Chapter 22
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Girl(s): N/A
Words: 8409
Time appeared to crawl as Glynda was forced to sit through yet another weekend meeting in preparation for that year's Vytal Festival. She sat beside Ozpin, features composed and her posture perfect. But on the inside, her attention clawed at the inside of her eyeballs, desperately trying to turn her gaze toward the clock and see how much time had passed since the last time her willpower had crumbled.
It was all very unlike her. Glynda enjoyed her work. She was proud of her work. It was an important job and she had always done her best to complete her tasks to the utmost of her abilities. However, that had been before Jaune. Before she'd found a husband. Before her empty apartment became a home with someone waiting for her to return to. And somehow, the new perspective made the prospect of sitting through another thirty minutes discussing dorm allocations for transferring students and staff all the more mind-numbing.
Excuse her, the next twenty-eight minutes. Giving into her impatience, the flick of her eyes was completely unnoticeable to anyone who hadn't already been watching her. Unfortunately, the exasperated sigh that followed couldn't be disguised when she saw only two minutes had passed since her last foible.
A glance from Peter on her left snapped her back into shape, offering nothing to his curious glance other than her composed persona. And to think, she used to look down on professors who complained about additional meetings as lazy. But perhaps the truth was that Glynda merely put too much of herself into her position as deputy headmistress, to the point that she'd often felt at a loss on the rare occasions that her attention wasn't required on some aspect of the school.
And yet, now she felt herself chafe at Beacon for stealing her time. Valuable time that she could be spending with Jaune, to be specific. For all she knew, he could already be back from his date, waiting for her to start their day. And a very greedy part of herself couldn't wait to have him all to herself.
The other day had been difficult despite her support. She would never begrudge her fellow wife for wanting time alone with their husband, but that hadn't stopped a small spark of jealousy from festering as the hours ticked by. Especially when Glynda remembered that the redheaded student had the privilege of spending nearly every night with the handsome young man. Sleeping with him. Eating with him. And waking up every morning in his arms.
It was no wonder Jaune had fallen in love with Pyrrha so quickly.
Something hot burned in the blonde professor's chest at the thought. However, the anger faded away as quickly as it had come. She couldn't stay mad at Pyrrha. Literally, she couldn't stay angry at the other woman. Over the past day or so, she'd realized Jaune's semblance practically smothered any negativity she had been feeling toward the younger girl. In so much as involving their shared relationship with Jaune, anyway.
It had been a startling reminder of the lifts and pulleys playing behind the scenes that was her new and joyful life. No matter how happy she had been feeling over the past month, her mind was still being controlled by her husband. Not directly, not by his wants, but by an arbitrary set of rules either written by his soul or framed by it.
Glynda had spent a small portion of the other day musing on the proverbial leash before deciding that it, too, didn't matter. The only reason she'd noticed at all was her stubborn resistance against the semblance's natural manipulation. And if she wanted to fight it, the blonde thought she might be able to resist this aspect of Jaune's power as well.
But just like she couldn't stay mad at Pyrrha, Glynda didn't want to either. The redhead's intentions weren't spiteful or malicious. Glynda wasn't sure if the young woman was even capable of such selfishness. No, what the woman was really feeling was frustration. And thankfully, that was a neutral enough emotion to avoid triggering her husband's semblance.
Glynda craved Jaune's love. Needed it like it was an anchor in a typhoon. The only problem was, she hadn't understood how desperate she'd felt until she'd heard him say the words to someone else, only to then withhold them from her. But rather than wish ill on Pyrrha or curse their closeness, the older woman had to accept that her real desire was for them to share the same connection.
Perhaps it was unreasonable of her. No, it was unreasonable of her. She and Pyrrha were different women. Which meant that their relationship with Jaune was going to progress at different rates. And no matter how easy it was for her to ignore her and Jaune's age difference, her husband was under no such compulsion. He had to develop feelings naturally and organically. It only made sense that it was easier for him to connect emotionally to a woman his own age.
That didn't mean it was impossible, however. She loved Jaune with her whole heart, regardless of its artificial nature. And Jaune already appreciated her forthright nature, in addition to her looks. Fondness and more would surely follow with time.
It just meant that Glynda needed to be patient. She would wait for him to love her, like she would be patient and wait for this dull meeting to end so she could return to her husband and enjoy her day of simply being a wife. She would wait for him to hurry up and graduate and spend every night in his bed, no matter how many other women she had to share it with. And she would have to wait to conceive their child, even as the sharp cramping along her midsection felt like an injury added to the insult of her empty womb.
"Now then," Ozpin's voice brought the professor back to the present, suddenly embarrassed to realize how far she'd allowed her thoughts to drift. "Now that we have a better idea of what kind of numbers we should expect this year, I have the displeasure of asking for a volunteer to handle room assignments. Your responsibilities would include mapping out the guest dormitory and compiling a detailed list that I or Glynda may direct toward the respective schools before their arrival."
