Chapter 21: Bravery
Some people have a breaking point. Yang's breaking point was reached.
He didn't mind that she was getting ready for something, as they drove out towards the spot where they'd spent a part of the evening. Yang's eyes were fierce and ready, something that he noticed immediately. There was something in those eyes that both frightened as well as protected him. He wasn't someone who got those little nuances.
"Are you okay?"
He asked. He had to be certain, he had to try to keep her safe as well. That's what a good boyfriend did. She looked at him, her eyes as red as they were, a deep red that seemed to hint at something more, something unstable and unpredictable, a flash of something that didn't even stop with the thoughts. It was a dark, brooding thing, some energy in them.
"They took her, Jaune. They took my little sister."
He could understand that. There was something in Yang's eyes that seemed to burn with an energy of something, a desperation. He wouldn't like it if his sisters were taken, even if they were a little mean sometimes. He'd miss them when they were put in the incinerator, but that wouldn't happen.
He was their brother and he was the youngest, but he would keep them safe. "I wouldn't like it if Ruby was incinerated. Cinder said that it happens to us people who are retarded." She looked at him and gave a bark of laughter, a snarling, angry kind of laughter.
"They might just as well! Children who are taken get put in homes, Jaune. She'll be raped, molested or worse. She's not strong, like you are."
He doubted that, as Yang continued, her steps measured with the faintest hint of a quiver as she looked around.
"I'm not strong."
He wasn't. He was a little weak in the brain, and Yang was the strong one. She looked at him, shaking her head.
"No, no, you're strong, Jaune. You make me happy. When mom and dad met, he hated her guts, but after she bailed him- No, I shouldn't… But…"
A laugh, much like his own when Weiss had called him the R-word. She was snickering, a frightening sound. He hated that, and he hugged her. She calmed down slowly.
"No, don't be sad." He tried. She could not be sad, she could not be mad. She was his girlfriend now and it wasn't allowed.
"If Ruby is kept somewhere, we'll have to free her, we'll-"
She pushed him away, his balance realigning itself, her head turned away. "I'm going to shoot the bitch. Summer said that this day would come, and she wasn't wrong yet. Fuck, I'm-"
He hugged her. Killing people was bad, and Yang should not kill people. He might be wrong, but he was someone who could be hurt. She didn't push him away now, her breathing heavy. She was not struggling, but he could see tears.
"She's my only sister, Jaune. I've got to do… something."
Her voice was broken, but she was still whole. She was still here, and she was not giving up on him. "Do something."
"I'm wrong. I can do it for you."
Yang was too beautiful to go to jail. She was too beautiful to go to jail, too wonderful to bother with that burden on her soul. She was his girlfriend and they had sex. She looked at him with those red eyes, the tears not stopping.
"Help, Jaune. Please… I need someone to help me."
She trembled for a moment in his arms, not stopping. Slowly, she whined, her voice like a siren, but he did not let go. If they had taken Ruby away, if she was already a cloud in the sky, well, he'd still be there for her. She was his girlfriend and he loved her.
"You're my girlfriend. That means I will keep you safe."
She kissed him, a kiss that didn't stop, a motion that held flame and passion. A pain inside him, something that was raw and untamed, something cruel and cold and pain, a memory of what had once been.
"I'm not going to let you hurt."
She didn't stop kissing him after he'd said that, her passion growing greater, her hands wrapped around him, her eyes closed, as the tears came from them. She was afraid, but he was there. He'd make sure that she wasn't afraid anymore, because she was Yang and she deserved to be at peace.
"I know."
She whispered, her lips parting, her eyes looking into his own. There was that slowly fading red colour, that momentary hint of something more in those eyes, as she calmed down.
"I know, Jaune. I wanted to…"
She pulled away from him, walking to one of the fallen trees in the meadow, pulling something out from under it. A spade, something used for digging. It was made out of metal and wood, her hand holding it out for him to take.
"Let's get the guns, Jaune. Nobody is taking my little sister and me. I've heard the drill… First they take the kids away, then they're going to say that the person is insane."
He followed behind her like a shadow, watching her. She was muttering, but it didn't matter. She was Yang and she was wonderful. No matter what, she was wonderful, beautiful and better than he was, of course.
"Here, X marks the spot. Not something that people would easily get, of course, but mom was very thorough. There should be a good two-hundred rounds for the- oh, you don't care much about guns, right?"
He didn't. She was still his girlfriend and he would fight with her, if she wanted to fight. She was someone who didn't care that he was broken in the head.
He started to dig, Yang sitting herself down on the ground, just watching him. He pulled off the shirt, not wanting to get it too dirty, a whistle coming from her lips as she saw the action.
"Good going, loverboy… That's my man, getting muscles!"
The summer heat was still absent this moment of the day, but he worked with precision and speed. She was going to need his help, and he would be glad that she included him. He didn't want her to be alone, not when Ruby was alone too.
'Weiss would be feeling bad.'
He turned his gaze to his girlfriend, which was still an awkward thought in his mind.
"Do you think we should call Weiss?"
Yang looked at him with eyes that held a burden, a load of some level that seemed hard to banish. Pain in her eyes flashed, as she looked at him. "I'll give her a call. Don't worry." There was a phone in her pocket, he knew. It was a mobile phone and Yang had a picture of her mother on it. Summer, of course. Her real mom was dead, after all.
He heard the chest before he saw it. A bonk sound as the spade hit it, as Yang continued to talk to Weiss on the phone. She sounded angry, she sounded upset. Weiss didn't sound happy either, talking loudly. Something about legal claims and such. It was stuff he didn't really care about much. He started to dig around the chest, pushing the dirt away to reveal one of those chests that you could buy at the Depot Home, not locked, thankfully. She looked at him, motioning for him to pull the chest out.
He did as she asked, noticing that it was nearly afternoon now. He'd been digging for an hour and his body smelled bad, but for Yang it was worth it. She was the girlfriend that he'd only had in dreams, even if she was blonde.
She had hung up on Weiss after Weiss had made a promise to do something, and it was good that Weiss did something. Blake was in therapy, after all. He hoped that it would be solved with Blake's issues, because nobody was good when they were doing bad stuff. He hoped that she'd stay away from Yang too. Yang didn't need Blake, she had him now.
Yang pulled the lid open. Like a treasure chest, it opened up and he could see the wrapped packages. Plastic covered things, zip-lock bags that had been arranged, containing bullets and shells. A hand grabbed a large shotgun and Yang checked it, looking at the mechanism with eyes that were sharp.
