Chapter-13

It was easy to lose yourself in a fight.

That was one of the very first things Pyrrha ever told him when she decided to train him, after Jaune saved Cardin's life and swallowed his pride enough to ask for help. At the time, he hadn't really understood what his partner meant. While he had been in a couple of fights at that point, he had never once felt like he lost himself, or that he was in danger of doing such a thing. He was too busy being scared, getting pummeled and humiliated, or desperately trying to act brave as he swung his sword that he didn't have time for anything else. She had been adamant, however – and Jaune, completely new to fighting, wasn't going to argue with a four time regional fighting champion.

As he fought more and more, against people, against Grimm, he had begun to understand exactly what she meant. When your blood was up, adrenaline high and sword singing, it was very easy to disregard anything else but the enemy standing across from you as unimportant. In an arena setting, in a fair contest, perhaps it didn't matter quite as much. One on one, defeat your opponent, win the match. But out in the world where things were much more unpredictable, where things were not fair, getting tunnel vision could be the difference between life and death. Pyrrha may have been a tournament fighter but that wasn't a handicap. She knew all about fighting ' for real' as some ignorant people liked to put it, in an attempt to lessen her prowess and skill. And fighting for real is what Pyrrha had been training him for.

If there was one person among their friend group who perhaps knew that better than anyone else, it was Yang. She had charged in, heedless of the danger, consumed by rage and a burning desire for vengeance – and in the end, for her folly, she had lost her hand. She had lost herself in the moment, could see nothing else but the man who dared harm her partner and for that, she had paid the price. If she had just stopped and thought, recognized the danger and proceeded accordingly, things may have turned out different.

It was always a struggle, not to become consumed in the moment. As Crocea Mors flashed out and carved through Grimm flesh, Jaune kept reminding himself that his job was only just beginning, that the fight was not over, and to keep moving. That what he saw with his eyes wasn't the entire picture, that he needed to stay level headed – his friends, the city of Mantle and Atlas was depending on him.

He would not fail.

He could not fail.

His blood roared for him to charge further in, to do as much damage to their ranks as possible, but his mind was in complete control. Slaying another Grimm with a well placed strike, he retreated, bringing his shield up. The twin moons ignited with fire, a stream pouring from the face. Any Grimm attempting to charge were halted, some with shrieks of pain, others in fear of being engulfed like their brethren. When several more tried to flank him, they were beaten back by a hail of bullets, moments before a whirling human spinning top of a death cut them down.

Ren gave him a thumbs-up before leaping back, his twin blade-guns dripping with black blood. He and his friends had formed a line, a wall against the rampaging horde. With Nora and Weiss both up high and providing heavy support, it allowed them to hold their ground against them despite being so hopelessly outnumbered. The landscape also helped. If the entire swarm had been allowed to attack at once, they wouldn't stand a chance. The fact that they had to jostle for position at the opening of this natural choke point meant their numbers played against them.

Jaune watched as the massive white knight Weiss had summoned cleaved through an entire pack, pieces of Grimm flying every which way, while Blake danced through the frontline, blade lashing out in expert slashes. Ruby was a streak of carnage, Crescent Rose opening Grimm up from neck to groin, never once slowing as she weaved in and out with extreme speed. Whenever one of the larger Grimm broke through the pack, it was immediately punished by Yang's pistoning fists, bone and flesh caving beneath her incredible force.

They were holding, holding well – but they couldn't keep this up forever. With every beast Jaune cut down, two more replaced it. Every time meat and bone gave way to steel, he felt his arm tire a little more, his breath coming back a little harsher. One of the flying Grimm slipped by Weiss' summons and dived, teeth bared in an angry snarl. Gravity dust repelled it, its body crumpling as if it hit the ground after a full dive, sliding off his shield in a twisted heap.

"Move!" Nora screamed.

