"To Ruby," A voice shouted, though she wasn't sure who, the entire room raising a glass. "And to all the friends we lost along the way!" A cheer filling the room as men and women all around knocked back their glass.

Their glasses were filled with dark auburn or deep red drinks, but Ruby didn't really care for it. She wasn't much of an alcohol person, truth be told. The taste, the smell, the burning sensation, she hated all of it. It was icky.

But her friends loved the stuff. Yang could kick back whiskey like it was water, Blake went through champagne like it was going out of style, and Weiss enjoyed a glass of wine during her moments of relaxation. Not too many though, Ruby noticed.

The dark-haired Huntress watched as all of her friends grouped up and swapped stories, chatting and drinking their night away. Blake somehow managed to wrangle both Yang and Sun into a conversation, Weiss was catching up with Neptune, and Ren and Nora were being the power couple everyone knew them for.

But Ruby? She was hiding from all the conversation, doing as she always did when it came to parties. What could she say, hiding behind the punch bowl made everything infinitely easier. She could drink her punch, relax, and forget that today even happened.

After all, this day wasn't just about her, but for all the friends they lost. Dozens of names went through her mind, but she hardly thought to pause on any of them. She cared too much for all of them to think of just one of them.

Sighing, she took a seat in a chair against the wall, letting her arm rest on the table next to her. It still felt a little unreal, honestly. Salem, the Grimm, Cinder and her lackeys, they were all gone. Well, not the Grimm. Nothing could ever really destroy the Grimm.

But they were receding, small groups of them hiding out on the Frontiers, but they were hardly a threat. If she had to compare them to anything, it'd be like rats scampering in the dark. They were there, but they hardly had any presence. After all, with Salem turned to stone and locked away, there was no centralized order to them. There was no greater plan, just… wild beasts.

As Ruby sipped at her punch, letting her eyes flick towards the ground, she heard a pair of steps grow closer. Curling a brow, Ruby turned towards the source of the sound, finding a tall blond man walking towards her, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets.

He stopped next to her seat, bringing a hand down to jostle her shoulder. "Hey, what's the guest of honor doing all by herself?" Jaune asked, smiling down at her.

Jaune was hardly the boy that she met when she first went to Beacon. After all, how could he be? He had six years of experience carefully tucked under his many belts, his hair having grown out just long enough to put it into a 'warrior's wolf tail,' whatever that meant. He even had a patch of prickly stubble on his chin.

Ruby snorted as she poked the blond man in the ribs, watching as he squirmed. "Trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, thank you." She snipped, giggling as she watched his smile widen. "I figured you'd be off with Ren and Nora? Didn't feel like third-wheeling today?"

A scoff left Jaune's mouth as he rolled his eyes, pulling up a seat as he sat down. "I never feel like third-wheeling for them. Besides, just look at them." He said, gesturing to the happy couple. The power couple was so busy smiling at one another and laughing that they hardly noticed the stares. "Would you want someone to go over and interrupt that?"

Ruby hid her smile behind the rim of her cup. "I guess not." She muttered, taking a swig of her punch. "Still, I figured you'd rather talk with someone other than little ol' me." She snipped, shooting Jaune a questioning glance.

Jaune curled a brow as he tilted his head. "No? Why would you think that?" He asked.

Ruby only shrugged, holding her cup with both hands. "I dunno, figured you'd maybe want to go chat up Weiss or something. Try to pick what you put down back at Beacon."

A snort slipped from Jaune's lips as his mouth curled upwards. "Oh please, I do that for fun. Weiss couldn't care less for me in that sense, so let's not try to think too hard about it, alright?" He asked, nudging her with his elbow. "Is it really so hard to believe that I want to come and just hang out for a bit?"

A singular brow rose on Ruby's face. "Oh, I don't know." She started, setting her cup aside as she brought her hands up. "I tried to call you several times over the last few months, no response. I tried to find you on the Frontier a few times, but no luck. And then, just as this little party kicks off, you just walk in like you were never gone?" She said, three fingers raised for him to see.

