The Side I Show You

By A Stereotypical Gamer

Chapter One: Other Sides

First Semester

Neither of them expected to end up where they were. Certainly they hadn't expected to end up with each other.

It wasn't in either of their natures to be impulsive; others looked to them to be steadfast and dependable, and were accustomed to their quiet and reserved natures.

But that was when they were with their teams. When they had only the other for company...

Repression needed outlets. Silence needed to break.

Ren had suggested Blake join them, after observing Blake reading a book titled How to Deal with Hyperactive Children, and subsequently being demolished when she and her teammates attempted to keep up with one of Nora's workouts. Blake had barely even talked to Ren before, but the idea of a quiet weekly get together away from her more energetic cohorts sounded quite appealing.

Though she hadn't realized they'd have company, when she stepped away from their joined dorm rooms and into the study, and found some redheaded student, covered in scars, with featureless white eyes.

"Oh, um... hello," Blake greeted.

He didn't look up to acknowledge her. Ren stepped over to the two, carrying a tray with a kettle and a quartet of cups, setting the collection down on a coffee table between a couch and two armchairs.

"Blake, this is Fox Alistair- he's a second year, assigned to Team CFVY."

CFVY- that was the team Velvet was on. Despite Fox's clearly reserved demeanor, that put Blake more at ease. She had expected to only join Ren and enjoy a little peace and quiet, but knowing this unknown element would be accepting of a Faunus teammate -she assumed, anyway, since he still hadn't actually said anything- made her a little less wary of the setting.

Ren settled in on one of the armchairs, and Fox sat opposite him. Ren took a moment to feel at the edges of the kettle, and then began to pour, carefully measuring each movement so that three glasses had an equal amount of liquid and were left room for modification from sugar, lemon, and cream. He turned over the fourth glass on the tray, and slid the other two across the coffee table with precise movement, each stopping at the edge of the wooden platform before his two guests. The precision reminded Blake of her mother, who'd made tea so many times she'd perfected it to a science.

Blake picked up her cup and stepped over to the couch to sit between the two and get comfortable. Fox simply sat and took a long draught, while Ren had yet to take it in, possibly because he was waiting on his remaining guest.

As Blake looked down into the cup, she collected her thoughts. She might not have agreed to socialize had the circumstances or events been different, but Ren had an unusual sort of magnetism: a sort of unstated reliability that made his presence easy to forget, but his absence noteworthy. Blake wasn't sure she'd ever seen him without Nora before today. She wasn't sure he ever spoke more than a single sentence at a time.

Peace and quiet may have been quite appealing, but sharing it with someone seemed even more so.

Blake took a sip, finding something authentic... something made with leaves, rather than bags. "This is good," she remarked.

Ren smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Simple and effective. And no need to deviate with chatter. Once Blake had tried it, Ren joined her in quiet, intermittent sips, matching her slow pace. It reminded her of home in Menagerie, just with even less talking. And that suited her fine.

For three weeks in a row Blake had joined Ren and Fox for tea, and found it an ideal distraction. They hadn't exchanged many words, but Blake didn't mind that. She hadn't learned very much about either boy, but then, she hadn't taken the lead in being very forthcoming either. Each week had been quiet and peaceful, in sharp contrast to Blake and Ren's usual day with Ruby or Yang or Nora's ceaseless prattle.

It seemed they were not alone in those concerns, however, when Blake arrived on the fourth week- she found Fox on the couch this time, with Velvet seated beside him, looking terribly upset. Ren handed her his fourth cup of tea, then discreetly moved aside so the two teammates could interact.

"What's going on?" Blake inquired in a low whisper, but Ren only pointed to the exit. Blake cast a glance back at her drinking buddy and his teammate, then did follow Ren out the door.

"Sorry, that conversation wasn't for our ears," Ren explained.

Blake understood keeping secrets, but she couldn't help but be curious. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Yes," Ren replied.

Blake cursed her character flaw, but she really wanted to know. "Will you tell me?"

"No," Ren replied.

That was frustrating. Blake thought they'd developed a rapport... "Is it serious?" she tried, allowing herself to express some concern.

"Yes," Ren replied.

