The warm rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains bathed Summer in their morning luster. She sat on the edge of the bed, her arms above her head as she stretched, emitting a soft moan with the satisfying strain on her muscles. Her feet blindly sought out the comfort of the slippers placed beside her bed, and after a few tries slipped them on. Their soft, pillowy warmth relieved her from the coldness of the hardwood bedroom floor as she stood up.
It was time to make the morning rounds.
Exiting outside her room, Summer walked the short distance down the hall to where a closed door stood on either side of her. The first one she chose was the left one. She did not hesitate to open it up.
Stepping inside, she saw her sweet baby girl still asleep. Still unconscious. Moving over next to the bed, she laid the back of her hand on Ruby's forehead. No fever. She hadn't been expecting one, but some motherly instincts could never be forgotten.
Standing back up to full height, the woman smiled down on her daughter. "Hang in there, sweetie," she whispered warmly. "You'll be better soon."
It was sound advice for the sleeping girl that Summer knew all too well. Using silver eyes for the first time was a draining experience. What she had told Jaune yesterday had been true. It was a family condition. One that Summer had dealt with personally. Ruby would wake eventually, and she would be stronger for it. She would have a new weapon to utilize against the forces of darkness.
Summer would be there to teach her how to utilize it to its fullest potential.
After leaving Ruby's room she stepped up to the door across from hers. Yang's. She placed her head up against the door, her trained ear listening for any signs of movement or activity from inside. She heard none, and it was still early in the morning. Far too early for a teenager to wake up naturally, even after just having experienced a full school year of doing so. Cracking the door open enough to peek in, Summer's silver eyes spied the prone form of her other sleeping daughter. No point in waking her up needlessly.
Shutting the door again, she sighed. She'd missed both her girls dearly while they were away at school. The house had been so empty this past year. While she was happy her little birds were back in the nest, she never would have wanted them back under such terrible circumstances. But here they were, and there was nothing she could do to change that. All she could do was return to being there for them. To return to caring for them. To return to being Supermom.
Being Supermom started with a delicious, home-cooked breakfast.
Summer quietly made her way down the steps toward the living room, and to her surprise, found the couch that Jaune had made his bed empty. A glance at the clock indicated that it was only around eight in the morning. As she had previously mused, far too early for a teenager to wake up. So then where was her houseguest at this time of day?
She entered the kitchen, the coffee pot already automatically brewing the much-needed caffeinated drink on its set timer. The appetizing aroma filled her nostrils, but there was another sensation which filled her ears. Drawn to the back door, she saw it slightly ajar. Through it she heard dull thumps and harsh grunts of effort.
Through the window she saw him. Her long lost houseguest. And he was… he was…
Shirtless!
Jaune stood outside, a heavy axe in his hand and piles of split wood on the ground surrounding him. It didn't take long for Summer to put the pieces together, as the boy took another chunk of wood and placed it on the chopping stump in the back of the house. Raising the axe in both hands, he slammed it home on the top of the wood, splitting it clean in half with one blow. Both pieces fell to the sides, and he was already bending down to grab another block to hew.
Summer watched as the tight muscles of his arms flexed and rippled with every grunt. With every swing of the axe. All over his torso, different muscles did the same. Biceps. Deltoids. Pectorals. She wasn't sure what the boy looked like before, but it was clear that a year at Beacon Academy had done him nothing but favors.
In the morning sun she saw how sweat glistened on his bare flesh. After splitting the latest piece of wood in half he rested the head of the axe on the stump, and wiped his brow clean of perspiration with his free forearm. Summer swallowed hard at the sight, unashamedly admiring the physique of the boy half her age.
It was as if she had gone back in time. To a time when a younger man, one who also had blond hair and blue eyes, had done the same kind of activity when he and her had first moved into this home. The resemblance was uncanny. Jaune was paler and lacked tattoos, but it still brought back memories to a happier time in her life. It stirred feelings both warm and melancholy. Though she knew the man that was her husband was gone, seeing Jaune right now… the sweat on his arms, the grunts of effort, his butt in those blue jeans…
Summer shook her head clear of the thought. It brought her back to reality. To the reality of the situation. A cool morning breeze hit her, covering her skin with goose bumps, and here Jaune was not even wearing a shirt.
Of course! That's the reason I noticed his muscles. It's cold outside and he's not wearing anything!
Pulling the back door open and pushing open the screen door, Summer stepped outside and stomped toward the young man. "Jaune Arc!" she said sternly. "Where is your sweatshirt, young man?"
The boy followed through on his last swing, though it failed to connect effectively with the wood after being surprised by the woman's voice. He turned in an instant, a soft, innocent smile on his face. "Oh, good morning, Summer," he greeted.
"Don't you good morning me, mister," she continued, stepping up next to him. Their height difference forced her to look up in order to peer into his eyes, but that made her intimidating gaze no less effective. She had years of training to perfect her motherly looks. Here was a child who needed chastising. "What are you doing out in this weather shirtless?"
His reaction to her question told her that she still had it. She could still grill even a six-foot-something man with just a few pointed words. Now Jaune appeared as if he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Never mind the fact that being a cookie thief was really more of Ruby's forte.
"Um, well, I knew I was gonna get all hot and sweaty," he explained nervously. "And I don't have a change of clothes here, so I took my shirt and hoodie off so I wouldn't get them all dirty."
Hot and sweaty, eh? Summer's gaze fell down to his chest once more. You certainly were… her mind wandered. Another soft shake of her head banished such thoughts from her brain. "Well put them back on this instant," she ordered. "You'll catch a cold out in this weather."
"Is it cold?" he questioned. "It's still pretty early in the Fall."
It may not have been freezing, or even cold enough to see her own breath, but being out in this weather covered in sweat could quickly take a toll on even a young, healthy body. "Yes it is cold out. At least too cold to be chopping wood without your sweatshirt."
Jaune set the axe down, and carefully stepped through the piles of wood to retrieve his black t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt. "Well you're not exactly bundling up either, Summer," he nodded back toward her. "I see you're out here in a nightgown."
Perhaps her motherly instincts had overtaken her to the point of not remembering or noticing that she too wasn't exactly dressed for such weather. By the look of how her body was reacting, the cool weather was having an effect on her as well.
A pair of hard, perky nipples were poking through the thin layer of fabric of her nightgown. It wasn't sheer enough to see through, but the tightness the garment had on her bust and the cold weather's effects on her was more than enough to make it very obvious that her body was freezing as well.
Summer quickly turned, raising her arms and crossing them over her chest. To Jaune, hopefully it appeared that she was crossing her arms in indignation over him back-talking her. In reality, she was embarrassedly covering up the fact that her girls were trying to present themselves for the world to see. For Jaune to see.
She hoped he hadn't seen.
"Yes, you're right," she hurriedly agreed. "Excuse me."
The woman rushed back inside, face flushed and red with embarrassment over what had just taken place. She had all but flashed her daughters' friend! What if he thought she was some dirty old cougar trying to seduce him? After all, who went outside in just a thin nightgown like she had done?
If Jaune had noticed, he was far too polite to stare. That in the very least was comforting. He wasn't some horny teenager. He had manners. He had respect. Then again she had already figured that out the day before. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she had figured out what kind of man he was.
Summer only hoped that he didn't get the wrong idea of what kind of woman she was.
Are you sure? her mind asked.
Yes!
You got a good look at him. It's only fair that he got one too.
Shut up!
She hurried back up to her bedroom, grabbing a robe from the closet and putting it on. She closed it around herself, wrapping the cloth belt around her tightly so that not even a trace of skin below her neck was showing.
As she made her way back downstairs she found that Jaune was back inside, but still hadn't put on his shirt. She wanted to question the decision, but the words died in the back of her throat once Jaune started speaking.
"I'm going to grab a quick shower, if that's okay with you," he preemptively struck. "Just so I don't stink once I put them back on."
Summer nodded, purposefully averting her eyes from his naked torso. Jaune apparently had no qualms about walking around shirtless, so why should she?
Because it's dirty to stare at a boy half your age… no matter how fit he is.
"Yes," she agreed. "There are fresh towels in the closet across the hall from the bathroom."
"Sounds good. I'll be back soon."
"Take your time. I'll get breakfast started."
"Can't wait. All that work outside got me starving. Thirsty too."
Apparently that makes two of us…
She shook her head again.
Thankfully Jaune was gone. Not that she minded his company, but Summer needed time to regroup from the sight of his sweaty, toned body.
Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she took a sip of the bitter, unsweetened drink, hoping that it would help give her mind some clarity and focus. Sitting down at the kitchen table she nursed it for a couple minutes, and soon enough she had regained a semblance of control over her thoughts.
It had just been shock. That's all. After so many years of not seeing a man's body like that, and the fact that he reminded her so much of a young Taiyang, her body had reacted unconsciously to the stimuli. It would be like anybody else seeing an attractive body of the opposite sex. The body just did things on its own, despite what the mind wanted. Or in this case, what the mind didn't want. Summer most certainly was not lusting after her daughters' friend. No matter how good he looked shirtless.
With a cup of liquid caffeine now surging through her veins, Summer stood and began to get to work. Armies fought on their stomach. Huntsmen were no different. Even though Yang was currently incapacitated, and even though Summer herself only rarely took on work anymore, their bodies were still in peak physical condition. They required fuel to function and perform at the highest levels.
Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Juice. A blend of protein and vitamins that would help jumpstart all their bodies and lead to a happy and productive day. At least that was what she hoped was the case. Food could only do so much for a person's body. For Yang, for Jaune, and soon for Ruby, they would require far more than just physical nourishment to recover. No, their worst traumas lay inside. In a place where food couldn't help to cure.
The smells and sizzles of breakfast filled the kitchen, and Summer was using the entire stovetop to ensure that the food would get done quickly and in bulk. With four mouths to feed now instead of just her own, it was far more food than she was used to preparing. She'd probably need to head to the store soon in order to restock and prepare caring for her babies.
The dull thud of footsteps sounded from behind her. Wrapped tightly in her robe, Summer turned to see a now thankfully shirted Jaune standing in the doorway.
"Smells great," he commented with a smile.
She smiled back, always appreciative to hear someone speaking kindly of her cooking. "Thank you, Jaune." She nodded over to a pair of plates that rested on the counter. "Some of the first batch is ready if you want to get started."
Jaune followed her gaze to see piles of bacon and scrambled eggs spread on two plates. He hesitated before speaking. "I can wait until it's done if you want."
Sweet and polite, but unnecessary. "I insist. Please, start without me."
For another moment he stood in silence before finally relenting. "Okay. Thank you."
Summer turned back to the stove to shift the bacon which crackled in the frying pan. As she had said yesterday, there were worse things in the world than a teenager who was too polite. It was much better than the alternative.
However, no amount of politeness would get Jaune off the hook for what happened this morning. "Jaune, may I ask why you were up chopping wood so early in the morning?"
As the boy sat down with a plate filled with meat and eggs, he gazed up sheepishly at her. "I saw you were low on firewood," he explained. "And I grew up with seven sisters, so we all kinda had to do our part around the house to keep the place clean and running. So I figured I'd help out. It's the least I could do for letting me stay here."
It was an honest, thoughtful, and frankly touching explanation. However…
"I thought I made it explicitly clear that you were to do no household chores while in my care," she reminded him.
Jaune couldn't meet her gaze, and those deep blue eyes of his reverted back down to the plate. Like a puppy who had just been yelled at for taking food off the table. "I know," he said guiltily. He knew he had gone against her wishes, even if he had the best intentions in doing so. "But with Ruby still sleeping and Yang injured, I just felt like I had to do something. I couldn't just sit back and let you do all the work in taking care of three people. Not when I'm perfectly capable of pitching in. My parents taught me that I should never be a burden when staying over as a guest. Figured chopping wood would help you out…"
He had invoked both Ruby and Yang into his explanation, and in an instant Summer's heart swelled. She turned back to the stove, unable to prevent the soft smile from creeping onto her lips.
"That and… I kinda feel useless right now…" he continued. "I couldn't stop things from going wrong at Beacon. The least I can do is help you out around the house. Even if it meant going against what you said."
