The faint rays of dawn had illuminated the heavy fabric of his team's tent. Looking around, it was not enough to disturb the sleep of his teammates. Pyrrha still slept soundly. Ren was as peaceful in his sleep as he was in his waking hours. And Nora... nothing short of a world-ending catastrophe would wake her from her slumber.

For Jaune, however, this was an all too familiar scene. A familiar experience. Being thrust back into it was just like riding a bike. His training kicked in immediately as he finished dressing himself before stepping out into the wild.

Taking in a breath of fresh, morning air, the blonde boy couldn't help but smile. It was just like all those times with his family. Out here in the wilderness with nothing except what he could carry on his back, and what he could find in nature. It was liberating in a way. He would finally get a chance to show everyone just what he was capable of.

It had come time for the annual Beacon camping trip, and Jaune was finally in his element. As huntsmen, there would be times they'd be required to spend days, or even weeks outside the walls of the kingdoms. Alone with nothing but their weapons and their wits to rely on. This was practice for just such an occasion.

He may not have had any fancy prior huntsmen training. He may not have had an overly-complicated weapon. But what he did have was practical real-world experience. This was his domain. This was his time to shine. His chance to wow and amaze his friends. For once in his time at Beacon, he would have a chance to showcase his skills. He would not fail.

Looking around, he saw that he was the only one awake. Team RWBY's tent was still sealed and undisturbed. The remnants of the fire pit which had been created last night sat waiting to be reignited. There was so much to do, but luckily for all of them, he was just the man to do it.

With a confident nod, Jaune flexed his fingers before making a decision on what to do first. "Okay, Jaune," he said softly to himself. "Time to get to work."

A most unladylike groan slipped through Weiss' lips as she rolled onto her side. Her back was killing her. Even through the heavy fabric of the tent, the sun's rays stung her eyes. This was misery. Utter misery.

Weiss Schnee did not "rough it" in the wilderness. She did not sleep on the ground like some sort of animal. A simple fabric tent offered zero climate control. There were bugs... everywhere. This was unacceptable. Simply unacceptable. She had not gone off to Beacon Academy in order to go on a stupid camping trip!

What in the world were those in charge at Beacon thinking? On what planet did it make sense to force their students out on some sort of camping retreat in order to hone their huntsmen skills? They hadn't even seen a single creature of Grimm since arriving the previous evening. This was stupid. This was beyond stupid. It was criminal.

Weiss sat up before she began digging through her bag to produce a small cosmetic mirror. Looking at her reflection, she was mortified at what she saw. Faint dark bags hung under her eyes. Her hair was a mess. And without any sort of running water, there would be no chance in fixing it. This weekend could not end quickly enough.

Her attention was drawn outside where she heard the faint sounds of activity. Looking around, she saw that all of her teammates were still asleep. Who could it be? What could it be? A wild animal? Perhaps even an Ursa? Weiss shook her head to dispel such crazy thoughts. More likely than not it was someone from Team JNPR. Probably Pyrrha. She of all people would probably be awake right now, doing something to prepare for the torturous day of camping that was ahead. It only made sense that the champion would be proficient at everything that she did.

Not bothering to change her clothes, Weiss stepped outside in her modest nightgown. The horror of uncivilized nature looked even worse in daylight than it had last night. All around them was... nothing. Trees. Plants. How would they ever survive three whole days without civilization and technology?

And then she saw the source of the noise. It hadn't been Pyrrha at all. It had been Jaune of all people. He was sitting down on a large, fallen tree trunk next to the fire pit. What was he even doing awake? And what smelled so good?

"What are you doing?" she asked as she took a few steps over to the small fire that was burning. Had he lit it himself?

"Oh, good morning, Weiss," he replied. There was a certain energy and positivity in his voice which the girl found grating at this time of morning. He was seemingly having a much better time than she was. Probably because he was unused to the sort of expectations and luxuries that she was. "You're up early."

The heiress scowled, but the fact that Jaune had not turned to even look at her prevented him from seeing it. "Of course I am," she grumbled. "It's hot. There are mosquitoes. And one can hardly be expected to sleep soundly on the grass like a dog."

"Ah, sorry to hear that," he said as he finally turned to give her a somber smile. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm making some breakfast right now." He scratched his cheek, giving off a sound akin to rubbing sandpaper across a smooth surface.

