Chapter 1: The Arc Family
The Argus Limited, 21st December 18 BBY, 13:30 pm…
"Ooh, I can't wait for us to get to Argus!"
"We've already been once, Nora."
"Yeah, but that was way too short! This is our chance to properly explore, see the sights, find an all-day breakfast restaurant where pancakes are a top dish! Not that I'd like them over yours, your cooking's awesome, but still!"
Nathan shook his head with an amused smile as he listened in to Ren and Nora's ongoing back and forth conversation regarding the latter's very noticeable excitement at their destination:
Argus, the biggest city on Remnant that wasn't a kingdom.
And the hometown of his closest friend on Remnant, Pyrrha Nikos.
Who was currently fast asleep on the chest of her boyfriend and their team leader: Jaune Arc.
Who was himself twirling some of Pyrrha's bright red hair around his finger, staring down at his girlfriend lovingly.
The sight made Nathan smile. It'd been nearly three months since the Battle of Beacon, and Nathan and Pyrrha had nearly been killed fighting the person that had caused the battle to take place: Cinder Fall.
Despite a small rift opening between them as a result of that battle, Jaune and Pyrrha had reconciled, with Jaune having realised he was in the wrong.
Since then, Pyrrha and Jaune had been dating, though from where Nathan was standing, it felt like they had been together forever, with just how well they meshed.
"Nervous?" Nathan asked Jaune, wanting to redirect his attention from Nora and Ren's conversation.
"Huh?" Jaune asked, looking up and meeting Nathan's gaze.
"You nervous about seeing your family again?" Nathan elaborated. "I mean; we've seen your eldest sister Saphron and her family, but you've got to be nervous about seeing the rest of them again."
"Yeah…" Jaune replied, nodding. "I mean, we're going to have the good family members like my sisters and my mom, but…"
"But you're also going to have to face your father." Nathan finished, remembering that Jaune's father was not a particularly pleasant man.
"Yeah." Jaune said. "Not that I'm really worried about him, now. Thanks to Pyrrha's training and having all of you here with me, I think we'll be fine."
Nathan smiled. They were on the Argus Limited so that Jaune could join his family for Christmas, along with his teammates.
Nathan then sighed. As a direct consequence of joining his team and Jaune's family for Christmas, he was going to miss spending this Christmas with his girlfriend, Weiss Schnee.
Who was currently in Patch with her own teammates in order to celebrate Christmas there with them as opposed to her family in Atlas.
"You okay, Nate?" Jaune asked, drawing Nathan's attention. "That was an awfully big sigh."
"Yeah." Nathan replied. "Just… just missing Weiss, is all."
Jaune smiled gently. "Hey. You'll see her soon enough. Few more days, you'll be joining her."
Nathan smiled. Just because he was missing Christmas with Weiss didn't mean he planned on missing New Years'. Which was why on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, he was going to be flying to Atlas, where he would be spending New Year's with Weiss at the Schnee Manor. While that meant he would be staying in a den of vipers, the fact he'd have Weiss with him made that risk worthwhile.
"Thanks Jaune." Nathan said. "I'm gonna go head to the food car. Want anything for yourself and Miss Sleepyhead?" He asked, gesturing to a still sleeping Pyrrha.
"I'll go for a Coke for myself and a water for Pyrrha." Jaune replied.
"Cool. See you in a few." Nathan replied as he stood up and left their cabin, straightening his winter leather jacket before heading for the food cart.
Ten minutes later; the Dining Car…
"Good afternoon, sir, what can I get you?" The bartender asked as Nathan approached the counter.
"I'll go for a can of Coke Zero, a water, and a Mega Monster Original." Nathan replied.
"Alright, I'll grab those for you right away. That'll be five lien total." The bartender replied politely.
Nathan nodded and grabbed his wallet and handed the apropos money to the tender, who returned a few seconds later with the ordered refreshments.
Stuffing them into his pockets, Nathan made to leave when a flash of red out of the corner of his eye drew his attention:
He turned, and sighed.
Juno Nikos, Pyrrha's estranged, narcissistic and abusive mother, was stood a few feet away, clearly having had more than enough to drink, and was arguing with another bartender who had evidently stopped serving her more alcohol.
