BRFs

Chapter 4

On the south side of Vale, Benny's Auto buzzed; the mechanical whirs, clanks, and the occasional revving engine created a sweet symphony. Rows of sleek motorcycles lined the workshop, each one a masterpiece of design and engineering. From vintage classics to modern marvels, they stood like works of art awaiting their turn for attention. In the center, Yang Xiao Long knelt next to a motorcycle, carefully and painstakingly cleaning the carburetor.

"Xiao Long! I have another for you!" Benny, her boss, shouted from across the room in a gravelly voice. Benny was an older gentleman, slightly pudgy, with tattoos wrapped around both his arms.

Yang turned and wiped some sweat off her forehead as another motorcycle was lined up for her to fix. It looked like today was going to be another busy day. It had taken her almost three weeks, but she got a job fixing up bikes at Benny's. Yang didn't have any prior working experience; wanting to be a huntress, she never thought of getting a part-time or summer job. There was one thing Yang knew as much as being a huntress and killing Grimm and that was bikes. It was only natural she looked for a job she could be skilled at. It wasn't the best paying job but it'd be enough to cover her side of the rent. Yang was happy with it; it beat having to work some cashier job or other remedial work, no offense to Jaune's job of course.

Speaking of Jaune, she felt her scroll vibrate. Taking it out of pocket she noticed the time of 12:40, which meant one thing. She clicked the notification she got from Jaune. A selfie appeared on the screen; it was Jaune taking a bit of what looked like a steak salad. What started as a little joke to make sure Jaune was eating healthy was turning into a habit of them sending lunch selfies to one another on the daily. Smiling Yang reached over to her stool and grabbed her smoothie. Switching the camera Yang took a selfie as she sipped from her smoothie, and popped her eyes a bit for fun.

...

Across Vale at Tukson's Book Trade Jaune stood on top of a ladder. After Yang's selfie, he put away his scroll and returned to carefully placing some books onto a shelf while Tukson was in the back. Jaune heard the welcome bell chime as the door creaked open. They had customers.

"Welcome to Tukson's we have every book under the sun." Jaune recited the store's catchphrase, eyes fixed on the bookshelf. "Feel free to look around, Tukson should be out shortly." Jaune turned his head to the door and saw a group of Faunus standing at the entrance.

They were all staring at him and Jaune felt like a deer in headlights. "If you need any help, just let me know." Jaune said. The Faunus spread out through the store. It was a little awkward but Jaune shrugged it off before returning to placing books on the shelf. Maybe what Tukson said was true and people just weren't used to the idea of humans working with and especially for Faunus. It was sad really. Jaune wished he could do something about it to ease their worried looks, but he wouldn't even know where to begin. A joke perhaps, to lighten the mood?

Thankfully for both the Faunus and Jaune, the double doors leading to the back opened, and Tukson walked back in. "I heard the door open; we got cus—" Tukson cut himself off as he saw the other Faunus in the room.

"Jaune." Tukson called out. Jaune hummed in response keeping his eyes on the bookshelf. "Why don't you man the counter for a little bit. These are some friends of mine, from out of town. I'm gonna bring them to the back for a bit. They're here for a special order."

Now, that made a lot more sense to Jaune. They were clearly expecting Tukson when they came in, so they looked so off when he was the only one in the store. Slowly descending the ladder, he said, "You got it!" With a spring in his step, he walked past Tukson and stood behind the counter, blissfully unaware of the glaring looks the other Faunus were sending Tukson.

An hour had passed, and no one else had entered the store. Days like this were often but Jaune enjoyed it. One of the benefits of working at a bookstore was how quiet it was. It gave Jaune plenty of time to think. Tukson soon returned to the front but alone.

"Hey, where'd your friends go?" Jaune asked innocently.

"I let them out the back so they cut through the alleyway. It's easier for them." Tukson explained nonchalantly. "Thanks for watching the register."

"Of course Boss!"

...

A loud buzzer had gone off in the auto shop. It was closing time! Yang put down her socket wrench and stood up. She was almost finished with her last bike but could always finish it tomorrow. As the rest of the mechanics rose from their stations and grabbed their belongings, Yang walked over to the slop sink to wash her hands. She had accumulated a decent amount of oil and grime. Her shirt was a mess, too, but thankfully, she was given a good uniform to work in while she was there so her clothes underneath were spotless. A set of blue pants and a buttoned shirt that had her name on the right side above her chest. She was given her own locker but opted just to change when she got home. The washer and dryer, too, made washing her uniform much easier. Hands clean, she walked over to her locker and grabbed her brown denim jacket. After the long day, Yang Xiao Long was ready to relax.

