Kill me.
Panic.
Blake didn't know why, but she felt like she should be panicking right now. It wasn't like there was a good reason for it. It was the early morning, the sunlight peeking through her window, she felt warm beneath her blankets, and a pair of arms were tightly wrapped around her- a pair of arms?
She brought a single hand up to her eyes, rubbing the morning crust from them as she let out a yawn. A bitter taste hung to her tongue, her mouth as dry as the deserts of Vacuo. As her eyelids barely managed to pull themselves apart, blurred shapes and colors slowly pulled themselves together.
All in all, it was a typical morning. So why the panic? Well, she felt a light breeze beneath a skirt that wasn't hers, all the while laying in a bed that wasn't her own, and she was in the arms of a boy she held close to her heart. As she sat up, the world slowly began to spin as a vein in her forehead throbbed violently, a churning in her stomach growing louder and louder.
She tried to sit on the edge of her- er, Weiss' bed, but she was quickly dragged back down by the pair of arms around her waist. Her stomach was doing flips as her head hit her pillow, foul bile trying to tear its way out of captivity. She pulled on the boy's arms as hard as she could, hoping to untangle herself before she made their mess any worse.
But it was to no avail, Jaune's arms just wouldn't budge as she pulled with all the might that she could muster. Granted that wasn't a whole lot, given her situation. So, she settled for the more embarrassing option, albeit not happily.
She tapped the boy's arm in rapid succession, "Jaune," she muttered, giving his arm a light shake, "Jaune, wake up."
Jaune let out a quiet groan as he pulled her closer, "Yeah?" His brain was barely functioning on auto-pilot.
"Uh, I have to use the bathroom." Came her quiet reply, Jaune's arms carefully slinking away from her waist. If Blake wasn't in such a rush and on the verge of panicking, she would have missed the warmth.
Now free to move, Blake rushed to the bathroom as quickly as she could, shutting the door behind her. Despite nothing stopping her, it felt harder to breathe with every breath she took. Leaning against her sink, she couldn't help staring into her reflection. Her hair was a disheveled mess, her bow was nowhere to be seen, and her eyes had dark rings around her eyes-
A sudden stream of foul-tasting chunks spewed out from her mouth as her legs buckled, using the edge of the sink as her only support. She knew it only lasted seconds, but for her, it felt like an eternity, the acrid bile leaving a lingering burn along the back of her throat.
Blake heaved as she leaned against the sink, her chest rising and falling as her stomach slowly settled, sweat trickling down her brow. It wasn't long before she turned the key, letting a stream of cold water run the remains of yesterday's dinner. As she splashed water against her face, she heard the sound of knuckles thudding against the door.
"Hey, are you doing alright? You don't sound too hot." A muffled, groggy voice slipped past the bathroom door. If Blake was being honest, no, she wasn't. She felt quite cold.
"I'll be fine," she lied, "just need to get it out of my-" She retched again as her ears flattened, the water still running as she leaned forward. As her amber eyes stared down at the running water, she heard the sound of the door click open, a hand rubbing her back as she tried not to lose her stomach.
Jaune watched through furrowed brows as Blake leaned against the sink, her chest slowly rising and falling as her hair dangled in front of her face. He didn't know why, but his hands compelled him to sweep the stray strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. "Hey, you're fine. You're okay." His words quietly drifted into her ears, causing them to perk up.
After another couple of breaths, Blake pushed herself away from the sink, her legs shaking as she leaned against the boy. "Sorry, can you just not look at me for a second? I feel ugly." Her voice shook as she took in as much air as she could.
The sound of Jaune laughing put her at ease, if only slightly. "Well…" He trailed off, wrapping an arm around her as he pulled the door open. Huh. This was the part where he was supposed to say she was wrong, right?
She looked up at him through tilted brows, "Huh?" A rather pathetic sound incidentally escaping her mouth. She must have looked worse than she felt.
"Woah, hey, joking! Just a joke." He yelled out, her ears ringing as a harsh throb against her forehead struck her like a thousand charging Boarbatusks. That was to say, mercilessly and without warning.
She gave the boy a sluggish slap on the chest as they slowly inched closer to the edge of Weiss' bed, "Some joke." She bitterly remarked. What kind of person calls their friend ugly after sleeping with… them.
Oh. Oh no.
As Blake took a seat at the edge of the bed, she couldn't help but pull the hem of the skirt as far down as she could without exposing some other part of herself. Something very important was missing. So important that Blake's mind was starting to run wild.
Just how far had they gone the night before? She was wearing Weiss' dress, her panties were missing, and she was more than hungover. At least, she hoped it was a hangover. Because if it wasn't a hangover, then they were both in a fair bit of trouble.
Jaune watched as the Faunus girl's eyes darted around the room, trying his best not to laugh, "What's up? You see a squirrel or something?"
"Those are dogs-" Blake found herself instinctively responding, quickly blinking before glaring up at the boy, "That's racist."
"Hey, I didn't say anything." Crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall next to him, "You're the one that mentioned dogs." He wasn't even thinking about dogs or Faunus when he said it. Granted, that might have been because he was still waking up. Still funny, though.
Blake deadpanned as she pushed herself onto her feet, taking a breath as her legs wobbled for a moment, "You may not have said it, but you implied it." Jabbing at his bare chest with her index finger.
She watched the boy roll his eyes as his head tilted to the side, "Fine, sure, I'll be whatever you want me to be." His hands raised at his sides in mock surrender as he smiled down at her. Something about that statement made Blake feel a little uncomfortable.
Before any uncomfortable thoughts could slip into her mind, Blake dug her nail into the boy's chest before stepping back, "Then be smart and find your shirt." Despite the monotonous tone she set, her words darted out of her mouth. She would have winced to herself if she wasn't busy staring up at a certain blond idiot.
