A whole new Arc
Realization
Jaune watched the other boy go back to the dance, go back to her with a soft, small smile.
He sighed and slumped down to the floor. He knew he'd done the right thing. He knew this is what Weiss wanted.
Not that this stopped him form feeling like his chest had been ripped open.
'Man, why'd I have to go for someone so out of my league?' he asked himself sardonically.
His eyes widened and he straightened up as he was struck by sudden realization.
Why? Why had he gone for Weiss Schnee, the beautiful and talented heiress of one of the largest corporations of the world?
Why?
He then did something that he had never before done while pursuing the heiress. He thought about why he felt so attracted to her.
He grimaced.
The answer he found. The answer that he arrived at after careful consideration…
What it said about him…
Jaune Arc was an existence that could be defined by failure. A failure to his family, a failure to his legacy and a failure as a huntsman.
Weiss Schnee, one the other hand, was a success. Skilled, talented and the complete anti-thesis to his very existence.
'…and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!'
So when she had shown the slightest bit of attraction towards him, even if it was fake, he'd latched on to it.
Because if he, Jaune Arc, could somehow enter a relationship with what he saw as perfection incarnate, then maybe he could delude himself into thinking he wasn't such a failure.
But that was unfair to the poor heiress, who had inadvertently been placed in a pedestal.
He felt a surge of self-loathing.
He had done to her what countless people around her had done: objectified her.
His expression became ugly and twisted.
All his life, he'd thrived to live up to other people's expectations, and he had, even if done obliviously, hurt so many people around him.
He glared up at the moon, a reminder of his family's symbol.
No more, he decided. No more would he live to please others. No more was he going to try so hard to meet people's impossible expectations from him.
He got up and his expression became a crooked smirk. There was only one person whose approval truly mattered, and that was his and his alone.
It was time to earn it.
With newly formed determination and resolve, he walked back towards his room.
"Oh, Jaune! G'morning!" Ruby greeted him the next day when Jaune sat down for at their usual spot for breakfast.
"Good morning!" Jaune greeted back with a cheerful smile.
"Whoa, you're in a good mood." Yang commented cautiously.
He internally winced. News that Neptune and Weiss were "together" had spread like wild fire.
Outwards, he grinned at her. He could appreciate her concern for him. "Had a good night's sleep, I guess."
"Good on you." Yang smiled back.
Jaune then swallowed nervously before looking at the heiress.
"Weiss?" he asked.
"Uh oh." Yang mutter under her breath.
"What?" Weiss asked back, and it might've been because of his self-assessment, but he noticed how tired she looked the moment he directed his attention at her.
"I…" his self-loathing came back for a few seconds before he forced them back down. Was this what he had been doing to her? "I want to apologize."
"No, I will not go-what?" Weiss started out with a statement and ended with a squawk.
"I want to apologize," He reiterated, "for everything."
"Huh?" Weiss seemed flabbergasted.
"I've been, consciously or not, objectifying you. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Jaune looked at her directly, hoping to convey his honest and genuine remorse.
"I…uh…what?" Weiss still seemed too astonished to say anything.
"I'm hoping we can start over, from the beginning." Jaune requested.
"Uh…" Weiss was blinking wildly.
"Did…did Vomit Boy just apologize for being Vomit Boy?" Yang asked incredulously.
"Damn." Nora commented.
Jaune ignored the peanut gallery's reaction.
So that was a no.
He smiled softly. It was understandable, of course. Yes, it hurt that he had blown his chance to befriend an amazing girl, but his heart felt lighter.
Yes, he was satisfied with this.
"I…accept?" Weiss replied hesitantly.
"Huh?" Jaune looked back at her.
"I accept," Weiss replied more firmly this time, "Neptune told me what happened last night."
"So we can still be friends?" Jaune asked hopefully.
"Let's not get that far ahead." Weiss answered.
Jaune chuckled. "I'll take it."
Paradigm Shift
"Cardin Winchester and…" Goowitch began to call out the names of today's duelists.
Jaune stood up. He was always paired with the mace wielder.
"…Jaune Arc!" Goodwitch finished.
"Good luck, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora called out to him.
"You can do it." Pyrrha told him with a warm smile.
Ren gave him the thumbs up.
"So you ready for a beating, Jauney boy?" Cardin asked him with a grin the moment he walked into the arena.
"Just shut up and fight." Jaune replied,
Cardin blinked before smiling confidently. "Well, if you want to get your ass handed to you that badly who am I to say no?"
"Begin!"
Jaune raised his blade and charged.
Beacon Academy accepted and trained the finest huntsmen. People who stood heads and shoulders above everyone else.
People of terrifying skills and abilities.
Jaune Arc had always felt out of place here.
How couldn't he? His skills were inadequate and his combat ability inferior. He had always felt a sense of dread whenever he walked into this arena.
Cardin slammed his mace into him, eliciting a hiss of pain and sending him flying back, where he hit a wall.
He pushed himself off of it and angled his blade at his enemy.
In spite of the pain coursing through his body, even though he had been hit multiple times already, he grinned cockily. "That all you've got?" he demanded.
Cardin's eyes widened before he snarled and charged at him.
Jaune smiled coldly and charged right back, shield raised and blade held behind him.
