Did it count as domestic abuse if you were beating the crap out of your boyfriend in a totally sanctioned training match? Yang certainly hoped not.

Well, maybe beating the crap out of him was a bit of an overstatement. She was obviously the superior one when it came to fighting, but Jaune was holding his own. Or at least his shield was. It had managed to block a lot of the strikes courtesy of the blonde huntress, saving Jaune's Aura in the process and dragging out the sparring match. He'd managed to land a few decent hits on her, but one look at the large screen hung over the arena showed that her Aura was in much better shape than his.

When Yang had thought about getting her hands on her boyfriend, this certainly wasn't the first thought that came to her head. Still, she had to admit it was fun. This was the first time she'd ever gone toe to toe with Jaune in Professor Goodwitch's class, and putting on a show with her new boyfriend in front of all their peers was honestly pretty fun. She wondered if he thought the same.

A glance past his raised shield at his heaving chest showed that he was winded from his efforts. She was making her man sweat and gasp for air from her physicality. Again, definitely not the first thought which came to mind when she pondered such provocative thoughts.

Yang poked her tongue out and licked her lips, smiling deviously at the young man across from her as she spoke. "Ready to go another round, lover boy?" she asked. The wording of the question was absolutely intentional. "I've still got a lot left in the tank before I'm satisfied."

She didn't spare them a glance, but she could imagine Weiss or Blake slapping a palm over their face in embarrassment at those words. However when no chastisement came from their teacher, she wondered if the subtext of those words might have gone over everyone else's heads.

Jaune responded by tightening his grip on his sword, and presumably did the same with his shield when it rose slightly to cover more of his chest. "I can do this all day."

His words said one thing, yet his tone said another. He was getting tired. Massive Aura pool or not, he was getting tired. Maybe the boy needed more cardio in his diet. They could absolutely do that kind of thing together as a couple.

In an instant Yang's own treacherous mind flinched, and an unwanted idea came to the forefront. And no, not that kind of cardio! she mentally raged. I mean, at least not yet…

A momentary distraction was all it took for Jaune to rush her, leading with his shield as he let out a battle cry. Yang only barely managed to raise her arms up to block the strike, taking the brunt of the shield's surface against her crossed arms.

Stupid sexy Jaune! her mind snarled. Those kinds of thoughts about her boyfriend were all well and good normally, but not when she was in the middle of a fight!

Yang spun to the right to avoid the overhand strike of Crocea Mors, and its steel connected with the floor where she'd once stood. She was on the back foot now, and she needed to end this match before her dirty mind thought about more inappropriate stuff with Jaune.

Twin shots from Ember Celica propelled Yang backwards across the arena, giving her plenty of breathing room between her and her foe. It also gave her a moment to think. She was a good enough student in most of her classes, but she excelled in this course in particular. Her mind was sharpest in the middle of a fight, at least until her Semblance took control. Luckily she wouldn't need that particular skill in a friendly training match against her boyfriend.

If she could just disarm him then it would be over. While she'd given him a little bit of training in hand to hand combat, he was still only the learner. She was the master.

All I've gotta do is get him to ditch the shield. Once that's gone he's all mine.

With a vague plan in mind Yang set to work implementing it. Jaune was rock solid as a defender, but he lacked speed and agility compared to most of his peers. Ember Celica would give her a little added boost too.

Yang propelled herself forward this time, deliberately choosing to go right on Jaune's shield side to get him to spin around to meet her. Yet she didn't stop at just one strike. With no need for ranged combat Yang didn't need to conserve her ammunition, and she kept firing in order to continue running literal circles around Jaune. All he could do was continue to spin and watch her, being too unsure of himself to lash out in an attempt to stop her.

She wondered if he was getting dizzy from this, because she was beginning to get a little bit. It was nearly time to strike before she began to suffer the consequences from her own strategy. With each successive shot she inched closer to him, until finally she was within striking distance. With one more shotgun gauntlet-propelled burst of speed, Yang reached out and grabbed hold of Jaune's shield, using her momentum to tear it away from his grasp.

Her landing was less than graceful, but she had succeeded in stealing the boy's shield like food off of his plate. Setting it aside, she stood back up to her full height, facing off against the boy now armed only with a sword. He held it defensively before him, his feet set wide and ready to parry any blow directed against him.

Perfect.

Checking her ammunition Yang saw that she had enough ammunition for the final strike. She ran at him, and under normal circumstances this would have been a terrible move to attack a defending opponent from the front like this. However, Yang Xiao Long was far from normal.

Twin shots from Ember Celica rang out once more, and Yang went down low. She slid leg-first between Jaune's own legs, and with no shield to stop her came through cleanly on the other side.

She stood up in a flash and grabbed hold of Jaune's arms from behind. It took both of hers to arrest only his sword arm, and she twisted it so that it was pinned behind him, making it and the sword it still held useless.

Yang grinned at the familiar position they found themselves in. It was just like training back from before they'd started dating. "Well, doesn't this look familiar?" she spoke softly into his ear.

Jaune grunted and struggled against her grasp, and despite being very strong in his own right, found himself unable to break free from the twisting hold she held him in. "Yeah," he strained through gritted teeth. "It does."

What came next didn't surprise Yang. The boy learned his lessons well when he wanted to put forth the effort, and Jaune bent forward to reach between his legs and grab Yang's own. Just like they'd practiced. However…

Before he could pull her legs out from under her Yang used her hold on his arm for balance while she jumped behind him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Yang clung to him and used all of her weight and strength to twist Jaune's body and force him down onto the floor.

Crocea Mors clattered to the ground as their bodies did, and Yang quickly established dominance over Jaune as she rolled him onto his back and straddled his waist. Taking both wrists in her hands, she pinned them down to the floor above his head. Beautiful blonde hair hung down over his face as Yang leaned in to flaunt her victory over her boyfriend.

"Nice try, but I haven't taught you everything yet," she smiled triumphantly. "There's always a counter to a counter."

Jaune struggled underneath her in vain, and the sight of it made Yang bite down on her lip in strange satisfaction. Finally though he gave up, resigning himself to the fate of having been defeated by his girlfriend in front of the entire class.

Speaking of said class…

"Yeah, looks like you're about to teach him something!" someone shouted from the seats.

Laughter rang throughout the room, and Yang was suddenly and painfully aware of what was implied by such a joke. Their positioning. The words. The curious sensations coursing through her body at the sight of Jaune underneath her and at her mercy…

She was quick to dismount Jaune, taking a hurried step back before collecting herself. Seeing him still down on the floor she extended a hand down to him to help him up. Jaune took it and was swiftly lifted up off the ground before both teens brushed off their clothes.

"Children, settle down," Miss Goodwitch barked after the unseen classmate had cracked the joke. "The winner is Miss Xiao Long. Excellent use of your weaponry to boost your speed. Against a foe whose biggest strength is defense, getting around those defenses will be the key to victory."

Yang nodded appreciatively at the praise. Miss Goodwitch then turned her attention to the loser of the match. Yang did feel bad about being the one to make him lose, but someone had to. Besides, it was only training.

"Mister Arc, your lack of ranged weaponry does restrict your strategies in battle. As a result it would be best to bolster your strengths, such as improving your shield. Perhaps add a leather strap to the back of it which would go around your forearm to prevent it from being taken away from you so easily."

Jaune nodded at the constructive criticism. Well, that was that.

"The next match will be Ruby Rose versus Pyrrha Nikos," Miss Goodwitch announced. "Please make your way down to the arena and prepare for combat."

It was a shame Yang would have to miss her sister's battle against the Invincible Girl herself. She'd have to get the cliff notes from Weiss or Blake later today. Now it was time to head back to the locker rooms to change back into their uniforms. That, and a little bit of planning for what to do after classes today.

Standing in the locker room, Jaune contemplated his latest loss in the arena. Not that it was a big deal to lose to Yang of all people. Even if she wasn't his girlfriend, she was a talented and experienced fighter who had years of training with other aspiring huntsmen students. Far more experience than he had at this stage in his life.

He shook his head. It didn't matter. He'd come a long way in the past few months. No longer was he the useless fighter he once was. While he may not have been able to take on the entirety of Team CRDL at the same time like his partner Pyrrha, he was able to compete with them individually well enough. It said a lot about him that he had improved so much in such a short amount of time. Where most students had years of training under their belts, he only had months. Now that he was going to be training regularly with not only Pyrrha, but his girlfriend Yang, he had a feeling that he would only improve from here on out.

Girlfriend. The word still sounded strange to think about, much less say. Girlfriend. Girlfriend. He, Jaune Arc, had a girlfriend. It wasn't Weiss, who he had once so foolishly and awkwardly pursued even when he was clear she had zero interest in him. No, he and Yang had come together under the most unexpected of circumstances. They'd played the parts first before falling for each other for real. He wondered if the two of them would have ever stood a chance at connecting like this had it not been for their little ploy. Their little charade of fooling Saphron and Terra. The logical part of his brain knew the answer was a resounding no. Yet he didn't care. Things had worked out, and his confidence had been boosted immensely just by the fact that he was in a relationship with Yang. He felt like he was on top of the world, and even getting his butt handed to him by her in combat class couldn't change the fact that he was still head over heels for her.

After removing his armor plates he set them aside on a wooden bench before the lockers and prepared to strip out of his casual attire. He would have to wear his school uniform for the remainder of today's classes, but thankfully only Professor Port's class remained.

As he removed his hoodie over his head, a sudden and familiar voice sounded from behind him. "That's it. Nice and slow."

Jaune jumped and spun around to see Yang standing there clutching a few articles of clothing in her hands. Her own school uniform by the look of it. She wore a mischievous grin on her lips as her narrowed lilac eyes bored holes into him. Yet as happy as he was to see her, the circumstances in which he was were cause for alarm in his mind.

"Yang?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," she began, taking a step closer toward him. "I was about to enjoy a nice show. Maybe I should have just stayed quiet." She shook her head amusedly. "But in all seriousness I just kinda felt like talking and didn't feel like waiting. So I wanted to come in and say hi."

The fact that she was talking about watching him strip still wasn't what concerned him the most. It may have been stupid, but he still couldn't get over the fact that she was in the wrong room. "This is the guy's locker room," he pointed out.

