Having this done for a Saturday feels strange and unnatural… I actually wrote it as I normally would, finishing the first draft on a Thursday, so that College Fool could look over it for Friday. I seem to recall telling myself that I'd reduce the word count to 10,000 now that we were doing weekly updates too… whatever happened to that, Coeur? God damn it…
Actually, this chapter did have another 3-5,000 words attached onto it initially, but College Fool suggested it best to save those and release this as it is here. You can blame her for that if you want, when she's finished being hungover.
Not throwing CF to the wolves here, I was asked to include this xD – and College Fool really helped a lot with this chapter, so massive thanks.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: A Stuck at Home Tome
Chapter 26 – Between the Lines
The formation would have made for an imposing sight, like a condemned prisoner being escorted without any hope of escape, had the reluctant man in the centre not merely been so blatantly bemused. Jaune rolled his eyes at that, a short sigh escaping him as he allowed his team to force him along. "You know," he said, "You don't have to treat this so seriously. It's only a few small burns."
"Then you won't mind having them checked out," Blake said from behind.
"I'm just saying that it's a waste of time. Why don't we say we did and don't, then go chill out in our room or something?"
"Shut up," Weiss ordered, the sheer chill in her snap making him blink. "You're injured," she went on, "and we're not just going to ignore that. If you won't look after yourself, then we'll do it for you. Now move!" She followed the command with a firm but gentle shove.
Jaune moved forward, though he hardly had a choice. Why was she so upset? It wasn't like anyone had been really hurt- he'd suffered worse in this life alone. He looked towards Yang for an answer, but received only a stern look from the girl. No help there. What was with them all? It was just a few burns, after all, little more than a singe.
Blake's nose crinkled in distaste, and a glare from her made clear he'd get no help from that corner either.
Kitsune was at her desk when they entered the infirmary. Her ears perked up at the noise and she turned with a bored expression which slipped away when she saw him. Weiss bristled at the intrigued smile on the woman's face, but Jaune knew better. It wasn't him she was happy to see, but rather the burns across his arms.
"Oh my," she said, and the saccharine quality of her voice had his eyes rolling. "Whatever has happened here?"
"Shouldn't you tell me," he drawled, "You're the doctor."
She pinched his arm – hard. He managed to avoid wincing, but it was a close call and his eyes filled with pained tears. That had been his badly burned arm and the sensation was nothing short of agony. He didn't fail to notice how her tail swished happily behind her.
"He was injured in class," Weiss explained, "There was a… an accident. He took a blast of fire dust head on. Miss Goodwitch told us to bring him here." Left unsaid was that she'd obviously not trusted him to come alone, but the doctor seemed more interested in his injuries than the explanation of how he'd gained them.
He just wished her interest was of a more professional nature.
"Hmmm…" Tsune poked at his skin, eyes flicking up occasionally to gauge his reaction. "Oh yes, this certainly looks painful… so very painful." She coughed when she noticed everyone staring at her. "Well, the burns look bad for the most part but I wouldn't call them overly serious. His aura seems to have prevented much of the initial damage; otherwise you'd be looking much worse than this."
It had flared up at the last second, he could remember that. He wouldn't call it lucky, however, if only because it was supposed to be active constantly. It's been letting me down lately. I'm still no closer to understanding why, but now I have to ask why it helped me this time and not the others. It couldn't be who he was against, because it had faltered when he'd fought the Malachites and they were enemies. It just didn't make sense.
"Am I free to go then?"
Weiss growled from beside him but it was the doctor shaking her head which made him sigh. "Even if the damage is light, you'll still need to be treated for it. I have some salve and cream that can be rubbed into them to encourage healing and it would be best if you remained here tonight in case anything goes wrong."
"Why does he have to stay here?" Weiss asked. There was a certain quality to her tone, a strange reluctance he hadn't expected to hear considering her recent response to his own desire to leave. "You said there isn't any damage. Surely he can take the cream and use it at our dorm."
"The external damage is light," Tsune explained, "But as ever with fire, there's a chance it might have affected his respiratory system. It might not have, but if he does have trouble breathing, I'd prefer he be here where I can treat him." The faunus' brown eyes narrowed playfully. "Is that what you wished to hear, Miss Schnee? Or was there another reason for you to doubt my intentions?"
"I suspect he'd have more trouble breathing if he stayed," Weiss snapped with a more frustrated tone. It took him a few moments to realise that it was probably aimed at him, not Tsune, as Tsune's chuckle reminded him why. Ah, yes, Weiss probably thought he'd try to do something with her if he stayed the night again.
As if anyone did more to Tsune than she did to them.
"While I appreciate your… concern for my professionalism," the doctor began, seemingly amused at Weiss' indignant look, "I would have you know that I do prefer my men still breathing. Not to mention a little less well-done."
"I... have no idea what you mean," Weiss claimed.
"Oh, I think you do…"
He stepped between the two before the situation could get any worse. Kitsune loved to play with people like that and Weiss was possibly the worst person to do it with. "That's fine," he said, "I'll stay here and if you'll give me the cream, I'll put it on myself."
"Show me your hands."
His hands? Jaune blinked in surprise but held them out for her regardless. That proved to be a mistake a second later when the woman roughly slapped her own against them. He cried out and cradled them back against his chest. "What the hell was that for!?"
"There you go," she said, as though the pain explained everything. "Your hands are as burned as your arms. Using them to apply the cream would just lead to further damage; some of it could become permanent nerve damage." If that was the case, she seemed incredibly unrepentant of having hit them! "Divest yourself of your shirt. I'll apply the cream myself."
"That really won't be necessary…"
"Are you shy?" she smirked, "How curious. It's nothing I haven't seen before." She looked pointedly down towards his lower half "Or felt."
Shy, no – scared, yes. Jaune was more than aware of his reputation, but he also knew exactly who it was he was dealing with and the idea of her rubbing cream into his injuries wasn't a particularly inspiring one. "Oops, I used my nails… silly me. Oh dear, now you're bleeding too… let me stitch that up. Anaesthesia, why would we need that when I have perfectly good needle and thread?" He'd lived over a thousand years, sure, but that didn't mean he could ignore pain entirely.
"Perhaps it would be for the best if we took care of him," Weiss suggested, much to his relief. "We are his team, and you must be terribly busy. We wouldn't want to impose," she said, even as she began to turn him around. Blake and Yang stayed at either side, and what had once been a prisoner escort into the infirmary was now a perfect extraction formation from the same.
By the sound of Tsune's chuckles, she noticed that too.
"How can I argue with that?" she said. "Very well… if you wish to be touchy-feely with your teammate, who am I to object? Let me fetch the salve."
He heaved a sigh of relief as she stepped away. Awkward as he could imagine it being, at least he could trust the girls not to drag their nails against his burned flesh or squeeze his tortured skin or some other horrible thing.
Well, not unless they wanted to do it themselves the next time he pissed them off.
"Thanks for the save, Weiss."
"What save?" Yang laughed. "She's just worried you'll bang the doctor again."
"Really, Weiss?" he sighed, ignoring the bead of sweat that ran down his head when his partner shot Yang an annoyed glare. "I know I have a reputation, but I think second-degree burns would be a turn-off for anyone."
"You'd be surprised," Blake murmured, at the same time Weiss growled "I wouldn't put it past you."
Weiss shot Blake a glare, but not as severe as the warning look she shot Yang as the blonde leaned in close. "Don't sell yourself short, Daddy," Yang stage-whispered with a laugh in her eye. "Some people find scars attractive, don't you think?"
"Shut up, you," Weiss warned, before turning away from him when the doctor came back.
"I have two options," the fox faunus said with a smile. "Both will achieve the same benefits, but this one is particularly good for healthy and beautiful skin."
"How so?" Yang asked.
"It contains micro beads and other exfoliating agents."
On his burned skin? "We'll take the other one," he quickly called out.
