There were countless universes where Yang Xiao Long could beat the hell out of Jaune Arc.
This was not one of them. With her aura under lock and key, there wasn't much she could do against an opponent who was a head taller than her and outweighed her by over 100 lbs of lean mass. Plus, exiled or not, he was still the Champ's son. Mason hadn't taught him everything, but he had shown Jaune the basics and his son was a quick learner. He didn't even need to use his aura - Jaune had her in a solid hold and she wasn't getting out of it unless he let her.
...Good luck telling that to Yang, though.
"Jaune, you bastard! You better put me down right now so I can knock your head off!" She yelled, kicking wildly as she squirmed in his arm, eyes blood red.
Ruby went stiff in his other arm - it had been years since anyone had been dumb enough to mess with Yang's hair. Her eyes had done that weird color change thing they did when she got really, really mad, and Ruby could practically feel the scorching rage radiating out of the blonde's body: she had forgotten how scary her sister could be.
Jaune, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
"That's not a very good reason for me to let you down." He teased.
Yang sent out a fluttering series of kicks that bounced harmlessly off his rock hard body while he effortlessly held her off the ground.
'Stupid… buff… asshole.' She thought hazily. 'I can't get any leverage.'
Yang took a deep, calming breath.
Then she looked the Arc in the eye, iris still a deep crimson.
"If you let me down." She said, in a tone that could only come from Raven's daughter, "I promise I'll make it quick."
Jaune's eyes widened.
Then he burst out laughing
Yang could only squirm and seethe as her captor chuckled uncontrollably.
"You're lucky you have your looks, Firecracker." He teased. "Because you suck at negotiating."
Yang kicked him hard in the shin.
Jaune didn't even flinch.
'If I didn't have aura that would've really hurt.' he thought to himself.
' What a woman. '
Yang stopped kicking, eyes locked on the condescending smirk on the Arc's stupidly handsome face.
"Something funny?" She growled.
"You're so cute when you're mad."
Yang's eyes widened. She blinked dumbly, eyes fading back to her lilac as a pretty flush spread across her face and neck.
Jaune winced internally. 'Oh, fuck, did I say that out loud?'
While the blonds were distracted, Ruby took advantage of Jaune's slackening grip and slipped free of his hold. Quick as a flash, she slipped her hands to his sides and started tickling.
Jaune fought back giggles as the silver eyed girl grinned at her older sister.
"Yang, now!"
The blonde moved right on cue, throwing all of her weight forward.
Jaune could have stayed up if he wanted to. Instead he went down to the floor, deciding to be a good sport and let the girls have their victory.
He immediately regretted that decision.
Yang was straddling his waist with a wicked grin, and Jaune was painfully aware of the instant reaction the blonde beauty would notice if she moved her hips a little further south.
Ruby had knelt down to get a better tickling angle, giving him an eyeful of her toned thighs, and if he pulled her hips forward just a little bit he'd be able to lean up and get a taste of her sweet cunt.
"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" Yang teased, joining in her sister's playful assault, each running their soft, skillful hands over the most sensitive parts of his torso, unaware of the sleeping dragon they were poking.
He could take them both here and now.
He could subdue both sisters in seconds - he had already proven that - and he could tear off their clothes just as easily. Why not fuck Yang cowgirl style while Ruby sat on his face - why not stake his claim on two of the most beautiful women he'd ever-
" Ahem ." Tai coughed.
Jaune blinked as the father of his two best friends looked down at the three of them on the floor.
"Aren't you all getting a little old for this?" He asked pointedly.
Jaune took a deep breath.
Ruby jumped to her feet, flushing red as she remembered that her parents were still in the room. Tai was standing right next to them, looking very annoyed. Summer sat at the kitchen table, eyes darting nervously between Jaune, her husband, and her girls.
"You're burning the bacon." She murmured.
"Oh crap!" Ruby muttered, frantically rushing over the steaming pan to try and salvage what she could.
Jaune smiled as she fretted over which pieces were charcoal and which were still edible. Yang was cute when she got mad- really, really cute - but flustered Ruby was adorable .
'Guess I'd better go help.' He thought, pushing himself up.
Something soft and warm stopped him in his tracks.
Yang was still straddling him, her hands pressed against his chest - not enough force to keep him down but certainly enough to get his attention.
"Fight's not done yet." She said firmly, with the same cocky grin she wore every time she'd pinned him. Her fingers ghosted over his armpits, ready to renew her assault at any moment… and if she got to run her hands over his chest in the process, it was just a bonus.
" Yang. " He growled dangerously.
The blonde giggled. "Oh, someone's maaaad ."
"Yang." Her father said, with an unfamiliar edge in his voice. "Get off him. Now."
Summer's eyes widened.
Yang glanced away from her target to glare at her dad. "What the hell's your problem?!" She asked. "We're just playing around, we've done it a thousand times."
Jaune, meanwhile, was totally oblivious to the cold fury emanating off the older man. He was too busy fighting every instinct to knock Yang up in front of her family.
'Not… here.. Not… now… Not… her .'
"Yang." He said slowly. "Stop."
"So you give up?" She said teasingly, leaning forward and giving the young man an excellent view of her cleavage.
Twitch.
Yang bit back a gasp as she felt something brush up against her butt.
'Is that…?' She thought incredulously. 'No it can't be… he can't be that big.'
But, while she didn't believe it, she had shifted just far back enough to reach the head of Jaune's throbbing cock, which was straining against the flimsy fabric that separated it from Yang Xiao Long's excellent ass.
