Not for Just Anyone

Nora Valkyrie was a girl of simple pleasures. Having grown up alongside her childhood friend Lie Ren as orphans in a small village on the western shoreline of the kingdom of Vale, she had learned to appreciate the simpler things in life and to live each day with vigor and purpose.

She appreciated the furnished dorm room that they had been assigned to, where she and her teammates often hung out and passed many hours together.

She appreciated being partners with Ren, and being able to spend the majority of her waking hours by his side. Even if they weren't together-together… at least, she hoped, not yet.

She appreciated the friends they had found in the girls of Team RWBY: the energetic, optimistic, talented, and utterly adorable prodigy that was Ruby Rose; Weiss Schnee, the heiress who maintained a strict and cold air about her, yet who also revealed a heart filled with warmth and devotion to her teammates and her friends; Blake Belladonna, the quiet, undercover Faunus girl who often let the others speak for her, but always supported her teammates through her actions and who was happy to share a wise word or two when needed; and Yang Xiao Long, the spirited, feisty blonde who had an infectious smile and would do practically anything to assist the people that she cared for.

She appreciated having her school life, having a safe environment where she and her friends could study to be hunters and huntresses in relative peace, having teachers and a headmaster who obviously cared a great deal about their students, and for the incredibly friendly and easy-to-get-along-with teammates that were Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos.

That last one she mentioned had turned into a cause of severe annoyance for her in recent months; specifically, in the past thirty-two days.

"But whatever do you mean? How could Jaune and Pyrrha possibly be bothering Nora? For that very specific number of days?" you might ask. And there was a very simple explanation for that.

Thirty-two days had elapsed since the Beacon Dance.

…

What? You need me to elaborate? Ugh, fine.

The Beacon Dance had been a special night for the members of Team JNPR; at least, she thought that was the case. Of course she had been happy that Ren had asked her to the dance, and that she had a fun-filled night dancing and chatting with her stoic childhood friend. But what had made her night was when Jaune approached Pyrrha wearing a dress and asked his partner to dance with him. She and Ren had joined their teammates in a coordinated dance routine (That they somehow all perfectly synchronized for. Yay teamwork!), and to her delight she watched her two of her favorite people have a great time with each other for the rest of that night.

After that night, she expected Jaune and Pyrrha's relationship to advance to the next level. From the first week that she and Ren had been paired with them to form a team, it was clear to her that the other half of their team were head-over-heels for one another. It was incredibly obvious if you just took a few minutes to watch how they interacted with one another, like she did.

How they constantly stole glances at one another during quiet moments when the team was hanging out in their dormitory.

How the two would blush lightly whenever they had unexpected physical contact and would hurriedly stutter quiet apologies to each other.

How they constantly did the nicest little things for each other that clearly showed that they cared for each other.

She had high hopes for the weeks following the dance, where apparently Pyrrha had been clearer about her feelings for Jaune than ever before. She was expecting her blonde-haired team leader to take his partner out on dates, for the two to become more intimate with each other, for some manner of change to show in their relationship.

So it goes without saying that she was incredibly irritated when, even after a month after the night where Jaune and Pyrrha should have gotten enough of a clue to take at least one step forward together, nothing had changed between them.

Not. One. Blasted. Thing.

She wouldn't be so upset at her two teammates if she wasn't completely sure that they were perfect for each other.

She wouldn't be so upset with them if it wasn't abundantly clear that they loved each other, and that the only thing stopping them was completely unfounded hesitation from both parties involved.

But they were perfect for each other. And both of them were their own biggest obstacles in what she could only describe as a straight shot to a happy ending. And that irked her to no end. She would be damned if she had to wait until they were sixty for them to realize their love for each another; and at the pace that they were going, that idea was beginning to seem less and less of a far-fetched possibility.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she looked up from the table she was resting her head on. They were in the school library, each attending to their own devices. Ren was seated to her right, and was busy slowly flipping through the pages of a large text book covering the history of Vacuo, information which the students suspected would be in Professor Oobleck's next big history test. Across from her, Pyrrha was tutoring Jaune on combat tactics to be used in different scenarios against different types of Grimm. She felt the happy atmosphere between the two people she wanted to scream at to get together-together already; and although she was happy that they were at such ease with one another, she was saddened (and a bit angry) that they didn't seem to realize that they could be so much more.

She watched them chat idly together as Pyrrha explained the nuances of using evasive hit-and-run tactics while fighting against an Ursa Major. She smiled softly as she observed the two, but her eye suddenly twitched as she caught the motion of their hands moving towards the same pencil at the exact same time.

She knew exactly how this would play out. The same way that similar instances played out ever since they had formed their team.

Jaune's hand reached the pencil first, and his hand met Pyrrha's as he moved to lift the writing utensil to jot down notes. A simultaneous gasp escaped from the pair's lips, and their cheeks colored a light shade of crimson as they stuttered embarrassed apologies to each other.

Of course.

Same old Jaune and Pyrrha.

Like the night of the Beacon Dance had never happened.

She couldn't take it anymore. She just couldn't. Something had to be done.

Something was going to be done.

"I'm going to go take care of some… things." Nora announced as she slowly rose from her chair. Though the suppressed fury in her voice escaped the notice of her team leader and his partner, Ren raised an eyebrow at her, prompting a slow widening of her smile.

"Is it something you need help with?" he asked verbally. The black haired boy's eyes shot a different question: "Is something wrong?"

Nora fought to keep her smile intact as she replied with a cheery "No, I'll be fine Renny! Stay here and study!" She slowly turned around before looking over her shoulder to shoot Ren a look that clearly said "Stay out of this" before she skipped away from her team.

She had materials to gather, a sign to type and print, a spy shop to visit, a video tutorial of how to set up a wireless spy camera to look up and watch, and a janitor to talk to.

This was going to happen. And nothing, not even Ren, was going to stop her.

Ren shook his head as he watched Nora disappear into the hallway outside the Beacon Library. He knew that look she had in her eyes, and from past experience he knew that that he was powerless to stop whatever Nora had planned. He turned his attention back to the history book before him; or, he tried, before his concentration was interrupted by the sound of muffled giggling coming from across the table.

He looked up to see Pyrrha holding back a fit of laughter as Jaune beamed at her with an expression of pride. He was happy that Jaune and Pyrrha understood each other so well, and that they got along so well. Really, he was.

However, it baffled him that they still hadn't realized how they felt about each other even after all the time they had spent together. Was it because Jaune didn't think he was good enough for her? Was Pyrrha waiting for Jaune to take the initiative? Or was she waiting for the perfect moment to confess?

Either way, he felt that it wasn't his place to interfere with their relationship without being asked.

His thoughts wandered to the way that Nora had left the library. It was unusual for her to go anywhere without him, and the look that she shot at him before her departure was not one he saw often. He decided to do a bit of mental backtracking to see if he could figure out what might have set Nora off.

What happened before she left in such a huff?

"She was taking a nap." he thought.

"Then she woke up and stared at Jaune and Pyrrha for a good five minutes before she snapped out of her thoughts."

What else?

"She had mixed expressions on her face as she watched Pyrrha and Jaune study."

Was that it?

"No. Right before she got up, she saw Pyrrha and Jaune reach for the same pencil, and their hands-"

Ren's eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on him. He could understand Nora's desire to see Jaune and Pyrrha finally get together, but he didn't think that she would do anything drastic. Or that something so minor could irritate her to that degree.

… Then again, that look in her eyes said something different…

Ren fished his scroll out of his pocket and typed a quick message. He prayed that his suspicions were not correct, but given the circumstances they were, unfortunately, likely to be true.