Tsune's tail seemed to droop. "Are you sure? As a doctor I think I would prescribe the other…"
Weiss sighed and stepped forward, but to his relief swiped the one the doctor seemed reluctant to give over. "Thank you," the heiress said, "We'll see to our teammate now, so don't worry."
"I could hel-"
"Thank you, Miss Kitsune," Weiss said, before closing the curtain around his bed.
"You know, she is a teacher," Blake reminded in an amused tone, "I'm surprised you'd question her judgement like that."
"Well I'm surprised she'd sleep with a student, so I think I little doubt is warranted," Weiss countered, before crossing her arms and glaring at Jaune. "Let's get this over with, Jaune; strip."
Oh, Weiss... not in a million repeats could he pass that one up.
"Why Weiss, I thought you'd never ask," Jaune teased, even as he turned away from them to start raising his shirt over his back while still covering his chest and stomach. Something- probably the tube- instantly hit him near the spine. "Are you sure you want to set this sort of example in front of the kids?"
Something else- probably the heel of shoes, if the sensation of a stiletto was any clue, hit him in the back too. It at least had the mercy to strike somewhere other than the burn, and made him bend over at the same time.
"You think that's how they are in the bedroom?" Yang totally failed to whisper to Blake. She caught the tub of salve on the side of her head as a reward, this time tossed by him. The blonde laughed as she unscrewed the top and ran a finger in it. "Br… cold."
"Cold is fine with me," Jaune laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head and held it against his chest and stomach. His skin prickled and tingled in the cool air but there was still a terrifying sense of burning there, of a flame that wouldn't go out. The cold lotion would be a godsend if it got rid of that.
Blake and Yang took some into their hands and rubbed them together, as did Weiss. It wasn't until they all paused, hands a few inches away from his body and faces hesitant, that the atmosphere – and reality – came crashing back.
"Well," he coughed, "this is… awkward."
/-/
Awkward was one way of putting it, Weiss thought as she looked down at her hands and then at her topless partner. There wasn't anything sexual about it- really- as uncomfortable bile threatened to come up her throat. The parts of his arm that weren't charred were pink, with blisters up to his shoulders, and even some red splashed out towards his neck. Aura was already helping in some respects, but she doubted even the most desperate woman in Beacon would have wanted to touch him in his current state.
He's hurt, she thought. Because of me.
A quick glance at Blake and Yang told her that they were staring with the same horror as she. At least neither of them were looking at her with blame in their eyes. Small mercy, that.
"Would it help if I closed my eyes?" Jaune asked. "We could dim the lights," he offered as well.
"T-that won't be necessary," Weiss denied, gathering her resolve and taking the plunge. She carefully placed her hand on his shoulder, fingertips brushing against the worst of what she saw.
Jaune hissed, shoulder blades clenching, and just like that her hand recoiled.
"Are you alright?" she began immediately. "Did I-?"
Jaune hissed again, but this time letting air out as he shook his head. "You're fine. It's just cold." His muscles slackened as he deliberately relaxed them. "It's not bad, just... surprised me."
Taking his relaxation as consent, she lowered her hand again, gently, of course, and feather-brushing it once more across his skin. This time Jaune didn't flinch, and so she began to apply the ointment in earnest.
"How is it?" Weiss eventually asked after the first bit was applied. "How does it feel?"
"Still cold," Jaune said, "but not bad. It's cool." He shrugged his shoulder experimentally, but soon relaxed again. "It feels good though... less painful." He sounded more relaxed.
That seemed to give Blake and Yang more confidence. With a nod Weiss dabbed a little more white cream on her fingers, and together all three of them leaned forward to apply it. Soon enough Blake took to his right arm, Yang to his left, leaving his broad shoulders for Weiss.
Jaune let out sighs of pure relief as they continued, and it gave them more confidence that they were on the right track. Weiss was forced to shake her head as she brought out some more cream and rubbed softly against his skin.
How he could remain quiet with this much damage, she had no idea. He'd been wearing his coat and shirt before, sure – and she'd need to have those replaced – but they'd worked to hide much of the damage. Some of that char from before wasn't burned skin, but cloth burned to the skin. She had just assumed from his ability to chat and make excuses that the injuries were minor, but looking at it...
How could he just ignore all this pain? How could he ignore what- who- had caused it?
That fact made her muscles clench, though she made sure not to grip her injured partner's skin and hurt him. She would have been crying out in pain – or worse – if he hadn't stepped in.
Instead… Fury burned behind her eyes, and for once it was an anger radiated entirely inwards.
"Weiss? Is something wrong?" Jaune asked, still looking away and patiently awaiting her. "You stopped."
She wiped her guilt away quickly. Before Blake or Yang could shoot her more than a questioning glance, she was already shaking her head as she went back to applying salve to his back. She was glad she didn't have to meet his eyes. "Nothing… I just want to make sure it's applied properly. Does… does it hurt?"
"Not at all," Jaune denied. "Say what you will about Tsune, and there's a lot to say, but she does know her medicine."
"That wasn't what I meant," Weiss whispered, "I meant the burns."
She could almost hear the grin in his tone. "Not anymore. It's feeling better already."
Not anymore… that meant it had before. And better didn't mean it was all gone or that he didn't feel it, just that he accepted it.
There was something disgusting about that statement; something that made her grit her teeth and fight to resist saying something. He shouldn't have to accept it. He wouldn't have had to, if it wasn't for her stupid mistake.
They worked in muted conversation for the next ten minutes, though Weiss remained silent throughout it. Yang teased him incessantly about receiving a massage from his daughters, something she'd apparently done once or twice for her father after his missions and as a way to earn some extra pocket money. The thought brought back memories of her own father, who she also knew received massages to handle his stress. He'd never asked her or Winter, however. He had a team of personal masseurs and wouldn't waste his time with them.
It was after she'd finished with Jaune's arm and begun to work on his shoulder that she noticed the way he clutched his coat and shirt to his chest. Her eyes narrowed. Was that some discolouration she could see? She reached out to grip the bundle of cloth, but he held it firm.
"Let go," she said, drawing the attention of the other two.
"Only my arms and shoulders got burned," Jaune protested, continuing to hold onto his apparel.
She might have believed him shy if she didn't know better. He'd stood before them naked from the waist down once and not even batted an eyelid. He was hiding something – she knew it. "Don't take me for an idiot," she snapped and fought for the cloth, forcing it aside. "I'm not going to let you sit there with more injuries because you won't-"
The coat slipped from his hands – and Weiss gasped.
"I told you it wasn't a burn," Jaune said, but it didn't sound like a taunt as he pulled his right arm free of Blake in order to cover the grisly marks on his stomach from view.
Weiss gently pulled them away, and despite some initial resistance Jaune let her. He wouldn't look her in the eye, though, though honestly that barely mattered. Her eyes lay transfixed on the scars that criss-crossed her partner's stomach. They cut a horizontal path across his stomach, and the raised flesh clashed in bright pinks mixed with white. It looked like someone had taken a meat grinder to his stomach.
She ruthlessly smothered the first tinge of sympathy. The scar put her own to shame.
"Is that from the Beowolf?" Blake asked, reminding them of her presence.
Weiss' eyes snapped up but she caught her teammate's meaning a second later. The Beowolf that had tried to kill his mother… she remembered the story now. She let go of his arms, but this time he didn't bothered to cover the damage. She couldn't take her eyes off of it.
"My eyes are up here, Weiss."
Alright, maybe she could... if only just for a second.
"I can't even imagine what that must have felt like," Blake sighed. "I'd heard the story but seeing them is a different matter entirely. They are… a lot larger than I expected."
"I'm used to them," he said. "I just… didn't think you'd want to see them." He gave Yang a shrug. "Not everyone's into scars, you know. Some people find them disturbing."
That was... the notion was foolish, incredibly so, and not just because of the endless line of paramours he'd had to prove otherwise. Were they being held to a lower standard? They weren't shallow children to be put off like that. And how dare he act like he had to make allowances for them? He shouldn't have felt upset about his body. Not like this.
