Glynda's week had been fairly dull since Monday. She hadn't had to teach for several days, giving her plenty of time to sit at home and… reflect.
After three days of inspections Ozpin and the VPD had decided that there were no holes in the school's security system, no intruders… and no leads. By Friday Beacon had opened up its doors, ruining everyone's dreams of a 6 day weekend.
Miss Goodwitch hadn't been surprised to see half the seats in her class empty… but she had missed the blond in the front row of her second period more than she would've liked to admit. More than was appropriate.
'Get a hold of yourself.' She thought harshly. So she was attracted to one of her students. That wasn't that unusual; he was attractive, why wouldn't she be? Glynda had eyes, it wasn't as if she could reasonably expect not to notice someone eventually- on an intellectual level she knew most of her coworkers and students eyed her up on a regular basis, and she let it slide without much fuss. Why was this so different?
Because student crushing on a teacher was less dangerous than a teacher with a crush on a student.
She should have caught the signs far sooner than this, headed it off before she let herself get so attached. Glynda bothered him at work everyday, spent extra time looking over his work, went out of her way to let Jaune know her door was always open if he needed her. But no, she couldn't admit it until shirtless perfection had smacked her in the face.
She bit her lip. That line of thinking needed to stop.
There were plenty of reasons for Jaune to need extra attention. He was a bright young man with potential she refused to let go to waste. He was alone… like her. No, she hadn't been lying to Kali, she did see a lot of herself in the boy, which made it too easy to get attached. If anything Jaune had it worse- she had been an orphan from the day she was born. Even 'Goodwitch' had been a name of her own creation - she had no idea what her parents had been called and she had longed for something that was hers. Some people might think that he had the advantage, but Glynda had been used to standing alone her entire life… to have a support structure, and then lose it, to know where you came from, to see it everyday, to have people recognize you for it, and be constantly reminded that you didn't belong anymore…
Jaune had the strength of character to keep going, to bear that. She admired him for that. He was good to his friends and civil with his peers, when so many of his classmates were insufferable bastards with perfectly happy home lives. While he was teetering on the edge, he was still keeping up with school, and he was practically self-supporting- he had a good work ethic and knew how to handle money. 'He's so mature for his age'.
She sighed. Oh, if only the attraction was just physical. Then she could ignore him, or just enjoy the occasional bit of guilty eye candy. But she liked Jaune, and he needed her. What he needed, though, was an adult, an advisor, not a girlfriend. If he wanted that he could have any number of girls his own age, not some lonely cradle robber like her.
'You're only 7 years older' a wicked voice in the back of head whispered. 'What difference will that make in 20 years?'
She snuffed it out ruthlessly. For as long as she had been teaching her youth had been an annoyance- it made her students see her as a peer, even a sexual prospect, and not their boss. She had done everything in her power to downplay it, to exaggerate the age gap… and now here she was, giddy at the prospect that it might work in her favor.
Glynda hadn't visited 'Branwen's Fitness' in 3 days. She told herself she wouldn't, until she could get her hormones under control, but the more she tried the more she realized it was a fool's errand. Absence made the heart grow fonder.
She had another mission, as she pulled into the parking lot. By her side were physical copies of all of today's in class assignments, as well as the report from Jaune's latest physical. Sure, he could pick them up himself whenever he came back, but…
Who was she kidding, she just wanted an excuse to see him.
So Glynda found herself mildly disappointed when it was Clover,not Jaune, who was manning the front desk during the blond's usual block.
"Glynda." He said amicably.
"Where's Jaune?" The words left her lips before she could help herself.
Clover showed no signs of offense. "Sleeping." He said calmly. "He's been feeling under the weather for the last few days… and that was before some idiot rammed their car into him this morning."
Glynda's blood went cold. "...What?" She whispered.
Clover placed a calming hand on her shoulder, steadying her- Glynda's legs had started to buckle.
"Relax." Clover said. "It wasn't a direct hit. Jaune was out for a run before dawn, and some speeding driver clipped him when he was crossing the streets. It could have been a lot worse- from what I'm told there was someone else in the road that Jaune pushed out of the way. The EMT that checked him out said he got off easy… but he's going to rest and recover for a little while."
Glynda was silent for a long moment, clutching her various papers to her chest.
"Can I see him?" She asked, in a voice that was calm… too calm.
Clover sighed. "Only if you promise not to wake him." He said. Then he rose, taking her down the stairs.
Glynda felt the eyes roaming over her body as she walked through the basement of the gym. Normally it didn't bother her, but her emotions were out of whack at the moment. Could these meatheads at least try to not to have their eyes bug out of their heads? Glynda took a moment to glance in the mirrors that lined the walls as she walked.
...Gods, had her gym clothes always been this revealing? She never used to dress like this, it was only to impress-
'-Not another word.' She told herself.
Clover's voice dropped to a whisper as he quickly opened the door and the two stepped in. "Normally Jaune keeps it locked." He explained. "But after this morning's accident we thought it would be better to leave it open, in case he needed help."
The room was small and neat, with all the necessities of life and not much of a personal touch… just like home. In the dim light Glynda was barely able to spot Jaune's powerful silhouette, chest rising and falling under the covers. His bare shoulder peaked out, muscles relaxed. He looked younger when he was asleep- more at peace. But even at his most vulnerable it was impossible to ignore the strength that radiated from his form.
The schoolteacher instinctively took a step forward, wanting to brush away a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of Jaune's eyes. Her student tensed, brows furrowing, breath catching. She stayed still for what felt like an eternity, before the boy shifted and his breathing returned to normal.
Glynda stepped back guilty, before slowly making her way to his desk and setting the papers down and scribbling a quick note of explanation.
She couldn't tell if Clover had caught the subtle exchange between the blonds- she hoped he hadn't. Glynda had enough shame about her growing feelings, the last thing she needed was for someone else to find out.
She would have to control herself, but that didn't stop her from wishing that the young Arc would be back to normal soon... back in her class. Back in her care.
"Get well soon." She whispered, before walking out and gently closing the door behind her.
Jaune waited a full minute after the door closed, before sighing, rolling up out of his bed and flicking on the lights.
He had been awake the second Glynda had walked into the room- how could he not notice such a fine female walking right into his den. It had taken all of his self control to stay still, to feign rest… If Clover hadn't been there...
