Summer Antics

Because someone kept on chatting to me about the summer season and because I actually got inspired, a modern-day AU one-shot with modern-day antics of Mr Arc and team RWBY set in America! I will probably mangle all-American concepts, but hey! I'm trying to refine my style a bit more!

You are now entering the twilight zone, please do take a ticket on your left.

School was out for summer. From the heat of the land, the unwashed masses headed for the beach, the pool or something similar, yet in the forested region near a small city called Vale, somewhere in the heartland, a single young man trudged after his best friend, who was animatedly chatting with her half-sister. The bags that he carried were enough, as the girl animatedly spoke to her sister about how great it'd be to relax at the pool.

Alright, you can do this!

For young mister Jaune Arc, there was an opportunity here. Ruby Rose, his aforementioned best friend was a happy and cheerful girl who was a little younger than him but not in any way less valid. Her obsession with guns and rifles was a little strange, but her father apparently was an outdoorsman who enjoyed to hunt, having a day job as a teacher in one of the neighbouring states.

"Weiss and Blake will be at mom's house soon too! Jaune, are you alright? You're not carrying too much, are you?" The question was asked and he felt his body groan a little. Three heavy bags, one containing his own swimwear and the other two containing Yang's… whatever it was, the blonde girl who happened to be the daughter of Ruby's father and another woman who apparently used to be in some sort of legal trouble.

The divorce between her mother and father had been swift and with the no-fault clause. Her mother and father had simply grown apart, after Yang's mother had been released from prison for whatever dangerous thing she'd been put in there. That his father loved that woman more than Summer Rose, Ruby's mother, was just bad luck. Ruby had once told him that her mother and her father's new remarried wife had been best friends, once upon a time.

"I'm fine…" That he was left carrying the bags was already enough for him, being able to see Yang's rump bob and bounce with every step that she took, the beautiful, and that was not a statement made lightly, teenager looking like she'd just stepped off a photoshoot. "What's IN these bags, Yang? They weigh a ton!"

Already he was sweating by just holding them, Yang giving a mysterious smile and wagging her finger at him. "Curious about that, eh? Does vomit man want to have a peek and add another title to his collection?" The tease was enough, as she half-turned, her profile showing her breasts pushed up by the top, a sheen of sweat on her skin, as she inhaled deeply.

"No, I'm just…" Ruby smacked Yang for the comment.

"Bad sister! You know that you can't tease Jaune! I think she put some exercise equipment in there. She's going to be staying at mom's house for a while, after all." Whatever was happening with the women in the household was none of his business.

He was here to swim, to banish the heat around him and to feel the coolness of the water tickle against his skin, rather than to be the man who'd be suffering in the orchards, plucking apples and hoping that the ice water didn't evaporate.

"Perhaps he likes to be teased, Ruby?" Yang teased, grinning at him. "Imagining this hot body in a swimsuit, loverboy?" She winked whilst she struck a pose, the effect not quite lost on him, as she smirked, a faint grin on her lips as he reacted as she had expected.

"Yang! Stop teasing the guy! Don't believe her, Jaune! She's just trying to mess with you!" The path up towards the house was enough for him to worry about. Whatever had inspired the builder of the villa to build it in the forest was beyond him. The pool was large, luckily.

"I know, Ruby… I know." His voice sounded whiny, to his own ears. As he saw the house appear in the distance, he noticed the grass already reaching the length where it'd need to be trimmed a bit. He watched Ruby and Yang continue up the path as he set the bags down, the heat making his head swim a little, the sun bearing down on him.

"Come on, Jaune! Mom's probably got something cool set aside for us!" The woman was a saint, according to him and the majority of the people who knew her. Always ready to lend a helping hand and given a generous settlement through some legal thing that had gone on a few years before, the woman had been a pillar of the community, inspiring Ruby to take up training to enter the armed forces, just like her mother had been.

"Coming…" He said, as he lifted the bags and walked, the shorts feeling a little clammy, as he felt the weight on his arms.

These things are heavy…

He set them down in the hallway, Yang bending over and brushing against him, the smell of her shampoo making his nose tingle, as she opened up one of the bags. "Thanks for carrying my bags, Jaune."

"Are those…" The weights that had been stashed in the bags were definitely something that you shouldn't transport in a simple bag, Yang grinning.

"A girl's gotta work to keep her figure, Jaune… Perhaps you'll figure that out if Weiss gives you her attention, hmmm?" The tease was out of his presence, as he panted slightly from the exertion.

"Jaune?" Summer Rose's voice came from his left, the woman wearing a white dress, the slippers that she wore looking like the average pair that you'd find at any dollar store, the look on her face pleading. "Do you think you could mow the lawn for me? I'm willing to pay, if you…" The gesture of pity was enough, yet he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

She's Ruby's mom, I'm sure that I can help out a little…

"Sure thing, Miss Rose." The woman smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Thank you so much. The maintenance man has his work-prescribed holiday, so I couldn't quite get the lawn mowing done." The woman smiled encouragingly. "I'll make you something refreshing for after you're done. The lawnmower is in the shed. You know how to find it, right?"

