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Cover Art: JustFun101

Chapter 12

Adam wasn't used to having to explain himself. That was a benefit of having a certain amount of respect within the White Fang; people followed his orders and trusted him to be doing things for the right reason. That wasn't to say he was the type to refuse to answer when pressed – he personally believed troops that understood the reasons for his orders would be better able to adapt to any changes in circumstances – but he'd never had to explain himself after the fact, and in an apologetic manner.

It wasn't an enjoyable experience.

"I put you through unnecessary stress," he said, stone-faced and rigid before his teammates. "I made you believe I was in danger when I was not and forced you to sit in anguish when I could have made it better with an explanation ahead of time." He bowed his head slightly. "I apologise. It was unfair to each of you."

Tsune might have meant for him to be a little more subtle about it, but what was the point? Subtlety only bred misunderstanding, and he was used to having people upset at him. Better to rip the bandage straight off. It wasn't as though he was guilty about his actions anyway, despite what Tsune might have inferred.

His eyes tracked over Team RYST. Their reactions were varied. They all looked surprised to some degree, but Yang's was more the flat-footed shock, while Weiss appeared to be more stunned at his apology than the reasons behind it. Ruby looked angry. He could hazard a guess as to why. There'd been a raid once where he had to fake his own death, and to better sell the story he'd neglected to tell his team about it. Once he came back alive and well, it had been to a grieving and furious Blake. The guilt at the pain he'd caused then still gnawed away inside.

"I'll answer any questions now."

"What is this?" Weiss blurted out. "A sales pitch?"

Adam scoffed. "An ad hoc one."

"You faked it all then?" Yang asked. "Getting hurt…?"

"The injury was real but there wasn't any risk, and it didn't come as a surprise. I hoped to goad them into striking me, but I didn't expect it to be her who did. I thought it would be the boy. He had the look of someone desperate to impress the women on his team."

"Fuck…" Yang breathed out quickly. "So, you planned all of it? Them challenging you, getting angry and spouting racism."

"I planned for numerous eventualities. Racist outbursts were one, but actions speak louder than words. One of my plans was to goad them on and yield at an inopportune time, then let them strike me after. Break the rules. It was clear the teachers weren't going to be able to step in on hearsay alone," he explained. "Oobleck tried, but they'd taken to watching what they said around the faculty. I needed them to lose sight of where they were."

"Hence the smokescreen during the fight," Weiss reasoned. "I see. I thought it was to split their team up and take away the numerical advantage, but it was to disguise the audience."

"A bit of both. They were four to one regardless of my intent. It was much easier to deal with them one at a time than all at once."

"Why didn't you tell us in advance?" Ruby demanded.

"I… didn't think to." He sighed, more than a little upset with himself. Not for what he'd done – he would do so again in an instant – but for making such a rookie error in the first place. "I'm not used to having to explain myself to other people and I fell back into old habits."

It wasn't the best of excuses, but he hoped they could understand it hadn't been done with a lack of faith toward them in mind. Deciding not to risk it, he said as much, and Yang at least looked mollified, nodding back.

"I guess that's better than not trusting us. Still, we were worried. That was a dick move!"

"That's why I'm here apologising."

"To be clear," Weiss said, "You're not sorry for what you did? Only not telling us?"

"Correct."

"You framed someone for an attack they would have otherwise never launched! That girl could be expelled from Beacon. She could lose her chance of ever becoming a huntress! Don't you feel even slightly responsible for that?"

Adam raised his one good eyebrow. "No."

"Why should he?" Yang said. "They were targeting him, and they didn't seem to care about the rules. Taste of their own medicine, I say."

"Embarrassing them would have been that. What Adam did is akin to framing someone for a crime they didn't commit. You realise she could have a criminal record for this? Or a black mark on her huntress record that will haunt her for the rest of her life?"

"Why are you on her side?"

"I'm not!" Weiss argued. "I'm saying this was too much! I expected Adam to humiliate them. Expose them. Get them in trouble or detention. Not destroy their team and ruin their lives. That's much too extreme."

Efficient, you mean. Adam kept silent on that. If his methods were harsh it was only because they'd always needed to be. Atlas soldiers and SDC security personnel couldn't be dealt with via tattling to teachers. One of the earliest lessons he'd learned was that if you left a foe alive, you only increased the chance they'd get back up and stab you in the back. Better to deal with people fully. Destroy them so they couldn't retaliate.