She promised that she wouldn't try to think about him as an idiot, but it was difficult when he was taking it all so casually. They spent the better part of the night, uh, keeping each other awake. She vividly remembered that, much to her dismay. Life would have probably been easier if she hadn't.
It felt like one of those scenes out of one of her black-covered books. The way the book described everything was a step-by-step recreation of everything they did. They may have skipped a few steps, but the results remained. And the experience was more amaz- uh… yeah.
Blake stiffly stepped away from the boy as a sudden wave of heat shot up her face, walking around Weiss' bed in the hopes of finding a very important article of clothing.
Jaune paused for a moment, blinking to himself as he looked at the foot of the nightstand next to him. Hey, look, his hoodie and shirt. Well, that was convenient. Quickly throwing on his shirt and hoodie, a thought slipped into his mind. Blake's face was awfully red a moment, wasn't it?
"Uh, hey, you sure you aren't still feeling a little sick?" He asked, watching as she snooped around the foot of the bed. Because if she was, he was more than willing to at least help her through it. Maybe go out to the nurse's, get some breakfast or something.
Huh, deja vu.
"No, why do you ask?" She droned out as she crawled at the foot of the bed. Come on, where was it? If this went on any longer, Blake was just going to get a fresh pair from her drawer and slink back into the bathroom.
Jaune felt his eyebrows scrunch as he watched Blake disappear behind the bed. "Well, your face just got all red for a second, so I figured I should ask."
He watched as she stood up from behind the bed, her face a deep crimson color as her hands pulled the hem of her skirt down, "Well, I can't help but think about last night," Her voice breaking from the usual monotony. "All the stuff we did."
If Blake was going to be honest, she was scared. There were all sorts of things that Blake could deal with in a calm and collected manner. Fighting, talking, classes, etc. But this was something she never had to deal with. She never had to wake in the arms of another person while being in such a compromising state.
Jaune blinked for a moment as he let his mind jog, "Yeah, we got together, sat down, did some drinking, played some games, and then…" He trailed off, his eyes slowly glancing up towards the roof as he thought to himself. In a flash, it all clicked as his eyes widened marginally, "Then we started kissing."
If his words were any quieter, Blake wouldn't have been able to pick them up. Nodding quietly, she bit her bottom lip as she stared to her right, the wall to her dorm suddenly seeming very interesting. "And then we…" She didn't want to say it out loud. She just couldn't take it.
The memories flashed in his mind, his hands roaming around her figure as her hands rested on his own, her slight movements guiding him through the whole thing. "More like what you made me do." A warm feeling slowly spread across his chest and face as he tried his hardest to push the thoughts away.
Something about how he worded his statement made Blake feel a little annoyed. "What? I recall you being the one that picked me up and threw me onto the bed!" She snipped back. There wasn't a chance in hell that Jaune was going to make it seem like it was her fault.
"Hey, you weren't complaining when I did it." Jaune rebutted.
He was right, she didn't complain then, and honestly, she didn't want to. The night before, while not having been some kind of extravagant and magical thing, was still nice in its own way, and- "Oh my god, we didn't use protection!" She blurted out, her hands reaching up to her head as she started pacing around the room. What was she going to tell her parents? What was going to happen with classes?
The sudden concern from Blake was just that, concerning. "Woah, hey, what do you think we did?"
"We had sex, Jaune!" It was an easy answer to give. It was just a shame that Blake didn't want to hear it herself. Blake hoped she wasn't pregnant, she really did. Not because she thought Jaune would just up and leave, because she knew he wasn't that kind of person. Her mind still dwelled on her family. She hadn't seen them in well over four years now. What was she supposed to tell them after all that time? 'Hey, sorry I haven't called or talked in a while, but I'm back. By the way, I'm pregnant, and here's my boyfri- No, no he wasn't!
Jaune snickered to himself as he watched Blake's pacing get faster, "Blake, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but we didn't."
Blake paused mid-step, her head turning eerily slowly as her foot slowly hit the floor, blinking as she stared back at him. "Uh, what?" She muttered. She could have sworn that they did. No, she knew that they did! How else could she have known what it was like?
She heard Jaune laugh awkwardly as a hand rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, we didn't do much of anything. You led my hands to, well, you know." He mumbled, his eyes trailing away from her. "It was so warm and soft. Wet too-"
"Okay, I get it!" She yelled out, her ears folding downwards as she glared at the boy. So they might not have done anything, which was a relief, but it didn't change the fact that they did stuff! "Wait, then what happened? Did you not want to..?"
The blond boy quickly shook his head as his eyes peeled themselves open, "Oh, don't get me wrong, you're a pretty girl, Blake! Really, you are! But, uh, you kinda fell asleep after seizing up." She felt a frown come over her as she stared back at the boy.
"Seizing up?" A singular pale hand coming to her chin as her eyes flicked to and fro. Then it clicked, "Oh. I'm sorry." She felt a little bad now, knowing that she'd left Jaune out to dry, for lack of better terminology.
Another laugh slipped out of his mouth as his shoulders tensed, "Well, you know, kinda had to use the bathroom and uh," With his free hand, he made an odd gesture that left Blake perplexed, "Polish the bishop."
Polish the bishop? What was that supposed to- "Aha," a forced laugh left her before she knew it, "Can we please justmove on from this?"
Jaune was more than happy to move on from the subject matter. If anything, he could have lived a happy life without ever having to bring it up. "Yeah, I'd like that." Nodding rapidly. 'Polish the bishop!' What was wrong with him? Why did he say that? That was so stupid! What was he thinking?!
The room fell deathly quiet as the two of them were busy berating themselves in their heads.
Blake felt stupid. Beyond stupid. She spent the better part of her morning pacing around and panicking about something that didn't even happen. And worst of all, Jaune knew it. If she didn't say anything to him, she would have probably found out about it in a week at most, but she didn't stop and think.
