Hi, here's a chapter – bye. Time to write White Sheep.

Chapter 19

Yang's foot tapped furiously against the floor, as did her fingers atop the desk, eyes locked onto her homework. The staccato sound echoed about the RWBY dorm, a rhythmic beat that helped to distract her mind and body.

Apparently, it wasn't the same for everyone else. "Yang," Blake begged from her bed, "Please, stop… you're killing me."

"Hm," Yang blinked and looked at her partner. "Sorry, what?"

"That tapping," Blake sighed. "Yang, you've been drumming a tune into my skull for the last forty minutes. Weiss and Ruby fled twenty minutes ago, and I'm beginning to question why I didn't go with them."

"Oh, right, sorry. I didn't even notice."

"Yang…" Blake sighed and pushed herself up into a sitting position, legs crossed atop the mattress. She had a book in her hand, but placed it aside to stare at the blonde girl. "What's wrong? You've been acting weird all day."

"Wha-?" Yang threw back her head and laughed. "No, I haven't. You're imagining it."

"You've got to be joking… Yang, you haven't so much as touched your homework, despite staring at it for half an hour or more. You didn't talk at lunch and you've been walking around on eggshells all day."

Had she? Yang wracked her mind to try and remember, but all she could think of was something altogether more troublesome. She shook her head and turned away, back to her homework. "You're imagining it."

"Is this about Jaune?"

"What? No!" Yang's shoulders stiffened. "Don't be daft. What makes you think that?"

"Well, it could be how you've avoided him all day," Blake said, "or maybe how the one time he did try to grab your attention, you practically shoved Ruby at him. Hm, then there was the time you sat Pyrrha between you and him in class…"

Each example caused Yang to flinch, face slowly getting lower towards the desk as Blake cocked her head to one side and ran off a laundry list of unusual moments.

"Oh," Blake finished with a sardonic smile, "and then there's that reaction you just had to me even suggesting it. For all your banter, Yang, you're really bad at lying."

Yang's chin fell atop her arms, which rested over her homework. She knew just how much that likely confirmed Blake's suggestion, but couldn't bring herself to do otherwise. It was pretty obvious, she guessed. It wasn't like she'd done a good job hiding it. Hell, Jaune probably knew as well – and that made her feel even worse. "Maybe… maybe there is something wrong," she mumbled.

"Want to talk about it?" Blake pushed off the bed and padded over to sit beside her. "I know I'm not always the most… friendly of partners, but I'm willing to try and listen."

Did she tell…? Blake was a good friend, even if the whole running away debacle had made things a little awkward between them. It was clear she was trying to be better, though, spending more time training with Ruby and even sitting through homework sessions with Weiss to try and repair the damage she'd done. Still, this wasn't something Yang felt particularly comfortable with, especially since she'd been the one to mess up. On the other hand, sitting around and moping wasn't going to fix anything, was it?

"I…" she swallowed, "You're right… it's about Jaune."

"It was fairly obvious," Blake said. "What's wrong, though? I thought the two of you were getting on well, especially after he helped me out at the docks. I thought you'd be pleased about that."

"I am… or well, I'm not pleased he went and risked his life, but I'm glad he's okay and I appreciate it."

"Then what's wrong?" Blake asked. "What could possibly have happened to-"

"I kissed him."

There was a short pause, during which Yang took several deep breaths.

"Okay," Blake said, "and…?"

"And I kissed him," Yang repeated with a groan, head falling onto the desk. "I guess I was in a good mood, or just relieved to have you back and him safe, but right after I'd finished pointing out why it was stupid to do all that just to make me happy, I went up and kissed him."

"I heard you the first time, Yang. I'm just… is that really a bad thing?"

Yang turned to stare at Blake, mouth open. Was that-? Was Blake insane? Of course it was a bad thing. Didn't she understand the careful balance Jaune and her had between them – the risks of what could go wrong, not to mention all the confusion, chance for misunderstanding and awkwardness? Didn't Blake realise how bad it was that she'd shown that kind of intimacy to him, or worse, that she'd enjoyed it!?

"I'm guessing from your face that it is a bad thing," Blake sighed. "I feel like I'll regret asking this, but why?"

