In the days that turned into weeks that turned into nearly a month after him moving into his own abode, shooting out on his own to achieve maximum independence, Jaune had managed to spruce up the place he called home quietly nicely.
He'd bought some carpet's that his father had helped install one day and he had lathered the walls in paint to give the place a homely, warm atmosphere, a stark contrast to the bleak nothingness that had adorned the walls earlier.
He had tried putting up some wallpaper, but for some reason it kept falling back down in the middle of the night. Even his dad, a house decorator by trade, hadn't been able to set up wallpaper that lasted a day. At least the walls didn't protest paint, which his mom had insisted be yellow after she'd seen how grey and depressing the bare walls had originally looked. Now they just looked like…yellow.
The place also had a bunch of family photos and random decorations strewn about, courtesy of his mother, who had practically spent an entire week at his place, moving things here and there and adding random decorations like dancing elephants next to his coat rack.
Jaune knew better than to protest, and he found himself liking most of the stuff his mom put up around the place, even if she had been a little condescending when she had been doing it, having fallen into her 'Momma knows best' mode the instant she saw how depressing his house had looked.
To be honest, with an incoming sofa and an updated, less worn chair for the living room, movies donated by his parents for the old DVD player and him finally figuring out how to connect the old TV to his Scroll in order to play video games properly, he was pretty content with the place. He still had a dining table he needed to set up in the back room, not to mention a bunch of storage cabinets, but a lot of work had been done and the house looked like…well, like a home.
It was certainly an odd one though. Even without looking like the hideout of a horror movie villain, the place seemed to set him on edge for some reason. He couldn't shake the feeling his stuff, as messy and sporadically strewn about as it was, was being moved around when he was asleep or wasn't looking. Just that morning, he could've sworn he had another slice of sizzly, crispy bacon to eat but after feeling something, likely the wind, brush his shoulder he had turned around to see nothing and turned back around again to see his place missing food.
Ghosts didn't eat food right? They couldn't do stuff like that because, well, ghosts. Also they didn't exist. But he couldn't shake the feeling of maybe, that just maybe he was being haunted, that there was something wrong about the place.
Not to mention the scuttling he sometimes heard in the walls. He had laid rat traps after noticing holes in the walls, having watched enough Jom and Terry to know that was where rodents liked to enter and exit. Weirdly enough, some of them had gone missing, and some of them seemed to have sprung but caught nothing.
Concern mounting as more and more weird inconsistencies emerged, Jaune pulled out his Scroll and called the most knowledgeable man he knew.
"Jaune?" Nicholas Arc asked, voice still a booming rumble even through the scroll. "Is everything alright?"
"I have missing rat traps, rat traps that have set off but caught nothing, pieces of my food keep going missing and I think my stuff moves in the night." Jaune blurted, eyes darting wildly around him as he spoke the words. How in the heckadoodledoo hadn't he been able to properly put one and one together before he said it out loud?
"Oh…" Nicholas muttered softly, before chuckling a little. "That's probably just your imagination playing up again son. If not, I wouldn't worry. Same thing happened to me when I was your age."
"What do you mean? "Jaune asked, frowning in confusion.
"Nothing." Nicholas chuckled, though Jaune could practically see the insincerity in his tone. "Just an old man rambling. Seriously, I don't think you have anything to worry about Jaune. Things will calm down in a few months when you get properly settled in, I promise."
"Fine." Jaune conceded. "But I still don't think you're telling me the whole truth."
"And you are entitled to that opinion." Nicholas replied amicably. "It's a free country. Dang, your sister just knocked over a can of paint I told her to watch out for. Whelp, time for the Mad Dad routine."
"See ya." Jaune grumbled, hanging up and slumping backwards to stair at his new, sky blue coloured ceiling. Something wasn't right, he knew it now. Not just the mysterious stuff happening, but his dad's cagey behaviour was an instant warning bell combined with nuclear bunker sirens flashing red inside his mind.
So Jaune called the most knowledgeable woman he knew.
"Hi sweetie." Juniper Arc exclaimed happily. "Are you okay? Have you been sleeping well? Have you eaten? Do you want to come around for dinner?"
"Meh, also meh, yes, and I'd love to but no thanks." Jaune answered quickly. "Can I ask you something Mom?"
"Is it about a girl?" His mom asked teasingly, an underlining hint of excitement in her tone. "Oh I knew this day would come!"
"N-Not that mom!" Jaune coughed, feeling his face heat up and flush with embarrassment. "Weird stuff has been happening at my house."
"What weird stuff?" His mom asked, serious concern underlying her tone and all hints of joy or playfulness gone. Jaune recounted his story, waiting patiently as his mom stayed silent for a few moments. "I…I see…"
"Mom?" He asked worriedly, her tone distant and another silence fell over the line. "Mom?"
"I'm here sweetie." His mother replied. "I don't think you should worry about that too much. You're still just settling into your new home and are probably imagining things. Try and get out of the house a little bit and…and be careful, you hear me? It's a dangerous world out there."
"Will do mom." Jaune swore. "I promise."
"Good boy." His mother cooed, sounding more normal than the distant weirdness she'd displayed seconds ago. "Call me if you need me for anything sweetie, but I've got to go. Love you."
"Love you too mom." Jaune replied, letting her hang up and staring at his Scroll for a few moments. Something was definitely going on. But what exactly?