"Still in good shape, even after we buried it a few years ago… I guess it's true what they say about good ol' guns…"
It was a military shotgun, he knew. It was something that was used by the military, if the loader was any indication. Yang pushed in two shells and then took aim. The finger went nowhere near the trigger until she had seized the aim, the thunderous boom of the shotgun shooting, Yang's body barely rattled by the force, her head turning to look at him. A smile, something easy and with that wonderful brush, her eyes burning red once more.
"Got a bit of kick, Jaune… We're getting you a rifle. Yep. Mama Yang's got a bang for her buck."
He could see a military rifle in the chest too. The boxes of ammunition had been zip-locked and stored, and it was all neat.
He hoped that he wouldn't have to kill people. School shooters were bad. People always looked at them as bad, ever since that Klintold and Harvis couple. He didn't like hurting people. Yang popped the remaining shell out of the shotgun and pocketed it, grabbing the spent shell and putting it in the other pocket. She didn't seem to want to leave a messy place. A good thing, he imagined.
"You know how to fire a rifle, yeah?"
Her voice was concerned, but he nodded. He didn't like the loud noise that it made, but his father had made him practice. Hunting. Fishing. Going for the range to practice. He wasn't super-good, but he was gifted, or so his father said.
"I know."
Her eyes warmed, as she set the shotgun down and hugged him again. She was warm and nice, something in the air that made him tingle and pulse. If she had been her mother, he would have understood. Summer would know what to do, but Yang did not.
"Let's get a target set up and test your accuracy, Jaune. If you're not used to stuff…"
He looked at her and nodded. The practice with your weaponry was good. He had counted ten boxes of rifle ammunition. You had to maintain accuracy, so one box could be missed. There were five boxes of shotgun ammunition and he had spotted eight boxes of nine-millimeter ammunition. The pistols were next to it.
"Now, just make sure that you get the right feeling… Mom is much better than me at this. Something about the way that you hold it, now-"
He knew what to do. Once he had a rifle in his hands, he felt that familiarity. A burst, which meant that it hadn't been properly put to single shot. Burst fire meant you had to be certain that there were no other people around. It hurt people to be shot.
He changed the firing mode towards single-shots, feeling the push of the rifle against him with each shot. Yang was watching, and he felt confidence flood into him. She smiled at him, the shirt that she wore looking good on her. The skull was warped by her breasts in her shirt, and he made sure to watch the safety. Nobody wanted a friendly fire incident, after all.
"Are we going to kill Sandy?"
He asked, just in case. He wasn't sure whether Yang would want to kill the woman, but if someone had to go to jail, it'd be him. He wasn't right in the head. Yang shook her head. That was good. He didn't want to be some crazed gunman. He was crazy, but he didn't really like guns much.
"I want to kill her."
So she would die. He'd do it. Yang was the girl he liked. She looked at him, her eyes desperate, something in them.
"But I won't. I'm…"
She made a frustrated sound deep in her throat, something in those eyes changing. She looked hesitantly at him, her security shattered for some reason, as she made a sound in the back of her throat.
"Hold me, please. Please Jaune, I-"
He did. He hugged her and laid his head against her shoulder, holding her. She smelled like Yang, some shampoo. She quivered and whimpered against him, sounding like she needed the hug.
"I don't want to lose Ruby. I'm all she's got, mom's gone and-"
Her voice was soft and pained, his hands rubbing her back. She exhaled and inhaled, as she whispered soft things in his ear. He didn't know what it had to do with their current situation, but it was interesting.
"You're the only guy who makes me feel safe. I'm so afraid. I'm so afraid, Jaune. She's all I have left and- And I want to keep Ruby safe."
His girlfriend's tears were there, as he watched her. They sat there, just in the presence of each other, as she told him things.
Summer taking her for trips, just the two of them. Ruby was with Taiyang, her father, whilst Summer made sure that she knew what to do. Summer had been insisting that Yang know what to do, and it didn't sound healthy.
"I don't want to kill people, but if I must…"
She was crying still, her eyes reddish around the eyelids, her breathing heavier. She looked regretful and pained, as she watched him. She watched him, her hand brushing over his chest. He still hadn't worn his shirt.
"I want to hurt Fall. I want to make sure that she's feeling the pain for what she did to you. You're… You're too good for me."
He wasn't really. She was just too bright and wonderful when she did smile. He shook his head softly.
"You don't deserve to hurt, Yang. I'm not good in the head, so I can do what you shouldn't do. It's okay."
Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, tearing up again as she hit his chest with a fist. It didn't hurt much. He'd deserved that flash of pain.
"You shouldn't! You've got people who love you, I love you! I'm not going to let my boyfriend go to jail!"
He would, for her. She was worth a lot more than he was. She looked into his eyes.
"Mom broke when Raven died. I will break like she did when you go to jail, Jaune."
Her tears dripped down her cheeks and she kissed him, her tongue twining around his own. He felt warm, and he knew that she cared and loved.
'Yang.'
They laid there on the ground for a while, his back hurting a little at the stones that he felt pricking his back. It was not a good position to be in, but her eyes just looked at him with a look that was love.
"Please don't kill people, Jaune. If anyone deserves not to stain their hands with blood, it's you."
It was more a gunpowder thing, really. If he was shooting people, he'd have to go for body shots. His father had explained that the stopping power of bullets was fairly low, so you'd have to put someone down.
"You don't deserve to kill people either. You're a good woman. I would like to marry you."
He'd said it, and she looked at him, making a sound that was a little like 'uwuwuuu' in its phonetics. It was strange, but he didn't stop to think. She was Yang and she was great. She made him happy and she was someone who didn't stop to think too much.
"I wanted to kill her for what she did. Mom always said that- but…"
She started to cry even harder, and he just held her. Killing was not the option, he thought. Yang didn't deserve to kill people, but if he had to… he would. For Yang. If he was going to die, he'd rather die for a good cause.
"Jaune? Can we go to your house again? I'd like to spend some time with you."
She was serious, his hands not letting go of her. She tried to pull herself free but she couldn't, her body shivering a little.
"Jaune, please, I'm-"
He looked into her eyes. She wasn't happy. She deserved to be happy and smiling, even if Ruby was gone.
"I'm not going to leave you. You're the only one for me."
