Elderfire1
Hey follks, back again with another chapter of everyones favourite WhiteKnight drama story… which is going to be surprisingly filled with happy moments and Jaune and Weiss growing closer… huh… am I reading this right? *shuffles papers* guess I am! The only particularly scary part of this whole venture will be Weiss dealing with Jaune's parents… but will it be all in her mind?
Wait and see…
just a heads up, folks! It's late as hell, but I want this up tonight, there may be a few mistakes here and there that I will fix tomorrow, lol
thanks again to the lovely crowd over at a certain site where we have a new member!!!
Lyruil, Lufftewaffle, Enigma42, Splash43 and GreenTea Thank you all for your support!
htt ps/ /ww w.pa tre on. co m/ElderfireAndJourney
TSOHH
Chapter 34
A parents' love…
Jaune gently placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder, her tense body freezing for all of a moment as she snapped to attention. She had been leaning forward with a frown upon her lips, hands tented before her face. Honestly, he had been half expecting to see a glyph suddenly appear before them to shoot her up and through the roof of the Bullhead in a vain attempt to escape.
He honestly didn't understand why… well, he could guess one reason as to why… but his mom wouldn't care. Purely for the fact that, despite her words being terrible… she had saved him. saved his life and frankly that would mean more to his mom than anything.
She wouldn't care.
His dad didn't even register as a worry, simply for the fact he had always been like him... and that would mean he wouldn't be able to hold a grudge for the life of him.
Jaune had told her a while ago, and more recently as she had once again been adamant that he must still hate her at least a little for what she'd said… and yet, he hadn't been able to feel anything like it… he had tried to, to see if he was just lying to himself to make this whole mess easier… but no.
He had admitted to her that, yeah, he was still upset that she'd said it, but he didn't hate her.
He'd accused her of leaving him to die in the forest, had told her she was a monster who loved to act like she suffered alone when in reality she was just a bad person.
Nothing compared to being told to die… but he had said some pretty disgusting stuff. He had reminded her that he had told her this a lot of times… told her that he didn't hate her and wouldn't let her think so…
Weiss had smiled sweetly after that, a small and tender thing that he found himself mirroring right back at her. He still smiled whenever the memory of her next words filled his mind.
"Hah… tell you what.. I will stop thinking you secretly hate me when you stop apologizing for anything and everything" It… had kind of become an inside joke between them, every time he would go to apologize for something, she would hit him with a look that told him 'try it. I will ask if you hate me again' and every time he would laugh just a little with her, despite the weird looks the others would give them.
"Jaune… I'm worried…"
He returned to the present to find Weiss was sending fleeting looks his way, biting her lip and twiddling her fingers… 'nervous' was an understatement in his books.
"Don't be… It'll be okay, I promise… my mom… she'll be happy to know I have a friend like you who is there for me, just as I'm there for you. And in the impossible case that she doesn't? Her opinion won't change the fact that you're my friend, Weiss" She smiled again, a small blush overcoming her cheeks though… oh, whoops… "My bad, I should have asked before I touched your shoulder" he apologized, rubbing the back of his head.
"Wh-what? Oh, no, you don't need to!" she tried to tell him, but Jaune knew better.. Weiss was just worried to upset him.
"Nah, I know I did wrong there" He replied, smiling warmly at her to try and make her feel better. Well, she blushed… a little deeper this time but he guessed it must have been something else since she smiled as well… maybe she was happy to know she could voice her feelings to him?
"Heh… you dolt… anyway, where did you say your mother wanted to meet up? I… imagine somewhere quiet? With the conversation that will more than likely take place?" she asked, ice blue eyes showing true and real concern in them, not that he could blame her… Weiss worried about him a lot, but he was happy that she also made time for herself to just relax. Miss Goodwitch had told him when she had seen the worry in his eyes during one of their lessons on aura control that she had made sure Weiss also focused on her own mental health… funnily enough, Weiss always looked agitated when she joined him in his lessons with the teacher.
Weiss watched as Jaune sat opposite of Miss Goodwitch with a deeply focused expression, eyes closed and deep breaths in and out escaping him.
She watched as his aura moved with these breaths, grew when he breathed in… and shrank when he breathed out… a golden light surrounding his body and seeping into everything and everyone it touched…
She felt it… it was trying to heal any pain it could find in her, trying to make her happy… but she had already guessed that Jaune needed to be closer to the person he was using it on.
"Very good Jaune, wouldn't you say, Miss Schnee?" she asked, a pleased smile upon her face that Weiss agreed with fully, she knew Miss Goodwitch truly did care for Jaune's happiness and wellbeing. She had made this feeling clear purely from how much she worried for him and would tell him that lessons were over the moment he began to show the strain of their training or he began to look tired…
"Yes, I would most definitely agree, Jaune you are doing so incredibly well" she praised him, only to blush embarrassedly as his focus was instantly lost, Jaune's cheeks burned terribly though he smiled happily at her compliment. "O-Oh… my apologies…"
"N-No… No, it's okay! Thanks… for the compliment" he muttered, Weiss vehemently ignoring the way Miss Goodwitch looked at her. No! She would not give into her vain attempts to claim as if she cared for Jaune as anything other than a friend!
