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Today was one of the days that Jaune Arc was glad he had learned to become an early riser. Long gone were the times where he would over sleep and be late to Doctor Ooblecks class, thanks in part to Ruby and her initial mission to get to Mistral from her home on Patch, as well as his more recent duties to the Paper Pleasers and the never ending schedule of catastrophes. So instead of sleeping, he found himself enjoying the content solitude of the early mornings before the rest of his team woke up. He lay on his back in his bed, listening to his friend's gentle breathing, the simple cream coloured blanket that covered him was thrown around his waist to make the most of the temperate air before the sun started to scorch the arid land. He could hear movements in the hallways outside their room as well as voices starting to drift in through the open slats of the window. Today was a brand new day, and he was impatiently ready to greet it.
He could hardly believe it had happened, but last night he had kissed Weiss Schnee and she hadn't flung him violently across the room with her glyphs. In fact, she had responded very enthusiastically. When he closed his eyes he swore he could still taste her on his lips, even though many hours had passed since their encounter. He barely dared to dream about what was still to come for them, but for the first time in far too long he felt a swell of optimism in his chest that brought joy to his entire being.
And this was all brought about by one person, and one moment of intense vulnerability. He admired her bravery in being the one to take that first step.
If he was honest with himself, he had never stopped admiring her, even after he had reluctantly cut short his pursuit of her at Beacon. It had become clear to him at the dance that his affections at the time were purely one sided. But that night in Atlas, the night they went to the cinema with Oscar, he had noticed that something was different. They had ended up watching some action comedy movie about a gruff old huntsman and his dog companion. It was filled with cheesy physical comedy and predictable plot points the majority of the time, but an oddly sentimental moment between the lead and his new found animal friend had brought a swell of emotion to those in the darkened room. He had felt his stomach flip when she hooked her pinky and ring fingers over his own, seeking a moment of comfort as she gently sniffed away her tears. Of course, they were all laughing again by the time the credits rolled and they all left scratching their heads at an unexpected moment of gravitas in an otherwise goofy picture. He remembered it fondly, a memory he held onto fiercely while he was the Rusted Knight.
And then there was that morning they had spent together a few weeks ago, walking and talking and just being content in each others company. He had felt that spark of his old emotions again as they shared those coffees together. It was comfortable, it was fun, and for a few hours there had been no expectations on them to be anyone but themselves.
Movement in the room brought his attention to Lie Ren as he rose in his bed with a stretch and a yawn.
"Morning, Ren," Jaune said sleepily, pushing himself into a seated position in his bed.
"Good morning," Ren replied. "Was your evening enjoyable?"
"Yeah, it ended up being a really good night," he said. They were used to him disappearing for an hour or two to decompress, a habit he had created to give himself time to process his thoughts when he was feeling overwhelmed. He was ecstatic to be back in the company of his friends, but he still found the need every so often for a bit of time to himself. And while he had not been alone last night, he was definitely going to keep those details to himself for a little while longer, or at least until he found the right moment to bring it up to them. "Sorry for coming in so late, I got lost in thought for a while." He had sat playing the piano for another hour after Weiss had gone back to her room, the sun's rays having long gone by the time he eventually dragged his tired body back to his own room.
"Is there anything you wish to discuss?" Ren asked, concerned.
Jaune smiled, and simply replied "Not just yet."
Ren's face twisted in confusion but was unable to press him further as Nora began to stir, loudly yawning and her stomach grumbling in protest at the large gap between meals. He couldn't help but laugh lightly at her predictability.
"Ahhh, good morning sleep heads," she muttered groggily.
"Morning Nora," he replied, throwing off his cover and standing up to stretch out his sluggish limbs. His scroll buzzed on the side table and he smiled broadly as the sender's name flashed across the screen. "I got a message late last night from Rumpole, by the way. It seems like we'll be getting another mission today at the morning briefing," he explained, trying to contain his excitement.
"Welp, no rest for the wicked, huh?" she said brightly.
"It would certainly look like it," Ren agreed as he too began to rise so they could prepare for the day ahead of them.
"On the bright side, we at least get to have breakfast today," Jaune suggested to a pair of tired faces. Attempting to eat anything this past week while they had been away had been difficult to say the least, and had come down to quickly reheating ration packs whenever they had five minutes to spare in between attacks. "Come on, there should be a few other teams up by now to keep us company. And, if we're quick we can get the oatmeal while it's still warm, I guess." He had another very good reason for wanting to rush down the stairs, but they didn't know that. He grabbed his wash bag and exited towards the showers, quickly tapping away a reply on his scroll, not noticing the look of amused interest that his teammates shared behind him.
