Be More Heroic

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY nor Be More Chill

What did it mean to be a hero?

Was it the outfit? The weapon? The attitude?

If you asked Jaune's grandfather, it was the deeds.

"Great deeds make great heroes," he would tell little Jaune as he sat on his lap.

It had stuck with him for all these years. It captured his imagination and enamored him to the idea of being a great hero. Fearsome Grimm would fall like wheat at harvest and nefarious villains would lay defeated at his feet. He would be admired by the people and looked up to by all those who came after him.

He came to Beacon to become a hero. He wanted to be the hero. He wanted to be the brave and charming knight who charged into a hopeless battle and came out scraped up but victorious while carrying the damsel in distress.

Now, though?

"Move it, loser," a familiar voice barked.

Jaune was rudely jerked from his thoughts by a rough shove to his back that nearly sent him falling face first. As it was, he only stumbled forward in a display that was no less humiliating. A hand smacked the back of his head just as he caught himself. He looked up while rubbing the back of his head and was met with the retreating backs of Cardin and his team, all of them were having a good laugh. The large boy hadn't even bothered to regard him with a backwards glance.

"Asshole!" he called out.

Except he didn't do that. Cardin left his back open because knew Jaune wouldn't do anything. He never did.

He sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor as he continued walking towards class with hands in pockets.

"Why does he just take it?"

"'Cause he can't do anything about. Dude's a wimp."

"Still, take a swing or something..."

"How'd a guy like that become a team leader over the Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Man, I feel so bad for her. Hey, you think I could use that angle to chat her up?"

The whispers and the giggling of those who stood witness surrounded him, but he did his best to tune them out. It wasn't anything new for anyone. Jaune the weakling, Jaune the wimp, Jaune the loser just being humiliated again.

He came to Beacon to be a hero, but now he just wanted to survive.

A quick smile and a nod to Pyrrha was enough to ward off any implication that he was upset as he sat next to her. Her return smile was positively radiant. He didn't know how it was possible for someone to be so ridiculously beautiful, but it seemed that was a prerequisite for every woman that chose the path of the Huntress. Team RWBY alone could be confused for a group of supermodels if they didn't carry weapons around.

Thinking of Team RWBY made him think of Weiss - incredible, beautiful, smart, regal, lovely Weiss - and he was hit with conflicting feelings of bliss and hurt. She had spurned his every advance and he just couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. Confidence alone didn't seem to cut it but he didn't know what else he could do.

He had tried charming her with smooth words; she just glared before summarily ignoring him.

He had tried presenting her with flowers; she rolled her eyes and walked away.

He had tried leaving a love letter in front of her door; she tore it in half.

He had tried paying one of the Bullhead pilots to write her name in the sky only to be told that not only would he not do it, but that it was impossible to do that in a Bullhead. Then he reported him to Goodwitch who gave him a stern lecture on misappropriation of school resources.

Maybe he could serenade her? He hadn't really tried to sing before but he was pretty good with the guitar.

He figuratively shook his head clear. He could worry about his unsuccessful overtures later. He was in class now and he had to take it more seriously than anyone else. So he shoved his many, many, many failed romantic endeavors to the back of his mind and waited for class to begin.

Pap

Someone snickered. He kept his eyes forward.

Pap

He wouldn't acknowledge it. It would only encourage them.

Pap

Jaune breathed in deeply and grit his teeth as yet another balled up scrap of paper bounced off the back of his head. It wasn't that bad, just a little annoying. They'd get bored eventually.

Suddenly there was a light crinkling of paper behind him. He couldn't help but turn his head to investigate and was immediately met with the sight of his partner glaring at something behind them with her arm outstretched behind his head. Upon turning further, he saw her fist clenched around another wad of paper; and beyond that - a few rows behind them - was Team CRDL feigning innocence.

"Those hooligans...," Pyrrha hissed.

His partner's indignation on his behalf should have touched him. Instead, he just felt embarrassment that he had to be defended. Again.

