Chapter 11: Acceptance

The tension in the air was palpable, Jaune's large family sat around the lounge on any seat available, some of the younger ones sitting on laps or the floor in complete silence. Jaune's mother Vanilla came in with a large tray. "Hey everyone. Guess who made some of her famous lemonade!"

All the girls cheered as the drinks were served out with ice cubes and straws. A murmur of happy noises were heard around the room, even Jaune's father softened slightly as he tasted the sweet lemonade.

The scarlet haired huntress tried a sip and her face lit up. "This is wonderful Mrs Arc! its very tasty."

Vanilla blushed and shook her hand. "Oh its nothing. its not often I get to see my son, let alone his beautiful girlfriend. And call me Vanilla, you're making me feel old!"

Pyrrha blushed at the comment. "Sorry, thank you Vanilla."

Jaune's father spoke up, his deep voice instantly silencing the room. "I think its time you explained Jaune."

Jaune took a deep breath and put down his lemonade reluctantly. "Very well. First things first. Pyrrha, this is my dad, Platinum. Dad, this is Pyrrha Nikos, my girlfriend."

"It's an honour to meet you Mr Arc."

Platinum's eyes bored into Pyrrha, as though searching her very soul. Pyrrha struggled to contain a shiver and maintain her smile. "Welcome Ms Nikos." His voice cold and emotionless.

"So no doubt you all want to know why I'm... older... I'll start from the beginning." Jaune told of the battle during the breach, how Pyrrha was killed in front of him by Cinder. Jaune's family, except his father, were sobbing at the tale and Jaune struggled to hold back tears at the memory. Jaune continued with how he survived beyond the safety of Vale for a while in order to train himself, which Pyrrha quickly corrected to be over eight months, much to the embarrassment of Jaune. How he discovered his semblance and what he realised it would do and cost him. Gathering the warriors to hold back the Grimm during his semblance and the battle itself, leaving out the final part.

With tears running down her face and sobbing occasionally, Pyrrha continued the story and filled in the parts Jaune missed out. "With his shield glowing... r-red hot... and his arm... and his arm b-burning..."

Holding her arm gently, Jaune looked into her eyes. "Pyrrha... You don't have to..."

"H-he was launched at the Turtle-Lion monster still breathing fire... straight into its mouth... He c-closed his shield before hitting the beast... f-flames all around him... and opened it again in its mouth to jam it open. He stabbed the roof of its mouth, piercing its brain and was... and was shook loose by the death throes of the beast. When he stood up... I saw... he had... he had a t-tooth... s-stuck through his stomach..." At this, Pyrrha broke down completely sobbing into Jaune's shoulder, her body trembling and shaking at the memory of Jaune covered in blood.

"It... it wasn't that bad really." Jaune sheepishly mumbled.

"Not that bad?! There was blood everywhere Jaune, you nearly... you nearly d-died..." Anger at Jaune's dismissiveness of his injuries overtook Pyrrha and she lifted his shirt up in a flash of motion. "You call that nothing!"

Before Jaune could react and hide the scar, his family saw the round wound that hadn't fully healed with scar tissue yet. Nearly four inches across, his family gasped at the sight of it. Jaune's mother reaching out to steady herself on his father's shoulder as she turned white. Even Jaune's stoic father raised an eyebrow at the massive wound and noticed the myriad smaller ones on his body.

Looking around the room with nine women crying and sobbing, wondering what to do, Jaune decided to conclude his story dramatically raising his arms. "And now we're here!" A quick glance and Jaune could see the crying was unabated, Jaune dropped his arms in defeat.

Ignoring the sobs in the room, Platinum's deep voice spoke up. "So what you're saying, is that you can bring people back to life at the cost of you ageing as many years as they were alive?"

Jaune merely nodded at his father.

"And you did all of that, for her..."

At the tone of Platinum's voice Jaune snapped his head up and fixed his father with a glare. "Yes, and I'd do it again without a second thought."

