Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi (Posted a new story called Spoon Equality today and if you're interested in Pyrrha/Ruby fluff, that's for you.)
Cover Art: Natzo
Spectrum
Jaune vs Pyrrha
Glynda Goodwitch adjusted her glasses once again as she watched all of the students file in and take their seats in the surrounding bleachers.
She would never admit it to anyone, but she was rather curious on whether Jaune Arc would heed her advice and report to class with those of team RWBY. She truly hoped he would. That boy had a lot already riding on his shoulders and the last thing he needed was petty drama caused by nothing more than a lack of communication.
Still, it was sometimes hard to get teenagers to be open with one another. Which was why she went through the trouble of even setting this up in the first place, going as far as to add Jaune into the system. Something which was highly irregular for someone that wasn't attending their prestigious academy.
Glynda had been at Beacon for some time now. Long enough that she had the honor of seeing four of the Arc sisters through from their first day up until their graduation. She had grown rather fond of the socially awkward family and knew that even though they might not have been the strongest of conversationalists, they were all caring, hard-working girls.
What's more, they were people that would never harm a soul if it wasn't in order to protect something precious to them. She just knew that the Arc sisters had to be innocent and couldn't stand that the governments of the world couldn't look at the facts staring them in the face. When Ozpin had called her and said he had a lead that would possibly allow them to exonerate the sisters... well, she hadn't exactly expected to get Jaune.
Yet here he was. And while she wouldn't be able to personally help him free his sisters, she would be here to help guide him as if he was a student and make sure he stayed on the path he believed to be true. Even after just one awkward conversation she knew, he exemplified all the traits she had seen in his sisters. From the eldest to the youngest, they were good people.
Maybe she was overstepping her bounds a little? It wasn't right for a teacher to show favoritism to certain students. Just in this instance, she supposed it was alright to make an exception.
Finally, team RWBY walked in and to Glynda's relief, Jaune and his sister, Rouge, were right behind them. The two siblings paused to take in the sight of Beacon's main combat ring. This was different than the place Jaune and Yang often sparred in and the stage was much more grand in scale. She couldn't help but smirk at the expressions of awe on their faces before they raced to keep up with RWBY.
Predictably, the six of them sat nowhere near what was left of JNPR. The two teams had quit getting along recently since right around the time Jaune had been admitted to stay on campus. Something Glynda was sure wasn't a mere coincidence. It was a little disheartening to see the two once near-inseparable teams at such odds with one another but it wasn't unusual either. Teams sometimes had disagreements. The important thing was how they handled it from here.
If this played out the way Glynda hoped it would, then maybe not only would Jaune and Pyrrha understand one another a little more, but it might work at repairing the rift that had formed between the rest of them as well.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class and Glynda wasted no time in clearing her throat to command the instant attention of the otherwise unruly students. Some of them peeked over at Jaune and Rouge from time to time curiously, but none of them dared speak so long as she wasn't busy monitoring a match.
"Alright students!" Glynda tapped at her scroll as she strolled forward, every click of her heels echoing across the quiet room. "In this class we try to emulate official tournament style duals. This means your Aura is displayed on a screen and if it falls below a certain point, the official, myself in this case, can call that match." A majority of the students made confused looks as she explained something that they already knew.
Some of them appeared to catch on quick that she was doing it for the sake of their two newest occupants, one of which was beginning to get a sinking realization of what was going to happen to him. He tried to get up but Yang had grabbed him by the shoulder and set him back down.
"The first match of the day is going to be a little unorthodox as I've requested the participation of someone not a student. Can I please have Jaune Arc report to the stage?" She tapped her scroll and Jaune's image displayed on the screen behind her and to the right.
At first he didn't budge. All eyes turned to him, waiting for him to make some kind of movement. Yet for several moments nothing happened. Finally, Yang kicked him in the shin and he leapt to his feet with a small cry of pain. It was then that he became acutely aware of everyone's piercing gaze and began to scurry his way up to the front and by Glynda's side.
"What are you doing?" He hissed under his breath as he stopped just next to her.
"Helping." Glynda responded neutrally. In truth, she was secretly enjoying his reaction along with the rest of the class which had broken into a low hum. It wasn't very often she was the one throwing people for a loop and it felt good to break the mold from time to time.
