Here we are everyone, a poem for Yang. I couldn't find it in me to make one for Ruby yet, but hers is definitely coming. That, along with one for Weiss and maybe another one for Blake. I've also considered writing a poem where two girls are present at the same time of Jaune's rambling. So if there's any preferences for a combination, please leave a review.
With that, enjoy the read every one and have a happy new year!
Cheers, Searoar.
"Yang, I know you said that you were great at sled racing, but I thought we agreed that this next race would be a two-on-two. So pick a partner." Sun sighed and gestured to the two girls behind the blonde brawler.
Weiss, dressed in an off-blue winter coat with knee-high boots, observed the scene with both interest and boredom. For one, she was excited to see Yang's overconfidence get the better of her a second time, and that Neptune was also here. She eyed the goggle-wearing boy with a meticulous eye. He'd done well to amend their misunderstanding at the dance, and though Neptune's ability in the musical arts wasn't to Weiss' standards; she'd adapted and enjoyed herself all the same.
Next to the icy heiress, was Blake Belladonna who was roped into her partner's antics as usual. Leave it to Nora to be persuaded to give out her friend's location on the promise of ginger-flavored pancakes. Blake frowned. She hadn't finished writing down her poems, and she wanted to return the favor to Jaune for putting her in a decent mood. Perhaps she'd write one for the blonde boy, as a reward for being one of the few people to not annoy the cat Faunus during their vacation.
Blake nuzzled her nose in the thick scarf around her neck. Jaune's sincere words and his husky voice whispered in her twitching ears as they sought shelter from the cold wind beneath her black bow. Blake knew this was a figment of her imagination, but then why did it feel so real? Blake blinked. She already knew the reason, it was because what transpired between her and Jaune was a memory, which means it actually happened.
"Just give Ruby a couple more minutes," Yang laughed with false bravado. "She said she'd be my partner, and I trust her without a doubt. That's the power of a sister's bond for ya."
Sun and Neptune didn't share the sentiment and told Yang that she'd have to forfeit the competition if she didn't choose a partner. Yang looked behind her and considered her options. On the one hand, Weiss was an expert when it came to controlling an icy battlefield, but her lack of experience with sleds would no doubt be a hindrance. That, and Weiss wasn't known for taking the rough route to solve her problems. Then there was Blake, the book-loving ninja who'd rather stay indoors ninety percent of the time unless there was a sale at her favorite bookstore, or when it was her turn to go grocery shopping. Not to mention Blake was just as, if not more against the idea of this sled race which left Yang with a limited arsenal.
Yang could try to coerce her opponents to give her a handicap, but then again, it was Yang's idea to have this rematch in the first place. So it would be pretty lame for her to back-peddle at the last minute. Yang tugged a stray lock of hair and bit her lower lip. What could she do to stall a few more minutes? She could ramble about the newest action movie, or go down the hard road and try to drag one of her reluctant teammates onto her red sled.
"I'm here!" Ruby yelled with a dramatic fist pump.
Yang thanked Oum and breathed a sigh of relief. Leave it to Ruby to rely on her semblance to arrive right on time. Or rather, better late or never was a better description of the young reaper's arrival. Nonetheless, Yang was more than happy to start the race and waved to her sister to join her on the sled.
"Ah, that's your queue, Jaune!" Ruby revealed the boy she'd dragged along, but with his body flat on the snow, all Jaune could manage was a half-hearted thumbs-up.
"What?" Yang, Sun, and Neptune all said in unison.
"I'm here to be... Yang's partner for the race." Jaune picked himself up, but with how dizzy he was, he opted to squat instead.
"Yeah... no," Yang said as softly as she could. She didn't mind her fellow blonde, but he had a history when it came to fast speeds and high altitudes which often led to vomit and by extension leaving a mess around him. Yang had no interest in having to take an extra shower today, but with the clock ticking and Sun's and Neptune's impatience growing, she didn't have much of a choice in the grand scheme of things.
"Hey, Jaune?" Blake took small steps and put herself in oddly close proximity to the boy.
