You know," Oscar started, taking a bite of some of the pasta that Ozpin had ordered, "It's really weird seeing you in front of me and not being in my head."
Ozpin chuckled. "I would imagine so."
Even after Glynda had left, Ozpin insisted Oscar take a break from the explanations for the day. That they had plenty of time to go over everything and it was obvious that Oscar was exhausted.
"I am really happy to see you though," Oscar said, "It was lonely all those months. Especially more when I got here and all those 'familiar' feelings stopped. I was so used to them that when they were gone it was weird."
Ozpin nodded, taking another sip from his mug. "I do have something I need to know."
Oscar glanced up from his food, Ozpin had put his fork down and was leaning on his desk with his elbows on the table.
"Would you like to live with me?" Ozpin asked, "I could probably find you a place in the dorms if that's not comfortable with you, but the headmaster's quarters are right down a floor and I think it would be the safest place for you to live for now."
Oscar blinked in surprise. He hadn't even considered where he was going to be living and with whom. "Oh," Oscar exhaled, putting down his fork as well, "I guess? It's not like I actually know anyone else at Beacon- or Vale for that matter. You can't really leave a twelve-year-old going on fifteen-year-old to live alone, can you?"
"No," Ozpin said, "I'll ask Glynda to get someone to move an extra bed into my quarters before nightfall."
Oscar smiled shyly, "thanks."
"It's really no-"
Ozpin's voice was interrupted by a quiet ringing sound and a screen appeared from Ozpin's desk.
"I'm getting a call," Ozpin said, "it's from James, would you like to leave?"
Oscar hesitated. Ozpin was giving him an option. He knew the basics of what had happened in Atlas now.
"Could he see me here?" Oscar asked quietly.
Ozpin shook his head, "you should be out of sight."
Oscar settled into his chair and nodded as Ozpin gave him a warning look before he pressed a button.
"Ozpin!" James Ironwood's voice called out cheerfully. From the back of the transparent screen, Oscar could see him. He was clean-shaven and his hair was less gray. There were fewer lines around his eyes. He looked ten years younger than when Oscar had seen him last. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well, James," Ozpin said. Oscar bit his lip as he watched Ozpin from behind the screen, his face tinted in that ashy turquoise color, "and yourself?"
Ironwood smiled, "I'm good, I called to give you the update about the Beacon firewall, it's still strong. No backdoors or malware were found. It should be completely clean with no issues of listening ears."
Oscar relaxed at that. Okay. Salem's only hint of his existence was through Lionheart if he even considered "Tip" important enough to tell Salem about.
"Thank you," Ozpin said, Oscar noticed that some tension left him as well, "I appreciate the thorough sweep."
"Have you gotten word from that contact yet?" James asked, leaning forward on his desk, "You kept things quiet about specifics beyond that you got a warning about a possible hacking."
Ozpin nodded, "Yes, I have been able to meet with them now with the help of Qrow. It is a very odd situation, but this contact is incredibly trustworthy. I will have information for you in the coming weeks that I'm sure will be very helpful."
"That's wonderful," James grinned, "Do keep me updated as much as you can."
"Will do," Ozpin said, leaning to the side as Oscar tried his best to stifle a yawn, "Well, I have some business to attend to. I will talk to you again soon."
The screen blinked out.
"I just realized that it's been... very long since you have slept. On top of that, it's been quite a lot today."
Oscar nodded, yawning again. His eyelids were heavy. "What time is it?"
"It's five," Ozpin reported, "That's midnight for your internal clock."
Oscar wiped the tears from the yawns from his eyes, "Yeah- I'm not a night owl."
"Are you done eating then? You can sleep in my bed while I get someone to move another to the room," Ozpin said as he got up, clicking Long Memory shut and returning it to his belt.
Oscar nodded and picked up his bag, he was exhausted . Usually, he would argue about someone giving up their bed, but Oscar wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. Oscar clutched his bag to his chest as he followed Ozpin to the elevator and leaned against the railing.
The elevator moved at a slow pace but it wasn't long to go down one floor.
The floor that the elevator opened up to reminded Oscar of those "penthouses" in movies he would watch with his parents when they checked out movies from the library. Windows on all sides, curtains covering most of them. There were a few doors that Oscar assumed were storage and one had to be a restroom. There was a small kitchen on one side, a small sitting area with a bookshelf that sat close to the windows, and closer to the center was a bedroom area with a large bed with bedside tables on either side. Ozpin told Oscar which door was what as they walked to the center.
"Do you have nightclothes?" Ozpin asked.
Oscar tapped his bag, but he didn't need to look inside and shook his head.
Ozpin held up a finger and walked over to a dresser and pulled open a drawer, "They'll be big on you, of course, but I'm sure it will be more comfortable than sleeping in your clothes. And they're clean."
"It's not lost on me that it's completely spotless in here," Oscar remarked as Ozpin dropped a large cotton shirt and some night pants with a drawstring in Oscar's arms.
Ozpin rolled his eyes, "A habit that has persisted through the generations. Go get ready for bed, there are extra toothbrushes in the cabinet under the sink if you need one. Right side."
Oscar nodded, yawning again and walking over to the door that Ozpin had pointed out to be the restroom. The pajamas were huge on Oscar, of course, but they were soft and smelled like lavender. Oscar brushed his teeth and put his clothes in his backpack before coming back out and carefully setting his bag next to Ozpin's dresser.
Ozpin smiled, stifling a laugh, probably at the fact that Oscar had to stop halfway from the bathroom to roll up the legs of the pajama pants to keep himself from tripping.
Ozpin's eyes drifted over Oscar and he frowned. "Do you need to change those?"
Oscar followed his eyes and pressed his wrapped hands to his neck. "No, they're fine."
Ozpin stepped forward, his eyebrows creasing, "Your hands too-"
"They're fine," Oscar insisted in a tense voice, sinking away from him.
