Tragic Tales From Beacon Academy - Oneshot (possible Twoshot)

Just an idea that came to me. Spinning off of Counselor Jaune, this fic kinda goes for the opposite. Jaune has a 'gift' of getting people to open up to him...no matter how much he really doesn't want to. He'd rather just have a normal life, but he's basically an RPG protagonist where everyone wants to unload their dark and troubled pasts on him.

Note - Sorry for the delay everyone. I'm writing the next chapter for Minecraft Jaune and it should come out in a day or two. Till then, hope you guys enjoy this one :)

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As long as Jaune remembered, he always had a gift. Or a curse, as he liked to think of it. People just opened up to him. It didn't matter if they were lifelong friends or strangers he just met. Something about him compelled them to tell him all about themselves.

Now normally, that might not have been a bad thing. Mom always told him that strangers were just friends you haven't met. But they told him everything. A ten-year-old didn't need to know that the neighbor was still bitter because his wife was cheating on him with the milkman (why did their small town even need one of those?) or that the guy from down the street had bodies in the walls (and was genuinely surprised when Jaune told the cops afterward).

His family wasn't any different. Being the only guy with seven sisters was hard enough, but seven sisters who thought he was their personal therapist? Ugh. Every crush, break-up, rivalry, worry, and things they couldn't tell the rest of their siblings, let alone Mom and Dad. Saphron came out to him when he was twelve, and you better believe that twelve-year-old Jaune had no idea what to do with the knowledge that his sister liked kissing other girls. Mostly because he had no idea why that was something bad. He wanted to kiss girls too.

...

What, he was twelve. Sue him.

He thought that going to Beacon would change things. Surely, he thought desperately, the people trying to be the future heroes and defenders of mankind wouldn't have problems...right?

Wrong.

Jaune sat down on the couch in the dorm common room, desperately hoping for a moment of peace. His day had been a blur of training, awkward team bonding (with desperate attempts to keep the conversation light), and struggling to be a leader. He just wanted something easy: a simple, casual conversation. Nothing heavy. Nothing about the looming threat of Grimm or destiny or how they were apparently doomed because of an immortal Grimm Queen (thanks for the heads up, Headmaster). Just...normal.

Yang was sprawled out across the opposite couch, lazily flipping through a magazine. Normally, the sight of Yang Xiao Long relaxed in her usual outfit was a sight that many a guy on campus would kill for, but Jaune only felt a sense of dread. He'd sat down before realizing she was there and now it was too late to just leave without an excuse. He'd already used his 'left the turkey in the oven' excuse three times this week and the lack of turkey being shared was giving him side-eyes.

She glanced up when she saw him, a friendly smile spreading across her face, "Hey, Jaune. What's up?" There was something in her eyes that made him nervous. He could see the eagerness in those lilac orbs.

Jaune mentally prepared himself. This was it. A normal, light conversation, "Not much, just needed a break. You?"

Yang shrugged, tossing the magazine aside, "Same. Sometimes you just gotta relax, especially after everything..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes getting that faraway look that sent a shiver down Jaune's spine.

Alarm bells rang in Jaune's head, "Yeah, uh, it's good to take it easy. How about the weather today, huh? Sunny, right?" He chucked weakly, attempting to steer the conversation away from that dangerous road she was already heading down.

But Yang wasn't listening. Her gaze grew distant, her expression darkening, "You know, taking it easy wasn't really an option when I was growing up. After Mom died...it was just me, Dad, and Ruby. Dad did his best, but...it wasn't easy on him. I had to grow up fast."

Jaune's stomach dropped. He recognized the signs, but it was too late. He tried to pull them back to safer waters, "Right, uh, tough stuff, really tough. But, you know, it's important to focus on the present! Like maybe we should all go grab some lunch later? There's this great new noodle place-"

"I tried to find her once," Yang interrupted, her voice low, barely audible. "Not my mom. Raven. My egg donor. I thought if I could track her down, everything would make sense. But all I found was more questions. More pain. I thought I was strong enough, but I wasn't. Not back then."

