Glynda Arc née Goodwitch loved her son.
That was an indisputable fact, and whoever said otherwise either didn't know the woman at all or wished to incur her wrath. He was the apple of her eye, her wingless cherub, her little baby boy. Very rarely would she ever have to seriously scold him, especially compared to his sisters.
Unfortunately, this was one of those times.
Her son sat before her, back straight with his hands on his lap, and a guilty smile on his face. It was a closed-eyed smile, likely because he was unable to stand returning her piercing jade green gaze.
"Jaune Miles Luna Arc." He flinched under her authoritative tone. "Could you explain to me why you've not only skipped an entire day of schooling, but were also found playing vigilante against both the White Fang and Roman Torchwick?"
It was the morning after the events of the docks. Both Jaune and Blake were being questioned about what exactly happened for them to end up in such a situation. Blake was in a separate room with headmaster Ozpin while she handled her son.
One would think it would be better if they had swapped their charges to be more professional, but Ozpin had hoped that by Glynda interviewing Jaune, her son might be more inclined to share information. At the very least, it would put the boy at more ease than if Ozpin handled it himself.
"So, uhm, it started like this…" He gave a brief summary of the events leading up to the fight at the docks. By the end of his retelling, his mother was pinching her brow with a disappointed expression.
"Oh Jaune…" she bemoaned, "I knew it. I knew that girl would be nothing but trouble. But Ozpin insisted, and now my son has to pay the price."
A sour look crossed his face. "It's not Blake's fault, mom."
She gave him a cynical look, the quirking of a lone eyebrow conveying a silent "Really?"
"… O-Okay, it's kinda her fault," he admitted embarrassedly, "B-But it's mine, too! I'm her team leader and partner, it's my duty to help her whenever she's in trouble."
Glynda tried her best to keep her proud smile from showing. "That's an admirable outlook to have, Jaune, but you cannot deny that ever since you've been sedu—I mean, entered a relationship with Miss Belladonna, you've been on a downward spiral."
It was a bit of an exaggeration, but the pattern was there, and at the rate they were progressing, it wouldn't be long until they caused some sort of international incident.
'Speaking of which, I'll need to talk to the police chief to see about releasing that Vacuan student.'
"Y-Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry about that," Jaune apologized. "But, I'll do better! And I'll make sure Blake does better, too!"
She reached over and grabbed his hand. "… Jaune, I'm saying this as both your academic instructor and your mother: Perhaps it would be best for you and Blake to see other people."
"W-What?"
The look of utter confusion on her son's face surely belied his shock, and didn't make what she was trying to do any easier. As much as it pained her to do so, she had to convince Jaune to break up with Blake. Even if he was smitten with her, the girl was simply too much of a negative influence on her son to let their relationship be.
If by doing so just so happened to open up the opportunity for Weiss to swoop in and steal his heart, then all the better.
"It's like I said before, dear. Blake has a history with getting into trouble since before she came to Beacon. I would have hoped that by being your partner, you could possibly curb these tendencies; but it seems like the opposite has happened, even more so after you two became an item."
"… Mom," he began hesitantly, "Blake and I aren't dating."
Glynda's eyes widened with anger. "You mean to tell me that she doesn't even have the decency to commit to you, despite sullying your purity!?" she roared, already rising from her seat to hunt the girl down.
"NO!" Jaune frantically scrambled to block the door with his body. "I mean nothing ever happened between us to begin with! She made it up."
She was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that fateful night on the bullhead. "B-But the rope, and the sex toys, and the condoms!"
"They were part of a welcoming gift from the hotel we stayed at last week," he explained with a red face. "Blake forgot to toss the other stuff after taking the rope."
Calming down somewhat, Glynda sat back down. "I see…" She let out a sigh of utter relief as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders: Her darling son was still as pure and innocent as the day he was born, thank the Gods.
A thought struck her right then, the moment of relief providing an instance of clarity. Her mask of professionalism was on once more. "If you two weren't being intimate that night, then what were you doing? And why did you need the rope?"
There was an audible gulp from her son, as if realizing he made a terrible mistake. "W-Well, um, the thing is…"
{ I }
Blake let out a tired sigh as her partner hung his head in shame.
"I'm sorry," he said with a voice full of remorse.
They were in their dorm room now, sitting on their beds across from one another. After their pseudo-interrogation, they were pardoned from the rest of their classes today, in-part because they were unsure how long their session would last. Weiss and Pyrrha would help them catch up on what they missed after they returned from the evening lecture.
"It's fine," she replied, waving him off. "She'd have found out sooner or later."
He raised his head. "How were things with the headmaster?"
"Well, I didn't tell him about our vigilante act, though I suppose he'll find that part out from your mother," she teased, a small laugh escaping upon watching her partner flush. "But we did talk about the White Fang. You were right about him knowing, by the way." She sighed again. "Gods, I can't believe that I was actually so naïve as to think the headmaster of the most prestigious Huntsmen academy on Remnant wouldn't know who I was."
