Pyrrha had taken to using Ren and Nora as human shields against him. They didn't know what was going on, of course, but they weren't unaware that something was. It was hard not to notice the way he kept looking at Pyrrha and the way she kept avoiding him. Nora and Ren looked like they didn't know what to do, and Nora cornered him later in the day, yanking him into a girl's restroom to question him. Coco Adel, who had been washing her hands, took one look at him, shrugged, and walked back out. It wasn't like there was much risk of him seeing anything he wasn't meant to when the restroom was all cubicles.

"Okay. Spill. What's happened?"

Jaune glanced around all the same, more to make sure no one would hear him saying things he shouldn't. Even then, he kept his voice low. "Pyrrha may have found out that I knew about her feelings for me."

Nora winced. "Ahhhhhh."

"Yeah." There was no need to tell her about his Semblance. Pyrrha hadn't. Besides, his Semblance wasn't the problem here. Ironically, Pyrrha probably cared less about that than she did the fact he knew her feelings and remembered the kiss in her dream. "I'm trying to corner her and, you know, talk. But Pyrrha is using you and Ren as human shields. I don't want to make this a whole team affair."

"Yeah. Of course."

"Though I will if I have to."

"Yeah." Nora grimaced at that thought. "Of course..."

"I know that's not fair on you or Ren, Nora. I'll do my best not to. I just don't want to let this rip our team apart. I'm meant to be team leader and this... this is the first real test our team has had. This is our Weiss and Ruby moment."

"Except Weiss isn't into Ruby." Nora paused. "Or is she...? Hmmm."

"I think Weiss prefers people a little more legally of age," he quipped, joining in on trying to lighten the mood at Weiss' expense. Or Ruby's. "But, yeah, I know this is more complicated which is why I'm trying to get started on it right away. I don't suppose you have any ideas."

"As a woman who has been getting her own feelings blanked by her best-friend-slash-crush, no." It was the first time in his memory Nora had admitted her feelings for Ren, and she sounded just as happily bitter as he imagined she would. "But I think you're on the right track with trying to address them rather than pretend they don't exist. Stupid Ren," she grumbled. "I'd rather have a no than be strung along like this..."

"Please don't you and Ren start until I've finished calming Pyrrha down."

Nora's smile was lopsided. "No worries there. I could get down on one knee and propose and Ren would pretend he thought I was doing something else. And I'm not that eager to have my heart broken. Man, life would be easier if I could have just fallen in love with you or something." She punched his chest jokingly. "Be more handsome!"

"Do you prefer your men handsome or effeminate?"

"Both. And you're neither. Boooo." They shared a quiet laugh in the girl's bathroom. "But, um. Do you want me to try and talk to Pyrrha? Or do you want me to try and pull Ren away so we isolate her?"

"Neither for now. It's not even been a full day so I think it's fine to let her cool off a little. And I don't want to pressure her. If she's still refusing to talk to me after tomorrow, maybe we can pull out the big guns then. But if she talks to you then by all means!"

"Hm. Yeah. But if she comes to me then you know I can't tell you what she says. Right? Girl's code."

"That's fine. I wouldn't tell you anything Ren said." Her eyes narrowed. "Not that Ren has said anything!"

"Hnnnnnnn..." Nora glared at him shrewdly. "I'll believe that. For now..."

"Y—Yeah. Anyway, I'm thinking of subtly warning Yang so we can avoid any... um... displays that might upset Pyrrha. Do you think that's unfair? Should I be keeping her secret?"

"I mean, you should keep her secret but her feelings for you really aren't a secret. Yang totally knew about them before she and you even went to the dance together, so I don't think it'd count. You're not telling her anything she doesn't already know. What is the long-term goal with Pyrrha? Is there any chance of you two getting together?"

"Sure." His answer appeared to surprise her. "It's not like I dislike her or anything. You know I was tyring to hint at her asking to go to the dance and she didn't." Nora hummed. "So, absolutely. There's a chance Yang and I split or don't work out or decide we're not that into one another, and then I'd be more than happy to try dating Pyrrha. I just can't right now."

