Something new.

—

Please keep in mind, this story will have sexual elements. As far as I can figure, nothing will be incredibly explicit, but if I change my mind I'll either create a separate story just for the graphic depictions of smut, or I'll change the rating.

That's if I plan on writing any of that, though. To be honest, you can kinda take this entire story with a grain of salt and some suspension of disbelief, because when I was originally writing this it came as a goofy spin-off to an AU I created with Oscar.

Anyway, the rest of the notes will be at the bottom, this is already too long for a standard Initial Note.

Chapter 1: Charmed

"Got you."

Darting across the rooftop, Jaune slipped his handgun free from its shoulder holster. The pale moonlight allowed him to see the gleam of a thin blade just in time to roll to the side. His eyes scanned left and right, quickly looking for the diminutive form of the elusive Neopolitan. His cerulean eyes narrowed into dangerously thin slits as her confident smirk took her place in his head.

There!

He took aim, squeezing the trigger and placing the shots center mass. Neo opened up her parasol, shielding herself. Jaune pulled himself to his feet, stumbling forward with speed. He leapt up, swinging his leg towards her head.

His aura flared as she quickly closed her parasol and blocked it, deftly maneuvering her parasol to hook his leg and send him on his back. Instinctively he spread his legs, avoiding Neo piercing his manhood.

Holding a hand in front of her face, she pantomimed laughing while looming over him. He kipped-up, gracefully landing on his feet and rearing his arm back. Together, they danced, with Jaune throwing out any and every combination of punches and kicks instilled in him by Ozpin's private tutoring. Neo ducked and weaved through all of them with contemptuous ease, not breaking a sweat.

One more missed hook finally set Neo off, and she switched from defense to offense. With a twirl, she slipped out of Jaune's guard and struck at his arms with her parasol. The blonde blocked it, but Neo already took the momentum from that strike and flipped forward, striking him across his back.

A low, pained grunt came out of his mouth, but he quickly smothered it by gritting his teeth. Another attempt at striking his back forced his hand to his hip. He drew his blade in a rasp of steel, easily parrying Neo's attack. Neo took the opportunity to draw space between them, flipping away acrobatically.

She held her parasol in front of her like a rapier. Jaune kissed his teeth, tucking his gun back into its holster and wielding Crocea Mors with both hands. They circled each other, both of them looking for the tiniest opening in the other's guard to exploit. Without words, they clashed in the middle of the rooftop, the clang of steel against parasol ringing through his ears. Blow for blow, they met each other in a cross of swords. Neo grinned at him with frightening sweetness, her nature and killing-intent starting to show. Jaune kept himself focused, his breathing level and even.

This was not their first encounter. It had been just over a year since Ozpin took him under his tutelage, and within that time period he & Neo had come to blows at least six times by now. Clearly he never came out on top, considering she eluded arrest every time. But this time would be different—his training with Ozpin was all-but concluded, giving him an incredible head start amongst the other first years.

Sure, his training was primarily to sniff out a spy sent by Leonardo Lionheart, but what better way to kick off his academic career than capture the only criminal strong enough to work with Roman Torchwick? He shook himself from those thoughts, just in time to catch a boot heading straight towards his face.

He brought his sword across his face to block it, but Neo switched at the last second and kicked at the blade, popping it free from his hands. His hand reached for his gun, but Neo stepped into his guard and used the sharp end of her parasol to snatch it away from him.

She aimed the barrel straight at Jaune, her form appearing larger than she actually was. The loud clatter and clang of steel against steel informed Jaune that Crocea Mors had just become acquainted with some restaurant's dumpster.

Neo cocked her head to the side, awaiting Jaune's next move. The blonde didn't make any—not that anything would change even if he did. He was outmatched, with his two weapons stripped free from his grasp.

"Looks like you've got me instead," Jaune said, raising his hands above his head. Neo nodded, pleased with herself, clearly. She popped a bullet free from the gun's chamber, and unattached the mag. Switching the safety on, she unceremoniously kicked it across the far end of the rooftop, putting it behind the both of them.

She motioned for Jaune to come hither, one hand outstretched while the other rested her parasol on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as Jaune stepped forward, a clear bait that the blonde indulged her in taking.

She ducked under a punch she knew was coming, using his momentum to wrap herself around his body. She flipped him with contemptuous ease, relishing in seeing him contort in the air. What she didn't expect was for the blonde to grab her jacket near the nape of her neck.