He gently took her arm and brought it down while shaking his head, "Forget about them, Pyrrha. They're children."

Except he didn't do or say that. He just looked down at his desk and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not a big deal...," he demurred. Except it kinda was. It was a mind game, a power play, one that he had neither the skill nor the guts to counter.

"Maybe not," Pyrrha conceded. She lowered her arm and gave him her full attention. "However it is inappropriate. We're not here to play schoolyard bullies with each other, we're here to become Hunters. They shouldn't be bothering you like- "

"It's fine, Pyrrha. It's just a little messing around, you know how us guys are," he interjected with a big smile that he was well-versed in forcing onto his face regardless of his mood. It was a poor mask, apparently, as Pyrrha looked ready to press the issue.

"Quiet down, class," Goodwitch called out as she walked into the class. She never needed to yell, not more than once at any rate. "Today we'll be going over combat in enclosed quarters. You've all had your fill of practical combat for now so we'll spend some time on theory."

Pyrrha's mouth clacked shut and she seemed frustrated for a brief moment before she shook her head in resignation and turned her attention to the professor. Jaune nearly sighed in relief, both at the save and at the fact that yet another humiliating defeat in combat practice had been postponed. He pulled out his notebook and and tried to pay close attention.

Maybe he could doodle Vav while he was listening as well.

...

Seven minutes later and he was more concerned with his doodling than he was with the class.

Team JNPR filed out with the rest of the class, all of them eager to get out but reluctant to go to the next class. Jaune was fortunate in that Team CRDL had already left so he didn't have to deal with them again. Although, they likely hadn't stuck around because he had his partner nearby. They never tried anything brazen while he was within arm's reach of the Invincible Girl.

"UGH! That was so BORING!" Nora griped. Combat Practice & Theory was usually her favorite class, but it was more so the 'Practice' part as opposed to the 'Theory'.

Ren, naturally, had a different opinion, "I thought it was a very productive class. It covered the vital points of combat in an enclosed space so that we won't be caught by surprise by unexpected consequences."

It was a logical and insightful summation; it was so Ren. Always cool, never ruffled, and good-looking on top of it. Ren was choice eye-candy among some of the other students from what he had heard. The only thing that kept them at bay was the idea of having to deal with Nora in order to get at him.

Said girl groaned at Ren's response and threw her hands up in the air, "It was a personal attack is what it was! 'Mind the swing of longer and more powerful weapons', 'Explosives must be used with extreme caution', blah, blah, bah!"

That wasn't a bad impression of Goodwitch, actually.

"It sounds like the class was most helpful for you then," Ren casually said.

The redhead gasped and flung herself over his shoulders, letting herself be dragged along with him.

"Reeeeeeeen~! Don't take her side!"

Ren clearly wasn't bothered at having to drag Nora's weight with him. Nor did he seem bothered at how her bountiful chest pressed tightly against his back. Her personality was a little...intense, but there was no denying she was a beautiful girl. How Ren kept calm while she was literally hanging off of him was beyond his understanding.

Speaking of beautiful girls...

Jaune turned around and saw Team RWBY exiting the classroom as well. Yang was conversing with Blake about one thing or another while Weiss was perusing over what seemed to be Ruby's notes, evident by the various pastry and weapon stickers plastered to the front. Finally the heiress snapped the notebook shut and handed it back to her leader.

"It's acceptable, but I use that term very, very lightly in this case. You do need to work on your handwriting, however. It's nearly illegible."

It was good enough for Ruby who snatched the notebook back and pumped a fist in victory. Weiss was a perfectionist, and that was apparent to anyone who had known her for more than five seconds. Any amount of praise had to be difficult to earn, especially for the young girl who was the leader of the team. It was accomplishing its purpose, however, as Ruby was quickly picking up the slack that appeared from skipping two years worth of schooling. Watching the normally cold and acerbic young woman care for Ruby like that sent a flutter throughout Jaune's chest.