"And who's gonna know?" she asked, setting her clothes down on the bench close to him before removing her jacket. "Not like Miss Goodwitch is gonna come in here and catch me. She follows the rules, after all."

He couldn't argue with that. Miss Goodwitch would never be caught dead in the male locker room. There were, however, other people who might come in while Yang was content to change here.

"I guess," he relented, still not convinced. However if she herself was, who was he to argue? "I'll just, um, turn around then while you do your thing."

She nodded, and in his periphery he saw her do the same. "I guess I will too," she agreed. Facing away from each other, the silence in the room let them both hear the surprisingly loud roar of zippers and the sounds of fabric being lifted over heads and lowered over legs. The fact that neither were looking at one another only amplified the noises. "It's strange, isn't it?" she asked. "I've seen you in a speedo and you've seen me in a bikini, but underwear is somehow off limits? Not just like here and now with us, but in general. You know?"

She was right. It wasn't like underwear was any more or less revealing than those things. Still, context mattered. Swimwear was still just an outfit. It was expected to be seen in public. A bra and panties were more intimate and taboo. They were meant to be concealed. They were meant for a lover's eyes only.

Something he did not want anyone else catching a glimpse of. "Yeah, that is strange," he agreed. "And with that being said, what if someone walks in and sees you like that?"

He heard her hum in amusement. "Would that make you jealous?"

Immeasurably so. Still, with Yang it was always best to keep your hand close to your chest. She did like to tease and toy with even her closest companions. "I mean… I don't know if jealous is the right word."

"But you wouldn't like it."

Why would he? Jaune wasn't a possessive man, especially not since they'd just started dating only a few days earlier. Still, the idea of someone like Cardin, or even Ren, walking in and catching Yang in the act of changing wasn't something that sat well with him.

"Nope."

Yang cooed. "Aw. How cute." He heard the rustling of clothes behind him. He wondered if she was close to being finished changing. He almost was. "But don't worry. Ruby and Pyrrha are in the next match, remember? So they'll be the next people to use the locker room."

Be that as it may, if Yang wanted to do something exciting and daring like this they could have at least used one of their own rooms. Oh gods, and now he was imagining what it would be like for them to be getting undressed in the privacy of their own rooms. It was a good thing he pants were already on, because the mere thought of Yang like that was threatening to do things to him.

Jaune decided to stay on topic not only to get his mind off of more provocative things, but to prove his point. "Wouldn't you not like it if some other girl was checking me out while changing? Like a certain girl from the beach?"

She hummed again. This one was far less amused than before. "Don't remind me of her," she growled. "Or what I said to her…" she followed up. Jaune remembered all too well how mortified Yang had been when she'd unwittingly propositioned the random civvie girl to a threesome. "Speaking of which, how often do Pyrrha and Nora get to see the goods?" she wondered. "How does a mixed team like that work? Since there's only girls on my team we don't even have to think about things like that."

He was at a crossroads. Did he give Yang a taste of her own medicine and tease her? Did he say that he changed in front of his female teammates every day? Or would he be merciful and tell the truth?

Considering what she'd started by showing up here in the guy's locker room, Jaune was feeling less than charitable. "Wait, you mean I'm not supposed to get undressed in front of my teammates?"

He heard a sharp gasp from behind him. Even though he couldn't see her face, it stung him just to hear Yang in such distress. He couldn't go through with it after all.

"Kidding," he quickly followed up. "I'm just kidding. They don't see me. The four of us are really good about giving each other privacy."

A breath of relief flew out of her. He must have given her quite a scare by making her think that Pyrrha and Nora got to check out his admittedly fit body every day. Not that either of them would ever be interested in anything like that in the first place. They were like sisters to him, nothing more. Certainly neither of them had ever even implied that they had any kind of feelings for him which weren't purely platonic.

"Hey, are you good?" she asked him.

Jaune had finished buttoning up his shirt. All that remained to put on were his jacket and tie. "Yup."

"Okay. You can turn around then."

He did so and he saw Yang do the same. He was greeted by narrowed eyes and pouty lips, as well as a single finger and thumb pressed together which quickly approached his head.

Yang flicked him in the forehead, and Jaune blinked at the sudden contact. It hadn't hurt, but it had definitely been surprising.

"Jerk," she sulked. "Scaring me and making me think that other girls were getting free shows…"

She wasn't angry, at least not seriously so. It was the kind of playful banter they'd engaged in while pretending to date. Even though they were dating for real now, the rapport they'd built hadn't changed a bit. They still both loved messing with each other, and there was never any malice behind it. It was all just in good fun.

"Oh what's that, Yang?" he asked. "Do I detect some jealousy?"

Yang stuck her tongue out mockingly in response. Jaune laughed in turn. She was just so fun to be around. How had he never known that prior to that fateful meeting at the airship station?

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Problem?"

He slipped on his jacket and smiled. "Nope. I'm for your eyes only."

She smiled back at him as she slipped her trademark orange infinity scarf around her neck. "Same here. Speaking of which," she continued, her tongue poking from her lips briefly. "I came here to ask about what you wanted to do after class, and you gave me an idea. Wanna go to the beach? It's been like a whole week since we went. We could even bring the rest of the gang this time."

