So, here we are. The final chapter of this short story about everyone's favorite socially inept couple.
Most mornings, Jaune awoke with the sun. Which was to say, he set his alarm to wake him at the same time as the sun rising; living in inner Vale, he rarely experienced actual sunrises anymore. Regardless, he'd be up within a few minutes and started on his regular morning training routine. It had been a bit since he'd had work as a huntsman, which he didn't necessarily mind, but the old muscle-memory drilled into him by his team and friends still had a firm hold.
Not this morning, though.
It was about an hour past his usual wake-up time, but Jaune was still lying in bed. Fully awake, mind, but he'd broken the typical cycle. He breathed a sigh of contentment with a small yawn as his eyes took in the sight that kept him bound to the mattress yet again.
Ruby looked so much like an angel, laid out and partially covered by cotton sheets. Her creamy alabaster skin was so tantalizingly inviting to his touch, and Jaune struggled to keep from reaching out and disturbing her. Her bare chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm as she slept, one arm lazily draped over and a cute little hand resting against her pale cheek. Jaune fought hard the urge to laugh at the soft cooing that slipped past her pink lips. She was probably in the middle of some sweet dream or other - likely involving cookies, weapons, or a weird combination of the two.
He still could barely believe what had happened between them. Jaune lost his virginity - something he was both slightly proud and ashamed to have kept intact so long - to Ruby. The thought sent his mind reeling, and the more he dwelled on it, the giddier he became. The act they'd performed the previous night was not just one of passion, but it also served to strengthen the love he felt in his heart for her. Even lying at her side now, he'd never felt closer to this woman who had been his best friend for years and showed him how to love.
Once more, his eyes drifted lazily over her sleeping form. Jaune gazed upon Ruby in an almost reverential manner. She was perfect in every way, too pure for the world, and too good to be wasting her time loving his sorry ass. Her mere sight was enough to set a fire in his chest and bring that familiar - if slightly annoying - sense to his core.
Aaaand... Hello, hormones, he thought to himself, glancing irritably down at the tent rapidly forming below the covers. Nice to see you again. What's it been, six hours?
Ruby's light sigh as she rolled over to face him pulled Jaune out from his thoughts. Silver eyes opened slowly and met with azure. He couldn't help the smile that peeled his lips up in a stupid toothy grin, one that Ruby matched. Never in his life had Jaune expected he would find himself lying in bed beside this woman with whom he'd shared so much, but now, he never wanted to go back to the way things were.
"Hi," he whispered.
Ruby shifted closer to him, pulling the covers up over the two of them. "Morning, Vomit Boy." Jaune felt pins and needles run up his legs as hers hooked around his calves, and she draped an arm over his shoulder.
The fire in his belly growing in intensity, Jaune breathed deeply and marveled at her beauty. She was always pretty, even when he'd not had any interest in her romantically. Pale skin that might have rivaled Weiss's in whiteness had Ruby not spent as much time outdoors as she already did. Cheeks that just begged to be squeezed and mushed by how cutely they matched her - at times - rather childish demeanor. And she was tiny! Ruby was at least a foot shorter than Jaune even for being only two years younger than him, with a frame that belied the insane strength it took to wield a weapon like Crescent Rose. She was, despite her protests to the contrary, the very embodiment of cute.
Jaune's face started to warm as his eyes and mind drifted. Though it seemed, below the adorable shell, Ruby was hiding a secret side. A sexy side. For all her loveable and sweet appearance suggested an innocent little woman, last night indicated otherwise. She knew how to work that small stature and form to give him goose pimples even now. Apparently, Yang wasn't the only one in her family that could tease and seduce.
"What're you thinking about?" Ruby probed into his concentration - or lack thereof. Despite the question, the way Jaune felt her fingers trail up his thigh suggested she knew exactly what was going on inside his head.
He blushed. "Oh... you know," blue eyes flicked downward, toward the wondrous bounty hidden below the covers, "stuff."
Ruby's face pulled into a knowing smirk, a quiet laugh slipping past her lips. "Stuff, huh?" Jaune wanted to protest as her warm fingertips departed from his skin. She inched closer to him, the tip of her nose coming to brush his, warm breath blew across his cheeks as he leaned in to meet her.
"Well, while you're busy thinking about 'stuff,'" she tittered. "I'm thinking about how awesome last night was." She pressed a kiss to his lips, strange as it sounded, adrenaline rushed through Jaune's veins. The same energy from the night before overtook him, and he kissed her back. He rolled over, shifting, so he was straddled above Ruby, his elbows sunk into the mattress on either side of her torso.
