Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Harsh Rejection

The afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of Beacon Academy's library, casting long shadows across the study tables where Weiss Schnee sat surrounded by tactical manuals and Dust theory textbooks. Her pristine white hair was pulled back in its usual side ponytail, and her blue eyes scanned the pages with practiced efficiency. The upcoming dance was still weeks away, but more pressing matters occupied her mind—namely, the increasingly difficult Grimm Studies assignments and her family's expectations weighing heavily on her shoulders.

She had finally found a moment of peace when the familiar sound of stumbling footsteps approached her table.

"Hey, Weiss!" Jaune Arc's voice carried that same hopeful tone it always did, though perhaps with a slight tremor of nervousness. "I was wondering if—"

"No." Weiss didn't even look up from her textbook.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask," Jaune protested, his voice gaining a bit more confidence as he stepped closer to her table.

Weiss finally raised her eyes, fixing him with an icy stare that could have frozen the Emerald Forest. "Let me guess. You want to ask me to study together, or perhaps invite me to dinner in Vale, or maybe you've written another one of your terrible songs." She closed her book with a sharp snap. "The answer is still no, Arc."

Jaune's face flushed red, but he pressed on. "Actually, I was going to ask if you'd like to go to the dance with me. I know it's still a few weeks away, but I thought maybe if I asked early enough—"

"Are you serious?" Weiss stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor loud enough to draw stares from other students. "Do you honestly think that asking me earlier would somehow change my answer?"

"I just thought—"

"That's your problem, Jaune. You don't think." The words came out sharper than Weiss had intended, but the stress of recent weeks had worn her patience thin. "You never think about how uncomfortable you make me with your constant pestering. You never think about how pathetic you look throwing yourself at someone who has made it crystal clear they're not interested."

Jaune's face went from red to pale in an instant. "Weiss, I didn't mean to—"

"Didn't mean to what? Embarrass yourself? Embarrass me?" Weiss's voice rose, and she could see other students in the library turning to watch the scene unfold. "Your advances are disgusting, Jaune. This desperate, clingy behavior is revolting. Do you have any idea how it feels to be constantly harassed by someone who can't take a hint?"

The library had gone completely silent. Even the sound of turning pages had stopped as students watched the confrontation unfold. Jaune stood frozen, his usual goofy smile completely gone, replaced by something Weiss had never seen on his face before—genuine hurt mixed with what looked like dawning realization.

"You want to know what's really pathetic?" Weiss continued, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper that somehow seemed louder than her shouting. "It's that you're so delusional you actually thought you had a chance. Look at yourself, Jaune. Really look. You're a mediocre fighter, a worse strategist, and you got into this academy through fake transcripts. What exactly did you think I would see in you?"

Jaune's hands clenched into fists at his sides, but not in anger—in shame. His shoulders sagged as if her words had physically struck him. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the floor.

When he finally looked up, his blue eyes held none of their usual warmth or determination. They were cold, distant, and somehow older than they had been moments before.

"You're right," he said quietly, his voice barely audible in the silent library. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Weiss. It won't happen again."

He turned and walked away, his usual awkward stumbling replaced by measured, deliberate steps. He didn't look back.

Weiss remained standing by her table, suddenly aware of every pair of eyes in the library focused on her. The satisfaction she had expected to feel at finally getting through to him was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was an odd hollow feeling in her chest, as if something important had just been broken.

She sat back down and opened her textbook, trying to return to her studies, but the words blurred together on the page. Around her, the other students gradually returned to their own work, though she could still feel occasional glances and hear whispered conversations.

"Did you see his face?"

"I've never seen Weiss that angry before."

"Poor guy. He looked like he was about to cry."

Weiss turned a page with more force than necessary, telling herself that she had done what needed to be done. Jaune would finally leave her alone, and she could focus on what really mattered—her studies, her training, her future.

So why did victory taste so bitter?

