Hello, everyone! I'm back with some more Juniper Berries! This is a commission for miner249er, who wanted a oneshot of our favorite poly team going house hunting after graduation. This takes place in the canon-verse, but Volume 3 never happened. All of our babies are alive and lived to see graduation. Enjoy!
"This yard is just grand!" Pyrrha commented as Team JNPR walked up the path to an isolated house a few miles from Vale. "Nora, you could set up that training area you wanted to make."
Nora bounced up and down eagerly, hugging Pyrrha's arm. "Oh my gosh, you're right! This would be so perfect!"
"Don't get excited until we see the interior," Ren reminded them. "That's where we'll be spending most of our time."
"Speak for yourself," Nora huffed.
"We'll be doing missions most of the time, especially while we're getting established," Jaune said. "So, the inside doesn't have to be fancy. Just as long as it's comfortable and will hold all of us, I'm good."
"If the kitchen is bad, I'm out," Ren said firmly.
Jaune took the key their real estate agent had given them and unlocked the front door. The scent of fresh wood hit him immediately. This was a newer house, built after a Grimm attack had destroyed many of the outlying neighborhoods. As a result, few civilians were interested in buying it. However, there were always a few Huntsmen looking for a home closer to the action.
"Jaune, are you going to let the rest of us come in?" Pyrrha asked, peering over his shoulder with a gentle smile.
"I'm just trying to decide which one of you I should be carrying over the threshold," he replied with a cheeky grin.
"You can carry Pyrrha," Nora chirped. "I'll carry Ren!"
Ren rolled his eyes, though he couldn't keep a small smile from his face. "That's for after we move in, Nora."
"So, you're saying I can carry you." Nora grinned triumphantly, tapping Ren's nose. "I'll remember that."
Jaune laughed as he led the others into the house. It was a one-floor place with only a few rooms. There would be a lot of remodeling and fixing up to do. There was no furniture or wallpaper. It was a total bare-bones house, which was why it was so inexpensive. He started calculating in his head just what the overall price would come to.
We'll probably want carpeting in the bedroom. And Ren will require a good Dust stove and oven. If we don't wallpaper, could we just sand the walls and paint them? How would that even work?
Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's arm, sensing what was going through his mind when she saw his worried expression. "Remember, our parents are going to be helping us. Your family has plenty of spare furniture, my mom is already putting aside silverware, and I'm pretty sure Dad will be getting us beds as our housewarming gift. The big thing to focus on will be the built-in furnishings and plumbing."
Jaune relaxed at the reminder. "Yeah, you're right." He looped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "I still can't believe this is happening. We only graduated a few weeks ago, and now we're getting a house together. It'll be like the dorms at Beacon, but bigger!"
Despite the fact that the four had only been together as a team for four years, and in a relationship for three and a half, it felt as if they had all known each other forever. For Ren and Nora, that was practically true. Continuing to hunt Grimm together as a group and living together as a family felt like the natural next step now that they were graduates.
Nora zipped over and hugged Jaune's midsection. "We'll get a huge bed, right? So we can all snuggle together."
"Of course," Jaune assured her, ruffling her hair with his free hand.
Nora pouted. "What, don't I get a kiss too?"
"Aw, sorry." Jaune bent down and touched his lips to hers. "Better?"
"Hm… No. That felt like an afterthought." Nora folded her arms and stuck out her tongue. "I need more convincing."
"How about this?" Pyrrha easily picked up Nora, holding her tightly against her chest and pressing a fiery kiss to her lips.
Nora made a muffled sound of surprise before throwing her arms around Pyrrha's shoulders and eagerly kissing back. "Mmm…" she hummed pleasantly before pulling back, her face flushed. "Jaune, you should be taking lessons."
"I'm a hands-on kind of guy," Jaune said smoothly. "Maybe you lovely ladies can teach me a thing or two later." He turned in the direction of the next room, where Ren was standing alone. "Not feeling left out, are you?"
Ren glanced over. "Hm? No. I'm just looking at this room. It would make a suitable kitchen."
"So, the place has your stamp of approval." Jaune looked around the room as he walked in. "Yeah, a stove could go over there. And we could fit a good-sized fridge. If we went a little cheaper on the oven, we could…" He trailed off when he saw the look Ren was giving him. "Right. Kitchen-ware is non-negotiable. Got it."
Ren flashed a brief, satisfied smile before lightly hugging Jaune. "Well, I need to be able to make good food for you all. Working with the Beacon kitchens wasn't easy."
Nora zipped over. "Well, the kitchens at the orphanage were a lot worse, and your food has always been amazing. Are you saying it'll be even better now?" Her eyes grew wide and sparkly. "Oh, the pancakes…"
"You're drooling, Nora," Ren said flatly.