Silence greeted him. Scanning the room, Glynda took a moment to admire how a room of grown adults could so easily mirror a classroom of students staunchly avoiding their teacher's eyes. The awkward quiet lasted long enough that the blonde professor began to fear that she would need to choose a teacher herself, when Professor Peach's hand suddenly rose.
Glynda regarded the other woman with semi-familiarity. Professor Peach had been hired about halfway into the blonde's tenure, standing out as one of the younger teachers to be working at Beacon. Her shock of pinkish blonde hair was easily recognizable, as was the neutral brown of her eyes. And with her hand raised, those same eyes came off as extremely resigned to her acquiescence.
"Yeah," The professor sighed, "I can take care of this one. Don't worry about it." Her voice sounded tired, but that was nothing new. Shoulders slumped with a long, pale face, the younger woman never seemed to have much energy to spare, which only made her sudden generosity all the more surprising. That didn't stop Glynda from quickly assigning the woman's name on her tablet, of course.
"Wonderful," Ozpin raised his mug with an appreciative salute toward the young professor. "Ms. Peach, you have our thanks. And if there are no other topics anyone would like to discuss, I think most of you would be fine if we end this meeting a little earlier this week."
There was a much longer pause as the window of opportunity to speak passed. Thankfully, everyone remained silent, either as eager to return to their weekend as everyone else or too reluctant to say anything over the pointed stares being shot by the rest of the room. No one wanted to be the jerk that held everyone else back. Finally, after another few seconds, Ozpin rose from his seat, prompting the rest of the room to do the same.
Glynda had to stop herself from bolting from the room. It would be unprofessional, and the last thing she needed was for people to see how impatient she had been. However, a glance from Ozpin as he casually strolled toward the door showed that perhaps she hadn't been as composed as she had assumed, and perhaps the early ending hadn't been an arbitrary decision.
The older woman's cheeks flushed as she spared her boss a thankful nod. Ozpin could be infuriatingly forgetful, and it was next to impossible to make him take any matter seriously outside his personal interests. Still, there was a reason he'd earned such a loyal staff. Glynda just wished he could stop making her feel like such a child again beneath his aged stare.
After Ozpin left, a few of the less social professors followed him a moment after but Glynda wasn't given the privilege. Snacks and coffee had been set up in the corner for a reason, and these meets served as more than preparation for the festival. Some socialization was expected between faculty and she usually stayed long enough for a few conversations.
'I'll just stay for a cup of coffee,' Glynda decided, content with the compromise. It would still fulfill her professional responsibilities while also providing a convenient excuse to excuse herself early. Five minutes and she was free. Five more minutes of being the deputy headmistress, and then she could simply be a wife for the rest of the day. Bliss.
However, her quick and easy exit strategy was interrupted when the blonde found someone else had already beaten her to the coffee pot. Professor Peach was already sipping on her styrofoam cup, cradling the flimsy white material between two hands like it was the only thing keeping her upright. Rather than shy away, Glynda used the opportunity to approach her.
"Thank you for agreeing to take on room assignments," the blonde commented, keeping her gaze on her hands as she poured herself a serving of the bitter nectar. A small dash of sugar sweetened the cup, but that was all she bothered with.
Professor Peach blinked at the other woman, startled out of her own world. But when Glynda's words registered, she offered a modest shrug of her shoulders. "No big deal." Her voice was wry as her hands kept stirring her drink. "It's another week or two of work, but after that, I'll be free for the rest of the year. I just wanted to pick my own assignment before I got stuck with something worse like," her eyes danced over Glynda's shoulder as she searched, "announcer."
"You still saved me from forcing the task on someone else," Glynda admitted. And that was worth thanking. "Besides, you'll be terrified to hear that Peter already volunteered for the announcer role this year, and I couldn't find a good enough excuse to refuse him."
Both women grimaced at that. Peter was a good man and a better friend despite his eccentricities. However, he was bad enough when he had a classroom of students as his captive audience. One could only imagine how long his rambling would continue when he had an entire stadium at his mercy. "That said, we are still looking for a co-host that can hopefully help reign Peter in if he starts to get a little too patriotic."
By Professor Peach's expression, the room assignment job was looking better and better. Glynda couldn't see it in her to disagree.
"What about you?" the younger woman asked after a sip. "Any idea what job you're getting stuck with?"
"The same thing I do every festival," Glynda sighed, prompting a raised eyebrow. "Cleaning up messes and fire control." Unfortunately, her contribution wasn't so easily quantified. She simply had to be on call to handle any issues as they arose to make sure that the festival ran smoothly. And the worst part was that she couldn't even blame Ozpin for offloading his work onto her. As headmaster, he had the misfortune of handling the political scene that inevitably followed the Vytal Festival. That meant dealing with all the visiting dignitaries and rich hotshots and making them feel welcome in their kingdom.
"Sounds busy," Professor Peach grunted. Squinting at the blonde, the younger woman shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand how you manage it all. Ozpin and the rest of the school. Especially with a new husband at home." And for the first time since Glynda had approached the survival specialist, Peach's eyes appeared to come alive as she shot the older woman a knowing wink. "Hopefully, a younger man isn't keeping you up too late."
