Warm rays of sunshine are the first thing that greets him as he steps out of Beacon's front entrance. He takes in a deep breath, letting the fresh, crisp air fill his lungs as he enjoys the warm embrace of the sun enveloping him, a smile slowly blooming on his face. He is close to achieving his dream, or at least the first step. He passed the preliminary exam to get into Beacon and is now invited to the official entrance exam. Months of build-up tension and the mounting anxiety he felt before taking the test slowly melt away with every step he takes.
It felt like he had prepared for this moment his whole life, devoting uncountable hours to training his body and sacrificing part of his life he deemed less important: sleep, friends, and any form of social life he might have had. With no chance to attend a huntsman school, he only came this far because of his parents and grandfather's help. And now, as he thinks back to all the sweat and tears he poured into being a huntsman, he can't help but feel a sense of pride swelling in his chest at his own accomplishment.
He and some of the others who also took part in the exam today stepped onto the bullhead bound for the city. Jaune sits at a window and closes his eyes, still enjoying the sun's warmth on his face.
The flight is filled with the excited chatters of those who, like himself, succeeded in the test and dejected mutterings and quiet sobs of those who did not. Jaune takes it all in with closed eyes, and not at all because he doesn't want to empty his stomach right here — nope, not at all when a voice calls out to him.
"Hey, man," a brown-haired guy beside him says. "You also passed, right?"
"Yes, I did."
"Cool," he grins. "So, my friends and I also passed, and we thought we would celebrate tonight, and since we might be classmates in the future, how about you come with us?"
Maybe now is a good time to finally make some friends, and if he is honest with himself, he deserves some fun after all the stress he has submitted himself to in the last months.
"You know what? Yeah! That sounds good," Jaune agrees.
"Awesome! Just give me your scroll number, and I tell you when and where," and with that, Jaune gives out his scroll number before the bullhead touches down, and they go their separate way, for now.
Later that day, back in his hotel room, Jaune, still full of energy and excitement from his monumental success today, grabs his scroll and dials his parents' number. The ringing of the scroll is interrupted by his mother's smiling face.
"Hello, sweetheart! How did it go?" his mom asks cheerfully.
"I did it, Mom! I did it," he blurts out immediately, unable to hold back his excitement.
"Oh, my, Jaune! That is incredible! I, of course, knew that my special boy would succeed, but I am so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Mom," he replies, a bit embarrassed at his mom's nickname for him. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help."
"Nonsense, Jaune! All the work you did, all your conviction and determination have brought you to this moment. We were just lucky enough to help you along the way, but this is your success, Jaune, and it is yours alone," she says, making him choke up.
"Thank you, Mom," he says with a trembling voice full of emotions.
"Wait a second, Jaune. I'm going to get your father. He will be stoked," she says, leaving her scroll on a table.
Moments later, the scroll is picked up again, and his father's bearded face greets him with a small smile and a deep voice, "Jaune! I just heard some exciting news from your mother. Congratulations, son!"
"Thanks, Dad! This is just the first step, but it still feels really good."
"You have earned it, Jaune! And we both know this was the most difficult step in being admitted to Beacon."
Taking a deep breath in, Jaune gathers himself.
"Dad? I already told Mom, but I want you to hear it, too."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I just want you to know that I am thankful for everything you and Mom did and—"
"Jaune, there is no need," his father interrupts him.
"No, just let me finish, please," Jaune says. "Even when I was being unfair to you or was acting like a brat when I didn't get what I wanted, even when I was ungrateful to you, you still supported me all the way and never doubted my dream, and for that, I can't be any more thankful than I am now. Mom may have said that it was all me, but that's not true. If it weren't for you, Mom, and Grandpa, I would never have gotten to this point. So, thank you, Dad, for all you did. I love you."
His father looks choked up after hearing Jaune's heartfelt speech and clears his throat before he says, "Well, you're welcome, Jaune."
His father looks to the side and sniffles a bit afterward, forcing Jaune to hold back a small smile at seeing his usual calm and collected father's awkward side.
"So, I guess you deserve some rest now, or have you any more training planned for today," his father says, desperately trying to get over his little awkward moment.
"I actually thought I'd celebrate tonight. Some guys I met at Beacon actually invited me out."
