Ever Happened

Glynda Goodwitch had never been particularly fond of Jaune Arc.

From the very beginning, he had been a fraud, a student who had no business being admitted to Beacon Academy.

He had forged his transcripts.

By all rights, he should have been expelled on the spot.

But Ozpin, ever the enigmatic man, had allowed it.

“He has potential,” he had said.

And to some extent, Ozpin had been right.

Jaune Arc had, against all odds, proven himself capable.

Not remarkable. Not outstanding. But okay enough to warrant a second chance.

However, as of late…

Jaune Arc had changed.

And Glynda Goodwitch did not believe in unexplained miracles.

At first, she had assumed that Ozpin had taken another body.

The boy’s confidence had shifted. His demeanor was composed, his swordplay was refined, and even his posture spoke of experience he simply should not have had.

But Ozpin was still alive and well.

And so Glynda had asked him directly.

“Check him,” she had said. “I want to know if this is another case like yours.”

Ozpin had agreed, conducting a quiet, thorough analysis.

And his answer?

“Same soul. No one else inside.”

Which left one question unanswered:

How?

How did a boy go from a laughingstock to a capable fighter and leader in the span of one semester break?

It did not add up.

Glynda had gone directly to the source.

She had called Jaune Arc into her office, sat him down, and asked him plainly:

“What happened to you?”

Jaune Arc had blinked, as if surprised by the question.

Then, with an expression far too casual, he had said—

“Oh, y’know. Cross-continental journey. Fought some bad guys. Ended up in Vacuo.”

Glynda stared at him.

“You… traveled the world?”

“Yup.”

“On your own.”

“Mhm.”

“Over the course of a single semester break.”

“You got it.”

Glynda had immediately checked the facts.

She had contacted airports, docks, travel records—everything.

And found nothing.

No tickets under his name. No recorded movement of a student traveling across continents.

Which meant that one of two things had happened:

He was lying.

His Semblance had something to do with it.

Given that Jaune Arc was a known idiot, Glynda was inclined to believe the first option.

But given how much he had changed, she could not dismiss the second.

Of course, the biggest confirmation that this was still Jaune Arc was the sheer number of accidents he had caused with Ruby Rose.

In the span of one week, the two had:

Punched through a cafeteria wall multiple times.

Carved a trench through the courtyard.

Ended up on a rooftop due to “experiments”.

Glynda rubbed her temples, just remembering it.

“Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, what do you two have to say for yourselves?”

“…It worked,” Jaune had said, far too confidently.

“We just need more Hardlight Dust,” Ruby had muttered.

Glynda had been this close to throwing them both off the cliff herself.

But even with all the chaos—

Even with all the insanity—

Glynda could not ignore the parts that didn’t fit.

Because when Jaune Arc wasn’t causing disasters, when he was simply doing his assigned work, he was—

Calm.

Focused.

Serene.

And that bothered her more than anything else.

Jaune Arc was currently serving punishment for his latest offense.

Which meant paperwork.

Glynda had assigned him the most tedious, mind-numbing work she could think of.

And yet—

When she walked into the office, Jaune was diligently working, his expression unbothered.

Glynda narrowed her eyes.

“You’re awfully composed for someone doing punishment work, Mister Arc.“

Jaune looked up, smiling pleasantly. “Oh, y’know. It’s actually kinda nice. Peaceful, even.”

Glynda raised an eyebrow. “Paperwork?”

“Better than being thrown into a wall by Nora again,” Jaune replied easily. “Less chance of dying.”

Glynda sighed, shaking her head. “At least you’re being productive.”

“Well,” Jaune leaned back, giving her a slow, almost amused smirk, “I have to impress my superior somehow, right?”

Glynda blinked.

Then processed what he just said.

Then squinted at him.

“…Mister Arc.“

“Yes, Professor?“

“Did you just attempt to flatter me?“

Jaune grinned. “Attempt? No, Professor, I only deal with certainties.”

Glynda closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

“Get back to work, Arc.“

“Yes, ma’am.”

Glynda Goodwitch was a patient woman.

She had endured years of Beacon students testing her limits.

She had dealt with Team RWBY and JNPR’s nonsense, Cardin Winchester’s racist tendencies, and the explosive impulses of Aura-abled twits.

But Jaune Arc?

Jaune Arc was something else entirely.

Because he was diligently working, getting through his punishment paperwork without complaint—

And flattering her the entire time.