Normally, Blake would be grateful for such simplicity and appreciate the directness of it all. Now all she was getting were hints around the edges of some important event. Blake knew it wasn't her business, but it was a secret Ren was privy to. It made her wonder just how many secrets he'd been keeping, and if it had anything to do with why he wasn't so forthcoming.

Ren observed her quiet frustration and curiosity. "Perhaps it's best we reschedule."

Blake might've followed the prudent advice, but returning early would invite her to Yang's scrutiny. "That's all right. Is there any other place we can... I don't know, talk?"

"I have nothing more to say on this matter," Ren flatly replied. "I understand your concerns, but it is their burden to bear."

He'd seen right through her. "All right, fine," Blake conceded.

"We all have our burdens to bear," Ren explained further. "Heavy is the head."

It wasn't like Ren to get so philosophical. It was a shame to lose out on some interesting piece of information, but Ren's word choice seemed... leading.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"That is a lovely bow," Ren simply replied.

What did her bow have to do with-

Blake put it together. He knew. He knew something her teammates didn't know. He'd seen right through her disguise.

"How long have you known?" Blake asked, trying not to betray any concern.

"When we were in the Emerald Forest, I saw your ears twitch," Ren answered.

He'd known that long? Blake had been so careful to conceal her ears, and he'd noticed on her second day at Beacon?

"And you never said anything?" Blake asked, genuinely surprised. Ren shook his head. "Not even to your teammates?" Again Ren shook his head.

Blake felt uncomfortable. She fully expected once her secret was out someone would try to extort her, or possibly force her to flee. She'd never expected someone to learn the truth, and not care.

"Can we talk?" Blake inquired.

"If you like," Ren agreed.

There really was only one concern on her mind, but that was almost immediately put at ease. Ren had not betrayed Fox and Velvet's trust. And he'd kept silent about her secret for far longer.

"Or... we don't have to, if you prefer," Blake added, unintentionally averting her eyes.

"Speak or don't," Ren offered. "Either way, I'll listen."

It began after they saw another pair of friends going through difficulty, interrupting their careful scheduling and throwing the day out of whack. For him, scheduling was meticulous. For her, quiet time was a necessity after extended hours with her rambunctious teammates.

They really should've thanked Velvet for interrupting tea time and drawing Fox away. It left only Blake and Ren to share the quiet and peace.

And then abandon that and express the other sides they'd kept hidden. Now, alone with one another, they could be as they were.

Fox was drawn away by the responsibilities demanded of a second year. Blake and Ren were left to share their tea, and -slowly- more. Once she was certain she could trust him, Blake began talking about her time in the White Fang. She didn't tell him everything –they weren't quite there yet- but she finally had someone to speak to about her past without the need to veil her words. Ren, in turn, told her snippets about his life before Beacon, about the loss of his parents to the Grimm and his close friendship with Nora in the ensuing years.

Normally hearing about how much time he spent with another girl would deter Blake and convince her not to delve too deeply. But Ren had been completely unaffected when she mentioned her own past failed relationship (though she hadn't mentioned him by name) and it hadn't convinced him to stop learning more about her.

Slowly, gradually… they weren't spending time together to share tea and quiet. They looked forward to these meetings more and more, and where before they might've allowed a table and tea set to serve as a divider between them, now they sat beside each other, and drew close.

When Blake took Ren's hand in her own, he did not recoil from her. He squeezed her fingers and held her gaze for a long time.

Blake had longed for companionship, to be held again as she'd been with Adam, before he'd changed. Unfortunately, the only other choices at Beacon were three jerks, a bigger jerk who bossed them around, and Jaune. She hadn't even considered Lie Ren, given how Nora seemed attached to his hip. Now she couldn't imagine life without him, even if only for a few hours a week.

Ren, for his part, was grateful to have someone who shared in his passions. Nora may have been his best friend for nearly a decade, but she had so many likes he did not share, and she was spending more and more time with Ruby and Yang and getting up to various antics. To the extent he could ever escape her grip, a few hours with Blake made a welcome reprieve, and it allowed him to drop his usual stoic facade and unleash emotions he usually kept bottled up.

Blake and Ren seemed to appreciate each other their expressions. Things were getting quite intense.

"You want to stop?" Blake teased, when Ren broke her kiss, and she pushed him further down into the couch cushion, prodding him with her thigh. "Because I won't let you go."

