Chapter 18: Two Jedi
Present Day, Ozpin's Office, 20th April 17 BBY, 19:30 pm…
A pin could have dropped in the silence that emanated from Ozpin's office at that moment.
Nathan and Jason stared one another down for what felt like hours, Jason with a sad smile on his face at seeing Nathan again, Nathan with a glare that would not look out of place on Blake's face.
All the while the rest of the gang behind Nathan looked to him, having heard the snarl in his voice as he'd addressed Jason.
Ozpin cleared his throat, directing attention back to him: "Nathan; I've been told you and Mr Stone here are old friends."
"We are, sir." Jason said jovially. "Though Nathan might say-"
"Former friends." Nathan corrected. "I've not called this cockfag my friend for nearly three years." Gesturing to Jason. "Speaking of…" Nathan turned to face Jason, Nathan added: "The fuck do you think you're doing here? Thought you'd turn up looking like one of Iron-dickhead's butt buddies and try and convince me to pretend like what happened three years ago never happened? Like you never said what you said to me? Do they even know what you said to me that day?"
"We do, Nathan." Ozpin said. "And while you have every right to be upset, we felt this presented an opportunity for reconciliation. It has been three years after all."
Nathan turned to face Ozpin, seeing the headmaster visibly wilt under the fury of his gaze. "You might be willing to forgive this fucking traitor, but I'm not! Three years? You really think I'm going to forgive him after three years of not talking? Fuck that!"
"Mr Phoenix-" Ozpin made to say.
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Nathan snapped. "I'm not going to stand here and let you tell me how to feel! Not after hearing this fucking whorespawn piece of shit tell me he's embarrassed to be called my friend; that I should have been expelled and blacklisted from the Jedi Order for daring to speak out against them; and that I should have been left to die as a baby instead of being taken to the temple to be trained! And if you think there's even the slightest chance; then you're not just stupid; you're delusional." Shaking his head, Nathan spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, taking the stairs.
Jason sighed as he watched Nathan leave, knowing full well that would have been Nathan's reaction. As he should have anticipated long ago.
Jason turned and found himself faced with all of Nathan's friends, finding all of them staring at him with anger and disgust. But none more so than the two women that until recently been flanking Nathan either side of him.
The first was a breathtakingly gorgeous young woman with ashen black hair and amber eyes, along with two cat ears that indicated she was a faunus.
For attire, she was wearing a sleeveless black crop top with rectangular and diamond-shaped cut-outs around the neckline, outlined in purple. Along with that were tight, form fitting black pants held up by a white belt, alongside thigh-high black heeled boots with gold-coloured edging around the top. The left boot had a belt wrapped twice around the thigh. Each boot bore her emblem in white on the outer side of the thigh. A white pouch could be seen on her belt on her back. Completing the look was a white tailcoat with lilac lining.
The other was an equally attractive young lady with red hair like Nathan's and green eyes, and could have passed for Nathan's twin sister if she wanted to.
Bronze metal armour covered most of her chest and torso with a sweetheart neckline. Under this was a brown leather vest jacket with the zipper lowered to where it could not be seen beneath the armour, showing the black top beneath and showing a teasing hint of cleavage. Additionally, tight black leather trousers covered her lower body, held up with a brown leather belt with several pouches for ammunition and the like, under which was her trademark red sash.
Completing her look were a pair of bronze greaves that covered her shins and ankles, and her high heeled boots now bore armour as well. As well as this were two bronze bracers covering her forearms, and two armoured fingerless gloves with bronze armour on her knuckles, along with a bronze circlet that rested atop her head.
Jason figured they were the two closest to Nathan of the group, with the black-haired girl being Nathan's girlfriend.
"Uh… hello." Jason said somewhat sociably, waving at them.
The two women responded by storming off after Nathan, followed suit by the rest of their friends, all of them leaving one by one until all that was left were Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, Qrow, Ghost, General Ironwood, and Winter.
"That… went well." Qrow muttered from behind Jason.
Jason couldn't help but feel disheartened, even if he had anticipated Nathan's hostile reaction. It had been worse than he'd feared, but also not as bad as he'd thought it'd be.
Part of him had expected Nathan to flat out attack him, thus resuming their fight from three years ago that had to be broken up by a mixture of Temple guards and several passers-by. But perhaps Nathan's friends being there had deterred him.
