chuckled, knowing that there was something that he’d seen in her, the same something was in Mukuro. Her mannerisms, and her strengths-- they mirrored Maki almost perfectly.

He held his tongue from saying how she was like his friend, but took off his coat, draping it on her shoulders. He took off his slippers and placed them carefully near the hinge of the door.

“The impossible is possible, you know.” Kaito thought about how wild it was that he was able to save anyone, like a real hero and smiled. “The toughest challenges are always gonna look scary from a distance, but that just means you gotta be a bit scary too. You just have to hype yourself up beforehand.”

Mukuro watched the way he spoke, his eyes looking up and his hand movements livening him up.

“Just… don’t let those things scare you for too long. It’s been fun.” With a final thumbs up, he opened the door, and shut it, finding the lock on the gate of the little yard.

The moment he was out of sight, Mukuro let her face fall into her palms, finally crying. The bitter taste of failure to keep someone alive stayed in her mouth as she clutched onto his jacket, the sleeves wrinkling under her grasp. Her shoulder shook as she tried to suppress the volume of her cries. She slumped against the door, hiccuping a bit as she held his jacket tightly.

And that’s where she stayed the entire night.

8 notes · View notes

razieltwelve · 5 years

Text

Coffee (RWBY AU Snippet)

Note: This is in the same AU as Enforcer.

X X X

Pyrrha Nikos was the proud owner of a small cafe about five minutes walk from one of the city’s larger train stations. It was busy, but not so busy she couldn’t learn her customers’ names. She loved to greet each of them with a smile, and being able to brighten their days with a nice cup of coffee and a slice of cake was so much better than the life she’d left behind.

Well, the life she’d tried to leave behind.

One of the waitresses shouted out an order, and Pyrrha froze. She knew that order. In her entire life, she’d only met one person who ordered hot chocolate with that much sugar in it along with chocolate and hazelnut chip cookies.

“Amy,” she murmured. “Who ordered that?”

“It was a woman,” Amy replied. “She seemed really excited to be here, boss. It was a bit weird, actually. She kept saying she hadn’t eaten any of your cookies in ages.”

“What did she look like?”

“It’s funny.” Amy smiled. “She had silver eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen anyone with eyes that exact colour.”

X X X

Pyrrha waited until the morning rush was over before she ushered the rest of her staff out and closed the cafe. With her face set into as neutral an expression as she could manage, she sat down on the other side of the table.

“It’s been a while, Ruby.”

The other woman smiled sunnily. “It’s been ages, Pyrrha. Your cookies still taste the same! I get some from the All-Night Bakery, but yours are still better.” Ruby tilted her head to one side. “But it’s funny… people say this cafe has been here for months, but you never said you were back in town.”

Pyrrha paused to consider her next words very carefully. Once upon a time, she’d helped turn Ruby into one of the deadliest people in the world. She knew better than anyone that Ruby was not entirely stable. “I was turning over a new leaf.”

“A new leaf, huh?” Ruby frowned and munched on the cookie she’d been saving. “You mean you don’t, you know, kill people anymore?”

“No. No, I don’t.”

“But you were so good at it,” Ruby replied. “Like… you were even better than me.” She giggled. “Although I’ve gotten better since then. Why’d you quit?”

“I… I was just sick of it all.” Pyrrha looked down at her hands. “I… I’ve killed a lot of people, Ruby. Far more than even you. I don’t know when exactly, but I stopped being able to look at myself in the mirror.”

“Mirrors are overrated,” Ruby replied quietly. “They never show you what you need to see.” She leaned forward. “I knew plenty of people who needed killing who could look themselves in the mirror just fine, Pyrrha.” Ruby shrugged. “So this is what you do now, I guess.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re happy doing this?” Ruby took another bite of her cookie. “You don’t miss going out on missions with me and the others? Those were really fun.”

“They were fun,” Pyrrha admitted. There was a part of her that still craved the visceral thrill of combat. She had been the best in the world, an assassin and mercenary whose mere presence often resulted in surrender from all but the most elite opponents. How many times had she risked death alongside Ruby and the others only to somehow emerge victorious?

“Weiss misses you too,” Ruby said. “We were good together, the three of us.”

Pyrrha shivered as memories came unbidden to her mind. Weiss was… complicated. In many ways, she was far less stable than Ruby. The civility and decorum she wore hid a core of raw, unbridled rage that burned bitterly cold. It had been fascinating - and intoxicating. More than once, Pyrrha had awakened beside Weiss and Ruby, their limbs entwined, the excitement from a successful mission giving way to something altogether more alluring.

“Are you mad?” Pyrrha asked quietly.

Ruby took a log sip of her hot chocolate. “I was really, really mad for a while. You’re my friend, Pyrrha, and friends don’t just disappear.” Her eyes narrowed, and Pyrrha almost reached for one of the knifes she concealed on her person. At this range, she should be able to strike before Ruby could shoot, but it would be close. “But then Yang reminded me about something. You see, back when we worked for Junior, we knew some other kids who lived on the street.”

“Is that so?” Ruby rarely talked about her past. As far as Pyrrha could tell, it wasn’t something she liked to dwell on. The only bit she really talked about was after she and Yang had met Junior. Everything before that was off limits.

