Beta Reader and Editor: TheMischieviousPuppyDog

"Damn it… my head."

"It's about time!"

Jaune Arc shot up from his bed. A sharp pain shot through his skull, and he raised a hand to his head to try and steady his spinning vision. Everything was still a bit blurry for him, but as he blinked, the world around him slowly began to clear.

The first thing he noticed was the sheets he was under. They were pristine white, unlike the usual baby blues he favored. Next was that he wasn't even in regular clothing. He was dressed in a white robe with white trousers. The third was the bed that he was in, full size at best, with rails lifted on both sides and with a ton of buttons within arm's reach.

The room itself wasn't huge and was very plain. White walls, empty counters with many cabinets, a tv mounted in the corner of the room, and…

"Jaune, you are useless."

Sitting in one of the chairs by his bedside, his abusive girlfriend, no, his former childhood tormentor, sat. Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Company, looked at him with a smirk. Not just any smirk, that smirk she always wore when she was talking down to him. That smirk of superiority that she always held over him due to her fame and wealth.

It was always maddening to look at.

Jaune and Weiss had been childhood friends since they were five. She had been friendly when they first met, and they had become fast best friends in just a few short days. They played in the sandbox and built castles for their imaginations to run wild. Weiss had always been the queen and took little time to boss him around as she called him her "loyal knight." What a joke.

None of the other kids had played with them, and he never wondered why until Weiss told him they found him weird and didn't want to play with either of them. Not even her. He hadn't known and apologized to her, but she had said that she was a kind girl and that she would always be with him even if others found him weird. Lucky him, right?

Then there were the times in grade school when he wouldn't take notes for her, not share his lunches, or score higher than her on a test. All of which made her upset, and she would call him names like "unkind," nerdy," or "greedy." Things that painted him as the bad guy or made it seem like he didn't care for her. The usual routine would then follow where he would apologize and she would "forgive him" by having him do something for her. The more demeaning, the better.

And then junior high rolled around, where she coerced(forced) him into a relationship with her. That was where things started to get worse. If he didn't reply to her texts on time, not walk her to school both before and after, or did something as mundane as talk to another girl about borrowing an eraser, she would verbally berate him. But not in the private space where no one could hear, oh no. She would wait until they were in front of a crowd of people and belittle him like he was a child. She would tell the school of secrets he thought was kept between them. She would chastise his appearance and personality, things she told him she thought were better for him. She had even gone so far as to threaten to break up with him.

Jaune had been on his hands and knees for her more times than he could count.

"You are a massive failure of a boyfriend like that. Passing out because of a little rain? Scaring my friends and me? Being out for three days? Those are not good boyfriend qualities, you know."

Ah, that was right. The latest event that had wound him up in this place. As she began her tirade again, he remembered what had transpired to put him in this hospital bed. Everything started to click for the blonde as the memories of what happened flooded back to him.

He had been at home, studying for an upcoming test at school. There had been warnings of heavy rainfall that evening, so Jaune had made sure to rush home before he could get caught in it. He had showered and was just about ready to start making his dinner… before she called him.

"Jaune, me, and some friends are coming over. Be sure to pick us up from the store." It had been what she told him.

"Can't Klein drop you off at my house?" He replied.

"No. My friends and I are grabbing something to eat, and Klein has matters to attend to with my father. Be there in five minutes."

"Do. Not. Be. Late."

That had been the end of the call, which led to the return of a stomach pain that had been plaguing him for months. Jaune had been close, oh so close, to tell her he was sick and would not be able to make it, let alone host her and her friends. But he decided against it, knowing the consequences would be her berating him for hours later. So, he grabbed his only umbrella and took off just as the first few droplets started to fall.

The blonde boy rushed with the fear of her telling him off. She always had her hair and nails done, and her make-up was always perfect. The last thing he wanted was an earful that he had been the cause of ruining her look, and he also knew she had a subtle fear of thunder.

He had arrived at the time she ordered, and the rain had indeed started to come down on him. He had already been soaked, but the fact he did not see Weiss outside meant things were somewhat okay.

It only took a moment to see her through the establishment's window. She was sitting in a booth, laughing at something someone had said, eating a parfait without a care in the world.

Wasn't this the time she wanted him to show up? Did she not see him waiting outside for her? Was she not ready to be picked up, and he misheard her?

Jaune pulled out his scroll and sent her a text. He watched her as she picked up her scroll and read it. In moments he had a text back, and it wasn't comforting.

"You took too long. Just wait there for a bit."

