Shattered Dream, Broken Soul
Jaune and Blake were making their way down the streets of Vale at a leisurely pace. Although Blake was a little annoyed by that. She wanted to get to where they were going quickly but Jaune seemed to be in no hurry to get there.
He was making good on his promise to help get information on the White Fang for her. But he wanted to ask his uncle in person. Asking him to do something this serious over a text or even a call seemed wrong. Besides, if his cousins found out he didn't use the opportunity to stop by to see them, they would make him pay for it later. Besides, he honestly missed them and wanted to see them just as much as they did.
Although Blake didn't know any of this. She thought it would be best to finally meet Jaune's contact. Especially since the information he was going to ask about was for her in the first place. "So, where are we going exactly?" Blake asked as she walked beside him again after failing to get him to speed up for the third time.
He just smiled, "A nightclub in the seedier part of Vale."
She gave him a deadpan expression, "Really?" He just nodded. She sighed, "That is so cliché."
Jaune shrugged, "Take it up with him. I had no say in where he was going to set up his business. Besides, it works. He makes money nightly from dozens of patrons every night which is a great cover for anyone coming in for information. And with it in the seedier part of the Kingdom, it doesn't draw too much attention… That is unless something out of the ordinary happens. "
She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "You seem to know quite the bit about his business."
That made him chuckle, "I should. He is my uncle after all." He walked a few more feet before realizing that Blake was no longer on his left. He stopped and turned around to see that she had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and was just staring wide eyed at him. "What?" he asked.
"Your uncle?" she asked weakly. "You mean like a family friend that you just call uncle, right?"
He raised an eyebrow at her reaction but shook his head, "Nope. Actual uncle. Older brother to my mom."
"We're…" Blake started before she took a deep breath, "You're taking me to see your uncle?"
He nodded, "Yup. Probably my cousins too. Unless they're off doing something."
"Why didn't you tell me we were seeing your family?!" she finally lost her cool and managed to shout. That gained the attention of a few other pedestrians and they stared at her for the sudden outburst. Blake blushed slightly and quickly powerwalked over to Jaune. She grabbed his forearm and started to drag him further down the sidewalk.
Jaune managed to not trip as Blake pulled him along. He reclaimed his balance and started to walk alongside her. He looked over and she was just facing forward, faint blush still on her cheeks and just staring forward. Although he did feel the hand holding his brace free forearm was shaking slightly. He sighed and gently pulled his arm from her before taking the same hand in his own. "This is why I didn't tell you. I thought you would get nervous or worried. Or both."
"Well excuse me but this is a big step, Jaune. You're introducing me to your family and you gave me no warning." She said in an annoyed tone.
"Well think of it this way, it could be worse." He said and she finally turned to him with a look that just shouted, 'Explain!' He gained a grin just before he continued. "At least its only my uncle. If it was a couple of weeks ago, my parents would've been there too."
"Jaune!" she shouted at him, her blush coming back to her cheeks in full. He wasn't expecting that intense of a reaction and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. She just glared at him before turning away from him but still walking, "You're the worst." She said in a voice devoid of any emotion.
It didn't take him long to control himself and notice that he may have actually angered her. He looked around and notice that their was very few people on the stretch of sidewalk they were currently on. He stepped closer to her and gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. He just held her, not entirely sure if she would pull away from him or not. But luckily she didn't. "I'm sorry for teasing you, Blake. But trust me, you have nothing to worry about."
She was silent for a bit. She was still annoyed but she still really liked Jaune's hugs. She was actively trying to not fully give into the feelings that came with this kind of affection. Feelings that had grown stronger since the two started dating. She finally decided to speak up, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely." He answered with certainty. "My uncle can be intimidating but he's actually one of the best guys you can meet once you get to know him. And my cousins… Okay , they can be a bit excessive but they mean well. And once they all get to know you, they'll accept you with open arms."
Blake stood their for a bit, processing before she leant back into him. She looked over her shoulder to him with a small smile, "You're positive?"
He smiled back at her, "Arc's word."