"Er... yes, Blake?" Jaune stepped back at the curious face he was shown. Why was Blake looking at him like that? The only time he could recall such an inquisitive expression was when Blake bought a new book, but he wasn't a novel by any means.
"Do you have time after this?" Blake's whisper was so hard to hear, that Jaune had to lean in very close to making sense of her words.
"Um... I think so. But the movie is in a few hours, isn't it? What do you have planned, is it going to take a while?"
"T-That depends..." Blake said timidly and buried her face deeper in her scarf. However, with Jaune so close, he could see the hot blush that covered his friend's cheeks and through his peripherals, he could see Sun curling a brow.
This left Jaune with a conundrum he could not hope to understand. How often did Blake act so meekly, especially around him? Did he say something when the two of them returned to Beacon on the bullhead? Or did he miss an important detail when they were still in Vale? Whatever the case, Jaune was stumped and began to look to his peers for answers as Blake had gone completely silent.
"What did you do to her?" Weiss cut in with her usual sharp voice.
Jaune shrugged, but the raised brow on the heiress' face remained.
"I'm not sure, all I did was run into Sun and Neptune in the shopping district in Vale, and then I happened to run into Blake at the bullhead boarding platforms..." The blonde explained. To his shock, Weiss' eyes narrowed, and... was that the faintest bit of pink on her cheeks, or did Ruby's semblance scramble his brain to the point of hallucinating?
"You... rambled didn't you?" Weiss said with both hands on her hips.
"Well... of course I did. It helped me get my mind off my airsickness."
Okay, Blake was one thing, but why was Weiss now staring at him as if he'd committed a horrible crime? That, and why hadn't Blake cleared up the situation? She was standing right in front of Jaune... just staring at him. With those beautiful amber eyes while her reddened cheeks peeked out of the confines of her black scarf.
The longer Jaune looked at Blake's eyes, his mind started to waver into rambling territory, and when he opened his mouth his sincere personality emerged. This made Blake's heart skip a beat and she closed the distance between her and Jaune in an instant.
"Hey! Are we going to get this sled race underway or what?" Yang yelled and snagged Jaune by the collar.
The boy's serious expression vanished as quickly as it had come, and the darkness that loomed over Blake nearly swallowed Weiss and made Ruby squeak at how deadly her dark-haired teammate's aura had become. As Jaune was dragged away, Weiss and Ruby could have sworn they heard Blake mutter some sort of evil mantra.
"B-B-Blake?!" Ruby took Weiss by the sleeve and pulled her to safety.
"He was going to say a poem..." Blake brooded. "A poem about me..."
Ruby was too flustered to understand Blake's ominous whispers, but Weiss was honed in on the strange attitude of her friend. Immediately, Weiss' head snapped between Blake and Jaune in the distance who Yang was trying to muscle onto her sled with the promise that she wouldn't punch the boy if he didn't throw up.
"Uh... Weiss?" Ruby gave her partner some space. Why was Weiss acting funny now? None of this made a lick of sense!
"I'll be taking Jaune after we've settled things here," Weiss said firmly.
However, Blake's radar had mellowed enough so that she was aware of her surroundings, and the conversations that encompassed them. With a single leap, Blake pounced and landed right in front of the heiress who showed little reaction. Ruby, all the while, sought the aid and protection of an approaching Scarlet and Sage who were late to the party.
"What do you mean, you're taking him?" Blake hissed.
"I mean exactly what I said." Weiss huffed with a hand on her hip. "I can't leave Jaune's idiocy unattended, and that's proven through how you're acting."
"Excuse me?" Blake glowered as Weiss scowled.
Meanwhile, with Yang and Jaune...
"It's alright, Yang, I promise this will be a good ride for the both of us. I've done plenty of sledding with my family back in Mistral, and I can guarantee that I'm a B-grade pilot!" Jaune patted his chest with a proud smile.
"Alright, but if you get any vomit on my hair, or anywhere else on my clothes or body, you're dead meat." Yang huffed and took a seat on the sled.
The sled was wide enough for two people to sit side by side, and long enough for a person to sit in front with one on the back. This arrangement caused some heat to seep into Jaune's cheeks, as while the boy didn't dare to ogle Yang, he could not help the fact that he'd be pressed up against her no matter where he sat.
