Maxaro: You guys/gals/whatevers wanted a sequel, so here you go. This was a very fun chapter to write, and even if it might not be what you guys/gals/whatevers were expecting we still hope you enjoy this fluffy, sappy, romantic piece of love~

"Meet me outside the Desparate Dreamer at 7 tonight. Wear something nice / Cinder"

That was what the note Cinder had left in his book said. Jaune spared her a glance as he finished subtly reading the note, careful to not let someone other than him see Cinder's gorgeous handwriting. She met his eyes and gave him a small smile, not just an eye-smirk, but an actual raising of her red lips. Just two days had past since Yang had, apparently, tried to steal him away and Cinder had had to make sure he knew who he belonged to, so Jaune was a little surprised she would ask for his company again so soon. Though he was in no way complaining.

"Whatcha got there, Jauney?" Ruby asked from beside him, leaning over to try and sneak a peek at the paper in his hands, not noticing how Cinder's eyes narrowed at her.

"Nothing, just a note I left in my book earlier about our homework." Jaune replied calmly. Ruby was easy to be calm around, unlike how he usually acted around Yang, so keeping away any hint of secrecy in his voice was not very hard.

"Speaking of homework, we're still on for that study session on Wednesday, right?" Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Psh, duh, wouldn't miss it for the world." 'Study session' was code for movie night at Ruby's house, which he knew he would have to assure Cinder of later.

"Sweet~," she said, drawing it out a bit and going for a subtle fist bump, "I'll make sure Yang's on popcorn duty since you did it the last few times." Jaune laughed quietly.

"My hero," Jaune replied in a faux dreamy tone, making her snicker. "I'll be sure and bring that cherry soda you like." Ruby silently cheered as they turned their attention back to Cinder, who seemed to be going on about something or other. Jaune was thankful he could easily catch up, and fill in the blanks, it was a talent that he constantly thanked whatever god would listen for.

Cinder's gaze lingered on his for a small moment, and he returned the smile she gave earlier.

When the bell signaling class was over, and that school for the day was finally done, rang Jaune begun packing down his stuff at his usual, slow pace, letting all of the other students, including Ruby and Yang, trickle out before he too headed for the door, but not before stopping to give Cinder a swift kiss and whisper, "7 PM, Desparate Dreamer, got it. See you then," into her ear.

As Jaune left, leaving a warm tingling sensation both on her ear where his breath had hit her and on her lips after the chaste kiss, Cinder couldn't help but smile serenely the rest of her day. Even while grading papers from her more frustrating students and having to listen to both James and Bart's incessant babbling, she smiled. Not even Glynda, who never failed to send her a seething glare whenever they so much as passed each other in the halls, couldn't rob her of her smile.

The first thing she did when she got off of work was take a shower. She didn't care if she had already taken one that morning already, and she didn't care if she had to redo her makeup, she wanted to make sure she was perfectly presentable for Jaune. For her date. The thought made her almost giddy, and she couldn't help but look at herself in the mirror in amazement. She hadn't felt such happiness in years.

She was putting so much effort into her appearance, and she wasn't even sure if this date would turn out well. For all she knew, it could be awkward. With the difference in age, Jaune could easily be mistaken for her younger brother, despite the fact they didn't resemble one another at all. Some people may even think he was her son! She just hoped no one they knew was going to be there, because how on earth she would be able to ever explain it she had no idea. If that happened, it was inevitable that she would be fired, more than likely arrested, and even quite possibly have legal action taken against her by Jaune's family.

