Work Text:
Based off of a conversation I had on reddit a while back. Probably been done before by better writers, but it"s what I felt like writting about.
Weiss struggled to open her eyes. Though her mind was wide awake, her body felt like it was made of lead, weighed down by exhaustion. The toll of the last few... days? Weeks? It was impossible to tell how long they had been in the Ever After. Time in that bizarre place felt slippery and meaningless. Regardless, her body had reached its limit, and no amount of willpower seemed to coax her muscles into cooperating. With no other choice, she lay there, still and useless, while her mind decided the best thing to do at the moment was to replay the events of last night. Wonderful…
The portal had been their salvation, a means to escape the Ever After, but Weiss hadn"t considered where it might lead them. Back to Beacon? Atlas? Vacuo? Anywhere familiar and safe? No. Of course not. That would be too easy. Instead, it had dumped them into the middle of the Vacuan desert, Vacuo itself on the horizon but easily a several days walk away, their immediate surrounding a sun-scorched wasteland of endless dunes and blistering heat. Weiss had always prided herself on being composed and resourceful, but trudging through shifting sands with the sun beating down on her in full combat gear had pushed even her patience to its breaking point.
Blake had fared slightly better, being able to shed layers of clothing granting her some edge in the sweltering heat, but even she was visibly flagging after the first hour. Yang was as stubborn as ever, refusing to complain even as her steps grew heavier and slower. She walked a few paces behind Ruby, her prosthetic arm gleaming under the relentless sun. Ruby... Ruby was struggling the most. Weiss wasn"t sure if it was just the physical exhaustion or everything else weighing on her, but her normally upbeat leader had been unusually quiet, her gaze fixed on the ground ahead.
The only one who seemed to never lose his smile was Jaune. Despite the sweat matting his hair and the awkward way he leaned on his sword like a walking stick, his face was lit with quiet determination. His eyes never left the sight of Vacuo in the distance, as if afraid it might vanish if he so much as blinked. Who knows—maybe there had been similar illusions in the Ever After. Weiss still struggled to comprehend it all. How long had he been there by himself? What had he seen? How much had he suffered? Questions she wasn"t sure she wanted to ask, much less hear the answers to.
They had been lucky—more than lucky, really. After hours of slogging through the sand, praying they wouldn"t collapse from dehydration, one of Vacuo"s patrolling airships had spotted them. The sight of the ship descending toward them had almost brought tears to Weiss"s eyes. Almost. She was far too dignified for that, of course. Still, the relief she felt when they were ushered aboard was almost overwhelming.
They had all been surprised to see the ship was staffed by Atlesian soldiers. Seeing them in Vacuo was jarring, like a fragment of the old world had found its way here. But it was comforting to know their efforts to save Atlas hadn"t been in vain. The knowledge that their desperate plan had worked, that the people of Atlas had survived, made their sacrifices feel a little less hollow.
The ride to Shade Academy was fairly somber. There were so many questions they wanted to ask, but they were all so exhausted that only the most pressing ones made it past their lips. "What day is it?" Ruby had croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is everyone safe?" Blake had added. "What about our friends?" Weiss had managed to ask, though even she could hear the strain in her voice.
It had been a few months since the fall of Atlas, the soldiers explained. Most of the evacuees had survived the crossing to Vacuo, though it hadn"t been easy. As for their friends, they were safe but currently out on a mission. The pilot promised that as soon as they landed, he would head out to pick them up and bring them home. It would take a couple of days, but the assurance that their friends were alive and well was enough to lighten the weight on their hearts—if only slightly.
As they touched down near the outskirts of Shade, the crew helped them disembark. The sun was lower now, casting a golden glow over the sand dunes and the jagged skyline of Vacuo"s capital. The lead soldier turned to them with a crooked grin.
"Well, welcome back to the land of the living," he said, dusting off his hands. "And don"t worry, you don"t have to leave us a tip."
Jaune, who had been staring off toward the horizon with a distant, thoughtful look, suddenly perked up. Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out several sheets of paper, and tore off the corners of each sheet. He strode up to the soldier and held it out in his palm.
"Here," Jaune said earnestly. "Thanks for the ride."
The soldier blinked, staring at the small pile of paper triangles in disbelief. "Uh... thanks?" he said hesitantly, before adding with a bemused grin, "I"ll, uh, treasure it."
