#Ruby doesn’t have a monopoly on good decisions

[honeyby]

It is very important that Ruby’s leadership is being challenged.

If the show has made anything clear it’s that blindly following one person is a terrible idea. Oz didn’t fully trust anyone and when the truth came out it nearly broke Qrow and destroyed any trust the heroes had in him. Ironwood was very open with his subordinates but demanded absolute and unwavering loyalty which leads to Clover’s death and him turning on RWBY. Both have nothing but good intentions but between their own character flaws and the fact that no one around them is really an equal (Oz is the only person with all of the information while all of Ironwood’s subordinates are just that: subordinates) they ultimately fail to be good leaders.

People are flawed. No individual is right all the time or has all the answers and the same applies to Ruby. She always does what she thinks is right but not every situation has a clear best solution and Ruby is not the only person that can make a good decision. We have three other main characters plus major secondary characters with their own opinions and views! There was always going to be a time where there would be a disagreement about what to do because of that.

And now we’re at that situation. They’re faced with a difficult choice: do what they can to help evacuate Mantle or warn the rest of the world. Both are very important! Ironwood abandoning Mantle is a big part of what has them on opposite sides and evacuating people is a solid goal that they KNOW they can contribute to. Getting Amity up in the air is a bigger picture goal that will affect more people but is also much higher risk with a lower chance of success. It’s why there’s a split in which one is right, because both have pros and cons and so it comes down to personal values and why they eventually agree to go after both.

And Ruby...isn’t the person to suggest splitting up. She isn’t the one who finds a compromise, and I’m very interested to see where she goes from here. This is the first time she’s had to deal with a major disagreement over her leadership and she didn’t find the solution everyone could agree with. But this and the fact the she’s challenged in the first place are important because they give her something to grow and learn from. It will give her the chance to prove herself as a better leader than Oz and Ironwood before her. What she learns from this will only make her a better leader in the long run.

Ruby is already on her way to doing a better job than them. She’s honest with her teammates and friends and doesn’t demand that they only do as she says. But this is the first time she’s really having to deal with someone openly questioning her. How she handles this going forward and what she learns from it will set her apart from them. I don’t see this conflict ending with Yang being like “I’m sorry I should’ve just listened to you and not thought for myself”. Not when a big theme of the show is that blindly following someone is a bad idea. This conflict can only end with them growing closer and understanding each other’s view points, and with Ruby proving she is a good leader by being able to deal with disagreements in the group in a healthy way.

[notchesandbullets]

She’s Mine (Protective!Bakugou x Punk!Tattooed!Reader) feat. Erasermic

Warnings: racism, implied homophobia (not by anyone in the main cast), sexism, discrimination/discriminatory behavior, Modern!AU, Aged-Up!AU, features Bakugou’s parents, Erasermic, Kota, Eri, Mahoro, Katsuma and all of Class A defending you when insults start to fly.

Synopsis: This is not the first time you’re seeing Bakugou’s family but it is the first time you’re meeting his grandmother, who is not the best company to be around. He comes to your defense after you stand up for yourself and he had no qualms about sticking his face in the old hag’s because he’d be damned if he lets anyone talk to you like that. You’re his.

Words: 3.2k

“Y/N’s here!!!” Mitsuki called over her shoulder as she threw the front door wide open before you could even ring the doorbell.

Her son had texted her that you two were on their way and she was eager to see you. With the job and your relationship with her son, you two were busy bees and didn’t come around as often anymore. 

Which is why she insisted that her stubborn son at least come around for his birthday since it only happened one day out of the year. Then he could continue doing whatever it was that he was doing. 

Luckily, you were on her side and helped convince him to go just this once.

You laughed at the pitter-patter of tiny feet scampering across the cherry hardwood before dropping everything to catch the little kid that tunneled into your legs. 

“Y/N!!! You’re back!!!”

Eri’s ruby red eyes sparkled with joy as she clung to your legs.

“I missed you!!!” She shouted excitedly, hugging your knees tight.

You giggled, resting a hand on top of her head. “I missed you too, munchkin.”

Bakugou snorted behind you and you were reminded of his presence. “Oi, brat. Are you going to let us in or what?”

Eri stuck her tongue out at him childishly before dashing back inside, a trick she learned from her big brother Izuku, doubling back to grab your hand and hauled you inside with her. You casted a glance over your shoulder at your boyfriend but he shrugged, giving you the go-ahead.

He would catch up to you two troublemakers later. Besides, he knew you would want to see all the kids first. 

Kota, an orphan whose extended family gave him up for adoption, along with the siblings, Mahoro and Katsuma, were all under Aizawa’s guardianship.

After he adopted Eri, it sort of just snowballed until he was in too deep. He told Mic repeatedly that it wasn’t his fault that he had a soft spot for orphans.

His husband had merely shook his head with a laugh and hoisted Katsuma up higher so that he could reach the cupcakes they were going to sneak behind his back before dinner.

Mitsuki closed the door behind him as her son kicked off his shoes. 

“She gets that from me.” She said proudly as she gazed lovingly at Eri. She loved having her around the house. 

Since Aizawa and Mic lived relatively close, they came over often since she was feeling rather lonely with an empty nest.

Bakugou snorted. “Yeah, no shit.”

His mother glared at him for his language but didn’t reprimand him like she normally would and his eyes turned into hateful slits.

“Don’t tell me—” He started, gritting his teeth.

“They’re here.” She said with a heavy sigh.

Bakugou cursed vehemently under his breath, his brow furrowing deeply as he fought to control himself. He was banking on them not making an appearance today. 

His grandparents on his dad’s side, though he adored his grandad and thought the world of him, he absolutely could not stand his grandmother. 

She was racist, sexist, had limited views on literally everything and would raise hell if she didn’t get her way and she was a huge pain in his ass.

Even his own mother couldn’t stand her and that was saying something because she tolerated everyone to some degree, despite her odd love language when it came to him. 

They were both shit at communicating but it had gotten better as he got older. 

Now, the worst things that happened were spats here and there when they disagreed but his mother was usually good about backing off if she felt he could make the right decision for himself, which wasn’t often but it was better than none. 

Bakugou strolled inside and his eyes softened for a second when he saw you playing with Mahoro, Kota sitting on your lap as Eri was climbing all over Midoriya. You four were currently playing Monopoly and Eri exclaiming in shock as she realized she was losing since the devious Kota was slowly claiming more and more property.

“Haha!!” He cackled, rubbing his hands together evilly. “You landed on the purple one!!”

“No fair!!” Eri protested. “I don’t have enough money!!!”

“Too bad!!”

“Deku-niichan.” Eri cried, her eyes watering and you nearly fell over laughing as he frantically tried to get her to stop crying. 

The rest of his old class from college was already here, as per his mother’s request and Kirishima’s invitation.

Shinsou, Tsuyu, Todoroki and Iida were all near the food, the previous class rep serving drinks even though it wasn’t his job to play host. 

Tokoyami was currently engaged in a conversation with his dad and as Bakugou spun around the room, he realized every last one of his old classmates had shown up.