Bolstered by renewed feelings and unhindered by past failures, Jaune executed an about face and bee-lined straight for Team RWBY; completely ignorant of the dismay that appeared on his own team's faces as they realized he was going to make yet another pass at the ivory-haired woman.

"Hey, Ruby!" he called out jovially before he shifted his expression to something he felt made him look suave. "Weiss~" he purred.

Their reactions were night and day as Ruby cheerfully returned his greeting and Weiss' face twisted into undisguised contempt. His confidence shook a little but he remained otherwise undeterred.

"So, Weiss," he said as charmingly as he could. Some objective part of him realized he just sounded hammy but he wrote it off as his natural insecurity speaking, "I see you've been helping Ruby with her classwork. How about you and I- "

"I'd rather ingest an entire Burn crystal," Weiss said curtly.

The sudden interjection threw Jaune off and his entire facade evaporated, "Buh- Wait- I didn't even- "

"You didn't have to, Arc," she said while rolling her eyes. "You're disgustingly transparent."

She swept past him before he could recover. Blake moved past with nary a glance and Yang roughly patted his shoulder as she walked by. Ruby remained for a second longer, her worried gaze rapidly flipping between Weiss' retreating form and Jaune's frozen one. Finally she gave a quiet apology before scurrying after her team.

Jaune slumped as his mind finally caught up to the fact that - yet again - he failed to woo Weiss. Just to compound that failure, he was treated to another round of snickering from the students who were around to watch his rejection. A hand came to rest in between his shoulder blades and he turned around to meet Pyrrha's supportive smile. He weakly returned it before another feminine arm suddenly snaked around his neck and roughly pulled him back.

"Don't let it get you down, Jauney!" Nora exclaimed happily. "You know what they say: Sixth time's the charm!"

He gagged and wrapped his fingers around the lithe arm in an attempt to pull it away. It was futile as Nora's strength was something else. Fortunately Ren came to the rescue and gently pried him from her grip.

"It's the third time," Ren corrected as Jaune gasped for air.

"Then the sixth time has to be double the charm," Nora said triumphantly, secure in her own logic.

Jaune finally caught his breath and weakly mumbled, "Y-Yeah, thanks, Nora."

A gloved hand came to rest on his arm. "Why don't you focus on your studies for the time being," Pyrrha said with an encouraging smile. "Mid-terms are coming up and I...I'm sure Weiss would be impressed if you were to score well."

His head snapped up and his face suddenly filled with hope, "You think so?"

The champion nodded, "Of course... I can even help you study?"

Jaune nodded eagerly, completely oblivious to how stiffly she had nodded and how hopeful she had sounded about offering to study with him, "That would be awesome! Thanks, Pyrrha!"

Unseen by both, Nora rolled her eyes as Pyrrha seemed to light up at his acceptance even as Jaune was absorbed with the idea of impressing Weiss with his test scores.

"And so what was the primary cause for Vacuo's involvement in the war?"

Jaune chewed his lip as he flipped aimlessly through his notebook. He managed to find some notes he had thoughtlessly jotted down in between doodles and little blurbs of a fantastical nature but none of them had the answer he needed.

"Uh...they were...upset that other people had more food than them...?"

Pyrrha's exasperated sigh didn't fill him with confidence.

"Jaune, Vacuo had more than enough food prior to the war. They were a tropical paradise with an abundance of natural resources. Which of those resources could have sparked a conflict in the region?"

He spent another two minutes flipping through his notebook and desperately scrambling through his hazy memories of History class.

"I think it was...um..."

"DUST!" Nora shouted from her bed. "IT WAS DUST!"

Pyrrha swung her head around to glare at her. "Nora!," she admonished, "He won't learn if you give him the answers."

"Well I couldn't help it! He was just sitting there looking like a lost little puppy!" Nora flopped back onto her bed, satisfied that she had said her piece.

