Beacon was a fascinating place. It spelled out an opportunity for those that wanted a grander education, along with the hopes of becoming a licensed Hunter. A place where students could interact and form lasting bonds. But most of all, it was a place where people could practice combat. For Yang Xiao Long, that was more than enough reason to show up on time.
She had more than her fair share of fun at Beacon, excluding all the boring parts, like classes. It may have only been a few months, but Yang had already figured out her daily schedule. She would wake up every day at five in the morning, and not a moment later. Next, she would go on a run, if only to force herself awake. After that, a short workout, followed by a warm shower. By the time her morning checklist was finished, she had just enough time to prepare herself for classes with time to spare.
Then came the boring parts of her day. She started by going to Grimm Studies with Professor Mustache, dropping by Professor Crackhead's class for World History before finally heading to Professor Peach for Herbology and Survival training. Don't get her wrong, she liked Professor Oobleck fine enough, and Port may have been a little weird, but she didn't like them enough to put them on the same level as Professor Peach.
Port was too slow, and Oobleck was too fast, but Professor Peach? Oh, she was just right. Plus, Yang always wanted to try her hand at camping one day, and Herbology and Survival class were the closest she was getting for now. But after that? Oh, then came Yang's favorite part of the day. After lunch, anyway.
Combat Class.
It was a place for her to get her adrenaline kick. A place where she could cut loose and burn off the boredom that came with the first half of her day, and she felt like the schedule was made that way on purpose. No reason, really. More of a hunch, if nothing else.
Of course, Combat Class wasn't always the action she craved. Sometimes they would go over theory and tactics, but she never really paid attention to that sort of thing, if she had to be honest. Tactics and strategy were more of her sister's forte, considering she was the team leader and all. But her? She was talented in taking on a straight fight, and she had fun doing it.
So, whenever it was time to get in the ring and throw a good punch or two, the blonde brawler made sure to take her time to enjoy every second of it. Most days she wasn't given a good match. If anything, she felt like she was an obstacle for some of her classmates to overcome. But she didn't mind.
But when she was given a good match? When she had to deal with Ren's speed and agility, Nora's strength, or Pyrrha's… everything, she took it like the greatest reward of life. Every good fight was a chance to improve, and she took it at face value.
Of course, not every match could be an adrenaline rush.
She could remember maybe once or twice that she was put against the leader of Team JNPR, a lanky swordsman with little to show for and a lot to prove. Yang felt her lip curl to the side as she laid in bed, her brows furrowing slightly. Vomit-Boy was a good guy, but he was far from a superb combatant. Most of the time, he hid behind his shield and waited for the clock to run out and the buzzer to ring. It was a decent tactic, but she couldn't help but feel like she'd been cheated out of a good fight.
So, she toyed with him a little. Not in a way that would hurt him, but in a way that she got her kicks. She'd prod at his defenses, exploit the small holes that she found before cracking them open, all before quickly backing off. When fighting the blond swordsman, she didn't really want to win. She felt like she would show him a bit through combat.
To his credit, he did start to pick up on her moves and would react accordingly. Yang gradually picked up the tempo, hoping that he might match her at some point, and he would for a while. But there always seemed to be a breaking point that he'd just fall through. And with his stumbles, the fire that burned in her heart fizzled and died.
The buzzer always sounded at the end of the match, and Miss Goodwitch would always lay in to him about his lack of aggression, but Yang didn't really mind it. She actually liked that about his fighting style. He wasn't much of a hitter, but his defense was interesting enough. Whenever she would go in for a jab or hook, the dork knight always went for intercepts with his shield arm. There was a semblance of skill behind his decisions. But if she was feinting a strike, it left his defense wide open, which she exploited punitively.
Yang shook her head as her hand came to rest on her forehead. "No point in thinking about Combat Class now." She muttered, a frown coming over her face as she stared up at the roof. On a typical day, Yang would be able to use Combat Class to blow off steam. But unfortunately for her, today was a day that she had to ease off the gas. A day where she had to put up with an aforementioned blond swordsman.
That meant that the only bit of natural dopamine that she would have gotten out of the day was snuffed out. As if a grease flame was suddenly covered in flour. So there she laid in bed, waiting for the day to end so that she might get a fresh start tomorrow.
Sure, she could always go to the gym and get shredded, but what was the point? Every time she went to the school gym after classes, some skinny guy would always try to chat her up while she worked on her upper body. And sure, attention was pleasant from time to time, but the gym was a place for her to zone out and pump weights. The last thing she wanted to worry about was looking cool or presentable.
"You know," she started, staring up at her roof as a thought flickered through her mind. "I could probably afford to find a small gym in Vale and get a membership. Either that or a Boxing club. That'd be cool." A small smile came across her face as the thought of throwing punches against a decent opponent fired a neuron in her brain.
Maybe she could shoot her Dad a text and see if he could send her some money for a membership somewhere? Shoot, she could just swing by Patch for the weekend and throw some punches with her Dad! That sounded awesome! She made a mental note to shoot her Dad a text later.
The smile on her face wavered for a moment as she blankly stared at the roof. She had the entire afternoon for herself, and there she was, doing nothing with it. She couldn't visit the gym, she couldn't go out and fight, and honestly, there wasn't much else she could think to do. Contrary to popular belief, Yang wasn't that much of a partygoer.
Sure, she may have had the personality of one, and sure, she may have liked to tease guys from time to time, but it wasn't exactly her thing. She wasn't sure how the rumor spread that she liked to party, but it probably had to do with how she looked. Or it had to do with the rumors that spread around when she was in Signal. When she shot a guy's confession down, people spread gossip that she did that sort of thing all the time.
Yeah, she wasn't fond of gossip much after that.