Glynda didn't react, blinking at the familiar comment. She and Professor Peach weren't strangers by any means, but neither would she say they were as close as her, Bart and Peter. They were genial enough that the younger woman had felt comfortable using Glynda's class to gather sap for her own students. Despite that, their exchanges had always been professional rather than personal. Until now, it seemed.
"How's that going, by the way?" The teacher pushed, taking another sip. Despite the pitch-black color of her drink, the caffeine had no visible effect on her energy. "I have to admit, you surprised a lot of people with that stunt. I think you were the last person anyone expected to fall in love with a student." Her smile became amused.
"You disapprove?" Glynda became defensive, lifting her nose to add to her height over the younger woman. But Professor Peach brushed her posturing aside with a snort.
"Hardly. If I'm honest, I guess I always saw you as kind of stiff. Or maybe a stickler? But watching you do something as crazy as this?" Her palm flipped upward. "I don't know. I guess it made you a little less intimidating. More human. Besides, love is love. Gotta respect that, right?"
Despite the other teacher's reassurance, Glynda's confusion didn't lessen. She was intimidating? Of course, the blonde knew the students thought of her as such, but that was by design. She hadn't known that the same could be said about her co-workers. But rather than question the other woman deeper, Glynda decided to simply answer her question.
"Things are…good," Glynda responded slowly, gaining confidence when she saw the other woman's attention remained. "Better than I had been initially expecting, if I'm honest. There are some adjustments that we're both still working through, but I feel like that's only natural as we settle into married life. Jaune might be young, but he's shown me a surprising maturity for his age."
Glynda finished, surprised to find a smile on her face. Once she'd started, the words hadn't stopped. It turned out she might have been itching for an ear to listen to her talk about her new husband. And while Port and Bart might have feigned interest if she went to them, they were also painfuly male and far less likely to genuinely care about her love life.
Professor Peach had no such problem and returned Glynda's grin with her own. "And I'm sure his skills in the bedroom don't hurt either, huh?" Her dry laugh became genuine when the blonde visibly blanched. "Oh, don't look so surprised. No one gets married that fast unless there's some serious passion going on under the sheets."
The look Peach gave was downright conspiratorial, and Glynda had to fight to keep any heat from entering her cheeks. This was the consequence of being known as the woman who married a man after two weeks. People were going to believe one of two things about you. That you were crazy or driven by your loins.
Unfortunately, it would have been a lot easier to maintain her composure if Professor Peach's comment didn't make Glynda think about the last time she'd been allowed to enjoy her husband's touch and his toned, young body.
Something about the younger woman's smile made Glynda feel unusually honest as she admitted, "I…- Jaune is quite talented in that regard, yes." Professor Peach's approving grin filled the blonde teacher with a strange sense of female comradery, inspiring her to add, "And he's proven himself especially capable with his mouth." Glynda decided she'd earned the right to brag.
Peach made a show of gasping, making no attempt to disguise her jealousy. Her next exhale carried a longing sigh. "I'm starting to think maybe you've got the right idea. Find them young and train them right. The Brothers know it can't be any worse than dating men our age. At least students have an excuse for acting like children."
Glynda's head bobbed in agreement. "Don't remind me, please. I'd rather not remember how much disappointment I had to suffer before finding Jaune. I never saw myself with a man half my age, but he's proved to be a breath of fresh air in my life I didn't know I needed."
Rationality caught up with the blonde a second later, snapping her back to reality. Glancing over her shoulders, she strained her shoulders, composing her face back into its neutral indifference. "Of course, if you do plan on pursuing a relationship with a student, make sure they understand that it can't impact their grades."
She might have gotten a little too relaxed there. Glynda wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea that her actions had opened the door for other teachers to start initiating relationships with students, but neither was she in a position to admonish the other woman. She could only hope this wasn't the start of a trend that would paint their academy in a scarlet lens.
Professor Peach just smiled at the other woman, seemingly amused. Her eyes took on an appraising hue as if she were looking at Beacon's deputy headmistress with a new appreciation. "You're fun." The younger woman decided. "We should actually hang out sometime if you're ever free. Maybe you can come over to my dorm and swap our dating horror stories over drinks."
Taken aback, it took a moment for Glynda to realize how nice her co-worker's offer sounded. She wanted to agree. She wanted to spend some time with a woman her own age, recognizing how sorely she missed the presents of a female friend. Pyrrha was her fellow wife, but even the ring's influence couldn't disguise the fact that she was spending most of her free time with two teenagers.
"I'd like that, Ms. Peach," Glynda agreed, offering the shorter woman her own small smile.
"Cool," the younger woman nodded. "And you can call me May. I gotta get going, but I'm sure my scroll is on file. Hit me up if you've got a free weekend." May moved forward, and Glynda made room for her to pass. Instead, the blonde's eyebrows rose at their proximity as the shorter girl stretched onto her toes to whisper in her new friend's ear, "I can't wait to hear more about your boy toy and that mouth of his."
