Cinder stared at the clock mounted on Peter Port's wall, tapping a finger against the table. She'd long since drowned out the professor's lecture, having found it to be just as uninteresting as it was unimportant. Apparently, she wasn't the only one. Only a few students seemed to be paying any level of attention to the class.

None of them had the textbook they'd been told to bring to the class, either, but that was clearly paying off considering the professor didn't seem to even know that it existed. She only bothered getting one from the library because she didn't want to risk seeming lazy or undedicated in front of Jaune.

To her left, Mercury was leaning back in his chair and snoring furiously, much to the annoyance of Emerald. Cinder could hardly care less, being far too busy counting down the seconds until the bell rang and Port dismissed his students. She had important business to attend to, and very little time to waste.

Her Jaune needed her. She had to protect him, keep him safe from Salem and whatever she had in mind for him if Cinder betrayed her. The Fall of Beacon would be a problem, too. While it would allow her to take the maiden powers, it was even more important that she make sure Jaune would go unharmed. That was months away, though, so until then, she would focus on getting close to him.

Cinder looked behind her, fixing her gaze on her beloved. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to get a spot behind him, so she couldn't spend the entire class looking at him and had to get by on occasional glances. Hence why she was so impatient to leave.

Jaune lay slumped over the table, resting his head in his arms, his body moving up and down ever so subtly with his breath. The motion hypnotized her.

Turning back around, Cinder closed her eyes and smiled as she thought back to her conversation with Mercury, when he'd told her that her beloved had called her pretty. Pretty! She almost didn't believe him at first. It just seemed too good to be true. Everything was coming together, and she was so close to finally having him! All she needed was a little more time with him, and once she got that, he was as good as hers.

Even now, just thinking about it made her heart flutter.

It was all perfectly planned out. Cinder would approach him sometime after class and invite him to accompany her into town, where she'd buy him something nice and ask him out on an official date. The only hard part would be waiting.

She didn't even fear a rejection. Not because one wouldn't hurt - of course it would - but even his "yes" was all but practically guaranteed at this point. What reason did he have to turn her down? She'd made a good first impression, offered to help him, and on top of that he found her attractive.

He already thinks I'm beautiful, all that's left now is to show that I can treat him right, and then we can finally be together!

Cinder sighed and leaned against the table, still grinning to herself. She wondered what it was that he liked about her. Was it her body? Her face? Her clear skin? Whatever the case, all that time she put into her appearance had more than paid off.

Hell, she could just ask him. She'd love to hear the words directly from her husband-to-be, and besides, that had to be a hint he couldn't ignore, right?

Actually, he'd brushed off much more obvious advances…

Oh well, she wouldn't have to worry about that once they were dating anyway. Besides, his density might actually end up proving to be a good thing later on if that damn partner of his tried something before she could ask him out.

That was just yet another reason for her haste in pursuing him. She was not about to sit back and give that little slut an opportunity to take him from her, even if she doubted Nikos would end up taking it. But that was the difference between them, wasn't it?

Cinder was a woman of action. She wanted Jaune, and so she'd go after him. Nikos was clearly being too passive if she hadn't taken him by now, and that was exactly why she would never get the chance.

Her smile widened as she thought about what she and Jaune's relationship would do to his partner, how hurt the girl would be when she realized that someone else had taken him. It would be one of the many, many benefits of having him all to herself. Certainly far from the best part, but something she looked forward to seeing nonetheless.

Oh, and no need to worry about Jaune getting concerned for her, either. He'd be far too busy spending time with his beautiful new girlfriend to pay attention to his teammates.

Yes, they'd be going out together plenty. Once or twice every day if they could, but Cinder supposed she could settle for five to six times a week if Jaune didn't have that kind of time. She didn't want to exhaust him, afterall.

She would have to start planning out their first week or so together soon to make sure everything went smoothly. Anything less than perfection for her beloved simply wouldn't cut it. It had to be enough to make him fall in love, enough to make him think about her as much as she did him.

You'll love me soon, Jaune. I know you will.

/-/

Jaune jolted awake at the sound of the bell. The noise of dozens of other students getting out of their seats and talking to their teammates immediately made his head throb.

"-over at the dorm?"

Jaune rubbed his eyes and turned to look at Pyrrha, his vision finally focusing. He hadn't even realized she was trying to talk to him.

"H-huh?"

His partner just smiled at him, probably used to his antics by now. "I was just asking if you would like to get some rest back at our dorm before our training tonight. It seems like you really need it."

