Hello everybody! Welcome to the first day, or night I should say, I'm so damn late, of the Nine Days of Lancaster! This is one of the nine one-shots, one for each day, all for this adorkable ship. Thank for stopping by, review what you think and what themes you all want to see. Thanks, and see ya'll… in about sixteen to twenty-two hours.


Hunters were no strangers to danger. Hardship was part of the everyday job, with more than enough challenges in one day than most would face in their lifetimes. Ruby, so far, touch wood, hadn't found any challenges that she couldn't conquer. From countless Grimm, to the forces of darkness, to moving in with the god of dork that was her boyfriend, she could win it all, and still have enough energy for more. Still there was one enemy that no precious crescent rose, or silver eyes, or diabetes inducing cuteness could dare to defeat. A monster that has dominated mankind since the dawn of time!

The Sniffles. Damn the sniffles. Damn them to the snot filled hell from whence they came! Why couldn't she have gotten something less messy? Like a migraine, or a sprained ankle, or a dislocated shoulder, or a stubbed toe? Okay, maybe not that last one. Ruby wouldn't even wish that horror on Cinder Fall. But still, a runny nose? A sore throat? A fever? The constant feeling like a weight was being pressed on her head? What did she do to deserve this torment? Was it stealing from the cookie jar? That must've been it. This is divine punishment for stealing those delightful confections! Well, curse the divines and whatever spawned them for doing this! Curse them!

That is where she is now, stuck on the couch for the third day, antsy and restless. Her overprotected, concerned geek of a boyfriend refused to let her go on any missions while she was sick. Normally, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Just bat the cute silver eyes, smile a little, and give him the best cuddle she could, and there was no way he would say no, which was standard anyway, but that was beside the point. Somehow, she didn't even have enough energy to pull that trick off, and even if she tried, she doubted it wouldn't have worked. Jaune had his moments of weakness, but he is stubborn and headstrong, almost to a fault, a genuine loving family man at heart. That was one of the many things she loved about him.

Such a man was marched over to her, casting a shadow over her, and smiled. "How's my little patient today?" He cooed, taking the warm, wet rag off her forehead and wringing it out in a bowl.

"Kill me." Ruby raspilly groaned, tugging at his pant leg. "End me. End my suffering."

Jaune burst out laughing. "But if I do that, all of the food I made will go to waste."

Ruby cringed at the idea of food. Her stomach just wasn't having it. Even the thought of cookies made her stomach churn. Cookies! She repents! She repents already! Just end her misery, whatever god was cursing her! "No, not food. Take it away, take it awaaaay."

Again, Jaune laughed. She couldn't help but pout. If only she had the energy to lift her arm so she could wring his perfect, muscular neck. Then again, that bruise she made several nights ago was still very visible. A little smile grew on her face.

"Come on, Rubes. You've gotta eat something. It's nearly sundown. Maybe you need some food to give you energy. I mean, you've kinda just been staring at the ceiling since you woke up this morning." Jaune said, collecting her personal pile of used tissues, and tossing them away.

"But what if I like staring at the ceiling? What if I find the ceiling very attractive?" Ruby playfully asked.

"Okay, either that fever is making you delirious, or that plain white ceiling is turning into a hot blonde stud the moment I turn my head, I doubt that's why." Jaune said with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't kid yourself, Vomit Boy." Ruby snarked. "It could be any other blonde stud. It could be Sun, or… or…"

"Yang?"

Ruby gagged. "EW! Ew, ew, ew, ew! Don't put that image in my head, Vomit Boy! Oh, that's so gross! And stud is a guy term, right?" If that term was mostly for guys, that would imply Yang secretly had a… boy's thing. That disgusting thought nearly brought on another wave of nausea on her. How anyone could dare thing of something so nasty was beyond her. "Nevermind that, I'm really not hungry, thanks."

Jaune sighed. "Ruby, you haven't eaten since dinner last night. And that didn't last too long because you puked it back up again."

"Can I not, Jaune? If I can't even eat cookies, you know my stomachs completely trashed." She rasped, trying to hide under her makeshift towel blanket. " I really don't think I can- ah… ah-choo!" Jaune couldn't even register what was going on before it was too late. Before he knew it, snot covered his face, but his expression didn't change a bit. All he did was nod. "Ooh, sorry about that."

"No problems here. I'm just glad I kept my mouth shut." He plainly said, wiping whatever he could off of his face. "All the same, could you aim that elsewhere? I don't think both of us can afford to get sick right now." A smile spread across his face. "Come on. It's just some soup. I mean, you've gotta eat something to keep up your strength, right? Who else is gonna keep the world safe, save lives, or annoy me enough times for me to strangle myself." He smirked when she stuck her tongue out at him for that remark.

Inwardly, she was happy as can be. As much as the thought of food was downright nauseating, there was a lot of faith to be had at Jaune's cooking ability. For example, Ruby absolutely despised most kinds of vegetables. Green, bland and tasteless, they were the absolute bane of her existence. Someone though, he made them taste amazing. Somehow. If Jaune could make those detestable excuses for food taste like eating fluffy, spicy, nice tasting clouds, then chicken soup should be childsplay. Even with her nearly destroyed stomach that hungered for all that is sweet and sugary. Darn her sweet tooth.

Jaune left the room to finish the soup. She smiled. She was still wearing that bunny hoodie she bought for him. The one she custom ordered for him, with a rose emblem on the base of the bunny's head, just for added flair of the greatest huntress the world has ever seen! Jaune even wore it to battle, no matter how hard the others would laugh at him. Strong, brave, ready to give it all for those he loves, Ruby couldn't have gotten a better snag if she tried.

Jaune came back in the room, carrying a steaming bowl carefully in his hands. Ruby smiled brighter, and sat up as best as she could, feeling her heart melt faster than an ice-cube in an oven. That idiot that was Jaune Arc couldn't be that amazing. Spoon in hand, he asked her to open wide. Ruby was tempted to make a joke about whether she should call the spoon an incoming airplane, or a choo-choo train, but the smell of the food enticed her to silently obey. He fed her the soup, eliciting a happy hum from her. That taste was absolutely amazing and erupted a fire in her belly. For the first time in three days, she managed to hold her food down. Props to Vomit Boy, and his perfect cooking skills.

You know what, Ruby was feeling extra cuddly today, sickness be damned. The Arc's were known apparently for not getting sick that often anyway so Jaune should be fine. Even if he wasn't, she'd shower him with all the love and affection that he had given her these last few days. She opened her arms wantedly, pouting like a playful child. The bunny knight couldn't help but oblige, spreading out over the couch. Ruby laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him. He was so warm. Fever or not, this was definitely not the kind of warmth that she was willing to let go of that easily. Now that she's on, screw getting off. You'd need a crowbar and the strength of ten Nora's to pull that off now.

Jaune chuckled at her. "Don't you care if I get sick too? How very cruel of you, my loving girlfriend."

"Oh shush, you baby. Didn't you tell me a long time ago that Arc's never get sick?" Ruby countered.

"Ruby, I tell you a lot of things about my family. Does it look like most of it applies to me?" Jaune asked, wrapping one arm around her midsection, and the other over her head, stroking her lengthy hair.

"Well, you haven't gotten sick yet, so I'm inclined to believe it. Besides, you're sisters have told me the same thing." Ruby said with a giggle. "They tell me a lot of things, actually."

Jaune audibly gulped. "You've been talking with them again? Oh jeez, what lies have they filled you with this time?"

Ruby smirked. "Oh nothing. Just how excitable and hyper you were as a kid. And how much trouble you'd get into with the neighbors kids because they made fun of your sisters. You were always the good little brother." A smile slowly grew on Jaune's face. "They also told me you weren't properly potty trained until you were six, you wore a dress to school once thinking you looked manly in it, and you secretly have a stuffed bunny in your old closet called mister Tibbles."

"Oh would you look at the clock, it's time for your meds! And nap time! You love nap time! Nap time is great for patients!" Jaune hastily dribbled. Ruby nearly busted a gut laughing at her boyfriends embarrassment.

To be perfectly honest, it was nice having someone else take care of you for once, especially with how much responsibility had been placed on Ruby for the longest time. It seemed like the world just fell onto the nearest shoulders that were willing to bear them, and refused to let go. Luckily, she had her team to back her up. Her sisters-in-arms. The amalgam of the greatest huntresses the world has ever seen. And of course, she had Jaune, who she could rely on from the start. With all of them around, the future always seemed brighter than she ever thought possible, even when it was so easy to give up hope.

Jaune flicked on the TV, but Ruby barely paid attention. One of her main concerns right now was getting the taste of that foul tasting medicine out of her system. Oh well. That'll go away eventually. Right now, it was just her and Jaune, and as she lay on his chest, on the verge of sleep, she felt safe. She felt at home.