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of half-read pages and unfocused thoughts. When evening came and Weiss finally returned to her dorm room, she found Ruby bouncing excitedly on her bed, eager to share some story about her latest training session with Crescent Rose.

"And then I managed to combine the scythe swing with a speed boost from my Semblance, and—Weiss? Are you okay? You look kind of... I don't know, upset?"

Weiss hung up her jacket and began organizing her books for the next day's classes. "I'm fine, Ruby. Just tired."

"Are you sure? Because Yang mentioned she heard something happened in the library today with you and—"

"I said I'm fine." Weiss's tone carried enough ice to freeze a lake, and Ruby immediately backed down.

But as Weiss lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling while her teammates slept, she couldn't shake the image of Jaune's face in those final moments—the way his usual bright expression had died completely, replaced by something that looked almost like grief.

She told herself it didn't matter. He had needed to learn that lesson eventually.

So why couldn't she fall asleep?

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The Aftermath

The change in Jaune Arc was subtle but unmistakable to those who knew him well.

He still bounded into the dining hall each morning with his usual "Good morning!" but now his eyes would skip over Weiss entirely, focusing on Ruby, Yang, and Blake with genuine warmth before moving on. He still lingered after Combat Class to discuss techniques and offer encouragement, but only when Weiss wasn't part of the conversation. When she was present, he would pack up his gear with quiet efficiency and leave with nothing more than a polite nod to the group.

It was as if she had become background noise in his world—acknowledged when necessary, ignored when possible.

"Okay, what's going on?" Yang demanded on the third day, sliding her tray down next to Ruby's as she watched Jaune walk past their table without his usual detour to chat. "Jaune just walked right by us. He didn't even ask how Ruby's weapon maintenance went, and he always asks about that."

"Maybe he's just busy?" Ruby suggested, though she looked confused as she watched Jaune take his seat with Team JNPR. "He waved at us yesterday when we passed him in the hall."

"Yeah, but only after you called his name," Blake observed, looking up from her book. "And did you notice he hesitated before coming over? Like he was checking to see who was with us first."

Yang's eyes narrowed as she followed Blake's gaze to where Jaune sat with his teammates. He was laughing at something Nora said, his usual bright energy on full display. "He seems fine over there. So why the weird behavior around us?"

Weiss carefully cut her apple into precise pieces, trying to appear disinterested in the conversation. "Perhaps he's simply matured enough to respect boundaries."

"Boundaries?" Ruby tilted her head. "But he wasn't crossing any boundaries. He was just being friendly. You know, like when he helped me reorganize my weapon cleaning kit, or when he offered to help Blake with her literature homework."

"And he remembered Yang's birthday was coming up last week," Blake added. "Asked if we were planning anything special."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, but now it's like he's... careful around us. Like he's not sure if he's welcome." She paused, studying Weiss's face. "Actually, now that I think about it, he's fine with the rest of us individually. It's only when you're around that he gets all distant and polite."

"That's ridiculous," Weiss said, though her stomach clenched at the observation.

"Is it?" Blake's amber eyes were thoughtful. "Yesterday in the library, he came over to return a book I'd lent him. We talked for maybe ten minutes about the themes and character development. But the moment you walked up to join us, he suddenly remembered he had somewhere else to be."

"And this morning," Ruby added, her voice growing smaller, "I was telling him about the new modifications I made to Crescent Rose, and he was so excited and asking all these questions. But then you joined us, and he just... stopped. Said he had to get to class early and left."

Yang leaned back in her chair, her lilac eyes fixed on Weiss with growing suspicion. "Weiss, what exactly happened between you two?"

Before Weiss could answer, Jaune's laughter rang out from across the dining hall. She couldn't help but glance over and saw him grinning at something Pyrrha had said, his face bright with genuine joy. It was the same expression he used to wear when talking to all of them, but now it seemed reserved for everyone except her.

"Nothing happened," Weiss said quietly. "I simply made it clear that his advances were unwelcome."