"Anyone who thinks that way is a simpleton, and you have my permission to ignore them."
Jaune twisted his neck in an attempt to see her, but she made it easier as she walked directly in front of him and knelt down. He made to pull the coat back to hide them but she caught his wrist.
"Don't," she said, but there was nothing hard in how she said it. "We should rub some of the cream in, just in case. You don't know if the layer beneath your skin has been burned."
"I don't think it works like that," Jaune tried to say with a laugh. "Besides, you don't have to. I can just put some cream on later if I feel like it. It's not import-"
"Shut up," she said bluntly, even as she took a large amount of cream into her hand and rubbed them together. "Just lean back and let me get this over with." She looked at the girls on either side of him. "Restrain him if he tries to resist."
They promptly grabbed his arms and held them high, forcing him to expose his chest.
"But I didn't even do anything yet!" Jaune protested.
"Shush, Daddy," Yang said, though she didn't let go. "Honestly, I thought Blake was supposed to be the baby of the family."
"Excuse me?" Blake asked. She didn't let go, however, even as the two girls began to bicker over his head.
Weiss ignored them, and more importantly, didn't give herself the time to hesitate. She pressed the palms of her hand against his scarred stomach and started to slowly work the salve into what little burns he had there. It's bumpy and rough, but doesn't feel too terrible…
Above her head; Blake and Yang seemed lost in their squabble.
"You don't have to, you know," Jaune offered in a whisper that none the less startled her. "I can do this myself."
"Shut up," she said again, still not looking at him as she continued to feel the blemish.
His mother had said he took the damage protecting her, back when he didn't have aura. She couldn't even begin to imagine what that must have felt like, and judging from the size of these wounds, the monster had as good as carved his insides out. Some of them even stretched around his side. Her fingers tightened into fists against his chest as she kneaded the cream in a bit harder than she needed to.
"Are they making you uncomfortable?"
She glanced up met his eyes, confused. "Are they what?"
"My scars," he said, non-judgemental and simple stating a matter of fact. "If they bother you, then you needn't do this."
"Don't be an idiot," she sighed, before sighing again. "And don't make me a hypocrite either. If scars bothered me I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror." With her eyes still locked onto his she reached down to rub her finger along one of the most jagged ones. His skin was coarse beneath her fingertips, rough and uneven.
"Mine are a bit bigger than yours," he tried to make her laugh. "Size matters, or so I'm regularly told."
"Some would disagree. Yours can be hidden while mine is forever on display." She shrugged one shoulder, even as Blake seemed to choke on a hairball somewhere above her. "Some have even said I'm marred."
"Some people are idiots," Jaune mirrored her words from earlier with a little smile, "You have my permission to ignore them, if I don't stab them first, that is."
She knew that. Did he take her for a fool? Even so, she couldn't help the hint of smile on her lips as she shook her head and focused on his injuries once more. She wouldn't ever allow the opinion of shallow fools to influence how she lived her life, and her scar was a symbol of her determination to live the life she chose. The fact he so immediately defended her…
"You got this protecting your mother, didn't you?"
There was a pause, silence above them, and she didn't need to check to know the girls were looking down on them.
Jaune just sighed, "I take it my mom told you all?"
"She might have."
"Tell me she didn't tell you to try and guilt me about it. If so, it won't work. I came out alive, so there's no need to worry about it, and nothing I regret. Don't even try."
"I wasn't going to," Weiss denied. "It would be pointless to say anything about it. You didn't have aura at the time, or so I heard. You did the best you could with what you had."
Jaune hummed with a smile, maybe even surprised to avoid a disagreement. "You know," he chuckled, "You're one of the first to say that. Everyone else calls me an idiot, my family especially."
"Oh, make no mistake, you're still an idiot," she said, secretly amused when his face fell. "But it's an idiocy I can understand. There's sneezing on a bottle of dust idiotic and then there's risking your life to save your mother idiotic," she said, ignoring a slight 'hey' from above her. "One of those is more forgivable than the other."
Of course, Ruby had apologised for that incident and so Weiss had forgiven her. Perhaps not at the time… but well, she'd been a bit more… arrogant, back then.
"Either way," she continued, "I won't fault you for this. Both of you survived so history will remember your choice as the correct one."
"Thanks for understanding," Jaune sighed. "I know they were only mad because they were worried, but they seem to forget I was worried too. I couldn't let my mother die."
She wished she could say it was understandable. A mother's love was a powerful thing… or so she'd heard. Deep inside, she wished she could remember experiencing it herself – back before that love had been drowned in alcohol. "They say people do crazy things for those they love," she shrugged.
"Yeah, tell me about it," he laughed, as though she'd said something funny. "I'd jump into an inferno for her. At least I could die happy if she were safe."
Weiss' throat tightened.
"Too soon, Jaune," Yang whispered from above. "Too soon."
"Huh?" Jaune began, starting to look up before he saw Blake's gaze. "What do you- oh. Oh! Oh, uh..." he looked back down. "Sorry, Weiss."
She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, and found her eyes fixed onto a different scar. It was higher than the others, thinner too – caused not by a claw but by a weapon. What caused that? She didn't think he'd been injured recently. It looked like a cut from a thrusting weapon of some kind, the sort of body-shot any rapier-wielder would aim for. The same she'd tried to hit that White Fang person with. A crazy, foolish, idea shot through her head – but she dismissed it just as quickly. Jaune had been at Beacon, and besides, that man, Silver, had no Aura, while Jaune clearly did to take a dust blast like that and remain on his feet. I can't leap to such silly conclusions. Maybe this was a training accident from around the time of the Beowolf? Maybe it was something else… something more recent. She suddenly realised once more how little she knew of her partner's life before Beacon. He knew swordplay, so he had to have been training back then. I should ask him when he's back on his feet. It's unforgivable to not know more about him. I... I want to know more.
"Weiss? I think that's about it unless you want to use up the rest of the ointment the first time through," Yang spoke up, breaking Weiss from her thoughts. "I mean, unless you want to spend the rest of the night rubbing cream into Jaune's chest, in which case we could leave if you wanted us to give you some privacy..."
Blake snorted, and even Jaune seemed to laugh at the tease, even if he wisely tried to hide it, therefore Weiss wouldn't respond as Yang wanted her to. She sighed and stepped back, took a nearby towel and wiped her hands on them, both to get rid of the sticky sensation of the cream, but also the memory of his scar. "As always, your sense of humour leaves much to be desired. We should hold a charity collection to send you for comedy lessons."
"Hey, people laugh at me all the time," Yang protested, only to cough and quickly add, "With me… they laugh with me."
"Keep telling yourself that, Yang," Blake suggested.
"Don't worry, Yang," Jaune said loyally. "I laugh at you."
"Thanks, I- hey!"
Weiss ignored their laughter, looking at her partner with a mixed expression on her face.
"Jaune, will you be okay for the night?"
Jaune stopped his kidding with Yang to look at her instead. He looked a bit confused. "Huh? Yeah, sure, I'll be fine."
As he turned back to Blake and Yang, she allowed her eyes to roam over his chest. Not only to make sure of that fact that they'd completely applied the ointment, but also to memorize what his scars looked like. If they bothered him, she didn't want to ever show surprise at them again. They were a part of him, and one that she would accept without flinching.
Blake and Yang nodded and said their own well wishes as they slipped by him and past the curtain. She waited for them to leave, so that the two of them were briefly alone. When she was sure they were, she stepped forward and touched her fingers to his chest, drawing his eyes up towards hers. They stayed there for a moment.
"Thank you," she eventually said.
"For what?"
His confusion annoyed her more than she wanted to admit. He didn't even do it on purpose, but rather looked genuinely surprised that she would have any reason to show gratitude. Was she really that-?
"For protecting me," she said, focusing on the gratitude and everything else instead. "You were low on aura from your fight with Pyrrha, weren't you?" she asked needlessly. "When you jumped in front of that attack, you didn't know how strong it would be. You did so anyway. Thank you for risking yourself to protect me."
