Chapter Text
This was officially the worst day ever.
And it wasn’t supposed to be! No, it was supposed to be amazing ! A day for the books – or at least her diary. Instead, it had turned into a disaster.
Her two favorite teams—Team RWBY and Team JNPR—on a mission together ! How could that not be incredible? Ruby had been so excited. A full day of defending the innocent, hunting Grimm, and spending time with her friends. Even Weiss had been in a good mood this morning— Weiss ! Who was usually as frosty as her namesake before a dose of that abomination she called her coffee.
Ruby had spent all of yesterday with Jaune—her absolute bestie-better-than-the-restie (male edition, of course)—planning every last detail. They’d strategized for hours, pouring over maps and contingency plans. Snacks were consumed. Bad jokes were made. Jaune even tripped over a chair at one point, which Ruby would definitely remind him of later. Every preparation was accounted for. This mission was going to be perfect .
And at first? It was. They’d woken up early, full of energy and anticipation. Loading their luggage onto the bullhead was a breeze, and Ruby snagged a prime seat between Weiss and Jaune. She couldn’t help but grin as she looked around. Her besties, her sister Yang cracking jokes with Nora, Ren meditatingwith Pyrrha like the ultimate cool guy he was, and Blake curled up with a book . Everything felt...right.
The arrival went smoothly, too. They touched down, dropped their gear at a quaint little inn, and set out to do what they did best—protecting the world from Grimm. So they ventured forward in a noble journey – a thirty-minute walk – to the hunting grounds was filled with laughter and playful banter. Yang teased Jaune about his “battle posture,” which led to Nora challenging him to a “most heroic pose” competition. Weiss tried to stay above it all but eventually cracked, rolling her eyes as she offered a sarcastic critique of each pose. Even Blake smirked behind her book .
And then, the fighting started. And wow . It was everything she had hoped for and more!
Team JNPR and Team RWBY together were an unstoppable force. Ruby paired up with Nora to take down an Ursa, the hammer-wielding ball of energy slamming the Grimm right into Crescent Rose’s scythe blade. The thrill of the takedown sent a jolt of excitement through Ruby. Not long after, Jaune boosted her into the air with his shield, giving her the perfect angle to snipe a flock of Nevermores. Feathers rained down like confetti as she landed with a dramatic spin.
It! Was! Awesome!
But then, it happened. She stopped focusing for a second and it struck!
Ruby hadn’t seen the Beowolf at first. She’d been too busy celebrating their victory, twirling Crescent Rose like a baton and flashing a grin at Jaune. One second, she was basking in the glow of their teamwork; the next, she felt the Beowolf’s claws rake across her.
It didn’t hurt—her Aura held strong, absorbing the impact like it was nothing. But as she glanced down, her stomach twisted into a cold knot of horror. Her new skirt—her new battle skirt—was shredded. Torn right down the side, its once-pristine fabric hanging in tatters.
“ Nooooooo! ” she wailed, staggering back like she’d just been mortally wounded. Crescent Rose clattered to the ground as she clutched at the ruined fabric, tears welling in her eyes. “My skirt! My brand-new skirt! I saved for weeks to buy this!”
The battlefield fell silent. Even the last Beowolf seemed to pause, as if it, too, understood the magnitude of what had just happened.
Nora jogged over, her face a mix of confusion and concern. “Uh, Rubes? You okay? Did you get hit?”
Ruby spun on her heel, Crescent Rose forgotten. “My skirt, Nora” she cried, holding up the ruined fabric for emphasis. “Look at it! It’s ruined! ”
Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Really, Ruby? Your Aura’s intact, you’re not injured, and you’re crying over...fashion?”
“It’s not just fashion!” Ruby snapped, her voice cracking. “This was my battle skirt! It had pockets, Blake! Pockets!”
Jaune shuffled over, scratching the back of his neck. “Uh...I mean, we could try sewing it up? I kinda do it a lot for Nor—”
“ It’s not the same! ” Ruby interrupted, her voice climbing an octave. “It’ll never be the same!”
