Once again I would like to thank NaitouRSE on Deviantart for the use of their artwork for the cover.
It was Friday afternoon, just a little over twenty-four hours until her date, and everything was not ok. Everything was falling into ruin. How could she have been so clueless, how could she have asked him out BEFORE finding the perfect outfit?! She was better than this, she always planned out everything and yet she had made this giant oversight that will ruin the entire night!
Weiss was currently at the Nikos household along with the rest of the girls, panicking about her lack of foresight and hoping that they would be able to help her. They were all squeezed into the living room, a few of them having spilled into the kitchen where Miss Nikos was making a special blend of tea that she promised would calm her nerves. Weiss appreciated the gesture, but she did not see how leaf water would help her right now.
Unfortunately, the other girls didn't seem to understand her predicament. "I just don't see the problem Weiss," Yang started, squeezing her way onto the already-filled couch much to Blake and Ruby's irritation, "it sounds like a super casual date to me. Dinner at his sister's place, which is like one of the lowest stress dates I ever heard of. No need for you to get all dolled up."
Nora started nodding her head in agreement, "Yea! I mean you don't really need an excuse to look all fancy Miss Combat-Heels," Pyrrha could be heard shouting indignantly from the kitchen, "but you don't need to get all bent out of shape about it. I mean… it's Jaune we're talking about. Outside of combat, he doesn't really have an eye for detail."
Just then the Nikos women came into the cramped living room with trays of tea and teacups. "I have to agree with Yang and Nora on this," Pyrrha stated, though she was still giving Nora the side eye, "You don't need to try to impress him with some extravagant ballgown, especially for not for the Rainbow Hearth. Even if you did find some fancy dress you would feel incredibly out of place wearing it in there."
Weiss' frustration was steadily growing and it was taking a lot for her not to yell at her friends. "That is not the point! Even if it was a fancy place I could get a more than stunning dress delivered from Atlas to here in an hour." Fighting the childish urge to stomp her feet, she thought to herself, 'Would not be the first emergency dress delivery I had to use.'
"Then what's the problem?" Ruby seemed to be equally frustrated with her behavior, "You could go there in your bathrobe and Jaune would be happy." To stunned to speak, the entire room went silent as they stared at Ruby. While WBY had grown accustomed to Ruby's more absent-minded outbursts, even if they still got taken back by them every once in a while, Nora and Pyrrha along with her mother were absolutely stunned to hear something like that from the younger girl. After a moment Ruby seemed to notice everyone staring at her. "What? I'm just saying Jaune thinks she is pretty no matter what she wears." The reaper rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious statement in the world, still missing the implication she had made.
"Ignoring that," Yang said, trying to get the conversation back on track, "Weiss, is this really about your clothes?"
Weiss didn't know what to say. While she was worried about how she was going to dress for tomorrow it wasn't the only thing on her mind. "I just want to show him I am making an effort. I don't want him to think he isn't worth my time." Taking a deep breath to calm herself she continued, "I want to show that I want to make this relationship last. I know it is just a first date, and a casual one at that, but first impressions are important! And with his own anxieties that may be harder than I thought."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence after that, only to be broken by Nora. "Jaune may be a bit insecure but I think you're putting too much weight on that." Weiss looked at her expecting to see dishonesty on her face in an attempt to make her feel better. But what she saw was purely genuine. Taking Weiss' hands in hers she continued, "I'm sorry if we gave you the wrong idea during our talk that night, but I think you missed the main point we were trying to make. Jaune has gotten a lot better over the last year, he's still anxious and has a few self-esteem issues, but he has made remarkable strides on his road to improved mental health." Weiss didn't see Nora be serious often, it was honestly a bit breathtaking how different she was when she had something important to say. Not for the first time, the heiress was growing a new sense of respect for someone she thought she knew, but had only scratched the surface of their true self. "Just don't like… ghost him or something." And just like that, we were back to normal.
Still though, Weiss was feeling much better. "Thanks, Nora. I guess I needed a reality check. Sometimes I get so hyper-focused I lose sight of what's important." She felt her cheeks heat up as she continued "Though, I do still want to look pretty for tomorrow. It is a date after all."
