Short story collection

Ebbing Darkness - Part 8

To say Y/N ate like a champion was an understatement. Qrow watched, a bit impressed and more mortified to see the extents a man his size could go.
Ruby withdrew into her metaphorical shell when a plate of cookies was laid out before her then disappeared. The faint smell of the sugary treat fading added salt to the wound.
Weiss had half a mind to hit him with a barrage of insults and scathing remarks. Then on second thought she remembered who she was sitting across from and relented with a sigh.
Blake pushed an empty plate aside and took his helmet in her arms, making way for another serving of food. She wondered if had skipped breakfast to be so positively famished.
Yang looked plate to plate, silently cheering him on as an entire cantaloupe was stripped clean, a whole fish, including the bones, was devoured, and a pitcher of water sat with a fine layer of condensation surrounding its empty glass.
Qrow wanted to make a joke but swallowed it along with his drink. He didn't know him all that well and didn't know how he'd respond to such banter.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd eat it all." Yang said dryly. Qrow resisted the smile tugging at his lips.
"I skipped breakfast." Y/N huffed a laugh with a subtle nod from Blake.
"I'm positive your stomach will burst any moment now." Weiss muttered.
"Not today, unfortunately." He replied, earning a side-eye sneer.
Blake took a moment to inspect the cold helmet. Her thumb traced the markings of a great tree and her gaze lingered on the skull adorning it. It was a work of art, something more akin to a museum piece than armor.
She heard the table shift and the sturdy tread of Y/N's boots squeak along the floor. With a bit of effort, she lifted the helmet, providing it with a gentle touch.
"Ah, thank you." Y/N hummed and set the helm over his head. He couldn't see it but he felt her aura tingle with curiosity. "A... friend made it for me."
He sounded unsure. Whether it was for his choice of words or the meaning behind them was unclear. Blake figured she would ask when they were alone.
"You're leaving?" Yang asked. Qrow's gaze flicked her way; aware of the disheartened tone behind her casual question.
"Mmm." His helmet amplified his hum, turning it into a growled acknowledgment. "I've some business to tend to in Vale. I'll be back soon."
"You never mentioned this." Blake said.
"I'll be fine." He added with his hand over her shoulder. It lingered with each passing word, adding a warm reassurance. "Until then."
"Be careful." She told him sharply.
"Of course." He responded with a fond chuckle. "Qrow. I wish I could say that it was a good fight, but..."
He shrugged and was on his way, leaving the Huntsman narrow-eyed and with a dubious chuckle.
"Oop." Ruby snickered.
"I don't know what to tell you, uncle Qrow." Yang sighed. "Maybe you finally hit that age where—"
"—Hilarious." He scoffed and ran his hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry about him." Blake sighed. "He isn't normally this... competitive."
  "I'll live."
"A chance to show off?" Yang teased with a wag of her eyebrows.
"Yes, actually." She sighed again. "Don't dwell on it."
"Show off to who??" Weiss asked.
"To me, of course." Yang snorted while out of her way, Blake's ears twitched.
"I dunno if you saw it, Yang," Qrow smirked. "But his vision looked a little impaired."
"Yeah, and he saw right through you."
"Fair enough..."

Focused endeavors, accomplished goals, lingering memories. The latter began to surface during the mundane.
  A chain of bolts clinked and clattered along the floor; smelling of fresh dust and glinting under the light of a streetlight.
  They rattled and slid into place, hiding away under Y/N's coat tails and being devoured by his ever hungry Storm Bolter.
  He set aside an empty tin and opened a new one, introducing a mound of bolts. The caseless ammunition joined the others, waiting with lethal intent for Y/N's joyous command.
  The silver moon was overhead, dimming his dark surroundings and blurring the outside world as memories took hold.

"He's a child." He remembered.
  "An instrument to damnation." Someone replied.
  "You lied to me." The other voice was in distress as its muddied tone was nearly overwhelmed by a burst of bubbles.
  "I did no such thing." The other voice was clearer, enraged. It was The Lion.
  "Two hearts?" The other asked, filling the room with silence. "Three lungs?! Just what in the hell were you thinking?!"
  "He is strong." The Lion countered.
  "He's dying!" The other voice shouted. "Dying! This isn't natural!"
  "He, will, live." The Lion uttered in a low tone. Y/N didn't know why, but it felt like a command, an order personally delivered to him.