The dread, the fear, it was all….gone.
Just before Cardin swung his mace at him, Jaune Arc ducked and slammed his shield upwards, throwing his arm completely off and leaving him wide open.
Jaune slammed his opponent's head with the pommel of his blade and following that up with a quick slash.
Cardin stumbled and tried to disengage.
Jaune grinned savagely and pursed his foe, refusing to give him the chance to recover. A wild sense of elation coursed through him as the hunted became the hunter.
Cardin's eyes widened and he barely managed to dodge his thrust, which Jaune immediately followed up with a shield bash.
Jaune's manic glee intensified as he continuously chained attacks together, constantly keeping the mace wielder on the run.
No fear, no dread.
He trained with Pyrrha-freaking-Nikos!
This guy should've been small fry from the very beginning!
He stabbed forward once more, but overextended himself in his glee. Cardin immediately took advantage of his slip by slamming him away with the end of his mace.
Jaune was sent skidding away and in pain, but when he looked up, his wild grin was still in his face.
Cardin's eyes widened and he subconsciously took a step back.
Jaune once more charged at his foe.
The fear he'd felt…the horrible sense of inadequacy. It was all gone, replaced by the rush of heated combat, the satisfaction of throwing his everything against the wall and seeing it pay off.
Jaune swung his blade just as a few bit of laughter escaped him. "Ha…ha…haha!"
Their weapons clashed.
Cardin seemed surprised, and dare he say it? A bit scared.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" In spite of his screaming muscles, his blurry vision and the burning sensation in his lungs, Jaune laughed.
Jaune laughed uproariously as their weapons clashed over and over.
He was doing it! He, Jaune Arc was actually putting up a good fight! He was actually pushing his enemy back!
Shocked by his enemy's sudden and unexpected change in demeanor, Cardin briefly faltered.
The worst thing he could've done.
Much like Cardin had done to him before when he'd overextended, Jaune launched a devastating thrust from his blade.
He no longer felt scared here, the rational part of him realized. That tiny voice in the back of his head saying "Oh shit, oh shit!" seemed so far away now.
Desperate, Cardin swung his mace with all the strength he could muster.
Time seemed to slow.
Sometime ago, Jaune would have tried to match the blow, tried to prove to everyone watching that he deserved his spot here.
Jaune threw himself down and time resumed its normal course.
Cardin watched, shocked, as his attack missed completely.
Jaune then swung his shield forward from his position and hit his enemy's already off-balanced legs, causing the mace wielder to fall over.
Jaune immediately got up and angled his blade at Cardin's throat.
"Match over!" Goodwitch announced.
They both blinked and looked over at the screens displaying their Aura meters.
His Aura bar red, a bare sliver of it still left.
But Cardin's was empty.
He'd done it. He'd actually done it.
"Congratulations, Mr. Arc." Goodwitch's voice broke through his train of thought.
He looked at his professor.
"Your movements were far more fluid and coordinated. I take it you've been practicing?" she asked.
"It's more than that. I think…I think I've finally found a reason to move forward." Jaune replied with a grin.
Goodwitch's eyebrow rose slightly. "Oh? Well, regardless, congratulations. This is your victory."
It was, wasn't it? His victory. A testament to his growing skills. The earlier shock from before gave way to realization. Realization gave way to elation.
The laughter from before returned, but he forced it down for now. He'd won.
He'd won!
Yes, Cardin had been underestimating him from the very beginning. Yes, Cardin had been caught completely off guard. Yes, future fights would be more difficult now that he no longer held the element of surprise.
But that didn't matter right now. This was his victory.
He offered Cardin his hand, which the other boy took dazedly.
"Good match." Jaune offered before turning around and leaving.
It was only as he was exiting the arena that he allowed the laughter to burst out.
'When you're rock bottom the only way is up, after all.'
"Good one, leader!" Nora cheered the moment she saw him.
"Congratulations." Pyrrha told him with a proud smile.
"You've really come far." Ren added. He seemed pretty unconcerned, but Jaune knew his friend enough that he could tell he was pleased as well.
"Thank you, thank you." Jaune replied with a grin.
"Heeey!"
Jaune turned around and saw Team RWBY approaching them.
"Congratulations, Jaune!" Ruby grinned at him and gave him the thumbs up.
"Not bad at all, Vomit Boy! Maybe you and I should have a go someday, huh?" Yang asked with a suggestive grin.
Normally, Jaune would've been flustered, but with the high of having won his first match, he smirked at her.
"My, I didn't know you were interested in getting all hot and sweaty with me." Jaune replied just as suggestively.
The sound of a pin being dropped would've been audible at that.
"WHAT!"
Changes, observations and constants
Yang watched her fellow blonde with undisguised curiosity.
Jaune Arc, Vomit Boy, resident ladies' man wannabe.
Or rather, he used to be the resident ladies' wannabe. Lately, he seemed about as interested in getting a girlfriend as she was in paying attention to Port's never ending tales.
Which, ironically, made him more appealing.
She'd begun hearing other girls in their class talking about how "hot Jaune Arc is lately!"
Not that she was interested, but she did find his sudden change rather jarring.
She watched as Jaune told a joke that made even Blake crack a smile. When the heck had Jaune Arc of all people begun to improve his people skills?