"Fair enough."

"And I don't want our team to implode in the future if that goes wrong, either. There's just as much chance Pyrrha and I do go on a few dates and they end in disaster. I don't want her a year or two down the line hating me because she thinks I was leading her along or something, and that she's wasted her time liking me. The team should take precedence over all that."

"Teamwork before the dreamwork?"

"Yes. That goes for you and Ren, too. You're our best friends and I don't want the team collapsing because you got into a big fight."

Nora sighed and looked away. "I don't want that either," she whispered. "But I won't lie and say I'd be cool when – or if – it happens. What I feel for him is so powerful sometimes and I just... It eats at me. I'd stop feeling this way if I could."

Jaune stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Nora returned the hug, pressing her eyes into his chest. There was a quiet sniff, and soon his hands were rubbing up and down her back.

Blake Belladonna took one step into the bathroom, spotted them, caught the scent of drama, turned one-eighty on her heel and fled. Neither bothered to chase her. Neither blamed her, either. There were certain things you really didn't want to get stuck in the middle of.

/-/

Yang was understanding.

Confiding in her had honestly been a lot easier than he expected, helped in no small part by the fact that she'd probably experienced drama like this before in Signal, and that the two of them didn't really put on many public displays of affection anyway.

"I'm not clingy and I kinda panic when other people are," she admitted. "I actually like that you don't demand we hang out and cuddle and make out, like, every free period we have."

"Bad experiences in the past?"

"Only one, and we didn't go very far. I've seen it way more with girls I was friends with."

"Controlling boyfriends?"

"I think it's more of a first time thing," she said, tapping her chin. "Like, it's their first time being boyfriends and they're not sure how to do it so they're a bit much. I don't think it was anyone's fault. I just like having my space and hanging out with my team. Not that I don't like us being together," she quickly added, "but it's fifty-fifty. I'd find it annoying if you wanted to drag me around every weekend."

They shared a quick laugh at that. He agreed on some level, though he'd have to admit he wasn't so much "doing a good job" as being too afraid to push the envelope. He'd thought once or twice that maybe he should be doing more in the relationship, arranging dates and all that, but there was always his Semblance interrupting, and then the attack from Cinder.

"I'll keep that in mind. I don't suppose—"

"I have no advice on Pyrrha. Sorry." Yang smiled helplessly. "I've tried sorting out love triangles among my friends in Signal when two girls liked one guy or vice versa, and I was never able to make it happen."

"Damn..."

"Yep. Sorry. I also failed to sort out the Weiss and Ruby drama. That was them. Not to mention when Blake ran away, I did a pretty poor job being a good partner and getting her back." Yang shrugged. "Not saying I'm a failure or anything, but I'm much more the muscle of the team. And this is definitely not a problem you can solve by punching Pyrrha in the face."

"Ha. Yeah, she'd knock my head off my shoulders if I tried. And I guess Ruby won't have any advice?"

"Ruby is great at a lot of things but navigating complex social situations isn't one of them. Neither is romance. I know for a fact a few people had crushes on her back in Signal, but aside from kissing one boy on a dare, she's never noticed or acted on any of them." Under her breath, she added, "Didn't even notice that the boy she kissed was madly in love with her. Poor guy." Louder, she said, "I don't think coming to a school where everyone is at least two years older has helped on that front, either."

He'd never considered that, but Ruby was fifteen – which... well, even if there were people here who might like the look of her, they wouldn't dare make a move for fear of how everyone would look at them. Maybe she'd have more luck when younger years came in, and he was sure Ruby didn't care in the slightest. On the other hand, he could get Yang worrying that if she never experienced a relationship, she might never learn how to handle one.

"I don't think you have to worry too much," he said. "Even if she was the same age as us, I get the feeling she'd be too in love with being a huntress to notice anyone."

"Maybe. At least it stops us running into any relationships among teammates stuff like your lot are. You realise Nora and Ren are going to be take-two on this problem, right?"

