Huh, this received more attention than I thought it would.
Lonely Nights
"Pyrrha!"
"On it!"
A streak of red struck the giant Ursa Jaune was fighting with. Pyrrha's javelin pierced through the back of its head in an instant, killing it. Jaune would like to say he had distracted the Ursa for her, but he knew Pyrrha could have taken that thing on her own.
Jaune shot Pyrrha a grateful smile before his gaze swept over the battlefield. They had already dealt with the larger, more dangerous Grimm, but a multitude of smaller ones was coming. That meant the best move right now was…
"Nora! Go for it!"
At his signal, Nora grinned as she jumped over a tree and shifted her hammer to grenade launcher mode. The other three members of Team JNPR had already started running as Nora looked at the incoming horde and pulled the trigger.
A large, loud, and unbelievably pink explosion rocked the forest. Pyrrha and Jaune stood side by side, holding their shields out in front of them, protecting themselves and Ren from the shockwave. Jaune coughed as the smoke cleared. Nora's attack had left no survivors.
"Guess that takes care of that." He looked to his team. "Everyone okay?"
"I am well. Thanks for asking," Ren said as he dusted off his clothes.
"No injuries here," Pyrrha said with a smile. No surprise there. Jaune knew she could have taken all the Grimm on her own if she had to. Pyrrha was amazing like that.
The four of them were training in Emerald Forest. Jaune had found out students could request permission from a teacher to go down there and fight Grimm. Since his training with Pyrrha was going well and his performance in class was improving, Jaune decided to give it a shot. It was a good opportunity for Team JNPR to fight as a team.
The results had been more than satisfactory, not that Jaune would say he had done much. He just had amazing teammates.
"Jaune!" Jaune managed to brace himself in time as a Nora-shaped missile struck him. Not for the first time, he was glad his Aura was unlocked by Pyrrha before meeting Nora. "That was awesome! Did you see the explosion? Did you? Shame it wasn't heart-shaped. I think I'm going to look up how to make heart-shaped explosions. You know, like fireworks! Oh, we should buy fireworks!"
Jaune pictured Grimm being exterminated by a giant, pink, heart-shaped explosion.
He shuddered.
"It was pretty powerful," Jaune admitted. He frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Was it okay, though? I mean, I don't want you to waste Dust."
"It's fine!" Nora said, waving his concern away.
"Beacon students receive a budget for weapon expenses," Ren added when Jaune didn't look convinced. "We are expected to use our weapons. There would be no point in hampering the performance of students with less financial resources."
Jaune blinked. Did that mean he had a weapons budget he wasn't using? He was going to have to look into that.
"Besides, it was awesome," Nora insisted. "You were cool today, Jaune-Jaune!"
Jaune grinned at the praise then frowned. Wait, did that mean he wasn't cool most days? Jaune thought about that for a second.
Okay, yeah. Point conceded.
"Come on, it wasn't much," Jaune said. "I just shouted some orders. You guys did all the work."
"You are our leader," Pyrrha said. "It is expected of you to give orders. I agree with Nora. You helped us mesh together today. We would have had far more trouble without you."
Ren did not say anything, but he did give Jaune that small, subtle nod that told him he agreed with the other two.
"Aw, guys." Jaune blushed and looked away, one hand scratching his cheek. They were seriously way too nice. "You're making me blush."
"Anyway." Jaune coughed. "I guess we should go back to Beacon already. We don't want to stay here too long."
Fighting Grimm during the day was fine, but they had been at it for a few hours now. Physically, Jaune was sure they could keep going. However, it was probably best to leave the forest before the sun went down.
"Any objections?" Jaune asked just in case. He didn't think there would be, but it never hurt to ask. Pyrrha shook her head as did Ren.
"The cafeteria sounds good right now. I could eat a horse!" Nora said. She probably wasn't even exaggerating. "Ren, we need to figure out how to buy a horse!"
"I guess it's back to Beacon then," Jaune said, ignoring Nora's comments on the feasibility of getting their hands on a horse to slaughter.
As the four walked back to Beacon, Nora and Ren drifted ahead of the group. Well, it was more like Nora wanted to get to Beacon right away and dragged Ren along. Jaune and Pyrrha fell no more than a few steps behind them.
"You seem happy," Pyrrha said.
Jaune blinked in surprise at the comment. Was it weird for him to be happy? Actually, it probably was. That was kinda sad.
"I guess it's because I am? I mean, when I first came here, I was worried about a bunch of things because… you know."
Pyrrha smiled and nodded. Jaune had already told everyone in Team JNPR and Team RWBY about his fake transcripts, but he still wasn't comfortable saying it aloud. There was always a risk of someone overhearing. The last thing he wanted was another Cardin situation.