Using her momentum, the blonde brought them both down in a heap of limbs. Aura flared for the both of them, the faintest sound of a hiss spilling from Neo's mouth.

Panting heavily, Jaune Arc had Neo pinned. With both of his legs on either side of her hips, he grabbed her wrists with a single hand, placing her arms above her head. Neo didn't look unhappy about her predicament, the faintest tint of pink dusting the woman's cheeks. Jaune combed some of his blonde hair back with his free hand, a confident smirk on his face.

"You had me," Jaune said. He stared into Neo's eyes, pink and brown flittering to white. He watched her pupils scan his face, looking for something. It wasn't until he felt a thick bead of sweat trace his jawline did he understand what she was looking at. Her attention being captive like that wasn't all that surprising, as much as it fed his ego. It was part of his semblance, after all. "Looks like you blew it. That's a shame too, really."

He flooded aura into his semblance, watching the heat creep up Neo's neck. He hung his head low, letting her arms free and preparing himself to climb off of her. "I wouldn't mind being your prisoner."

He pulled his head up slightly, but a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his neck and drew him back in. Their lips met, with Neo taking the lead. She took the shift in the blonde's concentration to switch their positions, leaving the young man pinned beneath her. Jaune's hands slid to her waist, leaving the ice-cream themed woman even more red in the face as they pulled apart.

"You know," he said, and Neo couldn't bring herself to stare at the dangerous expression in his eyes, 'lest she get lost in them. "I always knew you had a thing for me."

A hand thumped his chest, and the blonde laughed. Neo looked at him, pouting as he began to sit up. Pulling the smaller woman into his chest, he rested his chin on top of her head. Situations like these weren't exactly uncommon, but Jaune and Neo knew better than to engage in them often. They knew full and well that fundamentally, they could never work—they played two different sides of the coin.

Still, that didn't stop him from trying. "You ever going to surrender?" Jaune asked. He could feel Neo trace an 'X' into his back, and Jaune already knew what that meant. He had asked the last time this happened. "I figured," the blonde said. "But it was worth a try."

When Neo pulled away, she pulled her scroll out. Typing out a message, she turned the screen to face the blonde.

Are you ever going to give up?

"I can't," Jaune said. The answer was automatic and mechanical—Ozpin had saved his life and his family a year ago. When the esteemed headmaster of Beacon Academy said that he had required Jaune's assistance, he was in no position to deny that help to him. "Besides, what would I do? Stay in your hideout all day? I'd be a house husband."

I thought you wouldn't mind being my prisoner? :(

"Under different circumstances, we'd never have to meet like this. We'd also never have to tease at something that couldn't be," Jaune said. "One of us would have to give in."

And I can't.

"I know," Jaune said, rubbing circles in the small girl's back.

And neither can you.

"No can do." Jaune affirmed.

Neo slipped her scroll back into her pocket, a frown on her face. After a moment of hesitation, she cupped Jaune's face, pulling him into another kiss. It was scorching and passionate, one that left her daring to take it further. Her hand glided down his chest, slid down his torso, and ended just at his belt buckle.

She unnotched the belt, but as she did so the wail of police sirens rang in both hers and Jaune's ears. Rolling her eyes, her frown returned in full force on her face. Typing on her scroll, she relayed one last message to Jaune.

The next time we see each other, promise me that you'll either finally capture me, or that you'll kill me.

"I'm not killing you," Jaune said. "I refuse."

Neo smirked, but it didn't hold her usual confidence. It seemed more sad than anything.

I know.

Before Jaune could say anything more, she leapt off the roof. The sound of brief rustling followed by the whittling of wind gave him a good guess as to what she was doing. Crocea Mors fell beside him with a clatter and clang, the ancestral blade none the worse for wear.

Jaune looked down from the rooftop, looking for any possible sign of Neo anywhere. But she was gone—she always was.

/ - N - /

"Now Mr. Arc-" the man began, pacing around his office.

"Jaune," the blonde corrected. Had it had been anyone else, Jaune would have not insisted on being called his first name. But Professor Ozpin was different—especially when the man gave him a future and opportunities that would have never been available to him before. "You've saved my life, Professor. Please, just call me by my name."

"Jaune," the older man amended. "You know you must be careful. This is the sixth encounter you've had with Roman Torchwick's right hand man. It's a miracle that he himself has not stepped in yet."

"I understand, Professor. As far as I know, she could never bring herself to harm me though—or else she'd have done it by now."

"Jaune, my dear pupil. How can you trust your enemy when you cannot even trust your friends?"