Ruby let out a burst of laughter, covering her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
"Jaune, what are you doing?" Yang asked, barely containing her own grin.
"What?" Jaune said, looking genuinely puzzled. "He said he didn"t need a tip, but I thought it"d be polite to give him something anyway."
Weiss groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Jaune... just, please stop talking."
Someone had come to collect them shortly after they disembarked, a sharp-looking individual with an air of authority and a clipboard in hand. A teacher, perhaps? Weiss wasn"t entirely sure, and frankly, she didn"t care. She caught bits and pieces of what the person was saying, something about accommodations, meals, and needing to debrief with the headmaster soon. But then she heard the word bed, and everything else faded into background noise.
At that moment, Weiss would have followed this stranger into the desert itself if it meant a proper mattress and a place to finally collapse. She vaguely registered Blake nodding politely and Ruby mumbling a quiet thanks, but Weiss didn"t bother. Her mind was already halfway to a pillow.
The rest of the group seemed to feel the same. Even Yang, who normally couldn"t resist throwing out a quip, was uncharacteristically quiet as they trudged behind their guide. Exhaustion had stripped them all of the will to do much more than put one foot in front of the other.
By the time they reached their assigned quarters, Weiss"s entire body ached with anticipation. A bed, she thought. Finally, a bed.
And now she was trapped. Weiss had slept on the most luxurious, custom-designed mattresses Atlas had to offer, engineered to cradle every muscle and joint in perfect alignment. She had grown up with silk sheets that practically shimmered against her skin and blankets spun from the softest, finest cotton money could buy.
But none of those could compare to the sheer gravitational pull of this lumpy bag of straw the school dared to call a mattress. The scratchy wool blanket was more like sandpaper than fabric, but even that didn"t matter. It was as if Vacuo itself had conspired to make this tiny, unremarkable bed the most impossible thing to leave.
She stared up at the ceiling, caught in a strange haze between horror and bliss. "This is ridiculous," she thought. "It"s awful. It"s uncomfortable. It"s-" she shifted slightly, sinking deeper into the uneven padding, "perfect."
Weiss didn"t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she let out a resigned sigh and accepted her fate. If Vacuo was going to break her, it wasn"t going to be the sun or the sandstorms. No, it was going to be this infernal excuse for a mattress.
"I"M LATE!"
The muffled scream tore through the quiet hallway, followed by a series of loud thuds and the unmistakable sound of something—or someone—crashing into furniture. Weiss bolted upright, the haze of exhaustion instantly replaced with alarm.
"What on Remnant?" she muttered, grabbing her sword as she hurried out of her room.
She made her way toward the room she"d seen Jaune ushered into the night before, but before she could reach it, the door flew open with a bang. A disheveled and manic-looking Jaune stumbled out, his eyes wide and unfocused as he darted glances up and down the hallway.
"JUNIPER!? JUNIPER, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Jaune?" Weiss called, her voice steady but firm.
"JUNIPER?!" he yelled again, his tone panicked as he spun around, clearly not registering her presence.
"Jaune, look at me," Weiss said, stepping closer and trying to coax him back to reality. She softened her tone but kept it authoritative, hoping it would cut through whatever chaos was spinning in his mind.
"I"m late! I"m late!" he rambled, his hands gripping his head. "Where am I? I need to go now! They"re counting on me!"
Weiss frowned, her heart sinking. His words were frantic, but his expression was something else entirely—haunted. This wasn"t Jaune, the dorky knight of Beacon or Jaune the Rusted Knight of Ever After. This was someone who had been lost for far too long and was still struggling to find their way back.
"Jaune," she said again, sharper this time. She stepped into his line of sight and grabbed his shoulders. "You"re safe. You"re in Vacuo, remember? The Ever After is behind us. It"s over."
His breathing hitched as his gaze finally settled on her, a flicker of recognition breaking through the fog. "Weiss?"
"Yes, it"s me," she said firmly, her grip tightening just enough to ground him. "You"re not late for anything. Juniper isn"t here, she"s with Somewhat remember? Just breathe."
Jaune blinked, his frantic movements slowing as her words started to sink in. He looked down at her hands on his shoulders, then back up at her face, his posture sagging as exhaustion replaced the panic.
