Hello again everyone, Welcome to yet another chapter in this tale. Not gonna lie, it is a hell of a lot longer than I had been anticipating (yay for filler) and now totals around 119,000 words which is absolutely bloody mental. It will be interesting to see just whether or not we can hit the 200,000 mark. If I do I might throw in a fluffy whiterose/lancaster/bumblebee for all of you. One final note before I leave you to my mad musings, I receive a fair amount of complaints regarding spelling. Please, before you have a go do make sure it is actually misspelt and not just the British manner of spelling it. Many thanks and enjoy the chapter.
Jaune stepped out of Oobleck's class amidst the crowd of teenagers all frantically fighting to get out the door. He sighed in frustration as he was jostled about in the rush until eventually with one major shove he was knocked off balance and sent flat on his backside, his books flying every which way. With a pained groan he gathered up his various notes, textbooks and work. Turning around he found a familiar set of heels, looking up he was met with the intense emerald eyes and warm smile of his partner. Her hands were held out offering him several of his books. He took them and packed them into his bag, hurriedly climbing to his feet and dusting himself off. It seemed a little eerie that she had been able to creep up on him without him having even the slightest clue as to her presence.
"Thanks Pyrrha." He said with a slight blush creeping over his features.
"You're welcome Jaune, although we did tell you to wait a few moments before trying to leave so you wouldn't get caught in the crowds." Despite the fact it seemed that she was chastising him, her tone was as kind and friendly as ever.
"Yeah I know but they're serving my favourite food in the cafeteria today and I didn't want to miss out like last time."
"Wait, today is roast dinner day?" She asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She snatched his hand and set off at a run towards the cafeteria just as Ruby and Weiss exited Oobleck's room to join them. Both girls took a moment to realise what was happening before they too began running to catch up.
It was a few moments before Jaune's mind caught up with the situation and he legs spurred into motion, finally getting him running alongside his partner instead of simply being dragged along. He was a little surprised at Pyrrha's reaction to finding out that it was roast lunch being served, it was clear that she had developed an affinity for the meal but he hadn't believed that she too was fanatical about it. She always seemed so calm and indifferent to such things. In fact it was only when the kitchen staff made Mistral foods that she seemed to get truly excited, he could understand why. A taste of home can help alleviate even the worst home sickness and leave one feeling a little more at peace, ready for even the most homework heavy of classes.
It wasn't long afterwards that the four of them burst into the school's huge dining hall and, without skipping a beat, made their way over to the line of students queuing for food. It was there that their mad, headlong dash finally ended and she released Jaune's hand. The blonde, Weiss and even Ruby all doubled over panting heavily. Indeed it was only Pyrrha who seemed unaffected by their brief run, perhaps due to some aspect of her training. Once he had had a chance to recover, Jaune slowly stood back up again and looked around. All around the hall, hundreds of eyes were fixed on he and his team.
'Great... this again.' He thought with a sigh. Indeed, ever since word had gotten around that he, Jaune 'goofball' Arc, had gone on a date with the Pyrrha Nikos he had attracted a lot of unwanted attention from the other students. In most cases it seemed to be a fascination brought about by curiosity, students wondering just how he of all people had managed to capture her interests. Yet in other cases it was a little more extreme, split down a love/hate line. He had lost count of the amount of times that he had been stopped in the hallways around the expansive Beacon campus by students wanting to congratulate him or rant at him about how he didn't deserve a girl like Pyrrha. In truth he couldn't help but agree with the latter, he too couldn't see what it was that he had done for the universe to grant him such a magnificent opportunity. He felt bad knowing that he was still some way off from making a decision and that they would both be kept on tenterhooks for however long it would take him to actually make that decision. It wasn't fair but just what choice did he have? If he rushed and made a mistake then he would break someone's heart unnecessarily and everyone would end up hurt. No, he had to be absolutely sure.
"Alright everyone get back to your meals and stop staring like a bunch of mindless dolts!" Weiss cried to the assembled students, her frustration taking over for a brief instant. Immediately the room returned to normal as the air once again filled with the sounds of knives and forks against plates as well as the low hum of conversation. It seemed that no matter where you stood on the issue, upsetting the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company still seemed like a bad idea.
Sighing in relief, Jaune returned his attention to the dinner queue and watched with a frown as it shifted at an agonizing pace. Fear swelled within his stomach as he considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they had already run out and he would be forced to have whatever alternative had been prepared. Behind him, Pyrrha seemed to be having the same thoughts as he was. It was unclear how he had ended up in front of her but in a way he was subtly grateful as it increased his chances of scoring a hot lunch of delicious roast beef. The champion's eyes were fixed on the trays of food ahead. One by one the students passed through and it was clear to see that the selection of roast meats and vegetables were reducing at a steady rate.
