Rated T simply because it's more geared towards that audience.
Nora's POV
"Jaaaune." I sighed a bit in annoyance as he continued to ignore me, his eyes completely fixated on the ever so beautiful and glorious Weiss. What was so great about her anyway? I mean, yeah, she was pretty. Super smart. Extremely rich. Incredibly talented. . . Okay, so she was totally leagues better than me. But I was at least a little nicer to him. We joked around a lot, but in the end, he knew I was joking, right? My stomach ached at the thought of him not believing that it was all a joke.
Regardless. Seeing him so focused on her and not on me was infuriating. I punched his arm, sapping him out of his stupid daze. "Jaune."
He looked at me, giving me his little puppy dog eyes that made me instantly begin rubbing the spot I had punched. He continued to pout at me as though I had betrayed him, even though we do that all of the time. "What was that for?"
Great, now I have to come up with an excuse. "You were staring at her again, dummy."
He glanced from me to Weiss for a few seconds before blinking in realization. He offered a pathetic chuckle. "Aha – nono, I wasn't staring at Weiss from across the room or anything. That – that'd be super weird. Haha." He snapped his head down to look at the homework he was
supposed to be working on.
"Jaune, everyone knows you like Weiss. Weiss knows you like her. Why not just talk to her already?" I rolled my eyes at him, resting my cheek in my hand. That's me, the supportive best friend. It was driving me crazy, but who was I to get in the way of his happiness?
"It's not that easy. Have you seen her?"
That felt like a slap in the face. As if I wanted to hear about how wonderful she was. I just rolled my eyes again. "It's not that hard, watch."
"Nora, what are-"
"Yo, ice queen!" I tossed my spare pencil at her from across the table. She glared at me from her book.
"Jaune thinks you look really nice today and would like to take you out to dinner tonight after practice."
This time I was punched in the arm. It didn't hurt, but it still made me glanced up at him. I mean, I wasn't going to allure him at all. The least I could do was get him out of the friend-zone that I knew I hated a lot. He grinned at Weiss, clearly very taken aback and very nervous. She eyed him up and down before sighing very quietly in defeat.
"Fine. Just this one time." She returned to her books, ignoring the shocked looks everyone on the table was giving her. I felt a bit angry with myself for opening my mouth, but the bright expression on Jaune's face was enough to convince me to push that anger aside for now. I smiled at him as happy as I could.
"There, see? Totally easy!" I waved my arm a bit towards Weiss, as though I was presenting her to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders tightly, and I could already smell the warm scent of a bonfire that he just seemed to constantly radiate. I continued to smile, no matter how pathetic it was.
"You're the best, Nora." He squeezed my shoulders happily, and I just laughed a bit in response.
"Haha, preaching to the choir here." I wanted to lean into him, but I knew that'd be a bit weird. I also wanted to just wrap my arms around his waist and sit comfortably on his lap, but that would probably be a lot weirder. I just wrapped an arm around his waist loosely, but the hug was very short.
"Alright, let's get back to work then. I don't want to have a bunch of late homework on my mind tonight."
There weren't a lot of things that could motivate him to focus on his work. I guess going out with Weiss did. I felt my stomach turn a bit at that thought, but brushed it off and grabbed my other pencil from that weird swirly part of the notebook. "Sounds great!" I lied.
"What do you think, too much?"
I glanced up from my book – the same book I had been reading for who knows how long – and felt my heart beat rapidly against my chest as I saw him walk out of the bathroom.
There stood the dorkiest kid in Beacon, dressed in a really nice dress shirt and black jeans. And my really nice dress shirt, I mean almost a full-on tux. A grey, diamond textured vest rested over his white button up, and the sleeves were rolled up and folded neatly. His hair was also a bit neater than usual, and. . . he didn't smell like a bonfire. What was it? Some stupid guy cologne?
"Oh no, you're smiling – it's stupid, isn't it? I- I should go change." He turned to leave the room, his cheeks bright red. Had I actually been smiling? How lame.
"Don't be dumb, you look greeeat!" I offered two thumbs up, dropping my book onto my lap as I did so. He really did look great, but he also didn't look like himself, and it felt a little weird. "Weiss will definitely love it!"
He looked extremely pleased with my last comment. "You think so?"