In any case, the unfounded stories of her wilder nature did give her a bit of a self-esteem boost, so she didn't mind. Though she had to admit, it got a little annoying when someone she didn't know would try to chat her up. But as they said in old Vale, c'est la vie.
The sound of knuckles thudding against her door was enough to pull her away from her thoughts. She blinked as she sat up in her bed, staring at the door. "That's weird," she muttered. Ruby was busy being a gun nut at some store in Vale, Blake was being the bookworm that she was somewhere else, and Weiss was… Off doing something, probably. But if she had to guess, she was probably off doing rich people stuff. So that begged the question.
Who was knocking on her door?
Another series of knocks on her door was enough to force her off her bunk, her feet landing heavily against the carpet. She let a hand run through her hair as she walked towards the source of the sound, hoping that she at least looked presentable. She still hadn't changed out of her uniform, and she probably didn't smell that great since combat class had ended an hour ago. Hopefully, it would be something brief.
With a hand on her doorknob, she gave it a turn before pulling it open, finding herself staring at a fellow blond. She blinked for a moment as she watched an awkward hand rise, giving her a wave. "Uh, hey." He started, stuffing his other hand in the pocket of his blazer.
As she stared at the noodly blond, Yang felt her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. "Uh, Ruby's not here right now. Come back later." Rattling off her explanation before trying to close the door. Though, before the door could click shut, she watched as her classmate jammed his foot in the doorway.
"Wait, wait, wait!" His words fired like a machine gun as his eyes taped themselves open. "I'm not here for Ruby. I… I was hoping you had some advice."
Advice? What, like combat tips? He probably noticed that she was going a little easy on him. She let out a hum as her eyebrows shot up, a smirk spreading across her face. "Oh! Why didn't you just say so?" She asked, stepping out of her room before pulling the door shut.
In less than a second, she wrapped an arm under Blondie's and started to drag him further down the hall. "Woah! Hang on a second, where are we going?" His words frantically reached her ears. She failed to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she dragged him further down Beacon's winding hallways.
"Oh, you just let me worry about that. Besides, for things like this, it's better to go with a hands-on approach." She naturally remarked, effortlessly pulling the taller boy alongside her. Sure, Vomit Boy might've weighed his fair bit, considering he was head or so taller than her, but she did something that he clearly didn't do enough.
She lifted.
"Huh?" His voice rose as he stared up at her with confused eyes. Ah, he must have been expecting some kind of theory or something first. That was all well and good, but Yang wasn't some beltway pansy, so she wasn't going to pull punches for him. Plus, he really needed the help, and sparring was the only way he would get it quickly.
"Oh yeah! When it comes to stuff like this, it's best to find a quiet place and work up a sweat, you know? Plus, it keeps you on your toes for next time." It was pretty obvious stuff, in all honesty. But, in Vomit Boy's defense, he didn't look like he did much fighting on his team. From what she remembered of initiation, he was a quick thinker. Now, all that he needed was to be quick to act, and he'd make a half-decent fighter. Probably.
"Huh?" She heard him yell again, his face tinting a rosy color as she dragged him farther and farther from the dorms. "Wait, hold on! Next time?" His words sharply pierced her ears as she squinted her eyes.
"Yeah, obviously. What, you think you'll just magically get good after one session? Think critically for a second." She sarcastically quipped, feeling his shoulders tense up as she pulled him along. But if she had to be honest, as fun as it was to drag the Dork Knight around, she was honestly hoping he would pick himself up and walk with her by now.
Jaune felt his face begin to burn up as he was pulled along, his legs failing to adhere to his commands and stand up. She was messing with him, right? What was he thinking? Of course she was! This was Yang Xiao Long he was thinking about. According to lunchroom rumors, along with the little experience he had around her, she played life fast and loose. There were also other rumors about what she, uh, did with guys.
Was this it, was this the moment that he would be taken for the time of his life? The moment that he well and truly became a man? He felt his heart hammer against his chest as a deep pit formed in his stomach. This was it, this was going to be the greatest mistake of his life.
But should he really be doing something like this? He hardly knew her, and Ruby was her sister for crying out loud! His first friend at Beacon, and her sister was offering to leave him sore.
"I'm not sure if this is such a good idea anymore." He lied, forcing his legs to push him up to his feet as he stumbled behind the buxom brawler, his arm still caught under hers.
"Pfft, what? You can't just ask for my help, get me all pumped up, and then leave me to dry? That's so unfair!" This was her one chance to actually work up a semblance of sweat, and by goodness, she wasn't going to let it slip from her grasp! "Nope, sorry bub, you're stuck with me. I need my fix for the day, and honestly, I don't feel like going out for it. So do me a favor and pull it together."
The spark of life behind Jaune's eyes flickered and waned for a moment as her words rested on his brain. What..? Wait, wait for just a second! Did she just admit that- and that she wanted to- with him? The feeling of smoke and vapor rolling off the top of his head was all that he felt, his body going on auto-pilot as he trailed behind the attractive blonde.
Yang heard Blondie behind her- wait, she was blond too. Uh, the dumber blond behind her mutter out an 'okay' as she dragged him along. Wait, did she just admit she was dumb? She wasn't dumb, right?
Yeah, probably.
Brushing aside her existential thoughts pertaining to her intelligence, Yang walked alongside Vomit Boy as she led him out of the dorm building, through the main building, and into the sparring rooms. It was a quiet walk, though she was sure that she could hear him muttering to himself. About what, she had no clue. When she led him into the sparring room, she made sure to lock the doors behind them. She knew just how much the idea of someone walking in on sparring practice could affect performance, so she figured it would help ease his state of mind. After all, Blondie was clearly nervous.