An impromptu beach trip? That sounded like a great idea. It would be the first time they would be able to do it as a real couple. Going with Saphron and Terra had definitely been fun, but with all of their friends he could only imagine it being even better this time.

Jaune tapped his chin in thought as he pondered the question. "Let's see. Stay at school and probably just study, or go to the beach with my beautiful girlfriend and get to see her in a bikini again? Decisions decisions…"

Yang's eyes went wide, but rather than respond verbally, a hand tugged on her scarf and pulled it up slightly to cover her face. At least the lower portion of it. Her eyes darted away, unable to meet his own. He'd only been joking, and yet…

"What was that?"

Yang blinked, and she was finally able to meet his gaze once more. "What was what?"

"Were you just… blushing?"

In an instant Yang removed the orange fabric covering her lips and cheeks, lowering it back down to her neck. "What? I was not!"

Jaune had never seen anything more adorable than what he'd just witnessed. This was more than just cute, however. This was groundbreaking. Yang Xiao Long had just shown embarrassment! Yang never got embarrassed, at least not over this kind of lovey dovey stuff. Even when they'd woken up in a hotel bed together neither had been truly embarrassed about it. Now here she was getting flustered over a mere compliment? Yang may have been more than just a cutie, but right now she was the epitome of the word.

"Did I just unlock some kind of new secret Yang girlfriend achievement?" he wondered aloud. "Say something to make you blush and you cover your face with your neck… scarf thingy?"

"I… I was not blushing!" she insisted. "I had an itch. I was adjusting my scarf. That's all."

"Mmhmm," he hummed, not at all convinced by her blustering arguments.

"See, I actually finished dressing myself," she continued, taking another step closer to him. Yang reached down and snatched the tie from his hands before looping it around his neck and shirt collar. "Unlike you who's still not ready to get back to class."

She stood before him, neither saying a word, as Yang's nimble fingers worked with Jaune's tie. Crossing fabric over fabric. Looping. And most importantly, failing miserably at tying it correctly around his neck.

Her eyes were laser focused on the task at hand, and Jaune saw how her lips curled into a frown at the sight of her failure. An indignant snort shot through her nostrils before she threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Okay they make this look way easier on TV."

Jaune smiled patiently at her before he began tying it himself. At least after he'd unwrapped the coiled fabric which had come dangerously close to strangling him. "You wanted to be smooth so much, didn't you?"

Yang leveled a finger at him. "Hey, just because I can't tie a tie doesn't mean I'm not smooth."

That was without question. Yang was truly as smooth as they came, both literally and figuratively. He remembered what it was like to put sunscreen on her. Today he would get another shot at it. He wondered if he should give her another muscle massage and get her to make that sound again…

"I know. I know."

"I mean, these fists are made for punching," she continued, shadow boxing with a few hard strikes. "Not tying ties. It's not like I wear the things."

He'd just been on the receiving end of those fists. He knew all too well the power they possessed. "Yup."

"Still," she said, her voice softening. Becoming almost a little bit sad. "It would be pretty nice to tie your tie for you someday. I always thought it looked sexy when a woman does that kind of thing for her man on TV."

Jaune knew exactly the kind of thing she was talking about. A married couple at home in the morning. The man getting ready for work. His wife coming in and giving him a few finishing touches before seeing him to the door. While Yang definitely didn't scream housewife, nor did he ever want her to, he agreed that it would be incredibly sexy for her to finish tying his tie for him, running her fingers through his hair, and kissing him before he left for the day.

"It would be," he agreed. "Like getting ready for a big day at the office or something."

"Yup. The huntsman office." Yang smirked and shook her head as she continued imagining the exaggerated scenario. "Going out on an important mission to kill some big Grimm. Making sure we both look good while doing it."

"Well, not like you'd have to try that much," he smiled. "You always look good."

Yang's lips pressed together, and he saw how her hand began moving up toward her face before stopping itself. He knew exactly what it had been about to do. Yang knew it too.

"Aw, aren't you a sweet talker," she said instead, clasping both hands behind her back.

Jaune shrugged. "I guess sometimes."

"That's why I think I'll keep you around."

"Lucky me."

Yang grinned deeply, her head tilting ever so slightly to the side as she peered into his eyes. "The luckiest."

The sun shone brightly down on the beach, bringing Yang back in time to a week ago. Clad in a loose-fitting shirt and jean shorts, she felt the sand crunching under her feet as she walked back to where Jaune had set up their own personal spot on the beach.

Even with sunglasses, she had to raise a hand to shield her eyes from the blazing sun as she peered out at the other members of their party. Weiss, wearing a white bikini which was surprisingly immodest compared to what Yang had expected, had Neptune by the hand and was struggling in vain to pull him closer to the water. He voiced his protests, but for the life of her Yang couldn't understand why he was so unwilling to go near the ocean. Still, it was good to see Weiss cutting loose like this. She deserved to have fun like any other teenager, and what better place than the beach?

Blake, unsurprisingly clad in black, sat underneath an umbrella with a book in her hands. Sun sat with her like a loyal puppy, clearly bored to tears as his crush read, but was unwilling to leave her side nonetheless. With Neptune occupied it wasn't like he had his best bro to have fun with either. The poor guy. Forever at the mercy of the girl who played hard to get. Even if she didn't know she was doing so.