Jaune shook his head. He had already proven time and time again that he couldn't be trusted alone with a beautiful woman.
His 'sickness' and his injury gave him an excuse to quarantine himself until… well, there wasn't going to be an 'until'.
He flipped through the papers on his desk, wondering if it was even worth putting in the effort when attending Beacon as a regular student again was nothing more than a pipe dream. But Glynda had gone through the effort of getting him what he needed… and it was for Glynda's sake that he had to stay away. Hers and everyone else's.
Jaune stopped when he got to the physical evaluation. His resting heart rate was low, but that wasn't so unusual for athletes, whose cardiac muscles were used to so much greater demands and could pump harder and more efficiently than average. Blood pressure: 112/68, blood oxygen levels: 100%, iron levels: normal: cholesterol: normal, lipids: normal . He was in the top percentile of height and weight, at roughly 6% body fat. No signs of any serious diseases...well, wouldn't you know, his sex hormone levels were off the fucking charts.
His vision was 20/10… twice as sharp as what was considered normal. His hearing was likewise near peak levels. He lacked the nightvision of a Faunus, but otherwise his senses were more or less even with theirs. His reaction time, 48 milliseconds, had an asterisk attached to it marked 'testing error'. The fastest ever recorded was 101, and the average was 273.
Jaune wasn't normal.
The Arc had taken the last few days to test out his limits- and unlike the unthinking race to exhaustion that was his typical morning he had kept careful track of every move. He didn't want any witnesses, so he worked from right after the gym had closed and kept going until just before it opened. He could sleep during the day; that helped him avoid any more temptations, any more lapses of judgement.
He was stronger than most professional strongmen. Nora was on the weightlifting team, and she was exceptionally strong for her size- at 125 and 5'0 she could bench 200lbs, though she would be feeling that for days afterwards. She had a 315 deadlift and a 275lb squat. Ren was about as strong as she was, maybe a little weaker. Cardin had made a big show of benching 405lbs at school, and Yatsuhashi's one rep max was pushing 500. Most of the other men at Beacon didn't even come close to that, and plenty of them were weaker than Nora, who through years of effort had packed a lot of power into that petite body. But no matter how hard Nora trained Jaune was nearly a foot and a half taller and twice her size. He outshined her easily; he could bench 625lbs, squat 720lbs, deadlift 822.5lbs and overhead press 305lbs… and he'd be back at full strength in a matter of minutes. For all Nora's dedication, he was three times stronger, so all she'd managed to accomplish was giving herself a toned figure and a full, thick ass for him to-
Jaune sighed. His endurance was almost as insane as his libido. He wasn't quite at the level of the world record holders for strength- but he was also built for speed and agility, not just power. He could run 100m in 10.5 seconds. Pyrrha could do it in 10.4; he'd looked it up, and it helped him appreciate just how fast she was, considering she held the women's world record, as a matter of fact, but if that fine piece of ass was in front of him he was sure he'd find a way to close the distance. He could hold pace for longer than other humans too. Ruby could run a mile in 4:40… at 3:45 he could catch her cute little ass effortlessly. He could run a 5K in under 12 minutes… and this morning he had been well on track to finish a marathon in 1:45:00 before he had been interrupted.
It was the ass crack of dawn. He had just been wrapping up his 20th mile when he had seen an old man crossing the street. Unfortunately, a pickup speeding down the road hadn't. He hadn't had time to think, he had just moved. The truck had clipped his chest as he pushed the geezer to safety- the man hadn't gotten a scratch on him. It'd stung a bit- certainly not enough for the driver to insist on calling an ambulance, or for the EMT to marvel that he had gotten off with only a single bruised rib. They had driven him back to Branwen's Fitness, made a huge deal out of it, and told him to take it easy for a month, just to be safe.
He sighed, and turned on his side. The skin where the mark had been was unblemished. He had slept it off. No...there had been a moment, tossing in his sleep, where the rib had stung after he had shifted his weight on it, and he had concentrated all his focus on the injury. The pain had vanished with a flash of light. He had been too groggy to register it at the time, merely drifting back off into a deep sleep. Even now it felt like a half remembered dream...but then again, the proof was right in front of him.
Jaune and his friends had shot the shit plenty of times around the table about which character from which movie or game could beat up which other character- Ren was wrong, Kyo totally wrecked Robo-Boy, no difficulty- and he had picked up some of the lingo other people used. It was odd that he was powerscaling himself now. His base was reliably street level- he might not have the crazy energy attacks of the fighters from Fist of Fury but in terms of physical power he was right there with them… the hypothetical peak of human potential. He was at or near world record levels of speed and power.
Jaune's skill wasn't quite on that level, but he was a fighter's son. His dad had shown him the basics of jiu jitsu, and he had picked up a little boxing from Yang. He had tagged along when Dash and Chloe had gone through their parkour phase- Cardin had joked that he was a 'master of running away'...or charging a target from countless different angles. Overall, Jaune's form was solid, if a little basic. He'd seen enough of Yang and Ren's practice to know they were technically superior martial artists, but that didn't mean much when he hit so much harder, moved so much faster.
That was only his base, though.
'You wield power you don't understand.'
Even the strongest strongmen on the planet would struggle to bend steel. He had broken it casually, multiple times. Hell, he had pinched the cuffs off with his thumb and forefinger, like he had been snapping a twig. That should be beyond any human muscle… but he hadn't just been using his muscles.
Bubbling beneath the surface was an… energy of some kind, something that multiplied his striking power, healed his wounds, sharpened his senses. He had been so concentrated on repressing his lust that he never let himself think why it was so much greater than a normal man's… but the power seemed to be amplifying it too. While his sex drive gave him no respite, the power wasn't always there. After he had realized its existence, he had tried to isolate it, to control it, but it always escaped his grasp. Sometimes, when he had pushed himself to his absolute limit, he would feel it rush forward and give him a second wind, turning plates into paperweights and steel into styrofoam. But as he tried to grab onto it the power retreated back inside him, thrumming just out of his reach. Jaune remembered the lazy days of his childhood, when he'd rub his onesie clad body over the carpet, building up more and more static to unleash on an unsuspecting victim. Most of the time all that electrical energy was invisible… but when something came forward to complete the circuit, somebody got zapped.
