It wasn't long before the next day arrived and Jaune found himself getting ready for his date with Neptune. He sat in the bathroom atop the closed lid of the toilet, buttoning his silk white dress shirt frantically and unevenly, overcome with a sense of nervousness to be going out on a proper date with Neptune. He heard the clicking of heeled feet at the doorway and knew it was Weiss.

"So, you and Neptune, huh?" She asked, leaning against the door frame with a smirk. "Can't say I ever saw it coming, but I also can't say I'm surprised."

"Weiss," he said, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "So Blake told you, huh?"

"She didn't have to," she said, stepping into the bathroom and moving his hands away from his collar as she began tying his tie herself. "I could tell by the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. I was just waiting for you to be ready to say something. You're going to have to rebutton this shirt, by the way, it looks a mess."

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome," she said mockingly, a small smile still pressed firmly upon her lips. "Who would have thought the guy I was chasing after in high school and the guy who chased after me would end up going for each other?"

"It is weird, isn't it?" He pondered as she finished tying his tie, stepping back to get a good look at him.

"Not really," she stated, a small smile on her lips. "I think it's sweet, actually. I could honestly tell you had a thing for boys in blue back in Atlas, you know, by the way Flynt made you all nervous and stuttery?"

"Hey, he did not make me stutter!" Jaune stammered, looking away in shame. "Okay, maybe a little bit, but the guy's a god. I mean, have you seen that jawline?"

"Oh, and don't even get me started on the way he dresses," Weiss agreed. "He may have not liked me very much at first, but I've always thought he was, to say the least, very dashing. Didn't he ask you out?"

"Well, yeah, once. We went out to eat, but it wasn't really romantic, at least, I don't think it was."

"Let's face it, Jaune, he probably likes you, but we all know you're terrible at picking up on signs." Weiss teased as he unbuttoned and rebuttoned his shirt.

"Listen, I've gotten a lot better. It doesn't matter now, Flynt's awesome, but I'm with Neptune now."

"You have two hands," Weiss pointed out, making a pointed motion and placing a hand on her hip. "Anyway, Neptune is upstairs getting ready in the master bathroom, if you were wondering."

"What, that's it? You're just gonna come and help me fix my tie, make fun of me and then leave?" He questioned her, his brow raised slightly as she walked back toward the door.

She spun around and got another good look at him. "You look great," she stated. "Which means my job is done, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't step out of here looking like a clown for the person you want to impress."

"Oh, well, thank you, Weiss. I appreciate it, really."

She smiled at him softly. "Anytime, come find me when you guys get done with your date. I want to know all the details." She told him, and then she was gone, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors as she went.

Weiss had become a great friend to him over the years. It was surreal to him that the girl he once pined over in his scraggly youth had become such a pillar of support for him during his last moments in the Ever After. From a silly boyhood crush to one of his best friends and a member of his found family, he shuddered a bit when he thought back to the days he crushed on her. In truth, now to him, all of Team RWBY felt like his own sisters, and he wouldn't trade that for the world.

He finished buttoning his shirt, stepping in front of the mirror to get a good look at himself. His hair was slightly gelled, pushing his blonde and white locks closer together neatly. He adjusted his tie and grabbed his jacket off the hanger on the door, throwing it on in one swift motion. Exiting the bathroom, flattening his jacket and wiping down his black dress pants with nervous hands, he made his way up the stairs to the second level of Neptune's home. Jaune had never been upstairs until now, and he was pleasantly met with a room full of different activities from painting to foosball, scattered around the large area atop the steps.

There was a shuffling coming from down the hall where a door was open, a small beam of light escaping the cracked doorway. Jaune made his way down the hall to the door, stepping in front of it with a gentle knock. "Who's that?" Neptune's voice came from the other side of the door.

"It's me, Neptune, can I come in?" Jaune asked nervously, his anxiety making itself painfully apparent.

"Not just yet, just… stay there for a second," Neptune told him, his voice a bit shaky and Jaune could tell her was nervous too, which made him feel a little bit at ease. "I'm almost ready."