Whatever the case, Jason walked over to a nearby seat and sank into it, head in hands.
A comforting hand found his shoulder, and Jason smiled weakly as he saw Winter stood next to him, who promptly sat in his lap and snuggled up as they overheard Ozpin and Ironwood's conversation:
"I warned you Mr Phoenix would not react well to this." Ozpin was saying.
"You're right." Ironwood said. "But we cannot allow this to stop us from continuing to try. Jason's come too far now to fail. We'll get our reconciliation, Ozpin. Even if we have to force it."
"Forcing a matter this delicate will only alienate Mr Phoenix and the rest of his friends." Ozpin countered. "And if we're to battle Salem and win, we need to be on the same page as them."
"Fat chance of that while he's here." Qrow added drily, gesturing to Jason.
"We don't need your pessimism right now, Qrow." Winter snapped from where she was in Jason's arms.
Ghost then finally took that chance to walk over, kneeling in front of Jason. "You really thought you had a chance, didn't you?" Ghost asked.
Jason nodded. "It was small, but… it was one I wanted to take."
"Fair enough." Ghost said. "But… just so you're aware; Nathan's been slagging you off every time you come up in conversation. And his friends listen to him. I hate to be a pessimist Jason; but… looks like you're fighting an uphill battle here. And I'm not expecting any wins, either. At least not for a while."
"We can at least try." Winter said, looking at Ghost. "There has to be some way to convince Nathan to give Jason another chance."
"Only way that happens is if you ask either his girlfriend Blake; that's the black-haired woman who left after Nathan first, or any one of his teammates." Ghost said. "But… given they don't like you, there's not really much chance of that, either."
Jason sighed and met Ghost's gaze. "It's a start, at least." Standing up, he walked away, followed by Winter. He had no idea where he'd even find Nathan, but he was willing to look.
With Nathan, Beacon Academy Gym…
Nathan's fists struck the heavy bag with a quick series of straight lefts and right hooks, the occasional uppercut being thrown in for good measure.
His music was turned up to maximum volume in his ears, blocking out any outside noise, allowing him to work out his anger; his fury at Jason's presence on Remnant.
Just what was Jason hoping to achieve by coming to Remnant? Was he there to achieve reconciliation like he was saying? Or was he here to 'steer' Nathan back onto the straight and narrow, forcing Nathan to end things with Blake and return to living life as a Jedi, as someone like Jason would do; given his strong adherence to the Jedi Code?
Nathan's fists struck the heavy bag a little harder than that. No, he wouldn't let Jason do that. He wasn't about to break Blake's heart so he could make nice with his old buddy.
Former buddy, Nathan's mind corrected.
With a grunt of frustration, Nathan continued hitting the heavy bag, adding kicks into the mix now, imagining it was Jason he was fighting, and predicting Jason's attacks.
A right haymaker. Nathan dodged and countered with a spinning kick to what would be Jason's gut.
A forward kick. Nathan sidestepped and kicked at where Jason's exposed other leg would be, imagining Jason toppling to the ground.
Jason would be getting up, and attempt a right hook. Nathan raised his hands and if to block the blow, countering with a straight left followed by a right hook.
Thoughts of what Jason had said; the contempt with which he'd said it, and the look of disgust on Jason's face as he said it fuelled Nathan's next attacks as he pelted the heavy bag with heavy punches and kicks, imagining Jason wilting under the sheer force of his attacks.
A stiff forearm shot to the solar plexus, a left hook to the jaw, attacks that would have left Jason dazed and gasping for air.
A right kick to Jason's chest, further driving air from Jason's lungs.
Finally, Nathan recalled the last thing Jason had said to him that day:
"You should have been left to die the day you were found. The Order would be so much better off."
With a roar of fury, Nathan lashed out with his spinning back kick he favoured so much, kicking the bag so hard it flew off its hook, striking the floor a few feet away, rolling until it met a familiar boot.
Looking up, Nathan found himself looking into the beautiful eyes of Blake.
"I… think the bag's done." Blake remarked as Nathan removed his headphones.
"If it were Jason; definitely." Nathan muttered bitterly before sitting down in a chair, grunting with residual anger.
