Days had passed since Jaune's confession. Tears, snot, and hoarse crying was most assuredly heard across the fifth floor of Beacon's dormitory. The sound of a massive group hug/tackle was also probably heard as 8 bodies impacted the hard floor of team JNPR's dorm. The group stayed clutched together (much to the dismay of one Jaune Arc) for several minutes, which greatly extended longer as the boy tried to escape his limb tangled prison.
On Wednesday morning, Jaune Arc returned to his morning classes. A presentation was due after all.
The content was jumbled and unfinished as a result of his absence, Dr. Oobleck saw fit to reschedule their presentation in a private setting due to unforeseen circumstances. The speedster smiled and graciously accepted Jaune's request for a therapy session later that week, at last he could finally help a student as opposed to tutoring them. Weiss Schnee was greatly apologetic to the good doctor on her absence the previous day, the man merely smiled and informed the pair to use their time wisely
Wednesday afternoon saw the return of combat class, a place where Jaune Arc could let out pent up frustrations on someone other than Weiss. His first battle lasted a mere 22.57 seconds, a new personal record for the boy…and a new crater that housed one battered and bruised Cardin Winchester clutching at his dented chest plate and most likely his pride. Jaune offered his hand to his old tormenter, a hand which was graciously accepted as a groaning Cardin was hauled from his position. The hand that accepted slipped into his back pocket to throw a handful of Lien to one blonde brawler in the stands.
Jaune proceeded to lose his next matchup against one Blake Belladonna. His high from beating Cardin was quickly snuffed out after a ribbon wrapped around his neck and flung him across the arena. His crater was not as deep as his previous opponents, however. He graciously accepted the extended hand of the Faunus girl, who struggled to pull up the heavily armoured teen.
Thursday morning saw the return of Professor Port's lectures and stories of his youth, a class Jaune clearly did not miss as his head hit the desk in annoyance. His head rose again when yet another low-class Grimm was brought back into the classroom to be used as a demonstration of skill. Ruby rose to the challenge presented to her peers and swiftly dispatched an immature Creep, slashing away at its' stubbed legs before cleaving the beast in half. Many students made mental and physical notes to not anger the red reaper.
A congratulations from the portly professor boomed across the classroom as he patted the young teenager over the back. The force drove the wind from her lungs and caused Ruby to fall face first into the carpeted floor. An eruption of laughter escaped the lips of Yang who had managed to record the entire ordeal on her scroll, which was instantly sent to the group chat shared between team RWBY and JNPR.
Thursday afternoon saw the departure of both teams from Beacon Academy to Vale general. Terra had not yet been woken up, but when she did an assortment of flowers and snacks gifted from the teenagers would greet her instantly. Both teams laid a careful gaze over the unconscious woman as Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren aided one Jaune Arc in how to break the news to his sister-in-law when she did finally wake.
Thursday night saw the introduction to the weekly movie night shared between the two teams. An assortment of snacks and drinks lay empty as hours passed, all teens focused intently on the action unfolding in front of them. They all had to admit, even Weiss, that Jaune Arc knew how to pick a great movie series. They watched into the early hours of the morning before they all passed out from exhaustion, sprawled all over the floor of team RWBY's dorm.
Friday morning saw both teams relaxing during the morning's free period, a few opting to study in conventional methods, the rest slept. Ren cooked a "healthy" assortment of pancakes for his starving companions. A squeaked cry from Ruby drew the others from their relaxed state as she panicked, wondering why no one was in class. A pillow launched across the room faster than Ruby could react as Nora told her to "calm your petals."
The remainder of Friday brought forth an assortment of laughter and joy from the 8 teenagers. Their classes resumed and all was well…as well as a regular Friday at Beacon Academy could be, after all. Pyrrha Nikos accidentally activated her semblance opening the doors to professor Peach's classroom, the metal in the wood propelling the door forwards and decapitating several native Valean plants. Like a misbehaving child, Pyrrha was sat directly in front of the angry professor while her friends and teammates snickered near the back of the classroom.