She had to know that, because it was the truth. She was the one who liked him, rather than Ruby who was like Blake a little bit, hurting Weiss. It wasn't something that he liked. Yang gave a strangled sound, her head pressing against his own.
"Let's… Let's load up the bag, okay? I can tuck the pistol in a holster. Do you need to practice with the pistol? Mom said that it'd come in handy, so she had me practice every week."
He grabbed the pistol, looking at it. He turned the safety to off, taking aim, just like he'd been taught. His sisters had gotten a gun at age 18, for when they moved out. Not much chance of that happening, but it was still a collection in the various gun safes in the house.
He pulled the trigger and felt the gun move slightly in his grip. A perfect shot, apparently. Yang whistled a little.
"My, keep shooting like that and I'm going to be all in awe, Jaune. You might get rights to my hand in marriage."
He looked at her, waiting for her to meet his eyes. He wanted to let her know that he was serious.
"I'll make sure that we can get married, Yang. If I have to climb a mountain, I would. I want to make you an honest woman. I won't cheat. I won't suggest that you make love to my friends. You'll be my wife and my life."
It was perhaps a little quick to offer something like that, but Yang was someone who needed him. He needed her too, but she was more important than some broken person's mind.
He was okay with being useless, as long as it helped someone. Yang was someone who should have the stars in the sky and the love of someone who really could make her happy, and he wanted to at least try to make her happy.
She made a weird sound and just started to cry even harder. He was serious. She was a good young woman. He wouldn't mind making her his sisters' sister-in-law. She wasn't someone who stopped making him feel happy.
"Jaune, please… please stop."
He looked at her nonplussed, her gaze going down to the ground, a hurt expression on her face.
"I can't take it anymore, I'm… My god, is this how it feels?"
She kissed him, the taste of sweat and her own saliva in his mouth. She was someone who loved passionately, and he knew that it was a good thing. She laid atop him, not giving him time to get the comfortable position that would make his back hurt less, but- But it was okay.
"It's a good thing. It's such a good thing, Jaune. Sandy would be dead if you hadn't… If you hadn't…"
She wasn't a killer. He knew that. He liked her warmth, her emotions always fiery and loving. She wasn't someone who was mean. He kissed her cheeks, tasting the salty taste of her tears. She was just his girlfriend.
"You're not a killer. You're not broken like me." Her face looked at him and she looked away.
"When we… God, why did I go for the guns? Mom said that it was-"
She doubted, but she was unsure. He didn't like seeing her like that. He held her a little tighter. Her shirt was pulled up a little. He trusted her. She wouldn't be wrong.
"Your mother knows what is best for you. You're my girlfriend. Dad always says that a man should fight for his woman. Mom calls him old-fashioned, but if Summer made you learn how to protect Ruby, then it's okay."
Yang gave a soft sound, her eyes looking away. She raised herself up a little, his eyes looking into his own. She gave a squeeze, as she looked down at him.
"She had sex with you. She did a bad thing, she choked you, but- But that's okay. She's…"
He looked at her with a questioning look. Yang looked away. She didn't finish her sentence, until she spoke up, hesitantly.
"I like you so much, Jaune. Do you… Do you want to do things with mom too? Will you-"
He would not. She was his girlfriend and he wanted to marry her. Having sex with your wife's mother was bad.
"No. She said that it was to teach me how to handle her daughters. That is all that it was."
He believed Summer, he believed her words. She had not meant to hurt him. Yang looked at him and smiled, a smile that showed her upper teeth, her eyes holding an uncharacteristic warmth.
"She's… I read her diaries. When she left, I just… I just grabbed the whole box and put it in my room. Dad and I don't really talk much, and with Blake… I've had… I've had a lot of time to read."
There was an honesty in her eyes, something that had been lurking there. It was something that was there, something that couldn't be denied. Yang looked a little weary.
"She's kept records. Notes, little dates. Small annotations, things that didn't make sense. I didn't know that mom did…"
Yang looked uncomfortable, letting out something panicked and uncertain, nearly a little laugh and a giggle, obviously afraid.
"Summer…"
She looked up to the sky, a bitter look on her face. It didn't suit her. A heavy look in her eyes, as she seemed to laugh a very unpleasant laugh. She didn't finish her sentence, just laying her head on his chest. He could hear the rustling of the wind through the trees. A soft feeling, as Yang just kept herself close.
"It's okay, Jaune. I'm not- I'm not leaving you. I'm not-"
Yang looked at him with eyes. He didn't know what she had wanted to say. His hand brushed through her long blonde hair. She looked at him with a morose, heavy look.
"What did Summer write in her diaries that upset you?"
He was a little curious, as Yang looked at him. A pained look, something that she'd not rather say openly, her eyes looking bitterly.
"It's… It's very sad. It's very sad, Jaune. It's not happy."
She couldn't say it. The tears came even more, as she looked at him. She pushed her nose against him.
"I'm… I'm afraid, Jaune. I'm afraid I'll do what mom did."
He looked at her, shaking his head. He wasn't afraid that she would do what her mother did. She was Yang. She wasn't Summer.
"You're my girlfriend. I'm still surprised that you accepted that. I didn't think I'd-" She placed her finger on his lips, shaking her head.
"No, don't be surprised, Jaune. I'm… I'm not used to someone like you, but I am willing to try. To-" She blushed red, looking into his eyes. She kissed him gently again, her eyes looking into his own.
"To be your girlfriend, to- Jaune, if- If I were to leave and go away, would you- Would you come after me?"
He looked at her and tried to imagine her just leaving. He might be depressed then, if he could feel something. She looked at him with a questioning look, waiting.
'No. Retards who don't do things are not good. If you left, I would come after you.'
"I would come after you. If you find someone else, that's too bad for me. I would ask you why you left though."
Talking was good. He wasn't good at it, but Yang was something that was a special topic. He felt like she understood. She kissed him softly on his chin.
"I'm going to be the one who brings home this good guy, Mom. Even if you didn't come home to-"
She sighed, hugging him tightly and kissing him again.
"I'll bring him home and make Summer know that he's the guy who's going to give her grandchildren."
He liked that. He would like to make sure that she's happy. When she smiled, it was like the sun rose. Yang got up, looking into his eyes.
"Let's get the guns in the car, Jaune. I'm not going back unarmed. The holster is… well, it should be there. Put it on, and we'll make sure that there's some food in our stomach. I'm kind of hungry, heh."