Jaune reacted without thought, leaping back with everything he had. Yang was flung aside as a Megoliath charged into them, crushing several other Grimm under its massive feet. Nora vaulted off her perch, lightning coursing across her skin as Magnhild mecha-shifted into its war hammer form above her head. She brought it down with massive force atop its head, the beast buckling under the blow. Bone cracked beneath the head of her weapon, yet the Grimm wasn't finished. Trumpeting in rage, it bucked her off, stumbling up to its feet as blood gushed down its face. Grimm swarmed around it, lashing out wildly, though a storm of dust obliterated them in an instant.

Weiss kept up the pressure, hurling fire and ice, lightning and cutting blades of wind, anything to halt their advance. The Megoliath swiped at Blake but she was much too nimble, darting under its massive tusks and cutting a bloody rend in its belly and hind legs. Yang followed with an enormous uppercut, her hair blazing with fire. It reared up from the blow and then collapsed back, its back legs useless. Throat exposed, Ruby cleaved it in a single swipe.

It tumbled to the ground with a quaking crash.

"Move back," Jaune ordered. "Reassemble!"

They were in trouble, their line broken. More Megoliath approached, smaller Grimm pouring forth around them. They came together, readying their weapons – but at that moment, the sky was filled with the sounds of roaring engines.

"They're here!" Nora yelled.

An airship soared above them, banking sharply as several figures leapt from the hold. And then it opened fire, a literal stream of dust rounds falling from the heavens. Grimm screamed as they were mowed down, reduced to nothing but black mist. Elm hit the ground like a comet, stone and ice splintering as Grimm were crushed beneath her feet. Harriet was all speed and momentum, flashing in and out of vision as she pounded the enemy and sent them flying. The rest of the Ace-Op's landed nearby, Vine and Marrow quickly joining their team in combating the Grimm.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed in surprise.

"Heya," the veteran huntsman greeted with a smirk, his scythe deployed lazily across his shoulders. "Heard you guys needed a little help."

Clover set down a long crate. When he unlatched the lid, they were greeted to the sight of several compact dust explosives.

"The plan is simple," he began, his voice full of authority. They all snapped to attention at once. "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc – these are to be placed at strategic locations along the cliffs behind us. The exact coordinates will be uploaded to your scrolls. When they are in place, set the timers to five minutes and evacuate the area immediately. Pick up is en route. The rest of you, you'll be under my command."

Clover held out his scroll and they followed suit. Each of them pinged, receiving the relevant information.

"Any questions?" Clover asked. They shook their heads as one. "Good. Get it done."

Jaune carefully reached into the crate and pulled out one of the explosives. It was about the size of both his hands together, shaped like a brick with a small screen and buttons underneath. Tucking it under his arm, he nodded to his friends and took off at a sprint, consulting his scroll. It wasn't long until Ruby zipped by in a stream of petals, Weiss hot on her heels. Blake joined him and they ran together, taking the left side while Ruby and Weiss had the right.

Jaune did his best to ignore the sounds of fighting behind him.

"You take this spot," Blake said as they approached the first location, in the shadow of the towering cliff face above. "I'll get the next one."

"Right," he nodded, dropping to his knees. He dug through the snow as Blake continued on until his gloved hands met rock. Placing the explosive against the base of the cliff, he pressed the big green button. When the screen lit up, he punched in the time and waited, craning his neck to see the others. They were all in position.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, activating the device. It beeped at him, a loud, shrill sound, the screen flashing before it started to countdown.

5:00

4:59

4:58

Standing, Jaune hurried away. The sky was now filled with more airships. They made sweeping passes, dropping their payload on the Grimm, before swerving away and avoiding any flying Grimm that attempted to engage them. One of them pulled around and headed in their direction, touching down in the narrow strip of land they were a handful of minutes away from burying under several thousand tons of rock.

When the bay doors opened and the ramp lowered, they hurried aboard. It wasn't until he was strapped in and the ship was rising into the air that Jaune realized that his hands were shaking. Adrenaline surged through his body and he found it difficult to sit still, his mind on his friends still down below. Looking across at Ruby and Weiss, he noticed they were similarly affected. Seated next to him, Blake's fingers dug into her pants.

Jaune reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. Blake looked at him in surprise before squeezing back, grateful.