“Yeah. A couple of them found normal jobs. Junior just let them go, and I always wondered why. But he said to me… not everybody can do the things we do. Maybe there’s something wrong with them or maybe there’s something wrong with us, but that’s just how it is.” Ruby looked at Pyrrha. “People change, he said. And that’s okay. If they’re really your friends, then just be happy for them. At least they’re not dead.”

“I should have said something,” Pyrrha conceded. “But I just wanted to leave all of this behind. That’s why I moved to this city. I just… wanted to start somewhere else.”

“Junior also said something else to me,” Ruby replied. “He said that the blood never comes off.” She stood and looked down at Pyrrha. “This is a nice place, Pyrrha. I hope you get to keep it. But you need to know… the White Fang is in town. They’re going to make noise. You’ve got plenty of their blood on your hands. If they find you…”

“I’ll do what I have to,” Pyrrha said. “And thank you for stopping by. Say hello to Weiss for me, but tell her I’m done. I’m out.”

Ruby smiled. “Oh, Pyrrha. None of us are ever getting out.”

X X X

Jaune smiled and handed Pyrrha the burger he’d bought from her favourite place around the corner. He liked to drop by after work, so they could go home together. Besides, the cafe had always had this nice, cosy air to it.

“What’s wrong?” Jaune asked.

Pyrrha shook herself. “I… met an old friend, actually.”

“Didn’t go well?” Jaune asked softly.

“Not exactly. I mean… we didn’t have a problem, but she just brought back some old memories. Not all of them were good.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” He patted her hand. “Is it something I can help you with?” As one of the rising stars in the police department, he had connections of his own. “If you’re in any trouble…”

“It’s nothing like that.” Pyrrha leaned over and kissed him. “But thank you for offering -”

The window of the cafe shattered. Something clattered to the ground nearby.

Grenade.

Pyrrha grabbed Jaune and threw the two of them to the ground as she kicked the table over to shield them from the blast. An instant later, the explosion filled her world. Ears ringing, Pyrrha was vaguely aware of people charging into the cafe.

White Fang.

Moving on instinct, she scrambled for Jaune’s gun. He wasn’t moving. He… no. She had to focus. She grabbed his gun and rolled out of cover. An instant later, four of the White Fang were dead. One of her knives was in her hands, and she quickly gutted a fifth before kicking a piece of debris into the face of a sixth and shooting him in the throat. A seventh lunged at her, and she twisted out of the way. His knife went wide, and she jammed her own into his eye before running toward the van parked outside. It pulled away, and she fired, shattering the windows and then bursting one of the wheels. It lost control, spun, and then was crushed as it was struck by an oncoming truck.

Running back into the cafe, she rushed to Jaune’s side.

“Jaune!” The blond wasn’t moving. Frantically, she checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was weak. Hurriedly, she called an ambulance. She waited until she could hear the sirens before she ran. The police would have questions, questions she couldn’t answer, not yet, at least.

X X X

Ruby yawned and reached for her phone. In her arms, Weiss made a whining sound and bit her.

“Turn that off this instant,” Weiss ordered. She was still crabby about Pyrrha not coming back. Had it been someone else, she might have sent someone to retrieve her, but Pyrrha was… even now, Ruby wasn’t sure she could beat her.

“It’s Pyrrha,” Ruby said.

“What?” Weiss sat up. “Give me the phone!” She barked into the phone. “Pyrrha?”

“White Fang,” Pyrrha said. “They blew up my cafe. Jaune is… he’s in hospital.”

“I see.” Weiss took a deep breath. “And I assume you want us to retaliate.”

“Yes.” Pyrrha’s voice was cold. It was the voice Ruby had heard so many times on the training range. “I want your help.”

“I see. And what do you intend to do?”

“I’m going to kill them all,” Pyrrha replied.

“Well, that I can support.” Weiss paused for a moment, considering. “I shall send some people to help you. I trust that you will not object to my family setting up business in exchange.”

“That is acceptable.” Pyrrha hung up.

Ruby looked at Weiss. “That seems awfully convenient.”

“If you’re wondering if I set Pyrrha up,” Weiss replied. “I didn’t. As much as I would appreciate her coming back, there are limits to my perfidy. She is not someone I would willingly antagonise.” Weiss frowned. “But the fact that they attacked so soon after your visit… I may have to speak to Blake. We have a traitor in our midst.”

X X X

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Roman drawled. He would never have adopted such a flippant tone with Cinder if not for the comforting presence of his partner in crime.

“And you’re being paid very well not to question orders,” Cinder growled. She took a step toward him, only to pause as a stiletto knife appeared in Neo’s hands. It was such a little thing, but in Neo’s hands, it was exceedingly deadly. “Besides, our… links with the White Fang are only temporary. Once Pyrrha begins her counterattack, I doubt there will be any of them left alive. It will be a perfect opportunity to fill the vacuum.”

“You can fill the vacuum,” Roman replied. “I’m only getting paid to provide weapons, equipment, and transport. I’ll leave the fighting to you and yours. How sure are you that the White Fang don’t realise that you’re setting them up?”

Cinder laughed. “Those beasts? I barely had to do anything. I just mentioned that I knew Pyrrha’s location, reporting it as any good ally would. It was their decision to go after her. I can’t be blamed for their foolishness.”

“You’d better hope Pyrrha doesn’t find out you were involved and that the Schnees don’t make that source you’ve got talk.”

