A/N: Jesus, you guys. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter so much. I think I might have to start focusing on more dinner chapters and less sexy ones.

Chapter 12

Tag(s): N/A

Girl(s): N/A

Words: 6,288

Tightening his pauldrons with a sigh, Jaune slammed his locker closed, fighting the urge to find out if he could fit inside the safety of the enclosed, rocket-propelled cubby. Not that he was in the business of stuffing himself inside lockers. But the time had come for his first class with his newest wife, and he was slowly becoming desperate to prolong the inevitable a little longer.

Jaune's day had already felt impossibly long, even if most of that stress was due to his paranoia. Word was starting to get around from students who had this class much earlier than he and his team. And by the time lunch finished and fourth period was around the corner, it felt like he couldn't walk down a hallway without hearing at least one cluster of students gossiping about the headmistress' new husband.

Glynda was well known by most students, if not well liked, so he had been expecting the interest. Hearing about her suddenly getting married would constitute some curiosity. His only solace was that, despite taking his name, most people didn't seem to recognize it enough to associate the new Mrs. Arc with the plain and boring Jaune Arc.

It was his third week in a new school, so it wasn't like there would be many people who knew him outside of his and Ruby's team, who had already been told about him and Glynda. And they were still appropriately shocked by the news, but by the end of brunch, they had at least promised not to help spread the info around. All of which meant that the only person to confront him about his nuptials had been Professor Port during his second hour, strangely enough.

It had been weird. Going through roll call like normal, the older and rounder man had stopped halfway through Jaune's name to just look up and…stare at him for what felt like way too long. And if that wasn't bad enough, he'd put his tablet down, walked all the way from his desk to where Jaune had been sitting to place a pudgy hand on his shoulder and utter the words, "You're a brave lad. Good luck!"

His tone had been grave, and his eyes imploring like he was watching a man who was too young walk onto a battlefield he couldn't be prepared for. It had taken a moment to understand what was happening until Jaune remembered that the teachers had already been informed and were much more likely to recognize him in their classes.

Thankfully, if his other teachers had also noticed him, none were as obvious as Port. He thought he might have caught a few curious or lingering glances, but the fact that he couldn't tell for sure told him that the faculty was at least trying not to draw added attention to the matter. Honestly, Jaune was just happy that it looked like Glynda had been right, and it didn't look like she would face any fallout for their decisions.

If only he could say the same about himself. Unfortunately, two classes were left before the day was finished, and something told Jaune that Glynda's room was where his good luck ended.

Jaune eventually decided that hiding in the locker room wouldn't do him any favors. Other boys flanked him as he made his way across the sand pit toward the observation desks. Standing off to the side, Glynda watched them with passing curiosity, jotting down names as she marked attendance.

Jaune glanced at her, suddenly nervous despite the fact that they were married. It felt stupid and awkward, but the young man wasn't sure how to approach the situation. He would have asked her if they'd had time to talk since last night. But they hadn't had time for another sleepover with Monday classes waiting for them in the morning and had had to make do with a goodnight text with the promise of seeing each other today.

Now Jaune was kicking himself for not thinking ahead. They had classes every day, but should he say anything? Did he want to attract even more attention than they had already garnered?

'No,' Jaune decided, erring toward caution. 'I should just act like I always do and walk to my desk.' He might not know everything about Glynda yet, but she struck him as the type of woman who wouldn't want to mix her professional life with her private. She probably expected him to treat her like his professor, at least during classroom hours.

And Jaune was right. About one thing, at least. He didn't know Glynda yet. And as she watched her new husband stroll past her without so much as a nod or smile, a familiar cough demanded his attention. Feeling a chill run up his spine, Jaune chose to believe that he'd misheard and kept walking, prompting another, more obvious cough that managed to draw several other students to glance at the older woman.

Stopping in place, Jaune's shoulders slumped as he accepted his fate, slowly turning to face his wife. Only for a cool dread to solidify in his stomach at the raised eyebrow he was slowly learning to fear.

Looking left and then right, a few people had already followed their professor's gaze to see who she was looking at. Every second he waited invited more people's curiosity, forcing him to march across the arena toward his bride. Face tight and fists clenched at his side, Glynda watched his approach without effect.

"No," he hissed upon arrival, whispering under his breath. "You can't be serious. Not in front of the entire class."