"His advances?" Ruby's voice cracked slightly. "You mean like when he brought us all cookies from that bakery in Vale? Or when he helped carry our gear after that really tough training session?"

"Those weren't advances, they were just Jaune being Jaune," Yang said, her voice developing a dangerous edge. "Please tell me you didn't—"

"I told him the truth." Weiss's voice carried that familiar ice, but there was something brittle underneath it. "That his behavior was inappropriate and needed to stop."

Blake closed her book completely, giving Weiss her full attention. "What exactly did you say to him?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge. Around them, the dining hall buzzed with normal conversation, but their table had fallen into an uncomfortable silence. Weiss found herself thinking of Jaune's face in those final moments—how the light had died in his eyes, how his shoulders had sagged as if her words had physically struck him.

"I told him his advances were pathetic and disgusting," she said quietly. "That he was delusional if he thought he had a chance with me."

The silence that followed was deafening. Ruby's face had gone pale, while Yang looked like she was struggling between anger and disbelief. Even Blake's usually composed expression showed shock.

"Weiss," Ruby's voice was small, hurt. "He brought me soup when I was sick with that flu. He helped Yang with her history homework without being asked. He listened to Blake talk about her favorite books for hours. That wasn't him hitting on you—that was him being our friend."

"A friend who happened to have feelings for you," Blake added quietly. "Which, last I checked, isn't a crime."

Yang leaned forward, her voice dangerously quiet. "How public was this conversation?"

Weiss felt her cheeks burn. "We were in the library."

"Gods, Weiss. In front of other students?" When Weiss didn't answer, Yang ran a hand through her hair. "No wonder he's been acting weird. You humiliated him publicly for the crime of... what? Liking you? Being nice to your friends?"

"I was under a lot of stress—"

"So was he!" Ruby's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Do you know how hard it's been for him here? Everyone knows about the fake transcripts, everyone knows he's behind in training, and he still tries so hard to be positive and help everyone else! And you called him pathetic for it?"

Blake's voice was steady but cold. "You need to apologize."

"I'm not going to—"

"Yes, you are." Yang's tone brooked no argument. "Because right now, you're not just hurting Jaune. You're hurting Ruby, who looks up to both of you. You're making our entire teams dynamic weird because he's walking on eggshells around us now. And frankly, you're being the kind of person I never thought you'd be."

Weiss felt something cold settle in her stomach. She looked around the table at her teammates—Ruby's disappointed face, Blake's quiet judgment, Yang's barely contained anger—and realized that her actions had consequences she hadn't considered.

"He still talks to you," she said defensively. "He's not avoiding the team."

"No, but he's definitely avoiding you," Yang replied. "And since our teams are friends, that means he's cautious around all of us. Do you see how he hesitates now before approaching us? How he checks to see if you're there first? That's not the behavior of someone who's moved on—that's someone who's afraid of getting hurt again."

As if summoned by their conversation, Jaune appeared at the edge of their table, but his usual easy approach was replaced by visible hesitation. His eyes swept over the group, lingering briefly on Ruby and Yang before carefully avoiding Weiss entirely.

"Hey," he said, his voice carrying its usual warmth but somehow more restrained. "Ruby, did you get a chance to test those modifications we talked about?"

"Oh! Yeah, they worked great! The recoil compensation is so much better now." Ruby's enthusiasm was tinged with something that sounded like relief at the normal interaction.

"That's awesome. I'd love to hear more about how you—" Jaune's gaze accidentally fell on Weiss, and he immediately stepped back. "Actually, I should let you get back to your lunch. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Jaune, you don't have to—" Ruby started, but he was already walking away with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes.

The table fell silent again, watching him rejoin his teammates. When he sat back down with JNPR, his genuine smile returned, and he was soon laughing at something Nora was saying.

"See?" Yang said quietly. "That's not normal Jaune behavior. Normal Jaune would have sat down uninvited, stolen half of Ruby's cookies, and spent twenty minutes excitedly discussing weapon mechanics while completely ignoring the fact that you were glaring at him."

