Warning/ Description of blood, sexual themes, cuteness overload

Blood, dripping like water. A loud and piercing scream rang out into the air, followed by a thud as her body crumpled to the floor. Everything was fading to darkness all around her, the world falling silent as she lay there, unmoving, her arm placed gently across her torso.

"Penny!" Jaune trembled as he approached. "Just hold on! My Semblance!"

"No," she croaked. "There's not enough time to heal me."

Jaune awoke suddenly, his eyes flying open, squinting as they still adjusted to the light, but his nose had already informed him that by the strong scent of coconut and sea breezes that he was back in Neptune's room. He rolled over onto his back with a strained movement. His head spun and pounded as he sat up, groaning.

"Easy," he looked to his right to see Ren, sitting in Neptune's desk chair and scooting in closer. "You hit your head pretty hard, according to Neptune."

Had Jaune hit his head when he saw the body in the warehouse? He reached for his forehead, feeling the tight bandages wrapped firmly around his cranium. That would explain the pain and initial shock he had been feeling just before the explosion went off. "What happened? Where's Neptune? How long have I been out?"

"Jaune, slow down," Ren urged. "You've been out for a few days, y–"

"A few days!?" Jaune shrieked, almost jumping out of Neptune's bed before his body showed him exactly why Ren had told him to slow down. "Ack! What the hell!?"

"I told you to slow down," Ren stated, rolling his eyes and standing up to lay Jaune back down, forcefully but gently. "Your body is still recovering from the shock of the explosion. You went into what I believe to be a PTSD induced state of shock, too. Even with all your aura, it'll take a little more time for you to be fully recovered."

"Ugh," Jaune groaned again, internally rolling his eyes. "Sorry, mom."

"Oh, ha-ha," Ren said, outwardly rolling his. "You know, this is exactly why Nora and I wanted to come with you."

"Yeah, I know," Jaune acknowledged, rubbing his hand against his bandaged forehead. "So, where is everyone?"

"Patrolling mostly, Team RWBY is out working with Team FNKI to gather intel. After what happened at the warehouse, Theodore sent the kingdom into high alert."

"Thought we were already on high alert."

"Clearly not high enough," Nora interposed, walking into the room with a tray of food in her hands. "You could have been killed!"

"I know," Jaune replied, his face dropping into a frown. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize, Jaune." Ren sympathized and Nora sighed, setting the tray down on the desk and taking a seat on the bed as she leaned over to hug Jaune gently.

"Ow," he groaned weakly, half jokingly. "I'm still tender."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like I'm blaming you, it's just…" She trailed, her breath hitching in her throat.

Jaune reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder as he slowly sat up again. "I understand," he said empathetically. "I'm sorry I worried you guys… again."

"Stop apologizing," Nora insisted, causing Jaune to internally wince as he remembered Neptune telling him the same thing. "It's not your fault, nobody thought Tyrian would return to the scene of his first crime. It was a rookie mistake on all of our parts."

"And that begs the question," Ren said, bringing a hand to his chin as he pondered. "Why did he go back? Who exactly was that bomb meant for? I mean, it couldn't have been for you specifically, it just wouldn't make any sense."

"I don't get it either, was it for Theo?" Nora asked.

"It could have been," Jaune confirmed, scooting his back against the pale blue wall. "Where's Neptune? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, he was a bit shaken up, but Sun came back. He's with his team right now." Ren explained, observing Jaune closely as he sighed.

Damn it, Jaune thought, scowling outwardly at himself. I was supposed to protect him and here I am laying in bed, and he's the one who saved my ass.

"Jaune," Nora said firmly. "I know what you're thinking, and I need you to stop."

"What?"

"You're thinking about how you couldn't protect him, aren't you? You're upset with yourself for ending up in your current state, thinking you should have acted quicker." Ren explained, and Jaune wasn't sure if he was using his semblance or just being observant.

"How did yo–"

"Come on, Jaune," Nora cut him off. "We're your teammates. We know you better than anyone, maybe even better than you know yourself."