Summer's eyes closed and she exhaled a deep breath. With words as genuine as those, how could she hold them against the boy? "How can I stay mad after an explanation like that?" she finally said.
She turned back to him, the smile still gracing her lips as she saw Jaune begin to devour the breakfast she had prepared. Perhaps it wasn't so bad that he had decided to help her out. It wasn't so much like caring for a third child as it was cooking for her late husband again. To have him sharing the burden of the housework while caring for their two girls.
Summer lost herself in the sight, her warm eyes taking in the sight of the blond young man sitting at her table and eating her cooking. Doing so with such vigor and enthusiasm. Jaune certainly had worked up and appetite this morning.
Only when he spoke did the trance finally break.
"So after I finish I'll go back out and bring some of the wood in," he said between bites. "That way you'll have plenty of wood to burn when it gets colder at night."
The woman turned back to tending to the eggs. "So you knew it would be cold enough that we'd need firewood, but not cold enough that you'd need a shirt?"
She may have been able to forgive him for doing chores against her wishes, but as a mother she could not idly stand by and watch a boy her daughter's age do something so foolish and risk getting himself sick.
"Um, well… when you put it like that it doesn't sound too smart…"
Summer laughed softly, taking glee in the easy victory she had earned over him. "Your heart was in the right place. That's really all one can ask for, right?"
"I suppose."
Judging the last of the bacon and eggs to be done, Summer turned off the stove's flames. "Did you find everything you needed in the shower okay?"
"Yeah. Towels, soap, shampoo, the works. I just…"
The redhead tilted her head curiously as she began preparing her own plate of food. "Hmm?" she wondered.
"Well like I said before, I didn't wanna get too dirty. And since this is my only change of clothes, well, I wonder what I'll do if I stay another night. I only have what I'm wearing with me."
That would indeed be a problem. He'd need to do laundry sooner than later. "I could always wash those for you. It wouldn't be a problem."
She sat down at the seat to the left of his own and began to dig into her own breakfast. Apparently her explanation hadn't covered all of Jaune's concerns.
"Right, but what will I wear while the clothes are being washed?"
The question gave her pause. What indeed? She didn't have any of Tai's old clothes anymore. They probably would have fit. But none of her things would, even if Jaune was willing to wear women's clothes. The same applied for Ruby and Yang's. No, Jaune was sadly lacking in attire to wear while he stayed.
"I could probably pick you up something when I go to the store later," she mused. "Maybe just a simple bathrobe, and I can do your laundry when you take your next shower?"
"I guess. But it would be kind of awkward to sit around the living room in a bathrobe. Especially with Ruby and Yang around."
"You could hide out in my room until your clothes are dry," she suggested. Immediately afterward her eyes went wide for the briefest of seconds. Of course, suggest to the boy he hide in your bedroom in nothing but a bathrobe. You're not a perverted old cougar at all, Summer.
To her surprise, he agreed. "I guess that could work."
His mind hadn't gone to a dirty place. That was good. Very good.
It was time to change the subject, and fast. "I don't ever want you to feel like you're a burden here, Jaune. In all honestly it's not often I have guests over, so it's nice to have company who isn't Ruby and Yang's uncle. Don't get me wrong, Qrow is a close friend, like a brother to me. But he is by his own admission more of a lone wolf. He never stays too long."
"Oh. Well, I'm glad I'm good company then," he smiled. His next words betrayed the happy expression. "I wouldn't have thought so, honestly."
Summer lifted a single finger, pointing accusingly at Jaune. "No putting yourself down at the kitchen table, Jaune."
To her surprise, Jaune pushed his seat back and stood up before taking a few steps back toward the sink. "I wouldn't have thought I was very good company," he reiterated.
The physical aspect of the comedy trumped the fact that he had gone against the spirit of her warning. Summer's lips curled into a smile, followed quickly by laughter.
"Sit back down, you goof," she ordered through her laughter. The smile on Jaune's face exuded satisfaction, knowing that despite her not wanting him to put himself down, that his self-deprecating humor had landed. "You are good company."
He complied returning to his seat next to her and smiling down at the last of his breakfast. "Thanks."
"You're very mature for your age. I'm a little bit surprised myself that it's so easy to speak candidly to one of my daughters' friends. Especially one who I've only just met."
"Mature?" he questioned after swallowing the last of the eggs. "Now that's funny. Back at Beacon I would be the last person anyone would call mature…"
There was an unspoken sadness to his words there. Pretty much anytime Beacon was brought up, sadness and tragedy came with it. That's how it would be for a long time. For more than just him, no doubt.
"Tragedy has a way of making us grow up in an instant," she replied softly. It hadn't been that long ago that she was a young, carefree mother of two.
Then she had been a widow. Becoming a widow had made her grow up far quicker than she would have anticipated. Far quicker than she would have liked. She held no grudges, for there was no one to be angry at. Only the Grimm. Only Salem.
And Salem was not an enemy she could vanquish in a quest for vengeance.
Brothers… how would she ever tell Ruby and Yang about the reality they faced? Or Jaune? How could she sit here making small talk with him knowing the evil they had fought, and suffered against, all in vain?
"Yeah. I guess it does."
Jaune stood, taking his plate over to the sink before depositing it there. He turned the water on, rinsing the bacon grease and debris from it to be washed down drain.
"I'm sorry you had to experience it," she continued. "To go from a carefree teenager one moment to a real huntsman the next. It's a burden that no seventeen year old should ever have to suffer."
"Eighteen, actually," he corrected her.
"My mistake. In any case, you're far too young to go what you went through." She recalled yesterday, when Jaune had cried on her shoulder. When he had let his heart weep thinking about his lost friend and partner. "Remember that I'm here if you ever need to talk."
"Thanks," he offered again. The water was still running, and his hands were causing quite a commotion in the scattered dirty dishes that laid in the sink. "But really at this point I want to try and stay busy. That's also kind of a reason I want to help out around the house. Just to keep my mind off things, you know?"
Sure enough, the boy was filling the sink. Summer saw how he grabbed the bottle of dish detergent and poured some into what was undoubtedly a sink filling with warm water.
If he wanted to keep his mind off things to help him deal with his trauma, who was she to stop him?
"I'll let it slide then," she conceded. Standing up, she took her own empty plate and put it in the warm water. "But only if you let me help."
Standing side by side with the boy, she glanced up at him while he looked down at her. A soft smile played on his lips as he did. "Well I guess compromising is part of what it means to be an adult."
"And you are an adult now, mister eighteen years old," she quipped with a soft elbow to his ribs.
He laughed, more tickled by the prodding than anything else. He exhaled something between a sigh and a laugh, nodding his head in defeat. "Yeah, you're right. You can help."
"How generous of you to allow me to do the dishes in my own house."
Jaune laughed again. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"Of course not, dear," she agreed sarcastically, grabbing the sponge from the edge of the sink before dipping it in the water. After a few squeezes it was filled with warm soap and water. "I'll wash, you rinse and set aside?"
"Sounds like a plan."
The plates they had just eaten off were the first to be done, Summer cleansing them of all traces of food before handing them off to Jaune. After rinsing them of all the suds he set them into the small rack beside the sink where they would air dry. They made for quite an efficient team, cutting the work in half and making for an easy completion of the chore. She would have had to do dishes soon eventually anyway, so it was nice to have someone to stand beside while doing it.
"So is there anything you'd like to do today?" she asked.
Jaune shrugged. "Nothing that I can think of. Oh, if you'd like I could help you at the store. Just… I dunno. Carrying things?"
"You're a sweetheart, but I think I can manage grocery shopping on my own. Besides, I'd like someone to be home in case Yang needs anything."
"Right, right," he agreed. "And if Ruby wakes up."
"Yes." Summer looked down, the contents of the sink hidden from her under the layer of soap at the surface. Feeling around a little bit, she was surprised to learn that nothing remained. "Wow, we got that done quickly."
Jaune turned the water off before reaching for a towel that hung near the sink. "Teamwork makes the dream work. Happy to be of service."
Summer wiped her own wet hands off next. "And I'm happy to have you here, Jaune. Housework goes by a lot faster when there's someone to help out and talk to. Keep this up and I won't want to let you go back home."
"So you went from chewing me out for doing chores to holding me hostage to do more?"
She chuckled at the comment. Jaune really was pleasant company, and for an eighteen year old was indeed surprisingly easy to talk to. She didn't know what kind of a boy he had been back at Beacon Academy, but he had matured into a fine young man.
Before she could respond to his words, a third voice sounded from outside the kitchen. "Hey, mom. What smells so- Jaune?"
Both people turned around to see Yang standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Clad in a mustard yellow shirt and black shorts, she appeared more confused than anything else.
"Good morning, sweetie," Summer said as she strode over, taking Yang in her arms and giving her a tight hug. Yang returned the embrace the best she could with her one good arm. Her bandaged right limb hung loosely at her side. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay." Summer knew she wasn't. Not with how monotone the normally excitable voice of her eldest daughter was. Yang pulled back, and the mother of two saw how her daughter looked up at her for a moment before shifting over to get a full view of the boy behind her. "What are you doing here?"
"Jaune stayed the night, Yang," Summer interjected before Jaune could speak. "I invited him to stay until Ruby wakes up. It wouldn't be right if he came out all this way without getting to see her."
Jaune offered her a small wave. "Hi."
Yang nodded. "Ah, that makes sense."
"How are you doing?"
Her gaze shifted over to the counter where more food rested. "I'm fine." Yang's tone was flat, and Summer knew she was lying. However, it wouldn't do to call her out on it. "How long ago did you make breakfast?"
"Only around fifteen minutes ago. But you might need to microwave it a little to get it hot again."
The blonde girl stepped deeper inside the kitchen, grabbing a fresh plate before she began to pile food onto it. Mostly bacon. Not surprising.
"Would you like to join us this morning?" Summer asked, trying her best to keep her tone from sounding too hopeful. She didn't want to guilt Yang into anything she didn't feel like doing.
"Nah, I'm okay," Yang said, turning with a plate full of lukewarm breakfast in her left hand. "I'll be in my room if you need me," she continued, stepping back out of the kitchen and making her way up the stairs toward her room.
Summer frowned. She knew that Yang wanted to be alone right now, but it still hurt to see her in so much obvious pain. Her sunny little dragon seemed to want nothing more than to hibernate in her lair.
A look over at Jaune told her that he realized this too. He may have only known the girl for a year, but even he knew that a Yang who wasn't the center of attention and the life of the party wasn't a normal Yang.
"Should I try talking to her again later?" he wondered.
Summer would have loved that, if Yang were receptive toward it. However, she knew her eldest daughter enough to know that right now they just needed to give her space. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. She'll come around when she's ready."
Jaune nodded. "Ah. Right."
"I appreciate the thought though" she smiled. "Just the offer… I'm glad my girls have a friend around who they can count on. Those are in short supply these days."
She was suddenly even happier to have him here now. Maybe he wasn't going to solely rely on her for emotional support. Maybe… maybe she would need someone to talk to as well. Someone to listen to her own thoughts when it came to her baby girls.
"Any way I can help, please just let me know."
Summer knew he wanted to be helpful. She knew he wanted it not only for her and her daughters' benefit, but for his own as well. He wanted to keep his mind off of his own trauma. He wanted to feel useful. Maybe keeping him around for a while would do them both a world of good.
"I will. Thank you, Jaune."
Her husband was gone, and she was at peace with that. It wouldn't be wrong to have another young man around the house to help her in these trying times, right?
Author's Note: Well I'm glad to see this has been so well-received. And I'm glad to see that so many people are enjoying my take on Summer. She's been a lot of fun to write, which is strange for a character we know next to nothing about in terms of her mannerisms and personality. So thank you for all the compliments!
And my thanks go out to everyone for wishing me well. Hopefully soon I'm able to get back to writing all the stories both you and I know and love.
Finally, of course, thank you for your interest in this story, and for all of the support you've shown. Your feedback is always dearly appreciated, and I do love knowing if you've enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.