She looked into his eyes and then brushed a hand over his shoulder. "I'm going to…" She looked away, her teeth gritting. "I'm going to get you what you deserve. You'll… It'll be a long-distance relationship when we go for college, but you deserve someone that looks out for you, no matter what."
He knew that he'd have to get a job to support her, if he wanted to marry her. He'd have to see whether that offer was still open. Doctor Watts had said that it was on the table to take whenever he wanted it.
"Miss Salem would like to meet you, probably."
He knew that he should introduce Yang to the woman, his girlfriend was someone special. Yang smiled softly.
"I'd like to meet the woman who made you meet Cinder…"
There was something angry in Yang's eyes, something angry in her eyes. He shook his head. Miss Salem had understood and she'd been nice and kind.
"She's a good woman. She cares. Not so much for her ex-husband, but she cares."
She was his psychologist, but she had said that she also was someone who had cared for him, more than a psychologist should. He hadn't really believed her, but Cinder had been wrong. Cinder had been right at first, but she'd been wrong other times.
If Yang was one of the people who were raised above all the others with her blonde hair, she was what he deserved. Cinder had said that he had been one of them, before she found out the truth.
"Still…"
She got up and looked at him, a serious look in her deep eyes.
"You don't have to face this alone. I'm here for you." She raised her shotgun and grinned. "And if some loose-lipped hussy with german roots and a bit of a ball burning fetish comes around, it's time to make her look like Berlin. Heil fucking Hitler, bitch."
She winked at him, and he didn't comment on how it was incorrect, since Cinder had never outright said that. He knew that he would have to make the choices, but Yang deserved to be safe. Miss Salem wasn't going to be happy with him in jail, nor would Yang feel happy.
As they got the guns into the car, the chest put in the back and the hole filled up once more, albeit a little lower, he watched her. She was beautiful. She looked wonderful from behind. He got up behind her and kissed her neck, just like he'd seen before.
"I love you."
It was probably bad, but she didn't respond immediately. Her rear bumped against his groin, a soft exhale coming from her lips.
"Jaune, I'm… Thanks. Going on a killing spree is mom's way… Not… Not mine."
She got into the car first, looking at him. A slow wondering glance, as she turned the key in the ignition. The car rumbled to life, the gun in the holster on his chest feeling heavy. He was seventeen, not allowed to openly carry a gun. It wasn't okay, but he knew how to use it. He felt a little nervous, knowing that they were breaking the law, but Yang wanted to be safe.
He'd keep her safe. She was his girlfriend. She would need to be safe.
They went to the Burger Lord this time, a smaller place than the big chain places. As he sat down, he watched Yang order. She seemed to have no problem with getting food, like he did. She returned ten minutes later with his and her food, the burger grilled. He thought it was beef, but it tasted nice. She looked into his eyes with a smile on her lips, a smile that absorbed him.
"I love you."
She smiled and he was surprised to see her leaning forward, her breasts pressing against the table. He kissed her, and they held it for a moment.
"Well, that isn't a thing I'd ever see, the boxer and the rapist eating dinner together and even kissing. Did you win the lottery, you piece of trash, or are you just blackmailing Titsy Balboa here?"
Jaune frowned, not quite liking Cardin's voice suddenly intruding. Yang's face turned thunderous as she fixed the jock with her best glare.
"Buzz off, Cardin. I said no, and you just can't back up your words. I know what you did."
There was some history, Cardin looking at her with a look that was irritated. His jacket was half-unzipped and Jaune wondered whether he'd come here for food as well. It looked like it. Burger Lord was a nice place.
"Did you have to go for someone who went after something he'd never get otherwise?"
He saw Yang's eyes turn red again, the hand going to the gun. She was going to shoot Cardin because he stressed her, that couldn't happen. He grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Hey, you know what they say about your type, huh? I guess I just went for someone wrong in the head, because your type is just too dumb to really get it. Who was it who got failing marks on Calculus, huh? Not this fellow. If I'm going to be a dumb bimbo, I'd best date up from someone who'll blow his knee out and do a Coppernick."
She looked at Cardin, who seemed to get ready to hit her. He didn't want his girlfriend to be hurt, so he got up. Standing tall as he was, he squared off with him.
"Leave, please."
He didn't want to have Yang get angry at Cardin. She was his girlfriend and Cardin didn't deserve to die. Yang would probably shoot him. He knew that Yang said things she didn't mean sometimes, and that was okay. It was not a problem for him, he was stupid anyways.
"What're you going to do, you piece of trash? Cry to your daddy?"
He wasn't going to cry to his father. His father would just tell him to shoot him, if he had a gun. Dad had an uncomplicated way of looking at the world. Yang made a deep sound in the back of her throat until one of the waitresses came by. A tired-looking look on her face, as she looked between the two of them. Her hair was big and black and bold with her way of wearing it.
"Alright, I'd not like to see trouble here, fellas. Ginger, order something and keep your business outside. Let the two of them enjoy their food and then scram from the place. Whatever you've got against them ain't going to happen in this place. Things're bad enough without violence happening."
Cardin deflated, but the heated look was given at him without failure. The waitress had a very nasal voice that was loud. He was sure that it would come back to haunt him eventually, but Yang looked at him, patting the spot next to her.
"C'mere, sit down, I just… Need a hug."
He sat down and gave her the hug she wanted. She was his girlfriend and that was special. It was something that he would like to guard with his life. Her head rested against his, the waitress returning with two cups of soda.
"Thanks for not causin' a fuss, fellas. The guy didn't notice that you two were packing heat, so, yeah… I'd like ta give you two this on the house, and yeah… What with that whole hullaballoo about a gunman being on the loose, it's better if you're carrying rather than to get, y'know, shot."
Yang smiled whilst he merely squeezed her a little more. She would speak, because he didn't quite know what to say.
"Mom's always said that forewarned is fore-armed… But I guess these guns don't need to be armed, right?" She looked at him as she flexed, his face not changing much in expression.
"I think everything of you is beautiful, even your guns."
It was honest, as she smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Charmer. I'm lucky to have him. Good guy here, yep."
The waitress gave a shake of her head. He finally caught her name tag. Francine Fine. A fitting name.
"Enjoy yourself. If you ever need a nanny, just give a call for Fran. I used to do cosmetic sales, but then there was no money in that."
The waitress strutted off, making a few more trips to other customers, but Yang merely smiled, taking a big bite out of her burger.
