More ridiculousness ahead. Can't believe I pumped out the second chapter already. I'm scared if the speed leaves it less refined than I want it to be. But I've just got this creative and emotional energy that needs an outlet. Here we are, I guess.

Oh and this is a No Fall AU, if that wasn't clear enough

Enjoy.

Baking was a practice that enamored Jaune but never had the chance to try. He was often asked by his mother, and his sisters to just sit still and wait for the cake. He did enjoy the wide array of desserts, but he wishes his family hadn't spoiled him often.

He'd recall the cakes, biscuits, pies, and brownies that were constantly popped out from the Arc kitchen. The dining table was often decorated with sweets, and when you've got a sister that dedicates her life to pastries then they'd often leave you wanting more.

It was a surprise to himself that Jaune was able to maintain a lean physique, his whole family individually ate like kings.

Slicing through his cheesecake, not for himself but for someone else, Jaune noted how different it felt. He wasn't going to eat this, he was going to have someone else eat it. It was such a cathartic experience for him, and Yang hadn't even eaten the cake yet. This was the feeling he couldn't feel just because he was special. Have-his-own-tent-special was good, but we'll-do-everything-for-you-special wasn't.

He had noted the things Weiss taught him a few days back, and dare he say that it looked like textbook cheesecake. The taste was up to Yang, but he was fairly certain he did that right too.

Jaune felt like a surgeon after carefully placing the slice onto a plate. Ensuring that the integrity that he worked so hard to perfect was not compromised. The steps he took on his way outside were calculated too. He couldn't risk tripping and wasting the cake on the floor.

Yang could still eat it there, because he would, he has that much trust in it.

Jaune stood in front of team RWBY's dorm room and knocked once.

He stops by their room often, and admittedly, he wishes he did it less.

In most cases, he does so because he wishes to catch the attention of the heiress that lives in the room. Like a prince from a faraway land, hoping to seek an audience with the fairest lady in Remnant. Fortunately, her knights, namely her teammates, didn't block his path with their halberds or swords. They were always happy to help him locate Weiss or to open the door wide enough for her to see the performance he had prepared.

The blonde groaned, remembering the myriad of embarrassing stunts he pulled. His head slamming against the door. Dancing? Singing? Poetry? Each memory was accompanied by an audible smack against wood.

At least he wasn't here for that anymore.

"In a minute!" Jaune recoiled from the muffled voice's tone. Whoever was inside must've thought that he had grown impatient with waiting.

He hopes it wasn't Weiss.

The door swung open to reveal a disturbed Yang, presumably from her afternoon nap. Her disheveled hair being the clear giveaway, and that she didn't change from her uniform.

"Sorry about that," Jaune smiled or winced. Could be both. But Yang's eyebrows still furrowed, and he grew tense, leaning back out of instinct.

Jaune cleared his throat and lifted the plate that he was holding. The cheesecake entered Yang's view and immediately her expression changed. She smiled as the dessert drew her closer. The baker in Jaune jumped in glee after seeing her total shift in behavior. She didn't even need to say thanks, her reaction was already enough.

Yang accepted the plate like a child, a toothy grin plastered on her once groggy-looking face. She moved to the side of the doorway, inviting Jaune into the dorm room.

Jaune shook his head, "Oh, no it's okay, Yang. I have to stop by the forge."

"Sorry for taking up your time," she said, but Jaune dismissed her concern with a smile and a wave of his hand, "but thank you so much for this, Jaune!"

She went into her room and placed the cake on the desk that she and her teammates shared.

"No problem."

As the door to team RWBY's dorm closed, Jaune turned and made his way out. Smiling from the fact that he had made a cake that his friend asked for another slice of. It was a sign that he was getting better at baking, or at least good at it from the start. He rounded the corner, and almost bumped into a head full of red hair.

She was startled, and he figured because he came out of nowhere.

"Woah, sorry Pyrrha. Didn't know you were there," Jaune apologized and scratched the back of his head.

