Hello again!

Can't believe we made it ten chapters. Not that I actually knew how long this was gonna last, but... having all you people who keep coming back just makes it that much more special. I humbly bow to you and offer my gratitude, ladies and gentlemen of .

This chapter was loads of fun to write. I hope it's as much fun to read. And hey, I didn't forget the lines this time!

Song is "Save Your Scissors" by City and Colour, one of my all-time favorite musicians. Highly recommended if you're into alternative folk.



Beta: Maxaro. Thanks for sticking thick and thin with me, friend.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Save Your Scissors

The Crown Victoria lurched through city, which seemed slightly emptier than it was a few hours ago. Inside the car, Jaune drove on silently while Weiss periodically glanced over at him for any sign of acknowledgment, which he did not give.

Jaune chanced a glance at her.

Weiss looked like she had been crying. The air of pride that Weiss usually held herself in was noticeably absent, and she looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself every time she opened her mouth.

Jaune sighed. Might as well get it over with.

"So you wanted to talk?"

Weiss jumped at the sound of his voice, then turned to face him. "I… yeah. Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

The white-haired girl nodded at the short response, not trusting herself to say anything more.

About ten minutes later they found themselves in a small yet lush public park bordering one of the narrow inlets that cut through the city of Vale. The moon reflected quite brightly off of the water and almost illuminated the whole park, its greenery swaying with the breeze.

Jaune parked the car in front of said inlet.

They sat in silence, admiring the natural beauty of the pristine space of land. It was indeed a sight to behold, and like many things in life, any photographs of the sight simply did not do it justice.

"Do you remember what this place is?" murmured Jaune.

"Yeah…" Weiss's voice came out barely louder than a whisper. "This is where you asked me out."

"Yup. I figured that no matter how our whole relationship ends up, it would probably helpful to go back to the beginning."

"R-right."

"So… you wanna go first?"

Weiss gave him a crooked smile. "No. You should go. You've been trying to get my attention for the last few weeks, and I was stupid and selfish to not give you that chance. So you deserve to speak your mind."

Jaune nodded thoughtfully. "That's fair."

With a sigh, he began. "When you broke up with me, for the longest time I blamed myself for the whole thing. I thought, I must have done something so terrible that you just had enough of me. And I beat myself up on that thought for almost a whole month. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, because I had no idea what I had done, but it was enough to turn my life upside down without a second's notice. It wasn't until tonight that I figured, maybe I had some fault in the situation, but you breaking off all contact with me was pretty shitty."

The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I just wanted to know where we went wrong. You kinda left me out of the blue, and although I can guess why you did, you never gave me the chance to fix that. I would've been willing to fix anything that wasn't working between us, but you didn't even tell me a damn word about it. And that fucked me up, you know that?"

Jaune's bitterness began to leak through in his voice, and Weiss's eyes widened at the change in his inflection.

"Yes. I did."

"Then why did you never answer my calls?"

Weiss winced, but collected herself as best she could. "Because I was selfish. I wanted you more to myself even though you loved that band, and when I realized that it would never turn out the way I wanted it to… I ditched you and starting seeing Neptune to spite you."

She dabbed at her eyes as they started to well up again. "And for some reason I thought that you would realize that maybe I was worth something more and that you'd come back to me and that I'd welcome you back in open arms… but I ended up hurting you more than I ever wanted to, and somewhere along the way I guess I… I kind of fell for Neptune, too. Jaune, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"And yet it did." Jaune looked at her sadly. "What did you think would happen?"

Weiss sniffed. "I… I really don't know, Jaune."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed between the two.

"Do you… do you think there's any possibility of fixing all that now?" Weiss asked timidly.

Jaune sighed. "What about Neptune? You just gonna leave him like you did me?"

"N-no! Not like that…"

"Then like what?" Jaune's tone was accusing.

Weiss took a deep breath. "When I started seeing Neptune, I kept thinking to myself that I just wasn't ready to talk to you again, especially not when I pulled a move like that on you. But then you just… appeared when I was least expecting you to. I knew I had to say something to you at that bar, but when I came up to you, I just… I didn't know what to say."

She swallowed, her throat having become dry. "And so we left, and I had a lot of time to think really hard about this. I knew that I really liked Neptune, but you and I still had unfinished business and things that we needed to resolve. I knew that I still loved you, but more than anything else, I wanted to tell you that I was sorry. For everything that I put you through. So I had Neptune drop me off at your car, in hopes that we could be talking… like we are now."

The tears started to roll down Weiss's eyes again, and she quickly moved her hand to intercept them.

"I know that it's probably for the best that we are no longer together. After all, I can't stop you from loving that band of yours, not to mention… that she's the one you want."