The faintest touch was enough to send his head spinning.
'This is Ruby's older sister…' he thought desperately, trying to ignore the milky white globes in front of him, the long, flowing hair and vibrant eyes, the smooth, firm stomach that flared out deliciously into wide, childbearing hips and a luscious ass that was begging to get smacked-
'-best friend, she's my best friend, she's-'
'She's the first woman you ever wanted to fuck.' His shadow said. ' That's all.'
Yang felt strong hands circle around her waist.
"Okay, I give." Jaune said, lifting them both off the ground, carefully maneuvering her away from his raging hard on.
It was a hollow victory, but she'd take it.
As Jaune set her down she smirked at him. "Beat you again." She teased. Then, without even realizing it, the mocking grin on her face morphed into her most beatific smile. "...Just like old times."
Jaune couldn't look her in the eye.
"Yeah." he mumbled, walking past her and over towards the stovetop to help Ruby with the food.
Tai closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, missing the second his daughter's smile died.
"If that's how you act when you're in front of me ," he grumbled. " then I am never leaving you alone with a boy again."
"Yeah, yeah." Yang said dully. "Celibate till I'm 30, got it."
Jaune didn't look back as she sat down. He made his way over to the counter in front of the stove and subtly positioned himself so that no one could see the reaction their little sparring match had caused. He did his best to focus on cooking and didn't dare look at the co-chef by his side.
Ruby bumped her shoulder into him softly.
Jaune looked at Ruby.
'Ah, fuck.'
The sight of her pretty face was doing nothing to stop his raging boner, but, even worse, she was using her puppy dog eyes and everything.
"Jaune?" She whispered.
"What?" He responded, feigning annoyance. He knew from that look that she was going to ask him a question he didn't want to answer.
He also knew he would.
"What happened to you and Yang?"
Jaune sighed. "We grew apart, I guess."
"Why?"
"..."
Ruby knew more about his problems than he would've liked, but she didn't know everything. He knew this question had been on her mind for years and it was only now that he had opened up to her that she was confident enough to ask it. Now he had to come up with an answer that wasn't 'I really, really want to fuck your sister.'
"I… I wasn't in a good place after I lost my family." He said carefully. "Yang just wanted to help, but I pushed her away. I felt so raw that I couldn't take anyone getting too close to me without losing it. I pushed everyone away - even you ."
Ruby found his free hand by his side and subtly met it with hers, gently their fingers together. "You can be really dumb sometimes." She said gently.
Jaune smiled softly. "Well, who's dumber, the fool or the fool that follows him?"
Ruby smirked. "I dunno," she drawled. " you're the expert."
"You little dolt." he said fondly. He paused for a moment.
Ruby was patient, letting him find his voice as she half-heartedly tended the skillet - wouldn't want their food to burn again.
"I left her out in the cold for so long." He said. "And she moved on. I don't blame her - I can barely believe you didn't. She has her own friends now, and a good thing going - she's pretty, popular-"
"-And I'm not?" Ruby teased.
'You're not as much of a cocktease.' Jaune thought treacherously. Even in her pajama's Ruby's delectable body was showing a lot less skin than her big sister - Yang oozed sensuality in a way that was impossible to ignore even at her most modest, and even Ruby's innocence was a temptation he could barely resist, despite all the women he already had. The smaller hand clasped in his was gnawing at his self control, as much as he'd missed Ruby's touch. Put a girl of her caliber in a crop top, and make her extra huggy?
No, if this morning had proven anything it was that he was nowhere near strong enough to reconnect with Yang.
"You can't be that popular if you're hanging out with me." He shot back. "Face it, Rubes, we're dorks."
Ruby pouted for a moment. "Like she doesn't read X-Ray and Vav when nobody's looking." She said sourly. Then her brow furrowed. "...Is this about your… urges?"
Jaune felt an icy chill run up his spine. 'Does she-'
No, from the look on Ruby's face, she hadn't figured out what he really was. But she knew enough. He would roll with it.
"Do you have any idea how much I was pulling my punches back there?"
"Of course I do." Ruby said, pointedly looking him up and down. Like she could ever forget how big and tall and strong he was. "I'm not blind ."
"Then you should know why tussling with me is a bad idea." Jaune said. "You know how physical Yang can be - one false move and…" Jaune's semblance could heal any physical damage he might cause her… but he couldn't exactly unfuck her. "Remember in 6th grade, when we started to hit our growth spurts?"
He and Yang had been play fighting constantly since kindergarten - Ruby was small enough for each of them to pin without effort, so most of their contests pitted the blonds against each other. Yang won most of their fights, at first. But as his shoulders broadened and her breasts came in, the balance of power shifted. Tenacity and skill weren't enough to overcome the increasing gap in strength. Her body was getting softer and more feminine at the same time his was growing strong and hard. She was built to have babies and he was becoming the kind of man who could pin her down and fuck them into her.
It wasn't even a contest.
Of course, Yang couldn't accept that her winning streak had turned into a nonstop string of losses, fast, and she grew more and more desperate in her attempts to beat him. One cheap shot had led to another, and before he knew what had happened he'd knocked a tooth right out of her jaw.
"...It was a baby tooth." Ruby said weakly. "And it was coming out anyway."
Like that mattered. If there had been a single moment where Tai had wanted to kill him - actually wanted to kill him - it would have been then, when he'd found his baby girl bleeding and cradling her hands over a split lip and a growing, ugly bruise.