Ozpin froze and nodded. "Okay. If you're sure. I'll close the curtains for you. Get some sleep, I'll try to be quiet when I come back for the night. If you need anything, come right up."
Oscar watched him walk back to the elevator, casting worried glances back at Oscar. Oscar tried to ignore them, climbing into bed. It was much softer than any bed Oscar had ever been in. The sheets smelled like the same clean lavender smell that Ozpin's pajamas had. Oscar glanced back over at the door to see the elevator closing. Oscar sighed. It was dark in the room now, light still seeped through the curtains, but it didn't bother Oscar, he was too exhausted to stay awake.
Oscar nuzzled into a pillow, staying on one side of the bed that made him feel tiny. He let out a long breath. For now, this was home.
Chapter 13
Oscar woke up that next morning still in Ozpin's bed. Somehow- without waking him up- Ozpin had gotten another bed onto the floor, made the bed, and went to sleep himself. It looked darker outside than it did when Oscar went to sleep. He leaned over, looking at one of the bedside tables. Sure enough, there was a digital clock sitting on the table, reading that it as 4:30 in the morning.
Oscar shuffled out from underneath the covers, his feet touching the cold hard floor. The new bed was about six feet away and in the dim light that escaped from the curtains Oscar could see the shape of Ozpin laying dead asleep.
As quietly as possible, Oscar walked over to the dresser and picked up his bag and headed to the bathroom. Oscar turned the knob on the door as he closed the door and made sure it was completely closed before he fumbled around for the light switch.
Oscar pulled out his clean clothes from his bag and slowly got dressed, trying not to make too much noise.
Unfortunately, as Oscar tried to pull on his gloves, his bandages started to unravel. The bandage tape had lost its stick and the bandages, which were beginning to stretch out, wouldn't stay tucked.
Oscar groaned to himself and glanced around. The bathroom was compact. A standing shower, a toilet, a sink, a mirror, and the drawers and cabinets under the sink. Oscar knelt down, looking through the drawers and cabinets. As Oscar assumed, it had cleaning supplies, but no antiseptic. Huntsmen didn't need first aid supplies- their aura healed their wounds. If their aura broke, then they should be going to a hospital, because if whatever broke their aura kept hitting them- bandaids and saline wouldn't do them any good.
He stood up again and took his bandage out from his bag and carefully turned on the sink. Clean water would have to do for now. Oscar carefully pulled his bandages off. The flushed skin underneath looked as it did last time. Oscar carefully put them under the water and rinsed them off. They stung but Oscar did his best to ignore it. Oscar turned the tap off again and struggled to make strips of bandages, but managed after a bit of time. Oscar tucked the bandages in on both hands and stuck his gloves on. There. They were fine now.
Oscar gathered his things, turned off the light, and wandered back to Ozpin's bed. It was starting to get brighter out. It was now five and some dim gray light seeped out from behind the curtains. Oscar made the bed while he waited and folded the borrowed pajamas, setting them on the foot of the bed.
A bit after that, a quiet alarm went off. It sounded like the same alarm Ren used on his scroll actually.
Ozpin turned in bed and sat up, rubbing his eyes and picking up his scroll. He glanced around and locked eyes with Oscar.
"Oh," he yawned, "I see you are already awake and dressed."
"Early riser," Oscar explained, "Also I went to bed at like- five-thirty."
Ozpin nodded, rubbing his eyes and standing up slowly and stretching, "Good morning then, give me a few minutes and we can have breakfast. There is some milk and I think I have some orange juice in the fridge if you would like some. Glasses are in the cabinet on the left of the sink." Ozpin spoke as he walked over to his dresser, pulled out some clothes, walked to a closet, grabbed a hanging shirt, and ducked into the bathroom.
Oscar did as he was told and walked into the kitchen on one side of the floor. The glasses were right where Ozpin had said and there was indeed Orange Juice. Oscar made himself a glass. He considered poking around, but all he really wanted was coffee and if Oscar remembered anything about Ozpin- it was that he hated coffee. Well- Oscar didn't know if it was Oz who hated coffee or if it was Ozpin. Either way, Oscar had- on occasion- drank dark coffee right before short meetings just to piss him off. It was funny how Oz screwed up his face when he jumped into the body because everything still tasted like coffee. Oscar knew he was less likely to try to jump into conversations if Oscar was drinking coffee too. Oscar didn't mind either way- he just liked the bit of caffeine in the morning, but he would gladly drink straight dark coffee just to get Oz off his back for a little bit.
Ozpin returned as Oscar was halfway through his juice, sitting at the table next to the kitchen.
"Are eggs and toast okay?" Ozpin asked as he walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out milk, "I have to admit, I'm not the best at cooking much more than that."
Oscar nodded, "yeah, that's fine. But you can make hot chocolate. I do know that.
Ozpin chuckled, "A friend of mine taught me, I will agree that it is the only other thing I can make well."
Oscar watched as Ozpin started putting things together.
"I was thinking we could drop by town today, Glynda said it would be fine if I took the morning off," Ozpin said as he pulled out a pan from a drawer.
Oscar glanced up from his juice, "Sure, but why?"
"You only have a backpack of things," Ozpin said, "You're going to be here over a year, surely you need more than two sets of clothes."
Oscar shrugged, that was fair.
"Also I was hoping to find a way to cut off a part of the floor, I would think you want your own space. This floor was made with one person and possibly their partner in mind. Not an old man and a teenager."
Oscar nodded again, biting his lip. People getting things for him was always a hard thing for him. He didn't ask for things often, even from his parents and especially not his aunt. Thinking of making someone- even if it was Ozpin who took over his life about a year ago- buying him all new clothes that he really didn't need made Oscar a bit uncomfortable.