And she knew he would never play along with her... because she had forbid it. She didn't want him to go down with her, so she told him to play the victim if the worst actually occurs…

Jaune had, of course, objected firmly to this, but she didn't let him have any say in it. It was her decision to reach out to Jaune, and even though he did consent fully, she wouldn't let him be turned into a martyr for her. She would take all the blame should any of this come out, even though it meant she would be thrown in jail, because she knew Jaune had more of a future than she would ever have. She had lived her life already, even if she was only 36, but Jaune had so much more he could and wanted to do with his life, despite if it meant she lost him-

Shaking her head firmly, Cinder ignored the thought of her losing Jaune. She would ponder things like these at another time. Right now she had more important things to do, and she didn't want any unhappy thoughts to corrupt her and Jaune's date…

XXX

In the Arc house, Jaune found himself at a loss of words. He was being tortured, by both his mother and his sister Blanc, and his father showed no indication that he was going to stop them. How they had found out he was going on a date he had no idea, he was just happy they didn't know just who it was he was going on said date with, but still he found himself wishing he could just perish as his mother forced him to stay absolutely still while she picked out his suit.

"What do you think about this one?" asked Clair Arc, holding up a dark black suit to Blanc, who took one look at it and shook her head. "You're right, too dark." Jaune watched as she threw it back into the closet, and he heard his dad laugh at his expense.

"Look, I... it's not like I don't appreciate this or anything, but I just feel that I am perfectly capable of picking out my own clothing," he tried to interject, but Blanc shushed him. He could guess that Rouge was having the time of her life right now.

"You? You've been wearing that same hoodie every day since you were thirteen." Jaune shrunk under her gaze, feeling honestly so attacked right now. His fashion sense was pretty normal as far as senses of fashion went, or so he liked to believe. It wasn't his fault that his hoodie was warm and comfortable, and he had an early growth spurt.

"Hey, I take offense to that!"

"You're not allowed to take offence to that, sweetie, she's your sister," Clair said, pulling out several more suits of varying colors. Almost all of them tacky, and weird. Blanc smiled smugly as Clair handed him the suits. "Now go try these on!"

'What's so bad with a pair of jeans and a nice button up shirt!?' Jaune lamented in his head as he was forced to concede, heading towards his and Noir's room to change.

The first suit he torturously tried on a was a pure black thing that he suspected was or had been his father's, judging by the smell, and he was very happy when both Blanc and his mom shook their heads in disapproval when he returned to the living room to show them. The suit felt starch and awkward on his figure, and he had to agree that dark colors didn't work well with him at all.

When he returned to the living room for the second time, now dressed in an almost garish light blue suit that he once again suspected was his father's, though he also suspected that Clair had no input when the frankly awful looking suit had been bought, he got an excited nod from Rose who had apparently decided that she wanted to get in on judging his clothes too. He felt relief when Blanc and Clair shook their head firmly, Blanc going as far pretending to puke.

"Try the White one, sweety! The one Vi picked out for you for her graduation ball!" His mother yelled after him as he left the living room, a shudder crawling up his spine at the memory of him standing awkwardly around in a ballroom with people he didn't know and who were many years older than him until Vi pulled him out onto the dance floor.

It had been fun dancing with Vi, that was a moment he felt he would always remember, and he did remember the suit looking okay on him, but he definitely did NOT want a repeat of the awkwardness he felt the rest of that night... he did as his mother had said, nevertheless, and when he came out he was immediately met with the approving faces of not just Blanc, his mother, and Rose, but every single one of his sisters, and his dad.

"Okay, when did this suddenly become 'help Jaune get ready for his date' day? Huh? I really wanna know, because you all look like you're having far too much fun with this." They all grinned, and he felt that this day would never pass by soon enough. Especially with all the guesses as to who this 'lucky girl' actually is... he seriously had to tell them all about five times that it wasn't Ruby, nor was it Yang, and it would never be either of them.

And no, he didn't care how long their families had known each other, he wasn't interested in them.

He had Cinder, he was hers, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Yang and ruby were his friends, very close friends at that, but nothing more.

The knowledge that it was specifically Cinder, someone so dear to him, not to mentioned experienced, that he was going on this date with was very much a double edged sword for Jaune. On the one hand, being with Cinder was amazing in ways he couldn't describe and knowing he was dressing up for her made having to wear a suit bearable, but on the other, this was Cinder Fall, his teacher and the most beautiful woman he had ever had the pleasure of looking at. He didn't want to screw this up, he really, really, really didn't want Cinder to call their whole relationship off because he did something stupid.

