Yang Xiao-Long was fine with running errands for Ruby, on occasion. It wasn't like she was a terrible sister or anything. That said, having to practically raise Ruby herself for the last few years until Dad got his shit together had worn on her.
Sure, maybe dumping her into the deep end to fend for herself on the first day of Beacon was cruel, but the truth was... Yang though she wasn't always gonna be there for Ruby. Best she figure out how to handle herself now.
So yeah, she was fine with doing some errands for Ruby. Having to go pick up Vomit Boy wasn't at the top of her list, but it did let her do some investigating.
Jaune Arc was a nice guy. Bit hapless, but a damn good leader and tactician. She'd given him that. He was also her little sister's best friend, and he was able to manage a team with a superstar like Pyrrha Nikos, a stoic badass like Lie Ren, and a hyperactive ball of chaos like Nora Valkyrie without significant issues. The guy was... Well frankly he sucked at combat, but he was getting better under training from all his teammates. Maybe he'd been held back or something. He certainly came off as a bit awkward: Probably why he and Ruby were natural friends.
She did appreciate that he could cook though. She wasn't a slouch herself, but Vomit Boy could whip up some great grub. Even Princess Weiss liked it (though she made it clear she had no romantic feelings). He even cleaned up for his team and helped them when they needed it.
Not that any of this stopped Yang from teasing him. He was cute when he was flummoxed.
Anyway! She'd been asked by Ruby to go find Jaune. He was late for their gaming session on the weekend. He'd been sneaking off and even Nora wouldn't spill the beans. And Yang was too curious to NOT figure this out.
So here she was, wandering around Beacon Campus, tracking Jaune's Scroll with an app on her own Scroll Ruby had given her.
"Maybe I should talk to Ruby about boundaries some day," Yang muttered.
She turned a corner and located the signal: It was coming from a room with several large windows on the walls and the double doors. Yang frowned as she saw that the doors were cut into two sections horizontally: One upper window was hanging open.
"What the...?"
She walked over, and peeked inside. Her eyes widened at the brightly colored room.
There was Vomit Boy all right, dressed in a yellow apron. He was changing the diaper on a small, silver haired Fox Faunus baby girl in a pink romper. At his side a pink-haired boy was tugging at his sleeve. Elsewhere in the colorful room filled with toys and shelves, a dark haired boy was running around yelling while swinging a toy sword around. A dark haired little girl was waving a plastic magic wand around over two silver haired twins, two boys. One was cheering and happy, the other looked scared.
Jaune finished changing the baby girl's diaper, and dressed her back up. He pulled her up into his arms and rocked her, as she cooed happily. He smiled at the pink haired boy. The boy held up a toddler book made of hardened cardboard.
"All right Luke, don't worry! We'll read it," Jaune said gently. Luke grunted happily.
Jaune put the baby girl into her carrier, and let her play with a teething ring. He then pulled Luke into his lap and opened up the book.
"Once upon a time..."
"HEY!" The boy with the sword pointed it at Yang. Jaune and all the children looked up. Yang was shocked at the sudden intensity in Jaune's eyes, as though he was scanning for a threat, before he relaxed.
"Hey Yang! What's up?"
"Uh, not much," Yang said, looking around at the nursery, "Rubes wants you for your gaming session."
"Oh, already?" Jaune sighed. "Yeah, my relief was supposed to show up but he's running late due to various things. So I've got to watch them until their parents come."
"You're yellow!" The boy with the sword shouted. "And have big boobies!"
Jaune scowled at him.
"Hawk! We don't say those kinds of things!" He scolded.
"Well, he's not wrong," Yang chuckled. Jaune gave her a long suffering look.
"Anyway... Everyone, gather round!"
The toddlers obeyed. Jaune stood up, picking up the baby and holding her.
"Come on, like we practiced," Jaune said. He clapped his hand on his thigh. The children clapped in unison.
"What are your names?" Jaune sang.
"Hawk Mombi!" The boy with the sword sang.
"Melanie Tsune!" The girl with the magic wand sang.
"Dariel Peach!" The happy smiling twin sang.
"A-Axel Peach!" The shy twin stuttered.
