Ben Tennyson trudged down the pristine hallways of Beacon Academy, weighed down by two absurdly stuffed bags - one slung precariously over his back and the other clutched in both hands like it contained lead bricks. Which, considering how much alien junk he owned, might not have been far from the truth.

"Can't believe Ozpin didn't send a truck," Ben grumbled under his breath, voice muffled behind the duffel bag nearly smothering his face. "Or a car. Or a Roomba with a sled. Anything." he had to manually carry everything from his home all the way to the courtyard of beacon, one at a time.

He tried to shuffle sideways as a trio of students squealed nearby, one of them holding up a scroll to snap a photo.

"BEN TENNYSON!"

"Is that him? IT'S HIM!"

"Oh my gosh, Ben, what's your skincare routine?!"

Ben tried to smile and nod, but the movement jostled his duffel bag dangerously close to his chin.

"Sorry," he wheezed. "Kinda carrying double my weight in stuff right now. Maybe selfies later when I see you again?"

Another wave of students passed, whispering and giggling, and Ben exhaled through gritted teeth, shifting the bag on his shoulder.

And then came another voice, right from in front of him. One he couldn't see through the wall of luggage blocking his vision.

"Uh, hey, you're Ben Tennyson, right?"

Ben rolled his eyes, then forced a grin even though the bags were slowly sawing his shoulder in half. "Yup. The one and only," he replied through clenched teeth. "And you are?"

"I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

Ben leaned slightly to the side, risking his spinal integrity to peek around the duffel. A lanky blond guy stood awkwardly in front of him, hands at his sides like he wasn't sure what to do with them.

"Nice to meet ya, Jean-"

"Jaune."

"Jaune, right. Sorry. Hard to hear over the sound of my spine collapsing."

Jaune chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, do you want help with that?"

"Nah, I'm good. But thanks anyway." Ben grunted and adjusted the strap digging into his shoulder.

Then, suddenly, the bag in his hand started to rise.

"Hey, I said I was fine-!"

"Yeah, but-oof-oh wow this is heavy!" Jaune staggered backward like he'd just tried to deadlift a baby elephant. His knees buckled slightly as he hugged the bag to his chest.

Ben gave him an incredulous look. "Then maybe you should let me handle it. I was doing fine!"

"Was your spine doing fine?" Jaune asked through gritted teeth, already shuffling backward. "What kind of huntsman just leaves the hero of heroes bending over backwards without lending a hand?"

"I don't need a hand! I need you to give me my stuff back!" Ben barked, turning and almost falling over from the bag still weighing down his back.

But Jaune was already running off down the hallway, the duffel bouncing with every awkward step like it was trying to escape too.

"That's not even the way to my room!" Ben shouted. "Get back here, Jean!"

"JAUNE!"

Ben groaned and broke into a sprint after him, adjusting the remaining bag so it didn't whip him in the face.

Students leapt out of the way as a world-famous superhero and a wannabe knight in shining armor barreled down the corridor, shouting and flailing like toddlers fighting over a toy.

"STOP RUNNING WITH MY STUFF-YOU'RE GONNA BREAK SOMETHING!" Ben yelled.

"Go fearless leader, go!" Nora Valkyrie shouted, watching from her dorm. "RUN LIKE YOU STOLE IT-because you did!"

"I'm helping!" Jaune yelled back over his shoulder, voice cracking.

"YOU'RE REALLY NOT!"

-many moments later-

Ben and jaune stood side by side in Ben's dorm room, staring at the multiple bags filled with stuff,

"See I told you you'd need my help" jaune said cracking his back, as all his carrying bones were sore.

"Well, I appreciate you stealing my bags and all, buh bye" Ben said to jaune. Tho the blonde didn't budge.

"I mean, I already helped you bring your stuff up, might as well help you pack it right?"

Ben sighed, knowing there was no way to get him to leave.

"Fine, fine. I guess you can help me put all this away. Just don't touch anything fragile."

JAUNE quickly started rummaging through one of the bags, taking out the first thing he saw, some kind of... Gauntlet?

"Hey, not that bag, that isn't stuff just any regular guy can handle." Ben said, causing jaune to put the gauntlet back, tho it was still on his mind. It looked kinda cool.

---later that day---

"So! There we were, in the middle of the night-" Nora began, her voice cracking with dramatic flair.

"It was day," Ren interjected from across the table, his tone flat as he cradled a steaming cup of coffee.

Nora ignored him entirely, launching forward like a warrior recalling a great battle. "We were surrounded by Ursai-"

"They were Beowolves," Ren corrected, his eyebrow twitching in silent exasperation.

Nora's eyes sparkled as she gestured wildly. "Dozens of them!" she screamed, leaping to her feet, making the table shake.

"Two of 'em," Ren muttered under his breath, taking a slow sip of coffee.

"But they were no match!" Nora continued, now pacing. "And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Ruby and Pyrrha exchanged worried glances toward Jaune, who was entirely oblivious to the conversation, writing away in a notebook furiously as if nothing mattered. Weiss, unsurprisingly, remained unimpressed, filing her nails with surgical precision. Blake, meanwhile, didn't even look up from her book.

Ren sighed, setting down his coffee cup with a soft clink. "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

Yang leaned back, letting out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "Man... you guys really are legends in your own minds."