All they could do now was wait.

The flight back to Atlas felt like it lasted an eternity. When they did touch down, the four of them rushed out onto the landing pad. Many more ships were landing around them, seven in total. Relief swept over them as they spotted their friends jog down the ramp of the last airship to land, quickly joining them.

"Mission complete," Clover announced as the Ace-Op's assembled around them. "Well done."

"It worked, then?" Ruby asked.

Yang nodded with a huge grin. "You should've seen it."

As Yang wove a tale of epic proportions that Jaune was sure was only partly true, he turned towards his teammates. Nora looked both exhausted and energized at once, her eyes unusually large as Ren stood by her side, allowing her to rest her weight against him. Jaune embraced them both, giving them a firm hug.

"You okay?" he asked as he pulled away. He had seen Nora like this a few times before, back at Beacon. It had to do with her semblance. "Did you overdo it?"

"A little," Nora gave him a weak grin. Her hair was a little frizzy, no doubt from all the lightning dust. "I'm really, really hungry."

Jaune felt his own stomach twist in agreement. All that fighting had worked up an appetite. Strangely, any fatigue he had felt earlier was gone. Giving his arms a light flex, there wasn't a hint of pain or tiredness, almost like he hadn't just been involved in a fight for his life.

Was that just his unique semblance at play?

"How about we get something to eat?" he said.

"Do we need to report to General Ironwood?" Ren asked.

"We can handle that," Clover answered, having overheard him. "You guys go get some rest. You've earned it."

Giving Clover a grateful look, they made their way off the landing pad. Weiss fell into step beside him and Jaune was suddenly hyper aware of her presence, the memory of her lips against his cheek searing across his senses. Glancing at her, he found her ice blue eyes studying him intently. Unconsciously, he straightened up.

"Hey," he said lamely.

Her smile was radiant. "Hello."

In danger of staring at her beautiful face, he carefully looked away. "You did well out there."

"Of course," she replied, as if that was ever in question. Jaune couldn't help but grin. "I suppose you did rather well yourself. You certainly took charge of the situation."

"I suppose I did. Comes with being a team leader, I guess."

Her arm brushed against his. Even with all the layers between them, it may as well have been skin on skin for how his body reacted, goosebumps rising all over. If they were still at Beacon, he would be a mess. He was still near a mess. Perhaps things were different now. Years had passed, they were both a little older and they were on a quest to save the world, but it didn't erase the fact that this was the girl he had been so smitten with, once upon a time.

Or was it truly once upon a time?

He really didn't want to go there. They were friends – that was enough. Friends could kiss each other on the cheek, right? It had been a pretty stressful situation. It would be best for them both if he just ignored it.

Who was he kidding? He'd never be able to forget it for as long as he lived. Even if it was just an innocent gesture, his overactive imagination was already running wild. Weiss was a gorgeous young woman. In his opinion, the most beautiful girl he had ever met – and not to brag, but he had met a lot of beautiful women. Most of them were walking with him, right this second. But to him, Weiss was at the top.

Always had been, probably always would be.

So was it really a surprise when he started thinking about what ifs? What if he had been teamed up with Weiss and not Yang? Would he have fucked the former heiress of the Schnee Dust Company instead? Just the mere suggestion sent a bolt of lust down his spine, settling in his cock. Though Jaune could never see Weiss doing as Yang did, masturbating next to him while he slept. He still couldn't believe Yang had done such a thing; why had she done that, anyway? He felt like that was important, yet he hadn't asked her.

Did it matter?

If Weiss had kissed him and they were alone, would he have been able to control himself? Just thinking about it had him hard, body humming with vigor. Battling the Grimm had awoken his passions, it seemed. No – he couldn't blame it on that, not after the last couple of weeks. When he craved Neon, there hadn't been any Grimm involved. When he fingered Blake's needy pussy, it was just them. That had been after training, true – but with Cerise, she had simply invited him in. No Grimm, no training, just a desire to fuck her beautiful body.

Jaune wanted them all, there was no rhyme or reason to it other than they attracted him. And no one attracted him quite like Weiss Schnee.