Shaking his head, Nathan moved to a spot where he wouldn't be seen easily, and with a glancing look, saw a lady moving by Juno with a big glass of wine.
A plan came to mind for Nathan to give Juno exactly what she wanted: More alcohol. Reaching out with the Force, Nathan manoeuvred Juno's hand so that it reached for the lady's glass.
Apparently, that had been Juno's plan regardless, as she promptly grabbed the glass, snatched it from the other lady's hand, and downed its contents all in one gulp.
Damn… Nathan thought to himself, as an argument promptly broke out between a slightly drunker Juno and the woman she'd just stolen a drink from.
It was then that the woman remarked to Juno that maybe if she'd stopped drinking, Pyrrha would still be in contact with her.
Nathan had to force down an outburst of laughter at that comment. Clearly the woman knew who she was dealing with. He did, too; which was why he was far from surprised when Juno smashed the glass she had just drank from over the woman's head before slapping her viciously.
The woman's husband moved to intervene, only for Juno to swipe at his eyes with her fingernails before starting to snatch at everyone else's drinks in an effort to attain more alcohol.
It eventually became a case of Juno slapping everyone within the vicinity for daring not to give their drinks to her, screaming expletives and demanding for them to show her the respect she so rightly deserved as the mother of Pyrrha Nikos.
Nathan was loving this, although he was trying his absolute hardest not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of what was unfolding in front of him. He could not wait to tell Pyrrha about this when he rejoined his teammates.
Before long, security entered the car and seized Juno, who then turned her attention to them for daring to lay hands on her, starting to slap, kick and scratch them, declaring that she'd have their jobs for this treatment of such an honoured passenger.
Nathan had to snort at that, shaking his head in disbelief before hearing:
"YOU!"
He looked up and saw that Juno was glaring daggers at him, and shrugged. "What did I do? You grabbed the lady's drink." He said.
"You're the reason this is happening!" Juno screamed. "If you'd kept your fucking face out of my business, I wouldn't be like this!"
Nathan shrugged. "You're the one that started a barfight because you couldn't handle the truth." He replied calmly. "Look on the bright side, least it didn't come from me."
Juno responded by trying to break free of her captors, screaming expletives as she was dragged away by security, whilst the people erupted in applause at her departure.
Nathan made to take that as his cue to leave when someone took him gently by the arm, grabbing his attention:
"Good thing you did that." A voice said, female but old and worn. "That witch wouldn't shut up earlier."
Nathan turned to find himself facing a small, elderly woman in perhaps her mid-seventies, with long silver hair worn in a single braid down her back. Covering her eyes were a pair of goggle-like implants with cyan coloured lenses, something Nathan had seen being used by blind people on Remnant for a while.
She was wearing a full-length tabasco style dress consisting of a dark blue top with full sleeves and skirt comprised of alternating light and dark blue layers. In addition to her dress, she was wearing thick brown gloves and a heavy blue cloak trimmed at the edges with a pattern of white, hollow triangles on a light blue background. A similar white and blue trim was visible around the neck of said cloak, which was affixed to her person via a pair of ornate white pauldrons.
Propped up next to her was a walking stick.
"Thanks." Nathan replied politely, sitting down with the old lady. "How'd you know what I did?"
The aged woman tapped her prosthetic eyes. "I saw the little movement you did with your hand, young man." She said. "You took her already planned movement and made it one that suited your intentions. Clever use of your abilities to create an environment suitable to your preferences."
"Ah, she wanted alcohol, I just tried to help her get some." Nathan replied. "Though what happened just now was not what I had in mind."
"Ah, the good old adage that man makes plans, but the gods laugh." The old woman said.
"Pretty much." Nathan said. "Anyway; I'd better get moving. I don't want the drinks I ordered getting cold, or my friends will have my head."
The woman chuckled. "That's perfectly fine, young man. Go on."
Nathan nodded before standing up and holding his hand out. "Name's Nathan, by the way." He said. "Nathan Phoenix."
"Ah yes, I know that name. You're a promising young huntsman from Beacon, aren't you?" the lady said.