But knowing that they didn't have sex didn't change the fact that they still did things. They still crossed the line in the sand, a line that two friends shouldn't cross. They showed a level of intimacy that two people with a relationship like them shouldn't, and now Blake didn't know where either of them stood.
If there was something Blake hated, it was not knowing something.
Yet even with all the things that she didn't know, she knew that she felt strongly about the boy. He had been such a good friend to her that she hated the thought of last night changing anything between them. She spent so many days with Jaune. So many weekends that would have otherwise been filled with the regular monotony that she was used to that she didn't know what she'd do with the free time if he left. That wasn't even getting into how she would feel.
Devastated. She would feel devastated.
Although, a quiet thought flickered in the back of her mind. An inkling of knowledge she wanted to know, no matter how hypothetical. As she stared back up at the boy, his eyes hardened as he stared down at the floor, his face tense as a frown took to his face.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
Jaune tore his gaze from the carpeted floor and looked up at Blake, her eyebrows tilted upwards as her lip formed a thin line. "Anything."
"Say we did the deed, what then? What do you think would have happened?" She asked, her voice devoid of its usual monotony.
Jaune swallowed as his thoughts kicked into overdrive. What would have happened if they had gone through with it? They were both drunk, and neither of them had intended to be safe about it. "If we were lucky, not much. If we weren't, then I would have needed to talk to my folks and apologize." When his parents told him not to get anyone pregnant when he left home, he never would have thought he'd have to consider apologizing for nearly doing just that. "And yours too."
An unsettling, fluttery feeling settled in her stomach as her mouth dried. It was an answer to be sure, but not the one she wanted to hear. "No, I mean… What would you have done if I was pregnant?"
She watched as he blinked once, then twice, then finally thrice before a smile stretched across his face. "Well, I get that we're supposed to be faking this sort of thing, but can I be honest about something?"
Blake nodded. Honesty was the thing she wanted to hear the most.
"For a good while now, I forgot that this was supposed to be a no-strings-attached kind of thing. I forgot that I wasn't supposed to like you. But here we are." An awkward chuckle leaving him as a hand gravitated to the back of his. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'd do whatever you want me to do."
A tight feeling knotted at her chest as her breathing grew shallower. He forgot..? How could Jaune forget? Their entire relationship was forged with the sole purpose of them getting away from their teams. That wasn't just something that she could just forget!
"That's not fair." She muttered, her voice low and unsteady.
Jaune blinked at the sudden change, watching as Blake's hands gripped the hem of her skirt. "Uh, huh?" He managed to sputter out as his brain slowly kicked back in. Did he do something wrong?
"That's not fair," she started again, staring up at him with a frown on her face, amber eyes shimmering as her eyebrows tilted upwards, "You can't just say that after all this time. All that time we spent lying to our teams, talking about how we're dating each other. You can't just make me a liar! That's just not fair!"
A dam that had been keeping a flood of thoughts in Blake had ruptured. All from just a couple of words that she didn't even know she wanted to hear. She spent all that time trying her hardest to not fall for the boy, yet there he was, practically confessing to her. It wasn't fair!
She couldn't help but rub her forearm across her eyes as she felt tears spill. Now she couldn't just ignore last night. All because Jaune had to open his big dumb mouth, and his bigger, dumber heart.
Watching Blake cry because he couldn't help but be a little more honest hurt him dearly. A sharp pang in his chest spread across his whole body. Was it really so bad that he felt the way he did? "Hey, listen, if you don't share the sentiment, I get it-"
He found himself getting cut off as Blake marched towards him, grabbed the collar of his hoodie, and yanked. Then something soft hit his lips. It was a familiar feeling, but not quite the same; It was a kiss for sure. But unlike the last one he had, this one wasn't so rushed. It was soft and gentle. His eyes widened as he realized just what exactly was happening, his hands held up at his sides, unsure exactly what to do with them.
Despite feeling like the kiss lasted a lifetime, it lasted no more than a second. As Blake broke away, she stared directly into his eyes as he hunched over, her hands still gripping his collar. "We're going to be doing that a lot more." Every movement, every word, all that she felt and expressed was purely on impulse.
And for the first time in her life, she was happy with an impulse decision.
Although tears still streamed down her cheeks, Blake tried her hardest to put on her stoic facade, a dumb smile spread across her face. To pretend that everything about this situation was normal, to act like she didn't just accept a sudden, backward confession from the boy that made her heart flutter in the strangest of ways. Something about the whole exchange made her feel so relieved.
Jaune laughed as he wrapped his arms around the Faunus girl. That worked out better than he ever thought it would! If anything, he thought she was just going to blow him off and tell him to get out of her life. Now, he knew she wouldn't actually do that, but the worst-case scenarios that Jaune's brain cooked up were scary enough for him to pay attention to.
"You'll hear no complaints from me." Jaune was on cloud nine. There wasn't any other way to describe it. All of those weird, awkward feelings he felt about Blake suddenly weren't all that awkward.
There was something so surreal about holding Blake in a hug after confessing to her. Not only had she accepted it, but she kissed him! He had to have been dreaming, right? But something felt off, something he couldn't put his finger on.
He liked Blake. A lot. So, he figured he might have been feeling something more after confessing, right? Well, not really. He still felt the same about Blake as he did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that too. If nothing else, he felt relieved that his feelings were out there. That he wasn't shot down.
Did he just win? Was this what winning felt like?
Moments passed before Blake tapped his back, a sign that he should let her go. "Alright, well as nice as that was, I've really gotta get out of this dress." He heard her say, a hint of mirth in her voice as she stepped away from the embrace.
"I don't know, I kind of like it. You make it work." He laughed to himself after he made his joke. Jaune was more than aware of how the dress didn't fit, boy was he aware. But he thought it made for a funny joke.
But instead of getting a laugh, he watched Blake deadpan, a single brow rising as she stared up at him, "You're only saying that because of how tight it is."
That could not have been any farther from the truth! "Wha- no! I'm just saying that you look good in a dress!" His hands raised in surrender. Whether it was because Blake was pretty in the dress, or the dress was pretty on Blake, he wouldn't say. Granted, no matter which it was, Blake was pretty.
Blake placed her hands at her hips as she stared, unamused at the boy. "A dress that just so happens to show more than it covers?" She didn't even bother trying to cover anything more. The dress covered everything it needed to, if only barely.
"Uh," Jaune drew out as his eyes drifted away from Blake's figure, "...Yes?"
The Faunus girl rolled her eyes as she stepped over to her dresser, pulling out the only hoodie and sweats she had in her catalog of clothes, along with the other essentials. It wasn't exactly her choice when it came to adding sweats and a hoodie to her wardrobe. But she had to admit, they were comfy.
"Sure," She started, staring at the boy from the corner of her eye as she marched to the bathroom, "Well, I'm going to go get changed out of this dress. Then we'll burn it in the woods and act like we didn't do anything while I was wearing it."
Jaune snickered beneath his breath as he watched Blake walk past him, her cat-like stride catching his attention. "Are you going to need any extra hands? I'll have you know, I'm pretty good with zippers." Alright, so he wanted to see her embarrassed again. Was that so wrong? Blake looked cute when she was embarrassed.
He smiled to himself as he watched her stop mid-stride, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He waited for some kind of reaction, but it never came. Instead, she smirked at him, a tight feeling suddenly gripping his heart.
He heard her let out a hum as she stared at him with her amber eyes, "Hmm, maybe." Maybe? Wait a second, that wasn't supposed to happen!
Jaune blinked rapidly as he stared back, sputtering for a moment as he tried to think, "Wait, really?"
"No." Came her immediate response, walking through the bathroom door before quietly grabbing the handle, a mischievous glimmer in her eye as she caught one final glimpse of him. "I'm going to catch a shower now. If you need me, you know where to find me."
With that, the door clicked shut. Jaune paused for a moment, the silence washing over him with the grace of a falling brick.
"What just happened?"
It didn't take long for either of them to start the day properly, both Blake and Jaune picking out a fresh pair of clothing, getting showers, brushing teeth, and in Blake's case, cleaning her ears before wrapping them. Pillow lint tends to be a problem when you've got two very sensitive appendages on the top of your head.
So, after indulging herself in a long, warm shower, Blake put on the only pair of sweats she had on, along with a grey hoodie that Jaune bought her. Gosh, how long ago was that now? It had to have been months since they'd gotten caught in the rain. Blake could hardly remember what it was they were doing that day.
Oh, wait! That was the time she introduced Jaune to Tukson. A smile spread across her face as she thought back. The only reason she had bothered introducing them in the first place was that Jaune was looking for a book in the Beacon Library.
Now, at a glance that might not sound like a bad idea. However, when the only books that Beacon had were texts on Grimm, History, and the odd book on Mathematics and Anatomy, looking for a fantasy western novel suddenly seemed like a dumb idea.
By introducing Jaune to Tukson, she was able to get a nice little discount, one that she absolutely adored. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to afford a certain book that she had her eyes on. A little novelette that involved Ninjas, romantic elements, and the odd scene that included a certain… Intimacy.
The only negative that came from that day was Jaune's habit of trying to buy things in her stead. Despite how much Blake loved saving money, she couldn't stand it when people bought things for her. It made her feel like she was indebted to them.
Oh dear, it seemed as though her mind trailed away. It was a good thing that only she knew what she was thinking, otherwise, she would have gotten embarrassed.
After getting changed, she and Jaune burned the dress along with her teammate's bedsheets. She would buy her new ones long before she got back. Probably. She hoped.
Following the burning of the dress, the two of them just enjoyed the sounds of crackling fire as embers rose. She couldn't help but let out a sigh as the warmth radiated towards her, her hands instinctively hovering out in front of her. Blake heard the boy across her let out a sigh of his own, his sneakers having been taken off and placed behind him.
His blue eyes stared intently at the first as a cool breeze kissed the back of his neck. Jaune wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect when Blake dragged him out in the middle of the woods, but honestly, this was the best outcome. His hair was still a little wet from his earlier shower, and the heat from the fire made his entire body relaxed.
Although, despite the serenity that he felt, he couldn't help but dwell on his thoughts. His thoughts of home, his thoughts of family. Memories flashed in his mind as he stared down at the fire, the ghosts of sounds filling his ears. Sounds of him and his sisters laughing as Dad chased them around camp, picking them up and hugging them closely. All the while, Mom recorded it, laughing and cheering on Dad.
Jaune would be a liar if he said he didn't miss home.
A sad smile took hold of his face as his eyes flicked up to look at Blake's, "Hey, question," Jaune started, quirking an eyebrow.
She let out a hum as she stared back at him, tilting her head to the side, "Hey, answer," It was a dumb joke, of that she was sure. But at least she was trying, right?
"Have you ever been camping?" He asked, using a long stick to poke and prod at the firewood that sat in front of them.
Well, it depended on what someone called camping. Had Blake ever had to live in the middle of the forest for extended periods, sleeping on the floor with little more than a bedroll? Oh, certainly. But had she ever been camping for the sake of enjoying herself? You know, sleeping in a tent with people she trusted, eating food over a fire, and telling dumb stories around a fire?
No, she never really did anything like that.
Blake brought a fist to her mouth before clearing her throat, "I've… slept in the woods before, yeah."
Blake watched as Jaune tilted his head to the side, a single eyebrow rising, "That's a weird way of saying yes." Yeah, she supposed it was, but that was on purpose.
