Today was going to be Pyrrha's day!

It was a mantra her mother taught her to open every day with, to believe that she could achieve a great day and to act with that optimism in mind, but today… today she really felt it. Things had just been going great for her recently. She'd made an important decision, standing up for herself instead of what people expected of her. She was crushing things both in her classes and career-wise. And she had been getting a lot closer to Jaune. Last night, after training, they'd just stared up at the stars together, pointing out all the constellations Pyrrha knew. Argus was a port city, and every child, even those who would never become sailors, learned to navigate by the stars. Sharing that piece of herself with Jaune just felt… special.

And… Jaune's birthday was coming up. Soon. And Pyrrha had… she had… she'd…

She'd resolved she would ask him out on his birthday.

She had everything planned. Even as hard as it was to think about it without getting nervous, Pyrrha was committed to this. She'd gotten this far. Jaune had gotten over his mistaken infatuation with Weiss. He'd grown as a Huntsman. They'd grown as a team. He'd shown Pyrrha that he could bake well enough to get Ms. Goodwitch to accept a bribe of pain au chocolat. She had never been more sure of anything in her life, and she felt good about making her decision. Jaune wanted a smaller, quieter celebration—over Nora's strenuous objection—and Pyrrha knew the perfect time to send Ren and Nora ahead while she held Jaune back to talk about "something important." What would happen then... she didn't know, but she felt good that she'd be able to finally admit it, and that she wouldn't be able to back out. And as nervous as that made her, it also filled her with optimism and good cheer as she went about her day!

She wasn't even put out that Jaune was sitting across from her instead of next to her this morning at the breakfast table. Maybe a little put out that Ruby was talking his ear off, but Ruby was just too adorable when she was excited for Pyrrha to feel any annoyance towards her as she walked Jaune through a way to modify his collapsible shield to give Crocea Mors a greatsword mode. Which, Pyrrha could agree, would help give him some more combat mobility that he desperately needed in one-on-one fights

Yep. Things were good. Everyone was feeling upbeat, everyone was feeling optimistic, and none more than-

"Morning, Arc!"

Ah, well, Coco wasn't the worst person to see in the morning. If anything, anyone from CFVY was a welcome sight, except for one small thing. Because as Coco drew close, Jaune, of course, had to rise from his seat after being singled out by her. And because Coco was also mainland Valean…

Smooch-smooch-smooch

They exchanged three kisses, alternating cheeks. Each one made Pyrrha struggle not to show her annoyance. Jaune was from the country, where four to five kisses on the cheek was the common greeting to acquaintances, but of course, Jaune was respectful and understood that the Mistralians on his team would prefer a less kiss-based form of greeting. So Coco got to kiss Jaune and Pyrrha just had to watch.

But not the worst thing! Just a small annoyance! Really!

"What's up, Coco?" Jaune asked, a reasonable wariness in his voice. Coco, as Jaune and Ruby's unrequested and unrejectable mentor, had a habit of cheerfully lobbing problems their way, and while she was a source of good advice—perhaps less good than she thought she gave—it usually came with a price tag.

"Not much, not much," she said, "Just wanted to ask about your plans for the big one-eight this week!"

"Oh, um, I think the plan is-"

"Cause I've got a better one!" she immediately interrupted, "And guess what, Jaune!" she proclaimed with the kind of glee that made a pit open up in Pyrrha's stomach, "You're going to get an extra special big birthday present from me!"

Jaune turned pale. Bile rose up in Pyrrha's throat. "You… you can't mean-"

"That's right!" Coco said with a big grin and an even bigger hug, "I'm not voiding our contract!"

The table was silent for a moment.

Then, like most horrible things, Yang's booming laughter rose up around her.

"Holy shit," she bellowed like a demon, cackling in awful glee, "I knew you guys were old money, but you actually have a contract? With each other?"

Most of the table was too confused to even ask, but Ren, thankfully, was used to inexplicable and confusing moments. "What does this-" he then rethought the question and turned his head before re-asking, "Ruby, what does 'a contract' mean?"

But Ruby seemed completely shellshocked by the revelation, slowly shaking her head like she refused to accept the words. Something that made Pyrrha feel even worse.

A feeling that would continue to get worse as Yang answered, "Old families like the Arcs and the Adels, they do this old-fashioned thing where they arrange marriages for their kids—but it's all old fashioned shit, nobody actually acts on them, they just do it as a dumb family favor thing. Except apparently, our Vomit Boy is about to become the new Mr. Coco Adel."

"I'll actually be Mrs. Jaune Arc," Coco corrected, making Pyrrha visualize how it'd feel to use her Semblance and beat Coco senseless with her own weapon, "Honestly, I'm down with it. The Arcs are an old name, and it's like my grandad always said: there's nobody in Vale finer than an Arc!"