It was fucking crowded in his house. 

But the spark of joy he felt diminished the instant he saw his grandmother and he scowled, straying to your side almost protectively as her eyes burned into his back. 

This. 

This was why he didn’t fucking want her here. He didn’t want her to rain judgement upon the person who had won over his heart.

No way in hell.

Look, you weren’t fragile by any means. Your heart was filled with a healthy amount of self-esteem and you had built up your walls to protect yourself against people who had something to say about your many tattoos or piercings, yet you still were the kindest soul he had ever met. 

It was in the way you walked and interacted with people, a genuine smile always present on your features as you gave them more respect than most would give you upon first glance.

Bakugou knew you could handle yourself but you shouldn’t have to with his own fucking relatives. That shit was messed up. 

You glanced at your boyfriend out of the corner of your eye and your gaze dropped down to where his hands were clenched into fists, jaw locked tight and you sigh, softly urging Kota to get up and continue playing with Mahoro and Katsuma until you got back.

The boy grumbled but did as you asked, easily getting swept up in the competition of the game as you drifted to Bakugou’s side.

“I know that look,” You murmured into his ear, your hand covering his as you ignored the idle chatter coming from your friends and family around you. “What’s wrong?”

Bakugou clenched his teeth and debated about it for a second.

“Nothing.” He spat out eventually, choosing to deal with the old hag himself and you let him go when he stomped off, knowing that Kirishima or Kaminari would handle whatever it was that just happened if he didn’t want to talk to you about it. 

Momo greeted you warmly and a smile slipped onto your face as though it had never left. 

You hadn’t bothered to dress all that nice or different from your usual getup, feeling more comfortable in leather and all black that looked like you just came from a rock concert but you got the feeling that not everyone was feeling it as much as Jirou was when she came over to compliment you on your fashion taste.

Shoji and Koda each greeted you respectively and before you knew it, the catered dinner arrived and it was finally time to eat. The judging look you had been aware of from someone you didn’t recognize passing by as you brushed it off as unimportant and focused on helping Mitsuki set the table. 

You clapped your hands gleefully when Eri pitched in to help, complimenting her on how well of a job she did as she finished and you beamed at her when she smiled up at you.

Of course, Aizawa needed to help her since he didn’t want her to stand on a chair and lose her balance but it was easy enough to lift her up. She wasn’t that big yet. 

He had already told Mic he was dreading the day when she would grow up and have to leave home to start her own life and his husband patted him on the back sympathetically, reassuring him that it wouldn’t be the end of the world. 

They loved their children and their children absolutely adored them. 

You had told them as such on more than one occasion since they got insecure that they weren’t adequate parents but you reassured them that they were perfectly imperfect.

They put their kids’ health, safety and happiness before everything else and did everything they could for them. 

You wished your own parents had done that for you. 

As soon as you set down the place settings for everyone and called everyone in for dinner, they flooded the huge dining table that overflowed into the living area to accommodate everyone. 

Bakugou had left for a second to grab something from his old bedroom, promising to be back right away and you reassured him that you would be fine. 

You were barely into helping Mic convince a stubborn Kota to take a spoonful of green beans onto his plate, Shinsou helping Aizawa with Mahoro’s vegetable serving, when a throat cleared itself loudly.

The lively chatter died all around the table died down as grey eyes pierced your own and you stiffened but held your ground. 

You knew that look, you had seen it too many times. 

The older woman opened her mouth and spoke.

“So, you’re my grandson’s girlfriend?” She enunciated, looking you up and down from where she was sitting at the head of the table, her hands setting down her knitting project to glare at you. “I don’t see why he’s dating you.”

The expressions of shock at her vulgar words made several of your friends angry in your defense, Iida and Todoroki trembling in anger and Mina’s eyes narrowed as she dropped her happy-go-lucky personality in favor of ripping her a new one. 

But before any of them could act, she was continuing evenly.

“For someone who doesn’t know how to dress properly and looks like that, I mean, it’s already bad enough that your skin is that color, my dear, and you’ve ruined it even further with those ugly things.” She spat, unaware of the wrath she was evoking from every single person in the room. 

Kaminari’s electric eyes glowed as he saw red. “Bad enough?” 

“Excuse me?” Shoji seethed with unparalleled anger rising up in his chest, a rare sight for the normally calm and collected man.

Jirou, Ochako and Momo were furious at the way she was talking down to you and they shared a look amongst themselves, communicating wordlessly that this wasn’t going to be allowed to get out of hand any longer.

Kirishima was visibly shaking and even the normally shy Koda was fuming in his seat, openly glaring at the elderly woman who spewed insults at you. 

A chair scraped back as Midoriya shot up but you shook your head, holding your finger up to your lips as you subtly gestured for everyone to hold back. 

Aizawa’s nostrils flared from where he was covering Eri’s ears while several of his former students took care of the rest of the kids to make sure they wouldn’t hear this.

To their horror, the grandmother wasn’t even close to being done as she pointed a gnarly finger at you.

“Your job as a girl is to stay in the kitchen and attend to your husband. To even think you’re worth anything if you weren’t involved with my grandson is absurd.” She hissed at you venously, her skewed ideals rooted deeply in her beliefs and how she was raised. “You are a disgrace to even breathe the same air as someone like me.”

“Mother!!”

Bakugou’s father frantically tried to amend what had been done and Mitsuki was about to yell at her but you stopped her. 

Everyone’s eyes turned on you as you took a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I won’t apologize for being who I am.” You said quietly but firmly, failing to notice someone coming down the stairs and overhearing your steady words as they flowed from your lips like honey. 

Not tricks. Just genuine sympathy, like you didn’t even hear her say all those horrible things to you. 

It was supposed to be your boyfriend’s day and you weren’t going to ruin it for him in the same manner that she had just done. 

“I understand what you’re saying, but don’t you think that we should be allowed to love who we love?” 

You inclined your head slightly, allowing a sliver of the emotion you felt to slip onto your face as you glanced pointedly as Aizawa and Mic.

After you noticed her staring so openly at you, you also noticed that she would scowl whenever the two men would walk in the room and play with their kids and while you would take whatever she was going to throw at you, you weren’t going to tolerate the same for them.

They didn’t deserve that.

Holding up your arm, you inspected the ink running up and down the length of it. “As for my appearance, my style is my own. I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”

There were a couple of snickers from Jirou, Kaminari, Sero and Mineta as you put her in his place and Todoroki leaned back in his seat, gazing up at you proudly as you stood your ground without firing any hate back at the old woman. 

Hagakure clapped her hands jubilantly as a few cheers of agreement sounded around from the table but you had one more thing to say. 

Your eyes softened. “I understand how you may feel about me, but I don’t need your acceptance. I love myself just as I am and if Katsuki ever feels differently about me and we split, then we’ll split. But please do not judge my love for him based on how you believe I should be. I am who I am and I won’t ever apologize for that.”

“And you never fucking have to.”

Bakugou strolled into the dining area, smirking at the old hag who had the nerve to look shocked at his appearance. Of course she would be so fucking disgusting to say something this horrible to you when he wasn’t within earshot. 

