A/N: Hello, just wanted to say hey to anyone new to my stories. And welcome. This will be my first attempt at an RWBY fanfiction, though I have been a fan of the series for quite some time. Being the first chapter, this will mostly be about setting the tone and motivations for Jaune, the protagonist. Hopefully, you can get a taste for my style of writing, and enjoy it enough to sign on for more.

And for those of you who do know me… well, he-he, enjoy. You know why you're here.

Tag(s): Voyeurism, Peeping.

Girl(s): Pyrrha, Nora.

Words: 7843

Edited: 4/1/20

Chapter 1 – Semblance.

It was another beautiful day in the kingdom of Vale. And more specifically, Beacon Academy.

The weather was pleasantly calm. The afternoon sun was shining as bright as the future of its students. And a comfortable warmth blew through the air as distant trees waved in the force of a gentle breeze. Even the birds were out and singing, their sweets sound casting the perfect background noise to a perfect day.

Unfortunately, all of this positive energy was subdued by the incoming fist aimed directly for one Jaune Arc's face.

Jaune stared at Cardin, the owner of said fist, in open shock. It wasn't a particularly surprising outcome to his afternoon. Team CRDL had been taking time out of their day to break his nose for the last month. But today, he wasn't looking at the redheaded gorilla or his goons. He wasn't even looking at the fist inches from his face.

No, his attention was by far more drawn towards the open field around them. And for a good reason, considering the breeze, the birds, the trees, and, most importantly, the fist were all standing stock still. At the same time, the rest of the campus was shrouded in an eerie silence seemingly cast upon the world.

It was strange and so alien that Jaune's instincts screamed at him that such an emptiness shouldn't be possible. Yet, all he could do was stand there; his mouth agape while he tried to understand what was happening.

The day had unraveled like every other afternoon since he'd joined the prestigious school of Beacon. Classes had just ended, leaving most students to work on homework, their training, or to enjoy the excellent weather that seemed to perpetually shine down on their illustrious academy.

At least, that was what the rest of the students got to do. Whereas Jaune's favorite pastime as of late had turned into a sort of sadomasochistic game of hide and seek. One where it was his job to hide for his life, while Team CRDL combed through the school looking for him.

He actually managed to win some days, which usually meant voluntarily spending the afternoon stuffed into a locker, vs. getting stuffed into one by someone else. But today had not been one of those days. And the penalty for his crime of "having a stupid face," was deemed a hearty and brain-damaging fist to the offending area.

It wasn't exactly the first time Jaune had been forced to pay for that offense. Although, usually, he didn't start hallucinating until after the blinding pain and the crunch of his nose. There was the chance that he'd missed that part, or forgotten it in the ensuing brain damage, but since when had he been that lucky?

Flinching back to protect his most treasured feature, Jaune waited for what felt like an eternity for the punch that would never come. Picking up on the eerie silence that now permeated his world, he finally dared to peek. And even then, he'd been left reeling from the picture of Cardin's fist dwarfing the whole of his vision.

That spell had only lasted a few minutes. And coming to the conclusion that his immediate danger had ended, Jaune took the chance to observe this new reality. But starting confused, everything he witnessed added to that displacement until the previous fear he'd felt for himself was dwarfed by something far more profound.

"C-Cardin? Buddy?" Letting out a meek laugh, the thin boy turned back towards his tormentor, ironically desperate for the comfort of another human being. But his only answer was silence. And Cardin made no move or sign to show he was anything more than a statue, it's face frozen in a mask of sadistic glee.

Turning to the rest of Team CRDL, Jaune found them just as animated. Sky, Dove, and Russel stood in a half-circle behind their leader, fists in various stages of pumping, and their jeering cheers stopped dead on their lips.

Jaune inspected each one of them in hopes of learning something about this anomaly, to no avail. And realizing these four were utterly useless, the smaller boy found his anxious thoughts turning inward.

'It's like everything just stopped,' he observed, awed.

Reaching out, he cautiously touched a finger to Cardin's face. Warm skin gave way to his touch. But when he pulled away, the slight dimple in his cheek remained. An invisible force keeping his skin from reforming back to its regular shape. Still, the boy made no sound, much like the rest of the world.

"I…I need to find a teacher!" Jaune suddenly blanched.

Whatever was going on was way too much for him to handle by himself. Cardin may be a jerk, but Jaune didn't want to see the guy seriously hurt! Embarrassed, sure. But there was a genuine possibility that whatever this was could be dangerous.

The young man didn't hesitate to start rushing out from behind the building, where the team had dragged him. Unfortunately, he would quickly discover that finding help would be much more complicated than he'd imagined.