Ruby would be happy when he helped her mother. The woman worked really hard, despite being able to retire comfortably with the settlement, so it wasn't a wasted effort.

Think of it as an investment… Weiss and Blake haven't arrived yet.

The thought of the award-winning singer and current recent graduate from the local secondary education made him feel a little warmer on the inside, not in a manner of actual heat, yet of the fervour that welled inside him. To him, Weiss Schnee was a goddess. Her elegance, her poise and her manner of bearing were intense and attractive and as a member of 'team RWBY', as they'd been called during the line-up during their first year, she was wonderful.

The advancement of Ruby a few grades higher having put her as the de facto leader due to the grades and the way that the education had formulated the 'power team' that Ruby led in debates, all had conspired to put him in contact with his snow goddess.

She knew about his affections, of course. He had been trying to ask her out for nearly a year, enough time for the two of them to get familiar with them and her cool scorn to fill his mind from time to time.

He pushed open the door to the shed, spotting the old-style lawnmower standing against the wall, the blades of the push-mower looking sharp and still usable.

Alright, if they could do it back in dad's day, so can I work it.

Pushing the contraption of mowing out of the shed and onto the front lawn, he allowed himself a moment to look up at the sky, a soft sigh escaping his lip. This'd take some time out of his day, but Ruby's mom had asked him and he wasn't able to imagine Yang being able to do something like this.

As he started to push, he could see the stretch of grass that he had already trimmed covered in the cut grass, the smell of it in his nose. Pulling off the shirt and hanging it over one of the clotheslines that hung mid-lawn, he allowed himself a moment to gather himself before starting on the taming of the grass.

"Jaune, Jaune! Check this out! Isn't this cute on me?" The excitable voice of Ruby was enough to draw him from his musings, spotting her standing there wearing a cute red and black rose-accented swimsuit, the cleavage that she showed definitely showing Yang's influence on things.

He leaned against the lawnmower to hide his reaction to the sight of his cute as a button friend standing there dressed in a swimsuit, taking a deep breath. "You look... good." That was all he could muster, as he felt the tension build up a little. Ruby was a great friend, they got along wonderfully, but this... Oof.

Ruby smiled at him, twirling around and then posing. "Mom's got a similar one, so... I got one too! Ooh, I wonder what Weiss thinks of this!" He could try to imagine Miss Rose in a similar swimsuit and it wasn't very conductive to his blood flow issues. With the heat bearing down on him, she continued to smile as he wiped off some sweat from his forehead. "I'm going in the pool. Thanks a bunch for helping mom out!" Yang undoubtedly was in the pool already, knowing that she'd have to get her time in whenever she could not get her exercise done.

He was nearly done with the front lawn when the car arrived, driven by a sunglasses-wearing Blake Belladonna, the White Fang company logo stamped on it, parking it right below some of the trees. Weiss sat next to her, the cat ears on Blake's head speaking plainly of her Faunus heritage. The Faunus girl looked at him and nodded in his direction, a bag pulled out, the bikini with her own personal little crest showed off that gorgeous form.

The two-time champion in the art of track and field, or rather, as Ruby had once explained it to him – "Running really really fast away from people' and a history of dating shady men, the girl was in prime form, muscles below the flesh hinting at the power that she contained. Himself, with an abdomen that was only trained a little with the exercises that he did together with Ruby and Yang (the latter more grudgingly allowing him in her domain).

"Hey, Arc." Blake greeted, passing him by. Her nose crinkled a little at the smell of his sweat, the olfactory senses that Faunus had being far more developed than human senses, but still enough to block out unpleasant senses without over stimulating the owner of the nose.

"Is Yang there yet?" He stopped with the motions, his head feeling heavy at the sensations inside his head, the feeling of weight there enough to make him feel a little dizzy.

"Yeah, she's out there. Probably at the pool." He felt himself sway a little, Blake dismissing him out of hand. He could never get a read on how she thought or felt, even with how her expression changed. He had met her mother once, at a rally that Ruby also had attended as a champion and the woman was expressive and without a single doubt as to her daughter's skills in the art of running.

His vision grew a little dizzy when he finished the front lawn, looking at the clipped grass that laid there on the lawn.

I'd better get a rake to rake it all in.

The shade in the shed was enough to cool him a little as he looked at the tools that were available, selecting a leaf rake and pulling it out, before starting to rake together the leaves, the motions slow, whilst his body glistened with the sweat of his labour.

"I see you're keeping busy, Arc." The cool voice of Weiss reached his ears, turning his head to see the car already departing, the butler of her family returning to the mansion that her family owned. The cool beauty had a small bag at her side, as she looked at him imperiously. "Assist me with my bag and I shan't comment on your smell." The offer was probably as good as he'd get, taking the bag and then walking with it towards the house, the rake set against the metal pole that kept the clothesline up.

"Ruby, I have arrived." The cool voice that Weiss used when speaking was a little warmer, as Ruby appeared, her hair wet and her eyes shining. Silver eyes looked at Weiss with excitement, whilst Weiss suddenly received a hug from her. "You can let go, you dolt." The singer mumbled, though Ruby didn't seem to let go, nor did Weiss push her away.

