CHAPTER 1: WHO DARES

Beacon Academy

Jaune Arc was fortunate in many regards.

Firstly, he was still at Beacon Academy, even after submitting false documentation about a school he never went to. Thankfully, it never went beyond Cardin and Pyrrha knowing. The former seemed to have developed a mutual respect for him and the latter was always on his side, so no worries on that front.

Second, his team overall was very supportive of him despite his lack of training. Pyrrha was very helpful in terms of sword fighting and the knight took the spartan's offer eagerly. Nora never cared about how he got in to begin with. She looked up to him like a big brother and he simply took it in stride. Ren also wasn't one to judge but had circumstances have been different, that could've easily changed. For better or worse, Team JNPR was here to stay.

Third, he was thriving here. Despite the challenges that he faced every single day as both an aspiring huntsman and a team leader, he always made sure to put forward the best effort he could. If he didn't succeed today, he would tomorrow. Some days were terrible, some days were great and he was learning to get stronger from the former and cherish the latter. Never an easy day, but never a boring day.

Truly, being at Beacon Academy was a blessing.

Save for one thing.

Jaune was having absolutely no luck with Weiss Schnee, the girl that he had a serious crush on. At first, he attributed his lack of progress to his approach, so he switched it up. He tried talking to her differently. Maybe his initial approach was too heavy-handed, so he tried to be casual. That hadn't worked either. Now he was thinking maybe trying to chat her up was too conventional and he needed to do something that was unexpected, but pleasant. The question was what should he do?

A few of his friends had pointed out that maybe it was time to call it quits because the heiress wasn't responding to anything he tried. Their logic was that to her, he was trying too hard and that his methods of attracting her suggested ulterior motives, a notion that made him balk. It wasn't like that. He wanted to get to know her better.

Weiss was an amazing girl. She had talent in combat, she was sure of herself, she was graceful, just an incredible person all around, and yeah she was beautiful as well. What guy wouldn't fall in love with that?

He wanted more of that in his life, the things that he was only just now beginning to grasp himself. He wasn't in it for money or fame and he wished she would see that. He might not be on her level, but he wished she would take him more seriously. He wasn't playing at being a huntsman; he was working to become one.

The blonde boy swung his blade one more time, sweat trickling down his face. He'd decided to get some extra training in before his usual evening training with Pyrrha. He was feeling motivated.

"What's up, vomit boy?" That was Yang's voice.

Jaune looked up. "Hey, Yang. Just gettin' some swings in before Pyrrha kicks my ass."

"That was lookin' like more than a few swings there, my fellow blonde." The brawler leaned against the nearby wall. "You've got something on your mind, dontcha?"

Admit it or deny it?

The knight sighed. "Am I that easy to read?"

"Way too easy." Yang grinned at him. "Keep that up and you'll never get a girlfriend much less Weiss."

Jaune really didn't want to talk about that right now. "Why is everyone on my case about Weiss? What's wrong with me liking her?"

"Dude, it's so obvious to everyone but you that she's not interested." Now she was talking to him like he was the dumbass. "I know that you've got your whole manly pride thing to protect, but c'mon, you should know when enough's enough."

Just give up? After all this time?

He shook his head. "I just need to show her that I'm not like those other guys in her life. I'm not a scumbag."

"And I'm not saying you are one, but aren't you setting your expectations a little too high? Have you ever had a girlfriend before?" Yang gave him a mocking look. "Scratch that, have you ever even been able to talk to a girl before."

Jaune felt his annoyance begin to rise. "Of course! I have a mom and seven sisters!"

"That's actually worse." She laughed at his answer. "C'mon, your family doesn't count. They're always going to be on your side no matter what you do, barring illegal things. Family means well, but the family doesn't always know best."

He glared at her. "Did you come here just to make fun of me?"

"I was gonna train, but making fun of you sounds pretty good too." Yang stepped up, a sway in her hips. "You're a good guy, but I bet you can easily be swayed to look at someone else besides Weiss."