I slid off the bed, making my way over to him. The closer I got, the less and less it felt like him and the more it felt like a very desperate guy wanting to please someone who simply wasn't into him. But still, I softly put my hand on his arm, offering the sweetest smile I could. "I know so, dummy. She's gonna like, totally fall for you. Wouldn't be the first girl!"
He snickered, ruffling my hair a bit before adjusting the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, okay, sure. I'd just love to see all the other girls that have 'fallen for me' knock on the door right now."
As if on cue, there was a soft, polite knock on the door. "Um, Jaune? Are you ready to go?"
Weiss. Great.
His smile seemed unrealistically large now. He clumsily made his way to the door as he slipped his regular converse on, making sure he checked the stupid labels he added to the bottom first. "Yeah, be right there!"
He glanced back at me, and for a second I thought I saw something flash in his eye – I wasn't sure what, but it was as though I could see his thought process change for a split second – but it returned to normal before I could even blink. He grinned at me. "I'll be back before lights out, promise. See you later."
I just stared at him as he opened the door. Weiss looked at nice as ever, in a neat little-collared dress and strappy high heels. She smiled at me from the gap between Jaune and the door, and I returned it as nicely as I could. I mean, Weiss really didn't do anything wrong, but I still felt a bit of jealous resentment towards her. That doesn't mean I like her any less, but I had trouble remembering that I'm the one who told her and everything. I waved curtly as they exited the room before falling back onto my bed, my eyes stinging with the tears I had been holding back.
"Way to go, Nora," I whispered, lacing my fingers in my hair. The room suddenly felt a lot darker.
Jaune's POV
"Okay, I have the perfect place picked out, it's a favorite of mine." I didn't grab her hand as I led Weiss through the quiet streets of Vale, but we stood next to each other and walked together which was already more than I was used to. I was expecting a lot more butterflies in my stomach, though. Maybe it's because I liked her for so long?
"Oh? Where would that be?" She glanced up at me, and I pointed towards a small restaurant that sat at the end of the sidewalk. She squinted a bit as she tried to make out the words on the sign. "Oh, I've heard of it. This is a favorite of yours?"
"Yeah! Me and Nora come here all the time. She'll vouch for it." It actually felt a little weird to walk down the streets without Nora, but it was obviously different this time because this was a date with a girl I was absolutely head over heels for, right? It wasn't like that with Nora or anything.
Weiss made a small humming sound before glancing down at her scroll. I didn't mind that we weren't talking a bunch, I kind of understood why she'd check her scroll. She was one of the most popular and busiest girls in Beacon. I was used to Nora talking my ear off about something stupid that happened in class, though. The silence was okay but different.
I opened my own scroll, quickly clicking on Nora's contact. The only one I really messaged regularly.
You: heeeey nora
You: we're almost at there :D
Sent 5 minutes ago
You: ? usually you reply pretty fast
You: already busy i see thats cool
I awkwardly tapped my thumbs against the screen, unsure of what to type. I wasn't used to actually waiting for a reply. Usually we shoot messages back and forth until neither of us want to message any more or we meet up in person. Was she actually already busy? I mean, I guess I didn't want her to sit around and wait for me or anything. . But it had only been a few minutes.
"Jaune!" I was cut out of my thoughts when I felt Weiss pull my back using the collar of my shirt. I blinked, glancing at our surroundings. Oh. I guess I had spaced out and almost walked into oncoming traffic. She gave me a scolding glare before releasing me, and I immediately made sure to fix the collar I had spent hours trying to straighten before.
"You could've died you dunce, be careful." She gestured towards the traffic, which was gradually slowing down. Across this walkway was the restaurant. Had I been staring at my phone for that long? I quickly slid it into my pockets, smiling down at Weiss.
"Glad to know you care about my wellbeing, Weiss."
She rolled her eyes. "You're my friend, of course I do." She glanced at my pocket, which I still had my hand on. Why was I so fidgety? It's only been a few minutes since I messaged her. She could be showering or napping or maybe watching a movie. Or maybe out somewhere like me.
I wasn't as fond of that idea.
"Is everything okay? You seem even more spaced out than usual." She looked back up at me, and I laughed as nonchalantly as I could, shrugging dismissively.
"Yeah, everything's great. I've just uh- I've been asking you out for awhile, you know. I'm still comprehending the fact that you actually said yes."
She smiled a bit. "Well, you've been very persistent. And if Nora was going to back you up on it, I figured I had to at least once."