"Why are you coming to us with the truth now?" Yang asked. "You could have shrugged it off and let us believe it was all an accident."

Adam sighed and closed his eyes. "I refuse to be a victim."

The girls were silent.

"If I'd let you all think I was the victim of that little show, I'd have been no better than Scarlatina. You would have felt you had to protect me. You would have blamed yourselves every time you couldn't protect me. That kind of unrealistic pressure – when it's not even necessary – would have been yours to bear." He sneered. "I'd rather tell the truth and deal with your ire myself."

"Well…" Yang scratched her cheek and laughed. It was a bit of a hoarse sound. Uncomfortable. His team weren't sure how to act around him now that it was out. Understandable. "I mean, I can see how that's better. We'd have thought we failed you."

"You didn't," he pressed.

"Yeah, because you didn't need us at all."

"I could have used you," he admitted, startling them. "I didn't need you, but then you don't need me either. We're a team, but that doesn't mean we have to need one another for every little thing. I could have – and perhaps should have – included you in this plan, however. For that, I'm sorry." He looked to Weiss. "But not for what I did to them."

"Sheesh. Not a victim. Yeah, that word doesn't suit you." Yang snorted. "And you really hate that Scarlatina girl. Not sure I disagree," she muttered.

"I don't hate victims. Sometimes they're unavoidable. A victim of a hit and run didn't choose to be where they are. It's people who allow themselves to be victims that I despise. Those that could do better, that have the strength to choose, but don't. I wouldn't care if it were only them that suffered, but they force everyone else to step in and protect them. It's pathetic."

"Then we shouldn't have tried to help…?" Ruby asked quietly.

She sounded afraid.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to help someone," he said softly. Or as softly as his gruff and often cold voice could allow. "Teammates should watch each other's backs. All I'm saying is that if I ever need your help, it won't be because I haven't tried my hardest. I'm not going to take it for granted like Scarlatina does."

That hung in the air. It was a heavy topic and one not easy to understand, so he wouldn't blame them the time it took to mull over his words. If they were in trouble, he would help them – and he expected the same assistance in kind. It was what being on a team denoted, and the White Fang had always worked that way.

If anything, it was about respecting that. About not being the boy who cried Beowolf. If you forever relied on your teammates to protect you, you wouldn't grow. Neither would they. They'd be so busy trying to cover for the weakness you provided that their own growth would be stymied. A team was four or more people working together for a shared objective. It wasn't three people carrying dead weight.

"Are you angry at us?" Yang asked.

Adam blinked. "No." He said it short and sweet. "If anything, you should be angry at me…"

"We – I – am," she corrected with a scowl. He waved a hand helplessly. It was a fair reaction. "We felt like shit through this! We went around trying to find out own evidence to help you out, and it sucked being rejected time and time again!"

They had-? He sighed. "I'm sorry. You wouldn't have had to put that effort in if I'd been forthright."

"Gah! You could at least be an arrogant twat about it so I can keep hold of my rage!" Yang punched the pillow between her crossed legs. "Why do you have to be so mature and apologetic? Let me work my anger out on you."

He'd had to grow up fast.

"I'm sorry I'm not an immature child. I still owe you a hand to hand spar," he reminded, knowing it was asking for a beating but that she probably deserved the chance. "You can have your chance to punish me there."

"Heh. You're on. Fine." Yang laid back with a loud huff. "I'm pissed, but all's well that ends well. Long as you're sorry for being such a douche, I'm cool with it."

He'd made a mistake. He wouldn't call himself something like that. Adam rolled his eyes all the same. No point arguing when he still had Weiss and Ruby to deal with. He'd had a suspicion Yang would be the easiest; those with the hottest tempers often were, providing you weathered the storm.

"I disagree with your methods but not the fact something had to be done," Weiss said. The Schnee took the middle ground. What a surprise. "I'll accept your apology if only because it is well thought out and reasoned. You put us through a lot of stress but at least you recognise the fact."

"Better than an idiot claiming he didn't do nothing wrong," Yang said.

"Exactly. As annoyed as I am, you're willing to own up to your mistake." Weiss didn't smile, but her eyes held a certain respect within them. "You are forgiven, Adam."

He bowed his head back. "Thank you."

That left Ruby. She was, he felt, the most complicated. Yang was simple in that she worked off her emotions and had a black and white view on the world. That wasn't to say she was lacking in intelligence; only that she liked to keep things simple.