"Because we're friends and friends aren't supposed to make out with other friends like that, not when there isn't anything more involved. This is… even if I did it in a friendly way; a guy is going to take that as the girl being interested. It might start off small, but one party will want more – and then it'll change that friendship into something else."

"And you don't want that to happen. You want the two of you to remain as friends."

"I… yeah… I like having Jaune as a friend. He's comfortable to be around, he's awesome and funny – I feel great when we go out together, without any of that confusing romance stuff." Their relationship had been something special, something pretty damn amazing, especially if he'd been willing to go so far as to fight terrorists for her. Changing that, though? "This kiss could upset everything," she sighed. "It could ruin everything we have, especially if we try something more and it doesn't work out."

"Even if you dated and it failed, you could still be friends, you know?"

"Blake…" Yang shot the girl a look and sighed. "The whole `still be friends` thing never works out – like, ever. Even if you break up on the best of terms, there's still going to be the reason why you broke up. That bitterness continues and kills a friendship stone dead. Trust me - I've seen it happen a million times."

"Well, I doubt that will be a problem," Blake said. "Look at how he acted with Ruby and Pyrrha… Jaune loves to spend time with Ruby specifically because she doesn't show any romantic interest in him, and he practically avoided Pyrrha like the plague." The faunus shook her head with a soft chuckle. "I doubt he's going to push you for more, Yang. He doesn't seem interested in romance in the slightest."

Yeah, she knew that… it was the very reason her heart fell, as her face did, to rest on the wooden table before her.

"Oh," Blake whispered, and Yang could just imagine her eyes going wide. "Oh," she repeated again. "You… I didn't realise you meant you. Yang, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," Yang sighed, "I never thought it would be me, either. I just… things were comfortable and I liked it, and I kissed him without thinking."

"And you liked that, too."

"Yeah…"

"And now you've started to think you might like more."

"Yeah…"

"Except that he's practically shown a clinical aversion to that kind of thing."

Yang sighed. "Yeah… now do you see why it's complicated?"

"I suppose I do." Blake leaned over to pat her shoulder, for all the good it did. "If you like him, it might be different," she said. "He might say yes to you. There's a difference… Pyrrha came on too strong and too sudden, but Jaune really loves your friendship. He might give it a chance."

"I'm sure he would," Yang said. "No, he definitely would – but it wouldn't be for the right reason." Jaune would accept because he didn't want to lose her as a friend, and then try his best because he wanted to make it work – for her sake. "I don't want it to be like that," Yang said. "It would feel like blackmail. It would be doomed from the start, too. No relationship can work on those terms."

She wasn't even sure when she'd started to be interested. Their first meeting had been okay, but nothing to write home about. They met, made some polite conversation, and it was obvious neither was really interested in the other in any way. Their second meeting had been worse, with her making assumptions about his interest in Ruby, and then causing problems that way.

From there, they'd grown closer, sure… but only as friends. He'd been a good person to hang around with, someone she went to for advice, or just to chat. He would talk about the things he liked, which just so happened to be pretty similar to what she did. They'd talk for ages, lost in their own little world. It had gotten to the point where she looked forward to those conversations, where she instinctively sat next to him in class.

Was that when it started? Had she not noticed, or had she perhaps been blind, reluctant to even consider the possibility?

Things hadn't sparked until their lips touched, however, after which she found her stomach flipping and toes curling. He was a good kisser… sinfully good, even. It spoke of a person who'd kissed a lot of people. Honestly, she'd kind of thought it would be the other way around… that the few boys she'd kissed would have made her the more experienced party. How wrong she'd been.

How deliciously wrong.

No, don't think about it! Yang shook her head to try and dispel the memory of his lips on hers, the way his tongue brushed against her – how she'd tilted her head and leaned into what was supposed to be a chaste peck on the lips. That… that had been anything but chaste.

"Do you see my problem now?" Yang threw an arm into the air. It fell lifelessly onto the desk, disturbing the homework she'd not even written a word on. "This is like… this has the potential to ruin one of the best friendships I've had in a while, with a guy who isn't going to start crushing on me, and because I went and started to crush on him instead. And to top it off, it's Jaune. He freaked when Pyrrha flipping Nikos expressed interest in him… what's he going to do when it's someone he thought was a friend?"

