Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Certain Machinist ❯ Another Shade of Yellow ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

 

SIX

 

 

Another Shade Of Yellow

 

 

Naturally, I spent the next few days answering calls, being threatened, being thanked, being apologized to, being thanked again, greeting the council in person, getting the keys to the city, helping with the cleanup, assisting with investigations since my drones caught the faces of White Fang who took off their masks. I said it wouldn’t shoot them, not that it wouldn’t get their photographs and video of them removing the masks. There were arrests. There were witness statements and legal transfer of video evidence. Some nice people even found some of my spent shell casings and returned them to me. It wasn’t many, but it was a nice thought. I got more customers out of that, too.

 

“Uh.. Hi?” said a voice on my front gate intercom. I went and stared at the camera feed. It was Jaune Arc. Hmm. Well, I should not be surprised. I opened the gate.

 

“Come in Mister Arc,” I said to him through the intercom. He scuttled in like a metal crab and I unlocked and opened the side door, the magnetic bolts clunking open with a solid thunk.

 

“Over here,” I called out, maintaining cover behind the door frame. “Hurry, so you don’t get shot.” He scuttled faster and I slammed the door behind him. There were clunks from the locks re-engaging.

 

“So, Jaune Arc. Short sweet, and the ladies love it,” I said, holding out my hand to shake. “I’m Bobby John Hammer. You looking for a job?” I asked him. He nodded.

 

“Same deal as the rest. I pay by completed assemblies, not by the hour. Make sure it is done right, rather than fast.”

 

“How’d you know my line?” he asked, a little confused.

 

“I know Ruby and Yang. And Blake. You’ve used it a few times. It gets mentioned.”

 

“Ah.. right. So what’s it like being a hero?” he asked me. I raised my eyebrow.

 

“Aren’t you Cardin Winchester’s hero? Didn’t you save him from an ursa major? And after he bullied you for weeks, too. Most people would have gotten even, not saved him,” I pointed out. Jaune shrugged.

 

“Aren’t you pretty tight with his father?” he asked me. It was in the news, so I’m not surprised he knew that.

 

“Yep. His son needs to grow up before he does something someone decides he isn’t worth forgiving over. He could end up dead. Vale politics are complicated. So are some families. And some things are simple. Did you know that Pyrrha Nikos is in love with you?” I asked him flat. He blinked, frozen.

 

“I mean…. Uh, I … Is she?” he bumbled.

 

“Yes. Without a doubt. She is completely in love with you. And you better tell her you love her, really soon, like tomorrow, or I’m doing something about it that you won’t like. I’ll tell Yang and Ruby to tell her that you’re too shy to tell her you love her back, and that she needs to physically show you her love, up to and including tearing your clothes off and forcing you. That might be traumatizing and ruin your sex life, so you’re really better off telling her your feelings with certainty. That you love her. And be really clear. Don’t waffle or pretend it is a joke. Pyrrha is an only child, and is very sensitive about her feelings and has been isolated. She does not have seven sisters to ruin your delusions about the opposite sex. She really is that sweet. So you have to be clear.”

 

“But what if she wants to get married?” he worried.

 

“What if you do? Can you seriously think there’s someone better for you in the entire world than Pyrrha?” I asked him.

 

“Well… I mean, what about Weiss?” he said thoughtlessly.

 

“What about Heiress Schnee? Don’t you think she’d have flirted with you instead of demean you constantly and call you scraggly?” I pointed out. He looked defeated at that.

 

“Pyrrha is a really nice girl. She’s a virgin, never had a boyfriend, is earnest and honest and probably nicer than any other woman her age in the rest of Remnant. She’s just about perfect. Can you just accept that she’s better at fighting than you? For now?” I added. He looked kind of heartbroken about this, which is honestly quite irritating.

 

“Think about it. Let’s build some weapons. Have you seen the model 1 before?” I asked him. He had. I had him assemble a row of them, which are pretty easy work with only a few moving parts. Noting the number completed I tested several on the QA rig, which works the bolt assembly back and forth, verifies openings are the correct size, checks for burrs and other flaws. I did this with each completed firearm, then did the next and the next. After a couple hours or work I had a crate filled with Model 1 weapons ready for shipment to a village in Mistral.

