35

Chapter 35 – Arclight

This can't be happ-

"Nice to meet you," Blake was pushed aside almost immediately as her blonde partner thrust one hand out towards the Atlas soldier, "I'm Blake's partner!"

"Yang, right?" Jaune Arc, now in possession of an Atlesian soldier's body laughed, "Blake's told me all about you."

"All lies, I assure you."

"She's only had good things to say."

"Then it's all the truth!" The blonde girl had a wide grin on her face as she shook the hand of the possessed man. "You know I was beginning to think you didn't exist." Blake could only watch in horror as the two people she least wanted to interact in the entire world finally came together. Any thoughts about the fact she'd avoided humiliation quickly swept away as she remembered just why she'd been so worried when Jaune first attained mobility.

"John," Blake whispered as she sidled up to the man and grabbed his arm. If he noticed how hard she was gripping it, he didn't let it show. "I'm so glad you could make it." An extra tight crush of his hand, she enjoyed the bead of sweat dribbling down his brow. "You should have told me you were here."

"A-hah, I'm sorry?" His free hand came up to scratch the back of the man's head, a motion so incredibly Jaune that she could hardly see him as anything else. It helped that the man he'd possessed was also blond, though the hair was a little shorter and there was the faint beginnings of a beard. He must have been no older than twenty. "I… uh…" he coughed into one hand, before leaning over to put his face next to hers, "I just couldn't wait any longer to see you my little kitten."

Blake stood still as his hand came out to strike the side of her cheek. What the f-?

"Thank you, John," Blake snatched his hand before he could do whatever it was he thought he was doing, holding it at her side so he couldn't try anything else. "Well here you are Yang, you've met my friend like you wanted. Do you mind if we go dance now?"

"Whoah, whoah!" Yang grinned, "You can't just run off like that, the night's young – the rest of the team hasn't even met him yet." The blonde seemed frustrated as she looked over her shoulder and around them. Weiss was almost certainly with her own date, but as for Ruby? Blake half-suspected she'd taken the first opportunity to run, wait, stagger off. She wasn't a fan of the heels she'd been made to wear. "Damn it guys, talk about missing in action…"

"Well that's a shame," Blake started to pull `John` away by his hand. Any progress was stopped however when Yang latched onto the other. "The two of us should go and dance anyway, so I'll see you later Yang." Another tug.

"What's the rush, we've only just met!?" Yang pulled back the other way, stretching Jaune between them. "I've got all sorts of questions I need to ask."

"Time waits for no one." Blake's eyes flashed as she settled both hands on his arm, dragging him aside with much more force. At least, that had been the plan… were it not for Yang being about twice as strong as her and not even budging.

"Girls…" Jaune groaned from between them, his head whipping one way and then the other as they fought for dominance. "There's enough John to go around."

Damn it, Blake cursed, I need a distraction…

"Greetings Blake!" the last person she wanted to hear just about shouted. A tortured moan escaped her throat even before the orange-haired robot appeared before the three of them. "It is I, Penn, your loving bo-" Blake's hands latched over the robot's mouth before the words could escape and damn them all. It wasn't until those green eyes blinked at her, and Blake looked down at her two hands over the girl's mouth… that she realised what she'd let go of.

This wasn't what I meant…

"So you met through work?" Yang was sat on the windowsill cross legged while Jaune stood beside her.

"That's right, I was about to become chow for a Grimm, but Blake managed to save me from eternal damnation. From there it was love at first fight. What is a man to do? She's my darling little kitten now."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Yang cooed. Blake on the other hand, wanted to curl up and die. Darling little kitten? Not to mention that story… where was he getting this from, some kind of trashy romance novel!? And how the hell was any of that sweet?

"I didn't realise we were going with the coma soldier plan," Penny – or Penn as she was currently dressed – said. "Father didn't mention bringing one of them up from the med bay."

"That's because it's not," Blake growled. "Penny, I need a distraction… something to keep Yang busy so I can sneak off with him."

