Jaune lay in his bed, staring up at his ceiling with an uncertain look on his face. It'd been a few days since his sparring match with Yang, and things had been…good. A bit weird, but good. Honestly, the only hang up was the sudden shift in her personality around him.
Yang was still her boisterous, flirtatious self, there was no doubt about that. The trouble more came in with exactly how Yang went about flirting these days. Every time she dropped an innuendo or crude joke, her eyes would linger on Jaune a bit more than usual. He didn't think too much of it, but the jokes weren't all.
Yang also started dressing a bit more frivolously, wearing more tank tops and shorts. They hadn't been a rarity or anything before, but now whenever she wore them, she seemed to purposefully accentuate her movements. The clothes certainly showed off her riveting thighs and gravity-defying bust, but Jaune wasn't one to stare…or at the very least, he tried not to be.
He felt a little guilty ogling Yang, but it was practically impossible to resist! She'd been getting into more and more bewildering situations lately! First, she 'lost' her shirt somehow and stole his hoodie for a few hours, he didn't get it back till the end of the day. Then she forgot to grab a towel last time she showered, and after he politely delivered one to her, she nearly dragged him into the bathroom!
If he didn't know any better…he'd say Yang was actually flirting with him!
Of course, that was impossible. She was drop dead gorgeous, funny as they come, and one of the coolest people he'd ever met. He was average at absolute best in just about all categories, there was no way she'd actually ever consider him for anything romantic, right…?
"Ugh…I'm overthinking this…" He groaned to himself, facepalming with both hands and dragging them down his face. He'd gotten into bed nearly an hour ago, and was still stressed out of his mind over this. He really needed to get his head straight…
Suddenly, a soft but distinct creek from the hallway made him sit up, glancing at his alarm clock and frowning. It was nearly midnight, and while Blake tended to be a night owl, even this was a bit much for her…
Fuck it, could use someone to talk to, anyhow…if Blake's in a talking mood, of course. He thought to himself, rising from his bed and dusting himself off as he walked over to his door, opening it and leaning out, glancing down the hall where the creak came from.
One could imagine his surprise as he a dark, vaguely Blake-shaped shape suddenly leapt out the kitchen window, nearly making his fall over in surprise before tip-toeing as fast as he could manage over to the open window to glance out and confirm what he just saw was real.
Sure enough, the same shape swung up onto the nearest rooftop with a grapple like weapon before disappearing from view. Jaune was honestly in shock for a few seconds. Was…was that Blake?! What the hell was she doing swinging around the city like a nutcase?
Dumbass, only she can answer that question, and every second you sit here gawking, she gets further away! He chided himself mentally, doubling back hastily to his room and flipping open the trunk at the foot of his bed, grabbing a sheathed Crocea Mors and his armor; the shoulder pads resting within the chestplate.
Fumbling to strap the armor on while leaving his room as quietly as possible, he stumbled to the front door and slipped out into the hallway. Hopefully, he'd be back before Yang woke up and could question him about just what he was up to. Making his way up to the roof, he emerged into the cool night air and looked out into the direction of where he'd seen the shadow moving.
The moonlight streaming down on the city provided just enough light that he could just make out a distantly bobbing figure moving along the rooftops. He grimaced slightly as he looked over the edge, even if the gap between buildings was only a foot or two.
"This is a really bad idea…but fortune favors the bold!" He muttered to himself, bracing himself before charging forward and making a leap over the first gap, making it to the first of many rooftops. That wasn't so bad! Maybe this wouldn't be such a struggle after all!
It was a struggle. Such a fucking struggle.
Jaune was fine for about five rooftops, thank the Brother Gods they were all generally the same height…but then he started to get winded. And the more winded he got, the more he struggled keeping up with the shadow he'd been tracking. Eventually, he lost sight of it altogether, and started to freak out a bit.