Running, Jaune turned the corner into the courtyard, expression open with growing panic. He made it a few more feet before the figures, and bent trees finally caught his attention. The grass crunched under his feet as his steps slowly fell to a halt.

His breath stopped cold in his chest. Licking his now dry lips, his neck craned in sharp, quick movements as he looked around the spacious lawn. But each direction told the same story.

Everywhere he looked, the student body of Beacon could be seen standing about, smiling and cheerful as usual. They dotted the open space as statues of their former selves. What should have been heartwarming scenes of friendship and comradery was twisted by their immobility.

Jaune quickly felt his heart drop to his stomach. It wasn't only Cardin and his goons. But then, how far was this really spread?

He wasn't going to like the answer. Everywhere he looked, the picture was the same. Of people, people he knew, frozen in place, stuck doing whatever they had been doing when this phenomenon had struck.

Most were simply seen standing with friends, while others had been on their way to some destination they would never reach. But all of them were utterly stuck, seemingly all but Jaune Arc.

Could this be an attack? He'd lived his entire life reading about past wars with other kingdoms. All the nations were friendly, as far as he knew. But what if that had all been a front? What if they were biding their time to attack when Vale least expected! Unfortunately, it only took a moment of thought to realize how impossible that was.

For one thing, he was pretty sure none of the nations had the kind of technology or strength to manage anything close to what he saw—even Atlas with all their robots or dust. And second, if it was an attack, it didn't explain why he was unaffected.

But then, could this be a natural occurrence? Like, some sort of tornado or earthquake that froze everything in place? But that idea wasn't much better than his first.

Granted, he'd never been the most focused student. Still, he wanted to believe he would be able to recall if a teacher mentioned something as extraordinary as the world occasionally grinding to a halt. Or his parents, or sisters, or literally anyone on the planet!

So what the fuck could this be?!

It was at this moment, frustration and fear gnawing on his mind, that he took notice of the bright light shimmering around his clenched fist.

Eyes wide, he stared at the elusive substance feeling an odd mix of awe and fear. It clung to him like a second skin across his entire body.

Twisting to get a look at himself, he stared in amazement at what could only be his first time seeing his Aura. True, Pyrrha had been kind enough to help unlock the stupid thing. What good it had done for him up to this point, however, had yet to be seen.

He wiggled his fingers, watching the light play off his skin.

Could this be what was protecting him? He knew it acted as a shield at times. Yet, he couldn't help but feel it was wrong. This was a school full of talented Hunters, after all. If aura was all they needed, they'd all been using it a lot longer than he'd been.

Eyebrows drawing together, he frowned in contemplation.

He didn't feel any pressure or pain or any other signifiers that something was attempting to reach him. Although closing his eyes, he swore that he could actually feel his aura…leave him. Almost like it was being drawn into the air around him, or spent as small branching wisps slithered into the air—more smoke than energy.

Jaune tried not to gasp. "No way!"

He failed.

Whatever…this was, whatever had happened was leaching off his aura by the second. Yet, to his understanding, there was only one thing in the world that could do that. And that was…was-!

"Semblance."

The word fell from his lips like a prayer. One he'd repeated many a time in his younger days. The power that each Hunter was born with, oh, how long he'd waited to understand what fantastic ability his own aura would create. But he'd never expected this, whatever this was.

What used to feel like a twisted and horrific disaster made the grey, lifeless reality dazzle in Jaune's eyes as he realized it was of his own making. But just because his fear was gone, it didn't mean he had fewer questions. It was quite the opposite!

If this was really his power, he needed to know how it worked. He needed to test and experiment and understand every last detail! But how? And as if summoned by Oum himself, a flash of color in the muted landscape caught his attention. Turning his head, his eyes locked on the bright red of a skirt, and a young woman attached to it.

He quickly found himself rushing over.

Stopping at a nearby bench, he forced himself to calm down enough to inspect his first test subject.

The first thing he noticed was that she was very obviously a Faunus. It was a little hard to miss considering the pair of rabbit ears sat atop of her long brunette locks.

He thought he might have seen her around campus sometime but couldn't quite put a name to her face.

Tucked away in the corner of the courtyard, she was all on her own. In her lap, she rested a thick book that she appeared to have been reading with moderate interest. Jaune took in the peaceful picture feeling his curiosity get the better of him. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand reached toward her.

Hmm, she was also very cute. Though that was less obvious. Chin tucked against her collar and shoulders hunched, it looked like she had practice avoiding attention. But there was no disguising her small frame or the mouth-watering pair of legs long enough to make his focus waver for a moment.