Jaune couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, that was kinda dumb of you, not gonna lie. I mean, at the very least you could have changed your name."
She sent him a half-hearted glare before continuing. "Anyways, I didn't receive any punishment for last night, though that might change when he finds out about our stint as vigilantes. What about you?"
"Slap on the wrist, basically," he said. "She also forbade me from going anywhere alone with you for the foreseeable future, but I think that was as my mother rather than my teacher."
Blake couldn't help but laugh. "I don't blame her. I mean, look at all the trouble I got her goody two-shoes son into already."
"I wouldn't exactly call myself a 'goody two-shoes.'"
She gave him a deadpan stare. "Jaune, you are literally one of the nicest people I've met, with Pyrrha being your only competition. You are the textbook definition of the term."
"Hey, I've done some pretty bad stuff before!"
"Leaving the seat up on the toilet does not count," she said jokingly.
"My little sister would beg to differ."
The ravenette raised a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Wait, you actually did that?"
"Once," he nodded with a grin. "Fell right in and screamed bloody murder. Olivia didn't forgive me until a week afterwards." He snorted as he remembered another detail. "Oh, right! Azure had a fear of toilets after that! It took mom forever to convince her that the toilet wouldn't try to eat her."
They both went into full-blown laughter at that. "Gods, that's horrible!"
"See? Would a goody two-shoes do something like that?" he asked, smirking.
Amber irises rolled in their sockets. "Knowing you, you did it by accident."
The blond tried to keep a straight face, but alas, he couldn't hide his hackles. "All right, you got me. But at least now you and the girls never have to worry about that happening to any of you."
"Ah, yes. Praise Oum that your little sister fell into the toilet." She clapped her hands together in prayer. "Thank you for your sacrifice, young maiden."
Once their fit of giggling subsided, Blake took a moment to just stare at her partner, a rare but sincere smile on her face.
"You know, Jaune… I've probably said this a hundred times already, but thank you for being there for me through all this."
He smiled back as he waved her off. "Nah, it's no biggie. It's just what friends do."
An amused sound escaped her. "I don't think just any friend would put up with me like you have."
"Then we're great friends," he told her. "I've got your back, Blake. Always."
A warm feeling welled in her chest as he beamed that damned smile at her. 'This guy…' she thought to herself, 'What is he doing to me?'
Gods above, she was not falling for Jaune Arc.
'I mean, he wouldn't be the worst choice,' whispered the treacherous voice in her head. 'Better than Adam, at least.'
That was a low bar and she knew it.
It's not that she didn't find her partner attractive: She did, undeniably so. His physique was nearly the epitome of what most girls her age found desirable in a man—being tall bordering on towering, yet buff enough to not be considered lanky—and his face held that boyish charm that made it the perfect combination of both cute and handsome.
Even ignoring the physicality of it all, she found his warm, affable personality particularly comforting. He was honorable, sincere, and overall just a nice person. There was a certain innocence in the way he conducted himself, a naivete that she found both curious and endearing at times. And his diligence, too, was something she admired; the way he so dutifully thrusted himself into a task until it was finished was truly awe-inspiring.
'Especially when it's on my behalf…'
Perhaps what she found most attractive about Jaune was how utterly safe he made her feel, like she could give up all her fears and worries for as long as he was by her side. Having someone so dependable with her, to so easily put her at ease… She never realized how much she craved that until now.
She could definitely see how wonderful a boyfriend her partner would make. He would take her on an old-fashioned date, make her laugh with tales of his childhood exploits, cook her a gourmet meal that would put restaurants to shame…
'Hold me tight in those strong arms of his, letting me know that I'll be all right.'
"-ke? Remnant to Blake, are you there?"
"Huh?" The Faunus girl rapidly blinked as she was drawn back to reality.
"There she is!" Jaune chuckled. "You spaced out for a minute. Everything alright?"
"Y-Yeah, sorry," she recovered quickly. "Just thinking about something stupid. Did you say something?"
He nodded. "Would it be all right to tell the girls about what we were really doing those nights out? You know, since it's not really a secret anymore?"
The Faunus's face scrunched up for a moment before nodding. "I guess. It would definitely help get them off my back."
The sound of their door opening fortunately drew her from her thoughts, revealing Weiss and Pyrrha fresh from class.
"Oh! Heya girls! "Jaune waved. "Welcome back. We were just talking about you. How was class?"
"Not any more tedious or enlightening than usual," Weiss said as she made her way to sit next to him. "Seeing as you're still in one piece, I presume your mother wasn't too hard on you."
"Just a verbal lashing," he joked. "Though compared to what I've heard her give my sisters, I did get off pretty easy."
"What about you, Blake?" Pyrrha asked as she unpacked her belongings. "Did the headmaster give you a hard time?"
"Surprisingly, no," she replied. "In fact, he was rather lenient about the whole thing."
Red eyebrows raised curiously. "Really? Even about your past?"