Pyrrha, on the other hand, sat quietly beside Jaune, watching him with a tilt of her head and a crease in her brow.

"Jaune, what are you doing?" she asked, peering at the notebook he was furiously scribbling in.

"Homework," he replied quickly, without looking up.

"But we didn't get any homework today."

"Well, uh-"

She leaned over his shoulder and squinted. "Wait a minute... are you doing Cardin's homework?"

"What? Well-I mean yeah, but it's not like that!"

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Jaune, you have to stand up for yourself. Cardin's been bullying you since the first week!"

"That's nonsense," Jaune said, waving her off. "He's not bullying me. I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart."

"Jaune," Pyrrha said firmly. "You can't just be okay with people pushing you around like that."

"Gosh, I said he's not a bully! What even gave you that impression?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she simply pointed behind him.

Jaune turned-and there was Cardin, in all his smug, brutish glory, yanking on the long ears of a faunus girl, taunting her with mocking coos and laughter. Jaune winced.

"Okay... maybe he's just making friendly conversation," he mumbled.

Before Pyrrha could scold him further, a deafening sound rolled through the cafeteria: a rising chorus of voices screaming one name-

"BEN!!"

The cafeteria erupted as dozens of students leapt from their seats, scrolls in hand, clamoring over each other in a frenzy. Jaune turned back just in time to see the front doors nearly collapse under the weight of the incoming mob.

And there he was. Ben Tennyson.

World-famous alien shapeshifter. Superhero, Occasional game show contestant (iykyk)

And currently? Crushed under a wave of excited Beacon students like a pop star who'd walked into a mall. Or like a celebrity at a mall. Or like anyone else at a mall. Malls are crowded as fuck, yes this is a tangent, yes I'm keeping it here cause I think it's funny

Jaune looked back to see that cardin had let go of the faunus girl's ear with a scowl, jaune had a sad look on his face from seeing that.

"Hey guys-whoa, okay-one at a time!" Ben tried to laugh it off as he stumbled backward. "Can't sign all of you, really, slow down! You're stepping on my-HEY, THAT'S MY EAR!"

His hand hovered over the Omnitrix, thumb twitching. He was this close to slamming down on the face of the watch and just working with what he got, until-

WHOOSH.

A swirl of rose petals burst through the chaos, and suddenly the air shifted. In the blink of an eye, Ben was standing beside a lunch table... right next to Jaune.

He blinked rapidly, adjusting to his sudden teleportation. "Whoa. Okay. I think I left my dignity back there."

Ruby Rose grinned from ear to ear, standing beside him like she'd just carried a princess out of a burning tower.

"Thank you, Ruby," Ben breathed out. "Seriously. That was a lot."

Ruby didn't respond. She was just staring at him. Glazed eyes. Slight blush. Scroll already recording.

"Right," Ben muttered, sitting down. "Still better than the crowd."

Unfortunately, the crowd had eyes.

Didn't really take them too long to see Ben.

And like hungry Grimm following a trail of negative emotions, the fan pack started toward their table - slow, deliberate, and terrifyingly unified.

Ben's expression flattened. "Oh no."

Before he could be devoured again, Jaune scooted closer with a half-smirk.

"Hey ladies," he said, throwing an arm behind Ben like they were best buds. "Tennyson's a bit busy at the moment. How about you take my autograph instead?"

Instantly-instantly-every girl in the approaching crowd recoiled like they'd been hit with a wave of vomit.

One girl actually gagged. Another whispered, "Did... did he say autograph?" And they all collectively turned away, fleeing in disgusted retreat.

Jaune watched them retreating, with a look on his face that can only be described as that of a kicked puppy's

Ben blinked. "Huh."

"...Thanks for the help, Jean."

"Jaune."

"Right."

Ben looked around the table now that the flood had mostly cleared. A few guys still hovered nearby, snapping pictures and whispering to each other, but they were manageable.

Across from him, he spotted a few familiar and unfamiliar faces. Jaune, of course. Ruby, still starry-eyed. Then-

Oh.

A tall blonde girl was giving Ruby a look, That had to be her sister. And next to her, a white-haired girl giving Ben the stink eye. Beside her, a black-haired girl peeking over her book with a disapproving eyebrow.

And on the other side of the table...

"Huh," he said with surprise. "Pyrrha Nikos, long time no see."

Pyrrha - graceful as ever - looked up from her drink, her green eyes lighting up in recognition. She offered a warm, polite smile that carried more than just courtesy.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you again, Ben."

Jaune nearly bit down on his pen "Wait! You two know each other?"

Ben turned to him with a grin. "Of course we do. I was at the stadium for her first regional tournament."

Pyrrha nodded with pride "Don't forget we also appeared side by side in more than one Pumpkin Pete's commercial. Unfortunately, they're still not very good for you."

"They're not very good in general," Ben added with a smirk.

Ben took a bite of his apple just as his eyes caught the notebook sitting next to Jaune.

It was clearly filled with rushed handwriting, smudged eraser marks, and a level of confusion that could only be described as "academic panic."

"Huh." Ben pointed with the apple. "Didn't peg you as the type to do homework on your lunch break."

