This was originally published on Valentines. So, I suppose that makes it a Valentines Day special still. This special goes out to ~NGD OMEGA~, Argus456, and Dragon Lord Syed 101 for their constant feedback and support.
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
A firm knock came at my and Ren's bedroom door where we were staying in Mistral. We'd been here about a week and had separated back into rooms along gender lines rather than along couples. Much to my disappointment. I missed Ruby's support and I was sure Ren appreciated my nightmares none.
"Come in," I called out. "I'm decent."
Ruby skipped into the room, she was giggling and her face was already flushed red like I'd been kissing her or holding her close. Gods, her laugh was so infectious that despite my brooding mood I couldn't help but grin genuinely down at her. She leaned up on her tiptoes at me. I loved the way she had to crane her neck up to look at me when I was just standing and I reached out and took both her hands in just one of mine.
She tried to muffle her excited squeaks to no success. She was adorable like that.
"What's wrong?"
"We're going to spend Valentine's day together."
Oh shit. I was sure I'd forgotten something. She leaned up on her tiptoes and our noses brushed past each other. I put my hands around her waist to support her and she threw her arms around my neck and grinned against my lips.
"I uh- sort of-"
"Not a choice!" She sang across each word against my lips. I kissed her again. I couldn't help the smile that roared on my face. "I planned out our whole day."
I recalled when she stole Weiss's binder to plan out her whole day with her team on the day before our second term restarted. She was the type to make plans but not follow through with them so much if her heart desired something else. My focus was on how she was the type to make those sorts of plans, though. I picked her up with one arm and lifted her to shoulder height.
"We're going on a date," she said excitedly.
"What?"
"A da~ate! I'm sure you've heard of it." She bopped my nose from her perch and giggled into her other hand.
"Do you take me for a fool?" I poked her sides and she giggled. I wanted to throw her onto my bed and tickle her senseless but who knows where that would lead. Well, I could guess where poking her sides and ribs until her face flushed red would lead. It wasn't a bad thing for sure.
"No, just a bit mixed up. Did you ever…"
"I didn't. At least nothing that could be considered a real date." Unless you counted our one-on-one training sessions.
"Well come on then. Let's go!" She climbed down off of me, got behind me, and pushed me towards the door.
I let her shove me towards the door with only a small. "Hey," in faux protest.
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
Step one in Ruby's day date was making cookies together. Just like mama Arc used to make around the house when I was a wee boy. The house we were staying in had all of the cooking utensils we needed but we had to go out to fetch the ingredients together.
'Had to,' I mentally mocked myself. Really it was a part of our date. Just another way we would spend time together.
Ruby almost had to reach upwards to hold my hand as we went from stall to stall finding eggs, flower, and of course chocolate to make her favorite confection. I think she knew that I didn't particularly care what we were making and took it on herself to decide the details.
It wasn't that I didn't care about making things with her and spending time with her, it was that I really didn't care what we were making and I think she knew that as she dragged me from stall to stall.
Filling up a basket under her arm with brown and white sugar from an elderly woman with horns under a hat and smile wrinkles, she spun through the crowd and talked to people with a grace I could only envy and watch in awe.
"How big should we make them?" She wondered, dragging me through the crowded streets. We passed a couple with a small bonsai tree grown into the shape of a heart. "Do you think we can make them huge and heart shaped?"
"If you want the edges burnt then yes. But if we make a bunch of small ones it should be doable."
"Hmm." She pursued her lips and tapped them with her fingers. I pushed her fingers out of the way and made to cup her face and kiss her but with a flicker of petals she escaped my grasp. "Hey you."
"Me." I agreed solemnly. Like it was a curse that rested on my whole family.
"I'm trying to stay focused."
"You're the one with the kissable lips." I complained but I made no move to try and kiss her again as she put the final ingredients in her adorable red ribboned little basket.
"Come on. We need to finish these up back at the house." She led me back through the many layered gardens and back to the little place we were staying in.
It was suspiciously empty of Ren and Nora and I had to wonder what activities Nora had dragged Ren off to in the tiered gardens of Mistral.
Mistral was a beautiful place, I could confess. So long as you stayed out of the lower levels like Qrow had recommended. There were waterfalls and fountains and gardens of all sizes and I was sure that the beauty of the place did something to combat the Grimm.
