Merry Christmas everyone! Here is my gift to you all.
As you may have heard/seen, I've released another fic into the RWBY-verse which I hope you will check out if you haven't already. It's a pure comedy-fic though, in an attempt to detox from the DRAMA in this one lol. It's called Professor Arc, I'm sure you can see it from my profile or similar. Either way, this will remain my MAIN fic.
Please don't worry about it interfering with this, as I have made a personal rule that I cannot update PA - Unless this is updated first.
This chapter feels a little short, but there was not much to say or do in it. Blake is injured and needs treatment, so couldn't have too much of it about her. Either way - Enjoy.
Beta: Super Saiyan Cyndaquill
Chapter 9
Blake's fingers drummed impatiently on her upper thigh as she watched Beacon Academy come into focus through the porthole beside her head. The tall central spire gleamed against the sun which was just beginning to slowly descend from the sky towards the horizon. She wanted to leap to her feet and clamber at the ramp in readiness to be home, but was able to contain the impulse to the frantic tapping of her legs.
Beside her Jaune was no better, one of his hands constantly reaching up to toy with his collar as his blue eyes looked unblinkingly past her. They were both ready to be home it seemed.
"Here we are kiddos." Coco shouted out over the loud noise of the Bullhead settling to a landing as the doors began to unlock and slowly open. "Thank you for travelling with CFVY air, in the future for all your getting lost in a Grimm infested forest needs. Choose a different team!"
Blake ignored the woman's ranting, which had been an almost constant companion as they travelled back to Beacon. Gratitude mixed with relief at still being alive was enough to push down her irritation. Just barely.
Oh I'm sorry you lost sleep finding us, we were busy nearly dying!
To Blake's surprise the first people to greet them as they staggered back onto solid ground was not their own teams, but a wide-set man with a short cropped hairstyle and a huge sword hilt visible over one shoulder.
"Found them." Coco chirped as she strolled casually down the ramp, heels clicking loudly against metal with each step. She came to a stop before the large man as he looked at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"Fox spotted them and pulled some sweet moves. Now the little lambs are back we can finally get some rest." Another long silence as the man stood perfectly still before slowly lifting up one shoulder and letting it fall.
"I know, right?" The woman sighed. Somehow apparently understanding what was little more than a bloody shoulder movement in Blake's eyes. "Hey, team movie time?" Another long silence which after a full seven seconds of waiting was broken as a tiny smile came to the man's lips. "Awesome!" Coco crowed as she span on the darker skinned male of her team. "Fox, find Velv. It's movie time, tell her if she's late we'll bar romance movies for a month."
Blake watched in silent bemusement as the one called Fox dashed away while Coco and the heavyset male of their team walked away, one of them chatting animatedly.
"Well. That happened." Jaune mumbled from beside her as she shook her head. Were they the only sane ones in this damn place?
"BLAKE!" A girlish voice screamed in a strange mixture of joy, excitement and worry as a red and black bundle slammed into being in front of her, hesitating with her arms held out in front of her, a look of worry on her face as silver eyes roamed up and down Blake's form. Blake couldn't stop the wide smile coming to her lips.
"I'm a little injured, but it'll be okay if you're gentle." She whispered to her young leader as the girl closed the final distance at a slower, less-semblance enhanced speed, and enclosed her in a hug. Thin arms reaching around her midriff to join at her back as the top of Ruby's hair tickled her chin.
"Well. Well, look what the cat dragged in." Yang's voice drawled as the rest of their two teams caught up with the speedy Ruby. "That's quite the fashion statement you're setting there Blake." The blonde finished with a leer as she joined the hug from behind, laying her face on Blake's shoulder so that their cheeks were touching, while her arms snaked around Blake's shoulders.
"Shut up, you." Blake whispered back as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the two friends holding her. She felt one of her hands being taken and squeezed as well, and she made sure to curl her fingers round to tightly grip Weiss' hand as well. Gods, she hadn't realised how much she had missed them all – until she had nearly lost them.
