Chapter 5: Follow-through on a mistake.
So far Blake's plan was not going according to plan.
She was hoping to form a few more strategies before it actually commenced!
She didn't expect her target to arrive before her just as she decided on what she was doing!
Her head snapped back as she examined the foreign presence before her: it was indeed Jaune. His smile was sheepish and his body language relaxed, but intrigued.
He was dressed in better sleeping attire than when he first arrived at the school – now a pair of boxers and a loose t-shirt – and stood there wonderingly, his toned arms and legs visible in his less concealing pyjamas and his glowing blond hair swayed majestically in the tiniest breeze.
He looked magnificent to her. More so than any person before or since that moment. He was stunning.
It was like the male gods of beauty and virility had united with Vytal's utmost female sculptors and poet's to form him, just to please her.
But that was primarily the hormones talking.
He smiled weakly down at her and spoke once more,
"Blake? Are you ok?"
Normally she'd have responded with a covering lie, but right now she felt anything but normal. However when it came to a response, she had nothing. When she sent a memo to her brain for a response she was given… blank.
Then she began to panic. The Heat reignited. Her heart beating in her chest drowned out all other sound and shook her vision with each pound. The hot sensations of her arousal and imagination came back in spades.
She thought she should say something – anything! Anything that would divert the energy somewhere else.
Believe it or not, she wasn't ready for this.
He looked down at the young Faunus ninja, his concern growing with each passing second. His smile slackened with worry. She was casually silent by design, but the nature of her situation seemed unnecessary for it. He had just found her, huddled with her head in her knees at the foot of her dorm room's entrance. It was obviously confusing.
"Blake?"
He had made to step towards her, and help her up when her head snapped up at the utterance of her name. She looked… strange. She didn't look sad, but rather she looked frightened. Petrified almost. Her face was staunchly blank of expression, but her eyes were as wide as the full moon.
She looked up at him with those gorgeous, golden eyes; that usually held confidence and calmness, but that was eclipsed by trepidation and alertness, and were wet from crying. Not only that, they now held a mix of excitement and shock and something he had never quite seen before.
He'd often seen that kind of look before on his cat, but only when she was in heat.
Disregarding that notion, he continued to examine her.
Her hair and night-dress was frayed and dishevelled, and her cheeks were slick with tears, the small amount of make-up she wore smudged out of existence in her sleep. Her posture was stiff and muscles tense, as if she were surprised by something she found imposing. The only thing that wasn't misshapen about her appearance was her black bow; still sat neatly atop her head, and concealed her only noticeable Faunus trait.
Every minor movement he made never slipped her attention and for some reason added to her expression of blank alertness.
He took a step back and her body relaxed a little. With the way she was positioned, and the way she was looking at him, he believed she didn't want him there – somehow his presence aggravated her. He just presumed she had locked herself out without her key – much like he had before Pyrrha showed him a decent way of holding onto it – and had decided to sleep outside for the night.
He didn't think he was imposing. But he was still concerned for her, she was his friend. And his friend's well-being is more important than his own when it came to Jaune Arc. So he gave her some space, but didn't leave.
She wasn't ready for the Heat to take over and allow her the satisfaction she was yearning for since just a moment ago. She panicked, and hoped to all her competency as a stealth warrior, and to whatever god or goddess watched over her, would allow her to keep her composure.
He was still waiting for an answer, and so, in her panic, she ran with the first clear thought,
"What're you doing here?" she blurted hastily; mentally scolding herself for being defensive against the one person she's hoping to bed. 'This is starting off poorly.' She thought.
"I saw you huddled on the floor, so I wanted to see if you're ok." He said concernedly. She felt doubly terrible after realising she made him feel guilty just for being considerate. She lowered her gaze and spoke quietly,
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I just… didn't hear you coming. It caught me off guard. I didn't mean to concern you."
That one comment made Jaune reel; he caught her off-guard? The stealth master of the First-Year students of Beacon? Caught off-guard by the lamest Team Leader in the School's history? (At least that's what he imagined.) That made him really concerned.
"Are you sure? You were caught off-guard by the lousiest student in the Year. Maybe you've got tinnitus or something?" he remarked, his features stricken with worry. This, however, was such an off-handed comment that Blake couldn't help but laugh.
Her quiet chuckles to herself irritated Jaune, and he tried to defend himself by stating his genuine worry, but soon couldn't help but laugh either. Shortly thereafter the two were harrumphing and laughing loudly in the hall at each other's amusement, enjoying the company of one another.
It was a far-cry from him and her not actually talking or interacting in anyway. It was nice to see her smile and laugh. It was reassuring. The laughter also helped Blake in calming her Heat down and allowing her composure to return.
When they both came down from their laughter, she responded to his question,
"No, Jaune I'm fine. Really, I just… needed a bit of fresh air." She replied casually. And then the itch and perverse voice returned when they knew very well not to get involved,
'More like a bit of the Hooded Hunk Jaune Arc!' her own voice sang in her head. Her eyes clouded over and she yelled at herself internally.
'SHUT. UP!'
'You can't make me!'
'You will have all the time in the next WEEK to do what you want, why must you rear your little itchy head NOW!' She argued with her own traitorous mind, and outwardly her right eye twitched in aggravation.
'Because, I got an itch for Jaune and he's got a little head I want to introduce to my rea-'
'ENOUGH!'
She shook her head lightly to shake free the gunk, but some slimy residue remained annoyingly attached.
Before the Heat-voice could start, she threw out a deal,
'You can have him in the morning, but for now, leave me be!' she comprised with her Heat-muddled mind.
'Oooo, Blake-y, look whose becoming more compliant. I'll happily take him in the morning, with my coffee and eggs. Freshly buttered and ready for dipping please~' her sexual-self replied. Blake grumbled once more before her 'other' self complied and fizzled away.
'You're such a cock-block. In fact, you're a puss-'
'GOODBYE!' she concluded, opening her eyes to see Jaune crouched next to her, looking very worried.
As she got a closer look at his soft, untouched features and his deep, blue eyes, her perverse mind gave one last utterance,
'You're welcome…'
Her Heat almost pushed her to commit the act right then and there, but she held herself back. Barely. She found a way to rebuke her yearnings by reminding herself of their conditions. He was surely tired from being up this late, he looked exhausted. She too was feeling tired, but still she wouldn't let the opportunity pass by without some action being taken.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and her skin cooled from the point of contact onwards. He soothed the heat of her arousal with just a touch. Good lord, this Heat of hers was exceptionally powerful.
His brow creased as he looked worriedly at her. She hadn't responded when he'd asked her if something was wrong. Her face reacted as if she were having a conversation, but her eyes were unfocused when she did so. At first he believed she was enjoying a reprieve from whatever internal conflict she'd been having before he got there, but now he wasn't sure.
That's when he crouched beside her and tried once more to gain her attention.
"Blake, are you sure you're ok?"
She shook herself slightly to regain focus and looked at him with her feverish expressions mellowed slightly when she replied,
"No, no, not really." She chuckled quietly, casting her gaze down and to the side. Breaking the eye-contact made thinking easier for the poor Faunus.
He sat down beside her, his back resting against the wall. He leaned his head to the side to look at her clearly and spoke softly,
"What's wrong Blake? What can I do to help?" he said almost sensually, the sound rippling through her sensitive ears and making her bow twitch. It sounded so arousing, she had to squeeze her thighs shut in order to stop any advances upon the boy.
At the same time she thought of a response. 'To start off, you can give me a kiss.' And was shocked to hear her own internal voice – not her Heat voice – say that. She blushed and turned away from Jaune.
This caught his attention and he knew it was serious. Whatever was eating her was clearly something embarrassing, or personal. She was finding it hard to build up the courage to say what's troubling her. He waited patiently.
'It must be pretty heavy.' Jaune thought as he prepared to wait all night if he had to. He would never leave a friend in distress like this!
She took a few calming breaths and then began her confession,
"I'm just not… feeling myself lately." Her inner voice giggled at the irony. She ignored it to compose the next thing to say.
"Hmm. Why is that?" he asked calmly, understanding how the school could be more than a little daunting. He was no stranger to facing daunting things at this school, but he'd still like to know what was wrong.
After another calming breath she spoke,
"I'm having some… conflicting emotions about something…" she confessed cryptically. Her inner voice agreed. She felt the heat return to her cheeks, and then Jaune's powerful monsoon gaze trace her features.
"About what?" he asked concernedly.
She looked him dead in the face, and roamed his features. He was handsome, more so than she'd imagined. He had soft, set cheeks and a solid jaw. His mouth looked soft and warm. His nose was straight and accentuated his other pristine features even more; like his eyes. His thin, bold brow encapsulated his amazing, pure, bottomless, caring sapphire eyes. She became lost in those transcendent eyes for a long while before revelling in the sumptuous luxury that was his sun-blond hair.
He was very good looking, there was absolutely no doubt. Her inner voice screamed with delight.
He looked her dead in the face too, but did so sparingly. She was beautiful, he'd admit it if he were asked. Most of the women around him were, but she was… special. While she was a fantastic person and warrior; the contrast of her hair, skin and eyes just caught his attention like nothing else.
Her all-seeing golden eyes contained endless emotion and mystery and wisdom, but were contained there exclusively, and never really presented themselves anywhere else upon her. Her face was perfectly shaped, modelled like those porcelain dolls he'd seen in Vale shop windows. There was not a blemish or crease in her face, and she looked splendid. Her nose was slim and symmetrical, her cheeks looked soft and plump, and her lips looked dreamily soft and alluring, even he couldn't help but think. Her raven black hair framed her perfectly, and billowed out behind her almost endlessly. He couldn't imagine having that much hair, but he could imagine it whipping about and slapping somebody in the face.
He looked once more at her expression, it was obtusely unreadable. She didn't really emote much facially, and so told you how she was feeling. Or better yet showed you. That one time somebody knocked her book out of her hands was an unforgettable moment. Jaune still felt queasy when he imagined back to that day.
He had no idea how she managed to make a second-year's body contort against itself like that, but he was sure glad he didn't have to find out first-hand.
Both of them looked at one another in silence; Jaune waiting for a reply, Blake waiting for the right time to strike. In this moment, the calm atmosphere wore thin and Jaune became a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
While Jaune would admit he found her attractive – in many ways – he found the closeness and position they were in quite… intimate. He didn't think of her in a romantic way. He'd already had his eyes set on another. And so being this close to her, without anything to end this train of thought, made the moment quite awkward.
He looked away.
She smiled ruefully. She had gotten sight, and sound, and scent down for Jaune. His natural musky-clean scent wove up to her as she had breathed in earlier, but she still hadn't gotten enough yet. She wasn't going to quit until she had touch and taste as well.
She wanted to capture his essence before leaving, but at the same time didn't want to unnerve him.
What wasn't helping, at all, however was his poorly concealed body mere inches from her grasp. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder, and the touch drove her minutely insane. But still, the dips and rises of his progressing muscle was becoming almost too strong to ignore. She'd have to thank Pyrrha for toning her 'man' later.
Resuming the conversation, she mentioned passively as she drew her knees closer,
"Oh, you don't want to know."
"Trust me, I do." Was his immediate reply. Though he still looked away from her,
"No, really, it's not… Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to waste your time." She said, resorting to letting him go for the night, though her inner voice complained. She wanted to ascertain his signature, but didn't want to tire him with worry. She made to get up and return to bed,
"My time is wasted if it isn't spent helping a friend in need." Came his bold reply. Blake was slightly taken-aback by his conviction in caring for his friend. She was truly touched. Past all the hormone-addled cravings and Heat-related thoughts, Jaune Arc had firmly implanted himself on the Faunus girl's concealed heart, however minutely.
Blake then received new-found feeling for the goof beside her. It surprised her immensely, to see someone so far outside her personal ring of trust – that so far almost nobody occupied – cared so much for her. She became… confused.
She was fully aware of the fact that she and Jaune would never work out. They were far too different. But, still, to feel this empathy and – dare she say? – love from someone, Jaune especially, was… mind-bending.
She knew she did not love him. And if she were to, it would be futile. She knew that. But still, this new warmth – however small it may have been – in her chest was new and… she didn't even know what. Like a fire in a cold desert she didn't know she occupied, or a high, dry perch from an unsettled sea she hadn't realised she sailed across, this feeling seemed to be deeper than she was used to.
She sat still with confliction. And with a heart-felt urgency she asked him, as if the clarification would help decipher the cryptic new feeling inside her that Jaune had created,
"Really?"
He heard the emotion in her voice, and knew that what he said next would be taken super-seriously. This swept the confidence right out from under him. He looked away and scratched the itch in his neck.
His meagre response came out with as much brazenly weak firmness he could muster,
"I'm willing to wait all night."
That single sentence froze her instantly. She felt genuine care from Jaune for wanting to stay with her while she struggled with her own problems. She was touched. She had never felt loved like this before. Sure her friends and teammates would always be there for her, she knew that; but nobody, not once, has ever come close to this kind of raw, pure devotion of love in her life.
Even if she knew she didn't love him, and it wasn't him outright stating his love and desire to mate, it was still one of the nicest things anybody has ever said to her.
And with that, she let flow the tears held behind her golden irises and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Meanwhile, just behind the two students, the room of Team RWBY was alive with activity.
This chapter was a bastard to right. It took me ages of re-reading my work to see if it was up to my standards. Hopefully you guys like this.
What's more, the response to this story has been awesome. It's incredible. Plus 5000 views! Unbelievable.
Also, how is it that I've managed to supersede 'Je Na Sais Quoi' by The Flippant Writer and 'An Unlikely Bond' by AnInterestedThirdParty? Those stories inspired me into writing about these two, and yet somehow I'm past them! I don't mean to gloat, but seriously, that's just bizarre.
Man, my fans are super awesome, thank all of you! I really wasn't expecting this kind of reaction to my writings. I really don't deserve to be ahead of 'Je Na', that story is fantastic. If you haven't already, go read it. You'll thank me.
Apart from that, I just hope you have a good life and I'll see you when I see you.