A/N: Whoo boy. This is a doozy.
For returning readers, more on my hiatus down at the bottom. Just know that I'm back and that I'm going to try harder to write more often. Mark my words!
For new readers, welcome to… well, it's actually a rewrite of a rewrite now, but welcome to Bound by Time! Please enjoy and feel free to leave critiques and reviews.
Eight years before the present
Atlas; City of Stratos: Alleyway...
Jaune shivered, alone in a back alley, the bitter cold of winter washing over him and covering him in a thin layer of snow and near-frozen water. His arms were wrapped tightly around his own body, but they did little to protect him from neither the wind nor the cold. He looked down at his clothing: a simple black zip-up sweater, a pair of torn jeans, and a pair of black sneakers.
All of them were useless in this weather.
Sapphire blue eyes looked out of the alleyway and out to the street where people walked on the sidewalks, comfortable in their warm winter jackets and heavy boots. A shiver painfully rocked his body once again, and he concluded that if he didn't do something the cold would kill him.
With what little strength remained in his body, he forced himself to his feet, used the brick wall to steady himself, and stumbled forwards. His legs felt weak, his body felt numb, his mind felt dazed. Each step seemed to need all of his strength but covered very little distance. He lumbered out onto the sidewalk. People passed him by and none paid him any mind. The sea of people seemed to part around him, and he shuffled his way through the crowd.
The interiors of the shops lining the sidewalks were alight with warm light, but the welcoming sights were deceptive for the multitude of times Jaune had been denied access to these establishments. These people were as cold as the wind that was killing him.
The cold became too painful for him to bear. He waited for someone to leave the closest shop before quietly scurrying inside. It was an ice cream parlor so it was still a little cold inside, but it was much better than the cold outside. The employees were inattentive and didn't see Jaune as he stumbled into one of the booths set in a more discreet corner of the shop, curling in on himself in the seat. He lay there shivering as he tried to regain his warmth.
Hours passed and few people came and went, fewer of them even sparing a glance at the poor boy in the booth. Jaune felt his eyelids grow heavy as sleep started to grasp him, and fear clawed at his heart as he realized he might never wake up. So he desperately tried to stay awake, clinging on to his consciousness with all of his willpower. He shifted a little, moving his limbs so that they were in a more comfortable position when his stomach growled loudly, which drew a few glances from the patrons around him.
A few more hours passed with little to note. At least, that's how long it felt to Jaune. It seemed as if he was caught in an endless routine of agony as his stomach kept growling as if to remind him of how empty it was. Another one of the patrons left the store and Jaune lifted his head. Looking around, he noticed that there weren't a lot of people inside, and he checked the clock hanging on a nearby wall. The clock read eight-thirty, and with dread filling his soul he looked to the door, specifically the sign posted on it that listed the closing time as nine 'o clock.
Which meant he only had thirty minutes before the store would close, and they would kick him out of the warmth and back into the lethal cold outside.
His head sank back into his knees, tears gathering in his eyes. He regretted everything now. Death loomed over him now, and it was all his fault. He prayed that this was all just a dream and that he would wake up back in his bed underneath warm blankets. He wished for his parents, for his sisters, for anyone to save him.
What was he thinking? Running away to Atlas of all places, to do what? How could he even start to chase his dream in this cold, uncaring place?
His tears turned from sorrow to anger.
Why did this have to happen to him? Why couldn't he be allowed to become a Huntsman? Why would his parents keep him from the one thing he actually wanted for once? Did they hate him? Why? Why why why-
Suddenly, he felt someone tap his arm. Looking up, he was startled to find the face of a girl in close proximity to his own, and he let out a small yelp as he backed into the wall behind him.
The two stared at each other for a few beats before Jaune broke the silence. "C-C-Can I-I h help y-you?"
The girl's light pink lips turned downwards into a frown and her brows creased. Her pink eyes showed pity and confusion as she scanned his body from top to bottom.
