Over into Oblivion
"What? Why?"
Jaune looked off to the side, avoiding her eyes as one of his hands came up to awkwardly rub his shoulder. It was warm in the swimming centre, and his sweater wasn't helping him feel any more comfortable. Nor was the look he was currently affixed with. Whatever delusions he had managed to convince himself of disappeared – Robin was definitely upset. She wasn't even trying to hide it. Her expression had fallen as soon as he had told her he was quitting the swimming team, and she was now wringing her cap and goggles with anxious hands.
"You're doing well. Why would you want to quit now?"
A whistle blasted and eight simultaneous splashes followed. Jaune glanced over Robin's shoulder to where the coach stood at the end of the pool with the rest of the team, arms folded and foot tapping impatiently. Her naturally scowling face had only gotten harder when she had seen Jaune walk in fully clothed and without a sports bag. She was now glaring at the two as they spoke next to the stands toward the middle of the pool.
He was surprised she had let them talk at all; she normally let nothing and no one divert her training sessions. It was probably because she liked Robin so much.
"Are you not enjoying it?"
"No!" Jaune blurted out immediately. "No, that's not it. I love spending time–!" He bit his tongue. With you. That's what he'd been about to say. "Here," he finished lamely, "with the team."
She didn't look like she believed him. She stood, worrying her lip as she searched his eyes, something like sadness on her face. Jaune did his best not to look away and tried to convey reassurance through an easy smile. He imagined it looked as forced as it felt. "Really, there's no particular reason, least of all not enjoying being here. It's just…" He struggled to think of a believable excuse, much like he had been doing in the three days leading up to this moment. Once again, he came up short. "I just can't," he finished lamely.
There was quiet between them for a time then. Only the splashing from the pool and the coach's looks, just as loud, kept it from being completely silent.
"What's going on with you, Jaune?" Robin asked eventually. When he hesitated in answering, she changed the question. "Why does Saffron think you're here everyday when you're not?"
Jaune stilled. "What are you talking about?"
Ping!
Lie failed!
"Apparently you told your family you come here for practice after school everyday." Robin's eyes narrowed. "Saf mentioned it the other day; she was talking about how busy you've become. How much you've changed. Honestly, she sounded a bit concerned, and now that I know you've been lying to her and the rest of your family about where you've been, I'm thinking she might have reason to be."
"What did you tell her?" Jaune asked, just the barest hint of urgency seeping through. If Saffron knew he wasn't being honest about how he spent his time, there would be questions. Questions he didn't think he could answer, and at that point it would just be a matter of time before his family figured out what he was doing. His lies would be exposed. And that meant so much more now than it did before the meteor struck.
Robin was giving him a defiant glare, one that he met with a look just as hard, until she huffed and broke eye contact. "I didn't say anything. I don't want to light any fuses before I know what's going on."
Jaune kept from breathing a sigh of relief, but thought she sensed that he wanted to.
"So?" she asked. He tilted his head in question, to which she rolled her eyes. "What is going on, Jaune?" Her arms folded and a foot started tapping. 'Uh oh,' he thought. "Why shouldn't I start lighting fuses?"
"I can't tell you." He didn't bother trying to feed her a lie; he had none she would believe.
"Oh?" Robin's eyebrows raised. Her expression looked calm, but the way her jaw tightened was telling. "I beg to differ. You can tell me, and you will. Or else I'm telling Saffron and we will pry the answers out of you together."
Jaune felt the first spark of anger strike in his stomach. Robin did not get to demand his secrets as if they were owed, no matter his feelings for her. "It is none of your business," he said coolly. "Please, just let it go." It didn't sound like a request, and he hadn't really meant it as one either.
"No," she responded, matching his tone. Her tapping foot was picking up its tempo. "And it very much is my business, thank you very much."
"How do you figure?" Jaune growled. He ignored the part of himself that noted she used more words when she was angry, or that her puckered mouth and puffed cheeks would make the most adorable pout under different circumstances.
"None of your business!"
He barked a laugh utterly devoid of humour. "Well if it's none of my business, I'll stay out of it then! Just like you should–!"
"Arc! Brink!"
Both flinched, noting the dead silence that followed in the whip cracks of their names being called. Jaune realised with a wince that they had been shouting at each other. As one, the two turned to find the entire swim team staring at them with amused expressions, and the coach glaring besides.
"The two of you take your lovers spat outside! Or else cool off in the water and swim fifty!"
Jaune and Robin shared a glance, quickly looked away from each other, then shuffled their way toward the screen doors that led outside, muttering apologies as they did so. Once outside they didn't say anything to each other, fidgeting instead as they pointedly avoided looking in the other's direction.
"I'm serious, Jaune," Robin eventually spoke up, softer than before, but just as firm. "Maybe I am sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but Saf really is worried. She tries to hide it, but I can tell. And it's not like she doesn't have reason to be; you've changed a lot over the last few months. For the better, if you ask me, but… Saf says you're more secretive than you used to be. She said she has heard you coming and going from your room late at night sometimes."