He tried to emulate that same, sultry, sensual manner he'd seen in Ruby last night. "Just how awesome was it?" he asked, a light growl tingeing his voice. Had his head not been fogged by the prospect of sex, Jaune would have cringed at how ridiculous he sounded. However, emotion driving him more than thought, he went for it. "Enough to want to go again?"
Ruby smirked under his gaze. "Oh yeah."
Yaayyyy! Inside his mind, Jaune was leaping and dancing for joy. Even after just the one experience, he knew for sure - he loved sex. It was like the when he'd discovered masturbating or pouring melted cheese on food; the fact that something so terrific could exist, and was so readily available, it was enough to bring a tear to his eye.
"But," Ruby's voice brought his mental jubilations to a grinding halt, "right now, I'm starving, filthy, and I really gotta pee. So... maybe after breakfast?"
As if subconsciously agreeing with her, Jaune's stomach groaned out in annoyance. He sighed as he remembered that neither Ruby nor himself had really eaten a substantial meal since lunch the previous day. Last night's date was worth it to see how beautiful Ruby was when she got dressed up, but the meal itself left a great deal to be desired. The fancy restaurant's portions were barely a mouthful about as filling. What little he could identify as some form of steak tasted great, but not enough to justify spending a rent payment on it. Just thinking back on it made Jaune crave a hearty plateful of bacon and eggs.
"You know what," he said, "breakfast sounds fantastic right now."
Ruby nodded and smiled as she rolled out from underneath the covers. Her bare feet swung out and rested on the floor. The catlike manner she stretched out, fingers intertwined and palms toward the ceiling, caused Jaune's breath to catch in his throat. Powerful, corded musculature flexed beneath her pale flesh, the dim light of dawn from the shaded window gave the woman an almost angelic glow in his eyes. His gaze roved across her body even until she disappeared behind the bathroom door.
It wasn't until the door clicked shut, he heard the toilet flush, and the shower turn on that Jaune sighed, yawned, then grunted his way out of bed as well. As he sat up, his attention was once again drawn back to the one-eyed beast with no memory and no conscience. His life-long companion stood rigidly at attention, awaiting orders in his lap.
"Down boy," he groaned, "You'll get your turn." A hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he realized the sheer level of insanity he had to reach to start talking to his own penis.
Emerging from the bedroom, a pair of sweat pants now covering his shame, Jaune entered his apartment's kitchenette area, fully intent on whipping up the most amazing post-coitus breakfast ever. He hadn't ever really gotten the chance to let it shine while on the road with team RNJR, but Jaune had always considered himself a good cook, especially when it came to breakfast. Sure, Ren could brew up some magical potion out of spinach and sadness that would bring life to a corpse, but Jaune was an artisan with morning comfort foods.
A pan hit the burner, the stainless steel heating up before a pat of butter was dropped in. At the same time, Jaune set to beating a few eggs in a bowl, then poured them into the pan with a satisfying sizzle accompanying them. Allowing the eggs to cook in the heat, he laid stips of deliciously cured bacon in a second skillet, each screaming out in a symphony of cracks and pops as it hit the metal. The boiling of the coffee maker soon joined the concord as Jaune retrieved a pair of ceramic mugs from the cabinet. Within moments, the room was permeated with a communion of incredible aromas.
Jaune took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. So, this is what it all meant. This moment in time, it was the reason he'd gone through all the crazy shit with Cinder, Salem, the maidens, Ozpin. All of it strengthened the bond he had with his best friend, now it had led him to a real union with her.
Despite how happy he was, Jaune had to ask himself, was it all worth it? The pain, the sleepless nights, the tears at lost loved ones; was all that sacrifice worth the peace he felt now?
Absolutely. Jaune wasn't proud of all the things he'd done in his life. But, would he change them if it meant he wouldn't end up where he was? No way. He was happy; for the first time in ages, Jaune Arc was glad to look at all the things he had in his life. An awesome girlfriend in the other room, no doubt feeling the same love in her heart as he. A decent home, nearby to the school where he'd studied and met friends that he now considered family. He had even fulfilled his boyhood dream of living up to his long, proud family legacy. He was a hero in the eyes of the people of Remnant.
His life, all things considered, was all right.
And the same could be said of the eggs on the stove; running a spoon along the pan's bottom, Jaune stirred them around. They were a perfect consistency - not too well-done, just a little runny, and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Amazing how such a mouth-watering dish could be whipped up in minutes with only one simple ingredient. Simultaneously, the bacon in the sister pan had shrunk and crinkled, grease popping out, signaling completion.
