Fulfillment

AN: Takes place in the #FuckCinder'splan AU where nothing happens at the Vytal festival and all the characters keep training to be Hunters.

Blake felt… weird. Very, very weird. It wasn't really a good weird, but she couldn't call it a bad one either. It was just weird, and even as used to weird things as she'd gotten since she'd joined team RWBY—the most weird-prone team in Beacon history it felt like—this was another kind of weird. A completely new weird.

She was in heat—her first one since she'd started attending Beacon—and while it wasn't an unfamiliar concept to her, she'd gone through them with varying intensity ever since she hit puberty after all, there was something different this year. Before, when her heat came and she'd been overwhelmed by a need to release the building pressure inside her, she'd either hid away and tended to it herself, or she had tracked down Adam or another White Fang member, and they'd helped her get rid of it. Neither option was perfect, in her opinion; being with her former partner, while helpful, hadn't exactly been the most satisfying experience of her life, since Adam and intimacy really hadn't worked as well as she'd liked (and that was before he'd started using the White Fang to commit terrorist attacks), and most of the other, older Fangs had learned to control their heats enough to where it hadn't bothered them; meaning they had often just ranted at her about suppressing rather than sating it. Looking back upon it now, she could also see how uncomfortable it might have made those around her; as a cat Faunus, she'd been very young when she'd first started going into heat, at least compared to most other Faunus types, and not exactly the most emotionally developed yet. From an outsider's perspective, she could even see how it might have seemed like those around her were taking advantage of her condition. She'd been reckless, there was no denying that, but thinking things through hadn't exactly been the easiest thing for her to do when her hormones were running amok. All she'd wanted had been to quell her body's hunger. Sadly, taking care of her heat herself had been and still was pretty lackluster, as masturbation just wasn't as good as 'the real thing' when her body was really craving a mate, and it took a lot more energy, time, dedication, and late night Ninjas of love readings to deal with fully.

But this year, things were different. Right now, Blake didn't have Adam, or any of the other members of the White Fang, to help her, and she just didn't want to do it herself again. She still wanted help, however. From one specific person.

For her heat, this year Blake only wanted Jaune Arc.

They had been together for close to a month now, and she wouldn't deny that so far it had honestly been going really well. Great even. When they had first met, Jaune certainly hadn't had the best of first impressions on her, but after he had started to take his schooling at Beacon more seriously and him and Weiss got on good terms, Blake found that she'd begun developing a bit of a soft spot for him. He was very cute when he wanted to, whether he was aware of it or not, and while idealistic and slightly naïve, just like Ruby, she could tell that he really had a pure heart and wanted nothing more than to help people. What really struck a cord with her, though, was how he acted towards Faunus. He treated them the same as he did everyone else, like there was nothing different between a Faunus like her or Velvet and a random citizen from Vale. In his eyes, they were all people, all equallty 'worthy' of his attention or assistance, and for that, Jaune truly held Blake's respect. Making more people think like him had been the reason she joined the White Fang in the first place when she'd been younger.

From there, she'd just grown more and more interested in him—in his thoughts and feelings—and she'd begun taking opportunities to talk and spend time with him more and more, learning about his life before coming to Beacon, about his family and friends, until finally she realized that what she felt towards him wasn't just the friendship or companionship she felt with Yang and her team anymore, but something different. Something more.

His smiles made her feel elated and happy, his voice made her want to laugh, his eyes on her making her heart beat faster, and just looking at him made her chest feel warmer.

That's when Blake knew just what had happened. She'd fallen for him. For the first time in her life, she really was in love.

And after talking to him, she'd found out Jaune had felt the same, he'd just been too nervous to confront her about it.

Which landed her here, laying on her bed, alone, her nose buried in the collar of one of Jaune's big hoodies that she'd forgotten to give back to him, her pillow clutched against her chest as she listened closely for the sounds of him coming back from his late night training session, her heat simmering with desire within her chest.

It was just her in the darkened room, Yang and Weiss having left hours ago with Coco and Velvet to make the most of a large sale happening in one of the more popular clothing stores down in Vale which they both had been planning on attending for weeks now, a trip she suspected they wouldn't return from anytime soon, and Ruby having been picked up by Sun for a date not long after (she'd tried figuring out exactly how that happened, key word being tried, but all she'd been able to gather in the end was that it had something to do with fishheads being yum somehow...). Frankly, she considered it a blessing. It let her finally be alone with the thoughts that had been whirling inside her head since her heat started and it stopped her from worrying about whether she was acting weird around her team.

It felt so strange and unfamiliar to Blake; being in heat while she was already in love. Before, when she'd been younger, she'd just felt like doing anything to tend to the fire in her loins, never holding herself back from embracing her carnal urges if she had the chance, but now things were different. Though she might spot a person who, based on appearance alone, her instincts told her would make for a good 'mate', she never spared them more than a glance nowadays. Because she already felt a tug towards someone else, and a much, much stronger one at that. Her heart and body only yearned for Jaune this time around.