The blonde nodded, "Fair point."

"But maybe you're right. Your semblance has saved you and I far more trouble than you'd have thought." Ozpin said.

Jaune laughed nervously at that statement. Jaune knew just how much trouble it bailed him out of—you could assume a certain degree of leeway when your semblance amplified the effects of attraction on people that already found you attractive.

Charmed, is the name Ozpin coined for it. It passively amplified how attractive his appearance or actions were for a person who already found him attractive. When he fed his semblance into it, he became a heartthrob. Sexual energy incarnate. His touch was electric, and one look could send anyone into a frenzy.

"Wipe that expression off your face, my boy," Ozpin said. "You're scaring me."

"My bad," Jaune said, wiping drool from his mouth. "So, what will you have me doing now?"

"Initiation starts next week," Ozpin said. "For this following week, we'll be upping the intensity of your training. I also have something of a training-in-action assignment for you too."

"Wouldn't my encounters with Neo be considered that?"

"I don't know, Jaune," Ozpin said. "Did I ever tell you at any point in time that I was completely okay with you fighting a dangerous criminal?"

"Well no, but-"

"Exactly." Ozpin said, flatly. Tired of pacing, he strode over to his chair, reclining back and collecting his mug from his desk in a fluid motion. He sipped his coffee, sighing contently before continuing. "While you were dealing with Neopolitan, another huntress-in-training was fighting Roman Torchwick. Her name is Ruby Rose, and her uncle happens to be under my employ. Considering you always came out of your encounters with Neo alive, I have no doubt in your ability to fight. So now we're testing your ability to pull the truth from people."

"Your mission is to get her to tell you a secret. It's completely harmless—low stakes, with no punishment or reward should you fail," Ozpin said. He laid his scroll flat on the table, the screen showing him an image of a young girl with red and black hair, and silver eyes. "This is what she looks like. I'll give you… two weeks to figure something out, starting with the day of initiation. I'm sure you can handle this."

"You want anything in particular?" Jaune asked.

"Just something she would have told you in confidence. You can spare me anything too personal."

"Alright then," Jaune said. "I'll show you how the Arc charm works."

"You have my complete faith," Ozpin reaffirmed. "Besides, I know Leonardo won't be sending his student until we accept exchange students for the Vytal Festival. Just consider this… practice. Just… keep it friendly."

"I hear you loud and clear."

/ - N - /

After his meeting with Ozpin, Jaune retired to his room. The Emerald Towers was a series of apartment complexes located near downtown Vale. They were made with a scenic view in mind, and their close proximity to the stores on Main Street and all around Market Square made them pretty pricey in terms of renting.

Unless you were the headmaster of Beacon Academy. In which case, you were able to rent one at an extremely discounted rate.

Jaune slipped inside the apartments' lobby room, the movement-sensitive lights springing to life. Although they were called the Emerald Towers, the primary color used with the interiors tended to be a mixture of whites, blues, grays, and creams, blending together to make a mostly dull and muted sense of minimalism.

"You're coming home late," the desk attendant said, idly.

"It's nothing new," Jaune said. "Matter of fact, do you even care, Max?"

Jaune turned to face the young man, his green eyes gleaming with mischief. Max laughed, his curly brown hair bouncing as he did so.

"Not at all," Max said. "I just thought it was interesting. Especially with all the commotion tonight. You disappear for the entire day, without an entire care in the world. Then later tonight, on my way back from the convenience store, I saw some really short chick take a sword that looked real close to yours from the dumpsters near Giovanni's. Then she tossed it on a roof."

"Oh?" Jaune said. "What a-"

"So did you fuck?" Max asked.

"Huh?" Jaune said. "What would make you think-"

"Please don't call it a coincidence," Max said. "It'd be cute if I believed in those, but I don't. Besides, we both know about your semblance, and from what I could tell she was pretty attractive."

Max gestured at his chest with his hands, "Her tits were huge. And the way she lingered at the sword before throwing it back was a bit off to me."

"We didn't even confirm it was my sword!"

"We didn't," Max agreed, honestly. "Although you just confirmed you were there. You also hung your head from the side of the roof, allowing me to get a pretty good look at someone with blonde hair and a penchant for finding themselves in dumb situations."

"I do not leave myself in dumb situations!" Jaune spat. "And no, we didn't fuck."

"Tragic, really," Max said. "Better luck next time, tiger."

Pressing the button for the elevator, Jaune settled the friendly hazing as best as he could. "Fuck you."

