I know some people got impatient for this chapter, especially those that monitored my homepage on this site. I finished the chapter a while ago, but my reviewers didn't have a chance to finish. Please remember, none of us get paid to do this. We do it because we enjoy it. One of them started a new job while the other had some other real life stuff going on. Real life priorities are always going to be more important than fanfiction. That doesn't mean we are stopping writing. It means sometimes you might have to wait a little longer between chapters. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a set schedule of releases. Anyway, boring notice is done, so quick responses to the commenters and then on to the main chapter.
Kamijou Touma1: You always find stuff when you aren't looking for it. Simple.
TheNotSoFantastique: I fixed that the moment you posted about it. When you read so many words, stuff blends together and your mind just puts in the right words.
Griefmore: Something, yeah. 45 good length chapters. Don't expect any kind of cuddly PDAs. That's not how he rolls. It's going to seem like close friends for a while.
Guest: It takes a while for Accelerator to open up.
Wolfking0811: That's kind of what this chapter is about. Though, most probably know.
Nine To One: He finally has hormones and mood swings. Just like a real boy!
sniperassin0: Yang's an older sister. She'll lend an ear for him. Sometimes, all you need is someone to listen to your troubles.
BURRITO LOVER: You would think. Maybe Yang will cool it. Aye!
JumpingToaster: Accelerator is cautious, unlike a lot of people. Of course he would choose an isolated place.
IceFireHeartandSoul: Won't happen TOO much or it will get old. Only special occasions on people we really hate.
975894247: Sorry to hear that. We all have our preferences though.
Boshwa: The dust healing that sort of fixed his brain, allows him to walk now. It's been a while since it was mentioned, so I don't blame you for forgetting.
sarjun18: Ending is planned, so I can't really tell you what will happen with their relationship.
Omegas Prime: He could talk to someone at last about it. Yang wasn't affected by his decision, so it was a little easier.
WwEpsilonwW: Touma's secret is kind of big. It's not going to come out that easily. Nah, while he should have some struggles and pain for growth, it's not the only thing he should have.
IsraelIsInnocent: It's cool. Everyone has their own preferences.
Mr. X: Never got the urge to write more smut yet. Someday.
PheonixX09: His time will come.
Lecarsteti: That… is a very interesting outlook. Being in Remnant is better for Accelerator, while Touma is suffering once again. This is actually pretty interesting to think about. It's comments like these that get me thinking is why I love hearing reader feedback.
Ahsoei: Touma's going to aim high. Sienna Khan, the terrorist leader.
Dracul666: The buildup made it worth it.
CrowKrowQrow: It was more of, I guess we can walk and spend more time together. Blake and Ilia scene is only good because we know what the truth is. Your last part with Whitley? I nearly died laughing.
Sergio644: Accelerator is smart, but he really has no experience with emotions. Yang could do something like this to get back at Neo. It won't end well for anyone.
alucard19910: Touma just needs to realize he can be selfish and share things with others.
Yuuji Akira: You're welcome. It was obviously planned. Last Order and Weiss' relationship is going to change a little for sure. Having Accelerator be able to actually admit he has emotions was difficult and required a lot of buildup, but it turned out nicely. Some of my discord buddies wanted it even longer, heh. The fact Touma could mention the hells shows he took the first step to overcome those nightmares.
Fernandamichelleraya: That's cool. We all have different tastes. Thanks for reading this far.
bees be beein: The only way they would find out about the infinite hells is if some kind of genie tells them do to someone asking about Touma's past.
Anime Crossovers: Yang feels like one of the few to resist that disease. She can be an actual plutonic friend. Othinus stuff was mentioned a couple times throughout the story. Not by name though.
TykkiMikk: Certain things probably shouldn't be mentioned.
hentai and die: Thanks for the compliment.
G119: Stamina training.
Shikaku Zetsumei: Tough girls help out. Sometimes, all you need to do is talk to people.
Cchang3: Just because they are in a relationship, doesn't mean they start doing all the PDAs.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
Jaune missed his team.
It wasn't that he disliked the members of Team NDGO. Once they'd gotten to talk a bit, their slightly conceited attitude began to slowly fade away. He was able to prove he wasn't useless, which was something the boy was proud of. Sure, in one on one matches he was behind everyone else, but he knew how to lead a team. At least, he had hoped he did, and others seemed to believe that he did, so he knew he must have been doing something right. All Jaune really knew was that the girls weren't snubbing him now.
Though, the boy found that their talking points were just exhausting to keep up with.
"So, which dress are you wearing to the dance?" Gwen asked Octavia as the four of them walked back from the training rooms.
That was one of the most recurring topics recently, as the days crept by toward the eve of the big dance. They still discussed other stuff too, like school work, training, and current events, but the majority of their conversations involved gossip. For the most part, Jaune tried to tune it out unless they addressed him directly.
"So I heard May asked one of her teammates to the dance," Gwen informed her teammates. "Which one do you think it was?"
"Probably, Roy," Dew answered. "She always pined after him back in Shade."
"Poor, Brawnz," Octavia said with pity. "I'm pretty sure he was crushing hard on her."
"I'll probably ask him then," Gwen stated suddenly. "That way I can say I got a date to the dance. Speaking of getting a date, can you believe someone from Team CRDL asked me to go with him?"
"Ewww." Octavia shivered at the thought of Cardin and his team. "Glad you turned him down."
"You didn't make a scene, right?" Dew asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Whatever could you mean by that?" Gwen questioned with a seemingly sweet and innocent smile.
"You didn't burst out laughing and walk away laughing before insulting him, did you?" Dew pushed, not buying her teammate's act. "I remember last time… Nebula wasn't happy, you know. You need to grow up sometimes."
"All I did was tell him never in a million years, Dew," Gwen assured her. "Besides, I think he was just desperate. They don't seem very popular here at Beacon."
"No, they really aren't." Jaune agreed, knowing it was mostly due to their bullying tendencies. Octavia glanced over at him for a fraction of a second before turning back to her friends.
"We really should find someone to go with though," She admitted. "Two of us can go with Team BRNZ…"
"Dibs!" Gwen called out.
"I guess I could ask Nolan," Dew sighed. "He's not annoying, and I'm pretty sure we can go as friends."
"Er…" Octavia bit her lip for a moment before continuing, "Guess I'm stuck with Jaune then. Not like anyone'll make a big deal out of it since we're technically partners right now."
"Woah!" Jaune interrupted. Now he had to get involved. "Hang on a second! You didn't even ask for my opinion."
All three girls rolled their eyes.
"Really?" Octavia asked, though it was more like a scoff. "You're going to turn me down?" She couldn't resist smirking. "Do you really want someone to ask you that badly? Okay, I'll humor you. Jaune? Will you go to the dance with me?"
"No."
That single word wiped the amused expression off all three of the girls' faces.
"Oh, hahaha." Gwen was the first to laugh. "I think he's trying to play hard to get."
"Wow, you really had me going there for a second," Dew joined in. "That was almost believable."
"I'm serious," Jaune protested, feeling a twinge of annoyance at not being believed. "I'm already going with someone."
Octavia raised an eyebrow, skepticism plastered on her face.
"Who then?"
"It's… a secret for right now?" Jaune gulped as his explanation did little to convince the girls of the truth. "I'm serious! I asked her and she said yes, but we're keeping it on the down-low until the dance."
"I don't believe him," Gwen whispered loudly. "I mean, just look at him. Wouldn't he totally wanna brag about his date?"
"It is suspicious," Octavia agreed, turning toward the smaller girl.
"Whelp, he did refuse you, Octavia," Dew pointed out, joining the three-person huddle. "With your looks it's hard to see any guy turn down your offer, but I guess he does know what your personality is like."
"Hey!" The girl in question refuted, "At least I'm not uptight like you."
"Do you think Nebula can ask his team?" Gwen suggested. "Maybe they know if he's telling the truth."
"Wait!" Panic in the poor boy's voice for multiple reasons, none of them good. "There's no need for that! You can just trust me, right? I'm your team leader, there's no reason I'd lie to you."
"Nah." Gwen laughed, pulling out her Scroll and sending a text at blinding speed. "Okay, sent." A ping was heard from the almost instant reply. "She must have been busy, it took a while." The girl began to read the text out loud. "She's checking with Nora."
"Oh… no…" Jaune moaned. "Tell her to stop! Quick! You don't know what's going to happen!"
"Quit being a Drama Queen." Dew brushed off.
"If you didn't want this to happen, you could have just told us who you're going with." Octavia added.
None of them were even a little ashamed about prying into his business. Any normal person would probably be livid and berating them for doing this, but not Jaune. He was used to it… kind of. If anything, it was a little nostalgic. His sisters back home would always pry into his business. It annoyed him back then. Now? He missed them a lot. Gwen, Dew, and Octavia were like tamed versions of his family. Still, they had no idea what they accidentally unleashed.
Jaune's Scroll began to ring.
His blood ran cold as the name of the collar appeared. With trembling hands, he opened his Scroll.
"JAUNE-JAUNE! Is it true?! You have a date?!"
Nora's overexcited voice forced Jaune to yank his Scroll away from his face.
"Yes, Nora. It's true."
"Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?"
"It's a surprise," Jaune answered. "You'll find out at the dance."
"Awww…. Come on. Tell me!" Nora was nearly begging. "I can keep a secret."
"Sorry, I made a promise," Jaune apologized. "You know how I feel about promises."
"Ugh, but I'll die from curiosity." Nora pouted on her end of the Scroll. "Wait until you get back. I'll get you to spill the beans."
"I won't be back in our dorm room until after the dance," Jaune reminded her. "You'll know before then."
"…You win this round," Nora conceded. "That's why you were made our leader. Fine, I won't send Ren to find out who you're taking. She better be awesome though."
Jaune couldn't resist laughing.
"Oh, she is, Nora. She is." He hung up and sighed. "That could have gone badly."
The slightly exasperated boy looked over at the other girls.
"Really?"
"Hey, you wouldn't tell us," Octavia pointed out. "We wanted to know."
"You have to admit, no one really expected you to have a date," Dew added. "Well, unless one of your teammates asked you, or Ruby. You get along with her. Wait..." Her eyes twinkled. "Is it Ruby?"
"Has to be," Gwen decided. "They are a lot alike and he's keeping it a secret so that Ruby's older sister doesn't kill him. Besides, I bet Pyrrha already got asked by a ton of people. She's, like, super famous."
The pit of Jaune's stomach churned. Pyrrha had been right about how people held her to such high standards. Once they find out she was going with him, what kind of rumors would spread? Would people think he manipulated her? That she wasn't special? That he was special? The very thought of it annoyed him. If people couldn't see the real Pyrrha, then they were blind.
"I don't mind too much if you want to insult me," Jaune stated slowly. "What I won't tolerate is making fun of my date. I'm not going to tell you who it is. If you really want to know, you can wait until the dance. It's only a couple of days."
Octavia, Dew, and Gwen stared at him in silence for a moment, examining him closely.
"I think he might actually be serious," Dew whispered. "His demeanor changed."
"Yeah, he looks almost… cool?" Octavia sounded confused.
"Is he really the same person?" Gwen asked. "It's not Neo disguised as him, right?"
"No, she's mute, isn't she? He can speak, so it can't be her."
"Pod people?"
"You've definitely been watching too many bad movies, Gwen."
Jaune turned around, feeling a weird combination of annoyance and pride. On the one hand, the girls of Team NDGO still looked down on him, but not as much as they did when he first arrived. On the other, he had found the courage to finally stand up for himself. His mom had always told him that all he needed was a little bit of confidence to succeed. It hadn't worked when he first joined Beacon, but now he believed he figured out why. Fake confidence wasn't the same as real confidence. Now that he had a reason to hold himself high, others began to notice. That was what Dew was referring to.
He really wished he realized that back when he first entered Beacon. That would have saved him a lot of embarrassment.
Part of him wanted to push the issue, but in the end, decided heading back to his temporary living situation was more than enough. Any other time, he would have been happy to have some attractive girls actually paying attention to him in a non-negative light. Now? He had the perfect girlfriend, and everything else seemed inconsequential.
He tried to tell himself that, but he couldn't help the small smile on his face.
"Wait up!" Octavia called out, chasing after him with Gwen and Dew right behind her. "We aren't finished talking!"
Meanwhile, as their situation played out, none of them noticed that a single girl was listening to their arguments from around the corner. The girl didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she had wanted to talk to one of them. Once she heard what they were talking about, her body froze. Jaune and the girls were talking about the very subject she wanted to speak to the boy about. Staying absolutely still, the eavesdropper heard their entire conversation until they finally left. It wasn't hard to hear.
She did have rather large rabbit ears.
"I should have known," Velvet sighed, dejectedly. "I waited too long and now he's going with someone else."
Coco did warn her if she wanted to go with Jaune, she needed to ask. After days of teasing, of course. Jaune wasn't that popular, but there were a couple of girls who he could have gone with. Then the first years swapped leaders, which put him right in an all-girls team, and that just added more potential dates around him.
"That's a good lesson, I guess? Delay and you'll lose out on opportunities."
The Faunus girl had a small crush on him ever since Jaune helped her when Team CRDL was bullying her. She was always kind of shy and didn't like confrontation. Her team always pointed out she could kick those boys' asses, but Velvet refused to do that. If they were bullying her, other Faunus would be left alone. Velvet could handle being bullied while others couldn't. Plus, if she fought back, some people would see that as Faunus being violent against simple teasing.
Not that it was right, but there were still issues between Faunus and humans.
"Hey, Velvet?"
The poor girl jumped in surprise before spinning around. She recognized the male voice and it was never a good sign. Her body stiffened as she saw Russel's green mohawk.
"Y-yes?" Velvet replied, hating that her voice squeaked. Oddly, she didn't see the rest of team CRDL with the boy. That was unusual, as they didn't approach her solo like this. "W-what do you want?"
Contrary to the punk guy's appearance, Russel looked a little unsure of himself. Velvet couldn't help but be slightly curious, even though a part of her was still worried that this was some kind of prank or another bullying attempt from his team. Ears twitched as she listened for a possible ambush.
"I was looking for you," Russel spoke slowly like he was trying to figure out what to say.
"M-me?" Okay, Velvet didn't expect that one. She'd figured that Russel had run into her by dumb luck. "W-Why?"
'There's no way he's going to ask me to the dance, right?'
The rabbit Faunus pushed those thoughts from her mind. Dances were on the brain and making her crazy. It was best to just let the boy continue and not jump to conclusions.
"You see… it's just… I know my team has kind of treated you unfairly."
"Unfairly?" Velvet gaped at him and words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. "That's putting it mildly."
"Yeah, I know." Russel agreed, nodding his head slightly. "Thing is, we were just following Cardin's lead. I don't really have anything against Faunus."