“The source has already been dealt with.” Cinder chuckled. “Emerald and Mercury are so good at tying up loose ends.”

“Well, good luck.” Roman got to his feet. “You’ll need it. Come on, Neo. Let’s go. We’ve got another shipment coming up tomorrow, and I’d like to get some sleep.”

#rwby #enforcer #fanfiction #ruby rose #pyrrha nikos #weiss schnee #cinder fall #roman torchwick #neopolitan

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dekinswritings · 5 years

Text

L1-L1 WH80 - Chapter 5, Beer

"Traditionally brewed beer has become a luxury, but this one's pretty close to the real deal..."

VA-11 HALL-A AU. HonoUmi. NicoMaki.

Word count: 5.9k

[Ao3] [FF.net]

“Umi-chan, you’ve been starin’ at the counter for a whole minute now. If you just wanted my company that badly, you could’ve just asked.”

“S-Sorry.” Had it really been that long? Umi had asked Nozomi for a word as they finished opening the bar tonight, but now words failed to come out of her mouth. Where did she even start? Umi did not know about relationships, crushes or anything at all regarding love. Just thinking of the word made her heart run at a marathon pace and her cheeks turn red like Adelhyde.

“Clearly we’re not getting anywhere if you can’t focus, so concentrate and gimme a Mercuryblast,” Nozomi said as she swiped her card for the transaction.

“Right, Mercuryblast.” Nozomi was right, her train of thought was somehow going through several different rails at neck-breaking speeds. A Mercuryblast, one Adelhyde, one Bronson Extract, three Powdered Delta, three Flanergide and two Karmotrine. All on the rocks and blended. Umi stared at the blue mix as she poured it into its glass. Hadn’t Honoka ordered one of these? She even tried to make a dumb joke about it too. The blue also kind of reminded her of Honoka’s eyes, but the color was not quite right, it should be a deeper tone. Why was Umi suddenly so aware of this drink? And not to mention that-

“Umi.” Nozomi’s voice snapped Umi out of her thoughts and handed the drink to her boss. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Nozomi asked as she swayed her drink in a circular motion.

“I-I figured that you might have… more experience about this sort of topic,” Umi started and, to keep her hands from trembling, grabbed the first glass her hands found and started to clean it, the cloth wiping it faster with each stroke.

In other circumstances, Nozomi would have poked fun at the fact that Umi had ran out of dirty glasses and was simply occupying her hands out of anxiety. Instead, she put down her drink and listened intently.

“And even if you don’t have that much experience on it, even a little bit would be sufficient. I-I myself have not experienced it before, and I consider you a good friend and someone I can talk about this. N-Not like Rin isn’t a good friend either! But… this requires a bit more subtlety and I’d rather not have her talk about this to every client she serves and…”

Nozomi simply listened, and she considered a pretty good listener at that, but Umi had started rambling and dodging whatever she wanted to talk about. “Umi,” she called out for the second time.

Hearing her name again almost made her jump. “D-Did I start ramble?”

“Are you gonna have sex? Is this what this is about?”

If the glasses provided by the BTC had not been made as sturdy as they were, Umi’s grip would have certainly cracked and broken the glass she had been wiping right in her hands. “N-No!” Umi yelled, startling both Nozomi and Rin, who was standing on the other side of the bar. “It’s not about sex!”

“Well, what’s got you so worked up then?”

“It’s Honoka-!” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could catch them. Instead of being met with a smug and playful grin from Nozomi followed by a teaseful joke, Umi found a gentle smile on Nozomi’s smile.

“Honoka, huh? So you finally put the pieces together?”

“T-The pieces? What are you talking about?” Umi put down the glass, knowing that it would eventually crack if she kept it in her hands.

“That you like her.”

Umi managed to keep her mouth shut and only made a muffled scream that was tame enough to not make Rin think that someone was getting murdered inside the bar. Thinking about it made her cheeks red, but hearing it from Nozomi heated up her entire face. “Y-Y-Yes, that… was I wanted to talk about.”

“So, what’re you planning to do?” Nozomi asked as she gently poked her drink.

“W-What do you mean what am I planning to do? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!” Umi was starting to regret asking Nozomi for help. Was she not supposed to be wise, or at least a little bit knowledgeable about these kind of things? “I’m at a loss,” Umi said defeatedly.

“Well, do you wanna go out with her?”

“W-Well…” Umi blushed at the fact that now she was imagining Honoka, walking with her hand in hand. Embarrassment turned into a smile when she pictured Honoka smiling. “Y-Yes, I would.”

“Then just tell her,” Nozomi said curtly and began to drink her Mercuryblast.

Had all the time running a bar with marginal profit finally gotten to her boss? Or was she always this crazy? “I-I can’t just tell her!”

“And why not? I thought you wanted to go out with Honoka.” Nozomi only stopped drinking to talk and immediately continued with her Mercuryblast.

“Because what if she… what if she rejects me?” The thought stung much more than what Umi would have liked. “I… I don’t wish to make things uncomfortable. A-And she has a girlfriend already...”

“Oh, does she?” Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“W-Well… I wouldn’t say I’m completely sure she has one, but that designer did seem to be her girlfriend,” Umi explained and sighed.

“Umi-chan, oh Umi-chan. You’re lookin’ at your cup half-empty again,” Nozomi shook her head. “A maiden in love shouldn’t be brooding! She should be gleefully happy, with butterflies in her stomach.”

