(a/n- not gonna lie, this is a weird one. Sort of crossover but not really… you'll figure it out soon enough)

Jaune Arc was dying.

He knew that much, gazing up at the figure approaching him. Crocea Mors lay shattered to the side, his stomach cleaved open by the claws of the now dead beowolf just a few feet away. His eyes flicked up, gazing through his hair. He saw the white-skinned woman walking toward him, the same woman that had ended his family. The same woman that corrupted his daughter. The same woman that would now end his life. She slowly leaned down, a small smirk spreading across her face, red, glowing irises finding him. Yet Jaune wasn't afraid.

Jaune had a plan.

Jaune always had a plan.

She slowly approached him, stopping just a few feet away as his hand at last grasped the small pocket watch. The woman looked down, her voice dark velvet, "Do you plan on counting your last seconds alive?" what was he trying to do? The woman had to admit, she was curious. She had him. Jaune Arc, among the greatest of the resistance leaders. The most powerful man in the world at one time, now lay dying at her feet. Yet in response to this, he doesn't cower, he doesn't beg, he doesn't even fight, he just takes out a pocket watch. What was he doing? Jaune only smirked,

"Nope. Just giving myself a few more."

He clicked the top of it.

Everything went white.

…

Jaune woke up healthy, alive, and seventeen.

He let his eyes flick down, a small frown on his face as he gripped the pocket watch. He looked around, his eyes adjusting to the sudden light as he tried to get his bearings. It was nighttime. It was a few days before Beacon's freshman (including himself) were supposed to be going in. He flipped the pocket watch over, tapping on the back of it a few times before it suddenly flattened out, projecting what Jaune recognized as hard light out into the air. He waited a few seconds before, sure enough, a scroll was now in his hands.

He opened to his notekeeping section, frowning as he saw the date. "Tonight's the robbery that starts it all… dammit! I need to hurry!" it was time for Jaune to kick his plan into action. He dashed down the street, paying little mind to the many people walking past, going about their lives. All were blissfully unaware of the danger that awaited them, the death that would come for them within just a few short years if he couldn't stop it. "I will stop it this time… I just need to figure out how…" he tried to shake the thoughts from his head. Focus on the now… a bit ironic coming from him, but at the same time.

He slid to a halt in front of the familiar store, the same one he'd been in countless times before. He looked around, his eyes widening as he saw the familiar man in the white suit walking toward him. "Not much time, need to hurry!" he thought, reaching into his pocket. He couldn't help but smile as he pulled out the small, black cube. Traveling through the ages did have some advantages. He set the cube on the ground, getting out his scroll and interfacing with the device remotely. It suddenly glowed, a brilliant blue light coming from the sides as the box opened, projecting that light onto the nearby dust shop.

He pressed a few buttons, smiling as he saw the dust shop shutters suddenly fall down, the doors locking. Thankfully the cashier was nowhere to be seen, likely somewhere in the back at the moment. There was almost no one on the street, just as there hadn't been any the first time Jaune had come by. He grabbed the cube, ducking into a nearby alley as he heard the footsteps approaching. He watched as none other than Roman Torchwick himself stepped past, glaring at the store. "Oh, well that's just great! Which one of you morons didn't tell me this place was closed!?" the men he was with just looked at each other, raising their eyebrows and shaking their heads.

Meanwhile, Jaune took the time to quietly slip around the brick pillar, leaning against the other side. "Okay, now they should go for…" he heard them walking away. He looked over, watching them walk towards the 'dust till dawn' shop across the street.

Jaune smirked.

Time for phase two.

He walked across the road, a significantly more confident idea forming in his head as he dashed across the street, crouching near the doorway as he saw Torchwick and his men enter. He pulled out the cube again, going to work with his scroll. "All I have to do is trap them in there until the police get here… then everything should-"

CRASH!

Jaune felt the glass on his back as he grabbed his cube, slowly turning his head to see who'd ruined his plan. He saw a brilliant red cloak fluttering in the wind as a giant, red scythe was raised in the air, spun around a young girl before being slammed into the ground. The girl moved back, silver eyes opening and gazing at the nearby criminals, a confident smirk on her face. One of her hands was extended out, holding a pair of headphones that were still blasting music. She clicked them, the music playing from them suddenly stopping. His eyes trailed over the figure, trying to recall if he'd seen her somewhere before.