He stood up and slowly paced over to his son, towering above Jaune where he was sat. Platinum grabbed Jaune by the front of his shirt and lifted him to his feet and held him there, neither moving a muscle, glaring at each other.

Jaune's mother called out "Darling! What are you-"

Unexpectedly, Platinum let go of Jaune's shirt and wrapped his arms around his son. "I doubt any of our predecessors would agree, but you followed your heart to protect that which you love. I am proud of you."

Jaune thought his face was going to crack from the shock of his father's announcement. His father had never said such words to him before, only scorn and disappointment. "I... I... Thanks d-dad..." Tears welled up in Jaune's eyes.

"Ms Nikos, come here!" Platinum barked out, a furious scowl on his face.

Pyrrha nervously stood up and held her head in shame, ready for whatever punishment he would deal. Before Jaune could say a word, Platinum pulled her into a bear hug with him and his son. "If my son did all of that for you, you must be a worthy woman. Jaune's no fool when it comes to those he loves. I've heard of the help you've given him. Thank you."

Pyrrha couldn't utter a single word at the praise given my Jaune's father. She just started sobbing with tears again, hugging into both of them.

"Oh dad, she'd just stopped crying..." The smile on Jaune's face only marred by the tears running down it.

A little while later when everyone had finished crying and the discussion subject changed, Vanilla spoke up. "Dinner will be ready soon, Jaune please take Pyrrha's things upstairs and show her around."

"Sure thing mom."

With his backpack on and Pyrrha's travel case in hand he led Pyrrha upstairs. "The bathroom is just around the corner to the left here with a shower and bath. There's another bathroom under the stairs with a toilet and shower if it's busy here. Having such a large family can be a pain."

Pyrrha chuckled at the comment. "Thanks Jaune. Looks like everyone gets on well though."

"Yeah there's very few arguments unless one of the girls used someone else's shampoo... then it all kicks off..." Jaune's eyes rolled as he remembered the last time, it took him weeks to scrub the smell of shampoo out of walls and furniture.

Leading Pyrrha around the corner, Jaune opened a door. "This is my room... or was my room."

Pyrrha looked around at the bare room with only a simple bed, wardrobe, desk and a chair to be seen. The walls a pale blue with nothing on them. "Did your parents move all of your things out?"

Dropping his backpack on the floor, Jaune looked out the window over the fields beyond. "No it was always like this, a few clothes in the wardrobe but otherwise the same." Turning to look at her expression, Jaune continued. "Aren't all boys this boring? What were you expecting?"

"Oh no! I meant no disrespect! I just thought boys had posters of girls on their walls or sports perhaps? I've never been in a boy's room before."

"Ah right. I wasn't really into sports and never knew the latest trends. Wouldn't have had the money for anything like that as a kid." Jaune seemed lost in thought for a moment. Before Pyrrha could open her mouth, Jaune spoke up. "Right, let's show you your room then."

"My room?"

Jaune made for the door with her bags in hand. "Yeah, it's just down the hall."

"Oh... thank you Jaune." Pyrrha couldn't hide her disappointment but as usual, Jaune was too dense to notice.

Jaune showed Pyrrha her room which was a mix of pink and purples on every conceivable surface. "Sorry for the colour scheme, my parents let the twins paint their own room once..."

"Its fine Jaune, it's very girly. I like it. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to freshen up before dinner." With that she took her case from Jaune and softly closed the door behind her, leaving a speechless Jaune at the door with his mouth flapping uselessly as he wondered what he had done wrong.

Jaune's eldest sister Aureolin appeared from the room next door and leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed. "Oh Jaune, you haven't changed a bit. Still hopeless with women."

"What did I do?" Jaune breathlessly mumbled as he tried to figure it out.

Aureolin sighed. "Isn't it obvious? She wanted to sleep with you. You numbskull." With a roll of her eyes she went back into her room and closed the door.

Jaune's mind tumbled for a few minutes, fighting himself on what he should do. Summoning his courage he knocked on Pyrrha's door.

"Is dinner already done? That was quick." The frown visible on Pyrrha's face told Jaune that she was still upset.