Even so, Oscar knew how Oz was and Ozpin was basically the same person. Oscar was not going to get out of this one.
So Oscar didn't argue as he followed Ozpin to the elevator an hour later.
"It's still early," Ozpin said, "but it's a bit of a trip to town."
Oscar nodded, watching the elevator's meter going down.
Fewer people were out on campus than before. Some were in uniform while others were in exorcise clothes, probably on a morning walk or jog.
"Oh, good morning Professor," a bright voice said.
Oscar sheepishly looked to the side. He didn't recognize the girl who paused as she walked past. She was a Faunus with long brown hair and rabbit ears. She had a t-shirt and jogging shorts on and had a sweet smile on her face.
"Good morning Miss Scarletina," Ozpin greeted, "You're up rather early today."
The girl clasped her hands, "Oh, it's the usual. Coco and Fox aren't much of early risers. Yatsu and I have really bonded doing morning runs but he…" She trailed off and glanced behind her, "he really wanted to meditate this morning for some reason. So it's just me."
"Well I'm glad your team is getting along so well now," Ozpin smiled, "I shouldn't keep you from for morning."
The girl glanced at Oscar, moved to say something but seemed to decide against it.
"Have a good day, sir!" She said and started off again, waving behind her before turning back around.
Ozpin waved as she went before turning back around and continuing on his way.
"You wouldn't happen to know her, do you?" Ozpin asked, glancing back at Oscar.
"No, I don't. Why?"
Ozpin frowned a bit, "I just assumed that of all my students I have right now, Miss Scarletina and her team were the most likely to get into trouble and try to become involved."
"Sorry, we've never met," Oscar said, "I think they said they were all first-years when the Fall happened."
"The Fall?" Ozpin echoed.
Oscar jolted a little, "Sorry, that's what people have been calling it. The Fall of Beacon. The entire area was overrun with Grimm and the CCT tower went down."
"I see," Ozpin murmured, his eyes scanning over the campus like he was trying to imagine this place destroyed. "I will ask you more later, this is supposed to be a non-stressful outing."
Oscar smirked, "You're asking me to buy things, that's stressful for me."
"You're not paying."
"That's even worse."
—
There was an air ferry to town. Oscar stayed away from the windows. Heights were still making him nervous. Thankfully, it wasn't a long ride and Oscar was happy to get off of the airship.
Vale was pretty. Like Beacon, it was fresh and green. From the station, Oscar could see the ocean expanding behind the buildings of the city that sprawled out below them.
The day was just starting with shops beginning to open their doors and people walking briskly to work. It reminded Oscar more of Argus than of Mistral but it was much more green, even with some trees beginning to lose their leaves.
"It's a lovely day for shopping," Ozpin remarked with a coy smile. Even knowing that he knew that Oscar didn't like spending other people's money…
Oscar groaned loudly, "You sound like my aunt."
Ozpin seemed perfectly content to drag Oscar around town. Whenever they walked into a store, people would fall over themselves to help Ozpin. When Ozpin told them he was shopping for Oscar he was inundated with coos and pats on his head.
Even after Argus, Oscar's battle gear was the nicest thing Oscar had ever owned. Sure, the things Ozpin picked out for Oscar weren't as formal as his own clothes, but it was strange to carry shopping bags of clothes that were more for form rather than function.
"Do you need new gloves?" Ozpin asked suddenly as they exited one store where Ozpin had insisted on Oscar getting some new boots. (Oscar had gotten another pair of red boots, he had liked the ones that he had gotten in Argus, and these new ones fit quite the same).
Oscar looked down at his thick and slightly dirty work gloves, "I guess they wouldn't fit with everything else."
"You use them to cover those bandages, right?" Ozpin asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously trying to pry now that he had an in,
Oscar pointedly kept his gaze on the sidewalk. "Yeah," he said curtly.
"Do you need them to be thick? Loose? Compressing?" Ozpin leaned closer, Oscar fought off the urge to whack him with his bag with boots in them. Ozpin had just known about everything before. Beyond that, Oscar's relationship with his scars was just that: relationships with scars . The skin was completely healed and Oscar had little to do but change the wrappings that covered them. His skin was sensitive now, and it wasn't just a sensory thing now.
"Nothing tight," Oscar said quietly, "Thicker material would be nice, but nothing too stiff."
Ozpin backed off a bit and nodded, "I see, what kind of wounds are they? We could probably figure out the best-"
"No," Oscar cut him off, "I don't want to talk about it. I just don't want to feel things touch them."
It wasn't too hard to hear the suppressed sigh leave Ozpin, but he obviously let it go because he didn't say anything else.
Ozpin lead him down the street and paused before a store and glanced back at Oscar.
"This is a battle gear shop," Oscar said, looking up at Ozpin, "I thought you said I didn't need any."
"Just for your gloves," Ozpin said, "It's the best place to get something sturdy and exactly what you need. You want thick, flexible material that is easy to get on and off without disrupting your bandages. There's not going to be anything mass-made like that- especially in your size."
Oscar didn't want to give him the satisfaction, but he was right. "I guess," Oscar murmured, glancing at his current gloves, thinking about how hard it was to get them on and off without unraveling his bandages by accident. He didn't have to worry about that before when they were healed, but that was then and it was now.
Oscar followed Ozpin sheepishly as he opened the door. There was a small bell that rang above them as they stepped inside.
"One moment!" a voice called out.
The shop was more of a front, with small things out. There were some gloves too and Oscar tried to shuffle over, not really wanting to deal with even more people but before Oscar could move, Ozpin put a hand on his back.
Too slow , Oscar thought to himself with a huff.
Walking out from the back was a man with dark skin. His hair was long and pulled back into tight braids. He had a wide smile as he spotted Ozpin.
"Oh, Ozpin! What brings you down to Vale?" He leaned on the shop counter, dark eyes sparkling.
