It's funny how history repeats itself.
Their roles had changed this time around which he found a little bit odd, and daunting. Looking down at her face he inwardly begged for a scowl, a rebuke, a frown, even a simple "Idiot" would be enough to make him leap with joy, instead he sat terror stricken, staring at a face devoid of all emotion or signs of consciousness.
The gentle rhythm of her breathing was the sole comfort he had, not being able to confirm himself whether or not she was getting warmer, Blake had come in and done it herself, assuring Jaune that the quietly roaring fireplace was doing its work. Not being able to warm her himself was something he cursed, but it couldn't be helped.
So Jaune simply knelt by her, watching the beautiful heiress illuminated by the sun-like glow emanating from the fire, re-adjusting her blankets whenever she made a movement and displaced them. Keeping an unwavering eye on her for any signs of awakening. Ren has informed him that the blunt force trauma could take a while to recover from, but this was agony.
Still, throughout it he felt an odd sense of serenity as he remained in her constant company, simply being with her hours on end without bickering or near-death situations. It was calming.
After a considerable while he was joined by two others, Nora cooed at the adorableness of Jaune's bedside manor, Ren handing him some heated canned soup and bread-sticks they had packed with them. Jaune made sure to save a few just in case Weiss woke, the girl could be surprisingly more irritable on an empty stomach, which was saying something.
The team remained in there, enjoying light conversation and revelling in Nora's tales of wonder which, whether they were true or not, always made sure to amaze Jaune. Something simple like that at the end of such a day was exactly what any group of huntsman and huntresses needed to forget the trials of the day.
As night fell, the others all filed in to the living room to discuss the plan. Jaune and his unresponsive companion received looks of sympathy and concern from all who entered, he did his best at a smile in return. They situated themselves around the room before Pyrhha cleared her throat.
"*Ahem*. As of right now, it would be unwise to call in air pick up from this area, especially now that we have injured" Pyrrha spoke as Jaune looked down at Weiss, confident that she would be insisting she would be fine at this point if she could. "Therefore I think it is best to call for another back up team to land away from the woods and make our way to us so we can fight our way to where the airship has landed. With ten capable fighters, that should compensate for Jaune carrying Weiss for the stretch"
The other members of Pyro Black and Lavender White nodded in unison, landing the airship in the middle of the woods allowed the beowolves to find them and surround them easily last time so landing as far away from the horde as they could would be ideal.
"Well if we're gonna call for another team, I vote for Sun's team" Yang suggested, raising her hand. The image of the mischievous monkey faunus bringing in the cavalry to the rescue was hard for all to picture but Jaune had seen Sun in action and was pretty confident in his ability.
He wasn't exactly sold on the blue haired friend for a reason he hadn't yet discerned but that was unimportant as of right now. The next thing that Yang said dismissed all uncertainty. "It's either them or Cardinal Red"
Following their decision, the eight-some made their way to the living quarters of the burnt house, setting out sleeping mats that had come with Pyro Black's ship. Both teams decided to sleep in the living room as even though it was cramped, it was the only space with heat. Plus as Nora put it, it was like a big 'slumber party'.
And what it resulted in fairly resembled one, everyone in their nightwear, excluding Ren who seemed to prefer wearing his green and black tailcoat at all times, sitting in a group and chatting like a regular group of teenagers apart from the fact that they were just the opposite.
"So, you gonna come sit with us or just keep giving us the cold shoulder? " Yang called over with a smirk, prompting sighs from all present at the terrible trait of Yang's that they were forced to deal with day in day out.
"Oh, uh.." Jaune was broken from his train of thought as he looked over to where Yang and the others sat, him having placed Weiss comfortably on a proper sleeping mat but leaving her his hoodie to rest her head upon. Jaune looked back to Weiss, him mothering over her wouldn't change anything at the moment.
"Okay, sure" Jaune picked himself up and walked over, taking a seat besides Yang and Pyrrha.
"As I was saying. Ren and I had just finished fighting the assassin when he suddenly grabbed Ren! So in order to save my damsel in distress, I rushed towards them and barrelled the guy off the cliff side along with myself! Little did I know that an icy lake lay beneath!" Nora recounted, Ren reminding everyone that this was purely a dream she'd been having after reading too many comic books.
"It's not my fault my brain takes inspiration! This comic is the best!" Nora squealed, taking out the small comic book from her matt and displaying it proudly, the block lettered title reading 'The Frosty Ordeals of Snow-Boy!-The Return' Jaune looked oddly at the cover, it showed a teen boy at a futuristic school seeing a girl with a white ponytail and looking shocked. They resembled... wait.
"Jaune, doesn't that story sound like...?" Blake turned to him slowly, Yang looked perplexed at what the two were on about but then thought back to the time Jaune spilled the proverbial beans on Jaune and Weiss meeting up and connected the dots. She quickly snatched the comic and began to flick through it, ignoring the audible protest from Nora.