Jaune flinched. "Well, uh-"

"It's not his, he's-" Pyrrha began, but was cut off by Jaune frantically slamming a piece of paper across her mouth.

"I'm helping someone out with their homework!" Jaune said quickly, smiling way too hard. "Because I'm a stand-up guy. Big heart. Real humanitarian. So, yeah. Nothing shady going on here."

Ben stared at him.

Long, hard stare.

He slowly turned his head to Ruby, silently asking for confirmation.

Ruby, bless her pure heart, didn't even hesitate.

"Jaune's getting bullied by that jerk over there," she said, jabbing her thumb in Cardin Winchester's direction with a scowl.

"WHAT?!" Jaune screeched, going pale. "Ruby!"

He waved his hands frantically. "Come on, you guys, I'm not being bullied! Cardin's a real stand-up guy once you get to know him. Very misunderstood. Like... a cactus!"

Ben's brow rose. "A cactus?"

"Yeah! Like, prickly at first, but deep down he holds water! Friendship water!"

Everyone stared at Jaune.

Even Nora, who had just finished chugging a soda, slowly set it down like she couldn't follow that logic.

"...Okay," Ben said finally, a skeptical smile on his lips. "Sure. Whatever you say, buddy."

Jaune gave a sheepish thumbs-up, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Ben went back to his apple. The table relaxed. Pyrrha wiped her face off with a napkin.

But Jaune? Jaune glanced down at the notebook... only to realize it was gone.

His eyes widened. "Wait-where's the-? Did anyone see my-? Oh no."

Across the cafeteria, Cardin and his cronies sat at their own table. Laughing. Loudly. Cardin had a dumb magazine open in his lap and was lazily flipping through it while eating a burger.

"I hear Tennyson's not coming on that field trip to the forever falls" one of Cardin's goons explained to him

"Hmph, thank god, I can't wait" the jock was smiling from ear to ear like this was his most anticipated event

That is, until something solid and heavy flew across the cafeteria and smacked Cardin in the back of the head.

THUNK.

The notebook, hurled with precise accuracy, hit him square in the skull and tumbled to the floor.

The table went silent.

Cardin sat there, burger paused halfway to his mouth, eyes narrowing.

He turned his head slowly, scanning the room to see which idiot thought it was a good idea to assault him, of all people and not get a major... Butt.. whooping.

His gaze locked onto Ben's, no one else noticed, but the look on Ben's face? That was more than enough to snap the common sense back into someone.

Cardin turned back around, and went right back to eating his burger, he didn't speak, he didn't turn back, he didn't even think about it.

"Oop, sorry jean you're notebook fell" ben said to him

"Jaune"

-The next day-

Jaune trudged down the hallway of Beacon Academy, shoulders sagging, backpack crooked from the way it always tried to slide off his arm. He wasn't having a bad day exactly, just an aggressively mediocre one. He glanced up mid-step, spotting someone ahead.

Just casually walking down the hall like any other normal person.

Jaune puffed his chest up slightly. Not in an obvious way, just... enough to not look like he slouched all the time. He nodded slightly as he passed him.

Then a blur of motion rushed past him.

"Oh hey, can I help you, ma'am-WHA-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jaune was violently shoulder-checked by a girl sprinting with a notebook in hand. She didn't even look his way. He flailed slightly and stumbled into a nearby wall, nearly dropping his scroll.

The girl made a direct beeline for Ben.

"BEN TENNYSON! Oh my gosh, can I get your autograph?! You were totally amazing in that video where you turned into swampy alien and lifted that bus"

Ben blinked. "Uh... sure, yeah."

As Ben signed the notebook, Jaune peeled himself off the wall, rubbing his ribs. He muttered to himself, "Yeah... no problem. Happy to help."

The day after that-

Jaune looked down at the floor, seriously regretting being in the area when the bigger jock had an idea.

tape. His arms, legs, and most insultingly, his nose had been wrapped up and stuck to the ceiling like a horrible, Jaune-shaped decoration.

Apparently Cardin wanted to see how many feet of tape it would take to fasten a man to the ceiling, either that or they just wanted to put him on the ceiling.

Either way, they got what they wanted, and now jaune couldn't move in the slightest

"help!" he screamed, or tried to, but it came out more like "MMPHGH!" thanks to a piece of tape across his mouth.

The door opened.

Nora Valkyrie waltzed in, humming to herself, a massive plate of pancakes in her hands. She didn't even look up. She flopped backwards onto her bed, the mattress squeaking in protest, and let out a sigh of bliss as she began to dig in with closed eyes.

"Mmmmmm... syrupy..."

Jaune squirmed against the tape, trying to signal her with a frantic wobble. She didn't notice. She was somewhere between Nirvana and a sugar coma.

Jaune let his head drop back down, or up? with a heavy, muffled sigh.

He was not getting down anytime soon.

-The next day after that-

He was still sore from the duct tape incident. Bits of it were still stuck in his hair despite Pyrrha's best attempts to help. He was just glad no one else had seen it.

He stepped out into the main courtyard when two unfamiliar students approached him. They looked like first-years from another team. Tall, enthusiastic, and smiling.

Hope sparked in his chest. This was his chance to make friends who weren't pretty much obligated to be friends with him

"Hey, you're Jaune, right?"