"I wasn't doing well in classes, combat or otherwise," Jaune admitted. "But that's changed. I passed the first semester. I can handle the workload now. I think I am starting to get the hang of all this. So yeah, I guess I am feeling good about myself."
All in all, Jaune was getting used to life at Beacon. He was making progress. Succeeding even!
Pyrrha tilted her head as she looked at him. Her emerald eyes peered into his. "Is that all? It's just… it seems like something happened recently."
"W-What?" Jaune almost bit his tongue, before quickly shaking his head. "N-No! Nothing like that. I mean, what else could have happened?"
Pyrrha stared at him for another second, but mercifully, she did not press the subject. The conversation soon drifted to other topics, something for which Jaune was grateful for. He wasn't the best liar on a good day, and this particular subject made it very hard for him to keep a clear head.
Pyrrha was right. Something had happened.
Something had happened several times now. At least once a week, but usually more often than that. Jaune blushed as he recalled the many vivid memories. The utter impossibility of the situation.
He, Jaune Arc, was having sex with Blake Belladonna.
He was having sex with a girl so far out of his league he could scarcely believe it. In many ways, he still didn't. That first time still seemed more dream than reality to him. Then Blake had actually sought him out. Him. Jaune Arc. The guy who needed fake transcripts to get into Beacon because he had never been good enough.
Jaune had no illusions about himself. He wasn't cool or popular or smart. He wouldn't call himself ugly, but he didn't think he was particularly attractive.
He had never been good with girls. Some guys could walk up to the girl they liked and successfully start a conversation. That wasn't him. He had always been too nervous, too hesitant. He always messed up somehow. His father told him all he needed was confidence, but how was he supposed to be confident when he had nothing to be confident of?
Sneaking into Beacon had not done much for Jaune's confidence. If anything, Beacon made it very hard to be confident. There was not a single person who was even slightly out-of-shape, no one who was even somewhat ugly. The girls that went to Beacon were girls that could have been famous models or actresses. In Beacon, they were just another face in the crowd.
Then there were the girls around him. Pyrrha. Nora. Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. Out of all the girls at Beacon, those six stood above the rest as far as Jaune was concerned. There was no way he had a shot with any of them. Jaune understood that on some level. However, for some reason, something had happened with Blake. Blake Belladonna. Beautiful. Graceful. Ever so distant. She had seemed so far out of his reach before.
Yet she had sought him out.
She had sought him out.
Jaune couldn't believe it. Blake had allowed him to touch her, to kiss her, to please her. When they met behind closed doors, Jaune saw a different Blake. He didn't see the cool, distant beauty most people at Beacon saw. He saw fire and passion. In her kisses and caresses. In the way her body writhed against his, desperately seeking release.
Jaune did his best to give it to her. Over and over. As many times as he could.
Her gasp. Her moans. Her flushed skin. The way she tried and failed to avoid moaning in pleasure, afraid of being discovered as he worshipped every inch of her body. Knowing he did that to her. Knowing he could bring out that side of Blake. Jaune would be lying if he said it didn't make him feel good. It made him feel important. Valuable.
His scroll beeped, drawing him out of his thoughts. A message had arrived. It was from Blake.
SM5P
By now, the code was more than familiar to Jaune. Blake was expecting him at the usual place in five hours.
It had been Blake's idea to arrange their meetings by scroll. She had also come up with the idea of using a code just in case anyone saw the messages. Jaune had no problems with this. He couldn't deny a part of him found the secrecy of it all rather cool.
As Team JNPR arrived at Beacon, it occurred to Jaune that there was going to be a dance in a few months. Maybe he should ask Blake if she wanted to go with him.
As fun as sneaking around was, it would be nice if they could spend some normal time together.
xXx
After sending the message, Blake discretely looked around. She was relieved to find no one had been looking at her.
Team RWBY was in the library. They had a test with Oobleck coming up next week, and Weiss had insisted on extra study sessions. The heiress was currently helping Ruby go over the material. While Ruby was far from dumb, she had jumped two years. There were things Ruby didn't know simply because they would have been covered in the years of schooling she skipped.
Blake was in a similar situation. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in a normal school. Her mother had done her best to homeschool her, and after parting ways with her parents, Blake had taken her education into her own hands with mixed results.
Luckily, that had not affected her performance at Beacon too much. Beacon's classes mainly focused on Grimm, Dust, and Combat. Those were subjects she had no problems with. As for Oobleck, he was currently covering the after-effects of the Faunus Rights Revolution. To say she was well-read in the subject would be an understatement.
"Someone's in a good mood." Blake looked up as Yang sat down next to her. "Doing something fun?"
"Shouldn't you be studying?" Blake asked while smoothly switching apps on her Scroll.
