All credit to respective owners.
P.S. Heavy editing may make this chapter a little janky but I couldn't fix it better.
-Y.A.R.N.
Jaune ducked out of the way of one imaginary fist, making sure the he swayed out of his assailant's strike range. Jaune's practice in CQC had been mostly honing his skills with a his light-blade, not hand-to-hand even though he knew a middling amount of combat, Yang had been practicing since she was younger and without the torment of Curdun Cay. Sure, he was getting better at dodging and already knew how to roll with strikes that hit him, but any punches and kicks had been neatly countered by Yang when she demonstrated the basics. He had been knocked off his feet more time than he cared to admit when he and Yang started these sessions. After a week of him not attacking with finesse, Yang started teaching him technique and she even invited him to her house to practice with her basement gym.
(Her idea of 'sparring' wasn't really viable as he was nowhere near her level in skill. Yang wasn't the sort to give him any room to breathe as she dogged his movements with no change to give him a break. He had agreed to spar a week ago and — instead of sparring — he played cat and mouse with Yang after the first two spars and she was getting irritated. He was already getting a read on how she fought as she was a kickboxer before she got her powers and kept up with her skill even after her powers developed and her family hid it. The problem Jaune ran into is that he had no chance against her despite his time in Curdun Cay; Yang Xiao Long had way too much skill in melee combat.)
"Keep going!" She demanded, holding the punching bad Jaune was beating on steady, "I want every last bit of effort!"
Blake sat on the steps leading to the first floor of Yang's house while Ruby reclined on one of the couches Yang had dragged down to make her personal gym a little more cozy. Jaune pulled back after finishing his last flurry of punches, chest heaving as he wiped some of the sweat dripping down his face. His hand snapped up to catch a chilled water bottle heading for his shoulder and he grinned at Ruby who smiled at him.
"Thanks." He said as he uncapped the bottle to take a swig of the water, "So what do you think Yang? How am I doing?"
"Better." Yang replied, "You still got a long way to go before you're close to even give me a decent workout Glowstick."
Jaune huffed at the nickname, "Can you please stop calling me that?"
Yang laughed at his expression, "Nope!"
"You should get moving, your shift starts in an hour." Blake said, voice quiet.
Jaune seemed to stiffen and hesitate at her voice before looking at his watch and paling, "Shit!"
He quickly gathered his workout items and hastily bid goodbye to the three girls — voice hitching at Blake — before dashing up the stairs and yelling out a speedy thank you to an amused pair of adults.
"So what's up?" Yang said without preamble, noting Blake's eyes narrowing at the stairs.
Blake didn't bother deflecting and sagged in melancholy, "He's been spending more time away from the cafe with a friend he made."
"Is that a problem?" Ruby followed, twisting to face Blake. "Is he avoiding you or ignoring you?"
"A while ago he was a bit distant, and once he started hanging out with her he seemed to relax again." Blake murmured, frowning at the floor, "It's just… I don't want to sound petty but it's just weird not to see Jaune all the time anymore."
Yang bit her lip, trying not to feel guilty at what her thoughtless words had caused between the two.
Yang knew she was just being playful.
But apparently Jaune hadn't found the humor and actually considered what he felt and what that meant.
And Yang — stupidly and recklessly — forced him to actually think on what he felt and that shattered him in a whole new way because she decided to be utterly direct about it.
She could see what was between them clearly, anyone could see it if they knew what to look for.
They didn't.
Maybe they subconsciously knew what would happen if they did.
She loved to tease Blake about her feelings towards Jaune because Blake was easily able to take it and ignore it (even if she refused to acknowledge that there was something there that she could feel). And Jaune had been blissfully unaware or unwilling to acknowledge what he felt, refusing to entertain the idea. Blake may have eventually realized what she felt for him even without everyone else pointing it out, but Jaune never really tried to think too hard about it. Not just because he was struck with same density that afflicted all men everywhere when it came to women and he also had a cripplingly low self-esteem. It had been better now that his secret was out and no one seemed to be batting too much of an eye at it, but his issues were in no way fixed.