Of course they did, after all, it was them who'd talked him off the edge at Pyrrha's memorial statue. They always knew when something wasn't quite right with their leader, it was their job to know, because that's what friends are for– that's love. Ever since they lost Pyrrha, it had been the three of them coping with the void she left behind, it was an emptiness that was always felt no matter where they went.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Jaune. What do you think Neptune would say if they caught you blaming yourself?" Ren asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"I'd say that he's an idiot," Neptune's voice came from the doorway, causing the three of them to snap their heads to him in attention. "And that I don't need a babysitter."

Jaune lowered his head in shame, hearing Neptune stalk toward them, taking a seat closer to him next to Nora and leaning in to pull him into a tight but gentle hug. "I can't say I don't appreciate the intention, though." he quietly mumbled into Jaune's shoulder.

Ren and Nora exchanged a knowing look, smiling as they simultaneously stood from their seats. "We'll be in the living room if you need us." Nora stated as they disappeared into the hall, Ren throwing out a small salute and shutting the door gently behind them.

Neptune pulled away from Jaune, lifting his head up with a gentle finger as he did. "Jaune," he said softly. "You can't keep going on like this, blaming yourself for every little thing that goes wrong. It's not healthy."

"But…" Jaune trailed. "But what choice do I have?"

He could feel the tears welling in his eyes now, no matter how hard he fought the urge to hold them back they fell anyway. "I'm supposed to be a leader, I'm supposed to look after people, and I can't even react properly to a crime scene!" He choked. "What if you weren't there in time to notice the bomb? We would have both been blown to smithereens!"

"Maybe so," Neptune confessed, sighing as he scooted in a bit closer. "But you're only human, I was shocked too, you know?"

"But you reacted, I didn't do anything but hit my head and sit there like a scared little kid," Jaune cried, trembling as he spoke. "I'm not cut out to be a huntsman. I cheated my way into Beacon off some faulty transcripts! I wasn't meant to lead people, I'm only good for leading them to their deaths."

"Stop," Neptune said firmly, and Jaune did just that. He let out a long-winded sigh and gestured for Jaune to scoot over, which he did, and took a seat beside him, staring ahead at the door. "You know, when I was younger, I thought I'd never be able to become a huntsman after what happened with my brother. When Jupiter was there in front of me, drowning at the will of my own semblance, I was so in shock and traumatized that I vowed to never use my water attraction again."

He ran one shaky hand over the other before continuing. "I mean, what kind of huntsman would I be if I can't even control my own semblance? If I couldn't even use it to protect my friends or even my own family," he paused, turning to look at Jaune whose eyes were fixated on his face. "But then I realized something, it's not my semblance that makes me a huntsman, it's my will to never stop striving toward doing what's right," He stated, reaching out to grab Jaune's hand on his own. "Your trauma doesn't define you, Jaune."

"And you might think I'm just saying this, but you're the closest thing to a real leader I've ever had," he continues, his eyes locking with Jaune's. The familiar sense of ease that Neptune always brought washed over him as they peered into each other's souls. "I love Sun, I do, but not for his leadership. He's stubborn, brash, reckless, and he can be a tad bit selfish. But you? You're the opposite of those things, what I've always wanted Sun to be. You are a true leader, Jaune Arc."

Jaune was stunned; no one, not even the ones closest to him, had spoken to or about him with such conviction. The admiration Neptune was expressing to him now was more than enough to cause his already wet eyes to stream violently. He didn't think, he just acted, and before he knew it his lips were on Neptune's. It was brief, soft, tentative, and chaste, but it was a kiss nonetheless.

Jaune pulled back quickly in a state of panic and shock at his own actions. "Oh, gods, Neptune, I'm so sorry! I- I shouldn't have done that, I should have asked, I-"

His words were cut short by Neptune's strong hands finding their way to the back of his neck, pulling him back in for more. Jaune moaned, and a warmth filled his chest as Neptune's soft lips found his. The strong smell of his cologne, the fresh, sweet scent of coconuts and berries, was dizzying, and Jaune felt butterflies erupting in his stomach, fluttering through his chest.

He felt Neptune's tongue dart across his lips, asking for permission, to which Jaune granted. Parting his shaky lips, he let their tongues meet, exploring each other's mouths in utter bliss and curiosity. This was only the second kiss Jaune had ever had, and boy was he satisfied. Neptune pulled away slowly, his eyes still closed, as he left Jaune's lips with a gentle nibble on his bottom one to let him know exactly what he'd be needing more of.

"Don't be sorry," Neptune told him for what felt like the thousandth time, bringing his hands to Jaune's face and wiping away the streams of tears that stained his cheeks. "I've been wanting to do that since the day I laid my eyes on you at Beacon."

Jaune could feel himself blushing furiously now, he was stiff in his shorts and didn't know what to say. "I- that was… wow," he stammered, still catching his breath. "Thank you, Neptune. That was just so incredible, I don't even know what to say."

"Don't say anything," Neptune said, his voice low and seductive as he leaned back in, pecking Jaune's lips lightly. "Just stay ready for more from now on."

If it weren't for the intense throbbing Jaune was feeling from his head, he would have been certain this entire sequence was a dream. "Oh," he breathed. "Yeah, okay, yeah, I can definitely do that."

"Good, and just so we're clear, this means you and me? We're exclusive now, got it?"

Jaune let his lips quirk up in a one-sided smile. "Sir, yes sir," he agreed. "Does this mean we can kiss again, like whenever?"

"I don't see why not," Neptune confirmed, his eyes shifting upward in thought. "That… and more."

Oh. OH! Jaune hadn't even thought about that. He gulped, chuckling nervously at Neptune. "Calm down," Neptune insisted. "One step at a time, okay?"

"Okay, yeah."

"Now," Neptune started, pushing himself from his cross-legged position and settling on his knees, facing fully toward Jaune. "Do you wanna tell me what happened back at the warehouse?"

Jaune felt a pang of guilt deep in his chest. "Oh."

"Hey, hey," Neptune put his hands out in front of himself in a calming gesture. "Don't feel obligated to, if you're not comfortable talking about it then I completely understand, we can drop it."

"No, no," Jaune protested. "It's not that, it's just… it's just something I'd really wish I could just forget, but the more I try, the more it eats away at me."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but I will anyway," Jaune decided, huffing as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Do you remember Penny Polendina?"

"From the Vytal Festival? The girl who died during the Fall of Beacon?"

"Yeah, well, she didn't exactly die."

"Oh wow." Neptune contemplated.

"Yeah, I know." Jaune lamented.

"That's… wow," Neptune shuddered, turning to face Jaune again, as he'd been stuck staring at his pale blue door. "I am so sorry that you had to go through that, Jaune, honestly."

"Yeah," he breathed shakily. "Me too, but thank you, it means a lot."

Neptune placed his hand overtop of Jaune's, gripping it gently in his own. "I'm glad you told me," he said. "I'm here for you, so please don't think you have to deal with these feelings alone."

Jaune felt himself smiling, his eyes crinkling in happiness at Neptune's kind words, as he felt tears forming in his eyes again. Gods, was he an emotional bundle of chaos, he felt like he had tears in his eyes every other day at this point, but that was just how he was. Always feeling things deeply, never being able to just let go, but thankfully now he had Neptune.

In such a short amount of time, Neptune had become his rock, his anchor, an emotional pillar for him, like Jaune had been for so many others. He made him happier than he'd felt in years in such a brief span of time, and for that Jaune would forever be grateful. How could he find the words to describe how much he cared for this blue-haired, goofy, whimsical individual before him. Simple "I love you's" felt like they wouldn't do him justice.

"You're really the light of my life, Neptune, you know that?" Jaune asked, causing Neptune's eyes to widen in shock, a blush forming at his tanned cheeks, and he looked away shyly.

"Wow, no one's ever said anything like that to me before, Jaune. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, I just wanted you to know how happy you alone have made me in these past few weeks. I was happy when we returned, happy when I got to see my team again, to breathe in Remnant's air after so long of thinking I might never see it again," he explained hesitantly. "But you? You've done more for me— for my heart, than I'd ever thought to be possible. I want you in my life forever."

Neptune's face was scrunched now as he tried to hold his tears in, but failed miserably. "I- I feel the same, Jaune, I really do," he choked, and Jaune leaned in to hug him tightly, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead as he did. "Please stay in my life forever, won't you?"

"I will," he affirmed, resting their foreheads together. "I promise, I will never leave your side."

"Thank you, my brave knight."

"You're welcome, my ocean prince."

Jaune wasn't sure how or when it happened, but when he awoke a few hours later with Neptune firmly pressed to his side and snoring gently, he had realized they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms. It was dark out, midnight, and Jaune felt a low rumbling erupt from his stomach. Carefully, as not to wake his sleeping beauty, he shifted his weight from under the blankets and stood at the foot of the bed, stalking quietly toward the door.

He made his way past the living room and into the kitchen, opening the fridge and rummaging for a late night snack, when he heard shuffling from behind him. He grabbed a carton of milk, reaching for the box of Pumpkin Pete's that Neptune had sitting atop their fridge. Turning around, his plastic bowl hanging from his mouth by its edges, he was met with Blake looking back at him with a raised brow.

"You're up late," she stated, smiling in amusement when he tried to respond in muffled words. "Uh, bowl."

He placed everything down on the counter between them. "Er, right," he said, placing a hand on his head in embarrassment. "I said 'you're one to talk'"

She shrugged, taking a seat on the opposite side of the counter. "Yang snores pretty loud, double the hearing means double the chance of being woken up."

"Ah," Jaune mused. "Sorry to hear it."

"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes with a smile. "So, how are you feeling? You know, with the whole explosion thing happening, you seemed pretty out of it."

"I'm fine, thanks," he assured. "I feel much better now actually, perks of having a lot of aura, I guess."

"Yeah, that'll do it," she conferred. "So, you and Neptune, huh?"

Jaune almost choked on his first bite of cereal, coughing and spluttering lightly. "Ahem, um, how'd you, uh, how'd you know?"

"Jaune, be serious," she deadpanned, her eyebrow raised as she stared back at him. "Don't act like you guys aren't the same way Yang and I were before we got together."

"Well, actually, I think we are together-together, now technically." He informed shyly.

"Really!?" She beamed at him. "That's great! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, it means a lot," he said, smiling back at her blissfully. "I've actually been meaning to ask you something. I feel like you, of all people, would understand."

"Oh? Well, go on. I'm listening." She sat up in her chair at attention, her cat ears perking playfully as she did, causing a soft chuckle to escape Jaune's lips.

"Well, okay, here goes. How did you know you were in love with Yang?" He inquired, causing her eyes to widen slightly.

"Oh. Oh! Jaune, are you saying…?"

"I think I might be in love with Neptune, yes," he confirmed, feeling the blush rising in his cheeks.

Blake smiled at him, letting out a small hum as she sat back a little in her bar stool. "Well, for me, I think I knew as early as Beacon. It was when Beacon fell that I was sure I was in love with her. All the chaos, Yang losing her arm for me, the way she charged blindly into danger at her own expense for my sake confirmed my feelings. So I ran," she paused for a moment, contemplating. "Her selflessness did something to me."

"But how did you know?"

"Do you get all giddy at the thought of being around Neptune?" She questioned, leaning back up against the counter.

"Well, yeah." Jaune stated matter-of-factly, running a hand through his white-blonde locks.

"A sense of dread that's followed by an endless pit in your stomach when he might be in danger?"

"Yep."

"Can you remember the day you first laid eyes on him?" She asked.

"Right after our food fight, yup."

"Can you imagine life without him now?"

"I… no, I can't. Huh," he huffed, pondering as he stared back into his bowl and shoving the cereal around with his spoon. "Not at all, actually. Weird right?"

"Oh, I think you know. You are so down bad."

"Wha– hey!" Jaune scoffed and Blake burst into a fit of giggles. "I resent that statement, but… maybe I am."

"Well, you asked. Don't shoot the messenger." She put her hands up defensively. It was true, he did ask, he just wasn't expecting such a straightforward answer.

"What do I do, Blake? I just– I'm just…" he trailed, still pushing around his cereal.

"You're scared," she acknowledged. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Of course, Jaune. I was scared too at first, when I realized my feelings for Yang after my first relationship went so sour."

"So, what did you do to get over that fear?" He asked. "I want to be with Neptune fully, proudly. I just don't know how well I can after… after Pyrrha."

Blake's face softened at the mention of their late friend's name, she reached out and placed a hand on Jaune's tenderly. "Listen," she comforted. "Pyrrha loved you, Jaune, and she would want you to be so happy. I know she's watching over you, over all of us, and she would tell you to take that leap and just tell him how you feel. Am I wrong?"

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" She had said to him once upon a time, and Jaune felt a small smile forming on his lips. Good old Pyrrha, she always knew what to say.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Yeah, she would."

"Look, it took me a while, but eventually I realized that things with Yang could be much different, much better than they were with Adam. I wouldn't trade that for the world."

He sighed, knowing she was right and smiling up at her. "Thanks, Blake."

"Anytime, Jaune," she said, sliding her arms off the counter with a smile. "Now, I want some tea, do you want any?"

"Tea would be lovely." He said, smiling back at her in gratitude.

Morning made its way to the house, and by then Jaune was ready to remove his head wraps. He woke up next to Neptune again, who was already wide awake and looking back at him lazily, Jaune began counting the freckles on his face again, and this time he did kiss him. His lips found their way across Neptune's face in a series of quick and gentle pecks of affection, causing him to burst into a fit of giggles. He grabbed Jaune's face gently, squishing it to make him do a fishy face before moving in to plant a kiss on his soft, plump lips. These small gestures of goofiness that he and Neptune shared were part of the reason Jaune loved him so much, he felt as if they were simply made for each other.

He'd slept on what Blake had told him, and he'd decided that he would tell Neptune of his love for him when the time was right. It wasn't something Jaune just wanted to blurt out without proper preparation, it needed to be special, like Neptune. It would be beautiful and memorable.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Jaune whispered as he played in Neptune light-blue locks with his fingers, twirling each one gently in the spaces in between. "Sleep well?"

"Good morning to you too," Neptune replied, placing a kiss on Jaune's lips one more time before sitting up. "Any night I get to sleep next to you is a night I know I'll sleep well."

Jaune grinned wide at his words, tackling him back down to the pillow in a tight hug. "I just wanna lay here with you," he mumbled in his ear. "Can we just lay here a bit longer, please?"

Neptune let out a small oof, rolling his eyes playfully. "I wasn't going anywhere, you big goof. I was just gonna stretch, that's all."

"Oh, my bad," Jaune said, releasing him slightly and Neptune sat up again, stretching wide, his bones cracking and popping as he did. "Much better."

"Ew, I hate that," Jaune grimaced, shaking his head in disgust. "Bones popping, such a gross noise."

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to walk around stiff as a board like some people."

"You talking about me? I know you're not talking about me, besides what do I need to do that for when I have a beautiful guy such as you to give me back massages. I'll return the favor, of course."

"Hm," Neptune hums, placing his pointer finger to his lip in thought as he lays back down. "Tempting, very tempting."

Jaune maneuvered closer to Neptune, laying his right arm across Neptune's strong chest as he laid flat on his stomach, snuggling his face into his tan, coconut scented neck and breathing him in deeply. "So, my prince, I have something to ask of you." He mumbled into his skin, causing him to squirm a little.

"That tickles, you know? What is it?" He asked, giggling, and Jaune lifted his head to meet his deep blue eyes with his own.

"How would you feel about going to dinner with me? Tomorrow night, at Opal's?"

"Opal's? Like Opal's Diner? Are you sure you want to do that? Isn't that place really expensive?"

"And? It's worth it if I get to spend time with you," Jaune assured, causing Neptune to form a toothy grin. "So?"

"Of course, Jaune, I'd love to go out to dinner with you tomorrow. More than anything."

"Yes!" Jaune rejoiced, pushing himself to stand on Neptune's bed in one motion, almost hitting his head against the ceiling fan. "I promise to make it a night to remember."

"I look forward to it, I really do. Maybe after, we could head to The Overlook and do some stargazing."

"Anything you want to do, I'm down for," Jaune offered with a nod. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Neptune smiled at him fondly, pulling him back down to the bed and onto his chest, planting a ferocious kiss on his lips. "You're my favorite," he said, pulling away and leaving Jaune in a daze. "You know that?"

Jaune felt weak in the knees from their kiss and could barely manage an answer, so he settled for a distorted "Uh-huh" before rolling over onto his back. Holding Neptune's hand in his as they both stared back up at the ceiling, Jaune noticed for the first time the scattered clouds painted across the pale blue ceiling, mimicking the blue skies of Vale and Mistral. It was beautiful and made Jaune feel closer to home, but home wasn't always a place you go, sometimes home was a person and to him that person was Neptune.

He craned his neck to get a glimpse at his lover, whose eyes were still fixed on the painted clouds. This was home, in the moments he spent with Neptune every second that grew more apparent. The person laying beside him was the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with, no matter how brief or long that life may be, it was only Neptune who his mind landed on when he thought of companionship.

"I never thought I'd be this happy again, Neptune. Thank you, thank you so much," Jaune said, feeling a single tear slide from his right eye, thankful that Neptune couldn't see it from his left side. "For everything."

"It's me who should be thanking you, Jaune. Honestly, before you guys showed back up in Remnant, I was feeling really lost and without a purpose. But now? I think you just might be what I was looking for." Neptune explained, his voice gentle and soothing.

"What are you saying? That I'm–"

"Yes, Jaune, I think you're my purpose," he confirmed, rolling over to place a tender, loving kiss on Jaune's cheek. "And you don't ever have to hide your tears from me, I'll always know."

He reached over, wiping the tear that had fallen from Jaune's right eye away tenderly. Gods, how did I ever get to be this lucky? Jaune thought. Do I even deserve him?

"How are you even real?" Jaune wondered, reaching out to cup Neptune's face in his hand and leaning in for another sequence of brief kisses.

"How are any of us real?" Neptune pondered playfully as he laid back down next to Jaune. "I mean, from what the others told me, our creators are kinda assholes who didn't really give too much of a fuck bout us."

"That's true," Jaune said, recounting the time Team RWBY had informed them of Jinn's story. "But at least they did something right if it led to you being born."

"You're such a sap," Neptune teased, though his face was flushed with embarrassment. "Not that I'm complaining, maybe I have a praise kink."

"Oh really? I'd love to find out what other kinks you might have," Jaune murmured quietly into his neck as he rolled over and planted a flurry of kisses onto it, causing a low moan to escape Neptune's lips. "Maybe after dinner we can explore that, hm?"

"Oh? Think you're ready to run with the big boy leagues, huh?"

"Mm, for you? I can always make myself ready."

"Well, I can't say I don't like the sound of that," Neptune chuckled, running his hands through Jaune's hair, moaning quietly as Jaune kissed up and down his neck. "But at the pace you're going right now, I'm not sure if I'll be able to wait until dinner."

"Are you saying I should stop?" Jaune mumbled into his neck.

"Don't. You. Dare."

And so he didn't, he continued planting kisses along Neptune's neck, slowly making his way down to his collarbone and sucking on it gently. Neptune's head reeled back against his pillow and another soft moan escaped his lips, and Jaune wanted to undress him then and there. Neptune's hands found their way to Jaune's lower back, clawing at it lightly in pleasure.

"If you don't though, you're going to make me soil my shorts," Neptune pointed out, huffing in embarrassment.

"Maybe that's what I want you to do," Jaune mumbled into his skin again. "Ever think of that?"

"Fucking evil, Jaune, evil."

Jaune pulled away and planted a soft kiss on Neptune's parted lips. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "We should probably save the unholy activities for after dinner."

"Oh, I look forward to it," Neptune agreed through hitched breaths, struggling a little to regain his composure. "You do that extraordinarily well, by the way."

"Thank you, I might not have much experience at all, but you just do something to me. What can I say?" He shrugged.

"I'm definitely going to be doing something to you after dinner tomorrow with that attitude."

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds like murder." Jaune said, placing both hands to his cheeks in mock horror.

Neptune rolled his eyes with a smile. "Can you be serious for five seconds?"

Jaune scoffed at him. "You're one to talk," he pointed out. "Remember lockdown mode?"

"Excuse me!? Low blow, that is foul," he said, smacking Jaune with his pillow, causing him to burst into a fit of laughter. "That stemmed from trauma!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jaune said through a fit of laughter. "It was pretty funny, though, watching Sun struggle while you were busy locking it down."

"Oh, har-har," Neptune rolled his eyes again. "We won, though, didn't we?"

"You did," Jaune agreed. "It took some trial and error, and some coconuts to Scarlet's coconuts, but you guys pulled it together."

"At least my team didn't spend five minutes discussing our combo attack names in the middle of the round," Neptune countered, shoving Jaune's shoulder playfully. "What was that all about, hm?"

