Summary: He wasn't overly popular. He wasn't that strong. He didn't get the best grades. He wasn't some kind of superman that had some hidden strategy to how he did things. All he did was strive for average grades, and an average life. But when Ruby Rose happens to hear him singing in the club of which he is the lone member, things start to change... Jaune/Forced!Harem High School AU
Jaune will be very smart in this fic, but he hides his smarts from a lot of people since all he wants is average grades.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Chapter 1: Who are you?
Why was the sky blue?
That was often a question Jaune Arc wondered to himself. Whenever he got bored, or upset, or excited, that question would just appear in his head and he would think on it for hours until the question eventually faded away into the depths of his mind.
Today was no different. It was in the middle of his history class with Professor Oobleck, and he was bored out of his mind, when the question just suddenly popped into his head. Zoning out Oobleck's talking, he glanced to the right where the window was. It was a cloudless day today, with the sun blazing like it owned everything the light touched.
'Why is the sky blue?' he thought to himself, over and over, that single question penetrating the depths of his mind. Sadly though, no matter how much he thought about it, he never came up with an answer to his question.
Sighing, he returned his attention to Oobleck, now listening to him again. "...tragedy!" Oobleck was saying in his fast paced voice. "Which is why humans learned from this mistake and prospered! Mr Arc, would you please explain to us why it is that Faunus and Humans now live in peace?"
Jaune sighed through his nose. "They now live in peace because the humans of old finally realized that just because they had animal parts, did not mean faunus themselves were animals. And likewise, Faunus realized that humans were mostly afraid they would try to go to war, so they became more peaceful because of this. Since the peace treaty of 07, there have only been light skirmishes between human and faunus."
"That is absolutely correct Mr Arc!" Oobleck agreed. "Ever since the treaty, there have only been light skirmishes between our two races, and humans and faunus have even began to fall in love with one another and marry, leading further to equality between the two races!" Oobleck may have said more, but the bell blared. "It appears we are out of time! Your homework for this week is to research what the times were like before the treaty between Faunus and Humans! That is all! Class is dismissed!"
The blonde stood slowly, putting his books into his bag before slipping it onto his back. However as he was leaving, he was stopped by Oobleck. "Do not leave yet Mr Arc! I would like to have a talk with you!"
Jaune stopped and glanced back before nodding. He waited until everyone had left before heading over to Oobleck. "Is there something wrong Doctor Oobleck?"
The man shook his head. "Not at all! I just happened to notice that, part way towards the end of the class, you seemed to zone out and stare out of the window. I caught your gaze towards the sky, but I saw nothing in it. May I inquire what it is you were staring at?"
The teen blinked at such a simple question, "I was...staring at the sky."
Oobleck stared at Jaune from behind his glasses, making the blonde feel a little uncomfortable, until the man finally nodded. "I see...you may leave now Mr Arc."
He just nodded. "Bye Dr O," he quickly left the room before Oobleck could give a response. He walked down the halls a bit faster than he usually would, but nobody so much as glanced in his direction. With enough walking, he soon reached his destination. Opening the door, he smiled softly at the sight of the music club room. He walked in, closing the door behind him and shrugging off his bag.
"It's good to be back here..." he whispered softly. This place was Jaune Arc's own personal heaven. He spent all, if not most of the free time he got in school here. He was the lone member, so it meant he got privacy, as well as meaning he could use whatever instrument he pleased whenever he pleased. It made him happy.
He sat down on a chair and pulled out a book from his bag that read 'Jaune Arc's Journal'. This was, of course, Jaune's journal. He took it everywhere with him, and never let anybody see the contents. His reasons for writing a journal in the first place had puzzled even the owner, but he kept it and wrote in it diligently every single day.
Pulling out a pen, he began to write in his journal about his day. He didn't use any innuendos, or cheesy lines, or write any 'hidden' thoughts he had. He wrote bluntly about what happened in his day from start to finish. However, when he got to his thoughts about the sky, the amount of space it took up in the journal was at least 3 pages, in great detail and quite complex. Once he finally finished writing, he snapped the book shut and put it back in his bag.
Humming softly, Jaune stood and began to walk around the room, running his hands over the various instruments and devices in the room. He started with the piano, running his fingers along the wood before he raised it up to reveal the white and black keys beneath. He hit a few notes, smiling softly, before he removed his fingers from it and continued his walk around the room. He then came to the violin. He lifted it up, playing it slightly, and adjusting the notes slightly so that they were correct. He played for a few seconds, before putting the instrument down and moving on.
Next was the drums. He sat at them, picking up the drum sticks and twirling them. He hit each drum and symbol a single time. Smiling in satisfaction, he played on the drums softly for about 10 seconds, before he put the sticks down and stood, almost gliding across the room until he came to the instrument he wanted.
Picking up the acoustic guitar, Jaune began to play each note individually, adjusting the strings as he did so. He let out a brief grin as all the notes were correctly adjusted. "Now, where is the pick..." he wondered aloud, looking around. He soon noticed the golden guitar pick was on the desk. He walked over and picked it up. Usually, guitar picks were used for electric guitar and not for acoustic. But Jaune had always preferred the use of the pick.