Pyrrha sighed again and looked back towards Jaune, "She's correct, Dust was the primary cause of Vacuo's involvement in the war. Mantle sought to exploit Vacuo's Dust reserves and so initiated an invasion to seize them."

The blond knight groaned and let his head fall into the desk. They had been studying for three hours and all he had learned was that he was completely unprepared for the mid-terms. Shame crept up his neck as he realized that despite all his talk about needing to take classes seriously he had done literally nothing but slack off.

"Let's take a break," he mumbled in defeat. He felt Pyrrha's hand rub his back. What was probably intended to help only made him feel worse. Now he was being consoled like a little child upset that he didn't get ice cream.

"A break sounds marvelous," Pyrrha agreed. "Why don't we go get some food. I heard the cafeteria is serving those chicken nuggets you like~"

Jaune's spiraling self-esteem couldn't help but point out that she sounded just like his mom. He really was just like a child to her. Someone to coddle and care for rather than someone that could be considered an equal. He lifted himself up with a heavy sigh.

"Actually, I kinda feel like getting something from Vale."

"Oh, I can join you then," his partner offered cheerfully. He shook his head.

"I kinda want to go get this on my own. I need some time to think and stuff..."

Pyrrha's smile lowered and her face morphed into one of concern. He cut her off as she as opened her mouth to ask if he was okay.

"I'm fine, Pyrrha, I just have to figure some stuff out." He tried to his best to smile convincingly at her but apparently it was transparent as his attempt earlier that day. Fortunately she decided to not push the issue and nodded in response.

"Okay, but you know I- we're here to talk if you have anything on your mind," she offered. Nora chose that moment to physically jump in.

"Yeah!" she shouted into his ear, making him jump in surprise. "You can even talk to Ren if you want. He's a great listener! Right, Renny?"

Ren looked up from his textbook, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Reeeen~!"

Jaune smiled - genuinely this time - as Nora dive-bombed onto Ren.

"Thanks, guys. I'll take you up on that if I ever need to."

He gave a final wave of goodbye before he walked out of the room and headed for the Bullhead platforms. He had just enough time to grab a flight down for some fast food and get back up before they stopped ferrying for the night. There was a light skip in his step as he thought about his team's concern for him They were great friends, and great Hunters on top of that.

Which was exactly the problem. He couldn't confide in them about this. They had somehow not gotten around to asking him why he was so weak, probably out of consideration for him. That question would inevitably come up if he tried to talk to them about his problems and ask for their help. Then he would either have to lie straight to their faces or tell them about how he cheated his way into Beacon. Both were unappealing options.

The pleasant mood that his team put him in gradually melted away as all of his previous self-doubts crept back into his thoughts. He had to work through this on his own. He had to be the hero he knew he could be. The memory of getting smacked around the back of his head flitted into his mind.

He just wish he knew how.

His mood had improved a little after buying his burger and fries. Even if it was unintentional, the walk had helped him clear his head a bit. His situation still sucked but that didn't mean it had to suck forever, right? He just had to...buckle down or something.

As he was walking down the sidewalk back towards the Bullheads, a low sound from an alleyway ahead caught his attention. It sounded like a voice but he couldn't tell what was being said. Normally he would write it off however something about the voice rubbed him the wrong way. On top of that, it was getting late and most people were already home. Something was tickling his paranoia, so he looked left and right for any other passerby - of which there were none - and crept up to the alley.

He carefully peeked around the corner and saw something he had only seen in his daydreams.

A young girl was leaning back against the wall while a bigger and older man leaned over her with a hand planted above her. Jaune tried not to jump conclusions. Maybe they knew each other? Maybe this was some late night...uh, meeting between lovers. He had read something like that in one of his sister's books. His new proximity had fortunately granted him the ability to hear what was being said.

"Aww, c'mon, stop turning away~" the man rasped. His voice had a slur that hinted at intoxication. "You come wandering around here alone and now you wanna act like you didn't want this?"