She had pale white skin and brilliant silver eyes filled with a strange mixture of glee and excitement. Her hair was black, dipped in blood and stretching down past her chin. She had a childish look to her, with a somewhat thin figure cloaked in a black outfit with red stitches over her belly, a gray belt with bullets on one side and what looked like a metal rose on the other. Their most noticeable feature (barring the weapon) had to be their cloak, pinned onto their outfit with two little crosses. Looking down slightly Jaune saw dark gray tights leading into red and black boots, ones that were slowly stepping toward the store.

"I know her… gods, it's been decades, what's her name?" he thought. He knew the girl, he just wasn't sure what her name was. Though, at the moment, he had bigger things to worry about. "O-kay… get her!" Roman said, glaring at his somewhat incompetent men as he did so. Jaune slowly stood, watching as the group dashed at the girl. Jaune turned his attention away from her for a moment, turning to face Roman himself. The man turned to look at him, eye flicking back to the fight before he sighed, "I swear good help is so hard to find these days." he muttered, watching as the girl seemingly effortlessly mopped the floor with his goons.

The two's brief conversation was interrupted as one of the man's thugs was thrown to the ground beneath him, sliding against his cane. "You were worth every cent -truly you were." Roman muttered, slowly taking the cigar from his mouth. He smiled, eye flashing as he gazed the girl across from him, "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening," he dropped his cigar, snuffing it out with the edge of his cane. "And as much as I'd love to stick around," he aimed his cane at her, the end flipping up into a crosshair. "I'm afraid this, is where we part wAAAAYS!."

BOOM!

Roman glared at the blond kid that had slammed into his side, knocking off his aim and causing his shot to streak into the air like a firework. He spun his cane around, knocking the kid off balance before backing up. "Do you have a deathwish kid!?" he went to fire, only for Jaune to dash ahead, striking Roman with his fists. He wasn't as good without Crocea Mors on him, but he had to try. He had to try and stall, had to try and make sure Roman didn't get away. Him getting away would lead to everything else that would happen. He could not let Roman get away.

Roman grit his teeth as he kicked Jaune away, ducking below a bullet from Ruby. He sighed, "See, this is why I don't complain about the wife getting the kids." he aimed his cane up, firing at Ruby. Jaune went to strike him, but Roman proved far faster than he expected. He slammed his cane against Jaune's leg, a hand on his back sending him down to the ground. Jaune was suddenly and painfully reminded that his body wasn't as strong as what he was used to. Thankfully at least his soul wasn't the same one as his past self, or he wouldn't have had his aura to cushion the blow either.

He grunted as he lifted himself up, feeling a gentle pressure on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he looked up, silver eyes meeting blue. Jaune quickly stuffed the cube back into his pocket, nodding a few times as he accepted the girl's help. He noticed that standing next to her, he was actually a fair bit taller than she was as well. He looked up, pointing toward Torchwick climbing a nearby ladder. "He's getting away!" he said, dashing toward the building. Ruby followed after (quite unnecessarily) asking the store owner for permission, running toward the side of the building before shooting toward the ground, landing just as Jaune jumped up from the ladder.

"Hey!" the two yelled, Jaune really wishing he had his weapons at the moment. Hand-to-hand combat was never really his 'modus operandi'. He was the sword and shield guy, basic but not that basic. To be perfectly honest? He was just hoping for the best. Roman didn't turn around, "Persistent." Jaune could vaguely hear him say. He and Ruby both staggered back a bit as a bullhead suddenly emerged from seemingly nowhere, allowing Roman his means of escape. He jumped in, smirking at the two, "End of the line, kids!" he yelled, throwing a red dust crystal at the two.

Jaune knew what was coming, shoving the girl out of the way before dashing ahead, creating a miniature shield with his aura. He saw Roman fire, he felt his body thrown back toward the crystal by the impact, his aura-shield nearly shattered. "DEFINITELY need to work on that when I get to Beacon… need to train my body back up to standard." he thought as he stepped back, watching as Roman gazed down. He gritted his teeth, slamming on the side of the bullhead. Jaune just watched, unable to really do anything without a weapon as the bullhead flew off into the night, heading who knows where.

"Crap… he's still loose…" that was one thing Jaune had wanted to change. He'd wanted to change the outcome, to remove the pawn… then again, he supposed it wasn't the worst loss he could've suffered. Torchwick may have played a big part in the early stages of the plan, but he was a small fry compared to the ones running the show. "Um… hi." Jaune turned, suddenly reminded that he wasn't alone on the rooftop. He reached down, picking up the dust crystal at his feet before he gave the girl a smile. "Hi… sorry about -you know… pushing you over I just uh…"

"No no! It's okay I… thanks for saving me." she said, her cheeks tinted pink. Jaune felt an itch at the back of his head, his mind once more telling him that he knew this girl. Why couldn't he remember her name? He'd probably seen her in at least one of his escapades through time and space, so why couldn't he remember who she was? "I don't think I really saved you just… stopped a minor inconvenience… I mean, you have aura too, right?" he may not have remembered the girl, but he could guess just from looking at her that she was a huntress in training. The combat skirt and giant scythe didn't exactly scream civilian.