"Well, are you going to sit down or what?" Yang pointed to the spot in front of her and her decision brought relief to her sledding partner.
If Jaune were to sit in the front, then he'd be more focused on where the sled was going instead of how nice Yang's shampoo smelled... The boy was quick to give his forehead a knock and got himself into position. Legs crossed and eyes on the handlebars, Jaune smiled at the memories that flashed before him. He used to sit like this with Saphron all the time, as despite being one of the tougher girls in the family, Saphron tended to be rather wimpy when it came to sledding or anything fast like rollercoasters.
Hah, yes, with the winter breeze brushing his golden hair and the sun dimming over the horizon, the setting couldn't be any more perfect for a wave of melancholy... or a heartfelt poem in regard to the blonde bombshell who occupied the sled.
"Hey, Jaune, what are you mumbling about?" Yang sighed. "Don't you realize that we've got a race to win? If I spend the rest of my vacation's allowance on snacks, I swear to Oum that I'm going to make you regret it. Specifically, your wallet."
This did little to gain Jaune's attention or focus, and the boy continued to ramble to Yang's displeasure. This made the brawler take drastic action, and she demanded that she swap places with Jaune. She couldn't afford to lose this sled match, as both her pride and precious vacation allowance were on the line.
"Damn it, Ruby," Yang grumbled as she glanced at her cowering sister who was being comforted by Scarlet and Sage. "At least if we lost together then I wouldn't feel as bad...
Again, it wasn't that Yang disliked Jaune, she just didn't have that much faith in him when it came to fast-paced reflexes and dynamic body weight shifts given she'd witnessed Jaune in the training rooms firsthand. Though Yang did use a motorcycle, so she was used to dealing with situations that involved high speed so she didn't think it entirely fair to compare herself to her fellow blonde.
"Alright..." Jaune took a deep breath and exhaled. His hot breath smelled like mint, which Yang was relieved to know since she didn't detect anything gross in the mix.
However, as the brawler got comfortable, she relented as Jaune's ramblings returned. It would seem that it was entirely up to Yang to claim victory, which she supposed how it should have been from the start. Yet, as Sun and Neptune began the countdown, Yang's ears honed in on the warm, low, and husky breath that tickled her neck.
Was... Was that Jaune? Yang shook her head and her golden hair swished back and forth as it brushed against her shoulders, back, and chest. Yet the boy's voice persisted, and soon he had his blonde maiden encaptured by his stunning tones of poetry. Completely, unbeknownst to him, of course.
Yang's heart began to pound, and the heat spread to her face which was soon covered in a deep cherry hue. Yang bit her lower hip, flexed her fingers on the rails of the sled, and scrunched her toes. She needed to stay focused on the race, to be the best sledder in Beacon, and to prove that she could win this competition with her eyes closed if need be. Yet, the moment the brawler closed her eyes, she no longer envisioned the race's finish line. Instead, she saw herself in Jaune's lap, as he whispered sweet nothings to her under the setting sun and the lonesome white cloud that oversaw them.
It was a nice image, having his fingers brush over her flushed face and thick curly locks while he spoke words that would make any girl's heart melt in the winter snow, and when he leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead, then slowly work his way down to her plump pink lips...
Yang blinked in alarm. That happened to be the exact position that she found herself in, minus the kissing, but when did she lean back? And why was Jaune's lap so damn comfortable? It was because of the pants he was wearing, that had to be it, and yet all the boy wore was the standard Beacon uniform. Sure, the school dress met all the requirements of the average teen, but that didn't explain why Yang couldn't help but put her head on the legs that wore it!
Also, was she in motion? Yang rolled her head to the side to see the trees in the distance whipping past one another. Or rather, it was her who was skipping past them at a breakneck pace. Since when had the sled started to move? More importantly, who on Remnant was driving it?!