"You can't seriously mean to have me fight-"
"His opponent will be Pyrrha Nikos." She tapped her scroll and Pyrrha's image appeared behind them and to the left.
What was once a dull roar from the crowd turning into an eruption. It really wasn't much of a surprise. Pyrrha was regarded as the strongest second-year student. Jaune was the unheard of brother of the Seven Arc Sisters. Pyrrha barely appeared phased at all as she merely rose from her seat and began to stroll over with the same neutral expression she always had when called into the ring.
"You know this wasn't what I had in mind when I asked for your help." Jaune deflated further with every step Pyrrha took towards them. "She's going to thrash me. She's some kind of champion of the what-cha-ma-call-it."
"The Mistral Regional Championship-"
"Yeah, that thing."
Glynda's eye twitched.
"It's not about winning or losing, Mister Arc. It's about learning to communicate."
"Communicate by beating the crap out of each other?"
"There are many forms of communication. You may find that by communicating with Miss Nikos here in the ring that it'll become easier to communicate with her outside of it as well."
"...If you say so." He sounded skeptical at best. Either way, Pyrrha had arrived on the stage now and there would be no running for either of them. The time had come for them to face one another head on and finally work out their differences.
Pyrrha and Jaune turned to look at one another, only Glynda standing in between them. Yet the two of them said nothing.
"The two of you can begin when you're ready." Glynda stepped back and away from them in order to give them their space. It wasn't the traditional way in which to start a fight but there was already enough tension between them. She didn't need to add anymore to it. Besides, she had already gone so far to arrange this meeting.
Everything else was on them.
"..." Jaune clenched and unclenched his hands, gaze darting between Pyrrha's eyes and the weapon on her back. Both of their mouths were clamped shut and their lips tucked into thin lines. Neither tried to talk and even the students in the seats had quieted down as they waited to see who would make the first move.
The tension continued to mount. Eventually, it became too thick for even the Mistral Champion.
Her elbow twitched and she reached for Milo. That small movement was all it took for Jaune's body to automatically react.
He kicked off the ground with such force that even to Glynda's trained vision he turned into a blur. Most of the first year students likely hadn't been able to even see him move. Pyrrha's green eyes widened the smallest fraction. While there was no way she could see him coming, training senses clicked in and instead of continuing to reach for her weapon she guarded.
With a loud crack, Jaune's fist clashed with the metal band on her forearm. Pyrrha skid back a fraction of an inch but otherwise held her ground. The two of them stood there. Jaune pushed on her forearm with his fist and she pushed back, neither willing to give another inch of ground.
The sudden way in which the match had begun honestly surprised Glynda. It was like a switch had been thrown in Jaune's head. While they had been talking he was nervous and jittery, eyes darting in every direction and limbs twitching randomly. Now he was focused, his lip tucked in a thin line and body perfectly poised for combat. It took strict training to cause that kind of transformation, especially one that happened so quickly.
Pyrrha had appeared equally surprised but now she had recovered and was treating this as every other fight. Jaune grit his teeth and one eye squinted in pain as his arm spasmed. Undoubtedly the scars on his hands couldn't take prolonged stress like their current stand-off. Pyrrha noticed this too and reached for Milo.
Jaune didn't give her the chance and clamped down on her forearm before yanking forward. Pyrrha, who had been pushing with all her might hadn't been prepared for the sudden shift in momentum and stumbled up to him without resistance.
His opposite foot was already swinging upwards in a chamber kick aimed right for her chin. Before he got close, Pyrrha's body bent and rolled out of the way in what should have been an impossible feat. However, by manipulating the metal on her body with her mind, Pyrrha was able to pull it off with practiced ease. The hand gripping her forearm didn't have nearly a firm enough hold and she slipped away from him.
He didn't react quickly enough to pursue right away which finally gave the champion an opportunity to draw Milo. Already in the perfect position, she switched the weapon to its rifle mode, aimed, and pulled the trigger. All of this happened in one fluid motion.
