She liked him.

There was no grand realization, no moment of sudden understanding, no butterflies inside her stomach, it was just a fact rattling around in her head as she woke up that day. A fact that seemed so obvious that she wasn't sure how she had not noticed until now. Birds fly, grass grows, the sun shines, and Weiss Schnee had a crush on Jaune Arc.

Though knowing something and understanding something were two completely different things.

As she lay down in bed staring at the ceiling, she tried to figure out when these feelings started. Was it when he made breakfast for them all? They did say the way to a woman's heart was through her stomach, and he was almost as good a chef as his sister. Was it their trip to the bookstore? After some cajoling to get him to talk about his own favorites and recommendations, she discovered he was just as interested in adventure romance novels as she was.

Whitley certainly seemed to be taking a liking to him recently, even if he would deny it vehemently. Was she mistaking her happiness for her brother having a positive male role model for a possible romantic connection? No that wasn't it, otherwise she would be having new feelings for Ren as well.

Was it the time at the gym? No. She was not that shallow. Right?

Was it when they all visited the beach together? It was scarcely the most romantic set of circumstances, but she did feel that their friendship became stronger that day. If nothing else she started watching him more closely to make sure he was not dragged off by another group with ill intentions.

Perhaps it was as early as the flight they shared together. It was the first time in a long time she had managed to have a steady one-on-one conversation with the boy, and it had been a delightful flight after she had been feeling so alone. From talking about his family, attempting to comfort her over her uncertainty with her brother, to the comfortable silence, even just them sharing videos and music on his scroll, he was altogether rather charming when he wasn't attempting to flirt with her.

This wasn't getting her anywhere. Getting off the bed Weiss started pacing around her room trying to figure out a plan. It was obvious to her that she needed an outside perspective, one that would help her figure out how, when, and most importantly why these feelings started.

There was the adult in the building, Taiyang had at least two wives in the past and possibly more girlfriends before that. Certainly, he could give her some much-needed perspective. But then again, talking to a man who she didn't know that well about something this personal didn't sit right with her. She wished she could call Winter, but not only was she in the middle of a mission at the moment Weiss doubted her sister ever had a relationship before. It was blasphemy to think this, but for once in her life she did not think Winter could help her.

Her partner would certainly be available to talk, but at the same time, Weiss was almost certain that Ruby was ace. As long as she had known her, she never showed any interest in men or women, and she'd never once heard Yang try to tease her about either which reinforced her theory. Probably not the greatest source of advice for this kind of thing.

Blake was a non-starter. It was not that she doubted that her friend would be willing to give her plenty of advice, but Weiss was certain that her advice would be extremely unrealistic. They didn't talk about relationships often, but from the few tales she heard from her past and her future plans, she was certain that it would be better to ask anyone else. Plus, she was not sure she wanted advice on this subject from someone with a signed copy of Ninjas of Love.

Well what about Ren and Nora? They undoubtedly understood the emotional complexity of the situation she found herself in, right? If nothing else, those two knew what love was. It was never said out loud, but everyone was certain that Ren was just waiting for them to graduate before he proposed. Those two certainly had their act together and would be more than able to help her sort through the mess that was currently in her mind. But then again, they were very close to the problem. Their closeness and loyalty to their leader could influence their answers, for better or for worse. Or Nora could spill the beans to Jaune before she had decided what to do, and that would be a disaster.

Perhaps Pyrrha could help her? She had a crush on the young knight before, so certainly she would be able to tell help guide her through these thoughts. Then again, it may be poor form to ask for her help because of her past crush. She said it was behind her, but there was always the possibility there were some lingering feelings. Looking at the time on her scroll Weiss decided Pyrrha was off the table anyway, as she wasn't due to visit until tomorrow and she needed help now.

… Whitley? No, they weren't there yet.

Well, that just left her with one option. Winner by default, Weiss sought the aid of Yang Xiao Long.

It was not hard to track down Yang, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Yang was currently hanging out with the person at the center of Weiss' inner turmoil. The two were always good friends, Jaune having gotten in her good graces when he helped her little sister, but they seemed to grow even closer during their vacation. She had to admit she was jealous of how easily Yang was able to get him to spend time with her, where she basically had to drag him anywhere she wanted to go.

'Well, it's now or never.'

Walking around the couch she was able to get a better view of the two. It was obvious Yang was in the middle of a joke, her giant stupid grin plastered on her face was a dead giveaway. Jaune's look of absolute confusion indicated that this was a particularly bad one as he was one of the few who would give Yang a small chuckle, so this had to be bad.