On the other hand, the girl who didn't play hard to get was busy splashing her not so subtle crush as they both stood waist-deep in the water. Nora was as excitable as ever, and even Ren was showing a surprising amount of liveliness as the two played in the middle of the ocean. If there was any place for the girl to not act her age it was here and now, and Nora behaved like a child having the time of her life with her best friend and partner. Yang wondered when Ren would finally wake up and see what was right in front of him? Would Nora ever escape the Renzone?

The last two didn't have significant others they were trying to woo. Pyrrha was dressed rather modestly, not to mention in full incognito mode, as she reclined on a flimsy beach lounge chair. With sunglasses, a sun hat, a beach shawl, and shorts, she took in the sun's rays and no one in the wider public knew that the world famous Pyrrha Nikos was right in their midst. It was for the best too. There would be no shortage of creeps and opportunists looking to get candid shots of the celebrity in a bikini, or worse, if she suffered some kind of wardrobe malfunction.

And then there was her sister. Her sweet sister. Her innocent, naïve sister…

"Oh yeah you like that, don't you?" Ruby purred from her own beach towel. Lying on it wasn't another person, but rather the familiar sight of a high-impact sniper rifle scythe. And rather than sunscreen, a bottle of oil laid next to it, with which Ruby eagerly applied to a cleaning rag. "Mmm, you feel so good in my hands. I could rub you all over all day long…"

Yang shivered. That was a side of Ruby that she could have gone her whole life without seeing. Brothers help whatever guy Ruby eventually fell for, he would be in for a wild ride. For now though, Yang needed to purge these thoughts from her brain. What better way to do it than getting her hands all over her boyfriend?

Crunching over to where Jaune had finished setting up their beach umbrella, Yang plopped down next to him. Before they set out to enjoy the water together, they needed to get prepared. Getting burnt out here was entirely avoidable. Not to mention the preparation came with perks of its own…

"Hey, Jaune," she said as she stripped her shirt off over her head. "Mind putting some sunscreen on me?"

His face said it all. Of course he wouldn't mind. In fact, his hands probably began to sweat more now than the summer heat could have ever caused. Clad with only her purple bikini top covering her up, Yang knew that she was smoking hot on an already sizzling day.

"Oh, right," she said, reaching over for the bottle they'd brought along. "Sure."

Jaune's eyes were focused on his hands as he squeezed some of the cream out and started rubbing his hands together. He was so considerate, yet so mistaken. While she didn't want just anybody staring at her, Jaune Arc wasn't just anybody. Not anymore.

She reached out to place a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Jaune's hands froze and he peered up at her.

"Hey, you know you don't have to avoid looking at me, right?" she asked warmly. "I'm your girlfriend now. Your real, actual girlfriend. I might even get a little offended if you don't check me out."

He nodded, and a bit of an embarrassed blush crept onto his cheeks. "Right," he agreed. "It's all still so new to me. I don't wanna like, overstep or anything."

Yang understood. She was in the same boat as him. "Yeah, same here. A little ogling is part of the package though. Or a lot. I know I'll be ogling your package plenty," she added with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

It may not have been a speedo, but Yang still was able to get a nice eyeful of Jaune's body. His chest was broad. A little pale, but with beach trips like these they would both be able to get nice tans in no time. It was strange how Yang hadn't cared about things like this even just a couple of weeks ago. Now she was all in on the perks of being in a relationship.

"Alright, if you say so," Jaune said, allowing his gaze to lower from her eyes. "Let the ogling begin." Blue eyes lingered on a certain spot in particular. One which Yang knew was her finest asset. "Wow. You're just so wow, Yang."

Yang knew she was hot, but it never hurt to hear it aloud. Especially not from her boyfriend. "Aw, you like the bikini?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "Some guy helped me pick it out."

"Some guy?" he asked, playing along with her game. "Should I be jealous?"

She waved off his false concern with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "Nah, he was a total dork. Got all flustered when I was showing it off to him." With Jaune's hands ready to go, Yang moved to lay on her stomach so that he could get to work applying the sunscreen to her. "He only got to look. You get to touch."

Giving him the signal to begin, Jaune's hands came down on her back like they'd done a week earlier. A heated breath slipped through her nose when those large, calloused hands began to rub all over her bare flesh. She may have been able to talk a big game, but at times like these she was glad that Jaune couldn't see her face while he was touching her.

"Well to be fair I think that would fluster anyone," he told her.

"Oh yeah? Are you calling me sexy, Jaune?"

His hands paused, and Yang wondered if he had some sort of devious plan that she wouldn't be able to see coming. As it turned out he did, but not the kind she'd been expecting.

"You know what?" he said as his hands resumed their work on her. They were stronger and more decisive than before. "As your boyfriend, I am saying that. I'm allowed to do that now. Yang, you're really, really sexy."

Okay, she was really glad he couldn't see her face right now. Before he'd accused her of hiding her blushing face underneath her scarf, which she totally hadn't done, but right now she was glad she had a beach towel to bury her face into. She really didn't need anyone seeing what words like those were doing to her.