"I just needed air," Ren assured her. "I fully intend to resume the hunt."

"That some kind of anti-Faunus humor?" Blake inquired, only half-joking.

"Oh no," Ren assured her. "I am quite sincere in my desire to catch this kitten and keep her all to myself."

That was what Blake wanted to hear. She moved her head down to nuzzle his shoulder, nipping at his neck along the way. "And will you treat her well?"

"If that's what she wishes," Ren confirmed. "Though I can be a very stern master."

"Show me," Blake requested, in a very soft, but also very leading sort of tone.

Ren reached his arms around the back of Blake's legs and pulled her down, swiftly switching their positions and pinning Blake to the couch. She gasped at first, then couldn't quite suppress her giggle as Ren loomed over her, his face quite close.

Until she noticed his eyes glancing up, past her own, past her forehead. Blake wondered what he was looking at until she noticed a feeling of discomfort atop her head, and looked up herself, to see a strand of her bow come loose and one of her extra ears exposed.

"I'm sorry, I'll-" Blake began, instinctively moving up to adjust and conceal, only for Ren to intercede and take hold of her wrist.

"Don't," he requested.

Blake quite enjoyed the feel of his hand, but would not be deterred. "Ren, please... someone might see-"

"Yes," Ren agreed. "I might see you as you are. Nothing would make me happier."

Blake was terrified of the prospect. She'd done everything in her power to keep her ears hidden. Even from her team. Even from him.

Gently, Ren let go of her wrist and moved his hand to grasp the black cloth dangling down from atop Blake's head. He met her eyes again, waiting. He wanted to take the step... but he waited for her to take that step with him.

Blake had never intended to do this. But she did long to be free, and Ren wanted to bear witness to it. She reached up her hand, willing away any anxiety, not letting him see her fingers shake as she took hold of the strands with him. Slowly, together, they undid the bow and let her ears loose.

For several seconds Ren looked upon them, looking so long it made Blake start to feel very self-conscious. Even more self-conscious than she'd been with this boy literally atop her.

"Not quite what you expected?" Blake gently asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Not what I expected," Ren confirmed. "But exactly what I wished for."

Blake looked up at him as Ren met her eye again, smiling. "All I wished for, Blake, was to see you as you are." He placed his hand over hers', still clutching her black bow in case she needed to hastily reapply it. "Thank you for letting me see you."

Meeting his eyes, feeling his hand in her own, hearing his words... Blake suddenly devoted no thoughts at all to concealing her Faunus nature. She pushed Ren back, reversing their positions again and pressing him down into the couch as she sat atop him.

"And do you like what you see?" Blake asked, finding her confidence again, feeling the need to egg him on and bring out the beast he was hiding within to match her.

"More than anything I have ever seen," Ren promised her.

Blake smiled. She could get used to hearing such praise. With both sets of ears.

She leaned down to kiss him again. At some point in exchanging furor with him, her bow slid out of her hand and drifted down to the floor. For the moment, Blake had no more need of it. She would not squander this opportunity to be who she was.

They hid it well from the others, putting on their masks and hiding away their voices. They had their weekly meetings, and it gave them each an outlet for the fury they would otherwise determinedly seal away. They'd strictly adhere to the façade the rest of the time, never betraying any interest in the other, save they tended to praise one another when asked for their opinion.

It was second nature for them to sneak, and it was fun and exciting to do so, to keep their teammates in the dark. But eventually, inevitably, living in close quarters and surrounded by people more talkative than they were…

"Hey, Velvet mentioned Fox never goes to those tea meetings anymore," Ruby pointed out to Blake while Blake was organizing her bookshelf. "Is it just you and Ren at those things?"

"Yeah," Blake replied, trying her best to sound neutral.

"What do you guys talk about?" Ruby inquired. She was an innocent one. Blake had no doubt she was motivated by curiosity, and would be happy to indulge her. The only problem was she and Ren didn't spend very much time talking.

"Nothing really," Blake answered, accidentally mixing up the order of her The Man with (X) Souls series, though it seemingly went unnoticed.

"So, what, you just drink tea the whole time?" Ruby asked, perplexed.