Okay, it was exactly what he had assumed. This guy was trying to take advantage of a defenseless girl. The bag of fast food crinkled in his fist as his heart started hammering in his chest as his fight or flight kicked in. This was it, his time to to be a hero. He swallowed the flight instinct and forced himself to step into the alley. The pair hadn't noticed him yet so he decided to announce himself as firmly as he could.

"That's enough!" he shouted.

Except that didn't happen. Instead his voice cracked as he shakily called out. "H-Hey!"

Both parties turned towards him and he felt his throat lock up as his mind scrambled for what to do next. The choice was taken out of his hands when the man pulled away from the girl and addressed him with an irritated growl.

"Yeah? Whaddya want, kid?"

To go back to his room and eat his burger if he was being perfectly honest. But that girl needed his help and he wasn't going to ignore that. He just had to scare this guy off. He was going to look him straight in the eye and firmly tell him to leave. With his face set into his best stern countenance, he opened his mouth to speak.

"You- uh...she...you should stop," he stammered.

There was a moment of silence. Then the man seemed to choke on something before he burst out in laughter.

"Pft-PAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, Dust! BWAHAHA! Was- Was that supposed to some hero shit, boy?! BAHAHAHA!"

Heat blossomed across Jaune's cheeks as the man slowly gathered himself. His laughter dissolved into chuckles and he wiped a burgeoning tear from his eye.

"Ooh, boy, that was a good one. Tell ya what kid, just for givin' me a good laugh, I'll let you walk away from here so you can go back home. Yer mommy's gotta be wonderin' where you are."

Jaune swallowed his embarrassment and tried to recover. "Not until you leave her alone."

The man snorted and stepped forward. His appearance became clear as he walked out of the shadow. Brown, messy hair and bloodshot eyes bedecked a stubbly face; and a stained t-shirt and frayed jeans made up his outfit. His face was set into a scowl as he looked Jaune up and down.

"And what if I don't, tough guy?" he growled. Something akin to excitement filled Jaune as he opened his mouth to respond with the obvious, cool one-liner.

"You gonna make?" the man continued.

Having his response ripped from him threw Jaune through a loop for a second. He was supposed to be the one to say that second part

"Um...yes...?"

The drunk scoffed and cracked his neck before marching aggressively towards him. Jaune dropped his food and lifted his arms into a pose he vaguely recalled Yang always did. His heart threatened to burst out of his ribcage as the man came closer. This wasn't a spar, this was an actual street fight. There wouldn't be anyone to step in to stop things from going too far. Which means he had to win this or who knows what would happen to the girl.

He clumsily swung his fist in the general direction of the man as soon as he came into range. There were two things that could happen, he figured. Either he'd miss but ward the man off or he'd hit and hopefully knock him out.

What he didn't expect was for the man to duck under his arm before grabbing it and tossing him over his shoulder.

A grunt flew from his lips as his back slammed onto the ground. Something tapped his cheek as he tried to reorient himself and his head jerked lightly to the side.

"AH FUCK!"

Jaune blinked rapidly and his clearing vision was met with the sight of the man leaning against the wall while holding his foot.

"What the fuck?! The fuck is up with you, freak?!"

Jaune lifted his hand to his cheek and and rubbed the spot he had felt the tap. Was that a kick he felt? Something clicked and his eyes widened. It was his Aura! Normal people didn't have theirs unlocked and so hitting him must have felt like hitting a wall.

Apparently the man came to the same conclusion as his features morphed from anger to fear.

"Sh-Shit, Huntsman!"

The realization was enough for the man to turn tail and limp away as fast as he could. Jaune stared after him in disbelief before he felt a light nudging in his side. He looked down (up) to see a dainty, gloved hand held in front of his face in an unspoken offer. He accepted the hand before he could really think about it and was roughly jerked back up onto his feet.

Mismatched eyes looked up at him and a cheerful smile was casually stretched across the face of the girl he had...saved? She definitely didn't look like someone who was nearly assaulted. In fact, she seemed kind of amused. And wow if she didn't make it look sexy. Multi-colored hair coifed to perfection, a heart-shaped face that made his heart skip a few beats, and a small but curvy body that sent his hormones into overdrive.

