Chapter 3
As Matt turned around to look at his savior, he felt his brain stall for a moment. ‘Is that Blake?’ He wasn't 100% sure as he had watched the show awhile ago and forgot most of the details, but she looked almost identical to the B from rwby. What were the odds he ran into her here though, just in time for her to save him. She was also looking at him strangely, almost like she was entranced. Matt wasn't quite sure what to think of that so he decided to ignore it and thank her. “Thank you ma’am, id have been a goner if you didn't show up” Matt wasn't really that ashamed to be saved by a girl, he knew most guys would feel a blow to their ego but at the moment he was just glad he wasn't eaten alive.
HIs savior seemed to break out of her trance and look at him with slight confusion, “What? Sorry, I was distracted.” She seemed slightly embarrassed that she didn't hear what he said, her shoulders slightly sagged.
“I said thank you, for saving me” Matt said awkwardly.
Blake perked up at that with a slight smile, “Of course, it was no problem. I'm pretty strong after all” she says confidently. “It's a prize in itself to save a cute boy like you” She added with a wink.
‘Is she… flirting with me?’ Matt wasn't sure. The amount of times a girl has flirted with him in his life can be counted on one hand. Not to mention girls are usually more subtle with their flirting, not bluntly stating that they thought he was cute. On top of that, no girl as pretty as the one in front of him has ever taken interest in him. The type that would flirt with him were usually pretty average, if not slightly under average. ‘Whatever, I'll take it as a compliment for now’ Matt thought. “Thank you” He said with a slight smile. “What's your name miss? Mines Matthew but everyone just calls me Matt”
“Blake Belladonna, at your service” She says as she walks up to him. Once she's in front of him she offers him a hand to help him up which he grabs gratefully. ‘So it is Blake huh, what are the odds of that? Maybe it's not just a coincidence’
“Thanks” He says when he's on two feet, noticing that she held his hand a little longer than appropriate before letting go ‘Another point that she is interested in me. I didn't think Blake was the type to flirt with someone she just met, let alone someone like me. She seemed rather reserved in the show. Am I just looking into things too much? I've done that before and ruined a friendship I had with a girl’ Now that she's close to him he can see that she's rather tall for a girl, probably around 5'10 making him look up at her. ‘So I am shorter than I was in this body’ He was just now realizing by how much, ‘Im probably only 5’2’ He thought in despair.
“So what are you doing all the way out here anyway? Not many civilians are brave enough to walk through grimm infested woods, let alone this far from Vale.” Blake asks, making Matt freeze.
‘Shit, what do I say to that?’ He couldn't say he was from another world and just woke up here. That would make him sound nuts. He was pretty sure she wouldn't buy the ‘I have amnesia’ card either. “Uhhhh…” Matt wanted to smack himself, ‘Damn it, I probably sound like I have something to hide now.’
Blake, noticing Matt's reluctance to answer the question, held up her hands “It's fine. I didn't mean to pry, I was just curious” She'd rather stay curious than make the boy in front of her uncomfortable.
Matt almost sighed in relief but managed to hold it in. Deciding to change the subject he figured he might as well find out if she had a way to Vale. “I'm just trying to get to vale right now, do you have a way of getting there? I'll make sure to pay you back if you need compensation.” As Matt was talking he noticed something ‘Is she… flexing her muscles?’ It seemed like Blake was trying to subtly show him her muscles and chest without making it seem like she was trying to. “The hell? Is this girl trying to show off?’ Matt had to admit, she had a nice chest. Her arms were also pretty well defined, just muscular enough to be hot instead of off putting. Now Matt wondered if she had abs ‘She probably does’ He was always attracted to slim, fit women with six packs. Women with body’s like the influencer leanbeefpatty just somehow activated more neurons in his brain.
Blake, noticing the change of subject, decided to play along. “No, I was planning on just running there. I don’t think you’d be able to keep up though.” As Blake was talking, a brilliant idea came to her mind causing a big grin to break out on her face.
Listening to Blake's idea Matt sighed in resignation
‘This is so humiliating’ Matt thought with a red face. He was currently in Blake's arms, pressed against her ample chest being carried princess style while she jumped through the trees like some kind of ninja from Naruto. He’d never felt this emasculated in his entire life. Honestly when Blake told him her idea he was tempted to just say no, but then he remembered that there were big f*ck off monsters that ate people in the forest, and after taking a look at his pathetic constitution he realized he had no choice. She seemed happy to carry him though, as the smile on her face has not budged an inch the entire time she's been carrying him. He was honestly surprised she was willing to do this, he didn’t think many women would trust a guy they just met to not cop a feel.
Luckily Blake wasn’t a super talkative person so he was able to have some time and think over his plans. The first thing he needed to do was come up with a backstory and get some identification for Vale. The backstory part was easy, and he had spent the past ten minutes coming up with one. He would claim he grew up in a village north of vale along the coast, his explanation for his childhood will just be the same as his actual childhood, as no one would be able to fact check his claim. After growing up in the village he decided he wanted to move to the kingdom to try and make a career for himself, he was hoping if Blake asked again she wouldn’t pry too much because he wasn’t sure how to explain him being lost in the forest. Maybe he could say he got lost after wandering a bit from the caravan that was taking him to Vale.