He shook his head and leaned back, frowning at the ceiling for a few moments before sighing and standing up. Why did it still seem dark for some reason, even after the paint?
Just another mystery to add to the list.
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It followed Jaune, like It always did. It did not know when It became It, but It did know that It liked to follow Jaune. Jaune was nice. Jaune made food. Jaune put weird colours on It's home, making it seem different. Nice different, not bad different, like the weird sticky thing.
It did not like weird sticky thing put on walls. Blocked It's holes. It took the weird sticky thing down, and Jaune put nice colours on walls. It approved. It learned.
Jaune food definitely bestest food. Flippy things close second. Lots of colours in flippy things. Nice to play with too. But Jaune's food bestest of best. Make It warm. Make It energetic. Makes It want more.
It also like Jaune. Jaune colourful. Warm. Solid. It not. But Jaune makes It feel colourful too. Warm too. Solid too. It scared of Jaune though. Scared of scaring Jaune. Jaune not like not Jaune-like things. Always cheers when they killed on his flashy box.
It learning. It was It. It liked Jaune. It liked learning. It followed to learn.
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It took longer than Jaune would like to ever admit to summon the courage to step into the bathroom. He'd been sorting out the mess of a garden he'd gotten with the house and had worked up quite the stench in doing so. He wasn't normally so adverse to the thought of a warm shower, but the knowledge the bill would be coming out of his own, not-so-deep pockets and the fact he couldn't shake the odd feeling he was being watched in his own home meant he was a little nervous about stripping naked, stepping behind a shower curtain that would obstruct his view and underneath a jet of steamy water that would further limit his vision and hinder his hearing with the sound of running water.
Was he being paranoid? He felt like it, but both dad and mom had acted strangely when he'd spoken to them about his concerns. Like they knew something he didn't. It was unsettling to say the least, but they hadn't sounded too concerned. It was like they'd gone through something similar but wanted him to find out for himself rather than just tell him out right.
Still, a smelly Jaune was an unattractive Jaune and an unattractive Jaune got no ladies.
He smiled subconsciously at the thought of his idea. He hadn't really made many friends, and those who at least knew him well enough had all gone off to college or apprenticeships. Jaune…well, he'd gotten an apprenticeship of sorts, just in how to take over his dad's business whenever the old man wanted to retire. Nepotism or not, it was the reason he could afford moving out at an age where other people he knew still lived with their parents. That, and his house had been a dump. Still was in a way, but he was working on sorting it out.
Anyway, Jaune lacked friends and the few friends he did have were off doing college stuff, like learning and partying. But you can't party if your overbearing parents aren't out of town, so if Jaune offered his place as an alternative, people might come round. And by people he meant hot chicks.
Jaune died a little inside when he thought that before shuddering and taking off his shirt. It felt wrong just thinking that, like his teenage hormones had overridden an entire life of 'being a gentleman' training instilled by his mom. Still, he couldn't deny he wouldn't mind meeting someone he could end up dating at his party to be. All he needed to do was speak with some guys he knew (just Ren) and he'd be in the business.
He took off his jeans, underpants and his socks in one fell swoop, the running water beckoning him. For all his worries, he felt his body relax under the stream of hot water and sighed a little, letting his head loll forwards and the water soak up in his hair. Party planning and worrying about whatever his parents were keeping from him came later.
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It watched with a mixture of fear and curiosity as Jaune entered the warm liquid. The warm liquid ran down his fleshy body, making it seem glistening in the soft glow of the outside light. Steam rose from the warm liquid and from Jaune's body, and It continued to watch, unsure of whether or not It would have to intervene to protect him or not.
It felt a strange feeling. It wasn't sure what, or why, but it grew stronger the longer It stared at Jaune, who went about his cleansing routine, rubbing bubbles onto his body and hair. Every inch of him seemed more interesting than usual at that moment, from the way the flesh on his back moved and clenched with every movement to the way the warm liquid dripped down and down until it disappeared in between a particularly solid part of his flesh just above his 'legs'.
It was starting to learn Jaune's body through the small glowy thing he left every now and then whenever he got distracted doing things around the home. It would tap and images would come up. It would learn.
It learned Jaune was human. It learned Jaune was male. It learned Jaune's likes and dislikes through his personal 'History' and It learned about the wider history of the world outside their home.
As It learned, It changed. It was no longer as incorporeal as it once was, and it had to be incredibly stealthy when clambering through the walls now. Jaune had heard It, and had set traps outside the little holes in the wall, thinking that It was a rodent of some kind.
It had eaten all the rodents once It learned how dangerous they could be to Jaune, so Jaune didn't need to worry about them anymore.
It wondered if he was worried about It. That made It feel different. It was not a nice different. It preferred the feeling It felt when It watched Jaune cleanse himself.
So It watched. It learned. The warm feeling spread. It wanted to see more, to see Jaune better. Slowly, surely, a pair of amber eyes grew from the shadow on the ceiling, and suddenly It could see Jaune and his form significantly better.
It didn't notice the change, not until the moment Jaune started screaming and it felt a pain in It's new eyes as It's shadowy form disappeared into the walls.
