If there was ever a promise that Blake knew to be a universal truth, it was that time always kept moving. Minutes turn to hours, hours to days, and days to weeks. This was the constant cycle. But while time remained young and forever constant, people grew older.
And so, the week passed. The same things that Blake had come to expect from Beacon had continued to remain the same. Exams, combat classes, lectures, she could go on, but she'd only end up summarizing her entire stay at Beacon. The only thing she could say for certain that broke that cycle, which only happened once, was when she and Sun had fought… well, her ex-comrades at the docks.
Blake tried not to dwell on the events, to not let them stress her out, but with every day that passes her by, she just couldn't help but think about it. The White Fang were working with humans, the very people they now claimed supremacy over. When Blake was still in the Fang, they would have never stooped to the self-perceived low. There had to have been some extra variables at play. Maybe arms dealers, or explosives experts, something! The White Fang were beyond prideful in its claims of supremacy over humanity, much like how humanity was towards faunus-kind less than a century ago. The fact that they turned to Humans for anything was absolutely mind boggling.
That wasn't to say that Blake thought ill of humans, because that wouldn't be fair. She knew plenty of humans that were good and honest, and plenty of humans knew her to be the same. At least, she hoped so. She knew Jaune thought well of her, much in the same way that her team thought of her. Blake didn't know why she had let her mind wander so far off the beaten trail, but she did know that she was stressed.
It was difficult for Blake to let her body breathe naturally, like she had to manually take each individual breath so that she wouldn't die. It was such a simple thing, but her mind felt overwhelmed by the small and minute control.
As Blake laid in her bed, dressed in her average attire that consisted of her normal, black button up vest over her sleeveless white shirt, along with the rest of the outfit that went with it, she groaned quietly to herself as she tried to focus on anything other than the White Fang. She deserted from that group of radicals to get away from thinking about them, but it seemed that the more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more they nestled themselves deep in Blake's mind.
However, as Blake's mind continued to torture her further with what-ifs and other various worst-case-scenarios, she heard the sound of the dorm room door click open, the ears atop her head twitching slightly at the sudden audible stimulation. That must have been her team coming back from their trip to the cafeteria.
Blake curled over onto her side to get a look at the door, and noticed only her partner walked into the room, the rest of the team being nowhere to be found. Blake quirked a brow as her partner closed the door behind her, a grin on her face as she slowly waltzed over to her bedside. "So, Blakey," she heard her partner start, her tone light and jovial. "What are you up to?"
Blake already knew that she was up to no good.
She only suppressed a sigh as she stared up at her Blonde haired partner, the way her lilac eyes danced with delight made Blake want to jump out of the nearest window. Blake knew that those eyes were the first signal of an oncoming headache, and truth be told, she was enjoying her weekend as it were.
"Nothing much," The faunus girl calmly retorted, pushing herself upright as she sat on the edge of her bed, "Where's your sister, and Weiss for that matter?" Blake asked inquisitively, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stared up at the brawler.
She could hear the sounds of Yang laughing under her breath as her smile got wider, her hands placed firmly on her own hips, "Well," Yang drew out, her voice playful and easy going, "Ruby thought it would be a good idea if we all went out and got some sun. You know, go do some fun stuff and be dumb teenagers for a while." Yang explained, hardly masking her excitement. The blonde haired girl seemed to visibly vibrate in place at the idea of actually going out to do something.
Blake, however, was less than enthused. "Uh," Blake drawled out as she let her eyes wander away from her partner, "I don't know, I think I'll stick around the dorm today." Blake muttered, barely loud enough for her partner to hear her. Blake wanted nothing more than to laze around today, to just bask in the few quiet moments that she could get. Even if her mind tended to torment her with intrusive thoughts, it was better than being put in a bad spot.
Yang, however, seemed to smile wider at her statement. "Aw, so even if I tell you that lover boy will be coming, you won't come with?" Yang asked, and Blake couldn't help but hum in response as she looked her partner in the eyes once more.
After a moment, Blake let out a sigh, "Fine, I guess I'll show up if Jaune's coming." She relented, but the sound of Yang laughing made Blake quirk a brow. "What?" She asked, confused at what seemed to be so funny.
As Yang's laughter died down into simple snickers, her smile stretched from ear to ear, "That's funny, I never said Jaune's name." Her partner responded, and Blake's eyebrows instantly furrowed as she felt her face heat up a moment.
Blake demandingly brought her index finger under her partner's chin, "Not a word." Blake pushed the words out through gritted teeth, her voice oozing with a venom that could only be described as a viscous black ichor that closely resembled rage made manifest.
Yang, for her credit, handled her partner's anger incredibly well. Yang knew better than anyone else that Blake was all for words, but she'd never really act on them unless it was something serious. Besides, seeing Blake get angrily flustered was something Yang took great pleasure in. It was a side that rarely anyone got to see, and Yang just couldn't bring herself to stop poking the hornet's nest.
"Alright, we're all meeting up out in front of the entrance to the campus in half an hour. We would catch an airship, but your boyfriend has a bit of a history with bad flights. And my boots." Yang bitterly added the last part. She understood why that whole event happened, but she wasn't happy about it.
Blake only let out a hum in response as she flopped backwards onto her mattress, turning her back to her partner. With that, Yang rolled her eyes as she walked towards the door, "Don't be late." She jokingly said as she pulled open the door to the dorm room and walked out, the sound of the lock clicking shut behind the blonde bomber gave Blake her signal.
As she waited for a moment, straining her hearing as she heard the sounds of boots against the carpeted floors of Beacons halls, Blake grabbed her pillow, pulled it to her face, and screamed.
Why had she responded to the words 'lover boy' so naturally? Why hadn't she noticed it? Even worse, why did she get so defensive about it? Ugh, Blake hated how all of these questions plagued her mind. She'd have rather been sucked into her normal intrusive thoughts about the White Fang than have to think about how her everything was slowly numbing to the idea that her and Jaune were 'dating.'
