Ever Happened

Jaune Arc was acting suspiciously normal.

This should have been a good thing after his recent bouts of insanity with Ruby. In fact, it should have been a great thing. Also, his usual, over-the-top flirting had decreased significantly, which meant Weiss no longer had to waste energy on dismissing his ridiculous advances. Gone were the cringeworthy pick-up lines, the exaggerated winks, the nauseating attempts at serenading her with his guitar playing.

Instead…

Well, he was acting too friendly.

Weiss wasn’t sure when exactly she noticed it. Maybe it was when he sat down across from her at breakfast one morning and, instead of immediately launching into some grand romantic declaration, simply nodded and said:

"Morning, Schnee. How’s the coffee?"

Weiss had stared at him. Schnee? Not Snow Angel? Not Fair Lady?

Just Schnee?

That was acceptable—even preferable—but also strange.

Even stranger was that he didn’t try to fill the silence with unnecessary words. He just sipped his coffee, casually listening to whatever nonsense Nora was spouting, nodding along.

It was almost… mature.

And Weiss did not know what to do with that.

And to her growing unease, this change wasn’t just a fluke.

Over the next few weeks, Jaune continued acting—dare she say it—respectable.

Oh, he was still an idiot. That much was unavoidable. He still struggled in class (though notably less than before), still got lost on his way to the training hall, and still had a tendency to say incredibly dumb things time and time again.

But when he wasn’t being foolish?

Weiss found herself… actually listening to him.

It was infuriating.

Take, for instance, the time they were discussing battle strategies during a team exercise. Normally, Jaune’s contributions ranged from "What if we just hit it really hard?" to "I think my strategy is to not die."

But this time, when Professor Goodwitch asked for their analysis on a theoretical combat scenario, Jaune leaned forward, tapped his chin, and said:

"Well, if we’re working with limited resources, then we should focus on terrain advantage. A bottleneck would allow us to mitigate their numbers, and if we can coordinate an area of effect attacks to disrupt formations, we can force them into a war of attrition rather than a direct confrontation."

Silence.

Everyone—including Weiss—turned to look at him.

Jaune blinked. "What?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"What?" Jaune repeated, confused.

"What happened to you over break?"

Jaune shrugged. "Eh. I did some training."

Weiss did not buy that.

Because this wasn’t just the result of training. This was experience. There was something about the way Jaune spoke now—when he wasn’t being a fool—that carried weight.

His words weren’t just thrown out carelessly. When he gave an opinion on combat, it was because he had thought about it.

Weiss did not like how easily she found herself paying attention.

Because the worst part?

When Jaune Arc, of all people, actually sounded… charming.

Not because he was trying to be charming. No, that would have been easy to ignore. The problem was that he wasn’t trying at all.

And that? That made it worse.

The teams were gathered in the library, discussing strategies for an upcoming Grimm extermination.

Weiss, naturally, was leading the conversation—because someone competent had to. But after a while, Jaune—who had been listening attentively—spoke up.

"Hey, Schnee," he said, leaning in slightly. "You were talking about flanking maneuvers earlier—are you thinking of using a pincer formation or a staggered retreat? If it’s the latter, we’ll need to adjust how we distribute Aura reserves."

Weiss had opened her mouth to respond, but then her brain stuttered.

Because why did his voice sound like that?

It wasn’t flirty. It wasn’t forced. It was just… smooth. Steady. A little lower than she remembered.

She felt it before she even processed what he said.

It took her a second too long to reply. "I—Yes, I was considering the staggered retreat."

Jaune nodded, thoughtful. "Smart. Keeps our options open. You’ve got a good mind for strategy."

And then he smiled at her.

Not a smirk. Not a grin. Just a small, genuine smile.

Weiss cleared her throat, turning sharply back to the discussion. "Obviously."

Jaune just chuckled. "Obviously," he echoed, amused.

Weiss absolutely did not think about that conversation later.

Weiss had been dealing with Jaune’s… whatever this was… with as much grace as possible.

But then came the spar.

She and Jaune had been paired for a training match, something that should have been routine.

Except, Jaune wasn’t fighting like Jaune should.

She noticed that in his spar with Pyrrha.

Weiss had always dismissed his swordplay as average at best, thanks to Pyrrha's teaching, functional but uninspired. But today, the way he moved—

Sharp. Fluid. Precise.

Every attack was calculated. Every defense was purposeful.

She lunged—Jaune twisted, deflecting with a strike that sent a ripple of force down her blade. He countered, and she was forced to parry hard, their swords locking together.

For a moment, their faces were inches apart.

Jaune’s expression was relaxed, completely at ease. "You’re fast," he murmured. "Really fast."

Weiss tightened her grip on Myrtenaster. "Obviously."

He smirked. "But I wonder… can you keep up?"

Then he moved.

And Weiss—Weiss Schnee—was barely keeping up.

She hadn’t felt this challenged in a long time. Jaune was reading her, predicting her moves with an instinct that shouldn’t have belonged to him. It was like he was seeing three steps ahead.

Her heart was racing.

Not because she was losing. But because—damn it—this felt… insulting.

Their blades clashed, again and again, ringing through the training hall like music.

And then, with a final sharp movement, Jaune disarmed her with a masterful cut at the wrist.

Myrtenaster skidded across the floor.

Jaune, panting lightly, tilted his head. "You okay, Schnee?"

Weiss stared at him. "Just call me the usual, fool."

"Oh, sorry?"

Then she turned away, quickly retrieving her weapon before anyone could see the very slight, completely accidental blush dusting her cheeks.

"Need a boost?"

"I’m fine," she said crisply.

Jaune, completely unaware of what he had done, grinned. "That was fun."

Weiss did not respond.

Really unsure what had gotten through this fool.