Jaune then took out a headphone that she had not noticed, "Yang, what the hell is this?"

"It's great, isn't it?"

"It's marked under favorites."

"I know"

"It's the only one on that playlist!"

"I know" Yang's grin was somehow getting bigger, if this did not stop right now there was a chance she may actually hurt herself.

Before this could continue Weiss cleared her throat to get their attention. "Yang, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. In private?"

"Could it wait a few minutes, I got some more songs I wanna make VB listen to before he escapes."

"Actually it cannot. It's about," She did not really have a great excuse to pull her away from her fun, so she used the one trick up her sleeve guaranteed to both gain Yang's sympathy and send Jaune away, "I'm having some lady issues."

The effect was instant. The young boy was instantly very engrossed in his own scroll while Yang practically leaped off the couch and took her hands and hurriedly yet gently led her to the room Yang and Ruby had been staying in for the last month and a half. The brawler sat her down on the bed as she rushed to the dresser on the other side of the room. "Ok I have a few pads here you can have, I'll also go get a bowl of ice cream from the fridge. Oh, should I get Ruby to keep you company or should I bring her to the store with me while I get you a restock?"

"Yang. I do not need anything. I am sorry I lied to you but I really needed to talk to you. It's important."

Yang turned to face her, eyes full of surprise. It was rare for Weiss to lie to her team, she would hide certain truths like what she got them for their birthdays, or how late in the night she was up studying. But actually lying to them? She hated doing it.

After a moment of silence from the girl she nodded to herself and sat on the bed next to Weiss, only to immediately pick the girl up and set her on her lap as she leaned back onto the headboard. It was the same kind of hug she had seen her envelop Ruby in many times when the young girl was feeling depressed or just needed to be comforted. Weiss hated how easy it was to manhandle her, but being surrounded by warmth and love was exactly what she needed at the moment.

"Ok, let's start from the beginning. Is this good news or bad news?" Her voice was gentle, barely above a whisper.

Weiss couldn't help but sink into her new human pillow as she talked. "It is not bad news, but I am not sure if it counts as good news. I just need to know how it all came about."

"How what came about?"

It was an innocent question, but was she ready to say ithe answer out loud? She had already accepted the fact in her head but letting the world know? "I think… no. I know I have a crush on Jaune." She had done it. There was no going back now.

"Ok, and why do you need to talk through this?" Her voice was still soft, but Weiss could not help but notice the lack of surprise.

She grabbed Yang's hands in hers to ground herself while she emptied her head, letting out everything that had been on her mind since waking up that day. "I just do not understand why! Nothing has changed between us. His personality is the same as it has always been. He is still the dorky, nervous, kind boy obsessed with comic books and heroism that entered Beacon, so why is he suddenly much more pleasant to be around? Yea, he dropped who whole fake confidence thing but that was before the Vytal Festival, so why is it only affecting me now?" Before she could stop herself, she added, "And then there are his looks!"

"His looks?" She could tell Yang was trying to be supportive and take this seriously, but she just couldn't hold back the laughter in her voice. Weiss could feel her cheeks turn red with heat but she could not stop now.

Normally she would be pacing the room while ranting like this, hoping to tire herself out before she went too deep into her own head, but she had no desire to leave the warmth of Yang's hug. "Yes, his looks. He has not changed at all this summer. He has not suddenly transformed into a supermodel so why…" Weiss could feel her entire face nearly melting with embarrassment but it was too late to stop herself, "so why can't I stop imagining him shirtless? Ever since we went to the gym together, I cannot get the sight out of my mind. It's wrong! He is my friend I should not be thinking of him that way!"

Yang started to squeeze her tight while stroking her hands with her thumbs, once again grounding Weiss before she lost herself in her spiral. "It's ok Weiss. You haven't done anything wrong. You haven't made him uncomfortable, it's ok." It had the desired calming effect on the white-haired girl. Her breathing started to slow back down and she was able to start thinking more clearly. "It is completely ok to think your friends are attractive, it's not like you're spying on him and taking pictures when he isn't looking." That was… strangely specific. "Also, he told me what happened that day at the beach, how you swooped in and rescued our naive knight from the talons of some thirsty harpies. He told me how you told him exactly how handsome he was."

"Of course I did. He needed to hear it."

"Ok, so why is it wrong to think the same things now?"

Weiss didn't have an answer to that, at least not one she was satisfied with. "Because I'm doing it behind his back? He's a person, not some slab of meat for me to gawk at."

"What I just heard is that you respect him as a person. Now does that sound wrong to you?"