Oh, she knew Yang wouldn't forget that she had arrived wearing Jaune's clothing, that would come back to bite her in time. But for now she would ignore the danger, and simply enjoy the love from her team mates.
She opened her eyes to look at her other survivor, interested to see if his own reunion would be as touchy as her own. Unsurprisingly, it was not.
Pyrrha rushed up to him before pausing as Ruby had, hands held out in front of her in a desperate desire to touch him and make sure he was okay – but she didn't have the bravery or confidence to do so. And unlike with Ruby, Jaune was too damn naïve to figure out what she wanted.
Nora had no such compunctions, darting past Pyrrha to latch onto Jaune's shoulders in a hug that looked more dangerous than any grappling attack. The orange-haired girl span Jaune in place as she hugged him, somehow ending up with her latched onto his back, with her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck – effectively riding him piggy-back, as she shouted greetings into his ear. Jaune bared it with the patience of a man who had clearly seen it all before, and smiled as he talked back to her.
Ren walked up slowly and did nothing more than pat Jaune on the back of his shoulder, some form of manly solidarity for those who just had too much Y chromosome to actually hug one another or show real emotion.
Despite the differences it looked like Jaune enjoyed the reunion as much as she did her own, smiling and talking animatedly as he finally drew Pyrrha closer, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Normally Blake thought Pyrrha would have been disappointed with the clearly friendly gesture, but she seemed too relieved he was okay to comment, putting her own hand on his other shoulder.
"Did that ridiculous Arc look after you properly?" Weiss interrupted her thoughts as she spoke, causing Ruby to release her, though Yang refused to let go of her from behind. "I hope he didn't make matters worse."
The words were rude, but Blake knew the heiress didn't truly mean anything by it. In Weiss' eyes, Jaune clearly was the weaker fighter when compared to Blake, so it made a certain logical sense that Jaune would have dragged her down. The truth was quite the opposite though.
"Jaune did well, it's no lie to say I would have died without him." Yang's arms subtly tightened around her shoulders at the words, and Ruby's eyes widened. Weiss looked Blake in the eyes for a few seconds before nodding.
"I'll make sure to thank him for protecting our team mate then." The girl acknowledged, before a frown came to her lips. "I just hope he won't try to demand a date out of me in return." Blake laughed in return, the gesture finally causing her body to fully relax in Yang's arms. It felt like such a long time since she had honestly laughed, not out of desperation like she and Jaune had in that tree trunk – but genuine laughter. It felt good.
In front of her Ruby seemed to be considering something internally. Her facial expression going through worry to nervousness to calm, then finally settling on determined. Blake's eyebrow quirked upwards as she watched the girl spin away from her before striding over to Team JNPR.
She couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise, but Jaune was smiling down at Ruby as they spoke, and the rest of team JNPR seemed to be smiling as they talked. No doubt Ruby was suiting Weiss' words into action and thanking Jaune herself. The man in question looked mildly uncomfortable, scratching the back of his hair in embarrassment even as Nora hung over his shoulders.
Which was why he couldn't do anything as Ruby reached up and pulled his face down by his cheeks, and kissed him quickly on the lips. Blake's eyes widened in shock, feeling slightly uncomfortable at witnessing the sight, even as Ruby ended the kiss after barely two seconds and rushed back to their team, hiding her embarrassed face in Blake's midriff once more.
"Huh…" Yang's voice mumbled noncommittally over Blake's shoulders, and she hoped the blonde would not overreact and attack Jaune – or throw Blake's injured form at the boy like some kind of ballistic missile.
Jaune looked about as shocked as Blake felt, one hand reaching up to touch his lips with red blooming across his cheeks. Beside him though, oh Gods that was a complicated expression on Pyrrha's face. A small smile, twisted in a way that suggested it was taking an enormous amount of effort to keep it in place. Hopefully they could all write that off as Ruby wanting to thank him… but what if she did have feelings for Jaune?
That would be… good, right? Jaune deserved to be happy. Sure Ruby was young, but she'd shown herself to be mature at times, and Jaune would be a good person to look after her. So Blake should be pleased if Ruby liked him…
Enough. I'm not getting involved with Jaune's love life. That way lays madness.
