'Sup. As you may have noticed, I have a custom made cover photo now, thanks to my co-writer Depresdmustache. Check out his deviantart profile at "DepresdMustache118." He'll be posting quick pics of scenes every now and then; but if you write a review, send some kind words (or hateful idc) his way. This is NOT a one man effort.
Anyway, here's Ch3 to BU. Another note will be at the end, with some... more crap in bold.
"If only you could find the strength to kill the memories."
Jaune stepped back to admire the "Attack on Titan" wall scroll hung above the television, which sat on a stand. On one of the stands shelves sat Jaune's Xbone. The sleek black gaming console was brand new, but already covered in all sorts of stickers featuring anime characters and even the "Achieve Men" logo. He looked over at Sun, who was emptying his clothes into the closet. Sun's parents had just left, sticking around for a few minutes to chat with Jaune's dad. This stuck the three with most of the remaining work.
"Typical monkey faunus…" Mr. Arc teased as he shook his head in mock disgust. Sun smiled brightly and chuckled at the joke.
After they bunked the two beds to maximize living space, Mr. Arc and Sun built the futon Sun brought while Jaune worked on setting up all electrical devices. Though the room was fairly small, the arrangement they had made it feel spacious and relaxing.
"I gotta say, Jaune. That might be the gayest thing I've seen," Jaune's father said as he lounged on the futon, pointing to the anime poster.
"I agree with you, Mr. Arc," Sun said as he sat on the top bunk. "That's super gay."
"Sun, I've told you a million times. Call me Greg." Jaune rolled his eyes as the two berated his favorite poster.
"Sun, why don't you decorate your wall? Oh, wait, did you leave all the pictures of naked guys and bananas at home?" Jaune shot back, smiling. Greg burst into laughter, pointing at Sun.
"Damn, he got you pretty good man. You should kick his ass."
"He couldn't even if he tried," Jaune boasted confidently, crossing his arms.
"You wanna bet, bitch?" Sun dropped to the floor, his white unbuttoned dress shirt revealing a pretty lean physique. He had a muscular build to be sure, but Jaune was way bigger. Plus, while Sun was a black belt in Taekwondo, he knew that Jaune's skills as a wrestler far outmatched his abilities as a martial artist. If Jaune brought him to the ground, it'd be over. Also, nunchucks were not allowed on campus, and those were the only instruments that Sun could use if he wanted to stand a chance. Still, he wasn't going to let Jaune know that. "You only won last time because I was sore from track."
"Sore from track? Or your boyfriend?" Jaune shot back, backing a few feet away from his best friend. Jaune was on a roll with the jokes- but he never spoke like this around anyone other than his father or Sun.
Greg smiled and looked towards Jaune, who was bent at the knees and looked like he was ready to pounce. "Well, how about a friendly rematch?" Greg asked, moving the small wooden table away from the middle of the carpeted floor. "Winner gets 5 bucks. No submissions, pinning only," he looked to Jaune who frowned, knowing his son would try to make Sun tap out. A smile grew on Sun's face, knowing he now had a way better shot.
"Also… Jaune, you can only use one arm," Greg announced, causing Jaune to stand up straight, arms held out in front as Sun bounced in excitement.
"That's bullshit! He has a TAIL, that's basically a third arm! How com-"
"One arm or you forfeit. Sun doesn't wrestle and you excel at it- this only makes it fair," Greg reasoned, getting in between the two boys. "Now, are you gonna take the loss, or are we gonna have a match?"
Sun and Jaune fist-bumped in the middle of the makeshift ring, then took a few steps back from each other. Jaune's left arm was tied to one of the belt loops on his jeans, making sure he wouldn't use it. Sun rolled his neck and got into a low stance, mimicking his friend. Greg raised his hand, looking at both boys.
"Ready? Go!" As Greg dropped his hand, Jaune immediately lunged for Sun's left ankle. Sun jumped away swiftly, his superior speed helping him to just barely evade the attack. Sun got back into a solid stance as Jaune slowly crept towards him on one knee. When Jaune was close enough to Sun, he carefully came to his feet. His arm raised in front of him, Jaune began to reach out and tap Sun's forehead repeatedly. Sun slapped Jaune's hand away, but Jaune persisted.
