Chapter Text
Warming Her Heart
It was quiet in the Cotta-Arc household. Considering how late it was at night, Weiss should've expected it. That did nothing to change the fact it made her uneasy. After their experience at Brunswick Farms with the Apathy, Weiss found herself not being a fan of quiet spaces. Especially those that also gave off an eerie atmosphere.
Thankfully, before everyone turned in for the night, the house had been lively. Jaune's sister had a wonderful family and with Jaune and his team not yet knowing of the truth about Salem and the relics, his team was in good spirits. Despite them knowing the truth, she and her teammates also were upbeat at being able to reunite with Team JNPR.
Weiss shot a glare towards Yang as she suddenly let out a loud snore.
Due to space constraints, she was once again sharing a room with the rest of her team. That was not a problem, she had been rooming with them since initiation.
What bothered her was how Ruby, Yang and Blake seemed so unaffected by what happened at Brunswick Farms. They all just went and fell asleep without issue. Not to mention learning the truth about Salem. Did that not bother them like it did her?
Looking over her sleeping teammates with jealousy, Weiss let out a sigh causing her to notice a small tickle in her throat.
Seeing how she was currently unable to sleep, Weiss carefully left the room ensuring to not make a sound.
After slowly going down the stairs, she reached the kitchen and went to grab a glass of water.
While she was in the midst of filling her glass, someone suddenly spoke.
"So, you're the infamous Weiss Schnee."
With a small gasp, she turned to see Jaune's older sister Saphron.
Her palms resting on the half wall that separated the kitchen from the living room, Saphron shared quite the resemblance with Jaune. Both had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. But in Weiss' opinion, Jaune's eyes were far more vibrant than his sister's.
Saphron didn't look as friendly as she had when they first met earlier in day. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and she appeared to studying Weiss as she leaned into the kitchen. Saphron didn't trust her or was conflict about something she assumed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Weiss blinked. She had no idea people in Argus would have problems with her father and the SDC but shouldn't have been surprised. "I know the SDC and my father don't exactly conduct business in the most ethically sound manner; for whatever problems my family has caused you, please know, I'm truly am sorry. I am dedicated to restoring the Schnee family name to its former glory."
The blonde woman's eyes widened a bit in confusion as Weiss spoke. When the ex-heiress finished, she blinked twice, her blue eyes no longer looking as hostile.
"Uh, I'm sorry what?"
"Clearly, my family has done something to wrong you or the city of Argus," Weiss sighed as she looked down sadly. "Please accept my apology on their behalf." She finished, looking back up at the older woman.
Saphron then let out a laugh as she released her grip on the half wall. Her laughing only got stronger as she made her way into the kitchen to stand across from Weiss. Blue eyes were almost filled with tears as her laughter finally began to cease.
It was Weiss' turn to narrow her eyes as she studied Jaune's sister. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on anymore. To her, it seemed Saphron was confronting her about something the SDC had done in Argus.
True, Weiss had no knowledge of any big SDC operations in Mistral. But that didn't mean they weren't happening. Even when she was heiress, her father did not keep her too informed of the company's day to day operations.
So, if that wasn't why Saphron approached her in that manner, what was it?
"Man, you're just like Jaune," Saphron giggled as she regained composure. "So fun and easy to tease."
"I am not!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms and looking away from the elder Arc.
The action only caused Saphron to laugh again, just not as hard as she did earlier.
Despite being flustered from being compared to Jaune (not to mention the fact she still couldn't get over being teased), Weiss was curious as to why Saphron had approached her in such a manner if she didn't have a problem with her family.
The blonde seemed to have returned to her welcoming demeanor from earlier in the day as she finished laughing, again. Like most things she didn't know, Weiss was very eager to find out why Jaune's sister approached her in such a manner.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you approach me in a such a way if not about the Schnee Dust Company?" She asked.
"Honestly, I don't know much about your family's company." Saphron replied. "I'm not completely oblivious to the world around me like Jaune, but growing up in a small town does make it hard to be up to date on the ongoings of Remnant."
Weiss had to suppress a giggle at her mention of Jaune. The loveable oaf was quite oblivious of the world around him. He had no idea who Pyrrha Nikos was! He likely didn't even know who she was when they first met either. Not to mention how little he knew about being a huntsman.
Wait… Did she just think of Jaune as a loveable oaf? Since when did she think of Jaune as being loveable?
If Weiss' skin could go any paler, it would have as she noticed the way in which she thought about Jaune. Thankfully, her complexion was already very fair so there was no way Saphron would notice.