He straightened up a bit, trying to look casual but approachable. "Yeah! Yeah, that's me."

"Oh cool," said the first guy, slapping his friend's chest like they'd won a bet. "So you are the guy who's friends with Ben Tennyson!"

Jaune blinked.

"Oh," the other one chimed in, "Do you think you could get us his autograph? Maybe a pic with that fire alien? What's his name again? Dinosaurus?"

"Hunongusour," Jaune corrected automatically, then winced.

The two beamed. "See? He is a fan!"

Jaune forced a smile. "Yeah, of course. I'll... totally get that for you."

And the day after that-

Boxes of water bottles in hand, Jaune was hauling butt down the Beacon hallway, trying not to drop anything. His arms were shaking under the weight.

Next to him, carrying the bottles with just a little bit less difficulty was Ben, though you couldn't tell he was putting in effort since he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Dude," Ben said, kinda annoyed by this point , "how many times do I have to tell you? I don't need help."

"Yeah, well," Jaune grunted, "I actually go to class, so I feel like I should be the one carrying them."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "But the teacher asked me, not you."

"Well maybe she thought I was busy being a student"

Ben looked at him incredulously. "You're mad because I got picked to carry water?"

"No! I'm mad because-" Jaune cut off as he nearly tripped over the edge of the carpet. He huffed and kept going.

They reached the central hallway. Other students moved aside to let them pass - mostly out of awe for Ben. Jaune caught a few glances of admiration thrown his way too, but he knew who they were really looking at.

And that's when it happened.

Cardin Winchester.

Standing next to his usual goons, arms crossed, smirking.

Jaune tried to ignore him. He was almost past. Just a few steps more.

Snag.

Cardin's leg slid out casually, hooking under Jaune's ankle. Jaune's eyes widened.

"Whoa-!"

He crashed to the ground, water bottles bursting open like firecrackers, water exploding across the hallway tiles. One rolled down the hall, bumping into a pillar.

Ben stopped and turned around, confused. "Aww, man," he groaned, walking over. "This is exactly why you should've just let me carry it."

Jaune groaned, face still pressed to the wet floor.

"Mmf mf muf muf mf mmmf mmf"

"What's that? Sorry I don't speak drowning."

-much later-

"So... explain to me what happened again?"

The words hung like a guillotine in the air as Glynda Goodwitch, eyes sharp as ice and twice as cold, stared down the two boys seated in front of her desk. Her fingers were steepled together, elbows resting on the neatly stacked files beside her riding crop.

Jaune Arc shifted uncomfortably in his seat, posture stiff, hands clutched nervously in his lap. Next to him sat Cardin Winchester, lounging just a little too casually, as if this were a coffee break rather than an interrogation.

Cardin adjusted his collar and gave his most innocent grin. "Well, you see, Miss Goodwitch, what happened was... my good friend Jaune and I were playing a little game of baseball on the field-nothing serious, just a friendly match-and, uh, after he lost, he got real mad and, well..."

Jaune glanced at him, expression already going pale.

"...he chucked his bat at the nearest thing in a rage. And wouldn't you know it?" Cardin slapped his thigh like it was a comedy punchline. "That 'nearest thing' just happened to be Mr. Oobleck's car windshield. Boom. Shattered."

Glynda didn't blink. She slowly turned her head toward Jaune, the air in the room seemingly dropping ten degrees.

"Mr. Arc," she said with ice in her voice. "Is that true?"

Jaune swallowed hard, brain stalling like a half-broken engine. He could tell the truth. But that would probably make things worse. He glanced at Cardin.

Cardin returned his glance with a smirk. Not helpful. Not even a little. Just that patented "I win" face he always wore when someone else took the fall.

"W-Well, uh... yeah. I guess," Jaune mumbled. "I'm just, you know... a sore loser?"

Glynda narrowed her eyes. "Hmm. And the bruises?"

Jaune blinked. "The what now?"

She gestured vaguely toward him. Jaune glanced down at his own arms, subtly covered in small scrapes and faint purple splotches, the telltale aftermath of getting tossed into lockers and stairwells.

"Oh. Those."

Glynda raised a single brow. "Yes. Those."

"I, uh-" he floundered. "I got them from... pull-ups! Yeah. Been working out. You know. Trying to get swole."

She gave him the kind of look normally reserved for misbehaving first-years caught breaking curfew.

"...Pull-ups," she repeated.

He nodded too quickly.

She sighed deeply, a hand rubbing her temple. "Well, if that is truly the case, Mr. Arc, normally I'd have you pay for the damages and revoke your participation in the upcoming field trip to Forever Fall."

Jaune held his breath.

"But," she continued, "since your record is mostly clean... and this particular offense-while idiotic-is not entirely catastrophic, I'll reduce the punishment. You will only need to pay for Dr. Oobleck's windshield repair."

Jaune exhaled in relief... right up until she added:

"That will be 1,500 lien."

His jaw dropped. "B-But I don't have 1,500 lien! That's, like, my whole allowance for the semester!"

Glynda gave him a flat look. "You should have considered that before you chose to lash out in such a destructive manner."

"I didn't lash-" Jaune caught himself. "I mean. Right. Yes, ma'am. Totally fair."