But for all his indignation, Glynda's eyebrow merely hitched another centimeter as she countered, "Did you come greet me this morning?" Jaune flinched, knowing what she was getting at.

"No," he begrudgingly admitted. He'd been too busy worrying about other people to think about visiting her before classes.

Glynda nodded, far from upset. "I see. So, this is the first time you've seen me today?"

"I mean…" Jaune scrambled, his eyes becoming beseeching as he met the stone wall of Glynda's indifference. "Yes? But that doesn't mean-!"

His wife didn't allow him to continue, cutting him off. "And how did I specifically request to be greeted each day? Remind me because I think we've both forgotten."

Jaune didn't answer. He couldn't, not when she had proved his words' uselessness in this confrontation. But no matter how much he stared into the sharp emerald of her gaze, the green orbs never wavered, pinning him in place. The best he could manage was a feeble glance over his shoulders, confirming what he'd already suspected. Their small display had attracted almost everyone's attention, who watched on, likely assuming he'd made some mistake to get in trouble with their professor.

Well, they were partially right…

There was no getting out of this. Sighing heavily, Jaune picked his shoulders off the ground and straightened his spine, rising to his full height. Even then, that only made it so he was as tall as the older woman, who'd risen a few inches in her work heels. And the next time he met Glynda's eyes, his cheek twitched at the imperceptible curl at the corner of her lips, exposing how much she was enjoying his torment.

Leaning forward, Jaune blocked out the sounds of gasps and murmurs that erupted at his back, focusing on the smooth warmth that pressed into his lips and the cloud of coconut that wafted from Glynda's clothes. One hand still grasped her tablet to her chest, but the other found his chest in a tender caress, cupping the skin over his heart.

The embrace didn't last long. Glynda may demand her marital due, but she wouldn't go so far as to make out with her husband in front of a class full of her students. A brief moment together was enough to sate her longing. But it was still long enough for the couple to hear the distinct gasp of a student cutting through the otherwise deathly quiet. And when his teacher allowed him to lean back, the sound of hushed exclamations was already building to a not-so-subtle roar.

Despite it all, Jaune couldn't find it in him to be too angry. Especially when he saw the smile he'd left on Glynda's lips.

"I hope you're happy," he groaned despite the fluttering lightness he felt in his own chest.

"I am," she nodded, as shameless as ever. Reaching out, she tenderly corrected a few of his straps and belts despite the audience watching around them. "However, I think I would be much happier if you considered spending a few of your lunches during the week in my office. Just once or twice so I can see you a little. Especially if you want to avoid any more displays like this."

"That!" Jaune blanched, only to blink when he considered what she was asking for, "is…actually pretty reasonable. How about I drop by after third period tomorrow? You can text me what you want me to grab for you." Since they both knew she wasn't likely to have anything homemade prepared.

Glynda gifted him with another kiss, this one placed chastely against his cheek. "That sounds lovely, thank you. Now you may take your seat, Mr. Arc."

"Mrs. Arc," he nodded just as cheekily and was rewarded with another crinkle around her eyes. Jaune tried to keep that twinkle, that joy in his wife's gaze, at the front of his thoughts as he finally turned to face the wall of gossip that had formed at his back. It didn't help that his friends and team were no less astonished, openly gaping at him as he started to approach. None more than Weiss, who looked like her entire world had fallen apart watching a woman she respected publicly kiss a boy she had already dismissed.

Jaune ignored them all, keeping his eyes forward until he reached his seat, where he casually threw an arm around his other wife, just in case the room didn't have enough to talk about. Pyrrha, bless her, gladly accepted the position, openly throwing red dust onto the open flame by snuggling into his side.

'Fuck it,' Jaune decided. People were going to find out eventually. At least this way, he could go down in flames making his wives happy. And as the noise around him grew, the young man accepted his fate with all the resignation of a terminally ill hospital patient. The cat was out of the bag, and there was no getting it back in now.

Jaune decided that he might as well enjoy his infamy to the fullest, prompting Pyrrha to look in his direction. He gave her curious stare a smile before leaning in. But she stopped him before their lips could touch, surprising Jaune. But only for as long as it took to brush her thumb across his lips and whip away the peach lipstick Glynda had left behind. On purpose, Jaune realized after a pause, only to stop caring as soon as Pyrrha rose high enough to answer his affection.

