[RWBY] A Character Arc: Jaune Arc RWBY SI BS Revised

[digcat]

In a alternate world the fang doesn't actually do anything they are basically Blake's babysitters. Her parents have more kids and didn't want her to pass her crazy on to them. Adam was just her handler their relationship was all in her head.

 

[jgalue]

In a alternate world the fang doesn't actually do anything they are basically Blake's babysitters. Her parents have more kids and didn't want her to pass her crazy on to them. Adam was just her handler their relationship was all in her head.

Click to shrink...

Why does that sound so plausible considering how Blake is?

 

[Grrrrrrr]

Weiss: OK i'm buying everyone a spray bottle just for you.
Blake: That's racist!
Adam: No it's good thinking.

Click to shrink...

here's a austion, how likely
is it that a spray bottle was involved in a faunus' upbrigning?

 

[digcat]

here's a austion, how likely
is it that a spray bottle was involved in a faunus' upbrigning?

Click to shrink...

Probably more than any of them would admit.

 

[AJ_Talon]

Ozpin's office was quiet. It helped with my nerves.

"…And Lionheart's been a traitor for a while," I said. "Not sure when he broke or if he was always a scumbag. He says he was just a coward, but I was kind of emotional at the time."

Ozpin's face went grave. "Understandable. I would ask you to try and get your godfather to assist us in this matter. I don't want to move against Lionheart too soon and tip our hand. If he could give us intel on Salem's plans, we might be better able to deal with them."

"My godfather…?"

The memories arrived late, like a file that had been misfiled on purpose. I blinked hard.

"Yes. King Arjun Sarkara of Pandu?"

"Ah. Right. Sorry. I think the visions are messing with my mind…"

I only came up with like half of that worldbuilding. Why isn't my co-writer here instead of me? Oh well. Good to know, I guess. Maybe I was getting a clearer transmission from Remnant than Monty. Not that I want to be presumptuous and think I was the better writer, because I'm NOT.

Well he didn't really write but-Nevermind! Focus!

"Still… he's going to want Lionheart dead, since he probably had a hand in the coup that made him an exile and orphan in the first place. Exile-orphan."

Ozpin nodded. So my worldbuilding was even more accurate, huh? Geez.

"True," Ozpin said, "but he can be patient and cunning. He can keep control of himself. Or his wife will rein him in."

I paused.

"Speaking of… my parents and my godparents were a very powerful team, right?"

"Indeed. Expert heavy combatants and disaster relief specialists. I was very proud of them all."

"So… why didn't you make them your strike team instead of STRQ? Nothing against Ruby and Yang's parents and uncles… well, okay, a lot against Raven."

Ozpin steepled his fingers. "For a few reasons. Summer's Silver Eyes made her a natural counter to Grimm and Salem's agents. The others all had skills very useful as a covert strike team. Whereas your parents and godparents… were not covert. At all."

"But… my mom can shapeshift and Uncle Arjun is like a ninja archer—"

"Yes," Ozpin said dryly, "and your father is a wrecking ball in human form and your godmother fires death rays. Your mother can shatter buildings at full strength, and your godfather is, shall we say, very liberal with Aura-powered explosive arrows. Approximately eighty percent of their missions in urban areas ended in property damage so extensive the insurance companies had strokes. And of course, they also overthrew a dictatorship—granted, with the support of a multinational alliance, but overthrowing a government is not something anyone can call inconspicuous. Your family are many things, Jaune Arc, but covert and subtle are not among them. It's not much of a victory if in defending Remnant, you reduce most of it to rubble."

"…I guess I can't argue with that."

"Indeed. As for the Ever After, do you recall what fruit you ate?"

"Ummm… I think it was a mango? But again, it's all really fuzzy."

"So possibly a peach, then."

I stared at him. "…Was… was that a dad joke?"

"I think I'm entitled to make them."

"Fair enough. Joke away."

Ozpin chuckled.

"No, no. I believe I will spare you. After all, you have a date tonight."

I coughed.

"Yeah…"

"Not the girl you were expecting to go with?" Ozpin asked kindly. I shook my head.

"N-No… But then I didn't really get with anyone, and… She ended up with someone else…" I made a face.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"How did that go?"

I sighed.

"It was… A horribly toxic, terrible relationship that made no sense. Like demons decided to mess with their minds… And yet, the future-"

Ozpin stared at me.

"Do you like this girl?"

I nodded.

"Yeah… But this other girl, she likes me, and she died for me and-"

Ozpin held up a hand.

"It is your decision to go on the date or not, Jaune. You are making the choice. If you're willing to change the future, you must accept the consequences. And even with that power, you cannot control or see all ends…"

He slowly shook his head.

"But if you don't stop and appreciate what's around you, then there is no point to saving the world." An ancient pain filled his eyes, fathomless and deep like the ocean.

"It is just one date. How significant that is… Is up to you."

I slowly nodded, and let out a breath held tightly in my chest.

"Thank you, sir. I… I appreciate it."

Ozpin smiled gently, and sipped his coffee.

"Believe me… I know all about regrets when it comes to romance."

He would, at that.

---

Yang had dressed me. White shirt, khaki pants, black jacket, hair cut to her specifications. She swore it was fashionable. I swore simplicity was safest and tried not to look as nervous as I felt.

I smiled at my team in our dormroom. Nora and Ren were studying, and Pyrrha was doing stretches in a tank top and shorts.

"Well… I'm off to my date," I said. "Have fun."

Nora looked up from her book and beamed, waving at me.

"Sure! Have fun!"

Ren nodded to me respectfully. I looked over at Pyrrha with a smile.

"Don't wait up, huh?" I said.

Pyrrha paused, and smiled. It felt too perfect, too plastic.

"Sure thing," she said quietly.

Damnit…

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah… Uh… Any last minute advice, Pyrrha?"

She stared at me. I coughed.

"I-I mean, I have had a girlfriend before but… You know… It didn't last and uh…"

Pyrrha smiled a bit more softly, wistfully. God she was so beautiful.

"Just be yourself and… Don't overthink things. She likes you enough to go out with you so… Don't push. Don't preen. Just be genuine and… She's sure to love the experience with you."

I chuckled softly.

"Yeah… Yeah. Thanks."

GODDAMNIT PYRRHA!

This was so aggravating. Damnit! All she had to do was ask! Or say something!

GODDAMNIT!

I took a deep breath.

"Well… Night." I turned and headed out, across the hallway.

I knocked on RWBY's door and waited. My agitation just got worse as my thoughts went into overdrive.

Shit. Should I have gotten flowers? Or chocolate? NO. No, this is just a friendly date. Ease up. Wait—the dating rules are different between worlds. What if she thinks I want to marry her? I mean… that would make sense in a civilization fighting Grimm that isn't totally wrecked by other nonsense. Crap, crap, why didn't original-me pay attention to anything but nerd shit and hunting history? Yes, it's cool that his great-grandparents took out an entire army. THAT DOESN'T HELP WITH DATING. And Pyrrha, damnit, Pyr-

The door opened.

Yang stepped out in a white dress and a stylish yellow jacket, and my brain briefly filed for unemployment. She was gorgeous-Like a goddess of war who had let her hair down. Her glorious, golden hair, the freckles on her cheeks, the curves of her body. She smiled.

"Hey."

"…H-Hey."

I offered my arm. She took it. We headed for the Bullheads, slowly, not really saying anything. It was quiet… Outside.

Inside my head…

OH MY GOD HOTNESS I WANT TO—urk. No. Calm down. CALM. Boobs are incredible. We are not going to stare at them. We are a gentleman. We are a disaster wearing a jacket-GODDAMNIT STOP ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE BOOB ROT-I MEAN BRAIN ROT-ARGH!

I did not look down her dress. I wanted to. I also wanted to live.

---

We went to a street carnival. Games. Grease. Lights. Yang won me a prize at the strongman booth by hitting the thing so hard the bell left the planet. I won her one back at the shooting gallery, farmboy muscle memory doing what years of video games only pretended to teach. We ate too much. We laughed too loud. For a couple of hours I forgot there was a Queen of Grimm and a girl in red who might still walk into a tower for me and a silver eyed girl who would off herself in a world of madness and… Yeah.

We ended on the Ferris wheel, Vale spread out under us like a sea of stars.

"…I had a really great time tonight," Yang said.

"Yeah. Me too."

I've been so used to school, training, trying not to panic. It was nice to just exist for a while.

She watched me sideways. "You don't relax very easily, do you?"

"I, well… I always feel like I'm behind. Like I need to work harder than everyone else, I guess. I don't want to let anyone down."

Her smile turned sad. "I believe you… I dunno. I—I'm not used to the men in my life being reliable."

"Oh… ex-boyfriend?" I feigned.

"Nah… my dad and uncle. I… I mean, I've kissed a boy or two, but I couldn't go any further. Not with Ruby to take care of."

"Oh…"

"So, um… thanks. Thanks for that. Being her friend."

I smiled. "It's not an issue. She's like my little sister, and I really care about her."

"Yeah…"

The wheel creaked. City light slid over her face.

Okay. Nice moment. I can't read her. Quiet isn't always angry. Quiet also isn't always yes. Or no, or-Why is this so damn hard?

"How about you?" she asked.

"Hm?"

She smiled. "Since we're on the subject… you have any girlfriends?"

"I mean… one. She was my neighbor, childhood friend. We were close, but… we decided we were better off as friends."

"Oh? Why?"

"I wanted to be a Huntsman. She wanted to marry a rich doctor." I shrugged. "And well… our parents were trying to push us together. My Nana finally had to step in and tell my mom off for trying to matchmake so hard."

"Big family?"

"Huge. I've got seven sisters."

"Seriously?!"

I showed her pictures on my Scroll. She laughed at the bad ones, which were most of them.

"Geez… and yet I had to dress you for our date?"