"Even then," Blake confirmed. "It's strange, I know, but he seemed very understanding and non-judgmental about it." She sent Jaune a subtle glance. "He said that he believes in second chances."
Her partner returned a victorious smirk, but she was the only one who caught it.
"Well, that's a small relief," Weiss said. "The damage to our public image can be mitigated somewhat."
Jaune couldn't help but laugh. "Right, imagine the leader of Team Eggplant being seen in detention. What a scandal!"
"Team Aubergine!" She corrected him harshly. "Do not take away the small modicum of decorum our team has by using the less sophisticated name!"
"I still wonder why the headmaster chose Aubergine. Wouldn't Auburn make more sense?" Pyrrha mused.
"I asked him about that, actually," Blake answered. "Apparently there was already a Team Auburn attending Haven Academy, so he used the next closest thing that popped into his head."
That new tidbit only served to irk the heiress further. "Wonderful. It is good to know that the headmaster could not be bothered to spare a second's contemplation before saddling us with this demeaning moniker."
"It's not so bad," Jaune tried to comfort her. "At least we're high in fiber and antioxidants."
Pyrrha giggled at her leader's joke, but Weiss was in no mood for it. "Don't encourage him."
A dirty, dirty part of Blake's mind wanted to tell them about the plant's use as an emoji, but she wasn't Yang. She had restraint.
"Anyways, it's time for your remedial lessons." Weiss and Pyrrha pulled out their textbooks and notebooks. "We'll start with what you missed from Grimm Studies and go from there."
Jaune's winning grin fell as if all vitality had been drained out of him. The complete one-eighty brought an amused smile to her face.
Deciding to delay her partner's suffering, Blake spoke up. "Actually, there was something we needed to tell you girls about before we started."
Ice and Emerald eyes glanced at one another. "What is it?"
"Those nights where Jaune and I disappeared together…" Blake could see the beginnings of dread in their eyes, likely thinking she'll confess to eloping with the sole male of their team. She couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. I swear that Jaune and I aren't an item."
Their synchronized breath of relief was subtle, but still noticeable.
Reaching under her bed, Blake grabbed the duffel bag that held their vigilante gear—and nothing else this time, she made sure of that— and brought it over to them. She unzipped it, then pulled out the masks; handing the black one to Jaune and keeping the other for herself.
"You remember those two vigilantes that showed up on the news a couple weeks back?" She and Jaune held the masks up to their faces. "That's us: We're Noir and Shiro."
There was silence for a moment as the girls processed the reveal. For a second, neither Blake nor Jaune knew how their teammates would react.
A resounding 'SMACK!' reverberated through their room as both Weiss and Pyrrha facepalmed themselves.
"I can't believe we didn't connect the dots," Pyrrha grumbled.
"Why are we so awful at this!?" Weiss cried into her hands.
Blonde and Faunus stared confusedly at them. "Did we miss something?"
"It's not important." The way she growled out the reply obviously suggested something different, but they weren't going to push it. "What is important is why."
"Why did you hide this from us?" Pyrrha pressed. "Doing something so dangerous… We could have helped you!"
It was Blake that answered them. "Because you would have asked why we were getting involved. You would have found I was in the White Fang."
The redhead wasn't satisfied with that. "But Jaune—"
"She didn't want me to help either," Jaune replied. "It was only because I found out about her past myself that I was able to convince her; and only if I kept everything I knew a secret."
"I'm sorry for the trouble that I caused because of my paranoia," Blake apologized with a small bow of her head.
Pyrrha immediately came close and hugged her. "I'm sorry too, Blake. I was harboring such awful thoughts about you the entire time before you went missing. I'm glad we can finally put all this behind us."
"… What kind of things did you think about me exactly?"
The champion flushed. "Please don't make me say them."
Weiss, on the other hand, was not quite so easily appeased. "Are you going to keep doing this?"
An unsure expression crossed Blake's face. "I don't know. I want to, but my informant… I don't think Jaune and I will be going out again anytime soon."
"Hmph." The heiress crossed her arms. "Well, if you do, I expect you to inform the rest of us as well. These nightly heroics shall be a team effort henceforth. Am I understood?"
A laugh escaped her. "Of course, Weiss."
"And you!" The white-haired girl rounded on their leader, poking a finger into his chest. "Stop making promises so easily! One of these days you'll swear an oath to some hoodlum who'll take advantage of your honorable nature and I won't be there to save your sorry behind!"
"All right, all right." He held his hands up placatingly. "I'll be more careful about making promises, I swear."
She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning her head up and away from him. "Good. Now, go get your notebooks. The sooner we get you both caught up, the sooner we can focus on our own studies."
"Okay…" The blonde sighed. He sluggishly went to get his things, only moving faster when Weiss swatted at him with her notebook. "Ack! Fine, fine, I'll hurry!"
Pyrrha gestured for Blake to come sit next to her by patting the spot on her bed so that they faced opposite their partners. The redhead opened up her notebook for the Faunus to read from. As expected, the Invincible Girl kept a very neat and organized record of their lessons and lectures, with all the highlights neatly written down. It was not on the level of Weiss's—whose own meticulous notes were more informative, if a bit excessive—but it was definitely what one would expect from one of the higher academically ranked students in their year.
