Jaune Arc, Human Supremacist

Preface:

Needless to say, views of the characters don't necessarily reflect those of the author, etc.

But the idea was interesting, both as a story concept and as a thought experiment, so I wanted to try writing it out.

Also, I genuinely didn't mean to for the middle third of the chapter to be as it turned out to be, with more humorous antics, but it just ended up that way. The story will start getting a lot more serious as it goes on, though. Especially as it starts to focus more and more on Jaune.

Chapter 2 - The Pain Without

Initiation had gone well.

He had landed relatively smoothly, surfing on his shield out into the depths of the forest. The Grimm hadn't been particularly tough, either.

As much as Jaune may have hated to admit it, the fundamental that Adam had beaten into him all those years ago had always proven themselves useful, proving themselves time and time again on the battlefield.

His partner, the first one to land close to him, was a girl named Pyrrha. Apparently, she had been some sort of human champion in Mistral? At least, according to what he'd unintentionally eavesdropped on, back when he was preparing in the locker room.

Weiss had been very insistent on trying to recruit Pyrrha before the test, but unfortunately for her, it didn't seem like it was meant to be.

The other two, Ren and Nora were also humans - or at least, they seemed to be. He had questioned Nora's status at first, given her tendency to try to "boop" people on the nose (which he had managed to avoid), but when he asked Ren about it, it was apparently a learned habit rather than any sort of biological one.

Jaune honestly didn't see the point of it, but at least that meant she was probably wasn't one of them.

Still, though, Jaune had to his ask for his own room. He was lucky enough to have gathered a team of only humans, but even then, he still needed his own room. He couldn't count the number of times he had woken up screaming, either in rage or in pain. And he wouldn't want to bother the rest of his team (or have them be trying to pry into his past because of their concerns) because of it.

He had made a special private appeal to Ozpin, and luckily Ozpin had allowed without too much resistance.

It was very small, an old abandoned shed on the very edges of the school grounds, previously used by the school's (human) gardeners. And it had never previously been occupied, so it was a good fit.

Jaune was thankful to the man, though he didn't quite like him.

There was just something about Ozpin's presence, or gaze, that was as though he could see right through Jaune, into his very soul. Jaune didn't like that.

Nevertheless, it was good to have his own small room, and he had taken a little bit of the time necessary to explain his circumstances to his team, too.

Just about having night terrors and such - not going into the details. Pyrrha seemed to understand, and was sympathetic, and no Ren had no problems with it, though Nora made an exaggeratedly dramatic show of being sad about it, which Jaune just coldly shrugged off.

Pyrrha actually did think it was a bit of a shame, too, as sharing a living space would help the team to bond. But, taking into account Jaune's situation, it couldn't really be helped.

Little did she know, though, that Jaune didn't have any intentions of getting particularly close to his team in the first place.

Working as acquaintances, as friends, as a team? Sure. But he knew they'd probably abandon him if they knew his true character.

And that was fine with him.

But, on the other hand - that meant keeping them always at arm's length as well. Not too close, though not too far. He had to at least put a front of being friendly with them, or he isn't think he'd have the qualifications necessary to graduate from Beacon. But just that degree of closeness was fine by him.

No...

Even if they were still willing to stay with him after they found out about his true character, he wouldn't want them to get involved with him.

He didn't want them to get caught up in his own problem, his own burdens.

His burdens were his own to bear, and nobody else's...

And all that went for Ruby, too.

It pained him to think about it too deeply, but he had already resolved himself when he was younger. He would never get close to anybody ever again. Not again, so he's never have to suffer again like he once did.

All the company in the world wouldn't be able to compare to the pain of that, of what he had once gone through.

Still, some degree of connections were still necessary just to function in the world. And some were necessary for the things he had planned to do, the direction he planned to go after being qualified as a huntsman.

A connection with Weiss Schnee would be one of them.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Weiss might still have been bitter about the matter of Pyrrha - as she continued to glare at him through classes, turning her head away whenever he would glance back at her.