Blake wanted to curl up and die, again. It was funny, she seemed to be wanting to do that sort of thing more and more often as of late. Wait, no, it wasn't funny, it was terrible!
She only whined against her pillow as she hugged it harder, bringing it that much closer to her. Her own breath left a lingering warmth against the sheet of the pillow, which then caused the heat on her face to become that much warmer.
It took Blake a good moment before she set the pillow aside and moved past the embarrassment. "Wow," she muttered beneath her breath, "that was the worst."
She then let her forearm drape itself over her forehead as she let out a breath, her chest falling as her diaphragm pushed out the air in her lungs. Blake had gotten far too used to being around Jaune that she had forgotten just how much acting they were supposed to be doing. When Blake had first pitched the idea to Jaune, she imagined there would have been much more acting involved, along with a low tolerance for one another.
No, instead, what she had gotten was something natural and honest. Now, don't let her be misunderstood, Blake enjoyed her friendship with Jaune, it was one of the few things she could cherish properly in the world, alongside the camaraderie that she shared with her teammates, a good book, and some peace and quiet. He ended up becoming one of those universal constants for Blake.
The sun will always set, there will always be another tomorrow, and Jaune will always be free on the weekends.
It made their relationship feel more real from the outside looking in, and that was a good thing! People were supposed to think that they were dating, and Blake had no qualms with that. However, what she did have a few issues with was that she was starting to forget that they weren't actually dating. Of course, every now and again, the world would remind her through some embarrassing set of events, like her team relentlessly teasing her over her closeness to the boy, or how Yang would always ask if they had crossed any lines.
Those were always moments that brought her back to reality, simply because they would absolutely never happen. Jaune had more moral character than anyone would bother actually giving him credit for, and with that alone, Blake knew that he wouldn't actually cross any boundaries. Unless they had to, for the sake of the charade, of course!
Blake shook her head as she laid in bed. She really had to shake those thoughts before she ended up falling down a hole that she couldn't dig herself out of.
She slowly threw her legs over the side of her bed and placed her feet on the carpet floor, her bare feet rubbing against the soft fabric. She quickly threw on her footwear and reluctantly stood up from the edge of her bed as she suppressed a yawn. "Just… a short trip. Nothing too long." Blake muttered, reminding herself that she could take her cat nap later.
Blake fought the urge to facepalm at her inadvertent pun at her own expense. Oh well, at least there wasn't anyone that could read her mind.
Maybe it was a good idea for Blake to get out of the dorm for a little while. Because it was clear to her that she was slowly going insane, if her mental state was anything to be concerned about.
And so, with a quick change in wardrobe, Blake set off for the entrance to Beacon's campus. This was probably a mistake, she thought, but it was certainly better than laying around and having to do with either thinking about the White Fang, or Jaune all day. After all, doing too much of the former made Blake angry, and the latter made Blake feel… creepy, to say the least.
As the sound of the door behind Blake clicked shut, she began her journey down the carpeted halls of Beacon academy. Blake knew that her Leader would probably pick something noisy and childish when it came down to what they would do for their activities, but truth be told? Blake really didn't care that much.
Blake would settle for anything at this point, so long as her mind calmed.
As Jaune stood out in front of the Campus entry, dressed in a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his mid forearm, said shirt not being tucked into the khaki slacks he wore. Of course, he wore an undershirt beneath the button up, deciding best on just throwing a loose tank top on for safe measure. And finishing up the rest of his outfit was just a neat pair of white sneakers that he had lying around in his closet.
All in all, he felt pretty good changing up the way he dressed. He felt… cleaner, he guessed. It sure beat wearing a hoodie every day. Not to say that Jaune didn't like wearing his hoodie, because he did, really! But after wearing nearly the same thing every day, it got really tiresome.
Even Ren and Nora had gotten a bit of a wardrobe change, deciding on wearing something more casual and down to earth for a change. Whereas the Eastern boy would wear more traditional garb, he opted today to wear something more modern in nature. Ren's upper half was dressed in a grey mid length coat, leaving its large brown buttons untouched, revealing his white button-up shirt. Upon his lower half was nothing to be considered incredible, only a simple pair of light blue jeans, and a pair of grey sneakers to match the jacket.
Nora, on the other hand, decided to change her style from easy going and almost childish in nature, to something more mature, which threw Jaune through a bit of a loop when he first saw her. Nora was dressed in a long-sleeved, yellow sundress that she seemed to really enjoy, if her spinning around once or twice was anything to go by. However, the dress didn't stop Nora from wearing running shoes, which were black on top, with white soles, the tongues of her shoes having a singular white stripe running up them.
"Renny, Renny, what do you think? I look cute, don't I?" Nora pestered her stoic partner as she spun around once more, the sundress following behind as she slowly spun.
Ren only quirked a brow at her constant spinning, "I'm not sure if you should be spinning so much, Nora." The quiet boy replied with a tilted head.
Nora let out what could only be described as a sound of disappointment, the corners of her mouth dipping downwards at the lack of her childhood friend's reaction. "What, why?" Nora asked as her spinning came to an end, her eyebrows tilting upwards as she stared at the taller boy.
Ren let his eyes wander away for a moment, "Well, if you keep spinning so much, someone might end up seeing something unsavory." Ren calmly responded, not being able to bring himself to stare at the ginger girl.
Nora only laughed at her oldest friend, gently pushing on his shoulder for a moment, "Renny, relax, I'm wearing shorts." Nora elaborated, and Ren seemed to almost crumple like a paper bag under those words.
Yep, Jaune didn't know what it was that made the two of them click so well.
Next to him, though, stood his partner. Pyrrha, out of all of them, looked as far from familiar as she could, and Jaune imagined that that was the whole purpose of her change in style. His partner wore a baggy, maroon zip up hoodie, her hair flowing behind her back as she adorned a pair of what Jaune assumed were square-rimmed reading glasses. The rest of her outfit was meant to draw the least attention possible, he thought. A pair of baggy blue jeans, and a simple pair of black running shoes.
