"Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!"
"It's 8:55, you dunce!"
"Stop telling me what to do!"
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"
"That's just it - you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"
"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake."
"I mean, it's only been one day. Ruby... I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would
not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?"
"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"
"So the outcome did not fall in your favor. Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision?
"…and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be."
"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have!"
Jaune's eyes opened. He took a moment to remember where he was. His new dorm, with his new team, on his first day as a student of Beacon Academy. Pyrrha was already up, doing some morning stretches, while Nora was rousing Ren in her usual rowdy way. Jaune suddenly heard the sound of a whistle from across the hall, and suddenly recalled the dream he'd just had. The bunk beds, the boring lesson on who knows what, and a fairly harsh fight between the R and W of Team RWBY. It all seemed so real.
"Hey Pyrrha, what's our first class of the day?"
"That would be "Grimm Studies" at 9:00." She said, glancing at the schedule on her dresser.
"Is the instructor named Professor Port?"
"It is. Do you know him?"
"No, I just… I've heard he can be a little dull."
"So the time, class, and professor were true." Jaune thought. "Did I just have a dream of the future? Nah, it's probably just a coincidence. He's probably some fast talking coffee nut with lots of exciting stories to tell."
That was the hope at least. Otherwise, they were in for a dull morning. Nevertheless, he decided to drop by team RWBY's dorm a half-hour before class to warn them about the time, just in case.
He strolled across the room and knocked on their door.
"Was that a jackhammer?"
The door flew open, and Ruby Rose stood on the other side.
"Hey Jaune!"
"Hey Ru-" He began before his attention was caught by what was either the construction of some extremely unstable bunk beds, or the most bizarre modern art piece he'd ever seen. "Are you guys making bunk beds?"
"Not my idea" Weiss snapped with a scowl.
"We're trying to save room" Ruby responded with a carefree wave.
"W-well, I was just coming by to remind you guys that we have class at 9:00 today."
Ruby quickly glanced at a clock on the wall: 8:30. "Okay, maybe we can postpone this project for later. Thanks Jaune."
Jaune was dumbfounded. The bunk beds weren't finished yet, but they looked like the finished product would be the exact same from his dream.
"What is going on?"
Had he somehow become a seer overnight? And even more distressing to Jaune was that if his dream continued to be true, Ruby and Weiss were in for a rough day. He'd even seen it beginning to boil over in the brief time he'd spoken to them. It seemed like they'd work things out in the end, but still, he didn't want to see them fight. He hated seeing Ruby upset. It was the big brother in him.
While his and Ruby's team walked to class (at a far more leisurely pace than in his dream" he and Ruby lagged behind so he could have a hushed conversation with her. However, he was just close enough that he hoped Weiss would hear.
"So how have you and you're team been getting along Ruby?"
"We've been pretty good, though Weiss is still a bit of a stick in the mud." Ruby responded, with enough humor to indicate she didn't harbor any ill-will towards her teammate. This didn't stop Weiss from clenching her fists in annoyance.
"Well you know, she probably thought she'd be team leader" Jaune pointed out "She's smart, talented, and she's worked hard. Losing the position to you was probably hard on her." He hoped that if he sounded like he understood her, she'd know that he wasn't against her. And if he was lucky, this might improve his chances at a relationship with her.
Ruby frowned "Are you saying Ozpin made a mistake?"
"Good, I can just give her a variation of Ozpin's speech."
"No, not at all! It hasn't been one day yet. I'm just saying, things didn't work out the way Weiss expected, and that might be hard for her. And while she can't do anything about it, as her team leader, it's your responsibility, to show your teammates that you are always willing to give 100% at all times, and that will give them a reason to follow you."
Ruby took a moment to ponder Jaune's words, and smiled. "You're right. Thanks."
Unbeknownst to Jaune, there were two more eavesdroppers on Jaune and Ruby's conversation. Professor's Ozpin and Goodwitch had been walking down the courtyard when they'd overheard the two teams. Ozpin had been particularly surprised to hear Jaune Arc having a discussion with Ruby that he'd expected to have with her himself.
As the discussion wrapped up, Glynda turned to the headmaster. "That sounded a bit like the discussions you usually have to have with certain first years."
