#alternative rusted knight

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Inspired by @pilot-boi's Fusion AU!

Warning now for talking about suicidal ideation, self harm, and self loathing. And mentions of Vomit.

None of it is explicitly detailed.

~~~~~

The Wildfire Knight had been in the Ever After their whole … Life? Existence. Whatever one would call this desperate act of survival. Jaune and Cinder both cringed and recoiled at the fact their fusion was a person. Maybe it was the Ever After, Maybe it was the fact The Wildfire Knight had time to develop into a person from them both. Nen was almost a person with how close and reliant Ren and Nora were on each other. 

Stars Fell. Four of them.

RWBY.

Hurt Them.

Help Them!

Kill them!

Save them. Please.

Cinder was angry. She usually was. it was often the only choice she had, and all three knew it (Cinder almost hated that the most.) She’d calm down soon. Jaune could negotiate with her.

They shook their head clear of the other’s thoughts, and hopped on Jewels.

Jaune wanted to call it Juniper, Cinder was defiant. She didn’t want to give it name and was half-tempted to kill the Jackalope just to hurt Jaune.

Cinder suggested the name Emerald for all the wrong reasons.

They settled on Jewels.

Cinder and Jaune wanted to be out of here - first take care of RWBY (Whoever won out at what that meant), and then try and leave. That was always the goal. The Wildfire Knight was scared they might die when it happened. Jaune was open about feeling the same way. Cinder was more guarded about it, as she always had been, but in raw, open moments, Jaune and Wildfire knew she cared.

Wildfire was reliant on Jaune’s survival knowledge, tactics, and most importantly, his kindness. They also relied on Cinder's skills in fighting, her ability to be both shrewd and deceptive, and, most strongly, her unending will to survive.

Their leg hurt. Their lack of a leg hurt. Their missing eye stung slightly. It all always did.

Cinder wanted freedom, but was bound to Jaune.

Jaune wanted to protect his friends. Cinder was only able to comprehend actually caring for someone after the first decade or so. After Wildfire came about.

Wildfire wanted to live. For RWBY. For JNPR. Because Cinder couldn’t just die, not after all the work she put in.

Wildfire hated themself at first. Because Jaune and Cinder hated each other. Because Jaune and Cinder Hated themselves. Because They were Jaune and Cinder.

It was only because they had Cinder’s need to survive that they didn’t kill themself. They did, however, hurt themself. Jaune’s self-sacrificial tendencies and his need to be punished for the mistakes he thought he made, and Cinder’s feelings of never being strong enough, and that weakness deserved to be punished.

The scars on their arms burned, like they did when they were fresh.

They thought back to the first time They did something for themself- Cinder and Jaune were arguing about Alyx - they’d just been poisoned and left to die. It was loud. Too loud. They needed to leave. To clear their head - the Herbalist was too raw, too recent - they tried to tear each other apart.

So The Wildfire Mage Walked.

And Walked.

And Walked.

And eventually stumbled into cool, clear water.

Cinder and Jaune were surprised - too caught up in their argument to notice their vessel had been moving. 

Someone New was here - no. They’d always been there. They’d just woken up.

Wildfire was shook from their thoughts at the noise of fighting, immediately whipping out Corcea Ignis - Crocea Mors’ shattered blade extended and reformed with Obsidian Glass into a Cutlass-esque form, the the shield expanding in front of them as they charged into battle on the back of Jewels.

~~~~~

Meeting in the lotus with Rwby caused Wildfire to be pushed back by Jaune’s - and as loathe as she was to admit it, Cinder’s - relief at RWBY - the real, living, breathing team RWBY.

The four of them were, of course, shocked when they saw “Jinder” Weiss being the most surprised.

It didn’t get any better as the situation was explained.

~~~~~

The Paper Pleasers were gone. The only stable thing outside of themselves was gone. The ones that Jaune Protected, the ones that Cinder commanded, the closest things to friends Wildfire had - They were gone. Just like that.

Ruby screamed at them. At Jaune. At Cinder. She didn’t acknowledge Wildfire as a part of them. That might’ve been the worst.

All of Them were angry at Ruby. They’d suffered. They’d all suffered. Jaune’s hope and love was betrayed, Cinder’s rage was Reignited, Wildfire’s fear of not being anything but a mistake  was getting thrown in their face.

He could never be a hero.

She was Weak.

They didn’t matter to anyone.

He was a killer.

She was a Failure.

They were nothing.

Anger reacted with Anger, reacted with Anger, reacted with Anger, and it coiled in on itself ever further.

An eye lit with golden fire.

A fist was swung.

Ruby was knocked to the ground several feet away.

Gambol Shroud wrapped around their midsection, yanking them back, Yang gappled their arms behind them, and an Arma Gigas as white as the Atlesian Tundra got between Them and Ruby.

“EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH FALLS APART! EVERYTHING YOU TRY AND SAVE CRUMBLES!”

“Mercury Stopped you from saving Penny the first time- You were too slow, Too WEAK- The Paper Pleasers were all I had! The JabberWalkers Followed YOU, Because Neo HATES YOU- THEY WERE LIKE ME- MADE BY THIS PLACE- You Don’t get to act like they’re NOTHING-”

Wildfire, Cinder, and Jaune Spoke over themselves. Over each other, their anger feeding on each others, till their voices broke with pain and at the emotions pouring over themselves. 

Three Souls in one body was an awful lot to handle. They stopped straining against WBY and collapsed to their knees, heaving and shaking. “We’re not right - I know I’m broken pieces - We just want to live - You’re suppose to care about people- to care about us-”

The three of them fell into each other, the distinctions between Jaune and Cinder and Wildfire collapsing.

They were crying. They were numb. They were sore. They’d hurt their friend. She deserved it. That wasn’t true. They were Weak, not good enough. That was true. Wasn’t that true? Weren’t they powerful?

They were all exhausted.

The three of them vomited.

They fell over, just out of range of the puddle they made, curled up as they clutched their head, and they cried.

When they finally opened their eyes again, Weiss was sat nearby, petting and consoling Jewels.

No one said anything.

Weiss eventually moved over to them.

“Hey. That was a lot, and I’m certain there’s been a lot going on in, but Ruby’s in trouble it sounds like. It’s urgent. Can get to her quickly on a summon, and I need to get going now. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer.”

Weiss Summoned the Lancer Queen, and started getting on it.

Jaune Urged them all to stand, out of guilt and a need to protect, even if he was still upset. Wildfire knew Ruby didn’t know them, not in the ways that distinguished them from other fusions. They felt guilty and a need to make it up to Ruby. They propped themself up on their knees. Cinder, in her own odd way, had respect for Ruby. She was a survivor as much as she was a thorn in her side. Even she felt a smidge of guilt for much of what she’d done - guilt tempered with the ‘knowledge’ it was the only way for her to survive. She helped them up.

The three of them climbed onto Jewel’s back and chased after Weiss.