'Well shit.' He hadn't been as sneaky as he thought he had.
"And then I find out that there are literal hours each week that you spend doing Oum knows what." Her hands came up in a jerky shrug. "What? What are you doing Jaune?" Her words had a small quiver to them now. Jaune blinked as he realised just how upset she was getting. Why? Why was she so affected by this? "Obviously it's something that you don't want people knowing about, since you feel the need to lie about it!"
He stared at her, not saying anything. Not knowing what to say. She growled in frustration, throwing her cap and goggles to the ground.
"Damn it, Jaune! I would have let this go if it turned out to be something small, but you're acting so fucking cagey, it can't be! I'm fucking worried about you, you idiot!"
'I have to tell her,' Jaune realised. Not everything, of course, but more than he wanted to. There was no other way out of this; Robin wasn't going to let it go, not the way she was now. Small pools wobbled atop her bottom eyelids. Why was she so upset?
"Is it drugs? Have you joined a gang or something? What is it that is so important you keep secret!?" When he didn't answer she stamped her foot like a little girl throwing a tantrum. "Is it dangerous? At least tell me that!"
He couldn't even tell her it wasn't. At a loss for what to say and not knowing what else to do, he slowly nodded and watched her face fall, then scrunch up in a snarl. One of her eyes leaked a tear. In a fit of frustration, her hands came up and slammed into his chest, roughly shoving him away.
His aura flashed.
- 8 AP
Robyn saw it. Jaune knew she had; she stood there, frozen, staring at where she had hit him. He watched as her lips moved in silent questions, as her fist balled and she hesitantly brought it up to punch him in the solar plexus. He didn't stop her. Neither did he suppress his aura, letting it flash again as she hit him.
- 10 AP
"Jaune?" her voice was small, pleading. Her eyes looked up at him, begging for an explanation.
With a sigh, he gave her one.
~ Line Break ~
Jaune quietly closed his bedroom door behind him and set his bag down beside his desk as he went to flop down on his bed. He had half-expected to come home to his family shaking torches and pitchforks at him, but it seemed Robin's promise had survived the first few hours of its infancy. With the dazed and half-hearted manner in which she had given it, he thought he could be forgiven his doubts.
The girl had stayed silent throughout his entire explanation, an intense and unreadable expression on her face. He hadn't said anything about the Gamer's Reality, or his adventures in the Crookback Warrens, but everything else - Marcus, unlocking his aura, the training - he had told her. Not in any great detail of course, especially the parts where he was closest to death, but by the time he had finished speaking, she looked shocked and horrified. When he began pleading with her to keep it all a secret, she had initially just stared at him.
"Shut up," she eventually murmured, holding up a hand to quiet him. "Just shut up. I'll keep quiet. For now." Her head shook slowly, looking far off into the distance. "Just give me some time to think." She turned dazedly back to the door leading into the pool. "I need to think."
"Robyn–"
He had attempted to follow her, but was stopped in his tracks by the glare on the coach's face. He wasn't sure if it was because she thought he had hurt Robyn or because he had taken up her entire training session, but either way, it told him to leave. He left.
And now here he lay, feeling sick to the pit of his stomach. Because there was a now very strong possibility his family was going to discover his secrets, new and old, and because he may have just ruined whatever chances he had with the girl of his dreams.
Jaune liked Robyn. A lot. What had started as physical attraction and friendship all those months ago when he had first bleated at her like a sheep had bloomed into an unreasonable happiness that paraded through his heart whenever he saw her. She skipped her way through his thoughts whenever he daydreamed, laughing at something he had said or done to amuse her. He sometimes caught himself staring at her during lunch, eyes wandering about her face and making repeated stops at her lips.
Sometimes he didn't catch himself, and Saffron or one of the others had to break him out of his stupor with a nudge to the ribs.
And though he didn't dare hope, he thought the feelings may be mutual. The smiles she sent him were always brighter than the ones she offered their friends. When they spent time together, alone or with the rest, she was rarely outside of arm's reach from him, and often close enough that casual brushes and touches were inevitable. Once or twice, he had even caught her looking at him in a way he imagined was similar to how he looked at her.
Those were the times that tempted him. A quick Observe would tell him exactly what she was feeling. He never did though; there was something in the thought that smacked of wrongness whenever it crossed his mind.
That might all be gone now: the smiles, the touches - all of it. And it might take his family with it, if Robin decided to break her promise. He didn't know that she wouldn't. That look on her face…
He may have just ruined whatever chance he had with her.
Sighing, Jaune got up off his bed and walked to the bathroom, needing a long, hot shower to settle his thoughts. He passed Holly and Diana coming out of their rooms, and couldn't help how his eyes searched their faces. There were no looks of betrayal, no hard stares, no accusations in their eyes. Just a curious smile and raised eyebrow in turn.
He was relieved to find the bathroom free. Flipping the light switch and locking the door, he slowly, reluctantly, began to undress. Jaune kept his eyes downcast as he kicked off his pants and unbuttoned his shirt, taking every effort to avoid the mirror. He had gotten lucky today. In a small way, but still. In all her anger and determination to wheedle the truth out of Jaune, and then the shock and horror that followed hearing some of it, Robin had forgotten her original question.