It was a strange mix, she felt, having the carnal, impulsive urges of her body's heat combine and work with the more deep and meaningful feelings inside her heart and mind, but they'd come together nonetheless and a part of Blake was really happy about it. She'd honestly never before had sex with someone who genuinely cared for her—maybe even loved her—and she was happy that Jaune was hopefully going to be the first person she shared that with. That on its own was enough for Blake to feel that no matter what happened between them, this would be very special to her.

Provided Jaune wanted to do this with her too, of course…

The thought alone made the ravenette feel uneasy, her arms tightening around her pillow as she curled up even further, her knees pushing against her forearms. It was something she just couldn't stop thinking about. She'd dealt with rejection many times before, in multiple different circumstances not exclusively related to her heat, and while sometimes they'd stung a bit or aggravated her when she'd been at her horniest, she'd always been able to move past them in favor of another solution, or another person.

With Jaune, though, Blake knew things were different. She truly felt nervous that he, the boy she'd come to care for so much, might reject her and she'd be left helpless when her urges surged up once again. Dealing with that rejection was almost unthinkable in her mind. She was scared about what it might make her feel; what it might make her do. This was all new to her, and as such, she had no idea just how to deal with her thoughts and emotions when they ran rampant. What if Jaune thought she just wasn't beautiful enough? What if he'd rather have someone more busty and filled out like Yang, or more petite like Weiss? What if he didn't think their relationship was special enough and he only wanted to sleep with someone he shared a close bond with, like Ruby or Pyrrha? What if he didn't want to share his first with her? What if…

… what if he didn't want a Faunus like her…?

With a half groan, half growl of frustration, Blake angrily flung her pillow across the room, not bothering to look where it wounded up landing. She hated these stupid thoughts. She hated them so, so much. They were irrational, illogical, and downright stupid sometimes, but no matter how much she told herself that they just. Wouldn't. Leave!

Jaune would never reject her just because she was a Faunus she tried to tell her mind, but it just wouldn't listen and she'd continue to be plagued by thoughts of self-doubt. Parts of her even tried to tell her just to run away, like she had so many times in the past; to hide away somewhere until her heat passed and then try to salvage what remained of her life and relationship…

"Enough!" Blake hissed angrily to both herself and her infuriating thoughts as she shot up from her bed, shaking her head furiously and shutting her eyes tightly as she forced herself to take some deep, calming breaths—just like Ren had taught her. Her heart was racing, something she hadn't even noticed until now, and it was only once her breathing had become steady and even that it started to return to its normal beat.

"Why does this have to be so difficult…?" she whispered into the empty room, shutting her eyes tightly when she predictably received no answer to her question. With how many romance and erotica novels she'd read throughout her life, Blake had thought she could handle this—that it would be like second nature to her—but now that she was here, in the moment, things were completely different and she realized just how horribly naïve she'd been. She could deal with battling Grimm and studying for classes, it seemed, but as soon as feelings came into play, at least feelings like these, she became overwhelmed and conflicted. And just like before, she began to feel the urge to run; like she had done in the past, both with the White Fang and her team.

Opening her eyes, Blake moved her gaze upward until she was looking back at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall, her dimly glowing, citrine eyes looking as conflicted as she felt—her pupils noticeably slitted and dilated because of her now burning animalistic instincts. She watched herself slowly, almost unconsciously rub her thighs together, warmth still blooming from in between them. The sight actually made her feel a bit comforted, as it helped one thought—one that had always been clear, ever since the moment she went into heat—rise to the forefront of her mind.

She still wanted Jaune and only Jaune. Her heart and body were completely in agreement on that. No other mate could, or would, suffice.

Blake watched as her ears flitted back and forth underneath her bow as she thought about her boyfriend, a small smile managing to tug on her lips as a small tingle traveled through her body at the mental image of his own smiling face and gentle, sapphire eyes; her nose burrowing into the collar of his hoodie once again, his unique scent still clinging to its fabric. She loved his smell—something about it was just so comforting to her—even more so now that she was in heat. There were still other thoughts and worries bouncing around inside her head, but focusing on Jaune himself rather than her worries helped her manage a little bit better. It wasn't much, but having a fixed point like her attraction and feelings towards him did make everything, if only, a little less 'chaotic'.

Sighing, she began walking over to where her pillow had landed, the desire to hold onto something as she laid and waiting—imagining it was a small Jaune, loath as she was to admit that (even to herself)—still urging her subconscious.

That's when she heard it.

Mid step, Blake froze, her ears perking up and turning towards the sound as she focused intently on making out as many details as she possibly could.