"Well, I wanted to match." I smiled.

"Yeah… heh… still…" Her expression went wistful. "It… must be nice. Having a big family that looks out for you."

"…Most of the time. There were bad times and good times. Fights and arguments and all that. But… I do love them. Even if we don't get along sometimes."

She nodded. "Mm…"

The ride ended. We walked toward the Bullheads. I reached for her hand, half expecting her to miss it.

Yang took it.

Okay. Okay. Calm down. Quiet doesn't mean mad. Quiet might mean she's into me, which is also terrifying, because Pyrrha is going to read this like a death sentence if I'm sloppy. I don't want her walking into that tower. I don't want her dying period. Would she still make that choice if I didn't know? Does she still like me with this wreckage in my head? Would she be okay with sharing? I DON'T KNOW. WHAT DO I DO?

"Hey, Jaune? You okay?"

I started.

"Huh? Oh, uh… just… thinking. A lot."

Yang chuckled. "Maybe you should cut down on that a little. I mean, I'm starting to think that you don't like looking at me~." She winked.

"No, no, I really like that… and the date… and the holding hands and uh… I liked it all. A lot."

Smooooth.

"Me too." Her voice dropped. "I dunno… I—I mean, I was the most popular girl in school back in Signal, and I had all these guys after me. But the second I started putting Ruby ahead of them, they fell away. I was kind of like the single mom, ya know?"

"Well, they were idiots. Because you'd be a great mom, Yang."

"I'll never be as good as Summer—"

"So? You'd still be great. I mean that."

She went bright red. "S-So… you think I'd be a great mom?"

Shit. Too sincere. Too sincere—

"Yeah."

Yang giggled, covering it badly. "Geez… You're way too blunt, ya know?"

"Well…" I shrugged. "Let's just say… I feel like life is way too short to not be honest. Even if I don't know all that I want yet, there's… Just no reason to play games."

She smiled and leaned over to kiss my cheek. "I get it."

I flushed. She then tensed. I frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Just uh… oh crap. I mean… um… I don't have to marry you now, do I?" She looked worried.

My eyes went wide. Like, almost Looney Tunes level.

"EH?!"

"Blake and Weiss looked up your family tree… royals tend to be picky about who they romance, right?"

"Arcs haven't been royals for centuries!" I sputtered. "We don't—we don't need to get married! I mean, if you wanted to, it's a bit fast! It—it's just been one date! Not that—I mean, if we go on more dates and we connect and—and stuff then absolutely but uh—I mean—!"

Yang burst out laughing. "Okay… I thought I was nervous. You're like this stoic snarky badass in a fight and now you're stuttering like a preteen! It's hilarious!"

Teasing me? Oh, I will not let that stand. Pride and hormones, unite!

I leaned in and kissed her.

She froze for half a heartbeat, then kissed me back. The world just fell away. There was just her mouth, her hand fisting in my jacket, the stupid dizzy fact that this was real.

We broke apart gasping.

"I… haa… um…"

"Oh… oh… wow… uh…"

SAY SOMETHING, IDIOT! My brain screamed.

"…Wanna go on another date?"

Yang blinked, then smiled, dazed. "…Yes."

"Cool. Me too." I smiled, because if I didn't I was going to say something dumber. "Night."

She nodded and slipped into RWBY's dorm. I turned, walked the few steps to JNPR, and tried to remember how doors worked.

Pyrrha was up. She smiled like someone bracing for a storm. "So… um… how did it go?"

Nora's head popped up from under her covers. "Did you suck face?"

"Nora, you're grounded."

She grinned. "That's not a no~!"

I sighed and shrugged with a little smile that wouldn't go away.

"We're going on another date."

Pyrrha winced. Nora looked at her, and suddenly things were less funny.

"B-But we're not getting married or anything," I added quickly. "Just friends having fun."

Pyrrha nodded slowly, the tension in her shoulders a bit less obvious.

"R-Right… right…"

If she would just SAY something. Anything. Goddamnit, how is she this meek? She could break me in half without trying. Her parents must be horrible. There is no other explanation. I shipped this. I still will not cash it in. I also will not watch her smile like that and call it fine.

"…Pyrrha? We're starting some special training."

She brightened on reflex. "Oh? What kind?"

"You'll see. But I expect you to do your best, understand?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good. I'm counting on you."

"You always can, Jaune."

Fuuuuuuck.

I am going to get her to be honest about her emotions if it kills me. And I will never let her kill herself for it... No matter how this turns out.

---

I had promised to teach my friends the boosting techniques Mom taught me, and I was going to make good on it the next weekend.

We'd just been buried under the week after the dock incident—detention stacked on detention, reports, lectures, Glynda's eyesight lingering on us like a curse. But there was at least a month before the rest of the exchange students arrived. Useful. Time I could actually use instead of spending it waiting for the next disaster.

I brought everyone down to Training Field 69.

Yes. Field 69. Nice.

It sat on the outskirts of the grounds, all broken stone and old ruins and boulders that looked like they'd been waiting centuries for someone irresponsible to punch them. Ozpin had let me pick it specifically because of the breakables. In particular, there was a boulder near the treeline the size of a few shipping containers.

This was our classroom.

Weiss had brought a fold-out chair and sat in it like she'd been sentenced to death. Ruby and Yang had brought a blanket, which was decent of them, and the rest of the group piled onto it. I took a breath and smiled.

"Good morning, class. I am Professor Arc, and I'll be learning you today."

Weiss made a noise of spiritual pain. "Ugh…"

Yang and Ruby giggled. Nora snickered. Pyrrha smiled like I was doing something admirable instead of making a fool of myself on purpose. Ren remained Ren. Blake just stared, notebook probably open in her head even if it wasn't in her hands.

"Right, well. You all know how to surge your Aura to increase the power of your strikes or to increase your defense. That's the basics of the basics. This technique is to boost your output using your own Aura. Think of your Aura like an electrical circuit—it flows through your body, going from positive to negative, negative to positive. It's always going, though. So in this case, what we need is a capacitor. Or maybe an inductor. It's a little hard to gauge."

Ruby leaned forward. "So how do you build up the energy?"

"First part of it is emotion. Focusing your energies. Usually you want positive feelings, though negative ones can fuel it too—they just attract more Grimm. Then you store this built-up energy in your external Aura shield, like so…"

My Aura flared around me until I looked like one of those old glow-in-the-dark action figures. I cocked my fist, pulled it back, and twisted my hips.

Weiss scoffed. "This is ridiculous…"

Please let this work. If I wind up and tap the rock like an idiot, I am never living it down.

"Then…! Once you've built up enough power… you let it GO!"

I swung. Hips first, fist second, the stored charge dumping out of the shield and down the line of my arm in one ugly, concentrated burst.

The boulder spiderwebbed like glass.

Then it shattered.

The sound was a cannon shot. Whole sections of stone sloughed apart and collapsed into a pile. Birds exploded out of the nearby trees like the forest itself wanted off this lesson plan.

I stood there breathing hard. Plenty of Aura or not, that much output still left my muscles screaming. The circuit analogy held: resistance, heat, strain. Aura could laugh at physics right up until the bill arrived. Weirdly comforting.

I turned back.

Weiss was gobsmacked, chair forgotten. Pyrrha looked proud enough to burst, color high in her face. Yang was red too—and hungry in a way that made my brain short a fuse. Ruby's jaw was hanging open, eyes locked on the rubble, a faint blush on her cheeks as well.

Why are they blushing? I punched a rock. That should not be a courtship display.

Blake's eyes were wide. Ren looked quietly impressed. Nora grinned like she'd seen the face of God and it sold pancakes.

Then she dropped to her knees and bowed.

"TEACH ME, VIOLENT LEADER! AND TOGETHER, NO PANCAKE PALACE WILL BAN US AGAIN!"

"Nora, you can't use the technique just for Pancake Palace. And anyway, the best way to not get kicked out is to behave yourself."

Nora pouted. "Hmph!"

She still looked like she was going to listen, which I decided to count as a miracle.

"Anyway, this technique was invented by my mom to not only hit harder, as you've already seen, but to boost your strength, speed, and endurance in general for short bursts. She used it to rescue people trapped under heavy objects, as an example."

Yang grinned and licked her lips. "Oh, I can think of a few ways to use it, Stud."

Ruby made a strangled noise. "G-Geez, Yang, ew!"

I was suddenly both interested and afraid for my life. I cleared my throat. Weiss flushed and scowled at Yang like public decency had been personally assassinated.

"Can't you two act like—like professionals for one minute?! Pyrrha isn't acting like some—some hormone-crazed idiot!"

Pyrrha went scarlet and cleared her throat. She had, in fact, been staring at me with uncomfortable intensity.

"Oh… um… Jaune, are you sure you want to teach us this technique? It is your family's work."

"I am absolutely sure, Pyr. This technique can let you save your lives, or the lives of others. I'm not hoarding it. But! You have to be responsible with it."

Look. I'm a gamer. I've watched a lot of anime. I am not doing the secret-clan-jutsu thing. If a short burst of extra strength keeps one of them from dying later, they can have it. This isn't Naruto. If we lose the Vytal Tournament, who cares? Alive matters more than impressive.

Weiss composed herself with visible effort. "Well… if you're offering it freely… it would be nice to have such an ability…" She made a face, as if gratitude physically hurt. "Thank you."

I smiled, softer. "You're welcome, Your Highness."

"Ugh… can you stop calling me that?"

"Would you prefer Your Worship?"

Yang barked a laugh. Weiss looked ready to bury me in the rubble I'd just created. Pyrrha hid a smile behind her hand. Blake was still watching like she expected the lecture to turn into another confession.

I clapped my hands before the class could collapse into chaos again.