Weiss was much more into the shades of grey, and almost in a legal sense. That was understandable given who she was. Schnee couldn't live in a black and white world because their business practices spanned the entire spectrum. Also, where Yang wasn't afraid to simplify things, Weiss was someone who couldn't afford to. In her mind, she had to appear the smartest in the room. Simplifying issues wouldn't help with that.

Ruby was complicated. Emotional but inquisitive. Black and white, yet uncertain about it. Where Yang would force the world to comply with her view on it, Ruby lacked the same confidence and would instead try and see things from other people's points of view. That wasn't a bad attitude to have in a person, though it could be said it was bad in a leader. Strange as it sounded, leaders were often better when they lived in a fantasy world. The troops needed the inspiration that could only be gained from a leader who never faltered, who never once believed they could fail. The men took strength from it.

He'd been one such leader. Still was. Where Weiss might have empathy for the other players in his little game, he didn't. He believed absolutely in the cause. The results. In a way, he was closer to Yang than Weiss. He also simplified things. There were those on his side and those against. There was the White Fang and everyone else.

That wasn't to say he was stupid either. It was something he'd embraced willingly, because if he tried to take Weiss' view of the world into that situation, he'd have been forever doubting his own actions. Was he making the right choice? Was he doing the right thing? Was he being fair? What about the people the White Fang hurt?

Those questions could destroy a man.

Ruby felt like one of those people. Someone who would either succeed and become a truly inspiring leader – one of those rare, one in a million, cases – or someone who would be crushed under the weight of her doubts. Here and now, she clearly didn't know what to say. Emotions passed over her face and were hidden away. Lack of confidence prevented her from saying what she no doubt truly wished to, and he wasn't mind reader enough to see them.

Say what you want to me. If you can't speak your mind to us, who can you to?

Ruby closed her eyes and released a quick breath. When her eyes snapped back to him, he knew she'd given up on it. There was an indignant pout instead as she said, "I got detention because of you."

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed. Detention was the least of the problems she had with his actions, but it was the safest she could think to speak on. Maybe she would break and demand more later. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm sorry for that. How can I make it up to you?"

"Go comic shopping with me this weekend."

Oh? Adam raised an eyebrow while Yang snickered. He could guess why – she was seeing it as a date or something equally asinine. No doubt she'd be teasing Ruby about that later. He knew better and could see behind Ruby's little ploy. Get him alone and without his team so she could question him properly and have a better shot at speaking her mind.

It wasn't a terrible ploy. And he guessed he did owe her.

"Alright. I accept."

/-/

"You've put us in quite the unfortunate situation, Mr Taurus."

It wasn't a surprise when Ozpin called him up to his office the following day. What was a surprise was letting him rest this long before the meeting, but then again, he probably had more immediate problems the day before. Adam sat calmly across from the man, legs crossed and hands on his knees.

"Have I…?"

"We both know you orchestrated the battle with Team CRMN to prove a point. We also know you're not so amateur as to be taken by surprise in the smoke by a single member of their team. You also have near perfect control over your aura, so sustaining an injury is rather unbelievable. For those of us who know the truth of who you are, that is. To everyone watching, it must seem Team CRMN are quite the villains."

"Is there a destination in this conversation? I have lessons today."

The headmaster did not laugh. "I'll be frank, then. Team CRMN are not being expelled from the academy."

Adam laughed. "Unsurprising."

"It's not for the reasons you're suggesting, and you know it. We do not condone racism. I have taken what steps I can to fight it. What I also cannot condone is innocent children having their lives ripped apart because you want to make an example of them."

"Are they truly innocent, headmaster?"

"They are innocent of the crimes you would pin on them. I won't pretend they didn't deserve some comeuppance, but I cannot in good spirit allow them to lose their chances to become huntsmen. Remnant needs brave men and women to defend its borders."

"Even those who would pick and choose who to save?"

"Should they try such a thing, I will deal with them myself," the man said sharply. "I am not saying they aren't in the wrong, Mr Taurus. What I am saying is that they are students. Their role here is to learn. Some of that is how to become a better huntsman and some of that is how to become a better person. There's a reason Doctor Oobleck teaches faunus history as well as human. We are trying to take foolish young men and women and turn them into wise and balanced adults. We cannot do that if we cast away those who struggle to learn those lessons. All that achieves is throwing them out there to commit the same mistakes again and again."

Adam scoffed. "You're acting like people change.