"Nora, are you going to try to make Jaune and Pyrrha get together?"

He waited patiently. One minute passed. Then two. Then three. Then-

"I won't let you stop me, Ren. This needs to happen."

He let out an audible groan as he read Nora's response, which didn't even try to deny his suspicions. As the pair before him gave him a questioning look, he quickly considered his options.

He could let Jaune know what was likely to happen and pass the burden of dealing with Nora onto him.

Or…

"Nora needs me to help out with what she's doing. I'll see you back at the dorm." Ren replied coolly as he rose from his chair and pushed it in before excusing himself. As he made his way out of the library, he tapped a new message to his childhood friend; one that he was almost certain that he was going to regret.

But as the old saying goes: "If you can't beat 'em…"

"Tell me what I can do to help."

"…join 'em."

After a bit of discussion, Nora and Ren had decided to split the responsibilities that needed to be taken care in order to successfully carry out Nora's plan.

Ren would handle going into town, buying the supplies they needed, and learning how to set up the wireless camera and microphone.

Nora would convince the janitor to loan them his supply closet, would type and print the sign she was going to use, and tracking down the piece of equipment that would secure the success of their little scheme.

After dividing their responsibilities into manageable portions, Ren made for the Bullhead docks, while Nora began her trek back and forth across the school. The two cohorts reconvened at their dorm room ninety minutes later, their preparations entirely successful. Ren and Nora snuck over to the janitor's closet and installed the wireless camera, then made sure that his scroll was able to receive the images and sounds picked up by the device.

After doing a quick audio and visual check, all that was left to do was wait for Jaune and Pyrrha to exit the library. Ren was assigned to watchman duty, while Nora went off to ensure that their key pieces of equipment were ready to be deployed. After she moved everything into position, her scroll went off with a low chime.

"Jaune and Pyrrha have left the library. Pyrrha is going to get sandwiches for them from the cafeteria; Jaune is headed your way."

"Reeeeeeeeeen. I thought we agreed that Jaune would be 'Mister Oblivious' and Pyrrha would be 'Miss Bashful'!"

"Nora, focus. Keep an eye out for Jaune. And try not to hurt him."

"Roger that!"

After a few minutes of tense anticipation, Nora saw a scraggly head of hair heading down the hallway she was monitoring, and her lips widened into an eager grin.

"It's go time."

Jaune Arc was in a fantastic mood. He had gone over a lot of material with Pyrrha while they were at the library, and he was feeling more confident about his academics thanks to her fantastic teaching abilities. He couldn't figure out how she managed it, but Pyrrha seemed to have an uncanny knack for breaking down the information he needed to learn into a simple form that even he had an easy time understanding.

He honestly owed Pyrrha a lot; his refinement as a fighter, his steadily improving grades, and his growing self-confidence were all thanks to the diligent efforts of Pyrrha. He didn't understand what he had done to deserve such a fantastic and caring partner, but he wouldn't trade his friendship with her for anything else in the universe.

Of course, he tried to pay her back in whatever ways he could. He paid for her lunch and dinner whenever the opportunity arose (and whenever she would allow him to do so), he happily accompanied her when she went shopping for school essentials and weapon maintenance supplies, and he was always happy to lend her his ear whenever something was bothering her.

There were also a few instances where he tapped into his other skills to show his gratitude to her; skills that he'd rather keep secret, largely because he considered his hidden abilities to be highly effeminate or unimportant to his chosen career. Things like cooking, sewing, giving massages, and dancing; things that he felt would be of greater benefit to a normal person, but not so much for a Huntsman.

Skills that he sometimes wished he could trade in to improve him combat abilities.

When he revealed the rest of his hidden talents to Pyrrha (since he had willingly exposed his ability to dance at the Beacon Dance) he made her swear not to tell anyone else about them, promising that he would tell their friends about it when he was ready. And although she made it clear that she didn't quite get why he was being so secretive, she kept her word and didn't breathe a word of Jaune's hidden skills, not even to Ren and Nora.

His trust in her began to grow after that. Slowly but surely, he opened up to her like he had no one else before. He told her about things that he would never speak of to anyone else; his hopes, his dreams, his fears, his insecurities… even some of his more personal secrets were divulged to Pyrrha as they chatted while they rested after their nightly training sessions, just sharing stories and staring at the stars.

Jaune had to admit that Pyrrha was a special existence to him. Never before had he found someone who believed in him unconditionally like Pyrrha did. He had never been able to open up to someone the way he did with Pyrrha, and he knew that it wasn't a coincidence that he felt so comfortable revealing his innermost thoughts, fears, and feelings to her. She accepted every facet of him, tried to help him rise above his weaknesses and his insecurities, and was overall a constant positive presence in his life. He appreciated Pyrrha's friendship, considered her one of the best friends he'd ever had, and wouldn't trade his partnership with her for anything in the world. No; the universe.

This brought him to his current conundrum, however. For a while now, he had been getting these odd pangs of longing whenever he looked at Pyrrha for more than a few seconds. The weird feeling had sprung up about two months ago and had been tugging at the edge of his mind for many restless nights. However, it wasn't until the Beacon Dance that he finally understood what his feelings meant.

He realized that he wanted more from his relationship with Pyrrha, more than what they already had. He realized that he didn't just want to be her best friend; he wanted to romance her, to kiss her, to love her, to hold her tight, and to have her all to himself.

This, of course, did nothing to alleviate the stabs of longing that plagued his heart; if anything, they had become all the worse after that night. Even more so as his imagination ran wild with what Pyrrha might have meant with the words she said to him while they were alone together on the upstairs balcony of the ballroom.

"I guess… you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with; someone who just saw me for me."

Oh, how his mind had run away with those words that Pyrrha had spoken. The mental self-arguments kept him up late at night, plagued his mind even during his classes, and even popped into his head at the worst possible times during his private training sessions with Pyrrha. He received many an avoidable bruise due to his scandalous thoughts distracting him during his training.

He couldn't deny that he would be elated if she actually was interested in him. But at the same time, his self-criticisms and his self-doubts constantly screamed inside his mind that he wasn't good enough for Pyrrha; that he did not deserve her, even if she might like him. This sentiment, coupled with his desire to be closer to Pyrrha, were constantly at odds with one another, and at times the emotional hurricane that raged in his head was almost too much to bear. It was joyful yet agonizing at the same time, and Jaune could only be swept into confusion whenever the tempestuous feelings decided to wage war inside his head.

His thoughts were interrupted as heard a voice from behind him whisper three simple words.

"Sorry about this."

The next moment, something impacted the left side of his head and sent him crashing into the wall beside him, and before he could even register what had happened his world faded to black.

Did she need to use Magnhild to knock Jaune out? Maybe not.

Was it the most efficient and discreet way to knock Jaune out? Probably not.

Did she giggle a bit as she watched Jaune's unconscious body slump down to the floor, his face pressed against the now heavily-damaged wall? And did she barely resist the temptation to shout 'Fore!' as she swung?

… She declines to make a comment for those last two questions.

After checking to make sure that Jaune was still alive (thank God for Aura), she took her scroll out of her pocket and was about to text Ren when the device buzzed. Curious, Nora activated the screen to find that he had sent her a simple, yet obviously accusatory message.

"Nora. What did you do?"

"Whatever do you mean, Ren? I secured the target, and I'm about to tie him up so we can move into Phase Three."

"How did you knock him out?"

"… I did… a thing. Why?"