As her team began their catch-up session in earnest, Blake couldn't help but sneak another glance at Jaune. Despite his reluctance to get started, the blond was trying his best to follow along with Weiss's explanations.
Weiss had almost entirely migrated her seat to his lap, her reason being that it would be easier for him to see the diagram she had drawn in detail this way. Of course, none of them really bought that excuse—especially with the way she was leaning into his chest—but Jaune played along as he usually did and indulged her.
From the corner of her eye, Blake saw that Pyrrha was looking their way as well. The look on the Invincible Girl's face was one of subtle envy, but also… happiness? It was as though she yearned to be in the smaller girl's position herself, but was still happy for her friend regardless.
Blake's mind drifted back to her earlier thoughts about Jaune, then chuckled to herself silently. She had nearly forgotten what a mess would wait for her if she ever seriously pursued a relationship with him.
The young man had two prestigious women basically eating from the palm of his hand, with a third in the form of a certain rabbit Faunus; but didn't know what to do with them for fear of hurting their feelings. It was all good fun to watch from the sidelines, but to become part of that romcom herself?
'No thanks.'
"Pyrrha?" the ravenette called, drawing the taller girl's attention. "I'm sorry, but could you repeat that again? I didn't quite catch that."
The redhead smiled at her. "Of course, Blake. So, because the analogue to the animal itself is so similar…"
As their resident redhead went over her last point again, Blake made a silent promise to herself: She would smother these embers she held for her partner before they became something more.
{ II }
Just like that, Team AWBN resumed their daily lives as if nothing had happened. They went to class, half of them fell asleep during Port's lecture, won all their matches during Combat Class, and enjoyed a nice lunch period with their sister team, Team RRYN.
Of course, that isn't to say the people around them were just as easily able to ignore the elephant in the room.
"When did Blake get kitty ears!?" Nora yelled excitedly, pointing towards the Faunus's head. "And can I pet them?"
The Faunus girl had, with much pressure and support from her team, decided to forgo wearing her bow. Her peers' reactions were about what she expected: Staring (some outright gawking,) a few hushed whispers here and there, even a couple of contemptuous grunts and sneers. Surprisingly, she found that she didn't really care all that much about what they thought about her Faunus bits, not when she was surrounded by her teammates and friends.
"No Nora, you cannot," Blake denied easily, not even looking up from her book.
"Awwww," the exuberant girl sulked.
"She kinda always had them," Jaune explained nervously. "She just never felt comfortable showing them until now."
"Right…" Yang trailed off awkwardly as she stared at Team AWBN from across the lunch table. "So, uhm… Everything is… okay, now? Right?"
Blake couldn't hide her smirk, putting down her book to answer. "Wow Yang, that was so painfully awkward I thought you were Ruby for a moment."
"Hey!" The younger girl cried in protest.
"Well, can you blame me!?" the fiery blond half yelled. "I mean, last week you and Weiss were at each other's throats every time we had lunch! And then that big fight on Sunday?"
Ruby nodded. "And what's up with you and Jaune suddenly being sick for the last two days? You guys don't seem like the type to get sick."
"… Did you forget about Jaune's motion sickness?" Weiss asked.
"And his allergy to Forever Fall sap?" Pyrrha added.
A faint flush of red colored Ruby's cheeks. "I-I mean besides that!
"Did you two bang?" Nora followed up innocently, causing everyone to turn to her with flustered expressions.
"Nora!" Ren scolded.
"What? It's a perfectly reasonable question!"
The pink-eyed boy was utterly flabbergasted. "In what world!?"
"N-Nothing like that happened!" Jaune stuttered embarrassedly. "We just, well…" He trailed off while glancing towards Weiss and Blake, unwilling to continue without their permission.
Weiss let out a deep sigh. "This is not the place to have this discussion. Come by our dorm room later and we'll explain it in detail. That is," she turned to Blake, "if you are alright with that?"
The amber-eyed girl made a face but nodded her assent.
"Well, I guess I know what we're doing after class!" Yang said excitedly, earning an equally excited whoop of agreement from her partner.
Ren seemed rather hesitant in comparison. "If you're feeling pressured, then I'd rather you'd not tell us."
"It's fine," the newly revealed Faunus assured him. "Really. Just… I guess I'm getting a bit sick of telling the same story again and again."
"Well, if you're sure…" Ruby trailed off, trying to hide her own eagerness to hear the story. "Maybe afterwards we could all catch up? You know, do something besides fighting each other?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Jaune agreed. "Maybe some board games and some snacks?"
"Oooh, that's perfect!" The crimsonette clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "I've been meaning to bust out Remnant: The Game again!"
"Ah. That game." Her teammate seemed less enthused. Upon being shot several curious gazes, he explained. "The last time we played it, Nora flipped the board after Yang started to gloat."