Awkwardly laughing, Jaune raised his hands in surrender. "I-I know I should have been a little more in-touch, but to be fair, I was working." He said, his smile straining under her scrutinizing gaze. "Besides, I was saving up some money for something."

"Jaune, we're all still working." Ruby shot back, her face taking on a stone-like appearance. "You could have tried to keep up a little. Your friends missed you a bunch." She mumbled.

I missed you a bunch. Ruby thought.

Jaune's previously smile dipped as a hand came to rest on the nape of his neck. "I know," he started, his voice barely coming out over the sound of clinking glasses and idle conversation. "I just… I needed a bit of time to myself. But now that I've got a bit of money to my name, I've been thinking about something."

Ruby tilted her head as she picked her cup back up. "Try not to hurt yourself now." Smirking as she brought her cup up for a sip. "What has Jaune Arc, Team Strategist of Team RNJR, been cooking up?" It was probably something dumb, dangerous, or if she was lucky, benign.

As she started to take a sip from her cup, he spoke. "I'm thinking about going into soft-retirement." He shrugged, as if he'd not just dropped the biggest truth bomb she'd heard in the last few months.

Ruby coughed as her drink went down the wrong pipe, bringing a fist to her mouth. "You-" She coughed again. "You're what?"

Jaune brought a hand to Ruby's back, gently patting it as she continued to cough. "Geez, I didn't think it'd be that much of a surprise." He mumbled, smiling at Ruby's soft glare. "I signed up for simple jobs on the Frontier, and instead, I got dragged across the world to defeat an evil that's been around since… forever!" He rambled, his hands wildly waving as he spoke. "I dedicated six years of my life to this, and now? I'm thinking I need a break, just for a bit."

She stared at Jaune, her eyes wide as her mouth laid agape. She was at a loss for words. "You're really going to retire?" The disbelief filled her voice. "Like, no joke? Because if you're pulling my leg now, I'll never forgive you."

The blond man brought a hand up, bringing the other to rest on his heart. "Hey, Arc's honor, I promise." A serious expression taking to his face. "Wait, why wouldn't you forgive me?"

Ruby poked at his chest harshly, staring up at him was a dissatisfied glare. "Because Solo-Hunting is stupid, and you're stupid for doing it." She firmly stated. "You have any idea how worried I- we were? The only thing I had to work off of was your aura levels." And considering how stupid Jaune was, those tended to drop too low for her liking.

Jaune sighed as an awkward smile tugged at his lips again. "And that's my fault, I should have communicated better. The next time I decide to go work on the Frontier, I'll be sure to keep in touch." He spoke softly, if only so to not set Ruby off.

"That's not good enough." She said, tightly gripping her cup. "Promise me that you won't solo hunt anymore." Her silver eyes flicked towards him, staring him down.

A second ticked by, then another, then a third, only for Jaune to sigh. "Fine. I promise on the name of my Father, my Grandfather, and his father before him that I will never solo hunt again." He didn't think his solo hunting would cause anyone so much worry. "Is that good enough?"

Ruby maintained eye-contact for a moment, only to let out a breath as she slumped in her seat. "Yup." She mumbled, popping the p. "I'm just glad you didn't go out and, well…" Her eyes turned downcast as she brought her cup up for another sip.

Jaune put a hand to her shoulder, lightly nudging her. "Hey, enough with the depressing stuff already, Rubes." He said, chuckling as he brought his cup up. "I've got a lot of aura, so I'll be fine. So, what's new in the life of Ruby Rose?"

Seeing the smile on Jaune's face made it hard for Ruby not to grin in return. "Well, I've had a lot more free time than I thought I'd have." She said, smiling as wrapped her cloak around her like a blanket. "With the Grimm receding, there's not a whole lot of work to go around anymore. So, a couple nights ago, I figured maybe it's time I bought an apartment or something."

Jaune's brows shot up as he leaned forward. "You too, huh?" He asked, laughing as he took a swing of his drink. The burning sensation was something he got used to over the last few months. It was a lot easier to get a hold of whiskey than it was to get water. "You thinking about settling down? Maybe snagging yourself a guy while you're at it?"

Ruby only gave the blond Hunter a deadpan look.

