WARNING - Should probably warn you ahead of time, it may be a tad dark ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Please tell me what you think. Thanks!

Delicate, yet firm, hands dragged the half-witted knight into the infirmary. The nurse wasn't there, possibly away on lunch or attending some hapless student with way too many explosives in their pockets. Satisfied with the privacy, Weiss shut the door and wheeled the swivel chair in front of Jaune.

"Sit."

A simple, assertive command that Jaune took in stride, sitting down on the spot. The heiress rummaged through several drawers and cabinets, darting from point to point hastily, stopping only to clean up what little mess she made. Her brows seemed perpetually knit, in an analytical stare, judging and evaluating everything she saw, a mark of how intelligent and hardworking she was. He opened his mouth to offer some help, but all that came out was a stutter she paid no attention to. Consider it a blessing. What fool would take his help?

He couldn't help but get distracted by the four walls of the med-bay. The infirmary was nothing new for Jaune. Being the punching bag of everyone in a school for gifted superhumans netted you your own personal spot, cot and all. Frequent enough to etch his name onto one of the bars of the corner-most cot with his fingernails. The nurse probably wouldn't appreciate seeing that private act of vandalism on school property, but Jaune couldn't muster the will to care. That was his cot. The losers cot. He at least wanted to make sure people knew it.

"Ah-ha, finally," Weiss cheered, plucking a suitcase-style first-aid kit, complete with its own red-cross symbol. "One would think a first-aid kit would be in a more obvious place in a nurse's office, but of course, that would make things too easy."

Jaune raised a brow. What on Remnant was she doing? "Uh, what're you doing with those?"

"Raiding the medicine cabinet for my daily essentials- what do you think I'm doing, you dork?" Weiss sharply replied, turning heel and standing straight, hands at her hips.

"You never know, the nurse could be hiding some secret to eternal life in here." Jaune attempted to joke, but his voice was quiet, almost failing him. Like he subconsciously didn't want to be heard.

"I'll worry about immortality after I stop babysitting. Now hold still." Quick and subtle, Weiss slid the sleeves up on his hoodie, grimacing when she saw bare skin. "Oh my… where did you get all of these?"

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Weiss incredulously demanded. "There's more bruise than skin here! If you're trying to turn into a grape, you're well on your way already!"

There wasn't too much exaggeration there. Spots of black and blue dotted up and down his forearms, almost like polka-dots. Even worse up towards his dwindling bicep, where one side was covered in a massive bruise.

It was strange. He barely remembered it was there. Too many wounds to really notice or care for that matter. He stared at as placidly as he did the rest of the marks and bruises on his body. He sucked in some air and sighed, stretching on that signature dorky smile he usually had. The one that would stop people from asking too many questions.

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "Where did you get all these?"

"Training." Short, sweet, and to the point. The less she had to know, the better.

"Training? Pyrrha wouldn't put you through so much, it's not in her nature." Weiss pondered, fingers on her chin.

Jaune only shrugged. "She told me it could get intense. If I wanna catch up, I gotta be intense too."

"This isn't intensity. This is barbarism. And I shall have a lengthy discussion with her about the difference-"

"Wait, no! Please don't do that!" Jaune pleaded suddenly, feeling his heart skip a beat.

Weiss's glare turned razor-sharp. "So you'll tell me the truth now?"

"Look it's just… really better if you don't know." Once again, Jaune's voice was quiet and faint, just begging to scarcely be heard. He just wanted to vanish on the spot, just be anywhere but that room, showing Weiss all of his shame. Weiss didn't say a word and continued on with her treatment, pressing ice against the bruise. Those eyes were still evaluating him, even when looking away. He felt himself wither a little.

It was the longest, most agonizing ten minutes of his life. It might as well have been a century. The heiress had ordered his hoodie off, revealing a collection of bruises and scrapes, with some shallow cuts still left open and unattended. It didn't matter. He thought they'd heal on their own soon enough. That did earn a stern reprimand from her though. He wasn't sure if the wound hurt more.

She wrapped up whatever scratches and cuts he had left on his body wordlessly, taking extra care with her rather small hands, until she moved up to his face. Jaune instinctively pulled away, which got him a filthy little scowl in return. "I presume you aren't a child in a clinic? Keep your head still." She grabbed his face by the cheeks and turned his head to face hers. "Let. Me. See."