Yang looked up again and witnessed a face she'd never seen before. His cerulean eyes burning with pure passion and determination, Jaune grasped the sled's railings and gently shifted his body weight back and forth in a rocking motion. This was pleasant for Yang, to be sure, but what of the race? With how lax Jaune appeared to be taking things, it was obvious that Sun and Neptune had already reached the finish line...
"O-Oh well..." Yang sobbed as her inevitable defeat was in sight. At least Jaune had made the loss worth the while with his nice choice of words...
"...Mademoiselle?" Jaune asked in a gentle tone.
"H-Huh?" Yang opened her eyes and felt a thumb wipe away her salty tear.
"And why does my golden dove weep? Is she discontent that our journey is near its end? Allow me to rid you of such an unpleasant feeling..."
Yang could not hide the dumb grin that spread on her hot face and tucked in her arms twisted her torso, and kicked her legs as Jaune wiggled his fingers under her clothed armpits and delivered a playful tickle.
"J-Jauhahane!" Yang giggled. "S-Stahahap! I'm ticklish!"
"NO WAY!"
The loud voices snapped Yang from her giddy state and did the same for Jaune. The two blondes peeked over their sled and found they'd completed the long race down the hill in record time. Sun and Neptune couldn't believe it either, as they arrived a minute later with downtrodden expressions.
"Haha!" Jaune chuckled. "Looks like we won, Yang! Guess you get to keep your vacation funds after all, eh?"
Jaune received no response and gulped when he realized the position that he was in.
"O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Yang!" Jaune hurried to stand but made sure to be mindful of his sledding partner as he assisted her out of the winter ride first.
Out of the sled, Jaune wiped his sweaty forehead and offered a humble wave to the approaching Sun and Neptune. They didn't look happy, but given they were the losers of the race, who could blame them?
"Alright, I want to know what kind of trick you guys used. Were you hiding a semblance from us, Jaune?" Sun asked and jabbed a finger against his fellow man's chest.
"No..." Jaune scratched his cheek. "At least I don't think I have a semblance. Why, did I suddenly glow or something when I was riding down the hill?"
"Yeah, speak up, Yang!" Neptune huffed. "What secret technique did you guys use to get around the huge wide turn at the end?"
The three boys looked to the girl for answers but were shocked into silence when they witnessed the flustered face of the confident and boisterous, Yang Xiao Long. She was a nervous wreck, with her legs trembling, lips quivering, and eyes only looking at the tips of her yellow boots, Yang held onto Jaune's arm with both hands as if it were a lifeline; and despite Jaune's humble request to be released, his words only tightened Yang's grip.
"Yo, Jaune, you didn't do anything mean to Yang, did you?" Sun frowned.
"Not cool man," Neptune added with a shake of the head.
"I-I didn't do anything! Honest! Tell them, Yang, that all I did was help you win the race fair and square!" Jaune pleaded his innocence and eventually won over Sun and Neptune who figured the lad wouldn't anyone if he had the choice.
"Hey, guys!" Ruby called as she and the others arrived in a much larger sled that the students used to get on top of the hill in the first place. This sled was also equipped with wheels and an engine at the back, so there was rarely a need to use the reins other than for satisfaction.
"You did it, Yang!" Ruby cheered as she hopped off the winter vehicle and gave her sister a hug, and by extension, Jaune with how close he and Yang were.
"Um... Jaune? Why are you holding my sister's hand?" There was no annoyance in Ruby's voice, simply confusion as she never recalled the two blondes being particularly close to one another.
"I have no idea," Jaune replied. He managed to remove himself from Yang's clutches with Ruby's help, but when they separated; Yang puffed her cheeks and immediately reached out to grab him again.
"H-Hey, Yang, what gives? Did I say something on the sled?"
Yang's face bloomed in crimson, and she finally noticed the curious stares of her peers. Or in Blake's case, her peeved amber eyes.
"W-What a riot!" Yang hollered and slapped Jaune on the back so hard he would have fallen over if not for Ruby. "So, it looks like Sun and Neptune will be covering all the extra snacks and drinks for the movie tonight, right?"
"Yeah," Sun and Neptune accepted their defeat with a good-hearted shrug and laughed off the pain with Scarlet and Sage offering their condolences.
