Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.
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Tuesday
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The previous night, Ruby and Pride focused on how Ruby and Jaune were doing. Since the older sisters are all skeptical of Ruby more than Jaune, with their doubts of Jaune being in the quality of his choice of a girlfriend, Ruby chooses to focus on them while Jaune spends time with his younger sisters. Wrath is the obvious obstacle who will need the most time- but, curiously, even Pride won't share Wrath's grievance. Instead, Pride helps Ruby accompany Lust and Avarice as they go into town on a shopping trip, hoping that female bonding time would help female bonding.
(Pride, comically, hates shopping and feminine things and is using Ruby as a dodge.)
Lust and Avarice are reluctant, but forced to take Ruby along. It's not the easiest day trip. Avarice is like Weiss- acerbic and focused on the real world- while Lust is to Jaune what Yang is to Ruby- affectionate, overprotective, and highly suspicious of anyone else. While the two sisters have been head-to-head at the dinner table about their relationship history, they've united against Ruby and hers. Both think that Jaune is just being taken advantage by Ruby, that she's baited him and seduced him into a relationship with the intent to be a gold-digger.
In retrospect, Ruby going along shopping but forgetting her wallet wasn't the best move.
Ruby ends up spending the day mostly with Lust when Avarice volunteers herself to return home and get Ruby's wallet rather than pay for a freeloader. It's apparent she'll take her time. Lust is unhappy at being ditched by her sibling- whatever happened to family first?- and while they window shop Lust makes various crude and rude suggestions for purchase. Things such as asking Ruby about the going rate of condoms at Beacon, or suggesting that Ruby was intending to get some lingerie to wear for Jaune. (Lingerie that Ruby was indeed looking at in a window, and wondering if it'd help her seduce Jaune.) It's an uncomfortable and passive-aggressive assault that calls into question why Ruby needs to win her over.
While waiting and window-shopping, with Lust being passive-aggressive about her brother's little girlfriend, they run into one of Lust's ex-husbands and an ex-boyfriend, both of whom soon realize they've slept with and left her for other women. It's not a happy meeting, and Lust's tumutulous love life is revealed. She's lost boyfriends and husbands to Grimm, infidelity, and the inherent instability of Huntress relationships. Both Huntress-Huntsman marriage, where differing missions can lead to long separations, and Hunter-Civilian, where one is often a trophy spouse to the other (such as the man who married her for the family name). This is what she's afraid of for Jaune- that he'll find someone who just wants him for his body in a passionate but doomed affair.
Despite Lust having been passive-aggressive and a bit of a tosser up to this point, Ruby doesn't join in on the ex-'s disdain or exploit some of the insults she could now turn back on Lust. Instead Ruby prevents a fight and helps Lust walk away, not taking cheap shots open to her. Lust is a big enough person to recognize this, especially given her own abuse towards Ruby earlier, and gives a sincere apology. As a thank-you and make-up present, Lust offers/insists on buying Ruby something from the clothing store for Jaune, and drags her into the sleepwear store from earlier.
Lust won't take no for an answer, and it's clear that she expects Ruby to take some of the daring lingerie from earlier, something that even Ruby considered might help her tempt Jaune into the committed sexual relationship she wants. On the other hand, Ruby already gave her word to Lust that she'd do no such thing with Jaune over this trip, and if the 'win them over' strategy works, Ruby won't need to either. It's a dilemma- until all thoughts of seducing Jaune go out of her mind as she sees one item in particular. Ruby takes it and goes to Lust, who insists on seeing what she's buying for Jaune and can't believe it when she does. Fade to black.
Scene transitions on the transport ride back from the city with Ruby, Lust, and Avarice. Avarice is confused and a bit suspicious at how easy-going Ruby and Lust are now. Lust's Yang-isms have swung the other way, going from over-protective hostility to clingy, even drunken, affection. Which she is- drunk- because they had to wait so long they went to a bar, and Ruby's been helping her walk ever since. Avarice disapproves that Lust used her own money to buy Ruby anything, but Lust denies it. It's for Jaune, and Ruby's just going to wear it to dinner. She wasn't supposed to admit that, and Avarice is tense because she recognizes the reputation of the store.
Scene transitions back to the diner. The entire Arc family has been waiting for some time, unwilling to start until they all arrived. Lust and Avarice walk in, making excuses/apologies, but Ruby goes upstairs without a word. Hungry and impatient, the family overrules Jaune's objection/desire to wait for her since the family tradition is for family, and Ruby isn't. She doesn't have to be here, and they can start without her. Jaune is trapped at the table, unhappy and even worried at how Ruby's date went, until Lust reassures him that Ruby just went to change into something more comfortable. Everyone digs in, but Lust dodges the questions about how her day went with Ruby.
Until a sultry voice calls- Oh Jaune… It's Ruby, wearing what she picked up in town.
A onesie.
To comical surprise and much laughter, Ruby comes to the table wearing the same sort of onesie that Jaune wore the night before Initiation. The Onesie that he's never worn since someone told him how ridiculous it looked. Jaune admits he's surprised that she'd wear it here where everyone will tease relentlessly. He's even more taken aback when Lust reveals that Ruby got it for him.
But Ruby didn't. She got it for herself- she got him an entirely new one for himself. Ruby pulls out what else she and Lust picked up at the store- a matching pair. The implication is obvious.
To the chant of the sisters of 'Do it Do it Do it,' Jaune succumbs and goes off to change, returning in his own onesie- the least erotic, most adorable, and utterly embarrassing sleepware possible. Jaune sits side-by-side with Ruby, both in matching onesies, and unlike the arguments and fights of the previous nights there's only smile and laughter. Lust gets up to wrap her arms around them, calling them the cutest couple ever. The two are blushing and embarassed, holding hands under the table, but embarrassment shared is embarrassment halved.
Even Wrath's lips curl upwards on Jaune's appearance, and even Nicholas's eyebrow raises when Ruby cleverly drops that at least she didn't get him another dress. It's a lead-in to the story of Jaune's cross-dressing, which every sister wants to know (and promise to give the childhood versions in return). Dinner continues, but for the first time it's an unqualified success. Laughter and light-hearted teasing, rather than fights and accusations, dominate.
That night, a tipsy Lust visits Ruby in her room. There's a bit of a flashback in which a bit more of the day trip comes out. Among other things, at the bar, a slightly tipsy Ruby and Lust talked about Ruby and Jaune's relationship over wine. Lust was surprised Ruby took something so opposite of sexy, and a wine-affected Ruby tripped and admited that she and Jaune have never had sex.
It's that moment and that realization which Lust's opinion of Ruby changes. She'd been apologetic before, but it quickly turns to outright approval. The fact that Ruby's waited three years for Jaune is a sign of dedication and enduring love to Lust. The fact that Ruby was willing to stay her hormones and wait for Jaune helps support that their relationship isn't one of the passionate, physical, and short-lived affairs that Lust has had. Lust realizes she has nothing to fear, and caution/distrust give way to adoration.
There's a certain irony that Lust's opinion is so high for something Ruby didn't and doesn't want. Ignore that Ruby was underage at first- Ruby doesn't want to wait. To which Lust goes… who does? Jaune? She's sure he wants to. Everyone wants to have sex. That's why it's so remarkable when someone doesn't. Lust thinks Ruby and Jaune are just the cutest couple ever because they've kept it so chaste for so long, and she's happy to support them because of it.
Ruby and Lust end their day with Lust taking a big-sister-ish relationship, similar to Yang. Lust heartily approves, and all she asks of Ruby in return- Lusts's promise- is that Ruby won't let passion drive her to something she and Jaune would regret, be it sex or anything else.
It's the sentiment from both before and back in the present, where Lust's ramblings are embarrassing Ruby in her own room and Ruby is wishing she hadn't admitted that she was still a virgin. A bit more when Jaune arrives in time to overhear the later bit of the conversation, creating an awkward pause between the two. Ruby and Jaune haven't talked about sex in some time. The two join forces to help Lust stagger to her room and put her to bed, after which Jaune walks Ruby back to her bedroom.
Before they part, Ruby brings up what Lust said and something that's occurred to her. Was that why Jaune put off sex for so long? Because he knew his family would approve of her more as a result?
Directly raising the question makes Jaune uncomfortable, and he meanders a bit. Ruby had agreed on for many of the reasons earlier- of being underage, of wanting to graduate- and she did mean them then. But after those stopped being a factor? She wants to know, and can't hide a hint of insecurity.
Jaune picks up on it, leans in and kisses Ruby gently, and tells her not to worry. Cupping her cheek, Jaune tells her that some people are worth waiting for. He's about to go on, when a voice calls for him from down the hall- it's Envy, wanting to spend more time with bro and ruining another moment. Jaune goes with regret and a parting look, but he goes all the same and Ruby is left alone as her thoughts start to spin.
Jaune doesn't say he abstained just for his family's approval of her. But Jaune also doesn't deny he abstained just for his family's approval of her. Who was he waiting for, then- her, or them?
Ruby shakes her head of those thoughts, and turns to bed. It was a successful day, with four sisters down and three to go. It was a good day, and there's nothing to worry about.
A pity she can't fall asleep believing that, though. She barely falls asleep at all.
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Author Notes:
So apparently FFN had some change recently where it doesn't recognize a new chapter being an update if it's posted within 24 hrs of the last one. That's why (at least when I was testing it) yesterday's chapter didn't send it to the front. It's not that I'm not doing post-a-day, I am, but the system doesn't recognize it. Just a fair warning.
Back to the fic itself...
Lust (Yang): The closest to an expy of a canon character. Lust is a different take on Yang's reputation as the buxom sex-appeal. While Yang has the reputation of the flirt, in-show we see very little of that. Lust's reputation is a bit more tragic- a reputation born of many sincere attempts at a relationship, and many failures ranging from tragic loss to personal betrayal. She's a strong woman, able to keep moving forward and not afraid to love again, but she's been hurt enough times that she's concerned for her family. Lust is the reason that Leandra and the family are as protective of Jaune and as hard on Ruby as they are. The last thing they want is what's happened to Lust more than once- to show up on the porch late at night, soaked and alone in the rain, and needing the refuge of family.