Jaune Arc stood on the sidewalk of Argus, dressed in a well-fitted black suit and tie. He adjusted the knot of his tie for what felt like the tenth time, his fingers fidgeting restlessly.

His blonde hair, neatly combed back, swayed slightly in the gentle coastal breeze. His hands felt clammy, and his heart beat too fast for his own liking. Gods, he had faced divine beings, fought against armies of Grimm, witnessed the ascension of an entire species… and yet, here he was, nervous like a truant schoolboy.

It had been years.

Years of avoiding this, years of telling himself that there was no point, that he had gone too long without seeing them, that they had moved on without him.

And yet, now that he was here, standing before the quaint little house in Argus, his chest felt tight.

His left hand clenched instinctively at the smooth surface of the wedding band on his ring finger.

He had no idea how they would react.

Would they even recognize him?

Would they be angry?

Would they even want to see him after all this time?

Jaune let out a long, slow breath.

There was only one way to find out.

He steeled himself, walked up to the door, and—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Jaune swallowed hard, waiting anxiously.

A few seconds passed. Then—

The door creaked open.

Standing in the doorway was a woman with blonde hair like his, but cut shorter, styled neatly in a way that fit the warm, homely aura she gave off.

Her eyes, the same shade of blue as his, widened in shock.

Jaune opened his mouth, his throat suddenly dry.

"H-Hey, I—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Saphron Cotta-Arc tackled him.

"BABY BROTHER!"

Jaune barely had time to brace himself before he was nearly knocked off balance, arms full of his crying sister.

She was sobbing fat tears, gripping onto his suit like she was afraid he'd disappear again.

Jaune stood frozen for a second before he sighed in relief. His arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her as her sobs shook against his chest.

"You idiot," Saphron sniffled, pulling back only to smack him on the arm. "You absolute, stupid idiot! What took you so long?!"

Jaune chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I… uh. Got a little lost."

"A little lost?! Jaune Arc, you've been missing for years! We thought—" Saphron stopped, her voice catching in her throat. "We thought you were dead."

Jaune's smile faded.

For a long moment, there was silence between them.

Then Jaune took a deep breath and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry."

Saphron wiped at her tear-streaked face, then sniffled. "You better be, you jerk."

Jaune chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah… I guess I am."

She hiccupped a breath and then finally took a proper look at him.

Her gaze drifted downward… and froze when she saw the wedding band on his finger.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my Gods." She gasped, then grabbed his left hand, holding it up. "You're MARRIED TOO?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN INVITE YOUR BIG SISTERS!?"

Jaune groaned. "Uh, it's complicated."

"Oh NO." Saphron's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I HAVE to hear this."

Saphron practically shoved Jaune onto the couch, planting herself beside him with wide, expectant eyes.

"Alright, spill. Everything."

Jaune chuckled, rubbing his temples. "You're not even going to let me breathe first, huh?"

"Nope!" Saphron grinned, looking far too smug. "I just found out my long-lost brother is alive, married, and possibly involved in all kinds of shenanigans. If you think I'm letting you off easy, you're dead wrong."

Jaune exhaled through his nose, then leaned back into the couch. His fingers absentmindedly traced the wedding band, a fond smile tugging at his lips.

"Alright," he murmured. "Where do I even begin?"

"How about why the hell you've been missing for ten years?!"

Jaune winced. "Yeah… that's a long story."

"I'm listening."

Jaune took a deep breath.

"Well," he started, his voice taking on a soft, nostalgic tone.

"Once upon a time… there was a boy who met a Rusted Knight."

Saphron blinked. "What."

Jaune chuckled, shaking his head. "I know, I know. Just let me finish."

Saphron huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. But this better be good."

Jaune smiled, his eyes distant as memories flooded his mind.

And so — he told her his story.

Of the Rusted Knight who took him in and turned him into a Rusty Squire.

Of his time in the Everafter.

Of Beacon.

Of his team, his friends, and the things that shaped them.

Of gods and fate.

Of choices made, and the weight of destiny.

Of love, loss, and the road that led him home.

Saphron sat there, utterly stunned.

Her jaw dropped, eyes wide with pure, unfiltered shock. She had listened patiently, well, mostly patiently, as Jaune had told her his whole story.