He needed a way to break the flow of energy… or release it onto a safe target.
Unbidden, his eyes wandered back to his phone. His most recent message was still burned into his mind.
Last night, at 9:03 p.m., Cinder Fall had sent him a nude photo, having just stepped out of the shower, her body wet and gleaming, her nipples hard and her pussy dripping and eager. She had probably been playing with herself before taking the shot. Her eyes had regained their sultry confidence and the photo had been captioned quite simply.
'Drop in any time you like.'
Jaune hadn't gone to her last night. He told himself that their last rendezvous had already gone too far, that he had fallen off a precipice and the more he did it the less likely he'd be able to climb back up. There could be no more 'appointments' with Cinder if he wanted to keep his soul.
Really he just wanted to make the bitch wait.
But she had marinated long enough. Ms. Fall knew things- about his powers, about his nature- that no one else did, and he needed to pry open her lips to get some answers. If he decided to stick something in afterwards… well...
It was time to take his slut up on her offer.
Cinder Fall's apartment was on the 3rd floor of an apartment at 921 Otoño street, room 314. She laid on her couch impatiently, reviewing some reports from her agents. They had found some leads on an ancient tribe that might still be operating as an international syndicate, but their numbers, their power, even their existence was all fuzzy; it could just be a rumor, and she was wasting her time because the most powerful Blessed she had ever seen was already within her grasp if only he would just-
Golden eyes darted to the door in longing, and then to her bedroom. 'Wait until midnight.' She told herself.
She could find an excuse to stay awake that long, but eventually she would have to go to bed, even if she went alone. Cinder couldn't understand why he hadn't come running as soon as she called him- however good he was in bed, he was still a teenage boy. He should be wrapped around her finger.
Every tick of the clock felt like a slap in the face. Cinder grew more and more agitated as she made her way through her intel. By the time it was half past 11 she was almost at the end of her rope. Someone with the right name for the tribe was right in the middle of Vale, but seemed like an utterly unremarkable person, the report recommended that they move on to another lead, and Cinder bit back a scream because of course they would look unremarkable, if they were easy to spot then what did she need spies for-
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Cinder sprung to her feet, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she forced her way to walk slowly towards the door. By the time she got to the threshold her features were schooled into a sultry smile and every movement was an elegant, sensual sway. She opened the door and lounged against the frame, presenting herself to her late night caller.
"Evening handsome." She said, eying him up.
Jaune was standing at her door, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was messy, his eyes were dark, and he was wearing a tight t-shirt and loose gym shorts. Cinder felt slighted for a moment, that instead of trying to impress her he had just slipped something on in a couple seconds. She got over it. What was really impressive was what was underneath the fabric, and she knew he could slip out of it just as quickly as he slipped in.
"Come inside." She said, making a come hither gesture with her index finger. Then she sashayed into her apartment, an exaggerated sway in her step. She could feel his eyes lingering on her, down the smooth curve of her back to her tantalizing rear. She gave it an extra little shake as he stepped in behind her, slamming the door shut with a gutteral grow.
'Oh, someone likes that.' She thought pleasantly, filing the information away for later.
Who could blame him? Not only did Cinder have a grade A ass, the only thing she was wearing was a skimpy pair of lacy black lingerie, the bottom of which barely covered- it could call it 'covered'- the crack of her ass, leaving two luscious globes on display, and practically disappearing between them
She caught his gaze with a smile. "Sorry I'm not decent, I was getting ready for bed."
"Nice pajamas." He said dryly.
Cinder fluttered her eyelashes. "Can't a girl look nice when she's expecting company?" She teased.
Jaune said nothing. Instead he made his way to the couch, and sat down, head high, spreading his legs wide and his arms out. His posture was dominant, but relaxed, and he had a ghost of a smile on his face as he cast his eyes around the room, looking as if he owned the place, lounging on a throne.
It sent a shiver down Cinder's spine.
"Can I get you something to drink?" She asked, feeling very much like a servant in her own home.
"Two waters." He said simply. " Big glasses, the biggest you have."
"Are you sure?" She said, even as she had already started to move, savoring the feel of his eyes on her. "I've got an excellent bottle of wine-"
Jaune shook his head. "I don't drink." He said. " It's hard enough to control myself as it is."
Cinder hummed thoughtfully as she filled up two tall glasses of water for her tall glass of water.
"I think you should." she said as she made her way back to the living room. " It's nice to cut loose once in a while." She set the glasses down on the table before setting herself down in his lap.
Jaune seemed completely unfazed, even as she felt his member stiffen against her. He looked at her with undisguised lust, but his posture remained completely relaxed. He'd take her on his own time.
He reached down, picked up a glass and brought it to her lips.
"Drink up." He ordered.
Cinder blinked. "Did you just order my drink?" She asked irritably.
The slightest edge in her voice sent most people to their knees. Jaune looked amused. 'Oh, she's angry. How cute.'
"I don't need you passing out on me again."
Cinder's body shivered in anticipation. "Are you going to give me another workout?" She asked, voice low.
Jaune smirked. "Something like that."
Cinder grabbed the glass with both hands and tipped it back, swallowing the liquid in deep, eager gulps. She tried to slow down but couldn't help herself- if this was the last barrier between her and ecstasy, she would demolish it.
Jaune's eyes twinkled knowingly as he watched her. He knew exactly what he was going to her, and one hand came up to rest on the small of her back.
His touch caused Cinder to start, and a small stream of water spilled down her cheek and neck. She finished what was left, and set the cup down, hands trembling.
Blue eyes looked into gold for what felt like an eternity. Cinder's heart rate quickened as Jaune's gaze drifted up and down her form hungrily. She wanted him… but she wanted him to make the first move.
The blond pounced. Cinder put up a token struggle as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in, but she knew she couldn't stop him and she didn't want to. Her mouth opened in a gasp of pleasure as her chest rubbed against his, as his strong, firm hands squeezed the supple flesh of her ass, which gave Jaune an opening to shove his tongue down her throat as he locked their lips in a bruising kiss.