'I'm so freaking in love with her...' he thought to himself as his father stood before him, trying to psyche him up in what he considered the traditional Arc way. Aka; telling him about how women liked confidence, confidence, and a bit more confidence. Jaune was hardly even listening.

Less than two weeks, that's how long it took for him to realize he loved his teacher. And Jaune knew he wasn't the most experienced when it came to matters of romance, but he could feel in his heart that what he felt for Cinder was something special. Something wonderful.

Every time he thought about her he felt happy, anytime he felt her eyes on him his heart soared, and anytime he got the chance to so much as touch her he felt like he was in heaven. Jaune Arc was in love with his teacher, Cinder Fall, and he couldn't be happier.

"- and that's how I got your mother to agree to go on a date with me! So, Jaune, any questions, or have you fully understood the importance of confidence?"

However, he wasn't exactly so sure that confidence was what Cinder was looking for. Plenty of stories about her past lovers, and their false bravado making her sick, were told to Jaune, and he knew that he had absolutely none of the confidence most people had. He was still too timid to really order food correctly, much less be an independent flirt. Cinder carried the flirting most of the time. If she even did flirt. Mostly they just made love, and kissed, and occasionally they cuddled up next to one another and talked for way longer than they should have at risk of being seen by someone.

They really did need to find someplace quiet where they could be alone... "Yeah, dad, I think I got it..." he said not at all convincingly. Thankfully he knew his dad was... well, not that smart, and bought it immediately.

"Haha! Perfect, I'm so proud of you, boy!" Sometimes his dad really sounded like Professor Port. It really didn't help that they were nearly best buddies. Him, Port, and Oobleck, as well as Glynda and Ozpin all had a poker game on Saturdays, hosted at the Arc house... that was usually the night where his professors and his principal, along with vice-principal, stayed the night, all too drunk to drive. Jaune knew it was only a matter of time before he could leave on Saturday to spend the night with Cinder using the excuse that he couldn't sleep through all the noise. Ruby was also a convenient excuse, what with her 'study sessions'.

'All in due time, as Cinder always says...' he thought to himself as his dad patted him on the shoulder hard, making him lose his balance momentarily.

He gave his dad a false smile, subtly trying to rub at his shoulder, before heading towards his room and sitting down on his bed. In just two hours he was to meet up with Cinder for their first official date and Jaune couldn't be more nervous and excited. He wanted to make this evening special, but he didn't know how. Cinder was always the one who decided when and where they should meet up, so any contribution on his part would have to be unplanned.

For a moment he just sat there, on his bed, letting his mind wander. He recalled how everyone in the movies seemed to bring flowers with them on dates, so should he do that too? He knew Cinder was a fan of roses thanks to her rose scented perfume, but would she think it was odd if he just gave her a bouquet of flowers outside the restaurant? 'Just take a deep breath, Jaune. As long as you stay calm nothing bad will happen. You won't fuck up and drive Cinder away as long as you don't try to do anything stupid. Stay with what you know...'

Filling his lungs with a deep breath, Jaune let himself relax slightly. He knew Cinder liked him, why else would she let him stay the night with her sometimes, so he just needed to follow her lead, as usual. He would just have to trust her. Which he already did, with all his heart.

As the minutes trickled away, Jaune passed the time in the only way he knew how at the moment: Nervously brushing his hair multiple times and lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as worried thoughts filled his mind, until an hour and a half had gone by. When the time finally came to leave, he snuck out of the house, knowing that if his parents dropped him off they would stick around to watch it all play out, and that would be a terrible thing to happen. Luckily he knew his way around, and his house wasn't that far away from Cinder's chosen date spot. He could make it there in about twenty minutes if he kept up a brisk pace, and even less if he calculated everything correctly and the bus was set to arrive at the bus stop in five minutes.

