A/N: Enjoy!

X

-Jaune-

Working as a server in any restaurant comes with its ups and downs. Your income is decided primarily by your professional attitude and the personality of the customers; so, sometimes you make a lot of money, and other times you just know that you won't get a tip at all because the patron was upset that their soup was hot. When the latter happens, all you can do is smile, apologise to the customer, and bring the soup back to the kitchen and leave it on the counter for a minute to cool down.

Jaune set the bowl of soup back onto the shelf where the food is moved from the kitchen to the customer and called out to the nearby Vermilion. "Setting this down, don't bother with it."

Vermilion looked up from her station and examined the contents. "Why, did it get sent back?"

"Apparently, it's too hot." His sister only blinked. "I'm not making it up, Sis. Table seven."

Her eyes zoomed to the designated table and narrowed in what might've been anger or frustation. Maybe it was both. "Middle-aged guy, overweight, bald?"

"That's the one. I'm gonna take nine their food out, and grab this when I come back."

Vermilion just shook her head and got back to work. "Make sure that you don't offer him dessert; if he sends back the special because the ice cream on it is too cold, I'll tear into his dumbass myself."

"Noted."

And that's just a sample of the dumb shenanigans that can occur in a restaurant. Thankfully, Mr. Soup was the only truly annoying customer that day, and when he clocked out at nine Jaune could say that he had a good friday shift. Grabbing his phone from the locker, he noticed that he had a message from his mother.

Mom: I hope you aren't too tired, because we're having a family meeting today. I'm sorry that this is so sudden. I love you, and be safe driving home.

'I hope everything's okay.' Bidding farewell to all of his co-workers, he spent the trip home wondering what could've come up in just the last few hours. 'We paid the electricity and water already, the internet bill should be arriving in a few days... I'm pretty sure all the budget stuff is good to go.'

While the more advanced math topics could provide him with some trouble, money management had been beaten into him by virtue of having to balance accounts alongside his mother. Thus, with the financial worries settled, the only things that could have popped up while he was at work would involve someone being hurt or in trouble.

He drove home just a little bit faster.

When he safely parked and walked inside, he could hear everyone's voices coming from the dining room. Around the table, everybody living there was accounted for and, apparently, having a good time chatting. As his presence was noticed, however, the conversation quickly died; so he gave a small wave in greeting. "Hey, got your message. Is everybody okay?"

Juniper nodded from her seat at the end of the table. "Sorry if I worried you, but we didn't want you coming home and feeling blindsided. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I've got some food in me. So, what's going on?"

Weiss chose that moment to excuse herself from the table, obviously feeling that she shouldn't be involved in the discussion. Jaune sat down opposite of his mother, who looked over at Olive and simply said, "Make your case."

Olive took a deep breath. Whatever it was about, she was really nervous. The other Arc girls offered her silent encouragement; clearly, they knew what was about to happen. When she considered herself ready, she looked at him and said, "Jaune, I think that it's time for me to start working so I can contribute to the family."

He sighed, already feeling a little frustrated. Hadn't they been over this before? "Olive, I told you before: I want you to focus on school and finding out what you want to do for a career. Besides, you're still fifteen."

She didn't waver for a moment. "I found out today that I can work if I have a parental consent form and tell Signal Academy what I'm doing. My age won't be a problem."

Huh, so she'd found out about that somehow. "My original point still stands."

"Jaune, first of all, you know that I've got all my coursework memorized already. I don't even have to study as it is, just fill out the homework assignments as I get them. I am more than able to work and keep my grades up at the same time."

It was true, but she kept talking before he could comment. Olive was officially on her soapbox. "And second, I can figure out my career while I'm in high school. I have another four years to decide what I should do, so there's nothing stopping me from working at least a little now and saving up some money for when I do know where I'm going. Nothing stopping me... except you."

Jaune put both of his hands on his face. Why was she doing this? "Olive, what are you trying to do? You wouldn't have called for a family meeting just to argue with me about you working."

"You're right." She seemed confident in herself, and that did nothing to make him feel better. "Jaune, all of us agree that you're putting too much of the burden on yourself. You should be playing music, not waiting tables six or seven days a week."