Jaune felt his eyes trail down her form before he looked away flustered. "Hell no! I've only got eyes for Weiss."

"Big talk, but a real man wouldn't look away. He'd have control of himself." That teasing tone of hers was so frustrating. "And you think you've got what it takes to become the boyfriend of that ice queen? Poor little boy. You want big sis Yang to comfort you?"

That was exactly what he didn't want to hear. "I think you should leave."

"Or what, little knight?" Yang challenged him. "You gonna kick my ass? You know that you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating me in a fight, fair or unfair. Matter of fact, you can't outclass me in any way."

Jaune usually wasn't the type to respond to provocations, but there was always an exception and today, he felt himself growing angrier.

"What's this? Indignation?" The brawler right cocked her hip to her right side, never letting that shit-eating grin off his face. "If you can't handle this, then you might want to call it quits now. At least you can be a huntsman, but a ladies' man? 'Short, swell, rolls off the tongue, and ladies love it?' Not sure bout that. Do you even know how to kiss a girl?"

Did she really have to hit him right where it hurt?

The knight felt embarrassment all over and he couldn't look her in the eye. No, he didn't have any experience with girls romantically speaking, but he wasn't about to allow himself to admit that out loud. He had his pride on the line.

Yang, persistent as she was, continued on. "You realize that silence is the same thing as acceptance, right? Ain't that sad. No girls from your hometown ever gave you the chance. That's kind of sad. What guy doesn't have at least that under his belt before he turns into an adult? Maybe you're actually gay?"

"I'm not gay!" Jaune shouted angrily.

She raised an eyebrow. "Coulda fooled me. Maybe you are but you're just denying it. Nothing wrong with that, no judgment here. Why doncha-"

This kind of behavior was expected from the Y of Team RWBY. She was a tease and she took endless pleasure in the mistakes and pitfalls of others. They usually weren't malicious at their core, but that didn't make them any less of a hassle on top of her horrendous sense of humor.

That being said, Yang wasn't someone to underestimate. She talked a big game, but she was one of the best students in the freshman class. Not only that but she was immensely popular with both boys and girls alike. Her bragging wasn't without some merit, but today it just sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

But none of that really mattered to him right now. What did matter to him was the fact that he was being underestimated again. He didn't like it when his family did it, he didn't like when people here did that, and he didn't like Yang doing it right now.

Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP.

Jaune felt a lightning bolt of a thought enter his mind, and before he could think about it more carefully, his body moved to execute.

With the female blonde distracted, he quickly closed the distance, grabbing the girl by the chin with his left hand. That was the last thing she expected him to do when she immediately stopped bragging and she met his blue eyes with wide lilac eyes. Taking advantage of her surprise, he leaned in.

And placed his lips against hers.

Soft. That was the first thing he thought immediately after.

He held her there for a few more seconds. Then he slowly lifted away from her. He gazed at her to see what she might be thinking.

She was still in a stupor, but now her cheeks were flushed just like his. She didn't look away from nor did she speak. He didn't either, the gravity of what he'd just done now finally hitting him.

"I'll see you later." Jaune turned around to try and save what little dignity he had.

He tried to appear casual as he walked out, but the moment he was out of her sight, he leaned against the closest wall, taking a few deep breaths.

I kissed Yang.

RWBY - - - JNPR

Yang Xiao Long collapsed to the ground, her whole body trembling from what had just happened. Even now, as she processed one single thought, she still couldn't find it in herself to fully believe it.

Jaune Arc kissed me.

Jaune Arc, the same guy that was a failure at flirting.

…how did he…

The brawler felt her heart pounding, the lingering feeling of his lips against her still fully clear in her mind. She brought the fingers of her right hand to touch her lips lightly, almost as if to feel the heat that he'd left behind.

If anyone walked had seen what had just happened and saw her face, confusion would ensue. The buxom blonde had a reputation for being flirtatious with the opposite sex. She had the body and the personality to make wrap any guy around her finger. That reputation naturally extended into the belief that she was experienced in terms of romantic relationships and the physical aspects involved.