“I do feel like I’m going to throw up,” Umi mumbled.

“Cheer up, Umi-chan. You’ve got nothing to worry about, you’re just overthinking yourself to death as per usual. You don’t have to tell Honoka, but the more time you let pass, the more it’ll gnaw at your head and the worse those butterflies in there will get,” Nozomi explained before getting up and offering her worker the now-empty glass. At least she now had something to actually clean. “Chin up, we’ve got a customer coming. I’ll be in my office,” Nozomi bid her farewell with a smile.

“And hey, if you really want that relationship, in the long run it really is about sex!”

Nozomi had taken refuge in the confines of her office too quickly and the steel shaker bottle that Umi threw in a blink of an eye panged against the office door instead of her boss’s face.

Umi glared at the door for a few moments before sighing and walking out of her station to pick up her shaker. Even if the conversation had seemed short and even moot, Nozomi was right: Umi would eventually need to talk to Honoka about this, her feelings were not going to simply disappear.

Once back in her station, Umi wiped the shaker as she began to ponder. She needed to come up with a plan. First, she should clarify what was the relationship between Honoka and Kotori. As much as it pained her to think that there was one in the first place, it would certainly put a quick end to this ordeal. There are plenty of people out there in Neo Tokyo that Umi had yet to meet after all. Going out to meet them seemed like a pain though, and none of the people who came to Lily White shone as bright as the police officer. Umi cursed internally, she was still overthinking everything like Nozomi had said, and she was not getting anywhere. She was in dire need of a distraction, something to clear her mind. More than ever before Umi cursed the lack of customers in the bar-

“Hello?”

Umi had lost count how many times she had failed to notice people in front of her tonight. Looking up, Umi saw Maki sitting in front of her, her designer clothes halfway hidden by contrastingly white coat she wore over them.

“Oh, um, welcome to Lily White,” were all the words that Umi managed to mutter out. With the way things had gone last time Umi saw the doctor, she was certain that she would not come back ever again.

“Uh, yeah,” Maki seemed almost as distracted as the bartender as she looked around the bar. “Has that Lilim come back?”

“E-Excuse me?” Maki’s sudden question caught Umi off-guard. “Do you know Hanayo?”

“Wha- Hanayo?” The doctor repeated in confusion before shaking her head. “No, I meant the idol. The singing robot.”

“Oh, Nico,” Umi should have realized sooner. “No, you made sure to scare her off.” The memories of that night were still fresh in her mind, of how unnerving it had been to discover that Lilim could be that upset.

“O-Oh.” Maki raised one hand to one of her bangs and started to twirl it. She was not sporting a ponytail this time, Umi noticed. In fact, all of her appearance seemed less taken care of, her clothes had wrinkles under the coat and even her makeup did a poor job to conceal the dark eyebags on her face. “A Sunshine Cloud, please.”

Umi nodded and began to prepare her ingredients. As she poured the halves of Adelhyde and Bronson Extract, Umi decided it was for the best to keep the client sober and refrained from adding any alcohol. “I presumed you wouldn’t be coming back,” Umi commented as the drink blended.

“Work’s been more stressful than usual, so I needed a drink,” Maki explained once the blending process was over.

“It has been getting colder, so I'm guessing more people come in with a cold,” Umi chit chatted as she finished preparing Maki’s drink.

“It’s a private hospital, people don’t come to us just for a cold,” Maki denied Umi’s idea as she took her glass. “I’ve been having problems focusing and concentrating.”

“And you thought coming for alcohol would help you with that,” Umi deadpanned.

“Yes,” Maki agreed and was about to take her first sip before slamming her drink onto the counter. “No, wait, no! That’s not what I came here for!”

Umi was impressed: she had not even started to drink and she was stammering already. “Why do you come to a bar if not to drink then?”

“T-That’s none of your business,” Maki mumbled before starting on her drink.

Umi had never been as good at reading people as Nozomi but years of experience had taught her enough to see through the red haired doctor. She had probably come to offer an apology, to her if not to Nico. It was a shame that the idol never came back, as annoying as she was. She did seem to genuinely care for the things she loved, like her family. Umi had not picked it up at first, but thinking back on those previous days made her realize the small changes in the Lilim’s demeanor when she talked about those things.

“So she really hasn’t come back?” Maki asked again, her glass lying empty on the counter. Her voice showed a cocktail of feelings, one too familiar for Umi when she had to deal with people who had tried to drown their problems with booze, but Maki was completely sober.

“Do I have a reason to lie about it?” Umi asked as she inspected Maki’s expression. It seemed vacant at first glance, but Umi knew better. “No, she hasn’t.”

Maki took a deep breath and let it out with long groan. “Great, I made sure to come early tonight in the hopes of finding her and apparently she’s been long gone. I won’t be able to concentrate fully in my work, I’ll probably have to put off some appointments and…” Maki’s rant grew quieter until her words her an inaudible mumble for Umi. “Grizzly Temple.” Her voice picked up just to order another drink.

Umi could not remember when was the last time someone had ordered a Grizzly Temple without a hint of irony in their voice. According to many, Umi included, it was one of the worst drinks in the BTC menu. Three Adelhyde, three Bronson Extract, three Powdered Delta and one Karmotrine. All blended. Once poured into its glass, Umi handed the order.