The rifle fired and the bullet left the barrel with a loud bang just as Jaune's other foot touched the ground. The bullet looked like it would meet its mark but with almost inhuman reflexes, Jaune leaned just enough to allow it to fly past. The moment it did and he was gone, pushing Aura into his feet to enhance his speed.
To Pyrrha it must have appeared like he vanished but she didn't react in shock to his speed this time. Milo transformed into a javelin and she swung it overhead and behind. Jaune appeared in the exact spot she was swinging, his leg halfway through a spinning kick. His shin met with the edge of Pyrrha's weapon. Jaune's Aura took a dip but no flesh was pierced from the impact.
Most people recoiled when their Aura took such a direct and blunt attack. That's because most Hunters were taught to fight with a weapon. To Jaune, his whole body was a weapon and that meant taking the full impact of an attack with nothing to protect him but Aura was sometimes a necessity. So instead of shirking back from the blow, he pushed on and knocked Milo out of the way.
For perhaps the first time in her life, Pyrrha was left unguarded. Jaune's body twisted full circle and as he continued his rotation he lashed out at her with an elbow. She raised her hand to divert his attack to the side. It was a common tactic for her to use because every opponent she ever fought up until now wore metal at least somewhere on their body.
Jaune didn't have a trace of metal on him, not even a belt buckle let alone armor or a weapon. There was absolutely nothing for her to manipulate and that wasn't something Pyrrha had ever come up against.
And so for the first time someone broke through Pyrrha's defenses as Jaune's elbow jarred her in the shoulder. Her Aura flashed and took a hit, placing the two of them on almost the same field. Glynda raised an eyebrow at the impressive amount of damage. His elbow alone had caused as much damage to Aura as Milo. Of course, he had been building up quite a bit of momentum alone with the centripetal force of his spin.
Pyrrha took a step back and gripped the shoulder that had been speared with her free hand. Even though Aura had protected her it had undoubtedly been a painful jab. That was something Pyrrha wasn't used to experiencing in a fight. Pain for her was more often experienced through a sprain or bruise when she overexerted herself in personal endurance training. For someone else to inflict injury upon her was almost surely a foreign concept.
Even despite this, Pyrrha was a champion and she had become one by reacting well under pressure, especially in the face of unexpected circumstances. So when Jaune pressed the advantage he created she didn't retreat. His foot came down over her head, and she bent forward using the shield, Akouo, on her back to defend. The tip of his heel struck and it rung out like a bell.
Pyrrha knocked his upraised foot away and charged forward with her head still bent over, tackling into his gut. "Oomph!" He gave a small grunt of pain before crashing onto the floor and skidding to a halt. Pyrrha slipped Akouo off her back and into her other arm, charging at his still prone form.
She spun Milo around so the tip was facing downwards and jabbed at him. As she thrust Milo down, Jaune was already on the move. He rolled just a fraction to the left, the tip of the spear striking ground. Sparks flew as Pyrrha's arm locked up from the unexpectedly hard stop.
He lashed out at her ankle and swept her right foot out from under her. She collapsed down to one knee. He was already spinning his body and flipped himself over, bringing both legs high. Pyrrha's head was caught between his thighs and he twirled around again, flipping her with him and sending the two of them onto their backs, his legs now holding her in a headlock.
Pyrrha flailed Milo and Akouo but wasn't able to land a clean hit in the position Jaune held her in. She gasped desperately for breath and her legs kicked and pushed in an attempt to lift herself back up. Jaune grunted in exertion as he struggled to keep her down. Despite the fact that Pyrrha was superior in strength and stamina, a headlock wasn't something she had ever been trained to escape from.
She may have fought in tournaments and against other students, but the primary purpose had always been training them to fight Grimm. This wasn't the case with Jaune, who was trained to fight against other humans. This difference in specialization showed now that he had caught her in a technique specifically created to disable another person. This would have been pointless against a Beowulf and Jaune would be quickly turned into food for the creature if he were to try this.
Pyrrha's breath grew short and struggles weaker as her eyes started to wave in and out of consciousness. In a last ditch effort, she whipped Akouo high into the air above them. It stopped and hung suspended before it began to spin like a saw under the influence of her Semblance.
