"Wait? What!?" Jaune blurted out. "You're going where? I thought your mission with Nora was going to be here in Vale!"
Ren returned Jaune's shocked outburst with a frustrated glare. Nora just giggled. "Don't worry Jauney! It's just a short mission, we're only scouting the forest near Ren's village. We finally get to see his family again after so long! I can't wait!" Giddy with excitement, she tackle-glomped Ren with enough force to knock him down to the floor. Pyrrha and Jaune looked on with some amusement as he struggled to pry Nora off and get back to his feet.
"Agh! Nora come on!" After struggling briefly then thinking better of it, Ren sighed and stood up with Nora wrapped firmly around his neck. "Like Nora said Jaune, we'll be gone just the weekend. I know it was a last minute assignment change, but it should be a simple recon mission and nothing more." He smiled and placed a calm hand on his leader's shoulder to reassure him. "If anything comes up, we'll let you know, I promise." Jaune tried to return the smile with the same confidence, but couldn't prevent his worries from creasing his face. This was the first time JNPR would be separated like this. He was still trying to deal with the prospect of not being with his full team for more than a classroom period.
Well that, and the realization that he'd be alone with Pyrrha for the whole weekend, sharing an empty dorm room together. The thought of that was quickly eclipsing his worries about his two teammates going off on a mission by themselves. What was he going to do? Alone with Pyrrha for a whole weekend? He was equal parts terrified and elated at the prospect.
Maybe now he could tell her how he truly felt about her. They had been teammates for nearly a year after all, and now he finally had a perfect opportunity! The whole morning he had been trying to come up with a romantic way of confessing his feelings for her, but each time he tried to think about it or even try to talk to Pyrrha, his brain locked up like a dust engine without any oil and reduced him to simply blushing furiously in silence.
"Well I'm sure you'll do fine. Say hello to your family for us Ren." Pyrrha spoke up more reserved than usual. She gave both of them a quick hug as they loaded up their kitbags and headed out of the dorm. Ren and Nora shared a silent look but said nothing. Privately they were both hoping that Jaune and Pyrrha would use this weekend to get over their tip-toeing around the issue of whether they liked each other. Ren mainly wanted it resolved because he was worried about the effect it was having on their team's cohesion and impatient with the lack of progress. Nora meanwhile found the awkwardness hilariously adorable and documented each failed attempt by Jaune or Pyrrha in her journal as a sort of comedic novella of romantic errors. Inwardly she hoped they actually would end up together. They did make a cute couple as far as she was concerned. Maybe Ren could possibly take a page from their book and make a move with her? she thought idly to herself.
The journey to the airpad was a subdued one. Nobody had much to say beyond what was discussed about the mission earlier this morning. It wasn't until the Bullhead gunship landed that they all managed to give one final set of goodbyes and hugs before Ren and Nora boarded the transport and headed off into the setting sun of late afternoon. The two remaining members of JNPR stood in silence as they watched the bullhead become smaller and smaller and vanish into the clear sky.
"So! Uh, Pyrrha? You...want to hit the cafeteria or something? Dinner should just be-" Pyrrha quickly shook her head.
"-I'm actually not that hungry Jaune. Could we head back to the dorm? I'm not feeling well." The interruption was delivered in the same flat tone from earlier with Ren. Without a glance back at Jaune she had already started walking back to the dorms. Jaune opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to come up with something to say but gave up and hurried after her. Finally catching up to her near the dorm entrance he tried to catch her eye, but she continued to stare forward as if he wasn't there.
"Pyrrha, are you ok? Is there something I can get for you? Medicine? Something to drink at least?" This was so unlike her. She always responded to his solicitudes, but now he might as well have been a ghost. Reaching their room, she swiped her keycard into the door lock and went inside, with Jaune quickly following behind her. "Pyrrha, please just talk to me, what's going on?"
She flumped down on her bed and hunched over, staring at the floor. Jaune approached her then stopped midway. This wasn't like Pyrrha at all. She did appear a bit under the weather, but it was more than that. He wasn't the quickest on the uptake when it came to reading emotions, but her current state was anything but pleasant. She looked like she was struggling to say something to him, but couldn't find the words to express it. Her hands kept fiddling with themselves in frustrated, nervous tension. Deciding to play it and safe and let her respond at her own pace, he sat down across from her on Nora's bed, clasped his hands together and waited.
After five minutes of awkward silence with neither of them looking or speaking at one another, Jaune decided he'd had enough. He stood up.