First, he kissed their professor, only to wander away into another beautiful woman's arms. If they hadn't known Jaune Arc's name before this class period, that was quickly being rectified. And as the last few stragglers who hadn't been around to watch the earlier display wandered into the classroom, they were quickly caught up to speed by teammates and friends alike.

One such team happened to be Team CRDL, who exited the locker room minutes after everyone else, pushing and shoving at each other while they laughed obnoxiously about whatever bullies found amusing. But even their small minds managed to pick up that something was different by the time they reached the stands.

Losing their light and amused air, their leader quickly cornered a shorter student half his height and convinced him to speak up, retelling the seemingly short tale before promptly finding another place to sit. Across the room, Jaune felt a shiver run up his spine when he felt something malevolent aimed in his direction. Daring to glance over, he quickly found the large ginger, irritation and disgust curling his blocky features as he glared at the blonde young man.

That…might be a little harder to ignore. And despite his earlier insistence, Jaune couldn't help the small flash of shame he felt beneath the larger boy's judgment. Suddenly, he was second-guessing being so brazen around Glynda. And maybe he could have stopped himself from immediately kissing Pyrrha right after. But when he started to consider removing his arm from his wife's shoulders, Pyrrha's hand caught his, keeping him trapped against her.

"Ignore them," she commanded, her tone steely despite the pleasant mask still fixed on her face. Jaune made the mistake of glancing at her as he argued.

"But-," that was as far as he got before her eyes locked onto his and he saw her resolve.

"Ignore them, Jaune," she repeated, reaching between them to touch his chin. "They don't matter. None of them matter besides you, me, and Glynda." And Jaune knew that his wife was right. He just wished he could feel as confident as Pyrrha sounded. And not for the first time, the young man wondered where she got all her strength from.

Nothing changed until the bell rang. Jaune could feel Carden's glaring from across the arena, but Pyrrha did her best to distract him with an array of nuzzling and innocent touches. And when class eventually started, Glynda stepped forward to take control, seemingly oblivious to the many stares and whispers still fluttering amongst the students.

"Silence!" she called, "quiet now, students." And to her credit, everyone calmed down fairly quickly, likely chomping at the bit to hear what their professor had to say. And Glynda didn't disappoint. "Before class begins, I'd like to make a correction. You've all gotten to know me as Ms. Goodwitch over the last few weeks. However, circumstances have caused me to change my name over the weekend. Hence, I'll ask that you refer to me by my proper title, Mrs. Arc."

The students reacted in two ways to this announcement. Some students turned to each other to gasp and smile in disbelief, while most of the men in the class looked back at the blond boy, who could still be seen cuddling with another woman.

It lasted less than five seconds before Glynda wrestled control of the room from the group of teenagers with little more than a glare. Suddenly, everyone remembered who they were being taught by, and any lingering hints of amusement or excitement were swept away. Most of the students were sweating in their seats, slowly sinking lower and lower lest they stood out enough to become the focus of Glynda's ire. Meanwhile, Jaune watched on with no small amount of awe, finding the entire scene both impressive and incredibly sexy all at once.

Eyes wide over the hint of his smile, Jaune burned the image of her commanding stance into his brain, resolving himself to remember how she looked the next time he was lucky enough to find himself between her legs.

Sweeping her gaze across the students one last time, the older woman nodded once before continuing as if the last part of her news was inconsequential. Instead, she continued down her list of announcements for the class like it was any other day. "Also, our field trip to Forever Fall Forest is two weeks away, so make sure you remember your field training. We won't stay overnight, but you should still be adequately prepared. Failure to do so will reflect on final grades."

She glanced at her tablet and crossed something off before adding, "Today, we'll pick up spars from last Friday. Those who haven't had the chance to fight will have priority, so wait until your name is called to join me in the sand."

"I demand a rematch!" Carden took his opportunity to speak up, interrupting his professor to stand in his seat. "That last fight was just a fluke. There's no way I'd ever lose to that perverted loser in a real fight."

Glynda's glare returned, but somehow, the arrogant youth refused to buckle beneath her authority. "Mr. Winchester," she snapped, "you will not speak in my class without being called upon. Furthermore, you do not get to decide on sparring partners or class schedules. That is my job. Your job is to sit quietly and learn from your many, many mistakes."

