Okay, writing has suddenly become much harder... This will be my second (or is it third?) attempt at writing this due to the internet constantly pulling a troll on me -_- That, and updates will probably be slower than usual, since I'll be starting my junior year at high school very soon. But on the lighter side... Thanks a whole bunch for giving this story so much love and support, you guys! You people are seriously the nicest people I've met so far in my fanfiction career! Just wanted to let you all know that! :D Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter (because it's a huge fucking pain in my ass and I'm one step closer to literally tearing out someone's worthless throat right now :3)
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Now, if Jaune Arc was still attending Beacon, he would probably be more confused than scared in regards to the stylish ginger man standing in front of him, clutching a menacing looking cane in his gloved hand. But, when living in the slums of Vale, one was quick to learn who the big shots in the criminal industry were. And Roman Torchwick was at the very top, sitting on a throne made up of deceit, loot, and blood.
So yes, Jaune knew exactly who he was dealing with.
Roman was certainly scarier in person than he was in any wanted poster or mugshot, an aura of disgust radiating off of him as his eyes locked onto the former knight. If looks could kill, Jaune was certain he would've been burned alive by a mere passing glance. He audibly gulped, earning a sigh and scoff from the criminal. Then Roman slowly turned his attention to Neo, who rigidly stood next to Jaune in her usual silence.
"Neo," the master thief began, feigning a friendly smile that barely hid his anger and annoyance. "Would you please explain to me what a little snot nosed punk is doing in our kitchen?!"
Jaune could almost hear Neo curse as she appeared to be searching for an acceptable answer. It was then that Roman's words finally processed fully through the blonde's mind, and his eyes widened a...considerable amount. "Wait..." He whispered, tilting his head towards the small girl next to him. "What does he mean by 'our'?"
Neo's pink and brown eyes shifted between the two men, and she mentally kicked herself for allowing such a slip up to happen. She hadn't even considered the possibility of Roman's arrival, even though the warehouse was technically his home too. She bit her lip, swiftly digging into each file in her brain to use for an answer.
"Well, Neo?" Roman asked, folding his arms across his chest. "You better hurry up and answer..." And suddenly, the criminal lunged, his movements almost as fast as Red's semblance. A yelp of both surprise and fright came from Jaune as Roman pinned him against the wall, his cane-gun's barrel being jammed into his gut. "...unless you want your little toy here to help decorate the walls," he finished, licking his lips as he gazed over the warehouse. "I always did hate this color, anyway..."
Jaune opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. His face was just one of mute terror, his frightened blue eyes turning to Neo, who was now busy typing something into her scroll.
'Neo...' he thought, gasping as the cane was pushed further against him. 'How the hell are you involved with this guy?'
Neo's fingers frantically moved across the screen of her scroll, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she carefully chose her words. Despite their partnership, she knew Roman would kill Jaune in a heartbeat, even if Neo claimed to know him. No... She wasn't gonna lose Jaune, not after all the bullshit she had to put up with! 'This is a toy I plan on keeping,' she told herself as she finished the last of her message. Her eyes skimmed over it, mouthing words to herself as she did so.
She wasn't going to let Jaune die today. Not after her promise to Junior, as well as her own plans for the boy.
She needed him, wanted him.
All for pleasure, of course...
After reading over the message again, the multi-colored assassin hummed in satisfaction, pressing her thumb against the 'send' button. Now all she could do was hold her breath and hope that her message would be enough to spare the former huntsman-in-training. She heard the soft ding from Roman's coat pocket, and both her and Jaune watched closely as the master thief slowly pulled out his scroll, his eyes carefully scanning over Neo's text.
He's just a kid who ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, Roman. Neo had typed. Trust me, he's harmless and is in no way a threat to our operation. Junior was worried about him, so I promised I'd take care of the kid for him. Another text popped up as Neo quickly added, I don't think he'd be very willing to associate with you if you hurt the kid, Roman.
Roman frowned as he finished reading, and he reluctantly let Jaune drop to the floor, who gasped for breath as he realized he was safe.
As much as Roman really wasn't liking this kid, Neo did bring up a valid point. Although they never seen eye to eye, Junior's drinks were to die for, and that was something Roman did not plan on letting go of anytime soon.
Neo sighed in relief and walked over to help Jaune to his feet. "T-Thanks..." Jaune mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
Neo noticed his seeming reluctance, and frowned. Great, now he was probably gonna ask a million questions. Neo wasn't planning on telling him of her...line of work, but she realized she should have seen it coming sooner or later.
In some sort of effort to try to convince him she was trustworthy, the ice cream girl wrapped her arms around him in a hug, gazing up at his face with what she hoped was an adorable expression. It seemed to do the trick, as Jaune immediately began blushing and awkwardly hugged her back, looking away once more.
"Oh my God, I'm going to be sick," Roman remarked with a huff, causing the two younger people to break apart. "Neo, you and I need to have a little chat, right now."
Neo reluctantly pulled away from Jaune, much to her surprise. For someone who looked so dorky, she could feel his hard, lean muscles beneath his shirt. It gave off...some sort of protective feel, one Neo wouldn't mind seeing again.
