RWBY - Child Of Light

Chapter 17: Never Have I Ever

Eventually, I make it down into the party, passing through the crowd in search of Rain or Weiss. To my surprise, when I find them, they're doing just fine, sitting around on a circular couch on the first floor with a few other girls. Someone must've carried the giant piece of furniture in—it sticks out in this packed space, forcing everyone else to just deal with it.

I sit down, giving them my best confused look.

"Vespeeeer!" Weiss sings, her smile tight with worry. "Did you... Did you like our little prank?"

She's sweating bullets.

I keep down a laugh, biting my cheek as I glance at Rain, waiting for her to explain.

"Dare," she mumbles, staring at the floor. "Not funny. Never again."

I lean closer, whispering into her ear. "Everything okay? You know I'm on your side... most of the time."

Rain nods without looking at me, her ears flicking. "You... smell different now."

"Oh..." The realization hits. "Is it... that obvious? We..."

"For me? Yes." She turns to me, her eyes full of—sadness, maybe embarrassment. "Pyrrha... okay?"

"Yeah, Pyrrha's okay," I reassure her, though the shift in her tone throws me off. I lean in a bit more. "What happened, big girl? Is everything alright?"

Rain doesn't answer right away, but as I reach out, surprisingly, she leans into me. "I did bad..." she murmurs.

"Nah, it's alright, Whiskers. Just... don't leave me hanging next time, okay? You know I worry about you."

She nods, and I take the opportunity to run my fingers through her thick, white mane. The worry in her body starts to melt away as I scratch behind her ears. She's definitely tipsy, but not enough to be this dramatic. Something else must've happened, but before I can ask, the soft purring of the giant Faunus in my lap grows louder, and she fully throws her weight onto me.

The problem?

People are starting to notice. Looks and muffled laughter ignite through the small, surrounding crowd, which normally wouldn't bother me, except... we're sitting right next to Weiss's team. My eyes catch Blake's for a split second. Her expression hardens, and before I can even think, she's gone.

Her boots stomp away as she storms off, and this time I can't even blame her. So I just do what I can, which isn't much, and stay there, petting my giant cat.

"So... you a freak, huh?" A sudden whisper in my ear makes me nearly jump out of my skin. I turn, only to find Yang grinning over her drink. "At least no one can say you don't know how to get some big pussy."

I let out a deep sigh. "I'm really starting to hate your nosy ass."

"Some people love it, others can't have it," she winks, then throws herself down onto the couch like she owns it.

Her bold entrance seems to catch someone else's attention—someone who's been staring at us for a while, debating whether to join in or not.

Ruby approaches slowly, sliding herself along the curve of the couch like she's trying not to be noticed. She peeks over my shoulder, eyes on Rain, who's dozing off peacefully like a baby.

"Can I...?" she whispers, her hand reaching forward, fingers clenching the air.

At this point, this night has already been too long.

"Sure," I answer casually. "Just... be nice."

The funny thing is. Rain is big—I'm around six feet tall, and she still towers over me. Next to Ruby? It's like watching a small kid try to pet a lion. But Ruby, to her credit, handles it like she's dealing with an actual housecat.