Cinder was attracted to power- most people were, whether they admitted it or not- and her senses were fine tuned to sense the overwhelming aura that was radiating off Jaune's body and enveloping hers. While the few she had encountered came off in gentle waves, his felt like a typhoon, a tsunami of raw energy coming to shatter skyscrapers in a single crash. It was wild, uncontrolled, untapped.
She wanted it.
Jaune's lips broke from hers and began trailing down her cheek, lapping up the drops of water that had fallen from her lips. Cinder groaned as he made his way over a particularly sensitive part of her neck and bit down, hard. Her hands had slipped under his shirt and her nails were digging into the skin of her back, event though Cinder knew the wounds meant nothing to him; he could heal faster than she could hurt him.
Cinder rolled her hips over his gargantuan, girthy shaft while Jaune unclasped her bra and the flimsy fabric fell to the floor.
She felt his hot breath against her breasts before her stud leaned in and started to suckle like a newborn, warming her up for the child he would doubtlessly plant in her womb.
Cinder let out a wanton moan while her mind tried telling her body that now was no time to get pregnant, but it was hard to keep that in mind as Jaune bit down and twisted her nipple between his teeth, pain and pleasure drowning out all other thoughts.
"Oh god, oh god." She cried, as his fingers map their way past her panties and began drawing light circles over her clit. She was soaked already.
Jaune pulled off her chest with a pop and stopped moving, locking on hand on Cinder's head and the other on her hip. Instinctively, she whimpered, and tried to lean in for a kiss, but a strong, firm grip held her in place.
Her eyes slowly came back into focus as she stared into his, which remained dark with lust yet calm and controlled the entire time. He owned her, and he knew it. 'Damn him' she thought, core hot.
"We need to talk." He said.
"Isn't that my line?" She said, grinning.
Jaune laid a punishing swat on her ass. "Tell me what I want to know and I'll give you what you want. Tit for tat."
Cinder pouted, grinding as best as she could against his erection. "Don't you want it?" She pouted.
Jaune smirked. "Business before pleasure."
Cinder sighed. "Okay, where to start. My name is Cinder Fall, I'm 21 years old, I'm a junior at Magenta University studying psychology. I was born in Atlas but moved to Vale for college right before the start of the Civil War, I have an aura-"
Jaune's eyes narrowed. "What's that?"
Cinder smiled coyly. "Oh, the Civil War? It's a partisan conflict between the Reds and the Blues-"
Jaune spanked her again, with a crack that people three floors down could hear.
"Aura." He growled dangerously.
Cinder winced the pain away with a smile as she bit back another moan. "O-o-oh... that…" she muttered. "That's what keeps you going for hours, I'd bet."
Jaune arched an eyebrow. "Explain."
Cinder sighed, trying to collect her thoughts. "Aura is the physical manifestation of the soul, an energy source possessed by all living things so long as they're alive."
Jaune looked at her skeptically. "If everyone has one, why am I special?"
Cinder smiled wickedly. "Because not everyone can use it. In most creatures it remains locked away until the day they day, no more under their control then their heartbeat, or their brain waves. It keeps them alive automatically, but unless you know what to look for you have no idea it's even there."
Jaune's eyes pierced hers as he weighed the honesty of her words. "...But we're different."
"We?" Cinder asked, feigning ignorance.
Jaune spanked her again until she yelped for mercy.
"Alright, alright!" She cried. "Yes, we! Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I was different from other people. So I combed through every source I could find, every legend, every story about people who were special. People who were powerful. Our most ancient myths tell of an age where anyone could unlock their aura, though how exactly is anyone's guess and it took a lifetime to master the skill. They say aura was like a force field, that it could deflect fatal blows, heal wounds, and give the user unique powers… powers like this."
She held out a hand which glowed red hot.
"...I can do that?" Jaune murmured incredulously.
"No." Cinder said. "That's mine. The ancient stories have many common abilities: enhanced strength, superior health and beauty, rapid healing. But there are some powers that are unique to each individual- like the fingerprint of a soul. I can scorch whatever I touch with the softest caress." She said proudly. 'Except you.'
"What can I do?" He asked.
Cinder laughed. "I'll guess you'll have to figure that out. It took me months of experiments before I had any idea." She licked her lips. "Although… maybe your blessing has something to do with the bedroom."
"Blessing?" Jaune asked.
Cinder shrugged. "Yes, Blessing. The oldest manuscripts call it a 'semblance', but for some reason, people started being born with aura's that were impossible to unlock… an impermeable barrier that separated their souls from their wills. Even when placed in a life or death scenario, such people would die rather than manifest even the weakest shield to protect them 100% of the time."
Jaune's bile rose. "Did… did people test that?"
"Apparently." Cinder replied. "In the old days, there were some reported cases of people unlocking aura in high stress situations, so when the traditional methods started to fail, rulers began trying more… extreme methods to recruit new warriors. It didn't work. Rumors that a locked aura was punishment from the gods led to a new division of humanity, the Blessed and the Cursed… but after centuries where the Cursed gave rise to only Cursed children, and even the children of the Blessed were a mixed bag… well… eventually we stopped calling them Cursed. You and I are some of the last Blessed left."
"Which means…" Jaune murmured to himself.
Cinder saw the gears turning in his head, and answered with a satisfied grin. "Which means at least one of your parents had to be a Blessed, too."
Jaune's grip loosened as a storm of emotions overtook his face. "I'm… Dad…" he muttered incredulously. "I'm just like Dad…"
Cinder used her new freedom to lean in and nuzzle his neck. "Me too." She whispered. "I never met my father… but my mother was nothing special." She saw the look in his eye and bit back laughter. " No, no, it isn't Mason. Believe me, I checked- your father was nowhere near Atlas in the year before I was born and my mother was in no position to leave the Kingdom. There are others out there… somewhere. Hiding in the shadows."
"Why?" Jaune asked.
Cinder gave him a long, hard look. "I've spent my entire life asking that question." She said, "And as I've combed through the myths, I've noticed two things. As time goes on, fewer and fewer sources pop up… and in modern times, whenever someone makes claims about having superhuman powers, pretty soon they wind up dead."
Jaune shook his head. "You're wrong." He muttered. "There are countless legends, so many contradictions… the better we know the past the worse your evidence gets-"
"Because someone's been burning it away." Cinder countered. "I've never talked about my powers in public- I figured that much out fast. If people are cursed, that means someone had to do the cursing. If people keep dying suddenly and violently whenever they claim to be able to clone themselves, or move faster than sound, or channel electricity, it can't be a coincidence."
