The Fall of Professor Arc
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Disclaimer and Dedication:
Dedicated to Coeur. Thanks for the stories, and the countless ideas. You've only yourself to blame, you know!
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. 'Professor Arc' in particular is the brainchild of Coeur. If you haven't read it already... why are you here?
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"Jaune? Are you alright? If you don't wake up, Prof, I'm going to go through your desks and look for the next test."
There was only one person that could be. Jaune let out a groan as he came too and slowly opened his eyes. A beautiful, concerned expression looked down towards him.
"You okay?" Yang asked, hair dazzling in the evening light as she supported his head off the ground.
Jaune tried to think of the best thing he could to answer, to encapsulate the moment, and remembered the most eloquent man to ever die.
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Yang is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon-"
A curious mixture of embarrassed blush and pained grimace crossed Yang's face, and she dropped him. Jaune's head dropped on the floor, and he knew his feelings hadn't communicated. He'd been sure quoting the Bard would work.
Well, he guessed what his sisters had said was true. No way he could ever be any sort of actor. He should just stick to being a Huntsman.
"Um, yeah," Yang began as he slowly sat up. "That window faces north, it's just after noon, and Blake just left for lunch because she finished your paperwork." There was that pause. "I helped," she added.
"Thanks," Jaune said, rubbing his head and bloody nose. Strange- he didn't remember taking a blow. The last he remembered was looking down those long, bare legs at-
"So, how's it feel to have seen your lover?" Yang asked, almost hovering at a distance, close but not too close. Interested, but trying not to seem too interested.
Ah. Right. That. What did he feel? Well, that was a stupid question. Not nothing. The moment Blake had said those words- the moment Yang had explained- he'd definitely felt something. He'd felt-
"It's not fair," he said.
"To realize you've forgotten a past love, and wonder if you could ever have it again?" Yang asked rapidly.
"No! Well, maybe now, but- no! It's not fair that I don't remember any of it!" Jaune complained. "If I don't remember it, it's like it never happened."
"Yeah? So?" Yang asked, not realizing his point.
"It's like I'm a virgin again!" Jaune whined.
Yang sucked in her breath. "That's, you know, not the worst thing in the world," she pointed out with a slight flush.
"Yang, I was a man," Jaune emphasized. "I was confident. I was capable. I knew what I was doing- and I bet I was good at it! And now it's just… gone! How am I supposed to get that all back if I don't know what I did right?" he asked.
"You could relearn it the old fashioned way," Yang suggested with a blush. "You know. By doing it again, and again, and again," she said, blushing a bit more each time.
"Do what?" Jaune asked, embarrassed but also despairing. "I don't remember!"
"I bet your body does," Yang said, nervously licking her lips. "It remember fighting. I bet it remembers… other things as well," she said, starting to lean just a bit closer. "I bet there are people who would be happy to help you… remember… how to be confident," she whispered.
Jaune sucked in his breath- not quite sure what this atmosphere was, but sure that it was as significant as it was heady. "And who-"
The moment was ruined by the most annoying ring tone ever. The sound was- it made shivers go up Jaune's spine, like nails on chalkboard.
Yang didn't seem to mind the sound. Looking away quickly, the moment broken, she found and pointed him towards the source.
"It's yours," she indicating, pointing him towards the scroll on his desk.
Both of them made their way towards it to see who it was. On it there was no name. Or rather, the phone ID just displayed 'The Jerk.'
"Not your favorite person?" Yang asked looking at it.
"Don't remember. Guess we'll find out," Jaune said, and took the call.
Both he and Yang were blown back the already on-going stream of cussing that came forth.
"Alright you little punk," the barrage translated nicely to. "You better answer this fucking minute because-"
"Hello?" Jaune offered, trying to get a word inward. "Who is this?"
"This is your god, you miserable cretin," the male voice thundered, "and you'll be my bitch if you can't find me five million lien's worth of dust by the end of the week!"
Jaune and Yang traded confused glances.
"And why would I do that?" Jaune asked.
"Because you bloody well blew up the last five million!" The voice declared. "You, at Amity, with those stupid precious students of yours! I don't care how important they are to you, that Dust was worth more than most of them combined!"