Bitch. 

Blood relations didn’t excuse behavior. 

Narrowing his vermilion eyes at his grandmother, he faced her head on as he took your hand into his. 

“She’s my fucking girlfriend.” He declared, tenacity and stubbornness dripping off of his tone as he snarled at his grandmother. “And if you ever speak to her like that again—”

He nodded in time to Mic and Aizawa, the men who had mentored him and taught him almost everything he knew. 

“Or either of them, including the rest of these shitheads, I’ll fucking kill you.”

The veiled threat hung in the air and you squeaked as Bakugou abruptly dragged you to the front door.

“Where are you going?!” Mitsuki cried out, worried that you both were going to leave without eating anything and she was sad to think that her mother-in-law had driven you away.

Bakugou gnashed his teeth at the confused clamour that arose from his classmates. “Out!! We’ll be back later!!”

You could hardly get a word in edgewise as he dragged you all the way out to the car after barely giving you enough time to put on your shoes.

“Katsuki!! What—”

Your bewildered protests were interrupted as he whirled around and kissed you hard. You melted into his touch as his hot palms settled on your hips, pulling you flush against him. Whining softly when he pulled away, you panted as he breathed hard against you, his exhales fanning out over your face.

You were in a daze as he led you to the car, buckling you in before he got in the driver’s seat. 

And he drove, taking a detour that would take him towards the countryside where there were no people, no places, just you and him. 

Just how he liked it. 

The painted lavenders and pale pinks of the setting sun faded to midnight black with stars twinkling high above you as you cruised around for hours before he finally spoke. 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized quietly and you immediately grabbed his hand that wasn’t currently occupied with steering.

“No!! You don’t have anything to apologize for—”

“Yes I do.”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel a fraction as he slowly explained that if he had told you earlier about what she was capable of instead of ranting to his best friend like an idiot, maybe he could’ve—

“Katuski.”

Your soft murmur brought him back down to planet Earth and you shook your head firmly. 

“It’s not your fault.” You told him without wavering once as he brought the car to a stop just at the edge of the trail. “I don’t blame you at all.”

Bakugou slammed his hand against the steering wheel angrily. “Yes it fucking is!!!”

He ranted and he ranted about how he had come downstairs only to hear his own flesh and blood spitting those vile insults that you didn’t deserve at all. 

You didn’t deserve it at all.

You were quiet when he finished and when his chest was heaving with the spent rage he had aired out, you asked, “Feel better?”

“Like hell I do!!!” He snapped at you, about to go off again when he noticed the bemused expression on your face. “What the fuck, dumbass?”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Huh?”

“Why the hell aren’t you bothered at all?” He questioned, genuinely flabbergasted. 

Eyes clearing in understanding, you traced the back of his hand with your fingers. “Because it doesn’t bother me.”

At the sight of Bakugou opening his mouth, you hurried out, “I mean, do you really think someone like that gets to cut me down? Her words don’t mean anything to me.”

You hesitated and opened yourself a little bit, trusting him not to take advantage of your weakness because while her words stung in the moment, it was nothing your heart couldn’t come back from. But…

“If you were to say them, it would hurt a lot more, but I don’t think you would— eep!!”

You yelped as he dragged you over to his seat, yanking at the seatbelt that got in the way, but pulled you to his chest once he released the safety clip.

“Never.” He breathed against your hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “I would fucking never.”

You closed your eyes. “I know.”

There, in his car, you two stayed in a tight embrace under the stars until you it got late enough that you insisted you should go back and at least spend the rest of the time with your friends, which, if their sleeping schedules hadn’t changed since college, there was a good chance almost all of them would still be up.

So Bakugou drove you both back, his heart a little more at ease after he got to hold you close and be alone with you. 

That was all he wanted.

Well… He thought to himself as he unconsciously brushed his left hand over the small velvet box that had been hastily stuffed in his pocket the second he grabbed it from his room.

That and one other thing.

[black-dragon1998]

Game night part 2/2

part 7 of ‘Out of the box way of starting a family’ part 1-part 2-part 3-part 4-part 5- part 6-

summary: let’s continue game night.

Lena walked back into the living room, placing the baby monitor on the coffee table. She sat back on the couch next to Kara.

“Sorry about that.” Lena apologized, snuggling into Kara’s side who swung an arm around her and pulled her closer.

“no problem Lena. I can imagine that must have been exhausting for the little one.” Iris commented. Earning confirmation from the rest of Team Flash.

“Did she fall asleep fast?” Kara asked giving Lena a loving kiss on her temple.

“not without putting on a little fight. She was too tired to keep it up for long.”

“Thank Rao. I didn’t like dealing with the other scenario.” Kara breathed out. The two mothers were so engrossed in their own bubble, gushing about their daughter they didn’t notice the curious looks they got from team Flash.

Alex jumped in to elaborate.

“let’s just leave it at that Lydia has a good set of lungs.” The grimace shown on her, thinking back at the last time her niece put on a fuss for taking a nap said enough.

“Does she already have manifesting superpowers?” Cisco was getting excited again and was forgetting to lower his voice. Earning him a reprimanding from Frost.

“not so load moron.”

“sorry” Cisco looked down in shame. He really didn’t want to wake the baby but he was just too excited.

“it’s okay Cisco,” Kara reassured her friend.

“yes, she already has some superpowers. Super hearing is one of them. That is one of the big reasons she doesn’t like loud noises. Lena has already made her noise-cancelling headphones. We have also sound proved her room. So you can be as loud as you wish, she won’t hear you.” Hearing all this really got Cisco excited. He rapidly started firing questions at Lena, who happily answered all of them.

The two even arranged to meet at the DEO one of these days.

Not long after that, the group decided to start the first game of the night. Frost thought Caitlin would enjoy this more so retreaded to the background.

Like every game, night teams were made. Kara and Lena, Alex and Sam and Ruby if she wanted to joins but she mostly played on her switch she got from her aunts. Barry, Nia and Winn. Barry and Iris and as of last Caitlin and Cisco. Not wanting to go for the games that took hours to play it was decided to start with Uno. No matter the game Lena and Alex were always competitive, forcing their girlfriends to real them in on several times.

A knock on the door interrupted the fourth game. Lena had won two of them and Alex one so the game was very heated. Kara decided to let Lena play and stood up. Team Arrow was quickly let into the apartment and given a drink while they tried to find a place to sit. The game ended with Alex and Sam winning. Kara and Sam believed this was a good moment to choose another game. Much to Lena’s and Alex’s dismay. They wanted to play another game to determinate who was the best. Kara and Sam quickly defuse the situation, placing team Arrow between Lena and Alex. Putting a barrier between the two hoping to stop a full-on Danvers-Luthor fight.

The already rowdy bunch grew even larger when the legends arrived. Sara, Ava, Ray, Nate, Charlie and Mick. The rest of the group was actually surprised at how quiet the legends actually were.