Jaune blinked. He had read all the myths… and wasn't it just last year that the Firebender of Mistral, who everyone kept saying was a fraud, washed up dead on the beach with half his organs missing?
"Oh my god." He whispered, rubbing his temples.
Cinder sighed. "I wish I could tell you more… but I don't know much. From what I can tell, any details about aura, its history, its powers, must be passed on down from parent to child in the few lines that are still active."
Jaune scoffed.
Cinder shook her head wryly. "That's what drew my attention to you." She admitted. "You father's been hiding in plain sight. His record is still hypothetically within human limits… but it's good, a little too good."
"Then why isn't he dead yet?" Jaune barked.
Cinder shrugged helplessly. "Maybe he's flown under the radar of whoever's looking. Maybe he's too high profile to get rid of. Maybe he's too strong for them to kill. Or maybe... he's one of the killers."
Jaune's draw dropped. "What?"
Cinder nodded solemnly. "Even if I'm wrong, the most recent legends show that the Blessed that were still alive tended to get territorial. They killed each other on sight. That's why I couldn't approach him for answers, even though I've suspected for years. But when his young, cast off, untrained son walked into my door I thought I'd finally found an in, an answer to all my questions."
Jaune scowled. "Sorry to disappoint you."
Cinder laughed, before snuggling into her mate. "Don't be. I've never been happier to be wrong in my life."
The blond looked at her coldly. Cinder giggled and slipped off his shirt, tracing patterns over his washboard abs, and the firm muscles of his chest. "I thought I found a malleable little boy… but I found a man. Ignorant perhaps… but strong. Monstrously strong. Stronger than me."
Jaune smirked. "You oughta kill me while you have the chance then. Before I get you."
"I can't." Cinder admitted. " And even though you could… you wouldn't kill me."
Jaune tried to glare intimidatingly at her, but it broke down into a goofy grin. "Guess not." He admitted.
"So… ready to take over the world?" She asked coyly.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "No thanks."
Cinder blinked.
"I'm sorry… what?"
Jaune chuckled. "Cindy, Cindy, Cindy. You just told me if we went out in the open we'd wind up dead. Why would I want to paint that kind of target on my back?"
Cinder scowled. Fear wasn't something she expected from him, even if it was something she could deal with. But… he didn't seem scared. Bored, more like it. Uninterested. In power?
"The strongest have always ruled, and once you master your power, with your brawn and my brains nothing could stand against us." She insisted.
Her Alpha shrugged. "Yeah yeah yeah." He said dismissively. "But what's the point? I can already take whatever I want, whenever I want. I don't need the whole world. Let everyone else have the scraps."
Cinder was reminded of the first time she had sat down and watched a nature documentary. Lions slept for 20 hours out of the day. That had astonished her when she had first heard it… why have all that great power if you weren't going to use it?
Now she understood. Jaune really meant it, he had no interest in carving out a Kingdom. He was already King, why waste time reminding people when he could just enjoy the perks of his status. Cinder had been so determined to climb her way to the top, to prove that she was superior to all others, that she was unprepared for the view. Who cares whether or not the people bowed? Pretenders, maybe. Lions don't concern themselves with the opinions of sheep.
She tried a different tack. If ambition didn't sway him, compassion might. "But… think of all the good you could do. How much better you could make things."
Jaune let out a deep laugh. " For me?" He asked cynically. "No, not even that. Can you imagine how much work it would be trying to run everyone else's lives for them? Even if I was trying to help them I'd never do better than they could do for themselves, and I'd put myself in an early grave if I tried. Maybe I could handle a couple slaves… but being a good dom is hard work. Most people aren't worth conquering."
Cinder found herself entranced even as he rebelled against everything she believed. Power was everything, it was all that mattered, but he was so confident in ignoring it. Because he already had it… always had. She could work with that. Let Jaune reign… she could relieve him of all the annoyances of ruling.
She bit her lip coquettishly. "Am I… worth it?" She asked softly.
Jaune laughed, before pulling her in for a kiss. "Mostly." He teased.
Cinder glared in annoyance. Jaune cradled her body gently, causing her heart to start slamming into her chest like a jackhammer. "You know what I really like about you, Cinder?" He said softly.
"...What?" she whispered.
"That I don't have to hold your hand on every little thing." He said. " That when I give you an order, I can trust you to fill in the gaps, to not fall apart the second I step away… and to fight back every once in a while so I can conquer you all over again. That's what makes you worth it."
Cinder blushed.
"Do whatever you want in your freetime." He said firmly. "But the minute I call you, you come. You can be a spy second. You're mine first."
Cinder's pride howled at the prospect of being reduced to a possession, a handmaid, a personal whore to live her life at his beck and call. The rest of her loved it. "Yes sir." She said adoringly. "Now, Master-" she said, enjoying just how much that one word made his cock twitch. "What are your orders?"
She was ready for anything… except for Jaune tenderly cupping her cheek and curling a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Don't get killed." He said softly.
Cinder's eyes went wide.
The softness in his eyes soon took on a mischievous edge. "You're my slut now, remember?" He said mockingly. "You're not much use to me if you're dead. No suicide missions, no stupid risks. You got that?"
Cinder nodded obediently, not trusting herself to speak. She took a moment to quell the unfamiliar whirl of emotions. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" She murmured.
Jaune paused thoughtfully. "Why don't you go to the kitchen and get me something nice?"
She nearly howled in frustration. All this time rubbing against her delectable body… and he wanted food?!
"They say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She muttered bitterly, before rising to her feet to obey.
She reached up to her top cabinet to get him a plate, so enturbulated that she failed to sense the hulking presence closing in on her. Right as she arched up on the balls of her feet his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and slammed her into the counter. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the stovetop timer and the current time.
The clock struck midnight as the last of Cinder's clothes disappeared.
Jaune's bare cock lined up with her dripping slit. "Nevermind. I've found what I want." Then he slammed down to the base in a single thrust.
Cinder gasped.
One hand stayed on her neck while the other grabbed onto her narrow waist, giving him plenty of leverage as he pummelled her pussy.