"You're cool, Jaune. No matter what Cardin says, you're my boyfriend."
They were words that he could believe. Summer had said that Yang needed someone like him, and he'd found something in Yang. They were now together and she was wonderful.
"Let's go to your home. I want to spend some time with your family."
She was precious, of course. It was going to be alright, he knew that well. He was with Yang.
They entered through the front door, Yang's hand on the bag with the guns. It was insurance, she had said. Sometimes people were unpredictable. He would keep her safe, no matter what happened.
"Hey Jaune, Yang. Did everything go well with your trip to Summer's house?"
His father was busy with something, checking something in the magazine. The news was on, and he caught the newscaster switching to something new.
"Nah, I'm… Yeah, I guess I'll have to impose martial law and claim your son's bed as my sovereign nation, yep. Resistance against the government, yeah."
His father looked up and grinned.
"Go get washed up, kid. You two reek like you've been making love under the open sky."
That wasn't right. He knew that he'd been busy. "I'll join him. Girlfriends gotta make sure that their boyfriend doesn't make a mess, yep." His father arranged things, glancing at the bag.
"Much underwear in there?"
Yang smiled, but he spoke up.
"A shotgun and an assault rifle. Lots of ammunition too."
His father gave him a grin and Yang looked at him, her eyes looking a little scarily. She didn't look so very happy, but his father just laughed, taking it not as seriously as he should.
"Sure thing, just don't make a mess with them 'guns'. Your mother wouldn't appreciate being a grandmother yet."
He was going to correct his father with the proper gun names, but Yang spoke up. "Care to keep the secret though, Mister Arc?" She winked at his father and the man smiled in response.
"Sure thing. Make sure to keep her happy, Jaune." He smiled. Dad was nice.
"I want to marry her. I am going to accept Dr. Watts' offer for the extra lessons to prepare. She won't be married to someone who isn't employed."
He might not like it, but if he got in, he would be making sure that Yang didn't have to work too much. He could make a family with her, and things would be okay, as long as he loved her, which was forever.
"Jesus, did you raise him to be so god-damn cute, or is it just naturally occurring? Because he's been supportive and kind and… Damn."
Yang's swear word wouldn't be making his mother very happy. His father smiled at him.
"Nothing's wrong with him, right?"
He could say something about that, but dad wouldn't accept it. He nodded. Yang smiled and hugged him. She smelled of sweetness.
"We'll be using your shower for a bit, Mister Arc. I don't accept that proposal before I've finished college, so don't get to buying the ring yet."
His youngest older sister gave a little squeal from the side. It was strange how he hadn't noticed it. She looked very happy. Maybe it was time for her favourite show.
"Ohmigosh, this is great. I'm so happy he found someone like you!"
Yang looked a little smug, giving the biggest of grins and hugged him tightly. "Yeah, this big bad boy is mine. Even if people call him a rapist for what Fall did to him, he's going to be my big bad boy, yep."
His father's face turned ugly, as his sister looked at him with eyes that didn't seem to be so happy. She gave him that look that meant that she was curious and wanted to know what it was, starting to speak before noticing dad's face."What is she talking about, Jaune? What happened with Fall?" She didn't look very happy.
"Dad?! Dad, I know that look. You looked just like when Saphron came out of the closet! What happened to Jaune?"
"We're getting to the shower. See ya."
Yang pulled him along, as he heard his father gruffly respond that it was nothing. Yang's eyes were darker, a deeper red colour.
'She doesn't look happy.'
He kissed her cheek, ascending the stairs with her. He noticed that two of his sisters were on the landing, already starting to turn towards them. Constance's eyebrows shot up, a big smile on her face. Marble didn't seem to be home yet.
"Jaune, Yang… Hi! Soooo… Fun date? Got your condoms? We've- well, Marble has some regular ones and-"
Yang smiled, that smile growing bolder. "Try L, if you'd want to wrap this big boy up." His sisters looked at him with a look that wasn't super happy, but it was at least something that they didn't comment on.
"And we're going in the shower. So unless you'd want to listen to the two of us getting some love-making going on, yeah…"
The bag with guns was still there, and he knew that Yang was more than willing to keep them close. His sisters merely gave a shake of the head.
"It's like Marble again… Eesh, it must run in the family."
The shower was warm and hot, Yang washing his back, some of the dirt smudges having left behind marks on his skin. She was humming something, a song or something that she knew, brushing the sponge over his back. He turned around, having reacted to the touch of his girlfriend.
'A girlfriend…'
It was still strange to think of her as a girlfriend. "O-ho! I see a dangerous snake standing right at attention~!" There was a teasing tone to her voice, her hand grabbing a hold of his manhood. Her hand was delicate and soft and the touch made him shiver. She could feel him pulse and throb in her grip, a soft hissing coming from his lips as she sped the pace up, a low groan rumbling from his throat as she touched him. He was aware that she was getting to her knees.
*Here be sexy Yang oral sex. Beware!*
*The Lewdening of the Yang has ceased*
"Jaune!"
The door to the shower opened and his youngest sister stepped into the hot and muggy bathroom, Yang giving a little eep, looking out of the shower curtain. He could see the look on Yang's face, not very pleasant at the intrusion.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
He got up slowly, peering out of the shower, his head above Yang's. Modesty wasn't something that she should forget, because his sisters didn't like to look at his body.
"Tell you what?"
He didn't understand. Why should he tell them? What should he tell them?
"About Fall and that rape accusation. Damn it Jaune, you're too damn trusting. Dad said that it was all a humbug, but- We're still your sisters, your big sisters. We don't want our little brother to be hurt."
He was going to reply, but the topic of Cinder was always something that was avoided. He looked at his sister, who looked sad. He thought she looked sad, but it might not be sadness.
"Show her, Jaune."
Yang said it, so he stepped out of the shower. His sister made a disgusted sound, about to turn away, but he nevertheless did what Yang had said him.
"Why are you showing me th-"
He looked at his sister, not sure what Yang wanted to do not. It was his mark, yes. It ached a little. His sister just stared. He lifted, and she gasped.
"She burned him, marking him. Do you know what he said to my mother? It was his destiny, because the mentally broken people deserved to be put in the fucking ovens. I've… Jaune, sweetheart, come back under the shower, let me just… talk with your sister for a bit. You've got to get clean, and I can do a day without conditioner."
His sister looked a little strange, taking a deep breath and just giving him a look, Yang stepping out of the shower and towelling off. He could hear his sister taking some more deep breaths, almost as if she was going to hyperventilate again.