"You have until the end of the day to gather the funds," she said, rising from her chair in dismissal. "Otherwise, you will be assigned detention for one month. Every. Single. Evening."

Jaune's spine stiffened. "Understood."

"Dismissed."

Jaune stood and gave a quick, awkward bow before practically fleeing the office with Cardin. As they stepped into the hallway, he could already feel the smug energy radiating off Cardin like a heater.

"So," Cardin said cheerfully, hands in his pockets. "About that money. You should probably start scraping under vending machines."

Cardin opened his mouth to say more, but then-he stopped. Like a criminal who'd just spotted the cop on patrol.

Walking toward them was Ben Tennyson, as relaxed and confident as ever, hands behind his head, eyes scanning the hall. The moment Cardin spotted him, he immediately picked up his pace, walking right past Ben like he didn't exist.

Jaune watched in silent disbelief as Cardin-Cardin the Invincible, Cardin the Loudmouth-wilted under Ben's presence. Not even a glare. Just avoidance. Like a roach scuttling away from a light.

Ben paused when he saw Jaune, giving a curious glance.

"What'd you do to be coming out of Glynda's office?" he asked casually.

Jaune looked at the ground, scratching the back of his head. "I broke a windshield with push up- I mean, I threw a bat. At a windshield."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "...You threw a bat at a car?"

"Well no-I mean yes, but only because-look, Cardin broke it, but I'm a good guy, so I decided to take the fall. Y'know, like a hero."

Ben squinted at him, unconvinced. "Dude. That's totally not cool. You gotta stand up for yourself."

Easy for you to say.

"Huh?" Ben tilted his head. "What was that?"

Jaune blinked. "What was what?"

Ben narrowed his eyes slightly, then shrugged. "Must've been my imagination. Anyway, don't sweat it, Jaune. Whatever your punishment is, I can help get the heat off you."

Jaune blinked again, caught off-guard. "Oh. Yay."

His voice lacked any real enthusiasm.

"I guess I should've assumed you celebrities just carry thousands of lien on you for fun."

Ben barked a laugh. "Oh, brothers, no. I'm way too broke for that."

Jaune's hope flickered and died.

"But!" Ben pointed two finger-guns at Jaune. "I do have a winning smile. And no one-no one-can say no to this. Plus she Is my aunt, so."

With that, Ben turned on his heel and strutted right back into Glynda's office like he owned the place.

Jaune stood there in the hallway, frowning, watching the door close behind him.

---

Jaune made it to his dorm, dragging his feet like they weighed a hundred pounds each.

His limbs ached from humiliation, his pride was in tatters, and he still hadn't figured out how to scrounge up 1,500 lien before nightfall. At this point, he just wanted to crawl into his bed and pretend the day never happened.

But as he stepped through the door, he stopped dead in his tracks.

All three of his teammates were there-Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren-lined up like a firing squad, standing with arms crossed and faces deadly serious. They said nothing. Just... stared.

"...What?" Jaune said, shifting uncomfortably. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

No answer.

He scratched his head. "Do I have something on my face?"

Still nothing.

"...Okay, you guys are really freaking me out right now."

Finally, Pyrrha stepped forward, arms folded tightly across her chest. "Jaune, we need to talk."

He blinked. "Wait, wait, wait... Is this-?" He gave a nervous laugh, gesturing at all of them. "Is this an intervention?"

Pyrrha didn't blink. "Yes."

"Oh come on..."

"Jaune," she said gently but firmly, stepping closer, "Cardin has been bullying you and forcing you to do things for him almost since the school year started. And you've done nothing about it."

"That's not-!"

"You won't even let us help you," ren added, cutting him off. "You're acting like it's some sin to be helped, You keep shrugging it off. But we see it, Jaune."

"I really don't feel like doing this right now," he muttered, trying to walk around them toward his bed.

Nora blocked his path like a bouncy pink wall. "It's not 'too unmanly' to ask someone for help, fearless leader. Everyone needs a bit of help every now and again."

Pyrrha nodded, her voice calm but firm. "You're not a loser for admitting something's wrong."

"Yeah, fearless leader, I'd gladly break his legs for you," Nora chimed in with a grin and a pop of her knuckles.

Both boys snapped in unison.

"Nora, no!"

But what came next was the real shocker.

"Actually," Pyrrha said, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "that's... a great idea."

Everyone's heads whipped toward her like a flock of startled birds.

"It is!?" Jaune sputtered, eyes wide.

Ren's mouth actually fell open.

"Of course not what Nora said," Pyrrha clarified quickly, waving her hands. "No broken legs. But... Jaune. Follow me."

She turned and strode out of the room, not waiting for him to respond.

Jaune looked around helplessly. "What is even happening right now?"

"Go," Ren said quietly. "It'll help."

"Yeah," Nora added. "She might not break your legs."

Jaune gulped but followed Pyrrha.

The walk to the roof was silent.

She didn't say a word, and Jaune, still sore, still confused, just trailed after her like a sheep being led somewhere between therapy and execution.

When they finally stepped out into the open air, the breeze hit them. The sun was starting to dip, casting gold and crimson across the sky. Jaune squinted and said, "Jeez, Pyrrha... I know you think I'm bummed or something, but don't you think this is a little too far?"

