TRIGGER WARNING:

Slight mention of sexual assault. This MAY continue into the next chapter. If it does, I'll post another one of these up at the top. Thank you and please stay safe.


Ruby finally let go of Roman's shirt and pulled her face away from his chest. She sniffled as she spoke in his ear. "May I use your bed?"

"Of course," he whispered.

Ruby pulled her arms back to herself and stumbled over to his room. Yang's eyes trail her until she walks into the room and lazily pushes the door shut.

Yang's eyes immediately flash back to Roman. "How dare you," Yang growled.

Roman felt a coldness wrapping around his sternum.. And even when Yang directed undeniably at him her burning eyes, flashing with flames, hair threatening to combust, his mind told him that she was not looking at him but someone behind him instead. The harrowing tension that stretched from his neck to his chest to his stomach pulled him from reality and drew his consciousness in on itself, and Roman found himself unable to respond.

"She is just trying to help you, you bastard," Yang shouted. "Do you realize how much she cares about you?" Yang thrust her chest forward, clenched fists staggered behind her torso as if an invisible person were holding her back.

"Yes," Roman said. The cord in his body wound tighter. He looked to the door and considered apologizing to her. But an apology out of his mouth would sound like he was just learning English for the first time, broken and ultimately meaningless. He stepped toward the door.

"Haven't you done enough?" Yang accused him with the tone of an adult questioning a child's judgment.

It was a rhetorical question, but Roman answered. "No."

And he stepped into his room and wrapped his arms around Ruby's small, warm body and pulled her head to his collarbone as he fell onto the bed next to her. Roman exhaled and let the broken feeling dissipate, Ruby's cheeks sticky and warm against his neck.


Yang stood speechless, staring at Roman with an incredulity that translated, "Wrong answer." She closed her mouth, letting her eyes fall shut. For a moment she dug her nails into her palms and took deep breaths until she felt calm enough to make a responsible decision.

Junior crossed the room and closed the door to Roman's bedroom. Quietly sliding the door into place, he turned to Yang. "You know, we didn't always approve of their relationship."

"Oh, really? I thought you were team Roby all the way."

"Roby?" Junior popped the arch of his eyebrow.

"Or Ruman, whatever the fuck you guys are calling it in your head."

Neo signed something.

Yang narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"She says she calls it, 'irresponsible and reckless,'" Junior said. "Do you want something to drink? You look very tense?"

Yang nearly spat out, "Hell no." but she stopped herself before the words hit her teeth. Yang pushed her fingers into her hairline. "Fine. Nothing heavy."

Junior nodded turning to the cabinet. "I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but he really does care about her."

Yang sighed and tried to think of a sentence that wasn't inherently invocative. "Yes, she keeps telling me that. But there's not a single piece of proof."

Junior prepared to say something in return, but Yang continued. "She ran into a firefight to save his life. I know she cares about his life. She would have saved anyone's life in that situation if she knew she could, even if it were...well, case in point!" She gestured to the closed door.

"When she told me that she saved his life, that was exactly what I thought, 'Ruby's Ruby, and she would have done that for anyone. She doesn't think anyone deserves to die. The rest of Team RWBY would have hesitated at first, even if they did choose to save him in the end, but she wouldn't even give it a second thought. And that's admirable,' but I had no idea that Ruby would develop feelings for him," Yang swung her hand through the air, a sweeping gesture at all the other possibilities she could have dreamed up. "I'm sorry if I'm disgusted by the idea of my sister making out with a guy who has tried to kill her on two separate occasions."

Junior held a drink out to Yang, which she accepted with a grunt. "Believe me, Blondie, I understand," he chuckled.

"My name is Yang."

"And you call me Junior. But either way, I was thrown off by the idea of Roman having a relationship with the fifteen-year-old girl trying to throw him back into prison, but over time, I started to see that he was taking this one seriously."

"Seriously," Yang scoffed. "Sure. How is she different to him than any other girl that he's ever been in a 'relationship' with?" Yang gestured with air quotes.

"They've been in a relationship for almost a month." Junior stated. Neo nodded in affirmation, though Junior had no need for it.

"Yeah, so?"

"They haven't broken up, Roman has not stolen any of her belongings, we know enough about the relationship to make that claim, and as far as I know, they have not gone anywhere past first base."

"How is any of that saying anything about him?"

"We only know about his relationships after they've ended, and sometimes not even then. The longest he's ever been in an actual relationship is six days, but after that, he get fed up with her, stole her car, and never spoke to her again. Or at least that's what he told me-I don't know all the details. And that's the only time his sex life has ever become anything more than just that. If Roman were only in it for the sex, he wouldn't have bothered with someone like Ruby."

"What does that mean?" She seethed.

"Inexperienced, romantic, and I assume virgin?" Junior tipped his glass in query.

Yang crossed her arms. Neo signed something in response. Junior's expression blanched, and he turned to his drink.

"What did she say?"

Junior shook his head.

"Tell me!" Yang threw her fists down.

Junior sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She said that if he really was just in it for the sex, he would have gotten it and dumped her already."

Yang stared at Neo appalled. She shrugged, nonchalant. "Are you suggesting he would rape my sister?"

"No, that's not what we're suggesting. Neo, you bitch," he grunted. "He wouldn't do that to her."

"What makes you so sure?" Yang shouted. It suddenly occurred to her that they could hear everything she was saying.

Junior groaned. "Our bosses came here a couple days ago without any warning. Ruby was here, and Roman had to go hide her in the closet. If they found her, they would have killed him. Right there." Junior pointed to the table by the wall of plexiglass. "And us, too, for that matter."

Neo signed something with a meaning look in her eyes.

"She doesn't care about her, but Roman does, so she's going to protect her for him. And so am I," Junior affirmed.

"Now, I hope you don't go selling us out to the police because whether they figure it out or our bosses do, Roman will die."

Yang sat down, looking at the untouched drink in her hands. She shook her head, followed by a swig of her drink.


Roman touched Ruby's hair. He listened to everything, but Ruby went out like a light. Perfect way to keep Ruby from the gruesome truth about his past. But he was tired, and he wanted to stop thinking about his problems, so he pulled the covers over the both of them and fell asleep.


Don't kill me. I know I kind of took an unannounced break, but now that I think about it, I kind of did that with everything in my life right now… I totally checked out. But today, my mus kicked me in the face and said, "Write, bitch!" So I did, and here we are now. There may be a delay on the second story (more than there is now), but I still plan on it. First chapter is almost done, so it's just a matter of polishing and publishing.

Another thing: I noticed an anomalous spike in the view/visitor ratio on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...weird to think about. I don't really know what to think about that, to be honest. Well either way, thank you for reading!

Drake 187: Well in that case, I'm sorry because I'm not quite done yet.

KrazyRomanceKitten: Thank you! To be honest, the ending will be a MESS, so maybe it's not quite something to look forward to. TYSM for the praise! Ily :D

Reaper Whisper: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really hope I don't disappoint you! (I'll probably just make someone cry instead tbh)

Special thanks to HenriettaPotterLeFay7: Thanks again! You really made my day :)