Pyrrha leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "Perhaps we could dig through my closet and see if I have anything you could wear." With a big smile on her face, she continued, addressing the whole room. "Oh we could make a whole day of it, and once we find something for Weiss we could find something for everyone else as well!"
Before she could get too carried away, Miss Nikos leaned forward and gently grabbed her daughter's shoulders, "Pyrrha honey, I don't think any of your clothes will fit her." She was trying to be polite with her reminder, but it didn't stop the embarrassment, her face growing red and hot as a pure fire dust crystal. The snickering from Yang, Blake, and Nora didn't really help.
After they all finished laughing at her… petite figure, Blake decided to be helpful for once. "Look Weiss, he likes you for who you are, and you like him for who he is right?" After a small nod, she continued, "So just throw on a dress you don't wear often, go there, and be yourself."
After taking a small moment to calm down, Weiss realized she was right. "Thanks, Blake, I don't know why I am so nervous, it is not like me."
"Because if you mess this up and he ends up hating you, you'll have to spend three more years trying to awkwardly exist in the same social circle as each other while under the constant stress of trying not to tear your friends apart by making them pick a side, having your grades plummet as you are constantly thinking of him and what could have been, ultimately ruining your social life in the prime time of your youth and not truly living until you graduate from Beacon and can finally get away from him and change your name so that you can start over on a completely separate continent?"
"NORA!" Pyrrha quickly admonished her teammate. It was almost impressive how Nora could get those long ramblings out in a single breath, or it would have been if Weiss wasn't on the border of hyperventilating.
"Here honey, have some chamomile tea, it will make you feel better." With a little encouragement and help from Miss Nikos, Weiss was able to drink her cup and, to her surprise, immediately feel her body start to relax. "Better honey?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. Now I won't pretend that I know you or this boy all too well, but I do know this. You are both good people, and no matter what happens tomorrow night, or any night in the near future, you will both still be good people. You're not going to fall out, you're not going to lose your friends, and the most you have to fear is a couple of awkward weeks if this doesn't work out. But you will never know if you don't try."
Whether it was the tea or her motherly nature, Weiss was starting to feel a lot better. "Your right, this is going to be a good date, and even if it's not, we will still be friends."
A small chorus of cheers and encouraging comments erupted from the girls, only for Pyrrha to ask, "Can we all dress up anyway?" to everyone's amusement.
Saturday night, tonight was the night.
The Rainbow Hearth was a modestly sized building that had more than visibly aged over its lifespan. Though that age only seemed to add to its charm. Its dark wood paneling gave a sense of warmth that seemed to emanate from the restaurant. The added glow from the beginning of the sunset made it look even more inviting.
Weiss had decided to take Blake's advice and pull a dress that she had only worn twice before out of her closet. It was a simple light blue sundress that went down slightly below her knees with yellow highlights around the hem and shoulder straps. She had considered letting her hair down for the night, but Yang's words about how he liked girls with ponytails echoed in her mind.
As she walked down the street, she could already see Jaune standing out front waiting for her. He was wearing a nice pair of black slacks with a white dress shirt, casual yet still dressed up for the occasion. She allowed herself a small moment of appreciation, while his hair was still a bit messy it was clear that he tried to tame it, and his shirt while not tight was definitely form-fitting. When he saw her approaching his body visibly relaxed and his breathing seemed to become more natural as well.
After an awkward moment of them just staring at each other it was the knight who decided to start the conversation for once. "You look beautiful tonight Weiss."
Weiss blushes at the compliment, she had been told countless times over the years by boys and men alike that she was pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, or breathtaking, but hearing it from someone you care about can make a world of difference. The words seemed real now. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself handsome."
"…"
"…"
She tried to hide herself behind her hands, but it was too late. "I am so sorry, Yang said it would be a good idea to say that and break the ice."
The hearty laughter from her date managed to pull her out of her hiding place, if barely. "Well, that was certainly unexpected." Yang would never hear it from her, but from his smile to his relaxed shoulders, it would seem she was right about the icebreaker. "Shall we head in?"