He wasn't smooth or anything like that (yet), but he was definitely more comfortable around large groups of people now.
"Well, Pyrrha and I are going to the library. See you all later!" Jaune told them before he and his partner got up.
"The library? You? Why?" Weiss asked, although Yang knew her team mate well enough at this point that she could tell that was actual curiosity and not the usual venom she'd directed at the blonde.
And that was another point of interest. Weiss and Jaune.
The last thing she'd expected from Jaune Arc after Neptune and Weiss had gone to the dance together was an apology, although it was because of that (and Jaune's stupidly noble encouraging of Neptune) that they now shared a mostly cordial relationship.
"Aww, don't get too jealous. We're just going to work on our essays for Obleck's class." Jaune replied with a grin.
"J-jealous!" Weiss sputtered.
"Wait, the essay he assigned today? The one that's five pages long?" Yang asked incredulously.
"Yup!" Jaune nodded.
"But don't we have like a week before the due date?" Yang pressed on.
Pyrrha and Jaune both nodded.
Yang looked at her fellow blonde seriously. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jaune Arc?"
Jaune rolled his eyes and smiled good-naturedly. "Oh, ha ha. The last time I heard that joke there was a tyrannosaurus outside my cave, by the way."
There. True confidence. Not the annoying but sometimes amusing façade that Vomit Boy had been using when they'd first met.
"We'll be going now." Pyrrha told them before they both left.
Yang shook her head. "Impossible. That can't be Vomit Boy. Maybe his evil, socially adjusted twin?"
"I don't think Jaune has any brothers." Ruby replied innocently.
"Oh, Ruby. One day I'm going to introduce you to sarcasm properly." Yang told her sister with a patronizing smile.
"Hey! I know what sarcasm means!" Ruby yelped indignantly.
Blake rolled her eyes at their byplay. "It's not that surprising. I saw the grades on our last tests and Jaune has been improving."
"Well, I suppose it was time he stopped being so mediocre." Weiss replied haughtily.
Blake smiled at that. "Jaune got a higher score than you on the last battle strategy test though…"
"WHAT?!" Weiss demanded, "Are you sure?"
Blake nodded. "He actually scored the highest grade in that class."
Honestly, it had surprised the black-haired faunus as well, but Jaune Arc seemed to have a knack for strategy and formations.
"What about the other classes?" Weiss demanded.
"He's getting decent grades. Mostly B's, a couple A's and a few rare C's." Being the person tasked with handing out the graded papers did have its advantages, Blake supposed.
Like harmlessly ribbing the heiress.
"Hey, he's doing almost as well as me now!" Ruby cheered.
"Unacceptable." Weiss said.
"What?" Ruby asked her partner.
"Ruby, we're going to the library too! No way is my partner settling for as good as that ruffian!" Weiss declared before dragging a confused Ruby with her.
"Heeeeeeelp!" Ruby cried out.
"Didn't you get a lower grade than him too?" Yang called out.
The heiress began to move much, much faster.
"That's not heeeeeelping!" Ruby wailed as she dragged by her little cape.
"You are evil." Yang commented once they'd all left.
Blake smirked. "And you're not?"
"Good point."
"Jaune?" Ren asked.
"Yeah?" Jaune asked without looking up from his book.
"Is that really you?" Ren asked.
Jaune looked up and rolled his eyes. "Why's everyone asking that?"
"Because you're reading. And I don't mean a comic book, I mean an actual book. For fun." Ren answered.
Jaune once more rolled his eyes. "Just exactly what did you guys think about me?"
"Do you really want to know?" Ren asked with an amused smile.
"Oh, oh! Me me me!" Yang raised her hand and jumped around like a little kid.
"Calm down, Yang, he's not asking who loves their hair enough to kill for it." Jaune mock scolded her.
"Hey, my hair's beautiful!" Yang replied indignantly.
"Yes, yes very beautiful," Jaune replied airily, "Now can I please go back to my book?"
"What's so interesting anyway? What are you reading?" Ren asked.
Jaune raised his book so they could see the cover.
"Remnant and the 5 kingdoms?" Ren asked.
Jaune nodded. "It details the history of pretty much everything."
"And you're reading that for fun?" Ruby asked incredulously.
Jaune shrugged. "Well, partly for fun and partly because I think I should know more about our world's history. All these people, they shaped our world and they were all alive at one point. I want to know more about them."
"I think it's good that you're interested." Pyrrha told him with a warm smile.
"Thank you! Someone that gets it!" Jaune cheered.
The he looked at his partner. "That reminds me, can we go spar after dinner? There are a couple new moves I want to try out."
Pyrrha's smile widened. "Of course."
"Awesome, thanks. You're a life saver!" Jaune told her before hugging his partner.
"I-ah…it's my p-pleasure." A blushing Pyrrha replied.
"Huh? Pyrrha, your face is red! Do you feel sick?" Jaune asked worriedly before placing his hand on her forehead, "Pyrrha, you're burning up!"
"N-no! I j-just-" Pyrrha stammered.
"No nothing! You're sick! C'mon, I'm taking you to bed." Jaune declared
"T-to b-bed?!" Pyrrha yelped.
"Yeah! You can't just walk around when you're sick. Ren, can you bring some soup to the room?" Jaune asked his team mate.