"That sounds great, Jaune," his mother says, suddenly appearing back on the screen. "You need some relaxation after these last few months."
"Your mother is right. So, don't let us hold you up any longer, and go enjoy your evening."
"Alright, I will keep you updated and send you some pictures after the entrance exam," Jaune says.
"Good. And Jaune?" His father says.
"Yes?"
"We love you, too. And we are so unbelievably proud of you." With those words, his father hangs up.
Filled with a warmth caused by his family's reassuring and loving words, he feels ready to take on the world, just as a new notification pops up on his screen from the guy he met on the bullhead, telling him where they are going to meet and when.
Well, it's time for him to get ready. A new part of his life starts today.
And so it is on a chilly night that Jaune finds himself in front of a club to meet some people he knows nothing about to celebrate the first steps of becoming a huntsman. As the wind picks up, Jaune looks up at the building in front of him. The four-story high club is adorned by a large white neon sign spelling out The Asylum as red light shines through the large windows from each floor; a deep bass coming from the building reaches into the street and alights a second heartbeat in his chest.
Still not seeing the guy he met in the bullhead, he checks his scroll again.
"Already inside. Drink is waiting for you :D"
With a sigh, Jaune thinks about just going back to his hotel and calling it a night but quickly discards the thought. This was supposed to be his new beginning, and that meant making friends and going to clubs. So, feeling a bit defeated, he lines up and waits.
When he is finally being led in, the heavy bass he felt just standing outside now thrums through his whole being, filling him with the desire to move his body. Red lighting lends the room an ominous atmosphere, casting dark shadows on the wall and the bar, both covered in an abundance of patterns and ornamentation. The clubgoers, moving their bodies to the beat in the middle of the room, are almost entirely clothed in dark colors. Clearly, the club leaned heavily on the gothic aesthetic, which is not something Jaune ever thought he would particularly like, but the energy he witnesses proves him wrong.
Jaune still looks around the club and notices someone waving to him. It's the guy from the bullhead. Navigating through the groups of people between them, he makes his way to the bar and is immediately greeted by a shot glass in his hand and three guys.
"To us," the brown-haired dude from the bullhead toasts, and Jaune clinks glasses with the other guys before drinking it in one gulp.
He coughs a bit, feeling the burn of the alcohol slip down his throat as warmth spreads down from his chest into his stomach.
"So, before we party, I think we should introduce ourselves. I can't keep calling you blonde dude in my head," the brown-haired guy says.
"Oh, right. It's Jaune," he says, getting the names of his possible future classmates in return.
"Well, Jaune, as future huntsmen, let's enjoy our last week before we go back to school. Starting with more shots!"
Ready to lose himself in the club's atmosphere and the laughter and enjoyment of his new friends, Jaune begins to forget any worries as one drink becomes two and then three. Sharing stories with his group and a few strangers, he can't suppress his need to move his body to the thumping music any longer and moves towards the dance floor. He pushes past throngs of people until he is surrounded by bodies illuminated by the dim lights shining from the ceiling and moving to the rhythm of the music, all but lost in the moment.
Swept up in these feelings, he begins to sway with the music, closing his eyes to take in the buzz of energy pulsing through him as he surrenders himself to this moment. Any worries he might still have forgotten, only him, the bodies around him, and the music exist. No inhibitions hold him back this moment as he begins dancing with a woman in a dark, tight dress, and her hands roam up and down his body, sending pleasant tingles up his spine.
That's when he sees her. A shorter, young-looking woman with red hair shaved on one side of her head and pale skin, almost looking sickly, only enhances her beauty in his eyes. Dressed in a tight, white tanktop with a stylized A turned on its head, a black leather jacket with studs on the shoulder, tight leather pants, and combat boots. Normally, Jaune wouldn't find a style like this very attractive, but something about her makes him unable to look at anything but her.
Leaning against the bar, she looks through the crowd on the dance floor when her eyes find his. Red meets blue; his breath stops. His heart thunders in his chest, surpassing the music until its beating is the only thing he can hear. A smirk finds herself on her face, and Jaune frees himself from her gaze with all his willpower.