Glynda's face didn't falter as the young woman sauntered away, immensely enjoying a chance to tease her older co-worker. Internally, the blonde took a moment to collect herself before turning to watch May leave the room. It had been an unexpected encounter but not unwelcome. And before the weekend was over, she had every intention of making room in her schedule to visit the other woman.
Jaune was wonderful and it only made sense that she would be so absorbed by his orbit this early in their marriage. But for the first time, Glynda recognized that perhaps she'd let her emotions control too many of her actions as of late, alienating her other few but treasured relationships.
A glance at her watch proved that her five minutes had passed, but she didn't rush toward the door like she had been planning to. Instead, her eyes scanned the room before finding Peter and Bart loitering near the donuts. The former's mustache was already caked in a dusting of deep-fried crumbs, which didn't stop him from finding another chocolate pastry as soon as his hand was empty.
She was going to have Jaune for the rest of the day. The least she could do was give her friends a few minutes.
XxX
Rounding the corner of her dormitory, Glynda traced the familiar path home, feeling unusually content. Reconnecting with her friends had been a good decision and a better lesson. Nothing substantial had occurred in either of her friends' lives. At least, nothing compared to her own recent upheaval. But it had been nice falling back into the rhythm of Bart's eccentric rambling and Peter's boisterous humor.
They'd talked about classes, schoolwork, and any promising students that had caught their interest this early in the school year. Some things never changed about being a teacher, but the constant cycle of new students always brought a unique brand of chaos they had all come to recognize and commiserate over.
Surprisingly, they had even made a somewhat stilted overture, asking about her husband. Nothing as overt or braven as May's inquiries, but they'd shown a courteous curiosity that Glynda hadn't been expecting from the two grown men. And while they looked more embarrassed than worried about her, Glynda had still felt a familiar fondness in her breast toward the pair.
Glynda had used the opportunity to ask their opinion of the young blond and how he was doing in their respective classes. She may have access to his grades and could see for herself with a flick of her tablet, but she knew it would give her a better picture of his progress, hearing it from his own teachers.
Neither had much to point out, much to Glynda's relief. She always worried, knowing how much Jaune lacked compared to his fellow students. He had none of their training, physical or academic. And yet, the more Peter and Bart talked, the more she understood how well he'd done at blending in, neither excelling nor outright failing any of the tests or courses so far. Peter made a comment about how Jaune would do well to pay better attention during lectures, but he'd said that about practically every first-year student since he'd been hired. Likewise, Bartholomew critiqued the young man's history papers, but it was much rarer that the young adults who came through Beacon's halls shared the green-haired man's passion for the past.
Beyond that, he appeared to be a well-mannered, respectful young man. At least, that was the impression they had been left with after the scant seconds of interactions they'd stolen during class time. It was difficult for them to judge more than that, trusting that their blond colleague knew what she was doing. More often than not, it was her pulling them back from the worst of their habits. Rather than looking at Jaune to understand what their friend saw in him, the pair of teachers had decided that Jaune was special because he'd been chosen by the older woman.
That said, they hadn't been opposed to getting to know him on a more personal level, offering an invitation to join them the next time they all got together outside of school. When that would be with the Vytal Festival preparations going on was impossible to say, but Glynda appreciated the gesture more than anything.
A more sentimental woman might have hugged the men. Instead, she'd left the pair with one of her rare smiles, a gift all on its own. They let her go with their own grins, Port's hidden behind his bushy mustache, while Bart took a deep, deep drink from his thermos.
They were fools, the both of them. But you didn't last this long in their profession without learning to appreciate the bonds you'd forged with those around you. And Glynda could honestly say she was grateful for their friendship. Before she'd left the building, she'd made a note in her calendar to find some time for the three of them sometime before the end of the semester. Maybe she could invite May to join them? However, as the picture of her door came into view, all thoughts beyond Jaune and seeing him became secondary as her pace picked up.
Glynda couldn't help hoping that Jaune was already waiting for her. He should have been back from his other date already. But that didn't mean he would have rushed over right away. He'd spent all day out on the town. It would be perfectly reasonable if he had wanted a few hours to himself before committing the rest of his weekend to her devices. Glynda wouldn't begrudge him that. After all, it couldn't be easy splitting his attention between two women day after day.
At least, that was what the blonde tried to tell herself, preparing for any possible disappointment. But as she brought her scroll to the digital lock of her door, her heart surged at the sound of movement from inside. It was such a simple thing. And yet, the sound of life in her home never failed to peel the armor of stress from her shoulders.
Glynda opened the door, and there he was, standing in a simple shirt and jeans in front of their stove. Focused on stirring a large pot, he'd looked up as soon as the locks clicked open, greeting his second wife with a boyish smile. "You're home!" And he sounded so pleased by the fact. Turning the burner down low, he left the soup to simmer so he could stalk forward and welcome the blonde home with a lingering kiss.
It was such a domestic exchange that Glynda couldn't help freezing for a moment. To think, she'd started the year as single and hopeless as ever. And now here she was, coming home from work to a loving husband cooking them lunch. It was…nice. And after a pause, Jaune leaned back to offer his best grin.