"I know. Nora and Ren know it, too."

"Oof. Don't envy you there." Yang winked and leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek, then slapped his ass with her other hand. "Good luck, though. I'll be rooting for you."

Jaune sighed as she walked off.

He was fast running out of people who could help.

Did he dare call his parents? His father had led a team back in the day, though Jaune knew literally nothing beyond that. Not even the names of his teammates, or if they were still alive. He also didn't think he'd get much advice other than to go home and explain why he ran away. What he needed was a team who actually had a mixture of members, and who might have had to deal with relationships among them.

One team came to mind.

He was surprised Coco was willing to listen at all, let alone that she was prepared to sit with him in a quiet corner of Beacon with a cup of coffee. Helping Velvet had apparently garnered him a lot more of her patience than he thought possible.

"So, yeah, that's it. I was wondering if you or your team had ever experienced anything like it..."

"You're not going to like the answer," said Coco.

"That you can't help?"

"Sorry." Coco offered him a weak grin. "Look, I'll admit that I've considered it. If you tell anyone this, I'll end you, but I did think about asking Velvet out once." Coco blushed faintly. "This was way back when, and I decided against it in the end."

"What stopped you?"

"Probably the lack of gay on her part," she said, giggling softly. It ended quickly, and she became more serious. "No. It was pretty much what you're talking about now. We got on and I thought there might be a fair chance, but then I realised how bad things would get if it didn't work. Back then, Velvet was even shyer than she is now and I kind of put myself out there as her lifeline. I helped her out her shell, supported her, was always with her."

"Because you had a crush on her?"

"It wasn't just that. I think liking her came after seeing the real her. Maybe I got it in my head I was the only one who could, or maybe it was just a factor of us hanging out a lot." Coco shrugged. "We spent so much time together that of course I'd start to like her more than random people. Point is, if I'd asked and she said no and we suddenly had that wall between us, I think I'd have been fine. I've been rejected before and I can bounce back. But Velvet wouldn't have had anyone. We were her only friends at the time and she couldn't have gone to Yatsu or Fox because then they'd have had to pick sides, so she'd have just festered on her own." Coco grimaced. "Or maybe she'd have even convinced herself to say yes and date me just to not cause drama – and that would have been even worse!"

"So, you just didn't ask? You swallowed your feelings?"

"Honestly, my feelings sorted themselves out. I put them on the backburner, focused on my studies and team and eventually fell out of love with. Maybe I never was in love with her at all. I met other people, dated a few different girls and we're happy." Coco sipped her tea and smirked at him. "That's something you'll figure out, you know. It's really easy to convince yourself you're in love with someone when it's just you misinterpreting it."

"Trust me. I've experienced that already with Weiss."

"Hah. Yeah. At least I figured it out on my own without making a fool of myself. You know, I thought Velvet had a crush on you when she first mentioned you."

Jaune froze. There was no way he needed a third added. "And... did she?"

"Nahhh. You think I'd just up and tell you her feelings if she did?" Coco snorted. "I'm just pointing out how easy it is to get it wrong. Velvet has a weird friendship with you. I don't know. It's like you're childhood friends without being, and I kinda like you as well – though sorry to say it's not in that way, so you'll have to leave your fantasies at the door."

"Damn. And here I was really hoping to start the Coco route."

"Heh. The Coco route isn't as awesome as it sounds. Trust me. I also wouldn't date someone as young as you. No offence. That's more the fact that we'll be graduating in not too long and I don't want the heartbreak more than it is an age thing."

"I think that's fair. A long distance relationship when one side is in school and the other side is a professional huntress or huntsman is probably going to look really weird."

"Exactly! All my cool huntress colleagues would think I was some kind of predator." They laughed a little, before Coco sighed. "Sorry I couldn't help you much. I would have if I could."

"It's fine. I'm starting to think there's not going to be any easy ways out of this."

"Such is the life of being a team leader. Trust me, Team CFVY has nearly fractured at least four times. I think every team has by the time you have a couple of years in Beacon. It'd be a bigger red flag to me if a team had never had any problems, because then you know there's mind control or animal sacrifices going on." Coco smirked. "We're teenagers sharing a room for four years. We're gonna argue at some point. I've had Velvet scream that she wishes I was dead and I've threatened to tear Yatsuhashi's balls off. Fox has more than once gotten into an actual fight with Yatsu, too. It happens. The mark of a good team is in getting past those, not in having them never happen in the first place."

Wise words. Then maybe it was past time Team JNPR had its first real test.

/-/

"Pyrrha Nikos, I have come to bargain."

Pyrrha, Ren and Nora stared at him.

"What...?" she asked.

"Sorry. I've come to talk. In private. I think we need to address the Goliath in the room."

"What Goliath?" she asked, nervously shrinking behind Ren and Nora. The two of them froze, knowing exactly what was going on but not knowing what to do. This fight was unfair on them as well, and it wasn't just Pyrrha's fault.

It would have been so easy to blame Pyrrha for being childish but he was the one who chose to lie about his Semblance, to hide away, and to let this happen. If he'd come clean sooner, this wouldn't have gotten as explosive as it had.

"About your feelings for me and the fact I knew about them all this time."

Pyrrha froze.

Ren and Nora froze.

No one had expected him to come out and say it.

"M—Maybe Nora and I should go," whispered Ren.

Nora nodded frantically.

"Stay." Jaune commanded them and they obeyed, though probably out of shock more than anything. "You need to hear this as well. This is a team matter, after all."

"Private is fine!" Pyrrha said, surrendering. "We can talk—"

"I lied about my Semblance. I know what it is and what it does."

Pyrrha froze, surprised he was talking about this and not her feelings for him. It would have been easier for him to just address those, but then that would mean this problem was doomed to repeat once Nora and Ren found out. If there was one thing he'd put together from the various people he'd asked advice from, it was that he needed to stop hiding away from the problem.

"I've been lying to you all for a while," he continued, "though it was done with the advice and the permission of Beacon's teachers, so I'd like it on record it wasn't maliciously. I've decided to come clean because it's my fault that Pyrrha and I are having these problems. It's the fault of my Semblance, and it's not fair to Pyrrha to have you both thinking this is because of her."

"Jaune," Pyrrha interjected, biting her lip. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He smiled back at her. "I'm sure. I've put you on the spot and that isn't fair. Besides, Ren and Nora deserve to know the truth." He took a deep breath. "I've been invading your minds against your will." Their eyes widened. "My Semblance puts me – with no control or choice from myself – into your dreams and forces me to experience and view them alongside you. I don't get to pick who, when, how, or what you dream of. I just get to tag along for the ride. It's not proximity based, either. I've been in the heads of almost everyone we're friends with, some of the teachers, and a whole host of transfers. Including Cinder Fall, where I discovered her plans against Beacon – which is why she tried to kill me and why the teachers have been calling me into so many meetings."

It was a huge amount of information delivered with all the subtlety of an avalanche, and that was the point. Maybe it was cynical, but he wanted to overwhelm them. Shock them. And he was doing a damn good job.

"Every night, without fail, my aura drains itself as I'm thrown into dreams. Recently, my Semblance has even evolved due to its over-use, making it so that I can take physical damage to my body if a monster in someone's dream hurts me."

Ren's eyes widened. "Your throat—?"

"Yes. My throat was torn open in a dream and I nearly died in real life. I might have if not for you all staunching the bleeding and getting me to the doctor. I've tried my best to not use my Semblance but Doctor Oobleck says it's subconscious, so there's a very real risk I might never be able to turn it off. That my body will activate it even if I have little aura left, and that it might push me into aura exhaustion. That might not kill me, but it'll sure as hell mean I wake up in no condition to train or fight – which, as a huntsman, might as well be a death sentence if it happens in the field. But I have over three years here to try and drag back some control, and that's what we've been working on."

"This is... This is too much," said Ren.

"You know our secrets," whispered Nora, suddenly wide-eyed and afraid.

