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Saturday wound up being little more than a lazy day, one they spent in their pajamas, grazing on left-over tacos. Neo bundled up in her pillow fort again, just as nearly naked as she had been the day before, while Pyrrha settled in on the other end of the couch. Her pajamas were little better than Neo's leotard, in his opinion, loose fitting and made of a bright red silk that stood out from her skin brightly.
Ideally, he wouldn't have to be near either in their states.
But he also wanted someone between them, to keep the claws put away.
"Neo!" Roman called from his room, "Where are my keys?"
"By the door." She signed, Jaune calling her words out for her as always. "Next to your pocket protector!"
"P-Pocket protector…?"
"It's a little pistol he keeps in a pocket on the inside of his overcoat." Jaune explained while Neo flipped through channels, looking for something to watch. Something that preferably wasn't the news. "It's not, you know, very good. But it can surprise people, and I think he uses pop rounds."
"He does." Neo confirmed for him, signing with her off hand as she settled on some cartoon about a kid in a school for a card game. "He likes it because it blinds them but doesn't hurt them."
"Them being…?"
"Cops, civilians that think having a gun means they can do anything, Hunters that he catches off guard…" Jaune shrugged, "He doesn't want to hurt anyone, so pop! They're blind and he legs it."
"Or I bail him out." Neo added as Roman passed by behind them, signing with a hand high in the air.
"Fuck yourself, Neo!"
"Why should I?" She challenged back, smirking playfully as she sat up and turned, leaning against the back of the couch while Jaune ignored how close his head was to… Things. "Fuck myself? Come fuck me yourself, you coward!"
"Not my type." Roman laughed, resting a hand on her head and tousling her hair while he deftly dodged her teeth and clawing fingers. Shooting Jaune a grin he added, quietly, "And hey, I wouldn't wanna muscle in on the dumbest knight on Remnant's territory."
"R-Roman!"
"Please." The small woman signed, rolling over and flopping across her seat, her bare legs in his lap. One hand kept signing while the other tugged her blanket into please, "If anything, he's my territory. Neo doesn't get claimed."
"I-I am not translating that!" He flustered, ignoring Pyrrha's quiet laugh while he pilfered a pillow to lay on Neo's legs so he had something that wasn't Neo's legs to rest his arms on.
"Maybe not," Roman laughed, sidling around the couch, tucking his coat around him and grinning, "But I will!"
He scowled and flushed, trying to muscle another pillow away from Neo to hurl at the man. But she was either laying on them or holding them tight against her, and glared his way when he reached for any of either. Eyebrows raised, she bobbed a look down at the pillow currently hiding most of her legs, or at least the dangerous parts, and smirked.
Jaune just threw his hands up in surrender, and flipped the thief the bird as he made his way to the door.
"Didn't know you swung that way, kid." The man laughed, pitching his hat into the air and onto his head so he could tip it playfully. "Sorry, though," he smirked, "you're just a bit too young for me."
"Go to work!" He laughed, shaking his head as the man sauntered away, hands spread out to either side as he gave a mock bow. He turned to open the door and Jaune shouted as he slipped through, "Have a good day!"
"Is every morning like this, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked in his wake, actually smiling while Neo tuned them out to watch her cartoons. "Sometimes, Roman is already gone come morning, before anyone is up. Sometimes he doesn't even need to leave. And sometimes," he prodded Neo's bare hip, "Neo actually puts on clothes."
She swatted his hand and signed, quietly, "Cartoon. Silence."
"So she just…" Pyrrha shrugged, waving a hand at the mute, "She just relaxes at home all day?"
"Most days, yeah." Jaune nodded, talking quietly to avoid bothering Neo while she watched her shows. "Roman will call her, sometimes, if he needs muscles for a job. But normally, that ends up just being the threat of her being there rather than her… Actually doing something to whoever he's meeting."
"Putting a knife to someone's throat is just as good for stopping them acting out as cutting it." Neo signed, paying them both the smallest of looks and then shrugging, "And it's a hell of a lot cleaner, too."
"I… Suppose that is one way of looking at it." Her face was pinched, though, even if she forced it to relax into a more diplomatic smile when she saw his raised brow. "I am just happy to know that neither of them are so flippant about, you know… Hurting people. At least not so much as I would have suspected."
"Judging people from ivory towers works like that sometimes." Neo signed half-heartedly, "You end up being wrong an awful lot. And a bit bitchy, too."
"Neo." He chided, thumping his hand against her hip and drawing narrow eyes from the small woman. Pointing a finger at her, and then snatching it back when she snapped up, trying to nip it, he chided her, "Be nice."