I glanced at her curiously. "Why Nora? Ruby's tried to back me up a few times." I pointed out, and she her smile grew a bit. She nodded towards the light, which had finally turned green. There was a lot more traffic than usual.
"Funny, when Nora and I come here there's barely any traffic," I said after a minute of silence. She snickered a bit, but I could tell she was trying to hide it so I played it off. "Speaking of Nora, you didn't answer my question."
"You two are just really close, that's all. I didn't mean any harm by it." She waited as I opened the door for her, and was a little taken aback when she had to duck under my arm. She was still a lot shorter than me, but Nora was so tiny she could just walk underneath it with no problem.
"Oh, yeah, we're really close. She's my best friend at Beacon." I replied, letting the door slowly shut behind me as we made our way through the small entrance. The woman who greeted the customers sent me a warm smile.
"Ah, Jaune Arc! Good to see you!" She glanced behind me, her smile disappearing and her eyes falling onto me again. "Where's Nora? I've never seen you come here without her."
I felt a bit uneasy when she said that. I didn't like the thought of shattering that record, but I couldn't think of a better place to bring Weiss. I cleared my throat. "Aha, this is Weiss, my date for tonight. I thought I'd come by and show her my favorite restaurant."
The lady smiled at Weiss. "My apologies, miss. I always assumed Nora was his date."
My ears and cheeks began burning with embarrassment. "What- no-"
Weiss returned the smile politely. "That's okay, I understand."
They seemed to share a mutual understanding of something, I could see it in their smiles. The lady readjusted her clipboard.
"Well then, I'll show my favorite customer over to his favorite table."
I followed her instantly, extremely used to this routine. "C'mon, ne-" I blinked, realizing that I was talking to Weiss and not Nora and that calling Weiss a nerd probably wasn't the best idea. "Uh, Weiss. I meant come on, Weiss."
She nodded, a smirk on her lips. I felt my face flush with embarrassment again as I quickly stared at my feet as we walked. I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling out my phone to see if Nora had texted back, but there was still nothing. I felt my uneasy feeling grow a lot more intense.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, glancing down at my scroll. I quickly shut the screen off so she didn't see I still had me and Nora's conversation up.
"Uh, yeah! Everything's great! Just. . . checking the time." I desperately lied, shoving my scroll back into my pocket. "So, this is probably different from the fancy restaurants you go to, huh?"
Weiss glanced around the restaurant. It wasn't anything fancy, but it wasn't some rundown diner or anything. It was very retro, with an old jukebox in the back and a small dining area near it. The food was cooked over there too, behind the diner. Everything had a homestyle taste to it, which was my favorite. She finally turned back to me. "Very different. But that isn't a bad thing; the restaurants I used to go to weren't as comfortable."
I nodded, imagining having to be so proper and polite during a meal seemed extremely difficult and needless. I guess that's because I grew up with seven sisters and they were rarely sweet and polite.
"Here you are!" The woman smiled, and I stared at the table Nora and I always sat at. I felt a little bad that I was sitting here with Weiss, even though I really had no reason to. This wasn't like our special place or anything. We just liked to hang out here sometimes. That's all.
I gingerly took my seat, completely spacing out when Weiss looked at me expectantly. Oh, right, the whole 'pull the chair out for the lady' thing. Nora definitely never asked me to do that, but now that I think about it, I had done it for her a few times. I pushed her chair back a bit with my foot, and she rolled her eyes.
"What a gentleman." She muttered, slipping her purse onto the arm of the chair as she sat down. She was instantly handed a menu.
"I'm guessing you want the usual?" The waitress smiled at me, and I nodded. I also forgot that Weiss didn't have the menu memorized like Nora and I do. The waitress returned the nod, rushing off to the next table. It was a small place, but it was usually pretty busy.
I looked over at Weiss, who was silently reading through the menu. Now what? Do I have to actually make small talk? I'm terrible at small talk, especially with Weiss. What was too stupid to say? What would sound like I'm trying too hard? I drummed my fingers against the table, slipping my scroll out of my pocket once again.
You: nora come on its almost been an hour
You: usually you reply as fast as you talk haha
"Jaune? Did you hear me?"
I quickly looked up from my phone, startled to hear Weiss interrupt my silent messaging. She rose an eyebrow as I turned my screen off. "Oh- sorry- what?