"I don't glare—"

"You're glaring right now," Blake observed.

Weiss realized she was indeed staring at Jaune's table with an expression that could have frozen the ocean. She forced herself to look away, but the damage was done.

"Fine," she said stiffly. "I'll... I'll speak with him."

"Good," Ruby said, though she still looked upset. "Because I miss having him around. We all do."

But even as Weiss agreed to apologize, she wasn't sure she could follow through. Every time she had seen Jaune over the past few days, she had felt that strange hollowness in her chest grow larger. The way he moved through the halls with quiet purpose instead of his usual enthusiasm, the way his smiles seemed more guarded, the way he had learned to exist in her presence without really acknowledging her at all.

She told herself it was guilt. Simple guilt for being harsher than necessary. Nothing more.

So why did watching him laugh with his teammates while carefully avoiding her make her feel like she had lost something important?

The next few days passed in a blur of Ruby's gentle encouragement and Yang's less-gentle ultimatums. "Maybe you could talk to him after Combat Class?" or "I saw him in the library earlier, studying with Ren..." or "Team JNPR is doing training exercises on the roof if you wanted to..."

Each suggestion was met with Weiss's insistence that she would handle it when the time was right, when she found the right moment, when she figured out what to say. But the truth was, every time she saw Jaune's careful politeness or watched him hesitate before approaching her teammates, the words seemed to die in her throat.

How did you apologize for calling someone's feelings disgusting? How did you take back words that had clearly changed how someone moved through the world?

And why did the thought of his forgiveness suddenly seem so desperately important?

It was Yang who finally forced the issue on Friday afternoon.

"Okay, Ice Queen, time's up," she announced, cornering Weiss after their morning sparring session. "Ruby's been moping for days because the interteam dynamic is weird, Blake's stressed about the tension, and I'm getting tired of watching Jaune treat us like we might bite him if he gets too comfortable."

"Jaune seems fine—"

"Jaune is not fine. He's being polite and careful, which is the opposite of fine for him." Yang crossed her arms. "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to march your pale ass over to wherever he is right now, and you're going to fix this. Today."

Weiss opened her mouth to argue, but the look in Yang's eyes stopped her. It was the same look Yang got when someone threatened the people she cared about—protective, fierce, and absolutely unwilling to compromise.

"Fine," Weiss said, though her stomach churned at the thought. "I'll go find him."

She had no idea that by the time she worked up the courage to approach him, it would already be too late.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 - Part 1: The Apology

Weiss had rehearsed the apology a dozen times as she walked through Beacon's corridors, each version sounding more inadequate than the last. How did you apologize for destroying someone's spirit? How did you take back words that had clearly changed how someone moved through the world?

She had checked the library, the dining hall, and even the training rooms before remembering that Team JNPR's dorm was on the floor above theirs. The walk up the stairs felt like a death march, each step heavier than the last. Ruby's disappointed face flashed in her mind, followed by Yang's ultimatum and Blake's quiet judgment.

She had to make this right. She owed Jaune that much, and she owed it to her team.

The hallway was quiet when she reached JNPR's floor, late afternoon sunlight streaming through the tall windows and casting long shadows across the polished floor. She could hear muffled voices from behind their door—Nora's energetic chatter and Ren's occasional calm responses. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked.

The voices inside quieted, and after a moment, the door opened to reveal Jaune. He looked surprised to see her, but not hostile—just carefully neutral in the way she had become accustomed to over the past week.

"Weiss," he said politely. "Is everything okay? Do you need something?"

The formal tone stung more than she had expected. This was how he spoke to professors or acquaintances, not friends. Not people he had once cared about.

"I..." She faltered, suddenly aware of how public the hallway was. "Could we talk? Privately?"

Jaune hesitated, glancing back into his room where she could see Pyrrha reading on her bed. "Sure. Let me just grab something."