"The fastest way to a woman's heart…" Jaune grunted. "Is through her cunt!"
"Oh gods yes!" Cinder cried. " It's so deep! Harder! Faster! Please...FUCK!" Her pussy gripped his shaft with every move, in a futile effort to hold him in, to never let him go again.
As Cinder spent the next two hours face down, ass up, body pressed into the cold countertop as her Master battered her insides, a single thought filled her mind.
This. Is. Bliss.
'Monday sucks.' Ruby thought to herself bitterly.
It had rained again today, and she had to take a ride to school early with Dad because Jaune was still sick, and hurt, apparently, but he wouldn't see her and he wasn't answering any of her calls or texts and she was worried out of her mind-
"Hey." A voice called out from across the hall. Ruby sighed, shook her head, and stopped.
"What?" She asked, as politely as she could manage. Russel Thrush came up by her side. She could recognize the green mohawk from a mile away.
"Where's your boyfriend?" He asked with thinly veiled interest.
"Jaune's not my boyfriend." She answered angrily. "And I have no idea."
The irritation in her voice was entirely due to the fact that she had been asked that exact question 12 times already… Scout's honor.
Russel grinned. "That so, babe?" He said, moving in closer and snaking an arm over her shoulder. "Well, since Jauney Boy's left you all by your lonesome, how about we get to know each other?"
"No thanks." She said, as she brushed him off and kept walking.
"Aw, baby, don't be like that." He whined.
Ruby sighed. "The last time you called me 'baby' you followed it up with questions about where my diapers were."
Russel chuckled awkwardly. "Oh that… just a little hair pulling on the playground, that was all. I've always thought you were really cool."
Ruby rolled her eyes. She had seen what hair pulling on the playground actually looked like, Jaune had done it to her and especially Yang -her pigtails were just begging for it- but as annoying as that had been he had at least given a wink and a nudge to let them know it was all in good fun, that he actually liked them. Jaune never circled around as part of a gang of goons and did his best to bring them to tears.
"I'm not interested." She said, making her way over to the table she shared with Ren and Nora… and… well he wasn't here today.
Russel rolled his eyes but didn't follow. "Whatever. You want me."
Ruby pouted as Nora grinned at her. "Another jackal take a pass at you?" She asked.
The silver eyed girl groaned as she bit into her sandwich. "Third time today." She murmured, mouth half full. "I don't understand what's gotten into people."
"Please chew before you talk." Ren said, mildly annoyed.
Ruby swallowed before blushing awkwardly. "Right."
Nora crossed her arm. "It isn't so much about what's gotten into people as what's out, if you catch my drift."
Ruby looked at her owlishly.
Nora sighed. "Ren. Girl talk. Now." She ordered.
The black haired boy nodded, before exiting stage left for a restroom break.
"So… Jaune's not here." Nora said, as soon as he was gone.
"I noticed." Ruby said irritably.
Nora smirked. "And suddenly, for some reason, a bunch of boys decide today's the day to make a move."
Ruby blinked. "...I don't follow."
"Yes you do." Nora said dryly.
"No, really." Ruby insisted.
"You're really going to make me spell it out?"
"Please."
"Oh, for the love of- RUBY YOU'RE HOT!"
Several eyes locked on the two girls, and Ruby was mortified to see glimmers of agreement in some of them.
Her face went as red as her hoodie. "Noimnot." She murmured.
Nora bit back a laugh. "Yes you are. Don't believe me, ask Russel. Or Todd. Or Jamie… or Oscar?"
"Oscar Pine?" Ruby asked incredulously. "The freshman? All he did was ask me for a pencil."
"Because that was the only thing he could manage to say without creaming his pants." Nora said crudely.
"Nora!" Ruby said.
"If you haven't noticed, you're in his age range- if you hadn't skipped two grades you'd probably be the hottest girl in his class instead of one of the hotties in ours."
"I've never been one of the hot ones." Ruby stated matter of factly.
Nora rolled her eyes. "Compared to who, Yang? Your model tier sister who's two years older than you? Because, newsflash, you've grown up now, and you're definitely giving her a run for her money."
"Then why are people only noticing now?"
"Because you usually have a hunk attached to your hip 24/7."
Ruby's face looked like a goldfish's for a second, eyes wide and jaw dropped.
"...You think Jaune's hot?" She whispered.
Nora chuckled. "I'm in love, not blind. Ren is by far the best man at Beacon, but Jaune takes the silver medal… and the silver maid."
Nora grinned as Ruby flushed prettily. "...We're not like that." She insisted.
The ginger sighed. "Well, if you aren't, you'd better be ready for the inevitable flood of guys that are going to swoop in once they realize they have a chance."
Ruby buried her head in her arms as Ren made his way back to the table. She heard the pair of childhood friends banter. Nora was crazy. Jaune was her best friend, not her boyfriend. They were just like Ren and Nora… wait, Nora was madly in love with Ren. Her entire body glowed. 'No, not like Ren and Nora, definitely not like Ren and Nora!'
If it wasn't Jaune then it was going to be someone. Ruby bit her lip. She was absolutely terrible with romantic feelings. Like, the worst. She could barely sit through kissing scenes in a movie without unbearable awkwardness overtaking her. She had fantasies every once in a while, especially when she was younger, but putting them into practice was a whole other can of worms she was nowhere near ready to attempt. As flustered as the thought of being with Jaune got her she'd welcome the misconception if it meant other people left her alone. Spending a week without him sucked enough already without a bunch of guys she barely knew trying to get into her pants.
"I miss my big blond buffer." She whispered to herself miserably.
The rest of the day continued on in similarly poor fashion. Two more boys approached Ruby and two more were awkwardly shut down… they weren't bullies so Ruby had to struggle through being nice about the whole thing. "No thanks, but you're cool… no, really. It's not you… it's me…. Gods, did I actually just use that line? I'm bad at this, you deserve someone better… can you, umm, just go now… please?"
The track was cold and wet when practice began. After Nora's little intervention, Ruby was suddenly hyper aware of all the catcalls and wolf whistles that followed as the track team made their way to practice in their gear… and just how many of those calls were aimed at her. By the time they had actually started running Ruby had poured all her frustration and angst into her legs, zipping by faster than she had ever done before until-
Slip.
