Author Notes:
To address a few things about this story:
A) I have no idea what pairing or if any is going to exist in this story(might run a poll idk), Nora and Ren isn't gonna be a choice due to my personal bias
B) If there is going to be a pairing then be advised that I am not at all capable in writing romance due to a lack of experience writing romance and bad experiences with romance irl.
C) I am probably going to rewrite the first 5 chapters. if not for a better reading experience then for my own pride and ego
Essiter1987: I'm probably going to be running a poll so... Maybe? And yes the team composition that you said is almost spot-on, Slightly off but for the most part its like you read my mind
Webb360: Glad to hear that and thank you! You have an amazing day as well!
(Jaune)
"Monsters, demons, Prowlers of the night. Yes, The creatures of Grimm have many names and our planet is absolutely teeming with them, and they would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. In fact that's probably what they would have done centuries ago if it wasn't for one important fact... That they are absolutely brainless and couldn't be coordinated even if they do have a functioning brain inside their skulls. see in my younger days when I was..."
Dear god why did Port's speech have to be incredibly boring and dense. The man doesn't stop talking Jaune thought to himself as he jotted down something and saw Pyrrha doing the same, They were the only two on their team to do so as Ren has pulled out the textbook required for the professor's class and Nora was flat out asleep
A quick glance at their sister team revealed that Ruby was doodling something or writing a page of notes, Weiss's left eye was twitching in annoyance, Yang was also flat out asleep while her quiet partner, Blake, was reading a book that was completely unrelated to the course
Great... Not even Weiss is able to take this seriously, Might as well take a nap Jaune thought as he placed his head onto the table, A nap would be nice since he was pretty sure that Port wasn't saying anything that Jaune couldn't skim from the textbook, A sharp poke to the ribs quickly made Jaune reconsider as Jaune shot up with a yelp
"GOOD MR. ARC, Taking initiative is a mark of a true pilot" Port praised as Jaune turned to the professor in confusion. Behind him he could hear Weiss groan in annoyance and beside him he could hear and see Pyrrha giggling as he shot her a slight glare before the professor continued
"Now, Mr. Arc. Summon your Hunter here and we shall have our first practical lesson as a class in Beacon" The Professor said as his own hunter, A bulky silver and red Hunter, appeared from somewhere inside the class and Jaune fumbled with his scroll before finally landing on the correct app and summoning his Hunter
"A very nice hunter you have there Mr. Arc but do remember, The cloth doth not make the pilot but the character" Port said as Jaune hummed along in confused agreement, He has heard of the saying before but it seems Port doesn't just alter stories. Shaking any unnecessary thoughts away, Jaune boarded his own Hunter
"AI Orion reporting, Good Luck Hunter" Orion greeted as Jaune continue to start up the Hunter, The cores slowly warming up as powers starts to flood the system before being regulated as Jaune continue to do the routine check up before turning to the HUD in front of him and said, "Initiate Combat"
"Ready sir. Combat Mode Active. Weapons free. System A1 through A6 Active. Weapon System One through Two Active."
"Good, Let's get them, Open Channel Orion"
"Channel syncing sir"
"I'm ready Professor Port." Jaune said as he pulled Crocea Mors from the sheath that Ruby had built him and expanding said sheath. Port nodded and slammed the blade of his own weapon into the locks on the cages and released several Beowolves and Ursa minors. Small threats for Pilots-in-training with actual grimm experience, Absolute heartstopper for Jaune as he quickly braced against his shield just in time for the first Beowolf to slam into it
"GO JAUNE"
"YOU GOT THIS JAUNE"
"BREAK ITS DAMN LEGS FEARLESS LEADER"
Jaune smiled as each member of his team cheered for him and his fear subsided a little, With some confidence back. Jaune pushed back the Beowolf before swinging his blade and cleaving the Beowolf in half. Jaune would have been proud of himself on that kill if it wasn't for the second and third beowolf instantly pouncing on him and replacing the one he had just cleaved in half
Thinking quickly, He brought his shield up and slammed it into the ribs of the beowolf pouncing at him before throwing it to the other side of the room just as the third Beowolf slammed into his side causing the RRA and AI to warn of the damage sustained from the attack. Deciding to focus on the present threat, Jaune slammed the pommel into it's snout. Causing the Beowolf to back off with a pained whine