The fire flickered, casting new light across his face. Enough to reveal the light blonde stubble growing on his cheeks and neck. His face... he hadn't shaved. Was this what Jaune looked like when he hadn't shaved for a day or two?

Weiss swallowed hard.

How uncouth. Barbaric. Nothing like the clean-shaven and pristine-looking young men from Atlas. Nothing like how Jaune normally looked at Beacon Academy.

She got a look at the fingers which had just touched his face. Darkened with dirt. Filthy, presumably from carrying firewood which he had used to start the camp fire he currently sat beside. From doing the hard physical labor required to build and start the fire.

His boots were covered in mud. Klein would freak out if he saw the boy within fifty feet of her. If there was even the slightest possibility of his precious little snowflake becoming sullied by the filth and grime of the outdoors.

Had the temperature suddenly increased? It felt incredibly hot. Stupid forest.

"Are you hungry?"

The girl was snapped from her thoughts. She attempted to speak, but her voice was lost in her throat when she attempted to respond to him. Since when had he become so rugged? So manly? So... sexy?

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

She averted her gaze from the boy as she cleared her throat. "Yes. Of course," she said forcefully.

It must have been the lack of sleep. It must have been the environment messing with her mind. A momentary loss of sanity. As if she would ever find anything about this whole situation appealing. As if anything that Jaune Arc of all people did would stir any kind of emotion inside of her other than annoyance and disdain.

Still... even sitting down, the aura of confidence he exuded was almost palpable. This was not the same awkward and incompetent teen she had come to know from Beacon. This was a boy who clearly knew what he was doing. There were a pair of pots suspended over the fire. How had he managed that? And just what was inside of them?

"You wanna sit down?" he asked, motioning to the unused portion of the tree trunk on which he sat.

Weiss blanched. And get her nightgown filthy?

Her eyes widened. Only now did she remember that she was standing before Jaune in her night clothes. Yet he hadn't commented. He hadn't stared at her. He hadn't made any indication that he noticed at all.

Was she merely being self-conscious? After all, she had worn the very same clothes the night before Beacon's initiation. Still, that was before she had found out that anyone harbored feelings for her like Jaune did. What if he was checking her out? Staring at her silky-smooth legs? At her modest bust not confined by a bra? Would he do such a thing? Would that rough, unshaven face of his stare at her like an animal which had just sighted its next meal?

She shook her head. Stop thinking things like that! she ordered her mind. She was not about to start rebelling in such a manner. She must have been sick. It must have been the forest air. She was not attracted to beards. Or chopping wood. Or foraging for food. Or roughing it in the wilderness. No. Not at all. It wasn't because this kind of thing was completely foreign to her and she wanted to rebel against the constraints of Atlesian society. Nope. Not at all.

Wait. Since when had her legs moved on their own? How was she suddenly sitting next to Jaune on that stupid, dirty fallen tree?

She didn't know how she had gotten there, but it wasn't like she could just up and leave now. Best to make some sort of conversation in order to break the awkward silence. "So..." she started softly. "I take it you're experienced in this sort of thing?"

Jaune shrugged softly. "Yeah. Me and my family went camping every year outside of Mistral. I guess I'm kinda what you'd call a pro at this."

Weiss scooted over an inch closer to him. "Really? That's so nice to hear."

"Yup," he agreed happily. "So once I was here I just kinda reverted back into camper Jaune mode. I woke up at dawn. Saw everyone else was still asleep, so I made a fire. Making some breakfast right now too."

Yes. He had mentioned something about breakfast before her mind had begun wandering. That must have been what the smell was. "What are we having?"

"Sadly nothing too great. Just some oatmeal from the dry packets Beacon gave us. Used some water from the river over that way," he said as he jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder.

Her face scrunched up. "River water? That sounds gross."

"A little, I guess," he agreed. "It'll never be as clean as the stuff we get from the tap. But if you boil it first you'll at least kill all the bad stuff that could be swimming around in there. And in the oatmeal you couldn't even tell that there's a little dirt in it."

Weiss supposed that made sense. She was forced to agree with his assessment. She was surprised he even knew that boiling water would kill most organic contaminants. Then again, he had said he was experienced in this sort of thing. Perhaps she should put her trust in his abilities this weekend. There was a first time for everything, after all.