"All right. Theory's over. You're going to learn the charge and punch, and we'll take it slow from there for anything else. If anyone tries the full dump on day one and tears something, my mother will appear out of thin air and kill me."

I went over the technique again and again until the field smelled like dust, sweat, and overworked Aura. It was a bit like ozone.

Ren got it first. Of course he did. His Aura rose and settled like it had been waiting for permission, every line of it clean.

"That's amazing, Ren!"

"Mm. Thank you."

Nora bounced on her heels. "Renny was the best student at the Pathist monastery we were at! The monks trained him and he was super good at everything!"

Ruby's eyes went huge. "Wow… like in those kung fu movies?"

"Yes…" Ren said.

"Yeah! He was good enough they were thinking of making him the new master!"

I blinked. "At your age?"

Weiss actually looked impressed. "That's incredible, Ren! To be offered that level at your age!"

Yang cocked her head. "So why aren't you off becoming a master?"

Ren's gaze flicked, just once, to Nora. "…I have my reasons."

Nora chose that moment to charge her Aura like she was trying to power a small city. It flared too bright, too fast—then she yelped and went down in a heap. Ren was beside her before the dust settled.

"GAH! Wha—?!"

"You gotta be careful, Nora!" I said. "Overcharge it too much and you can overload your nervous system."

She pouted up from the grass. "I do it all the time with Lightning Dust!"

"Yeah, but that's your Semblance."

Ren helped her sit. "It does mean you should be able to master it quickly. Here."

He talked her through it, quiet and exact. Nora went still in a way she almost never did, eyes locked on him like the rest of the field had stopped existing. The rest of us exchanged looks.

Yeah. It was pretty obvious why Ren didn't go on to become a Master.

Yang mastered the technique almost as fast. She banked the charge, grinned, and punched the nearest boulder hard enough to take the top half off in one clean smash.

I grinned back. "Very good, Yang!"

"Heh. Thanks, Professor Stud!"

Ruby groaned. "Ugh, with her Semblance it's super easy!"

Yang tossed her hair. "Well, that's why I'm amazing."

"Definitely," I agreed, "Mind helping Ruby and Weiss with it?"

She smirked. "Not at all!"

"I am doing just fine, thank you—!" Weiss's Aura sputtered and died with a sound like a wet fuse. "UGH!"

"Easy. Don't force it!"

Blake drifted closer. "Jaune, I'm having trouble."

Pyrrha followed, too quickly. "Um… I'm having trouble too, Jaune. Sorry."

I looked at both of them.

Neither of you is actually stuck.

"I'll help Pyrrha first, Blake. Work with Yang for now. She's your partner."

Blake's ears flicked. "…Of course."

What was that about?

I took Pyrrha toward the wreck of my original boulder. Yang watched us go. I smiled at her, small and steady.

After a second she nodded and turned back to Blake and Ruby.

"Okay…" I said. "Surge the Aura up… that's right… now anyone can hit like a truck, but can you focus the force of the blow into a small point?"

Pyrrha set her feet, breathed, and punched.

The next-largest boulder didn't explode. It accepted a hole the width of a coin and the depth of a bad decision. Stone dust drifted out of it like smoke.

I grinned despite myself.

Let's see you shrug that off, Cinder.

"Okay. Awesome!"

Pyrrha smiled, shy around the pride. "Thank you…"

"I'm just glad I can pay you back. You've helped me so much."

"Oh… your parents sent you techniques—"

"Yeah, but those came with conditions. You? You helped me freely. You unlocked my Aura. You're helping to make my dream come true… thank you, Pyr."

Color climbed her face. "…You're welcome…"

I let the quiet sit. "So… if you want to say anything to me… anything at all… go ahead. I won't judge you for any of it."

"I… well…"

I waited.

She flushed harder. "I… um…"

I waited some more.

"I… just really appreciate… your praise. Sorry."

"I mean… you should be used to it—"

"I am! I mean, sorry… I mean… from you it just sounds… different."

I nodded. "Well… you deserve it."

Say the rest, Pyr. I know it's there. I shipped it in another world and I still won't steal it from Yang. But I will not let you sacrifice yourself.

A small explosion cracked behind us.

"WEISS BLEW US ALL UP!" Nora bellowed.

"I DID NOT!"

Pyrrha startled like she'd been caught stealing. "Oh… sorry… we should go take care of that!" She bustled off toward the smoke, grateful for the exit.

I sighed at the rubble.

Okay. So I wasn't the best teacher at everything. Getting a confession out of Pyrrha Nikos was going to take more than one compliment and a punctured boulder.

I still wasn't going to let her die.

Yang had my heart. We were dating. That was the line.

Pyrrha had saved me and cared for me. That was the other line.

I could keep both. I had to.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Lol dudes got it bad.

 

[Despacitoleo]

Yeeeah baby actual romancital development

 

[jgalue]

You know, maybe one of the reasons Ozpin belive in what Jaune is saying is because how he is beheving, he is beheving like the typical oracle, a person while capable of seeing the future and is kinda not all there in the present, Jaune forgetting his uncle, be confused on some points and having the not important details wrong or inacurate is making him look like a oracle, from Ozpin point of view his information at first hand look either fake or manufactured by Salem, but the more he is talking the information look more credible, because of how he is acting in ways that if faked them that make him the best actor and liar in Remmant history and nevermind the fact Jaune come from a historiec family he has many dealing with the past and his parents were former students of his.

 

[AJ_Talon]

I stepped into a certain bookstore, dressed in a motorcycle helmet with a dark visor and a voice synthesizer. Even then, I could smell the place through the air filters. I loved bookstores, and this one smelled familiar and comfortable.

Leather. Paper. The quiet of a place that was tucked away, an escape from the world. Tukson looked up from the counter with a particular stillness, like he wasn't surprised.

"Tukson, I presume?" I asked.

He stared back intently.

"Who's asking?"

"I'm the man who is about to save your life."

His ears flattened. "…Adam knows, doesn't he?"

He was sharp. I slowly nodded.

"He does… but my employer is willing to offer you protection and safe passage to Menagerie."

Tukson let out a humorless breath. "I'm even more dead there than I am here. Ghira might be in charge on paper, but the Fang controls who gets on and off alive."

"Then we'll keep you safe and hidden in exchange for information. He knows places you can go. But you can't stay here."

He looked around the shop like he was already saying goodbye. "Yeah. I figured as much. Gonna need to close up shop."

"There's a car out back. Grab anything you can't live without and go."

"Beats getting killed by that pyromaniac."

He moved fast for a man who'd spent years among books. He picked up a bag, shoved money and a few knick knacks and random things in the office. Then he was gone out the back, and the car pulled away before anyone could notice. I followed, and headed in the exact opposite direction down the alley, past trashcans and stray cats.

I cut through to a second car, slid in, and pulled the helmet off. The city air hit my face. I let myself sigh only then as we pulled away. I looked at the back of the head of the driver.

"Will he be okay?"

Professor Oobleck, of all people, chuckled like this was a field trip. "As long as he doesn't try to murder anyone, yes."

"I don't think he will… he was more a numbers guy." I rubbed my eyes. "Thanks for this, Professor."

I didn't have to do this myself. Ozpin has people. Qrow has people. I could have written a note and gone back to breakfast. But I remembered a bookstore and a body and Blake walking into the aftermath like the world was just like that. Not this time.

And… I wanted to make sure I was really doing something. Ozpin had agreed, and sent me with a familiar face.

Oobleck's smile was thin and genuine in the rearview mirror. "Thank you for speaking up, Mister Arc."

"Yeah… well… when you get visions of the future and past and… whatever, you gotta do something about it."

Oobleck nodded.

"Courage involves more than swinging a sword. Trust me… I know." He adjusted his glasses, already vibrating toward the next problem. "Now, we have a trap to set!"

"Yeah… I just…"

The words stuck. Saving one bookseller didn't fix everything else. It didn't keep Beacon standing by itself. It was one man who got to keep his life because I opened my mouth.

It felt good, but against all that I had to handle… We had to handle.

Oobleck's voice gentled. "If it helps… you've given us hope. Something we haven't had in a very, very long time."

I watched the street slide past and didn't know what to do with that.

Fine. Change this one. Let Emerald and Mercury find an empty shop. Let Adam swing at air. One less corpse in Blake's story. One less thing I have to worry about.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Hope."

---

Blake started acting weirder after the dock incident. Even for her. It really ramped up after the night I told Tukson to skip town, enough that I even I could notice.

I'd catch a flicker of movement on a rooftop, a shadow in a window, the sense of being catalogued like a specimen. Most of the time I never saw her do it. Ren did. He mentioned it once over tea, calm as weather, and that was enough.

So I sought her out, and found her in the Star Maiden Garden.

Yes. That was a real place here. One of the little names I'd made up years ago for corners of Beacon that barely existed in the show, and now I was standing in it: white stone paths, pale blossoms, a fountain with a hooded girl carved in marble like she was waiting for a story to start. Comforting, in a way. Also a whole other argument about fate and free will that I was not going to have with myself.

At least not in public.

Blake was on a bench with a notebook. She closed it when she saw me, which was as good as a confession.

"You've been taking notes," I said.

She stared back intensely.

"I'm trying to figure you out."

Well… At least she didn't deny it.

I sat on the opposite end of the bench, leaving her space. "That's flattering. Also a little creepy."

"You started as a goof." Her eyes stayed on the fountain, not me. "Someone I didn't really pay attention to. Then you figured out who I was. And while you're still fairly weak, and still bad at combat, you know how to fight. And how to plan."

I knew this might happen. The version of me she first met was supposed to stay simple. Harmless. Easy to dismiss. I'd already failed that.

"Everyone has hidden sides of themselves," I said. "I wasn't allowed to train to be a Huntsman physically. That didn't mean I couldn't train my mind. And when Radian got attacked by Grimm, I was still expected to help out."

