Neo focused on taking deep breaths, her eyes darting between the clock and the door. Her stomach was queasy, her palms sweating more than they ever had. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her heel from tapping against the floor. 'Only a few minutes.' The minute hand ticked, her heart rate spiking once again. 'Or two, yeah. Two. That's fine. I'm fine. I can do this…' Only two more minutes and she'd be putting her plan into action.

Neo's eyes darted across the room, butterflies fluttering in her chest. There she was, Autumn. Neo had seen her pull the small note out of her desk, knew she'd read the request to meet someone behind the school. Neo already had a card prepped and waiting, hidden in the folds of her notebook. It explained everything. Her feelings, her desires, what she liked about Autumn and why she'd chosen now to ask her out.

Prom was upon them, an end of year party where students could invite each other to dress up and dance the night away. Neo was hoping for a little bit more in time, but the dance seemed like as good a time as any to get the ball rolling. She and Autumn had become quick friends only a month prior, with next to no interactions previously. Neo hoped it was because Autumn had found a kindred soul within her. Hoped she felt the same way.

Neo took her time when the bell finally rang, collecting her books as slowly as she dared to try and appear at ease. She glanced in Autumn's direction and noticed she wasn't following suit, her hands working with expedience to stash her school supplies away and get out the door. Neo hurried to try and keep up, not wanting to keep her waiting too long.

Neo's heart was beating a ferocious melody in her chest by the time Autumn stepped out. Neo threw the last of her things haphazardly into place and stood up, following a couple dozen steps behind and doing her best to blend in with the crowd. It wasn't too difficult, considering her height. She only needed the occasional glimpse of the girl ahead to follow in her footsteps.

Autumn descended the stairs rapidly and turned the corner, heading directly for an exit that led out behind the school. With everyone still preparing to leave, it was the best chance for a hidden proposal. Neo waited at the corner until she'd heard the heavy door click, then stepped out lightly to follow. She reached the door and placed a hand on it, the other clutching her notebook and letter against her pounding chest.

Given a few moments to prepare, Neo took a deep breath, and walked out.

Autumn spun on her heel at the sound of the door opening. Her expectant face dropped slightly into one of confusion, but she smiled all the same. "Oh, hey Neo! What are you doing out here?"

Swallowing in trepidation, Neo stepped forward to shakily hand her the letter. Autumn's eyes widened as she accepted it, turning it over in her hands to open it and begin reading. Neo sat back on her heels, notebook raised protectively against her chest. She watched Autumn with hawk-like eyes, taking note of every expression that flickered across her face.

The other girl's cheeks started to burn. Autumn bit her lip, eyes glued to the thick page. She finished and lowered her hand, the letter now held at her side in loose fingers. Her other raised to the back of her neck, rubbing it in embarrassment.

"Um, Neo… about that…"

Neo's heart dropped, already hearing the note of denial in her voice.

"I've actually been trying to get closer to Jaune…"

Neo's hands fell breathlessly. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, the flimsy hope she'd been holding torn from her grasp in a single sentence. One hand raised reflexively, signing 'Oh, I see' despite Autumn not understanding sign language. Neo had no clue what to do next and could only stand there, desperately trying to sort out her emotions and pull herself back together.

Autumn stepped closer and held the letter out, incapable of bringing herself to say anything more. Neo accepted it with shaky hands, not moving as the girl walked silently past her and back into the school. Feeling numb, Neo moved over to the wall and slid down it, sitting in the dirt with her knees raised to her chest. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she blinked rapidly to keep herself from crying.

Neo sniffed and wiped her eyes quickly, hearing the classroom window above her open. Her eyes shot up, just in time to see a pair of legs climbing out to fall down next to her. Jaune's body transitioned smoothly, his back sliding down the wall to sit in the dirt next to Neo.

Jaune let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. "She wasn't good enough for you anyway."

Neo curled her knees up further, hands moving past to sign. 'You heard everything? How did you even find me…?'

Jaune scoffed, leaning closer to push his shoulder against Neo's. "Do you really think I wouldn't notice? My vibrant, fun loving sister suddenly turning into a nervous wreck? Glancing over at another girl all day and staring at the clock? You were so focused on her when you left that you didn't even notice when I followed you both~"

Neo sighed, turning her head away slightly. 'Alright, go ahead. Laugh it up. The girl I liked ended up liking you instead. It must be hilarious.'