I'll explain everything later, Jaune. She typed, showing it to the blonde. Just stay here and please don't freak out. I meant it when I said I wanted to help you.
Jaune read the message and reluctantly nodded, cautiously sitting back down to remake his bowl of cereal as Neo followed Roman out to the entrance of the warehouse.
"So is this the reason you ditched me last night?" he asked, gesturing his cane towards the housing area of the warehouse. "For just some kid? Dammit, Neo, I was almost arrested last night!"
It's your own fault. Neo countered with a smug grin. Cinder said we were moving on to phase two but you just had to be the little thief, didn't you?
Roman scowled. "Shut up," he grumbled. "So what are we gonna do about the kid? You said he's not a risk to our operation but can you be so sure? It's risky letting some brat into our hideout, Neo! Surely you would have some common sense!"
Neo licked her lips slyly before answered. A promise is a promise, it's not like I had anywhere else he could stay. A mischievous glint flashed in her pink and brown eyes as they switched colors. And besides, it's been awhile since I've had a new toy for the bedroom.
Roman's expression was unreadable. "What, and I'm not good enough?" he deadpanned.
You don't even come close to my standards.
"Why you little-" Roman froze and sighed in frustration as he realized he was just being baited into another one of Neo's teases. The woman was going to be the death of him, he somehow just knew it. "Look, here's the real reason I needed to talk to you," he started, waving his cane around. "See, The White Fang is going to pay a little visit and I need to be the host of tonight."
And? Neo didn't look the slightest bit interested.
"Tonight we're unveiling our newest weapons," the criminal continued. "The Atlesian Paladins. But ever since that run in with the two faunus, I keep having this nasty little feeling in my stomach. I think they might try to sneak in, so I need you to be on the lookout for them during the assembly."
Neo tapped her chin and looked up as if she was lost in thought, before promptly shaking her head no.
Roman lost his cool attitude for a moment, sputtering in surprise. "W-What the hell do you mean, no?" he demanded, jabbing his cane in his partner's direction.
I wanted to spend some time with Jaune tonight. Neo explained with a surprisingly happy grin. 'I wonder if I can get any action...' her dirty mind thought.
"Who cares about that?" Roman hissed. "The kid can just stay on the couch while you help me!"
Nope.
Roman groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do I put up with you?" he questioned, before straightening himself. He pulled out a cigar and stuck it in his mouth, lighting it with a flick of his lighter and sighing contently as the tobacco filled his lungs. "Very well," he said. "If you don't want to help then that's fine. Just know that I won't be paying you in Neapolitan ice cream for the next month if that's your choice." He grinned evilly, knowing there was no way Neo could refuse.
To his surprise, however, Neo simply laughed and shook her head. She then reached under her shirt and bra and pulled out the coupons Junior had given her in exchange for Jaune's well being. She tauntingly waved them in front of Roman's face, sticking her tongue out before stuffing the small scraps of paper back into her bra. Then, she simply bowed to her partner before teleporting away, leaving Roman to start a string of curses.
She then reappeared back in the kitchen, where she saw Jaune washing the dishes. Smiling, Neo reminded herself to thank him for that later. She approached the boy and tapped on his shoulder, and the former knight yelped once more and whipped around, sighing in relief when he saw it was just Neo.
"You startled me," he said.
Neo simply shrugged in response.
Jaune then sat down at the kitchen table, gesturing for Neo to sit next to him. When she did, Jaune's face turned serious. "Neo," he began. "You should know that I still don't fully trust you, I don't appreciate the sexual harassment I got from you when I woke up."
Neo winced, this time it wasn't fake. She rubbed her arm awkwardly. Yeah...she had forgotten about that. She mouthed 'sorry', but Jaune either didn't notice or didn't bother to say anything about it. "And now I find out I'm being housed by criminals?" He shook his head. "y'know, it would've been great to know that before I was dragged here!"
Welcome to Vale, Jaune. Neo's text was shoved in his face, like usual. Yeah, I'm a criminal and so is Roman. So what? The girl knew that each text was a game of risk, as she was still in the early stages of the learning process. She could only hope her words wouldn't offend the boy she sought. When things get rough in the slums, you have to do whatever it takes to survive. You'd know a lot about that, wouldn't you, Jaune?
"..." He was silent for a moment, before he nodded. "Yeah," he muttered. "I do..."
I meant what I said about helping you, Jaune. Neo continued with another message. You've had it rougher than anyone, you deserve some good in your life. And...I want to be that good.
She looked over her text with a faint blush, wondering if the final sentence was too much. Slowly, hesitantly, she showed it to Jaune, who after reading it had his cheeks in a similar rosy color.
"Well, uh...I..." he stammered, suddenly finding an interest for the mustard stain on his jeans.
Despite her own embarrassment, Neo couldn't help but grin impishly. 'He gets embarrassed at any mention of affection,' she noted. 'I'll remember that, no doubt it'll be useful.'