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"Eyes mom! Freaking eyes! Watching me in the shower too!" Jaune yelled frantically, eyes wide as he clutched the damp towel tighter around his chest and glared at every corner of his bedroom, waiting for whatever the hell he'd seen to return. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Jaune, honey." His mom replied tiredly, and Jaune could imagine the small, exhausted smile on her face. He probably should have called her a little later after she'd finished work so she was more rested. "I'm sure it's nothing. If you want I can send your father round to check the house and make sure it's safe."
"I-I, no." Jaune sighed. "I know he's busy and you're busy. It's just…are you sure it's nothing? I mean, you didn't see them. They looked pretty freaking real to me mom."
"They always do honey." His mom chuckled. "That's just how our imaginations work. Don't tell your father I told you this, but when he first moved into his first house he thought he saw stuff too."
"Like what?" Jaune asked, taking the distraction for what it was and eager to know what could have scared the stoic Nicholas Arc.
"Oh, the usual." His mom giggled fondly, likely remembering Jaune's father acting like a scaredy cat. "Faces in the shadow, figures in doorways. He even thought there were tentacles following him around and stealing his clothes!"
"No way." Jaune wondered aloud, trying to picture his father acting like, well, him right now.
"Yes way." His mom snorted. "But then Nicky met me and I scared off all those evil shadow monsters. Well, it'd be more accurate to say I distracted him too much to be scared. He was in his twenties when we met, and since that's when guys tend to be at their most sexually active he used to just-"
"Lalalalalala!" Jaune yelled, tossing his phone across the room. "Too much information mom! I swear, you do this on purpose."
"Only because you act so adorably to it." His mother giggled through the phone. "I have to make dinner now sweetie so I have to go. Love you."
"Love you too mom." Jaune grumbled, picking up his phone as she hung up. He rubbed a hand through his damp hair before sighing and shaking his head. He really, really hoped that he would get over this 'phase' quickly.
He padded over to his wardrobe in search of his favourite hoodie. Another pizza, another movie and an evening spent curled up on his favourite chair in his favourite hoodie was in order after his stupid mind and it's stupid thoughts making him see stupidly terrifying things.
He ruffled through the clothes inside before a frown settled over his face. He scoured it from top to bottom before searching his room in the same way. Finally he stopped, hands planted on his hips as he glared around his room with a worried look.
"Where's my hoodie?" He mumbled, a worrying feeling settling into his gut for whatever reason, sort of like when he felt someone had taken food from his plate without looking earlier.
"He even thought there were tentacles following him around and stealing his clothes!"
His mom's voice echoed in his mind tauntingly, and with a look of horror he hurried over to the small hole in the wall at the corner of his room. He had set a mouse trap with cheese outside after he'd heard scurrying noises in the walls. Now he wasn't so certain. Because it sure looked like the mousetrap had been moved, even if it was just ever so slightly. Just enough for something to come slithering out of it.
Jaune stepped away from the hole, before staring at the wall with a worried look.
'There's something in the walls.' He thought, unable to shake the certainty in his stomach.
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It's eyes could see well in the dark. That was good. It allowed It to see Jaune's warm clothing better, to see the small, little bunny face on it. It meant It knew what It had, It knew what It felt and It knew what the hoodie smelled like.
Warm. It was warm, just like Jaune.
It held the hoodie closer to it's steadily forming face, sniffing it lightly to accustomed itself with Jaune's scent properly through It's newly formed nose.
Jaune smelled good. Jaune smelled warm.
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'When in doubt, throw a party.' Jaune thought.
That probably wasn't an actual saying. Sayings were said by people with actual intelligence, and that was something Jaune was more than willing to admit he lacked. But he was cunning, hence his plan.
Party meant people. People meant witnesses. More people meant more chances to see whatever was lurking in the walls of his home, and if he could get proof of the rat or snake or lizard or whatever it was, he could use that as an excuse to terminate his agreement with the bank.
At least he thought he could. He doubted they would be willing to part with the money he and his parents had put in for the deposit, especially for a house they were unlikely to sell.
Shaking his head, Jaune shoved another jumbo-sized packet of crisps into his shopping trolley, joining the large multi-pack of differing flavours and the nachos, tacos and assorted vegetable stuff that would serve as food.
He'd told Ren he was going to host a party at his place, and his friend had promised to come through to invite people from the college he went to, as well as promising to drop by. It had been a while since he'd last seen his old friend, though that was partly his fault on account of him being busy with the house and learning the reins on how to be a good carpenter mixed with painter.
Jack of all trades, that's what his dad was, and he was trying his best to teach Jaune his skillful, all encompassing ways.
Jaune shook his head. He always did this. Thought too much, thought randomly and weirdly, all to try and distract himself from the deep concern welling inside him.
Eyes watching him in the shower, golden and inhuman, the revelations his dad had thought something had been stalking him the first time he moved into his home, something with tentacles that moved and took his stuff, the fact his favourite hoodie was missing!
Seriously, the socks, underpants and t-shirt that had disappeared were fine. Easily replaceable. But the Pumpkin Pete Special Edition hoodie? That was special, hence the Special with a capital 's' in the name. He'd devoured one hundred cereal boxes and sent in the tops to the Pumpkin Pete company, all for his little sister. Then it turned out the hoodie didn't come in her size, so he got it instead and promised to give it to her when she grew into it.
So now, it was personal.
"Ow!" Someone yelled, and Jaune blinked, eyes widening in horror and jaw dropping when he realised, in his vengeance fuelled daydream, he'd accidentally walked his trolley into someone.