"Why would you want to quit now?"
Jaune sighed and looked in the mirror, knowing he was being stupid. It wouldn't go away just because he refused to look at it.
You couldn't see much of it from the front - a small, splotchy patch of blackness that discoloured the crook of his neck. It looked for all the world a bruise, but following it around, over the curve of his shoulder, it got darker. Bigger. Deeper. It spread like a rash from his left shoulder to his right hip, fading into a splotchy mess that covered half his buttock.
Jaune twisted to get a better view of it, feeling queasy. It looked slick, and oily, but he knew it wasn't. He had tried wiping it off when he had first noticed it, hours after waking up in an empty crater with a cold meteor. Then he had tried scrubbing it, first with soap and a loofah and moving on to low-grit sandpaper in his desperation to see it gone. None of it had made any difference. He hadn't even felt it when the sandpaper scraped at his back. He felt nothing that touched that blackened skin, nor the skin itself.
It was horrific to look at; Jaune's first thoughts had leapt toward infection and necrosis. It was worse than that, however. You would see it if you looked closely – looked for more than a few seconds. Anybody would recognise it then – recognise the faint red veins that pulsed beneath the blackness every time his heart beat.
Nobody who saw Jaune Arc's back would be able to mistake what they saw.
Grimm flesh.
~ Line Break ~
"Motherfucker! They just keep coming!"
Jaune didn't bother replying, saving his breath for a controlled exhale as he lunged and thrust Crocea Mors into a Creep's leg. Smoothly leaning back to avoid its tail as it tumbled to the ground, he then spun around it and allowed Marcus to finish it off as he blocked the advance of a Beowolf. Before he could push it off his shield and cleave into its skull, flashes of black in his peripherals alerted him too late to the two others that were flanking him. A desperate Dash allowed the first to only glance by him, but the second, from his right, ploughed straight into his side.
-138 AP
He was sent flying, and even with aura, his arm went numb from the impact. He kept his grip, though – one of the first instincts Marcus had beaten into his body. He saw flashes of the man as he spun through the air, hooking a Beowolf's leg with one of his spade-shaped spearheads and tearing the Grimm's throat out with its twin an instant later.
Jaune landed and rolled to his feet immediately, one of the other reflexes the man had ingrained into him. There were eight Grimm still left, that he could see. Six Beowolves and two Creep's. Well, five and two now.
"Marcus," he called as his mentor jumped away from the sublimating corpse of one of the bigger Beowolves. "We need to kill them and leave! This is getting out of hand!"
Marcus gave a loud grunt in the affirmative and quickly used his wrist to scrub his bandanna across his forehead. Jaune had never seen him sweat so much. This was the fourth group that had attacked them today, and the largest yet. Nearly half an hour, now, it had taken them to whittle the eight – seven – down from the twenty-odd they had been initially; a terrible performance had the pair been fighting fresh, but given their prior battles that afternoon and the unusually aggressive and determined way the Grimm were fighting, it was impressive they weren't in a worse state.
It was to the point that Jaune was sure he would have summoned Bourren had he the MP to spare, come whatever questions Marcus would ask afterwards. He glanced at his mentor's aura metre.
Markus Vaughn Lv. 37
HP: 5000/5000
AP: 1923/3700
The man had taken a good number of hits; many of which had actually been meant for Jaune. The Grimm were oddly fixated on him, and while he hadn't said as much, Jaune could tell this confused Markus. The man was obviously the bigger threat, and by all rights the Grimm with enough intelligence to realise it should have been targeting him. Instead they aimed for his protegé.
Jaune grimaced at the salty taste of guilt. He knew the reason. He was the reason. And he couldn't tell the man.
"How much Dust do you have left?"
"Ice and Earth are completely gone." Those were the two he used the most; they were useful for conjuring spikes and shields. "A smidge of Fire left. Everything else is decent."
"And your aura?"
Jaune glanced at the bar in the corner of his hud.
AP: 366/880
"A little less than half, I'd say."
The Beowolves were circling; two crept forward from the front while one prowled left and the other two right. The Creeps didn't coordinate with the formation, instead charging toward blindly. Jaune and Markus reacted instantly; encirclement was a death sentence. Jaune Dashed for the weakest link, the lone Beowolf to the left, and with a quick up-down slash cut off first its forelimb and then its head.
Fatal Strike!
450 EXP
Circle broken, Jaune rushed out of it, Markus not a second behind him. The man turned and threw both halves of Last Bet as he leapt clear, the thrusters igniting as they left his hands. He would have actually had to try to miss the two Creeps, with the scant three metres between them. Both burst into clouds of black miasma, the spears continuing on through them, curving as Marcus recalled them. Jaune allowed his mentor to pass him and rushed forward to block the downward strike of one of the Beowolves that had been advancing on them from the front. It swiped at his right side with its other arm, but Jaune checked it with a kick. For a moment he was supporting himself and near the full weight of the Beowolf on a single leg, and a flash of fear ran through him as he felt it on the verge of buckling.
