Howdy, howdy, ho.
So, in the last chapter, I said I pity the poor soul who makes fanart for this story. And so it is that I pity Mallobaude - the author of Letters to Winter and Take a Walk on the Wild Side - for his beautiful drawing of Jaune and Winter in the first chapter. I think the quality of the drawing really reflects the brilliance of Blake's work.
Just a heads up, not every chapter will feature smut because, believe it or not, this story actually has plot to it. A stupid plot, but a plot nonetheless. I promise the next chapter will have some juicy material, though.
Enjoy.
Cover art: Mallobaude
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Just as well, because Weiss Schnee considered herself the authority of cold, unrelenting fury. She was going to show that perverted feline the real reason people called her Ice Queen - as much as she loathed that nickname.
She stood in the now destroyed doorway of her dormroom. A quick ice blast from Mysternaster had made short work of the door, but her book-loving teammate needn't fear her weapon's capabilities. It was her she had to be worried about. A door exploding paled in comparison to the punishment she was going to put her through.
Blake at least had the decency to look shocked at her entrance, but it wasn't enough. Exactly five seconds had passed and the faunus still hadn't dropped to her knees and begged for forgiveness. Her hesitation and lack of formality mocked her.
It just made this a whole lot easier.
"Blake Belladonna," she hissed. "You and I need to have a little talk…"
Blake almost looked frightened at her tone but quickly recovered from her initial shock, robbing Weiss of the chance to revel in her fear.
"Weiss, what the hell was that for?" The cat barked. "What's crawled up your combat skirt?"
"Oh, you'd like to know, wouldn't you?" she sneered. "You'd like to know everything that goes on between my legs. That's what you want, isn't it? You want me to tell you every dirty detail nice and slowly for you!?"
"... Weiss, if you wanted to flirt with me, you didn't need to break down the door-"
"I'm not flirting with you, you lecherous nincompoop," Weiss roared with a furious blush on her face. "That's all that goes through your head, isn't it? Just filth and profanity that you mistake for romance. Your mind is a gutter, Blake Belladonna!"
"For God's sake, where is this coming from?" Blake snapped. "Is your ponytail so tight that it's cutting off blood circulation to your brain? Is that why you're behaving like this?"
Fuming, Weiss flexed her fingers and activated her semblance, summoning a glyph to open Blake's drawer. When it opened she summoned another glyph underneath the literary abomination that laid inside. The book flew out of the drawer and landed in Weiss' hand.
"This!" she snarled as she pointed an accusing finger at the tat. "This is the reason for my anger!" Her finger then pointed to the faunus culprit in the centre of the room. "You are responsible for this. This is all your fault!"
"I'm not sure I understand…"
Weiss' eye twitched. She had heard that there was more than one way to skin a cat, but she felt so close to inventing her own methods of doing so. "I haven't been sleeping, Blake. I require at least eight hours bedrest to properly function, yet I've barely been able to have three in these past few days. And do you know why that is? Do you know what I see every time I close my eyes?" Her grip on the book tightened.
"Weiss, you're gonna crease the cover if you do that-"
"I see this," she hissed, pointing again at the book. "It hovers above me in the darkness, filling my vision and taunting me with its ridiculously bland cover. But that's not the worst of it, oh no. It shows me things… horrible things."
It was impossible to tell if Weiss was still staring at Blake. Her eyes were unfocused as she began to exhibit the thousand-yard stare. She even felt a few tears tickling the edge of her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. It didn't matter. Let them flow if they wanted. She no longer felt anything anymore.
"I keep having the same dream. In it, the book is getting closer to my face. It opens itself and presents its pages to me, but I can't turn away for whatever reason." Her little knees wobbled from anything but arousal at the memory. "Everywhere I look, all I see is more of the book. I am forced to bear witness to the words inside. And do you know what it shows me? Do you really want to know?"
She regained her focus and used it to direct more of her fury at Blake, who seemed more confused than terrified. "It shows my sister and that ridiculous Arc boy having poorly written intercourse!"