With a quick moment, Yang made sure that nobody else was in the sparring room, and much to her reprieve, it was vacant. She let out a breath as looked over her shoulder, staring at the fidgety blond guy behind her. "Nice, looks like we've got the room all to ourselves. Hang on, let me go ahead and get comfortable before we get started."
She watched as Blondie quickly nodded his head as she turned back. Well, it looks like he found his spirit, so that's good. As she carefully unbuttoned her blazer, she made sure to fold it neatly. After folding it, she set it aside so that nothing might come to get it dirty, the last thing she wanted to do was laundry. Again. Then came her vest, which had to be the most restrictive part of her uniform. Yeah, she was a lot less careful about taking her vest off.
Eventually, all that she was left with was her undershirt, her skirt, and her stockings, having since kicked aside her dress shoes. Yeah, as nice as they were, she still hadn't broken them in yet, so they were still a little tight around her feet. But at least she was comfortable now.
"Alright, I'm good to go-" She started, turning around to find Vomit Boy shirtless, unbuckling his belt as he kicked aside his shoes. "What the fuck are you doing?" Her words left her mouth at a rate she hadn't done since she was at Signal.
Lilac eyes watched him pause as he stared back at her, his hands still resting on his belt. "Oh, well, you know, I figured you'd have as little clothes on as possible for…" His words trailed off as he stared past her.
She blinked for a moment, a faint trace of heat touching her cheeks. "For sparring?" She asked incredulously. What kind of guy fights without pants- Well, come to think of it, a lot of guys, but that's different!
His eyes widened as an awkward smile came over his face. "Yeah, sparring! Right. Well, uh, you didn't exactly give me a chance to change into my training shorts." He came up with the first lie that he could think of, hoping that she wouldn't see right through him. He was stupid! How could he have been so stupid?! He'd been played from the start! And for what? Exercise?! He already did enough of that with Pyrrha, and none of the fun kinds either!
Yang paused for a moment, tilting her head as she stared at the blond boy. You know, she hadn't thought about that. She dragged him away with little warning for sparring, and neither of them had a chance to change for the occasion. Great, now she felt dumb.
As she ran a hand through her blonde locks, Jaune watched as her eyes drifted towards the sparring arena at the center of the room. "Right, I guess that does make sense. Uh, sorry." Came her awkward apology. Hearing her apologize for something that he just came up with only served to make him feel even weirder. There he was, dressed in only his pants and boxers, and Yang was the one apologizing.
It made him feel like a scumbag.
The blue-eyed boy brought his hands up in surrender. "Woah, it's nobody's fault. I mean, we both came out here a little excited, and neither of us thought it through. So let's just put it behind us and move forward, you know?" He really just wanted to move past the whole thing and get his bit of advice. Although, come to think of it, what was standing around in the sparring room supposed to do for him?
The brawler let out a sigh of relief as her shoulders sagged. "Glad to know we're on the same page," she started, an awkward smile tugging at her face. "But if you could keep the pants on, that'd make this a little easier for me. I'm not sure if I could keep my composure if I had to fight you like that."
Jaune felt the gears in his head turn once more, each cog in the machine working to decipher if there were any hidden meanings behind the buxom blonde's words. On the one hand, they had just finished talking about them being here for a spar. On the other hand, the apes in his brain kept screeching that she was talking about a less than innocent activity.
Then again, they literally just had that discussion. There was no way he could misconstrue the meaning behind her words twice now. "Uh, yeah, sure. But if we're going to train, shouldn't I go get my sword and shield?" It's not exactly like he came prepared.
The golden-locked girl let out a hum as she brought her arms over her chest. "You know, I don't think you'll need it. We'll just go over footwork for today and see where we end up." After all, it was one of the few honest complaints she had about his style. It wasn't so much that his stance would get him pushed off his feet, far from it, actually. No, it was more like he would stumble over himself.
She watched as the blond boy nodded, awkwardly laughing to himself as he kicked aside his Pumpkin Pete hoodie, picking up his undershirt before quickly throwing it on. "Alright, uh, cool. Just go a little easy on me, would you? Hand to hand isn't really my thing, considering I'm hardly decent with a sword."
Yang snorted as she rolled her eyes, walking past him as she hooked her arm with his, dragging him along. "Are you thick in the head or are you just not paying attention? Like I said, this is about footwork. What you're thinking about comes later."
Being dragged towards the center of the arena, Jaune couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Having come back to reality, the blond boy was facing something he wasn't sure he'd ever have to expect. He was going to go through training with Yang, a prospect that nearly certainly promised pain. Worst of all, it wasn't something that he was even looking for.
He felt himself get hoisted back onto his feet, feeling his legs meet the resistance of gravity as the soles of his feet touched the floor. "Alright," Yang started, unhooking her arm as she stepped away. "So, here's what we're going to do. Show me your stance."
The blond boy quirked a brow, but obliged all the same, the only tweak to his typical stance being where he kept his hands. His left hand led his stance, corresponding with his left leg, with his right hand resting inches from his cheek. He kept his legs bent, though not nearly enough to where he felt uncomfortable.
Though, where Jaune saw something as acceptable, Yang had more than a few complaints. His legs were spread more than shoulder length, his knees were bent too much, and his left arm led too far in front of him. But that was okay, it was repairable.
Letting out a breath, she ran her hands through her hair. "Okay, I can work with this." She muttered, barely loud enough for her fellow blond to hear her. "Okay, first thing's first, pull your left hand back. You're leading too far forward." How he thought his left hand was going to be for anything more than tickling her was astonishing.
Jaune hummed as he tilted his head. "Why? What's the matter with my arm?" Like he said, he was a swordsman, not a boxer.