"Nothing, by the looks of it," Blake said.

"Eh?"

The dark-haired girl sighed. "Yang, you've already kissed him, and from what I can see, it's not like he's gone out of his way to ignore you since. He's already tried to approach you once or twice, so even if he isn't interested in you that way, it's not like he's going to avoid you."

"I know… and I know it's unfair of me to avoid him too, Blake. I'll apologise to him for it. I'll make it up. It's just… I wanted to try and sort myself out first, you know? Come up with a plan of action – decide what to do about it all."

"And have you come up with something?"

Yang banged her head against the table. "Does this look like the face of a woman with a plan?"

"It looks like the face of someone who will have a concussion soon," Blake chuckled, reaching over to pull Yang away from the desk. "Yang, I realise this is… difficult for you. You want to keep your friendship with him and are worried you'll be the one to ruin it with how you feel. I suppose it's admirable you're worried about that, and what he would want as well."

"But…?"

"But you can't just hide away forever. Nothing's going to change if you keep avoiding him, and he'll just think he's done something wrong."

"I know that, Blake. I just need to think of what I can do. I'd appreciate any ideas…"

"Well, you've got two options," she said. "Get over it or don't get over it."

Yang glowered at the other girl. Seriously, that was her advice? "And how, oh wise and powerful Blake, would I go about these mystical options?"

"There's no need for sarcasm," Blake said, tapping her arm. "I mean that you can either embrace your feelings and try to make them work, or you can try to get over them and move on."

"Definitely the last one," Yang said. "There are way too many questions about this, and I honestly want things to go back to normal. I like having Jaune as a friend. I don't want to lose that. How do I get over it, though?"

"I can't believe you're asking me of all people," Blake sighed. "I'm no professional, Yang, but I guess the best way to move on would be to spend time around him, to try and get used to seeing him as a normal friend," she quickly added when Yang opened her mouth. "Think of it as getting used to him again. Maybe you're only thinking like this because of hormones and the kiss… let that fade away, and you might fall into a routine again."

"Okay," Yang nodded. That sounded… well, it didn't sound perfect, but it made sense on a theoretical level. They did say that absence made the heart grow fonder, and that was the last thing she needed right now. She needed familiarity to breed contempt, and breed it all over her burgeoning feelings. "I can do that," she said. "I need to apologise for avoiding him anyway. Is there anything else?"

"Not unless there's someone else you want to get involved with," Blake shrugged. "I mean, the best way to forget about wanting more from Jaune would be if you got it from someone else, but unless you're nursing a crush for Ren, I don't think I've seen you with any other guys."

"I'm not that suicidal," Yang laughed. "I think Nora would make me disappear if I went after him. Besides, he's too… too calm."

"Only you would see that as a bad quality," Blake laughed and shoved her shoulder.

Yang teased back, eyes sparkling as she tried to diffuse the tension she felt. Blake was right, of course. She did need to move on from how she felt about Jaune, if only to preserve what they had. In a situation where he didn't want it, and she wasn't sure she wanted it, either, it would just cause pain.

Blake was wrong about one thing, however. There was one other guy she spent time around. If you were hungry, you ate. That was simple. If her body was being hormonal, then there was a way to satisfy that, wasn't there?

Yang swallowed, cheeks heating up. It was… definitely an option.

/-/

Jaune knew he shouldn't mention the kiss. That much was obvious from how Yang acted around him for most of the day, despite his best attempts to play it off. He'd been foolish, honestly. Perhaps his mind had been elsewhere, or the exhaustion had set in, but when her lips touched his, he'd forgotten who she was for a moment and reacted accordingly.

He'd deepened it, done what he could to make her enjoy it.

He'd turned what was probably supposed to be a friendly peck into something irrevocably different, and that created the awkward tension which drove her away. Gods, I'm such an idiot, he cursed, for what felt like the hundredth time. She was just trying to prove a point and I go and do that…? Good work there, Jaune, real good work…

Her rosy cheeks whenever she saw him was proof enough that she'd found the whole ordeal embarrassing, and no amount of attempted apologies had let him get close.