She had said it. The rat had finally been let out of its cage. It was painful to confess her nightmares to the girl who caused them all, but her soul suddenly felt a little lighter. Blake was still looking as confused as ever, but that wasn't important anymore. She had said her piece and all that was left now was the apology she was about to receive. Perhaps its words would ease her weary mind.
She closed her eyes and waited for those sweet, guilt-ridden words to reach her ears. A small smile was already beginning to form on her face in anticipation. Her mind buzzed from all the different ways she planned to punish Blake. She would forgive her in time, but not right now. Best to let her wallow in her own shame before she received the good graces of Weiss Schnee-
"Damn. That sounds rough, Weiss."
Her eyes snapped open faster than Yang's brastrap. She swore she could feel a blood vessel in her eye burst from looking at the girl in front of her.
"Don't you understand!?" she roared. "You're the reason I am plagued by these nightmares! It's because of your stories- no, your filth, that I am cursed with this bedlam! And it's not just me. The others think the same thing."
"The others?"
"We all know," Weiss shuddered. "Ruby, Yang, Team JNPR, we all know about this and we've all been tainted. Your porn was reckless and it has murdered our former selves. It is your duty to apologise to us, but mostly to me! So, what are you waiting for? Apologise!"
"Oh, is that what I'm meant to be doing?" Blake asked. Her facial features had yet to significantly change, apart from a raised eyebrow she was sending Weiss' way. "If I'm honest, it sounds like I'm the one who deserves the apology."
Oh.
Oh, was that a fact now, was it? Weiss' honour as a lady was the only thing preventing her from reducing Blake's nine lives to one.
"Me!?" she cried. "You want me to apologise!? And what, pray tell, is your reasoning for this?"
"Well, you said it yourself. You looked through my stuff without my say-so." Blake shook her head and tutted. "That's a violation of my privacy, Weiss. I thought you knew better."
No! No, she was not allowed to play the victim here. Weiss was the one with the mental scars and the Schnee family therapist on speed dial, not her. "It was hardly my idea," she snapped. "In fact, I was even against it. I was simply dragged into the madness along with everyone else."
"I'm sure you were," Blake nodded with her eyes closed. "So, how did everyone else force you to read it? Did they keep your eyes open with pegs, or did they just hold the book right in front of your face? Or maybe… you read it of your own free will?" Weiss' silence must have given Blake the answer she needed, causing her to tut and shake her head again. "For shame, Weiss."
Argh, this was impossible! How was Blake being so calm in the face of all of this? Didn't she feel the slightest bit of shame or guilt knowing her secret was out there? Her self-control could've been commendable if it wasn't so infuriating!
"You're missing the point!" she shouted. "This is about you writing obscene material that has caused the mental collapse of your team and your friends. Aren't you at least going to try to deny it?"
"No."
Weiss blinked. That… wasn't what she was expecting to hear. She must have misheard her teammate during her fit of madness.
"W-What did you say?"
"I said no." Blake was eerily calm and level-headed. Her voice was totally relaxed with each word she spoke. "I mean, I deny purposefully causing you this stress, but I will always stand by my work."
This… this… what was this!? What was she saying right now!? Had the world flipped itself on its head when she wasn't looking because that was the only explanation for this madness!
"So you admit it," Weiss said slowly. It was hard trying to contain the fear in her voice. "You admit to writing these stories?"
"Of course."
She may have been able to control her voice, but she couldn't control her body from shaking. The book dropped to the ground due to Weiss' trembling fingers. Blake quickly stepped in to pick up the book and wipe the dust on it. The sight of the faunus getting closer caused Weiss to recoil in terror.
Who was this girl in front of her? Was this some imposter in the form of her teammate, or was this the real Blake Belladonna? If it was the latter, how had she been unaware of this twisted side of her for all this time? They had all been a team for long enough now, so she thought she knew her teammates like the back of her hand. How had she missed the terrifying anomaly before?