"You're acting like they can't," Ozpin countered. "In which case I shouldn't be allowing you or Miss Belladonna here. Fortunately for you both, I am of the opinion that people can change. That doesn't go only for you, Adam. As I believe you have the potential to do good, so too do I believe Team CRMN can grow beyond their petty prejudices."

"People have to want to change."

"Is that so? Do you want to change, Adam…? Or are you just going through the motions?"

Adam bit his lip. Ozpin had him there.

"Team CRMN will be punished. Don't think they are getting off free. I'm also aware how this might reflect on my reputation. That's something I'm willing to accept. If I let fear of people's opinion change how I act between one student and another, I wouldn't be fit for my position."

Ozpin was going to look like a racist.

That was something he hadn't considered when orchestrating his plan. The more you tried to predict people's reactions, the less chance you had, so he'd naturally stuck only to Team CRMN. In truth, he didn't think the man opposite him cared for the differences between faunus and humans. It would have been stupid to think every human was a racist, and this man had allowed him and Blake into his school.

There could be problems from this. Faunus students might feel less secure if they believe him racist, while students already harbouring those thoughts might feel they've been given free reign to express them.

He'd failed to consider those consequences. "Is that wise?" Adam prodded. "Even rumours of prejudice from you could impact every faunus in the school. It might be best to allow someone else to take the fall."

"Glynda, you mean." Ozpin smiled. "An easy scapegoat given her dislike of you. No. I would never allow it. Worry not, I will let my actions speak for me. Should there be any more incidences of racism within the school, I've instructed the faculty to come down on it most harshly. There may be doubts as to my character from this, but I shall prove those doubts unfounded."

Adam nodded. He hoped so, strange as that may have sounded. He wanted Team CRMN away from him. Expelled would have been preferable, but if the same could be achieved this way then he really didn't care. What he hadn't wanted was to push the headmaster out.

"I'll be asking you to come to me in future if there are any problems," Ozpin said. "I know you may think the teachers aren't perfect and that is fair. We're not omniscient. However, given the risks involved in your being here and the damage you could do, I'd much rather you and I deal with any unpleasantness through diplomacy first. Had you come to me, I would have stamped down on Team CRMN."

"I didn't have any proof."

"I wouldn't have needed it." The admission surprised Adam. "I would not have punished them without proof, but the mere suggestion you felt pushed to confront them would have forced me to act, if only to avoid bloodshed. I do not want you confronting any students if I can help it, Mr Taurus. As unfair as it sounds, I must make allowances for you. To do otherwise is to risk my students' lives."

So, this was the alternative solution Tsune had spoken of. He hadn't thought of it and didn't think he was wrong not to. Any teacher would have required proof of injustice before acting, but perhaps that had been his mistake. He'd thought of Ozpin as any teacher and himself as any other student. Neither of them were. He was a terrorist and killer, and Ozpin was the man allowing him into his school. The rules had already been bent once and could be again.

"Hn." Adam grunted. Nodded.

"I'm glad we understand one another. Come to me the next time anything like this happens and, proof or not, I shall investigate. Extra work on my part is worth it to avoid any more situations like this."

"I'll keep that in mind when the next ones come along."

"Surely you mean if…"

"When. It never changes. It might not be them and it might not be as obvious, but I've made myself a target. I'm the faunus who dared stand up for himself. There will be others."

"I see." Ozpin sighed. "I'm sad to hear that. Well, I don't want to keep you any longer, especially if your team believes I'm cooking you over an open fire. Team CRMN will be in constant detentions, and this is a prime opportunity to send them on sensitivity courses. Miss Nicola will also be under surveillance and I dare say they've all lost face from this. Few teams will trust them and that may haunt them for the rest of their lives. In the field, it could even cost them it. I'll ask you to avoid interacting with any of them, and they have been told to stay away from you. Is that enough?"

"It is for me. I don't care to step over those already beaten." Adam paused and then spoke. "Actually, I need a favour from you."

"Oh? Bold of you to ask considering..."

"You can say no," he said, shrugging. "But I need an excuse to say no."

"Go on, then."

"My team leader wants me to go out into Vale with her this weekend. It's a punishment," he explained. "Or a chance for her to corner and tell me off away from the rest of the team. She's too awkward to do so with them there."

"Miss Rose, isn't it? Yes, I know of her issues. Do you think I chose well in making her the leader?"