Blood. She could… blood. Rules were off and death was on the table. Call the Headmaster, tell him she would take his offer, take the Maiden power and burn everything in her path.

"But you…" Jaune finally spoke up, giving Pyrrha a spark of hope that the devil would not win today, "You really want to marry… me?"

No. No. Nononononono, now was not the time for self-deprecation! He was so much better than Coco! He deserved better than Coco! He shouldn't set his sights on-

"He's raising an excellent point, Coco," Weiss dryly cut in, reminding Pyrrha how easily she could just tear this whole room apart if she had to.

Especially as Coco gave Jaune a tight squeeze. "Yeah, I know how you feel, Weissy, but I've known Jaune here all my life," how could every sentence make everything worse? "Our families are super-tight and I used to play with him all the time when we were kids. Ha!" she gave him a slap on the back, "Surely, you told them who your first kiss was?"

"Y-you?" Ruby squeaked in disbelief and dismay, echoing Pyrrha's feelings perfectly.

"No," Jaune said, his words reassuring, but his unamused tone- "It was a goat. Coco once woke me up in the morning by pushing a goat's face against mine and-"

"And his sisters and I had the best summer ever," she sang, "Some of my best work, incidentally, dressing up this guy. What can I say," she ran her fingers along Jaune's shoulders, "Something about Jaune just gets my creative juices flowing. He's been my muse since I was a little girl. And now? My husband and I will be the talk of every fashion-"

"O-oh no!" Nora cried out, clearly reacting to the look on Pyrrha's face and the imminent possibility of bloodshed, "I- I think I'm about to do something characteristically wacky and violent, cause I'm Nora! You should probably get OUT OF HERE, Coco, because I might-"

"Oh yeah, we're cool," Coco said with a laugh, "You and Pyrrha, totally bridesmaids. But my fiance and I have to go call family and let them know the good news!"

"Y-yeah," Jaune said as Coco pulled him to his feet, "We… we have to do that, don't we?"

He seemed like he was still in a daze. But the kind where he was reckoning with his good fortune, that he'd get to marry a beautiful, elegant, and refined girl—it was his type! He had a crush on Weiss, and Coco was like a Valean Weiss! This should have been staring her in the face this whole time!—and not where he was trying to find a way to say "no." He could have said no. He so easily could have said no. But instead… Coco pulled him away from her, literally and emotionally, as she dragged Jaune from the table.

A dread silence settled over the rest of them, the sheer awkwardness of it all the only force keeping Pyrrha from breaking into tears.

"Okay, I'll be the one who says it," Blake announced, breaking the silence, "That was the single least expected thing that has ever happened here."

Pyrrha felt Nora's hand on hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "It's… it's probably nothing, like, Yang!" she threw a hand towards the blonde, "You just said nobody actually carries these marriages out! So Jaune can just-"

"Nah, it's not like that," Yang shook her head, "Coco said she's acting on it, and the Adels are a bigger family than the Arcs. Younger, but bigger. So Coco just put herself out there and took a risk on accepting the contract, and if after Coco decides she does want to marry Jaune and unite their families, Jaune turns around, voids the contract, and says no… it's like he's declaring to the whole Kingdom that Coco's family isn't good enough to marry an Arc. It'd be a huge insult—he might as well call her mother a whore."

"Okay…" Nora said nodding slowly, "So if I called Coco's mother a whore, that'd sidestep this whole thing."

Yang chuckled, the worst response to Nora having an idea. "One," she began with a raised finger, "that would be hilarious, go for it, but two, this is the kind of thing where the Adels will remember it for generations. And…" the smile faded away from Yang's face as she suddenly turned serious, "Okay, like, tell me it wasn't just me, but… did anyone else think it was odd how… jazzed Coco was for this? Like, telling off the Adels to the whole world, people dream of the chance to do that, but I dunno if Jaune has the heart to tell Coco he doesn't want to marry her when she… genuinely seems like she wants to marry him."

Pyrrha shifted nervously in her seat. She was… a biased example, but she could see the benefits of marrying Jaune. He was kind, in a genuine way, a man who picked up that Nora and Ren had some tragedy in their past and handled it with grace, compassion, and a quiet warmth while Pyrrha froze up every time she thought about it. He came to Beacon in a moment of arrogance, yes, but unlike Cardin, he worked for his spot, keeping pace with Pyrrha's own workout regimen, something most Huntsmen didn't have the dedication for. And… she could see why Jaune would be unable to turn Coco down. He was a man who hated disappointing people, who wanted so dearly to be what people expected of him. A lot like herself, in that regard. And as impossible as it was for Pyrrha to disappoint her agent, her sponsors, her parents… could Jaune disappoint Coco like that? Even if the alternative was-

"That it idiotic," Weiss cut in, her voice, for once, a welcome addition to the conversation, "Do you really think that Coco actually wants to marry Jaune? Everything about Jaune aside," Pyrrha felt her eyes narrow in response to that, "Coco is a lesbian. She doesn't want to marry a man, she's doing this for the same reason she does everything. To get a rise out of people."

"I dunno, Weiss," Yang said, stroking her chin, "I think she was complimenting your butt for purely sincere-"

"That. Is. Not. Relevant," Weiss said through clenched teeth. Though… it kind of was, wasn't it? Coco didn't hide any element of her orientation, relentlessly flirting with anyone who was female. Except for Pyrrha herself, of course—even Coco's legendary self confidence quailed before the Invincible Girl's pedestal. So why would she want to marry Jaune?

"But seriously," Yang shrugged, "Coco's not a bullshitter—if she says she wants to marry Jaune, then apparently… she wants to marry Jaune. The whys of it all are a mystery for the ages, but I'm not going to believe she doesn't actually want to marry Jaune after she just said she does. Her accepting the contract is… kind of a big deal for a family like hers. She wouldn't have done it as a joke."

The table grew quiet once more, the impact of Yang getting serious. This… as odd and inexplicable as it all was… one look at Yang's face told Pyrrha that this wasn't just more Beacon craziness. This was something… real.


She was in control. She was in charge of herself. Pyrrha had many reasons to be emotional, but she'd had many reasons in the past to let her emotions run wild. Maybe her repression wasn't always healthy, but right now… she was going to need it. Because while Pyrrha didn't have the heart yet to talk to Jaune about his… impending nuptials, she needed to get some answers about this.

And that meant talking to Coco.

She had reassured Ren and Nora that it would be only talking. Nora hadn't believed her, painfully forcing herself to be the voice of reason and trying to dissuade Pyrrha from what was clearly a bad idea. She warned Pyrrha that not even her celebrity would protect her if she got into a fight with Coco and that it wasn't worth it. But Ren had stopped her, giving Pyrrha a piercing look right through all her defenses before saying, "I trust you." And then they let her go.

Because at the end of the day, Coco hadn't done anything wrong. She hadn't stolen Pyrrha's boyfriend, because Pyrrha didn't have a boyfriend. She'd never made her intentions clear, and so, even if this hurt her… she had no right to hurt Coco. But that still meant that Pyrrha could get some answers, and with her partner's well-being on the line… she felt she had both a reason and a right to get them.

Arriving at CFVY's dorm, Pyrrha came upon Yatsuhashi lugging a heavy box out of the room: "Wardrobe change," he said, tired resignation in his voice. Pyrrha appreciated that it meant that she'd have the room for herself and Coco as she entered. The fashionista immediately lit up upon Pyrrha's arrival, throwing her arms around her as she gave Pyrrha a lavish greeting.

And unlike Jaune, Coco had no reservations about greeting her in the Valean fashion.

Wiping the trace of Coco's kiss off of her cheeks, Pyrrha tried not to glare at the other girl. Not that she'd notice: Coco was cheerfully flitting about the room, hoisting and sifting through clothes. If Pyrrha knew anything about fashion, she'd be doubtlessly impressed with her eye—and her bank account—but like most things that didn't involve violence, Pyrrha was outside her depth.

"Don't mind me," Coco chirped—actually chirped—as she held up a scarf before judging it fit for one box instead of the other, "Big life changes always need a reassessment of the wardrobe!"

Pyrrha didn't think she had the stomach to go through a full discussion of what Coco saw as fashionably appropriate for… for a bride to be. So she opted to do the one thing she could never do with Jaune and be full-on blunt.

"I know you don't like men, Coco, so why are you okay with marrying Jaune?"

Coco paused for a moment before… before Pyrrha saw her blush right before her eyes. "I'm… I'm touched that you care," she replied as Pyrrha still reckoned with the sight of Coco blushing, "Really, it means a lot that you're worried about me. But the way you're thinking of marriage just isn't how we do things in Vale. A marriage like this, there's a wedding, we'll get a house together—my dad's already talking about this brownstone in the East Side, like I'd be caught dead living in the Hipster Jackass District—but it's not a marriage like a marriage marriage."

She shrugged, as though this was the most common thing in the world before continuing, "Like, my Aunts Clothilde and Audovera? I used to stay with them over the summers, and they have a wonderfully supportive… friendship. They're great parents for their kids, super supportive of each other in their lives and careers, but in the bedroom? No interest in each other whatsoever. And they're fine with that! No expectations of romance or sex, that's what Aunt Brunhild and Uncle… I don't remember the name of the new one. He's Atlesian," she added, as though Pyrrha needed the detail. "Honestly, I think it's healthier this way, rather than bundling everything into one relationship that has to be perfect for all things, forever destined since birth… all the administrative and financial stuff is handled by one relationship, all the sex and romance another… seriously, you never wondered why upscale Valean architecture always has two Master Bedrooms?"

"I've never really looked into Valean architecture," Pyrrha replied, her tone and posture stiff as she took in what Coco was saying.

The hard thing was… it wasn't objectionable. Pyrrha believed strongly in marrying Jau- in marrying anyone for love. Her parents loved each other and Pyrrha thought that was a very important part of her childhood! But… Valeans did things differently, and Pyrrha was caught in the unpleasant reality of having to ask herself if she could really judge someone else's marriage if, as far as Coco indicated, it worked for all involved. If her Aunt Clothilde and Aunt Audovera enjoyed a healthy and happy relationship… was it Pyrrha's place to tell them that their marriage was wrong?

Except… she wasn't talking about their marriage. She was talking about Jaune's marriage. And while Pyrrha had very much avoided talking about love and matrimony with her partner, she didn't think he was a man who wanted to marry without love in the picture.

"But…" she swallowed, "What about Jaune? Is he… is he okay with this?"

Coco laughed, a harsher sound than anything Pyrrha had ever heard from the other Huntress, even as obviously well-meaning as it was. "I know you think highly of your partner, Pyrrha, but you and I both know that Jaune doesn't have a chance with Weiss, and the sooner he accepts that, the better. Honestly, this might be good for him—finding a mistress is a lot more-"

"A what?" Pyrrha gasped out.

Only for Coco to give her a bemused look.

"Brothers, you're Mistralian," she laughed, "A mistress, Pyrrha, I'll be his wife, we'll handle the money and the family name thing together, and he'll have a mistress who'll probably be live-in, cause he's from an old-fashioned family. Me, I'll probably just change 'em out yearly, but country Valeans, they pick mistresses for life." Coco shrugged. "Not my place to judge, you know, but a live-in mistress is way more work for the both of us. Jaune's just gotta meet my girlfriends at parties and the occasional breakfast after a late night. I've gotta live with his."

Pyrrha wasn't entirely listening to what Coco was saying. Her mind conjured up an image of living in a chic Valean apartment, downtown in the city. She and Jaune would be… together, in every sense that mattered, forever bound in each other's lives sharing… sharing a bed, and- n-not just in- in that sense! In the sense of his face being the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and the first thing she saw in the morning. Eating breakfast together in the kitchen, even if Coco had to be there, chattering away in the background… Pyrrha could live with that.

But… but that was the worst part of Pyrrha speaking, wasn't it? The part that only thought of herself and not others around her. Just because she could still get what she wanted… was that where her objections really were? That Jaune was just a prize she wanted to keep for herself and not have to share?

"And you're sure…" she murmured, "You're sure that Jaune's okay with this?"

Coco shrugged. "I mean, you can ask him yourself, but like… our families are tight, this whole thing's been obvious for years," she said, "But… I'm touched you care about us, Pyrrha. I really did want you and Nora to be bridesmaids, you guys are so important to Jaune… heh," she chuckled, "He's really changed since arriving at Beacon. Back in Valois, he was just… he was a good guy, I liked him, but… now, I look at Jaune and I think… that's husband material. And I think I have you to thank for this."

Pyrrha did her damnedest not to wince at that. But while it stung…

Yang was right. Coco didn't seem manipulative or controlling or anything Pyrrha could call evil. She wasn't toying with Jaune, and while she was brash and often overbearing, right now… she was a woman looking forward to getting married. She wasn't in love with Jaune, she would never be in love with Jaune, but… that wasn't what either of them expected of this. And if Jaune expected otherwise, he hadn't given any indication of it. But would he? He was the one, unlike Pyrrha, raised in this culture. So Pyrrha could try and fight that, try and tell them her way they should live their lives… or she could accept it.

It was a heavy weight to bear, but if there was one thing Pyrrha knew… it was how to endure. She was an icon of Argus and Mistral and all of Remnant when it was demanded of her, and she bore the isolation and loneliness that came along without complaint. This was, really, no different.

"H-how long?" she asked, trying to keep the nervous tremble out of her voice, "I mean, how long before the wedding?"