Friday night, however, ruined the collective mood of the remaining week. Jaune Arc accepted a call from Vale General, expecting to hear good news.
Due to the actions of a negligent night nurse on shift earlier that week, a blood clot had formed in the deep veins of Terra's right leg. This negligence allowed pieces from the clot to break off and travel up through her body and lodge itself into an artery within her lungs. The nurse reported that she felt exhausted and ignored signs of swelling. Dr. Rhodes volunteered to take partial blame as the unconscious woman was left in his care. A mistake that he would take extra care not to repeat.
On Friday evening at approximately 7:18pm Terra Cotta-Arc died from pulmonary embolism; no doctor nor nurse was made aware of any malpractice as her charts showed no signs of deep vein thrombosis. The nurse's negligence went under the radar until it was too late, and a life was taken because of it. Resuscitation was attempted but ultimately failed.
Jaune wordlessly ended the call and attempted to leave the room. A curious question by Nora caused him to lie on the spot, saying that he just needed to do some training alone tonight. Pyrrha had offered to accompany him, but he swiftly declined.
"Tonight, I just…need to be alone. I'll be fine, Arc's promise." Jaune assured.
The words put the champion at ease as he left the room, however one eagle eyed Lie Ren called bullshit internally. But to give him space, the boy opted to leave him be for the night.
Jaune Arc acquired Crocea Mors from his locker and began running through the moves his sister had taught him all those years ago. If he was to be an Arc warrior, he needed to be the best fighter he could be. For now, he was the only Arc warrior left. His heart had been rebroken that night, no amount of aura could fix the damage inflicted. In the end, the boy fought tirelessly against training bots until the early hours of Saturday morning, his aura had long been broken. He rubbed his tired muscles and soothed his bruising body. Forgoing storing his weapon, Jaune made his journey back to JNPR's dorm.
Jaune Arc returned at 3:45am and broke down in the hallway outside his dorm, a loud clatter of Crocea Mors brought forth a confused RWBY and JNPR who exited their dorms to find the boy crying in the dark.
He would not be left alone that Saturday morning.
######
"Well, after this morning's rather bizarre food fight I'd say Glynda gave you all a stern warning. I'm sure you've learned your lesson by now, no need for myself to get caught up in the action."
A fairly comfortable Jaune laughed.
"Yeah, I'm still trying to get the soda out of my hair." Jaune grimaced.
"It's been several weeks since we've began our sessions Jaune, I am pleased to say we have made incredible progress. I do believe you may be tired of hearing this, but how are you feeling this afternoon?" Oobleck asked.
The usually fast and hard to understand Dr. Oobleck was unusually clear and concise with his wording. The man looked relaxed, his hair was neatly combed, and his shirt professionally buttoned. His signature yellow tie had been discarded the moment he entered his office with his student.
Jaune sat across from Oobleck. A comfortable leather chair cushioned beneath the boy with a lone and simplistic wooden table separating teacher from student. He reached forwards and retrieved a glass of water from said table and took a deep gulp to calm himself.
"Honestly…better? At least I think I am." Jaune surmised.
"Please, do tell me why you think this." Oobleck encouraged.
"Well, I'm not crying as much as I was. Nightmares are really starting to wind down, even had a good dream last night." Jaune supplied.
Bartholomew hummed in response, writing notes down onto a pad sat neatly in his lap.
"That's good to hear. What was your dream about?" Oobleck questioned.
"Oh, I actually wrote that down, hang on a second." Jaune said.
Retrieving his scroll from his hoodie pocket, Jaune opened a journal app Blake had insisted he used. She showed the boy dreams she had written about and urged him to consider trying it out. To begin, he wasn't exactly sure what he would write about. If anything, they'd be nightmares he wouldn't want to relive. But something sparked in his head as he thought about what little dreams he did have; perhaps it wasn't a bad idea after all?
"I was in a field," Jaune began, "I think we were having a picnic or something."
"Who is we, Jaune?" Oobleck questioned.
"Saphron, my dad, Terra, and Adrian. I was playing something with Adrian when I heard dad and Saphron calling out to us, then we were just sitting in an open field with a blanket underneath us." Jaune continued.
