Jaune offered a wave to Sun as the faunus looked back over his shoulder. With nothing but a small smirk, he and Ilia disappeared through the sliding door and into the hallway, their conversation muffled by the steel walls. Immediately upon seeing them leave, Jaune's shoulders slumped, and he let out a weary sigh.
"…I know I said I wouldn't mind if she just wanted to leave with Sun… but I kinda do mind," Jaune admitted as he flopped back down onto the couch next to Yang. "Not like I'm annoyed with either of them or anything, it just feels like there's nothing I can do to help, sometimes."
"That's because there is nothing," Yang agreed as she interlaced her fingers and put her hands behind her head. "It sucks, but… sometimes the best thing you can for someone is give them space."
"Or allow those with the right perspective space enough to mend those that are broken," Corsac offered as he moved his hands behind his back. "Had anyone but you come to me that night, Jaune, I do not think I would be standing here with the two of you at the moment."
Jaune shook his head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Corsac, come on… I was doing what needed to be done, and I made the offer because I knew it was probably something you needed."
"And so, too, is Sun making that offer to Ilia," Corsac said with a sweeping gesture toward the door before bringing his hand back behind himself. "I am certain that the rest of your friends were equally uneasy while you were away with me. Discomfort and tension are quickly becoming the norm, here. The best you can do is find ways to combat it."
Jaune blinked in surprise as Corsac made his way for the door, his bushy tail dragging along behind himself.
"Wait, you're leaving?"
"I believe it would be best to meditate, for a time," Corsac answered as the door to the room slid open before him. "And perhaps others are in need of comfort, as well."
"…huh?" Jaune asked with a raised brow.
He received no answer as Corsac entered the hallway and turned to make his way to parts unknown.
"…if Ren had a tail and someone somehow convinced him he talked too much, he'd turn into Corsac," Yang mused as she finally lowered her feet from the coffee table and leaned forward. "This vacation sucks, man."
"Tell me about it," Jaune answered as he stood up and ran a hand through his soggy, half-erect, misshapen fibers of unevenly cut straw. "Tea? Coffee? Want me to go back to my room?"
"Coffee's good," Yang answered as Jaune began to make his way into the kitchenette. "And as for leaving… you'd better not. You look burnt out, and I honestly don't really feel like being alone right now. After what Sun told us went down with Jacques… I'm pissed. Pissed, feeling powerless, and in need of an outlet."
"Yeah. Yeah, I know how you feel," Jaune agreed as he began rummaging through overhead cabinets. "Well, with those things, at least. What's up with you holding things back for the good of the group, though? You mentioned you've got stuff on your mind."
Yang stood up into an overhead stretch, her back and shoulders popping with the effort.
"Oh, no. We're not playing that game," Yang admonished. "Especially not while you're near your breaking point. It's written all over your face, and you're the only one here without close ties to anyone else in the group. Corsac doesn't really count, since the two of you just became friends the other day."
Jaune let out a sigh and turned, holding a plastic container of coffee grounds as he gave Yang a lopsided frown.
"…that obvious, huh?"
"Extremely," Yang answered as she strode into the kitchenette. "I know you weren't exactly thrilled with how the teams got divided up… and I don't blame you. I've got Weiss, Sun's got Ilia, and you're… probably feeling like you're just along for the ride."
"…yeah," Jaune admitted as he set the container behind himself and leaned back into the counter. "Yeah, that's… yeah. I don't really want to bother the Aces, and I know you've all got your own stuff going on, and when we had our little sit-down, my worries were definitely stupid compared to what you guys are all deali-"
"I don't think they're stupid at all," Yang interrupted as she leaned a hand against the side of the countertop. "None of them. We didn't ask for this, Jaune… but Sun did ask for you. If he didn't think you should be here, he would've put you somewhere else."
"Sun asked for me to be on this crew because he thought he could get through to me about Pyrrha," Jaune said flatly. "Not because he thought I'd be useful in Atlas."
"Bullshit," Yang denied. "Your fighting style and semblance are a huge plus to have with us, and if you weren't here, Ilia would still be in a sling. You've done some pretty cool shit since we got here, and I'm not just talking about getting Corsac to work with us. You're a good guy, Jaune. I just wish you would let yourself see it."
Jaune paused for a moment and made a frustrated little noise before turning and taking the top off the coffee container.
"…I don't feel very cool, especially next to all of you. Though, feeling cool isn't important right now, either. I guess if I'm being helpful, I should just shut up and take what I can g-"
Suddenly, Jaune felt a hand upon his shoulder, followed by an insistent tug that spun him around in place. Yang stood uncomfortably close him, her face mere inches from his as she gave him an unfamiliar look. Her robotic fingers remained clenched upon his shoulder as she guided her other hand to his side, just beneath his armor. In turn, Jaune brought a shaky hand over to rest upon Yang's waist, where it lingered uncertainly. For a moment, the teens just held each other close, saying nothing.
Jaune could feel his pulse hammering in his neck as he stared wide-eyed at his friend. As though pulled toward her by some sort of magnetic force, he slowly dipped his head downward and tilted it to the side while closing his eyes. Shortly thereafter, he felt a pair of lips upon his own, and he took in a desperate breath through his nose as the kiss deepened. It wasn't long before Jaune found himself shoved backward into the counter and Yang's mechanical hand upon his chest, applying constant pressure. Her insistent and forceful movements spurred along a side of Jaune he didn't know he had, and he quickly began to get lost in the lip lock. As Yang broke one kiss to begin another, more aggressive effort, Jaune dipped his head backward and just out of her reach.