She hated it when Yang did that, using her words against her. But at the same time, she couldn't find any flaws in what she said. "No, I guess not."

"Good. I don't ever want to hear you say you're a bad friend again. You are a kind, thoughtful soul and we all love you just the way you are." She was silent for a moment to let everything sink in, but their talk was far from over. "So, you enjoy his personality, and you enjoy his body," With that Weiss tried to wiggle free but Yang wasn't letting go, "so what exactly is the problem?"

"Nothing has changed! So why am I feeling like this now? He hasn't done any romantic gestures, there haven't been any great passionate moments between us, we haven't been separated only to be brought back together after we've matured, nothing. Am I even crushing on him or am I labeling these feelings inaccurately? Is this just what it feels like to have close male friendships?"

"Ok Weiss, I need you to breath again." Gods she was such a mess. Weiss didn't even realize how messy her own thoughts were before they started. "I want to get this through your head straight out the gate; there is nothing wrong with liking Jaune." Another moment of silence passed. "Come on Weiss, I want to hear you say it."

"… there is nothing wrong with liking Jaune."

"There you go, now we can talk. It sounds to me like you have some misconceptions about love."

Her heart nearly burst out of her ribcage, "Who said anything about love?!"

"Weiss, please let me finish." And yet another moment of silence while Weiss got her heartbeat under control. How much of this talk was just them sitting in a quiet room? "Maybe love was too strong a word, but it does seem like you have some misconceptions about relationships as a whole. Love at first sight, grand romantic gestures, the whole 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' schtick, that only exists in stories. Fairy tales about idealized people who were meant to be together, people who are joined by the soul and will always find each other, love strong enough to protect the world? It's all hogwash. It's great entertainment value, but sometimes those stories can cause some real problems with people's perception of how the heart should work."

It wasn't like it was news to her, of course the world didn't work like her romance novels, but it still hurt to hear. Why couldn't the world just be perfect?

"The real world is complicated and filled with fuzzy lines that never manage to truly separate our feelings. Being able to both love and hate someone, to both miss someone while never wanting to see them again, and to know you like someone without knowing why? That is a much more accurate portrayal of the heart. Love-" Yang felt Weiss begin to squirm again at the word, "I'm sorry. Relationships take work. They take effort to start, and even more effort to maintain, but very little to end. If you ask me, you two have been putting in the effort. You just haven't realized it."

Putting in the effort? Was she not listening to her? Nothing has changed. "What do you mean?"

"Well for starters, you two have been spending an awful lot of time together this summer."

"Of course we have, he's my friend!"

"Yes, but you take every opportunity you can find to be with him lately, have you noticed that?" Weiss tried to argue, but she found she couldn't. "Alright then. And you two have been talking to each other. Not to say you haven't been speaking to each other before, but now you're listening. And the same can be said for him."

"Is that really enough though? Just spending time and talking?"

Yang took a moment to collect her own thoughts, she really wasn't prepared to have this conversation today. "Ok let's take a step back. Most relationships start with a physical attraction. Now I'm not asking you to describe what you like about Jaune. Just tell me three things you find physically attractive."

How did they get here, she wanted to sort through her thoughts and make sense of her feelings, and now she was about to give Yang her taste in men? Gods above this was embarrassing. "You must promise that this stays in this room. I am not about to give you free ammunition."

"I give you my word that everything stays between us. I know it's embarrassing but I really am trying to help you."

"Just three things, right?" She could feel Yang nod her head behind her, "Fine." It was a struggle for her, it honestly wasn't a subject she thought about often, but eventually she was able to think of three things she found attractive in a man. "I like big arms, I don't know why there is just something about them. I guess I also like strong chests? And - one word out of you and this is over - I like them taller than me."

"Ok, that's good. Now tell me three things you are emotionally attracted to."

This one was easier, "I like men who are gentle, supportive, and genuinely kind."

She could hear Yang chuckling behind her, "So you are totally into himbos?"

"I don't know what that means."

"I'll show you later." She laughed at her own joke for a few more seconds before she calmed down enough to continue. "Ok so big and strong yet gentle and sweet. That certainly sounds like Jaune to me." She was right. It wasn't on purpose but she had just described Jaune to a T. "So, you have put in the work, respect him as a person, and are attracted to him both physically and emotionally. Are we comfortable saying for certain that Weiss Schnee has a crush on Jaune Arc?"

She already knew she did, she didn't know how long she knew but she knew. But yes, she was now comfortable admitting it to herself and the world. "Yes. I have a crush on Jaune, and there is nothing wrong with that." She couldn't help but smile as she said it.