"Uh, hey," he said, unsure of what else to say.

She lifted a hand and curled her fingers in greeting but didn't say anything else. He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Are you...you know, okay?"

A nod, but still no verbal response. There was a longer stretch of silence as they both stared at each other. Jaune fidgeted and looked to and fro as he started to get uncomfortable with the situation. The girl seemed to be content to just stand there and stare at him on the other hand. Was this what being admired was like? Was she into him because he saved her? He had no clue what to do. Should he give her an autograph or something?

The glowing screen of a scroll was suddenly shoved into his face. He jerked his head back in surprise and looked back down at the girl. She looked him dead in the eyes with the same - now off-putting - smile and gave her scroll a light shake. He gulped as he considered the possibility she was asking for his number. His hopes died a cruel and brutal death as he turned to look at the display.

'You got your ass kicked lol'

His jaw dropped in shock before he looked back at the girl who pulled her scroll away and giggled silently into her hand.

"W-Well I scared him off, didn't I?" he defended with burning cheeks. Her fingers flew across the display before being held back up for him to read.

'Only because you have Aura. If you didn't have that he would've stomped you ;)'

Blue eyes turned away and his body seemed to deflate. He wanted to refute her, but he couldn't. She was right. He couldn't even fight off a drunk civilian. Even this girl could tell how useless he was. The little bit of self-esteem he had scraped from his intervention was mercilessly crushed.

"Yeah..." he mumbled in defeat. "Well, I'm glad you're okay at least. I'm just gonna go now..."

He turned around and walked back towards the alley's entrance. He dismissed the food with a glance. It had been crushed sometime during the altercation and he didn't have enough time to get more. Looks like he was going hungry tonight.

He couldn't even protect his Grimm-damned food...

A hand tugging the back of his shirt stopped him in his tracks. He looked back towards the girl who was holding her scroll out again.

'I could help with that'

Jaune blinked once in confusion. "Help with...what?" he asked tentatively.

She released his shirt and swiped through her scroll for a moment before handing it over to him. There was an arrow overlaid onto a black background on the screen. She wanted him watch a video? He shook his head.

"I'm sorry but I gotta get back to Beacon before ferry hours end. I'm gonna get in trouble if I take too long."

The girl's brow furrowed and her cheeks puffed into an adorable pout. She thrust the scroll at him demandingly. He wanted to politely refuse again but something in her eyes told him that 'no' wasn't an option. He glanced at the time sitting at the top of the scroll's display. There was still a little bit of time before he absolutely had to be back.

So he gingerly accepted the scroll and tapped the arrow once. The black screen turned to gray with a title.

'Test Commercial 7b'

It stayed up for only a second or so before it cut out to another black screen with a countdown starting from three. As soon as it finished the video cut to a suited man standing in a white room. He immediately began talking.

"We here at Somy believe in making life easier," he said with an easy-going smile. "Our company has developed products to that end, and it's what's brought us to where we are now."

"Recent breakthroughs in quantum computing technology has opened a new world of possibilities for us. In fact, with the ability to compute in qubits, we can even see all of those possibilities and their likelihoods!"

"The opportunities are endless, but we at Somy have only one goal. To make your life easier. And so we've created the Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor; or simply, the SQUIP."

It was at this point that the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a gray, oblong pill and presented it for the camera.

"Inside this pill is a quantum nanocomputer that - when ingested - will sync to your body and assist in your everyday life. Imagine: your own personal supercomputer that will literally improve your life! Use it to improve your career."

A short clip of a young woman in a business suit shaking hands with two older men of clear importance played.

"Enhance your love life."

There was a man and a woman sitting close together on a loveseat and laughing.

"Or just become the life of the party!"

A young man stood in the center of a small crowd with a beer in hand; his arms were waving around animatedly as he told some story that enraptured and amused the people around him.