"Just some shopping, it's good to see you again, Jet," Ozpin smiled back and then patted Oscar's shoulder, "I was hoping to get something custom made for my friend here."
Jet looked at Oscar critically, "Pretty young for battle gear, huh?"
"I agree," Ozpin said, "but he just needs some gloves for now, and I know you would make some that would work perfectly."
Jet traded looks between Ozpin and Oscar before waving them over to the counter.
"You need something in particular, kid?" Jet asked.
"Yeah," Oscar said quietly, "something on the thicker side, especially in the palm, but still flexible. And maybe... something that buttons closed?"
Jet raised an eyebrow, "Easier to get on and off?"
Oscar nodded.
"I see why you asked. You wanna keep that color?" Jet pointed to Oscar's gloves, they weren't his usual orange, he had gotten that set of work gloves a year after moving to his aunt's house after his hands had completely healed. The ones he wore now were a dark burnt umber color.
"Actually, I would rather... orange?" Oscar replied quietly, trying for a polite smile.
Jet smiled back, "of course kid. Anything else, Ozpin?"
"No, that is all I needed," Ozpin said, pulling out some lien to pay, "We can be back later today for them."
Jet grinned, "Give me some credit, Ozpin! An hour."
"Okay," Ozpin handed over the payment, "We will see you then."
As they returned to the street, Ozpin looked up at the sky before raising his wristwatch, "It's around 10, we should be back by noon. I wish I didn't have to return to business when you are just settling in, but I will admit, we were not expecting this."
"It's not like I really helped," Oscar said dryly, "I'm a bit upset that I didn't know when exactly Salem is going to try to hack into Beacon and we had to go the long way around with this."
"You did the right thing," Ozpin replied simply, "You protected yourself and made it here. Three weeks is very impressive all things considered."
Oscar shrugged, "It would have been a lot more helpful to email you 'hey I'm your successor, just jumped back about two years, wanna know all the bad stuff that's going to happen?'"
"Yes, that may have been much more convenient, and I see the frustration with the possibility that you could have simply done that," Ozpin said, "But it did not change the timeline all things considered. I would have not seen that message until that next morning and you couldn't have replied until that week anyway, could you?"
"No," Oscar sighed, he knew Ozpin was right. But he was still upset at the situation. Sure, it was better than falling to his death in Atlas after losing the Relic of Knowledge to a crazy shape-shifting girl, but it still wasn't good.
"Don't worry about that now," Ozpin advised, "We're having a pleasant morning. Would you like some snacks for the kitchen?"
Oscar chuckled at that, "No, I'm fine.'
"Come now, you're a growing child," Ozpin coyly nudged Oscar who rolled his eyes.
"Curse this tiny body," Oscar grumbled.
They ran into a few more stores, getting some extra sheets for Oscar's bed, some pajamas, and Ozpin insisted on at least buying Oscar some caramel at a candy shop. They returned to Jet's store where Jet proudly handed Oscar a pair of sturdy orange gloves. They were a similar shade to his old ones but had a full back and a snap button.
"Go on, try 'em on!" Jet insisted.
Oscar carefully set down his bags and slowly wiggled his way out of his current pair of work gloves, exposing the bandages underneath. Oscar didn't dare look up at Jet, who probably now understood Oscar's request for the button. They were much easier to get on than the old ones. The fabric that Oscar could feel was comfortable, and they restrained less movement than the old work gloves.
"How do they feel?" Jet asked.
"Really good," Oscar said, curling and uncurling his fingers. The fabric was just stiff enough not to curl into itself and dig into his wounds, but still very flexible. Oscar looked back up and locked eyes with the man. "Thank you, sir."
"Of course, kid!" Jet beamed, "It's always a pleasure getting business from you, Ozpin. Whenever that kid of yours is ready for some good battle gear, bring him down!"
Ozpin nodded, "I will be sure to. Have a nice day."
Oscar waved politely as they left.
On the ferry back, Oscar couldn't stop curling and uncurling his fingers, feeling the fabric move.
"I'm glad you like them," Ozpin said, "I knew Jet was the best to go to."
Oscar nodded, continuing to curl and uncurl his fingers, "They feel better than my last ones too. I got those really quickly though. not that I needed to worry too much about my hands. They were fine just- it would have been nice."
Ozpin placed a hand on his shoulder, a gentle smile on his face, "I'm glad."
Chapter 14
"I have to ask, what kept you all morning?" Bartholomew Oobleck asked as he met Ozpin in the hallway.
Ozpin shifted, leaning on Long Memory, "I suppose I should say something sooner rather than later, but I have recently taken a young member of my extended family into my care. He just arrived yesterday afternoon and he wasn't able to take his belongings. I spent the morning trying to collect basic things for him."
"I see," Oobleck's expression fell a bit, "How is he, then?"
Ozpin couldn't help but sigh, it wasn't the story, but there were things that worried him about Oscar. "I think he's injured, but he's been very defensive whenever I bring it up."
Oobleck nodded, adjusting his glasses, "well, I would keep an eye on him then. I wish you the best of luck. It's not easy being a father."
"I'm not-" Ozpin started but- as Oobleck was prone to do- he was already gone.
Ozpin returned to his walk along the campus. Students greeted him, he would respond kindly. He checked in with the other faculty members and eventually returned to his office where Glynda waited.
"I was looking for you," Ozpin said as she promptly handed him a stack of papers.
Glynda rolled her eyes, "Where else would I be? How was your morning?"
"It was good," Ozpin reported, sitting down at his desk, "Oscar was fairly shy to ask for things, but I'm not surprised."
"What are your plans with him?" Glynda asked, crossing her arms, "You can't just- keep him locked up in the floor below us."
