Team JEST
Chapter 10: Heated Recovery
S/N: Let's get right into the chapter.
A/N: We don't own RWBY.
(x)
"Did you find anything?!" Yang called to Thomas as the two teams and the Hunter searched.
"No!" Thomas called back. "Where are you?" Thomas whispered to himself this time.
"Guys? Just a thought. If Johnny blew up, shouldn't his body be gone?" Weiss questioned.
"That's the thing. What he did was more of a heat wave. It's got as much power as an explosion, but his body won't disappear, since it was the source," Eric answered as he kept looking.
"Then where's his body?" Blake asked.
"That's why we're looking," Sam responded.
As Thomas kept searching, he was hit with a sudden flashback. He remembered something his mom taught him when he was younger.
(x)
7 years earlier...
"Thomas, sweetie," Lana started as her son followed her. "Your dad told me that you unlocked your semblance."
"Yep!" 10-year-old Thomas said cheerfully. "I can manipulate gravity." The last two words were said slowly, as he was still just a child and didn't know how to pronounce those words.
Lana laughed genuinely at her son's tiny mess-up. "Well, sweetie, do you want me to teach you something?"
"Can I get a cookie after we're done?"
"Of course. Now pay attention. This is very important." As soon as he heard that, Thomas leaned in closer. "Everyone in the world has their own unique gravitational field. What that means is...well, take a look at me. Concentrate."
Thomas did. Once he did, he could clearly see a field around his mom. "Wow, Mom! You have a field around you!"
"Exactly sweetie. Everyone has their own field. Follow me." Thomas and Lana walked through the house for a couple more minutes. Finally, they reached the living room, where Johnny, Eric, Adrian, and Sam were playing and laughing. "You see them, Tommy?" Thomas nodded. "Good. Concentrate and memorize their specific fields of gravity. If you don't, then no cookie for you." Thomas' eyes widened at this threat, and he got to work.
After some time, Thomas said, "Done. Now may I get a cookie?" He looked up with puppy-dog eyes at his mom, who tried her best to resist. Finally, she broke, and nodded, signaling that he may get a cookie. "Yay! You're the best, Mom! I love you!" Thomas gave his mother a hug that she returned while chuckling.
"I love you, too, sweetie."
(x)
Now...
Please let this work! Thomas thought as he concentrated. He opened his eyes and saw the gravitational fields of everyone around him.
He saw Yang's.
He saw Sam's.
He saw Eric's.
He saw Johnny's.
He saw Ruby's.
He saw Wei―
He backtracked. "I found him!" Thomas yelled as he ran towards Johnny's gravitational field. Without hesitation, the others followed him.
When they finally reached Thomas, they saw him standing next to a body. When they got closer, they saw Thomas kneeling over the body, checking for a pulse. "Is he alive?" Adrian asked, worried for his son.
"He's alive," Thomas confirmed, the worried look never leaving his face, "but he's not breathing!"
Eric and Sam rushed forward and knelt next to their brother. Eric placed a hand on Johnny's forehead, and immediately retracted it. "His skin is literally burning!" When Sam tried, she felt a searing pain course through her palm, equivalent to a second-degree burn. When she examined her hand, however, there was no trace of any burns.
Yang wiped her forehead. "Is it me, or did it just get hotter in here?"
"You're right," Blake said, wiping her forehead as well. "It's like a sauna."
"Kids, did your mother ever teach you any resuscitation techniques?" Adrian asked seriously.
"Dad, I know it could be our only choice, but we are not giving him mouth-to-mouth," Thomas replied.
"Wait, Tommy!" Sam called her brother as she remembered something. "Remember that game we played, and where one of the main characters died? What did the hero do?"
"...Sam, get out two Lightning Dust crystals, now!" Thomas instructed, catching onto Sam's plan. "Your idea is so crazy, it just may work!"
Sam reached in her coat pocket and pulled out two Lightning Dust crystals, as Thomas had instructed. She rubbed them together, producing a spark. "Clear!" Sam yelled as she pressed them against Johnny's chest.
When she did so, a spark emerged from the Dust, and entered Johnny's body.
No response.
She zapped him again.
Still no response.
Again.
No response.
Again.
No response.
"WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!" Sam shouted, tears streaming down her face as she slammed her fists into his chest, sending one last shock through his body as the Dust crystals shattered.
Johnny woke up with a gasp, shocking everyone there. He got up on all fours, and began coughing. He groaned, "Next time, don't punch me, please."
Happy, and angry, Thomas slapped his brother upside the head. "Don't pull shit like that ever again, and maybe we'll see!"
Johnny struggled to get up, and was helped by Eric and Yang. He motioned to them to let him go. "I'm fine, guys." Johnny walked a couple of steps forward―before he stumbled and fell.
