Last Resort

By Lightningstrxu

Betas: Jiu-Jitsu Dude/The Archivist of Nyx/Paulternative

Day 27

Lilac eyes opened slowly as sleep's comfy grip began to loosen its hold. Blinking, Yang let out a yawn. Her arm tightened around the boy in her embrace, nuzzling into him for warmth and comfort. Her fingers began to stroke soft circles on his stomach, feeling every detail of the toned muscles as they traveled. Her small smile transformed into a wide grin, as she gazed at Jaune's sleeping form. Three days prior, if you had told her that she'd be laying here, the big spoon to his little, she'd have probably laughed in your face. If you'd have added that they would have spent the better part of yesterday screwing like rabbits, well, that theoretical face would have also been punched.

Yet, here she lay, snuggled up against him, his back pressed against her chest. She could feel his every breath, even the beating of his heart, if only faintly. Her hand traveled further down. The tips of her fingers brushing against his hardness. "Someone's excited this morning." She whispered huskily in his ear. A sleepy sigh was his only reply. "Dreaming about me?" She grasped his manhood between her fingers.

Jaune cried out, but rather than in pleasure as she expected, it was a yelp of shock. The next thing she knew was pain as something impacted her face.

"Who's there?!" He sat up suddenly. "Yang? You okay?"

"You punched me in the face, you dick." Yang held her nose in pain.

"You scared me!" He protested.

"I was trying to give you a hand job."

He blinked in realization. "Oh, you can continue."

"Not now!" She growled, summoning her aura and feeling the pain ebb away. She may have learned to enjoy a little pain, but it would be on her terms. Flipping out of bed, she immediately pulled on her clothes. They felt a little odd to wear, considering she hadn't worn a stitch in over a day. "If you're lucky, we'll fuck later, 'kay?" She smirked.

Oh, who was she kidding? Of course they'd fuck later.

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed. "Probably for the best. If we get started, we'll waste another day."

Yang's eyebrow raised. "So yesterday was a waste?"

She loved watching as his face turned red. "Of course not. It's... just..."

"Jaune, I'm fucking with you." She chuckled. "Figuratively, for a change of pace."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to get started on breakfast, then we'll get ready."

Get ready…

That's right, today was the day the two of them would tackle the island interior. Discover what mysteries the island still held. At worst, she expected to find some more supplies. At best…

They'd find a way home.

######

Bottles of water, check. A few rations of dried and smoked meat in case they couldn't find anything, check. Tape and blankets were also checked. Jaune was more than satisfied that he had enough supplies for both of them. There was just one more thing to add to his supplies. He carefully picked up the lightning dust crystal he had found a while back. He wasn't sure what they would find out there but if they needed power for whatever reason, well, they had more than enough.

Wrapping the supplies up in cloth and tying it together to make a sack, he hoisted it over his shoulder. Not the most efficient way to carry supplies, and he'd kill for a backpack right about now, but with his supplies set, he headed out the door.

Yang stood up from the steps to greet him. "Need me to carry something?"

"Nah, it's not that heavy and I'd want at least one of us to not be bogged down by supplies, just in case."

"I gotcha, let me know if you want to trade off." Her mechanical arm flexed showing off its 'muscle'. "I've got an arm that doesn't get tired."

He laughed and smiled at her, he couldn't help it. "I'll try and remember that," he said, tightening his grip on the bag. "Shall we get going then?"

"Yeah, might as well take advantage of the sun while we have it."

"I don't think that's nice; he's way too cool a guy to take advantage of."

"What are…" She paused as he swore he could see the gears click in place in her head. He grinned as she began to chuckle. "Touché. Looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"Probably." Several times, he wanted to add...but it was best to leave jokes and thoughts like that by the wayside for now. If Yang got going, well then, that would indeed be another day wasted. Not that it would be a waste, per se. As the pair of blondes began, Yang in the lead, his eyes fell on her backside, swaying as she walked. She would be the first to proclaim that she had a weak butt game compared to her front. If he was being honest, she was in last place compared to her teammates. But she was more than good enough in his opinion.