"Ahem?" A voice interrupted as Glynda Goodwitch stepped before them, her presence luckily dispelling the tense air between the two teams and giving Ruby the distraction she needed to take attention away from what she had done.
"Though it's always a pleasure to see such heart-warming reunions. Professor Ozpin would like to meet with Miss Belladonna and Mr Arc to hear their report."
"Aw, but Miss Goodwitch, they just got back." Yang whined from over Blake's shoulder, drawing the uncomfortable ire of the stern disciplinarian their way.
"I was not asking, Miss Xiao-Long."
"No, wait!" Jaune interrupted as he broke away from Pyrrha and settled Nora down on her feet. "Blake's injured, she needs medical attention immediately."
"What!?" Weiss shouted, even as Yang and Ruby expressed their own immediate vocal concern. Internally Blake rolled her eyes, she could have handled a quick report to the Headmaster, she was sure of it.
"Is this so Miss Belladonna?"
"I should be good to report to the Headmaster, I will head to the medical bay afterwards." Miss Goodwitch spared her a glance, but nodded in agreement. However the resident blonde knight butted in once again.
"She was coughing blood and close to collapsing!" He argued as he waved his arm in her direction, somehow not noticing her frantically shaking her head. Damn it Jaune, she wanted answers on the Grimm movements from Ozpin!
"Very well." Miss Goodwitch finally intoned, cracking her crop against a nearby wall to bring silence to the group. "Miss Xiao-Long, ensure that Miss Belladonna makes it to the medical bay immediately, she will be at risk if she convinces you to make a single detour. Mr Arc will follow me to see the Headmaster."
With that the woman span in place, walking away while Jaune jogged to catch up with her. Blake made to step after them, only to come to a resounding halt when Yang's arms turned to solid steel bands around her shoulders.
"You ain't going nowhere kitkat. To the medbay with you."
Damn it Jaune!
Jaune sat tensely in the seat at the Headmaster's desk as he finished his report on what they had seen and experienced while separated from their teams. While Miss Goodwitch stood opposite him beside Ozpin's chair, the headmaster was instead stood staring out of the window with a mug of coffee. Despite the seeming lack of attention, Jaune had made sure to keep his eyes firmly on the back of the man as he spoke.
"And then Coco and her teammate picked us up." He finished with a long sigh, glad to have done his fair share of the talking. It came to him at that moment that they had never been really told how to do reports, or even fill them in. Presumably they would have had those lessons after their first mission, if this crisis hadn't hit.
"I see Mr Arc. This is most distressing." The Headmaster didn't turn to him as he spoke, but did pause to take a long drink. "Still, it is heartening to see that you both returned safe, even if Miss Belladonna has been taken away for treatment."
There was another pause, but this time the man turned to face him, walking back to his chair and settling himself down slowly while he adjusted his scarf. Jaune stiffened in his seat at the attention the two teachers were giving him.
"You claim that the Boarbatusk looked to be... fleeing from something? Can you elaborate on this?"
"I thought they looked like they were rushed. They weren't looking around where they were going, and were travelling at a speed that was actually quite fast. I'm not sure what the physical endurance of a Grimm is, but any normal creature would have collapsed after a day at that pace."
"Interesting..." The Headmaster trailed off as he clicked a few buttons on his desk-mounted computer. "Grimm do tire like any other creature, though it can take longer depending on what species they are. It is possible that you caught them at a time of high energy, perhaps after they had rested."
"That does not account for the numbers they saw them in." Miss Goodwitch interrupted. "How certain of the numbers are you Mr Arc?"
"Not at all." He honestly answered. "We must have seen almost two hundred in the time we were there, but the noise had been going on for a while before we found them, and they were still passing by while we left."
"Very disturbing." Ozpin broke in once more. "Numbers like this can, and will, pose a threat to the safety of all our civilians. We will pass this information on to the General, Mr Arc. Well done on a successful mission."