Adrian was quick to rush to his side, catching his son as Johnny passed out.
(x)
"Would someone care to explain why the hell my son is in a coma?!" Lana shouted at the Huntsmen-in-training.
"He had the bright idea to absorb five Burn Dust crystals," Adrian explained.
Lana sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I figured as much."
"Wait, did you say coma?" Thomas asked.
"I didn't stutter, sweetie. The heat from the Dust he absorbed was too much for his premature body to handle. The rise in temperature caused him to go into brief cardiac arrest, at least until you kids revived him. Tell me, did you feel any heat around him?"
"Yeah, we did. And when Sam and Eric touched his forehead, they said he was burning," Yang informed.
"That must have been the heat expelled from his body when he had his meltdown," Lana mused.
"How long before he wakes up?" Ruby asked, concerned for her friend.
"A day. Maybe two," Lana answered. "I can only allow four visitors at a time, not including Hunters. So if you three are staying," Lana looked at her (awake) children, "you four," she turned to Team RWBY, "can leave or one of you can stay."
"I'll stay," Yang immediately said.
"Why?" Thomas questioned.
"I just want to, okay?!" Yang huffed as she crossed her arms and looked in the other direction. Everyone noticed the small blush on her face, but decided not to call her out on it.
"I'll get some chairs set up for you four. Since it's Saturday tomorrow, feel free to stay the night," Lana smiled as she went to get some extra chairs.
"Thanks, Mom!" Thomas called.
"You're the best!" Eric and Sam called after their mom.
(x)
Two days later: 12:00 AM, Sunday…
Johnny stirred awake in the bed he was in. He opened his eyes and saw his coat, fully repaired after it got burned during his blow-up. He looked to his left and saw Thomas and Eric, both by his bed and sleeping in chairs. He looked to his right and saw Sam and (surprisingly) Yang, also sitting in chairs and sleeping.
"Good to see you're finally awake, Johnny." Johnny jumped a bit when he heard a voice talk to him. He looked around a bit more, and finally saw Ozpin casually standing in the shadows and sipping his cocoa. "I wouldn't worry about making too much noise. They've been up all night yesterday, and have fallen asleep hours ago. They wanted to be awake for the moment you woke up, but the need to sleep won."
Johnny nodded. He looked down at his hands as he said, "You know what happened, right?"
Ozpin nodded, and stepped closer so he was at Johnny's bedside. "Your scroll was fried, and your coat was in ruins. Your father got you a new scroll, your brothers and sister transferred all of your data to the new scroll, and your mother repaired your coat. All the while, Yang never left your side."
Johnny tilted his head in confusion. "Why? I mean, I get why my family did what they did, but why did Yang?"
"Isn't it obvious? What you feel for her, she feels for you."
"Are you sure?"
"I've already told Ruby this, Johnny. I've made countless mistakes, perhaps more than any man, woman, and child. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I make mistakes all the time. Besides, her feelings for you are clear."
"If you say so, Professor. And thanks for this."
"For what? I was never here." With that, Ozpin left the room.
Johnny looked back at his allies, and smiled. They really care that much for me, huh? With that last thought in his head, the recovering team leader let genuine sleep overtake his body.
(x)
"Your vitals are all right, Johnny," Lana informed as she looked into her scroll. "You don't seem to be very affected by what happened."
"Should I be?" Johnny asked as he sat up. His mother, while he was sleeping, sent his siblings and Yang away to eat some breakfast, allowing her time to check up on him.
"No, now that all the heat has been removed from your body."
"Should I still drink plenty of fluids, Doc?"
"It's recommended, yes." Johnny and Lana both chuckled at this inside joke.
"Am I clear to go, now? Not that I don't love you, but I've been cooped up in here for too damn long."
"Yes, sweetie, you're medically cleared to leave. I would recommend that you wait here for your friends."
"Can I at least get ready to leave?"
"Your clothes and weapons are over in my office. Let me know when you're done changing." Johnny nodded and got up from his bed.
When he stepped in Lana's office, his clothes were laid out for him. First, he put on his red short-sleeves shirt (after removing the hospital gown), then his black pants and belt (underwear was left on). He put his trench coat on, and slipped on his gauntlets over the sleeves, and slipped his fingers through the fingerless gloves that were attached to the gauntlets. He strapped his swords on his back, and sheathed his Waypoint at his waist. He looked over to where his weapons were and saw his new scroll. He took and placed it in his pocket after making sure everything was in order.
When he stepped out, he looked over to his bed and saw that no one was there. He left the room, and was greeted by several shocked faces.