He stepped back into the room briefly, and Weiss heard him say something to his teammates before returning to the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed but not defensively—more like someone trying to maintain a comfortable distance.

"What did you want to talk about?"

The words she had practiced suddenly felt clumsy and insufficient. "I wanted to apologize. For what I said in the library. I was... I was harsher than I should have been."

Jaune was quiet for a long moment, studying her face with those blue eyes that seemed older than they had been two weeks ago. "You don't need to apologize, Weiss."

"Yes, I do. What I said was cruel and—"

"What you said was right." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "I should have gotten the hint earlier. You made it clear you weren't interested, and I kept pushing anyway. That wasn't fair to you."

Weiss blinked in surprise. This wasn't how she had expected the conversation to go. "Jaune, no, that's not—"

"It is, though." He straightened up from the wall, but kept that careful distance between them. "I was so focused on what I wanted that I didn't really consider how uncomfortable I was making you. Ruby helped me see that, actually. She asked me how I would feel if someone kept asking me out after I'd said no, and..." He shrugged. "I realized I'd been kind of selfish."

"You weren't selfish," Weiss said quickly. "You were being kind. Bringing soup when Ruby was sick, offering to help with homework—that wasn't selfish, that was just you being... you."

"Being me got you so frustrated that you had to humiliate me publicly to get me to stop." There was no bitterness in his voice, just resigned acceptance. "I mean, you were stressed about other things too, I'm sure, but I was the one who pushed you to that point."

The casual way he dismissed his own worth made something ache in Weiss's chest. "Jaune, what I said about you being pathetic and disgusting—that was wrong. You're not those things. You're kind and loyal and—"

"It's okay, Weiss." He held up a hand to stop her. "Really. I'm not angry about it anymore. You were honest about how you felt, and I needed to hear it. I just... I needed some time to process it, you know?"

The hallway fell silent except for the distant sounds of other students moving through the building. Weiss felt like she was missing something important, like there was a conversation happening beneath the words they were saying.

"I want things to go back to normal," she said finally. "Between us, I mean. And with the team."

Jaune nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. I know I've been making things weird for you and Ruby and everyone. That wasn't fair either."

"You haven't been making things weird—"

"I have, though. I've been avoiding you, which means I've been cautious around all of you." He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that reminded her of the old Jaune—less guarded, more open. "Look, I can't just flip a switch and go back to how things were before. But I can stop making everyone else uncomfortable because of my own issues."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'll stop avoiding group conversations. I'll sit with you guys at lunch if there's room. I'll be normal and friendly." He paused, meeting her eyes directly for the first time since the library incident. "But I'm going to keep some distance, Weiss. Not because I'm angry, but because I need to. For both of us."

Weiss felt a strange pang at his words, though she couldn't quite identify why. "That's... that's fair, I suppose."

"Good." Jaune straightened up, and for a moment his smile was almost like his old one—warm and genuine, if a bit more reserved. "Actually, wait here for a second. I have something for you."

He disappeared back into his room, leaving Weiss standing alone in the hallway. She could hear muffled conversation from inside—Jaune's voice, then Pyrrha's, though she couldn't make out the words.

When he returned, he was holding a single white lily, its petals perfect and pristine.

"I bought this a few days ago," he said, offering it to her with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I was going to give it to you as like... a peace offering? I know white lilies mean rebirth and new beginnings, and I thought maybe..." He shrugged. "It seemed appropriate."

Weiss took the flower carefully, surprised by the gesture. The lily was beautiful, and clearly fresh—he must have been taking care of it while waiting for the right moment to approach her.

"Jaune, this is lovely, but you didn't need to—"

"I wanted to," he said simply. "Look, I don't want there to be bad blood between us. We're going to be at this school together for years, and our teams work together all the time. I'd rather have a friendly acquaintance than an enemy."

A friendly acquaintance. The words shouldn't have stung, but they did. When had she become someone who would be grateful for Jaune Arc's casual friendship instead of taking it for granted?