She sighed, setting the menu down. "I was just asking what you recommend. Are. . . you feeling okay?"
I laughed, trying to ease the awkward situation. How do you tell the girl you're on a date with that you can't stop thinking and worrying about another girl? I guess that's probably something I should avoid doing. "Great! Feelin' great!"
"Mmhm. It's just. . . you've been checking your phone a lot. Is it Nora?" She asked, and I forced myself to laugh again.
"Is it- haha, no, it's not Nora! Just- uh- stuff. Ren. Yeah, it's Ren. Guy stuff. Askin' about what he should get Pyrrha for. . . her birthday."
"Her birthday was last week."
"It's. . . a late present." I grabbed the menu from the table. "Soo, you couldn't think of what to get, huh? Well, lucky for you I know this menu like the back of my hand. Let's see. . ." My eyes landed on the breakfast specials, and I found myself grinning against my own will.
"Nora always gets the double-decker pancake special," I told her, pointing to the largest thing on the menu. She peered down at it and shook her head.
"I'm not much of a pancake person. Do they have anything healthy? What do you usually get?"
I glanced down at the table. "Uh, ramen."
"You. . . ordered ramen?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing's wrong with it," Weiss smiled a bit at me, and I could see she was kind of amused, which stung a little. "It's just. . . usually on first dates, people order the nice, clean meals."
She's not wrong. "Oh, well, N-"
"You and Nora get it every time?" She interrupted, and I nodded sheepishly. I felt really bad for missing Nora so much. I mean, I'm finally on a date with Weiss Schnee. She herself called it a date. I should feel ecstatic. Why don't I feel anything other than worried about Nora?
"Listen, Jaune," she reached across the table to grab my hand, and I was surprised to find I wasn't as enchanted at the touch like I used to be. I think I felt more flustered when Nora rubbed my arm earlier. "If you want to go back to her-"
"What? No!" I pulled my hand out from under her touch, returning my attention back to the menu as I completely avoided her gaze. "I told her I'd be back later, it's totally fine, she's probably just hanging out or something. I'm not worried. I'm good."
"I never said you were worried."
I sighed, barely stopping myself from running my fingers through my hair. I would have if I hadn't spent hours trying to tame it down a bit. "Look. let's just forget about all that and enjoy the rest of the night, okay?"
She shook her head, pulling the menu back to her. "If you say so."
Nora's POV
Just text him back, Nora.
"No. I don't need to. me out with her."
But you encouraged him! You set him up! The least you could do is show your support!
"I don't feel like showing my support."
When has that ever mattered? Come on, he needs a best friend around to give him advice!
"He can crawl back to me whenever he wants to." I groaned, rolling over for what felt like the hundredth time that night as I argued with my inner thoughts. "Also, I'm done with this argument, me."
He's going to worry.
I rolled my eyes. And that's how I know these are my thoughts and not some random person. He isn't worried about me. I'm Nora Valkyrie, the manliest girl in Beacon. I pulled his blanket closer to me, nuzzling his pillow a bit. I decided to take advantage of the fact he was gone. I was laying in his bed and wearing his giant hoodie. I just had to slip out of both before he got back or else I'd have to come up with a clever reason as to why I'm doing either of these things.
I'd been laying here for the past hour and a half just talking to myself, ignoring Pyrrha or Ren whenever they came in to see how I was doing. They knew, of course, that I was extremely upset that Jaune was out with Weiss. A lot of my friends had to deal with me complaining about my stupid crush on him. Especially Pyrrha and Ren. In fact, I think I even mentioned it to Weiss once. And she just. . . agreed to go out with him after that?
No, Nora, don't get annoyed at Weiss. You encouraged it.
I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling of the dorm room. My eyes felt swollen and still stung with tears that I had a feeling would go on all night if I didn't have any self-control. My nose was extremely red and stuffed up and I sounded like I had an awful cold. Is this what love does to you?
Whoa, back up there. Did I just so casually say love? Love wasn't that simple. I mean, I wasn't exactly sure, because I didn't have parents to watch love each other and care for each other. Just me and Ren, and though I did love him, it was different. I didn't like. . . wanna kiss him or marry him like I did with Jaune. Stop being so forward. Marriage and even a simple kiss always seemed too stressful to me, but the idea kept getting nicer and nicer with each day that passed. Having someone care for me like that? Nice. Having Jaune care for me like that? Amazing.