"She was a dirty, two-timing backstabber!" The Valkyrie roared, pointing an accusatory finger at her partner.
Yang looked unashamed; a large grin plastered on her face as she spoke. "Hey, all's fair in love and war. Don't hate the player, hate the game."
"Careful Yang," Blake warned with her usual snark. "You can only hide so much of your big head under your hair."
The busty blonde rolled her eyes, her grin lessening into a smirk. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Nora was going out of her way to help Ren whenever Ruby or I tried to contest him."
The boy in question shrugged his slender shoulders. "Don't look at me, I didn't tell her to do anything."
"Of course you did, Renny! You gave me 'The Look.'"
"What look?" he asked.
"The 'Help me, Nora' look. You know, the one where you seem kinda tired?"
Ruby looked at her partner for a moment. "… You mean how he always looks?"
"Yup!" The exuberant ginger glomped him. "I guess he always needs my help."
"Nora, please get off so I can finish my food." Ren's tone was calm and leveled, but the color of his cheeks betrayed him.
"I thought Remnant: The Game was for four players though?" Pyrrha said with a cute tilt of her head.
"Five if you include the Menagerie expansion," Jaune added. "But since there's eight of us, we could just partner up."
"Nah," Yang said with a wave of her hand. "Too many cooks in the kitchen, ya know?"
"I'm content with just watching," Blake offered. In reality, she'd use the opportunity to continue reading some of her books, but she'll at least half-pay attention.
Ren nodded, having the same sentiment. "I'll sit out the first game as well. Maybe I can handle the snacks instead."
"I'll go with him!" Nora chimed. "Otherwise he'll only get the gross healthy stuff."
"I thought the Kale chips were pretty good," Yang admitted, "but I could do with some dip with my fresh veggies if I'm being honest."
Ruby was visibly gagging to the side. She sent Nora a pleading look. "Nora, for every healthy thing Ren buys, please get something junky. And cookies. Lots of cookies."
"Aye aye, captain!" The ginger snapped off a salute.
The lone male of Team RRYN frowned slightly. "Ruby, I know you have a bit of a sweet tooth, but all that sugar isn't good for you. It wouldn't hurt to supplement your diet with more healthy alternatives—"
"Lalalalala, I can't hear you!" Ruby childishly plugged her ears, earning a tired sigh from her partner.
Yang reached over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Good try, Ren."
The bell rang as they ironed out the final bits of their evening plans, ending their lunch period and leaving them eager for the end of their school day.
{ III }
"Welcome to Casa Rubine!" Yang and Ruby greeted with winning smiles as they opened the door for her friends. "Make yourselves at home!"
Jaune returned her gracious greeting with one of his own. "Thanks again for hosting. We really…" He paused, completely stunned by something behind her. "… What."
Though it was Jaune who said it, the entirety of Team AWBN shared his sentiments upon entering Team RRYN's room. To be precise, they were flabbergasted by the sight of their beds, two of which were suspended by the ceiling by a series of ropes so as to overhang the remaining two.
Following their gazes, the sisters understood why their friends were suddenly so silent. "Oh, noticed the bunk bed setup we've got, huh?" Yang asked, her poise emanating pride. "Pretty neat, right?"
"It was my idea!" Ruby preened smugly. "Now we have so much extra room for stuff!"
"Uh huh…" Jaune nodded dumbly, eyes still glued to the hazardous sleeping arrangement.
"You do realize that you've just made a death trap, right?" Weiss pointed out. "How did you even convince Ren to go along with this?"
"We out-voted him. Nora really liked the idea."
Weiss sighed. "Of course she did."
Pyrrha shared her own skepticism. "Are none of you worried about that possibly collapsing while you sleep?"
"Nope!" The suspended bed on the left swayed ominously as Ruby zoomed into it, the ropes audibly straining under the added weight. "See? Super stable."
"… Poor Ren," Blake muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her teammates to hear; all of whom silently nodded in agreement.
"Anyways," Yang reached into their bookshelf and grabbed their game of the evening. "Let's get started!"
Ruby whooped as she jumped down from her bed, causing the precariously dangling piece of furniture to sway angrily and making the entirety of Team AWBN hug the far side of the room out of caution.
The sisters set up the board, allowing Pyrrha and Weiss—both of whom never played the game before—to read over the rules. Jaune helpfully answered any questions they had, as he had much experience playing it back home. Blake, in the meanwhile, found a comfortable spot nearby that allowed her to observe without being intrusive.
Being the gracious hosts they were, Yang and Ruby let their guests have the first pick of what faction they wanted to play. Out of national pride, Pyrrha and Weiss have chosen Mistral and Atlas respectively. Jaune, who didn't feel as patriotic, chose Menagerie, leaving Ruby to claim Vale; Yang, Vacuo.
"Alrighty! Is everyone ready?" Jaune asked, getting nods and smiles all around.