"Luke Oak," The quiet boy managed.
"And this is Beryl Port," Jaune introduce the baby, who squawked happily.
Yang was silent for a moment. Jaune blinked.
"Hm?"
So cute, she thought in her head, before she shook it. She snickered.
"You little guys might want to work on that song," she gently teased, "You're all..." She held her hand down to about the height of the kids, "A little low pitched."
"Hey, they're doing okay for kids," Jaune said defensively. Melanie walked up to Yang, her eyes big and shiny. The twins followed behind her, a bit more cautious.
"Are you a real Huntress?" Melanie asked eagerly.
"Sure am!" Yang bragged.
"She's my friend, she's on Ruby's team," Jaune said with a smile, "We're all training to be Hunters."
"Is she your girlfriend?" Hawk demanded loudly. Jaune coughed, as Yang grinned.
"No, she is not-"
"Aw, and here I thought you'd take the chance to look cool in front of the kids!" Yang teased. Hawk glared up at Yang.
"Jaune is totally cool! He chased the monsters away and he's the best villain for Super Neo Hero Rangers and-and..." He raised his sword up reverently. "He found my sword when he lost it! You're just a mean girl with big boobies! BWEHHH!"
Yang snickered a bit, as Jaune scolded Hawk some more.
"Don't say that! Be nice!"
"Yeah! She's a Huntress so she's super cool and you're not!" Melanie shouted.
"IS NOT! Jaune is way cooler!" Hawk defended his babysitter.
"Nuh uh! She's got-got arm gun thingies! That's way cooler than a sword!" Melanie argued back.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Guys, guys! No fighting, geez," Jaune sighed, pushing the kids apart.
Dariel walked up to Yang and grinned. He dragged Axel along.
"Can we see your arm gun thingies, Yang? Can we? Can we?"
"Well," Yang chuckled and held Ember Celica out. Dariel reached out and touched it. Jaune gaped.
"Yang! Don't let them handle weapons! Are you crazy?!"
"What?" Yang said defensively, "There's no way they could activate-"
Dariel found her back up trigger mechanism and touched it. Yang, out of instinct, yanked her arm away as Jaune charged. He threw himself in front of the kids just as Ember Celica discharged. Yang's eyes widened.
"JAUNE!" She screamed, as Jaune went flying. She jumped over the low door and went to the fallen blond. "You okay?! Are you all right?!"
"WE KILLED JAUNE!" The twins began to wail. Hawk, Melanie, Beryl, and Luke all began to cry too. Jaune sat up, waving his arm.
"It's okay, it's okay!" He chuckled, rubbing his apron. He sighed as he looked at the large hole and burns around it. "Aw man, I really liked this one, too."
"What's going on?!" Boomed a loud voice. Jaune and Yang turned and looked. Professor Port was standing in the doorway, his weapon out as he scanned around. "Is anyone hurt? What happened?!"
"Ah, uh... Professor," Jaune began, but Hawk interjected with angry tears.
"Big boobie girl shot Jaune!"
"YEAH!" The kids shouted. Port frowned and looked over at Yang.
"Is this true, Miss Xiao-Long?" He asked, all hints of joviality gone. Yang winced, as the enormity of what might have happened hit her like a charging Boarbatusk.
Okay. She was reckless, yeah. But holy shit... How was she supposed to know any of these kids had Active Aura?! Even so... Shit... If Jaune hadn't thrown himself in front of them...
"It's all right, Professor," Jaune said, "It was my fault. I touched Yang's Ember Celica wrong, and it went off in my chest."
The twins looked at him in confusion, as did the other kids. Port scowled.
"Miss Xiao-Long, carrying weapons around helpless children is a dangerous risk at best."
"I-I didn't know there was a daycare here," Yang stuttered, "It won't happen again, I promise!"
Port glared and nodded. He looked at Jaune.
"Mister Arc, given your good work with the children, I'll write this off as an isolated incident. But make sure you keep your hands to yourself next time, and ensure Miss Xiao-Long stays safe. This could have ended very badly."
Jaune nodded, his face very serious and determined.
"I understand sir."