The second thing he needed was money, this would be a bit easier as he could just get a job at a fast food place or something in the service industry. He didn’t really want to attend Beacon, he wasn't the hero type. Hunters spent their days fighting and possibly dying for other people. While that was noble, Matt would rather spend his days living for himself, not others. Not to mention on top of his shitty stats he had no idea how to fight. He’d never been in a real battle in his life but he did do a bit of boxing during highschool. Although knowing how to throw a punch properly won’t help him that much when it comes to a real fight, especially against people who grew up in a brutal world like this one. Finally what he needed was a place to stay. He’d prefer to get that before the money but he didn’t see a viable way of that happening.
“So tell me a bit about yourself Matt” Blake said, startling him out of his thoughts.
Matt thought for a second before replying “I grew up in a small city called Boston” He almost snorted when he called Boston small but held it in. He technically wasn’t lying though, it was small when compared to Vale “I'm heading to vale for the first time to try and make a career for myself in the kingdom.”
“Any hobbies?” Blake asked, head tilted slightly.
“I enjoy singing and I like to draw. I also play video games” Matt replied.
“You can sing?” She asked with interest.
“Yeah, my neighbor taught me when I was little and I always just kind of stuck with it. I’d practice all the time on my own, in my room singing to my mirror” Matt said happily. Although that turned to slight embarrassment when he realized how much he shared. He wasn’t used to talking about himself and people actually taking an interest.
Blake had amusement dancing in her eyes “Do you think you can sing a couple songs for me, to help pass the time?” She asked
“No way, I’ve never sang for anyone but my neighbor. I'm not as good as you're probably thinking anyway” Matt said abashed. He had never had someone ask him to sing for them, let alone a pretty girl. He’d probably embarrass himself so he decided to try to change the subject.
Right as he was about to open his mouth Blake cut him off, “Please, I really want to hear you sing. I'm sure you're very good, you just need to have more confidence in yourself.” Blake said enthusiastically.
Matt felt out of his depth, it had been a long time since anyone had been this interested in him. ‘Why is she being so nice to me?’ This whole time Blake had been nothing but kind and accommodating to him, which was a stark contrast to how she was portrayed in the show and the fanfictions he read. In those she was portrayed as quiet and reserved, suspicious around people she just met. The Blake in front of him though, while quiet, was kind and accommodating. ‘Did I misjudge her character or is this world not exactly the same as cannon’ Matt thought. It was possible this universe was slightly different, after all he was pretty sure Blake was not 5’10 in the show. Sighing he returned to the moment, looking up he prepared to say no but when he looked into her eyes he saw nothing but genuine interest and enthusiasm. In the face of those eyes he folded like a chair. “Fine” He said, defeated. Blakes smile immediately after he said that made agreeing seem worth it though.
“Yes! You won't regret this, I promise” Blake said, anticipation covering her face.
Matt thought for a moment. Thinking of all the songs he knew. Deciding on a song, he inhaled and began singing.
I think I like when it rains
You told me to go to the light
And what it's like to feel your pain
Now I'm okay if you're alright
I start to wonder why I came
I dreamed of things you said to me
We stayed at your place while it rains
We talk and we laugh and watch TV
Matt started to lose himself in the song, closing his eyes as he sang. Thinking about his dad, about his mom and all the happy memories he had with her before she lost her mind. He thought about his old friends, how he regretted the things he said to them, wishing he tried harder to maintain his connection with them. Looking back at his life he felt regret. He had never accomplished anything even worth mentioning, all of that time and what did he do with it? Absolutely nothing, he was even so much of a coward that instead of dealing with his problems head on he decided it would be easier to just end his life. As he poured all his emotions into his singing, he didn't see Blakes eyes widen more and more as he sang.
And I couldn't find the words
I couldn't think of what to say
And all that I can do is stop think and about the days
When all we used to dream about
Was meeting after school
And we would go on home and start back again
We would go on home and start back again
Finally finishing the song, Matt opened his eyes to the gobsmacked face of Blake, causing his face to start to heat up “Was it that bad?” He asked nervously.
Blake blinked at him before the biggest grin spread across her face “What are you talking about?! That was the best singing I've ever heard in my life!” Seeing Matt's doubtful face she continued “Seriously! You blew my expectations out of the water! I was expecting you to be pretty good but that was amazing, I've never heard anyone sing as good as you without autotune.”
Receiving all these compliments made a feeling run through his body that he hasn't felt in awhile, pride. Matt started smiling so hard his face hurt. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. “Thank you.” He said happily.
“Do you think you can sing some more songs?” Blake asked with hope in her eyes.
Matt agreed and time started to almost seem like it was flying by, he chatted with Blake the whole time, even teaching her some tips on how to improve her singing voice. Finally after a couple hours of Blake running through the trees they had arrived at a large, metal wall. The wall had to be at least one hundred feet tall. Looking at the wall in awe he noticed that on top of the wall were what seemed like anti-air defense turrets and ground facing turrets, they all looked unmanned but Matt guessed they were either remotely controlled or they had some kind of Ai that had them target Grimm. There were also cameras littering the wall, covering all angles.