Blake studied me intensely, like I was a puzzle she hadn't solved.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," I quipped.

Her ears flicked under her bow. "That's racist."

"Don't care."

Her eyes went wide.

"Yeah," I said. "Now what?"

"Y-You…!"

"Blake, I literally had a Faunus girlfriend growing up. And her big brother was a great friend. I have Faunus ancestors. You really gonna play this game? Because that's not how you change society for the better. That's how you shame people for not being part of a cult."

Silence. After a moment she bowed her head, the fight going out of her shoulders in a way that made me feel like a heel even when I wasn't wrong.

"…Blake."

I reached over and pulled her into a hug before she could slip away. She tensed immediately.

"Let go—"

"Just listen, okay? Your life fell apart and you're trying to rebuild. I get it. That's not easy, and I'm proud of you… but part of that is running into people with different viewpoints. You need to talk to other people. Befriend them. Get to know them. And you need to reconnect with your parents."

She was still against my chest for a second. Then a quiet sniffle. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

"No… just what you need to do. It'll be painful and hard… but if you want to make up for everything you've done, you need to do it. And I'm willing to help you… but you need to take important steps yourself, okay?"

The garden stayed quiet except for the fountain. Blake didn't answer right away. She didn't run, either. For her, that counted as progress.

Blake didn't leave. She stayed by the fountain with the notebook still hugged to her chest, watching me like I might split my face and reveal I was an alien.

Or at least that's how I think she looked. Nuance.

"How do you know so much about me?" she asked at last. "Some fanboy from when I was at home is one thing… but guessing so much of how I felt?"

The truth was ugly and unusable. I'd extrapolated from the version of her I'd watched grow from a cautious runaway into something flatter and louder, a character increasingly written as if she were always right and everyone else was scenery. That wasn't a conversation I could have.

So I gave her what I could.

"I didn't… but when your mom owns a hospital, you tend to meet a lot of people who are broken. Lost. I just made some educated guesses."

Blake's mouth tightened. "You act like you know me already…"

I shrugged.

"Heh… maybe we met in another life."

"Hmph. That's a terrible clichéd line."

Said the secret ninja princess with four people orbiting her and a narrative that later decided she was incapable of being wrong. I didn't say that either.

"You're right," I said. "I guess you just reminded me a lot of people who get into something awful and get out of it. A lot of them sink back into bad habits. You're trying not to… but you need to make real, firm steps to change, Blake."

She was quiet long enough that I thought she might walk. Then, softer:

"…Why do you want to help me?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

And because in another version of this world, her choices helped destroy Atlas. Because a conversation with the wrong person at the wrong time, a refusal to work with the reasonable authority figure twisted into a villain, a city falling, and millions of people gone. If helping a basket-case catgirl with her family issues saved that many lives, I was going to help. Heroism, self-interest, guilt—call it whatever.

The work was the same.

"Plus… I want to be a hero. What kind of hero would abandon a fair princess in need?"

Blake stared at me. Then a small, unwilling giggle slipped out. "I thought you were dating Yang? Why are you flirting with me?"

I blinked. "Huh? No… geez. Not everything is romantic, Blake. Get your head out of your smut books."

Her cheeks went pink. The notebook lowered an inch. For a second she looked less like a revolutionary and more like a normal girl.

Good.

"Also? Yang and Ruby are worried about you. Even Weiss is. She'll never admit it, but she is."

Blake's ears lowered. "Weiss… it's complicated—"

"Yeah. I know. So uncomplicate it. Call your parents."

She hesitated. "I… I don't know if I can—"

"Blake… they aren't going to hate you."

"…That's worse."

There it is. Not fear of punishment. Fear of being loved anyway. Of having to stand in front of people who still think of her as their daughter instead of the story she's been telling herself.

"Right now they have no idea where their little girl is. If she's alive or dead. All they know is that last they heard, she was a terrorist under some very bad people who might do bad things to her."

"They… they weren't at the start—"

"Really? Because if I was a revolutionary and a thirteen-year-old girl—the daughter of my leader—came to join our terrorist group, I would send her home."

"It wasn't like that! I could fight—!"

"And they made you. A what, thirteen-year-old girl?"

God. Thirteen. I keep saying it because Jesus....

"I… they said I was brave—"

"They said what they needed to, Blake. Why do you think they kept you? Why do you think they used you? What do you think they told your parents? You were their hostage. Their means of keeping your parents from stopping them."

I hate this part. I hate being the one who says it. But someone had to tell her.

"N-No! No, it—it can't be—!"

"Did they ever even suggest talking to your parents? Once?"

"I—I don't—they said they took care of it but I never did and they told me… not to…!"

She was crying by then. Ugly, breaking-open crying.

I sighed and pulled her in again. She resisted, tried to slip, tried to throw a clone and vanish the way I knew she would. I pushed a brief strength boost through my arms and held on—not enough to hurt her, just enough that she couldn't outrun this conversation.

Sorry. I know. Running is your whole deal. But if I let you leave now, you'll file this under "personal attack" and never look at it again.

She kept crying. I stroked behind her ears without thinking about it, the same way that used to settle the cats back home. The same way it had settled Katy, once.

Don't make this weird. It's comfort. That's all. You're not her therapist, her handler, or her next bad idea. You're just the idiot who opened the door and now has to stand in it.

Blake sniffled against my shirt. "…I'm… I'm the worst… I'm horrible… I didn't see—"

"Blake, Blake. Look. That part? That's not your fault, okay? That was all them. Not you. You did bad things… but they put you in that situation. And you got out."

Hold the line. Responsibility without crushing her. If she decides she is only a monster, she will either flee or go looking for someone to tell her she was right all along. Neither of those ends well.

She rubbed snot and tears into my shirt and tie and kept going. I held her and let her. There wasn't a clever line for this. There was just staying put.

Yang came around the corner and stopped dead. I signed wait with one hand. She did, jaw tight, eyes flicking from Blake's shaking shoulders to my ruined collar.

Please don't take this the wrong way. Please see what this is.

Blake looked up at last, sniffling. "…I'm sorry…"

"…We'll call it even if you just call your parents, okay? Whatever you go through with them, I promise, it's not as bad as them not knowing if you're alive or dead. Believe me—if they know you're alive, that you're well? They will be happiest over that. You will make up for so much of what you've done just by doing that. Okay?"

One concrete action. Not a personality transplant. Not a thesis. A Scroll call. If she can do that, she can do the next thing. If she can't, I at least tried my best.

She was quiet for a long second. Then, shakily: "O… okay…"

She hugged me. I hugged her back, awkward around the notebook and the mess. Then she sniffled once more and vanished into the shadows .

I sighed in relief and sat back.

Yang walked up, frowning. "What was that?"

"Me trying to convince her to call her parents…" I looked down at the wreck of my shirt and tie. "Maybe I shouldn't meddle…"

Maybe I should have left it. Maybe every time I push the timeline I create a new crack I can't see yet. Every change I make might cause unpredictable outcomes in the timeline. But leaving her like that felt like watching someone walk back into a burning house because they can't deal with the real world.

"No! No…" Yang shook her head. "Look. I tried to get her to stop freaking out and running herself ragged. I didn't make her cry."

"Well yeah, you're better at this than me—"

"I mean you actually got her to agree to something. You got her to break loose. To… to be honest, ya know?" She smiled, small and real. "So… thanks."

I sighed. "Don't thank me yet. I don't know what she's gonna do next. I just… I wanted to help you and Ruby and Weiss out. And her too."

And Vale. And Atlas. And every nameless person who never got to be a main character.

Yang bumped my shoulder with hers. "Heh. Sure you're not cut out to be a doctor?"

"Oh hell no. I would lose my mind…"

The garden was quiet again. My shirt was ruined.

We went back to the dorms.

Yang shut the door, pointed at my chest, and said, "Hand over the shirt and tie. I'll clean it."

I blinked. "You don't have to—"

"Just give it."

I complied, because arguing with Yang Xiao-Long about laundry felt like a losing fight I had not trained for. She took the ruined shirt and the tie with brisk, practiced hands, then immediately turned pink.

"I just did it for Dad sometimes," she said, already heading for the sink. "It's no big deal."

Sure. No big deal. That's why your ears are red.

I leaned against the wall while she worked soap into the fabric. Water ran. We talked around it at first—class, Nora, whether Oobleck would ever slow down in class. Then Yang glanced at me over the sink.

"So… when she isn't obsessing over White Fang, she was obsessing over you?"

"Hobbies, huh?"

"Heh… you got under her skin."

"I think we all do."

"Yeah, but… you were direct about it."

I watched the water turn faintly gray. "I just… she made Ruby cry. I have an issue with that."

Yang wrung the shirt out and pulled the ironing board from behind the door like she'd done it a hundred times. "Yeah, but… you take such an interest in her. Cat got your tongue?"

Oh geez. There it is.

"Yang… I just want to help her. And keep her from getting you, Ruby, and Weiss into another firefight with terrorists… and us from getting expelled."

"Yeah… well… she's also really pretty-"

I stepped in and took her hands before that sentence could grow teeth. We'd only had one date. She was seventeen. I had a head full of older wreckage and still managed to miss the obvious: of course she was going to worry.

"And we're dating," I said. "And I like you. Frankly, she's a drama queen, and I really don't want any of that."

Yang flushed hard enough that I felt it in her fingers. She recovered by going back to work—shirt over my shoulders, buttons, the tie knotted with more concentration than the job needed. Her face stayed bright red the whole time.

"Thank you, Yang… I really appreciate you."

"G-Geez… ya gotta say stuff like that?"

"Yes. Because you're cute when I do."

She punched my shoulder and laughed, nervous and warm, and I let her.

She looked really pretty like that.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

And another events disrupted. Can't wait to see the conversation with her parents. That was always hilarious

 

[AJ_Talon]

I tried to stop it.