At long last Jaune made it to the front of the queue to see that there was just about one serving remaining of roasted goodness. With a wide smile and a quick prayer of thanks he requested the full roast and watched, his mouth watering, as they plated it up and handed it to him over the counter. Behind him he could hear the collected groan of the remaining unfed student body but he didnt care. He made his way happily over to his team's usual table and set his food down. Taking a seat he waited for his team to join him before digging in, it was only polite after all and he didn't want to appear rude, especially in front of Weiss... He still had the bruises from the last time.
Soon after they joined him, though something wasn't quite right. Pyrrha sat down opposite him with a serving of what appeared to be a lasagne. Yet in place of her usually bright and cheery expression was one of extreme disappointment. His heart broke seeing her in such a state, seemingly she had been hoping for the roast far more than he had thought. He looked from her plate to his own and back again, his mind frantically tossing the dilemma over and over until finally he gave in. With a sigh he reached out and slid her plate away from her and towards himself. Pyrrha looked at him with confusion, matched only by their two teammates. That was until he slid his precious roast lunch over and in front of her. She took one look at it and then to him, her frown quickly shifting to a brilliant smile, her eyes twinkling with a single question; 'Really?'. He nodded the affirmative with his best attempt at a smile before digging into his newly acquired lasagne. A team leader must look after his teammates first and then himself after all. Although that still didn't make up for the absence of deliciously tender beef, cooked to perfection and served with crispy roast potatoes... Still, he supposed his lasagne was about as good a substitute as he could ask for. It was still excellent of course. Both Weiss and Ruby still looked at him with an expression of surprise. This was an unheard of incident, Jaune had never been the type to sacrifice his food before. In fact, anyone who had ever gotten too close to it had always been likely to end up on the receiving end of his fork.
Seeing him give up his lunch for his partner, especially one which he looked forward to every time it came around was a profound happening indeed, and one which made Ruby's little heart sink. It was a sign of deep affection for the champion, an affection which she had yet to see demonstrated in any way towards herself and that worried her. Had Jaune already made up his mind with Pyrrha? No, she quickly discounted that as an option. He wouldn't leave her hanging if that were the case, it just wasn't like him to be so cruel. He would tell her. Despite this though, such a display had her worried, she would need to double up her efforts but how? Perhaps Yang would know... She quickly discarded that thought. This wasn't something that she wanted to speak with Yang about, it had been awkward enough in the lead up to her date with him when the brawler had helped her get ready.
No, Yang simply wasn't an option. She considered Blake but immediately dismissed the idea based on just how close she was with Yang, Nora seemed a little too excitable and her repeated reference to breaking legs frankly worried the little rose. That left only one person... it was a long shot but perhaps it could work, after all who could Ruby trust if not her own partner. Weiss Schnee.
"You want me to do what?!" The heiress cried in surprise, Ruby had managed to drag her off to the training complex, away from all of the others, and raise her request.
"I want you to help me win Jaune over Pyrrha." She repeated with the slightest hint of desperation in her voice, if that wasn't enough, the heiress also had to contend with the huge silver puppy dog eyes. Even after so long being partnered with the little rose, Weiss still hadn't worked out a strategy to resist Ruby's puppy-dog eyes and she seemingly never would. Only Ruby's older sister seemed strong enough to stare Ruby down, it was an enviable ability to be sure and one which Weiss felt somewhat jealous about. The heiress had lost count of the number of cookies which she had unwillingly bought Ruby after a blast of those puppy-dog eyes.
As it was, this time Weiss managed to beat her personal best and resist for a whole five seconds before eventually caving in with a begrudging sigh. She rolled her eyes in sheer disappointment at having once again been bested by her little partner. It was fair after all, especially since she had really gone out of her way to help Pyrrha out with her date for the blonde. She had already chosen a side, in her own subtle way. She was afterall, rather fond of the idea of Pyrrha and Jaune becoming a couple. In her mind the two accented one another perfectly... Yet there was still Ruby to consider, she too was infatuated with the blonde dolt beyond all knowledge and reason. Her mind whirring to come up with a solution, Weiss finally replied.
"Alright Ruby... I'll help now please stop pulling that face!" She said, somewhat frustrated with the whole situation. Thankfully she had a plan, she would of course help Ruby like any good partner. Yet that help didn't necessarily have to be the best she could possibly provide. She would help a little but not really lend herself to the little rose fully. After all, if she was chasing Jaune then shouldn't it be mostly her that won him over? Come to think of it, she hadn't done any more for Pyrrha, simply buy them both clothes and sent them off to try and enjoy their date together. It was only fair then that she do the same for Ruby.