"Come on!" She whined at me from the kitchen. "This is just phase one, we need to wrap up the other parts before the public fireworks."
"There are phases to this scheme of yours?" I was sure that public fireworks did something to combat the Grimm and negativity too.
"Of course. All good plans have phases."
I slid into the kitchen behind her and took out a cookie sheet and greased it while she began to carefully lay out her ingredients from her basket.
"You go right here." She happily murmured to the foodstuffs. "And you go right here. And you right here." She layed out the eggs and flower. I pushed her against the counter, grabbing her from behind. I wasn't able to help myself, I wanted another kiss.
When I spun her around, her face was stuffed full of chocolate chips and she gave me a guilty look before she swallowed her mouthful and I put my tongue in her mouth. I could taste the milk chocolate across her lips and on her tongue and she moaned against my whole body.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothin'." She mumbled guiltily. "You're distracting me again." She whispered. I had her pinned against the counter with my arms and she made no real attempt to escape even though we both knew she could. I slid my hands under her and lifted her so I could kiss her proper. "Jaune we need to hurry."
"We'll get the cookies done." I whispered. "Don't worry."
When I put her down and began mixing some of the carefully measured ingredients in a bowl, she tried to sneak a few mouthfuls of brown and white sugar. I say 'tried' like it was sneaky or she didn't succeed. She dipped the spoon into the sugar and then into her mouth and gave a little sigh in plain sight.
We didn't throw flower at each other but I did try to nail her open mouth with some chocolate chips as we measured out our ingredients. She was following some recipe in her head that I could only guess at the origin of, but she really had it down and didn't have to think long when I asked her how much vanilla to add and when to add it.
Once I thoroughly mixed them, we rolled out little balls of the dough and tried to make the balls vaguely heart-shaped. She had this big self satisfied grin at watching me try and make them so that they would grow into flat hearts.
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
A carnival awaited us, built into the cliffs of the middle levels. I wasn't sure what I expected from the crimson speedster, but it should have been something like this. She clutched my arm with both of hers as we walked.
It was phase two of Ruby's great plan, I was sure. She was a little grumpy, though, the edges of some of our cookies had been more brown than she wanted them to be.
"Couldn't we have left our weapons?" I asked.
"First of all, how dare you." She wolfishly flicked her hair back. I wanted to kiss her neck but it would involve too much leaning down. Plus she never let me give her hickeys despite how much she loved when I sucked on her jawbone. I still wanted it, though, I'd felt her writhe and heard her moan. She couldn't hide that from me and the gods themselves couldn't take it from me.
She coyishly looked up at me. "This is their date too."
"Ah, a double date."
"Now you're getting it." She was smiling again. Mission accomplished, Jaune. We'll be sending you home with a metal.
When she bought our entry tickets I suddenly felt guilty about spending my money on alcoholic drinks in a bar in the lower levels of the city.
"Congratulations!" A voice boomed at us as we entered a red and white tent. Bright lights flickered over us and I almost grabbed my weapon from the shock of it. "You two are our one hundredth couple today! Let's give a round of applause to the lucky lady and her gentleman."
"Um." I tried but Ruby squealed down at my side as applause from other couples poured in at us.
"You two will be the leads in tonight's show!" The announcer mercilessly continued.
"Wha-"
"Oh, now, it's not hard. Just play it however you want to and the rest of the cast will cover up for you." A man in a blue shirt appeared beside me. "Come on, this way."
"This sounds like fun. Let's do it Jaune." There was no arguing with Ruby. Not when she looked up at me, pouted, and metaphorically twisted my arm.
Once backstage I finally got my bearings, a troupe member came up to me and took a look at my get up. "Oh are you a huntsman?" She began strapping a microphone to me.
I managed to nod despite all the commotion. How could I be unafraid of murder and death but still have a little stagefright? Not that I was unafraid of murder and death entirely but the concepts definitely made me less nervous than this.
"Well I'm sure you'll do fine then." The troupe member finished before scurrying off. It was like an anthill back here.
Trumpets began alongside with some narration as the lights dimmed on the stage. "Long, long ago…" Oh boy. It was that fast and loose, was it?
"An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia. Princess Aerith was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her?"
Yeah, like Ruby needed me to save her. There was some serious role-reversal that needed to happen to resuspend my disbelief.
"Just then, the hero, Alfred, appears!"