Heh… That wasn't her reason for keeping an eye whenever Jaune trained his Semblance… Her reason…
"Yes, you are doing rather well, Mr Arc… though you have so much more potential if you would only push yourself just a little harder"
It was Headmaster Ozpin…
"O-oh… Hello, Headmaster Ozpin… I… uh… I can try if you wa-"
"Ozpin…" Miss Goodwitch warned… Jaune looking at her in confusion, both noticing the hostility in her voice, all gentle care gone in a moment as the man before them smiled unconcernedly for her anger. "Mr Arc is not a toy. He has his limits and is doing far better than anyone could expect for what has happened to him. I, and Doctor Oobleck, are the ones who make the decisions for how Mr Arc shall progress in his training… How hard he is allowed to push himself purely from our experience in our respective areas of expertise. Not. You"
And that was why she knew Miss Goodwitch cared for Jaune as a person. Initially, she had been polite to the man who wanted to push Jaune than he was clearly ready for. Almost as if he were desperate to see him become as powerful as Weiss knew he could be…
But then the Headmaster had kept coming back every now and then. Constantly telling Jaune he could try a little harder next time, telling him that he saw him becoming a great Huntsman if he tried a little harder…
Yes… then Miss Goodwitch had become much more hostile to him…
"Ah, calm yourself, Glynda!" he replied cheerily, Weiss… heh… the man was truly hard to read… was he just overexcited to see how far a student with potential could progress? Or… or was her intuition correct in her assumption the Headmaster had ulterior goals? "I am simply looking forward to see what Mr Arc could do! Why, I do most certainly believe that he could help a certain guest of ours rather soon if he pushed himse-"
Miss Goodwitch was before him in an instant… Weiss jolting at the glare she hit the smiling man with. She moved to Jaune, knowing he hated to see fighting and also knowing that he would blame himself… and this time he would have reason…
"It's alright Jaune… focus on my voice, alright?" She whispered, feeling him shake just a little against her shoulder…
"We shall talk of this later headmaster. Now, if you will excuse me, Mr Arc struggles to concentrate with a crowd, so I would much prefer you leave." There was venom in her voice, an anger in her tone…
They were fighting over him… but it really wasn't Jaune's fault… it was a fight between adults over how best to teach him to use this power of his…
"Hah… very well! Mr Arc? Think on what I said… do be oh so kind and work as hard as you possibly can… or at least as hard as Miss Goodwitch shall allow" That last comment… no matter his true reasons for being so pushy towards Jaune enhancing his latent power… Weiss narrowed her eyes in anger at it.
The door closed… and Miss Goodwitch turned to them with a small smile upon her face… all traces of anger gone from her form.
"Now, would you like to try again, Mr Arc? If you feel you are up to it at least…" She smiled as she moved and sat before him once more, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, nodding her head at Weiss who reluctantly relinquished her hold on him, Jaune giving her a shaky smile and finding grip in her hand…
"Yeah… I… I'd like to try again, maybe we can work a little harder this time?" he asked, wincing though when Weiss and Miss Goodwitch both hit him with a glare… Hah… oh, Jaune…
The memory… it was a fond one funnily enough, purely for the fact that Miss Goodwitch had taken his side and defended him in a way that he hadn't expected… there was also the fact that Miss Goodwitch had been shocked by how his Semblance had affected her when he had managed to summon it.
She had accidentally crushed a couple pieces of training equipment in shock…
"Yeah… we're meeting at a small café in the more residential area of Vale… she begged me to come as soon as possible… tried to act like she wasn't scared and worried for me, but that's just what my mom does… heh…" he told her, a sad little smile on his face as he felt Weiss gently place a hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune… she is your mother, she is going to be upset… but will also do her very best to show how much she loves you, because she quite clearly does… my main worry, is purely for your spine going off of your stories about her legendary hugs"
"Pfft!" he laughed, a real thing, purely from the fact that Weiss of all people had made a joke like that. "Yeah… yeah, you're right, oh gods my poor back… you'll get away nice because my mom is gonna be too busy with me to crush you, you'll just more than likely get my dad introducing himself"
"Oh, the horror of a regular meeting between people" she bemoaned jokingly, a word she had taught him when he had asked her to teach him some fancy words one night when he had bene looking for something to distract his thoughts… "… Jaune…? The Bullhead will be landing soon, are you ready?"
The joking tone was gone, replaced with a serious one with a caring one.
She was letting him know that it was okay to be afraid, okay to be nervous for what would happen… "heh… I… I am, even if I am terrified of what they'll say, I know my mom wouldn't lie to me about Beacon… but there is still that little voice in the back of my head that says this is all some elaborate plan to steal me away and force me back home…" It was a nuts thing to think, his mom could be called a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of them… same went for his dad. In fact, his dad was the one he was least worried about, purely for the fact that he had always been a softy.
"Then…" Weiss smiled and gently offered a hand to him that he gently clenched his hand around it… it was warm… it was a warmth most didn't expect from Weiss, but when she truly cared about someone… she was the best friend someone could ever ask for. "I shall be your personal bodyguard, if they try to do it, even if the idea is ludicrous… I shall do my utmost to prevent such a thing. Hah, I have spent my entire life being surrounded by bodyguards, I do believe I know a thing or two about it"
He laughed just a little once more, he really loved being friends with Weiss.
"Heheh, Thanks Weiss… With you around, I feel perfectly safe" It wasn't even a joke. Weiss, ever since she had started to comfort him on those nights the night terrors struck, he had always felt a sense of safety around her.
"Any time, Jaune"
20 minutes later
They stood before the café, Jaune trembled ever so slightly as he tried to get his body under control, Weiss' hand on his shoulder what he needed in the moment and she clearly knew it.
It clenched down enough for him to feel it even through the terrible stress going through his mind.
"Okay, okay… I'm ready…" He whispered, taking a step forward… and then came to a stop once again…
"Jaune" He looked down at her, a smile on her face as her hand lay itself on his back, she didn't press. Instead, she just lay it there… a show of support. "Take this at your own pace, alright?"
"Yeah… yeah I will, heh… okay, I wanna try again" he took another step… and managed a second and third one as he made his way inside. He needed to do this. Needed to be brave and see them…
The tinkle of the bell sounded so loud as he entered, the café quiet with only a couple people around, an old couple in the corner with what looked like their grandson enjoying a day out.
There was a scent of baking in the air, that hint of bread, fruits and chocolates swirled into pastries… muted despite the fact he was very near the shelf their were stored upon.
Cutlery clattered to a halt in the moment they entered, the older couple glancing his way and the barista welcoming them in a way he knew was practised and enforced.
They moved, into a quiet little area near the back, where the sounds of the café were lost to them… Jaune appreciating the silence that followed.