"But-!" Hawk protested, but Melanie grabbed him and glared.
"Shut up, stupid!"
"I'm not stupid, you're stupid!" Hawk growled.
The two began to fight furiously again. Dariel and Axel were still sniffling, but much calmer. Jaune sighed and looked to Port.
"So uh... Beryl is-"
"Ready to go? Good," Port chuckled. He walked over to the crying baby, and lifted her into his arms. He cradled her, and she soon stopped crying in favor of giggles. "Aw, my precious little one."
"Wha-She's your-?" Yang tried, but Port laughed and held up a Scroll.
"My youngest daughter! Isn't she precious?"
Yang gaped in stunned disbelief at the picture of Port with an incredibly beautiful silver haired Fox Faunus woman and about six children of various ages around them. Port chuckled.
"Aren't they all adorable?"
"They-they sure are," Yang tried to say, as her stupid brain began to imagine Port and the Fox Faunus woman in-NO NO NO NOT GOING THERE! NO!
"Well... This scare aside, Mister Arc, you've done a great job! Though I suggest you change your apron before it gets noticed," Port said dryly.
Jaune nodded, and ran to a nearby closet. Yang winced at the very serious look Port gave her. She lowered her voice.
"I'm sorry... It's not his fault-"
"I know," Port murmured, rocking Beryl to sleep, "He's also a very good man to try and protect you. Do not forget that."
Yang slowly nodded.
"Yes Professor," she murmured, and for the first time when he came to Port, she meant it with respect.
Jaune returned with a fresh pink apron, just as a very shapely strawberry blonde woman in pink and white combat clothing rushed in.
"Oh I'm so sorry babies! Mommy was busy with classes!" Professor Peach cried, picking up the twins and hugging them tightly to her breasts.
"Mommy!"
"Mommy!"
Peach smiled warmly at Jaune.
"Any trouble with my little darlings, Jaune?"
Jaune glanced at Port, who shook his head. He smiled.
"None whatsoever, ma'am. Just a little scare but we're all okay."
The twins began to tear up again. Jaune walked up and hugged them both.
"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured. They calmed down, and smiled.
"We love you, Jaune!" They chorused.
"Aw," Peach cooed. She beamed at Jaune. "You're going to be a great father one day, Jaune! Er, Mister Arc."
"Thanks Professor," Jaune said earnestly. She looked over at Yang, and her good cheer vanished. Her eyes narrowed a bit.
"Miss Xiao-Long," she stated, "I hope you're not going to carry your weapons around my children so freely next time you visit?"
"I won't! I promise!" Yang blurted out. Peach was back to smiles as she beamed at Jaune.
"I hope you enjoyed that recipe I shared with you! The Pasta Puttanesca?"
"Oh yeah, I loved it!" Jaune enthused.
"Wonderful! My brother-in-law is a master of it, I'll have him share more later!"
"Sheesh Peach, don't smother the poor young man," Professor Mombi, the librarian, stated. Yang winced. Mombi was infamous for how cold and harsh she could be-She rivaled Glynda Goodwitch in terrifying students. Her brown hair was in a bun so perfect it may have been made from steel, and her dark dress and jacket lended an air of menace to her. The fact she used cutting wires as a weapon so precisely she could cut apart Grimm with a wave of her hand made her even more fearsome.
Peach sniffed.
"I just like showing my appreciation, that's all!"
"Mama!" Hawk cheered, rushing up to hug his mother's legs. "Jaune was so cool! He took a blast from that Big Boobie Girl and didn't even flinch! He's the coolest!"
"Oh, did he?" Mombi chuckled, nuzzling her baby boy and kissing the top of his head. She smiled at Jaune. "Thank you for looking after them, Jaune."
"Not a problem, Miss Mombi," Jaune said, smiling back. Yang gaped at his ease around one of the scariest teachers around.
"Sorry I'm so late!" Nurse Tsune, a shapely raccoon Faunus woman shouted, as she rushed in, "Had to deal with some shrapnel injuries from a Dust grenade going off too early-SWEETIE!"
"MAMA!" Melanie cheered, rushing up to hug Tsune. She was lifted into her arms and laughed. Tsune beamed at Jaune.