"Y-You admit to writing these?" she felt like she had to repeat the question. Blake deserved the benefit of the doubt, at least.
"Sure do," Blake said nonchalantly. She was calmly cleaning the book, barely even looking at the heiress. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"H-How?"
"How what?"
"How are you so calm about this?" Weiss squeaked. "You should be riddled with shame right now, yet you talk as if nothing has happened. How are you doing this?"
Blake finally showed a bit of emotion by looking at Weiss in confusion. "Are you serious?" When the frightened heiress gave no response, Blake rolled her eyes and sighed. "Weiss, I've had to deal with you and everyone else discovering my secret as a faunus, and as being a former White Fang member; the biggest terrorist organisation on the face of Remnant." She smirked playfully at her. "You think I care if you find my hidden story journal?"
Weiss didn't know how to respond to that. Yes, Blake had done some sketchy things in the past, but she at least regretted the actions of her previous life. Perhaps the weight of her sins had stopped her ability to feel anything?
"Besides, this is hardly something to be ashamed of," she cooed as she lovingly stroked the book. It could've been the light coming in through the window, but Weiss could've sworn she saw Blake's eyes twinkle a little. "What I've written will change the world. It'll revolutionize our very way of thinking and bring a new age of peace to Remnant. It's unfortunate that you had to find it so soon, but I suppose it can't be helped. Art such as this does have a natural allure to it."
Weiss felt her back hit the wall behind her. She hadn't realised she had been walking backwards the whole time. Her body hugged the wall as she tried to make her way slowly to the door. The further she stayed away from this mad beast the better.
"Blake… this has to stop. You're writing porn about us. Your friends. Surely even you must see how unhealthy that is."
Blake looked up from her book induced trance and met Weiss' eyes. "You should be flattered. When my stories are finally let loose, you will all be remembered in the new world. Don't worry, there's no need to thank me."
"I'll thank you when you stop writing smut about me and my sister," Weiss snapped. Despite her absolute terror, she still had a little bite left in her. Going out quietly was unbefitting of a Schnee. "We all want this to stop, Blake. You're driving us all mad, including yourself."
Blake smiled and shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Weiss. There's a new wind blowing. Change is knocking on our door, and someone has to invite it in and take its coat."
"That metaphor sucks and so does your writing!"
Blake sighed again. "This is what I was worried about. You've read too much of my genius, but your minds aren't strong enough to comprehend it yet. But rest assured, Weiss, I will help you understand. I'll help you all see the light and usher in the greatness of the new world." A dreamy smile stretched across Blake's face as she closed her eyes. "And it will be glorious."
This all felt far too familiar for Weiss. She had seen madness before. She had seen it when her mother lost herself to alcohol, when her father made despicable actions just for the sake of making a profit. She had even seen traces of madness in her little brother, no doubt a result of her family's influence. Winter and herself had been lucky to escape when they did.
Despite her shady history, Blake should've been spared from most forms of madness. At least when she was in the White Fang, she fought for what could've been argued as a noble cause. It didn't excuse the crimes she had committed, but at least she had something that she considered worth fighting for.
But this? This wasn't a noble huntress or a faunus rights activist that stood before her. This was something foul. Something that dwelled in the darkest minds of all lunatics and given flesh. Something that belonged in the shadows, for it had no place in the light of the world where all the noble people of society lived.
This… was a pervert.
"You're mad, Blake Belladonna," Weiss whispered. "You've lost your mind and you don't even care."
Blake laughed. "I know change can seem like a frightening thing, Weiss, but you'll come to understand in time."
"Oh, I understand enough already." Weiss' hand found the door handle. "I understand that you're a lost cause. I'd say I'd like to help you, but I'm not even sure if there's anything left to save. Seriously, Blake, just listen to yourself. You've gone off the deep end."
Blake eyed Weiss questionably for a moment, before following it up with a hum and a small shrug of her shoulders. "I see what's happening here. You're jealous of my work. I don't know why I'm surprised by this, and yet I am."