She almost crashed into the ground for a nasty fall, but at the last moment someone rushed to her side and caught her.
"Be careful." Pyrrha said, helping her back to her feet.
"Thanks." Ruby murmured gratefully, extremely embarrassed.
"Nice pace Rose, but watch your footing." The coach called. "If you twist an ankle at this point in the season, it's all over."
"Maybe we should do indoor mobility work today, sir." Pyrrha said diplomatically. "The track is more treacherous in these conditions."
He shook his head. "If we can race in it, we practice in it." He said firmly.
"I'm fine." Ruby said, starting to run again. The amazon caught her by the shoulder.
"I think Ruby and I should focus on distance for the upcoming 5k." She said diplomatically. "Permission to finish practice alone?"
It was a testament to Pyrrha's reputation and skill that the coach agreed without a second thought. "Permission granted."
Ruby followed Pyrrha out the gate and then burst out ahead, eager to avoid the inevitable round of questioning from the older girl. It didn't come. Pyrrha was right on her heels for more than 5 miles, but never said a word. Instead she gave Ruby time to think.
Her pace slowed as they got close to the school again. Pyrrha slowed hers to match.
"Nora says the craziest things." Ruby said offhandedly.
Pyrrha capitalized. "Like what?"
Ruby's cheeks flushed, but she laughed, determined to play it off as a joke. " She thinks Jaune and I are hot." She said incredulously.
Pyrrha hummed. "For each other or in general?"
Ruby's blushed deepened. "Both… I guess."
"Are you?"
Ruby sputtered. "What, no! Sure, he's my favorite guy in the world and I Iove him to death, and okay, fine, he's hot, but it's not like I want to kiss him, or date him or … marry him or anything."
"...I do."
Ruby stopped moving.
"What?" She whispered.
Pyrrha stopped beside her, looking her firmly in the eye. "Like you said… he's good looking, and he's a great guy… I know we don't know each other very well but I think he's one of the only people I've met who would actually get to know me if I got the chance… and I'd like to take that chance."
"O-oh." Ruby said, trying to stand strong like she hadn't just taken a gut punch.
Pyrrha was blushing now too. "I've… never actually dated anyone before. I'm not sure how it's supposed to work."
Ruby forced out a laugh. "Me neither." She said.
"Are you okay with it?"
The silver refused to look her friend in the eye. "...Why wouldn't I be?"
Pyrrha sighed sadly. 'I gave her a chance.' She told herself. "Alright then, wish me luck."
"Pyrrha! Ruby!" Blake called. The two girls looked the dark haired cat faunus over. She had just gotten out of tennis practice herself, racket still in hand. "Come with me, Weiss needs you." She said.
Ruby was confused. Weiss had never asked her for help before. Pyrrha seemed to have a very good idea about what was about to happen, and she didn't seem happy about it.
"So… um." Ruby began, trying to make small talk. "How was practice?"
Blake shrugged. "Fine." She said simply.
For the last two years Blake had been Yang's best friend, and Ruby had seen a lot of her. The two dark haired girls were on friendly terms, but they almost never spoke to one another. Blake was just one of those people, like Ren (and Jaune, these days) that took a lot of effort to get talking… Ruby hadn't cracked her code, yet.
"So, um… what exactly are we-" Ruby stepped into the photography room to come face to face with Coco Adel.
Beacon's Senior Class President, part time model and arguable queen bee had cocked her shades as she looked over the two newcomers appraisingly. She wore her trademark black beret, a form hugging mocha sweater, and black pants, with 5 inch heels, which were technically against Beacon's dress code, but who was gonna stop her?
"I approve." She said firmly.
'What?' Ruby thought to herself.
"See, I told you!" Yang said enthusiastically. "Total babe material."
Weiss hummed, looking over the tight spandex with 'Rose' printed on the back. "Alright, she's in."
"Uhm… what exactly am I-"
"School calendar." Blake answered dryly.
Coco strutted to the front of the room.
"Attention bitches!" She said authoritatively. "You are here today because you are the first string of show stoppers, the best looking babes Beacon has to offer, and Snow Angel here needs to raise money to put on the best prom of all time. Stick with me, and I'll turn you into the best damn models Beacon has ever seen."
Ruby flushed deeper than she had all day.
Nora was also in the room, and shot her friend a wicked grin that practically screamed. 'I told you so.' Someone else also felt out of place.
"A-actually, I'm just the photographer, and I really-"
"Quiet, Bun-Bun." Coco ordered. " I will convince you how hot you are if it is the last thing I do. "
Ruby was so embarrassed that when she was asked what month she wanted she just blurted out 'October' without thinking. After a minute the whiteboard in the room was filled in thusly.
January:Coco Adel
February: Weiss Schnee
March:
April: Nora Valkyrie
May:Blake Belladonna
June: Yang Xiao Long
July:
August:
September: Velvet Scarlatina
October: Ruby Rose
November: Pyrrha Nikos
December:
"We're still missing four months." Coco said. "So we need to figure out who's our second string… we also probably shouldn't tell them they were the second string."
'First string… first ballot… oh, gods, I am hot.' Ruby thought, stupefied. Her own assessment didn't outweigh the 5 boys that had asked her out in a day and the opinion of the other girls at Beacon. She tried to process that while the more confident voices in the room were hashing out details.
"Arslan's pretty cute... "
"Nah, I think Ciel works better."
"...Can't have both?"
"That sophomore Arc girl has a pretty banging bod-"
"-We're not working with her."
"What about the girls from the NDGO clique?"
"Are you kidding? Those are the most basic bitches I've ever met."
"I'd really prefer it if you refrained from calling our classmates bitches."
"I'd prefer it if they didn't act like bitches, but life doesn't work that way. What about your older sister? She's a hottie, couldn't we pull her in as an alum?"
Weiss crossed her arms. "Maybe if she hadn't gone to Atlas Academy." She said crossly. 'Before it was blown to bits.'
Coco shrugged. "What about Goodwitch? She looks young enough to be a student, we could dress her up so that you wouldn't recognize it was her, and she's a total bombshell."
"She'd never go for it." Yang said.
"I know." Coco said with a dreamy expression on her face. "Can you imagine if she did, though?"