"So what are you going to do now?" And like that, the smile was gone.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet, I really just needed to get my own head on straight first. To understand how I felt." It was true that he used to have feelings for her, he made no secret of that, but it had been over half a year since he had shown even the slightest hint of romantic interest in her. "What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"You'll never know if you never ask, and the worst thing he can do is say no. Besides, I would be surprised if he didn't still feel something for you. He had it pretty bad in Beacon."

"Maybe, but I can hardly get him to talk to me sometimes. I know he's naturally pretty shy, but sometimes it feels like he avoids me."

Weiss could practically hear the mischievous smile as Yang spoke, "Maybe he just gets nervous around pretty girls?"

"He talks to you just fine." She could feel Yang stiffen behind her as if she had been shocked by what she said. Succeeding in this attempt to break free from her spot on the blond's lap she turned so that she was sitting facing her friend. "What? Are you going to tell me you are not pretty? Because you're gorgeous."

Apparently it was Yang's turn to blush today, her face slowly turning more and more red as they stared at each other. Eventually, she closed her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Ok, filing that away for later," before looking back to Weiss. "Let's just say, I'm not Jaune's type."

"How could you possibly know that? It hardly seems like the topic that he would be willing to talk about." Especially not with Yang. There was a reason she made the brawler promise that nothing said in this room could be used against her later.

"Well, while you and VB were hypnotized by little Adrian, I had a look at some family photo albums. Got to see a few of his past crushes before Beacon in there, enough to form a pattern at least. I don't even think he realizes, but our boy Jaune has a type, and that type is short, petite, and ponytails."

"Even if you are right, should I even ask him out on a date? What if it's all a mistake, what if I'm just being hormonal? What if it turns out he does not like me after getting to know me better?"

"Well that's the risk, isn't it? A date isn't a promise for marriage, and it certainly isn't a contract to spend the rest of your days with a person, it's just a way to get to know each other better and spend some quality time with each other. If it works out then great. It will be the start of a beautiful thing! And if it doesn't, then you tried, and you two will still be friends going forward. That's just the kind of people you two are."

It was true, she knew all of this already. She had dated Neptune and that relationship failed, but they were still friends. Weiss just needed to hear it again from someone she trusted. "How is it your so wise in these regards?"

Her smile didn't turn sad, but it did lose a noticeable amount of its previous shine. Taking her hands in hers she started, "Had my fair share of crushes growing up. Some minor some major. More than a few dates that were only interested in getting me to do… certain activities with them. But the thing about crushes is 'sometimes you get crushed' as cheesy as the saying is. And you can only get crushed so many times before your dad gives you the true love speech." Weiss could see the jolt of realization in her eyes as she quickly tried to backtrack, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's ok Yang, I know what you meant." Just because her family was messed up doesn't mean she was angry at her friends for having healthy relationships with their parents. There were some days she was envious, but she would never lay the blame on them. The atmosphere in the room had grown tense after Yang's perceived misstep, but Weiss refused to let their talk end on a note like that. "So, while we're sitting here having a serious discussion, what are you attracted to?"

That got a good laugh out of her. Weiss would never let say it out loud but she loved Yang's laugh, she just wished the girl had a better sense of humor. "Well for starters, I would love someone who can look me in the eyes while we talk."

"I do not believe I have ever seen our friends leer at you, why not ask any of them on a date?"

"As I said, that's just for starters."

Authors notes;

Sorry this one is shorter than usual, but I feel if I try to stretch it out any more it will ruin the flow.

This one right here. This entire fic was an excuse to write and post this one chapter. I'm sorry if it feels a little preachy, it wasn't my intention, but these are my feelings on love and how a lot of books, movies, and even fanfics kinda miss the mark on that front. Tried not to make Yang a mouthpiece, as she strikes me as a person who could potentially share these views, but it's always possible I missed my mark.

I have three head cannons for Yang that all exist simultaneously. She is an absolute meme lord, behind closed doors she is the most nurturing of the group (maybe second to Pyrrha but it's hard to judge that after she was taken so soon), and before RT really started pushing bumblebee, she always struck me as the embodiment of "always the bridesmaid never the bride"

Oh, and for those wondering what Yang was making Jaune listen to, Gary Come Home but in Moonbase Alpha. Not Remnant's equivalent, just straight-up Gary Come Home but in Moonbase Alpha

As always reviews and comments are always welcome. They tell me what I did wrong, what I did right, and I just enjoy getting them.