Jealous? Of Blake Belladonna?
Weiss saw images of death play across her vision. She saw herself burning a pile of lien on the floor and laughing as it turned to ash. She saw the stars in the sky disappearing, the sun dying out, the moon crashing to the ground. She was laughing through it all, laughing harder than ever-
No! That was Blake's madness affecting her mind. Oh God, it was contagious! She had to get away. Blake Belladonna was a biohazard of insanity.
"This isn't over," Weiss yelped. "We will put an end to your wretched work. All of RWBY and JNPR stands against you, cretin!"
"Empty threats, Ice Queen" Blake giggled. "Look, if you must tell everyone of my work before the appropriate time, try not to impose your jealousy onto everyone else."
That was it. Red alert. Code Blue. Weiss Schnee was leaving the building.
"I'll be back!" Weiss shouted as she quickly opened the door behind her. "Mark my words, Blake Belladonna. This is the end for you!"
"Yeah, yeah, see you in an hour or so," Blake said dismissively. "Oh, and Weiss? Consider this talk as your apology being accepted."
With those last few words and the sound of the door slamming ringing in her ears, Weiss ran away from her dormroom as fast as possible. There were some fights you couldn't win. Some you couldn't even fight.
And then there were the few that were just too impossible to even comprehend.
[/]
Jaune had seen many things during his time at Beacon, but he'd never thought he'd see the day he saw the impeccable Weiss Schnee looking scared.
When Weiss returned to the cafeteria after pursuing Blake, he expected the heiress to return singing songs of victory, wearing her trademark smug grin and towing behind her a guilt-ridden Blake. She did everything in her life with such confidence that it was hard not to expect that outcome to happen.
To his and everyone's surprise though, Weiss came back looking like everyone in her family had just been reduced to middle class. Her face was riddled with despair and she looked out of breath and exhausted, like she had ran a marathon to get back to the canteen.
When everyone asked her what had happened, she said she would explain after eating something. Apparently, she needed comfort food, and devoured every sugary treat in sight, even those already in the possession of someone else. Ruby didn't even try to stop Weiss eating her cookies. One look at her lifeless eyes was all the warning she needed to stay away from Weiss.
When the gluttonous heiress was satisfied, they moved themselves to Beacon's courtyard. Ever since discovering Blake's filthy journal, they had decided to meet somewhere outside and as far from Blake as possible. Going outside was usually the best option, as Blake typically liked staying indoors in places like the library.
"And that's the whole story," Weiss sighed as she finished her tale of her and Blake's ordeal. "Now do you see? She's completely out of her mind!"
"We don't know that for sure!" the ever-hopeful Ruby Rose cried out. "Maybe it's all a trick? Maybe one of her clones has become sentient and is writing these stories in her place? Maybe it's holding our Blake hostage?"
"Ruby, you know semblances don't work like that, right?" Jaune asked.
"I don't know what to believe anymore!" Ruby wailed. "Nothing about this is normal!"
"I don't think Blake was ever truly normal to begin with," Yang muttered. "Mind you, I've heard of stuff like this happen before. Back when I was in Signal, I often heard rabid fangirls talking about their favourite shows and how they wanted certain characters to get together. Some even went as far to write porn stories about these characters." Everyone looked at Yang shocked, causing the blonde to wave her hands defensively. "Don't give me that look, I never read any of them! I'm only saying what I heard."
"Are you saying Blake is doing this because she's fans of us or something?" Ren asked.
"Ooh, I've always wanted to have my own fanbase," Nora giggled. "Just think of it: millions of people screaming my name as they construct idols of me across all of Remnant. Do you think Blake does sculpting?"
"Nora, don't ask Blake to make statues of her smut," Ren said with a finger wave. Jaune quickly seconded that Ren's order. Of course Nora of all people would see no problem with Blake doing what she was doing. He and his team would have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't give Blake any ideas.
"I'll be honest, I don't want to go back to my dorm room tonight," Weiss sighed. "Letting my guard down around Blake seems more dangerous than doing it around Jaune."
"Hey!"
"Weiss is right," Yang nodded. "Being close to Blake makes me uncomfortable these days. Is it cool if we can sleep in you guys' room until this blows over?"
"Yang, we can't ask them that," Ruby scolded. Her authoritative attitude didn't last long though, as she then turned to Jaune with her silver eyes activating their 'kicked puppy' mode. "But, I mean, if you want us to then I don't mind."
"You bet you can stay the night," Nora cheered, somehow managing to pull all of Team RWBY into a hug. "This is gonna be great! We can eat junk food, play some video games, read scary stories. If those stories aren't scary enough, I'll just borrow Blake's journal-"
Never before in the history of Remnant had the word 'no' been said so loudly.
"You're all welcome to stay for a few nights," Jaune shrugged. "We don't exactly have spare beds though, so you might have to get some sleeping bags."
"Whatever is required to get away from that monster," Weiss whispered. Had she always looked so distant before?
"As long as it isn't a bother," Ruby said. "I mean, I know you guys are okay with it, but shouldn't we ask Pyrrha, too?"
"Oh, she'll be fine," Nora laughed. "She's always been friendly, especially these days. Ever since reading that story of her, all she really does now is smile and laugh. She's never been happier."
Oh Nora…
"I'm sure the school has spare sleeping bags lying around," Yang said. "We gotta have them when we got out on long distance hunts, you know?"
"If they don't, I will gladly pay for all of them," Weiss said. "This is a matter of survival, though. Don't expect this as an act of generosity on my part."
"Never could with you, Ice Queen," Yang muttered under her breath. Luckily for her, Weiss didn't seem to hear this.
"Actually, before you get too comfortable, I'm gonna need one of you girls to do something," Jaune said. "It'll look weird if me or any of Team JNPR do it, so it has to be one of you three."
"What exactly do you want us to do?" Weiss asked with her voice full of caution.
"I need one of you to go into your room at some point today and take Blake's journal. Preferably tonight when she's sleeping."
"What!?" Yang yelped. "Are you crazy? I wouldn't even poke that thing with a stick!"
"Nor will I!" Weiss cried. "My good hands have been sullied too many times holding that waste of dead trees!"
"I'm scared," Ruby whimpered.
"Just hear me out," Jaune said, trying to get everyone to calm down. "You all want to get this problem solved, don't you? Well, in order to do that I'm gonna need that book."
"He's lost it, too," Weiss whispered. She immediately pulled out her scroll and called for her locker. The large metal box landed next to her seconds later. She quickly rushed over to it and pulled out Myrtenaster. She pointed it at Jaune with a sorrowful expression on her face. "This is the only way, Jaune," she said softly, taking a few steps closer towards him. "We may have had our differences, but know that I take no pleasure in what I'm about to do."
Jaune yelped and stumbled backwards, falling onto his back. So this was it? He was going to die by the hand of the girl of his dreams. No, this was happening too fast. He didn't want it to end like this. He didn't want to rush to the 'Til death do us part' bit of his marriage with her just yet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Yang cried, hoisting the girl in the with her arms locked under Weiss' shoulders. "Time out, princess. Don't you think you're taking this too far?"
"He's been tainted!" Weiss yelled amidst her struggling. "It's a mercy killing. Release me or he'll infect us all!"
"I don't want the book for my own pleasure!" Jaune cried, picking himself up off the ground. "What I was going to say was I plan to give it to my mom."
"It's worse than I thought," Weiss moaned. "He wants to spread the disease to his own family. Ruby, don't just stand there. Do something!"
"Maybe we should hear him out first, Weiss?" Ruby said, giving Jaune an apologetic look as she spoke.
"Thank you," Jaune groaned. "I need to give my mom the book so that she can critique it. I was planning to call her tomorrow, but looking at the state of all of you, it's probably best I call her today. I can show her one of Blake's stories tomorrow and then she might be able to help Blake improve her writing."
"Tomorrow?" Ren frowned. "You really think she'll show up at such short notice?"
Jaune laughed at his ignorance. "Trust me, Ren ol' buddy, if there's one woman I can count on showing up at my every beck and call, it'd be my mom. She'll show up tomorrow, don't worry."
"How will your mom be able to help?" Nora asked.
Jaune blinked. "Nora… my mom's an author, remember? I told you this just a few moments ago."
"Oh yeah," Nora gasped, which she then followed up with a giggle. "Yeah, I completely forgot about that. I kinda zoned out as soon as you mentioned books and reading and blah blah blah."
Jaune's eye twitched. He loved the ginger bomber like one of his many sisters, but sometimes he wondered if her brain was just another grenade shell. He looked to Ren, the brother he never had, for support.
He got a shrug.
Traitors.
"So yeah," he said with a deep heavy breath, trying to control his temper. "I'm gonna need that book and I'm gonna need one of you three to do it. Me and my team don't know where Blake keeps it, and it'll look weird if one of us goes into your room to take it. It's gotta be one of you three."
"Not me!"
"Not I!"
"I don't wanna!"
"You can decide which one of you does it later," Jaune sighed. "In the meantime, I've got a call to make."
Whilst the trio of girls squabbled over who was gonna touch Blake's filthy journal, Jaune walked further away from the group to make his call in peace. He didn't stop until the sounds of protests and fancy-sounding insults could no longer be heard. Once he was far enough, he pulled out his scroll and started typing in his mother's number.
He paused slightly before typing in the last number. It had been a while since he last got in touch with one of his family. Ever since coming to Beacon, he had ended pretty much all communication with them. Perhaps it was a pride thing, or maybe he was worried that they had already found out about his false transcripts? Whatever it was, it had stopped him from even texting just to say hi.
He could only imagine the worry he must have put his family through. They could be a little overprotective, sure, but he loved them all with all his heart. To have them all worry about him… and him not even making the time to talk to them, even if it was only for a few minutes…
Argh, why did he have to make himself feel bad now? Things were already complicated enough with Blake writing porn about him and everyone else. He didn't need his own self-loathing added to the crazy mix. Right now he had to focus on getting Blake to stop her smutty ways. He could question his worth as a good son later.
He pressed the final button and brought the scroll to his ear. He braced himself for the scolding that was soon to come.
[/]
Eight children…
All of them were perfect, all of them were irreplaceable, but eight children? The thought of it alone was exhausting, even if some of them were adults. Not that age made much of a difference. A mother's work was never done.
And Christina Arc considered herself the best damn mother out there.
The proud mother of eight - ugh, give her strength - sat in her favourite armchair and going over her emails, which only added more to her exhaustion. In between cooking, cleaning, and any other chores that came with being a mother, she also had to worry about deadlines from her publicist. Oh heavens, what a bother.
Writer's block was never a problem for her, but when you lead a life such as hers, finding the strength to even turn on your computer was a challenge in of itself. One of her more embarrassing moments was when she fell asleep at her keyboard when writing the climax to one of her stories. What was supposed to be an emotional scene was made laughable at the seemingly infinite line of the letter 'e'. That had been a nuisance to correct, especially when she had to struggle to find her muse again.
Deadlines made everything stressful. She was happy that her books were in such high demand, but it meant she rarely got any rest. One break away from things was all she asked for. It was a wonder how her hair was still bright blonde considering the stressful life she lead.
Her sleepy thoughts were broken when she heard her scroll ring. She cleared her voice to mask her drowsiness and picked up the scroll. She didn't recognise the caller's number as it showed up on screen. She wasn't expecting any business calls at this time of day, so this already put her on edge. She hoped one of her fans hadn't somehow found her number. Having a stalker would drive her to her wits' end.
Sighing, she slid her finger across the screen and accepted the call. The video screen took a moment to load, before a teenage boy with a familiar shade of blond hair and blue eyes filled up the screen. He looked uncomfortable and was scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Hi, Mom," the boy said in an equally nervous tone.
She nearly dropped the scroll onto the floor. The boy's looks and voice were all painfully familiar yet too familiar to be real.
"Jaune?" she whispered. This boy certainly looked like her son, but it felt too good to be true.
"Eheh, um, yeah, it's me," he grimaced. "I'm, uh, sorry I haven't called in a while. Things have been kinda crazy for me right now, and I haven't really had the chance to-"
This was real. This was her baby boy talking to hear. He looked like he still had his health, which put her mind at great ease. She didn't know why his scroll number was different, but at least it meant he still had a means of talking to her. God, seeing his face and hearing his voice filled her with joy-
-and righteous motherly fury! He had left for Beacon months ago, hadn't returned any of her or his father's calls, and was only revealing himself now? This child was in for a whole world of trouble!
"Where on earth have you been these past months!?" she shouted. "When we heard that Beacon's initiation trial had finished, we all feared the worst when you didn't call! Do you have any idea how scared I was for your wellbeing that day!?"
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. His voice was riddled with shame, not that that did anything to calm her down. "I know I should've called sooner, but I didn't know how. I'm an idiot, I know."
"What do you mean you didn't know how?" she snapped. "Jaune, this is the first time I've spoken to you in what feels like forever, so you better start making some sense!"
"I didn't know what to say!" he cried. "It had been so long, I didn't know how to talk to you about things here. I also… maybe wanted to prove to you how well I'm doing on my own. I didn't mean to cause you any heartache, I swear."
"Ugh, you and your ridiculous pride," she groaned. "You're just like your father in that regard. Trust me, that's not a compliment."
"I'm sorry," he said again. His eyes were closed shut and he hung his head low. "Look, I know I've been distant lately, and I don't blame you if you hate me right now. But you gotta believe me when I say I'm sorry for hurting you. I promise I won't do it again."
She rolled her eyes. Hate him? He was a bigger idiot than she had realised. As if she could ever bring herself to hate her precious child, even if that child did keep her in the dark for months on end. She hadn't been lying when she said his pride was a problem of his. The silly boy was always so obsessed with trying to change how others supposedly viewed him, that he failed to realise how much his own family valued him.
"You had us all worried about you, Jaune," she said. "I had half a mind to send your father down there and drag you back home if this continued. I've lost sleep worrying about you."
He didn't say anything this time. He turned his head away from the camera, his eyes still shut tight. It even looked like there were a few tears trying to break free. The sight of her baby boy looking so guilty tugged at her heartstrings.
She still had plenty of anger to spare, but goddammit, it was hard to scold him when he was looking like that. Normally she wouldn't have been swayed so easily, but this was the first time she had seen him in such a long time. She truly had been fearing for his safety when he didn't call after his initiation. She had heard stories of what happened to students who didn't pass.
Some of those students never returned home…
She wanted this to be a happy occasion, even if she was furious with him for his actions. His punishment was far from over, but for now… now she just wanted to talk to her son again.
"I am happy to see you again, Jaune," she said gently. "It makes me even happier to see you looking after yourself."
"You don't have to mince words, I realise how much I've hurt you," he sighed. "If you wanna shout, go ahead. I deserve it."
"I'll save that for when I see you in person," she chuckled. "For now I'd just like to see you smiling again. I'm thrilled that you've finally decided to call me, even if you did take your sweet time in doing so. Let's try to continue this on a more happier note."
He finally looked back up at the camera again and smiled at her. It was weak and wavering, but it was a smile nonetheless. Memories of him as a child played in front of her the moment she saw him smile. Memories of him laughing, playing and cuddling up to her, saying she was the best mommy in the whole world.
Damn it, she wanted to reach inside the scroll and hug him for all he was worth. He had been too cruel keeping himself hidden away for all these months. The next time she reunited with him, there would be much celebration but also plenty of punishment. She would not forget this so easily.
"I'm happy to see you too, Mom," he smiled. "I'll try to call more often when I get the chance. Sorry for making you panic like that."
"Let's not worry about that now," she said. "Just tell me how you've been. How's Beacon? Are your teammates nice to you?"
"Things are pretty good so far," he said. "And yeah, I've got the best team in the whole world. Team Juniper is the name, though it's spelt JNPR - don't ask why. You'd never believe it, but I'm actually the leader of my team."
"The leader!?" she gasped. A proud smile stretched across her face. "You see, Jaune? I always said you were capable of great things as long as you believed in yourself. I'm so proud of you, son."
"Haha, jeez, Mom, that's kind of you to say," Jaune laughed with a faint blush on his face. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone, I'm sure they'd love to meet you. Actually, that's kinda why I'm calling you now. I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow so that we could meet?"
"Tomorrow?" She was meant to be finishing a chapter for her latest book. She had done much today, but there was still plenty more to do. Deadlines hung over her head like a noose.
But this was the chance to see Jaune again, one of the most precious things in her life. Deadlines could go to hell right now. Nothing was more important than her children, especially ones that she hadn't seen in forever. Besides, she needed the break.
"Yeah, I mean, if it's not too busy for you-"
"No, that's fine, I'm completely free," she said quickly. "I've always got time for you, dear. Just name a time and place."
"Great," he smiled. "I'll meet you in Vale, and then I'll show you around Beacon. It'll be great for you to finally meet my new friends. Oh, and another thing… I've kinda got something I need you to look at for me."
"Oh? What is it you want to show me?" And why did he look so nervous when he said that? Did she have another reason to be worried about him? God, this boy was going to give her a heart attack one day.
"I'll tell you when we're in private," he mumbled. "Don't worry about it now, though. I promise it's nothing too serious, but it is something that could use your professional opinion on."
"If you say so," she said curiously. "But let me tell you something, young man, you're buying me dinner when we're out tomorrow. Consider it payment for not calling sooner."
"I'll treat the whole family if that's what it takes," he laughed. "I'll meet you at the docking zone for twelve then? We can catch up when we see each other. God knows I have a lot to talk about of my time here so far."
"I look forward to hearing all about it," she smiled. Whatever work she had, she'd just get it done now. Tomorrow was all about her and her son. "Thank you for calling me, Jaune. Be sure to do the same for the rest of your family."
"I will," he said firmly. "I won't treat you guys like that ever again. I'm just sorry I didn't call you sooner."
"I know you are, Jaune," she said softly. "I've already forgiven you. Just try to call more often, please? The house feels strange without you here."
"Of course," he nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Mom. I love you."
"I love you, too. See you tomorrow."
The image of him disappeared as he hung up, leaving her face the only one being reflected on the surface of the scroll. She sighed and pocketed the scroll away. She had been thrilled to hear his voice again, but seeing him at a place like Beacon did little to ease her. She worried enough about her husband due to him being a huntsman, but now Jaune as well? At least Solomon was experienced in his job. Jaune was still a boy, training for a profession that was merciless.
She would admit, she hadn't wanted this life for him. If she had her say, she would've kept him home where it was safe. But it wasn't her place to control his life. It was up to him to choose which path he wanted to take. All she could do was support him, even if she was completely against his choice of dreams to follow.
But she wouldn't let those thoughts sour her current mood. She finally had the chance to see her son again, and she couldn't be happier for it. She looked forward to telling him about everything that had happened at home since he was away, as well as being able to have some proper mother-son bonding time.
Now if only she could figure out what her son was so nervous talking about. Ugh, hunters made everything in her life complicated...
And making her official debut is my OC for Jaune's mother - Christina Arc!
Got a bit serious at the end, but that's only because it's from the perspective of a character outside of the madness. Don't worry, the rest of the story will go back to it's scheduled craziness. Hopefully you enjoyed this one for what it was worth, though.