"Oh my god!" Jaune yelped, hurrying over and helping the woman to her feet. Oh god he'd ran over a woman with a shopping trolley! "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you want ice? Do you need ice? I'm so sorry!"
"You will be." The woman growled, and Jaune could already see the thousands of flailing fists heading towards him as the woman cried abuse. "What's your name?"
"J-Jaune." He swallowed, and he could see the corners of her eyes crinkle inwards in a frown. He couldn't actually see her eyes, or most of her face on the point. She was wearing sunglasses for some reason, not to mention a trenchcoat and fedora.
Oh god had he run over a celebrity with a shopping trolley?!
"Last name too." She ordered, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as she smiled a sharp smile that displayed a row of pearly whites that almost seemed sharp, like a predator.
"A-Arc. Jaune Arc." Jaune replied, holding his hand out on instinct for her to shake. She raised a singular, well cared for eyebrow that was almost invisible thanks to the blue colour of her hair. Blue hair? Oh god, don't say she was a social justice warrior, he'd never hear the end of it! Or he'd just get a long, droning, screeching lecture, which was just as bad.
"My name is Weiss." The woman said, answering the unasked question. "I am also fairly rich, so I do not require monetary payment for you ramming me with a shopping trolley. So, what will you do instead I wonder?"
"Erm…" Jaune fumbled, feeling his face flush with embarrassment as the woman stepped closer to him. "I-I, ahem, I'm having a party at my place later. If you want, you can come and relax for a bit. Have a good time. Free food and drink. I'll even let you choose the music! Deal?"
"Interesting…" The woman wondered, the sharp, almost predatory smile returning. His face burned at the sight of it, especially at how close they were. "Very well. When shall I be there, and where?"
"Six o'clock." Jaune replied, pausing before blinking. He hadn't really thought through the idea of letting his house being a party pad, because now he was in the awkward position of having to give his address to a stranger who he'd just hurt and who said she had money.
'I'm gonna get whacked aren't I?'
"And the location?" The woman, Weiss, asked, stepping forwards again. This time he took a step back, and she smirked at his reaction. "Well?"
"T-Twelve House Street." Jaune blurted out, watching as her eyebrow rose in scepticism. "I didn't choose the name."
"Very well." Weiss snorted, a predatory look returning as she stepped forward. He stepped backwards, but his back brushed against the shelves and knocked over some crisps. She stopped right before him, before leaning up on her tippy toes so that her mouth was right next to his ear and her warm breath rushed into it, making him shiver. "I'll be there Jaune. See you soon."
With that final whisper the woman stepped back and stalked away, leaving him clutching the shelves for support and blinking in utter confusion.
"W-What food do you want?" Jaune called out after her, and she stopped, turning around and lowering her sunglasses, revealing icy blue eyes.
"I already know what I'm going to eat Jaune." She said, eyes looking up and down. Wait…was she? "And I must say, it looks utterly delicious."
She turned around and walked away calmly, and Jaune just blinked, not sure whether he was scared, terrified or confused.
Was…Was that flirting?
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It did not know where Jaune was.
It stalked through the house relentlessly, driven by an emotion It was uncertain how to describe. Fear? From what It has read off of the Dustnet, fear was accurate to what It felt.
Perhaps the acknowledgement that It could truly feel drove that fear.
The lack of Jaune was disconcerting. Before Jaune, the house had been quiet and cold. After Jaune, the house had been loud and warm. He was not an obnoxious loud, just loud, something It found Itself missing in the acute quietness that marked his departure.
It checked the cleansing room, the sleeping room, the watching room, the food room and It checked every nook and cranny of the walls, even if it was extremely unlikely he'd be in them due to his size.
When it crawled through the thick layer of dust in the musty, dark room at the top of the house, It realised he was gone.
Where? The areas behind and in front of the house were empty. His loud, metal moving thing was missing. Was he gone? Truly gone?
It slumped into the ground, letting the dust get piled up around It.
It did not feel good.
Then It felt the vibrations through the ground. It clambered through the walls to the entrance of the house, peeking through a hole at the bottom of the wall and gazing in wonder at the sight of Jaune, arms laden with white bags bristling with food.
It suddenly felt very good, so good that it did not notice the ears forming in Its head, all the better to keep track of Jaune with.
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The first of his guests was the only one he really knew.
"Ren!" Jaune cheered happily, pulling his quieter friend in for a very short, very manly hug that caused his friend to glare at him. "How are you? Still kicking ass?"
"Only on video games and exams." Ren replied with a deadpan tone that warmed Jaune's cold, dead heart. Oh how he'd missed his fellow connoisseur of video games and fine pizza. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, doing his best to hide his surprise and trepidation. Had Ren sussed out his motives for wanting a party already? Did he see eyes in his shower too?!
"Look, I get it." Ren sighed, stepping inside and letting Jaune close the door behind him. "I figured that the walls would be yellow after you let your Mom decorate your house for you."
"She only chose the colours!" Jaune protested, feeling his face flush with mild embarrassment. "Me and dad did the actual work."
"And yet you didn't swap out the colours whilst you had the chance didn't you?" Ren retorted, making Jaune slump in defeat. "Look, in all seriousness, I don't think going through with your plan is a smart idea."