~~~~~

When they Arrived, Ruby was lifting the Teacup to her mouth. 

Cinder hit her with a fireball, splashing the tea on the floor and sending Ruby Tumbling again, a burn on her upper chest.

They cringed at the harm.

The cat Lunged at her.

Yang Lunged at the cat, blocking it.

Neo lunged at Ruby as well.

She was knocked away by icicles from Weiss.

The Wildfire Knight Ran to Ruby, Guarding her with their body and applying Jaune’s semblance to her.

Ruby Batted at them, scurrying away with tears in her eyes.

They cried out an apology.

Neo slashed across their back.

Blake tried to wrap her ribbon Around Neo.

She shattered into glass.

There was a fight.

Eventually the fusion’s aura broke, The Ever After keeping them from falling apart.

The Curious Cat raised a claw, prepared to kill, Neo coming in from behind.

They were Going to die. Jaune was Going to die. Cinder was going to die.

In the moment they couldn’t be mad. Cinder didn’t like it, not one bit, she was rather peeved about it, but … There was something about not having to fight anymore that let her let go.

Wildfire figured they’d get an answer on what they were - Living or just a means for Jaune and Cinder’s survival.

Jaune saved his friends. Now that he was actually faced with his death he didn’t like it, in a very personal manner. He realized just how horribly wanting to die felt.

But there was nothing the three of them could do.

He was strong enough to protect his Friends. 

She wasn’t strong enough to survive on her own, by making enemies, seeing as how it came back to bite her, but she was Strong. Strong enough to protect others, something she’d never thought she’d do.

They meant something. They’d been the one keeping Jaune and Cinder alive, and it was their body that saved Ruby.

So they “Held Hands,” Being completely open about how the three of them felt, and embraced the end together. 

None of them expected to feel so weightless.

~~~~~

They found themselves … somewhere.

Somewhere.

There was a tall person in front of a grinding wheel, sharpening … Crocea Mors? 

The person looked over their shoulder, setting the weapon into its sheath and walking over to The Wildfire Knight.

“I am happy to see you three after so long. I am the Blacksmith of the Ever After. You are welcome in this place.”

The three were confused.

“Did we die?”

“No, not in the way you may be thinking. You are ascending. I will say, however, that you are a unique case - usually I only find one to help at a time more than enough.”

They grimaced a little at that, sheepish at being different. “S-sorry.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. In fact, something new is quite welcomed!” The Blacksmith was grinning widely. 

It was comforting.

“Now, I unfortunately cannot separate you three myself - You have been entwined for too long, and it is only you that may decide where one of you ends and the next begins.”

The Knight looked and the Blacksmith, confused.

“Separate? We may separate?”

“Yes, if you would like.”

Jaune and Cinder both “Jumped” at the idea - but were held back by something. They’d been together for so long, what would it be like to be apart now? What would Happen with Wildfire?

The Blacksmith produced a small knife from their apron.

Alyx’s Knife.

“She left this piece of herself for you, when she left. I know it may seem daunting, but as I said I cannot do this for you. You must decide if and how you come apart, and who gets what from yourselves.”

Wildfire took the knife.

Cinder Trusted them. They had her drive to survive.

Jaune was worried, but also relented. They all had to be in agreement on this.

The three of them plunged the knife into their stomach.

~~~~~

Wildfire Blinked. The area was different, their eyes straining - Eyes? They stepped, one foot in front of the other- They had both feet?!?

Wildfire looked over themself, staring at both hands, running them along their leg.

“AH-”

“Hold Still Arc - Bite the hem of your clothing I need to cauterize the wound-”

“RRRG!”

“There. Not the worst feeling, ever, right?”

“I Suppose not Cinder.”

“Excellent. Now help me stand.”

Wildfire whipped around to see Jaune - one eye shut with fresh blood trailing from it, tears in his remaining eye, with Cinder standing on a black-glass prosthetic.

“What- Why-”

“I can keep going without an Eye. You deserve to see the world with your own two.” Jaune interrupted, Grinning even through his obvious pain and Cinder hanging off of him. He was old, hair tied back in a low ponytail, rusted plate armor surrounding him, with gray streaks in his golden locks.

“I figured … I could rely on you. I can also fly. I supposed I could live without being able to walk quickly.” Cinder avoided looking at them, clearly shocked by her own kindness and embarrassed by her seemingly having gone soft. She was also old, crows feet in her eyes, a dark cloak wrapping entirely around her body, hair long and graying.

They looked hardly different, tears welling up in both their eyes at the kindness Cinder and and Jaune showed them.

The idea of Wildfire being their Child - a new person born of two souls - had crossed their minds before. It made them cringe and recoil, especially when Jaune and Cinder actually started viewing Wildfire as something closer then just a combination of them.

“That was very selfless from both of you, if perhaps unnecessary. Another part of Alyx’s gift was that you would be put back to being young, and now all of you can be young again.”

“We’ve been told the Mind forgets but the heart remembers. If we become young again …” Cinder trailed off. She was scared - she held no power in this situation. She was willing to do just about anything to be young again, but she also … she couldn’t quite betray Wildfire … and … Jaune … just like that after everything.

“If you choose yourselves, No. But in this place you may be anything-”

“If we choose ourselves can we … change some things? About ourselves?” Cinder stared at her Grimm Arm for the first time in decades. She was glaring at it.

“To a degree, yes. Changing what you are changes who you are-”

“Get rid of my Grimm Arm.”

“So you choose yourselves?”

“Yes!”

The Blacksmith handed Cinder a Bow made of Glass.

She accepted readily, the gray leaving her hair, arm dissolving into mist as she erupted into a brilliant new flame.

“Yes?”

The Blacksmith handed Jaune a reforged Crocea Mors, a visible line from where it had shattered on the Bridge.

He accepted it tentatively, turning into glowing, golden motes of dust, blinking two blue eyes as he left.

“ … am I … myself?”

The Blacksmith smiled.

“Yes, but I do not have a weapon for you. What you wielded was theirs.”

“... may I make myself a weapon?”

“Yes, but it may take some time.”

“ … May I have Alyx’s Dagger?”

“It was left for you.”

“ … Thank you.”

“You are very welcome Wildfire.”