"ORION. SYSTEM TWO" Jaune ordered as he felt the gauntlet heat up and without hesitation, aimed the beam at the beowolf that he had thrown over his shoulder and managed to graze it's side before a Ursa came crashing into it, Jaune blinked in surprise but took the advantage to disengage from the fight and give himself some breathing room
Jaune didn't waste another moment as he surveyed his situation, There was a pair of Grimm tangled up and growling at each other at the far corner and a Ursa minor behind the Beowolf he had just slammed his sword into. Jaune bit his lips as he devised a plan and started the execution. Running as fast as his hunter would allow him, Jaune quickly passed the disoriented Beowolf and instead towards the Ursa minor that met his charge with one of it's own
"COME GET IT" Jaune screamed with an unusually high-voice but he didn't care. His Sheath transforming into blade of it's own as it slammed into the underside of the Ursa causing it to roar out in pain but not killing it immediately. A second stab through the head quickly solved that problem as Jaune spun around to aim his exposed cannon at the Beowolf that had gotten behind him with a swing already in motion
Jaune grimaced as he braced himself for impact, The Anti-Material rifle in his sheath blowing a good chunk off the Beowolf as the claw flew into the helmet of Jaune's RRA causing him to crash into the ground hard. he could hear the crowd hiss and 'ooooo' at the impact but it was nothing compared to the Deathstalker, His pain dissipating almost immediately as Adrenaline quickly took over
That's probably why I'm so calm actually... This feels... This feels good Jaune thought to himself as he stared at the last two grimm and the crowd watching, It was obvious some kind of dome was activated judging by the guts and gore suspended in midair and Jaune had enough fun, if fun was being hit by the grimm and getting a nasty bruise on the head.
"Orion, System one. Half" Jaune ordered simply as his pauldron opened up and simply blasted the two remaining grimms into oblivion whilst a white-ish blue dome made out of hardlight flickered to existence to stop the explosion from destroying anything outside of it before being de-activated
"BRAVO BRAVO , Didn't even need me to come in there" Port praised as he and Jaune both got out of their RRAs, Jaune with a split lip and bruise on the side of his head but it was nothing he couldn't handle as he turned to the Professor
"You showed us what a true pilot looks like Mr. Arc, Now for some advice" Port said gallantly before his tone turned serious and his gaze sharpened before he continued,
"You did admirably in holding off the Grimm's attack and thinking quick on your feet and taking advantage of their inability to cooperate showed that you listened to some of what I said" Port praised before pausing to turn to Jaune to see if he understood as Jaune nodded while he waited for the professor to continue, and it didn't take long for Port to start up again
"But, you were surprised by the Beowolves working in pairs and being coordinated unlike the other grimms, demonstrating your lack of understanding of Beowolves pack mentality. Along with that, you struggled with situational awareness which was proven when the Second Beowolf struck you in the head" Port admonished harshly as Jaune winced, noting in his head to pay attention to Port's tales more.
"Other than that it was a great first live lesson. Good job Mr. Arc you may return your RRA and return to your team" Port finally finished as Jaune gave the professor his thanks before walking back to his team as they flashed him thumbs-up. A glance at Team RWBY showed similar reactions, aside from Weiss who glared at him
"That was good Jaune" Pyrrha complimented as Jaune blushed slightly and sat down, His hands still trembling from the adrenaline as he tried to calm himself down but all he succeeded in doing was fidgeting in his seat and drawing the attention of the only other male member on his team as Ren took a glance and spoke up
"You doing alright Jaune?" Ren asked as Jaune jumped slightly in his seat before his eyes flicked over to Ren and nodded
"Yeah why?" Jaune replied as he continued to fidget, something that Ren caught as he continued, "You just seem nervous you know? Aftermath Jitters?"
Jaune stayed silent for a bit before nodding as Ren nodded back in understanding, Silence descended upon the two for a brief moment before Jaune felt something pressing against his back and he took a look to see Ren pushing a pill bottle, Confused. Jaune pocketed the bottle
"Anxiety meds, Helps with the aftermath jitters. My folks used to take them after they deal with grimms in the village. says it calms down the fight-flight instinct when you can't put a stop to it with regular conventions" Ren explained quietly as Jaune nodded his thanks and quickly popped two pills into his mouth
"Thanks Ren" Jaune said, his emotions almost instantly quelled and Jaune blinked in surprise, A glance at Ren showed a small yet smug grin as he took a look at Jaune's condition before speaking up, "Helps fast doesn't it?"