He returned the gesture, peering over his knees at the girl in front of him. It was hard to tell if she was a girl or a young woman, but she was certainly older than he was. Her white hair threw him for a loop, having not seen anybody with white hair before now, and her eyes made him feel a little uncomfortable. She wasn't leering at him, but her gaze was sharp. He compared the feeling to the stern glances his mother gave him at times.
What really caught his attention were her clothes; they seemed completely inappropriate for the weather outside. She wore a white, long-sleeve, one-piece tracksuit that ended just above her thighs. On either side was a pink strip that started at her armpit and ended at the bottom. Her legs were covered by black leggings below white, shin-high shoes, though he couldn't see her feet.
Her hair waved lazily behind her with each movement she made, and Jaune noted that her hair was very long, ending just past her derriere, and braided from the middle to the ends.
"Who are you?" she asked. "You don't look like you're from around these parts." She tilted her head a little as she lowered down to his level. Her voice was soft, but it was firm in its tone.
"My name is J-Jaune. I-I'm not f-from h-here," he confirmed as he held out his hand for her to shake, despite the fact that his hand already shook uncontrollably.
She tentatively took his hand into her own, and her frown deepened. "The name's Irene, Irene Rhodo," she stated, pointing her thumb to her chest. "Nice to meet you, Jaune. Can I ask why you're here? Closing time is soon and you look like you've been holed up here for quite some time."
Jaune took his hand out of hers and brought it back to his body, hoping to keep as much warmth as possible. He looked at her in confusion. "H-How did you kn-know that?"
Irene smiled softly and gestured a little with her chin down toward his seat. "You have a giant puddle beneath you; means you've been sitting there long enough for gravity to start draining your clothes."
Jaune looked down and, sure enough, there was a puddle of water beneath him. He'd hardly noticed it, but he supposed it was because of how cold he already felt. His body must be too numb. He looked up at her and looked out to the street, prompting her to look that way as well. "I-I s-stayed outside f-for t-too long. Th-The wind was g-going to k-kill me."
Irene shook her head before she offered him her hand. "You should go home. I can take you back if you like?" She offered.
He replied with a firm shake of his head. "I-I don't h-have anywhere t-to go."
Irene frowned at him. "What do you mean?" she questioned.
Jaune turned away from her. "I-I r-ran away f-from h-home."
"And home is where?"
"Vale."
Irene chuckled a little. "And you decided to come to Atlas? Talk about climate change."
Irene offered the little boy her hand. Jaune was a poor sight, with his skin paler than her own and his body shaking like a leaf. His clothes were completely useless in this weather as well, too thin to truly protect him from Atlas' harsh cold.
Her first thought was to take him to the nearest police station and send him back off to Vale, but she stopped herself. It wasn't safe for him anyway. With the other activities still going on in the city, he might never see the light of day if he met the wrong officer.
How ironic, for the Kingdom that prided itself on being the strongest in military might to have festering corruption behind the walls of steel and lead.
She thought of calling her superiors for assistance, but they wouldn't bother to spend resources for a single child, not when it might present issues to her mission.
She'd have to complete her assignment in order for Jaune to be safe. Oum knows how many other kids like him were less fortunate. She'd make sure at least he would make it out of this shit-hole safely.
It was her best option at the moment with the resources she had at her disposal, but right now, she needed to get him warm.
"My apartment is nearby. I can get you warmed up and with some proper clothes." She offered. Only after she spoke did she realize how creepy that sounded. 'I sound like a child kidnapper...'
Jaune looked at her outstretched hand with skepticism, only reinforcing her thought. But after a few moments, he tentatively reached out to her.
"I-I have nowhere else to go. Th-The people here... w-won't help me. Pl-Please... don't hurt m-me." Jaune whimpered, sliding out of the booth and directly in front of her, hand grasping hers.
Irene almost wanted to cry.
Eight Years Later
Vale; City of Vale: Beacon Academy...
Beacon Academy. He'd dreamed of coming here once. To become a hero the likes of which could be compared to the legends of his family's past. Standing here now, the fairy tale charm of the whole building just seemed... underwhelming. The shine that the Academy once possessed in his eyes was now gone, replaced by casual indifference.
