A/N: Enjoy.
X
Saturday - Weiss
Weiss got up that morning to her alarm, as was her routine; what was not in that normal routine was feeling so groggy from a relative lack of sleep that she rolled off of the bed and smacked her face on the floor.
Now alert, and red in the face from the impact, she went to her personal bathroom and washed her face in order to wipe away what exhaustion she could. Once that was done she gave herself a look over in the mirror.
'This is it,' she thought. 'I'm finally going to meet the elusive Crescent. Will he... accept me as I am? Will he see Weiss, or will he see Schnee?'
The difference was crucial to her. Far too many people had approached her seeking her money or her connections. She'd stay 'Crystal' forever if she could, but Crescent was a Beacon student as well: trying to lie about her actual name would be pointless.
'Look at me: a complete nervous wreck all because I'm going to be meeting with a boy. Oh, if Winter could see me right now...'
She couldn't, naturally. Winter was far too busy in the Atlesian military for visits to Vale these days. The Schnee family (and by extension the Company) had been in Atlas until a few years ago when Jacques decided to move for "tax purposes." Weiss knew enough about the business to understand that Atlas's rougher conditions and consequent reliance on the importation of food meant that the other countries could essentially control the prices put on any product.
Outside of electricity, the SEC was involved in coal mining and Jacques had never been okay with the concept of other people being in control of a situation.
Winter had just come of age when Jacques announced the move; but rather than allow him to simply control her in another country, she enlisted in military and took the reins of her own life. Her older sister was fond of order and discipline, allowing her to shoot through the ranks as she demonstrated a keen tactical mind to her superiors. If she were to be honest with herself, Weiss was envious of her sister. She'd managed to disobey their father and get herself a career in one fell swoop. But Weiss did not see herself doing well in any military, nor did she have an alternate career path readily available; thus, she was confined to her fate as heiress of the SEC.
Shaking her head to reorient herself, Weiss dressed herself in her casual wear and got ready for the day. As she opened the door to her bedroom, she found Klein outside of it with one hand up as if to knock. The butler immediately retracted his hand and offered her a warm smile. "Good morning, my dear Weiss. How are you faring today?"
"I'm well, Klein. Thank you." She returned the smile gladly. "Do you recall what I said about this evening?"
"I do, indeed. You need to be at the Vermilion Garden by five O' clock, but shouldn't be needing a ride home as your escort has promised that he'll drive you once you're done for the day." Klein chuckled as they began to walk to the dining room together. "I must confess that it feels peculiar to be dropping you off for a date. Perhaps I can see the young man and play the role of the overprotective uncle?"
"Klein! I said that it isn't a date!" Her blushing face betrayed her; she knew as well as Klein did what the situation was and looked like. She took a moment to collect herself, and then said, "Please ensure that Whitley and my father do not hear of this. The last thing I need is to hear a lecture about 'fraternizing with undesirables' again."
"Of course. I will exercise utmost caution. For now, however, I believe that breakfast is ready."
After breakfast, the bulk of Weiss's day was filled with the coursework that she'd be missing on Wednesday; which, thankfully, was mostly just reading ahead. The Battle on Anima's plains, a new Statistics formula... And yet, somehow, she still had to sit through Port's class live that day. Lovely.
4:30 P.M. rolled around and Weiss was giving herself one last look over. The outfit that she and Yang had settled on was a white one-piece dress that combined a jacket with a skirt. The trim and decorative buttons were black, and she was wearing white heels that went up to her knees. Yang had affectionately referred to it as her "Snowpea" outfit, but she failed to see the significance of naming a piece of clothing like so. Nodding in approval at her own make-up and overall appearance, she made her way to the front where Klein awaited with the car.
Weiss realized her nerves had returned once more when she caught her heel tapping the bottom of the car at a rather rapid pace. Klein noticed the noise, but refrained from commenting so as to let her keep what composure she had left.
They arrived five minutes ahead of the scheduled meeting time and Weiss got out of the car at the far end of the parking lot, not wanting the expensive car to be the first impression they got from her. Straightening out her skirt, she held her own single white rose in front of her, it being the proof of their identity upon introduction.She breathed in deep, let it out, and walked slowly towards the restaurant. As she approached she initially failed to see anybody outside, but as she got close she could spy a head of blond hair over the top of a car. She used said car as cover and got a good look at the boy sitting on a bench.
Her breath caught.
'No...'
It was none other than Jaune Arc, wearing a sapphire-blue button-down shirt and black pants. He had his hair styled in a part and was bouncing one of his legs up-and-down in apparent nervousness.
And he was holding a single white rose in his hands.
Weiss rapidly ducked and turned around, holding her face in her hands. This was the one of the worst possible results there could've been. Jaune, the buffoon, had been perhaps the single most persistent of the many glory-seeking males around. His goofy pick-up lines and serenades had been all the proof she needed of his clearly less-than-honorable intentions. How could somebody like him be her beloved Crescent-
Crescent.
Arc.
'How did I miss that connection!?' She felt like sinking further into the pavement, but she focused once more and took another glance at him. It appeared that he hadn't noticed her, as his eyes flickered back-and-forth between the rose he held and the parking lot. As stealthily as she could, she retreated from the restaurant and sought refuge behind a large, decorative tree just between the parking lot of the restaurant and the adjacent Vale Mall.
Before she even realized it, she had her phone out and was fiddling with it. What was she doing with it, she wondered; calling someone, obviously. But who, and for what purpose?
As she flicked through her contacts, only one thing was clear: she refused to give Arc the time of day, regardless of their online interactions. But...
'Why does this hurt so much...' Her expectations had been betrayed. She sought a friend and had found a fool.
Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Rii- "Weiss? What's up?" Neptune's voice came out of the speaker, surprise laced throughout it. What could she say? That he was just the first person her finger had landed on?
"Hello, Neptune." She spoke slowly, feeling out the words as she put them together. "I know this is terribly last-minute, but... do you still have those tickets to the play?"
Saturday - Jaune
"I swear that you're worse than any woman in this family, Jaune. You look perfectly fine, alright!?"
"I guess so." Jaune did yet another three-sixty in the mirror, looking over every inch of himself for the umpteenth time. It was a simple outfit, a blue shirt with black pants. "Are you sure that I shouldn't-"
Olive threw a pillow and smacked the back of his head. "If you suggest wearing a tie again, it'll be my foot next time. You two agreed on casual-nice, so here you are. Ta-daaa!"
Jaune rolled his eyes as she did an exaggerated "jazz hands". The day had been rather good for him, getting his literature assignment done before focusing on his attire. Olive had agreed to help him straighten himself up. It wasn't out of the kindness of her heart, but rather that he kept fretting about himself out loud and she (and the rest of their family) had gotten fed up with it. Looking at his clock, he noted the time to be 4:15. "Alright, I'm gonna roll out now."
"Now?" Olive glanced at the same clock. "You'll be there pretty early leaving now."
"Better to be early. Wouldn't you be mad if someone you'd agreed to meet was late?"
"True, very true."
Together, they went down the hallway stairs and into their living room where their mother sat staring at one of the many photographs lining the wall. Juniper Arc was feeling pretty well that day, so when the pair appeared she stood up and took her son's face in her hands with motherly glee. "Oh, you look so much like your father right now. I bet this Crystal girl won't be able to take her eyes off of you."
"Aren't you obligated to say stuff like that?" Jaune smiled and let his mother do her thing. Juniper Arc had thin brown hair and blue eyes. Usually she looked frail and gaunt, but that day she seemed to be positively brimming with energy. Far be it from him to spoil her mood by denying her motherly affections. He stuck his tongue out playfully when she started to pinch his cheeks. "I feel like a baby again."
"Of course you do, because you'll always be my baby." She released his cheeks regardless and grabbed the important white rose from a nearby vase. Pressing it gently into his palm, she pulled him in for a hug. "Have fun tonight, honey. Everything will be great."
"Thanks, Mom." He returned the gesture before retrieved his keys from the table. A brief look around the house made him pause. "Where are the others, anyway?"
"They're all spending the night over at friends' houses," answered Olive. "You've been going on-and-on about Crystal so much that we're all scared about how you'll act after you actually meet her."