"Why?" Jaune asked, shrugging helplessly and throwing his hands up in the air. "What's so wrong about it huh? It's not gonna hurt anyone."
"It will hurt you." Ren said, with a conviction that silenced Jaune. "Look, I know you're still hung up after what happened with Pyrrha at the school dance, but throwing parties to try and pick up a girl? Jaune, that's like the very opposite of you. You're a romantic, even if you deny it, and these girls will only look at you for a one night stand, if they even look at you at all. Your plan? It sucks, and it sucks because only you will lose out."
"W-What?" Jaune blinked. Did Ren not see shower eyes too?
"What you said the other day on the Scroll." Ren frowned, eyeing up the plated food Jaune had set up. "About wanting to throw parties and stuff to try and get a girlfriend."
"Oh, yeah. Right." Jaune shrugged. "I was actually thinking more of letting richer party kids 'rent' the place for a party. The other stuff…that was just tired Jaune being tired Jaune."
"Oh." Ren blinked. "Good."
"Yeah, good." Jaune nodded, shifting a little at the awkwardness. "I don't wanna sound…jaded or whatever but can you not bring up the Pyrrha thing? Still a little, well, you know."
"Yeah, sorry." Ren shook his head. "Of course. I didn't…oh…"
"What?" Jaune asked. Whenever Ren was so stumped that 'proper' vocabulary failed him, the 'Oh' came out, and when the 'Oh' came out then bad news was to follow.
"Pyrrha knows about the party Jaune." Ren said, facing morphing into a cringe. "She's coming to it tonight."
Well shit.
"That's…just swell." Jaune said, voice brittle even to him. "I'm totally happy and ready for that."
"Dude." Ren just said simply, and Jaune sighed.
"Roleplay?"
"Fine. You owe me one though." Ren sighed.
"I owe you more than one at this point man. Thanks."
"Let's just get this over with."
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"H-Hi Pyrrha. H-How are y-you?"
"I'm swell, thank you for asking Jaune. How are you?"
"Wishing that rat bastard-"
"Jaune!"
"Sorry Ren." Jaune sighed, slumping into his familiar chair in the living room, Ren sat to his side on the sofa. "I'll just wing it, hope for the best. Is she…Is she coming with him?"
"No." Ren replied, not commenting at the relieved sigh that suddenly poured out of Jaune. "If they were an item, they broke up pretty much immediately. She would've chose-"
"Ren." Jaune interrupted, closing his eyes as a familiar swell of bile and anger rose up at the words being uttered. "Don't."
Ren said nothing else, and an uncomfortable silence settled over them. Poor Ren had always been stuck in the middle in the aftermath of the dance, when Jaune and Pyrrha's tentative new relationship crumbled apart and their once triumphant triumvirate disintegrated.
Jaune would never ask his fellow bro to choose between himself or Pyrrha. That didn't mean he wanted to hear her crap through him as a mouthpiece though.
"I'm sorry for snapping." Jaune said after a few moments. "It's just-"
"I know." Ren said sympathetically. He didn't, not really, and for that Jaune was grateful. His friend deserved better. "It's nearly time you know. You can still call it off."
"Nah." Jaune sighed. "Already bought the food now. Besides, some of the guys you put me through said they'd show up-"
The doorbell rang through the hallways, making Jaune smile ruefully as he stood up.
"Early." He finished, stepping towards the door. "Hope you're ready to share the sofa. I reckon it'll get real cramped real quick."
"Pass." Ren said, already settling into Jaune's chair. Jaune allowed it, because Ren was the closest thing he had to a brother.
The door loomed overhead, and the prospect of Pyrrha being on the other side of it made him stop for a moment, breath shaky and hands trembling with a confusing mix of anger, sadness and fear.
He jumped suddenly, startling at the feeling of something against his hand. He glared at the shadows clinging to the walls around him, not seeing anything moving inside them. Damn ghost thing. He'd get it. Or rather he'd get proof of it. Then he'd be able to terminate the lease to the house and not lose money.
Yay.
He slapped himself for luck, brushed his hair to the side to seem neater and put on a winning smile as he opened the door.
"Hi there. The names Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."
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It did not like Pyrrha.
It did not like the word, because the Pyrrha made Jaune tense. Unhappy. Angry. Pyrrha made Jaune less Jaune-like, so It felt Itself grow determined to protect Jaune from the Pyrrha.
Its eyes fell to the tentacle she'd touched Jaune with. Tingles ran up through it, and it still felt warm even after the briefest of touches. The texture, the feeling of Jaune's hand was very, very nice. It wanted to touch Jaune's hand again, but he'd been startled at the sudden touch.
It needed to change more. It could sense the changes better. It could know It was changing.
It's body was becoming more solid, and it was becoming hard to dip into the shadows that followed It. It had eyes, It had ears and It had a face, something that vaguely resembled the female on the website Jaune spent a lot of time visiting in the later hours of the night.
It's body was growing. It could barely fit in the nooks and crannies of the walls. Soon It would not be able to.
It would need to meet Jaune. Introduce Itself to Jaune.
The thought scared It. The thought excited It. It wanted to be close to Jaune. It wanted him to not jump in fear at It's touch.
But to do that It would need to communicate. It's ears pricked, listening to the sounds, paying attention, isolating them and trying to make sense of them. Having two sets of ears made that easier, and the furry triangles on Its head were akin to the ones the lady had on Jaune's videos.
