Chapter 14: Here's to the Past Part 2
Humans are capable of a great many things. They are capable of a great many evils as well as goods. I have seen humans who do terrible things to their children. Others, who give everything for people who are not of blood.
Odd how we are capable of good and evil.
As usual, Raven was up when both of them had off. Well, to be honest, having off during the summer was nice, but she couldn't shake the teacher sleep schedule. She got up, after getting a quick morning shower and getting dressed in her summer casual wear of black and red shirt with a pair of jeans. The one thing she did enjoy about summer was the fact that she could actually eat a legitimate breakfast besides poptarts. Yeah, definitely a bonus in her eyes
She cracked an egg upon the frying pan, letting loose the egg as it splashed in the hot pan. As the yoke sizzled and crackled, she went over to the fridge, pulling out two large racks of bacon. After frying several eggs. She opened up the pack of bacon, placing each strip on the pan. She watched as the bacon shriveled and popped with grease and fat.
What to do. What to do, she bit her lip in thought. She was put in a difficult situation, a situation that she didn't mind, but this all had to be approached very, very carefully. First off, we need him to get a hold of his mom. Hopefully, his mother would understand the situation Jaune was in. How he was feeling, she was receptive… right? She wasn't like her own mother... but if she was... what then, though?
She was not opposed to having him over. The more he's out of that household, the better. But Tai wasn't wrong, not going through proper channels was extremely dangerous. She could end up losing her job... or worse. No that isn't important. She nodded with resolve. Proper channels be damned. They didn't help Qrow and me. It was time to do things a little unorthodox. The system was meant to help, but people fall through the cracks too often.
She gritted her teeth at the whole damn thing. It's one thing to go through this but to watch someone go through it... that was something else entirely. Something that made her blood boil. Something that she couldn't let happen.
"He still asleep?" She turned around to see her husband up in his sleeping shorts and white t-shirt. "Should we wake him?"
She shook her head as she grabbed a mug, filling it with coffee, placing three cubes of sugar in it, giving it a quick stir. She handed him the mug as he sat down by the bar counter. "No, let him sleep in. He looked pretty out of it last night" She replied as she poured her own mug, sipping the hot caffeinated drink.
She could see Tai in the corner of her eye, rubbing his chin in thought before speaking his own mind. "How are you holding up?" He asked rather concerned. She sighed, putting her mug down on the counter.
"To be honest, I have been better." She rubbed her arms, looking outside the river upon the forested mountain trying to beat back the memories. "It's bringing back a lot of bad memories."
At that, she found herself being embraced. "Well, you know you have your family to help you." He planted a small kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you." She returned the gesture. Just then they heard a series of footsteps upstairs causing the two look towards the ceiling.
Blood up along the wall. Blood everywhere. His hands covered in blood. His eyes transfixed on it. He opened the door to see his mom, blood splatter along the wall, pooling around her. He looked around the room to find no one else was there with him.
Dead Silence.
He approached his mother reaching out with trembling hand "Mom…." He croaked out hoarsely. He prayed that she was still here. He hoped with every fiber of his being. The body didn't even twitch.
He heard footsteps behind him to see his dad. Without saying a word, he lifted the pistol right to Jaune's head and…
*BANG*
Jaune immediately shot up drenched in sweat. He found himself in a rather sparse and clean room. A strange room but with a comfortable bed.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to settle his nerves. He swung his legs over the bed and eased himself up. He continued his deep breathing, trying to calm his racing heart until he perked up. A faint yet very delicious smell floated through the air instantly making Jaune's stomach growl.
He then realized he wasn't dreaming, everything last night did happen. He was no longer home. He was in the Branwen-Xiao-Long house. He opened the door, closing the door quietly behind him only to hear another door open up.
He turned around to see the newcomer. She had long blonde hair just as wild and unpredictable as her mother. Her lilac eyes staring right at him causing him to freeze in his tracks. The girl looked rather surprised as she raised an eyebrow expectantly which only forced Jaune to mutter a weak "Uhhh….Hi….?"
The girl blinked as if trying to process this. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Oddly enough, there was no hostility, no judgment in her voice, just sincere curiosity or that's what he hoped and dreaded.
"Jaune…" he froze. What do I say? What do I do? What do I tell her? That would be an amazing first impression. Hi, I have a fucked home life and my parents don't love me so I'm bumming here for awhile… Yeah… that'll go over well...
Her look slowly shifted into suspicion as she crossed her, creases developing on her brow as she leaned in, studying him. "Arc?" She asked.
He slowly nodded. How the hell did she know?
"You know Pyrrha Nikos then?" She inquired. He nodded again which made the blonde instantly brighten up with a smile. "Well then! Any friend of Pyrrha's is a friend of mine!" She held out her hand. "Yang Xiao-Long, nice to meet you."
He looked at her hand then hesitantly looked at his own right hand that was stitched from the before. "Oh sorry…" she muttered as she saw what caused his hesitation.
He took her hand and shook it, pushing past the pain. "Nice to meet you too." He replied back quietly. She looked as if she wanted to ask something but she just shrugged, smile only growing.