With a massive burst of Aura from his foot, he swung his outstretched leg back behind him and used the generated momentum to throw the Grimm off. It crashed into its packmate who had been just about to attack his flank.
- 200 AP
This coincidentally removed them from the flight path of Markus' returning spears, which were deftly plucked out of the air and sent plunging into the two Beowolves chests. They exploded, and Jaune celebrated his mentor's victory for a single moment. Then, out of the fog of their fading brethren, the last two Beowolves lept. Markus was caught unawares, the creatures having used his kills as a smokescreen to ambush him, and his Aura metre took a sharp dip as one raked its claws down his front and the other used its strong hind legs to mule-kick him. Markus flew back with a cry and bounced off the trunk of a Pine before rag-dolling across the ground.
"Markus!"
Jaune Dashed without thinking, his Aura and the Messenger's Boots adding an incredible burst of speed to the already swift skill. He had never seen Markus take a direct hit like that – never seen an aura fall so sharply. A sudden welling of fear and desperation in his gut urged him to rush to his mentor's aid.
Except, Markus didn't need it.
The Beowolves should have gone in for the kill; Markus had proven time and time again that he was the deadlier threat between the two humans, and the Grimm had finally managed to engineer an opportunity to finish him off. One directly from the front and the other flanking, both aiming for the throat. A simple, deadly tactic that would eliminate even the most experienced huntsman, should their guard be down. And Markus' was.
The Beowolves ignored him entirely in favour of meeting Jaune's charge.
It caught him off guard. One lunged forward with both forelimbs spread wide, as if leaping in for a hug. Jaune recognized the move; those lanky arms would wrap around him and pin him to its chest as it crashed into the ground, simultaneously trapping and crushing him as it brought him within reach of its powerful jaws.
It was a tactic that was known to be employed by Beowolves and Ursai. Huntsmen ironically referred to it as the 'Snuggle'.
Jaune's speed worked against him, giving him no time to react. Unable to stop or change direction, he Dashed straight into the awaiting arms of the Grimm. The limbs whipped around him like a pair of boas and the slavering creature fell on top of him with all the force of a toppled tree.
-166 AP
-33 HP
Jaune's head rang and the world shook with the impact, his Aura no longer there to protect him. His right arm, bearing Crocea Mors, was trapped against his side. His left, bearing the shield, had luckily been between him and the monster when they had collided, and now the armament was caught at an angle between their bodies, putting space between them and weakening the Grimm's hold.
Jaune immediately began wiggling, as did the Beowolf - he in an effort to free himself, the creature in an attempt to nuzzle him towards its snapping maw. His right arm was held fast against his body, with no room to use his sword to any effect. The left shifted jerkily; there was give there. He could get it out.
But it was too late. The other had circled from the side and was now leaping for his throat. Jaune's eyes widened in horror and he cried out in fear, then screamed in pain as the Grimm's fangs enveloped his shoulder and the base of his throat. The razor teeth scraped against Grind Rail's pauldron for a moment, before piercing through and sinking into the flesh beneath. Blood squirted and the Beowolf growled victoriously and, like a dog with a toy, threw its head from side to side. It was trying to rip his arm off. Jaune screamed bloody murder as agony struck him like a lightning bolt. He felt the sharp points of its teeth rend his flesh into a bloody mess. Things in his shoulder crunched and broke under the beast's frenzied thrashing.
Ping!
You have obtained the status effect 'Maimed'. Left arm inoperable.
He whited out for a second, his vision dissolving into snowy sparks. He hadn't ever thought he would experience as much pain as he had when he had carbonised his arm, but this somehow drew even with it. Every toss of the Grimm's head sent a shock of agony through him that was beyond unbearable.
Then icy clarity suddenly shot through him like snowmelt. The sparks disappeared and his eyes sharpened. The pain remained, every tortuous iota of it, but it no longer crippeled his mind. In the corner of his eye, atop a thick stack of damage notifications, Jaune could see the reason why.
Gamer's Mind Activated!
It was almost immediately covered up by new damage notifications as the Beowolf continued to rip at his shoulder. Its fellow had wriggled its way to a position just below his chin. He could almost feel its jaws brush the fuzzy hair growing beneath his jawline. Gritting his teeth around a shrill growl, Jaune took a half second to glance at his health bar and make sure that what he was about to do wouldn't kill him.
1143/2040 HP
Taking no time to wonder that it wasn't less, Jaune channelled Lightning from the crystal embedded in Grind Rail's gauntlet and let it run rampant around him. No effort went into directing it - he just wanted these beasts off of him.
-80 HP
115 Damage Dealt!
115 Damage Dealt!
Both Beowolves jerked as a current passed through them, their growls turning to yowls. While this worked wonders in getting the one on top to loosen its hold, the one mauling his shoulder ended up clamping down even harder as it thrashed in the throes of electrocution.