But this wasn't the time to ogle pretty women! This was the time for science!.

He tugged at the book she was holding, taken aback when it moved easily out of her relaxed grip.

Holding it in front of his face, the white glow around him flowed over the pages like running water. He turned a page, curious to see how it might be affected. But in his hands, the book was as average as any he'd seen.

With a pondering curiosity, he dropped the object and watched the white glow bleed away in a matter of seconds. And when it all vanished, the object slowed to a stop hovering in midair.

Jaune stared at the strange image with growing amazement.

For her part, the girl didn't seem to notice his interference. Calm faced with a peaceful smile to greet the world, her warm brown eyes didn't so much as flinch as their focus was moved. She simply continued to stare at the space her book had been, unaware that anything changed.

First, with Cardin and now the book, it was starting to look like he was free to manipulate whatever he touched. Jaune stroked his chin. Curious, he turned his attention back towards the girl.

The tips of his fingers brushed one of the long ears sticking straight out of her head. The moment their two appendages met, his aura spread around the animal feature, consuming the soft brown fur but stopping short above her hair.

He wasn't sure what he'd been hoping for. Maybe he thought he'd be able to pull the shy girl into this world too? Instead, he found himself merely enjoying the soft texture of the furry appendage.

Eh, probably for the best anyway. It'd taken Jaune a while to adjust, and that had been without anyone yanking on his ear the whole time. Although he had to admit, now that it was in his hand, her fur was damned soft.

Another moment passed before Jaune would realize what he was doing.

"Oh, my bad!" Jumping back, he flinched as though he were expecting the girl to suddenly burst out in anger. But she didn't. And losing its source of aura, the soft light on top of her head eventually bled away like the book.

Without his influence, the long ear drooped a few inches before returning to its frozen state. All the while, the girl continued to sit in peace, eyes trained on her lap.

Jaune found his face warming. For some reason, he felt like he would feel better if she had been able to yell at him. He gave the girl an apologetic look, his eyes lingering on her cute ears.

He forced his hands to stay at his side.

From what many would consider a small village, Jaune's interactions with the animalistic people had been limited to the point of nonexistence.

Which is why he'd been quite surprised to see a number of students attending Beacon sporting some form of the animal appendages, and also curious. Especially when it came to the female half.

He'd been itching to feel one for himself, but it didn't take a doctorate in Faunus studies to know it wasn't socially acceptable to go up and ask. Which made what he'd done worse, didn't it? He hadn't even bothered to ask. But didn't that also make it a little cool?

Moral or not, he'd been able to experience something he'd never have been able to without this new power. And it was just the start.

Walking away with a skip in his step, Jaune decided to do some more testing. Picking up various objects, testing the weight of things that would typically strain his strength, not to mention messing with a few more people. More or less, his actions were small and childish. But they all led to the same answer.

His semblance didn't stop people or places, it stopped time. Or, more accurately, it seemed to protect him from it. Effectively removing him from the dimension of reality altogether.

It was awe-inducing at first, to think he'd been gifted with such raw power. Just imagining what he could do with this, the number of Grimm he would be able to slay, it brought a broad and avaricious grin to his face.

"I have got to tell Pyrrha," he swore, his voice echoing in the void of stagnant air. But as soon as the words left his mouth, a look around reminded him of the real issue at hand.

As amazing, unbelievable, and incredible as his semblance was, that didn't mean much if he couldn't control it. Which begged the question, could he undo what he'd done? And, if so, how?

He tried to remember what Beacon had taught about semblances, but that didn't amount to much. There were a lot of theories that argued for a lot of different ways to control the huntsmen's abilities. And that was the problem. The power and application relied on the user so much that it was impossible to find one set of rules that applied to everything.

The only thing that was generally agreed upon was that it was an extension of one's aura, and from that, an extension of one's soul.

Okay… so how was he supposed to control his soul?

Reflecting back to the moment that everything had stopped, Jaune tried to recall what had activated it in the first place. But the best he could remember had been the blind panic. And that might be hard to recreate. Although it did remind him of something that might be useful.

He'd been so focused on the thought of Cardin's fist, and on the pain he'd been about to feel that he recalled wishing with all his might that it would stop. That the moment between the punch being thrown and it meeting his fragile face would last forever. And then…a flash.

His eyes had been clenched, flinching for all the help it did. So he'd assumed the light had simply been his own life playing before his eyes. Yet, thinking about it, he did recall a sensation in the pit of his stomach right before it had gone off.