The Everafter. The Rusted Knight. The gods, the Grimm, the war in Menagerie.

Hell, she even managed to keep her cool when Jaune casually mentioned that he had helped reshape an entire species and changed the course of Remnant's history.

But somehow nothing, nothing, prepared her for this.

"YOU'RE MARRIED TO WEISS SCHNEE AND PYRRHA NIKOS?! AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE YOUR FAMILY TO IT!?"

Jaune flinched at the sheer volume of her voice.

"IT JUST HAPPENED!" He rubbed his temple, groaning. "Saphron—"

"NO, NO, NO — STOP — WE'RE GOING BACK TO THAT!" She waved her hands frantically, staring at him like he just announced he was secretly the King of Vacuo.

Jaune sighed dramatically, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Yes, Saphron. I'm married to Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. Can we please move past it?"

"ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN NOT." She smacked his arm.

Jaune groaned again. "Ow—why are you like this—"

"Jaune, do you understand what you just told me?! Pyrrha Nikos—world champion Pyrrha Nikos—"

"Yes, Saphron, I know who Pyrrha is, thank you—"

"—AND WEISS SCHNEE—CEO of the freaking SDC, one of the richest women on the planet—"

"Yes, I'm aware—"

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU PULL THAT OFF?!"

Jaune sighed deeply, slumping into the couch. "I didn't pull anything off, Saphron. Things just… happened."

"Things just happened?!" She let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. "No, no, no, you don't just accidentally get married to two of the most powerful and famous women in Remnant!"

"Well, I did."

Saphron squinted at him, eyes filled with suspicion.

Then, her lips slowly curled into a smirk.

"Wait a minute…" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

Jaune felt uneasy. "What?"

Saphron's smirk widened.

"Oh my Gods." She covered her mouth. "Jaune. Jaune, you dog."

Jaune blinked, confused. "What—?"

"How good are you in bed?!"

Jaune choked on air.

"SAPHRON!" His face flushed bright red. "What the hell kind of question is that?!"

Saphron cackled, clearly having the time of her life.

"Oh, this is incredible." She wiped away a tear. "My baby brother somehow bagged two of the most powerful women in Remnant, and I'm just supposed to accept that?!"

Jaune groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands.

"You are impossible."

"No, no, this is amazing." Saphron grinned, leaning back against the couch. "Do our family know? Have you contacted them yet? Wait, I'm the first? Oh Jaune! I knew I was your favorite sis! Oh, I need to see their faces when I tell them."

"Please don't."

"Oh, I absolutely will, so," she said, crossing her arms. "When do I get to meet them?"

Jaune froze.

Saphron grinned. "Oh, what's wrong, Jaune? Don't tell me you weren't expecting that?"

Jaune opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He blinked, processing.

Weiss. Pyrrha. Meeting Saphron. His family.

Gods. How does he even begin?

Jaune swallowed nervously.

"Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean… you really don't have to—"

"Oh, absolutely not. I have to meet them," Saphron said firmly, grinning mischievously. "I need to make sure they're treating my baby brother right."

Jaune groaned. "Saphron—"

"I'm serious!" She put a hand over her heart, looking mock-offended. "What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't check in on my baby brother's wives?"

"Please stop saying that—"

"Oh, this is perfect." Saphron clapped her hands together. "Tell them to clear their schedules. We're having dinner for the whole family!"

Jaune looked like he wanted to die.

"Saphron, I don't think you understa—"

"Dinner, Jaune." She grinned at him. "I'm not letting you get out of this. You all owe us all of this."

Jaune slumped back into the couch, staring at the ceiling in defeat.

"Gods," he muttered. "I've faced gods, fought armies, helped the world… and somehow, this is the scariest thing I've ever done."

Saphron beamed.

"Good. Now, get texting. I wanna know exactly when I get to meet my sisters-in-law. I'm telling everyone!"

Jaune let out a sigh.

"You're never gonna let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Jaune rubbed his temples, and yet he found himself smiling too.

Because for the first time in years…

He didn't feel like the Rusty Squire of the Rusted Knight.

Or some kind of a fairy tale.

Now… he just felt like a little brother dealing with his big sister again.

Gods, how he missed this.