He froze as he stared at the screen. A moment later, the stomach pain returned, and he had to hunch over and wrap his arm over his gut in reaction.

He contemplated waiting. He should have just left her. Told her to shove it and that his health took priority over her sick and twisted games. But like the fool he was, he decided against it and stood.

The rain hadn't stopped for over an hour. He stood there the entire time until she and her friends stepped out of the restaurant.

"He actually waited for the whole hour!" One of her friends exclaimed. "Haha, I won the bet!"

"Damn it…" The other groaned as he handed over the lien. He turned to Jaune, a glaring look in his eye. "Next time, show some backbone!"

"No need to be a sore loser," a third consoled the first with a smug grin. "Look at him; his hair is all wet. He looks like a beaten puppy."

Jaune felt a massive surge of pain that rocked his gut. It had been such a force that he fell to his knees and hunched forward so far his forehead kissed the pavement. His vision blurred slightly, and he began to pant as his body felt hot. Too hot.

"It's just like I told you guys," he heard her sickeningly sweet voice. "Jaune will do anything I tell him to."

She moved over to stand in front of him. She crouched down, elbows resting on her thighs, face resting in her palms, and that smug smile still on her face.

"Right~, Jaune? You'll do anything I say, right?"

The pain had increased. He could no longer breathe. The world had started to spiral. His vision had begun to fade. His body felt like it was on fire. His hands had become numb. At that moment, he felt like he was dying.

The memories stung, and the mere reminder made his chest hurt like never before. Things like this have been daily between them ever since they were children. But he never thought it would culminate in him being hospitalized.

Guess there was a limit, even for him.

"I won't break up with you, though," Weiss said, bringing the boy back to reality. He looked up to see her still smiling. She looked as if she thought herself a goddess gracing him with her presence and kindness. "Am I not so great, Jaune?"

"I see…" He muttered. Jaune wasn't grateful. He wasn't relieved. He wasn't even happy. No, he was done. "Let's break up then."

The heiress paused, and a look of surprise washed away the grin from before. "H-Huh!?"

For a moment, he liked that look on her face.

Weiss tried to recover and put on a half-attempt smile. "W-What are you saying, Jaune?"

"You always said how you wanted to break up, right?" He asked, gaining a little confidence to look her in the eyes. "It should be fine, right? To break up so you can be free of me, right?"

There was a moment of silence. Then she started to laugh. She laughed until there were tears in her eyes, and she sat on his bed, wiping them away with a lone finger.

"Breaking up? Ahaha, that was a good joke. One of my friends could learn a thing or two from you." She leaned over to him and stroked a lone finger under his chin, following his jawline. "You do not have any right to decide that, Jaune."

He stared at her as she pulled away from him and stood up. She walked back to her chair and grabbed her purse that had been resting on the seat.

"After all, you could never make the right decisions without me." She pulled out a checkbook with her family's emblem on the cover—a single white snowflake. "However, I am not crude enough not to admit when I may have taken things a little too far. So, how much will it be to say I'm sorry?"

"I don't want your money…." He whispered.

Weiss leaned forward, having not heard. "What was that?"

"I said, I don't want your money!" He spoke his voice firm and commanding. It felt too good to finally stand up to her. He was not backing down, not anymore. "I said we're done, Weiss!"

"W-What!?" She seemed genuinely shocked this time. The pen fell from her grasp and hit the floor, resonating through the silence that had taken over the room.

"I can't be with you anymore. I'm done. It's over."

If there was one thing he could commend his ex for, it was her resilience. Fame throughout her entire life, she had grown used to high-pressure situations and could adapt very well to them. So when her shock immediately returned to the arrogance she always showed him, he was not surprised.

"Someone like you does not have the right to dump someone as amazing as me!" She said, settling herself back onto his bed. She moved her hand over his and gripped it, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. It was something he had realized she did when she was displaying her dominance over him but covered it as her showing affection. "Other than me, no one will want to hang out with you. You'll be an outcast. A loner. A dunce at best."

He lowered his head, an action she took as him realizing his mistake. But before she could tell him to grovel and apologize, he spoke.

"If it's true, then I'll be that dunce. I'll be that loner. I don't care as long as I'm no longer with you. I am done, Weiss Schnee. We. Are. Done!"

He shot up and lifted her with ease. He shoved her to the door, opened it, and pushed her outside.

"You should be happy. You're finally free from a useless boyfriend like me, right? Go have fun with your friends."

"W-Wait! What are you doing!?" He slammed the door. She shot around and banged her fist on the door. "Jaune!"