They are good friends, despite their struggles.

They departed, and he could spot Summer Rose half-bent over a table, her fingers typing something idly on a small calculator, her severe look enough to make most people worry, yet there was a tiredness to her features. She looked at him, her eyes giving him a Ruby-esque look as her gaze was drawn to his face once more.

"Are you done with the front lawn?" She asked as she leaned back, a hand rubbing her temple on the right, her fingers brushing against the sore spots.

"Yeah, I'm using the rake to gather the clippings so they can be disposed of." Her silver eyes looked at him as she leaned forward, a smile on her face.

"Wonderful." She said, her eyes glinting with delight, rubbing her hands together. "Do have a drink! There's some lemonade in the fridge, do you think you can do the lawn at the back of the house as well?" He smiled, as she adjusted something on the calculator, her attention sliding from him to it.

"Thanks, Miss Rose." The smile on her face was enough as thanks for him, the woman genuinely meaning well.

He had only met Ruby's dad once, a warm man who had the best of intentions towards everyone and was a kind soul that would hardly hurt a fly, dismissing the woman from his mind as he went for the fridge and poured himself a glass full of near-frozen lemonade.

Ahh, what a relief.

He raked together the grass and put it into the bin for compost and the other stuff that generally went in there, his eyes on the metal lawnmower, the blades still looking as dangerous as ever.

Time to do the back.

Spotting the girls at the poolside took a moment for him to adjust, as he witnessed Weiss stretching, her modest chest filling her white bikini out really well, as her pale flesh was slathered by Ruby with some sunscreen, seeing Ruby's hands move over Weiss her smaller body giving him a definite case of swelling in a certain region.

Blake was stretched out in a pool chair, her breasts proudly pointing up, the bikini top that she wore enough, as Ruby waved at him. "Finish me off, you dolt! You know I burn easily!" An irritated tone, even with Ruby apologetically smiling at her friend and then continued the show.

He moved a little slower, the lawnmower creaking audibly, a small radio switched on with the latest numbers from the summer stations. Ren and the Sloths came on, the famous zen singer starting on a ballad about his darling valkyrie, a woman who was out of his reach forever due to their differing origins, the sight of Weiss baking in the sun making him wish to help her get some sunscreen on as well.

He'd run his hands over that small form, making sure that she'd feel good and perhaps, let him apply it to her bared front. It was something that wasn't out of the ordinary as he worked, the job given to him by Summer Rose having disturbed his plans to get some cool relaxation, even with how the heat was bearing down on him.

Yang pulled herself out of the pool, two large round globes captured by a very small amount of fabric that strained, the grin on her face that was bright and cheerful enough to light up a small room, as she shook her upper body.

He stared, as she gave him a wink and then licked her lips, the feeling of a certain physiological response starting up. "Looking doesn't cost you anything, blondie. You wish you had a body as hot as mine."

Ruby's head turned to him, lounging on the pool chair with Weiss, the latter currently thumbing through her phone in search of something, a cool gaze directed at him. He felt awkward, as he'd been caught staring, the wet spots on the hot tiles of the swimming pool enough. "Ladies, drinks!"

Summer Rose spoke up and he turned back his attention towards the clipping of the grass, continuing his duty, as Yang made a comment that made Blake laugh. He spotted the usually silent Blake looking at Yang, a grin on her face with that spirit, her body angled to her friend as she gave a hug. "You're such a kidder, you beast."

Yang did a little muscle flex, Blake lingering just a bit. "But that's why you're the girl that's my tag-team partner, Blake! Without you, I'd never be able to get a hand on things." The comment was enough to make Blake shake her head and escape her grip, turning around, flashing that derriere of delight, the bikini bottom that she wore hugging those buttocks, bending over slightly to grab a glass.

Gods... That ass is great.

There'd been hot fantasies before, but this... This was hot, even for him. "Did you bring your swim shorts, Jaune?" Ruby asked, suddenly at his side. The way that she stood gave him a perfect view of her cleavage, showing once more just how the girl was developing. If it wasn't that his heart was set on Weiss, he would have dared to hope for a girlfriend like Ruby. Short, sweet and with that nice personality.

"Yes, I put them in my bag." Ruby smiled, sweetly. The tightness in his shorts increased, as she turned around and almost seemed to bounce away.

Think calm thoughts... This is the girl who geeked out about a western movie's portrayal of gunfights...

"So, what do you think of the summer holidays, girls?" Summer spoke up, the conversation joined by the other three girls, Yang's bold voice adding her two cents immediately. "It's cool, I don't have to work and we've got the pussy squad here!"

"Yang! Don't call me 'the pussy squad!' You know that that was a thing!" Blake added, her voice more amused than genuinely upset, Ruby returning with his bag and setting it at the door to the house, as Weiss huffed something.

"It was more akin to 'runaway pussy' if you ask for my opinion." He felt like a fifth wheel at this point, even with the lawnmower continuing, the heat pressing onto his body, feeling the warmth seep into him.

A cold shower.

