In the Family Way
A RWBY Fic by AndrewJTalon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.
The training field was covered in scorch marks, rubble, and debris. Which was pretty normal, honestly. At some point, Professor Goodwitch had only committed to cleaning it up every month or so.
It was here that Nick and Isabel Arc were waiting, next to a huge black and silver motorcycle that left Yang drooling. Nick was looking through the cargo skirts, checking through a large collection of very large swords, while Isabel was checking through a veritable pallet of medical supplies. Both looked up, all smiles when Jaune and his friends arrived.
"Wow, you weren't kidding," Yang gushed, "A Remus 205!"
"With weapon cargo skirts?!" Ruby cried happily.
Nick grinned.
"Yup! Feel free to look her over, Ruby! Just don't modify it too much without my say so!"
"No promises!" Ruby chirped, and immediately began looking the motorcycle over. Nick hummed.
"Let's see... Let's go with a starter weapon... Ah! Here it is."
He pulled out a very hefty broad sword, almost as tall as Nick was. He grinned at Jaune.
"Ready for training, son?"
"Just a second," Jaune said, as he summoned his rocket locker. Yang's eyes went from the very large sword her future father-in-law was wielding, and her fiance several times.
Her eyes focused almost exclusively on Jaune when the locker arrived and he began dressing in his armor.
"Er..." She walked up to his side. "So... You're sure about this?"
"Yup," Jaune said grimly, nodding as he pulled out his sword and shield. "Gotta get stronger."
"You're already training with Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl," Yang pointed out with a nervous laugh. Jaune nodded.
"Yup... But my dad's gonna teach me something I'm lacking: Pure, raw power."
"Isn't Nora working on that with you?" Yang pressed. Jaune nodded.
"Yup."
"And... So this is totally necessary?"
She was nervous. Why was she so damn nervous?
"Yup," Jaune said. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."
"I'm not," Yang huffed, "But if you tire yourself out too much, you'll be no use to me. Your needy and helpless fiance!"
"Helpless is not the first word I would use," Jaune deadpanned.
"And needy?"
"No comment," he said with a smile. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Relax."
"S-Sure," Yang managed. Jaune headed out onto the training field. Yang walked over to where Isabel was looking over the medical supplies.
"S-So... This is just for show, r-right?" Yang asked with a nervous smile, "You're just trying to push your son into giving up... R-Right?"
Isabel sighed, and sat down on a marble block.
"You don't know anything about our family, do you?" Isabel asked dryly.
Yang winced as Nick and Jaune walked out further into the field, before turning to face one another.
"I uh... I didn't pay as much attention as I should have, no," she admitted.
"Everyone sit down," Isabel sighed, "And stay behind the motorcycle. There's a hardlight Dust shield installed just in case."
"What? Why?" Pyrrha asked, as pale as Yang imagined herself to be.
"You'll see," Isabel groused, crossing her arms under her (admittedly impressive) chest and glaring at her husband and son.
"Okay!" Nick shouted. "We will be starting with the very basics of the Ancient Arc Sword Style! Taught to me by your great-grandmother Arturia!"
"Uh... Yeah Dad, I-I know," Jaune said.
"So it is very important," Nick shouted again, "For you to focus only on the basics! Because this is how she taught me, and let me into the family!"
Isabel groaned and covered her eyes.
"Uh, yes Dad, I-I know that too. You told me. Many times," Jaune went on.
"Good!" Nick said cheerfully. "So, Lesson One Is...!"
His sword burned bright blue-green with Aura, before he hefted it up... And swung it down like he was chopping wood.
"DODGE!"
"SHIIIIIT!" Jaune screamed, barely leaping out of the way of the Aura blast. It flew off, kicking up dirt and grass in its wake, before it hit one of the many ancient trees surrounding the training ground and blew it to pieces with a massive boom!
Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora, Blake, Weiss, and Yang's jaws all dropped, practically to the grass. Ren's eyebrows rose to the point that they nearly leaped off his forehead.
"I... Wha...?" Yang tried.
"DODDDDDDGE!"
"Nicholas Arc is one of the few Hunters in the last generation known to have killed a Grimm Hydra," Isabel sighed, "A beast as big as a Grimm Goliath but far more dangerous and harder to kill. Granted, he had help from our team and me, but he did deliver the killing blow."
A beat.
"When he was eighteen."
"Holy crap," Ruby wheezed.
"And this is him starting off easy?!" Weiss cried.
"DODDDDDGE!"
"GYAAAAAHHHH!"