Well, that wasn't the best case scenario for him, but he could work through it, somehow.

To be honest, if he could've just taken a huntsman qualification exam and been qualified that way, he would've much preferred that option.

But he had tried and failed many times, lacking the proper amount of skill for a full license. To be fair, he could see how that was - he might've been relatively skilled because of what other huntsmen had taught him during their spare time, but it was true that he wasn't quite fully there yet.

After many tries, though, he had gotten a recommendation for one of the test examiner to be submitted as a student at Beacon. Although he was somewhat opposed to the idea at first (as he would rather have died than to have gone to a school full of animals as well as humans), he did need that license. And Beacon guaranteed a license after a full three years of schooling (or even after just one year - if a student showed exemplary growth or skill).

Jaune was banking on the latter, to be honest. He might not be the most skilled, but he was a quick learner, and he probably spent more time training (beating out of himself his own weakness), more than anyone. And at least Beacon was subsided fully by the government, which meant he wouldn't have to spend much out of his own wallet for housing.

Still, while he was in Beacon, it was a good chance to make whatever useful connections for his future endeavors.

...And finally, he had a chance to talk to Weiss, alone, after she left class. Cornering her covertly, and slamming one of his hands on to the wall, he blocked off all her paths of escape.

"Wha, what are you doing?"

Her face was bright red, likely still angry at Jaune for taking away Pyrrha from her team.

Jaune cut straight to the point. "I wanted to talk." He stated, looking straight into her eyes.

Her face only seemed to get even brighter.

Was she that mad at him?

"We-well, I'm not against that," She managed to stutter out nervously, "But doing it like this was a little forceful, do-don't you think."

"Sorry," He said, "But I wanted to talk to you in private."

Weiss's face, if it was possible, flushed even brighter. "O-oh, I, um, -"

She didn't even know what to say to that. A lot of her suits had been forceful before, in trying to get her attention, but this was the first time somebody had actually pinned her up against a wall like this! And, most her previous suitors hadn't exactly been very attractive, being mostly just middle-aged set up by her father. Either old or ugly, or just unappealing in some general way that Weiss didn't like.

But Jaune? Jaune wasn't anything like them. He was quite handsome, and unlike a lot of her previous suitors (who despite their wealth and status), were often quite immature or spoiled in some way, Jaune gave off an aura of an almost trained composure, one of great maturity and class.

To be honest, she had even started taking a bit of notice of him, after spotting his silent figure back in the locker rooms before initiation, when she had been talking with Pyrrha.

She hadn't been expected to be corned by Jaune first, though! And not so forcefully, either!

She could barely stop the blood from rushing to her face!

Weiss turned her head away, trying to avoid Jaune's intense glare. Nervously, she began fiddling her fingers together underneath her chest.

"S, so," Weiss asked, squeaking out her words, "What exactly did you want to know? A-about me, that is?"

Jaune paused. To be honest, he hadn't quite considered what it is that he had wanted to say to her. He knew that had to get closer to Weiss to establish a base of power, but he was at least cognizant enough to realize that if he said that straight up, it'd would probably offend her and cut off any chance he had at that.

"...I don't know." He admitted.

Sometimes, just telling somebody the truth worked better than any sort of lies - especially if the other person was good at detecting insincerity, which he suspected Weiss probably was, having grown up in a rich household,

"But, I wanted to get to know you better."

Weiss felt faint, like she might melt under his eyes. "I, I, um, I really flattered." She said, "Bu-but maybe we could do this another time? I, I mean, your face is really close, and, and I have my team to get back to, so..."

Truth be told, her team probably would've waited for her. But at this rate, she felt like she might faint under Jaune's intense gaze. She had never been in any sort of situation like this before, and it was honestly getting her heart to pound quite intensely. Even unhealthily, by her own standards (Calm and Composed as she usually tried to be).