"Guys, look at this back room," Pyrrha called from down the hall.
The other three entered. The room was large, easily big enough for a king-sized bed and plenty of other furniture. There was a window looking out into the forest. A quick tap told them that the glass was reinforced with Earth Dust to make it stronger in case a Grimm took a swing at it.
"Oooh, we could set up a huge TV right there for our movie nights!" Nora eyed one of the walls. "And we can put the beds there and Ren could have his bookshelf and desk there…"
Ren opened a door. "It leads off to a smaller room. I think it's meant to be the bathroom."
"I saw another small room like that over by the entryway," Jaune commented. "At least we won't have to worry about sharing one bathroom anymore."
"That's one thing I won't miss about dorm life," Pyrrha admitted. "Hm. Maybe we could get a hot tub into one of them."
"Don't hot tubs usually go on the porch?" Nora asked. "I mean, I get to see you guys in swimsuits either way, so I don't really care where it goes."
"Let's focus on the essentials first. Then we'll see about stuff like a hot tub," Jaune reasoned. "Though, I definitely have no objections." He shot them a flirtatious grin that caused the girls to laugh and swat at him playfully. Ren just rolled his eyes, trying and failing to hide his blush.
Nora noticed immediately and rushed over, standing on her toes to kiss his reddened cheek. "Ren, you're too cute!"
Ren leaned down to return the kiss on her lips. "Not my fault. You and Jaune are the ones acting like perverts."
"Hey, I resent that!" Jaune said, folding his arms and pouting. "Since when is wanting to see the three most gorgeous people in the world in swimsuits a crime?"
Ren's blush deepened tenfold and he quickly looked away. "Now, you're doing it on purpose," he muttered.
Pyrrha chuckled. "Okay, let's leave Ren alone and look at the rest of the house."
They looked through the large room, finding a closet space on the side opposite the bathroom. The entry area looked like it would make a good living/dining room. Ren sketched some plans concerning how to utilize the kitchen space. When they went into the yard, Nora found several places that would be perfect for exercise equipment.
When they explored the backyard, Nora couldn't resist tapping Jaune before running off. "You're it!" she called over her shoulder.
"Actually, Pyrrha's it!" Jaune spun around to tag Pyrrha, who jumped nimbly out of the way before following Nora.
"Not quite, sweetie," she taunted gently as she ran.
Ren groaned. "Really, guys? We're grown adults."
"You make a good point." Jaune tapped his chin in mock-thoughtfulness before nudging Ren's shoulder. "And now, you're it." He darted after the girls.
Ren resisted the urge to facepalm. "Sure. Why not?" He shook his head, unable to keep from smiling fondly at his teammates' antics. Breathing an exaggerated sigh, he ran after them.
He eventually caught a giggling Nora, hugging her from behind when she tried hiding behind a tree at the edge of the forest. She squealed excitedly when he picked her up and started kissing the side of her neck.
"Ren, cut it out!" she laughed. "That tickles!"
"Who's being cute now?" he asked, magenta eyes glittering.
"Still you," Nora said stubbornly. "Eep!" She shivered when Ren nipped her earlobe. "I kn-know what you're t-trying to do, and it w-won't work!"
"I have no idea what you mean," Ren said, his face the picture of innocence as he nuzzled Nora's cheek.
Jaune and Pyrrha stood back a few feet, watching the two. "They really are too adorable for their own good," Pyrrha mused, her eyes shining happily.
"Yeah." Jaune nodded in agreement. "We should probably move back from the tree line, though. Hey, guys!" he called. "We should lock the place up. It's a long walk back to the city."
Ren put Nora down, groaning quietly. "Don't remind me."
"I can carry you if you get sleepy," Nora offered, squeezing his hand as she pulled him back toward the others.
"I'll be fine," Ren said. "I'll probably fall asleep as soon as we're back at the hotel, though."
The four continued to talk until they got to the edge of Vale, where their shuttle was waiting to take them back to their hotel. Once they got back, Ren promptly fell face-first onto the bed.
"So, should we put that house in the maybe pile?" Pyrrha asked, taking a notebook out of the desk.
"I vote yes," Jaune said. Nods from Nora and Ren solidified the decision. "So, there's that place, the condo a little closer to the city, and that nice suburban place next to that family with the three dogs."
"It's amazing how large the rejected pile is," Pyrrha noted. "There are ten or so houses we absolutely hated."
"Well, you'd think people would know better than to have houses within smelling distance of slaughterhouses," Nora snorted. "Or houses on hillsides that will fall over in a year. Or houses with freaking termites in the woodwork." She shook her head. "People are dumb."
Ren shuddered as he remembered the termite house. "Don't forget the bedbugs."