Jaune frowned, "What's so funny about my little sister getting turned down? I'm trying to comfort you, you dunce, not make things worse."

'Oh…'

Neo felt herself choking up. She blinked even more quickly in a hopeless attempt to hold back her tears. She leaned further into Jaune, past his shoulder and across his chest. He got the hint quickly, raising his arms to wrap her in a hug. One hand rubbed her opposite shoulder affectionately, her brother doing his best to ease her suffering.

Incapable of holding back any longer, Neo's tears fell. She breathed shakily, letting it all out while Jaune waited patiently. When he hugged her a little tighter, she dropped her head to rest it across his arm.

"You'll find someone better than her, Neo. I promise. There's a girl out there for you somewhere. One that deserves to be with the coolest kid in Arcus. One that will be just as excited to be with you as you are for them. Autumn wasn't worth you time. She doesn't know what she's missing."

'You really think so?'

Jaune laughed once, "I know so. You're like a ten on a scale that only goes up to five. Don't let this one little setback slow you down."

Neo sniffed, pulling herself up to wipe the tears from her eyes and smile shakily back. 'I am pretty great, aren't I?'

Jaune smirked, "Are you kidding? Give it a year or two and you'll be the most popular girl in school. Who else can do a triple backflip, or change their hair color on command?"

'Nobody~'

"Damn straight. If the girls don't start lining up then that's their problem."

Neo laughed silently, raising a hand to hold it against her mouth while her chest mimicked the motions. She felt better, far better than she had only a few minutes ago. Neo turned to smile appreciatively at Jaune, love for her brother filling her heart and pushing out all else.

"Thanks, Jaune."

Neo's hands stilled, her eyes going wide as she heard the words leaving her lips. She hesitated for only a moment, stuttering as she tried to speak again.

"D-Did I just…?" Neo raised a hand to her throat, not feeling the familiar pain taking hold. Her eyes watered anew as an overbearing happiness exploded in her chest. "I… I can speak… I can speak!"

Jaune and Neo bolted to their feet in unison, embracing joyously. Neo's body vibrated with energy, her mind scouring itself for ideas on what to do next, what to say next.

"Ravioli! Zebra! Beowolf!"

"That's amazing, Neo!" Jaune laughed happily, letting go long enough to look towards the corner of the building. "We should go! We have to get home so we can surprise everyone else!"

Neo nodded profusely, snatching up her notebook and card to begin quickly walking with Jaune. They made it around the edge of the building and out on to the road, heading towards their home with just the two of them.

"I can't believe I can finally talk! It's been so long-" Panic flashed through Neo's mind, a question burning it's way to the forefront. "D-Do I sound weird? I don't sound weird do I!?"

Jaune smirked, "You sound exactly how I imagined you would, honestly. It really fits you~"

Neo smiled, reassured. She began to speak without having anything in particular to say, just doing it for the sake of releasing everything she'd pent up for the last five years. Neo told Jaune about her troubles with girls, her future plans for decorating her room, the clothes she thought looked cutest, about the leotard their mother had ordered for her. Anything and everything that came to mind.

Jaune only walked next to her patiently, commenting when asked but otherwise letting her get it all out.

It felt like no time at all before they were walking down the final strip of driveway, the family home resting just ahead. Neo ran the last few feet to the porch and leapt up the steps. Several of her sisters and Aurora were inside, all glancing in her direction after the front door was suddenly thrown open. She stood at the threshold, hesitation suddenly flooding through her limbs.

A twinge of panic shot through Neo's chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but could only let out a dry rasp. She doubled over as she started to cough, covering her mouth with one hand while pain lanced through her throat. 'What the hell!?'

"Neo!? Are you okay!?" The twins, Elaine and Jasmine, both ran to either side to hold her as she coughed. Neo shook her head, staggering further in while Jaune followed worriedly behind.

"Jaune, what happened?" Aurora demanded, hands on her hips and a worried glint in her eyes.

Jaune stared in confusion, momentarily shocked before stammering out, "N-Neo managed to talk to me. She was just talking before we got here."

Neo raised her eyes, seeing the small frown of doubt on Aurora's lips.