I never really needed love, but I definitely would like it. I liked him, and I didn't know what to do. He was so head over heels for Weiss, and even when he isn't thinking about her we just hang out like friends do. No matter how much I flirt or make him blush, he plays it off like I'm just messing around. I can't get mad, though, that's what I encourage him to think.
What would happen if he found out I liked him? I'd be ruined. He wouldn't return the feelings, and my first love and my first time even linking anything to the word love would be totally ruined. No, I don't want that. Just keep acting like your usual, carefree self, Nora. You don't have emotions, you're a bubbly, happy machine that is always good for a smile or pick-me-up.
I buried my face deeper into his hoodie, the warmth of it somewhat comforting me. That's right, cheer up. He's gonna want to talk about his night when he gets back. He needs your friendly ear.
Jaune's POV
"Haha, and one time, Nora and I were trying to get the jukebox to work, only without actually spending a coin, so she just took out Magnhild and-"
"Jaune."
"I uh - yeah?"
Weiss crossed her arms, ignoring the plate of salad that she ordered. I picked at my ramen, waiting to see why she interrupted me. It was a good story, wasn't it? She sighed, looking extremely defeated.
". . . Nothing, continue."
I waited to see if she was going to add anything else before hesitantly continuing. "Anyway, so Nora took out Magnhild and just slammed it onto the machine. That's why they have the old backup from their storage. We're still paying them off for that." I laughed, taking a quick bite of my food. This was way too much food for me, I was used to Nora eating some of it with me. She even used my chopsticks. Why did that make me want to blush? I'm not a middle schooler anymore, that's just what friends do.
"You two must come here a lot, hm?" She asked. She didn't sound annoyed, but I could tell something was on her mind. How do I approach her with feelings and stuff? She wasn't exactly the easiest to comfort. I just nervously grinned.
"Oh, yeah, all the time. This is the first place we actually hung out. The first time we came here, this creep starting flirting with her," I felt my blood boil at the memory, but I pushed it down, not wanting to stop mid-story. "Ugh, she had felt so uncomfortable and his words were completely uncalled for. It was one of the first times I actually saw her unable to stand up for herself. I dunno if it was out of fear or anger or what, but she just stood there and took it."
"What did you do?"
"I stepped in front of him and. . ." I felt my ears and the back of my neck burn in embarrassment. "I uh, pretended to be her boyfriend. He was a scrawny short guy, barely taller than her, so for once, I was actually able to intimidate someone. He gave her one last wink and then ran off, and I swear if she hadn't stopped me I would've gone after him. She asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend for the rest of the night."
She looked extremely sympathetic during the story, but I saw a hint of a smirk on her lips as I finished. "Why would she do that?"
"What?"
"Why would she ask you to pretend to be her boyfriend?"
"Because she didn't want anyone else to do what that guy did?"
"No, you complete dolt." Weiss leaned back in her chair a bit, rubbing her temples as if I was giving her a horrible migraine. "I mean, yes, she did want you to help her out if it were to happen again, but it wasn't because she was scared someone else would do it."
"Why else would she ask me to. . .?"
Before she could answer, I heard my phone ding. I immediately slid it out of my pocket to check and see if it was her.
Nora: thats nice. hope youre having fun with her
That was it? I mean, I was extremely glad to see she was alright and everything, but usually her texts were littered with emojis and hearts and-
Oh.
I glanced at my phone to Weiss, who nodded a bit. I felt my mind spin with thoughts that I couldn't keep up. She. . . Nora liked me? I mean, I guess I noticed something different about her earlier, but I didn't think much of it. Was it jealousy? I found it extremely difficult to imagine anyone getting jealous when it comes to me, let alone someone like Nora.
"She. . . No, don't be ridiculous. We're best friends, that's all."
"Jaune-"
"Nonono, she's my best friend, Weiss, that's all. There's- there's no way someone like her could like me! I mean, even if she did, I like you, so I'll just pretend I don't know about these feelings that she doesn't have and continue on with my life. This date. At my favorite restaurant."
"The same restaurant you two go to almost every night? The same best friend that you've mentioned in almost everything you've said tonight? Jaune, please." She grabbed my hand, giving it a small squeeze. "I know you like her. Don't waste this chance to be with someone you like for more than just their looks. You two deserve each other."