After taking a few moments to collect herself, Yang raised her head once more to speak. "I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting that. Old Jaune wouldn't have said that. Never in a million years."

"Was it too much?"

Yang shook her head. "No, not at all. It actually sounded really nice. I mean, I know I'm sexy…"

"And humble too," he quickly added.

"So, so humble," she agreed. "But like, it feels nice, you know? For someone else to say it and mean it. I like it. I like when you call me sexy, Jaune."

Even someone as beautiful as Yang could have self confidence issues. They didn't necessarily stem from her physical appearance, but rather issues more deeply-rooted in her past which Jaune wasn't privy to yet. Someday, she would share those issues with him, just as she hoped he would share his with her. For now though, words of love and affection would do for sating her desires.

"I'll be sure to do it more then," he said. To Yang's disappointment his hands left her once more, and his next words had an unwanted finality to them. "Alright, you're good to go."

With the back of her body protected, Yang could easily do the front of hers. Plus, it wasn't yet time for Jaune to rub his hands all over her bikini-clad cleavage. Someday, but not now.

"And I'll do the same," Yang said, taking in the sight of his sexy chest. "Because damn, you're really hot, Jaune. All that training you've put in really paid off."

He smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."

"Your turn," she told him, and Jaune laid down on his stomach. Yang knelt over him, squirting sunscreen on her hands before rubbing them together. Her hands eagerly dug into his flesh as she began applying it to his back. "Don't think that a girl doesn't appreciate checking out a hot guy just as much as you like checking out a hot girl. You'll definitely be getting a lot of attention from me from now on. Me, and probably a lot of other girls too."

"I'll be ready."

Yang smiled. "Trust me, you won't be. Once this lioness sets her sights on her prey there's no escape." To emphasize, Yang dragged her nails down lightly across his back. Jaune gasped in response. What a cute little noise she'd forced him to make. Just as he'd forced one out of her when he'd massaged her back the last time.

"Should I be afraid or excited?" he wondered.

Her smile deepened into a grin. "Maybe a little bit of both."

With Jaune done now all that was left was to finish off the fronts of their bodies. Then it would be an afternoon and evening of fun with their friends. Swimming. Volleyball. Maybe some food. They had the entire rest of the day to enjoy the beach, and Yang intended to squeeze every last moment out of it that she could.

The sun was setting and it was time to leave the water. With evening came cooler temperatures, and combined with the breeze off the sea the air was suddenly cold. Being wet didn't help matters one bit.

Jaune rushed over to his and Yang's spot to grab a towel to wrap himself with. She wasn't far behind him. Even the sand under his feet was cooler now, and he couldn't wait to get a shirt back on. First though he had to dry off.

Taking the towel he'd brought along, Jaune rubbed it roughly first against his hair and then his body. A glance over at Yang showed her doing the same, though she had much more hair to work with than him. By the time he'd put his shirt back on she was still struggling to get through it all. Not that he would ever complain about that beautiful blonde hair of hers.

"Brrr, it's freakin' freezing out here!" she complained.

There was no bonfire like they'd enjoyed the last time. Jaune could always say something incredibly stupid to try and trigger Yang's Semblance, but the negatives would far outweigh the positives in doing so. Not even he was that stupid.

"That's because you're only wearing a bikini," he pointed out.

"Hey, I don't hear you complaining," she shot back. Her face was framed in the towel she wore over her head, making her appear like some sort of dark lord from a fantasy movie.

Jaune smiled. "Nope. Never." He would never, ever complain about the sight of Yang in a bikini. Especially not when he had her expressed permission and even desire to look at it.

"Good. I'm cold, Jaune. Be a good boyfriend and be my blanket."

Without warning Jaune was pulled down by Yang and forced to lie next to her. Not that he struggled or fought against it. Why would he? Still, the suddenness of it did take him by surprise, and in no time he felt the cold body of his girlfriend pressing up against him.

Guessing what she meant by being her blanket, Jaune wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her close to him. She hummed contentedly as her fact found itself buried in his chest. It was an incredible feeling. Even with cold and damp hair and skin, she still possessed a warmth to her that he didn't think was possible.

"Mmm, that's better," she sighed dreamily. "I could get used to this. Cuddling with you."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It's way better than waking up to it by accident," he added, referring to the morning at the hotel.

Their bodies had known it felt good while they were sleeping, and it felt just as good right now. No, even better. Despite both being cold and wet, the conscious choice of doing it made it all the better. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't a subconscious decision. It was an expression of love and care.

"Mmhmm," she agreed. "Shame we don't have a place to do it at Beacon."

"Yeah. It would be pretty weird doing this in front of our teams in our rooms and all."

Yang's head and torso lifted, and she propped herself up over Jaune as she looked down on him. "Hey, wanna get a hotel room so we can cuddle some more?" she asked with a devious grin. "All alone, just the two of us?"

Get a hotel room together? To… cuddle? Jaune knew that certain places with hourly rates existed, but they certainly weren't used for cuddling. He wondered if Yang even knew what she was suggesting.

A second later her face twisted and she broke into laughter. Bright white teeth flashed and strands of wet hair slapped at his chest.