“How are we going to get in? I don't have identification and I don't think they would let a Faunus like me in without the right paperwork.” Matt asked nervously, causing Blake to look at him with a contemplative face, almost as if she was weighing the pros and cons of some decision.
Finally coming to a decision Blake spoke “There’s a way to sneak around the defenses a couple minutes walk to the right, we’ll use that to get in. The cameras are broken there.” Blake answered. Matt was tempted to ask how she knew the way to sneak through the defenses but refrained, he already knew the answer after all. If he remembered correctly she was apart of a terrorist group called the white fang that hated humans.
A couple minutes later and Blakes words were confirmed when she hopped, Matt still in her arms, over the wall from a tall tree that was close to the wall, none of the defenses even twitching in their direction.
Landing on the other side of the wall on the top of a roof, Blake put Matt down almost reluctantly with a slight frown. Matt wasn't paying attention to that though, too blown away by the sight of the city in front of them. Standing on top of the roof gave them a wonderful view of Vale, and Matt can say the show did it no justice. Buildings that scraped the sky, homes and businesses as far as the eye can see, literally, Matt could not see the end of the city. There were bullheads flying over the city, bringing their passengers to and from their destinations.
“It's amazing isn't it?” Blake smiled while looking at the view.
“Yeah, I've never seen anything like it” He decided to play up the country bumpkin role a bit, embellishing his awe of the city. Although it wasn't that hard, the city truly was an impressive sight. “What are you going to do now Blake?”
Blake frowned in thought, “Find a place to stay for the night. I’ll probably just stay at some cheap motel. Do you think I could get your scroll number before I leave though?” She asked hopefully.
Matt scratched his head a bit embarrassed “I'd give you my number but I don't have a scroll.” That caused Blake to frown a bit.
“Really? Pretty much everyone has one nowadays. Here I'll write my number on a note, they have public access scrolls at most libraries that you can for a small fee. Give me a call on one of those when you get the chance” She said as she started to write on a little sticky note she got from God knows where.
“I don't have the money to use it” Matt said in defeat causing Blake to pause. It felt like pulling his teeth out admitting he was completely broke to a hot girl.
“You have no money?” Blake asked, causing Matt to nod sadly. “How the hell did you expect to live here if you brought no money.” Blake said in exasperation.
“I'm not sure, I thought I'd just figure it out when I got here. Maybe live on the street for a bit before finding a job.” Seeing Blakes worried face he decided to add “I'll figure it out though, don't worry.” Matt said with a grin and more confidence than he felt.
Blake frowned at him ‘This boy is way too naïve’. While Vale seemed peaceful and nice from an outside view, underneath that pretty image was a massive underworld, gangs and mafia families were everywhere. It was very dangerous for a cute boy like Matt to live on the streets, there was a huge risk he could get assaulted or kidnapped. Sighing, Blake made up her mind, “I’ll pay for you to stay at a hotel until you can get a job and are on your feet.” While Blake normally would never do this for someone she just met, she really liked Matt. At first she just wanted to get in his pants, but after talking with him she realized she started to get attached. He seemed really innocent, and if she just got in his pants and left she would feel horrible. Also he was a cat Faunus, which bumped him up from a nine to a twelve on a scale of ten.
Matt waved his hands at her in shock “No way! I've already used up enough of your kindness with you taking me all the way to Vale by foot. I can't accept any more.” He really did not want to leech off a girl, what kind of man would he be if he let her take care of him.
Blake huffed in frustration, “The streets are dangerous for a boy like you, Vale might not seem like it but it's crawling with criminals and shady people. You could get in serious danger if you live on the street, even if its only for a little bit”
“I can't, you've been generous enough. I'll feel like a leech if I take any more from you” Matt argued. He ignored his confusion at the way she worded it ‘What does she mean ‘for a boy like me’, the worst thing that could probably happen is I get jumped, but so what, it's not like I have any money on me.”
“Listen, it's not like I'm strapped for cash or anything like that. I'm actually pretty well off.” Crime pays pretty well after all. “Besides, it's not like you have anywhere else to go. Do you think any businesses would hire someone homeless? Or someone without a scroll?” Blake said.
Matt hesitated. It was true that he was unlikely to find a job without a place to stay. He looked like shit after all, he still had some grime on his face and clothes from his run in the forest. Unless he found a place that was willing to let him use their showers he would continue to look like shit. The point about the scroll was also valid. “Alright...” Matt started off, causing Blake to smile in satisfaction “but I'm going to pay you back as soon as I can, I promise”
Blake shook her head “It's fine, you don't need to worry about that. I told you I'm fine with money.”
But Matt stayed insistent “I don't like being in someone's debt.” He said firmly.
Blake sighed, “Fine, but take your time. I’ll cover for you until you have a steady income.” Blake looked around and smiled slightly, they were still on the roof. “Now, I'm gonna have to carry you down.” Blake said happily, she enjoyed having him pressed against her after all.
Matt's face reddened at the fact that he had to be carried princess style again. “Fine” At that Blakes face split into a grin.