"Ren isn't really the talkative type," Blake explained. "And we don't actually have that many interests in common…"

She'd tried to get him into the novel series she was reading, but Ren far preferred reading history or biography to fiction. But then, Blake hadn't had much use for some of her romance novels lately, given the alternative available.

"Huh," Ruby mused, stroking her chin, "Weird. If it wasn't Ren, I'd swear you were just using the whole tea thing as an excuse to sneak off with a guy."

Blake felt her blood run cold as she glanced back, the book in her hand sliding out from her fingers and clattering to the floor. "What?" It was the only word she could manage.

Above them in her bunk bed, Yang rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Rubes- as though anyone could pry Ren from Nora's grip."

"I know, I know," Ruby acknowledged. "I just don't get why Blake's always so keen to hang out with him when they don't actually do anything."

Blake tried to compose herself as she picked up her lost book and found it a place. Ruby didn't seem to have made the connection, but Blake needed to put her off the trail before someone more insidious built on her reasoning. She played it off. "I like Ren quite a lot," Blake explained to Ruby. "But I can't really explain why."

"Yeah, who can?" Yang agreed, "I've heard him say like, six sentences since we met." It seemed that she'd completely missed the point, exactly as Blake intended. Ruby nodded along, and Blake returned to busying herself with her book collection.

She wanted to explain why. She wanted her friends to know about the guy she liked, to share their thoughts, to celebrate alongside her. But what exactly was there to say? That she liked him precisely because he was quiet? Because he was keeping her secrets?

She didn't want to tell them it was just because he was good at things besides talking. Word would spread across the hall, and then things might get… tense.

"Does Nora know?" Blake asked, as she and Ren lay cuddled up on the couch, the tea set having gone unused, as tended to be the case now.

"No," Ren answered. "I've never mentioned it to her."

"Should you tell her?" Blake inquired.

"Have you told your team?" Ren asked.

"I asked you first," Blake countered, a little too quickly. "And she's your best friend. She must have noticed something by now."

"She knows that I need time alone," Ren explained. "A few hours a week she can manage. It helps that she's become so close with Ruby and Yang."

That wasn't the answer Blake was looking for. "Are you going to tell her? Or Jaune or Pyrrha?"

"Why are we talking about this?" Ren asked, glancing curiously down at her. "Do you think they'd disapprove?"

"No!" Blake replied, a little too quickly. "I mean… I'm just thinking we should let them in on it. We should tell our friends."

Ren brought a hand to the top of Blake's head, to caress her second set of ears. "We should."

Blake enjoyed his touch for a moment, before she caught up and realized what he was implying. She hastily shook her head, and reached down to the floor to find her bow. Ren followed after her, catching hold of her wrist. This time, Blake didn't let him stop her. She pulled the bow back on and sat up, taking the time to adjust it and get it right.

"Blake," Ren began, but he didn't follow up. He watched her conceal her true nature, burying it away again. He withdrew his hand, retreating from her, leaving her to her own devices.

"We're not done talking about this," Blake assured him. "But later. Not right now."

"Yes," Ren agreed, much more withdrawn than he'd allowed himself to be with her. It seemed that just as Blake had buried away a side of herself, so too had he. They each put up their defenses, each strapped on their masks and hid away.

"I-I'm going to go find my friends," Blake explained as she stood up. "Weiss wanted to go into town today, and I promised I wouldn't be too long."

It wasn't a lie. But it was the first half-truth she'd told him in a very long time. The first time she'd ever felt compelled not to share with him all of herself.

Blake departed without another word. Ren looked down at the unused cups on the table, and poured himself some tea.

It was cold. It had been long-neglected, and now he was paying the price for ignoring it so long. Ren couldn't help but find that fitting as he sat alone with his thoughts and his bitter drink.

JNPR's dorm was one of the first places they tried. When he heard "Blake's gone", Ren at once volunteered to help find her. No one found that suspicious. No one was surprised he would offer them his help. No one thought he had an ulterior motive.

But while his friends searched, Ren merely waited. Blake had not gone far; she merely made it appear as though she had. When the remainder of Team RWBY found transport to Vale, Ren convinced his teammates to try the borders of the school, towards the Emerald Forest or the waterfall. Ren himself went no further than the courtyard.