"So what do we do?" Ruby asked eagerly, once again pulling Weiss out of her deliberations.
"Hmm what? Well I guess you should probably try to spend a little more time with him. With the tournament coming up soon that will be a little difficult though since he and Pyrrha will both be training a lot more. I guess all I can suggest is that you try and sit next to one another in class and during meals. That will at least give you an opportunity to talk more. Other than that, we might have to wait until the tournament itself, once we're there you will wow him with your abilities. Who knows, you might end up fighting Pyrrha herself." Weiss explained her idea in a rather matter of fact tone. In truth she couldn't help but find it a little fitting if Ruby and Pyrrha ended up fighting one another in the tournament. At least that way it would be easier to decide whom Jaune would end up with. In truth it was hard to tell just who would win in such a fight as both fighters seemed to be at the height of their respective fields. Ruby had, after all, been allowed into Beacon a whole two years early.
"Alright..." Ruby replied, mulling it all over "We wait until the tournament to pounce. I gotta start training! I'll see you later Weiss!" She said enthusiastically, yet before Weiss could reply she had shot off in a puff of Rose petals to go and retrieve her weapon. Shaking her head the Heiress made her way back to the room to work on her homework projects.
The remaining weeks until the tournament try-outs passed all too quickly for Ruby between the intense training sessions that she subjected herself to as well as the seemingly harsh homework load that the faculty placed upon the students to try and prepare them for the practical exams at the end of the year. Yet to Ruby, none of that mattered. She had worked herself to her very limits physically, until she had been forced to crawl back to the dorm room from the training complex and even then some days she didn't even make it back. Weiss had found her asleep in the locker rooms on numerous occasions, often without any knowledge of how she had ended up there or what had happened to tire her out that much.
Yet at long last, the day for sign ups arrived. Every single student in the school seemed to be out in force, either through a desire to sign themselves up or simply to support their friends and teammates who did. Thus it was that Jaune and his team were fighting their way through the crowd to the registration booth. The blonde knight had no intentions of signing himself up for the contest itself, he was only there to support both Ruby and his own partner. Weiss had opted out of competing too, citing that she had far too much homework to be able to fully commit herself to fighting in the competition without jeopardising her academic average for the year. So out of team JSPR it was only Ruby and Pyrrha whom were due to put their name forward. Team BRNY too were signing up to fight in the tournament, all of them. Nora wasn't about to miss out on the fight and as usual she had dragged Ren into the whole affair and he had agreed, simply out of a wish to satisfy his partner and lifelong friend. Both Blake and Yang seemed truly invested in the idea of fighting in the tournament, both of their eyes burned with a searing determination unlike anything that Jaune had ever seen before. It was as though the two of them were setting out to take on the world which, considering the diversity of the fighters, they were.
Jaune sighed as he saw the sheer size of the queue that they were facing. Thankfully, the students from the various other nations had already registered prior to coming to Vale. This at least kept the lines down to roughly a fifth what they would have been. With a chuckle, Jaune saw that it was Oobleck who sat behind the registration desk, his arms a blur as he moved at incredible speeds to finish signing up every student who uttered their name within five feet of the kiosk. Every so often he would take a minuscule break to sip from his ever present flask of what must have been some really strong coffee. Despite having such abundant energy, the doctor was starting to look a little ragged around the edges. His usually messy hair was outdoing itself in terms of its chaotic nature and his tie was for once completely absent. Yet for as tired as he looked, he was making incredible progress through the tidal wave of applicants, so much so that it only took a fraction of the time which Jaune expected for them to reach the front of the line. They had barely given their name and team before they were ushered away from the kiosk and told that their application had been successful. Slips of paper were thrust into both Ruby and Pyrrha's hands, written on them were the precise details for their first fights including the time, venue and their respective subdivisions.
Shortly after they were joined by an equally confused and disoriented team BRNY, well, mostly disoriented. Ren seemed to maintain his usual calm and collected self. Taking a brief moment to catch up with themselves, the now registered fighters read through their respective pieces of paper. To Jaune's utter dismay both Ruby and Pyrrha were scheduled to fight at the same time, on the same day and in different locations. He would have to choose who to go and watch. To make matters worse, both of the girls seemed to be looking at him with expectancy, as though they were waiting for him to make that decision at that very moment.
"S-so now you guys have signed up, can we please go get some lunch? I'm starving!" He waved it off even as his stomach growled loudly. He couldn't have been more grateful for his own body backing him up at that moment. Hearing his belly growling, both the girls' expressions softened as they retook their usual casual expressions. Nodding in agreement, their group shifted off and down towards the dining hall.
As they walked, Weiss dropped back to walk along beside her leader, a slight smile on her face for once as she finally spoke.