Jaune narrowed his eyes. "'She?'"

"The faunus girl, Blake," Weiss stated simply, perhaps with a pang of jealousy. "You like her, don't you?"

The blonde remained silent.

"I can see her wearing your jacket. You never gave me that jacket."

Jaune couldn't help but smirk. "You always brought along the thickest, poshest jackets. I don't think there was any way you'd be caught dead in my jacket."

"Yeah." She weakly returned the smile. "Anyway, I know that you're probably… moving on, which I get, seeing how shitty I've been to you. I… I just don't know what to do, but all that I want is for us to be… okay. I know that seems selfish, but I still don't want things between us to end badly."

Jaune leaned back in his chair, thinking quietly to himself.

"Do you… do you like Neptune?"

Weiss hesitated, then gave a slight nod. "No matter what I put him through, he seemed like he was always there for me. And, call me crazy, but… I do want to reciprocate that, even if I never planned on doing so…"

Jaune nodded thoughtfully. "You should give him a chance. You deserve to give someone a chance, if not me. Just… it takes two to make a relationship work. You gotta communicate with him, okay."

"Okay." The white-haired girl nodded again. "And you and me… we're okay?"

"It still hurts, to be honest," Jaune admitted. "What you did and all. But that's in the past now. Right now… I don't know. But I think we'll get better. If not now, then eventually."

He leaned towards Weiss with a sad smile. "I still love you. I really do. But… I think we were just meant for other people. So if Neptune makes you happy, then I want you to go be happy with him."

Weiss looked away for a moment, as if trying to come to terms with his words, before coming in to wrap her arms around Jaune in a genuine embrace. "And if you want to be with Blake… I think you should. I've never gotten along with her, but I'm trying to… look past that now… and I think she really deserves someone as caring as you."

They held each other tight, almost reliving everything that they had once been, before pulling apart.

"So," murmured Weiss expectantly. "What do we do now?"

"Blake, this is a fucking stupid idea."

"I know, Yang."

"Then WHY are you doing it!?"

"Because I feel like doing something fucking stupid, if you can believe that."

Nora poked a head out nervously as Blake stepped out of the van. "You sure you don't want us to take you home? It's honestly no problem at all."

Blake turned to her impassively. "No. Thanks, Nora."

No one was convinced.

Yang growled angrily at her friend. "Don't do this, Blake. That asshat is fucking poison for you, and you know that! Y'know who you should be with? You should be with Jaune! For all we know, that lovable idiot is coming to his senses right now and –"

"Yang, he's out with his ex, who he's been pining for before I even got to know him!" Blake replied bitterly. "He wants this, so I'm not keeping my hopes up."

"Well, I mean, at least we finally got her to admit that she likes him," muttered Nora under her breath.

"Why Adam, though?" Yang was pleading at this point. "The dickhead's treated you like shit, and you wanna go back to that? Please, Blake… I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

The faunus girl sighed. She couldn't stay mad. Not at Yang.

"Just think of it like me taking your place for the rest of the night," she joked weakly. "Just… not drunk. Don't worry about me Yang. I'll be fine."

The blonde girl leaned out the van and hugged Blake. "As your best friend, I still think this is a stupid idea, but I know you're not changing your mind." She planted a kiss on the top of Blake's head. "Just… be safe, okay?"

Blake smiled slightly. "You know, the loving mother archetype actually suits you pretty well, surprisingly."

Yang grinned. "Well, I do have a little sister going through college, after all. And… I think I met someone tonight who actually made me feel like settling down, for once."

Blake nodded before slowly and wordlessly slipping away.

As she heard the van drive off, she shivered slightly against the cold and made her trek up a few blocks to the club that Adam had given her directions to. The second-thoughts started to fill her head, but she stubbornly repressed them.

She reached the rather gaudy looking club entrance shortly afterward. Despite how late it was, the line to get in still looked moderately long, and its occupants seemed much rowdier and more irritable than those Blake had seen at Junior's.

It was like looking at a line full of drunk Yangs.

Blake made a beeline towards the bouncer, who towered menacingly over her.

"Hey," greeted Blake. "I'm here to meet someone. A guy named Adam?"

"Blake!"

The bull-man drunkenly stumbled out the front door, a big, stupid grin plastered across his face. "There you are, come on in!"

He made a move to kiss her, but Blake shoved him off, almost recoiling at how much stronger Adam reeked of booze than before. The bull-man frowned momentarily before grinning once more and dragged her by the hand into the club. The bouncer rolled his eyes while the rest of the line resounded in outrage.