Nervously, he looked around, wondering where they were… and then he saw them…
His parents.
His mom was still wearing that dress of hers, a pretty little sundress she always loved to wear whenever she went out, plain in design save for a little white patterning around the collar and leaving he shoulders free to the air. He faintly heard the clunk of her boots on the wooden floor, the things he had so many memories of trying to lift to prove how strong he was… only to fail miserably due to the many metal plates attached to them.
Her mane of blonde hair looked like she had been constantly ragging her hands through it, the shine it usually held was replaced by an almost straw like texture.
She looked tired… so very tired… to the point that he very nearly broke down into sobs at the sight of it. She was holding the hand of his dad… oh gods his dad…
He looked haggard, his hair a mess with bags under his eyes and the grey in his hair looking just a little more obvious at the moment. He was clutching at her hand worriedly, his body shaking with every breath…
His clothes were creased and wrinkled, black jacket torn around the cuff… what had happened to them? Had… had he done this?
Yes… whispered the dark voice, having seen a chance to try and gain control once more after he had fought it back for so long… Look at how broken they are… you fucking little FREAK. You hurt them. Made them suffe-
The hand of Weiss clenched him tightly, she didn't turn him from them, didn't do anything other than let him know that she was there… and it was enough to fight back the demons once more…
And then they saw him… he froze, his heart jumping into his throat at those dark eyes of theirs…
Eyes that came to life in that moment.
"J-Jaune? Son?" His dad whispered… slowly moving to his feet… those kind blue eyes of his growing brighter with every moment… he…
"Dad…" he whispered, what else could he say? He… he'd thought that he was prepared for this, thought that he would do better at this… but even now all he could do was stay frozen still before them.
He suddenly felt a soft embrace press against him, his mom smiling up at him with tears of her own pouring down her cheeks…
"You're okay… I… I every time you would end the calls, I would be afraid that it would be the last time I would ever see you… hear your voice… But you're hear… my baby boy is okay…" She sobbed into his chest, Jaune's breath coming out staggered and quiet… and then he felt a large and warm hand on his shoulder, tears filling his eyes as his dads smiling face filled his vision…
"Son… thank you… for being as strong as you have… thank you for coming back to us…" and then he was embraced fully by both of them, none of them caring for the looks they received as they slumped to the floor in an embrace.
"M-Mom… Dad… I'm so sorry…" He felt their tender hands touch his hair, felt their grip on his body fully encasing him, their love and warmth ensuing throughout him…
"J…Jaune?"
His eyes opened… and found he was glowing once more, his aura mixing with theirs-his soul joining theirs in this moment… and he felt it… he wasn't imagining the love they were giving to him… it was real… his parents… they weren't angry, weren't disappointed… they were just so happy to know he was alive…
"S-sorry… it's my Semblance…" he managed to get out, laughing a little at their bewildered expressions. He didn't know how… but they began to laugh with him. A gentle thing but a truly beautiful thing to hear.
Weiss watched with a gentle smile as Jaune and his family laughed and cried together, loved seeing Jaune so happy with them…
They stayed like that for a while, both parents refusing to let him go for a moment as they held him tightly. They loved him. More than anything. That was very much clear to Weiss… and she did her very best to stop the want she felt for such love between family… She had Winter, naturally… but that was it. She had no father anymore, he had denied himself that right the moment those disgusting words had left his lips.
Mother was… more than likely into her third bottle of Vodka at the moment, in fact that was incredibly likely. She cared for the drink more than her own children.
And Whitley? He probably didn't even see her as a sister anymore, more as an obstacle in becoming Jacques' new favourite.
Hah… but she couldn't wallow in such thoughts, now was the time for happiness and joy at seeing the Arc family reunited like this.
She had remained silent throughout the entire time he and his parents had been assuring each other that they were okay… hah… they really were the kind of people who wore their hearts on their sleeves. It made sense, Jaune had to have gotten his kind nature from somewhere.
And yet, she blinked when his mother turned to her, and those kind green eyes settled upon her… they shimmered with emotions untold.
She moved… and gently stood with a kind look about her.
Her eyes managed to focus on his father for a moment, seeing the man mouth 'thankyou' with a kind smile… before burying his head into his sons' shoulder, heaving a great, racking sigh as he somehow managed to pull Jaune just a little closer.
Before she could even begin to try and respond… she felt a gentle warmth surround her.
"You… You saved my boy… my little boy… thank you… Thank you, thank you, thank you…" she whispered, the slight woman who stood barely taller than her was, seemed so small in that moment, clinging to her as if Weiss was her very lifeline at this moment.
"Mrs Arc… I'm so sorry I didn't see it before… I'm sorry that I didn't realise before he tried to… d-"
"Shh… calm yourself… I don't blame you… I could never blame the young woman who saved my sons' life." She whispered, leaning back with a smile, Weiss noticing in that moment that her eyes were no longer leaking tears… instead she looked truly happy… a happiness she remembered in the eyes of Jaune in days gone. "Your name is Weiss, right? My son… he's talked about you a lot, you know? He… he told his sister, who told me like the cheeky thing she is… you mean the world to him, you know that? I can see why"
She shook at her words… how… how could she say that? How could she do such a thing when Weiss had done something so cruel to him?
Ah… But she didn't know. She didn't know… she opened her eyes with a sigh, sensing the presence of others as Jaune and his father joined his mother at her side.
She moved without realising it, taking his hand and felt that golden glow light up once more. He smiled, eyes red raw from crying and yet he was happy. Happy as she imagined he could possibly be at the moment… It was a truly happy moment…
"She's right" his father muttered, kind sapphire meeting wide ice. "Thank you, Weiss… By my word as an Arc… I shall be in your debt from this day, to my last day…"
The words were powerful. She knew this. Knew that what he was saying was something that was far more than just words. They were a promise… and Weiss was forced to stop her tears from starting once more. As she stared into the eyes of Jaune's father, his name was Jacob she believed from the stories Jaune had told her, she saw what Jaune would become when he grew older.