"No, it's okay. I should be the one to apologize, I was walking quite briskly."

Jaune chuckled lightly, he knew they were both at fault, but Pyrrha's the type to take full responsibility for everything, even unnecessarily so.

"By the way, have you seen Weiss?"

Jaune felt his back turn frigid, "What? Weiss? I don't know, I m-mean why would I know, I don't know where she is, or when she is, because, uhm…" Jaune trailed off, his brain dissolving at the very mention of the object of his affection

Former object of affection. Gotta stay ahead of the timeline.

"It's okay, Jaune," it was her turn to laugh, "I was asking because I intend to discuss our paper in Professor Oobleck's class."

"Paper?"

"Do you not know, Jaune…?"

"It isn't due this week, right?"

"Do you even have groupmates?"

"Thank god it's done by a group."

Pyrrha sighed, "Well, do you want to join Weiss and me?" She offered.

Torn by the risk of failing a submission in a required subject and inevitably being in the same room as Weiss, Jaune had to make a decision. He figured his grades were too important to ignore and assured himself that while there will be setbacks to his plan, it's not too far of a push away from ever getting to move on from Weiss.

Besides, Pyrrha will be there. He just has to limit his interactions with Weiss to the bare minimum.

"Sure."

Pyrrha's eyes sparked, while she smiled from excitement, "Splendid! I'll let her know, let's have a meeting tomorrow after classes. Where are you going, though?"

"To the forge, been thinking of making some upgrades,"

She nodded, "Do you need any help?"

"No, it's okay. I know what to do. Seeya, Pyrrha."

The forge was scented by Chaos™. From the pungent smell of different chemicals, the disorienting stench of students who forgot to use deodorants, the metal, and even dust that he could surprisingly distinguish as the smell of lightning dust - all led to this destructive mix of air.

It will take time to get used to this.

He looked at the materials placed before him. He had told the staff members that he wanted to incorporate dust into his shield. Then they just gave him what they said he needed and gave him a room with a desk to work on.

They assumed he knew what he was doing, and he would if he had gone to a combat school. He should've allowed Pyrrha to help him.

He recognized the tools given, but not the rest. There were two strange metal pieces held together by a clasp, a button, some wiring, and some dust vials.

For a huntsman, Jaune has never dabbled enough with dust to get a firm grasp of their function. Beacon doesn't include dust theory in their curriculum as it's already assumed that those who are studying in the academy have already gone through every unit of it. Any mention of dust during class was done in passing, and unfortunately for the blonde, he never seemed to follow.

He never admitted it to anyone, and if he did there'd be scrutiny in his stay at the school. But then again, people always deemed him incompetent, and writing him off as stupid wouldn't be too far off.

Jaune twisted the vial open and sprinkled a dash of red dust, that he assumed to be fire, on the back of his hand.

His assumptions were ascertained when the individual specks of dust pricked his skin. Like small needles were stabbing him.

He gasped in pain, shaking off the dust onto the desk. The burning sensation never left, so blew into it. Slapping them off with his other hand would just spread the pain.

The dust then ignited and the back of his hand was engulfed in flames.

"Oh, gods!" Jaune panicked, the prickling sensation was replaced by a literal burning effect.

Ash and soot began to form on his hand, flailing his arms around in an attempt to douse the flames. It didn't work. He tried slapping the source of the flame, but it had only spread to his other hand.

With two hands now on fire, Jaune grew desperate.

He gripped the vial of ice dust, immediately popping it open, and drowned both of his hands on them. Slowly, it absorbed the energy that came from the specks of red dust, turning them grey and subsequently dousing the fire. But the burning sensation was replaced with cold. His hands had grown numb. In solving a problem, he created another.

Jaune winced, carelessly flailing his arms about. He was trying his best not to scream, but there was only so much he could do.

His leg bumped the table, immediately dismissing the pain of his feet for the one on his hands was nothing compared to it. The red dust vial toppled over and spilled its contents. Close enough for some to gently scrape the vial of lightning dust.