"Er, yeah sure." He stammered out, still sitting stiffly in his seat. "Sir... can you tell me what else has been found?" Both the teachers shared a glance before looking back at Jaune. "I don't mean any classified information... just the general overview of what's … gone on, while we were on our mission?"
"I suppose I could give you the bare basics." The Headmaster offered, while Jaune nodded and leaned forward. "Each of the villages that teams were sent out to were annihilated, with no survivors found. The attacks all show signs of Grimm, but of varying species."
"The military has mobilised and began a defence around the main towns of Vale, while Bullheads and older Hunter teams are doing their best to track the herds. Some small herds have been found and destroyed, yet we haven't been able to locate or isolate a group as large as the one you and Miss Belladonna have seen."
That was worrying... there was no telling how many hunters it would take to kill that many Grimm, though Jaune supposed it would all depend on what situation they were in when the two sides met. If the hunters could lure them into a trap, or some terrain that benefitted the humans, then it would be fairly easy. Boarbatusk weren't exactly good climbers with their bulk, so some rocky terrain and a few long range hunters with explosives or machinegun-type weapons could reap a bloody toll.
"Has anyone else found signs of Grimm in the numbers we saw at all?"
"Though there haven't been any sightings of Grimm in congregations so large, there are a few anomalies we were unable to figure out, which could be answered by columns of Grimm numbering in the hundreds." The man continued. "We'll now be looking back over them and considering if they were caused by a similar phenomenon to what you experienced. If they are, then the situation will be most troubling indeed."
"You think it might be an invasion don't you?" Jaune demanded as his muscles clenched in a combination of fear and anger. "Has... has there even been an invasion of Grimm before?"
"An invasion suggests an intelligence we have no evidence of believing the Grimm to be capable of Mr Arc. We tend to call them incursions, and they can be caused by aggressive attacks - or just unfortunate migrations. You might want to take a look at the history of Mountain Glenn, for an example of such."
So it had happened before... which meant it could happen again. But also meant that they knew how to deal with it right? He would need to look up that name and see how Vale had solved the problem in the past and if they could do the same again.
"Now if you will tell me Mr Arc." The man continued, leaning forwards even as Jaune tensed and his right hand clenched. "Why you look prepared to attack me right now?"
"W-what?" He gasped out, leaning back in shock as he stammered out his denial.
"Your muscles have been tensing ever since you arrived, and you still have not let your guard down." The man continued. "Your unintentional aggressive stance has even set poor Miss Goodwitch on edge."
"That is hardly the case." The woman in question argued, but Jaune could see that he was right. She had looked subtly more intimidating and threatening, clear signs that she herself was preparing for possible combat.
"I do not believe you would attack me without cause Mr Arc, so must assume you haven't yet desensitised from your survival situation."
Was that the case? Was that why he was feeling so tense and jumpy, even when his team had welcomed him?
"Mr Arc, try something for me. I want you to take a deep breath and hold it, but do not release it until I tell you to." Jaune nodded nervously and did as the Headmaster asked, taking a big gulp of air and holding it as his cheeks puffed out. The seconds began to tick by as Jaune did his best to keep the air trapped in his lungs.
"Keep holding it." The man instructed as he stared into Jaune's eyes. "...A little longer."
Jaune gagged as the breath exploded from his mouth, his body sagging as he gasped for more air into his starved lungs. That bastard hadn't even told him to breathe again, but that had almost been a minute!
"There we go." The man smiled as Jaune spared him an evil glance and fought for more breath. He did feel less tense though, and was beginning to feel the actual ache and pain of his tortured muscles.
"Situations like your own are very common Mr Arc, do not worry." Miss Goodwitch stepped in as she helped Jaune climb to his feet and began to lead him from the room. "As you become more accustomed to missions and dangerous situations you will learn to adapt and calm down quicker. For truly harrowing events like what you and Miss Belladonna faced, it can often take a good night's sleep to truly ...switch off, as it were."
"I see." He simply agreed, nodding as he could finally feel the tiredness sweeping in. In retrospect it had been strange that he hadn't felt exhausted, considering that he and Blake hadn't had enough sleep at all - they must have been running on pure adrenaline alone. And their bodies had continued to supply it, even when they were safe.