“Look, if you really want to apologize,” Umi started as she dug her phone out of her pocket, “she gave us her contact details.” Under normal circumstances, Umi would have never shared private information of her clients to other clients, but she did not want to witness another fight like that again. At least not in the bar.

“W-Who said I wanted to apologize to her,” Maki mumbled defensively before sipping her drink.

“So you don’t want it?” Umi took out a pen and was ready to write on a piece of paper. Taking a sneaky glimpse, she saw Maki staring intently.

“I-I never said that, just give me the number.”

Umi managed to control her eye roll and simply shook her head as she began to write Nico’s contact information.

“Officer Kousaka Honoka, presenting for duty!” Honoka’s loud announcement of her arrival made Maki jump in her seat as she pocketed the scrap of paper. The police officer cheerfully walked to the empty seat next to Maki and waved at Umi. The doctor eyed the officer for a brief moment before going back to her drink. “Evening, Umi-chan,” she greeted with a smile.

“A-Ah, Honoka.” Umi found it difficult to keep her face straight when she felt her cheeks flushing. “H-How are you?”

“Hmm, well, I guess I'm fine. Had a scuffle with a guy who didn't want to take his parking ticket.” She crossed her arms and shook her head disapprovingly. “The nerve of some people!”

“There's a fair share of people who'll refuse to pay additional fees,” Umi pointed out, “money can come short when basic necessities become more expensive every once in a while.” Umi knew better than anyone else about the importance of saving.

“A parking citation is basically pocket change,” Maki chirped in offhandedly before sipping her drink.

“Wow, you must be some kind of rich doctor.” Honoka’s joke only got a raised eyebrow from Maki. “A Beer please! Oh, and I’m Honoka, by the way.”

Maki inspected the officer once more before presenting herself. “Maki,” was all she said.

“Well Maki-chan, it’s a pleasure!”

“Wha- hey! Who told you you can address me so casually?” Maki asked defensively.

“Well, you only gave me a name to work with.” Honoka laughed and scratched the back of her head. “Would you prefer it if I was rude to you?”

“What’re you saying? You’re making no sense,” Maki mumbled and tried to take another sip before realizing her drink was empty. “Another Grizzly Temple, please.” Umi nodded and started to prepare Maki’s order as she finished Honoka’s.

“Yuck, Grizzly Temple, Beer’s definitely the way to go,” Honoka said to herself as she took her Beer and swayed it side to side like an excited child.

“Excuse me?” Maki turned to Honoka and glared; the doctor frowned even more when she saw how Honoka was too busy happily drinking her Beer to even notice her. “What’s wrong with a Grizzly Temple?”

“Hm?” Honoka put down her drink and looked at Maki in confusion. “What do you mean? It’s pretty awful-tasting, bitter and bland.”

“And you-”

“Here,” Umi interrupted Maki before things got out of hand and placed her order on the counter. “And you should stop,” she said and glaring at Honoka.

Honoka could only laugh nervously under Umi’s piercing eyes. “Sorry.” Honoka’s apology was vague enough to be directed to both the bartender and the doctor. Maki still looked unconvinced but went back to her drink. Umi was just glad she defused the situation before another fight blew up in front of her.

Umi took a deep breath and started to think. She needed to clear everything with Honoka so she could finally sort out her own feelings. Perhaps not in front of the doctor; hopefully she left before Honoka did.

“Oh hell no.”

Umi looked up to see that Nico had just entered the bar, any pretense of a grandiose entrance gone and replaced by a scowl directed to the doctor.

“Oh, Nico,” was the only thing Umi managed to say. Honoka gasped loudly while Maki looked back at Nico and visibly failing to not scowl back.

“The feeling is mutual,” Maki snarked as Nico walked to the counter, taking a seat next to Honoka. Well, rather than next to Honoka, it would be better described as taking the seat that was not next to Maki’s.

“Well, Nico managed to get a day off so she had planned to wrap it up on a happy note with a couple of drinks! So…” Nico flipped one of her twintails and with a mocking smile she looked at the doctor, “why don’t you just leave?”

“Hi! I’m Honoka, big fan-”

Maki frowned and her finger once more began to twirl with her hair. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to see you-”

“Well, Maki-chan! If you wanted to see Nico sooo badly, why don’t you just lift that mug of yours to look at a billboard or something?”

“Excuse me? I go out of my way to come here to apologize and-”

“Oh, now the oh-so intellectual redhead wants to apologize to Nico! Yeah, and while she’s at it, I’m sure she wants to insult her family, just like she did to her career!”

“Umm.. Umi-chan…” Honoka could not help but to have shrunk her shoulders as the women at her sides began to yell.

“Hey! Take that back! I-”

“Well, where’s my apology? Nico’s waiting-!”

“Enough!” Umi slammed her hands on her mixing station loud enough to silence Nico and Maki. “If you’re going to fight, do it outside. Your pointless bickering is scaring the other customers.”

“Pointless bickering? She’s the one who started it!” Maki huffed and turned away from Nico.

“I-It’s fine, Umi-chan.” Honoka laughed nervously and she slowly sat back up.

“Please don’t kick out Nico? She’s really sorry for getting into another fight with a dumb woman,” Nico apologized before glaring at the doctor.

Umi audibly groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. If this kept on going, she would have to remove both of them from the premises and that would certainly kill any sort of mood for talking with Honoka.