A kind man. A gentle man. A man… heh… No… stop it… please, I'm begging you… I can't. I won't.
"Why don't we sit down? Jaune… would… would you like something to eat? To drink?" his mother asked, Jaune shaking his head gently with a smile, pulling his mother close once more, a gentle light coming forth. It wasn't as bright as when they had connected for the first time. No… no, this was closer to a purposeful thing… something to try and curb her worry.
He sighed as they sat down together, his parents taking his one hand in both of theirs, weak smiles upon their faces.
Weiss sat herself down before them, clearly not wanting to get between them in this moment, not that she would have been intruding.
He made clear with a smile that she wasn't. He wanted her here… in a sense he needed her here.
"Son… I want this to be a happy meeting, I really do… but I need to ask…" His dad paused, an unsure look in his eyes that his mom saw and comforted with a gentle look. "I… Have you had any… thoughts lately? I know, I know… you told me over the Scroll that you were doing better than ever, since Weiss here and your friends have been helping you, but I need to know"
The question was a fair one… it was one he'd known was coming… why wouldn't he? They were his parents. The people that he loved and adored and were the same with him.
So why did it fill him with fear to admit it?
Admit that he… that he…
"Yeah… yeah, I have… they never leave… but it's so much easier to ignore them now… I-I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth, I swear it" he told them, wincing as their eyes widened and heard their breath hitch. "I'm so sorry… I really am… I'm sorry I'm such a pathetic-"
*whack!*
"Ow! What th-" he looked up to find Weiss scowling at him angrily…
"Jaune. I don't care if you haven't done it for a while, if you start self-deprecating yourself once again despite you having done nothing wrong, more smacks… will… oh dear…" and then seemed to realise what she had just done… the horror eminent on her face as she turned to his wide-eyed parents. Uh-oh… this had become a casual thing between them, to the point that Jaune found it funny… but to His parents? This… probably didn't look too good…
Silence reigned, no one speaking, Jaune noticing the waitress who looked like she had been ready to ask for their order… slowly backed away…
"I-I swear to you that I- I only do that as an incentive to stop him from thinking low of himse-"
"I like her. Reminds me of myself when it comes to you~!" Mrs Arc grinned, looking over to Jaune's father who seemed to almost be reminiscing about something… was she… no, she was fairly certain that she was dead. Had more than likely suffered a heart attack brought on by sheer embarrassment. "Weiss? I take it you are the one in charge of stopping my boy from thinking bad things?" She asked, Weiss blushing terribly at the smiles both parents were sending her way.
"Mom…" Jaune mumbled, his mom grinning a little as she moved forward and waited on Weiss' answer. He looked relieved at least, a heavy breath leaving his lungs, meaning that his mother… meant the smile on her lips?
"I… Yes, I am… Jaune has been doing much better though! He was telling the truth when he said that he himself has been doing far better in every regard!" She latched onto the question, desperate for the conversation to leave the fact she had just smacked Jaune upside the head…. Yes! Anything other than the fact she had half expected Mrs Arc to leap over the table and throttle her for the fact she had dared to lay a hand on her son! "Why, I have been helping his training as well, your son is an incredibly gifted tactician and has been making leaps and strides in combat! He has many people helping him increase his strength, I myself and aiding in his knowledge of dust and combat uses of it! His Semblance makes him a power house, his upgraded arsenal will give him a massive leap in the way he can engage enemies! I… I… um…"
She stalled in her massive praising of Jaune… as a sound cut through the air… it… it was something that made her eyes widen and slowly turn to…
To Jaune…
Who was badly trying to hide the fact that he was laughing, brief snorts and chuffs of laughter escaping his lips as he did his absolute best to look as innocent as he possibly could… was he… was he laughing at her!?
"And what is so funny?" she growled out, once more forgetting that the parents of the boy she was sending an arctic glare at were sat directly next to her.
"S-heheh-sorry… it's just funny seeing you get all flustered, kind of a-heh-adorable" he chuckled, Weiss flushing angrily at him, a scowl on her lips that Jaune didn't even care about as he laughed all the harder… and then two more laughs joined in.
She jolted, seeing both his parents were looking upon them with small smiles on their faces… His mother nodding her head knowingly while his father looked proud for some reason. Oh… she… dammit, she hated that he did this to her… she did! This was a serious conversation between a son and his parents! Nothing else!
"I hate you…" she grumbled, Jaune laughing all the harder and leaning over, taking her hand and squeezing it gently, whispering his apologies… heh… fine, she would forgive the idiot she called her friend… "Heh… I wasn't just blustering before from embarrassment…" she admitted, smiling at the man and woman whose laughter faded down to those smiles she was beginning to think was a natural look for them… "Jaune is such a kind leader to his team… he cares for his friends and will do anything to help them, purely due to this near obsession with being such a naturally good person. All things I didn't realise until recently, much to my shame" she admitted, barely able to manage looking in the eye of Mr and Mrs Arc who… what was the look they were sharing?
"Son? Why don't you and I go and order some food for us lot?" Jaune's father said, standing up… and Weiss felt so small compared to the giant man who towered over even the rather tall Jaune.
"Oh… okay, dad… mom? Don't worry, okay? I'll be back" he told her, Weiss noticing the hand that had been clenching the table tightly ever so slowly released its' grasp upon the surface that was cracked ever so slightly… was Jaune's mother…?
"I Know you will, sweetheart, I trust you… if you weren't determined to get better, then you wouldn't have agreed to meet us" she admitted, reaching up and cupping his cheek.
As they left, Weiss relaxed at seeing the way Jaune walked… before, he had been walking with a hunch, a weak way of holding himself up as if he was trying to hide from the world, purely for the fact that he had been terrified to meet his parents. Now? Now he walked with his back straight and an almost easy movement to his steps. He was still nervous, how could he not be? But… he was better… better than she could have ever hoped and that was enough for Weiss.