"Do you mind if I go see if Blake is okay?" He asked once the two of them were back on the main Academy level. He had no idea if he was expected to return to lessons.
"You can do as you wish Mr Arc. Both your teams have been granted a week's leave to recover from your missions, and lessons are optional within that period. I would suggest after assuring yourself of Miss Belladonna's safety though, you get some food and retire for an early night."
"I will." He promised. "Thank you, Miss Goodwitch." And he meant it too, more than she might have understood from his words. The gruelling spars and training she had forced on them had probably saved his life back in Elgard.
Still, as he began to jog towards the medical bay, he couldn't stop his thoughts going back to his partner... or rather, the black-haired girl who had been his partner for the last thirty-six hours or so. It had made him so angry to not be able to deliver her to the medical bay himself, to make sure she was okay. And now he could recognise that anger as being just another part of the adrenaline that had coursed through him.
It was while he was approaching the medical wing that he ran into the rest of his team, the three of them seeming to be walking away from it when he almost rammed into them. Pyrrha seemed to start but managed to step aside, even as Ren calmly dodged. Jaune managed to bring himself to a stop before he crashed into Nora. The bubbly bomber simply having her arms wide open as though his near charge had been a tackle-hug or something. She's been reading way too much manga.
"Sorry guys!" He apologised as Pyrrha smiled and moved closer to him again.
"No problem Jaune. How did your meeting with the Headmaster go?"
"Oh, it was fine. I was just telling him what happened while we were separated." He made to step around Pyrrha but instead found Nora in his way as she delivered a friendly, if painful, punch to his shoulder.
"Speaking of Jauney, you need to tell us what adventures you had as well!"
"Yeah, sure. You mind if I go see if Blake is okay though?" He huffed at the constant distractions. He just wanted to see if she was okay, then he could finally put the whole mission behind him, get some food and go to sleep!
"We've just been there, she had a chest injury that caused a lung problem. It's harmless but she needs to rest and has been anaesthetised." Ren summarised, much to Jaune's gratitude. "She has bruised ribs, and it caused Pneumothorax." He must have seen the blank look on Jaune's face because he sighed and continued. "It's where air gets trapped in the lungs, it can clear on its own but the constant fighting must have made it worse for her."
"Okay, that's good then. I still want to see her though, so I'll meet you back in our room, okay?" Once more he stepped past them to continue their journey, but was stopped when Pyrrha clamped a hand on his shoulder.
"You can see her tomorrow when she is awake Jaune, you need rest as well! I doubt you've even eaten!"
"I'll get some food on the way back!" He argued, his frustration mounting at the constant distractions, as well as them trying to keep him away from Blake. What the Hell was their problem!? "Is there some good reason you don't want me seeing Blake!?" He finally demanded angrily, taking a guilty satisfaction in the way Pyrrha reeled back as if slapped.
"Pyrrha is just worried about you Jaune." Nora defended the redhead. "We thought we were going to lose you so we want to make sure you're okay."
And here comes the crushing guilt. He thought to himself as his mood worsened. Of course they were worried about him, probably in the same way he was worried about Blake. So why couldn't they understand his desire to lay eyes on her and make sure she was okay? A niggling part of his mind also said they were worried about him because they didn't trust his skills. Always Jaune getting injured, always Jaune needing to be looked after.
"I get that guys. And I swear I'll come back to our dorm after and you can freaking hand feed me or something. But I need to make sure Blake is okay. Please?" The three of the shared a quick glance before Ren stepped closer to Jaune.
"As long as you keep your promise to get some rest. You need to relax, I think the mission is still affecting you." And the look in Ren's eyes made it clear what part of the mission he was referring to. "You're angry and tense, you do need to sleep."
Jaune sighed and counted slowly to give, trying to force his muscles to relax once more. Gods, he was slipping into what he was terming "combat mode" once again. He hoped this wouldn't become a recurring thing - though as Miss Goodwitch had explained it, it seemed to be something that only really happened after a particularly difficult mission.