"Yeah well… thanks anyway. I uh-" "Ahem." both turned, Jaune paling as he did so. He recognized that voice. No matter how long he spent not seeing her, it was impossible for him not to know the woman in front of him. None other than Glynda Goodwitch, someone whose bad side he'd been on far more times than he'd care to admit. The girl didn't have the same… experience, as he did. "You're a huntress…" Glynda slowly nodded, raising an eyebrow at her. It wasn't hard to figure out, of course. After all, the purple cape, white corset, black pencil-skirt and stockings didn't really scream civilian any more than the girl's clothes.

"Can I have your autograph!?"

Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at that a bit, even Glynda loosening her expression for a moment. Jaune looked at the girl for a second before his eyes widened. The silver eyes, the scythe… that last comment had just connected the last piece of the puzzle. "Ruby…" he muttered, quiet enough no one could hear him. Ruby Rose. The Reaper of Vale. One of the most powerful warlords in the known world. The woman that brought Anima to its knees, the woman that could slay armies of grimm just by looking at them. She was among the most powerful women he'd ever met, one that he was glad was usually on his side.

Yet here she was, asking Glynda for her autograph.

He stared for a few seconds before he turned to Glynda, the dust weighing heavy in his hand. "He probably stole this from that old man… I should go return it, at least give him SOMETHING." Jaune thought, casually walking toward the ladder. He walked for a second… then two… how far was it? It was a true testament to Jaune's mental capacity that it took him almost ten seconds to realize he was walking in place, suspended in the air by Glynda's semblance. He turned his head, "Um… do you mind putting me down?" Glynda gave him an unamused glare. He'd had a feeling that's what she'd do. It was what she normally did after all.

"Just where do you think you're going young man?" she asked, lightly pushing up on her glasses. Jaune gestured toward the ladder as if to say 'Where do you think?', giving her an incredulous look. Ruby giggled at that, quickly silenced by her glare. She glared a bit harder as Jaune held up the dust, "Torchwick threw this at us, I figured I should give it back to the… guy he… stole it… from…" just like every other time he met her, something about Glynda's stone cold glare always froze his throat. He'd faced down the horrors of Grimm countless times. Things he could scarce describe. Beasts from beyond time and space itself.

So why did Glynda Goodwitch terrify him so much?

Glynda slowly nodded, setting him down and walking over. She held out her hand, Jaune's movements robotic and slow as he dropped it into her outstretched palm. She gripped it in one hand, firmly taking his shoulder and pulling him back toward Ruby with the other. Jaune followed willingly, bullets of nervous sweat already forming on his head. He stood frozen next to Ruby as Glynda walked back before them, eyes flicking between the two. "You two have got a lot of explaining to do." she said.

…

"I hope you children realize your actions tonight will not be taken lightly! You put yourselves and others in great danger!"

"They started it!" Ruby said, exposing her more childish tendencies. Jaune couldn't help but feel like he was in a police lineup. The way Glynda was walking around them, the light shining down on them as the two sat in front of a table, and -of course- the fact they were in a police station at the very moment. Jaune didn't say anything, eyes following as Glynda walked around in front of them. Green eyes met blue as she walked over, "Have anything to say for yourself young man? Any excuses?" she asked. Jaune stayed silent, still staring at her. He knew Glynda hated that, but he'd learned the hard way that he'd only make a bad situation worse by talking… he'd learned it many… many… many times…

Glynda glared at him a moment longer before she turned, "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…" Ruby smiled, but Jaune on cringed, knowing what usually came after that. Glynda sharply turned, "And a slap on the wrist!" she slammed her riding crop down, Jaune lightly shoving himself and Ruby back from the table as Ruby flinched away. Glynda looked at him for a moment before she sighed, "But… there is someone who would like to meet you." she started walking away, doing… something on that scroll she held.