As soon as the eye contact is broken, all his seemingly vanished senses return to him. His body feels cold and clammy; he can feel sweat on his forehead, and a shudder runs through him as he greedily gulps in breath after breath. The music is the next thing he registers as his loud heartbeat slowly calms down. The woman he danced with just a second ago was nowhere to be seen.
What the fuck did just happen?
Whatever that was, something told him that he needed to leave. Now. The thought of staying here even a moment longer sends alarm bells through him. He begins to move.
With no regard for the other clubgoers, Jaune begins to push people hurriedly aside using his aura-enhanced body so none can stop him. Complaints and shouts are completely ignored as he rushes towards the exit. He can always apologize later. He just needs to leave.
Finally, he pushes through the densest part of the club, the exit only a few steps away, when a hand on his shoulder stops him cold in his tracks and forces him to turn around. He needs to fight. If he doesn't, something terrible will happen; he doesn't know what, but it will be bad. Every muscle in his body is ready to attack. He moves with the hand, forcing him to turn around, fist ready to punch —
Her eyes.
Red meets blue.
Why would he ever want to punch her? He would never want to hurt someone as lovely as her.
Wait. No!
He shakes her hand off his shoulder, takes a step back, and breaks eye contact by looking to the ground.
"Oh? Someone is feeling a bit skittish," the most beautiful voice he ever heard says.
He forces himself not to react any further, steadily looking away when a soft, cold hand touches his face and forces him to look back up.
He is lost again.
"Now, that is better," her musical voice caresses his ear, his throat feeling utterly dry. "Huntsman are always so paranoid."
And with ease, belying her small stature, she pushes him against the wall right next to the exit, tightly grips the back of his neck, and forces him into a kiss.
The cold touch of velvety-soft lips, a false promise for a man dying of thirst, the sweetest poison. Body sluggish and mind hazy, Jaune is unable to form a coherent thought.
Releasing the lip-lock, she takes a step back from him. Jaune tries to follow her, needing more of her, but she holds him back with a hand on his chest.
"Not here," she grabs his wrist with unshakeable force and leaves the club with him behind her.
Walking through the dark streets, chilly winds whipping past his face, he has no idea where he is and just follows her. His surroundings blur into an indiscernible blob until they arrive at a small apartment building.
Inside, Jaune is unceremoniously thrown onto a couch in the middle of the room, and she immediately jumps on his lap, finally kissing him again.
Her hands glide along his neck, pushing his chin up and making him look at the ceiling. He can feel his heartbeat pumping stronger and stronger, totally lost to her, never having felt something so good.
Sitting up again and separating from Jaune's lips, she smirks down at him before swooping back down, but instead of his lips, she nuzzles his neck, leaving behind little kisses and licks, making his skin tingle and the hair on his arms stand up.
He is only brought out of the moment when he feels his aura protect himself for a moment.
"Oh, there is no need for that. Why don't you just let your silly little shield drop? I promise it will be worth it," she seductively says.
That's a bad idea. He shouldn't.
Her grip on his neck begins to tighten when he doesn't immediately drop his protection, making his aura visible to the naked eye.
"I said, drop it!" she snarls, none of the seductiveness in her voice, just a command as her grip gets tighter.
All of the awe he felt for her until now vanished in a snap, now replaced by utter fear.
He drops his sole protection. And she bites down.
Sharp teeth drill into his neck. A gasp escapes his lips. He wants to fight back. Push her away. Do something. Do anything to make it stop.
But to his horror, instead of pain, all he feels is pleasure, putting all she did before to shame and making him slump down, paralyzed.
His heart is beating erratically in his chest.
Tu- thump, tu- thump, tu- thump, tu- thump, tu- thump.
His eyes shudder close in pleasure while she gulps down mouthful after mouthful of his life essence, still unable to do anything.
Tu- thump.. Tu- thump.. Tu- thump.. Tu- thump..
"Hahaha. This is the best. Huntsman are the best prey."
Tu- thump... Tu- thump... Tu- thump...
Moans keep involuntarily spilling out of his mouth even as his heartbeat slows down.
Tu- thump... Tu- thump...
Tears begin to flow down his face. He is really glad he was able to talk to his parents today, that he could tell them how important having them in his life was, that he could tell them how much he loved them.
Tu- thump...
"Aww, don't worry. You can still be useful to me."
...
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