"I know guys. The Headmaster saw it too, he just says I haven't recovered from the mission yet and am still in survival mode." His explanation seemed to be the wrong idea as Pyrrha stepped closer again, that mothering, concerned expression on her face once more. Gods he hated when she did that, why couldn't she look at him in happiness, or pride? Or anything other than a look that flat out told him she didn't trust him to be able to look after himself.
"Jaune, that sounds serious. It sounds like Post-traumatic stress disorder." At this he laughed while rolling his eyes.
"Guys, I do not have PTSD! What the Hell!?" He'd been back for less than two hours and already they were diagnosing him as having lost his mind.
"I'm sure that's not the case." Ren interrupted, coming to Jaune's rescue. "PTSD is only diagnosed if the symptoms continues for more than thirty days. More likely it is as the Headmaster said, more along the lines of an anxiety disorder that will go away when his body finally accepts that it is safe. A fight or flight reaction."
"Which will happen sooner if you let me go check on Blake, then come back and sleep!" He finally shouted out, drawing the attention of other people passing by as his team froze. He was about to apologise before Pyrrha beat him to it.
"Jaune, I'm sorry." She apologised with a heart-breaking expression on her face. "You're right, I guess we just let our insecurities over losing you make us clingy... go do what you need to do."
Hello guilt, my old friend...
"Pyrrha I didn't mean it like that..." He hesitated, unsure how to get across that it wasn't her he was angry at... "I promise I'll be like ten minutes, you can even wait here if you want, but I would love you forever if you had food waiting for me at our dorm." Pyrrha nodded once in response, hopefully understanding his meaning as she stepped away from him.
"No pancakes this late, but we'll do our best!" Nora promised as she dragged Pyrrha away. Ren gave Jaune a single nod in goodbye as he strolled calmly after them.
Gods, this is messed up. He thought to himself as he pushed through the door to the medical bay. So my team is worried about me... I can relate since it's the same as what I'm feeling for Blake. Yet I lashed out at them like an absolute bastard. I'll make it up to them somehow.
"Hey vomit-boy." Yang greeted as Jaune walked up the bed that Blake lay asleep in. She looked calm in her sleep, but there was a plastic tube going up her nose that caused a twinge of pain in his chest.
"Hey Yang. I heard she was okay?" He answered back. The blonde brawler shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Jaune.
"Yeah, trapped air in the lung. She just needs to let it drain out, the tube is just to make sure it continued to do so while she's asleep." That was good to know, though he couldn't imagine how intrusive that must feel. He hoped they had inserted it when she was already knocked out.
"Anyway, I heard what you were yelling out there. Pretty big claims."
"Ugh..." Jaune groaned out as he slouched down on a seat across from Yang, Blake kept between the two of them. Trust Yang to be able to tease someone even in a situation like this. Though considering the Blonde seemed to be staking her claim to sleep here all night, she clearly was just as worried as he was. Was teasing her coping mechanism, he wondered.
"Nah, don't worry about it Jaune." She waved it off. "I'll give you a free pass this time for helping out my partner. Besides... I can understand what you meant."
"Can you?" He asked, a small frustrated feeling welling up inside him at the constant attempts of people to understand what he was feeling.
"Sure can Jaune. You see... when I was younger, me and Rubes lost our mother." Jaune grimaced but didn't interrupt her as she spoke. "She just went for a mission and never came back. It was pretty tough."
She looked up at the ceiling as she spoke, an expression on her face that looked so out of character to her that it made him want to do something about it. Instead he simply sat and listened.
"I think Ruby was too young to really understand what was going on. But it was during that time that I found out about my real mother, who had gone missing before Dad and Summer even got together. I was so torn up, Ruby was distraught and Dad had just shut down. I thought that maybe if I brought my mother back, she could help him cope and be a mother to Ruby. Everything would be okay again, we'd be a proper family."
"I asked anyone what they knew about her, and then one day I found a clue. Something I thought might lead me to my mother. So I put Ruby in a wagon and headed out into the forest to find this abandoned shack I was sure my mother would be waiting for us at. Can you imagine it Jaune? A toddler in a wagon and a stupid girl too young to fight, too weak and tired to even call out for help in a Grimm infested forest?"