"That doesn't make it any better." Now that she realized this wasn't a trick of some kind, Velvet was conflicted as her emotions changed from fear to annoyance. On the one hand, he was giving an honest attempt at an explanation, but on the other, it didn't make up for everything they'd done before just because the boy suddenly grew a conscience. "Do you know how much it hurts to have my ears pulled?"
"No," he replied, surprisingly meek, turning his head in embarrassment. "But I can guess?"
"It's not funny!" Velvet stomped her foot and then went flush as she stepped back. The normally timid girl quickly grew embarrassed at her outburst. "Just… leave me alone, okay?"
"I will," Russel promised, earning a confused look from the girl. "I'll never speak to you again if that's what you want, but I still want to apologize to you first."
"Huh?!"
That completely disarmed the bewildered girl. After everything, Russel's team did to torment her and now he's apologizing? What was with the sudden change of heart?
"Lately, I sort of realized we've kind of been… no, have been assholes to you," Russel explained, looking up at the ceiling as he rubbed his neck. "So I wanted to say something." His eyes lowered back at her again. Velvet's mind ran at a million miles per second trying to guess what he really wanted from her, and yet the following words never even crossed her mind.
"I'm sorry for bullying you."
Velvet looked like a deer in headlights. Completely blindsided and not sure how to react. Russel fidgeted in place as she just gaped at him, waiting for a response. Slowly, her senses returned and she uttered a few words.
"Uh… thank you?" She shook her head. No, Russel was man enough to apologize, so she should give a better response. "I appreciate it."
"I'm not sure if Dove or Sky are planning to apologize, but I'm sure Cardin isn't. Don't worry though, I'll at least talk to him and see if he'll leave you alone. You deserve better than how we've been treating you." He started to turn around when Velvet's control broke.
"W-Wait!"
Russel turned around, confused.
"What?"
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Velvet asked, unable to stop herself. "You guys never cared about hurting me or any others before! Is this some kind of trick? Some plan to get me to drop my guard? Should I expect the four of you to jump me in the next couple of days as a joke?!"
"No…" Russel shook his head. "Though I understand if you don't believe me. Honestly, it's all because of our new leader. With Cardin gone, Dove, Sky and I've been hanging around that new student, Touma Kamijou. He's helped us realize what dicks we were and that we need to change. That we need to be better." He finished before an impish grin formed on his face. "And it doesn't hurt that good guys always get the girl in the end, right?"
"Ugh," Velvet rolled her eyes in mild disgust at the comment. "Really had to ruin the moment there, didn't you?"
Russel flinched at her words.
"Yeah… Sorry, you're right. That was inappropriate. I was, uh, just trying to lighten the mood, ya know? Anyway, I really do mean it when I say I'm sorry about how we've treated you…" He assured her before continuing softly, "I don't think I want to be like Cardin anymore, so I'm going to make myself change, even if it's just one step at a time."
The boy let out one final sigh before continuing on his way.
"Goodbye, Velvet. See you around."
The fact he didn't call her Faunus, freak, animal, or any other term, but instead used her name was not lost on the girl. Velvet remained rooted in the spot as he left, her brain trying to process everything. Part of her still thought he was going to ask her to the dance and was trying to understand why he didn't. Not that she would have gone with him. There was too much animosity there. Velvet could appreciate his change of heart, even if it was for a somewhat selfish reason. If he wasn't going to bully people, humans, or Faunus, then that was a change for the better.
"What was that about?"
"AHHH!"
Velvet screamed and jumped as Coco appeared right behind her.
"Don't scare me like that, Coco!" The red-faced girl reprimanded and then managed to calm down after a few deep breaths. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, Bun-Bun," Coco answered, throwing her arm around her friend. "Imagine my surprise when I found you and I saw that guy approaching you. Wasn't he one of those guys I heard about, the ones bullying you? He didn't say anything rude, did he? You know I'd knock his teeth out in a heartbeat if you want me to."
"Y-Yes? No? I- He's not anymore?" Her words were a little jumbled at first as she wanted to make sure Coco didn't chase after Russel with her Gatling gun. "He actually came here to apologize to me. Said that he didn't want to be who he was anymore, that he wanted to change. He even promised that he'd try and stop his other friends from bullying me in the future."
"Really?" Coco lowered her shades in a mix of surprise and disbelief before her eyes went cold. "Doesn't matter though. He shouldn't have been bullying you in the first place. I would have had Yatsu and Fox down ASAP to teach his team a lesson if you would just let us. People like him don't just up and change, Velv. You should at least keep an eye out, just in case."
"I know, Coco, I will... and I've told you before, it doesn't work like that!" Velvet protested firmly at her leader's eagerness to punish the boy. "Sure, we could beat them up, but that wouldn't change anything. They'd still believe that the Faunus are animals, and they'd just think you're protecting me like some pet. All you hurting them would do is change their attention from me to someone else, someone who wouldn't be able to handle it like I can. We need to show them there's a better way."
"My way's quicker and easier..." Coco chimed in, patting her compact, mini-gun purse.
"And that kind of response is why the White Fang exists." Velvet crossed her arms.
"Yeah… I know," The fashionista sighed. "I promised we would stay back unless you were ever in serious trouble." She eyed her partner closely. "Did he at least seem sincere about it?"
"I think so…" Velvet quietly confirmed with a small nod. "He has a new team leader, Touma. It looks like he's talked some sense into them."
"Huh, the one Fox refuses to be anywhere near?" Coco looked thoughtful. "Seems like that kid is pretty good. Well, if they change, I won't need to risk expulsion from kicking their asses." She patted Velvet's back. "So… did you ever ask Jaune to the dance? I know you've been trying to pick up the courage to approach him."
Velvet's face cheeks went flush with red at the question.
"Was I that obvious?" The rabbit Faunus asked. Coco answered with her trademark grin before Velvet continued, "No, I didn't even get a chance… it turns out he's already going with someone else."
"Poor Bun-Bun… I'm so sorry," Coco's smug grin quickly turned to a look of empathy. "This is why you gotta go for it the second you know you want something, Velvet. You're such a catch. I'm sure that if you'd asked him earlier he would have said nothing but yes to you. Look… why don't we go back to the room, turn on a movie, and binge on some of that chocolate ice cream I've got stored in the freezer? Who needs a date anyway when you have your team, right?"
"Thanks, Coco." Velvet gave a faint smile. "I think I'd like that."
'Weiss has been in an oddly good mood.'
Yang was at her desk, trying to finish some homework she'd put off until the last minute. Meanwhile, Weiss was lying in her bed, reading yet another textbook. That wouldn't have been particularly unusual for her, except for the fact that she was smiling. What kind of person reads a textbook and smiles while doing it? If Yang hadn't known the girl any better, she might have thought the ice queen was replaced by an experimental clone or something.
Blake was off somewhere, probably the library, and Cinder informed them she was going to practice in the training halls, so neither of them was available to provide any insight for the blonde at the moment.
'Still, she looks happier than usual. Somethings up and I don't know what. Ugh! I know she won't tell me if I ask. But maybe I should? Touma did mention talking to people gets results. This could be something juicy. Nah, it's Weiss. Her stocks probably just rose a margin or something today.'
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, just watching Weiss smile into her textbook, Yang couldn't hold in the question any longer.
"So, Weiss, what's got you so chipper today?"
"Nothing." Weiss lied instantly, her smile not faltering at all. Yang didn't believe her for a second.
