The walls themselves seemed to thrum and vibrate with the urgency of his situation, each of the four beat as if they were alive - as if they had hearts. He could hear the steady rhythm mocking him, reminding him of what he had to lose. He turned, and every which way he looked there was a dead end.

Laughing, dreadfully loud laughing full of grim joyousness and murderous glee, filled the space surrounding him. There wasn't a safe place to hide away from the noise.

He tried to scream but nothing came out, he tried to run but it was all just brick walls, he tried to claw his way out but his fingers only sank into the solid material and got stuck inside.

"H-help! Please! No, no, no!" He cried for help. He cried out for someone, anyone. But mostly he cried out for her.

The entire world around him seemed to give way as the walls turned, and twisted into shadows most fierce. They grew mouths full of sharp teeth, limbs pointed with sharp claws. They grew into his own doubts, his own insecurities.

"She doesn't love you, how could she ever have fallen for you," a dark voice said."You think she's telling the truth? She doesn't want you. She wants someone else." The voice was high pitched, whining, like metal against a chalkboard. "You'll be left behind, she'll never talk to you again! You're not worth her affection!"

"They're right you know," chimed in another voice, this one low and silken, as smooth and as deep as can be, yet distorted, as if heard from underwater. "She doesn't think highly of you. She thinks you're destined to fail. And I know what you're thinking, you fool. Even if you fail she'll stick by your side, right? Wrong. You'd only drag her down, destroy her chance at her dream. Don't be stupid."

One by one more voices popped in, and one by one they all had their say. They laughed, they chirped maddeningly, ravenously. Each one had their fill of his psyche.

Suddenly he fell through the wall his hands were stuck in, and he woke up.

He felt her hands on him immediately, and he didn't protest, for he knew it was her. She whispered into his ear, and he calmed his breathing. His heart was still beating wildly, but she calmly massages his shoulders from beside him.

"Shh, shh, it's alright Jaune. It's alright," Ruby said, pulling him in close for another hug. He accepted it and swallowed hard as he felt the blanket get thrown off of the both of them.

His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he realized they were in her dorm. The rest of her team was nowhere to be found, and he remembered winter break, and how they chose to stay just for some alone time.

He remembered what they did, the feeling of her skin against his, the sound of her voice calling his name; the sound of his calling hers. He remembered it all and his face flushed as he felt the cool air blow against his exposed flesh.

She hopped off the bed and turned to face him as he opened his mouth to speak. "Hold that thought," she said, "I'm going to get you something that might help okay?"

He closed his mouth and nodded with a smile. The look in her eyes, the worry in her expression; despite what his dream had said, she cared. A lot.

He laid down and looked to the ceiling, taking a deep breath before looking back to her and watching her wrap her naked form up in one of Weiss' bathrobes. She left the room and he took the small moment to gather his thoughts and jumped down to the floor, sitting on Weiss' bed.

Upon her return, he was a lot more steady, and when she placed a hand upon his chest, and upon his head, she smiled in relief.

"I'm not going to ask what it was about, I know you'd rather not think about it. From experience. You probably can't even remember it, but... Here." She handed him a mug of hot chocolate. "I was going to get some sleeping pills, but then I saw the time," she said sheepishly.

Jaune looked to the clock on the bedside table and laughed. It was already seven o'clock in the morning. The winter sun was as late as ever.

Ruby sat beside him, shedding the robe and laying her head on his shoulder as he sipped the warm drink graciously. Her arms wrapped around him, and he felt her kiss at his skin.

"You were crying," she said, her fingers tracing invisible patterns.

"Yeah, I was. But that's okay," he replied, setting the mug aside and pulling her on his lap.

"Why is that okay?" She asked, confused, as his fingers entwined with hers and he wiped a strand of hair out of her face.

"Because they were wrong..." The look of confusion on her face quickly disappeared and was replaced with a look of passion and want as his lips pressed against hers. His free hand moves about her body in ways that made her feel electric.

She sighed in pleasure before getting up and leading him back up to her bunk.