"I am." Neo pouted, crossing her arms and wiggling her legs in his lap. "Don't be mean to me, Jaune."
"Then don't be mean to her, Neo." She got halfway through signing a retort at him before he offered, quietly and more than aware of how much he was cheating,, "If you keep on good behavior, I will buy you an entire cheesecake. Just for you. Chocolate and strawberry swirl, too."
"...Promise?"
"Promise." The girl beamed and turned back to her cartoons, wiggling her hips further into his lap and turning to cuddle her pillows while he flushed brightly. Turning stiffly to his partner he asked, "What kind of cake do you want, Pyr? I'm already heading out, and I think I have enough to get us all something."
"I would like a plain one, if you please." She smiled, resting her elbow on the arm of the couch and looking between the two of them almost wistfully. "And I do not mind buying our treats for us, Jaune."
"It's not that big of a-"
"Jaune, my surplus account currently has quadruple digits." She interrupted quietly, "And that's not my professional account, that I use for supplies and travel. Please ,give me an excuse to spend some of it on something sweet and unhealthy."
"But I'm the one who- Ack!"
"Let her buy me sweets." Neo signed rapidly, sidling the hip she'd shoved into his gut away into a more comfortable spot on his lap, her legs tucked against the side of his own on his other side. Ignoring that she was basically sitting in his lap, now, she went on, "And ask her if she'll spot for some scones, too. Been dying for a good scone."
"She, uh, wants to know if you'll spring for some scones, too." He translated, slowly and gently wrapping his hands around her waist and pushing her back up along the couch so that at least her rear wasn't pressed against him. The girl rolled her eyes but adjusted and Jaune added, "She can be a bit sweet-greedy, sometimes. And you offered, so…"
"I certainly do not mind." Pyrrha smiled, "And I'll do one better, and order us dinner as well. I presume delivery is a no go, though?"
"Roman always orders if we want delivery." Jaune said by way of answer, "He knows places, and people that work there, who won't spoil the place for us. But if you want, we can all… Head out, get take-out, and bring it back."
"I'm kinda feeling lazy though?" Jaune smiled apologetically, "Neo?"
"I'll go out with her if she wants to." Neo shrugged after a moment, "I don't mind."
"It would be a good chance to get to know each other…" Pyrrha murmured, turning a look on the mute and smirking as she folded her arms, her brows raised challengingly. "In private, I mean. Without anyone else to… Interfere."
"You don't have to." Jaune pointed out anxiously, looking between the two women as their gazes intensified. "Who will translate for you, Neo?"
"I have my Scroll." She waved him off, rolling off of the couch, and him, and straightening. Trotting off as he carton's ending song played she signed back at them, "I'll get dressed and cleaned up. Gimme ten minutes."
"So," Jaune started a few seconds after she'd gone, and he heard the bathroom door shut, "this is… Going pretty well, right?"
"It actually is, yes." Pyrrha murmured, sounding genuinely happy and surprised for it. "I'm rather surprised by just how… Mundane this all is. Home-made dinner, discussions of lunch and treats, Saturday morning television- I hadn't expected such normalcy."
"Well, I'm glad to have surprised you." Jaune smiled, turning and starting to clean up Neo's little nest, like he always did. "It is kinda strange, sometimes, just how normal they are. Even I get a bit caught off guard by it, every now and again."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." He nodded, setting the pillows in a neat stack at the end of the couch and starting to fold her blankets. "You read the papers, and the bounties, and, you know, all that stuff about them and then… Roman and Neo argue for an hour about whether waffles or pancakes are better."
"I mean, waffles, obviously." Pyrrha chuckled, "Though best to not share that particular heresy of mine around Nora."
"Same." He chuckled, raising a fist for her to, albeit hesitantly and unsurely, bump. "But yeah, they're very normal. And it being just a teeny tiny bit weird is normal, too. At least, it's normal to me-"
"Because you are just a font of normalcy, hm?" Pyrrha teased, shaking her head and standing, moving towards her bag and adjusting her far too loose sleeping clothes as she went. Bending over and forcing him to desperately turn his attention on the new cartoon on the t.v., she dug out her fresh clothes and asked, "Would you stay out of the hall for a moment while I get changed, Jaune?"
"S-Sure." He nodded, "No problem."
"Thank you, Jaune." The Mistralian beamed as she stepped around the couch and vanished into the hallway.
Not for the first time, Jaune whispered a prayer to whatever gods that existed about how many beautiful women he was surrounded by. Whether he was thanking them or cursing at them, even he wasn't sure. But he certainly had words for them for all of this nonsense that he had to deal with. When he decided he wanted to 'be the hero and get the girl' he'd expected monster slaying, adventures, and getting drinks in taverns.
Not to be best friends with criminals and trying desperately to win the unwinnable battle against his hormones.
Ah well, he was sure he'd survive this hell somehow…
"Tacos." He decided, standing up and heading for the kitchen, "Tacos make everything better."
XxX-XxX-XxX
"So, Ne- Licorice." Pyrrha caught herself at the last moment, her hood drawn up and hair tucked away in a tight bun. The mute at her side paid her a look and she gestured to her baggy khakis and over-sized, worn looking hoodie, "How is my disguise?"
"Why ask me?" She typed out, "You're the one that made it. And I suck at disguises."
"Really?" She blinked, looking her up and down. She looked entirely different after a shower and, presumably, some make-up. Green eyes, black hair, and a black and white outfit with an admittedly cute skirt, "You look entirely different, though. How can you possibly suck at this?"
"My Semblance makes it easy for me." She answered, running a finger down one of her twin-tails and trailing pink, then running it back up to erase it. "I don't need to be good at putting that stuff together. I make what I want."
"Ah, I see." Semblances could be magic like that, sometimes. She certainly knew how much help they could be. "Well then," she smiled, "in your less than adept opinion?"
"It looks fine to me." Neo assured her, leading them down the street towards a bakery on a corner that was slightly less clean and shining than the boulevard's corners were. The smaller woman must have seen her frown because her Scroll was suddenly in Pyrrha's face, "What? Are the bakeries down here with the peasants not to your liking, m'lady?"
"T-They're fine!" She flushed, looking at the rundown little, mom and pop looking place Neo had shown her to.
It was glass-fronted, like her favorite one, but heavy iron bars ran behind the windows to keep them secure. Otherwise, it looked exactly the same as the one she favored, down to the seats pressed up against the windows. A little counter, stocked with fresh-baked treats, bread and the like, had been nestled into a corner, with double-doors that cut off the edge of the corner which lead to the kitchens.
"Do I need to order or-"
"Miss Licorice!" The matronly store-runner called, a smile splitting her wizened old face. "How are you, dear?"
"I'm well!" Neo's Scroll said, its interface actually crackling out the words for her as they moved to the counter. "How are you? Any more trouble from those goons that smashed up your windows?"
"No, no, I'm fine." The old woman assured her, smiling, "The store's fine, too. Now, I don't know what that lawyer friend of yours said to 'em, but insurance sent a check a week back. So much Lien, we could afford the new security. Cameras, bars, the whole nine yards."
"Was there trouble?" Pyrrha asked, one hand fingering her sword's point, the weapon stowed on her back.
"Oh nothin' like that." The old woman shook her head, turning to Neo and whispering, "Is this the friend you mentioned?"
"Yeah." The Scroll barked, "This is Pyrrha."
Wide-eyed, Pyrrha turned on the smirking gremlin and then to the old woman, sputtering. The old woman waved her off, though, "Oh, don't fuss. Down here, we keep lips tight and the word under the table. But you don't come into someone's shop with someone and not name them."
"They'll suspect the cops." Neo's Scroll explained for her, "Or gang stuff. Stuff they'd want kept out of here."
"Rest assured that I won't breathe a word about you being here." The old woman said quietly, offering a thin, bony but very steady hand for Pyrrha to shake. Hesitantly, Pyrrha did, the woman tugging her closer and resting her other hand on top of Pyrrha's, "And, dead, please get better at hiding your weapons. You walked in here and three of these yokels started eyeing you."
The restaurant was sparsely populated by only a dozen scattered patrons, sitting at the booths or loitering along the line of fresh-baked goods. But true enough, she caught at least four of them turning away. Like they'd been caught staring. And her jeans weren't fitted enough for her to suspect that...
"I, uh…" She sighed and swallowed, turning to the old woman as she released her hand. "I didn't mean to…"
"If you're hiding who you are, get a weapon and leave it somewhere." The woman advised her, "And then wear it open, not hidden on your back like you're looking for trouble. Miss Licorice here can introduce you to some sellers, if you ask her to."
"I'll consider it…"
"It's your decision, sweetheart." The old woman smiled, turning to Neo and asking, "Now, then, your orders? And please, take a pack of sweet-rolls on the house, for troubling your friend. And," she added when Neo started typing, "as thanks for helping out with the insurance company."
"If you're sure."
"No, I'm Kathy." The old woman grinned, "Now, your orders?"
Seemingly giving up on arguing with the woman's charity, Neo placed their order - plus a handful of things Pyrrha let her get away with - and then the woman shuffled off to get it baked. While they waited, they found a booth far enough away from anyone to have privacy and fell into it, sitting across from each other.
