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Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 34

Yang wasn't sure what she was doing in her black dress, only that her mind was still addled and she'd grudgingly allowed her friends to force her into it. The thin gown clung to her curves as it had when she'd tried it on. It hinted at everything, but also covered more than her normal outfit. In a way, she supposed that highlighted the difference between her as a fighter and a woman. She was confident in her skills on the battlefield, but less so off it.

It didn't matter anymore, did it?

"You have to come," Blake said from behind her. The girl's hands played with the straps of Yang's dress. "If you stay here, you'll be on your own and miserable. Maybe something like this is what you need."

"And nothing to do with that text you sent," Yang hissed back.

"It's not. I don't even think he'll be there. If he bothers you, tell me and I'll deal with him."

Normally, Yang would have delighted in such a rare show of emotion from her taciturn partner. That it was in defence of her would have just made it better. She smiled instead and shrugged one shoulder. Her heart wasn't in it, but that was no reason to mope on her own. She knew from experience it would only make things worse.

"If Yang doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to." Ruby teetered over, struggling with her heels. "I'll stay with you if you want. We could play games!"

And there was the other problem. Ruby would stay with her, and she'd do it for sweet and sympathetic reasons too. That it also allowed her to skip out on a social event like this? Well, that would just be a convenient bonus for the socially awkward girl. After months, even years, spent trying to get Ruby to break out of her shell, she didn't want to be responsible for dragging her back down.

Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's neck before she could escape. Her fist drove into her hair, ruffling it wildly. "Sorry Rubes, but no chance. You're not skipping out on this for anything. I'll be fine. Have a little faith."

Ruby struggled and broke free, hopping away and then nearly tipping over as she fought for balance. Despite that, she managed a strange look halfway between concern for her sister, and worry she might be attacked again. "Are you sure?"

No. Not really.

"You don't get to worry about my social life. Not until you have one of your own."

"But if I don't have one, then nothing can go wrong, right?"

Yang's eyes narrowed.

"Eep!" Ruby darted behind Weiss. "Okay, okay. I'll go. I already let you force me into this thing, didn't I?"

"Let?" Weiss asked with a roll of her eyes. It had been less a case of grudging acceptance from Ruby, and more the three of them forcing her into it. Weiss looked to Yang. "I'll look after the front desk. You just focus on enjoying your night."

Yang sighed. That was her responsibility, as much as she wasn't looking forward to it. Feeling terrible and likely showing it, she still had to greet each and every person as they entered the dance. "Weiss, I'll be fine. Besides, don't you have a date for tonight?"

"Neptune can wait. In fact, he was quick to agree when I posed the idea to him. Even if it means we miss the opening dance, it's already done."

"Then change it back. There's no reason for you not to enjoy yourself."

"It's too late. The changes have already been made." The girl's firm look gave way to a sympathetic one. "Just relax a little. Focus on having fun and leave the work to me. It won't take me an hour anyway."

That wasn't the point and Weiss knew it. Still, what was done was done, and she knew the other girl wouldn't give up. She appreciated the gesture, she really did. It was just that all this concern and care made her feel like crap since it meant everyone else was giving up their own time for her. I already don't have a date. Out of everyone here, I have the least reason to go and have fun. Saying that would be a bad idea. It would just lead to another round of everyone treating her like she was made of glass.

She felt like she was, but that didn't matter. All she wanted to do was hide under her blanket and sleep this whole thing off. It would lead to questions though. Questions she neither needed nor wanted. Sometimes it was better just to face things head on.

What if he's there…?

Yang's stomach flopped left and right, not at all pleased at the prospect of running into Jaune. She had no idea what she'd do, other than that she didn't want it to happen. Would she get angry and cause a scene? Would she break down and burst into tears? She had no idea. Right now, she just felt tired, like she didn't want to face him at all. He probably felt the same.