Pyrrha looked at him in genuine confusion. "Too far?"

Her eyes widened in horror, realizing the implications. "Wha-? NO! No no no no no!" She waved her arms furiously. "This is nothing like that!"

Jaune gave a breathy chuckle. "Then why'd you call me up here? To enjoy the view?"

"No," she said. Then, without further delay, she reached behind her and pulled out her Milō and Akuō, snapping Milō into its spear form with a shunk that echoed in the wind.

"Fight me."

Jaune blinked. "Wait. What."

"Fight me," she repeated, stepping back and planting her feet.

"You want me to do what?" Jaune questioned

"Fight me, throw any attack you can at me, If you can hit me once then the flights over" she explained

"But... Why? "

"Consider this training, so that eventually you'll be able to defend yourself against Cardin if the need were to ever arise"

The sun sat low on the horizon, casting long golden shadows across the rooftop. Wind tugged gently at the red sash tied around Pyrrha's waist, and her crimson hair fluttered behind her like a war banner. Jaune stood across from her, shield tight in his grip, sword heavy in his hand, his armor clinking ever so slightly as he fidgeted in place.

"Any attack I want?" he asked again, just to be sure.

"Anything. If you can land even one hit on me," Pyrrha said, twirling her spear casually, "then you win."

"Okay..." Jaune muttered, lifting his sword with all the grace of a guy who barely knew which end was pointy.

Then he charged.

His boots clattered across the rooftop, sword raised above his head like a club. Pyrrha didn't move. She didn't even blink.

With one fluid step, she sidestepped him so effortlessly it felt like the wind had pushed her out of his path. Jaune stumbled past her, caught his balance, spun around, and tried to swing at her side.

Clang!

Pyrrha's shield met his sword with a flash of sparks. She hadn't even turned to face him-she'd just raised her arm behind her and caught the hit without looking.

"You're too tense in the shoulders," she said, finally facing him again. "And you're telegraphing your swings. Anyone with a bit of training would see that a mile away."

Jaune grunted and attacked again, more slashes, quicker this time. Pyrrha leaned, ducked, deflected, countered-not to hit him, but to knock him off-balance each time. It was less of a fight and more of a demonstration. Like watching a tornado try to punch a leaf.

"Widen your stance. Keep your balance," she instructed gently, sidestepping another wild swing. "You're strong, Jaune. But you fight like you're afraid of being hit."

"I am afraid of being hit!" Jaune snapped, exasperated.

"Well stop," Pyrrha said, parrying his next strike and giving him a light push with her shield, sending him stumbling again. "You're stronger than you think jaune. Trust that strength."

Jaune roared and came at her again with a horizontal slash. She ducked beneath it so fast he barely saw her move. He swung backhanded, then tried to go for a stab. Pyrrha spun behind him and tapped the back of his head with the blunt end of her spear.

"Dead," she said.

Jaune growled, turned, and swung wildly again. She blocked with the shaft of her spear, disarmed him in a single motion, then kicked his shield just hard enough to knock him back.

"You're inflexible. You're not adapting."

"I am adapting. What exactly are you talking about!"

"No, you're not, you're clearly aware of the flaws in your stance, yet you don't make a move to change it"

"What exactly can I do then huh?! It's not like I'm a genius like you or Ben or ruby, how do you expect me to just do that?"

They circled each other for a moment. Jaune retrieved his sword, breathing hard, sweat already trickling down his face.

"I expect you to at the very least try"

"I don't get it," he said between gasps. "You know I stink, so why did you even bother training me. You know I'm bad at this"

"No," Pyrrha said calmly. "i know that rigid style of fighting. It's not really something you can just change on the fly, it takes some serious challenge to really gain the ability to fix your flaws."

Jaune heard what she said, and while it was quite the speech, it didn't inspireych confidence in him. But he ran at her again anyway.

He feinted high and swung low. Pyrrha jumped over the attack and landed so lightly it was like she was dancing.

He went for a shield bash.

She leaned left, then pivoted and smacked the side of his shield with her spear. He stumbled and hit the ground.

Again.

After what felt like the twentieth fall in ten minutes, Jaune just stayed there, lying on the rooftop, sword flat beside him.

"I don't get it," he groaned. "How are you this good?"

Pyrrha smiled and offered a hand, helping him up.

"You've got good instincts," she said.

Jaune gave her a flat look.

"No, really," she insisted. "Your form is improving. You're adapting. You think before you swing now. And you're keeping your shield up more often. That's good."

"Yeah, but I still haven't hit you once," Jaune muttered.

Pyrrha giggled. "Neither has most of the school."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I'm serious, not many fighters have really had the capacity to land hits on me"

"Come on jaune, you made it into beacon you can certainly put up a better fight than that." This got jaune's eyes to widen before he got back up.

He charged at her

He lunged, no hesitation, and began to attack with a mix of focused strikes and raw fury. He swung low, high, spun, jabbed, slashed, everything he could throw at her.

She parried each one.

But he kept going.

Sweat poured from Jaune's brow. His arms ached. His shield rang with each blocked strike, and his feet scraped across the rooftop as he fought desperately against Pyrrha's momentum.