"The field, was it a long stretch of open land or was there any landmarks around you?" Oobleck asked.
"I think we were surrounded by trees. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere outside of Cyrus; I remember playing there with my sisters when we were kids." Jaune surmised.
"Did they say anything to you?" Oobleck said.
Jaune thought for a moment, he remembered something being said to him, but he still couldn't figure out what it was. Oobleck noticed the subtle crease in his brow as he thought.
"It's alright if you don't remember, dreams are rather hard to recall." Oobleck reassured.
"No, it's okay, I remember now," Jaune assured, "I'm fairly sure my dad and my sister were talking about life back home in Cyrus and he missed being home with us. They talked about how much they loved me and how proud they were. Then…they all hugged me and faded away."
Jaune remained quiet for a moment before continuing.
"It made me feel calm in a way, I hadn't heard my dad's voice for so long and hearing him just talk felt natural. As if I was still a little kid back home while he made us pancakes for breakfast every Saturday." Jaune finished.
"Well, I suppose that's good. Wouldn't you agree? You have made significant progress, Jaune. I am a firm believer that the souls of those that have passed visit us through dreams as a way of comforting us in our darkest hours. I believe that your family is telling you that you are on the right path." Oobleck stated.
The blonde knight laughed, filing Oobleck's heart with warmth.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Terra was one of those people who always waved incense around the house and did card readings on me and Saph. Sounds like something she'd believe…and I guess that's rubbed off on me too." Jaune grinned.
The remainder of the session went by smoothly. This week held no tears, as did the one previous. Oobleck listened to his stories and offered advice where he possibly could.
"I guess my final question for now is…how do I go on? Weiss told me to take it one step at a time but…what do you think, doc?" Jaune asked
Doc…
He had to admit, it had been a very long time since he had been required to give therapy at Beacon. Many students used to walk through his door at all hours of the day and night seeking comfort or advice. Perhaps it was because of the attitude his students exhibited today that his services were not required? The teenagers he taught were support systems themselves, a fact he was proud of. Oobleck wondered, perhaps the details of another student could help?
"It is…looked down upon to share details of other sessions with another person in this line of work. But I do believe it could be beneficial to you, if you wouldn't mind hearing this old man recount a tale?" Oobleck began.
Jaune nodded and insisted he wouldn't repeat what he would be told.
"In her second year at Beacon, a young woman walked through my door obviously distraught. I had taught her since day one, she was quite literally one of my favourites. It pained me to see her so upset."
"Hey doc, you got a minute?" A crying student asked.
A younger Bartholomew Oobleck discarded whatever exam he had been marking and ushered the distraught girl into his office.
"What has brought this on? I do believe I've never seen you cry before." Oobleck worriedly asked.
"She was usually bright and happy in my classroom, almost always raising her hand to answer questions that stumped others." Oobleck continued.
The young girl wiped her eyes and attempted to compose herself. A composure that instantly dropped as a warm tea was thrust into her hands. Tears broke forth again and startled the young doctor. A handkerchief instantly appeared in his hands as he attempted to quell the dam that had let loose in his office.
"Oh y'know, societal pressure and all that," The girl laughed, "I'm trying to write a letter for my parents but…Gods I don't know how to word it or if they'll be disappointed in me. Like I know my sisters and my brother would still love me, but I don't wanna risk losing them."
Oobleck sighed, removing his glasses, and leaning forward towards Jaune.
"She believed that her parents would hate her for not being as society dictated. She believed that her parents would push her away and leave her alone in this world, removing any chance that she may see her siblings again." Oobleck stated.
Jaune merely nodded and let him continue.
"Shit…uh sorry. I mean…how do you tell your parents that you're gay as hell and that I want them to meet my girlfriend? How do I go about it?" She asked.
"Jaune, when Saphron Arc walked into my office that day she was afraid of losing everything because of her sexuality. I'll tell you what I told her; keep moving forward. No matter what happens, no matter where you go, you will always be loved and cherished by those close to you. Your friends are your greatest supporters. That is how you go on." Oobleck finished.