Playing a few notes, he tried to think of a song to play. It took a few minutes of thinking for him to find one, but soon enough a song came to mind for him to play. He walked over to the computer, and set it up with a microphone so he could record the song to listen to later. This was so he could review his singing, and try to adjust it to make it better if he made any mistakes. And once he was ready,
(Drive - Incubus)
Sometimes I feel the fear of the uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague
Haunting mass appeal
Lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes, yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive, oh oh
It's driven me before, and it seems to be the way
That everyone else gets around
Lately, I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes, yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
(Instrumental)
Would you choose water over wine... hold the wheel and drive?
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes, yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
He stood still a few seconds after finish the song, before he walked over to the computer and stopped the recording. "There we go..." he mumbled as he began to render the song, and once done he linked the computer to his phone, and stored the song on his phone before deleting it from the computer entirely. He plugged in his headphones and began to listen to his own singing, humming along lightly as he did so.
Little did he know, his singing had been heard, by the genius of the school, Ruby Rose. She was only fifteen, however, she had skipped two grades because she was just that smart.
The girl hadn't been intending to eves drop on him, it just seemed to happen. She had been walking through the halls, trying to find where Yang had lost her necklace, and heard singing. And it was perhaps the most beautiful voice she had ever heard in her life. She had immediately forgotten all about Yang's necklace and began to look for the source of the voice. And she had soon found it, being shocked by who it was.
Jaune Arc had a small reputation among the popular kids in school. And it was because he was just so...average. He always scored Cs, but that wasn't what made them curious. It was the fact that he always scored just one point above the failing grade, scraping passes. They wouldn't have cared if it was a one time thing, but it wasn't. It had been consistent since the beginning of the school year. But it wasn't just that what made them interested.
It was the fact he knew none of their names. One time, Weiss had gone up to him and introduced herself in the usual haughty tone she used with everyone other than her friends. All he did was stare at her blankly and ask who she was. When she introduced herself, he just shrugged and said, "Never heard of you." Weiss had been so stunned she froze. By the time she regained herself, Jaune was walking out of the hall. And the next time Weiss tried to talk to him, he just looked at her blankly again and asked who she was.
And now, here Ruby was, listening to perhaps the most beautiful singing voice in the entire school. Once the song was done, she very quietly began to leave. Once she got to a safe distance, she began to run. She ran as fast as her small legs would carry her. And eventually, she got back to her friends, panting heavily.
"Oh hey Ruby!" Yang, her sister, said with a grin. "Did you find my necklace?"
Ruby shook her head negatively. "N-no, but I found something better..."
Blake looked at Ruby with mild interest at that statement. Ruby always claimed she found something cool, though it often wasn't that cool. But she looked too cute that they just couldn't tell her to stop. "And what exactly did you find?"
"Well..." Ruby spoke as she caught her breath. "I was walking down the halls looking for the necklace, like Yang asked, and I was having no luck finding it. I was about to move onto another area, when all of a sudden I heard singing. And it..." she blushed a little bit. "It was the most beautiful singing voice I ever heard...even better than Weiss', sorry."
Weiss' eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?! BETTER THAN MINE?! WHO WAS SINGING?!"
Ruby giggled at her yelling, before she shook her head and continued to explain. "Well, I decided to look for the source of the voice, and I eventually ended up at the music club."
"We have a music club?!" Yang said in surprise. She had never even heard of a music club in the school before!
"Can I please finish my story?" Ruby asked dully.
"Sorry about her," Blake told Ruby, though she was equally surprised about the music club. "So you ended up at the music club...?"
She nodded. "Yeah, so I decided 'I'll just peek to see who's singing'. So I did just that and I felt my jaw drop in surprise because...standing there, singing into a microphone while playing a guitar was...Jaune Arc..."
Silence followed from the other three, their eyes and jaws dropping in absolute shock. All of a sudden, Yang had her hands on her shoulders. "Lead the way!"
Ruby nodded, and turned, quickly speeding off, with Blake, Weiss and Yang all following behind her. Soon enough, they got to the place Ruby heard the singing and she stopped, making the rest do the same. "We'll have to walk quietly now," she told them. "Or he might hear us." Getting nods in response, she kept leading them down the halls until they finally came to the club room.
"I'm peaking," Yang whispered softly, glancing into the room. Jaune was in the middle of the room, holding an acoustic guitar, looking like he was about to sing again. "It looks like he's about to sing."
Hearing that, the rest of the girls all peaked into the room, eager to watch. He coughed a few times to clear his throat, and then he inhaled deeply before exhaling. "Alright, here goes..." he began to play.
(Imagine Dragons - Demons)
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
At the curtain's call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
He played a few notes before the song finished. There was complete silence for a few seconds, before he then headed over to the computer and stopped the recording. He then repeated the same process as earlier, putting the song on his phone and then deleting it from the computer.
"Holy crap..." Yang mumbled. "He's...wow..."
"...Ruby I forgive you," the white haired girl told her softly. "I can't argue after hearing that."
"I told you so!" Ruby said haughtily.
Blake hissed. "Quiet down! Do you want him to hear us?"
Suddenly, the door slid open, and all four fell down on top of the other. "Ow..." they all mumbled, before they slowly looked up to see Jaune Arc staring down at them, blinking softly.
"Uh...surprise?" Yang said, trying to play it off and maybe salvage the situation.
Jaune once more just blinked. "Who are you?"