Coco shrugged, oblivious to Pyrrha's real meaning. "We'll announce on his birthday, of course, but the wedding itself…" a wide grin split across Coco's face, "It might take some time, because, Pyrrha, you are going to see the wedding of the century! Seriously, it's going to be a whole blowout of an event. Two big Valean families? One as established as the Arcs and a scion as prominent as moi? We're talking horses, the whole Cathedral decked out for a wedding, some next level couture on display, oh, and the dress! Believe me, our wedding is going to have everything!"

But no love. Is that really a wedding if there's no love?

But instead, Pyrrha bit her tongue and gave Coco a well-practiced smile. "I'm very happy for you," she lied.


Her walk back to her dorm did not raise Pyrrha's spirits.

She could hear the gossip as it raced around her. Even though she'd been long trained in how to tune out the rumors and implications people always cast around someone like her, marked by fame and seeming to be a perfect target for innuendo, Pyrrha had never been able to make that lesson stick. She heard the snide comments and glib remarks, the opinions that cropped up in the wake of her success. But now, the rumor mill wasn't on her. Wasn't on Team RWBY and their latest escapade with a criminal conspiracy. Wasn't even tied to the ordinary gossip that encircled a school like Beacon.

It was about Jaune.

Walking down the halls of Beacon, it was rare to hear Jaune's name in the hushed whisper of rumor. Most of them were really about her, wondering why he was partnered with the Mistralian champion, or why she wasn't Team Leader. But even then, Jaune never really held much attention. An underwhelming fighter without much flash in his style or bearing–only Ren had less presence, and Pyrrha figured much of that was deliberate on Ren's part.

She didn't often hear a girl talking to her partner that he was a scion of royalty, looking to wed his family's respectable name to the Adel's actual wealth. Paying off debts was mentioned as Pyrrha passed on by another conversation. A Mistralian student–from the South, and certainly not tournament class, so Pyrrha hadn't really known him–was telling his friends that Coco was proposing because Jaune had gotten her pregnant. To which his friend replied, "I thought she was a dyk-"

Pyrrha's glare silenced him as the young man realized finishing that sentence wasn't worth risking a combat champion's anger. The group swiftly dispersed.

It might have been good if they hadn't. Venting some frustrations under the guise of righteous anger would have helped. Getting in trouble, getting a detention would help give her something else to focus on, something where she was allowed to be miserable, and not because she was stupid. Couldn't bring herself to ask a boy out and now her crush was about to enter a sham marriage she couldn't even object to because she didn't understand the absurdities of Vale's elite!

She was supposed to go to Beacon to continue her tournament career, follow the plan she'd known she'd be following since she was 14, and instead… this was her life.

How pathetic.

Returning to the dorm, Pyrrha tried not to meet Nora's gaze as she gave him a look of Don't take this lying down! But her sightline was drawn to Jaune's seat… which was empty.

"He's still not back," Nora said, arms crossed across her chest. "So maybe we should take this time and talk about how you're gonna tell him-"

"Nora."

"Ren!" Nora cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation, "We have been dancing around this for too long to just let this… end like this!"

Ren's eyes swiveled to Pyrrha's as he arched an eyebrow.

"Well?" he asked, "Do you know what you want?"

He let the question hang there without embellishment. There was no judgment on his face, no frustration, just his honest concern for his friend.

Pyrrha would have much preferred Nora's blunt frustration to this.

Lowering her eyes, Pyrrha sighed. "I think I do," she answered, "and I think… I think I want to do the right thing more than I want…"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of the door, Pyrrha turning pale as she snapped her mouth shut in terror that Jaune might have overheard anything she had to say. But fortunately, Jaune seemed to be as oblivious as always as he came in, a tired expression on his face.

"Hey guys," he said with a groan, "heck of a day… felt like I'd never get a chance to get out of there. Between talking to the Adels and then having to talk to Ms. Goodwitch about whether this would-'

"Oh no, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora cried in feigned alarm, "I just remembered that Ren and I have to go heckle Yang and Blake about which of us have the more mismatched partnership! Gotta go!"

Pyrrha would give her credit: Nora hauled Ren out of the room before Jaune could say anything or even try to stop them. Just left staring in surprise as half of Team JNPR cleared out in a hurry. But in the moment before they both vanished, Pyrrha saw the look they were both giving her, a look that told her that she couldn't run away from this. That she had to own her decision here.

"Yeah," Jaune said with a clueless nod, "Ruby mentioned they'd started doing that… apparently it's Blake and Ren who really get into it." He shrugged, murmuring, "You think you know a guy…"

An awkward silence settled across the room, Jaune vaguely understanding that something was up and Pyrrha unable to speak it.

"So, uhhh," Jaune began, his eyes meeting hers and conveying, even as worn as he was, such care and concern and compassion for her that Pyrrha could feel how impossible this conversation would be, "What a day, huh?"