Blake let her stoic mask take hold, her brows drawing a thin line. As she blankly stared back at him, shrugging her shoulders, "A little bit." She didn't want to talk about it. If she started talking about her experiences camping, she wouldn't stop herself from venting. She had just managed to get together with the boy properly this time. The last thing she wanted to do was compromise that with some long-winded tale.
Jaune's brows furrowed as he stared at the Faunus girl, to which she just stared back. "When was the last time you went camping?" He asked. The way Blake was talking, it almost felt like she was holding something close to her chest. He wouldn't pry, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't troubled by her sudden defensiveness.
"A few years ago." Always with the three or four word responses. Jaune had to deal with enough of those from his younger siblings back home, the last thing he needed was for Blake to start acting like she was going through puberty twice over.
Letting out a sigh, the blond boy let himself slouch, "Something tells me you don't want to have this discussion." He figured he might as well pop the balloon now before it inflated any longer. Honestly, Jaune was just over keeping secrets at this point. What more was there for him to tell? Jaune dumped all his secrets and had done so happily, albeit with a bit of nervousness, but still!
Blake felt her stoic mask crumble, her brows furrowed as she glared down at the fire, "It's not something I like thinking about. It was a long time ago, and I'd rather not talk about it." Her voice carried a hint of heat that she'd have rather left tucked away. Thinking back on the times when she had to live in ramshackle tents, living with people who could barely bathe due to lack of supply, all the while barely nourishing herself with whatever she could find in the woods was nothing but filled with bad memories.
A heavy silence sat above them as they sat by the fire, the heat from the flames gently kissing her pale skin. It would have felt nice if she wasn't reminded about how stupid she was a few years ago. She let out a breath as she pulled her knees to her chest, watching as the flames danced on the ash and disfigured logs.
As Jaune tossed another log on the flame for good measure, she heard him let out a hum, "Well, if you're ever in the mood to talk…" He left his words unfinished, but Blake knew what he meant. She hated when he did that. God, did she hate that so much.
Him and his stupid, kind words, and his good listening skills. It was going to be the death of her one of these days, she just knew it. Although, the idea of having someone listen to her and help her through her problems wasn't that bad.
"Right." She muttered, her bow falling flat as the flames danced to a silent waltz.
Jaune hated it when she acted like this. Seeing Blake close herself off, for some reason or another, just because she felt guilty about something. It drove him insane. And he knew it was guilt, because guilt was the only thing that could ever throw a wrench in Blake's stoic attitude. Blake could handle any other emotion he could think of.
Anger? Easily solved. Sadness? Blake had quite a stiff upper lip. Annoyance? Well, she hung out with him for a whole week straight, so that said quite a bit about her tolerance to his shenanigans.
But guilt? Guilt seemed to hit differently for her, at least from what he's observed.
But he wouldn't force it out of her, shoot, he couldn't even if he tried. So, Jaune would do what he always did when she got like this. Move the conversation along, and wait for her to bring it up, whether that be today, tomorrow, or weeks from now.
"So, I was thinking," He started, rolling his right wrist as he smiled at the girl, "What do you think about going camping the next time we get a break?" Blake blinked as she tilted her head, to which his smile widened. Gosh, whenever Blake looked at him like that, he always got butterflies in his stomach.
"Huh?" She muttered, her jaw half-slackened.
"Yeah! Finding a nice little spot in the woods, getting some tents, starting a fire, telling stories, eating campfire food, the works!" Starting his pitch was easy, but that was because he was used to giving it. The only times his family ever wanted to go camping was because Jaune pestered his parents about it enough, or because his Dad felt like going on a several-day hunt.
Blake hummed to herself as she brought a hand to her chin, her legs relaxing and falling flat for a moment. A secluded place in the middle of the forest, all by themselves, with little more than a tent to hide them from the outside world?
Blake snorted, "You're just saying that because you want to be alone with me in the woods." Staring at him with a knowing smirk. Memories flashed in her mind, the feeling of warm hands trailing over her as she shared pecks with a certain boy- okay, she was thoroughly uncomfortable with her headspace now.
She saw Jaune quirk a brow at her statement, his smile transforming into a smirk of his own. "Get your head out of the gutter. I mean an honest camping trip, not whatever's going on in that head of yours." He finished his sentence by scooting alongside the fire before sitting next to her, poking at her temples. "I knew you were after my dashing good looks and witty charm."
Blake rolled her eyes as she watched the boy plant a wrist on his forehead, "I'd love nothing more than to be alone with you, in the middle of the woods, where no one would ever hear us." Slowly leaning closer to the boy with every passing word, her smirk growing wider.
Jaune paused for a moment before blinking, taking his wrist off his forehead before staring back at the girl, "What?" He dumbly replied.
Blake suppressed a laugh as she saw the boy's face grow more and more curious, "Yeah," She started, her smirk now reaching its peak as her eyebrows rose, "I imagine you'd make great bait if we have to deal with Grimm. I mean, I can already imagine how fast the Grimm would want to jump you while you're all tied up."
Although, instead of getting some kind of embarrassed reaction from the boy, she watched as he quirked a brow. "I didn't think you were into that sort of thing," Displaying a level of diplomacy that Blake didn't think he even knew existed, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm just not sure if I can really fill that role-"
"Please stop talking." She begged, her face dusted with a red in her cheeks. Honestly, the fact that Jaune could just deflect her teasing off of ignorance was baffling for her.
"No, I mean, I'll try, but I can't promise-"
"I'm not into bondage. I was just teasing." The desperation in her voice seeping out as she stared up at the boy, her eyebrows tilted upwards. It was only then that she watched his smile grow wider.
She had been played.
Jaune felt a hand thump against his chest, laughing as Blake turned her face away. "There's nothing wrong with you being into different things, Blake. I mean, if you want, I'm willing to find out if you are-"
"You wanna go get something to eat?" She cut him off, her voice cracking as her face turned to a deep shade of crimson. She was embarrassed, sure, but not because of the thought.