They stood there just a bit longer, just looking at each other. Until Blake turned in his arms and kissed him. Jaune easily returned it but it was too short for his tastes. And by the look on her face, she knew that too. "I believe you. And if this meet up goes as well as you say it will, I have no problem giving you another kiss when we get back to Beacon."
Jaune smirked at her, "Miss Belladonna, are you trying to bribe me?"
She gave him a positively catty grin back. "Would I do that, Mr. Arc?"
The two devolved into chuckles and giggles before eventually, Jaune took her hand once again and started to lead her towards his uncle's club. They walked for a few minutes, now hand in hand, before Blake spoke up again, "So, how did he end as an info broker in Vale? It's not that I don't believe you when you say he is a good guy but it just seems odd that he is one."
"That is a long story." Jaune said as he thought. "Apparently, as far as I was told, my grandfather on my mother's side had been the leader of a crime syndicate that had a death grip on Vale a few years ago."
Blake looked at him in shock, "You're serious?"
He nodded, "Sadly, yeah. He wasn't the best guy around or so I was told." He shrugged, "Never met him which is probably a good thing. Anyways, he had control over Vale's criminal underground for years until another organization from Mistral tried to take over. That led to a gang war that didn't end well for anyone involved. The Mistral group went back to Mistral and the Xiong family took a massive hit since their leader died in the last altercation."
"Oh…" Blake said, unsure what else she could say. The dismissive way he spoke of his grandfather's death spoke volumes of how he felt about the man. Which was off-putting considering how warm he was with most people he was around.
"Afterwards, Uncle Hei was able to take control of the organization. They lost a lot of power but my uncle used the little they had to protect the people they had left. He switched tracks and started to gather and sell information. Both to criminals and the police. He also put more stock in the night club he owned and a few other businesses he inherited. Making them into more legitimate businesses while also using them to help collect information he could potentially use."
"I don't know what to say to all of that." She told him honestly. "I wasn't expecting you to tell me that your uncle was a crime boss."
"In name only. Uncle Hei is more of a neutral party within Vale. He didn't agree with his father's practices and when he took control, he wanted to distance himself from it. He still has to do a few… less than legal things to keep his position but that's to make sure any other criminals out there do not go after his people. But at the same time, if anyone is being too ambitious he'll be sure to get the information to the police. That'll either stop them or delay what they have planned." He was deep in thought for a second, "In a way he is kinda like a counterbalance for Vale. He tries not to not let any group get too large or powerful."
"Even Torchwick?"
"Torchwick sadly came into power before my uncle could get his group back on his feet. He has influence and power but since he works mostly by himself, it's hard for Uncle Hei to do anything worthwhile in trying to stop him." Jaune clarified for her.
Blake nodded at that. "And your cousins?" she asked.
"As far as I was told, they were the daughters of the leader of the other gang. After they retreated back to Mistral, they were still here. Don't know whether their mother abandoned them or they chose to stay and I don't think I'll ever ask them. They've been through enough." He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. "With nowhere to go, Uncle Hei took them in. It took some time but they eventually trusted him and he officially adopted them." He chuckled to himself. "They were a bit stand offish at first but they quickly warmed up to me and my sisters. More so with me, I think they've always had a soft spot for me."
She nodded, just starting to process everything she was just told. Then another thought came to her, "How was your mother not involved in all of this?"
"Luck." He said simply. "My grandfather divorced my grandma and he had custody of Uncle Hei. He wanted to groom him to take over the 'family business' but didn't do a great job of it. The bastard didn't really care too much for my mother and he didn't bother trying to be a part of her life. So Grandma raised her on her own." He shrugged, "My uncle took every opportunity he could to spend time with both my mother and grandmother, outside of my grandfather's knowledge. That's why they are still close after all these years."
They settled into a silence as they walked for the next few minutes. Jaune was fine with it but Blake seemed to be very contemplative. He turned back to her when he felt her squeeze his hand. She just looked at him in the eyes with the small but heartfelt smile of hers, "Thanks for telling me that, Jaune. For trusting me."