Again, he'd passed this off as his own waste attempting to fill his shorts.

But assuming this was not the case, Jaune started looking within himself for anything that could match that description. Thankfully, fully visible and permanently activated, he found his aura much more comfortable to manipulate. A slight handicap that allowed him to flex and spread the elusive substance into his own body.

What he found was both surprising and familiar, like remembering a muscle he'd never known about.

It was like a…a tiny ball of energy sitting in the center of his gut.

His aura reached into his body, brushing against the sensation with all the weight of a passing cloud. The more he tried, the less traction he managed to create, all while wholly unsure if this was even what he was meant to do.

Suffice to say, it was going to take a lot of trial and error before he found anything out about his new power. Good thing he had time.

His struggle continued for an insurmountable period. Without sound, without people, without anything but his own heartbeat to count the seconds, an entire year could have passed for all he knew.

Well, okay, maybe not that much. But it did have an…effect on the psyche. Enough to bring a small amount of panic towards the end as his attempts became more and more desperate. Which turned out to be precisely what he needed.

His aura pressed against the hard, button-like sensation with more and more force. It was almost like he could feel a groove or texture for him to find a hold. In that single instant, he felt the power inside of him clench. And suddenly, it was like the shining bulb inside his body went dark.

There was no surge of power, no rush that he felt he needed to feed. It was like, there was a switch in his body. And whether it was on or off controlled the shell of aura that let him step into his strange world. And whatever after effects the use of his powers gave, well he was about to find out.

The world came back with a flash, just as it had left. All of the sounds and voices that had been swallowed by the void rushed back in a single wall of white noise, threatening to bring Jaune to his knees.

Hands around his ears, he struggled against the length of a nearby tree. Leaning on it for support, the jumble of noise eventually scattered into recognizable sounds.

The book hovering in midair fell onto the grass with a soft 'thump.' He happened to face that direction to watch the event, excitement mingling with the dizzying shout of what sounded like a hundred Nora's talking at once. But if the book was moving, so was its owner. And the blonde struggled to collect himself enough to give her his full attention.

Finding the book she was reading torn from her hands without warning was enough to force a small yelp of surprise from the young woman. She immediately stared at her fingertips, the very ones that had been holding the phantom novel.

Confusion continued as she reached up to touch her treasured ear, gently itching the very place Jaune himself had taken the time to exploit.

Her attention turned towards the empty lawn around her, as if she could see whatever had happened, or if anyone else had seen the odd phenomenon. She was disappointed on both fronts as the spacious, open area displayed nothing but the familiar idling teenagers enjoying a warm afternoon.

From her perspective, it was a perfectly normal day. She hesitantly began to reach for her book, warry as though it had decided to try and fly away by itself.

Suddenly he was bracing his back against the tree, allowing his subject to get back to her day. It was enough to make Jaune stare down at his arms and consider the amazing power all over again.

Like a child given a new toy, it was all he could do to keep from jumping up around, a very unmanly squeal emanating from his excited expression. He forced himself to focus.

"Alright, once is for chumps, Jaune. Let's see if we can go two for two." Pepping himself up, the young man wasted no time searching for the switch manifesting as his semblance and flipping it with his aura.

It took a few tries, but the simple fact that he knew what to look for was a great help. And to his amazement, he felt the switch flip as the world began crawling to a halt before becoming the soundless oblivion he'd just escaped.

Now free from the public's view, the first thing he did was give in to his childish whimsy. Jumping, cheers rang from his lips and dissolved into the void. He was beginning to grasp the tremendous power, and exactly what that meant for him.

It was only after he started calming down, his cheeks burning from the width of his own smile, that the young man looked around understanding what he needed to do next. These games were fun, but he did feel he may be underutilizing his potential here. Maybe he should be thinking about what this incredible strength could do for him.

And he had just the idea.

XxX

The twisted malice that had once consumed Cardin's expression now reflected his own stupidity.

Mouth agape, he appeared in the middle of looking around the shaded area behind the training hall, no doubt wondering where the dweeb that was supposed to be on the other end of his fist had gone.

"Well, I'm right here, Cardin." Jaune smiled confidently, possibly for the first time in his life. "So why don't you come and get me?"

Jaune stood in front of the muscular boy. Shorter by a head, many would question the picture of his grinning face if they'd been able to see it. Jaune relished the strange sense of safety in the twisted team's presence.

Jaune wasn't an angry person by nature. At the peak of his frustration, he was more likely to curse himself than lash out at others. Even faced with his bully, he had no real drive to cause him pain.