"Smell that?" Yang asked, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. "Breakfast. Wanna get some?"
"Sure," Jaune replied as he followed Yang down the stairs. Jaune could really smell it now. It smelt good, but in all reality, his stomach felt like it was made of lead as they moved towards the kitchen. Odd how he could be hungry one second and not hungry the next. Jaune looked over to see the patriarch of the family sitting by the counter on a bar stool, sipping some coffee as Raven was busy at the stove. "Morning Mom, Dad," Yang said as she took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Good morning Yang, Jaune," Raven said as she pulled out a stack of plates. Mr. Xiao-Long did the same thing from behind his paper, his eyes making eye contact with his wife.
"Morning Raven. Mr. Xiao-Long." Jaune murmured, standing awkwardly in the kitchen. Taiyang, put his paper down, looking Jaune over closely. Yang shot him a curious look as well.
A moment of awkward silence filled the room until Tai's cold stare warmed up. "If you're on first name basis with my wife, then you should be with me. Just Tai. Now make yourself comfortable. Our home is your home."
Jaune stared at the man, a sensation of numbness overwhelmed him as he all could feel all eyes on him. "Jaune?" Raven called slightly concerned. "Are you alright?"
He could only nod in response trying to sort everything out. "Why don't you take a seat?" She suggested "Yang?" She called for her daughter. The blonde girl waved him over to the table pulling a chair out for him.
He looked at her questioningly, then Raven who gave a slight head nod. Jaune felt his feet move toward the table where Yang pulled out the chair. He found himself sitting at the table across from Yang.
Before he knew it, he had a large plate in front of him filled with toast, eggs, bacon, heck even pancakes. Shortly after, both adults were also at the table. It was weird. Almost like an out of body feeling sweeping through him. He felt there, but not really there. "So what's your story? Why are you here?" Yang asked as she took a crunchy bite out of the bacon. Jaune eyes quickly darted around the table.
"Yang… that isn't polite…" Tai put his mug down giving his daughter a warning look.
"What? Just wondering why he's here…"
Raven cleared her throat, interrupting the conversation. "He's here because he needs a change of scenery." Her response so natural, so casual that maybe, just maybe it was true and Jaune didn't know it.
Yang looked at her mother questioningly then shifted her gaze to him. Please just stop. Please. He practically begged. "Yang, just leave it at that." Her mom warned. The blonde girl sighed and continued to eat breakfast as did everyone else.
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Jaune let out an internal sigh when Breakfast ended. His patience, his endurance was being severely tested. Jaune wasn't that hungry now that he looked at his plate. He only managed to eat one piece of toast. Tai went over to the sink, washing his plate. "Yang, you want to head down off the mountain? I need to get a few things, and I'm going to need help today."
Yang nodded enthusiastically. After ten minutes of Jaune sitting at the table, Tai and Yang left leaving only Jaune and Raven in the kitchen. The woman pulled out a can of soda, offering one to Jaune but he shook his head.
She sat down in front of him, looking him over in cold demeanor as usual. Before Jaune could shrink away, her cold exterior melted away with one of concern. "How are you holding up?"
Holding as much as an insane person can, he thought bitterly. "Good…" He muttered as he took his pill bottle out of his pocket, opening it up, he took one and swallowed.
She knew he was lying. He could see the bags under his bloodshot eyes. His extremely hesitant nature. To be honest, all to be expected given the circumstances. "Jaune, you can tell me the truth…"
He covered his mouth, hiding a frown, closing his eyes. "I…" paused for a moment, trying to collect himself. He could feel the cracks in the wall grow more and more "Not good." Pieces of the wall fell as he closed his eyes tighter. "I hate them. I hate both of them. They ruined so much for me..." He buried his head in his arms. He felt horrible for saying that, but there was no restraining the kind of pain he had endured for so long.
Raven sat there watching over him. "I don't blame you. Like I said, you aren't alone. I am more than willing to help." She tried to reassure her.
Jaune raised his head, shooting a deathly glare. "What can you do? I have to go to back to that shit hole of a home." He practically hissed.
"Well, to be honest, I talked it over with Tai, you can stay her as long and as often as you would like."
Why? There has to be some kind of catch to this, though. "But…" yep here it is, "You need to tell your mom, and she needs to okay it."
Raven could see the seething anger in his eyes. "No. I can't go back there." He shot back as if he were being stabbed in the back. "How can you expect me to do that? What if she says no."
"Then we'll figure it out from there." Raven insisted. "But I don't want you to be put in a bad position with law enforcement because your mother thinks you ran away or that I kidnapped you."
It makes sense.
'Fuck you, I'm not going back.'
Hear her out.
Jaune looked away, staring out the window. A small yard with a few pine trees overlooking a large creek under a forested mountain. Just like home. "Jaune?"
He didn't want to look back at her. Oh, he was angry, pissed off beyond belief as he closed his eyes "Fine. Let's get this over with." He stood up, seething angry at all of this. He grabbed the chair, feeling his hand shoot up in pain. He tried to calm himself by focusing on that pain into something that would force him to calm himself. That pain caused by his father. "God damn it." He whispered, his tears drops fell as if boulders off a cliff.
