Ruby forced her eyes onto the reflection in the mirror. Her dress stretched over her bare skin, and without a jacket, she wondered how she would keep herself warm. Roman had not texted her since she saw him that morning, and she almost had no idea what to do when she finally met with him tonight. All of the possibilities pandered out in her mind, but she was more occupied by the fact that Roman's life was in danger—more than usual.

Unsettled, she turned away and began to pack her phone and other belongings into a purse. She was, in part, excited, but for the most part, she was overcome with dread.

"Do you know where you're gonna go tonight?" Yang asked, eagerly smiling at her.

"Actually, no," she laughed nervously.

"Well, if you need me to bail you out, just text me, okay?" Yang winked.

"I don't think we'll run into any goons tonight," she said.

"No," Yang chuckled. "I'm talking about if Torchwick gets all pervy on you."

"Ew!" Ruby shuddered. "Yang, did you have to say it like that?"

"Yeah," Yang spoke, molding her tone. "I kind of forgot about that." Yang scratched the back of her neck.

"I mean," Ruby muttered, "I don't think it would be that bad if Roman…wanted to…"

The shades of pink in Yang's face darkened to red as she fought to restrain her laughter. "Okay, Ruby," she chuckled.

Ruby fidgeted. "Whatever. Can we go now?"

Yang frowned. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Spluttering, Ruby said, "No, no, no—please don't. Force of habit."

Ruby turned just as Yang muttered something under her breath. Something gave Ruby the feeling that Yang was not supportive of how things turned out between her and Roman.

"Yang?" she said.

Yang hummed in response, taking off her jacket and throwing it across her bed.

"Look," she started. "I know you're not really excited about this, but he makes me happy, and I—"

"Ruby, stop," Yang interrupted. "I trust you to do what's right. I always have."

Ruby's eyes watered. "I just…" she stammered, losing track of her words.

Yang reached out and pulled Ruby into her arms, holding her tightly. "If you see good in him, I believe you, even if he's done a whole lot of horrible stuff in the past."

Ruby's body began to shudder with sobs. Yang immediately pushed her away and kneeled to look her in the eyes, holding her by her arms.

"Don't cry, you'll ruin your makeup." Yang smiled.

Ruby nodded, abdomen shaking as she drew in a deep breath. "I'm okay." She offered a feigned smile as confirmation.

Yang rubbed her arms. "Cheer up, Rubes, you're gonna see your hubby tonight. Try not to think about anything else, okay? Take this as an opportunity to make some happy memories for you both."

"Ugh, you sound like Dad," Ruby groaned.

Yang was about to say something in response, but Ruby silenced her.

"And no puns," she said.

Yang stabbed herself with an imaginary dagger, falling gracelessly to the floor.

Ruby rolled her eyes, pulling out her scroll. The time on it read 5:50. "Okay, I'm gonna go now."

Ruby turned to leave, Yang shouting after her. "Don't be late!"


In the open foyer at the Vale airship terminal, Roman stood, clad in a black version of his coat, hair slicked all the way back to the nape of his neck. His hands wrapped around the brand-new scroll in his pocket as he scanned the room for Ruby's bouncing cloud of dark hair. He brought his trembling hand up to his eyes, rubbing them as he checked his watch. The time on his watch read 6:05, but he did not mind; he would have waited all night for her if he had to.

His stomach dropped when he finally spotted her. She spun in the lobby with searching eyes, skirt swishing in a delicate grace around her body. However, he found her with that endearing softness in her eyes, unblemished and whole. He did not call out to her, instead watching the way her body moved with such freedom that made his heart still. All of her movements were so forward and honest without the slightest twinge of deception. In a crowd of masses that ignored the world around them, she shone.

Her eyes finally found him, and his heart pounded in his chest when she tipped her head and smiled at him. Blood red rose petals danced around her head.

The air around him suddenly swirled, Ruby appearing in front of him. She looked up at him, silver eyes sharpened into the quiet resilience that he saw the night he met her.

Roman's rosy cheeks dimpled—he felt free to let himself smile with her. Both of them remained in that perfect moment, unbroken silence filling the void between them, but neither of them felt any stiffness in it, the only thing present being their warm relief.

Roman held out his hand, which Ruby reached back for with a glimmering look in her eye.

"You look beautiful," he finally said, voice soft and quiet.

Despite all of the commotion around them, Ruby seemed to hear him, and she smiled in earnest.


In his eyes, Ruby saw the genuine affectation of bliss within them. Ruby's worries melted away into nothingness, replaced by the swell of unbridled happiness in her heart. His countenance came to form in strong lines, defining the softness in his eyes and lips. His skin was completely bare, pale and rosy cheeks blooming with the flush she could see in them.

"You look beautiful," he said.

Her heart pattered in her chest, bound by a curtain of bees. Ruby almost faltered, but it quickly faded—his presence did nothing to her except make her feel safe.

"You look incredible," she responded.


Sorry another update took so long, guys. I have been kind of sick these past couple of days, and I wish I could have been writing this sooner for you all, but no matter-things happen, and I'm here now. On a cheesier note, I wrote the second half of this chapter with the acoustic version of "Gold" playing on my phone.

The Politician: Sorry, I should have seen your review sooner. For some reason, it took a while to show up on the website. Thank you so much for your continued support and praise. It really warms my heart.

And to everyone else who has been reading or checking up on the story in the past couple of days, thank you so much for your time, and I really want to say something to all of you because it means so much to me. I have been going through a bit of a personal crisis lately, trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. I have probably given every single career option consideration in my head (and I mean ALL of them). But to know that I have already touched your lives and made them to any degree better has just made me feel so fulfilled to know that I can do something for someone else from my little corner of the earth. No matter which direction I go in life, I know I'm going to do it as a creator because it is probably the only thing that makes me feel truly joyous. You may not know it, but you helped me, too. I am eternally grateful for your support, and I take absolutely none of it for granted. I love you all, and I hope you have nothing but an abundance of love in your lives. Thank you.