-238 HP
In some back-handed stroke of good fortune, the pain Jaune would have felt was deadened considerably by the pins and needles that consumed his body as a consequence of channelling Lightning. His right arm now free to move, he thrust Crocea Mors up through the side of the top Beowolf's rib cage. Surgeon's Sight had the area highlighted in orange.
Critical Strike! 605 Damage Dealt!
Jaune yelled in exertion as he pulled the blade free and stabbed it again, the Beowolf still not having enough control of its body to prevent it.
Critical Strike! 605 Damage Dealt!
"Fuck!"
It still wasn't dead. Worse, its spasms were fading, and the same was true for the one clamped around his shoulder. That one was the bigger problem currently, but Jaune couldn't strike at it with the Beowolf on top in the way. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to let loose another blast of Lightning and buy himself some more time.
It wasn't needed. Before either had a chance to yelp, both Grimm explodedin clouds of black mist. Jaune's lungs were suddenly filled as the weight disappeared from his chest, then just as quickly emptied as the deep gasp shifted the jumble of broken bones in his shoulder and upper arm.
"AAAGGHHH!"
"Jaune!"
Marcus suddenly appeared in his swimming vision. His eyesight was so wonky it made the man look scared.
"Marcu- '' Something stabbed into the juncture between his neck and broken shoulder, just above his collarbone. Turns out that was also broken. "AH! You fucking bastard!"
+ 80 AP
'Wait, What?'
Ping!
Aura depletion penalty negated. Aura Regeneration has been restarted. + 7% Health regeneration for 30 minutes.
Before Jaune could even blink, his mouth was being pried open and pills forced inside.
"Mph!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Marcus' hand pressed against his right shoulder, keeping his back flush with the ground. "Stop trying to sit up and swallow those. They're pain killers. I don't have any water, so you're going to have to dry swallow them."
Jaune hadn't even realised he had been struggling against his mentor's weight. Forcing himself to relax, he gathered saliva in his mouth and gulped down the tablets, not caring how they stuck in his throat on the way. He only hoped they were fast acting.
"What did you stab me with?" he gasped.
"Aura stimulant." There was the sound of velcro ripping, and Jaune instinctively turned to see what it was. "Don't! Stop moving! That booster sped up your body's healing process, but that also means there's more chance of error. Your bones will set naturally, but only if you stay still! With how utterly fucked your shoulder is at the moment, there's no chance of fixing things if they settle out of place. Oum, the only reason your arm wasn't ripped clean off is because of this piece of junk." He flicked Grind Rail. Marcus had been critical of it since Jaune had first shown it to him.
The painkillers were setting in, and they were setting in hard. Jaune could feel his entire body going numb. There was just enough feeling in him to sense a pinpoint of cold pressure pressing into the meat of his thigh. Another needle?
"What are you doing?"
"Checking your aura."
Jaune blinked and almost tried sitting up again. "What? You can do that?"
"Have you never watched a Combat Tournament?" Marcus asked sarcastically. "How do you think they–"
Something beeped.
"...Shit."
Jaune's stomach dropped. "What? What is it? Why shit?"
"You have a bigger aura reserve than I thought you would. I gave you too small a dosage and you aren't healing as fast as you should be."
"Oh." He had been dreading something along the lines of amputation. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"It normally wouldn't be." Things rustled off to the side and from the corner of his eye Jaune could see Marcus packing things into and out of the small shoulder pack he always wore. "But we can't stay out here; not with the Grimm acting the way they are. Fuck, I don't think I've ever seen them like this! I've seen more today than I normally see in two weeks!"
Jaune was quiet.
Marcus growled, sounding frustrated. "But we also can't move you the way you are now. Too risky. Could go into shock, could lose the arm. And you channelled Dust." He was speaking more to himself than Jaune at that point. The muttering faded into unintelligible mumbles and then silence. Eventually, he sighed.
"I'm going to give you another booster. It's definitely not safe, chemically speaking, but it's safer than lying out here waiting to be gutted."
Jaune nodded in agreement. "Hit me, then."
He didn't feel the needle this time. The only indication he received was a murmured, "Okay," from Marcus and a notification popping up.
Ping!
+ 88 AP
+ 7% Health regeneration for 30 minutes.
You have acquired the status effect 'Overdosed'. - 5 VIT for 36 hours.
Ah. Well that was mildly concerning. Less concerning than lying out in the open while the Grimm were in a frenzy, but still disconcerting. "What are in those things?"
"What, the boosters?"
"Yeah."
Marcus scoffed. "No idea. Some cocktail of drugs, I'm sure. Maybe a bit of Dust too. Beacon offers a class to third and fourth years that goes over stuff like that, but I didn't take it. You probably should though, once you get there." He paused for a bit, and Jaune may have imagined the bitterness in his next words. "You never know when it may come in handy."
Jaune stared up at the leafy canopy above him, thinking about asking. His eyes turned to the side where he could see his mentor, who was indeed frowning into oblivion, and the rare urge to use Blind Justice crossed his mind. He ruthlessly stamped it out.
"Do you really think I'll get in?"