He could imagine it. The image it brought to him was similar to what he had imagined for those lost at Elgard. Except it wasn't some poor nameless child, it was a Ruby too young to understand what was going on. And Yang, young and foolish and distraught with grief.
"We might as well have been served up on a silver platter. And if it wasn't for my uncle having tracked us and saving us. Then I'd be dead. And worse, Ruby would be dead too. And it would have all been my fault."
"I'm sorry." He offered, unsure of what to say to make her feel better. Instead she simply snorted and shook her head.
"Afterwards I was almost broken. I watched Ruby everywhere she went, hovered over her and promised I'd be a better sister. If I had to, I'd become the mother she needed and nothing would hurt her. I was responsible for her life, and I had to make sure she was okay. So I do know what it feels like to have to look at someone and make sure they're okay - even when your mind is logically saying you know they are safe."
"I guess you do know." Jaune acknowledged. Leaning back in his chair as he let out a long sigh at hearing such a tale, and the emotions it brought. Part of him wanted to respond by telling her about having cheated his way into Beacon, but it was a meaningless idea. The two of them were more concerned with Blake.
"I should go." He simply replied. "I need to reassure my team that I'm okay, can I trust you to watch over Blake?"
"Heh, of course you can. She's my partner after all." Yang laughed as she flexed one of her muscles at him. He laughed the subtle threat off as he rose to his feet. "Thanks for looking after her though, you know?"
"She looked after me just as much, don't listen to anything she says otherwise." He didn't want to share Blake's concerns about being a burden with Yang, or anyone really. With Blake's skill and intelligence he was sure it was more a result of that difficult situation, not any real belief that she was holding team RWBY back.
"Hmm... modest as well. You know I could kiss you for looking after her, if it wouldn't be so weird to be kissed by two sisters in the same day."
Jaune blushed badly at the suggestion, the embarrassment only getting worse when a small part of his brain commented that he wouldn't at all mind being kissed by the gorgeous blonde woman in front of him. Instead though he simply fled the room as Yang's laughter followed him.
That brought back memories of what had happened earlier too. Ruby Rose had kissed him. His first kiss with a woman, Holy crap! And he'd been so shocked he hadn't even been able to respond properly to it. Not that he was sure how he was supposed to anyway? Obviously she'd done it to thank him for looking after Blake right? So would it have been wrong for him to try and deepen it or respond?
Did he even feel that way about Ruby? Sure, she was incredibly cute and funny, cheerful and supportive as well. She could be geeky at times, but then he was a bit of a dork himself and that was what they had first bonded over. He had just never considered her a romantic option, focusing on Weiss since that was the girl he had first developed a crush on...
Either way, the chance was lost now wasn't it?
Still, first kiss done, though not with Weiss as he had thought it might be. Now he could look towards getting an actual date with a girl as well.
But first... He thought to himself as his stomach grumbled angrily. He'd best honour his promise and get back to his dorm. Blake was safe, and Yang was looking after her. Now it was time to look after himself.
Which was going to mean apologising to the others for his actions it seems, he thought to himself as he paused in front of the door to his room. He could vaguely hear the others inside milling about, though any conversation they were having was badly muted. Taking a deep sigh he decided to weather the storm and pushed his way into the room.
"Hey Jaune." Pyrrha greeted as he stepped inside, a plate of steaming food on the table beside her bed. She smiled at him and offered him the plate, which he took happily along with a knife and fork. Steak, roasted potatoes and a side salad... a meal fit for a king. Or so it seemed after eating nothing but field rations for so long.
"Thanks partner!" He chirped as he tucked into the soft meat, happy to delay his apology as long as possible and also becoming more lost in the taste of good food. Eventually though he began to notice the longing glances she was sending him as he ate, and the guilt began to wear down at his appetite until he stopped entirely. She didn't look like she was going to say anything.
"Pyrrha, look I'm s-" He began, only to be interrupted as she put a single finger against his lips to silence him. The action surprised him, and he felt his eyes cross as he tried to look down at the digit.