Something about being around his partner left Jaune… he didn't know, but it made him feel sick. When he was around Pyrrha now, he'd experience all sorts of things, like his stomach tossing and turning as an acidic bile would scratch and claw at the back of his throat. Like a beast in a trap, the bile would desperately fight to escape its confines, and Jaune had to play the part of the beast tamer.
Ever since their- Jaune refused to call it a confrontation, because it wasn't aggressive. At least, Jaune didn't think it was. He wanted to believe that Pyrrha was just being the mother hen that she always was, trying to look out for everyone in her own weird, hands-on way. But the way that Pyrrha wouldn't even look at him some days was just nauseating, it made him feel like he had done something abhorrent.
He didn't know whether or not he was at fault, and he didn't want to, he just wanted things to go back to relative normalcy.
Jaune subtly shook his head as he shoved the thoughts aside. Maybe he was thinking about it too hard? He certainly hoped so, because at least then, that would mean that he was just being an idiot. And frankly, he'd rather be an idiot and wrong, than a genius and right. At least, in this scenario.
He tapped his foot quickly against the concrete sidewalk as he waited for his sister team to show up, if only to break the horrible silence that he found himself in.
Of course, he didn't have to wait much longer as he heard the sounds of several footsteps approaching the entry to Beacon's Campus. Jaune turned his head to see that all of team RWBY, much like his own team, had all been dressed in some different kind of outfit. The leader of said team was wearing a light grey shirt, and over it was what Jaune could only really think of as an apron. He knew it was called a Pinafore, because living with 7 sisters was killer, but he always saw it as an apron. Trailing farther down her figure was her black skirt, with matching stockings and boots to, well, boot.
Now, Jaune wasn't much of a master of fashion, but he thought that Ruby's outfit was cute. And the way her hood wrapped around her neck like a scarf was the icing on the cake. It was a familiar look, but different enough to elicit a different response from his neural center.
Next up was her partner, Weiss. She wore what could only be described in Jaune's mind as a formal coat, with all the buttons all over the front, and the collar of said coat seemed to fold over to the opposite end, leaving nothing to be exposed. The rest of her outfit consisted of a white, black trimmed skirt with thigh high boots to match, the heels of said boots being black. And the black stockings too, he supposed.
Needless to say, Weiss was breathtaking, but that was nothing out of the norm.
Then there was Yang. Jaune didn't even have to look at her for long to be left uncomfortable. Her outfit, if he had to use one word to describe it, was dangerous. The way she wore a light khaki colored vest over, what he assumed was a black shirt, and hoped wasn't something like a bra. Because if it was, he was afraid. The lower half of her outfit consisted of a black miniskirt, which wasn't exactly out of the norm for Yang to wear, but what was was the garterbelt that hooked onto her stockings. Then there were the black ankle boots that she wore, and if Jaune were a lesser man, he'd have probably fallen for just her looks alone.
Although, the silver and purple pendant around her was pretty, which was a nice contrast to the rest of her outfit, which left Jaune feeling… he would use the word 'primal' if it didn't have such a negative connotation. So instead, he simply settled for the term 'grug brain.' Yep, Jaune was currently handling a bad case of grug brain.
Jaune quickly shifted his eyes away from the blonde bombshell of team RWBY and settled them on Blake, who… she looked just as breathtaking as any of them, maybe even more so. The way her white, v-neck, zip up shirt hugged her figure as her three quarter sleeves left room for what could only be described as black wrap gloves left Jaune's eyes wide, along with leaving him breathless. And that wasn't even going into how he felt about her black pants, how they accentuated her form without leaving nothing to be imagined, the way the belt hung loosely around her hips, or how her black, high-heeled boots brought her just beneath his chin in height.
Needless to say, Jaune quickly forgot about Yang.
Whatever words of greeting he was going to give died in his throat, so he resorted to giving a friendly wave to the members of team RWBY. Thankfully, Pyrrha was standing next to him to greet them in his stead. "Hello again." He heard his partner say with a wave, an easy smile on her face.
"Hey guys," Jaune heard the youngest of Team RWBY respond, giving a short wave back. As the rest of her team followed behind her, they each gave their own kind of greeting, Weiss with a deep nod, Yang with a smile, and Blake with a quick nod of her own.
And so began the intermingling between sister teams. It always seemed like Nora and Yang were the first to start chattering away about something, whether it be about combat classes, or something as equally high-octane. Weiss, along with her partner, had dragged Pyrrha aside for some casual conversation, things like classes, or weapons maintenance, to which Ren would occasionally chime in, showcasing his own proficiency in the matter.
And so, that left Jaune and Blake to mingle between themselves. It was just another Sunday, it seemed. As Jaune stared at the groups mingling between themselves, he couldn't help but snort to himself quietly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
He heard Blake let out a hum as she stood next to him, nearly shoulder to shoulder, "You look nice." He heard her say, her voice reminding him of the ocean waves on a beautiful afternoon. Serene.
Jaune had to blink a moment as he let the compliment settle in, "Oh, thanks," Jaune started, his voice coming out slow as he processed the suddenness of her words. "Uh, you don't look bad yourself." Jaune replied with an awkward chuckle.
Man, he knew that Blake was a pretty girl, but this was almost getting to be too much. Just being next to her made his chest feel tight, and left him restless, like he wanted to fidget in place as a way to try and shake off the nerves.
But what really made Jaune freeze up was the way she smiled up at him, how her eyebrows raised slightly as the corners of her lips stretched towards her ears. That was what made Jaune's heart pump, along with making him turn his head to the side. Come on, Jaune, get it together! After all, it was just Blake, he thought.
Blunt, rude, stoic, kind hearted, open minded Blake.
Right?
As Jaune took a moment to compose himself, Blake let her eyes wander around Jaune's figure. The way he dressed, it almost reminded her of their first real encounter, outside of the Blue Moon. Although, this time, they were actually going out with their teams. Still, Jaune looked good. The way his sleeves were rolled up to around just above his mid forearm was a nice touch.
Also, was it just her, or were his forearms bigger than she thought they were?
She was probably making it up. Then again, it was entirely possible that his arms were growing, swinging around a sword while making use of precise movements tended to build muscle. Oh no, now Blake couldn't help but think of when they were caught under the bus stop. The way his shirt clung to him that day, it made Blake feel weird.
Blake only subtly shook her head as she let out a breath. It wasn't like any of those thoughts actually held any weight. After all, it was just Jaune.
Awkward, loud mouthed, honest, optimistic, caring Jaune.
Right?
The two sat in silence where everyone else spoke, not needing words to simply enjoy one another's company. That, and they were both too nervous to actually say anything, fearing that they would slip up and say something weird. So, instead they both did what they always did, stand around and think.
It was just a shame that both of their thoughts were absolutely riddled with each other.
Or, at least they were until the leader of Team RWBY walked over to the two of them. They both knew she said something, but neither of them had actually paid any attention to what she said. "Huh?" Blake muttered in response as she looked down at her leader, her head tilted to the side as she stared into the pair of silver eyes.
"I said," Ruby started once more, her hands placed on her hips as a smile stretched from ear to ear, "that some of us decided that we could go bowling. You guys okay with that?"
Jaune didn't actually think that was a bad idea. He'd never really gone bowling before, since the amenities like that didn't really exist on the frontier, but he'd be happy to learn and give it his best go. As Jaune looked out of the corner of his eye, looking down at Blake, she saw her shrug her shoulders indifferently. Well, that settled that.
"Sure, that sounds like fun-" Jaune started, but was cut off by the sounds of a deep rumbling which honestly startled Jaune, his hand instinctively going for his hip, despite the familiar weight of his sheathe being missing. Jaune's head moved as though it was on a swivel, checking for something, anything dangerous really, but nothing really caught his eye.
Even Ruby seemed just as confused as he was, her legs bent slightly as she lowered her center closer to the ground, looking all around. That was, until Ruby noticed the cat faunus among them holding her hand to her stomach, a grimace on her face as she watched Jaune look all around them.
"Sorry…" Jaune heard the normally stoic girl say, and as he looked at her, he noticed her hand over her stomach. And like that, everything clicked.
The blond leader of team JNPR laughed lightly, much to Blake's annoyance, if the frown on her face was anything to go off of, "Well, I guess that means Blake and I will be getting something to eat first." Jaune stated, a small smile on his face as he stared down at Ruby. You know, there were some days that he forgot just how much younger, and by extension, shorter the leader of team RWBY was.
Not that being short was a bad thing, but it was just one of those things that Jaune just forgot about. Even with the boots she wore, which made her barely an inch taller, she was still tiny in Jaune's eyes.
Ruby only giggled as she stared at her teammate, "Okay, I'll just send you guys the address to the Bowling Alley later." Ruby lightheartedly responded, giving a wave as she walked away from the two, returning to the group that now consisted of both their teams, save for Jaune and Blake.
Blake let out a breath as the two teams marched ahead, pushing on along the sidewalk as they all chattered about things that Blake could hardly hear. On one hand, she was somewhat glad that she didn't have to go with her team right now, because knowing them, they would have probably just spent the whole time picking on her and Jaune. But on the other hand, she felt weird just being next to Jaune. It left her... nervous, for lack of a better word.
"So," Blake started, looking up at Jaune with a smile that she could hardly keep, "where do you want to go eat?" She asked, her voice coming out calm, but only because she forced it to be that way. Truth was, there was something so weird about this situation that left her uncomfortable, but she didn't know what.
Blake gave up on trying to find out at this point. Because she knew she'd only end up walking in circles.
She heard Jaune let out a hum as he brought a hand to chin, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he thought to himself, "No clue." Jaune responded carefreely, his once serious face being replaced by an easygoing smile, and Blake withheld the urge to quirk an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess we're just going to walk around until we find something?" Blake asked, her stomach quietly rumbling for a moment as a pang of pain shot through her gut. She chastised herself for not eating lunch. Curse her and her love for literature.
Wait, no, don't.
In response, Jaune only gave an awkward smile, and Blake could only sigh at his response. Well, she supposed that meant that they were walking. But preferably not the same way their teams were going. At least, not for now.
And so, the two of them began their aimless wandering of one of the largest cities in Remnant, walking side by side, nearly shoulder to shoulder as the sounds of their shoes quietly thudded against the concrete sidewalk. Neither of them spoke very much on their walk, but neither of them felt like breaking the silence.
After all, they both preferred the quiet when they were together.
As the 'couple' walked down the long sidewalks of Vale, the sounds of cars and trucks alike cruising down Vale's streets filled their ears, rumbling engines and tires turning against asphalt was a sound that Blake had grown to enjoy. When she first came to the city, she thought she would have hated how loud cars could be, but instead, she enjoyed the vibrations that engines gave off. They just gave her this tingly feeling in her ears and chest that made her want to laugh.
It didn't surprise Blake in the slightest that she was smiling. How could she not? She was out of the dorm, she didn't have to deal with her team's relentless teasing and questioning, and Jaune's for that matter, and she got to be around Jaune and enjoy the peace that seemed to follow him. After the past few weeks, Blake really couldn't think of a time in her life that she was honestly happier.
Not to say that she wasn't happy before coming to Vale, and by extension, Beacon, because she was! But… well, a lot of things in her life went wrong. A lot of people she thought she could trust turned into beings she couldn't recognize. And before all of that came into play, her mistakes only started to pile up after she left home.
But now? Now that she had another place to well and truly call home, with friends that she could honestly consider as close as family, life couldn't be better.
