DISCLAIMER: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.

~ My Little Lamb ~

Mercury seemed unperturbed by the goings-on in Salem's stronghold, but Emerald had quickly been reduced from a self-confident warrior to a scared little girl. Roman was busy looking after Cinder during her recovery, and making sure that the quack doctor didn't try anything shady. However, as the days dragged on and Emerald did not pull herself back together, Roman decided that the girl must not be getting adequate emotional support from her partner. It appeared he would need to take action to rectify this matter himself, then.

Putting his plan into action, he flagged her down in the hallway.

"Hey kid, come here."

"Me?" Emerald asked warily.

"No, the other person," Roman replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

A quick glance in either direction informed her that the hallway was entirely empty other than the two of them.

He stepped back from the doorway, beckoning her inside the room.

Emerald sighed and rolled her eyes, but followed him anyway.

"What do you want?" she asked, all impatience and teenage sass.

"Cinder has noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, and she's been worried about you."

That was a lie. He hadn't spoken with Cinder about Emerald's behavior, and he wasn't certain that she'd even picked up on it. He didn't think the girl would appreciate his concern if she knew it came solely from him, though.

"Kid, it's okay," he said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. Emerald didn't duck away from the affectionate gesture, which he took as a sign that she would be receptive to further attempts at comfort. "Daddy's here," he added (somewhat sarcastically) as he pulled her into a hug, and she snorted. "And your mom is going to be just fine."

"You two aren't my parents," Emerald protested, even as she leaned into the embrace.

"Look, I know you and Mercury don't get along that well, but... you know you can depend on him, and it's okay to lean on your big brother if you need him."

"... so you're just going to stick with the whole 'family' thing?"

"Yeah."

"You can let go of me now."

"Nah..."

"Oh my god, you are the worst dad!"

"Love you, too, kid."

~end~