THE LUCKY 7! JAUNE IS ABOUT TO GET LUCKY!
Nerdy: Bruh, you are one horny bastard.
REVIEWS:
MasterofSouls: Dude, I never said she never F-ed Tai. She got married to him, which was supposed to be self-understood. And because she was in the early stages, that means she could fool Tai about the timeline as well.
StormMarine: No, not like that. It was more Summer's idea than anything for her to fill the void left by Raven. And Qrow allowed Tai to be Ruby's father because he knew Tai would be a better father than he is because of both his semblance and drinking habits.
Nerdy: Chibi-Juubi - I can definitely see where you're coming from. We chose to do this because we thought it was a big W for the side of Qrow's character. It just feels better with Ruby being his daughter than Tai's but I understand that the way we did it felt a bit forced and out of place. If you have any advice on how to improve it, please let us know. We accept all criticism after all. (Bloody: That being said, I will like to also point out we are not the first to do it on Fanfiction)
It was a new day and Jaune was just waking up, rising from his bed, and heading to the bathroom to do his routine before heading out today. Yesterday's events had him, and he was not kidding, lost some years off his back. He felt older already just with the stress of that one day, and he was not looking forward to meeting his other in-laws if every meeting was to be like this. But it was bound to happen eventually, wherever he wanted it to happen or not. For that, he needed to get to hauling ass, and fast. If he wanted to make a good impression then he better start by making himself look better. Tai was, to his luck, nice enough to provide him with a training regime to follow to get his body built whilst also keeping in mind his choice of weaponry and preferred bodybuilding.
Dancing lessons that he had been forced to take with his sisters molded his body in some regards, but not in a good way. His muscles didn't have a large amount of mass to them but were leaner, something he needed to fix if he was to use a sword and shield. So first stop after the shower was the gym to begin this training, said building empty due to everyone else having their inter-semestral break. At least that was a positive thing as he doesn't need to worry about any of the plans to kill him that Cardin warned him about. But he knew that come the second semester, he was going to need to watch out for the other male students. They were out for blood.
He stayed in the gym for a good bit doing the training regime Tai gave him and thinking whilst pumping some iron. He did say he was going to go on dates with each of the girls, but who first and in what order? Stuff like this always had him challenged as sometimes it mattered and other times it didn't. What does he do in those times? Gamble it away. That is what he and his sisters usually did when deciding on a new order for who was going to get the bathroom first in the morning. Sometimes he was the first, otherwise the last.
That being said, he needed some dice and the help of two of his favorite co-husbands. He was going to call Ash and Ren to help him plan things out; Ash because he knows Cinder, Salem, and Emerald a bit more than he does, and Ren because, well, he might need help with a fancy suit or something or with manners. All in all, the plan was solid. Now if only the dice would be nice to him for once.
The workout one, it was around noon when he returned to his room and took a shower to wash away the sweat. He had already texted both Ash and Ren to come to meet him, the girls being busy with their own things at the given moment, giving him the perfect chance. Sometime later, the guys gathered together. "Alright, welcome guys - Dust above, Ash, what happened to you?!"
Ash, for his part, looked tired, exhausted even, with his glasses lazily hanging off his face and his clothes not as neatly done as before, showing clear signs of them just lazily being thrown down and barely fixed. He also let off a sneaky aroma of...ice-cream? "Being married to -" He yawned "- Neo is a hell each night...That woman cannot be sated!"
The boys flinched at that, considering the previous situation of their night and how either of them could've ended up with her as their wife. Ren was sure he would've likely died, seeing as he was already handling Nora. And Jaune? Eight wives, damn it. "Need me to use my semblance? I can enhance your Aura to maybe help you a bit?"
"Please do," Ash said, then the boys went to make themselves comfortable, Jaune sitting on the bed with Ash sitting in front of him on the floor with his back facing the blonde, Ren sitting on the opposite bed and watched as Jaune placed his hands on Ash's back and used his semblance, a white and grey glow emanating at the point of contact, Ash letting out a long sigh. "Yeah...That's the stuff…So, Arc? What'd you call us here for?"
"I was about to ask that as well, Jaune." Ren added. "Your text message didn't exactly say a lot other than 'Meet me at my dorm room, I need advice and help with my wives'. Did any of them get pregnant?"
"What?!" Jaune shouted, raising his hands from Ash's back. "No! Nothing of the sorts!"