"Yeah." Nathan said.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nathan." The woman replied. "I am Maria Calavera."
Nathan and Maria shook hands before Nathan made his way back to his cabin, entering it just as the train conductor's voice came over the radio:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the conductor speaking. We will be arriving in Argus in fifteen minutes. As such, the dining car is now closed for service. Please return to your cabins and do not exit until arrival unless to use the restroom. Thank you."
"What took you so long?" Jaune asked as Nathan entered the cabin.
"Sorry, there was a bit of a bar fight shortly after I ordered." Nathan replied, tossing Jaune his Coke. "Involving our good friend Juno Nikos."
"Pyrrha's mom's on the train?" Jaune asked, causing Pyrrha to stir.
"What? Wuzzat?" Pyrrha murmured as her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, yawning softly.
"Your mom picked a fight with someone because she made a comment about your mother's newfound drinking habit." Nathan replied, handing Pyrrha her water before cracking open his energy drink.
Pyrrha groaned. "Mother's always been drawn to drink. I was conceived purely out of a drunken fling between her and my father. We all know how that ended."
Nathan nodded. "Anyway, we'll be arriving in Argus in about fifteen minutes. Guess all we can do now is chill and wait."
The rest of Team JNNPR nodded as they started chatting amongst themselves, preparing themselves for arrival in Argus.
Argus Station, 14:00 pm…
Nathan soon remembered why he disliked massive train stations.
Because it was always a struggle to keep track of his surroundings as he and the rest of his teammates moved through the almost sea of people within the station, all of them with their own destinations to get to.
Eventually, Nathan and Jaune heard a familiar voice break through the seemingly endless throng of people:
"Baby bro!"
All five members of Team JNNPR looked to see a familiar beautiful young woman in her late twenties with wavy, dirty blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and bright blue eyes, wearing an orange top with a beige vest, light brown trousers with orange stitches on each side, and dark brown boots. Her tell-tale bootlace necklace was clear as day around her neck.
Jaune immediately dumped his stuff and rushed over, hugging his older sister tightly. "It's so good to see you again, Saph." He said gently.
"Not as good as it is to see you." Saphron Cotta-Arc replied as she broke the hug with her little brother. "Look at you! You're getting bigger. Less of a noodle and more of a chick-magnet every day."
"Yeah…" Jaune said bashfully. "Though I've already pulled a girl, so… yeah."
"He sure has." Pyrrha declared as she joined her boyfriend, pecking him on the cheek.
"Yeah, about time, too!" Saphron said. "What took you so long, wet feet?"
"Nah, he just thought his dick was meant for someone else's pussy." Nathan replied as he joined them. "Schnee pussy, to be precise."
"Nathan!" Pyrrha chided as Saphron burst out laughing.
"Gods, I'd forgotten how funny you are, Nathan. How are you?!" Saphron said, hugging Nathan tightly.
"I'm great." Nathan said. "Can finally rest on my laurels a little, knowing that your baby brother's dick is finally getting hard for the right person, and knowing that I can finally get so much more ammunition with which to roast his balls off."
Saphron cackled as Jaune groaned. "Oh trust me. We'll all have plenty of ammunition for you."
"Why me?" Jaune moaned.
Nora and Ren soon joined them as a few more pleasantries were exchanged, before Saphron said:
"Anyway, we'd better get back, otherwise Mom is going to come here. And I'd rather not have to deal with everybody stampeding here."
"Likewise." Jaune said as he and JNNPR carried their bags to Saphron's car before they all bundled inside.
Due to it being a small one, it did mean someone had to sit on someone's lap.
"So… who's taking one for the team?" Saphron asked Nathan, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren.
"I'll sit in Ren's lap!" Nora said enthusiastically.
"Nora, no." Ren said.
Pyrrha and Nathan shared a look, before Pyrrha said: "I shall sit in Nathan's lap."
"You sure?" Nathan asked. "I mean… don't want to worry Jaune about us being…"
"I'm not worried." Jaune said confidently.