"Hold up, Xiao Long." Benny called out. He was leaning out of his office holding a couple of white envelopes. "Good work out there today. This is for you." Benny handed her the envelope.

"Thanks, Benny. See ya tomorrow." Yang waved bye as she walked out of the auto shop.

Stepping outside, she couldn't help but admire the envelope, feeling proud of herself. 'Her first check, ' she thought as she held it outward. Yang walked on up to Bumblebee and placed the envelope in the compartment space hidden in the back. Grabbing her helmet, she secured it over her head and hopped on Bumblebee. Giving her baby a good rev, Yang pulled off the curb and onto the streets of Vale.

…

Back home Jaune hummed a tune as he sat down on the couch. Grabbing the remote and easing into comfy leather, Jaune turned on the TV and started flipping channels. "Oooooh, Grimm Exterminator 1!" Jaune exclaimed as he stopped at the titular action movie starring celebrity Spruce Willis.

The front door slammed open as Yang strutted in. "Sup, Jaune?" Yang appeared to be quite content as she threw her jacket on the coat rack.

"Hey Yang, how was work?" Jaune asked.

"Perfect! Almost finished my set of repairs on my work load annnnnnnd I got my first check." She showed off the white enveloped giving

"Congrats!" Jaune chuckled. "We should celebrate, the first paycheck of many. It's what I did when I got mine." Jaune suggested.

"Ooooh little noodle asking me out on a date?" Yang asked in an overly teasing voice.

Jaune turned beat red at the question. "Wha... I... Uh... THa—" Yang started laughing at Jaune's stammering.

"You're too easy, Jaune. I know what you meant. What did you have in mind?" Yang asked, relenting from the teasing.

Jaune's face returned to its normal shade of color. As he relaxed, his stammering stopped. "I know just the place; it's close to here, too!" Jaune said.

...

It was dark out in Vale. The neon lights of a sign reflected off Yang's face as she stared up at it. 'The Stinky Dragon,' she read to herself as her eyes trailed downwards, following the building the sign was attached to. It was a small diner on the corner of the street. Yang could see waitresses serving people inside.

"The Stinky Dragon?" Yang's eyebrows raised looked at Jaune skeptically over the peculiar name for an eating establishment.

"Yea! This is the first place I got food when I moved to Vale, trust me, it's great!" Jaune sure sounded excited as he led them inside.

As they walked into the diner an old woman sitting behind the front counter waved and greeted them. "Welcome to the Stinky Dragon, table for two?" The old woman asked.

Jaune nodded, the old woman making a singular hand gesture and waving a red-headed waitress over to her. "You can both follow her; enjoy!"

The red-headed waitress had led them to a booth and handed them some menus as they sat down. "My name is Aggie. I'll be right back with you and we can get started on your orders." With that she had stepped over to another table.

"I really recommend the burger, it's the best I've ever had!" Yang studied Jaune's face as he picked up the menu and started looking through it. He had this wide, goofy smile plastered on his face.

She didn't think much of Jaune at first. He was a bit dorky but in an adorable type of way—adorable if you would. He was tidy, had good hygiene, not too bad with a guitar, as she found out, and even knew how to cook. If he made some, Jaune would leave out pancakes in the morning before work. He even made these cookies on a cheat day, and Yang swore they would send Ruby into a coma if she had some.

She had asked to move in with him on a whim. She needed a way to get out of lectures for a year and saw an opportunity with Jaune to do just that. Yang was always like that, acting first on her wants, no matter the consequences. She didn't even regret trashing Junior's club despite losing her place in initiation. Funny thing is though, she didn't expect Jaune to say yes. When he did, she rolled with it, and here she was, everything to gain from this arrangement. What did Jaune gain?

Yang would spot him while he lifted weights to build muscle and started putting him through rigorous exercises to get him in shape, but when they sparred, all she could teach him was defense by hitting him repeatedly. He was dodging more now and even found the timing to land some swings, but they lacked oomph. Yes, she was training him hard, and he was taking the training with no complaints, but this didn't necessarily guarantee his placement at initiation. There is a possibility he can still fail. Yang's thoughts traveled to the other day where Jaune talked about his parents, saying how he was risking everything by staying in Vale.