"Heh… thank you again… for everything you have done for my baby boy… I'm glad he has someone like you in his life" Mrs Arc had lost the cheer of before now, a sad smile replacing it… her eyes shimmering and a weakness to her voice… "You… You have no idea how terrified I have been, every waking moment, I have been beyond terrified that I was going to get a call and… and my one and only baby boy would be… would be…"
She leaned forward, Weiss hating the idea of seeing the kind woman cry once more, and smiled gently at her as she took her hand.
"I know… I hate it as well… I…" her breath caught, the kind woman asking what was wrong as Weiss felt the song thunder up… Begging her not to say it… but she had to… had to tell her the truth while Jaune wasn't here to stop her…
His dad stopped him when they rounded the corner.
Jaune knew this had been coming, the moment that his dad had asked him to join him, he knew what was going to happen. Here came the scolding, here came the hushed anger so that he wouldn't worry his mom… asking why he was so stupid to do such a thing and worry his parents like that… why he had made them cry like that…
"Son…" Heh… but he would grin and bare it. He knew his dad would do it with love. Because he cared about him so much, loved him so unconditionally that his love would shine through the anger…
"Dad… I'm so-"
"Son… I am so sorry that I ever doubted you… So sorry if my treating you like you wouldn't be able to make it as a Huntsman were what… what caused this…" he whispered, Jaune freezing as he stared at his dad… he… he was what? Why was he talking as if he was the one to need to apologize? He was the one who needed to apologize to him, seriously, what was going on? And then his dad pulled him in tight, the thrum of the song in his chest thundering out as Jaune felt his breath catching at the feeling… it was warm… so warm… he loved it, beyond anything, he loved this feeling, that glow increasing around them as Jaune ever so slowly with jittery hands returned it with love of his own. "And… And I want you to know, I am so proud of you, Jaune. My boy, you are going to be something great" He whispered, Jaune's breath hitching once more… those words once again, those words that he had said to him the night he had tried to kill himself… his dad really was proud of him. His dad was so incredibly proud of him… wasn't he? Huh… That…
*ba-thump* went the song, Jaune finding his grip increasing ever so slightly as he felt tears begin to prick at his eyes. "Dad… It's not your fault, I promise… it's just my own fault, heh."
"Ay, no crying, you hear me?" his dad laughed, gently squeezing him for a moment before he released him with a sigh, Jaune looking up at his dad… and found him smiling back with a look of equality Jaune had only ever seen his look at him give to other Huntsman… heh, there was that song once more, he really loved it… "Hah… c'mon, can't leave your mom and your girlfriend waiting"
Aaaand there was the heart attack he hadn't been expecting…
"Sh-She's not my girlfriend, dad!" he whisper screamed at his, face flushing red with a hot blush that seared across his body. In response, his dad laughed… it was a belly laugh, a loud and powerful thing that made the older couple next to them jolt and glare at them heatedly.
Not that his dad noticed it, instead he laughed all the harder as Jaune stared at him with mouth agape and eyes so incredibly wide.
Okay, this he didn't understand all the more, what… heh… what was he thinking? His dad was always like this… always trying to lighten the mood and make him smile… always… and he loved his dad for it.
"Mrs Arc… I am part of the reason your son… the reason that he…" she gently whispered, she needed to get the words out. Needed to get these terrible and dreadful words out before her courage gave out.
Needed to be honest and tell the woman before her that she was a monster… one who had caused her son so much pain…
"Mrs Arc, I did something terr-"
"I don't need to hear it dear… I already know…" she felt as if her heart shattered upon hearing those words. She looked up, seeing the smile of Mrs Arc and the utter terror of her own face reflected in those cold eyes.
This was it… this was the moment that her life would be ended. This woman was quite obviously a Huntress, the Weiss having noticed the small scars upon her otherwise smooth hands, the power in her muscles that tensed with every movement as she clearly forced herself to be ever so gentle with every single thing she did.
She had told the son of a powerful Huntress, and more than likely an equally powerful Hunter, to do something unforgivable… their son may have forgiven her, but they wouldn't. Surely not.
"I… I am so very sorry…" she whispered, a hand clasping at her own tightly as Weiss flinched from the action. Where was the strike? Where was the dressing down she knew was coming?
"Oh, please don't, dear. I don't need apologies!" Mrs Arc told her with a cheery smile like sunshine. "You saved my little boy… you saved his life and that means anything you did in the past is absolved… that's just how I work, dear. Family is everything to me, and that means you are as good as family to me because of this… Oh, before you ask… I know because I am a mother, it's something I've always been good at, heheh"
She smiled and laughed while Weiss herself just... stared at the woman...
What… what had just happened? This… was not how Weiss had ever expected this to go, how could she? It made no sense, how was Mrs Arc being so nonchalant about this?
Her friendship with Jaune aside… this was not how parents reacted, right? This was not how any parent she had ever met acted.
A strike.
A glare.
A harsh whisper to be seen and not heard.
A rage of words about how dare she do such a disgusting thing.
None of that was here now, not at all… how could Mrs Arc look at her with a smile? Look at her in kindness and care that she had never, ever seen before?
Oh… wait, how could I forget? She and Jaune's father are not like any parents I have ever met… how could they ever be? They… they love their son unconditionally… jealousy spiked inside her once more, but Weiss fought it down with a smile that shone out, despite the thrashing, crashing beat of the song.
"I… Thank you… I can't believe you are so accepting of what I… what I did" she whispered, a tender little thing spreading over her lips as she basked in this moment… it was so nice to see… see that she could be around his family in the future… it was nice feeling like this, the kindness of an adult who treated her like this.
"Not a problem... You mean the world to Jaune, that's enough for this old woman" she laughed, Weiss quick to tell her that she wasn't old and that she had honestly thought she was Jaune's sister when Weiss and him had seen them. They shared a small laugh, Weiss enjoying this moment... Which faded as Mrs Arc grew a mildly nervous yet serious expression.
