RWBY: LUCID

The water hissed to a stop as Jaune stepped out of the shower, the steam curling from his skin and fogging the mirror. He dragged a towel through his hair, suppressing a yawn as he leaned into the sink, blinking blearily at his own reflection.

He felt tired.

Even with everything that was happening in the dreamscape—his victories, his training, the long stretch of waiting by the mist—he hadn't really slept.

It was quite odd. Even though his soul or brain, or astral self or whatever was brought into the dream, he always felt relatively fine, well-rested, even. As if he truly was asleep instead of combating monsters.

However, he felt a certain type of mental stress, these days.

Dreams were work now. Combat simulations and strategy testing. Power building. His dream-self might've gotten stronger, but if anyone were to ask, Jaune could easily, readily admit that he was starting to miss the feeling of blissful sleep.

He reached for the toothbrush and paused as his room's door clicked open.

Footsteps shuffled past.

The hallway outside creaked faintly with movement.

Then: a knock. Followed by the sound of the bathroom door opening.

Jaune stepped out with a towel around his neck just as his sister, Jade, appeared from the hallway—hair tied into a loose morning ponytail, sleep still written in the droop of her eyes.

She froze mid-step, squinting up at him.

"...You're alive?"

Jaune blinked. "Uh. Yeah?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"Unfortunate. Please don't talk to me before I've had my coffee"

He snorted. Wasn't she the one who initiated the conversation? "Good morning to you, too, sunshine."

She grunted, brushing past him with a groggy shuffle and muttering something under her breath about "noise at seven in the morning" and "early-riser cultists." The bathroom door closed behind her with a soft click.

He stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door and smirking.

Yep. That was Jade all right.

She was never one to hide her grumpiness in the mornings. Always needed a solid thirty minutes of quiet and coffee before she even approximated a human being. Back when they were kids, Jaune used to poke fun at her for it constantly. Now? It was a comforting, familiar feeling.

A kind of grounding routine which reminded him that life outside of the dreamscape still went on.

He moved back to his room to change, toweling off the last of the dampness from his skin as he threw on a casual shirt and pants. He gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror, considered styling his hair back like Grise , then shrugged and decided against it.

No need to get too dramatic. He wasn't as good looking either so the hair wouldn't really work.

The sun was higher now, casting a soft golden light through the window. It was almost time to head out for school. But before that—

Jaune took the stairs down two at a time, following the distinct scent of something warm and buttery wafting from the kitchen.

"Morning," he called out as he rounded the corner.

"Ah, the prodigal son awakens!" came a voice from the stove. "And just in time for the morning ritual of pancakes and paternal wisdom."

Jaune chuckled as he stepped into the kitchen. "Prodigal son? Is that what I am now?" Jaune shook his head at his dad's antics. "Pancakes huh? I thought it smelled like carbohydrates and nostalgia."

His father turned slightly, spatula in one hand, apron loose around his waist and already dotted with flour. The pan on the stove hissed gently as another pancake cooked to golden-brown perfection.

"You joke, but these pancakes have seen this family through a lot," his father said with a proud grin. "Job interviews. First days of school. Awkward crushes. That one horrible weekend when your mom tried to cook fish stew."

"Fish stew trauma is real," Jaune agreed solemnly, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "We should talk about it more."

His father chuckled and flipped another pancake. "You're just lucky your mom's not here. She'd make you eat double portions for slander like that."

Jaune smiled as he leaned forward, resting his chin in one hand.

These mornings… they were good.

He liked that.

"You're heading out to work soon?" he asked casually.

"Soon, yeah," his dad said, then hesitated. "Actually, I will be a little late getting back tonight."

"Oh?"

His father turned to glance at him. "Since I'm taking Jade to Vale University, I'll have to do a half-day at work. It's going to be orientation day for her so I gotta help her get her dorm sorted, meet the advisors, all that."

Jaune nodded. "Right. Forgot that was today."

His dad looked at him weirdly.

"That was literally our whole agenda for going back to Ansel for the weekend? How'd you forget?"

Jaune looked a little sheepish. Between all the things that had happened, could he really be blamed for not remembering?

"She's got a whole folder of things printed out. Checklists and documents and dorm assignments. Your sister is terrifying when she gets serious."

"I know. She's always terrifying."

They both chuckled.

"Anyway," his dad continued, "since I'll be out most of the day, I need you to handle dinner. You're on food duty tonight, soldier."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "We talking microwave pizza levels of dinner? Or actual 'edible by human standards' dinner?"

"Hey now," his dad said, mock offended. "There's frozen fish in the freezer. Sweet corn too. If you want to make something from scratch, there's also fresh veggies and some chicken thighs in the fridge. I made sure we were stocked."

Jaune winced. "That sounds like actual cooking."

"You've done worse. I've seen you attempt banana muffins."

"They turned out okay."

"They were weapons, son."

Jaune snorted. "You didn't even chip a tooth on one. It wasn't that bad."

His father leveled the spatula at him with a dramatic squint. "You're lucky I'm a forgiving man. But I think we both know who the real culinary champion of this household is."

"Oh come on," Jaune said, pretending to scoff. "I'm not that bad. I've improved. You saw the last cookies I baked."

"They had sugar crystals the size of dice in them, and one of them was shaped like Atlas's uprising emblem."

"That was a creative decision!"

His father laughed fully this time, setting a plate of pancakes in front of Jaune. "Yeah, yeah. You're not terrible, kid. But you've still got a ways to go if you want to beat me in the kitchen."

Jaune raised an eyebrow and pointed his fork. "We'll see about that. Tonight, the student surpasses the master."

His dad smirked. "I'll be the judge of that. Assuming I survive."

The clatter of footsteps echoed from the stairs.

A moment later, Jade entered the kitchen, still bleary-eyed but dressed now in a dark hoodie and jeans, hair twisted into something more presentable. She blinked at them both before sniffing the air.

"Are those pancakes?"

"No, they're holograms," Jaune quipped.

She flipped him off half-heartedly and sat down at the table, dragging a plate toward her. "Make fun of me all you want. Just make sure I eat before I die."

"High praise," their dad said, setting another pancake down in front of her. "Glad to see the college experience hasn't ruined your charm yet."

"What college experience? I haven't even been there yet. Besides, I'm holding back," she said flatly, picking up her fork.

They ate in relative quiet after that, the sound of syrup being poured and forks scraping against plates filling the kitchen. When Jaune glanced up and saw both his dad and sister eating together—joking, bickering, living—he felt a small twinge in his chest.

He wondered what it was...

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AN: Advanced chapters,(up to 10) are available on my patreon