Why'd you say yes?" Yang blurted the question out her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Huh?" Jaune asked as he looked at her strangely, his brows furrowed.

"Wh-"

"What can I get you two tonight?" The red-headed waitress, Aggie, asked, cutting Yang off.

Yang gestured for Jaune to order first, so she could look over the menu again.

"I'll have the classic dragon burger but with sweet potato fries." Jaune said as he handed her the menu.

"Anything to drink?" Aggie asked.

"Water's fine."

"And you miss?" Aggie addressed Yang next.

Yang was skimming the menu, not entirely sure what she wanted, but she said, "Uhh, I'll have the same but with onion rings." Yang handed her the menu right away, and Aggie inquired about her drink, to which Yang responded, "A Virgin Bloody Mummy." She eyed that one when she had gone over the punny list of drink names.

"I'll get that right in sweeties!" Aggie said as she left the table.

"You were asking Yang?" Jaune continued where they left off.

"Why did you say yes to us becoming roommates?" Yang had reworded her previous question to be clearer.

"You're asking that now!?" Jaune couldn't help but laugh at the question.

"I'm serious." Yang insisted.

Jaune took a deep breath and replied, "Well... I want to get into Beacon. You offered to train me."

"Even though it's not guaranteed. There's a chance you might not pass." Yang pointed out.

"I know," Jaune admitted. "But you were so confident about it when you suggested it, I guess I didn't feel worried about the possibility of failure." Yang was stumped. "And I'm glad I did. Training with you made me realize just how out-of-depth I was. If my transcripts actually worked, I might have gotten seriously injured during initiation or worse!"

As Yang thought about it, yeaaa that probably would not have ended well. He would have needed some miracle or guardian angel to pull him through it. Still, the amount of faith Jaune had was ridiculous. Though she suggested this whole ordeal sooooo, what did that say about her?

"You're a weird one Arc."

"You're one to talk Xiao Long." Jaune scoffed in a joking manner, stirring the straw in his glass of water. "I mean who asks someone to be their roommate on the first meeting!? I could have been a serial killer for all you know." Jaune took the straw and pointed it at her.

"Pfft. Would have been a shit serial killer. I would have sent your ass flying back to Ansel via fist." Yang boasted as she cracked her knuckles.

"Yea, you're probably right." Jaune deadpanned and the two broke out into a fit of laughter.

As their laughter subsided, Jaune sighed and said, "This should honestly make no sense whatsoever... but it's working. You're a pretty awesome roommate Yang, and look!" Jaune exclaimed excitedly as he started to take off his hoodie, thankfully having switched to a non-bunny one. Said hoodie now discarded and laid to his side, Jaune flexed his right arm and pointed towards his bicep with his other.

It was a muscle, a small one, but defined and clearly visible. Jaune looked like a kid on Christmas as he stared at it. "Soon you won't be able to call me noodle boy anymore!" Jaune claimed proudly.

Yang had a warm smile on her face. She rested her elbow on the table, leaned in, head in hand, and said, "Yup! I'll upgrade you to noodle man." She winked as she teased. Yang watched happily as Jaune pouted at the nickname. She needed that.

"Okay, okay… our apparent craziness aside; if I'm gonna get you into Beacon, I still need to find a way to improve your swordsmanship." Yang took a sip from her bloody mummy and started thinking. Her brawler fighting style just didn't translate well to a sword and shield. The only time she helped him with his offense was when she got him in front of a punching bag or they had a little mock boxing session.

Yang was glad he had taken an interest in hand-to-hand. At first, she thought it was a lame attempt to get handsy with her but he showed genuine interest. He was doing okay for a beginner, but if he wanted to kill Grimm, he needed to be better with Crocea Mors. It just sucked; it wasn't like she knew someone capable with a sw- Yang stopped herself mid-thought. She did know someone with a sword! Why hadn't she thought of this before?

Yang quickly reached into her pocket and yanked out her scroll. Not wasting any time, she dialed a number she knew all too well and put the scroll to her ear. Jaune looked like he was going to speak, but Yang put her finger up, gesturing for him to hold it.

It rang a few times before the line picked up.

"Go for Qrow." Her uncle Qrow's raspy voice came through as he answered the call.

"Yo Qrow, you drunk? Hungover? Some unholy crossbreed of the two?" Yang colorfully greeted her uncle.

"Good to hear from you too Firecracker. Everything good?" Qrow asked.