"I have to agree with the blondie, no pregnant jokes!" Ash added, pointing at Ren as he fixed his glasses. "Do not make them, understand? They are trigger material with what Roman nearly did to me when I nearly got Neo knocked up"
"But you didn't. You got lucky." He added, earning a bad look from. "Anyway, care to explain, Jaune?"
"Ok, so, I recently had some issues with Yang's and Ruby's parents, you guys know that, right?" Jaune asked, to which they each nodded.
"Yang told Nora and Nora told me" Ren replied.
"I found out because of a text Mel got from Emerald," Ash said.
"Right. I decided to try and actually see if this marriage thing can work, so I decided to start taking the girls out on dates to better get to know them and, I don't know, maybe try not to die later on because of crazy parents or something?" He stated, to which both Ren and Ash nodded. "But the issue is...Who do I start with? Who do I take out on a date first? What type of date might they enjoy? I need information, guys, and you are the only ones I could call regarding all of this."
"Why not go to Ozpin?" Ash asked, taking a seat in a chair and leaning on it. "That old fart is bound to have more than enough experience with the dames by now"
"Actually, I think Ozpin might be a bit too...Old School?" Just as Jaune said that said headmaster sneezed in his office. "Besides, you guys are in the same boat as me. We all got married during the same night, after all"
"True, true," Ren said. "What are your plans until now then?"
"Dice"
"You are fucking with us, right?" Ash asked, giving Jaune a deadpan expression. However, when the blonde didn't laugh, he groaned in dismay. "Out of all ridiculous shit I ever heard regarding ridiculous situations, this takes the cake"
"Other ideas I do not have! Look, I want to give each of them a fair chance, so maybe leaving it up to fate is better?" Jaune stated, then, as if by magic, Ren pulled out a dice with eight faces. "How did you-"
"Nora and I have a small bet regarding something similar to this. But it was who you were going to leave pregnant first" Ren replied, making both Ash and Jaune cringe again, Ash especially. "We assigned numbers to each of them, one for each face of the dice. I will throw it for you and I will tell you the order, ok?"
"Yes, that is perfect! Then, depending on who is next, can you guys help me plan out what I should do as well? Maybe help me get something to wear as well on the side?" Jaune asked, to which Ash got his scroll out, texting a certain someone. "Ash, what are you doing?"
"Are you trying to ask US for fashion advice?" He replied with his own questions, then scoffed. "I am getting Roman in on this stuff." He pressed the last button on his scroll. "Sent. Now we wait until he shows up."
"Very well...Ren, roll the dice of fate!"
And so, the die was cast, rolling on the table as Ren released it and going through its numbers until it began to slow down. All three of them watched anxiously as the number that was going to come up began to come into view, landing on 6. Ren's face paled seeing it, with Ash and Jaune looking at him and feeling the confidence in them both drop. Ren gulped. "Let's first throw the rest, ok?" He suggested, making them nod slowly. Whoever Jaune had to face first was not going to be easy, is it?
The die rolled a few more times, needing to be re-rolled a few times since the results don't always land on different numbers. Eventually, Jaune memorized each of the numbers and the order they landed in; 6 - 2 - 5 - 3 - 4 - 8 - 1 - 7. However, only Ren knew what number was each girl, which he revealed afterward. Jaune and Ash paled when they heard who the 6 was; Cinder. Number 2 was Blake, 5 was Salem, 3 was Ruby, 4 was Yang, 8 was Emerald, 1 was Pyrrha, and 7 was Weiss. At least the one who hated him the most was last. But that didn't help him a lot.
"Dude, listen, you can still skip town, you do not need to do this" Ash pleased to him, knowing full well the stuff Cinder might do to him.
"No...Ash, I made a promise, and Arcs do not run away from their promises. I must go through with it." Jaune stated, then they heard a knock on the door, followed by Roman bursting through the door.
"Who has a fashion sense?!" He asked with labored breathing, having rushed to this place from whatever hole he was hiding in within Vale. However, upon seeing the dice and the pale expressions of the boys, he got worried. "Can you explain to me why you look like you stared death in the eyes?"
"Roman, you better take a seat…" Ash suggested, to which the thief followed by taking a seat, Ash explaining to him about Jaune's situation. He was not lighting a cigar yet since he didn't want to be a rude guest and smoke inside his host's place, but when Ash mentioned the dice and that Cinder was the first one Jaune was about to woo, the thief looked at the boy in question with a look of pity.
"Boy, I cannot say it was a pleasure knowing you, but I wish you a good death" Roman stated, making Jaune flinch.
"Dude!" Ash shouted, snapping his fingers in front of Roman's eyes. "Roman, Jaune needs some help here, so how about we give him a hand here? It is because of him that Cinder is no longer breathing down our necks and we are not neck-deep in the worst shit imaginable!"
"Oh please, that is yesterday's news" The thief replied, but Ash had one last ace up his sleeve.
"If you do this…" Ash looked at the others before he got closer to Roman, whispering something in his ear that made the thief nearly drop his cigar.
"You are shitting me!"
"I am not" Ash replied, crossing his arms with a confident smirt. "If you help us, maybe the boys here will agree to help you with your little endeavor as well. What do you say now, Roman? Is that a good deal?"
"I taught you too well, Ashie. Too well" The thief replied, pointing his cane in Ash's face. "And I love it when you show me you got the backbone to deal with the likes of I. Very well, let's get to work! We have a lot of stuff to take care of if blondie here is to survive Cinder! Boy, what size are your shoes?"
Cinder was spending some time in her room, looking around social media on her scroll. What is she to do now but this, after all? No plans, absolutely nothing, and being married to that boy were not something she was planning for. But alas, she had to make due until something came up and her life started to be less boring. This might be happening sooner than later as she received a text from Jaune. Of course, married couples have their scroll data automatically connected and shared. She opened the message and looked over it, arching an eyebrow as she read over it.
"Is he really asking me on a date?" She chuckled reading the message, finding it awfully cute how he tried to be nice to her. But as she was about to simply swipe left on his message, a part of her refused to go through with it. A portion of her wanted to experience that kind ocean that put out her fire again. So she began to answer the message, her mind barely registering what her fingers wrote before it was sent. Putting her scroll aside, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was currently wearing a loose black shirt and shorts, her night-wear if you might. She liked wearing such clothing at times for its comfort. But now? She needed to get her make-up done, get her dress, and get her lipstick.
The boys were all chaotically going around Jaune's room, preparing the casanova for his date. Jaune had sent Cinder the message not long ago, the boys had watched with intensity, then their eyes widened when she replied. "Alright! Operation Arc Furnace is a go!" Roman shouted, then everyone began to help prepare Jaune in their own way. "From personal experience, I'd say we have around two hours before she is ready to go through the battle plan once again! Are you ready, soldier?"
"Yes, sir!" Jaune replied, offering a salute out of reflex.
"Good! Then let us make a gentleman out of you!"
The time was nigh and Jaune's heart could beat out of his chest at any moment. Ash and Roman both let Jaune know that Cinder, while she might make due with low-end stuff, is a sophisticated woman. This meant no fast-food or other goofy, dorkish stuff he might be into. They also went through some stuff he is to absolutely NOT talk about. And with him in this situation? There was a fair bit. Finally, they got him dressed up in a suit.
It was nothing too special, but Ren proposed they give him a white suit with a black shirt underneath with golden details on the edges of the sleeves and neck along with similar pants and black shoes. Roman proposed getting his hair done as well, but he was refused by the other three boys present. A crash course on table manners later and he was as ready as he could be. Still didn't stop the guys from sending him off with a prayer and wish for good luck.
Unknown to him, Roman, Ash, and Ren were going to follow and watch from afar to make sure he doesn't get killed along the way. Cinder, due to her stubbornness, refused to give back the Fall Maiden's power, something Ozpin agreed to, but he also let her know she is not going to receive the entire package either, something reinforced by him changing the codes of the elevator. What? You thought he'd tell them the codes and not change them afterward? He might do crazy stuff at times, but he was not stupid.
Jaune was walking down the streets of Vale, evening settling itself in. He messaged Cinder and told her to meet him in front of a restaurant in the more pleasant part of Vale, courtesy of Roman for getting him a reservation for this very night. Seriously, whatever Ash promised him must be something the thief really wants if he is pulling such strings for him. He took in a deep breath to calm his current nervousness, then, turning the corner, that breath meant nothing.