But whereas Blake was smiling as she walked with Jaune, the boy's posture was as stiff as a board, his face deadpanned and neutral in a way that Blake had never seen before. Actually, in a weird way, staring at Jaune's face was like looking at a mirror for Blake, if that made any sense. The way his eyes sat nearly emotionlessly, his lip drawing a thin line across his face, it was like seeing her own face on someone else's body.
Well, except Jaune's was more masculine than hers, but still. Far more masculine, now that she thought of it.
Blake couldn't help but put a hand on his back as she looked to her right as she stared up at him, tilting her head as they walked. Jaune seemed to jump slightly under the sudden contact, his shoulders tensing up slightly as his neutral facade crumbled to dust. His eyes flicked to and fro, as though he was waiting for something to jump out at him.
"Hey," Blake quietly spoke, and Jaune's shoulders slackened for a moment as the sound of a breath leaving his mouth made Blake quirk an eyebrow at him, "you seem tense. Are you okay?" Blake asked.
Truth was, Jaune was not okay.
No, because today had been this insane roller coaster of weird emotions that left Jaune an anxious mess. Seriously, it felt like watching one of those videos on the web, where a truck would almost hit a wall, but it would snap to another shot and nearly hit the wall again, rinse and repeat until he would find out that the truck would never actually touch the wall.
And all of that because of Blake.
Not because she had done something wrong! Goodness, no! If anything, there had to be something wrong with Jaune! Because if Jaune was going to come clean with a thought he had nestled away in the back of his mind, it was that despite knowing that Blake was a girl, and a very pretty one at that, he never really… acknowledged her like one, if that made any sense.
It was kind of how he felt about Nora. See, Nora could also classify as a pretty girl, but because of how bombastic and high energy she was, along with how childish she could be, Jaune could never really see her as anything but Nora. It was the same for Blake, he had always seen her as the bookworm across the hall that had become a good friend of his.
In his mind, she was actually a lot closer to being a sister to him. She would listen to his problems, give him words of encouragement when she thought he needed them, and was all around just nice to him. She gave him an out when no one else would. And above all else, she was someone that he knew he could count on. People like that, they were hard to come by in the modern age.
And for the longest time, that was how he thought they would stay.
But his whole perception of her was flipped in the span of maybe ten seconds. There was just something about how she walked, how she smiled at him, the way she dressed today, he wasn't sure what specifically it was that made him feel so… awkward around Blake, but it was probably just him being dumb. It had to be.
It was then that he heard the sound of Blake's voice reach through his ears, but he couldn't make out what she had actually said, so he opted for the tried and true classic. "Huh?" he muttered in response as he was sucked away from the deep pit depravity that wanted to take form in his mind. But like the good frontier boy he was, he pushed it away. Mama Arc raised him right.
He watched as Blake's eyebrows furrowed more, that look of concern that Jaune oh so hated taking ahold of her face. "Are you running a fever?" She asked beneath her voice as she placed a hand on his forehead, and all he could do was freeze up, his mouth slightly ajar.
Blake watched as Jaune's body stiffened up once more as she checked his temperature, noting that it felt a little above normal, but it wasn't anything like a fever. Maybe he hadn't slept well? "Have you been sleeping well, Jaune?"
It took Jaune's brain a moment to reset, awkwardly laughing as he waved a hand from side to side, "Oh, no, I'm okay. Just um, well…" Jaune's voice trailed off as he tried to find the words, his eyes wandering as far from Blake as possible.
"You can be honest with me, Jaune. No rush." He heard her say, her voice was soft, and it made his heart wrench for a moment as his eyes slowly trailed back towards her. As he laid his eyes on her, he saw a small smile on her face as they stood in front of one another on the sidewalk.
Honesty.
Jaune had to work up the courage to actually say what he meant, and knew that he'd only really get one shot to explain why he felt so awkward, so he wanted to get it right. "Well," Jaune started, trying to keep eye contact, and miserably failing, but he continued regardless, "uh, how do I put this? Blake?" Jaune asked, and Blake responded with a quirked brow.
Jaune let out a sigh as he stared at Blake, "Well, you're really pretty." He finished his sentence, to which Blake's eyebrows furrowed as her mouth made a little 'o' shape.
Needless to say, Blake was caught off guard by the sudden compliment, and even more so by how serious Jaune looked when he said it. How his eyebrows sat just barely above his eyes, how his mouth formed a straight line, it left Blake confused more than anything. "Uh, thank you?" Blake responded, more like she asked, really.
"No, I mean, you're really pretty." Jaune reiterated, and Blake couldn't help but feel like she was being put on the spot. But, not in a bad way, if that made any sense. "It's just, um… Well, I never really noticed it until just now. Not to say that I didn't think you were pretty before! Because you were, but now you're, like, super pretty!" Blake heard Jaune awkwardly stumble through his sentence, an odd warmth settling in her chest as Jaune waved his hands around, almost panicking at the notion of misunderstanding.
Although, as Jaune was waving his hands frantically, Blake took a moment to let his words rest in her mind, blinking as she just… blocked him out for a moment. The blond boy in front of her was being more awkward than usual, and all because he saw her as, in his own words, 'super pretty.' Blake was flattered, don't get her wrong! It wasn't every day that she had gotten a compliment like that, but… Blake was having trouble articulating her own thoughts.
She almost didn't want the compliments. Not to say that she didn't like to hear them, but because of the fact that they came from Jaune, she almost felt self-conscious about it. To hear Jaune compliment her so earnestly, so sincerely about her appearance, and being so embarrassed about it to top it all off, it left a pang in Blake's chest. It… well, it wasn't a bad feeling, but it wasn't a feeling she wanted, if that made any sense.
But while Blake was lost in her mind, her thoughts conflicted on how she should be feeling, rather than how she was feeling, she noticed that Jaune had stopped rambling as he stared down at her. The way his face contorted, his eyebrows tilting upwards as a crease formed between his eyebrows, a slight frown on his face. Blake hated seeing her friend like that, like all of the awkward, optimistic side of him was just sucked away.