Amused, Ren nodded. "Sure."
"N-nooo! I'm not ready!" Pyrrha broke free from him and ran away.
"Pyrrha? Pyrrha!" Jaune called out to her.
He then looked at the people around him, who were all looking at him with varying levels of amusement.
"What was that about?" he asked.
"I guess some things never change." Yang commented with a grin.
Blake and Ren
Yang heard two loud voices coming from her room, which was supposed to be empty. Ruby and Weiss were practicing coordinated attacks and her partner had gone to the book store.
She approached cautiously and realized she recognized the voices.
"You're missing the point. In the original ending, you can obviously see that Pip has finally begun to move on, and that makes the ending fare more poignant." Blake's voice declared.
"Is it? Pip implies that although they've both changed a lot, they're not necessarily happy." Jaune's voice argued.
"You're wrong. Pip seems content, and while Estelle does imply that-" Blake began.
"Blake? Vomit Boy?" Yang interrupted them by slamming the door open.
"Yang?!" Both Blake and Jaune yelped.
"What are you two doing here?" Yang asked, "Weren't you going to the book store?"
"I did. I ran into Jaune there." Blake replied.
"You went to a book store?" Yang asked him incredulously.
"Yeah. And I ran into Blake. And we eventually ended up talking about books we've read." Jaune replied sheepishly.
"Since when are you so into reading?" Yang asked her fellow blonde.
"Once I finished reading that history book. For some reason I ended up reading books on alternate history, which kind of ended up with me just reading everything I could in my free time." Jaune replied with a sheepish smile.
"Jaune is actually far more well-read than I'd expected." Blake added.
"So you two decided to have your little date here?" Yang asked with a grin, "Well? How's it going? Details, details!"
"It wasn't a date!" Blake denied.
"Y-yeah! I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now anyway!" Jaune added with a blush.
"Aww, really? Too bad, I think I would've gone out with you if you'd asked…" Yang winked at him.
Jaune stuttered for a few seconds before seemingly calming down and smiling at her. "I guess it's your loss then," he looked at the black haired faunus, "We'll have to do this again sometime."
"You're leaving?" Blake asked with what Yang recognized as disappointment.
"Yeah, Ren and I agreed to spar in about…" Jaune looked at his Scroll, "Holy crap, about 15 minutes ago! I'm late!"
Jaune ran out of the room.
"Spar with Ren?" Yang asked.
Blake shrugged and reached for the door before Yang grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her back in.
"Oh no, you don't! C'mon, what did you guys do? Details!"
Jaune groaned from where he was lying down, on the floor. "Owww... I think that's all the abuse I can take for today."
"If it makes you feel any better, your form's improving quickly." Ren commented before sitting down next to him.
"Thanks." Jaune nodded gratefully.
"You have a lot of endurance already so what we need to work on most if your agility." Ren informed him.
"Agreed. There were times when I felt I wasn't even going to be able to touch you." Jaune agreed.
"Still, I have to congratulate you. You're improving quickly." Ren told him with a small smile.
"Yeah. Maybe one day I'll be able to land more than 2 hits on you consecutively." Jaune replied with a grin.
"You're not that good." Ren grinned back.
A comfortable silence descended upon them.
"I wasn't just talking about combat, you know?" Ren suddenly told him.
"Huh?" Jaune looked at his friend.
"Yes, your combat skills are growing, but it's more than that," Ren answered, "Your grades, your people skills…It feels like you're not…second guessing yourself anymore, I guess."
"I am, just not to the extent as before. No matter what happens or what people tell me, I won't waver anymore." Jaune declared solemnly, "Someday, I want to be able to say I am proud of myself and mean it."
Ren nodded at him. "That's a good goal."
"Thank you." Jaune told him sincerely.
"Just don't forget that no matter what happens, you're not alone. We're here, and we'll always help you if you need it." Ren told him with a nod.
"Right." Jaune nodded back.
For a few seconds, they both fell silent.
"Okay, now let's tone down the whole bromance thing and go to the cafeteria. I'm starving!" Jaune suddenly told him best friend.
Ren rolled his eyes even as he smiled and got up. "Alright."
Relationship fiascos
Yang looked at her friend with concern.
Weiss looked angry, disappointed and above everything, hurt. "He completely blew me off! He just walked away on me!"
Neptune. Neptune had hurt her friend. Yang decided the boy was going to die.
Slowly. Painfully.
"Maybe he just didn't know." Ruby suggested with a worried look, trying to cheer her partner up.
"Not know? I asked him outright not to leave me!" Weiss replied angrily.
Blake and Yang both shared a look. Neptune would pay. Dearly.
"I think I'm gonna go have a chat with him." Yang told her softly, dangerously.
Both she and Blake got up.
"No, don't!" Weiss demanded, "Please, don't."
"He hurt you. You're one of us. Therefore, he has to pay." Yang argued.
"Please…please don't. I'm just going to sleep." Weiss told them with an expression they never wanted to see on the heiress again.
"Wait, Weiss! I-" Ruby reached out to her before Yang stopped her. "Yang?" Ruby asked.
"Don't. Not now." She told her.
Ruby looked like she was going to protest before she sighed and gave up. "So what are we going to do?" she asked.