“Professor, you know,” Jaune said, not even looking up from his work, “I really respect your sense of organization. Efficient. Practical. A woman of standards.”

Glynda sighed. “Mister Arc—“

“You have an eye for detail, too,” he continued smoothly. “You must get so exhausted keeping all of us in line, and yet, you still look as refined as ever. Remarkable, really. I bet even if the Grimm keeps attacking the city, you would hold it like a true huntress.”

Glynda paused mid-turn, narrowing her eyes.

“Are you flattering with me, Arc?”

Jaune blinked and tilted his head. “I’m just stating facts?“

Glynda stared at him.

Jaune, still working, didn’t break eye contact.

Glynda inhaled slowly through her nose.

“Get back to work, Arc.“

“Of course, Professor. Anything for you.”

Then silence.

For the sake of her own sanity, Glynda attempted a normal conversation.

“How are things, Mister Arc?”

Jaune paused slightly, as if the question caught him off guard.

Then, instead of responding with some ridiculous answer, he gave her a small, thoughtful smile.

“Things are good, Professor,” he said simply. “A little strange sometimes, but… good.”

Glynda tilted her head. “Strange how?”

Jaune twirled his pen in his fingers, his expression unreadable.

“Y’know, life’s funny,” he murmured. “One day, you think you know where you’re going, what your future looks like. And then… something changes.”

His eyes darkened slightly—not in sadness, but in something older.

“And suddenly, you’re somewhere you never expected to be.”

Glynda frowned, genuinely taken aback by the shift in his tone.

Jaune exhaled, shaking his head with a small chuckle. “But, y’know… you can’t spend forever looking back. You just gotta keep moving forward with a reason in mind.”

“Mister Arc,” she said after a moment, setting her clipboard down. “Do you ever drop the act?“

Jaune, still focused on his paperwork, blinked once, then looked up.

“Act?” he repeated, his tone light but unreadable.

Glynda tilted her head slightly, watching him carefully. “You act like a fool. You joke. You flatter. You run headfirst into disasters with Ruby Rose. But then, in moments like these, you speak like someone who has lived through far more than I would expect.”

Jaune was quiet.

Not nervous. Not tense. Just… quiet.

Jaune shrugged.

Glynda did not return the amusement. “Jaune.“

The use of his first name made him pause.

Then, for just a second, his mask slipped.

It wasn’t obvious.

It wasn’t anything drastic.

But for the briefest of moments, she saw something else underneath the fool’s grin.

Something far more tired.

Something far older.

But just as quickly, he put the mask back on.

“You’re reading too much into it, Professor,” Jaune said easily, going back to his work. “I’m just me. Nothing special.”

Glynda wasn’t convinced.

“And yet,” Glynda said, folding her arms, “for someone who insists he’s nothing special, you go out of your way to take care of others.“

Jaune paused mid-writing, as if caught off guard.

“You constantly watch over your team,” Glynda continued. “You protect Miss Rose from her own reckless ideas, no matter how much damage the two of you cause. You treat Miss Polendina as if she were a princess, not because she asked you to, but because you genuinely want her to feel welcome… knowing her circumstances”

Jaune didn’t say anything.

“You play the fool, Mister Arc,” Glynda said softly. “But beneath all of that nonsense… you are, above all else, a kind person.”

For the first time in this conversation, Jaune looked…

Uncertain.

Like he didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

Like he didn’t know if he deserved that statement.

Glynda watched him carefully, waiting.

Jaune’s fingers tightened slightly around his pen.

Then, finally, he chuckled. “You’re giving me too much credit, Professor.”

Glynda tilted her head. “Am I?”

Jaune’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I just do what I can.“

A vague answer.

An easy answer.

But one that confirmed what Glynda had already started to suspect.

Jaune Arc had no intention of explaining himself.

And, for now…

Glynda let it go.

An hour passed

“Mister Arc,” Glynda said, setting down her paper as she observed him. “What are your aspirations?”

Jaune blinked once.

Then, without hesitation, he responded.

“To be a Huntsman, of course… Isn’t that obvious, Ma’am?“

There was no nervous chuckle.

No self-ridicule.

No awkward deflection.

Just a smooth, confident answer, as if he had already decided long ago.

Glynda raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

Jaune leaned back slightly, as if amused by the question. “Because it’s what I need to be.“

“Need?”