"And for those who spend their time protecting us, this amazing little pill can even improve your skills and ensure you return to the people you love."

Three people stood side-by-side in their own professional and heroic poses. Two wore the uniform of a police officer and a soldier, but the third was dressed in a casual outfit and was resting a massive axe on his shoulder. The scene cut back to the man in the white room.

"Whether you're looking for a bit of a boost or a total makeover, the SQUIP will help you reach your goals. So be quick, and get yourself a SQUIP."

The man's smiling face faded out into the Somy logo and then the video ended. Jaune remained staring at the black screen. His mind had latched onto that last example and was running it on repeat.

'Improve your skills' he had said. Did that mean it could make him a better fighter? It had even shown a Huntsman! Common sense was telling him that it sounded like one of those male enhancement pills. But this wasn't some shady one-man company peddling a vague product. This was Somy. They were a well-known tech company headquartered in Atlas. They wouldn't, couldn't risk selling something bogus.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard anything about Somy selling this SQUIP thing. He may not know exactly what quantum computing was but it sounded like something that would've been on the news or something. How much was something like this going to cost anyway?

He looked back towards the girl with these questions but they all died on his tongue immediately. His eyes locked on to the gray, oblong pill delicately pinched in-between her two fingers. Her face was was stretched into a sly grin and she teasingly waved the pill in a beckoning manner. He gingerly reached out to grab it only for her to snatch it back and thrust her other hand out towards him, rubbing her thumb against her fingers in the universal gesture for Lien.

Jaune grimaced at that. He wasn't necessarily surprised, but he didn't even know if this was legitimate enough to justify spending his own money. He nervously rubbed the back of his head and worked his jaw as he glanced between the hand with the pill and the one demanding payment.

"Will-?" he started before hesitating. Was he really considering this? He could always save himself the Lien and possibly total disappointment by just walking away. He could go back to Beacon and train harder. He could study harder too. It would be more work but he was more likely to get results than with this alleged miracle medicine.

Cardin's laughter rang in his head. Pyrrha's pitying gaze burned a hole in his mind. Weiss' numerous rejections played on a reel which wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed.

He sighed in resignation.

"Will this really help me?" he asked firmly.

Neo drew a cross over her heart with a finger and then lifted her hand as though swearing an oath. Then she tapped her own temple and winked while waggling the SQUIP. That second one was a little more difficult to decipher.

He hazarded a guess, "You...have a SQUIP?"

She nodded cheerfully.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head again and asked the make or break question, "How much?"

She put a finger to her lip and looked up in an exaggerated thinking expression. Then she smiled again and flashed a five and a one with her one free hand.

Blue eyes blinked rapidly. "Six Lien? Are you serious?"

The girl slapped her hand over her mouth and doubled over in silent laughter. She wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head in exasperation after she had gathered herself and returned her attention to him. Once again she flashed a five and a one, only this time she flashed an 'O' with her hand twice.

Jaune's face twisted as he tried to translate her gestures.

"Six...Oh? Oh-oh? No...zero? Six-zero-ze-," his eyes bugged out and he nearly choked on air.

"Six-hundred Lien?!"

The sweet smile twisted into a predatory smirk and she nodded gleefully. Jaune's mouth flopped like a fish as he stared at her, just waiting for her to tell him she was kidding. She didn't.

"You can't be serious. I don't have that much money on me!"

She shrugged and tucked the pill into her pocket before sliding past him to walk away, snatching her scroll back as she did so. Jaune grabbed her arm in a panic.

"Wait!"

The girl stopped and slowly looked down at his hand and then back up at him. There was something in her eyes that made him pull his hand back as though she were hot iron.

"Look," he said quickly, hoping to keep her from walking off with what might be his best chance, "I don't have that much money on me, but can't I...I dunno, give you an IOU or something?"

Heterochromatic eyes narrowed in anger and he rapidly backpedaled.

