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howlingday · 1 year

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Everybody Loved Somebody At Some Time...

The crowd was excited, which was to be expected, since it was a wedding. Another beautiful wedding in Remnant after the death of Salem. Jaune was surprised it didn't happen all at once.

He looked to his team, the band of musicians and singers he met and played with for a while now. His old crush, Weiss, was going over some sort of personal details with her husband, Flynt. He was surprised about their marriage when he first heard it, but was happy for her nonetheless. It all must have happened before Atlas fell.

Speaking of Atlas, he looked past the curtains to peek at the crowd, and found the blushing brides, Ruby and Penny giggling as they continued dancing after their first, second, and probably fifth dance together. He wished Pietro were here to celebrate, but he and Maria had passed long before Salem's end. It was sad, but also sweet that they died loving each other.

"Jaune?" He turned to see Yang standing by with her guitar. Her hand clutched the neck as her beautiful amethyst wedding ring gleamed in the stage lighting. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good, Yang." He straightened up. "Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Belladonna."

"Har de har har." Yang rolled her eyes. "Don't think I can't be just Ruby's mom tonight. I'll bend you over my knee, if I have to."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know, Yang. You ready to play?"

"No." Yang whined. "I'm ready to rock, to melt bones! But you have me stuck here, playing sappy love songs."

"I happen to like sappy love songs." Blake said, walking on stage. "Especially the one you sang for me. What were the words? Something about a garden of ecstasy."

"Ugh, you're lucky I love you." Yang grimaced. "But I do owe you one for helping me out, Vomit Boy."

"If it makes you feel better, you don't have to play." Jaune offered.

"Deal!" Yang beamed a smile.

"No deal." Blake said serious as the grave. "Don't abandon your friends."

"I won't." Yang then kissed her wife on the lips, and the two shared a brief, but tender embrace.

Jaune turned away, walking to his place on stage. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. The microphone looked so small in front of him, but everyone assured him it was strong enough to carry his voice double over. He took a step back as the curtains opened.

In front of him, a sea of faces stared through beaming lights. Some many friends, and so many family members. Some old enemies, some new allies. Everyone hushed as he spoke.

"I... kind of wish I had a speech right now." Jaune said, his voice echoing across the now laughing room. "But I guess I don't need to make a speech when I can just sing out my heart for you guys, huh? I've known Ruby for so long that she knows almost everything about me. She was and is my best friend, and that's why I'm honored and happy she asked me to be her best man/maid of honor." He turned around. "Sorry I stole your thunder there, Weiss." The crowd laughed again. The night was late, though, and it was time to see these happy couples home. "Ruby, I'm glad you found Penny again, and I'm glad you two could truly celebrate your love like you were meant to. I guess it's true what they say."

And like that, the music began, and Jaune sang his last song for the night.

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"Everybody loves somebody sometime"

"Everybody falls in love somehow"

"Something in your kiss just told me"

"My sometime is now"

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The room came to life as couples dragged each other to the dance floor, or to their feet. Beating the married couple to the floor somehow were Ren and Nora, the latter of whom was swollen with motherhood. Behind them and Ruby and Penny was the bride's father, Taiyang, and his reunited love, Raven. They swayed close to Ruby, though Jaune could see Raven trying to sway Tai away from his baby girl one more time.

In the back of the room, Mercury refused to budge from his seat, much to the anger of his fiancé, Emerald. Next to them, neither wanting to move an inch, was the newly reformed Cinder and Neo, whose hatred for one another somehow bloomed into a romance. Jaune didn't question it. Love was stupid like that sometimes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Everybody finds somebody someplace"

"There's no telling where love may appear"

"Something in my heart keeps saying"

"My someplace is here"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaune watched as the happy couples danced and swayed. He turned to find, yup, the couples in the band playing close to each other. In the shadows, Blake swayed with eyes glued to Yang, who returned while playing her guitar softly. If Jaune didn't know any better, he could have sworn that half of this band was trying to sing to the rest of the band. But he did know better. There was no trying.

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"If I had it in my power"

"I'd arrange for every girl to have your charms"

"Then every minute, every hour

"Every boy would find what I found in your arms"

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On the dance floor, Sun and Neptune were, well, being Sun and Neptune. Potentially bachelors for life, but living for every second of it. Unless the rumors were true, in which their partnership was much more than professional or platonic. But Jaune didn't care for rumors. Not when what was happening now was so much more important.

He just wished he learned this lesson so much sooner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Everybody loves somebody sometime"

"And although my dream was overdue"

"Your love made it well worth waiting"

"For someone like you"

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It hurt. Everything hurt inside Jaune. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes sting, but he shook them off in the guise of wiping his brow. He hoped everyone fell for it. As far as he saw, no one suspected anything. His voice never cracked, never broke. Jaune Arc was a man of his word, and tonight, he gave that in confidence he would not let his grief tear away the joy of this party.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I had it in my power"

"I would arrange for every boy to have your charms"

"Then every minute, every hour"

"Every girl would find what I found in your arms"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There she was again, watching in the blinding lights. Her crimson hair pulled back in that iconic ponytail she was famous for. They said it was to keep her hair out of her eyes, as a professional, but he knew the truth. She did it so she could whip her hair like pony's tail would. Her smile almost broke him.

And in the shadows, he saw him, watching from the distance, as he always did. Jaune felt his jaw tense. Again, with his ruse, he wiped over his mouth to help relax himself. He was almost done. Then he could go home. Alone.