Pyrrha certainly made a tempting offer, but it was probably best that he move around for a bit. From his experience, sitting back down again would likely just put him right back to sleep, not that he was always napping in class or anything. Sure, maybe he dozed off a little more than the average person, but who didn't during Professor Port's class?

"Thanks, but I gotta wake myself up. Have to… y'know… get my blood pumping and everything," Jaune said, putting his head back down on the table.

Pyrrha responded with an amused smile. "I believe that would work better if you stayed conscious," she said, helping him stand up out of his chair. "Come on, you need to lay down. In a bed this time."

"Yea, yea," he mumbled.

The four of them began walking back to their dorm, with Nora going on yet another one of her tangents. Some story about a rubber duck this time? He honestly wasn't sure. At some point, he'd stopped paying his full attention to her when she began ranting like that.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick," Jaune said, speaking over Nora. "I'll catch up with you guys back at the dorm. Shouldn't take too long."

Pyrrha looked at him and smiled. "Alright, just don't take too long, okay?"

"'Course not, Pyr," he said, grinning at her.

Jaune turned the corner, splitting off from the rest of his team. The hallway was mostly empty aside from a few other people, with most students going the other way towards their dorm rooms. He appreciated the silence after listening to Nora's tirade for the past few minutes. It wasn't that he found her annoying, just that she could be a little much sometimes, especially after a long day of classes.

That being said, he wouldn't trade her for anyone. She was a great friend and a great teammate, someone he felt he could always rely on. He thought the same of Pyrrha and Ren, too. Their team almost felt like family.

Hell, Pyrrha had saved his life back during initiation, and they'd only even talked to each other all of one time at that point. What else could you really ask for from a partner?

Jaune swung the bathroom door open and headed straight for the sink, his footsteps echoing softly against the floor. Turning the faucet on, he put his hands under the cold water and brought it up against his face, leaning over the basin with his eyes shut as he waited for the shock to go away. He sat there for a few seconds before finally drying his face off, finally having managed to wake himself up.

His reflection in the mirror stared back at him with small bags under its eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, having forgotten about some assignments and remembering them after settling in for the night.

Running his hands through his hair and straightening his clothes out, he did his best to try and make himself presentable before he turned around and left. Even if he felt like collapsing, he didn't want to look like he was about to.

Jaune walked out the bathroom and started down the hall, but stopped when he heard his name.

"Funny seeing you here, Jaune."

Turning around, he saw Cinder making her way towards him, carrying a heavy textbook under her arm. Poor girl must've actually believed Port when he said to bring that.

"Oh, hey Cinder. I'm surprised you managed to get through one of Port's lectures," he joked. "I feel like I get a year older everytime I walk into his classroom."

It wasn't really all that funny, but it made Cinder laugh. "It was the same for me," she said with a smile. "I've enjoyed Beacon thus far, but I can't say I have too much praise for the professors here. I can't blame you for catching up on some rest during that last class."

Jaune's face turned a light shade of red. "I don't usually do that," he quickly replied. "I just, ah, didn't get much sleep last night is all."

"Why's that? Up late thinking of me?" Jaune's blush deepened, making her smirk. "Don't worry, I understand. Next time, why don't you text me and I'll stop by your dorm?"

"I- h-huh?" he sputtered. As usual, he couldn't find any way to respond to her.

Cinder giggled. "Ah, I'm just teasing you. Wouldn't want to wake up the rest of your team, afterall." Jaune just stared at her with his mouth open, his mind shutting off completely. "Anyways, there is actually something I'd like to ask you. You grew up in Vale, correct?"

"Oh, yea, out in the countryside," he said, blinking in surprise. He didn't remember ever telling her that, but he supposed he probably let it slip when they were training together or something. "Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me into the city this weekend. Have you ever been?"

Something about the way she was looking at him made it hard to keep eye contact.

"Well, I've gone on a few vacations there when I was younger, but it's been a while."

In all honesty, the offer confused him. The girl clearly wanted to be friends with him, but he just couldn't put his finger on the reason for that. Still, he was not one to look the gift horse in the mouth, and certainly not the type to turn down a pretty girl who wanted to hang out, partly because that was an opportunity that didn't arise often for him.

"I'd be happy to go out with you, though." His stomach jumped. Cinder opened her mouth to speak, but luckily he managed to fix his mistake before she could say anything. "Go out to the city, I mean! As friends! Not, like, on a date or anything, haha…"

Phew. Thank the gods he managed to set the record straight on that.

"Right, yes… of course." Cinder cleared her throat. "My schedule is mostly free, so whatever day you'd like to go will work for me."

"A-alright," he said, still a bit shaken up by his earlier slip-up. "I don't think I have anything going on Saturday, so I'd love to meet up pretty much anytime then. What's most convenient for you?"

Cinder beamed at his response. "Great! Why don't I come by your room at ten and we can walk over to the bullheads together?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll text you if anything changes, but that should work for me." Jaune took out his scroll to check the time. He wasn't exactly dying to end the conversation, but his team was probably expecting him back soon. "It's probably time I got back to my dorm, told my friends I wouldn't take too long and I don't want to make anyone worry about me. So, ten o'clock Saturday?"

"I look forward to it," she said, winking at him. "Don't keep me waiting too long, now."

"Yea, 'course not," he responded, scratching the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "See you around."

Jaune walked down the hall, grinning to himself.

Well, that certainly could have gone worse. I was kind of worried she'd get scared off by that "go out with me" thing, but I guess she didn't mind.

Turning around the corner, he froze almost immediately when he saw someone else standing there in the middle of the hallway.

Oh Oum…

There, only a few feet from him, was Yang Xiao Long, the Queen of Teasing. The girl stared him in the eyes, grinning ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. Jaune groaned and covered his face with his hand.

While he and the other blonde from Team RWBY weren't very close, that would absolutely not stop her from poking fun at him. If she had listened in on his conversation with Cinder, he was going to hear about it for who knows how long.

Okay, don't panic, there's a chance she just got here. She might not have even heard any of that.

"Sooo… Vomit Boy's got a date, huh?"

Nope. She'd heard it, alright. For the foreseeable future, he was doomed. He could already see the countless jokes made at the lunch table, in between classes, during every interaction the two of them had… He was done for.

"I must say, I am impressed. I was starting to think you didn't have it in you, but here you are," she said, resting her hands on her hips.

"It's not a date!" Jaune lowered his voice. "We're just… hanging out, is all."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Jaune, going out into the city together? Just the two of you? Sounds like she just asked you out on a date to me."

"Yang, I'm sure-"

"Come on, Vomit Boy," she said, interrupting him. "If anything, you should be proud about a hot girl like that asking you out! Seriously, huge update from Weiss-Cream."

Jaune dragged his hand down his face, taking a deep breath to avoid dying of embarrassment. "Listen, I really doubt she thinks about me like that. We only met a few days ago, and I can't imagine anyone would fall for me that quickly."

"Well, clearly your new girlfriend has if she's already asking you out," Yang said. "What's her name, anyway?"

"Cind-" Jaune stopped himself when he saw her smile widen and realized what he'd said. "She is not my girlfriend!"

Yang laughed. "Whatever you say, man. I can't wait to tell everyone about this."

Jaune's eyes widened in horror. "Everyone?! Who's everyone?!"

"Oh, don't worry, just the rest of my team and probably Nora." Yang playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, they'll be happy for you, especially after you've been going after Wiess for so long! You've moved on and found yourself a beautiful new girlfriend, nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I told you she isn't my girlfriend!"

"Just remember to stay pure and all that stuff, at least until you've been dating a little longer," she said, making Jaune's face turn a dark shade of red. That only seemed to encourage her. "Go too far and you might regret it, so just keep things slow and steady until you're ready to get married."

Jaune groaned. This was going to be a long week…

/-/

Pyrrha stretched her hand out to her partner, helping him up off the floor. The shattered moon hung above them in the night sky, illuminating the roof of Beacon enough for them to have their nightly session.

"You've been doing quite well, Jaune. Keep it up and you'll be a very capable huntsman one day," she said, smiling at him.

"Thanks, Pyr." Doubled over, Jaune wiped the sweat off his brow and looked up at her. "I've still got a long way to go, though, but seriously, thank you. I wouldn't be here without your help."

"Don't put yourself down." Pyrrha blushed and put her weapon away, with Jaune following her example and placing Crocea Mors back into its sheath. "You are the one putting in the work, afterall."

"Well sure, I may be the one practicing, but I'm just following advice other people have given me," he said, chuckling.

As usual, Jaune deflected her compliments and praised everyone else for all the effort he put in. She'd break that habit one day.

"Nonsense," she replied sternly. "I only taught you the basics, you're making progress on your own. Besides, everyone learns from someone." Pyrrha smiled at him. "Do you think I've figured this all out on my own?"

Jaune laughed. "Actually, part of me kind of wonders if you did."

Pyrrha playfully rolled her eyes. "The point is, other people teaching you doesn't detract from your accomplishments in the slightest."

"Come on, you're being modest! Besides, Cinder's been helping me out too, so I really can't take that much credit."

"Oh, right… Cinder." Her smile dropped. It seemed like the girl was still set on getting close to him. She'd foolishly hoped that she would realize that Pyrrha wasn't having it after their short conversation and just give up and move on. Apparently, that wasn't the case. "Is she… nice to you?"

"Y-yea, she's great." Jaune scratched the back of his neck and averted his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Pyrrha bit down on her thumbnail. The topic clearly made him nervous, or a least a bit embarrassed. Jaune could be awkward, sure, but he probably wouldn't act like that if there wasn't something a little deeper going on between them. What if she'd tried something on him?

She didn't get angry very easily, but if this girl was trying to lead her partner on…

"Just making sure, is all." Pyrrha shifted on her feet. "So about Cinder… has she asked about me at all?"

Jaune looked puzzled at the question. "She asked if we were dating the other day, but I told her we're just close friends. That's about it, though."

Alarm bells went off in her head, and not only because she'd just been best-friend zoned. Why was Cinder looking into his relationships? If she was trying to date Jaune to get close to Pyrrha or get some kind of information on her, she would absolutely have to put a stop to that. She couldn't stand by and watch that happen.

He didn't deserve to have his heart broken like that. He deserved someone who could treat him right, who wouldn't trick him or use him, someone who respected and cared about him.

Pyrrha nodded, trying her best to not show that anything had bothered her. She needed to know more. "So she was asking about your dating life?"

Much to her surprise, Jaune almost immediately caught on to what she was implying. She liked him both as a person and a partner, but even she had to admit that he could have some serious trouble reading in between the lines. "I guess, yea, b-but it isn't anything like that!" he said. "I'm sure she was just trying to make conversation."

"You don't think she's interested in you, then?"

"Oum no," he said with a chuckle. "Why would she want that with someone like me?"

Pyrrha looked at him with sympathy. "I thought we talked about this?"

"Right, right, self-esteem and all that stuff," Jaune said, looking down at his feet. "I'm just saying, I really can't see her thinking about me in that way." That answer should've reassured her, but like she said, serious troubles reading in between the lines.

"It's not a bad thing to recognize your faults, but it can get to a point where you can't see the good in yourself," she said, deciding to move on from the previous topic. "I'm sure there's plenty of girls who would be happy to have you."

"Thanks, Pyr. I appreciate that."

"Hey, Jaune." Pyrrha looked at him, but he turned away from her gaze. "I mean that, you know. Not everything works out, but that doesn't mean you should give up."

Jaune frowned. "What do you mean?"

I'm talking about Weiss, you idiot!

Pyrrha couldn't help but be bothered by his infatuation for the girl. Part of it was just her jealousy, but she also wished that if he was going to fall for someone else, it would at least be someone who was nice to him. Weiss clearly could not be, and she did not like that at all.

It wasn't that she had anything against her per se, just that she wondered how someone could be so prissy yet so rude at the same time.

Or maybe all of it was jealousy. Pyrrha didn't have such a high image of herself that she couldn't realize that she felt that way. She hated the feeling. It seemed like such an immature thing, but for the life of her she couldn't get rid of it or pretend it wasn't there. So perhaps Weiss didn't really deserve her ire.

… I still don't like her.

"Well, some things just aren't meant to be, and sometimes we just have to move on and find something else." Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder. "It can hurt, but there are times when it's best for us."

"Thanks for the advice. I don't know what I would do without you," he said, looking over at her and half-smiling.

Pyrrha grinned. "Probably sleep."

Jaune laughed, sweat coming off his brow. Not that she noticed or anything. "Yea, probably."

/-/

AN:

Sorry for the long update times, and thank you all for your patience. I've had to put school work over writing, and oh boy have I had a lot of that. I also have other hobbies that take up a good deal of my time, and on top of that I got sick for a while and just didn't have the energy to write.

Anyways, going forward I'm going to prioritize writing as much as I can because I know a month plus between chapters is kind of irritating as a reader. I do have finals coming up very soon, but those will be over with in about two weeks or so and then I'll have much more time to put words down.

Also know that I'm not going to abandon this. If I take a while to update like I have been, it's because I have other stuff going on but am still working when I can, so rest assured knowing tragedy has been avoided. Thanks again for all your patience.