The energy from dust could transmit from certain surfaces, depending on its thickness. But Jaune didn't know that, he never went to combat school.

He did find out today, though.

A sudden flash engulfed his eyes, a loud and piercing explosion rang in his ear and Jaune was thrown back, through the door, from the room he was in. His momentum was stopped by a wall and kicked the air out of his lungs. He slid down in defeat, perhaps in humiliation. He hopes everyone was too focused on their work that no one had noticed him.

"JAUNE?!" He was met by a shrill shriek, although the ringing in his ears made it difficult to hear. He pulled his head charred with soot to the left, and was greeted by an eye full of white.

The figure knelt beside him, he couldn't make out what the person looked like.

"What on Remnant happened?" At least he could make out it was a woman's voice.

"Wha…?" A pair of hands held his, then a layer of fabric was dabbed onto where he remembered the dust was. Relief slowly washed over, but the rest of his body still hurt.

His vision gradually returned, and he realized just who he was beside.

"WEISS- OW!" Jaune jerked, hitting his head back into the concrete wall behind him.

"Hold still you dolt," she removed the dust that remained and placed the handkerchief back into her pocket, "can you stand?"

He nodded dumbly. Using Weiss as a support, he stood up, albeit wobbly. His head ached on all sides too.

"What happened?"

Jaune pointed into the room he was once in, and the five dust vials given to him, all of them were shattered and empty. The tools and other metals were either split in half or discarded on the floor. Soot and grime covered the desk, it looked like a mess.

"You used dust?"

"Yeah," Jaune nodded meekly.

"Unbelievable," Weiss began, "this is exactly the type of thing that I was saying!"

Jaune winced at her words, having been all too familiar with how she often lashed onto him.

Weiss examined the room, "Handling dust is not a practice that should be done without proper training!"

The blonde couldn't look at her, the weight of shame pushing his head down.

"People were seriously hurt, and this would all be avoided if people! Would! Just! Listen!"

This happened often between them, but Jaune admits that they always hurt more the longer she went on.

"This is why the academy should still include Dust Theory into our curriculum! Not everyone was taught how to handle dust before coming to Beacon," He wasn't looking at her, but he knew she was, "Wouldn't you agree, Jaune!?"

"Yes…"

"Beacon should know, of all institutions, that not all of its students went to combat school. How inconsiderate!"

What...?

"Some learned to fight in the wild," he looked at her, surprised as she began listing off, "were personally tutored, or hadn't thought of incorporating dust into their fighting styles because they weren't needed! Some combat schools even offer dust theory as an elective! An elective! Now you make them choose between that and Aura Theory?!" She was fuming, "I'd be furious if Ruby did this since she came from Signal, but you? You learned from the wild, why else would your style be so unorthodox!?"

Jaune just silently agreed.

"And now the students are gonna have to suffer due to their negligence. Come on, Jaune. I'll teach you the basics."

What?

Jaune slumped on his bed, clearly beat and his face was deeply buried into his pillow.

"Rough day?" Voiced Lie Ren, brushing his teeth.

The blonde's voice was muffled, but he was sure that his teammate got the idea.

The scroll on his back pocket pinged, and he lazily brought it out. He looked at the content with only one eye open.

His heart sank, it was a message from Weiss. How she got his number he doesn't know. But she sent him something, and he doesn't know if he was ready to see it. He closed the scroll but immediately opened it again as curiosity got a hold of him.

"As promised," Jaune began reading it out loud, "here's a pamphlet about dust. I may have missed on some details, but this will fill you in."

The message was accompanied with a file.

Jaune groaned.

Of course, she was just staying true to her word. Nothing more, nothing less. He was glad that she sent him the pamphlet, he had trouble listening to her earlier. He always lost focus around her, and he hated it.

He groaned louder into his pillow, he was stupid to think that the text was something else. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Nora removed her headphones while wincing at her leader, "Yikes."

Weiss is an advocate for proper Dust control. There, I said it.