As he often did, he returned to the one person who could give him advice, who at that moment shook her head with a soft sigh.

"You idiot," Nina said, cigarette in one hand. "Talk about foolish, engaging armed terrorists and a criminal like Torchwick."

"Nina, I thought we were talking about me kissing Yang?" He rolled his eyes but was forced to wince when she leaned over and slapped him around the back of the head. "Ow…"

"I'll get onto that," she scowled. "First, though, you'll let me finish explaining why you were an idiot to risk your life like that. You can fix your teenage melodrama later. Your life is more important now."

He felt there should have been some pleasure at that, some feeling deep inside about how she cared enough about him to be upset on his behalf. Sadly, there wasn't, and his `teenage melodrama` as she put it, was still at the forefront of his mind. "Look, I know how stupid that was," he said, "Yang as good as rammed the fact into my skull."

"Smart girl… I'm starting to like her even more."

"In which case you'll help me here," Jaune begged. "I really messed this up, Nina. I need help."

"A muzzle is what you need," she sighed, "with maybe a collar and lead attached so someone can keep you away from trouble. Jaune, you kissed a girl. It isn't the first time and won't be the last. Does it really matter that much?"

"It does here. Yang is different from those times, Nina. I care about her."

"You've kissed me. Are you saying you don't care about me?"

"That's different and you know it," he sighed. "Things are different here, easier and more comfortable. Yang and I… we're friends, and much of that friendship is built on the fact that neither of us likes the other in that way."

"What a beautiful friendship," Nina said with a roll of her eyes. "Truly an inspiration to us all."

"Nina…"

"Oh relax, dear apprentice," Nina stood and flopped one arm over his shoulder, pressing her lips to his cheek. She smelled of cherry perfume but also a little sweat. She'd just come from a dance, and it showed. "I'm simply toying with you a little. You needn't worry so. As for your little problem, yes, it was silly of you to initiate something you have no desire to continue, but I doubt it will destroy your friendship."

"Yang's been avoiding me all day…" he said miserably.

"Well, of course she has," Nina sighed and slapped his head again. "Stupid boy, she's embarrassed! Of course she's going to avoid you until she doesn't feel so awkward. That doesn't mean she hates you. That's normal behaviour."

Jaune's brain paused for a good few seconds. That was it? He looked to Nina in amazement, only for her to throw her head back and laugh.

"You're such a dramatic little boy," she said, head resting on his shoulder as she laughed. "Oh, it's cute in a way, how you can bumble around like a child with her, but be such a hit with the customers."

"That's different," he protested, cheeks heating up a little. Was he really being so dense? "They pay me money to do things for them, and it's not hard to figure out what they want. Yang's one of the first friends I've had, and definitely the first I've done this to. You think she's just embarrassed, though?"

"Probably," Nina smirked. "You did say she isn't interested in you, correct?"

"She definitely isn't."

"Then I must be right. She intended a light peck, as you've pointed out, and now feels embarrassed because you went further."

"I've tried to apologise to her…"

"And you'll need to again, once she lets you near. You need to give her a little space, though. I'm sure it will just be a day at most, some time for her to calm down and treat you like normal." Nina smirked and prodded him in the chest. "If it was anything like your kisses as Crimson, I'm sure you confused the poor girl."

He flushed but couldn't argue. It really had been the same kind of kiss he would have given there, with as much care in ensuring the recipient's satisfaction. Poor Yang, indeed… he must have shocked her. "You said give her a day, right? I should try and talk to her tomorrow?"

Nina looked at him for a moment and sighed at his hesitant voice. Her face became more serious, her smile comforting. "I'd start with a message first," she advised. "Contact her in the morning by scroll to gauge her mood, and then just talk to her like normal. If she brings it up, you can apologise, but I'm almost certain she won't." Nina tapped his nose with one finger. "She probably wants to forget about it and pretend it never happened. Let her."

Okay, that didn't sound too hard – and now that Nina had laid it out for him, he found his shoulders easing. Maybe he'd read into it too much? Maybe she was just a little embarrassed. Nora had done the same a few weeks back when Ren walked in on her changing her bra, and from what he could remember, she'd refused to speak to him for two hours.