He smiled back, "You trusted me with just as much about your past, Blake. Plus, you're my girlfriend after all. You have the right to know what goes on in my life."
She leant up and gave him a brief peck to his cheek, "Still appreciate it."
It took them nearly half an hour after that to get to the seedier part of Vale then another twenty or so to finally reach the nightclub in question. There weren't any people waiting to get it but that was mostly because it was still early afternoon. The two had come down immediately after their classes were over. The only person there was a bouncer, dressed like nearly everyone who worked for Hei.
He seemed to be nodding off before he caught sight of them, "Hold it. We aren't… Oh, it's you, Jaune. Sorry about that."
He shook his head, "It's alright, Jerry. But why are you here? I thought you usually worked the late shift?" Late shift meaning they worked from the early morning hours until around noon.
"I do." He turned his head away and yawned. "Sorry about that. Danny was supposed to take over for me but his wife went into labor. He asked me to take his shift and I couldn't say no."
"That's great!" Jaune said with a smile. "Can you tell him I say 'Congratulations? Since you'll probably see him before me?"
He nodded, "Sure, no problem. You hear to see the boss?" Jaune nodded. "Go on in."
Jaune smiled, "Thanks. I'll be sure to ask someone to bring out some coffee for you."
As they walked past him, they both heard him say, "You are a lifesaver."
The couple walked in to see that the club was mostly empty. All the cleaning and restocking had already been done and they were still several hours out until the club would open, so there was only really a skeleton crew here now. Blake was looking everywhere, trying to become accustomed to this new location but was really looking to find Jaune's uncle and cousins before they could spot them first.
Meanwhile, Jaune was looking everything over with a cursory glance. He didn't see his family but that made sense. They didn't spend all their time in the nightclub. So they were either up in the penthouse above or out on the town. Jaune gently caught the arm of one of the few employees that was doing some last minute things, "Is my uncle in?"
He looked at Jaune before down at his watch, "Uh… Yeah, he should be upstairs. I can get him if you need to talk to him."
"That would be helpful. As long as you aren't busy."
He chuckled, "Nah, I'm just doing a few things to keep busy. Not much to do and I don't want to be bored."
"In that case, Jerry is about to nod off outside. I think he needs a caffeine pick-me-up." Jaune smiled.
The worker nodded, "Oh I bet he does. He's working a sixteen hour shift since he's helping out Danny. I'll get him some coffee once I get the boss."
Jaune smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, "You're the man, Gary."
That made him laugh before he patted the blond on the shoulder and walked away to take care of the jobs brought to his attention. "You know it man." He said with a chuckle.
"Do you know everyone that works here?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jaune grinned, "Mostly. I was staying here for my entire physical therapy and until I moved to Beacon. It seemed odd to not get to know them." He gently tugged her hand, "Come on. My uncle will be down soon." He led her over to the bar and they sat down at the stools there while they waited.
Jaune pulled out his scroll to see if he had any new messages in the meantime. He had one from each teammate surprisingly. Nora was asking for him to bring back six dozen pancakes back since he was in Vale. Ren was telling him to ignore Nora's request. And Pyrrha was checking in to make sure everything was okay and asking if they could train for a bit when he got back. He smiled and messaged back that as long as nothing came up, he'd be happy to get some training in.
When he put his scroll back into his pocket, he looked over to see that Blake was not fairing as well as he had hoped. She was trying to look calm by sitting straight and her hands crossed on the bar in front of her. But he saw that her eyes were darting around everywhere and her whole body was tensed as if she was ready for combat. On top of that, he noticed her one foot was tapping like crazy and her bow was twitching constantly. Most likely her ears were focusing in on every little sound that went off in the room.
Jaune sighed and gently laid his hand on top her own. She instantly jumped at the contact and looked over to him wide eyed. He gave her a calming smile, "Blake, relax." He told her soothingly.
Blake just stared at him for a bit before she sighed as well. She then scooted her stool so it was closer to his and laid her head against his shoulder. "Sorry."