Jaune gave her that insufferable smile. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it, Weiss, it was noth-"
"It was not nothing!"
She startled herself with that, even if he was the one who went silent. Even if it was his eyes that went wide as her finger curled and her knuckles pressed against his neck, his trachea. Hard enough to be felt- hard enough to hurt even.
He needed to pay attention.
"It. Was. Not. Nothing," she repeated, emphasizing each word, her mind trying to figure out what she was trying to say. "You are not nothing. What you did was not nothing. And I, I..."
She paused, trying to put what was on the tip of her mind into words.
"I'd like to think I am not nothing to you either."
He said nothing. Jaune Arc, buffoon of a thousand jests and always a joking word, watched her speechlessly. It wasn't as good a feeling as she'd once hoped. It left her feeling the fool instead, waiting for him to fill the expectant silence.
He didn't.
Weiss composed herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she opened them, the moment- whatever that silence could be called- had passed.
"Thank you for being there for me, Jaune. I hope you get your rest. Good night and I'll see you tomorrow."
She left without looking back.
/-/
Jaune watched his partner go with a bit of concern. She seemed upset, but then left calmly without a hint of lingering animosity.
Ah, Weiss… of all the people in Beacon, Weiss has always been the hardest to understand. You could, once you understood that behind that imperious attitude was an indomitable core of good intentions that held no one to a higher standard than herself, but it was still hard. So many lifetimes later and she still surprised him.
Most of his friends were simple, once you got to know them. Not in a bad way, but in the sense of understanding them and what they liked. Blake was easy, as were Pyrrha and Ruby once you got to know what made them tick. They all had basic desires and dreams they lived for, and each was predictable in their own right.
Weiss, though? She was contradictory- more than the typical girl, at least- and he'd never been able to quite figure what made her tick as opposed to what would tick her off. Where others were simple, she was a mess of competing desires and hierarchies- this premise against that social expectation, unless this circumstance applied... Sure, they were often friends, and occasionally close, but never in the same way as everyone else. Even in all his repeats, even early on when he'd actively tried, he'd never been able to capture her interest.
He's never known she could be so gentle when she wanted to be.
He worked his left shoulder, marvelling at how much less painful it was with the salve working its magic. Possibly literally, depending on what the ingredients were. Regardless, it had felt… nice to have them rub it in for him. It had been comfortable, even intimate, without being remotely sexual. It had been...
Nice.
There would be consequences for it, though. That he knew. It wasn't his team and not between them, but rather the events which led up to it. He sighed and leaned back onto the soft mattress.
This is the first time Cinder's ever done something like that. She's never tried to put someone out of action before, even when Ruby nearly ruined her attack on the CCT.
It had been a subtle attack, one worthy of a schemer like Cinder. If she'd wanted to blatantly harm Weiss, she could have broken her bones in the spar itself but that would have drawn immediate suspicion and condemnation from Miss Goodwitch and Winter. She'd have been investigated, disciplined and perhaps even sent back to Haven. Whether that would ruin her plans, he didn't know, but he had to assume not. She could just sneak back in as a spectator for the festival. Either way, none of those things would happen now because the whole incident had just been one unfortunate accident.
After all, everyone knew dust could be volatile and after a spar like that it was perhaps to be expected that Weiss' weapon might have taken some damage – cracked a dust cylinder or something. No doubt if they looked closer they'd see that crack.
The fact that Cinder would have inflicted it to cover her tracks could hardly be proven.
She'll get a detention at worst, some warnings and close looks more likely. She acted contrite and that'll be enough to convince most people. Still, why do it in the first place? Could it be that Weiss and the team's interference at the warehouse had yielded greater results than expected? That seemed unlikely, though they had lost the Paladins. The only other variable is… Winter herself.
Had it been an attack on Weiss at all? Or rather, had it been one insidiously planned to get rid of the elder Schnee? If Weiss had been badly hurt, injured to the point of long treatment, then Winter would have surely dragged her out of Beacon and back to Atlas. That would remove not only Weiss from Cinder's list of issues, but Winter too.
As always, understanding her plans was a difficult affair. Even when he'd worked for her, she hadn't exactly been forthcoming with information. She'd considered him as expendable as everyone else.
Jaune sighed and let his eyes drift shut. Understanding would be slow to come as ever, but he didn't need to understand her motives to keep her away from his team. The dance was coming up and that would be the moment she would make her move. All he had to do was make sure she couldn't and that would keep her busy. She'd have to find another time, and that meant time she wasn't using to target the people he cared for.
Decision made, he allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow. That night, he dreamed of fire and the sensation of being consumed by it.
It was a familiar feeling.
/-/
Jaune started to sweat as he watched Weiss look down at the half-empty bowl of porridge and then back up at him. It wasn't his fault. He didn't eat much and it wasn't like he'd moved around much recently, but the look she gave him said such excuses wouldn't get him very far.
"You will eat the rest of that," she said, in a way that made it more command than statement. "You need to recover and half a bowl of porridge after what happened to you is not sufficient. Don't make me feed it to you." The way she hefted the bowl suggested such an action would be less akin to a romantic spoon feeding and more him receiving the bowl in the face.
"I'll eat more in a bit, I promise. I just need to let my stomach settle."
The morning had come bright and early in the infirmary, testament to someone being violently sick in a nearby toilet. The long-suffering sigh from Tsune suggested it was alcohol poisoning rather than a life-threatening injury, and that, once sober, the victim would be in a world of trouble. She'd checked on him too, and proclaimed he would be free to leave later on. The burns had already started to recede, mostly from his aura than the painkillers, but either way, there hadn't been any complications with his lungs.
That hadn't stopped Weiss from dropping by, however, kindly bringing breakfast along and then somewhat less kindly forcing him to finish all of it.
"Did Miss Tsune say you would be free to leave today?"
"Later," he nodded. "She says there are no signs of any damage but she wants to at least make sure nothing goes wrong after I've eaten."
Weiss picked at her own porridge, which she'd brought along so they could eat together. He would have pointed out the hypocrisy of her demanding he finish his own when she didn't hers, but one didn't simply point out Weiss Schnee's faults and expect to get away with it. "That's good," she said, "To hear it from Yang, you wouldn't have survived the week if you'd somehow managed to miss the dance she helped organise."
Now that was an amusing thought. She hadn't shut up about the damn thing all week so he could well imagine her frustration at the chance he'd miss it. "I'll be there," he chuckled. "Sheesh, she can be pretty demanding. Does she even have a date of her own?"
"Not that I know of."
"Well maybe she'd have someone to bring along if she spent less time badgering me and more time asking around." Not that he thought she hadn't been asked. This was Yang they were talking about; she probably had a queue of people who'd tried to ask her out, all rejected as usual. He didn't think she had ever taken someone to the dance – even in the thousands of times he'd repeated it.
"She's not the only one without a date," Weiss pointed out. The way she looked at him made him feel uncomfortable and he coughed into his fist. Did she have to rub it in so obviously?
"Well, it's not like my reputation has made girls want to be associated with me. It's fine for one night stands or brief encounters, but what kind of self-respecting person would want to be seen on my arm?"
Weiss frowned at that. "Perhaps if you spent less time whoring around and more focused on your image, it wouldn't be a problem."
True, but back then he'd needed to de-stress. The pressure and the pain were always building below the surface and everyone had their own way of coping. Some drank, others did drugs and some were dragged beneath the waves. Most people only lived a lifetime of stress, and even that was less than what he went through on a typical repeat. All in all, he thought he'd done fairly well at staying sane.
"Have you even approached anyone?" Weiss asked, breaking him out of its thoughts. "It's not too late to ask someone to the dance now. They might say yes... or even ask you."
He doubted that, but felt it'd be best not to laugh in her face. Yang might go if he asked, but he wasn't interested in a pity date or in sullying her reputation any more than it already was by association. Whereas Blake would go with Sun, and Neptune and Weiss would end up together as they always did, and that would be that.