Jaune's eyes widened in fear as he realized what was about to happen. Akouo flew back down towards him and he was left with no choice but to release Pyrrha's head and roll to safety. Akouo sawed into the ground until it only stuck out halfway. Even with his Aura there was a strong possibility that would have split him in half. At the very least it would have knocked him into the red and Glynda would have been forced to call the match.
He struggled to his feet as Pyrrha rolled to her knees, giving a ragged series of coughs. Milo had transformed back into a rifle and she was pointing it at Jaune with one hand. She didn't pull the trigger while pushing herself up with the other hand. Her aim wasn't focused right now and if she missed Jaune would be free to charge at her.
In the same vein, Jaune didn't press after her as his legs still appeared to be recovering from having to hold her in that headlock. If he ran in carelessly he increased the chance she would successfully shoot him.
Pyrrha finally got to her feet and her breathing started to calm just as the shivering of Jaune's legs began to subside. The barrel of Milo was still pointed at him and he was tensed to spring forward at any second. Neither of them were willing to make the first move, afraid that it would trigger the counter-attack that would end the fight.
"You're...not bad." Pyrrha admitted as her other hand reached forward and stabilized Milo.
"Heh." Jaune gave a small snort. "Thanks, I guess I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."
"...I understand now why Professor Goodwitch called me up here to fight with you." Pyrrha glanced at her out of the corner of one emerald eye. Glynda simply shrugged and gave her a knowing smile in return. Pyrrha returned her gaze back to Jaune. "I underestimated you. I thought because of your demeanor and the fact that you couldn't beat Yang in a fight meant I couldn't rely on you."
Jaune's clenched hands loosened slightly.
"...You're not entirely at fault for that. I wasn't strong enough to save my sisters. That's why I'm here. That's why I want your help. Especially you, who was Joan's best friend."
"It's not like I don't want to save all of your sisters." Pyrrha shook her head sadly. "All of you are important to Joan, after all. However, I can't justify breaking Crocea Mors. She... needs that shield and sword. If you break it, how is she supposed to help free the rest of her sisters? If you break it you're merely reducing her to the sidelines like what you've done to Rouge. Do you think she's happy being stuck here not able to help in any way?"
"You're a good person, Pyrrha." Jaune admitted with a small sigh. "In fact, you might be a better person than I am. Breaking the swords is the only thing I know how to do. I don't even know if talking it out with them will work. Maybe it will? The truth is, I'm not even really sure I know my sisters anymore. Over the past few years they've all drifted away from me. They've become heroines respected by the whole world while I was just stuck at home, listening to a radio in a small effort to feel closer to them."
"Then you should know more than anyone how it feels to be sidelined!"
"However, right now they need me. Those swords are evil. Even if Joan can be brought back without breaking the sword, what makes you think she's going to want to continue using it after all the things it has done?"
"We can ask her that after we free her! If... if she doesn't want to use it any more than you can break it! But it should be her choice! You can't make that choice for her!"
"I'm her brother! If that choice is the best way to save her then I'll make it whether that's what she wants or not! What makes you think I even want her going after our other sisters? Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to have to fight your family as they try to kill you?! There's no way I'll put Joan through that! I want her safe! That's my one and only priority! I can't worry about if that's what they want or not!"
Their conversation that had started at just above a whisper had escalated into a shouting match. After Jaune's latest outburst though, the overflowing emotions surging through Pyrrha appeared to simmer down and her expression returned to one of neutrality.
"I see. Well, you may be her brother but I am her partner. My feelings for Joan are not so one-sided or incomplete that I only want to protect one part of her. I want to save all of her. That includes her future, which is what you will destroy if you continue on your path."
"I guess we've said everything we can to one another then." Jaune prepared himself once more for combat.
"I guess so." Pyrrha pulled the trigger.
Milo fired and Jaune easily dodged by twisting his body to the side. The bullet grazed past his hair and not a moment later he closed the distance between them. Akouo, which was still wedged into the ground, flew up and clung to Pyrrha's metallic bracer and blocked the fist that flew at her.
In the same motion, Milo mecha-shifted into a sword and she jabbed at him. Jaune spun sideways and stuck his elbows behind him. As Milo stabbed in between his arms and back he pulled in, locking the weapon to him before twisting hard and wrenching it from Pyrrha's grip.