And to think, if things had gone to plan, I'd have walked through the door arm in arm with him. The thought was a bitter one, especially because of how much she longed for things to be back like that. Was it foolish of her to wish she'd never found out about his lies? Surely it was better to know than to be lied to, but it didn't feel that way. Ignorance was bliss. She'd never really understood just how true that was.

No. She shook her head. That was stupid. She wasn't some simpering brainless idiot with no common sense. He'd played with her heart, lied to her and betrayed her trust. She shouldn't be the one to feel bad about that – even if she did. Things were better this way, in the way things were better after you put disinfectant on a wound. It hurt, but it was for the best in the long run.

"Are you ready?" Blake asked, standing alongside her in a dress not dissimilar to her own. "With Weiss working the front, we might as well all go in together."

"Showing a united front? Don't you have a date with Sun?"

"I also promised you a dance. I want you to be my first."

"Kinky."

"Not like that." Blake rolled her eyes, but didn't move away. Voice low, she added, "Will you be okay? Sun will understand if I explain something is wrong. I'm only humouring him on this anyway. You're more important."

Yang let her eyes drift shut. Although still pained, her smile felt a little more honest. "I'll be fine. I want to see you all enjoy yourselves. Don't worry about me."

Blake looked like she didn't quite believe it, but knew she had no way to disprove her. In the end, she nodded and moved towards the door, holding it open for the four of them. Weiss moved swiftly out and away for her role, while Ruby tottered out as well.

Yang hesitated. Out there were people. Those people would all be laughing and smiling, many with dates and partners of their own. There would be no end of longing glances, intimate touches, and no doubt people dancing together with smiles on their faces. The thought of it made her ill. She didn't want to go.

She forced herself to walk forwards.

"We can stay," Ruby said, no doubt having noticed her pause. "Forget about me socialising. I'll do it another time. I'll even go and make friends with three new teams if you need me to. If you don't feel up to it, we can stay though. It's no problem."

"I'm easy with either option," Blake added. "If you're that worried about Sun, don't be. If we stay here, I'll promise him a date with just me and him. He'd be happier with that anyway, and he'd understand if I told him why."

Yang forced a huge smile onto her face. It was one she didn't feel, but something she hoped might fool them as she threw her arms around their shoulders.

"What, and miss seeing you two dance? No way. I've been looking forward to this for weeks. It's going to be great."

She hoped…

/-/

"Blake can't dance…" Ruby said. "I'm not sure why that surprised me but it does."

It was the sheer incredulity in Ruby's voice that made Yang laugh. She couldn't help it. It was the fact she could see Sun and Blake moving around hand in hand, but both clearly having no idea what to do. Her partner normally gave off such a refined image that it was easy to forget she'd basically been raised a terrorist and little else.

"Why don't you go and dance?" Yang suggested. "You can show her how it's done."

"W-Wha-? No way! Besides, it's not like anyone would want to dance with me. Not like I'd want to, anyway."

You'd be surprised, sis. She'd seen more than a few people look their way, and while many looked to her, some did notice Ruby as well. She wasn't sure what she felt about that. Protectiveness aside, Ruby was fifteen and everyone else here was seventeen or older. It might have only been two years, but it was two years in a big way. It wasn't like the difference between twenty and twenty-two. In some ways, Ruby was still a child. On the other hand, she didn't want to let that go or step on her sister's budding confidence. "I'm sure there are a few people who would," she said. So long as it was just dancing, she was fine with it. "Surely there are a few guys you like? It doesn't have to be about romance."

"I guess…"

"It's not like it means you have to marry them," Yang continued. "It's just a dance. Think of it like fighting, except that you move around together instead. You're quick on your feet, so I doubt you'd have any problems."

"Yeah, except that my feet now have long sticks attached to them," Ruby grumbled.

"They're called high heels…"

"They're evil is what they are." Ruby kicked at one of them, maybe even trying to snap it off before Yang elbowed her and sent her a warning look. Those were rentals. Ruby huffed and leaned back against the pillar. "The only guy I'd feel comfortable dancing with is Jaune. I can't see him anywhere, though."