The blonde stood by the door, bracing against it as the world still felt a little fuzzy around him. He shouldn't have stood so fast, but the relief he felt getting her out of the room. The freedom he felt with finally pushing her out of his life. He could stand feeling a little shaken as everything else felt sweet.

"Jaune isn't this the part where you're supposed to start apologizing!?"

She was still there, still trying to manipulate him. He turned around and slid to the floor, resting his back against the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you are currently in a hospital," he heard a woman say from the other side.

"Ah, I am so sorry," she apologized. Something Jaune had never heard her verbally do toward him. "We had gotten into a fight… I had messed up. I apologize once more and will take my leave for the day."

Jaune then heard the footsteps of her leaving and sighed in relief as they slowly faded into silence. He had done it. He had finally been freed. The weight on his shoulders was no longer there, and a feeling of joy filled him to the brim.

He was free. Truly free!

His hair shifted in front of his eyes, and he lifted a hand to stroke at the long locks that covered his vision.

"Jaune, do you ever look in the mirror?"

"Why?"

"Your face, it isn't that good looking. You might get bullied for it."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, you should grow your hair out. Do that for me, okay?"

"O-Okay. Sorry, Weiss…"

Jaune let go of the lock, and it fell back into place. Well, if there was any way to start a new life, it was to start with a new look.

-XOXOX-

"Whoa, who's the transfer student?"

"He's so tall and blonde!"

"Totally my type!"

Jaune walked into class and set his bag down by his desk. The school had been in an uproar ever since he arrived, and from the sound of things, it seemed a transfer student was the source of it. It was odd, as it was late in the semester, but he wouldn't question it.

"His hair looks so soft!"

"Kyaa, he's such a hottie!"

"You think he likes casserole?"

Hm? Jaune lifted his head from his bag and began to look around. Had the transfer student been moved into his classroom? He looked to the left and saw no one new. He then looked to the right and met three girls huddled together close to his desk and looking at him. Their cheeks were red, and they looked about ready to pass out.

Why were they looking at him? Wasn't there some hot transfer student?

He made eye contact with each of them, and they all sounded like hot tea kettles as they turned away and clung to one another.

'What a cliche reaction.' He thought but still couldn't understand why.

"The rumors, dude. They're talking about you," someone spoke up.

Jaune turned and came to meet a guy. He was tall, not as tall as him, and he even had blonde hair and blue eyes like him. His shirt was half-buttoned, and he had his tie hanging loosely. And behind him, a monkey's tail swung back and forth, thus making him a faunus.

The blondes stared at one another for a moment before the guy finally said, "Oh, I'm Sun Wukong, by the way."

Wait, someone was talking to him? "Ah, I'm Jaune Arc." He muttered.

Sun laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "I know who you are, dude. I guess no one else does because you always had those long bangs covering your face."

"A-Ah, I see…." Jaune replied, unsure of what to say.

"Wait, you're that Jaune Arc!?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah… I am…" He replied.

"You look so much better without all that hair in your face!" A second commented.

"Yeah, who knew we had a gem this whole time!" The third agreed.

"Ah, I'm sorry…." He apologized from pure instinct. It seemed like it was his fault for keeping his face hidden, so he did what he always would when he was wrong.

"Dude, there's no need to apologize," Sun shrugged. "Though, I gotta know, why the new debut?"

Because of Weiss…

"I just decided to make a change…."

"Hey, I'm not judging. But I will say I like it!" Sun gave him a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

"Oh, thank you for the compliment." Jaune looked around to see the group all smiling at him. It was infectious, and soon a smile was on his face. "Makes me happy to hear that."

Doki!

Sun and the girls blushed. Never before had they seen such an innocent and pure smile. Not since Ruby, of course. But Ruby was naturally adorable. Jaune, on the other hand, was very handsome, and to see such an expression on his face. Sun had to reassure himself that he was not gay.

-XOXOX-

"So, Jaune, what are you eating for lunch?" Sun asked, locking his hands behind his head.

"I haven't decided yet. It's my first time heading towards the cafeteria," the fellow blonde replied.

"Really? You'll have to get what I get; then, it's always the best!" The faunus cheered.

Jaune nodded. "Sure!"

Sun smiled that toothy smile. "Man, Jaune, you're so easy to talk to. I would never have guessed, considering how you always kept to yourself."

"Ehehe, yeah, sorry for always seeming so distant. Thanks for talking to me today, though," Jaune said with a refreshing smile.

Sun had tiny stars in his eyes. "Dude, you're so kind, and you look good! You're giving me a run for my money!"