Jaune set a pair of plates on the counter, spooning half the eggs onto each and place two strips of bacon along with them. Next came the coffee; Jaune personally took his with just cream, but he knew about Ruby's thoughts on the drink. He fulled her mug three-quarters of the way full, leaving room for unholy amounts of both cream and sugar. When the concoction was finished, it had a consistency similar to melted ice cream than any kind of beverage.
It was then that Ruby strutted from the bedroom door. Her dark hair was damp, combed to fall around her face in that familiar, adorable style. Once again, she had raided his closet, garbed in one of his t-shirts and athletic shorts. The shirt didn't hang loosely like the one last night; instead, it was pulled to her frame by way of a hair-tie holding a bunched up wad of the excess shirt at her waist.
The small woman closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the scents wafting around the apartment. If the satisfied hum and the smile she gave was any indicator, she liked what she smelled. Ruby sashayed around the counter and peered around his arm at the plates full of food.
She wrapped an arm around him with a content nod and said, "Amazing in bed, and he can cook?" She poked a finger into his cheek. "It's official, I'm keeping you."
Jaune smiled as he handed her a plate and led her into the living area. "Well, I'm just the luckiest guy in the world, then, aren't I?" His tone was jovial and jesting in nature, but his words were dead serious. He really did think Ruby was the best thing to ever happen to him.
They each flopped onto their own side of the couch, already digging into the hearty meal he'd prepared. They sat in silence, both too preoccupied to start up any kind of conversation. Jaune didn't want the moment to end. Sat beside the woman he loved more than ever before, not talking, just enjoying each other's company.
Yes, this was indeed where he was meant to wind up.
When the silence was finally broken, it was Ruby's doing. "H-hey, Jaune...?" Her playful, flirty tone had shifted to something altogether different. Shock, disbelief, mixed with a little fear hung on the two words that fell from her lips.
"Hmm?"
Jaune looked up from his breakfast. Ruby's skin was pale - more so than usual - like she was sick, her eyes were wide, her gaze locked at something on the table.
His blood froze when he saw what it was.
It was such a small thing to induce so much horror at its very sight - a dark purple box, highlighted with various other colors, a little bigger than Jaune's fist. Standing like a monument to his stupidity atop the coffee table, was the box of condoms. Unopened, completely ignored and forgotten in a storm of emotions and hormones.
Ruby Rose screamed.
Jaune Arc screamed louder.
How had he forgotten? He had gone out last night, suffered through the horrible embarrassment of buying them, how in the world had the prophylactics gone unused?
"Everything was going so fast, I..." Jaune frantically tried to figure it all out, both Ruby's and his own sake. "I completely forgot about them, even after all the trouble I went to!"
Ruby was hyperventilating by this point. "I did too!" Tears were welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any second. She grabbed hold of his bare shoulders, her nails scraped against his skin, but the pain went ignored. "Oh my god, Jaune, what are we gonna do?!"
She stared at him, silver eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. How was he supposed to answer that? Jaune could plan his way out of a losing battle in a heartbeat, but that was combat. Never in his life had he been in a situation like this. All he could think of was how much he wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
"I...I've got no idea," he stuttered between bouts of despairingly shaking his head. "I don't know... What can we do?"
Ruby fell forward, catching her head in her hands. She was trembling. "What do we do, Jaune," she repeated, "I can't handle this. I'm not ready to have a baby! I'm eighteen, for fuck's sake!" Jaune had never heard Ruby swear before, ever, but honestly, she could have stabbed a kitten and danced in its blood-fountain, he would have chalked it up to stress relief.
"Oh my god," she was crying now. "Dad's gonna kill me."
Jaune's heart stopped. He hadn't even thought of that fact. What was he supposed to tell his family? They didn't know he and Ruby were dating yet. The same went for her family. The only difference being that everywhere you looked in Ruby's family tree, it was huntsmen as far as the eye could see. Taiyang, Qrow, Yang, hell, even Zwei; all terrifying, deadly, and fiercely loyal to each other. Yeah, any hope he had of living with his skin attached much longer died right then. That ship had sailed, wrecked, sank to the bottom of the ocean, and was now food for a new coral reef.
They were both buried in more trouble than they could handle. Jaune had done his fair share of stupid things in his life, but none was as drastic as this. Maybe he'd end up with a broken arm or a telling off from his mother, but he always came out okay, for the most part. This time though, this time, the consequences were real. Two, nay, three people's lives were affected by one idiotic decision on his part.
Jaune said the only thing he could think to say, "I'm sorry." His voice was weaker than he anticipated, the words coming out more like a faint squeak than anything comprehensible. He tried again, "I'm so sorry, Ruby."
He expected her to break down into sobs, lash out in anger, scream, cry, anything that would have counted as a logical response. But nothing came. Ruby didn't speak; the only motion she made was to wrap her arms about her stomach, where it was highly likely Jaune's child was now growing. If not for the way she lightly spasmed with every breath, he would have thought time stopped. She didn't acknowledge his words, their intent, or his very presence, she just... sat there, eyes closed, face expressionless.
It hurt more than he wanted to admit - more than any harsh words or angry blow. Jaune was not afraid he'd lost Ruby, he wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see him again. No. He was terrified he'd broken her. Never before had he seen her like this... catatonic. She was always so vibrant and full of life, even when she was heartbroken. Jaune had never seen her just shut down before.
He sat next to her for what felt like hours. In truth, he neither knew nor cared how long it was. The only reason he stood up to leave was that he couldn't bear to look at Ruby any longer. Every time he saw her death-like trance, it killed him a little on the inside.
He shambled into his room in a haze, dug a pair of jeans out of a drawer, and grabbed the first shirt he could find. Once he had it pulled over his head, he realized that it was the same one Ruby had borrowed the previous night - the one she had taunted and teased him with before discarding it to drape over his nightstand. It still bore a faint trace of her scent on it - the last vestige of the perfume she'd worn on their date. The thought of keeping it on brought a wince to his face, but he felt too diminished to pull it back off again.
Jaune brushed his teeth with a dead look about his face, staring himself down all the while. He was an idiot, plain and simple. There was no other way of looking at it. All his life, Jaune Arc made rash, impulsive decisions based on however he felt at the time, and they usually had a habit of blowing up in his face. When he'd stolen his family's ancestral blade and run off to Beacon, it never once crossed his mind that he might not have been ready for such a life. When Ruby presented him with the option of taking her in, becoming one with her, in a way, of course, he took it.
And the condoms he'd went out of his way to acquire, they just so happened to conveniently slip his mind in the process.
Returning to the living area, he found that Ruby hadn't left the couch, just shifted to lie on her back, staring up at the ceiling. As he gingerly stepped in, she lifted her legs up, prompting Jaune to sit as well. A quick sigh escaped him as a thought ran through his head; she didn't hate him, not obviously anyway. As he lowered into the couch cushions, Ruby laid her legs back across his lap, effectively delegating him to be a footstool. Jaune placed a hand gently on her knee - an unconscious action, but one that somehow brought a little bit of comfort to them both.
He looked over her; the shocked expression had faded slightly, replaced with morose acceptance as silver eyes traced invisible patterns on the ceiling. Ruby's slender fingers were woven together and resting on her stomach. Jaune wondered if, now that the possibility had presented itself, she could feel anything inside her. Had the situation been planned, he imagined they would be jumping for joy at the chance of the pregnancy taking. However, it was a daunting concept, one that terrified him to no end.
The silence was deafening, but he wasn't sure he had anything worthwhile to break it with. "I... uh," he wavered but was stopped by Ruby's raised hand.
"I don't wanna hear you say sorry again," her voice was frail and creaked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.
"But I," he protested.
Ruby looked him in the eye, those mirrored pools of mercury pierced his very soul. "But nothing! It's not just your fault." She sighed, the hand that silenced him coming to rest on her forehead. "I got caught up in all the... stuff too."
Jaune wanted to object - to say that it was all his fault and accept her ire. But try as he might, in his mind, he couldn't deny that she had been just as eager to proceed as he.
"Throwing blame around won't solve anything, though," she said evenly. "We gotta face this, head-on."
Jaune almost scoffed. The way she said it sounded so simple. Like if they only acknowledged the problem, it would be any easier to deal with. This wasn't some new kind of Grimm they could beat into submission, it was a dreadful and imposing situation that would affect the rest of their lives.
"You might be pregnant, Ruby," Jaune spoke slowly, not trusting himself to not break off into a frantic tirade. "You said it yourself: we're not ready for that kind of thing."
"We weren't ready for Salem, either." Said it no nonchalantly. It was true, the immortal witch coming after them with the full force of the Grimm should have made the prospect of a baby look like nothing, but Jaune couldn't really see how that was any worse than where they were now. "And there's no way to know for sure right now. Not until I take a test, and I can't do that until I miss my... umm... that time of the month."
Jaune leaned his head back into the cushions, a slight flush coming to his face at the thought of Ruby's period. That was just fantastic. Not only did he have to deal with mind-numbing guilt and fear, but there was also no way of dispelling or proving it yet. "In that case," he sighed, "what do we do in the meantime?"
"Well," Ruby looked off into the distance, as though searching for the answer. "I think whether I am or not, we need to tell people about us."
"But we..." Jaune had to stop himself. They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret from friends and family to avoid all the drama. Ruby didn't want him to go through the torment of being threatened by Taiyang, Yang, and Qrow. Jaune wanted to spare Ruby the swarm that was his mother and sisters. They'd had a feeling their teams could be trusted to keep it quiet, but it would be difficult to hide the truth from some people and not others. Jaune always wanted to bring a girl home and introduce her to his family, but he wanted to find out if they were compatible first. It couldn't last forever; in fact, neither wanted it to. One way or another, the truth would come out, he'd rather be on top of it when it did.
"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "So we come out about 'us.' Then what? Do we tell people about this too?"
There was a genuine possibility for some nasty fallout if news of the pregnancy got out. Jaune's own family would be thrilled to find out he might be a dad. His mom always talked about how much she wanted grandbabies, and Adrian was already the apple of her eye. Might as well give him a cousin. On the other hand, even if they weren't as homicidally protective of her as they let on, Jaune had a feeling Ruby's family wouldn't take the news of a sudden, accidental child lightly.
Ruby sat up, pulled her knees up to her chin, and looked him in the eye. Her gaze betrayed feelings of uncertainty, a little fear, and resigned acceptance. "I think we have to," she said softly. "In fact, it's gonna come out eventually, might as well get it all out at the same time."
He supposed it made sense. Like ripping off a bandage, it was better to get it all over with quick.
"We could wait a while," he suggested. At Ruby's raised brow, he went on quickly. "What I mean is, if we're going to let both Blakes out of the bag, wouldn't it make sense to wait until we knew if it's sticking for sure?"
Ruby pondered for a second, her brow furrowing. "I guess so," she said after a moment of silence. "In that case, we'd be waiting for about a week."
Jaune's heart wouldn't slow down. Even though they were utterly safe where they were, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was in danger, or that the room's peace was balanced on a pinhead. Just thinking about giving the news to anyone was enough to have his pulse racing.
"So, we wait," he stated, standing up from the couch and pulling her up with him. "Take the test, then we tell everyone about us, and, if you're positive, about the baby." It sounded so simple when put that way, but so much rode on how people would take it. Ruby wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head on his chest. He felt her heartbeat, just as frantic and out of control as his own.
"Yep," she nodded. "It's just that simple."
Jaune chuckled. He tightened his arms around her, he softness calming his nerves slightly. The pair began to rock back and forth in their embrace, swaying to some silent melody. The hug, chaste as it was, did more to reassure Jaune he'd made the right choice in saying yes the night before than anything that happened in that bed. They held each other, the warmth from their bodies soothing and reminding him that it would work out.
It always did.
They had seen worse than this, and although they'd come across some hard times, they invariably made it through.
All Jaune had to do was hold on to Ruby, and trust that she'd never let go of him.
I have to admit, when I wrote the first chapter of this story, I didn't see it going this far. In fact, it was meant to end after just the one as a short, smutty but cute Lancaster fic. But then I had this idea to bring Ruby and Jaune's relationship forward in a serious, realistic way. And I do mean realistic. This situation is all too real for some people; they let their emotions get the better of them, think it can't happen to them, or just plain forget. Sex is a serious thing, not to be taken lightly - even if you are being safe and using protection. Jaune and Ruby sacrificed the huge thing that is their virginity, to prove their love for one another, but it came with a price. A very, very steep price.
As for what happens next, I'm planning on writing another fic showing the social fallout from this incident. I know that seems like a cop-out, but this story was always about just Jaune and Ruby. The reveal will affect way more people and would take way longer to do properly than what I could reasonably fit in this one chapter. For now, I hope you enjoyed this story.
Even though I try to be unbiased when it comes to shipping, Lancaster is my soft-spot. When Ruby and Jaune first met in the show, I automatically assumed Jaune would be Ruby's main love interest. Everything about their meeting screamed romance - in an awkward, quirky sort of way. Even the way Jaune described Ruby when she left him to go stand with Yang: "Where else am I gonna find a cute, quirky girl to talk to?" Pyrrha leans into the frame, "Hello!"
Anyway, let me know your thoughts, and thanks for reading. =D