But Carden, in his infinite stupidity, didn't take this hint. Instead, his pea brain decided it would help his situation if he started taunting the woman partially in charge of his future. "What's the problem?" he shrugged his shoulders, palms facing the ceiling. "Afraid I'm going to wreck your new hubby?"

Glynda didn't rise to his bait. "Young man, your spar has already concluded. Now, I need to focus on other combatants so they can gain experience as well. That is how this class works. Once we are through the full roster, only then will you get another chance to show how you've improved. Until then, I would advise that you'll benefit much more from less talking and more observation."

Carden's face erupted at the dismissal, but Glynda decided to leave the topic at that and swiftly called out the first two names on her list, denying him the chance to disrupt her class any further. With no other choice, the ginger giant loudly fell back into his chair, arms crossing against his barreled chest like an overly swollen three-year-old.

XxX

Mercifully, the class continued without any more problems. Jaune and Pyrrha's spars were already behind them, meaning they were free to enjoy the distraction of watching fights without worrying about their own. It was the perfect diversion Jaune needed to help him forget about the uncomfortable start.

More people descended that they didn't know but still put up respectable fights. More important were the spars involving their friends. Both Blake and Yang were allowed to make their debut, each fighting different opponents. Both also ended up winning, much to Team RWBY and Team JNPR's boosted morale. But not without their own mistakes that they had never been more aware of beneath the critical gaze of Mrs. Arc.

But when the moment came, both young women were pleasantly surprised that the older blonde wasn't nearly as critical as they expected. Or even as critical as she'd been at the end of last week. And while she still certainly pointed out these errors and how to correct them, the words and tone seemed softer somehow.

Obviously, only one difference came to mind explaining why she was in such a good mood, and as soon as class ended, Yang couldn't pass up the opportunity to rib the man responsible.

"She seems…happier?" Yang's tone lilted upward, like Glynda and happiness weren't supposed to coexist. Her face shifted to adopt a shit-eating quality as she literally dug her elbow into her friend's side. "Don't suppose you wouldn't mind also giving Oobleck a tumble? I'm pretty sure I'm going to bomb his next history test and would really appreciate it if his spirits got a lift before grading."

Everyone laughed. The rest of Team RWBY, anyway. His team had already left for the locker room while he waited around to talk to Glynda. He might have missed lunch, but he at least figured he should ask if he could join her for dinner. Unfortunately, keeping an eye on the blonde teacher out of the corner of his eyes, she appeared constantly surrounded by an ever-shifting group of young women loudly gushing and asking questions about her nuptials.

It might have been funny if Glynda looked bothered or uncomfortable with the attention. But no matter how many girls joined the orbit of attention around her, Glynda appeared perfectly content, answering each question as it came. She even allowed her students to look at her ring, proudly holding out her hand for their inspection.

In the end, Jaune couldn't help but be happy for her, seeing how much she was enjoying the moment. She deserved the chance to celebrate, and Jaune was glad his wife was allowed to experience more than just a few of the joys that came with matrimony. Hopefully, they would still get to have the wedding she wanted once school was out, but that was a ways off, and this was a celebration she could enjoy right now.

Rather than detract from her moment, Jaune decided it might be better to text her after classes. Besides, he knew better than to get anywhere near that many bubbly and laughing women. Glynda might be thrilled to be the center of attention, but Jaune wasn't nearly as comfortable, sending his friends one last wave before he started toward the changing room.

Blake and Yang followed him until they had to split for their designated area. But Ruby and Weiss surprised him, with the younger of the two not so sneakily drifting toward the group of girls surrounding his wife, dragging her partner behind her. And while Weiss didn't look as enthusiastic as Ruby, she wasn't nearly as reluctant as she appeared. Otherwise, Jaune doubted the smaller girl would have been able to make it two feet.

Jaune raised an eyebrow before he turned the corner. 'Huh, never expected Ruby to be into that kind of stuff.' Not that she couldn't be girly when she wanted to, but the younger girl never made it a secret that she preferred carbon steel reloading mechanisms to gold and diamonds. And yet, when she finally meshed with the crowd, she didn't hesitate to peek at the glittering amethyst proudly displayed on their teacher's left hand.