But because she considered it.
Jaune laughed loudly as he patted her back, "I am a little hungry." The least he could do was throw his favorite cat-girl a bone. Wait, no, that's for dogs- whatever!
After the not-so ceremonious burning of the white dress and dirty sheets, the two of them took the time to walk around the city. Vale was a pretty place, and Jaune liked it. Sure, his Dad may have hated it, and his Mom may have never been, but hey, he wasn't either of them.
They'd both waltzed around the city looking for a little food place, but none of them had any appeal. They had to have gone through half of the restaurants in Vale by this point. And that was just last week!
But luckily for him, Blake had made mention of a certain cafe that the two of them frequented. You know, the one with all the books, the cool console, and the tv. Now, Jaune wasn't exactly sure why Blake would've wanted to go to the cafe since they only sold coffee and pastries, but hey, he wouldn't say no.
So, Jaune happily munched on a blueberry muffin as he lounged on his beanbag, sinking deeper into his seat with a dumb smile on his face. Meanwhile, Blake wasn't too far, sipping at a cup of dark coffee that she ordered as she flicked through a black-covered book.
Geez, how long has it been since they visited the cafe now? It had to be a few weeks now, right? Wait, no, the last time he'd been to the cafe was when Blake revealed her ears to him. Jaune blew a raspberry as he slouched in his seat, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. That was over a month ago now, right?
"Wow," He muttered, dragging his free hand down his face.
The amber-eyed girl peered at the boy from the corner of her eye, her bow twitching at the sudden stimuli, "What?" A single brow rose as she curiously stared at him.
The blond boy let out a hum as he turned his head to look back at her, laughing as an awkward smile took to his face, "Oh, it's nothing," He started, a hand gravitating to the back of his head, "Just blew my own mind is all."
Blake snorted as she rolled her eyes, "Well, that's not saying a whole lot." It wasn't exactly difficult to blow Jaune's mind. Not because he was dumb, but because there was so much that the boy had never seen before. She liked that about him though, it was nice to see him so excited about new things.
Jaune sucked air through his teeth as he gripped at his chest, "Ow," hissing in feigned pain as he smiled, "Cut me a bit slack, would you? I'm trying my best." Laughing again as his eyes slowly shut. The way he laughed never failed to make Blake smile, something about the warmth that his laugh carried just made her head spin.
The team leader watched Blake tilt her head, a small smile gracing her face, her eyes half-lidded. "Alright, spill it. What's got you so amazed?" Her gentle words danced in his ears like a pair of dancers waltzing to a beautiful melody.
Honestly, if Jaune's eyes worked like a camera, he would have loved to take a picture of the sight in front of him. The way Blake stared at him, a book in her lap as she held a cup of coffee, a small smile on her face. Nothing in the world could have made him happier than her smiling at him.
"When was the last time we were here?" His question would have been enough to prove his point.
He watched as a single brow rose out of curiosity, her smile getting wider, "That was… last week, right?." She honestly didn't see what the big deal was. They'd visited the cafe just last week.
"What?" Wait, was he missing something?
Blake snorted under her breath as she set her coffee next to her seat, "Yeah, we were here last week. Before break started, remember?" It was a stupid question. It was still funny though.
The blond boy next to her let out a sigh of his own as he scratched the side of his head, "I, uh… I forgot." He mumbled, reaching down for the coffee at his side before taking a sip, the scalding liquid burning his tongue.
The raven-haired girl watched with amusement as the boy quickly set his cup aside, blowing air out of his mouth as he fanned his tongue with his hands. "You're such an idiot," Failing to suppress a giggle as she watched the scene unfold.
Jaune could only shrug as the burn subsided, an awkward smile stretching across his face, "You knew what you were getting into." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. Even he didn't know what he was getting into when he first agreed to Blake's little idea, but honestly, it was the best choice he had ever been given.
He watched as Blake stood up from her seat, the sound of the hardcover on her book snapping shut before she tossed it onto the seat behind her. Something about how Blake slowly stalked over to him made his heart try to leap out of his throat but in the best way possible. Did that make any sense? Probably not.
As she stood in front of his seat, she bent over so that her playful gaze pierced his eyes. "Not exactly," Smiling coyly as she slowly closed the gap, her nose barely an inch away from his own, "But I'd still follow through if I knew back then."
The way she stared down at him, her hands firmly planted on her hips as she smiled down at him, it all fed into some greater flame that burned within him.
Quietly placing a hand on her cheek, he leaned up and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Jaune couldn't help it, she was just so close, and she- why was he trying to justify it? She was his girlfriend, right? He could probably do that whenever.
Blake blinked once, then twice, then thrice before finally realizing what had just happened. Her heart thumped a little faster as her eyes widened slightly, pulling away from the boy. "I, uh- I wasn't trying to- not that I mind, but- um." She sputtered for the first time in what felt like forever, her cheeks heating as Jaune smiled up at her. Her ears twitched as the boy's laughter bounced off the walls, her mouth contorting to the side as her embarrassment levels grew, only causing the boy to smile wider.
He wanted to say something, but honestly, he probably didn't have to. Something about the idea of talking just ruined the moment for him. After all, when was the last time he'd ever seen Blake so sheepish?
Jaune nearly laughed as he watched Blake awkwardly shuffle back to her seat, her pale skin contrasted by the rush of blood to her face. As she sunk into her bean bag chair, she didn't waste time stuffing her nose into her book, her ears twitching spontaneously as her eyes raced across the pages. Failing to hold back a snicker, he kicked one leg over the other as he sank further into his chair.
"I didn't think you'd be so easy to get all bothered, Blake." A quirked brow on his face as he stared at the girl from the corner of his eye.
A moment passed before Blake let out a breath, "I'm typically not, but…" A frown marring her otherwise beautiful face, "It's kind of hard not to be after all of this." Using her right hand to gesture to herself and the boy across her. It's not exactly like she's had a lot of time to get used to the whole situation! It's been less than a day, so of course she'd get flustered!