And Wildfire smiled, seemingly melting into an glowing Amber slag, tailing behind their progenitors, excited to see what they would become as their own person.

~~~~~

I have Ideas about what happens next, and I do feel I left things unanswered, but the open ending feels right. I know they help RWBY Fight Neo and the Cat, but that’s all. 

[ahn1zos]

RK!Penny concept here

so, Penny wasn’t used to getting hurt easily if not careful, she did things she used to do with her previously body (that was actually made for those things) and always got injured.

she was afraid that she would forget those she cared about, so always kept it close something that reminded her of them. She promised to herself that she would wait for them to arrive, after all, she wasn’t sure that it would work try to give Winter the power.

speaking of her, well. She couldn’t defend herself anymore from Ironwood. She died. Cinder got the relics and made the wish before the general could go after the others.

speaking of them, a lot of civilians died (due Winter not appearing as the Winter Maiden) before Vacuo’s authorities arrived to help. They got hurt and exhausted, but made it.

Weiss told the team about what happened with Jaune and Penny. They are looking for Penny now, since the last things Weiss saw was her jumping off the platform. Weiss is really but really unstable because of what she experienced and won’t talk to anyone about it anymore.

Ruby isn’t in a better state. One of her closest friends died by the same hands which killed another friend of hers a long time ago. the only thing that makes her keep going is the chance of maybe Penny being alive.

Penny doesn’t remember their voices anymore. Just blurs of a life she once had. Of people she used to feel loved by every day. Her father, her friends, Weiss and Ruby. She lost her sense of the time. How many years, days, seconds she will have to wait?

The nightmares of Jaune being impaled and blood staining her clothes and being splashed on her face, the pain of Cinder’s burning grip on her, the pain of chopping her own arm off in order to survive.

in the first night, she looked at the stars and tried to wish to them one more time. She wished time could go faster and that time could be on her side at least once.

After a few weeks she stopped doing it.

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

Yang Xiao Long Rewrite!

Can finally complete team RWBY now

.Is technically the heiress to the Branwen crime syndicate (Adam didn't want it) so a LOT of people want her head on their desk

.Has an arc in volume 1 of being overprotective of Ruby when Ruby was getting bullied by Cardin and needed to learn that Ruby can handle herself

.Her PTSD is a lot more present in her characterization and never really "goes away" the way it seems to in canon

.She unlocks an "other side" of her semblance when she started working through with dark blue eyes and the ability to reflect and perfectly parry attacks to represent a state of calm

.She's bit more annoyed with Blake in volume 6 and they take more (on screen) time to work through things before getting mutually flirty

.She's a more split on Ironwood then RWB but still sticks with them

.When she falls into the Ever After, a clock fruit latches onto her and sends her to Alex's time to become the Bruised Brawler (Still being the white rabbit equivalent) and she kinda sees Alex as a younger herself so when Alex realizes how much Yang is hiding and betrays her it hurts her a lot

.The fruit then sends her to slightly before everyone else gets to the ever after and she panics like hell when she sees them

.She's the one who yells at Ruby and immediately feels awful about it, was 100% going to break every bone in Neo's body before the cat gets Neo

.Gets a new outfit and is finally freed from the clock fruit after talking to tree Alex also her prosthetic can shapeshift afterword like a swarm of nanites (it's not a literal part of her body, she still disabled)

.Gets a full fight with Raven post volume 9 and beats her

[noneatnonedotcom]

Rusted Knight Quest

testing something new here, general idea is that I will write a story and then allow you all to select options you like to put into a plan format under the story in reblogs. be sure to tag me in the plans so I can record them. then I will put up a vote for a day, whichever plan gets the most votes

the world was shapeless, formless, you floated in the void. it was peaceful, there wasn't battle here, there wasn't struggle, there was nothing and you never had to be anything ever again.

it was a deep and primordial darkness, and then there was light, and noise and it hurt.

IT HURT!

so you cried, wanting to go back to not being anything but you couldn't, you were stuck now. your body was weak, a soft squishy thing that wouldn't respond to any of your comands, you were basically blind as your eyes would not focus and your mind

oh by the gods your mind

it was so slow, as if your nerons were out on their lunch break you were incapable of even the most basic of thoughts

your soul was wiped clean as well, this isn't too strange the tree had given you new purpose before but what purpose could this horrible thing you were trapped in have?

then there was a not bad noise, it soothed you and you soon fell asleep listening to it croon and whisper to you. when you woke you found you had an option you had never experianced before.

you had choice just what in the ever after were you? stats there are five stats diplomacy, stewardship, martial, learning, and piety diplomacy involves talking whether it be smooth-talking, intimidation or anything else. stewardship: is about logistics and money and how well you know how to handle either martial: is about fighting and strategy both the mental and physical aspects learning: how smart you are piety: aura usage and strength character points: every trait offers points or requires them please reblog this post with your selections in the actual text area not in the notes or comments, comments should be used to discuss the quest with the others and select what options you like. please name your plan be sure to @ me with your plans as well CP: 4 giant: you tower above others this means that your heart has to work overtime. ap cost 1 +6 to martial rolls - 5 to diplomatic rolls due to looking strange. health might sometimes suffer unless aura is unlocked stuttering: you have a stutter +3CP -5 to Diplomatic rolls lisping: you have trouble pronouncing some words +3 CP -5 diplomacy albino: with their white hair and eyes you tend to freak people out +6 CP - 10 diplomacy melancholic: you have a hard time seeing the good in life -1 to all stats -1 action points when making choices in the future +10CP lunatic: Plagued by hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thoughts, you struggle to distinguish between what is real and what is not. -5 to all stats +10 CP possessed: The sudden changes in emotion, awareness and ability that this character experiences can only be explained by spirits inhabiting their body. +10 to all training rolls - 10 to diplomacy hideous: -10 diplomacy +3CP ugly: -7 diplomacy +2CP homely: -5 diplomacy +1 CP comley: +5 diplomacy -1 CP handsome: +7 diplomacy -2 CP beautiful: +10 diplomacy - 3CP imbecile: -8 all stats -30 on training rolls +10 CP stupid: -4 all stats -20 on training rolls +7 CP dull: -2 all stats -10 training rolls +5 CP quick: +2 all stats +10 training rolls -5 CP intelligent: +3 all stats +20 training rolls -7 CP genius: +5 all stats +30 on all training rolls -10 CP