Ozpin sighed, "I'm still trying to figure that out myself. If he were any older physically I would have him attend classes. He looks much too young to just blend in and do some sort of independent study." He pushed the hair out of his face and leaned back, "But you're right, it won't do him well to lock him up here."
"Despite how he looks, surely he's independent enough to take care of himself on a secure campus?" Glynda pointed out.
"Someone's going to think he snuck in!" Ozpin argued.
Glynda rolled her eyes, "Just introduce him to the staff. He is a polite enough boy, I'm sure he won't cause any trouble."
Ozpin narrowed his eyes, "Why did you ask me if you obviously already had an idea?"
"Because you listen better like this," Glynda pointed out, a smirk on her face, "I think you should make some sort of announcement to the staff, take him to meet everybody and give him a student ID. If he's anything like you were, he'll want to try and learn a few things. If anyone, Port and Oobleck probably would love an eager student to listen to them- especially at this point in the year."
Ozpin rubbed his temples. From what he had seen of Oscar, he was typically quiet but had a bit of a tongue on him if he was comfortable enough to talk back. Otherwise, he had impeccable manners to any adult who wasn't Ozpin himself. (The only reason for this, Ozpin assumed, was that if there was anyone Oscar had sassed back to in the previous year, it was probably Ozpin.)
The entire time they were in any sort of crowd that morning, Oscar tried to take up as little space as possible. He was the first to move, the first to say 'excuse me', and the first to apologize for tapping shoulders. It was likely that if Oscar were to sit in on classes, he would stay away from the other students and be as quiet as possible.
However, there were also other students to worry about. Sure, the faculty would probably not say a bad word as long as Oscar stayed as well-behaved as his manner had shown him to act, but the huntsmen students would notice a stray twelve-year-old walking around. Oscar would have to be in on the story either way with the other faculty, surely no student of his would mess with Oscar once he said 'I'm a relative of Professor Ozpin's' to explain why he was on campus.
"I need to get him a scroll," Ozpin murmured.
"You didn't get one for him while you were out?"
"I didn't think about it!"
That next morning, Ozpin told Oscar that he had to go to a meeting with him at lunch.
Oscar sipped on his milk, "Why? Is this with Qrow or something?"
"No," Ozpin said, sliding some blueberry muffins that he had gotten from the cafeteria over to Oscar, "It's a staff meeting since you will be staying with me on campus, Glynda and I assumed it pertinent to have the staff meet you."
Oscar took a bite out of the top of a muffin, "How much do they know about..." Oscar trailed off and waved vaguely around him.
"As much as the general public," Ozpin explained, "I would introduce you as a relative of mine who needed a place to stay."
Oscar slowly peeled the paper off of the muffin as he listened, "That sounds... plausible I guess."
His neck itched, but he ignored it.
"After this, you can come and go around campus as you please," Ozpin pulled something out of his pocket and slid it over. It was a scroll.
Oscar sheepishly picked it up and looked up at Ozpin. "Oh, I uh- thanks."
"It already has an access card in it," Ozpin explained, "You can come and go from my office, our quarters, the library... teacher's lounge."
Oscar chuckled at that, "does that make me basically staff?"
"You have the same access as staff. And well- here." Ozpin said, "I trust you not to cause trouble."
"Oh gosh this is just like Atlas," Oscar laughed, "Ironwood basically told me I could go anywhere I wanted, but I honestly just popped between my room, the library, and the training rooms."
"Glynda suggested you could go to any classes that you wanted to as well, but I'm not sure how you would feel about that."
Oscar nodded, "I'll think about it."
"Are you alright to go to that meeting, then?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah," Oscar said, "I can handle that."
"Good," Ozpin said, picking up his mug of hot chocolate and one of the muffins, "I will be in my office if you need me but you can also send me a message from your scroll. Please do let me know if you need anything."
Oscar nodded, though he already knew that he wouldn't unless say- Salem came up the elevator. At least with a scroll now, Oscar could do some research while he hung around. The afternoon before had been dreadfully boring until he gave up and took some books from Ozpin's bookshelf. He had been careful to mark where the books had been so he could put them back, but Oscar still felt a bit guilty for going through someone else's things.
As Ozpin left, Oscar returned to the part of the floor that had begun to be his "room". A short dresser had been added last night where Oscar had put his new clothes, it was still fairly empty beyond that. Oscar took some time unpacking his bag. Sticking his small amount of Lien under some of his clothes, folding his old jacket and tucking his notebook underneath his new pajamas where hopefully no one would find it.
Oscar glanced down at the last thing. His bandages.
He probably really needed to change them today. He still had to get dressed too. Oscar groaned and pulled out some of his new clothes and walked into the restroom. He pulled off his shirt and stole himself. If he was going to be seen as a relative of Ozpin's he needed to make sure his bandages were kept clean and neat. Anyone who knew him would probably think something was off if Oscar appeared in hastily wrapped bandages. He would just- wrap them as he did before in Atlas.
Oscar grit his teeth, untucking the end and unwrapping the hastily tied bandages around his neck. The skin looked red and stung, it felt warm when Oscar's fingers brushed it. It was probably just his imagination because Oscar felt cold as his eyes saw the wounds in his reflection.
His hands shook as he unwrapped his hands as well and tried not to mind the stinging as he took a quick shower. Washing his hair was always hard with his hands like they were, it took a while to get all the soap through the strands with just his fingertips as not to irritate his hands. Soap still got on his neck and Oscar hissed as it stung like fire.
Drying himself off, Oscar was quick to wrap his hands, cutting the bandages with the clean pocket knife and putting on half of his clothes. Now, came the hard part. Oscar forced himself to look in the mirror. His neck looked even more of an angry red now, probably irritated from the soap. Oscar took a deep breath, pressing one end of the bandage to his neck where the skin was more together and slowly and tightly wrapping it around his neck. It was slow work to keep it neat and staring at the angry red skin made Oscar feel nauseous, but he swallowed the feeling, wrapping the bandage down and made a few wraps around the base before tucking it. It sat snugly against his skin, only small bits of flushed skin poked out the top, but it was covered enough for most people not to notice if they weren't looking for them.