"Cut the shit!" Sun roared as he raised his arms to tackle Jaune. Jaune's eyes flashed as he saw his opportunity. In an instant, he shot forward and hooked his hand around the back of Sun's neck, ducking his head under Sun's right arm. In the same motion, Jaune used Sun's own momentum to pull him to the floor, tugging down on Sun's neck as he spun around him. Before Sun hit the floor, Jaune stuck his right leg behind Sun's left, hooking it and tripping Sun to his back. Sun let loose a string of curses and obscenities as he fell, grunting as he slammed onto his back. The air knocked from him, Sun could barely fight back as Jaune scooped his head and right arm, lifting them up as he dug his chin into Sun's side to make sure both shoulders were pinned. Greg dropped to his knees, taking a quick look before hitting the ground.
"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Greg cried, helping the boys up to their feet. He held his son's free arm up high, then immediately twisted and held it behind his back.
"Hey! What the hell!?" Jaune yelped, looking back at his father as he tried to break free.
"Sun, now's your chance!" Jaune watched helplessly as Sun's fist sped towards his stomach. He tensed his abs against the impending blow, but in this position he was no match for Sun's martial arts. He grunted as the punch connected, dropping to the floor as his dad let him free. Jaune rubbed his now surely bruised abs as his father untied his other hand. 'If only I had a forcefield, or something.' Jaune thought to himself as he rubbed his stomach.
"You ass…" Jaune managed, flexing the pain away, "I guess I deserved it for being a cocky bastard, but seriously? Full force?" He stuck his hand out towards Sun, who grabbed it and helped him to his feet. "You owe me 10 bucks now, bitch."
Sun grinned ear to ear, "Totally worth it. Thanks, Greg."
"No problem!" Greg laughed, retaking his seat on the futon. He looked over at Jaune and smiled. "Now I hope you learned a valuable lesson, boy!" Jaune stood there, still rubbing his abs.
"A lesson? Like, what? Never trust a faunus? Or that my dad's a complete and utter-?"
"No need to finish, it's the second one, for sure." Sun and Jaune laughed loudly at Greg's joke.
The monkey-faunus stretched a little bit as the laughter died down, wiping his sweaty brow. "But hey Jaune, isn't freshman orientation soon? We should probably head to… wherever it is." As if it were scripted, a loud knocking on the door startled the trio.
"R-A!" a rather shaky voice yelled, "FRESHMAN ORIENTATION IS AT GAMPEL BUILDING IN 15 MINUTES! HEAD OVER NOW, THE RAIN STOPPED!"
"Well, that answers that question, boys." Greg stood up from the futon and spread his arms wide. "Guess that's my cue to leave." Jaune's heart sank as the realization that his dad had to leave settled in. Sure, he had Sun, but Jaune had never been apart from his dad for an extended period of time. Jaune accepted his father's embrace, burying his the side of his face into the taller man's chest. They held onto the moment for a second too long, then Greg held his boy out at arm's length.
"I know I say it all the time, but you don't understand how proud I am of you, Jaune. You came a long way. You're going to great. Just remember to try your best, and the results will come." He embraced Jaune once again, "I love you, Jaune."
"Love you too, dad."
Greg released, wiping what Jaune suspected was a tear from his eye before turning to Sun. "Sun, my boy, look after this idiot. If he gets into trouble, just call me. I'm sure I can do something to punish him, even if it's long distance."
"Will do, Greg." Sun grinned glancing over at Jaune. He went over and took Greg's hand, bringing him into a hug. They gave each other a few pats on the back, then Greg let go and walked to the door. Halfway out, he hesitated for a split second. He turned to the boys one last time, and flashed a smile.
"Remember, boys. If you're gay…" His sentence was interrupted by a light punch to the gut.
"Get outta here, pops. I'll see ya soon." Jaune fist-bumped his father and returned back to Sun, hearing the click of the door behind him. Jaune exhaled, letting out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes and composed himself.
"You good?" Sun asked, pulling his sneakers on.
"Y-Yeah. I'm great." Jaune turned around and smiled, thinking of his fathers words.
The walk to Gampel was longer than either of the boys expected. The map the school provided on their website was rather deceptive; the campus was incredibly massive. Along the way, Jaune tripped a total of three times, which according to Sun was an all time high.