"You're going down, ladykiller!" Yang claimed eagerly, pointing at him with a confident expression. "You'll be getting the full might of my armies since I'm taking it easy on the newbies!"
Pyrrha smiled sweetly, turning to him and saying, "I'll try to support you as best as I can, Jaune."
"I as well," Weiss agreed, though Jaune immediately shook his head.
"It's fine, guys. Just focus on having fun and winning yourselves. No need to turn this int 2."
"Yeah, no tag-teaming!" Ruby echoed. "We had enough of that with Ren and Nora."
The celebrity duo frowned, then nodded in understanding.
As their game began in earnest, Blake couldn't help but notice a strange competitive glint in her partner's eye.
{ IV }
Remnant had become a hellscape, devolving into complete, utter anarchy.
Vale was the first to fall, having been dogpiled by the combined might of Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral. Then Mistral, who woke the sleeping tiger that was Menagerie. Atlas fell shortly thereafter, its overzealous ambition stretching it thin as it contested Vacuo whilst Menagerie sowed dissent on Solitas, turning its own populace against it.
The Desert Kingdom, having become Ruler of Sanus, was complacent with its gains, and was content to let the forces of the new Faunus Empire throw themselves against its coastal defenses. Alas, in this complacency, Vacuo left its heartlands wide open. Faunus splinter cells wreaked havoc on its infrastructure, destroying supply lines and communications that rendered their frontline weak and vulnerable. The Menagerian army flooded the eastern coastline, riding their momentum like a wave and conquering the former Valean lands in several swift, decisive battles.
The Vacuoan forces were pushed back to their ancestral lands, unable to stem the tide of the Menagerian invasion until they were forced to make a last stand at their capital. Their once grand army was reduced to a token body of militia and guerillas, whereas their enemies' own numbers swelled with Vacuoan turncoats.
Surrounded on all sides, the Vacuoan leader looked defiantly into the eyes of her people's conqueror. He merely smiled back, extending a hand towards her.
"Good game?" Jaune asked knowingly.
The fiery blonde looked as if she was going to slap the hand away; but then she reviewed the cards in her hand and the board one last time, realized her hopeless position, sighed ruefully, then begrudgingly shook it.
"Good game…"
With his victory confirmed, Jaune leaned back and breathed a sigh of satisfaction. "Hah, that was fun." He turned to Weiss and Pyrrha. "Did you girls enjoy your first game of Remnant: The Game?"
Neither of them responded: Pyrrha was still in shock from how fast she lost her entire kingdom while Weiss was clutching onto her, crying on her shoulder.
"My fleets..." she wailed. "My loyal soldiers…"
"Serves you all right!" Ruby harrumphed, her cheeks puffed and arms crossed. She was still sore about getting ganged up on at the beginning of the game.
Yang took the opportunity to reach over and put her sister in a headlock. "Sorry sis, someone had to be the sacrificial lamb and it wasn't gonna be me."
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
Suddenly, a loud series of thumps echoed from the hallway, drawing the attention of everyone but the traumatized.
"We're baaaaack~!" Nora sang as she all but kicked her dorm room open, her arms filled to the brim with bags of snacks. "Sorry we took so long. Ren and I… huh?"
Confusion filled her as she took in the state of their friend group. "What happened?"
"Jaune happened," Blake answered, having been silently observing until just then. The Faunus girl didn't know whether to be impressed by how swiftly and methodically Jaune had conquered the world, or fearful of how nonchalantly he did so. She turned to her partner with a quirked brow. "I thought you were gonna take it easy on them?"
"Hey, Pyrrha attacked first," he said with a shrug. "No hard feelings though, right Pyr?"
The redhead's eyes were glued to the board still. "Where did everyone go? I only blinked and…"
"How could you be so cruel?" Weiss wept. "We trusted you! I trusted you!"
"Hey, Yang was the one that said she'd go easy on you. I only said to have fun."
She let out a small sniffle, "I hate this game of emotions we play…"
Pyrrha slowly patted her partner's back as she started to come back to her senses. "There, there, Weiss. We'll get through this together."
"Oh Pyrrha," the heiress sobbed, clutching her tighter.
"Nora," Ren called, having only just now entered the room. In his hands were bags filled with juices and sodas. "Please wait for me next…" he trailed off, eyes drawn to the traumatized duo and the moodiness of Ruby and Yang. "All right, that's it. No more Remnant: The Game in this dorm room."
{ V }
After taking a break to snack and rehydrate, both teams decided to try a more traditional party game: Truth or Dare.
To increase the randomness, they elected to spin a bottle to choose who got asked. Nora went first, enthusiastically spinning the bottle with as much force as she could muster.
The bottle slowed to a stop, its nozzle pointing at Blake.
"Blakey, truth or dare?"
Seeing as it was Nora who was asking, Blake elected to choose the safer of the two options. "Truth."
"Tell us what you and Jauney have been up to these last few weeks."
The Faunus girl was somewhat grateful at being given such an easy out since she was going to tell them anyway. "Okay then."