"N-No not yet... I just wanted to say... that if you need anything... at any time... you can just... come into my room... and wake me... I'll leave it unlocked... so... yeah... don't hesitate..." Jaune's face was a deep shade of scarlet, unable to look Pyrrha in the eyes for more than a moment.

Pyrrha's face turned a subtle shade of scarlet herself at Jaune's words, understanding the hidden meaning, a big smile forming. "T-thank you Jaune, I'll keep it in mind."

A short while later a voice rang up the stairs. "Dinner is ready everyone!"

At the sound of Vanilla's voice, all of Jaune's sisters sprinted out of their rooms and down the stairs, leaving Jaune stood at his doorway with a grin on his face. "Some things never change." Holding out a hand to Pyrrha, she smiled and walked over to hold it as they walked down the stairs together.

At the table they were greeted with a large spread of food. A huge chunk of roasted beef sat in the middle of the table, neatly sliced. Potatoes, honey roasted parsnips, carrots, small pastry puddings and a large jug of gravy arranged around the meat.

Seeing everyone was sat down, Platinum, at the head of the table spoke up, back to his usual ruthless conversational style. "Dig in everyone before it goes cold!"

Vanilla, sat across from Pyrrha looked at her with a smile. "If you'd like something different, just say and I can whip you up something."

"Thank you for the offer Vanilla, this looks amazing! It's my favourite meal but I rarely let myself have one due to my diet."

"Well I'm glad Jaune was right. Eat as much as you like!"

Pyrrha glanced at Jaune whilst speaking to Vanilla. "Jaune asked you to cook this?"

Jaune silently made cutting motions across his throat, desperately trying to get his mother to not continue the conversation.

Vanilla grinned at her son as she continued. "Yes, he said it was your favourite meal and wanted you to feel relaxed here, so he asked me to cook it up and mentioned your favourite vegetables to go with it. He even told me how you like each part cooked and your favourite herbs. Next time I'll get him to cook it all and take it easy." Chuckling at Jaune's embarrassment as he slapped himself in the forehead.

"R-really? Jaune told you all of that... and he can cook?" The look of disbelief on Pyrrha's face, only matched by her smile.

Vanilla reached into her apron pocket and produced a notepad handing it to her. "Yes, here's the notes he told me to take. He's such a considerate boy. He's a very good cook too. When his father and I were still working the fields late at night, Jaune would cook as he was the eldest."

Unable to hide his embarrassment Jaune turned to his mother. "Mom! ...I had help from Aureolin though! She's much better than me!"

Aureolin swallowed a mouthful of carrot and looked down the table. "Only on sweet dishes and cakes. Jaune can make a great chocolate sponge cake though Pyrrha! Several layers of sponge, chocolate cream in the middle, mousse on top with little chocolate buttons... Mmmm." All of the women around the table mimed the noise as they thought of Jaune's last cake.

"You can bake too Jaune? I had no idea and I can't believe you remembered so much about my favourite meal..." Shocked at the detail on the notes Vanilla had passed to her.

Jaune looked down at his meal, playing with his food. "Well... I liked you ever since the Emerald Forest... So I paid extra attention to the things you liked and disliked..."

Pyrrha dropped the notepad and covered her mouth. "You... y-you liked me... all the way back then...? But I thought... Weiss..."

Without his gaze leaving his food, Jaune continued. "You're a superstar... a no talent bumpkin like me wouldn't have a shot at being with a woman like you... even if I did, I felt you deserved someone... better... With Weiss... I was trying to move on and ignore my feelings for you. She's nice...ish but you captivated me."

Everyone in the room let out a simultaneous "Aww" at Jaune's comment with the exclusion of his father who raised an eyebrow at the effect of his son's words.

Gently cupping his chin, Pyrrha turned Jaune's face towards her. "Oh Jaune... You're a wonderful man and I'm lucky to have you, not the reverse." Tears of happiness welling up in her bright green eyes.

Jaune smiled at Pyrrha and wiped away a tear on her cheek. "I'm not a very good boyfriend if I keep making you cry!"