"Why, right on time, Jaune. You sure know not to keep a lady waiting" Cinder greeted the boy, making sure to use her usual seductive tone to get a reaction out of him. She was dressed in a black dress with red detailing and trimming on the edges that hugged well around her hips and left her collarbone and shoulders exposed, and accentuated her curves. There was also a zipper on the back of the dress, meaning that was what held it on her. The dress seemed to sparkle in the light as she moved as well, indicating, however, that it had Dust woven in it. Truth be told, Cinder didn't really own any normal dresses, all of them having Dust woven into the material in one form or another. She was wearing long, black gloves that went up to her forearms and stockings on her legs along with a pair of fancy black heels as well.
"G-good e-e-evening, Cinder." He greeted her as best as he could, but he ended up stuttering anyway. Cinder, noticing this, giggled softly and walked to him, keeping a subtle sway in her hips. Only now Jaune noticed that she was wearing her ring, the gem shining brightly in the light of the evening lights. Once she was close enough, she grabbed his arm as a girl would usually do on her date. The boy needed to keep his composure, not letting himself be defeated.
"Are you ok, Jaune? Are you...nervous, by chance?" She asked, her tone not doing much to help his situation. Granted, when he began to mutter random, barely understandable words, she chuckled again. "You are so easy to tease, Jaune." She dug her gloved fingers into his arms, the jolt of pain getting him to focus. "But please, for tonight, can you keep it together?"
"S-sure, Cinder" He replied, earning a satisfied smile from her. "Ash and Roman were right, THIS WOMAN IS DANGEROUS!" he thought as he began leading her to the restaurant. Upon arrival, Cinder arched an eyebrow seeing where her date/husband brought her. It was a fancy restaurant, a boon she'd rarely take before due to being busy with her plans. But now? Well, this ought to be a pleasant experience in her opinion. Walking through the front door, she took in the decor of the place. It was fancy, as she had seen outside, with the floor neatly waxed and shining and tables set up nicely along the way with large windows offering some view into the evening sky. Soon after they entered one of the maids of the place - without the fancy dress, wearing a simple fancy suit - welcomed them at the reception.
"Welcome to the Golden Moon, what can I help you with tonight?" She politely welcomed them, beaming them a smile.
"Yes, we have a reservation under the name Arc." Jaune said, then the woman looked through the registry, searching for the name. She muttered it a few times as her finger scanned through, the boy being a bit anxious that Roman might have screwed up the reservations. However, when she tapped it on the paper he was relieved.
"Here! A reservation for a table for two next to the window for Mister Jaune Daedalus Arc and Cinder Arc Fall. I must say, you two make a good-looking couple." She said.
Cinder giggled softly at the praise. "Thank you. My husband is a good man." She said, empathizing the husband part of her speech. Jaune felt a shiver run up his spine at that, but he knew he had to push through. No pain, no gain! They were then led to their table, sitting down at opposite ends of it and having the menus presented to them, opening them to look over the choices. And oh boy, was everything expensive…
"Good thing Roman said he wired some money over to my account, else I'd be in deep trouble" Jaune thought as he once again thanked Ash and Roman for their help. Although the money was most likely illegal or was stolen from someone else, it was going to help him survive dinner with Cinder Fall - Cinder Arc Fall. He was also taught some things to do on a date to further make things go smoothly. "So, Cinder, what would you like to have?" He asked her, the half-maiden giving a thoughtful humm as she looked over the menu until she stepped and smirked.
"I'd like some Crimson Stake, well-cooked, with some red wine on the side" She said, once again empathizing a part of her speech. Jaune was seeing a pattern here, and he didn't like it. All in all, he had to maintain his cool.
"Hmm. I think I will get the same, honestly, but without the wine. Maybe a side of vegetables will be better?" He asked, to which she hummed and she put her hand up, resting her chin on the back of her gloved hand.
"And for desert?" She asked, making sure to keep the seductive tone in play to get as much of a reaction out of Jaune as possible. She knew she was heading in the right direction, she just needed to push well enough to break down his dam.
"What about a, hmm." He began humming, looking over the menu at the desert section, searching for something she might enjoy. But then again, he had to ask her again what she'd like. "Tell me, Cinder, what would you like for desert?"
"You"
Jaune leg jumped, hitting the table as he picked up that line. "P-pardon?"
"A Yogurt cake with strawberries" She replied again, slyly changing her words. Jaune nodded at her slowly, his cheeks a little flushed. "Don't you want something to drink as well?"
"I don't think I want to get anywhere near alcohol for a while if I am, to be honest. I mean, last time didn't go exactly according to anyone's plan" He said, making Cinder arch an eyebrow at his words. He was right, that much she had to admit. The last time they both got drunk they ended up married in the same night and look where it landed them now; both of them dressed to the nines in a fancy restaurant on a date. Despite it not sounding all that bad at first, she still felt a bit bored. Even now she was teasing him only to entertain herself, toying with him just like a predator would their prey. She was herself, after all, and she refused to submit easily. She was the apex predator, not the prey, and she was going to prove it today.
"Understandable" She replied, then the waiter came to pick their order, writing everything down in their notebook then walking away to give the order to the chefs in the kitchen. However, on the other side of the street, in a small cafe, three other souls were looking over them.
"Is everything going alright? Did she scorch his dick off yet?" Roman asked with curiosity as Ren was watching from afar using his scroll's zoom-in function, reading lips.
"Nothing of the sorts, but she is clearly teasing him. Jaune must have not realized it yet, but he is pretty much whipped" Ren said, answering the thief. Ash, for his part, after taking a sip from his coffee, added his own piece of intake.
"Meh. As long as he gets her in the sheets again and off our backs I am cool" He replied, earning a hateful look from Ren. "What? Someone has to sacrifice himself to keep her in check!"
Back to the couple, Cinder and Jaune were both trying to make small talk while they waited for their food. Jaune decided to ask Cinder if she'd like to talk about him or her at first, to which she answered she'd like to hear about him. She was intrigued to hear about the actual situation of the Arc family - a highly influential family on Remnant - from both the financial and family outlook. Call her a gold digger, but being married to the only male heir? Jackpot. She did let some genuine giggles when she heard how his sisters used to dress him up, make-up, and everything. But she was curious when he talked about his dancing skills. She never took any sort of dance lessons, but she might be interested in some now.
However, her expression grew somewhat sad as he went on about his family, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by him. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, making her snap out of her sadness as she realized that she dropped her guard. "You look a bit off there."
"It's nothing" She swiftly replied. "Just...An old issue, nothing more." She was trying to hide it, but Jaune was sensing something through his ring from her. Her emotions were surfacing again and she felt sadness, pain, and the feeling of loneliness. He felt them before as well, and he quickly pieced together the time of those emotions coming to light with their talk; family. Was there an issue with her family? Were they in trouble? Did she run away? What happened?
"Cinder, are you-"
"Here you go, Sir, Ma'am," A waiter said as their food arrived, laying down on the table before them. Whatever Jaune had to say had to wait until after dinner it seemed. The two of them enjoyed their stake, which Jaune had to admit was worth every penny. THIS WAS DELICIOUS! He tried not to seem like a pig at the table, keeping his manner in check, and also to watch Cinder who returned to her usual persona. She was having the stake as well while drinking from the wine. Not enough to get her drunk, she was being careful not to get drunk again.
Finally, they both finished their food and a waiter picked up the plates, both using the provided wipes to clean their faces. But now Jaune had to ask her. "Cinder?"
She perked her head up at him. "Yes?"
"Look, I know it might not be my room to pry but...Are you...Where is your family?" He asked, making her eyes twitch a bit, not expecting that question. She remained silent, looking down and around, trying to avoid making eye contact with him. She held onto the ring on her hand, waiting for the feeling from before, but it never came. Were his feelings too weak? Where was that ocean that snuffed out her fire? She felt weak, something she hated. She was slowly becoming angry because of that as well, but not angry at anyone in particular. Angry at herself.
"It is none of your concern" She muttered softly.
"What?" Jaune asked, not catching the last part.
"I said, IT IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!" She said again, this time shouting and catching the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Everyone was wondering what made her react like that, and what the flare around her eye was, but many dismissed it as a semblance. Jaune, however, was wide-eyed at her expression. He could see it, feel it even. She was angry at herself...Because she couldn't fight for herself...For being weak...She was like him. More than she even realized. But Cinder? Seeing her outburst, how the attention was on her, and hearing the whispers, she got up. "Thank you for the dinner, but I need to go." She said before going away.
But Jaune? He was not going to let her get away now. He knew that if he did he will never have the chance to talk with her about whatever is bugging her like this again. So he ordered the desert on the go and texted Ren to come to pick it up, paying for everything and then darting out of the restaurant in search of Cinder.