"In a word. No." Adam watched the man's eyes narrow. "You chose the worst person – and you put pressure on her she didn't ask for. You're aware of how she doesn't want to stand out. Normal knees, wasn't it? You're forcing her to be more than she wants to be."

"Some would say we need to face our demons if we are to improve ourselves."

"That's not your choice to make for her."

"Hmm. Perhaps so. I can't help but meddle sometimes." Leaning back, the headmaster sighed. "Another question then. Do you believe she has the potential to become a fine leader?"

Adam scoffed. What a stupid question. "You know as well as I do that literally anyone can become a leader. All it takes is a functioning brain. Whether she will or won't is up to her, and it'll depend on the situations she faces. You can't temper steel without giving it the chance to break. No matter how hard you try, there's always the chance it won't survive the process."

"Your thoughts on her?"

"Naïve. Idealistic. Fragile."

He frowned. "Miss Rose is rather resilient, I hear."

"Physically. Ruby could bounce back from any challenge she can face with scythe in hand. Not emotionally. She has her doubts – as well she would given her age and the responsibility thrust on her. There are times she says something and looks to me for confirmation, for assurance she's not made a mistake."

"Perhaps she senses the leader in you."

"Maybe," he admitted, "But that isn't something she can rely on. Not if she wants to grow. You chose someone already dealing with her own problems. Maybe she'll succeed and become the leader she can be, but if she does then it will be because of her will. Not because you planned it." He stared at Ozpin. It would be Ruby's victory if she survived, not Ozpin's.

"You could assist her along the way, Adam."

"I'm the last crutch someone like her should rely on."

"And yet she does. Support her."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Are we done? Do I have permission to go into Vale or not?"

Ozpin closed his eyes. "Will you cause trouble?"

"It's not my intention."

"You will have to sign out and back in again. I will also want you to take a tracker on your scroll. Remove it and we shall mobilise to find you. If we call you back, you are to make your excuses and return to Beacon immediately."

Nothing unexpected then. "Understood."

/-/

"My favourite comic store is down here," Ruby said. "The owner is really nice. He won't care that you're a faunus."

"You don't need to keep reassuring me of that."

Ruby winced and ducked her head. Another muck up on her part. Ugh. She just wanted Adam to have fun and not have to worry about people being mean, but the more she spoke, the more she reminded him of everything.

"How did your detention with Goodwitch go?" Adam asked.

Her lips tugged down. "Ugh. Bad."

"How so?"

"She's so mean!" Ruby whined. Weiss would have told her off for that, but Adam just hummed. He understood. "First she was all `I hope you understand what you've done` and I just said how I stuck up for my teammate since no one else was. Then she threatened me with a second detention!"

"Did she give you it?"

"No." After that, she'd refused to speak it all. Given Miss Goodwitch the cold shoulder and judgmental staring contest. Since there was no rules against that, she'd spent two whole hours making it clear she didn't like the woman. "I just sat there until she let me go. Who cares? Not even Dad would tell me off for this. She didn't care you were in danger."

"I wasn't," he pointed out. "I planned it all. Remember?"

"You knew that! She didn't!" Teachers were meant to be above that. Ruby growled and stopped in front of a glass door, pushing it open. The windows were covered in various comic posters and even some tabletop miniature displays. She was less interested in those. "This is the place. You ever read comics, Adam?"

"When I was younger."

"W-What does that mean? Are you saying I'm a child?"

His smile was just a little too amused. Grrr! Ruby pushed in and waved to the owner, a friendly guy about her dad's age who once turfed out some boys who had tried telling her this wasn't a girl's hobby. His eyes roamed to Adam and Ruby tensed unhappily, only to sigh in relief when he smiled and waved them both in.

Yes! I was sure he wouldn't care.

"Hello Ruby," he greeted. "So, you're a huntress at last, hm. Is this a teammate of yours?"

"This is my partner, Adam," she introduced proudly. "Adam, this is Mr Grey. He runs Grey's comics and games."

"Nice to meet you." Grey took Adam's hand without issue and gave it a good shake. "You look a little old for a first year, but then Ruby looks a little young." He laughed when Ruby squawked unhappily. "Guess that makes you perfect matches."

D-Did he have to make it sound like that!?

"Nice place," Adam said politely. It was clear he wasn't really interested in comics or games, but he didn't look unhappy to be there either.

"Handed down from my father. Have a look around. Ruby knows the place like the back of her hand. Shout me over if you need anything." Grey winked at her one more time and went back to serving someone else, taking their purchase and ringing it up.