One last chorus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Everybody loves somebody sometime"

"And although my dream was overdue"

"Your love made it well worth waiting"

"For someone like you"

"Everybody loves somebody sometime~!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Weiss finished her lead as the backup, the crowd applauded the performance. A real standing ovation. Jaune wiped his eyes as the band drew close for a final bow. Jaune led the dip and bowed low for everyone. He then gripped the microphone one final time.

"Thank you, everyone for coming out." He beamed, tears freely falling from his face. "I love you all!" The crowd cheered, and Jaune stepped away, bowed, and swiftly made his way out the back.

Once outside, he glanced around before stepping into night and gazing past the blazing light of the streetlamp to view the stars. Why did tears have to make his eyes so shiny?

"Good evening, Jaune."

"Ozpin." Jaune said, like the name was ash in his mouth. "Enjoying your last life?"

"Yes, though I wish it were not mine." The gentleman voice admitted through much younger lips.

"You and me both." Jaune didn't spare a glance. "I actually liked Oscar. He was a good- No, he is a good guy. All the way to the very end. He deserved so much better."

"Indeed he did." Ozpin stepped closer to Jaune, and he visibly tensed. "That was an impressive performance."

"It wasn't for you."

"No, it wasn't." Ozpin sighed. "I understand your animosity, Jaune, but I don't think I deserve this hostility."

"Oh, you're right." Jaune finally turned to the shorter man. God, he was now dressing like the headmaster used to. "Maybe I should make us even. Trick your girlfriend into a shadow war, have a bunch of kids fight my battles for me, and lie to everyone about the whole thing! How does that sound?!"

"As foolish as it was when I attempted it." Ozpin shook his head.

"Fuck you, Ozpin." Jaune turned away. "You know, I actually looked up to you, before all of this. Sure, you were a weird guy who told everything like it was with a smile one your face. Because you knew everything. I respected that side of you. But the lying? The scheming? The preying Pyrrha's insecurities-!"

"I did no such thing, Jaune-"

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" Jaune screamed. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED THE ONLY WOMAN WHO LOVED ME FOR WHO I AM!" Tears spilled hotly from his eyes. "She was the only person who believed in me from the beginning, and you took her away from me..." Jaune sniffled.

Ozpin was quiet for a long time. For too long, the backside of the building was silent save for the sounds of weeping. Jaune hated this. He hated Ozpin. He hated himself.

"I remember a saying, when I had lost Salem for the second time." Ozpin said. "It was something that I never understood, and even today, I still find it to be lukewarm comfort at best." He turned away, looking to the stars. "Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

Jaune was quiet. He said nothing, but his sobs had been choked back to sniffles. He was listening. That was all he could ever do against Ozpin.

"What do you think that means?" Ozpin asked.

"Just be fucking straight with me for once." Jaune grumbled.

"I am." He replied. "I want to hear what you believe it means, before I tell you what I believe it means."

"God dammit." Jaune sighed.

"Gods." Ozpin smirked.

"Shut up." Jaune huffed. "It means... It means that being in love is the best feeling in the world, and that everybody should know what it feels like. Even if it means you lose that love forever."

"I see." Ozpin smiled. "We are very similar in our thinking then. From my understanding-"

"Is this going anywhere, Ozpin, or are you just here to be mysterious for no reason?"

"I saw you crying on stage, Jaune. You were looking at all those happy couples, thinking, 'Why couldn't that be us? Why couldn't she be here, facing me, as we dance to romantic love songs together?' I know, Jaune, because I was the exact same way. Even-" Ozpin choked. "Even to the very end, I loved Salem. Some small, stupid part of me saw the red eyes of the mother of all Grimm, and in a blink, I saw the blue-eyed princess I fell in love with all over again."

"And you don't regret it."

"No." Ozpin sighed. "Not once. She was a monster, and she had to be stopped, but," Ozpin rubbed his eyes, "God help me, I will love her to the day I die."

Again, silence fell between the two. Jaune watched Ozpin as he rubbed his red eyes, shaking his head as he bore his soul before Jaune. He pitied the cursed man before. Cursed to live forever, only now broken after Oscar's mind faded into his, and would live the rest of a life not his own regretting not being with his beloved. It was a sad sight, so Jaune did what he thought was best.

"Gods."

"Huh?" Ozpin sniffed.

"You said God, but there are two gods."

Ozpin chuckled. "You're right, and they're both assholes."

The two shared a laugh for the first time... well, ever!

"Well, I should be getting back." Jaune said, looking to the door. "Are you coming in to say hello?"

"It's a bit late for that." Ozpin shook his head. "I must attend to some personal matters," he placed a hand on his chest, "for the both of us."

"Alright." Jaune said, walking to the door. "See ya, Ozpin."

"Jaune?" He turned around, and saw Ozpin face down, prostrate with arms extended. "Nothing will ever be enough for all I have done to you, nor all you have done for me. Thank you, and... I'm sorry."

"I..." Jaune swallowed a lump in his throat, then walked over to Ozpin. He picked him up from the dirt and hugged him. "I forgive you." He stepped away. "And sorry about punching Oscar that one time."

Ozpin chuckled. "He had long forgiven you before you saw him again."

"Good night, Oz."

"Good night, Jaune."

Jaune stepped up to the door, then looked back to the new Ozpin. It may have been the light, or the time wearing on him, or the tears, but Jaune could have sworn he saw to shapes beside him. One was a tall woman with a ponytail, one eye blue and the other red.

But the other woman was shorter, but looked taller in heels. Her hair was also tied back in a ponytail, but her eyes were green. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Opening the door, he found the party was still alive, though only with but a few stragglers left behind.

Jaune lost so much, but he held on to so much more. He loved and lost, but it was better to have never loved at all.