Mealtimes were much a less extravagant affair at Shade than they had been previously used to at Beacon or Atlas, mostly due to the bloated population of the city. Civilians were given priority on fresh food, with the huntsmen teams having to survive on more modest meals, like stews with rice or noodles that could be made in large quantities but still packed with vegetables, even if it had become a bit repetitive over time. It was enough to keep them satiated and healthy, but Nora would willingly chew off someone's arm for the necessary ingredients to become available so Ren could whip up a batch of his famous fluffy fruity pancakes from back in Beacon.
This morning, however, the commissary was packed out even though there was still a good hour before assignments were handed out. Most of the tables were already filled with Huntsmen teams laughing and talking loudly, the air buzzing with excitement as their day had finally come. Several crates of fresh fruit lay spread out across the tables and they all happily and greedily tucked into a rare treat of something fresh. Jaune noticed Sun Wukong was perched on the edge of a table, waving his arms around while a shiny green apple swished about it in his tail as Velvet Scarletina laughed heartily at whatever joke he had just told. The rest of her team looked less than impressed with him, but Jaune watched as Sun's smile widened at the sound of her laughter, and he thought back to how her face lit up so brightly last night while they talked.
Jaune, Nora and Ren quickly claimed a large table and began to dig into the provisions available. Admittedly, they were all a bit bruised and battered in places but they were not going to turn down the chance of something nutritious, relishing the taste of the tart apples, succulent peaches and the sweet natural sugars they provided. Conversations flowed readily and they greeted other teams warmly as they passed by. The room had a giddy energy about it that matched how Jaune was feeling in his soul.
He was still riding on the high of the night before, but he felt like they all deserved a small win after months and months of slogging through day after day of supply drops and destroying hordes of Grimm that beat down the city walls. He knew that their future was still tinted by the shadow of the fight that was still to come, but as he laughed and smiled with his team it was the brightest he had felt since returning home from that place.
Steps to his left brought his eye up and he had to stop himself jumping out of his seat as he saw Ruby and her team approach their table. Her silvery white hair glistened in the early morning light, and he saw the coy smile spread across her face as her eyes met his. He greeted them all cheerfully as they took their seats on the bench around them. Nora and Ren were seated across from him, Blake and Yang took the bench to his left while Weiss sat diagonally across from him with Ruby on her right. He couldn't help but keep flicking his eyes towards her own and his mouth twitching at the sides whenever he caught her glance.
"When did you guys get back? I didn't think you'd be back before we left." Ruby exclaimed as she sat down and began to tuck into the fresh produce available to them.
'And I'm very glad that we did,' he thought.
"Yesterday evening," Jaune explained, trying to keep his voice level and his emotions in check. "Qrow sent us home early. I don't think he could handle Marrow and Nora in one place together for much longer." Nora simply stuck her tongue out in reply to her team leaders teasing.
"Rumpole's apparently gonna give us a new mission at the morning briefing," Nora said as she stretched out her back in her seat. "But, I hear you ladies are off on a coastal adventure."
Blake chuckled. "It's hardly going to be a beach holiday. Vacuo needed extra infrastructure built to cope with the increased population, which means that the Grimm now have extra targets to attack."
"Which also means we get to go and spend a week by the sea protecting the de-sali-na-tion plants that make clean water for the city," Ruby finished, taking care to pronounce the word properly, and smiling proudly at herself for getting it correct.
"How long did you spend practising saying that, Rubes?" Yang teased her sister, reaching over to steal one of the grapes off her plate.
"Most of last night," she admitted quietly, earning a few smiles from the table. "Whatever, we have real food to enjoy," she squealed, popping several of the non-pilfered grapes into her mouth at the same time and chewing happily.
"I am certainly not going to complain about having something more nutritious available to us all, even if it is an uncommon occurrence," Weiss said as she meticulously sliced the apple in her hand in half, before chopping off a slice and placing it between her lips. He wanted nothing more than to taste those lips again but had to settle for trying not to stare and draw any unwanted attention.
"Geez, what's got you guys so perky this morning?" Nora asked. "Jaune practically flew out of the door this morning and, I may be seeing things, but it looks like the Ice Queen is actually smiling."
"Nora," Jaune groaned, but he couldn't deny that she was right. She was radiant and seeing her smile so brightly after so many months of struggling with her burdens was a beauty in itself.
"Well, if you must know, I ended up having a really rather pleasant walk around the campus last night and I have been able to re-evaluate a few of the anxieties that I had been carrying with me recently," Weiss stated simply. He hadn't realised that he had been one of those anxieties until last night. Knowing that her feelings towards him changed but being unsure about whether they would be returned must have been an awful worry, but he felt better knowing that particular one had been taken off her shoulders. "Oh, Blake, I meant to say I found a wonderful looking library while I was out walking last night. I'll have to show you once we return home." Weiss said, continuing to cut her food meticulously into bite size pieces.
"Oh, really? Where abouts?" Blake responded enthusiastically. She was a voracious reader and was never going to give up the chance to find a new story to read.
"Hey! It's already hard enough to get her nose out of a book, I need some attention too," Yang complained jovially, as Blake just rolled her eyes.
"It's on the campus on the north side of the school. I had never been up there before," Weiss explained, continuing as if Yang hadn't spoken. "There were all kinds of rooms filled with wonderfully creative passion projects, as well as the library. I swear that every wall was covered in books."
Blake let out an excited ooh, as Yang threw her arms up dramatically, pretending to be wronged at her girlfriend's actions. They all chuckled at the easy banter and the gentle affection. It was reassuring to Jaune to know that even after everything they've been through over the past few years, that when they were together they all could just be their true selves.
"Hey, isn't that round about where you go to think about things, Jaune?" Nora asked, her mouth full of food as she spoke.
"Yeah, there's a room with a piano in it that I like to go to and mull things over while I play." He tried to not let the panic show on his face or in his voice as he replied.
"Huh, what are the chances of you both ending up in the same part of the school last night?" Ruby wondered out loud.
"The school isn't that large Ruby, it would not be difficult for the both of us to end up in the same area of campus," Weiss said, her own voice wavering slightly, her focus now entirely on her plate.
"Really?" Yang asked, her question loaded as she heard the wobble in her voice and her demeanour flip, getting ready to strike. "And you two never ran into each other?"
"Yes," she said
"No," he said.
The room suddenly began to feel very small as five pairs of eyes all flicked between Weiss and himself. His cheeks began to burn under his friends' scrutiny and he was starting to feel like there was not going to be any way they could dig themselves out of this.
"So anyway, do you have an idea what type of mission you'll be given today?" Weiss asked plastering on a broad smile, her voice an octave higher than normal as she desperately tried to deflect the attention off of themselves.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this," Yang said, her mouth turning up into a devilish grin, while Blake's ears flicked to attention atop her head. Nora had a crazed smile on her face, both of her hands planted firmly on the table while Ren, for all he was trying to show indifference had been holding the same piece of food for far longer than was needed. "You both gave different answers. I wonder why would one of you lie?"
"They wouldn't have to unless there was something to lie about," Blake added coolly.
"Which begs the question of…," Nora said menacingly, as she rose from her seat and flashed an accusatory finger back and forth between them. "What were you two doing last night? Secret training session? Illicit underground fighting ring? Or?" she gasped loudly. "You two were making sweet, sweet…"
"NORA!" The shocked voices of Jaune, Weiss, Ren and Blake admonished her loudly, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room. Silence fell across every table, no one dared to move an inch.
"Music," she explained quietly. "I was going to say music. The piano, I erm…" She slowly sat back down in her seat.
Jaune wanted nothing more than to be swallowed whole by a Grimm in that moment, as the rest of the room returned to what it was doing and conversations started back up. He was sweating profusely, and from what he could see of the parts of her face that weren't hidden firmly behind her hands, her cheeks were as bright red as his.
"Well, that part is at least true," he heard her mumble, and he couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. It started small, but it grew and grew until he was holding his sides and shaking fiercely. She soon joined in, as well as everyone else on the table, as they let their tensions fall away from them. "This was not how I had planned for any of this to happen, by that way," she said with a resigned sigh.
"Nope," Jaune answered her. "But could we have really expected anything else?" She looked at him, and she smiled that smile that made his heart soar. It made her brilliant blue eyes sparkle and made her face radiate warmth. It was infectious and he couldn't help but grin in reply.