Sure enough, he found her standing at the base of Beacon tower, before the monument of fallen huntsmen. Blake was deep in thought, her expression pained as she ran a gamut of emotions. Ren had not been privy to what had motivated her to flee from her friends, but it had clearly affected her deeply.

He was stunned to see her reach up to unclasp her bow, to reveal her ears. Ren wasn't sure he'd ever see her do that in a public place.

Now seemed the ideal time to speak to her, to convince her she would be safe, that she wouldn't need to keep this secret… he could reassure her, he could be with her as her support every step of the way.

When he saw Blake wipe away a tear, Ren opened his mouth to speak, only to hear: "I knew you would look better without the bow."

Blake's eyes widened as she turned. A Faunus boy with a yellow monkey tail stepped over to her, seemingly appearing from nowhere. Ren wasn't sure who he was, but Blake seemed to know him, and more importantly, didn't seem threatened by his presence.

He watched quietly as they exchanged quiet words, and then headed off. Ren briefly thought to follow them, but something staid his hand, as he reasoned that Blake already had someone to confide in.

Someone other than himself.

He hated that thought. He hated that selfish sense of entitlement, and so did not allow himself to pursue her. She was safe, and that was the important thing. He should tell their friends what he'd discovered, and try to put their minds at ease.

It would only be a few words. Just as no one was surprised at the efforts made to help, no one would be surprised that he had very little to say about what he'd found.

Ren was in the JNPR dorm when Team RWBY returned, whole and reunited. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora expressed their relief and welcomed Blake back to the fold. When Ren met her eye, he smiled and stated he was glad she had returned. Blake smiled back, each of them wearing their masks, putting on a show for their friends.

And each other.

Ren made no assumptions about what the Faunus boy was to Blake, or what exactly had gone on in her team to reach this point, but it seemed whatever part of herself Blake buried around the others she buried in front of Ren now too.

Something in her past had come calling, and it had deterred her from letting her other side free. Ren knew what that meant.

When the week reached its end, he prepared his tea set and waited, more out of habit than anything else. He poured himself a cup and waited, catching up on some homework he'd left late while his attention had been… elsewhere.

He waited to see if she would return, but as the time whittled away, Ren accepted things had changed. Whatever distance Blake had sought from her teammates before she was now seeking to close. That was progress. That was good for her. Hopefully, it'd make her happy.

He'd have to try and be happy for her. A lot had changed for her, and he would try not to divert her attention while it was focused on something positive.

The first semester had allowed her to open up more than she'd ever expected. Now Blake's friends knew about her past, and accepted her in spite of it. Now they knew she was a Faunus, and it hadn't changed their opinion of her at all. Even with Yang constantly trying to scratch her and distract her with laser pointers, Blake couldn't help but feel a great burden alleviated now that she wasn't hiding who she was from her friends.

Though, now, it seemed, she was hiding something else… some part of herself she'd only ever shared with two others.

She never realized it was possible to be lonely when she was never alone. Yet she was, because the nice boy who invited her to tea was drinking alone, and she couldn't find a reason to rejoin him and share a glass.

Maybe that too was just a remnant of her past now. Ren wasn't likely to bring it up; she could count on him to keep her secrets.

They were still friends.

Weren't they?

"Not going to your tea party this week?" Yang teased from the bunk bed, while Blake organized her bookshelf below.

"No, not this week," Blake confirmed. "Things have been a bit crazy, you know?"

"Oh, totally," Yang agreed. "I'm sure Ren understands."

That was the worst part. Blake was certain he did too.

She'd seen a part of him no one else had. He'd seen her in a way she wished no one but someone she deeply cared for to see. That bound them together. That made him impossible to completely extricate from her thoughts.

She should explain things to him. Or at least join him for tea, even if they did nothing else but share peace and quiet. Even if they never… showed each other their other sides again.

Blake couldn't do it. Her instinct was to run from him, even when he'd done nothing to wrong her. Even when he'd supported her without ever saying a word. Maybe she could do the same for him, to show him some encouragement, some sign of affection or reconciliation.

She couldn't manage even that. She just wanted it all to fade away, like the rest of her past.

No one would notice. No one would know but the two of them.

Somehow that thought did nothing to make her feel any better about it.