"Okay, you got me there. I'll chalk it up to lack of coordination," Jaune relented, placing a hand over his face. He had forgotten all about the Flower Power incident. "Embarrassing."

"'Ren, Nora, Flower Power!'" Neptune mocked, giggling as Jaune playfully shoved him away.

"You're so annoying," Jaune teased, rolling his eyes again. "But at least you're sexy."

"Oh, so you think I'm sexy?"

"Is that even up for debate?"

"I suppose not," Neptune mused, bringing Jaune's hand up to his mouth and kissing his palm. "But you are too."

Jaune blushed as he watched Neptune plant more kisses on his forearm. "I thought you said hold the unholy activities until after dinner?"

"What, can't contain yourself?"

"Not when you do that, I can't."

"I'm just being affectionate." Neptune told him, placing a kiss on Jaune's knuckles.

"Affectionate, seductive," Jaune made a motion like he was weighing two options on a scale. "Where do I draw the line with you?"

"I've always had a thing for blurring lines," he replied. "Especially if it's pertaining to you."

Neptune flipped over, straddling Jaune and pinning his hands to the bed. "Your turn," he whispered into his ear, gliding his tongue across it and giving it a quick nibble before making his way down to Jaune's neck. A soft moan escaped Jaune's lips as Neptune ravished his neck with kisses, his legs squirmed under Neptune's weight as he'd never felt anything so sensational before.

Holy crap, Jaune thought. "Neptune," he moaned, licking his lips, and Neptune hummed into his skin. "If you keep going like that, I'm gonna–"

Neptune pulled away suddenly, crashing his passionate lips onto Jaune's moist ones. "Like I said," he began, pulling away. "I like to blur the lines, but not yet."

He moved away from Jaune, standing up and sauntering toward the door with a seductive movement of his hips. "I'm gonna go shower and make some breakfast. I have some things I want to go over with you and the rest of the group about Sun's little escapade." He explained before opening the door and disappearing down the hall, leaving Jaune a flustered, horned up mess.

Jaune threw his head back against the pillow, sighing in ecstasy. His time spent with Neptune had all but made up for the years he'd spent in the Ever After, alone and unloved. For a time, Jaune was sure he'd spend the rest of his life as a virgin, but now he wasn't so sure, and that made him nervous, but excited.

He'd never imagined his first would be someone like Neptune, and to be quite frank he'd never imagined it at all. After Pyrrha had died, the concept of romance and companionship had essentially faded from his mind due to the guilt he'd felt, but now Neptune was here to fill that void, and Jaune couldn't be happier. He sighed again, beginning to wonder, and his mind drifted toward the possibility of a future with Neptune. Would Neptune want to get married? To have kids?

And was he seriously thinking about these things right now after such a short amount of time? He ran his hands down his face, sighing again. Yes, he was, he could imagine spending the rest of his life with Neptune, getting a house in or just outside of Argus near his sister. He imagined the sound of children laughing, the pitter-patter of their bare feet as they ran and roamed throughout the house. Visions of him and Neptune sitting on the porch together, holding hands as they watched the kids build snowmen in the cold winter seasons, filled his mind and he felt a smile forming at his lips.

His thoughts continued on, filling his mind with images of them fulfilling life milestones together, from marriage, to their baby's first steps, to them sending their children off to school. By now, he was smiling like a fool, his mind was taking him elsewhere and reality became a blur as he was filled with a sense of complete and utter joy. There was no one else, there was only Neptune. He saw glimpses of Ren and Nora, and Yang and Blake coming to visit, bringing their kids along for play dates, and he smiled wider still.

This is what it was like to be in love, and he finally understood it. Neptune was the one, that special one. Jaune felt just a hinge of nerves as he thought about the possibility of him getting too ahead of himself, not knowing if this is what Neptune would even want, but he pushed it aside in place of hope. Even if Neptune's feelings didn't run as deep as his own, it didn't hurt to hold out faith that one day they could.

He felt like he was on cloud nine as he rolled over from his back onto his stomach, planting his face into Neptune's pillow and soaking in his strong smell once more. It was blissful, utterly and truly blissful. There wasn't a doubt in his mind now, not one bit.

He was smitten beyond comprehension for Neptune, and he loved every second of it.