Ren tensed as well.

The team was about to explode.

He wouldn't let it.

"I know that Nora repeatedly dreams of the fall of her village. I know that Ren dreams of upsetting Nora. I know that Pyrrha dreams of her fame strangling her. I also know that Ren and Nora dream about their feelings for one another and how Nora likes Ren, but Ren isn't sure what he feels back and is terrified of hurting her." They had gone rigid. "And I know that Pyrrha is in love with me, and hates seeing me with Yang and that she's dreamed of kissing me... and that it was the real me that she kissed in her dream."

Pyrrha made a choked sound.

"Our secrets," Nora said, almost whimpering. "You can't just—"

"What secrets?" Jaune planted his hands on his hips as he asked that. "Seriously, you lot. What secrets?" Silence met him. "Ren and Nora, I hate to break this to you but the whole freaking world knows you two have some feelings going on between you. You both know that too. Nora knows, Ren knows, and you both know that the other knows." They flinched and glanced at one another. "You're just pretending not to have realised it because the status quo is easier than the potential fight."

"As for you, Pyrrha, I don't think there's anyone among our friends who doesn't know you like me – other than me. I was literally the last to know." He watched her eyes water. "And here's my honest response to your feelings. Yes, I'd have liked to go out with you. Why didn't you ask me sooner?"

Pyrrha froze.

Her jaw dropped.

"Seriously, I was agonising over the dance and I tried to give you so many hints but you kept ignoring them. Maybe that's my fault for not being more open," he admitted, "but I thought you were trying to hint to me that it was a no without hurting my feelings, which is why I asked Yang instead. I tried to ask you first. There's no rejection here."

"B—B—But... But Yang!" she cried.

"I'm dating Yang, yes. Which means I can't date you. For now." He stressed that. "If Yang and I don't work out, I'll ask for two weeks to recover and then I'll gladly go out on a date with you. Happily, even." He watched her reel. "You've got it in your head I'm not interested, but the truth is I'm just an idiot who didn't know. That's it."

"As for you two," he said, turning on Ren and Nora. "I'm sorry for dragging this out into the open but it was festering. And it's not like I've revealed anything either of you didn't already know about one another. Nora, having nightmares about your past isn't just fine. It's totally understandable. We've killed swathes of Grimm together in your dreams."

Nora smiled oddly, glancing away.

"And Ren, you're like a brother to me and I'm beginning to think that's even more literal after discovering we're both fucking useless when it comes to understanding the feelings of our partners." The normally calm man snorted, smiling with his eyes closed. "There's nothing wrong with being unsure of yourself, and even less wrong in not wanting to hurt someone you care deeply for. I think if you just admitted that you don't know what you feel for Nora and that you need time to figure it out, that she'd be a lot happier than assuming you actively don't like her."

"Is that true?" Nora asked. "Is it that you're not sure?"

Ren sighed. "I don't feel any desire or excitement at the thought of dating you," he admitted, "But I feel active dislike at the idea of dating anyone else. I'm not sure what that means, but I know it's not something you should have to deal with." He looked away, adding, "I can't lose you, Nora. It's selfish, but I'd rather you live in constant doubt but still be with me then to have you leave."

Nora laughed bitterly. "That is selfish. That's super selfish!"

"I know." Ren sighed. "I never claimed to be a good person."

"Ren, you idiot. Guh." Nora looked up at the ceiling and laughed. There were tears running down her cheeks. Angry, sad, relieved. A strange mixture of all three. "Isn't it messed up that I like that answer more than the one I had in my own head? You're basically admitting to having led me on so you can have time to sort your stupid head out, and I'm happy to hear that because the alternative is that you secretly hated the idea of dating me and just didn't want me to know."

"That's messed up," Ren agreed. "You should be angry with me. You should hate me."

"I should be..."

They lapsed into silence.

"If I may," Pyrrha dared to speak into it. "I think being a little... um... messed up... is actually really understandable given your pasts. How many children at the age you were at have to survive in the wilderness and escape from Grimm like that?"