"Shit, shit, shit! I had one job, c'mon!" He panted as he hauled himself on to the last rooftop he saw the shadow on, groaning a bit as he limped forward, leaning on a nearby wall of the roof entrance to the building. "This was…so stupid…I don't even know for sure what I saw! I should just get back before-!"
Jaune's voice caught in his throat as a blade suddenly snapped around the corner and lingered less than an inch from his throat. He didn't breathe as a figure suddenly stepped out from around the corner, staring him down from behind a white and red mask…and sporting a familiar pair of ears.
"...Blake?"
"...Jaune?!" She sputtered, tone surprised and soft despite her threatening appearance. Her clothes were an unfamiliar black and red outfit and some…distracting thigh highs, to boot. The blade promptly dropped from his throat, and gave him an utterly bewildered look evident even past her mask. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were some creep stalking me!"
"Me? What are you doing, dressed up like that and skulking around at midnight?!" He shot back in a matching soft-shout. He pressed on before she could retort, gesturing to the now evident weapon in her hand. "And what on Remnant is that?"
"This is Gambol Shroud, my personal weapon…I never really had a reason to show it to you or Yang before…" Blake replied absentmindedly before shaking her head, seemingly reeling from being tracked down by her friend unexpectedly. "Jaune, seriously, this isn't any of your concern. I know you're just trying to look out for me, but you shouldn't have followed."
"Blake, come on...you're starting to freak me out. What are you doing out here?" Jaune replied, a sudden bundle of nerves pulsing in his chest as he took a small step back. Blake was his friend, he trusted her…but this was something serious. He could tell from the look on her face, masked and all.
Blake stilled for a moment, like she could sense Jaune's mounting fear. She sighed, and stowed her weapon before pulling off her mask and offering him the most grim expression he'd ever seen on another person's face.
"There's…a lot I need to tell you. Things I haven't told you or Yang about my past…about Adam…" She started, a pained look crossing her face for the briefest of moments before her expression hardened once more. "Right now, I need you to trust me. Go home, and go back to bed and just forget about all of this. This is my fight, not yours."
"Blake…we're friends. Your fight is my fight." He replied, not missing the way the ninja rolled her eyes. Sure, it was a sappy sentiment, but he meant it. It's how he was raised, for Pete's sake! "I have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, but I'm here to help."
Blake mulled over his words silently, conflicted to say the least. Dragging Jaune into the line of fire wasn't something she could abide by…but she couldn't keep doing this alone. Especially with what she had planned tonight. She sighed deeply, reapplied her mask, and nodded morosely to him.
"Fine. I'll explain on the way…but you're not leaving my side for the rest of the night, are we clear?"
"Sounds like a deal to me." Jaune agreed with a soft sigh of relief, following along with Blake as she started to lead him across the to the next roof. "So, uh…first and foremost; what exactly are you up to?"
"For the last month, I've been attacking White Fang outposts." Blake explained in a deadly serious tone, missing the way Jaune almost tripped over his own feet as he stilled behind her, paling significantly. Of everything he'd been expecting, her fighting terrorists wasn't on the list. "I've been able to stay under their radar by staging the attacks to look like accidents, but I recently discovered a larger outpost with a notable dust reserve in the city. I'm destroying it tonight."
"...okay…so…why, exactly?" Jaune asked cautiously, making Blake turn to glance at him as her ears folded down in seeming irritation. "I mean, I get the general why; the Fang are bad dudes, but how did you get caught up with them?"
"I…used to be one of them." She replied, catching Jaune as he nearly tripped again and pausing mid stride to shoot him a firm look. "Look, I know this is a lot to swallow, but we're gonna be walking all night if you trip after every answer I give you."
"I know, I know. Sorry! I'll keep up from here on out!" Jaune promised, earning another sigh in response as Blake nodded and stepped over to the next roof, helping him over as well before continuing.