fragile: -6 martial -10 diplomacy +10 CP frail: -4 martial -5 diplomacy +7 CP delicate: -2 martial +2 CP hale: +2 martial +5 diplomacy -5 CP robust: +4 martial +10 diplomacy -8 CP herculean: +8 martial +15 diplomacy -11 CP remembered mastery: you were once the rusted knight and your skills and purpose remain even in this new form Aspiring Blademaster: +10 on rolls using a sword -1 CP blade master: +20 on rolls using a sword -3 CP legendary blade master: +30 on rolls using a sword -5 CP rusted knight: you were once the rusted knight, your soul still remembers your purpose +30 to rolls to help others - 30 on all rolls in a turn if you don't do something to help others (mandatory trait) starting stats: 0 in everything you're a newborn rolls will be a D100 rolling a 100 will result in an exploding dice. success will be counted by degrees. so if the DC of an action is 20 rolling a 40 will result in 2 degrees of success this is an experiment and I hope you all enjoy the RUSTED KNIGHT QUEST

[brokentrafficknight]

Some people seem to really enjoy the Tarnished Spartan AU (Pyrrha lives and joins Jaune in the Ever After, for those unaware), but I propose a slightly angstier, still wholesome alternative: Jaune, refusing to have another friend die, let alone die *again*, brings Penny with him. The Rusted Knight and his Eternal Automaiden

Sure, Weiss and Winter would be dead if Penny survived and fell into the Ever After with Jaune but would it be that bad?

[powerbottomblake]

listen I know we're all in BEE'S KISS LOCKDOWN right now but I am also going slightly insane about how jaune is the rusted knight, jaune who's joined Beacon to be a hero and a legend, who's undergone so much growth to then fully realize in v5 how he's not meant to be the "main character" or lead with power, but leading through being the best support, achieving that leadership role and the crowning of it is that he spends twenty years in an alternate dimension and literally becomes one of the origin points of the mythos of knighthood in remnant, becoming a fairytale's ideal knight and the very kind of legend he sought out to become when he first falsified his records to get into Beacon, and he gets it after the most harrowing sequence of events, two kingdoms falling and losing a lover then mercy killing a friend and stewing in rage and guilt for 20 yrs in an alternate dimension. he did it! he became the Knight but god at what cost

[juanarc-thethird]

Meanwhile in an alternate universe…

Ruby: How did you find us?

Blake: How are you the Rusted Knight?

Yang: And when did you get so...

Bleiss: Fucking sexy~

Ruby: Bleiss!

Bleiss: What? Can't you see he's quite a daddy? My Oum, the things I want you to do to me…~💕

RBY: BLEISS!!

Bleiss: FUCK OFF!!

Jaune: *Chuckles* I missed you too, Bleiss.

[milkywayhou]

20 and 10 for the asks <3 <3

HEY TORTA!! <3 <3

GASPP I'M GLAD YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT HER HAHAH. SORRY IF I'M TAKE LONG TIME TO ANSWER IT! :((

10.What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with her?

Ohh boy. You wouldn't believe how much Alternative Universe I made for her. A few AU I remember is her original Universe - Which she was an AI Android with grey motivation and past, and the setting was in post-apocalyptic world where half of the living creature on earth was dead after some incidents. And I kinda used her as an character in my Harry Potter roleplay (she is a villain-)

I'm also currently working on my own AU with her and König as the character hehe.

The first one I guess you already know ;)

An immortal necromancer with her undead knight. This one was inspired by Mili song "Ga1ahad and Scientific Witchery"

So I can see you again

So I can kill you again -both

My brains accelerate -Knight

And I'll -Witch Reassemble you again -both

I appreciate your thoughts

But you've given me too much to tolerate -Knight

I've done so much for you

But you treat me this way -Witch

===

For the second AU is kinda dark (?) I never finished the plot and it was inspired by x0o0x song "冥路"

The plot is about a youtuber/influencer that like to visit abandonment place and she went into a rural area to document an old left base even though there's so much rumour about many people get disappear after they visit that building.

I have a rough scenario about this in my note haha, but i guess I'll still change it later

===

The crumbling ruins of the old military base had long been a subject of rumor and mystery in the remote countryside. Some said it was haunted by ghosts of fallen soldiers. Others claimed a feral beast lurked within, preying on trespassers.

Only the bravest of explorers dared venture through the rusting gates under cover of night. None who entered were ever seen again.

As a streamer, You had made a name for yourself documenting adventures through allegedly haunted locations. When word of the abandoned base reached you, you simply had to investigate. Alone and after sunset, you slipped into the decrepit compound, camera rolling as you narrated in hushed tones.

The first few buildings revealed nothing but dust and debris. As You rounded a dark corner, a figure emerged from the shadows - a tall, broad man in tattered military fatigues, eyeing your camera with a hollow gaze.

"Hello...I didn't expect to find anyone out here. I'm just exploring, I'll be on my way--"

He seized your wrist in an iron grip. Close up, you noticed scars criss-crossing his stubbled face, and something feral in his deadened eyes.

"No one trespasses here. You'll stay." His voice rasped as if disused. Your heart raced, trying to calmly reason with the unstable veteran. But he merely dragged you deeper into the ruins, to a cellar door opening with a rusty squeal.

Down the creaking stairs, You glimpsed your end - a grimy room filled with remnants of those who came before. Your streaming career would end here, in this hell of a madman's making. Unless you could somehow find a way to escape...or turn the tables on your captor

Don't worry, I'll take care of you-

20.Does she have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does she manifest?

Having lost so much control over life's cruelties, Snow guarded jealously what few joys remained in her tattered grasp.

Seeing peers bond closer stirred resentment's bitter tang, irrational logic insisting such intimacy mocked her inability to let down walls. She masked unease through charming jabs, joking any togetherness risked "stealing" one another from her orbit alone.

Less obvious, loneliness twisted innocent acts into perceived betrayals. If comrades gathered without her, paranoid logic conjured conspiracies against fractured minds too tired to fight shadows alone. Jealousy twisted friendships strained by her own detachment into fresh grudges deepening already cavernous isolation.

But she will still outwardly smiled through turmoil reminding she chose this path herself through walls erected in desperation's bid for survival this far. Envy remained her dirty secret, lest it brand weakness compromising years constructing impenetrable facades of resilience and control leaving none suspecting festering loneliness beneath.

[outcasts-redeemer]

Alternate Ever After AU

So this AU is pretty rough so stay with me.

Everything is the same up until the Rusted Knight takes off his helmet only to show red hair and piercing green eyes. That's right its Pyrrha Nikos.

How you ask? She doesn't know. She just woke up here and is confused on everything except for the fact that she knew her friends were coming and that she needed to stay to help them.

RWBY makes some guesses and Ruby, seeing the second person she failed to save, now alive again. starts to visibly crack. Her team and Pyrrha see it happen but in the end they don't have time to talk because the Jabberclones are still out there.

Thus they begin walking to Pyrrha's village where she has lived for the past few years.