In that moment, Jaune would've let him.
Ruby remembered exactly what he was talking about, and the look of dumb horror Jaune had as he stared vacantly at his own hands. She remembered how placid he was as their furious father practically threw him out the door, screaming that if he ever put hands on his daughter again-
"-I won't. " Jaune said simply.
And he never did.
Ruby also remembered that Yang had been furious, not at Jaune but their parents. "It was a lucky shot!" She insisted. " I can still take him, I- "
Mom had cut her off, calmly and firmly, and told her that if she and Ruby wanted to keep playing with Jaune, the sparring had to stop.
That hurt Yang more than the punch.
Even then she had been terrified of losing him. She wasn't ' Yang, the gorgeous girl with the awesome rack ' back then, she was just ' that annoying tomboy with a horrible sense of humor '. Jaune was her best friend - he was her everything. She didn't want anything to change that.
He had tried avoiding her for the better part of a day - until Yang cornered him at lunch and told him to stop being an idiot. That seemed to sort things out, for a while. Fisticuffs were off the table, but Jaune and the girls kept teasing each other mercilessly and the trio was right as rain.
Time healed all wounds; soon enough Yang had her perfect smile back and was no worse for the wear. Life moved on - hell, even Dad moved on after a tense couple of months.
But Jaune never forgot. He never fully forgave himself for what he had done… what Yang was willing to let him get away with.
She had no idea what he could do to her now.
"Jaune." Ruby chided. "We've talked about this. You don't want to hurt me. And you don't want to hurt her."
Jaune swallowed. "I'd die first."
"So you're not going to." Ruby insisted. "She trusts you. I trust you. If you're so worried about all this pent up aggression, why not try and find some kind of outlet?"
Jaune laughed.
Ruby looked up at him, slightly hurt.
Jaune shook his head as he ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "Believe me, Rubes." He said. "I'm working on it."
"Well…" she said, eyes darting meaningfully to Yang. "Why not join the Martial Arts club? I mean, Dad trains and he seems to like it. Plus, Ren will be there, and-"
"Ruby." Jaune said dryly. "I would ruin everyone in that club with one punch."
"They use protective gear!" she hissed, eyes darting back to make sure her family couldn't hear them. Mom was watching them closely but didn't seem like she could make out what they were saying. Dad was glaring at the morning paper while trying to distract himself and Yang wore a painfully neutral expression as she scrolled through her phone.
"Besides," she continued, "maybe one of them gets a clean hit and knocks a little humility into you."
Jaune hummed noncommittally.
"Or, if that doesn't work." Ruby said slyly. "Maaaaaybe… wecouldgotothegunrangeandblowstuffup!"
Jaune smirked as the girl started bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"I'm sure there's no ulterior motive there." He teased.
"Come on, you know you want to."
Jaune shrugged. "Hey, if you can get a legal adult to take us there, I'll do it."
"Yeeeeeees." Ruby whispered triumphantly. "Uncle Qrow has to be free on a weekend, I can just call him and- " she blinked, flushing slightly when she realized she had gotten distracted. "-and Yang should come, too."
"Yeah." Jaune said. That would be good. Qrow could chaperone, and since he was a Blessed too he might be one of the only people alive who was stronger than him. The girls couldn't ask for a safer day.
"Baby steps." Ruby teased.
Jaune seemed very engrossed in his skillet.
"...Jaune?" She asked shyly.
"What if I don't deserve a second chance?" He whispered.
"Jaune-"
"-I screwed up,okay. I let our friendship die on the vine while Yang was trying to save it. And we're not the same people we used to be." He closed his eyes wearily. "I'm not even sure how to be her friend anymore."
Ruby smiled smugly, remembering her sister's laughter from not 10 minutes before. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." She gave him a gentle pat on the back. "I'm not saying you have to do it today… just… start thinking about it, okay?"
Jaune nodded. "Okay."
'Gods, I missed this.' Ruby was remarkably good at sorting him out. She was smart, and good natured, and even more stubborn than her sister when she set her mind to something. The simple intimacy of her touch could calm him down, and if he ever needed someone to listen, no one even came close.
'Well,' he thought automatically, 'no one except Y-'
'...'
'...'
'Gods, I reallymanaged to fuck this up.'
Ruby politely ignored his internal crisis.
"Bacon's ready!" She chirped.
"Awesome." Yang said, heading over to the counter.
Jaune stepped between her and the plate.
'Fuck baby steps.' Jaune thought to himself. 'I'm going to start fixing this now.'
Yang looked at him impatiently. "Excuse me?"
Jaune smirked down at her. "You don't work, you don't eat."
"...Are you fucking serious?"
"Deadly." Jaune said.
"What about Mom and Dad, huh?" She said, gesturing to the obscene amount of ingredients Jaune had laid out. "You and Rubes are gonna keep all that to yourselves?"
"My stove, my food." Tai said absentmindedly, not looking up from his paper.
"Ditto." Summer added.
"Guess you're the odd one out." Jaune said. "Of course, if you want some, you're more than welcome to help."
Ruby, who had been watching the pair in concern and confusion, suddenly relaxed with a knowing smile.
"Is that what this is?" Yang said, unimpressed. "Because you can count me out. I've got better things to-"
"-No you don't."
A flush spread up Yang's neck as Jaune looked down at her with that stupid, cocky smirk.
"Then I'll find some." She said, turning away before he really got her going.