"Right…as I was saying, I used to be with the White Fang. I joined when I was young, and foolish. Dreaming of fighting for independence, a true revolution for Faunus! A peaceful one. My boyfriend, Adam, shared my philosophy…or so I thought." She continued, tone darkening following the mention of her ex, enough to make Jaune shiver. "He was promoted to a leadership position after some time, and after that, he…changed. He became colder, started proposing more radical demonstrations for Faunus rights."
"Of course, it didn't help that half the existing leadership agreed with him. After the massacre that happened in Valco, we were practically on the brink of civil war…but ultimately, the leaders against the radical changes caved. Adam and his faction had control…and things spiraled from there. They started proposing mass militarization, a full on coup in all the cities we had people in. It was insanity, it wasn't what I joined up for…so I fled."
"I was prepared to leave that life behind, to never think of the Fang again and just hope it crumbled from the inside…but I wasn't so lucky." Blake finished, pausing before the edge of another rooftop and turning to face Jaune again. "I got word from an old friend right after I moved in with you and Yang that the Fang were moving into the city and setting up shop. I don't know what they have planned, but I can't let them go through with it. So…I started doing this."
Jaune was silent for a beat as she finished explaining, processing everything. Honestly, it made sense that Blake would want to fight for the rights of her people, and that the Fang would be an opportunistic outlet for those beliefs. Still, he was left with a few questions.
"I see…so, can I ask what the outfit is about?"
Behind the mask, Blake blinked…and then she allowed herself the smallest of chuckles, looking down at her outfit and tilting her head. "Yeah, it is a bit much…but I needed something discreet, plus a mask to hide my identity in case I was ever caught!"
"I mean, it's not a bad look on you!" Jaune chuckled along with her despite himself, taking the levity while he could after listening to her fairly intense recounting of how the Fang grew corrupt. "I would have gone with purple, though. Suits you better!"
Despite herself, Blake felt the slightest heat grace her cheeks at his comment. She usually did prefer purple, but hadn't put too much thought into her vigilante outfit outside of the mask. "Mmm…I'll have to keep that in mind for the future."
The moment passes slowly, with Blake stepping off to the next roof and helping Jaune one last time before gesturing for him to join her on the opposite side, peeking over the edge to look down at the building below them; an old, decently sized warehouse.
"This is it. The latest Fang stronghold I was informed of." Blake explained, pausing for a moment before tilting her head to glance at Jaune with a cautious tone. "Jaune, you don't have to do this…I mean what I said back there, this isn't your fight. I…I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"You're not forcing me to be here, Blake. I'm here because I want to help you." Jaune promised her, laying a hand on her shoulder and flashing her a bright grin. "Besides, how often do you get to sneak into a terrorist hideout with your vigilante roommate? I'm not gonna pass up this opportunity!"
Blake let out another laugh, this one more incredulous than the last. Either Jaune didn't quite grasp the intensity of the situation, which she doubted, or he was just that endlessly stubborn in the pursuit of friendship…given how likely the latter seemed, she wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or not.
"Alright, if you're sure…just remember; do not leave my side. Understood?"
"Understood…let's do this, Blake." Jaune replied, following along with her as they descended the fire escape towards the roof of the warehouse, unaware of just what was awaiting them inside.
The warehouse was about as dark and dingy as the exterior made it seem. Three sprawling catwalks towered above a large interior, the lowest level sporting a large number of stacked crates. The few that were open showed rows upon rows of crystal dust, not to mention a few cartridges of bullets with dust within.
Worse yet, the Fang presence was intense. On the ground floor alone, at least twelve armed soldiers were milling about, with a handful on the lower layer of the catwalk. Clearly, Blake's previous attacks had gotten them to raise security significantly…or at least that's what Jaune assumed, given Blake's frustrated reaction.
"Dammit. That's a lot more dust than the last few outposts…this might just be their distribution hub." Blake huffed softly, her gaze snapping gingerly between each soldier along the catwalks. "Sneaking in is going to be nearly impossible."
