Chapter 12
Blake laid on top of Jaune, her black hair splayed over his chest. He held and arm around her, his palm resting gently on the small of her back. It was almost midnight now and she was fast asleep. Though, he'd have to wake her eventually, he didn't want to explain to any of his family what she was doing on top of him this late. She shifted and laid her cheek on his collarbone, her head tucked within the crook of his neck.
After a few more moments, his job had ended up doing itself. Blake had awoken. She tilted her head up to look him in the eyes, a groggy look still held within them.
"I fell asleep?" She asked softly.
"Sure did." He nodded.
"What time is it?"
"Midnight."
"Then I can stay a little longer." She nestled herself against him, putting her head back down.
"You know if we both fall asleep, there's not much we can do to explain that..." He trailed off.
"So what." She clung onto him in an oddly cute way. "They already know we're dating."
"I didn't..." His eyes widened slightly. "I thought we were still avoiding that term, I-"
"Shh..." She pressed a finger to his lips, pecking them right after. "Did you not call me your girlfriend earlier?"
"It was for a lack of a better term!" His voice broke slightly as he tried to defend himself.
She put her thumb on his chin, supporting his jaw with a curled finger.
"Well, we have a better term now." She grinned. "We're dating."
"I-I... I like that." He shifted to a relaxed smile, squeezing her hand softly.
"Me too." She shut her eyes and leaned against him, he did the same, holding her close to his form.
Morning came swiftly, and, like Jaune had initially feared, Blake was still with him. Though, she'd shifted to being beside him rather than being on top of him. His arm was wrapped around her, his other splayed out across the rest of the bed. Unlike him, however, she was still asleep peacefully. He smiled to himself and kissed her hair softly before giving her a nudge.
"Hey." He whispered.
She turned to face him, her eyes fluttering open slowly, still processing reality for a few moments.
"Hey yourself." She yawned groggily. "It's morning?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Early too, if you get dressed we might be able to go on a walk. If you wanna get up, that is."
"That sounds nice." She nodded. "Let me get showered and whatnot."
...
Jaune held Blake's hand in his own, walking with her down the sidewalk, pursing his lips as he began to whistle.
"Do you plan on talking with your mom?" She asked softly.
"Of course." He nodded with a shrug. "I just don't know when... Or how."
"I understand." She squeezed his hand. "She's pregnant?"
"Uh... How'd you know?"
"Jaune." She folded her arms, looking up at him, her ears flipping back and forth.
"Right... you have terrifying hearing capabilities." He rolled his eyes in a less playful manner than usual.
"What can I say." She shrugged. "Once an eavesdroppers, always... an..." She trailed off, catching an annoyed glimpse in his eyes. "You're upset at me."
She sighed and looked to the ground.
"Hey, no, I..." He squeezed her hand. "Yes, I'm a little annoyed, but it's nothing serious. Promise."
"Yeah... okay." She glanced away, her shoulders deflating as she held her arm awkwardly. "I'm sorry."
"I..." He brought her hand up to his chest, slowing his pace to a still. "Blake... I'm just, I'm still upset at my mother, she's pregnant, I'm feeling overwhelmed. Having you here..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Having you here only makes it better."
Her lips curved up slightly.
"Fine, you win." She shook her head with a relieved sigh. "What now?"
"Now?" He lifted an eyebrow with a curious expression. "How about that walk? I'll even show you around the area."
"Sounds good." She smiled softly.
Though significantly faster than usual, it took her a good few minutes to get ready before they left the house. When they did, it was at least another fifteen before they made it to the 'towny' part of the town. Given that his parents place was much closer to the forest than most the town of Gourd itself.
After another ten minutes of walking, they reached an ice cream store on the corner of the road. With a breath, Jaune pushed the door in and stepped inside. A bell rung as he entered and a familiar face looked up to him with tired eyes.
"Hansel's Ice Cream and..." His eyes widened. "Jaune, is that you!?"
"Sure is." He smirked.
"It's been too long, my boy!" Hansel gave him a toothy smile before turning his gaze to Blake. "And you are?"
"Blake... Belladonna." She extended her hand a little awkwardly.
"So nice to meet you!" He shook it firmly.
"You as well..." She drew back after he let go.
"Well, what can I get you two?" He lifted an eyebrow. "It's on me."
"I'm thankful, but I can pay..."
"Nonsense! I will not have it." He shook his head sternly.
"Well, not much point in arguing with you." He chuckled. "I'll take a cookies and cream milkshake, and you, babe?"
He pretty much immediately blushed upon his use of the word. He shrugged awkwardly at the odd glance she gave him.
"I'll just have a vanilla milkshake." She smiled.
"I'll be back with those ASAP!" He sped to the back.
Silence.
"So, babe, huh?" She gave him a knowing smirk.
"I was experimenting, would you prefer me to have called you kitten?" He tried to play it cool.
"No. I have Yang for that already, I don't need you joining in too."