Immediately as they entered the club, Blake felt an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia wash over her. The clubbers obviously had no sense of time and were still partying as if it were the prime of the night. Drinks flowed like waterfalls, and numerous acts of passion and indecency sprouted amongst the crowd, poorly hidden by those engaged in the act.

"Who's jacket is that, anyway?" murmured Adam.

"Jacket?" Blake had forgotten once more that she was wearing Jaune's jacket. "It's just… a friend's."

"It's pretty fucking ugly, that's what it is."

"Well, it does the job," she replied darkly.

Adam led Blake to a darker part of the club, where several thuggish-looking people lounged around a small table crowded with empty glasses.

"What's up, boys?" slurred the bull-man. "This is my girl, Blake. She's our guest of honor."

They nodded at Blake, who nodded back.

Adam licked his lips. "Since my girl's here tonight, we need to start off with some celebratory shots. Somebody bring out the shots so we can toast!"

"It's fine, Adam," Blake pretended to laugh. "I'm not going to drink, if that's fine."

"Nah, baby girl, I insist!"

Blake cringed at the pet name. "Please… I really don't want to drink."

"Too bad," Adam grinned.

The shots had appeared and the bull-man sloppily grabbed one from off the table, handing it to Blake. "Just a little vodka, baby. It'll be fun!"

Blake stared at the drink.

It seemed to fizz unnaturally.

Blake blinked.

"Uh, Adam, I –"

"A toast!" roared the bull-man. "To my lovely lady, who graces us with her presence tonight!"

A resounding "Cheers!" broke out amongst the crew, and they downed their shots easily.

Thinking fast, Blake mimed taking the shot while angling herself and the shot glass in a way that allowed the contents to spill over her shoulder. No one else knew the better; they were all too wasted to pay attention, anyhow.

Adam turned to Blake. "So… I've been meaning to ask you. You know I make some pretty dope music, right?"

"… Sure." Blake attempted to move away as he leaned in closer.

"And I know you know some people."

"Kinda hard not to know people, as much as I'd love that."

"I was wondering… you think you could get me a record deal form old Ozzy?"

Blake narrowed her eyes.

Was that all he brought here for? To get a record deal?

Adam grinned. "If you're not convinced, y'know the music playing right now in this club? That's all mine baby. I pulled a couple string to get them to play my tracks."

Blake half-listened, but her mind was racing a mile a minute

"So what do you say?" slurred the bull-man.

"I'll… I'll see what I can do," mumbled Blake vaguely.

"You're the fucking best, baby girl." Adam grabbed Blake in her daze and sloppily connected his lips with hers.

For a moment, Blake played with the idea of letting Adam do whatever he wanted. Maybe she'd regret it in the morning, but she desperately wanted something to fill the void that Jaune had left behind.

Jaune…

Blake felt Adam's hands sliding roughly over her body. She felt his own body press up to hers, feeling his every shift as he continued to kiss her. One hand moved sporadically across her back, while the other reached slid down to grab her ass.

All he wanted… was a record deal and a bootycall… he doesn't give a shit about me…

And suddenly, Blake's daze was broken.

She pushed the bull-man away from her and wrapped her arms around herself.

Adam seemed surprised, but the lust quickly rushed back into his face as he advanced towards Blake.

She shoved him once more. "I need to go to the bathroom," she murmured.

Adam grinned slyly. "We going together, baby girl?"

"No."

"Huh." Adam shrugged. "Well, then I'll be waiting for you. Don't leave me hanging."

Blake nodded and walked briskly away from the table, wanting to just be gone from this wretched place.

She paused as she reached the door for a second, then made her way towards the table's waitress.

"Hey, can I see the bill for our table?"

"Sure thing!" The waitress pulled up a fairly long tab.

"Hmm." Blake gave it a quick glance. "I think you got it wrong. Why don't you double the price?"

The waitress blinked. "A-are you sure?"

The faunus girl winked at her. "Actually, I'm not. Triple it, why don't you? And if they ask, just tell them that it's a treat from Blake."

There was a tea shop about five blocks west of the club, which Blake ended up wandering into.

Apparently everything stays open late on Saturday nights, she thought to herself as she sipped the freshly brewed hot chocolate in her hands. Granted, it would usually be tea instead of something as rich and creamy as hot chocolate, but given what she just walked out of, she decided that it was the perfect time to treat herself.

Although now that all that bullshit was out of the way, a different concern arose in its place.

How the hell was she going to get home?

She thought about calling Yang, but it seemed inconsiderate to make the van drive all the way back just to accommodate her. A taxi or Uber seemed like a good idea, but that meant having to deal with people.

Blake sighed. For now, the hot chocolate presented a more enticing concern to be tended to.

She almost spilled the mug's contents when her phone rang.

Blake pulled out her phone and examined the caller ID.