Jaune smiled. "Nah, I'm pretty average. You, on the other hand, are funny, athletic, and way nicer."

"Awww, dude!" Sun threw himself onto his fellow blonde, giving him a side hug. "Still, you shouldn't be smiling too much. That thing is powerful. It's way too powerful for mere mortals like us."

Jaune paused, looking slightly confused before he burst out laughing. "Hahaha, what the heck are you talking about, Sun?"

The group blushed at the boisterous laughter from the boy who had never shown an ounce of emotion before today. It was innocent, carefree, and joyous. The twinkle in his eyes, the pearly whites that flashed behind his lips, even the way the corner of his eyes crinkled. It was… It was…

"So cute~!"

"Ahhh~!"

As Jaune came down, he saw the reaction of everyone and turned to Sun. The faunus was also trying to cope with his swirl of emotions. He wasn't looking at him and held a hand over his mouth.

"I'm straight... One hundred percent straight…." Jaune heard him mutter over and over again.

Weird, but he shrugged it off. It was also at that moment that a familiar presence was felt from his opposite side. He turned and, leaning against the wall, Weiss was glaring at him.

It was the expression she always had when she was really angry with him. He could probably guess why after the text messages she had sent him.

"I'm getting annoyed. You better apologize this instant."

"I swear, Jaune, you are making a BIG mistake!"

"Do you know how much I sacrificed for you!"

"All that I've done, and you're trying to end it over this!?"

"Where would you be without me!? Alone and a loser!"

"I am a Schnee! No one, NO ONE, breaks up with a Schnee!"

He had promptly blocked her afterward. So now he assumed she wanted to try and confront him about it. It had been a couple of days and he would have liked to assume that she would be mature about it and start to move on. But this was his ex and he knew that she would not. However, that wasn't his problem what she thought or did anymore.

He moved to continue on.

"Wait!"

Only for her to step in front of him. She looked haggard, for what reason he didn't know. She also seemed panicked, if how quickly she got in front of him was any indication. Someone who had been so confident, so sure of herself, someone with all the power. So it was confusing why she was like this since they had broken up. She had lost the deadweight of a useless boyfriend, so why? He could only look down on her, smirk gone and superiority nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, that's right!" Sun spoke up, breaking the long silence. "You guys are dating, right?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Aww poo…"

Everyone seemed oblivious to the tension between the former couple. It also seemed that neither of them had been keen on spreading that information and that the media outlets who initially covered the relationship no longer cared to cover them after the same song and dance they had over the course of their lives.

This was really the first time they came face to face in school as Weiss usually kept her distance from him on campus. She took her education very seriously and would not allow herself the distraction from her schoolwork and teachings. So it was really the first time any of the students saw them together during school hours.

Jaune noticed the look of hope in his former girlfriend's eyes. It was odd to see it as he was sure she was done with him. Maybe it was the hope that he would clear the air because she always talked about breaking up. Why back out now when she could finally be free of him too?

"No. Not anymore," Jaune answered before moving past her and on his way.

There was a moment the others hesitated, but they all slowly moved past her and joined his side once more. He didn't spare her a glance back, made sure he did not say a word for her. They both could now live their lives the way they wanted to and since she had nothing to say to him, he had nothing to say to her. He was done with her. Of that, he was confident in.

"Hey man, you okay?" Sun asked.

It was very nice of him to ask. Jaune knew that there were many breakups where one or both parties were hurt by the decision to go their separate ways. Jaune didn't know how to answer because it had only been a few days. And, even then, this had been the first day where he could spread his wings and truly see how his freedom from Weiss was.

So far, it was good.

The group was close behind him, each voicing their own personal concerns and condolences. They could have chosen to stay with her but instead, they stood by him and wanted to ensure he was fine. Weiss had her friends and he knew she would move on. Still, it was surprising to see his classmates so supportive of him and as he met their gazes, they all reassured him with head nods and smiles. It brought his own smile to his face.

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

So, i started reading this manga and its premise inspired me. This will be a maybe short story of modern AU and will explore Jaune growing from a toxic relationship.

Crazy, I know.

The first chapter is essentially a carbon copy of the opening for the manga, maybe some of you can tell, but as things go along I'll be making it somewhat my own direction and, hopefully, you guys will enjoy the ride.

So far, it will be a single pairing and my editor is trying to convince me to a harem. We'll see. But i like the idea of a single cause it plays the guessing game of who can heal our dork knights heart. So, enjoy.

Hope you all stay safe. Take it easy.