"No Jaune. I'm sorry. I let my worry for you get in the way of the concern you felt for another and that was wrong."
"Either way, I shouldn't have snapped at you." He argued back once she had removed her finger and allowed him to speak.
"I can understand why you did. You must have felt I didn't believe in you... it was like that rooftop all over again, I just wanted to help and I said it in a way that came across wrong. You're... special to me Jaune." She paused here to look away from him, and for a moment he imagined that she was actually blushing at saying such a thing. "Really special, and sometimes I guess I would rather solve your problems then give you the chance to solve them yourself. But that's not what I'm supposed to do, is it?"
"You're special to me as well Pyrrha, you're my partner and my best friend." He whispered back to her as he settled down next to her on her mattress. "But I need to grow stronger too so I can protect people, yourself included if you ever need it. And I can't do that if you're always looking out for me."
She didn't look as pleased with his words as he had hoped she would, in fact she looked a little disappointed before she hid it behind a smile and pushed him over so he fell flat on the floor.
"Hey, I'm a recovering man here." He laughed up at her, the position reminiscent of making up after their first real fight. Just like that time so long ago, she looked down at him with a small smirk that was neither pity, nor concern. Things would be good again, he knew it.
In the end it had taken far less apologising to convince Ren and Nora to forgive him, the latter all too eager to ignore any lingering bitter feelings, while Ren seemed to understand a little that it was his tiredness and exhaustion speaking and not his real feelings. Either way it had only taken an hour or so to explain his story to the three of them, the situation made more difficult by Nora's constant interruptions and questions.
"So many Grimm travelling at once is an ill omen." Ren commented as he sat on his bed. "As if the attack on those villages was not bad enough."
"That's true, but we must remember there are hundreds of Hunters who will respond to the threat, as well as the military." Pyrrha responded as she unbuckled her armour and laid it beside her bed. "We might have a few more missions of our own though."
"I just hope they're not as bad as this one." Jaune sighed as he unpacked his bags and laid the various things he would need to clean tomorrow out on the floor. There was no way he was going to be doing all this now. It was while he was emptying his bag that he came across something he hadn't remembered picking up until now.
A small fluffy teddy-bear.
Ah, I remember you. Jaune thought to himself as he turned the bear over in his hands. Taking it with him had been a spur of the moment kind of thing. A desire to give it a better life than it had in Elgard, considering it had done its best to help its previous owner.
It didn't deserve to be left in a dead town.
You'll have a better life here. He promised as he set it out on the windowsill so it could look out over the courtyard of Beacon.
Team CFVY, I don't know why I imagine Coco and her team to be like that, but there has been serious review love for them. So I added some moments for them in there.
That's the chapter though. It felt a little disjointed, but I didn't want any large timeskips to be used, and as such Blake will need a day or two to recover. I don't intend to give Jaune PTSD, it's more Pyrrha's mothering tendencies coming into play. Though like any normal human he won't be just "over it" either. I'm worried that Jaune's interaction with JNPR was too abrupt, but I likened it to the way he lashed out at Pyrrha on the rooftop when she offered to help him. He doesn't seem to react too well to care or attention in the series, and he isn't exactly fully rested now either.
The next chapter or two will be more casual, and will deal with the drama unfolding over Jaune's love life, as well as Blake's recovery. Pyrrha is feeling the pressure, not only from Blake, but now also from Ruby too. Meanwhile Blake has shown her first real signs of being interested in Jaune - for those who were able to spot it. Jaune? Well... he still thinks everyone is completely out of his league.
There weren't many romantic feels here. Blake is in treatment, Ruby is too shy after her bold move, and Pyrrha tried but Jaune didn't realise what she meant. I actually feel worried this is sounding harem-ish, but it won't be. We know Pyrrha crushes on him from the series, and I felt Ruby could as well to be honest. I don't want to just "ignore" the relationships Rooster Teeth has put in.
I should have the next chapter up around the time of New Years.
Oh yeah, the bear appeared again randomly. Maybe it's possessed?