That should go on my tombstone, honestly. Here lies Jaune Arc. He tried to stop it.

Breakfast had been normal for about twelve seconds. Then Nora made eye contact with Ruby across the cafeteria like two generals agreeing that diplomacy was for cowards, and I knew. I knew.

"Nora. No."

She was already standing on her chair. "NORA YES!"

"This is a terrible idea—"

A dinner roll bounced off my forehead.

After that, peace wasn't an option.

I made one last attempt to talk everybody down, which accomplished exactly nothing except getting mashed potatoes in my hair. More teams piled in. CRDL. CFVY. Half the cafeteria decided this was now a sanctioned sport. If I couldn't prevent the war, I could at least not embarrass JNPR while it happened.

Cardin rose from the wreckage of his tray with a look that said he still thought this was about dominance. I smiled, picked up a pie, and put it square in his face.

Classic.

He bellowed. I felt a brief, unworthy surge of joy.

Then Velvet got me with rice pudding from an angle I should have respected. Cold. Thick. Direct hit to the collar. I spat raisins, pointed at her in grudging salute, and took a handful of mashed potatoes off a nearby tray.

"RUBY!"

She blurred. I missed the first throw, corrected, and still only clipped her cloak as she cackled past. "HA! We're winning!"

"Not yet!"

Yang vaulted a table wearing two roast chickens like gauntlets, grease already shining on her knuckles, grin incandescent. I grabbed the nearest baguette and met her in the aisle.

Bread slammed into poultry with a noise that should not exist in nature.

"Your hands must be really greasy right now, babe."

Yang laughed and threw a hook that smelled like Sunday dinner. "I'm just trying to cook you up something with PUNCH!"

"HA! I love it! But sorry: have to end this right now!"

Ruby streaked by again, triumphant. "HA! Our vegeance will be delicious! We have the advantage!"

What followed was not a food fight so much as a public execution. And it was glorious.

Pyrrha moved through RWBY with sausage links in one hand and a whole turkey in the other, polite apology written on her face and absolute ruin in her footwork. Weiss went down behind a barricade of cereal boxes. Blake vanished, reappeared, and still caught a drumstick across the shoulder. Ruby tried to Semblance out and got clothes-lined by a gravy boat she never saw coming. Yang lasted longest, because of course she did, until Pyrrha used the turkey like a flanged mace and sat her neatly in a bowl of coleslaw.

That was when Neptune Vasailas, Sun Wukong and Penny Polendina walked in. Sun had been hanging out around campus here and there, always out to talk to Blake. Which I appreciated-It made it so she didn't follow me around.

Penny was a riot. She was a lot of fun, honestly, sweet. Easily best girl in any timeline. But Ruby tended to hog her attention, and I didn't want to get the middle of her friendship.

Neptune was new. I only had the show and the crummy light novels for him.

They stopped in the doorway. Took in the battlefield. Took in Pyrrha standing over the remains of Team RWBY with sausage links still swinging and a turkey raised like a trophy. Sun's jaw dropped. Neptune fixed his hair with a little smirk, which was the bravest thing anyone did in that moment. Penny grinned.

"Bro," Sun said faintly.

"I know," Neptune whispered.

"I am food combat ready!" Penny shouted excitedly.

Then Glynda Goodwitch arrived, and the temperature in the room dropped about forty degrees.

Purple glyphs bloomed across the cafeteria. Every airborne pastry froze. Every combatant left the floor at once and hit it again in a single, humiliating slam. I landed in something I refused to identify.

Glynda's voice could have ground diamonds to powder.

"Children! Do not play with your food!"

Silence. Dripping gravy. The faint smell of defeat.

I stared at the ceiling and thought, not for the first time, that saving the world would be easier if I could get these people through breakfast first.

---

I was brooding in the common room again. The door was open, and through it I could see a steady stream of exchange students wandering the halls.

That was most of the reason for the brooding.

A few hours earlier, in Ozpin's office, the conversation had gone about the way I expected... But I was still unhappy.

"You do realize what I mean by 'Lionheart's a traitor,' right?" I'd pressed.

Ozpin hadn't even blinked. "Yes, Mister Arc, I am not deaf. However, we cannot simply arrest people based upon nothing more than visions of the future."

"You do extra-legal stuff all the time! How is grabbing them and taking them into custody for something else not an option?!"

"Because things can quickly get out of control, and I do not want to tip our hand to Salem too soon. If she knows her operatives are compromised, that loses us valuable intel. While we are in a position to feed them false information until we can either turn them, or eliminate them at a time of our choosing."

I'd scowled at him. "…I hate that you're so reasonable."

He'd smirked. "I have been told that many times. In any event… didn't you say that several operatives of the enemy switched sides to aid us in your visions of the future?"

"Well… yeah. But there's no guarantee we can repeat that!"

"Did you not say that if Miss Fall had just had one person in her life who wasn't 'hilariously over-the-top evil,' she might have turned out for the better?"

I'd sulked.

"…Yes."

"In that case, you are to make contact with her and try to guide her into thinking what we want her to think. You're already so adept at deception I do not think it will be a serious challenge for you. Besides… if you do it while she's at Beacon, she's in our power and the risk to you or anyone else is minimal."

I'd sighed.

"…All right. I'll give it my best shot."

"That is all I ask. Also, one other thing?"

"You're asking a lot of favors of your only oracle, you know."

"An oracle who wishes to prevent the terrible future, correct?"

"…Yes, sir."

"I want you to help me with your parents and godparents. While in their youth they were too… destructive to recruit, I believe that if things get as bad as you say, it would be good to have some of the most powerful Hunters and Huntresses around united and organized on our side."

"That'll be a tall order. Mom never trusted you because of how Nana saw you, and Dad goes along with her. And Uncle Arjun—"

"I believe evidence of Lionheart's treachery will suffice to get him on our side. Not that I'll have you relate that to him."

"…I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

---

Back in the present, Pyrrha sat down beside me as I absently strummed my guitar.

"Hello, Jaune."

"Oh, hey Pyr. You okay?"

She smiled. "Just fine. Are you okay? You seem to be waiting for something… or someone. Are… are you meeting with Yang?"

"Not today. I've got a—"

Cinder Fall walked down the hallway looking like she was lost. Emerald and Mercury flanked her.

Crap. It's go time… and Pyrrha's right here.

I set the guitar aside. "…Pyr? I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything, Jaune."

I winced. "You seriously need to stop answering like that. Just… do you trust me?"

"With my life."

I winced harder. "We'll… work on that too. Just follow my lead and go along with whatever I say or do for now. I promise I'll explain… and apologize."

She looked confused, but she nodded. "Sure."

"All right. Come with me."

Here we go.

I stood and walked over to Cinder with Pyrrha a step behind. I put on my friendliest smile.

"Hey! You appear to be lost."

Cinder's answering smile was polite and empty. "Yes, we are. Could you direct us to dormitory A7?"

"Would love to, but there's a much better view in dormitory A12." I winked. "You can see the whole campus from there."

One elegant eyebrow rose. She was clearly humoring me. "I'm sure there is, but we're assigned to A7 and our luggage—"

"It'll be fine…" I leaned in close and whispered in her ear, just loud enough for her alone. "Hail Salem."

Cinder's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. Emerald and Mercury exchanged a quick, wary glance. Cinder recovered almost instantly and smiled again—warmer this time, with a thin edge of menace underneath.

"I see… Why don't you show us to A12? I'll take you up on your offer after all."

"Sounds great to me."

We filed into the empty dorm room, me and Pyrrha first. Cinder shut the door behind us. Emerald and Mercury immediately flanked her, ready for a fight.

Cinder's voice went cold. "All right. Talk. Who are you and why are you here?"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "That's my question. I can't believe… of course." I pulled a small fidget widget from my pocket and clicked it once. Pyrrha, without being asked, quietly amped up the magnetic field around the room until it hummed. "Okay. I checked this place for bugs before, but it never hurts to be careful. I'm Jaune Arc. I'm Salem's source inside Beacon."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. Emerald scoffed. Mercury smirked.

"Seriously?" Mercury drawled.

I looked him up and down. "Your prosthetic legs need some work, dude. Your father was truly the biggest asshole imaginable if he thought those were decent replacements."

Mercury's jaw dropped.

I turned to Emerald. "Vacuo. The market street. You figured out your Semblance there."

Her eyes went wide.

Then I locked onto Cinder. "Cinder Fall of the Glass Unicorn. Half the Maiden powers are in your possession, and you're here for the other half and the Relic."

Cinder sucked in a sharp breath. Her gaze flicked to Pyrrha, then back to me. I shook my head.

"Relax. She's with us."

Cinder's voice was carefully controlled. "If you know all this, then… why are you here? Why didn't she tell me about you?"

"She didn't tell me about you either! I didn't know we were supposed to be here at the same time!" I groaned. "Great. Maybe the old crone is going senile after thousands of years."

"…What was your goal then?"

I shrugged. "I was sent here to gather intel and get the Maiden candidates wrapped around my finger."

I reached out and cupped Pyrrha's cheek. She leaned into the touch immediately.

"As you can see… I've got one under my spell… Don't I, Pyrrha dear?"

Pyrrha flushed bright red and smiled up at me with pure, open devotion. She nuzzled my hand.

"Mmmm… Master~…"

"Sit."

She dropped to the floor without hesitation, sitting like a well-trained dog.

"Roll over."

She rolled onto her back.

"Sit up and beg."

She rose onto her knees, hands raised, panting softly.

"Master~!"

I patted her head. "Such a good girl."

Pyrrha beamed.

Cinder was staring. Mercury looked impressed and a little flushed. Emerald's expression was harder to read—somewhere between shock and something almost hungry.

"How—?" Cinder started.