Before Lena had agreed to the legends coming she had Ava promise to tone them in. Lena had even had a short talk with the team over a hollow gram talk. Making the Luthor even more imposing. She reminded them to keep their vulgar down, to not curse and that whoever makes her little girl cry will have her to face.

The call came after a long day at L-Corp and she was wearing one of her most powerful power suites. Even Mick was intimidated by her even though he didn’t say it. Nata and Ray were visibly quivering in their boots.

When everybody was their Winn was quickly to start a game of monopoly. Again groups were made. After the war began.

Nate and Ray were quickly bankrupted, Cisco and Caitlin shortly followed. Frost wasn’t that interested in the game. Iris and Barry were struggling, Felicity and Oliver weren’t doing much better. Laurel and Dinah were doing rather well. But the once who are dominating the game were Alex, Lena and Sara. Their partners letting them be their competitive selves. Mick and Charlie just were watching the massacre of the heroes before them and drinking expensive liquor.

Kara was stroking Lena’s back while she watched her girlfriend dominate the game. Sharing glances with Sam and Ava, their girlfriends also being engrossed in the game. Kara, Sam and Ava are just happy to see things go smoothly.

 Like true Kryptonian fashion, only a little over two hours later noise started coming from the baby monitor. Lena looked up, the game is all but forgotten when her maternal instincts kicked in.

“I will get it.” Kara gave Lena a small smile and a kiss on the cheek before walking getting up walking toward her daughter.

Lydia was already standing up in her bed looking at her mother with a huge smile. Kara couldn’t help but coo over her little girl.

“hey ukiem. Had a nice nap?” Lydia nodded vigorously holding up her hand to be lifted up. Kara happily complied, placing little kisses all over her daughter's face. Lydia still wasn’t fully awake and would probably take another half hour before she would be her energetic self. In the meantime, she opted to clamp onto her mothers like a little koala.

“mama, hungry.” And like always after a nap, much like Kara the girl was starving.

“Alright little one, let’s get you some food. Want to eat it in the kitchen?” Kara asked walking toward the kitchen, avoiding the living room.

“mommy,” Lydia answered snuggling into her mother's arms.

“you sure ukiem. There are a couple of new people who have arrived.” Kara tried to prepare her for even more people. The little girl, however, was determined to eat with her other mother.

“Mommy!” Kara looked down at her daughter and was met with the famous Luthor glare. Even on her tired face looked a lot like Lena.

“Alright, alright ukiem. Let me make a sandwich and see how mommy is doing.” Kara takes the silence and the head resting on her shoulder as a confirmation.

 Lena was winning. Sara and Alex were good opponents but her CEO skills gave her the upper hand. The rest of the teams have either given up or had gone bankrupt.

Mick and Charlie had even started a betting pool over who would win. The legends had put their money on Sara. Team Arrow on Alex and team Flash on Lena. Although Ava had placed a secret bet on Lena.

Over the course of the game Lena had systematically taken over the board and Ava saw when someone was struggling and Alex and Sara were struggling.

Lena looked up when she heard Kara talking. In one hand she was holding a couple of sandwiches, while Lydia was resting in the other, still half asleep.

Seeing her other mother Lydia reached out her hands to switch. Moments like these Lena felled loved, her lover and daughter at her side just sharing the simple moments in life. Lena would love to grow old like this.

“Hello, a chroi. How was your nap?” Lena takes Lydia from Kara, who sets the plate of food on the floor before sitting down herself. Lydia still doesn’t say much but nod at Lena.

Lena repositions herself so she can sit more comfortably with a toddler on her lap, while Kara rips off small pieces of the sandwich and gives it to Lydia.

Team Arrow and the legends are simply mesmerized by the little girl and the fact Lena just continued with the game like nothing was wrong. Like there was no toddler on her lap playing with her fingers and bracelets. Devouring food at a breakneck speed.

“mommy you doing?” Lydia looked up at Lena who was going over her moves in her head. Looking down Lydia looked at her with big blue eyes.

“playing a game with ant Alex and Sara.” Lydia looked over at Sara and the rest of the newcomers. Just like before she stares at them but doesn’t say ore does anything else.

Unlike last time no loud noise scares her. She just gave a small smile to everybody while Kara introduces them.

When it was clear Lydia was comfortable with everybody. The game continues, Lena even lets Lydia throw the dice to keep her occupied. After that Lena calls her, her lucky charm.

Walls close in on Sara and Alex as every turn they seem to land on property owned by Lena. The game eventually ends with Lena winning and Alex coming in second. After Mick and Charlie hand everybody their owned money.

 The decision is made to make split up so everybody can play enjoy themselves. Mick and Charlie are good at managing the betting pool.

While Kara and Lena play against Sara and Ava, and Barry and Iris Lydia wanders over to Alex sits next to her. Alex is happy to indulge her niece and keep her busy.an idea popped into her head.

“Hey, kiddo. Wane place a bet on your mothers.” Alex whispered into her ear. Lydia looked up at her in confusion. Instead of explaining Alex puts a bit of money in her hands and points toward Charlie, thinking she would be the less intimidating one of the two. Hoping it would help to interact with the others.

Determination sets on the little girls face as she gets off the couch. Alex’s gaze follows her the whole time, making sure everything goes okay. Lena and Kara were too engrossed in their game to notice Lydia wandering toward that side of the room. But before Lydia could reach Charlie, she stumbles over Mick’s feet and falls to her knees.

She wasn’t crying, she swallowed her sniffle and tried to get up. Almost standing on her feet again, she looked up and was met with the face of a furious looking man. This time she couldn’t help the sob escaping her as tears started streaming down her face.

 Caitlin had noticed Lydia walking toward Charlie, Frost came to the forefront when she saw the little girl gather the courage to talk to a stranger. Imagine how livid she was when Mick made her cry. Without thinking she was out of her seat and picked the little girl up, soothing her.

“Hey, hey it’s okay. Your okay.” Frost tried to soothe the little girl but she didn’t know what she was doing. This was the first time interacting with a toddler for so long. When Lydia began to sob loader Frost became more desperate.

Their daughter's sobs are what drew Kara’s and Lena’s attention. Lena was levelling Mick with a death stare. If she had laser vision he would be turned to ash. Kara had just eyes for her little girl, her heartbreaking.

Lena went over to Frost, not stopping glaring at Mick. She thought it would be best to take Lydia before she started screaming at the man. How dare he make her little girl cry.

Lydia saw her mother approached and started leaning toward her.

“mommy” once in her arms Lena started rocking them whispering soothing words in her girl's ears, hoping it would calm her down. Walking toward the kitchen to lessen the stimulus coming at her.

“mommy, scary man angry” Lydia sobbed out.

“shh, it’s okay baby. Scary man isn’t angry.” Lena continues to soothe her daughter but nothing seemed to help. In a desperate attempt to help Lena called out to Kara

“How is she,” Kara asks walking into the kitchen using her superspeed. Her heart broke when she saw her little frills cheeks red stained.

“Maybe you can help her calm down,” Lena said handing Lydia to Kara, keeping a hand on her back. Kara started singing in Kryptonian, knowing this mostly helps. It does seem to help

After Lydia had calmed down, Lena tried to get her back into the living room.