"Jaune's Aura suddenly dropped from green to red in the span of one second. Care to explain?"

"… Moving on to Phase Three! I'll tie Jaune up and put him in the janitor's closet with the sign taped to him. You still have a visual of Pyrrha, right?"

"Yes, Nora."

"Good. Let me know if she starts heading my way."

Nora put away her scroll and pulled out the rope that Ren had bought during his brief trip to the city. With practiced and terrifying precision, she tied up her team leader's hands and wrists, and then hoisted him over her shoulder as she made her way to the janitor's closet. She gently dropped Jaune inside the small room, then knelt down and taped the sign she printed to his forehead. She then moved over to the spot where the wireless camera was hidden and powered on, performed one last check to make sure that her scroll was receiving the live feed, and then exited the closet, shutting the door behind her.

"Phase two-and-a-half complete. And now, we play the waiting game…"

…

"Who the heck had the idea to call waiting a game!? Waiting is boring, and games are supposed to be fun! Waiting isn't a game! It's a… um… un-game! Yeah!"

Pyrrha hummed happily to herself as she exited the dining hall, the box of sandwiches that she had bought tucked safely under her arm. She was particularly pleased with Jaune's efforts to improve himself academically tonight, as he had sought her out for tutoring on some of the subjects that he was having difficulty with, completely of his own volition. He had come a long way from those days where he felt like he needed to do everything on his own; and personally, she loved having another excuse to spend time alone with the object of her affections.

She had harbored feelings for her partner for quite a while now. She was intrigued by him when she saw him at the assembly on their first day at Beacon; that intrigue grew into slight interest when she found that he did not know who she was, and when he treated her as a normal person; and slowly but surely, her feelings bloomed into full-blown love for Jaune as she spent more time with him, learned about him, and watched him grow as a person. She loved everything about him; his dorky mannerisms, his "never give up" attitude, his kindness, his sincerity, his willingness to befriend anyone and everyone he could, and even his shy, insecure side. She adored every facet of his being, and she found herself very attracted to both who he was and how he looked.

These feelings in her heart made the way that Jaune had been acting for the past month or so all the more confusing for her.

Ever since the night of the Beacon Dance, she had noticed a few slight changes in Jaune's behavior. Very minor, subtle changes; but changes that caught her attention regardless. Things like how he would shift slightly closer to her when they sat next to each other in the dining hall or in their dorm. Things like how she caught him stealing glances at her at random times during the day. Like how he sometimes looked at her with an intent gaze that held emotions which she couldn't really identify yet excited her for some reason, and how he seemed to be far more comfortable with initiating physical contact with her. Things like letting her use his shoulder as a pillow while they rested after training, or how he would offer her massages whenever she showed discomfort in her shoulders, her arms, or sometimes her back. She would usually look away from him, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment, as Jaune used his magic fingers to banish any knots or stiffness from her body; and although she didn't understand his reasoning, she kept her promise to him to stay silent about his hidden talent.

She might not be incredibly experienced with romantic issues, but even she knew that these changes and touches must mean something; or at least, she hoped that was the case. But if that was the case, why wasn't Jaune doing anything beside that? Why was he stopping at just being physically closer to her? Was he taking things slowly? Was that all he wanted, or would allow himself to have? Questions like these filled Pyrrha's mind and constantly tugged at her mind whenever she looked at her partner.

These thoughts, feelings, and confusion had recently culminated into a single, undeniable truth in her mind:

She was no longer satisfied with just being Jaune's best friend. She wanted more, so much more out of her relationship with him.

This realization came with its own set of problems, however. She didn't know about how Jaune felt about her, no matter what his body language and recent actions might say. She also did not want to pursue a potentially false notion only to make things awkward between them, and possibly risk losing her best friend. Yet, she could not deny the longing in her heart; she could not deny the dreams she had been having recently where she would be embraced by a shirtless Jaune, hear his voice whispering sweet nothings to her, feel his breath tickle her neck, see his eyes swimming with passion and desire.

Dreams that made her wake at the ungodly hours of the morning, breathless and far too warm, an odd, unfamiliar itch between her legs.

And although she was able to maintain a front that everything was the same between them, she could feel herself slowly slipping as her emotions raged and screamed like a storm inside her heart. She did not know what to do about her intense affections for Jaune; but she had to do something soon, or she feared that she might start to lose her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a low chime from her scroll. Curious, she pulled the device out of her pocket to find the icon for "unread alert" flashing on her screen. She tapped at the screen for a few moments, and her eyes widened in horror as she flipped to the Team JNPR status screen.

Jaune's aura was in the red.

She gave no thought as to what might have happened, or if perhaps the device was malfunctioning. After all, why would Jaune's Aura drop so dramatically at this time of night? But no, her mind was filled with a single, terrifying thought.

"Jaune is in danger."

She sprinted to find her teammates with the sandwiches still in tow, not noticing a hidden teen clad in green pulling out his scroll and frantically tapping at the screen. In minutes she was at the hallway that led to her team's dorm room, but to her relief found Nora waving at her a little further down the hall.

"Pyrrha! Come quick! Someone knocked Jaune out and stuffed him in the janitor's closet!"

Fueled by her concern for her partner, Pyrrha made a mad dash for the aforementioned janitor's closet. She failed to notice the mischievous grin on her teammate's face, or the gigantic, ornate mahogany wardrobe that was incredibly out of place next to the open door of the janitor's closet, or the fact that the light was turned on inside. She blindly rushed into the cramped room at the sight of her unconscious partner, whose back was turned to her, and quickly sat at his side after putting down the box of sandwiches that had somehow remained tucked under her arm.

"Jaune! Wake up! Who did this to you!? Nora, can you help me-"

Pyrrha's worried questions were interrupted by the sound of the closet door closing and locking, which was quickly followed by very loud "thud" directly outside. She ran over to the door and used her Semblance to open the lock. However, when she pushed against the door it didn't move at all. After a failed attempt to shoulder-tackle the door open, she heard Nora's voice from outside.

"Pyrrha! Read the note!"

"Nora!? There's something blocking the door, can you-"

"Nope! Now go read the note!"

"What note!? Did you do-"

"It's on Jaune's face! READ IT!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

Utterly lost on what was happing to her, Pyrrha sighed and walked back over to her partner and rolled him over. She saw a piece of paper with text printed on it taped to Jaune's head, and she hurriedly pulled the note off of Jaune's head. This elicited a sharp yelp from Jaune, who woke up with a start as the tape pulled on his skin, leaving a red mark on his forehead.

"O-oh! I'm sorry, Jaune!"

"Pyrrha? What the heck is going on? Where are we?"

"Nora seems to have trapped us in the janitor's closet." Pyrrha sighed. "And she won't let us out until… well, she told me to read the note she stuck to your head."

"Did you try unlocking the door with your Semblance?"

"Yes, Jaune. It seems like she blocked the door with something extremely heavy. And whatever it is, it isn't made of metal."

"Oh… well, fine. Let's look at that note then." Jaune said, gesturing at the piece of paper in Pyrrha's hand. "Oh, and if you could also help me out of these ropes, that'd be fantastic."

Pyrrha nodded and moved closer to him, undoing the knot on Jaune's wrist bindings first so that he could assist her in remove the ropes wrapped around his ankles. Once his restraints were gone, he and Pyrrha lifted the paper to the dim light inside the closet and began to read.

Dear Pyrrha and Jaune,

First off, I want to apologize for all of the trouble. And I'm sorry for knocking you out with Magnhild, Jaune. But I can't take it anymore. You guys have been acting like things are still the same even though we all know something had to have changed between you two after the Dance. So. I found a three-hundred pound wardrobe that no one was using (clearly), and I have sealed you two inside of the Janitor's closet. You are going to talk about your relationship, talk about how you feel about each other (romantically, obviously), and I will not let you out until you do so. You two are endlessly circling one of the greatest opportunities of your lives, and I refuse to let you two lose out on love just because you're both too nervous to act. Okay? Okay.

Best of luck to you both,

Nora

P.S. I'm dead serious about keeping you two in here as long as is necessary. I don't care who I have to fight; Glynda, Professor Port, Professor Oobleck, even Ozpin. I. Will. Fight. Them. All. So make with the touchy-feely chatter and such, alright? Kk, toodles~

"You know, it's slightly terrifying how this all fell into place. Imagine if Nora was like this all the time."

Pyrrha let out a soft giggle at Jaune's comment before she turned to survey the cramped room. The right-hand side of the cramped space had two sets of large shelves that held an assortment of tools, adhesives, cleaning solutions, and other such cleaning and repair essentials. The ceiling light was a hanging fluorescent light fixture suspended by wires and chains attached to the center of the lamp which disappeared into the ceiling. There was just enough room for the two of them to sit down with a comfortable distance between them.

A low grumbling noise echoed slightly in the room, and Pyrrha turned to see Jaune completely red-faced and looking down at the floor with an extremely bashful expression.

"I… uh… was waiting for those sandwiches you said you were gonna get us…"

"Funny you should mention those, I actually have the box here." Pyrrha replied as she reached behind her and set the box that had mysteriously not been crushed in spite of her mad dash to find Jaune. She opened the container and handed Jaune a sandwich before taking one for herself.

"I suppose we could look at this as a private meal together in a secluded place." Pyrrha thought to herself, smiling as she did. "Silver linings, as my mother used to say."

"Reeeeeeen. They're just eating."

"I know, Nora. Give them some time, they must be hungry."

"Ugh, fiiiiiine."

Ren and Nora sat side-by-side, leaning against the wardrobe as Nora munched on the snacks that Ren had brought for them to eat while waiting out Pyrrha and Jaune. Ren opted to sit cross-legged and meditate to pass the time while Nora kept her eyes on the screen of her scroll, waiting to see if anything would transpire between their two teammates.

"You… don't actually plan to keep them in there as long as necessary, right Nora?"

"Oh, no. I'm going to make good on that promise, Ren. They're not getting out of there until they've had a serious talk about their relationship."

Ren shook his head slightly before returning to his meditation. He knew that Nora believed without a shadow of a doubt that Jaune and Pyrrha were perfect for each other; and in all honesty, even he could tell that the two cared very deeply for each other, far beyond the normal standards of what would be considered "best friends". He noticed the glances filled with longing that Pyrrha had directed at their team leader for the longest time, and he noticed Jaune's recent attempts to initiate more physical contact with his partner. He also noticed the intent yet hesitant looks that Jaune had been giving Pyrrha for the past few weeks, and these signs led him to believe that Jaune and Pyrrha were both interested in being more than "just friends". Although he didn't approve of Nora's methods, he did agree that it was about time that the two sat down and talked about their feelings for one another. His teammates had something truly special within their reach; they just needed the courage to reach out and claim it.

"Do… we want to know what's going on here?"

Nora and Ren looked up at the same time and found the four members of Team RWBY staring down at them quizzical looks.

"More importantly, where are Pyrrha and Jaune?" Yang asked as Ruby zipped over to Nora and peered over at the scroll in her hands.

"They're in the janitor's closet, behind this big, heavy wardrobe I found." Nora replied simply, patting the spot beside her so that Ruby could sit down. "And they aren't getting out until they have a serious talk about their relationship and their feelings for one another."

Clearly not the answer they were expecting, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang could only stare at Nora for a few seconds as they processed the information that was just revealed to them. Weiss, ever the rationalist, snapped out of her stupor first and spoke.

"Nora, are you crazy!? You can't just hold people captive like-"

"Oh, so you want to fight about it." Nora cut in, rising to her feet and stretching her arms before readying Magnhild.

"What? No! Well, I mean-"

"Listen. Weiss." Nora spoke slowly in a sickly-sweet tone that froze the blood of everyone present, including Ren. "I'm tired of watching Pyrrha and Jaune tip-toe around each other like the Dance never happened. They are going to sit and talk in that closet until they figure their relationship out; and anyone who tries to interfere will have to go through me."

"But-"

"Weiss." Nora cut in again, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder and sending incredibly uncomfortable chills down Weiss' spine. "I will fight anyone who tries to move that wardrobe and let them out. I don't care if it's you, I don't care if it's Glynda; heck, I'll even take on Ozpin if I have to. But those two need to have this talk, and so help me god, they are going to have this talk."

The four girls could barely let out a whimper, or any noise of any kind. They had never seen Nora this intent before, or this potentially livid. They were frozen out of fear of this new side of Nora, which they all agreed they should stay on the good graces of. Slowly, Weiss lowered her hands and inched away from the wardrobe until Nora's fierce expression turned back into its usual, happy countenance.

"Good!" Nora beamed cheerily, eliciting a sigh of relief from all those present. "Now, who wants to see what's going on with Pyrrha and Jaune?"

"You know," Jaune began as he finished the last of his final sandwich slice, "this isn't the first time I've been locked in a closet."

"Did it have something to do with your sisters?"

"Yep." Jaune sighed before smiling lightly at the memory. "Roo and Ciel wanted me to take them to a Spruce Willis movie, but I turned them down because they already asked my parents and they already said 'no'. So they decided to take revenge by trapping me in my bedroom closet for the rest of the day until it was time for dinner."

"Oh, goodness." Pyrrha replied, giggling lightly. "Your sisters sound like quite a handful."

"Tell me about it." Jaune groaned. "And that's only some of the stuff that my twin younger sisters do. My five older sisters have done much worse."

"Oh, you did mention that you grew up with seven sisters at… um… the dance." Pyrrha murmured softly, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Y-yeah… well, hey, how'd you know I was in trouble?" Jaune asked, in hopes of changing the topic.

"Oh! Well, there was an alert from our 'Team Status' app on my scroll, and I saw that your Aura had suddenly dropped into the red. I thought you were in danger, so I took off sprinting back to the dorms. I found Nora, ran inside the closet and… well, here we are."

"You ran all the way here from the cafeteria!?"

"Well… yes. I thought you were in danger. Nothing else mattered to me."

"God… your legs must be killing you then, huh?"

"Yes, my muscles are still feeling a bit strained." Pyrrha winced slightly as she ran her hand over her right leg. "I suppose that just goes to show how important it is to warm up your muscles before doing anything rigorous."

"Let me massage your legs, then. It's the least I can do after you strained yourself because of me."

Pyrrha froze at Jaune's proposal, a dark crimson blush searing her cheeks. Yes, he had massaged her shoulders, her arms, even her back before; but her legs? That… would certainly be something new to her.

Part of her wanted to turn down Jaune's offer, if only for the sake of modesty. She wasn't even sure if he knew the potential implications that his query held, and she was slightly embarrassed at the thought of Jaune touching her legs, her thighs. The other part of her was overjoyed that Jaune was being so forward in offering her such potentially intimate contact, even if she was wearing her usual black tights under her skirt. That part of her was eagerly screaming for her to take up Jaune's offer, to let his magic fingers soothe her aching leg muscles and whatever else he might touch, implications be damned.

In the end, the latter side of her won out.