He gently kissed the top of her head, minding her bow and her ears below it. "Nothing for you to be sorry for."
Her response was to just hum before she turned her one hand over to interlock her fingers with his own. "Thank you." She said just above a whisper.
He chuckled, "I did nothing for you to thank me for either."
She decided to not argue the point and just took the time to rest against his side and just try to calm herself down, even if it was only a little bit.
They sat there for several minutes until a voice pulled them both form their little reprieve. "Well, I wasn't expecting this." Both looked over to see Hei standing not too far away looking the two over in shock. "Have to say, this was the last thing I thought I would see when I was told you were here for a visit, Jaune."
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at his uncle's dumbfounded look. "Sorry, Uncle." Blake quickly looked to Jaune when he said that before turning back to his uncle as her eyes widened. She quickly scooted away from him and looked down at the bar top. A blush now decorating her cheeks.
Hei saw all of this before looking back to Jaune, "Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked as a smile took over his face. He motioned over to himself. "Give me my hug."
Jaune smiled and walked over to do just that. Hei returned the hug and if he did it any tighter, Jaune was sure he'd be trying to crush him. "Did you miss me that much?" he asked.
He felt Hei shrug while still hugging him. "I was used to having you here. You were living here with us for months. So yes, I missed you. You are my favorite nephew after all."
Jaune patted him on the back, "Again, I'm your only nephew."
The two pulled apart and he just smiled down at his nephew. He then turned to Blake who was just watching them from the corner of her eye. "So, are you going to introduce me?"
Jaune smiled and walked over to her. He gently took her hand and she stood up. She followed him nervously until they were standing in front of his uncle. "Uncle Hei, this is Blake. She's my girlfriend." He then looked to her, "Blake, this is my Uncle Hei."
Blake just stared up at the massive man in front of her. She took a deep breath to try and center herself. "H-hello. It's nice to meet you, sir."
Hei just analyzed her for several seconds, making Blake grow nervous with each passing one. He then grinned and reached his hand out to her, "The pleasure is mine." Blake reached out and gently took his hand as they shook. Hei smiled and turned to Jaune, "Now I see why it took you so long to get a girlfriend, Jaune. You have high standards, don't you?" he teased.
That caused both teens to blush. Blake quickly looked down while Jaune looked to the side and started to rub the back of his head, "Uncle Hei, come on." He whined.
That made him laugh, "Alright, alright. I couldn't resist." He eventually stopped and gained control of himself once again. "So, why are you here? I have a feeling it wouldn't be to just introduce me to your girlfriend."
Jaune nodded slightly, still not entirely sure on how his uncle was going to react to his request. "Well, the thing is-"
"Jaune!" he was interrupted as two familiar people slammed into him. One red and one white. Luckily, he was able to brace himself against the bar so he wouldn't crash into the ground. He smirked as he wrapped his arms around his cousins. "Girls, it hasn't been all that long. "
"Well excuse us for missing you, jerk!" Miltia said as she hugged him tightly.
"Yeah, we were so used to you staying in the guest room. Now it's just weird that you're not there anymore." Melanie added.
The two pulled away and just smiled at him. That's when the questions started. Each asking one before the other would immediately asked the next. "How is Beacon? What's it like there? How are your teammates? Have you run into that Xiao Long girl there? Who is she?" The last one was asked by Melanie as she pointed to Blake.
She swallowed slightly as the twins' gazes settled onto her. She looked to Jaune for help and he stepped between the twins and her. "In order: It's going alright so far, no real issues since I caught up on the work I missed. It actually feels like a lot like any other school. It just focuses more of Huntsman stuff. My teammates are great, they are quickly turning into some of the best friends I could ask for. Yes, I have run into Yang and that is a discussion for another time. And she…" Jaune said as he gently placed his arm around her shoulders. "Is Blake, my girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend!?" both shouted completely in sync.
Jaune just deadpanned at them, "Wow, thanks for that."
"Uh…" Blake started as she raised her hand slightly in a weak wave. "Nice to meet you."