"I mean…I could probably clear things up a bit if someone caused a distraction…" Jaune suggested casually, peeking out over the edge of the dilapidated roof towards the entrance, looking for anything in particular that could make for a proper distraction.
"Careful, Jaune. The roof isn't very stable." Blake cautioned him, casting him a nervous glance as she turned her gaze back into the building. She wasn't sure how much a proper distraction would help, but right now, it seemed like their best play. They could head down together. "Do anything particularly useful down there?"
"I mean, there's not much nearby. A few black cars, a bulky van…I could try setting their alarms off, but I don't know how I'd even get d-OH, SHIT!"
Blake turned just in time to watch Jaune lose his footing and plummet swiftly towards the ground below. She lurched over to the side, grabbing Gambol Shroud in an attempt to slow his descent, but it was too late.
On the bright side, Jaune was able to raise his aura at the last second and managed to suffer little more than getting the wind knocked out of him…bad news was he fell directly on top of the black van, setting off its alarm.
"Ow…guess something like this was gonna happen anyway…" He groaned, hearing a commotion coming from the warehouse's entrance and forcing himself to roll off the dented roof of the van, stumbling to his feet and ducking behind the next closest car, glancing up at the familiar shadow of Blake's form on the roof, and did his best to wave her along. Hopefully, she got the cue and took the opportunity he'd unintentionally given her.
Suddenly, flashlights pierced the night air, and the sound of half a dozen sets of feet started entering the lot where he was hiding. His heart thrummed in his chest as he unsheathed Crocea Mors and unfurled his kite shield. Fighting real people was infinitely more terrifying than any sparring session, but he didn't have much of a choice at the moment. It was do or die.
He waited for the footsteps to grow close, with the loudest pair coming up on his left. Waiting just until the first man stepped out in front of the car, he lunged forward with his blade and brought it down on the man's pistol before rounding on him with his shield. The poor bastard barley got a chance to shout before he hit the ground.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Fang members immediately spotted him. The two closest were armed with swords alone, and wasted no time rushing him with a proud shout of, "For the Fang!" However, to his surprise, their swings were remarkably sloppy, he blocked both their blows and pushed forward again, nailing one guy in the stomach with his shield before swiping across the other's chest and kicking him back into one of the cars.
Holy shit, I'm actually kicking ass! Jaune sputtered mentally, recalling that there were at least three more Fang soldiers coming for him and raising his shield as he pushed further past the car. If I can just keep this up a few more minutes, maybe Blake will-
A sharp CRACK cut him off as a dust round blasted his right shoulder piece, taking it clean off his arm and singing the hoodie underneath. He nearly dropped his sword, instead dropping to one knee and letting his shield take the next blast as he tried to right himself.
Okay, one misstep, but I can still push through this-
"Die, human scum!" A fifth Fang soldier suddenly shouted from his right, making him turn and barely block her axe strike. Before he could try and push her off, a kick to his shield sent him sprawling back, raising Crocea Mors at the last second to swipe back at her before she could bring her weapon down.
The fifth soldier dropped her weapon with a yelp, clutching her now cut arm as Jaune tried his best to backpedal away from her, rising back to his feet and narrowly dodging another dust round as he raised his shield again, suddenly finding himself trapped between the two remaining cars as more footsteps filtered out from the warehouse entrance.
Dammit, Blake, I could really use your help right now! He thought as panic started to overwhelm him, glancing right as three more soldiers charged him, two wielding swords and the third a rifle. He got lucky and slashed the sword from the first man's hand, but the second knocked Crocea Mors from his hand with a strong slash downward.
He drew up his shield to defend himself, but a hand suddenly latched onto his hoodie and yanked him back hard, throwing him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. A foot reeled up to kick him, but he bashed his shield up against it and forced the soldier that ambushed him to stumble back.