Jaune entered the locker room after that, shaking his head as he casually strolled toward his locker. It was quiet. Looking around, it appeared like most of the other boys had already finished and left with a few stragglers. But in the time that it took Jaune to get to his cubby and shrug out of his flimsy armor, even those people made their way out.

He was all alone. At least, that was what Jaune thought. But just as he was about to stow his sword and shield, the sound of footsteps sounded from within the metal labyrinth.

Jaune wasn't sure why that stood out to him, why these footsteps triggered something in the back of his brain. He only knew that something made him anxious enough to turn and see who was approaching. But not fast enough. The young man managed to catch a flash of red before the sensation of a hand against the back of his head all but threw him face-first against the sturdy metal of his locker.

It didn't hurt, not with how thick his aura was. And that half a second before the impact had been enough for the thick barrier to spring into action. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about the weight holding him in place. Pinned, Jaune had just enough time to wonder who was attacking him when a familiar voice growled in his ear, "You think that you're hot shit, don't you?"

Jaune had enough time to grunt, "Carden?" before the pressure against his skull changed, and he felt himself being thrown, landing painfully on the cold tiled floor. But where the arena had been made for softening such impacts, Jaune felt his chest gasp at the hard floor that greeted him.

He didn't move right away, groaning on the floor. Granted, that had more to do with the surprise of what had happened than any outstanding amount of pain. But when a guy isn't expecting to be assaulted, any impact would feel jarring.

When he finally gathered enough of his wits to look up at his attacker, Jaune's heart sank when he saw that Carden wasn't alone. The rest of his team was standing around, watching Jaune's dumbstruck surprise with four matching mocking grins. Self-preservation reared up, recognizing that this situation might be worse than he'd initially thought.

"What the hell, Carden?" Jaune glared from the floor. "What's your problem?" But that just made the much larger boy even angrier as he stepped menacingly toward his prey.

"I already told you," he growled, "I deserve a rematch. That fight last week was bullshit! If it could even be called one. I knocked you up and down that arena for ten minutes while you hid behind your shield and your stupid aura like a turtle. And that makes you the better fighter?" Carden answered his own question with a rumbling laughter filled to the brim with impending cruelty. "No way. I'm not about to let that stand."

He took another step toward Jaune, who threw up a hand. As if that would be enough to stop his approach. "Come on, man! Glynda already said-." A pig-like snort interrupted him before he could continue.

"Glynda," the ginger mocked Jaune's casual use of her first name. "You mean your new little girlfriend? Oh yeah, because that's fucking impartial." Carden took another step, finally getting close enough to get right in Jaune's face as he asked, "Tell me, how long have you been fucking to get that kind of special treatment? If I'd known she was desperate enough to settle for a scarecrow like you, maybe I should have offered my services and showed her what a real man feels like. I wonder how our grades would look then?"

Scrambling backward, Jaune put enough distance between them to stand up so he could glare at the larger boy. "Hey," Jaune barked. His eyebrows drew together at the blatant disrespect toward his wife. Not that Glynda would have ever touched the creep, but she had way too much pride in her work to ever let Jaune get a free pass in her class. Not that Carden and his goons were willing to hear it. And before Jaune could so much as attempt an argument, a punch landed against his jaw, sending him into a wall of lockers this time.

It still didn't hurt, perse, but Jaune was starting to get a little annoyed at being thrown around like a party favor. Recovering, he huffed a breath before challenging, "do you really think this is going to change Glynda's mind? You think she'll bump up your grade for assaulting her husband in a locker room?"

Carden smirked, "Oh, I don't care about my grades. Not as long as the rest of the school understands where the two of us really stand. Me on top, and you squirming like a worm underneath my boot. And your stupid face will be the billboard that lets everyone know."

The time for words ended as Carden picked that moment to charge at Jaune with a snarling expression. Jaune tried to dodge, only to get caught and thrown yet again by the human Beringel. And this time, after the impact and subsequent fall, Jaune squinted up to see an impression that his back and shoulders had bent into the wall of hollow metal.

Surprised, Jaune was given half a second to marvel at the damage. Especially since it hadn't hurt all that bad. But that was the problem. And seeing Jaune once again stand up without any lasting damage only served to infuriate the swollen bully, whose roar of frustration echoed throughout the empty room.