The robot nodded, "Understood friend-Blake. I will distract Yang so that you can have some time for sexual gratification with Jaune."

She wanted to deny that. Wanted to explain that this was just them trying to get out of this situation in one piece. But the moment was lost as Penny leapt forward, dove through the air… and literally tackled Yang out of the open window. Amber eyes blinked as she watched her partner's legs flip up as she was knocked into the bushes. Still sat on the windowsill, Jaune could only blink stupidly at the empty space where Yang had once been.

"Penny…" a deadly serious voice came from outside the window. "I'm going to give you precisely three seconds to explain-"

"Come on," Blake groaned, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him into the crowds. Not exactly what she'd had in mind when she asked for a distraction, but there was no faulting the results she supposed… Except that Yang clearly wasn't going to let this go later. Damn it all.

"Well what did you think?" Jaune asked as they settled into place among the crowds dancing. "I thought I did a fairly good job there."

"Your lines need work," Blake grabbed his arms and wrapped one around her waist, the other meeting on her hip as she rested both hands on his chest. Or his armour, she supposed… he really stood out among all the other students. "Also don't ever call me kitten or I'll scratch your eyes out."

"I thought it was a cute nickname," he winced. No… just no. "What should I call you then, love, dear, sweetpea?"

If he wasn't already dead her frown would have slain him. "Call me Blake… like just about any other normal person would. Who calls people by nicknames like that anyway?"

"Sorry… you know I've never had much luck with girls. I guess that means I don't know how to fake it, either." He looked so upset, even wearing another man's face, that she couldn't help but sigh. A gentle push on his chest, just enough to get him moving as they danced together.

"Just be yourself. It's the Jaune I'm used to."

He snorted lightly, but nodded as they danced together. Against all odds, few others paid much attention to them, no doubt lost in their own partners as they swept across the hall. To be honest she had expected Jaune to have no idea how to dance either, but to her surprise he took the lead without being prompted.

It was after ten minutes or so that his silence started to get to her however, especially as his hands became heavier on her hips. His body just that little closer to hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked, nudging her elbow against his chest, "You're wearing that troubled look… I'm more used to seeing it on your face, but I can still pick it out a little." It was in the eyes, she thought… the way the skin at the edges crinkled, the lids becoming heavy.

"It's nothing…" he sighed, in the exact way anyone did when something was clearly bothering them. She didn't speak, but she did make sure to unleash a no nonsense glare directly into his eyes. "Well… not nothing," he surrendered almost instantly. "You'll think I'm being stupid."

"Try me."

"This is the first time I've been in another body when it's not a combat situation. When I don't have to instantly jump into a fight and worry about keeping you or the person I'm in alive. I didn't really notice it in the middle of a fight…" he let out a long sigh, "but there's a lot of things I don't have anymore, which all of a sudden I do right now."

"What like?" It wasn't like she could understand him, nor could she ever hope to sympathise with him… she supposed there wasn't a person on Remnant who could. He looked aside for a moment, before the hand on her left hip moved up to her arm, sliding down it to cradle her hand in his.

"Like touch," he sighed, looking at her hand with an almost bizarre concentration. "It's incredible to think how much I took it for granted. But I can't feel things anymore. Not as a ghost, nor as a teddy-bear. Your hands are incredibly soft."

She tried to say something, to thank him or offer some form of comfort. The words died in her throat, however. All this time they'd been together he'd never been able to feel anything – to touch or interact in any meaningful way. It didn't even seem like it would be a bad thing… but that was just because of how impossible it was to imagine.

"There's things like smell too… I didn't even think I would ever miss something like that, but I can't smell the world around me or what's going on… obviously can't taste or eat food either. Losing that along with my sense of touch… I knew it hurt not to have it. But it didn't hurt so much until this moment… right when I have it all again."

If only for a moment… because they both knew he would lose it again soon. When the man whose body he possessed finally woke up.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault… if it wasn't for you then who knows what would have happened. I might still have been stuck where I died just… waiting… forever."

"Or you might have moved on." She said, "Maybe found paradise."