"But I have a plan to get us some fresh food later today. Fish to be exact."

Weiss felt her mouth begin to water. "You can do that?"

Fish happened to be one of the staple foods in a typical Atlesian diet. In the harsh and cold environment, it was one of the only food sources the people could acquire in large numbers prior to the invention of agri-domes. As a result, Weiss was used to fish. Weiss loved fish. Perhaps as much as Blake herself loved tuna.

"Easy enough. Just need to make a rod. Dig up some worms or other bugs for bait. We'll catch a few fish and cook 'em over the fire for lunch."

Her heart was pounding inside her head. This... him... he would be her lifeline. Jaune Arc would be the way that she would survive this horrible weekend. "That sounds wonderful," she said with unrestrained joy.

A goofy grin spread across his face, causing his stubble to catch her attention once again. "Glad you think so. I'm surprised, you seem in a much better mood already."

Of course she was. For the first time since arriving in this wasteland, Weiss felt good about her chances of surviving. She had found someone who knew how to survive out in the wild. Someone who had experience in camping. Jaune knew what he was doing. This was his field of expertise. She didn't care if he wasn't her partner. She didn't care if he wasn't even on her team. Pyrrha and Ruby could be partners for the next three days, and if they didn't like it then tough! Weiss' mind was made up.

If spending every waking moment with this boy meant that her life would be easier, then she would gladly cling to him all weekend long.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that he was growing that rugged, manly beard!

She saw as Jaune grabbed one of the pots which hung over the fire. "I made some coffee to help wake us up," he said with a smile. "There's some sugar packets in my bag."

Weiss' mind shattered. Coffee... sweet, delicious coffee. With sugar.

He grabbed an empty cup and reached out to hand it to her. Weiss moved even closer next to him in order to accept it. Closer than necessary. Despite the lack of deodorant, he smelled wonderful this morning.

"Two sugars, right?"

"...Yes." she replied meekly. She had no idea how, but he remembered how she took her coffee. That just meant that this partnership was meant to be. They were in sync. No one would stand in their way.

Rummaging through the backpack next to him, Jaune produced a pair of packets and handed them to Weiss. She looked down at them as if they were filled with lien. She hadn't had any expectations that she would be allowed to enjoy any sort of luxuries while on this asinine camping trip. But here Jaune was, providing one of her favorites for her.

Yes... providing. Jaune was a provider. A hunter. A man who in ancient times on Remnant would be able to provide for and protect a family. One who would have ensured his genes would pass on to the next-

"Careful, it's hot."

"No it's not!" she screamed.

Weiss looked up to see visible confusion on Jaune's face. He was holding one of the pots which had been hanging over the fire. "Uh... yeah. The coffee is hot," he said motioning to it with his head. "I was going to pour you some, but since the cup you're holding is metal I wanted you to be careful."

Her face grew warmer than it had already been at Jaune's explanation. Yes. Of course. That's what he meant. It wasn't like men who were proficient in surviving the outdoors were hot. It wasn't as if she found the idea of being self-sufficient attractive. It wasn't that the skills and demeanor Jaune was exhibiting was the exact opposite of all the stuffy, pampered and utterly useless men she had ever met in Atlas.

Men like her father. The man would be absolutely livid if he could see her right now. Out here in the woods getting dirty. Spending time alone with a boy. One who would not have lived up to his high expectations. One who could catch and prepare his own food. One who didn't need to rely on servants. One who didn't attend parties and galas.

Why was it so hot out here?

"Indeed," she said, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "Yes. The coffee." She motioned with her fingers for him to give her some. "Hurry up then."

Tearing open the two sugar packets, Weiss deposited their contents into her cup before Jaune poured in the hot liquid. It didn't smell all that great. And upon taking a sip, it didn't taste the best either. Instant coffee never did. But at least it was coffee. A small reminder of the life and civilization she had been forced to leave behind.

Despite its quality, it was still the sweetest thing her taste buds could have imagined on this morning.

And it was all thanks to Jaune. His experiences. His skills.

He would be hers for the weekend, and no one else's.

Yang had slept like a rock. When she had woken up, she was surprised to see that Weiss of all people was missing from the tent. Had she already woken up? Maybe she had to use the bathroom. She had to remind herself quickly that there was no bathroom. Yang could not imagine the world of horrors that Weiss was about to experience over the coming weekend.