Yang only smiled. "It's better if I show you then." Came her natural reply, taking her typical stance, fighting for her style of combat. If there were cracks in her stance, she was more than quick to correct them. "Alright, now step in and jab me."
"Uh, are you sure?" Something about his concern only made her smile wider. It was almost cute how he was worried, but she supposed that came with him being one of two things. It was either because he was a dork, or because he was a team leader. Or a guy. She hadn't really thought of that one until just then.
"Sure I'm sure." She quipped, using her closed fists to gesture him forward. "Now, don't keep a girl waiting. Throw a punch."
Yang watched him grimace, only to roll her eyes. Though, as she watched his left foot step forward, a long stride more equivalent to a lunge than a step, she watched his left arm coil backwards, cringing to herself. His jab was so horribly choreographed that it took her more than a small effort to let it harmlessly thump against her shoulder, but it proved her point.
The jab did about as much as she expected.
Jaune's brows furrowed as a twinkle lit up behind Yang's lilac eyes. "Yep, that's what I thought. You're leading too much with your left hand. Doesn't matter what you do with it, that jab's not going to do anything when there's that little distance to cover." The blond swordsman had to stop himself from groaning in embarrassment. Great, now he just felt stupid.
"So, what, just pull my arm back?" It felt like it should be the right thing to do. The question was: where was his arm supposed to rest? Everywhere he put his left hand just felt… off, he supposed. It felt clunky, like his legs and arms were on two different wavelengths.
The sound of Yang giggling filled his ears as she walked over to him, her hand resting under his forearm. Before he could comment on it, he felt her slightly adjust his hand, leaving it resting slightly below eye-level, barely inches in front of him. "That's a start. Now, let's talk about your legs." The blonde boxer's voice filled with a familiar tone of mirth.
Jaune only sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I'll just defer to your better judgment. What am I doing wrong?" Resigning himself to Yang's critiques. Not that he really cared, but he was pretty much stuck with the situation, if only to not come off as a weirdo.
He felt a hand pat him on the shoulder. "See, now you're getting it." Yang said, and he could feel the ego dripping from her voice. "Now, your legs are supposed to be about shoulder-width, but your legs are just a smidge too wide. Bring them in a little."
Jaune complied, though he wasn't sure what the difference was. "Uh, okay. What now?"
From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Yang's smile widened that much more. Yang stepped in front of him before putting up a guard of her own, a twinkle in her lilac eyes as she stared at him between her fists. "Now? Now we put it to some use. Grit your teeth."
Huh? Why would he have to grit his-
Before Jaune could ask, he watched as one of Yang's hands snapped violently towards him, instinctively clutching his guard closer as his muscles tensed all across his body. A snap rang out across the training room as her fist collided against his forearm, a jolt of pain rolling across the point of impact. A fist-sized red mark was left imprinted against his skin as Yang reeled her hand back.
"Ah, damn!" The words left Jaune's mouth before he even had a chance to censor himself, rubbing the red mark on his arm. "Sorry, language." Maybe he was acting like a big baby, but he was almost certain punches weren't supposed to sting like that.
Yang giggled as she crossed her arms, taking a more relaxed stance. "Watch the mouth, Dork Knight. You never know when people might be listening in. Besides, your aura should be taking care of it, so you'll be fine." After all, the whole point of aura was to protect and heal oneself. If Jaune's aura couldn't do that, then there were a lot more problems at hand than just a little footwork.
Yang watched as his blue eyes blinked, if only momentarily. "Oh, I was supposed to have my aura going? That probably would've made things easier." He said, scratching the back of his head as he stared at the floor beneath their feet.
"Wait, you didn't have your aura going? What are you, braindead?" She asked, her previously relaxed posture stiffening as she stared at the growing red mark. "Do you not have your aura going constantly?"
Jaune blinked yet again, tilting his head. "Uh, no? That's kind of tiring. Besides, Pyr always told me that when you're training, it's better to leave your aura down." It was supposed to do something when it came to muscle growth, or something like that. "My aura heals me too fast, so I don't get any gains out of it."
Yang paused for a moment, staring incredulously at her fellow blond before letting out a groan. "That's right, I forgot. Jaune Arc is an aura pool with a human body." She muttered, dragging her hands down her face. "You know, some of us aren't born as lucky as you are to have that much aura." There was no way Yang was envious of his capacity. And if she was, she chose to ignore it.
She heard her fellow blond let out a laugh. "Hey, life has to balance me out somehow. I mean, there's no way life was just going to leave a guy like me at that much of a disadvantage, right?" He asked. In most cases, she'd disagree. Life wasn't so kind as to throw the disadvantaged a bone all the time. However, it seemed that Jaune was the exception to the rule.
Lucky him.
"Sure, now how about we get back to it? In case you haven't noticed, there's still a lot more to the fundamentals, and I still want my kicks." She said, putting her hands up as she plastered a smile on her face.
In response, she heard her fellow blond snort, putting his own hands back up. "And here I thought you were throwing punches. Shows what I know, right?" His voice was obviously full of sarcasm. Though, he was still slightly wrong.
"Actually," Yang started, wagging her index finger as she kept her guard up. "I brought you out here for your footwork. Getting to slug you and helping you with your guard was the icing on the cake. Now then, less talking, more walking. Do as I do."
To her surprise, Jaune was pretty quick on the pickup. Like, way more than she ever would've given him credit. Maybe it had to do with the lack of pride he seemed to have, or maybe he was just used to playing catch up. She wasn't going to pretend that she knew, considering how little she actually talked to him.
What she did know is that his footwork improved. Not by much, but at least he wasn't tripping over himself now.