Over the course of the journey, holes in how Pyrrha acts start to take shape. How she's constantly perfect, how she says the right thing all the time, how good of a fighter she is despite RWBY having more real world combat experience than her. Weird things continue to build up when she looks at her reflection and sees Jaune looking back at her on the cloud bridge.

And when they come to the fork in the bridge they meet the cat again and Pyrrha instantly treats him like an enemy but states she has never met him. The CC on the other hand treats her like an old friend and says some cryptic stuff and uses they/them to talk about Pyrrha.

RWBY in the end decides to trust Pyrrha and continue on their journey.

Fast Forward to a few episodes as those stay the same, They finally reach Pyrrha's village where she presents Crecent Rose to Ruby. Ruby's confused on why she has it and Pyrrha admits that she doesn't know and that it was the one thing she had when she woke up in the Tree.

The events of the village happen the same as in canon and Ruby ends up still teaing herself due to Neo's actions and Neo ends up getting Catnapped.

Fast forward a few more episodes while WBY_P are fighting NeoCatt we see Ruby at the Blacksmith's workshop walking through the weapon vault and she sees Crocea Mors in its shattered form. The Blacksmith remarks that it was a good weapon and the owner of it knew what he wanted to be which made it one of the more easier molds to make.

Ruby goes wide eyed and asks what happened and the Blacksmith shows Ruby Crocea Mors's actual journey.

At the same time Pyrrha wearing her helmet gets hit by Weiss's attack and ends up getting tossed into the smoke of the tree and enters the hallucination dimension and she sees Alyx standing there holding Jaune's shield.

Back with Ruby, she watches horror struck as Jaune lands on the beach with Corcea Mors bloodied and broken, watches as he grabs the clock fruit, watches him as he waits years and ages until he finds Alyx and her brother, watches as he attempts to travel the fairy tail path only to get more and more unhinged until... She watches him die via poison, alone, reaching for Crescent Rose.

Back with Pyrrha we watch as Alyx steps forward and tells her what happened to her with the CC and tells her of her final wish being for Jaune to be given the chance she took from him before the two of them are engulfed by light

Ruby glances at Crocea Mors and grabs it before turning to the Blacksmith and starts to speak only for the Blacksmith to hold her hand and say that the debt for that blade is already paid for and the owner is waiting for it.

And then offers Ruby Crescent Rose with a smile.

Ruby takes it, looks into her reflection on the blade and nods.

Back at the Tree _WBY are fighting a losing battle and are struggling to fend of NeoCatt and her many clones until Ruby breaks free of her tree cocoon and attacks her from behind sending her flying only for her journey to be stopped by a shield bearing golden twin arcs sending her flying back into the middle of the two warriors.

Ruby and helmeted knight than go ape on NeoCatt beating the ever loving shit out of them but strangely the knight is only using Jaune's shield and his fists while Ruby is using a broken sword and Crescent Rose.

The fight ends with NeoCatt being killed by the newly freed Jabberwoky while _WBY watch on stern faced.

Ruby walks up to the knight and hands him Crocea Mors and smiles before reaching up and pulling off the helmet to show a bearded and tired looking Jaune with white streaks in his hair.

_WBY end up freaking out with Weiss grabbing Jaune's face and fretting about him because he's looking haggard and old and Mature.

Jaune than tells his story and they all look to Ruby as she doesn't really react and she shrugs and says that she already got the story from the Blacksmith and hugs herself before asking what really happened to Penny.

Jaune goes quiet and Weiss places her hand on his shoulder and nods to him which gives Jaune the strength to tell them what happened and how he was still amping her when he stabbed her which caused him to feel what she felt.

Ruby nods and then truly breaks down which causes Jaune to break down which ends with them all hugging and kneeling.

After that Little shows up ready for battle and Jaune gifts him Juniper and says thank you to her before watching the two walk off to fight the Jabberwoker.

RWBY and Older Jaune then step through the portal back to Remnant.

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Rusted Knight Nora: Something like the Thunder Barbian or Lighting Stirker. Imagine the Emotional Trauma Ren is in.

Thunderless Tempest: *Slides off of a Megatherium*

Weiss: That's the Thundering Tempest. It's the Thundering Tempest. That's it. I've officially gone- *Locked in a bone crushing hug* HRRG-

Thunderless Tempest: *Wheezing, crackling, croaking sobs*

Blake: *Caught in the hug* Woah- Hey- You alright?

Yang: Geez! No one's hugged me this hard since 'sides my dad And-

Yang: Oh ...

Ren: Oh?

Thunderless Tempest: *Sets them all down gently, hooks her fingers under her studded leather helm*

Nora: *Teary eyed and making odd, strained noises*

RWBYR: *Shocked step back*

Ren: Nora ... *Rushing up to her, cupping her face* Nora what happened? Why- When-

Nora: *Rubs her throat as she lifts her chin, revealing nasty scars that stretch beneath her collar*

Ruby: Do- Do you know how long you've been here?

Nora: *Shakes head*

Blake: I- do you still remember how to write?

Nora: *So-So hand gesture*

Ruby: I- It'll have to do for now, is there anywhere safe you can take us to?

Nora: *Nods Rapidly*

Weiss: Okay, okay- I hope the Cat's ok-

Nora: *Slams Hammer, growl with stutter, scanning the area in ... Fear? Anger?*

Ren: noRA-

Nora: *PAuses at Ren's voice, nabs Weiss's scroll*

Weiss's Scroll: Cat bad. Long Story. Why Mute. Follow.

Ren: Okay. We'll follow you.

RWBY: *Looks at each other*

Nora: *Starts leaving, hoping on the back of her Megatherium, holding a hand out to RWBY*

Ren: Well? Come on!

[carnivoured]

cyborg au, characters and their stories (driftcells/hld x dc au) ⚠️ mild spoilers for hyper light drifter ⚠️

—

the drifter

after being taken in by the guardian and allowed to stay in the apartment, he meets altie in the sword master’s dojo, who turns out to be the guardian’s roommate. the drifter loses his arm and half his face in the midnight woods. both the guardian and altie found him just outside the town and brought him back to their apartment where altie offered to create a prosthetic (which the guardian was opposed to, but kept themself silent). the drifter agreed, he didn’t want the loss of an arm to slow down progress on their journey. that was the start of many upgrades whenever badly injured that led up to becoming a cyborg like altie.

-

the guardian

after losing their spouse and child, the guardian decided to search for a cure to the illness and protect the townspeople from enemies and other trouble. altie has offered them robotic upgrades before but has turned them down (they would rather live naturally, like their family had). the guardian dies later on in the three’s journey to both the illness and a fatal injury. his doppelgänger, the knight (who would have been the guardian’s co-op version), remains alive and follows them until they defeat judgement.

-

altie (the alternate drifter)

after having her family slain, a young altie decided to use old broken parts to recreate figures of her deceased family members to cope. this inspires her to start creating mini robots with old parts and eventually get into creating prosthetics and other mechanical parts for the dying or injured. while scavenging for old parts, she keeps getting injured and decided to replace most of her body (it’s also why she’s very tall). she becomes roommates with the guardian after becoming a good friend of theirs, supporting them after their spouse and child had died. she gets a severe burn on her face after accidentally triggering an explosive she was trying to create and replaces her face with a mechanical one.