Jaune wiped his mouth as he spat for the final time into the trash can. Stupid motion sickness… he thought that went away after the first four months of training.
His hand rested on the pommel of the weapon on his hip, the weight serving as a reminder of his true purpose here.
Crocea Mors, the legendary "Yellow Death" of Julius Arc, the Judicator of the Valean Army.
Jaune briefly recalled the legend of Vale's Judicator; how he slaughtered his way through Mantle and Mistral's armies during the battles of the Great War. How he was revered as a paragon of both hope and despair.
Jaune sent a silent prayer to his ancestors: Julius Arc and those before and after.
He was here to put down those who disrupted the peace. He prayed for their guidance and courage.
An explosion interrupted his thoughts.
Azure eyes flicked around wildly, his hand falling easily to his sword and drawing swiftly. Muscles tensed as he subconsciously drew himself into an offensive stance; his hands drawn close to his chest, blade hovering over his extended elbow, front foot slid naturally forward, and body brought low.
No follow-up was made, no secondary explosion of gunfire, no attack to be seen. Warily, Jaune dared to relax, watching carefully as other students of a like-minded mindset did the same. He took a second to calm his beating heart, the adrenaline caused by the sudden explosion slowly wearing off as he took the time to breathe. Thirty seconds later, he let out a deep exhale, fully calm. In that time, nothing happened, and Jaune was beginning to get anxious.
He'd felt the shockwave, of that he was certain. The loudness was questionable though, now that he thought about it. It didn't have the resounding boom of weaponized ordinance, nor did it have the crack of gunfire. Something in between, then. Dust combustion?
His hypothesis was answered when he heard a shriek of rage off to his far right. Off in the distance, where a crowd began to disperse, he could make out the silhouette of a fairly short girl dressed in all white. She was yelling at a figure on the ground, colored mostly in red and black. The person in red sat up from the ground and was revealed to be another girl.
The smoke cloud that was slowly dissipating around them and the scattered Dust vials and suitcases told him all that he needed to know. With a sigh, he sheathed Crocea Mors and trudged over. He'd at least make sure they were okay.
Who knows? Might even gain a friend. Imagine that.
Just as he was on approach, the girl in white stomped off with her luggage, supposedly told off by another girl wearing mostly black.
He raised an eyebrow at the childish display before turning his attention to the girl in red, who, much to Jaune's amusement, was pouting with her eyes closed, still splayed across the ground.
"Welcome to Beacon…" she muttered.
At that, Jaune couldn't help but let out a chuckle. What a warm welcome. Maybe too warm.
When she heard his voice, the girl's eyes snapped open, revealing gleaming silver underneath her fair eyelids. She looked up at him in embarrassment and tried to utter something, only to fail as her mouth continued to work without sound.
Jaune only laughed a bit harder, before he extended his hand down to her with as comforting a smile as he could manage.
"Seems like you need a hand," Jaune stated mirthfully. The girl's only response was another pout before she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. Jaune stepped back to let her dust herself off as well as to get a better look at her up close.
She was pretty short, barely reaching his chest. Short black hair faded into a subtle shade of red, blending in almost naturally. Her attire was an interesting affair, consisting primarily of a black and red corset and frilly skirt, stockings, and knee-high combat boots. Not only that, but a red cloak was attached to her collar by two silver pins in the shapes of crosses.
She looked more akin to a doll than a Huntress-in-training. That is unless he considered the red thing hanging off her lower back.
A weapon, more than likely. Shifting most definitely. Looked like a barrel at the end there, probably a rifle. No idea for the melee form…
Speaking of, she finished dusting the dirt and Dust residue off of her clothes and looked up to give him a similarly appraising look, not that she would find anything.
Black short-sleeved hoodie and jeans were rather unassuming, even with the armor plating he had strapped over his chest and shoulders. Leather fingerless gloves, orange thermal half-sleeves on his forearms, and common black sneakers were standard fare even for the Huntsman trade.
