"Jaune? Are you okay?" Ruby asked.
Jaune looked up to see his first friend at Beacon. His treasured friend he could never find the heart to replace. It was overwhelming at times; knowing you're going to be a father. It didn't help how Blake appeared to be avoiding him for about a week now. He finally messaged her about it the other night, and she said she just needed some space. He granted it, but he was dying to talk to her again.
"Hey, Rubes… I'm alright…" He stared off into space for a minute. "You know what? That's a huge lie. I don't know how I'm feeling right now." Ruby sat down next to him and watched the sun begin to set with him. She kicked her feet into the air repeatedly as they dangled over the rooftop.
"Wanna talk about it?" she asked innocently. You really were a gem, Rubes. Jaune could tell whoever was lucky enough to have her, they'd be incredibly happy. "I'd offer some cookies, but, eh-heh…"
"You ate them, didn't you?" Her cheeks flushed as she scratched the back of her head. "I appreciate the sentiment, Rubes. Especially since this involves your precious fuel source."
"Heh!? No, enough about me, stupid!" She flailed her arms a bit and pounded him to no effect. Well, it did get him to laugh quite a bit. "Seriously though, I'm here if you need to talk."
His small frown turned into a tired smile. "Well, I've just been thinking about everything regarding Blake." Ruby didn't comment on that. "It's hard enough having to end things with her like this. I actually believed I had gotten myself an awesome girlfriend I can spend my time with here in Beacon. Introduce her to my family, maybe even make life-changing decisions with her… Well, we did but not the way I'd imagined."
Ruby's head tilted.
"I know she gets scared. When she accidentally revealed her heritage, that very well could've been the last time we all saw her. She ran from her past, right? I should've known she would've ran away from this too. I gave her the benefit of the doubt though. I thought what we had was enough to make her feel happy - safe even. But I guess I screwed up there. I screwed up, Ruby."
"Jaune…"
"I robbed her and brought this all on myself."
"Jaune, you don't need to be so hard on yourself."
"But I do!" He extended his arms out. "Look at me, Rubes! I almost took away her chance at a new life and selfishly tried to… tried to…"
He felt the tears coming on. He stopped himself from talking in a vain attempt to maintain his bearing. Pathetic, no? He soon felt a pair of small arms wrap around him. Ruby was so warm… It was almost like wrapping yourself with a blanket straight from the dryer.
"Jaune, whatever led you two to breakup has been set in stone. I can guarantee things will be better, I know it. I don't know how things are looking between you and Blake, but I'm certain you'll be back on your feet in no time! The Jaune I know doesn't back down that easily."
That was… awful. Something clicked in his head.
"Ruby… You know, don't you?"
An eyebrow rose. She glanced away for a second before looking at him again. "Uh, that you two broke up? Yeah. I could tell by how depressed Blake has been this past week. It started after you two went to Vale together, right? She's been keeping to herself though, so I thought… I thought…"
Ruby noticed the horrified look on Jaune's face. He edged closer, more tears coming out.
"What about the baby?" He frantically asked. "She told you about that, didn't she!?"
Ruby's expression said it all.
"I want to go back," Jaune insisted. He made his way to the door, but Revy stepped in his way, blocking his path.
"Blake wanted to speak with Vanessa, and she concurred." Revy reminded. "I think it's fair for us to give some much needed time to talk."
"Needed, yes. But deserved? Of course Blake decides to settle down now." Revy's eyes narrowed. "I'm not concerned about who Blake chooses to be with, Revy. Sun is a great man. Far better than me... It's just that... why now?"
He rested his hands on his dresser. Revy went over and sat on his bed with her legs and arms crossed, running a strand of her auburn hair along her finger. Revy was even acting polite with them... She knows just how much weight this situation has. Revy didn't know Blake though, neither did Vanessa. They had no idea about Blake's history and how Vanessa wasn't the first one she's abandoned. How could he tell his daughter her mother was once a terrorist though?
It was simple. He just never mentioned it.
Vanessa always knew she got a fair amount of her looks from her mother, with her raven locks and sharp eyes, but she never knew her mother as a person. Was it best for Vanessa to be ignorant of Blake's history though? It wasn't his place to tell her... He recalled how he learned of Pyrrha's status, relieving her of a lot of weight. When he was still unaware of her feelings, she felt as though her feelings weren't justified since he was oblivious to her status. He could see the parallels, but...
"I don't know if she deserves to just insert herself into Vanessa's life now. If anything, you've been more of a mother to Vanessa all these years, Revy." He shook his head. "I know it's important for Vanessa to make her decision though. She's... growing up. If she can muster the resolve to defend people from Grimm, then she can sort this out with Blake, right?"
Revy waved her hand a bit, signaling him to sit next to her. He obeyed and was greeted with a warm embrace. When she pulled away, she cupped his cheek and offered a kind look. Her lips met his, leaving the lingering taste of pizza and beer.
"You taste disgusting."
She only gave a deadpan look in return.
"You really know how to kill the mood," she whined.
"Kind of a bad time to get intimate..."
"That was supposed to be a feel better kiss." She lightly pressed her forehead against his own and shut her eyes. "I know it's hard, Jaune. Even I'm reluctant to let this Blake come back out of the blue like this, but it all comes down to what Vanessa wants, don't you think? My own mother was like this when I met my biological mother for the first time. She was happy for me, but conflicted. And you know what? I told her no one would replace her, Jaune. From what I've gathered about the girl I practically raised as my own all these years, it's not going to change how she feel about us."
"Reverie..."
"I love you, my dear Jaune." She smiled, the mere sight warming his heart. "You're so precious when you go full papa bear on her."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as Revy wrapped her arms around his neck. The two gazed into each other, lost in their own thoughts. And then Sun entered the room.
"Oh, uh... You two can come back now?" he said. "The two of them seemed to be getting along."
Yay...?
Just as Sun said, the awkward silence between the two of them had dissipated. Blake and Vanessa were happily bantering about something at the table. A far cry from how she was back in Beacon, actually socializing like this. With her daughter, no less...
"She's an adult now." Jaune whispered to himself. "Remember that."
Both of them were.