Nora appeared at her side, inspecting the damage with a thoughtful hum. “Well, on the bright side,” she said, nudging Ruby with her elbow, “it makes you look kind of edgy. Like, ‘Don’t mess with me, I’ll ruin your fashion sense’ edgy.”
Ruby groaned, sinking to the ground dramatically. “This was supposed to be the best day ever,” she mumbled, burying her face in her hands. “But it’s the worst. ”
Blake stood and dusted herself off before turning toward the edge of the clearing.“I’m going to find the rest of the team,” she announced, her voice calm but purposeful. “Yang and Pyrrha should’ve wrapped up their part of the mission by now.”
Jaune gave a quick nod, watching as Blake disappeared into the trees. Then, with a sigh, he plopped down beside Ruby, who was still clutching the remnants of her ruined skirt with the look of someone mourning a dearly departed friend.
“Hey,” Jaune said softly, offering her a smile. “Just let me give it a try, okay? Nora tears her clothes all the time—like, all the time—and I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing them. I promise, it’ll look great.”
Ruby sniffled and shot him a doubtful look. “But it’s my skirt, Jaune. My new favorite skirt.”
“Exactly! All the more reason to fix it!” he said with a bit more pep, clearly trying to lift her spirits.
“True!” Nora chimed in. “Jaune-Jaune even does little animals and flowers on mine sometimes! They’re adorable! So...skirt out!”
Before Ruby could react, Nora swooped down like a hawk and, with one swift motion, yanked Ruby’s skirt right off.
“ Eeeep! ” Ruby squealed, her face turning crimson as she scrambled to cover herself.
Jaune whipped around so fast it was a miracle he didn’t sprain something. “ Nora! ” he barked, his voice equal parts horrified and panicked.
“What?” Nora said with a casual shrug, holding up the skirt as if it were a trophy. “She’s wearing shorts! Everyone who wears battle skirts wears shorts! Right, Ruby?”
Ruby, now huddled into herself, managed a mortified squeak of agreement. “That’s not the point!” Jaune groaned, slapping a hand over his eyes. “You don’t just— ugh! —you ask first!”
Nora rolled her eyes like he was the one being unreasonable. “Pah! Drama queen,” she muttered. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she turned to Jaune. “Hands up, Jaune-Jaune.”
“What?” he asked warily.
“ Hands. Up. ”
Reluctantly, Jaune raised his arms, still muttering something about boundaries. In one impossibly fluid motion, Nora reached under his armor and pulled out his hoodie. She twirled it triumphantly before tossing it at Ruby.
“Here you go, Rubes! Big enough to cover you up—not that there’s anything to see,” she added in a whisper that still managed to reach everyone.
Ruby hastily pulled the oversized hoodie over herself, burying her face in the soft fabric. “Thanks,” she mumbled, her voice muffled but still laced with embarrassment.
Jaune, meanwhile, was staring at his torso in utter confusion. His armor was still perfectly intact—every strap, buckle, and piece exactly where it should be. “How...?” he muttered, running his hands over the unbroken straps. “Nora, how did you do that? ”
“Pah-pah-pah! Not important!” Nora chirped, cutting him off with a dismissive wave. She shoved Ruby’s skirt into his hands. “Fixy-fix now, questions later!”
Resigned to his fate, Jaune sighed, sat down and reached for the small leather pouch on his belt. He was feeling pretty good in proving Ren wrong and that the kit was indeed an emergency need. The dark leather was embossed with the Arc family crest, a gift from his mother long ago. He opened it with care, revealing a neatly arranged sewing kit: spools of thread in multiple colors – he had to have a decent variety since no one in his team wore the same colors –, a few needles, and even a tiny pair of scissors.