"I need you to train Jaune on how to fight better with a sword." Yang went straight to the point, didn't even phrase it like a question.

"Jaune? Wait… that blonde quirt of a roommate you got?" Qrow laughed so loud she had to pull the phone away slightly. "Hard pass."

"Patch seven years ago; babysitting, you had that brunette friend of yours over; Vivian Morningstar was it." Qrow went dead silent at Yang's words. "It'd be a damn shame if Dad found out about it after all this time." Yang issued the veiled threat in a soothingly calm voice. Jaune didn't know how lucky he was. Yang saved this blackmail for years in case she ever really needed it, like if she had ever crashed Bumblebee or got arrested and didn't want Dad to find out.

"You wouldn't."

"You really wanna test that?" Yang threatened dead serious. "And in his bed too, for shame, Qrow."

There were a few seconds of silence before Qrow groaned in defeat and said, "You're a real piece of work. You know that."

"Come by our apartment tomorrow; we can use the training room at Gus' and Qrow… You better take this seriously!" Yang hung up the call, not giving him a chance to retort or back out. He'd show up, that much Yang was certain. Was it harsh to blackmail her uncle like that? Probably but did she feel bad about it? No, Uncle Qrow would suck it up and all things considered, what she was asking him to do is light compared to the possibilities that could have been.

Scroll back in pocket. Yang looked satisfied as she grinned and looked back at Jaune. "That solves your weapon training."

"So, your uncle… that's... great." Jaune said less than enthusiastically, looking a bit nervous. Her uncle's threat echoed in his mind.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you too bad." Yang chuckled taking another sip of her drink. "In all seriousness though, Qrow is one of the best Huntsman I've ever seen. His style is a bit different from yours, but he knows how to fight with a sword like the best of em. If anyone can help you, it'll be him."

Jaune visibly eased up, trusting her words. His warm smile returned as he said, "Thanks, Yang. Seriously… thank you. I gotta keep to my promise, Arc's never go back on their promises. I'm not giving up; I know I'll be joining you at initiation!"

That fire inside Yang was burning hotter, feeling proud and more determined than ever before. She had a good feeling about this.

"Hey, you never know; maybe we'll keep that BRF title going through Beacon!" Yang exclaimed. While she had set it in jest, if it were actually to happen, Yang wouldn't have minded staying roommates with him. With all her friends already at Beacon or other academies, Yang was going to know little to no one when she got to Beacon next year. But with Jaune, maybe she wouldn't be so alone next year.

"Here you go, sweeties! Sorry about the wait." Aggie said, bringing Yang back from her thoughts as the waitress swooped in with two plates in hand and laid them in front of the two blondes. On their plates, two beef patties were layered with lettuce and tomatoes and nestled between toasted sesame seed buns. On top, branded into the bun, was a little dragon. Her onion rings on the side also looked nice and crisp.

So far, the food looked delicious, but now, it was time to put the Stinky Dragon to the test. Grabbing the burger by the bun, Yang brought it up for a bite. Sinking her teeth into it, Yang thought, 'Woah.' Jaune was right; this burger was great! "Mmm." Yang gave a satisfied moan as she savored the burger. "Gods, that's amazing!" Yang took another bite.

"Told you." Jaune said gloriously as he ate a fry. The two blondes enjoyed the first of many meals at the Stinky Dragon.

...

Qrow parried the slash aimed at his chest, twisting his blade and locking it with Jaune's. Applying enough force, he knocked Jaune's sword back and brought Harbinger down, connecting with Jaune's shield and pushing him back to the other side of the ring. To the side, Yang sat by the ring terminal and watched the training session intently.

"Keep your hand tightened on your sword. Don't let me knock it back and work on your stance as well; you're completely off balance." Qrow critiqued Jaune. "Again!"

Jaune fixed his footing, gripping Crocea Mors tighter, and charged at Qrow.

Qrow couldn't help but wonder how he got here; training a rookie greener than most of his students at Signal. It was basically teaching swordplay 101. Oh, that's right, his lovely niece was blackmailing him. It had to be the Branwen in her. The worst thing was, she wouldn't have learned this from her mother; this was all from watching him. He sighed internally as he deflected another attack from the blonde squirt. He used his free hand and punched the kid in the gut. If there was one saving grace on Qrow's mind. It was like he was beating up a mini Taiyang.

Author's Notes: Time is going to be moving now as the fic progresses. I had an omake planned for this chapter, but I want to see if I can work it into the story first. I hope you all enjoy!