Jaune blinked, nodding stiffly, "Uh-huh, right, super tough. But hey, did you see what Nora did in class today? Hilarious, right? Maybe we can all-"

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair as she continued, completely ignoring him, "You ever feel like no matter what you do, you're always chasing after something you'll never catch? It's like this hole, you know? No matter how hard you fight, something's always missing. You try and try and try to fill it up, but it's always so deep."

Jaune resisted the urge to scream. His hands clenched on the couch cushion as he tried to find some way - any way - out of this spiral, "Uh, yeah, totally, I get it. So, uh, speaking of fighting, how about sparring sometime?" She'd kick his ass, but he'd take it over...this, "Maybe we could-"

"But nothing can ever fill the hole," Yang continued, oblivious to (or ignoring) his flailing attempts at small talk, "It's always there, gnawing at you. I thought maybe becoming stronger would fix things. That's why I pushed myself so hard. But strength doesn't fix everything. Some things...you just can't change."

Jaune nodded mechanically, the dread settling deep in his bones, "Yep. Totally. Strength. That's important. Good stuff." He glanced desperately around the room, hoping for a miracle. Anything to get out of this never-ending monologue of misery.

Before he could concoct an excuse to leave (maybe leaving his dog in the dryer), the door opened, and Weiss strolled in. She took one look at the situation - Jaune, sitting stiff as a board, and Yang, staring off into the distance - and immediately narrowed her eyes, "Jaune, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's going on?"

Jaune practically leapt to his feet, desperate to grab onto any distraction, "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all, Weiss! I was just—"

"I was telling him about my mom," Yang said, her voice heavy, "And how she died. I tried to look for Raven and took Ruby with me, but that just made things worse. If it wasn't for Uncle Qrow, we'd have been Grimm chow."

Weiss sighed deeply and sat down beside Jaune, offering her a sympathetic, "Mothers. They have a way of complicating things, don't they?"

Jaune's face fell, "Oh no."

Weiss glanced at him, her expression serious, "You know, Jaune, my mother wasn't always like how she is now. There was a time when she cared about things; about us. But then she married my father and during my tenth birthday, she found out what kind of man he truly was. And that broke her."

Jaune slumped back onto the couch, feeling the weight of inevitability pressing down on him, "Of course it did," he muttered, resigned to his fate.

Weiss was only getting started, "I used to think that if I could just be perfect, maybe she'd notice. Maybe she'd come back. But perfection isn't enough. It never is. How can she see her daughter if she's so busy looking down the bottom of a bottle?"

Jaune stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling his soul slowly wither, "Yep, perfection's overrated. Got it." He knew there was no stopping it now. He was trapped in the endless vortex of tragic backstories and emotional scars. Gods, and to think he used to have a crush on Weiss. It only took one time calling her Snow Angel before she decided he was perfect to vent all his frustrations and tragedies on. Even more than everyone else did. He knew more about the Schnee family than anyone else on Remnant by now.

As Yang and Weiss exchanged more stories about loss and abandonment, Jaune mentally screamed into the void. All he'd wanted was a simple, normal conversation. How was it possible that everyone he knew had a mountain of trauma just waiting to pour out? Was it something in the air at Beacon? Did Ozpin dose the water with something? Why did they all just love talking about their dark pasts? It was like being the only person without a sob story made him the weird one.

And the worst part? It was only a matter of time before Ruby, Pyrrha, or Nora wandered in and made it a full group therapy session. It happened before.

Weiss crossed her legs, settling into the couch like she was about to launch into a presentation. Her expression darkened, eyes hardening like ice, "You know, Jaune, it's not just my mother who's the problem. My entire family is a mess. My mother... well, let's just say she drinks more than she breathes. If she went to the doctor, I'm sure her blood alcohol levels would make them faint."