"Yes, let's."
The inside of the building was just as warm and inviting as the outside. When she had previously asked Saphron why she chose the name "Rainbow Hearth" she had said she wanted something to convey both variety and comfort. And while variety could be debated, there was only so much you could do with home/comfort food, she had to say Saphron more than exceeded expectations on comfort.
The entire building seemed to be made out of hard dark wood, oak maybe, and yet the large windows and bright lights on the ceiling kept it from feeling depressing. The building seemed to trap the heat inside of itself, yet it never really felt stuffy whenever she had visited this summer. And it perplexed her how much bigger the building seemed to be on the inside. With a space this large, Saphron must be doing well to keep it in such a busy part of the city.
Being family of the owner, Jaune led them to a table in the corner of the building, not waiting for staff to seat them. As they sat down and got comfortable, she noticed Saphron poking her head out of the kitchen trying to get her attention. She was about to waive hello when the elder Arc started making a bunch of quick movements with her hands. Now, Weiss did not know sign language, but it did not take a genius to figure out what the message was. "Hurt him, and I will kill you." The giant knife in her hand made for a wonderful context clue. The heiress was not scared of her in the slightest, she had long figured out that Saphron didn't really understand how strong and durable hunters were, but she did feel the need to at least nod and acknowledge her so that she would know Weiss understood her.
Though the sight of a terrified couple who had witnessed the knife waving was certainly enough to almost make her laugh.
Turning back to Jaune she could plainly see he was nervous. Tugging at his sleeves, constantly trying to tame his unruly hair, and she almost thought she heard him talking to himself but she could not quite hear him. Deciding the best way forward for both of them would be to be both blunt and direct Weiss decided to be the one to initiate conversation. "I take it you are nervous as well? I have to say, so am I."
"Oh, umm yea. It's actually been almost three years since I've been on a date. I am a little out of practice."
This was news to the white-haired girl, "I was not aware you had a girlfriend before." She was not jealous, but she would be lying if she said she was not curious.
"Oh no, it wasn't serious. Small, cramped town, one of those places where everyone 'dated' everyone else eventually." He let out a small, light-hearted laugh. "It was more just an excuse to have something to do on the weekends instead of homework like we should have been doing."
"I don't think I have any equivalents to that. I tended to avoid 'dating' growing up. Didn't want to give any of those young vultures any hope that they would have a chance." It was reflexive at this point for her voice to sound angry as she talked about her previous 'dating' life. But as she sees Jaune pull on his collar she realized what he must be thinking. "Don't worry Jaune, you are far from a vulture in my eyes." She said with a reassuring smile.
Before the conversation could really start, they were greeted by their waitress, a pretty and short girl with long blond hair and some blue highlights. She was dressed in the staff uniform, a loose-fitting pair of brown khakis and a dark green shirt with a brown apron, but she could see that she had tried to accessories with the many buttons on her apron. "Hi there! My name is Violette and I will be-Jaune?"
"Violette? What are you doing here?"
"I just moved here a couple of months ago from Ansel, Saph has been a dear and gave me this job for some spending cash while I attend art school here. What are you doing here slacker? Shouldn't you be out killing monsters 'n shit in the woods or something?" While her words were crude, it was clear to Weiss from her tone that she was trying to be playful. Maybe she was succeeding, seeing as Jaune was perking right up.
"Come on Vi, don't you know it's summer vacation? Oh, where are my manners?" He gestured towards her, "Vi this is Weiss, she's the only reason me and several others are able to actually be in Argus right now. Wiess this is Violette, she's an old friend from home who wants to be a comic artist."
"A pleasure to meet you Violette, I hope Saphron is treating you well."
Not for the first time since arriving in Argus, Weiss was being studied. Violette seemed to take in her every feature before dawning a familiar knowing smirk on her face. Only now Weiss knew what it was she knew. "Oh, Jaune, Jaune, Jaune. You have gotta stay in your league man." She leaned down to her and mock whispered "Let him down easy ok? He has a fragile ego." To say Weiss was becoming less than a fan of this girl was an understatement, but Jaune seemed to be laughing with her so she held her tongue. "Alright, that's enough chit-chat. You two know what you will be having?"