"Or girls." He followed up, bringing his hands up. "I don't judge, you know that."

Ruby's deadpan look only worsened. "Jaune, we're all World-Class Hunters. It's impossible to settle down when everyone knows your name and face." She snipped, curling a brow. "It doesn't help that it also makes dating impossible."

Sighing, Jaune could only nod. "You got me there." He mumbled, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Just where did she go?"

"Huh?" Ruby mumbled, her brows furrowing as she stared back at him.

"Where'd she go?" He asked again, curling a brow. "That enthusiastic girl who wanted to go out and save the world. Who replaced her with this quiet cynic?" A curious smile on his face as he poked at her side.

Giggling, Ruby swatted his hands away. "You're such a dork." She said, smiling as poked back. "Besides, I'm not cynical! My optimism is just a little more… tempered? Would that be the right word?"

Jaune snorted as it was his turn to swat her hands away. "There she is." He said, laughing as he took a drink from his whiskey. "Either way, you're settling down, I'm settling down, and if things go the way I think they're going, Ren and Nora aren't far behind." He said, gesturing to the happy couple again.

As Ruby turned to look at them again, she watched as the pair shared a chaste kiss, something quick and sweet. "I could believe it." She said, laughing as she set her cup aside. "Got any idea on where you plan on staying? Or are you just hoping to wing it again?"

At that, Jaune paused, bringing a hand to his chin. "You know, that's a really good question. I was just thinking about just getting myself a studio apartment in Vale for cheap and calling it a day." He explained, shrugging his shoulders. "You know, somewhere that I can lay down and relax all day and-"

"That's a really bad idea." Ruby said, cutting him off. "Being stuck in a cramped apartment sounds good to you?" She asked. Ruby couldn't imagine spending the rest of her days in some cramped, stuffy apartment. The more she thought about it, the more torturous it sounded.

Shrugging, Jaune closed his eyes. "Well, it beats the housing market, that's for sure." He shot back, smiling as his eyes flicked open. "Buying a house in Vale is next to impossible with my bank account, and I checked. So, you know."

Ruby tilted her head to the side as she stared back at Jaune. Why would he ever want to buy a house in Vale? Sure, it was jam-packed full of goodies and stores to buy from, but the prices were atrocious. Then again, maybe she should be thankful that he didn't want to move back out onto the Frontier.

"Well, there are other places to move to. In Vale, I mean." She mumbled, twiddling her thumbs as her foot started to tap against the ground. "Places that aren't totally expensive and crowded."

Jaune blinked as he watched Ruby shuffle in her seat. "Really?" He asked, curling a brow. "Like where?"

Ruby struggled to not let out a hum. "Patch has some pretty good houses up for sale right now. Granted, they're in territory that were just cleared of the last Grimm, but still." If there was anyone who could deal with some juvenile Beowolves, he could definitely do the job.

Jaune's brows shot upwards as he tilted his head. On paper, it didn't sound too bad. Unfortunately… "I'm not sure." He mumbled, bringing a hand to the back of his head. "I don't know if I could really afford to buy a house right now, honestly. I could maybe buy a small house, but I'd probably be pushing the limit."

Ruby's silver eyes widened as a wide smile tugged at her lips. "I dunno, I think I could find you a decent house on Patch. If you want me to, that is." She offered. If things went where she thought they were going, then that means that she'll have Jaune within arms reach, and if there was ever trouble, she'd be close by!

A laugh slipped between Jaune's lips as he leaned back in his seat, taking one last swig of his whiskey. "Alright, spill the beans, what's got you wanting me to move onto Patch so bad?" He asked, curling a brow. "Is there something you want to show me on Patch or something?"

The smile fell from Ruby's lips as she awkwardly smiled. "Oh, uh." She started, twiddling her thumbs again. "Well, it's just that Yang's always on the road, Blake's living on Menagerie, and Weiss is working with her brother to fix the SDC. It'd be nice to have some friends close to home, you know?" Besides, living mostly alone sounded horrible.

No one to be there to watch her back, no one to rely on, no one to joke with. It'd just be her, alone on Patch with nothing but her kit and Crescent Rose.