Thankfully, he had calculated everything correctly, and he boarded the bus as soon as it made its stop. As soon as he took a seat, his brain started to act up again. Cinder had said she would take care of everything, but he still couldn't help but feel like he should be the one doing that. His dad had pretty much hammered it into his head that he was supposed to be the one to pay for dates, and all that shebang.

But he supposed everyone was taught that in a way... and Cinder just loved treating him. She had told him that. She also hesitantly admitted that she felt it to be her duty as a teacher to always show him a good time. He shuddered, remembering the sensual way in which she whispered that into his ear.

Thinking about Cinder made the bus ride seem like it took mere minutes to Jaune, and upon arriving in town he took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart before heading towards where he knew the Desparate Dreamer was located. He was in no hurry, having arranged his schedule to let him get into town at least 10 minutes early, so he kept his pace slower than usual. His mind, of course, wandered back to Cinder as he walked, veering around people every so often so his suit didn't get dirty, and now that he was finally almost at the "Point of no return" he felt a little calmer, surprisingly.

Cinder would tell him if he did something wrong, he knew that much, and if he just acted like normal and followed her lead things would turn out fine in the end. Absentmindedly, he let his gaze wander over the many shops he passed by, barely registering what was inside them, until one thing did catch his eye.

A small flower shop. With a fiery, orange bouquet of lilies on display. Jaune's eyes widened as he imagined lightly setting one of those beautiful flowers behind Cinder's ear as they met up... then that he leaned in a kissed her lightly... then that she smiled brilliantly at him…

It was just one quick detour, she wouldn't mind...

(scene change)

Cinder tapped her foot on the ground, sitting on a bench just outside the restaurant, waiting patiently with a small smile on her face. She knew Jaune had a habit of showing up early, not being one to make people wait, and if her predictions were accurate he should be there in about- "I'm so sorry it took so long, I uh, I got you something on the way here." Now. He was here now. Actually much earlier than she thought he would be. And he was presenting her with flowers.

She smiled gently, but on the inside she was flabbergasted that he could still surprise her so easily.

Jaune himself looked over her in awe. Cinder was wearing a beautiful red dress, accentuated with stunning Asian designs, and Jaune could tell it was very much authentic, tailored masterfully as well. His eyes trailed down to her perfect, slender legs, and even further to the pair of simple black heels she was wearing with it all. He could tell they were new, making him feel somewhat upset that he had to wear his dirty sneakers since his dad's loafers wouldn't fit.

She didn't seem to mind, though, or even really registering that fact.

"My oh my, Jaune, I need you to go on more dates with me in the future, you certainly look handsome in a suit." Cinder's almost silky smooth voice was a delight for Jaune to hear, and as she uncrossed her legs and got up from the bench he gave her a only slightly awkward smile. "And thank you so much for the flowers, they're gorgeous."

"Not as gorgeous as you..." he mumbled, only realizing he had vocalized his thoughts when Cinder giggled lightly at him, causing a blush to spread across his cheeks.

"I can assure that you look just as stunning, Jaune. Whoever picked out that suit for you deserves a reward in my mind." Cinder said as she took the flowers from him, letting her fingers linger on his for a moment, and took a long wiff of their wonderful scent. They smelled just as heavenly as they looked, and she wondered idly if Jaune actually knew lilies were her favorite flowers.

"It was Vi who got me the suit..." like clockwork, as soon as the flowers left his grasp, Jaune's hand wandered up to the back of his head in that nervous tick of his. "And I thought the flowers looked perfect for you..."

Cinder leaned in to give him a kiss after making sure that no one was around to see, and she hummed in delight as her lips met his. However, she opened her eyes in surprise as she felt something brush against her ear. She pulled away from the kiss with a very slight blush on her own cheeks, not expecting such a cliché, yet romantic gesture from Jaune. He must have been hiding one of the flowers, and she hadn't noticed when she kissed him.