Jaune barely got to his feet before he felt the blunt impact of a fist connecting with his jaw. And while his neck wrenched as his head snapped to the side, and he could feel the impressive weight behind the hammer that was Carden's curled fist, no harm came to him. But neither was he given the chance to fight back. Instead, Jaune found himself taking the form of a human punching bag while Carden truly set his sights on tearing away at the monstrous aura with his bare hands.

It didn't go well. No matter how hot his rage burned, it didn't change the fact that it still felt like he was trying to punch through a brick wall. Ultimately, it cost him more aura to protect his knuckles than Jaune had to burn to preserve his fragile internal organs. Even Carden eventually realized that he would lose this "rematch" if he didn't adjust his approach. And with his arms curled around his head, Jaune didn't see the kick thrown his way until it was firmly planted against his diaphragm, launching him from the wall and onto his back.

Jaune wheezed, gritting his teeth. That had been the first thing Carden had done that had hurt. His aura protected him from damage, but it couldn't do anything to stop the air from escaping his lungs when it felt like his navel had just kissed the front of his spine.

Carden watched the other boy writhe on the locker room floor, arms clasped over the offended region. But he didn't celebrate Jaune's pain, pacing back and forth with a deeply conflicted frown twisting his blocky features. But whatever internal conflict he'd been facing wasn't measured for long before he stretched a hand toward one of his teammates. "Mace."

The three other boys had all been laughing at the hilarious display until then. And while they didn't have the same personal stake in teaching Jaune a lesson, no one could argue that it wasn't entertaining watching the blonde flop around like a drowning fish. At their leader's command, however, no one was smiling as they glanced at each other, measuring their peers' reactions before daring to form an opinion.

In the end, Dove was the only one brave enough to argue as he stepped forward. "But dude, you didn't say anything about…"

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Carden barked, turning on the slender boy with two rows of teeth bared. "I said, hand me Executioner!" But seeing his teammate flinch away brought some sense back to the ginger as he blinked, stepping back with a hot exhale blowing across his upper lip. He continued a fraction calmer than before, "You don't get it, man. I think this loser's aura is stronger than last time. So, are you going to keep arguing, or are you gonna hand me my weapon?"

Still unsure, his three teammates eventually shrugged at each other, trusting their leader despite everything that should have taught them better. Soon, the familiar weight was back in Carden's meaty fist, whistling through the air as the boy gave it a few practice swings. And as he approached, Jaune scrambled for his belt to find his own equipment.

He wasn't fast enough. Holding his scabbard in front of him, he was about to unsheathe the glittering steel underneath when the comforting weight and balance was ripped out of his grip by a casual sweep of Carden's weapon. Both shield and sword were sent skittering across the tiled floor well out of reach. Jaune watched them go, suddenly afraid as he slowly turned back to see the expression looming above him.

"Relax," Carden grinned as he stepped forward. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Well, not too much. I just need something to help me crack open that stupid turtle shell of yours before we can get back to having the real fun." And on one hand, it was good to know Carden hadn't completely lost his mind. But just because Jaune didn't have to worry about dying didn't make the impact of Carden's mace against his shoulder any more pleasant.

'I need to get out of here,' Jaune realized by the third blow against his aura. He'd only survived their spar because he had something to hide behind and room to run away. Without either of those, his aura wouldn't have survived a few minutes of Carden treating him like a pinata.

Unfortunately, Carden wasn't dumb enough to bat him around in the direction of his equipment. Jaune was starting to feel like a golf ball, spending more time airborne than grounded, curled up in a ball on the floor. And by the time he'd turned his back on the larger boy to try and make a run for it, the ginger had caught him right between the shoulder blades.

He was in a bad position. Especially when Jaune noticed that he'd been able to feel the last few attacks as they continued raining upon him, proving that his aura was hemorrhaging. The question was whether Carden would stop long enough to recognize that Jaune wasn't protected anymore before Executioner could live up to its name. And peeking through his arms at the other boy's manic grin, Jaune seriously doubted it.

If only he could get to his equipment! Not that they would mean he'd win, but he might be able to hold on long enough for someone to notice all the noise they were making. But as Jaune took another blow that landed him on his back, Jaune's tight grimace turned to see his family's white and yellow insignia was well outside his reach.