There were a few shuffles from behind the door followed by silence, Jaune shifted uncomfortably in his spot, tapping the toes of his shoe into the hardwood floor. Neptune pulled the door open slowly, and Jaune could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he got a full view of his beauty. Neptune wore a deep blue suit, his shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar, showing off just a bit of his upper chest, the gold buttons of his blue jacket gleamed from the bright light of the bathroom. He tapped his dark blue shoes into the tile of the bathroom floor and struck a flamboyant pose.

"How do I look?" He asked, his eyes slightly darkened around the lids from his subtle blackish-blue eyeliner.

Jaune was completely enamored and barely able to speak as his eyes held onto Neptune's dapper appearance. "Oh– wow, you look, um, y– wow," Jaune stammered, feeling his knees almost give way under him as Neptune stepped into his personal space, wrapping his arms around his neck. "You look amazing."

"Mm, that's what I was hoping you'd say," he whispered, leaning in to place a swift kiss on Jaune's parted lips. "You're not too bad yourself."

Jaune's mind was racing with images now, he got a glimpse into the past of he and Neptune on the balcony during the night of the Beacon Dance. He remembered the way Neptune shied away from him at the admission of him being unable to dance, how he'd put up a front all those years ago. This person standing before him is who Neptune truly was all along, bold, beautiful, intelligent, and kind. This is who Jaune was falling for so rapidly that his own mind could barely keep up.

"Jaune?" Neptune called, causing to shake his head and draw from his thoughts. Neptune had already retreated towards the stairs, his hand sliding softly across the wooden railing. "Are you coming?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry," Jaune said, speed walking to catch up. "I hope you're ready, I called ahead last night and made sure to get the best seats in the house."

"I like the sound of that." Neptune smirked, grabbing his hand and leading him down the stairs.

They walked out into the living room, drawing the eyes of the group that consisted of Ren, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Oscar. All of which turned to look at them in awe and shock, presumably at their attire. "Whoa, what's with the fancy outfits?" Oscar asked. "You two going on a date or something?"

"Yeah, actually," Jaune said, his hand still tight in Neptune's and drawing all the eyes in the room as he swung both of their hands in an outward motion of showcase, "We are."

Silence; and suddenly Yang was the first to speak. "Finally!" She exclaimed, launching off the couch in a triumphant raising of arms. She turned to Nora, "You owe me twenty Lien."

"Damn it!" Nora cursed. "I was sure it would take a little longer than this."

"I knew it wouldn't be too long before you both realized," Blake said. "It was only a matter of time,"

"Yeah, I'm honestly surprised it took you this long, you guys have been making googly eyes at each other since we got back to Remnant," Ruby explained, a smile wide on her lips. "Congrats though."

"I'm proud of you guys," said Ren. "Though I'm with Nora on thinking it would take a little longer, considering Jaune's history of noticing romantic social cues."

"Hey!" Jaune whined, looking at Neptune, who was giggling slightly. "Wait a minute, so you all knew we'd be getting together?"

"I didn't," Oscar said. "This is news to me, though I had my suspicions when you guys disappeared into Neptune's room after movie night."

"Oh, you were awake for that, huh?" Neptune asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I might have heard you guys sneak off. Anyway, I think it's pretty awesome, so, good for you guys."

Jaune smiled at his friends, all looking at him brightly and showing their utmost support, he felt a tear forming in one of his eyes and wiped it away with his free hand. "Thanks, guys, you have no idea how much this means to me, really."

"Enough of the sappy stuff!" Yang shouted, her smile still wide. "You guys need to go, or you'll be late, am I wrong? You deserve this, so go and have a good night, we'll be here to gush about it later."

Jaune checked his scroll in his shirt pocket. "Oh, crap! She's right, if we don't get a move on, we'll miss the reservation!"

"Well, what are we standing around for?" Neptune said, pulling Jaune eagerly toward the door by his arm. "We'll be back around midnight, don't wait up!"

Jaune glanced back to see the group still smiling at them. He exchanged a quick look with Blake, who sent him a small wave with a genuine smile on her lips, and he felt a surge of gratitude, remembering what she had told him. Neptune hauled Jaune down the sandstone pathway through a main road in the city, smiling happily as he did, Jaune smiling right behind him as he let himself be dragged along. He could tell how excited his partner was by the way it radiated off of him in waves, like his aura had been amplified tenfold just by being with Jaune and that made him happy.

"I've never been out to eat at a restaurant as fancy as Opal's," Neptune told him as they trotted down the path together, smiling happily at citizens and fellow students as they passed. "Can you tell I'm excited?"

"Pfft, excited? No, I had no idea, I thought you were just smiling like a crazy person and pulling me along by my arm just because," Jaune mused, Neptune turning around to face him with a raised brow. "What?"

"You think you're so funny, don't you?"

"I've been told I'm quite silly, actually."

Neptune rolled his eyes, still smiling. "I'm just really happy to be here, doing this with you. Especially, you know, after we almost died the other night."

"And I'm happy to be here with you," he replied, smiling back at him. "Come on, let's keep going, we're almost there."

They continued down the path, hand in hand, as they finally approached a large neon sign that had the words "Opal's Bar and Diner" shining boldly into the night. "Wow," Neptune gasped in awe. "It's so pretty, I've never seen the sign lit up like this up close."

"Haven't you been in Vacuo for a while? And you've never come to see the sign up close like this?" Jaune questioned.

"I don't go out much alright, most of the time I was going on missions with Sun, Scarlet, Sage, and Team CFVY, not fancy diners or bars. After Beacon fell, things around here were pretty rough. Vacuo had a whole conspiracy theory thing going on, people going missing, that sort of thing." Neptune explained.

"That sounds… interesting, you'll have to tell me more about it sometime, maybe over dinner tonight?"

"Maybe, but to be honest, it's not something I much like to revisit. Very stressful for me overall, not gonna lie."

"I get it, come on, let's head inside before they give our table away."

"Right behind you, brave knight." Neptune said, making Jaune smile and letting him take the lead.

Jaune strolled into the large lobby of the restaurant, his eyes darting around the large establishment in awe, he was not expecting the fanciness that was on display all around him. Large chandeliers hung around the establishment, perfectly positioned to divide light equally throughout the room, elegantly, beautifully. Jaune looked at Neptune to see him in absolute astonishment at the sight before them, before stepping up to the host stand and being greeted by a long brown haired woman in uniform.

"Hello," the woman spoke in a soft, elegant tone of voice. "Welcome to Opal's, I do hope you enjoy your time here and that our service is to your utmost liking. Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh, yes, a table for Vasilias-Arc?" Jaune supposed, trying to sneak a peek at the monitor on the host stand, in which the hostess had her eyes fixed on closely.

"Vasilias-Arc, huh?" Neptune asked, causing Jaune to blush subtly. "I like the sound of that."

Jaune almost choked on his own spit, that was a good thing, right? The hostess placed a finger to the monitor, scrolling as she squinted closely. "Hm, Vasilias-Arc, Vasilias-Arc, ah! Here you are, yes, a table for two, and quite a special one at that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Neptune questioned, and the hostess glanced at Jaune.

"Don't worry, you're about to see," he said, smirking. "I told you, I want this to be special."

Neptune's face flushed and his eyes widened a bit at Jaune's words. "Alright," the hostess said, grabbing two menus from the underside of her post and gesturing for them to follow. "Right this way, please."

They followed closely behind her as she led them through the restaurant, leading them up to the second floor through rows of tables filled with posh and polished guests. Finally, the hostess brought them to a large glass door in the back of the top floor framed with black and gold outline, leading outside to the large balcony where there sat a few round tables. Neptune was in shock at how beautiful a view they had as they were led to their respective seating.

There were a few more tables spread out across the balcony that held a couple of quiet guests enjoying their meals and the company of one another. The hostess places their menus on the table in the middlemost part of the balcony, pushed up against the railing that separates them from the large view of Vacuo city, the lights of the city dancing beautifully.

"Holy shit, Jaune," Neptune gasped as he looked out onto the cityscape. "This is… this is gorgeous."

Again, Jaune felt himself entrapped by Neptune's beauty, his heart pounding hard in his chest at the satisfaction of Neptune's wonder. He loved it, Neptune loved what Jaune had done for him, and that alone was enough to make Jaune's heart so happy it could burst.

"Do you like it?" Jaune asked, already knowing the answer.

"Do I–" Neptune cut himself off, leaping forward to embrace Jaune tightly, his arms wrapped firm around his neck. "I fucking love it, Jaune."

The hostess was smiling at them as they separated. "Your waiter will be with you shortly, I trust you're satisfied with the view?" She asked.

"I'm more than satisfied, thank you," Neptune replied, causing her to bow in acceptance before turning to return to her post. "You didn't have to do all this for me, Jaune, really I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Jaune said, pulling the seat out next to Neptune and gesturing for him to sit. "You just enjoy this night with me, that's all I could ever ask for."

Neptune smiled at him with glistening eyes, rubbing them as he took a seat, letting Jaune push his chair in. Jaune took his seat across from Neptune with a smile plastered across his face, his cares feeling lifted from his shoulders for the first time in what felt like a millennium. This was bliss, just being here with Neptune, able to enjoy and bask in his happiness as it exudes so prominently all around him.

"How did you even get these seats? I know this wasn't cheap," Neptune pointed out, still looking out onto the city, its lights shining brightly as airships floated far overhead. "This is so insane."

"I don't think that words can express how grateful I am to know you, Neptune," Jaune said hesitantly, not wanting to move too fast, but not wanting to downplay his feelings either. "So I had to show you."

"Well, consider your gratitude expressed, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, Jaune."

"Really? I have a hard time believing that someone as amazing as you hasn't always had people dying to take you out, to treat you like royalty," Jaune said, placing his hand on Neptune's. "You deserve nice things."

A single tear slid down Neptune's cheek as he listened to Jaune's honeyed words escape his lips. Jaune brought his hand to Neptune's face across the table, cupping it lightly in his palm and wiping a finger over his tear stained cheek. "Did I say something wrong?" Jaune faltered with a frown.

"No, it's the opposite, actually. You're saying all the right things," Neptune choked, his lips quirking into a smile. "I'm so happy right now, I could pass out."

"Well, please don't do that, we still have to order food and, you know, enjoy the rest of the night," Jaune stated, chuckling lightly and Neptune followed suit. "Passing out would definitely put a damper on that."

Neptune's smile grew wider, and he felt his heart flutter a bit in his chest. "You know, you're probably right."

Just then, an elderly man dressed in the establishment's formal attire strolled up to their table elegantly. "Hello, my name is Sybil, and I'll be your waiter for the evening," he explained. "Might I get you fine gentlemen started with some drinks?"

"Yes, thank you," Jaune said. "I'll have the Opal's special iced tea, please."

"And I'll take a honeydew springer." Neptune told him.

"Very well," he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a pen and writing their orders down on a small notepad. "Anything to eat or do you need more time?"

"I think I'll have the crispy chicken salad with bacon and egg," Neptune decided. "Ranch, please."

"Excellent choice, and you sir?" He turned to Jaune.

"Uh, hm, I guess I'll do the shrimp kebabs with lemon pepper, that sounds nice." Jaune guessed, shrugging his shoulders. "That's all for now, I think."

Neptune nodded in agreement.

"Very good, I'll be right back with your drinks." He gave them a slight nod before turning swiftly toward the door, disappearing back into the restaurant.

"I'm excited," Neptune said, bouncing slightly in his seat. "Everything on the menu looks delicious, I could hardly decide, so I went with something basic, silly me."

"I feel you on that, I honestly was thinking about getting the house burger, but that thing looks gigantic. I don't know if my stomach could handle it, if I'm to be one hundred percent honest," Jaune admitted. "Also, you're vibrating."

Neptune calmed his bouncing, causing him and Jaune to fall into a fit of giggles. "Sorry, can't help myself, this is so awesome."

"I'm glad I could do something nice for you."

"You do something nice for me every day," Neptune confessed, placing his hand on top of Jaune's. "Just by being around."

Jaune smiled back at him shyly, and Neptune continued. "You know, in the days we thought that you and Team RWBY had died, I would go to visit your memorials at the Weeping Wall and think back to the days at Beacon. Even though we barely knew each other back then, you helped me a lot, you have no idea. I was always so scared to be myself, always hiding who I was in Sun's shadow, never truly spreading my wings to be who I wanted to be. I'd cry because I never got the chance to properly thank you for that night at the dance. It seems so silly now, now that you're here in front of me and I can reach out to touch you like this. Words can't describe how thankful I am for you, Jaune, really. I feel like, when I'm with you, that I can finally be my true self, I can finally breathe easy knowing I'm accepted for the real me."

Jaune was stunned by Neptune's words, and he felt his eyes beginning to gloss over, tears forming calmly at his lower lids, this was it, now was the time. He had to tell Neptune just how much he felt for him. He couldn't wait any longer, not when Neptune was opening up to him like this, like a book whose pages had been flung open by a gust of wind.

Jaune's breath hitched in his throat, and he felt himself choke up a little at the thought of uttering the words aloud. Neptune's gaze was still heavy on him, not rushing his next words, simply awaiting them like he could feel all of Jaune's thoughts. "Neptune," he began, his voice a mere whisper. "I'm not sure how to say what I'm thinking, I just know that it terrifies me, but I want you to know."

"What is it, Jaune?" He asked, a small smile at his lips and his brows drawn together sympathetically, wondering.

"I don't know where to begin, so I'll just come right out and say it…" he trailed. "Neptune Vasilias, I think I–"

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out from behind the glass door, inside the restaurant. Jaune stood from the table with a quickness, as did Neptune. The guests of the surrounding tables had all looked up from their meals, ceasing conversation as well to look toward the door.

Silence.

More silence.

It felt like hours had passed, but it had only been a few seconds, and then came another scream followed by the shattering of what sounded like several glasses. The body of a man was sent flying through the glass door, crashing into Jaune and Neptune's table, sending it and the lifeless body of the man flying over the railing and onto the ground far below. Neptune sprang into action first, whipping out his scroll and presumably summoning Tri-Hard from its locked box at his home. Jaune did the same for his own weapons.

A tall, slender man with gray hair and heavy metallic boots stepped forward through the broken door frame, glass cracking beneath his feet.

"Mercury." Jaune growled, stepping into a fighting stance with Neptune at his side.

"Been a while, Blondie," he said with a smug smirk. "Now tell me, where are the rest of your little friends? We'd love to say hello."

"We?" Neptune questioned, and various other screams were heard from inside as Grimm rampaged throughout the establishment, maniacal laughter ringing out from inside followed by the sound of slashing. Tyrian was here too. "Oh."

"Damn it!" Jaune shouted. "What the hell are you guys doing!?"

"What does it look like? Just causing a bit of a ruckus, you see, unlike Atlas when it was he and Watts, Tyrian and I like to approach things a bit… differently," Mercury explained. "While we technically were going to keep up a more subtle approach, Tyrian can only go so long without causing a bit of chaos, and I've got to say I'm with him on that. Gets boring skulking in the shadows."

"If you're trying to be intimidating, you're failing miserably, you half-wit twink," Neptune spat, and Jaune resisted the urge to laugh among the chaos. "You really think you can just waltz into our city and do as you please? Soon enough, the military and every huntsman and huntress in Vacuo will be here, right on top of your head."

"Oh, don't be so sure about that," Mercury said, still smirking. "I think they have their hands full with other things right about now."

"Wha–" Jaune's scroll rang in his hand before he could ask, Ruby's name and picture flashing across the screen as he picked it up. "Rub–"

"Jaune!" She shouted, cutting him off. "There's a massive horde of Grimm attacking the academy! Where are you and Neptune right now? We could use all the help we can get."

"Shit! Ruby, it's Tyrian and Mercury, they're here at Op–" before he could finish his scroll was knocked from his hand. The glass shattered onto the balcony as he looked up to see Mercury's leg raised, the bottom of his boot smoking slightly.

"Oops, can't have that, can we?" And he rocketed towards them, the guests all around them had scattered, making their ways back into the restaurant while trying to avoid the swarm of Blind Worms and ducking the clawed attacks of Ravagers. People were dying left and right, and Jaune and Neptune could do nothing about it.

Mercury's right leg came down hard on Jaune's forearm from above as he blocked a powerful dropkick, Neptune sweeping at his left to knock him off balance, which did not work in his favor. Mercury's leg was as hard as steel under the force of Neptune's kick, causing him to draw back in a wince. The gray-haired villain sprang backward, flipping and sending a powerful kick to Jaune's chin, knocking him back onto the railing.

"Don't tell me this is all you two are good for," he mocked, shifting his feet under him in a two-step motion. "I'm so disappointed."

Before he could move in for another attack, Neptune's weapon locker, followed by Jaune's, landed hard on the balcony, nearly crushing him as he jumped back towards the glass door. Neptune grabbed Tri-Hard from its place, and with one swift motion, shifted it from a rifle to a guandao. He blitzed Mercury fast, Jaune following closely behind with his shield drawn, and Crocea Mors held tightly in hand. They moved in sync, a slash of Jaune's sword, then a stab of Neptune's guandao, Mercury dodged and dipped carefully, looking for a moment to counterattack.

He was at a disadvantage in a two on one, but it wasn't long before Neptune was sent sliding across the balcony at the whip of a metallic tail, followed by a grunt of pain. "Neptune!" Jaune cried out, almost looking away.

"Keep your head in the game!" Mercury's foot hit him heavy in his suited chest, blasting him back with the firing mechanism of his Talaria. "You're too busy worrying about your boyfriend that you couldn't dodge such a direct attack, tsk, tsk, tsk. Do better, Blondie."

Before he could even stand up, Tyrian and Mercury were springing forth into action again, giving Jaune barely enough time to catch his breath. Neptune was back in the fight now, he and Tyrian dancing elegantly locked in combat as Mercury ran at Jaune. This is not good, Jaune thought, and he could tell that Tyrian was putting Neptune on the back foot.

"Eyes on me!" Mercury demanded, moving from a back handspring into a flurry of strong kicks, all blocked by Jaune as he studied his movements carefully, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back.

He glanced at Neptune again, who was still locked in a fight to the death, desperately trying to keep up with Tyrian's wild movements and barrage of wrist bullets. Neptune was swirling Tri-Hard around, deflecting the onslaught of bullets as they ricocheted off his weapon, his eyes glued tightly on his opponent. Maybe Jaune had underestimated him a bit.

"Quit ignoring the problem right in front of you!" Mercury's knee came crashing into Jaune's stomach, causing him to splutter a bit before regaining his footing.

"Sorry," he gasped, catching his breath. "But you're not at the top of my list of things to worry about."

Mercury's face grew into a dark scowl, his brows furrowing angrily. "Oh yeah?" He glanced back at Tyrian and Neptune. "Well then, how about I give you something to worry about."

Jaune raised his eyebrow in slight confusion before the realization set in, but by then it was too late, Mercury had already sent a blast directed at Neptune's back, catching him off guard. Time felt as if it came to a crawl, and Jaune felt helpless as he watched Tyrian take advantage of Neptune's slight misstep in rhythm. His hands glowed purple as he slashed into Neptune's aura, followed by a shriek of pain.

"NEPTUNE!" Jaune cried out, his eyes almost bulging from his skull in shock and disbelief, tears beginning to form, falling rapidly.

Blood splattered to the floor, mixed with a deep shade of purple which Jaune had recognized all too well from his time with Team RNJR and Qrow. Neptune crumpled to the floor, holding a bloodied hand over his torso, blood leaking from his lips and the wound near his side as he gasped for air. Jaune didn't even have time to react as Mercury came at him hard, kicking and punching, sending him back into the railing behind. He shot another round at Jaune before he could recover, nearly sending him over the railing and shattering his aura completely.

Jaune's vision was blurring now, his heart pounding hard in his chest as his legs shook feebly under his weight as he tried to stand back up. This was his worst nightmare come true. Again, he had no time to react as Mercury brought his leg down hard on his shoulder, knocking him out almost instantly.

He heard the cawing of a bird as he fell to the floor with blurred vision, a slicing of what sounded like sharp metal, and then the world around him went dark once more.