Chapter 10

We're walking home, our somewhat disastrous expedition to the Hall of Heroic Endeavors finally over, when Ruby stops me in my tracks with a sharp tug on my sleeve.

"Don't stop! Keep walking," she hisses. I obey, but my confusion mounts with every step, until she finally explains herself. "I think somebody's following us."

"A peacekeeper?" I whisper back, but she denies it with a shake of her head. The peacekeepers left us when our date was finished, anyways.

"I don't think so. I didn't really get a good look at him, but he has a really big trench coat, and I don't think peacekeepers have those. Except he left it open, for some reason."

A mysterious guy in a big trench coat stalking us through the streets? That doesn't sound good. "You're sure he's following us? Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"Almost positive." Without warning, Ruby tugs me over to the side of the street and pulls out her scroll. I'm about to ask what she's doing when she holds it up in front of us and strikes a pose.

"Smile!"

Our two faces reflect on the screen: hers bright and cheerful, mine bewildered. From talking about stalkers to taking a selfie? What is she…

Oh. Very clever.

At the angle she's holding her scroll, the camera view goes well past our faces and into the dimly lit street beyond. I get my first clear look at our mysterious pursuer. He's leaning against a street lamp, one hand flipping through the pages of a small paperback, the motion drawing attention to the rippling muscles of his bare chest. I squint to get a look at his face, but it's hidden behind a long black hood. Despite his attempts to look inconspicuous, even random passersby find him odd, and he gets no small amount of strange looks, a couple of parents even tugging their young children closer to them defensively.

"Very smart," I whisper out of the corner of my mouth, firing off a wide grin at the camera.

"Why thank you," she whispers back. "What should we do about him?"

We resume our stroll, this time with me setting the pace. "I'm not sure," I murmur. "I don't think he can hurt us… not in the middle of Vale, with so many people around. But why would he be following us?"

"Maybe he wants to figure out where we live?"

"That's possible… but why?" The problem is that there's no real motive for anybody to follow us. It's not like we have power or information or anything – our lives are pretty much at the mercy of the caretakers. Unless this is some elaborate retribution for my disobedience in the Hall of Heroic Endeavors… but it seems far fetched that the peacekeepers would go to such lengths. At least I sure hope that's the case. Otherwise now would be a really good time to start panicking.

"Oh, oh, I know!" Ruby whispers excitedly. "What if he's a member of a secret organization, trying to get in contact with us to make us an offer we can't refuse!"

"Um, that would probably be really bad for us." Secret organizations don't really get along well with the Council, to say the least, and I don't want to get dragged into some impending disaster.

"Aww, come on! It'd be awesome!"

My idea of awesome doesn't involve rotting in the depths of a Council prison cell, but I'm not going to tell her that. Still, she has a point. Talking to the guy directly is probably our best bet for figuring out his motives. We just need to pull him into an appropriate place for a discussion. Somewhere quieter and less… watched. "Well, you're right about one thing," I say, diplomatically guiding our conversation back to safer ground. "There is a way to find out what he wants."

Ruby tilts her head in query, before breaking into a wide grin when she figures out my insinuation. "Let's do it."

Once we're clear of the busy streets of Founder's and well into the twisting alleys and narrow streets of the lower-class residential districts, the two of us duck into a shadowy crevice wedged between towering apartment complexes. My heart pounds in anticipation as we wait for our pursuer to draw near. I really wish I had a weapon… and I doubt Ruby has one either. We both received a little unarmed combat training at Beacon, but if this man is a specialist and he means to hurt us, it's not at all out of the question he could take both of us on at once. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Well, too late now. Hopefully he's friendly.

It's alright. We just want to talk. What could possibly go wrong? Other than everything, of course.

As soon as his head pokes around the corner, I step forward, hands raised in the universal gesture for peace. "Excuse me, sir–"

Before I can get even those few words out, a scarlet blur blows past me, the only sign of its passage a trail of roses and a warbling warcry. I do nothing but watch in stunned, mute horror as Ruby throws herself at our mysterious stalker in a full bodied tackle. She connects solidly with his chest, which might have worked out better if she was more than half his weight. It forces him to take a few steps back to recover his balance, but at the cost of sending her sprawling with a startled squeak when he counter attacks with a sweep of his arm.

Wait no Ruby I didn't mean fight him!

Even if she has done the exact opposite of what I meant to do, I charge into the fray in her wake. One of the first rules about teamwork they drummed into all the students at Beacon was that it was better for a team to fully commit to a dumb decision than to leave their teammates in division. Maybe Ruby had decided to attack when it would have been better to talk, but if I leave her unsupported, she could be in serious danger. Huntsmen didn't leave team members behind. Not when they were all you had left.

Ugh. This was such a bad idea.

I scour the vestiges of my mind for any trace of my unarmed combat lessons, but the only image I can conjure up is Port roaring "keep your hands up!" in his signature boom, mustache quivering with every repetition.

Well, it's better than nothing.

I settle into my guard once I've placed myself between our assailant and Ruby. My first job is to protect her until she can recover. After that, we need to take advantage of the fact it's two on one. If I can maneuver him so that we pincer him, that would be ideal. I just need to figure out how to do that. Even though my memory is less than helpful at the moment, my body remembers the motions that were so brutally drilled into me: arms up, elbows in, stay light on the balls of my feet.

Before I can even react, he makes the most unexpected attack of all.

He throws his hands up in surrender.