But she heard him let out a chuckle as he brought a hand to the back of his head, "Y-yeah, I guess I was just being weird about it. Ignore me-" Jaune tried to laugh off his embarrassment, hoping to make the situation at least a little less awkward. If he made himself the target of someone else's thoughts, so be it, so long as they would forget about it later.
But to Jaune's surprise, he felt one of Blake's hands cover his mouth, his eyes widening slightly for a moment. "I mean, yeah, it kind of came out of nowhere, but," Blake started, pausing for a moment as her eyes wandered away from Jaune. "Well, it made me happy to hear that someone in the world thinks I'm pretty." She finished, a small smile on her face.
There it was again, that weird feeling he got whenever Blake smiled at him. The random heart palpitations that he would get if he stared at her for too long, that giddy feeling he got whenever they held eye contact for what felt longer than it actually was. As Jaune's heart pounded, closer to slammed, really, against his chest, a thought snaked its way into his mind.
This was bad. This was really bad.
No, no! Don't think like that, Jaune! This was nothing, maybe he was getting sick again? Yeah, that was probably it. And even if he wasn't getting sick, it was probably something else that made him feel all weird. Maybe he was just stressed? That had to be it! After all, Midterms were in a week, he was cramming information in preparation anyway.
Yeah, it was just stress.
As Blake brought her hand down from his mouth, Jaune let a sigh slip from his mouth, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he returned her smile with one of his own. "I'm just… I'm not good with pretty girls, you know?" Jaune explained, shrugging his shoulder as he let out an awkward chuckle.
In response, Blake rolled her eyes as she grabbed his wrist, tugging him along as she led them down the street. "Yeah, I know." Blake replied lightheartedly as she led him further down the street. "I can tell."
Jaune couldn't help but curl his lip to the side in annoyance at Blake's jest. "Well, I'm sorry that I had so much trouble finding pretty girls in a remote village in the middle of nowhere. Or at least the ones that I didn't grow up around." Jaune muttered the last part to himself, not that it really mattered, remembering that his faunus companion was just that, a faunus.
He heard Blake laugh again, and swiftly reprimanded himself. Next time, he thought, he'd keep his thoughts where they belonged, in his mind. "Oh, you poor bumpkin, having trouble finding attractive women that weren't related to you?" He heard her jest, and felt a vein in his forehead nearly burst.
Blake heard the boy behind her let out a groan, to which she quirked an eyebrow at, but didn't bother to turn back and look at him as they walked down the sidewalks, occasionally taking a turn or two to see if there was any kind of food place that caught her eye. She remembered seeing a breakfast place a block down the street a few turns ago, but she wasn't really feeling like eating breakfast at two in the afternoon.
"You have no idea how frustrating it is to have to deal with people making that stupid joke. 'Oh look, there's the guy who comes from the frontier, who was raised on strong, traditional familial values. He must be banging his first cousin!' It's just- ugh!" Jaune ranted as he ran his left hand down his face.
Well, it seemed like Blake had hit a nerve. She wouldn't apologize though, it was too funny. She'd never heard Jaune so heated about something, and she, well, she kind of wanted to hear it more. "Are you not having consistent intercourse with your blood relatives?" Blake pressed the joke a little further, her voice carrying a teasing tone.
She heard Jaune grumble behind her, "No! Who in their right mind would want to do such a thing with their cousins? That's sickening!" Jaune responded, and Blake let out a hum in response.
The two walked in silence for a moment, Blake leading the way as usual. Not that she minded, it gave her an odd sense of freedom that she didn't really get for… well, for a very long time. Not that it was a very overwhelming feeling, or large at all, for that matter, but it was the little things in life that counted the most. Blake saw another food place sign, just a generic, fast food burger place. Needless to say, Blake wasn't feeling like eating that either.
"So," Blake started once more, "have you got any siblings?" Blake casually asked.
"Don't you dare." She heard the boy behind her quickly respond, his voice even and demanding, and she quietly snickered to herself. Well, it seemed like he called her joke.
"Okay, but seriously," Blake replied, her voice losing it's previous teasing tone, "do you have any siblings?"
Jaune only laughed lightly as he followed behind the well dressed faunus girl, "Oh, yeah. Just a casual seven sisters." The blond boy offhandedly stated, and Blake's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Not that Jaune could see them, which was a relief for her.
"That's…" Blake's words died on her tongue as she thought to herself. Seven sisters, just how virile was his father? It was a weird question, she knew it, but she just couldn't imagine anyone going out of their way to purposefully have eight children. "Um, a lot of kids."
Jaune snorted as he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, my parents have got to be half rabbit or something." Jaune jested. He knew his parents were… active, to say the least, as much as he hated to know that. But he couldn't exactly say anything about it. Besides, it wasn't like it was something that his parents brought up at all, thankfully.
Blake wanted to ask if his family was part rabbit faunus at any point, but she just let it slide. Better to not ask, she thought.
Although, as Blake led the way down the sidewalk of the early afternoon city of Vale, Jaune was met with a bit of a slight problem. You see, he noticed something that he really wished he hadn't. The way Blake's hips slightly swayed as she led him further down the street, how her long legs crossed over one another as she walked, it was all very cat-like. And it was something that Jaune paid a lot of attention to.
And it certainly didn't help that Blake's black pants only made him want to- no! No, bad thoughts!
Jaune tore his eyes away from what could only be described in his mind as a thing of absolute beauty, i.e the female form. No, instead Jaune opted to stare at the ground beneath them as he stuffed his free hand into his pocket, digging his nails into the fabric until he could feel the sharp sensation digging into his skin. It wasn't his fau- okay, maybe it was a little, but come on! Jaune was nearly certain that no one could blame him for it. He was at the most hormonal time in his life, and even if he didn't like Blake, well, like that, he knew for certain that Blake was attractive in all aspects.