"Just some old-fashioned psychology. Helps that my mom's a doctor. It turns out she was the ideal Maiden candidate for Ozpin: incredibly powerful, well trained… and with barely a will of her own. She latched onto me the moment I showed her some true kindness and love. The rest was easy." I kept rubbing Pyrrha's hair affectionately. "But she's not the only candidate. Ruby Rose—the girl with the Silver Eyes—and her team are others. I'm working on her and her sister too."

Mercury whistled low. "Woah… so she's totally into you?"

"Pyrrha? Tell them how you really feel about me."

She answered without missing a beat, voice bright and sincere. "I love Master. I feel safe and loved with him. I'll die for him, and kill for him. He only needs to ask~."

Okay, that sounded worryingly intense… but it looks like they're buying it.

Mercury grinned. "Man… slick."

Cinder's smile was slow and considering. "It is impressive… to see the mighty Pyrrha Nikos so humbled." She looked at me with new interest. "Why this thorough?"

I shrugged. "Imagine Ozpin's face when his pet Maiden candidates all turn against him."

"Yes… but I want the full Maiden powers. Where is she? And where is the Relic?"

I sighed. "That's trickier. Ozpin's tower is the obvious location. Getting access is difficult, but doable—he's got a special relationship with these Maiden candidates, after all. You just need to keep raising hell and keep him distracted. As for the Relic…" I shook my head. "I don't think it's here anymore."

"What?!"

I pulled a small set of photos from my pocket and handed them over. They showed Ozpin, Glynda, and Qrow moving a crate out of the tower at night onto a waiting Bullhead—exactly the right size for a Relic.

"Now, I don't know one hundred percent that they removed it," I said, "but they went to a lot of trouble to move this thing in a clandestine manner."

Cinder's brow furrowed. "But—how did they open the Vault?"

"Magic, I'm guessing. I'm working on getting more intel." When her scowl deepened I held up both hands. "I know, I know. But this can't be rushed. Ozpin's already trying to use me to get my parents and godparents to work for him. I'm under a lot of scrutiny. He's not dumb."

Emerald spoke up for the first time. "Maybe we can take the heat off you. You've done more than enough—"

"Not how it works, Sweetheart. I got this far without raising any suspicion. It'll take too long to get you up to speed. Like it or not, we have to work together on this."

A long silence stretched. Finally Cinder exhaled.

"Very well. This isn't the first time she hasn't told me her full plans."

"Heh. I bet that's a feature, not a bug."

"Indeed. Do you have intel on the CCT systems at least?"

"What for? You gonna get in there and do something nasty?"

"Something like that."

"Give me a week or two and I'll make it so you can just walk right in. Deal?"

"…Deal." She extended her hand. "I did not expect the last of the Arc family to work for our mistress."

I paused, then took it. "It's a long story."

Cinder's smile turned sharper. "Perhaps you can tell me it sometime… over dinner?"

"I'll have to convince my girlfriend, but… doable."

One eyebrow rose. "You are ambitious?"

I smirked and shrugged. "It's in my blood."

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury left. Pyrrha and I followed a minute later. I guided her out of the dorms and off the main grounds, putting some distance between us and possible ears.

"Okay," I said quietly. "I don't know for sure if they have someone tailing us, but—"

"I can't sense anyone around with my Semblance," Pyrrha said. "No one in earshot, anyway."

"Oh. Cool. You can do that?"

She nodded. "I can."

I took a deep breath. "Pyrrha… I am very sorry I had to humiliate you like that. Thank you so much for going along. This is really big. These guys… they're big trouble. All the recent bad shit going down? They're behind it, and they're aiming for something even worse. I… I wish I could tell you everything, but—"

She smiled, soft and steady. "You asked if I trusted you, Jaune. I answered. That answer hasn't changed. I know you'd only go to such lengths to protect people."

"Oh… that's good."

"And uh…" Her face went bright red. "Um… well… strangely… all my life I've… resented others being in control. But with you? I… I'm all right with it. Because… I know I can trust you completely… I—I think I—I might—"

"Woah woah woah!" I waved both hands. "Look. Pyrrha, I… I care deeply about you too. But I'm not some jerk making a harem. I love Yang too. If… if we break up, give me two weeks to recover and then we'll try dating. But please… I don't want you to trade one master for another!"

She blushed harder. "I… I see… Though, um… if… we could all be in a relationship… even if I was just the side piece… wouldn't that help your mission?"

I stared at her for a long second. "…No offense, Pyrrha, but I kind of want to beat the shit out of your parents."

She beamed. "Really?!"

"Yes." I sighed. "We'll… work on that later. For now, though? Let's just keep this quiet, okay?"

She giggled. "As my Master wishes~."

I groaned. "Please tell me you're just messing with me?"

Pyrrha's smile was pure mischief. "That's my secret."

"…I've created a monster."

 

[UndeterminedError]

Pyrrha's smile was pure mischief. "That's my secret."

Click to shrink...

Yer not foolin' anyone there, girlie.

 

[digcat]

Ozpin "Mr Arc i need you to fuck the evil out of Cinder Fall."

 

[St3f]

Amazing chapter, just amazing chapter. This made my day.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! And it will be delicious!

Also poor Jaune Pyrrha took that Inch and fuggin vanished with it

 

[Despacitoleo]

Ozpin "Mr Arc i need you to fuck the evil out of Cinder Fall."

Click to shrink...

cant be evil barefooted and pregnant

 

[digcat]

Jaune "What is a night horse... it's a nightmare."
Yang "Hahaha"
Ruby "It's spreading."
Weiss "We need to put them down for the good of everyone."

 

[AJ_Talon]

Yang came jogging out of the dorms the second she spotted us walking up.

"Jaune! Pyrrha."

I smiled. "Hey, Yang!"

Pyrrha offered a polite little smile of her own. "Hello, Yang."

Yang slowed to a stop in front of us, glancing between the two of us with an easy grin that didn't reach her eyes. "So… those exchange students, huh? Pretty crazy bunch of bananas—and I don't just mean Sun."

I laughed. "Ha! I get it!"

"Heh…" Her gaze flicked between me and Pyrrha again. "So… doing some training?"

"Maybe later. We were just out on a walk."

"Yes!" Pyrrha added quickly. "Since we're partners and all."

"…I see."

Yang's smile went a little scary around the edges. She stepped in, took my hand like it belonged to her, and laced our fingers together.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not!" I said, smiling like an idiot.

"Good. Oh, here."

She pulled me into a kiss right there in the open courtyard. I made a surprised noise against her mouth that turned into something softer pretty fast.

"Mwah…" Yang broke the kiss deliberately slowly, eyes locked on Pyrrha the entire time. "Good luck kiss before we start on our walk. Wouldn't want anything to happen, now would we?"

"N-No, of course not…"

Okay… so she might be a little jealous. Just a little.

Pyrrha was still smiling, but the look in her eyes could have cut steel.

And so is Pyrrha. Great. Could things possibly get worse?

…Why did I think that?

---

Time in the show was practically meaningless. Everything was so compressed. Turns out the Vytal Festival was next year, at the start of our second year. Well, my second year. So I did have a fair amount of time to play with. And, well... I was going to use every bit of it.

For now though, I wasn't sure when our next little jaunt to confront the White Fang and Roman would be... So I got to work on a few other things. Schoolwork mostly, and training. Ozpin's missions. But also... Well... Some stuff I needed to do.

I don't know if it was something I should have done given the timeline but... It felt like stuff I needed to do.

I went to Team SSSN's dorm after they had settled in. Weiss and Neptune had been talking happily, and well... I wanted to handle things early.

I knocked. Sun opened the door with that easy grin.

"Yo! Arc! Come in, come in."

Scarlet was at the table with homework spread like a crime scene and lifted two fingers in greeting. Sage sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes half-lidded, and nodded once as if I had been expected.

Okay. That's the dynamic I wrote when the show gave them nothing. Sun is abridged Goku: sunshine, punch first, think maybe. Neptune is abridged Yamcha: hair, confidence, structural weakness. Scarlet is Tien if Tien had better taste and worse patience. Sage is Piccolo if Piccolo was a bit less angry.

Weirdly, the room actually felt like that.

"Listen, Neptune… about Weiss—"

Neptune looked up from his Scroll like I had arrived to concede a contest. "Hey, listen Arc, she's crazy about me. If your ego is hurt, sorry. Finder's keepers~!"

Okay. So he was douchier than I thought.

I smiled. All teeth. All warmth.

"Oh no. I have zero interest in her romantically. Yang's my girlfriend, after all."

Neptune stared. "I… seriously?! How?!"

Sage, deadpan: "It's almost like he has game."

Scarlet did not look up. "A foreign concept, to be sure."

Sun barked a laugh. "Haha!"

"Shut up!" Neptune snapped, then tried to recover. "Anyway… what's your point?"

I kept smiling.

"You had better take good care of her and not abuse her trust, okay?"

He blinked. "I… okay… why are you telling me that?"

"I'm just saying, if you do anything to take advantage of Weiss' trust and break her heart? Very bad things will happen to you."

Silence. Neptune laughed the way people laugh when they hope the room will turn it into a joke for them.

"Uh… come on, man, I—what's with that threat?"

I leaned in. Still smiling.

"I know your type, Neptune Vasilias. This girl isn't some floozy. She's my friend. So if you try anything, know this: I don't make threats. I make promises. And I promise to make you regret the rest of your very short life if you dare to break her heart and abuse her trust. Are we clear?"

Neptune swallowed. After a second, he nodded.

I cupped a hand to my ear and leaned a little closer. He grimaced.

"…Crystal."

"Good!"

That should derail the Dance nonsense. No more 'Weiss learns her crush is a coward' played for cheap heat while nobody develops the boy. If he's going to date her, he can do it like a man.

I turned to Sun. "Sun? Ask out Blake."