That being said, testing his powers on the Faunas girl made him more curious about this strange reality of his. And, more importantly, how it affected the real world. He figured one little punch to the jaw would be a great place to start.

The slim power of his shoulders and bicep flexed, visibly bulging. The muscles were larger than they'd ever been. Yet, he still lacked much of the size and definition he'd seen in other males attending Beacon. Not to mention a few of the scarier females.

His fist lifted back comically in comparison to the larger boy. But that wasn't the point. Jaune knew he didn't have the raw strength to cause any lasting pain. However, Cardin had the unfortunate position of being unable to defend himself. Frozen as he was, the larger boy couldn't so much as wince or brace for the impact. For once, it was Jaune's turn to take advantage.

His fist connected against the square jaw. And for a moment, satisfaction flared to life, a month of pent-up frustration, fear, and anger finally releasing in one massive blast.

Unfortunately, the pleasure didn't last nearly long enough. And with reality came the blinding realization that punching someone with aura really hurt.

Open shock played on his face as he reared back, almost stumbling as he hissed under his breath. He immediately moved to cradle the offended appendage with his undamaged hand, each beat of his heart sending another throb of stinging numbness through his clenched fist.

"How the heck did Cardin do this every day?!" he screamed, taking comfort that no one could hear him. But not as much as the fact that they couldn't see him as he started skipping around the group of frozen boys until the pain faded to a manageable heat.

For all his effort, Cardin didn't show much of a reaction. Snapped to the side, the force of Jaune's punch was enough to smack his face in the opposite direction. Still holding his own hand, the blond scurried off around the building's corner to watch from a distance.

Hopefully, this would work out like he'd intended.

"Ah!" Gasping, Cardin's confused expression morphed into sudden pain as he cradled his aching jaw. Curses flew from his lips while each of his teammates were left to stare in wonder as their leader thrashed around, accusing each of them of being the culprit. And no amount of denial was enough to sooth the rage so clear on his face.

The sounds of anger and arguing finally came to a head as the larger boy charged all three of his henchmen, forcing them to scatter while he followed. It was a heartwarming sight, and one Jaune knew he would never forget.

He'd learned a lot thanks to the meathead, and he felt he didn't need to take it any further. They were a bunch of jerks, and if he saw them messing with either him or anyone else, he would gladly step in to dole out justice as he had today. But for now, the young man decided he'd done enough for revenge.

And with that decision made, he began to walk away, the loud cries from a group of ne'er-do-wells gracing his ears as he rushed to find his friends.

xXx

Jaune's pace was calm as he made his way towards Beacon's dorms. A kind of smooth gate that belayed the confidence he was beginning to enjoy.

He could already feel his mind racing with the possibilities of his power. And, more specifically, how he could show it off. His partner was the first to come to mind, unmitigated pride filling his chest at the mere thought of finally meeting her aspirations.

He knew the redhead would be as excited for him as he'd been. He could finally add something to the team that didn't get them laughed at.

Not that the Huntress had ever looked bothered by it. Despite her fame, she was a one-of-a-kind friend that stuck by him no matter what. He couldn't believe she had gone so far as to offer him training. Although, whether he's actually improved because of it remained to be seen.

On that line of thought, his mind wandered to who else he could tell. And it did not take long before his mind strayed to his one and only ice queen, Weiss Schnee.

Mock his guitar? Fine. Deny his request for a date? Sure. Ridicule him on an almost daily basis? Okay, that one actually kind of hurt… But it didn't matter! Because once she heard of how amazing and strong his semblance was, she'd be the one asking him out to dinner!

And you know what he was gonna say then!?

Yes. He was going to say yes.

Of course he was going to say yes. This was Weiss Schnee we're talking about, what's wrong with you?

Then there was Ren, Nora, Yang, Ruby. Heck, he wanted to march right up to Ozpin himself and brag.

This was going to be sweet. After being on the bottom rung for so long, this was Jaune's chance to make something of himself. To prove to his parents that he could live up to his grandparents and great-grandparents. No, he was going to surpass them!

The name Jaune Arc was going to be remembered for generations! And it all started today.

Finding the familiar building, he quickly made his way up and toward Team JNPR's dorm room. He made it about halfway before an idea came to mind, stopping him mid-stride.

Sure, he could walk in and tell them what he could do and be accepted as the next living embodiment of the All-Creator-Oum. Or, he could really make an impression and show them what he was capable of. After all, Jaune Arc was nothing if not a man of showmanship.

Appearing out of thin air sounded like an excellent way to get everyone's attention. He could already see their faces. Nora might even be speechless!