"Indeed."
From there, the rest of the day seemed to pass by smoothly. The lecture was just a dull as Jaune's dream had been, although Ruby tried her hardest to pay attention, a challenging feat. When Weiss volunteered to demonstrate her Grimm slaying skill, Jaune had discreetly/non-discreetly asked Ruby about Boarbatusk weaknesses, cluing Weiss into its soft underbelly, which she quickly took advantage of, making for a smooth victory.
However, as Jaune left the classroom, and started heading towards the library, he found himself face to face with a clearly irritated Schnee.
"I suppose you think you're clever." She spoke with venomously.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. That little speech to Ruby, which you clearly meant for me to hear, that not-so-subtle question about boarbatusks. Who do you think you are? Sticking your nose in other people's business."
"I was just trying to help." He protested.
"And what makes you think we need your help? The only person less qualified than Ruby to be at this academy, let alone a leader, is you."
Jaune opened his mouth, but couldn't find a retort. While she was wrong about Ruby, she was right about him.
"Pyrrha and I both deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake."
With that the heiress stormed off. Probably to speak to Professor Port.
"I don't get it. I thought I gave the same message to Ruby that she and Weiss would've gotten from Port and Ozpin."
"Well, that was certainly harsh."
Jaune turned around, to find himself face-to-face with Professor Ozpin.
"I guess it's my turn for the speech."
"She's wrong about Ruby, but not about me."
Ozpin smiled gently. "That remains to be seen. You made some very good points to Ms. Rose earlier today. You may consider following your own advice."
"Technically it was your advice."
"I'm not like Ruby though. She's a prodigy, and I'm…" he paused. A fraud? A failure? A liar?
Ozpin gave him a knowing look. "You certainly have a ways to go before you'll be at the level of your peers. It's quite rare for a student to make it into this school without even knowing what aura is."
Jaune froze. "Does he know?"
"However, in spite of that disadvantage, you survived initiation, slew a deathstalker, and demonstrated a keen tactical mind in the process."
Jaune felt his spirits lift, just a little. "I never would've done any of that without my team."
"And none of them would've done it without you. You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility Jaune. But I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't believe you could handle it."
With that, the headmaster left Jaune to ponder what he said for a moment. After a few seconds, Jaune walked to the library, with new purpose.
Weiss left team RWBY's dorm, having just given Ruby her coffee, planning to practice her sparring in the arena. She'd been pleasantly surprised to find that she'd fallen asleep studying.
"I guess she really took Jaune's advice"
As she left, she was shocked to see Jaune, struggling to find his scroll in his pocket, while also balancing several books.
After a moment, Weiss sighed. "Those look heavy, need my help?"
He spun around shocked at the offer. "Um, sure, thanks."
As she held the books for him, Weiss tried to think of what to say. She figured that she owed him an apology, since he'd basically told Ruby the same thing Professor Port had told her, and she'd been harsh with him and Ruby. However, she still had a hard time believing that this fool was capable of being a team leader. Finally, she just decided to tell the truth.
"You were right."
He looked at her with surprise. "What?"
"What you told Ruby today. You were right. I can't change the fact that Ruby's a leader, and I just have to do the best I can with what I have. And I appreciate you trying to tell me that, and encouraging her to be better." He perked up, so she continued on. "But, I'm still not sure that you have what it takes to be a leader." he hung his head. "So I guess you'll have to prove me wrong."
Jaune smiled, and nodded. "I'll do my best." His smile then turned to a look of embarrassment. "I think I forgot my scroll, so can I borrow yours?"
A minute later, he handed a very irate Weiss her scroll back.
"Hey do you want to get dinner this weekend?"
"No."
That night, Jaune resolved to take his (or Ozpin's) advice, and spent several hours studying. Among his studies, were several books on seers.
AN: Hey guys, long time. So, yeah, Jaune's a clairvoyant in this one, though my goal is for him to not be a deus ex machina who is invincible in battle, and resolves all conflict before it begins (which is something I think a lot of time travel fics struggle with). And for those of you who are wondering about "JNPR spin-off", I wasn't too happy with how that was turning out, but this will feature several themes and plot-points that I would've included in that. Please leave your thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism.