Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.

I sat on the steps of the arena, my hat on the ground beside me. The dance was still going and probably wouldn't be over for another hour or two. Hopefully everyone else could still have fun. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. Why did life have to be so hard?

"What are you doing back so soon?" Coco's voice came from behind me.

I didn't turn around. "Professor, I really don't feel like talking right now. Please, just leave me alone."

"Tough luck kid," she said as she sat down next to me. "You look like someone who's screwed up in a new and interesting way."

"I suppose you could say that," I grumbled.

"Well, do tell!"

"I have friends."

"Uh huh. Most people like having friends kid. Unless there's something wrong with your friends?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with them. There's nothing wrong with any of them!"

"Right. Still not seeing how this is a problem."

"The problem is that there is no problem. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh? And why not?"

"You don't know who I am, what I am."

"Oh that? You're a human from another dimension, some place called Earth."

I turned and stared at her. "You know?"

She grinned at me. "You don't really do a very good job of hiding it. That, and I saw one of the essays you wrote for Doctor Oobleck."

"He showed it to you?" I asked, alarmed. I don't really try too hard to keep my secret, preferring to take refuge in the fact that it's to ridiculous to believe, but that doesn't mean I just want it shared about.

"No, of course not. He's not the sort of person to do that," Coco said. "I was borrowing his stapler and the essay was on his desk."

"And you believed it?" I asked.

"Kevin, I've known there was something weird about you from the moment we met. All that essay did was tell me what it was. So, now that that's out of the way, you mind telling me why not having any problems with your friends is a problem?"

"I just...I plan to go home as soon as I can. I want to go home. I haven't seen my family in almost four years. My brother turns seventeen next month. I want to leave Remnant, and I doubt I'll ever be able to return."

"Still not seeing the problem with having friends."

"You don't get it! Every friend I make in this world is one more person I have to leave behind when I make it back to Earth! I don't want to do that to them! I don't want to do that to me! I just want to find my way home without causing any more pain!"

"Ah. So your genius plan is to make yourself and everyone around you miserable now so that you're all less miserable at some vague and ill-defined point in the future which may or may not even happen. Brilliant."

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean-!" I glared at her. "You're making me sound ridiculous."

"You're making it far too easy for me to pass up. Kevin, you're making a mistake."

"I just don't want to hurt anyone!"

"You remind me of Ozpin, Kevin. Always planning for the future, always looking ahead to the next step. But Ozpin doesn't forget about the present like you are at the moment. Plan for the future, yes, but live for the present, because tomorrow never comes."

"I...I can't do that. I've spent my entire time in Remnant defining myself by my mission to go home. At this point, the future is all that I am."

"No it's not," Coco said. "Your friends are making you live in the present again. And that scares you. You're afraid of what'll happen when you stop defining yourself by where you're going."

"...I'm afraid I won't want to go home," I finished the train of thought. "That's exactly it. I have to go home. I have to let my family know I'm alive."

"And you will," Coco said softly. "But that doesn't mean you have to cut yourself off from the people who care about you here. Live for today Kevin. Enjoy it while you can because you may never get the chance again."

I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Professor. I...I think I understand."

She smiled at me. "Good. Now, I believe you have a dance to get back to."

"...You didn't find me by accident, did you?"

"'Course not! Ozpin asked me to talk to you. Said you needed a lesson."

"I swear, he knows everything. How does he do that?"

"Don't look at me, I have no idea how he does it either."

"Right." I stood up and brushed my suit back into place before putting my hat back into place on my head. "I have to go apologize to someone. With luck, you won't see me again until tomorrow. Thank you, Professor Coco."

"Just practicing my parenting skills. I have a three year old at home that I need to be ready for."

I smiled as I activated my Semblance, vanishing from the school.

I quietly reentered the dance club, trying to avoid attention. I had to find Rebecca and apologize, but I had no idea where to look. I started with the table we had sat at, but she wasn't there. I searched the dance floor. No luck.

"You." A hand like a shovel came down on my shoulder. "What did you do?" David's voice was a whisper, but I heard, no, felt, every syllable.

I turned and looked up into his face. He was glaring at me, and he had every right to do so. "I screwed up," I said honestly. "I screwed up in an amazing manner, and now I need to fix it. Do you know where Rebecca is?"

"She's out on the balcony, wondering exactly what she did wrong."

"Thanks," I said. "I'm sorry for causing this."

"Fix it," he growled. "Or I will make you regret it."

I nodded. "I plan to." I used my Semblance to jump to the top of the stairs and made my way towards the balcony.

I stepped out onto the balcony. Rebecca had her back to me, staring out at the city.

"-stupid! Stupid!" she muttered to herself.

"Rebecca?" I asked, tentatively. She whirled around with a surprised squeak.

"Kevin! I thought you went back to Beacon!"

"I did. I'm...I'm sorry," I said. "I let myself get so wrapped up in the future that I forgot about what was right in front of me. I'm sorry."

"Kevin...did you really mean what you said? What you said about DMND, and David, and Lily, and me?" She looked confused.

"Every word. For better or worse, you guys are my friends, and I do care about you," I said. "I just forgot that was a good thing."

She threw her arms around me in a hug. "We care about you too Kevin. I know you have to leave someday, but until then..." She drew back and looked up at me. "Until then..."

"Until then..." I had no idea what I was doing at this point. I had my arms up behind her shoulders, her face less than a foot from my own. Live for today. Until tomorrow finally comes. Live for today. Words raced through my head without meaning. Acting on instinct, I leaned forward.

And kissed her. It lasted for several seconds before we broke apart.

"Uh, I, ah, I..." I could feel myself blushing, my ears burning.

"Um, I, ah, I..." Rebecca looked how I felt, her face turning the same color as her hair.

I pulled out of the hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I-" I cut off. I didn't mean to kiss her. Yeah. Of course I didn't. Which is totally why I did it. I'm a terrible liar.

"It's- It's okay," Rebecca said. "I..."

"I don't know what came over me there! I promise, it won't happen again!" I said in a hurry. Well this was turning out to be a great evening. You see? This is why I don't go to dances! Stuff like this always happens!

"No, no, it's fine," Rebecca said, just as quickly. "I just, I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

There was an awkward silence for several seconds. Then the sound of slow clapping came from the balcony entrance. I turned to see Nyx standing there.

"Nice work you two," she said. "Dawn owes me twenty lien."

"You were betting on this?!" I demanded.

"Of course we were!" Nyx said. "You've been acting nervous around her ever since Winter Break!"

"I have not!"

"Yes you have," Nyx said. "Everyone could see it. Well, everyone but you and Red there. She was just as bad though."

"I was not!" Rebecca protested.

"Please. The two of you were so obvious it hurt," Nyx grinned, showing her pointed teeth. "I'm the best gossip monger in the school, don't insult my abilities."

"That's not something to be proud of," I said, irritated.

"Ah, you're just mad that everyone saw this coming but you. Have fun you two!" She turned and vanished back into the dance club, presumably to collect on her wager.

"I'm going to kill her," I said.

"And Dawn," Rebecca said.

"Of course," I said. "So... do you want to go back down there?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

We made our way back down to the dance floor. The dance was heading towards an end and the music was winding down, but we danced until the songs died.

"So, how was your night?" David asked. I shared a brief look with him.

"Fine," Rebecca said. "It was...nice."

"Good," he said. His shoulders slumped slightly, the tension going out of them as he gave me one last look. "I'm going to go find Lily." He wandered off into the crowd.

"Ah, I'm sor-"

"Don't," Rebecca said firmly. "Don't apologize."

"Right. Uh... Did you have fun?"

"Yes. Yes I did," she said. "Thank you for asking me."

"You're welcome."

"So, how about we try that again?" she said, putting her hand on the side of my face.

"Huh? Try what again?" I asked. I really am clueless.

"This!" She pulled my head down and kissed me. My mind just shut down as she held me there. After a long moment, she let go and broke off.

"Uh, um, uh," I stammered. Yes, brilliant work on my part. The perfect response.

I heard a faint curse and turned to see Lily handing over some money to David.

"Oh come on!" I said. "Was everyone betting on this?"

"Pretty much," David said.

Great. Just great.

A/N: ...Okay, I honestly wasn't expecting that to happen until after the Summer Break. Still, d'awww.

To SoapiestAuto780, thanks. I have a lot planned for the story, and it's good to hear that what I'm doing is working.

That's all for now, see you all next chapter.