"Well Weiss, the reason why you're so infamous to me is I've heard all about you!" Saphron next words broke Weiss out of her thoughts. "So, it's really nice to finally meet you and see if you're just like Jaune said."
Weiss mind went blank and she blinked a couple times. Jaune apparently talked about her to his family?
"Sorry, I beg your pardon?" she managed to get out.
"Well, I mean we couldn't believe it when Jaune got into Beacon." Saphron began with a smile. "It's such a prestigious school and Jaune is well…" She paused for a few seconds to think over her words. "Jaune has a heart of gold and a good head on his shoulders. But he's still well, Jaune."
Silently nodding, Weiss couldn't help but agree. She still couldn't quite understand how Jaune got into Beacon. Even now after seeing his leadership skills, tactical knowledge and vast improvement in combat. But that was a mystery to solve another time. One she could probably just ask the knight about once she's succeeded in advancing their friendship.
Saphron's assessment of Jaune being Jaune was quite similar to the how Nora described him back when she went over Team JNPR's strengths back at the Vytal Festival. She wasn't one to disagree, Jaune is and always has been very Jaune.
"Being the loving and tad overbearing family we are, everyone wanted to know how Jaune was doing and what he was up to." Saphron continued. "He was the only of the eight of us to go to a huntsman academy. It was exciting, but we were nervous about it too. So, we called him all the time and exchanged letters, me, mom and dad and all our other sisters back home. Jaune was so happy and proud of what he was doing, following his dream and all that. He was very detailed when keeping us informed of what was going on."
Weiss couldn't help but smile as she listened to Saphron talk. She spoke about Jaune in such a proud and loving way that she hoped Winter would when talking about herself. She could tell Jaune was close to Saphron and his sisters like she was with her own.
It was a bit sad when she thought about her own family. She could only wonder what it would've been like to have a loving family like Jaune does. Thinking of Winter also began to make her wonder how her own sister was and how she was doing.
Again, questions for another time, she could find out later. Now she had to learn more about Jaune and what he had supposedly told his sisters about her.
It seemed Saphron didn't notice Weiss slightly zoning out as she kept talking.
"He spoke all about being made a team leader, the classes, the professors, the cafeteria food," Saphron let out a giggle. "But what he would talk the most about was the all of the wonderful friends he made."
Weiss felt warm inside and smiled at that. She and Jaune did have the most wonderful friends. It was obvious they were all a tad strange and very different in ways, but they truly did care for each other like a big family. They were the true friends Weiss yearned for when growing up.
"Jaune went into the most detail when talking about all of you. How threw up on Yang's boots on the first day, Ruby exploding after sneezing on your dust."
Saphron winked at Weiss when she said that causing the ex-heiress to groan at the memory. She had been so cold back then. Thankfully, Jaune's older sister didn't add anything about her when mentioning the incident and kept talking.
"Nora's love of pancakes and how she's together but not together-together with Ren. What else was there? Blake's obsession with tuna, he wasn't sure Ren experienced emotions at first. Oh and of course his partner being Pyrrha freaking Nikos!" Saphron emphasised, the freaking by shaking her arms.
"But of course, Jaune only droned on and on about how she was the Pumpkin Pete mascot." She added with a laugh.
Trying and failing to stifle a giggle of her own, Weiss joined in on the laughter. It didn't surprise her that Jaune would emphasize that on Pyrrha's long list of accomplishments when describing her. The dunce practically lived in his Pumpkin Pete hoodie. Not to mention he only recognized Pyrrha after he found out she was also the mascot for that stupid cereal.
As their giggling died down, Saphron continued.
"Yeah, Jaune could talk for hours about his friends. Especially his partner and teammates. But what was interesting was how he much he would always talk about you, sometimes even more than he would talk about his team."
That made Weiss freeze.
What?
Jaune talked about her often? Sometimes more so than he did his own team?
As it had become painfully aware to her recently, they barely had any meaningful interactions back at Beacon. What could Jaune possibly had told his family about her?
A chill ran down her spine as she thought about all of the ways she had viciously turned down his advances.
"Really?" Weiss asked, trying to stay calm and not let her anxiety slip into her voice. "What did he have to say about me?"
"Oh, you know," Saphron said almost pretending she was bored, looking at her nails. "All sorts of things."
"What sort of things?"
Weiss flinched with how quickly and desperately she asked her question.
It didn't help when Saphron laughed in response.
"Oh my, you are so fun to tease." She cackled. "That was one thing he said, how easy it is to get you flustered."
