*Author's Note*
Dravyn here (duh), and I am apparently back to my old ways. This chapter is brought to you by two hours of sleep and several cans of Monster. If my spelling is off, I've been affected by the flu lately and all I've been doing is sleeping. My brain is mush. Nice, slimy, and soft mush. Well, enough about my dwindling brain. Time to see the end of the birthday Arc.
Returning to the room with Ruby in tow, Yang sprung her plan.
"Hey, guys. How about we go take Jaune out for dinner? To celebrate his birthday in advance?"
"Wow Yang. That's an unexpected idea coming from you."
"And what does that mean Ren?"
"It means that none of us expected you to think of something so subdued you big brute," interjected Weiss.
"Ahh, whatever! I'm hungry, so let's get going." Saying such, she turned from Jaune just so her face was out of his direct line of sight. With a wink, she moved her head in the direction Ruby was in ever so slightly, to give the others some hint as to what her plan was. Pyrrha nodded, giving a knowing smile. Weiss sighed, rolled her eyes, but otherwise showed she understood. Blake just smirked. Ren looked impassive, but knowing. And Nora was smiling like a freaking serial killer.
"Sorry Yang, but I need to complete my report on Beowolves and how their behavior patterns differ when in a pack. But make sure to bring me back some cookies!"
"Well, if Ruby doesn't want to-"
"Nope, sorry Jaune!" Without being apologetic at all, Yang grabbed Jaune forcefully by the forearm. "This is your birthday we're celebrating, so you will be showing up, capich?"
Now, despite his having improved, Jaune still held a healthy amount of fear for Yang. And why not? He'd seen her one time maul an Ursa to death with her bare hands, simply because the poor thing had the bad fortune of showing up during Yang's "monthly time." The poor Ursa had wandered on to campus near the Emerald Forest's exit, and Yang had been napping nearby. When the thing had gotten too close to Yang, it made the mistake of roaring. This woke Yang up, who dodged its vicious claw, and retaliated by grabbing it by the throat and choke slamming it into a tree stump. After dropping the Ursa like a bad habit, she mounted the beast and proceeded to beat it senseless until the white and crimson mask that adorned its face was completely shattered. Only after having performed such overkill did Yang end it. The once vicious Grim was reduced to a pile of fur and bone, as Yang had smashed at the beasts face until the skull had caved in.
Bottom line, Jaune was absolutely terrified of a passed off Yang, and still held a healthy amount of fear towards her. Not wanting to further argue with Yang, he agree to go out and celebrate his birthday with the gang, giving one last look to his girlfriend before leaving her behind on her own.
After her boyfriend and friends had left, Ruby got to work. Grabbing out the Lunare Impetus, her tools, spare parts, and a smithing apron, she got to work. The Lunare Impetus were, for all intent and purposes, finished in the general sense. They were fully functional, and in perfect working condition. But Ruby wanted to further customize them, make them more for Jaune. With this in mind, she thought back to the maneuvers Jaune was practicing earlier.
After having gone over the blades of the weapons with a yellow dust-laced paint (a mixture that added to a weapon's durability, and improved its cutting edge, generally reserved for knives and daggers), and giving the hilt/grip a white and yellow color scheme, she began to craft a small disk. On this disk, which had a diameter less than the width of the hilt/grip, she began to carve the double crescent moon emblem that adorned all of Jaune's gear. Successfully making six of the disks, one for each side of the three pistol/knives, she painted them gold and put them onto the weapons. All that was left was to add one final piece, something Ruby had thought of watching Jaune's practice earlier.
Meanwhile, as his girlfriend was smithing with a level of skill that would make most students of the craft jealous, Jaune was being wined and dined by six of his best friends. Kind of.
The group had gone to a classy place that Weiss knew of. No special outfits needed, and no need to dress fancy. They could just dress like normal and go, which, incidentally they did. After arriving, Weiss take the server to the side, whispered a few words to the guy, and got the VIP section completely reserved for their group. Another act that reminded Jaune, and the others, that her name was practically a do-what-you-want card in most cases. So, taking their seats, Jaune looked at the menu, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. They had options from every corner of Vital- no, not just Vytal. Practically all of Remnant. But what really stood out to Jaune was the price. Holy crap, the price...
As Jaune was searching for the least expensive thing on the menu, the waiter came and started to take orders. Before Jaune could say anything about the price, Yang piped up and ordered a steak dinner. What the hell Yang? Do you realize how expensive this is?! Jaune's inner thoughts were admonishing Yang, until Weiss ordered. She ordered something with a name so fancy that Jaune could not even begin to pronounce it. But he found it on the menu, and the price was ridiculous. It cost twice as much as Yang's dinner. Holy shi-. And one by one, everyone else ordered something off of the menu casually, apparently not even noticing the price. When it finally came to Jaune, he gave up and did the same. Ordered himself a steak, with a side of roasted potatoes and a small bowl of strawberries.
"Strawberries, huh?" Yang asked, seemingly to nobody in particular.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Ruby loves strawberries, and she's kinda got me starting to like 'em now. Hehehe." Jaune said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Looking to him, Yang focused intently on his face. Or rather, it was more like she was focusing on Jaune himself.
"Uhm, Yang? Is there something on my face? Did the bread get caught in my teeth or something?"
But Yang did not give an answer. She simply shrugged and looked away from Jaune, and towards the now arriving waiter carrying a tray full of food. Nobody could even begin to guess what was going on inside of her head. No, all they could or would do was focus on the extremely fancy food set out in front of them. While everyone was digging in, Yang was deep in thought. She was currently considering her view of Jaune.
He's been going out with Ruby for a while now. I can't keep wanting to protect Ruby forever anyhow. Not that she'd need it, if he was the one attacking. Hehehe, Yang let out a slightly crept grin as a thought went through her head. One of Jaune making an unwanted advance on Ruby, and Ruby tearing him limb from limb with her monstrosity of a weapon. Well, she can handle herself. And she does seem to love him... Oh brother, what a pain.
Back with Ruby, she had long since finished the gifts for Jaune. After having cleaned up, she was just getting out of the shower when the others came back. Walking out in her PJ's, towel wrapped around her messy red hair, she greeted them. Nobody would've known that she was just covered in grease and dirt. As it had gotten late, NNWB had returned to their own dorm to wait out the morning. The rest of RAYR did as their leader had and prepared themselves for sleep.
In the morning, the room was peaceful. Well, it was peaceful. The moment Ruby got up, she woke up Jaune and told him to get ready. With no strength to argue, he got up. Leaving the bathroom to Ruby. After getting dressed, Ruby came out ready for the day as well. Her hair in its usual messy, straight style. Her combat skirt detailed by red frills and a red corset. It was a look that, Jaune reflected, looked dark and mature at the same time. Were her skirt a little longer, she would be able to pass as more seductive than Goth. But Jaune liked it regardless.
The two left the dorm to spend the day together. Meanwhile, the plan sprung. Out from their beds, Ren and Yang sprang up, clothed and ready to go. A second later, a knock sounded at the door. It was their friends from team NNWB. The six of them got to work, setting up a small celebration in the room. Nora, hyper as she is, began to put up decorations. Ren and Blake, being the only two who can control themselves, were sent to buy vast quantities of junk food and drinks. Weiss, of course, just funded it. Pyrrha and Yang were in charge of directing Nora, in all of her hyperactivity.
And the day passed. The group left at the dorms set up the small celebration. Decorations, food, and gifts were all set up and ready. And Ruby had done an excellent job of keeping Jaune from the school all throughout the day, so that they could set up their surprise party. And Jaune, with his lack of self-esteem, made the whole process work a lot smoother.
After having just wandered from store to store, Ruby felt the day was used nicely. But despite having walked into about fifteen different clothing stores, she didn't buy a single thing. Nor, for that matter, did Jaune. But Jaune was treated to a nice little fashion show. At each store they had gone to, Jaune was given the chance of his short lifetime, when Ruby began to try on different outfits. Casual wear, like jeans and t-shirts. Evening wear, including dresses Jaune never thought he'd see Ruby wear, and was glad that she did. And some rather... daring, pieces. Jaune could only try and secretly take pictures on his scroll of these ones.
On their way back, Ruby pulled Jaune into Dust in the Wind to grab a bite. Of course, their orders were the exact same; a slice of strawberry cheesecake, plates of chocolate chip cookies, and a bowl of strawberries dipped in chocolate. To drink, both had gotten a mug of hot cocoa, and a glass of milk. The manager, who was on duty tonight, came over to chat with his favorite little customer. After talking a little while, and finishing their food, Jaune paid the tab. Or rather, tried, before the manager told them it was on the house. A gift, for his birthday, said the manager. Thanking the manager profusely, Jaune took Ruby by the hand and wanders out of the cozy little café.
Returning to the dorms, Jaune was surprised to find a lack of Yang, Ren, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, or Nora. Well, he was thankful to not have to deal with her. But still. As they reached their room on the second floor, Ruby stopped Jaune.
"Jaune, I know I haven't said this yet, but..."
Before Ruby could say what she'd wanted to, the door to their room had burst open, and a gloved hand with golden bracelets shot out, grabbed Jaune by the collar, and dragged him into the room.
""""""Happy Birthday Jaune!""""""
Jaune was on his butt, in the room. And before him stood his six friends, all wearing some really cheesy party hats that seemed to be made by a child.
"Ooh ooh, hey Jaune! How's it going? Happy birthday! See? We set up this awesome party! I prepared the decorations. Oh, and the hats too. Like them...?" Nora. That figures.
"Wow, thanks everybody."
"Well guys, let's get this party started!"
And with that, Yang threw on the music, and pulled out enough junk food to last a hardcore gamer a week. So the teens just hung out, congratulating Jaune on somehow surviving to this point, and praying he gets strong enough to see his next birthday. During the festivities, Yang pulled Jaune away from the group to speak with him.
"Listen here Vomit Boy. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest to you, and I'm sorry. I know you mean a lot to Ruby, and I'm going to assume that she means just as much to you. Right?" Getting a confirmation out of him, Yang continued. "So, I just wanted to let you know that you now have my blessing. However, I will still be watching. No cheating or making Ruby cry, got it?"
"You have my word." Jaune said rather quickly. He was afraid, after all, of the slight threat in what Yang had just said. Despite her not having said anything violent, Jaune knew with certainty that in what Yang just said, there was a tiny clause that gave her the right to kill him should he do anything to Ruby that she deemed undesirable.
"Good. Now, let's go enjoy your party, okay?"
And so they did. Games, food, and a few hours passed by in the blink of an eye. And it finally came time for presents. From Blake, he received a book about a young woman who used a large sword to cut apart monsters, having been granted the power of the monsters themselves to do so. From Weiss, he received a small, expertly cut red dust crystal of high quality. From Ren, a book on relaxation techniques. From Nora... socks. The heck?
"Well, socks are useful for a lot of things. Keep your feet cozy, use as a dust rag, and you can hang it on the doorknob when you and Ruby want- mpmhpmfpmfpmh."
"Nora, shut up."
From Pyrrha, Jaune was given some shield polish, because "A hunter must always look their nest!" And then came Yang, who gave Jaune a small package. In the package was a frame that held a picture of Jaune and Ruby from the Midwinter Dance. The frame itself looked customized, as it had small chibified versions of his friends, with Blake, Weiss, and Yang to one side, and Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha to the other. And in the middle of the frame, there were two small Chili's; one of Ruby and one of Jaune, and they were kissing.
"Wow, thank you Yang."
"You're welcome, but I can't even hold a candle to what my little sister got you."
Ruby was the last to present her gift.
"Ruby, did you try wrapping this yourself?"
Ignoring her older sister, Ruby gave the gift to Jaune. It was wrapped poorly, but Jaune didn't care. He found that the thought of Ruby trying to wrap the thing, whatever it was, was cute. But whatever it was, Jaune could not guess. Despite the small size, the thing had a good bit of weight to it. But what Jaune found, he could not have seen coming.
Inside were three knives, the same kind he used in the training hall. But these ones looked new and fresh. Their blades were a polished, with a faint glow emanating from them. The hilts were a pale yellow, with the barrels and triggers having a white/cream color. And also on the handles were the Arc family crest. Small discs of pale gold and silver. They were beautiful, but Jaune noticed something. A small attachment to the trigger/trigger guard. Noting his confusion, Ruby explained.
"Well, I saw you practicing with banking your throws using the gun parts recoil to give it the required force, so I added that to make it easier. See, before you throw, you can adjust this part to be where the hilt will strike the rebounding surface, allowing for more efficient and accurate banks in this manner. Also, the guns have more power than the ones you practice with, so they'll fly faster and with more force."
Jaune just stared at Ruby, as did a few others. Nobody could have guessed at what Ruby would have been doing, but Yang of course. Still, the detail and time that must have gone into them. Impressive.
"Oh, and Jaune? One last thing."
Getting on her toes, Ruby put her lips to Jaune's, and held them there. After what felt like an hour to Jaune, but was really a second or two, Ruby pulled away. "Happy birthday, Jaune."
Yes it is, he thought.
*Epilogue*
After the party had been done with, and everyone had gone to bed, Jaune was left awake to pick up the remains of the night. Picking up the trash and such, Jaune was tossing them out while grumbling about having to clean up his own birthday party. Picking up the box that had contained Yang's gift, Jaune noticed something fall out. A card.
'Dear Jaune,
Congratz on surviving another year. Well, haven't really known you long enough to say that, have I? Well, anyways, I approve of you dating my little sister now. Just remember to treat her right. Anyhow, Happy Birthday again, and all of that.
-Signed, Yang
P.S Call me big sis, and the Arc family line ends with you.
P.S.S Use the following responsibly ~.^ 3 (Sorry if the size is wrong)'
Shaking the card some more, a small, wrapped up square fell out, with a bulging circle in the center, and the word Magnum written on it.
...
What the heck?! Thought Jaune. As he thought about it, and what it meant, he decided to hide it. Pulling out his wallet, Jaune set it behind some credit cards, and threw the wallet back in his jeans. All the while, thoughts of him, Ruby, and that little surprise permeated his mind for the remainder of the night.
*Afterword*
Wow, Jaune. You are such a pervert.
Anyhow, this is the end of the birthday arc. Yeah, sorry about updates, but my schedule and health are killing me. Not to mention, my laptop is no longer cooperating with me, so I gotta wait til payday to either get it fixed, or get a new one. Yeah, not fun.
So, I had some fun with this chapter. And the ending? Hope you all liked that. Don't worry, I'm unlikely to make this any bit smutty for a while. Who knows? Though I likely won't be writing any sort of 16.5. Nope, not having that. But who knows what else I'd do?
Anyhow, so I hope you all enjoyed that. I'll do my best to bring you the next chapter when possible. For now though, please bear with me. I miss my old "One a day" schedule too. That was fun, to a degree.
-DravynLeCrux