She heard the boy let out an awkward chuckle, his eyes shut as a hand stuck to the back of his head, "I mean, I can lay off the gas if you want me to." Seemingly unapologetic about the whole situation. That made her feel even more embarrassed about it. "I just can't help it, you know? I'm still riding the high."
The Faunus girl felt her heart throb as her ears folded downwards. She knew what he meant, and she could relate. But she really didn't want to make any kind of mistake. "And I get that, I do," She wanted to reassure the boy, but it was hard to find the words, "I just don't want to mess up."
As silence reigned over the room for a moment, Blake did her hardest to not shuffle in place. Even with everything said and done, even with the sudden solidification of their relationship, she was nervous. She could be a good friend, and she hoped that she was for Jaune, but this was beyond uncharted territory for her. She didn't even know the first step in being someone's girlfriend!
Jaune let out a breath as he placed a hand under his chin, a smirk dancing on his face as his eyebrows rose. As Blake turned to face him, her confused expression only drove him to smirk harder. "I didn't know you could be so indecisive."
The amber-eyed girl frowned as a crease formed between her bros, "I can't control everything, Jaune." She snapped back, the smirk on his face disappearing as his eyebrows rose higher. "I don't let the things I can't control bother me. But even I have my limits."
The blond boy tilted his head, chuckling to himself as he leaned against his bean bag chair, "Hey, I'm not saying that it's bad. Actually, I kind of like that you're so bothered by it."
Her amber eyes blinked as she stared into the sea of deep blue, "...What?"
Jaune stifled a snicker as rolled his wrist, "Yeah, I like it when you're indecisive. It makes me feel like I can be the cool and reliable one for a change." Okay, so he might have been joking a little, but seeing Blake so indecisive was just cute. Blake normally had all the answers or at least seemed like she did. So, seeing her get so flustered and nervous about something that he thought was simple was nice. It was a good change of pace.
Then he felt the edge of a book hit his forehead, hissing loudly as placed his palms on the red mark that slowly faded into existence. "What is it with you throwing books at me today?" Glaring at the girl as he rubbed his sore forehead.
Blake sucked air through her teeth as she quirked a brow, "Well, maybe you should stop stupid stuff and give yourself more credit." Her mouth curled to the side as she tried to shrug off her annoyance. "You're reliable just as you are."
"Thanks, but did you have to throw the book at me?" His voice cracking like a whip as he finished rubbing his wound, "You couldn't have just told me that I'm reliable?"
The Faunus girl snorted to herself as her eyebrows rose, smirking to the boy, "What, you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?"
Blake watched as he brought a hand to his chin, humming to himself as his eyes narrowed. "You know what? Sure."
"I was just being-"
"Don't care. Kiss, please." How did he keep doing that? For some reason or another, he seemed to deflect whatever teasing she threw at him! It was really starting to grate on her. Then a devious thought slunk into her mind. Oh, she was sure she'd get some kind of reaction with what she had in mind.
Letting out a breath, Blake pried herself from her seat before dragging a hand down her face. She needed to play up just how not bothered she was, and judging from the way that Jaune was smiling, she must have been succeeding. That had nothing to do with the fact that she was actually a little nervous about her plan, but whatever.
Stepping in front of the boy, she watched as he sat up a little higher. He probably thought that she was just going to lean down and give him a peck. Blake had something else in mind, but whether it was better or worse, she was about to see.
His grin widened as she stood in front of his seat, but it soon vanished as she straddled him. Now it was Blake's turn to smile, watching as his eyes flicked to and fro as his brows furrowed. Only then did she bend down to kiss the red spot on his forehead, "Consider it done." Her voice filled with amusement as she felt his hands gently rest on her hips.
Jaune paused for a moment as he stared up at the amber-eyed girl, his heart loudly thumping in his chest as her weight pressed against him. Something wasn't adding up. Here she was, straddling him as they drank coffee, ate pastries, all the while being in a sound-proofed private room. "Remind me how I'm supposed to be the perverted one again?" He asked, laughing to himself as he watched her head tilt to the side.
"What do you mean?" She didn't even do anything that lewd. She just straddled him and kissed his forehead as she now leaned on him. Granted, she could see how someone might see what she was doing as semi-degenerate, but she hadn't actually done anything!
The blond boy quirked a brow as his eyes trailed up and down her slim figure, "Well, we're both at a cafe we both like, we're in a sound-proof, isolated room, and you're sitting in my lap." Her eyes twitched with each point he'd made, her smile rapidly losing its previous confidence. "I don't mind though. It's not every day a pretty girl sits in my lap."
On the surface, Jaune was all smiles and jokes, but beneath the thin veil that he put up? Oh, he was freaking out. Blake was sitting in his lap, her hair was tickling his forehead, she smelled really nice, Jaune had a list of things that were stimulating about the whole situation and it just kept piling up! And it didn't help that his earlier comment about the sound-proofing was weighing on him,
A thought nibbled at the back of his mind, a tempting voice quietly whispering into his ear. He could do anything with Blake, here and now, and no one would be the wiser. There was something so wrong about that, but a voice in the back of his mind kept hammering it home.
Blake blinked as she watched as Jaune's face slowly grew redder than her leader's hood, and she couldn't help but share the sentiment. Some part of her wanted to just get up and sit back in her seat, but a little voice in her mind disregarded that. She could, instead, get up, lock the door, and find her seat again. She could do whatever she felt like with the boy, and no one would know. After all, it wasn't like there were cameras in the room.
Wait, were there?
A quick check of every corner in the room only confirmed her thoughts, the lack of cameras in the room bringing her heart rate to a crawl.
"So, uh," She heard Jaune mutter, staring down at him as he smiled nervously, "I don't suppose you feel like getting off, do you?"