Raven moved around him, placing an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder. "Why me….? Why….?" He pleaded clenching his eyes shut he rested his head on the chair. "What did I do to deserve any of this?"
'Pathetic.'
'Weak.'
"No one deserves this." Raven reassured him as if she were whispering to herself "But you can't help it. You can only learn from it."
He exhaled, wiping the tears from his eyes. It was at that moment that fifteen-year-old made a promise. He was never going to end up like his parents. He would rather die then become something like his father or mother. If he were meant to have a family, he would do so on his terms. He would not fall like his own parents.
Yang fiddled with car radio as they came off the mountain. "Dad?" She asked as settled with one of the less crappy radio stations. "Why is there some stranger staying with us?"
She looked over at him to see that was thinking long and hard on the question. Without taking his eyes off the road, he responded. "Your mom is a good woman, Yang. The nicest, strongest woman I have ever met. She is willing to help anyone even after going through a really rough childhood."
Yang sat there, still confused. That really didn't answer the question in the least bit. "I don't know Jaune well. In fact, I just met him last night. Apparently, he's…"
"He's one of her students and in the Marching Band." Yang finished the sentence earning a sideward glance from her father. "Pyrrha told me."
Tai couldn't help but to smile, but apparently, Pyrrha knew this Jaune fella, and Pyrrha was always a good person and friend to Yang, heck the two grew up together, they were as they would say 'besties.' "So your mother got to know him pretty well. He's going through some serious stuff at home similar to what your mom and uncle grew up when they were kids, and well… she would feel guilty… if she didn't do anything about it.."
Yang looked at her father slightly worried. Mom never talked about her own childhood unless it was just with Qrow. She remembered. In fact, she knew nothing of her grandparents oddly enough. Uncle Qrow and her mom never did say anything, at first she didn't think any of it, but now… "Was it bad?" She asked.
Her father shrugged. "She never really talks about it…" He almost sounded defeated. "I don't blame her either…"
The blonde teenager sank into the seat, crossing her arms in thought as she watched the cars pass by. Jaune seemed alright. Quiet, polite, awkward, all of the things that Yang wasn't. Pyrrha knew him and actually talked about him quite a bit and since when was Pyrrha a bad judge of character? Very rarely… except for that douche bag, Cardin.
Well whatever was going on with Jaune, Yang knew he didn't deserve it. If his dad thinks it's bad, and if it's something like her mom went through, then it had to be real bad. No one deserved to be sad about something like that. That was when an idea flashed in her mind as she took her phone and started to do some "research."
The car slowed down around the curve of the road. Jaune could feel the car decelerate as it went past the road with a small side road that followed Sherman's creek. It was a quiet country back road where he could get away from the house temporarily. He wished they went on that road, it was his get away.
Instead, the car decelerated, passing Sleeping Spring Road and went to the small cottage right house next to it. The living nightmare for Jaune, his own personal hellhole. A shithole he called home. Where he and his mom would have died if father was slightly more sober.
The car shut off as Jaune looked straight ahead, not bothering to look outside of the window of the vehicle. "Do you want me to come in with you?" His teacher asked as Jaune sat there. He briefly looked over at her before nodding. Jaune ran his fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes, preparing himself.
He opened the door as he stepped outside of the vehicle. He looked at the two dead pine trees outside long dead from the pesky Asian Caterpillars. The trees seemed to whistle with anticipation and dismay as the wind blew through the dead branches. He looked up at the sky, a gloomy overcast of the day only foreshadowed the expected results of this meeting. "You ready?" She asked.
Inhaling deeply, he took a slow and shaky first step feeling the rush from what happened last night. He continued to walk until he reached the two concrete steps that led up to the porch that long overdue for a new green paint job. His hand reached out, trembling from sheer anxiety as he looked over to Raven who was standing right beside him. There was no smile on her face, no, there was something else. A grim look of anticipation, of resolve.
He gave short three knocks on the door before the door opened up. Shockingly his mother's blue eyes were not glazed over. But she did look like shit. The first thing she did was reach out and hug Jaune. "JAUNE! I'M SO SORRY!"
Raven could see how the hug was not reciprocated. Jaune made no attempt to hug back. No. He was too angry. She couldn't blame him either. She broke off, her gaze shifting to the other women. "I guess I should thank you Mrs. Branwen. A lot of things happened last night." Her frown etched on her mouth as if it were carved into the face of a mountain.
"I know." She responded grimly which made her give a slightly confused look.
"Mom, we have a lot to talk about." He seemed unphased by his mother's display of emotion. She immediately moved aside, ushering them in.
It was a quaint house to Raven's expectations. It was nothing like she expected. Then again the most ordinary can hide some truly extraordinary things as Jaune had proven.
His mom led them to the dining room. "Can I get you guys something to drink? Something to eat?"
"No thank you." She politely declined.
"No," Jaune replied harshly.
"Are you sure? It won't-"
"Sit down. Now." The boy commanded. Jaune was not having any of this. This was the first time he had allowed his anger, his resentment, to bubble up openly and boy did it feel alright. It felt great. He stared his mother down. All of the betrayal, all of the anger, the shame. The fact that he had to bring an utter stranger to help settle things, to help pick up the pieces that she contributed too. The fact that she betrayed him. The fact that she allowed her husband, his father, to almost kill both of them. The fact that they were alive only because the drunk bastard forgot the gun wasn't loaded. The fact that she wouldn't allow him to have some measure of comfort, some sort of revenge, infuriated him.
He stood at front of the table across from his mother. He nodded towards Raven which made the woman sit down across from his mother. "I'm tired." Jaune whispered looking at his hand as he sat down beside the black-haired woman. He could see the two women looking at him questioningly
"I'm tired of this fucked up family." He looked up at his mom. "I'm tired of you." He looked up at his mother, staring right into eyes as if piercing her soul. "I've had enough of you fucking me over." He growled viciously as he clenched his stitched up hand, ignoring the pain yet focusing on it. It gave him something to vent his anger, it was a reminder of everything he went through. It was a badge of honor, a badge of shame, a badge of embarrassment, a badge of survival.
His mom was stunned to say the least. The confusion, the conflict, the pure unadulterated pain in her face was almost too much for Jaune, but he threw caution to the wind. No more holding back, no more censoring himself. "You and that drunk have ruined my life. You forced the family away. You forced me to live in a fucking hell and for what? To have us almost die!" He slammed his fist down on the table as he leaned on the table. "My own father. MY OWN FATHER WAS GOING TO KILL ME! AND YOU! HIS FAMILY!" He felt a hand over his balled up fist. His savage blue eyes looked over to see Raven's deeply concerned eyes.
He whipped his hand away, almost ashamed of what he was doing. No, he wasn't done. Not by a long shot. He glared at his mom, seeing the tears that almost fueled his tirade. "You stabbed me in the back! Your own son!" He spat on the ground. "How the fuck can you still choose him over me?! He abused all of us for years! We've lived in fear for years! He tried to kill me and you and yet you don't want to press charges?! You shouldn't even have the right to make the decision!" He straightened up looking down at the woman, her saddened blue eyes bloodshot with tears. He inhaled sharply, closing his eyes, trying to calm himself. He was spent, he was tired. He wanted out. Now. "I will be more of an adult then what the two of you could ever be." He whispered. "When I said I hated you… I meant it." Without saying a word, he left the dining room. There were to be no more negotiations. 'You went too far.'
Fuck you. I did what needed to be done.
Raven sat there stunned, her crimson eyes slowly drifting from where Jaune stood to where his mother was. A victim of not only her husband's nasty side but also her son's scorn, and ultimately, the truth. A triple whammy. She shuddered, thinking if the roles were rearranged.
She heard the silent sobs of Jaune's mother as she sank into her chair looking like a frail old woman. Normally she wouldn't have felt guilty seeing this. She should feel some kind of satisfaction, but how can anyone gain satisfaction from this? Watching a child disown their own parent, she shuddered thinking what that might have been with Yang and herself.
The raven-haired woman came to a conclusion. People have their faults; we're only human. She did her best to raise a family under tough circumstances, but people have their breaking point. This woman looked like she reached long ago. "He needs… it…" She heardJosephine Arc muttered hoarsely. "He needs to get out….."
The teacher and survivor were stunned. She thought she would need to break it to the woman. Yet, she didn't have too. "It's not permanent. He'll come around. I'll make sure of it." She couldn't believe the words she was saying. She had no right to make these promises. Yet, she felt almost obligated. As a mother to a mother.
"I did what I could… It was never ideal… I knew that…" She sobbed as Raven covered her mouth listening to a wounded heart release its guilt. "I did what I could…. I love all of my children…. But I love my husband…. I just…. I just wanted… a happy… family…" She let out, hanging her head in shame. "Maybe it would be better for you to take him away."
Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking to herself. How could she deprive this wounded woman of her child? "I'm not going to take him away. I promise you, I won't get Child Protective Services involved, he doesn't want that, and I don't want to tear you away from your son. It's clear you love him, but he needs out. He needs fresh air, somewhere that doesn't remind him of what happened."
The bloodshot blue eyes bore right into her. She could still see the tear tracks, but there was a sense of renewed life. "You take care of him. He deserves a lot more than what I could give him." There was no sadness in her voice, more of a steely confidence. "Promise me."
The crimson eyes seemed to be memorized by the sudden transformation. "Promise me."
She nodded resolutely. "As if he were my own. He'll be in good hands."
The woman closed her eyes. "Thank you. He's upstairs, first room to the left." her bloodshot eyes opened staring right back at the crimson eyes. "Mrs. Branwen, I know I screwed up…. But I will fix this, not for my sake, not for my husband's, but for his. I promise you."
At that, Raven stood up feeling a little bit at ease about all of this. She couldn't believe when she found a smile forming. "I know you will."
'You really shouldn't have done that. That wasn't right.' The incessant voice continued to nag at him as he ripped through his drawers pulling out clothes. 'She's your mother. You're supposed to love her.'
Says who? Jaune grunted as he packed his shirts, stuffing them into his bag.
'She loves you. It's clear.'
Fucking bullshit that's what that is. He rolled his eyes as he found his shorts. FUCK! He roared in his mind, gritting his teeth. 'Even you know you crossed the line.'
What I said was the truth.
*Knock Knock*
He froze. Everything shut down for him. It could only be two people and frankly, he didn't want to either of them right now. He could hear the door slowly open up behind him. "Jaune?" He could hear the concern in Raven's voice which stunned him.
Guilt. A new wave of guilt. Allowing a stranger, granted, a deeply trusted stranger, see him lose his temper like that… it was almost too much to accept. He could hear footsteps behind him, walking around the room. "Nice room." She commented as she looked around, nice and orderly, something that was surprising for a teenager.
Jaune couldn't help but to roll his eyes. He knew she was beating around the bush. The steps stopped till she looked over at him. He glanced upward angrily as he continued to pack seeing the concern in her eyes forced him to break away. "I'm sure you're going to lecture me."
"Of course not." Raven scoffed as she moved towards the window looking outside, watching cars pass by.
"What she say?" He grunted.
She looked towards him, holding her arms. "She isn't going to stop you."
The boy wasn't even phased. "Shocking." He noted sarcastically. "Not like she gave a shit about me."
"You'd be surprised." She noted casually as she was met with a harsh glare. "Jaune, I know how you feel. Trust me I do."
He looked at her he stopped packing. "Then tell me. Tell me how I feel."
"Betrayed. Furious. Hurt…" She paused a moment. "Inferior… Judged."
Judged….. Judged….. The thought rang out in his mind. "Trust me. I've been there, I know what's it like." She walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to judge you. Somethings you can't judge people on. Your anger, frustration, pain… I can understand, I was there, I know what it's like. You just want to lash out at the world."
He nodded. "I'm here for you." She embraced him as he stood there for him. Jaune just felt a new surge of anger. "Funny how you are… a stranger is more supportive than my entire fucking family. You've done more than what they ever did." He whispered bitterly, not bothering to look into her crimson eyes.
Things change, you find new people, old people return. Raven smiled to herself as she thought. "Almost done?" She asked, "And don't worry. Tai and Yang won't think anything of it. They'll understand, and if you want, you can tell them whenever you're ready."
Jaune smiled, a genuine heartfelt smile. Maybe, just maybe… he had the chance to be normal. "You going to pack that?" She gestured towards his Xbox making Jaune hesitate as she looked over the three games he owned. Dark Souls, Battlefield, and, she held up Halo 5 smirking. "You know, Yang would destroy you in this, she's good. Really good."
Jaune, at that couldn't ignore a challenge. He immediately packed the console up to the Branwen's amusement. Once everything was said and done, he had two large bags and his backpack. Looking back, he felt bad for leaving, like he was leaving a piece of himself behind. Yet, he found himself lighter. Much lighter.
They walked down the stairs. Jaune looking at the dining room table where his mom was before he walked off. Probably off to get drunk again. He spat. He felt a hand on his shoulder urging him forward gently as he headed towards the front door.
Once making it out of the house, he placed his bags in the back of the car while sitting in the passenger side as Raven started up the car. He felt it seeping away from him, the guilt and anger. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for dragging you into all of this." Jaune lamented.
"Jaune, look at me." She said as she continued to focus on the road. "I'm happy to help. You deserve a lot of things, including happiness. I'm going to do everything in my power make sure that happens."
"Why, though?! Why me?"
His teacher smirked. "I knew something was different about you. You remind me a lot of me. Not surprisingly, including your home life. The difference being you didn't have anyone to help me. All I had was Qrow." She shot him a look of fire and determination. "You had nothing, and I'm not going to let home ruin your life like it did for me."
Jaune nodded slowly. "What happened?"
"A story for another time." She said, almost saddened, "For now, let's just take some time enjoy a peaceful summer, yeah?"
I'll pay you back somehow. He promised "Sure." He said lightly as his stomach let out a massive roar earning a chuckle from the older woman. "Sounds like you're hungry…" She said almost amused.
"I'm fine." He brushed her concern off.
She wasn't going to have any of it. "Nope, toast doesn't count, and no, I'm not taking no for an answer." Jaune could hear the stubbornness in her voice which made him sink deeper into the chair, breathing the air of what was hopefully a fresh start.
Yeah. She wasn't kidding. The woman wasn't going to have any of it. "Four pizzas, three dozen wings?" He asked disbelievingly. "Are you sure you got it? I can carry some of it…"
The woman smirked as she kicked the door closed while carrying a tower of pizzas and appetizers. "Just get the door." She said as she hefted the boxes. Jaune immediately nodded knocking on the door before opening and holding it. The woman rushed in towards the kitchen to see a rather shocked Tai. She quickly put the boxes down, wincing from the heat from the boxes.
He gawked at the massive amount of food. "Uhh…. dang…" He blinked before looking back his wife. "So... what's the occasion...?" He stared at the food as she washed her hands.
She dried them with a paper towel. "Just wanted to treat myself." She turned to face their guest " You can take your bags up to where you slept." Jaune nodded as he grabbed his bag made his way out of the kitchen. "Jaune," She called, forcing him to turn around. "Make yourself comfortable, alright?"
Tai looked down the hallway to make sure he wasn't in a line of sight. "So what happened?" He asked, not even bothering to hide his suspicion as he watched his wife pull out several plates.
The frown grew even larger as her guilty eyes met his. "He's going to be staying with us for awhile." She closed her eyes, gripping the counter. "Seeing how angry he was, just hearing it… it brought a lot back up." She shuddered, making her lover rub her shoulders in an attempt to settle her nerves.
"You know you can talk to me about it… the same goes with Qrow." He reassured her.
She scoffed. "He was always good at hiding in plain sight." She looked over her shoulder with a grateful smile. "I know… just give me some time."
Well now was a better time then never… Tai thought to himself. "Do you think we should get Summer involved?"
His wife immediately turned around, shaking her head. "No. I don't want the police involved in the least bit."
"She could help…"
"I'm not going to put her in the spot where she needs puts her job the line. That isn't fair."
Tai was about to rebuke her when she shot him down with an intense glare. "Don't even. I've made my choice for myself." He rolled his head back in defeat. God, she is so stubborn. He lamented, but to be honest, that's why she loved her.
He nodded slowly. "I know… it's just this can get out of hand really quickly."
"So what would you do? Send him back home, Tai?" She hissed.
He ran his hand over his face. "No Rae… I wouldn't." He was sounded even more defeated. "Is it really that bad?" He asked. She could only nod sadly. "Then he can stay as long as he needs too"
Jaune climbed the stairs to and headed back to "his" room. He noted how Yang's door was cracked open, thinking nothing of it. He entered his own room across from her's. He looked around amazed at how this was his home now. Incredibly spartan, but Jaune didn't mean. His eyes drifted over to the bed where he was rather incredibly surprised.
A small package on his bed in yellow gift wrap. He looked for a full minute. Is that for me?
'No... Someone left it there by accident.' The voice countered darkly
"Well…? Are you going to open it?" A voice out causing Jaune to practically jump out of his skin, being torn out of his mental debate. He turned to face a smiling Yang leaning in the doorway.
"Uh…? That's for me...?"
She gave a playful shove, making him stumble over towards the bed. He walked over, looking at the package as he picked it up. He looked at the tag reading, "Happy Birthday." He turned to looked at the blonde. "How…?"
She shrugged. "I found you on Facebook, said your birthday was yesterday. So I figured might as well." Why would she, though? It didn't make any sense. "Well… open it.." She teased.
He slowly opened the package to reveal something he did not expect. The Halo Forerunner Saga complete trilogy. He wanted to get this for months now. He sat down on the bed trying to sort everything. "So?" She asked expectantly.
"How did you know?" He gawked, still in amazement.
"Facebook." She replied simply as she received a questioning stare. "I wasn't stalking you anything… I didn't mean too…." She said nervously, sensing what he might have thought.
"Thank you." He said with a genuine look as he ran his hand along the box. "So much." This was the only gift he had gotten for his birthday and by a stranger no less. "I don't know what to say…."
She waved her hand "Psht, it was nothing I won't lie, I'm glad you like halo. I have someone I can whoop at any time." She smirked. Yeah, her mom wasn't kidding...
Jaune raised an eyebrow at the challenge. "Is that so?"
"Definitely, Diamond three." She boasted.
"Yeah? Diamond six." Jaune shot back with his head held high.
"Hey." Both turned around to see Tai. "Dinner's ready you two."
"What's for dinner?" His daughter asked. Tai's eyes wandered over to Jaune slightly, before going back to his daughter. "Nothing good, as usual."
The blonde girl shoved her dad playful which made Jaune smile seeing the two goof around. He would be lying though if he didn't say that he didn't feel a pang of jealousy
At that, the three found themselves surrounded by a large assortment of wings and pizzas, including Jaune's favorite, veggie. The black haired woman was leaning on the counter, arms crossed as she watched them fill plates. Jaune took a step back letting both blondes get their food.
Once Tai finished his plate, he shot Jaune a disgusted look. "Veggie?" He almost hissed. Jaune looked at his plate, three massive slices of supreme meat. Almost repulsive to Jaune.
Tai looked at his plate then back to Jaune. "What? Protein is good for you…"
"If you want a heart attack..." His wife muttered under her breath earning a chuckle from Jaune as he grabbed his own plate and started picking his slices. He opted to sit across from Yang as Raven grabbed her own plate and sat at the other end of the table.
At that moment, Jaune carefree, as if all the troubles in the world were gone. He had something he always wanted but never got. Here it was right in front of him. Serenity. Genuine calmness. Stability.
He looked around the table, enjoying the relative calmness. It was as if the seas were settling, the waves calming, the sharks dispersing. That moment when he wished he had died…. That he was hit by a car, he was glad it didn't happen.
"Ya know….. Eating food before it gets cold is the smart thing you do" The blonde girl nodded towards his plate with a smirk.
"Cold pizza is better." Jaune shot back with a smile.
Yang nodded approvingly with a grin. "You too? Ohmygod we are going to get along just fine."
"Sheesh," Raven rolled her eyes with a fond smile as she reached for a large bottle of hot sauce. She couldn't help but to feel more at ease as Jaune was starting to fit in rather nicely with Yang. She was proud of her daughter, already treating like a close friend in not even a full day of knowing Jaune. And Jaune? Well, it took a lot of guts to do what he did, but to see him casual and throw banter right back at Yang, it made her smile grow even more. However, something like today and yesterday, that isn't shaken off quickly, if ever. He was going to be in through some hard times. "You two are weirdos." She scoffed as she doused her wings in the spicy marinade.
Her husband raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Them?" He almost sounded defensive. "Alright, Mrs. Ruin perfectly good wings." He looked at his wife's plate, her wings barely distinguishable from the sauce. Both children looked at the plate, disgusted. "Want some wings with that sauce?" Her daughter shot back with a hint of amusement.
Her mother shrugged casually. "Sure." As she continued to pour her sauce. They don't know what's good… She gave a light-hearted scowl earning everyone's laughter at her expense. Deep down, though, she didn't mind.
Jaune would be lying if he said he didn't go too hard on his pizza, yet he still has six slices for him tomorrow. After the meal, which Jaune may have pigged out on, he and the family went out to the common room to watch a movie. That was when he discovered Raven did enjoy her star wars… quite a bit actually, something that honestly surprised him.
After watching Episode 7 Director's Cut, Yang suggested she that the two hang out, which was only encouraged by Raven while he received rather strange looks from Taiyang. Once upstairs, Jaune grabbed the first book from the series walked next door to her room. Rather clean for stereotypical teenage girl's room... and less vibrant.
There she was sitting in a foldable chair as she thumbed over to the bed. "Take a load off." At first it was little awkward seeing this stranger, being so casual. He was kinda extremely rattled by this in fact. He sat on the edge of the bed, still feeling as little unsure about any of this as the blonde girl booted up Halo.
"So what else do you play?" She asked as she sorted through the multiplayer menu as she gave a brief glance over towards his direction "You can comfortable too you know."
Jaune nodded as he schouched onto the bed watching the descent 32inch sitting on a stand. The lobby started to fill up as Jaune listed them off "Ehh mostly shooters. I love halo." He could see the grin of Yang's grow exponentially. "I do some battlefield and I just been getting into Dark Souls."
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
The screen went black *BOOP* Yang switched her to her sidearm as she said, "Please tell me you don't play cod…" She asked sourly as she scored a double kill with one clip. Not bad. He thought to himself as he got more comfortable.
"Nah… Past BLOPS2, it went down hill."
Yang nodded as she bit her lip doing a ground pound at a group of two. She then quickly dropped each one with a headshot with the BR. "Yeah… I have to agree." She glanced over to see Jaune still sitting on the bed fidgeting awkwardly
"Dude chill, I don't bite." She winked suggestively "Much." Jaune eyes went wide to the point he felt like they were going to pop out as he blinked trying to comprehend this girl. She gave a playful backhand to the shoulder. "Relax, I'm kidding."
He managed to a little chortle, but seriously this was all different to him. Yang picked up the DMR and opened fired dropping an opponent before being gun down by another opponent with a DMR. "God that's stupid."
Jaune could see her mistake. "A trick I learned… when fire burst weapons when the reticle shrinks you can fire again just right before it reaches its normal spot. It allows you to fire an extra shot faster."
"Huh…". She muttered as she fired the DMR again, watching the inner reticle expand and then shrink right before it rested she tried firing allowing her to get another shot off. "How'd you learn that…?"
"I'm super competitive…" he admitted bashfully. "Only I use is the DMR.."
Yang chuckled. "Noob, BR is where it's at." She said as she scored a sticky grenade kill before dying with that, her team won.
After a few more games, which Yang tried to get him to play, but he wasn't in the mood, to be honest, he found him laying on Yang's bed beginning to read the intro of his new book.
While they were doing their own thing, that made idle conversation. Well, to be honest, it was mostly Jaune getting to know Yang. She did her best to ask questions but he wiggles his way out of those…. or she gave up… or sensed it was a sore subject.
"He's up there with my little dragon…". Tai muttered as Raven peered over her book giving a slight frown.
"Tai, I know you're protective, but he isn't like that…" She muttered as she continued to read her book.
Tai paced back and forth down in the living room, feeling rather anxious. "I'm going to check on them." He finally said.
His wife clamped her book shut with her with a resounding thud. Slightly annoyed, she pinched her nose shaking her head at her husband's needless worry. "Give him so credit…. He's been through alot in less than 24 hours…"
Not willing to be dissuaded, the man headed towards the main hallway, climbing up the stairs quietly listening. He could hear the gunshots of Yang's game as he reached the top. He lined up against the wall, sneaking over until he peeked inside. To his heart's relief, he saw the blonde boy laying on his daughter's bed, reading the book. He looked up only to say "Nice double."
"How are you liking the book?" He could hear his daughter ask.
"Hard to read, but good. Really liking it so far." He admitted as he went back to the book.
"So would you mind if I borrow it after you're done?" She asked.
"Sure, don't even need to ask." He said not bothering to look up.
He felt a tap on his shoulder which almost made the man jump out of his skin. He was greeted by his wife, who was leaning up on the wall with that smirk that said 'what did I say?'
"Hey uhh…. Yang." Jaune asked almost timid.
Tai pressed his ear closer to the chagrin of his wife. It sounded like the game stopped. "What's up?" She asked.
"I… uh… well…" Tai braced himself, preparing to leap in. "I hope I'm not bothering you being here… I mean I don't want to be a problem for you." That statement…. That statement struck Tai as he straightened, a look of confusion. Little did he know that his own wife was listening in.
"Heck no. I mean yeah, we just met but you seem pretty cool." He could hear the happiness in her voice, but it quickly faded into a serious Yang that he rarely heard. "For real though, I know you're going through some stuff."
"Yeah… I…"
His daughter interrupted. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me, I get it, I'm not going to pry. But if you ever wanna talk, I'm here fo ya."
There was a brief moment of silence that would have ordinarily freaked Tai out. Finally, the silence was broken by a quiet, shy voice. "Thanks…. I appreciate it…."
"Sure thing, that's what friends are for."
Satisfied, Tai took a few steps back into his wife who stood there with an even more confident smirk. "Yep." She boasted. "Guess I'm right." For once, Tai was glad his wife was confident as hell about this. He nodded, gladly admitting defeat.
Life is never a straight shot. It's never filled with just shit or bright rainbows. No, it's more of a rollercoaster. Just as you climb a hill, and think wrong can happen, you come crashing down. As you feel like you are going to crash into the ground, you start to rise up the hill. Nothing in this world is ever is clear and cut; nothing should be expected, there is always a surprise around a corner.
Usually, I hate surprises. But the one surprise I wasn't afraid of was meeting Yang. In fact, I'm rather surprised how fast we became friends. Even though she can be obnoxious at times, she has a heart of gold. Her mother was right, we became friends right away. It was a start of a friendship that would last a very long time, even up to this day.
Hi guys!
Another Chapter here and oh my I think this was my longest one yet!
Can I just say I like gamer Yang... but that's just me. But for real we have our first new character! Tell me what you think of her! I would love to hear your thoughts.
Now I know some of you were touched by the last chapter, and that was the point. The whole point of this story is to illustrate that life isn't just some rainbows and paintings. There are problems that people face on a consistent basis, during the past, present, and future. Also when things seem to be at the lowest, there is often hope in unexpected places...
Okay... that being said, we've got about one more chapter before we get into Summer marching band which you know what that means... certain characters are coming back! But before we get there, we have one more new character to introduce... I wonder who's it going to be... hmmmmm...
So if you guys have thoughts, predictions, reactions, questions, reactions, any and all, let me know what you think! I love to hear from all of my readers.
REVIEWS!
Anti Poison: Hey mate! Thanks for leaving the review, always appreciated! Unfortunately, I have to agree with you, not everyone has an easy life... I wouldn't say Ch 13 makes you think that life is shit... to me... it's more of people can be pushed to their limit, and when they have given up hope, there something that helps them back up to their feet, ya know? I'm glad you like the chapter! It means a lot. Hopefully you liked this chapter. Then again, that my own interpretation, but hey I always welcome other thoughts! Thanks for sharing mate!
Cpt. Lynx: *HUG* SUP BRUH!? But for real yeah things escalated quickly and yeah he should be arrested and charged huh? I mean that's pretty rough stuff though... Ye[ you were right, we got a YANG!
Morgoth: Hello my friend! Glad you like the chapter, it means a lot. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review, always appreciated!
Xerzo: Hey mate! No worries. But yeah... Jaune has been through a lot... but hey sometimes there a person who can pick you up somewhere sometime. I'm sorry about the tone of the chapter, but I can't be... it had to be set that way. Just remember, as things seem at their darkest, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Guest review: Hello friend. Thanks for the input, pm me or just don't read, it isn't that hard of a concept in my opinion... Have a good one mate :D
Yukas: MY FRIEND! Yeah... that chapter was pretty rough lol... I'm tired of Canon Raven too... so we have Sauron Raven... which according to Shaded is best Raven xD Oh don't you worry bout Weiss, she's coming back, and Neptune? We haven't seen the last of him! As for ships... lol don't worry, cute and fluffy scenes will be coming. As for the Neptune/Weiss/Jaune situation, no comments. Sorry mate! lol Hopefully you liked the chapter. Always a pleasure friend.