She brought her hand up to the flower and brushed her fingertips against its petals lightly. A small giggle escaped her, and she was actually feeling like a schoolgirl for the first time in a long time. It was something that she had always wanted to happen. She remembered back when she was a teenager that she would always freak out in her bedroom over her crush, and she remembered the feeling of suspense, and happiness when she had finally gotten a date with said crush. She remembered thinking about this exact thing, wanting nothing more than to feel his hands brush against her hair and place a flower there.

And Jaune didn't even realize that he had made an old dream of hers, albeit silly dream, come true.

She pulled him into a kiss again, not even caring if other people saw. She felt like she was his age once again. She felt like she was going on a date with a boy that she had been crushing on for months. Even if the situation was a lot more mature, and serious, she felt like it. And god, it felt so great to be young again.

When she regretfully had to pull away from the kiss she had to hold back a chuckle at the happy, almost dreaming look on Jaune's face, as well as the crimson lipstick slightly smeared across his lips. She brought one of her finger's up to his mouth and quickly got rid of the red, though she knew he would have plenty of lipstick marks on his skin come next morning. "Come on, Jaune, let's head inside, our date has just started after all."

Jaune snapped out of his dreamlike state with a quick shake of his head, smiling at Cinder and presenting his arm like his mother had told him a real gentleman did. "Yeah, I'm starving."

Arm in arm, they headed inside the Desparate Dreamer, only getting a few odd looks from the greeters at the door, and within minutes they were seated at a table of to the side, thankfully away from most prying eyes. They were certainly the "oddest" pair there, though exactly why was not publically known. If anyone knew that this was a romantic date between a 16, almost 17, year old boy and a 36 year old woman that would most likely end with them heading back to Cinder's place to spend the night, someone might have called the police.

Jaune couldn't Believe just how stunning Cinder looked sitting before him, her already gorgeous features only seemingly intensified when illuminated by the gentle light from the two Candles on the table.

The atmosphere was slightly tense because both of them tried to seem like there was no romantic intent meant behind this "meeting" whatsoever until they got their food so most everyone would just end up ignoring them. They were getting a few looks, and if Jaune knew this town as well as he thought he did, he knew that at least a few of them had already jumped to the conclusion that they were dating, and at least a few of those looks were looks of disgust. He felt so singled out already, he felt scared.

Cinder reached for his hand subtly, calming him down slightly. "You're shaking Jaune..." she said slowly, and he knew that she was already feeling bad about inviting him out.

"A-am I? It's just... are we really so odd?" His eyes flashed back to a table where a couple around Cinder's age sat and kept giving them a grimace, as if they were seeing something so absolutely disgusting it took all of their willpower not to throw up. "It feels like we're alone, and I never realized just how alone we are..."

"Don't focus on them, focus on me. They don't know why we're here, they can't do anything. I promise..." he swallowed down his anxiety, and focused only on her eyes. The shaking stopped slightly.

"Alright."

"So," Cinder said happily, starting up conversation. "How close do you think you are to getting a car?" Jaune had already passed his driving test, he already had a license. As was basically required by all Arc kids when they hit 16. But there was still the fact that he actually didn't own a car, and he wasn't too sure his family would appreciate him taking the family car out for a whole night…

His eyes stayed focused on hers, ignoring everything except Cinder's burning, amber gaze. "I'm not sure, honestly. I know I kind of need one soon, but I doubt my mom and dad would just buy me one if I asked them, and I don't really have a stable enough income from that random job at the bookstore to afford one on my own. I'm thinking about maybe even buying a bike instead."

Cinder's hand tightened around his slightly, helping to calm his nerves even further. "A bike, huh? I think that's an excellent idea, actually." The smile that broke out on Jaune's face at her words warmed her heart. That the mere action of her supporting him meant so much to him made her feel more important than her work as a teacher ever did. "And people who ride bikes are very attractive in my opinion..." she whispered with a slight giggle.