"...Alright." Jaune conceded, withdrawing his arm from the wall, "But, let's talk again, sometime."

"Ri-right!" Weiss exclaimed quickly, eager to get away, "It's a promise!" She shouted as she quickly stuttered away, glad to finally have some relief.

Jaune sighed.

Well, that could've gone better. He knew it was better not to be too forceful (or to be too dishonest), but he gotten a bit ahead of himself by trying to pin her down once he finally got the chance to. He really should've come better prepared, though.

He had though he could just wing it, but he had never really been one to talk to or to open up to others, and now he found that just "being casual" and "being friendly" was surprisingly difficult to do.

Well, at least he had gotten a promise from Weiss to talk with her again. He'd be better prepared next time. Maybe he could practice and try to learn how to properly be "friendly" with Ruby, in the meantime.

Unbeknown to Jaune, Weiss had taken one last glance at Jaune once she had gained enough distance away from him. Honestly, Jaune was really, really handsome. And his face even seemed to sparkle in her eyes, even though (or maybe even in part, because) he always kept his face so calm and cool all the time.

Unintentionally, she let a mild squeak in his direction. Fortunately, Jaune didn't seem to have noticed.

The first thing Yang noticed when Weiss got back was just how flushed her face was.

Honestly, the rest of team probably noticed, too, especially with what a distance and dreamy gaze she had on her face (and after she started deep-sighing repeatedly).

It looked like Weiss was lovestruck.

"So..." Yang started inquiring, curiosity getting the better of her, "...Who's the lucky guy...?"

The seemed to shock Weiss back to reality, after a few seconds. "Wha? What?! Who's the lucky -? Nobody!" Weiss insisted, "Nobody at all! Mind your own business, Yang Xiao-Long!"

Wow, she had used her full name! That meant Weiss was really on the defensive, now! Which only got Yang all the more curious!

Off to the side, Ruby looked curious as well. (Though Blake seemed completely uninterested, too caught up in her reading to pay attention to anything else.)

"C'mon, Weiss-cream," Yang teased, "Spit it out! You're not fooling anyone with that look on your face!"

"Hmph!" Weiss just turned away, uncompromisingly. "There isn't anyone like that, I'm telling you! And even if there was, do you really think I'd tell you, the biggest blabbermouth in Beacon, of all people?!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Yang insisted, "I'm only the second biggest blabbermouth! Nora would probably beat any day of the week for that title!"

"My point still stands!"

"Awww, c'mon...!" Yang moved closer to Weiss, trying to get it out of her, but Weiss remained stubborn throughout the rest of the day and through the evening.

Honestly, Ruby really wanted to know too, but she stayed out of it for fear of upsetting Weiss again, which she really wanted to avoid after having just recently solved the whole leadership position debacle.

Late at night, though, both Ruby and Yang heard it - Weiss' subtle and soft, but clearly pronounced, sleep mutterings.

"Oh, Jaune..."

Yang though the name sounded quite familiar, but couldn't quite pin it down. 'Wait, wasn't that the name of Ruby's first friend here at Beacon?"

Meanwhile, for some reason she didn't understand, Ruby felt her heart start to clench up. And for some reason, alarm bells seemed to be going off in her head.

'Wait, is she...With Jaune...? No way!' Ruby though to herself, 'Besides, I saw him first! He's my best friend, not Weiss's!'

Ruby didn't sleep very well that night, though Weiss slept wonderfully.

One of the first things Jaune noticed when he came to meet his team the next morning was the suspicious black-haired girl on Ruby's team.

He didn't have any solid proof, but...Jaune trusted his intuition, it had very rarely been wrong before in the past.

Jaune's mind started racing, as he put things together, and as his eyes started looking for evidence.

And the way that black-haired girl's bowtie occasionally wriggled? That was more than proof enough, in Jaune's eyes. The way that she eyed him cautiously, as if she suspected that he was on to her, too, didn't do her any favors in Jaune's book.