What most people didn't know was that Yang knew nothing about that stuff. She'd never had a boyfriend before. She'd never kissed before. Hell, she'd never even held a guy's hand before. Her father didn't count. In truth, she was just as inexperienced and naive as a lot of people her age.

Yet she constantly played to the idea that she knew how this stuff worked. She had sex appeal, she had a killer personality, and she had everything that a girl wanted and needed to get a guy. She was the person that everyone turned to for advice about guys and she was always there to be the alpha and omega.

But screw that noise. She'd made fun of Jaune for lacking the things that she herself was lacking as well and he'd gone and made a move on her that she didn't see coming. Normally, being one-upped like that would compel her competitive side to get even with him, but here she was, on the ground, still trying to make sense of it all.

Damnit, why couldn't he just take the teasing like a man and make things so simple? Now her head was in all sorts of places. Her thoughts were a mess and she had no idea how to go about sorting through it all.

Yang took a few deep breaths in and out. It was just a kiss. There were plenty of people who kissed and it didn't go beyond that. She just had to treat this one like it was nothing to her… even though it was her first kiss and it made her heart go wild.

I can't stop thinking about it. She hunched over, her blush growing. It was my first kiss. I'm never going to forget it for as long as I live.

Try as she might to forget or trivialize this experience, she couldn't do it. She might be a tomboy in many respects, but she was still a girl at the end of the day. She might not read sappy smutty romance books like Blake, but she could just as much of a romantic whenever the mood struck her.

Like right now.

"Nononononono!" Yang shook her head violently. "I can't be thinkin' about Jaune like that! He's noodly, dorky, and awkward, exactly the kind of guy I would never give the time of day to!"

And yet he was the first one to grow some balls and make a move on her.

…

…

"Yang, are you okay?"

The brawler snapped out of it and turned her head to see Blake standing a few meters away.

Blonde hair whipped around as she quickly got up. "Y-yeah, I'm fine! I'm just… I got blindsided."

"By who?" The faunus girl looked positively confused. "The only person I saw besides you is Jaune."

Even hearing his name made her feel so…

"Yang? Yang!"

"S-sorry, we're supposed to be sparring. Right. Give me a sec."

A deep breath in, then out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Blake put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? You look red."

"I'm not sick if that's what you're wondering." Yang gently brushed off her partner. "I'm just… he got me real good."

The raven-haired girl frowned. "What did he do?"

"Uh… he… um…" The blonde couldn't bring herself to say it. "Don't worry about it. Let's just… do this thing."

It was so embarrassing. She wasn't ready.

Fighting would get her mind off of this for a minute.

Ember Celica unfolded into a fighting position and Gambol and Shroud were held at the ready. Both fighters began to eye each other.

Yang went on the offensive, using her right hand to deliver a punch, a predictable start, but she usually started this way. Blake was outclassed at this range, so she kept enough distance to be able to attack with her blade.

Despite the former terrorist's experiences, she still couldn't beat the buxom blonde without resorting to very dirty tactics. In short, the pairing was a poor matchup. The former was built for guerilla-style attacks while the latter was trained for direct action. While that by itself wasn't a clear winning factor in a one-on-one, there was the brawler's semblance to deal with and look-alikes that couldn't attack weren't much help.

At the risk of sounding arrogant, Yang usually beat Blake, although how long the fight was drawn out depended on how committed to the fight both of them were.

In today's case…

Gambol and Shroud connected with the brawler's side, forcing her to backpedal in an attempt to regain footing. The ninja seized her advantage to pursue a more aggressive offensive, somewhat unusual for a fight between them.

Yang cursed herself mentally for such a basic slipup in her concentration. This day was turning out to be one big problem thanks to Jaune's…

"STAY BACK!"

She just punched wildly, but the speed and power behind it due to her haywire emotions were enough to connect with Blake's midsection, sending the faunus girl flying until she struck a wall. A quick look at the large monitor indicated that she was in the red.