"For more than- wait, no, you're-"
She glared a bit. "Don't. Jaune, I appreciate the gesture, but we both know our personalities didn't exactly click tonight. We're good friends, Jaune. You're one of the greatest friends I could ask for. But I can't imagine us being more than that. And deep down, I know you can't either." She looked up at me. "Because there's someone else who already took that spot."
I stared at her, processing the sudden rush of feelings and thoughts that swarming in my head. Nora. Nora Valkyrie. Was that why I felt so flustered when she rubbed my arm? And why I had a giant swarm of butterflies in my stomach when she smiled at me and told me I looked nice? And why I literally couldn't stop thinking about her the entire night? Or ever, honestly. I dropped my head into my hands, pushing my full bowl of ramen aside.
"But. . ." I groaned, burying my face further into my hands. This was driving me insane. I was out on a date with the girl I had been going after for who knows how long. She gets me to consider that I've fallen for my best friend. I don't doubt it at all. The more I think about the past year or so, the more I realize I have definitely fallen for Nora. But what do I do about it? If she actually did like me, I can't imagine she'd want to see me right now. I just brushed her off and went out with Weiss. To our special place. I wanted to punch myself.
"It's not too late, Jaune," Weiss spoke up after a moment of silence. I glanced at her from the back of my hands. She may not have made my heart beat like crazy anymore, but she was still a really good person and I felt really bad for the entire night.
"You don't mind?"
She shook her head, grabbing her scroll out of her purse. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't, honestly." She reached into her purse again, pulling out her card. "I can handle dinner. Go, okay?"
I stared at her for a second before nodding, hurriedly pushing my chair from the table and scrambling towards the door. I could feel my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears and I honestly felt like I was going to throw up. Is this what an actual confession felt like? I couldn't imagine pulling out a guitar and playing some stupid song this time. I wanted to be honest and to actually explain (and figure out) what I was feeling. I pulled out my scroll as I waited for the light to turn green again.
I had told everyone I probably wouldn't be home for another hour or so. She was probably still in the dorms, right? I wanted to text her, but my battery was extremely low and my signal suddenly sucked. I impatiently waited for the light to turn, tempted to just run through the incoming traffic to make it go quicker. I don't think ending up in the hospital is the best way to approach the situation, though. I saw Weiss leave the restaurant from the corner of my eye and make a call on her scroll. Probably calling Yang to-
Wait. Weren't she and Yang pretty much dating? Did she. . .
I glanced back at her, but the traffic had picked up too much for me to see her face. Did she plan this all? So technically this wasn't my first date. This was all a setup. Did Nora know about it too? I glanced down at her text message again. No, I don't think she did. That only made me want to get there faster.
Nora's POV
Greeeat going, Nora. Just send him a super vague text that obviously shows your upset. Way to defy what you kept repeating to yourself.
"Cheerful. Supportive. Cheerful. Supportive." I threw a crumpled up piece of paper up with each word, losing count of how many times I had done it since I sent that stupid text. I let the paper fall on my face, letting a few more tears slide down my cheeks. I'd probably explode if I didn't let myself cry a few times tonight. I mean, I had another hour, out anyway.
I pulled his hoodie over my head, the warmth was all I had to comfort me right now. I hated that I'd have to take it off before he got back. What if I just kept it? Wore it around whenever I wanted like I was his girlfriend or something? Wouldn't that be a silly joke that I bet he'd go along with, completely clueless? I held my hand up towards the ceiling aimlessly, admiring how long the sleeves were on me.
This was honestly torture. Why would I encourage him to be with someone when I just wanted to be with him? I knew I was at least a decent person. He'd be pretty happy with me. I'd support him all the time and we could make pancakes together and have a huge family in the future with a giant dog and ten mini dogs. A super spoiled cat. We'd be the ultimate domestic family who also went out to fight Grimm for a living. He wouldn't have to live in a giant mansion like he would if he married Weiss. I'd love a little comfortable house.
I sighed, dropping my hand to my side weakly. Why did I act like we'd ever get married? I know next to nothing about relationships, but I do know that marriage is a really big deal and I can't just throw it around like that with someone who is clearly very interested in someone else. I glanced over at my phone, which was still open with our conversation up. He hadn't messaged back. I bet he was having a grand old time. I felt my stomach twist a bit.