Yeah, okay, maybe that wasn't possible. But she'd still be surprised!

Slipping into the comfortable setting of his own world, Jaune immediately felt himself relax into the quiet space.

It was amazing how at home he felt in this alien environment—free of both noise and presence. In here, nothing could hurt him, nothing could call him names, and nothing could make him feel as weak as he always knew he was. He was safe, powerful, practically almighty. And he liked the difference. More than he might be willing to admit.

Taking a moment to enjoy the warm sensation of his aura, Jaune finally moved to the last flight of stairs and onto his floor. Turning the corner that led to his door, his moment of joy paused finding one of his friends loitering outside their room.

Ren leaned against the hallway's wall, ever the anti-social loner. With Nora hanging off of him at every minute of the day, it wasn't strange to see him excuse himself from the rest of their team for an hour or two. As much as they loved their energetic ginger, she could be a lot in the smallest of doses.

Jaune tried not to feel too disappointed. But he'd kind of been hoping to have the whole team together for the big reveal. Yes, he could do a repeat performance. But at the cost of pizazz? No, thank you. Nope, Ren would simply have to be known as the sole member of Team JNPR that couldn't say he was there when Jaune revealed his marvelous power.

It was sad, and Jaune couldn't imagine a worse fate. But maybe this would teach Ren not to abandon his team to play on his scroll. He hoped the poor boy would be able to go to bed at least a few nights without weeping for his loss.

He spared his friend a single pitying glance before moving to open the door. Unfortunately for Jaune, he wouldn't realize his mistake until much too late.

Driven by his own excitement, Jaune hadn't stopped to remember the other reason Ren might be standing outside the door. Rather than, oh, the library? The mess hall? The lobby? That bush behind the lecture room? Or any of the other hundreds of spots he escaped to when he wanted to be alone.

If he had questioned it, he might have remembered the only reason Ren would stand outside the door was if he was following Team JNPR's one real rule. The one they'd set as soon as they realized their dorm was co-ed. One that clearly specified, at any time, one or both members of the opposite sex needed to change, the other gender would kindly step out of the room and wait for the all-clear.

It was simple to follow with no complications, and all members of the team trusted each other to refrain from doing anything regrettable.

That is to say, Ren trusted Pyrrha to keep Nora from doing anything regrettable. Of course, it wasn't until Jaune was staring at the female half of his team frozen mid-changing that all of this information came rushing back.

For that briefest of moments, Jaune found himself freezing up as much as the rest of the world. Eventually, his mind caught up with the images he was seeing.

"Sorry!" he shouted, his cheeks lighting up to a bright shade of red. He barely made out the picture of Pyrrha's naked back and Nora's bare thighs when he slammed the door closed, his breath nearing hyperventilation.

"Dude!" he exclaimed at the stock still Ren, "why didn't you warn me!?" The obvious answer being obvious, Jaune watched Ren stare lifelessly into his scroll for a full minute before turning away, his embarrassment consuming him.

At least he was alone in his discomfort. The last thing he needed was Pyrrha thinking he was trying to make a move on her. He couldn't imagine how she would respond to that. He'd gotten lucky this time, and it would serve as a strong reminder of what could go wrong if he didn't stop to use his brain a little more.

Mhmm, now he should just step back for a few minutes and wait until everyone was dressed to make his entrance. He'd even bet Ren would be in the room. A perfect plan! So…why wasn't he walking away?

And that, Jaune realized, was the staple of his little dilemma.

Try as he might to reject that he'd seen anything at all, the image of Pyrrha's toned, pale skin was burned into his retina at a glance. And he wasn't quite sure how to feel about this discovery.

From the very beginning, Pyrrha's strength had stood out more than something as average as beauty. And Nora…well, she was Nora. The fact being, 'female,' wasn't the first word that came to mind for either of the young ladies when they had all first met. And now he found himself wondering how he could have thought of anything else.

Soft skin crested into delicate curves. Red hair on each, although in startlingly different shades, appeared softer and shinier than Jaune ever remembered in the past.

It was all he could do to force himself to remember that these weren't just some girls; they were his teammates. Surely, he couldn't be considering invading their privacy like that?

But he was. Because no matter how good his heart was, at his core, he was still a teenage boy. One that had his first opportunity to see real, living women without their clothing. And unfortunately, for all parties included, the promise of boobs was too much to pass up.

"Don't look at me like that," Jaune glared at Ren, who was still exactly as frozen as he'd been three minutes ago. "It's going to be one peek, that's it!" Again, Ren didn't respond, obviously. "God, this is so like you!" Jaune nodded his head nevertheless, nervously reaching towards the door.

