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Gaming conventions were Ruby Rose’s worst nightmare. Nothing irritated her more than seeing the paradise of so many great games corrupted by sweaty jerks who didn’t know how to play the games they supposedly loved. And, of course, there were the cosplay girls who always looked so cute but were plagued by attention from the same jerks that annoyed Ruby. At least she wasn’t alone… Wait, where was Yang?!
Yep. Ruby’s big sister had disappeared, again. Ruby sighed. At least Jaune would still be there, right? She looked over and saw that her male best friend had vanished too. Okay, what was going on?
Ruby looked back and forth as if that would suddenly make her missing companions reappear. ‘Um, did I run off again?’ Ruby thought to herself before trying to retrace her steps. She made it ten paces before being distracted by the new Final Fantasy booth and subsequently zipping over to it, all thoughts of Yang and Jaune exiting her mind just as quickly.
POV Jaune
“You know,” Jaune began as he separated from Yang, “we really should’ve looked for Ruby rather than sneaking off to makeout.”
Yang smiled before fixing her hair. She kissed Jaune gently, her warmth feeling like a balm against his sore lips. “Ruby’s a big girl. Besides, she ran off from us first, remember? Just like all those years ago.”
Jaune smiled at the memory. He’d been at a gaming convention as a kid with his second sister Saphron when she got distracted by a cute girl cosplaying as Nitocris from Fate/Grand Order. She immediately chased after her, leaving Jaune by himself. While he was wandering through the convention looking for her, he ran into a young blonde girl searching for her younger sister and the rest was history…
“You planned this, didn’t you?” Jaune asked, seeing the devious look in his lover’s eyes. “You knew Ruby would be too excited to wait for us, so you purposefully slowed down so that we’d get left behind. Why?”
“Oh, Lover Boy…” Yang sighed fondly, “you really don’t know, huh?”
“What? About the cosplay competition’s grand prize of the PS6?” Jaune raised an eyebrow, making Yang stare at him. “Or about the cosplay costumes you bribed Blake into hiding in this closet two weeks ago?”
Yang blushed before turning around and pulling two garment bags from behind a cabinet. “Um, yeah… How did you know?”
Jaune winked before sliding in close to her. “Yang, we’ve known each other for years. I can’t keep anything from you—”
“No you cannot.” Yang nodded, getting closer to him too.
“And you can’t keep anything from me.” Jaune said, smiling as he lifted her chin and gently kissed her. “Now, what game are we cosplaying this time? FF7 again?”
Yang shook her head. “With this competition? No way. You’d be alright, but I’d get boo’d off the stage for being blonde.”
Jaune nodded in understanding. “So, what characters? Doomguy and Samus?”
Yang shook her head fondly. “Oooh, good idea, but nope. Not this time.”
Jaune thought about it before narrowing his eyes. Yang usually stuck pretty close to her strengths when it came to her favorite game characters or cosplays, but something was different with this one. It was a couple’s costume—that was obvious—but not from Final Fantasy or any of the crack ships that Yang normally subscribed to. Wait, crack shipping…
Recently, he and Yang had gotten sucked down the Nasuverse rabbithole, particularly with Fate/Grand Order. She in particular had loved inciting shipwars with her crack ships. One in particular used to be her favorite before she stopped talking about it… Jaune snapped his fingers in realization. “Arthur Proto and Lartoria from Grand Order, right?”
Yang looked at him, shocked, before the prop Rhongomyniad began to fall from behind the closet. With wide eyes and a few curse words, Yang wrangled it and Excalibur Proto free. “I really can’t keep anything from you, can I?” Yang laughed, avoiding his gaze. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but—”
Jaune kissed her as gently as she kissed him. “I’d love to cosplay with you, Yang. You didn’t even need to ask.” He smiled. “Although, wouldn’t Morgan have been a better choice for you, given your appreciation of couple’s cosplay?”
Yang smiled. “Oh? Are you saying you wouldn’t be interested in seeing what a genderbent version of you would be like in bed?”
Jaune resisted a blush. “Considering I have a twin sister who looks like a female me, I’d have to say no.”
Yang froze before sighing. “Right, sorry. Anyway, let’s get dressed.” Without any further hesitation, she began stripping.
Jaune’s blush (amongst other things) couldn’t be held back any longer. Surprisingly, though, they got dressed without too many distractions, and emerged from the closet dressed in both character’s 3rd Ascension forms. Jaune with Arthur’s cape and tabard, though he still had the Second Seal on Excalibur Proto, and Yang with Lartoria’s boob window on display. Honestly, if not for Yang’s incredible abs and muscles, she could’ve been a terrific Nero too, but Jaune wasn’t complaining. With Excalibur in his right hand and Yang’s hand in his left, he followed his lover to the registration booth.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much of a hassle to register them as a joint cosplay, so all they had to do was wait. “I really hope we win…” Yang whispered to him. “I, uh, really want that PS6.”
While that was undoubtedly true, the look in Yang’s eyes suggested there was a deeper motivation that she wasn’t letting him know. But that was alright. Jaune squeezed her hand tightly and smiled.
“How can we lose?” He asked. “We have the Sword of Promised Victory on our side.”
“And the Lance that Shines at the Ends of the World.” Yang repeated back, smiling brighter than ever.
When the competition began, Jaune saw Ruby at the front of the crowd, a bulging bag of Final Fantasy merchandise being cradled in front of her. He resisted the urge to laugh easily, but Yang had more trouble. He tapped her arm. “It’s showtime, Yang. We need to get into character.”
Like a switch had been flipped, the joy and laughter on her face became much more subdued. A regal smile rested on her face while her lilac eyes continued to gleam with mirth. In response, Jaune did his best to smile chivalrously while projecting an air of calm nobility.
The announcer called them forth: “And with their last minute entry, Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long will be the last contestants today. Judging will begin after their performance.
With a nod, the couple walked forward. They’d given the instructions to the stage crews ahead of time, so this number was already arranged.
“Removing Round Table Restraints…” Jaune said, lifting Excalibur in front of his face before pressing the switch. The hidden lights began to glow from inside the sword as the speakers played the sound of metal clanking against a hard surface.
Meanwhile, Yang was also readying her act. “Light, may you be released from the ends of the world…” Rhongomyniad began to light up as well as the sound of rushing wind accompanied the sound of Excalibur.
“Ex…” Jaune pulled his sword behind his back and prepared to swing it towards the sky. The prop’s special property engaged as the Second Layer folded inward to reveal Excalibur’s true blade. The lights glowed even brighter from the sword as the spotlights on the stage dimmed.
“Split the heavens and tether the earth, anchor of the storm!” Yang exclaimed as she lifted her lance towards the sky.
“Calibur!!” Jaune roared as he swung his sword. Light burst forth from the spotlights beneath him and Yang, blinding them and the audience as the gusts of air billowing their capes and hair blew even more.
When the lights evened out, the crowd roared with applause at the sight of Jaune and Yang in a tender embrace, their weapons planted in the ground beside them.
“Wait, my sister’s dating my best friend!” Ruby exclaimed, ruining the moment. Oops.
The End.