Addicted

By wildstraydog

Chapter Three: Withdrawal

I think people are expecting much worse to happen to Jaune in this story. Not that it won't take dark turns, but there will be a happy ending, a light at the end of the tunnel. I might be getting a new job (which requires a huge move), so I'll update you if that happens and there are delays.

Jaune sat himself at the table for lunch, ignoring the buzzing of students across the cafeteria. The spacious room was filled to the brim thanks to the transfer students from across Remnant. His appetite was exponential, and a few audible grumbles sounded as he stared down at his plate. The silence at the table was replaced by odd stares at the mountain of food.

The plate was occupied with clumps of fried chicken stacked atop each other, a pile of noodles dripped in marinara sauce looped around two steaming meatballs, and an assortment of cakes with different colored icing. It was three times the amount he usually ate, but he didn't care, the state of adrenaline pumping through his body attracted strange cravings.

He picked up the fork on the table and dug in, attacking the noodles' first. The flood disappeared from the plate in a blur to the astonishment of his friends. Nora, of course, cheered him on to complete the monstrosity. What impressed them most was that not a single crump or stray noodle collapsed on the floor. Weiss looked on in disgust and averted her gaze, flattening the ice cold gaze she usually carried.

"Um, are you okay...? Jaune?" Pyrrha cautiously moved her hand forward and placed it on his backside. He felt the pleasant warmth spread through his back and stopped mid-bite, gulping back some of the chocolate in his throat.

"Oh, sorry, I probably looked like an animal." He chuckled.

"More like a ravenous Beowulf!" Nora added, always the last person to be considerate. Of course, Jaune wasn't going to berate her for such a remark.

It was true.

"Is this because of yesterday?" Pyrrha asked, her bright green eyes shaking with concern. She was the motherly type, leaning closer to him in her seat.

"Guys, I'm fine, just really hungry from training today."

"He's probably just riled up, Ruby gets like that when her blood sugar is low." Ruby pouted at the suggestion and narrowed her silver eyes with a stern look of revenge.

Jaune tossed a quick glance at Yang and saw the blonde look away. He could still remember the soft texture of her plump lips and the heat from her ragged breath. It was dangerous to think so irrationally, what he did was a on a whim, but he did enjoy the moment.

He quickly buried the thought and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach with a satisfied sigh. The act of devouring his food brought him some odd feeling of accomplishment. Now that he was full, the desire to train more popped up—he wanted to feel the sweat pour down his body. The week was about over, so practical combat by Professor Goodwitch wasn't until next Monday.

Unless he asked Pyrrha to train.

Jaune propped himself up and turned to look at the champion, furrowing his brow into a firm gaze. Pyrrha turned and felt nervous, his broad shoulders and confident expression melting her thumping heart. Silence again took over the table, and Yang finally settled her uncertain lilac eyes on the blond.

"Can we go train?"

"R-right now, but we just ate breakfast." Jaune's excited smirk twisted into a frown, so he tried a different approach to appease the girl.

"I know yesterday's match was disappointing, but it inspired me to try even harder—let's go beyond basics and increase the difficulty today." His firm statement took Pyrrha back, producing a blush.

"I-if you're certain, I don't see why not!" She shifted in the cafeteria chair and stood up. Her green eyes shimmered in determination.

"In fact," Jaune looked over at the others. "Why don't you guys all come and watch, I could use some motivation." Ruby bounced off her seat and pumped her fist in the air.

"For sure, maybe we can even offer some pointers! Weiss, you're coming too, leader's orders." The mumble from the heiress didn't go unheard.

"Oh we have to see this Ren, maybe we can show off some moves!" Nora gestured with her hands and did a few karate chops, earning a roll of the eyes from her partner.

"I'm sure Pyrrha is a suitable teacher."

They all stood from the table and followed Jaune, with Nora hopping along with her arm interlocked around Ren's. Weiss clutched her forehead and massaged the temple, the pain of annoyance evident in the heiress' sunken expression. Blake planned to follow for quick entertainment, curious about Jaune's sudden personality switch.

"Blake, wait." Yang whispered.

She easily caught her blonde partner's plea, her black ribbon twitching at the vibration. Blake turned around and quirked an eyebrow at Yang's uneasy expression, her lilac eyes wavering in desperation.

"What is it?"

"Can we talk... in private?" She looked back at the others fading backs and nodded. While she would have preferred to visit the library and track down more White Fang leads, she couldn't push away her partner's shaking gaze. Another restless night could wait.