“Um… Maki-chan said she wants to apologize, so why don’t you just let her?” Honoka asked Nico.

“Because she insulted Nico! And she’s so arrogant and full of herself-”

“So what? She came here to apologize. Isn’t that good enough for now?” Honoka pressed on.

“N-No! Because-”

“Because what?” Honoka pressed on. The genuine curiosity in Honoka’s gaze made Nico and her pride falter. Nico tried to come up with something to say but nothing would come out of her voice receptors.

“F-Fine, okay! Nico gets it!” Nico threw her arms in the air before turning away and crossing them. After an annoyed sigh, she turned back to Honoka and Maki. “Fine, Nico’s all ears.”

Honoka turned around to look at Maki, who looked back at her from the corner of her eye before turning away. “And?”

“I-I’m not going to apologize to that robot.”

Nico gasped offendedly, but before she could say anything in return, Honoka interrupted her. “Hey! That wasn’t nice. You said you came here to apologize, so why are you insulting her again?” Maki simply huffed in response. “You’re just giving her an actual reason to be angry now, you know? And then she’s going to leave, then you would’ve come here for nothing, and then you’d feel bad for insulting her again and how you’ll never see her again and-”

“Fine! I get it!” Maki quickly turned around and covered Honoka’s mouth. “Shut up, will you! I’m sorry!”

Honoka leaned back and took a quick glimpse at Nico before going back to Maki. “Sorry to me or her?”

“To her! A-And to you too, I guess,” Maki mumbled as she started to twirl her finger in her hair once more.

Honoka looked at the Lilim, and under her gaze she gave in once more. “Fine, okay. Nico accepts your apology.”

“There! Was that so hard?” Honoka asked with a smile. “Bartender! A round of Beers for everyone!”

“I shouldn’t, but fine. Just this once.”

“Nico won’t say no to a free drink!”

Impressed would be an understatement of how Umi felt about Honoka; she had managed to calm both women and reconcile them despite how stubborn prideful they were. She had been planning to talk with Honoka but she found herself at a lack of words again.

“Three Beers,” Umi mumbled as she placed the three glass mugs on the counter.

Nico looked at the beer curiously, inspecting it from side to side and even lifting the mug to look at its bottom side. “I’ve never had a Beer that wasn’t canned.”

“Canned beers aren’t that bad, but these ones are way better!” Honoka lifted her drink and waved it, spilling a slight bit of its contents.

“In comparison to the ones I prepare, canned beers are watered down,” Umi explained.

“Craft Beer’s better,” Maki mumbled before taking a small sip of her Beer.

“Oh, you’re just full of unnecessary comments, aren’t you?” Nico glared at the doctor for a second before starting to chug her Beer.

“Whoah! That’s the way to go, Nico!” Honoka cheered on the Lilim as she petite girl kept chugging and chugging until the mug was empty. “You’ve got spirits, Nico-chan! That’s what I love about you!”

“Oh, you’re a fan?” Nico was all too pleased of having impressed another fan and smiled. She flipped her hair once, took out a marker and placed it right above the empty mug. “Do you want my autograph?”

“Oh, no no no, I couldn’t-”

“For free! For being such a good crowd for Nico’s Beer drinking.”

“No, I couldn’t have it on Umi-chan’s glass. It’s not mine,” Honoka clarified. Nico was left with her mouth wide open, not in her lifetime had she had an autograph declined for a reason like that. “Oh, you could autograph my phone!” Honoka suggested as she pulled out her phone from her pocket.

“Sure, love! Can Nico get your name?” Nico asked before jotting down her signature in Honoka’s phone. Before handing it back, Nico unlocked the password-less phone, something unfitting for a police officer, Umi thought, and activated its camera. “Wanna take a photo?”

“Oh, yeah! You bet I wanna!” Honoka nodded with excitement and placed her fingers just like Nico did.

“Hey hey, redhead! You too, pose! Get in the shot too, Umi!” Nico commanded rather than asked and the sparkling joy in Honoka’s eyes made it difficult for either of the two women to say no. To get everyone in the shot, Nico got off her seat to get a better angle and Honoka wrapped an arm around Umi’s shoulders to pull her close. Umi could feel the heat rise up to her ears and could barely move to do the Nico’s hand pose or even face the camera. Maki reluctantly put her hands like Nico before the picture was taken.

“Wow, thanks!” Honoka said with excitement as Nico handed back the phone once she made sure to send the picture to herself.

“Don’t mention it.” Nico grinned and patted Honoka’s shoulder. “And you, Maki-chan?”

“W-What?” Maki asked with slight suspicion and put the mug of Beer between her and the Lilim when she approached her.

“Gimme your phone number.”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“So I can send you the photo too, duh.”

“Who said I wanted it?” Maki glared at Nico who seemed unfazed by her defensiveness.

“Stop being so stubborn and give it to Nico! And maybe you can invite Nico somewhere to apologize properly and not in some shoddy bar in the middle of nowhere.” Nico finally glared back.

After a few moments of staring down at each other, Maki sighed and pulled out a card and a pen from her purse. Writing down something on it, she began to wave it at Nico. “Here, take it or leave it.”

Nico snagged the card and began to read it “Dr Nishikino Maki… Nishikino Medical Center… wait, this is a business card!”