The white-haired huntress-in-training huffed and crossed her arms. She did really hate how easily people could get her flustered. You would think being on a team with Yang Xiao Long would have made her more resilient to teasing. If anything, it made her more susceptible to it.
She also couldn't help but desperately want to know what else Jaune had to say and think about her. She needed to know in order to repair and advance their friendship. It wasn't because of her strange newfound borderline obsession with the young knight. Or at least that was what Weiss kept telling herself.
"Jaune told us everything he could about you." Saphron continued when the kitchen became silent again. "How you fought in heels with the grace and elegance of a ballerina. He spoke about your beauty, not just physically but the beauty of your personality. Brothers was he gaga over your voice. He was awed by despite your cold exterior you still had a true warm and caring attitude towards your friends. Oh, and he told us all about he was head over heels for the 'Snow Angel'."
As Saphron described to Weiss what Jaune had said about her, her face began to heat up. The blush only intensified when Saphron used Jaune's old nickname for her.
She had no idea Jaune's infatuation with her was so… profound.
"Jaune was also captivated by your strength and willpower despite your stature. He said something along the lines of thinking your scar was badass because it showed that even though you were a cute proper lady, you were still strong and couldn't be messed with."
He likes my scar?
Weiss blinked a few times, eyes widening as Saphron listed off ways Jaune admired her even when she thought she was going to stop.
Her scar was always something she struggled with. The price of her freedom had been her once flawless face. Thankfully her scar didn't seem to stop boys from chasing her, but she wasn't sure if that was just because of her name.
Despite her own thoughts of it, Jaune actually liked it.
And it made her feel warm inside.
"My baby brother had it bad for you," Saphron said with sparkling eyes. "He asked us for advice on how to approach girls and of course dad gave him that whole confidence baloney."
Weiss' throat tightened. She knew what came next.
"And then you rejected him," Saphron looked the ex-heiress dead on. Her face was exactly hostile, but still showed a small level of distain Weiss could understand.
"We'd seen it before, Jaune falling for someone way out of his league then getting his heart broken." His sister sighed. "But for whatever reason, with you he wasn't down in the dumps after the rejection. He was upbeat and ready to keep trying. He was sure you would warm up to him eventually. Jaune is nothing if not stubborn as hell."
To that they could both agree.
The silence that soon filled the room was tense. Weiss couldn't bring herself to look at Saphron, so she sipped on her water glass, looking anywhere but the woman.
Her face was still red and her head was a mess. At a point in time, she was convinced Jaune was only interested in her for the only reasons any other boy had been, power, money, fame or all three. But what he had confided in his family about her was so genuine.
She had no idea how to process it. Standing in front of one of his relatives who had knowledge of the way she treated him didn't help the matter either.
Desperately wanting to end the awkward silence, Weiss tried to think of something to say. But she was coming up with nothing.
Thankfully, she didn't need to be the one to speak first.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you turn him down?"
Weiss swallowed and looked up a Saphron for the first time in awhile.
"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything." The blond elaborated as she played with her wedding ring. "The heart wants what the heart wants. As much I'd like for Jaune to land any girl he likes, I get that love is difficult. Some people want someone who just isn't interested and that's just how it goes."
"Well, he just not exactly my type." Weiss began. "Not that there's anything particularly wrong with him. Granted, he was a little annoying at times, but he's still a good friend."
While Saphron's elaboration helped relax her, Weiss wasn't satisfied with her own answer.
She felt shallow. She didn't even exactly know what her type was and didn't even give Jaune a chance to see if he fit that type. Despite being annoyed with him early on, the knight clearly wasn't all that bad.
"Anyways, I'm glad Jaune met good people like you," Saphron suddenly said, squashing any chances of her blush fading. "Part of me was worried he was making it all up."
Both girls broke into light laughter at that.
The next silence was much more comfortable than the last. Weiss took the opportunity to finish her water glass and check the time.
It was half past one in the morning.
She let out a small sigh, she probably was going to have an even worse time falling asleep now than she did earlier with all of these thoughts swirling in her head.
Looking over Saphron, it piqued her curiosity as to why the elder Arc was up at this hour.
"Why are you up at this hour Saphron?" Weiss asked.
"Because of who we were just talking about."
With a gesture of her blonde head, Saphron direct Weiss attention out the back window.
It was dark in the backyard but there was a familiar scene Weiss could make out.
Standing in the middle of the yard was Jaune, clad in armor, wielding Crocea Mors. He was swiftly and efficiently going through combat exercises. His scroll was positioned on a lawn chair not far away, illuminating him. It appeared as if he was following a training video, but Weiss couldn't tell from that far away.