She nodded shyly to him as she laid down on her stomach. She let out a soft gasp as Jaune slid his legs under hers and removed her shoes. Any words of protest she might have had died in her throat as her partner began to massage her feet, allowing only light moans and gasps of pleasure and contentment to escape her lips as he began working out knots that she wasn't aware even existed.

"It's almost criminal how good he is at this." Pyrrha thought to herself as her lips curled into a soft, happy smile.

Professor Ozpin walked down the halls of his academy, coffee cup in one hand and cane in the other as he contemplated the day's events. He had balanced the school's budget, filed several tax forms, met with a few students to discuss various topics of importance, and had finally gotten Glynda off of his back about the coffee beans imported from Vacuo that he insisted were of the utmost importance in his ability to operate on a day-to-day basis.

Well, at least that was partly true. He'd probably sleep through half of the day if he didn't have regular doses of his preferred brew to keep him awake.

As the Headmaster of an academy full of future Hunters and Huntresses, he made it a point to keep up with the affairs of his students as much as possible, and to maintain himself as an open, approachable figure in case his students ever needed anything. This evening, he felt inspired to take a trek through the hallways of the student dorms, partly (read: largely) because Glynda had made comments about students making excessive noise and loitering in the halls in the recent week.

Excitement over the looming Vytal Festival, he had assured her; and yet, her desire (read: O.C.D.) to maintain the order of the school had driven him to check things out, if only to sate her paranoia.

"Since when can Jaune give massages!? Great massages, judging from the sounds that Pyrrha's making…"

Ozpin caught the sound of a familiar voice that likely belonged to a certain fifteen year-old girl talking about a pair of students that he was currently betting for within his staff's gambling pool of potential student pairings. His curiosity now piqued, he walked in the direction where the voice seemed to originate from; and as he rounded the corner, he was met with quite the peculiar sight.

An enormous, ornate mahogany wardrobe was sitting in a spot that obviously blocked off the janitor's closet, if memory served correctly. In front of the large piece of furniture sat six of his admittedly favorite students; five of whom were staring intently at the screen of the same scroll, while the only male of the group sat in silent meditation. As he approached, he heard the sounds of soft moans and gasps, which caused the professor to briefly raise an eyebrow. Moving quietly, he made his way behind the group of students so that he could see exactly what was so interesting about Ms. Valkyrie's scroll.

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly as he beheld the spectacle that his students were watching with such intensity; it seemed that Jaune Arc was in the middle of giving Pyrrha Nikos a leg massage, which the young woman seemed to be enjoying greatly. The gears turned in Ozpin's brain, swiftly piecing together what was going on, and a small smile formed on the aged Huntsman's lips. Noticing that his presence had yet to be noticed, he decided to engage in a bit of mischief.

"It seems that whatever scheme you've hatched involving Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc is going quite well."

Ozpin struggled to keep himself from smiling as his students almost bowled over in surprise. The members of Team RWBY began sputtering hurried explanations and excuses as to what they were doing in front of the obstructed janitor's closet, while Ms. Valkyrie shot a careful glance at him before returning her attention to her scroll. After taking a few moments to bask in the chaos that he had caused, Ozpin raised his mug, silencing the team of Huntresses-in-training.

"There's no need to panic. I too feel it is about time that Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc had the opportunity to discuss their relationship; granted that I never expected them to have to be forced into it. A means to an end, I suppose."

He smiled into his mug as he took another quaff of his java, briefly drinking in the shocked expressions of the members of Team RWBY before he continued speaking. "Do keep me informed as to the results of this little escapade; I'm curious to see what their relationship will become once this is all over."

Satisfied with himself and excited to think that Peter and Bartholomew might owe him some Lien in the morning, Ozpin began to go off on his merry way. After a few steps, however, he paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, and if Professor Goodwitch happens to come by, let her know that you have my blessing for all of this and that I will make sure that everything is taken care of in the morning. If she asks for proof, which she probably will, tell her 'I'll treat you to tea at Leaves in the Garden tomorrow at noon.' Farewell until tomorrow, and of course the best of luck to Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc."

Ozpin grinned to himself as walked away from the group of thoroughly stunned teenagers, and even began humming a merry tune. He considered moments like these to be one of the major perks of his job: being able to interact with his students and watching them grow into proper, upstanding adults.

Though, his position also allowed him the freedom to choose how he did so.

"It's good to be the king. Or the Headmaster, be that as it may."

"You mentioned your two younger sisters; 'Roo' and 'Ciel', I think? Is that their actual names? Or nicknames that you've given them?" Pyrrha asked, gasping in delight as Jaune began working on a knot in her lower back. Although she was wholly enjoying her now full-body massage, she was curious about Jaune's siblings, and decided that getting to know a little more about her partner's family would be a fun way to pass the time.

"Well, Ciel and Rouge are the actual names of my twin sisters. As for why we call Rouge 'Roo', it's actually because that's what Ciel called her when they were younger. The nickname just seemed to stick, and Roo never really minded being called that."

"So it was a happy coincidence, then." Pyrrha smiled. "What about your older sisters? Can you -oh, that's a tender spot; please be gentle- tell me a about them too?"

"Alright, alright. Starting from the top, my older sister is Veridia Arc, but we all just call her 'Ver'. She's eight years older than me, and she's a fully licensed Huntress. She graduated from Beacon Academy four years ago, and she mostly travels the world now since she usually signs up for really long missions that take years to complete."

"Oh, I see. Has she able to keep in touch with you and your family?"

"Yeah. She calls our parents every week or so, just to check in and let us know that she's alright. She has some kind of special-issue scroll that lets her tap into the CCT from basically anywhere. Now, my second and third eldest sisters are actually twins too. Blanche and Marron Arc; they're six years older me, and as of right now, they run a local newspaper back where I grew up. And honestly speaking they are really, really good journalists. They're also the two people responsible for developing all of my little hidden skills."

"Oh~ so now I know who to thank for -oh, yes, right there- these wonderful massages you've been giving me."

"Yep. They also made me cook when Mom was busy, had me repair and tailor their outfits, forced me to learn the guitar and sing for the three months that they felt inspired to form a band, and made me their practice partner when they were preparing for their school dances. 'Slavers' doesn't even begin to describe them."

"But Jaune, you gained so many useful skills thanks to the things you did with them!"

"I guess that's one way to look at it." Jaune thought for a moment before nodding. "Anyway, were was I… Oh! Okay, so my fourth older sister is Sara Arc, and she's five years older than me. Her actual name is 'Sarcella', but that's a little tough to say, so she decided that we should just call her 'Sara'."

"She just decided on a nickname for herself?"

"Uh-huh. She's a bit eccentric like that."

"Very interesting. Oh, what does she do for a living?"

"She works in the Dust Research and Development department of Shade Academy. She's actually a fully-licensed Huntress, but she's always loved experimenting with Dust so she chose to stay at the Academy. It's part of the reason why Blanche and Marron never let her get anywhere near the stove. Or the kitchen, now that I think about it."

Pyrrha giggled softly as she imagined Jaune's sister blowing up the kitchen during a Dust experiment. "She sounds like a very interesting person. Oh, I think you have one sister left to talk about?"

"Right. Vi was born three years before me, and honestly she's the most gentle out of all of my sisters. Her actual name is Violetta, and she works as a medic in my hometown. She works hard while she's at the town's clinic, but she tends to really slack off once she gets back home from work."

"Your sisters seem like quite a -not there, a little bit higher… oh, yes, there, thank you- unique group of women. Thank you for telling me about them, Jaune."