(also she is a black and grey dog. i headcanon that the in-game altie doesn’t wear a mask and just a mechanical jaw, so in this au she also is)

-

the shadow doppelgängers (co-op)

the shadow doppelgängers show up when judgement notices that the jackal is trying to lead heros to defeat it. judgement sends a part of itself to each hero that crawls out of the hero’s shadow. however, to judgement’s dismay, it loses control over the doppelgängers after they are sent/are too far away from judgement. the doppelgängers protect them when they think their original is in danger or are alone. until then, they live in their shadows.

altie’s doppelgänger showed up first, escaping from her shadow and often following her around. when she met the guardian, it returned to her shadow and hasn’t come out since (the guardian has never met the doppelgänger, and altie never mentioned it to them). the drifter’s doppelgänger shows up after he loses his arm. it was the one who brought the drifter back to the town where altie and the guardian save him. his doppelgänger seems to only want to appear when the drifter is alone, so altie and the guardian don’t know about it. his doppelgänger stops showing up when judgement is defeated. the guardian’s doppelgänger scrambled out of their shadow shortly after their death. it only showed up then because it was sent while the drifter and altie were traveling with them, so it felt unneeded until the guardian was dying (however, it was too late to save them). it travels with the drifter and altie until judgement is defeated.

-

judgement survives

the monster wasn’t truly “defeated”. it cut off connection to its body and retreated to the core in the back of the drifter’s neck that controls his arm in the form of a much smaller judgement. while the drifter and altie recover and meet the newcomers from the other world (dead cells), judgement attempts to kill the drifter from the inside, making his mechanical parts rust and causing him horrible nightmares out of anger that he and altie were able to reduce it to its current form.

this gives altie a really hard time, having to help replace or fix the drifter’s parts every other week. the drifter tells her that he should do it himself, but she insists on helping him.

the drifter prefers to stay around with his friends at all times, but one day he gets a weird feeling, tells the others he’s going out for some air, and meets his doppelgänger which freaks him out until he realizes that it finally came back out as a warning that judgement is still alive (it isn’t being controlled due to judgements tiny size and limited power. it also doesn’t know how it is still alive since the connection is still severed, it only appeared because it realized it was able to)

bobby silly gets close to drifter during their time there cause he’s teaching him how to behave and how their world is like and yeah they find out they love each other at some point. altie gets back into creating prosthetics for the injured and taking care of the drifter when the lingering affects of the illness get bad/when he needs to get his parts replaced or fixed. she doesn’t become friendly with bobby or laure for a while because of that and also because she thinks they’re weird lol. but she and laure also kiss at some point later haha

—

i’ll reblog or post the story of bobby and laure soon. this au was originally created for driftcells but i really love them all, so it’s kind of just a cyborg crossover au with ships in it (i guess anyone can be shipped together in this but when i write about them it will often be driftcells and altielaure. but the guardian, drifter, and altie are implied to have thought of one another as a romantic interest at some point while the guardian was still alive, but have preferred not to get into it because of their journey.)

also ik the drifter is supposed to die and it’s ending is BEAUTIFUL but this is just an au so i can draw and write about my faves

[someidiotwithalaptop]

So these lines from the intro, "Clasping tight onto memories I know / They'll be overrun / (By a girl)" And right on "overrun" we get this shot of (probably) Alyx literally overshadowing Ruby.

Which is uhh. Unsettling. Especially since throughout the intro we keep getting both Ruby and Neo shifting into Alyx or back again!

So if I really jam my tinfoil hat on, they might both be falling victim to the same weird magic curse type thing, getting "overrun" by Alyx.

Then there's the fact that Blake mentioned the Rusted Knight! Meaning he's a character in the book! So if Jaune is the knight we saw in the intro, and it really seems like he is, then either something went very funky with time and, plot twist, Jaune was technically way more famous than Pyrrha back in Beacon (which would be very funny), or… He slotted into the role of the Rusted Knight, because he didn't have a Purpose in the Ever After. And if you don't have a purpose, a role in the story, then you'll get one.

They're following the path Alyx did in the book. They're doing all the same things she did, and like… this is a story. So there's absolutely no way that's going to keep working, right? Blake can't already know the answer to every problem they face, that would wreck the stakes completely.

Except… what if she does? What if every time, Blake knows exactly how to deal with the situation, has an answer they can follow that will solve the problem. A magic* solution. But the more they use it, the more like Alyx they become. So they have to find their own answers, solve things a different way, if they want to stay themselves.

(*For extra tinfoil hat points, Oscar was the first person to bring up The Girl Who Fell Through the World, literally in the same conversation as he told Ozpin that every time they use magic, he can feel them merging faster.)

And considering the headspace Ruby's in, where she desperately wants to stop having to be the person making the decisions because she's exhausted and it always goes wrong and she's just absolutely drowning in survivor's guilt and despair… I can see her reaching for the easy solution, because, well. If all it costs is who she is, well then that's not really much of a price to pay, now is it? Especially if the alternative is trying to do things our way and risking another friend dying like Penny did. Why shouldn't she just keep on asking Blake, "What did Alyx do next?"

All this to say: Ruby might be about to cheat at a board game next episode.

I'm not worried Ruby is going to fully disappear (though she might come close) because, you know, main protagonist, but damn does all this make me fear for Neo considering Alyx apparently "Lied and cheated" her way through the book (while just "trying to survive"), and Roman's last words were "Lie, steal, cheat, and survi—"

[a-mellowtea]

Alyx sets Little back onto Ruby’s shoulder and, finally, she sees not the hero from her storybooks but the girl; tired and lonely and so, so far from home, but resolute. “It’s never going to get easier,” Alyx says, “to keep going. It’s something we have to decide, every day. To be better. To do better. And sometimes even that just feels like too much. But if you can find some small way, some little thing...” She tilts her head at her own joke and smiles. Despite the ache in her chest, Ruby smiles back. “...to face another day for? It starts to make it feel worth it again.”

Alyx, the Rusted Knight - based on a wonderful alternative concept by @bad-food-sells-burgers.

[merlinrarepairfest]

Round Up 5

Another week of marvellous fills finishes! As always, you can find them beneath the cut - leave our lovely creators some love <3

Title: Save a Horse, ride a Knight Writer: Laevateinn Rating: T Warnings: N/A Medium/Word Count: 1k Pairing/main characters: Gwaine/Percival Up to 10 tags: Canon Divergence, Gwaine admitted he was of noble blood, Percival came to Camelot to work, Tournament, Favours, Gwaine is oblivious

Summary:

Imagine a world where Gwaine admitted being of noble blood and stayed as a knight, long before he actually does in the show. What if, in that world, he and the other Knights of the Round Table had met differently? What if Percival, for example, had decided to travel to Camelot and work there? Where he would have met Gwaine, and worked with him? Surely, these two can stay professional, or simply friends, right?

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51384994

---

Title: the gold and the rust Writer: Shana_Rose | @shana-rosee Rating: T Warnings: None Medium/Word Count: 1,176 Pairing/main characters: Mergwenthur Up to 10 tags: Mergwenthur, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Battle of Camlann, Hurt Arthur Pendragon, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, POV Merlin, Sleepy Cuddles

Summary:

The bright light of early morning hit aggressively against his eyes. Merlin winced, scrunching his eyes in hopes of the light going away. He pressed his head further into his arm, resting on top of the soft sheets of the bed. His back was aching from sleeping in a chair. Just as he wondered why he would sleep in such an uncomfortable position, he bolted up. His breath caught in his throat as he turned his head towards the head of the bed. - Arthur survives Camlann.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51432988

---

Title: Jealous of him, I want to be yours Writer: HadrianPeverellBlack | @evadne01 Rating:  General Warnings: N/A Medium/Word Count: fic/ 1,891 Pairing/main characters: Merlin/Gwaine, Merlin/Lancelot, Gwaine/Merlin/Lancelot Up to 10 tags: POV Gwaine, Protective Gwaine, Protective Lancelot, Supportive Lancelot, Supportive Gwaine, Powerful Merlin, Jealous Gwaine, Pining Gwaine, Post-Season/series 03, Pre Season/Series 04

Summary:

Gwaine is jealous. Not of Arthur, because even if he and Merlin are basically joined at the hip, it's obvious that the royal numpty has no idea about Merlin's magic. No, Gwaine is jealous of Lancelot, because he's the only one who does know.

AO3 link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/51174415

---

Title: The Best Way to Cover Something Up… Writer: sleepygecko Rating: General Warnings: None Medium/Word Count: Fic/1999 words Pairing/main characters: Merlin & Mordred & Morgana Up to 10 tags: Child Mordred, Mordred moves to Camelot

Summary:

When Merlin helps the little Druid boy escape the guards, they flee to Morgana’s chambers. Together, they come up with an epic sob story to cover up the boy’s sudden appearance, something so emotional that Arthur “emotionally dysfunctional” Pendragon won’t look too closely at. Welcome to Camelot, Mordred of Ealdor.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51462367

---

Title: Stolen Moments Writer: Lemon_pH Rating: T Warnings: No Archive Warnings Medium/Word Count: 2,5k (2544) Pairing/main characters: Gaius/Uther Pendragon Up to 10 tags: Canon Era, Merlin/Arthur is a background, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: 

Those are just moments in the vast fabric of life. But we cherish them, keep them close to our hearts, Because at the end, they're all that we have of each other.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51023428

---

Title: powerful Writer: I_think_he_knows | @marlenemckinnonsuppremacy Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply  Medium/Word Count: 1127 words Pairing/main characters: Gwen/Arthur/Merlin Up to 10 tags: BAMF Merlin, Merlin is powerful and everyone knows it, BDSM, Smut, 

Summary:

Gwen has always felt Merlin has a powerful vibe about him, which she finds very sexy. When she marries Arthur, upon finding out they are both attracted to him, they invite him to their bed or to be their partner. Gwen tells them about a fantasy she’s had since they were all younger: Merlin taking her, and claiming her as Arthur watches, tied up and unable to do anything about it or pleasure himself.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51062878

[bettermiya]

Fox & Mouse.

Summary: After all those year of spending time in Miyagi and Aoba Johsai, you end up moving to Hyogo. Broadcast Club Member!Antique Shop Kid!Fem!Reader

Shipping: Suna Rintarou x Fem!Reader, IwaOi, Tsukkiyama if you squint.

Trigger Warnings: bullying against an unnamed character, attempted sexual assault that gets swiftly punished against the reader, and violence.

WC: 1.7k

[ Middle School ]

You bring a camera to an exhibition game at Kitagawa Daiichi's volleyball club. Although your senpai asked you to assist him, you're not thrilled about the task. You want to trudge through the woods with your friends in search of a true story, such as a murderous ghost or a serial killer, not trapped getting the best angle of a bunch of sweaty boys.

Nonetheless, it's easy to blend in with these girls who scream for Oikawa Tooru. You appreciate them. There's no other way to get good material. How will you get candid expressions if you don't use the ideal environment, where everyone practically vibrates with energy?

You take multiple shots to get the perfect set of photos. The barest gleam of Iwaizumi-senpai’s smile as his captain leaps for a devastating jump-serve. Kindaichi’s fierce gaze as he blocks some poor first years. The laughter, camaraderie, and pure friendship that you may have wished you had if it hadn't been your duty to document it. It occurred to you that you may have fallen in love with the game at the time, even if you weren't aware of it.

Their resolve was as firm as the wood that supported the countertop of your family's antique shop. The movement is as refined as the masters who meticulously crafted each angle.

Volleyball isn't something you're particularly familiar with, but as an outside observer, you hope to capture a figment of that emotion. Keep your fingers steady and your hands sure as you trace each moment like a lover's caress before you must leave. When the match is over, you walk out like you came in--without a desire for someone to notice.

The truth is someone does notice you. Tyki hobbles towards you with a pencil behind his ear, a notebook in hand, and clumps of leaves in his hair. “Thank you so much!” A familiar trio of broadcasting club members run behind him.

“You needed me.”

[ Highschool - 1st Year ]

Aoba Johsai doesn’t have a manager, and it still doesn’t. You're not friends with Oikawa Tooru, but he lets you stay in the gym's shadows. If someone is there, he's being watched. It feels somewhat like absolution to realize that another person exists between the thump of the ball and the pant of pain, witnessing him in the dark while he destroys himself.

( You’d mentioned in passing to him that your family's house wasn't the best, that it alternated between oppressive silence and too much noise. He looked thoughtful before making a simple offer: you can stay after practice with him as long as you help him get clean recordings for matches. )

If you were braver, you would tell Iwaizumi. The Iwaizumi that bought you a soda and asked for a picture of his best friend. While working on the innards of an old clock, you wish you were the kind of girl who could fend off the monster that appears to be pursuing his footsteps. The slightest tension in your resolve causes the clock to chime.

You both look up, startled, and instinctively, you toss the water bottle he had left by your side at him. He gives you the side eye, but he drinks anyway.

You think it's more for you than for him.

You think it’s more for Iwaizumi than for him.

Your jaw moves and you try to find the right words; the story continues as if by magic. Oikawa's well-known knight begins yelling when the doors fly open. The captain of Seijoh starts pleading and you can't run while holding the rusted gears on your lap.

Cinderella is always found.

A promise. A threat. An ending.

What happens to the mouse when the princess is whisked away to her castle?

[ Highschool - 2nd Year ]

If the story is kind, the mouse is brought along to live with the princess. If the story is unkind, the mouse is left behind at the stepmother’s manor. In actuality, the narrative is neither kind nor unkind. When Tyki finally gets chastised by the supervising teacher for shirking his duties after years of chasing specters, you bow before Iwaizumi and Oikawa and inform them that the original newspaper club member will report on them. Oikawa calls it a betrayal, while Iwaizumi calls him an idiot.

A head pat and a milk bun that has spent the entire day being shoved into a jacket are your reward for your hard work. You offer the milk bun to one of Oikawa's admirers to raise money for your efforts to bring Tsukishima another dinosaur antique. Yamaguchi pleads with you to stop funding his friend's addiction. You apologize, but you’re proud of your work.

The next order of business is the worst part. After you tell Iwaizumi and Oikawa that you're leaving the club, and Tsukishima that you'll have to ship his antique to his house, you confess to Tyki that you're leaving Miyagi. Your grandfather wishes to enrich your experience because he believes there is more to the world than this run-down town.

He cries for you. He sobs for the memories in this small room where you spent years keeping records of others. You seem to have a bad habit of disappearing.

The clock strikes twelve.  

The mouse is just a mouse.

[ Highschool – 3rd Year. ]

Even though foxes are known for eating mice, you choose to take over as Inarizaki's third-year manager, a difficult position to obtain. Many girls wanted to be even closer to the Miya twins. You don't blame them because you've been filming monsters for years. You've seen first-hand how stunning they can be when they're in their element.

Fortunately, you have no intention of turning a beast into a prince, but you do want to understand them. The time you spent with Aoba Johsai's volleyball club was insufficient. More resplendencies can be captured with a camera in your hand if you have the knowledge to take the right angle.

Curiosity has never killed your species. If you kept staring at the dark-haired boy who became rigid from the attention, there might be a first time. Making your case to Suna Rintarou wasn't easy because, while Atsumu Miya is the one who openly desired to devote his entire life to the altar of volleyball, you suspect that behind those bored eyes, there is a similar passion. The only thing that convinces him is your willingness to sell your clock tool kit to get him a better cellphone.

He sobs in excitement while repeatedly rotating the object in his hands. You notice they’ve developed calluses through the repetition of manual labor rather than through the dedication required of a sport. You're starting to get the sickening feeling that, eventually, you would have sold your clock tool kit just to please him. 

It’s something you need to squash down. Oikawa Tooru only ever allowed you in his presence since you didn't have the same level of affection for him as the rest. You’re not sure if it's pity, kindness, or a vague sense of 'I'm curious to see how this will go,' but finally, finally, he looks at you like you’re worth his time. Did Cinderella ever need anything other than her beauty and kindness to entice her prince? Or was there dedication hidden in that first pink dress, torn apart by her stepmother and sisters? While you’re not sure you have either, the sacrifice must be worth it.

This is the first time you've wanted so desperately that you've risked something for your wish.

The beginnings weeks as a manager are difficult; nonetheless, you are rewarded by watching them. You don't mind if Inarizaki's starters keep their distance because their commitment inspires you to work harder. Both your videography and photography evolve leaps and bounds during this first stint.  

You smile a little more. You talk like you used to in the broadcasting club about leaping over wire fences with your senpai. He had an uneasy feeling that something sinister was going on at Aoba Johsai, and he was going to break the story. Because it was only a few upperclassmen who were messing with Kyoutani, you both ended up snitching to Oikawa.

You leave out the darker part. Oikawa bullied them in a slow, insidious way, not with his fists, but by convincing the rest of his year to ignore these upperclassmen and pretend they didn't exist. Though Iwaizumi eventually put a stop to his worst antics, the memory of how easily a boy could turn on you sticks with you.

Perhaps that's why, for a split second, you hesitated when one of the second-year benchwarmers wrapped a strong, bruising hand around your wrist. You knew his intention was the supply closet behind the gym. All you could think about was you or him, you or him, you or him.

Who would they believe?

“Oh, you want to go into the supply closet? Okay, we’ll go.”

Suna is a blur of speed as he drags the other boy inside. You're sitting against a tree trunk, listening to the impact of each punch along with deciding how to spin it so Inarizaki doesn't expel him. Finally, you decide that Atsumu would cover for his friend. You have faith in that much.

( "I'm not sure what ya' mean…. Suna was practicing with me and Samu all night." He nods. "Ask anyone on the team. They were all there." )

When he comes out, he sits farther away from you, but close enough to show you the photos he's taken of his victim's bruised and battered body. "I would protect you," he says, his gaze falling to the spot where you were clutching your wrist. “I hope this is enough proof.” Those bloody knuckles you notice when you look back are a promise.

He's watching you as much as you watch him.

You think you've been in this circumstance before. A volleyball is hurtling towards you, and its path is directly in line to your face and Suna's bag. He loves that phone more than he loves his own life, so you don’t dodge.

There is a lot of yelling. You pull out your own phone with trembling fingers and laugh as you record a video, "Hey, Iwaizumi-senpai, remember that time I got hit with a ball back at Kitagawa Daiichi? It happened again."

"What da ya' mean this is yer second time?!" screams Atsumu.

Suna hauls you to the nurse's office by the scruff. He lectures you the entire way in the same way one might speak to a far too rambunctious pet. You turn one of your smiles towards him and the tips of his ears go red.

Suna is kissing you while holding your hand, and his second button is intertwined between your fingers. As you carefully run your tongue over his lower lip, Sakura blossoms have floated down to caress your hair. You run your fingers through his dark tresses. There are strong fingers that dig into your hips that promise more one day.

The confession had gone like this:

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Do you want a boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

[ Author's Note: On graduation day at junior high or high schools, a graduating male student would give their second button to someone they like. It's the one closest to their heart. ]