"So…" Pyrrha started, chewing the inside of her cheek and drumming her fingers on the table, "How did you and Jaune meet, then? I know he… You know, to get into the, uh, you know, so-"
"You are the single most suspicious woman I have ever seen trying to be non suspicious." Neo said, tapping the screen of her Scroll to cut her off and rolling her eyes at Pyrrha's unamused expression. "He got help from us to get into school. Roman and I took a liking to him, and that was the end of it."
"Really?" Pyrrha asked, "You just… Liked him?"
"Like." Neo corrected, "Present tense. And yes, that was it."
"That's…" Pyrrha spent a solid second, searching for the right word, before she gave up and shrugged, "Normal. Very normal."
"I'm a normal girl." Neo shrugged, drumming her fingers on the Scroll a few times before, finally, asking, "You two are partners, right?"
"We are." Pyrrha nodded, smiling demurely. She could already see where this was going...
"Has he mentioned any bullies or anything?" She asked, "I know he wouldn't tell me if people were picking on him. He'd be afraid of what I'd do about it."
Oh…
Well that wasn't what she'd expected.
"Well, not really, no." She smiled, "He had some trouble at first, with his low combat grade, but he's been-"
Neo's Scroll was in her face before she could finish the sentence, "Who."
"I-It doesn't matter, really, it's been-" Glaring green eyes met hers, Neo's lips pursed into a demanding pout, and Pyrrha sighed. Smiling gently she opted for a change of topic, "My, my, but you are protective of him. Aren't you?"
"Yeah." She nodded and then flushed when Pyrrha rested her chin on her palm and smiled, brows raised. "That's not weird. He's my friend."
"Mhm, it's normal enough, I suppose." She nodded, smiling and enjoying her first real experience getting to tease someone. Even if the touch of heart-ache was still there, in the background, she could ignore it in favor of needling her new friend.
And how odd it was to realize she was Pyrrha's new friend, too.
Regardless...
"Being protective is quite normal of a friend." She smiled, "Lounging moderately close to naked across their laps, though? Less so."
The girl flushed brightly, and frowned, but the one perk of whatever condition rendered her mute meant she didn't sputter and splutter embarrassedly. Instead, she gaped like a fish, for a long moment, and then scowled. She started signing, too, both hands moving in an excitable blur while Pyrrha watched amusedly.
"I can't sign." Pyrrha reminded her, the girl growling and yanking on her twin-tails angrily until she, finally, flipped both of her middle fingers up at Pyrrha. Chuckling, she stood and nodded towards the counter, where their packages had been set, "I believe it's time we go, though. Our order is done."
Pouting angrily, the girl stood and stomped to the counter to take the bags, and then out the door.
"She seems upset…"
"She's pouting, because I was teasing her." Pyrrha assured the woman, smiling warmly and waving as she turned to leave, "Have a good evening."
It was very petty of her, to tease and prod Neo like this when the girl was clearly unsure of things. She should be bigger, help the girl and coach her into understanding herself. It would certainly be a service unto Jaune, who seemed flustered by her advances but just as confused. If not more so, even, judging from how he acted and reacted. What normal man would push a girl out of his lap, after all?
But, well…
Neo had swept in and stolen Jaune away from her, and whether that was a particularly fair characterization of events or not, Pyrrha felt entitled to it. At least since she was committing crimes to protect them.
What was a little needling compared to actual crime?
"So," Pyrrha smiled, "Jaune tells me you are a grappler?" Neo only nodded, shooting her a cautious glance, and Pyrrha grinned just a bit wider, "I suppose you enjoy pressing yourself against him then, hm?"
If Neo could strangle her with her twin-tails, Pyrrha was sure she'd have done so right then and there. Instead, she sttled for yanking on them and snarling at the sky mutely.
XxX-XxX-XxX
Hirshja :
*innocent whistling*
Guardian Artemis :
So do I!
Dr Killinger :
She is, indeed, adorable.
Mister Cuddlesworth :
I will not state what it is, but I will state that it is not a bomb.
TooBad69 :
I'm kinda just writing the chapters as the scenes fall, on this fic. It's a much looser format, but I find it's nice. Easier, more comfortable. And less padding desperately for that word count.
Red Demon Eye :
…. *angry authorial plantoid noises*
Gapaot :
I like to think Roman would have, if he could, acted against her in canon too. Now, he has the opportunity. I could have run this story as I considered, with a Ruby protagonist instead of a Jaune one, and this element would remain unchanged.
Never Real :
He's a bad guy, but that doesn't make him a bad guy.