"Mrs Arc? What's wrong?" she enquired, the woman meeting her eyes with a cool expression.
"Weiss... I don't want to ruin the mood, but I need to know since I know Jaune won't tell me... Has anyone been giving him a hard time? After... What happened?"
Ah... While she looked at her kindly, Weiss was feeling as if there was a loaded gun pressed up against her temple. This was most definitely a loaded question. How could it not be? She had kept most of it from his knowledge with the help of both her own and his team, but some rather... Disgusting people had been trying to mock him, laugh at his depression and treat him as if he were pathetic and should have gone through with his dark plan...
It had calmed down a fair amount at least... Now that Miss Goodwitch had kept her promise to expel students who were found doing so. A second year who was not a fan of Team CFVY had found out he was friends with them, had decided that posting on the ScrollNet that they loved helping 'cutters' to make themselves feel good before they 'topped themselves', was a clever idea... Weiss had made certain to be there when that despicable wretch had been dragged from his dorm and expelled on the spot.
"I... I don't want to worry you..." she muttered, feeling the happiness she had been enjoying mere moments ago fade... Jaune... What had he done to deserve this? What had he done to deserve any of this?
"Weiss..." the tender whisper of Mrs Arc sounded off so close to her, Weiss jolting but couldn't get away as she was embraced in something… something warm… "Don't cry… please don't cry… I won't get angry, I just want to know, alright? You won't be putting a dampener on things, in fact, it'll do me good to know what is happening rather than have to live in the limbo of not knowing"
She was crying? She… she hadn't noticed… it was odd, this sensation was taking over her every sense. The scent of her hair… a touch of peaches and lilac. The sound of her heartbeat as Mrs Arc held Weiss to her chest. The warmth of her body that seeped into her own. The sight of her eyes as she looked up into them, warm emerald promising nothing but kindness and acceptance…
She… she liked this feeling… it was one she hadn't ever felt before…
"… Okay… he… a few people have… have said some rather disgusting things about him… some have even tried to say such ugly things to him, though myself and our friends have always put a stop to it…"
"Hey there! Any chance we can order ourselves some drinks and a little food?" his dad asked, Jaune standing in the background as he usually did, not really one for public conversations at the best of times… heh, that was his usual thing anyway. He was usually only good with talking to people he knew well, like his friends and… Weiss was always the easiest to talk to… even if he didn't really get it. Nora, Ren and Pyrrha… they were his team, his best friends who he saw as family and siblings even if they didn't share blood. "Thanks, buy yourself something nice with the tip, yeah? C'mon son, let's get back, if Weiss is anything like your mother, I don't want to keep either of them waiting!"
So why couldn't he admit to them his darkest fears and moments, and yet Weiss… she was so incredibly easy to be around…
Someone who, until recently, had hated him with all her heart… and he had tried to convince himself that he had hated her too…
And then he had gone and done what he had… and Weiss had done all she had as well…
From there… he just guessed it was mutual comfort… her helping him… and him helping her, somehow… he had no idea how he helped her. He had no idea how he managed to make her happy… and yet he somehow did.
They turned the corner… and Jaune caught sight of white hair, his heart clenching as his thoughts turned to beautiful smiles and tender looks of compassion.
A burning anger for the insults he directed at himself and the kindness for when he just felt so weak and tired…
Their friendship was something he doubted he'd ever understand… and yet he knew he never wanted it to end… he… he needed them to stay just friends… because if he let his feelings grow and come to the surface once again… he knew it would be the end for them.
But now? Now he loved to feel this beautiful thing they shared…
"Heh… Oh, I remember getting that look… your mother inspired it in me so many times with just a smile or a laugh" the sudden voice of his dad made him jump, Jaune seeing the look in his eyes that told him he was thinking something… something he really didn't want to see"… Son?"
His dad placed a hand on his shoulder, holding the tray of drinks and food in his spare hand, Jaune catching the concern in his eyes from the corner of his own.
Love? He… no. No, he couldn't. He couldn't allow himself to love her… He… no, Weiss was his friend. Only his friend! She couldn't be anything but his friend! No, no, no!
"Son." His dad whispered suddenly, Jaune gasping for breath as he forced himself to try and… try and breath. He needed to, for Weiss' sake and his own. "Son… okay, okay… bad subject. I'm sorry…" His dad whispered, Jaune doing his very best to try and focus on his voice… he… he needed Weiss, he needed Wei-no. No, Weiss being here would be the worst thing! "Jaune… focus, son… it'll be okay, we can talk about something else… alright?"
Something… something else… he… yeah, he could-could talk about anything that he wanted to talk about with him… but then… did he really want to?
"No… D-dad… can we go somewhere? Somewhere other than here and not near Weiss and mom…" He whispered, that hand on his shoulder gripping tightly for a moment as his dad clearly understood and agreed. He was too far for them to hear him, but if they turned around… no, he didn't want Weiss to see him like this.
"Come on, there's a garden around the corner I think"
He blinked… and found himself outside, the scent of flowers hitting his nose and calming him. They smelled like the perfume Weiss wore… hah, dammit…
He sat up from the seat he found himself on, letting his head loll back over the headrest as he gazed upon the warm sky… warm like the look Weiss gave to h-… this… this was going to be so hard to do…
"Dad?" he asked, feeling the last embers of his panic attack fade away…
"Yes, son?" there was the voice he remembered, one full of wisdom and love. Concern was there too… he'd seen and heard it enough times to know it, but his dad hid it well, wanted him to feel at ease more than likely.
"How… how do you stop loving someone?"
Just like Doctor Oobleck, his dad seemed shocked by his question, how could he not be?
"Son… This is about… about your friend, isn't it? She's… she's the girl you told Saphron about, right?" he whispered, Jaune nodding his head with a saturnine smile. Heh… oh gods… he was in for a talking to, wasn't he?
