A/N: So. Long story short. I sort of moved out all of a sudden, which meant that I needed to move to a different state and find a place to live as well as a job. It's still a little rocky, and I'll probably have to move my schedule to once every three weeks, more than likely even more. I apologize for this, but hopefully, I'll be able to work, make enough money for rent and still write out my stories, which I love doing. I'm not planning on quitting writing any time soon, no matter what gets in my way. XD Anyways, I'm glad to be back. Hope y'all enjoy :)

That guy: I'm a dude.

The bed rushed up to meet Jaune's face, his eyes closing as he fell into the warm comforts of his bed. A groan escaped from his mouth as the sheets engulfed him, whispering sweet nothings into his ears.

"I never… want to get out of bed… again." He moaned, burying his head deeper into the pillow. A small giggle erupted from behind him, Pyrrha's amusement obvious with the image of the strong boy complaining about a small training session. She knew he would get over it soon though. After all, Jaune only had to run three laps around the Beacon campus, and there was an hour of training with Yang, Weiss, and her.

She did that kind of thing every single day.

"Come on Jaune! You'll get the sheets dirty if you lay in them before you shower!" Before Jaune could protest, Nora pried him out of his bed, holding him up to the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Urghpth" Jaune said, blinking blearily and weakly batting at Nora. She just laughed at his attempts of freeing himself and flung him through towards the bathroom, a resounding crash echoing through the room.

"Nora, please don't break Jaune."

The orange-haired girl chuckled sheepishly at the pink-eyed boy's rebuke, before clapping her hands, grinning. "I'll help clean him up!"

"No!" It was the first recognizable word that came out of Jaune's mouth since he entered the room, loud enough to be heard through the bathroom doors. Ren stood up quickly, intent on mitigating the damage before things got too far.

"I'll help him," The boy said quietly, opening the door. He didn't get another step in before a towel hit his face, making him jerk back in surprise. Jaune took that time to shut the door again, locking it this time.

"I'll be fine," Jaune said, his voice muffled through the door. "Just… give me a few minutes to myself. Please?"

The other three residents of the room looked at each other, shrugging as they communicated silently amongst each other.

"If you need us, I guess we'll be… somewhere else?" Pyrrha suggested, Nora looking up towards the ceiling thoughtfully. The boisterous girl snapped her fingers, face brightening as an idea went through her head.

"Let's get ice cream!"

The was a brief back and forth as they discussed where they were going, before they departed, hunting down their sister team to take with them.

The blond boy that was left behind rested his head on the door, sighing. Jaune closed his eyes for a second, gathering his thoughts and finding the strength and will to move and take off his clothes, stepping into the shower and just standing there for a while.

It took a minute or two before his mind was able to catch up to him, the sluggishness in his mind dissipating slowly. As his thoughts started to phase in, Jaune came to one simple conclusion.

He wasn't meant to be a capable Huntsman.

Sure, he could swing a sword. With enough training and practice, Jaune would probably be confident enough to kill a few Grimm if he needed to. But to protect people and put his life on the line for the greater good? To keep people safe from the outside world?

Jaune could feel bile rising from his throat just thinking about it.

After everything that's happened to him… After the death of his family, the fall to alcoholism, his near death experience with the Grimm…

The one crazy lady out to kill him was going to be the one to break him?

It sounded ridiculous, but that was the exactly what had happened. The three or four nights that Jaune had been able to close his eyes and sleep, his dreams had been plagued with the woman. She lurked in the shadows, her eyes looking through him, no emotion showed except the ones that would drive Jaune insane if he stared into her long enough. He still woke up feeling the burns on his arms and back, his throat tightening and loosening reflexively. The wounds on his cheek, as well as the bruises on his neck still hadn't healed completely. The nurse in charge of the Beacon infirmary was just as baffled as Jaune was, not able to understand why the marks wouldn't fade. Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch might have known the reason why, but the both of them were being particularly tight-lipped about it. With Professor Ozpin, Jaune wasn't expecting anything less, not knowing him enough to know if the headmaster was always quiet on things or not. But Professor Goodwitch?

It just hurt a little when the woman seemed to close up when Jaune asked about it.

The water from the showerhead dripped around his head and hair, flowing down his shoulders as Jaune slowly attempted to wash himself, grimacing at the way that his muscles screamed in protest to his movements. Fighting was hard.

That's something that should've been obvious from the start, but Jaune had foolishly held onto the small hope that with a bit of coaching he would be able to hold his own against anyone else in Beacon. It was a silly thought to have, really.

Everyone here had been working every day to cultivate their skills since they were little kids. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into their training, and even then, some of them only barely made it through Beacon's rigorous admission tests. And the blonde idiot thought that he could measure up with any of these guys?

Jaune had to reevaluate how much of a moron he was.

Shampoo found its way into his blond hair, and was quickly washed out as Jaune rubbed it away. The heat helped loosen him up a little, allowing Jaune to sigh in actual relief. Jaune had made a decision. Well, truth be told, he had made the decision a long time ago, it was just really the first time that he actually put it into the forefront of his mind.

He didn't want to be a Huntsman.

Looking back years ago, he had always been only faced with fantastical stories of the old Huntsmen, how they fought bravely and became heroes, how they found true love and were heralded as legends. That wasn't the case. That was never really the case.

Being a bartender had helped him see the truth more than he ever thought he would. Sitting with so many of his future friends, he listened to their stories. Stories of how Qrow had lost one of his best friends, of how James had made a mistake in leading his men and having them fall to the slaughter.

Of how even Ruby has had people she's loved and lost, as well as being forced to make choices that Jaune wouldn't envy her making.

He couldn't imagine having to do the things that some of his friends have done. And he didn't really want to be the type that did. He wanted to help but… he didn't want to have to put everything on the line while doing it. Call it selfish of him, Jaune would be the first person to admit that was the case. But it was still what he believed, and nothing was really going to change that.

Looking at his wrinkled fingers, Jaune decided that he had spent enough time hiding in the shower, and shut off the water, stepping out gingerly and toweling himself off, putting his clothes on and stepping back into his empty room, eyes scanning the place from left and right.

It was a beautiful room. Cozy, happy. Safe. He was sure that the atmosphere was crafted to be exactly how it was supposed to be felt, a place for the Huntsmen and Huntresses to relax and find sanctuary.

It wasn't the right place for him.

He belonged in a bar. He belonged behind a counter, serving drinks and making people smile as he told jokes, as he listened to them talk about their problems and as they listened to him try and comfort them. He felt at home in a bar. He didn't here.

And that was really all there was to it.

The blond boy didn't know when he had started to cry, only noticing it when he saw the tears bounce off of his sheets. He leaned over, brushing the droplets off, his mind forming the conclusion that he didn't want to dirty someone else's bed.

Everything came rushing towards him. It was sudden, it was hard, and it was a low blow that he couldn't handle.

The pit was dark, and Jaune was stuck right in the middle of it. There wasn't any light, until someone shined it right into his eyes. Lifting his head, he found concerned blue eyes framed by snow white hair.

"Jaune? Are you alright?" Weiss asked, kneeling down, her face close to his. The boy hiccupped and buried his head into his arms again, not answering her question. The action didn't deter her, only driving her to get closer to him, a gentle hand resting on his elbow. The brief contact caused Jaune to stiffen up, his whole body almost jerking backwards when he did so.

Like touching a hot pan, Weiss's hand also flew backwards, eyes widening in panic as she saw how distraught Jaune was.

"I- I'm sorry," She said hurriedly, floundering a little, not knowing what to do. "I didn't mean to- It's just-" Her eyes fluttered a little before she released a deep breath, calming herself. "I'm sorry." She finished simply, looking into Jaune's eyes.

Jaune immediately felt guilty for unintentionally hurting the girl in front of him, and was quick to sit up, one of his hands hesitantly touching her shoulders. The contact was light, just enough to bring Weiss out of her brief state of mind, allowing Jaune to reassure that she had done nothing wrong.

"It's alright." Jaune whispered, doing his best to convey his sincerity. "I was just a little surprised. That's all."

She didn't look so sure of that, but nodded nonetheless, her tense form drooping. Still, Jaune didn't remove his hand until she started to move, murmuring quietly.

"Thank you." She said, a soft smile on her face. Weiss chuckled, shaking her head. "I thought I was coming in here to cheer you up. I didn't realize that I was going to be the one who needed to be cheered up." The boy smiled, his teeth flashing.

"I guess you could just say that I have a talent at comforting people." He said jokingly, standing up and offering a hand to her. "It's almost like a semblance."

Weiss took his hand and lifted herself off of the ground, brushing her school skirt, before glancing up and down at Jaune, her eyes narrowing. The expression changed quickly into an amused grin, her pose settling as she crossed her arms. "You know, you had aura when you were bartending, I would agree with you."

The two of them shared a grin with each other, forgetting about what had happened just a moment earlier. Jaune sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him. Weiss sat down, crossing her ankles as she looked at him. The two of them sat together comfortably, neither of them saying a word, not needing to with how familiar they were with each other. It was only when Jaune let out an explosive sigh and let himself lay all the way down that the bubble of silence was popped, the heiress twisting to look at the blond boy.

"I can't believe I've only known you for a few months." Jaune whispered quietly, Weiss's lips curving a little in response to the statement. He held out a hand, to which the girl laid hers on top of, the waiter playing with her fingers. Weiss didn't say anything, simply humming, acknowledging what he had said.

"It feels like it's been forever." Jaune continued talking, a fingertip tracing the lines on her hands slowly. Weiss couldn't help but shiver a little at the touch, but didn't pull away from him. "So much has happened in such a short time." Jaune closed his eyes, letting go of Weiss.

When he thought about it, what he said was true. Compared to the other sixteen years of his life, the events of just the past eight or so months was so… so fantastical. If someone had told fourteen year old Jaune that he would one day become a waiter, lose his family, and gain more Huntsman friends than he could count… Well, it would feel like they were just describing one of his more extreme daydreams.

A feeling on his open hands brought him back to the present. When he opened his eyes again, he found Weiss looking at his hands, doing the same thing that Jaune had been doing just moments before. The boy took his time looking at Weiss, detailing her.

Like the first time he met her, Jaune found the girl beautiful. She wore her school uniform perfectly, and he didn't she wore it to maximize how she looks. She wore it perfectly as in if anyone looked at a picture of how someone was supposed to wear a uniform, they would find Weiss standing there. From top to bottom she made sure everything was within the rules. Skirt length, tie, buttoned-up jacket.

And even then, she looked stunning.

Her hair, even in the ponytail that she wore trailed and framed her face, almost hiding her thoughtful eyes, a few strands blowing around because of the soft blowing of the air conditioning. The sun was hidden behind her head, but the sunlight was still able to stream around her. Without much thinking, one of Jaune's hands rose up and touched one of the runaway strands, brushing it back past her ear.

Her blue eyes turned to look at him. Weiss didn't question it, nor did she looked shocked or disgusted. There was only a warmth in her eyes that Jaune couldn't describe, but it spread through Jaune's chest, almost making it hard for him to breath.

"Well," Weiss whispered, her hand touching the one that Jaune had left on her face. "I am glad that we were able to meet." Her eyes crinkled a little in amusement. "Even if we didn't start off on the right foot."

That got a laugh out of Jaune, who withdrew his hand to allow himself to sit up, getting closer to Weiss.

"Yeah. Who would've thought that we would actually become… friends?" Jaune said tentatively, eyes flicking over towards hers.

"Y-yes." Weiss stuttered, her face turning slightly red, which was very obvious when it was compared to her usual color. "Who would've thought?" She repeated, unsure of what else to say.

"Not me, that's for sure," Jaune sighed, leaning against the backboard of the bed.

"I don't want to be a Huntsman."

Weiss blinked rapidly at the sudden statement, turning to look at the boy next to her. Jaune didn't look back, instead facing the nearby window, a thoughtful look on his face while he traced the path of the birds flying past.

"O-oh." The girl said back, not sure how to feel about what Jaune had just said. The boy finally turned to look at Weiss, and without meaning to, showed Weiss the feelings that he thought he had carefully hidden.

"I'm sorry," Jaune said, eyes looking anywhere but at Weiss.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." The heiress reached over and grabbed Jaune's hands again, smiling reassuringly at him. "I am not going to judge you differently because you don't want to be a Huntsman, Jaune. It isn't a life that's cut out for everyone," Weiss fell into a whisper, squeezing Jaune's fingers. "Sometimes even I think I am not cut out to be a Huntress."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jaune said, startling Weiss with how adamant he sounded. "You're amazing. Strong. Good. I… I could only dream of being as great as you." Weiss's response was to blush even harder, unused to the frank compliments, especially coming from the blond boy. It was enough to stun her briefly, but in the end she turned it back on him, pursing her lips sternly.

"If I cannot be ridiculous, then you are not allowed to be either." Weiss let go of one of his hands and poked his chest, making the boy wince. "You are just as—just as amazing as you say I am. How many people have you talked to, changed their lives by being their bartender?"

Now it was Jaune's turn to turn red. "I- I wouldn't go that far," Jaune protested weakly. Weiss wouldn't have any of it though, glaring at Jaune, silently telling him to be quiet.

"I certainly would." Weiss replied. "I know that just from what my teammates have said, you have touched our lives deeply. And in doing so, you've made our whole team stronger as well. I've seen some of the other people you've helped as well. Cardin? The days following his visit to your bar, he became a better person. And that hasn't just made him a better person, but his teammates, as well as making Beacon a brighter place for everyone here. And don't you dare say that you had nothing to do with that." Weiss threatened him again, waving her finger in his face. Jaune was wise enough to shut his mouth before any words tumbled out, his teeth clacking loudly in the quiet room.

The heiress nodded in approval, before calming down, hands settling over her lap again.

"I would say that every one of those examples would be a perfect case to show you that you are very capable of being a Huntsman. But… I would also say that they are also the perfect examples to show that you aren't a Huntsman." Weiss was the one to look away this time, her fingers fidgeting slightly. "You can be better than a Huntsman."

"I don't-"

"Understand, yes, I know." Weiss cut Jaune off, raising an eyebrow. "You always seem to have a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that you are a driving force of good for me- for us." Weiss corrected hurriedly. "For everyone around you."

Blue eyes locked onto each other, before Jaune closed his own, a meek smile appearing on his face.

"Thanks Weiss." Jaune said, his words heartfelt. "I appreciate everything you do to cheer me up." His hands squeezed hers. "I always do."

The two of them shared the moment together, looking at each other, words passing by without them having to say anything.

The click and slide of the doorway separated them quickly, Jaune turning to look at whoever had opened the door. Weiss stood up as well, almost looking as if she had used a glyph to propel herself across the room, standing on the far side of Pyrrha's bed.

"Oh my. I'm not saying I mind you doing all of that on my bed, but please tell me you're going to at least change the sheets after doing so." The girl said, stepping through the doorway, a small smirk on her face.

"Dew!" Weiss took a step forwards, coughing slightly into her fist before she extended a charming smile. "I didn't realize you were coming back so soon!" Violet eyes rolled as Dew Gayl waved a dismissive hand, dropping her traveling bag next to the door.

"Yeah. I was planning to stay for a few more days, but then my mom started talking about setting me up with another boy." The girl shuddered, shaking her head while she did so. "No thank you." Her grin appeared again, a finger flicking towards the other two in the room.

"Although I see you don't have that kind of problem here."

"We were just talking." Weiss said, wincing as she realized how threadbare that excuse sounded.

"Uh huh."

"We were!"

Jaune just looked back and forth at the two girls, not sure if he really wanted to jump in, having a feeling that he would screw things up even worse if he tried to intervene. A nervous cough still drew Dew's attention though, whose blonde hair whipped around as she looked at the boy still standing next to her bed. Her grin grew slightly at the sight of the uncomfortable Jaune.

"Now, what does the other half of this guilty party have to say?" Jaune's eyes widened, turning towards the embarrassed Weiss, finding no hints to be given from her vague glare.

"Uh."

Dew waited for another second to see if Jaune would say anything else, nodding when Jaune decided that he had said enough.

"Quite the snake tongue you've got on you, huh?" Dew rolled her eyes again, snorting in amusement. "I think Zwei could've given a better defense. At least he has the decently to give a puppy dog look when pretending to be innocent."

"… We weren't doing anything, Dew." Weiss repeated, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefingers.

"Of course not," Blonde hair bobbed as Dew nodded her head vigorously, batting her eyelids in an unconvincing manner.

"I- ugh. I'm leaving." Weiss stomped up towards the girl, glaring at her before striding past. Dew reached over, grabbing Weiss by the shoulder before she could leave, and leaned over, whispering into Weiss's ears. Jaune wasn't able to hear what was said, but was able to see Weiss's eyes widen, her face redden, and her scowl turning slightly panicked before she pushed the other girl away, sputtering her indignation before storming off. Dew just giggled at the sight, before thumbing something on her scroll, closing the door, a small clank sounding as the door locked itself behind her.

"H-hi." Jaune greeted the girl weakly, who raised a single eyebrow, before stalking her way towards the boy. There wasn't much space for him to back away, only able to take two steps before the back of his knees hit his- Dew's bed. She wasn't as tall as Jaune, but the way she held herself made Jaune feel like he was shrinking in front of her gaze. She continued to look at him, eyes trailing up and down his body, as if she was trying to look for something to exploit.

Dew shifted a little before shaking her head, turning away from Jaune.

"You're an interesting fellow, you know that?"

Jaune blinked at the statement, mouth opening. "Uh…" Dew ignored his gaping, crossing her arms as she leaned back against Pyrrha's bed.

"I was listening to you guys when you were talking about not wanting to be a Huntsman." The girl admitted, shrugging her shoulders. Jaune stared at her, surprised that she would openly admit that she was listening in on their conversations.

Dew had always been a bit of a conundrum to Jaune. There were a lot of stories about her, especially when it came to Pyrrha telling him about her as a partner. At the start, she seemed to always gush and be attached at the hip with Pyrrha, but it seemed like that personality faded as Jaune got the Amazon to talk to her partner, replaced by a solid, reliable character that everyone in PNDR was able to rely on. Something like an older sister.

To Jaune though, she was a mystery. Every time the group visited Jaune, Dew seemed to be the one who stayed the furthest away, not saying much, nor drinking much. Every time she ordered something from him, it was something different, and Jaune still can't figure out which drink she really liked. It felt like every time Jaune even looked at her, she was glaring at him somewhat, and every single one of those traits combined scared the daylights out of him.

"O-oh. You did?" Jaune asked, mind settling back to the topic at hand.

"I did." Dew said firmly, making sure that he wasn't going to find a way to change the topic. "And I agree with you."

"Agree with me?"

"Agree with you." She repeated, nodding once. Jaune's eyebrows furrowed in as he tried to remember what he would have said that she would've agreed on. Dew could see the obvious confusion on Jaune's face and sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I think that you aren't fit to be a Huntsman."

The boy winced at the statement, which sounded worse when it came from someone other than him. Dew didn't seem to notice, or care, continuing to talk.

"You're learning everything that we've been learning too late in life. If you were put into a life and death situation… you would choose wrong." Dew turned slowly towards him, a calm look in his eyes. "And doom the people who would depend on you."

"I wouldn't do that badly." Jaune objected, surging up in anger. He knew that what Dew said was the truth, but that didn't mean she should be saying the words so callously, and hurtfully. Jaune took a single step towards the girl before a hand flashed in front of him, resting on his chest. Dew didn't even show any signs of exerting herself as she pushed against his chest, sending him flying across the bed and onto the floor on the other side.

"Actually, you would." Jaune heard Dew's voice floating across the room, as well as the clacking of her heels against the floor, the girl walking around the bed to face him. "You can't even react fast enough for something as simple as a shove. What's going to happen when you're facing a Beowulf, or an Ursa?"

Frustrated tears pooled around the corner of Jaune's eyes as he grit his teeth, stumbling into a stand. "I know that!" Jaune yelled angrily at the girl, fists clenched. "You don't think I know that?" Violet eyes stared back unflinchingly, Dew unmoving as Jaune screamed angrily at her.

"I never said that." She said calmly, only making Jaune increasingly infuriated.

"Then why are you telling me this?" Jaune growled out, not learning his lesson and stepping close to the girl, his nose almost touching hers. "You just get off on hurting other people? Hurting me?"

"Of course not. That is the last thing I want to do."

"Well that is what you're doing!" Jaune's throat only felt more and more sore as he continued to scream, anger boiling over. Dew blinked at the sudden outrage that Jaune displayed, the anger enough to make her lean back a degree.

"Oh. I apologize if that's how I'm coming off right now." Dew bowed deep, her voice finally reflecting a bit of sincerity. "I didn't mean to hurt you with my words," she repeated.

Jaune's anger wasn't so easily dissipated, but Dew apologizing was a start. His chest slowed as he calmed himself, his mind struggling to push the anger away. The girl stood there for a little longer, making sure all of the wayward emotions were gone before she got close and laid a hand on Jaune's shoulder, looking at him in concentration.

"I would like to say that you're strong, Jaune." She said, seemingly out of the blue coming from Jaune's perspective. "But you aren't strong in a way that makes a Huntsman strong."

"What-"

"You're stronger as someone who's there to talk things out with the troubled and weary. You're the one that anyone can rely on to point them in the right path." Dew hesitated, biting her lip for a second before saying, "I think that your strengths make you stronger than a Huntsman." Her finger poked his chest again, bringing Jaune to a wince again.

"Huntsmen are the ones that will save and protect the people around them," Dew said, eyes unwavering, making sure Jaune understood the intensity of her words. "You are the one that's going to save the Huntsmen."

"O… k?" Jaune said nervously, sweat beginning to form on his brow. Dew was starting to get intense. Very intense, which wasn't something really strange per se, but it was still something Jaune didn't want directed at him with full force. The bad feeling was proven to be true when the girl gripped his arms tighter, making him wince again.

"Do you understand?" Her eyes flashed, making Jaune jump. "Do you understand?" She repeated.

"Yes." Jaune nodded, eyes wide. "Yes, I understand."

As soon as Dew heard the words, she seemed to slump down, her eyes fluttering, her arms sliding off of his shoulders. Jaune took that opportunity to draw himself backwards, stepping out of her reach. There was quiet as Dew stayed slumped over, breathing deeply. Slowly, her eyes opened, back straightening almost painfully as she inhaled, looking as if she was sucking all the air out of the room.

It took a while, but her eyes rolled and Jaune was able to meet her in the eyes again. Dew clutched her head, groaning in pain.

What… was that?! Jaune thought to himself, growing more terrified at the display.

"I hate it when I do that." Dew muttered, finally straightening up, rubbing her face. Squinting like she was peering into sunlight, she looked at Jaune.

"Remember what I said Jaune." The girl said, crossing her arms.

"What you… said?" Jaune repeated, confounded. Dew rolled her eyes, blowing the hair out of her face.

"Geez, and Pyrrha called you a witty person. Do you remember. What I said?" She enunciated the words delicately, tapping her foot in a show of impatience.

"I—" Jaune cut himself off when Dew glared at him, the boy quickly shutting his mouth and nodding his head instead. "I remember." He answered meekly.

The girl nodded, but instead of looking relieved like he thought that she would be, she looked worried.

"Good." Dew murmured, nodding to herself, turning around. "Good…"

The blond didn't have any time to say anything else as Dew departed, the door sliding open, her thumb swiping her scroll and letting the it close behind her, leaving a bewildered Jaune standing alone in the room.

"But where am I going to sleep now…?" Jaune finished weakly, hand dropping about the same time his head did.