'Footsteps...' she thought as she made her way closer to the door to the room in hopes of hearing more. 'Tired footsteps...' it was unlikely for someone else to be around these parts of the school at this time of the evening, but Blake still forbade herself from becoming too hopeful before she had made sure it was Jaune she heard approaching and not Yang and Weiss coming back early from their Vale trip or Ruby from her date.

Bit by bit, the footsteps made their way closer to team RWBY and JNPR's dorms until Blake could finally register something other than sound with her enhanced Faunus senses.

Her nose twitched.

The distinct, pungent smell of sweat along with the more musky scent that almost all the boys and men on Beacon carried in some way or another made their way to Blake's nostrils, letting her confirm that the approaching person was at least male. However, underneath those two scents was another one; one that made her smile even more and caused her heart to feel like it was suddenly embraced by something warm and comforting. It was the unique smell of grass and wildflowers, mixed with another more exotic, unknown ingredient; a scent she'd been savoring ever since she'd loaned his hoodie.

It was Jaune's smell.

XXX

Jaune felt himself sigh and deflate as he stepped out of the shower; half in relief for how nice the warm water had felt and half from how exhausted his muscles were. Thanks to Pyrrha and Ren having decided to use their rare free weekend to go see a newly released movie in Vale and Nora still being stuck in the infirmary after she'd gotten severe food poisoning from eating what he guessed had been 500 metric tons of not so fresh pancakes, he'd been forced to train on his own tonight, which of course meant he had pushed himself harder than Pyrrha had told him numerous times she wanted him to and had failed to pace himself as well as he should have. It hadn't exactly been the best training session of his life, but Jaune was still somewhat happy with the results. He'd manage to break both his record on the free weights and his previous best score in block practice against the training bots.

And all it had cost him were some slightly overexerted muscles and heavy fatigue.

Suffice to say, it was a price Jaune would gladly pay a hundred fold if it meant he could be less of a burden to his team and his friends and he could help more people like the hero an Arc like him was supposed to be.

The thought made him let out a small, dry laugh as he took in his tired visage in the fogged over bathroom mirror, noting idly that he would probably need to shave sometime soon. Any other day, he would probably have stood there and berated himself inside his head for not being enough—for just being a weight dragging down his team—but tonight… tonight he honestly felt too tired. And, well, from the numerous talks he and Pyrrha had had about the subject after she'd overheard him berating himself a bit harsher than normal, he'd started to see how the thoughts weren't the healthiest of things to have, even if he still considered many of them true.

Eventually, Jaune finished drying himself and hastily wrapped the towel around his waist before exiting the bathroom, fighting back a shudder as his slightly moist skin met the far colder air of the dorm proper, intent on throwing on some clothes before heading to bed to read some comics. Since the rest of his team were out doing their own things—that being suffering in Nora's case—he'd forgone turning on any lights in the room before he jumped in the shower, so it wasn't until he flicked on the lamp standing on his nightstand and started stretching that he realized that he wasn't alone in the room.

Jaune could only stare silently, frozen in place, as he looked over to where Blake was sitting cross-legged on the end of his bed, her citrine eyes staring right back at him, the lower part of her face buried in what looked to be one of his hoodies.

A moment passed between them, neither knowing how exactly to react as they kept looking at one another, but eventually, Blake managed to gather the courage to break the silence.

"Hey..." she said quietly, an uncountable number of different feelings and sensations weaving together inside her heart as she pulled her nose from the collar of 'her' sweater. Smelling Jaune had been one thing, seeing him when she was like this was another and she had to intentionally make an effort to not let her legs begin to shift and squirm. Her cheeks were already visibly flushed, their pink hue standing out against her normally pale complexion, and a part of her hoped that Jaune hadn't noticed this. She wasn't even sure if she regretted having sneaked into the room in the first place.

Her words were enough to bring Jaune out of his shocked state and it was his turn to blush as he looked around hurriedly for something to put on.

"Um... hi, Blake," he replied eventually, a feeling of unease beginning to settle over him as he couldn't help but notice that Blake had yet to take her eyes off of him since he'd discovered her. Having her look at him, and so intently at that, was making him feel self conscious even as he rushed to awkwardly put on the first clean shirt he could find and a pair of boxers without removing the towel from around his waist. He really wasn't used to getting looks like that from anyone, much less a girl as gorgeous as her. "What, uh, what are you doing here?" he managed to ask once his person was a bit more covered up, his unease beginning to dissipate slightly thanks to it being Blake that was looking at him rather than some stranger.

The ravenette opened her mouth to answer, but before even a single word was able to leave her lips, Blake realized she had no idea what she was going to say. How should, or even could she explain what she was doing in Jaune's room while he was in the shower? She really didn't want to have to give him a lecture on how Faunus physiology worked and what her being in heat meant, but what else was she supposed to tell him? This plan of hers wasn't exactly the most thought out, she couldn't help but take note of.