Jaune decided to have the fried chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and tasso gravy. She herself decided on a lighter meal of spinach quesadillas. After their meals were ordered they were once again left to their own devices.
"Well… she was intense."
"Sorry about her. She was always a bit rowdy growing up but she has a good heart. She was one of the few who would actually stand up to the bullies at home, she even looked after some of my younger sisters when I wasn't around." Well, now she just felt foolish for judging her so early.
The young knight started to look a little sheepish, "While I'm apologizing, there is one more thing that I need to say sorry for."
Weiss looked up with a raised eyebrow, genuinely confused, "For what? You have been nothing but pleasant this whole trip. In fact, I'd say this has been the best time we have spent together."
He let out a deep sigh as if he was preparing himself internally for what he was about to say. "I know this will sound like it's coming out of nowhere, but I honestly didn't know you thought of me as a friend before this vacation." Weiss immediately tried to interject but he raised his hand, gesturing to let him continue. "I never thought you hated me, you're too kind for that, but I always assumed you just tolerated me because we have the same friends. So when you said that all your friends were invited to this vacation, I guess I just assumed I wasn't included on that list. I severely misjudged you and misread our entire relationship, and for that I'm sorry."
She was stunned at his confession. While she would not have said they were close friends before this summer, she had always considered him a friend nonetheless. Even during that brief time when he tried to flirt with her in the worst ways possible. "As long as we are being honest I did find you rather annoying when we first met."
"Yea, didn't really do myself any favors on that front."
"True," she couldn't help but chuckle, "but for the majority of the time I have known you, you have been nothing but a good friend, so don't expect me to let a rough start get in the way of a brilliant friendship." She paused to take a sip of her water, preparing herself for what she wanted to say. "And, if all goes well tonight, maybe the start of something more than friendship."
After her words sank in, he raised his own glass of water in a toast. "To new beginnings?"
It was a cute gesture, and darn it she liked cute things. Tapping her own glass to his "To new beginnings."
"Alright love birds, I got your food here."
Dinner had been grand, to take a page out of Pyrrha's book. The food was as delicious as ever, Violette managed to put on a more professional attitude while serving them, and Jaune had been amazing company. Though after the teasing she had received the whole night from their waitress, hearing her nearly trip and fall as she read the tip on the check was just the right amount of satisfaction.
Not wanting the night to end so soon, the two of them decided to have an early night stroll through the park, taking the scenic way home. As they walked with no one to jump in and interrupt them at any moment, they were starting to get deeper into their conversations.
Any passerby would have to be blind to not see that they were on a date, their smiles lighting up the poorly lit park and their laughter ringing in the air. "And every time I started to go forward, I started singing 'Stardust, awaaaaay'"
The blond boy nearly doubled over, forcing them to sit on a bench while they caught their breath. "By the Gods, I wish I could have seen that for myself."
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Weiss was finally able to answer him. "I'm more than certain that Winter has several videos stored in her personal files." She let out a content if longing sigh. "We both loved that tricycle."
"Did something happen to it?"
"No, we just both got too big for it so it's in storage. When we were younger we made a deal that the first one to have a kid got to keep it." She looked up to the sky, watching the stars twinkle in the cloudless sky. "So, what about you? Any embarrassing videos I should look forward to?"
He laughed so hard that he actually snorted. "Oh, you don't have to look too hard to find them. Being the only boy in the litter I was subject to all sorts of torture growing up." His smile was infectious, always happy when thinking about family. "Having to try on dresses, getting my hair done, makeup tutorials, ballroom dancing, tango lessons, forcing me to cook for the deadbeats who refused to learn, the list goes on. There's probably a video out there of me on a stool wearing a prom dress as mom sews on the finishing touches."
Trying to hide her laughter behind her hands, she attempts to offer some condolence. "That sounds horrible. And your parents just let them do it?"