"You're cooking," was the best that Glynda could come up with, still slightly overwhelmed.
"I am," Jaune laughed, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle as Glynda gazed into them. She struggled to swallow her heart back into its proper position. "I already told you that I used to help my mom and sister in the kitchen. And I thought you would appreciate a home-cooked meal after a long day's work."
Glynda's expression didn't change. They might spend most weekends together, but they were normally too occupied to bother with cooking their meals. More often than not, their food was delivered from the city, or one of them was forced to scavenge for the rest of them from the cafeteria.
Suffice to say, it had been quite a while since someone had cooked just for her. And she would be lying if she tried to say the effort hadn't touched her. "What are you making?"
Jaune's entire face brightened like he'd been hoping she would ask. Slipping out of her shoes, Glynda followed her husband into the kitchen. "Garlic soup!" the blond declared, lifting the lid like it was some grand accomplishment. And as far as his wife was concerned, that's what it was. The pleasant, pungent aroma immediately filled her small apartment. "Oh, ah. With dumplings!"
"It smells wonderful," she admitted, taking no small delight in the fact. Considering her own skills in the kitchen, she'd honestly feared what kind of life she could expect if her future husband couldn't cook a halfway decent meal. Luckily for them and their future family, Jaune seemed to have a knack for balancing her shortcomings. Open where she was closed. Free when she was so regimented.
Glynda had never cared much for the notion of opposites attracting. She'd been around frivolous men, and they'd done nothing but irritate her. And she knew for a fact that her own serious demeanor had been just as grating to them. However, Jaune's youthfulness never quite struck her as sourly.
The rational part of Glynda recognized the ring had quite a bit to do with that. But her more emotional side liked to think it was because neither of them tried to lean into their differences so obstinately. Ever since that first dinner together, her husband had held a level of compromise that Glynda couldn't find in men twice his age. When she spoke, he listened. And when she voiced a concern, he made an effort, regardless of the outcome.
If Jaune had maintained a determination to ignore her heedings or dismiss her feelings, Glynda doubted she would feel so content in their marriage. The ring made her love him, but as their days together had turned to weeks, the teacher began to understand more and more that it never made her like him. That had only come about after multiple instances of seeing his attentive care toward her and Pyrrha. He truely acted with a sense of responsibility to their situation that few boys his age could have matched.
Likewise, she had done her best to match that flexibility. It was harder to tell by looking at her, but Glynda had done her best to adopt a more relaxed mentality, both professionally and personally. So often, she'd ruined prospective relationships by being too controlling, too sure of herself. Even as a much younger woman, she had shown that too much confidence in oneself was as much a poison as it was a virtue.
Jaune helped soften the worst of her edge. And in return, she had done her best to sharpen his focus and curb the worst of his expected teenage frivolity. And that felt like the ideal outcome of their diametrically opposed union. Instead of constantly pulling each other in opposite directions, they were walking toward the same goal from opposite sides. Each bringing a unique perspective that they wouldn't have been able to foresee on their own.
Rushing toward their small dinner table, Jaune offered a gratuitous smile as he pulled her seat back. Glynda accepted the invitation, enjoying the lightness in her chest as she watched her husband open the cupboards for a pair of bowls. Utensils and napkins had already been set out, leaving her with nothing to do but watch him, tilting her head with an appreciative hum at the scene.
There wasn't anything particularly arousing about Jaune's attire. She'd asked for an easy day in, and he'd dressed up for one, casually walking around their kitchen in his usual blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Navigating the pot of soup, he'd pushed the sleeves over his forearms, careful not to let the thick broth stain the black material. Glynda's eyes found themselves locked on the exposed skin, deciding that the sword and shield exercises he'd been continuing with Pyrrha had done wonders for his upper body.
But it was more than that. He moved around the kitchen with a confidence he'd often lacked since coming to Beacon. Glynda saw some of it in their bedroom, but there was a quality in being able to watch it from afar. She observed the way he quickly chopped some vegetables, each motion sharp and minimized by practice, before unloading the chopping board into the pot. The hand towel on his shoulder was quickly used to wipe the knife clean before it returned to the counter. And as he stared down into the pot, his wife couldn't help admiring the long fringe of his bangs dangled tantalizingly over the crystal blue of his eyes.
Glynda realized after a moment that she wouldn't mind if this was how she spent the rest of her morning, silently watching her young husband show off his culinary skills. The fact that he was good at something she couldn't grasp only made the small accomplishments appear that much more impressive. Unfortunately, Jaune was in the middle of wrapping the food up when she'd come home, and her impromptu show was cut short when the burners were cut off and he carefully ladled two servings of soup into their respective bowls.
By the time Jaune made it back to the table to sit down and join her, his wife's face had taken on a familiar tone. And despite their many entanglements, the younger man still had it in him to blush at the appraisal in her gaze. Glynda made no move to disguise her approval, never ashamed of her attraction toward her husband. She liked this side of him, too.
"What time did you get back?"
Jaune's bashfulness had already turned into a shy smile by the time he sat down, silently enjoying the attention. "Around eleven, I think? We didn't plan on staying until check out, but our morning was a little…delayed.".
"Pyrrha enjoyed herself yesterday?" Glynda correctly assumed. Given her husband's indulgent grin, it looked like her sister-wife had been appreciative.
"You could say that," Jaune chuckled. "The movie was better than I expected. And the shopping district was so much bigger than I could have imagined. We might have gone a little crazy, but it still wasn't as bad as we could have been. And thanks again for recommending Ambrosia. Pyrrha really appreciated the chance to eat some familiar food, and I got to try something new. Guess who suddenly likes spicy food?"
Jaune appeared a little too proud of himself, much to Glynda's amusement. He only caught himself after catching the slight curl at the corner of his stoic wife's lips. "Er, I mean. Not that that's impressive or anything."
Glynda made no comment, humming placidly as she took her first bite of Jaune soup. And it was delicious because of course it was. It tasted warm and creamy, washing her tongue with the thick flavor of garlic and parmesan. But something told her that she would have been just as pleased by the meal even if the flavor hadn't been so perfectly balanced. A home-cooked meal cooked by her loving husband. How could she not enjoy it?
The blonde enjoyed two more bites, sampling one of the chewy dumplings floating at the edge of her bowl when Jaune returned her question. "How about you? Did you do anything fun yesterday?"
"Yesterday wasn't too exciting," his wife answered, recalling the long hours after he and Pyrrha had disappeared. She'd gotten so used to filling her weekends with long naps punctuated by intimate lovemaking that it had been somewhat novel to have an entire day to herself again. She'd tried relaxing until she remembered how bad she was at that before relenting and getting a head start on student reports for that week's spars. To help students improve, she needed to record their progress throughout the year, comparing initial reports to the end of the year, and making the correct recommendations as they became apparent.
It wasn't interesting work, but there were always new insights to be made that she might have missed watching the bouts in person. And more importantly, it helped distract her. "I took care of some busy work."
"And today? How's the Vytal Festival coming along?"
If Glynda were a more expressive woman, she might have rolled her eyes. "Please, Jaune. You don't want to hear about faculty meetings. I barely made it through them, and it's my job to care about all the tedious details." But her husband's expression didn't change, curious and focused as he took a bite of his food.
"I mean, I kinda do?" Jaune's grin turned sheepish. "If it's not too boring for you, I mean. This is my first festival and the more I hear about it, the more I'm looking forward to seeing it all set up. I think it's awesome you're part of all that."
Glynda's back straightened, caught off guard. That was right. This was Jaune's first Vytal Festival. Vale was only forced to host the event once every sixteen years, but her job meant that she'd been allowed to visit more than her fair share, traveling to each kingdom with Beacon's strongest students looking to compete. Even despite the four-year reprieve she was allowed between each instance, the sheer stress and minutiae of paperwork and herding multiple teams of students abroad had sucked much of the joy and excitement most expected from the event. She hadn't stopped to think Jaune might not share in her dower outlook.
"Very well," Glynda coughed, taking a sip of water. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I don't have any news of stalls or stages this early. That's to be handled much closer to the opening day. At the moment, Beacon's faculty is still focused on mapping out space and accommodations for visiting schools and tourists."
Glynda glanced to see if Jaune's eyes had glazed over yet. And to her surprise, he remained as attentive as ever, forcing her to continue. "This year is projected to be bigger than ever. Regular people are likely to fill up any available hotels, so it's up to Beacon to house any tournament participants and whatever faculty the other schools are sending over to help manage them. This is your first year, so you've never seen it before. But you should expect your class size to double with the influx of foreign students."
That caught Jaune's attention. "Double?" he barked a disbelieving laugh.
His wife's face tilted as she reconsidered. "Perhaps not your classes. At least, not to that degree. It's much rarer that first-year students are sent to compete abroad. But enough schools still include a few promising prodigies that you'll get to see a dozen new faces join your classes."
Meanwhile, she'd be expected to adjust her curriculum for all of her classes, learning about thirty-odd children well enough to understand and correct their combat styles and select beneficial sparring partners. Yes, each student came with a file that explained their quantifiable attributes, but that only explained so much. And this was on top of the rest of her expected duties.
"I'm surprised we have room for that," Jaune's eyebrows drew together. Thankfully, that was one thing his wife didn't have to worry about.
"Beacon has an extra dorm specifically for visiting students and guests. And the teacher's dorm keeps an entire floor empty simply to accommodate visiting staff." Glynda took another bite of her food, internally wincing at the dry tone. The topic had been dull enough the first time around, and the last thing she wanted was to bore Jaune. With a cough, the blonde rushed to shift toward something a little more interesting. "But enough about work. How did your date with Pyrrha go? Did she enjoy Ambrosia?"
Jaune's genial smile transformed into a beam of sunlight. "We had an amazing time. Thanks so much for the recommendation."