"Wait wait wait I don't want to fight!"

Ruby leaps to her feet, head tilted in a query that I feel as well. "You don't?"

"No! You jumped me!"

"You were kinda stalking us."

"Stalking is a bit of a harsh way to put it…"

Why is his voice so familiar? I'm absolutely certain I've heard it before, a tingle of recollection in the murk of my memory, but I can't quite place it. Someone I don't know that well, then – there are few enough of those that I'd recognize all of the immediately.

It's the open coat, of all things, that clues me in, and once I figure it out, not even the masking hood is enough to shake my certainty.

"Sun? Is that you?"

He stiffens, then sighs and tears his hood off, revealing the face of the monkey faunus I've come to call friend. "Got me already."

"Probably should have closed the coat if you didn't want us to figure it out. Most people don't walk around town with a bare chest."

"Not sure why not. It's so much more comfortable."

Our conversation is cut short as a swirl of black coalesces between us, having fallen from a nearby rooftop. Before I can let out more than a startled gasp, it rises and stretches, a pair of cat-like eyes swiveling towards Sun.

"Told you I'd win," Blake comments smugly.

"You totally cheated," the other faunus protests. "Hiding on the roofs the whole time? Laaaaame."

She rolls her eyes, but I catch the hint of a fond smile that pulls at her lips. "You weren't much of an inspirational example. Dressing like that has got to be the worst way of stalking someone I've ever seen."

"Whoa whoa. Enough with the whole stalking thing. I prefer to think of it as, uh, observation."

"That sounds even worse."

"Observation?" I interrupt, drawing both of their gazes towards myself. "Wait, have you been following us? How long?"

"Since your date, pretty much," Blake says with a shrug. "Blame Sun. His idea."

"What?" The monkey faunus sputters. "No it wasn't!"

Blake just looks at him, one eyebrow inching upward.

"Ok, fine, maybe it was," Sun concedes. "But I mean, come on! We heard you guys had a date, and we happened to have the day off, so we–"

"You," Blake interrupts.

"–I just wanted to see how it would go. Make sure it went all smooth, you know, maybe lend a little assistance and all. And fine, I wanted to see what would happen! It's like the old saying goes. Curiosity killed the…" He trailed off, before turning to face his partner, arms crossed. "You know, I just realized you're a terrible cat. I haven't seen you curious about anything."

"First off," Blake drawls, "that's racist. Secondly, that's not how you use that saying. And thirdly, I'm curious about plenty of stuff. Like how I managed to get stuck with you."

I can't keep a stupid grin off of my face as I watch. Blake's a quiet one, really quiet. Always has been. I haven't seen her talk this much, this easily in… well, ever. Not even with me. Blake Belladonna, banter with someone? I didn't even know it was possible.

"You were following us that whole time?" Ruby cuts in. "That's strange… I didn't notice at all. Not until we left the museum, at least."

"That's because I was the one following you inside," Blake says. "Then this fool makes a bet that he'd be better than I was."

Sun chuckles ruefully. "Bad bet, in hindsight."

"You should know by now. I always win."

"Except when you finally fell for me?" Sun teases.

She elbows him in response. "I won that too."

"Fall for–" I interrupt yet again, barely able to keep up with their rapid fire exchange. "Hang on, are you two…?"

"Going out? Together? The most beautiful couple in all of Vale?" Sun preens. "Yes, yes, and yes."

"I finally felt sorry for him," Blake pipes up.

"Aww, come on. You know you love me."

"Maybe a little."

"She loves me tons," Sun stage whispers to Ruby with a roguish wink. She cracks a smile in response.

"I can tell. Congratulations! You two are–" her smile falters, and I notice her eyes flicker to me for an instant. "Well, you seem to get along great."

I can't quash the nauseous surge of guilt that comes with her words. Not like us goes unspoken, but I know what she means. But what did she expect? Blake and Sun chose to be together. We didn't. Personally, I think it's quite the accomplishment that we're not constantly at each other's throats, especially with the Administration breathing down our necks.

My discomfort must be noticeable, because Blake suddenly focuses on me, eyes narrowed. I shift uneasily, refusing to meet her eyes, but I don't need to see them to hear the gears clicking into place in her head. "Jaune, can we chat for a bit?"

Uh oh. I get the feeling I won't like where this is going… but I don't have a good reason to say no. "Uh… yeah, sure."

"Thanks." She elbows Sun again. With all the abuse she puts him through, I'm starting to expect those abs are actually body armor. "Don't get in trouble. I'll be right back."

"Don't worry. Ruby will take great care of me. Right?"

The younger girl leans forward in excitement, eyes gleaming. "Yep! Hey hey, tell me about how you guys got together. What happened? Who confessed?"

Blake lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Please wait until I'm gone. And no lying."

"Lying?" Sun protests, but he undermines his own words with a roguish wink. "Me? Never!"

"And that's another lie," she mutters. She pulls on my arm, leading me further down a quiet street, out of earshot. "Come on. I want to be back before they destroy the whole street."

She leads me down several blocks with the uncanny confidence that speaks of familiarity with the area. It's not long before we come to a small park, little more than a garden. It's pretty, with verdant green plants and vivid banks of flowers, a very rare sight in Vale nowadays. More importantly, though, nobody else is around, and she finally turns to me, piercing amber eyes searching my face.

"You okay?"