Blake sighed and sat with Nathan, laying her head on his shoulder. "I won't bother asking if you're okay, because… I know you're not." She said.
Nathan shook his head. "You're right. Mostly because the one part of my past I wish stayed buried more than the Empire just showed up." He responded. "I… I thought I made myself clear to him when I told him I never wanted to see his face again!" Sighing, Nathan added: "I… I'm sorry you had to see me like that, Blake. I know I probably look a lot like Adam right now."
"Nathan Phoenix, you look at me." Blake suddenly snapped.
Nathan faced Blake, who added:
"You are nothing like Adam. Adam would have held a grudge against all the Jedi for what Jason did. You're holding a grudge against Jason alone." Blake said. "And… as much as I disapprove of it… I understand why you hate Jason so much. The fact he said what he said despite the fact you looked up to him like a big brother figure… I… I can't imagine Yang saying any of that to Ruby."
Nathan nodded. "You think I should try and give Jason a chance, don't you?" He asked.
Blake opened her mouth to respond, but sighed. "I… I want to say yes, but… I already have a feeling you'd say no."
"Not before I hear your reasons for thinking I should give Jason another chance." Nathan responded. "My opinion shouldn't be the only one that matters when it comes to Jason. I may hate the bastard, but not so much that I'd disregard an opinion from my girlfriend about him, even if it doesn't match my own."
Blake smiled. "Well… it's like Ozpin said; he brought Jason here to help finish your Jedi training. And… I recall from when you first talked about Jason shortly before we started dating that he was a Jedi Knight. So… there's that reason."
Nathan nodded. "Any other reasons?"
Blake brushed her hair behind her ear. "I… I guess the main reason is that… I've seen what holding grudges does to people, Nathan. And… I don't want that happening to you. So… be angry at Jason; hold him accountable, yes. But… don't hold it against him for the rest of your life. Because you're better than that, Nathan. I've seen it."
Nathan leaned back, deep in thought. Blake raised a strong point. Holding grudges just wouldn't be healthy for him in the long run. He could still be angry at Jason; hold him accountable for his actions. But… he couldn't hold a grudge forever.
Yet that anger ate at him, warning him that letting Jason back into his life was only setting himself up to be hurt; betrayed by Jason again.
Blake seemed to sense this, and said: "Just… just think about it, okay? The wound's still raw, and… I'm not going to force you into something you're not ready for." Standing up, Blake added: "I'll see you tonight before bed." Leaning in, she kissed Nathan on the cheek before walking away.
Nathan watched his girlfriend leave before taking a deep breath. He'd worked off most of his anger just now; battering that heavy bag. He'd take tonight to think on it, and-
"Yikes. I'd hate to have been that bag."
"Fuck's sake…" Nathan muttered under his breath as he looked up to see Jason stood a few feet away. "I was pretending it was you." Nathan said as he stood up. "Just couldn't leave me alone, could you?"
"Well; no." Jason said. "But… I have a feeling your girlfriend calmed you down a little bit, so…"
"Well; just being within eight feet of you is undoing that real fast, so either say your piece or get the fuck out of here unless you wanna join that heavy bag." Nathan snapped.
Jason raised his hands placatingly, saying: "Fine, fine." Sighing, Jason added: "I… I just wanted to try and set things right between us. That's why I've been looking for you. I… I realise what I said three years ago was wrong. That's something I own up to wholeheartedly. I just… I wanted you to know I'm sorry. That way… even if you don't forgive me; I can move on knowing I tried."
Nathan scoffed. "You really admit what you said back then was wrong? Or is that a ruse you're trying to snare me with so I can allow myself to get hurt by you again?"
"Yes." Jason responded. "To the first part, I mean."
Nathan scowled as he felt the sincerity in Jason's voice, but that distrustful anger still drove him to say: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but part of me wants to believe you. Part of me still thinks there's a chance of us reconciling. But… the fact is; you didn't just break our friendship that day, Jason. You broke my trust. I would have trusted you with my life until that point. But that was then; this is now, and now I can't bring myself to believe a word you're saying; purely and only because the last time I trusted you with anything; you stabbed me in the back and said things to me I never would have dreamed of saying to you!"
"Then give me a chance to earn it back, Nathan!" Jason pleaded. "Give me the chance to re-earn that trust I broke three years ago. Give me a chance to-"
"Cut the pleas, Jason." Nathan interrupted. "I said my piece. You said yours. Now I'd like for you to get the fuck out of here so I have a chance to think about this."