"Oh. That's…"
She looked really sad now, looking at him and her eyes were teary. She looked at him the whole time, he could see through the shower curtain.
"Oh, not my little brother… Damn. Dad was sure that it might've been humbug but… Damn. Jaune, tell me… What did she tell you?"
He told her the truth. She twitched once after hearing it, her face just looking like she'd seen a puppy dying. That hadn't been a nice thing. She'd cried for a week about the sad puppy. She mouthed something and then walked to the sink and started to throw up. She'd always had a bit of a weakness to scary stuff. It wasn't scary though. Cinder had told him what happened to his kind of people and she might have been wrong, but she'd still told him.
"Why would someone kill you? Why would they even get the idea? Jaune, Jaune, whatever that woman said, it was wrong, okay? I don't want to lose my little brother to someone who believes in that whole bullshit about blood and purity and what-not."
Yang grabbed a hold of his sister and disappeared from the bathroom with his sister, leaving him to finish up. He didn't mind having to wait a little for Yang. He made sure that he was clean, and he exited the bathroom, looking at the hallway. Nothing but the emptiness of people, and the sounds of his father below, hammering something together in the garage.
The door to his sister's room was open and his sister peered out. She looked sad and like she'd been crying. Yang looked directly at him from behind him, a look on her face. He felt a little dirty, knowing that his pants had been worn today and they'd been out.
"Get in, Jaune."
She cared, he knew. He entered his youngest sister's room, looking at some of the trophies that she'd collected. She'd been a cheerleader only three years before, having gone for her first year of esoteric studies.
"Jaune, we don't want you to die. Yang told me a little about how you were, and- And it's not right. Mom..."
His sister looked at him with eyes that were going to tear up soon, he guessed. His sister was emotional, even though he couldn't really feel those emotions very well.
"You're a lot of things, but a rapist is not one of those things. You're my little brother and you've been raised well. Saphron would have tanned your hide if you ever started to do things to women without intending to get their permission, you just don't have it in you."
He wasn't going to rape anyone. It wasn't nice to do.
"I don't want to bother you. You're all so great as sisters. You treat me normally like I'm not broken."
She hugged him, blubbering something about never thinking that, that it wasn't true. He wasn't sure what to think about it, just awkwardly patting his sister's back, Yang looking at him with a look that held something of concern and care in it.
"Who'd hate such a nice guy like you? Nobody. You're my boyfriend, so that makes you better than all those guys who're just after some blonde bimbo titties." There was something in the words, something that didn't quite match up. He gave his girlfriend a look.
"You don't have bimbo breasts. I think they're nice and round. Don't get surgery on them. I'd like them to stay natural."
He didn't understand why she started to laugh, or why his sister started to giggle. "See? Lovable goof with a little bit of an extra user manual, but still kind. If he'd raped anyone, they'd be limping for a week."
He pressed his lips together, looking at his girlfriend. Yang gave him a cheeky smile back and he tried to mimic it. "Why?" He asked, unsure how that would come about. He wasn't someone who liked hurting others.
"Oh, it's a size thing, honey. Don't worry too much about it."
He nodded, his chin accidentally tapping his sister's shoulder. He was taller than most people. Ruby was practically tiny compared to him. Her mom too. Smaller.
"Jaune? Do you really believe that we'd let you die?"
His youngest older sister inquired softly. He gave it some thought. Cinder had said so. His family might be better off without him. He nodded. They might be better off without him. Maybe.
"You're pure. Blonde hair, blue eyes. I'm broken. The weak ones die first. We go in the incinerator. We'll all be ashes because it is our destiny."
She trembled a little, her lips quivering, as she looked at him with wide eyes. She didn't really speak up, just kept looking at him.
"That's evil. That's… That's… Wrong. I don't even know what to say to that, because… How can someone be so… so…"
A pained sound, coming from deep in her throat, a desperate, hoping despair within that voice of his sister.
"It's normal. She said that I was special, that my mind put me above all others. Doctor Watts said that I was smart, but I don't believe it. Ruby is smarter."
He wasn't going to comment on it. Yang looked at him with a questioning look. His older sister mumbled something under her breath about 'fancy people'.
"Hey, what's that about his mind?"
His sister looked at Yang and shifted a little, her grip on him not quite shifting. It was nice to be hugged by her, but not when she was crying. That wasn't a good thing.
"He's… Ugh, your sister was advanced a few grades, wasn't she? Special learning program, that stuff, right?"
A nod from his girlfriend, and he really didn't get why she was looking at him like that. His sister jabbed a finger at him.
"It's eh, Jaune, what did you say your test said again?"
He told her. The standard test and the special one. The third one didn't count, but that was because it'd not been timed. If he'd just had a little time, he'd have finished the final addition and completed the puzzle.
"So… Eh, that's numbers, right? What does that have to do with him? Ruby got put there because she was not really challenged much, and it was to help her socialize a little with people who were a little different.
"He's… ugh, Jaune, tell her about that theory thing. The one with the distance between the… sun and whatever that meteor thing was? The one you bugged Johnny with for a week before she relented."
It was all so simple. So he explained it. Yang looked lost after the first minute.
"So… eh, he's good with… celestial bodies?"
He smiled at her. She deserved to hear something nice.
"You've got a celestial body, because you deserve to be my sun."
It was nice to compliment his girlfriend. She was so nice. Yang flushed a little as she looked away.
"This is very cute and all that, but what I'm getting at is… He's not socially skilled, but give him something to really dig into when it comes to something he's interested in and you'll see Einstein. Dad was proud of it, but seriously, he's going to go far. He's… He's my little brother."
A smile on his sister's face, as she looked at him. He looked at Yang. Yang just looked at him as if she was looking at some sort of weird animal. "Sooo… eh, you're like that Emcee dude? Wasn't he the guy who made the atom bomb or something?"
"He actually was more instrumental in developing the field of physics, really. He didn't have much to do with the atom bomb. That is actually boring stuff. I didn't do much reading on it, but I think they could do better. It's just simple stuff."
It wasn't that complicated. You just had to make some adjustments, write it all out for people to see and then make it work. He wasn't getting into the technical specifics, but how it'd been explained to him and how it'd been portrayed in the documentaries, it just felt a little off. They probably were just missing a few extra numbers. It had been a very fleeting interest.
'It's not likely that people keep up with it.'