There was a long, slow sigh. "If you had asked me that question when we first started, I would have said no, and beat you to a pulp to drive the point home."
"You beat me to pulp anyway."
"But now," Marcus continued, ignoring him, "I would say you're just shy of where you should be to take part in the Initiation."
"What's that?"
His mentor laughed, lowly and evilly. "You'll find out."
Jaune groaned, but before he could insist on an explanation, an echoing howl sounded in the distance and any levity between them fled.
"Fuck!" Marcus barked. "Do you think you can move yet?"
"I don't know. Everything is numb." That said, his HP was filling quite quickly, even if the 'Maimed' status of his arm hadn't yet disappeared.
1762/2040 HP
Jaune bit his lip. "I'm not sure about my arm, but I can run if needed."
Multiple howls answered the first one. Marcus cursed again. "We're going to wait one more minute. We can't risk more than that."
Jaune didn't think they could even risk the minute, but didn't argue. One would think that the 'Maimed' effect would have disappeared with how full his HP was now, and that it hadn't was a bit worrying. Thankfully, when his HP fully regenerated some forty seconds later, the status effect changed from 'Maimed' to 'Weakened'.
"We can go now. I think my shoulder has healed enough."
Marcus hauled him up by his other arm and, together they hurried out of the forest. It was a short walk back to Shion, thankfully, but also a disturbing testament to the boldness of the Grimm. That they were so close to the walls, and in such numbers, didn't bode well.
"Training is halted until further notice," Marcus stated as he helped Jaune to the Huntsmen's Barracks, insistent in getting the medical staff to look him over.
"Marcus, it's not going to take me long to heal-"
"It isn't about your injuries, boy." Jaune hated that the man still called him that. "The Grimm are acting… fucking weird. I don't think I've ever seen them as aggressive as that."
Jaune swallowed.
"And what we experienced today might not have been isolated. I didn't think anything of it all until now, but there's been more activity lately. More people running around, more sightings than what's normal." He shook his head. "Might just be a random spike in the bastards' populations that will die with time and a few cullings, but until things calm down, you're on break."
Left unsaid, but heard regardless, was the fact that the Grimm had almost exclusively targeted Jaune. Marcus had noticed, but couldn't explain it, and so, didn't mention it.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, except for Marcus awkwardly asking if he was okay after the first wordless minute. Jaune had nodded his lie. He wasn't alright. The Grimmflesh on his back itched. He knew it had been a risk, going beyond the walls today. He had gone anyway, underestimating how dangerous the 'curse' would be. It had almost gotten him killed.
The 'curse' had been the first thing he had seen upon waking in that forest, five nights ago. Whether the cause or an effect of the Grimmflesh infecting his back, he didn't know. What he did know was that they were related and equally as horrible.
Curse of the Wanderer
Damned by ?, the bearer of this curse is marked with inhuman malevolence and rage. A living beacon to the Grimm, all who bear this affliction are doomed to be hunted by the creatures of darkness unto its removal or death.
~ Line Break ~
It was a wonder that a teenage girl's ambush could frighten him as much as a Grimm's.
"What the fuck, Jaune?" Robin growled, face thunderous. He didn't realise her voice could go that deep.
"I'm sorry?" Jaune squeaked, unsure himself as to whether he was asking or apologising. Just a second before, he had been walking to his next class when someone had come up from behind and shoved him into the second floor girls bathroom. At first he had thought Cord's self-restraint had finally snapped and was a hair's breadth from lashing out in self-defence.
And yet it was Robin leaning into him, her fists full of his shirt collar and doing her best to crush him against the wall at his back.
"Why," she seethed, "am I being interrogated about giving you hickeys?"
'Huh?'
"Huh?"
She slammed him against the wall again, none too gently, and he was too confused to resist.
"Hickeys, Jaune! Why are people asking me about them!?"
"What the fuck are–oh." Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. "Uh…"
His medical examination from the day before had run on for some time; neither Marcus nor the doctor that examined him could be convinced that a crushed and torn up shoulder was something he could shrug off, even when he had demonstrated his ability to literally shrug without issue. There had been x-rays, reflex tests and blood taken for testing, as well as an hour of observation, all to the conclusion that other than some heavy bruising, tenderness and chemical imbalance, Jaune was fine. The doctor had muttered something about 'freaking aura' and let him go home.
By then it was almost two hours past sunset and his parents had, quite understandably, wanted to know where the hell he had been. Frazzled, exhausted and weighed down by the concerns burdening his mind, Jaune had blurted out the first excuse that came to mind:
"I was with Robin."
And of course, this was accompanied by them spotting the edges of his bruising along the side of his neck, where they were lightest and impossible to hide. At the time, his parents' sudden change of attitude had confused him; a shit-eating grin had broken out on his father's face as he clapped Jaune's shoulder and his mother had smirked and told him to go shower and then come to dinner.
The rest of the night had been nothing but odd behaviour and vampire jokes from his sisters, none of which he had understood at any point.
Until now.
"Robin, listen–"
"You actually have them!?"
"What? No!"