"O-Or I could give it to you in payments? I'm only seventeen, there's no way I would have that much money on hand, you know?"

She regarded him carefully for a long moment. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he awaited her verdict. Finally she typed onto her scroll and held it up for him to read.

'70 Lien a month with 30% interest. Take it or leave it.'

Jaune winced at that. He wasn't good at math but he knew 30% was practically robbery. She made it quite clear that it was her only offer however. He bit back another sigh and nodded. Her face shifted back into its deceptive sweetness and she held an open hand out for him. He couldn't shake the feeling he had made a deal with the devil as he took her hand gave it a limp shake.

The girl's scroll was once again handed over to him, only this time there was an empty contact field on the display. There was some sort of twisted humor in the fact that she really did end up asking for his number he thought as he filled it out. She quickly confirmed he had entered the right info by giving his scroll a call before returning to using hers to communicate again.

'Name's Neo. I'll send you info on where to send payment. You better be good for it I'm gonna be mad :P'

He swallowed thickly. The silly emoticon somehow made the threat more ominous. 'Neo' suddenly pulled out a small collection of Lien and waved it at him.

'Down payment'

Jaune reached back for his wallet only to find that it was missing. There was a light smack as his wallet landed on the ground in front of him, looking a little lighter than it was supposed to.

'Btw, don't tell anyone, and don't cheat me. Don't want anyone finding out about your transcripts, right? ;)'

His heart dropped into his stomach. Before he could ask how she knew that, she reached back into her pocket to pull the SQUIP out and tossed it carelessly towards him. He scrambled to catch it and there was a heart-stopping moment of fumbling before he had it secure in his palm. When he looked back up, she was gone.

He looked left, right, and behind him but he was completely alone in the dark alley. His sense of time slowly returned to him and he frantically whipped his scroll out to check the time.

Not even two seconds later he was running back to the Bullhead platforms with his prize clutched tightly in his hand.

Fortunately he had made it back just in time to avoid an inevitable dressing down from Goodwitch, but the pilot had been understandably irritated at being kept until the last minute. His team hadn't been too concerned, probably figuring that there must have been a long line wherever he had chosen to eat.

His stomach growled at the reminder that it wouldn't be fed tonight. It sucked but he could wait for breakfast. There were far more important things to consider.

He had just finished taking a shower and now sat on the toilet in his onesie, staring at the tiny tablet in his hand.

"Improve your life...," he whispered to himself.

He had technically paid for it already and he really had nothing to lose unless this was actually poison or something. It wouldn't make much sense for that Neo girl to poison him when she was expecting much more money from him. It could just be one big hoax meant to pry money from suckers like him.

Regardless, she had his money and he couldn't back out. She knew his darkest secret somehow. All he could do now was hope this wasn't a trick. He tossed the pill into his mouth and swallowed hard, immediately wishing he had taken something to drink with it.

There was a long moment of silence as he sat quietly waiting for something to happen.

"...Hello...?" he asked quietly.

Nothing.

"Uh...activate?"

Nada.

"On?"

Bupkiss.

Jaune shook his head. He can't believe he actually believed something like a miracle pill that magically made you better at stuff existed. 'Quantum supercomputer' his rear end. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world, which wasn't a new feeling at all.

He stood up and made his way out of the bathroom. This whole experience had been exhausting and he just wanted to pretend that he hadn't been swindled out of several hundred Lien.

'And so ends yet another chapter of "You Big Idiot" by Jaune Arc,' he thought as he settled into his bed and closed his eyes.

A/N: Hey, I've done something. I've been into Be More Chill lately and here's the result. Actually I've kind been into musicals as of late, period. I've also been extremely busy throwing money at Games Workshop because I'm addicted to plastic crack. I just started my second army actually. But I digress.

Here's to hoping I don't disappear for an indeterminate amount of time again.

EDIT: Changed Jaune's reasoning for sticking to the payment plan. Previous one was too weak. That'll teach me to post before rereading it several times.