Nathan shrugged and entered the car, followed suit by Pyrrha, who settled comfortably into his lap. "We're really friends, now." Nathan remarked as they applied their seatbelt.
Pyrrha giggled and said: "I assume we are."
Nora and Ren soon joined them in the back of the car, followed by Jaune joining Saphron up front.
"All strapped in?" Saphron asked. When everyone had nodded, she started the car and pulled off.
Nathan watched as she and Jaune soon settled into talking about the latest goings on within the family:
"So, how're things with the family?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, you know. Same old same old." Saphron replied. "The twins are causing mischief, Rose is being a little cutie, and Violette's excited to see everyone again. All in all, a typical Arc Family Christmas."
"How… how about Dad?" Jaune inquired.
Saphron scowled. "Still the same judgemental dick he was when I announced I was marrying Terra. Said Adrian's the only good thing that's come out of the supposed 'unnatural union' between me and Terra."
"Wow…" Jaune muttered. "Anything about me?"
"Yeah; he just said that you'd better have manned up while at Beacon." Saphron replied. "Somehow, I doubt you'll disappoint him."
"Well; good thing Nathan's here now." Jaune said, casting a look back at Nathan. "You saw the damage he did to Pyrrha's mom."
"Ooh, boy." Saphron said, grinning ear to ear. "I hope that mouth of yours is feeling acidic, Nathan. Because me and Jaune can't wait to see you drop our dad and Violette down a peg or two."
"Oh, I plan to." Nathan said with a grin, dabbing a finger onto his tongue and rubbing it with his thumb. "Just give me some time to gather some ammo."
Saphron's house, 14:30 pm…
"Home sweet home." Saphron said as she stepped out.
"Yup." Jaune said with a grin as he followed suit. "Can't wait to-"
"JAUNE!"
"Crap." Jaune groaned as a sea of blonde swarmed him.
Nathan, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren all cracked up laughing as they themselves stepped out to find Jaune's family swarming him.
Nathan walked up to Saphron and asked: "This the reception you expected?"
"Pretty much." Saphron said with a warm smile, before saying: "Okay, you guys, you can let Jaune up now."
With that, the Arc women all stepped off of Jaune one by one, until all that remained was the youngest, who stubbornly clung onto Jaune as if her life depended on it.
"Rose, you can get off of Jaune now, sweetie." Saphron said gently.
"No!" Rose said. "I'm making sure he no leave again!"
Nathan admittedly felt his heart melt at the little girl's remark, but smiled as Jaune stood up regardless.
"It's okay." He said. "Wow, you're getting heavy, Rose. A lot bigger too!"
"Yeah!" Rose said cheerfully, before finally deciding to let go of Jaune as an older woman came over.
"Jaune!" She called out.
"Mom!" Jaune replied, rushing over and hugging his mother tightly. "Gods, it's so good to see you!"
"And you!" Jaune's mother replied as they broke the hug. "My gods, you've grown so big! They're definitely feeding you well at Beacon!"
"Well, part of that's down to Pyrrha putting me on a diet, so…" Jaune said, shrugging.
"Well, it's a good thing she did." Jaune's mother replied. "You're not going to be a great Huntsman whilst being fatter than your great uncle Johann got!"
"Mom!" Jaune said as he heard his teammates laughing behind him. "Shoot, where are my manners? Mom, girls, meet my teammates from Beacon: Nathan Phoenix, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren."
"What's up, Arc ladies?" Nathan asked, flashing them a 'Peace' sign.
Before long, the Arc women were all lining up like a soccer team to shake the hands of him and the rest of Team JNNPR:
There was twenty-six year old Jewel, twenty-four year old twins Rouge and Verte, fifteen year old Violette, fourteen year old Crystal, and finally, four year old Rose.
"You're the man who made Jaune poop his pants!" Rose said as she recognised Nathan.