"Hey, I'm always happy to talk about my sisters. As much as they were a pain in the butt sometimes, I know that they love me, and I love them back too." Jaune smiled, his hands moving up to work on Pyrrha's shoulders. A thought appeared in his head, but he hesitated for a moment, wondering if the question might be overstepping his bounds.

"Is something wrong?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the sudden stiffening of Jaune's fingers.

"I… um… Pyrrha? Would it be alright for me to ask about your parents, too? I mean, you rarely talk about them, so I don't know if it's a touchy subject for you. "

Jaune could feel Pyrrha stiffen slightly through his fingers, confirming his suspicions in his mind.

"I'll tell you about them. My parents, I mean."

"Pyrrha, I felt your back muscles clench when I asked you about them. It's fine, you don't have to talk about them if you don't want to."

"Jaune." Pyrrha spoke with a firm yet comforting tone, turning over so she could look her partner in the eye. "I want to tell you about them. Partly because it's only fair since you've been so open about your family, but mostly because I… I want you to know."

Jaune stared into his partner's eyes for a few moments before sighing in defeat. He smiled softly at Pyrrha and made a motion for her to continue speaking as she rolled over so that he could continue massaging her shoulders.

"I don't suppose you've heard the name 'Iksander Nikos' before, have you?"

"No, I haven't. Sorry. Is it safe to assume that he's your dad?"

"Yes, he is." Pyrrha smiled softly as the image of her father came to mind. A full head taller, her father was a large, powerful man with combed-back hair the same crimson color as her own. "He was once known as 'Iksander the Battle Maniac' since he spent a large part of his youth travelling the world and participating in combat tournaments in each of the four kingdoms. He is also largely responsible for my combat prowess, since he began training me from a young age."

"Really? That must have been rough."

"Not at all. It started off as friendly sparring in order to bond with me, but I learned incredibly quickly and my father was a very capable instructor. By the time I was old enough to attend Sanctum Academy I was leagues ahead of my fellow students, and they seemed to start avoiding me out of fear of my skill level. It weighed heavily on my father's mind when he saw that I was having difficulty making friends, and I don't think he's ever stopped blaming himself for me being placed on a pedestal. Perhaps that's why he supported my decision to come to Beacon, so that I might have a chance at starting over with a relatively clean slate."

Jaune thought over Pyrrha's words carefully. From what he could tell, Pyrrha's father had merely wanted to spend time with his daughter, and given his nickname sparring was likely the only activity he could have thought of to bond with Pyrrha. The combination of Pyrrha's talents and Iksander's apparent enthusiasm and teaching ability had inadvertently placed his partner in the situation she was today, and it saddened Jaune to think that a parent's innocent desire to bond with his daughter could have such a disastrous side effect.

"Your dad sounds like a great guy, Pyrrha. Thank you for telling me about him." Jaune said, giving Pyrrha's shoulder a light squeeze to indicate that he had finished his massage. "Though, it makes me wonder what your relationship with your mom is like."

"That's… a bit of a long and complicated story." Pyrrha said with a tone of slight pain in her voice. "Do you have time to listen?"

"Uhh… I think we have nothing but time." Jaune said, chuckling softly as he motioned to the door. "Or did you forget that we're trapped in here?"

"Oh! I almost forgot about that, silly me." Pyrrha laughed shyly, her cheeks coloring slightly as she realized her mistake. "Well, I suppose that the problem with my mother started shortly after I entered Sanctum…"

"Clear hallways, students wearing their uniforms properly, no litter, and no couples making inappropriate public displays of affection. This is what a school dormitory should be like at night."

Professor Glynda Goodwitch was making her own rounds through the student dormitories, slightly paranoid that Ozpin might have overlooked some students engaging in misconduct and allowing unwelcome shenanigans to occur. She had endured a long day, and all she wanted to make certain that everything was shipshape before making her way to her room in the Staff Residence building.

"Just one last wing of the building that needs to be inspected, and then I can retire for the night." Glynda thought to herself hopefully. Thoughts of her soft, comfortable bed filled her mind, and as long as this wing of the student dormitories was all clear then she would soon be resting upon it.

"Well of course Pyrrha would be as skilled as she is if she was trained by the Iksander Nikos!" a shrill, slightly haughty voice rang out, causing Glynda's eye to twitch slightly. "It's okay, no need to panic." She thought to herself. "As long as it's merely students loitering in the halls it shouldn't cause any significant delays. I'll just give the students a stern talking-to, and-"

That thought died in a pool of disappointment and frustration as Glynda rounded the corner. Her hopes of getting back to her room early were dashed into a million pieces as she beheld the sight before her.

There was no way that there was such a large wardrobe sitting in the darnedest of places in the hallway, obviously blocking a door. There was no way that six of the eight members of her two most problematic teams among the first years were gathered in front of said wardrobe in their school uniforms, all staring intently at the same scroll. And there was no way in hell that wall was that heavily damaged when she had made her rounds this morning. Or this afternoon.

"This… cannot be happening." Glynda grumbled mentally. "Not when I'm so close to being reunited with my bed." Mustering her energy to don her usual "stern teacher" countenance, she marched over to the group of students.

"Children, can someone please explain what exactly is going on here? Why you are all loitering here staring into the same scroll? Why there's a veritable crater in the wall? And why a surprisingly beautiful but obviously out-of-place piece of furniture is doing in front of the janitor's closet!?" Glynda asked, her voice causing the members of team RWBY and the sole male of the group to jump slightly in surprise before their five heads turned to her with fear in their eyes. Only Ms. Valkyrie seemed undisturbed by the Professor's presence, as her focus remained solely on the scroll in front of her.

"Oh, Pyrrha… it must have been rough when your mom started acting like that. You shouldn't have had to go through that…" Glynda heard the girl mutter. Curious as to what held her student's interest, she slipped behind Nora and looked down at the screen for a few seconds before her eyes widened in shock. She saw Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc sitting together in what was obviously the interior of the janitor's closet, talking about-

"That doesn't matter." Glynda growled, her aura beginning to flare as her anger rose to a boil. "What in all of Remnant possessed you all to trap Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc in the janitor's closet!? And did you install a webcam to spy on them!? Who- No, I don't care who's responsible, all of you will be in detention until the day you graduate!"

The air around Professor Goodwitch seemed to crackle as her rage intensified at the audacity and the sheer recklessness that her students were displaying. Everyone had a terrified expression on their faces; even Ren had a clear look of extreme worry on his face. However, just as Ren was convinced that Goodwitch was going to bring the roof down on their heads, a voice spoke from beside him.

"Professor Ozpin came by earlier; said that we have his blessing to do this, and that he'll handle everything in the morning."

The electricity in the atmosphere slowly died as the anger in Glynda's eyes slowly turned into confusion and surprise. Her expression settled on one of utter exasperation, and at last her shoulders slumped, her hand rising to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Did he tell you to say anything to me if I asked for proof that your conversation with him actually happened?"

"I'll treat you to tea at Leaves in the Garden tomorrow at noon." Nora replied, her voice mimicking Professor Ozpin's.

Professor Goodwitch let out another exasperated sigh as the hand pinching the bridge of her nose opened to allow the woman a self-facepalm. The group of students could just barely make out the words that their teacher spoke in an almost inaudible voice: "I don't get paid enough for this…"

"Very well, children." Glynda grumbled after a few minutes. "If Professor Ozpin has decided to allow this… little affair, then I'll allow him to take responsibility for anything that happens. Just… please don't keep Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos trapped in there for too long, Ms. Valkyrie."

Glynda rubbed her temples simultaneously for a few moments before she turned on her heel, walking back in the direction she came from and quietly celebrating the fact that she could now return to her room and get some well-earned rest. Her joy was doubled at the thought that Ozpin would accept any blame if something happened because of the group of students that she had spoken with. It was more likely than not that Ozpin would shift the potential responsibility of handling any backlash back to Glynda, but at least he had verbally communicated a pledge to handle the situation if things went sour, which was honestly more than she could ask for in a typical situation. Then again, the situation was anything but typical; after all, it's not every day that you see a group of friends seal two of their friends in a janitor's closet.

"I seriously do not get paid enough for this." Glynda grumbled mentally as she took one last glance over her shoulder at the group of students. "I wonder if Ozpin would give me a raise for this…"

"… and that's more or less how the situation was resolved." Pyrrha concluded, emotions of sadness and relief reflected in her eyes. "My mother has been making strides with our psychologist, and she's doing well in moving away from her self-destructive and overly indulgent lifestyle that she was so stuck in. It will be some time until she's well enough for us to even begin to attempt to repair our strained relationship, but at least it's looking more and more like we might be able to return to what we once had as mother and daughter."

"Wow…" Jaune murmured, obviously reeling a bit as he processed the information that Pyrrha had just revealed to him. He could certainly sympathize with his partner, as he himself was not a stranger to strained relationships. He and his father had argued for many nights when he announced his intention to go to Beacon and become a huntsman; it was only after he had received his acceptance letter that he and his father had been able to resume a somewhat normal relationship; however, he could still feel tension between them when he made his weekly calls home, and he eventually had to assume that the awkwardness between him and his father would fade with time.

"I'm sorry that you had to suffer through something like that, Pyrrha." Jaune said softly, reaching out and pulling his partner closer so that her head could rest on his shoulder. "I used to think that it was pretty cool that you're a celebrity, but it's obvious now that your fame caused you a lot of personal and family problems."

Pyrrha nodded and her cheeks colored as she relished her close proximity to Jaune. "It certainly has. On another note, it seems that Nora is quite intent on keeping her word about keeping us in here until we talk about our relationship."

"How can you tell?"

"I've been sending out pulses with my Semblance every few minutes to check and see if they might have left us unattended, so that we might have an opportunity to escape. Sadly, I haven't been able to sense any movement from Magnhild since we were trapped in here, meaning that Nora is still in front of whatever obstruction is blocking the door. In fact…" Pyrrha paused for a moment, "it seems that Team RWBY has joined her as well."

"And they're not doing anything!?"

"Nope. In fact, they seem to be gathered around Nora doing… something. Perhaps sharing stories with her to pass the time?"

A silence fell between the two partners, both unsure of how to proceed. Yes, Nora had specifically demanded that they discuss romantic feelings that they might have for each other, as well as what had happened between them at the night of the Beacon Dance. However, neither of them wanted to risk jeopardizing their friendship; neither of them had the romantic experience they felt was necessary to prod at such a delicate topic; and both Jaune and Pyrrha were afraid of the growing feelings of selfishness in their hearts, and of forcing unwanted emotions and desires onto the object of their affections. At the same time, they were now both thoroughly convinced that if neither of them initiated the conversation that they needed to have then Nora would very well leave them locked in the closet until they did; therefore, it was imperative that someone start talking, and soon.

In the end, surprisingly, it was Jaune who cracked first.

"Pyrrha… I, uh… w-well, you know, about the dance…" Jaune began, sputtering as he did his best to make his words come out. His face was a darker shade of crimson than Pyrrha had ever seen before, and without pausing to think she placed her hand on his and gave a gentle squeeze. An expression of slight shock crossed his face for a moment, but it passed quickly and Jaune became visibly less tense. He smiled softly at Pyrrha and murmured a low "Thanks" before he continued what he was saying.

"A-anyway… I was legitimately surprised when you told me that you came to the dance without a date. But then as you started telling me about how you felt like you were on a pedestal and how people just assumed that you're too good for them, and I realized that… well, I was guilty of that. I'm still guilty of that. And I want to apologize for that."

"Jaune," Pyrrha smiled, "I accept your apology, and-"

"Wait. Please. I'm not done yet."

Pyrrha immediately silenced herself, allowing Jaune to take a short breath before he continued speaking.

"I- I never would have thought in a million years that someone as amazing as you would want to go to the dance with someone like me, but then you said that you did and… it made me incredibly happy. And, well… it gave me the courage to try and get closer to you. To try and open up to you more, and to try and learn more about you."

Slowly, tenderly, and gingerly, Jaune turned his hand over and laced his fingers with Pyrrha's eliciting a soft gasp from her. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, trying to draw strength from wherever he could to keep his courage from failing. He swallowed as softly as he could manage before he continued to speak.

"Also… do you remember how I told you about my… 'alternate skill set'? And how I've been using them more and more, like how I cooked for you a few weeks ago when you got sick?"

Pyrrha nodded in response. She remembered how he told her about his more domestic abilities when she asked him after the dance, as well as her promise to keep the information a secret until Jaune felt comfortable enough to tell the rest of their friends. She also remembered the incident that he was talking about; about a week after the Beacon Dance, Pyrrha had caught a particularly nasty case of the flu; she had a high fever, had an unceasing runny nose, and was completely bedridden due to aches and pains that she felt all over her body.

Jaune had volunteered to stay behind and care for her, and decided to cook his mother's chicken noodle soup for his partner after seeing Pyrrha's face contorted in extreme discomfort. He decided that he would be damned if he let Pyrrha have something from a can when he could make something far better. He remembered the look of utter bliss that spread across her features as he slowly fed her the soup, and how she deduced in an instant that the soup was cooked from scratch. She complimented his culinary abilities once her symptoms died down, and although he had said that the food was so tasty due to his mother's recipe, he couldn't help but smile at being complimented for an ability that he sometimes wished he didn't have.

"Well… I… I normally wouldn't do those things for anyone but my sisters or my parents. I've never been proud of the fact that I was able to cook and dance and sew better than I could fight, especially given the fact that I want to become a Huntsman. But when you complimented my cooking, and when I remember how delighted you were dancing with me, and when I think of how my massages always seem to have such a positive effect on you… for once, I'm actually happy to have these skills that I've always kinda hated."

Jaune's smile grew wider, and Pyrrha noticed his eyes filling with an emotion that she had never seen before; it wasn't just happiness, it wasn't just caring, it was something… more.

"My point is that… these things I've been doing for you… trusting you with my secrets, trying to get closer to you, and using these skills that I used to despise to help you out and to make you happy… I don't think I would do it if you weren't a special person to me. I… I wouldn't do it… not for just anyone."

A crimson hue colored Jaune's features once more as his courage left him, and he gave Pyrrha's hand one final squeeze before he curled up into a ball and attempted to hide his face behind his knees. Beside him, Pyrrha has an equally red blush burning her cheeks. She almost couldn't believe what Jaune had just told her, what his words implied, and her heart began pounding loudly as her emotions stirred in a tempestuous frenzy. Her entire body screamed at her to do something to make her feelings known; and after finding some courage from the words Jaune had spoken to her, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze to get her partner's attention and spoke once he raised his head.

"Jaune… do you know what it means in Mistral when you become training partners with someone?"

"Not… really. I've heard bits and pieces about Mistrali society from Ver, but nothing about that. Why?" Jaune asked, giving his partner a quizzical look.