"I believe it is safe to say then, that the pair of you have admitted your romantic feelings for each other then," Ren stated with a smile, finally putting the food he had been holding into his mouth.
Jaune blinked several times at his friend, and a voice in the corner of his mind had to remind him of what Ren's semblance was. Not only could he mask emotions, but he was an empath, and he had probably known longer than even they had of their changing emotions. "How long have you known?" he asked with a tired sigh.
"Since you reappeared at the top of Shade," Ren answered. "Emotions were understandably running high, but there was only ever one sentiment I saw when you addressed each other."
"Ren, you knew! And you didn't tell me!" Nora wailed dramatically, acting hurt at being left in the dark by her partner.
"It was not my place to interfere, especially when there were more pressing issues to be dealt with," he said flatly. Jaune let his gaze fall briefly. They all had to deal with the fallout from their trip to the Ever After and both Jaune and Weiss had found adjusting to life in Vacuo to be harder than they had anticipated. The locals had not been particularly fond of the Schnees, and he had found that suddenly becoming a fairy tale hero had led to a rather large amount of unwanted and uncomfortable attention. They were both healing, slowly, and they had found themselves leaning on each other, learning to heal side-by-side. "Although, I would have been tempted to do so if this had been drawn out for much longer," he added with a raised eyebrow.
"I would have butted my nose in too, but I was under orders not to get involved," Yang said, earning her a light slap on her mechanical arm from Blake.
"Did everyone here know what was happening before we did?" Weiss frustratedly asked the table.
"Yes," five voices replied, as she let out an exhausted moan.
A sudden burst of bright red petals exploded around him and he found not only himself, but the object of his affections sprawled out on the floor, wrapped up into a tight hug by the small but surprisingly strong frame of Ruby Rose. "Ah, I'm so excited! My two besties are going to be so happy together!" she squealed with delight.
"It would be nice to have more warning the next time you decide to do that, please, Ruby," she mumbled angrily into his shoulder before Ruby released them and they were able to return to the table. Jaune took back the same seat he had occupied before, but Weiss decided to take up the empty seat next to him, sitting close enough to him that he couldn't help but smell the delicate floral scent wafting off her. His heart fluttered as she curved her arm underneath his and let it rest upon his forearm, the same way she had draped her arm under his that afternoon they had spent together. He flashed her a confused expression and all she could do was shrug and say, "The cat is out of the bag. I suppose there is no need for us to hide our fondness for each other around our teams."
"Okay. It's just, you never struck me as the kind of person to be down with public displays of affection, Weiss," he laughed while being perfectly content to have her arm wrapped around his.
"And how is it that you think you know me so well?" She challenged him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
Jaune Arc was never one to back down from a challenge, though sometimes he had to admit to himself that even he had a habit of picking the wrong fights. This one however, was one where he had the perfect strategy in order to secure the victory. With a smirk, he closed the space between them and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. He immediately felt her melt into touch, leaning into him and letting out a short, soft breath. He cut short the embrace and pulled away from her, feeling the eyes of the rest of the table on the pair of them, but his eyes were only upon her. Her cheeks were flushed scarlet again, her mouth moving but no words were able to be formed. With an annoyed huff, she pressed her face against the metal pauldron on his arm, where she eventually managed to sputter out a single word.
"Dolt."
The table erupted into laughter again, and he chuckled knowing she would exact some sort of revenge at some point, so he savoured the moment, leaned into her and placed a kiss upon her head. He felt her push up against him, and he closed his eyes as he too leaned into the contact. With her seated next to him, her head perched on his shoulder, it was the closest he had felt to 'normal' in entirely too long. All that time he had spent waiting, all the times he had cried and all of the pain he had endured melted away with her next to him.
Once her embarrassment had passed, the seven friends returned to their breakfast, chatting away merrily as they ate. Jaune and his team retold stories from their last mission, as well as how Qrow had been getting less patient with Marrows rather enthusiastic nature the longer the mission went on. Plates were cleared, time slipped away easily and they were taken by surprise when they heard Professor Rumpoles voice boom out over the intercom.
"Will all Huntsman teams report for briefing in room 516, I repeat all Huntsman teams are to report for briefing in room 516."
The intercom buzzed as it clicked off and the sounds of benches scraping and resigned grumbles filled the air as the groups that had not already done so, exited the commissary and headed towards their tasks for the day. Jaune couldn't help but feel sad at the disappointment that swelled within him. Realistically, he knew they were going to have to go in different directions today, but this past half hour of the two of them being together in the presence of their friends had been the happiest he had felt for a very long time. He could have been forgiven for forgetting that he had a job that involved being the protector of an entire city of people, slaying dangerous and horrific creatures, and not just a young man spending time with his closest friends and the woman who had seen the best and worst in him, yet she had still chosen to stand firmly at his side.
"I suppose that means we should head to the landing bays then," Weiss said sadly once they too had made their way out of the food hall. She, too, was also apparently feeling the twinge of sorrow at them having to go their separate ways for the next week.
"Don't worry, Weiss," Ruby said brightly. "We'll be back home before you know it," giving her partner a tight squeeze.
"Hey, Ruby, why don't we go on ahead to the bullhead and then Weiss can catch up to us," Yang suggested, peeling her sister off Weiss and pushing her down the hallway with Blake.
Jaune turned to his team, but they were already walking in the opposite direction towards their own assignments, Nora waving her hand back at him as they left. He grinned broadly and thanked whatever piece of good fortune that had handed him such an amazing pair of friends and teammates. He could never thank them enough for what they had done for him, no more so than recently as he was trying to navigate finding his feet again in Remnant. But his focus, now, was on the young woman waiting anxiously for him to turn around. His smile softened as his face met hers, his heart pounding in his chest. He took a few small steps forward, closing the distance between them, and gently took her hand into his.
"Take care of yourself, out there," he said softly. "I'll be waiting for you when you get back."
"I will, as long as you promise to do the same," she replied. They both knew that the other was more than capable of handling anything that the Grimm could hurl at them, but they couldn't help but feel the nervous energy between them. He knew what their job was, he knew that there would be times where they would be separated for prolonged periods of time. So, he wanted to make this first farewell special, something they could carry together while they were apart.
He lifted her chin with his free hand and said, "You're going to kick ass out there, and then you can tell me all about it when you're home."
"How can you be so certain?" she asked, her voice trying to sound confident but he noticed how it wavered slightly.
"Becuase, you are Weiss Schnee, and you are as stubborn as you are beautiful," he spoke honestly, earning him a watery laugh. "And, you need to return this when you get back." He placed his lips against hers once more. Her own free hand settled lightly on his waist and in that moment, he felt invincible. It was just them. No monsters, no worries, just two people sharing a sincere moment.
"Ahem."
He gasped and froze, and so did she, the blood draining from his face. Neither of them had noticed that Winter Schnee had walked in on them, hands clasped behind her back and a wicked smile on her lips. "Well now, Weiss, I have to say you look rather preoccupied."
A beat passed and then she spun around to greet her sister. "Winter, what a wonderful surprise!" she exclaimed stiffly, smoothing out her skirt while trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Hmm. I came to find you to wish you luck and safe travels on your mission away from the city," Winter said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. "I wasn't expecting to find that you had become so, intimate, with one of your comrades." He recognised that low, calculated and teasing tone from his experiences with his own sisters. His mind raced, there were things he wanted to say but he was too flustered for anything to come out. "Come now, Mr Arc, you know how Professor Rumpole feels about tardiness." She confidently strode past them and away down the corridor, her heels echoing off the floor as she left.
His gaze followed her down until she turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Snapping his head back towards his beloved, he managed to finally find something to say. "I, should probably go," he nervously blurted out, pointing in the direction that her sister had gone.
"Yes, I should go too," she said, sticking a thumb over her shoulder. "Take care, Jaune."
"You too, Weiss."
And so they went their separate ways. He raced through the hallways trying to catch up with Winter, and he finally caught up to her as she slipped through the door past the waiting figures of Ren and Nora. They noticed his flustered appearance as he approached them both. They shared an amused look between them before Nora hooked her arm under his. "And here I was hoping we'd get an easy job today," she said brightly.
"Jaune, you have been an excellent leader, and I will truly miss you when you're gone," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Seriously, Ren, from you of all people?" he said crossly. "Winter is a Maiden, she's totally not going to exact painful consequences on me for kissing her baby sister…" They each raised an unconvinced eyebrow in reply. "C'mon, let's just get in there," he said tiredly and he led his team into the room. This week was going to be a test of his patience, a skill that he had had more than enough time to perfect. But he certainly wasn't worried. He trusted her skills and he trusted her team.
She was going to be fine.
He was going to be fine.
They were going to be just fine.