"Come on, I haven't been that bad. Right?" Neither Olive nor Juniper looked him in the eye. A moment of complete silence passed as he waited for any kind of response, the truth of his attitude the past week slowly starting to sink in. "...I am so sorry."
"As long as you know, big bro." She gave him a playful shove towards the front door. "Now go have fun... but not too much fun!"
"Yes, because I clearly have a history of sleeping around. I'll see you two later tonight." With a wave goodbye he was out the door and on his way to the Vermilion Garden. It felt a little weird to not be in his work uniform, but that feeling was soon overtaken by his nerves.
'Oh, man. I really, really hope today goes well. Do I look okay? Does my breath smell fine!?' He did a quick breath into his palm. '...I think I'm okay. Just be cool, Jaune; be confident! But not too confident, you don't wanna come off as a tool.'
He'd heard from Cardin how everybody had looked at him after the Weiss incident. He thought he'd been romantic, but most of the student body had been frowning or laughing at his shenanigans. The only thing everyone (including Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha) had agreed on was that he wasn't a bad singer or anything like that, just... not at all taken seriously with his personally written lyrics.
Weiss Schneeee, will you accompany meeee~Jaune shivered in his seat. Never again would he ask someone out with a song he wrote.
Pulling into the parking lot at 4:45, he shut off the truck and strolled inside, whistling an unnamed jaunty tune to himself. Cardin, already present and working on the floor, heard his blonde friend enter and barely kept from rolling his eyes. Once he finished taking the order of the table he was at, he approached Jaune from the side. "Table for two, I assume."
"You assume correctly!" They shared a chuckle and quick fistbump. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay in here before I sat myself on the outside bench."
"Boss lady said she wanted to see you, but otherwise we're good."
Jaune nodded and made his way to the kitchen, where Vermilion was barking out orders to the line cooks. When she spotted her brother walking in, she set her knife down to give him a hug. "You're early! Just like I taught you to be."
"Honestly, how could I forget when you pounded it into my head?" Vermilion Arc was the only one of his sisters to dye her hair, a sharp red to match her name. She used to keep her hair at waist length, but admitted that it got in the way while she cooked and settled for just past shoulder length these days. "Cardin said you needed something?"
"I just wanted to remind you to treat this girl like a woman and not some floozy." She finally let go and gave him a bit of space. "No girl wants to be treated like a piece of meat. Nice rose, by the way."
"I know, and thanks. I'll be the best gentleman I can be. And now," Jaune raised his pointer finger dramatically, "I'm off to meet the myste~rious Crystal!"
The kitchen erupted in laughter as he spun on his heel and departed, quickly slipping onto the only bench available and awaiting his unknown date.
5:00 P.M.
Jaune was practically bouncing in his seat, eyes scanning any customers for a matching white rose. Some of the restaurant regulars recognized him and engaged him in polite conversation as they waited for a table.
5:30 P.M.
He connected his phone to the Garden's wi-fi and checked the Beacon app for any missed messages. There weren't any. Stowing it away, he comforted his heart that she must just be running a bit late.
6:00 P.M.
A little girl sitting in a nearby window seat was staring at him curiously, pointing at him and seemingly asking her parents why the blond boy was outside all alone. When Jaune met her eyes he gave her a friendly wave that she returned before her mother gently turned her attention back to the table.
6:30 P.M.
Some of those same regulars that had greeted him earlier were departing, and while they didn't say a word outside of "have a good night", Jaune could practically feel the pity oozing out of them. He held his tongue and checked his phone again.
7:00 P. M.
Somebody stood next to where Jaune was sitting, blocking the beam of the outside lights and causing him to look up. Cardin was there, and after a moment of silence the burlier boy gently clapped a hand onto his left shoulder. "The boss has some food waiting for you."
"...Five more minutes." With a nod of acknowledgment, he was left alone with his thoughts.
'I hope... that she's okay.'
After the promised five minutes, Jaune stood up to go inside, leaving the white rose on the bench in case Crystal arrived while he was inside. He wasn't sure what the message would mean if she saw it.