"Thanks for handling this, Jaune. I know she can be a handful."
"Not a problem, ma'am," Jaune said firmly.
"Try to visit us when you can in the infirmary!" Tsune chuckled. She blanched. "Ah! Not what I meant!"
Jaune laughed easily, as Yang continued to stand in silence.
Port headed out, as did Peach and Mombi. Tsune followed soon after. Finally, a fourth year student came up. He was sandy haired and dressed in a simple school uniform. He grinned happily when he saw Luke.
"Luke!"
"Drake!" Luke said, becoming a lot more animated. He waddled into Drake's hug. The young man lifted the boy up and beamed at Jaune.
"Hey Jaune... Thanks a lot for handling this for me," he said, "I'm so sorry you had to do everything."
"Nah, it's fine," Jaune laughed, "You're about to graduate soon. I'm fine with helping you out."
Drake looked over at Yang, and smiled. He reached out a free hand to shake hers.
"Oh, uh, I'm Drake Oak. This is Luke, my little brother. Thanks for looking after him."
"Yang Xiao-Long," Yang returned, shaking his hand, "It's no problem."
Drake grinned at his little brother.
"I hope you were good for them today, Luke?"
"Yup," Luke said with a nod. Drake smiled again and waved.
"Thanks you two."
"Later!" Jaune waved. Yang waved with him, as Drake left. The room fell silent. Yang took a deep breath.
"Jaune, I... I'm really sorry," she said, "I swear I didn't know-"
Jaune shook his head, sighed, and smiled softly at her.
"I know you didn't mean to," he said, "But don't make that mistake again."
His tone was so serious it was like he'd aged ten years. Yang nodded slowly, meeting his eyes.
"I won't. I promise."
He winced, and rubbed his chest. Yang frowned in concern, and reached out to his shoulder.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Yeah... Aura's healing it all up," Jaune said. Yang looked around at the colorful room, and then back to Jaune.
"You... The way you jumped in front of that shot," she murmured. Jaune shrugged.
"Well... This is what we're here for, right?" He asked. "To ensure these kids have happy lives." He smiled. "I want them to be happy and grow up to be happy. I want them to have hope for the future. It makes me think... Makes me believe that all the hard work and tough stuff I go through is worth it, just for them."
Jaune beamed at her.
"Isn't that was a Huntsman is supposed to do?"
Yang smiled softly, and rubbed his shoulder. Her cheeks went a bit warm. He was just so... Sincere about it.
"Yeah... Yeah, I think so," she murmured quietly.
They sat there in comfortable silence... Before Yang's Scroll went off. She pulled away from Jaune, blushing bit, before she pulled her Scroll open.
"Rubes?"
"YANG WHERE'S JAUNE?!" Ruby wailed. "HIS SCROLL IS ON SILENT AND I CAN'T MAKE IT RING! ARE YOU OKAY?!"
Jaune moved into view of the Scroll camera and smiled at her.
"It's okay Ruby, we'll be there soon," he promised.
Ruby beamed.
"Okay! But you'd better hurry, Nora's gonna drink all the soda and-"
"Too late," Blake said blandly offscreen, as Nora's sugar high cackles filled the air.
"AHHH NO NORA NOT THE BEDS-!"
The screen went to static. Jaune sighed.
"Well, now I know how you get along so well with your team," Yang chuckled, "You're used to babysitting."
"Yup," Jaune sighed. He pulled off his apron and went to put it away, as well as pick up a few loose toys. Yang cleared her throat.
"H-Hey... You okay if I stop by again? I mean... When you're working?"
Jaune looked up, and smiled.
"Sure. If you want."
"Well," Yang sighed, "I made a terrible first impression. I want to make a better second... With a proper Yang!"
Jaune chuckled.
"Sounds good!"
- - -
The kids were borrowed from the manga/anime "School Babysitters", as was Drake Oak. I just changed their names to English equivalents.
This was originally a lot wackier in concept but it turned serious when I thought about what Hunters at a Hunters Academy might do to ensure their kids were safe. And what kinds of accidents might happen. Hope you enjoyed.