Jaune knw he shouldn't care about Ruby that much. She was free to do what she wanted to with her own life, as Jaune kept her at arm's distance, just as he did with his own team. And that included whether or not she would choose to dirty herself by her association with filthy animals.

But...

Jaune didn't know why exactly, but despite himself, he found that he really didn't want that. There was just something about Ruby, how she seemed so pure and innocent, that he couldn't stand her being dirtied by becoming friends with a mere animal.

Somehow, the mere idea of it seemed to be killing him inside, despite his best efforts to suppress it, and his own efforts to use his mind's logical reasoning not to act on those feelings.

And...

...She had been his first friend, in a place where he'd never intended to make any real friends, after having kept everyone else away for so long...

Jaune couldn't contain himself any longer.

Before he knew it, he suddenly found himself pulling her into his embrace from behind, when the two of them were alone (although, unknown to him - Weiss had been following along - letting out a quiet but very sharp squeak of surprise when she saw it happen).

"Please," Jaune pleaded with Ruby, whispering into her ear, "Stay with me for the night." (Weiss was too far away to hear her what Jaune was saying to Ruby, but bit down hard on her lower lip.)

"I, uh, huh?" Ruby couldn't stop herself from blushing furiously at the sudden and unexpected turn of events. "Jau-Jaune?! Where is this coming from, all of a sudden?!"

"Please." He pleaded with her again, his voice almost cracking.

Normally, Ruby would be a lot more hesitant (Yang would kill her if she found out! Or at least, tease her to death about it!), but there was something incredibly raw, incredibly vulnerable in Jaune's tone of voice that made it hard for Ruby to say no.

"...Al-alright. Okay." She said, agreeing to it, his face still blushing scarlet. "Bu-but, just for the one night."

Any longer than that would make her team suspicious.

But Jaune seemed to need her right now, and she felt like she had to help. After all, what kind of hero would she be, if she turned down someon in need, right?

Chapter 2 End

Author's Notes:

Don't worry, nothing lewd is gonna happen. Might be getting a bit more into Jaune's past and nightmares, though (and his encounter with Adam). And maybe some comforting from Ruby's end of things. This is a "hurt/comfort" story, after all.

I genuinely did not mean to turn the first half of the chapter into Shoujo-manga-esque romcom shenanigans lol. Don't worry, there's a purpose to it, though. Namely, this establishes Weiss firmly on Jaune's side, which will make things get a lot more interesting in later chapters and later events...

Especially in terms what will happen after Blake disappears to chase after the White Fang, and how Weiss and Blake's relationship will develop from this point forward. It also has some interesting implications for how Weiss and Ruby's friendship will develop from this point onward as well, though that'll be a lesser focus.

Also, serious (non-humorous) Cardin shenanigans next chapter, too. He probably won't fall for Jaune like Weiss did this chapter, though (lol).

Although...that would be some pretty hilarious omake material. But with the story only getting more serious as it goes on, I don't think it would appropriate, just in terms of tone, for me to write that out.

Aw, what the heck. I'll just write out now! It would fit this first part of this chapter's tone, at least. Even if later chapters are gradually gonna start getting way darker and way more serious...

O-ma-ke

Jaune slammed his hand against the wall, trapping Cardin between himself and the building.

"Ja-Jaune..." Cardin muttered, softly.

Since when had the scrawny boy he had been teasing ever looked so handsome? Cardin could see the shoujo-sparkles glittering right behind him!

"Cardin..." Jaune said, swiping away part of the forefront of his hair over his forehead. "I'm just as racist as you are."

"Ja-Jaune...!" Jaune had never looked so spiky-chinned before to Cardin as he did at that moment.

"No, I'm even more racist!" Jaune corrected, "Capiche, me hombreno?".

"Oh! Jaune...!" Cardin swooned, and fainted in Jaune's arm's, from the force of Jaune's incredibly racist aura.