"Yang!" Jaune exclaimed as he fought to catch his breath, his eyes wide. "I-I… should we… s-should we even be…"
"Why shouldn't we?" Yang asked between her own quickened breaths through her nose. "Answer me that."
Jaune tried to think of any sort of excuse, only for his mind to come up blank. He wasn't sure whether or not he had actually tried.
"Jaune," Yang began, "you're lonely as hell and missing out on a lot, and I'm pent up and stressed out. We've known each other for going on two years, you're someone I trust, and we're both adults. If you're game to mess around every so often behind closed doors, then so am I. We're both suffering up here, and we've got a rare moment alone. Why not make the most of it? Casual sex doesn't have to be a big deal. We can choose to be happy together for a night."
"…I… I guess we can," Jaune agreed as he swallowed hard. "I'm just… I'm nervous."
"And that's normal," Yang reassured as she planted a soft kiss on the side of Jaune's neck while trailing a hand downward along his side. "If you ever want to stop, just say the word."
"I… I don't think that's going to be a problem," Jaune admitted with an embarrassed grin as he felt his pants grow a bit tighter. "But, uh… Yang, I-I have no idea what I'm doing…"
Yang unbuckled Jaune's belt before beginning to slowly unzip the front of his pants.
"…I do."
Sun continued along the sidewalk in silence, Ilia close at his side. The girl had been leaning into him for the entirety of their journey down to the streets of Atlas just outside of the Academy, where the pair got their first street-level view of the capital city of Solitas. Three thoughts struck Sun as he took in their surroundings- everything was huge, everything was neon, and nothing was at all like the city of Mantle far below them.
Nearly every building on all sides could be considered a skyscraper, with outer walls seemingly more for advertisement than support. Scrolling projections, blinking lights of primarily blue and green, and spinning holograms all around make the neon bar signs and billboards of Mantle look utterly tame by comparison. Election propaganda of Jacques Schnee's face and the Schnee Snowflake was all about, and the white, almost plastic-looking shells of the vast majority of the buildings around them seemed synched to his signature colors. It appeared almost as though the dust company already owned Atlas, regardless of who was in its council seats.
"…I'm sorry that I'm wasting your time…"
Sun frowned and looked down to see Ilia looking up at him with sorrowful eyes as they continued on toward the shopping district.
"You're not, Ilia," Sun reassured as he gave his friend a squeeze. "You don't have to say anything at all, if you don't want to. I just figured you'd want to get out instead of being around so many people."
"I did… but getting out also means coming here," Ilia spat as she turned her gaze to the line of stalled hovercars waiting at a nearby traffic light. "And seeing all of this."
"Should we turn back?" Sun asked. "Or head down into Mantle, instead?"
"No, it's… neither of those options is going to change reality," Ilia lamented. "As far as saying anything… what's there to even say? I just… who knows what mine shaft that chamber is in, Sun? I know it's unlikely that those bodies were my parents, but they were still… I just had to confront something I never wanted to see. I thought I would be more outwardly furious and beyond even speaking coherently, but I'm just… all I know is that I won't be getting any sleep."
"Well, the good news is… I don't think any of us will, so we can all stay up and be miserable together," Sun tried with a cheesy smile. Ilia met his eyes and rolled her own, before thwacking him lightly on the chest with the back of her hand. "Ow!"
"Don't be a baby… and you're an ass," Ilia accused. "And also… thanks. I will say that if you weren't there with me, I'd have lost my shit a lot more severely than I did down in the mines. Can't promise I won't wake up screaming and in a cold sweat in the coming weeks, though."
"I'd be kinda worried if you didn't," Sun admitted. "I'm sure Weiss and Yang will be there for you…"
"…Weiss and Yang?" Ilia asked with an incredulous look. "I'm sleeping with you for at least the rest of the week, dumbass. That's non-negotiable."
"You won't hear any complaints from me," Sun replied with a smile. "I'll do anything to help you out, lil' sis. Anything at all."
"To an obnoxious degree, yes," Ilia agreed as they moved to cross the street together. "Still… I appreciate it. I'm probably gonna need a shoulder to cry on. My body doesn't even know what it needs right now."
"Well, fortunately for you, my shoulder's always open," Sun reminded. "Any idea where we're g-"
Sun stopped walking as he realized that Ilia, too, had come to a sudden halt just behind him. He followed her eyes down the sidewalk to see an unfamiliar figure standing at the end of the block. The man was a tall, intimidating faunus with a pair of large bat wings upon his back. His hair was brown and slicked back into wild, messy, shoulder-length spikes that matched his goatee. He slowly lifted an arm and curled a finger inward toward himself in a beckoning motion before pulling something out from behind his back. Gradually, the man revealed the white mask with red accents in his hand and slipped it down over his face to obscure his identity.
"Yuma!" Ilia yelled, her voice full of sudden fury as she drew her electrical whip and cracked it against the sidewalk.
Sun was just as quick to draw his weaponry before the mystery man took flight and disappeared into a nearby alleyway. Ilia set out at a full sprint, and Sun immediately rushed to run alongside her.
"Cinnamon did warn us about the Fang being here," Sun reminded. "But up in Atlas, too?"
Ilia let out a feral-sounding growl as she rounded the corner into the alleyway with Sun in tow.
"Suddenly, my body knows exactly what it needs right now…"
Author's Note:
Next time- back to Ruby's crew, and probably some Blake as well before we circle back to what's going on here…
-RD