The two just stared at Blake for the longest time. They then turned to one another and looked to be having a silent conversation. They nodded before stepping forward and each grabbing one of her forearms, "Alright, come on." Melanie said in a hard tone.
"We need to talk." Miltia said in a borderline angry tone. The two then started to walk to the other side of the building, dragging Blake behind them.
Blake quickly looked over her shoulder to Jaune, looking slightly panicked, "Jaune?"
He just gave her a calming smile in return. "You'll be fine, Blake. Trust me." She gave him a nod before following after his cousins. He then leant a bit closer to Hei, "She is going to be fine, right?" He whispered, making sure she was far enough that she couldn't hear him. Even with her extra ears.
Hei scratched his beard in thought before looking at him, "Is she training to be a Huntress?" Jaune nodded. "Then she'll be okay." He then sat down on one of the stools as he leant his back against the bar, his elbows resting on the top of the bar. "So, what were you saying before the twins interrupted?"
Jaune took the stool besides his uncle's but was facing the bar. "Remember a while ago, I asked you to look into what the White Fang was doing?"
Hei raised an eyebrow, "Yes…" he said in a tone that showed just how little he was liking where this conversation was going.
"I was hoping you could do it again." Jaune said with his best smile.
Hei just stared down his nephew for the longest time. "Why in the hell do you want more information on them? I thought that was a onetime thing?"
Jaune tried to speak but nothing came to mind. Instead his eyes went across the room to Blake as it looked like she was being interrogated by Melanie and Miltia. He just stared at her and was only brought back to reality when he heard his uncle speak up, "It's not for you, is it?" He looked back to Hei as he motioned over to Blake, "It's for her, huh?"
Jaune sighed and nodded, "Yeah. It is. She's the one I gave the information to the first time I asked you."
Hei sighed, "I feel like you already know this but you do know just how dangerous this group is right?"
"I do." Jaune answered. "So does she."
"So why on Remnant would want more information on them?" Hei said with a slight twinge of anger to his voice. "You getting involved with what they are doing is just going to get you both hurt or worse."
"I know that." Jaune responded with a hard tone. He quickly calmed himself down before he continued what he needed to say. "The White Fang is something personal to her, Uncle Hei. She's going to look into what they are doing regardless of if you help her or not. But if you do help then the chances of her doing something dangerous goes down. On top of that, with Torchwick working with them, it'll give you better chances to find out what he is doing. And you can knock him down a few pegs."
He looked down to the bar before taking a breath and turning back to his uncle, "Besides, I don't want you to send it just to me. I want you to send it to Professor Ozpin as well."
"Ozpin?" Hei asked in confusion.
Jaune nodded, "If he can get ahead of what the White Fang is planning, he can use his resources to try and stop them. And that'll reduce the chances of Blake trying to do something that falls in line with vigilantism. Maybe with his help Vale can stop this all before it gets any worse. Torchwick included."
For the longest time, Hei just stared at his nephew. That was until eventually he sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I hate it when you have a point. And you've certainly thought this through." He just looked up to the ceiling for a bit. He looked back to his nephew, "I'll try my best but I make no promises."
Jaune just smiled at him, "Thanks, Uncle Hei."
"Don't thank me yet. If your parents find out about this, we both are going to be in trouble." He told him seriously.
Jaune shrugged, "I'll take that chance." Jaune looked over to Blake and smiled as the interrogation was still going on but now she was blushing a bright red. He just smiled to himself, 'That's one thing sorted. Now I just need to do one last thing. Just hope it doesn't piss her off too badly.' He thought to himself.
A/N- Nearly six months without an update... Yeah, I really fell off with updating my stories. But I hope to change that this year. If any of you reading this are curious on what happened and what my plan is for 2022, there is an update on my profile. Hoping it'll help me get back on track and I'll get back to updating like I used to.
Thank you all for being patient with me and I hope you it was worth the wait. Please leave a review if you can. Reading them helps keep my passion going and it makes me more excited to get around to updating them more often. Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all in the next update.