So why would he even consider that felt something more, something that he couldn't classify for Blake Belladonna?
Yang pushing him to think about it was the straw that SHATTERED the camel's back and caused Jaune to withdraw and try to find anything to distract himself.
She had come across Pyrrha Nikos every now and then and Yang could honestly say the girl was gorgeous and well-manned.
Very easy to like.
Very easy for Jaune to like.
Very easy for Blake's heart to break.
And the absolute confusion and fear that splashed across Jaune's face as he realized that he had unknowingly fallen HARD for Blake was heart-wrenching. He had closed off and vanished before Yang could even try to backpedal after seeing his expression. He hadn't made an appearance until his classes or his work shifts, shutting himself away from the rest of the world when he could until he decided to hang out with Pyrrha. Yang wasn't low enough to accuse Jaune of playing with anyone's feelings, and neither Blake nor Pyrrha had admitted to anything so Jaune wasn't doing anything wrong.
Yang did manage to coax him into the training she promised but he wasn't exactly happy to be around; he smiled and joked, but it was all a facade. Yang may not have had with him what she would normally require to be a friend, but she was frighteningly good at reading people. Jaune was in no way an exception as how he was unreserved in his expressions around people he felt comfortable with. Yang had burned the comfort he felt in her presence and that hurt in its own way because Jaune just wasn't the type of person to be angry with others. The thing was that Jaune was not happy with Yang and while he didn't let him affect how he acted around other people, she could see a flash of anger unfurl in his eyes whenever she looked at him.
He loved easily and in his own stupidly self-sacrificing way, he had settled for something far less than what he really wanted and pretty much shut down any remote possibility of anything more. Anyone was better for Blake than him, he still thought he was too messed up, too ugly — in a way that had nothing to do with physical appearance — to ever be loved in that way.
So he made sure he never let himself feel that way about anyone, but Jaune couldn't help what he felt.
He could run from it, ignore it and enjoy his blissful stupidity.
But he couldn't do that anymore, and he was now pulling away so he could justify why he and Blake were not a good fit.
Yang would not let that stand, she had caused the rift and now she would close it come hell or high-water.
Jaune sighed as the latest customer left the cafe, leaving him to his currently uncomfortable thoughts.
Why did Yang have to say that?
In hindsight, it was obvious just how much he liked Blake. Even back when Cardin had been playing the ass, Winchester thought that Jaune wasn't just a friend to Blake. Jaune had point-blank ignored the insinuation that Jaune and Blake had slept together when he was corning Blake before Jaune decked him. Jaune had been content to ignore it, being with a conduit was only a disaster waiting to happen. That excuse wasn't really a viable one anymore as Blake seemed completely unaffected or put off by his powers.
Jaune had always thought of everything and nothing when it came to his best friend and how he felt. She was special in a way he couldn't just… reduce her to a romantic interest and at the same time she held his hand through his troubles and was angry on his behalf, staying with him through thick and thin. She was wonderful and deserved everything he had to give, but love was a two way street and he was sure she didn't feel that way about him. She could love him, but she would never be in love with him and that hurt in a way Jaune couldn't explain.
So he had let all these confusing thoughts — and the fear and uncertainty and feelings they caused — fester in the back of his head until Yang pushed him to think.
Now he didn't want to think on it at all.
In a desperate bid to try to forget, he hung out a lot with Pyrrha since his not-exactly-unwelcome realization.
And to his happy-but-not-quite-surprise, he really enjoyed himself when he was with her as she wanted to learn more about the city. It was a strangely new-yet-nostalgic experience showing her around the town and letting her soak in the sights and culture of Empire City. He had been in her shoes at one point in his life and he didn't have anyone to show him the layout or where the sights were. Being alone sucked and he never would wish that on anyone, especially not someone as friendly and polite as Pyrrha.