Nathan laughed and knelt down, saying: "Sure am, Rose." Ruffling her hair and making the little girl giggle. Standing up, Nathan found himself facing Jaune's mother:
Her face was worn and wrinkled after years of raising eight children, but it was clear that despite all that, she was still a remarkably beautiful woman, with greying blonde hair and intelligent brown eyes. She was wearing a lovely blue dress with a floral pattern underneath a white apron with the words
"DO NOT DISTURB THE COOK. OTHERWISE, SHE WILL COOK YOU." written on it.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Nathan said, shaking her hand. "I'm-"
"Nathan Phoenix, I know." Jaune's mother said softly. "We met after you made Jaune jump out of his skin a few weeks ago."
"Oh yeah, we did, didn't we?" Nathan said. "Sorry, ma'am. Joan, wasn't it?"
"Oh, you remembered!" Joan said. "I'm glad you do."
"Glad to finally meet you in person, Mrs Arc." Nathan replied politely.
"Please, call me Joan." Joan said. "I hate being called Mrs Arc. Too formal. I'm here to make my son's friends feel welcome, not like they're at some formal social function, like I believe you first met Saphron and Terra."
"Fair enough." Nathan said, shaking her hand. "It's good to meet you, anyway."
"Likewise." Joan replied. "My, my, you are a handsome young man. How come you're not taken yet?"
"I am, just planning on honoring my other commitments before spending New Years with my girlfriend." Nathan said.
Joan nodded, at which Saphron clapped her hands together, drawing attention to her:
"Alright, now we're all acquainted… JNNPR, would you like to meet the baby?" Saphron asked.
Inside…
Nathan had not seen Jaune this excited since his first date with Pyrrha a month or so before.
Jaune was sat on Nathan's right at the end of the sofa, almost bouncing up and down with giddy excitement.
Nathan couldn't blame Jaune. He was about to meet his first nephew. He admittedly couldn't wait himself to meet the little guy. Even if the baby had no relation whatsoever to him personally.
Before long, Saphron and her wife Terra, who'd returned a few minutes earlier, descended the stairs, holding a little bundle in their arms.
Jaune nearly rose from the sofa and dashed over, but Nathan held him down.
"Easy, Uncle Vomit-Boy." Nathan joked, eliciting a few laughs across the room.
Jaune elbowed him before his attention once more was diverted to Saphron and Terra, who sat down on the couch next to him with their little bundle.
"Jaune, Team JNNPR, meet Adrian Cotta-Arc." Saphron said, moving closer to Jaune so the latter could get a better look at his nephew.
Judging from the look on Jaune's face, Nathan could see Jaune's heart melting as he looked at Adrian, just as a few coos could be heard from the bundle.
"Hello, Adrian…" Jaune said softly, scooting closer to Saphron. "I'm your Uncle Jaune. I've waited so long to finally meet you."
Adrian cooed and a small hand reached out from the bundle towards Jaune as the latter nearly passed out, clearly unprepared for the sheer cuteness of his nephew.
Nathan's heart melted himself at the moment, before thoughts turned to that of his girlfriend, Weiss.
The future was still uncertain, what with Nathan still worried that the Empire was coming for him day by day, but Nathan and Weiss had never been stronger as a couple since their disagreement prior to the Battle of Beacon. As such, Nathan had begun thinking about what a future with Weiss might look like:
Marriage, living together somewhere quiet together within Remnant that Nathan and Weiss would enjoy… kids of their own.
The thought admittedly made Nathan smile widely. A family was something he never thought he would have, no thanks to his time as a Jedi and the Jedi Code forbidding attachments. But he'd long realised that in order to truly blend in; he needed to forget the Code, and become what the times demanded he become. And he for one, relished the idea of one day being a husband… and a father.
"Nathan?"
Nathan turned to see Jaune holding Adrian in his arms. "Yeah?" He asked.
"Do… you wanna hold him?" Jaune asked, looking down at Adrian.
"Y-yeah, sure." Nathan replied, reaching out to take Adrian into his arms.
"Just… remember to do it like I am." Jaune advised. "Rest his head in the crook of your elbow, and then hold hi, just like you were expecting. It's… easier than you think."
Heeding his team leader's advice, it wasn't long before Adrian was in Nathan's arms.
"Got him?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, I got the little guy." Nathan asked, before looking down and seeing Adrian for the first time.
And by the gods, did Nathan's heart melt within moments of his eyes meeting those of Adrian.