Yang's fingers tightened around the glass in her hand. "Y-Yeah," she said, and quickly downed her punch. "I've not seen him either."

Not that she'd been looking.

Except that she had.

She hadn't been able to help herself. The moment she crossed the threshold into the ballroom, her shoulders had stiffened, her eyes shifting left and right as she tried to spot his blonde hair and blue eyes. What she'd wanted, she wasn't sure. Thoughts swirled in her mind of him approaching her and apologising on his knees, but she couldn't pinpoint what her reaction would be. Did she want that? Did she even want to see him?

Other times, she imagined seeing him dance with other people, and that hurt. It was fear and nothing more, and she knew that because he'd always been averse to relationships. At least he'd told her that… was that true, or just another lie? It was hard to tell.

Stop thinking about him, she told herself. I'm just going to make myself feel even worse.

As ever, telling herself not to think about something only made her think more on it. What would she do if he approached her? Should she listen to him? Could she listen to him? The answer to the former was yes, but she had no idea about the latter. What possible reason could he give her for what he'd done? She'd spent the whole night trying to dream up excuses for him – something that maybe shone a less damning light on him and gave her reason to feel better. None had come.

If he had been worried she would tell everyone his secrets, then that painted her as an untrustworthy monster, especially after he'd seen first-hand how she kept Blake's secret. If he thought she'd turn on him like that, then it meant he didn't know her. The excuse didn't hold up.

"I wonder where he is," Ruby said, ignorant of the effect her words had. "I thought he'd be here, if only to dance with Pyrrha."

"Yeah…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Yang shook her head. She hadn't told Ruby the truth. How could she when it would mean sabotaging their friendship? "I'm just distracted. If you want to have a dance with him, you should go and find him."

"Nah. It's fine. I'll stay here."

Stay here and look after her. Ruby might not have said it, but Yang knew. She loved her sister, and Ruby loved her back, but there was such a thing as too much. She didn't want to ruin Ruby's chance at having a good time. She took a deep breath and pushed off the pillar. "Well, if you don't want to dance, I might find someone who does."

"Eh? What!?"

"See you later, sis!"

"Yang, wait!"

She didn't wait. She pushed through the crowds around the buffet table, knowing full well Ruby would struggle to follow on her heels. Once she was past them, she took a left and crossed the hall, slipping behind the pillars on the other side. It was early, so Weiss would still be on the entrance. She'd notice if she tried to leave, but that was fine. She didn't want to leave. This place was annoying, especially when she walked past people holding hands or kissing in shadowed corners, but it was loud and the music was good. That alone helped to occupy her thoughts.

It was hard faking her emotions for Ruby, too. She hadn't ever been particularly good at it, as evidence by the ease at which just about everyone saw through her.

"Hey there, care for a dance?"

The question came out of nowhere and made Yang jump. She spun, heart hammering in her chest for a moment as she expected the worst. Luckily, it wasn't Jaune. It was someone she didn't recognise at all, maybe even a transfer student from another kingdom. Yang let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry, I'm looking for someone," she said.

The young man seemed to realise she was lying, but knew better than to push. The lie was for him, after all. He laughed awkwardly and bowed his head, moving back into the crowd. If anything, that spoke well of him, and she might have normally given him a dance just for asking. Like she'd said to Ruby, a dance didn't have to mean anything.

"Actually," she called, stopping the guy before he could leave. "Yeah, maybe I wouldn't mind a dance. If you're still up for it, I mean?"

He was, apparently, and nearly fell over himself to take her in his arms and whisk her out towards the dance floor. He took her hand in his, then placed the other on the back of her waist. His cheeks were bright red, but he wore a dopey smile, as if she'd made his world. For that, she'd put up with how he wasn't really very good at it, or how her heart wasn't in it.