"Okay, okay."

She pulled his hair aside and gawked. "Jaune… you've been punched."

You don't say? He wanted to say that so badly if it wouldn't get him slapped.

"Jaune, who punched you?"

"It's Beacon. Everyone punches me." Jaune joked.

Again, her glare turned ice cold and sharp. "I will ask again. Who punched you?"

Jaune sighed. Was it even worth keeping quiet at this point? What would she even care? Maybe she was just curious and would write it off afterward as some survival of the fittest scenario. "Cardin."

Weiss sucked in air through her teeth, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Cardin. Of course, it's Cardin. Every time, it's Cardin. That boy doesn't know his ass from his elbow and yet he can still cause all this ruckus with students? Having height and bulk has its perks. Have you said anything to Pyrrha?"

"Not really…" Jaune meekly answered.

"Not really? He's turning you black and blue and you're not saying anything about it?"

"It's funny for most people." Jaune shrugged.

"It's not funny to me! For all the…" She reigned herself in, taking a deep breath and pausing. "Please, just speak to someone about these matters. This? This isn't natural. And getting hurt for the sake of your pride or hatred is a fool's game, Arc."

A crooked smile formed on Jaune's face. "Thanks for the advice. Though, can I ask you something? Why are you helping me?"

"That's my business, thank you. You are just supposed to appreciate it," Weiss answered, wrapping up a cut on his leg. "Or at least do me this favor and take better care of yourself. Do you understand?"

Jaune blinked, feeling an unfamiliar fuzzy warmth. It felt like so long since someone told him something as simple as that. Almost like someone actually cared. "Yeah, okay, sure."

"Good," A proud smile stretched on her face. "A woman does think highly of a man who sticks to his commitments, no matter how benign they are. Even in the face of the public eye." With a nod of satisfaction at her skilled medic work, she brushed her skirt off, gathered her supplies, and tucked the kit away where she found it.

"Thanks, Weiss."

"Don't mind it, Arc. Be prepared for me to be the latest fly in your ear. I will beat self-care into you until you beg for me to stop," Her scroll buzzed, to her surprise. At that moment, her entire demeanor changed, eyes wide and a giddy smile lighting up the room. "Excuse me," She quickly uttered, putting her scroll to her ear. "Hello? Neptune?"

Oh, that's right, Weiss had a boyfriend now. Jaune had almost forgotten. That little favor nearly a month back put the well-intentioned knight in a dress, and Weiss dancing with a former playboy. It was better this way at least. Weiss was much happier now. It was on display in those brilliantly gleaming eyes and beautiful, soft smiles.

"Mm, no I don't have anything to study at the moment, why do you ask… wait, truly? Tonight?" If it was possible, that grin went ear to ear, and her pale face went a shade of pink. What scandalous little details were Jaune missing? He would've asked if he wouldn't get yet another slap in the face. "Y-Yes, of course! I'll call in the reservations now. Be prepared, this time. I'll see you soon, handsome."

It was weird seeing Weiss flirt. Even weirder to hear the proud emblem of royalty in Beacon stammer like a schoolgirl in front of a supermodel. Weiss giggled to herself, fiddling around with her fingers. "Someone's happy." Jaune commented.

"I do have some business tonight, yes," Weiss confirmed. "If you'll excuse me." She quickly darted out the door, muttering plans under her breath.

Jaune stood up and sat on the cot that he marked, laying back on it and staring at the ceiling. He looked at his well-bandaged hands and arms, admiring how much work had gone into them. Careful, delicate, and professional. She would make a great medic.

Neptune was such a lucky guy…

/

Class the next day was quiet, and that made Jaune more anxious. Normally, there would be a spitball here, a paper airplane at the back of his head there, maybe even a thick book if the bozo was brazen enough, but nothing. The massive angry goblin didn't even show up to class, which was a strike against the norm in itself. Bully, or otherwise, attending class was something he did frequently, probably because daddies' money wouldn't like it if he cut classes.

The Knight barely paid attention to the lecture, eyes darting to the door like he was expecting a tank to come rolling in, but there was nothing. The rest of his team was there though, two of them lounging like they owned the classroom, with the third, some guy with a mohawk that Jaune couldn't be bothered to remember the name of, was paying close attention.

None of them noticed him or showed that they did. That didn't help his heart though. The class was just an hour and a half of adrenaline rush from start to finish.

"Where are you…" Jaune mumbled to himself, subconsciously trying to remember why he was so stressed out.

Then it hit him like one of Cardin's fists. His homework! He forgot Cardin's homework!

Jaune squirmed in his seat helplessly, feeling every blood cell run cold. Could this class last forever? The peace and quiet were used against him, like a fog obscuring a killer. His heart was in his throat, clutching his pencil near to the point of snapping. Where was Cardin now? What was he planning? Just how many years was that cruel bastard going to sheer off his life today? It was barely even the punishment killing him now, it was the anticipation.

The bell rang abruptly. That fire under his seat was still lit. He was the first one out of his desk and to the door, grasping almost desperately to the doorframe, feeling sick to his stomach. He was home free for his next class.

Then a thick, meaty hand seized him by the scruff of his neck. "Whoa, whoa, where's the hurry, man?"

All the color drained from Jaune's body. It was like all of his vital signs just ceased at the sight of the redhead's one-sided grin. "Just getting to class, you know?" He squeaked, his voice failing him for the umpteenth time.

Cardin tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm, I don't think so," He mused. "Actually, I was thinking we could go for a walk. Maybe outside?"

Right at that second, Jaune wanted to throw up. "S-Seriously, we n-need to get to class," Jaune reasoned, trying in vain to squirm out of his strong grip. "You know how Port is about people being late to his class. I don't think you want the twenty-hour lecture."

"Oh trust me, I don't think you wanna miss this." Cardin let go of him, but there was no point in running away. The three goons were already there, surrounding him. There wasn't even anywhere to go, and all of the kids passing by didn't even bother a second glance. Half of them knew what was coming and didn't want to be involved. The other half simply didn't care. All of his friends were in a different class this period. There was no other way to say it.

He was screwed.

He slumped, resigning himself to fate, and followed Cardin down the stairs, trying to keep his balance amongst a few tripping attempts. The group went down further than the front hall and down further into the basement, somewhere Jaune had never been before.

"Hey, where are we going?" Jaune meekly asked.

"Just your wig on, best buddy," Cardin said in a mockingly sweet tone. "We're almost there."

'Almost there' was starting to really rank. Wherever they were going stunk to high heaven. It smelt rotten, like a dead mouse behind a sink. Jaune took his eyes off his shoes and finally decided to look around. It was a long corridor, with nothing but pipes and concrete as far as the eye could see. It was derelict and dirty, a far cry from the Beacon he was used to.

There was a door ominously placed at the end of the hall, rusted and chipped, looking like it hadn't felt human hands in years. Suspiciously, they began to slow down. Cardin's head swiveled a little bit to face Jaune, who was trying his hardest to mentally escape from this scene.

"I didn't have my homework today, Jauny-Boy," He stated. "Why?"

A lump formed in Jaune's throat. Would he be punched harder if he threw a random answer out there, or if he just stayed quiet? He decided on the latter. Not like he could work out the courage to speak anyway.

"Did you forget?" He asked. "I mean, you're dumb as a pile of rocks, but I think you're smart enough to give me a reason."

That simpering tone made Jaune's blood boil. His ears grew red and hot from the embarrassment of it all. "Yeah. I just forgot." He did, in truth.

A hard slap to the back of Jaune's head nearly sent him flailing to the ground. Stinging tears were already in his eyes. "You forgetting cost me a grade. And I thought I could party without a care, but this dumbass right here decided to screw me over. Then again, probably wouldn't have been that high anyway, with your stupid ass."

"If you didn't want a bad grade, why'd you give it to me?" Jaune groaned.

Big mistake.

He nearly fell back as powerful hands pulled him up straight and shoved him forward. Cardin looked nonetheless pleased that Jaune opened his mouth, and took his temper on the door, nearly kicking it off his hinges.

At that moment, that rancid smell nearly singed all of their noses off. It was a series of pipes and valves and the sound of water pushing something loose. Jaune's heart stopped. They were in the school's sewage valves. That urge to run was back in force, but two hands gripping his shoulders told him a lot worse would come out of retreat.

"Should've figured you couldn't handle something so damn simple as a paper," Cardin growled, shoving the knight inside. "Can't do much else, can you?"

Dove nudged Russell, grinning from ear to ear. "Yo, where do you see this clown in ten years?"

"If he's got the mental capacity to walk ten years later, that'd be a dream come true for this asshat." Russell sneered.

"Yo, yo, I could hire him to clean my toilets. It'd be more pay than his worthless punk ass would ever get." Dove laughed, slinging an arm over Russell's shoulder.

"Careful, he might break it somehow. He'll find a way."

Shut up…

Just shut up…

Jaune shook in helpless frustration, wishing right at that moment that he could end his misery. He was already on the verge of tears.

"Maybe when he's finally out of this school, I can finally start tapping that Nikos' ass-" Cardin's head snapped back like it was struck by a baseball bat, blood spurting onto the adjacent wall. Jaune could barely register anything but a dull ring, and a terribly sore set of knuckles.

He just punched him. He just punched Cardin. And you know what, it wouldn't stop there.

The other three cronies were still stuck in a daze. Jaune slid down, straddling the downed man and rained down punches, one after the other. Face, chest, shoulder, anything that was in reach had been hit with a half-blind swing. "Stay away from her, you son of a bitch!" He roared, landing a particularly brutal blow on his eye.

Dove finally got some sense back and kicked Jaune in the face, sending him sprawling on his back. Relentlessly, he started kicking Jaune, again and again. The other two joined in, and once Cardin' could stand up and re-adjust his jaw, he got in on the action too, punching and kicking every part of Jaune they could.

Pain. So much pain. So many stinging bruises to add to the pile, almost like Weiss had never done anything at all. After a while, he could barely feel a thing, half-awake, vision tinged dull red and blurry. They stopped, catching their breath.

Jaune could feel blood dripping from the side of his head and his nose, not to mention ungodly amounts of pain in his stomach, shoulder, and back. He couldn't move. He was simply too weak.

Cardin' grabbed Jaune by the hair and lifted his tired and bleeding head up. "Worthless little turd," He panted, wiping blood from his nose. "Where was that spirit when I was knocking your ass up and down the arena?"

Jaune could barely make out Cardin's face amidst all the blurs, but what little he could see was red and very angry. "Don't… talk about her." Jaune growled.

"Just quit trying to sound tough. Actually, just quit in general, you worthless, useless sack of shit!" Cardin roared. Cardin rolled the partially-lifeless body over. Jaune could barely fathom where. One the non-swollen ear he could make out some metallic creaking before all hell broke loose.

A torrent of sludge splashed all over him, covering him in sewage and filth. If there was any time for his nose to shrivel away into nothing, it would have been now. It started to soak and drip everywhere, through his armor, into his clothes, and even deeper than that. The sewage flood stopped after a few seconds, but the damage had already been done. Jaune was nearly pained green and brown, and somehow even more done than he was before.

"And that's what you get," Cardin spat, with his wounded pride. "C'mon. Let's get on outta here."

"Dude, seriously, look at him," Dove faltered. "There's no way in hell we're getting away with this one…"

"Who gives a damn? If you keep your mouths shut, I can get my dad to crack us out of this." Cardin growled.

The other pair exchanged nervous glances. Russell finally pulled the lump out of his throat and spoke. "Cardin, buddy, we might've actually overdone it this time-"

Before he could finish, Cardin was already nose to nose with him and seething. "This little bitch needed to learn, alright? Now keep your mouths shut, and this will blow over. Got it?" All three of them looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded. There wasn't much else they could do in this situation anyway or at least none that they could think of. Jaune could barely make out their footsteps down the hall, but they were definitely gone.

For what felt like an eternity, Jaune couldn't move. Had something been broken? Maybe something was bleeding horribly and he was on the verge of death?

… He didn't care.

He lay there in that filth for a while, not thinking, not feeling, just existing. When even he was starting to get sick of the smell, he dragged himself out of the muck and began the long trek back to his room. He winced. Every step hurt, but again, he didn't care. He just needed this smell to go away.

After an hour of showering, the smell still didn't go away, not even with fresh clothes.

Again, he didn't care.

Several students waved at him, some more gingerly than others accounting for his condition.

He still didn't care. It all felt so… plastic.

Maybe… he needed some fresh air. All the way on the roof…