Abundantly average, nothing of interest: just the way he liked it.
The girl, however, didn't seem to think so, as her eyes zoned in on the sword sheathed at his hip.
Okay, so she was at least sharp enough to look for the weapon first.
Jaune redirected her attention by softly clearing his throat.
"You alright?" he asked.
The girl nodded with a bright little smile, even going so far as to give him a thumbs up. That is until she immediately blushed and practically punched herself with how fast she brought her hand down.
"Y-Yeah," she stuttered. "Yeah, I-I'm good."
Jaune smiled.
"Hey wait, aren't you the guy that threw up on the Bullhead?"
...Imagine that.
"Sorry! It's just… Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind… and I… well…"
Jaune sighed for what surely was the tenth time within the past five minutes as Ruby Rose, once again, apologized for bringing up his… ailment. The two of them opted to walk as they talked, leading them down one of the many pathways Beacon had to offer. It was quite beautiful, and Jaune quietly lamented the fact that he would have been admiring the scene had he not been with Ruby. Speaking of...
"Look, Ruby, I already said it's fine," Jaune told her in exasperation. Then, with a smile: "No need to keep apologizing, alright Crater Face?"
The look she gave him made him laugh. The way her cheeks puffed up and her eyes narrowed in what had to be indignation? Priceless. Feelings that reminded him of home began to bubble in his chest, reminiscent of his antics with his sisters.
Ruby must have taken his laughter as him mocking her, which he totally wasn't. It was called 'teasing', but apparently she didn't see it that way. "That explosion was an accident!"
Jaune smiled disarmingly. "Well, if you want me to drop it, just call me Jaune, okay? Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."
There was a bit of a pause there, and Jaune stopped in his tracks to look over and see Ruby with a raised eyebrow. She even had her hands on her hips. Picture-perfect epitome of skepticism, much to his chagrin.
"Do they?" she asked. The disbelief in her tone really shouldn't have hurt as much as it did.
He crossed his arms and tried to give her the most sincere look he could muster, but even he wasn't fooling himself, much less when he stuttered, "O-Of course they do!"
He felt more than saw Ruby's eyes begin to widen, and she quickly adopted something akin to the expression of a kicked puppy. Panicking on the inside, he nudged her shoulder with a friendly grin and continued to walk, Ruby flailing to catch up and walk beside him.
In spite of that, silence fell upon the pair, and it was the awkward kind. Jaune felt his skin crawl as the silence began to draw out. He racked his brain for anything that he could talk about. Family was crossed off the list almost immediately, only due to the fact that he'd probably be talking for at least an hour straight. Goals were a fairly safe topic, but it was still a little personal. However, right now, his brain offered no alternatives. He opened his mouth to speak.
"So…" Ruby began slowly, cutting him off. He glanced at her to see her arm reaching behind her back, "I've got this thing!"
With a flourish, she unfurled the box that was on her back. A large, curved blade folded out and a pole extended from the base, forming a handle with a bladed tip at the end. Within the blink of an eye, a gigantic scythe was stabbed into the concrete as it was revealed.
Jaune prayed that she didn't notice him tense.
The silver-eyed girl's gigawatt smile told him that she was oblivious to his distress, and he visibly sagged in relief. No need to cause any undue drama.
But seriously, what was she thinking, pulling her weapon out like that?
He took the time to evaluate her weapon critically. Large scythe with a barrel at the top extending from the shaft, a short blade situated at the opposite end. Bolt mechanism integrated into the shaft, trigger linkage towards the back with a pistol grip integrated into the shaft as well, indicating a third mode outside of storage. Rifle form, more than likely. The firing mechanism looked entirely functional even in scythe form, however.
"Hybrid scythe and sniper rifle?" he guessed, earning an even brighter smile and a giddy nod.
"Yeah! Wow, you're the first person who recognized her gun form!" Ruby commented jubilantly.