Ruby dragged Adam off to the comics section with a huge grin. Between the aisles, she bounced happily and said, "See! I told you he'd be nice."

"Hmm. And as I said, you don't need to keep worrying about who will and won't be friendly towards me." Adam, yet again, broke down her excitement and left her fidgeting. "Why are you acting like that? Come on. Look at me, Ruby."

Guiltily, she looked up. "M'sorry…"

"Don't be." Adam spoke gruffly, arms crossed. He didn't look upset at her. "I'm not saying I don't appreciate the concern, but this is what I mean about being a victim. You don't need to change your life to try and fit the fact I'm a faunus. Even if you had friends who didn't like me, that's no reason for you to stop being friends with them. It wouldn't have bothered me if Grey hated faunus. I'd have been angry at him, not you."

"But I invited you out," she insisted. "I don't want you to be miserable."

"Trust me to look after myself. I trust you to do the same."

Ruby blinked. "You… You do…?"

"I didn't step in this morning when Weiss was challenging your leadership."

"I thought that was because you agreed with her," she mumbled, eyes on the floor.

"Me? Agree with a Schnee?" He sounded so offended – so utterly affronted – that Ruby giggled. He snorted a little too loudly. He was exaggerating to make her laugh and it worked. "The reason I don't rush to your defence is because I know you can look after yourself." He nodded back toward Beacon. "I saw you in the Emerald Forest. You're not weak."

Ruby felt a proud smile appear. "I'm not!"

"There you have it. I don't see the point wasting my time to help you with something I know you can already do. Wouldn't you be annoyed if I took your spoon off you every morning and tried to feed you?"

Ruby laughed at the image. "I think I'd have a heart attack if you did that."

"Hmph." He didn't smile, but she was pretty sure he was amused all the same. There was just something in him she felt like she was learning to read. "The point remains. I'm not saying you can't be angry on my behalf if someone is judging me, but it's not your job to change things."

"Whose is it, then?" she asked. "Yours?"

"No. Theirs. Why should you and I have to work harder to deal with their stupidity?" It was a good question. "If someone wants to think I'm less of a person because I have horns, I'm not going to wear myself out trying to improve them. They're lost causes. You shouldn't waste your time either."

"Don't feed the trolls?"

Adam's mouth opened and closed. He barked a short laugh. "Yes. I guess that fits."

It kind of did. Team CRMN had come after him and that meant he had to deal with them before they got worse, but Adam had ignored them at first. They'd thought it was because he didn't want to cause trouble, but apparently it wasn't.

"You ignored them because you didn't care?"

"I cared," he admitted, "But if I let it bother me, I'd be letting them win. It was only when they tried to get physical that I bothered to spare them my attention." He sighed. "Another thing I should have explained to you all. It would have saved a lot of stress on your side if I had."

Ruby tried hard not to pounce on that.

He noticed. Of course he did. Adam always noticed.

"You don't have to pretend you're not upset at me."

"I'm not!"

"You are."

"I'm not!" she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow.

"That's not fair!"

"Ruby, I made a mistake. I sent you three on a wild goose chase and Yang and Weiss were happy to let me know how annoying that was. You're allowed to be angry with me. If you ever do something to upset me, I'm not going to sit in silence."

"I'm not angry!"

"What are you, then?" he asked. "Don't say nothing because it would be even more concerning if you felt nothing. That would mean our team leader doesn't care for those under her command."

That wasn't true at all! No, no. Adam was tricking her. He thought he was sneaky – and he was, she reminded herself – but she wasn't stupid either. She fell back on what worked and gave him the Goodwitch treatment, sealing her lips shut and glaring.

"Really?" he prodded. "The silent treatment?"

Glare.

Adam sighed. "I'm trying to sort this out, Ruby. I know I can be intimidating but I'm not going to snap your head off for asking questions. Is it this?" he asked, holding up his wounded arm. It was still bandaged, and she'd felt queasy when she saw the stitches.

"You let yourself be hurt!" she hissed.

"Is that what bothers you…? I said I planned it."

"Planning it doesn't change anything!" she snapped back at him. "What if she was stronger? What if you lost concentration? You could have lost your arm! You could have died!" She jabbed a finger into his chest, eyes burning.

"I said I was sorry-"

"You said you were sorry for wasting our time! Not sorry that you got hurt!"