So, she did the only thing that was reasonable. She kept going, teaching him more minute, honestly useless things for someone like him. He used a sword and shield, what was he going to do with boxing techniques? Then again, she was just having fun teaching for a change. Yang always wanted to get Ruby into boxing, and her sister was never into it.
Maybe she was just using Jaune as a means to pass something on?
Oh well, not like it mattered. At the end of the day, she was just getting her kicks, and Jaune was improving. They were both getting what they wanted, so who was she to look into it any deeper?
Soon enough, she watched Jaune's legs buckle beneath him as she kept doing exchanges with him. They weren't fast or rough, but it was enough for him to start getting a grip on what she was teaching him. At least, she hoped so.
She broke away from the exchange, putting her guard down as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "Hey Vomit Boy, how about we take a fiver. You like you're maybe ten minutes from collapsing, and I've gotten a little sweat in." Yang offered.
Jaune let out a sigh as his arms collapsed to his sides. He didn't even have time to complain about his nickname. "That sounds like heaven right now." He muttered, trudging towards the stairs that let him down from the arena. "Any longer, and I'm sure my muscles would've folded in on themselves."
He heard his fellow blond snicker as she followed behind him, her footsteps synchronizing with his. "You know, for someone with so much aura, you sure tire fast." An obvious mirth seeping into her voice. Well, it wasn't like it was the first time he'd heard a tone like that. His sisters tended to do that too. "How are you going to keep a pretty girl on her toes like that?"
Jaune let out a hum as her words rested on his ears. Pretty girl..? Oh, that's right! "Actually, now that you bring that up, I've been meaning to ask you something." He started, shoving his hands into his pockets. "As much as I appreciate you dragging me out here for some training, I actually wanted to talk to you about- well, I've got a problem."
Yang quirked a brow as she followed her kindred in hair color, wrapping her arm around his shoulders before leading him to an empty seat. "Really? I can't say I get that often, but sure, shoot." She started. "Wait, don't tell me! You're having performance issues?" She joked, only to get an eyeroll in response.
Jaune took a seat on one of the many benches that littered the combat arena, sighing as he put a hand on the back of his head. Yang followed suit, crossing her arms as she curiously stared at Jaune. It wasn't often that people came to her for problem solving. If anything, she was surprised he didn't go to her leader or anyone smarter than her.
The blond boy's leg bounced anxiously as he sat, a bead of sweat rolling down his neck. "Well, uh, word around campus is that you're pretty good with… you know, romance and stuff. So, I was kind of hoping you could help me." He awkwardly stammered out. Okay, this was a first for him, he couldn't help it! Jaune didn't get many chances to talk about this sort of thing, and he wasn't sure how to approach it. He figured being open would help.
Lilac eyes slowly blinked as Yang stared at the side of Jaune's head, the word 'awkward' practically painted across his face. Okay, that was fine, all she had to do now was let him down easy and- "I might know a thing or two about it. What is it you want to know?" No! All she had to do was pretend like she couldn't help! Who cares if there were some conflicting reports on the rumors about her?! Ugh!
She heard Jaune let out a sigh as a smile came over his face. "Oh thank God, I was beginning to think I was never going to get an answer about this." He said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Really, I thought I was going to have to figure this out on my own. I mean, could you imagine me having to sit there and unravel all of that by myself? I know I'm not the smartest guy, so it probably would have-"
"Please just ask the question, Vomit-Boy." Yang said, her eyes more deadpan than she would have liked.
The blond boy next to her blanked for a moment, only to then awkwardly chuckle. "Oh, right. Sorry." The words fumbling out of his mouth like word-spaghetti. "Um, so you know how I've kind of got this thing, right? You know, for Weiss?"
"No way, I would have never guessed. We- we've got to get in touch with the press! Maybe the Council should hear about it too?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice like an IV line. "Do you think the Headmaster knows?"
To her surprise, she felt Jaune jostle her shoulder, frowning to himself. "Sorry I asked." He muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well, either way, you know I've got a thing for her, but I've noticed that she can't stand being around me. What's a guy supposed to do about that?"
Yang blinked, tilting her head. "Wow, you're actually self-aware about that?" She asked, her mouth moving faster than her brain. She at least had the decency to look guilty when Jaune glared at her. "What I'm trying to say is, I thought you didn't actually notice. Figured you thought she was playing hard to get or something."
Her fellow blond laughed, though it felt hollow. "Is that what people think of me? That I'm some kind of dense idiot?" Okay, maybe she hit a nerve. That was her fault.
"Uh, sorry." She said, patting Jaune on the back. "Look, I'm not sure I know what to tell you. As much as I love Weiss as a teammate, she's kinda… Weiss. You know?"
Yang watched as Jaune let his head fling backwards as he stared up at the ceiling. "So, what? There's no hope? I should just give up?" His voice sounded almost resigned. Like he already knew what her answer was supposed to be.
Well now she was just pissed.
What, she didn't have the right answer off the bat, so now she was suddenly going to let him down? Well, Yang Xiao Long wasn't a quitter, and neither should anyone else be while she was around! All she had to do was think. If she was literally anyone else, how would she deal with getting Weiss to warm up?
A second ticked by, then another, followed by a third. Wait, didn't her sister go through something like this?
The buxom blonde's eyes widened, smiling to herself. "Now, nobody ever said that." She said, her voice filled with mirth. Yang heard her blue-eyed classmate let out a confused hum, but she paid it no mind. "With Weiss, you've got to be careful. She's not exactly the friendliest girl around, but look at my team, right? You give her a bit of space, and before you know it, she gets used to you. You know, kinda like a house cat." Okay, so maybe she was talking out of her ass, but there had to be something to it, right?