Jaune figured that particular fact was because not many people were as inclined to firearms as he was. Sure, Huntsman weapons tended to have both a melee and gun form, but the average Huntsman wasn't as extensively invested in the topic.
Except for this girl and himself it seems.
"So I was correct in assuming it's a rifle then?" Jaune asked.
"Yup! Shoots a specialized caliber and cartridge meant for maximum impact force and recoil, both for scythe form and rifle form."
Intentionally using a caliber with higher recoil? That was odd. It would've made sense if the barrel were perpendicular to the shaft, but that wouldn't work given how the firing mechanism was situated. Clearly, that was a magazine. Getting a clear look at it, that length was around the ballpark of 60mm give or take. Meaning that the rifle fired in 20 to 25mm more than likely. The only issue was…
"How the fuck are you able to carry that thing?" Jaune questioned incredulously. For a 20 or 25mm rifle, it had to have weighed somewhere around 40 to 50 pounds alone, given the tolerances for firing such a huge round.
"I'm glad you asked!" Ruby beamed. With another flourish, she spun her scythe around so that the blade was extended towards him. She then beckoned him over to her and he complied, looking to where she was pointing. Her finger indicated towards a small circular device situated within the scythe's main housing. On the other side was an identical device.
"That is a gravity Dust-fueled weight modifier; drops the weight down to only 13 pounds."
Damn. Talk about shaving off a few pounds. Even still, that begged the question: what if the weight modifier failed? Malfunctions were not uncommon in their line of work, nor was damage to weapons due to battle. Hence, Jaune favored simply carrying two weapons for two purposes: range and melee.
His thoughts must have shown on his face because Ruby gave him a small nudge to the shoulder.
"I know she's not perfect," Ruby admitted. "I tried to shave off as much weight as possible and used some pretty high-grade materials too. Thanks to some carbon fiber and titanium parts, Crescent Rose weighs just over 30 pounds. She's not bad if I use her with my Aura, but I know that she's still pretty hefty and unwieldy, especially in case I run out of Aura. But right now, she's the best fit for my fighting style, at least until I can make improvements to my baby."
Jaune raised an eyebrow amusedly at that. "Your baby, huh?"
"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. Then, she blushed, shook her head rapidly side to side, and turned a pouty glare toward him. Really, she was too much.
"Anyway, what have you got, mister? I showed you mine, now you show me yours!"
Jaune flat out snorted at that. Then he blushed. Then he looked around nervously. That was a big misunderstanding to be had, after all.
"Phrasing, please?" he implored but sighed as he saw the confused expression on her face.
She was really too much.
Clearing his throat, Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors and unfurled the shield.
"This," he began, gesturing with his chin to the sword, "is Crocea Mors. Wielded by Julius Arc during the Great War and dating farther than even that. The shield was more recent."
"How do you cover range?" Ruby asked, her eyes eagerly evaluating the craftsmanship of both the blade and the shield.
Jaune grinned and opened his mouth as if to say something, even going so far as to raise his index finger. Then he snapped his closed and smirked. "I can't give away all my secrets, can I?"
"What?!" Ruby squawked indignantly, "I showed you Crescent Rose's weakness! How unfair is that?!"
The Arc shrugged, then gave her a knowing smile. "You did, but I didn't really ask you to. That was something you willingly told me. As for me? I think it's better to keep your fighting stuff secret, you know? We might go against each other in school."
The silver-eyed girl turned just as red as her namesake, and Jaune couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he nudged her shoulder.
"It's fine. We should probably get going. Ladies first?"
Ruby shrugged. "I dunno where to go."
Jaune froze. "But, I was following you. So how…?"
The two looked at each other in alarm as a bell chimed off in the distance.
"Ah crud," the two muttered before they raced off in the direction of the noise.
The two dorks panted as they ran into the auditorium, barely any time left to spare as they both saw Headmaster Ozpin off to the side of the stage, talking to none other than Glynda Goodwitch.