Carefully, Oscar pulled on his shirt, it buttoned up so it didn't jostle his bandages. He tucked it in, soothed the creases, buttoned his gloves on, and looked in the mirror. He looked more like himself again. Well- more like the 'himself' from before this whole mess started. Also, still younger. With clothes that looked more like his battle gear, Oscar could notice more easily the still-fading baby-cheeks he had were more prominent and his height didn't help.
At least he looked presentable.
Chapter 15
You look nice," Ozpin said as Oscar followed him down the hall to the teacher's lounge.
Oscar looked down and smoothed it out again, "Thanks, I mean, you bought it."
"I can still tell that you purposely tried to clean up," Ozpin said, a smile on his face as his shoes and cane clicked against the hard floors of the school.
Oscar just nodded.
Ozpin tried not to react too much, but it worried him. Oscar had been much quieter than the two days before. He kept his eyes down and didn't speak very loudly. It didn't seem in character for him. Ozpin remembered how chatty and snide the boy had been before, but suddenly he was quiet- even though it was just the two of them. Ozpin hoped it was just nerves.
They stopped in front of the staff room door. Oscar shifted on his red boots, picking at his gloves.
"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked, looking the boy up and down, not missing the twitches and nervous ticks.
Oscar nodded again, but he stepped back from the door, silently letting Ozpin know that he didn't want to go in first.
Ozpin took that cue, stepping forward and opened the door.
The staff room was a good size with the same beiges, browns, and greens as the rest of the school. It was fairly open, with a small kitchenette on part of the wall close to the door that mostly saw use of the fridge, microwave, coffee machine, and electric kettle. There were tables with chairs and some couches around the side.
As soon as they walked in, most of the staff turned towards them.
"Good afternoon," Ozpin greeted, as usual. There were a few echoes at various degrees of enthusiasm. "Thank you for coming on short notice, this won't take very long."
There were a few murmurs at that as Ozpin reached behind him, landing a hand on Oscar's shoulder and coaxing him forward. Oscar stood there, staring down, cheeks flushed at all the eyes on him.
"This is Oscar, he is a relative of mine and is staying with me from now on. For various reasons, he needs to stay on campus. He's fairly quiet and mature for his age, and I didn't want to keep him cooped up at home, so if you see him around campus- most likely the library please know that he isn't trespassing."
Oscar's head ducked further, raising one gloved hand to make a small wave before sinking back a bit, his eyes darting around the room.
There was silence for a moment before a voice (Ozpin couldn't pinpoint who and they were lucky for that) muttered.
"Dadpin."
There was a small wave of chuckles and snorts at which Ozpin glared at Glynda who put up her hands and shook her head in a universal 'not me'.
"So this is the young man you were speaking about," predictably, Oobleck zipped his way right over and stood his usual 'I'm not sure if this counts as too close or if his energy just makes him seem closer than he actually is' distance from the two of them, leaning down a bit, even though it didn't change that he was towering over Oscar. He stuck out his hand which Oscar stared at for a second before taking. Oobleck shook Oscar's hand vigorously, " Bartholomew Oobleck, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. It's a pleasure."
"Oscar Pine," Oscar answered, sounding a bit bewildered and taken aback by the man's energy, "It's a pleasure, sir."
There was a stiff laugh which meant that Peter Port had followed his close friend and colleague up. "And here I was beginning to think you appeared out of the mist, Ozpin. Finally we see hide or hair of your family."
"Well I'm usually very busy," Ozpin said, patting a hand on Oscar's shoulder, "but family helps family, and I was happy to take him in."
Lying was second nature to Ozpin. It was just a part of life. It was for the greater good so it didn't affect him much now. It was hard not to notice Oscar further pulling in on himself as Ozpin spoke. He could recall Oscar saying that Ozpin's keeping of secrets had briefly made him an outcast in his time. That the truth about Salem was revealed and he had run leaving Oscar to deal with the aftermath of negativity about the situation. It shouldn't be surprising that it would put-off the boy for how easily lies rolled off Ozpin's tongue.
"You like reading then?" Port glanced down at Oscar, "Ozpin suggested that you wished to spend time in the marvelous library here."
Oscar nodded, "Yeah, I really like books. Uh, anything I can get my hands on really."
"Good!" Oobleck stood straight up, "curious children are always good to have. Knowledge is an important thing to collect. You seem to understand!"
Oscar chuckled airly, glancing over his shoulder at Ozpin who nodded, hoping Oscar understood the unsaid 'yes, he's always like this.'
Oscar stayed around for small talk, but it was clear to see that he wasn't enjoying numerous adults asking him pretty much the same questions over and over again. Due to Oscar's physical appearance along with his shyness, the staff approached him like a child and were pointedly not asking him about his family or his previous living situation. Ozpin didn't blame them, Oscar looked young, even for his physical age and his bandages (while now looking neat and less clinical) and manner made him seem likely emotionally frail. Ozpin would have approached him much the same if he had no clue about him. Sure, Ozpin had taken to trying to take care of the boy and while it may slightly be influenced by his young appearance, he refused to talk to Oscar like a child.
It was looking like Oscar was getting frustrated. And tired.
"Oscar," Ozpin said as soon as one conversation began to lull, "how about I show you to the library, you're looking a bit overwhelmed."
Oscar's shoulders lost some tension and he nodded.
The staff was quick to part for them and Ozpin led him out.
They paused outside the door and Oscar let out a long breath.
"Are you doing okay?" Ozpin asked.