While the others were arguing, Velvet approached Ruby from the side.
"I… wanted to ask you something." She said nervously. "It's … about Jaune."
'Oh, for the love of-'
"For the last time, we are not dating!" Ruby yelled.
The two girls stared at each other for a long moment. Ruby's cheeks went as red as her hood. It was all she could do not to bury herself in the cloth and run away, hiding.
"I'm sorry." She said awkwardly. "It's just, everyone has been asking me today, and I just kind of... reacted -"
Ruby trailed off, surprised by the look on the older girl's face. Velvet was trying to hold back a smile, a smile that lit up the room and made Ruby's heart sink in her chest.
"It's fine." She said happily. "Better than fine. Don't worry about it. I actually wanted to ask about something else."
"Uh… yeah." Ruby murmured, suddenly very worried. "So… what do you wanna know?"
"Oh… uhm… just where he is… how he's been."
"My uncle says he's been sick." Ruby said. "I haven't seen him since Monday."
Velvet looked down at her feet. "Oh… well… if you see him before I do, just… tell him I'd like to talk with him, okay."
"Sure thing." Ruby said tightly. 'Why am I so on edge today?'
Nora pulled her aside as the group dispersed, with plans to convene again at the end of the week for the first shoot.
"Soooooooo." She drawled.
Ruby threw her hands up in the air. "Okay, I'm hot! Are you happy now?"
"Halfway there." Nora said, grinning. "Gonna lock down your man?"
Ruby's lips twinged downwards. "He's not mine." She murmured. "Pyrrha said she's going to ask him out… and I think Velvet will too…"
Nora stopped smiling. "How does that make you feel?"
Ruby shrugged helplessly. "They're both cute, nice, and smart… any guy would be lucky to be with them… just like any girl would be lucky to be with…" gulp. "... him…"
"Stiff competition, eh?" Nora joked, politely ignoring the tears forming on the edges of the younger girl's eyes.
"I'm just going to miss my bestie is all…" Ruby said, choking up. "I already do, and if I can just see him happy again, even if it isn't with me…"
Nora sighed. " Ruby, quit friendzoning yourself before it's too late."
"You're one to talk." She bit back.
"..."
"Nora, I'm sorry, I just snapped… I…"
Nora shook her head. "It's fine… you're right. Just look in a mirror and tell yourself you aren't miserable at the thought of your 'bestie' being with someone else, with just the thought of having to share Jaune."
Ruby gave her a watery smile. "I'll get used to it." She said. "I've always had to share him."
Her mother and father were both on the phone when Ruby got home. They both lowered their voices as soon as she and Yang stepped in the room, but the look on their faces and the distincting mouthing of the word 'Jaune' were easy enough to read. Ruby rushed up to her room after a polite hello and slammed the door shut. Then she pulled out her phone and opened a custom made app.
She wasn't able to field test any of her weapon designs yet, but a wiretap? Piece of cake. Of course, this didn't actually use a wire, but it routed all of her parent's calls to her phone and let her listen in unnoticed. She had made it over a year ago, and stopped using it after she had overhead her mother and father sex calling during a summer training… gods, she still had nightmares about that… but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"-testosterone and HGH levels are well outside the normal guidelines." Ozpin's voice said calmly.
"I've never seen the kid take anything, but not everyone at the gym is a natty, if you catch my drift." Qrow's voice responded, warbly. Her uncle had always had a bad signal.
"Do you think he has a drug problem?" Summer asked, voice tinged with concern.
"We can't say." Ozpin said.
"Should be pretty damn easy to tell." Tai muttered.
"You would think so." Ozpin replied. "That's why this is so complicated. By sheer numbers, we would expect some kind of steroid… at 2148 ng/dl his levels are nearly twice as high as the healthy range for a boy his age, and both testosterone and HGH supplementation are common among those seeking to improve short term athletic performance … but Mr. Arc has passed every drug test the lab had. Furthermore, he's displayed none of the usual outward side effects of such substance abuse. His senses aren't compromised, they're sharper than usual. His cardiovascular and pulmonary systems are in perfect condition, there's no unusual acne… no acne at all, which is unusual in and of itself for a boy his age, let alone one so hormonal… no discoloration of the skin, urine sample and blood work were both otherwise normal... he appears perfectly healthy."
"Then what's the problem?" Qrow asked curtly.
"We can't diagnose the mental effects those levels of hormones could have." Ozpin said. "Increased aggression, increased libido, higher levels of risk taking behavior… Jaune's in school behavior doesn't seem to reflect any of this, but we would expect it given his readout. It's sufficiently unusual that for all we know there could be a completely different host of complications we aren't even looking for."
Ruby's hands shook as her breath became fast and shallow. She really should not be listening to this. It was a gross violation of her best friend's privacy. She couldn't pull herself away. What kind of complications? Jaune had missed school on Friday and Monday because he was sick… he had been sick for a week, when she'd never seen him sick for an hour… was… was he going to di-
Her vision blurred. Wet hot tears streamed down her cheeks. 'No. No no no no no, gods no.'
"Mister Arc has faced stresses in his life most of his peers haven't had to deal with." Glynda said. "His schoolwork is suffering and he's becoming more and more withdrawn from his peers. As educators and friends we owe it to him to ensure his health and safety… Jaune deserves that much."
"It is also possible that Jaune's condition is completely normal." Ozpin noted. "People process hormones differently, there is a wide healthy range, and if Jaune is a natural anomaly that doesn't necessarily mean he's more dangerous to himself or his peers than any other male his age. But we'd need a wider sample size to be sure… say, a family member."
The line went quiet.
"The Arcs aren't cooperating, are they?" Summer said, voice filled with icy cold fury.
"I'm afraid not. The Arcs remain as guarded about their family records and family secrets as always." Ozpin replied. "I'm telling you all this because you are the closest thing to a stable adult presence Mister Arc has in his life. If there's anything you can think of doing that might help, do it. He needs you."
Ruby hung up the phone, a new fire in her eyes. Her parents would probably waste their time with his parents, when they'd made it clear they wanted nothing to do with him and would never lift a finger to help. She had another idea.
Jaune was her best friend. If he needed her, she'd come running. If they couldn't get to the bottom of this, she would.