Jaune's eyes widened as he leaned forward, hands planted on his knees in an attempt to rise, "Oh, wow, that sounds...really difficult. Maybe we should, uh-"

"And my father," Weiss continued, her tone biting as if she hadn't even heard him, "He's worse. Greedier than a Faunus with a grudge." Wow, that...sounded super racist, "All he cares about is money and status. Everything is a transaction to him. Family means nothing if it doesn't boost his stock price."

Jaune blinked, feeling sweat bead on his forehead. He glanced toward the door, his escape route looming large in his mind. "Yeah, sounds really rough! Uh, maybe we could grab some fresh air or-"

"My father would sell his own children if it meant another percentage point on his quarterly earnings," Weiss said coldly, her fingers tightening on the edge of the couch, "He doesn't care about me. Or Winter. Or even Whitley, his little golden boy."

Jaune was almost halfway out of his seat now, but Weiss was too far gone in her rant to notice, "Whitley?" he tried, hoping that maybe the topic of her younger brother might lighten things. "Well, I'm sure at least he's-"

"A little shit," Weiss spat, her tone acidic. Jaune sat back down, afraid, "That boy is a snake in human clothing. Always lurking around, sucking up to Father, like some kind of scheming, slimy-ugh!" She growled in frustration, her hands gripping the couch cushions so hard Jaune thought they might tear.

He swallowed, his hand reaching toward the armrest for support as he started to rise again, "Yeah, siblings can be tough, but hey, I'm sure deep down-"

Weiss shot him a sharp look, freezing him in place, "Don't you dare say he has a good heart or some nonsense like that, Jaune. I've lived with him. He's a manipulative, spoiled brat who thinks the world owes him everything just because he's a Schnee. He's always trying to tear me and Winter down or curry favor with Father. You know what he said to me the last time I went home?" No, but he was sure she'd tell him, "'Try not to embarrass the family name.' Me! The only person in that house actually doing something worthwhile!"

Jaune was now inching toward the edge of the couch, one foot hovering above the floor like he was preparing to make a break for it. His smile was strained, his heart pounding, "Wow, Weiss, that's...something! Maybe we can continue this conversation later? You know, when-"

Weiss stood abruptly, cutting him off entirely, her voice rising in frustration. "I've had enough of people telling me how to act. 'Be proper, Weiss! Don't embarrass the family, Weiss!' I've spent my entire life under the thumb of Father's ridiculous expectations while Mother drinks herself into oblivion and Whitley stabs me in the back every chance he gets!"

Jaune's foot touched the floor, and he made a slow, awkward attempt to back away, his palms up in surrender, "Okay, I get it, family stuff is tough! I really do! But I think I'm going to-"

Weiss whipped around, her eyes blazing with the righteous fury of years of pent-up family drama. "Do you have any idea what it's like to constantly be judged? To be weighed and measured against standards that are impossible to meet? To be told over and over again that you're never good enough?"

Jaune opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He didn't know how to respond. His attempts to escape had failed spectacularly, and now he was caught in Weiss's whirlwind of emotional venting, just like he had been with Yang moments earlier.

"I'm the heiress to one of the most powerful companies in the world," Weiss went on, her voice sharp and bitter, "But that doesn't mean anything to Father. I'm just another pawn in his game of wealth and power. He doesn't see me as a person. Just an...an asset."

Jaune's hand finally found the back of the couch, and he tried to push himself up, only for Weiss to spin back toward him, her icy blue eyes locking him in place again.

"And Whitley," she snarled, her lip curling. "He thinks he can just slide into my spot, like I'm going to stand aside and let him! Like I haven't fought tooth and nail to earn what I have!" A part of him wanted to point out she earned it by virtue of being born a Schnee, but he wisely kept his mouth shut, "That little rat doesn't even care about the company! He just wants Father's approval, no matter who he has to undermine to get it!"

Jaune, still trapped, was nodding mechanically now, too terrified to even attempt another escape, "Yeah, Whitley sounds...complicated. But maybe, um, we should talk about something else? Maybe team training?"

Weiss let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping as the fire in her eyes dimmed, "You don't get it, Jaune. You've never had to live in a house like mine. With a family like mine."