"In Sanctum, we were taught that our sparring partner was a special existence to us. We were taught that sparring partners should help each other up during sparring and after training, both out of respect and to symbolize the commitment we had to each other to support one another, to helping each other improve through friendly competition. Needless to say, almost every sparring partner I was assigned quit within a month of being paired with me; mostly because I was too strong for them to keep up when I went all-out, and because they felt offended when I held back. They eventually brought my father in to spar with me, which was necessary due to my level of skill, but obviously did nothing to help my endeavors to make friends." Pyrrha sighed. Jaune frowned at her obvious sadness, and he gave her hand a gentle tug as he guided her head to rest on his shoulder once more. Pyrrha breathed out a low "Thanks," as she snuggled against Jaune's surprisingly comfortable body.

"When we fought against the Deathstalker in the Emerald Forest, I saw incredible potential in you." Pyrrha continued. "Yes, your technique was amateurish at the time; but I could see the makings of a great swordsman in you, and I wanted to help you reach your full potential."

"So you made me your sparring partner because of my potential?" Jaune asked, a slight sadness audible in his voice.

"That was only a small part of it." Pyrrha replied, lightly rubbing Jaune's hand with her thumb to reassure him. "If it was mere combat potential I was looking for, I would have paired myself with Yang, or Ruby perhaps. But what made me decide on you was… well, who you are, quite simply. You were the first person to see me for me, something that I've wanted for a long time. You're also a very sincere, friendly, humble, kind-hearted, and incredibly genuine person; and those are all qualities that I could ever want in a partner, but never found before. I wouldn't become sparring partners with just anyone, Jaune; I chose you because you're the kind of person who I would enjoy supporting and helping to reach his full potential, and because you're the kind of person I would love to have that special bond with."

A silence fell between the two partners once again as emerald eyes locked with the gaze of pools of cerulean. Questions were asked and answered without speaking, and as their feelings were confirmed Jaune and Pyrrha's faces slowly drew closer together. When their lips were mere centimeters apart, Jaune gazed deeply into Pyrrha's eyes, as if asking her for permission. A slight nod from Pyrrha sent Jaune's lips crashing into hers, and the two teens moaned breathlessly into their first kiss as they relished the intimate contact that they had both sought for so long.

For Jaune, the kiss felt just like it had been described in the plethora of romance movies that his sisters loved; electricity ran through every nerve in his body, and he shuddered in pleasure as a incredibly feelings of passion exploded from his lips. He gasped her name into her lips, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her even closer. He ignored his lungs' demand for oxygen, and only focused on kissing Pyrrha as deeply as he could.

For Pyrrha, the kiss elicited far different emotions; there was no electricity, but rather a hypersensitivity that enveloped her entire being. The scent of Jaune's sweat, the feeling of his lips against hers, the tight grip of his arms around her back, the slight tug as Jaune lightly sucked on her lower lip, the warmth of his body; all of these sensations were amplified to a terrifying degree, and as Pyrrha effectively drowned in her passionate, amorous emotions, she felt a warmth, a want building within her, threatening to overflow at a moment's notice.

Two minutes passed before the pair could no longer ignore the need for oxygen, and they parted rather violently, as if they barely managed to tear apart from each other. Both had ragged breaths, and they each gazed at one another with lidded eyes filled with passion, love, and incredible desire.

"Pyrrha… I love you. I've always loved you, and I'm sorry you had to wait so long to hear me say this. I'll make sure you never have to feel sad or alone ever again."

"I-I love you too, Jaune. You've given me so much, more than you could ever know, and I love you for the joy and the purpose that you've filled my life with."

The two blushed as their feelings were put into words, but they couldn't help smiling at one another as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Jaune?"

"Yes, Pyr?"

Pyrrha giggled in delight at her new nickname, but refocused herself by placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"I… I-I have an… itch… that needs scratching…" she breathed into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "Can you… help me with it?"

"Anything for you. But let's get out of here first; we shouldn't have our first time on the floor, and I think they're about ready to let us out." Jaune replied with a smile as the sound of cheering and giddy laughter reached his ears. He lunged forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss, and Pyrrha squealed in delight in response as she was scooped up bridal-style into Jaune's arms. Finally, the chapter of her life filled with uncertainty, with loneliness, and with doubts about her partner's feelings had reached the happiest possible ending that she could have ever hoped for. Now it was time to begin a new chapter in her life, where the object of her affections was no longer someone she endlessly pined for; no, now he was her lover, and she knew just how she wanted to start this new chapter of their lives together.

Nora quickly kicked the wardrobe out of the way moments before the door to the janitor's closet was flung open. A heavily blushing Jaune Arc sprinted out of the closet, carrying his new girlfriend as she assaulted his neck and his collarbone with a shower of kisses and light nibbles. The group of teens watched the new couple disappear down the hallway, before erupting into a fit of happy giggles and 'aww'-ing.

"Ren, we're sleeping over in Team RWBY's dorm today." Nora announced after she retrieved the webcam and microphone from the janitor's closet.

"Of course. They deserve to have the room to themselves." Ren nodded in agreement. Even though they had done something borderline illegal, he felt incredibly happy that Jaune and Pyrrha were finally together. Or, as Nora would put it, together-together.

"Ren?"

"Yes, Nora?"

"Boop!" his childhood friend said cheerily as she poked him on the nose, a big, happy grin plastered on her face.

Perhaps it was the joy that he felt for Jaune and Pyrrha; perhaps it was the incredibly happy smile on Nora's face; but whatever it was, it filled Ren with inspiration and courage, and he decided that now was a good as any to release those words that he had been meaning to say to Nora for a long time, but had been holding back for years out of a desire to preserve their current relationship.

"I love you too, Nora." Ren said calmly, poking Nora's nose back as the five girls surrounding him looked at him incredulously with profound shock in their eyes.

Nora blinked once. Then twice. Then she picked Ren up in a bear hug as she spun him around, squealing happily as her childhood friend- no, her boyfriend- smiled down at her, both of them ignoring the stupefied expressions of their friends. She put Ren down after a few more seconds, and began dragging Ren towards Team RWBY's dorm room.

"I am going to cuddle you to death tonight!" Nora giggled happily, smiling as she tightened her grip around Ren's arm.

Professor Port hummed a merry tune as he wandered the halls of the student dormitories, inspired by Professor Goodwitch to make a patrol of his own for one reason or another. His mind wandered to the mahogany wardrobe that he had ordered for himself that was supposed to arrive today. However, when he reached the delivery bay, he was met with a surprising bit of news. Although the crew had unloaded the large piece of furniture earlier that day, it had disappeared within seconds when they had their backs turned.

Was Peter Port upset? Slightly, but he found a sense of adventure in trying to track down his missing piece of furniture. His search had turned up very little, however; but a man like Peter Port would not be discouraged by one day's lack of results, even if-

His thoughts were interrupted as he walked into something incredibly solid. Looking up in surprise, he found that he had stumbled upon the very wardrobe that had gone missing! How it ended up here, so far away from the package delivery bay was a question that tugged at the edge of his mind. However, now was not the time for questions.

"I've found you, you scoundrel!" Professor Port bellowed as he lifted his new wardrobe over his head and began walking back in the direction that he came from. "Come! Such a glorious piece of furniture belongs in my private quarters, not in the middle of the student dormitories! And especially not next to the Janitor's Closet!"

Author's Notes

So this is my submission for the March MonCon! Sorry that it's a bit long (almost 13k words, holy cow), but I like how it turned out. Feel free to leave constructive criticisms, reviews, etc.! Thanks, and hope you enjoyed it!