Her sister managed to get on Weiss' good side by giving her a bit of space, so maybe if Jaune eased up on the throttle, there'd be some results? After all, if she was in Weiss' shoes, she probably wouldn't like it if someone orbited around her to get her constant attention, right?
Before giving her any kind of response, Jaune took a moment to stare at the ground. The gears in his head slowly creaked and turned, like an old grandfather clock that was neglected and in disrepair. If he gave Weiss some space..?
He let out a groan as he placed his hands on the sides of his head. "Was I too pushy? Was that it?" He asked out loud, his thoughts slipping from his mouth.
Yang giggled as she gave his back another slap, this one with enough force to send him lurching forward. "If you've got to ask, that's probably it." She started. "But don't worry, if you follow my advice, it'll probably work out."
"Probably?" He asked, quirking a brow. Jaune wasn't looking for a probably. He wanted to know if he stood a chance, not if he 'probably' stood a chance. If he wanted probables, he'd go back to Middle-School algebra.
The lilac-eyed girl next to him rolled her eyes. "Listen, you can't expect everything to work out one hundred percent of the time. So, in case things don't work out, you can't act like it's the end of the world." She rationalized. Well, he guessed that made sense. "Besides, whenever you get shot down by Weiss, your moping doesn't exactly make you look like quite the catch. Girls like confidence, or something, so act like it doesn't phase you. There's always tomorrow."
Jaune blinked, stunned to silence. But somewhere, deep down inside of him, he wanted to laugh. A chuckle slipped, then another, followed by a full blown laugh. Was it really that easy?
Though, soon enough, he came down from his laughing fit. "You mean to tell me that if I just ease up a little, and put on a bit of a better face, Weiss might act like I'm not some kind of bug?" Jaune asked, doing his best to wipe his tears from the corners of his eyes.
Yang laughed to herself. "Well, first you've got to put the effort in. And if that doesn't work, then I'm sure you'll find more fish in the sea and all that. But yeah, that's pretty much the basics of it." She was sure there was more she could say, but it probably wasn't going to be nearly as helpful. All Yang could hope for was the fact that her reputation wasn't absolutely tarnished.
Then again, it wasn't like Vomit Boy was going to go out of his way to ruin her or anything. So she'd probably be fine, right?
Jaune let out a sigh as he slumped forward, putting his face in his hands. "Well, at least there's hope, right?" He asked. Yang was supposed to be some kind of expert on this sort of thing, so if he followed what she said, he was going to make it. "Thanks for hearing me out though. Seriously."
Yang snickered, rolling her eyes. "Hey, don't mention it. I mean, come on, I do this for free. Besides, don't thank me until it works. I don't want to be responsible for any kind of heartache." Seriously, all she was doing was talking out of her ass. She did not deserve any thanks.
She watched as Vomit Boy laid his hands on his lap, letting out a sigh. "Right, well I appreciate it regardless. It's not exactly like I've got a whole lot of people to go to about this sort of thing." He started, chuckling to himself. "I mean, whenever I bring this up to Pyrrha, she gives me the generic answer of 'just be yourself.' If I go to Ren, I get some ancient Mistrali wisdom that I can't wrap my head around, and I refuse to bring this up to Nora."
The blonde girl blinked as she stared at her fellow blond. Wow, he really didn't have anyone else to go to, did he? Something about that made her feel a bit more special, if that made any sense. Not in a weird way, but still.
So, Yang nodded. "Yeah, I can see how that would be a bit of a pickle. But, lucky for you, I'm just a room away." She said. Besides, she was a little lucky that Vomit-Boy needed help at all, otherwise her day would have been kind of a waste. It was a win-win.
Jaune blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Does that mean that I can come ask for help anytime?" He asked, the words falling out of his mouth without warning. "I, uh- You can tell me if I'm intruding, I'd understand." He quickly followed up. The last thing he wanted to do was be a tumor on someone else's side.
Now it was Yang's turn to blank out. If she waved him off and told him no, there'd be conflicting thoughts about her helping him out. But if she did decide to help him further, she'd have to actually dedicate her time to someone else's romantic life, which she really didn't want to do. There was something almost immoral about it. Like she was the unnatural force that pushed two people closer.
But her reputation though…
The lilac-eyed girl sighed. "Listen, you know how I said that I do this sort of thing for free?"
Jaune quirked a brow. "Uh, yeah? I mean, if Lien's a problem-"
"Woah, no!" She quickly cut him off, putting a finger beneath his chin. "No money, I'm fine. I don't need to be paid, but a girl like me does get bored from time to time. So, whenever you need a bit of help figuring stuff out, give me a call in advance and we can do some training or something. I get my kicks, you get your advice." Kind of like today, come to think of it.
Jaune waited for the actual exchange part to kick in, tilting his head in patience. But it never came. "Wait, that's it?" He asked.
He watched as his buxom classmate squinted her eyes. "What do you mean 'that's it?' What, do you think I'm going to extort you or something?" Her words bearing as much heat as a desk lamp that was left on for too long.
Jaune quickly raised his hands in surrender, waving the white flag. "I just figured there'd be more… I dunno, cost in this exchange. You mean to tell me I'm getting free training and dating advice?" He wanted to make sure he wasn't missing some key detail or something.
"Who said it had to be an exchange?" Yang asked, quirking a brow. "I could just be offering a helping hand to a friend of my sister. Ruby likes you, and if Ruby thinks you're alright, that's good enough for me. So, are you gonna work with this or not?"
"I'd be braindead not to." He instantly replied, holding a hand out. Papa Arc always told him that a true man completes a deal with a handshake, and he supposed now was as good a time as any other to see that through.