Before Team RWBY, Sam, Thomas, or Eric could say anything, Johnny motioned for them to follow him. Silently, they did, and the group kept walking until they reached the Emerald Forest (they had a run-in with Ozpin, who knew where they were heading and gave them access). Once they were inside it, Johnny turned to face the group and motioned for someone to talk.
"WHAT THE HELL/HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!" Everyone shouted (Weiss and Ruby shouted the 'HECK' part).
Johnny winced. He was not expecting them all to speak. First, his siblings spoke. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!" Thomas shouted at his leader.
"You can't just pull shit like that and expect us not to yell at you!" Eric crossed his arms in his rage.
"We don't want to lose you, as a leader or as a brother!" Sam cried.
Johnny, after they finished what they said, replied with, "I'm sorry, I won't do that again. It was the only option at the time, and I am all but counting my blessings that I even survived."
This seemed to please Eric and Thomas, as they both pulled their brother into hugs, both of which he returned. Johnny turned to Sam, who was looking sad. She asked, "Did you really mean it when you said that you were our leader first and our brother second?"
Johnny pulled his sister into a hug and placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "Let me rephrase that: I am a Rogers first and Team JEST leader second. Better?"
Sam smiled and returned the hug. "Better."
After a couple of seconds, the two pulled apart. Johnny turned to Team RWBY, and motioned that it was their turn.
First, Ruby tackled him with a hug, causing him to stumble, but not fall. "I thought we almost lost you, please don't do that ever again, you're the one of the first new friends I made here, it would get really boring if you died or left, and I really want a cookie right now!" Ruby said without stopping for breath.
Johnny returned the hug as he said, making sure to take breaths in between, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I'm never going to do that again, you were the first new friend I made here, my meltdown was bigger than yours, and ask Tommy for a cookie." Ruby smiled as she tightened her grip on her fellow leader, letting go afterwards.
Weiss followed up next, and she pointed a finger at Johnny. "Do you have any idea how reckless that was?! You could've blown us out of the sky if you weren't careful! You had us worried so much, and God only knows what kind of reckless stuff you'll pull next ti―"
Johnny interrupted Weiss as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Ice Queen. That's a promise I intend on keeping."
"Good. And don't touch me." Despite this, Weiss returned the hug.
After they let go, Johnny turned to face Blake, who proceeded to smack him upside the head. "Don't do that next time," she sternly told him.
"Yes, ma'am," Johnny replied as he rubbed the spot she smacked.
Blake smiled and surprisingly pulled Johnny into a hug. "I enjoy our time in the library."
Johnny hesitantly returned the hug. "Me too, Tomcat."
"Don't call me that ever again."
"Sorry."
Johnny broke out of the hug, and turned to face the last member of Team RWBY. He wasn't expecting to be punched hard enough to be sent through a couple trees. He slammed against a third tree hard, and fell to his knees.
"Yang, what the hell?! Are you trying to put in him back in a coma?!" Thomas yelled as he held Yang back.
"I just might! He deserves it!" Yang seethed as she broke free from Thomas.
Thomas resorted to using his semblance to hold Yang back. Yang resorted to using her semblance to break free once more, knocking Thomas back in the process.
Johnny had gotten back up and was holding his arm in pain. His eyes widened when he saw Yang approach him in her enraged state, her Aura knocking back anyone that tried to approach her or hold her back. He braced himself for the second blow. He did not expect her to slowly calm down as she approached him, and he certainly did not expect her to grab his face and pull him into a kiss. The two remained locked that way for several seconds, until Yang pulled away. She pointed a finger at him as she said, "I swear, if you pull something stupid like that ever again, I'll be sure to break some ribs."
Johnny, still taken aback by her sudden kiss, chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry. I won't do it again."
"Good. Now shut up and hug me." Johnny pulled Yang into a hug, which she gladly returned. "What did you say to me before you so rudely knocked me out?"
"'I'm sorry'?
"Before that."
"'This is why I love you'?"
"Now say it again."
"This is why I love you, Yang Xiao Long."
"Good. I love you too, Johnny Rogers."
"What about us?" Ruby got their attention. Johnny rolled his eyes and motioned for them to come over. When they did, he opened his arms wider for a group hug, which everyone took part in. "I love you all."
"We love you too, you idiot," Sam laughed.
"Although," Johnny mused with a mischievous smile on his face, "I could try four Dust next ti―"
"NO," everyone said sternly in unison.
"But―"
"NO."
"You guys are no fun."
End of Volume 1...
(x)
S/N: Volume 2 is going to feature some new villains, and a hell of a lot more action, romance, and humor. It may take a while, though. School is tough.
A/N: And as always, Read & Review!
S/N: Till next time!