Sorry for the long wait. Between my original stories, my eyes, writers block, and other fanfics I am writing, this took longer than I expected. As soon as I got a good wind of creativity behind me, I finished it! I hope you all enjoy it.

By the way, this story will come to a part where it splits from linear to nonlinear. In other words: there will be multiple story lines where he chooses one girl over the others, and it goes from there. One of those story lines will be the special "bonus" story line ending, the harem one. You are welcome, ya filthy animals. ;)


The weekend had finally come for our lovable blond knight, his team, and team RWBY. He had decided that he would make Yang go an entire day without teasing anyone, to which Yang started breaking down crying. She regained some composure when he said she could still tell puns and that he would take her out to eat for her being a good sport about it. He then agreed the day he would be taking her out on the town would be the on the up-coming Monday. This earned a glare from Ruby and Velvet towards the Blonde Brawler.

That, however, was not what was happening right now. Right now, he was hanging out with Miss Ruby Rose. He walked to team RWBY's dorm room from his dorm, which, as we all know, is located across the hall from theirs.

As Jaune walked out into the hall in some casual clothes, he heard a small argument from within. Ruby seemed to be arguing with Yang about something. Something about "my first and best friend at Beacon, sorry Weiss" followed by "What is so special about him" from Weiss, and finally, something about "he is someone other than dad that laughs at my jokes" said through sobs by Yang.

He knocked on their dorm room door. Ruby popped out quickly before anyone else could answer the door. "Hi Jaune! You ready to hang out?" Ruby asked him. "Uh, yeah, Rubes. Everything ok in there? It seemed like you guys were arguing about something." "Nothing is wrong! We just had a little disagreement about who has to clean up Zwei's poop the next time we take him for a walk, that is all" Ruby told him. She wasn't very good at making up lies. Luckily for her, Jaune was too trusting and very oblivious.

"Ok Ruby. As long as you girls are getting along. You are all special to me, you know that?" he stated, ruffling her hair. This caused Ruby to get as red as her cloak she was wearing (despite being in casual clothes, instead of her combat dress) and start gushing at his words. "So, where are we going today?" Jaune asked her. "Oh! Yeah! I am taking you to my special treat spot in Vale! Don't tell anyone else, it's my little secret place when I want to get away" Ruby told him. "I won't tell a single soul. You have my word, and an Arc never goes back on a promise" Jaune told her.


Jaune didn't get sick on the way into Vale. This was because Ruby gave him some medicine for his motion sickness that tasted like vanilla. When they touched down, Ruby yelled to Jaune "Come on! This place isn't too far away! I promise it is worth it!"

"Hold on Ruby! You are much faster than me! Slow down!" Jaune yelled as he grabbed her hand. "Let's hold hands so we don't get lost in the city, ok, Rubes?" he said. Ruby's mind was breaking down, for Jaune was holding her hand, right then, right there, on their da…. hanging out session.

As they rounded a corner, they saw Pyrrha exiting a dust weapon shop. As she turned the corner, she saw Jaune, and tried to walk away, hoping he wouldn't see her. "Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled, as he ran after her.

Jaune caught up to Pyrrha, and gently spun her around. "Pyrrha, why were you running away? You know we all miss you, right?" Jaune asked her. "I'm sorry Jaune, I can't talk to you right now, this is…. just…." Pyrrha was tearing up. She still felt terrible for what happened to him by her.

Jaune couldn't stand seeing his best friend cry. He pulled her in for a big hug. "It's ok Pyrrha. You are my best friend. Don't dwell on what happened in Ms. Goodwitch's class. I have already forgiven and forgotten about it" Jaune told her.

"We will hang out at the end of this week, when your probation from the team is up. We all miss you" Jaune explained. "Ok. I will look forward to that. Until then, I hope you enjoy your day" Pyrrha told him, hugging him tightly and breathing in his musky scent, a scent she had missed partaking in.

After they parted, Jaune returned to Ruby. "You really miss her, don't you?" Ruby asked, feeling very downtrodden. "Of course I do. She is my best friend and partner" Jaune replied. Upon seeing her get a little disheartened, he added "But you are very important to me as well. Aside from Pyrrha, I think I hang out with you the most" Jaune said. "Really?! That actually makes me feel happy" Ruby meekly stated, with a smile.


After walking a few more minutes, they came to the shop that Ruby was talking about. It was called "The Way the Cookie Crumbles" and was an upscale patisserie. "Ruby, I don't know if I can afford this place" Jaune told her. "Don't worry, Jaune. I will treat you today, because you are very important to me" Ruby told him, albeit quietly. "Ok Ruby, if you say so" Jaune replied.

They sat down at their table. Ruby ordered the super strawberry cookie cheesecake and a mega glass of milk to drink, and Jaune ordered the traditional banana pudding and a vanilla milkshake. They had been having a nice conversation. Jaune told her how he had been getting better in combat. They also went over their team leadership class and their tactics against Grimm class. Ruby admitted that she was not as good as he was at battlefield tactics and supremacy, and he admitted that he was not as good at inner team symmetry as she was. They agreed they would meet up once a week over cookies and milk and help each other in the areas the other was lacking.


