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.