That strange pang of guilt hit her chest again, but she did her best to ignore it.
She snapped her fingers to get the former knight's attention, and she quickly typed a message for him to read.
Hey, so I have the day off today. If you want we can spend some time together in town, get to know each other some more. Maybe have some drinks at Junior's, maybe play at the arcade, maybe try finding you a job? Sounds good?
To Neo it was the perfect plan. Not only would she be fulfilling her promise to Junior, but she would actually gain Jaune's trust. If he could see her as a normal girl, he might be more...willing.
"Is that a date?" Jaune nervously, yet bluntly, wondered out loud.
Now it was Neo's turn to sputter. Her eyes widened at the word the blonde just used. Date?! She almost couldn't believe the idiot even said that! Granted, she guessed that it kind of was, with how it tied into her plans... But still!
Neo suddenly remembered that she never went on an actual...date...before. She would just mostly bring people home and kick them out the next day. She really only kept Jaune around because of her promise to Junior...
...right?
"Neo?" Jaune's voice suddenly snapped her back to reality, and she hesitantly typed something onto her scroll, before showing it to the blonde.
What do you think?
"Um...I don't know?" he answered uncertainly, not sure what he was supposed to be thinking or feeling right now. "Uh... But no matter, I guess it won't hurt to hang out..."
Neo nodded eagerly, brushing aside her embarrassment in order to prepare herself. 'It's only a mission,' she told herself. 'Just a mission to gain his trust, that's all.'
With that thought in mind, she grabbed a hold of Jaune's hand, quickly teleporting them to the outside of the warehouse.
...
"So, Nora, what is it you wanted to tell us?" Pyrrha asked, sitting on her bed as she watched Nora bounce on her own. The girl had woken them up only a short while ago, saying she had something super important to tell them.
"I'm glad you asked, Pyrrha!" Nora exclaimed as she stopped bouncing, landing on the lap of Ren. The boy groaned in pain while Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. It has been a long time since she's seen the viking girl so energetic. It was almost like when Jaune was-
Pyrrha looked down and clutched her knees. 'Jaune,' she thought sadly. 'Why did you disappear like that?'
"Last night, while you and Ren were out training, I was taking a little stroll down Vale," Nora explained, sliding off of Ren. "And...I met someone there."
Ren raised an eyebrow?" "And this is important, why?" He questioned, figuring Nora may just be exaggerating as usual.
"Because..." Nora's cheer disappeared suddenly, and she was back to her recently quiet self. "Because..." She glanced at Pyrrha, who was looking at her expectantly, giving her a comforting smile.
'Can I really tell her?' Nora wondered as she wiped away a stray tear. 'I...I have to. I have to get Jaune back for her, for all of us!'
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and stared right back at Pyrrha with a determined expression. "Because that person was Jaune," she said without pause.
Silence.
'Oh crap I screwed u-'
"WHAT?!" Pyrrha screeched, leaping to her feet as she gripped Nora's shoulders. "You did?! Tell me everything!" She shook Nora like a rag doll, and it was Ren who stopped her.
"Pyrrha, give her space," he ordered calmly, placing a hand on the spartan girl's shoulder. While he appeared calm, in reality Ren was freaking out on the inside. 'Jaune's back, now?!' he thought, excitement and anxiety bubbling up inside him at the thought of seeing his leader once again. Despite him taking over as JNPR's leader in Jaune's absence, the ninja still considered the knight as the true leader, and would always consider him as such. It just wasn't Team JNPR without him.
"How is he?" Pyrrha asked, stepping away from Nora. "Did he tell you why he never called or visited? Is he keeping up with his training? Is he eating his vegetables? Is he still single?" A dozen questions shot out of the red head's mouth, but she couldn't help it. Jaune was back, and that's all that mattered! Maybe...maybe now she could have a chance...
However, the look on Nora's face seemed to tell a different story, as she couldn't look her in the eyes, and she was twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. Pyrrha noticed more tears forming in Nora's beautiful turquoise eyes, and she couldn't help but tear up as well. "Nora...?"
Nora had realized it was a lot harder to tell them the truth than she thought. Could she really tell them what Jaune had become? Could she look Pyrrha in the eyes and tell her that Jaune no longer cared about them? 'I...I can't...'
She glanced up when Ren placed a hand on her shoulder, and he gave her a silent nod of encouragement. Oh, Ren... Nora smiled faintly. She'd be lost without that boy...
Turning back to Pyrrha, the viking girl took a deep breath, letting it last a few moments longer than normal. "Guys..." she began. "I met Jaune last night, but... He isn't the same Jaune we know anymore."
...
And that's a wrap! God it's fucking three in the morning, I'm so tired... Ugh, definitely not looking forward to adjusting back to a normal sleep routine for school... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Personally I think it's my least favorite next to the first one, but some might disagree. At least I got it out finally, right? Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!
Also, would you guys read it if I made a RWBY OC story? Would you guys read it if I made a RWBY x Kingdom Hearts crossover? THESE ARE QUESTIONS I NEED ANSWERED, GODDAMMIT! XD