"Thank you," she said, holding the lily close. "For the flower, and for... for being more mature about this than I was."

"We all make mistakes," Jaune said with a shrug. "The important thing is learning from them, right?"

Inside the room, Weiss could hear movement—someone getting up from a bed, footsteps moving closer to the door. Jaune glanced back, then looked at her again.

"I should get back. Pyrrha and I were working on some Combat strategies for next week's exercises."

"Of course. I should go too."

They stood there for a moment longer, the conversation feeling both resolved and somehow incomplete. Finally, Jaune gave her a small nod.

"I'll see you around, Weiss. And thanks for... for coming to talk to me. I know it wasn't easy."

He went back into his room, closing the door gently behind him. Weiss stood in the empty hallway for a moment, turning the white lily over in her hands. She had gotten what she came for—an end to the tension, a return to civility, a promise that things would be less awkward for everyone.

So why did she feel like she had lost something instead of gained it?

Inside the JNPR dorm room, Pyrrha Nikos sat on her bed with a book in her lap, though she hadn't turned a page in the last ten minutes. She had heard every word of the conversation through the door, and her heart was beating faster with each passing moment.

She had watched Jaune struggle over the past two weeks, seen him question his own worth and value because of Weiss's cruel words. She had wanted to comfort him, to tell him how wrong Weiss had been, but she had held back—partly out of respect for his need to process things on his own, and partly out of her own cowardice.

But listening to him just now, hearing him speak with such maturity and grace about someone who had hurt him so deeply, only reinforced what she had known for months.

She was completely, utterly in love with Jaune Arc.

And if Weiss Schnee was fool enough to let him go, then Pyrrha wasn't going to make the same mistake.

"Everything okay?" Jaune asked as he came back into the room, settling back down at his desk.

"Fine," Pyrrha said, closing her book and looking at him with new determination. "Actually, Jaune? Could we talk later? After dinner, maybe? There's something I've been wanting to discuss with you."

Jaune looked up from his homework with mild curiosity. "Sure, Pyrrha. Everything alright?"

"Everything's perfect," she said, her heart racing with the decision she had just made. "I just... I think it's time I was honest about something."

Back in Team RWBY's dorm room, Weiss found her teammates scattered around the room in various states of evening relaxation. Ruby was cleaning Crescent Rose with her usual meticulous care, Blake was reading in her bed, and Yang was doing some kind of complicated stretching routine.

"So?" Yang asked without looking up from her position. "How did it go?"

Weiss sat on her own bed, still holding the white lily. "It went... well, I think. We talked. He accepted my apology."

"Really?" Ruby looked up from her weapon, eyes bright with hope. "So things are going to go back to normal?"

"Not exactly." Weiss touched the lily's petals gently. "He said he'd stop avoiding group situations, but he wants to keep some distance between us. Which is... understandable, I suppose."

Blake looked up from her book. "How do you feel about that?"

It was a simple question, but Weiss found herself struggling to answer. How did she feel about Jaune's polite acceptance, his mature forgiveness, his promise to be a friendly acquaintance?

"I feel like I got what I set out for," she said finally.

Yang finally looked at her, something sharp and assessing in her expression. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I was cruel to someone who didn't necessarily deserve it." Weiss lay back on her bed, holding the lily up to catch the light from the window. "He gave me this. Said it was a peace offering."

"That's very sweet of him," Ruby said softly. "White lilies are pretty."

"They mean rebirth and new beginnings," Weiss murmured, remembering Jaune's explanation.

"Sounds like he's trying to start fresh," Blake observed. "That's probably healthy for both of you."

Weiss nodded, though something in her chest felt tight and uncomfortable. She should be relieved. The tension was resolved, her teammates would be happy, and Jaune would stop making things awkward for everyone.

She had gotten exactly what she wanted.

So why did the thought of being Jaune's "friendly acquaintance" make her feel so empty?