Jaune's eyes widened a bit as he saw none other than professor Ozpin himself walk forward, carrying his signature coffee mug in one hand and a… plate of cookies in the other? He stopped at the table, "Ruby Rose. Jaune Arc." he addressed them both individually before setting the plate of cookies in front of Ruby. Ruby looked at Jaune for a moment, who only motioned for her to go ahead. Not that he was concerned but, he had a distinct feeling that those cookies weren't meant to placate him. Ruby stared for a moment before literally inhaling one of them. Jaune barely saw her open her mouth.

She started shoveling them in a second later, Ozpin turning his attention to Jaune. "Mr. Arc. The shopkeeper of the Dust Til Dawn asked me to give you this. A token of his thanks, as the cookies are for Miss Rose." he said, laying down what looked to be a handwritten thank you note. Jaune smiled as he picked it up, carefully folding it before putting it in his pocket. He appreciated the subtle, old fashioned touch to it. Something poetic about it being given to him… he didn't have much time to think about it, given that Ozpin was speaking a moment later. "Mr. Arc. Did you think it was wise to attack Roman Torchwick unarmed?" Ozpin already knew the answer.

"No sir but, what was I supposed to do? Let him shoot her?" he said, gesturing to Ruby. Ruby finished off the cookies before turning toward him, giving him a smile. He smiled right back before turning to Ozpin, his face returning to its staunch neutrality. Ozpin smiled, "It's nice to see a future huntsmen already has the right mindset. However, it appears your hand-to-hand combat training could use some improvement." he said, Glynda taking her cue and showing a video clip of Jaune and Torchwick's brief spat. Ruby looked at Jaune for a second, her eyes wide.

Ozpin spoke before she could say anything, "I commend your bravery, Mr. Arc, and yours as well miss Rose. You both have the makings of great huntsmen." unlike Ruby, Jaune had been around Ozpin enough times to catch the double meaning in his words. He wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but considering he was already set to go to Beacon (albeit on a false pretense) he could hazard a guess as to which one he was talking about. He looked at Jaune, "Mr. Arc, would you please wait outside? I would like to speak with miss Rose alone." Jaune nodded, standing up and walking past Glynda toward the door.

He leaned back against the outside, looking both ways down the hall. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his scroll and going back through his notes on Ruby. "Let's see, she got into Beacon two years after her sister did… well, all this information is useless if what I think's going to happen happens." he thought. The fact that Ruby was one of the most respected and feared people on Remnant would all be different if Ozpin did what he thought he was going to.

Based on the shout of joy? He did.

He saw Ozpin and Glynda walk out, Glynda looking oddly annoyed, Ozpin rather pleased with himself. The two walked one way as Ruby dashed out, seemingly trying to contain herself. She walked straight ahead, watching as Ozpin and Glynda walked away. Then she clenched her fists, her eyes squeezed shut and her face stretched into one of the widest smiles he'd ever seen as she started dancing around, her feet pounding into the floor as she started jumping up and down, seemingly barely able to contain her glee.

Jaune just smiled at the display, waiting until Ruby was somewhat calm before he spoke. "Happy about something?" he was smiling partly at his own inner joke -as he more or less knew what had happened already- but mostly because Ruby looked so happy herself. She dashed over to him and likely would've knocked him over if he'd been unprepared. She wrapped her arms around him before she squealed, "OZPINLETMEINTOBEACONEARLYOHMYGOSHI'MSOHAPPYICOULDDIIIIIEEEE!" she shouted, slowly falling back. Jaune caught her before she hit the ground, lightly lifting her up to standing. He smiled, "Guess I'll see you on orientation day then." at least he'd know someone at orientation… or rather, he'd know someone that already knew him rather than having to strangely acquaint himself with people he'd known for centuries.

Ruby blinked a few times, slowly peeling herself away from him, "Oh, hehe… yeah…" Jaune knew she wanted to say more. He recognized that socially awkward tendency of leaving the sentence hanging, hoping the other person would say something. He did the same thing after all. "Yeah… oh, uh, do you mind if I get your scroll address? There's a lot of people at orientation… might be hard to find you." gods he hoped he didn't sound as awkward as he felt. He was effectively asking for Ruby's number, just a few minutes after meeting her no less!

Ruby smiled, pulling out her scroll in seconds, "Sure! What's yours?" Jaune blinked a few times before he pulled out his scroll, giving her the number of it. He looked over as she put it in, copying in hers… then doing it again when she told him so that he didn't look like a creep. "Great… now I have two Ruby Rose contacts that are exactly the same number…yay…" suffice to say, he was going to have to delete one of those later.