"Look Pyrrha, I...uh..." She finally looked up at him with a mercurial expression he couldn't even begin to read. The lack of any verbal communication from her for the last half hour since the gunship had left was starting to unnerve him. "Right...well since you're feeling...uh...not good I guess, we don't have to do anything tonight if you don't want to. I've got a stash of Chamomile tea that my mom sent me last week. I'll make us a pot ok? Should make you feel better. Just let me know if you'd like anything else."
"I'd like that Jaune, thank you." She spoke at last. She then pointed to her dresser. "Can you get something for me before you start? There should be a glass bottle in the top drawer there."
"Sure thing!" He hurried over, grateful that she was speaking to him again and eager to keep her talking. "This one right?" He held up a small glass bottle full of amber liquid.
"That's the one. Thank you." He brought the bottle over and tried to hand it to her. She shook her head and pushed it back into his hands.
"When you make the tea, can you add this to it?"
"Sure I guess. What is it exactly?" He held the bottle up to his face to examine it. The bottle had no label, but looked almost medical in nature, like something one might store cough syrup in.
"It's Mistralian brandy Jaune." She replied blushing slightly at Jaune's surprised look. "Whenever I've been under the weather, this helps settle me down. I'm sure it'll go great with the tea. You should add it to yours as well, I think you'll like it."
She returned her gaze back to him, smiling in a forced sort of way, conveying none of the warmth that she usually radiated. Still, she was smiling, which for Jaune made his stomach swoop in excitement and blush a little himself.
"Alright, I'll do that. I'll be right back ok?" Retrieving the tin of tea from under his bed, he headed over to the kitchen. As he passed she saw out of the corner of her eye Jaune trying to reach out as if to comfort her somehow, only to pull back with another blush and continue on to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later, carrying a tray full of tea and cups along with the small bottle of brandy.
"So I just pour it directly into the tea? How much should I add?" He looked up with the bottle hovering over the cups of steaming liquid. She was staring off into space again, not looking at him. "Pyrrha? The tea?" He gestured to the cups again.
"Oh! Sorry Jaune, I'm not myself right now." She smiled again, then stood up. "Here, let me pour it for us, a little goes a long way. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable." She patted a spot on her bed, then took the bottle from his hands and positioned herself in front of the tray. The gentle brush of her fingers across his sent goosebumps up and down his arms. He smiled back at her, blushing furiously as he moved over and sat down on her bed, watching her prepare the tea as he did so. Gods he was the luckiest man in the world. Getting to share such a happy moment with a woman like this was beyond his wildest dreams of what he hoped to accomplish here at Beacon. He wanted to tell her that over and over again but just couldn't work up the courage. He wondered if he ever would at the rate he was going. Finished with the tea set, Pyrrha picked up two hot mugs and brought them back to her bed. As she walked over, he had a sudden thought. This was it! This was the perfect opportunity! Sitting together on a comfy bed sharing a warm cup of tea on a lazy Friday afternoon. One couldn't ask for a more relaxing environment.
He would tell her. He would finally tell her how he felt. While he had been preparing tea in the kitchenette he had gone over what to say. If he was being honest with himself he felt more nervous now than he had been facing his first Ursa in Forever Fall. The thought amused him as he had poured the boiling water. Between facing a bloodthirsty armored bear intent on ripping him to shreds or confessing his feelings to his teammate and potential girlfriend, the Ursa sounded like the far easier choice to deal with.
Handing a mug to Jaune, Pyrrha sat down close to him and cupped her mug with both hands. She didn't take a sip right away but rather looked over to him with that same strange smile. "Go ahead Jaune, give it a try, tell me what you think."
Jaune blushed, both from the warmth of the tea and the one spreading through his chest at his rather intimate proximity to his beautiful teammate. Blowing over the hot liquid, he finally took a sip. The early notes of chamomile were immediately overrun by a sweet fiery taste, almost like spiced raisin bread. It was delicious! He took another sip, savoring the pleasant burn as he felt the brandy infused tea wash over his tongue and down his throat. For the first time today he started to relax. This really was nice. They had nothing to do for the whole weekend and they could just go where the evening took them. Where would it take them he wondered? He took another sip and turned to Pyrrha, galvanizing himself for what was to come...
...wait what was he going to say to her?
He shook his head. That was odd. Taking another sip of the fiery liquid to jolt some sense into himself, he suddenly noticed that he couldn't feel anything on his tongue save for some sense of vague warmth. He looked up at Pyrrha with a smile and a chuckle, a question forming on his lips.