Jaune nodded. “To protect people. To stand where others can’t. To make sure the people I care about never have to face the worst of the world alone.”

His voice was steady.

Certain.

And Glynda noticed something strange.

“You sound very sure of yourself,” Glynda observed.

Jaune chuckled. “I’d hope so. What kind of team leader would I be if I weren’t?”

Glynda narrowed her eyes. “A year ago, you were barely capable of handling a simple sparring match.”

Jaune nodded. “Yeah. I was pretty bad.“

“And now,” Glynda continued, “you move like a seasoned fighter. You lead without hesitation. You’ve become… competent.”

Jaune smirked. “Is that a compliment, Professor?“

“An observation,” Glynda corrected. “One that raises a very important question, Mister Arc.”

Jaune tilted his head, still relaxed. “And that is?“

Glynda leaned forward slightly, watching him carefully.

“Where did you go, Jaune?“

Jaune did not falter.

He did not look away.

He simply smiled—that same calm, unreadable smile—and said—

“Secret training.”

Glynda sighed.

“Mister Arc.“

“Professor Goodwitch.“

“That is not an answer.“

“It’s my answer.“

She sighed.

“We’re done here,” Glynda stared at him. “Mister Arc, please behave from now on.“

A simple request. A reasonable one.

And not even fifteen minutes later—

She found Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, and Penny Polendina in what could only be described as a scene that made her brain pause.

On the side of Beacon Tower.

Penny Polendina was half-buried in the ground, twitching slightly.

Ruby Rose was swinging from her own red cloak, gripping Jaune’s leg for dear life.

Jaune Arc was dangling precariously, one arm gripping the ledge while the other was reaching toward Ruby, who was definitely making things worse.

Glynda froze, staring in absolute disbelief.

“How,” she whispered, “did this even happen?”

Jaune noticed her first.

“Oh hey, Professor!” he called out, voice far too casual for someone hanging off the side of a building.

Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Mister Arc. Explain.“

Ruby, still swinging helplessly, groaned. “Less talking, more pulling me up!“

Jaune sighed dramatically. “Okay, okay. So—funny story.“

“This better be the funniest story I’ve ever heard,” Glynda muttered.

“We were testing out Penny’s flight capabilities—”

“—I DO NOT HAVE THREE-PEOPLE FLIGHT CAPABILITIES—” Penny called out weakly from the ground.

“Right, so turns out Penny can’t fly well with three people,” Jaune continued, as if that clarified anything. “Ruby tried to save her, but then got her cloak stuck on Penny’s boosters. I tried to grab Ruby, and now… well, you’re seeing the result.”

“Oh, I see the result,” Glynda muttered, massaging her temple. “I just don’t see the logic.“

“Yeah, neither do we,” Jaune admitted. “This is kind of a work in progress.”

“Polendina, can you move?” Glynda asked.

“I am temporarily compromised, but otherwise fine!” Penny reported.

“Wonderful,” Glynda said flatly. “And Rose?“

“Still stuck!” Ruby yelled. “Jaune, pull me up!“

“I am trying, but you are actively making this worse!“

“YOU ARE THE ONE DANGLING FROM A BUILDING, JAUNE!”

“EXACTLY, SO MAYBE DON’T SHAKE ME!”

Glynda, no longer willing to let this nonsense continue, flicked her riding crop.

With a wave of Telekinesis, she lifted all three of them up with absolutely zero effort, depositing them unceremoniously onto solid ground.

“Ow,” Jaune muttered. “That was a little rough—”

“Mister Arc,” Glynda said calmly, dangerously.

Jaune froze.

Ruby and Penny took an instinctive step back.

“I gave you one instruction fifteen minutes ago,” Glynda said, adjusting her glasses. “One. Simple. Instruction. Repeat it to me”

Jaune laughed weakly. “Uh… behave?“

Glynda took a slow, deep breath.

Then, finally—

“Detention. Three days.”

Jaune sighed dramatically. “Understandable.”

“Professor Goodwitch!” Penny raised her hand. “I am partially responsible for this situation!”

Glynda sighed again, rubbing her temples. “Fine. You all have detention.“

Ruby groaned loudly. “Why me?!”

“Because I know you’ll do it again.”

Ruby could not argue with that logic.

And Glynda Goodwitch left the scene with a headache so severe she considered early retirement.

Concluding that Jaune Arc had developed a split personality.

And possibly brain damage.