And so for the umpteenth time, Blake regaled the origin story of Noir and Shiro in her usual blasé manner, which despite her efforts to downplay it garnered much attention and awe from Team RRYN's members.
Ruby in particular was rather starry-eyed. "That's awesome! I wanna go out and fight crime too!"
"I mean, technically we were only trying to stop the White Fang," Jaune admitted with slight embarrassment. "We weren't stopping any purse-snatchers or busting crime rings."
Nora piped in with her own suggestion. "We should totally make a crime-fighting group! Oh, and we need to come up with superhero names! I'll be Sloth Girl, fighting crime with my trusty sidekick, Pancake Boy!" She leaned in close to Ren. "That's you, Renny."
"And I'll be Red Hood!" Ruby continued excitedly.
They were immediately shot down by Ren, who began listing off the many reasons why that would be a bad idea. "First off, we may have Huntsman training, but we're still students. We need to focus on school so that we can begin our careers in earnest. Prowling around at night would be harmful to our academia. Second, we'll most definitely get in trouble for it. Jaune and Blake might have gotten off easy, but we can't be sure that we can expect the same. Lastly, even if I were to agree to this, I am not going by Pancake Boy."
"Boo…" Both girls slumped.
"Anyway," Blake called as she reached for the bottle. "It's my turn to spin, right?" Round and round the glass went until it landed on the blonde of fairer sex.
"Dare," Yang said without hesitation.
"Jump on Ruby's bed." All eyes turned to the death trap hanging off to the side once more. "Let's see just how good your DIY skills are."
"Bet," the blonde replied with a grin. With a grunt, Yang leapt onto her sister's bed, almost knocking her head on the ceiling as she did so. Again, the haphazardly constructed top bunk swayed dangerously yet somehow remained suspended despite her roughhousing. "Told you it was good."
Blake couldn't help but be impressed. "All right, you got me." As Yang hopped down, Blake turned to whisper to her partner. "Seriously though, you should probably tell your mom about this so they can at least get proper bunk beds."
"Agreed."
Yang's hand was already on the bottle as she proclaimed, "My turn!" As her luck would have it, the bottle pointed towards Jaune. "All right Vomit Boy, truth or dare?"
There was a certain cockiness as Jaune responded. "Hmm, I choose… Dare."
The fiery blonde grinned evilly. Time for some payback. "Give Weiss-cream a kiss. Right on the lips. At least 10 seconds."
The color drained from his face almost instantly. "A-Ah, um, is it too late to choose truth?"
"Don't be such a coward, Jaune," Weiss admonished, unable to hide her smile. She sent Yang a thankful glance and received a wink in return. "Come on then, don't be shy."
Jaune was still reluctant, but when everyone else began egging him on—even Blake and Pyrrha, much to his surprise and distress—he had little choice but to succumb to the peer pressure. He gulped, nerves tensing as he relented. "All… All right."
He scooted closer to her, their difference in height becoming ever more apparent as he all but loomed over her. Weiss sat up a bit, getting on her knees to lessen the need for him to bend over so low. She draped her arms over his shoulders, smirking victoriously. "Well? Don't keep a girl waiting."
There was a desperation in his eyes as he looked for a way to stall. Gods, when did Weiss get so brazen!? "H-Hey, so, um, if this is because of the game earlier, I'm sorry—"
His ramblings were cut off as Weiss, who was tired of waiting, forced his head downwards, pressing their lips firmly together.
"Woooo! Go Weiss-cream!" Yang cheered.
Nora was likewise whooping in support of the daring heiress. "Atta girl! Stake your claim!"
Ruby, meanwhile, was blushing furiously and averted her gaze, but still sneakily glanced back at the scene from the corner of her eye. Ren, being Ren, reacted rather mutely; the only indication of his shock was the slight widening of his eyes.
As for the rest of Team AWBN, Pyrrha smiled supportively, a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. She was happy for her friend, but there was a tension in her shoulders that indicated that she was holding something back. Blake merely stared on with a small curl of her lips, trying to ignore the faint, throbbing tightness in her chest.
For the two engaged in the lip-lock, 10 seconds seemed to fade into an eternity. Jaune was frozen stiff, completely unsure of himself and his movements whereas Weiss was eagerly engaging him, pressing on despite her inexperience and just trying to enjoy the intimacy.
Suddenly, it was over. They leaned away from each other, their faces glowing crimson. Jaune was doe-eyed still, having yet to completely process what just transpired. Weiss, on the other hand, held a giddy expression bordering on lustful. Her eyes, half-lidded, stared into Jaune's for a moment, taking pleasure in his slack-jawed mien.
She leaned past his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "The next time, Jaune, I expect you to make the first move."
Jaune could only nod dumbly. Her words and actions couldn't possibly be misinterpreted this time.
Since he was still reeling from the kiss, Weiss took his turn for him. "… Well Pyrrha? Truth or dare?"
"D-Dare," she stuttered, a tinge of hopefulness in her voice as she glanced between her partner and the dazed blonde next to her.