That was a strange thought to be sure. Like most guys, he had checked out tons of girls, especially during his time at Beacon, where it seemed that every girl could have also chosen a career in modeling. The other guys even had lists over which girl had the best features. He wondered if Yang would be offended or proud to know that she had 'rockin tits' according to the consensus of the male student body. But he had checked out girls, imagining what lay beneath.

He didn't have to imagine Yang anymore…

For all the hardships the island had thrown at them, it had caused one considerable bright spot. Yang and he had become much better friends. With benefits.

Of all the ways Jaune thought he'd ever lose his virginity, he never thought it would be with a girl like Yang, though a part of him had always hoped he would. The circumstances could have been better but he wasn't going to complain, and truth be told his mood and outlook had improved greatly. Shocking perhaps no one, sex was a great morale booster.

"Hey, you checking out my butt back there?" Yang said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was looking over her shoulder, the sly smirk she gave told him she wouldn't be mad if he was.

Caught, he grinned "You know it, Sunshine." The affectionate nickname had just slipped out, he hadn't meant to say it. It was the first thing that popped into his head regarding her. There was a pause as she turned to face him. The few seconds of silence dragging on for what felt like years.

"That's what I want to hear. Thanks, Lady Killer." she beamed. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. The accidental use of a pet name had either gone unnoticed or Yang didn't care. Hell, she had even called him one in return. "Hey, do you have the map? This is about as far into the island as I've ever been."

Jaune looked around, they had made it into the interior where the jungle started to get thicker. "Yeah, one moment." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the brochure, unfolding it. "It's not much of a map, but it's better than nothing." He walked over to her holding it out. "By my calculations, we should be about here," he pointed to the map as she took it.

"And we're trying to get there." She pointed up at the mountain. "Well, according to where we are, there should be a path." she looked down at the ground. "It's kind of hard to tell with all the overgrowth, but I think I can still make out where it was. It's kind of a roundabout way, but it should get us there. Unless you want to try scaling it?"

"Damn, I left my grappling hook back at home. I guess it's the long way then. Well, if you're leading the way, that would make it the Xiao Long way."

"That's the spirit," she laughed, before continuing on. Her enthusiasm was infectious as the two of them soldiered on. The journey might be arduous...

But at least the view was lovely.

######

The sun hung high in the sky as the hours wore on, the temperature rising along with it. Yang wiped the sweat from her brow as she marched on. It had been difficult staying on the path, as nearly a decade of uncontrolled growth had covered it, but she had been able to tell what had once worked if she was careful enough. She carefully stepped over a tree root.

"Watch your footing here," she called back to her companion.

"Sure thing," Jaune panted, his face covered in sweat, taking a moment to step over the root. "Thanks for the warning."

"Yeah...you want to trade off? I can carry while you navigate?" she asked, concerned. Jaune was a pretty strong guy, and she very intimately knew he had stamina to spare, but even he had his limits, and hiking for several hours in high humidity was it.

"Nah, I got this. You're doing a great job navigating." He smiled at her reassuringly, his grip tightening on the bundle.

There he went again, assuring her that everything was okay, a trait that she had grown to appreciate a lot since coming here. But now that wasn't going to fly. "No you don't, we're taking a break."

"Yang, we need…"

"To get up the mountain, I know!" she interrupted before he could protest. "We're nearly to the base and we've been hiking for a few hours already." Her eyes gazed upwards. "It's also noon, going by the sun. It's best we wait out the hottest part of the day. It won't be good if we make it halfway up and you pass out." She pointed at a nearby tree a little off the path that provided ample shade. "So park your butt and rest."

Yang could tell by the look on his face that he contemplated arguing for a brief moment. "Fine," he relented with a sigh. The two of them walked over and took a seat, Yang leaning against the trunk. It felt good to be off her feet. Kicking off her boots, she felt the dirt between her toes. Normally, she would have hated the feeling, but a part of her had learned to love the great outdoors. "Here." He held out a bottle of water to her.