"How about you?" he asked instead of answering, turning it around on her. "You first- any guy ask you out yet? Or girl? I won't judge," he promised with a smile. He might never have caught Weiss's interest, but in the war and chaos that followed Beacon, occasionally... well…
Weiss looked distinctly uncomfortable. Clearly she hadn't been asked, which meant Neptune had yet to man up. Jaune felt some pity and decided to spare her the agony.
"Don't worry, Weiss. You won't go alone," he promised. The assurance made her look up. "I have it on good authority that there's someone who wants to go with you."
Her eyes widened, and brightened. "Really?" she dared hope, even as she tried to hide it.
Jaune nodded with a real smile. "Really," he agreed. "He's just not sure how to go about it. He's a terrible dancer and hasn't a clue of what to wear." After all- seriously- goggles - as a fashion accessory?
Weiss tried not to beam, an effort as futile as it was every time. An unconvincing imperiousness came over it and he smiled at the sight of it. It was so very Weiss… something unique that belonged only to her. Neptune was a lucky man.
"Well, tell... whoever it is that I don't mind," Weiss said, a subtle hint if there ever was one. "I can wait until he feels better about approaching," she said with a secret smile, as if sharing an inside joke.
Jaune smiled too. Neptune always needed a little push, but always made Weiss happier when he did. For at least as long as they lasted, which admittedly wasn't always long, though there were a few times Jaune had helped ensure it would. Neptune and Weiss would be together in the end, and Blake would go with sun. Whether the monkey-boy would do better than he had the previous times was yet to be seen, but if he hurt Blake- or Neptune messed things up with Weiss this time- there would be hell to pay.
"How are Ruby and the others doing?" he asked, more to change the topic than because he wanted to know. "I can't imagine Ruby wearing a dress. Yang isn't killing her, is she?"
"It sure sounds like it." Weiss sighed. "You'd think a girl who relies on perfect footwork and balance capable of adjusting to heels, but she acts like Yang has strapped a Beowolf to each foot."
"Go easy on her," he laughed, "She's trying her best."
"She's a menace."
"Hey now… I thought you and Ruby had gotten over that dust incident."
"Oh we have," Weiss said, "But I am not exaggerating here. She tried to run away from Yang in those heels and tripped. She managed to bowl into Professor Port and knock him over. They're just lucky he thought it some form of advanced sparring practice and didn't give them detention."
Advanced sparring? It sounded more like the teacher couldn't be bothered to deal with a detention and so had made up some half-arsed excuse for why he'd let them off. Professor Port could be like that sometimes. Something popped into his mind, and before Weiss could continue, he reached across to tap her arm. "Do you know what happened to the person who put me in here?"
"Hm?" Weiss looked at him askance for a moment, "Ah, you mean Cinder Fall? Funny you should ask. Apparently, she cornered Yang earlier to ask after you."
Jaune's muscles tensed, though he hoped Weiss didn't notice. She'd been asking about him? That wasn't a good sign. Was she doing it to cover her tracks, to look innocent – or was there some darker purpose to her interest? At the very least it hinted at some degree of attention he'd drawn on himself. That was troubling. As ever, Cinder didn't take setbacks easily. There would be consequences to this. I'll need to keep my eyes open... maybe even attack her while she's gathering herself. The dance is an obvious choice but not the only one. She relies on Emerald and Mercury, after all.
"Yang was… not impressed to see her, as you might imagine." Weiss interrupted his thoughts. "Still, from what she was able to find out, Cinder has detention for a couple of nights and got off with little more than a strict warning and a long lecture."
That was all? He supposed it made sense. They couldn't expel her or even mark off her record since she wasn't a student of Beacon, and if they had reacted in such a way, then the media would have eaten them alive. It was an accident, after all… just a little accident that had landed him with a few inconsequential burns. If Weiss had actually been hit, maybe they'd have made a bigger deal of it - but no harm,. no foul, right?
"Why do you want to know?" Weiss asked. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Just curious," he said. "I mean, she's the one who put me in here so I wanted to know if she'd be punished for it."
Weiss relaxed, and those steely orbs looked down and away from him. "In that case," she said, "shouldn't it be me you're angry with?"
What?
She shook her head. "The fault with this lays firmly with me. When a weapon misfires it's the fault of the wielder or the manufacturer, that's what my sister always says. I've had Myrtenaster for years now and she's never served me poorly, so the failure here is mine. I… perhaps I didn't maintain her properly or failed to notice some damage… either way, it got you hurt and for that I apolo-"
He tuned her out, honestly. Ah, Weiss- self-critical to a fault. For all the impossible standards she held others to, they were nothing compared to what she held herself to. No one was harder on Weiss than Weiss, not even Winter. Of all the things Cinder could do, hurting him was one thing – but making Weiss blame herself?
"-Jaune? Jaune? Are you even listening to me?"
"Nope."
"What-!? I'm trying to apologise to you here!" she said, ire growing fast. "The least you could do is pay attention!"
"Nope."
That should have gotten her angry- except that she seemed to dim a little inside instead. Unexpected, unpredictable… how very much like Weiss.
"You're right," she agreed instead, looking away in the beginning of shame. "It's not something I can apologise about, or expect forgiveness for. It was-"
"Nope." There again- three for three - and Jaune found himself hiding a smile as Weiss looked back at him in confusion. He had to give it to her - Ruby could be surprisingly wise when she wasn't just being plain surprising. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd stolen her words of wisdom... or was it word?
"Nope?" Weiss said, seemingly confused.
"Nope," Jaune said once more, but nodded. "I'm not listening because there's no need, because there's nothing to apologise for. You haven't done anything to me recently that bears apologizing for." Absently he rubbed his chest, right above the scar she'd so recently given him at the White Fang base. "Not knowingly, at least."
That didn't seem to reassure her. "But Myrtenaster-"
"That wasn't your fault," he said, and stared into her eyes to make sure she knew how serious he was. "You were down and out for the count. She was the one to pick up your weapon and she was the one to launch that attack – no one else."
"I appreciate your saying that but if it wasn't for my poor maintena-"
"Nope again," he interrupted, and began to consider the merits of flicking food at her. Granted, that was likely to start a food fight, but they had already had theirs for the repeat... "The only one more focused on weapon maintenance than you is Ruby, and that's only because she considers that more important than food."
"But something clearly went wrong!"
"Nothing went wrong. It was out of your control."
Weiss looked like she didn't fully believe it, but wasn't willing to give. There was nothing more that could be said, or at least nothing that wouldn't drive her towards Cinder. "I- Thank you," she said instead, seeming to accept his absolution. "I-… whatever happened, I wish it hadn't. I'll be more careful in future. Why…" Weiss paused to take a quick breath, "Can I ask why you did it?"
"Did what?" he asked.
"Why you… why you took that attack for me. I want to know what motivated you to do that."
A frustrated sigh slipped from his lips as he stared at his partner. Her eyes were watching his, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. "Are you being serious? Do you really think I'm so lazy that I'd have left anyone to cook like that?"
"No, I- that's not what I meant," Weiss said, trying to reframe it. She looked at him. "Jaune, would you jump into an inferno for just anyone?"
Inferno? Oh, she must be thinking about what he'd said last night. He opened his mouth to say the obvious, that-
"Does it hurt?"
His head fell to the side. Thick smoke and rolling hear threatened to fill his lungs, creating a haze of dark shrouds before him. His muscles strained to push forward, only to fall back with a silent grunt as the twisted metal pinning him refused to move.
He burned. The skin began to blacken as every part of his body screamed in agony.
His mouth clicked shut, the taste of his own charred tongue coming back to him. He swallowed the sensation away, even as his mouth seemed uncomfortably dry. As far as ways to die went, burning alive in an inferno was... not pleasant. Not something he would ever take lightly. Honestly, it was how he died more often than not.
And he hated it.
He was afraid of it.
Would I do it for mom, for my family?
Yes. Of course he would, in a heartbeat.
Would I do it for anyone not a part of my family...?