Which was why he was so self conscious about staring. You know, considering it was his friend. Why, it would be like staring at Nora! Yes, he knew that he already used that example, but it if ain't broke, don't fix it!
Man, when he got back to the dorm, he was going to take a long shower, if only to clear his head. He'd been having all sorts of weird thoughts all day, maybe he just needed to corner himself off and get away from all the pretty girls in his life. At least for one day, because at this point, his poor brain could hardly handle it.
Although his mind was torn away from the gutters that slowly tried to form in his mind, they were quickly swept away by the sound of Blake letting out a quiet 'oh.' "Jaune, take a look at this." He heard her say, her soft grip on his wrist loosening until it slipped away from it entirely.
As he quickly stepped up to her side, he followed her eyes and found what she was staring at. Before the both of them, just a little ways down the road was a relatively large, white truck that had four walls surrounding the back area, an opening along the side of said truck, and beneath the opening read the words 'Tarquiño's Tacos.'
Well, at least Jaune knew what they were eating.
Without a word, Jaune decided to grasp at Blake's wrist, walking towards the truck with Blake in tow. Blake didn't mind Jaune taking the lead this time around, it was a nice change of pace, considering the fact that Blake had wandered around the city for the past… Um, she didn't know, but it couldn't have been very long. Blake wanted to check the time on her scroll, but it was in her left pocket, and her left hand was currently indisposed of. You know, because Jaune was leading them both around.
As the two approached the side of the truck, they noticed a dark complexioned man stick his head out, looking down at them as he leaned over a metallic counter. "Hey chamaco, jovencita, qué quieren?" Jaune heard the man in the truck ask, more than half of the words he asked flying over his head. The man had a thick, dark colored mustache, full in every sense of the word, his brown eyes staring down at them with curiosity, along with a hint of impatience. His massive, hairy forearms rested against the edge of the truck as his large, beer gut jutted out beneath the counter.
Jaune let out a quiet 'uh' as he stared at the menu that was painted on the side of the truck, but he heard Blake let out a hum as she stared at the menu, her head tilted to the side slightly, "Uh, I'll have the… Beer battered fish taco?" Blake asked, an eyebrow quirked as she stared at the menu. Well, it wasn't exactly expensive, so Blake saw no reason to not get it.
Besides, it was fish, of course she was going to get it.
As Blake finished deciding what it was that she wanted to order, she heard Jaune snicker quietly next to her, his grip on Blake's wrist slinking away until his hand went limply by his side. Blake jabbed her elbow into his side as she continued staring up at the man in the truck, who nodded his head as he jotted something down on a thin slip of paper.
"Y tu, mijo? Whatchu want?" The burly man diverted his attention to the blond boy, who jumped under the older man's gaze. Jaune let out another 'uh' as he quickly looked down at the menu again, his eyes skimming over it until guessing on an item that sounded edible.
"Uh- carne asada?" Jaune knew he butchered the pronunciation, but he didn't speak Vacuan, so hey, sue him. He just watched the man nod back, quirking a brow as he stared down at him, "Uh, that's it."
He saw the older fellow shrug his shoulders as he disappeared into the deeper parts of the truck, and Jaune could only let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped. That was always the problem with ordering food, having to talk with complete strangers and making them put up with his awkward tendencies. He always felt a little bad about it, but hey, it happened.
It wasn't long before the man came back with their food, however, holding out two plates that held the contents of their meal. The structure was essentially the same, both tacos had a corn tortilla, some kind of meat, and various other added ingredients like onions, a green vegetable-like thing that Jaune couldn't identify, and a dark green sauce of some kind.
Blake was quick to fish out a handful of lien from her pocket, placing it on the metallic surface that jutted out of the opening along the side of the truck. Jaune wanted to protest, but that feeling quickly died with the look that Blake gave him, her face as stoic and deadpan as it was the day they first started hanging out.
So, Jaune kept his piece to himself as Blake grabbed both plates, handing Jaune his own before walking down along the sidewalk. Jaune blinked for a moment before following behind her, where she was going, he had no clue. But he would have rather not been entirely left alone, because if he went to the bowling alley without Blake, he'd never hear the end of it. Then again, he'd never hear the end of it when he got to the alley with Blake, so he was screwed either way.
As Jaune followed closely behind, he slowly came to grips to just where they were. As the traffic slowly began to clear up, only the odd car or truck cruising by, the concrete sidewalk slowly changing to cobblestone brick as the sound of water brushing against concrete supports and wooden platforms filled his ears, the sounds of birds obnoxiously squawking as they flew overhead. The blond leader of three recognized these sounds, and even if he had been there at a different time of day, he knew those sounds well.
After all, if he stayed up late enough, and if he focussed hard enough, he could still see the faint image resonate in his mind. The sight of street lights illuminating a cobblestone way, neon signs leading to different stores as the sounds of formal shoes clacked against the pathway beneath him. The sounds of loud, swing jazz playing louder and louder as he walked further down the way, and at the end of his dream, he'd always see them. A nicely dressed girl, draped from the neck down in a beautiful purple dress, and with heels to match, a bow resting delicately on top of her head. And this all happened in a place that ingrained itself in his mind, burying itself deep so as to make sure he would never forget it.
The riverfront.
And where there was the riverfront, the park followed soon after. He could even remember the turns they took to get there, the names of the streets, they all flashed in his mind.
As Jaune quickened his pace, bringing himself shoulder to shoulder with Blake, he looked over at her from the corner of his eye, "So, are we ever going to sit down and eat or..?" Jaune asked curiously with a quirked brow, if only with a hint of sarcasm seeping into his voice.
Blake only let out a breath as her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her stomach clawing at her, crying out for nourishment. If only she could find somewhere to sit so that she could actually feed herself. "Just- give me a second, Jaune." He heard her say, her voice stiff, yet composed. However, her face did not match the attitude she wanted to exude, the corners of her lips dipping downwards as she let yet another deep breath, her eyebrows furrowing further than he thought was possible.