“sweety, would you like to go  back to ant Alex and Sam?” Lena tried to test the waters.

“no! want to stay with mama.”

“how about you stay with mommy and me on the couch?” Kara tried, earning a little nod from Lydia.

Everything went quiet when they entered the living room. Lydia had her head still buried in Kara’s shoulder and was holding Lena’s fingers who was walking beside her; so she didn’t really see all eyes turned to her. Nobody really said anything until they were seated.

Lydia had nestled herself between Kara and Lena with her hands clapped around Lena’s left hand.

Frost was the first to approach.

“hey, little one. Feeling better?” when Lydia gave her a small nod burring herself further into Lena, Frost actually smiled.

“good, Mick has something to say to you.” Suddenly Lydia was overshadowed again and instinctively squeezed her mother's hand. Kara started stroking her hair trying to calm her down. Lena shot Mick a dirty look.

Mick grumbled something under his breath nobody could understand, earning him an elbow in the stomach form Sara.

“Sorry I scared you” the line came out like very well-practised but it seemed to make Lydia relax a little. After Mick was quickly pulled back.

After the rollercoaster of emotions dinner was ordered. The poor delivery man basically had a heart attack with the amount of food he had to deliver. This time Lena helped feed Lydia, the little girl could be quite messy.

When the food was devoured Lena was challenged to a game of chess. This got everybody’s attention, nobody challenged Lena Luthor to a chess game and hoped to win. Nate was apparently didn’t know about this. Nonetheless, Lena agreed not having played a decent game in a long time.

Like the previous game, Lena played it with Lydia on her lap. The girl had relaxed after Mick had apologized and stayed back.

Lena had to admit he was good but she was better. She also noticed the interest Lydia showed toward the chess game. To test her theory she asked Lydia if she wanted to help her win the game by moving the chess pieces. Lydia looked up at Lena and then back at the chessboard.

Lena quickly ended the game so they could restart and Lydia could learn the chess pieces. For the first half of the game Lena had to help her move the pieces right after that she could do it herself.

Lena was distracted by Kara at the end of the game.

“Lena, sweetheart where did we put the Pictionary?” Kara’s question made Alex grown.

“no, not Pictionary. I swear you and Lena are telepathically linked or something. It’s just not fun to play with the two of you anymore.” Alex whined. The two sisters went on bantering, the others looking at it like a tennis match. Until a tiny voice broke the banter.

“checkmate.” All eyes turned to the chessboard. Lydia was smiling brightly at Lena

“look mommy I won.” Even Nate who played against her was chocked, he couldn’t believe he lost against a two-year-old. Even if the biggest part of the game was played by Lena it was still unbelievable.

Kara super speeded to her daughter and hoisted her up in her arms.

“My little girl is a genius.” Kara sang while making the girl giggle.

“that girl is going to rule the world one day,” Alex mutters under her breath. Earning a pointed look from her girlfriend. Alex only offered her a sweet kiss. Making Ruby fake gag.

 The others were kind of speechless, they couldn’t comprehend that Nate a genius in his own right had lost against Lydia.

“I wanted to make fun of Nate but I’m just speechless,” Charlie says. Lydia couldn’t understand what was happening.

“mommy not happy?” Lena snapped out of her daze and started smiling.

“of course I am happy a chroi. But I already knew my little girl was a genius.” Lena say directed toward Kara.

“she is a Luthor after all.” She couldn’t help but smirk at her girlfriend. It took a moment to sink in with Kara, but when it finally did.

“hey! She is also my side of the family too.” Kara fires back, snacking her arm around Lena and pulling her closer.

Putting on Lydia’s pajama’s Lena went over the events of the day. Everything had gone exceptionally well and both parents had confidence that if they build Lydia’s tolerance to load noises little by little they could take her with them to Catco or L-Corp, maybe even school. The rest of the night was filled with playful laughter until everybody decided to go home.

 Putting on Lydia’s pyjama’s Lena went over the events of the day. Everything had gone exceptionally well and both parents had confidence that if they build Lydia’s tolerance to loud noises little by little they could take her with them to Catco or L-Corp, maybe even school.

Lydia was already half asleep when Lena pulled the covers over her and gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead.

“goodnight my little angel. You did so tonight.” Kara also bent down to give her daughter a kiss.

“goodnight ukiem, we are so proud of you.” After stepping out of the door Kara hugged Lena close to her. Just basking in the presence of each other.

“how about we take a relaxing shower before going to bed,” Kara whispers into Lena’s ear.

“my, my dear. One would think you would like to talk me out of my pants” Lena teases resting her head on Kara’s shoulder, giving her a loving kiss that quickly got more and more heated.

“and what if I would miss Luthor.”

“I would say lead the way miss Danvers” Luthor, Lena added behind it. If razing Lydia had proven one thing than it was she would like to spend the rest of her life with them. Love them for the rest of her life.

part 8

want to support me Buy me a Ko-fi

[almea]

It’s super weird for me to know that there are people who are hoping Blake and Yang made the wrong decision to trust Robyn, or who’re like “Blake and Yang were right, but Ruby’s going to be upset that they did it without consulting her first.”

Like, I have slightly complicated feelings with “Ruby, the leader” because on one hand, I love my girl and I’m so proud of every time she steps up, but on the other hand, I don’t.... really like how it feels like some people read that as “Ruby has a monopoly on good decisions that affect the main plot.”

And it’s also weird to me how some people treat it as Ruby actually having authority over them??? Like, that’s not the kind of leader she is. They choose to follow her decisions, but she doesn’t order them to do things.

I don’t think that’s how the show is written, but it’s the general mood I get sometimes and it’s very bleh for me. That’s why I really love that Nora is the one who is the most passionate and outspoken about how much Mantle is suffering, and Blake and Yang were the first ones to try to reach out to Robyn. And I really hope they continue to have Blake and Yang interacting with her.

I’ve said many times that I think team RWBY saving the world because the adults told them what to do is boring, but team RWBY saving the world because Ruby told them what to do and everyone else had minimal, if any, input is almost just as boring to me.

[razieltwelve]

The Game (RWBY AU Snippet)

Weiss tried not to stare as Death glared balefully across the monopoly board at Zwei.

“Really?” Death growled. “This is how you repay aeons of kindness?”

Anyone else would have quailed, but the Watchdog of the Abyss merely smiled, wagged his tail, and then pointed to the hotel on Beacon University.

Death scowled and forked over the required quantity of lien. “You may have won this time, Zwei, but I will have my revenge!” As if to punctuate her statement, a dramatic crash of thunder came from the storm outside.

Weiss didn’t have the heart to point out that given the paltry state of Death’s properties, it was only a matter of time before the divine canine wiped her out as well. Nora had already run out of money, which was likely why the storm outside had worsened. 

“Hmm…” Ren drawled. “I didn’t think Zwei would be this good at monopoly.”

Weiss nodded at the other Chosen. “I had assumed he would rely on being cute and cuddly like he usually does.”