The blonde realized what happened. "Sorry! I didn't mean to punch you that hard."

"It's fine. I've still got aura left, but damn that was a good hit." The girl with black hair appeared alright. "But I noticed you were really spacing out there. Seriously, I've never seen you so disorganized in a fight."

That kind of hurt the Y of Team RWBY. Of all the classes at Beacon, combat class was her very best. To be called out on it wasn't fun.

Still, Yang didn't deny it. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Can we call it a day? I need to figure something out."

Without giving her partner a chance to question her distracted behavior, the brawler took off, almost forgetting to grab her belongings, quickly changed in the locker room, and then thought of the only place where she could be alone: the cliff next to the Emerald she got there, she did a double and triple check of her surroundings. Once she was sure she was alone, she took a seat.

"Gods damit." Yang felt her heart slowing down. "First kiss stolen by Vomit Boy."

Saying it to herself only made the reality sink in more… and it also made her think about the sensation of it all.

It was warm.

It was soft.

It was electrifying.

Her hands gently brushed across her lips. She could almost feel the heat of his lips against hers, even now.

Why am I making a big deal out of this? He's got it bad for me, not Weiss. He just did that cause I provoked him.

That was the logical part of her mind telling her that, but logic didn't make the feelings of the kiss go away. If anything, now that she admitted to herself that she had her first kiss and that Jaune had been the one to kiss her, she couldn't help but reconsider him.

C'mon, girl. Get yourself under control. I'll cool down for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.

He caught her off guard, that's all. He wouldn't get her like that again.

Her mind somewhat settled, and Yang decided that she ought to get in touch with Blake and tell her that she figured out her funk. They didn't need to know the details about what went down between her and Jaune.

Besides, the buxom bombshell had a reputation to uphold. Nobody could ever know that a chaste kiss on the lips made her weak at the knees, not even Ruby.

This would be behind her soon.

JNPR - - - RWBY

Jaune needed to distract himself.

Looking back on yesterday, he felt two things. On one hand, he felt proud of himself for actually being able to blindside the blonde girl. She was usually nonchalant about most things and rarely let anything surprise her. The fact that he managed to do it, albeit accidentally had him patting himself on the back.

On the other hand, the knight felt perhaps a little disappointed in himself. His mother had once told him that girls were secretly very fragile creatures and whenever it came to matters of intimacy, even something as simple as a kiss was not to be done lightly. It sent messages of interest, regardless of whether or not that was the intent.

Jaune wouldn't deny that Yang was a very attractive girl, but even with that and her outgoing nature, he didn't consider her in a romantic sense. He wasn't even really friends with her per se, merely on a friendly basis. Even so, the way he left her yesterday made it clear to him that his actions had an effect on her. It wasn't malicious influencing, but it didn't make the feeling of distaste go away.

As cowardly as it appeared to him, the knight decided the only thing to do was play it off like the brawler would and hopefully, they would let bygones be bygones. Then he could get back to winning Weiss over and actually achieving his girl of making the heiress his girlfriend.

So the leader of JNPR had concocted a plan of action, something that would get the Atlesian native to look his way: poetry. She was a high-born girl and that meant she was into things that were more elegant and fancy as opposed to the things that a normal girl would like. It made sense to him when he thought of it.

Jaune was so passionate that even wrote a few pages of inspiration. Normally, he didn't much care for writing, but certain exceptions could be made when it came to matters of love and he let his pen flow across the pages.

And then he casually slid them to Weiss who was sitting right beside him during one of Professor Port's class lectures.

She took one look and rebuffed him immediately.

Suffice it to say, his mood was down the drain.

When Team JNPR got back to the dorms, he told them he needed to get over the latest rejection and simply sit outside.

So he found himself sitting at the statue of his ancestor, his hands folded together and his eyes staring at the ground.

No dice this time either. Jaune couldn't help but curse his dad. I've gotten better here. I feel more confident than I've ever been. Why doesn't Weiss see that?