With a spin, he stepped back from Pyrrha and tossed it across the ring where it clattered to the ground. She raised her hand to call it back with the power of her Semblance but he instantly pressed the attack, battering Akouo and skidding her back several inches.
Pyrrha turned her focus back on him as he leapt in the air and spun at her with another high-powered kick. She ducked just beneath it and he landed behind her. For just a brief moment they stood back to back. Pyrrha was quicker to spin around and as she swung Akouo the sharp-side of the shield cut into his back and ripped his shirt. It failed to pierce flesh but his Aura fell into the yellow.
He grit his teeth but didn't fall forward. Instead, he spun around and lashed out at her with a strong backhand.
She bent back and his fist just grazed the edge of her chin. She twisted her body unnaturally again with the aid of her Semblance and her knee drilled into his ribs.
Just as her feet touched the ground, he switched out in an unexpected roundhouse kick that caught the edge of Akouo and flipped it off her bracer. He caught and whipped it across the stadium like a discus, completely disarming her.
Pyrrha raised her forearms to guard but Jaune's fists easily flew between them and struck her in the shoulder and the ribs. Pyrrha was no amateur in hand-to-hand combat but compared to Jaune she was just under-trained. Without her weapon or shield, she didn't really hope to stand a chance against him.
She knew this and Jaune knew this.
So the moment she raised her hand to call both her weapon and shield over, he was prepared.
Every time her Semblance activated, Pyrrha's eyes flickered for a brief moment to the object, or in this case, objects she was manipulating. It wasn't something many noticed. Glynda did but she had years of practical fighting experience. Apparently, Jaune had noticed too.
The moment Pyrrha's eyes flickered, her head jarred harshly to the side and she stumbled. It happened so fast Glynda didn't even realize what had transpired right away. As she replayed the scene in her mind, it became clear.
Jaune usually attacked with a series of punches and kicks, constantly fluctuating between the two in a manner that made him somewhat unpredictable. From the moment he had disarmed Pyrrha though, he had resorted to only jabbing at her with his fists.
Glynda hadn't noticed this at first because he was holding the upper hand regardless. What didn't add up under scrutiny, was that Jaune's hands were maimed and weak. If he was going to attack with one or the other it would make more sense for him to use his feet. Instead, they had remained firmly planted on the ground.
This was because he had been waiting. Waiting for Pyrrha to use her Semblance.
The moment she activated it. He pushed all of his Aura into the sole of his right foot. The result of such an action essentially created a large amount of tension between his foot and the floor. By applying pressure to that tension, his foot had been violently ejected upwards at speeds no human was capable of reaching on their own and he lashed out at Pyrrha's head in a powerful kick that she couldn't block or dodge because she hadn't even seen it coming.
Milo and Akouo flew through the air for a couple feet before collapsing to the ground. They then lifted into the air again before wobbling in place and clattering right in the same spot. Pyrrha held the side of her head in pain and horror as her eyes stared at the ground in an unfocused haze.
"W-what did you do to me?" The poor girl probably still wasn't even aware she had been kicked.
He hit her right at the moment she activated her Semblance, the moment her concentration was most focused on her ability. By shattering that concentration in such a jarring manner he had effectively temporarily disabled her Semblance altogether.
Pyrrha Nikos could not use her polarity.
Glynda had heard of people trained specifically to find ways around another's Semblance but she had never seen someone so young capable of accomplishing such a feat. Pyrrha's Semblance had been thought of as indomitable up until now. Yet in just one match he had found a way around it and showed a whole room full of aspiring Huntsmen that even the strongest among them had chinks in their armor. This was truly beyond her expectations for this match.
Jaune closed the distance between himself and Pyrrha with a simple gait and swung at her with a straight jab. He must have thought that in her dazed state she wouldn't be capable of retaliation. Even if she couldn't manipulate metal, Pyrrha could still fight and managed to catch his punch.
In an unprecedented move for the champion she swung her head forward, bashing Jaune in the nose. His Aura flickered and just barely hung in the yellow. One more hit like that and he would fall into the red.
Pyrrha pulled back and prepared to do it again. She never got the chance as Jaune's knee drilled into her solar plexus and sent her flying several feet through the air. She kicked off the moment her feet hit the ground, charging back at him.