"You mean this isn't paradise? I'm dancing with the sexiest girl in Beacon." He flourished her with one arm, making her spin before coming back against his chest, her back pressed to his front.

"Idiot," she chuckled. Even so, even with his attempt at distracting her – she couldn't just ignore the words he'd spoken. He'd always seemed so carefree as a spirit, always pranking, being a pervert and otherwise causing trouble. I suppose it makes me a bad friend that I never realised… Somehow that didn't surprise her. She'd always been a terrible friend, no matter who it was to.

"He's waking up," Jaune whispered a few minutes later. The words slipping from him along with a frustrated sigh. "I think it's time we put John back where we found him."

So soon? She shook her head, dismissing the disappointment. They'd danced more than enough to explain everything away to Yang, she could just claim he'd been called back to duty – had to leave at the last minute. They were just lucky that Yang and Penny had vacated the area, though that was probably a given considering how it had been a good thirty minutes ago.

Jaune clambered out the window easily enough, standing in the bushes with his waist visible over the frame, "We should do this again sometime," he joked.

"Make a terrible bet with Yang, stress out for a week before possessing some random man to dance with?" she shot back. He grinned at her and a second later she found herself laughing. "Maybe without all the stress next time."

"Yeah…" She waited for his spirit to leave the body, so she could act as the anchor and help him move away. But a few seconds passed as he did nothing.

"What's wrong? Is it not working?"

"No – I… well… I just wanted to savour it all a little longer. This is the first time in a while I've been able to feel anything. Not to mention this was technically my first date with a girl – that's like a big milestone for me. One of my dreams."

He really was a simple guy… too simple to have been killed so young. Seventeen and all he wanted was a date…? One that could only be called that at a push, and more along the lines of an agreement to dance together?

She was taking advantage of him in just about every way. He was lookout, support, information gathering – and now a solution to her dance problem. In return she gave him… what, insults and hassle?

"Close your eyes."

"Huh… why?" She glared at him for a second, "Okay – okay, they're shut. I don't see why you want me to, tho-"

"Shush," Blake whispered as she reached out to take his face in her hands. Closing her eyes as well, she leaned in to press her lips against his. She'd closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the face of a man she didn't know, but that only served to make her pay more attention to every other little sensation – namely how warm his lips felt against her own, or how his hand came up to gently stroke down her arm, a tickling sensation that had her leaning even closer.

It ended as suddenly as it had begun… one final kiss as she pulled away. For a moment the mental image of Jaune remained overlaid onto the man's face as her eyes opened, prompting a faint flush to her cheeks. It was hardly her fault… her eyes had been closed and she was more used to seeing him than any other guy.

"Wow…" he looked dazed, surprised – but happy. Happier than she'd seen him in so long.

"That scratch another off your list?" she teased. His mirth felt infectious, that little smile he couldn't hide – the most natural she'd seen on him since they'd been together. He blushed, even in another man's body, looking away and to the ground as he scratched his hair.

"Yeah… definitely."

"Come on, let's leave him here and go home for the night. We've not read Ninjas of Love together for ages."

"Yeah, we haven't!" He turned away from her, reaching down to pull a helmet from the bushes and settle it over his face. He vanished beneath the foliage for a second, before a more familiar figure floated out of it. "I laid him down gently," Jaune said, an excited smile still on his undead face, "don't want the poor guy getting hurt after he helped us out like that."

"Yeah, he doesn't deser- wait…" She paused, eyes almost crossing as she looked out the window, down into the bushes where the soldier now lay, unconscious – but soon to wake up. She turned to Jaune, "Why was an Atlas Soldier unconscious in a bush here?"

And how the hell had she not realised that earlier?

"Huh… now that you mention it. That's not normal, is it?"

"The only thing here that they'd be guarding is the CCT…" she whispered, already jumping out the window, while making sure she didn't land on the man.

"I take it we're not going back to read NoL, then?" Blake didn't answer, loping off towards the tower while dragging him along, "Awww maaaan… Do I get another kiss for this?"

"Don't push it…"