He could feel a nervous excitement fluttering in his chest. It was enough to make his stomach turn sour. This did nothing to subtract from the bouquet of beauty that awaited him as soon as he worked up the nerve to peek inside.

Pyrrha and Nora remained unchanged in the last forty seconds, standing as twin statues of feminine grace and youthful allure.

Dressed in little else than her skirt, it looked as though his partner was in the middle of putting on her bra when he'd frozen time. And facing away from him, his gaze was filled with the image of her back and bare shoulders.

It wasn't the parts of women he usually considered attractive. Still, he couldn't deny the sudden warmth in his cheeks—as well as other, southern areas.

Not to be ignored, Jaune was greeted with the sight of Nora just to Pyrrha's right. The excitable young woman was in a bit more substantial stage of dressing in a white blouse buttoned up to her navel. Her breasts and lower half were already covered by her purple set of bra and panties. Though she was no less appealing because of it.

The fact that he was seeing his teammate's underwear at all was a shock to his system. But once you looked past the hyperactivity and loud voice, she was a reasonably pretty young woman.

Ren was a lucky man. And while they technically weren't together, Jaune still felt a seed of guilt in the pit of his belly.

"Sorry," he looked back at his pink-haired friend. He did feel bad, but not enough to stop. He made this point especially evident as he walked the rest of the way into the room, closing the door behind him.

Turning his attention back to the two women, Jaune made the entirely unnecessary effort to move as stealthily as possible. 'Just a small peek,' he reminded himself, repeating it every so often to ward off the thoughts of caution. Though, if he was honest, he recognized most of what he was feeling as excitement.

Jaune moved by instinct, stepping toward the girls to get a better look. Pyrrha had on a beautiful expression, seemingly laughing at something the other ginger had been saying. Jaune couldn't help but feel the urge to reach out and touch her soft skin, brushing his thumb along the smooth, pink lines of her lips.

Flawless skin wrapped around toned, trained muscle sculpting an impossibly arousing figure. Slim shoulders and breasts tapered at the redhead's waist, allowing for a feminine shape.

Compared to her upper half, her lower stood out, making her hips wider and her thighs more full. And underneath the surface, Jaune could see the definition of tight muscles. And while lithe and compact, it was nothing close to bulging or burly—merely adding to her beauty.

Creeping another few steps, he was able to see what he'd come for.

Big enough to fill a palm, puberty had been extremely kind to the amazon. While not as large as Yang by any means, her armor hid more than Jaune had been expecting, which was certainly a statement in of itself. It wasn't as though she was the most conservative girl, after all.

He really hadn't been paying attention.

Soft and graceful, the tissue of her chest sloped against her ribs. A kind of pear shape, they drooped ever so slightly rounding towards the bottom while sloping forward in a blunt teardrop. Her pale skin appeared even more so in this area, making the light pink of her nipples stand out that much more.

Pointing slightly up and apart, the areola itself was on the smaller side, two patches of puffy flesh raising out from her already pronounced bust. In comparison, her stubby nipples sat in the middle of each, short and flat.

Jaune found his eyes widening with every passing second. Every now and then he would look up, staring at her face before returning to her chest. It really nailed in the fact that the first breasts he had ever seen belonged to Pyrrha Nikos. To the invincible girl, the one whose snores rivaled that of a Boarbatusk and who beat the ever-loving snot out of him daily.

Jaune's face erupted with color.

This was…getting a little intense. Jaune knew he had to be careful, but that didn't make the temptation any more manageable. Just to hammer this point home, his eyes turned to her hips where a pair of long legs stretched from her skirt, opportunistically bare of their usual tights.

Taking advantage of the school's shorter skirts, he could even enjoy a peek at her thighs without reproach.

He circled around her figure a few more times, face open with awe as he drank in the image of her naked shape. He could honestly say there were very few things in the world more interesting than a half-naked woman. Though, a fully naked one might be one exception. So, if his math was right, two half-naked women should be just as good.

Giving his partner another lingering stare, he slowly found his gaze drawing to the second girl in the room. And whereas Pyrrha physique could be described as tall and lithe, Nora's figure stood out in other ways.

Her face was a little more animated, no doubt for the effect of whatever inflated story she'd been in the middle of explaining. Fingers twisted the buttons at her navel. The front of her shirt was still very much open, giving enough of a view that Jaune could look inside and see the swell of her breasts encased in a purple prison.

Her chest was a much more reasonable size for her age. Though, looking at her now, it wasn't simple to see that right away. Easily a head shorter than everyone else on the team, the two perky mounds stuck out against her frame in a way that was very hard to ignore.