Yang looked at him with a smirk on her lips.
"Oh, you'd like to give me an atom bomb, huh? How about you do me one better and give me your love?"
He looked at his girlfriend. "I would marry you. You already have my love." It was stupid to ask for something that she already had. If there was a future without her in it, there was a future without her in it, but he hoped she would be in his future.
"That just- Oh, I don't know why I even bother, it's just… We're talking about my brother, and someone just… Gah, frustrating."
His sister could get awfully high-strung about something. He wasn't anyone really special. He liked how Yang acted and when she smiled, the world felt better. If there was a problem, it only required some extra focus. With focus, everything could become clearer.
"Hey, I like his looks. He's cute, even if he's a little brainy. So, he's got a smart brain. Good, I'm kind of dumb. If he'll take care of the administration and the finances, I'm a-okay."
His sister made a frustrated sound, shaking her head and getting out of his grip. She looked like she was going to lecture Yang again, but then went and grabbed something from one of the dressers, a notepad.
"Jaune, here's a pen. Write out… I dunno, write out how long it would take for say, a satellite to hit the earth."
It wasn't that hard. He tilted his head a little, but did as she asked. The pen barely left the paper, visualizing several different scenarios.
Three pages later, he looked up. Yang had gotten involved in a discussion, his sister's face looking a little easier.
"I'm done."
He handed her the sheet. It wasn't something that was hugely important, he'd just made sure that he had several of the models ready. "I didn't know which size of satellite you meant so I just used the international standard models and the military models."
She blinked and then looked it through. It was the patented 'I don't understand, but I'll amuse you by looking it through' look that his sisters had. Terra was smart, but she didn't really understand much of the stuff. She helped with computer stuff though. She was a good wife to Saphron.
"Soooo… This is nice and all that, but I'm not quite getting the hint. Care to put it in words that someone who gets beat up every Friday evening can get?"
His sister gave Yang a look. Yang raised a fist.
"Boxer."
A nod. "I'll use words that you can understand. Smart boyfriend. Genius. Keep safe. Much money." His sister put it plainly, but it wasn't really something he was after.
"I'd rather like to stay at home, if Yang wants me to. She's more important to me than money." His sister's smile was warm and she hugged him again. It was nice.
"Yeah, y'know what? Mom was right. You're the type of guy that you should get a hold of when you can."
He hoped so. He didn't like letting was warm and comfortable.
"I'll… I'll address this at dinner. Fuck, Jaune, you should've said something. It must've hurt. Constance would've gotten a crowbar and gone all Freeman on that woman's face. You know how she'd get after the hospital stuff a few years ago. We care, damn it."
Yang looked at him and sighed. "He doesn't care about himself that much… But I'll look after him. He's not going to go and be the bad-ass math genius without some darn fine Xiao Long at his butt, keeping him happy."
He smiled at Yang. He remembered then about the guns. They had been in the bag, and that was still in the bathroom. He'd forgotten about that.
"I'll get the bag. Your safety is important."
She smiled softly. He felt her squeeze his butt, the feeling of his girlfriend's pinch a little painful, but she must mean it in a teasing way.
"Keep your cute butt safe, Jaune. I'll want to have some nookie later. Just getting a taste earlier and seeing you look so damn cute gets this girl's engine going!"
The 'eww' from his sister was something that he had expected, and he felt warm because she was liking him. He liked her too.
The bag was where he'd left it, and the holster was too. He put the towel away, just as his mother had said. He exited the bathroom and made way for his sister's bedroom. Yang emerged, her shirt looking great on her body, his sister flushed in the cheeks as she gave a look between him and Yang.
"Bedroom, Jauney-boy… Bedroom. Yang wants cuddles. Your sister's just kicked me out for being a baaaaad girl."
His sister gave him a look that was familiar as the 'I didn't make her leave' look that his sisters adopted. You got used to that, with seven older sisters. Their own little cliques, their little peculiarities….
As he set the bag down, Yang sitting herself down on his bed. He'd have to make it look respectable again. She smiled softly at him, and then glanced at him.
"Hey, Jaune…"
She kissed him, her arms pulling him close. Her forehead rested against his own.
"Mom… She loves us so much. The only reason she's still alive is because…"
Her eyes looked burdened by something, a deep melancholy in her gaze. She shouldn't feel like this. "Because we're both still here. She's written so much about raising us alone, it was just…"
"When my mother died, she was ready to blow her brains out. Getting with dad never occurred to her, because… well…" Yang's eyes looked away, and she gave a pained smile.
"It only read… 'Yang started to cry. I put the gun down and had to feed her. Raven would've wanted me to do this for her.' That was it for three weeks, single entries for every day. Dad was… Dad was a wreck. His wife was dead, and the house was silent. He still doesn't know about Summer and…things"
She sighed softly, looking at him with eyes that seemed to hold hope and fear within them. "Dad's… Dad's always been a little unstable. Manic depression, moods where he's just a rage in a second and then crying his eyes out. Mom keeps the medication for that stuff in stock, just because he's around sometimes."
He could understand that, it wasn't always easy living with something like that. Yang gave a pained moan, as she hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry, Jaune. I'm so sorry. Mom isn't in the best of places right now, and… and…"
He could understand that. She had said that she loved him. Her eyes had been clear then, and he believed her. She had said that she loved him and cared for him. He cared for her too and there was something that was love in his heart for her too, but he was dating Yang.
"It's… Gods, mom is a mess, dad is a mess, I don't even know anymore."
She hugged him, a warm, easy hug. They just stayed like that for a while, her head nuzzling in his chest like a cat. He hoped that they could stay like this for a bit, because it was nice.
He watched the clock, in-between rubbing Yang gently. He could hear his sisters move and his mother move, a few conversations springing up softly in the outside of the room. Topics that he could glean were sheets, other domestic things… Nothing that he would need to worry about.
She disentangled herself for a moment, having dozed off. A soft smile on her lips, as her hand brushed over his groin.
"Didn't even go for some groping… My, what a noble boyfriend…"
Her touch was pleasant, as she slid down, her hands working on his pants, the belt undone. The door opened at that moment and his mother came in, taking one look at them, spotting Yang on her knees with her head close to his groin. "Jaune, I w- Oh, I'm sorry."The door shut a moment later and Yang gave a soft groan.