"...not everyone," he admitted. He knew all too well that you couldn't save everyone. He'd tried too many times and suffered the consequences for that.
"Maybe not," Weiss agreed with a shake of her head. "But I know you would for Blake, like you would for Yang. I know why you'd do it for them, but… I just wanted to know why you did it for me. What was your reason?"
"Does it matter?" he asked, more curious than evasive.
"I-… I think it does," she said. Her eyes flicked away from his and down to the bowl of porridge in her lap. "I would like to know. I would like it said."
Was something wrong with her? The request was an odd one at best and he wasn't sure what she really meant by it. Wasn't it just expected that teammates would help one another? Yang would have done the same for Weiss, had she been fast enough. Or rather, had she known in advance of the danger and been ready for it like he.
"I'm not sure what to say," he admitted with a little shrug. "You were in danger. That attack would have hurt you. I didn't want that to happen."
"Because?"
"Because what? I don't understand the question."
"Why didn't you want it to happen?"
"Because you're my friend - my teammate?"
"Blake and Yang are teammates. Is that all?"
"You're my partner, then? What else is there? You're important to me and I don't want to see you suffer."
Weiss did and didn't look as happy with that as he expected. "But why? How?"
Jaune shook his head. "Weiss, I don't understand. What are you even talking about? Why would I want to see you hurt?"
"I-" Weiss growled beneath her breath for a second. "I'm not explaining it well, I... Forget it," she eventually said, "I'm just… never mind. It doesn't matter." She pushed her half-empty bowl onto the side and stood up. "We have classes for the rest of today. I'll make sure to collect any work for you to do when you're better."
"Thank you," he said politely, figuring it was better not to ask. She was acting so strange and looked like she was struggling with something. He didn't want to press, but... "You know you can talk to me if something's bothering you, right?"
"Nothing's wrong." she blatantly lied. "Forget I said anything. I'll see you later."
Was he supposed to say something? He'd never seen Weiss act so out of character before. She was normally so confident, often undeservedly so. If she wasn't sure about something she would more than let someone know too. "Okay?" he said, unsure if he should add something.
Weiss nodded and made to leave. The curtain pulled back, suspended on her hand as she hesitated. She didn't look back to him, and her shoulders seemed unnaturally stiff. "About the dance," she said, and then paused, "If you truly have no one to go with then I-"
He knew what she was going to say before she said it, and a soft laugh escaped him. She was too kind sometimes. "I told you it'd be alright, didn't I?" Maybe not in those exact words... "Don't worry, Weiss. I have a plan."
She seemed to relax just a little bit more at that. "Really?" she asked, seeming to believe it. Then again, he'd always had a knock for plans.
"Don't worry, Weiss," he repeated. "You won't be going alone. I promise."
Weiss didn't say anything. She nodded once, still faced away from him, and let the curtain fall behind her. Jaune watched her walk away, and smiled at the pep in her step. She hid it well but she was excited – and nervous too.
He would need to have a talk with Neptune later.
/-/
It was Blake that dropped by next, though in truth it had been at least two hours since Weiss' visit. With nothing else to do but count the time, he found himself more relieved than he'd expected when his faunus teammate stepped in. "You look bored," were her first words.
"Well, that's fitting since I'm bored out of my mind. Couldn't you have brought me a book to read?"
"I could have, had someone not manufactured my books into a dog bed."
Oh yeah… and that had seemed like such a good idea at the time too. The look Blake sent him said she'd not fully forgiven him for that, but he had the feeling his injury would stop her from trying out any revenge of her own. Of course, if she wanted to really risk her sanity by doing that, then he wouldn't stop her.
He'd have to retaliate, of course… but well, her call.
"How do you feel?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He noticed her eyes trail over his scars once more, but she seemed better able to ignore them than she had the night before. "Your arms look a little healthier."
"I'm on the mend. Tsune rubbed some more salve into my arms this morning, and only my arms," he added when her eyes narrowed. Sheesh, now Blake was getting on his back too? "And she rubbed them in with her hands and not her breasts… I know how your perverted mind thinks."
"Excuse me? I'm not the one who feels the need to hop between the beds of – what was it again – a fifth to a quarter of all the girls in Beacon?"
"No," he shrugged, "You just like to read trashy stories about it."
Blake wasn't an easy person to embarrass which was why it felt all the sweeter when her cheeks darkened and she hissed at him. Her bow flattened a little too, which made her look adorable. Like a cat, it took her a few seconds to calm herself, and during that time she patently refused to acknowledge his existence.
When she turned back to him it was with a stoic expression, and a look that said the last two minutes hadn't happened and she would deny them if she claimed otherwise. "So," she said, "I take it you'll still be attending the dance?"
"Again?" he laughed, "Is Yang that frightened I won't make it?"
"It's all I've heard about all morning."
"Tell her I'll be there," he rolled his eyes. "She doesn't need to sic every single visitor on me. I know full well it's more than my life is worth to miss it."
"She put a lot of effort into the evening," Blake pointed out. "I think she wants you to have fun. That will be what makes it all worth it for her. She wants to see people happy."
"And they will be," he replied, with more than enough conviction. The confidence seemed to please Blake, who looked proud on behalf of her partner. It hadn't been a lie, either, since the dance was always a success, at least in the eyes of the students anyway. So few of them knew about Cinder and what she achieved during it, but that was no fault of theirs. "The dance will be an incredible success, don't you worry."
"Do you have a suit?" Blake's question made him freeze. She caught it almost immediately and her eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you," she sighed, "Yang and Weiss put a lot into this. You can't ruin it by coming in casual."
"I know that," he said, "I'll get a suit, I promise."
"Don't let this be some excuse to skip it. You know how much that would hurt Yang."
"It won't be, Blake, I promise. I know how important this is to her." He'd find a solution, even if it meant breaking into the headmaster's rooms and stealing one of his green suits. They were about the same height, sort of… "What about you?" he asked.
"I have a dress," Blake said defensively.
"That wasn't what I was referring to."
She glanced away, and although her cheeks weren't red, there was a certain embarrassed tilt to her lips. "I… took your advice," she said at last. "I said I would give him a chance to impress me."
"He's not a bad guy," Jaune grinned.
"I know. Sun is… he's many things, but I'm sure he means well."
"If you don't enjoy it or he does something wrong-"
"Then I will make my excuses and leave," Blake said with a small smile. "I'm not a child, Jaune. I know how to turn someone down and I'm not going to pretend to enjoy myself if I'm not. That would just give him the wrong idea, not to mention be cruel."
"Well yeah, I suppose, but I was going to say tell me and I'll find my taser again and teach him how to scream like Cardin."
Amber eyes blinked as she stared at him, before the normally taciturn girl laughed into her fist and bent almost double. She wiped a small tear away from her eye.
"Hey," he said, "I'm serious here. If he tries anything…"
"The worst part," she said between her laughter, "is that I believe you truly are being serious. You know that despite Yang's constant teasing, you're not actually my father. You're not allowed to intimidate or frighten Sun just because he asked me to the dance."
"Of course not," Jaune said. He wouldn't bother wasting her time by pointing out how he'd already done that the last time Sun talked to him. Like he'd said, Sun was a good guy – but a little fear never hurt anyone. "To be fair, though, it's not like Yang or Weiss wouldn't do the same."
"They probably already have," Blake smiled. "It's strange, really. I never expected to make friends when I came here. I thought I'd find a team to fit into, and that I might fake my way through life here until I could graduate and make a difference. I didn't expect to truly become part of a team." She sighed and glowered at him, "Then again, I didn't exactly expect to be confronted by a naked man on a train, either."
"And I didn't expect to be cock-blocked by a daughter I didn't realise I had."
"With how you act, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more hidden children waiting in the wings."
There weren't; he was always careful, but just to rile her up he made sure to smile widely and shrug. Blake rolled her eyes at the action, and although she didn't rise to the bait, she did relax on his bed a little.
"You're distracting me," she said, "I was trying to say something. You do that a lot."