"But… I wasn't-" Jason made to protest.
"Get. Out." Nathan growled, gesturing to the door, a clear message being sent to Jason in that single gesture.
Jason nodded with a sigh before turning and leaving Nathan in the room again.
Nathan grunted with yet more residual anger and gathered his things before leaving. He had a lot to think about.
Team JNNPR's Dorm, 22:15 pm…
Sleep was not coming easily to Nathan tonight.
His teammates were all asleep, both couples snuggled together in their beds.
While he lay alone. With a multitude of things on his mind.
Most notably; the presence of Jason on Remnant.
His fists clenched beneath the sheets, and fresh residual anger within Nathan brought renewed heat to his blood.
Jason's presence on Remnant angered Nathan in ways he hardly felt. Just what was Jason expecting by coming here?
A warm welcome?
Him being happy to see Jason and them resuming as if three years ago never happened?
Forgiveness?
Nathan sat up in bed and scowled. At this rate, he'd never forgive Jason for causing him to lose sleep at night.
His scroll suddenly buzzed next to him, and Nathan investigated, finding a message from Blake:
"Still up?" The message asked.
"Yh." Nathan messaged back, adding: "Got a lot to think about. Can't sleep."
"Mind if I help?" The reply said.
"Sure." Nathan responded. "I'll unlock the door to let you in." Typing the necessary commands into his scroll, Nathan unlocked the door to his dorm, at which it silently swung open, revealing the beautiful silhouette of Blake Belladonna in the doorway.
Nathan watched as Blake quietly shut the door behind her and crept over to Nathan's bed, climbing into bed with him and snuggling up.
"Hey." Blake whispered.
"Hey." Nathan responded softly as they shared a kiss. His mood was already improving now Blake was nestled within his arms.
"So… what's on your mind?" Blake quietly asked.
"Jason." Nathan responded. "He came shortly after you left the gym. We… aired a lot of grievances. Well… I did, at least."
"What'd he say?" Blake inquired.
"That he wants to set things right, yada-yada-yada, blah, blah, blah." Nathan replied. "And… part of me wants to believe him, but…"
"You can't bring yourself to; given what he's done." Blake reasoned.
Nathan nodded. "I trusted Jason with my life until that day, Blake." He elaborated. "It's like I keep telling you; Jason was like a big brother to me. To… to be essentially stabbed in the back by him and to then have him say what he said to me… it not only broke our friendship-"
"Your trust in him was broken, too." Blake realised.
"Yeah." Nathan confirmed. "And now because of that… I can't bring myself to believe a word he says, even if I can tell he's being sincere about it."
Blake nestled even deeper into Nathan's arms. "I… can't say I've known the kind of betrayal you've suffered from Jason." She said. "But… my point from earlier still stands. Give him a chance to prove himself, Nathan. Let him try to earn your trust back. That way… if things fail to work out; you can carry on with life knowing you at least tried meeting Jason halfway."
Nathan nodded after a few minutes of thought and faced Blake. "Maybe you're right. I'll track him down after we're done tomorrow. For tonight, though… I feel like wasting some valuable sleeping time." Reaching down, Nathan squeezed Blake's ass.
Blake gasped and glanced towards Nathan's sleeping teammates. "Won't they hear us?"
"Not if we're quiet." Nathan responded with a smirk.
"My thoughts exactly." Blake declared as she straddled Nathan and leaned in, kissing Nathan passionately.
Wrapping an arm around Blake's waist to pull her closer, Nathan deepened the kiss, reaching down and once more squeezing Blake's ass, hearing his girlfriend moan into the kiss as she began to grind her pelvis against his, further hardening Nathan's erection.
Removing his hands from Blake's ass, Nathan's hands travelled up Blake's body until they reached the string of Blake's obi, undoing it and removing both articles of clothing, tossing them aside before easing Blake down besides him and kissing her again, his left hand travelling beneath Blake's now exposed undershirt until they reached one of the soft mounds on her chest, squeezing it softly, watching as Blake hurriedly clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle the loud moan that would have surely exited her and alerted Nathan's teammates to the fact him and Blake were engaging in foreplay mere feet away from them in preparation for making love.