"I don't think you can place a value on human life," Jaune said because he felt he was expected to say something. Fortunately, though, Yang seemed to approve.
"How noble of you, Professor," the voice said, thick with sarcasm. "You sound like a real teacher."
"Um… thanks?" Jaune said.
"That was- you know what, never mind," the voice decided. "If you want to keep playing that role, you better get me five million more lien of dust- though it's probably thirty million at this point thanks to your bloody explosion- and you get it for me by the end of the week. Hook, crook, sleep with the Schnee, I don't care. Do you understand?"
Yang curled her hand, ready to demand to know who this asshole was, but Jaune didn't let her speak.
"Not really," Jaune admitted. "As a teacher, why would I do such a thing for you?"
"You will if you want to ever be trusted with students again!" The voice snarled. "In case you've forgotten, I know your secret, Jaune Arc!"
Jaune froze- irrational fear rising- but the better part of his mind reassured him. This was- this was like one of those blackmail techniques, right? You take a shot in the dark, let the guilty conscience do the rest…
"I know about Vacuo!"
Vacuo.
Vacuo, Vacuo, Vacuo- it was important. Even now, something about the word twisted his soul, filled him with echoes of guilt and regret and shame. Everything that was suppressed- everything that everyone told him was now buried. Everything of his missing years cantered around it. What had happened? What had he done?
("Was I a paedophile or something?" he asked them, perfectly serious and concerned.)
Fear clawed at his heart- is this how he was going to go down? For the sins, the dirty secrets of some other life? If anyone learned, if anyone knew-
But they did know. Blake and Yang knew about Neo, and they'd stood by him and had a good opinion of him. Yang was here with him. Looking at him with concern. He- whoever he was, had been- had trusted them enough to tell them. And they trusted him. He didn't know much about them- had barely known them for a day- but he already knew he could trust them. And that they wouldn't trust someone without a good reason. He could trust their trust in him.
Shot in dark it was, then.
"I'm sorry. I forgot," Jaune admitted.
"Then you better not mess around and-"
"I forgot, and now I don't care," Jaune finished.
There was a thunderous silence, the other side unable to believe what it was hearing.
"You… what?" the incredulous voice asked.
"I don't care," Jaune said, more firmly than before. "I'm not a teacher anymore anyway, and even if I were I wouldn't press my students or break the law like that."
"Is this- is this your idea of a joke?" The speaker tried to comprehend. "Do you think that matters? Do you think you can weasel your way out of this? You owe me a favor! You owe me more than one! I put you into Vacuo, you son of a bitch!"
"Well, you see, I don't remember that and I believe you," Jaune said, remembering twenty lien with Professor Ozpin. "I already fell for this trick once already. So… yeah. Nice try, but no."
The cursing returned, and so did the threats.
"You think you can play dumb, Jaune? You think you think you can just 'forget'? I will destroy you! And all your precious students! The next time I see Red Riding Hood, I won't settle for sending you to a hospital! I'll make you watch as-"
"Shut the hell up," Jaune ordered, anger flashing through his head as Ruby's friendly face flashed before his eyes. Somehow that overpowered the other side- or maybe they were just surprised- but Jaune had the space to continue. "I don't know who you are, but if I ever hear your voice again around me or my friends, I'm calling the police," Jaune warned.
With great finality Jaune slammed his finger on the end call button, panting as he did so as the adrenaline faded.
"Well, that was a-" he began, before Yang grabbed him and pulled him into a brutal kiss.
It was sudden- too sudden to prepare beforehand, leaving him breathless as she separated and looked at him with smoldering eyes.
"If you were the Professor Arc I remember right now, I would be having you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice," she stated with absolute conviction.
Jaune swallowed a little, throat suddenly tight. "I can't remember ever begging for mercy before in all my life," he admitted.
"Twice!"
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Author Note:
Poor Yang. So close, and yet so far. Shout-out to the Sherlock, and Irene Adler, for that amazing scene from The Woman. You know it- and if you don't, you should youtube it.