"Pyrrha? How shtrong is thish brandy? I'm already getting kinda buzzhed!" He grinned sheepishly as he felt a numbing warmth spread from his stomach to the rest of his body. It really did taste fantastic, but man this was strong stuff! Maybe it was because he had never really had alcohol before? Well aside from...from...when was it? He couldn't remember...
"It is very strong Jaune. A little does go a long way."
Pyrrha smiled back at him as tears started to trickle from her eyes. She hadn't taken a sip from her cup yet. Why was she crying? Did she not like chamomile? Had he said something wrong? Half an hour earlier, the thought would have sent him into a flustered panic, but now he merely felt relaxed and more than a little giddy at the idea. He took another deep sip, not even feeling the liquid enter his mouth and spilling some of it on his pants.
"Woopsh! Shorry! I can't...can't feel mah mouf..." Fumbling with his hands trying to wipe his face and pants, he reached for the napkins on the tray but didn't quite make it. Taking one unsteady step forward off the bed, his knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor. The cup of tea slipped from his hands and bounced to the ground, splashing hot liquid across the carpet.
This was odd...he had fallen pretty hard, that should have hurt, shouldn't it? His body rolled over onto its back, arms falling numbly to his side as he stared at the lights in the ceiling. Colorful dots and splotches were swimming across his vision now. What was this? He wasn't that much of a lightweight! No way! He tried getting back up but his body it seemed was in no mood to comply. Slowly, he tilted his head sideways to look up at Pyrrha, still sitting on the bed. She was still crying for some reason. That was...strange...no reason to cry over...spilled tea...he saw her mouthing something he couldn't quite make out as his vision clouded over and finally passed out.
"I'm so sorry Jaune..." Pyrrha choked quietly as his eyes finally fluttered closed. He had lasted a lot longer than she had expected, especially with how much of that sedative she had spiked into his tea. She hoped the school infirmary wouldn't notice the missing bottle from their storeroom. That alone would probably get her expelled, let alone any of the teachers finding out what she had just done with it. She stood up and walked over to the sink in the bathroom and poured the remainder of the sedative along with the tea down the drain. Placing the bottle underneath all the accumulated trash in the can, she walked back over to Jaune's figure sprawled on the floor and knelt down beside him.
It was sort of funny. Like so many times throughout the school year, she never really had the opportunity to simply sit and admire his appearance. Well, at least not counting those late nights sitting by his bed while he slept. She never really could while he was awake. He was always turning his smiling face away in embarrassment as she caught him looking at her. And that was about as far as it always went. Never holding hands, not even a hug, or Grimm forbid, a kiss. It was insanity. He would dote on her, pick up food and medicine for her, even go all the way back to the other end of campus to pick up a book she had forgotten in a classroom for her, despite getting a detention for it. He would do these things but never the one thing she craved above all. The one thing she had been denied for so many years and had nearly been driven mad with its absence. Well, perhaps now she had finally gone mad. To do something like this just to...she shook her head and looked at him again trying to focus her thoughts but failing all the same.
Was something wrong with her? Was she wrong in wanting this? She'd had suitors clamoring after her before, but none had ever worked so hard at taking care of her as Jaune. Their motives and intentions were telegraphed more clearly than a sparring opponent's incoming punch. All they sought from her was fame by proxy or sex so they could report the results to their peers. But for Jaune, it wasn't the same at least as far as she could tell. She knew he had feelings for her, and treated her so kindly without any pretense about who she was outside of Beacon. Even Ruby, young and inexperienced as she was, had commented upon it to her during lunch several weeks before! So why hadn't he done anything? Why had nothing happened since that dance with him in that dress? Surely that should have meant something right?
He looked so peaceful laying there, his chest slowly rising and falling in the deepest of slumbers that hopefully would last the weekend. She prayed it would. One way or another, this would probably be her last here. There would be no getting around the fact that Pyrrha Nikos, Four Time Mistral Champion, current Valedictorian of her 1st year class, had just slipped a medical-grade roofie to her team captain. And he would be well within his rights to report the incident. And for what? To satisfy some twisted personal need at the expense of everything she had built over these years? She looked around the dorm she had called her home for nearly a year looking for an answer but finding none. "You wanted this...this is what you wanted, wasn't it?" She asked the empty room but got no response.