Grunting, Nathan felt a hand brushing against his manhood, seeing Blake had reached down there with a hand, feeling his hardened manhood, which stood ready and waiting for Nathan to enter Blake with.
Reaching down himself, Nathan's hand lightly ran across Blake's panties, feeling them soaking wet. Nathan grinned. That made things easier.
"Get beneath me." Nathan ordered softly.
Blake nodded and shuffled so that she was completely beneath Nathan, shuddering with anticipation as she felt Nathan's hardened shaft tentatively between her legs.
Nathan reached back down and lowered his shorts and underwear, seeing Blake looking down to see his cock spring free of its fabric prison, hardened and ready to be plunged inside of her.
Leaning down, Nathan and Blake shared another kiss, before Nathan quickly grabbed the sides of Blake's undershirt, pushing it up until Blake's breasts were exposed to him.
Nathan found himself staring, unable to tear his gaze away. He and Blake had made love five times before this; the first time following the battle of Menagerie; the second on Blake's eighteenth birthday in January, and then three more times on Valentine's Day. And every time he was able to see his lover laid bare, he reminded himself how lucky he was to have a woman as beautiful as Blake.
Leaning down, Nathan planted his lips onto one of Blake's breasts, feeling Blake shudder as a muffled moan escaped her, reaching up and cupping her other breast in his hand, fondling that one as he lavished the other with his mouth and tongue, feeling the heat between Blake's legs grow hotter and hotter before switching, Blake's muffled moans a fresh music to his ears. The fear of getting caught was intoxicating, the daring nature of their activity clear as he finished his ravaging of Blake's breasts, which now lay covered with pink and red marks from his attention.
"Nathan…" Blake quietly begged, amber eyes begging him to take her, to claim what was his.
Nodding, Nathan cautiously reached over to his nightstand, opening the drawer tentatively and using the Force to withdraw a small package from within;
A box of condoms.
Nathan noticed the smile on Blake's face, and smiled back, removing a single condom from the box and setting the box to the side, made Blake watch as he removed the plastic packaging, eyes begging him to get on with it so that she may reach release, and slowly but surely put it on, until the form of protection covered Nathan's entire shaft, from tip to base.
Nathan watched as Blake removed her panties and tossed them to the side, spreading her legs wider. The sight of her still mostly clothed in her nightwear fuelled Nathan somehow with even more desire, and he leaned down and kissed Blake, all while he finally granted her wish and pushed inside of her.
Fresh, desperate moans of pleasure threatened to break through the space between Nathan and Blake's lips, but they were caught by the passionate, desperate kiss the two shared as Nathan slid inside of Blake, inch by inch, until he completely sheathed himself inside of her, hearing a happy gasp finally escape Blake.
Breaking the kiss for a moment, Nathan looked into Blake's beautiful amber eyes, filled with their mutual love, respect, and the desire Blake felt in that moment. She wanted him. She wanted him to make love to her.
Smiling gently, Nathan mouthed: "Don't wake the others." Before beginning to lightly roll his hips, thrusting into her gently but firmly. He could see Blake biting her lip, trying her hardest not to let any sound escape her with every thrust he drove into her, eventually clamping a hand over her mouth.
Her moans and mewls died beneath her hand and Nathan saw her shut her eyes momentarily, as if dulling her senses would lessen the noise she threatened to make.
Nathan decided he wanted to test how far he could push her. How hard he could take her until her stifled pleasure broke free. Pressing his lips to Blake's, Nathan quickened his pace, driving himself as hard and fast as he could into Blake's hot, soaking pussy.
Desperate breaths escaped Blake through her nose with every thrust Nathan made, eyes watering.
Nathan felt Blake's arms reach beneath his and wrap around his back, whilst her legs coiled around his waist. An idea came to mind, and slowing his pace, Nathan drove into Blake with a hard, deep thrust, his reward being an almost team-waking moan from Blake that she barely managed to stifle with her hand.
A glance at his teammates showed Nathan they still rested, unaware that mere feet away from them, Nathan was relentlessly making love to his girlfriend. Nathan could sense Blake desperately wanted to scream his name, to beg him not to stop as he drove himself harder and deeper into her, but knowing that would wake his teammates.