"She's right," said Jaune. "It'd be a lot weirder if you two were totally adjusted and normal people."

"Tch. Thanks for complimenting us for being nutcases," Nora said, but she did laugh a little. "I liked to think I was the most normal one on this team."

"You still are," said Ren, turning a scowl on Jaune and Pyrrha. "It's not like these two morons are all that normal either." It looked like it was their turn for a roasting. "Jaune, you're a colossal idiot who has been juggling the idiot-ball for so long that I don't know how none of us haven't killed you already. First initiation, then Weiss, then the incident with Cardin, then Pyrrha, and now this Semblance you kept hidden even though it could have killed you in the night and we'd have never known why." Ren clenched his teeth, seething. "How are you so stupid? How do you survive? Do you have to consciously remind yourself to draw breath in the morning?"

Jaune winced. "Okay. I deserve that."

"I don't—"

"And you!" Ren hissed, turning on a startled Pyrrha. It wasn't every day – or any day, really – that Ren lost his temper so badly. "You're just as bad as him! You come here complaining about your fame and find a team where no one cares about your fame, then continue to agonise. You lump all your doubts and feelings on an idiot!" He pointed at Jaune just in case there was any doubt in the universe as to whom he was referring to, "—and they're the most obvious feelings in the world. And yet despite these feelings that you somehow think you did a good job concealing, you somehow miss no less than ten opportunities to be asked out to the dance by him, all because you were so afraid or rocking the boat by admitting how you feel that you chose to hide your attraction even when he was trying to ask you out!"

Pyrrha winced. "I... well... I... team cohesion..."

"Team cohesion nearly jumped off a cliff," said Nora. "I mean, I love you Pyrrha, but what's the point of letting him go to preserve team cohesion if you're just going threaten it again by getting jealous when he's with someone else."

The look of raw guilt on Pyrrha's face made his heart clench. "I thought I'd be better than this," she admitted. "I thought I'd be better than to get jealous and pine for him. I thought I could be the bigger person and be happy if he was happy."

"You bought into your own hype, then," said Nora. "Wow. This... This has been a team meeting. It really has. Fuck me, but it's been a team meeting. Whoah. I feel like I need to lay down and rest this team meeting off."

"I feel like I need a drink and a cigarette," growled Ren.

"I didn't know you drank," whispered Pyrrha. "Or smoked."

"I don't."

"Oh..."

Jaune forced out a weak laugh. "Okay, so, this was my idea for us to all air out our problems and find a good way to come to terms with them. And to get my dirty secret out there. So, I know this has been rough but if anyone has any ideas on how we can sort them out—"

A pillow struck him hard in the face and knocked him off his feet.

"That felt good," Ren gritted out, holding it in both hands.

Nora's eyes widened.

"PILLOW FIGHT!"

It was a bloody, feathery, vicious war that led to them all being called up by Glynda once their neighbours complained. Their pillows were torn to shreds, their beds knocked down, their mattress gouged open, and they earned two detentions each for the mess and damage – plus, they were being forced to spend the weekend sleeping in their sleeping bags to teach them the consequences of their own actions. Among the blood, sweat, tears and pillow fluff, however, Jaune liked to think they'd worked out a lot of the anger. Enough that when Glynda asked if they should be separated for the night, everyone agreed that'd be a bad idea.

"Are we cool?" Jaune asked once they had laid out their sleeping bags.

"You're an idiot," growled Ren, from his.

"But you are our idiot," Nora added. "Pyrrha too."

"You're idiots too," Pyrrha complained, from her bag. "It's not like me and Jaune have been any less stupid with our feelings than you two."

"We have the excuse of a tragic and messed up past," said Ren. "What's your excuse?"

"Um." Pyrrha winced. "I'm super famous and rich?"

"Goodnight Pyrrha. May the bed bugs eat you alive."

Jaune had a feeling they'd be okay.

Sometimes all you need is a good chance to scream and shout at one another and vent those emotions. Maybe Jaune should have read up on "scream therapy" when he was going through those psychology books.