A bombastic blonde was waving her hands in their direction, and Jaune had to physically strain himself to not look when she started bouncing. Oum, this place was going to be the death of him. "Ruby!" she hollered over the noise of the crowd. "Over here! I saved you a spot!"
Ruby turned to Jaune, clearly conflicted. Jaune however, did nothing but give a small nod and a smile. The little reaper smiled thankfully.
"I-I gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony!" she called back, and Jaune merely chuckled at her boundless energy before he slowly began to stroll to a better spot.
"Where else am I going to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He wondered aloud, shoving his hands into his pockets to make for a smaller profile as he weaved through the crowd.
Looking around, Jaune couldn't help but feel just a little bit uncomfortable. Oh sure, these people may have been on the same side as him, but they were teenagers with swords, guns, and superpowers. This place was practically a ticking time bomb, it would be a surprise if the teachers weren't paid premium rates for the bullshit they probably had to deal with on a daily basis.
He idly wondered if he was going to be swept up into such situations. What were the odds of that?
...Oum, I really shouldn't tempt fate like that. Or time.
Jaune settled for a secluded section of wall off to the side of the crowd. Enough room to breathe and it had a good view of the entire area.
That is, until a pair of blockheaded idiots started shoving each other around, laughing merrily all the while as they pushed others around them without a care in the world. One of those other people was forced into Jaune's side, and the Arc patiently weathered the jostling and accepted the girl's apology with a light smile.
But the two boys continued to wrestle with each other, and Jaune finally had enough as he set out to find a better spot.
Incidentally, as he ducked through the crowd again, he heard a high and shrill voice practically rolling with sarcasm off to his left.
"...on clothes, and talk about cute boys; like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there."
The Arc raised an eyebrow at that before he turned to the source, finding a white-haired girl conversing with Ruby and that bombastic blonde from before. Though, conversing was a bit of a stretch. The air between the three was anything but friendly, and the white-haired girl was clearly pointing directly at him.
He wasn't scraggly, was he? He was fairly well kempt. Maybe his hair could use a little bit of styling, but it was less of a hassle to leave it be than to use pomade or gel. "Really?" he muttered under his breath.
"Really?!" Ruby asked excitedly.
The girl in white merely glared at her. "No."
Jaune narrowed his eyes at her. Talk about cold. He made to cut into the conversation when the sound of a mic popping caught his attention. He turned to the stage to see Headmaster Ozpin standing up front and center, mic in hand and eyes scanning the room with cool professionalism.
That changed when his eyes landed on Jaune.
A small uplift of the eyebrow, a little twitch of the mouth. It was different. It was aimed at him.
Jaune felt his eyes narrow, and he almost felt the need to bring up his Aura as if he were about to be attacked. Even when Ozpin cleared his throat to speak, the Arc felt his nerves begin to fray. With brutal force, he pushed all thoughts of panic down, and simply stared back with a disinterested look on his face. He was just a student among the hundreds. He was nothing special.
He was unassuming.
Ozpin seemed to think so too, as his eyes continued along the masses as he spoke.
"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge; to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."
Jaune didn't fail to notice the little quirk of Ozpin's lips as he paused.
"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose; direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."
Sapphire blue met soft brown, both burning with curiosity.
"It is up to you to take the first step."
Jaune turned away first, bent on getting out of the room as fast as possible.
It was only an hour later that Jaune found himself opening his locker, duffel bag in hand. Other students flanked him on both sides. Surprisingly, the Locker Room was unisex, a fact that Jaune was reminded of very quickly as he politely turned away from a girl changing clothes off to the side. It was expected, however, that there was a clear divide where the boys and the girls changed. Lockers were randomly assigned, but it seemed as if boys and girls flocked towards one side or the other.
It was also expected that each side seemed to take advantage of this to get a show from the other. He sighed as he heard catcalling from somewhere off to his left as well as from the other side of the room.
He wasn't innocent either, however. He caught himself more than a few times glancing over to the fairer side of the locker room, but he shook his head. So long as he wasn't a creep, he could live with himself, but he was still just a teenager. He could afford himself to appreciate the female form so long as he was respectful about it.