"Yeah… me and her… we've only really been friends for a little while… before that? We… We weren't. we both did terrible things, things so terrible that we hated each other for a little while. Well, I tried to hate her… heh, never really was any good at it…" he admitted, that smile growing a little more as he thought on how dumb they'd both been… if they'd just talked… things could have been so much better if they'd talked sooner.
"Heh… reminds me of when your mom and I. She actually hated me for a little while purely because I was so stupidly stubborn and wouldn't accept a truth she wanted me to know. Heh… but it all worked out in the end, I swear!" he tried to tell him, tried to act like their love would end the same as his love for Weiss… but Jaune didn't believe it for a second… and he guessed his dad knew it too from the way he sighed. "Buuuut… you don't believe me… Well… there's not much I can really say, son, your mother was the one who was always better at this"
"Yeah… and Weiss is better at this as well…" Oh it was so funny… they were both as useless as each other.
"But, there is something that I can tell you. It's not much, I've always been a little… awkward with these sorts of things…" Guess I know where I inherited that part of me from… "But… love never fades, it's something that can never be extinguished without something truly unforgivable happening. Something that will irreparably break the bond you share"
"Doctor Oobleck said something similar" he said without thinking, looking up at his dad who only looked on at the sky with a smile set on the past.
"Hah… Bart, you always were the kind of person who did something like that… But, well… I'm guessing that's not something that can be allowed to happen in your opinion, yeah?" He nodded, the words choked up inside him. "Then… then you need to know this. The love you feel… while you can't destroy it… you can do something else. Something I think is a big mistake and frankly that Weiss girl would be very good to you…?"
"Dad" he muttered, a scowl crossing his face for the first time since they had sat down.
"Alright, alright" He laughed, though there was pain there as well… his dad just wanted what he thought was best for him… but Jaune knew what was best for him. Simple as st. "What you can do is-"
"And then, hah! His old bully, simply pops around the corner and lays a great blow of a punch on the degenerate who was trying to be cruel to Jaune… you should have seen it, I myself wouldn't have believed such a thing possible and yet there he was! And now… now he stands up for Jaune any time he can. It's… it's so odd…" She smiled, loving the memories of those that cared for Jaune.. and just how much he cared in return. Oh, how much he cared. How much he loved and cherished each and every friendship he had.
He was such a good and kind person. Someone who she adored to be around, purely for how he made her laugh and smile. Made her chest feel warm with every smile and put her tired mind at ease with but a single conversation.
… but she couldn't think like that. Not at the minute, Mrs Arc was a rather perceptible woman at times, she had realised.
"Oh, you don't know that half of it! Hah… I guess I won't need to destroy the Winchester house again" she joked, Weiss giggling behind her hand, hah… and she was also rather funny… at least she thought she was being funny… "But… it's upsetting to know students are like this… Glynda and Bart are at least looking after the pair of you… I do have something I need to ask though… Jaune said that you needed to ask your father for permission to stay in Vale. I am not a fan of Jacques… did he give you trouble?" she asked all of a sudden, Weiss stilling for but a moment before she laughed once more. Oh, this would not end well… she had the suspicious feeling that Mrs Arc would not take this news well… she was clearly a caring person who seemed to be rather fond of her already. And then there was the fact that she apparently knew of him?
Then again, why did she care? Jacques was no father of hers anyway anymore, if she had the choice, she would never have to go back to that cold and unfeeling home.
"Yes…. Mrs Arc, this will upset you, do you really want to know?" She asked, Mrs Arc nodding her head with a serious expression overcoming her face…. And Weiss took out a shaky breath as she prepared herself for this. "Jacques… he didn't care that I wanted to try and help Jaune, didn't care that I had done my absolute best to explain that it would make the company look good in an attempt to appeal to his vanity. He… he didn't care when I said that if I left, Jaune might… might…" she whispered, the words catching in her throat as she remembered the callous words of the monster that dared to call himself her father… and then she was sent jolting just a little as the dark atmosphere began to surround them.
She looked up in a sudden bout of panic, feeling an almost crushing atmosphere begin to surround her.
And then… and then she saw the way Mrs Arc was looking forward into the almost nothingness… a dark look. A look of anger and hatred.
An aura began to surround her, this one the same colour as Jaune's Semblance... But instead of the usual warmth and gentleness his usually provided... This was one Vicious. She felt as if her entire body was trying to crumple in on itself in a vain attempt to get away from the woman.
"M-Mrs Arc?" she whispered, moving back in her seat with a fearful expression torn across her face… and then Mrs Arc smiled once again. All that anger and hatred disappearing in a moment and replaced with the cheerful smile that Weiss... couldn't quite place where she felt about it.
"I'm sorry, Weiss!" she smiled brilliantly. "I know I can be a little scary at times, but don't you worry, none of that was at you, I promise… Listen, why don't we change the subject to something much happier? Hrmm?" She enquired, Weiss readily taking the olive branch for what it was. She enjoyed being around Mrs Arc, and she had the feeling that Mr Arc was just as lovely to talk to, going purely off of just how much he seemed to resemble Jaune. She would much rather continue enjoying the company of the woman than think on what she had just seen…
"Yes, that would be grand!" she replied with as much cheer as she could muster… no. Her fa-Jacques would not ruin this.
"Oh, good! Tell me then… what are your feelings towards my son?"
"Thanks dad… that helps a lot" he smiled up at him, though his dad looked like he was regretting this already. He would show him. This was for the best!
"Hah… no worries son, though I really kinda hope you don't use it. She really is a nice girl, clearly cares about you a lot as well" he said with a half-smile, patting his shoulder as he stood them up. "C'mon, these drinks are gonna go cold soon"
As they walked in, Jaune feeling just a little better as he didn't feel the usual twinge of worry at seeing Weiss for once. His mom looked like she was asking Weiss something… she looked a little red, Jaune not sure what she was saying but was a little nervous to find out.
He was also shocked to find that Weiss, after hearing him call her name, was suddenly… right in front of him… and was beat red with a trickle of cold sweat going to down her brow.