That wasn't a full day, but it was Nora and Ren, which meant that two hours might as well have been two years. It was enough let him relax.

"Go on, now," Nina pushed him away. "You've got work for the evening, as have I. Tell me how it goes with your little girlfriend. I like her."

"Not enough to stop teasing her whenever she comes by."

"I only do that to people I like, my dear. Now go do your job."

Jaune rolled his eyes but ducked out of the changing room, running his hand through his now-crimson hair. The mask was already in place, the better to not be noticed. Some of the early shows had already taken place, Nina's included, but he was working in the private booths for the night. Hopefully there won't be anyone too demanding. I'm really not in the mood for it right now. He settled down onto the couch, poured himself a quick glass and downed it in one go. A smile blossomed over his face a second later, the better to greet whatever customer entered.

It almost slipped right off when Yang nervously poked her head through.

"Um, hey there…" the blonde said nervously.

Yang? What on Remnant was she doing at the club? Was she looking for him? No, she couldn't be – otherwise she wouldn't have come all the way up to the VIP. She must have paid too, in order to reach his booth, but why would she do that? His thoughts raced, but he realised he'd waited too long when he noticed her looking at the floor and the walls, anywhere to not look at him.

"Of course you can, Clover," he said, motioning her to come inside. "I am sorry about that. I was lost in my head for a moment."

"Yeah, I've been there," Yang – or Clover – said, moving into the room. "My head, I mean, not yours… well, unless –no, never mind."

She seems more distracted than usual. Jaune thought. The last two times she'd come by was when he had his argument with her, and then once more when Blake went missing. It wasn't a huge leap to guess she was here for a similar purpose, seeking the advice of someone on the outside – probably about the kiss they'd shared.

Well, that would be fairly easy to sort out, at least. All he had to do was repeat Nina's words, say her friend `John` had probably done it without thinking, and that it would all be blown over if she gave the poor guy a chance to explain.

In fact, the more he thought about it, the more this session felt like a good idea. He could nip the whole thing in the bud and get his friend back, without any problems whatsoever. "The last time I saw you, you were worried about your friend," he said. "Has that been sorted out?"

"It has," Yang said, light entering her eyes as she accepted a glass of vodka and lemon from him. "Everything went great, well, except for a friend of mine getting a bit hurt, but it all ended well."

"Glad to hear it," he chuckled. Yeah, it sounded like Yang was still going to be on his case about getting hurt… her and Nina both. "Did you come for a little more advice today?" he asked. "How can I help?"

Yang fidgeted in her seat. Her fingers played with the cool glass in her hands, and he watched as her lilac eyes flicked up to his and then back down again. She was nervous, uneven and uncertain – that much was clear. He gave her time, even when it dragged on for two whole minutes. By the end, she'd reached up to play with a lock of golden hair, tangling her finger in it before her chest.

Eventually, she spoke. "I didn't… it's not advice," she said, haltingly. Her cheeks darkened but she took a deep breath and gathered herself. "I… I think everything is going okay on my end at the moment."

Jaune blinked but didn't argue, even if he was a little surprised. She didn't have any complaints about his actions or what they'd done? He'd at least thought she would mention how they'd been avoiding one another, but unless she did, he obviously couldn't bring it up.

"What is it, then?" he asked. "You know you can ask anything of me, Clover. You've hired me for the full hour. Would you care to talk about something?"

"Can you…" Yang waved one hand, but the meaning behind it was lost. She didn't mean to pour her another drink, since she still had half a glass left. He followed the direction of it, but she just pointed to him.

"Clover, I can't do anything unless you tell me what." He smiled at her, but she looked so nervous that he couldn't help but take some pity on her. "If it helps, you and I are the only ones here and no one will ever know what it is you want to ask. No matter how embarrassing it might be." Embarrassing like admitting her friend had made out with her, he assumed.

Yang nodded and took a deep breath.

"Can you…" she hesitated again. He nodded to urge her on. "Can you… gods, this sounds so weird."

"It's fine, Clover. Just say whatever is on your mind."