She hadn't let up-not to be cruel, but to test him. To push him. And for a moment, Jaune thought maybe-just maybe-he was finally getting somewhere.

Then, one well-placed dodge from Pyrrha sent him stumbling past her, balance lost in an instant. His foot caught the lip of the rooftop's edge.

Whump.

Jaune tasted dirt. Again.

He groaned and didn't get up.

Not this time.

Not right away.

His sword clattered a few feet away. His shield lay on its side, its painted crest scratched and dull.

Pyrrha walked over, the sunlight behind her casting a soft halo around her form. She sat down beside him, resting Miló and Akuō on the ground.

"You did well," she said gently, her voice like warm tea after a bitter night.

"You don't have to lie to me, y'know," Jaune muttered, not even bothering to lift his head.

"I'm not lying. You're very impressive... for a novice."

Jaune scoffed into the concrete, but eventually sat up, rubbing the dirt from his face. Together, they watched the sun sink toward the horizon, casting long amber streaks across the Beacon campus.

"You know," Pyrrha said after a moment, brushing hair from her eyes, "Ruby told me about your sword and shield-how they're heirlooms. I'd like to hear more about your family. If you're willing to tell me."

There was a light blush on her cheeks, one she hoped he wouldn't notice. He didn't.

"Well, I mean, there's not much to tell," Jaune said with a small shrug. "My great-great-grandfather fought in the war, my great-grandad was a Huntsman, then it just kinda kept going down the line."

Pyrrha's eyes widened with admiration. "So you're from a family of great Huntsmen?"

"Uh... well," he rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. "I wouldn't say great. I mean-there's me."

"Don't sell yourself short. You managed to get into Beacon. That's not something just anyone can do."

Jaune gulped. He didn't say anything.

Silence lingered between them-peaceful, but fragile. Only the wind and distant sounds of the campus below filled the space.

Jaune looked down at his scraped hands. "I dunno," he said quietly. "Sometimes I think I just got lucky."

Pyrrha tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"

He hesitated. "I mean, when you look at people like you, or Ruby, or... y'know. Him... People who are really built for this life. Sometimes it's hard not to feel like you're just tagging along."

"Him?" Pyrrha repeated.

"Ben," Jaune muttered.

Pyrrha's expression softened. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not a tagalong to anyone. You've worked hard to get where you are now-"

"No I haven't!" Jaune snapped, startling her. He stood up suddenly, fists clenched at his sides. "Ben is a hero. An actual hero who puts everything on the line every day. And here I am, a loser, standing in the same room as a genuine hero!"

"Jaune-"

"You don't get it, Pyrrha!" he shouted, turning to face her. "When Ben's around, even the weakest people feel strong. He just exists and Cardin backs down. He makes bullies afraid, he makes bad guys afraid, he's perfect! And I-!" He gritted his teeth. "I want to be like that. I try. But I can't even stand up to a guy like Cardin. And I hate it."

Pyrrha stood slowly, her voice low but firm. "Jaune, you shouldn't compare yourself to anyone. Yes, maybe you're not as strong as him now, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be here."

"NO, I DON'T, PYRRHA!"

The rooftop went dead silent.

"I'm a fraud. I don't deserve to be here. I cheated my way in."

Her eyes widened. "Wha-what do you mean?"

Jaune exhaled hard through his nose, voice thick with guilt and frustration. "I mean I didn't go to combat school. I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" He looked away. "I lied. I got my hands on some fake transcripts. And I lied."

There was a pause. Pyrrha didn't speak.

He went on, his words tumbling like a dam had broken.

"Because this-this is all I've ever wanted to be. My father. My grandfather. His father. They were all warriors. They were all heroes. And I wanted to be one, too. I just... I wasn't good enough. So I cheated. Because I had to be here. I had to try."

Pyrrha stepped toward him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder once again. Her voice trembled with quiet sincerity. "Then let me help you."

Jaune jerked away from her touch, eyes burning.

"I don't want help!" he shouted. "I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I don't want to be the guy who always has to be rescued, who hides behind people stronger than him! I don't want to be a loser! I want to be the hero!"

His voice cracked on the last word.

Then, quieter: "Just... leave me alone. Okay?"

Pyrrha stared at him for a long moment. Her mouth opened slightly, like she wanted to say something-anything. But all that came out was a faint sigh.

"i can't help but notice you didn't take my advice... You're extremely inflexible"

Her footsteps echoed softly as she walked away, fading with distance. Jaune didn't look up. Didn't turn around.

He stared at his hands again.

Dirty. Bruised. Shaking.

Is this really what a hero's hands look like?

He paced in tight circles, jaw clenched so tightly it ached. The sun dipped below the horizon, shadows swallowing the rooftop. He tried to push down the anger, the shame-but it bubbled over anyway.

And then...

A laugh.

Not friendly. Not warm.

Mocking.

It slithered out from the darkness behind him like smoke.

"Wow, you're even more pathetic than I thought you were."

Jaune's blood ran cold. He turned.

From the rooftop door's shadow, a familiar figure stepped out, arms crossed, a smirk spread across his face.

Cardin Winchester.

"Well, well, Arc," he sneered, the word like poison. "Didn't know you had it in you. Getting all emotional on the roof like you matter"

Jaune didn't respond. He just stared.