“And all of my contact information is there,” Maki pointed out and turned back to the counter.

“You’re gonna have the great Nico Nii book an appointment?!”

“I wrote my phone number on the back of the card, idiot.”

Nico flipped the card. “Oh, and so it is,” Nico mumbled and pocketed the card. “Fine, well, Nico got a free drink and a pretty girl’s number, she’d say it’s been a pretty successful night.” Maki choked on her Beer when she heard Nico’s comment. “Well, Nico should leave. She needs to scout out for a nice and expensive restaurant~,” she cheerfully said her farewell and skipped out of the bar.

“I’m going to regret doing that,” Maki groaned and rested her head on the counter.

“Well, at least you’re not gonna regret not apologizing anymore!” Honoka pointed out and gave Maki a thumbs up.

Maki smiled a little bit. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Umi couldn’t help but to wonder how Nico and Maki’s first interaction would have gone if Honoka had been there.

“Ugh... I need to go,” Maki said as she slowly pulled herself up from the counter. “I have work tomorrow and I hadn’t even planned on drinking too much tonight.” Too much, she says. “It was a pleasure, officer.”

“Please, my friends call me Honoka,” Honoka corrected her and smiled before offering Maki a hand to get up. Maki blushed a little but was drunk enough to swallow her pride and take the help, even if she did not need it.

“It was nice meeting you, Honoka,” Maki said once more and waved at Umi. “Um, thanks for the drinks. They were as good as I remembered them.”

“Thanks for your patronage.”

“Bye bye, Maki-chan!” Honoka waved goodbye at the doctor and turned back to Umi once she was gone. Taking out her phone, she gleefully stared at the autograph. “Man, what a night.”

“You could say that again,” Umi mumbled and, without realizing it found herself staring at Honoka. If only more people could be like her the world would be a much better place.

“I got a selfie with Nico! And her autograph too!” Honoka hummed happily. “I’m glad she didn’t ask me to name some of her songs because I don’t remember any of their titles.” Umi would have laughed if she was not the same, but in her defense she had only heard Nico’s songs once.

Now that the two of them were alone, ignoring Rin on the other side of the bar, Umi had to steel herself for now was her chance. Her chance to find out about everything and if it all went well she could have something to look forward to beside Lily White. All she had to do was clear up all the things Umi did not know about and ask Honoka about her relationship with Kotori. What could be the worst thing that could happen-

“Hm? My relationship with Kotori-chan?”

Umi froze. Had she been thinking out loud all this time? The confused look on Honoka’s face was all the confirmation she needed and this was probably the worst thing that could have happened. How much had she even said? Her thoughts were scrambling to remember anything but the pit that she was suddenly feeling in her stomach could not let her think. Was the bar always been this stuffy? Umi could not breathe no matter how air she tried inhale.

She could only hear faint sounds of Honoka as she stepped away from the counter and out the door to the back alley.

Umi just had to ask. How hard was that? Apparently too hard because everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong. Nozomi and Rin were right, she overthinks everything and now that had screwed everything up. At least out here she could finally breathe fresh air. Well, at least as fresh as it got in Neo Tokyo, certainly fresher than inside the bar. Umi pressed her back against one of the alley’s wall and slid down just before touching the ground. Hugging her legs, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh night air. Fresh and cold air. Temperatures had been dropping with each day and tonight had gotten to the point where one could see their own breath. Umi left her coat inside, but going back to get it right now… Umi could stand in the cold for a couple more minutes. Going back in there after leaving Honoka like that would be-

“Umi-chan? Are you okay?” Honoka walked out of the bar’s back door and into the alley.

“H-Honoka?” Umi quickly stood up and dusted the rear of her skirt. It was not like she was sitting on the floor, but a fetal position was not one she wanted to be seen in. “W-What are you doing here?”

“Your co-worker told me you went out for your break, and when I asked if I could come out here she insisted I gave you a few moments and then gave me your coat too. Here,” Honoka explained and handed Umi her coat. The bartender stared at it dumbfounded for a few seconds before taking it. “Do you have panic attacks frequently?”

“U-Um… no. Last time I had one was before a BTC test back when I was in training…” Umi said as she put on her coat. She felt a slight shiver from its unworn coldness but it was better than not wearing it. Back then, Rin and Nozomi had helped her calm down in time to take the test she had forgotten to study for and in the end she breezed through the test, something she still felt embarrassed about.

“How are you feeling now?” Honoka asked before pressing her back on the wall too, next to Umi.

Umi took another deep breath and watched her breath dissipate in front of her. “Better. Thanks for asking.”

“Hey, don’t mention it.” Despite the cold temperatures, Honoka’s smile warmed Umi as always. Out in the alley actually felt warmer.

Neither spoke another word, falling into a comfortable silence. Only the faint bustling of the city reminded them that there was a whole world out there.

“Thanks for checking up on me, Honoka. A-And sorry for leaving you like that,” Umi apologized.

“It’s fine, it happens to the best of us.” Honoka’s comment made Umi smile. “Kotori-chan has had them sometimes when she stresses too much.”

Kotori again. It felt like a pang on Umi’s insides, but even so, now was the best time to ask her. Finally be able to cope with her feelings.

“U-Um, Honoka?” Honoka looked at Umi with such attentiveness that it almost hurt to make such a strong question. “W-What is your relationship with Kotori?”