She let go with one hand and yanked his tie loose, startling Jaune. A thrillshot through him when her fingers brushed his throat. Ignoring his protests, she pulled his collar down to expose the mottled flesh along the side of his neck. Brown eyes, normally warm and caring, were like burning lasers when she looked back up.
Jaune sighed tiredly and tried to explain. "They're–"
Robin slammed him against the wall again. That was getting annoying. Growling, his hands shot up to grip her wrists; he didn't tear them away just yet, but he squeezed with enough pressure to convey warning. She either didn't receive the message or ignored it.
"Who gave you those?" she hissed.
"A Beowolf," he growled, anger brimming. "A big fucking Grimm chomped down on my shoulder while I was out hunting. They're not hickeys, they're bruises."
He had expected that to pull her up short, and wasn't disappointed. Robin froze, the anger on her face cooling instantly.
"What?"
"Injury," he hissed, letting go with one hand to point at his shoulder. "Not kisses."
Her face went blank, void of any emotion. Jaune blinked as her grip on him tightened and she drew him closer.
"Are you okay?"
"Tender," he replied, eyes darting about her face and landing too often on her lips. "But yeah, all fixed up."
She nodded, expression still stony. "Show me."
"Robin—"
"Don't," her voice was firm. "Show me."
He didn't want to—didn't have to. Jaune could refuse; push her away and leave. He found himself unbuttoning his shirt instead. He left the bottom two and pulled the cloth away from his shoulder to reveal his injury in its entirety.
Robin stared in unblinking silence.
"It's really not that—"
"Don't you fucking dare!" she exploded, jabbing a finger into his chest. Jaune flinched like he had been stung and looked at her in wide-eyed startlement. Robin's eyes were dark and dilated, her cheeks flushed with red.
"Don't you dare tell me it's 'not that bad'! You went and got yourself fucking mauled!" Her finger stabbed him with every second word, a few hitting too close to his shoulder and he growled as jolts of pain lanced through him. "You—!"
She jabbed him again, this time directly in the middle of his bruises, and Jaune snapped, seeing red. He grabbed her wrist as it came down again and spun around, reversing their positions. Robin grunted as her back met the wall, one hand pinned above her head.
"Stop," Jaune hissed, leaning close, "poking me!"
She growled and flailed her free arm, trying to hit him or maybe push him away. Jaune caught it easily and brought it up to join the other, both hands now pinned by one of his.
"Let me go!" she shouted, trying to worm free. Jaune pressed his forearm across her hips, keeping her in place.
"Not until you fucking calm down!" he snapped back.
Robin defiantly glared up at him and kept on struggling and cursing, to no avail. Jaune's thirty one points of STR put him on the stronger side of the average adult man and he didn't budge. Robin may as well have been writhing in the grip of a statue.
Still, she kept up her efforts, though they slowed as the moments passed. Her cursing diminished to silence, and other than her heavy breathing, Robin became quiet. Rather than tossing and jerking in his grasp, her movements turned slow; they became more insistent and firm, alternating between pressing back against the hand that held up both of hers and the arm that crossed her hips. It was an almost rhythmic roll that flowed down through her body, lacking any of the force or urgency she displayed before.
And strangely enough, Jaune found his hold weakening. It was with a start that he realised his muscles were relaxing, tension leaking in a trickle from his shoulders and legs. He immediately tightened his grip and pressed himself closer in case she tried anything. A sharp gasp left her and he grimaced; he hadn't meant to be that forceful.
One of her legs crept around the side of his, her foot hooking the bottom of his calf. She was trying to sweep his leg, Jaune thought. He braced himself, but the attempt never came. Her leg rested there languidly, applying only a gentle pressure. Pulling him closer.
"Jaune."
Her voice was breathy and soft, all the vitriol replaced with something pleading. Something heartfelt. An involuntary shiver crawled down his spine as he looked back up. When had their faces gotten so close? Why was she looking at him like that?
"Robin…" he found himself whispering back. Her dark, brown eyes flicked between his own and his lips. Was she…? After all that? Was this really happening? Now? Like this?
His heart was pounding in his ears. Nervousness, excitement, and anticipation grappled in a knot in his chest. His breath came in short pants. He watched with mounting panic as Robin's eye's fluttered shut, her lips parted and she leaned in.
And then, just before they kissed, it all just melted away. A calm certainty remained.
This was happening. Now. Like this.
Nothing quite as dramatic as the world standing still happened when they kissed, but as Jaune marvelled at the pillowy softness of Robin's lips, he could understand the sentiment.
Whatever noise was in the background faded out to nearly nothing. He was barely aware of the darkness behind his closed eyelids. Everything and anything that wasn't Robin and her kiss became unimportant. Unworthy of his attention.
It was soft and slow. At first. Clumsy too; this was Jayne's first proper kiss and he didn't quite know what he was doing. Neither did Robin, if he guessed correctly. But they were both gaining confidence with every movement of their lips against each other.
They were just as quickly losing breath. Robin gave in first, breaking away from the kiss–just a little–to suck in air. And as she breathed back out, her warm breath tickling his jaw and neck, a tiny, needy little whine escaped her throat.