"Come on." Yang pushed her chair back and spun to face the white-haired girl. "Spill, Weiss. Not even you could enjoy a textbook that much, so something must have happened today. Oh, I'll bet you got yourself a date to the dance, didn't you?" The last bit said half-jokingly.
"I suppose you're not going to give up until I tell you, are you?"
"Nope!"
It was a near-perfect imitation of Ruby's innocent stubbornness and Weiss saw the sisterly resemblance. She knew that trying to ignore either of the two sisters was nearly impossible. They only ever pushed harder, not knowing when to give up whenever they got like this. Weiss sighed before finally closing her book. There were obviously some things she couldn't say, but was it really evident that she was happy? The things Accelerator told her were both serious and significant, but at the same time it was also a display of his trust in her, being willing to finally open up. Not only that, they were officially going to try being in a relationship.
No wonder she had been smiling so much.
"Fine, I'll tell you." Weiss tried to make her words come out as a sigh, but the vague excitement and joy in her voice shone through, clear as day. The white haired girl sat up and swung her legs over the bed to face Yang. "Since you'll end up preventing me from studying if I don't."
"I knew you'd come around." Yang teased. "Spill the deets. Something really good must have happened, right? I don't think I've seen you this happy since… Well, ever. I dunno, maybe when you heard your sister was coming to visit you were a bit more cheerful? It's a tough call, really."
That was probably true, Weiss had to silently agree. She also may have been more open and talkative about Winter.
"I finally managed to have a much needed talk with Accelerator," The heiress answered. "And, all things considered, I think it went quite well."
"Obviously!" Yang couldn't resist the juicy gossip. "But come on, I need more than that. Keep going."
"It's not really your business, is it?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've just made some progress with him, and I would rather that you don't somehow spoil it."
"Don't be like that, Weiss Cream," Yang nearly begged. "At least tell me one thing: Are you two officially a couple now?"
There was a slight pause, just a fraction of a second, before Weiss answered as she mulled over the possible responses to that question.
"Yes." Weiss settled on the truth. They couldn't hide the fact forever. She already knew she would have to tell Last Order, because she wasn't sure if Accelerator actually would. "Now please don't make a big deal out of it!"
"Damn… guess I owe Coco 20 Lien now," Yang grumbled.
"Wait… why?" Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"We have a bit of a betting pool on possible couples around campus. We were betting on when you two would finally get together," Yang explained. "Like how we were betting on when Jaune would finally realize Pyrrha likes him."
"I… er… UGH!" Weiss wanted to yell at Yang for betting on her love life, but that would be a pot calling the kettle black. She had joined the rest of her team on betting over Pyrrha's relationship. Having the shoe on the other foot sucked. Weiss couldn't even call the girl's actions juvenile without being a hypocrite. "Whatever."
That was the best response she could manage on the spot.
"Sooooooo…" Yang pushed.
"So, what?"
"How did the Ice Queen manage to break the Ice King's reflective wall and get him to agree?" Yang rolled her eyes as she asked what she considered an obvious question. "Did you have to jump and strip him?"
"Why must you be so vulgar!?" Weiss demanded in disgust.
"I'll let my imagination go wild until you tell me," the blond sing-songed in response.
"You're insufferable," Weiss scoffed before giving an audible sigh. "If you must know, we simply talked about some things. I learned why he's so harsh to other people and keeps them at an arm's length. It's… not pleasant, but I think he wanted to talk about it, deep down, even if he didn't realize he needed to. After that, we sort of agreed to at least try to have a relationship and see where it takes us."
"What'll happen if he goes back to his world?" Yang asked instantly. "It's still his home, isn't it? It's not like he can just stay here, right?"
A heavy silence fell over the room. Weiss didn't know if that would ever happen, if he would ever get to go home. A small part of her hoped that he wouldn't, that the two of them would spend the rest of their lives together like in a fairy tale or picture book, even though she knew that was a cruel and selfish thought. The girl honestly had no clue how either of them would feel or react if suddenly he had a way home, especially if there was no way back.
"Ah… Sorry. I guess that was kind of a loaded question." Yang backtracked.
"It is, but a question that did come up." Weiss finally admitted. "There's not much to discuss until the time comes. They aren't ready to activate the gate anytime soon. If they ever are…"
"I see…" Yang pondered in silence over this piece of information for a bit before continuing. "Well, first things first… congratulations!"
"You're not going to make fun of me?" Weiss asked, after a moment of stunned disbelief. She eyed the blonde trying to figure out her game. "That's not like you at all."
"Hey, I'm offended at that!" Yang half-protested, pretending to be hurt. Under Weiss' doubtful eyes, the girl could only shrug. "I can be reasonable. The rivalry between him and me aside, it was obvious you liked him. I'm not going to get in the way of that. He's the kind of guy to withdraw if I push him too hard on the relationship. That might lead to you two drifting apart. I'm not going to be the cause of a teammate's breakup. All jokes aside, I'm happy for you, Weiss."
"That's… Thank you, Yang. I really appreciate it," Weiss replied gratefully.
"That doesn't excuse you from my teasing," Yang continued quickly, eyes glinting in amusement. "Oh, you're going to get it after the dance. I can't wait."
"…Okay, now that's the response I was expecting."
"It's what I do."
A small smile tugged on the corners of Weiss' lips as she thought up the best response to the annoying blonde.
"Now that I have a date, who are you taking to the dance?"
Yang quickly sobered from her amused demeanor at the question.
"Eh, you know I'm working on the dance committee," Yang brushed off Weiss' words with a wave of her hand. "Busy planning everything, getting the band, that kind of stuff. Coco doesn't have a date either, even though she's been asked by tons of people."
"Haven't been asked, huh?" Weiss teased back, enjoying Yang's expression beginning to show annoyance. The tables had turned. "Maybe one day you'll find someone to ask you. I bet Arc needs a date."
"I had plenty of guys beg me to go with them," Yang huffed. "I just refused because I didn't think I would have time. Turns out we do. I should have accepted the last guy from Vacuo. He was pretty hot." Her lilac eyes swept over Weiss again before gesturing to her own body. "Besides, you know how it is. Guys love certain assets in a woman."
A vein throbbed in the rich girl's head.
"You-…!"
Before Weiss could use her colorful vocabulary to perfectly describe what Yang was, or at least how she was acting, the door to the room opened and an unfamiliar laugh rang out. The next moment, Blake and Ilia had entered the room.
"…and she blew up? Really?"
"Yeah," Blake confirmed. "Like I said, it's a long story and…"
The cat Faunus stopped in her tracks, eyes noticing the other two girls in the room.
"Oh, uh, sorry guys. I didn't realize you were in here," She apologized, vaguely aware that she had interrupted something.
"We were just discussing the dance," Yang informed her partner, a wicked grin on her face. "Oh, guess what, Blakey. Weiss-cream here finally got Accelerator to go out with her!"
Blake's amber eyes sparkled slightly at the news as she turned towards Weiss.
"So things went well then?" She asked.
"About as well as I expected," Weiss confirmed with a smile. Every time she remembered him saying yes, she grew giddy inside. "We're going to the dance together."
"I'm glad things worked out for you," Blake replied, nodding her head. She was genuinely happy for her teammate. Accelerator was kind of rough around the edges, but whatever Weiss saw in him was her choice. As long as he didn't hurt or abuse her in some way, Blake had no issues with him or their relationship. "Oh, because Yang will find out sooner or later, I agreed to go to the dance with Sun. As friends."