Meanwhile back at Beacon…..

Back at Beacon, the teachers had assembled. Even the rarely seen Professor Peach was there. They were gathered in a lecture hall. Why where they there? Headmaster Ozpin was about to address them on a very important subject.

"You may all be wondering why I have assembled you today. As you all know, we are beginning a new quarter this year. This means many things. The most important, of course, being who we think will become canon ships. You all know what that means. It is time to place our bets. Remember, we are all limited to 4 bets per professor….. or Doctor" Ozpin stated (the doctor part was for Oobleck, of course).

Glynda was up first. She preferred to place conservative bets. Her money was on the pairings of: Nora x Lie, Velvet x Yatsuhashi, Blake x Sun, and Jaune x Pyrrha. Nora and Lie were childhood friends since the orphanage, and Nora had a thing for Lie, as anyone (except maybe Lie) could plainly see. Velvet would, indeed, be crushed if and when Jaune did not choose her, but the giant that dwelled in her dorm would do his best to cheer her up. He was her partner, after all. Blake and Sun had been dating for well over a year, and things had been progressing steadily between them. She was very confident in her last choice for even though Pyrrha had nearly killed Jaune, she trusted they would patch things up. She saw how sad they were without each other's company.


Port was up next. He liked flamboyant, odd pairings. His picks were Ruby x Weiss, Blake x Lie, Sun x Nora, and Yang x Jaune. He figured that Ruby would eventually be over Jaune, and Weiss would realize that Neptune was a womanizer. They would console each other emotionally, like he had read about in all that yuri manga he read. What? Don't judge the man.

Blake and Lie were both quiet and mysterious. He figured Blake would pursue Lie after she dumped Sun for someone who was like the characters in that smut she read in his class. He knew about the "Ninjas of Love" series. It was high quality smut (that he enjoyed as well) but smut none the less.

This would cause a dejected Sun to start hanging out with Nora, who would be mourning the death of the romantic possibilities between her and Mr. Ren. Nora and Sun would date, get married, and probably have 6 kids together, by his estimates.

He had most of his money riding on the last bet. That was his money bet. He had seen how Yang looked at the young blonde knight in his class. She looked at the young Jaune Arc with such passion, such yearning, such a longing he had not seen in a LONG time. Those two had a passion between them he had not seen in YEARS, and passion was the most important thing in starting a relationship off on the right foot! The students of his class never knew how much he ACTUALLY paid attention to their behavior in his class, or the reasons he gave the long winded rambling speeches. If only they did know, if only they did know.


Next was Peach. She was in and out before anyone could see her. Her choices were: Weiss x Neptune, Coco x Velvet, Pyrrha x Fox, and Ruby x Jaune. Her logic behind the first pairing was that Weiss was currently seeing Neptune. Her thoughts behind her second pairing was that Velvet would soon be over her crush on the dense Jaune and Coco would naturally console her, and things would take off from there. Pyrrha would be devastated from Jaune not picking her, due to them not spending time together, and she could see Fox from team CFVY cheering her up.

The last was obvious. Ruby's affection for Jaune has stemmed from her friendship with him. It was not born out of some desperate urge for someone to treat her as a real person, like with Pyrrha, nor was it out of some "love of the hero" complex like Velvet. It had grown naturally, gently, and slowly over time. They also were different enough, yet similar enough to where it would work.


Doctor Oobleck was next. He liked high energy power couples. Ones that were odd, yet seemed to fit when you thought about them. His picks were: Sun x Blake, Lie x Neon Kat (that student from Atlas' team FUNKI that would participate in the tournament), Yatsuhashi x Coco, and Nora x Jaune.

His thoughts on the first pairing was simple: they fit. They were so different in their personality that they went together so well, as was evident by the fact they had been dating all this time.

The logic behind his second pairing was that Lie would be the quiet type, so Neon would be the type to take control in social situations, much like Nora did now. However, unlike Nora, Neon wouldn't be shy about voicing any attraction she had to Mr. Ren.

His thought process behind his third pick was that Yatsuhashi would start out by being conscripted by Miss Adel to carry her bags while they were out shopping. This would lead, in due time, in Miss Adel growing to appreciate him, and his knowledge of colors, not just his ability to carry vast amounts of heavy loads.

The last may seem odd upon first glance, but Doctor Oobleck noticed how much Miss Valkyrie calmed down near Mr. Arc. She really did adore her "fearless leader" as she liked to call him. If Mr. Ren was no longer available to pursue in a relationship, how would she act? How would that change the red strings of fate for that entire group? He knew it was long odds, but, dammit, he loved a dark horse!


Headmaster Ozpin went last. He had thought long and hard about who his choices would be. He had observed, calculated, and weighed all the options. Shipping was not just something he did occasionally, it was not just a hobby for him, it was more than that. It was an obsession, nay, it was HIS LIFE outside teaching and coffee! He decided to do something for the first time ever in the teacher betting pool: he bet on a harem.