Mentally cursing herself, and her heat for getting her into this mindset to begin with, she decided to just be honest—something she'd found was easier with Jaune than what she had expected.

"Sorry, I just… felt lonely, I guess..." Blake finally answered, only now looking away from her boyfriend—though the image of his toned, bare chest didn't leave her mind. She felt embarrassed and stupid even as her body continued to heat up.

"Oh..." was all Jaune could reply with.

Silence settled over the two of them again, both of them being far outside of their comfort zones, but this time, when it was broken it was Jaune who did it.

"Are you feeling okay, Blake? You're looking really tense and, well, honestly, you don't really seem like yourself tonight."

Blake's head snapped up at that, her eyes finding that another pair of sapphire blue ones were looking over her in an almost analyzing way.

Jaune would never claim that he was the most socially attentive of people in the world—hell, according to his sisters he could be pretty damn oblivious sometimes—but after having been a couple with Blake for a while now, he could at the very least tell when things about her felt different or off. Something was on her mind, that much he was sure of even if he didn't specifically know what said something was, and if it was bothering her in some way he wanted to try and help.

He moved to sit down beside her on the bed and was relieved when she didn't try to create some distance between them. He'd been surprised and embarrassed when he'd first noticed her, especially considering the state of his person, but those feelings had mostly passed by now and having Blake there with him certainly wasn't a bad thing. Regardless of if she decided to open up to him or not, he was always happy to be able to spend some time with her.

Blake wanted to reply that she was okay, making up some kind of lie that could explain why she was acting so strange, but when she looked into Jaune's deep, captivating eyes, her words caught in her throat. There was so much affection and genuine concern for her shining within those depths, enough to make her heart practically skip a beat. She didn't want to lie to him. Not Jaune. He'd done so much to earn her trust, whether he knew it or not, and for her to just throw all that away because of this damned heat made her feel horrible. He didn't deserve lies.

A sigh left Blake's lips and she felt her body deflate a little, though her heart was still hammering in her chest thanks to her proximity to her desired mate. Things weren't exactly going like she'd hoped, even if she'd never really had much of a plan to begin with. Her body still ached though, and with Jaune so close, she really couldn't keep herself in check much longer. She wanted him badly and her instincts were practically screaming at her not to squander this opportunity. All she needed to do was take control of the situation again and then she'd finally get that release that she longed for so much with a boy she cared for even more.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she let her desire wash over her, ears slightly twitching beneath her bow from the instinctual, animal-like surge of emotions. "You're right. I'm not really myself right now. Things have been really... stressful recently, and… well..." another sigh escaped her as she trailed off.

She didn't need to say much more, however, as Jaune felt he knew what could possibly help his tense girlfriend.

A small, involuntary, and almost surprised mewl-like sound made its way from Blake's chest as she suddenly felt her body being pulled against another, more firm and broad one, followed by a pair of strong arms embracing her. She sat frozen in the hug for a moment, her body feeling like it was going completely haywire from all the different sensations and emotions practically bombarding her from all directions, but before long, she couldn't help but melt into Jaune's embrace, her face burrowing in the crook of his neck as her arms went around his back and helped her pull herself even closer to him. The feeling of his arms around her, his bodily warmth enveloping her, made her heart flutter as well as yearn for more. She really liked Jaune's hugs, as unexpected they sometimes were. More so than even what she felt when Yang hugged her, being in Jaune's arms made her feel safe—from everything. If he held her, everything just felt more… correct than it might have before. She'd really needed this, for more reasons than one, even if she hadn't realized it until she was here; in his embrace.

"Thank you..." she breathed against Jaune's neck, a gentle purr beginning to rise from her chest as he ran a hand along her spine, her back arching eagerly to meet his touch. The feeling of his solid frame pressed against her made tingles shoot all throughout her body, his protective arms only making her feel more content.

"Anytime," Jaune laughed softly as he continued to stroke Blake's back, his mirth only increasing when he felt her begin to rub her head gently against his neck. She was still tense, he could feel that much, but the sound of her purring at least let him know that she was happy. "If there's anything I can do to help you relieve some stress, don't be afraid to ask." As soon as he said those words, Jaune felt Blake stir a little in his arms and he had to admit he was kind of surprised. He hadn't expected such a quick a response like this from what was by now a standard offer of help.

Slowly, he felt her shift in their hug until her mouth was pressed gently against his neck, her soft lips meeting his skin in a series of light, feathery kisses that made shivers rush up the blond's spine. He could still hear the Faunus' content purring as she forged a path of gentle, but progressively more passion filled kisses from the base of his neck all the way up to one of his cheeks, but aside from that, the room was silent. Something had just changed about the atmosphere, he noted idly, though he couldn't say what exactly that meant.