Leaning in, Nathan placed a hand over Blake's mouth as he pounded away inside her with deep, powerful thrusts, hearing her desperately mewl into his hand.
Her eyes told him the story he needed to hear: She was close. So desperately close to orgasm, as was he.
Reaching behind her back with one hand, Nathan pulled her closer to him as his pace once more quickened, forcing himself to stifle his own pants and grunts of pleasure as he drove himself and Blake closer and closer to the release they both so desperately craved right now.
Blake's stifled moans and screams were almost breaking through now; all the progress they had made towards this goal nearly forgotten in their silent, but passionate lovemaking.
Finally, Nathan felt Blake tighten around him, a scream of pleasure muffled into the palm of his hand as she squeezed tightly around his cock and hips, and he knew she had came.
Within moments of her, Nathan did the same, pressing his lips against hers to stifle his own orgasmic grunts as the condom prevented any of his cum from breaching Blake's defences, thrusting feverishly into his lover for several moments thereafter to prolong the pleasure they both felt in that moment until finally collapsing onto the bed next to Blake, both quietly panting as the last throes of pleasure escaped them.
Pressing their foreheads together, as had become a tradition after making love, they simply relaxed together, taking in the sight of each other before sharing a passionate kiss.
The kiss lasted for a few moments until it was broken, and Nathan silently pulled out of Blake, disposing of the condom before pulling up his boxers and shorts and snuggling up behind Blake, pulling her close with a hand on her belly.
Blake sighed happily at this, shuffling backwards until she was safely nestled in Nathan's arms.
"You planned for this, didn't you?" Nathan asked quietly.
"Yeah." Blake said softly. "I wanted to help you get rid of some stress."
Nathan mulled this over for a few seconds before saying: "Blake… promise me something."
Turning over, Blake faced Nathan completely. "Name it." She said.
"Promise me that you won't try to have sex with me every time I'm stressed or angry." Nathan said. "You're my girlfriend, Blake. Not an object I can use to destress. You mean so much more to me than that. When we make love; I want it to be just that. Just me and you expressing our love for each other in a way words or public displays of affection can't."
Blake nodded with a gentle smile. "I promise, Nathan." She said, taking Nathan's hand and softly kissing the knuckles.
Nathan smiled and pulled Blake close. "Have I ever told you how lucky I feel to have you in my life, Blake?"
Blake's smile widened. "So many times I've lost count. But I never get tired of hearing you tell me."
Nathan chuckled, leaning in and kissing Blake. "I love you, Blake Belladonna."
"I love you, Nathan Phoenix." Blake responded gently. "So… are you gonna try and talk to Jason at some point tomorrow?"
"For you… I'd do anything." Nathan replied.
Blake sighed happily and snuggled into Nathan's arms, and before long, the couple drifted off into a fitful sleep, neither releasing the other from their arms.
Well... that could have gone better, couldn't it?
Also; hope you all enjoyed the stealthy sex scene I placed here. Expect to see more scenes like this in future chapters.
Anyway; time to answer some reviews, I think.
april-551: Might get your wish regarding Jason and Nathan, my friend. But time will tell. As for your questions:
-Jason does indeed have aura. Assume that Winter or someone else unlocked it for him whilst he was in Atlas.
-They can; but given that Grimm cannot go into space, Interdictors would be unnecessary.
-Salem's coming, my friend. Just be patient.
-The Relics will have a place in the story; it's only Salem that'll give a toss about them. You'll find Palpatine could not give a single crap about Remnant.
Guest: Given that Remnant is a world mostly cut off from the known galaxy; a lot of the colloquial language spoken in the galaxy would not be known to Remnant. Hence why the cuss words we commonly use nowadays are in use. As for Nathan's nickname for Weiss; you should realise that whenever he does call her that; she doesn't mind and realises he is merely saying it in jest. And Nathan not being a Star Wars name? By your logic, Luke Skywalker should have a different first name, then.
keybladelight: Perhaps, but first; Jason needs to earn Nathan's trust back.
M.H. Pintner: You raise a strong point. I'll make a point of giving Jason a green lightsaber in future chapters.
All that said; thank you all for reading this chapter. If you enjoyed it; you all know what to do.
I shall see you tomorrow, which sees Jason looking into ways to facilitate reconciliation with Nathan.
T-Rock14