A Hero's Dilemma

Chapter 16

Enjoy the chapter.

Cover art by: Notgustiarp

Chapter 16

Blearily, he felt around for something to block out the harsh light blasting his eyelids. The familiar soft fabric of his cloak rubbed against sensitive skin as he tried to snuggle deeper into its soothing dark folds.

"Ten more minutes, Mom...."

Summer always was grumpy in the mornings when he wasn't up early. Gradually the ruffling of distant cloth and the clatter of junk being moved about slowly brought him back to reality.

Summer and Tai weren't here. He'd left yet still was in Vale, living with another homeless kid.

He was going to be caught soon.

That last thought gave him the kick to slowly disentangle himself from his crimson cocoon and drowsily peer around for that racket.

"S-Sun?" he rasped out.

Sparks of surprise jumped out, spawned alongside slight guilt, probably from waking him up. Rummaging around some more, the Faunus boy popped his head out from the junk heap sheepish smile worming its way onto his lips as he looked this way.

"My bad man, you just seemed so tired last night I didn't want to wake ya," scratching his head guiltily. "Yesterday must've been a rough day, huh? Guess our fight didn't help, sorry...."

Rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes was a great way to hide his surprise. He learned last night that he wasn't the only one good at reading people, but he didn't think the boy would guess his mood that easily.

"Y-Yea, guess I was, thanks."

There was an uncomfortable silence as both boys didn't know what to say. At least it was awkward on his end. Oddly enough, Sun paid the broken down car behind him more attention than Jaune. The boy was even fidgeting around, almost like he was trying to hide something...

"Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure it is."

It wasn't.

He eyed the spot and then Sun, who was now clearly yet awkwardly trying to hide behind a fidgety smile and hunched shoulders. It was cute how bad the guy was at lying, but that begged the question.

"...what could you possibly have to hide?"

"Nothing," his eyes shifted, and his body physically trembled. "Just, uh mind turning around for a minute?"

"Oh, sure man."

He turned around.

A hint of joy and surprise leaped out with a total second passing. He turned around right as he heard Sun step away.

"Is that the food from yesterday?"

Caught mid step with a familiar burlap sack flung over his shoulder, the Faunus had been inching his way out of the hideout.

"Why are you hiding...that..."

Further behind Sun, in the corner of the alley, was yesterday's original sack of food. Its tattered look from being fought over showed that clearly. Which meant that the bag on the other boy's back was-

"Did you go scrounging around for more food?!"

"I-I can explain!"

...

"Well?"

"...but I really don't want to." He moaned.

Okay, now his head was starting to hurt and it wasn't a mystery as to why.