His first choice was simple: Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong. Those two were like day and night, each needing the other. It only made sense to bet on them. It was a safe bet with an albeit low payout, but it seemed the most likely outcome.

His next bet was on a longshot: Lie Ren and Neon Kat. Nora Valkyrie was inhibited by the awkwardness of always having Mr. Ren around to comfort her, so she never learned to take a risk in regards to moving their relationship to anything beyond that of a platonic one. Miss Neon Kat was much like Miss Valkyrie in many ways as far as personality, so it would be natural that, given some free time, Mr. Ren would gravitate towards her. Miss Kat also would be more likely to push for making the relationship something more than just friends.

His third choice was Fox Alistair and a girl at a bar he was at in Vale. Her name was Melanie Malachite. He figured that his last pick would somehow bring about this one. The last pick would drag their team to the bar in celebration. Fox would be on said person's team, and Mr. Alistair would be dragged along as well. He would be hit on by Miss Malachite. Mr. Alistair would make some kind of joke about being blind, causing the young Miss Malachite to laugh. Thus a conversation would start, and a relationship would form.

The last pick got quite a few feathers ruffled. To calm all the others, he offered to put in a little extra money, and let them know that he would lose if all the girls that he mentioned were not a part of the harem. This got everyone to agree. How could he lose? Everyone on the list of that bet had to be a part of this relationship, or the old Headmaster would lose.

Professor Ozpin was confident in his choice. He had won a great majority of his bets in recent years. You could almost say he was the wonderful wizard of ships. His bet was on a Mr. Jaune Arc acquiring a Miss Ruby Rose, a Miss Weiss Schnee, a Miss Yang Xiao Long, a Miss Pyrrha Nikos, a Miss Nora Valkyrie, a Miss Velvet Scarlatina, and a Miss Coco Adel in his harem.

He was convinced that Mr. Arc would not any problem with Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Scarlatina, or Miss Nikos. Miss Rose had an almost innocent kind of attraction to the young knight. The kind of love that, if reciprocated, lasts a lifetime.

Miss Xiao Long rarely had someone appreciate her beyond her looks, and, beyond her father, nobody appreciated her jokes. Jaune Arc was the first person beyond Taiyang Xiao Long to laugh at a single joke she told. Everyone knew that she would find love with whoever laughed, and that finding her funny would be a large part of being in a relationship with miss Xiao Long. With Jaune laughing at her jokes, she would, of course do anything it took to land her fellow blonde.

Miss Scarlatina already was developing deep feelings for the young Arc, recognized when he stood up for her against the bullies of team CRDL. As far as Miss Nikos went, she appreciated Mr. Arc for his down to earth treatment of her, and the fact she could be herself around him.

The others were a feeling he had. This feeling had yet to serve him wrong. As his shipping powers grew, Headmaster Ozpin learned to rely on these feelings to help him figure out who to bet on during the betting pools.

If Lie Ren were off the market, Miss Valkyrie would go for someone with whom she felt comfortable. Someone who loved her unconditionally, and cared about her wellbeing. Someone like her leader, Jaune Arc.

Miss Schnee was currently dating Mr. Neptune Vasilias. He was a known womanizer. It would not take long for Miss Schnee to find out he had been flirting with other girls with the intent to date. Upon finding out this information, Miss Schnee would, in all likelihood, break up with Mr. Vasilias and regret letting go of Mr. Arc, who liked her for who she was, not her fame, money, or name.

Now, Jaune was known to wear comfortable and slightly stylish clothing for combat. It may not be like the others, but Mr. Arc was right with his assessment that comfort and mobility were more important than looks when it came to combat. However, the young knight did have a sense of fashion when it came to casual clothes. This would, of course, attract the eye of the young fashionista, Miss Coco Adel. It also didn't hurt that his one sister, Verde, was a designer of high end hunter and huntress combat fashion attire.

After the headmaster placed his bets, they all adjourned for the day. Only time would tell who would take home the prize money.


Back in town

Ruby and Jaune were almost done hanging out for the day. Ruby had bought some ammunition, and she decided to get Jaune some upgrades to his armor. Jaune had gotten some sharpening stones, weapon oil, and some cute accessories he thought would look good on Ruby. They did, of course, and Ruby was touched by the kind gesture he did towards her.

They got back to town late that afternoon. Surprisingly, Jaune did not vomit on the way back home. As they got off of the Bullhead, Ruby turned to her knight to thank him for their time together.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today, Jaune. I really….. enjoyed it. I hope we can do this again sometime" Ruby bashfully stated, cheeks as red as her cape.

"No problem Ruby. You know I like spending time with you, right? We can do this some other time. Don't worry" Jaune replied. "Well, I better return to my dorm. I bet Nora and Ren are worried. Have a good night!" Jaune told her.

"Yeah…. you too… I love you" Ruby softly said, low enough that Jaune was unable to hear her.