The group watched as Yang began to snicker, then chuckle, then buckle over in laughter as she continued to read on. If Jaune could, he'd go paler. Yang quickly placed the book in the middle of the group to display the illustration of a young white haired boy hugging the shorter girl with the tiara, the speech bubble reading "Let's get out of here, Snow Angel"
Eyes went wide throughout the group as Ruby clambered to get a look whilst Yang chortled uncontrollably, Blake offered a look of sympathy to Jaune who seemed to be having a mental meltdown. Pyrhha sported a slight red tinge as the image of Jaune shivering in bed, his hair being tousled by Weiss being presented for all to witness.
As another page turned, followed by yet another laugh, even Ren barely veiling an amused smile, Jaune's brain finally spurred into action as he lurched forward to grab the book but was foiled by Yang as she got to it first and held it out of his reach, laughing at his feeble attempts to swipe it from her.
"Woah, Jaune. Calm down, 'you need to rest'! 'It's simply juvenile'!" she spoke as Jaune angrily swiped at it once more.
"Yeah, Jaune, 'Drink your cocoa'!" Ruby giggled, more than happy to join in on the teasing. This could not go on.
He had to take drastic measures.
To Yang's confusion, Jaune suddenly stopped squirming after her, instead he raised one hand to block his eyes and immediately apologized.
"Uh, what are you doing?" She asked as Jaune didn't remove his hand, hesitating before answering.
"You're.. kind of exposed" Jaune raised a finger with his other hand and pointed it below her face.
Yang gasped, had she accidentally flashed the room full of practically ALL her close friends?! Had her shirt gotten misplaced as she moved to avoid Jaune taking the book? She looked down and paused. Her shirt was fine, her shorts were perfectly in place. Everything was exactly where it should be.
That is except...
Yang clenched her empty-feeling hand before turning back to see the vacant space where Jaune had been seconds ago, hearing footsteps running for the door.
"He's got the book!" Nora yelled as Jaune fled without turning back, leaving behind a room of stunned, amused and embarrassed faces as Yang began to crack up again, her laughs echoing off the walls as Jaune promptly volunteered to be a look out for the night.
Jaune groaned on the balcony, THAT wouldn't be forgotten so easily. Flicking through the pages once more, it was incredibly weird seeing the events he and Weiss had shared in a book, a comic book even! With him as the protagonist, either that or it was another blond turned blanc that saved a girl by pushing a toothy assassin into a lake and gaining ice powers.
"So, which one of you two is secretly a comic book artist?" A sly voice spoke as Jaune turned to see Yang approach him with a grin, though it wasn't the same teasing one he'd seen earlier, a much friendlier one taking its place, the mischief having disappeared almost entirely.
"Ughh" Jaune groaned, his head in his hands, prompting a light chuckle from Yang, "Neither of us... probably. Though Weiss did once tell me about a guy she had try and find me, she might have told him" he groaned into his sleeves as Yang gave him a pat on the back.
"Guess he liked your story" she joked before leaning on the side of the balcony and changing her tone to a softer one
"Sorry about that back there, it just seemed like a good laugh, and recently I've been actively looking out for them" she began in a surprisingly tranquil tone as her eyes drifted off "This whole monster fighting squad thing is fun, yeah, but sometimes, when things get rough and people get hurt. I worry about what effect it has on her" Yang looked back at the house and Jaune instantly knew who she was talking about.
"She's only fifteen, and yet she's trapped in the middle of a tragic accident that took innocent lives, surrounded by monsters that want to tear her to shreds. I know Ruby is a little.. more okay with killing Grimm than most young girls I know but she's still a young girl. I won't torture you with details but when we were younger I had a stupid idea that I dragged Ruby into as well.
We were attacked by those things and only made it out because of our uncle. Back then we didn't have our aura unlocked, if she were hit, at that age.." Yang clenched her fists, obviously angry with herself. Only loosening them when a hand took hold of her shoulder and gave it a comforting rub. Yang smiled at him "Thanks, sorry if I droned on a bit" Jaune shook his head.
"No, I think I get it. Not with my sisters though, in fact, next time we meet, I'll be more worried about the horrors I'll be subjected to. But I agree, and I'm just going to come right out and say 'yes, I'm talking about Weiss' instead of trying to be subtle about it. I love seeing her smile or laugh because it means that she isn't ruled by her desire to prove herself as a Schnee or impress her father.
It means she's enjoying other parts of life as well, which is why her smile is honestly one of my favourite sights" Jaune spoke honestly, half-expecting an 'aww' from the girl next to him, he heard nothing of the sort, instead, a chuckle. Then she was off laughing again.
"What's so funny?!" Jaune asked in slight irritation at the cackling blond as she wiped a tear away from her eye. Her mischievous smile returned in full glory.