A glance to the side showed Yang adjusting her top a little, a glimpse of a nipple making that shower extra frosty indeed, Weiss grabbing the cool glass of lemonade and bringing it to her lips. As she drank, he followed the moisture that dripped down one of those pale hands, as her swallowing motions did interesting things.

Pushing the lawnmower away, he wondered briefly why Summer didn't have one of those motorized ones, before dismissing the thought and getting the rake. The sooner he was done, the quicker he could get into the water.

As he hung the rake into the shed's loop, he felt the stickiness of his skin, glad that he'd decided to get the shirt off, mentally counting to ten as he focused himself on thoughts that were cool and frosty. "Jaune?" Ruby's voice reached his ear, the girl standing at his side, the startled motion nearly making him jab her in the side with his arm.

"You're a bit tense, aren't you?" She poked him in the side playfully, shaking her head lightly as he frowned at her. "Mom asked whether you'd like to stay for the barbecue as well. I don't know, but I think Weiss may be warming up to the thought of suffering the commoners for a bit longer."

Her grin was infectious, as he high-fived her, her eyes bright and cheerful. She was a little ray of sunshine, even if she was a little odd about things sometimes. "Of course. Mom and dad said that I'd need to be home around eleven at the latest."

Her arm wrapped around his own, pushing his elbow against her chest, an innocent gesture, but with the sexy girls that were laid out on the pool, it was almost a sentence for him. The sweat clung to his skin, the sweat soaking his shorts, a low groan coming from his mouth. "I'm dirty, Ruby."

She smiled, grinning at him. "You should see Weiss when she stubs her toe. She's like 'curses, befouled world! How dare thee hurt mine foot!'." The wink she gave was enough, as she let go, seemingly not willing to touch sweaty boy flesh some more. "But you can hop into the shower if it makes you feel a bit better. Mom said that we have to take a quick shower before we get into the pool, anyways."

Navigating through the Rose home, he found the bathroom, ditching the shorts and underwear for a quick trip under the shower. The cold water hit his body, making him feel the refreshed feeling of that coolness as he quickly ran his fingers over his body, rubbing a sponge over his flesh, before he towelled off, making his feet dry and keeping the rest comfortably wet, as he joined them at the pool.

He was in the water in a moment, enjoying the coolness of it, just floating for a bit as the heat no longer bore down on him. He wondered how long he would have to enjoy something, a shadow suddenly falling over him. "Are you joining us for the barbecue?" Summer asked, the sunglasses that she wore still on, his gaze drawn to Ruby, who was talking to Weiss about something at the poolside chairs and Blake and Yang currently engaged in what seemed to be a tug-of-war with a large inflatable fish in the water, the waves that those two made giving plenty of impressions to him..

"Y-yes, Miss Rose." The woman smiled, nodding at him before she smiled.

"I guess it's time to get the barbecue out. Girls!" The woman called for the attention of the other girls, Yang's head turning to her mother's direction and Blake yanking the inflatable fish out of her grasp. "We're barbecuing! Who wants to be the grill master for tonight, hmm?"

"Jaune can do it." Ruby said, pointing at him, Yang and Blake giving a nod.

"It is what he is decent at, I suppose." Weiss said, in a tone that showed a grudging acceptance of that fact. He remembered faintly the time that the barbecue nearly exploded and knew that Summer Rose should not be allowed near open fires.

No ash rain today, then.

"I guess I could..." The rest of the girls seemed to pick up where they'd left off at, as the conversations shifted, was worth it. He felt someone suddenly yank on his hips, feeling someone press up against him, manly female hands holding him steady there.

"Soo... Going to bring us some sausages, loverboy?" Yang's teasing voice was enough, as her imposing floatation flesh devices pressed against his back. "Making us all hot and bothered with your skills at managing a grill, hmm?"

"Yang..." He said, plaintively. He turned around, to come face-to-face with Yang, whose cocky grin was there, her eyes looking into his own.

"Or... are you hoping to see Xiao-Long it'd take to get this hot body in your barbecue, hmmm?" The wink that she gave was flirtatious, even with how she turned around, showing her behind to him as she swam over to Blake once more.

He spotted Weiss entering the water, swimming over to her and just floating there, watching her. She stepped in elegantly, Ruby following right behind her. "Jaune! Let's play with the ball!"

The large ball that Ruby had in her hands was garishly coloured, Yang snorting something. "Play with Jaune's ball, yeah! Didn't know you had it in you, sis!" Ruby coloured a little, as her head turned to her sister.

"At least I'm not trying to hit on Blake, Yang! Don't think I don't see the yearning looks you two give each other!" The spluttering was enough revenge for her, as Weiss flushed, looking at Ruby with a look.

"With him?" She pointed at him. That hurt just a little if he had to admit it privately. It was not something that he could just dismiss out of hand, with how she'd directly pointed at him.

Ruby, bless her heart, seemed not to mind. "Of course! He'd love to play with you!" Weiss gave him her best 'do not make jokes with me' look, before she was tossed the ball, moving with the elegance that she held naturally, a palm pushing the ball back into his corner.

"Jaune! Look! Kitty!" He turned to Yang only to find Blake holding her hands over her chest and Yang moving away from her, an embarrassed "YANG!" emerging from Blake's mouth.