"Really? That's what we're here for?" A small scoff escaped his lips. He knew it was rude of him, but he couldn't help it. "Olive, do you have any idea how hard it is to have a career playing music? There is zero job security! If I, or my band, or whatever I'm up to doesn't work out, how am I supposed to help this family? I'll be right back to serving soup and salads, except I'll be even poorer than I was before."

"Jaune." It was Jade who spoke up. "How long do you think you can stop us from working? Eventually, Sapphire and I will be able to work, too. Are you planning on stopping every single one of us from having a job while we live here?"

He pursed his lips. "Aren't you hoping to go to a university for a science degree, Jade? How are you gonna balance a science major and a full-time job?"

Sapphire put her two cents in next. "That's where I'll come in. If we rent out an apartment together in whatever city we wind up in, I can bring home the bacon while she goes to school. Jade's smart enough to aim for a scholarship, too, so we might not even have to borrow from the family savings to pay for tuition."

"And sacrifice your own college hopes?"

"Jaune, I don't have anything I want to do, okay? You're the only person here with a legitimate passion! The only reason Jade is going for a science major is because she knows that those jobs pay well. You've sacrificed your own happiness, and done your best to get us all through dad's death. It's time for us to help you now."

Jaune felt an anger simmering; and this time, his deep breathes weren't helping him. Why did they want him to stop doing what was stable? It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense! He rose and stepped away from the table. "I'm going outside."

"Jaune-" He tuned Olive out as he spun on his heel and exit the house through the front door. It was cold outside, but he barely felt his as he leaned over the railing of their front porch.

They wanted him to stop providing for them so that he could pursue something that had no guarantees. Did they think that he hadn't contemplated literally working with his music before? For his entire life, he had imagined himself wandering from city to city, village to village, earning his wages through nothing but his music and his smile; and if he didn't have a family to take care of, he might just have lived such a life. But that wasn't this life. He had five little sisters and a mother to help, so he would do what had to be done for them.

Jaune wasn't sure how long he was alone, but at some point he heard the door opening behind him. A moment later, Weiss, still in her school uniform, had joined him on the porch. She didn't say anything, so he started the conversation as he continued staring into the night sky. "Let me guess, you're on their side?"

"No," she answered firmly. "I'm on your side."

"I'm glad somebody sees it the way I do-"

"And that's why I want you to let Olive work." His eyes left the broken moon as he regarded her with confusion. "You heard me, Jaune Arc. What I want is for you to follow your passion; that's what I mean when I say that I'm on your side."

"Weiss, do you have any idea how few people manage to make it in the music industry long-term? I mean lasting more than just one performance or album."

"When I researched it earlier today, the experts noted it to be somewhere around five percent of all known performers. Why?"

He hadn't expected an actual number, but it only served to prove his point. "Five percent, and most of them can sing and write songs. In case you don't remember, I'm not much of a songwriter."

"So you'll need somebody else to help you. That's hardly a sin." Jaune put his head to the railing, not wanting to respond to her anymore. The silence stretched for a full minute before Weiss broke it. "You know, I envy you, Jaune."

More confusion as he looked at her from his bent position. "Why?"

Weiss turned her own eyes to the moon. "You have a family that wants you to be happy without exception, and they'll do whatever they have to in order for that to happen. Both of my parents are alive, but one is the single most selfish bastard I know, and the other is often so drunk that she can't see straight. My only true ally is my sister Winter, and her career makes it impossible for her to defend me most of the time. Can you see where I'm coming from?"

He could, and the comparison of his family to hers only served to let him love them all even more. His head left the railing as he stood up fully, matching her lunar gaze. "You think that I'm doing the wrong thing."

"I think that you should consider their intentions to be the same as yours, and respect their ideas as you want them to respect your own; and nobody's saying that you need to follow a particular job path. You could become a music teacher and share your passion that way. I'm positive that there are more options than you are aware of."

"... I'll think about it. Maybe ask my mom or some of the teachers what I can do that would keep me in touch with music."

"And what about your sister starting work soon?"

Jaune turned around fully, putting his back to the railing as he looked between Weiss and the house. "You wouldn't happen to know where she wants to work, would you?"

"The Vermilion Garden, if she can convince your oldest sister to take her on."