"That's a shame." Jaune said solemnly. "Guess you'll miss out on this." Yang couldn't help herself - she turned back around.
In his hands was a canister of premium hot chocolate mix - the good stuff, not the chalky crap that you'd dump in hot water.
She huffed. "Nice try, but-"
Her throat tightened.
In his other hand was a single serving of chili powder.
Jaune hated chili powder - hated all things spicy, the big baby. He'd gone on countless tirades when they were little about how awful it was, how it was an affront to chocolate, how nobody liked it mixed into their cocoa except…
… her .
Yang bit her lip. 'I can't keep doing this.' She thought wearily. 'I can't keep opening up just to get shut out again. I can't take it. I-'
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Summer, still watching the teenagers with a careful eye. Yang kept her emotions off her face, but she knew her mom could tell exactly what was going on inside her head. Their eyes met for an eternity, before Summer let out a held breath and gave her the gentlest of nods.
'You can do this.'
It was all the encouragement she needed.
"You son of a bitch, I'm in."
People who didn't know the kids well had always assumed Yang was the leader of the group. She was bold and rambunctious and usually the loudest of the three, so it was an easy mistake to make.
People who knew the trio well might have picked Ruby as the leader. She was the smallest, the weakest and the least comfortable around strangers - but she had her older sister's number and she knew it. Yang had zero resistance to Ruby's pouting and one hit of the puppy dog eyes was usually enough to win her over. Yang and Jaune would do anything to protect her and trusted her judgment implicitly.
Only the handful of people closest to them knew that the real ringleader was Jaune.
Tai grumbled in irritation as the young man ordered his daughters around the kitchen like it was second nature.
"Okay, now let it sit for a couple of minutes until it's golden brown, then-"
"-Ruby, you can have one more strawberry, but we need rest for the recipe."
"Alright, now, let's put the buns in the oven, and-"
The newspaper ripped in Tai's hands.
Summer put a calming hand on his shoulder.
'Outside.' She mouthed.
She casually rose from her seat and stepped out of the room.
Tai felt an irrational urge to stay put - the last thing he wanted to do was leave his daughters alone with him .
It was insane - how much damage could the brat do if he walked away for 5 minutes? - but his time in the service had told him to trust his gut, and for some reason his instincts were telling him to get rid of the Arc now before… before…
'Before what ?' He asked himself irritably. He couldn't articulate it, but the answer still filled him with murderous rage.
He shook his head and then followed Summer.
"What's the matter with you?" She whispered.
Tai shrugged. "Don't act like what's going on in there doesn't bother you."
"...They're making breakfast."
"He's ordering them around like handmaids!" Tai countered. "And they couldn't be happier!"
Summer smiled wryly. "Yep. He's got them both eating out of the palm of his hand."
It wasn't obvious Jaune was in charge because he was usually happy to go with the flow - if Yang or Ruby wanted to set the agenda for a day he'd let them. But whenever Jaune really set his mind to something, nothing was going to stop him, and his two best friends would inevitably come along for the ride. Even if it was something stupid that they didn't want to do they'd rather spend time with him than do literally anything else.
It had caused their parents no small number of headaches - the 5th grade prank that people at Oum Elementary still whispered about, the wedgie wars with Cardin and his gang and the …noodle incident, but Jaune was as good at keeping their girls out of trouble as he was dragging them into it, so on balance he was a positive influence.
Their real concern had always been what he might talk the girls into when they got older.
"Doesn't that worry you, at least a little?" Tai asked.
It didn't. Because there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Summer knew full well what Jaune wanted, and what his bloodline was capable of. Now that she knew what to look for she could feel it in his presence, and the hunger in his eyes. She might be able to resist its call, but her daughters were too far gone already - too smitten, too trusting, too entranced to even attempt an escape. The minute he made his mind up, they were finished. Jaune would claim Ruby. Jaune was going to conquer Yang.
Nothing Summer did could stop that now.
She just… wanted her girls to be happy.
She smiled softly. "Affairs of the heart are always messy. I'm not saying they won't hurt each other - I'm sure they will, but we can't keep them from figuring things out for themselves." She took Tai's hand in hers. "I think we did a decent job raising our girls - all we can do now is give them some space and hope for the best. What's the worst that could happen?"
…
"How did you get a pancake on the roof ?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
…
Tai looked back at the kitchen, unimpressed.
Summer chuckled nervously.
"At least we'll have plenty of leftovers."
Summer was wrong again.
Once she had calmed Tai down, and the pair had seen the massive assortment of food waiting for them, she and Tai had been more concerned about space in the fridge than anything else.
But, they hadn't had Jaune over for dinner in over two years.
Summer, Tai and Yang all watched, flabbergasted, as Jaune voraciously devoured everything in front of him. Eggs, pancakes, bacon, berries, toast, buns, firsts, seconds, thirds…
Fourths.
Yang, who had only snuck glances from the other side of the cafeteria for years, looked over Jaune's muscled physique as he wolfed down everything in sight. There wasn't an ounce of excess fat on him.
"Where does it all go ?" She whispered dumbly.
The only one who wasn't shocked by the black hole sitting next to her was one Ruby Rose, who casually picked away at her own plate with a wry smile.
'See what I have to deal with?'
Yang met her sister's eyes incredulously, before her gaze darted over to Jaune. 'Does he always…?' she mouthed.
Ruby nodded solemnly.
With a satisfied sigh, Jaune set his fork down on an empty plate and leaned back.