When Blake finally stopped her trail of kisses, Jaune was at a loss of what to do. Different parts of his body told him to do a plethora of different things and he could feel that his cheeks were much hotter than when he'd first hugged her. Blake didn't leave him to think in circles for long, though, as she moved her arms to around his neck and closed the small gap between them, kissing him deeply with her body still pressed flush against his. While he was a bit surprised by the sudden action at first, Jaune quickly became thankful that Blake had taken the initiative as he happily kissed her back, one of his hands still stroking her back while the other wandered up to cup her cheek, and he happily let his eyes drift closed as he simply focused on the feeling of her lips on his. Kissing was something he knew how to do and respond to, a soft moan leaving his lips as Blake's tongue began prodding gently at them, her hands moving up to stroke his newly showered, blond mop of hair, even if he was far from being an expert at it. Or at least so he thought.

Once Blake's exploring tongue passed between his lips, Jaune could swear he felt another change happen, but he didn't stop to think about it. His attention was far to preoccupied with his and Blake's kiss for him to think about much else aside from how good it felt to do this with her; how soft the Faunus' lips were and how her tongue seemed intent on exploring every single corner of his mouth with an intensity that he hadn't been prepared for. She almost felt hungry in a way that he had never seen before, like she was losing herself in the kissing, and it wasn't before he could feel himself begin to run out of air that she seemed satisfied.

When they finally broke the kiss, both Jaune and Blake were breathing hard, almost panting in Blake's case, and it took a moment before either had the energy to say anything. Soon enough, though, Jaune was able to calm his breathing and he couldn't help but chuckle a little at what had just transpired and he was glad to hear Blake's quiet, gentle laughter mix together with his not a moment later.

"Consider that my proper thank you for that hug..." he heard her whisper, "I really needed it."

Leaning forward slightly, Jaune let his forehead softly collide with Blake's, their eyes opening simultaneously at the gesture. Seeing the blush upon the Faunus' cheeks, one that was no doubt mirrored on his own, Jaune couldn't help but smile goofily at her. "Like I said, I'll do anything to help."

As strange as it might seem, Blake actually felt a bit calmer after the kiss she'd just shared with Jaune. She was slightly ashamed that she'd almost let herself get lost in it, hence her blush, but in a way, it had cleared her system and she felt more in control of both herself and the situation at hand. Not to mention how her heart was fluttering from the simple, yet tender gesture of Jaune leaning his forehead to hers.

With a new sense of purpose, she gave her Knight one more, much gentler and quicker kiss before leaning back and addressing him. It was time for her to take Jaune up on his offer.

"About that..." Blake began softly as she looked away from her boyfriend's now curious eyes, resting her gaze on his hands instead. "You were right about me being really tense before, and, well, according to Weiss and Yang you're good at working out knots, so… could you maybe give me a massage…?"

She wasn't surprised when Jaune looked away bashfully at her words—as much as he'd grown since he arrived at Beacon and regardless of how much real confidence he'd earned, he still didn't know how to handle praise very well, and she knew this. It was something that Blake couldn't help but find a bit cute if she was being completely honest.

"I didn't know they told you about that," the blond mumbled as he absentmindedly scratched the back of his head before looking back up at Blake. "I don't really know any special techniques or something, but I can give it a shot if you want?"

Blake only smiled at him and gave him a short nod before standing up from the bed. She was getting excited again; things were finally going like she wanted them to go! She sent Jaune a glance over the shoulder as she took hold of the hem of her hoodie.

Jaune was slightly confused why exactly Blake had stood up when she'd asked him to give her a massage, but he didn't have time to ask her before she slowly began to peel off the sweater—which he was almost 100% certain by now was actually his—she was wearing, and he was quick to realize that she had apparently not worn anything else underneath. Jaune's breath caught in his throat at the large expanse of pale, soft looking skin that was suddenly exposed to him; the faint outline of a couple of faded scars being the only 'blemishes' upon Blake's back. When she'd said massage, he'd figured she meant one of the foot or calf, since that was what he'd given Yang and Weiss, but it seemed she had other things in mind. The only thing that now remained on ravenette's torso was a black ribbon, wound several times around her chest instead of a bra.

The feeling of Jaune's eyes gazing intently upon her back was different than Blake had predicted. She was no stranger to people ogling her body, taking in her curves while lecherous and lascivious thoughts bubbled inside their heads, but it wasn't the same when Jaune looked at her. To her, it didn't feel like he was watching her in a lustful way, even as she intentionally accentuated the curve of her back by stretching a little. There was an innocence to the way his sapphire eyes roamed across her smaller back and shoulders, yet it was still different from how, for example, a child might look at her. He wasn't looking at her like she was a sex object, yet she could still tell her body was affecting him. What was shining in Jaune's eyes was neither lust, nor obliviousness; it was sheer adoration.

As turned on as Blake was, she could still reign in her emotions enough for her and Jaune to share this small moment. She'd never had someone look at her like this; like she was the most beautiful thing in the world. It made her feel truly special.