Jaune didn't quite make the dodge that time, and was blasted through a marble pillar. Yang, Pyrrha, and Ruby were almost immediately on their feet.
"JAUNE!" Yang shouted.
Jaune slowly peeked up from the rubble pile he'd been slammed into. He staggered to his feet and gave his fiance and friends a thumbs up.
"I'M OKAY!" He shouted.
"YOU SURE SON?" Nick shouted.
"YEAH, I'M GOOD!" Jaune shouted.
Nick grinned, his beard shining in the sunlight.
"GREAT! NOW DODDGGGGGGGE!"
"AAAUUUGGGGHHHH!"
Isabel rubbed her temples in irritation.
"This... He's messing with us, r-right?" Weiss tried urgently. "This-This can't be a real training regimen!"
"Can it?" Yang asked faintly, as Ruby held her hand. Whether it was to support her or for her support, she didn't know.
"Every Arc who wanted to be a Hunter went through it with Great-Grandma Arturia," Isabel said firmly, her eyes haunted. "Every. Single. One."
"I can see why you stopped," Blake said dryly.
"DODDDDDDGE!"
Jaune managed to make it to Level 4, before he finally fell down and Nick Arc called it quits. He hefted his unconscious son up with one arm and carried him over to his wife and Jaune's friends.
"He did great, everyone!" Nick said cheerfully. "
"I'm sure he did, darling," Isabel sighed. She held Yang back from rushing to the very bruised boy, laid him down on the medical supply pallet and went to work healing him up with her equipment. Nick winced at all the glares he was getting from Jaune's friends: Especially Yang.
"Now now," Nick said cheerfully, "When I got to Level 2, I threw up before I passed out!"
"Comforting," Ren deadpanned. Ruby was fretting.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no..."
"He'll be fine!" Nora said cheerfully. "He's had worse! Remember when he got hit by a car, Renny?"
"I do," Ren said, "You hit him with it."
"It was an accident!" Nora insisted.
Blake remained silent and pensive. Only Pyrrha looked close to calm.
"I saw nothing wrong with the exercise regime," Pyrrha observed, though she was still looking worried over Jaune.
"Great, I am literally the only sane one," Weiss groused.
Jaune eventually came around, his Aura restoring his health. He blinked rapidly, eyes refocusing. Isabel smiled and helped him sit up.
"How are you doing, sweetie?" She asked.
"Sore," Jaune groaned.
"That's normal," Isabel sighed. She helped Jaune up to his feet, and Yang held him up. "You should probably take it easy for the rest of the day. You do have classes tomorrow."
"Thanks Mom," Jaune managed. Nick ruffled his hair with a big grin.
"We gotta get going too, son," he said, "You're doing great!"
"Thanks Dad."
"See you next week!" He said cheerfully. Isabel kissed her son's cheek, and smiled at Yang.
"We'll see you next time," she said, "You should take it easy too. Stress is bad for the baby."
"R-Right," Yang managed.
"Can I train with you next week as well, Mister Arc?" Pyrrha asked eagerly. Nick grinned and laughed.
"Of course you can! It would be my honor!"
"Great!" Pyrrha cheered. She beamed at Jaune. "I'll have all sorts of new ideas for our own training sessions too, Jaune!"
"Great," Jaune groaned, as Yang chuckled.
"Come on, slugger. Let's get to bed."
They made it to the dorm room. Yang helped Jaune undress to his shirt and boxers and laid him down in their bed. She sat next to him, and pulled his head into her lap. She found her fingers playing with his hair. He sighed quietly.
"Thanks," he murmured.
"Any time," Yang said quietly. She shook her head. "You know, if you'd gone through all that, you'd have been pretty amazing when you got to Beacon."
"Yeah," Jaune sighed heavily. He looked up into her iris-colored eyes.
"Yang, I... I'll get better, I promise-"
"You're doing great so far, Jaune," Yang said with a soft smile. "Don't beat yourself up, okay? Your dad did enough of that today already."
"I-I know," Jaune murmured, "I just... I want to be worthy of you, and the baby-"
"Shhh," Yang shushed him softly, stroking his hair and face, "You're doing fine."
She smirked at him as she gently caressed his chest.
"More than fine, after last night," she purred.
Jaune smiled up at her. He managed to turn his head and press his face against her belly. She kept stroking his hair and sighed softly.
"You can't feel anything yet," she chided him. "It hasn't gotten big enough."
"I know," Jaune said, "But I... I like this. Like we're all together."