Jaune felt Yang slug him across the arm, hissing in pain as he rubbed the sore spot. Okay, maybe Yang wasn't big on handshakes? "You're already a little braindead, you accepting just means that you're getting smarter." A smile taking up half of her face. "Now then, if you want to really get Weiss to like you, then I'm going to need to see what I'm working with. What's your schedule like?"
Yang watched the blond boy bring a hand to his chin as he hummed. "I mean, I do have to worry about my team and stuff, so it could get a little packed. But if I can set some time aside, I can always step out and knock on your door if you like?" Some part of her wanted to roll her eyes, but she let it go. She didn't know how busy it was to be a leader, so she wasn't going to pretend like she did.
"Just… hang on, I'll send you my contact info. If you're ever free, give me a call and we'll figure something out. Shoot, I might just call you." Yang replied, fishing her scroll from her pocket. "Hey, lucky you, you managed to get my number without chatting me up. Oh, don't go waving it around though, guys tend to get a little jealous." Her lilac eyes twinkled with what could only be described as goblin energy.
So, Jaune pulled out his scroll, doing his best to ignore Yang's very obvious teasing. She was honestly scarier when she wasn't trying to tease him. At least then, it was almost convincing. He went through the effort of copying her number over through his scroll, shooting her a quick text to make sure he got the number right.
Her scroll vibrated in her hands as the notification came up. "Alright, sick, you've got my number. If you need anything, go ahead and shoot me a call or a text. Just, uh, make sure we don't have to meet up before an exam night. My grades are a little, uh…" Yang said, not wanting to elaborate. She was an alright student, but her grades had been kinda dropping lately. Wasn't exactly good for her image.
She listened as Jaune laughed, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know what you mean. Is it Oobleck's or Port's class?"
Yang snickered. "Both." She easily replied. "Kinda hard to keep up with either of them, you know? Professor Port's a little slow for my liking, and Doctor Oobleck is… Doctor Oobleck." Her words ceased as her hand ran through her hair.
The blond boy sighed deeply, letting his head hang. "Same here. I really don't get how Pyrrha can keep up with either of them. Maybe there's some Mistrali wisdom I can get about it from Ren?" He asked aloud, not failing to notice the smile on Yang's face.
"Ooh, your teammate hands out fortune cookie wisdom? You think I could get him to read my palm or something?" She joked, holding hand outwards as her palm faced the sky. It was weird, the words just sort of flowed out of her mouth. Why was Vomit-Boy so easy to talk to?
Before she could so much as blink, she felt Vomit-Boy grab her hand, tracing his index over the top of her palm. His brows furrowed and eyes shut, leaving him to focus. "Hm… Your future is clouded." He started, making a stereotypical Mistrali old wise man voice. "No, wait, those are calluses." He corrected.
Yang pulled her hand from his grip, playfully shoving his shoulder. "I was asking about Ren, not you, Dork Knight. If I wanted a reading from you, I'd sooner ask about the weather. At least then, you can look at your scroll." It was almost like she was around Ruby, except if Ruby was a guy, and blond. Taller, too.
Huh, what a weird way to think about it.
Jaune snickered to himself as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Shut up, Saph. I'll have you know I'm really good at card readings." The words falling out of his mouth.
Though, instead of getting the rapid fire response he was expecting, he watched Yang blink as she tilted her head. "Who's Saph?" She asked, her tone conveying more curiosity than anything else. Only then did Jaune's head go through a hard reboot.
One second ticked by, then another, followed by a third. "Oh man, that's embarrassing." He said, awkwardly smiling as he pressed a hand to the back of his head. "Saph's… well, she's my sister. Kinda got sucked into the back and forth and it just slipped, you know?"
A smug smile crept onto Yang's face, her eyes squinting, barely hiding the twinkle of mirth in them. "Really now? Let me guess. Big sister?" She asked, hoping to satisfy her ego. Yang was a big sister too, so she imagined that she must have carried that energy too.
The blond boy sighed. Leave it to him to let out something so embarrassing. "Yep, she's my older sister. Getting into a bit of banter reminded me of home, so I just kinda said the first thing that came to mind." He muttered. "So, yeah. Uh, it's getting to be about that time, so I should probably be getting back to my room. Don't want to go worrying my team or anything, you know?"
Yang only laughed, waving him off. "If you need anything, give me a ring. Oh, and the next time I drag you out for some training, make sure to come dressed for it." She teased. But instead of getting so much as annoyance, or maybe even a laugh, she got a smile.
"Need I remind you that you dragged me out here with no warning." He quipped, noticing how Yang's eyes trailed away as her posture stiffened.
"I figured you wanted to train." She reasoned, rolling her wrist. "It's not like guys come to me for much else."
Jaune paused for a moment, mulling something over. If he said what he wanted to wrong, it could be disastrous. He had to be tactful, careful even- "Besides a fling, right?" No! He wanted tactful, not stupid! Were his wires crossed or something?!
The boy grit his teeth, leaning away from the blonde girl next to him. But instead of getting angry, Yang got quiet. "Uh… yeah, right. Those. Those are definitely things I do. Yep. Hundred percent." The words fumbling out of her mouth, her face pale, almost lifeless.
Meanwhile, Yang's head wasn't fairing much better. She wanted to tear her hair, her pride and joy, from her scalp, purely from the cringe she was feeling. She could have said anything that would have sounded cooler, and she just fumbled it! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"Anyway, I'm gonna go back to the dorms now. I'll see you later." Yang said, standing up from her place on the bench before speed walking towards the door. "You know, busy me! Call me later!"
She didn't even bother looking back as she blitzed out of the room, her scroll jostling in her pocket as she all but ran towards the dorms. All she wanted to do now was curl up in a ball and pretend like she didn't just embarrass herself for a while. She didn't know the first thing about getting someone's attention to that degree!