Jaune lunged back in with a desperation he didn't know he possessed. His mouth attacked hers in a frenzy as he pressed her back against the wall. A brief worry that he was being too rough flitted through his mind, but was dispelled when she moaned and reciprocated.
The kiss turned sloppy; full of wet smacks interspersed with pants and moans. Jaune almost jumped when he felt her tongue run across his lips. He only figured out what she wanted when she did it again, and he quickly opened his mouth and allowed her entrance.
The sensation of their tongues touching was a weird feeling to be honest, but he didn't care. A hot, pink fog clouded his mind. He felt feverish. Robin's body was warm and soft, squished against his chest. His hands were beneath her skirt, fingers sinking into the pliant flesh of her rear. Her legs were locked firmly around his waist and he was carrying her. When did that happen?
Jaune's reason had just about left him entirely. And as he felt her fingers creep–delicately, purposefully–down to the waistband of his pants, a small, fading voice asked in the back of his mind:
'How far are we going to take this?'
"Oh shit!"
Jaune broke from the kiss with a gasp and snapped his head to where the voice came from. A girl, maybe a freshman, was standing frozen in the doorway, staring agape at them. A brilliant red flush was overtaking her face as her eyes roamed about the two's pressed-together bodies.
Jaune caught sight of himself and Robin in one of the mirrors next to her and winced internally. It was an image straight out of Ninja's of Love. His shirt was half unbuttoned and just a step from falling off his shoulders. Further, his face was flushed, hair mussed and lips swollen. There was something wild about his eyes too; the pupils had almost entirely swallowed his irises, leaving behind only a thin band of dark blue.
It was an intense look, only made more intense by his irritation at being interrupted.
Robin's limbs were still clutching him to her tightly.
"Uh… I-I don't… I mean… sorry!" The poor girl stuttered out. Jaune could only stare at her, at a loss for what to say. She shrunk beneath his gaze and, squeaking another apology, took off running.
Jaune and Robin were left in silence, neither moving. A part of Jaune wanted nothing more than to go back to what they were doing, and yet it scared him at the same.
"Put me down."
Jaune blinked at the top of Robin's head, where it was buried in his chest so that her face was hidden. He wordlessly set her down and took a step back. Without looking at him, Robin immediately set about fixing her skirt and straightening out her shirt. With a sinking feeling in his gut, Jaune copied her. In short order the two stood across from each other, clothes neat and tidy save for one or two wrinkles that hadn't been there before.
She still hadn't raised her head.
"Robin…"
She sighed and her head came up, to look him in the eyes. The heavy feeling in Jaune's stomach doubled down at her expression. It was calm. Composed. Like she'd just finished brushing her teeth, or washing her hands. Like nothing special had happened.
"If I asked you to stop being a huntsman, would you?"
That's what she wanted to talk about? Huntsmen? Not the fact that they'd just been a half-step from tearing each other's clothes off?
"No," Jaune answered, bewildered.
She nodded as if she expected his response.
Was she ignoring what had just happened between them? Acting as if it hadn't happened? Was that seriously what was happening right now?
Robin's gaze was distant as she walked over to her bag and shouldered it.
It was. She was leaving. Astonishment and outrage warred for place in Jaune's chest. Things couldn't end like this. She didn't get to drag him into the girl's bathroom, turn his head to mush with her kiss and then just leave like nothing happened. It couldn't—
An exasperated sigh interrupted Jaune's inner rant before it could truly pick up momentum. He blinked as Robin finished rolling her eyes at him. Before he could say anything, she crossed the distance between them and kissed him once again.
It was different from before. Neither deep nor chaste. It lacked the passion and ferocity that had infected them earlier. Rather, to Jaune, it tasted like a reassurance. A declaration.
"I like you, Jaune," Robin said after she they parted. "I like the fact that you're fighting monsters out in the wilderness far less." She gently rubbed her hand over his chest in a circle. "Give me some time to think about things, okay?"
She didn't really give him a chance to respond. Jaune didn't think he could have if she had. She sort of just paused for a second and looked him in the eyes, conveying nothing but sincerity and affection.
Then Robin turned and left, leaving an utterly overwhelmed Jaune Arc standing in a daze in the second floor girl's bathroom.
AN: Pretty happy with how this turned out, though I could have totally missed the mark with this last scene. It's my first time writing anything vaguely romantic, and while I think it's okay, I would definitely welcome any reviews you guys may have regarding it and anything else in this chapter.
The first chapter of my PJO fic, A Thread Uncolored, will be posted next week monday. It is already available on my Patron page (w w w . p a t r(e)on . c o m (slash) Outliner_Archive) for those kind people who are supporting me. I am already working on the sixth chapter for Dark Visage and the second for A Thread Uncolored. Both will be made available there first before they are posted here.
Speaking of Patrons, I would like to thank OettamLass, Levitress, Ali G, Conner T and Shazbot for their continued support. I appreciate having you guys and am working hard to provide you with the next early releases.
See you all next monday! Cheers!