He let out a sigh. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"You alright there?" He knew that voice. "Stare at the ground any longer and you'll burn a hole in it."

Jaune looked up to see the one face that he hoped to avoid. "Hello, Yang."

"Dude, why are you so formal?" The brawler punched him lightly in the chest. "Lighten up. It's just me."

"...right." The knight cleared his thought. "So… not that I'm complaining about your company, but why come to me?"

Yang took a seat next to him. "I saw that little stunt the Ice Queen pulled on you."

"You saw that?" Jaune grimaced, not looking at his fellow blonde. "I was really hoping no one did. You gonna make fun of me for that?"

He didn't see her face, but her change in tone surprised him. "No, nothing like that. I'm a tease, but I'm not about to kick a guy when he's hurt."

"Sure," he said lamely.

He didn't know what to say to her.

What would make sense?

"Alright, I've got it." Yang stood up to face him squarely. "Let's turn that frown upside down, my fellow blonde."

Jaune lifted his head to look at her in confusion. "Where did that-?"

"Shhh." She immediately. "No questions. We blondes need to look out for each other. I've got just the pick-me-up for you."

Without asking him. She grabbed his left hand with her right hand and she began to walk, forcing him to get up and walk at her pace.

Now he was really curious. "Yang, where are we-"

"I said no questions." She looked back with a grin and a thumbs up. "Trust me, you'll feel a lot better soon."

That only made him want to ask again, but he could see that she wouldn't budge until she was ready, so he decided that maybe this was the one time he'd let her do her own thing. He didn't get the sense that she had anything malicious planned, so he'd play along.

They made their way back to the dorm, hand in hand with a few pairs of eyes looking their way in curiosity, but the other students were forgotten as the two blondes made their way back to the dorms.

Once inside, Yang sat him down in the common area. "Wait here. I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

"Um, sure." Jaune simply agreed.

She then took off down the hall, leaving him to wonder some more.

Five minutes of staring at the wall.

Then he got out his scroll to see JNPR had left some messages in the team chat. He responded to those, mostly Nora declaring pancake supremacy.

Then he waited some more.

He checked his scroll again for nothing.

"Why am I feeling so anxious?" Jaune realized he was leg tapping. "What do I think she's going to do?"

Yang was a girl known for being humorous, playful, and competitive. It was those traits that made him wonder…

"Is she going to get back at me for yesterday?"

He didn't know and that made him more anxious.

He kept checking his scroll every few minutes, which only made time crawl by slower. At this point, the only thing that came to mind was he was about to be the butt of an elaborate joke that the blonde girl was setting up now.

That's the only thing that made sense to him.

"It's ready!" Yang's voice came out of nowhere.

Jaune jumped slightly in his seat "Brothers, you scared the shit out of me! And what were you saying?"

"Come with me!" She grabbed both his hands and hoisted him up. "I've got something for you!"

Before he could ask, she began leading him toward the shared kitchen area. There wasn't enough room in the dorms for each room to have a kitchen area, so the dorm had a large shared kitchen area.

When she opened the door to the dining room area, a smell instantly reached his nose. He couldn't quite place what he was smelling, but it made his mouth water, which was a good sign in and of itself.

Then she sat him down at one of the tables, which already had a bowl on it. More specifically…

"Pasta?" Jaune asked.

Yang seemed pleased. "Mistrellian style. Mostly vegetables, but a hint of beef and some peppers to really spice up the flavor."

He had never taken her for a cook, but judging on looks and smell alone, it was good. However, he had to wonder if there was something hidden in it.

Jaune looked up to her. "This is all for me?"

"All of it." Yang smiled back. "You're a growing boy. If you want to be big and strong like a professional huntsman, you gotta eat a lot."

He had seen her teasing grin many times and he knew what to look for when it came to mischief, but what he saw now was nothing but a true smile.

He had to know one thing. "Did I do something good for you and I forgot?"