Yang flushed and shook her head with a soft sigh.
"You just like your face in my lap," she laughed.
"... Maybe."
"Perv," Yang sighed fondly, as he turned his head up to beam up at her.
"Yeah, but I'm your perv."
"Don't I know it," Yang chuckled.
Monday morning's breakfast was very different from usual. They got a LOT of visitors to their usual tables.
"Oh wow," Coco gushed, "I didn't know what that glow was but I should have guessed! Congratulations! Hey, if you want me to design clothes for your kids, I'll do it pro bono!"
"I'm buying her kid clothing, thank you very much," Weiss sniffed.
"Gee, didn't know you cared, Weiss-cream," Yang joked, "You never did wear your feelings on your sleeve-"
"Uggggh," Weiss moaned.
"She can buy your kids clothes, but I can make sure your kids look amazing," Coco smirked, "You can't buy fashion sense."
"MY FASHION SENSE IS FINE!" Weiss protested.
"Sure it is, sweetie, sure," Coco said with a condescending smile. "Good on you too, Jauney-boy! I'm honestly jealous."
"Er, thanks," Jaune said. Coco headed off, the shy Velvet following after giving them a quiet congratulations.
"Sensational!" Penny contributed, standing near Ruby as she beamed at Yang, "Congratulations on successfully reproducing, Friend Yang and Friend Jaune! 87 percent of the student body felt it was extremely unlikely for you to do so, Friend Jaune!"
"I... Thanks?" Jaune managed, as he kept eating his breakfast. "Seriously, that many?"
"The quiz was very thorough!" Penny said cheerfully. She grinned as she stared intently at Yang. "The process of human reproduction is fascinating! Cells take in energy and nutrients and then divide. Divide. Divide. Divide. Divide-"
"Okay, that's great Penny," Ruby said quickly with a smile as Yang scowled in annoyance. "She gets the idea."
"Very well," Penny said with a happy nod. "How was this accomplished? My father blocked my access to many key facts of life."
Yang's jaw dropped. Jaune turned bright red.
"Ah, well," Jaune began.
"W-We'll talk about that later, Penny!" Ruby said urgently.
"Very well, Friend Ruby!" Penny said cheerfully. "I will see you when it is later!"
She left. Jaune sighed.
"This is exhausting."
"We'll get through it," Yang said with a smile, squeezing his shoulder.
"Ahem."
They looked up. That weird hot girl Cinder Fall stood there with her team. She had a thin smile on her face.
"I heard congratulations are in order, Xiao-Long, Arc," she stated, "You're having a baby?"
"Yup!" Yang said cheerfully. Cinder raised an eyebrow.
"Then you will not be participating in the Vytal Festival?"
"Nope," Yang said cheerfully, "I'd be a team battle all on my own! That would be against the rules!"
Cinder nodded slowly.
"I see. Better luck next time," she stated, staring intensely at Jaune. Jaune winced a little, and then shrugged.
"My team's still fighting, and I'll be in the solo battles, too," he said.
"I see," Cinder nodded slowly, "Well, good luck. You'll need it."
"Thanks!" Jaune said cheerfully. Cinder turned, and her entourage followed in lockstep. Yang and Jaune shared a look.
"Did that... Seem weird to anyone else?" Jaune asked.
"Maybe they're just... Socially awkward," Pyrrha suggested.
"She was acting like they were at some big corporate showdown like on television!" Nora said cheerfully. "Like they're gonna be talking all dramatically about new plans since they got outmaneuvered in the backroom and now the merger is in danger!"
"No more late night TV for you, Nora," Jaune stated. Nora pouted.
"Awww, but Daaaad!"
Out on the quad, Cinder's golden eyes narrowed.
"Our plan kind of hinged on Xiao-Long getting into the finals," Mercury pointed out, "She's got a juvie record. Her being violent would have sold things a lot better-"
"I am aware, Mercury," Cinder huffed. "We'll just have to adapt things for Arc."
"Why Arc though, Cinder?" Emerald asked in worry, "Why someone from Vale?"
"A Valean champion committing heinous violence will ground things for the audience more thoroughly," Cinder stated, "Foreign students killing each other won't be as effective! We've been over this!"
"I'm just saying," Mercury shrugged, "It doesn't seem likely we'd make him come off as some violent berserker."
"He has a child on the way," Cinder smirked, "I'm sure we can get some passion out of him. One way, or another... We'll get what we want."
Updates may be sporadic but I hope you'll be patient with me. And if you want more, I will write more.