Oscar nodded, "I think I haven't been asked 'what's your favorite subject in school' so many times in one day- and not at all since I was ten."
"To be fair," Ozpin said, "You still appear... ten."
"I will cut you," Oscar groaned, rubbing his head, "Is that library offer genuine? Because I really want to zone out and read a popcorn book for ten hours now."
"It was, but it was also an opportunity for you to just return to bed if you really wanted to as well," Ozpin said.
Oscar shook his head, "I've been in that room enough for the past two days."
Ozpin led Oscar over to the library. There were a few students in there, but Ozpin helped Oscar find a place to sit after Oscar quickly pulled a book.
"Message me if you need me, let me know if you decide to go back. You know the way?"
Oscar nodded, "Yeah, I do. Thanks."
Ozpin tried for a smile and leaned back, "Don't stay too long. I'm sure no students will give you trouble, but your scroll-"
"-has an ID, I know the drill from Atlas," Oscar finished, "I'm fine. I promise."
Ozpin only felt a little bad leaving Oscar there, but when Ozpin glanced back, he looked much more relaxed sitting in the corner by the window with a book than he did in the staff room.
"I see what you meant," Oobleck said as soon as Ozpin returned. The man appeared quickly to speak to Ozpin. "He seems like a bright young man, but is closed off."
Ozpin leaned on Long Memory, "There are certain things he is open about, but others he keeps at an arm's reach away."
"Well, sometimes you just need to give children their space," Oobleck sighed, "he does seem rather mature. How old is he again?"
"Twelve," Ozpin responded, "He does have quite the baby face though."
"A difficult age," Port appeared again, seeming to have been listening, "too old to bounce back quickly, but too young to have the mental fortitude of life experience built up."
"Yes yes," Oobleck nodded at that, "you have quite the difficult task as a new father."
Ozpin rubbed his temple, "I'm not-"
"It's the role you have been given!" Port said insistently, "you are the parental figure of a young man!"
Ozpin looked to one side, spotting Glynda who was nodding. He wasn't getting out of this from them, was he?
Ozpin wasn't surprised that Oscar hadn't messaged him when the lunch break was over. Oscar was probably happy to be hanging out somewhere that wasn't Ozpin's quarters doing something he enjoyed- reading. Ozpin wasn't too shocked when three hours had passed and classes had ended for the day and Oscar still hadn't said anything.
Ozpin was a bit worried after five though. It was quite a long time to stay in one place.
Surely, it wasn't overbearing to check in on him?
Oscar was truly almost fifteen, he could take care of himself.
It didn't hurt to send a message, though.
Ozpin
How is the library?
One minute passed... five... ten... twenty... nothing.
Ozpin
How are you doing?
Nothing.
Ozpin stood up from his desk, grabbing Long Memory and walked briskly to the elevator, looking down at his scroll. Still nothing.
As the elevator started to move, Ozpin finally decided to place a call. He stood quietly, the elevator descending.
ring... ring... ring...
They continued, Ozpin's stomach sunk. Had he really been too careless? The first moment he had let Oscar alone had something really befallen him so quickly? How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to protect the boy! What-
"Hello?"
It wasn't Oscar's voice that finally answered. Small and feminine, cautious.
"Who is this?" Ozpin asked immediately, his voice sharpening to a point.
"Uh... it's Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina. Professor Ozpin is that you?"
Ozpin stepped out of the elevator as it opened, picking up his pace. "Miss Scarlatina, why do you have Oscar's scroll?"
"Well, I was in the library and I heard something buzzing and I found him asleep at a corner table. I didn't want anyone calling to worry- especially when I saw your name," Velvet explained quickly, "I also didn't want to wake him up, it looks like he's pretty deep asleep."
Ozpin immediately slowed down, a sigh of relief escaping him. He had just fallen asleep. "Oh. Yes, good. Thank you Miss Scarlatina. I'm on my way right now, could you wait there for just a few moments? I would very much appreciate it."
"Yes of course," Velvet said dutifully, "See you soon, then."
Ozpin hung up and continued forward, trying to calm his frayed nerves. He couldn't help but to think of Oobleck's snide 'father' comments.
At least my hair can't get any grayer.
Velvet didn't know what to think when she saw Professor Ozpin with a child the day before. He was a sweet-looking boy with a young face. They didn't look much alike either. Usually, she wouldn't talk about such things- gossip was rude after all- but Velvet couldn't help but relay the strange interaction to her teammates.
"Are you sure he wasn't just Ozpin's son or something?" Coco asked, looking at Velvet from over her glasses.
Velvet shrugged, "I guess it's a possibility, but he didn't look too much like Ozpin. He had darker skin and freckles. But he was walking close by with Ozpin so, maybe a relative?"
Adopted? Fox sent with his semblance, still laying on his bed, playing with Coco's butterfly knife.
"I'm sorry but I can't really see Professor Ozpin deciding out of the blue to adopt a child," Yatsuhashi pointed out.
I can't see Ozpin at all , Fox pointed out. Velvet groaned. Fox turned his head in her general direction and smirked.
Coco frowned, pressing a hand to her chin, "You know, two weeks ago I got on Ozpin's case about looking stressed."
"You did what?" Velvet paled, she could never understand Coco's forward behavior.
"Yeah," Coco said, leaning back, "I ran into him in the gardens and he looked like he was about to pull out all his hair. I did a little of my usual prying and he told me he was just being stressed out by cross-timezone correspondence."
"-for adoption ," Fox added verbally, sitting up and doing a spin with the knife.
There was a pause.
"Can't really refute that without evidence," Yatsu admitted.
Velvet didn't know what to think more when she found the boy sleeping in the library.
Coco had insisted that they have a team study day after class. They had lulled into reading- or listening in Fox's case- class texts for a while when Fox suddenly straightened up and took out his earpiece and turned his head.
