Monday Afternoon

Weiss was sitting at the desk in her room, furiously scribbling into one of her notebooks. A pile of crumpled-up paper balls surrounded a small waste basket in the corner, a constant reminder of her repeated failures. This should not be this difficult, it was just Jaune. So why couldn't she figure out how to ask him out?

It had been a week since her talk with Yang, and she had nothing to show for it. Now whenever she saw him she got nervous, unsure whether to continue asking him to accompany her as she had all summer or run away and lock herself in her room.

It had been so much easier with Neptune, there was a big formal dance to attend so everyone already knew how to approach their potential dates. But here in Argus, she had nothing! There were no events scheduled, no new movies coming out, no festivals to attend, just… nothing! 'For a beach town, this city can sure be bland sometimes.'

Even their dates afterward mostly consisted of them exploring the city and just doing the first thing to catch both of their attention. The fact they rarely found something they could both enjoy is what lead to them deciding that a relationship was not the right direction for them and that remaining friends was preferable.

'Should I just wait until the school year starts and ask him to the next dance? No, the wait would kill me.'

"Weiss?" The sound of Ruby's voice nearly caused her to trip. When had she started pacing? Turning around she saw her partner poking her head through the door, a worried expression on her face. "Are you feeling alright, you've been a bit distant lately."

Weiss hates seeing her worry, something about it just clenches at her heart. "I'm fine Ruby, I just have something on my mind."

"It's just that… you usually only pace like this when something is really wrong or if you're really stressed about something." She had a point, pacing was never a good sign when it came to the white-haired girl. When she did not respond Ruby continued, "Dad rented some movies to watch with me and Yang, want to join us? Get your mind off whatever is bothering you?"

"I said I was fine. But yes, a movie sounds great right now." She looked out the window to see the last remnants of rain falling out of the sky, "It's not like we can enjoy the beach with this weather." Besides, it's not like she didn't want to spend time with her friends, she was just trying to figure things out and that took time.

Joining Ruby in the living room with Yang and Tai, she decided to get comfy on a chair while the siblings took the couch. The windows were typically the main source of lighting for this area of the house, but with the weather they were currently having the living room felt so cold and dark. "Alright girls I think I got some good ones from the local Blockbreaker. For Ruby, I got my hands on a super cheesy horror movie. Leviathan From the Deep. The cashier gave me a dirty look when she saw this one so you know it is gonna be good." The Heiress was entirely confused by what she was hearing, but Ruby started cheering so she guessed it was good news. "And Yang I think I got my hands on something special. Robotic Avenger 3: Rise of the Cyber-Gargoyle!" In his hands was a beat-up plastic box, a little shorter than one would expect from a DVD case. She tried to see what was on it but it was so glossy that she could barely make out the robot standing in some action pose. "I couldn't even find this on the internet, I think it might be some local production or a bootleg. Either way, this is going to be hilarious." He turned to her as Yang started to whoop and holler, "Umm, sorry Weiss. I didn't expect you to be joining us so I didn't think to pick you up anything."

She may have been confused by the sisters' movie choices, but their enthusiasm was infectious. "It is quite alright Mr. Xiao Long, I am content with just watching what you picked up. Besides, if we still have time, we always have my streaming services to pick one."

The older man seemed to relax slightly when he saw she was not upset. "How many times do I have to tell you girls, it's just Tai. I am not that old."

While he was setting up the first movie the siblings started to mock him, particularly for his age, but Weiss was distracted again. Tai had had two wives in the past, and who knows how many girlfriends a handsome man like himself had before them. Certainly, he could offer her some ideas, or maybe just inspire her own creativity. While the movie was still on the main menu, Weiss decided she should ask now before she forgot, "Taiyang, you had two wives, correct? Would you mind if I asked how you asked each of them out on your first dates?"