Then he noticed the 3 pairs of eyes on him.
"...What?"
Summer composed herself. "Does Qrow still pay for your groceries?" she asked.
Jaune shrugged. "As part of my wages, yeah."
'...Qrow is a generous man.'
"What the hell, Jaune, it hasn't even been 10 minutes!" Yang said. "Did you even taste anything?"
"I enjoyed every bite, actually." He shot back. "By the way, Rubes, great job on the strawberry pancakes - mine weren't nearly that good the first time I tried."
Ruby's cheeks flushed a dusty pink. "T-thanks." She said shyly, playing with her hair.
Summer recognized the look in her daughter's eyes, the primal desire that drove a woman to cook for a man. The pride and satisfaction that came from knowing she had given him pleasure, in any way she could.
It would have been adorable if Summer didn't know what came next.
"This was a lot of fun, actually." Ruby continued. "Maybe we could make this a regular thing…"
Jaune smiled. "Maybe?" He asked incredulously. "You give me a time when you want to make me food and I'll be there."
Tai took an approving bite of his own meal. "Seconded."
Yang chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Men," she teased, catching her mother's eye.
'Feed 'em and fuck 'em and they're happy.'
Jaune looked down at Yang's plate. "Are you going to eat any of that?"
Yang's breakfast was untouched - she had been too busy staring at Jaune.
"Why, you want fifths ?" She said incredulously.
"I mean… yes, but that's not the point. If you let the maple syrup seep in any longer, your pancakes are going to turn into a cold, soggy mush. I can't let that happen to you."
She chuckled as she shoveled away her first bite. "Some of us have table manners and can't eat a full course meal in under a minute."
Jaune rolled his eyes. "Okay, princess, don't talk when your mouth's full."
She flicked a fork full of eggs across the table.
Jaune caught it in his mouth and ate it.
The blonde stared at him incredulously. "How the fu…"
The Arc grinned. "What can I say, it's a talent."
Yang growled, and started putting away her own meal down as fast as she could. He wanted to make this a contest, did he-
Ruby shook her head, seeing her sister's competitive streak flare up. "Yang, don't. You'll make yourself sick."
Yang had no idea how Jaune enjoyed this - she was eating half as fast as he did and she was barely able to keep her food down.
Then again, she wasn't a lumbering hulk of aura and muscle that needed the energy as fast as it could get it.
With trembling hands she set down her plate. "M-more." She groaned, holding back a belch.
"Yang…" Ruby moaned.
"Yang, please" Jaune said, in a dainty falsetto. "Think of your figure."
The blonde paused for a moment, flushing in embarrassment, before she caught the look in his eyes and burst out laughing.
"Do you have any idea how often I've been told that unironically?" Yang said, giggling, before gesturing to her body. "People take one look at this and assume that I don't eat."
Yang was softer than Jaune, but the difference between her waist and her hips and bust was massive - she was toned and slim and every ounce of fat on her body had gone to exactly the right places.
Yang's body was the product of an excellent diet, rigorous physical exercise and absurdly good genetics and Jaune had spent more than his fair share of time appreciating it.
"Most people on the street treat Beacon girls like they're angels." He agreed. "You should see the looks Ruby gets when she orders cookies."
Ruby pouted. "I'm allowed to indulge every once in a while."
Jaune feigned indignation. "Supermodels eating sweets?" He gasped. "Next you'll try telling me that they poop and fart like the rest of us."
Yang's hand flew over her mouth as she fought back laughter. "Oh, shit, I should not tell you about this." She began. "But this one time, we took Weiss and Blake out for fish tacos, and-"
Summer smiled as her daughter told the familiar story of the most awkward ride home ever.
...
"So you're saying the whole bulkhead …" Jaune trailed off.
Yang nodded. "Yep."
The blond let out a low whistle.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone's face get that red ." She concluded. "And if you tell them I told you, I'll deny it."
"Eh, you can just tell them about all the gross shit I've done." Jaune said.
"Jaune," she said, speaking to him as if he were very slow. " you're a guy. It's different. We all kind of expect you to have done gross shit at some point."
Ruby smiled wickedly. "Did you tell the girls about that one time we dared you to eat dirt and you did it? And there was a worm?"
Yang shuddered at the memory. "...Fuuuuuck noooooo ."
Ruby shrugged smugly. "I don't know, if you're telling stories about them it's only fair that we-"
"-Fairness does not enter into this!"
The trio spent the next half hour reminiscing and trading stories, or talking about movies, and video games, or their classmates or teachers who got on their nerves - part of the conversation Tai ignored out of professional courtesy, even if he agreed that Peter could get a little… long winded from time to time.
But, after a while, a troubled expression came over Yang, and while Jaune and Ruby carried on, she started saying less and less, aside from the occasional 'yeah', or 'uh-huh.'
Summer watched her as she carefully watched Jaune and Ruby. Ruby was talking logistics for their upcoming trip to the range, and she had Jaune's complete attention. She was basking in it - Yang didn't know how long it had been since she'd seen her little sister this happy.
She bit her lip. Then, she steeled herself. Better rip that bandaid off now.
A polite cough got the table's attention.
Jaune looked at Yang expectantly.
"So," Yang drawled. "When do we get to meet your girlfriend?"
Jaune's eyes narrowed while Ruby's widened in shock.
"...Girlfriend?" She squeaked.
"Who said I had a girlfriend?" Jaune asked neutrally, with an excellent poker face.
"Pyrrha mentioned it." Yang said. "She said that she tried to talk to you one day after practice but you were on the phone with a girl named… was it Linda, or Sandra, or…"
"Cinder." Jaune said evenly.
"Yeah," Yang said, snapping her fingers- as if she'd forget the name. It was all the confirmation she needed. "That's the one."
Jaune cursed himself for letting her name slip back to a house full of VSS - Cinder would never let him hear the end of that.
Summer and Tai were both listening in with mild interest - Tai looked slightly relieved.
Ruby looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Yang looked at her baby sister guiltily, promising to talk to her later. 'Better to have things out in the open before she tried making a move.'
"So, when do we get to meet her?"
Jaune sighed. "I dunno… never, maybe?"
Yang rolled her eyes. "And here I thought we were friends."
Jaune pinched his temples. "Cinder and I… we're not… it's complicated, okay?"
"I've got time."
Jaune decided to settle on a half-truth. "Well, we're together, but we're not really dating exactly-"
Yang blinked. "So you're saying Pyrrha caught you in the middle of a booty call-"
"-Who is she?" Ruby asked softly.
Her face was an unreadable mask as she looked Jaune in the eyes, only revealing polite curiosity.
"She's a student at Magenta University." He said carefully. " A psych major."
"Damn, Vomit Boy, you're pulling college girls now?"
"-how did you meet her?"
Jaune shrugged awkwardly. "I was out running errands a few weeks ago, and we bumped into each other. We started talking and then one thing led to another… and we're a thing now, sort of."
'Right when Jaune started getting better.' Ruby realized.
"When were you going to tell us?" She asked, in a clipped, business like tone.
Jaune hummed thoughtfully. "...Never, probably. It really isn't a 'meet the folks' relationship."
Everyone stared at Jaune as he searched for a polite way to tell them he was just fucking this girl.
"Gods, dude, that's cold." Yang said disapprovingly.
"It isn't like that!" Jaune insisted. "She doesn't want to go public either - she would catch all kinds of shit if her friends found out her 'boyfriend' was still in highschool."
Yang gave him a sympathetic look. "...Damn. So you're the booty call." She said, patting him on the shoulder. "That's rough, buddy."
Jaune let out a lopsided grin despite himself. "...Not really."
Ruby was quiet for a long moment.
"Jaune." she said gently. "I'm saying this as your friend. You're…" she hesitated. "You're an amazing person, and you don't deserve to be hidden away like you're something to be ashamed of. If this Cinder girl doesn't realize that, and isn't proud to be with you, then she doesn't deserve you."
Jaune rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Rubes… I appreciate it, really. But I'm really okay with this."
"But you shouldn't have to put up with-"
"-Ruby," her father cut in with a tired sigh, "this woman is offering him no strings attached sex, and he's 17. Of course he's okay with it."
…
…
"Oh, you know I'm right!"
Jaune was out of the spotlight for a moment as every woman in the room glared at Tai.
But only for a moment.
"Can you at least give us a picture?" Yang asked.
"Why?"
"Oh come on, I just found out my buddy lost his v-card, I'm allowed to ask questions. Now, pony up."
" Yang ."
She stuck her tongue out. "Pics or it didn't happen."
Jaune shrugged. "Okay, then. It's like I have to prove anything."
"Come on ." Yang groaned. "What, are you embarrassed?" She smiled wickedly. "...She's ugly, isn't she."
" What?! " Jaune said.
Yang's grin widened. "Well, if you don't even want us to look at your girlfriend then there has to be something wrong with her. Is she a butterface, or did you have beer goggles on when you hooked up?" She paused. "She is a she, right?"
"Of course she is!" Jaune said, "Why would you even-"
"Then prove it, Lover Boy."
Jaune clenched his fists. Yang was smirking at him unrepentantly. No one knew him better - and no one could get under his skin quite like she could.
"I don't have any photos to show you." Jaune said.
Yang rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe that? You've slept with this girl and she hasn't even sent you any-"
Yang trailed off as she caught a look in Jaune's eye..
'Oh…'
"Ooooh." Yang said. " You don't have any photos you can show me ."
"...I can confirm or deny nothing."
"You're telling me this girl is so much of a freak that she's only sent you nudes?"
"Yang." Summer chided. 'After a taste of Arc dick the poor girl probably can't help herself.'
Jaune pulled out his scroll. "If you stop asking questions I will find you a picture."
Yang grinned. 'Sucker.'
Jaune went to the Magenta Psych department's website and scrolled through the various photos. Cinder kept a low profile, so it wasn't easy to find her, but she had to be there somewhere.
Yang was looking over his shoulder, randomly pointing at various women on the screen - a professor in her sixties, an unfortunate looking undergrad -
"-Is that her?"
Jaune ignored her.
"-Is that her?"
Finally Jaune stopped. There was a class photo with 30 people crowded together, but Jaune was able to pick her out instantly.
Ruby, who was looking over his shoulder silently, figured it out right away.
The girl stood near the edge of the photo in the second row from the back, but without trying she stood out from her classmates - she was the best looking of the bunch by a mile.
She had porcelain skin and silky, shoulder length black hair. Her face was painfully pretty, with full, soft lips, bright gold eyes, and a smile that was captivating, even if it was obviously just for the camera.
Her figure was obscured by her surroundings but what could be made out was flawless - Jaune's lover was tall, buxom and leggy and made Ruby insecure in countless different ways. She could easily give any Beacon girl a run for their money.
