Jaune awoke to a warm sensation at his back, fluttering his eyes open lazily to take in his surroundings. He found Neptune's arms were still wrapped tightly around his torso, not daring to let go. It took him but a moment to realize his position, before he was fully awake in seconds and could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. His heart began pounding thunderously in his chest from the sheer nerves of being in such close contact with Neptune.

"Good morning," Neptune spoke in a grainy tone of voice, nuzzling deeper into Jaune's back. "Sleep well?"

Jaune gulped silently, not wanting to give himself away. "Y-yeah, I slept great, actually," he said softly. "Thank you for, uh; this."

Neptune pulled Jaune in closer, causing his blush to deepen. "Anytime," he volunteered. "Did you want to get up?"

"It's okay, this is fine. It's… nice actually. Really nice." Jaune replied with a sly smile.

"Mm," Neptune mumbled, nuzzling his face deep into Jaune's back. "You smell nice."

It took everything in Jaune's power not to squeal like a prepubescent child, but he didn't refrain from smiling even wider at that statement. His cheeks were flushed with red and his eyes crinkled in pure happiness. "Thanks," he said simply. "You do too."

They laid there for a while longer, both of them falling in and out of sleep in the company of one another, before Jaune decided to flip over and face Neptune. Turning over, he was met with Neptune's deep blue eyes staring back into his own, their strong facial features ever present. Jaune could see the light freckles scattered across his cheeks and nose, his plump lips drawing on his attention. Neptune smiled at him shyly as they laid there, face to face, and Jaune caught himself staring as he counted the freckles scattered across his nose.

Jaune wasn't sure what possessed him to say his next words, but he wasn't at all disappointed when he did. "Neptune?" He said hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"You're really beautiful, you know that?" Jaune whispered, reaching out and placing a tender hand to Neptune's cheek.

Neptune blushed at that. "Oh," he breathed. "Thank you, Jaune. You too."

His hand found its way up to Jaune's, holding it gently against his own cheek as they held eye contact, neither one of them daring to break it. Jaune shuffled a little closer to Neptune, and he returned the favor, now they were mere centimeters away from one another's faces. They could feel each other's breath against their lips, and Jaune wanted nothing more at that moment than to kiss Neptune.

A gentle knocking came from the door before he could get the chance. "Hey, Neptune, are you awake yet?" Oscar's soft voice came from the other side.

Jaune froze for a second, still not breaking eye contact with Neptune. "Yeah, Oscar!" Neptune called, turning his head to face the don't and causing Jaune to inwardly sigh. "What is it?"

"It's Sun, he's here to talk to you." Oscar explained.

"Okay, I'll be right out," Neptune told him, rolling over to face Jaune again. "Duty calls."

He placed a swift kiss on Jaune's forehead and hopped over him, opening the door and strolling leisurely out into the hall past Oscar, who looked in at Jaune and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing in Neptune's room? And better yet, his bed?" He asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"Oh, you know," Jaune replied shyly. "Just hanging out."

"Mhm, now that I think about it, you two sure have been spending an awful lotta time together," Oscar teased with a smirk. "Interesting."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing, just an observation. Anyway, Ren is making pancakes if you want breakfast." And with that, he swirled around on the heel of his foot, strolling leisurely back into the living room.

Jaune plopped his head back down into the pillow with a soft groan. "How embarrassing." He whispered to himself.

It took about ten more minutes for Jaune to work up the energy to get out of Neptune's bed, sighing dejectedly as he left behind Neptune's strong smell. When he walked into the living room, Sun and Neptune were seated at the dining room table speaking in somewhat hushed voices. He didn't want to be too nosey, but Jaune could hear talk every other word or so and picked up the words "outskirts" and "reconnaissance" as he went to grab a plate of food.

Neptune glanced at him with a shy smile, and Sun waved at him as he entered, raising a brow at Neptune as he noticed his face. Jaune hadn't seen Sun in years at this point, he hadn't changed a bit, still walking around with tattered sneakers and an unbuttoned shirt to show off his chiseled abs.

"Hey Jaune," he greeted him. "Long time no see!"

"Hi Sun, yeah, it's definitely been a while. How have you been?" Jaune inquired.

"Oh, you know, alright. Just doing leader things." He explained, causing Neptune to roll his eyes in what looked to be annoyance.

Yeah, sure. Jaune thought, knowing Sun those leader things he mentioned probably consisted of abandoning his team for extended periods of time and not sending so much as an "I'm still alive" text. To Jaune's knowledge, Sun was not always the best leader. He claims to care about his team, but in Jaune's opinion, he certainly had a funny way of showing it.

Jaune finished making his plate and took his seat on the couch next to Ren and Nora, while Oscar sat on the floor with his legs crossed, studying the program on the TV closely. Nora was looking through the details of the briefing on her scroll, looking up to ask questions every so often. It was nice for Jaune to be surrounded by people again, he felt at ease.

"Jaune," Ren said, causing him to look up from his plate of food. "About the mission, Nora and I think it would be best if we all went together instead of splitting up."

It wasn't a surprise to Jaune why they would want to stay together, after all, they had just gotten their leader back after weeks of mourning their friends they'd thought to have perished. Jaune sighed inwardly for the second time. "I don't know, you guys. Theo said it could be beneficial for us to work in units instead of a group." He explained.

"We get that," Nora spoke up. "It's just that… we just got you back, Jaune. What if something happens? What if you need us, and we're not there?"

"I'll be there," Neptune cut in, appearing behind Jaune and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Fear not, you two. I won't let anything happen to your brave and selfless leader. You have my word."

Nora and Ren exchanged a look before Nora let out a shaky sigh. "Okay, Neptune, we trust you. Just… make sure you call us at the first sign of trouble."

Jaune reach out and took both his teammates' hands in his own, a tender expression set upon his face. "I will, I promise," he said softly. "I'll always make it back to you guys."

They smiled at that, both leaning in to give him a tight hug as Neptune beamed at them happily. "Aren't you guys just the sweetest." He teased, causing Jaune to roll his eyes playfully.

"Oh, shut up." He joked, playfully shoving him away and earning a cheerful giggle.

Neptune wrapped back around into the kitchen area where Sun was sitting, nodding his head intently at something Sun had uttered to him. Yang came strolling into the living area a few seconds later, rubbing sleep from her eyes and mumbling a groggy greeting to everyone, before continuing into the kitchen and beginning to make a plate of breakfast. "It's so bright in here," she complained. "Oh, hey Sun. When did you get back?"

"Hey Yang, I just got back last night, actually," he explained. "Where's Blake?"

Yang took a bite out of one of her syrup drenched pancakes, taking a seat on the couch next to Jaune. "Still sleeping, she should be awake soon though."

"I heard you two are dating now?"

Yang shot him a smug smirk. "Sure are."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Sun exclaimed, wiggling his tail ever so slightly. "I knew you guys could do it."

"Thanks," Yang said through a swallow. "It took a while, but we made it work."

"Happy for you guys. Look, I've actually gotta run, but I'll be back a bit later. Gotta go check in with Scarlet and Sage. They're probably still seething at me," he trailed, placing a hand on the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Hm," Neptune hummed, rolling his eyes with a slight scowl. "I wonder why."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Bad leader, gods, I said I was sorry."

"Whatever, Sun. I'll meet up with you later tonight to go over that thing you mentioned."

Thing? What thing? Jaune thought. He wasn't sure why he was all of a sudden so interested in whatever those two had going on, but something kept prodding his gut with an urge to find out. He guessed he'd just have to ask Neptune about it when they were alone, as not to put a spotlight on him in front of the whole group. Though he was sure he wasn't the only one whose curiosity had peaked.

"Okay, Neps," Sun agreed. Neps? Jaune had never head him call Neptune that before and quite frankly, he wasn't too fond of it. "I'll shoot you a text when I'm done meeting with the boys. Catch you guys later!"

With that, Sun stood up, swiveling on his heels toward the door and strolling out into the hot desert air. The group ate breakfast silently for the most part, watching some silly cartoons Oscar had put on the TV and giving the occasional commentary. Neptune had plopped down on the couch with the rest of them as more of the house began to trickle in.

"So, is everyone clear on where they'll be going?" Ruby asked, taking a seat on the ground next to Oscar.

"Crystal," answered Blake. "Yang and I will take the street near Starr's dojo, stationing on the rooftops to keep an eagle's eye on everything below."

Yang nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard, after all, if push comes to shove we won't be too far from Jaune and Neptune." She explained.

"Right," Neptune cut in. "And Jaune and I will take the abandoned warehouse just east of the dojo."

"Ren and I will be on the bridge west of Shade," Nora said warily. "That also means we won't be in range to help right away should anything happen."

"Don't worry," Oscar urged. "Emerald and I will be around too, patrolling the lower, slummy parts of the city."

Ren and Nora shared a worried look again. Jaune didn't blame them, they were scared of something happening to their leader again, and he hated that. After all, as a leader it was his responsibility to look after them first and here he was splitting up to charge blindly into what could be certain death.

Jaune reached out and placed a gentle hand on Ren's shoulder, meeting his worried eyes. "Hey," he cooed. "I'll be alright. I'll have Neptune with me, we'll protect each other, and I need you guys to do the same."

Ren studied him for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, okay, just promise you'll be careful, okay?" He pleaded.

"I promise," Jaune confirmed. "I promise I'll be careful, plus we might not even have anything to worry about. Tyrian and Mercury may not even be in the city for all we know."

"Don't you think it's a little naive to think that, though?" Blake interjected. "Considering what happened in Atlas, I'd think it's safe to assume they're probably here."

Weiss looked a bit dejected at the mention of her home kingdom. "Blake is right," she said, her eyes lingering on something that wasn't quite present. "I don't think they would skulk about on the outskirts of the city, Salem, and her goons have always tried to stay one step ahead, and usually they're pretty good at doing so."

"I think it's best that we keep our guards up," stated Ruby, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I don't want us wandering in thinking we're in the clear, that's how people end up hurt or worse, dead."

Jaune raised a thumb to his mouth, biting his nail anxiously. His friends were right, this wasn't a matter he could afford to be careless with, especially now that he was going with Neptune. No more death, he thought to himself. No more losses.

Neptune noticed his shift in posture and placed a comforting hand on his wrist, rubbing gentle circles into it. Jaune lowered his hand and met his fierce gaze, nodding his head in understanding. They would protect each other.

Nightfall came quicker than expected, the group had split off to their respective post whilst Jaune and Neptune approached the dingy, broken down warehouse they were stationed to. It was dark and musty, the floors were tattered and uneven, the ceiling dripped murky water and Neptune covered his nose as they stepped inside,

"Ugh," he groaned quietly. "It smells like shit."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed with a breathy laugh. "It really does, be careful, this is where those bodies were found."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, Theodore said they'd found them here, I'm sure the stains are still around too."

"Well, that would explain the rancid odor," Neptune muttered, shuddering slightly. "I'll take the upstairs, you check here, and we can meet in the basement."

Neptune began stalking toward the stairs when Jaune reached out and grabbed his wrist firmly, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned to face him, and his face softened at the sight of Jaune's anxious look. "I don't like the idea of us splitting up," Jaune whispered. "What if someone is here? What if–"

"Jaune," Neptune interrupted. "I can handle myself. Plus, we'll get out of this place a lot quicker if we split up to cover more ground. This place is pretty big."

And while that may have been true, it certainly didn't make Jaune worry any less. Nonetheless, he let go of Neptune's wrist hesitantly and with a shaky sigh. "I know, I know," he said. "It's just… I don't know."

Neptune turned to fully face him now, bringing both hands up, one cupping Jaune's face gently while the other lay firm on his shoulder. "Don't worry, at the first sign of danger I'll call you, okay?" He assured, their eyes both locked firmly on the other's.

Jaune nodded hesitantly. "Y-yeah," he sighed. "Okay."

Neptune gave him a shy smile before turning back toward the run-down stairs, stalking up them and leaving a steady pattern of creaks and moans in his wake. Jaune continued through the warehouse alone, observing his surroundings warily. The air was heavy and full of dust, moonlight shined in through the cracks and holes in the ceiling and walls. Wiping a hand across a large glass-topped table, he felt a thick layer of dust coat his gloved hand before wiping it away on his dark blue pants.

He approached the stairs leading down into the basement of the old building and jogged down silently, carefully, as not to fall through the broken steps. The pungent smell that had coated the middle level grew cumbersome on his nose as he reached the bottom floor, a small glimpse of the deep shade of red was almost enough to make Jaune spill his lunch. Blood stained the brick walls of the basement level, dried and browning, causing Jaune to reel his head in disgust as he fell back, landing ass-first on the creaky steps.

"Jaune!?" Shouted Neptune from above him, and he heard his heavy boots thumping against crying wood as he made his way down. Within seconds, he was at Jaune's side, his hand once again coming to cup Jaune's face, peering back into his wide eyes with pearly orbs of deep blue. "What's wrong? What happened? And what is that sm–"

Jaune didn't speak, and Neptune could tell he was looking past him, not at him. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the spot that Jaune kept his eyes cemented on. Amidst the blood hung a bloody, mangled corpse, pinned to the walls by the hands and feet of the person that they once were. Its mouth hung open, a small box shaped object with a blinking light of red sat neatly placed atop its bottom row of bloodied teeth.

Neptune gasped, almost falling onto Jaune before catching himself on the metal stair railing. His eyes grew wide and suddenly there was a strange beeping emitting from the small black box. It wasn't long before Neptune was tugging him by his forearm, up the stairs and through the dusty warehouse, in a sprint. They burst through the rotting wooden doors, Neptune dragging Jaune close behind as he focused on not tripping over himself.

Once they were a good set of meters away, Neptune released Jaune's arm, falling to the desert sand on his hands and knees as he gasped for air. "Jaune, are you ok–"

He couldn't finish before a thunderous, booming explosion rang out from the warehouse they had just narrowly escaped. Jaune's ears were ringing from the blast that rendered him on his backside next to Neptune. He felt hands on either side of his face, but his vision had gone blurry, and he couldn't think straight. Neptune was speaking to him now, shouting even, but to no avail; Jaune couldn't hear a word he was saying through his induced state of panic.

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay? Jaune, talk to me, are you alright!?" Neptune's voice came in distorted and low.

A beeping came from Jaune's back pocket, Neptune saw he was too disoriented to process what was going on and reached around to pull out his scroll, answering it with shaky hands. "Jaune!?" A voice called from the other end, and Jaune wasn't sure who it belonged to.

"It's me, Blake, Jaune's right here, but he's a bit shaken up." Neptune explained frantically.

"What happened!? We saw the explosion from the roof; we're on our way now." A deeper voice spoke, and Jaune could tell it was Yang.

"It was Tyrian! He came back to the warehouse, he planted an explosive in a corpse on the wall, there was a message written in blood I– I–" Neptune was frantic and stuttering now.

"Calm down, we're on our way! I've already alerted the others," Blake soothed. "Stay with Jaune and make sure he's alright, see you in a little."

There was a clicking as the call went dead, Jaune was still very much in a state of shock and had only now registered Neptune's hands removing his top later of armor from his chest. He placed his right hand on Jaune's chest over his heart, cupping his face tenderly with his left.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, bad-dum

Jaune could hear his own heart beating prominently in his chest, loud in his ears. Neptune brought his right hand up to mirror his left, gently rubbing circles in Jaune's cheeks as he spoke. "Hey, I'm here," he cooed, his voice soft like cotton. "I'm with you. Listen to the sound of my voice, Jaune."

Jaune tried to speak, but the words simply wouldn't come out. "I…" He croaked.

"That's it, just take your time, you're okay. We're okay."

"Neptune…" He trailed, still dazed and confused.

"I'm here, just hold o– hey! Hey, Jaune!" He shouted, his hands not moving from Jaune's face as tears slowly fell from his eyes, landing on Jaune's lightly sanded cheeks.

Jaune felt the world around him retreating from his vision, the last thing he saw being Neptune's distraught face and teary eyes. Then nothing, as everything faded black and retreated into oblivion.