Her soft cotton bra cradled each perky curve against her chest while cleavage peeked through the top near her collar. And the two small bumps of her nipples pressed through the otherwise smooth fabric.

While her breasts were a sight to see, Jaune found his attention drifting downwards towards the pair of purple panties clearly visible under her blouse.

Still wet from her shower, the stretchy cotton hugged her curves, making a small outline of her sex visible to Jaune's prying gaze. Her thighs were spread enough for him to make out a defined line down the crotch of her underwear.

It wasn't anything too obvious. The pale light color of Nora's thighs disappeared beneath the thin strip of cloth guarding her womanhood. But it was a snug fit, and the material was thin enough to paint the picture of her lips against the fabric, while a bit had managed to get wedged up into the crease.

It was the closest Jaune had ever gotten to see what the opposite sex hid under their skirts. And he had to say, he was not disappointed.

The heat in his ears only encouraged his behavior. Crouched low, Jaune went through the effort of enjoying the girl from a different angle.

Directly behind her, the white hem of her shirt bunched over the curve of her rear. Featuring two rounded cheeks that pressed against the material of her panties. Cut for comfort, the purple fabric failed to cover her wide backside in its entirety, allowing the corner of each cheek to peek out at the young man.

The gentle curves met the meat of her thigh, which carried down to the firm, perfect shape of her legs.

He stared at all of this, trying to remember how he'd looked at the girl before. After today, he would be lucky if he could go through another meal without her tight bottom coming to the forefront of his mind.

"Wow," Jaune sighed. "I love my semblance…" The words faded into the soundless void.

He continued to switch between the two from time to time. They each had their own points of interest, and Jaune wanted to make sure they both got the attention they deserved. His semblance had given him a rather unique opportunity, and he refused to waste it.

He doubted many young men had had the chance to so openly view the opposite sex. At least outside of their scrolls. Yet, rather than enjoy the moment for what it was, Jaune's mind slowly began to turn. He found himself entertaining other ideas that would have rendered him a stammering fool if it had been a few hours ago.

After all, he could do anything he wanted! This was his power, and if he wanted to see more of his teammates, it wasn't like they were in a position to stop him. Besides, they'd never know. No one would. No one, except for him. And what sweet memories they'd be.

Eyes training on the hem of Pyrrha's skirt, Jaune was amazed to find his own hand reaching out towards the garment.

'Is this really what you want to do with your power?' the voice in his head came quickly, taunting him with its tone. The tips of his fingers brushed the hem of Pyrrha's skirt before stopping suddenly.

Jaune's face froze. The sound was familiar, too familiar. It was the same mocking tone that always followed him, waiting to strike at the moment he began to feel so much as a spark of confidence.

It never failed to repeat his shortcomings, or his lack of ability, reminding him of who he was as soon as he thought otherwise.

'Really doing your ancestors proud.'

Even gaining the power to stop time wasn't enough to completely erase his lack of self-esteem.

Jaune wanted to curse, hating his own negativity. But like every other time, he couldn't find it in him to shake its words off.

Standing between the two women, a strange sensation settled over him. Not guilt, so much as the disturbance he felt realizing that there was none. What he was doing would be questionable to anyone. Yet, he'd walked in with minimal hesitation, if any.

For the first time, he couldn't help but question his actions.

He'd come to Beacon to become a great warrior, a man worthy of the name he'd been born into. Yet as soon as he obtained that power, this was the first thing he did? Peep on girls? Worse, his teammates! People who trusted him with their lives, despite all the reasons he'd given them not to.

An image of his father's disappointed face immediately came into view. And if there was any arousal left lingering in his pants, that more than did the trick.

Jaune's mind turned towards the consequences of what he'd done. Some of it rational, most of it not. Getting such an intimate view of his teammates, if they ever found out what he'd done…

Suddenly his frozen world didn't feel as good as it had half an hour ago. Suddenly the lack of sound or motion was suffocating.

Jaune's eyes flickered around the room anxiously. Drawing deep breaths, his lungs pulled at the stale, still air. Sparing the pair of girls one last glance, Jaune Arc did the one thing he knew how to do when the going got tough.

He ran.

Next Chapter: Reassurances: Running from your problems rarely works out, which Jaune is quick to learn. Catching her friend in a moment of panic, Yang manages to calm his fears while unknowingly volunteering herself for more experimentation with Jaune's new powers. What was so bad that it made Jaune run from his team? How will Yang react when she becomes its focus? Read the next chapter to find out.