Immediately after she said it, she realized how big of a mistake her lapse in judgment was. One wife was dead while another abandoned her own family, and she was sitting here casually asking him to think about them in a romantic light. And in front of his daughters, both of whom possessed mental scars about their mothers. She was a monster, a horrible friend, they were going to hate-"Yea actually, I don't think you ever told us either." It was Ruby who knocked her out of her spiral.

Looking over to the reaper, she seemed completely undeterred by her question, if anything she seemed more curious than herself. Yang did not look angry or sad, but she did seem to be in deep thought. "I remember Summer telling me, but I can't really remember what she said. Something about… roses?"

Tai is the only one that seemed a little shocked, "I wasn't really expecting to be asked that today. But sure, I don't mind telling you." He leaned back in his chair, his expression soft yet his words were careful. As if he was trying to find the right words to portray the story the way he wanted. "Well first was Raven, and in truth I didn't ask her out. One day during our second year at the academy we were sparing when things got a little heated."

"EW!"

"Not like that Ruby, heated as in intense. To be honest I'm surprised neither one of us got hurt. We were still fighting even after both of our auras broke. But in the end she won, had me on the floor with a knee on my throat and a sword to my gut." His expression was one of fondness, his eyes made it clear he was lost on memory lane. "After that she demanded that I pay for dinner as a reward for such a hard-earned victory, and when I mentioned calling Qrow and Summer to see what they wanted she nearly took my head off."

He leaned forward and started an impression that she guessed was supposed to be Raven, "This is MY victory, why should those two reap the benefits of my own strength." Weiss had never met the woman but still she knew. It was a really bad impression.

"I never considered myself slow on the uptake, but to be honest with you girls it wasn't until the fourth time this happened for me before I realized that was her method of courting." The family's laughter at that filled the room, and suddenly the room was not so cold anymore. "So yea. That's how we got together. Couldn't really give you an exact date where we became 'official' but that is when we started dating as far as I could tell."

There was a small moment of silence as Tai let his daughters soak in the story. The moment didn't last long though, as Ruby wanted to hear about her own mother. "So what happened with you and Mom? She didn't find it too weird that you asked her out after Raven left?"

"I wish I could remember her better, but Summer didn't strike me as the type to hold that against you. She loved me well enough regardless of who my mother was."

Tai nodded his head in understanding, "Summer was a beautiful soul, so kind and caring. When Raven left us, I didn't know what to do. You wouldn't stop crying, I hadn't slept in three days, I didn't understand what I was doing wrong, and I was at my rope's end. But then Summer came." He took a moment to gather himself, the memories bringing both joy and sorrow. "She dropped by to check in on us but she took one look at me and practically tied me to the bed and forced me to go to sleep. Told me she would take care of you while I rested. Truth be told I was worried about letting her so much as hold you, she was one of my best friends but I was still in that new dad phase where letting anyone touch your child could spell out disaster. But the second she picked you up, you stopped crying."

Weiss looked over to the sisters, they both seemed happy to be hearing the story but it was obvious they were holding back tears. "And before I knew it time was passing. She was always there, helping me take care of you, keeping the house in order, and keeping my head where it needed to be. By the time I realized I had fallen in love with her, she had already moved in and you were walking."

"There's a chance this might start jogging some memories Yang, and if not, I think we might have a couple of photos back home. I knew I had to act fast or else I would lose my nerve, so I went into town and bought a literal armful of roses. I came back and quietly took your favorite wagon, oh you used to drag that wagon everywhere, and filled it with the roses. I wrote out a note saying…" Tai suddenly stopped his story, his eyes losing a small bit of their light. "Actually, I think I'll keep the note to myself for a little while longer."

Yang spoke up for the first time since the story began, "It's ok Dad. We understand."

"Anyway, I wrote a note and put it on top of the roses and ran to get you. I said it was time to play a new game, delivery woman, and you had to get these roses to Summer as fast as possible. You were so happy you ran to her as fast as your stubby little legs could carry you. I hid around the corner as you got to her, I loved her but I was terrified as to what she would say. But no matter what I knew it was better to get my feelings out into the open. It was so quiet for so long that I started to worry, but right as I turned the corner to check on things Summer came flying around and tackled me into a kiss." He took a deep sigh, looking emotionally exhausted after retelling the story of how he started dating his two loves. "So yea, that's how we all got together."