 

“Ready for a lunch break?” I asked him. He agreed. I gave him some iced tea, a hot lunch I threw together, and we talked about his experience fighting the Paladin that had caused the destruction on the Vale Expressway. His face got more dark at the memories of what came after.

 

“Is it true that you put that smile on Miss Goodwitch’s face?” he asked me, remembering something.

 

“Yes,” I answered, not bothering to deny this.

 

“I mean, she’s hot, obviously, but isn’t she like, old?” he asked.

 

“This from a guy with seven sisters?” I asked him. He blushed at the obvious comparison. “She’s not that old. I’m not that old either. With any luck we’ll have a bun in the oven and can get married.”

 

“You’d marry her?” he asked.

 

“She’s hot. So, obviously,” I reminded him.

 

“Okay, okay. But what’s up between you and Yang?” he said.

 

“Eh, Yang is a nice girl. If she were older she’d have a shot, but I’m eight years on her, and it would feel wrong to do anything with her. How about you and Ruby?” I asked him.

 

“She’s very cute, but young, like my little sisters.”

 

“Same thing,” I said. We headed back to work in the shop floor.

 

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I can see it.”

 

“Doesn’t mean I will ignore her, or leave her in the lurch. She’s easy to talk to and needs a mentor she can get honest answers from who isn’t as embarrassing as her Dad or uncle.”

 

“Her Dad is embarrassing?” Jaune asked. He was building more Model 1s. I was working beside him testing.

 

“He’s the one that taught her punning. And boxing. Tai Yang is a blonde guy, popular with women, and was pretty broken up when Yang’s mom left. She had her reasons, and they were good ones, but it wasn’t his fault, or Yang’s. Losing Ruby’s mom was another serious blow to them. Considering the hole in their lives, they are remarkably cheerful people. I kind of admire them for it,” I admitted to the teenager.

 

“So what’s the deal with you and Blake?” he asked.

 

“Do you mean Blake and Sun?” I asked him. He shook his head no.

 

“Eh,” I considered what I could say. “Private stuff. She’s got secrets she isn’t ready to share, or might never share. Lots of things in life deserve to stay private,” I pointed out.

 

“That’s not that helpful,” Jaune responded. “I’ll ask again. What’s up with you and Blake?”

 

“She’s worked here. We talked. I pointed her at Sun, they are dating now.”

 

“Seems like a cool guy,” Jaune admitted.

 

“He’s basically you without a shirt and with a monkey tail. And more confident,” I added.

 

“And a staff. Not a sword.”

 

“The staff is the king of the battlefield,” I reminded him.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t see it, though. He’s not like me at all.”

 

“Sure he’s not. Blonde, popular with women, earnest… totally different,” I recited sarcastically.

 

“Says the guy who bagged Goodwitch.”

 

“Our relationship is not the matter of discussion,” I pointed out.

 

“It’s a relationship?” Jaune sputtered.

 

“Yes. Private, though. Don’t bring it up with her. Her business, not yours. Your business is with Pyrrha. So, are you ready to marry her?” I asked him, changing the subject.

 

“Uh.. well. Are you sure she’s really that into me?” Jaune asked.

 

“Jaune. I bet you 500 lien that if you approach her and offer her marriage she will say yes.”

 

“Uh… I don’t have 500 lien. And if she says yes, like you think, I’ll definitely need 500 lien to cover wedding expenses,” he pointed out. I raised a finger, then lowered it.

 

“Good point. So nevermind the bet. Instead merely take it as a measure of my certainty that this is so. And stop worrying about rejection. Weiss rejected you over and over again and you still tried. Why is confessing your love to Pyrrha scaring you so much more?” I asked him. His expression changed as he finally understood.

 

“Oh. Oh! Got it. Yes. Can we stop now? I need to do something,” he stood up, leaving the unfinished weapon on the bench. I prepared his paycheck, which was 500 lien. I transferred the money to his scroll from my own, and then opened the gates through the alarm system to let him out. A thug approached him, saw the huge sword and ran away. Anybody carrying a sword probably knew how to use it, and it was becoming obvious that I only employed hunters. I smirked, then got back to work, finishing up the incomplete weapon, putting away the parts, and tidied up.

