If Weiss Schnee could use a single word to describe her current situation, it would be regret.
The rest of team RWBY had left while she showered. Well, showered wouldn't be how she put it. It was more like sitting on the shower floor while the hot water cast over her depressed body.
Yang ushered Ruby and Blake out quickly saying Weiss wasn't feeling well and needed to stay in the dorm for today. Blake accepted it as fact and moved on, reading over her notes before they reached the cafeteria. Ruby, however, knew the facts. As Blake marched forwards, she took a few steps back and walked in pace with her sister.
"You know why she's like that, right?" Yang questioned.
Ruby sighed and nodded.
"We ran into Jaune yesterday, he's not doing too well at the moment. I don't think it's my place to say what he's going through but it's bad. Really bad." Ruby relayed.
Yang grimaced before nodding. Before long, team JNPR minus the J caught up with the somewhat cherry group of girls. Nora bounded through reciting something as she skipped. Pyrrha laughed at the girl before correcting whatever it was she had babbled out in her rush.
"Nora's just trying to make sure her part is correct before today. We managed to make a 10-minute presentation with slides!" Pyrrha chirped.
Ren silently handed over a thoroughly revised stack of cards into Yang's hands. She glanced down puzzled before she recognized her own notes. Well, somewhat her own notes. The grammar had been corrected and sections were broken down into bullet points. The resident ninja smiled warmly at the girl before speaking.
"My guess is that you know what is to be said during our presentation. I thought it would be best to organize your content, so you do not stumble into another section accidentally." Ren chuckled.
Yang thanked the boy warmly before Pyrrha spoke up.
"Has Jaune spoken to either of you about what's going on with him? He texted last night saying there was a family issue he needed to take care of but didn't exactly say what happened, I'm slightly worried." Pyrrha frowned.
"It's complicated, me and Weiss ran into him yesterday. He needs space, please don't push him into coming back yet." Ruby relented.
"Did he tell you what's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.
"I don't think it's her place to say, it's up to him to tell us." Yang copied.
Pyrrha nodded and agreed, though it did concern her very much. What kind of partner would she be if she didn't try to help?
"YO BIRD BOY! WANNA MAKE ANOTHER BET?!" Yang yelled.
Pyrrha was shook from her thoughts at the booming voice of the bombshell next to her, she followed her line of sight to find Cardin across the courtyard. She frowned again, apparently he had begun to make amends for past actions but she could not yet trust the boy. Especially not after the incident in Forever Fall Forest.
"I'm nearly broke but fuck it, sure." Cardin grinned back.
Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle lightly.
######
Weiss stood naked in front of the mirror bathroom mirror. Her eyes trailed over her body, from her damp hair and scar down to what she could see of her thighs. Her legs were still smooth but had some slight pricks to them, leg waxing would be needed in the coming days. She blinked slowly; her tired eyes felt heavy, yet she had most definitely had a solid 14-hours of sleep. She sighed; it was peculiar but not unheard of in teenagers.
Her eyes focused in on themselves, Weiss's eyelids were red and puffy from the tears earlier. Reaching down towards her long-forgotten towel, Weiss brought it to her face to rub away whatever tears remained before moving to her hair. Her white locks remained damp, but she could care less at the moment.
'…she's gone.' Jaune echoed in her head.
Weiss closed her eyes at the intrusion, he sounded defeated. She grumbled before wrapping the towel around her body and stepping out into the cold dorm room. Winter had definitely come early, the condensation on the windows confirming her suspicions. Moving to switch on the space heater stored in the corner of the room, Weiss shuddered in relief as the warmth enveloped her body.
Cautiously, Weiss checked the dorm room door was locked before dropping her towel to the ground. Yang had generously gifted Weiss an outfit consisting of a yellow hoodie and a pair of gray sweat pants which she had deemed her "depression recession." Whatever that had meant. Moving towards the shared closet, Weiss retrieved a set of underwear before donning the "depression recession." Gods, she hated that name.
Yet, she could not argue. The clothing was comfortable and warm, allowing Weiss to smile in content. She felt warm and safe.
'…without her I'm just going to get you all killed.'
Jaune, yet again, intruded into her thoughts. Weiss sat down in front of the heater and sighed.
'How could I be so heartless?' Weiss asked herself.
Weiss absentmindedly opened her scroll to check the time. 9:30, looks like the presentation wasn't going to happen today. She could only hope Yang would be her saving grace for once, Weiss had no idea how she would approach that topic with Oobleck.