She reached over and tugged the armor plates off of Jaune's body, then removed the rest of his clothes. She was about to pull off his boxers but something inside her held her back. In spite of what she had already done, in spite of all the lines she had already crossed, a little voice inside her screamed that taking that last step would dissolve whatever last bit of dignity she had left. She didn't deserve what lay under that bit of fabric anyway, despite tempting her repeatedly as she worked. No, that would be for someone else, someone more worthy, more forthcoming with their emotions, or someone...not like her.
With that, she dragged his body up onto her bed and gently laid him on his side. The muscles and scars that covered him stood out clearly on his pale skin. She reflected how she had done all that, she had made that happen, she had crafted him into the living weapon he was today. And he still couldn't see it, couldn't see what she saw in him, couldn't see what he meant to her. She wanted to hit him, just hit him over and over to make him see, to make him feel the pain gnawing inside her at the injustice of it all. Why couldn't he see what this was doing to her? Why had she even let herself get hurt in the first place?
She'd never really know would she? And he wouldn't tell her, at least not while under the sedative. She sighed and trotted back to the bathroom to wash off. Finishing her shower she headed over to her dresser for a set of fresh underwear then stopped. Turning back to look at Jaune again, she saw his dresser across the room. She closed her own dresser and headed over to his, opening the first drawer. It was full of boxers, socks, undershirts, everything a young man needed. She withdrew a pair of his boxers, then a shirt and pressed them to her nose. They even smelled like him. That cheap detergent he used never fully masked his scent and she was quite thankful for it.
She donned the shirt and boxers and inhaled deeply. The worn cotton fabric felt so different compared to her combat undergarments. They were comfortable to be sure, but in a practical won't-chafe-you-in-the-heat-of-combat way. These seemed to float on her skin as if they almost didn't exist. With a contented sigh, she headed back to her bed. She did another cursory check on Jaune, noting his body hadn't moved an inch since leaving for the shower. Good. The sedative was working. He was under her control for the weekend and she would take full advantage of it while she could.
She gently climbed into bed, spooning her body against his and wrapping her arms around his chest, letting her hands explore freely. The sensation was incredible, better than anything she could have imagined. The touch of his skin to hers, the intensity of his scent entering her nostrils, no pillow or battery powered toy could match this. Snaking her legs between his, she tried to press as much of his body to her own as possible. She finally felt that wonderful sense of contact, the slow steady heartbeat of another soul laying next to her that she had never experienced, not even from her own family. She was for the moment at peace with what she had done. This feeling, this sense of intimate contact with another human being, she had finally gotten her chance to experience it, and it was better than she had ever dreamed of. Snuggling deeply into the nape of Jaune's neck and closing her eyes, Pyrrha slowly drifted off to sleep.
While sleep came easy to her, it was far from restful. Nightmares plagued her mind as she slept. What started with Grimm attacking Beacon or Jaune dying in her arms mutated into Ren and Nora coming back early and finding what she had done. Ozpin kicking her out of Beacon. Being led away in shackles into a prison ship bound for a place she did not know. Seeing Jaune's face full of regret and pain. Ruby unable to look at her and watching Beacon, her home, her friends all slowly vanish into the ether...
It was well into Saturday morning when she awoke. Slowly blinking her eyes open, it was a few minutes before she noted the difference of how her bed felt sharing it with another. She lifted her head to examine the body lying next to her. Jaune still hadn't moved a bit from where he had been laid down last night. She checked his pulse and found a slow heartbeat pumping away at her fingertips. She sighed and relaxed. Resting her head on the pillow she contemplated the back of his body with her eyes and hands, gently tracing lines across his skin and savoring the sensation on her fingertips. She wished she could have had a more restful sleep, but all things considered, the sensation of sharing a bed with Jaune, even like this did mostly make up for it. Just to hold him and feel the touch of his skin, to hug his body close to him...
And yet...
She frowned as her conscience dragged the memories of last night back to the front of her thoughts, screaming at her from within her mind.You drugged your team captain! You drugged the man you wanted to fall in love with you! A battle raged within her, equal parts id and ego dueling for control of her feelings and neither coming out the victor. What resulted was a mounting dread, a slowly building panic that no amount of training or self control was able to suppress. Fragments of the nightmare flew through her head as she contemplated her uncertain future. None of the outcomes looked particularly appealing, least of which would be the shame she would face at having to explain herself to her team or to her teachers or...goddess forbid, her parents. She shut her eyes and grasped Jaune tighter to her to block it all out. The warmth of his body contrasted with the sudden chill she felt at the prospect of her future unraveling before her eyes. She just wanted to disappear back under the covers. Just fall right back asleep with a warm body next to her and let the wonderful sensation shield her from the rest of the world and-
"Nghhhhh...prghhhh...pyrrrhha..."