"I'm going to go and just abduct you back to our home when mom is back and we're going to do all sorts of kinky freaky stuff… Eesh. Privacy is a concept people here do not get!" He hoped that she'd like it. He still wanted to give her an orgasm.
"I love you."
She smiled, her hand pushing the holster back in place. She hadn't disarmed herself, but she was ready, her eyes looking at his own.
"Yeah, I love you too, Jaune."
She smiled, and it was alright in the world. She patted his groin, getting up again and winking. "Tonight, let's get freaky. If your sister interrupts, let's just keep going. Let's get loud."
He didn't mind that.
At the dinner table, there was a moment of awkwardness when Yang sat down on the seat that had usually been Saphron's. It was a small moment of hesitant looks, before his mother spoke up.
"It's nice to have you, Yang."
His girlfriend smiled. He watched her face light up, and his father started to pass the potatoes in the big dish. The youngest of his older sisters gave him a look, then turned to dad, taking the potatoes from him and putting several on her plate.
"I'd… I'd like to say something, if it's okay."
He could see that most of his sisters were giving her looks, and he took the potatoes from the dish and handed the dish to Connie.
"Jaune… You can leave, if you'd like."
A warm look in her eyes, and he knew what she was going to say. He looked at her, his face kept mostly neutral.
"What's the matter, why would he want to leave?"
His mother asked, and his father groaned in obvious annoyance. The man looked annoyed, and there was something in the way that the man sat.
"I told you, it was all hogwash. Who would think that he'd do something like that to a woman, eh? He's got a girlfriend and she's good-looking, so why should you dredge up that bit of history."
His youngest sister, though she definitely was older, not to forget that, looked like she was going to go on one of her rants again.
"It's not okay to deny that it happened, dad! I don't know what exactly happened, but she burned him with cigarettes! I'm not good with that stuff, but he'll bear scars forever, dad! We're luck-"
She stopped mid-sentence, as something seemed to occur to her. A queer look on her face, as she swallowed and looked at him. She mouthed something and he let his gaze go to the other members of his family. Yang's hand grabbed his arm supportively, her expression not changing once.
"He sent her that picture, what else was I supposed to think? They were asking me all sorts of questions about delinquent behaviour and I just… He's still my son!"
His sister snarled. "Anyone can snap a fucking picture and send it with someone's phone, mom. It isn't the nineties where you can only call with the bloody twist-thing on the phone. Hell, just put a thumb against the fingerprint scanner and- Jesus Christ!"
Connie spoke up, still horribly confused-looking. "What… what's this all about. Jaune got burned and… a picture? Mom, what is she talking about? Questions?"
His mother's expression turned stoic, as she squared her shoulders. It wasn't her most understanding face, he knew that well.
"It's nothing important. It didn't go anywhere. There is just a restraining order in effect, and that was the end of it."
The look on Marble's face turned disgusted and angry. "Mom, that's… Explain. You've got to explain right now why someone would need that to be protected from Jaune. He wouldn't hurt a damn fly! This is the kind of shit I'd imagine from like... well, anyone but him."
She paused, before she fixed him with a look.
"Well, maybe his girlfriend, because damn, he just made her reach cloud nine, ten and thirteen last night. I'm still a bit annoyed with losing sleep, buster."
He didn't want to hurt Yang. Yang was precious. She deserved to be happy.
"Your brother was accused of raping his buddy program partner, Cinder Fall. She received that message and-"
Hisses of displeasure came from some of his sisters. He noticed that one of the potatoes had been speared by the knife by his oldest sister Melissa.
"Do you even ASK him what happened, or are you just trusting some maniac's word just because she's older, mom? He told me. He's afraid he's going to be killed for existing. You had a fucking neo-nazi get her hands on him and convincing him that he should be like the fucking jews, mom. He looks Aryan, but they sterilized their mentally handicapped. Jaune, Jaune? Did she do more?"
He nodded. It was a moment of silence and Yang grabbed his arm really tightly.
"He doesn't have to tell you."
He looked down at his plate. He sort of wanted to eat. It wasn't really important what happened to him, but it was still something.
"Honey, I'm sure it's not that bad. Jaune, you had those pictures, was it just a mistake?"
His sisters didn't look very happy with mom right now. His father was looking really angry for some reason and his mother was looking at him as if he was wrong. He didn't understand.
"Oh, she took my phone and took a few pictures. I didn't like it, because I was peeing blood afterward because I reacted. She wanted to breed some retards together with me and Ruby, so I went to Ruby's house. I don't want to see her dead. She's smarter than me, I should die if it makes people happier."
His sisters looked at him with stunned looks, one of them looking down at the pork chops and turning paler by the second. He looked at his mother for a moment, seeing that she wasn't really reacting yet to it. His dad was turning a shade of white that made him wonder whether he was going to get angry. He just turned white when he was about to be really upset. He'd better clarify.
"Ruby is a friend. She deserves to be happy, even if I'm not happy. She's Yang's little sister and Summer's daughter."
He didn't really know which of his sisters said 'oh my god' first, but there was so much emotion. The doorbell rang with a ding-dong sound and he got up. The shouting started then, angry accusations towards his parents for hiding this from them.
"I'll go see who is at the door. I'll be right back."
He walked down the hallway, hearing a shout of 'AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN FUCKING DARE TO ASK WHY?! ARE YOU EVEN FIT TO BE A MOTHER?! JESUS!' and 'What the fuck, mom! What the flying fuck did we just hear? Jesus, and he can just say it like it's talking about the weather and- Oh, hell no! Keep it in, you're not~!'.
Someone got sick. He hoped that it wasn't too much of a mess. Mom wouldn't like to get the stains out of the tablecloth again. That had been a bad visit with Adrian.
He opened the door, seeing the shadowed face of the man. The rifle looked like the one that he had. The man's hair was slicked back and the look in the blue eyes was just as it had been. Calm and dedicated, a little scary, but familiar. The rifle was aimed at his chest. It would probably kill him before he could get the pistol out.
"Hey kid. Mind if I come in? I'm here with a message for your dad."
'This isn't good.'
Well… Frank Castle is coming for dinner. This is the penultimate chapter, so the next one is the finisher. It's been a fun ride, guys and girls.
A lot of the communication here in this story is just not done properly. Autistic people need a certain way of interacting and, for as much as the parents do love their son, some mistakes were made.
A lot of the hints in this story just slide right past Jaune because it's not outright spelled out for him. I hope I'm doing a good job of showing an autistic mindset.
Leave a review if you'd like.