It made sense. Vermilion was sure to give Olive a good chance to prove herself without going easy on her if she failed. The oldest Arc was quite the enforcer. "That might work. Do you... know if they're waiting for me inside?"

"To quote Plum before I came out here, 'this meeting isn't over yet!'" She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Listen to them. Let them help."

"...Okay." Jaune took a couple steps towards the door, but stopped and looked back at her. "What about you, Weiss? Do you have a career you want to follow?"

She responded with a quiet chuckle that was tinged with sadness. "If you had asked me that a week ago, I would've answered that I would someday take over the SEC and bring honor back to the Schnee name; now, I don't have anything to strive for. I guess you could say that I envy your passion for music, as well."

Ah, he messed up on that one; that was the entire reason she'd run away from home. "Sorry, I-I should've thought about that before opening my mouth."

She shook her head. "It's okay. In some ways, you and I are equally aimless. Maybe that's why I want you to succeed with your music."

An inspired question hit him. "Well, how do you feel about music?"

"Hm?" The question seemed to catch her off guard. "Me?"

"Yeah, you're in the chorus, aren't you? So I'm assuming you like to sing, unless your dad pushed you into it like one of my other friends."

Weiss's expression was completely unreadable to him, but she did let out a mirthful laugh. "I haven't contemplated having a career in music, but it surely wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Tonight is about you and your family, though, so quit stalling and march back in there."

Jaune smirked a bit. "Sheesh, I sure seem to have a lot of bossy women in my life."

She returned the smirk in equal measure. "I'll take that as a compliment, now go."

"Fine, fine; as you command." He let himself be directed back into the dining room, and when he got there he noticed that Olive looked a bit hopeful. Maybe she could tell from his face that he'd come around a little.

He still didn't like the idea of her working, but Weiss helped him appreciate that all of the Arc children were acting out of the goodness of their hearts. It was only proper to respond in kind. "Sorry to make you wait. So, Olive, what exactly is your plan?"

Olive detailed her idea of applying to Vermilion's restaurant, just as Weiss had told him. Once she was done, he looked to Juniper Arc and asked, "And what do you think about this, Mom?"

"I told her that she can work as long as she puts school first."

"Alright. Olive, I'm going to go with Mom's way of thinking; but it's gonna be up to you to convince Vermilion, okay? Think of it as your first job interview."

The faces of all the Arc girls lit up with joy, and Olive all but sprinted around the table in order to hug him. Naturally, he returned the embrace happily. "Thank you. I won't let any of us down."

"I know you won't, because you've always made me proud, Sis." The rest of the children moved in for the kill, and soon there was an awkward huddle taking up all of the walking space near him. Weiss and Juniper surveyed the scene with equal parts happiness and amusement, both content to let the sight continue without end. The Arc family would stick together, just as they always had.

Once the group hug separated, Jaune bid them all good night and went upstairs to take a shower. On the way to the restroom, however, he saw something strange in the hallway and shouted for whomever could hear him. "Hey, why are the baby gates down from the attic!?"

"Oops!" Olive quickly met him in the hall and retrieved said barriers. "Sorry, I forgot to put these away earlier. I had to put Lav in timeout."

"...I don't even want to know, do I?"

"Nope. Later!" She disappeared with the gates, leaving him shaking his head as he wondered just Lavender had done.

One shower later, his phone had two new text messages; one from Pyrrha, and one from Yang.

Pyrrha: It was wonderful meeting your family today! I know it's late, so I just wanted to wish you a goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow!

Yang: Pyrrha told me that she met with your family today. How come I never got the "meet the family" treatment? LoL. See you at the dance!

P.S. She also told me that she saw the picture of you in a bunny onesie. Not sure if you know, but your family passed me a copy of it a while back. You were so cute as a kid!

Before Jaune went to bed, he created a mental "to-do" list: One, have a good time at the dance tomorrow; two, message Vermilion to come over Sunday before the restaurant opened; and three, find the source of the picture leak and subject them to a tickle torture unlike any the world had ever seen.

X

Say it with me: Awwwww.

At the moment, I don't know if the dance will be one chapter or two. It will likely depend on how big it gets as I write it. Please bear with me either way.

I hope you enjoyed it, and please have a nice day/night!