"T-Then I'll see you all later!" Yang said stiffly and trudged in the opposite direction of the school.
"Hey, Yang, don't you want to take the big sled back instead? It beats walking!" Ruby said and tugged on her sister's sleeve.
"Ah, no need to worry about your big sis, Rubes. I just need to clear my head and I'll be back before you know it!" Yang laughed again which made her sibling think she was going insane.
"Just leave her," Weiss rolled her eyes and snagged Ruby's wrist. "Yang isn't going to do anything stupid, or at least anything that would get her expelled. So just let her work through whatever's in her head so we can get back to where it's warm."
"Hey, Yang? Hold up!" Jaune moved to follow the brawler, and when Yang locked sights with him, her heart skipped a beat, and the redness returned to her fair face.
"Hahahaha! Don't worry about me, V-Vomit boy! I can take care of myself!"
"Huh?" Jaune tilted his head as Yang broke into a full-on sprint that left nothing but holes in the fresh snow on the hill.
"Jaune!" Scarlet called. "Come on, Sage and I bought some hot chocolate for everyone, and yours is gonna get cold if you don't drink it right away."
"Right, coming!" Jaune sighed and climbed into the large sled while Sun and Neptune loaded the smaller ones in the back.
"I've never seen Yang so nervous before, maybe I did say something rude to her while we were racing. Shoot, come on, Jaune, think! What could you have said that would unnerve Yang of all people?" Jaune thought to himself as the large sled's engines whirred to life and Neptune took control of the steering wheel and pedals.
"Hey... Jaune?" Blake poked the boy's shoulder which made him turn around. "About what I was talking about before..."
"Yes, that's right," Weiss cut in. "I messaged team CFVY and have received the confirmation that they will be attending tonight's movie as well. As such, I will require your assistance, Jaune."
Blake glared daggers at her teammate and her looming shadow returned. Sun would have tried to make a move, but whatever was going on between Blake, Weiss and Jaune, it was something that Sun figured he should stay out of for the time being. Neptune didn't have to bother with any of this, seeing that he was the sled driver, and with Ruby nestled between Scarlet and Sage, she was as happy as could be given the circumstances.
/-/
"Hah... They're gone." Yang sucked in a deep breath, then released it as her fist collided with a mound of snow. Her cheeks still rosy, the brawler continued to assault the snow pile until but a quarter of it remained.
"W-Why am I feeling this way?" Yang grumbled. "It was just some stupid words that Jaune decided to say during the race. See, this is why I told him to shut it when we started, otherwise I wouldn't have had to put my head on his lap!"
Yang's muscles tensed as her heart pounded in her chest. She was always the flirt, and the first person to smack someone who decided to push their luck. Yet Jaune had pressed his luck by leaps and bounds, and had not suffered any repercussions!
"I-I need to give Jaune a piece of my mind! Going on with all those nice words of his! W-Who cares if I'm his golden d-d-dove?! I certainly don't. That, and I'm a dragon, for Oum's sake!" Yang pulled her hair then cupped her heated face.
She squatted over a fresh patch of fresh snow, and began to trace shapes in it to get her mind off things.
"S-Stupid Jaune... Don't you know that you have Pyrrha gunning for you? A Mistral champion with a background in academics that would make any nerd head over heels for her! Y-Yet why did you have to call me so many amazing things?!"
Yang gripped a clump of snow that melted in seconds. She went back to tracing, and found that she'd written a quarter of Jaune's poem without being aware of it.
"I-I'm only writing this down because you decided to put these thoughts in my head!" Yang growled adorably. "Y-You hear that, Jaune?! I-I'm only doing this because you decided to put sweet nothings in your g-g-golden dove's innocent mind!"
As Yang recounted the poem and all the emotions set within its words, she smiled fondly as her strokes became more careful and controlled.
Dimly lit is the sky on this evening.
As I sit here with my golden dove.
Hark sun, for my time must be well spent.
As I honor my beauty's grace to the heavens above!
/
Gauntlets she wields with a heart made of passion.
Through her bravery I put myself into action.
Lilac, calm as the water that erupts into glorious flames.