Were they. . . had they kissed at all? Has he had his first kiss? Would it be Weiss? I felt the small twist in my stomach turn into a massive knot, and I curled up a bit instinctively. If I was the reason he got his first kiss from someone that wasn't me I don't think I'd ever forgive myself.
I turned my screen off after staring at it for a bit. I knew he wasn't going to message back anytime soon. If he was he would have already. I wish I hadn't waited so long. I could've spammed him. Kept him super busy so that he wouldn't have had the time to kiss her or anything. They're probably off sharing our favorite dessert right now and-
I shrieked when the door suddenly slammed open, abruptly ending my trail of thought. I was so startled that I actually fell off of the bed, landing down on the floor with a loud thud. "Oof, Ruby, if this is about the movie you and Blake are watching so help- oh."
What was he doing back so early?
I glanced down at my body, which was stilled being warmed by his hoodie. I felt my entire body radiate with an extremely embarrassed blush. "Oh- hey, nerd! You uh- left this on the chair, and you know what they say, finders keeper-"
"I know you like me."
I stared at him for a moment before offering a weak chuckle. "Uh, what?"
"I know you like me, Nora. Weiss told me."
I wasn't sure if hearing him say that lifted some weight off of my shoulders or added another ton to it, but whatever I felt it was very overwhelming. I just forced a laugh, slowly pulling myself back onto the bed. He made his way over to me but didn't sit down.
"That's ridiculous, Jaune. Did you rush all the way back just for that? Jeez, I knew she'd probably try to find a way to get rid of you, but I didn't think it'd involve me!" I knew that I should have slipped out of the hoodie, but it made me feel a bit less on the spot in the situation, even if my heart was pounding rapidly against it.
"Nora, come on, don't. . . don't tell me you don't." He clenched his fist, a conflicted and tired expression replacing his usual happy one. I was, for once, speechless. Was this a dream? Had I fallen asleep during his date with Weiss? I slipped my arms from the sleeves into the hoodie, pinching my thigh. Nope.
And cue the panic. "Look, it's not a big deal, okay? I'm totally fine with the fact you really like Weiss! I'm okay with just staying friends. I don't want to ruin our friendship, so just forget all about it, okay? I'm sure what she told you was wrong anyway."
He sat down on the bed across from me, avoiding eye contact. He didn't say anything for a good five minutes, and I was just hoping he'd accept my offer and forget about it. He took a breath, staring down at the floor.
"It wasn't just what she told me that made me hurry back here, Nora. I knew something was weird about meeting up with Weiss that night. I mean, yeah, I was pretty excited at the fact she actually accepted, but beyond that?" He shook his head. "No butterflies. No excitement. Just. . . it was happening, and I was going along with it."
"Who said love had to be all butterflies and blushing twenty-four seven?" I brushed his comments off. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I didn't want to disappoint him with my own feelings. I wasn't exactly the most loving and caring, and I definitely couldn't imagine being all lovey-dovey all of the time. But at the same time, the thought was kind of nice? See, I'd be horrible to date, I don't even know what I want to be like.
"Yeah, I know, but it didn't feel like anything. In fact, I didn't feel much of anything until I sent you that text and never got a message back. I kept thinking about it and worrying about it, and it was really hard to not text you while we waited for dinner." He looked at me, his really nice blue eyes staring into mine softly. "I couldn't stop thinking - or talking - about you."
I shook my head quickly, breaking our eye contact to stare down at my hands. "No, don't do this, Jaune, please."
"Do- do what? Was I wrong to bring it up-"
"No." I started playing with my fingers, trying to keep my emotions in check. Cheerful. Supportive. Cheerful. Supportive. "You weren't wrong. I do like you. I like you a lot. And your words mean a lot, but I don't want you rushing here because you feel bad."
"What?" He sounded genuinely confused. "It's not because I feel bad. I talked about you nonstop while we waited for our food. I told her almost every possible story we had of this place, and then about things you did at school, and then about how often we text. I didn't even realize it until she pointed it out. I kept expecting to look across the table and see you and your adorable smile, and even though Weiss is nice, it was always so disappointed to see her instead of you."
I wanted to cry. Was it out of happiness? Stress? Disbelief? I have no idea. But I knew I looked like I was holding back tears because he suddenly looked extremely nervous.
"I'm sorry- what did I do?"