"Thanks." She brought it to her lips taking a small sip. That little bit of water was so refreshing that it took every ounce of willpower she had to not chug it down. They had two bottles a piece, one for there and one for back again. Setting back down, she leaned her head back, eyes closed. It felt stifling here in the undergrowth. The bungalows were right near the beach so there was always a strong breeze, but no wind made it to her here, and the heat was getting to her. Jaune had removed his shirt and was fanning himself. Looking down at the tank top that had glued itself to her skin from sweat, that definitely seemed like a good idea. Peeling the top off, she cast it aside, her hand fanning the faintest of breezes across her chest.

"Oh come on Yang, it's too hot for that…" he griped.

"Too hot for what?" she snapped up to look at him, his eyes glued to her boobs. "What, sex? Pff, no way. I'm just hot like you. Got a problem with it?"

"No... it's just weird. You're just chilling out half naked."

Her eyes narrowed, a little incredulous at his statement. "You do remember that your penis has been inside me several times, right?"

It amused her greatly to watch his face flush red with embarrassment. "Okay, so maybe it's a little weird. But I don't know, somehow this just feels different. The other times were sexy, this is just casual hanging out."

She could only shrug in response. A part of her could understand, but after everything she and Jaune had been through, how they've connected both emotionally and physically, nudity didn't feel awkward anymore. "Well, just don't think about them. What did you make for lunch?" Yang figured a sharp change in subject would get his mind off of other things.

"Well, we have your favorite." He fished through the pack holding out a small cut of meat. "Smoked iguana meat!"

It was far from her favorite, but Yang was hungry enough to eat anything. Taking it from him, she bit into it hungrily. It was a taste she was familiar with, maybe if they were lucky they'd find something different to eat. "I miss bacon."

"Same." He chomped down on his own piece. "When we get off of this island, I'm going to make the biggest meal I can. I'll cook your favorite too. What is your favorite?"

"I'd love a nice burger, drenched in sriracha, topped with bacon. Oh, on a pretzel bun." Yang could feel her mouth water as she thought about it.

"Well, I can definitely grill up a mean burger. We had cookouts nearly every other week back home."

"First dancing, and then dinner. Sounds like a hot date when we get back."

"Talk about doing things backwards. Sex before dating."

"Hey, no complaints from me, big guy." She added with a wink. That much was true at least. Sex was a new experience for both of them. Was it the mind-blowing and life-altering experience that TV always made it out to be? Not really, at least in her opinion. That didn't mean she wasn't enjoying it. Despite being rookies, she and Jaune were learning what made each other tick quickly enough. It felt great, and really took the edge off. It was hard to worry when your brain was being fucked into oblivion.

"That's good to hear," he grinned, finishing off his ration, and taking a sip of his water. "Shall we continue on?"

She stood up and stretched, her spine popping wonderfully as she did so. "Yeah but I'm carrying the bag." Her brow furrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. It was a tried and true method. Her 'mom glare' had often gotten Ruby to do what she wanted in the past.

"Yeah, yeah." he relented under her gaze, holding the bag out to her. Yang smiled in satisfaction while taking it from him. Stowing her own supplies inside, she regretfully pulled her shirt back on. Her skin crawled at the feel of the sweat soaked garment against her, but it was a necessity. The last thing she wanted was to risk another sunburn.

Hoisting the makeshift sack over her shoulder the two began their march again, onward and upward.

Into the unknown.

######

Jaune panted as he crested the top of the mountain. It had taken a few hours of hiking in humid and tropical weather but they had done it; they had reached the top.

"Wow, look at it all, the Island seems so small from up here." Yang peered out over the horizon.

Walking over to join her, he had to admit that it was. It was sobering really, that this tiny little island resort had become their entire world. "Yeah it is…" he admitted trailing off.

"Hey, buck up!" Yang punched him playfully in the side. "We'll find something, don't worry about it." She beamed.

He couldn't help but smile back, her grin was contagious. Yang really was like a ray of sunshine piecing through his gloomy, pessimistic clouds. "You're right." Taking in the view a few minutes more to catch their breaths, the pair stood and began to look around the mountain top.

Jaune watched as Yang studied the ground carefully. "Looks like there used to be a trail here." She pointed to the ground, it was hard to tell but the vegetation was slightly thinner, marking what most likely used to be a clear trail. "So following this should lead to something...probably."

"Well, lead the way, you've been a great navigator so far." following the trail carefully to make sure they didn't lose it. As they made their way through, he noticed that the trees around them became more sparse as they went. That was when he saw it: a building in the distance, adjacent to a large flat open space. The main building had a large radio tower.

An airship station.

Jaune had seen plenty back when traveling to and from Beacon. He broke into a sprint, Yang speeding up alongside him. She must have realized the same thing, an airship station meant one thing.

Communications.

Reaching the radio station, he found the door stuck fast.

"Out of the way!" Yang ordered, Jaune only barely managed to move before her mechanical arm reared back, its gun unfurling, her fist slammed into the door, the gun fired with a deafening bang the door shattered. "Who needs keys?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're a heck of a lock pick. Come on." Going inside, they fanned out, searching for anything they could find. Abandoned workstations cluttered with dust and papers. Checking out one of the computers, he found it unable to power on. "Should have expected that.," he muttered. Maybe he could hook up the Dust crystal to the building and power it, but he'd have to figure out if that was possible first.

"Jaune, up here!" He turned to see her standing atop a stairwell motioning him to follow her up. He found himself in what was obviously the main communication room.

"I found the terminal." She pointed to the desk, an old communication device upon it. Going up to it, he blew a layer of dust off the machine.

"It looks like it could still work," he said, carefully studying the machine. Going back to his pack, he retrieved the Lightning Dust crystal from it. "Think we can get it to work with this?"

"Might be able to put together something." It took every bit of random knowledge he'd gleaned of the years of his father's jury rigging home repairs and Yang's mechanical knowledge, but the two managed to cobble together the crystal to the machine with a system of wires and connectors.

His hand reached out slowly to the dial. "Here goes nothing." The dial turned, the machine whirring to life, static coming over the receiver. "It's working!"

"Yes!" Yang shouted, as she hugged him, slamming her lips to his. He blinked confusedly when she pulled back. Even after everything they had done, a simple act of affection such as this was surprising. "Sorry, I got excited." she loosened the grip on him.

"Right, I'll just try and see if I can get this…" Turning back to the machine, he messed with a few of the dials. He had no clue what he was doing, but static kept coming out. Picking up the receiver, he pushed the button. "This is Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long, our airship crashed and we are trapped on Silene Island." He paused, waiting for a response, before repeating the message. Another pause and he started a third time, when suddenly the radio began to spark. "Shit!" He jumped back, just as the machine became electrified.

"No!" Yang panicked and reached for the Dust Crystal in a desperate attempt to save the machine.

"Don't!" he yelled, but it was too late.

Yang's hand closed around the crystal, a bolt of electricity shot up her arm and she flew across the room slamming into a wall. Racing to her side, she was unconscious, her mechanical arm blown off. Looking back to the machine, he saw it there still gripping the crystal, but what once had been shining gold…

Was now charred black.

Well so ends another day, and another big moment. I put Yang through the wringer a lot in this fic, but the writing works better for her, she's like the Miles O'Brien of RWBY. But Jaune's hardships will be coming. Sorry it's been awhile. I've been staring at about 2/3rds of a chapter for weeks and just haven't been able to continue. Also I'm proud to announce that thanks to all of you that this story is now number 3 in terms of followers for the Dragonslayer category. I never would have thought this story would come so far. See you next time on Jaune and Yang's extreme social distance adventure.

As always, read and review.