"Wow, those lines in the comic book ARE actually the kinds of things you say!" she exclaimed as Jaune groaned, his head back in his hands.
She would never drop that.
"Seriously though" Yang couldn't keep the glee from her tone but attempted to sound genuine as Jaune moved his head to see her
"Thanks for the late night heart to heart, you're a pretty cool guy, after all!" She chimed with her obligatory play on words before heading back inside as a small smile crept onto Jaune's face.
The deep void he'd felt after Weiss was injured was beginning to patch up as he laughed away the pain, maybe what Yang theorised actually did hold some merit.
Sometimes all you need is a little laughter.
The next day, Pyrrha had received confirmation from their monkey tailed escort that they would reach the house in under ten minutes. They hadn't heard the whirring of any airship flying overhead which meant it had landed a safe distance away, all that was left was getting there.
As the rest of the gang geared up, checking their weapons and putting on their battle gear, Jaune has strapped his sword to his side before carefully kneeling besides the still under heiress and lifted her, thanking his stars that her dainty form was as light as it seemed. Jaune fought off the small blush that he began to feel at holding Weiss to his chest before walking down the ice steps he had created the night before.
Only now had he had time to recognise the structure he had created, having been in too much of a rush before to take in his handiwork, feeling honestly rather pleased with his handiwork as he stepped down to where the others waited for him, combat ready.
"Are you sure you're okay to run with her?" Pyrrha asked him one last time, with an affirmative nod from the now re-hoodie wearing teen, she got everyone into formation. Pyrrha and Yang leading the charge with Ruby and Nora to the sides, Ren and Blake guarding the rear and Jaune in the centre carrying Weiss.
Sun's team would slot in as soon as they made contact, filling in wherever there was a gap and keeping the middle protected. The gang waited for several minutes, no one spoke as the tension soon became prominent, the idea of hundreds of Grimm pouncing on them from the shadows in the forefront of everyone's minds. Only interrupted by a call.
"Yo! Jaune, Blake, you guys!" Hearing a familiar voice the group turned to see Sun emerge from the ash and smoke of the woods, followed by three others, one being his blue haired friend, Neptune, then two others Jaune didn't recognise, one massively tall with a long white sleeveless jacket and a smaller framed boy with a red coat draped over one shoulder.
"Somebody call a rescue team?" Sun greeted as Jaune laughed, happy to have his faunus friend get his back during this.
"Thank you for coming, lead the way!" Pyrrha urged as Sun agreed before turning and running in the direction he came from, followed closely by his team and the formation as they sped through the leafless woods.
Jaune was running, not skating in case the ice trails he left behind were to cause someone to slip up accidentally, feeling tired as he had grown spoilt of his easier and faster mode of transport he had grown to rely on.
For the first few minutes it was smooth sailing, and the idea had actually entered his mind that they would be able to get to the airlift without any encounters, it was around about then that he made eye contact. Light blue meeting devilish red. About a hundred metres apart, he met the eyes of a bewolf.
And that was the initiation. It instantly let out a bellowing howl that echoed through the blackened bark remains. Then there was silence. Then there was thunder. The sound of hundreds of sets of paws pounding on the ashen grounds below, gradually growing louder.
"We better pick up the pace!" Sun called out to his followers, prompting them all to work their legs to exertion as they sped through the forest as fast as they possibly could. It wasn't even a minute later that the snarls became audible, black shapes beginning to poke through the heavy smoke to the sides of their path.
Within seconds of his surrounding protectors raising their weapons in preparation, their first foes emerged, small packs of beowolves running along beside them, angrily growling as they recklessly leapt at the teens, being cut down immediately by either Ruby's scythe or being pierced by Pyrrha's spear.
The small packs were dealt with relatively little difficulty as the barricade of incredibly talented huntsman and huntresses was impenetrable by the ravenous creatures. Jaune constantly looked down to make sure he still had a strong grasp of Weiss as he ran in the middle.
Even as a monster made it past Ruby, a light blue blast knocked it from the air as one of their escort stepped in to his aid, his goggles now masking his eyes
"You know, if you wanna swap carrier for a minute, that'd be fine with me, you know, just so you know" Neptune offered with a smile
"Nope" Jaune shot down between breaths, not wanting to waste energy on coming up with a convincing reason
"You sure?" he asked, firing a few more rounds into oncoming beowolves, his weapon allowing him a much further range as his redhaired friend fought nearer foes
"Yep" Jaune confirmed.
It was when the bulk started coming that the problems started.
As more and more started to approach from the sides, the group began to lose formation slightly to deal with the horde attacking from every conceivable angle.
The surrounding fighters were fully capable of dealing with whatever came too close, but it was turning into a matter of how long they could continue to do so.
Ruby was showing signs of tiredness and thus didn't notice when one beowolf found her blind spot.