He leaned back, fully relaxing on the bench, "Ah, I'm exaggerating mostly. To be perfectly honest with you I grew to enjoy it. I mean, I wouldn't go out of my way to wear makeup every day, but if Yang or Ruby ever wanted a partner to mess around with their beauty sets I wouldn't say no."
Weiss couldn't help but stare at him as he watched the stars. When he was relaxed and happy, when he wasn't trying to be someone he wasn't, he was probably the most handsome man she had ever met. Realizing that she had been staring at him in silence she tried to restart the conversation. "So, at the dance did you already have that dress ready to go? It did seem rather quick to buy one last minute, especially with how well-fitted it was."
Either not noticing her staring or not caring, he continued as if nothing had happened. "Jade sent me that a week before the dance actually. She meant it as a joke but it came in handy. The pictures I sent her probably weren't what she was expecting though." He pulled out his scroll and showed her a picture of team JNPR posing for a photo. Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune still in his dress were all 'fawning' over Ren, the only one in a suit, while he looked clueless as to what was happening around him.
"How have I never seen this before?"
"Nora has a lot of rules about distributing photos of her Ren, don't tell her I showed you this." He said as he winked at her. Though after he had done it he blushed and slightly retreated back into himself. That was ok, one step at a time would do for now.
After their giggle fits had finally subsided they started to walk again, content to just be in each other's company. The silence was a welcomed reprieve, allowing them both to enjoy the cool night air and the final songs from the birds as they headed off to their nests to sleep.
As they reached the end of the park's path and back to the road that would take them home, Jaune rubbed the back of his head and gestured towards a secondary path that would take them back into the park. "Would you like to-"
"Yes." She was already grabbing his hand and pulling him alongside her, prolonging this night just a little longer.
Walking into the house was a mixed affair. On one hand, they could finally rest and sleep after having eaten a full meal and spent what felt like hours walking aimlessly through the park. But on the other hand, it signified the end of their night together, something she knew would happen eventually but she didn't want it to.
As they reached Weiss' room Jaune spoke up, "I hope I didn't embarrass myself too much."
"You were fine, Jaune. I prefer it when you be yourself." Deciding to get in some teasing of her own tonight she continued, "You're a lot more handsome that way." The blush that spread across his face was well worth her own embarrassment.
They stood there in silence for a moment, Jaune looking as if he was trying to find the right words for a question that was on the tip of his tongue. Though Weiss had a good idea as to what that question was; if there would be a second date after this. She decided to take mercy on him. "And Jaune?"
"Yes, Weiss?"
"For our second date, you're picking the location" She then leaned up on the very tips of her toes, having to pull herself up even further by using his shoulders, and landed a surprise kiss on his cheek before making a quick escape into her room and shutting the door behind her. As she heard Jaune, and what sounded like Yang a little further away, cheering she had one final thought. "Best summer ever!"
Authors note; you have no idea how hard it was to resist the temptation of making this a Red Flags by Tom Cardy parody as a joke.
For those who were waiting for this, I am so sorry. Unfortunately, this site doesn't really have a way to update followers when things get in the way of writing. I've learned my lesson on writing multichapter fics though. Write them first before posting so people don't have to wait over a month for an update, and just update them based on community feedback.
Wanted to include a scene showing all the staff fighting over who got their table because Weiss has gained the reputation of being an absurd tipper but it just didn't fit the flow.
Some of you may have seen this coming from earlier chapters but yea. This isn't some grand finale or 'found your soulmate' style chapter, it's just the beginning of a relationship. One that I hope I portrayed as mostly healthy. A lot of you have expressed the desire for more, so I will probably write some one-shots that take place in the same continuity until I get more experience with longer fics. Once I am more confident in my writing, I will write a true sequel.
As for what I have planned now, I do have an unrelated one-shot of Yang and Ironwood planned (not romance) that I have had in my head for a while.
And immediately breaking my own advice I want to write a multi-chapter Izuku/Momo story, but I have a lot of planning before posting further on that.
As always leave a comment/review. They tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, and I just enjoy getting them. And I hope y'all have a wonderful day.