Ruby peeked over his shoulders, watching as Jaune expertly threaded a needle with a black thread. “You...you carry a sewing kit with you?” she asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
Jaune glanced up and grinned. “Of course! You’d be surprised how often it comes in handy.” He held up the skirt, inspecting the damage with a critical eye. “This’ll take a little time, but don’t worry—I’ll make it good as new.”
As he worked, Nora sat cross-legged nearby, watching with an amused smirk. “You know, Jaune-Jaune, you’d make an excellent househusband.”
Jaune’s hands paused mid-stitch, and he flushed. “Nora!”
“What? I’m just saying,” she teased. “The man can fight, cook and sew. Total catch.”
Ruby giggled despite herself, the weight of her earlier frustration beginning to lift. She watched as Jaune carefully patched her skirt, his brow furrowed in concentration. Maybe today hadn’t been a total disaster after all.
“Rubes, do you mind if I add a little decoration over the stitches?” Jaune asked, his tone casual but tinged with a quiet excitement.
Ruby tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her silver eyes. “Decorations? Why?”
He turned the skirt toward her, letting her see the work in progress. Jaune had been doing an amazing job patching the three jagged gashes the Beowolf had left behind. The stitches were clean and precise, but the tears were too big and uneven to disappear entirely.
“The slashes are too large and jagged to just sew up and hide,” he explained, gesturing to the fabric. “If I just pull the edges together and leave the extra material inside to cut later, it’ll look...off. The shape won’t match the rest of the skirt. But if I add some decoration, I can make it look intentional. Like it was designed this way all along.”
Ruby blinked. She wasn’t entirely sure what he meant—wasn’t sewing it back together enough? But she trusted Jaune. His stitching was already way better than anything she could manage. She grinned. “Go for it!”
“Great! Can you lend me your belt for a second?”
Ruby raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to sew my belt onto the skirt?”
Jaune chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Nah, it’s a surprise. I just need to take a closer look at it.”
Shrugging, Ruby wriggled her arms out of the oversized sleeves of Jaune’s hoodie and slipped off her belt. She handed it over, her movements a little hesitant, the amount of clothes she was taking off was starting to worry her. Jaune accepted it with care, studying her insignia—the delicate rose emblem embossed on the buckle. Then he took out a small measuring tape and began taking what seemed like completely random measurements of the belt and the skirt.
Ruby watched, more baffled than ever. “Are those even useful?”
He just gave her a mysterious smile and kept working.
What happened next left her utterly spellbound.
Jaune’s hands moved with practiced precision, guiding the needle and thread through the fabric like an artist with a paintbrush. The jagged black stitches that had been holding the gashes together began to transform. He shaped them into thorny vines, twisting and curling up the fabric. The design was subtle at first, barely visible against the dark material of the skirt.
Ruby gasped as he pulled a spool of crimson thread from his leather pouch. With a quick, fluid motion, he swapped the black thread for the deep red one. The ease with which he did it was mesmerizing.
It’d take me, like, half an hour just to thread the needle, Ruby thought, staring wide-eyed.
As Jaune worked, the skirt transformed before her eyes. The crimson thread added vibrant thorned vines along the hem, circling and intertwining with the black ones. The roses at the ends of the vines seemed to bloom against the dark fabric, their crimson petals vivid and striking. Jaune even used the crimson thread to overlay the black stitches, creating a subtle shadow effect that made the design look three-dimensional.
It was nothing short of breathtaking.
“And...done!” Jaune declared, leaning back with a proud, slightly dorky smile as he held up the finished skirt for her to see.
Ruby reached out, taking it carefully, her eyes wide with awe. “Jaune...” she whispered, her voice soft and reverent. “It’s...it’s beautiful.”
The thorny vines twisted elegantly, leading up to the roses that now adorned the places where the gashes had been. The crimson thread gave the design a bold, striking appearance, while the shadow effect added depth and artistry Ruby never would’ve expected.
And to top it all off, it had her emblem on it, the one she got from her mother. The one piece of her that was always with Ruby.
Jaune scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks dusted with pink. “It’s nothing special, really. Just figured I’d make it look nice while I was at it.”
Ruby hugged the skirt to her chest, beaming with watery eyes at him. “Are you kidding? It’s amazing! You turned my ruined skirt into...into art!” She paused, looking down at it again. “I don’t know if I want to fight in it now! What if it gets ruined again!? ”
She surged forward in an explosion of petals and hugged him while softly sniffing.
Nora, who had been watching from the sidelines with a huge grin, chimed in. “Then Jaune-Jaune can fix it again! Maybe add sparkles next time!”
Jaune groaned, though his smile lingered. “Don’t think sparkles match Rubes vibe, Nora.”
That was when the rest of their teams emerged from the treeline, their chatter fading as they took in the scene. Ruby was teary eyed looking at her newly repaired skirt. Nora was just lounging in the grass. Jaune was still seated, packing up his sewing kit, a contented smile on his redened face.
But Yang clearly misunderstood something though.
“Ruby!” Yang’s voice cut through the clearing like a whip, her eyes narrowing as she took in her little sister’s oversized hoodie and belt-less, s kirtless appearance. Her pace quickened, and before anyone could react, she stormed forward, Ember Celica snapping into place with an ominous click.
“Yang, wait!” Ruby began, but her sister was already in front of Jaune, fists clenched and trembling with restrained fury.
“You’d better start explaining fast, Vomit Boy,” Yang growled through gritted teeth, her voice low and dangerous. Her golden hair flared, her aura simmering just below the surface.
Jaune froze like a deer in headlights, his face pale and his mouth hanging open in sheer panic. “W-What? Explain what?” he stammered, his hands raised defensively.
Yang jabbed a finger at him, her red eyes glowing like molten embers. “You’ve got ten seconds to tell me why my sister is crying and not wearing her skirt, Jaune-boy. Ten seconds. And it better be good.”
Ruby’s face turned crimson, and she frantically waved her hands. “Yang, no! It’s not what you think—”
But Yang wasn’t listening. Her semblance was already activated, her body practically vibrating with barely contained rage. Jaune swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t know Yang could trigger her semblance without taking a hit, but the glowing red eyes and the fiery aura made one thing abundantly clear: if she punched him, the first tree he hit wouldn’t stop him.
“Ruby!” Jaune hissed, looking to her for backup, his voice high-pitched with panic.
Ruby lunged between them, spreading her arms wide to block Yang’s view of Jaune. “Yang! Calm down! He didn’t do anything bad! I mean, yeah, I cried, but it wasn’t because of him ! He was helping me!”
“Helping you?” Yang’s glare shifted to Ruby, though her fists remained tight, the gauntlets still primed for action. “You expect me to believe that when you’re standing there in his hoodie instead of your skirt? What exactly was he ‘helping’ you with?”
Ruby groaned, facepalming. “ My skirt got ripped in the fight, Yang! The Beowolf shredded it! Jaune was fixing it for me, and he did an awesome job. Look!”
Ruby shoved the skirt forwards dramatically, showing off her newly repaired skirt with its intricate rose-and-thorn design. Yang’s fiery demeanor faltered as her gaze dropped to the skirt.
“See? He even made it look cooler than before!” Ruby continued, showing the crimson roses that shimmered subtly against the dark fabric.
Yang blinked, the red in her eyes dimming slightly as she took in the details. “Wait...Jaune did that?”
“Yes!” Ruby threw her hands in the air. “And you were about to punch him ! ”
Jaune let out a shaky breath, still tense as he slowly lowered his hands. “Yeah, uh...glad we cleared that up.”
Yang’s shoulders relaxed, and the faintest hint of guilt crossed her face. “Okay, maybe I jumped to conclusions.”
“Maybe ? ” Jaune croaked, still looking at her warily.
Nora, ever the opportunist, leaned over to Yang with a mischievous grin. “I mean, you did look pretty terrifying. Poor Jaune-Jaune looked like he was about to pass out.”
Yang turned to Jaune, an apologetic grin replacing her earlier scowl. “Okay, fine. Sorry, Vomit Boy. Guess I owe you one for fixing Ruby’s skirt.”
Jaune let out a nervous laugh. “Uh, no problem. Happy to help. Really.”
Ruby crossed her arms, pouting. “Yang, you seriously need to chill. Not everything is a reason to Hulk out.”
Yang ruffled Ruby’s hair playfully, her usual teasing smirk returning. “Can’t help it, sis. Protective big sister instincts and all that. But hey, at least your skirt looks great now!”
Ruby couldn’t help but grin as she looked down at the thorny roses again. “Yeah, it really does.”
Jaune sighed, finally relaxing as the tension in the clearing dissipated. “Next time, maybe we skip the part where I almost get launched into orbit?”
Yang laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. “No promises, Jaune-boy. No promises.”
The rest of the day—and the mission—passed with Ruby in an almost unnatural state of giddy excitement. She bounced around the group like a sugar-charged ball of energy, twirling at every opportunity and thrusting her newly repaired skirt in front of anyone who so much as glanced her way.
“Look at it! Isn’t it awesome?!” she exclaimed for the fiftieth time, practically vibrating with pride.
Nora, ever Ruby’s equal in enthusiasm, gasped dramatically when she saw it up close. “It’s amazing! But you know what it needs? Lightning bolts! And cute little critters, like squirrels or sloths. Oh! Or lightning-sloths!” She clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Jaune paled slightly at the thought. “Uh...maybe next time?” he offered weakly, already imaging what atrocity he would have to sew next time Noras skirt ripped.
Ren, standing nearby, simply nodded at Ruby with a faint smile. “It suits you,”
“Right?!” Ruby said, beaming at him before spinning to the next unsuspecting target.
Pyrrha’s face lit up when Ruby showed her the intricate vine and rose design. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said sincerely. “Jaune’s work always amazes me. He’s done some lovely patterns for my sash before—delicate spirals and leaves. It’s so detailed,” she said lovenly.
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’ve been holding out on me?! Jaune, how come you never told me you did patterns for Pyrrha?!”
Jaune scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “It, uh...never came up?”
Blake, observing quietly from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow. “You’ve clearly been hiding some serious skills, Jaune.” Her gaze flicked to the sewing kit still tucked into his belt. “And I have to agree—it’s an emergency necessity.”
Ren, standing just within earshot, sighed quietly, his expression betraying the faintest hint of exasperation. “Blake, please don’t encourage him. He’s already carrying enough ‘emergency supplies.’”
Blake shrugged, an amused glint in her amber eyes. “If it works, it works.”
Weiss, meanwhile, examined the skirt with a critical eye. Her arms were crossed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. After a moment, she huffed. “Well, I suppose it’s...passable. For amateur work.”
Jaune groaned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Weiss.”
Ruby leaned in toward Weiss, grinning mischievously. “You’re just mad it looks better than your skirt.”
Weiss bristled. “That’s absolutely not true!” she snapped, turning away with an indignant toss of her hair. “It’s just...adequate, that’s all.”
Yang, as usual, was less subtle. She poked Jaune in the ribs, her grin wide and teasing. “So, Jaune-boy, is this just roses and vines, or can you do dragons too? Because if you can sew a dragon on my jacket, we’re gonna need to talk.”
Jaune blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “I, uh...haven’t tried a dragon before, but I guess I could—”
“Awesome!” Yang cut him off, slinging an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug. “Don’t worry, Vomit Boy, I’ll make an artist out of you yet.”
Ruby twirled once more, her laughter ringing through the clearing as the group continued their trek back to the inn. For the rest of the mission, she barely stopped moving, her happiness so infectious that even Weiss couldn’t maintain her usual frostiness for long.
And Jaune, though a little overwhelmed by the attention, couldn’t help but smile. If his sewing could make Ruby this happy—and keep Yang from punching him—then maybe carrying that little kit really was worth it.
~ A mission and a few days later~
The evening in the common room was quiet and relaxed—at least, by Team JNPR and Team RWBY standards, nothing was on fire and no dust explosions so far. Jaune lounged on the couch, flipping through a comic book.. Across from him, Ruby and Nora were glued to their scrolls, fingers flying as they played some cooperative game that involved far too much yelling for something supposedly ‘cooperative.’
“Ruby, heal me! ” Nora shrieked.
“I’m trying!” Ruby protested, jabbing at her screen. “Stop running ahead!”
Jaune chuckled softly at their antics, sinking deeper into the cushions. It was rare to have moments like this—peaceful, warm, and free of Grimm attacks or training drills. But, as usual, peace didn’t last long.
The door to their room slammed open with a thunderous bang, the sound echoing through the whole space.
“ ARC! ”
Jaune bolted upright, his comic book flying out of his hands as Coco Adel strode into the room like she owned the place. Her boots thudded against the floor with deliberate force, her sharp sunglasses glinting ominously in the dim light.
“W-What’s going on?!” Jaune stammered, his panic rising as she marched straight for him.
“You’re mine this weekend!” Coco declared, grabbing him by the front of his hoodie and hauling him halfway off the couch with terrifying ease.
“W-What?!” Jaune squeaked, his feet scrambling for purchase as he dangled slightly.
“I need someone to help with my team’s new threads,” Coco said matter-of-factly, adjusting her glasses with her free hand. “We’re going to look absolutely stunning in this tournament, and a little birdie told me you’re handy with a needle and thread. So…” She leaned in, peering over the rim of her sunglasses. “Your ass is mine for the weekend. Got it?”
Nora shot up from her spot, pointing an accusatory finger. “Hey! Jaune-Jaune is ours! You can’t just—”
“Yatsuhashi! Velvet!” Coco barked, cutting her off.
Ruby tensed, her silver eyes darting to the door as Yatsuhashi and Velvet entered. For a brief, panicked moment, she thought there was about to be a fight. But instead of weapons, the duo carried gift bags, their expressions calm and composed.
Ruby and Nora exchanged confused glances as the newcomers approached and handed each of them a bag.
Nora ripped hers open immediately, her eyes lighting up with glee as she pulled out two oversized, very pink grenades. A wicked grin spread across her face.
“Six high-impact fire and wind dust grenades,” Coco explained, smirking. “Custom-made for your launcher so you can fire them without jamming.”
Nora let out a delighted squeal, hugging the grenades to her chest like they were her new best friends.
Ruby, more cautiously, opened her own bag. Inside was a sleek, elegant box of cookies—so fancy they practically radiated luxury—and a small kit containing springs and rubber seals.
“The cookies are from Leidenschaftlicher Kuss, the best chocolatiers in all of Remnant,” Coco explained, nodding toward the box. “The springs are dust-resistant steel, and the seals are Atlesian military-grade. Perfect for high impact calibers.”
Ruby’s mouth fell open in shock. She wasn’t sure what stunned her more—the gift itself or the sheer thoughtfulness behind it. “You—wait, you’re bribing us?”
Coco shot her a pointed look, crossing her arms. “No, I’m ensuring cooperation. You haven’t seen Jaune, and you have no idea where he is. Are we clear?”
Ruby and Nora, nodded enthusiastically.
“Deal!” Nora chirped, still cradling her grenades like precious treasures.
“Yup! Crystal clear!” Ruby added, nibbling on a cookie that melted in her mouth with rich, chocolaty perfection.
Jaune, still in Coco’s iron grip, groaned in protest. “Nooooo!” he whined as she dragged him toward the door.
“Sorry, Jaune!” Ruby called cheerfully, waving at him from the sofa.
“Have fun, Jaune-Jaune!” Nora added, waving just as enthusiastically.
Jaune’s pitiful cries of resistance faded as Coco hauled him down the hallway, leaving his so-called 'friends' to enjoy their spoils in peace.