He chuckled, and Pyrra, weakly, gave a laugh of her own. A concession to the absurdity of her world. But the laughter couldn't last any more than it could lift her spirits and soon, the heavy pall of awkwardness settled back over the room.

"I'm… sorry if Coco made things… weird," Jaune said, "This whole thing is very… we're a very traditional people in Vale. Too traditional, a lot of times. And we… I'm sorry you got put in-"

Every word he said made the pressure to say something greater and greater in Pyrrha's mind until it became truly unbearable.

"You're my friend, Jaune," she blurted out, "And I'm here for you, no matter what. Whatever… whatever you choose, you have my support," she said, knowing that the pain she felt now wasn't half the pain she'd feel if she wasn't here for him.

"That's… that's a relief," he said, a thin smile on his lips, "Really, it's… it's good to hear you've got my back, because… I don't want to marry Coco."

Control yourself! Pyrrha's discipline snapped at her as soon as the syllables met her ears. But her heart fluttered within her breast… just in time to come crashing down at the realization that Jaune was now entering a marriage he didn't want. And she could find no happiness in knowing that Jaune

"You can…" she murmured, "You can say no, Jaune. If you void your contract-"

"It's not an option for-"

"And why not?" she asked, her voice raising a half degree too much.

"Because I have to do this right, Pyr," Jaune insisted before sighing, "Announcing I have no intention to marry Coco would be-"

"-an insult to her family," Pyrrha murmured back, the words that had been churning inside her now coming out, "Yang told us, and that you wouldn't want to put your family in the position to seem like they insulted the Adels."

"What? No," Jaune said, quizzically shaking his head, "No, it's the opposite: my family would go all in on it. My mom's been looking for an excuse to tell the Adels off for as long as I've been alive and I can't give them this chance! Seriously, my family is nuts, they'll go way too far, my sisters are gonna make it worse—the minute my big sister Saph hears about this, she's going to be on the first flight to Vale so she can be here to… Gods, if I void the contract, decades of pent up opinions are going to come out."

Pyrrha stared at Jaune in disbelief, a million questions in her mind. "But… but I thought your families were… friends?" she finally settled on.

He shook his head insistently. "They think we're friends. My family hates the Adels," Jaune explained, "I mean, Coco's by far the most tolerable of them, and she's still Coco! Her family… Maidens, Pyr, every summer, they show up to 'visit,' they get roaring drunk, they get in the way of everything, they break our trellises trying to 'help,' they swear we're all best friends, and then they leave a bunch of weird shirts they tell us are worth 800 lien apiece as a "gift." They're full of holes! We live on a vineyard! When are we supposed to wear 800 lien shirts, Pyr? When?"

Pyrrha didn't have an answer to that question any more than she had an answer to any of her other questions. "Then… then if your family hated hers, then why did your family… pledge to marry you to… to Coco?"

Jaune threw his hands wide. "It cost us nothing!" he exclaimed, "They gave us a bunch of garbage in exchange for mooching off us for—I am not kidding you, Pyrrha—three weeks of emptying our cellars, and then they expected some kind of reciprocal gift! It was a snub, Pyr, a snub! But they were so honored by it…" he shook his head, gravely, "We have spent years bound by etiquette and the rules of hospitality to not say a word. We are a polite people, Pyr, but that means that we've been building up the pressure to really tell them off the moment there's a socially acceptable opportunity to do so."

He blushed, rubbing his hand awkwardly across the back of his neck. "And now… Coco's tipped the scales and if I void the contract… my mother is going to do something insane and my Aunt-" he suffered, "It's… it's not going to be pretty. And that would hurt my family more than anything. So I have to end things discreetly and properly."

"So you… you don't want to marry Coco?" she asked, even though he'd already said as much.

"She used to ride me like a horse," Jaune said with a sigh, "She told me she still has the saddle, and… yeah, no, I can't… I just can't. Even when she started talking mistresses and brought over Velvet and said-"

"VELVET?" Pyrrha asked, eyes shooting wide and blood turning hot before she realized she might be overreacting.

But of course, Jaune didn't notice.

"Velvet's nice and all, but she's in love with Fox," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "It's so blatant, I don't know how he doesn't see- I mean, I don't know how he doesn't notice it, but she's spent the whole year clearly pining for him. I feel terrible for her, but what do you do when a guy's that dense?"

Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that.

But the wrathful sarcasm that rose up in Pyrrha's heart was easily silenced by the embarrassment that she'd almost tipped her hand through vengeful jealousy directed at the single sweetest girl at Beacon.