"You haven't changed your mind about wanting to help me, have you…?" Blake called out softly over her shoulder as the moment passed, her tone holding a slight suggestiveness to it.

Her voice was enough for Jaune to finally get control over his tongue again, his heart suddenly feeling like it was beating twice as hard even as the surprise of Blake undressing in front of him died down.

"N-no, nothing like that," he replied finally, clearing his throat quickly to steady his voice and to let himself calm down a bit more. "I-I was just a bit surprised. I didn't realize you wanted that kind of massage, that's all. Come here and sit down. I can't really promise much, but I'll try my best."

He gestured for Blake to take a seat a bit in front of him on the floor and she did so without hesitation, giving him a quick smile before her back turned towards him once again.

Silently, Jaune settled down on his knees behind Blake, rubbing his hands together to make sure they weren't cold when he began actually touching her. His dad had taught him the basics of massaging when he was little, but he had never actually gotten to use those skills on anyone other than his sisters since he'd left home. Yang had been the first he'd 'worked' on in over a year when she had approached him for help—apparently she liked how soft his hands were—and he would be lying if he hadn't been a bit surprised and proud that the muscle memories were still there.

Taking one last calming breath, he gently lifted Blake's long, obsidian colored hair out of the way the way—laying it over one of her shoulders—before finally resting his hands on either side of the nape of her neck. Finally, he let his hands get to work.

Even though she was the one who had asked for it in the first place, Blake wasn't what you'd call used to getting massages. She'd gotten a few in the past when she'd been in the White Fang from the medics there when she'd pulled a muscle or the like, but they had mostly just been focused on getting her back to top shape as quickly as possible. They'd never been what she'd describe as pleasurable—especially not the one or two she'd gotten from Adam when they'd been out in the field—merely efficient.

Now, however, Blake could practically feel herself turn into putty as Jaune's hands moved slowly up and down her back, gently prodding and pushing against the muscles hidden just beneath her skin. As often as she'd held or seen them, she couldn't help but marvel at just how soft his hands felt. They didn't feel at all like what she'd expect a Hunter-to-be's hands to be like—firm yet mostly noticeably uncalloused—but something about it still felt very Jaune-like; he might not look or feel like much at first glance, certainly not Hunter material, but he had both the drive and heart to prove just how wrong those who looked at him like that were. Blake knew that for sure since she'd unfortunately been one of them not that long ago.

"Mmmmm~..."

As much as she had tried in the beginning, Blake couldn't suppress the soft moans leaving her lips when Jaune's strong hands began to knead her shoulders, the sound almost getting drowned out by the purrs her body had been releasing non-stop since he started the massage. Bit by bit, she could feel the knots her body had been tied up in for so long become loosened by Jaune's practiced movements, letting her truly relax for the first time since her heat had started. Yang and Weiss hadn't been lying when they said the knight knew what he was doing with his hands; in fact, in Blake's only slightly biased opinion, they might actually have been underselling his skills.

Her sore muscles yielded quickly underneath his touch and it didn't take long before Blake began to let herself moan more freely at the wonderful sensations shooting up her spine.

Jaune, meanwhile, could feel himself blushing up a storm at Blake's sounds, though he didn't let his embarrassment halt his hands' movements. Neither Yang nor Weiss had really been quiet when he'd massaged them, but they hadn't been openly moaning. Some sighs and maybe a small yelp when he found an especially sore spot, but not something like this. He'd be lying if he tried to suggest he didn't like hearing Blake make sounds like these, though. She wasn't normally the most vocal of people, especially around others, so being able to clearly tell that she was enjoying his massage felt like some sort of special treat to the blond.

"Oh yeah, right there~…" Blake sighed blissfully as Jaune's thumbs pushed firmly into the base of her neck, her lip getting caught between her teeth as a shudder of delight passed throughout her heat addled body. Underneath her bow, she could tell her feline ears were flitting and twitching from the pleasure. She couldn't get enough.

"I'm guessing I'm not doing too terrible a job so far..." she heard Jaune chuckle as she shuddered once again, his attention now on her shoulder blades and upper spine.

"Y-you're doing great, it feels amazing~," Blake managed to reply before another moan cut her off. She couldn't help but imagine how much better this would feel like if she'd been laying on the floor or one of the beds with Jaune hovering above her—how easy it would have been for her to turn around and pull him down against her, not letting go before her damned heat was thoroughly sated and both of them were too tired to move-

"Hey Blake?"

The Faunus' heated thoughts were stopped dead when she once again registered Jaune's voice, her body's temperature spiking even more from just how vivid her fantasies were becoming. She quickly swallowed any embarrassment, though, and forced her urges to recede the best she could before speaking up.

"Yeah?"

"Are you planning on keeping your bow on tonight?"