She added the last part the second she saw Yang's mouth open to reply.
"I'm surprised you're going, honestly," Weiss pointed out. "You never seemed like the type."
"Blake is gonna try to get a dance with Touma," Yang pretended to whisper into Weiss' ear. The volume wasn't anywhere near a whisper. "Slip in when Neo's distracted. She's even paying me to distract the shrimp and create an opportunity for her."
"Really?" Ilia asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow as she turned to her friend.
"No, don't listen to anything she says," Blake cautioned her longtime friend. "Yang just says things to get a reaction out of people when she's bored. Other than that, she's a good person, even if her sense of humor is lacking."
"Love you too, Blakey!" Yang laughed off Blake's words and turned to Ilia. "So, do you have a date to the dance yet?"
"I just arrived at Beacon earlier this week," Ilia pointed out, her face flushed bright red. Of course, she had found out about it really fast, but how was she supposed to ask Blake out? Not only did that blonde monkey Faunus ask her already and she agreed, but Blake wasn't even into girls like Ilia was. The chameleon Faunus wanted to respect her friend's wishes, but she hoped that one day Blake would realize the person she was meant to be with was right next to her all along. "I don't really know anyone. My only option is Mercury, and do you honestly think I would ask him out? Ewww, no."
"I agree with you, one hundred percent." Blake's hand formed a fist. "You could do so much better."
'If you only knew…' The chameleon girl thought towards her friend.
"I mean, Mercury isn't that bad-… Nah, he is," Yang backtracked. "Hope Ruby is handling him okay."
"There have been some ups and downs, but Emerald keeps him in line." Ilia chuckled before conceiving a devious thought about the two. She decided to add a tiny little lie, simply for good measure and certainly not for the fun of it. "She threatens to bail on going with him, so he's been trying to behave."
"So those two are really dating?" Yang asked interestedly.
"I'm not entirely sure either," Blake admitted. "Mercury says they are, but you take everything he says with a grain of salt."
"They are." Somewhere, Ilia was sure Emerald had just shivered, a part of her knowing Ilia threw her under the bus. "Cinder doesn't care as long as they don't let their relationship interfere with the group dynamic."
"That does seem like her," Weiss agreed, rubbing her chin in thought. "Dating within your own team seems like it would have a lot of challenges though, especially on missions. I'm not sure how Nora and Ren handle it."
"Nora said they're together, but not together-together," Blake reminded her.
"Whatever that means," Yang added with a roll of her eyes. "They're totally dating in secret, and we'll catch them at some point."
"Nora… she's the orange-haired girl, right?" Ilia asked to confirm, receiving a set of small nods from the others. "She does seem attached to Ren." She shrugged at the thought. "If she knows what she wants and goes for it, all the power to her."
"Ooo, I like you! That's exactly how I feel, and it's one of Nora's strong points!" Yang looked as though an idea had sparked in her mind. She zipped over to the other girl and threw her arm over the Faunus' shoulders. "Hey, since neither of us has dates to the dance, how about coming with me?"
"W-w-what?!"
Ilia's entire body turned bright pink at the bold question.
"Dang it, Yang…" Blake facepalmed.
"Come on, Ilia," Yang pushed, pulling the chameleon Faunus into a hug of sorts, Ilia's head dangerously close to Yang's yangs. "We can go as friends and you can tell me all of the funny childhood stories about Blake."
"You're going to smother the poor girl," Weiss warned, shaking her head exasperatedly. "Seriously, Ilia looks like she can't breathe."
Ilia's face was turning redder, but not because of a lack of oxygen. No, the girl was trying not to feel her urges well up as she was smothered by the buxom blonde's bountiful breasts. Blake was sexy, but Yang was just hot, if a little too forward for a girl like Ilia. She couldn't deny her body was turned on by the sight before her. It was simply a natural response. Part of her knew she should decline, but her mind was at war with itself.
'She's a human. But she's hot! She's human though. Just once won't hurt. You love Blake! Maybe Blake will get jealous? Doesn't that happen in her books? The main heroine gets jealous seeing their love chase after someone else and gets proactive? Yeah, Blake would notice me more.'
Ilia's eyes darted toward the dark-haired girl and saw her scowling. Unbeknownst to her, the ravenette's thoughts were somewhere else.
'Would Touma like something like this…?' Blake's cheeks were tinged with pink at the mental image of holding Touma in a similar position.
'Hah, she is! This will be perfect—… and maybe, while I'm at it, I can sneak a couple more feels in. Purely to make Blake jealous, of course.'
Unfortunately for her, Blake's thoughts were more about how she didn't like seeing Yang make her friend uncomfortable and about holding Touma tightly than they were about jealousy.
"Sure, Yang." Ilia gasped out in what she perceived as a genius play. "I'll go with you."
"Awesome!" Yang punched the air with her free hand. "Knew you had it in you, girl."
"Really?" Weiss and Blake said simultaneously. Blake was the most shocked, knowing exactly how the girl typically felt about Humans. It was surprising to see her agree to go with one to anything, let alone a dance. It almost made her feel proud, in a way, knowing that Ilia was moving past her issues.
"What?" Ilia shot back. "She has a point. Neither of us have dates and it would be more… fun? Yeah, more fun if we went together instead of apart."
"You don't have to if your uncomforta—" Blake started to say.
"Don't be a killjoy, Blake," Yang interrupted, still not letting go of Ilia, excitement ringing in her voice. As much as she played it off, not having a date upset her a little. Really anyone would have done, but a cute girl like Ilia who could get embarrassed easily? Prime real estate. "Ilia's a big girl. She can make her own decisions, can't she?"
"I— Yes, of course she can, but—"
"Now let's see what dress you have, Ilia. We have to match. If not, we can rent you something."
"H-Hang on," Ilia tried to protest as she began to realize what she'd got herself into. "Let's slow down a sec—"
It was no good though, as Yang dragged her out of the room at blinding speeds the likes of which Ruby would be proud of, leaving Blake and Weiss gazing at the closing door.
"I hope she's not going to be traumatized," Blake moaned, worried any progress Ilia was making would be ruined.
"Shopping with Yang or listening to her so-called jokes?" Weiss couldn't help but wonder.
"Yes."
The two girls shared a high five.
As Russel returned to his dorm, he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He'd just finished apologizing to Velvet, and felt oddly satisfied with himself because of it. He wasn't sure if he could stop Cardin from bullying the poor girl, but he knew at the very least he wouldn't participate or facilitate it any longer. Maybe once everyone noticed how he had changed, they'd start to look at him in a better light. Maybe he'd even get a girlfriend or something. He opened the door to his room and paused.
Dove and Sky were playing a video game together, which wasn't unusual. They'd done some training earlier today, with Touma watching from the sidelines since he wasn't supposed to help, so they were likely using that as an excuse to avoid doing anything. Not like any of them enjoyed doing homework, so that was off the table. Touma was lying on his bed, reading the book for Oobleck's class. The boy simply couldn't keep up with the coffee addict and had to work harder to catch up. To be fair, neither could he or the rest of team CRDL, however, the boy was focusing unusually hard on the textbook.
Across his lap, Neo laid there, reading a magazine.
"Sup, nerds." Russel greeted, as he shut the door behind him.
"What kept you?" Sky asked, not looking away from the screen.
"Had some unfinished business."
"Trying to get a date for the dance, gotcha," Dove replied with a grin. "I bet you failed."
"Shut up, asshole!" Russel snapped.
"Yep, no date." Sky chuckled. "Don't fret, dude. We don't have one either."
"One of us does." Dove corrected, jabbing his thumb toward Touma.
Russel turned back to see what the multicolored girl was reading and his jaw nearly dropped. In her hand, was one of their porno mags, specifically the summer Faunus one. Touma met his gaze for a moment and his lips mouthed two words.
Ignore her.
Neo had stopped by multiple times over the week and they quickly learned to just let her do what she wants. Dove made the mistake of flirting with her as a joke and ended up with her parasol jabbed in between his legs. Touma dealt with her by not reacting to any of her antics or at least tried to. He couldn't always cover his shame and embossment like when she walked in on him in the shower.
Neo held up the magazine to a page to show the boy, a scantily clad female dog Faunus splashing in water.
"No, Neo."
Touma's tone sounded as if this game had been going on for a while. Neo shrugged and turned the page.
"What did you expect," Russel sighed, plopping down on his bed and kicking off his shoes. "We aren't that popular around here, not with Cardin."
"Blah, don't remind me." Sky groaned. "He came up to me this morning and reminded me not to get too chummy with our temporary leader. Guy's ego is way out of whack."
"You never told him that to his face." Dove pointed out, focusing on the video game.
"Yeah, because then he adds more 'training' sessions that revolve around him hitting us with his mace." Sky spat out. "How Arc can handle so many of those blows are beyond me."
"Girls really dislike Cardin for the bullying too," Russel sighed. "As our leader, we get the blowback."
"You guys joined in on the bullying though," Touma reminded them. "You reap what you sow, but that can change."
"Maybe we can get girls from the other academies to go with us?" Dove suggested. "Team NDGO is pretty hot." Sky flinched.
"Good luck with that," Russel laughed. "I see the way they sneer at us in class. You have to be as strong as them to get noticed."
"Speaking of the dance…" Touma closed his book and sat up a little straighter. "Neo, we need to talk."
The three other guys in the room faked gasped.
"She's in trouble!" Dove pretended to be scared.
The mute girl's eyes flashed as she glared at him, causing the boy to shrink back and be silent. Neo then turned her attention back to Touma and tilted her head in confusion.
"Okay," Touma continued, trying to look stern into those fake innocent eyes hiding the incarnation of chaos. He raised a finger. "First, no antagonizing anyone at the dance. Not Yang, not Blake, no one. That means no rude gestures, no using your illusions to anger or get people into trouble."
Neo crossed her arms and pouted, but Touma wasn't perturbed. Slowly, she nodded in agreement. The boy wasn't sure how much she'd keep to her word, but he wanted to try. Other students deserved to enjoy the dance. Touma then raised another finger.
"Second, no ruining anyone's outfits, hair, accessories, anything," Touma had to add the last few because of the incident with Yang's hair that one time. "Before or during the dance." He wanted to make sure Neo didn't cut up Yang's outfit or 'accidentally' spill punch on it. "No sabotage in any way. You're a cute girl Neo, no one's going to outshine you."
Flattery never hurts.
The way Neo's eyes sparkled as she rubbed his leg indicated it did work. Maybe a little too well and Touma quietly gulped nervously.
"Smooth." Sky whispered to the others.
"Shhh, I'm taking notes." Dove cut him off.
"Lastly," Touma raised a third finger. "I promised someone else a dance. If I dance with someone else, it will only be one or two then I'll come back to you. Please… don't cause any trouble. I told you I'll be your date to the dance and I will keep that promise."
That was the hardest condition for the girl. The misfortunate boy from another world was her property. Neo did not like sharing with anyone, except him occasionally. Why should other people benefit because they were too slow to ask him? Still, Touma was the type of guy who would keep a promise, like the blond male friend of his, so he would come back to her. Maybe it would be beneficial to show him off to a few of the hussies. They can see what they will never have.
Neo actually liked that idea and it didn't go against any of the conditions set upon her.
Begrudgingly, the mischievous girl nodded once more.
"That's all," Touma finished. "Nothing hard. The dance should be fun for everyone, including you." He ignored Russel making whipping motions in the background.
Little did he know, he forgot to mention one specific thing Neo just zeroed in on. The former criminal, in theory at least, was a master of finding her way around restrictive rules. Honestly, the dance was probably going to be boring for her except for maybe a nice slow dance. All the students didn't know how to party, except for maybe the blonde bimbo, but there was no way they were going to party together. What Neo had to do was help everyone loosen up.
She knew just how to do it too.
The rest of the week passed uneventfully and the eve of the big dance finally arrived. Ruby was standing in the bathroom of Team CASM's room, looking at herself in the mirror. Instead of her usual outfit, she was wearing a short, red, sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. The yoke of the dress was a transparent mesh with an opaque collar and hem, as well as opaque lines connecting the collar to her shoulders. To finish the outfit off she donned a pair of black stockings and red heels.
The girl sighed loudly to herself.
"I miss my cape."
Yang had been adamant about not wearing it but now Ruby felt naked without it. Sure her outfit revealed more of her shoulders, but it was just the fact the hood was reassuring. If she was scared or embarrassed, she could pull it over her head and feel secure. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves.
"You can do this!" Ruby repeated, staring at her reflection. "Adults have to go to parties and dances like this and you are an adult. Touma promised you a dance too and it would be rude to bail."
Her cheeks tinged as she thought about it. The girl hated dances but she had been so close to asking a boy out. It was so out of character for her, yet she had felt so disappointed Touma was already going with Neo. Taking a drink of water to settle her nerves, she finally left the bathroom, stumbling a little on those stupid lady stilts.
Why did she let Yang talk her into getting a pair?
"Looking good!" Mercury wolf-whistled, causing Ruby's face to darken from slightly pink to bright red. "Sure you don't want to come with me and Emmy? I got another arm you can hang ont-..omph!"
Emerald had hit the boy on the head.
"Ignore the pervert," The green-haired girl told Ruby kindly. "Not even sure why I'm going with him. You do look nice though. That dress suits you."
"Yours too," Ruby replied. "It matches your hair." Emerald was wearing an olive-colored, halterneck, backless dress with a black sash around her waist, and matching heeled pumps. Mercury, who was currently rubbing his head, on the other hand, was wearing a basic tux, white undershirt, and a burnt orange bowtie. "Ilia left already?"
"Yeah, since your sister is going down early because she had to greet people," Emerald replied. "So Ilia decided to go down with her. When she told us… I was surprised she actually was willing to do it."
More like Ilia told them she had gotten close to Yang, which was what Cinder wanted. It also helped that Yang asked her, not the other way around. No one would suspect them that way. They also knew Ilia was part of the White Fang, which meant she did dislike humans.
"I offered her the chance to come down with me!" Mercury bragged, flexing once for good measure.
"Ugh." The two girls moaned in unison, before sharing a small chuckle.
"I'm going to head down there first," Ruby decided. "I'll see you both later." She really wanted to get out of the room before Mercury really amped up his jokes. Touma had always told her Neo teased him because he reacted. If you don't react, they lose interest. Ruby was trying very hard to follow that advice, but it was tough. Mercury knew just what to say to embarrass her.
"We'll be down shortly," Emerald assured her and waved goodbye. The moment the door shut behind Ruby, her cheerful expression vanished. "I can't wait until Cinder returns. That girl is always so damn cheerful and optimistic. This week has been going on forever."
"I don't know, I had a blast." Mercury laughed. "She knew about me from Arc and Kamijou, so I couldn't just change personas. I should have counted every time she hid under that hood of hers. If I drank every time, I probably would have died from alcohol poisoning."
"That would have been an improvement," Emerald huffed, before adjusting a strand of her hair. "You know the plan. Cinder is going to be busy and needs us to cover for her. For now, we need to make sure the others can confirm our alibi."
"Easy," Mercury nodded in agreement. "That's why we infiltrated those losers."
Meanwhile, Ruby made her way to the ballroom of Beacon where the dance was being held. A lot of students in tuxes and dresses of all kinds were talking excitedly or heading in the same direction. This event was a big deal for everyone. Ruby had to walk slower than she was used to, or she risked tripping over her own two feet. The death traps she was wearing were designed by the devil.
"Rubes! You came!"
The moment she entered the ballroom, Ruby was greeted by a familiar face.
"You're the one who pushed me to, Yang." Ruby whined to her sister.
"If you skipped it, you'll look back at this and beat yourself up for doing so."
Yang was wearing a short, white, halter neck dress with a pale gray hem and white pumps. Ruby thought it might have been a little tame to some of the outfits Yang suggested to others, but she did look nice. Turning her head, she noticed Ilia standing nearby, looking a little nervous and awkward.
'Finally! Someone who doesn't like dancing too!'
"Ilia, how did Yang force you to be a greeter with her?" Ruby asked instead. "Did she blackmail you? Yang, you know dad told you that's wrong!"
"I didn't!" Yang looked annoyed that Ruby would even suggest that. "Ilia and I came together, so she's keeping me company as my date."
"All we're doing is greeting people and checking them off on a list," Ilia replied, holding up the clipboard. "Once we're done. We can join everyone else."
"Anyone else from our group arrive yet?" Ruby questioned her sister.
"Just Nora and Ren," Yang answered, pausing a few moments to greet some new arrivals before continuing. "Might want to avoid them for a bit though. Nora takes break dancing very seriously."
Ilia groaned as Ruby looked confused. When the Faunus pointed to a broken chair in the corner, Ruby couldn't help but imitate that noise. The girl in question was by Ren on the far side of the dance floor, moving to the music, if a little wildly, while wearing a pink strapless dress with a white skirt. Ren of course was wearing a tux.
"Lighten up and have a good time," Yang told them with a roll of her eyes. "Go out and socialize a bit, Ruby."
"I'm… fine over here." Ruby scooted over between Ilia and the refreshment table. "I don't like dancing."
"Unless someone special asks." Yang didn't even try to hide the smile. "I'll let him know you're waiting for him."
Ruby's cheeks burned as she instinctively reached for her hood to hide her shame, but of course, it wasn't here.
"I see how you were able to survive Mercury," Ilia whispered. "Your sister might be worse than him."
"Different types of jokes," Ruby replied. "Getting a break from those puns was like a vacation."
People began to funnel into the dance room. As the clock got closer to the 'official' start time, the crowd grew dense. Emerald and Mercury greeted them before going off on their own, furthering Yang and Ruby's belief they were together. Then the couple Yang had been eagerly awaiting had arrived.
"The Royal Ice Couple is here at last!" The blonde couldn't contain her enthusiasm.
"Ugh, can't you be professional for a single day?"
Weiss has arrived at last, wearing a short, white, sleeveless dress with cutouts on both sides of her waist. The yoke of the dress was translucent mesh and she also wore white pumps. Obviously, she wore her usual color scheme, but this dress just screamed fancy. Several nearby people were staring at her and her date because no one expected him to be there.
Accelerator was standing next to her, wearing his own tux, and looking like he definitely didn't want to be there. A quick glare was all it took to cause the gawkers to quickly move on.
"Nope!" Yang replied to Weiss. "Have fun, kiddies. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"A normal person would stop long before they approached what you wouldn't do." Weiss pointed out, passing the blonde and only stopping to give a shot wave to Ruby.
"Little tamer than I thought she would be," Accelerator muttered. "Did you knock some sense into her?"
"No, she actually talked to me earlier this week and promised not to cause too many problems," Weiss whispered back. "As crass as her sense of humor is, she isn't a bad person and has her moments." Her head swiveled upwards as the music changed. "I wish the DJ was better. This is way too pop for my taste."
Accelerator wasn't sure what to say about this. People weren't static and not only had layers but could change. He was living proof of that. Still, it wasn't like he tried to learn about others. Weiss was the first person he actually wanted to get to know who wasn't forced on him. There hadn't been time for him to have an understanding of all of Weiss' thoughts. Part of him considered the possibility Weiss pretended not to like the music and waited for something a little slower since it was obvious he didn't want to dance to something fast-paced and peppy.
He also hadn't mention this was his first actual dance, ever.
"Damn…" Yang muttered to Ilia and Ruby. "The Ice King there knows how to dress. Combined with his glare, I can see why people like it."
"Ewww, gross." Ruby shuttered.
"I guess?" Ilia shrugged. The girl could see why some people might like that type of guy, but she didn't. Her instructional manual was completely different. Now, if it was Blake in that tux, she wouldn't have been able to hold herself back. "I think you look better."
The chameleon girl merely meant that while they were both human, Yang was an attractive girl, which appealed to Ilia's preference.
The way the blonde spun toward her and her eyes were sparkling informed Ilia she had made a big mistake.
"Aww, I knew you liked me!" Yang pulled the girl into a tight hug. Without warning, her skin started changing multiple colors, red, pink, yellow, and more. Her head was smashed right into the blonde's chest and to a secret pervert like her, it was heaven.
She even forgot Yang was a human for a moment.
"Yang, you need to let her go."
Blake had just arrived with her date, Sun. Perfectly timed to see Ilia's predicament. Yang let Ilia go and turned around to greet her partner, only to gape. She knew Blake had picked out the dress, but with her hair done and everything prepped, she looked amazing. Next to her, Ilia had begun to drool a little bit. Blake was wearing a rich purple shoulderless dress with slits up the side of the legs. Gold trimming that tied into small ribbons on the side matched her eyes. She also had a matching bow and elbow-length gloves. Seeing this, her partner could only react one way.
A very loud whistle escaped the blonde's lips.
"Haha." Blake laughed dryly.
"That was my response too," Sun admitted with an embarrassed grin.
The boy's words slapped Ilia out of her stupor and her eyes traveled up and down the monkey Faunus. Unlike most of the other males at the dance, Sun was wearing very casual clothes. A dark t-shirt with the collar popped up, a loosely tied white tie, and jeans. It was like he hadn't even tried to be a suitable date to someone as amazing as Blake. A vein throbbed in Ilia's head.
"You look… comfortable." It took everything Ilia had not to insult the idiotic boy.
"Nah, Neptune pointed out I needed to dress up," Sun sighed. "Not used to a tie at all. Feels like I'm being strangled.
'That can be arranged.' Ilia thought savagely but managed to remain silent.
"Coming from someone who likes to go shirtless, you are dressed up." Yang laughed. "Anyways, Welcome. Enjoy the dance. Blake, don't forget. You owe me at least one dance."
"I know, Yang." Blake rolled her eyes and walked on by with Sun on her heels.
Once they were gone, Yang turned to Ruby.
"See, Rubes? You could have invited someone to come with you as a friend."
"I tried, but Penny was going with Last Order," Ruby replied. "Have they shown up yet?"
"I don't think so?" Yang turned to Ilia. With so many people coming and going, she didn't remember everyone outside of her immediate team. Ilia checked the list and shook her head, before turning her gaze back on Sun's retreating back.