Jaune's smile softened as he set his empty cup aside, the familiar burning sensation resting comfortably on his chest. "Ruby, I'd love to live close by, I would. But if it's out of my price range, I'm not sure if there's anything I can do."

Ruby let out a hum as she clasped her hands together. If only there was a way to make it so that Jaune could live close by while still being easy for him to afford. After all, it wasn't like they could just live… together.

"Hey," Ruby started, smiling widely as she thumbed the door. "Do you wanna go for a walk for a bit?" She asked. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. She thought.

The blond man took a moment to let his eyes survey the rest of the party. Everyone was still chatting away and drinking, and somehow, Qrow managed to get Ruby's Dad and some red-eyed lady to sit down and talk. Wait, she looked an awful lot like Yang-

"You know what, yeah. Let's go get some fresh air." The awkwardness of his sudden realization leaking into his voice. He did not want to be around for that inevitable time bomb to go off.

"Yes." Ruby whispered, pumping her fist as she rushed to her seat, grabbing Jaune by the hand. "C'mon, you and I need to talk."

Before Jaune could so much as furrow his brows, he was hoisted to his feet and dragged towards the door. Soon enough, the cool autumn breeze hit his face as he was dragged onto the open street. But it didn't stop there, with Ruby still pulling him along until they went down the street.

"Uh, Ruby?" He asked, keeping his strides short as he matched Ruby's pace. "Where are we going again?"

The dark-haired Huntress only shrugged. "Somewhere. Just not at the party, I guess." She shot back, still pulling him along. "Just bear with me until I can find us somewhere private, okay?"

Jaune blinked, shaking his head as he walked beside her, her hand still wrapped around his. Not that he minded, of course, but it felt… he couldn't find the word for it. It was comforting, but that didn't stop him from feeling weird about it.

Then again, it was just Ruby being Ruby. If she wanted to drag someone to the middle of nowhere, she was going to do it, regardless of who it was. After all, she'd do this sort of thing to anyone.

After a few more turns, Jaune found himself being dragged into an alleyway, tucked away from the light of the shattered moon. Feeling Ruby's hand slink away from his, he watched as she turned around, wrapping her cloak tightly around herself.

"Alright, you've got me here with you. What's the plan, Ruby?" He asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall behind him. Even through his jacket, he could tell that the wall was coarse. "Unless you wanted to drag me out here for some pillow talk?" Laughing as the joke left his mouth.

Even in the darkness, Ruby's silver eyes stuck out like a sore thumb as they rolled at his joke. "Look, this is going to sound a little weird, okay? But you want to move somewhere out of the way where you can relax, right?" She asked as curled a brow, pulling up her hood to hide her face.

Nodding, Jaune couldn't stop himself from quirking a brow. "That's about the size of it, yeah. I still don't know where we're going with this though." He mumbled, tapping at his arm as he kept his arms crossed.

Ruby brought a hand to her cheek as she sighed. "You know, for someone so smart, you sure can be dumb." She muttered, shaking her head. "The way I see it, our goals match up. You want somewhere to retire, I want somewhere to relax after work. As for Lien, if we pool our cash together, we've got more than enough. See what I'm putting down?"

Jaune felt his eyes widen as he stared down at Ruby, watching as she stood a little taller as she stared up at her. Her big silver eyes felt like they were staring into his soul. "You want to move in together?" He asked, watching as her previously stern look slightly wavered. "N-not that I'm against it, it's just… Why me?"

He could think of a million and one different people that would make better roommates. Besides, even if he's known Ruby for ages, he didn't want to go on and make her uncomfortable. She's never really had to share that kind of a space with a guy, that much he knew. Souring that kind of experience was the last thing Jaune wanted to do.

"Why not you?" She shot back, stepping towards him as she kept eye contact. "I've known you since we were students, you're a good friend, and we've worked together. Way I see it, you're a good fit for me."

"Because we're not students anymore, Ruby." He said, running a hand through his hair. "Look at us, look at me! I'm a grown man now! Doesn't that make you, I dunno, uncomfortable?" His voice rose slightly as he gestured to himself.

Ruby only took another step closer, trapping him between her and the wall. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the same girl I was back then either." She snipped, staring up as she watched him turn his head away. Even if she barely stood tall enough to meet his shoulder, she stood on the tips of her toes to prove a point. "I've grown up a fair bit, don't you think?"

Jaune's eyes flicked towards her for a moment, but by the time he'd looked away, it was already too late. He'd already noted the difference. Her hair was much longer than she used to keep it, maintaining it long since being a forgotten idea. Even her figure was more reminiscent of a woman her age. But what killed him the most was the smile she gave him.

Sighing, Jaune raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine." He started, smiling slightly as he hugged the wall behind him. "I get your point, now can you please back up?"

The hooded woman snorted, stepping back as she smiled wider. "Glad to know that you see it my way." She happily spoke, giggling to herself as she turned away. "But honestly, I don't think I could pick a better roommate right now. Everyone else is too busy doing life stuff, and then…"

"There's us, being a couple of bums?" Jaune joked, snickering as he watched Ruby turn around, a very obvious pout on her face.

"Hey, I'm not a bum!" She yelled out, her hands shooting out from beneath her cloak, grabbing his jacket as she shook him. "I am a wandering Huntress who saves people! You are a bum."

Jaune only laughed louder as he kept being shaken, placing his hands on Ruby's wrists. "Regardless of what I am, are you really sure you want to-"

"Yes, Jaune." Ruby cut him off, giving him a stern look. "Do you want me to say it out loud? I don't want to live by myself, and I… Well, I trust you. And this way, I've always got someone close." She said, shuffling her feet as she hid well beneath her hood.

If Jaune looked closely enough, he was sure he could see the blood rushing to Ruby's cheeks.

Sighing, a hand dragged itself down Jaune's face. "Alright, alright, you can stop acting like such a girl now, you dork." He mumbled, running his hand back up through his hair. "Just go and twist my arm, why don't you?"

"That was kinda the plan, yeah." Ruby nodded as she looked away from the blond man. "So, does that mean that you're in?"

Jaune stared at Ruby for a moment, watching as her silver eyes pierced through the shadow that her hood casted on her face. "Sure." He muttered, throwing his arms up into the air. "Why not? Just means I get to keep tabs on you, I guess."

"Wha-" She muttered, furrowing her brows. "Keep tabs on me? I'm sorry, I'm not the one who disappeared for a few months." She snipped back, only to watch him look away.

"So, have you got a house picked out or something?" He asked, completely brushing past the landmine he set off. "Or is it just a general idea?"

Sighing, Ruby pulled her hood back, showing off a lopsided grin. "Uh, I sort of have an idea." She kicked the ground beneath her as she shrunk beneath her cloak. "But if that doesn't work out, I'm sure you and I can just do a little looking."

Jaune snorted as he rolled his eyes. "So you don't have anything set in stone." He said, smiling as he watched Ruby's shoulders rise. "Well, that's alright. If it's something you really want to do, you and I can do a little looking around for some houses."

He felt himself jolt as Ruby quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you!" She said, pulling him towards her as hard as she could. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! We'll be able to hang out all the time, we can watch movies, we can- The beach! The beach'll be close to home, so we can go swimming and-"

A hand came to rest over her mouth, Ruby's silver eyes flicking between it and Jaune's face which was dusted in a light layer of red. "One step at a time, Ruby." He responded, slowly pulling his hand away as he patted her shoulder. "We'll talk about this a little later, alright? Besides, if we don't get back to the party soon, I'm sure people will notice we're gone."

Ruby squinted as she blew raspberries, untangling her arms from around his back. "So what? Why's it any of their business where we go?" She asked. But when she watched a single brow shoot up on his face, Ruby rolled her eyes. "I am not a hypocrite. Besides, what you did versus what I'm doing are totally different."

"Uh huh." He shot back, amusement covering his face. "I'm sure, but unless you want to explain just what you and I were doing to our drunk friends, we should probably get back soon." Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he led her out of the alley. If she had any complaints, she didn't bother to voice them.

But as he pulled her along, it looked like she had a lot of trouble looking at him. Was it something he said? Something he did wrong?