I took a shaky breath, finally looking up at him. I couldn't help but smile a little. He was still wearing the same button up and vest, but his hair was nicely disheveled again and he was starting to smell like his old self. I could see in his face that he was being completely honest in his words. "Look, if this is all to make me feel better, or if it's some kind of lame joke-"
"I promise that it isn't either of those things." His voice was the most serious I have ever heard it. I stayed silent as he sighed. "Look, I don't entirely understand what's going on-"
"When do you ever?" I quipped, and he sent me a playful glare.
"But I do know that I was miserable without you there. And the thought of going back with anyone else is awful. The thought of going out with anyone else like that is awful. I want you to take their place."
I stared at him hopefully, a genuine rush of happiness consuming me. "So- does that mean you like. . . want. . . to go out with me?"
He laughed a bit, sounding just as nervous as I felt. He looked over at me and smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, it does."
I couldn't contain the loud squeal that slipped through my lips. I wanted to hug him right there, but I was able to gather enough self-control to stop myself. "And this isn't just for fun? It's like. . . you like me?"
His soft smile turned into a bright grin that sent my heart flying. "I feel a lot of bright and also really annoying things when I'm with you."
"Annoying?"
"Yeah, the whole butterflies in my stomach and the 'I can do anything with her by my side' thought process. I've never actually fallen in love, but I think this is a pretty big indication that it's happening right now."
I let the tears I was holding back all night stream down my cheeks, but I didn't feel sad. I felt overwhelmed and happy and relieved and it was such an overwhelming rush of so many amazing things. I wiped my cheeks with the sleeves of his hoodie.
"Also, you look way better in that than I do." He leaned forward to gently wipe a tear from under my eye. I snickered a bit, sniffling.
"Yeah, I can't disagree." I held up the sleeve, my hand only reaching to where his elbow would be if he were wearing it. "I hope you don't mind that I'm wearing it."
"No, no, no!" He waved his arms quickly to show that he didn't mind at all, and I laughed a little bit. Not that the gesture was extremely funny or anything, I was just really happy and still kind of in shock. I glanced over at him.
"So. . . did you two kiss?" I asked, and his face turned bright red at the sudden topic change.
"What? No way! She didn't even consider it a date. She and Yang have kind of been a thing, remember? That's probably why she actually agreed to go out with me. So I'd stop bugging her." He didn't look hurt like he used to when he mentioned her turning him down. I felt extremely relieved that he hadn't kissed her, but the other question was still on my mind.
"So. . . neither of us has had our first kiss then?" I asked quietly, and his eyes widened a bit in surprise.
"I- you haven't had yours either?" His voice cracked a bit as though he was holding back the excitement. I scooted a bit closer to the edge of the bed so that our knees were touching. I shook my head.
"Not a lot of time for kissing when you're living in the woods with your practical brother." I pointed out, and he leaned a bit closer to me as well. "I guess I was saving it for someone special."
His face returned to the bright red color that it had been at only a few seconds ago. "I- yeah?"
I smiled, quickly leaning forward to peck his cheek. "Haha, got ya, you ner-"
He interrupted me with a very quick kiss and pulled away before I had the chance to actually react to it. I stared at him, my face now heating to unhealthy temperatures as I gazed at him wide-eyed. He blinked, his eyes shining with worry.
"Was that too sudden? I mean- I know we just like figured everything out so I understand if you aren't ready for-"
I leaned forward, softly cupping his face and pulling him into the softest kiss I could offer. I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, our lips were barely touching, but it felt really gentle and nice, so it must have been a decent kiss, right? I closed my eyes as he nervously kissed back, his hands softly wrapping around my wrists. It wasn't anything huge, but it felt like it lasted for hours. I rested my forehead on his, my eyes still closed tight.
"I've been ready for that for like, two years, dork." I brushed my thumb against his cheek before sitting back on his bed. My heart was still racing from finally kissing him and my head was a completely disorganized mess. I knew two things, though. First, I definitely owe Weiss an apology, and second, every second I spent waiting to call this nerd mine was beyond worth it.
A/N
It's about time I wrote something for my favorite pairing ever. The title "avoir le béguin" is to have a crush on in French. Correct me if I'm wrong though I only took a year of it.
Shout out to my girlfriend for always inspiring me to write. Especially for Nora's Arc. ^-^