"What?" he grinned and nodded at her, "Get girls into bed with me?"
"I'm not in bed with you," she said, then looked down at her rear end sat on the bed, "I mean- no… you're doing it again. You always distract us when we try and have a serious conversation with you." She waited to see if he'd say something but this time he remained quiet, just to prove her wrong. "Fine," she rolled her eyes, "I wanted to… to apologise for before."
"Apologise?"
"For breaking my promise," she explained, eyes focused on her hands. "I never got the chance to say sorry. Not seriously, anyway. Everyone got so angry and then there was shouting… you and Weiss seem to have made up but I…" she sighed. "I still want to do the same."
Jaune sighed and leaned back into his pillow. A heavy feeling settled inside him, and it didn't take long to recognise it as guilt. He didn't deserve this apology. "You don't have to," he said.
"I do," Blake argued. "I promised you I'd come to you with each lead, and I did, but following the exact words of the promise only to break the spirit was wrong of me. In my defence," she shook her head and sighed, "there is no defence. I just… I guess I got used to thinking I need to do things on my own. I took your help for granted, and then went back on what you'd asked for. I'm sorry."
She looked so distraught that he couldn't help but reach out a hand to touch her shoulder. He'd have pulled her in for a hug if he didn't think she'd turn into a vicious Beowolf the moment he tried. "I don't blame you," he said. "I'm no stranger to breaking promises, Blake. I've got no right to lecture you on it and I'm not angry, either. I was… I suppose I was more worried than anything. I was angry because I was worried and didn't want to imagine you all getting hurt. It's no different from how my family got angry at me for fighting that Beowolf, but like Weiss said, that doesn't make the action wrong."
She smiled at him. There were no tears, not from Blake, and not with how stoic she normally was. That look of vulnerability in her eyes was just as crushing, however. "Even so," she whispered, "It's not quite the same. You didn't have a choice with the Beowolf while I hunted Torchwick down myself." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
The apology made him sigh and his stomach flipped uncomfortably. It wasn't that she was wrong or didn't owe him one… in a way she did. It was that she was apologising for something he would have done without a care in the world, she was apologising for things he had and would continue to do. Who was he to blame her for doing what she thought was right when he did the same? Who was he to criticise her for challenging Roman Torchwick, when he'd rushed off to fight Cinder life after life?
It wasn't like he hadn't gotten his friends killed before as well… at least Blake had brought everyone back with her.
"I'm not angry," he said. Blake made to open her mouth but he cut her off. "I'll accept your apology, but I just want you to know that I'm not upset with you. Not anymore. The things I said… they were wrong and I said them to hurt you. I'm sorry for that."
"I deserv-"
"No," he said, firmly. "You didn't deserve them. If you claim otherwise I'll show you it's not just Yang I'm willing to bend over my knee. Who knows," he grinned, "I might even enjoy it."
Blake's cheeks darkened and she looked away. "You are such a pervert," she whispered. She didn't argue, however. Doubtless she knew he'd follow that threat through.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Little Miss Ninjas of Love. Don't think I haven't read those books."
"I read them for the story."
"Right… and I'll bet the eye-watering sex is just a bonus."
Blake growled something and glowered at him. "You're distracting me again," she accused.
"Guilty," he shrugged, "But I'm only doing it because I don't want you to keep feeling bad about this. You're my friend, Blake. You're my teammate and in some creepy way you might also be my non-biological daughter. We could make it official if it helps. I bet your mother is hot as hell."
"And to think I wanted to apologise to this," she sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."
Jaune grinned as he watched her roll her eyes. There was the snark and sarcasm he'd gotten used to. It was far easier to deal with an amused and critical Blake than one who looked on the verge of a breakdown. "Because you love me," he shrugged.
"That could be the only explanation." she sighed. "There's no other way to account for my not having smothered you in your sleep. With a pillow," she added when she he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Not my- Ugh, you're insufferable." She stood up from his bed and walked around to his upper body, to lean down and give what had to be the most half-hearted hug he'd ever seen. Even then, when she pulled away, her cheeks were a little darker.
"You're so repressed…" he teased.
"Be quiet. Make sure to get a suit in time. You are going, aren't you?"
"Of course," he reassured. "Who else would chaperone my daughters?"
Blake hummed but didn't flinch from his little taunt. "Weiss could. I don't think she's going with anyone yet. She..." she began, but trailed off.
"Don't worry. Weiss won't be going alone. Have a little faith- I'm working on it," he told her, and he would. He still needed to talk to Neptune, but he wasn't worried. The only times they hadn't gone together was when he'd interfered to set Neptune up with someone else. Gone were the days he played with their hearts like that; like some puppet master trying to make girls fall in love with him just because he could.
The curtain behind them rustled, and Blake leapt away from him as she turned to regard the newcomer. White hair, pale eyes – it could have been their teammate but the impressive height said otherwise. Winter Schnee's stern eyes scanned over him, and then slowly transitioned to the embarrassed girl beside his bed. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
Blake stepped between his bed and the woman, protecting him almost instinctively. "Why are you here?"
"I wished to speak with Jaune Arc." If Winter Schnee felt intimidated by Blake then she hid it well, but he doubted she even considered the girl a threat. "Would you grant us a few moments?"
Blake hesitated and glanced back to him. From the look in her eyes it was clear she didn't trust the woman and that she would stay if he asked.
He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Go tell Yang I'll be at the dance so she'll stop panicking about it. I'll see you later."
Winter Schnee stood silent as Blake nodded and left the room. The entire way she kept an eye on the older woman, the not-so-subtle mistrust no doubt clear to both of them. It wasn't until she left the room entirely that the woman spoke. "I wished to speak with you yesterday."
Okay… that was random. "Then why didn't you?" he asked.
"My sister asked me to give you time to rest. Considering your injuries and that it was a request from her, I thought to let it slide."
A small bubble of confusion wormed its way inside of him. He could understand Weiss stopping her sister from cornering him, that was probably a decision both selfless and selfish – to not only give him time to rest but prevent him saying anything to humiliate her. He appreciated it either way. But why would Winter feel the need to bring that up at all?
"Well, you have me now," he said, "I'm not going anywhere fast."
The woman hummed. Her eyes roved over his form, and no doubt they considered the scars across his chest and stomach too, but unlike the other girls, Winter didn't seem shocked or intrigued by them at all. She'd probably seen worse. She'd probably seen people who hadn't survived. "Weiss wrote about you, when she first became a part of your team. I was privileged to receive a number of letters from my sister."
Privileged? Really? With language like that it was no wonder Weiss could be so stuck up. Still, he'd known about the letters… she normally sent them about Ruby and he could remember the girl cornering Weiss once or twice to demand to know what she'd said. Ruby could be adorable when she was like that, and Weiss' frantic excuses and half-truths had been hilarious to listen to.
"My sister was quite critical of you in those," Winter continued. "She complained about you almost incessantly. Details of your exploits dominated her letters and had the content not been so obviously negative, I would have feared her obsessed with you."
He laughed. He could well imagine what she would have put, especially when he'd been at his worst. "Sounds about right," he said. "I'd say she was exaggerating but I'm not convinced you'd buy it."
"I would not," she said easily, not at all shy with letting him know how little she trusted him. "To read her letters, you are the laziest, most insufferable and all-together irresponsible person to ever grace the halls of Beacon."
"Did she mention my incredible good looks, though?"
Winter ignored him. "And yet when I arrived here, it was to be faced with a rather different story. Tell me, Jaune Arc, how do you imagine my sister described you when I asked her about you in private?"
Yesterday – when Weiss had spent the night with her sister? Well, he could imagine the conversation had been about him, especially with how Winter had caught them in that classroom together. "Maybe a little less lazy," he said when it was clear she wanted an answer, "Still insufferable though, and after the argument we'd just had probably pig-headed, idiotic, moronic and a number of other less than savoury words."
They'd both said sorry, after all, but this was still Weiss Schnee they were talking about.