'It's true!' She tried to shout, but only coughed louder as another flash of pain tore through her throat. Neo raised her hands, feeling an overbearing itch just beneath the surface, one that she couldn't quite scratch.

'It's true,' Neo signed instead, taking her hands off her throat in order to get the words across. Elaine and Jasmine gently rubbed her back. Iris hurriedly brought her a tall glass of water from the kitchen, some drops sloshing out to land on the floor. Neo drank it greedily, feeling some small relief when the cold water ran soothingly down her throat.

"Okay, okay. I believe you," Aurora spoke reassuringly, raising her hands to try and stop any further outbursts. "We'll call up Doctor Sheen and see what he has to say about it, maybe even schedule another appointment. Until then, take it easy. Remember that it's a marathon, not a race. Some setbacks are to be expected."

Neo's breath rasped. She nodded acceptance and pulled away from the twins, feeling all of her excitement from earlier vanish. 'I'm going to my room,' Neo signed dejectedly, heading up the stairs slowly. She stepped into her room and locked the door, falling on her bed to stare at the ceiling. One hand raised, forearm now resting across her forehead.

'What happened? I was able to talk just fine before we got home…'

Neo sighed raggedly, closing her eyes. She was mentally exhausted from having her world turned on its head twice in a row. From having her hopes dashed so viciously.

Neo didn't know exactly how long she was laying there before she heard footsteps outside her door, and a gentle knock on the wood.

Jaune's muffled voice came through, "Hey Neo, you wanna let me in?"

Neo waited a few moments before opening her eyes and slipping off her bed. She crossed the room to unlock the door and retreated back, letting Jaune open it himself while she sat back down. He closed the door behind him and followed along, sitting on the bed next to her while thinking of what to say.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

With the pain finally receding, Neo glanced up. The feeling from earlier had returned, when they'd been behind the school and she'd spoken for the first time. Neo opened her mouth hesitantly, expecting to feel another lance of pain in her throat at any moment.

It never came.

"I… I think I can only talk when you're around…"

Neo was just as confused inside as Jaune looked outside. He frowned, pondering what Neo had said and the fact that she'd just proven her theory moments before. He spoke slowly, trying to help her piece it together. "Your mutism… Your psychiatrist said it was a mental block, right? Maybe… maybe you managed to get rid of it when I'm around, but not when you're around anyone else?"

Neo's eyebrows drew together in thought. She raised a hand to her throat, feeling how the itch beneath the skin had vanished. "That could be it… But why can't I talk to everyone else? I love them, too… I want to talk to them…"

Jaune smiled softly, a light teasing tone entering his voice as he pushed Neo on the shoulder. "Guess you just love me more. I'll take that as a compliment~" He sat back, leaning against his hands on the bed. "Thinking about it though, we have spent the most time together. We have the same classes and live in the same house. No one else gets to see you quite as often… Maybe it's just a matter of time before you're able to talk to them, too?"

Neo sighed, "I hope so…"

Jaune grinned, "And in the meantime, you can practice with me!" He leaned closer, bumping a shoulder into her before pulling himself fully on to the bed and getting comfortable. "So, watcha wanna talk about, sis? I'm all ears~"

Neo laughed, feeling a glimmer of happiness return. She pulled herself further on to the bed and lay down next to him, scouring her mind for a topic they could both talk about.

"So, Autumn was a bust… Do you think Maya likes me? I've caught her looking my way a few times but I'm not sure…"

Jaune shook his head, "Nah, Maya wants to go out with Cobalt. He sits right next to you, remember?" He smirked playfully, glancing her way, "You're really bad at this, aren't you? Picking up on other girls' feelings, I mean."

Neo crossed her arms in a pout, "It's not like I have a lot of practice!" She thought for a moment, taking the time to think about the other girls in class.

There weren't many options.

"Okay, what about…"

Neo spoke with Jaune well into the evening. By the time he said goodnight and left her room, her throat was aching from how much she'd used it.

It was hard, talking for the first time in years. Even so…

Neo was determined to get better.

A shorter chapter, but important nonetheless. It seems cracks are starting to form in Neo's disability. She's pushing past her traumas, one sibling at a time. It won't be long before she's finally able to speak with all of them, the second family that she loves so much.

Thanks for reading,

- Sybaen