Ruby and Yang looked like they would start crying soon, though she knew this time it would be happy tears. As they asked him more questions regarding life before they were old enough to remember Weiss couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed. The stories were romantic, but unless she wants to start beating the shit out of Jaune or have a kid for him to help raise, it didn't really help her.


Tuesday Afternoon

She was not stalking him, the very notion was ridiculous. She just so happened to be in town at the same time as him, going the same direction as him, and visiting all the stores he was, and always just so happened to be just far enough away that he didn't notice she was there. But she was not stalking him!

She just needed some inspiration, perhaps he would let something slip that she could use as a first date.

So far, she wasn't having any luck. Her knight in dorky armor only seemed interested in catching up in his comics and movies, practically dragging Ren along for the ride whenever a particular issue caught his eye. For a brief moment Weiss considered going to see a movie as a first date, even if it wasn't a new release, but she didn't like the idea. She wanted to go somewhere they could talk, and being forced to be quiet for two hours did not sound pleasant to her.

Maybe she should pick up a comic herself though and learn about his interests. And besides, this Warrior Woman looked a lot like Pyrrha and she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. 'Was she getting royalties for such a blatant use of her armor?' She ended up buying five of them once the coast was clear, they all said they were issue number one and she hadn't the slightest idea which one was telling the truth.

As she exited the comic shop, she saw that Ren was now leading Jaune to a jewelry store. Not a super fancy one, this store was obviously built to serve a more working-class client base, but all the same she was intrigued. What could Ren possibly want from a place like this, he wasn't really the type to wear fashion accessories.

Sneaking her way in without being noticed was easy, at this point she had all but memorized the timing needed to walk in without giving away her presence to the boys. And always staying behind a high shelf was easy when she wasn't wearing her heels. She had just made it to the shelf behind them, close enough to hear them talking when she learned why they were there.

"Are you sure a ring is an appropriate gift for a five-month anniversary? In my home village rings were always saved for either marriage proposals or years-long commitments, but maybe that's just a cultural thing."

"I don't know, and I'm not really satisfied with buying her a ring anyway. I would like to give her something handmade but I do not have the supplies or the time needed to make any jewelry. I just hope I can find something she likes here."

She… probably shouldn't be listening to this. Weiss quietly slipped out the door and walked down the road until she was sure they wouldn't see her as they left. As soon as they did she followed them to their next location, a shop called The Dusty Bookshelf. Once she made it inside she had to hurry to the other end of the store as there were minimal places to hide, but there was a single set of high shelves on the right side of the store that she could 'browse.'

After taking a closer look at the inventory she realized she was in a Dust store, with low-grade equipment and second-hand gadgets. Taking a look at the two boys she saw they were looking at temporary attachments, items meant to test dust usage before fully committing to upgrades. 'Jaune, I thought you agreed to leave that until the school year started.' Weiss was conflicted, on the one hand she loved how he always wanted to improve himself, but on the other she wished he could fully relax and enjoy his summer.

She watched him examine a small circular device, and she could tell by his expression that he was completely lost. She…

What was she doing?

With a deep sigh, Weiss leaned back against the shelf. This was ridiculous, and to add insult to injury it was getting her nowhere. She should just walk out there, 'bump' into Jaune and help him while he shops. Maybe even spend the rest of the day with him. It's not like Ren would-

Where was Ren? He was standing right next to him, where did he go? Suddenly the feeling of someone taping on her should caused her to jump, her heart feeling as if it had moved up to her throat. Spinning around to confront whoever thought they could touch her she came face to face with Lie Ren. For a moment all she could do was stare at him in silence, his face as stoic as ever. Before too long he simply stated, "Saphron is premiering a collection of new menu items this weekend. I would start there," and then we walked off without another word.