His scroll buzzed, a message being received from Ash. "She is heading East, down the streets. Hurry." He was following her, using his Faunus heritage to hide atop the buildings and keep an eye on her. As she was now Cinder didn't bother to check her surroundings, even beginning to slightly run as soon as she was out of that place.
"This whole idea was a bad idea." She muttered to herself as she walked through the streets of Vale, her eyes letting out occasional spurs of fire. "A date with that blonde just because those stupid rings manipulated me. How pathetic was I!" She said to herself, scolding herself for being so stupid. But sometimes, from stupidity, greatness is born.
"Cinder!" She turned around, seeing Jaune there, panting a bit. "Wait up!" He said again, but she was not going anywhere, instead, she angrily shouted at him.
"WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?!" She shouted, her eyes igniting. "Don't you see I do not want anything to do with you anymore? Shoo! Go away!" She said again, but Jaune was not budging from his position. Instead, he walked closer to her. But the situation was volatile, very much so. Cinder grit her teeth and hissed in annoyance. "Stand back!" She ordered, but he didn't listen. She didn't notice how their rings started to glow as Jaune was getting closer to her. "I said…" She conjured her sword as her arm swung, the tip barely touching his neck. "I do not care if I become a widow here, do not take ANOTHER STEP!"
"Will you be willing to listen then?" He asked, making her narrow her eyes at him. The rings were glowing, and this time, Cinder took notice of that.
"It's because of this thing." She hissed as she let her sword vanish, then she grabbed the ring, trying to remove it. "Because of this stupid, magical ring, I am forced to stay married to you! Because of this thing I do not even know my emotions! Because of this I - Why is it not coming off?!" She shouted, trying to remove her ring without success. Then it hit her...Ozpin.
This was his hand again. Emerald said she chose not to take hers off, Salem wore it for the sake of it, and she kept it on since it was a pretty accessory in her opinion. None of them tried to take them off, meaning that none of them knew they couldn't take them off, to begin with. This had her frustrated greatly, but she took her eyes off Jaune for too long trying to remove the ring. When she looked at him again, it was only when he took her into his arms again. "Let me go!" She shouted, trying to use her semblance to burn him and force him to release her, but she found a powerful barrier stopping her. Was this...His semblance? It was making his Aura so powerful that she couldn't even leave a mark on him with her own? He has been working on his semblance in the gym as well since Ozpin told him about it.
"Cinder, I know you are suffering...Please...Just tell me what is wrong." He begged her, but if he wanted to know so bad, then she would tell him. Oh, she was going to tell him everything.
"You want to know what is wrong? I NEVER had a family. I was abandoned, raised in an orphanage! The caretakers never gave a shit about me, but simply abused me and had me clean everything; I was their slave! The other kids never even considered being nice to me, bullying me day after day! And AFTER I was adopted? Going from Mistral to Atlas? At first, it might seem like a dream come true, but it was even worse...Madame, the one who adopted me, used a shock collar disguised as a necklace to make sure I behaved and did her bidding. I was her slave now, nothing more!" She was shouting as Jaune held her, the rings both glowing powerfully. "Her daughters didn't treat me any better, only one of the twins ever being kind to me. Then, one day, a Huntsman came over and found me. He saw Madame shock me after I discovered my semblance...he offered to teach me to one day come to Beacon and escape her. I took his offer like the little, weak girl I was and trained with him and suffered in silence, the good twin doing her best to make me feel better. But do you know what happened in the end? She helped me run away. She stole her mother's remote and took the necklace off me, allowing me to run away right after the hotel Madame was owning, my prison, closed for the night. I found Rhodes, the Huntsman who trained me, in the streets and I told him everything. But then I realized something...We had to go back for Anna...The good twin. So we did, only to find her being tortured by her own mother for letting me 'escape'. She had the shocks turned all the way up, past legal limits, and when I saw that I snapped at her and used my semblance to burn her wrist, making her release the remote. Rhodes took care of her after that. I managed to release Anna, but then the sound of a musket was heard...The other twin shot Rhodes, and with his guard off, he fell to the ground. It looked like I was going to live that hell again, but I DID NOT ALLOW IT!"