Days stretched into weeks.
Then she revealed that she had powers and Jaune smiled in understanding, pieces about why she had left her hometown behind slotting into place. she had mentioned that while her family hadn't outed her — sparking the lingering remnants of jealousy and betrayal in his heart — the people around her made her life unbearable. Jaune hadn't had many good friends back in his hometown but he had never even thought about the few he had before the DUP arrested him. It helped not to dwell on the life he had, and he advised Pyrrha that even if she couldn't have what she one had, that didn't mean things couldn't be good again.
With her powers now something he could relate with, he decided she should also get a taste of the conduit-side of life here. He showed her the underground tunnels where Conduits practiced and where they signed their names — or tagged depending on whether or not they artistically inclined — as a sort of exclusive club. She showed off her impressive control of her magnetism while they practiced together in one of the underground atriums.
Still it wasn't fair to Blake or Pyrrha if he was just using it as a distraction; even weeks after the realization the words bounced around in his head.
He sighed and placed his hands over his head, "I need to talk to someone."
Saphron hummed to herself as she washed dishes from her breakfast with her wife and son, enjoying her life so much more ever since her reconnection to her little brother. She hadn't been fully aware of large the wound in her heart had been until she saw him again. Now he called on his own, just to see how they were doing, to make sure he made the most of their mended connection and make her heart swell.
She laughed lightly to herself, she really was a doting mom to her little brother.
She paused when her phone rang and showed Jaune's image, she quickly picked up, "Hey Jaune."
She smiled at his simple reply, "Hey Saph."
God, it felt good to hear his voice that wasn't a dream, even if it was over the phone.
"What's going on?"
"Just… I need some advice. You being married, I thought you would be the best to ask." He replied, sounding… worried, "If you don't have time right now. I can call later!"
Saphron frowned, "Jaune. I will never be too busy for you. What's wrong?"
There was a long pause.
Jaune took a long inhale, "I think I am in love. With Blake."
Another long moment where Saphron couldn't help the happy squeal as her brother asked her about girl advice. Saphron was happy that Jaune was in love, but she knew that his insecurities wouldn't be smoothed over with the snap of her fingers. This was the first sign of a huge leap in recovery for her little brother and it was better than she could have hoped for!
"Saph, I can't be in love with her! I don't deserve her!"
Saphron's giddy elation at his admission ebbed at the words her little brother said about himself. Jaune's pain was deep and had burrowed deep into his psyche; although she understood that, Saphron would protect Jaune from anything, even if it was from himself.
"Why shouldn't you be in love with her?"
Jaune gave a bitter laugh, "Do you even need to ask?"
"I just did Jaune. Give me a good reason why you shouldn't be in love with her."
"She's my best friend!"
"She understands you best out of all the people you know in that city and has stuck by you through all the issues you've had there." Saph reminded him, "It's not a crime to feel something beyond friendship for her given how she's been someone to lean on."
"She doesn't feel the same way. She just being a good friend who cares and I'll mess up my relationship with her if she doesn't feel the same way!"
"Jaune… I know people who loved who wouldn't stay for some of the things that you've been through. I may not know Blake that well, but if she is holding onto you through all that? I think she may care more than even she knows herself."
"But I can't be in love with her, she could never… I shouldn't Saph."
"That's one of the risks of falling for someone Jaune. You can't always predict who you fall for, you can't even control who your drawn to. You just have to accept it."
"I'm a conduit!"
"You know she doesn't give a damn if you are. That's an excuse that you fall back on because it's easier to justify why you don't deserve good things in your life. You don't need to hate yourself anymore Jaune, you deserve so much good and you don't have a single good reason as to why you don't."
"… What if I am making a mistake? What should I do?"