After what felt like an eternity, Weiss' brain finally rebooted and processed what he had said. Not knowing whether to be scared or embarrassed over the fact that not only was she not as sneaky as she thought she was but also that her feelings were so easily read. Weiss took a deep breath and attempted to collect herself, calming down with the knowledge that if she could trust anyone with a secret, it was probably Ren. After her heart rate had returned to normal she decided to continue on with her previously amended plan.

Taking a step out from her hiding spot she pretended to browse the (inferior) merchandise until she bumped shoulders with her target, "I'm sor-OH, Jaune. Fancy meeting you here."


Wednesday Night

Adrian had a spell on her, she knew that. But she did not hate it one bit.

Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha had volunteered to babysit as Saphron and Terra had a date night. They had been here for five hours now, taking turns holding the little bean, helping him practice walking, playing with his favorite plane, and generally just making sure he would be able to sleep when his mothers came back. She more than expected Pyrrha to be a nurturing young woman, but what shocked her was how good Blake was with kids. From playing peekaboo to making the weirdest of faces to make him laugh, she had to resist all temptation to record the whole thing on her scroll. Darn her antipathy towards filming people without their knowledge.

When the parents eventually arrived, cutting her Adrian time short, they were all but shoed out of the house. But as they were leaving, she got an idea. "Saphron, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"You can see Adrian later Weiss, but now it's time for bed."

"No, well yes but that's not the question."

Saphron looked at her, eyes full of curiosity. "Ok, shoot."

"How did you ask Terra out on your first date?"

From the other side of the house, she could hear Terra burst out laughing as if Weiss had just told the funniest joke she had ever heard in her life. The blond for her part just turned red, turning to yell at her wife, "Shut up Terra."

Terra walked back to the living room, calming down slightly. "Weiss dear, Arcs don't ask people out. They are denser than Paladin armor when it comes to romance." She walked over to hold her now pouting wife, "The way her mother told it to me, she had to tie Dinadan Arc with a lasso, duct tape him to a chair, and show him a powerpoint presentation explaining 'I am interested in you'" She continued to laugh, though admittedly a lot calmer.

Saphron shook free of her hug and crossed her arms, "Not all of us are as bad as our dad."

"Honey, the first time I asked you out on a date to the movies, you ended up bringing all of our friends with you."

"So Weiss," the Arc was now pointedly ignoring her wife, "who's the lucky boy? Anyone I know?" She gave the heiress a knowing look.

'Why does she keep giving me that… oh no.' She knew. Of course she knew. Weiss was apparently Jaune's type and she had been showing interest in him for she knew not how long, and who would know better than his own relatives what kind of girl he liked and- 'ok Weiss, you can get out of this.' "Why Saphron, that's a little presumptuous of you don't you think? How do you know it's not a girl?" With that she all but ran out the door, hoping to catch up to her friends and end this embarrassment.

Though as the door shut behind her she could hear, "She's gonna be tons of fun at the family reunions."


Thursday Afternoon

Weiss was completely lost. It was now approaching two weeks since she figured out her own feelings and she still had nothing to show for it. How was she supposed to ask him out when she couldn't even come up with something for them to do together, when she couldn't even find a romantic setting for her to present her feelings and hope that he returned them? She could barely bring herself to talk to him anymore regardless of how much she enjoyed his company.

She was just so… nervous.

Was this what he felt when he was around her? The stuttering, the backtracking, the difficulty of starting activities with him but the fact he never left after they started. It was all starting to make sense. He still liked her, months after she had so rudely rejected any attention from him, he still liked her. And he was doing everything in his power to be a good friend to her regardless.

The realization melted away almost all of Weiss' nerves. What was she doing anyway? She didn't need to make this some cliché movie scene or confess her feelings under a cherry blossom tree like an anime schoolgirl, she just needed to be herself. Yang was right, this was not some romance novel where they were made for each other, they were both people living their own lives. And it was time to ask him if he wanted to spend at least some of his life with her.