It is now that I must devote myself and take aim.
/
While the sled I command is at my leisure.
There is a greater present on board.
My dearest family, my one and only.
Her hair brighter than gold and more luscious than mint.
I cannot fathom the pearls that adorn her glimmering smile.
/
Though her fists are harsh and puns are too.
I cannot imagine a world where there is no you.
Yang Xiao Long, what a gorgeous name.
For if I were to forget you, only I would be at blame.
Yet still I pray, could I add to your splendor?
/
For my heart yearns to make a connection.
With someone who is of your perfection.
I reach to you, my Golden Dove.
So that you are not lonely in the winds above.
Yang Xiao Long... Arc.
Would that be a surname you'd like to mark?
By the end of the poem, Yang was a soft giggling mess. She traced an elaborate heart at the end of her writing and placed a Y+J inside it. This was appropriate, as the poem was about her and Jaune, and it did very strange things to Yang's chest as she recounted the sincere face her beloved blonde wore when he recited these words for her, and only her.
Ah... but there was still Pyrrha, and maybe Ruby one day once the young reaper came of the age when she started to think about boys. Yet, a part of Yang's heart didn't want to share, that didn't want to miss this opportunity of a lifetime that could bring her true happiness. She'd seen how honest Jaune was, and that he didn't have a mean bone in his body when it came down to it.
Loyalty, honesty, and an impressive body in the making, Jaune had it all; but he was about to have so much more when Yang entered the picture. She'd help him get over his social awkwardness, slowly of course as to not put the boy in duress, then once he was happy around crowds she could invite him to do all of her favorite activities. This offer also extended to Jaune, as the relationship was a mix of give and take. Who knows, maybe Jaune would introduce her to some new favorite hobbies, like poetry for example.
"G-Golden Dove... That does sound like a cute nickname, and it's just as good as a Sunny Dragon." Yang pulled out her scroll and took a photo of her work. With the sun tucked halfway beneath the horizon, the sky was at the perfect hue to bolster her markings in the snow and give them that loveable flare you'd see on a valentine's day card.
"Hey, Yang?"
The brawler's lilac eyes widened to their maximum radius as she whirled around to see who addressed her. A head of mint-green hair on a dark-skinned face with red eyes, Emerald Sustrai eyed the blonde girl speculatively, and even more so when Yang decided to fall back-first on the snow.
"Er... Sorry, I was passing by and my scroll ran out of power. This is the way back to the school, right?" Emerald said and tucked her hands in the warm pockets of her winter jacket.
"Haha! Don't mind me, I'm just making some Yang Angels! Hah, get it? It's supposed to be a snow angel but in the shape of a Yang!" The brawler waved her arms and swiped her arms in fast, repeated motions while her face bloomed with crimson.
"Okay..." Emerald observed the words written a few inches away from where Yang was. "What, did you write something in the snow?"
"No, I didn't!" Yang blurted and jumped out of her first snow angel carving to make a second which happened to be in the place of the rest of her poem.
"B-But yeah, the school's down this way. If you follow my footprints, you'll find a trail that leads onto the main roads that'll bring you to the courtyard."
"Thanks," Emerald said no more and tried to forget what she'd just witnessed. Besides, apparently, the green-haired girl needed to get changed for a sudden movie night that Cinder was interested in. Why on earth would Cinder of all people be willing to mingle with the first-year students? Wasn't that Emerald's and Mercury's jobs?
"Thank Oum she's gone..." Yang panted and stood herself up. She patted the snow from her hair and clothes, then gave a high-pitched squeak when some snow slipped down her back and into her pants. A frosty bolt shot from her butt to her toes, then back up to her neck, Yang retraced her steps with a teeth-chattering frown as she debated using the school's public showers or the one in her dorm. She didn't want to be questioned as to why she stayed behind, so she made it her mission to grab some fresh clothes from her dorm and make a beeline to the public showers.
"At least I'll get to see Jaune at the movie tonight..." Yang's face grew red as a tomato as she felt another jolt of frost rack her thighs. "And I'll be able to give him a piece of my damn mind... achoo!"