When they arrived at the mess hall, it was filled to the brim. A quick check of the time showed that it was still only lunch time. With everything that had taken place today, it was a bit of a shock to realize that it wasn't even the afternoon yet. Students of all years craned their necks to watch them as they passed through. Everyone knew who they were – former students of Beacon, uplifted by General Ironwood and made official huntsmen. Even without all that, a lot of them had gained a bit of a reputation from the Vytal Festival. The attack on Vale had only amplified their measure of fame.

"Hey guys~" a familiar voice called.

Neon was waving them over, her hair a beacon of color in the sea of gray and white uniforms. Waving back, they made their way over to Team FNKI. It was a bit of a squeeze, the table not built to service this many people but they made it work.

"What's up?" Yang asked, giving Neon a high-five.

Ren volunteered to get the food, Ruby joining him. Jaune didn't care what they got, as long as it was edible. Carefully sitting down, he adjusted his raging erection. No one was looking at him strangely, so thankfully nobody had noticed. Weiss sat next to him, staying close, while Blake took the seat on his other side.

"You guys look like you've been through the wringer," Ivori gave them all a once over. "Are you all good?"

"Grimm," Yang simply said – and that was enough. Kobalt frowned, setting his sandwich down.

"We saw a bunch of airships leave this morning," he said. "We thought it was strange – they haven't really been sending them out, keeping them close to home. Did something big happen?"

Yang was apparently the storyteller of the day, so while she explained where they'd been for the last couple of days and why, leaving out any sensitive information like the existence of Amity, Ruby and Ren returned with their well earned food. They didn't have anything crazy, just a stack of sandwiches several servings high and bottles of water. Overtaken with a sudden thirst, Jaune reached out and twisted the top off a bottle, knocking back half of it in one pull.

Then he almost choked as he felt a hand rest on his knee.

"Easy, big guy," Neon laughed as he spluttered. Everyone's attention was on him.

"R-Right," he wheezed, coughing to clear his throat. Wiping at his chin, he took a much smaller mouthful, acting casual as Yang continued her story, Flynt Coal hanging on her every word.

The hand on his knee remained. It didn't do anything other than sit there, fingers splayed across his inner-leg. Carefully glancing at its owner, Weiss looked the picture of innocence, giving her partner a grateful nod when Ruby placed a sandwich in front of the former heiress. Jaune almost jumped when she removed her hand, no acknowledgement of where it had been as she picked up her sandwich and gave it a dainty bite.

What had that been about?

Gathering a couple sandwiches of his own, he paused when the hand returned. Weiss was sipping at her water, completely calm as her thumb caressed his knee, running across the denim of his jeans. His cock throbbed strongly, hardening further. Fortunately, it was tucked down his other leg, so he was in no danger of her discovering his erection, not unless she grew much bolder and went looking. It was quickly becoming uncomfortable, however, forcing Jaune to readjust and let off some of the pressure.

He couldn't believe Weiss was touching him like this.

He did his best to act normal – he really did. But he couldn't help but steal glances her way, every so often. Her hold on his leg had become firmer, pressing her palm against the tense muscles of his quad. While her face was absolutely serene, Jaune spotted something that let him know she wasn't quite so calm after all. Her cute little ears were flushed red, and when he leaned back a little to glimpse the nape of her neck, the skin was a healthy pink. It wasn't very noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"Fuck," he breathed out lowly, his heart pounding in his loins.

She was going to unman him, right there in front of the entire student body. Unman him by doing nothing more than touch and stroke his leg.

Jaune froze as another hand joined the first, breath caught in his throat. This hand quested up the opposite leg, their hold more assured. When it ghosted over the outline of his cock, it gave him a firm, possessive squeeze. Their thumb tickled the ridge of his cock head, flicking it gently, almost playfully, until he was fit to burst.

It couldn't be Weiss.

There was no way she could reach across with her other hand, not without everyone noticing.

It could only be Blake.