"We'll take her to a night out. Just the four of us." Yang replied.
Now the question was what do with Neptune…
She was still wondering what to do the next day when a voice interrupted her.
"Yang? You okay?"
She looked up to see Vomit Boy looking at her with concern.
She grinned at him. "Aww, is Vomit Boy worried about wittle old me?"
"Yes." Jaune replied bluntly.
"What?" Yang was taken aback.
"You're a friend, and you're acting strange. Weiss is also acting strange, and Ruby and Blake aren't telling me anything. Is there something I can do to help?" he asked her.
She glared into his eyes.
He stood firmly and looked right back.
"You…you really just want to help, don't you?" Yang asked incredulously.
Jaune nodded. "I believe that's what I just said."
She sighed. But then again, this could be a good opportunity. "Neptune did something…and it really hurt Weiss."
Jaune's eyes widened. "What? And he's still alive?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha."
Jaune looked at her seriously.
"Okay, fine, we would've murdered him if it weren't for the fact that Weiss won't let us." Yang admitted.
"She…won't let you?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah." Yang sighed.
Jaune nodded, and his eyes were cold and harsh. "I see. Can you three do anything to cheer her up?"
"We were planning to take her on an all girl's night out." Yang replied.
"Cool. You do that." Jaune told her before turning around to leave.
"Wait, Vomit Boy!" Yang called him.
"What?" Jaune asked.
"What are you planning?" Yang asked him.
Jaune smiled grimly. "I'm just going to have a chat with him."
Later that night, Jaune knocked on the door to RWBY's room.
"Who is it?" he heard Ruby's voice.
"It's me, Jaune."
The door opened. "Oh, hey, Jaune! What can I-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Ruby ended with a screech when she saw his face.
One of his eyes was bruised and his lip was torn.
"Not important." Jaune replied.
"Not important? You're hurt!" Ruby replied angrily.
"You should look at the other guy." Jaune replied with a winning grin.
"Oh no you don't! What happened?" Ruby demanded.
"Look, can I please talk to Weiss? Alone?" Jaune asked her.
"Weiss? Forget about that, your fa-" Ruby tried again.
"Ruby, please? I really need to talk to her." He begged.
"I just…okay, fine, but I want an explanation!" Ruby acquiesced. She looked towards the room, "Weiss! Jaune wants to talk to you!"
Weiss came out. "What is-what happened to you?" she too asked.
Jaune winced. "Can I speak with you? In private?"
Weiss looked somewhat suspicious, but she nodded. They both ignored Ruby's adorable pout and closed the door.
"What do you need?" Weiss asked.
There was no easy way to say this. "It's about Neptune." Jaune replied.
Weiss's eyes became stony and cold. "What about him? Is he the reason your face looks like that?"
Jaune sighed. "Partly. If you see him tomorrow, please don't overreact. It's really not any worse than this." He gestured at his face, "He gave as good as he got."
"Overreact? What did you do to him?" Weiss demanded.
Jaune grimaced. "That's not why I'm here. Neptune's…Look, Neptune's a good guy."
Weiss said nothing, but she continued to glare at him.
"It's just that no matter how confident he may seem, he's actually really insecure," Jaune almost snorted at this. Neptune and he were very similar, "It's the reason he's so obsessed with looking cool."
"What are you getting at?" Weiss asked.
"Please don't give up on him." He requested honestly, "He's just not used to any of this, and he's probably terrified."
Was it projection? Perhaps, but in a way, he saw it as giving himself a second chance.
"He really does like you. He was willing to give you up when he thought he wouldn't be good enough for you. So…please don't just write him off," Jaune asked, "He just needs someone to keep him in the right path."
"…And that's what you did? Keep in the right path?" Weiss asked.
"Partly. Like I said, he's a good guy," Jaune smiled coldly, "But there's also the fact that he hurt someone I care about."
Weiss's eyes widened. "You…you really mean that?"
Jaune nodded. "Absolutely. I like to think of us as friends, even if you don't."
"You dolt," Weiss replied, although her voice carried no actual malice, "Of course we're friends."
Jaune smiled widely. "Thank you. Well, it's getting late, so good night."
"Wait!" Weiss called out to him before he could leave.
"Yeah?" Jaune asked.
The heiress looked both ways, as if trying to make sure the coast was clear before giving him a quick hug.
"Thank you." She then quickly opened the door back to her room and left.
Jaune watched the door close with a soft smile and after making sure that no one would be coming out, he slumped over to his knees.
Again.
He'd put the girl he had feelings for with a guy he considered a friend. He'd once again given up his chance.
But this time, it didn't feel quite as bitter. He looked up and breathed out. No, if anything, there was a certain sweetness to it all.
He was so immersed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the door to RWBY's room open slightly.
"You noble, self-sacrificing, selfless idiot…" a voice whispered quietly, "The walls are so thin here that we could hear everything…"
Jaune was whistling jauntily as he walked through the halls. His homework had all been completed, he was sure he was ready for any written tests, and he had no classes to attend right now.
He decided to hit up the training facilities.
"Oh, Vomit Boy!" he heard a familiar voice and looked back.
"And good morning to you as well, Yang." He greeted.