It tilted Its head closer to the hole in the wall, listening. Making sense of the noise.
"Hi there. The names Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."
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Jaune wasn't sure what to expect when he let his home be used as a party pad. There was loud music, which he had expected, lots of noise, which he had also expected, and random pairings of guys and gals trying to sneak off into his bedroom for alone time.
That had been less expected, and the main reason he was starting to question his decision after having to shoo away another sheepish, only slightly tipsy couple hoping to sneak away to suck face.
If the whatever-it-was was in his room then he'd need people to go in there and see it so he could use them as witnesses that the house had an infestation of something. But he was definitely not about to allow people in there when the only people actually interested in going in there were people who needed to go to horny jail.
He sighed, distantly hearing the doorbell ring. He sighed again, tossing his broomstick to one side before hurrying down the stairs, squeezing past the press of bodies to open the door.
"Hi there, sorry for the noise and it's getting kinda…cramped…"
"Hi Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, looking as awkward as he felt. "Can I come in?"
"Sure." Jaune managed to bite out, stepping back and swinging the door open, catching a whiff of Pyrrha's perfume as she stepped past, smiling at him still.
Oh boy. Was he angry? Was he sad? Was he nostalgic?
He didn't know.
"Living room is the first room to the right." Jaune said, pointing over the heads in the corridor. He heard a thud from upstairs. "Jesus not again! I told you couldn't do that sort of stuff in my bedroom damnit!"
He rushed off, barely managing to catch Pyrrha's giggle, something that did all sorts of weird things to him.
Angry or not? Angry or not?
Why did she have to look so good damnit? Even if it was just a simple red sweater and dark jeans that hugged-no! Bad Jaune!
"Where's a dog with a bat when you need one." Jaune grumbled, picking up his broomstick as he kicked open his bedroom door. "Out you degenerates!"
Ren raised an eyebrow from the corner of his bed, from where he was sitting reading one of Jaune's comics. A ginger girl he didn't know the name of merely looked up guilty as she tried scooping up a pile of books that had previously been stacked on a newly arrived desk he'd set up the other day.
"Sorry!" The girl exclaimed, hastily putting the books back. "We weren't being degenerates! Other than Renny reading X-Ray and Vav of course."
"Of course she'd be a Lightning Girl and Earth Boy fan." Jaune sighed, frazzled brain putting one and one together. "Nora right?"
"You bet it is mister." Nora grinned, giving him a salute before shifting guilty. "Uh, sorry for knocking over your books. It was an accident, I swear!"
"She saw a copy of a book we need to read in class." Ren explained from the bed, flicking over to the next page in the comic. "She acted on instinct and punched it."
"Ren!" Nora protested, and Jaune just snorted.
"What book was it?" He asked, trying to decipher which in the pile might be an old book he'd need to get rid of.
"A Midwinter's Night Dream." She admitted, averting her eyes to stare at the ground. Jaune headed towards the pile and picked the book out of it before turning and offering it to her. "Huh?"
"Burn it." Jaune said solemnly. "Destroy it by whatever means necessary. Can you do that?"
"Aye, aye captain!" Nora grinned, taking the book with a savage grin. "Renny, I like him."
"Not too much, hopefully." Ren replied dryly, gently closing the comic and tossing it on Jaune's bed. "Something, something angry, something, something you not like."
"Stop butchering iconic quotes just to annoy me!" Nora exclaimed, tossing the book at Ren, who dodged quickly so that it passed by harmlessly. "Jerkface."
"At least I'm not ginger."
"That's it!" Nora roared, charging towards Ren, only to be stopped by a broomstick that cut into the air before her like a sword. "Woah!"
"No degeneracy!" Jaune said firmly, pointing his finger at Nora, before turning to Ren. "No freaking degeneracy! Not in my bedroom! That includes flirting."
"Killjoy." Nora sighed, before skipping over to the book she'd thrown at her boyfriend and picking it up. "Whelp, I'm gonna destroy this work of Satan. Toodles."
With that she skipped out of the room, humming an out of tune song under her breath. Jaune and Ren watched her go silently.
"I don't know whether to be scared or not." Jaune admitted, earning a sigh from Ren.
"I don't know whether to be scared or aroused, so there's that." He admitted, holding his hands up in surrender when Jaune raised his broom threateningly. "No degeneracy, got it."
"Pyrrha's here." Jaune blurted out, making Ren's eyes widen. "She's downstairs."
"You didn't kill her did you?" Ren asked, making Jaune blink before shaking his head fervently.
"Of course not! Jeez Ren, even if I tried she'd beat the crap out of me. Top athlete versus some dude? Yeah, I know who'd win."
"She has quite the following you know."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, we call them her cult. The more accurate word would be simps though. I think some of them are here, do you think they'd try their-"
"Ren?"
"Yes Jaune?"
"Stop trying to make me jealous. I don't…I don't know what I want to do." He admitted, sitting down on his bed dejectedly. "Seeing her again, it's…I don't know."
"Then start by just talking to her." Ren said, nudging Jaune's arm. "I don't know what you want, and I don't know what she wants either. Talk to her. See where it goes. Even if you don't end up back together, maybe you can be friends?"
