Jäger Chapter Seventeen: A Night to Remember
MorgothII: Hello again! Sorry for this chapter being shorter and most likely a let-down considering its importance, but I reached a writer's block for making it more detailed and still be able to maintain my goal of at least one chapter a week. I will make a one-shot soon that will be more detailed about the dance, but you can read a bit more about this and some other announcements at the bottom, so on with the story!
The normally-stoic seventeen-year-old boy known by most as the Jäger, and only a select few by his actual name of Jake Torchwick, stares uncomfortably at the sole mirror in his dorm room. "I fucking hate ties," he growls, trying to loosen the glorified noose. Thankfully, a laughing Hei Xiong had been able to supply a suit that fit a scowling Jäger perfectly. Jake had no idea what his 'date' (the almost-always confidant teen had no idea whether it was an actual one or not), Ruby Rose, would be wearing. Instead, she (through a surprisingly-calm Yang Xiao Long) had said that he should wait for her near the reception stand that Yang would be operating for the opening stages of tonight's dance party.
Jake checks the clock. It is almost time to head out. He takes a deep breath to help steady his nerves. 'Oh for the love of all things holy, you have never been even a hint nervous when you're killing a large group of armed terrorists on your own. But when a girl, even if this is the first time it has happened, asks you out to a dance before giving you a kiss on the check, you become a nervous wreck!' chides the logical part of his brain. Jake then exhales, his nervousness being partially sedated. He then begins to slowly walk towards the door in his dorm room.
As he grips and prepares to twist the door knob, Jake shoots one quick longing look at the sheathed Sōryū. Inside his mind, Jake debates about whether or not he should bring the ancient sword. Finally, his tactical side wins. The Jäger grabs the katana and attaches it to his belt. He grunts in approval, having felt a bit awkward without the weight of his sword at his side. Then he exits the room.
Later…
"Looking pretty sharp there, Jake! It suits you very well!" Yang chortles as Jake enters the dance room. Said teen boy rolls his brown-hued eyes to the roof slightly in mild frustration. Yang and her dammed puns. Then a slightly devious smirk comes to his face as he addresses the buxom blonde, who was wearing a simple but rather elegant white dress.
"Snowman," He says in a slightly deadpan voice. The results are immediate, and for Jake, a bit humorous.
Her lilac-colored eyes widen for a fraction of a second. During that same amount of time, her face takes a somewhat haunted appearance. She shakes her blonde head slightly as she recovers, addressing her younger sister's 'date'.
"No…just no. Never again. Moving on, so Ruby will be here shortly…."
As Yang goes on and on, Jake starts to tune out the brawler, and powerhouse, of Team RWBY. Instead, he notices the three supposed students claiming to be from Haven Academy. The green-haired girl and silver-haired boy appear to be dancing, while their leader watches from a shadowy corner. For now, they appear to be simply enjoying the dance. Still, the Jäger is wary. He knows something is up. Jake just doesn't know what it is just yet, and that makes him slightly nervous.
Jake's attention becomes focused on the present once more as Yang suddenly speaks up. The already super-energetic blonde brawler suddenly becomes even more enthusiastic, bouncing up and down slightly a few times as she addresses the latest person to enter the temporary dance room. When Jake hears what she says, he looks up.
"Oh, you look beautiful!" She coos. Meanwhile, the Jäger's lower jaw drops slightly, even if it lasts for only a tiny fraction of a second. The girl in front of him is still Ruby Rose, but yet at the same time, completely different, save for her unique black-and-red hair and silver eyes.
For the first time in his life, Jake sees his unofficial (and formerly semi-resented) partner (and friend, and maybe even lover?) not wearing her beloved red caped hood. Granted, he has seen her in her pajamas without it, but that didn't count in his view. The young scythe-wielder wears heels, though Jake can't help but notice that her panty-hose covered legs are shaking slightly. Ruby wears a red dress that stops just above her knees and starts full-covering her body from her chest down. The dress has no sleeves, though a slight choker is at the base of the neck of the leader of Team RWBY. Jake idly notes in the corner of his mind not in awe that it seems to be partially responsible for holding up his dance partner's outfit. A thin, see-through layer of fabric covers the area between her neck and chest, though her shoulders are also bare.
"Ah, can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asks, being a little bit uncomfortable to the different footwear. She also doesn't immediately notice the awed look on Jake's face, or even the presence of her (apparently not-so-secret) crush. As if on cue, she lets out a slight yelp as she stumbles forward, still unsure of how to walk with heels, apparently. Yang holds a hand in front of her mouth in an attempt to hide her amusement at her little sister.
As his younger classmate continues to stumble forward, leaning closer and closer to the ground while trying to regain her balance, Jake shakes his head slightly. Before the silver-eyed Huntress-in-training could fall on her face, the Jäger gently grips her shoulder and helps her up.
"Easy Ruby, I've got you. Your sister is right, by the way," Jake says kindly to his best friend as Ruby somewhat regains her balance. She blushes slightly before replying.
"Thanks Jake. To be honest, I hope I never have to wear these kinds of shoes ever again," She says frankly. Jake chuckles in response before replying with his own thoughts.
"And I hope the same with these damn suits and ties. Bad enough we have to wear something similar in class, but even that is too much for me."
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat causes the two fighters to stop talking. Yang looks at them with a smirk. "Glad to see that you two are bonding over clothing bashing, but I think you would enjoy being on the dance floor instead of blocking the door," Ruby's older half-sister suggests. After quickly sharing a glance first at the door, then at each other, the two team leaders quickly move deeper into the rather crowded room.
Half an hour later…
The night had been a rather pleasant night overall for both the Jäger and his unofficial partner. As the slow dance song he and Ruby, neither of them realize that their heads are getting closer and closer, until their noses are almost touching. Lost in each other's eyes, they lean in just a little bit closer.
The kiss is not only the first full kiss between the rifle-wielder hunter and scythe-wielding silver-eyed girl, but it is also the first time either of them has kissed someone on the lips. It is not a simple, unrefined kiss full of wild passion. Rather, it is a gentle match of lips. While it lasts for only a few seconds, the moment seems to stretch for almost an eternity as the two realize what they are doing, eyes widening slightly, not in horror, but surprise that is pleasant for at least one of them.
Then the embrace of their mouths is broken as Jake straightens up slowly. Even as her own pale cheeks flush a bright crimson, Ruby is treated to a rare sight. The normally stoic Jake is also blushing. As socially awkward as the fifteen-year-old girl is, even she can tell that her friend and crush is feeling rather unsure of what he should feel about the kiss.
"Man, I am beat. Let's take a break for the next few songs. Why don't you go grab some punch for us?" She suggests, biting her lip as her insides become consumed with a mixture of hope and anxiety. Best case scenario, Jake returns the black-and-red haired girl's feelings. Worst case scenario would have Yang probably going on a rampage, and also her ruining her friendship with the still overall solitary Jäger.
Jake nods silently before he heads off to the refreshments table. Once he is out of sight, she exhales slowly. Ruby then heads outside, thinking that maybe some fresh air would help calm her down. She would be back inside before long, and maybe by then Jake will have made up his mind about how their relationship/interactions should proceed from now on. She grabs Crescent Rose out of habit from where she had placed the scythe/sniper rifle combination weapon alongside almost all of the other weapons, aside from Jake's blade, Sōryū, which was attached to the belt of said teen boy, had been placed by the students.
Meanwhile, as Jake finishes pouring some punch into two plastic cups, having passed by a silently-determined (probably something to do with Weiss Schnee once again) Jaune Arc who had just left the same table, he notices that two people are missing from the room: Ruby Rose, and the amber-eyed woman in charge of the suspected infiltration team pretending to be from Haven. The combination of the two absent females makes the Jäger nervous once more. 'I'll deal with the whole kissing Ruby later.'
Just then Jake feels his Scroll go off in his left pocket. Swiftly moving towards a vacant table near the exit, he places the two cups down before pulling out the electronic device. As he reads the message, his gaze takes a mixture of horror and determination as he reads the contents of the message sent by Junior.
One of my boys reported that he saw someone wearing a mask just entered the CCTV tower. Something tells me that I don't think it's simply a late-night tourist going for a sight-seeing tour. Also, just got a second message that reports that a certain scythe-wielding teen is heading towards the tower as well-Junior
"Fuck!" Jake whispers harshly, drinks now completely forgotten. He runs for the exit. Ruby may be a skilled fighter, but if this woman is who Jake suspects it to be, his dance partner is going to be in way over her head. He only hopes that he can make it in time as he grips the hilt of his katana, ready to fight.
And done! Again, sorry for the let-down, just ran out of time for my schedule and a bad writer's block. Next chapter might hopefully partially make up for this. That should be up either by the end of this week or next week. Also, I will be posting a brand-new story that talks a bit more about this 'Order' that has been mentioned recently. The first chapter will be up today. Anyways, thanks again for reading and all, leave reviews/comments down below, have a great week, and until next time! Next chapter: Jake Torchwick Versus Cinder Fall.