Sun's grin went brighter. "Planning on it."

"Good." I looked at Sage and Scarlet. "Nice to meet you guys. Stay classy."

Scarlet finally glanced up. "We will. Please, come by to threaten Neptune any time."

Sage opened one eye. "Or for tea."

"Great… nice to meet you all, really. Let's talk at breakfast. My team would love to meet you."

I headed out.

In the hall, the smile dropped off my face like a broken mask.

The ironic thing was, according to Monty's notes, all four of them had been designed as love interests for RWBY. Sun for Blake, obvious. Neptune for Weiss. Sage maybe for Yang as a contrast? Scarlet for Ruby, or the assignments swapped around. Then Monty died, Scarlet got flattened into a token gay with no character beyond the label, Sun got dropped so they could force the ship that destroyed the show, and the other two were left to gather dust.

I don't know how this world is going to run that play.

I do know I'm not going to let SSSN die as a footnote if I can help it. Threaten Neptune. Point Sun at Blake. Manly nods with Sage. Let Scarlet be a person. Small moves. Live boys. Better odds for all of us.

---

At some point during study hours, Weiss stormed into the library like a tiny white hurricane, grabbed me by the collar, and started dragging me out without a word of explanation.

"Ack! Hey, wait a minute—!"

"Shut up!"

She hauled me into an empty classroom, slammed the door, and shoved me against the wall hard enough that my Aura flickered in mild protest.

"Uh… Weiss? What's up—?"

"Neptune says you threatened him!"

I blinked. "Eh?"

"Yes! Right to his face!"

"Huh? Wait, no! I didn't threaten him! I mean, not overtly—"

"What did you say?!"

"He didn't tell you?"

Weiss glared. "Well… no! What was it?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I just told him to take good care of you and not abuse your trust, okay? And then I… might have implied bad things would happen if he did abuse your trust. That's all!"

Weiss's eyes went wide. "Wha—why?! You don't even like me!"

I stared at her. "Wha—of course I like you, Weiss!"

"Oh please! You made such a big deal out of me leaving you pinned to a tree—"

"Yes, I did."

"You keep insulting me and calling me crude things—!"

"All true things—!"

"And—and what, you don't want me to be happy—?!"

"WEISS! Seriously, shut up for a second, huh?!"

I put a hand over her mouth before she could keep going. She glared daggers at me in pure shock and fury. I immediately pulled my hand back and held both up in surrender.

"Weiss. I do care about you. Sure, I'll be rough from time to time and sure I'll joke with you and be crude on occasion, but I do care. So I just told Neptune that if he abused your trust or took advantage of you, bad things would happen. Because you deserve better than that."

She stared at me, a faint blush creeping up her neck. "…You really think so?"

"Yes. Despite everything, you are a good person on the inside. I just know this isn't easy for you."

She scoffed, looking away. "How could you know—?"

"Your dad's an uncaring sadistic monster who sees you as at best a business asset. Your mother is an alcoholic too consumed with her own issues to do her job. Your older sister left the family and your younger brother is turning into a mini version of your dad. I leave anything out?"

Weiss went completely still. The color drained from her face, then rushed back all at once.

"You… h-how—?"

"My aunt's been following your family drama for a while. She knows things. How she does? No idea. But I asked her about you and… well, I put the dots together. The fact that you're still a good person even after all that is a testament to your will, Weiss. You're a strong, good person and you don't deserve to have some jerk play around with and break your heart. That's all."

Her lower lip trembled. "…You… you really think so…?"

I smiled. "I know so."

She was clearly fighting not to cry. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and held it out. She took it, dabbed at her eyes, then blew her nose with a quiet little honk.

"I, um… thank you… I…" She held the handkerchief back toward me.

"Um… keep it. There are always going to be more tears in the future, but some of them will be joyful."

Oh God, why did I say that? That's so corny!

Weiss sniffled, then gave me a small, genuine smile. "…Thank you."

The classroom door opened.

Yang stood there with that same slightly scary smile from earlier.

"Hey, Weisscream. Heard you dragged Jaune off."

Weiss went rigid. "I uh… it was—"

"She just wanted to yell at me for something," I said, not too quickly. "You know, the usual."

Yang's smile didn't move as she walked over and wrapped both arms around me from the side. "Oh?"

"But we resolved it. Things are cool now, right, Weiss?"

Weiss nodded a little too fast. "Y-yes… very cool."

"Good." Yang's voice was pure sugar over steel. "You had studying to do with Ruby, right?"

"Y-yes! I'll get right to it!" Weiss practically fled the room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

I looked down at Yang. "…You're hot when you're jealous."

She went bright red. "I—I'm not jealous!" Then she kissed me hard enough to make my thoughts short-circuit for a second. "Mmm… and this is just because kissing is fun!"

"It sure is… heh…"

Oh boy.

---

Later I was studying Dust ratios with Nora in the common room.

"So you use a 1-to-45 ratio with this mixture of Dust," Nora explained, bouncing a little in her seat. "Any more and you'll set off the entire batch prematurely!"

"Wow! I didn't know that, Nora!"

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way a few times!" She grinned like that was a fun memory.

Blake appeared at the edge of the table. "Ahem. Jaune? May I speak with you?"

"Huh? Sure. I'll be right back, Nora."

"Sure thing, Fearless Leader!"

Blake led me down a quieter hallway with windows looking out over the campus. She stopped, arms crossed, and stared at the floor for a moment before speaking.

"…I took your advice. I called my parents."

I smiled. "That's great, Blake!"

"I… it wasn't easy, but… they… they want to meet with me."

"Even better!"

She glanced up. "You—you think so?"

"Blake, they love you. They're just people, like you and me. So they make mistakes. But they do truly love you and want you to be happy."

She hesitated. "Could… could you go with me to meet them? I—I mean at first? I don't want to overwhelm them and… and I trust you."

I blinked. "You do?"

"I do."

"Are you sure you don't want Sun there?"

Blake's ears flicked. "Sun's nice, but… well… he's a bit… immature. He's got a boyish charm, but… I think I prefer someone who acts like a man. You're so… so mature for your age. But in a good way. Compared to…"

"…Your last boyfriend?"

She nodded. "Y-yes. I see now that he was… angry. So angry that there was nothing else. You, though… you care. You take charge. You're, well… you grasp the stakes and handle things like—like a man. And I appreciate that."

I sucked in a slow breath. "I mean… I will be there, Blake. As a friend. Because we're friends and I'll support you."

Geez, did I turn her straight or something? What the hell is going on?

Blake smiled, small but real. "That would be appreciated—"

Yang appeared out of nowhere and draped both arms over my shoulders from behind.

"Hey, Kit-Kat. Sup?"

Blake's posture went instantly careful. "I was just asking if Jaune could accompany me when I meet my parents. He did tell me to contact them."

"Just as emotional support, Yang," I added quickly.

Yang's chin rested on my shoulder. "Oh. Any reason why it's not Sun?"

"…Jaune is less… um… flighty."

I snorted. "Sun is a lot more fun though. I'm like a cranky old man in a young man's body according to Blake."

"I didn't say that!"

Yang smirked. "She didn't have to. We all know it. But… sure. As friends."

Blake's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're awfully overprotective of him for not being boyfriend and girlfriend."

Yang's smile went flat. She looked at me sideways.

"…Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"Wanna be my boyfriend?"

I stared at her for half a second. "…Sure?"

"Great! It's official." She turned that same deadly smile on Blake. "Everything clear, Kit-Kat?"

Blake's scowl could have frozen water. "Completely. Thank you again, Jaune."

"No problem."

Blake walked off without another word. The second she was gone, Yang's grip on me loosened a little.

"Yang, uh… before you worry, I'm not gonna cheat on you—"

"I wasn't worried!"

She totally was.

"…But um… good to know, huh?" She smiled, softer this time.

Great. What have I gotten myself into?

Yang tilted her head. "Wanna make out?"

"Okay!"

Stupid hormones…

---

Ruby and I had the kitchen to ourselves for once. Flour dusted the counters, the oven hummed quietly, and the smell of pumpkin and chocolate filled the air. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed this kind of simple, quiet thing until we were already in the middle of it.

Man… I forgot how relaxing this is. Just me and a cute, fun girl baking. Didn't get to do that a lot in my old life, but when I did, it was great.

Ruby poked at the dough with a frown. "What's your thing about pumpkin, anyway?"

"What can I say? I love pumpkin spice throughout the year. Especially with chocolate."

She wrinkled her nose. "Hmph. I don't like these soft cookies. They seem like muffins but cut short."

"What's wrong with muffins?"

"I don't like mixing my desserts!"

"But what about that cookie cake—?"

"It doesn't count! Cookie cakes are just big cookies, not cakes!"

We both laughed. I couldn't help smiling at her.

"It's been a while since we did this. I'm glad."

Ruby's ears went pink. She turned back toward the oven a little too quickly. "Y-Yeah, well, um…" She mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like, "I'm used to it."

I frowned. "Used to what?"

She froze. "Ohhh geez, I said that out loud… Um… don't panic, maybe he can't hear this—"

"Ruby?"

"EEP!"

She tried to shoot away with her Semblance. I caught her around the middle before she could vanish in a swirl of rose petals and pulled her into a hug instead.

"What did you mean, 'I'm used to it'?"

I've never heard Ruby sound so bitter… not until the later seasons. Oh God, did I do something to make her suicidal? Crap, crap, craaaaap!

Ruby looked away, voice small. "I… w-well… I-I mean… you're dating my sister now."

"Yeah… and?"

"Well, uh… ya know…"

"I don't."

She huffed, still not meeting my eyes. "C-Come on! You acted all socially awkward when we met, but now you're like this—this super friend-having… person!"