"Watch out!" Jaune briefly took one of his hands off of his human cargo and extended it towards the monster, releasing a beam of freezing air from his palm that enveloped the flying predator mid-leap before it fell to the ground and shattered.
"Thanks!" she called out in gratitude as Sun called out to them saying it wasn't far now. That elated Jaune, but there was still the minor issue of the hundred or so beowolves surrounding them at that point in time. As last ditch efforts, semblances came into play.
Doubles of Blake and Sun now charged the beowolves, one's leading the beowolves away, the other doubles running into the oncoming forces and exploding upon impact. Yang began to deal out double the pain she was recieving as her hair shined a bright yellow and her eyes an even more threatening shade of red than the monsters themselves. A small Ruby sized black blur was crashing into the packs to their right, sending dozens flying into scalded oak and scorched foliage.
Everything was working perfectly as the mystical powers aided immensely in thinning out their numbers. Sun pointed and indicated a clearing that led to their escape vehicle, the group began to burn through their ammo as barrage upon barrage of gunfire and explosive projectiles courtesy of Nora left craters where monsters once were.
They thought they were in the clear as the heads of the group headed out into the clearing, the group formation slackening slightly as they made the final few paces. Everyone so caught up in getting to the airship that no one noticed the dark shape falling unto Jaune. It was only at the last moment that he sensed it coming from above and instantly he turned so his body received the full impact of the strike.
Jaune was sent tumbling into the clearing, he made sure to bring Weiss into a tight embrace and cushion her with his body. He didn't have time to reach for his sword, nor did the others have time to see what was happening as Jaune looked back to see the towering beowolf, looking like the large one that Weiss had protected him from just yesterday.
In a second, the beast swiped down and Jaune met its hands with his own, a crack sounding through the clearing as their hands locked together. The monstrous being let out a growl as it tightened its grip on Jaune's hands, its claws digging into the back of his hand and tearing through the lavender material of his gloves like wallpaper.
Jaune's eyes widened as he felt it coming back to him. The feeling that caused him to be bedridden for days in that bed and breakfast, the worst torture he had endured. In a rush to get this beast off of him, Jaune activated his power, and the beast immediately cried out as its hands begun to freeze over, then spreading to its entire body, encasing it entirely before Jaune reeled back and unsheathed his sword, smashing the frozen beast to pieces
The damage, however, was done. The torn purple fabric fell to the ground in shreds, the gloves that were the very first gift he ever received from Weiss.
Yang let out a whistle at Jaune's impressive defeat of the big beast, the others just then catching on to what had happened and ran over to congratulate Jaune. As they approached, they didn't realise anything was wrong.
Jaune dropped to his hands and knees and begun shaking, the group assumed the adrenaline of such a feat would naturally incur that reaction, until he fell to the ground and started convulsing uncontrollably.
The last sounds Jaune could register were screams of his name from both males and females before he could only hear the chattering of his own teeth and the sharp breaths he took, in, out, in, out every second. It had begun again.
The gang rushed to the airlift, Nora being the volunteer to carry Jaune with Pyrrha lifting Weiss before they ran, fearing the worst.
When Jaune awoke, the first thing he did was shiver, he pulled what felt like a blanket over him immediately but it didn't help, it never helped. He tossed and turned violently, feeling nothing but ice cold blood running through his every vein.
He had forgotten just how bad the cold felt, now he was receiving a cruel, torturous reminder. He gasped heavily as he shiverred and shuddered, rocking the entire bed he was in. He barely registered it at his own dorm room bed. His mind being taken over by the cold.
This was it, all again. He was going to suffer through this hell again.
That's when it happened.
Warmth. Was it warmth?
He had partially forgotten what it felt like, before with the gloves he still never felt it, his memories of it were only up until he was fifteen, so he could be wrong, but his heart disagreed, this was without a doubt warmth, but how in the world of Remnant..?
"Shh, it's okay, it's all right now" spoke a soothing voice. Jaune opened his eyes wide and there before him was a sight of a miracle.
Weiss, now awake and wearing her light blue, elegant night gown, was laying beside him.
She had deep care and comfort in her eyes as she reached her arms around Jaune and pulled him in closer.
His mind didn't register the fact that he was sharing a bed with Weiss, his body was overwhelmed by the sensation, the warmth of her body, how amazing it felt to hold her close to him, burying his head in her neck, wrapping his arms around her.
He had stopped shivering and shuddering, he slowly took Weiss in closer as she spoke softly to him
"It's okay, just go to sleep. Just sleep, it's all going to be okay. I promise"
Jaune had to wonder if this was a dream. No. This feeling was more amazing than anything he had ever experienced.
This was real, every second of it.
The pair held each other for that night, basking in warmth as they comforted one another, sharing the best feeling either had experienced before, until they quietly nodded off to sleep in each other's arms.
That's when he realised he loved her.