If only Cinder wouldn't be upset if he had an accident. Right now, her position is of the utmost importance, so there could be no slipups. The woman stressed that Ilia made sure Cinder was marked as arriving early on that night. The Faunus wasn't sure why yet but didn't want to incur the flaming wrath. Besides, it wasn't like it was a hard job and it was important.
"I haven't seen Jaune, Pyrrha, Touma, or Neo," Ruby commented, looking around.
"We know Neo and Touma are coming together," Yang admitted, even if she didn't like it. The dark expression that appeared on her younger sister's face indicated that as well. What did amuse the older sister was that Ruby wasn't entirely sure about the way she was feeling. Touma was her first real crush, so the younger girl didn't understand her emotions. Shame it was on someone Blake liked. That meant at least one of them would be unhappy. "I expect Neo to want to show off, even if Touma would just prefer to stand by the punch bowl and watch."
"Dancing isn't important," Ruby huffed, crossing her arms. "Not like weapons."
It was very hard for Yang to hold in her laughter.
Only a few seconds later, as if this entire thing was planned, the ballroom doors opened. With a single glance, Yang stopped laughing.
"Hey?"
The misfortunate boy who had just been the topic of conversation greeted weakly. He looked nice in his rented tux, much like most of the guys. His hair wasn't spikey though and slicked back with what Yang assumed to be copious amounts of hair gel. Ruby was mostly gawking at this. Yang and Ilia were more occupied with someone else. Hanging onto Touma's arm was none other than Neo.
And boy, did they stare.
Neo had gone all out.
Her dress was a long pitch-black one that covered most of her lower body, unlike a lot of the girls wearing shorter styles. The top half was the exact opposite. Two straps linked the back and moved towards covering her chest with just enough fabric that Glynda couldn't complain. The woman in question was eyeing her with a frown, knowing it was still within regulations. The area below her chest and above her belly button was revealed, along with her shoulders, arms, back, and even under her arm.
Pink flowers started at the connector between the cups and wrapped diagonally backward around her waist. Multiple sparkling necklaces hung on her neck, all with precious stones. Her hair was done to be braided on one side with longer pink ends hanging on her right side. She was also wearing matching black heels to prop up her height. Everyone was dressed nicely at the dance, but Neo had gone above and beyond anyone else. That outfit must have cost a fortune.
Touma still seemed in a daze. Just because he knew Neo and was used to her everyday outfits along with some random flashes, he was still a teenage boy. Having a celebrity-level beauty clutched to your arm could throw off even the most reserved men. It was still somewhat dream-like to a high schooler who had never had a girlfriend before.
"Er… yeah, hi?" Yang was choking on her words as Neo gave her the biggest shit-eating grin in her life. "Come on in." She nudged Ilia to get her to write down the two newcomers.
The lesbian girl was drooling almost as hard as she did for Blake.
"Thanks, Yang," Touma replied. "Hope they aren't working you too hard."
"Nah, not too much," Yang was back to her normal self now that the shock wore off. "I'll be free soon enough. Save me a dance, handsome."
"Huh? Sure-… whoa!"
Neo pulled him after her toward the dance floor, away from Yang, who had just gotten a very small victory. As they passed, guys were gawking at them, including a couple of girls. That multicolored girl knew what she was doing and wanted to be the center of attention.
"Lucky bastard…" One guy muttered.
"I didn't know Neo was that hot." Another guy whispered to his friends as they passed.
"I kind of like his hair slicked back like that." One girl complimented.
Groups of guys were already planning on how to punish that misfortunate boy.
"You know she's going to get back at you," Ruby said to Yang, referring to Neo. "Why did you say that?"
"Cheating on me already?" Ilia added, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to have to complain to Blake."
"Hey, now!" Yang protested. "It's just one dance and besides, Lover Boy there and I get along. Nothing wrong with a friendly dance." She elbowed Ruby lightly. "Unless you don't want me to?"
Ruby pursed her lips.
The fact was, part of her didn't want her sister to dance with him. Too many times guys would try to befriend her to get closer to Yang. Naturally, Yang made them regret hurting Ruby, but that pain never went away. Ruby knew her older sibling was attractive to guys and she wasn't jealous of that. She was perfectly happy with her own looks. It was just that she didn't want Touma to ignore her for Yang.
Then she dismissed those negative thoughts. Touma was too nice and since he already promised a dance, he wouldn't break it. With either of them.
"No, you said it was just a friendly dance," Ruby conceded. "Neo will be watching and if you try anything, I bet she won't take that lying down."
Those words caused the blonde to pause and think things through. Neo had dyed her hair green just for fun. What would she do if she had a real reason?
Rather than answer, Yang decided to turn the topic back on Ruby.
"I'm surprised you didn't say hi, sis," Yang commented. "You just hid behind Ilia. Embarrassed at how good he cleans up?"
"N-No!"
No matter how much she denied it, her face betrayed her by becoming the same color as her favorite cloak. Ilia shook her head, even if she was a little amused by this.
"Hello, Yang!" Came a pleasant voice. "Are we supposed to check in with you here?"
"Yeah, P-Money!" Yang smiled and spun around as she recognized the voice. Pyrrha was wearing a form-fitting red dress with a long slit up the side to reveal her leg and thigh. Along with showing some skin around her shoulder and chest. "I have to say, looking good." Then her eyes traveled to the guy next to her. "Sup, Vomit Boy. Get a date yet?"
Those words slipped out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to process things.
"I think so," Jaune replied seriously. "It was a lot of work asking her out." Pyrrha giggled in response.
It was then Yang realized they were the only two who had entered at the time. Her eyes traveled down and saw their fingers intertwined together. Pyrrha has an expression of joy etched on her face and Jaune was looking embarrassed but at the same time, pleased with himself. Things all clicked into place at once.
"YOU TWO FINALLY GOT TOGETHER?!"
Yang didn't mean for her voice to carry. Groups all turned to the entrance confused at what Yang was shouting at. Once they saw Pyrrha and Jaune together, holding hands, everyone at Beacon finally understood. The newer students from other Academies weren't fully aware of the dynamics, so when the majority of Beacon students started cheering and clapping, they were a little surprised.
"About time!" Someone in the back of the crowd yelled, earning a round of laughter.
"REN! It's happening!" Came a shout everyone recognized.
Jaune and Pyrrha were stunned at the response and were quickly surrounded by people asking how they got together. Nora had pushed the crowd aside and gave her two friends a great big hug.
"Eh, hem."
Yang turned around to see Weiss holding out her hand.
"I believe I won." The heiress stated smugly.
"Right…" Yang pulled out a couple of Lien and handed them over. "We're in your month for those two getting together." Her eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"
"It was either going to be the end of the year or during a big event," Weiss explained. "The dance seemed like an obvious time." Smiling, she turned around and began to collect her winnings from the other students who participated in the bet, including Blake, Nora, and Coco.
Yang watched the new couple made of her friends for a moment longer, as they got mobbed by more random people, before turning back to Ruby and Ilia.
"This dance is already on my top three parties ever."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two.
Wishez: Fun chapter, but Ben really out here changing too much.
BenFang322: Damn… it's been a long time since I've been here in the Author's/Editor's notes section, hasn't it? It's good to be back though. Oh, and obligatory "blame Wishez for any grammar or spelling mistakes," since SilverFang isn't here and it's Wishez' job to handle the small stuff.
Wishez: Actually incorrect, SilverFang is always responsible.
Dark: True. He always is.