“Oh, he might look cute and cuddly,” Death grumbled. “But Zwei is basically evil personified in games like this. I don’t know where he gets it from since it’s definitely not from me.” Death lowered her voice. “Maybe letting him hang out with Neo was a mistake…”

“Neo?” Weiss raised one eyebrow. “You let Zwei hang out with the goddess of assassins, thieves, ice cream, and umbrellas?”

Death shrugged. “She likes ice cream and so does Zwei. I’m busy a lot, and he doesn’t like eating ice cream on his own.” She rolled her eyes. “He somehow manages to convince her to pay every time. Pretty much the only one he hasn’t managed to fool into paying for him is Cinder, and she’s… complicated.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Pyrrha muttered.

Weiss stared at the red-haired goddess. That was one of the only times she’d ever heard the kind-hearted goddess sound negative about someone else.

“She and Cinder don’t get along,” Death whispered to Weiss. “They're basically sworn enemies, and their Chosen may or may not have killed each other multiple times over the aeons.”

Pyrrha’s gaze darkened. “I have been keeping a very close eye on her and her Chosen. If either of them step out of line…”

“Relax,” Death said. “I’ve spoken to both Cinder and her Chosen. Nobody is killing anybody. If someone does step out of line, they will be answering to me.”

That seemed to mollify Pyrrha. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Death looked at Jaune. “You know, you’re doing pretty well at this.”

The policeman shrugged. “I’m pretty lucky most of the time, I guess.” The blond was the only one who’d managed to avoid landing on any of the properties owned by Zwei. It was pretty miraculous considering how many properties the dog owned. “But Zwei is something else.” The dog gave him a hopeful look, and Jaune scratched him behind the ears. “Is he good at all board games or just this one?”

“If it involves luck, the odds are pretty good that he’ll do well in it.” Death sighed. “He also likes playing mini-golf, which sounds weird and looks even weirder.”

“How does he even play mini-golf?” Jaune asked.

“He holds the club in his mouth,” Death replied. “And he somehow gets it to work.” She chuckled. “Although there was that one time he tried to play in something closer to his true form. Yeah… he kind of burnt down the mini-golf course and I had to fix everything.”

“Wait… when did that happen? Wouldn’t we have heard about that?” Jaune asked.

“The nice thing about being me,” Death replied. “Is that making it so that people don’t remember stuff like that is basically a walk in the park.”

“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Ren said. “What else the gods might have concealed.”

Death chuckled at Jaune’s horrified look. “Try not to think about it too much. It’ll drive you crazy if you do.”

Weiss picked up the dice. It was her turn. “Wish me luck,” she said. 

“Good luck,” Death said. “But based on where you are, the odds are pretty good you’ll end up owing Zwei money.”

Weiss rolled the dice… and promptly landed on Beacon University. She looked from her small quantity of money to Zwei. The dog was grinning from ear to ear. “Can I pay you in treats?” Weiss asked, digging through her pockets for one of the treats Zwei liked.

“Hey!” Death shook her head. “No paying Zwei in food. If I had to pay in cash, so do you.”

“I don’t know,” Weiss countered. “Maybe we should leave that decision up to Zwei.”

The dog looked thoughtful for a moment. However, before he could reply, Yang flew through the window with Blake in her arms.

“You know,” Blake said, shivering. “Flying through a storm sounds really romantic… but it really isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”

Yang chuckled. “It’s because you mortals are fragile. A little bit of rain, some wind, and the next thing you know, you’re dying of exposure.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Blake growled as Yang summoned a towel to help her dry off. “Wait… are you guys playing monopoly with Zwei?”

“Yes,” Jaune said. “And he’s winning.”

Blake shook her head. “He’s the monopoly equivalent of a card shark. We played a game last week, and I now owe him one treat a week for the next ten thousand years. I’m mortal. I’m fairly sure I’m not going to live that long.”

“He’ll just add it to your next life’s tab,” Death said. 

“…” Blake sighed. “And people think you’re the evil one?”

Death shrugged. “Well, people have to blame somebody, and Zwei does look really adorable most of the time.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

Never trust Zwei when it comes to monopoly. So… this is what the gods and their Chosen get up to when they aren’t busy. As an aside, the monopoly game is almost over. Zwei owns enough properties that it’s basically only a matter of time until he wins. Ruby (Death) is almost out of money, as are Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ren. Only Jaune still has decent quantities of money left, and Nora is actually already out of the game (which is why it’s raining).

Incidentally, Neo and Zwei meet at least once a month to go out for ice cream. Cinder, meanwhile, has been keeping a wary eye on things. Her Chosen attends the same university that Weiss, Blake, and Ren do. Death’s warning is not simply for Pyrrha’s sake. If Pyrrha and Cinder decide to throw down, they are going to inflict a lot of collateral damage.

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon. Please check out my newest story on Amazon. It’s called Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City. It’s the fourth part of the The Unconventional Heroes series, and if you like my sense of humour, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

[thecousinsdangereux]

Team RWBY playing any of the following: monopoly, uno, Mario kart, or super smash brothers. They could also have pizza and drinks. (for @justkiddin304)

“Time for the real party to start!”

Yang’s said these words many times before, but usually not while carrying a small whiteboard, or with a dry erase marker clenched between her teeth. It’d be confusing if all of them didn’t know exactly what was coming.

“Did you take that off my wall?” Weiss leans across Blake to inspect the object in question, eyes narrowing, as soon as Yang flops down on the couch. “You’re buying me new 3M strips if you took that off my wall.”

“She’ll buy you new 3M strips,” Blake promises, when Yang only winks and props the board on her thigh, starting to add to the scribbling already on the surface. “But only if you fully participate,” she adds, tone teasing.

“I have a beer don’t I?”

Blake knocks the aforementioned drink, dangling in Weiss’s hand in the same way she might hold some kind of vermin, with her own. “Worse. You’ve got a can of PBR.”

“Ugh. Yang — ”

“Nope!” Yang cuts her off quickly, popping the latter syllable for emphasis. “You know the rules.”

“Then why are you writing them down?”

“Because that’s part of the rules. Duh.”

Weiss huffs, flattening her back against the couch, but perks up again when Ruby comes in; that’s part of the rules too, but also sort of inevitable, especially when Ruby’s wearing a wide grin and carrying an N64 above her head in triumph.

“I found it!”   

Yang lets out a piercing whistle of applause — the one that makes Weiss jump every time — and Ruby laughs, dipping at her waist in a little bow, before heading over to the TV to get everything set up.

“Okay, okay. I think I’ve got everything.” Yang turns, left hand sliding along the back of the couch, as she holds up the whiteboard for everyone to see. “It’s been two years since our last twenty-first birthday, but the rules haven’t changed. Anyone who breaks the rules takes an automatic shot and has to pick up a chore, determined by the birthday girl. Blake, if you would?”

Blake clears her throat, and begins to read. “‘Rule number one: Ruby is in charge. Whatever she says goes. Because it’s her birthday.’”

Another whistle, though this time, Weiss and Blake join in with their own applause, and Ruby steps out from behind the TV to reveal a pink tinge to her cheeks.