The difference at this point should have been clear. Jaune was trained for hand-to-hand combat and Pyrrha wasn't. However, Jaune had barely inflicted any damage on Pyrrha's Aura and she was still well in the green. Meanwhile, his Aura was barely hanging onto the yellow. Even if it was only one hit, Pyrrha could still possibly win.
Jaune had to find a way to disable her fast or he could lose the one advantage he had. Milo and Akouo were already started to twitch and clatter due to Pyrrha's returning Semblance.
This next strike or lack of one could determine the match.
Jaune charged to meet her head on.
Pyrrha swung her fist right at his face.
He ducked to the side and it flew past him.
Milo mecha-shifted back into a gun and fired as a final act of resistance.
As they raced past one another he raised his bicep up and caught her neck in a lariat.
With the combined force of their opposite running speeds, Pyrrha's body flipped through the air.
The bullet flew over Pyrrha's tumbling body and nicked Jaune in the shoulder, dropping his Aura into the red.
Pyrrha's Aura had dropped to the yellow but it was still more than enough for her to be considered able to fight.
This was her win...
...at least it should have been.
Her body hit the floor face first where it then didn't even so much as twitch.
Jaune Arc had just knocked the invincible Pyrrha Nikos unconscious.
The crowd around them erupted into what was perhaps the loudest cheer Glynda had ever heard from her students. It was rare that they got so into a match, but this one had certainly been unlike anything even she had ever witnessed. Never had one been so close. Jaune's Aura had fallen into the red just a split second before Pyrrha's body had hit the ground. However, it went without saying that she could no longer fight.
"This match…"
In a real tournament, this would be Jaune's loss. In the real world, this would have been Pyrrha's loss. However, this was neither. It was an argument in which both sides had failed to get the other to see their own. So there was only one call she could make.
"...is a draw."
Chapter End
Prompt for the Omake was supplied by the guest reviewer "insert name"
Omake 06
Sibling Squabble
"Ciel! Give me my Gameboy back right now!" As usual, the peace and serenity of their house was quickly thrust into chaos so shortly after breakfast. It was just impossible for it to remain quiet for very long with so many siblings cramped together under one roof, even if it was a fairly large roof.
As one might come to expect, Ciel was naturally at the center of all the craziness. Normally Autumn would just ignore it or risk getting involved in one of her elder sister's pranks. However, the voice that was shouting after her clearly belonged to the only brother in their household. Curiosity getting the best of her, Autumn poked her head out into the hallway just in time for Ciel to sprint past, furiously pounding on the buttons of the small portable game system as she raced away with Jaune hot on her tail.
"Sharing is caring, Jaune!" Ciel called back as she rounded the corner with ease.
"I just got that for my birthday! At least let me beat it before you steal it!" He slid into the wall but quickly recovered as he pushed off it for greater momentum and continued the chase.
A dangerous glint lit up in Autumn's green eyes as she started out of the room and after them.
"Autumn! Where are you going?" Her younger sister, Rouge, called after her.
"To help Ciel of course!" She took off running after the two of them.
"B-but isn't big brother the one that needs help?" Leave it to Rouge to side with him. She seriously looked up to him too much, especially considering that he didn't wield one of the swords.
She rounded the corner and ran into the living room to see the two of them weaving through the furniture, Ciel nimbly hopping over it while Jaune kept awkwardly fumbling into it in a bid to keep pace with her.
This was perfect. Both of them were too distracted to even realize that she was there. Ciel's purple eyes were occupied with the screen and Jaune was feverishly glaring at her waving blue hair. Neither of them had any idea Autumn approached at all until it was too late and she stuck her foot out right in front of Jaune's path.
"Ooph!" He gave a small grunt as she successfully tripped him and he went flying forward through the air due to his momentum. Ciel wasn't prepared for his sudden flight and he smacked right into her, sending her sprawling into a chair which quickly toppled over with a loud crash that surely the entire household heard.
They laid sprawled out over the chair for several seconds in a tangled mass of limbs before finally trying to disentangle themselves from one another.
"Get off me, bro!" Ciel struggled to get out from under Jaune, shoving a hand on his face in the process.