"Man, how big IS this school?" marveled Sun as they walked, meshing with the growing crowd of what they presumed to be fellow freshman on their way to orientation. They all flowed towards a large, circular brick building, its giant white domed ceiling resembling a humongous basketball. While they walked, Jaune and Sun talked about some more possible room arrangements. Mid sentence, Sun suddenly jumped in surprise as he felt a tug on his tail.
'WHO THE FUC-'
"Whoa, whoa there! Can I help you?!" Sun cried, turning to face the moron bold enough to grab his tail. The girl behind him let go of his tail, her sky blue eyes gazing at him under her short orange hair. The cartoon sloth on her light blue hoodie gave Sun the same look, and he looked at her in confusion. She bounced in place silently for a few more seconds, then spoke up.
"Hello, Mr. monkey-man! I like your tail!" she shouted happily. She paused, then gasped as her eyes went wide. "You know who'd love this!?" She suddenly bolted off into the crowd, disappearing into the horde of bodies while she cried, "Brrraw! Brrraw!"
"Jesus ever-loving Christ, what was THAT!?" Jaune asked, laughing as Sun stood frozen, confusion plastered on his face as his roommate as he gave him a slap on the back.
"U-uh, I don't know. Usually, I like when chicks dig the tail. Right now? Not so much." Sun tried to laugh it off, but choked on it when the girl reappeared, now accompanied by and oriental boy. The boy sported a green windbreaker with some khaki shorts, and look he wore was a cross between fatigue and indifference.
"I'm assuming you two are the ones Nora is making such a scene over?" the boy asked, looking at Sun and Jaune, "Yeah, I apologize. She had coffee this morning, and is much more hyper than usual. She didn't offend you, did she?" The boy spoke with eloquence, his hands behind his back as he addressed the faunus boy.
"N-No, she didn't. It's cool, man." Sun ran his fingers nervously through his hair, inching away from the one dubbed "Nora" as she crept ever closer to his tail.
"NORA!" the boy in green chided, making the girl stand at attention. He looked over at Nora, making sure she was under control, then reached his hand out. "Lie Ren, but everyone calls me Ren."
"Sun WuKong."
"Jaune Arc."
"Wait… Jaune Arc? I swear I've heard that name… think I've seen you in the paper; you're a wrestler, aren't you?" Jaune's mouth curled into a slight smirk and raised an eyebrow as the teen continued, "There was something in there about an incoming freshman making the wrestling team, a first in BU history. Is that you?" Ren's eyes held a tinge of excitement despite himself, and the more he spoke the more people around began to take notice. They looked at Jaune with curiosity, murmurs of his appearances in the papers and his wrestling achievements moving through the crowd.
"Yep, that's me," Jaune answered bluntly, hands behind his head. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm just glad to be here." If there was one thing his father taught him, it would be to 'man up to your accomplishments, as well as your defeats. However, be modest. No one likes cocky people.'
"OH. MY. GOD. Ren! We just made friends with a CELEBRITY!" Nora cheered, jumping up to Jaune.
"I-I wouldn't say I'm THAT special," Jaune remarked, hands out in front, "I-I'm just, y'know, a guy. I tried my best and it worked out." Jaune tried to play down his accomplishment, but it wasn't really working. At that moment the doors to Gampel opened, allowing the freshman class to enter for orientation.
"Will you sit with us!?" Nora pleaded Jaune, who shrugged his shoulders.
"Sure, but only if you touch Sun's tail some more. He said he loves it."
Sun sneered at Jaune as Nora ran behind him and yanked his tail. While Jaune snorted in laughter at his friends misfortune, Ren shook his head in disappointment. Jaune smiled, and looked up into the grey sky. 'Man, if this is any indication of how this is gonna go…' His smile only grew larger as they entered Gampel, ready to take on his freshman year.
"I will not be forgotten, this is my time to shine! I've got the scars to prove that only the strong survive."
I liked that chapter. Well, quick note for ya- next chapter is the last of the "intro." It's a bit longer, but it's basically complete, so the wait will be somewhat short. Also, thanks so much for the positive feedback. It motivates us to get the chapters out faster and to really focus on putting out material we think you guys will enjoy. As a token of our appreciation: CH4: Orientation- some stuff happens and it happens good.
As always, see you in the next chapter.