"Oh man, you should have seen your face," she cackled. A hand grazed his cheek lightly before giving it a small pat. "Aww, does the idea of us having a room all to ourselves make you nervous? Were you thinking about something else happening?"

Yes. Especially if it was for doing the kinds of things his mind had wandered to, rather than mere cuddling as she'd suggested. "No," he lied. Well, somewhat lied. He'd thought about it, after all, but he would never expect it. "I'd never expect anything we both weren't one hundred percent on board with."

Her smile softened, and Yang went from teasing mode back to sincere mode. There was a delicate balance between the two, and one never overpowered the other. "I know you wouldn't," she said. Her gaze darted from his when she spoke next. "But maybe, someday, if we both wanted to… we could."

A chill ran down Jaune's spine, and it wasn't because of being cold and wet. Somehow, even with an incredibly hot and beautiful girl pressing against him, he felt a coldness in his stomach and chest. "Yeah. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to that. Someday."

Yang nodded, her smile never fading as she leaned back down against his chest. "That's good. Definitely don't wanna rush into anything. But yeah. Someday."

Someday. The word was so vague and promised nothing, and yet the mere mention of it opened up possibilities in Jaune's mind which he never would have even considered a few days ago. Someday. Jus the fact that she was thinking about that kind of thing too drove him wild. She'd said that girls admired a hot body just as much as guys did. Did this mean that they thought about intimacy as much too? That Yang was thinking that far ahead just as he might have been? That… someday they would advance their fledgling relationship to the next level?

Unfortunately just thinking about that sort of thing was making Jaune's body react, and he squeezed his legs together lest Yang realize that something was happening down there. Clad in just a pair of swimming trunks, there wasn't exactly much to hide his totally understandable reaction to thought of 'someday'.

As it turned out, however, he was just as smooth at hiding his reactions as Yang was. That being, not at all. Her body shook with laughter against his.

"Wow, just the thought of it is getting you excited?" she asked amusedly. "Consider me flattered."

A soft growl hummed in his throat. "I mean, come on. Making me think about things like that when I've got you in my arms? I can't control it."

"Oh I don't blame you," she assured him, rising up once more to look him in the eyes. "Not one bit. If anything I'd say that little Jaune has good taste in women."

"Hey," he protested weakly. "Little?"

Yang's teeth clenched and she sucked in a breath. "Whoops, my bad. Didn't mean it like that or anything. How does big Jaune sound then?"

Ridiculous, but still better than little Jaune. "Like some sort of new burger on a fast food menu," he answered honestly.

Yang giggled. He was glad he was able to make her laugh. More importantly, he was glad that her sense of humor meshed so well with his. He was dumb and immature at times, and as it turned out so was she. Someone like Weiss or Blake probably wouldn't have thought his jokes were funny at all. There was a saying that opposites attracted, but Jaune was glad to be with someone who could appreciate him for him, and that he could appreciate Yang for herself.

After all, where would he ever meet another girl who liked drawing pictures of dicks in her notebook, and when she was feeling especially daring, on the whiteboard in class before anyone else showed up?

"I hope it's not on the one lien menu," she said. "The only person who should be able to afford that piece of meat is me."

Saying things like that would not help his little… big problem go away. Maybe that was by design. Maybe she enjoyed taunting and teasing him with such suggestive words.

"Of course," he agreed. "No one else." He spoke the truth too. No one else was ever on his mind. Not even Weiss.

"Just like everything on my menu… is only for you," she said. A moment later she bit down gently on her lower lip. He knew how hard that must have been to say for her. Even if Yang never usually showed fear or regret in her words.

Words which took Jaune aback, despite what had already been said up to this point. "Oh. Wow."

"And maybe… I could give you a taste test. You know. Before someday."

Taste test. He had no idea what that meant, but he liked the sound of it. Their little code words they were coming up with on the fly only cemented the fact that they were a couple. They had words and euphemisms which only they were privy to. A secret language only they would understand.

"I'd like that," he said, still not knowing exactly what a taste test entailed. Still, if she was willing to give one to him, he would reciprocate in kind. "And you could have a taste test too. If you want."

Yang's tongue poked through her lips. Her soft, pink lips. "I want." She inhaled another deep breath through her nose. Gorgeous lilac eyes sparkled like gemstones in the light of the setting sun. "You wanna… have one right now?"

Still unsure of what that was, Jaune panicked. "Now? Here?"

Her tongue ran across her lips. "Yeah. If you wanna…"

"I wanna," he said quickly. Too quickly. Too eagerly. Yet Yang wasn't deterred.

She nodded, teeth playing with her lips even through her smile. "Okay then. First taste test."

Jaune hadn't known what he'd been expecting, but what came next should not have come as a surprise. Not one bit. After all, why should he have expected anything inappropriate out here on a public beach?

Yang pressed her lips down against his. It was brief. There was no tongue. Yet it sent electricity jolting though his body. Whereas a cold shiver had ran down his spine before, this time an immense heat welled up inside of him, caused entirely by the sunny little dragon which rested against his chest.

Only a few brief seconds had passed before Yang pulled back, and the grin she wore on her lips threatened to split her face in half. A single word came a moment later. "Tasty."