"Great timing! I really need your help." With that, she grabbed the front of his school jacket and dragged him with her.
"I…c-can't….b-breathe!" Jaune complained as she sped along the halls.
"Almost there!" she soon reached Team RWBY's room and finally, mercifully let him go.
Jaune coughed and wheezed for a few moments.
After a few seconds, he looked up. "Okay, so what's so important that you tried to choke me to death?"
"Oh, don't exaggerate." Yang waved his complaints off.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "So let's see…you dragged me here towards your room…you closed the door behind you…" his eyes widened, "Oh no. My mom always warned me this is what happened to handsome guys like me in the city."
Yang chuckled and winked at him. "What do you think is happening here?" she leaned closer towards him.
Jaune looked at her and then looked away, looking like, for all intents and purposes, a nervous middle school girl, "I…"
"Yeah?" Yang asked with a suggestive look.
"I think you're about to con me into doing something that is either illegal or potentially dangerous. Probably both." Jaune replied flatly. He'd begun to get used to Yang's teasing.
It'd been simple, really. All he'd had to do was simply stop assuming that Yang was actually flirting with him and see it as her way of communicating with him.
Yang leaned back, "Aww, c'mon, why does everyone assume the worst when I drag them to my room and lock the door behind me?"
He internally sighed with relief. Of course, he still felt incredibly flustered whenever she got physical, but he'd learned the hard way that Yang was like a shark.
Bleed and she'd latch on to that weakness.
Jaune gave her an incredulous look. "I think I know."
She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I really need your help."
Jaune gave her a concerned look. "Yang, honey, the help you need, I can't provide. I hear Beacon has excellent counselors though."
Yang rolled her eyes, "I'm serious."
'So am I!' Jaune considered replying, but he decided to give his fellow blonde the benefit of the doubt. "Fine. What can I help you with?" he asked
"It's about Weiss." Yang replied.
"Is she still feeling down?" Jaune asked, now feeling worried.
"Nah, she's feeling a lot better now," her eyes softened, and she looked at him with something that he could maybe call affection, "Mostly thanks to you."
Jaune smiled and nodded. "Good. So what's the problem then?" he asked.
"She's refusing to come with us to our all girl's night out!" Yang replied.
Jaune gave her an incredulous look. "Really? That's the reason you almost killed me?"
"Oh, c'mon, we could really use your help here." Yang told him with a winning grin.
"Okay, sure, I'll go get my hypno-ring and you can go get the chloroform." Jaune deadpanned.
"All I need is for you to bring her to the airdocks at around five and me, Blakey and Rubes will kidnap her!" Yang declared.
"So illegal and potentially dangerous. Guess who was right." Jaune replied flatly.
"Aww c'mon, Vomit Boy, don't be like that." Yang whined.
"You said she's feeling better…why are you still going through this again? More importantly, why should I help you with this?" Jaune asked.
"I said she was feeling mostly better. Besides, with everything going on I think she could use something to take her mind off of things." Yang replied.
Alright, fair point.
"And I should help you because?" Jaune asked.
"It would mess with Weiss?" she asked with a grin.
"You honestly think I'd do it for something like that?" Jaune asked incredulously.
"Well, it's as good a reason as any." Yang replied.
Jaune sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just…please make sure it's actually fun for her too, okay?"
Yang looked at him. "You really care about her, huh?"
Jaune smiled softly. A resigned smile with just the barest hint of bitterness. "I thought that'd be obvious by now."
Yang said nothing for a few seconds.
"Well, plenty of fish in the ocean, right? Who knows, maybe you'll end up meeting the love of your life soon." Yang told him, trying to cheer him up.
Jaune chuckled. "Nah, I'm not particularly interested in dating at the moment. See you in the docks at five."
"Thanks, I owe you one." Yang told him gratefully.
"So I'm thinking I'm getting really close to activating my semblance." Jaune told his partner as they walked down towards the training facilities.
"That's great! What do you thi-" Pyrrha began.
"You!" Weiss interrupted her.
"Uh oh." He heard Yang comment.
"Oh no." Ruby also added.
Jaune noticed that Pyrrha sighed and sat down. He internally frowned.
"Me?" he asked.
"You! You helped them kidnap me!" Weiss accused.
"Why are you yelling at me?" Jaune asked calmly, with a pleasant smile.
"Why? Because you helped them kidn-" Weiss began.
"Did you not have fun?" Jaune cut in, his tone of voice still warm and pleasant.
Weiss faltered. "Well, yes, but-"
"So what's the problem?" Jaune asked.
"The problem is tha-" Weiss began, only for Jaune to cut in again.
"Look, you're frustrated. I get it. You need help, you know I'll always be there to help you." Jaune informed her kindly, "But if you're just looking to vent…try yoga. Those pants would look really good on you."
He then walked away, leaving the shocked heiress behind.
Pyrrha grinned at everyone else in the hall, who were looking just as shocked as the heiress. "I'm really liking him like this."
She followed after her leader.
Shocked silence filled the room.
"…Am I the only one attracted to him right now?" Yang suddenly asked.
"Don't let Pyrrha hear you say that." Blake replied, although she looked just as shocked as everyone else.
The two blondes
"Hey, Yang?" Jaune called out his fellow blonde.
"Hm? Vomit Boy? What do you need?" Yang asked.