"Nope," Jaune said, trying to force a laugh, "Can't say I have! You know, we could...we could go do some sword practice instead?" Just please kick his ass normally instead of bludgeoning him with emotional trauma.

But Weiss wasn't done. She dropped back onto the couch, rubbing her temples, "I just want to be free of all of it. The pressure, the expectations, the constant judgment. Sometimes, I wonder if it'll ever end."

Jaune was practically hanging off the armrest now, his body halfway to freedom, but Weiss's tired, drained expression pulled him back just enough to make him hesitate. She looked exhausted, and even if he had no idea what to say, he couldn't just run. Damn him for his empathy!

"Well," Jaune said awkwardly, "I'm sure you'll...figure things out, Weiss. You're strong, right? You're tough. And hey, you've got us. Team RWBY. Team JNPR. We're all here for you."

Weiss glanced up at him, her icy demeanor cracking just a little, and for a brief moment, Jaune thought he might have finally succeeded in shifting the conversation away from tragedy.

Then Yang, who had been quiet for a moment, piped up from the other couch. "Yeah, family's a mess, huh? Makes you wonder if it's even worth trying sometimes."

Jaune slumped back into his seat, defeated once again, as the floodgates reopened and the cycle of tragic backstories continued. There was no escape. Not here. Not ever. Yang leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, her voice carrying that familiar edge of bitterness. "You know, Jaune, I had to practically raise Ruby after Mom died. I mean, I had no choice. Someone had to step up and be the mom both of us needed."

Jaune blinked, confused, "Wait, what? But you're only, like, two years older than Ruby, right? How could you have-"

But Yang was already lost in her monologue, her gaze fixed somewhere far away as she continued without missing a beat, "It wasn't easy, you know. Trying to be both a sister and a mom at the same time. I had to balance taking care of her with training, school, everything. Dad did his best, but let's be real, I was the one who kept things together while he was depressed."

Jaune opened his mouth to argue again, feeling like he was losing his grip on reality. "But...you're literally almost the same age! You would've been, what, five when she was three? How could you-"

"I made sure she ate properly," Yang went on, completely ignoring him, "Helped her with her homework, taught her how to ride her bike, how to fight, how to stay strong when things got tough. There were nights where I'd stay up, worrying about her, wondering if I was doing enough, if I was being a good enough sister—no, a good enough mom."

Jaune was now staring at Yang in disbelief, trying to wrap his head around the logistics. "Wait, hold on. You were barely more than a kid yourself. How the-"

"And then when Ruby started at Signal," Yang continued, her voice full of conviction, "I was so proud of her. She was finally starting to come into her own. But you know, Jaune, it never gets easier. Once you start taking care of someone like that, you never stop worrying about them. I've always had to be strong for her. Always had to put on a brave face, because if I didn't, who would?"

Jaune leaned forward, gesturing helplessly with his hands, "But you're barely older than her! You were both kids! How could you have raised her? It doesn't make sense!"

Yang didn't seem to hear him at all, "Being the 'big sister' is more than just a title, Jaune. It's a responsibility. A burden, really. One I've carried for as long as I can remember. Sure, maybe I wasn't much older, but I was old enough to understand. Old enough to know that I had to be the one to protect her, to guide her. Rubes had no one else in the world. Just me."

Jaune rubbed his temples, feeling like he was stuck in a conversation where logic just gave up and killed itself, "But you were five! You were both probably just eating dirt and watching cartoons! How does any of this-"

Yang's expression hardened, as though she was ignoring all reality and forging ahead with her own version of the story, "It doesn't matter how old I was, Jaune. What matters is that I had to be there for Ruby. I had to be the one to teach her what it meant to stand on her own two feet. And I did it. I raised her."

Jaune slumped back in the chair, defeated once again. There was no point in arguing with her. Somehow, despite the blatant disregard for time and logic, Yang had fully convinced herself that this was the real story, and no amount of protest from him was going to change that.