Yang smiled as the two of them danced to a slow tune. Gently, she took control of his movements, urging him in the right direction, and like any good huntsman-in-training, he quickly adapted and learned what she showed him. She didn't ask his name. He didn't give it. Things were perhaps easier that way. It was as the second dance began that she noticed another young woman looking her way with jealousy and hurt in her eyes. He didn't notice, of course. Mostly because his back was to her, but probably also because of hormones, shyness and a wealth of other things which always seemed to get in the way.

Jilted lover, teammate with a crush, or just someone with a torch for him, it was impossible to tell, but Yang gestured towards the girl nonetheless.

"W-Would you like to get a drink?" the guy asked once the dance was over.

Yang shook her head and winked. "Sorry. I really do need to find someone, and I'm not in the market for anything like that. I know someone who is though," she added, turning the guy around and giving him a gentle push.

He practically collided with the girl who had come over, his arms wrapping around her for support. The girl's face went bright red, but Yang had already pushed through the dancing crowd. At least someone would have a happy night, she supposed. She wished them well. He was sweet, and the girl obviously liked him a lot.

An arm caught her about the waist before she could leave entirely. A chest pressed against her back, another hand catching hers as the figure brought her into a slow dance, her back to him. Yang's muscles tensed, but he moved softly, making it clear it was but a dance.

"Someone's confident," she whispered.

"I saw what you did back there," the man said. The voice was deep and unfamiliar. "That was kind of you."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, I was just helping someone out. No big deal."

"I'm sure the two of them would disagree. Or they would, if they weren't busy staring into one another's eyes…" She felt him chuckle against her back. "Would the lady care to dance?"

"Sorry. I think I'm all danced out. I need a drink."

"I'm told I can make a wonderful strawberry sunrise if you'd like one…"

Yang's heart stilled. The voice was deep, but not as unfamiliar as she'd once thought. Even as her head turned and tilted up, she recalled whose it was. Not Jaune's. She'd been so focused listening for his that she hadn't thought of another. Those red locks on the other hand… not to mention his sapphire eyes. He even wore that stupid black mask.

She bucked and tried to force her way out of his hold.

"Just one dance," he whispered, holding tight. She heard him gasp as she stamped down – heel and all – onto his foot. He still didn't let go. "Ya- Clover, please… just a single dance. That's all I ask of you."

"That's not my name and you know it, Jaune! Or should I call you Crimson when you're like this?"

"You can call me a thousand worse things than that," he said, in the delightfully rich voice he used in the club. "I dare say I deserve it…"

"Why are you even talking like that? Stop with the fake voice. It pisses me off."

"I will if you'll dance with me."

"Give me one good reason I should."

"I can't."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't give you a good reason. I don't have any. I can give you a bad reason if that'll do?"

What the hell was he talking about? Yang tried to struggle out of his grip once more, and it felt like she'd succeeded for a second, but for him spinning her around and pulling her against him. She could have overpowered him. It was Jaune, after all. It would have taken three of him to overpower roughly a third of her.

Something stopped her, however. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was the last lingering traces of something more. "What's your reason?" she asked despondently. "Give me the bad one if you don't have anything better."

"Because I want to dance with you…"

"Wow, that's a pretty selfish reason." She punched his chest and growled. "After everything you put me through, I don't feel like you deserve it. Sorry, but you made me pay to see you. If you want a dance, it's going to be expensive."

He pushed an envelope into her hands. "Is five thousand enough?"

Yang choked on air.

"F-Five thousand lien," she stammered, "for a dance!?"

Leaving aside, she'd meant it as a dig, and that she'd never sell her body – the actual sum he offered was still enough to leave her speechless. That was a lot of money. That was easily more than what most people made in a month of full-time employment.

"It's all the money you spent on me. I saved each and every bit. I couldn't bring myself to spend it, not when it was yours. I collected it instead. I kept thinking that I wanted to find a way to return it to you, but I never had the opportunity…"

Yang bit her bottom lip, unsure what to make of either the gesture or the envelope. She took it awkwardly. It was heavy. "This is mine?"