"Sounds like you guys had a real rough time out there," Flynt said when Yang finished. "Man – being stuck in a little shelter for two days with nothing to do would have driven me nuts, let me tell you."

"It was pretty boring," Ruby confirmed, rolling her eyes. "Ren packed some cards, so we had that – but I don't want to play another game of Slap Jack for as long as I live."

Ren just smiled, which seemed to annoy Ruby to no end if the resulting frown was anything to go by. There was a story there but they weren't sharing.

"Nora had it the worst of us – she was on her own," Blake commented, rubbing the entire length of his dick. Jaune grit his teeth. "That must have been horrible."

Nora shrugged. "I slept through most of it."

Everyone stared her way.

"What?" she asked defensively. "It wasn't like there was anything to do."

Weiss' hand had moved further up his leg, knuckles tantalizingly close to bumping against his balls. She had taken to kneading and squeezing his inner-thigh, a sensual, naughty massage. Meanwhile, Blake's fingers were tracing the outline of his girth, pressing down on his shaft with her palm as she gave long, sweeping strokes. Jaune did his best to control his breathing, taking a vicious bite of his sandwich.

Their hands were becoming dangerously close to discovering one another.

Devouring his lunch did nothing to sate the hunger that was brewing inside him. If they'd been alone, just the three of them... he would force Blake's mouth upon his cock, keep her there until she sucked him red raw, while he buried his own mouth between Weiss' slender, beautiful thighs. Just imagining how the prim and proper girl would taste had his mouth watering, his cock stiffening to an impossible degree. Then he would take Blake from behind, fuck her hard and fast, bringing all his weight down upon her until she could do nothing but flail and scream into the pillow. With Weiss, he would let her ride him, her cute little pussy impaled upon his cock. He'd want to see all of her, every line and curve of that sculpted masterpiece of a body. She would be tight, so fucking tight, he just knew it.

And so light – light enough to pick up and throw around with ease, into any position he desired. He would fuck her deep and slow until she was a quivering mess, begging for him to cum, then he would make her slurp and clean his cock. Weiss Schnee, on her knees between his legs. Weiss Schnee, with his fat cock between those gorgeous lips. Blake Belladonna, sucking at his balls while Weiss Schnee worked his shaft. Taking turns, their tongues swirling around the tip. Taking turns, from pussy to pussy, pounding them until he seeded the pair of them. Fuck, how would the two of them look, pregnant with his children, their bellies swollen, their breasts tender and leaking.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

He needed to leave – now. Before he did something he knew he would regret.

But how was he going to get away without anyone seeing? His erection was beyond hiding. As soon as he stood up, the entire school would see the outline of it.

He was trapped.

The large screens located in all four corners of the hall chose that moment to flick on. There was a moment of confusion, students glancing at one another as Jacques Schnee, owner of the Schnee Dust Company walked on screen. Jaune felt Weiss tense by his side.

"What is he doing?" she asked warily, her hand moving off his thigh.

Weiss' father was dressed immaculately in his typical white suit and tie. Along the bottom, it read 'Breaking News. Live from Schnee Manor'. Even without Weiss' reaction to seeing her father, Jaune felt a pit form in his stomach.

This wasn't going to be good.

"If I'm elected councilman, I've made it no secret that I will be opposing General Ironwood and his senseless embargo that is crippling all of Atlas," Jacques began, looking out across the assembled media. "It is my belief that these measures are not only reckless but criminal. With no shipments allowed to enter or leave the kingdom, I know many are suffering – and my family has been weathering the same storm as many of you."

Blake scoffed, her hand tightening for a fraction around his cock to an almost painful degree. Then with a jolt, she removed her hand, looking flustered and ashamed.

Jacques continued, "Effective immediately, I'm forced to shut down all non-essential SDC operations. If elected to office, I will make the changes necessary to fix what Ironwood has broken. I hope you ask yourself before the vote; can you trust anyone else to stop Ironwood? Will Robyn Hill be able to get your jobs back?"

As the media attempted to question him, he turned away, quickly followed by the logo of the Atlas Broadcast Network blazing across the screen.

There was dead silence within the mess hall.