None of the other workers said a word to him, not used to seeing Jaune in an almost morose state. To them, he was almost unapproachable while he slowly ate his provided food. When he finally finished eating and brought his plate to the kitchen to get cleaned, Vermilion was angrily chopping at some carrots at one of the line cooks stations. Jaune knew that she was angry for his sake, because he himself wasn't particularly mad. He was just...
Disappointed.
Yang
That Sunday morning was crisp with the fall air, the breeze running through her hair as she jogged once more across the bridge. Idly, she pondered how she should approach the topic of Jaune's date the previous night. ''Did you have fun, loverboy, or was it a little Weiss-y?' No, maybe more like 'So, did you manage to thaw the ice queen's heart a little bit?''
She could already see Jaune's face in her mind, making frantic gestures as he shared the story of hour. Or week, depending on how well it went. Maybe they'd get along well enough that everybody could sit at the same lunch table for once; she did so enjoy Nora's energy contrasting with Ren's relatively stoic nature.
As she approached Jaune's house, however, she felt the atmosphere around her grow stiff and stale.
And quiet... far, far too quiet. Was he not singing? She kept the same jogging pace, but couldn't deny that sense of dread she was feeling as she rounded the corner. Something was wrong.
As she turned to face his front porch her heart fell into her stomach. Jaune was sitting on the top step with his head down and his arms crossed over his knees. His guitar was leaning against the wall behind him, a green pick stuck between the cords and neck. When her shoes crunched on the gravel of their yard he looked up and gave her a smile. It was weak. Fake. "Hey there, Yang. How's it hanging?"
"Don't you mean how's it yanging?" The pun sounded dead even to her ears, but Jaune did her the courtesy of a chuckle. She quickly decided to drop the charade. "What's wrong, Jaune?"
"Nothing really, I'm just a little under the weather." He smiled again, but Yang simply crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, letting him know without a word that she wasn't buying it. He relented and let the facsimile disappear. "Crystal, uh... she didn't show up yesterday. I waited for tw- for a while, but she never came. I'm positive she just had something come up."
'Weiss didn't show up? That isn't like her.The thought made Yang frown. She also caught the 'two' part and stored that info away. "Did she send you a message online?"
"Not yet." Jaune pulled out his phone and flicked through a few screens. Apparently finding nothing, he shook his head and put it away. "She'll probably send me something before too long. Whenever family stuff pops up she tends to be hard to reach."
"Hmm." She couldn't confirm or deny that, being a little out of the loop about any of Weiss's family drama. That would have to change. She opened her mouth to respond, but as she did so Jaune stood up and grabbed his guitar. "Are you headed in to work?"
Jaune didn't quite meet her eyes. "No, my sis gave me the day off since she figured I wouldn't be in a good enough mood to serve customers. Bad for business to upset the clientele, you know. I'm just gonna... be inside today. Later, Yang."
Time seemed to slow down as he started to open his front door. There was a part of her that knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she needed to do something for him. Her mother's words rang through her head. 'Be the best friend that you can be.
A hand shot forward and grabbed the wrist of the hand he had the guitar in. Jaune turned slightly and finally looked at her, one brow raised in surprise. "Yang?"
Her heart hammered inside of her chest as she spoke. "If you aren't working today, how about we hang out for a while?" Oddly, her confidence began building as she continued talking. "No, scratch that. We are hanging out today, because Yang Xiao Long does not simply let a friend sit around depressed and not move to fix it."
"Depressed? I'm not-" The words seemed to die in his throat as he regarded her. Jaune seemed to grasp that Yang Xiao Long would not be denied today under any circumstances. 'Good.
Jaune held his free hand to his face for a moment in what could've been a facepalm, but seemed to bounce back and offered the first genuine smile she saw today, even if it was a miniscule one. "Has anybody ever told you that you're bossy?"
"Yes, but you have seven sisters and therefore have no reason to be surprised about that." She returned his smile and let his hand go. "Outside of music, is there anything particular that you like doing in your free time?"
He took a moment to think about that. "Video games, naturally, but nothing else springs to mind."
Yang's smile turned into a smirk. "Perfect."
X
People like drama, right? It's fun stuff, wholesome even! I think.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please consider leaving a review, and have a nice day!