Oh, that's right. I guess it would come off as kind of weird and scary, me suddenly getting the memories of some guy from another universe…

"And before Beacon…" Ruby's voice got quieter. "People at Signal were friends with me just so they could be friends with Yang. But they didn't want to be friends with me. So, you know, I get it. Why bother with plain old baby-sister Ruby when you can just have—!"

"RUBY!"

She jumped. I immediately felt bad for how loud I'd gotten.

"Ruby… look. I'll admit I've… gone through some changes. When I unlocked my Aura, I… well… things changed. Maybe it's my Semblance, maybe it's something else. I don't know. But if I've been neglecting you—my best friend—I'm sorry. That's my fault."

"I… y-you haven't—"

"And if I am? You should call me on it. Yes, I'm dating Yang. That wasn't even my intention—she asked me out, remember? Or we sort of asked eachother out-Point is! I am happy with her. That doesn't mean I'm going to use the relationship as an excuse to neglect you. You're my bestie. So get that out of your head. I care about you both, and I value you both."

Ruby's face was bright red. She looked up at me, voice barely above a whisper. "You… you said you loved us."

"Yeah. And I meant it. That means all of you. Just… please remember I'm not psychic, okay? I screw up a lot. But I never want you to think you're just a means to an end, Ruby. Ever."

She was still red when she suddenly sniffed the air.

"AH! THE COOKIES!"

We both dove for the oven. Thankfully nothing was burned—just a few crumbs that had gotten too close to the heating element. I let out a breath and smiled at her.

"Phew… no harm done."

Ruby gave a weak little laugh. "We… we really need to have these big emotional talks when we're not baking something."

"Yeah. Yeah, we do."

She smiled shyly. "Still, I mean… thanks."

I smiled back. "You're welcome."

Ruby sighed and leaned against the counter. "Now I just have to deal with all my other psychological baggage."

Geez... Again, the show never did anything with Ruby's character except reset it-In one case literally. But... It made sense, right? That the socially awkward gun nut little sister would be jealous of her big sister. Especially if her first real friend was now dating her... Jeez louis, I'd stepped in it there.

Well... This was my responsibility. I had to handle it.

"It's a journey, not an instant fix. But hey… you're brilliant and amazing at Huntress-ing. I'm doing okay at leadership and other stuff. We'll help each other."

She giggled. "You're… you're like so corny! Like a character out of Blake's non-porn Mistral stuff!"

I sighed theatrically. "Here you people tell me I'm too negative, and now when I'm being positive, you're still not happy. Women, honestly."

"Hee!" Ruby hugged me from behind, arms tight around my waist. "You're stuck with us!"

"Don't I know it."

I patted her head fondly. She blushed harder against my back. She was really super cute. I wanted to stab Salem in the eye for all the pain she'd caused this little gremlin.

After a moment she spoke again, quieter. "So… um… speaking of… sort of… you and Yang."

"Yeah?"

"You uh… you gonna get married or—or something?"

I raised an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it. "Why's everyone in such a rush? We just started dating. Yes, I care for her very much, but until we both decide to go that route? No."

"…Oh. So there's still a chance for a harem ending?"

I closed my eyes. "…I'm going to burn Blake's books."

Ruby laughed. "HA! Shows what you know! I got the idea way before I met her!"

"Well, I'll say this for you, Ruby: your sense of humor has nothing on Yang's."

"HEY!" She huffed and pulled back just enough to glare up at me. "You know, I was going to—to pick you up on the rebound if things didn't work out with you and Yang, but now maybe I won't!"

Geez. Like mother, like daughter…

I smirked. "Please. You said I'm a harem protag. You'll be joining in before you know it."

"HA! In your dreams!"

Or nightmares…

---

The nightclub downtown was loud enough that most people would have had to shout just to order a drink. Somehow I could still hear Yang clearly over the bass and the crowd. One of the small, weird perks of having someone else's memories rattling around in my head, I guessed.

We'd been dancing for a while—actually dancing, not just the awkward side-to-side shuffle most people did—and Yang had been smiling the whole time, but there was something distant behind her eyes. Eventually we both needed a break. I guided her over to a quieter table near the edge of the floor and we sat.

Weird. I'm not deafened. I can actually listen to dialogue in a loud place. Huh.

Yang leaned back in her chair, still a little flushed from the dancing. "Man… didn't know you had good footwork on the dance floor too!"

"Seven sisters," I said. "Endless dancing lessons whenever they needed a partner."

She grinned. "Heh! It shows!"

"You self-taught?"

"I mean, I got some lessons from Sister Lavender at the church."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're a Table Breaker?"

Yang shrugged, looking a little self-conscious. "I mean… sort of? Mom… Summer… was devout. Dad? Not so much. We went when he was… not well. Free meals every Sunday, and Ruby loved her little dresses."

I just nodded. That tracked with what little I knew.

"You?" she asked.

"My dad's a Paladin in the church. Mom goes and encouraged us to join too, but she's less devout. Comes from being a doctor, I suspect."

Yang tilted her head. "Heh… does it bother you?"

"Nah. And relax—I'm not gonna try to convert you or anything. I mean not right away but you-"

"I know."

"Yeah."

We both took a sip of our drinks. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavier than usual.

Yang set her glass down. "Hey… uh… Ruby wanted me to apologize."

"For what?"

She sighed. "I uh… well, when she mentioned you two were baking I uh… I got a little…"

I smiled. "Come on, Yang. You being shy is cute sometimes, but I also like my gal to be her fiery self."

She huffed out a breath. "I was a little jealous of my little sister. So, you know… she said I should sort my shit out." She shot me a glare that had no real heat in it. "She didn't cuss until she met you, Sergeant Sewermouth."

"I learned from my father that it's the only way to command. A leader who doesn't curse isn't fit to run a burger joint, according to him."

Yang blinked. "He's a Paladin of the Church?"

"Well, he never takes the Lord's name in vain. Everything else just requires some penance and prayer. It's how he became a Paladin!"

That got a real giggle out of her. When it faded, she looked down at the table.

"You know… I am sorry if I've been a little, uh… what's the word Blake used?"

"Yandere?"

"Yeah. That."

I shook my head. "Nah. Weiss and Blake's heads aren't in a trash bag, so you're okay. Still… am I doing anything to make you worry so much, Yang?"

"No! …Well…" She grimaced. "I mean, I've… gone out with boys before. Some real jerks who changed their tune the second I hit puberty. Some sleazebags who made friends with Ruby just to get a chance with me. But the second I didn't want to go all the way because of Ruby, well… they just ran off. You… you're just… different."

"Good different?"

She grinned, small and real. "You're like… well… a man."

"Good start."

"Heh. You know what I mean. You don't strut like Neptune or try hard like Sun. You keep your cool in a fight and… I dunno… do dad stuff. Or what a dad is supposed to do."

"Well… thank you?"

"You really need to learn how to take a compliment." She leaned forward a little. "But yeah… I just saw how the others started to eye you. Blake started sniffing around. Weiss, well… she's in denial but she clearly likes you. And Pyrrha…"

"Yeah," I said quietly. "She's… it's complicated."

Yang's jaw tightened. "And well… one's a rich heiress. Another is a Faunus princess. Pyrrha's a celebrity champion—"

"And you're you, Yang." I cut her off gently but firmly. "You're a kickass fighter and biker chick who loves her little sister and is a great cook. You can be feminine, soft and warm and fiery and smashy. I mean… I love that you don't fit into a box. You're you, Yang. And I'm an old-fashioned guy. You don't have to worry about me straying."

Yang's face went deep red. She stared at me for a long moment, like she was trying to decide whether to believe it.

"…I know," she said eventually. "I'm… not so worried about you."

I reached across the table and took both of her hands. "Listen. We've just started dating. All right? I care for you."

"You also love the others."

I sighed. "I'm never living that down, am I? I mean philia—friendship or family love. Though…"

"Though?"

I grimaced. "I mean… it's not like I haven't noticed. I swear, there isn't a single bad-looking woman here. And well… urgh… Headmaster Ozpin's got me schmoozing with female transfer students… and Pyrrha, well. She kind of confessed to me."

Yang went very still.

"I made it clear we're together," I continued quickly, "and she accepted it. I just want you to know so we don't have any stupid misunderstandings. You are my girlfriend, Yang, and I'm your boyfriend. That's not going to change unless we decide to break up or…"

"Or?"

I smiled. "Or we get married."

Yang's blush came back with a vengeance. "Heh… with a dozen kids?"

Now it was my turn to flush. "Er… it's… an Arc thing… only if we get that far. I'm not in a hurry and… and I want to build a future together. With someone who wants that with me, too."

Yang stared at me, then let out a soft, almost helpless laugh. "G-Geez… you know… if anyone else said that, I'd say it was corny as hell."

"And… so?"

"It's still corny as hell…" She slid closer along the bench until she was pressed against my side and nuzzled into my neck. "But it works for you."

I nuzzled back. "Heh. Thanks."

After a moment she spoke again, quieter. "Still… you know, with all this female attention, another guy might be tempted to try and make a harem."

"One," I said, "that kind of crap works only if everyone is in the know and agrees to it, and even then it would be hard. Two? Only an idiot would cheat on women who could beat the hell out of him with superpowers."

Yang giggled against my shoulder. "I'm not hearing a no to the harem part though."

"You're also not hearing a yes."

"Heheh… like I said. Dad energy."

"I have only just begun to tap into it. For instance: I tried to date two women named Kate and Edith. They found out and we broke up. Which just proves you can't have your Kate and Edith too."

Yang burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Did you hear about the new dating site that matches women up with construction workers?"

"Nope!"

"It's called Studfinder."

I almost choked on my drink. "Hahahaha!"

Man… I did not deserve her.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

These two are just ridiculously wholesome together

 

[FlowerWine]

I love premises like these where main cast girls get their hearts broken.

 

[idkyk]

Too wholesome dammit im getting diabetes