She didn't recognize that number.

Frowning, Blake answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Hi… is Blake there?"

The voice, however… the voice she recognized.

"Speaking."

"Right… uh, hey Blake."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle. "Hi."

"Hi! Hehe… I just wanted to call you and tell you about this guy. His name's Jaune."

"Go on."

"Well… he's a fucking idiot, for one."

"I'll say," Blake laughed.

"Dammit Blake, you're ruining my monologue."

"Sorry. Continue."

"Okay, well, you know he's kind of an idiot, because he's been chasing some other girl around for the longest time trying to make things up to her when… well, when the right girl's been right in front of him all this time. And he knows that he definitely doesn't deserve a second chance with you, but he still wanted to say sorry."

"Apology accepted," replied Blake, a smile playing on her lips.

"That's… that's great! Um… what are you doing right now?"

"I'm drinking hot chocolate at Fresh Pots on Newville Lane."

"Can I… can Jaune come join you?"

Blake giggled. "Absolutely." After a brief pause, "How did you get this number, Jaune?"

"Shhhhh! You're not supposed to know it's me!"

Blake snorted. "My bad. Friend of Jaune, how did you get this number?"

"Well, y'know… he called Ren up to see if he could talk to you, but Ren said you were gone and then Yang gave Jaune your number. She told him to call you ASAP, for some reason."

"Good ol' Yang," smiled Blake.

"So… I guess... I'll meet you in a few?"

"Sounds rad."

"Hey! You making fun of me?"

"Whatever could you possibly be talking about?"

She heard him laugh. "See you in a bit, Blake."

"Bye, Jaune."

Despite the chilly weather, Blake felt a warmth that even hot chocolate could not provide.

And that's chapter 10!

...

I feel like I'm missing something. I mean, Maxaro gave me some pretty great editor's notes on this one. I feel like I could've done something with them...

Hold on a moment.

CH10 ALT ENDING: In Which Maxaro Breaks the AU (feat. Maxaro, obviously)

The blonde girl leaned out the van and hugged Blake. "As your best friend, I still think this is a stupid idea, but I know you're not changing your mind." She planted a kiss on the top of Blake's head. "Just… be safe, okay?"

Blake smiled slightly. "You know, the loving mother archetype actually suits you pretty well, surprisingly."

Yang grinned. "Well, I do have a little sister going through college, after all. And… I think I met someone tonight who actually made me feel like settling down, for once."

Blake nodded before slowly and wordlessly-

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSHHH

Blake turned to see where the strange noise was coming from, and her eyes widened in absolute terror as a torrent of water promptly filled her line of sight.

"WAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHH!" she half-screamed, half-gurgled as the stream hit her smack in the face and pushed her back into the side of the van.

After a few seconds of sheer panic, the water stream ceased, revealing an unfamiliar man in a firefighting suit holding the end of a water hose.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" roared Blake. "What was that for, and who the fuck are you?"

The man remained steadfast. "Get back in the van."

"W-what?"

"Did I stutter?" The man slung the hose over his shoulder. "Where the hell do you think you were going? You're about to do something real stupid, and I'm not gonna allow it."

Blake regained some of her confidence, which was still diminished due to the frigidness of the water beginning to soak into her clothers. "L-look h-h-here, you don't t-tell me what to d-d-do -"

"On the count of three, I'm gonna turn this hose back on."

"Okay! B-back in t-the van it is!" Blake yanked the van door open and scrambled back inside as fast as she could, slamming the door with a resounding thud.

Watching the van speed off, the man shrugged. "Only one thing left to do."

Neptune sat in his car, trying to process the events of the night. After letting Weiss go, he had found an empty parking lot to sit and make sense of the thoughts running wild in his head.

Knock knock.

Neptune jumped and glanced at the driver side window to see a man in a firefighter suit motioning for him to roll his window down.

Reluctantly and confusedly, the blue-haired boy complied.

No sooner had he done that when the man drew a lemon from seemingly out of nowhere and squeezed it in Neptune's eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH! What the hell, man!?" Neptune screamed as his hands clawed at the burning sensation.

The man grabbed Neptune by the collar and yanked him up until their faces were inches away from each other.

"You're a terribly-written character," uttered the man.

With that, he ran off into the night, leaving Neptune to deal with his own agony.

Uh... that was bizarre. And before you ask, no, I can't explain.

The worst is over now. I think it's safe to say that the Dark Knight ship is gonna sail pretty smoothly from here on out. Some of that fun will be addressed in the next chapter.

Oh, and just a random sidenote, the fizzing in Blake's shot is exactly what you think it is. Please be careful when you're out drinking.

Reviews are always welcome.

Until next time!