"It wasn't my fault! Autumn tripped me! Now give me back my Gameboy!" He finally freed himself from her and got to his feet. He held out his hand in order to receive his device before realizing that it was no longer in her grasp.
Autumn's eyes trailed to the other side of the chair and her eyes must have caught sight of it at the same time as Jaune because she heard him give a small gasp at that moment. His Gameboy had clattered to the hardwood floor during their tumble and it hadn't taken well to the impact.
The batteries had popped out the back and the game cartridge had been ejected across the floor. That part was fine and could just be placed back in, but wasn't going to be so easily fixed was the fractured screen.
"Oooh…" Ciel pushed herself over the downed chair and draped her body across it. Slowly she turned back to Jaune and gave a forced smile. "...Sorry bro." For a moment she actually sounded sincere but it was almost immediately ruined by her next words. "If you wouldn't be so stingy though and had just let me play…" Her voice trailed off as Jaune's wrapped hands began trembling. His eyes were obscured by his blonde hair and his mouth was clamped together so tight his lip was barely visible.
Autumn flicked one of her orange twintails and strolled by him without remorse. It's not like this was her fault after all. He should have been paying more attention and shouldn't have even allowed Ciel to take his game in the first place.
"It's not like it's a big deal. Just get father to buy a new one. Who even cares?" She stopped in between Jaune and Ciel. "Besides-"
"Sh-... -p." Jaune's mouth opened and something inaudible crept past his lips.
"Huh? What did you just say to me?"
"I told you to just shut up!" Jaune's head whipped up and his furious blue eyes became visible for her to see while he screamed at the top of his lungs, causing the younger girl to back up in fear.
"For once in your life would it kill you to just not say anything!? Is that too much to ask!? I try and try to be nice to you! That's all I ever do! Yet you just keep running your mouth and putting me down! I'm sick of it!" He slammed his foot on the ground and tears started rolling down his face and off his chin.
"H-hey, bro…" Ciel stumbled off the chair and lifted up a hesitating hand.
"No! Why couldn't you just let me have my game?! I got it for my birthday! I just wanted to beat it first! You say get a new one like it's so easy but that one was special! That one was mine!" His breath became ragged and he gave a small hiccup. "I...I just…" As he stuttered over his own words he turned away from them before bolting out of the room. "I hate all of you!"
Autumn stood there with her mouth agape, still unable to react to Jaune's unexpected outburst.
Hate? Jaune...hated her? No... that wasn't right. He didn't hate anyone. No matter how many times she picked on him or what she said he would never hate her. He was her big brother after all and it was his job to love her no matter what... wasn't it?
"Ahh... man!" Ciel flopped back on the broken chair and gave an exaggerated sigh. "We really messed up big this time."
How could she say it like that? It was almost like she didn't even care or hadn't even heard what Jaune had just shouted at them. What if he never forgave them? What if-
"Earth to Autumn." Ciel snapped her fingers in front of her. "Come on, don't start crying too. I'm going to need your help to fix this." Crying? Who was crying? Autumn lifted a hand to her cheek and actually did feel tears rolling down her face.
Then there was that other thing Ciel just said.
"F-fix it?" Her voice cracked and it felt unexpectedly hoarse and dry. Was what Ciel said even possible? The screen was damaged after all and she didn't know anything about repairing things like that.
"Yeah." Ciel rolled back off the chair and picked up the Gameboy. "I bet you Amy has some spare parts lying around... and probably some time. She's good with all this techy stuff."
"Y-You think he'll forgive us if we fix it?" Autumn hated the pleading hope that leaked into her voice but at this point she couldn't bring herself to care about that.
"Forgive us?" Ciel tilted her head and made a snort of amusement. "He's our brother. Of course he'll forgive us." She paused and seemed to think about it for another second. "I suppose this is the first time he's snapped at you like that, huh?" Autumn could only give a small nod. "Well...this probably isn't going to be the last. We're siblings after all. We all get on each other's nerves once in awhile. What's important to know is that it won't last. In the end we always forgive each other."
Autumn didn't really get it.
"So even if we don't do anything, Jaune will still forgive us?"