The words hit Jaune like a bullhead. Keep moving forward. He felt tears start pricking at his eyes, threatening to spill once again and ending his crying streak. Currently he was at day 4 and he'd be damned if he broke it.
Something clicked in him as he recalled Oobleck's words, he remembered seeing a letter addressed to his parents from Saph a few years ago and began laughing at the memory of his father after he read it.
"Y'know, when my parents read that letter my old man called Saph. I'm pretty sure his exact words were don't be a dumbass, we still love you idiot." Jaune laughed.
Oobleck, for the first time in any of his sessions, laughed alongside his student.
"That definitely sounds like Barry Arc…say, did I ever tell you I knew your father, Jaune?" Oobleck questioned.
Their session had long ended, but Jaune stayed for a few more hours. Laughing alongside his teacher at the shenanigans a young Barry Arc had been a part of in his days at Beacon academy. For those few hours, Barry Arc felt alive in the room. As if he stood quietly by the door and laughing along with his son and his old friend. By the time the pair had wrapped up their long-winded conversation, the sun had long set. Jaune bid goodbye to his teacher and left to eat with his friends.
Oobleck shut the door gently behind him. Sighing, he recovered his long-forgotten notes and placed them into Jaune Arc's student file. Taking one last look at the file, he shut it away in his desk drawer before pouring himself yet another cup of his incredibly caffeinated coffee. He hummed in pleasure as the warm liquid sunk down his throat, his energy refilling slowly. Sitting down, Oobleck rooted through the contents of a long forgotten drawer to recover something he held so dear to him. A slightly crumpled photo was pulled from the mess and unfolded.
A younger Bartholomew Oobleck sat by his friend Barry Arc. The pair had gone out for drinks with their respective teams, celebrating the ending of their third year. A young and heavily drunk Qrow Branwen fell through a table in the background, startling his teammate Summer Rose. The two friends were drunk, leaning on each other and laughing heartily at a joke one of them had made. Oobleck couldn't remember who had said it or what it even was…as a matter of fact, he could barely remember the night at all. He smiled sadly, gently rubbing his fingers across the photo.
"What a fine young man you raised, Barry. I'm so sorry you could not be here to witness it." Oobleck whispered.
######
"Okay so, let me get this straight…your dad did a tactical vom outside Ozpin's elevator and stole then TA Port's plant from his office?" Yang questioned, fairly perplexed.
7 sets of eyes landed directly on the blonde boy as he appeared to be deep in thought.
"Hmm…you forgot the part about hitting on Miss Goodwitch, but ultimately yeah that's about it." Jaune shrugged.
"Is your dad and our uncle related? Cause that sounds like our uncle." Ruby laughed.
The table delved into mundane topics after the brief moment of laughter such as when's the essay due? End of the week, Nora. When's the dance again? On Sunday, Ruby. By the way, who the hell hits people with a turkey? Desperate people, Jaune.
"It's crazy to think both of your parents, dr. Oobleck, and Miss Goodwitch went to Beacon with each other!" Nora chimed.
Jaune, Yang, and Ruby stopped dead to alternate looking between each other.
"Wait, your parents came here too?" Jaune asked.
"NO WAY! Wonder if dad knew your parents?" Yang wondered.
"Doubt it. I never heard a thing about a Rose or a Xiao Long from my old man. Mom was a doctor, so I don't think she ever came here." Jaune surmised.
"We'll know soon enough…" Ruby giggled.
Yang scooted closer to her sister as Ruby set her plan in motion. She retrieved her scroll and began her weekly routine of calling their father, Taiyang Xiao Long. The picture of a blonde haired and blue-eyed man appeared on screen as the number dialed. At a first glance, you'd mistake the man for an older Jaune or possibly even his father. The short hair and goatee pushed those thoughts from Jaune's head.
"Bleh, stupid voicemail. I'll try him later." Ruby sighed.
Gods, Saphron would always let her scroll call into voicemail if she didn't want to talk to somebody. Then she would always complain to her dear, sweet brother that he would always let her call run into voicemail. It was Terra's idea, mind you. A way of passive aggressively getting back at her lovely wife for ignoring her calls during the day. If her brother-in-law got caught in the crossfire, so be it.