"Ah." He paused. Understanding dawned, or so she liked to think. He looked down on her, but it wasn't in a patronising way. He then looked away, whispering something under his breath she couldn't catch. "You're upset because you're concerned?"

Finally! Ruby nodded, eyes narrowed.

Adam looked lost. It was the first time she'd ever seen him not have an easy answer for her. He always knew what to say. Or if he didn't, he'd say something else. She didn't agree with half the things he said, but he'd never once been reduced to silence.

Ruby dared to speak. "Is that new to you…?"

"What? No. No." He shook his head quickly. He wore a wry smile. "My life isn't so tragic and dark as to have never had anyone care for my wellbeing. I don't need you and Yang thinking otherwise. I guess I just didn't put enough thought into it. Before, everyone trusted me enough to know I could deal with things."

"I trust you…"

"It wasn't meant like that. Some trust is born of knowing what a person can and can't do. For instance, you may say Yang can drive a motorbike, but I'm not going to trust her to take me anywhere until I've seen it myself."

"She isn't as bad as you'd think, actually." Ruby said. As crazy as her sister could be, she was a safe driver.

"I'm sure she is, but I'd still want to see it. That doesn't mean I don't trust her as a teammate or a person. It's just that I've never seen her drive. Whatever trust we all have as a team is still new. We haven't known each other long enough to instinctively know everyone's strengths and weaknesses. That'll come in time."

"You mean like people silently cover each other's backs?"

"Hm." He nodded. "That kind of silent understanding is forged from years working together. Perhaps you and I will be there one day." The way he said it had Ruby standing taller. "But that will take time. I guess what I'm saying is that I forgot that. Fell back on old habits."

"You're on a team now."

"I know. Intellectually, I know. I just forgot in the heat of the moment. This," he said, removing the bandage on his arm so she could see the scar again. "It really isn't anything to worry yourself about. It looks bad, but I've experienced worse. I'm not saying this to try and push you away or make you think I'm not taking my health seriously. I'm not saying it to earn some stupid brownie points or look macho. I'm telling you because it really is the truth, and because I don't want you fretting over something inconsequential when you don't need to." His single eye stared into hers. "The same way I don't fret when Weiss starts challenging you."

The smallest of smiles played at her lips. "Because you trust I can beat her?"

"Yes."

"Is that because you think I'm awesome or because you'd bet against Weiss even if it was a rock she was fighting?"

It was his turn to smile. "A little bit of both."

Trust. This… Honestly, this wasn't the kind of trust dad and uncle Qrow talked about. They always said you should stick with your team, do everything as a team and look out for one another. But then, if you really trusted someone, then you'd also trust them to do stuff on their own. Adam trusted her to lead the team.

Shouldn't she trust him to know if he was in pain? The scar looked nasty, but he really didn't seem to care. That might have been stupid bravado, but was that really something Adam did? He was more the type to scoff and call people like that idiots. Her eyes rose to his face. That one had to be what he meant, even if she'd never seen it. The simple fact the patch covered so much of his face hinted at its size. Adam was all about being efficient. If his arm were a problem, he'd go to the doctor.

To her surprise, she felt confident saying that. Adam would go to a doctor. He wasn't an idiot who'd pretend it was fine when it wasn't. So, why was she worrying? Hiding an injury was the kind of thing Yang would pull.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But I don't want you doing stupid stuff like this again! Injuries are fine only if they're unavoidable. This wasn't. You could have had us up there for a four against four and got her in trouble on what she said. I trust you, but I'm the team leader – so it's an order. You're not allowed to let yourself lose or get hurt on purpose! And if you refuse, that's saying you don't trust me to make good orders."

"I suppose it would. Orders received, glorious leader."

"Good." Ruby bounced on her heels. "In that case, this means we trust one another, right?"

"It does."

"Then I want you to trust me."

Adam looked confused. "What does that mean? I already said I did."

"I want you to trust me with why you dislike Weiss and her family so much."

Bit of a cooldown chapter after the last. I did consider writing the Glynda detention scene with Ruby, but there just wasn't enough to go into it. Glynda can't explain why she did what she did, so she wouldn't say anything, and Ruby can't say anything because Glynda can just tell her to be silent in detention.

There just wasn't any decent content to go there.

Obviously when Adam is saying he ignores racist people toward the end, he is fibbing a little to Ruby. We know he doesn't because he joined the White Fang, but the point he was making is that's what he is doing "now" because he can't just go on a rampage against them.

Next Chapter: 11th August

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