"That's right. Although it'll probably take longer that way. Thing is though, you and I were in the wrong this time. That means we gotta make it up to him. If we don't, even if he forgives us I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. That's another part of being family, I guess."
"It sounds confusing."
"I know, and trust me, it doesn't get any easier." Ciel put a finger to her lip for a second before nodding to herself. "Think about it this way. We can fix it now, or we can wait for Violet to come back and find out about it."
That did not sound good. If Violet found out they made Jaune cry...Autumn didn't even want to think about it.
"If Amy can fix it...what then? Jaune probably doesn't want to talk to us."
"Already a step ahead of you." Ciel gave her a thumbs up and a quick wink. "Go get that teddy bear Jaune gave you a couple Christmas' ago. You know, the one you snuggle with every night."
"How do you know about that!?" Autumn shrieked as she flailed her arms. She hadn't let anyone except Rouge know that she still even kept that thing.
"Do you really have to ask? I'm your big sister!" Ciel spun and pointed dramatically. "Now hurry up. Operation Get-Bro-to-Forgive-Us begins now!"
Jaune sniffled as he sat on the porch and just stared aimlessly across the yard.
The sun was setting now, casting an orange glow over the forest and causing the air to chill. He gave a small shiver but refused to go back inside. He didn't want to see anyone from his family right now. Or ever.
Squeak Squeak Squeak
His ear twitched as he heard the odd noise of something inanimate walking across the wooden porch behind him. He slowly turned his head to see a familiar looking teddy bear standing upright just behind him.
That was odd. He had gotten that bear for Autumn a couple Christmas' ago now. She had appeared elated by it at the time but he had long since thought she had gotten rid of it, especially considering the way she acted towards him most times.
What's more, it was standing and moving on its own, likely with the help of Ciel's Semblance. Normally she only breathed life into inanimate objects for pranks but it didn't seem like that was the bear's purpose this time as it walked up to him, arms behind its back.
As he stared at it, it appeared to look right back at him before pulling its hands forward and presenting him with his Gameboy...in condition that was better than new.
What the…
He reached his hand gingerly forward and took the Gameboy from the bear and felt a small piece of paper crinkle in his hand that had been hidden behind the device. He set the Gameboy down and unfolded the paper.
'Hey Jaune. It's Amy. Ciel more or less told me what happened. Fortunately for you I had some spare parts so I fixed the screen up. Also, I added a backlight to it so now you can even play it in the dark. By the way, Autumn looks absolutely crushed so try to forgive her quickly. I know it's hard to tell sometimes but she only treats you that way because she wants your attention. I would know...I kind of do the same thing to Violet after all. Don't tell anyone I said that. And don't let Ciel read this. I'll kill you if she uses that against me.'
He gave a small smile as tears once again welled up in the corner of his eyes.
He already knew that about Autumn. He also knew Ciel just liked being included in what everyone else was up to as well.
After folding the paper up and placing it in his pocket he picked the Gameboy back up. It really did look better than new. With a click it powered on and a bright light emitted from the screen as the console logo displayed across it.
"...I know the two of you are hiding behind the door." He called out just loud enough for them to hear. Almost immediately he heard the two of them shuffle loudly behind the doorframe as they tried to quietly retreat only to fail horribly and stumble out into the open.
"Hehe...hey bro! What a coincidence!" Ciel chuckled awkwardly and gave a small wave. Autumn didn't say anything and stared at him with a mixture of fear and anxiety. He had to fight the urge to sigh as he saw her expression. He hadn't meant to hurt her like that.
"...You two wanna watch me play? Amethyst made it bright enough so we all can see." He held up the Gameboy and gave them both an awkward smile of his own as he tried to restore the peace.
Ciel grinned brightly as she jumped back up to her feet.
"For sure!" She made it to his side in an instant and plopped down next to him.
Autumn wasn't quite as quick and didn't say anything at first as she made her way over to him. Once she was right next to him she sat down and buried her cheek into his shoulder so she could see his game.
"...I'm sorry."
Jaune ruffled her orange hair with his hands.
"Eh, me too. But let's not worry about that anymore, okay?"
She gave a small nod and he smiled brightly.
"Good. We got a game to play." He turned back to his screen and started up the game.