Jaune to Joan Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Joan fell to sleep quickly, but she didn’t stay asleep long. Worries over how she and Cinder would acclimate back into her old friend group seemed to plague Joan’s dreams. Inevitably, she woke. At least when she did, she was in Cinder’s arms. Cinder was so warm, so strong as she held Joan tight. As she shifted to enjoy Cinder’s warmth, her body felt so sore- well, not just her body. Of course her body would be a little weary after their trek through Vale, but it was very specifically between her legs. Not just that… her abdomen felt… off. Joan wasn’t sure if she was sick, or hungry or… could too many orgasms leave girls in extra pain? As she shifted, Joan almost felt like she was being stabbed!

She didn’t want to move, she felt like crap and more than anything, Joan just wanted to sleep. She wanted to sleep, but her bladder seemed to disagree. With a pout, she turned over and kissed Cinder. “Love you, be right back.” She whispered low enough not to wake Cinder.

Joan stumbled over to the restroom and plopped herself down with a frustrated sigh. Cumming so much like that had been quite nice, but if it left her feeling like this, she wasn’t sure she could do it all too often; or ever again really. Would Cinder take that well? Joan hadn’t really told her no on anything other than Pyrrha’s location. “Eh?” Joan huffed to herself as she pulled apart some toilet paper. “She’ll be fi- I! AHH!” Joan panicked as she spotted the blood dripping into the bowl under her. What happened? Had her surgeries gone wrong? It was odd for it to take so long to have a side effect like this but! But-

It took Joan five minutes of panicking and inspecting herself, but eventually she realized what happened, why she was bleeding, and why she felt like she was being stabbed. The whole time she had been on the fence about finally telling Cinder. She didn’t, mainly because Cinder had slept so little on their trip, and she was finally getting rest. Joan didn’t have the heart to wake her back up. In the end, she resorted to stumbling outside to one of the half dozen women who could all help her. With her dirty clothes- the only thing she had- back on, and extra paper stuffed in her panties, Joan found the front door.

She didn’t know what to expect when she stepped out, but near the bottom of the list was Ruby and Weiss hopping out, armed and ready the moment she opened the door. “You’re not getting anywhere near Pyrrha! Ruby yelped, her eyes glowing silver.

“I! Uugh, bright.” Joan held her hand up over her face.

“J- Joan?” Weiss lowered her sword first.

“Oh shit.” Ruby whimpered.

“Are you guys kidding me?” Joan frowned. “You really expected Cinder to try and-” Joan shook her head and tried to pretend it wasn’t the type of thing Cinder might have done before things started to change.

“I- why are you coming out in the middle of the night!” Ruby snapped, a tone nothing like what Joan remembered of her.

“I!” Joan blushed. If this was how Ruby treated this, she didn’t much the apprehensive huntress asking so many questions about her body and why she was able to get a period. “I just need something from Nora.

“Like what!” Weiss huffed.

“Like- I- just let me talk to her, alright? In private?”

“About what!” Ruby squinted.

“Something private!” Joan reasserted. “I- if you’re all that doubtful of it then you can ask her whe we are done.” Joan refused to answer more out of anger than that she was all too scared or embarrassed.

“No, you have to-”

“Ruby, it’s alright. We are up, we can just guard Pyrrha’s tent.”

“Fine! Whatever!” Joan glared at her friends, hurt that they didn’t trust her, though trying to be understanding of it. She understood why, and she didn’t really want to take it out on them, but that didn’t change that it hurt. On the bright side, she didn’t really want to talk to Pyrrha about it anyways. There was still the matter of the confession the last time they saw each other, just not a great idea. Being the only other girl on the team, Nora would work just as well. And Joan preferred someone from her team, especially if Ruby and Weiss were acting like that.

“She’s in the tent over there with Ren.” Weiss pointed out.

Joan just nodded and headed over.

Tentatively, Joan knocked on the tent’s half open flap, but that didn’t make enough noise. Instead, she resorted to touching Nora’s shoulder.

“Huh? No Ren, not tonight…”

“Ah, not Ren.” Joan winced.

“Huh?”

“Nora, it’s Joan.

“Jau- Joan!” Nora popped up excitedly. “Joan- Joan, are you alright? What’s wrong? I thought you and Cinder were staying inside tonight?” She wiped the sand from her eyes and sat up.

“I- we are, I just… do you have a minute.”

“I- was kinda sleeping.” Nora yawned. “Are you ok?”

“Umm… not really. I- there’s… just I need some help… help with something personal?”

“What’s up?” Nora stuck her head out of the tent.

“I- I-” Joan looked around and spotted Ruby and Weiss glaring at her. “Oh brothers… I- umm… need some hygiene products.”

“Huh? Yang said you could use her soap. It’s in her bathroom.”

“No- it’s not…” Joan whimpered. “Umm… feminine hygiene.”

Nora squinted confused.

“I- it’s a long story but… I think I just got my… my umm… you know, time…”

“Time?”

“Of the month?”

“Oh! Ohhh!” Nora made quite the face. “You get a-”

“Appearently.”

“But why- I- I-” Nora frowned.

“I just…” Joan covered herself as best she could with her arms.

“It’s ok.” Nora offered gently. “It’s ok, but… I’m really sorry, I can’t help you. I don’t have any… anything. Ah, pads or tampons.”

“Oh? I- I didn’t-”

“I just don’t have any, I’m sorry, but I know Ruby has some. You can ask her and she’ll help you. I think she mentioned starting a couple days ago, so she’s definitely got some spare stuff.”

“Thanks. Sorry for waking you then.” Joan winced and stepped back.

“Joan?” Nora checked again.

“Yeah?”

“You- are really ok with this? It wasn’t just because…”

“It wasn’t, no. And, if you can try and… be nicer to her? She’s… I know why no one is excited to have her here… but. But she really did save me; she really did help me by doing this… I- I really do love her.”

“Ok. I’ll try. And- and I really am happy for you.” Nora offered.

“Thanks Nora.” Frustrated and tired, Joan turned back to Weiss and Ruby, both of which rushed to try and make it seem like they hadn’t been watching.

“I- umm…” Joan introduced as she approached them again. “Nora couldn’t help… can you help Ruby?”

“Thought you said it was private?”

“It is!”

“Well, I would need to know what it is to help.”

“I got my first period! Ok! I- I just need something to-” Joan snapped and dialed back embarrassed.

“Oh- I- Oh…” Ruby stammered. “I- I didn’t know, I’m sorry- I-”

“Nora said you had some stuff?”

“Yes, just follow me back to my room. I have my stuff there.”

“Thanks.” Joan pouted.

“And… this is your first one?” Ruby called out from under the bathroom sink.

“Yes, and it is incredibly uncomfortable bleeding into a wad of toilet paper.” Joan huffed. “By the way, please don’t wake Cinder! She deserves some sleep.”

“You really trust her?”

“With my life.” Joan assured.

“And all of ours too apparently.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

“What is your problem!”

“My problem!” Ruby shot up, tampons in one hand, pads in the other. “My problem is that I thought I watched my friend die! I- Pyrrha was the only one who believed you lived! She demanded we search for you and Oz- Ozcar!” Ruby stumbled. “I- we all thought you were dead! I watched her kiill you!”

“Well- she didn’t-”

“No! She only got so close that even Pyrrha wasn’t sure!”

“I-”

“Yang lost an arm! She might not blame Cinder, but Cinder had a hand in what happened! She can’t just march in and expect us to believe she just wants to be friends!”

“She isn’t! She didn’t! I marched in! I am the one asking you to give her a chance! But- you don’t even seem willing to give me one!”

“It’s- it’s just been a hard year and a half.” Ruby deflated. “It has been a long year, and a lot has changed. For us, yes… but… we barely even knew you were…” Ruby shook her head just as Joan began to suspect her being a her had something to do with the issues. “Joan, we- we are all so happy for you; if this is who you are, and it is not some heinous shit Cinder drilled into you… we are all so happy for you. Nora and I most of all. But… it is hard to know from two minutes of you being back.”

Joan took a deep exhale. She didn't like what Ruby said, but… that didn’t change that she understood it. “Fine… but it is me. It is, and… I really care about her. She cares about me too. Even if it is hard for her to show it.”

“We will see.” Ruby allowed.

“Uugh… now how do I use these?” Joan winced.

It took Ruby a bit to explain everything to Joan, and Joan hated the tampon with a passion; rough cotton up there… it made her skin crawl, even if Ruby did say they were better for fighting in some ways. To help her pad stay in place, Ruby gave Joan an old pair of panties, and offered her some other clothes so she wouldn’t have to wear her tattered dress to clothes shopping. It was nice of her, and quickly, they both fell back into old habits, joking and teasing. Joan wasn’t sure when she went back to bed, but she really suspected things could get better; that they might just even be able to go back to normal.

End of Chapter 32