Max smiled, his attention more towards his scroll as he flipped Jaune the bird. A girl with green hair moved around the screen animatedly, exaggeratedly putting her hands on her hips. "Max! Why are you being mean to him?"

"What? Nikki, I am not being mean." Max said. "This is the nicest I've been in a while. He should feel lucky, if anything. He reminds me of David, it's almost weird."

Pressing the button for the third floor, Jaune pulled his scroll out of his pocket just as the doors to the elevator closed. Slumping against the wall, he typed away, sending the message just as the door to his floor opened.

Jaune walked through the verdant green hall, his thoughts only occupied with getting rest. Thumbing his wallet for his keycard, he found the green and white card where he always left it. Swiping it, he was greeted with the pre-furnished apartment just as he had left it. Ozpin had made it clear that this place would have been a home, but Jaune never really saw much reason to decorate. He'd be moving into Beacon soon anyway.

Hastily, he kicked off his shoes, his scroll buzzing in his pants. He fished it out of his pocket, accepting the call without giving a glance as to who it could be. "Jaune D. Arc speaking."

"Wow, do you answer every call like that?" the feminine voice asked.

"Only if they're my annoying twin sister," Jaune said. "How's mom, and everyone else?"

Iris Arc rolled her eyes, "Annoying? Sounds more like you than I, baby brother."

"Three minutes! You were born three minutes earlier! You are not my big sister!" Jaune shouted into the scroll. "Considering you ignored what I asked about mom and everyone else, I'm assuming they're good. Did you need something?"

"I can't check on my favorite twin?"

"Iris. I am your only twin." Jaune said. "I know you don't miss the sound of my voice. What's going on?"

"Oh… you know. I'm just bored," Iris said. "There's seriously nothing to do out here at all."

"I'd imagine," Jaune said. "But Ozpin sent you guys on basically a year-long vacation. For free. To one of the hottest vacation spots outside of Vale. For free."

"Even with that being true, there's still nothing fun to do out here, once you've done it all. I've rode on a jet-ski, went paddle boating with Amy, went pedal boating with Lily, went to the farmer's market on the island and made fruit salad with mom, helped dad prepare a gift for you, and so much more."

"That sounds like you're having more fun than I am," Jaune said. "So far, I've lost against the same person like six times."

"You're having combat class already? I thought school didn't start yet."

"No, no," Jaune said. "It's different. It involves what I'm helping Ozpin with though. I'm just going to leave it at that. Who knows? Maybe when you guys are due to come back, I'll be able to tell you all about it."

"Hmm," Iris said, the non-statement still having a quizzical tone. "I guess I'll let it slide for now. Anyway, I was just checking on you. That's all."

"I appreciate it," Jaune said. "I love you."

"Ew," Iris said. She giggled to herself before sighing, "I love you too. We miss you as well. Mom especially."

"Aww," Jaune teased. "I knew I was her favorite."

"Huh?!" Iris barked. "In your drea-"

Jaune exited the call with a swift motion, leaving his sister to stew in her own insecurity. He tossed his scroll on the charger, and headed towards his dresser. Pulling out a set of night clothes, he made his way to the bathroom.

Turning the shower on, he changed out of his combat clothes. It wasn't until a while later that he was finally ready to hit the hay. Fastening his sword belt around his waist, and grabbing his pistol, he picked up his clothes with his free hand and dumped them in the bin. When he was done, he unfastened the belt from his waist, leaving his sword and gun on the opposite nightstand his scroll was on.

Although part of him wanted food, an overwhelming majority wanted sleep. And as his head quietly made contact with his pillow, the side that needed sleep quickly took over.

/ - N - /

Jaune sagged against the wall of the bullhead as it flew across the sea of Saunus. He crossed his arms over his chest, taking shaky breaths as he tried to avoid thinking of his motion sickness. He wanted to laugh at the irony of being strong enough to be put inside Ozpin's personal circle, but weak enough to not handle motion sickness.

There was a certain… sick, quality to it.

Slowly, he dragged his eyes over to the sea. The distance the bullhead was putting between them and Vale was incredible, with his view of the city getting smaller and smaller. Eventually, it settled just before the horizon, with the bullhead coming to a stop and leaving them in front of Beacon Academy on a loading dock.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he made a sign in front of himself, thanking the gods for their mercy in not making him an active mess.

"You okay?"

Jaune's blue eyes opened slowly, his eyes staring back into two pools of silver. Wow, instead of having to actively seek his target out, she found him instead. Talk about a stroke of good luck.