"I just wanted to do it for you." She shook her head, her expression still radiant. "Plus I need to get back into the groove. Haven't really done much cooking since me and Ruby left home. Used to do it all the time."

For a moment, the knight considered if he should question further her intentions. Then he just decided that for once, the brawler wasn't trying to pull a fast one over him. It was a nice gesture and nothing more. So decided to dig in. If his stomach disagreed with him later, he would survive.

Grabbing the fork to his right, he swirled the thin noodles around the utensil, and began to slurp as quietly as he could; the first thing he noticed was the texture of the noodles. They were chewy, not hard or soft, a mistake people often made when boiling noodles. Then he tried the sauce. Even with a limited meat presence, it was refreshing and surprisingly flavorful and every bite seemed to only energize him more.

Before he knew it, he'd gone through half of it.

"You like it?" Yang was still at his side.

Jaune took a moment to swallow, then wipe his face with the napkin next to his bowl. "Yeah, it's good. I haven't eaten Mistrellian food in a while. Where'd you learn how to make this?"

"Just a little something I picked up over the years." She sat down next to him. "I needed to keep Ruby fed and I wasn't about to give her strawberries and cookies all the time, so I had to find ways to mix it up."

Jaune laughed. "I know that feeling. My sisters always are looking for variety in their diets."

This was an unexpected side of his fellow blonde.

But he didn't dislike it.

RWBY - - - JNPR

Yang had originally done this to get him out of thinking about Weiss. As much as she loved the resident Ice Queen of Team RWBY, the girl tended to be rude when it came to rejecting Jaune. The brawler had laughed a few times before, but this time she would feel really bad if she did.

So instead, she decided to try to be nice to him. After all, he was a good guy despite his many faults and awkward moments. That kind of earnest behavior should be rewarded because Brothers knew that the world needed more people who were good.

It was almost like looking at little Ruby all over, back when the girl was small and was more of a child. Seeing Jaune's face appear almost childlike in his consumption of her food was oddly warming to her heart.

I think I could grow to like this more. Yang liked the idea very much. Being counted on for the simple stuff brings back memories.

"Oh, almost forgot." Yang realized a final ingredient was missing. "Hot sauce."

He still had half of the bowl left, so she decided she'd do something a little amusing. She might be doing nice things for him, but she needed to have a little fun with it as well.

With careful hands, she wrote three words.

BLONDE FOR LIFE.

He wasn't sure what she was going for, but for some reason, he couldn't help but laugh heartily. If she was making fun of him, he didn't mind it. It applied to her as well, so for once he didn't feel left out.

Jaune calmed down after an extended laugh period. "Thanks, Yang. I appreciate the food and the message. I'll be sure to pay you back."

"I didn't do it to get something from you." Yang rebuffed him, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "I just wanted to."

His smile was the brightest she had ever seen. "My mom always taught me that friendship is about give and take. I don't plan on being any different."

"We're friends?" She found that a curious thought. "Since when?"

Jaune shrugged. "Why not? Look, if you're still worried about what went down yesterday, don't be. I got caught up in the heat of the moment. You did too. Let bygones be bygones and life can go on. Deal?"

He extended a hand out to her.

Yang was quick to shake it. "Deal."

She didn't have any male friends.

And Vomit Boy was-

No, not Vomit Boy. His name is Jaune.

In 2019, I completed One-Night Brand. It was a story born out of a challenge to myself to see if I could do a story with crack shipping. I'm not sure if Dragonslayer is still a crack ship in any official sense, but since it's likely not going to happen in the canon series, it must be.

I also consider it an update from my previous work. It was during a time when I wasn't exactly an adult mentally speaking. Since then I've grown up, become more understanding of the world and relationships, and I want to give the pairing another shot.

Plus, this was my first shipping pair.

Anyway, what are your thoughts as readers? Feedback and reviews are appreciated.

As always, thank you for reading.

Also, new story ideas are up on my profile page. If you like any of them, vote for them on the pole.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Ralph Waldo Emerson