He gave a weak, resigned smile, "Yeah, Yang. You really did...raise Ruby."

Yang sighed, nodding, "Yeah. It's been tough. But you know, I wouldn't change it for anything. I'm proud of the woman Ruby's becoming. Proud that I was able to shape her into who she is today."

Jaune just stared at her, trying to reconcile the idea of a five-year-old Yang making dinner and teaching Ruby how to read, "Right...of course. You...you really did a great job."

"I did. Ruby's the best." Yang nodded proudly.

"Right." This was his chance. The two weren't depressed and were right at the spot of feeling good about themselves, "Well, I left my dog in the dryer, so I gotta go pick him up before he...drowns. See ya!"

He practically jumped out of the couch and fast-walked out of there. He never ran; they took that as a sign to keep going for some insane reason. Jaune left the common room and debated where to go. Team JNPR's dorm? No, if Pyrrha and Ren were there alone then they'd start trauma-dumping on him too. Or worse, if Nora was alone. You thought that smile meant she had nothing to worry about? Nope. He'd heard all about how great of a mom Mama Valkyrie was.

No, he had to find somewhere he could be alone.

He decided to go to the courtyard. Keeping to himself, Jaune walked till he arrived at a lone tree at the bottom right corner. He looked left and right, and after finding no one waiting to spring a new traumatic history on him, heaved a sigh of relief. He sat down with his back against the bark, relishing in the silence.

"...Jaune?"

His head shot up to see Blake sitting on a branch staring down at him, amber eyes widened somewhat in surprise. Jaune's breath hitched. So far he'd managed to avoid Blake talking to him about her problems. And it was NOT easy. You'd think it would be considering she barely talked to her own team, but the same weird magnetic energy he had drew her to him. But being a magnet for a hot girl with the best butt in Beacon wasn't a plus when he knew she'd take it as a chance to tell him something he'd prefer not to know.

"Oh! Hey, Blake! You, uh, just hanging around!" He cringed, "I'll just...get outta your hair."

He was about to do just that when she hopped down with cat-like grace, "There's something I need to tell you."

"...Can it wait?" Jaune asked weakly, though he alreaady knew the truth.

She didn't reply. Instead, she raised her right hand and pulled off her bow to expose a pair of cat ears, "I'm...a Cat Faunus," she said, voice heavy.

That...didn't surprise him. Okay, so he didn't know she was a Cat Faunus exactly, but she was always kind of weird. Loners weren't uncommon - he was kind of one back home considering he didn't want to get trauma bombed day in and day out - but Blake was particularly standoffish. He still remembered when she'd practically bitten Nora's hand off when Nora tried to pull her bow. She justified it with personal space issues so no one questioned it, but he had a feeling it was more than that.

...

That and he didn't...really care? Like yeah her being a Faunus was shocking, but they literally never talked before this. At least not outside the one time he asked her about the weather and she almost went on a tangent about how it was 'gloomy like the rest of her life'. He got the heck out of there.

"That's...cool?" Jaune wondered if he could chance making a run for it.

"It's not." She shook her head, "To a lot of people, being a Faunus is enough for them to look down on you, to treat you as lesser than them."

"Yeah, that...that sucks." He was sincere about it. It really did suck, but that didn't mean he could do anything about it.

"It does." She nodded like he'd just said something profound, "And it's not just because I'm a Faunus. I was surrounded by bad influences, those that lad me down a dark, sordid path." She looked him in the eyes with an intensity that made him shiver, "It all started when I was twelve, and I met Adam Taurus."

Jaune groaned internally and readied himself for another round of misery poker. It was too late to run now. Blake would track him down and only talk more if he 'interrupted' her. He cursed whatever god out there decided he should be everyone's therapist.

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Poor Jaune. Just wants a normal life and gets this instead. This is a oneshot for now, but I'm actually wondering if I should make it a twoshot. Show other people like Ruby, Pyrrha, and maybe Ren and Nora. What do you guys think?

Like I said, Minecraft Jaune very soon. Hope you guys enjoy!