“Kotori-chan?” Honoka repeated with a confused look. “Well… we’ve been friends for a long time. We’ve been through a lot of things together, highs and lows, we've known each other since we were little kids. She was even my first kiss!” Honoka reminisced with a blush and a chuckle.

Oh. Somehow, it hurt so much more than Umi had been expecting. She supposed that deep down she hoped that there was no relationship at all between the two, as awful as it sounded.

“But…” Honoka continued, looking down at the ground and kicking a littered can, “it really didn’t work out, we only dated for like a week or two. Thankfully we’re still friends and hang out a lot. Truthfully, I don’t have much going on my life so having Kotori-chan as a friend has helped me out a ton.”

Oh. Umi had never felt such a whiplash of opposite emotions in a such a short span of time, but leave it to this police officer to make it happen.

“What’s up? Are you interested in her? She’s pretty cute! She cooks the most amazing sweets, has a lovely voice, always looks out for you, she will pretty much give you free clothes if you date her…”

Umi was not sure at what point she had stopped listening, instead having focused on taking a deep breath and steel herself once more.

“No, the one I’m interested in is you, Honoka.”

“And then one time-” Umi had managed to silence Honoka. Whether it was a good or a bad signal she did not know but she tried to not let it get to her. Not now. “I uh… r-really? Me? Not Kotori-chan?”

“I don't know why you keep thinking that I’d want to date her. I barely know her, but I know that these complicated feelings I’ve had since you showed up are about you, and that… t-that I want to… d-date you.” Umi did her best to power through the embarrassment of her words.

“Well, because Kotori-chan is so much better than me. I’m clumsy, dumb, trusting to a fault, and-”

Umi shook her head and took hold of Honoka’s hand tightly. “Then, please, trust me on this. On my feelings. I… I like you, and if possible… w-would like to date you.”

Honoka could not help but to swallow some of her doubts when Umi’s gaze was as serious as it was. She felt heat crawl up to her ears, growing self conscious of how much Umi was staring at her. “Kotori-chan only managed to up with me for like a week, you know?”

“I’m not Kotori.”

“Then… I think I’d like to see you more often. Outside the bar.”

“Are we… not outside the bar?” Umi asked, confused. She could not help but to look around the alley. “Or do you mean-”

Honoka interrupted the bartender by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I meant on dates.”

It took a couple of second for Umi to realize what had just happened, her face flushing red. “H-Honoka!” she yelled and pushed Honoka away.

“Y-Yeah?” Honoka laughed heartily, seeing Umi’s face as red as it was.

“T-Tell me if you’re going to k..! To…! To k-kiss me,” Umi’s roaring voice quickly turned the meekest Honoka had ever heard Umi talk.

Honoka laughed some more, much to the bartender’s dismay. After wiping away a tear, Honoka took a deep breath to compose herself. “Umi-chan, can I kiss you?”

Umi’s blush only got worse, something neither of them were aware was even possible. “A-Actually being asked is worse. Please don’t ask if you can kiss me.”

“Then… I can?”

After another deep breath, Umi sighed and nodded. “Y-Yes… you can.”

Honoka smiled, and despite her embarrassment, Umi smiled back. Honoka took hold of one of Umi’s hands, their fingers entwining as she leaned closer to Umi. Closing her eyes, Honoka kissed Umi on the lips, this time savoring the moment, her other arm pulling Umi closer.

The sudden noise of the back door sliding open startled both girls, breaking the kiss to find Rin staring with her mouth wide open.

“Oh! Sorry, keep going!” Rin waved at them and backed up. “Nozomi! Umi-chan and the cop were making ou-!” As the door closed, the soundproofed walls of L1-L1 WH80 cut off the rest of the cat boomer’s announcement.

It would also soundproof Umi’s pending fury upon her co-worker.

“Umi-chan, could we stay like this for a bit?”

Well, all of that could wait. She knew that if a police officer ever asked her something, the best course of action would be to simply agree with them.

A/N: And it's done! Thank you so much for reaching this finish line alongside me. This is my first multi-chapter fic that I've managed to finish, and honestly, it feels pretty great. It also feels like I've lifted a huge weight off my back and can now guiltlessly write other thingies. Some actual Christmas ideas and prompts have taken the back seat this past week so I could finally finish this. All the feedback that I received was a huge motivation to continue this AU I came up with half a year ago, so I truly appreciate all of you.

L1-L1 WH-80 is done! This last chapter came out as the longest one yet (actually each chapter got progressively longer) and I think this is chapter alone is my longest piece yet, coming out at almost 6k. A number not too impressive when compared to others but this is a new benchmark for me, hopefully one that I'll surpass one day. If the ending was disappointing, I apologize for not living up to the expectations. I always wanted to finish it up in the back alley, a setting that was also present in VA-11 HALL-A. The only one I couldn't get a chance to recreate was Jill's apartment, but I didn't want to take the story outside the bar.

Oh hey, and apparently I took so long a VA-11 HALL-A sequel was announced. Yikes!

I would love to revisit this AU and explore other characters and other parts of this setting, so look forward to that at some point in the future :)

I’d like to thank @bcheddar13 @saberin @master-thief-gray-shadow and @grayneigh for helping me out a ton by beta-ing this project for me.

Hopefully I'll get to post something before the 31st, but if not, happy holidays everyone.

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