Yang may not have had much trouble turning heads, but that's because she made sure to look her best as often as she could. That, and she wore clothes that she was comfortable in. Something loose enough to be active in, but something stylish enough to make her look great. Getting people to look at her was easy.
The blonde girl did her best to avoid eye contact with her fellow students as she walked back to her dorm. Even if an acquaintance thought to give her a wave or a simple hello, she brushed past them without a look. She couldn't afford small talk, all she could do was get back to her dorm.
Or, so she thought, until she remembered a particularly crucial detail, the thought popping to the front of her mind as she walked through the entrance of her dorm.
She forgot her clothes in the training room.
Yang groaned, closing her door behind her. Whatever, she'd get them later.
The blonde girl couldn't stop herself from climbing onto the top of her bed, face planting into her pillow, and screaming. Yang kicked her legs against her mattress, her voice muffled by her pillow as she grabbed at her hair. Of all things to involve herself with, it had to be someone else's romantic affairs!
Soon enough, her body went limp, her voice giving out. "Just can't help but get yourself into these sorts of things, huh?" She muttered, voicing her thoughts. Well, they had to go somewhere, and they certainly weren't allowed to stay in her head.
Oh well, she supposed it was no one else's problem but hers. If only she didn't spend some much time worrying about how other people thought of her, then she wouldn't have to deal with the stupid stuff she managed to get herself into. Parties, clubbing, ditching class every once and a while, she had the habit of doing all of those so long as someone was pushy enough.
She couldn't help but feel a little like a doormat. Or maybe a broken lock.
The blonde girl sat up from her place on her bed, taking a deep breath as she straightened her back. "Whatever. It is what it is, I guess." She said, tacking a smile onto her face. "Summer didn't raise a quitter." Maybe calling her Summer was wrong, but she couldn't quite call her Mom either. The title of Mom didn't exactly have positive connotations for her.
Yang had until the weekend to figure something out. Something that could help her get a read on Vomit-Boy while simultaneously giving her something fun to do. She had half a mind to walk around Vale aimlessly until something showed up, but what was the point? The most she'd find out was that Vomit-Boy had trouble planning, and that wasn't saying much.
The blonde girl crossed her legs as she huffed, tapping at her chin through furrowed brows. "Okay, if I were someone who knew how to put together some kind of dating guide, where would I take someone?" It was a little tricky, honestly. She imagined it was probably something simple. Basic, really. But not so much as to be boring.
It had to be different, but normal. Cheap, but somehow still interesting.
She sat there for a moment, her leg bobbing in place as she rubbed her eyes. Whatever, she could just look something up. Who cared if it wasn't something that came from her, right? After all, it wasn't like she was going to be the one on the date or anything.
Though, as her leg bobbed and her mind rattled, dozens of thoughts leaving what essentially made white noise filling her brain, Yang felt her scroll buzz in her pocket.
"Huh?" She muttered, tapping at her pocket. "Okay, let's see what this is." It was probably just some random text from a number she didn't remember having. Either way, Yang rummaged around her pocket before yanking out her scroll.
Yang didn't waste any time, flicking it open to check the notification. Weirdly enough, she was right. She did get a text, just not from anyone she expected. She figured she was going to get a text from some old friends from Signal, but instead, she got one from Vomit Boy.
The blonde girl furrowed her brows as she stared at the notification, taking her time to tap it. "Okay, that's weird. Didn't think he'd want to chat so soon." Her scroll switched over to her messenger. A chuckle slipped from her lips as her screen buffered. "Hey, maybe he's texting me to say that he gives up on Weiss? That would make my job from here on leagues easier." She joked.
But when her scroll finished buffering, the smile on her face dropped like an anchor.
Hey, the message read. You left your uniform in the sparring room, so I figured I'd bring it out for you. I left it in front of your door. Oh, and thanks again for earlier. Vomit Boy's message being topped off by a little smiling face.
Yang stared at the message, her eyes going over it again, and again, and again. She tossed aside her scroll as she rolled off the side of her bunk, thudding against the floor and throwing herself to her feet. Rushing to the door, she all but peeled the door from its hinges as she pulled it open. Lo and behold, her previously stripped clothes were left in a neat little pile, right in front of her door. Folded too.
The blonde girl dragged a hand down her face as a hint of heat clung to her cheeks.
"This is going to be way harder than I thought."
Well, I guess I'll just speed through the note today. I got bored of a lot of the things going on in my life, dropped writing fanfiction for a little while, picked up a bunch of different little projects for the sake of fun, and I did a lot of learning. A lot of self-improvement, really. Normally, this would be the part where I'd apologize to anyone that was waiting for me to update other stories, but I can't say I feel too bad.
I needed a break, so I took one. Now I'm back, and I'm gonna be posting things on my own time, writing at my own pace, working on whatever the fuck I feel like. If that sounds sick to you, feel free to follow whatever you find relevant.
Anyway, I don't think this story's gonna be anything that I'm going to be too committed to, just something for fun. I get to write an interesting dynamic mixed in with mildly silly scenarios. In short, I'm not aiming to be the most realistic guy in the world for this story, and I think that's okay.
Something's will certainly be grounded, but let's be honest, the odds of half of the things playing out in this story being realistic is low. But hey, who cares as long as it's fun, right?
So yeah, I guess this is me saying I'm sort of back. I can't promise any schedules like I used to, and I'm not sure if I can bother promising consistent uploads, but the ones that you read will have a seal of quality. Take some solace in that.
Discord: 7ksPCNs32ZM
Anyway, I guess I should post this some time tomorrow, huh? Well, off to bed I go. Ciao.