She subconsciously moved to the living room to getting a better view. It was like a few weeks ago after the Battle of Haven. Jaune held a determined expression as he swung his sword at imaginary foes and used his shield to block invisible attacks.
"I found him doing this the first night he and his team arrived here." Weiss didn't even notice Saphron had moved to stand next to her. "He did it last night too and today makes it three for three."
Weiss couldn't help but wonder if this late-night training was a nightly occurrence and not a one off like he had told her back in Mistral.
"I've never seen him like this before, so it worries me." Saphron said. "I asked his teammates about it; they did seem a little uncomfortable talking about it and didn't say much."
So, Nora and Ren knew something. It would make sense they would if this had been going for awhile. Not only were they his teammates, they had travelled across Anima together.
"Do you know why he's doing this?"
Weiss sighed.
"No, unfortunately I don't." She replied. "I did catch him about to start a training session like this a couple weeks ago, but he told me it was just because he couldn't sleep. I had no idea he did this every night. I don't know why he's doing it."
The proper answer was she didn't know why yet. She was going to have a talk with Ruby. She and Jaune are close. With the time they spent travelling together, she had to know something.
Thankfully Weiss knew exactly how to get information out of her partner.
"I was hoping he was just worried about your team and was going to stop when you guys arrived." Saphron sighed.
Focusing in on the him, Weiss could tell Jaune was really giving it his all. He looked so determined but also almost pained as he worked. It seemed like he was forcing himself to do this and she was going to find out why.
"Jaune, I-I... I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."
The ending was always the hardest. But he had to put himself through it. He needed to feel the pain to make sure he wouldn't forget it. He needed something to drive him so that no one else would fall.
Jaune readied himself to follow the video once again but this time it didn't automatically rewind.
Letting out a sighed, Jaune ran an arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat.
Sometimes one hundred repeats of the video would fly by. Other times it would feel like an eternity. Thankfully tonight was the former.
Returning his shield to its scabbard form, Jaune sheathed his sword, returning it to his belt. He did a few quick stenches before grabbing his scroll and heading back to the house.
He was surprised to be greeted by Weiss sitting on one of the couches. He was expecting Saphron to be pretending to be getting a glass of water in the kitchen again just to say goodnight to him once he got in. He horribly failed at keeping his late training a secret from her, but thankfully his sister didn't press the issue.
Like Ruby, she knew he didn't want to talk about it so it remained that way. Hell, Ren and Nora knew about it too minus the video and they didn't press him about it either. But then again, they didn't know it was every night like Saphron did.
So, it was quite the shock to find Weiss waiting for him. Knowing her, she wouldn't just let it be like the others.
"Oh, hey Weiss," Jaune said, trying to find a way to dodge the inevitable questions about his training. "Why are you up so late?"
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing." She replied dryly, their conversation going oddly similar to the way it had when she nearly caught him a few weeks ago.
Yup… Walked right into that one.
"Well, you know, couldn't sleep, so I thought hey why not train?" Jaune replied, trying his best to not be suspicious. "It worked really well last time, so I thought I would try it again."
Much to his disappointment, Weiss didn't look like she was buying it. If anything, she looked a little annoyed. He knew Weiss' annoyed face better than anyone, even Ruby.
"So, what do you consider to be 'last time'?" She asked making air quotes. "Back at Haven or last night? Or perhaps the countless other times you've apparently gone to do some late-night training?"
The blond knight paled when she spoke. Weiss knew. Or at least she knew enough. He looked around the room, she must have met Saphron down here for some reason. He couldn't imagine Ruby, Nora or Ren selling him out.
Oh, he loved his sister, but like with baby pictures and childhood stories, she really did know how to make his life difficult.
Quickly thinking over how to get out of his current predicament, Jaune decided to step into a familiar role. The awkward goof.
"Uh what?" He said awkwardly. "Pff, late night training? Have you seen me in combat? If I was training every night, I would surely be way better than I am now. Right?"
He gave an awkward laugh. The truth was training nearly every night had gotten him better, even if it just was the basics. Ren and Nora were the first to notice and Ruby was not that far after them. He just hoped Weiss didn't get a chance to during the fight at Haven.
"Jaune."
She said his name in such an unimpressed tone that he couldn't help but snap his gaze back to her. Weiss was now standing in front of him, arms crossed and icy blue eyes glaring up at him.
Despite the fact she was good foot shorter than him and wearing a nightgown, Weiss Schnee was still very intimidating.
"Okay fine," He relented. "I've been doing some late-night training from time to time. It helps me relax and get back to sleep. I may have been doing it on a more regular basis after we split up."
