There were times that caused Cinder to question her life choices.

The first incident that sparked such a crisis of identity was when another student had tried to hit on her in Beacon. She let him down easy, but when you see a teenager in a mohawk stammer out an extraordinarily poor "love haiku," one couldn't help but feel that somewhere, somehow, something had gone wrong.

Another incident was when a certain silver-eyed Huntress had torn out her eye. Months of rehabilitation, fighting step by agonizing step for even the smallest sound. Keeping in her newfound screams as her new arm bound to her, as more and more of her body belonged to Salem. She could distinctly recall curling up on her bed, wondering if it wouldn't just be easier to walk out into the badlands and wait to be eaten.

Then there was Valentine's day in the Arc household. Valentine's night, rather.

"Oh Nicky." The words were pleasantly feminine, too delicate for the steady thumping of wood against plaster that rang throughout the house. Cinder grit her teeth and levered herself up into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, then took a moment to adjust her camisole and panties. Once she felt that her clothing was secure, she stood up, walked over to the source of the noise, took a deep breath and slammed her remaining arm against the wall three times.

"Shut. The fuck. Up!" she shouted, a faint rasp in her voice. "Don't you two have enough kids already?" For a brief moment the noise stopped and a little spark of hope flared in her heart. Then the noise started up again, this time with more creaking of springs and wet slaps of flesh on flesh.

"Don't bother," a new voice cut in, causing Cinder to turn around. "Once they get going it's not over until they both get off." Jaune spread the sheets wide, revealing his shorts-clad form. "Come back to bed. They'll wear out eventually."

"We are never coming back here. Ever," she said, striding back across the room and laying back down on the bed. When Jaune leaned closer for a kiss, she turned onto her side, staring studiously at the wall. Undeterred, a hand wrapped around her stomach and squeezed her close.

"You're not comfortable like that, are you?" She refused to answer. He sighed. "Okay. So we're not going to my parents' anymore." A moan reverberated through the house. "Aaand maybe the noise is a little worse than I thought it was going to be. I swear I forgot it was Valentine's day."

This provoked a response.

"And you forgot it was Valentine's day!" Cinder hissed, twisting in his arms to glare up with a single amber eye. "You spent the entire day taking care of your stupid sisters, introducing them to Pyrrha and trying to explain to them why she was short a few body parts! 'Oh, she's just been through a rough spot, why don't-'"

The rest was cut off with a kiss. Soft, sweet, and deliciously Arc. Cinder's eye closed as she leaned into it, intact arm working its way out from beneath them to reach behind and pull into him. After a moment, he broke it off. They stared at each other for a moment.

"It's because Pyrrha was in control for a full day, isn't it?"

Cinder hugged harder, burying her face into his neck. Jaune embraced her silently, ignoring the clawing hand and searing heat radiating off of his bedmate. After a few minutes, he tried talking again.

"You know, she wants to communicate to you." When Cinder didn't speak, he took it as a signal to keep going. "I mean, you guys aren't going to get away from one another. She doesn't want to fight another war."

"Then maybe she shouldn't take an entire day away from me," Cinder murmured, voice hot and full of anger. Jaune tilted his head down to nuzzle her crown.

"Did you want to shepherd my sisters around for an entire day?" he asked. She shook her head. "Did you want to spend the day with me?" She didn't respond. He sighed again.

"Cinder. You can ask for things." She pulled back and looked him in the eye.

"No. I can't. When I'm not in the body? When I'm not in control? I'm nothing. Do you know what nothingness is Jaune? Actual nothingness? It's hell. You're not floating, you're not breathing, you can't even hear your own nervous system buzzing in the background it's that quiet. And you don't know if you're ever going to come back out because maybe, just maybe, the other girl decided that 'today is the day I cut the other bitch out of my life-'"

Again, a kiss. This time deeper, with moans exchanged as two hands went lower and another climbed up, palming the side of his neck.

When they parted, it was to panting and rushing blood, ready to move.

Instead, Jaune pressed his forehead against hers and caressed her cheek, just below the scars.

"So a full day without the body is too much. Okay. We won't do that anymore. Is that okay with you?" She nodded once and he kissed her forehead. "Gotcha. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Cinder opened her mouth to reply.

"NICKYYY!" The scream pierced through the walls, high and breathy and decidedly too loud. Jaune and Cinder grimaced in unison.

"Your parents are still the worst," she whispered, even as the creaking slowed down and the house grew silent once more.

"You're not wrong," Jaune replied, a note of anger in his voice. Cinder's eye gleamed and she rolled them both over, putting Jaune on his back and her on top, drawing out a short grunt of confusion.

"Um, Cinder, what-" the rest cut off as she took the hem of her camisole and pulled it up and off, baring her chest to the moonlight. She looked down at Jaune and smiled.

"What say we give them something to complain about for a change?"