Adrian bore much of the similar complexion of his mother Terra, bearing the same black hair and warm brown eyes. The same brown eyes that were watching Nathan from across the room cautiously as Terra made sure her little one was safe.
"Hey, little guy." Nathan said softly, absentmindedly beginning to rock the infant. "You may not know me, but I'm one of your Uncle Jaune's best friends: Nathan Phoenix. This might be the only time I ever meet you, but… it's not gonna be a meeting I forget any time soon."
Adrian responded with a few gentle coos and smiled a toothless grin at Nathan, making the latter smile.
Yeah, Nathan definitely wanted kids now.
Handing Adrian back to Jaune, Nathan faced Saphron and Terra. "Rose may be cute, but Adrian's on a whole other level you two. Congratulations."
"Thank you." Saphron said with a smile. "You're a natural with kids, by the way. Maybe kids are in your future."
Nathan smiled warmly. "I sure hope so." He replied, thoughts of Weiss entering his mind.
Including a rather pleasant image of an older him and Weiss snuggled up together as his hand rested on the latter's swollen belly.
"Thinking about kids with Weiss?" Jaune asked, snapping Nathan out of his thoughts.
Nathan nodded. "Hard not to with two little ones in Rose and Adrian in our immediate vicinity. Plus what Saph and Terra just said about kids being in my future."
Jaune grinned. "Well; you've probably got a lot of your life ahead of you, Nate. Maybe after graduation-"
Things went silent after the sound of the front door opening and closing filled the room.
Nathan noticed the sudden mood change before remarking: "Yikes. And I thought Professor Port's farts were a mood-killer."
"Everything about Port kills the mood." Pyrrha joked back, causing a few laughs to erupt around the room that fell silent once an older man stepped into the room.
The man was handsome for his age, with greying, thinning blonde hair and blue eyes, looking like an older version of Jaune. He was tall and imposing, standing at least six feet four inches tall, wearing a blue button up shirt and jeans alongside worn hiking boots.
His shirt showed slight strain around the waist, mostly due to the man's protruding stomach, indicating he enjoyed his food.
Nathan observed the man with folded arms, and immediately glanced around the room to study everyone's expressions, immediately seeing a variety of forced smiles, something he had grown well versed in detecting after nearly a year of knowing Weiss and Pyrrha; two women who were experts at forced smiles.
Napoleon Arc had arrived.
"Afternoon, dear." Joan said softly, greeting her husband and Jaune's father. "How was your meeting with your friends?"
"Bah, it was pleasant enough." Jaune's father replied. His voice was deep, almost booming. "Some of them bailed because their children got sick at school." He scoffed. "Should have sent their wives to pick them up. It's their job after all."
Nathan felt a pang of anger at the misogynistic remark, but held his tongue, simply observing. Gathering the ammunition he'd likely need for later.
From there, the room was momentarily silent before Napoleon snapped:
"Well; what are you waiting for? Someone get me a drink!"
Jaune's sister's all flinched before Violette hurriedly headed to the kitchen, returning moments later with a Coke Zero.
Only for Napoleon to bat it out of her hand within moments of her handing it to him, leading to it nearly hitting Rose, shouting: "I meant a beer, you wench!"
Nathan clenched his fists as Violette hurried into the kitchen again, returning with a beer.
"That's my girl…" Napoleon said, before slapping Violette's backside as she walked away.
Resisting the urge to stand up and kick Napoleon back out of the door, Nathan held his tongue as Jaune's father finally observed his only son.
"Jaune…" Napoleon said, his tone carrying no hint of paternal affection whatsoever.
"Dad." Jaune replied, standing up with his arms behind his back as he stepped closer to his father, any sense of affection for his father noticeably absent.
Father and son stared at each other for a while, seemingly sizing each other up before Napoleon finally spoke:
"You've not gotten any bigger. Have you even been trying at Beacon?"
"Surprisingly, yes." Jaune replied. "It's called having a carefully planned out diet." Gesturing to Pyrrha, Jaune added: "Helps I have an amazing girlfriend who helps me with that."