At least, that's what he told himself as he quickly rifled through his bag for his pajamas.
No, he hadn't seen a girl completely bra-less. No, he hadn't slapped himself for staring, red mark on his cheek be damned.
...Oum, he was a mess.
He lifted up one of his workout shirts and twitched at the thing that lay beneath.
A bright blue onesie.
He fought the urge to throw the item in his locker, if only for the fact that if he lifted it out of his bag the other students might see. He instead grabbed a pair of athletic shorts and a white t-shirt. He zipped the duffel bag up and tossed it into the locker. He took one last look at the duffel bag and thought about the onesie.
Later, he decided with a small nod. When he was able to have more privacy and a room to himself.
Setting his pajamas down on a nearby bench, he unclipped Crocea Mors and hooked it onto a convenient slot integrated onto the side of the locker. He supposed he wasn't the only sword user Beacon has seen over the years. He unbuckled his belts and armor and set them neatly inside, before shifting out of his hoodie and jeans, leaving him in just a pair of black boxers. He shivered when another whistle sounded from the other side, and he spared a brief glance backward to see a familiar bombastic blonde winking in his direction. Luckily, she was clothed, but what she was wearing still left little to the imagination.
Jaune blushed before whipping his head in the opposite direction, groaning in embarrassment as he pulled his shirt and shorts on. Stuffing his hoodie and jeans into his locker and slamming the door shut, he trudged outside to find a spot to sleep.
The auditorium was just as, if not rowdier than the locker room. A group of boys was off to the side flexing and wrestling like idiots. A few girls were doing much the same, stretching and posing on the opposite side. He cut through the two, refusing to look at either side, and sat himself down next to a pillar. He'd not packed a sleeping bag, completely unaware that such a thing was required.
Leaning against the marble pillar, he slipped his scroll out of his pocket and shot a quick text over to his family, telling them that he'd made it and that he wished them goodnight. The family group chat quickly lit up with a series of "goodnight's" and "I miss you's".
With a little chuckle, he put his scroll away and began to settle down for the night, trying to cut out the noise around him. He was jostled, however, by a hand gently shaking his shoulder.
He resisted the urge to groan as he opened his eyes, just a tad bit annoyed that he was being kept awake. Couldn't this person just leave him well enough alone? Couldn't they tell that he was about to go to sleep?
Upon seeing who it was that had bothered him, however, he quickly snuffed out any lingering feelings of annoyance and put on a smile. Ruby was sat in front of him with a shy grin, accompanied by the blonde from both the auditorium and the locker room. The little reaper was wearing an adorable pajama set consisting of a black tank-top with a pink heart with teeth and eyes, as well as white pajama bottoms adorned with a similar pink pattern. The blonde next to her wore a rather fetching orange tank-top adorned with an orange flaming heart and black short-shorts that were really not helping Jaune's hormones.
"Hi, Jaune. Sorry if I woke you up."
Jaune quickly dismissed the apology with a flippant wave of the hand. "It's fine, Ruby. Wasn't sleeping yet anyway, not that it would be easy to, given all the noise in here."
Seriously, what were the teachers thinking, putting hundreds of students in a single room and telling them to sleep there? It would be a miracle if he got any sleep tonight.
"Looks like you two are pretty chummy huh?" The blonde girl cut in, eliciting a small groan from Ruby.
"Yaaaanng. Staaaahp."
"What? Just calling it how I see it!" 'Yaaaanng' exclaimed. Somewhere off in the distance, someone yelled, "shut up", to which 'Yaaaanng' flipped the bird.
Ruby made an affronted sound and quickly made to cover up the obscene gesture. Jaune watched the duo in amusement as they began to bicker, already reminded of his own family's shenanigans.
"I think you two are more chummy than me and Ruby are," Jaune put in his two Lien, which earned him a smirk from 'Yaaaanng'.
"Damn right! I'm Ruby's sister, the name's Yang Xiao Long. But you can just call me Yang."