"Well, it is better than nothing," he laughed. "And if you think it's attractive, then that's just a huge plus. You know that most Arc kids get more freedom when they turn 17, and I'm hoping that when I do I can spend more nights with you. Then we can just be alone, and not have to worry about getting caught. Everything would be perfect then." The thought of being able to relax in her presence seemed so far away, like an impossibility. Every single day brought them closer to being together without worry, but it always seemed so far away if he thought too much about it.

"Oh Jaune... everything already is perfect, we just have to keep the perfection secret." Jaune lit up in happiness. "Just give it two years, that's all we need. Two more years, and we can be happy without people being able to do anything about it." Sure, they may judge them still, but that didn't matter to either of them.

They spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence until a waitress came by to take their order, and thankfully she didn't seem repulsed by their obviously romantic attention towards one another, even if they tried to hide it. The Desparate Dreamer was a fancy restaurant, and Jaune could hardly even pronounce half the meals that were on the menu, but he didn't need to worry about that either, as Cinder happily ordered something for him instead, guaranteeing that he would like it. The waitress bowed and left them after writing down what Cindered had ordered for them on her notepad, leaving them once again in silence.

Jaune opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself before it came out, prompting Cinder to raise a single delicate eyebrow in question. "I was just about to say you look so beautiful tonight," he laughed softly, "But then I remembered that I've already said it, like, 10 times."

"And you think I'd ever get tired of you telling me I'm beautiful?" She too laughed.

"No, but maybe a little redundant."

"Only slightly, but I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. You could say it a million times and I'd never tire of hearing it. As a woman gets older, she begins to hear it less and less. So hearing it more is a breath of fresh air." Jaune couldn't believe that someone like Cinder could go a day without hearing it. Not only was she the most beautiful woman he had ever had the pleasure of knowing, but her personality was also the brightest. She didn't often show it, but when she did, Jaune felt like he didn't deserve to see it.

As a teacher, Cinder had a reputation for being tough on her students. She would always push them to do better, and she would enforce the rules in her classroom like it was nobody's business. But when her students needed help, she would give it. When they were stressed because of school, she was lenient with them, she was understanding, patient, she gave them extensions. She was a genuinely nice person.

And to Jaune, that was absolutely the most beautiful thing ever.

From the outside she might seem cold and hard at times, but she had a big heart, that much Jaune knew. She was strict and tough, but she was always fair, she always gave everyone a chance to prove themselves. And without her, Jaune doubted he would have learned nearly as much as he did in class. She helped him focus, when she wasn't making him aroused, and thanks to that focus he could accell at subjects he usually had troubles with.

And now she was sitting here, with him, in romantic restaurant, illuminated by the candlelight, looking more beautiful than ever, and Jaune couldn't be happier.

After some time passed, neither Jaune nor Cinder really keeping track, the waitress who had taken their order returned, now carrying two plates of steaming hot food. She sat the two plates down before them, bowed, and left with a cheerful "Enjoy your meal". The smell the two plates of food carried almost made Jaune drool, and if whatever it was Cinder had ordered for him tasted as good as it smelled Jaune knew he would be in for a treat.

Cinder propped her elbows up on the table and placed her head on her hands, ignoring all the table etiquette she ever learned as a child just this once to watch Jaune's expression as he dug into his food. She watched as he stabbed at each individual piece of food on his plate and took a small bite, and she couldn't help smile at the expression of sheer exultation on his face. "Someone's enjoying their meal~..." she sang happily, causing Jaune to pause and his hand to find the back of his head. Again. Something Cinder thought was absolutely the cutest.

"I-it's really good, yeah..." He went back to eating, although this time he held back a bit more and started to eat smaller bites. Cinder started on her own meal as Jaune sent her small glances every now and then. Even when she was eating she was graceful…

Within minutes, Jaune was through at least a third of his plate, and he only halted his slightly more calm, frantic, yet still not messy, eating when Cinder put one of her hands on his, making him stop completely and look up at her, quickly swallowing whatever food remained in his mouth before he spoke. "What? I've not done something wrong, have I?" He asked carefully, trying to subtly check if he had spilled and any food anywhere.