"You know how you said you owe me one?" Jaune asked her.
"I knew it. I knew you were going to ask me out. Fine, I accept." Yang replied while shaking her head.
"What? You and Jaune?" Ruby asked with a betrayed look in her face.
"What? No!" Jaune denied, "I wanted to ask you for sparring sessions!"
"Huh? You? Spar with me?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't know you were suicidal." Weiss commented idly.
"Whoa, this should be fun." Nora added.
"Yeah. I need more experience in bare handed combat. Ren's helping, but I want to expose myself to different combat styles." Jaune answered, ignoring the peanut gallery.
"That's not a bad idea." Pyrrha told him with a warm smile, "I'm glad to see you taking the initiative."
"Well, your funeral." Yang replied with a shrug.
"You ready for this, Vomit Boy?" Yang asked.
"No, but I don't see myself getting ready any time soon, so let's go!" Jaune replied with a determined look.
"Go, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora cheered.
"Go, Yang! Go, Jaune!" Ruby cheered both of them on.
"Damn, but you are hard to put down, Lady Killer." Yang commented after punching him away for what seemed like the thousandth time.
"Haa…ha…" Jaune breathed out. His muscles burned, his vision was fading and he could barely feel his limbs.
"You sure you want to keep going?" Yang asked. She had to admit, she was impressed by the boy's tenacity, his sheer drive.
Not to mention that whatever Ren had been teaching him had let him prolong this fight for far longer than she'd expected. Yes, she'd been going easy on him, but she'd give him credit for that.
Jaune forced himself to straighten up. "Haa…bring…it!"
Yang grinned. "Just what I wanted to hear!"
She charged at him.
"Wait!" a voice stopped them both.
Yang almost tripped on her own feet before skidding to a halt. "What?" she demanded.
Pyrrha pointed at the screens displaying their Aura meters.
Yang's was still firmly in the green, but Jaune's was empty.
"Oh." Yang commented idly, "I guess we'll have to take a rain check, Hotshot."
Jaune fell to his knees. "I…I guess a break wouldn't hurt."
He then saw a hand in front of him. He looked up and saw Yang offering the aforementioned limb.
"Up and at 'em, Hotshot." She grinned down at him, "There are better places to relax than in the floor."
Jaune took her hand and was pulled up, albeit shakily.
To his surprise, Yang grabbed his arm and supported his weight. "C'mon, let's go back to the benches."
"T-thanks." Jaune managed to breathe out.
"I have to say, you're improving pretty quickly, Hotshot," Yang informed him, "I'm impressed with how far you've come."
And she was being honest about it too. With his rising grades and his growing combat skills, Jaune Arc was becoming someone she could see herself relying on.
"Thank you." Jaune replied honestly, "It's only because I've had friends like you."
"Aww, shucks, Vomit Boy, don't mention it!" Yang replied airily.
"Can we spar again sometime? This session really helped me rethink a few things." Jaune told her.
"Of course! I do owe you one." Yang replied.
"Cool." Jaune smiled.
"Hey, we should all go out tonight to celebrate." Yang suddenly told him.
"What? Go out where? And celebrate what?" Jaune asked.
"There's this club I know. I beat up the owner so he owes me one." Yang answered with a carefree smile.
What?
"And we're celebrating the fact that Weiss isn't feeling sorry for herself anymore." Yang told him.
"Uhh…I don't know…a club?" Jaune wondered.
"Aww, c'mon, don't be a buzzkill!"
"We'll see." Jaune finally decided.
New Friends
"Remind me why we're here again?" Ren asked out loud.
"You know why! Team RWBY invited all of us here and we agreed!" Nora reminded him.
"No, "we" didn't agree. You and Yang agreed and kind of forced all of us here." Ren countered.
"So here we all are!" Nora declared, completely ignoring him.
They were in a club. A freaking club.
"What's taking Vomit Boy so long?" Yang complained.
Jaune had ended up drawing the short end of the stick and had been sent to pick up their drinks.
"He seems to be talking to those two." Blake pointed out.
"What?" Both Pyrrha and Ruby looked at the counter, where Jaune was chatting with two girls.
"What is he doing?" Weiss wondered.
"Judging by their demeanor, I'd say they're flirting, but I don't think Jaune knows how to do that." Blake replied.
"Flir…ting?" Ruby asked slowly.
"But Vomit Boy can't flirt." Yang replied. No, not exactly true. Jaune had been trading barbs with others, and it could sometimes be construed as flirting, even if the oblivious man himself wasn't aware of it.
Pyrrha smiled, but anyone could see that it was strained. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"Wait, so you actually ran into a deathstalker?" Melanie asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Big, ugly critter." Jaune told her.
"How did you survive that?" Militia, the more quiet twin asked.
Well, he supposed he could tell the truth, or he could make up some lie and run with it. He'd been spending way too much time around Yang lately, he decided.
"I punched its eyes." Jaune told them seriously.
For a few secods, the sheer absurdity of his claim caused a silence to descend upon them.
"Wh-what?!" Melanie asked, flabbergasted.
"All 10 of them?" Milit asked with wide eyes.
"Oh yeah," Jaune replied with a grin, "All 10 of them."