However, the shield was suddenly pinned down, and his arm along with it. He looked up in terror as he looked up at the Fang soldiers surrounding him, suddenly left defenseless. The biggest of the group put his boot on Jaune's chest, pressing him down and denting the chest plate slightly.
"Not so tough now, are you, human?" The man leered, pressing down as the plating buckled further, forcing Jaune to suck in a sharp breath of pain. Unlike his allies, this soldier was aura enhanced, and most certainly had the strength to back it up. "Your kind are weak, you don't deserve the world that's been given to you!"
Jaune didn't bend to the man's taunting, staring up at him while trying his best to keep his expression calm despite the growing discomfort as the man's boot pressed further and further into his chestplate, buckling little by little. The man chuckled darkly at his defiance, brandishing his rifle with sadistic glee.
"Tough guy, huh? Alright, then." He shrugged, keeping his boot firmly planted as he brought the rifle up to Jaune's forehead. "See what being tough earns you, punk."
Well, shit. This isn't how I saw my life going…guess this is it…fuck me, my mom is gonna be so pissed. So are my sisters, and Ruby, and Daniel, and Yang, and Blake… He spiraled mentally, screwing his eyes shut and waiting for the end. The soldier chuckled again, his gun whirled to life…
And then heat washed over him and removed the weight from his chest, his eyes snapping open as the night sky was suddenly filled with brilliant orange and red as the warehouse exploded before him.
Begrudgingly, Blake had taken the opportunity Jaune's fall had granted her, slipping into the warehouse and knocking out a handful of soldiers on the upper catwalks, before approaching the nearest stack of crates. Planting one of the rifles she'd confiscated from an unconscious Fang member, she set the dust chamber to overcharged and used Gambol Shroud to swing herself back up towards the roof and slipping out the way she came in.
It'd only been a minute or so, but by the time she emerged, she saw Jaune getting overwhelmed, a large Fang soldier pinning him down with his boot while five others stood around him. Two stragglers were making their way back towards the warehouse, and Blake moved to intercept them before she saw the man pinning Jaune point his rifle to his head.
And something snapped within her.
She practically launched off the rooftop, nailing a three point landing on the nearest car. The two retreating Fang soldiers noticed her, but before they could get a word out, the rifle inside detonated. As dust ruptured violently and blew the warehouse sky high, Blake used her kusarigama and grappled the large soldier standing over Jaune, yanking him back violently and slamming him into one of the cars.
Reeling from the explosion, the rest of the Fang were unprepared for Blake's assault. Disengaging from the now stunned leader, she shifted Gambol Shroud back into sword mode, cutting down the two closest stragglers before shifting her weapon again into pistol mode and shooting both remaining soldiers in their shoulders.
In ten seconds, what was left of the Fang presence in the lot had been reduced to a cluster of groaning, wounded mess. Jaune groaned lowly, sitting up slowly and catching Blake's attention as she knelt down.
"Are you alright, Jaune? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let you leave my side. I'm an idiot!"
"What you are is terrifying. You just took out, like, six guys in one go. I was struggling with two!" Jaune retorted with a half laugh, half cough, wincing a bit as he glanced down at his sufficiently mangled chestplate. "Yeah…you can make it up to me by reminding me to never do this again."
"Agreed." Blake sighed, before a low moan pulled her attention away as she noticed the large soldier shift and tried to grab his weapon. In a fluid motion, she turned and stomped down hard on his hand, bringing the sickle blade to his throat. Her tone turned cold and flinty instantly. "Don't even think about it, you brute."
"You…you are a Faunus…one of our sisters, defending a human?!" He growled weakly, trying his best not to let his head dip into her blade, glaring at her viciously through his mask. "You'll pay for your insolence! We will find you, and purge you with the rest of these savages-"
"Oh, shut up." Blake scoffed, drawing back her blade and drawing up her foot, kicking his head into the car's side and knocking him out cold. She took a deep break to steel her nerves, before turning back to Jaune who had risen to his feet and was now looking at her wide eyed. "Vale PD will be here soon, we need to go. Are you good to walk?"