Jaune laughed internally at the memory, ah those were the days. He could always call on old memories without breaking down nowadays. To him, it felt like his very own home movie theatre. The film always spinning back up and starting again when it finished. He didn't mind that too much. Of course, it would always bother him that the film had ended. Who wouldn't want to keep making memories with your family? Maybe he could track down somebody who had a semblance that could project memories from someone's head! Yeah, that'd be cool. Reliving some of his best days in Argus would be a sure-fire way to-
Wait…
Wait!
Voicemail. Saphron had left a voicemail. One that he hadn't checked yet.
Maybe it was time?
No. It was time, no doubt about it.
"Hey, uh, speaking of voicemail…I gotta go listen to one real quick from Saphron." Jaune stated.
His friends nodded in understanding and allowed the boy to leave, only something was keeping him rooted to his seat.
"My legs aren't moving. I think I might be scared." Jaune whispered.
Weiss looked over to the frightened boy with concern written over her face. Surely he couldn't be so afraid that he could not move from his seat, right? Although, she understood that feeling all too well. Being so afraid of something that you literally could not move your body. To her, that something was many things. Her first encounter with Grimm, a White Fang attack in Atlas, her first performance…and her father.
Weiss Schnee understood that fear better than anybody at this table. Perhaps a lady, such as herself, would be able to provide a hand to reach out to? After all, she did say would always be there for him.
"Jaune…if you'd like, I could help you? As in, help you somewhere private and then leave you to listen. By yourself. Alone." Weiss coughed.
'Real smooth, Weiss.' She thought.
"Actually, that doesn't sound too bad of an idea. Also, my legs feel really wobbly so I could probably use the help." Jaune grinned.
Weiss stood immediately and moved around the table to help Jaune to his feet. His legs buckled slightly before Weiss caught him and held tight. A whistle from Yang threw the heiress into overdrive as she dragged the dork out of the cafeteria. Jaune righted his footing and found himself able to walk again, the trembling in his body subsiding for the moment.
Jaune found himself dragged to Beacon's courtyard, standing before the great statue that stood in the center. His ancestor, he was about 70% sure of it. Without access to the history books in the ruins of Cyrus, he wouldn't know for sure. The sword the statue of the man held look awfully similar to Crocea Mors, so much so that it could hardly be merely a coincidence.
"Alright, I believe this is where I leave you. Don't hesitate to ca-"
"Please stay!" Jaune blurted.
Weiss's eyes widened at both the outburst and request.
"I mean, uh…look, I just don't really want to be alone right now. Especially since I'm about to listen to a voicemail from my dead sister so I think I could really use all the support I can get." Jaune stated.
She nodded lightly and smiled warmly to the boy. The two sat on one of the many benches circling the statue. Weiss sat still, her posture straight and her hands rested neatly on her thighs. Her eyes quickly darting across Beacon's courtyard to focus on anything but whatever message Saphron had left Jaune.
Jaune, on the other hand, sat slumped. His thumb overed mere millimeters from the dial button. Maybe he had just worked himself up over nothing, right? Maybe she hung up instantly once she realized it was going to voicemail? She probably did, she hated leaving messages. A fact that Terra secretly loved if her shared prank on her wife meant anything.
Breathing in deeply, Jaune dialed his number for voicemail and set the audio to speaker.
"Hello, you have 1 missed message. Message will expire in 2 weeks to save storage. Would you like to play your message? Please, press 1 for yes or 2 for-"
Jaune pressed 1.
"Message received 7 weeks and 1 day ago."
######
"Oh you scheming little bastard, Terra put you up to this again didn't she?"
"Actually, I didn't do shit. You're just paranoid because you broke my scroll!"
The bickering wives argued on the large bed in their expensive hotel. Atlas could pay a pretty penny for high-up employees on "business" trips. Terra had been scheduled to speak at a council meeting as a representative of Argus on some type of communications bill. Saphron didn't really know, more like she wasn't listening when she was told. A fact she would not voice lest she valued the romantic side of their relationship.