Cinder smiled at him, and he felt relief flood her body. "No, you've done nothing wrong, don't worry. I would just suggest slowing down your eating, so you can enjoy your meal fully. I know how much you like the school chicken nuggets from how you and Ms Valkyrie almost inhale them at lunch, and this is basically a fancy version of chicken nuggets." She explained calmly, though she never removed her hand from his. "Try eating it with some of this sauce here..."

Jaune did as she instructed, and his mouth exploded with flavor. Cinder laughed, feeling joy that she hadn't felt for a long time just from seeing his reaction to the wondrous taste. "W-wow," he exclaimed. The flavor was actually pretty overwhelming at first, but after a few more bites he got used to it, and found that he enjoyed it quite a bit. Cinder went back to eating her own food as Jaune started back on his, albeit a lot more slowly.

"I was wondering," Cinder started softly, her voice lowered, "If you would like spend the night with me, tonight? If that's acceptable, of course. I wouldn't want your parents to get upset with you for not coming home..." Jaune blushed, knowing full well that even if he did get in trouble he could never decline an invitation such as that.

"Of course, and don't worry, I can think of an excuse." Cinder's heart skipped a beat at the knowledge that she was going to have him in her bed tonight.

Jaune pulled out his phone. "Excuse me, I need to send just a few texts. Ruby owes me a favor, and now seems like a pretty good time to call it in."

Cinder motioned for him to go ahead, continuing to eat her own food as Jaune began writing.

"Hey Rubes can you cover for me tonight?" He quickly wrote and sent to Ruby, and not 10 seconds later, Jaune's phone buzzed.

"Cover for what? Are u doin something forbidden?"

"No, I'm just out with a friend and I don't want my mom and dad to worry if I don't come home tonight. Can you tell them I'm with you and Yang?"

"Sure thing. But Yang wants to know who ur out with and if its a date." Jaune chuckled at his phone, though he wasn't surprised. Yang had always been nosey and was always looking for the next big scoop.

"I'm out with a friend from school. I don't think you guys know them, and no it's not a date."

"Yang says she doesn't believe you..."

"Well she can believe what she wants to believe now I kind of need to get back to this totally not date. I'll ttyl." He didn't get a reply after that, and he knew that he Yang was never going to let him hear the end of it, but it was worth it. He put his phone back in his pocket, and turned his focus back to Cinder.

XXX

It was raining. He had no idea why it decided to start raining while they were in the restaurant, but you couldn't control nature, so Jaune just accepted that it was going to do whatever it wanted to do. He was glad that Cinder actually drove, it meant that they would get to her place sooner. He always loved being at her apartment, and he knew she loved him being there as well. They never got to doing things before anything else, there was always a few hours spent just being together, watching a movie, or talking. Though tonight was a little different.

She just liked not being alone, and having Jaune able to actually stay the night felt amazing for her heart and mind.

The car ride there was spent in a comfortable silence, as Jaune watched the raindrops drip their way down the window, as the light from the streetlights were reflected in each droplet.

He knew his and Cinder's relationship was a strange one, technically illegal even, but he also didn't care. He loved Cinder, he was more sure about that than anything in his life, and when they were completely alone like this, just enjoying each other's company, he felt more at peace than ever. A happy sigh left his lips as he settled down deeper into the comfortable leather seats of Cinder's car, feeling a pleasurable shudder pass through his body as he suddenly felt her hand gently caress his cheek.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, he really did, but he also knew it was too early for him to say. She had to know he was crazy about her, but that he actually loved was a big thing for both of them. He would tell her sometime, that much he promised himself, but he needed to wait until things had settled down between them fully.

"Don't fall asleep on me now." Cinder said, her voice quiet, but still loud enough to be heard over the dull roar of her car's engine. "The night is still young."

Jaune laughed a little at that, looking away from the window to gaze at Cinder instead. "Don't worry, I won't fall asleep until you let me."