I blink in surprise. "Me? Yeah, fine. I mean, life's been rough at times, but nothing crazy. Not like yours."

She shakes her head. "That's not really what I meant. Is there something going on between you and Ruby?"

So she did notice. Problem is, I'm not sure I want to talk about it. "Not really." Nothing super bad… but definitely not anything super good either.

"So the fact that there's tension between you two thicker than Sun's skull is normal?"

I wince, both at how easily she saw through us and also at the abuse my new friend no doubt had to endure. Good thing he seems to find it amusing. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Pretty much. It helps that I know you well."

"There's… well, we've had trouble, I guess. Adjusting to everything's been tough. Probably the worst thing is that we had a fight. Kind of."

"Kind of? What's that supposed to mean?"

I turn away, ready to make the trip back to Ruby and Sun. "Look, I don't really feel like talking about it.

She stops me with a firm hand on my arm. "Jaune, please. I'm not asking just to pry –whatever happened, you're upset about it. It's chewing you up; I can tell. And maybe I can help. I– I'd like to try, at least."

It doesn't take long for my walls to come down. Maybe I've wanted to talk about it for a while. I just needed the chance. "... It was about her job. You know she's an SDC courier?"

"I do now."

"She came back really hurt one night. Beowolf wound, and a bad one. If her aura wasn't so strong, she would have bled out for sure." I take a moment to catch my breath. Talking about our fight, remembering all the emotions that hit me like a stampeding horse of Grimm that night… it's hard. It takes effort. But I have to– no, want to do this. "I don't know how she got it, I didn't even know that her job took her anywhere near the Grimm. I thought she was just… moving stuff around, I guess." I take a moment to draw a deep breath, preparing myself for the rest of the story. "But she almost died, and she doesn't trust me enough to even tell me she was in danger."

"So you fought about her job?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. I don't even know if we really fought, because she didn't get mad. Just… really–" I wave my hands uselessly, trying to communicate what I had no words for. Blake nods, so I take it as a sign that she gets it. "Anyways, it's complicated."

"But it's not just about her work, is it?" Blake prods.

"No. No, it's not. I… everything's such a mess. Ever since we left Beacon. It's no surprise she doesn't trust me. I mean, she has to hate me, right? I ruined everything for her."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No," I admit.

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

"No," she states bluntly, ears flattening in irritation. "You're making assumptions, Jaune. Has she ever blamed you? Is there any evidence that she hates you?"

"I don't know," I whisper. "I feel like I barely know her."

"Then find out. It's not complicated. Just talk to her. Tonight."

"It's not really that easy," I protest, forcing down the edge of defensiveness that bubbles to the surface. Blake's trying to help, I know that, but her pointed questions are starting to get to me. "She clearly doesn't want to talk. Ever since we left Beacon, she's been avoiding me."

"She seemed fine being with you on your date."

"She didn't have much of a choice."

Blake shakes her head. "It was obvious she enjoyed herself, Jaune. Even if you don't think so, I'm sure she likes you."

"So why is she avoiding me?"

"That's what you need to find out."

"It always has to be me, doesn't it?" I sigh angrily. "Do I need to start everything? I mean, I know it's mostly my fault, but she's not helping the matter by avoiding me every time she gets!"

Blake shakes her head slowly, voice uncharacteristically patient. "It's not about who's fault it is. It's about what you can do to fix it. Maybe it's true she's not helping, but you don't have any control over that."

"But I can control myself," I finish. "I know, I know, you're right. It's good advice."

"But?" Blake prompts when I say no more. "What's the hesitation?"

"I'm scared," I admit, hating how my voice shakes at the words. "What if I'm right? It's not like we have the option of breaking up."

"And if you're wrong," Blake counters, "which I think you are, you're destroying your relationship for no reason. Talk. Tonight."

"Alright, alright," I concede. "I will."

"Tonight."

"Tonight!"

"Good." Her sharp glare softens into a worried half-smile. "You know I do this because I want you to be happy, right?"

"Yeah, I know." I chuckle ruefully. "When did you get so wise, anyways? What happened to scaredy cat Blake?"

She rolls her eyes at the terrible joke, but refrains from enacting physical violence upon me. "The Fang taught me a lot. Not all of it had to do with combat."

"You've definitely grown. Even I can tell." I'm not sure how to describe it, either. On the surface, she still has the twitchy wariness that characterized her even as a kid, a danger sense that's only been honed by her missions. She was always a hard, tough girl, and that's more true than ever. But deeper down, it's different now. Before, she was… brittle, almost: hard and tough, yeah, but always close to shattering. Now, there's a core of strength that matches the a kind of unbreakable durability forged by facing your worst enemies and coming out on top.

"I had help. A lot of it," she says, before gesturing back up the road. "Come on. I've made my point. Let's head back."

"Blake?" I say.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks. For everything."

She smiles. "Friends forever, right?"

::-::-::

Shortly after we join up again, Blake and Sun split off, leaving me and Ruby to make the last leg of our journey home after a quick meal on the way. I know I promised Blake we would take tonight, but by the time we stumble through our door, Ruby's practically falling asleep on my shoulder, worn out by the excitement of the day. I'm half carrying her by the end, but the warm weight against me is comfortable rather than irritating.

"Sorry," she slurs through her haze of exhaustion. Clumsy fingers fumble with her shoes for a moment before she finally manages to pry them off. "So sleepy. Too much work, recently."

"It's alright. Go get some sleep." I line our shoes off to the side as she stumbles off. "Good night. See you tomorrow."

"G'nite."

I suppress the brief surge of guilt that wells up as the door to the bedroom clicks shut. I know I promised Blake I would talk with Ruby tonight, but at this point, I think I'd get more of a response out of a brick wall. I'll just have to talk to her tomorrow. Maybe in the morning; I don't have work until later, and with how tired she is I sure hope Ruby doesn't have anything early either.

My sleep that night is fitful, terrorized by dread of the day to come. Frantic apologies and heated arguments flow meaninglessly from one to another in abstract blurs of half-conscious emotion. I'm not sure what's dream and what's imagination. Maybe there's no difference.

When I finally jerk awake from my restless slumber, it's almost a relief, even though the house is already empty. The dawn sky glows a menacing pinkish-red, and a quick glance at my scroll reveals that it's just before six. Ruby seriously had work this early? Even with that injury? I hope she'll be alright; she looked really, really tired last night, and I'm not sure how much rest she actually got.

By the time I'm fully up and about, my irritation has grown to the point where I shoot a text off to Weiss. I doubt she can really do anything, but hey, you never know.

"Any chance you could get Ruby's boss to cut her some slack"

The response comes back almost instantly. She's probably getting ready for the day's training.

"What do you mean?"

"She's already gone for work and it's not even six yet. Doesn't she get time off for injury or anything? Or at least a later shift"

"But Ruby's not at work. She's right siejahxoskw"

I stare at the text with a peculiar mix of humor and foreboding. Somehow, I don't think she meant to send this one. Either that or she's having a seizure.

"Are you alright there"

"Yes. Sorry. My hand slipped. Anyways, I don't think it's going to be a regular schedule. She's probably helping with an emergency, and they'll compensate her for it afterwards."

Ah, Weiss. Of course you would text with perfect spelling and grammar.

"Wait didn't you just say she wasn't at work"

There's a suspiciously long pause before the next text comes. "Like I said, my hand slipped."

That's a pretty specific change in meaning for a supposed accident…

"Sorry," her next message comes in, "I have to run. I'll talk to you later."

"No probs good luck with training."

"Who do you think I am? I don't need luck."

With a few hours left before work, I take the time to complete some household chores before settling down to try to read another book, but my attention keeps drifting from the pages, magnetized to thoughts of my impending conversation with Ruby. Yeah, I'm scared… but even more than that, I'm kind of relieved. One way or another, we're going to be moving, and I'm tired of this constant stagnation we haven't broken out of.

I just hope we move forward, not back.

::-::-::

Even though I try my hardest to give my all at work like I normally do, I can't fool Tukson. When I catch myself spacing out for the third time in ten minutes, his concerned frown is already trained on my back. Finally, he approaches me.

"You're kind of out of it today."

"I know. Sorry. I barely slept last night."

"You stressed about something?"

It takes me a moment to decide if I want to tell him. "Yeah. I guess I am."

He hums thoughtfully. "Marriage problems?"

My mouth falls open in shock. "How did you know?"

"Just a guess. First year's always hard." He places a massive hand on my back and gives me a forceful push towards the door. "Not much business today. Go home early and make it right. I'm not going to pry, but it's not good to let these things fester."

"A friend told me the same thing. But are you sure?" I protest. "I don't want to be slacking off, and–"

"Go. You have more important things to take care of. I don't want you here." Even if his words are blunt, it's not hard to catch the genuine care underneath. "Come back tomorrow, ready to work."

Before I can do more than stammer a few words of thanks, I find myself standing on the street, with only the short distance home to plan out my conversation with Ruby. I'm really not sure how to start it off. I don't want to go at it as casually as "start talking and see what happens," but I don't have a better plan yet. I just want to make things right. Hopefully she can sense that.

The trip home whirls by in the blink of an eye, lost as I am in my thoughts, and before I know it I'm standing outside my door. I hesitate when the faint clang of metal on metal rings through the wood. Is Ruby back already? But what's that noise?

Wait, what's that smell? Smoke?

My hesitation evaporates instantly once I recognize the telltale acrid scent of burning something, and I burst into the apartment, half expecting it to be ablaze.

"Ruby?! Are you alright?"

Nothing's on fire, thankfully, but thin wisps of black trailing from the kitchen tell me that something might be very, very soon. A red blur twitches up with a startled squeak from where it had been hunched over the oven. "Jaune! You scared me. You're home already?"

She doesn't seem to be hurt, so I allow myself to relax a bit. "Tukson let me off early. Is something burning? I could smell it from outside."

"That bad, huh?" She groans morosely. "No, nothing's burning. Well, actually, something is, but nothing's on fire, at least."

I'm… not sure I want to know what that means. "Uh, that's good? It is good, right?"

"Kinda," she sighs. "Maybe it'd be easiest if I just showed you. I wanted to get it right, but you got back too fast." She pulls on a set of oven mitts that completely dwarf her slim hands before pulling out a plate bearing a single charcoal black lump from the oven. I can't help but stare at it, captivated by the irregular craters that pockmark the craggy surface like some unbroken mirror of our moon.

She watches me out of the corner of her eye, uncertain of my reaction. "Well, um, here it is. What do you think?"

"It's… nice?" I offer. "Uh, what is it?"

I regret the words when her face falls like a dejected puppy. Come on, Jaune. Please learn some tact. "It's a cake. Or, well, supposed to be a cake. I guess it looks more like a rock."

"No, no!" I rush to reassure her. "It's… uh…"

"It's alright, Jaune," she sighs again, but at least there's a small grin in her face this time. "I'm not a kid. I know it's bad. You don't have to worry about being nice."

"It's the thought that counts, right? I'm happy you made one at all." Really, if I think about it, this is probably the best thing Ruby's ever cooked. Burned surface aside, it actually looks edible. Maybe baking came more easily to her. "So why'd you make it? Any special reason?"

Her eyes go wide in disbelief. "Isn't it your birthday today?"

I check my scroll for the date, ignoring the vague unease that creeps up on me. I was around eighteen and a half when I first met Ruby. Has time gone by so fast?

It's kind of funny, in some ways. The worst few months of my life were also the fastest.

"Wow. It is. How did you know?"

"Blake told me. I asked her a while back. I wanted to surprise you, so Weiss and I tried to figure out how to bake a cake to celebrate… this one's not great, but you should have seen the first one."

Suddenly, my conversation with Weiss this morning makes so much more sense. "Is that where you were earlier?" I tease. "Cuz I think Weiss almost gave it away."

"I knooooow," she pouts. "I even told her not to tell you. She would have wasted weeks and weeks of work."

"Weeks?" I mean, I know Ruby can't cook, and since Weiss has had everything given to her for probably her whole life it makes sense that she can't cook either, but really, how hard is it to make a cake?

"Yeah. We had no idea how to make one, so we had to try like a billion times, and she can only do it super early, before classes start, so it took us a long time."

"And you guys did that all for me?" I scratch the back of my neck, face suddenly warm. "Wow. Thanks so much. But, uh... why didn't you use a cookbook?"

"What's that?"

You can't be serious. "It's something that has a lot of instructions on how to cook certain dishes… they're how almost everyone learns to cook. You've never seen one?"

"Well I didn't know! You never use one, and Weiss has absolutely no clue how to cook for herself. And I don't either." The last words spill out in a sullen grumble.

"How did you figure out how to make this, then?"

"Lots of tries. Lots of tries."

I look again at the singed lump in front of me. If all they had to go on was trial and error, this is actually really impressive. "Baking is really hard to get right. I'm surprised you managed to get anything at all." I stride into the kitchen and grab a knife, two plates, and a pair of forks before setting them on our table. "Alrighty. Let's eat it!"

She tilts her head, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "Eat it? But it's… pretty terrible. I mean, just look at it."

"You two put so much work into trying to surprise me. Of course I'm going to eat it." As I cut two slices for us, it's hard not to succumb to the rush of shame. Here I thought she was avoiding me and working crazy hours, and all she was doing was trying to surprise me for my birthday. A birthday that I totally forgot about. Would I have done that for her? "Thanks so much. I can't believe you want to all the trouble."

"I wanted to make you happy," she admits softly. "I just didn't know how."

The words twist my heart like a knife, because I know I've only made it more difficult for her. "Well, you did. This is a huge surprise. I, uh, kinda forgot it was my birthday." I slide a plate of cake and a fork over to her. "I assume you want some?"

"I'm really not sure," she mutters, but the fork is in her hand in the blink of an eye. "Alright, well, here goes nothing!"

We both take a bite at the same time. A small smile blooms across her face inch by inch, and I mirror it. The cake is rough around the edges, and maybe a little burnt, and a little dense, and a little too sweet, but somehow it couldn't be any more Ruby, and it's the best thing I've eaten in a long time.

"I guess it's ok?" Ruby says.

"It's delicious," I reassure her.

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

She relaxes in her chair, and it's only then that I notice how wound up she was. Draped across the back of her seat with a goofy grin across her face, she finally feels a little more like the Ruby that I used to know. "Oh. That's good. I was really worried, you know."

"About what?"

"That I messed it up. Like usual."

"Hey. That's blatantly false. You usually learn too quickly, if anything." I take another bite. "I mean, look how much you've improved since the last time you tried cooking."

She kicks me under the table. "I thought you promised not to talk about that ever again."

I just laugh, and she kicks me again, but her grin has only grown wider.

"All right, all right," I concede. "I'm sorry. How about when it's your birthday, I'll bake you a cake to make up for it?"

The joy falls from her face, driven off by a muted melancholy she tries and fails to keep at bay. "You're gonna have to wait a while."

"Why? When is it?"

She shrugs. "A few months ago or so?"

I freeze, fork halfway to my mouth. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. It passed at Beacon." She tries to play it off, but even as dense as I might be, even I can tell she's more disappointed than she would admit.

Vague wisps of our first conversation come to my mind, propelled by her quiet reminder. "I almost forgot – well, no, I guess I did forget. You were nearly sixteen when we met, right?"

"Yep. It's alright. It's kinda just a random day, anyways."

No it's not. Not to you. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have done something. I mean, we had some free time at least."

"I didn't want to bother you. I could tell you were having a tough time."

Of course it was me. Because when I really, truly think about it, so much of what Ruby does is to try to make me happy, or make sure I'm alright, or whatever. Even if life after Beacon was awkward, even if I felt like she was avoiding me, did I ever ask her why? Or did I just assume her motivation? Because let's be real, Ruby is kind of a dork. Who takes weeks to try to bake a cake just to celebrate a birthday?

Who else tries so hard to repair a relationship even when she doesn't know how?

Blake is right. It's not about whether it's my fault, or her fault, or anybody's fault. She did her best, and sometimes she messed up, just like I tried my best, and sometimes I messed up.

She's made the first move. Now it's my turn to reciprocate.

"You're right. I was having a tough time. Thanks for looking out for me." I hesitate, grasping for the words that will set off a climax we've been delaying for as long as possible, but no smooth phrase comes to mind, no suave introduction or heartfelt poem, so I proceed the only way I know how: bumble onward and hope for the best.

Ruby and I really are a good fit in some ways, huh?

"Look, I, um… gah, I'm no good at this. I know things have been kind of awkward. Between us. And, uh, I figured that maybe we should talk about it."

She looks down at the hands she has folded on the table for a long moment. "Um… okay."

That's it? 'Um, okay?' Come on! Give me at least a little bit more encouragement. Maybe she's mad about something? Or–

No. No more assumptions. Like Blake said, just ask her. "Do you not want to?"

"No, no, I do!" she rushes to reassure me. "I just… I don't really know what to say."

"Me neither. Not too good with words. Or anything else, really."

"That makes both of us then," she sighs. "No wonder we get along. Or at least used to? Because now I don't really know if we get along, but I want to, so–" she cuts herself off as every word tumbles into the next, as if finally realizing what was coming from her mouth. "Um, never mind. Sorry– I'm really not helping, am I?"

"Don't worry. I get what you mean."

There's something about her awkward rambling that disarms the last of my reservations, and I look straight at her, finally committed like I should have been so long ago.

"Honestly, a lot of it is my fault. I'm… I'm sorry for how everything turned out."

"What do you mean?" she asks, bewildered.

"You know. Getting stuck with me, getting expelled from Beacon– I can't imagine it's what you wanted. I've been a real pain for you, haven't I?"

"No!" She denies, with such violence that plates on our table rattle in agreement. "No, you haven't, and don't you dare think that!"

I can't do anything but sit there and blink, stunned by her emphatic outburst. "Ruby?"

"It's not your fault," she continues, but some of the energy bleeds out of her, until she's half speaking, half murmuring. "You were supposed to be normal, right? So of course everything is just… nothing's fair, is it?"

"But even so, I should have been way stronger, especially for someone as powerful as you."

She shrugs. "I never cared about that."

Now that I think about it, why would she care about the strength of her partner? Only The Administration does. "What did you want, then?"

"It's kinda complicated." She muses for a while, trying to draw the words together. "When I learned I had really strong aura, and I learned what happened to people with really strong aura, I spent a lot of time wondering what my partner would be like."

"Did your image include tall, blonde, and handsome?"

She giggles, even though the joke is pathetic. "Maybe the last one."

"Good thing you got me, then. I've got handsome in spades."

She laughs. "You're okay, I guess."

"Okay?!"

"Fine, fine. A little better than okay."

"A little?!"

"Yeesh! Alright, a lot!"

"That's better."

She rolls her eyes, but the grin still hasn't left her face. "Jerk."

"Sorry. No more bad jokes or interruptions. I promise."

"No, it's fine." She quiet for a while, and when she speaks again, it's contemplative and solemn. "I guess in a lot of ways, what we have– had? I don't know– is what I really was hoping for in a partner. I just wanted someone I could joke with, be friends with, that kind of thing. Good looking was just a side bonus."

I can sense she's not finished yet, so I don't respond, instead waiting for her to continue.

"But, well, I didn't think any of it would happen. It was just a dream. Reality's more cruel."

She doesn't outright say it, but the hardship she's gone through is heavy in every word. She's still so young; barely older than my youngest sisters, but she's been through more than any of them– or I, for that matter– can even imagine.

My heart twists at the thought.

"I had a friend, back at the orphanage," Ruby continues. "She was one of the only ones older than me, so we did almost everything together. Her aura was really strong, just like mine, so as we expected, her Report assigned to be a breeder. At first, we were happy she wasn't going to be a huntress, because if she was, she would probably die, right? At least this way she would be safe."

She stops, and when the seconds drag on, I have to prompt her. "And? How's she doing?"

"I don't know," Ruby murmurs. "I haven't talked to her in… I'm not even sure. A long time. But last I heard, she hated her partner, cuz he was a total jerk. I tried contacting her again, but I couldn't find her." She stares morosely at the table, chin resting on her arms. "Being forced to fight might have been less cruel. I just hope she's fine."

"If that's what you were expecting, I can see how I might not be so bad."

"Exactly. So don't worry about not being as strong as me, or getting us kicked out of Beacon, or whatever. I don't care, and besides, it's not your fault." She turns her face away, and I barely catch her next words. "If anything, you're too nice. Way nicer than I deserve."

"Hey," I chide gently, "you shouldn't talk that way about yourself. You're one of the nicest people I know."

The corner of her lip curls into a cynical, self-deprecating smirk. "You only think that because you barely know me."

She doesn't mean it to hurt me, I know that, but it stings all the same. "You're right. I don't really know you, and that's my fault. I've done a terrible job of getting to know you better." I mean, I thought this whole time that she hated me. "But I want to do better. So please, help me out. Give me a chance, even if I don't deserve it."

She lets out a horrified gasp. "What? No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry, no, it's not you, it's just…"

"Just?" I repeat, when she trails off.

"Nevermind," she evades.

"No," I press, doing my best to be both firm as well as gentle. "Ruby, we've done nothing but dance around each other for all these months. Aren't you tired of it? Or am I the only one?"

"I am too," she admits.

"Then let's stop it. I want to get to know you for real. But that means you have to be honest with me."

"Ok," she says after a long, tense pause.

"Alright. Um, good." Despite my suave speech, my tongue is frozen in awkward silence. I just blurted out what came to mind, but now that she's agreed, I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. Should I have thought further ahead?

Wait. There is one question we really need to sort out.

"You know, there's something we should talk about." She looks as uncomfortable as I feel, so I stumble on before I can lose my nerve. "And, uh, this goes both ways, so I'm not trying to blame you or anything, but why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't," she denies, far too quickly for it to be true. Judging by the wince that follows, she realizes the mistake as well. "Mostly."

"Ruby, please," I coax.

"Maybe a little bit then."

"I thought you were doing it because you hated me for ruining your life, which made a lot of sense to me. But you say that's not it, so what is it?"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

Depends on what it is almost slips out, but I clamp down just in time. Her face is twisted into skittish unease, like she expects me to turn on her any second. Now's not the time for jokes. "Of course."

"I… I thought you hated me."

I blink. Then blink again. And again.

Nope, still not processing.

"Come again?"

"You heard me," she grumbles.

"Heard you, yes. Just not sure I heard right." I swear, if this turns out to be some long, convoluted drama where we were both avoiding each other because we were convinced the other hated us, I'm going to track a writer down and convince them to make a comedy of it. "Did something happen that made you think that?"

She shakes her head. "I guess hate isn't really the right word. At first, I just didn't know how to act after we got expelled. Everything was pretty comfortable there, right? Like I knew what I was supposed to do. Once that was gone, I had to figure everything out again. It took a while to adjust."

Took. Past tense. "But you did eventually, right?"

"I did," she agrees.

"So why did you keep staying away?"

The admission takes a long time to come, and when it does I have to strain to catch it. "I didn't want to bother you."

My brow twists into a confused frown. "Bother me? How?"

She stares a hole into our table, but even with her face averted her words punch me in the gut with all the power of a rampaging ursa. "I didn't want to force you to be around me. Because you– you don't really love me, do you?"

Oh.

So it's come to this.

No! I do!

–is what I wish I could say.

I wish this was a normal relationship, and I was a normal guy in a normal life instead of a normal guy floundering in whatever mess you want to call this, and she was just a cute girl I was interested instead of a–

Mate?

Responsibility?

Someone I've done nothing but let down?

Oh, and by the way, the most powerful girl of our generation.

But that's nothing but an idyllic dream, and when it floats away as all dreams must, cold reality is still there shoving itself in my face with all its potency.

So here's the truth, because I promised that to her, and after everything she's done for me she at least deserves me giving it my best.

Even though I wish it wasn't so–

Even though my heart roils beneath the crushing weight of the admission–

The truth is–

"No," I murmur, as gently as I can. "I'm so, so sorry, but I don't. Not in that way."

"I thought so." She looks up and drags her mouth into a weak smile, but I can see the tears behind it. "Thanks for being honest about it."

"It's absolutely not your fault. If anything, it's mine."

"For what? For being forced into a relationship with an immature kid you've never even met?" she snorts, with more cynicism than I would have expected from her. A couple tears trickle from her eyes, but she wipes them away angrily. "Not exactly something I would blame you for."

"You're not immature–"

"Just a kid?"

"You're only sixteen," I protest weakly. "You shouldn't even be eligible. Age limits exist to protect people like you."

"Not if breaking them suits the Council," she scowls, continuing her uncharacteristic bitter streak. "Laws are only for the people they don't like."

"You really don't like the Council, huh?" I wasn't exactly their greatest fan either, nor was pretty much anyone else, but we all agreed their regime was a necessary evil. At least most people got to live.

But not Ruby. Her comments painted a picture of a girl who borderline hated them. Hatred like that doesn't come from systems, or policies, or ideologies.

It's always personal.

"They're scum."

"Why? Because they forced us together?"

"Not at all. Like I said, you're great." She drums her fingers on the table, every movement an agitated twitch, silver eyes blank and unseeing, even as the setting sun casts a gloomy red glow across her face. "Did you know the Council was aware that Patch was going to be attacked?"

The sudden change in topic throws me off, but it doesn't take long for me to see where she's going. "What? Are you sure?"

"Why do you think the defending troops were all green? It was too hard to defend, too far from the mainland, so they just," she waves her fingers airily, a deceptively innocent motion against the barely suppressed fury buried in her words. "Let it go. Nothing but a cost-benefit analysis. The veterans were stationed elsewhere. If it hadn't been for so many civilians rushing to help Patch, they probably would have abandoned it entirely."

I'm sorry.

They shouldn't have.

Honestly, maybe they were right.

Thoughts rush through my head, one by one, but none of them feel right. Like they're disrespectful, inappropriate. I don't even believe half of them.

But her comments make sense, now, about why she thinks I'm too good for her. Does she hate the council? Yes. But that's not the only thing she hates.

Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

Survivor's guilt. I've heard the term tossed around. Quite regularly, in fact, with how many huntsmen die every year.

I can't imagine how bad it would be if you blamed yourself for the deaths.

"Your sister wasn't meant to be there, was she?"

Her face crumples like she's been struck, anger giving way to a grief so intense I wonder how she keeps it bottled behind that smiling mask she always wears. "Yang– you don't understand, Jaune, you would understand if you met her. She was amazing. She was just, just so strong, and smart, and always bright and radiant and–"

Before I know what I'm doing, I rush to embrace her, caught up in the moment as her voice cracks and shakes.

"–and nothing like me. I took it all from her. She died to save a weak, cowardly, stupid little fake."

"You keep calling yourself a fake," I protest, as my heart twists under her naked self hatred. "But why? You're probably one of the brightest, most genuine people I know."

"Why? Because I smile, look for the best in everything, always 'do my best?' Because I'm Little Miss Awkward, a plucky, adorable kid with a streak of bad luck?" She laughs, low and bitter, like black coffee gone bad. "I faked all that. You said you wanted to get to know me? Well here I am. Mask is gone now, because I can't stand to wear it anymore. I just wanted to get you to love me, and I figured that would be the kind of girl you'd go for. The scary part is just how easy it was."

"Ruby–"

"But I guess it didn't really work, huh? Because you don't love me. And you're right not to."

"Ruby," I interrupt, cupping her chin and forcing her to look at me. I relax my grip when she winces in pain, but only just. "Ruby, look at me."

She doesn't make eye contact, but she doesn't struggle away either, so I take it as a sign to keep going. "Listen. I don't know Yang, it's true. But even so, I know that she would be really, really proud of you."

The words are pouring out in a disorganized torrent. I barely know what I'm saying anymore; I just desperately hope they're at least half coherent, but I can't stop. Not now. I'm shaking, an unpleasant heat rushes through my body like a fevered wind, but I have to keep going. "Proud of how you keep going without complaining, even when life screws you over and I keep avoiding you. Proud of how you were so concerned about Weiss when you hurt her, proud of how you worked your butt off to stay in Beacon, or took care of a little kid in a museum; she'd even be proud of how you worked so hard to just bake a cake for my birthday. You have a lot of good traits, Ruby. Don't just ignore them."

Finally, snaps to meet my gaze, eyes blazing silver fire. "You still don't get it? I'm not a good person. I faked all of that, and–"

"No you didn't. You didn't. Nobody can fake something they're not for so long, Ruby. Your true personality will always shine through." I pause for a deep, shuddering breath. "If you were only trying to trick me into liking you, well, you succeeded. But you kept going."

"I–"

"No. Let me finish. You get your turn afterwards."

I half expect her to lash out at me, but she settles back. If anything, she feels a little calmer.

"All those things you say you're faking? I say they're real. Maybe you're right, and you have some weaknesses. Maybe you've made some mistakes. So? Who hasn't? But you don't get to only focus on the bad and ignore the good. And you have a lot of good."

"Same goes for you," she says softly. "You do the same thing."

"I guess I do."

"I'm serious. You do." She settles her head against my chest. "You… you really think all that?"

"Absolutely."

"I still think you're wrong. You can't just forgive me that easily."

"That's fine. It's not your job to think I'm right. It's my job to think I'm right."

"You make everything sound so simple."

"I've never been accused of being a complicated man."

She giggles at that. It's weak and pathetic, but it feels like the most monumental victory of my life. "Well, I'm accusing you of being a way too nice one."

"Then I guess I should live up to that." I push her away, gently, only so I can kneel so that we're face to face. I take her hands, warm and soft, and her eyes widen in surprise. "I've… well, pretty much been an idiot these past few months, what with avoiding you and all that. So here's my promise to change that."

Ruby's breakdown made me realize something. The gap between us is my fault– only, it wasn't in the way I thought it was. It wasn't because I wasn't good enough or something like that.

It's because I never gave it my all.

"I did the same."

"We both messed up. But you're wrong about yourself. Even if you're young, you're not immature. You're not a kid. And I'm sorry I ever made you feel that way."

"Then what am I?" she whispers.

"You're my wife. Even if it took me this long to accept it. And here's my promise, for what it's worth–"

Because here's the thing about mistakes. Everyone makes them. Sometimes, they're even really really bad, like hiding-from-reality-and-avoiding-your-new-wife kind of bad.

But the worse the mistake, the more you can learn from it, if you're willing.

And I am.

"I, Jaune Arc, promise to treat you that way."

A/N:

Is this where I admit I have no idea what I'm doing?

I don't do emotions, period. Not well, at least, which some people have picked up on in previous chapters. Guess what this whole chapter is?

Yup. That's why it took so long. Sorry about the wait. The last conversation in particular took forever, and I'm still not sure I like it. It's so hard to not just make it a cheese fest….

This chapter is really long at least, so that kinda makes up for it? Just don't get too used to it. Next ones will probably be shorter.

You know, when I started this story, I was aiming for 30-40k words. It was going to be a nice, relaxing side project.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Blake's pretty different than she is in canon; she's much more direct, even aggressive. My logic is that in canon, she tries to make herself the outsider in a lot of ways, too frightened to get close to anyone after breaking off with the Fang. Here, she hasn't gone through that. She still has a place and people to belong to, so she's much more open and confident.

Also, she's been friends with Jaune for a long time, so there's comfort and familiarity in that. You definitely won't be seeing her act that way with Ruby, for example.

Ruby is also completely out of character from a canon perspective… kind of. She's a more complicated character in this story. Hopefully the conversation explains some of that.

I'm open to disagreement, of course. Just let me know what you think.

Anyways, thanks so much for all the response. I never imagined this story would be so big!

See you guys next time.