"S-so," she choked out, trying so hard to hide her true desires, "Wh-what do you do… now? Is there a way to… break the marriage contract without… making your family do something regrettable?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning pink, before saying, "Just… promise not to judge my people too much? There's a way, but it's a little… extremely old fashioned. It'll let everyone save face but I need someone's help, because… um, I just, and please, don't judge Vale for this-"

"What is it?" she said, already resolving to do whatever it took to help Jaune.

"Someone has to challenge Coco to a duel for my hand."

Pyrrha just stared in silence, her mind unable to put together how her first instincts to beat Coco senseless with her own minigun had actually been the correct option. That she would ultimately strike her down like an avenging angel and rescue her love… this was actually the thing she was going to do.

"Yeah, I know," Jaune said with a sigh, misreading her face entirely, "I just need someone to declare that they're willing to fight for my hand in marriage… Coco might actually fight them, actually, no, she'll definitely fight them, but if they win, they'll hold the contract and all marital obligations, but we'll just both agree to void the contract in advance and then the whole issue is considered resolved by all parties! I just… need someone who's willing to fight Coco to marry me, which is… rough."

Sometimes, everything in the world was lined up so correctly that Pyrrha couldn't accept that it could possibly be true. Her brain wasn't capable of working with a system this much how she wanted it to be.

"I asked Yang," Jaune continued through her silence, "Cause I think she's the most interested in the 'fighting Coco' part, but she just… laughed at me. A lot. A whole lot, actually, so then I asked if she thought Ruby might…" his words trailed off as Jaune turned pale, "A-apparently, Ruby is… not an option for this, or Yang will… anyways," he rubbed the back of his neck again, "Blake was interested either, but I told her I was thinking of Ren and Nora but then she just yelled 'THERE'S PROBABLY SOMEONE ELSE YOU COULD ASK!' and shoved me out the door, cause… well, I can't exactly expect Mistralians to step in to help with Valean weirdness, it's our mess-"

"I'll do it," Pyrrha replied, her words blazing with determination hot enough to make Jaune take a step back.

"P-Pyr, you don't- you really don't!" he hastily replied, "It's a Valean thing—Cardin actually said he'd consider-"

"Cardin?" Pyrrha asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we've actually gotten pretty cool the past year, after, you know, the Ursa thing," Jaune answered with a shrug, "He owes me a favor and he's good enough in a-"

"You would ask… Cardin…" Pyrrha said, her face growing hot as the words slipped past her lips, "Before you would think to ask… me?"

It seemed to dawn on Jaune that he had said the wrong thing. Not that he could place what was wrong about it. "B-but you don't-" he objected with a blush, "You really don't have to do this, Pyrrha! And- and what would the tabloids say if you stepped in to- to marry me, I don't want to put you through that! Pyrrha, you are…" his voice cracked, a hint of a deep well of raw emotion coming through, "You're someone I don't… I don't want to have to put you through something embarrassing like this. You shouldn't have to-"

"I'm your partner, Jaune!" she cried, genuine anger rising up in her voice, "When you had trouble with your transcripts, I helped you, and I thought we had a relationship where-" her voice choked as she realized the weight of the word, "relationship."

"I… I thought you trusted me enough," she slowly told him, looking Jaune deep in his eyes, "that you would come to me for help with your problems."

Jaune cringed from the reminder of how their partnership had started, his blush turning a deeper red. "It's… it's not like my transcripts, Pyrrha," he said, "That was… I was stupid, I needed your help, but there wasn't any risk for you, Pyrrha. All these marriage contracts… they're public information! If it's Yang or Cardin, it's just another name on the line, these things get traded around all the time, but Pyrrha, if it's you, that's going to make the news. And I can't ask you to do that for me. You're the best partner I could have ever asked for, and if I repaid that with-"

"I don't care!" she cried, clutching Jaune's hands in hers in a move of unparalleled boldness, "I'm not leaving you on this, I'm going to fight Coco, I'd fight anyone for this!"

"Why…" Jaune began to ask, well-rusted wheels in his mind finally beginning to turn as a truth he should have noticed months ago began to dawn on him, "Pyrrha, why are you… so invested in this?"

Pyrrha realized that she had Jaune's hands in hers, that she was standing so close to him as she stared into her eyes… and she felt fear bloom in her heart like nothing had ever done before. Not in her tournaments, not against the Grimm… Jaune was asking her to admit the truth she'd been too afraid to speak and now… now she didn't have a way to hide any longer.

"B-because… because I don't want to be the best partner you could have ever asked for," she said, her voice shaky as she finally forced out the words she'd been meaning to say for so very, very long. "Because I don't want you to be with Coco. Because… because I want to be with you Jaune."