Ruby stepped back after a second, her heart still nearly bursting in her chest. Today had been wild, amazing, full of firsts, and plenty of other things. Not only had she been accepted into Beacon, but she'd also managed to get a guy's scroll number! She'd made a friend at Beacon before even getting there! Already better than Signal! "Oh uh… Jaune, right?" the man of that name nodded, "Do you think we'll be on the same team?" she couldn't help but imagine how useful it would be. To be on a team with not only her sister but also a friend. That meant she'd only have one person to be awkward and weird around! Score!

Jaune just shrugged, having been through the Beacon initiation enough times to know how it worked. "Guess we'll wait and see." maybe part of him was sadistic, wanting to keep it a secret from Ruby. He had to admit there was a part of him that took pleasure in seeing her walk around oblivious to it… maybe he was more like his sisters than he thought. Ruby nodded a few times, tapping on her scroll… then she frowned when she saw the time. "Something wrong?" Jaune was dense but, he wasn't stupid. He could sense when someone went from 'about to die from happiness' to worried.

"Nothing… guess I'm walking home again." she muttered, pouting slightly. Given it was already nearing midnight, both her father and Yang would be fast asleep, and neither of them was particularly good at waking up. She had told them she'd be out a bit later than usual… knowing Yang she'd have fallen asleep just to teach her a lesson. "Is it far?" Jaune knew the answer of course. He may not have known Ruby well over the course of his years, but he was fairly certain she lived somewhere in Patch. Ruby, of course, just nodded. It would take her almost an hour to get home… sprinting.

Jaune couldn't help but feel guilty. After all, if he hadn't tried to stop Torchwick at the first store or if he'd been just a bit faster at hacking the second one, Ruby wouldn't have been involved at all… of course, she may not have gotten into Beacon either so, maybe they canceled out. Still, that didn't help her right now. Of course, he could definitely do that. "My family has a place pretty closeby if you want to stay the night." it was where he'd been staying at this point in time if he remembered correctly. He really hoped he was, otherwise he might suddenly barge in on one of his sisters.

Ruby smiled, "Really? Thanks, friend!" in her innocent mind, any implications her sister might have sensed were completely lost. Of course, Jaune hadn't really thought of any either so, it balanced out just fine. Jaune started walking out of the station, Ruby grabbing his wrist and tugging for a second, "Wait for me outside! I have to get my baby!" she dashed away before Jaune could question it. Baby? He didn't recall Ruby ever having a child, let alone having one at fifteen. Had he missed something? Had his time traveling sent him into an alternate reality that had been shifted before he arrived? Wouldn't be the first time…

He walked outside, letting out a small sigh of relief when Ruby dashed out, her scythe held in her arms. "Oh… just her weapon… okay, that makes more sense." Jaune wouldn't lie: he was a bit weirded out. Sure it was kind of endearing for her to be coddling and cuddling with her weapon but, it was also just a bit too far out there for Jaune to just ignore. He started walking, letting out an inaudible sigh of relief when Ruby spun her scythe into its rifle state, laying it on her back. At least he didn't have to hear her cooing to her weapon on the entire walk.

Ruby followed relatively quietly… well, for her at least. If Jaune had to guess, she was still over the moon about being accepted into Beacon. Of course, he was right. Ruby was on cloud nine during the walk, for the most part, daydreaming (well, given it was nearing midnight, more like regular (while still awake) dreaming) about what life at Beacon would be like. She didn't pay much attention to where they were going. Not even as they exited the city and entered the more rural parts of Vale. Far enough from the city to be quiet, but just far enough from the kingdom edge to be safe.

"We're here." when Ruby finally snapped out of it, she found that they were standing near a small, two-story house. She looked around, finding it was one of several, all of which were within relatively close proximity to one another, maybe a hundred feet between each one. The home they were in front of had white siding and a black roof, with pale yellow shudders on each window. The door itself was a dark mahogany wood, one that Jaune didn't even bother knocking on. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the key he knew he'd have on him before turning it in the lock, opening the door. "After you." he stepped aside, gesturing in with both arms.

Ruby giggled, "Such a gentleman!" she casually walked in, looking around for a moment as Jaune walked in behind her, shutting and locking the door the same way he always did. More out of habit than need if he was honest. Ruby started walking around, eyes flicking over the relatively plain house, with its white walls and few pictures here and there. She walked into what she guessed was the living room, a large couch almost the length of the room itself right across from a TV, not at all unlike the one in her own house's living room. She looked over, her stomach grumbling as she saw the kitchen nearby.

Apparently, it wasn't just her that heard it. "Hungry?" Ruby's face matched her namesake as she nodded, looking down at the floor. Jaune just chuckled, lightly patting her shoulder before walking into the kitchen. "It's alright, so am I. Let's see what we… wow… really need to go shopping…" Jaune muttered, lightly rubbing his chin. The fridge had water, a few energy drinks, a half-full gallon of milk and… not much else. There was some cheese in the bottom drawer and some eggs but… that was about it. He opened the freezer directly beneath, smiling in relief as he saw at a few things he could fix.

"Hey, Ruby." the embarrassed girl had migrated to the couch as Jaune had been looking apparently. She looked up, face having dimmed down to medium pink. She saw Jaune holding up a bag, what looked to be hot wings if she had to guess. "Are these okay? I'd offer something else but uh… we're, kind of limited on options here." he said, eyes flicking back to the freezer. Ruby just nodded a few times, her stomach rumbling at the thought of food. She'd probably have eaten the bag those wings were in if Jaune just put some sugar on it.

Jaune nodded a few times, spilling out the remnants of the wings (that being twelve of them) onto a plate. He tossed the bag away before setting the plate in the microwave, turning it to two minutes. He'd fixed them enough times, he knew how long they needed to be in there. He moved back to the fridge, "What would you like to dri-" "Milk!" Jaune slowly turned, raising an eyebrow at Ruby. Her eyes were bright, a little smile on her face. Her hands were in her lap, her legs in front of her. "I'm sorry wha-" "Milk!" she just said again, giving him a bright smile, closing her eyes as she did so.

Jaune shrugged, grabbing a cup from the nearby cabinet and taking out the half-full gallon. He was about to put it up when he looked at the microwave, seeing the red hot wings he was fixing… he wisely decided to join Ruby in her choice of beverage. He suddenly understood why Ruby had chosen milk. Or at least, he thought he did. He thought Ruby was being smart, choosing something that would cool down her mouth from the hot food.

In truth? Ruby just liked milk.

Jaune put the milk away just as the microwave beeped, signaling the wings were done. He grabbed them out, taking his mug of milk as well and walking back into the living room. He set them down, going back to get Ruby's glass. Though, by the time he got back, he noticed Ruby already drinking from the mug. Jaune looked at her for a second, "That… was my milk, Ruby." he didn't really mind that much but, it was still supposed to be his.

"It doesn't have your name on it?" Ruby said, more like a question. Her face was already turning red again, and she really wished she had waited for Jaune to come back in before casually drinking from the first thing she saw with milk in it. Jaune casually set what was supposed to be Ruby's glass on the table before grabbing the mug from her hands. Without a word he spun it around, pointing to the word 'JAUNE' written in big, yellow letters along the side. "O-Oh… it does have… your… sorry…" Ruby pulled her hood down over her face. She wouldn't be surprised if Jaune saw no difference between the two, given how red her face was.

Jaune chuckled, a warm smile lighting his face as he saw Ruby embarrassed. He sat down, holding his mug out to her with one hand, wrapping an arm around her shoulder with the other. "It's okay. Here, may as well finish it… maybe wait until you eat more wings first. We're uh, kinda low on milk." he said, rethinking his words before he let go of the mug. Ruby took it wordlessly, sitting it down. Now her face was red, but for an entirely different reason. She looked over, her eyes watching as Jaune ate a hot wing with one hand, casually taking a drink with the same one. The reason she was blushing now? Simple:

He hadn't moved his other arm.

She didn't say anything, just sitting there as Jaune turned on the television, casually eating. Inside, Ruby was starting to panic. "Should I say something? Is this normal? Is he hitting on me!? Am I saying yes by not doing anything!? Oh WHY didn't I pay more attention when Yang was talking about things like this!? Why did I think this was a good idea!? What'll happen if I say something!? What'll happen if I DON'T!?" Jaune, of course, was completely oblivious to where his arm lay. He knew it rested on something comfortable, but honestly, he thought it was the back of the couch.

Though, when he went to look at Ruby again, his face went red upon seeing it. He quickly moved his arm, "Hehe, sorry about that… old habits…" he figured that was a less lame excuse than 'he didn't realize it was her shoulder'. Maybe a tad bit more believable too. Ruby, of course, let out a sigh of relief at that. Though, now her embarrassment was being taken over by something else entirely: Curiosity.

"What habits?" that was the first thing obviously. Jaune ate his last (sixth) wing (they were boneless thankfully) before he lightly pushed the plate toward her, leaning back on the couch. He smiled as he leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, "When my sister and I watched TV shows I'd always do that… sometimes I just forget who I'm with." he said, watching Ruby out of the corner of his eye. He saw her nod a few times, reaching forward to grab a hot wing. She bit down,

"AAAAAH! HOT! HOT!"

Ruby may as well have had smoke coming from her ears as she grabbed her mug, downing most of the milk in one go. Jaune just watched, hand over his mouth as he struggled to keep from laughing. Ruby looked over after a second, face still bright red. "HEY! D-Don't laugh at me!" her pouting and shouting at Jaune drove him over the edge. He started laughing, holding his stomach with his hands as Ruby glared and pouted at him, mad that he was laughing. Though, after a few minutes, she started laughing.

Apparently, Jaune Arc's laughter was highly contagious.

After a few minutes, both were laughing, leaning back on the couch, neither really sure what they were laughing about anymore. Both fell back, sinking into the hole Jaune's sisters had made over the years by plopping down in the center of the couch so often. Both leaned back a bit, their sides flush together as they gazed at the ceiling. Jaune looked down. Ruby looked up. Both shared a smile as Ruby looked ahead. "A little warning next time… okay?" she said, lightly shoving his arm. Jaune barely thought as he reached back, wrapping her hood up and over her head, much the same way her sister would.

"Sure Ruby… sure." at that point, Ruby began to contemplate if Jaune had a younger sister. The way he was acting was painfully reminiscent of Yang. All he needed was to throw a few bad puns around and become hopelessly addicted to getting himself in trouble.

Given what had transpired earlier, he was already on the path to Yangdom.

"Oh pleeeeeease don't let him turn into a Yang! One's enough!" Ruby thought, lightly rubbing her head against the back of the couch. She smiled as she felt the couch rubbing back, running over her head… "Wait…" Ruby looked up, seeing Jaune's hand lightly rubbing against her head. Jaune, of course, just had a smile on his face. Ruby just looked ahead, pressing against his hand as Jaune rubbed a bit more. "Jaune… please don't tell anyone about this." Ruby said, pouting and Jaune, making her infamous puppy dog eyes.

Jaune smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. "Our secret." he said, lightly ruffling Ruby's hair. Ruby struggled to get out of his grip for a second, only to realize it's futility, letting her hair be ruffled after a few seconds. She would deny to Vacuo and back that she enjoyed the feeling… of course, when even Jaune could figure out she liked him doing it? She had no chance of hiding it from anyone else. With no means or desire to escape she just sat there, fighting down her smile as Jaune pet her head. "At least he's not as rough as Yang… why can't she be more gentle like him?" she thought, pressing further into his palm.

What eventually got Jaune to stop was Ruby's little yawn, her eyes drooping slightly. He looked down, "Tired?" Ruby just nodded a few times, lightly rubbing her head against his shoulder. Jaune couldn't keep the smile off his face, looking down at the tired Ruby. He grabbed the nearby plate, which still held five hot wings on it. He motioned to it with his other hand, only for Ruby to shake her head, shutting her eyes after a second. He shrugged, "Well, more for me I guess." he ate them as Ruby quickly dozed off next to him, twisting over slightly. He scarfed down the last one a few seconds later, quickly downing the rest of his milk before going to stand.

He heard something flop down onto the couch behind him as he turned, seeing Ruby slowly curling up on the couch. He grabbed his scroll and snapped a picture without even thinking, stuffing it in his pocket before he leaned down, hoisting the girl into his arms. The second he did so he saw her rub her head against his shoulder, a content smile on her face. He turned back, carrying her into the nearby bedroom. It was normally the one his sisters slept in, but he didn't think they'd mind if Ruby slept there for one night.

He sat her down, looking over her for a second before reaching up and unpinning her cloak, working for a minute to get it out from under her before hanging it on the bedpost. He leaned down, tugging on Ruby's boots for a bit before they, at last, came off, exposing her stockings. He looked up, face burning red as he slammed a hand over his eyes. "Reeeeeeally should've thought this through… I mean, she's wearing a SKIRT! THINK JAUNE, THINK!" he wanted to kick himself for not realizing. He grabbed Ruby's rifle off her back, trying to be as delicate as possible with his new friend's 'baby', sitting it down near her boots. He moved around, dragging Ruby to where she was facing the right way on the bed before pulling the covers over her.

Ruby just smiled, grabbing the covers and pulling them tighter around her, her little face nuzzling into the bed, her little nose the lowest thing Jaune could see. He turned off the light, walking out and shutting the door behind him. He walked back into the living room, sitting down on the couch and pulling out his scroll. He looked over his notes, frowning slightly, "I've changed so much just by KNOWING Ruby… how many of these things will never happen now?" he thought. The conquest of Vale, the Anima-Valean wars, the Atlesian onslaught, the battle for Beacon- all null and void because Ruby would be going to Beacon at a different time…

All because she'd met him.

He shook his head, looking through the rest of his notes. The thing about changing the past? Everything changed, no matter how small the change you made was. He'd learned that a long time ago. He went through his notes, crossing out many of the things Ruby would supposedly do in the future, looking over at the few events he thought wouldn't be impacted. "Let's see, the fall maiden's arrival shouldn't be changed because Ruby got into Beacon early should it? She should already be on her way… that means Ozpin's already starting his plan." he thought. The one thing he was glad about? It would take time.

Jaune had time.

He had more time than anyone in the world.

He looked through his scroll for a few more minutes before he felt a yawn crawl from his throat, a wave of tiredness washing over him. He powered off his scroll, casually setting it aside before leaning down, taking off his shoes and kicking them off to the side. He pulled his feet up on the couch, letting out a sigh as he leaned back on the pillow. He didn't bother stripping down and changing into his sleepwear. He was fine as he was. He shut his eyes, his breathing evening out as he drifted off to sleep.

…

"Hungry…"

Ruby muttered. She'd been awakened not by her body no longer needing sleep, but by her stomach growling from its lack of nutrients. She slowly sat up, looking around for a minute. She saw the white walls, the pictures hanging on said walls, the windows showing just the faintest rays of the sun. She looked down, raising an eyebrow when she saw her stocking covered feet greeting her. She looked around for a bit, letting out a sigh of relief as she saw her boots nearby, right next to crescent rose. She turned her head, about to grab her cloak when she looked down, finding herself in the same clothes as last night.

The night prior came back to her in flashes, vague recollections of how she'd ended up here. She felt a smile crawling onto her face even as she yawned. She'd made it into Beacon… it was still hard for her to believe that it wasn't a dream. She hopped off the bed, grabbing her scroll from her pocket and checking the time. "Wow, it's… six in the morning… Jaune's probably not awake yet." she thought, slowly walking to the door. She pouted as she felt her combat skirt rubbing against her, her hair clinging to her scalp even as she blew it away. She hated waking up in the morning to find she was grimy and covered in sweat.

She walked into the living room, a small smile finding her face as she saw Jaune nearby. He was sleeping, his eyes dashing beneath their lids as his hands lay over his belly. Ruby took a few steps toward him, eyes immediately flicking down to his scroll. She slowly approached, leaning down and tapping the screen. Sure enough, it came on. It wasn't even locked. "What am I doing? It's HIS scroll… I shouldn't be snooping around in his things…" of course, that thought didn't stop her from grabbing it, walking to the other couch and doing just that. Her eyes kept flicking back up to Jaune at the slightest noise, ready to put his scroll back and dashing into the other room.

Even so, she kept searching through it. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her name listed twice. "Did he accidentally make two contacts? Huh… same number too…" she thought, contemplating deleting one. Of course, she realized immediately afterward that if she wanted Jaune not to know about her snooping, it was probably a good idea to leave the scroll the way it was. She kept looking through it, searching through some of the apps before she found something… different. She raised an eyebrow as she flicked the screen to the right, to the third page of apps she herself would never use. In the center, she saw one that was just a clock.

She flicked back to the first page to confirm her initial suspicions: it wasn't the alarm app. She flicked back ahead, her curiosity getting the better of her as she clicked on it. Immediately she was greeted with a rather simplistic looking interface. She saw today's date was in the center, down to the seconds and counting up, with a date set almost eighty years in the future frozen right above it. Below, there was what looked to be yesterday's date, a few minutes before she'd met Jaune if she had to guess. She tapped the bottom one, raising an eyebrow as it suddenly shifted around, showing her the option to scroll through the years, months, days, hours, minutes, right down to the seconds of when it was.

Ruby was confused, to say the least, "What IS this? Are these dates important or something? It seems like I can change them pretty easily though…" she thought, experimentally scrolling down along the years. Now it was listed for a date somewhere ten years in the future. The second she did so she saw a big exclamation point at the bottom of the screen, a line of text next to it: 'Warning! Anchor not detected! Jump anyway?' next to the line of text there was a green button with a checkmark and one with a red X. Ruby felt more than a little weirded out by all of this. What the heck was this app? "What does it mean by jumping anyway? Anchor not detected… well, I guess there's one way to find out." she thought.

She pressed the checkmark.

Everything went white.