"D-don't look at her, Jaune. Yang's..." Ruby said, but his gaze was already diverted. The ball hit him in the head but he barely noticed it.

Oof...

He returned to the game, whilst Blake raced after Yang, a stern "YANG XIAO-LONG!" from Summer putting an end to the bikini top heist, the older woman getting comfortable in one of the chairs with a book again.

He pulled himself out of the pool after an hour or so, Blake and Yang having made up after a brief wrestling match in the water, one which had been won by Yang, who had made Blake cry uncle for a bit, the entertainment that those two young women of varying status enjoyed being not up to speed with Ruby's own forms. Ruby, as sweet as she was, enjoyed to talk a lot, and Weiss bore the brunt of that.

As he pulled on an apron that looked relatively fire-resilient, a stitched – 'Do not hurt the cook, Raven!' – on the front with a stylized bird on its side with a comically enlarged pitchfork next to it, he looked at the barbecue. The smell of charcoal and briquettes was enough for him to get into the cooking mood as he ignited the small lighting blocks, used to it thanks to the family barbecues at his own place. Ruby was a frequently seen guest at the family barbecue, with the majority of his sisters in attendance, or most of them. Saphron and her wife Terra had moved away to Argus, Illinois, so it was less that they saw those two pop around.

"Ensure that the meat it grilled to perfection!" Weiss directed, her finger poking his chest, whilst she coughed a little at the smoke. Ruby and Blake were currently entangled in a discussion about which manga would be the best to read, Yang lounging on one of the chairs and leaving herself open to the sun, which was slowly starting to disappear down the trees.

The expanse of the land that'd been cleared for the house had been enough to give the Rose family a decent back yard but it didn't stop the light from fading slowly. The large trees were imposing, but he knew that it would just be a trip back on the bus to his home. Ruby walked the half a kilometre stretch with ease, so it wasn't that important. The bus stop would be there, and it'd be a twenty-minute trip either way.

Maybe Blake can give me a ride back?

Blake had a car, paid for by her father though, but she had one and a driver's license. The evening was still an hour or so away, he figured, as he put the iron grill-plate above the coals, starting up a few sausages after testing the heat that came from the barbecue.

"Want a beer?" Summer asked, her voice questioning, seeing the girls perk up a little.

"Mom! We're not in Germany! We can't drink beer at eighteen here! And I'm sixteen!" The woman grinned, popping the can open and taking a sip and giving a long 'oof!' as she did so. The woman smirked at Ruby, who seemed to be exasperated.

"So? I'm your mom, if I tell you to hop, I better hear a 'how high, ma'am?' out of your mouth, sweetheart. But of course... I was just joking. I've gotten some of your special strawberry Pepsi in the cooler for you, darling." The meat sizzled and the sausages popped, the smell of cooking meat good enough.

"Hmm... I want your sausages." The voice of Yang invaded his ear again, the womanly curves of the busty blonde beauty brushing against him, as she patted his shoulder. "Give me your biggest sausage, Jaune."

He gave a soft 'eh-heh-heh' as she pressed against him, Weiss hissing something in German. "Yang! Stop trying to get benefits! I have ordered a sausage from him first." The image of Weiss Schnee, with her lovely lips, and a sausage going between them was something that was enough to make most young men shudder. He wondered briefly whether this was retribution for hitting on her so often, or calling her his Snow Angel...

"You snooze you lose, Weissey! Hey Jaune... I want my sausage with extra hot spicy sauce. Little snowflake probably wants it with some vanilla-sauce like... ketchup." The hot air from the barbecue must be enough, even with the feeling of heat warmed his body, the feel of Yang against him lasting for an instant longer, before she pulled away and grinned at Weiss. "See? Working as intended, man-slave!"

"Hey! He's not a man-slave!" The support from Ruby was appreciated, she appeared to have donned a short top in the brief period that he'd tended to the barbecue, an adorable print of 'Reaper of S'mores' on the front. "He's just Jaune and he's a good guy! He's my friend!"

Go Ruby!

"Is my sausage ready?" The thoughts came again, as Weiss spoke with that tone of voice of 'Bow before me, peasant' that was hot and kind of scary too. He put a sausage on one of the paper plates, handing it to her. She frowned at him, before nodding. "Good." She turned around without further ado, as she seated herself. He put a sausage on the plate, handing it to Yang, who dunked the bottle of hot and spicy barbecue sauce over the sausage, Ruby grimacing.

"Where's my sausage, Jaune?!" She cried out suddenly, her voice a bit high-pitched, as Yang grinned and nudged Blake.

"Is there fish?" Blake asked, and Jaune checked the wrapped tuna filets that were stacked to a side of the barbecue, left to grill in their own juice, his hand rising up with five fingers showing.

"Five more minutes." The Faunus nodded, her head turning to Yang and making a disgusted sound, whilst he fixed Ruby with a plate, the Pepsi can that she had in her other hand opened up, the sweet smell of strawberries coming from it.