“‘Rule number two: everyone starts with an unopened can of beer. The beer must be shitty, even if we’re not all broke college kids any more.’” Her lips twitch as she continues reading. “‘This includes Weiss. No fancy shit!’”

“Was writing that really necessary?” Weiss sighs.

“‘Rule number three: when the race starts — at the countdown — you can open your beer and start drinking. Rule number four: you can drink at any other time during the race, but only if your controller is totally out of your hands. Drunk driving is illegal and a super dick move. Rule number five: coasting is allowed and totally encouraged...’” Blake squints at the board. “Babe, I can’t read whatever the hell you tried to squeeze in at the end there.”

“I was running out of space!” Yang explains, looking down and frowning. “‘Coasting is allowed and totally encouraged — the reason Weiss always loses is because she’s never learned how to do it properly.’ I feel like that was pretty clear.”

Ruby snickers, shaking one of the controllers she’s attempting to untangle. “That’s so true.”

“Hey!”

“‘Rule number five,’” Blake continues. “‘If your beer isn’t finished, you can’t cross the finish line. No exceptions! No matter how—’” She rolls her eyes, but presses on. “‘No matter how cute you are when you pout about losing on a technicality.’” 

With a little smirk, Yang’s fingers tangle in her hair and give one strand a sharp little tug.

“There was barely any beer left!”

Yang tsks. “You could hear it when you shook the can! And it was Weiss’s birthday. She made the final ruling.”

“It was simply awful that you were disqualified and had to take a shot instead of me, Blake,” Weiss murmurs, not even bother to hide her smile, and Ruby laughs again as she starts to hand out the controllers.

“Which brings us to rule number six!” Yang says with a wink. “‘If you come in last you take a shot. First place gets to choose what kind of shot it is.’”

“First place should also remember how close she was to sleeping on the couch when she made me take a shot of vodka, which she knows I hate.” Blake doesn’t manage to sound particularly peeved though, and even leans a little further into Yang’s gentle scratching of her scalp.

“Yeah, yeah. Any house rules, Ruby?” Yang asks brightly, tossing the whiteboard onto floor.

Ruby flops onto the couch alongside Weiss. “No teaming up! It’s every woman for herself in the cold, cold world of Mario Kart 64. Also no groaning when I pick the best courses. Oh! And I get Toad every time!”

“I don’t know if you need to make that a rule,” Blake laughs. “We all always pick the same characters. You take Toad, I take Peach, Weiss picks Mario, and Yang takes Wario.”

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been doing some research,” Weiss cuts in. “And I will no longer be choosing Mario. It was a mistake to count on a figurehead to get the job done.”

“Some research,” Yang repeats, laughing loudly. “Oh my god.”

“I didn’t realize there were different classes! It’s no wonder I’ve lost so much in the past. But no more!” She throws her hand down in a chopping motion, spine straight.

“Blake, I’m shaking. Look at her; she’s serious. She’s probably been practicing when no one’s around. You have to protect me.”

“No teams!” Ruby shouts.

“Plus, I really want to take you down a peg,” Blake adds, throwing Yang a wink of her own. “Or watch Weiss do it.”

“Oh, baby, that’s kinky,” Yang purrs. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

Ruby blanches, tapping through the starting prompts of the game as quickly as possible, as though it’ll help distract her. “And also none of that!”

“Please,” Weiss agrees, pursing her lips slightly as she selects Yoshi as her character (the only variation from their past choices).

Yang puts her hands up and leans back. “Fine, fine. Rule number one. I remember. Sorry, Weiss. Guess you’re gonna be missing out on all of this.” She gestures to herself and dodges Blake’s swat in the same movement.

“I’m devastated.”

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re, like — ” Yang cuts herself off with a groan as Ruby chooses their map, a musical chime filling the room. “Aw, Ruby! You know I suck at the fucking jungle one!”

“That’s why I’m picking it,” Ruby returns, rapid-fire, and sticks out her tongue.

“Oh, okay, you’re going down, birthday girl.”

—

Whether because she really has been practicing or Mario had just been a poor fit before, Weiss’s improvement is evident from the very first race. With the change, things are bit more interesting than they’ve been in the past. Ruby, the best at sober Mario Kart, always takes a hit by being the slowest drinker. Yang, able to drown a beer fastest, get less and less likely to take her finger off the accelerate button the more alcohol she’s consumed, and starts to fall off the track on a regular basis. And Blake has something off the opposite problem, always taking just a bit too much time on her turns.

After a few rounds, they’re pretty evenly matched; Weiss hasn’t lost (nor has she won), and the other three have taken one loss and one win each. It’s also getting to that point in the night where Yang’s ability to handle her drink a bit better than the rest of them starts to play to her favor.

“Looking a little flushed, Blakey,” Yang teases, brushing her fingers against her girlfriend’s cheek as soon as Blake’s finished her shot of tequila.

“I hate those stupid penguins.”

Ruby laughs, leaning into Weiss with the force of her mirth. “You hit so many,” she gasps. “You must’ve hit more than five. Maybe ten!”

Weiss is less amused. “Damn it, Yang! You shouldn’t have been able to skip over that last corner! I was so close!”

“Golden mushroom, loser! Y’all are in trouble now. I’m on fire!”

“Ruby, please pick a course that’ll shut her up,” Blake groans. “She’s past the point where I can handle her.”

“You can handle me anytime and anywhere, baby,” Yang coos, leaning in close enough to nuzzle up against Blake’s cheek; Blake tries and fails to look annoyed.

Ruby ignores them, tongue peeking out as she considers her option. Then, nodding to herself, she flicks the thumbstick several times to the right.

“Nuclear option, then!”

Three separate groans follow her decision, but she just grins.

“Rainbow road!” she yells. “If I can’t win, then I’m taking you all down with me!”

There’s not much time for more yelling, as the traffic light floats up on their screens soon after, and even if each has their own preferred technique when it comes to the game, drinking as much as possible during the countdown is pretty much the only guaranteed method of success at the start. After that, it’s less of a science and more of a shit show. And it’s not at all helped by the fact that at this point, no one is willing to play far.

Weiss starts it, because she’s desperate; Ruby gains the lead on the second turn (with a triumphant little shout), and without pause Weiss grabs the hood of Ruby’s sweatshirt and yanks it down over her eyes.

“Weiss!” Ruby yowls, wrestling with the fabric for a long moment… and promptly crashing directly into a Chomp. “Cheating!”

“There’s nothing in the rules that prohibits cheating!”

Ruby sputters, but can't immediately disprove it. Blake, focused on keeping Yang from running her off the track, isn’t of any help, which proves to be a mistake.

“Oh, shit. She’s right!”

A few well placed fingers in Blake’s side and she’s jerking away, concentration shifting to Yang’s hand rather than her controller, and Yang’s Wario finally rams into her Peach, sending her flying off the track.

“Good call, Weiss!” Yang cheers, quickly gaining second place, even as Blake shoves her out of the way, drinking as much as possible while her kart is lifted back onto the track. “That took out all my only competition. You know, seeing as it’s just you left.”