After turning the first couple of corners, it felt like the silence was deafening. The streets of Vale were empty enough that Ruby was sure she could hear a pin drop. It didn't help that Jaune had his arm draped around her shoulder.

If they were in combat or something, she wouldn't have paid it too much mind. But now that they're living comfortably? It felt… Well, it wasn't bad per se, but it made Ruby feel all tingly.

As they walked together, Ruby used her cloak to hide herself from not just the weather, but her own awkwardness. She felt the hand on her shoulder shake her, a laugh coming from the man next to her.

"If it's any consolation," he started. "I'm really excited too." Jaune said, laughing as he stared down at Ruby.

And there it was again, that tingly feeling that made her feel like she was both burning up and nauseous. But, like, a good kind of nauseous? Did that even make sense?

As the building that their friends rented out for the party came into view, the sounds of mirthful conversation bled into their ears like an incoherent white noise.

Swinging open the door, the pair of Hunters felt the full volume of the noise fill their ears. Ruby felt her heart pumping loudly against her chest, her eyes quickly scanning over the room to check for wounded. But instead of finding anyone injured, everyone was crowded around two figures at the center of the room.

She felt Jaune's arm slink away from her shoulder, following him as he walked ahead to grab the closest figure. And that just so happened to be Sun Wukong. "Hey, Sun, buddy, what's everyone freaking out about?" Jaune asked, shaking his shoulder.

As Sun turned around, he showed off the wild grin he was sporting. "Dude, you're not going to believe this." He started, every other word slurring out as he laughed. "Ren's going to be an old man soon."

Jaune slowly blinked, his face losing all expression for a moment. But after a moment, it returned, a wide smile of his own pulling at his lips. "That's… wow." He mumbled, turning to Ruby. "Rubes, can I take a rain check for a minute? I've got to share a few choice words with my teammates for a bit."

The shorter of the two smirked as she stared at him from the corner of her vision. "You're mad they didn't share it sooner?" She said, asking her rhetorical question.

"That," he started, nodding at her. "But this is also a cause for celebration! So, I'm going to do the brotherly thing and get Ren absolutely wasted. You wanna join me?" He asked, curling a brow as he gestured to the happy couple.

Shrugging, Ruby smiled back at him. "Well, somebody's got to make sure you don't do anything too dumb." She shot back. "But I probably won't drink, it's too-"

"Icky?" He asked, curling a brow as he chuckled. "Believe me, I know."

Wrapping an arm around Jaune's, Ruby struggled to keep her embarrassment down. "Shut up." She mumbled, pulling him towards Ren and Nora's table.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, alcohol, and a lot of talking. But Ruby ignored most of it, honestly, instead focusing on her wandering thoughts. Thoughts about moving into a new home, thoughts of decorating and furnishing, but most of all, thoughts of peace and quiet.

Every once and a while, though, her thoughts were interrupted by Jaune's drunken antics, having to stop him from doing anything too dangerous or stupid. After all, he couldn't move in with her if he was hurt.

It must have been something like two in the morning before everyone started to trickle out of the party, heading back to whatever temporary housing they had for themselves. But Ruby? Yeah, she had nothing. So she resorted to the next best thing.

She rented herself, and by extension, Jaune a hotel room. It wasn't like she was just going to let him drunkenly wander around Vale.

So she stared up at the ceiling, silently listening to Jaune snore next to her as she tried her best to make herself comfortable. Excitement nestled deeply in her chest, and with a small smile on her face, she pulled the covers closer to her chin.

"It's going to be so much fun." Ruby mumbled, sinking deeper into her pillow.

And before long, she was asleep.

Okay, that's that. Yeah, this is going to be something new I'm trying, probably won't be something I update super often, but at least I can tell you that I'll be able to update it next week. Pays to prewrite a little, huh? For you, of course, not for me.

All the same, feel free to follow, favorite, review, whatever you want, really. Just know that this story probably won't be super long. I say probably because I honestly don't know. Ideally, it won't be. But knowing me, I'm going to care a little too much and try to make it the best I can, inevitably overinvesting.

Anyway, that's about it. Ciao, y buenas noches.

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