His stomach rumbled, as he put another sausage on a plate for Summer, serving Blake her tuna filet, which netted him a 'Humph' from the beautiful girl. Handing the plate to Summer, who seemed to be engrossed in the book that she was reading, he went back to the barbecue, scarfing down his own sausage before getting to flip some burgers. Those cooked a little faster than the sausages, so he was safe for now, the music of the top 30 of the most popular songs as background music.

This was familiar, this was safe... and he got to look at the girl he liked. He felt a little used, but it wasn't like it didn't happen at home. Being the 'man' of the house, it was often that he was requested to help with 'man tasks' by his father.

"Sooo... Is that a burger on the grill, or are you trying to put your gherkins on my patty?" Yang said, Blake, Weiss and Ruby rolling their eyes synchronously, as he wordlessly put a burger onto her plate, the pat to his shoulder feeling like a dismissal.

For all her teasing and her beauty, Yang never did anything more to show that she was interested. To even suggest that he go for Ruby was to invite Yang Xiao-Long's wrath, the protectiveness about Ruby one of her major flaws. Smashing a football player through a cafeteria table had been the first of many detentions, even if he had been kind of a dick to Ruby.

Once the food had all been eaten and he'd doused the barbecue, he went to find the girls again. The clock had struck seven and he had not been informed about what else was on the schedule. "Jaune! We're going to watch Lubricant!" The excited voice of Ruby was enough to forewarn him that this was going to be another romance movie night... Like he'd suffered before.

"Perhaps I should go..." He said, knowing that if he caught one of the buses back to his section of town, he'd be home by eight. The pouty look on Ruby's face was enough to stall such thoughts.

"But it's such a nice movie! Weiss likes it!" The final word had been spoken and nearly five minutes later, he was acutely aware that the girls had all changed their clothing. Adorable white pyjamas adorned Weiss as she sat there, the silken clothing probably more expensive than all the clothing of his dresser. He sat down in one of the chairs, awkwardly. The girls had commanded the couch, with no room for him to sit.

He'd like to sit with Weiss and be able to wrap his arm around her shoulder, but that seemed to be a fairytale now.

As if she'd allow it...

As the movie started, the popcorn was done, and he was bid to retrieve it by the glorious empress Weiss Schnee. As far as movies went, it was alright in his book. Lots of singing, 50's outfits and some guy who waxed poetically about a car.

I don't see why my sisters love this movie so much...

He glanced outside whilst the girls continued their impressive rendition of one of the songs, Weiss, being trained to sing since she was young, able to do an impressive solo performance of the female parts. "Come on, a duet! Do a Newt-Green with a Revolting! You can take Jaune, he's eh... Jaune!"

That she didn't seem to find anything to say about him that was positive was a bit of a downer, yet he looked hopefully at her. Weiss's face told him enough, the grimace on her face telling in its expression. "He does not have the skill."

Damn, that's a smack to the face...

It wasn't like he felt... sad. She had better skills. There was just a moment when his heart felt like it'd been pushed into a lego anthill with crawling little ice-cube ants.

"Ah well! He's my friend! Let's sing, Jaune!" Ruby was in good cheer, as always, and the singing commenced, to the displeasure of Weiss. Of course, during the time that he sang, he paid attention to Yang and Blake. Blake wore a conservative kimono-like garb, hiding most of that delightful body from sight whilst Yang worked with a single sport top and a set of shorts that went to her upper thighs, a challenging grin on her face, as if she hadn't been all emotional before when the guy asked to go out with the girl again.

"You've got to go, right?" Ruby asked, his eyes glancing at the clock in the living room. It was nearly ten now, so he should be getting towards the bus stop, to see whether he could catch the quarter past bus that'd come by the bus stop.

"Yeah... It was fun." He smiled at her, even though his heart felt a little pained by the dismissal from his crush. Today had been torment on his senses, and he was still wearing his swim shorts. "I should probably get changed to something that doesn't look like I've been at the pool for the whole day." She grinned at him. "

"I'll keep Weiss occupied! You can do it, Jaune!" The excitement in her voice, even if the whisper had been more on speaking level volume than anything conspiratorial, was unfaked.

I am so happy that you're my friend.

He didn't see Yang or Blake after he returned from the bathroom, dressed in his shorts once more with the swimshorts tucked in the plastic bag that he kept in his own bag, together with his towel. "Where did Yang and Blake go?"

Ruby looked away from Weiss, who was in the process of laying the final domino in place, a look of perfection on her face as she did so, shrugging. "She said that she was tired so Yang went to make her bed. She sleeps over sometimes when it's late and she doesn't feel like driving."

Damn, that's one ride back to the city down.

"Do you need a ride?" The saviour of puppies and long trips back home spoke up, Summer Rose entering the living room, wearing casual clothing and being currently shoeless. "I'll give you one. The least I could do for the grill master of the day." Ruby snorted at the reference to the drill masters that Summer occasionally referred to when trying to explain things, though he didn't know who 'Pound-Town Port' and 'Bartholomew the Brute' were. All he got from her when he asked was laughter and the shake of a head and an 'I'll tell you when you've been to boot camp, blondie'.

"Aww, you don't have to. I can get home by myself, Miss Rose." The woman grabbed a pair of sneakers from a small cupboard and then put them on, her feet clad now, where they'd been barefoot before.

"No, I insist. Your mother would have a fit if Ruby insisted that she go home. Little Joan isn't going home alone tonight." The nickname for him at age seven, when his older sisters had stuck him in a dress and called him Joan, was something that the woman hadn't forgotten yet. He'd been best friends with Ruby since age 13, so it was now five years. The woman had been around the house more than enough to know the general layout of the house, Ruby often forgetting the time when they were playing a game of Grimm Annihilator.

"Hey..." He said, complainingly. The woman grinned. "Thanks."

The woman's fingers plucked the key from the peg, looking back at Ruby. "Tell Yang that if she's messed up the shower again, I will revoke her privileges for the car." The stern tone of voice was enough to tell the girl off, whilst Ruby sighed deeply.

"I know, mom... You don't have to tell us three times..."The woman smiled at her daughter, ruffling her hair.

"I will. She's like her mother, a bird-brain. If she didn't have Blake, she'd be wondering where her clothes went after she did another of those near-naked runs around the house." The image of Yang bouncing a little was a good inspirational one, as the woman motioned for him to follow.

"Alright, private Arc. Get in the car and keep your trap shut." The drill sergeant tone of voice made him march, the bag plucked up and a look given at Weiss, who waved at him in obvious goodbye and dismissal.

The car was one of the two in the garage, a convertible from the seventies or something, a large beast of a car that looked like it'd been well-maintained. It was a stark white colour, with a stylized Rose on the hood. "Alright, Jaune... get in. Time to fire up Oiled Thunder." The look on the woman's face was excited, the same look that Ruby got about her rifles and guns.

"She's a beauty, maintained properly, given the best treatment in the books... Damn, if I could, I would marry this car." She said, whilst the engine rumbled to life, the radio station flickering on and the car giving an experimental rumble, as he got in. His bag was placed on the back seat, as the woman looked at the darkening sky, the headlights blazing, as she pushed the ignition. It wasn't the regular SUV that she regularly drove in, he noticed, as it had been parked a little away.

"Original rims too. Cost a ton of money... But for my baby, this is the best of the best. Don't tell Ruby though..." The woman's silver eyes were a little far-off in their look. "But I got her a nice serviceable rifle. She'll get it at seventeen because she'll need to defend herself. If she's going to make the choice to live together with her partner, she's going to need a thing to defend herself."

Since when is Ruby dating? Is it that Oscar Pine boy who was partnered with her for that project of mentoring?

The kid looked like he was Ruby's age, so it might be possible. He'd need to have a talk with her. "That's... nice." Summer Rose made a snorting sound before she shook her head, turning a sharp left, making him rock to the side. They'd gotten onto the main road.

"Let me show you what this baby can do, Arc." She said, pushing the pedal down and the car accelerated. For someone who knew that a car was metal and went fast, it wasn't very impressive, yet the look of amusement on Summer Rose's face, that energetic personality that was also found in Ruby, shone through.

I can see where she's got it from.

They sped down the road towards the city, Summer's head turning to check the rear-view mirror for a moment, the woman turning on a side road. "Let me show you the sights of the place a bit, since we've got some time." The woman said as the car accelerated again. The road that she used winded upward, his mental geography telling him that it was going the direction of Beacon lake, where there was a nice swimming spot and several parking spaces, as well as a shortcut to the section of town that he needed to be at. Cutting through this spot would make sure that he'd be home in time, rather than be stuck in traffic perhaps, suffering the ire of his parents.

The lake was still as they pushed up to the parking spot, the woman parking the car broadly, the headlights turned off, a grin on her face as the full moon illuminated her face. "Hey... Eh, aren't you going to be-"

He froze, as her finger touched his lips. A look in her eyes, as she turned to the lake. "See the stillness of it?" She said, looking at it for what must be a minute. "It's perfectly quiet here." There were only a few sounds of crickets, a moment where there was a stillness in the air that brought out the beauty of the place.

"Here, let me adjust your seat a little." The woman said, a clicking sound and his butt feeling how the seat was slid back. "Comfy?" She asked, as he looked up at the stars.

"Yeah... I mean... What's the time?" He asked, feeling a little awkward. He was supposed to be home at eleven, and she'd taken him to go sight-seeing at a quiet place at night.

A soft laugh, as fabric seemed to be moving. A hand brushed over his cheek as something darkened his face. "Twenty minutes past ten, Jaune." The cloth that covered his vision he pulled off, turning to look at her, the moon casting her in a ghostly pale light. The pale skin lit up, as the silver eyes looked at him. A swimsuit, hardly more than three to four strips of cloth, covered her body.

She hadn't been swimming... but she wore a swimsuit anyways.

"Summer nights can get awfully hot, can't they? My daughters don't know what they're giving up..." She said, her silver eyes looking at him. Summer Rose, age 39, was still able to make an impression.

"I like a man who's able to do work around the house, Jaune." A hand pressed him down, surprising strength used to keep him there.

"A man who's handy with cooking..." Her hand seized a hold on his shorts. A tug later and he felt cool summer night air on his privates.

"But... I'm still a little sweaty." He mumbled. He was caught aback, the soft snicker from the older woman who was now taking a hold of his Mini-Arc.

"Oh sweetie... When a girl's in the mood and giving you hints, you don't say no. You just let them rock your world."

Nearly two hours later did the car roll up to the driveway, Summer Rose's hair slightly damp as they'd gone for a quick swim, the older woman having kept it to merely a bit of exploration. It had been an experience worth remembering as her touch to his body sent him ablaze, the dress put back on after the scandalous swimsuit had been unveiled. It showed through the white dress a little, but Summer did not mind in the slightest.

She was the one ringing the doorbell, as she grinned at him, a look on her face that said 'trust me', as the door was opened by a bleary-eyed man, whose eyes narrowed. "I told you to be home at eleven at the latest, son. What's your excuse now? Staring at the pretty ladies for long enough?" The man's voice was gruff and annoyed, as he stepped aside to let them in.

"Sorry for my son's little indiscretion. We were a little concerned." The man said, Jaune spotting his mother in the kitchen, still awake and in a nightgown, standing up as Summer entered in her dress.

"Ah, thank you for bringing him home. I trust it wasn't a bother? Do you want money for gas?" The woman asked the tightness of his father's features meant another argument in the near future. Summer smiled, her eyes glinting a little.

"Well, I'd like to apologize first" Summer Rose was apologetic in her tone as she glanced at him. "Ever since my maintenance man decided that he'd need to have his summer break, there's a need to have a bit of a strong man around the house... So, I had to borrow your son for a few tasks." His father's face softened a little.

Perhaps there won't be a lecture on working hard and earning a good living wage...

"Well, at least you're good for something, rather than dreaming about scoring it big in the armed forces..." The man was ex-Marine corps, his leg shot up during a mission in a dusty place named Vacuo, Texas. Apparently some sort of fuck-up that'd made sure that he was discharged on medical grounds.

"He's available for more things, if you need help, right, Jaune?" His mother's tone promised an argument if he responded in the negative to it, and he nodded.

"My lawn needs to be mowed again, my bush needs some trimming and I'd really like it if he's able to help me plant a few seeds in the garden... I so love to have a few big root vegetables to eat when it's nice out there... and my Ruby just loves the attention from her bestie." The innuendo, as she looked at him with those silver eyes barely hiding any sort of nebulous intention aside from what she was planning on doing to him, made his pants feel tight, as his mother and father, unaware of the fact that Summer Rose'd given him the first blowjob of his life nearly two hours ago, nodded.

"He'd love to help. See? He's on his way to becoming a farmer, just like your brother, Jack." The man gave him a look, as he stared at him for a while.

"You better not do something like seducing that poor girl whilst you're there, Jaune. I know how you teens work! Saphron's girlfriend got pregnant thanks to one bad decision! You're going to keep Miss Rose happy." The man turned to Summer, whose smile grew a little forced with that look he gave her.

"Be sure to teach him some discipline, sergeant Rose." Summer grinned, broadly.

"Don't worry, I'll make a real man out of him." She saluted, and his dad grinned.

"Semper fi, Marine. That's what we were taught back in the Marines and that's how we're gonna die." The man's finger poked his chest and he looked at Summer.

"Oh, I won't let him die. I'll let him do a few drills with me though." Summer winked, as she grinned. "Better buy him some shoes and some fresh underwear... because drill sergeant Rose is on the case!" His dad actually looked proud, whilst his mother just gave a look of 'what is going on?' to the proud little posturing of his dad and Summer.

"You hear that, Jaune? She's going to make you into someone worthy of respect! You better give her your all!" The image of Summer getting his all made him flush red, as Summer grinned.

"Give me your all, Jaune! Down the trails and up the mountain! I will make you better, faster and stronger! Oh, and you can do my roses too." She paused, as she tilted her head. "The ones next to the shed, not the one near the pool garden. Those are Ruby's."

He didn't know what she meant with that, but it was all good to him. It was still somewhat surprising that she'd done... that. That they'd done... that.

"Now, I've got to go. The girls will be having a lesbian orgy now that momma Rose is away... So I've got to scare em straight." With what she'd unveiled during their little impromptu stop at the lake, it was very likely that she would indeed walk in on her daughter, or daughters, making out with their partner. She'd spoken about Yang and Blake's polygamous relationship, after all. That Weiss and Ruby were dating...

As she licked her lips, she winked at him.

Somehow, the thought of Ruby and Weiss dating no longer seemed to be as heavy as it had been before.

Those summer nights were darn hot, after all.

Alright, this is your Cyanide Sins person, currently being nearly half-roasted in the house... Enjoy this little trial of a modern-day fic. Any mentions of Grease are entirely intentional, and I think that this is going to be just a one-shot, so yeah... Enjoy 'n stuff. Hope you liked it.

Trying to iron out a few of the kinks in my writing with this thing, because I've noticed some tics that I've got in my writing and I'm trying to correct them.

Leave a review or comment in a private message or whatever! I like to read that stuff.