“Bitch!”

Yang laughs. “I’m not the one who attacked the birthday girl.” She uses her elbow to push away Blake who, back on the track, tries to reach around and knock Yang’s controller out of her hand. “Babe! Stop! I’m trying to avenge my sister!”

“I’ll avenge myself!” Ruby shouts, taking a curve at full speed.

“You’re so far behind now, though. Better let me take this one.” Wario tears through an item box, coming up with a red shell; Yang whoops. “Bye, Weiss!”

“Yang, don’t you d— ”

She fires the shell, hitting Yoshi and, worse, knocking completely him off the track.

Weiss growls and tosses her controller down, grabbing her drink instead.

“God, I’m just incredible at this game.” Yang squints at the screen, expression overly exaggerated. “Where even are y’all? I can barely see your icons on the minimap.”

“The ‘no teams’ rule is over,” Ruby suddenly declares, brow pinched. “Everyone team up against Yang.”

Yang gasps, risking a glance away from the TV to send her sister a wounded look that has absolutely no impact. “What the fuck, Ruby? What happened to sisterly love?”

There’s no response, which is probably as concerning as anything; Yang tucks her controller tight against herself and leans away from Blake, wary of any sort of attack. She actually manages to hold out well into the next lap, but eventually Weiss gets a blue shell — announced by a truly terrifying, cackling laugh — and when it hits, Ruby takes the lead, though not as large of one as Yang had enjoyed; Weiss and Blake are right behind her and Yang catches up fairly quickly, throwing Wario into turns that would have spun the rest of the smaller characters.  

“Last lap,” Weiss announces. “All I need is the right item and victory will be mine.”

“I think you’re forgetting that like, half a can of beer you still have, Princess. Gonna have to slow down and drink eventually. You too, Rubes.”

“Shit,” Weiss murmurs to herself, and, after exchanging a quick look with Ruby, both girls try to coast down the next hill as they attempt to finish their drinks.

It puts Blake in the lead… until she hits a fake item box that she’s positive Yang placed, given the woman’s loud laugh, and Yang takes first once again.

“Woo! Boy! Three-on-one and look who’s in the lead! Shit, this is embarrassing for y — ”

Without any warning, Blake reaches over, grips the collar of Yang’s shirt, and pulls her in; Yang makes a soft noise (of surprise or complaint, or maybe both), but it dies off as soon as Blake’s lips find hers. She manages to hold onto her controller for another moment, but when Blake turns a little further into her, knee sliding up over her thigh, she drops it, reaching for Blake’s waist instead.

Both of their characters roll to a complete stop.   

“Blake, you’re so brave,” Ruby wails.

“You say that because _you’re _not sitting next to her.” Weiss scoots slightly to the left, away from the couple, but remains focused on the screen, knuckles white as she and Ruby head toward the final stretch of the course. “But I suppose it was a… very effective maneuver, as far as sacrifices go.”

Blake shifts all the way into Yang’s lap, knocking her controller to the ground, and Weiss, catching it out of the corner of her eye, makes a face. “A little too effective. God, how are they still this bad? It’s been years!”

“Focus, Weiss!” Ruby demands, scooting forward until she’s on the very edge of the couch. “I wanna beat you fair and square.”  

The finish line is just ahead and both girls push on, Ruby barely in the lead. Still, she’s clearly confident in her victory, grin already stretching across her face as she bumps Weiss’s shoulder with her own.

Until Weiss laughs.

“Oh, Ruby,” she coos. “You really should pay attention to other people’s items.”

“What? Wait!”

The lightning bolt is timed perfectly; it hits Toad (and the still-stopped Wario and Peach) not five seconds before the finish line, and Weiss runs Yoshi over him, flattening the character to the ground, before making her big finish.

“Noo!”

Weiss’s celebration is nearly derailed completely when she stumbles over the wire connected to her own controller, but she tosses it aside quickly enough, hitting Blake in the back (jostling her from her activities), and launches into a victory dance that involves some very un-Weiss-like shoulder shimmying and some embarrassing arm flapping.

The agony of defeat doesn’t last long in the face of that, and Ruby stifles a laugh, gets out her phone, and starts filming.

“Oh,” Blake blinks, dazed, at the display. “Guess she — uh —  won?”

“Beg to fucking differ.” Yang’s smile is slow and lazy, and so very pleased with herself. Her fingers skirt along the waist of Blake’s jeans and she’s literally never cared less about Mario Kart than she does in that moment. “By literally every account that matters, I totally won that round.”

[rwbwby]

got new ideas for the RWBY Fencing AU because i’ve been binge-watching it the past few days so of course i do.

previously Ruby fenced épée—that’s changing. i didn’t know how the fuck épée bouts worked when i first made that decision. she fences sabre now. fast bouts, reckless charging, good shit. her retreat is as quick as her advance. she gets super excited about blade/armor modifications, because in this universe there’s a lot more cosmetic modding allowed, even in tournaments. works in the armory at the club and helps fix blades, body cords, armor, etc. but her favorite part is customizing her own stuff.

Weiss obviously fences foil. great technique, practiced strikes, shows up to every practice. has been training since she was young with the best private tutors, but now insists that she attend a club with all age and experience ranges. she’ll be a good sport if you are. usually. obviously decked out in top-of-the-line Schnee brand equipment—then again, a lot of fencers wear Schnee brand. (they have the monopoly. it’s theirs.) thinks sabrists are annoying as fuck. (she’s right.)

Blake is part of the Faunus underground fight clubs since they’re barred from tournaments. (the Schnees campaign relentlessly against the push for a Faunus league.) the Faunus can’t be officially barred from club membership, due to laws put in place thanks to pro-Faunus activists, but most clubs have ways of discouraging them from joining in the first place. haven’t decided her weapons yet, but the fight clubs are much more open. think HEMA with some other styles mixed in. cool shit.

Yang fences sabre as well. her parries are said to be strong enough to knock your arm out of its socket. advance, advance, advance. she’s probably got the most broken weapons of anyone in the club. most likely to yell after getting a touch. also well-connected in the Faunus underground and is one of a small handful of humans who have earned enough trust and respect to fight in the ring—aside from odd jobs here and there, it’s how she pays the rent. Ruby doesn’t know she’s involved. it’s where she ends up meeting Blake.

Jaune is a total newbie, and he fences foil. he’s also the best way to introduce the rules and techniques to readers who are unfamiliar with the sport. he’s learning from Pyrrha, whose skill in both foil and épée is world-renowned. she came to the club one day as a "celebrity coach" of sorts and found a few damn good reasons to stick around. (or at least one tall, blond, scraggly reason.) Nora fences sabre, because of course she does. she’s the most likely one to cause sparks during a bout. (i’ve seen it in person—it’s badass.) Ren fences épée—he loves the mind games he gets to play. slow pace, retreat, advance, thinking five steps ahead, until suddenly he throws out an explosive lunge.

there’s a deeper plot involving the Schnees, the Faunus, and a particularly potent performance-enhancing drug nicknamed “Dust”—but we’ll get into that later.