"That's something I can't tell you Jaune. You have to decide what you want to do. Suppress what you feel? Embrace it and express it? I can't choose for you, you need to figure out how you will go on. All I can tell you is that you need to straighten it out or you'll confuse or hurt Blake and she won't know why you're avoiding her. And yes, you are even if you are trying your best not to act out of character, she probably knows you too well. Maybe she feel the same, maybe she won't. Maybe you'll go out on a few dates and separate, or maybe this'll last for life. You have to make a choice Jaune, just know that whatever the choice may be, we have your back."
Jaune sighed, "I wish I hadn't known, it was easier to live life when this realization didn't come out of nowhere…"
He could hear the rueful smile in his sister's voice, "Life is always going to be messy and difficult as you learn more and more about it. Even with all those powers you have Jaune, nothing can change that."
Cinder closed her eyes and focused on lifting the bed in her apartment with just her mind, sweat beading on her forehead. With her telekinetic skills so neglected, she may have been pushing herself a bit harder than recommended, but she was determined. She had a way to grow her physical power and she would use until she could shatter the chains around her neck.
It had been Jaune who had inspired the idea as she saw him on the roof of the building where he lived bending metal with his bare hands(she definitely wanted Jaune to be her most loyal ally, and so she had been observing him and trying to find her way to control him). She realized that Ozpin — for all of his contacts and observations — must have had some scruples in putting surveillance private quarters, and she had thoroughly checked her apartment and found that the cameras only watched her front door. Obviously she could order some lightweights to keep her in shape and not arise suspicions — she had no doubts that Ozpin was keeping a close eye on her expenses — but her bedroom was not monitored, and she did have a heavy bed that she could pile things on. She had indulged in a good laugh at Ozpin's ignorance, who would've that the brilliant man's morals would have left such a considerable blind spot?
She had been so focused on traditional ways for Conduits to get stronger that she had never even considered how she could substitute traditional tools for help with the less conventional.
She would have to thank Jaune later.
Jaune psyched himself into seeing Blake.
No, he was not going to confess how he felt.
He wasn't going to shove it down, lock it up tight, and let it come out in spurts of alcoholism and violence.
Or stilted silences and power detox in the sewers.
He wasn't picky.
He wasn't going to make any overt gestures (or any at all since he was well aware that he was incapable of subtlety), would keep his mind open (and his longing deep where it would not affect him) and if Blake asked him out?
He would happily accept.
But he did want to talk to Yang before anything else happened.
She needed to know that it was fine when it was teasing, but she had pushed too far and he was not okay with it. He was under no delusions when it involved his mental state and general health, especially since he was not stable. Yang may have shed light on a matter he had been unconsciously ignoring, but he wasn't happy that she had nearly caused him to breakdown all over again. He was going to mend things with Blake — because now there was a noticeable gap between them — and worry about everything else another time.
So with that mindset in his head, he walked into the cafe only to see Blake standing behind the counter, looking a bit surprised to see him visit given it wasn't his shift quite yet.
"Hey." She said softly.
Jaune sighed, he really should've spent more time with Blake while he was trying to get his head on straight, she was hurt by his distance.
"Do you want to watch a movie Blake?" He threw out casually, "It's the adaptation of the one you've been reading."
Her eyes lit up, "You have tickets?"
"Yep." Jaune replied, "Wanted it to be a surprise!"
At Blake smile, Jaune grinned widely; he didn't need to worry her that she had done something wrong because that was the last thing she needed. He smiled and took his place behind the counter, smile on his face and heart light, he was going to take his life as it came.
Pyrrha Nikos sat on her bed with a smile, taking in her furnished living area with satisfaction sparking in her chest. It had taken her a long time to stop living out of boxes but she had unpacked and the unfamiliar apartment had finally taken on a more home and lived-in sort of feel. She owed a lot of it to Jaune and Blake, they had become good friends and Jaune had especially gone out of his way to show her everything he could. It also helped that he could sympathize with her having gone through similar issues throughout his life. Something like that may seem small, but it was invaluable and she knew the value of someone willing to help you with no reservations.
She was not letting that slip away if she had any say in it.