 

Two days later, Ruby visited, pouting. I rubbed her head and gave her cookies until she was ready to talk.

 

“Jaune is a poo head,” she complained.

 

“And why is that?” I asked the girl.

 

“He told Pyrrha he love...lovee… loved her. And asked her to marry him. And she said yes!” Ruby burst into tears. I patted her head and made her a hot cocoa and started a fresh batch of cookies in the oven. I knew her arrival would require cookies, because its what she likes to eat best. She’s a simple soul. Kill grimm, love weapons, eat cookies. These are what makes her happy. Dealing with complicated feelings are where she’s struggling.

 

“So you’re happy for them, but jealous at the same time?” I confirmed. She glared at me.

 

“Yes. Obviously. How do I deal with these feelings?” she asked, shaking with confusion and probably rage.

 

“You love Jaune, right?” I confirmed. Ruby stared at me.

 

“Like Jaune?” I asked. She considered, nodded.

 

“Maybe more than like?” I asked her again. She made an awkward face, but eventually nodded.

 

“This is where the age difference comes in,” I sighed.

 

“And Pyrrha is your friend?” I asked her. Ruby looked uncertain.

 

“Pyrrha is a competitor you respect?” I tried. She nodded agreement.

 

“Pyrrha is generally nice to people?” I asked her.

 

“Always. I’ve never seen her be mean,” Ruby confirmed.

 

“So she’s probably a nice person?” I asked. Ruby nodded. I put the hot cocoa and a plate of hot fresh cookies in front of her. They were too hot to gobble without chewing so she actually ate them slowly. This was the trick to make her taste her food and slow down to speeds available to human comprehension.

 

“Jaune, called a voice from my workshop. Heel clop clopped to the kitchen and the door swung open to reveal Glynda, her smile falling at the sight of Ruby eating cookies across from me. I smiled to her warmly.

 

“Join us. I just baked cookies. Can I get you a hot cocoa?” I asked her.

 

“That… might be just the thing,” she said, gripping a pen shaped piece of plastic in her hand. I recognized the device. Another case of parallel engineering. They looked the same here as Earth. I placed a chair at the table for her and a mug of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows floating on top, adding a few for Ruby so she stopped frowning, then dragged to plate within reach of Glynda. Ruby glared at me, having presumed all the cookies were for her and her personal issue resolution, but I removed another sheet of baked cookies from the oven and put them on another plate, shutting off the oven, and returned to the table and the two waiting women.

 

“Good news?” I asked Glynda. She blushed, nodded.

 

“Positively,” she agreed.

 

“That IS good news. Shall I make you an honest woman?” I asked her, presenting a ring box I opened for her. It was my own project, 3D printed white gold, which is silver with some gold in it to stop it tarnishing, an emerald to match her green eyes, and my Warthog symbol cut into the face under the gem so if you looked in a certain way you could see it.

 

“Very well,” she agreed with her usual quiet dignity. I kinda like that she’s got dignity. Glynda is a classy woman, despite the many challenges in her life.

 

Ruby just looked on, shocked.

 

“That’s two I’ve witnessed in three days,” she complained. “Who’s next? Ren and Nora?”

 

“Is there literally anyone better than those two together?” I asked her. “Maybe I should tell Yang to make them propose?”

 

“Don’t you dare! She’d totally do that to spite me!” Ruby complained.

 

“Have a cookie, Ruby. Sometimes life isn’t about you,” I pointed out. I said this knowing the anime would increasingly be about her and Jaune. I don’t want her getting a big head.

 

Glynda reached out and patted Ruby’s head.

 

“Oh, you’re right. This really is relaxing isn’t it?” she said. Ruby turned to glare at my fiancee, who continued to pat and stroke the girl’s head. She sighed, giving up at resistance.

 

“I’m not a kid you know,” Ruby complained, munching a hot cookie and sipping hot chocolate like a kid.