"Well, well Jaune. Looks like you will be making a choice far sooner than you had thought." she said teasingly in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear.
"I know... It's a disaster. Whoever I go and see is gonna seem like the one I have a preference for... I mean Pyrrha is my training partner so she will be expecting me to go see her and support her just like she has supported me. So if I don't go she will be really upset. But on the other hand Ruby would take it really badly if I didn't go and watch her first fight. She hasn't ever competed at this level before like Pyrrha has so she will want me there to share in the experience... What do I do?!" He asked in desperation, the question wasn't directed at anyone in particular. He was simply throwing it out to the universe and hoping the cosmos might provide him an answer. Whichever way he chose to go he would end up hurting someone, yet at the same time simply not going to see either wasn't an option either... it was a mess.
"You know Jaune, if I were you I'd go and watch Pyrrha. She is your training partner and coach, Ruby will understand that. Don't worry I'll be at her match and I'll let her down easy. After the preliminaries, the only times they will share a match is if they are fighting one another so this shouldn't be an issue." Weiss offered nonchalantly. Jaune listened to what she suggested and considered it, it was a fair option but he couldn't work out the heiress' motive. Why was she so willing to help him out here. With a growing grin he replied.
"And then you get to comfort Ruby, she will realise just how wonderful her partner truly is and together you can both run away to live in the family castle in Atlas right?" He teased. What he didn't expect was the vibrant shade of red which Weiss turned in a matter of seconds only. He was hard pressed just to keep himself from laughing. It was so unusual to see Weiss lose her composure to such an extent as she had just now.
"Wha-! I uh... No! I mean... I guess she is quite sweet but... I'm not taking sides!" Weiss stammered, her face only growing a deeper shade of red with every passing moment. It was the most worked up that Jaune had ever seen her, far from her usually calm and collected self.
"It's okay Weiss. I won't tell another soul, your secret is safe with me. Although I don't think I can just side with one or the other, not until I have truly worked out how I feel about them both. It's still all so confusing to me..." he sighed, it was the truth. Though more recently he had noticed Ruby growing a lot more friendly in recent times. More often than not the two of them had ended up in a long debate over who would win in a fight should X-ray and Vav ever turn on one another. It had certainly not helped his confusion one bit but he couldn't deny that he did enjoy them, they were a relaxing alternative to the usually heavy talk that their team shared.
"Thank you... In truth I'm not quite sure what I should do myself." She said, her voice shaking a little as though she were unsure of herself. It was odd indeed that she could go from being so confident and self assured to so quiet and nervous, but then again that was what love did to people. It was a powerful force to be sure and not necessarily one to be messed with.
"Yeah I know what you mean. All I can say is be yourself Weiss and if it's meant to be then things will work out." He smiled and much to his surprise, she offered him a smile back. It was a rare moment and the blonde was sure to commit it to his memory. To him it was surprising just how far Weiss had come in the last few months. The arrogant and pompous heiress was gone and had been replaced with someone much nicer to be around. This Weiss was caring and compassionate with a will to help her friends rather than lord over them on some form of metaphorical high-horse. This Weiss was his teammate and his friend.
Not long after, they found themselves in the dining hall, huge plates stacked high with mounds of food. Jaune had constructed himself a literal mountain of mashed potatoes with sausages poking out of it and gravy lavishly drizzled all over it. It was agreed by all present that it was more of an art piece than it was a meal but the blonde happily tucked in all the same, mining out seams of sausage from within the creamy potato bedrock. He was in his own little world as he ate. It wasn't until over half an hour later that he actually finished the meal, pushing away his plate and leaning back in his seat, contentedly patting his now full belly. Such actions brought a giggle to Pyrrha's lips and a blush which followed soon after as all eyes turned to face her.
Jaune sighed as all eyes soon turned onto him as if drawing some connection between both him and his partner. He leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his head firmly in his hands. It served a double purpose in both allowing him to conceal his rapidly reddening face as well as granting him a reprieve from the piercing eyes of the other students. The tournament was fast approaching and he would have to make his choice. It wasn't one that he was looking forward to.
*Gasp* Weiss you sneaky devil, been playing matchmaker this whole time! Christ I love writing this version of Weiss so much. Yes she is so OOC it is probably painful to some of you but right now, I don't care anymore. This whole story split from canon during initiation so I have writers license to do as I wish at the moment haha. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you did please be sure to favourite, follow and most importantly; review. Let me know what you think and I will love you forever. On a side note if I were to open up commissions how many of you would be interested? It would be around $1/£1 per 100 words ish with a max of 5000 words (the length of one full chapter) and I will write whatever ships and characters you like. Let me know and as always I'll see you all in the next chapter.