"I'm trying really hard to forget the bedbugs," Jaune said, shivering a little. "So, room service and sleep?"
Pyrrha nodded. "That sounds grand." While she dialed room service, Jaune plopped down on the bed next to Ren and pulled the smaller boy close.
"Hey," he murmured. "Not too exhausted, are you?"
"I'm fine." Ren yawned and cuddled closer, rubbing his cheek contentedly against Jaune's chest. "Um, Jaune?"
"Yeah, Ren?"
"Could you…play your guitar for us tonight?" Ren asked, his face flushing shyly.
Jaune grinned, kissing Ren's forehead and trying not to chuckle at how cute his bashfulness was. "I think that can be arranged."
Nora snuggled into Jaune's other side and held an arm out for Pyrrha as the taller girl hung up the phone. "Hey, Pyrrha. Get in here."
Pyrrha gladly kicked off her shoes before lying down next to Nora, draping a protective arm over her and Jaune. "I see you're starting to get tired as well."
"Am not," Nora protested before a wide yawn gave her away. "Wait, that doesn't count! Bad timing!"
"I see." Pyrrha kissed Nora sweetly, using her tongue to gently part the smaller girl's lips. By the time she pulled back, Nora was red-faced and very short of breath. She leaned over to share a similar kiss with Jaune, who made an adorable whimpering noise in the back of his throat as he kissed back.
Ren sat up and leaned over Jaune so he could share a warm kiss with Pyrrha. It was soft, slow, and sent sparks through his veins. He was nearly breathless when it ended and let his head fall weakly back to Jaune's chest. He was smiling contentedly, his eyes half-lidded with tiredness.
Nora let out a happy chirp as she drank in the combined warmth of Jaune and Pyrrha on either side of her. "I love you guys so much!"
Pyrrha kissed Nora's cheek. "And we love you too," she murmured, sharing a look with Jaune and Ren that included them in the overall sentiment.
When they had first started dating and eventually reached the point when the L-word was commonly spoken, they would often whisper it to each other, saying each name individually. As a result, the simple statement often took a few minutes to express. Years later, they had mellowed out to quiet smiles and shared looks accompanied by the occasional spoken sentiment by one or two of them. They all knew how the others felt, after all. There was no need to repeat it endlessly to each and every person, especially in those moments before falling asleep.
The four lay together like that for a few minutes before reluctantly getting up when room service came. They talked over dinner, discussing what houses they'd look at tomorrow and whether they'd see the new X-Ray and Vav movie when they came back in the evening. After Jaune finished his food, he took out his guitar and started to play.
The wordless melody of the skillfully-plucked guitar strings soothed everyone in the room, making the atmosphere even more sleepy and content than before. Ren curled up on the bed, resting his head on a pillow near Jaune's lap, humming quietly along with the music. Pyrrha sat at the desk, drawing out plans for the following day. Nora, too full to stay awake, kissed everyone in turn before falling asleep next to Ren.
Jaune smiled at all of them as he continued to play. He had never been good with words, like Pyrrha or Nora. Otherwise, he'd be telling his team exactly how he felt in that moment. He was so lucky to have all of them, so happy that they were really going to be together in their adult lives, that their relationship hadn't just been a school-time experiment. Nothing made him happier than the thought of spending every day with them, whether it was fighting Grimm or sitting quietly like this.
He didn't say any of this, but he had no doubt in his mind that they knew and felt the exact same way.
The only thing that would make things better would be if, by some miracle, Team RWBY ended up as their neighbors. It would be like their Beacon days, only better.
Hm. Maybe I'll ask them about it the next time I call Ruby, Jaune mused as his fingers moved deftly over the strings. It wasn't a realistic hope, as Team RWBY likely wouldn't be living together in the same way. Still, it was a nice thought, and the mood of the room paved the way for nice thoughts.
It was the end of another day leading to the rest of their lives together, and Team JNPR couldn't have been happier.
I've missed writing some good old poly fics. Doing this story has me wanting to type an update to Espresso Shots. I'll see if I can do that during the coming week. Thanks for the request, miner249er, and I hope you enjoyed this!
On a more somber note, I'd like to take a moment to send my thoughts to everyone affected by the shooting in Orlando. Hatred and bigotry are everywhere in the world, but so are love and hope. As long as we always remember to care for and respect our fellow human beings, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender identity, or religion, we can continue to push through tragedies like this. It is only when we give in to despair that we have lost. My heart goes out to the injured and dead and the friends and families of the victims. My heart goes out to the family of the shooter, who will likely be blamed for his despicable actions. My heart goes out to the Muslim community, which is going to be even more stigmatized than before due to the act of one evil man. My heart goes out to the LGBT community, which I know will continue to fight through this. Stay strong, my friends.
Peace out.