"Almost instant, Great meds." Jaune confirmed as he handed back the bottle which Ren took gratefully, Jaune leaned back and took a deep breath. Only relief flooding his system as he sighed before Ren spoke up in his usual monotone voice, "First time with grimm?"
Jaune's eyes widened but before he could confirm or deny Ren's statement, The bell rung and everyone ran out of the the room, thankful for the dismiss from Port's grandiose tales and his boring way of telling it. Weiss was among those to rush out although that seemed like it was more out of anger than anything
"I'll tell you later. On the roof maybe" Jaune told Ren who simply nodded back and started to get up. Jaune stayed in his seat for a few more moments before the reality of it all hit him and he couldn't hold back the large grin from appearing on his face. He had finally fought grimm and he took them down despite a few missteps here and there. He was making progress
"Whatchu smiling at Vomit Boy?" Yang said as she slung her arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close, Jaune could tell it was Yang due to two very big facts, One fact was the gorgeous blonde hair and the other fact was the sensation around his arms that he could not convince his teenage, hormone-addled brain, that it was something else
"Nothing much, Just didn't have much experience with grimm" Jaune confessed, Hoping desperately that Yang would give him some space as he started to stand. Only for Yang to laugh and drag Jaune along with her, Forcing him to slouch slightly as they walked
"I remember my first time, Oh it was such an sweaty and grim encounter-" Yang paused to look at Jaune with a glance and smile as Jaune rolled his eyes, He didn't hate her puns since it got him to chuckle a few times but other times it was just terrible, but Yang just kept going at it, "-Yeah we went at it for hours, Nonstop. Hard"
Jaune blushed as Yang waggled her eyebrows, The meaning not lost on him as Yang laughed before letting him go and finally allowing him to rise up to full-height
"Alright Vomit Boy, I have to go to my class. Don't be late to yours" Yang waved her good-byes as she strolled down the hallway without a care in the world and a simple glimpse at his own schedule revealed that he was essentially on the opposite side of the campus and he would be late to his class no matter which route he took
"God damn it Yang"
(Jaune)
"God, what a first day" Jaune sighed as he waited atop the dormitory roof, The star littering the evening sky as Jaune continued to admire the night. The cool breeze brushing past him as he took a deep breath. But he wasn't here to just admire nature.
"Jaune." The serious yet monotone voice revealing exactly who it was without Jaune even needing to turn around made Jaune smile as he greeted his fellow man and teammate, "Ren"
"So... Where you get the anxiety meds? Never had any as fast acting as that one" Jaune chuckled as he tried to alleviate the tension, Ren did not laugh as he sat down beside Jaune and looked at him.
"You have no experience fighting grimms do you." Ren stated as Jaune sighed, That was as much as an confirmation for Ren as he nodded before turning back to the view in front of him.
"So you going to report me?" Jaune asked as Ren turned to him in surprise, His face showing the briefest second of emotion before it was toned back into the emotionless one that Jaune knew before shaking his head. Jaune's body sagged as he let out a sigh of relief.
"Jaune. Just because you didn't kill a few grimms in your training doesn't mean you don't deserve to be here." Ren explained before hesitating, Jaune stared at Ren as he waited for Ren to continue but he never did. Instead. Ren focused on the stars and city lights in front of him and Jaune joined him
"Jaune... Look. Everybody has their own struggles but no one has to go through them alone. your secret is safe with me and if you want at any time-" Ren cut him off with a sharp glare, Almost as if he knew Jaune was going to try and cut him off before continuing, "At any time, You can come to me. Whether it be help with a subject or just fighting grimms."
"Thanks Ren"
"Don't mention it, It's what teammates are for"
"So about not drinking those smoo-"
"You are still drinking them Jaune. They are good for you"
"Aw come on... Can we add some oranges at least? Or strawberries? It just tastes awful without any sugar"
"Hey, My smoothies taste good. Don't you dare suggest otherwise"
"Ren... Not even Pyrrha drinks it and she's a health nut"
"...Shut up Jaune, Shut up"
"ACCEPT THE TRUTH REN"
"NEVER ARC, MY SMOOTHIES WILL PREVAIL"
Another chapter only a few days after the last one (.0.)
Yeah what a surprise but we got some bromance going on between Ren and Jaune.
Next chapter maybe soon?
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