What's that sound? Fox sent, his face twitching as he turned his head, trying to pinpoint the origin.
Velvet perked her ears, picking up a faint buzzing noise. Sounds like someone's scroll , Velvet sent back, standing up, I'll go check it out.
Coco and Yatsu gave her a wave to let her know that they heard.
Velvet walked carefully closer to the wall to find the boy Ozpin had been laying with his head on a table near the window. His hand was stuck in a closed book, holding his place and about a foot away from his face on the table was a scroll, buzzing. It seemed like the boy was fast asleep. He had cleaner clothes on today and generally looked more put together with a green button-up, slacks, some red boots, and he wore a pair of orange gloves on his hands which buttoned in the back with a single shiny bronze button. Velvet could clearly see the bandages around his neck with him leaned over like this, streaks of red branching out from under them.
Velvet leaned over to see the scroll and almost yelped when she saw the caller ID on it. It was Ozpin. She quickly answered it, imagining Ozpin would freak out if the boy didn't answer. From that call, Velvet learned the boy's name was Oscar and that Ozpin was particularly protective of him if he had asked Velvet to watch him while Ozpin made his way over.
Hey, it's that little boy that Professor Ozpin was with yesterday , Velvet sent with the open channel Fox had left, he fell asleep and Ozpin was trying to call him .
He still asleep? Coco sent back.
Yeah, Velvet confirmed, Professor Ozpin asked me to watch him while he made his way over.
Coming! Coco replied quickly and Velvet sighed to herself. Coco wanted that dirt on Ozpin.
Seeing the boy, Oscar, more closely, Velvet wasn't surprised by Ozpin's worry. Sleeping on the library table, he looked very small. The red branches of skin from under the bandages made Velvet's heart ache.
It wasn't uncommon for people to lose family members and it wasn't uncommon for people from outside of the kingdoms to have scars. Velvet had a few guesses about what likely happened to Oscar. None of them very good.
Coco walked quietly from one of the rows of bookshelves and leaned on one leg as she glanced at Oscar.
Velvet's right, he doesn't look like Ozpin , Coco reported.
Thank you for that very helpful information, Coco, Fox sent back sarcastically, do tell me what color his hair is so I can recognize him .
Coco rolled her eyes and shrugged at Velvet. They all knew Fox just liked to sass them when they said things that would be absolutely useless for a blind person to hear.
Velvet sent back, his name is Oscar, I'm sure that's helpful.
Yes, yes it is. Thank you, Velvet. Fox responded and Coco puffed her cheeks.
Velvet pulled out one of the chairs at the table Oscar was sleeping at, settling herself down, looking at the sleeping boy as she waited. Her ears twitched as she heard something.
"Is he... whining?" Velvet whispered to Coco, her ears dipping.
Coco frowned, taking a step forward, kneeling down to look at Oscar and tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Coco frowned when the boy hissed and pulled away, but didn't stir. She reached up, placing a hand on his head and then quickly pulled back.
"Uh- Velvet?" Coco whispered intensely, "When's Ozpin getting here?"
"Any minute?" Velvet whispered back, "What's wrong?"
Coco scowled, "He's burning up, the hell was Ozpin thinking?" She turned her head and sent through Fox.
Yatsu, can you go wait outside the library and when you see Ozpin tell him Oscar's sick or something, he's baking like a furnace over here, Coco ordered.
On it , Yatsuhashi responded.
Fox, can you come hang out over here in case we need extra hands and just keep the channel open? Coco asked.
It's my job , Fox replied, a bit coyly.
Now that Velvet was paying attention, she could see the knit of Oscar's brow and the tension in his body, the slight shiver-
"Yeah, he's not feeling well," Fox said quietly as he walked up, making his way over the Velvet and grabbing the edge of her chair before moving his hand to hold the top of it.
"I just can't understand why Ozpin let him leave home if he was sick," Coco muttered, pacing a bit.
Fox shrugged, "Not sure, I mean- he's injured."
Coco glanced up, "What?"
Fox gestured to Oscar's position vaguely, "Quite a bit of pain coming from over here, reminds me of when people are injured."
Velvet wrung her hands, "He has bandages on his neck, it looks a bit red around the edges."
"I'm chewing that man out-" Coco grumbled.
Professor Ozpin's in sight, I'll wave him down and tell him, he could be there soon . Yatsu sent.
Thanks, Yatsu , Fox, Coco, and Velvet ended up sending back at around the same time. Fox smirked at that.
There was a pause for a moment before Yatsu sent again.
Uh- guys- Yatsu didn't even finish what he was going to say before Velvet could hear the pounding of footsteps and Fox's face coiled and he pressed a hand to his head.
"Never felt Professor Ozpin scared ," Fox muttered as he rubbed his temple before Velvet turned to find Professor Ozpin running down the nearest aisle.
Velvet stood up quickly. "I-I'm sorry Professor, I didn't realize until after you called-"
Professor Ozpin didn't even look at her as he knelt down and pressed a hand to Oscar's face. The boy recoiled again and let out a mumble of dissent.
"He's hurt," Fox spoke up and Professor Ozpin finally looked up and around at them, his face creased in an expression Velvet never thought she would see on Ozpin's face. Fear.
Professor Ozpin took a breath as if he were trying to compose himself. "Thank you for watching him." He reached over and carefully gathered the boy into his arms. At the jostling, Oscar let out whines that reminded Velvet of an injured animal. Ozpin seemed to cling tighter. "We need to go."
"Like hell- go," Coco said stiffly.
Velvet wrung her hands as she saw Professor Ozpin disappear, his brisk footsteps leaving her earshot.
"He'll be fine," Fox said, reaching out to pat Velvet's back, "I think Ozpin was about to have a heart attack when he saw Oscar, He'll take care of him."
Coco crossed her arms, "He better or we'll make him."