"Yeah, maybe." Jaune shrugged, sighing a deep sigh before glaring at the walls. "Do you ever feel like you're being watched?"
"Only whenever a girl gets too close for Nora's comfort." Ren remarked dryly, before taking stock of Jaune's concerned face and frowning with worry. "Why?"
"N-Nothing." Jaune lied unconvincingly, before sighing yet again and caving under the force of Ren's sceptical eyebrow. "Have you ever thought things moved when you weren't looking? That shadows followed you around the house? That…That there are yellow eyes watching you when you have a shower?"
Ren blinked.
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"Sounds like a cat."
"What?"
"A cat. Small, furry, some cultures see black ones as a bad omen. They also tend to act like overlords with slight tsundere tendencies to their owners."
"Ren, what the hell are you talking about?"
"It sounds like you have a cat. It could be making the noises you heard in the walls, chasing mice and stuff."
"But it disappeared into the wall when I saw the eyes in the shower, and I don't hear it."
"Cats are quiet and they always lands on their feet. It might've just jumped away and because of the steam you thought it was disappearing."
"Maybe…Wait, does this mean you believe me?"
"Yeah." Ren said, shifting awkwardly a little. "To be honest, part of me thinks it might be…supernatural. Just like you think."
"Really? Like ghosts and stuff? You believe that?" Jaune asked, earning a glare from his friend.
"Pot meets kettle Mr Golden Eyes." Ren bit back, making Jaune rub the back of his head sheepishly. "And yes, I do believe in the supernatural. Sometimes there are things too outlandish for just logic to explain."
"Things too illogical to be logical? I thought you were mister reason and logic." Jaune said, making Ren roll his eyes.
"Do you really believe I could fall for someone like Nora if my entire personality was based just on logic and reason alone? I have feelings you know, and you have hurt them very badly." Ren sniffed, and even though he was teasing Jaune felt a little bad.
"Sorry man." He said. "Anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"You can stop being a coward and go talk to Pyrrha." Ren replied, pushing him off of his bed. "I'll protect your bedroom from degenerates, don't worry."
"Fine." Jaune sighed, giving Ren his broomstick. "It's been nice knowing you."
"Jaune you're a little oblivious but not socially awkward." Ren snorted. "You'll be fine."
"Here's hoping." Jaune muttered, hopping down the stairs before heading towards the living room as slowly as possible. Unsurprisingly, Pyrrha was the centre of attention, and the look in her eyes screamed of uncomfortableness with the crowd that surrounded her.
His urge to help her warred with his urge to abandon her to her fate and postpone their inevitable conversation. His decision was taken out of his hands when her eyes met his and lit up with a smile.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, gently pushing past her groupies and hurrying over to him. "Have you cast out those degenerates yet?"
"Y-Yup." Jaune replied, palms of his hands sweaty. "All safe and secure now. You enjoying the party?"
"I am now the host is here to protect me from my fans." Pyrrha said, soft smile on her face that accentuated her features. "It's been a long time Jaune. I've missed you."
"It has been a long time." Jaune managed to choke out. "When was the last time we saw each other? Was it the dance where you kissed another guy or the secret spot we had where you defended your actions and chose your friendship with him over our relationship?"
"Jaune…" Pyrrha mumbled, smile faded away into a sad look. "I told you, I didn't mean it like that-"
"I told you that if you really cared about me you would understand my concerns, especially when it was obvious he had feelings for you." Jaune retorted, feeling his anger rise. "I told you that I believed you when you said you didn't want to kiss him and he caught you by surprise. I believed you when you said you didn't return his feelings. Why didn't you believe me when I told you he'd need time to move on?"
"He was my best friend!"
"So was I!"
They glared at each other, emerald clashing with ocean blue, before they suddenly realised the crowd they'd drawn, who were watching the drama unfold with a mixture of awkwardness and rapt attention.
"We shouldn't be doing this in public." Pyrrha said, glare softening slightly. Jaune forced himself to do the same.
"Agreed." He replied, folding his arms over his chest.
"This is my new number, since you blocked my old one." Pyrrha said, giving him a card. He blinked and took it, eyes widening at the formality and official-ness of it. Wait…Had Pyrrha really scored a job with the biggest sports company in Vale? "Call me and we can arrange something. I…I wish it wasn't like this Jaune. I really have missed you."
"So have I." Jaune admitted quietly, pocketing the card and staring into the distance, unable to meet her eyes. "You were my best friend Pyrrha. Even bester than Ren."
"And you were mine." Pyrrha replied, smiling slightly before a determined look flashed over her face. She leaned forward suddenly, pressing her lips against his cheek before pulling back slightly so her minty breath washed against the side of his neck and shell of his ear. "Even bester than him."
With that she hurried into the hallway and out of the house, leaving him standing there with a face redder than her hair.
'What the hell have I gotten himself into now?' He thought, thumb brushing against the indent of the card in his pocket.
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It was filled with rage.
It knew what Pyrrha was now. It would know to protect Jaune from Pyrrha when It saw her.
It was running out of time. It's body was growing, morphing, and solidifying. It was curled up in the attic, unsure how to process the feeling of formulating bones and organs, connected to the house by tissuey strands of tentacles It used to listen and watch and guard. It was too big, too solid to hide away inside the walls now, though It's tentacles remained, tethered to It through an invisible connection in the back of Its mind.