The words hung in heavy silence, Jaune's eyes wide as their meaning whirred through his mind. And even as much as Pyrrha's heart was in the clutch of all her anxieties, she couldn't help but be reminded of how much she loved the sight of Jaune's mind racing through a problem, even as a remedial student of Grimm movements and behavior, she saw how swiftly he could put together ideas from ideas and compound them. She saw his potential in those moments, a glimpse of the Jaune only she knew, the Jaune she believed in. Even now, it made her heart flutter to see it.

But the one thing Pyrrha knew when she looked upon his face… was that he wasn't being dense. Not oblivious, not ignorant, he was hearing her true feelings and now he was trying to reckon with the simple truth that his partner was in love with him. There was no going back now, no way to unring this bell… and as much as Pyrrha's heart was still afraid to beat, she felt the liberating relief of no longer holding her secret in! Maybe she'd lost everything, but-

"The first time… you're telling me you like me…" he slowly murmured, each ellipsis a spear into her heart, until… the edges of his mouth curled upwards, "is when you offer to fight for my hand in marriage?"

Blushing, Pyrrha's eyes darted downwards… but the corners of her mouth went ever-so-slightly up. "It's… a bit ridiculous, I know."

"I never… never would have guessed…" he softly replied, likely more to himself than to her before he continued, "You're so… you're always just so… incredible, Pyrrha, I thought for sure you'd want someone like…"

His words trailed off as he searched for someone that met the high standards of the Invincible Girl. Someone else on a pedestal, someone who could close the impassable gap that existed between her and everyone else. And of course, no one came to mind.

"It's you," she said, "It's… for months now, it's only been you."

Jaune just blinked for a moment, taking in her meaning before cracking a weak grin. "I'm… I'm sorry," he said with a quick laugh, "I'm- I must be giving the worst response to this but… w-we're a traditional people and I have… I don't know how to- what to-"

"Just tell me!" Pyrrha blurted out, "Just… just tell me-"

"Yes," he said before she could finish, "Yes, I… I've had… I've had feelings for you, feelings I didn't think you could ever…"

His words trailed off as they both realized… they'd both admitted it. She admitted that she liked him and he… he liked her back. And yet, with this being everything Pyrrha wanted… she still was paralyzed. She should- should lunge forward! Kiss him! Do something! Anything! Just not… awkwardly stare at him and wait for-

"So…" Jaune said, Pyrrha's heart leaping at the chance he could break the stalemate, "can I… should I ask permission…" he suddenly screwed up his face before declaring, "Pyrrha! May I ask you for the honor of a… a d-date?"

Pyrrha blushed, her smile growing wide as she bashfully answered, "You may, and… may I have the honor of fighting Coco Adel for your hand?"

"I… I'd be honored, and…" Jaune was now turning very red as he blushed, "And I would very much like to kiss you right now."

Her throat dry but her determination fixed, Pyrrha said, "You may."

And he did.

He did! He did! Their lips met, crossing such a small distance to meet one another that seemed to move in agonizingly slow motion before they finally met. Before Pyrrha finally kissed the boy she'd been wanting to kiss for so long. And what a kiss! Long and slow and passionate, such as she always imagined it would be like with Jaune. She could feel this moment stretching on forever, all their history as partners in a jumbled fog of desire and expectation just seeming to vanish behind her as a new future unveiled itself before her.

But eventually… their lips parted, Pyrrha feeling the daze of it still ringing in her lips as she pulled back, no doubt a silly grin on her face like Jaune now wore a bashful smile. It was… all dorky and awkward and sweet, but it was them, and Pyrrha couldn't be happier that this had been her first kiss.

For another moment, they were silent. Just taking in the fact that that had just happened before Jaune broke the silence with a, "...wow," before nervously adding, "You're a… you're a good kisser."

"So are you," she murmured back.

"We, um, probably shouldn't get married at 18, though," Jaune said with an awkward chuckle.

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile back at that, leaning against Jaune as she pressed her forehead into his. Closing her eyes, she knew he was right about that, that they both had a lot ahead of them and there was no need to rush into marriage, but… with her eyes closed, with her beloved in her arms… there was no harm in imagining it, was there? And besides…

"I dunno, Jaune," she said with a smirk coming to lips that had had so few reasons to smile today, "My family might take it as a personal insult if you void the contract…"

Jaune laughed and Pyrrha laughed, and she felt his body shake with laughter as she held him. This was… this was good. This was a relief, an enormous weight off her shoulders as she could just let go of so much of the anxiety that had ruled her for almost a year. And just… knowing that she had Jaune, feeling his arms around her waist…

However she got to marriage, whether on a longer or shorter path, she knew she wanted it to end with him. But for now, she was looking forward to whatever that journey was.

Thanks to Renarde for feedback on this fic!