Pyrrha's eyes flew open as her heart screeched to a halt. Oh no...no no no...it couldn't be...how can he already be...I measured-! This was insane, how was Jaune already regaining consciousness!? What kind of monstrous metabolism did he have? She wasn't ready to deal with this yet. She was supposed to have the whole weekend to prepare. What do I do? What do I do!? Panic had fully set in now freezing her in place as Jaune continued to mutter incoherently.
"Prrrahhh...gglbl...wus...buh...wah?"
His body twitched and shifted as it began the laborious process of coming out from under the sedative. He wouldn't be fully conscious for another few minutes while he woke up. Maybe she could run for it? And then what? She was wearing his underwear for Goddess' sake. How would she explain that running down the hallway? And where would she go? How would she explain what happened the tea? Would he remember? Didn't most surgical anesthesia mess with your memory? But then this stuff was also supposed to last a full 48 hours and look how well that worked out, who knows what he'd remember or even if there were any side effects.
It dawned on her that she really didn't have a plan to deal with this outcome at all, and truthfully probably wouldn't have come up with anything better than what she had right now. A sense of grim finality paralyzed her as she lay there. So...this was it then. He would wake up and wonder what had happened and what had she done to him...and just like that, in the span of less than 12 hours, the famous life of Pyrrha Nikos would effectively be over. It would occupy the pages of cheap tabloids and be nothing more than some sick punchline told by other Beacon students before the end of the year. And she would be gone, probably sent to prison or somewhere...she didn't really know anymore. And it all rested on whatever Jaune decided to do when he finally woke. There was nothing else to do but face her fate. She grasped her hands to his chest and held on, savoring the last few moments of bliss before the end.
The room slowly slid into focus as Jaune tried to open his eyes. His brain was a confused mess of sensations as his consciousness tried to reassert itself. He yawned and felt his chapped lips with a dried out tongue. Water. He needed water more than anything right now. And some painkillers if he could find them. A pounding sensation in his temples was assaulting his brain and pulsing angrily with each breath he took. He tried to lift himself up to a sitting position but encountered some kind of resistance. Tilting his head slowly downward he saw two arms clutching his bare...his bare...why am I naked? And where was...why wasn't he in his own bed? Where was he? And who was he in bed with-? He stared at the hands as his brain slowly tried to process what he was seeing. Those weren't his hands...so that meant they were...a silent curse exploded in his head. He couldn't have! They were just...what had they been doing? He couldn't remember...
Think! Think! Come on! You saw Ren and Nora off and then what? You came back here, you had something with Pyrrha? It was...what was it? Something hot? Tea? Cocoa? Something burning...
His eyes snapped open. Oh shit. Oh shit. The brandy! Had he gotten drunk off the brandy?! How? It was just mixed in with the tea, how strong was that stuff? Did he do something bad? Did he make some stupid move on Pyrrha? He shut his eyes in pain as the throbbing in his temples grew worse. Ok. Ok. Calm down. She wouldn't be sharing a bed with you if you did something stupid would she? There's got to be a rational explanation for this. Maybe you just conked out drunk. Maybe...
His thoughts trailed off as he heard a gentle sniffle behind him. Uh oh...This was bad...How badly did he screw things up last night? How was he going to confess his feelings to her now? Would she even want to hear them? After something like this? Probably not. He had probably done or said something stupid and she was only doing this to keep him safe...though why she had felt the need to strip him down to his skivvies was something to definitely wonder about. He shook his head. Well, if it had really happened, it was time to face it. He could do no less as an Arc. He craned his neck around trying to face Pyrrha.
"H-hey Pyrrha. Uh, you awake?"
She responded by tightening her grip around his chest and taking a shuddering breath. Well that was a positive sign wasn't it?
"Uhm, about last night..." He felt her whole body tense up and freeze. "...look this is going to sound really awkward and I hope you can-"
"Jaune...you don't...you don't really need-" She tried to interrupt him but he pressed on, worried his courage would fail him if he didn't say it now. Taking a deep breath himself, he continued.
"No. I need to say this. Please. Can I...turn around? I want to say this face to face."