Even if Yang had managed to get a look at her screen, all she would have seen would have been the coded message she sent Jaune. The code was a slight variant of an old White Fang code. It was simple enough for new recruits to pick up which meant it was simple enough for Jaune to learn without trouble.
"I'm good," Yang said, patting her books. "When your dad and uncle teach at your school, you learn how to keep your grades up. Oobleck's test is going to be a breeze."
"Fair enough," Blake said. She held up her scroll for Yang to see. The screen no longer showed her messages but rather a history website. "I was just double checking some information to prepare for the essay portion."
Yang nodded but didn't pay much attention to the scroll. "You are looking better now."
"I wasn't aware I looked bad."
"Come on, Blake." Yang rolled her eyes. "You haven't been in the best of moods lately, what with the White Fang stealing all the Dust around." Yang then hurried to add, "I know the news aren't saying the White Fang did it, but-"
"But they are saying Torchwick did it, and Torchwick is working with the White Fang."
It hurt Blake to even say it. To recognize the White Fang was working with a common criminal like Torchwick was infuriating.
"Oh, you aren't denying it. Good." Yang sighed in relief. Blake felt slightly offended by that. It wasn't like she was incapable of admitting bad things about the White Fang. She wouldn't have left if she was.
"We were all pretty worried about you," Yang said. Her lilac eyes gazed at Ruby and Weiss as the latter helped the former understand a particularly difficult passage. "You weren't sleeping. You weren't eating. You just kept creepily looking at newspapers all night."
Blake still looked at newspapers. She was just more efficient about it now.
"If you had kept going like that, I was going to have to corner you until I convinced you to take better care of yourself," Yang admitted.
"I am glad you didn't have to."
"Same here. What changed, though? One day you were being way Blake-ier than usual. The next, you were back to normal."
Had it been so sudden?
Had it been so noticeable?
Blake took pride in her self-control. For Yang to have noticed it meant she had been in worst shape than she thought before… recruiting Jaune into helping her.
"It was nothing special," Blake said, turning a page on her history book. "I just realized I needed to unwind."
Which she had. Pleasantly. Energetically. Repeatedly.
Yang cocked her head to the side. "So, what? You went for a run or something?"
"Something like that." Blake's mind couldn't help but think back on her now many times with Jaune. "It helped me sleep better."
Clumsy as he may be in the fighting ring, Jaune was very much not clumsy in the bedroom, not after all the practice they'd had. In fact, Jaune was a surprisingly considerate lover. The blond seemed to take an inordinate amount of pride in being so, not that Blake was complaining. She was very much not complaining about it.
Blake had to fight the satisfied smile that threatened to appear on her face.
Against all odds, their arrangement was working. When Blake was with Jaune, she let go completely. Worries. Doubts. Fears. It was all unleashed in a haze of passion.
Blake came out of her sessions with Jaune renewed, free of stress and able to think better. No longer she felt compelled to go multiple nights without sleeping until she could connect invisible dots. It didn't mean Blake had stopped investigating the White Fang. It just meant she was better able to focus her efforts.
Still, it didn't last. It never did. The news kept coming. Her unease and dread kept growing. However, that was fine. Her meetings with Jaune allowed her to keep the stress at a manageable level.
Yang looked at her for a moment and nodded. "Well, whatever it is, it seems to be working. Make sure to keep it doing it."
Blake intended to.
"It's just… you kind of had us scared," Yang admitted, looking oddly vulnerable. Blake felt a pang of guilt for a second before ruthlessly squashing it. She didn't like worrying her team, but they didn't understand. They didn't know the White Fang like she did. This was her responsibility, not theirs. "Just remember, if anything happens, we're here for you."
"I know."
If Blake asked for their help, they would give it. That was precisely why she could never do so. The White Fang was not something they should involve themselves in. Strong as they may be, they were still too innocent She couldn't afford to drag her friends into this.
In a way, that was why her arrangement with Jaune worked so well. In spite of everything they had done in private, the lines between them in public were still quite clear. Sure, she caught him looking at her a few times, and Blake would be lying if she said she hadn't done the same. However, it didn't go beyond that. He didn't butt into her business, and she didn't butt into his. There was no risk of them getting too involved with each other.
Their relationship was convenient that way.
xXx
Beacon was a large school with a relatively low number of students.
The King of Vale had been a forward-thinking man as well as a positive one. He saw a future where the population of Vale boomed, leading to more and more hopeful huntsmen and huntresses. Beacon had been built according to that vision. Unfortunately, he had only been half-right.
While the population of Vale had grown substantially since the Great War, being admitted into Beacon was no easy task. As a consequence, Beacon had way more classrooms and dorms than it knew what to do with. Even now, as students from the other three Academies came for the Vytal Festival, Beacon had room to spare.