Napoleon glanced to Pyrrha and scoffed. "That's your girlfriend?" He asked derisively. "If it weren't for her tits, I'd have thought you were gay and seeing a man!"
Jaune folded his arms. "I'd appreciate if you held off on insulting my girlfriend, Dad." He said firmly.
Napoleon's mirthful expression faded, replaced by anger as he lashed out, catching Jaune with a fearsome right hook across the face.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, standing up to help.
"Sit down!" Napoleon snapped at Pyrrha, turning his focus back to Jaune. "I don't care what they've been teaching you at Beacon, boy. But you should know better than to challenge my authority."
Nathan had heard enough. "What authority is that though?" He asked, standing up, and shrugging off Jaune's attempt to pull him back down.
Napoleon's eyes switched to Nathan, and he rose to his full height, staring the younger man down. "The authority a man has over his family." He replied. "And last I checked; this doesn't concern you. You are a guest here."
"True, true…" Nathan said, stepping between Napoleon and Jaune, ignoring the fearful glances from Jaune's sisters silently begging him to stop as he carried on: "As for this not concerning me… that's where you're mistaken. See; when my friends are involved, it concerns me. Always will. Also; last I checked, you're a guest here too. This is Saphron's house. Not yours. She makes the rules here. Not you. So stop acting like you own this house, because the fact is… you don't."
The punch came towards Nathan as quickly as any other punch he'd had thrown at him, only for it to be held in place; an unseen force arresting its motion.
"What?!" Napoleon spluttered as Nathan held up his hand, revealing he was using the Force.
"Really?" Nathan asked. "Attacking me because somebody dared to tell you something you didn't want to hear for once?" Scoffing, Nathan added: "Cry me a river, dude." Using the Force to drag Napoleon with him by the hand, Nathan sat the older man down and handed him the Coke Zero he'd swatted out of Violette's hand earlier. Using the Force to call the beer can Napoleon had demanded instead, Nathan handed it to Violette. "Could you stick that back in the fridge, please?" He asked politely. "It's too early for alcohol anyway."
A fearful expression crossed Violette's face as she glanced between Nathan and her father, who was glaring at both of them with unimaginable fury.
"Go." Nathan encouraged. "I've got him."
Hesitantly, Violette nodded, heading to the kitchen with the beer can, returning quickly and sitting where she'd been beforehand.
Only then did Nathan release his telekinetic grip on Napoleon, stepping back and sitting down with the rest of his teammates, leaning back with his hands resting behind his head.
From there, conversation haltingly began until it was back in full swing again.
"Are you crazy?" Jaune asked Nathan as soon as people began talking again. "You just made my dad look like a chump in front of everyone."
"Was I not supposed to?" Nathan inquired. "I recall promising you I'd take him down a peg or two. No reason I shouldn't get started."
Jaune made to retort, but fell silent, realising Nathan raised a strong point. "Just… be careful, okay?" Jaune insisted. "You're on his radar now. He's already threatened by me being here. Last thing you need is for him to try and assert dominance over you."
"Let him try." Nathan replied. "Besides; you need to stand up to him more. You're not the same boy you were back at Beacon, Jaune. You're our leader. Besides that, you've a girlfriend to stand up for; so you can set an example for the rest of your family so they know what a real man looks like. And why your old man isn't a man at all."
Jaune bowed his head, deep in thought.
Nathan felt a pair of eyes on him, and looked to see Napoleon sipping his drink, glowering at Nathan with a facial expression so withering that Nathan would be dead were said look a weapon.
Nathan simply offered Jaune's father a welcoming smirk. You're playing my game now, old man… better learn the rules, quick.
That evening, random bedroom within the house, 21:45 pm…
Nathan entered the room that he would occupy during his stay with the Arc Family:
It was small but simple, with a nightstand, a closet for his clothes, and various other amenities that would be apropos for a spare bedroom. It even had that musty, disused smell to it that felt neither pleasant or unpleasant. The smell was just… there, much like this room was.
But Nathan didn't really care for that. What he did care for was getting into bed.
Climbing into bed, Nathan then took his scroll and scrolled down his list of contacts until he found the one he was looking for, smiling as he read the name:
WEISS.