Yang followed Jaune's eyes a second later.
" That's her." Jaune said.
Any teasing died on her tongue.
"...She's beautiful." Ruby whispered.
"Happy now?" Jaune said.
"Alright, let me see." Tai said, muscling in, too curious to miss out on this. He let out an appreciative whistle.
Summer frowned but couldn't disagree with his assessment - she committed the face to memory.
Tai returned the boy's phone and clapped him on the shoulder."
"As a man, congratulations." He said. " As a father, don't get any ideas."
The rest of breakfast was a fairly quiet affair.
Jaune focused on his plate and not the three gourmet dishes sitting at the table he wanted to sample more than the food.
Tai kept his eyes on Jaune, unable to dispel the nagging suspicion that something was off about the boy, taken man or not.
Summer and Yang were focused on Ruby.
The silver eyed girl was picking idly at her food to discuss the odd twitch and tremor that broke past a blank poker face. There was a blank, vacant look in her eyes.
Bzz, bzz.
Her phone vibrating in her pocket knocked her out of her stupor. She pulled it out idly.
1 unread messages from Yang Xiao Long.
Silver and lilac eyes met as Ruby looked across the table. Her sister's hands were in her lap, but even without reading her message Ruby could see the sympathy, and sadness.
She nodded, and opened the message.
Sorry you had to find out like this.
Ruby swallowed deeply, fingers racing across her keyboard.
U couldn't have told me b4?
…
I only heard the rumors a few days ago.
You only said you were planning to make a move this morning.
I didn't want to tell you if it wasn't true.
This was the only way I could know for sure.
Ruby exhaled.
She knew her sister was right. Better she found out now, before she made a complete ass of herself, and confessed to a man who already had someone… someone like…
…Someone perfect enough for Jaune.
Someone who snapped him up before she even dared to dream of trying.
'I didn't miss my chance,' she thought despondently. 'I never had one to begin with.'
Ruby couldn't hold back a muffled gasp of pain as tears flooded to the corner of her eyes.'
"Ruby?!"
Jaune turned around, alarmed at the faintest hint of pain.
"Are you okay? What happened?!"
Ruby choked back a sob as she saw the look in his eyes. There was only kindness, only concern, a promise that he would do anything in his power to help her. The undisguised empathy in those deep, beautiful eyes was so heart wrenching, so captivating, so totally, utterly Jaune that it nearly broke her then and there.
This was her best friend. The person she was closest to in the whole world.
But that was all he'd ever be.
"I'm fine." She spat out. "Yang must have put chili powder in my eggs or something."
Yang played along.
"Guilty." She said, with a mischievous grin.
'Thank you so much.' Ruby thought, as Jaune glared at the best older sister in the world.
Ruby could barely handle rejection, as indirect as it was. What would utterly destroy her was pity. She had no right to make Jaune feel guilty just because he was unavailable, no right to burden him with feelings he didn't share and couldn't return. Their friendship had lasted 12 years - she wasn't going to risk it for this.
Jaune handed her a paper towel and a glass of milk. She took both gratefully, brushing away the tears and snot that were starting to run down her face, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
Jaune didn't say anything, but kept a comforting hand on her shoulder as she drank and recomposed herself.
"You good?" He asked gently.
Ruby nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"Seriously Yang, what the hell?!" He said. "Just because you like that garbage doesn't mean you can force it on the rest of us."
Tai was so pissed that he let himself agree with Jaune. Giving his eldest daughter a stern look, he said. "Do that again and you're grounded."
Yang looked at Ruby. "...Sorry." She mumbled.
"I'm okay." Ruby forced out. "I'm… fine." She took a deep breath. "All's fair in love and war, right?"
Yang nodded. "Yeah."
BRRRRIIIIINNNNNG
BRIIIIIIINGGGGGG
"Shit." Tai said, looking at the caller ID.
" TAI! " Qrow asked as soon as he picked up the phone. " WHAT THE FUCK'S TAKING SO LONG?! "
Rudolph 'Face-Breaker' Puce was fighting Max Payne in the Cage for the Valean Champion Belt, after a whole ticket of upcoming fighters. It was the biggest event of the season, and Qrow had snagged live tickets months ago. To make it in time to catch all the fights, they were supposed to meet up at his place… 20 minutes ago.
With Jaune coming over and pissing him off all morning Tai'd completely forgotten about it.
He rubbed at his ear, pained. " Jeez, dude. Calm the fuck down, you're on speaker. The kids can hear you!"
" YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T LEFT!? "
"Careful, Qrow." Tai said. "Your Branwen is showing."
Yang looked at her father, unimpressed. 'Because my temper is entirely from Raven's side of the family.'
" I apologize. " Clover said calmly. " He's drunk ."
" I'm not drunk, I'm pre-gamed. " Qrow countered. "And I have a right to be pissed about this - you know how much these tickets cost? Shit, man, what if the early matches end with knock outs -we could miss the whole fight! "
"If you're that worried, then just go without me." Tai said.
" Dude, weeeak. " Qrow said.
"We have unexpected company and-"
"- Weaaaaak. "
"-What are you, five?!"
" What are you, a pussy? "
"Qrow, language." Summer chided.
" Summer, could you very calmly and politely tell your husband to get a move on before we miss the LITERAL TITLE MATCH "
Summer sighed. "You can take the car." she said.
Tai looked at her uneasily.
"You and Qrow don't have many boys' nights out these days." She said. "I can hold down the fort when you're gone."