She didn't need to know the whole truth.
Weiss then lightly slapped his shoulder. It wasn't too painful but he still groaned a little. Thankfully after the slap her glare softened.
"That's for lying. I hate liars." She said before adding softly. "Especially when the liar is someone I care about."
Jaune knew he deserved that and so much more. He hated lying to his friends. But he had to, they wouldn't understand why he had to improve. The price he had to pay for his past failures and mistakes.
"Is there a reason why you have issues falling asleep occasionally?" Weiss asked her eyes now showing a little concern.
Yes. I'm tormented with memories from the fall and nightmares of everyone I care about dying.
But he couldn't tell her that. He had to be strong for his friends.
"I must admit I recently have been having sleep troubles myself after what happened at Brunswick Farms." She elaborated when he didn't reply right away.
"Not really," Jaune finally spoke, lying through his teeth. "Being on the road got me used to being a light sleeper, so the smallest things can keep me up like Nora snoring. Training is just a good way for me tire myself out to get back to sleep. I'm also not used to being in one place for a longtime anymore."
He prayed Weiss would just believe his lie. But he wasn't sure she would. Jaune Arc was many things but a good liar wasn't one of them. Pyrrha, Nora, Ren and Ruby often could see right through him. He was sure Yang, Blake and Weiss could too by now.
Thankfully, Weiss seemed to accept his answer. Although he could swear her face conveyed a little disbelief for a few seconds.
"Well, I must say it was quite the display." Weiss said with a smirk. "It seems that even you have finally been able to master the basics of swordplay."
Had it been a year ago, Jaune would have reacted differently. He probably would have been a little offended, teased her back or made some lame attempt at flirting with her.
But he was different now. He knew there was more to being a huntsman than just good intentions.
And boy did he have a lot of work to do.
"Thanks." He said, forcing a smile on his face.
Not even bothering to look at the girl in white, he moved past her to the kitchen. Once there, he quickly downed a glass of water.
After washing his glass and returning it to the cupboard, he was surprised to see Weiss now standing in the kitchen entrance. He half expected her to go back to bed now that he was done with his training.
"Was my joke in poor taste?" She asked, looking a little worried.
It was a little jarring to see Weiss concerned that something she said had offended him. That was something she never worried about in the past.
"Nah," Jaune replied. "It's about time I got the basics down, considering I was at Beacon Academy for awhile."
Weiss didn't move as he walked past her and made his way to the stairs. He had started to climb them when she spoke again causing him to stop.
"I know we- myself in particular were hard on you back at Beacon. But please don't put yourself down Jaune. You're a great leader and really have improved a lot. You don't have to force yourself to do this late at night."
He turned back to face the ex-heiress to see her holding a serious expression. Despite there being a little bit of uncertainty on her features, Jaune knew she wasn't joking or trying to mess with him.
Weiss had never given him an honest compliment ever. Jaune couldn't help but wonder if Team RWBY's experience with the Apathy at the farm had caused something to go wrong in their heads. But Ruby, Yang and Blake were fine. What made Weiss compliment him?
"Thanks Weiss, I appreciate really," he said, still not sure what had brought this on. "But I'm still miles behind all of you. It's a miracle I made it past the first semester at Beacon and with what we're facing now, I have to work hard to be ready for whatever comes next. It helping me fall asleep when I'm restless is good bonus."
"Well, Jaune, no matter how you feel or what others have said, you belong with us. You earned a spot in Beacon." Weiss said. "Despite your well… Questionable knowledge and abilities, you got accepted into Beacon. The professors and admission staff saw something in you. Everyone has to work hard to get into a school like Beacon and that in itself is a huge accomplishment. Not just anyone can get into such a prestigious academy."
That one stung. She had inadvertently hit him somewhere it hurt the most. The more and more time that past since he cheated his way into Beacon the more he felt bad about it. He probably took away a spot from someone more deserving.
Not to mention the darkest part about it. He probably held Pyrrha back and ultimately unintentionally caused her death. She could've probably beat Cinder if she was focusing on herself instead of training him.
Quickly shaking his head, Jaune turned away from Weiss. It wasn't her fault for saying it. She didn't know about his fake transcripts. Only Pyrrha, Ren and Nora did. He hadn't even told Ruby.
"Right," he sighed, before continuing up the stairs. "Night Weiss."
Jaune felt of the weight of the world on his shoulders. He could only hope that once they got to Atlas things would get easier.
With any luck having Weiss with them would make things go better at the military base tomorrow.