Vanilla ice cream (Neo x Reader)

S2: Chapter 11: Choices

Y/n had gotten used to skipping meals during his nomad time, where all he could think about was tracking down Roman at the expense of his sleep and other important parts of life. However, Beacon had gotten him acclimated to sleeping daily, eating more than twice a week, and having time to just relax. Overall, despite the irritations of it being a school, Beacon certainly had a positive impact on Y/n's lifestyle.

He was even starting to get used to people looking at him with spite, fear, curiosity, and everything in between. Of course, it was still just rumours for the school that it was Y/n who beat the hell out of RWBY, very strongly backed up rumors, but rumors nonetheless. He was pretty sure that JNPR knew though, given their closeness with his sister's team and the fact they were avoiding him like the plague.

As such Y/n had gotten used to eating alone in a far-off corner of the cafeteria, if he decided to eat at all and didn't just use his aura to replenish his body's nutrition and hydration. A fun trick he'd learned to keep up with Ajax's torture that would've killed a regular person before he'd ever met Neo for the first time, even without the actual physical torture.

But, despite his best efforts, Y/n couldn't go on forever without sustenance and was eating breakfast for once. It was quiet, given everyone was pretending the tables around Y/n didn't exist and instead cramming themselves onto the remaining ones.

It was for that reason that, despite Y/n's nerves of steel to look into the face of the dangerous grimm and laugh at the thrill of a good challenge, he flinched when the other bench at his table scraped out and someone sat down.

His eyebrow raised as he looked up, seeing who it was.

Y/n: "Well isn't this a shock, what can I do ya' for?"

Ren cleared his throat, sitting stiffly opposite Y/n.

From the corner of his eye, Y/n could see Pyrrha and especially Nora glaring daggers at him, while Jaune tried to make it seem like the three of them were acting normal. He was not successful, given that Nora's gaze alone looked able to kill a lesser man.

Y/n was not that lesser man.

Ren: "How are you so good at aura manipulation?"

He cut straight to the point, no small talk, no beating around the bush, Y/n liked that about Ren. It made him the most tolerable out of JNPR. Pyrrha was too nice, Nora was too hyper, Jaune...

Y/n: "Motivation."

Y/n could hear Ren's knuckles creak as his grip tightened on his pants under the table.

Ren: "How specifically?"

Y/n's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand and getting in Ren's face. He smirked at the sight of Jaune grabbing Nora's wrist as she went to stand up, Pyrrha's fist moving dangerously close to a metal fork. He'd figured out a while ago that Pyrrha had a magnetism-based semblance from the impossible way she threw her shield and her miraculous dodges. The force on the minuscule amount of metal in his swords when he fought her helped to tip him off too. Seriously, how her semblance was a mystery was the real mystery, cause she didn't do much to hide it.

Y/n: "Just ask me what you really want to know. You come over here, no doubt knowing that your team is gonna be pissed, and interrupt me while I eat, at least do me the courtesy of just being upfront about what you want."

The black-haired boy took a long, measured breath, steeling his nerves for what he was about to ask before he looked Y/n dead in his eyes.

Ren: "I want you to teach me aura enhancement."

Y/n: "There it is."

He leaned back, smirking.

Y/n: "Why?"