"I am now," Jaune said, giving her a winning smile. The action was something he rehearsed, and he delivered it with a slight tilt of his head and a smile that was not too cocky and not too timid. He knew it worked, considering the girl blushed in embarrassment.

"You… are? Good! Then that means I can continue going on then."

"Wait a sec," Jaune said. The girl stood rigidly in place, and Jaune wracked his brain for her name. Ozpin had shown him her picture a little over a week ago, and while his memory was relatively good, his encounter with Neopolitan had lingered in his mind longer than he had liked. What was her name again? Ruhi? "What's your name?"

"Ruby Rose," she squeaked. Jaune laughed to himself. Of course it was Ruby. There was no possible way Ruhi was a color.

Was it?

"Nice to meet you," Jaune said, warmly. "I'm Jaune D. Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

"Do they?" Ruby asked, seriously.

Pushing himself off the wall of the bullhead, Jaune motioned for Ruby to follow him out. The Beacon Gardens were a breathtaking sight, but once you've been several times, the beauty sort of becomes lost on you. Especially when your prior trips to Beacon were strictly business.

This entire tenure here would be mostly business—Ozpin kept his family safe, and Jaune worked as his most effective spy option. Sure, there were definitely people better suited for the task, but they lacked Jaune's semblance. There were few people on this planet that could pacify anyone of both sexes like Jaune could.

"Woah," Ruby said. "Beacon is massive."

"It is pretty big," Jaune said. "You know which way you need to go, or do you need a guide?"

"You already know where to go?" Ruby asked. "Wow. You're two for two today."

"Huh?" Jaune asked. "What am I one for one for?"

"Don't worry ab-" Ruby began, her face red. In her embarrassment she ended up bumping into a girl clad in all white, spilling a bit of red dust in the air. Jaune wanted to give Ruby a warning, but the younger woman ended up breathing in a bit of red dust anyway.

Sighing, Jaune slowly walked behind Ruby, holding his arms out. Without a pause, Ruby sneezed, the red dust she inhaled igniting a small explosion and creating distance before her and the woman clad in white.

Ruby found herself falling backwards, but before she could hit the floor, her head hit something firm, yet softer than concrete. Slowly, she looked up, locking eyes with Jaune in the process. He offered her yet another warm smile. She didn't know what it was, but it was the way he stared at her that caused both butterflies in her stomach, and an uncontrollable urge to run away.

"Three for three?" Jaune asked, hopefully.

Ruby fixed her footing, managing to stand without Jaune's support rather quickly. Was it bad that she didn't mind if that continued a little longer?

Oh, of course it was. She just started attending Beacon! Her focus was to be a huntress, not… friends with some boy.

With a sigh, she crossed her arms under her chest and mumbled. "Three for three."

Author's Note

Hi.

Yeah. I know. I did the thing I said I wasn't going to do with the other stories again. Well, good news. I plan on taking this one, and another story I'm cooking up with an Oscar attending Beacon seriously. As a college student and especially as an English major, I've been taking writing and creative writing intensive classes which I believe gave me enough guidance to avoid writing myself in holes and creating better content for you guys.

That being said, the rate at which I get chapters out might be quick, it might not be, because of this COVID-19 situation. I'm confined to my house for the most part because of everything, so while writing isn't a problem, I still have school work and other obligations to do. But that's unrelated.

Firstly, I hope that you enjoyed this. It's something kinda different than what I normally write, and while I'm taking it 'seriously' as a writing project, this is not a serious story. It's kind of a parody of Harem FanFiction and the Harem trope in general. It'll primarily deal with villains, and if there's a big enough demand I might actually write & include saucy bits on a separate piece of Fiction. It's basically a Romantic Comedy, with action elements. I don't know how far I'll take it, but I'll take it somewhere. Maybe up until the end of Volume 3. Maybe further. I don't know.

I also have another story I'm working on. Without spoiling too much, it involves a seventeen year old Oscar Pine working under his uncle Ozpin's orders. I think you'll like it. For now, it's called Those Who Slither In The Dark.

Also, I plan on writing a few one-shots and even an additional story, but that one is either going to be a My Hero Academia OC FanFiction, a crossover between My Hero Academia and Persona 5, or something of that nature. I'm debating on whether to post it on this account or my alternative account.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed what you read. If you didn't, you can let me know why. I'm always striving for constructive criticism and being the best writer I can be, so please, come at me with everything that you have. Pause.

Thank you! Until I see you again!

- Nandaba