Weiss pretended to think for a moment, then smirked knowingly. "Very well. I dare you to kiss Jaune. See if you can't get him to respond better than me."
Eyebrows raised all around, not a single one of them expecting that of all things from the usually possessive girl. Jaune, who only just regained his bearings, couldn't help but owlishly blink.
"Y-You can't be serious?" he asked incredulously.
Her steadfast gaze indicated that yes, she was quite serious. "Come now Jaune, don't tell me you're afraid of a little kiss? Most men would be elated to receive such a thing from a beautiful girl like Pyrrha."
"I'm not saying I wouldn't be happy!" he argued. "B-But… you, of all people being the one to dare her?"
It just didn't make sense to him. Weren't they fighting over him not too long ago?
Weiss's teasing smile didn't falter. "Let's just say that we came to an understanding. Now, quit stalling and get to it."
He gulped, nerves fraying at the seams as he turned towards the emerald-eyed Mistrali. She beheld him with a demure smile and blushing cheeks, a sight which only made him all the more awkward. As she scooted closer to him, he tried one final gambit to get out of this. "Pyr, y-you don't have to do this if you don't want to."
Despite being almost a foot taller than Weiss, Pyrrha could only muster half of her confidence. However, that half was more than enough to whisper, "But… I do want this. A-And I was hoping you'd like the same."
And before he could get another word in, before she could psyche herself out, Pyrrha leaned forward and captured his lips.
Just as before, Jaune was as stiff as a board, so completely out of his element that Pyrrha had to do all of the work. She didn't mind it though, since she was so engrossed with the taste of him, eyes shut tight as she tried to fill her senses with nothing else but him and this moment.
Time was up before she knew it, forcing her to part from him with no small amount of reluctance. Emerald orbs met sapphire, glistening with unadulterated happiness at what just transpired.
Everything was quiet the moment they parted, not even a peep from the usually boisterous duo of Yang and Nora. Blake held a hand to her chest, wondering what this uncomfortable feeling welling within her was. Weiss, for her part, merely smiled fondly at the two.
Eventually, Yang recovered and decided to cut the awkward silence with a teasing joke, "W-Wow ladykiller, I guess you're really living up to your name, huh?" Realizing she wasn't going to get a response from the dumbstruck blond, Yang quickly changed gears to get the game rolling again. "P-Money, it's your turn to spin now."
"R-Right," the redhead stuttered, moving back to her spot next to her partner.
It took a couple of seconds for things to get back to normal, but once it did, Ren decided to make a new house rule that forbade dares involving kissing.
A/N: Hey all. Long time no update. I did kinda warn you though, so I hope none of you are too mad.
So, first, in regards to the chapter: You can officially consider the 1st part of the Knightshade Arc finished. Now that I've built up enough of a rapport between the two so that the romance is believable, I can finally progress Weiss and Pyrrha's relationship. Considering they already had the hots for Jaune, it won't take nearly as long. And then as soon as I get the thruple resolved, I can start adding in the other girls i.e. Yang and (hopefully) Velvet. Expect a lot more romance in the next few chapters.
That is, if they ever come out XD
All kidding aside, I DO have the next chapter in the works. Hopefully it'll be done by around this time next month, but again, no promises.
Again, thank you all for your patience. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you guys next time.
Omake: No Homo
"All right Vomit Boy, truth or dare?"
"… Dare."
She thought for a moment when a devious idea came to mind. "You and Ren, full on makeout sesh. Can be as long as you want, but give us a show."
Both boys looked at each other, then to Yang, then to Nora, then to Weiss and Pyrrha, then back to each other.
They shrugged.
"No homo?"
"No homo."
Jaune took the lead, nestling Ren in his lap and running a hand through his long, silky black locks. The more effeminate of the two reached up and hooked his slender arms around the blonde's neck, drawing his head down as he slowly kissed up the side of his jaw until their lips met.
The girls watched on in utter shock. Even Blake was balking at the sight (She was actually the one with the most animated expression.) The way they so casually embraced each other like lovers, as if they were doing this the entire time they've known each other, was simply astonishing.
It was only after Ren let out a soft, sensual moan that Nora broke free from her stupor. She leapt at the two, red with either rage or desire (likely a combination of the two), and shouted, "GET YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OFF MY RENNY!"
Likewise, Weiss and Pyrrha sprang into action once their pink-eyed friend slipped his tongue into Jaune's mouth. "UNHAND JAUNE THIS INSTANT!"
Yang, on the other hand, jumped in to stop the girls. "WAIT, GIRLS, LET THEM COOK!"
With their teammates moving to tear the two males apart, Ruby and Blake only watched on in blatant interest.
Something had awakened in the young reaper. Unsure of what it was, she turned to the only person available and asked, "Blake… W-Why did I like that?"
The Faunus laid a gentle hand upon Ruby's shoulder, then held up a book between them. It was labeled A/B/O: A Fujoshi's Dream. "My dear Ruby, let me introduce you to the Omegaverse."