Pyrrha's musical laughter rung out. "The only tears I shed with you, are that of happiness. Also... I'm not the only woman you make cry..."

Looking around the room, Jaune noticed the other girls were similarly sniffing and wiping away tears. "Oh not again... I'll get the tissues."

As Jaune rose to get the tissues, Platinum's deep voice interrupted him. "Seeing as this looks to be a regular occurrence, when you go into town, pick up some more tissues... lady slayer." Platinum's grin, odd on his usually expressionless face was infectious.

"Don't you start too dad! It's bad enough with all these girls embarrassing me!" Jaune couldn't help but smile at his dad's surprising grin.

When Jaune returned with the box of tissues, all heads were turned towards his eldest sister Aureolin. "...and the day before the prom my date broke up with me and went with another girl! I was devastated! Later that night Jaune calmed me down and told me not to worry and that I should still get ready for the dance. I argued there was no point but he wouldn't have it, he told me my date would be there at five the next night to take me to the prom."

Jaune froze in the doorway as he heard the story. "Oh no... Not this one..."

"So come five I heard the doorbell ring and I opened the door and who's standing there? My dorky brother in an impeccable suit with a small bouquet of flowers! I dreaded going with him as we arrived at the prom because he could dance... about as well as he could fight... When the music started and he dragged me on the dance floor he was... Oum-like! He was super nervous but his dancing was amazing! I've never seen him move like that!"

Captivated by the story, Pyrrha was leaning over the table so far her hair was almost in her dinner plate. "I thought you said he was a bad dancer? How did he become so good? When he danced with me he was amazing too."

Jaune interrupted from across the room. "Alcohol! Yup alcohol, that's what did it! No need to continue the story!"

Ignoring Jaune, Aureolin blushed as she continued the story. "Turns out, when he found out my date had broken up with me, he went into town and begged a tailor to lend him the suit and shoes for a day. Jaune ended up helping the tailor for a few days in his store after the prom as part of the deal. Once he had the suit, he pleaded with a local dance teacher to instruct him until he was ready for the dance the following night!"

"Normally I'd be surprised hearing things like that, but Jaune is a very different story." Pyrrha smiled at Jaune who still stood frozen in the doorway wondering how many more embarrassing stories his family would share.

"Yeah, he's a pretty amazing brother. The instructor agreed and she taught him all through the night and the next day until he was ready. When we got home after the prom, Jaune couldn't walk the next day as his feet were covered in blisters from being in shoes he hadn't broken in yet. He's such an amazing brother!"

Jaune walked over, gently placing the box of tissues on the table and sitting back down. "It wasn't anything special. Any brother would so the same for his sister." Jaune tried to cover his face with one hand as he leant on the table, counting exactly how many stories he didn't want shared.

"It was special Jaune. It's also because you think it's not, that makes you so special." With that, Pyrrha gave Jaune a quick kiss on his lips before he could react. Jaune's family cooed their delight at the show of affection.

Jaune, deciding to enact some form of revenge for the continued embarrassment, slipped an arm around Pyrrha's waist, the other under her arm cradling her neck from behind and drew her in for a long sensual kiss. Pyrrha's eyes opened wide in shock but soon closed as she enjoyed the kiss. No cooing was forthcoming from his family as they could only stare with their mouths agape at Jaune's unexpected assertiveness.

Interrupting the moment, Platinum's deep voice murmured. "That's my boy!" Raising his newspaper once again now he had ascertained the reason of the sudden silence.

Jaune pulled away from Pyrrha and watched her slowly open her eyes. "Two can play that game foxy."

"So... I get kisses for embarrassing you?"

Panicking slightly seeing his plan to embarrass Pyrrha had backfired, Jaune stood up waving his arms in front of him. "Wait! No! That's not what-"

Cutting across Jaune, Pyrrha turned down the table with a Cheshire grin. "Anyone have any more stories about Jaune?"

Everyone raised a hand much to Jaune's discomfort. "Oh fiddlesticks..."