"Depends on what you mean." The words slipped from her mouth before she had the time to think. Oh, gross! That was so gross! Why did she say that?!
Jaune turned his head away as he coughed, his hands not daring to pull themselves away from Blake's hips. Not that he minded all that much. "Okay, coming on a little strong," either Blake was making it her mission to embarrass him, or she wanted to, uh, do stuff. "Do you want to find your seat?"
You know, some part of Blake really did just want to stand up, really, it did. But something about the situation made her feel so comfortable, so warm. "I think I already have." Her shaky response was anything but confident, but she wouldn't have stood up even if he asked.
He let out a breath as a small smile tugged at his lips, staring back up at the pretty girl in his lap, "I guess I'll just have to get comfortable then."
Blake wordlessly leaned down towards the boy, her lips gently brushing his own for a moment before pulling away. Then she did it again. And again. Then it was Jaune's turn to lean up, and eventually, she just lost track of it all, leaning deeper into the boy as the warmth in her chest slowly grew warmer.
Jaune slinked his arms around the small of her back as he pulled her closer, feeling her pale hands gripping at his hoodie as their little back-and-forth continued. Today just seemed to be his day. Here he was, kissing the only girl he had his eyes on, on the same day that he had technically confessed to her. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was dreaming.
Although, the gentle nature of their exchange of affection was quickly replaced after a pair of teeth bit Blake's bottom lip. Soon enough, her arms wrapped around the back of the blond boy's neck, pressing deeply into him as she felt his hands dig into her own hoodie.
Neither of them was sure as to who broke away first, but they both took the moment to catch their breath as they leaned against one another. Jaune didn't know that feeling this warm, that being this close to someone, could feel so nice. His heart loudly pounded against his chest as he quietly heaved. The feeling of Blake's warm breath tickling his ear made him want to do some things that he rathered to leave unsaid.
Although, from the corner of his eye, he watched as Blake's bow bobbed and twitched atop her head. "Hey, would you be okay if I tried something?" He whispered.
The Faunus girl felt goosebumps trail up her arms and along the back of her neck as Jaune's words danced in her ears, "Do it."
Jaune's hand slowly came off the small over her back before slowly creeping up towards the top of her head, gently pinching at the tips of her bow. He heard the girl in his lap quietly gasp as his hands slowly inched farther down her bow, carefully running his thumb along the appendage. They were so small, but despite being covered by a bow, they still felt soft. There was so little resistance to his administrations that if he didn't know any better, he would have thought that there wasn't actually a pair of ears beneath the bow.
Blake's breathing grew more ragged as his hands pinched and rubbed her ears, the only thing keeping so much as a squeak from escaping her was pure willpower. That didn't mean that she wasn't quietly squirming, holding on to Jaune's hoodie for dear life as her toes curled and uncurled several times over. That was fine though, so long as he didn't do anything drastic.
Then she felt the fabric on her ears come loose, warm hands gently rubbing her now bare ears. Blake bit into her lip, doing her best to crush the need to express the enjoyment that she derived. She hadn't had her ears touched by someone since she was a kid, and the fact that Jaune was being so gentle about it was driving her closer to an edge that she didn't know existed until now.
Another pinch and a rub later, and Blake bucked her hips against the boy as a quiet whine slipped between the cracks. The feeling of his hands on her ears quickly left as she leaned on the boy.
Meanwhile, Jaune felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. That was so close, that was too close. Any composure that he might have had nearly dissipated at such a minute movement. Though, he felt an odd rumbling feeling against his chest, a constant vibration as Blake leaned on him. "Huh, well what do you know?" He mumbled.
Blake was purring. He could have sworn she couldn't do that. Or, at least, that's what Blake said. But hey, that shows her! Who's the dumb one now?
He heard Blake take a deep breath before her cheek brushed against his own, "We should stop for now," she wasn't sure how much more she would be able to handle if this kept up. "We'll pick this up at the dorm."
Jaune dumbly nodded as Blake shifted in his lap, a certain discomfort making itself known to him, "Yeah, definitely."
Needless to say, the both of them disregarded whatever it was that caused them to come to the cafe in the first place, grab their things, and rush back to Beacon with an urgency that neither of them knew they had. Simply put, they were quick to get changed into, well… nothing. Blake stole a little box from Yang's drawer, and Jaune made sure to toss Blake on her own bed this time around.
Although, for some reason, Blake felt she was forgetting something? Oh well, she'd figure it out later when she wasn't, uh, preoccupied.
Okay, done.
You wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to write those last thousand-ish words. Y'all guys already know that I'm a bit squeamish about even getting close to the smuttier aspects of a story, but this is just one of those scenes that I can't avoid.
But hey, what's a guy supposed to do, huh?
Also, fun fact, this story still falls under the M rating because I've read the community guidelines. Even if it's not explicit, simply making suggestions to doing the deed in writing makes it fall under the M category. The more you know.
Anyway, I'm thinking about going over to Royal Road and putting original stories up. If, by chance, you are interested, my name is the same on Royal Road as it is on FFN, and I'll be sure to shout that stuff out in the discord I'm in. Which segways into my next topic.
The discord that my buddy Luzifer opened. He's been helping me work on this story since February 17th of 2021, believe me, I checked. And now that he's opened a Discord server with the express intent of helping people improve at writing, artistry, and music, I have a place to talk with you lovely folks in a more personalized fashion.
If anyone is interested in joining, I'll leave the link to it here: /7ksPCNs3ZM
There are already 15 people there, so you shouldn't be afraid of a lack of conversation. That, and I think it'd be nice to sit down and have some conversations with you folks. Don't worry, I don't bite.
Anyway, I think that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading, make sure to follow, favorite, review, all that garbage, and I'll see you all hopefully soon.
Ciao, and Buenas Noches.