"It's not enough? I guess it wouldn't be if it already belonged to you." He brushed aside his black jacket, reaching past his red shirt. "How about a dance for ten thousand? If you can trust me enough to go to a bank, I'll make it twenty."

Ten? T-Twenty!? Yang's head swam. "No, no, no. I don't need money."

"Then you'll dance with me?"

What? Had she said that? She tried to form the words to turn him down, but they caught somewhere in her throat. It happened the moment she looked up into his eyes, where all of a sudden, it seemed painfully obvious that Jaune and Crimson were one and the same. How was it she'd never noticed that?

The moment's hesitation cost her. His arms wrapped gently about her waist, pulling her body flush against his. Being much the same height, their eyes were level, her lips close to his. They felt impossibly dry, but she didn't dare lick them.

"One dance," she whispered. "That's all you get. You couldn't even come to me as who you really are. I should knock that stupid mask off your face."

Cri- Jaune – whatever he wanted to call himself – smiled and drew her into a slow dance. His eyes remained locked on hers, at least until she broke contact and stared resolutely at his chest. Even then, she couldn't ignore the feeling of his hands on her.

This was a mistake. I should have said no.

It didn't feel bad, and that was the mistake. It felt good. That wasn't what she wanted.

"You said I didn't come as who I am," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. "That's not entirely true. Crimson is a part of me… no matter how much I tried to deny that. I wanted to come to you like this."

"And the fact Blake would have killed you had no effect on this?"

"I'll admit that also crossed my mind…"

Yang had to bite down on her laugh. She refused to be amused by his jokes, or affected by his soft words. They were fake, just like everyone else about him. Here, as Crimson, that couldn't have been more obvious. He was an entertainer, someone who would do or say anything a woman wanted to hear. He was also a dancer… which probably explained why he was so sinfully good at it. It was almost disappointing when the song came to an end. Almost…

"That's your dance," she said, and disentangled her arms from his. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go."

He didn't let go.

"Jaune…" she warned.

He didn't catch the hint, or maybe he did and ignored it. She watched as he reached up with one hand and drew the mask off his face. He put it away in his jacket pocket and smiled. Suddenly, it was a less charismatic and clumsier grin – one synonymous with Jaune Arc, the student of Beacon. His voice was lighter as well, less assured. "Will you dance with me, Yang?"

"Not a chance in hell," she spat. She tore her arm from his. Any amusement she might have felt before was dead and gone. She stormed towards the exit. If Weiss saw her, then she didn't care. All those questions of what she'd do if he approached had come back, and the answer was apparently this. She'd get angry and walk away.

"Yang, wait…"

"Wait for what?" she snapped. "You to take off a mask and act like someone else? This is exactly what caused all the problems in the first place. You, and your damned lies!"

"I know. I wanted to apologise."

"Well, a fat lot of good that did. Why did you think coming in disguised like that would help?"

He grimaced and followed after her. He kept just behind her, pushing past people as she tried to put distance between them. "There's more than one part of me that has to apologise," he said. "I wronged you, but Crimson did as well. Both of us owe you an apology."

"Well, apology accepted. Leave me alone and never talk to me again."

/-/

Jaune's heart didn't fall. It had fallen long ago, and now felt like it was a smear on the ground as Yang stormed away and out of the hall. He'd gotten his dance, but nothing more to show for it. Then again, he'd expected as much, hadn't he?

The chances had always been low that she would forgive him. He'd known that before he came, and yet he'd come anyway on the off-chance – the one in a million opportunity – that she'd be willing to hear him out. That hadn't come true, and now he was faced with nothing but her back. His feet carried him after her.

There was still a chance. One in two million now, or maybe three, but it was a chance nonetheless, and he couldn't help but grasp it. Crimson said no. His instincts said no. Every part of his training told him this was a useless endeavour. That he'd crossed a line and there was no going back. It was over. No one could simply ignore everything that had come before.