Someone whispered, "that's your cue. Get out there." I hurriedly followed their directions and stepped out onto the stage. Maybe I looked a bit heroic in my armor and with my weapons. I could only guess I was so nervous in front of the couple hundred other people in the audience.
A man in some knightly apparel joined me on the stage. "Oh you must be the Legendary Hero Alfred!" He burst out.
When I said nothing he whispered. "Hey, it's your line." I looked around to see who he was talking to, then I pointed at myself like a dumbass. "Yeah you."
"Oh!" He repeated. "You must be the Legendary Hero Alfred!"
I thought they were supposed to play around me?
"I know in my soul," the man moved on. "Please, please save princess Aerith! Now please talk to the King!" He finished with a flourish. It could have been my imagination or he emphasized the word 'talk.'
Another man in fake royal blue robes and a crown came rolling out onto the stage as the knights walked into the background. He could only be the King, so I went up to him.
"Oh legendary hero, Alfred. You have come to save my beloved daughter Aeris." Was it Aerith or Aeris? "On the peak of a dangerous mountain dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados, who has kidnapped Princess Aeris. But, you can't beat the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to the one who can help you."
I glanced back around to find a man in robes next to the Knight. A wizard. I went up to him and he greeted me. "I am the great wizard, Vorman. What do you wish to know?"
"I wish to know the Evil Dragon King's weakness." I enunciated, unsure of myself. I was sure my voice would come out shaky but no one seemed to notice.
"Ah, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King. It must be, it must be…" I waited. "Yes, it must be true love! The power of love is the only weapon that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King!"
The announcer's voice boomed around me in narration. "Oh what is going to happen next. Oh legendary hero, look!"
A man in a dragon costume swung down from the rafters such that it looked like he was flapping the wings. In his arms was one Ruby Rose. Or I suppose I should say Princess Aerith. The man let loose a very weak roar at me and deposited her on the ground. Or stage. Whatever.
"I am the Evil Dragon King Valvados. I have not harmed the Princess, I have been expecting you!"
Ruby fake swooned on the ground. "Yes, help me Legendary Hero!"
I couldn't help myself. I grinned down at her.
The man in the dragon costume gave me another unconvincing roar. "Here I come, Legendary Hero, Alfred! Yes, I already know your name!"
The wizard spoke up beside me, "and now Legendary Hero here is what will happen to your beloved. A kiss! The power of true love."
To be honest I felt a little uncomfortable kissing Ruby as a spectacle. But it was her plan, phase two or whatever. I picked her up in my arms and kissed her to applause. I felt her smile against me as I did which made me grin, too.
The man in the dragon suit let out a fake scream, "curses, the power of love!" He really fucking said 'curses.' I shit you not.
Then, like a rocket he was yanked into the rafters again. The king took over as I released Ruby and set her on her feet. "Oh look! Love has triumphed! Now let us all return and celebrate."
The stage darkened and all the actors walked off stage, beckoning us to come with them.
The narrator took over again. "Oh, how profound the power of love! And so the Legendary Hero Alfred and the Princess Aerith live on happily ever after."
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
"Oh, that was fun."
"What's next, Rubes?" I poked her sides and she bent over giggling. "What's phase three?"
"Phase three is the gondola." She straightened and led me to the ticket booth. "Two please."
"Enjoy the sights of Mistral." The man inside muttered like he had to do it a thousand times. Which he probably did.
"If I timed this right…" Ruby muttered as I took my seat. She made to sit opposite me but I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto the same seat as me as the gondola took off. I kissed her cheek and she flushed red in a way that couldn't be legal.
"If you timed this right what?"
"If I timed this right we'll be high up when the fireworks go off." She finished for me.
We rose above the carnival rides and even up above the highest levels of Mistral. The fireworks went off below and around us, a little loud but nothing like gunfire in our ears. Sparks of yellow, green, purple and blue flared all around us followed by giant red hearts and magenta flickering patterns.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?!" She gasped beside me. "You know at first it bothered me how much I was like Pyrrha."
"I thought-" but she ran me over.
"I mean we look different but we're alike in other ways. Ways that really, really matter. But I am different from her. Things are different. Jaune…"
She trailed off but I had no intention of interrupting her flow.
"Jaune I want to be with you."
"I'm right here."
"I know. I know. What I mean is, I want to be with you, though. For the rest of my life. I can't imagine it without you."
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
-WG