"Interesting," Winter hummed. "In our conversation she described you as brave, reliable but often misguided."
What? Jaune's eyebrow rose as he stared at the woman. He was surprised his partner would say all that about him, especially when they'd just come off from a big argument.
"When I asked about your grades she said you showed incredible promise and had good insight. On your combat ability she described incredible cunning with a tendency for lateral thought. When I challenged her on your reputation for debauchery," she paused and shot him a fierce glare, "She said rumours of your misdeeds were perhaps… overstated."
"I…" he struggled for words, "Why are you telling me this?"
"I questioned your right to be considered her partner," Winter admitted. She was frank and delivered the words as insensitively as one might a death sentence. "Someone such as my sister deserves the best; not some lackadaisical playboy with little respect for what it means to be a huntsman."
His hands tightened on the sheets pooled at his waist. That hurt, no matter how much he told himself it was only her opinion of him in this life. He'd done his best so many times before.
"Weiss…" she sighed, "disagreed."
He blinked and looked up at the specialist.
"She disagreed quite fiercely. Our words became… heated. The kinds of things a Schnee may only say behind closed doors. Ill-chosen words were exchanged and our tempers frayed. It was… not the reunion I had hoped for."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. That was partly his fault, he supposed.
"I invited it on myself," Winter sighed. "Your role in the argument was minor at best and no blame is yours. Weiss… she…" the woman ran a hand through her hair. "She said that if I took steps to have you removed from the team, she would renounce all familial relationship with me and quit Beacon with you."
The words hit him like a hammer. "She said what?" he gasped. His throat struggled for air as he stared at the older woman. Why would Weiss ever say such a thing? Sure, she cared for him – like she did her entire team – but that was a bit much, wasn't it?
"Like I said, our words were ill-chosen and said without thought. Needless to say, your tenure here won't be influenced by me."
And wasn't there a heap of irony there. Whether she knew it or not, Weiss had just cost him another easy opportunity to back out of Beacon. Did he even want that anymore? He wasn't sure. Everything was wrong; everything was confusing and hard to understand.
"Come the morning, we had managed to reach an accord," Winter smiled, a thin and veiled thing meant not for him but for the memory she thought of. "It was then that I decided I needed to speak with you, to meet you and form my own opinion unfettered by the things I had learned before."
"And?" he asked. "What did you find?"
"Your reputation is not ill-deserved. Even Miss Goodwitch is aware of your… promiscuity."
His cheeks flushed, although he had no reason why. He'd not taken steps to hide it and hell, even his parents knew – but somehow the thought of Glynda shaking her head in the staffroom as she heard about him having sex left him embarrassed.
"I must ask… you have not… with my sister?"
"I haven't," he quickly answered. "I haven't done that with any of my teammates, or any of my friends."
Well, not in this life – but he wasn't about to open that can of worms with Weiss' sister. The older woman sighed and relaxed, her shoulders falling an entire inch as some degree of panic seemed dispelled. Wait, had she thought he'd gotten Weiss pregnant or something?
"My own thoughts aside, and my own feelings too, Weiss has clearly chosen to place her trust and respect in you. I can do nothing but respect that and honour her choice in the matter. She has chosen you to be her partner… I suppose she sees something in you that I do not." She shook her head at that, though he felt like pointing out she hadn't really chosen him as her partner so much as made a poor choice between him and Ruby. "I shall ask you, however… would you ever hurt my sister?"
"Not on purpose," he instantly replied, more than aware of how her hand tightened on the hilt of her sabre. "I wouldn't do anything like that to her."
"And you will stand by her side? You will be loyal to her, not only as a partner – but as a friend?"
"Of course I will." What, did she expect him to just leave Weiss to her own devices if she was in trouble? Of course he'd stand by her and help wherever he could.
"And would you not just stand, but stay by her side? In the face of any adversity, no matter the enemy?"
Jaune paused, brow furrowing, as Winter looked at him for any sign of cowardliness. But that wasn't what was on his mind- what was on his mind that he'd never seen Winter like this before. He didn't know how much she knew about what was really happening either.
"...is there something Weiss should know about?" he eventually asked, keeping his tone calm. If nothing else, maybe he could learn a bit more about what Winter knew from Ironwood.
But Winter didn't share. She stopped staring and shook her head. "No, I suppose not. Good enough, I suppose," she said to herself. The hard lines on her face told him she wasn't exactly pleased, but at the very least she didn't intend to cut him up.
I should really get her screwed by Qrow… might do something for the stick up her ass. Then again, I wonder if Ironwood isn't already doing something about that from what I heard that one time. He's quite a bit older than her but… well… a bit ironic for me of all people to criticise that.
"I believe I also owe you my thanks," Winter said. It sounded like the words had been forced out of her but she straightened up regardless and held a fist over her heart. "You acted in the defence of my sister and risked your own life in the process. You have the thanks of the Schnee Dust Company, the Atlas Military… and my own."
He waved it off. "Don't look so stiff. You'll get wrinkles. I didn't do it for any of those people. I don't even care about half of them."
"Good."
He crooked an eyebrow and looked up towards her, but the woman had already turned away to rummage with something behind the curtain. He watched as she drew forth a long, black bag – the kind clothing was kept in.
"In truth, I expected my thanks would be neither needed nor appreciated, and sought to find something that might. With your… incarceration here, you were probably unable to acquire suitable apparel for your dance." She held the black bag out towards him, "Here. Wear this. It was made in your measurements on short notice."
On short notice…? That was one way to put it. A tailor couldn't have possibly made something that quickly unless they were being heavily incentivised… the kind of incentivising that came with more zero's then his family could put on a cheque. "Thank you," he said. He didn't bother to check on it but instead motioned for her to place it by the bed. It wasn't like he had any time to be picky. "Honestly, that's pretty handy… thanks."
"Like I said," the woman smiled cockily, "A reward should be appreciated by the recipient. From what Weiss has told me, empty praise and respect mean little to you. Something that will minimise the effort you need to put in, however…"
Well, that was an insult hidden within a compliment hidden with an insult if he'd ever heard one. Was it a Schnee thing that said they couldn't just flat out state their minds?
"It's not entirely selfless either," she admitted, with not a hint of shame, "You are the one my sister has chosen to be her partner. For you to be with her, I would prefer that you wear something befitting of your station. It wouldn't do for your reputation to negatively impact hers." Winter's smile fell the moment she'd placed the suit down, washed away as a familiar, professional glare took hold of her face. "I shall leave you be for now, Jaune Arc. I simply wished to meet you and make my position clear."
But you haven't even done that…
"One thing, however… I do hope you're not foolish enough to ever hurt my sister, whether through action or inaction. I will be watching."
"If I do, you'd have to beat my team to killing me first," he scoffed. "That or Weiss herself."
Winter hummed, something that might have been mistaken for a laugh if she were even allowed to. "Quite," she said and stepped away. "For what it's worth, on our first meeting, perhaps I misjudged you."
"That's nice. You're still not getting my bank details though."
Winter sighed.
"On second thought, perhaps I did not misjudge you."
This is one of those reactionary chapters filled with character development and beneath the surface things. I know a lot of people who love them, but I also know a lot of people who consider them filler. I tend to disagree with the latter, since I only consider things filler if they don't progress the plot – and this does, as the following chapters would make no sense without it, but to each their own.
I'll just throw out one disclaimer, however, as I know some might think I've just discounted it – no, it's not the end of the scar he got masquerading as Silver. Just because Weiss dismisses it now, doesn't mean it was pointless and/or is forgotten. The world isn't quite that binary and there is too much inconsistent to her for Weiss to just go "Oh yes, this wound is identical to the one I perfectly remember giving a masked figure in a combat situation. Therefore Jaune is Silver, QED." As a rather simple hint, his team aren't yet aware of his aura issues... at least, they haven't put the pieces together.
Of course, we're now on the new update schedule, which means the dates have changed. As always, refer to the ending note for a specific date.
Next Chapter: 18th February
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur