"Jaune? Jaune? Fearless leader?"
"Huh?"
"You're feeding your lap."
"What?" Jaune looked down at the growing pile of carrots and peas on his lap. His cheeks flushed red. How long had he been staring at the hallway like a slack-jawed idiot? Enough time to gather nearly a plates worth of food on his good pants. He sighed, picking up the food droppings with a napkin and tossed it away, wondering just how far his concentration had gone over the course of the day.
It had been three days since Jaune's fight with Cardin, and Weiss subsequently discovered how much Jaune didn't belong in this school. Three days were spent in anticipation, staring at the school staff like hawks, waiting for one of them to call him out. Most classes were spent with Jaune's heart all the way up to his throat. He felt sick and hot like he was about to vomit, and he was constantly shaking every time he left his dorm room.
Weiss had to have said something, right? There was no bigger stickler for the rules than Weiss, especially with something regarding a legitimate crime. They had no real attachments- no reasons for Weiss to show a shred of mercy. She probably told Professor Ozpin all of the gory details, and he was building a case against him. In about five minutes, there would be a military airship sat outside the school, ready to slap cuffs on him and throw him into a hole, along with what was left of his family name.
And yet there was nothing.
"Sorry you had to see that," Jaune mumbled, feeling a fresh wave of shame.
"What's wrong, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked in her usual motherly tone.
"Yeah, you've been so jumpy lately," Nora piped. "Keeping an eye out for that big red caveman?" He swallowed. Cardin was the last thing he wanted to deal with today, though seeing him at all felt unlikely.
Three days without a single Cardin incident. No faunus with twisted ears, crying and squealing from across the room, no random food fights with students that clearly didn't want to get milk and gravy all over their uniforms, and no randomly getting shoved against a locker and pounded into a paste. There was no hide or tail of any of the team members as a matter of fact. Not in class, or in the lunch rooms. It was as if they vanished.
"Wouldn't you be when danger could be lurking around every corner?"
"I think the only danger will come from whether or not Port finds out you didn't finish yesterday's homework," Ren chimed in. "While we are on the subject, no one has seen much of that team in days."
"Professor Goodwitch snatching them into her office probably helped," Pyrrha said.
Jaune cocked a brow. "What'd you say?"
"Professor Goodwitch gathered the team together into her office a few days ago. I believe, after that brawl in the lunchroom?" Pyrrha took another bite from her sandwich, letting those words sink in. The team sat upright, not blinking. Even Nora stopped halfway through a chicken nugget to hear the rest of her tale. "Team CRDL is currently on probation. For a few weeks, they eat separately from the rest of us, and they can't participate in combat classes for the time being. One wrong move and they could be expelled.
Jaune felt a wave of relief wash over him. "So it's over? I don't have to deal with the angry red giant anymore?"
"It appears so," Ren confirmed, clapping Jaune affectionately on the back. "You're home free."
Jaune heard it, but could hardly believe it. Someone had put a leash on that bully and yanked it as tight as it could possibly go. Imagining Cardin's face stuck in a permanent scowl while glued to his seat brought a smile to his face.
Not all the stress had gone away. The fact that Weiss held his education by the nuts and wasn't keen on letting them go kept him anxious. Still, this was something close to justice. Closer than Jaune ever thought he'd get. He wanted to ride that wave of euphoria all the way to the sun, or rather, Weiss' room. With one massive problem out of the way, he had one more hurdle- pleading his case.
"I should probably go tell Weiss."
Nora blinked. "Oh, leader of ours…" She sighed with a shake of her head and hands on her hips. "Didn't you get over this crush months ago?"
"It's got nothing to do with that," Jaune cut in. "It's uh… It's something private. Super secret-"
"Is your secret worth your legs?" Nora interrupted, grinning from ear to ear. Jaune shivered- that little ginger devil was going to be the death of him.
"Fine, fine, she found me out,"
Pyrrha snorted suddenly, spitting bits of sandwich all over her tray. Ren stopped drinking his tea mid-sip, pulling it down suddenly when it scalded his lips. Nora somehow was the quietest of them all, staring at Jaune with all the expression of a deer in front of a speeding semi.
"What?" She asked in quiet terror. "Did she…"
"No. Or, I don't think she did? I would've heard of it by now. Which is why I'm going to her room. I have to plead my case, don't I?" Jaune kept hope alive in his tone, still riding on Cardin's downfall. "Where there's a will, there's a way, you know?"
"Then you'd better do it fast," Ren said calmly. "I would join you, but I may have to clean up bits of sandwich off the table. There's some cheese in my tea-"
"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry!" Pyrrha suddenly squealed, bowing her head multiple times.
Pyrrha was still apologizing by the time Jaune walked into the hallway, reciting what he could possibly say to her. He darted up the stairs and strode down the dorm hall, stopping only when he heard a strange sound. The sound of giggling and contentful sighs. There was the tentative sound of lips smacking and springs creaking as well.
The rush in Jaune's head slowly went away when he realized where he was. Adjacent to the first-year dorms were the rooms of the students visiting the school for the festival- students from Shade, Haven, and the like. Even stranger, the sounds were coming from SSSN's room.
Sun wouldn't just bring girls in there randomly. That's not him. Emerald's too relaxed for that, and Scarlet's gay, so who… Jaune thought it over time and time again, trying to logic his way out of the first thought in his head. Neptune wouldn't do that- He'd proven himself to be trustworthy, kind and committed. He could argue that in his head all day, but his body told him otherwise, especially as his hand reached toward the doorknob.
The door creaked open slowly.
And Jaune's heart stopped.
"Neptune… what are you doing?"
/
Weiss snapped out of her trance, the last half hour of class running blankly in her head. On the board was a wall of numbers and terms- a calculus equation explained in tedious detail that the usually studious girl couldn't make hide or tail of. She sighed into her hand, face hot with frustration. One lapse of concentration and suddenly she was left in the dust; it was all that blonde fool's fault.
The investigation three days ago was nagging the back of her head nonstop. The solution was simple- easier than brushing your teeth in the morning or buying bread. March straight to the office, records on hand, present her evidence to Ozpin, and watch as the boy she deemed a failure since day one gets taken away, hopefully, replaced with a more competent leader. She had her speech rehearsed to perfection, complete with index cards. However, every time she plucked herself up to make her move, she would make an excuse not to.
Too much homework. Need to call her sister. Training. Dance practice. A sudden plan to shop with Yang. A bath long enough for Blake to throw a fit. Every excuse in the book to the point of almost running out of them. The only question is which one she would use today. Her shoulders were stiff from how rigid she sat in her chair- maybe use that as an excuse for an excessively thorough massage?
Weiss played with her bangs, twirling the hair around her finger. She squinted at the board ahead, trying to catch up, but this conflict was destroying her concentration.
"This is ridiculous…" She chastised herself.
"Right?" Yang whispered back, leaning over her seat with a grin on her face. "Why are we learning calculus anyway? Am I gonna be punching the Grimm with the Pythagorean theorem?"
"Be quiet, Xaio-Long," Weiss hissed, throwing her a filthy look.
"Am I wrong? Hey, you think they're gonna wait until I'm done writing my equation before they tear my head off?" Yang continued.
"Yang, I'm serious-"
"As am I." A shiver ran up her spine. Professor Shank, the elderly math teacher with the glare of a bird of prey, was staring at her, tapping his pencil impatiently on his desk. "Is there something you want to discuss with the rest of the class, Miss Schnee?"
"Sir, she-"
"You can talk amongst yourselves after the lecture. If its that important, take the grade and conversate outside of my classroom."
Weiss swallowed, the back of her neck hot. "Yes sir," She mumbled.
The Professor nodded and continued on with the lesson as if nothing happened. Weiss, on the other hand, wanted to throw her desk across the room, or rather, just at Yang.
Her wrath carried on long after class- the heiress stormed down the hallway, muttering curses no lady of her pedigree should be saying.
This is nonsense! Why can't I just report the sorry bastard? She thought maliciously, raking her fingernails across the lockers as she stomped. She burst into her room and slammed the door behind her, taking a moment to take a deep breath and embrace her solitude. Pacing the room wasn't helping either. The best she was doing was annoying the students on the floor below her with all the stomping. No, what she needed right now was guidance.
"Please, answer your scroll," Weiss pleaded quietly, scrolling to Neptune's number. It instantly went to voicemail once again. Her jaw clenched- when will that boy learn that a scroll that doesn't take calls is just a plastic brick taking up pocket space? Why wouldn't you keep it on at all times?
The worst part was that Weiss fully expected him not to answer. What changed from a couple of months ago? When it started, the calls were as frequent as they were long. From close or abroad, they were lovebirds chattering at all hours of the day. As of late, however, you would be hard-pressed to get Neptune to so much as pick up the call, especially when she needed him most.
Getting the wet-head to stay focused was a task and a half as well. During their dates, work kept him on his scroll, texting entire manuscripts. The excuses came rolling in whenever they planned for a date as well.
Is it me? Am I doing something wrong? She pondered, staring at her boyfriend's picture on the screen. It was a picture of their first date- a simple trip to the park and a dinner after the fact. He brought her flowers and chocolates like any boyfriend would, despite her mentioning she didn't like chocolate- it was the thought that counted anyway. They took a picture in front of the fountain. Nothing had gone wrong that day. It was utterly perfect.
"You could at least tell me why you don't want to talk to me," She mumbled dejectedly. She sighed and shook her head. One crisis at a time. Who else was there left to call?
Winter?
"Will she answer the either?" It was unlikely, but the attempt was made. It rang briefly, giving her some semblance of hope before it dropped entirely. She was probably working. Again.
Her mother wasn't exactly the greatest source of wisdom and guidance- the apparent queen of Atlas was probably already drunk off of wine. Weiss would rather call the leader of the White Fang than call her father for advice. Whitely would mock her for daring to have issues. Who did she have at that point?
She sighed, collapsing onto her bed, fighting off tears. "Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me?"
"Is this a bad time?" A high-pitched, timid voice asked from the doorframe.
Weiss nearly jumped out of her skin. "Ruby! Knock!" She shouted instinctually, flinging a pillow at the offender.
Ruby threw her a dirty look. "Isn't this my room too?"
"Well, barring that fact, knocking is common courtesy, and as a…" She trailed off, flopping her head back on the pillow like a dropped ragdoll. Suddenly she regretted flinging her pillow halfway across the room.
"That's not the normal Weiss pout," Ruby commented, sitting next to her.
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I do not pout, I ponder."
"Your pondering looks a lot more like a pout," Ruby giggled. "C'mon, tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, Ruby. Leave me be."
Ruby crossed her arms, getting that same look in her eyes again. A gaze that said she would run headfirst into a stone wall until it came down, even if it took forever. "Weiss, remember what we talked about? We're not just teammates, we're friends. What would I do without my bestie? You can talk to me."
Weiss went quiet, fingers fiddling with the ruffles of her dress. Little by little, the corners of her lips upturned. Curse this little ball of roses and cookie dough. "Friends… yes, I suppose we are." The red strings in her heart loosened, and so did her lips. "It involves your other friend. Tall, blonde and- well, er, Jaune."
Ruby squinted her eyes. "If you're about to diss him-"
"Quite the opposite in fact." She took a deep breath. "What is he, Ruby? What do you picture him as?"
"Uh," Ruby swallowed, tugging at the collar of her uniform, looking suspiciously fidgety. "If you're asking about crushes, that ship sailed a long time ago."
"I don't care about your romantic endeavors, I want to know what you think he is."
"Could you be any more vague?" Ruby tapped her chin in thought, attempting to answer it anyway. "Well, he's really driven and always tries his best. I mean, he's not very good and keeps falling on his ass, but the fact that he keeps getting back up, I kinda like it?"
Weiss nodded. "He always gets back up, doesn't he? Even if he whines and complains."
"He's under a lot of pressure though. His family's got a whole lot of proud huntsman in there. Like a conga line of them. But I don't know, if he just wanted to live up to his name, he wouldn't be helping as many people as he does, and getting in trouble for it." Ruby pondered, fingers pinching her chin softly. "I dunno, maybe with some work, he could be the best out of us?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but…" She trailed off again. A lightbulb lit in her head. "So your suggestion is to put a little work into him and make him into the Huntsman he should be?"
Ruby blinked in confusion. "Uh, I… what?"
"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss said, standing and patting down the folds of her skirt. "Albeit a bit surprising, you've given me exactly the answer I was looking for. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some documents to burn."
Ruby's jaw dropped. "Wait, burning things? What are you burning? Can I join in? Weiss!" The heiress was already out of the door before she could dignify that with a response.
It was no wonder that Ruby would provide the answers she was looking for- those two buffoons were practically tied to each other at all hours of the day whenever it was school time. The only caveat was that Weiss hadn't thought to ask her first. Weiss could really take her sisters-in-arms for granted sometimes. She beamed ear to ear at the fact that she could call someone that. She always did want roommates, after all.
There was only one thing left to do now- march up to her blueberry boyfriend's room to give him a piece of her mind. Enough of all the silence and questioning, that boy is going to give her some answers about all the absence whether he liked it or not.
Closer to his room, she heard shouting. A crowd had gathered outside of the room. Curious instigators trying to catch whatever incident this was on a scroll more like. Weiss shook her head. Can't people mind their own business? She thought. However, the crowd was gathered suspiciously around Neptune's room, with Jaune and Neptune practically nose-to-nose, screaming in each other's faces.
She could barely hear what they were arguing about over the crowd, so naturally, Weiss wormed her way into the crowd and shoved them aside to get to the bottom of it. "Excuse me, out of the way, move aside! You're not supposed to crowd the halls, it's against the rules!" She squawked, swearing revenge at whatever cruel god made her this short and petite. She pushed herself through the circle of bodies and came out the other side, brushing herself off again. "Now for goodness sake, what's going…"
Jaune and Neptune, or mostly Neptune, looked at her in pure alarm and panic. "W-Weiss, no, not now! Go away!" But the damage was already done. Weiss looked through the open door behind Neptune.
A girl.
In Neptune's bed.
Weiss went numb. The world stood still as the brunette woman and Weiss' eyes met. The pretty woman was hugging her bare chest, looking nothing short of mortified. Bites and marks littered her neck and shoulders, as if an animal had mauled her. Said animal was also shirtless, staring at Weiss as if she had crawled out of a grave.
This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This cannot be happening. He would never… Her thoughts were a revolving door of excuses for why a woman would be in her boyfriend's bed, topless no less, but nothing could explain it. Nothing could make any of this okay.
None of this was okay.
"Weiss, please…" Neptune pleased.
All at once, the world resumed and all came crashing down around her. Weiss turned heel fast enough for one of her shoe heels to snap off, and sprinted as fast as she could through the crowd, tears streaming down her face. She heard Neptune call her name again, followed by the sound of knuckles hitting flesh, but she didn't care.
She wanted the entire world to burn down, her with it.