Tai had been feeling uneasy every since Jaune had wrestled his girls, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave him alone with them - even though he did want to see the Max Payne bring the Facebreaker down a peg or two, it had been forever since he'd seen a live fight.
Every instinct was telling him not to.
But, he wasn't leaving them alone. The girls would be with Summer. He could trust her.
'No.'
Tai blinked.
'Now I know I'm crazy.' He thought.
Stark White was the best damned agent he'd ever known. Her quick thinking had gotten them out of life or death situations more times than he'd like to admit. She was more than qualified to keep some handsy teens in check.
More than that, Summer was the love of his life. Instincts be damned, if he couldn't trust her, he couldn't trust anyone.
'Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.' He thought, banishing the doubts from his mind.
"Alright, I'll be there in 15 minutes."
" Awesome. " Qrow said. " Since you're late, youget to be designated driver. I can't wait to see Clover get wasted ."
" Qrow, I don'tget wasted- "
" First time for everything- "
" -No. "
" Anyway, tell the girls I said hi and tell Jaune not to do anything stupid. "
Tai sighed. "How did you-"
" You had last minute company. " Qrow said. " Who else was it going to be? " There was an awkward pause.
"Also, " Clover said evenly " his van wasn't in the gym parking lot so we thought it was safe to assume- "
" -it is hard to miss. A real eyesore, honestly. "
Jaune pinched his temples while Yang smirked at his expense.
" Almost as ugly as Yang's stupid motorbi- "
"-Nobody asked you!" She shouted.
"Aaaand we're done here." Tai said tiredly. "Later, idiots." Then he hung up. "Alright, I'm out. Love you dear." He said, giving a quick peck on the lips to his partner. "Yang," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Bumblebee is only a little stupid looking."
"...My baby is not stupid looking." She grumbled petulantly under her breath.
"Jaune, I can kill you in over 700 ways-"
"-and that's just with your bare hands, because you're extensively trained in unarmed combat… got it."
Tai growled in annoyance.
"Ruby."
His youngest daughter had more or less composed herself.
He wrapped an arm around her. "Are you okay?"
Ruby looked up at him, confused.
"That spice hit you pretty hard."
It had nothing to do with the spice and they both knew it. Even though Tai wanted Jaune as far away from his daughters as possible he wasn't oblivious to her feelings. But Jaune was, and everyone else wanted to keep it that way.
She put on her bravest smile. "Yeah, Dad." She said, calm and clear. "I'll manage."
"Atta girl." He said warmly, ruffling her hair as he pulled her in for a hug.
If Ruby held her father more tightly than she had in years, well, that was her business.
Too quickly, Tai was out the door and with the rev of an engine the rest were left to their own devices.
Jaune turned to Yang curiously. "I'm surprised you didn't want to go." he said. "You love watching people fight."
Yang shrugged. "I had plans - I'm meeting up with the girls later." She said. "Besides, I haven't been to a live match in years."
Something twisted in his gut as he remembered the bright lights, the ringside seats, crawling up on Saphron's lap to get a better view, the cheering of the crowd as the Man of Stone defended his title night after night, the undefeated Champion of Vale… of the world.
"Me neither." He admitted, not feeling very hungry anymore.
He rose to help clean up. Ruby stopped him.
"I've got it." She said.
"Ruby, I can't let you do all the work-"
"-you bought everything." She said. "Plus, you spent the whole time teaching me. It's really the least I can do. You and Yang can start playing without me."
"Come on Vomit Boy-" Yang said, getting the hint and grabbing him by the arm. "Bet I can still beat your ass in Fists of Fury. "
Jaune didn't budge. "Ruby," he said, looking her over, "is something wrong-"
"-I'll help her clean this up." Summer said. "You two go have fun, it'll only take a few minutes."
Ruby smiled weakly. "Better keep that controller warm for me."
Jaune knew something was off, and he knew that for some reason every woman in the room wanted him out of it, but he decided not to press further. After all, he kept some things secret from Ruby, she was entitled to a few secrets of her own.
"Okay." He said, "But you'd better not spam juggles with Lang again."
"Nope." Yang said, bringing him over to the coach. "It's happening."
Summer looked the pair over as the console started up, relaxing when she saw nothing untoward.
Then she turned her attention back to Ruby.
Her daughter was facing the sink, listlessly scrubbing the same plate she started with while the water ran over her hands. She was trembling again.
Summer took her place by her daughter's side and was shocked to see tears streaming freely down her face.
Even with the running water and the clashing of digital fists covering her tears, Ruby was choking back sobs, not wanting to be heard, not wanting to burden anyone else.
She started as her mother pulled the dish out of her hands and pulled her into her arms.
"Sweetie." She whispered into her ears. "It's okay. Let it go."
Ruby was still for a long moment.
Then her voice came out in a faint, teary whisper. "Mom…"
Then she buried her face in her mother's shoulder and cried and cried and cried.
Summer held her tight and ran a soothing hand through her hair, and over her back.
She didn't tell Ruby everything was going to be alright - if she was going to be an Arc's plaything - even Jaune's - was that even true? She didn't tell her Jaune was crazy about her, and this was all just a big misunderstanding, and in no time at all Ruby would be in his arms.
Because that wasn't what her baby needed right now.
She couldn't protect her from conquest - she couldn't protect her from heartbreak. All she could offer was a mother's love, a warm embrace and a shield from prying eyes.
So that's exactly what she gave.