"Whatever you say then, kitten." He formed the same smirk she'd just given him.
She groaned and rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers along the counter. A minute or so passed and Hansel returned swiftly to them with two milkshakes in hand.
"Thanks, Hansel." Jaune took them from him and handed Blake's drink to her.
"Any time. You're always welcome!"
"Of course!" He waved him off and left the building, sipping at his drink alongside Blake who did the same.
"These are really good." She remarked.
"Best milkshakes in the world." He spoke proudly.
"I don't doubt it."
"Should we head back then?" He asked, leading her back to the forest path. "I still need to talk with my mother."
"Yeah, sounds good."
...
Though making it home after drinking milkshakes would've been a great time to crash, there was still one more thing Jaune had to do... He took a deep breath, raising his hand to his mother's door. He wasn't sure how she'd act, he just hoped that they could put this all behind them and move on...
Knock knock.
He swallowed heavily, awaiting a response. He heard a dull "come in!" from behind the door.
"Hey... mom." He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Son." She greeted, shifting through a few papers on her desk.
His muscles tensed.
"It's good to see you again." He pressed on.
"You as well." She responded blandly. "You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you."
"That's it?" He furrowed his brows. "I've changed? Are you even happy to see me?"
"Of c-"
"Cause since I've got here..." He interrupted her. "You've done nothing but treat me like I'm somehow the only one wrong here. I get it mom, you're mad I ran away, you're upset that I didn't come back for years. You're stressed because you're..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dad told me."
"That I'm-"
"Pregnant, yes." He confirmed for her. "I won't pretend to understand what that's like, but I understand what stress is like, I understand how it feels to be overwhelmed. I'm sorry that you feel like this but that gives you no excuse to treat me and my girlfriend like shit."
"Jaune..." Her hands balled tightly as she set down her pen.
"Just... take some time to think, okay?" He sighed, turning away. "I came here to spend time with my family, not argue with them."
He didn't give her time to respond, instead he left the room quicker than he came in, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath before letting it all out. Confrontation wasn't easy, but it was necessary, he was just happy to have gotten it out before things grew too sour between them. Hopefully she'd listen so that they wouldn't have to.
Blake was in her room, fiddling with a pen whilst skimming through some book she'd read plenty of times already. It was rather silent, moreso than usual for sure. Or at least it was silent. Her ears perked up at the passing sound of a slam, which she had assumed was a door. She'd also assumed it had something to do with Jaune and his mother.
So much for meeting the family.
She sighed and set her book down, moving her hair behind her shoulders as she stood. She hadn't realized how comfortable she'd gotten beforehand until she felt the heaviness in her eyes as she entered into the hallway. She turned the corner and headed upstairs cautiously, to where she'd heard the door slam and...
"Jaune?" She whispered, seeing the man sat against the wall a few paces down from his mother's room.
He visibly tensed up, glancing to her through his folded arms—arms that clearly hid his teary eyes.
"A-are you alright?" She swallowed heavily.
"No." He shook his head, his expression turning into one of frustration. "I'm assuming you heard our argument? You always seem to."
His tone was harsher than usual, it hit her harder than she expected.
"No, I didn't." She thinned her eyes. "I may hear better than most but I don't hear everything, Jaune. All that I heard was a door slam and I got concerned, I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Well I'm not okay." He scowled, turning his head away.
"Jaune..." Her demeanor softened and she reached out to comfort him.
"Dammit Blake!" He batted her hand away in a fit of anger. "Can you just..." His eyes widened.
She froze and pulled her hand to her side, swallowing heavily as she took a step back. He stood to his feet as his gaze softened for a moment, then grew hard and angry once again. Though with his clenched fists, taut jawline, and eyes that refused to meet her own... She could tell that the anger was no longer directed towards her, rather, himself.
"I'm sorry." He muttered and walked past her without another word.
She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say or do in response, and by the time she could even react to the situation in the slightest... he was long gone. All she could do was clench her fists and return to her room. When she made it there, she felt dry, so much so that she couldn't even bring herself to pick up her book. So instead she laid down, laying back against the frame of her bed.
Jaune was beyond furious, he'd stormed out of the house without a second thought. Not only did he lash out his mother but he managed to do the same to Blake. While there was certainly lingering distaste for his situation with the former of the two, the latter did not deserve that.
He was sitting on a rock overlooking the water of a large pond now, his muscles still tense as he skipped a rock across the water. He grit his teeth as it sunk half way through it's journey, then he picked up another.
'Dammit!" He whispered under his breath, squeezing the rock he held until it snapped in half.
With an exhausted sigh, he slumped back and buried his face in his hands.
"Why am I like this?" He groaned.
akapodorjendkaososo hello there, it's been a moment. life hit hard, sorry.
hope you enjoyed the chapter! im really sorry if it feels a little subpar, ive been having a hard time focusing for long periods of time, as always, please tell me what you like and dislike and feel free to light me up in the reviews if something is just god awful. love y'all.