Glynda's own smile surfaced as she leaned back, listening to her husband recap the other night over their lunch. He talked about the delicious food they'd ordered, emphasizing the restaurant's famous dessert with a longing sigh. He mentioned the terrible woman and the terrible things she'd said. Only for Pyrrha to come in and slap her down like he never would have expected. The pride that showed in his eyes as he talked about the redhead stepping up was unmistakable.
"I hope there weren't too many interruptions like that while you were out," Glynda commented, wondering about the fact. Unfortunately, Jaune's groan hinted that it had been more of a problem than he'd been expecting.
"We got stopped a few times," he nodded. "Not that they were as bad as her. Or bad at all, really. It just sucked seeing Pyrrha get so stressed out all day. People kept telling me how famous she was, but I had no idea until I saw it for myself. Professional tournaments must be pretty popular in the bigger cities, huh?"
Glynda wasn't surprised in the least. "More so in Mystral and Vacuo than Vale, but yes. It's a chance for regular people to see the next generation of hunters and huntresses. And while I personally find the practice to be a little too ostentatious, I can't deny the benefits. Both economically and in terms of city morale."
"Did you ever go to one?" Jaune asked, leaning forward.
"Many," Glynda confirmed. "I even had the privilege of watching one of Pyrrha's last matches. Tournaments are also quite helpful for schools to find promising future students. And while not illegal to poach other kingdom's youth, it is widely regarded as rather rude. Yet, Ozpin had prepared quite the substantial…incentive with the intention of swaying her choice toward Beacon."
Jaune snorted. "You mean bribery?"
"I said incentive," she corrected, raising a thin eyebrow, daring him to argue. "Not that it was necessary. When we first met with Pyrrha, she was already quite receptive to our invitation. Unusually so at the time. Of course, now that I've gotten to know the girl a little better, it's become clear that she had been feeling quite stifled by her home kingdom and was looking for an escape. Ozpin just happened to make the first offer."
'And thank The Brothers for that,' Jaune mused, shuddering at the thought of what his life might look like if Pyrrha had been shuttled off to Shade or Alsius instead. Who knows who he could have been married to instead. Or if his new partner would have bothered unlocking his Aura in the first place.
"Why did Ozpin want her so bad?" Jaune asked, swiping the heel of his bread along the bottom of his bowl. Focused on mopping up the last of his lunch, he didn't see the imperceptible straightening of his wife's fingers twitch, nearly spilling her spoon halfway to her lips.
"Excuse me?"
"You said Ozpin was willing to bribe Pyrrha even though it would make him look bad. Sounds like you guys wanted her to come to Beacon pretty badly." And although he didn't look or sound accusatory, popping the last of his bread into his mouth to chew appreciatively, his older wife still found herself disguising a flinch at her thoughtlessness.
Glynda didn't answer Jaune for a moment, appearing to take an inordinately long drink of her water before finding the words. The blonde made a visible effort to avoid her husband's curious stare before eventually clearing her throat. "Yes, frowned upon. But not so rare, unfortunately. All schools want to facilitate the best in their students, but it doesn't hurt when young Huntsmen have already proven a certain aptitude for the skills necessary to thrive in our line of work. The temptation of pride in being able to claim these future esteemed individuals is all too present despite our attempts at unity between the four kingdoms."
Risking a glance in his direction, the older woman breathed a sigh of relief when Jaune didn't press her further. "More soup?" Glynda stood before Jaune had the chance, filling her bowl with a second helping. Thankfully, Jaune had been smart enough to make plenty. Likely leaving enough for leftovers for her next lunch. "I want to hear more about this date."
The distraction did its job, and after a moment, the blonde pair found themselves settled with another helping of Jaune's lunch and another loaf of bread to split between them. Jaune took the opportunity to explain more about the movie he and Pyrrha had seen, watching in satisfaction at the modest wince the plot earned from his second wife. Or lack thereof. It looked like he wasn't lucky enough to have gotten married to two bleeding hearts.
He also made sure to bring up the movie's ending, mentioning off-hand how inspirational the couple had found the scene toward the end of their night. Glynda's eyebrow raised in what Jaune had learned to interpret as an expression of deep interest. And when their eyes broke away, he could practically see her mind filing the information away for later.
For a moment there, Jaune also considered bringing up Coco and that entire conversation but thought better of it. Not that he intended to hide it from her, but it didn't feel like the right time or place to bring something like that up. Today was Glynda's day, and while Jaune still didn't have a ton of dating experience under his belt, it was safe to say that bringing up a possible foursome was poor etiquette. Especially when said foursome didn't even involve the woman he was on a date with.
Instead, the two spent the rest of their meal catching up on other matters. It was light, it was fun. And by the time they emptied their bowls a second time, both were full and happy. Lethargically so. A perfect recipe for a lazy Saturday afternoon on the couch doing nothing. It was everything that Glynda had been hoping for. She still needed to shed the confining material of her fitted professional wear, but she would take care of the dishes first.
However, Jaune had other plans.
Glynda stood with a content sigh, collecting her dishes before starting toward Jaune's. Her husband beat her to the punch, "Hey. No, No. I got this." he gently insisted, taking her bowl and cup before she could argue. "Sit back down. Relax. I don't want you to worry about anything today." He was already at the sink, faucet pouring warm water as he set in with a soapy sponge to clean up the dregs of soup left uneaten.