"I don't know, he seems to be doing fine." Blake commented with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
"Whoo, go Jaune-Jaune!" Nora cheered.
"Hey, I think I know those two." Yang commented, feeling the urge to beat them up again, although she didn't know why.
"Why is Jaune flirting with them?" Ruby asked with a confused and slightly hurt expression.
"Don't worry, Rubes, I'm sure he'll get turned down soon enough!" Yang reassured her sister. Her sister. And nobody else.
"Probably." Pyrrha replied with a forced smile.
"B-but all 10? I mean how?" Melanie demanded.
"You've got to be kidding me." Militia added.
Jaune grinned at them. "Yup, I am."
They both blinked with surprise.
"You jerk! You had us going!" Melanie told him with mock anger before softly slapping his arm.
Militia glared, but he could tell she wasn't actually angry.
"I did, didn't I?" Jaune asked them with a wide smile.
"Yeah, not looking like he's going to get shot down any time soon." Ren commented idly, wondering when his drink would arrive.
He immediately regretted his words when he received three sets of glares.
Wait, three?
He looked at Yang with undisguised curiosity.
Seriously? Yang?
When had Jaune managed to attract Yang of all people?
"Here's your drinks." The bartender told him gruffly before handing him a large platter of drinks.
"Thank you," Jaune accepted the platter and looked at the two girls he'd been chatting with, "I'll see you both around then."
"Wait, do you really have to leave?" Melanie asked.
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Militia asked.
"Sorry, my friends are celebrating something, so I kind of have to be there." Jaune replied apologetically.
"Celebrating? Celebrating what?" Melanie asked him.
"The successful kidnapping of an heiress to a multi-billion lien company." Jaune answered with a grin.
"What?" Militia asked.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Jaune replied.
"Yes, we would," Melanie replied before reaching for a cocktail napkin and writing down two sets of numbers, "Here, why don't you give us a call someday?"
"Sure thing!" Jaune replied with a wide smile.
Who knew that making friends in clubs was this easy?
"Here's the drinks." Jaune announced before sitting down.
"Jaune, are you dating those two?" Ruby immediately asked.
Jaune almost tripped. "Wh-what?!"
"Are you going out with those two?" Ruby asked worriedly.
"Yes, Lady Killer, are you?" Yang asked, looking very, very interested.
"Of course not! We were just talking!" Jaune denied with a blush.
"Really?" Pyrrha asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah!" Jaune affirmed, "They're just friends. They even gave me their number so we can hang out later!"
Jaune suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine.
"Their numbers, huh?" Yang asked coldly.
"Both of them, huh?" Pyrrha also asked with a incredibly cold look.
"They gave you their numbers?" Ruby asked with wide eyes.
Blake and Ren watched with amusement as those three glared at the cocktail napkin in Jaune's hand, which had two sets of numbers and the words "Call us" and a little heart in it.
Weiss watched with interest as she sipped her margarita.
"Whoa, two numbers in one night? Not bad, Jaun-Jaune!" Nora cheered.
"Yeah, can't believe I made two new friends already." Jaune grinned at her.
"Friends? Jauney, they gave you their numbers! Haven't you seen the movies?" Nora asked.
"What mov-oh my god, they were flirting with me." Jaune suddenly realized.
"Yup!" Nora replied.
Jaune suddenly straightened up. "Do you…do you think I have a chance? With any of them?" he asked eagerly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, didn't you say you weren't interested in dating anyone?" Yang asked.
"Yeah! You said you weren't going looking for a girlfriend!" Ruby added.
"I'm not interested in dating anyone in Beacon." Jaune corrected.
He suddenly received 6 sets of glares.
"And just exactly what's wrong with the girls in Beacon?" Weiss asked, her voice artic.
"Yes, Jaune, please tell us." Blake added, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Nothing!" Jaune yelped, "It's just that I don't think it's a good idea for me to date anyone that works and lives in the same place as me!"
"Ah, the "don't crap where you eat", huh?" Ren asked, "Very professional of you."
"Thank you." Jaune informed him.
"B-but…but…" Ruby stammered.
"That's stupid!" Yang argued.
"Are you sure you've thought about this?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes," Jaune nodded resolutely, "I don't think it's a good idea. But back to the matter at hand, do you think I have a chance with any of those two? Because I really liked them and they seemed really nice!"
"Nope! Not at all!" Yang answered almost immediately.
Jaune looked down sadly. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"I'm sure you'll find the right woman for you someday." Pyrrha pat his back.
"Yeah. She might even be closer than you think." Ruby added as she also pat his back.
Pyrrha and Ruby both looked up and glared at each other.
"What if one of them is the one?" Jaune looked up.
"What?" Yang asked.
"What if one of them is the girl I'm supposed to marry? I'm going to talk to them." Jaune got up and left, "See you later!"
"What?!"
"Jaune?!"
"Hey, wait a minute!"
A.N.:
I know it happened some time ago, but when I saw Jaune help Neptune go back to Weiss I couldn't help but think "Damn it, Jaune, you selfless idiot!"
Ah, well, that's one ship sunk.
This is the RWBY fandom, countless possibilities still exist, and as long as Jaune's character receives more development I'm cool with it.
Well, as long as it doesn't overshadow the main characters' screen time, of course.