Taking a deep, happy breath, Nathan pressed call, and waited.
It didn't even take five seconds for a familiar, beautiful face with long, luscious white hair and alluring icy blue eyes to appear on screen, a warm smile crossing her face.
"Hey beautiful." Nathan said softly, looking down at the young woman he felt so lucky to call his girlfriend.
"Hey, Nathan." Weiss replied. "Have you made it to Argus?"
"Yup. Journey was pleasant enough, though there was a bar fight about fifteen minutes before the train arrived." Nathan answered. "But that got broken up real quick." Pausing, Nathan asked: "Everything okay in Patch?"
Weiss nodded. "I've already had to dodge several calls from my father demanding I return to Atlas for the annual Schnee Dust Company Christmas party, which I was expecting. He's probably shitting his pants thinking about the effect my absence will have on his image."
Nathan smirked. In the three months they'd been dating, Weiss had began to swear more frequently, further proving the prediction Nathan had made when they'd first started getting to know each other that he'd have her swearing like a sailor by the end of the year. Pyrrha was still a work in progress, but still…
"So… how are the Arc Family?" Weiss asked.
"Chaotic, to put it bluntly." Nathan responded. "Jaune's already been pranked by two of his older sisters, and I nearly did too. Definitely feel sorry for Jaune; though… He's hardly left the toilet since dinner."
Weiss' laughter filled the air, and Weiss quipped: "I would hope Jaune's sister has stocked up on toilet paper."
Nathan snorted, before sighing: "Even then; Jaune's dad is a real piece of work. Think him and your father would get along just fine."
"Oh wonderful." Weiss commented.
"He's already hit Jaune once, and I have a feeling he's going to do it again; without me present since I shut his shit down pretty quickly." Nathan added. "Which may or may not be a precursor to… other things I have planned for him."
"Would it surprise you to know I already have a feeling what those 'other things' might be?" Weiss asked.
Nathan simply smirked. "You know me too well, Weiss."
Weiss smiled, before sighing. "I miss you." She admitted.
"I miss you too." Nathan replied, taking a deep breath. "Look at things this way, though… Following Christmas, we'll have plenty of time to spend together in Atlas."
"I already cannot wait." Weiss responded.
Voices from offscreen took her attention away from Nathan for a moment, and Nathan could tell from the high pitched nature of the voice that it was Ruby before Weiss' attention returned to Nathan.
"I had better end the call here." Weiss said. "The others are going to bed, so I had best do the same."
Nathan nodded. "Me too. I'll be dreaming of you throughout the night."
Weiss giggled. "You'd better." She responded, before adding: "I love you, Nathan."
"I love you too, Weiss." Nathan replied as he and Weiss stared each other down. "Goodnight, beautiful."
"Goodnight, Nathan." Weiss said as her face vanished from the screen.
Setting his scroll aside, Nathan sighed as a pang of loneliness struck him and he brushed his hair out of his face, fishing out a photo and looking at it.
It was him and Weiss out on a date, a week or so after the Battle of Beacon, eating dinner at a local restaurant Weiss had been wanting to go to.
Nathan was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a button up shirt, whilst Weiss was wearing a beautiful pale blue dress with a white strip of fabric around the waist.
Weiss's head was on Nathan's shoulder as both smiled warmly into the camera.
Nathan smiled warmly at the picture before planting a kiss onto it. "See you soon, Weiss." He said as he set the photo aside before settling down to sleep, feeling sleep accept him into its warm embrace.
I'm back, baby!
Hello, hello and welcome to my fourth instalment of my RWBY-Star Wars series: When it Falls Remastered. Goodness me; I needed that month off.
Much like I'll need this next week off of work, since I plan on hitting the ground running with this story to begin with.
And I know; it's weird to start a story off with Christmas when the real thing isn't for another eight months, but I'm not so heartless as to make you guys wait that long. A promise is a promise, and an Arc never goes back on his word. Or me.
Anyway, thank you all so much for taking the time to read this story. If you liked it; you know what to do.
I shall see you tomorrow evening for the second chapter, which sees the group all explore Argus some more.
T-Rock14.