"Yeah, my aura's kicked back in…but I don't think walking back to the apartment is really the best idea." He replied with a grimace, sheathing his sword and glancing around at the carnage in the lot that had been practically empty only a few minutes prior.
"Agreed…hang on tight." Blake replied with a slight smirk, looping one arm around Jaune's waist while she pointed her kusarigama to the nearest rooftop. Jaune sputtered in surprise, and wrapped his arms around her on instinct, letting out a less than manly scream as they launched into the cool night air.
"Well, this has been a…thoroughly terrifying evening. One I hope will never repeat itself." Jaune chuckled softly as he joined Blake back on their apartment building rooftop, sheathed sword in one hand and battered chestplate in the other. "Vigilante work is definitely not for me…at least solo, anyways. We probably could have kicked real ass together."
"Jaune…I'm so sorry about tonight." Blake interjected suddenly, taking off her mask and turning to face him fully as they stopped walking. He was shocked to see that her bright yellow eyes were filled with guilt and remorse. "I know I didn't force your hand and you chose to come with me, but you could have gotten killed tonight. I never should have allowed you to get in that position. Seeing you surrounded like that, I…I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me."
"Blake, I…" Jaune fumbled for a moment, shocked by Blake's outburst. Sure, he'd gathered how freaked out she was given how quiet she'd been during their walk, but being able to look her in the eyes and see that fear…it was sobering. He went with the only thing he could think of, and dropped his gear to the roof before wrapping her in a warm hug, feeling her jolt slightly. "I'm sorry. We should have played things smarter, and actually stayed together. I made the choice to come with, but I should have known better than to put myself at risk and scare you like that."
Blake couldn't find any words, so instead she just hugged him back. It felt odd, honestly. Hugs were a rarity for her, usually reserved for family since Adam…but hugging Jaune felt surprisingly nice. He was actually kind of comfortable to lean on, and his hoodie was soft to boot. Despite herself, she started to purr softly, before snapping out of it and pulling back, clearing her throat to compose herself.
"Thank you, Jaune. I appreciate it, but this can't happen again." She replied, sighing deeply before glancing down at her mask and letting it fall to the roof, beside Jaune's gear. "No more sneaking out at night, or fighting the Fang. People are getting hurt, and I'd rather leave it to the professionals rather than risk your safety, or my own."
"I think that's for the best, Blake…I'm proud of you." Jaune replied, flashing her a warm smile as he took a step back, privately relieved. While Blake was an incredible fighter compared to him, the thought of her putting herself in danger on a weekly basis made his stomach churn. "But I have to ask…do we tell Yang about any of this…?"
"I…suppose so, yes. She deserves to know, just like you did." She replied slowly, sighing as she crossed her arms and offered him a small, nervous smile. Gods, the irony of being afraid of Yang's reaction after facing off against terrorists was not lost on her. "However, it can most certainly wait until morning."
"Agreed. I need to pass out after all that." Jaune chuckled, leaning down and grabbing his gear before walking over the stairwell entrance and holding the door open for Blake. "After you, madam of mystery."
Blake rolled her eyes and huffed in amusement at Jaune's quips, but she joined him by the stairs and started her descent. There were days when she questioned if she deserved friends quite as good as Jaune and Yang, but nights like this helped ease her nerves. Jaune was a damn good man, and she was grateful to have him in her life.
He's certainly a sweetheart to boot…maybe I could ask him out to lunch tomorrow, as a thank you…see where things go from there.
She smiled to herself, pausing at the apartment door for Jaune to catch up. They offered each other one more smile before opening the door…and promptly paled in sheer shock.
A pajama clad, deeply irritated looking Yang stood in the threshold. Her usually lilac eyes glimmered a slight crimson as she crossed her arms and glared at them both with a furious leer.
"You two have some major fucking explaining to do."