There was a pregnant pause as her hands remained where they were, grasping his abdomen. Then, almost reluctantly, he felt her body pull back from his own, the sensation of her fingers dragging across his skin rapidly cleared the rest of the cobwebs from his mind. He slowly rolled over and finally got a solid look at Pyrrha for the first time since last night. She looked...awful really. Puffy red eyes and mussed up hair made her resemble more a Medusa than his teammate. It looked like she had been crying. Great, so much for nothing bad happening last night jackass. He raged to himself. All the more reason he had to tell her now, before things got even more awkward between them.
"Listen, Pyrrha. I need to apologize for what happened last night. I must have drunk too much of that brandy of yours, and I just want to say that I'm so so sorry for what I might have done-"
Pyrrha's eyes slowly widened as she listened to what Jaune was saying. He wasn't even accusing her of anything...did that mean-?
"-and I just want you to know that I totally respect you as a teammate and hope I didn't do anything stupid or horrible or...something..." He looked down at the bed, a deep crimson was rapidly spreading over his face. "...can you please forgive me? I don't want our friendship to end like this...well that and...Pyrrha? Did I say something wrong?" His face was lined with worry as he looked back at her, pleading with her to say something.
She couldn't believe it. Her face must have been looking as shocked as she felt. She couldn't form the words to respond right away. He doesn't know! He's giving you a way out you idiot! Say something! Do something! She used the time wiping her eyes and brushing the hair out of her face to come up with something to say as he waited silently. Finally looking back at him, she gave him the warmest smile she could muster to try and defuse the tension of the moment.
"Jaune, you don't have to apologize for anything. You didn't...do anything last night." She hoped she was convincing enough, it technically was the truth after all.
"R-really? I didn't say anything stupid or try to kiss-" He stopped abruptly, blushing even more than he was already. "I mean! Not that I wouldn't want to-or...I mean if you're ok with that, I mean I really feel...oh god I should stop talking shouldn't I?" He blubbered as he tried to regain control of thoughts. Pyrrha started to laugh. Part relief at dodging oblivion, and part genuine mirth that Jaune always seemed to generate within her without even trying. She laughed more than she had in the past week, so much so her cheeks actually hurt from the effort. Jaune even joined in, though more sheepishly than anything else. He was mainly glad that Pyrrha was ok and that it seemed he hadn't done anything horrible after all.
Finally settling down Pyrrha reached out and gently grasped his face with her hands. "But seriously Jaune, you didn't do anything stupid last night. You just sipped the brandy too fast and passed out. I just made sure you'd be comfortable. And I really didn't feel like dragging your heavy butt over to your bed." She finished with a smirk and a giggle. Jaune seemed to melt before her eyes. It was working. It really was working. He didn't suspect a thing and the way his eyes stared into hers told her he never would. There was no suspicion or doubt in those cobalt orbs, just a sense of yearning, of happiness at being so close to her. She could use that. It would make it easier after all.
"Thanks Pyrrha, you're always there for me. I..." He hesitated briefly, closing his eyes then opening them and looking straight into hers. "I want to be there for you too. More than just a friend or teammate. Would you be...I mean, would you like to go out with me On a date?" He groaned and shut his eyes. "God this sounded so much better in my head this morning!" Pyrrha smile broadened as Jaune continued to stumble through his proposal. Better and better... She thought to herself. Jaune had finally asked her out! Ten minutes ago she was contemplating the end of her time here at Beacon and now here she was, with Jaune asking her out on a date! Fate certainly moved in mysterious ways.
Deciding quickly to move things along she gently pulled him towards her and kissed him. Jaune's eyes widened briefly and tried to say something but she just pressed herself more firmly to him to silence the protest. He got the message and relaxed, wrapping his arms around her back. Finally pulling away, she gazed into his awestruck face with an expression of triumph that Jaune would never truly understand. "Yes Jaune, we most certainly can. I would love to go out on a date with you." She pecked him on the lips once more before whispering into his ear. "And for the record, I also do like kissing by the way..."
If Jaune could have gotten any redder, she wouldn't have believed it. Burying his face into her shoulder he hugged her tightly in a warm embrace she was only too willing to savor. She could finally be close to him as much as she liked and no one would comment on it ever again. Well...Yang certainly would at least...that gossipmonger could never keep her trap shut about anything. Still, she was safe. She had a soul to truly share her life with, and if things ever got complicated...well...she did know where to get more "brandy" if she needed it. A little did indeed go a long way...