"Sure, I'll follow."

Yang led her out of the cafeteria and back to their dorm room. The blonde checked the hallway with a suspicious gaze and locked the door. Blake's eyebrows rose at the girl's behavior—she rested on the bunk opposite of Yang's bed and looked out the window. Light shone through the glass and heated her folded hands. She closed the blinds and watched as Yang pulled out Weiss's chair.

"So, what's going on?"

"..."

"Yang?"

She released a long sigh and leaned against the back of the chair. "Yesterday, when I went to the practice room, I ran into Jaune." Blake nodded along and observed the slight changes in Yang's facial expression. Her lilac eyes darted across the room and blinked rapidly.

"Okay, you met Jaune, does this have to do with his strange behavior?" While she never really paid attention to the clumsy acquaintance of team JNPR, even she noted his odd shift in personality.

"Well, he was already acting strange—he challenged me to a race!" Yang threw up her arms up in dramatic fashion, but Blake failed to see the big deal.

"And...?"

"I made a wager with him, said the winner could choose whatever the prize was. I don't know Blake, but he won—the blonde doofus beat me!" Yang finished her exclamation through a lighthearted chuckle.

"You're telling me Jaune beat you," Blake narrowed her eyes in disbelief and leaned forward, her curiosity finally piqued. "So what did he decide?" Yang avoided her inquisitive gaze and pulled on her scarf.

"Haha, so... he kissed me." Yang incoherently mumbled.

"Speak up, I didn't hear you."

"He kissed me, alright!"

Blake froze and her lips parted to speak, yet nothing came. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear any mindless thoughts. Yang's embarrassed expression said it all, but the blonde quickly steeled herself, losing the brief flush on her smooth cheeks.

"Jaune... kissed you, how, why?"

"I don't know," Yang shrugged. "He was acting all suave and flirtatious—I mean usually I tease him sure, but when he kissed me it was... electric." Blake sighed and calmed herself down.

"Instead of worrying what the kiss meant, we should probably think about Jaune's strange behavior. One day he's beaten in class and humiliated, the next he's better than ever and kissing girls on a whim." Yang hummed in response and cupped her chin.

"I kind of enjoyed it though, that confident side of him. It's all confusing, but you're right about vomit boy, something is definitely up." Blake agreed and thought back to Jaune's healthy appetite.

"Did he seem strange, or do anything odd? Besides the personality shift I mean." Yang threw her arms back and interlocked her fingers to rest her head, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful stare.

"Not that I can think of—actually, he seemed really anxious."

"Anxious how?"

"He kept moving around, was sweating a ton and constantly acted positive. Jaune didn't mope like he usually does when he's down." Blake tapped her finger against her forearm, mulling over what it could mean.

It was possible he was depressed and hiding the fact behind a façade. People with depression were often anxious and rash, going through with things without thinking of the consequences. She personally knew how it felt, to believe in something and find out it was all a lie.

She could remember Jaune's anguished expression after Professor Goodwitch's harsh remarks. The professor meant no ill will, she was probably just stubborn and disappointed in his progress.

"What do you think Blake?"

"I'm not positive about anything... Jaune could be experiencing an acute mood swing brought on by depression." Yang's deadpan stare wasn't surprising.

Blake cursed, feeling a sense of regret. She never should have read all those psychology books.

"He's depressed, Yang."

"You think so, he looked pretty happy to me—you don't think he'll do anything stupid, do you?" Blake's lips scrunched into a frown.

"I don't know, but we should keep an eye on him. Remember, I'm just guessing, it could be something simple—we could always ask Pyrrha to talk to him." Yang grit her teeth at the mention of the champion's name.

"Not the kissing part."

"Guess I can't avoid him forever." Yang gave in to her predicament and bounced off the chair, her silky blonde hair bobbing with her movements.

"I'm heading to the library." Blake sighed and walked past Yang with a renewed look of concern in her amber eyes.

She was worried about Jaune's condition, but until the boy displayed obvious warning signs, she had more important things to investigate. The White Fang were robbing dust stores and working with Roman Torchwick. None of it made sense in the grand scheme of things—she didn't have time to waste on school drama or misunderstood feelings.

Jaune stepped out of the shower with a broad grin. His teeth glinted under the bathroom lights, and when he looked in the mirror, his deep blue eyes sparkled with energy. He grabbed a nearby towel hanging on the rails and wrapped it around his tight waist.