She shouted, her fist clenched and the smell of burning fabric coming off them. Luckily, the Dust woven in her dress was Hard-Light Dust, not anything that would be affected by the heat. "I rushed to Rhodes' body...I took the twin swords he used to train me with...And I killed the twin first - the one that shot him. Then I killed Madame...And Anna? I saw it in her eyes...She was going to stop being kind to me, she was going to turn me in - I killed her as well! Probably mercy seeing as the shocks might have affected her. I became a runaway since, fighting to survive in the cold of Atlas day after day until I was found and given purpose! Given a chance for power! Power so no one would think about using me again, so they would RESPECT ME! So they could fear me…"
"Cinder, I-"
"Save your words, Arc." She replied, cutting him off. "Now that you know what I've done you probably do not even want to associate yourself with me anymore. I am nothing but a worthless, good-for-nothing, murderer-"
"I am sorry," He said again, holding her tighter to his chest. "I am sorry you had to go through all of that...I...I never knew the feeling of not having a family, to have everyone around you be against you...But through you." He showed her his ring which he raised to his eye level, a tear flowing down his cheek. "As you talked about everything, I felt it all; your pain, loneliness, you despair...I felt it all." She looked at him, stunned, a tear slowly flowing down her cheek as well...She could feel it again...The ocean was putting out her fire. "But I know you are not who you claim to be. I felt your regret and sadness for Rhodes' death and for killing Anna as well. You are not who they say you are, Cinder. You so much more than that."
Her eyes widened hearing those words. Every day Madame would tell her she was nothing without her, that she was beneath them all. But now? She was told that she was more than she allowed herself to be? This boy thought he could talk down on her? Try and be some stone for her to rely on? Did he think that crying for her was going to soften her heart? She wanted to scream at him, to attack him, to make him regret ever meeting her! But she couldn't! She couldn't do that. She felt his kindness and sadness as well. She felt how his heart was open and she peered within it.
She felt too how he was told he couldn't be what he dreamed to be, told to be realistic, and having his dreams snuffed out by his own father. In a way, he too was betrayed, and like her, took life into his own hands. Granted, she admitted he was a grand fool for putting his life at risk in such a way, but the bravery, the selfless attitude he had - everything bad about him was countered by two good things and she found parts she could relate to. She found his arms more welcoming and allowed herself to rest on his chest, her eyes tearing down for the first time in years since that night. He hugged her tightly, not letting go of her. Right now, they even forgot about the surrounding area. It was just them, two souls that were told could never be anything they wanted to be, yet, souls that took life into their own hands and fought back. Do they both have regrets regarding their fight? Yes. Cinder more than Jaune. But he made those regrets within her feel so...weak. Once again, he made her fire, her fear, and now even her regrets submit to him.
She fancied herself an apex predator, yet look at her now. She was at his mercy, in his arms, during the evening in Vale. She was crying her eyes out in his arms, leaving stains of make-up on his white suit and she even ruined her gloves with her semblance. This date was a disaster for their clothes...Yet, it was also great. He was great. Such kindness was something few could muster in their hearts. "Jaune?" She softly called out his name.
"Yes?-" He didn't have time to answer before Cinder smacked her lips into his own, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. This was not a kiss of lust and debauchery, but one of pure feeling. The two stayed like that for what felt like forever before breaking apart, Cinder showing a rare blush to her face.
"Never change, alright?" As much as she would like not to admit it, she was never one to tell lies to herself; maybe she did like Jaune Arc after all.
"WAY TO GO, ARC!" Ash cheered as the trio cheered from atop the roof, Ren having just finished reading Cinder's lips from above using his scroll to zoom in. To say they were surprised he actually pulled through was an understatement as he also scored a kiss from her as well!
"Well, I'd say that if he can handle her, he should be just fine with the other girls as well without my help. Although I am sour about his suit. That was a nice one, fitted him perfectly, yet she had to stain it with make-up" Roman added, then sighed. "Oh, the beauties of youth!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about it yet, Roman. The next two dates are going to be...interesting, especially the second one" Ren said, grabbing the attention of the thief. Ash simply froze. "We will need to help Jaune with Salem as well"
At this, the thief face-palmed. "Give me the Yogurt cake, I am taking that as extra payment tonight."
DAMN, FUCK A DUCK! Long ass chapter, Arc Furnace ship. Tackled Cinder's backstory, changed stuff around at Nerdy's req to try and make it seem better. Did I manage that? Only you guys can tell.
Nerdy: Well, considering what this series is, I'm personally satisfied with how it turned out. Cinder's backstory here is definitely an improvement over the rooster teeth one. Although I would like everyone to offer their thoughts on it as well so we don't look like pretentious pricks lol.