The question was not one that Blake had been expecting, a fact that must have shown as Jaune started talking again before she could answer.

"It's just that I, you know, think your ears are really pretty, and I can't really see how it can be comfortable keeping them hidden underneath it all day long, so, since there's no one around, I figured that, maybe, you'd be more at ease with them out in the open..."

In the quiet that followed his rambling words, Jaune could swear he would have been able to hear a feather hit the floor. Even Blake's gentle purring had gone silent, her once relaxed body now both looking and feeling very tense underneath his touch, and he began to fear that he'd just said something extraordinarily stupid. He'd both seen and touched her ears several times before, which was why he'd brought the subject up in the first place, but this was the first time he'd ever suggested she should take her bow off—she'd always done it by her own accord. Considering how delicate of a subject Faunus related things was for Blake, he didn't know if he'd overstepped his 'boundaries' by mentioning her ears; all he wanted was for her to be as comfortable as possible.

Sadly, in the quiet, Jaune was starting to have a hard time not expecting the worst…

"You-… you really think they're pretty…?"

The softness of Blake's tone was almost enough for the Knight to think he'd just imagined her speaking just now, but when he caught one of her citrine eyes peeking back at him, he realized it had been for real.

"Of course I do. They're a part of you, after all, and you're the most beautiful person in the whole world, Blake. All of you. At least to me," he said without hesitation, sounding almost like he'd just explained the most obvious thing in the entire world.

Now, to anyone else, Jaune's words might have just come off as silly, practically like some cheesy pickup line, but to Blake, they were much more. Meant much more. Because she could hear the sincerity in them; feel how much he meant what he'd said. His voice wasn't filled with confidence or bravado, just innocent affection. It made her feel as if her heart had just skipped a beat.

Jaune truly did find her ears beautiful… something Blake had never heard from anyone before…

Quickly turning her head away from him again, she hoped Jaune hadn't noticed just how vulnerable and watery her eyes had suddenly gotten, and she blinked furiously to keep any stray tears from rolling down her flushed cheeks. With just a few words, he'd dispelled any doubts Blake's heat addled mind might have conjured up to dishearten her.

'All of me...'

In her mind, those specific ones continued to echo, forcing her to begin blinking again as new tears of relief and happiness threatened to fall from her eyes. Jaune didn't only find her human parts beautiful, nor did he focus fetishistically on the details that made her stand out as a Faunus. He found all of her beautiful.

Blake couldn't think of a time she'd ever been this overwhelmed by happiness.

"You can take the bow off if you want..." she whispered gently, though newfound excitement was beginning to rush through her body.

"Okay." Jaune wasted no time once he'd gotten Blake's permission, gently tugging on her bow's two ends until the entire thing unraveled and fell off her head. He couldn't help but smile at the two soft looking cat ears resting on the top of his girlfriend's head and he only hesitated for a split second before he reached out and began to tenderly stroke one them. As soon as he did, the sound of Blake's purring returned and he could feel how she was leaning into his touch, her whole body visibly relaxing once again.

"You want me to finish that massage from before or would you prefer it if I just kept petting your ears all night long?" he asked playfully, drawing a happy giggle from Blake's lips.

"As lovely as that sounds, I luckily don't get much tension stored up in these things, so I think my back would appreciate your services a bit more." Jaune only chuckled and gave a short nod in reply before he laid his hands upon Blake's back again, the gentle rumble of her purrs traveling up his arms as he continued his massage.

New moans fled Blake's lips as Jaune focused his attention on her lower back, his touch feeding the flames of her heat more and more with every second that passed. The happiness that had almost burrowed her when he'd called her ears beautiful was still in her system, but now that he was massaging her again, her desire was becoming harder and harder to not act upon. Especially now that her doubts about Jaune wanting her had been so thoroughly dispelled.

Blake's thoughts were cut off abruptly as Jaune pushed his thumbs into one of her most sore spots, just like he had done to her neck, and a broken whimper escaped her. It wasn't as loud as some of her earlier moans, but the sound still caused Jaune's blush to flare up even more. Hearing Blake moaning and whimpering, seeing how she practically writhed beneath his hands was making him more turned on than he'd like to admit. His boxers were now significantly tighter than when the Faunus had first entered the room and he was glad that he still had his towel hanging loosely to his front to hide the rather noticeable tent he was pitching. He tried to forget about it, but he just couldn't do it when Blake kept making those sounds of hers.

Feeling his fingers brush against her chest bindings again, Jaune withdrew his hands from Blake's back, halting his movements. The middle of her back was still mostly untouched thanks to the ribbon wrapped around her upper body and Jaune felt unsure as to what he supposed to do now. He'd dealt with bras before when massaging his sisters, but never wrappings like Blake's. With a bra, all he needed to do was unclasp it and let it rest on his 'patient's' shoulders until he was done, but that didn't exactly work here.