With that she set off to find the Arc. Leaving her room she searched the entire house, but he was nowhere in sight. She checked the backyard and looked over the stairs to see if he was on the beach but no sign of him. She was heading back to the house when she nearly ran into her brother. "Is there a reason you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off?"

"Whitley, have you seen Jaune?"

"And a good day to you as well dear sister."

She took a deep breath before responding, "I'm sorry. How have you been enjoying your day?"

"It has been pleasant enough, though I am currently trying to escape 'movie night' with the Rose-Longs. Their choices in cinema are a little too bizarre for my tastes." He looked back at the house with a warry gaze before turning to her again, "So, why are you searching for the Arc anyway?"

Weiss could feel her cheeks heating up but she didn't care, "I was hoping to ask him something important. Do you know where he is?"

"He is out with Belladonna, I believe I heard something about books and ninjas but I could be wrong. Perhaps I could help, what is it you needed to know."

"It's not that kind of question Whitley."

"Ah, so you're going to be the one to make the first move."

"What?"

"He should be back soon Weiss, don't lose your nerve now." With that he turned around and headed back to the house, offering her nothing but a small wave behind his back.

After a moment's hesitation she decided she wasn't going to take that, quickly following him through the kitchen door and calling just loud enough for Yang to hear her in the living room, "Oh don't worry Whitley, I'm sure they have plenty of horror movies they would be willing to watch tonight." Watching him nearly choke on his water as she passed by was satisfying, but not as satisfying as Yang running past her with the devil's smile on her face.


Thursday Evening

It wasn't until later that evening that they returned, both of them looking happy with each other's company. She watched from a stool at the bar pretending to read her new book, a copy of The Steel Giant as recommended by Jaune. Once they separated she called out to him. "Jaune, may I have a moment of your time?"

Her voice made him jump, seemingly only just now realizing she was in the room. "Oh hey Weiss, what's up?"

Meeting him at the center of the room she was starting to feel nervous again, but she wouldn't give up now. "It is my understanding that Saphron is introducing some new menu options this weekend."

He smiled at the reminder, "Yea, apparently us visiting for so long got her nostalgic and she is seeing if people are interested in dishes she used to make us as kids." The memories must have been happy ones if the shine in his eyes were any indication.

"If you would be interested, I would love for you to accompany me there this Saturday."

"Yea, of course. We can see who's available and make a whole day of it."

So Terra wasn't joking, "I'm afraid you don't understand. I would like for us to go together. As a date." It was done, no taking it back now. Whether or not he accepted her offer was up to him and she would respect his decision, but she still prayed to whatever god was listening that the answer was yes.

It took a moment for what she said to fully process, and at first he frowned. Before she could backtrack and then excuse herself, he pinched his own arm hard enough to make him yelp. "OUCH! Ok, so I'm not dreaming." His eyes widened, realizing what he just did, his face turning flush with embarrassment.

After that they stared at each other in silence, each of them not knowing how to proceed. Eventually, Weiss broke the silence, "I don't mean to rush you, but I kind of need an answer."

His eyes grew even wider, but this time something seemed different. His eyes, they seemed to be shining. As if some large burden had been lifted from his shoulders, she saw his entire body deflate into a much more relaxed posture. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking her in the eyes and saying the most wonderful sentence she had ever heard. "I would love to."


Authors notes;

Work has been kicking my ass lately, sorry to those who have been waiting for this chapter. Warning, the next one will also probably take a while.

Before anyone says stalking is out of character for Weiss, I have one thing to say to you. "Quick, we have to observe him"

I try not to use too many direct references to the real world when writing, but I'm not about to delay this for another week as I try to find Remnant words for anime, devil, and powerpoint. Sorry if I ruined the immersion but that's how it is this time.

As usual please leave a comment/review. They tell me what i did wrong and what I did right and I just enjoy getting them in general.