"You cheated your way into Beacon?" Cardin repeated mockingly. "That's rich. Wow. And here I was, thinking you were just a loser. Turns out you're a loser and a fraud."

Jaune took a step back, fear creeping up his spine like ice.

"It'd sure be a shame if this information got leaked to say... the entire school, wouldn't it?" Cardin grinned smugly, leaning in just close enough to make Jaune squirm.

Jaune's shoulders slumped. "What do you want, Cardin?"

Cardin crossed his arms, pacing lazily. "I want you... to get something. Anything on that Tennyson brat."

"...Why?"

"Don't act like you don't know why. That guy's been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since he got here. The teachers love him, the girls really love him, and even the guys that used to hang around me are starting to cheer for him. And now? Now I've got you, right where I want you. So no backup from your little team of losers. No one to cover for you this time."

Jaune looked down at the floor, the weight of the situation crushing him. He didn't want to do this. But he knew Cardin would make his life a living hell if he didn't. Worse, he could make his team's life hell.

"...Sigh... what do you want me to do?"

Later that night...

Jaune silently climbed through the window of Ben Tennyson's dorm room, every creak of the frame making his heart jump into his throat. He was sweating bullets. This was a terrible idea-like top ten worst ideas of his life bad. But here he was, tiptoeing through a celebrity superhero's room like some kind of two-bit thief in a bad spy movie.

"Just get in, find something, get out," he muttered under his breath, carefully opening one of Ben's drawers.

Clothes. Just clothes. Normal, boring clothes. No top-secret alien tech, no schematics, no gadgets. Nothing remotely suspicious.

Jaune grumbled internally. Why couldn't Ben have let him help move the tech stuff earlier that week? It would've made this so much easier. Instead, Ben had just given him the cold shoulder, brushed him off like some clueless fanboy.

He kept searching, moving carefully. Desk? Nope. Closet? Empty. He even peeked behind a poster on the wall-nothing.

Then he heard it.

A yawn.

Jaune froze.

Ben stirred in bed, rubbing his eyes and groggily pushing himself upright. "Man, what's gotten into me? I don't usually sleep this long..." he mumbled, dragging himself off the bed and stumbling toward the hallway, probably headed for the bathroom.

Jaune was under the bed before Ben's feet even touched the ground. He didn't even breathe until the door clicked shut.

Holy crap... that was close.

He stayed there for a moment, letting his heart rate slow. That's when he noticed something weird. The underside of the bed-there was a panel that looked... off. Like it wasn't part of the original frame. His curiosity got the better of him.

Gently, carefully, Jaune reached up and tugged at the panel. To his surprise, it slid loose with a soft click.

"...So this is where he keeps them..." Jaune whispered.

Inside was a cache of tech gear-sleek devices, small tools, glowing crystals, things Jaune couldn't even begin to name. But what immediately drew his attention were two things: a strange-looking glove he'd seen Ben tinkering with a few days ago, and a massive, heavy-looking axe with a glowing head that radiated power.

"...Okay, this is something Cardin will care about," Jaune whispered as he carefully pulled out the axe, then the glove, then a few other gadgets that looked vaguely valuable.

Once everything was out, he quietly sealed the hidden compartment and slid out from under the bed. He winced as the floor creaked underfoot, but Ben didn't return. Lucky.

He moved fast, hugging the items close as he made his way out the window and back through the halls. Every shadow made him jump. Every sound made his stomach churn. All he wanted was to get this over with.

Finally, he reached Team CRDL's room and knocked lightly.

The door opened and Cardin raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Looks like you're not as incompetent as I thought you were."

He motioned for his goons to take the gear from Jaune's arms. Sky, Russel, and Dove eagerly grabbed the stuff, bringing it to Cardin's desk.

Cardin picked up the axe first, nodding in approval. "Damn... this thing's legit. He's an even bigger idiot than I thought, just leaving this stuff in his dorm."

Then Cardin picked up the glove.

His expression soured.

"...Seriously? Out of all the crap you could've taken, you grabbed a glove?"

Jaune shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I mean, I-"

"Who do you think is gonna use this, Power Glove?"

"I just thought-"

Cardin sneered. "My god, you're so useless."

With that, he tossed the glove to the floor at Jaune's feet.

"Get outta here. You loser"

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the glove and left, fast-walking back to his dorm like a kicked puppy. He just wanted to forget all of this ever happened.

Later...

Everyone was asleep by the time he returned. Good. He snuck back into the room, slipped under his covers, and just laid there. Cold. Regretful. Disgusted with himself.

Why didn't I fight back? Why didn't I say anything? Why do I keep letting people walk all over me?

He clutched the glove in his hands, not even realizing he'd kept it on. He was too ashamed to put it back. Too scared to face Ben. Too tired to cry again. And yet... the tears came anyway.

Silent, hot, and bitter.

He lay there in the darkness, the weight of his guilt heavier than the glove on his hand. The room was quiet, but inside Jaune's chest was a storm of self-loathing, fear, and a sick feeling that this was only the beginning.

Eventually, exhaustion claimed him.

Still wearing the gauntlet, Jaune drifted off into a deep, restless sleep... not realizing that the glove had begun to glow. Just faintly.