Blake, noticing he'd stopped massaging her, glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"Something wrong, Jaune?"

Scratching the back of his head, Jaune sent her an apologetic look she'd grown quite familiar with.

"Kind of..." he said awkwardly. "I'm not sure how to do the middle of your back effectively, I don't really know how to properly massage someone through clothing."

A heartbeat passed between them, then Blake felt her hands move up to her chest and she didn't try to stop them. She was burning inside and she could no longer restrain the ideas and thoughts her heat was giving her.

Searching with her fingers, she found the tucked in end that kept the length of ribbon taut around her torso and she could feel her breathing becoming more heated as she pulled it loose.

"If that's the case, this should remove any problems, right…?" Blake mumbled hotly as she once again turned her citrine eyes to his own. She could see a flash of confusion upon his face, not understanding what she meant at first, but soon his gaze wandered down her back and realization quickly dawned on him.

Jaune sat in almost stunned silence as he watched Blake unwrap her chest, an act that she must have done hundreds of times before if her practiced movements were anything to go by. Bit by bit, layer by layer, the last remaining inches of skin of the Faunus' back were being exposed and Jaune's throat suddenly felt drier than the deserts of Vacuo as Blake put aside the long ribbon. Even though he was sat behind her, he could still see that the swell of her breasts was now much more noticeable and for his blood to pool even more densely around his crotch. This was the barest he'd ever seen his girlfriend, and in all honesty, he didn't have any idea how he should react.

Thankfully, Blake was able to bring him back to the moment as she giggled lightly at his reaction, almost feeling flattered in a way that her body had such an effect on him.

Swallowing hard to hopefully steel his nerves again, Jaune laid his hands on Blake's back once more, her purring still sending pleasant quakes up his arms. It didn't take long before he was able to switch back into massage-mode and for Blake's half-nakedness to retreat to the back of his head.

Just like before, Blake felt herself melting into Jaune's touch. She was almost becoming lightheaded from the way the molded and kneaded her tense muscles and she couldn't stop herself from letting moans fall from her lips again. Though waves desire kept lapping at the shores of her mind, Blake soon lost track of just how long Jaune had been massaging her. All she could register was the pleasure shooting through her already burning veins and the sound of Jaune's steady breaths.

Had it not been for her heat, she would have been content to let the moment go on forever.

Eventually, however, the moment did end, and Blake let out a deep breath she'd been holding for who knows how long as Jaune's hands settled on her shoulders. As relaxed as she'd gotten, physically at least, Blake could still feel the tension hanging in the air as she made no effort to re-wrap her chest.

All she needed to do now was use that tension to move things along even further and she'd soon have the release she longed for so. She needed to be careful, though. After coming so far, she didn't know what she could possibly do if things were to fall apart… if Jaune were to reject her…

It was then that Blake's limit was finally reached.

Gently, she could feel Jaune's arms encircle her just like before, though this time it was from behind. Her breath caught in her throat as he tugged softly at her midsection until his chest was pushed against his back. His breath tickled her feline ears and she felt like her very blood had ignited like gasoline.

Jaune himself didn't really know where the sudden urge to hug Blake had welled up from inside him, but something about how she'd acted tonight made him feel like she needed more than just one. Even though he hadn't openly told her yet, he genuinely loved Blake, and he wanted to do everything in his power to show her the care he knew she deserved.

Leaning forward, he placed a kiss between her soft ears, pouring as much affection as he could into both it and his embrace, before whispering gently;

"You really are incredible, Blake... no matter what, I promise I'll always be here for you. I won't let anyone change that, ever..."

For the last hour of her life, Blake felt like she'd been a living landmine of pent up desire, a landmine whose trigger Jaune had stepped on and held down right up until this moment, teasing her. His gentle kiss and soft words, the adoration and love she could feel from them, was just too much for her to handle. Something inside her snapped, and both her heart and body acted...

AN: This is part one of a thing I've been working on for ELEVEN. FUCKING. MONTHS! I started this story in November of last year, and ever since it's been in "development" hell because of my annoying head. It's become way bigger than I ever predicted and is definitely overlong in some parts, but even though I acknowledge that I really don't care about about it. Why? Because I wrote this story for myself, to "fix" a "problem" I keep accidentally seeing in fanart and other stories, and it's very self indulgent when it comes to how it's presented, as you might have noticed.

Simply put, I like exposition, and as such I wrote plenty of it.

I won't deny that I haven't borrowed themes and some atmosphere from boris-the-red's story about Blake being in heat, but I hope that I've made sure to put enough of a twist on the idea to not seem like a rip off. There'll be either one or two more chapters to it and I'm still in the progress of writing them but I intend to finish it up before October 14th, my birthday. I'm posting this half of the story mostly to help give me the extra motivational push to really get to work.

Until next time.