But there was a chance…

He chased after her, out of the hall, down a corridor, and then out into the gardens. The moon was in the sky, and the scene might have been romantic if it wasn't for the fact he knew she'd noticed him, and how his mind pointed out the grassy expanse would better suit her fighting style for when she snapped him in half like a twig. Yang came to a halt.

He did as well.

"Why are you following me?"

"To try and fix things…"

"Some things can't be fixed, Jaune."

"I know." He swallowed. "I've got no idea what those things are, though. I just want to keep trying, over and over. If I can make it work, I'm not afraid to get hurt." He took a deep breath. "What about you?"

Yang didn't turn to face him. She looked up towards the moon, but all he saw was her beautiful hair, along with her smooth shoulders and the black gown that hung from them.

"I'm not like that…"

He wanted to speak. But for once… he decided to let her.

"I'm not the kind of person who tries again and again," Yang said. "When Summer died, I tried to carry on like it didn't matter. It did, and it hurt trying to ignore that. When I found out that I had another Mom, I tried to find her with Ruby. I nearly got the both of us killed. When I lost my first friend in Signal because he had feelings for me, I tried to go up and talk to him like nothing had changed." Her hands tightened into fists. "He cried and screamed at me for leading him on and breaking his heart. He told me he hated me and never wanted to see me again."

Yang's arms wrapped about herself and she shivered.

"There are only so many times you can keep going on like nothing changes. I tried to ignore what happened and act like everything was fine and got hurt for it. After a while, I stopped trying. So long as I had Ruby, nothing else mattered. I knew she wouldn't ever leave me, and I extended the same to Weiss and Blake." She sighed. "I extended the same to Crimson… and then to you."

Jaune's eyes closed. "I'm sorry…"

"Crimson was my friend… or at least I thought he was. He reminded me of those guy friends I used to make back in Signal. Things were good. I had someone I could trust and talk to, and the best part was how he wasn't in Beacon. He was my secret friend - a friend who was undeniably mine and mine alone."

Yang paused, and then laughed out loud.

"I bet you never expected that of me, did you? Confident and outgoing Yang is actually just some stupid girl with crippling abandonment issues. You'd expect Ruby to be like that, always afraid her big sis would steal away her friends, but it's the exact opposite. I could always wonder whether Jaune was only my friend because of Ruby. Crimson was proof otherwise."

"I wasn't just your friend because you were Ruby's sister."

"I know." Yang sighed. "Or I guess I thought I knew. There's a difference between knowing and feeling, and I've had enough bad examples. I lost a lot of friends when I was younger. Some because of my looks and skill, others because I went a bit crazy when Summer died. Others drifted away because all of a sudden I never spent any time with them because I had to chip in to look after Ruby and make sure Dad didn't forget to eat. Beacon was meant to be a new break for me. I wanted to start afresh and make friends who wouldn't leave me."

"I was the same, Yang. I saw Beacon as a new start. I thought that I'd get to be myself, and not a dancer or a stripper. I'd already started to believe Crimson was a different person to me; someone who had to vanish so I could be happy." He took a step forwards, and swallowed when Yang didn't move away. "Funny how it was always my new start and my opportunity… I never realised how selfish I was being. I didn't think about anyone other than myself."

"Is that your excuse? You lied and took advantage of me because you didn't realise it was wrong?"

"No. It's not my excuse."

"Then what is it?" Yang asked, turning to face him. Now, with her eyes on his, he could see the tears that ran down her cheeks. A few days ago, such a show of weakness would have shocked him, but he knew better now. "I asked you for the reason last night and you didn't give me one. You just stared at me with a blank look on your face. You figured it out now?"

Jaune's stomach clenched. He'd thought long and hard all night, forgoing even sleep in his pursuit of an answer. His team had been worried when they saw him missing, but he'd dropped by to talk with them and explain he'd been and would be busy. They hadn't understood, but they'd wished him good luck. He'd thought for hours searching for his answer.

And now… he had it.