"I mean," Jaune started once again, rolling his left hand as he carried his plate in his right, "We could always just go eat at the park?" He suggested, and as soon as the words left his mouth, Blake ceased all movement before slowly turning his head. Now, Jaune almost tripped at the sudden stop, but he kept it together, if only so that he would drop his Vacuan food.
The way Blake tilted her head as she stared up at him, her eyebrows leaving a crease between them, it made Jaune think she was about to say something rude. "Who are you, and what have you done to Jaune?" He heard her ask, and his only response was letting his mouth form a thin line, his eyebrows sitting neutrally as his eyelids slowly grew heavier.
"I'm allowed to have a good idea every once and a while, Blake." Jaune calmly retorted, and Blake only quirked an eyebrow. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, come to think of it.
"Fair enough, I guess." Blake muttered as she shrugged her shoulders, the warmth of the food on her plate beginning to warm the palm of her hand. "Sure, the park sounds fine." Blake relented to Jaune's idea. But it wasn't like she had any better ideas, nor was it even a bad idea in the first place. If anything, Blake wanted to know how Jaune came up with it before her, because she felt pretty dumb not coming up with it first.
Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.
With that, the two of them slowly made their way to the park, taking the same turns and corners that they took the night they started 'dating.' It was a quiet walk, the only sounds that could be heard were little more than birds chirping, car engines rumbling, and the wind blowing as it brushed against their backs. Well, now Blake wished that her shirt didn't leave her midriff exposed ever so slightly.
Eventually though, the two of them found that which they desired most. A place to sit down and eat.
The 'couple' walked through the metallic, arch gate that led to the interior of the park, and it was needless to say just how different the park was during the day. It was so much more… lively. Children could be seen running about the bright, green grass, all the while parents and guardians alike sat under the shade of trees, or on park benches, maintaining vigil over the next generation.
If Blake was going to be honest, she wasn't good with kids. At all, for that matter. There was something about them that left Blake afraid, that… childish irrationality always confused her. She knew where it stemmed from, a place of inexperience and naivety, but it bothered her nonetheless.
But Jaune thought kids were great. That child-like optimism, the beliefs that they could be whatever they wanted, do whatever their hearts pushed them to, their hopes, their dreams. The only way they'd ever be snuffed out was if someone forced them to give up their dreams. Jaune thought that, despite the lack of maturity, kids were some of the most ambitious, and wild creatures that could ever inhabit the world. It was a good thing for them to have dreams, ambitions, all of it.
They both shook those thoughts as they made their way further along the path of the park, eventually finding a free bench along the pathway. The two took a seat on the park bench, and quietly partook in their now cold food. Oh well, they thought, it was better than nothing.
Although, as Blake picked up her taco from the plate on her lap, she felt her scroll buzz in her pocket. She let out a sigh as she placed the taco back on her plate before digging through her right pocket, yanking her scroll out. However, the message she got made her breath hitch, her eyes widening as she looked over to the blond boy next to her, who was easily through half of his own taco by that point.
The message read, "Hey, where are you guys? We've been waiting for you since three." Her leader texted, and Blake felt her hand tremble as she held her scroll in hand.
"Uh, hey Jaune?" Blake asked, her voice curious as she stared at him.
Jaune only let out a hum as he continued chewing, an eyebrow quirked as he stared at Blake through the corner of his eye. Also, man was Vacuan food different. It was a good kind of different, don't get him wrong, but the flavor was just so foreign to him. There was a spice that danced across his tongue, and while Jaune wasn't exactly one for spices, it was just flavorful enough to make the burn worth it. The tortilla itself was soft, but because of all the added ingredients, there was a satisfying crunch in each bite, accompanied by the succulent flavor of what he assumed was beef.
He knew he was rambling, but seriously, tacos? What an incredible invention. Score one, Vacuo.
"Do you know what time we left Beacon at?" He heard his faunus companion ask, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
Jaune let out another hum before swallowing his bite, letting out a cough as he felt something tingle against the back of his throat, but he paid it no mind. "Uh…" Jaune muttered to himself, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought to himself for a moment. Okay, so he and his team had gotten ready around 1:30, and they spent somewhere between half an hour, to forty-five minutes waiting for team RWBY to meet them at the front of the campus, so that would be… "2:15, I think. Why do you ask?"
"Because it's four o'clock now, Jaune!" Blake yelled out, and Jaune didn't even bother responding as he started rushing through his meal, finishing the first of his two tacos in two bites.
Blake followed his example and started rushing through her own meal, despite how much she wanted to appreciate it. The two of them were late to meet with their teams for almost two hours now, and if either of them knew their teams…
They were never going to hear the end of it.
Fuck it, this will do.
Alright, I'm gonna let you all know ahead of time that the events of this chapter are going to be a two parter, which is why it feels a little abrupt on the ending.
But hey, at least I'm on schedule. (Barely, by the time I'm writing this, it's Saturday. I'm normally done Thursday.)
Also, weird little tidbit, but last month, over the span of maybe two chapters, you guys put an extra 15k views into this story. That's fucking wild, you guys. Thank you very much for the consistent support. And I know that the last chapter, along with probably this one, aren't as eventful as they could be, but I need you all to just have faith in my plan.
Believe me, shit's gonna get wild.
And thank you to those odd 50 that followed last week, and thank you for bringing me up to 500 follows. This story is now nearly my most followed, which is honestly a relief for my pride. It feels really nice to know that my effort and time is being appreciated, even if I would have kept writing this if it wasn't.
Anyway, I think that's about it for now. Thanks for checking in this week, and I'll be sure to put more words in the next chapter, but hey, I think 10k words will do. So yeah, have a lovely week, Ciao. And buy Leonid Afremov paintings.