Saphron's eyes carefully scanned over to their son. She sighed in relief when she noticed the headphones still clasped firmly around his ears. No child of hers would be exposed to a potty mouth like Terra, no sir.
"Okay yes, I admit it. I broke her scroll. It wasn't her this time so we gotta give her credit." Saphron laughed into the scroll.
"So anyways, little bro, we're just checking in to make sure you're still on for tonight. I found a nice restaurant near the CBD which looks amazing. Got a babysitter lined up to take Adrian for the night so we're all getting wasted." Terra giggled.
"Also, since you haven't picked up, I'm guessing you're playing presentation with that girl you told us about. You and only you would have a massive crush on a celebrity in your class you fuckin' dork." Saphron laughed.
An audible and echoed thump was picked up through the microphone. A muffled cry was heard as Saphron sunk into the bed.
"What your sister is trying to say is that we think it's cute you've got a massive crush. Which, by the way, you're definitely telling us about tonight." Terra corrected.
A grumble from Saphron caused Terra to shush her like she was Adrian.
"Did you just shush me?!" Saphron growled.
"Yes, now shut up dear. Anyway, we're gonna take Adrian to the park soon. He's been fixated on bird videos ever since we left home so thought we'd take him to see the real deal." Terra continued.
An audible buzz from the hotel room's phone could be heard as Saphron dragged herself across the room to answer it. The call lasted briefly before Saphron moved to pick up their child.
"That's our ride. Vehicle carrier finally touched down about an hour ago and shipped out our car. Anyway, better get going before the guy just leaves our car running in the parking lot. Seeya little bro, love you!" Terra beamed.
"Bye dork! Say goodbye to uncle Jaune, buddy." Saphron called out.
A series of gurgles and laughter pushed out of the toddler. Terra ended the call and handed the scroll back to Saphron.
"So! First things first, we get this little guy to the park to see some birdies. Then how about some ice cream?" Saphron asked.
"I'm not sure who you directed that last part to, but the answer is yes regardless." Terra laughed.
"Gods, I hope that dork shaves before tonight." Saphron admitted.
The happy family stepped out of their hotel room before locking the door behind them, leaving their clothing and suitcases strewn about. Their bed left unmade and messy, surely the hotel staff would take care of it. It would be the last time they saw it, after all.
######
A few tears had spilled during the message. Jaune shut the scroll and placed it back in his pocket before wiping his eyes roughly. The message only last around a minute and a half, but it felt as though he'd just returned from a long journey across Remnant. Weiss reached out a gently grasped his hand, shaking the boy from his thoughts.
"So, uh, you heard nothing about a 'massive crush' right?" Jaune grinned.
"Unfortunately, yes, " Weiss laughed, "how could I forget your songs, dolt?"
Jaune chuckled lightly, his left hand unconsciously wrapping around something strung at his neck.
"What's that? I don't believe I have ever seen you wear a necklace before." Weiss questioned.
Jaune opened up his hand, reveling a silver chain strung through 2 golden rings. An assortment of jewels encrusted into the metal.
"It's Saph and Terra's wedding rings. I…I just couldn't bring myself to have them cremated with them. I guess it's my way of keeping them together and close to me." Jaune admitted.
Weiss scooted closer to Jaune.
"You haven't really talked about them all that much…do you mind telling me about them?" Weiss asked.
There, seated on the bench below his supposed ancestor, Jaune Arc retold tales of his incredible family. Embarrassing stories, photos from his scroll, and laughter rolled out of the boy for the first time in what felt like decades. Through him, his family survives. Weiss responded in joy with tales from her own childhood, only the good memories mind you. For as difficult as her upbringing was, absent of joy and laughter it was not.
For the remainder of the evening, Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee laughed away at the expense of their family. For the remainder of the evening, Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee found comfort in each other's presence. For the remainder of the evening, Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
If Weiss Schnee could use a single word to describe her current situation, it would be…well, a single word couldn't possibly describe it. It was the beginning of something new, why not wait to see what it was?