Pyrrha had been astonished by his quick turnaround. Although he didn't win against the red-haired goddess of strength, he was able to keep up with her movements and return a few hits. She quickly leveled him, but everyone watching were genuinely shocked, wearing wide smirks on their faces.

The praise and encouragement he been seeking for weeks made him almost cry. He sucked it up and told Pyrrha he was just feeling down the other day. She was hesitant of the excuse, but she wouldn't doubt him.

He opened the door and slung his hoodie over his shoulder, his exposed chest catching Pyrrha and Nora's eyes. Pyrrha's cheeks matched the color of her bright locks—she covered Nora's eyes and stuttered something to Jaune.

"J-Jaune, put on your shirt, please!" He released a chuckle and pulled out a new standard blue t-shirt.

"Damn, you been working out bud?" Nora remarked.

"A little bit, sorry about that Pyrrha." He shot a wink in her direction. It would be hard to sleep with so much energy left, but his entire day consisted of nonstop excitement.

"It's alright, we're all friends here." Jaune thought he caught Pyrrha's tone falter at the use of "friend."

"You should have seen the ice queen's face, her icy eyes almost burst out of their sockets!" Nora quipped with a bounce on Ren's bed.

"Despite her hyperbole, you did well," Ren acknowledged.

"Thanks guys, I'm just tired—it's been a hectic day." Pyrrha settled on relieved smile. Jaune felt somewhat guilty for lying to her.

He stretched out his arms and settled into his bed, pulling the covers over his chest. Jaune's eyes fluttered until they closed, and a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him. His mind wasn't racing anymore and the events of the day were starting to catch up to him. Including the sudden kiss with Yang.

But he could fret over that tomorrow.

"Good night," Pyrrha whispered in the dark.

Jaune didn't know what time in the morning it was, but he awoke with a violent jerk. His eyes snapped open and he sat up in the bed, the covers falling into his lap. Jaune gripped his forehead and softly groaned at the pounding headache and then shivered. He was covered in cold sweat and his body trembled. He stood up and went to the bathroom, his breathing shallow and fast. Jaune turned on the sink and splashed his face.

"W-why do I feel so cold?" Jaune felt his heart thump at an uncontrollable rate.

He took out a quick change of clothes and exited the dorm. Jaune almost fell in the hallway, finding it difficult to stand without feeling nauseous. He fished out his scroll and saw it was 5:30 in the morning—he wanted to vomit, the thought of the nickname he started with rising to his mind. The only reason he could be feeling so terrible was because of the drug.

If anyone saw him like this...

Jaune stopped walking and leaned against the wall, dropping to the floor. Without the aura booster, he would go back to a weakling, a laughing stock. He could already picture the disappointed faces of his teammates. Yang would abhor him, perhaps be sicken even more by his kiss.

The scroll in his tired hand felt heavy, but he punched in a few numbers and waited for the screen. Jaune bit his lip and cursed his weakness.

"Jaune," A soothing voice cooed. "I'm glad you called." She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, her confident amber eyes filled with a burning passion.

It might have been the haze clouding his vision, but her soft inviting orbs danced about, resembling a growing fire. He sat up against the wall and forced a smile.

"C-Cinder, I'm so happy you answered, I feel terrible." Jaune felt another shiver rush through him and he drew himself closer to get heat.

"You look sick, it might be a side effect."

"Did you k-know this would happen, I'm so cold, and I can't stop sweating." Cinder internally sneered, but continued her motherly tone.

"It was possible, but I never thought it would take effect so quickly. I would never intentionally do you harm, Jaune." His deep blue eyes held a light of doubt.

"Maybe I shouldn't have called..."

"Nonsense," Cinder insisted. "Where are you, I'll come meet you." Jaune swallowed and felt his dry throat itch. He was unsure of everything, but he just wanted to feel better and not be a pathetic mess.

"In the hall of the west dorms."

"Don't move, I'm on my way." Cinder shut off the scroll and walked over to her drawer, pulling out two more pills.

She was walking a delicate line, Cinder had noticed the wavering in his dead gaze. Jaune wouldn't remain a loyal customer if there wasn't something worth it for all the trouble. She walked out the door and tapped her chin in thought; what did the boy desire besides power?

Cinder sparked a light of fire in her palm and had it dance around her slender fingers, enjoying the rise in temperature on her smooth skin.

It was time for an interrogation.