"Can you strip… for me."

Eh? Jaune stared at her, eyes wide behind his mask. She wanted him to- but why? He wanted to ask, but how could he when it was his job? To make matters worse, finally getting the words out seemed to give the girl the confidence she needed.

"I want you to p-perform for me," she said, a little stutteringly, but with an expression he didn't know how to reject. There was no lust there, no looking at him as though he were an object. If anything, she looked vaguely hopeful, as though she expected him to turn her down. "I'd like to see what a private performance looks like," she whispered, eyes to the ground, "If you can, I mean… you don't have to. I'm being silly."

"No, it's…" He swallowed and stood, slowly. If that was what she wanted, who was he to say no? "You want a show?" he asked, just to be sure. It just… it didn't feel very Yang of her, all things considered. She'd never asked for something like this before.

"Yes," Yang nodded, but curiously struggled to meet his eyes. "I… I do."

Oh…

Jaune nodded and placed his glass down, reaching out with one hand to flick a switch on the wall. It dimmed the lights, but also heralded the start of a low, pulsing, song. Contrary to most customers, Yang didn't relax and look up at him. If anything, she looked incredibly awkward.

"You'll need to watch me, Clover," he said, "If you're sure you want me to do this, that is."

"I'm sure!" Yang said, eyes instantly locking up into his. She downed the rest of her drink, and then poured herself another before he could make a move to do it. "I've been thinking about this and… I'm definitely sure."

Jaune – Crimson – nodded, hands falling to his waistband as he started to gyrate his hips to the steady beat. His fingers traced up his sides, tugging at the hem of his white shirt, but only lifting it a little before he allowed it to fall once more.

Her eyes tracked it, mesmerised. Her breathing became a little heavier as she watched him stride towards her with long, purposeful, steps.

It was what she wanted, what she asked for, and just him doing his job. But as Jaune slowly worked the top button of his shirt open, and leaned down to tease her with a longing gaze, he couldn't help the wide pit that opened up in his stomach.

Before, it had always been advice… money taken, but used for something he knew would help her. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough to lie to himself.

Now, however, he would take her money – and for nothing more than a show.

It made him feel dirty.

/-/

It was the next morning and back at Beacon when he saw her again, not that she knew it. Sat at the cafeteria, his breakfast before him, Jaune nearly leapt out of his skin when his vision was obstructed by a pair of hands.

"Guess who!?" a familiar voice asked. He knew who, of course, but it was the tone – the easy nature of it – that allowed him to smile into her hands.

"Pyrrha?" he guessed.

"Pyrrha's sat right next to you. Try again."

"Hmm, is it… Pyrrha?"

"You suck," Yang said, removing her hands and settling in across the table. She sent a flat look at his redheaded partner, who kept giggling into her hand. "It is I, the might Yang Xiao-Long. All bow down in wonder and awe."

Jaune watched her with a raised eyebrow. Oh, he was feeling a little of both, for sure, especially at how… different she was to yesterday. "You're… in a good mood today."

"Yep," Yang grinned, lathering some margarine on her toast. "Sorry about yesterday, I was in a bit of a funk."

"That's fine," he said. "I should apologise to-"

Yang interrupted him with a bit of a panicked laugh, and he winced at having failed to follow Nina's instructions so quickly. Right, it was best to let her pretend it never happened.

"So," he said, in an attempt to change the subject, "Everything is cool now?"

"I'm always cool," she winked, "But now I'm better, yeah. What did I miss?"

Nora took her chance to leap into the conversation and begin some crazy story about things they totally hadn't done the day before, but he was willing to let her. Yang loved the stories, and he didn't want to earn his teammate's wrath for the interruption. Still, the transformation Yang had gone through seemed nothing short of magical.

Maybe Nina was right. Maybe things were sorting themselves out.

He just hoped last night didn't become a regular thing.

Or not, Jaune, seriously… well, that's one way to try and ignore your feelings towards one person, aim them at another, likely more useful when it's not the same person.

Good job we have Blake on hand to offer such excellent advice. It's not like her decision-making process has ever been flawed in the sho-oh my god, Yang, you're doomed.

Next Chapter: 4th April

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