"I have my answer," he said, taking a deep breath. He forced his eyes to meet hers. "My answer… is that I don't have a reason at all."

"Huh…?" Yang looked confused – as might have been expected. Her mood quickly turned to anger. "You… don't have a reason? What kind of explanation is that!?"

"It's the truth."

"The truth…" She growled under her breath. "I've never wanted to hit someone so badly right now. You're not very good at this, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Jaune took a step forward, placing himself easily within arm's reach. "I'm not good at this at all, Yang. I'm an entertainer… everything I know is how to make a woman happy, but it's always transient and fake. I know how to read the way a woman acts, from her words to body language, all the better to entice a reaction and tips out of her. I have no respect for privacy and intimacy, and no idea of how to treat either of those. I'm a complete mess, and I was even before the Golden Oyster took me off the streets and gave me a home."

He watched her face carefully, and took the brief moment of confusion as his chance to push on.

"The thing is that I'm not used to having a real friend, let alone a girlfriend. Beacon was a huge change for me, and I had no idea what I was meant to do. I knew what I did at the club was bad, so I pretended it was someone else doing it." He shook his head. "I made up Crimson. It was already my stage name, but I convinced myself he was a different person too, someone I could blame for being a bastard who played with women's feelings for money. I tried to pretend it wasn't me, and that Jaune White was a different person altogether. He… he wasn't."

"That… doesn't explain why you lied to me."

"I lied because I'm an idiot," he snarled. "I lied because I was used to it, or because I was too busy lying to myself. I don't know, and in the end it doesn't matter. There's no good reason for what I did, Yang. I lied and that's the fact. I messed up. I failed you. That's the answer I came to after thinking about it. There's no good explanation other than that I made a huge mistake and made you pay for it."

"Why not tell the truth then?" she asked. "You could have come clean at any point… I'd have been angry, sure, but not as bad as it is now."

"Because… because I didn't know what to do."

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Crimson only knew how to fake things to make women think they were happy. Jaune was floundering around like an idiot not knowing what to do about anything, be that his fighting, Pyrrha, or even Ruby. Then along you came… I don't know when it happened, but things changed. I stopped caring about fitting in, and started caring about making you happy. When Blake went missing, I dropped everything to try and find her. You asked me why I did something stupid like fight against Torchwick, right?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I did it because I wanted you to be happy. There was no other reason. That's why I performed for you as Crimson. That's why I refused to strip for you when you acted strange. Crimson only knew how to fake things, but there was one thing that was real. His – my - feelings for you…"

Jaune let out a long breath of air.

"I'm not sure when, but things started to change. I stopped caring about breaking the lie, and just kept remembering all the times you were happy with me when I was Crimson. I… I got greedy. If I could make you happy both within and outside the club, then wouldn't that be amazing? I could be an even better friend. I could be twice the friend."

"That's… that's actually pretty twisted…"

"I know. I realised that around the time I tried to cut things off with you. I tried to make it as painful as possible because I wanted you to hate me. I thought that if it was obvious he was the one at fault, Crimson could take all the blame. You wouldn't feel bad because it wasn't your fault." He sighed. "I messed up again there. I didn't know anything about how to be an actual friend. Again, I was used to faking things. I was trying to adapt what Nina and Brian taught me to being a normal person when that wasn't the point of it. I wasn't supposed to act like that both in and out of the nightclub."

"Why do all of that? Why go that far?" She shook her head angrily. "I don't believe you. How can I believe you? Ruby was your first friend and none of this happened with her. It never happened with Pyrrha either. What made me different? Why did this happen to me!?"

"Why…?"

Jaune stared into her eyes. He smiled weakly.

"That's simple. It's because I fell in love with you."

Moving on, and trying to have some chapters of my next fic written in advance. Service with a Smile should be a little more… prepared than this fic, and will also be somewhat episodic in nature, which ought to make it easier to keep track of. Tuesday turned out to be a tough day after sat, sun and mon of straight writing.

Next Chapter: 25th July

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur