[A/N: Not the best thing I've written, but oh well...]
[Xiao Long Family Cabin – 10:00 PM]
It's late at the Xiao Long household. Yang walks down the hallway with her Ember Celica hanging from her arm; it's time for their much-needed monthly maintenance, and as always, Ruby is going to take care of it. It's not that Yang doesn't know how to do it herself or that she minds the task—she actually understands perfectly well how to disassemble, clean, and readjust them. These are basic skills every Huntsman should have. But Ruby enjoys the process way more than she probably should.
Yang remembers the last time she tried to handle the maintenance on her own. She didn't stop hearing Ruby's complaints about all the mistakes she made.
"This is misaligned!"
"That's a scratch!"
Every correction came with an exasperated sigh, until in the end, her sister simply decided to take matters into her own hands. In the middle of the night, she didn't even bother asking—she sneaked into Yang's room and took Ember Celica without a word. Of course, Yang pretended not to notice when she found them back in their place at dawn, spotless and gleaming.
"Ruby thinks she's stealthy… but she's not as sneaky as she thinks."
A small chuckle escapes her lips at the memory as she stops in front of her sister's door. She raises a hand and knocks twice.
Knock, knock.
Silence. She frowns and tries again, this time with more insistence.
Knock, knock.
Nothing.
"Screw privacy… at least I tried," she thinks, shrugging before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open.
"Ruby—" she starts, but cuts herself off when she sees what her sister is doing.
Ruby is hunched over her desk, carefully packing a weapon transport case. Yang raises an eyebrow in curiosity and steps forward without even bothering to be stealthy. Not that it matters—her sister is still completely absorbed in her task, disconnected from the world.
Yang moves a little closer and glances at the contents of the case. She's surprised to recognize what's inside: the replica of the rapier Ruby lost.
"What are you doing?" she asks, tapping Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby jumps slightly and spins around abruptly.
"Oh, Yang! I didn't hear you come in," she admits with a nervous laugh, before noticing where her sister is looking.
"Oh! This," Ruby says, smiling as she gives the box a couple of pats. "I was talking to my boyfriend~~," she adds, exaggerating the last word with an unmistakable sparkle of pride in her eyes.
Yang can only roll her eyes at her attitude.
"I sent him a picture of the rapier, and he said it looks perfect," Ruby announces, barely able to contain her excitement. Her eyes shine with enthusiasm as she turns to her sister. "Do you know what that means!?"
Before Yang can answer, Ruby grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her with energy.
"That you'd make an excellent forger," Yang replies with amusement, enjoying her sister's exaggerated reaction.
Ruby shoots her a disapproving look.
"No!" she protests, frowning, though the expression barely lasts a second before her grin returns, even brighter. "It means he didn't realize it's not the original! My relationship is saved!" she exclaims, bouncing slightly in triumph.
Yang watches her with a raised eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip.
"Yeah, well… now you just have to make up for weeks of neglect and fix the whole 'your boyfriend~~ running off to Atlas with another girl' situation," she says, mimicking Ruby's exaggerated tone with a teasing smirk.
The mood shifts instantly. Ruby's radiant energy vanishes in a flash, like someone flipped a switch. Her smile fades, and her shoulders tense.
"Shit," Yang thinks, immediately sensing the discomfort in the room. Maybe she went too far with that comment.
The silence that follows is awkward, heavy. Yang quickly searches for a distraction—and luckily, she finds one.
Ahem! She clears her throat dramatically into her fist, as if that could dispel the tension, then gestures toward the box with feigned nonchalance. "Sooo… why are you packing up the rapier?" She steps forward, pretending to examine the case with forced interest.
The change of subject works. Ruby blinks and quickly shakes her head, as if trying to erase Yang's words from her mind as well. She clears her throat and regains her usual cheerful tone.
"Well, like I said," she begins, snapping the transport case shut with a soft click, "I was talking to Daniel about the rapier, and he liked it so much that he couldn't wait to come back to Vale to see it." She straightens up with a smile and checks the box one last time, making sure everything is secure before continuing.
"So he asked me to send it to him, and since I'm such a great girlfriend… I'm going to send it!" she declares enthusiastically.
Yang watches her with a thoughtful expression. There's something about all of this that doesn't quite add up.
"Wouldn't it take too long to get to Atlas?" she asks, a hint of suspicion in her voice. She knows that shipments between kingdoms can be incredibly slow, so at this point, it hardly seems worth sending it if Daniel is coming back soon anyway.
Ruby nods, not giving it much thought.
"Yeah, a few weeks," she replies with a slight shrug. "But there's a fast-shipping Bullhead leaving tomorrow, so it won't take that long."
Yang furrows her brow slightly. This only raises more questions.
"Aren't those shipments really expensive?" she presses, recalling that direct transport between kingdoms is ridiculously costly.
"They are," Ruby admits, still smiling. "But Daniel told me not to worry about the price. He's taking care of everything." She says it with complete nonchalance as she shifts the box from one side to the other, then turns to her sister, eyes shining with excitement.
"Isn't that awesome?!" she adds with a huge grin.
Yang watches her in silence for a few seconds. Once again, she can't help but wonder how the hell this relationship is still working.
Ruby has a terrible habit of letting Daniel pay for absolutely everything. Dates, gifts… way too many gifts. The cloak she never wears. Zwei's bed. The list goes on and on. Personally, Yang would have broken up with anyone who did that with a gift of hers. Sure, Ruby made a new hilt for his rapier, but then she lost the rapier herself, so that barely even counts.
She sighs internally, wondering if she should say something about this bad habit. It's obvious Ruby doesn't see it as a problem; in her head, this is just how a normal relationship works. But things shouldn't work that way.
After a few moments of contemplation, though, she decides to let it go.
Calling it out would only make the relationship more stable… and honestly, she has zero interest in helping that happen.
"I'll tell her after they break up… yeah, that's probably for the best," she thinks, pushing those thoughts aside as she lifts her Ember Celica and holds them out toward her sister.
"By the way," she says casually, "I was wondering if you could do their maintenance."
Before she can even finish speaking, Ruby practically snatches the weapons from her hands, her face lighting up with pure excitement.
Yang chuckles.
"I guess that's a yes," she thinks, amused. Not that she had any doubts, but it's still fun to see her this enthusiastic.
Ruby is already inspecting the weapons when, suddenly, a loud shout echoes from the first floor. A shout loud enough to make them both jump.
"PREGNANT?!"
The deep, masculine voice is unmistakable.
Both sisters look at each other at the same time.
"Uncle Qrow?" they murmur in sync.
They stay silent for a second, processing what they just heard.
"…I think someone just got some interesting news," Yang comments, raising an eyebrow.
No further words are needed. Without hesitation, they drop what they were doing and head downstairs immediately to find out what's going on.
/-/
Summer reacts instantly. In a quick motion, she clamps both hands over Qrow's mouth, pushing him back slightly as her heart races.
"Stop! Shut up, Qrow! They're going to hear you!" she whispers desperately, pressing her hand firmly against his mouth.
But it's too late. She can already hear hurried footsteps rushing down the stairs.
"Hear what?" Yang asks with a curious smile, raising an eyebrow as she stops at the corner beside Ruby.
"Uhh! I… u-umm…" Summer stammers, scrambling for an excuse as her daughters approach with clear interest. "Hear how wonderful my daughters are and how much I love them… hehe."
Her nervous laugh does absolutely nothing to help her credibility.
"Summer's pregnant," Qrow blurts out without the slightest attempt at subtlety.
"WHAT?!" Ruby and Yang shout in unison, their eyes widening like saucers.
Summer glares daggers at Qrow. "QROW! It was a secret!" Her voice shakes between anger and frustration.
"What? They were going to find out eventually," he replies with absolute indifference, shrugging.
"HOW, WHEN, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US BEFORE, AND WITH WHO?!"
The questions come out all at once as the two sisters practically corner Summer, bombarding her without mercy.
"ENOUGH!"
Summer's firm voice stops them in their tracks.
"Both of you, sit," she orders, pointing at the couch with an expression that leaves no room for argument.
They obey instantly, collapsing onto the sofa.
"You too," she adds, locking eyes with Qrow, who at that very moment was attempting a strategic retreat toward the door.
"Ah…" he sighs, resigned, before dropping heavily onto the couch beside them.
Summer closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "I know this is sudden, but I need us all to calm down."
Ruby and Yang open their mouths at the same time, ready to fire off more questions, but Summer raises a finger, silencing them before they can say anything.
"One question at a time," she says firmly.
The sisters glance at each other and nod.
Yang is the first to speak.
"Is Qrow the father?" she asks bluntly, pointing at her uncle sitting right beside her.
"WHAT?!"
"NO!"
Summer and Qrow's response is instant and perfectly synchronized.
"Of course not," Qrow grumbles, frowning in disgust. "For god's sake, never. There's not enough alcohol in Vale to make that happen."
He pauses, then visibly shudders and shakes his shoulders like he just imagined something disturbing. "Damn, I got chills just thinking about it," he mutters to himself.
"Qrow…" Summer gives him a pointed glare.
"Of course! No offense!" he quickly adds, raising his hands in surrender.
"Then who is the father?" Ruby asks, crossing her arms when no one answers.
"Well, about that…" Summer drags out the words, avoiding her daughters' gazes.
Yang narrows her eyes, and after a few seconds of silence, she suddenly exclaims in both shock and amusement, "Oh, for the love of the Brothers Grimm —she doesn't know who the father is!"
Her expression—somewhere between surprised and entertained—earns her an elbow from Ruby, but Summer clicks her tongue in annoyance. The truth is, she does know exactly who the father of her child is, but she has no intention of saying it. She refuses to admit it, and if all goes well, no one will ever find out.
Even so, she nods at Yang's question.
"How did that even happen?" Yang asks, incredulous.
Summer had already practiced what to say if anyone ever asked her that question. She sighs and begins her rehearsed story:
"Well, you see… I was at a bar, had a few too many drinks… ended up talking to some guy, one thing led to another… and here we are," she says, hoping they'll believe her. Though, to be fair, there's a bit of truth in the lie.
"So… you were drunk when you slept with some random guy without protection?" Yang blurts out without hesitation.
"YANG!" Ruby exclaims, looking at her in outrage.
"What?! It's true…"
"OUCH!" Yang complains when Summer smacks her over the head.
"Yes, what you said is true, but I'm still your mother," Summer says, asserting her authority.
"Sorry, Mom…" Yang replies with a small, apologetic grimace.
A brief silence falls before Ruby finally speaks up.
"If I'm being honest… I was expecting this from Qrow," Ruby comments.
"Hey!" Qrow protests, frowning at her.
"Or from Yang," Ruby adds with a smirk.
"HEY!"
Their simultaneous reaction makes Summer unable to suppress a small smile. At least Ruby is trying to lighten the mood.
"So… what are you going to do?" Qrow asks seriously.
Summer looks him straight in the eye. "I'm going to have this baby," she says, her voice firm with determination.
Qrow watches her for a few seconds before sighing.
"It's going to be complicated."
"I already raised Yang and Ruby," Summer replies, shrugging. "It won't be a problem."
"Mhmm…" Qrow hums skeptically.
That makes Summer frown. "What do you mean 'Mhmm'?" she asks, suspicious.
Qrow scratches his chin before answering.
"Well… technically, Tai did everything."
"WHAT?!" Summer stares at him in disbelief. "That is not true!"
"Well…" Qrow starts listing things. "He was the one changing them, putting them to sleep, bathing them…"
Before he can continue, Summer cuts him off, pointing a finger at him.
"I fed them!" she says, irritated.
"Well, yeah. Tai can't produce milk," Qrow replies with a slight chuckle.
Summer opens her mouth to argue but falls silent. She can't exactly deny it. As was often the case, the men handled most of the childcare.
But that doesn't matter now.
Summer shakes her head with determination.
"It doesn't matter how it was before. I know I can do this—I'll learn."
Qrow watches her for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. He's not about to argue with Summer when she's this determined.
The conversation continues for several hours, mostly between Ruby, Yang, and Summer. Qrow, though not ignored, chooses to stay somewhat on the sidelines. He figures this is something they need to discuss among themselves.
"Well, at least the night can't get any crazier."
That was Qrow's last thought before he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, looking for something to distract himself. He had barely found a decent program when the screen flickered, and the broadcast abruptly switched to an emergency news report.
"Breaking news!"
The news anchor, her expression tense and grim, addressed the audience with urgent urgency.
"We have just received reports that the kingdom of Atlas is under attack at this very moment."
A shiver ran down Qrow's spine.
"Why the hell did I have to open my damn mouth…?"
Everyone in the room snapped to attention at the anchor's words, but it was Ruby who reacted the most intensely, stepping closer to the screen without hesitation.
The broadcast switched to another reporter, this time inside a Bullhead flying over Atlas. The camera shook slightly as it captured the chaos unfolding below.
"The machines have turned against us!" the reporter shouted, whipping the camera around to show the devastation below.
[Image]
The AK-200s—robotic units originally designed to protect Atlas—were now attacking the very soldiers and Huntsmen they once served. Their lights, which usually glowed a steady blue, now flickered with a menacing yellow hue. Amidst the chaos, the towering Atlesian Paladins had joined the slaughter, using their sheer size and advanced weaponry against their former allies.
"We've received word that Atlas Academy is facing the same situation. Students and faculty have been locked inside by the academy's own security system."
The reporter's voice suddenly jumped in alarm as something caught her attention outside the Bullhead.
"Wait, what's happening?!"
The transmission became unstable. The camera picked up erratic flashes of movement as the Bullhead lurched violently.
"We're losing control!"
The lighting inside the aircraft abruptly shifted to an intense yellow.
"We can't pilot the Bullhead anymore! I repeat, we've lost control!"
Just then, a green flash streaked across the sky beside them.
"What the hell was that?!"
The camera attempted to track it, catching just enough to capture the figure of a girl with orange hair and a dress, soaring toward Atlas Tower.
"Is that a Huntress?!"
The question hung in the air. Before anyone could answer, the camera swung sharply.
"OH, GOD, NO!"
Atlas' automated defenses came to life. The mounted cannons along the city walls and Atlas Tower itself swiveled with lethal precision, locking onto the girl in the sky.
BAM! BAM!
The deafening blasts rang through the broadcast… and then, the screen cut to black.
The silence in the room was absolute.
As if nothing had happened, the TV casually resumed playing the program Qrow had been watching. No one spoke… until Ruby shattered the stillness with a scream.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
[Many Days Earlier – Mantle]
Daniel is inside a small hotel room in Mantle, sitting at a makeshift desk covered in papers and ink. His fingers move with precision as he draws glyphs, fully focused on his work.
But then, a question crosses his mind.
"Hey, GLaDOS."
He turns his head toward his companion, who is beside him, absorbed in her own task.
"Hm?"
"I forgot to ask… why did you want to go to Atlas Tower?"
A few days ago, GLaDOS had mentioned that she needed to infiltrate an Atlas facility—specifically, the main tower itself. Not that Daniel really cared. His own mission was leading him there as well. The fact that their goals aligned was just a stroke of luck.
GLaDOS' lights flicker briefly before she responds in a lighthearted tone.
"Oh, that… don't worry about it."
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. I'll handle everything. Just focus on your drawings." Her tone is relaxed, almost reassuring.
"I already have everything planned out."
Daniel watches her for a moment. Something about her words tells him that he should be worried.
But he decides to push the thought aside for now.
Right now, he needs to make the most of his time and finish his glyphs before meeting with his contact to present the blueprints. Besides… he tells himself.
"How much damage could she possibly do?"
/-/
Author's note:
So much time for so little? Well, yes! What can I say? My time for writing is limited. That's also the reason I had to put my other fanfic on pause.
Anyway, I hope you liked it. Want more chapters? Leave a comment or a review, or just comment on what glyphs the MC should create, or anything, whatever...
To be honest, I ask for comments because every time someone leaves one, I check their profiles to look for fanfics they've commented on so I have something to read. It's not the best system, but it works for me.
Anyway... I'll try to update on Sunday.
Hugs and kisses!