Yang crossed her arms over her, admittedly, rather well-endowed chest before wrapping her sister in a headlock, which Ruby tried desperately to fight but to no avail.
"Well, the name's Jaune Arc," Jaune stated with a proud grin, jerking his thumb into his chest. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."
Yang's eyebrow quirked in curiosity. "Do they really?"
"You bet they do!" Jaune retorted, and even he noticed how defensive that sounded.
"Bull."
Apparently, Yang didn't have the same reservation as her sister did and immediately called him out on it. Well, it was at least worth the effort.
"Shyeah… you're right," he admitted. "Though, hopefully by the end of Beacon I'll be able to say otherwise. So, got any advice for a future lady killer?"
"Don't listen to her, she doesn't know anything about that stuff," Ruby cut into their banter. Jaune busted a gut laughing, and Yang looked at her sister in betrayal.
"Ruby!" Yang yelled.
"What? It's the truth!"
"Yeah, but you don't jus-"
"Ahem!"
Jaune turned as a new voice cut into their chatter. The white-haired girl from the auditorium stood there with her hands on her hips, and she didn't look at all pleased by the noise the three of them were making.
"Do you mind? Some of us are trying to sleep!" She shrieked.
Didn't she know she was adding to the noise just as much as they were?
Before Yang or Ruby could reply, Jaune stood up to her and gave her a disarming smile.
"I'm sorry, miss. We were just having a bit of fun before bed."
The girl in white looked surprised at the polite tone in which Jaune addressed her, and he could see her anger slowly begin to dwindle in the way her shoulders slowly started to lose their tension.
"Well," she started in a more pleasant voice, "make sure you keep that fun at a tolerable level of noise, and we'll have no issue."
"Sure thing. Hope you have a good night, miss."
She nodded, and Jaune watched her walk away with a polite smile. That smile died an ugly death when a yawn tore through his lips. He really shouldn't have pulled that all-nighter, but really, could he be blamed? He was going to Beacon, for Pumpkin Pete's sake! It wasn't out of nervousness that he didn't get any sleep; no, he'd gone through too much training to feel any sort of nervousness from school of all things. He was just excited.
But that excitement was coming back to bite him in the ass, and he wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep.
"Jaune?"
Oh right.
He turned in mild surprise, having completely forgotten for a moment that he had company. Ruby, bless her heart, was looking at him in concern. Yang was looking at him in sympathy, and she nudged her sister before tilting her head off to the side.
"Let's let Lady Killer here go to sleep," she suggested to Ruby before turning to him. "You look like you're dead on your feet, dude."
Ah, felt like it too. Explained the look from Ruby.
"Sure.. yeah, that'd be nice," he agreed just a tad sluggishly. His words were beginning to slur, dammit. The simple suggestion of sleep had his body fighting for it, but Jaune was adamant in at least bidding a proper farewell. C'mon, body, just a few more seconds!
"Good *grumble* you night, see you at Ini- zzzzz…"
...fuck you, too, body.
A/N: Woah, what? I'm not dead or dying in a ditch somewhere? No, noble and brave citizen. I am not. What I am is very sorry. I've gotten a lot of positive reception from the previous iteration of this story, as well as a lot of bad, and I took each bit into consideration when I was rewriting this. That in itself took up most of the time when I was coming up with a new plot diagram for this story.
That being said, rewriting the diagram only took me about two-to-three months. Now, you may be asking, "But IU13, what about the rest of the three or four years you've been gone? Family drama? Romantic troubles? A tragic love story to move the heart and soul?!"
No. Not even remotely. Obviously, I won't mention the obvious reason why last year was a "bit" of a shit-show, but before that… well, I just had to be an adult for a little while. Life just kinda whisked me away from writing. Hope y'all understand. Anyway, I make no promises as to when I can update this, (Fuck knows I learned that lesson at the very least), but I do plan on actually finishing this one. This diagram was miles better than the last one, so I hope I can actually pull this shit off.
Keep doing what you do.
-IU13