A pampered princess like herself would have had no experience in the outdoors. Forget that Atlas was a frozen tundra. Even if she had grown up in the most temperate climate on Remnant, she would not have spent a single night outside. And while Yang was no expert herself, she at least had some experience in camping. If one could call spending the night inside a tent twenty feet away from her house camping, that was.

When she stepped outside she saw a number of sights which surprised her. Not only Weiss was up, but Jaune was as well. And they were sitting next to each other by the fire pit which had been reignited. Nice. Jaune did indeed have some skills. It didn't stop there, however. They were eating something. Drinking something. Conversing about something. It was like all their prior history had been wiped away for a clean slate. Weiss was willingly talking to him. She was willingly sitting right next to him. Like... right next to him.

Interesting...

"Hey guys, what's up!" Yang greeted warmly as she stretched out her arms.

Her sudden arrival must have startled Weiss, who immediately stood up from her spot on the large log next to the fire. She walked a few steps before looking up. "Good morning, Yang." The heiress briefly glanced back over to the fire where Jaune still sat. "There's oatmeal and coffee if you're interested."

"Nice. You did that?"

"No. That was... Jaune."

In all honesty Yang knew the answer before she asked the question, but she was merely being courteous. It didn't surprise her that it had been Jaune to prepare the fire and food this morning. Not after what he had done the previous night.

"Yup," the boy agreed with a smile. "It's not the best, but at least it's hot and fresh. It'll do until this afternoon."

That was curious. "Oh? What's this afternoon?"

"Nothing!" Weiss said hurriedly. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Yang frowned. Now she was even more curious. Weiss was acting very strange. A look over at Jaune showed that he was just as confused as she was, so it wasn't some sort of inside joke they were both in on. Of course not. Weiss wasn't the kind to joke with anyone. Least of all Jaune.

"Okay..." she said before moving back to the previous topic. "So there's enough for all eight of us?"

"Definitely," the boy confirmed. "But with how bland it is I doubt anyone will want seconds."

The blonde girl chuckled. "Hey, food is food, right? You won't see any of us complaining." She turned her attention to Weiss, who was now standing close to her, gripping her cup of coffee. "Well, except for this one. Honestly, Weiss, I'm surprised you're not complaining about all this camping stuff."

The look of regal superiority Weiss so often wore slipped onto her face, as if it was some sort of defense mechanism to Yang's verbal barb. "As a matter of fact, I happen to be far more durable than you might think. Besides, Jaune is proving to be quite the capable outdoorsman."

Yang couldn't argue with that. He had been the one who directed them on how and where to set up camp last night. "You're right about that. Jaune pitches a really nice tent, doesn't he?"

Weiss practically choked on her coffee mid-sip. "I wasn't looking!"

Lilac eyes blinked. "...What?"

Her teammate looked like she had been caught red-handed committing some sort of crime. "What?"

The blonde pointed over to the tent which they had both slept in. "Uh... the tent?" she explained. "He did a really good job setting it up."

Weiss followed where she had motioned before looking back to Yang. Visible embarrassment was etched onto her features. "Yes. Of course. That tent. Quite nice indeed."

Yang was confused. "Of course I meant that tent. What other tent would I be talking about? Juniper's?"

"I don't know," Weiss said defensively. "I don't look at other people's tents. I don't think about other people's tents. I'm not some sort of weirdo like you are, Yang!"

Weiss stomped off in a huff, not even waiting for a chance for Yang to respond. In a way she was happy for it. It was way too early in the morning to deal with whatever was going on.

Maybe all of this nature was indeed getting to Weiss. She seemed... off. Distracted. Irritable. She wasn't quite acting like herself. The poor girl. Oh well. She wasn't about to let Weiss' weirdness get to her. Not when her stomach was growling. Whatever issues Weiss was having could be dealt with on a full stomach.

Author's Note: So this dumb little idea was inspired by something Miles and Kara joked about at RTX. If Jaune grew a beard, then he might have a chance with Weiss. So it's now my accepted headcanon that Weiss gets all hot and bothered by beards. Or just, rugged, manly, non-Atlesian type things.

Anyway, there's more to come with this short story idea. I'm thinking 2-3 chapters total. I hope you enjoyed it.