It needed to be something. It needed to be something so It could introduce Itself to Jaune.
It needed to stop being It.
It knew Jaune well thanks to her perusal of his Scroll. It knew lots of things thanks to Jaune.
If It wanted Jaune to like It, It needed to be something. Jaune preferred both human and faunus females, with an occasional tendency to prefer extremely feminine human and faunus males.
Jaune preferred females more often. It would be female to ensure he liked It, to ensure It could stay and learn more from him.
It became She.
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Ren and Nora were the last to leave his little shindig after offering, and promptly ignoring his rejection of said offer, to help clean up. It was a little past one o'clock, and Jaune yawned tiredly, eyes drooping against his will as he tied up the last bin bag he had and dumped it against a small pile that had been stacked up in the mostly still bare back room. It was too much to fit in his bin for now, so he'd have to hide some of it away in his shed until the week after next, when the non-recyclables were picked up by the bin men again.
As he slumped against the bannister of the stairs, the doorbell rang loudly, making him groan. He staggered over to the door, fumbling to unlock it.
"Sorry but if you're here for the party you missed it." Jaune yawned, rubbing his eyes and offering a sheepish smile at the girl at the door. She looked pretty, in a petite, elegant sort of way, and her blue hair made her stand out, not to mention managed to accentuate the icy blueness of her own eyes.
"I put the effort in coming here after you run me over with a shopping trolley then you turn me away at the door?" The girl tutted, the voice, and the predatory smirk, familiar for some reason. "For shame Jaune."
"W-Weiss?!" Jaune exclaimed, tired brain catching up to what was being said. She seemed bemused at his slowness.
"Are you going to let me in Jaune?" She asked, an odd amount of seriousness in her tone that made him worried he really was about to be whacked. "Do you welcome me into your home?"
"Sure." He shrugged, stepping aside to let her enter. She frowned a little, and he blinked as she brushed past, unsure as to what he said that was wrong. "I wasn't lying when I said the party was over."
"I'm sure we can still have some fun ourselves." Weiss replied breezily, voice like silk in his eyes as her eyes met his. Were they really such a deep, colourful blue? "I'm hungry Jaune, and I'm quite in the mood for some breakfast."
"Breakfast?" Jaune asked, frowning a little. He blinked and shook his head, feeling a little light headed as he did so. He must've been more tired than he thought. "You know it's midnight right?"
"I have to work late for my job." Weiss said, a look of confusion on her face. "It's messed up my sleeping schedule. Why don't we sit down somewhere? You look a little pale."
'Your one to talk.' Jaune grumbled, thankfully not saying the words out loud. The smaller girl stepped forward suddenly, and his nostrils were assaulted by the powerful scent of flowers, roses to be exact. There was a metallic tang to it, and he blinked as the potency of it made him sway. 'Maybe lay off the perfume a little eh?'
Displaying a strength that was seemingly hidden by her petite frame, Weiss easily helped drag him into the living room, dumping him on the sofa not too gently. He grunted a little, head lolling and limbs weak, sprawled across the sofa like a blanket and all to aware of how vulnerable he felt.
"My, my Jaune." Weiss purred, face filling Jaune's vision and blue hair curling around her neck. "You simply smell delectable."
He blinked, trying to frown as his face felt lax and his eyes struggled to stay open. Was he having a seizure? A fit?
Wait…Was Weiss' eyes red? But they were blue…
Something sharp brushed against his neck, and he lurched with a sudden jolt at the feel of sharp canines against sensitive skin.
All of a sudden, the oppressive weight around him was gone. He was staring blankly at the ceiling of his living room, more tired than anything he had ever felt before.
"What the hell sort of fever dream was that?" He muttered, before he felt something wrap around his ankles and wrists and he was dragged into the air. "Woah!"
Something crashed against the sofa, splitting it in half and sending springs and fluff flying into the air. He blinked, barely comprehending the fact he was levitating somehow, when crimson red eyes fixated on him through the cloud of sofa remains.
"You!" Weiss howled, and he saw a blur race towards him. He tried to raise his hands to defend himself, but they were still caught in something, and instead he saw his life flash before his eyes.
Something dark whirled like a whip and cracked into the blur that was Weiss, sending her flying through the air and out the window, which shattered like a family vase being knocked onto the floor. He blinked as he saw a tentacle, dark and thick, hovering in the air in front of him. He looked to his left and right, seeing a swarm of tentacles surrounding him and keeping him…protected?
Just what in the hell was going on? Wait, was he doing this? Was he, Gods forbid, a tentacle monster?
He heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs, and his eyes widened as a scantily clad, cat-eared girl entered the room and stood in front of him, hands curled into fists and a determined look on her face.
"You will not harm him you leech!" The girl hissed, voice soft and quiet and hoarse, as if she had not spoken in years. Yet the words carried due to the sheer determination with which she said them.
"W-What?" Jaune gasped, struggling to keep up with happening. One minute he'd been thinking about sleepies and the next he was watching some sort of cat fight. The girl turned around, smiling widely at him, and his eyes only widened further when he saw her eyes.
Amber eyes. Golden eyes. Cat-like eyes. Eyes that had been watching him in the shower.
His brain overloaded with the sheer amount of questions bouncing around his mind, and his head slumped as he blissfully fell unconscious.
A/N: Next update will be on 25th April 2023