A Slave to Better Days: Absolute Zero | Male Reader x Raven Branwen

Part 3

"Your tea's getting cold." Raven says from the other side of the table. (Y/N) just sat there with his mask on, not saying anything. "Okay then." She takes a sip from her tea. They both sat there in an awkward silence. "Do you know why I can't teleport to you?"

"What?" (Y/N) finally speaks.

"When I found out you left Beacon, I tried opening a portal to you, but nothing would happen. Do you know why?"

(Y/N) is silent for a minute, thinking. "I wish I could answer you Raven." Then he thought of something that would make his heart shatter if it wasn't already from the events that took seven years prior. "Maybe I'm not important to you anymore."

This made Raven's face drop. She never considered that possibility. No, she has to care about (Y/N). She failed Beacon looking for him. She even went as far as to have the tribe look for him when she took charge.

Several thoughts were going through her mind, but she ignored the past for now and focus on the present. "Can you at least tell me why you're here?" She says, regaining her composure.

"Your brother sent me." (Y/N) tells her. Raven raises an eyebrow and pours more tea in her up.

"What does he want?"

"He said he's worried about you."

Raven Scoffs. "If he cares that much, he should've came himself."

"He wanted to, but he said you would've killed him if he did."

She nods in agreement. "Well, he's gotten smarter at least. Is he still drinking?"

"He's been doing it for so long, I can't tell anymore." Raven lightly laughs. (Y/N) only sits there in silence.

"Okay, why in the hell are you wearing that mask?" Raven asks, giving into her curiosity.

"It's more of a prosthetic."

Raven's shocked, but is still curious to what he looks like. "Please, take it off." She says gently. "Last time I saw your face, it was covered in bandages."

(Y/N) takes a heavy sigh before lifting his right hand to take off the mask. Sliding the straps off his head, he places the mask on the table in front of him. Raven's eyes widen when he does. There was a burn scar on the right side of his face, stopping at his eye socket and his scalp. A scar that's a strait line from his upper lip going over to his left ear along with several other smaller cuts. Finishing the picture is his gray, bloodshot eyes that are now visible in the light seeping through the cracks of the tent. Raven sits there, not from shock, but trying to imagine what (Y/N)'s been through the past seven years.

"I think I should leave. Thank's for the tea." (Y/N) says while putting his mask back on and standing from the cushion.

"(Y/N)." Raven says, not looking at (Y/N). He turns around to face her. "I'm sorry." She couldn't see it because of the mask, but (Y/N) was surprised at her words. "I was an idiot. I never should've alienated you like everyone else." She was struggling to come up with words to express her regret.

(Y/N) turns back towards the opening. "It doesn't matter anymore. Goodbye, Raven." With that, he leaves the tent. Raven sits there, a tear running down her left cheek. She wanted to run after (Y/N) and embrace him, and tell him she was sorry for everything she did, but her body just sat in place. She no longer felt like she was good enough to be with him.

One day later

Qrow and (Y/N) are sitting in Qrow's apartment. "How is she?" Qrow asks.

"Just about what you'd expect." (Y/N) answers. His hood was off, but still had the mask on.

"Well, I'll get your money." Qrow starts walking to another room.

"Keep it." (Y/N) says, making Qrow confused. "I was just helping an old friend."

Qrow sits back down in his recliner. He contemplates whether to ask (Y/N) a question. "Will you go see Summer?"

(Y/N) turns his face towards Qrow. "What?" He asks like he didn't hear Qrow.

"I'm asking you to go see Summer." Qrow says sincerely.

(Y/N) groans. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Listen, she's been crying herself to seep ever since you left seven years ago. Your whole family misses you, everybody has." This makes (Y/N) take a deep sigh. "If I have to, I'll pay you what I was going to earlier."

(Y/N) dreaded going back to his family. He doesn't hates them; he could never hate his family, especially Summer. It's not that he didn't want to see them, he's afraid of what he'd do. Over the past seven years, he became a stranger to himself. So he doesn't know what he'd do.

"I can't promise anything. But I'll think about it." (Y/N) says as he gets up from his chair. Qrow sighs in defeat and pulls his flask from his pocket. When (Y/N) opens the door, someone stumbles into him, making him take a few steps back. When the person regains their footing, (Y/N) recognised the person as Summer.

"(Y/N)?"

Adrenaline started spreading through his body. His semblance activated, and he turned into smoke and went through a vent that led out to the roof. From there he ran as fast as he could away from the area.

Back at the apartment, Summer was still staring at the spot where her brother was just standing in. She assumed it was him because she was listening through the door when she heard Qrow say his name.

"Summer?"

Summer snapped out of her trance when Qrow shook her. Summer looked at him with nothing but rage.

"Was that (Y/N)?" She asked, her anger quickly growing.

"Yes, it was." Qrow admits

Summer lifted her hand and delivers a slap to Qrow's cheek.

"You knew where he was and didn't tell us?!" she yells.

"No. I first talked to him last week."

"You could've told us!"

"And then what? If I told you, you would've shown up and he would run away like he just did."

Summer opens her mouth so say something, but she closes it when she realises he's right.

"I tried to convince him to talk to you, I really did."

Summer's anger disappeared as quickly as it came. Tears started flooding her eyes. It always made her breakdown when she thought about how much she hurt her older brother; the person she always looked up to since she was little. Qrow walked over and hugged Summer. She cryed into his chest for the next ten minutes.