With no other choice, the blonde swallowed his pride as he began crawling in that direction, praying that if he was fast enough, Carden wouldn't be able to stop him. It must have made for a particularly amusing sight, if Carden's breathless laughter was any indication. A pained grunt followed the hollow chuckle when Jaune felt him step on his back and bear down just when his hand had been mere inches from his goal.

"Just like I said, Turtle," Carden mocked, sounding far, far too pleased with himself. "This is where we belong. Me up above, and you squirming under heel."

Jaune felt his frustration peek at the taunting mockery. And despite knowing he was proving Carden's point, he kept squirming, kept fighting for every inch he could gain.

Seeing the smaller boy's efforts, Carden's amusement didn't fade. Leaning harder on his foot, Jaune's effort was for naught when his meager progress came to a screeching halt. And as if he hadn't been desperate enough, any lingering hope shattered when the blonde felt himself get dragged backward toward the middle of the room.

Jaune panicked, feeling his heart pick up. He turned his head to see Carden still above him, his foot firmly pressing into the small of his back. How the hell was he going to get out of this?

'Not by losing your cool,' Jaune had to remind himself. Pyrrha's voice stood out in the back of his mind, and all the times she'd instructed him that teaching yourself to think calmly and rationally in any situation was worth more than all the weapon skills in the world.

'Okay, so what would Glynda do?' Jaune found himself wondering. She probably knew more about fighting than anyone. And if he needed to stay calm, he couldn't think of a better example than the beautifully stoic blonde. They'd only had one weekend together, and Jaune had already started admiring the stability her presence had inserted into his life. Maybe it was because he still felt so young, but he felt like he could rely on her if things went wrong. Which was more than could be said about him.

That was more than anybody could say about him. He was pathetic! Couldn't defend himself. Getting thrown around the room like baseball. Couldn't hold onto his gear properly. If he just hadn't let go of his sword. If he'd just been fast or strong enough to reach it.

Turning away from Carden's wide grin, Jaune's blue eyes locked on the sword and scabbard, hand outstretched. But it was no use. They might as well be in Vacuo for all the good it did him. But he couldn't stop fighting, squirming and reaching even as four voices cried out in laughter at his display.

But they didn't matter. How pitiful he looked didn't matter. If he could just reach it. Reach it. Reach it!

Either by perseverance or pure stubbornness, Jaune didn't give up. Carden. The rest of his team. The sound of their laughter. Everything faded until his vision narrowed and there was just him and his sword and the space between them. And so focused on his objective, Jaune couldn't even see when the purple stone on his ring began to glow with muted but building light.

Jaune had no way of understanding what had happened. One moment he was reaching for his sword like he could stretch his arm across the room, and the next, the familiar leather of its handle was resting in his palm like it had always been there.

Carden hadn't been expecting it, cutting his laughter off abruptly. His teammates weren't much better, their jaws dropping at the miracle. And Jaune was probably the most confused of all, blinking at his family's sword like it might understand how it had reached him. But he was also the first to recover, uniquely trained to accept the unexpected. And in a motion far too smooth for his inexperience, he used Carden's shock against him to catch the ginger on the inside of his knee, knocking him off balance.

With a flourish of wrist and steel, Jaune yanked his blade free and activated his scabbard to expand into his shield. Before Carden could so much as blink, the large boy found himself staring down the length of Jaune's sword, its tip pressed beneath his chin with deadly intent.

This was the scene that Glynda eventually walked in on while the five young men were too busy standing around and staring to try and disguise their actions.

"What on Remnant is going on here?!"

A/N: Dun, Dun, Dun! Is it better or worse when you get yelled at by a teacher you've seen naked before?

This chapter we finally got to answer the question people have been asking since the first chapter. YES Jaune gets more from his wives than just their aura. But how he accesses their semblances is something you and he will need to learn. And on top of that, he'll need to learn how to actually use their semblances. He will not be an automatic badass.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not super confident in my fight scenes, especially with a main character who's only notable ability is being really good at being hit, but you all have mentioned multiple times about being interested in the combat applications of Jaune's semblance, so I've done my best to flesh out the fighting chapters ahead. Let me know how I can improve.

Now my question is, does this change anyone's guesses about who the wives will be? I was…very surprised by some of the comments that came after last chapter. I'll take this time to remind people that only one RWBY girl will end up married to Jaune in this story. There are too many beautiful, powerful women to focus on those four when they already get so much attention.

Next chapter in two weeks.