Their first kiss had indeed been tasty. He couldn't describe the taste, for it was one he'd never experienced before. All he knew was that it was delicious and he wanted seconds.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Very."

"I want another bite."

"Same."

She kissed him again. Longer this time. This time their mouths and lips actually moved a little bit. There was even a little bit of tongue scraping against his teeth. He didn't know about Yang, but Jaune was very inexperienced in the act. If he was her first boyfriend, he could only assume she was just as inexperienced. Yet that didn't matter. When it was with her it didn't matter how much skill they had in kissing. The fact that it was her lips against his made it the most amazing experience he could have possibly imagined.

This time it was only the need for oxygen which forced them to come apart, and Yang licked her lips once more. "I like what's on your menu, Jaune," she whispered. If Jaune wasn't mistaken, there was barely-restrained excitement in her tone when she spoke. "But, um, maybe we should take a break so no one else finds out what's on your secret menu."

The problem in his pants had only grown since he and Yang had started kissing. Reluctantly she removed herself from his body and grabbed a towel before throwing it his way.

"Whoops. Sorry."

He covered up the lower portion of his body. Meanwhile Yang, far drier now than she'd been before, slipped her shirt on over her head. The disappointment Jaune felt was immeasurable.

"Don't be sorry," she said warmly. "I like that I do that to you." She glanced away. "You do it to me too."

The admission filled Jaune with pride. And yet despite that pride, somehow it was another joke that came to the forefront of his mind.

"And here I thought we'd established you weren't packing anything down there," he jested, referring back to the hotel incident.

Yang snorted a laugh. "Idiot. My secret menu's just a lot more secret than yours."

Jaune's head shook amusedly. "Is it weird that we've turned this kind of stuff into a fast food euphemism?"

"Nah, I think it's great," she said. Jaune was relieved to hear her say that. He liked joking with Yang. He'd liked it since they'd started fake dating. He was so glad that they were able to keep it up without missing a beat. "We can talk about this kind of stuff in the open and everyone else will just wonder what we're babbling about."

A secret language indeed. One with taste tests, secret menus, and somedays. Undoubtedly there would be more to come as the days came and went.

Yang glanced around after she'd finished putting her clothes back on. "Wow, how'd it get so dark out?"

Jaune too noticed that the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon. There was only one explanation. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"Guess so. And I had a lot of fun today. I'm so glad we did this. All of this," she emphasized, and Jaune imagined that Yang was referring to the entire fake relationship to fool Saphron and Terra. "So that we wound up here."

He nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Me too."

Yang stood up and offered him a hand just as she had earlier in the arena. Jaune took it and was pulled up by his amazing badass of a girlfriend. "Maybe we should get back to the others? They're probably getting ready to leave."

"Sounds good."

The two began gathering up their belongings and dismantled their rented umbrella. Soon enough they were packed and ready to go. It would be sad to leave. But then again…

"There's always the weekend," he said as the two walked. "We can do all sorts of stuff together now that we're dating. And that it's real and out in the open like this."

"Oh yeah? Did you have anything in mind?"

Jaune thought about the question for a few seconds. In the end his answer wasn't really an answer at all.

"Nope. I kinda figured maybe we'd just get on your bike and see where the night took us. As long as it's going out with you, Yang, I can't imagine a better time."

Knowing that Yang was a bit of a thrill seeker, Jaune wondered if that sounded like a good date idea for her.

She hummed in thought momentarily before answering. "You know what? Normally that is the kind of thing I'd go for. But I have another idea in mind."

"What's that?"

"I'm freaking exhausted from keeping up appearances and going out almost every night with your sister. Getting dressed up, makeup, all that stuff really takes a toll. Not that it was bad or anything, I loved every second of it. But you know what sounds like the best date idea right now?"

"What?"

"Staying in, putting on my pajamas, and being a complete slob stuffing my face with an unhealthy amount of pizza," she said. The juxtaposition of such a stunningly beautiful girl saying that was like being doused with cold water. And yet… it worked for her. It totally did. It wouldn't have for girls like Weiss or Blake, but for Yang it seemed natural. "Putting on a movie, cuddling with you, and making you taste my pizza breath. Sound like a plan?"

It sounded like the perfect plan. Yang could cover the pizza with anchovies and stinky cheese and he'd still be eager and willing to taste her pizza breath. If it meant enjoying a nice, relaxing home date with Yang, then he would gladly do so.

"I'm in," he agreed.

It had all started with him reluctantly agreeing to one of her plans. Now he found such things not only agreeable, but he was looking forward to many more for years to come.

Author's Note: It took a while to get this final chapter out, but at least by this point the climax of the story had already happened. Here we just have some nice, romantic fluff. I figured we deserved it after all that buildup.

I had a lot of fun writing this story. It was my first true dive into Dragonslayer, and I have to admit I really enjoy the ship. Yang is so much fun to write because she has both the fun-loving and joking side to her, as well as the serious and vulnerable parts which come from her family's past. Hopefully I managed to capture both here in this fic.

Saphron was loads of fun too. I never usually write her, and I wish more stories would utilize her as a secondary character when it comes to Jaune ships. Oh well.

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Thank you all for your support and sticking with this for as long as you did. I truly appreciate it.