That meant it was fairly easy for students to find empty classrooms in which to spend some time away from prying eyes.
The two lovers met after the sun fell. The moon shined through the window. Their kisses were passionate and eager. Their clothes had long since been discarded. The desk creaked under their combined efforts. They fought to contain their moans, to not make noise.
It was for naught as passion overwhelmed them again and again throughout the night until they had sated themselves.
"Wow." The single sound escaped Jaune's lips. He and Blake lay on the floor, her body draped across his, her naked breasts pressed against his chest. Her cat ears tickled his chin. Her bow had come loose during their activities. "That was…"
"Yes." Blake placed a quick peck on his cheek. A content hum left her lips. In spite of everything they had just done, Jaune blushed. "I think that was the best one yet."
"Well, you know what they say about practice," Jaune joked. One of his arms was wrapped around Blake's body. He still marveled at how she felt, impossibly soft skin and lithe muscles underneath.
"And we have had lots of practice." Blake nuzzled her head against him. Jaune found the gesture oddly cat-like but knew better than to point it out. "I liked what you did at the end."
"You did?" Jaune's face lit up. "I looked it up and thought to try it, but I wasn't sure. I wanted to bring it up before we started, but…"
"But we didn't do much talking," Blake finished for him. She had jumped him the moment the door closed behind them. Blake's smile gained a teasing edge. "And what's this I hear about you looking things up? Are you studying for this?"
Jaune refused to meet her gaze. "Maybe? It's not like there is anything wrong with it, right?"
Blake's soft, melodic laugh reached his ears. Her hand cupped Jaune's chin, forcing him to look at her. Her lips meet his in a slow kiss. "No. There is not," she said once their lips parted. Jaune smiled a dopey smile which Blake found herself liking.
"There are…" This time it was Blake who blushed. "There are a few things I would like to try out as well. If that is okay with you."
"It is!" Jaune's reply was instant. He blushed at how eager he sounded. "I mean, that sounds fine. We can try out new things."
"You have something extra to look forward to next time then." Blake's golden eyes gained a mischievous glint that sent Jaune's imagination running wild. Still, he forced himself to calm down. He had something important to ask
"Actually. Blake, there is something I wanted to ask you." Jaune swallowed. Even though he just had sex with her, he suddenly felt nervous. "There is a dance coming up and-"
"No."
The reply came instantly and without any hesitation. Jaune winced as he felt his pride take a hit. He quickly looked away. Seeing this, Blake's face softened. "It wouldn't be a good idea, Jaune."
Her hand drifted to his cheek, gently making his eyes meet hers. "What we have here, this is good. This is simple. You like this as much as I do."
"Of course, I do!" Even so, Jaune looked dejected. "It's just-"
"A date would only complicate things," Blake said. She moved her leg over his waist to straddle him. Jaune's pulse quickened as Blake presented her bare body to him once more. With the moonlight shining over her, she looked like a goddess. "Relationships can get messy. Trust me on that. I am not looking for one right now. Why can't we just enjoy what we have instead?"
Her lips descended on him. It was kiss full of want and promises of pleasure. In spite of the night's activities, Jaune felt himself hardening again. When the kiss ended, a thin line of drool hung between their lips. Blake caressed his cheek. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah," Jaune said, dazed. "It's okay."
Jaune wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.
Even so, a part of him could not help but feel he wasn't holding anything at all.
AN:
Some of you may have noticed I'm fudging the timeline a bit.
In canon, the second semester is about to start when the food fight happens. The events that lead up to Painting the Town start right after. Here, although the second semester has been in session for a while, all that still hasn't happened.
That means no scene with Blake arguing they should be doing something to stop the White Fang. Part of that is because she's in a different mental state in this fic. The other part is that with what we know of Blake's past now, her quest against the White Fang takes on a more personal nature (even more than before), and I'm trying to portray that. Here, Blake doesn't want to drag her team into something that she feels heavily responsible for.
This also affects how she sees her relationship with Jaune. For her, it's strictly stress-relief and nothing more. It's all about the White Fang. There are very clear lines drawn in Blake's head. There's no room for emotional attachment. Unfortunately, Jaune doesn't know this.
Jaune is a teenager with low self-esteem who is suddenly in a situation where a beautiful girl wants to have sex with him. He has no idea how that happened, but he does know it's amazing. Jaune is feeling good about himself because surely there must be something good about him if Blake wants him, right? He is very eager to please as a result, to do things right. Unlike Blake, there are no clear-cut lines for Jaune. He has nothing against getting emotionally closer to her. For him, asking Blake out is a natural thing to do.
Naturally, things don't go well because they are both looking at things in very different ways.
Damn, I ramble a lot, don't I?
Anyway, 'till next Friday!