"...I"m sorry," he mumbled, his voice trembling.
Weiss shook her head. "You don"t need to apologize. Just... let"s get you back inside, all right?"
Before Jaune could respond, the faint creak of a door caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see Yang poking her head out into the hallway, her hair disheveled and her expression groggy.
"What"s all the racket?" Yang asked, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn. "Some of us were finally getting some decent sleep, you know."
Weiss gave her a pointed look, her hands still resting on Jaune"s shoulders. "It"s nothing," she said, though the sharpness in her tone suggested otherwise. "Jaune was just... disoriented. Go back to bed."
Yang stepped fully into the hallway, crossing her arms as she studied the scene in front of her. "Disoriented? He sounded like he was being chased by a Nevermore." Her gaze shifted to Jaune, who still looked shaken, his breathing uneven. Her teasing tone softened instantly. "Hey, big guy, you good?"
"I... I"m fine," Jaune muttered, though his voice lacked conviction. He avoided Yang"s gaze, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Yang frowned but didn"t press him. "Okay," she said quietly, her usual bravado replaced by concern. "If you need anything, just... let us know, yeah?"
Weiss nodded, grateful for Yang"s restraint. "I"ve got it handled," she said, guiding Jaune back toward his room.
Yang lingered in the hallway for a moment longer, watching them with a worried expression before finally retreating back into her own room.
As Weiss eased Jaune onto the edge of his bed, she sat beside him and sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jaune shook his head, his hands gripping the blanket tightly. "Not right now," he murmured.
Weiss hesitated, then placed a hand on his arm. "All right. But when you"re ready... we"re here for you. All of us."
Weiss stayed silent for a moment, letting the stillness of the room settle around them. Jaune"s breathing began to even out, though his shoulders still trembled faintly. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before standing.
"I"ll let you rest," Weiss said softly. "But don"t hesitate to call for me if—"
"I"m still there," Jaune interrupted, his voice quiet but filled with pain.
Weiss froze, her hand lingering on the edge of the bedpost as she turned to look at him. He wasn"t meeting her eyes, instead staring down at his hands as if they held the answers to a question he couldn"t articulate.
"Still there?" she asked cautiously, her voice steady.
"The Ever After. The battles, the... choices I made," Jaune said, his voice faltering. "I know we"re back, I know it"s over, but it"s like my brain doesn"t believe it. I close my eyes, and I"m still there. Still failing. Still losing people."
Weiss felt a pang of guilt for all the times she had focused on her own exhaustion, forgetting just how much Jaune had endured. Far more than any of them could fully understand.
"You didn"t fail anyone," she said firmly, stepping closer. "We"re here because of you. We survived because of you."
Jaune let out a hollow laugh, his eyes finally meeting hers. "You weren"t there for all of it. You didn"t see what I..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "It doesn"t matter. None of it does anymore."
"It does matter," Weiss insisted, her voice softening but losing none of its resolve. "You matter, Jaune. To all of us."
For a moment, Jaune didn"t respond. He just sat there, staring at her like he was trying to determine whether or not to believe her. She didn"t blame him. Who knows how many times that trust had been betrayed. Finally, he gave a small nod, though it was more of an acknowledgment than agreement.
"Thanks, Weiss," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She offered him a faint smile. "Try to get some rest. You"ll feel better after some sleep. I"ll check on you when breakfast is ready."
As Weiss moved to leave, she glanced back one last time. Jaune had leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed but his expression still troubled. She quietly closed the door behind her, the weight of his pain following her into the hallway.
Weiss exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair. She"d deal with her own problems later. Right now, her team—and Jaune—needed her to hold things together.
Authors notes;
This is supposed to be the immediate aftermath of V9, obviously. The volume ends on a happy and hopeful note, but what happens after all of those endorphines run their course and they"re still out in the desert? What are the mind states after they FINALLY have a moment to just be still and process everything that happened to them? Thought I would give that a shot.
A bit more angsty and depressing than my usual work, I much prefer to stay light hearted and spread good vibes, but I guess this is a reflection of my current mood and I didn"t wnat this to mix in with my current long form story. Hope yall enjoy anyway.
As always, please leave a comment. They tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, and I just enjoy getting them.