Cinder frowned just a bit at the obvious joke. She knew a lot of their sexual interactions had been had with her in 'command' of him, but that was just a preference she had. She really didn't want it to seem like she was in control of him at all. She smiled again, ignoring that thought. She knew he was aware of how he was in total control of his own life, she was just being silly thinking that he honestly believed she could dictate such things.

"Jaune... tonight, let's do things slow." He looked surprised to hear that. "We always take things so fast, but today was fun. I haven't had a date in such a long time, and you made me feel so happy, and young, and like I was living life again instead of just waking up and doing what needed to be done. I want to... experience you in a way I haven't experienced anyone in years. Not since my last boyfriend..."

She hardly ever talked about him, but he knew she had loved him. But from what Jaune had learned, he had passed away before they could take things seriously. "Cinder..."

"Please, Jaune. I want to really make this night special."

Jaune nodded instead of trying to say something, and and smile made its way onto his lips when Cinder smiled too. He had given a lot of firsts to Cinder already, but they had never done things slowly, in a romantic way. It wasn't because neither of them wanted to, quite the opposite really, but most times they met up they were either on a tight schedule or too lost in passion to take the time to really explore each other's bodies in a sensual way.

But this time they could make love instead of merely have sex. This time they had all the time in the world. And this time they could take things however slow they wanted.

The rest of the car-ride was spent in silence, the only sound coming from the car, and before Jaune knew it, they stopped outside Cinder's apartment complex, waiting for the rain to lighten up slightly so they wouldn't become absolutely soaked when they headed inside.

As soon as they saw a chance, they ran for the door to the building, only becoming slightly wet in the process, and soon Cinder's lips met Jaune's while she fumbled to get the door to her apartment open.

Jaune knew as soon as she kissed him there wasn't going to be any time spent talking, she wanted him now, needed him now. She finally managed to get the door open and Jaune was pulled into the apartment immediately, leading him through the living room, down the hall, and into her room, all the while sparing time to kiss him senseless, yet in a slower manner than most times she had done so.

She didn't bother to shut the door to her bedroom, knowing that it would be pretty useless to do so. Jaune pressed into the kiss harder, and their tongues explored each other's mouths in ways they never had before. Their tongues met, and their tongues avoided each other in an attempt to tease the other.

They stumbled down onto the bed, Jaune pulled as close to Cinder as possible. Her hands found the hem of his shirt, and she hitched it up, running her hands all along his skin. "Jaune..." she moaned, "I..." she wanted to say it, she wanted to so badly, but…

Jaune could feel the conflict within her voice, and, despite wanting to hear her say those three, sweet words more than anything, he didn't want her to feel bad about saying it too soon or something the like. So he silenced her with another deep, loving kiss. He could wait until she was ready to say it, he would wait for all of eternity for her if she needed. And until then he could provide her with pleasure by showing her how much he loved her.

Their bodies writhed against each other, their clothes quickly being shed, yet their actions and admiration for one another's body remained slow, and the sound of their passion resonated within the walls of Cinder's apartment for hours. They tasted one another, became closer than ever before, and in the end they finished together, Jaune filling Cinder to the brim as he hovered above her, both finding the experience to be far more passionate and romantic than ever before, until both of them laid panting together, completely spent and completely satisfied.

"T-that... was incredible, Jaune..." Cinder sighed out, resting her head against his chest, enjoying the sound of the rhythmic beating of his heart.

"Yeah..." he gasped out. "You're amazing..." Cinder hadn't experienced such a thing in a long time, and now that she finally had, after craving it for so long, she felt at peace.

"I could be saying the same thing," she said with the world's biggest smile. They had said I love you in the only way they felt they could at the moment, and now Cinder only had one thing she wanted to do. Wake up next to him, in his arms. She gave him one last kiss, and the two of them laid cuddling together until they fell asleep, looking forward to the time where they could be free of society's judgement and just love one another without care.