"Jaune!" She said with a small cry, a deep seated terror in her eyes as she hurriedly led him and his bemused looking father… and then he saw his mom… and realised just what was scaring her so greatly. "Let's sit here, yes, next to me, Mr Arc? Why don't you sit next to your lovely wife?"
He noted how that conveniently made it so that Weiss was as far from his mom as possible.
His mom was smiling. a big, toothy smile that told him she had been asking those kinds of questions.
"Joan…" his dad groaned, his mom looking up at him with a shocked pout that was met with his dads' deadpan stare. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! I just asked Weiss some questions is all!" She cried defensively… hah… despite their small argument, he saw the love they felt for each other. It was nice, to see something so natural and ingrained into his memory and soul. His parents were always like this, his mom doing something not so… normal or scaring someone accidentally, and there was his dad to ask just what the heck she had done with a knowing stare and smile on his lips he tried to hide. "Hah… anyway! Jaune, dear? Why don't you tell me about all the Dust Weiss here is teaching you about? I hear you're doing pretty well with Gravity and Hard-light Dust!" His mom asked, clearly doing her best to avoid the 'you did something bad, didn't you?' look that his dad was sending her way.
He frankly wanted to know just what his mom had said that had gotten Weiss so worried…
"Oh, yes! Let's talk about that! Jaune here truly is doing great!"
Hah… there went that thought.
They talked after that, talked and talked… they laughed about the antics his sisters had gotten up to, about how his mom had broken yet another building back home after she a badly aimed baseball was thrown. They had even talked over how they had told him when he was a kid that their 'powers' were magic instead of aura… hah, he still blushed every now and then at the memory of Weiss' snort… he never thought she could make such a cute noise.
The drinks and snacks had come and gone, the server actually smiling more and more realistically with every arrival as his mom commented on his nice his hair looked and his dad kept giving such nice tips… heh, may have just been because of the tips actually, Jaune swearing he saw Lien symbols in his eyes.
And then… and then they had noticed the time… he hadn't expected just how long they had talked, but he had enjoyed it… how couldn't he? Here he was… just enjoying a nice time with his parents and his friend…
He didn't want it to end… this normalcy…
"Hah… I feel the same way, sweetheart" his mom noted, a knowing smile on her face. "But we have some good news, we're staying here over the holidays, gives us some time away from the house and enjoy Vale with your sisters. Any time, any time at all, you want to come see us, or just talk about what's on your mind… we'll be here, okay?"
Hah… there went that pain… there went that fear… he ignored the voice that whispered how he was just searching for people to fawn over him and smiled at both of them, feeling the proud aura Weiss radiated at seeing his smile. She knew when they were real, after all.
"And son? I… we, me and your mom, we want to offer you something. Something we should have given to you many years ago" his dad said with a secretive smile, Jaune sending a confused look at Weiss… whose eyes were widening with a smile that mirrored both his parents.
"Okay… I get the feeling I'm missing something…" he admitted, perplexed beyond belief.
"Jaune? How would you like us to help in your training? My Aura control is second only to Glynda and your mom… well, who better than this walking bomb to make you in a better physical fighter?" he said with a laugh, though he did let out a slightly pained cough as his mom elbowed his side, Jaune's breath hitching… just… what? They… they were offering to… to what?
"Jaune! This is amazing!" Weiss whispered in an excited tone, the near childish excitement to her was something he rarely got to see, it was nice… but his focus was entirely on his parents… they were… they were really doing this?
"Jaune, sweetie? We're sorry if we upset you… please don't cr-ooph!" she gasped, Jaune having rushed forward and enveloped them in a hug… a smile on his face a mile wide as he clutched at them…
"I'd… I'd like that…"
The trip back to Beacon had been a rather nice one, Jaune doing his best to not grin excitedly as his parents told him of how they planned on teaching him different techniques and everything.
Heh, she loved to see this. Loved to see how he smiled like he used to. He was adorably innocent in his happiness, she was happy to know it would more than likely continue with his family around.
For now though, he and Weiss would simply have to enjoy each other's company.
After all… the holidays were only just beginning… Though she did wish Mrs Arc would stop nudging her shoulder every time Weiss smiled at something Jaune said.
She was more adamant now than she had ever been to be Jaune's friend and nothing more, honestly! She hated how Mrs Arc seemed determined to make her blush!
Though… she guessed she would enjoy getting to know them better… As they'd talked once Jaune and his father had returned, they had enjoyed a lovely chat about all the funny things his parents had gotten up to, his sisters' too apparently.
Hah, Jaune's pout when his mother and father had recounted about how they told him their aura and Semblances had been 'magic'. Though she did not snort. Anyone who dared to suggest she had would suffer the consequences!
And then there had come to moment she became aware that Jaune… took much more after his father than his mother…
'Huh? Your family is rich? Oh! You're that Weiss Schnee? Huh… the more you know' Oh… oh, that was, rather nice to remember…
She had told them all about herself, naturally, though both parents had told her off when she had begun to rattle off the usual titles she normally did… instead asking about her. Her wants, her dreams and aspirations… Jaune had gently nudged her side when she had been stuck for something, anything to say in response to such words… and had gently told her to just be herself, like she was with him.
Hah… damn him and his ability to say just what she needed to hear.
It was nice… seeing such a close family unit… she truly wanted to do it more often, mayhap the Arc's would allow her to come visit them with Jaune once more?
Heh, a nice little ending for this one, Journey is back next chapter folks and so I wanted to leave her with a nice chapter to help me work off of.
This story is entering a happier time now. Neither Weiss or Jaune's pain is forgotten or ignored… they're simply choosing to be happy and live life the best way that they can.
Next chapter will… well, technically it will focus on everyone coming back from the holidays but will be mainly Jaune and Weiss telling their respective friends what they got up to during it.
This way, we can fit about three chapters worth of story into one as what happens… well it is important, but not so that it needs entire chapter for themselves if that makes sense.