Inputting her passcode, Weiss unlocked her scroll and navigated into her photo gallery. Mainly it consisted of class timetables, book recommendations from Ren, recordings of her fighting form, and several hundred images of random dogs she came across. However, there were only 4 photos that were her favourites. She swiped over to her personal album and opened the images, the first being a photo of a young Weiss and her older sister Winter. She must have been around 11 years old here. It was her first day at Atlas academy, she remembered crying at the thought of not being near her every day.
The second was photo of her and her siblings. Winter was present, possibly 6 or 7 months into her first year at Atlas. She sat in the middle, a big smile on her face as she pulled a young Weiss into her right side and their younger brother, Whitley, into her left. Weiss smiled, of course, and Whitley had too. If she had to guess, this was about 2 years before they began to dislike each other.
The third was a group photo of team RWBY. Ren had offered to take the photo for the group at Ruby's request, it was the first time in a long while that she had smiled warmly. The presence of her friends probably helped too.
The fourth was another group photo, of both team RWBY and JNPR. This time, Ruby had begged a passing Ozpin to take a photo for them. He obliged while laughing. They were all huddled together closely, all of them laughing and grinning ear to ear. Including Weiss, at a stupid joke Jaune had said. It was the closest she had ever been to him; he was warm and inviting. For the life of her, she couldn't remember the joke. But it had brought genuine laughter out of her.
And now he was all alone. Sitting in that dull, depressing hospital room waiting for his sister-in-law to wake up.
Weiss shot to her feet before pulling a pair of running shoes on. She pulled open the dorm room door and marched the 3 steps across the hall to team JNPR's dorm in two steps. She retrieved her scroll from the hoodie pocket before swiping it across the scroll reader keeping the doors locked. Both teams had shared access to each-others dorms should there be an emergency, and this counted as an emergency…maybe. He hadn't showered since Sunday most likely. This was definitely an emergency.
She grabbed the handle and turned before pushing into the room. The beds were arranged exactly how team RWBY's were before their hazardous bunk beds were created. Weiss scanned the room before finding Jaune's bed and moved over to it. She grabbed an empty bag sat at the foot of the bed before rummaging through their bathroom and closet for supplies. Satisfied with her work, Weiss scribbled down an apology for barging in and taking some items for Jaune on a notepad next to what she can only guess was Nora's bed. The chaotic mess gave it away.
She hurried out the door and fast-walked down the hallways and stairs, backpack safely clutched in between her arms. Weiss couldn't leave him without company at a time like this, she wouldn't allow it. She moved across the campus in record time, giving a hectic "hello" and "goodbye" to a confused headmaster Ozpin who was busy taking his morning stroll through the academy.
Weiss boarded a near empty airship at the docks, a handful of second and third years littered the seats talking about mundane topics. Taking a seat near the door, Weiss felt the airship take off.
"I'll be there soon." Weiss whispered.
######
"I'm worried about you Jaune, we all are. Please come home soon." Pyrrha pleaded.
It was close to 10:30 when Jaune decided he should probably call Pyrrha. She picked up almost immediately, which he didn't find surprising in the slightest.
"I know you are Pyr, but I just need some time to…process. I'll tell you all the truth soon, Arc's promise." Jaune chuckled.
Pyrrha laughed back before the two bid each other goodbye for the time being. If anything, he would probably be back at Beacon later that night if what Dr. Rhodes had said was true. Apparently, they were going to have a confirmation on her condition by the end of the day. Hopefully. Jaune sighed again for what he could probably guess was the thousandth time over the last few days.
Terra's breathing was slowly returning to normal; it wasn't as ragged as it had been on the first day. Lung was still collapsed, obviously. But she was healing, albeit slower than he'd hoped.
'If only I had some sort of healing semblance, I could save you.' Jaune thought, bitterly.
Jaune grabbed his cup of coffee off of the bedside table, letting the liquid flow down his throat. He grimaced, it was cold and bitter. Regardless, he swallowed what was left before tossing the disposable cup into a nearby trash-can. That made about 3 cups today, if he was remembering correctly.
Jaune scratched his cheek, a slight stubble had formed since he arrived on Sunday. If he had to guess, he probably looked like he had just walked in from off the street. Saphron had always hated facial hair on him.
"Look, if you don't shave that carpet off of your face by the time I'm back from picking Adrian up, I will burn it off." Saphron echoed in his head.
Jaune audibly snorted at the memory while absentmindedly scratching at the stubble. He smiled warmly as he looked over Terra, she was still here even after all of the chaos that had happened. He wouldn't take that for granted, not now nor ever.
He reached back over to the table, grabbing the last of the hospital cafeteria sandwich off of the napkin he grabbed. It tasted…not great. But it was the closest thing he'd get to an edible meal in this slice of hell. He knew there was some egg in it, but he couldn't tell what the other ingredients were. He swore there was a slice or two of tomato in there but the rubbery texture of it made him question his eyes.
A soft knock on the door behind brought him out of his sandwich hating thoughts. He turned and saw…well, Weiss Schnee with her hair in a messy bun wearing a yellow hoodie and gray sweatpants. The door shut behind her and Weiss moved towards him and stopped in front of the chair he sat in. His mouth opened slightly to question her presence before a bag landed in his lap.
"I brought you a change of clothes, deodorant, and a razor. Please, go clean yourself up. You look exhausted. I'll watch over her for you, I promise." Weiss pleaded.
There was a slight tremor to her voice that Jaune picked up. He looked between her and the bag for several moments before she locked eyes with him once. A kind, and genuine smile graced her lips. She wasn't lying to him, he concluded. Weiss would stay here while he freshened up a bit.
Jaune stood slowly, grasping the straps of the bag in one hand. He contemplated for a moment before he enveloped her in a hug. The act made him feel warm, feel loved for the first time in the last few days. Weiss reciprocated, humming in content as her arms just barely wrapped around his back. They broke the embrace before he stepped into the private room's bathroom and locked the door.
Weiss watched him as he retreated into the bathroom, sighing in relief that he didn't shout at her again. She strode to the opposite side of the room to retrieve a chair that had been sitting in the corner by itself. Weiss surmised this is where the chair Jaune had been sitting in had been originally. Picking it up by the backrest, Weiss moved it back across the room to sit next to Jaune's seat.
She watched over Terra like a hawk. With each passing second, Weiss noticed more injuries than she had seen the previous day. She cringed when she heard the laboured breathing from the poor woman, however it did not sound as bad as it had yesterday. Weiss strained her ears and heard the sounds of clothing being removed from skin as Jaune stripped. The tap began running, a slight steam coming through the gaps of the door.
The water stopped running and Weiss heard the scrape of roll-on deodorant against his underarms. A high-pitched spray of whatever she had grabbed from his bathroom shelf was applied to his body before he stepped out of the bathroom.
He looked fresher. A nice (and clean) white tee adorned his torso with a pair of nice fitting black jeans. Weiss smiled lightly at the sight; he didn't look ragged. She glanced up at his face and furrowed her brow.
"You didn't shave?" Weiss questioned.
"You uh…forgot to grab my shaving cream," Jaune laughed, "and this razor doesn't have any blades attached."
Weiss glanced towards the razor he held in his hand. He was right, the detachable blade was most definitely detached. She sighed and laughed lightly.
"Sorry, I didn't notice." Weiss admitted.
Jaune dropped the bladeless razor back into the bag with his dirty clothes and returned to his seat next to Weiss. The duo sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one had anything to say. Jaune didn't mind, however. Neither did Weiss.
They were both happy with the silence. Well, happy isn't the term they would use. They were content with it; the silence wasn't awkward to the pair. Jaune felt at peace with it, he missed her. Actually, he missed all of his friends. But Weiss being here felt special, and he felt he didn't deserve it.
"I'm sorry." Jaune stated.
Weiss glanced over at him; her lips parted.
"For what?" Weiss asked.
"I was a dick yesterday. I shouldn't have blown up like that, I just…I didn't know how to tell you. Plus, I made you all worry about me, I'm really sorry…and I also left you to deal with that presentation all by yourself." He admitted.
The silence returned, only for a moment. Jaune, however was shocked when he felt Weiss's arms wrap around his right arm and felt her head lay on his shoulder.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I was horrible to you; I have been for some time now. I was callous, rude, and downright heartless. I'm so sorry, Jaune. I won't leave your side until you're ready." Weiss sniffled.
He felt her tears soak into his shirt, but he didn't care. Instead, he lay his head against hers. The pair stayed like that, both refusing to move.
"Also, fuck the presentation." Weiss stated.
Jaune snorted, sending vibrations through the arm linked pair.
"I take it Dr. Oobleck didn't like that?" Jaune asked?
"Well, I suppose he didn't. Then again, I wasn't exactly in class this morning. Yang offered to talk to him on our behalf." Weiss stated.
The two shared a small laugh at Weiss's confession before slipping back into their comfortable silence for a few more minutes. The steady breathing of Terra felt like music to Jaune's ears…and he had to admit, Weiss's breathing helped too.
"I guess I should thank you, y'know for the clothes, deodorant and my bladeless razor," Jaune laughed, "but also thank you for coming. To be honest…I haven't been doing well the last couple of days, you're helping keep me calm."
Weiss angled her head upwards towards the mourning boy, smiling warmly.
"You're welcome, Jaune."
######
It was close to 5:30 when Jaune kissed Terra on the forehead before leaving the hospital to return to Beacon. Dr. Rhodes had happily greeted the pair before relaying his good news.
"Mr. Arc, I am pleased to inform you that Mrs. Cotta-Arc is currently stable. There is a slight concern about blood clotting in her right arm but ultimately, she should be fine. We plan on running a few more tests in the coming days before waking her up."
Weiss kept her grip on his arm as they exited the hospital, the cool air of the winter night hit them full force and caused an involuntary shiver through the pair. She was used to the cold, Atlas weather helped build a sort of immunity in her but did not reduce the effects. Jaune on the other hand, felt his teeth chatter in the cold. He rubbed his exposed arms thoroughly, the combined weight of his recently donned armour wouldn't help his situation once it began to cool.
She adjusted her grip once on the street, his armour wasn't entirely comfortable to be pressed up against. Pushing her discomfort aside, Weiss powered through it. It would be 30 more minutes before they reached the airship and she'd be damned if she let him feel alone again.
An aroma of coffee filled the air as the duo passed by a street side vendor. Jaune insisted on grabbing themselves something to keep the cold at bay while they walked. Weiss could only agree wholeheartedly once her nose was brutally assaulted again; her eyes had been feeling heavy ever since she had woken up that day. Paying the man, the pair had their hands gripped tightly around the warm brew.
Jaune took a light sip of his drink, audibly sighing in pleasure.
"Now that we're out I can finally say it; hospital coffee fucking sucks." Jaune lamented.
"Language Jaune, it's unbecoming of a Huntsman." Weiss chided.
"Yeah, I know, sorry. It's been a rough couple of days, usually I'm better at this." Jaune laughed.
Weiss internally cringed at her words. He didn't need a lecture right now, especially a Schnee lecture.
"Gods I sound like my father, I'm sorry about that. My upbringing taught me to be prim and proper, coarse language was rather looked down upon in our home." Weiss said.
"Yikes, bad childhood?" Jaune asked.
Weiss pondered for a moment before responding.
"When my father was involved, yes; absolutely," Weiss deadpanned, "what about you? Were you happy as a child?"
"That's a loaded question…give me a bit to think about how to say it?" Jaune asked.
She nodded her head warmly while smiling. They slipped back into their comfortable silence for the remainder of their trip, just happy to be in each other's presence. Stepping into the airship station, the two groaned in delight as warm air greeted the two. The pair flashed their Beacon I.D. cards to the visibly tired station cashier before being waved onto a Beacon transport. Taking their seats, Jaune noticed other students filing into the airship after their city expeditions.
The airship hummed to life before taking off, the motion causing Jaune to close his eyes in discomfort and hunch over slightly. His mind and body eased as he felt Weiss gingerly stroke his back in small circles. He mumbled out a thank you once he felt his stomach settle.
The intercom chimed on informing the students aboard of the flight time, approximately 15 minutes.
Jaune looked over to Weiss who had absentmindedly began rubbing her thumb over his right bicep, her clutch on him remaining. He smiled softly at the action.
"As sad as it sounds, Terra is the only family I have left." Jaune began.
Weiss angled her head back up towards the boy with a look of concern plastered across her features. Her lips parted slightly.
"I forgot to say, I like the look you got going on today. It's, uh, cute I guess." Jaune blushed.
"Jaune…" Weiss said, concerned.
"Yeah, so that probably wasn't the best way to start this." Jaune snorted.
Jaune closed his eyes again and thought back to day one. A familiar smell of smoke and burning corpses filled his brain.
"When I was 12…my village was attacked by Grimm. I was one of a dozen or so survivors." Jaune started.
This wouldn't be an easy story to tell, Jaune had surmised. But if anything, this was the best place to start. Blood, smoke, tears and all.
Maybe a therapy session with Dr. Oobleck wouldn't be so bad after all.