"But you cooked," Glynda reminded him, a slight wrinkle pinching between her eyebrows. "It doesn't seem fair to make you clean everything as well. I might be useless with a stove, but you can trust me to wash a few dishes."
But Jaune wasn't about to hear it, shaking his head. "You had a long day at work," he reminded her. "So all you need to do is relax."
Amused and confused, Glynda's head tilted at the gesture. "I would hardly call a two-hour meeting a long day." Boring, sure. But not anything that would make her feel stressed.
Jaune wouldn't hear it. "Don't care." He smirked. "Today's your day, and that means you don't get to lift a finger. Take a seat, and I'll be done in a minute. Then we get to move on to your next surprise." The blond sounded so proud. But with his back to his wife, he couldn't see the small frown pinching her lips together.
"Next surprise?" Glynda muttered, more to herself than Jaune. Lunch was wonderful, but Glynda wasn't expecting to be waited on all day. She wanted to relax and for Jaune to relax with her. But catching the corner of her husband's smile, it looked like this was important to him. Rather than complain, it might be better for her to indulge him and see what he had planned.
"If you insist," Glynda spoke up, "Then I'm going to get changed. There's nothing worse than being made to wear your work clothes on the weekend." Standing up, she got ready to start toward their bedroom, only to pause at the sudden quiet. All sounds of dishes and washing had stopped, forcing her to turn and raise her eyebrow at the curious face Jaune had turned in her direction.
"What?" Glynda asked, taking a step backward.
"I just," Jaune paused, looking at her with a strange intensity. "I don't think I've seen you in pajamas before." And once he said it, Glynda's face pinched in a shallow mirror to his own.
It made sense. Most, if not all, of their weekends were spent either completely nude or close enough to it. This was their first weekend where she was unavailable, forcing them to spend time together without exploring each other's bodies. The few exceptions had almost all been between classes or during lunches when she was dressed for her role as deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy.
Suddenly self-conscious, Glynda decided it was better to crush his hopes now before he could come up with anything she couldn't live up to. "Don't get too excited," she pinned him with her gaze, killing his creeping grin before it could be born. "I don't make it a habit to lounge around my dorm room in lingerie. I'm just putting on regular clothes."
"Try and stop me," Jaune laughed, meeting her gaze with a challenge of his own. "I've got two beautiful wives who look good in everything. I'd get excited if you walked out in a trash bag."
The words were childish, but it was the sincerity in his laughing eyes that broke Glynda's mask. Knowing you were attractive and hearing it from the person you loved were two separate things entirely. And to her utter shame, the older woman was horrified to find her stiff features warming beneath her husband's giddy stare.
Glynda turned around before he could get too close of a look, but his muffled laughter exposed that she hadn't been fast enough. "Besides," he continued, turning back to his task as he explained, "I know we're married, but that doesn't change that we're doing everything a little backward. I've seen you naked and at work, but I want to see other sides of you, too. I want to see all your sides."
Prepared to start toward their bedroom, Glynda found herself frozen by his words. That's right. They had done everything backward. Marriage, then sex, and now they were getting to know each other. There were still steps they needed to take. And so much they needed to learn about who they had married. Every interaction they shared, every word, every glance was another aspect of their character coming into the light, helping them understand. Even something as simple and intimate as seeing what Glynda wore when she didn't expect to be seen by anyone.
Without a word, Glynda forced her feet in the direction of the adjoining room. Because if she'd been embarrassed about Jaune seeing her blush before, then she knew the smile he'd brought to her face would only make her heart flutter even faster.
A/N: Awe, nothing cuter than a middle-aged woman feeling her heart skip a beat. Glynda's relationship with Jaune is definitely harder to write than Pyrrha's, but it's nice in its own way. Looking at her past relationships and asking myself what Jaune can bring to the table outside of his semblance's influence has been a fun exercise and made me really question what Glynda would want from a relationship at this point in her life. And how starkly that's going to conflict with what Jaune thinks he's expected to provide.
We'll get more into that next chapter. Jaune and Pyrrha have a very easygoing approach to their relationship, but that has its own difficulties. Instead of having no conflict, they're the type to ignore any issues to keep the peace. Issues like Pyrrha trying to set Jaune up with Ruby behind his back. I feel like Glynda has learned to be a little more direct with her grievances, and while confrontational, the additional communication should prove to be more beneficial in the long run.
Depending on how long the next chapter goes, we might also get a little more canoodling of the irregular variety. I've kept most of the steamy scenes fairly vanilla so far, but Jaune's already expressed some interest in alternative sex, and it's about time the two got the chance to push both their comfort levels a bit.
I'll try to get the next chapter out in two weeks, but I'm not going to make that promise. The month-long break was very helpful, but not enough for me to have another finished chapter waiting like before. If I'm not happy with it or if it's not finished, I'm not going to rush something out and have it affect the rest of the story. Thank you all for your patience, and I'll see you again as soon as I can.