I'm sorry, little ones.


Time, being the ever-constant force that it was, continued to tick on. Seconds passed on as minutes, and minutes turned hours, hours to days, and so on. In the many hours and days that passed, Blake had a lot of time to lose herself in, reading books, watching shows on her scroll, and visiting stores of all kinds. From bakeries to butchers, and restaurants of all shapes and sizes, throwing herself into the world of cuisine that came from the cultures that blossomed all around Remnant.

To experience those many things was beyond excellent, but to share them with someone that Blake called a friend was something that she took a great deal of joy from. For seven days and seven nights, she and Jaune had gone somewhere new, tried something different, all the while laughing and sharing memories. It was euphoric to know that, in a time where her team was nowhere to be found, knowing full well that Menagerie was hundreds of miles away, separated by half a world and one of the largest expanses of water there was, she had someone to confide in.

A sense of relief, she supposed.

Blake would say that her week so far had been… She couldn't even find a word to describe it. It was magical, breathtaking to even think about. She had someone at her side the entire time, her intrusive thoughts having yet to rear around the corner of her mind, and most of all, she felt at peace. If she had to be honest, she hadn't felt so calm in years, not since she was a little girl living on Menagerie. Granted, life was still different from living with her family, but she was glad to have found people that helped her feel at home nonetheless.

Despite the warmth that came with her new home, it didn't mean that everything was always perfect. On the contrary, actually. See, Blake was still very susceptible to her lesser natures.

Especially around Jaune.

The sound of pixelated gunshots rang out, bouncing off the walls of her dorm as she stared through narrowed eyes at the tv on her floor. Dozens of little figures dashed about the level, she and Jaune going through and clearing them with about as much ease as a fish breathing outside of water.

"Behind you, Blake!"

"I know!"

"Then shoot them!"

"I can't!"

Blake felt her grip on the controller grow tighter, her teeth grinding against each other as she tried to set the tv on fire with her stare. In that instant, she watched her avatar get hit by a stray pellet, and Blake did something that she forgot she was even capable of. Her patience failed her.

Her vision went red as she watched her avatar pop, dozens of pixels splitting away as her weapon popped onto the floor. She went to raise the controller, but before she could spike it, she watched the screen freeze as a big 'Pause' took center stage, a firm hand wrapped around her right arm.

"Okay, I think we're done." Jaune slowly said, setting his controller to his side as he sat next to Blake. With a deep breath, the Faunus girl followed Jaune's lead, tossing her controller aside. It had been so long since Blake had seen red like that. The last time she had been in such a state was the last time her father had held a public rally, a stray stone catching him right above the eye.

Now, Blake may have been a little older than ten at the time, but oh was she furious when she saw it. She remembered nearly jumping from her seat to find the culprit herself, had he not already been dragged away.

She let out a sigh as she shook her head, doing her hardest to push aside her thoughts. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" But in the middle of her apology, she watched Jaune raise a palm as a smile spread across his face.

"Hey, it's fine. We all have our heated moments from time to time." He quickly followed his statement up with a chuckle, leaning backward with a hand against her mattress. "If anything, I'm a little relieved that you can even get angry. Like, actually angry." What was that supposed to mean?

Blake couldn't help but tilt her head to the side as she stared at the blond boy, "I'm not sure I'm following." How was it supposed to be relieving that Blake could get angry? If anything, that should have been something to be concerned about, right? At least, that's what she thought.

She heard him let out a hum as his lips curled to the side, watching as he stared up at the bunk above them. "I mean, think about it like this, right? What kind of maniacs don't get angry from time to time?" Blake quirked a brow at the question.

"Uh, people who are good at keeping themselves in check?" She asked, she still wasn't sure where Jaune was going with his question. People who managed to steer away from anger tended to have good heads on their shoulders. After all, Tukson was one of those people, and she never once saw him angry.

Jaune snorted as he rolled his eyes, much to Blake's annoyance. "For someone who has a whole separate set of ears, you're not very good at listening." As soon as his words left his mouth, he felt a flying book hit him on the side of the head, letting out a hiss as the dull pain made itself apparent.

As he turned his head to stare at Blake, he watched her cross one leg over the other as she grabbed another book off a nearby shelf, almost as though she hadn't just thrown the literal book at him. "Keep it up and I'll just start ignoring you." Jaune knew well enough that it was an empty threat, but he didn't want to push Blake's buttons.

An awkward laugh forced its way out of Jaune's mouth as he forced himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed cross-legged, "Wait, I- I said people that don't get mad, not people that get mad and keep it under wraps! Those are two very different things!" He watched as Blake's ears twitched harshly as she stared at him from the corner of her eye. He hoped that she wasn't too upset by his comment with the- and the, well you know.

He watched as she let out a sigh, turning her head to stare back at him, her steely amber eyes boring into his own like… he didn't know, something that bored into things, "How can those two things be any different?" The look in her eyes told him well enough that she just didn't get it. She wouldn't get it on her own unless he laid it out flat for her, which was fine.

Blake heard the boy let out a hum as he brought a hand to his chin. Jaune's statement felt almost redundant in a way. People that didn't get mad tended to be the people that kept it under wraps the most. The most stoic people in the world couldn't be pushed to anger, and it was because they were the best at maintaining that self-discipline.

"Well, if there are people that aren't capable of being angry, how are they supposed to cope?"

What?

Blake blinked once, then twice as she stared at the boy, his face calm and steady, his blue eyes maintaining constant contact with her own. "They don't. They accept it and move on."

Jaune slowly shook his head as he flicked his gaze to the carpeted floor, "That's not coping, Blake." He tried his hardest not to sound irritated by the discussion, but he knew he was failing. What Blake described wasn't coping with a bad situation, it was just ignoring a problem until it went away. "You can't just… accept a problem, the human mind doesn't work that way. I know mine doesn't."

Blake chuckled as she fiddled with the book in her hands, "Well, you're hardly the standard for the human mind."

A frown came over Jaune's face as his brows furrowed, "I'm being serious."

The raven-haired girl only rolled her eyes, "I know you are, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood."

Jaune let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped, bringing a hand onto his cheek. Well, at least Blake was trying to lighten things up for a change. "Well, just know that it's okay to be honestly mad from time to time. We all need a little time to be… Well, you know."

Blake let out a hum as she nodded her head, having a hard time keeping her eyes on the boy. Blake didn't have to be mad. She was more than capable of handling situations without the use of anger. Annoyance was something that came naturally to her, but anger was something foreign, something that Blake didn't need. She'd gotten far enough without it.

Although, something stuck to the back of her mind like a parasite, gnawing away at her thoughts. So much so that she needed to voice them.

"How did we even get to this conversation?"

Jaune blinked as he turned back to face the raven-haired girl, a variety of confused noises spilling out of his mouth as the gears in his head slowly turned. "I… don't know."

The Faunus girl rolled her eyes. That felt about par for the course when Jaune was around. As she scooched farther towards the headboard of her bed, Blake flopped back onto her pillow, "I'm not sure what I was expecting."

The blond boy only shrugged as he stared at his only Faunus friend, "Hey, I've been quoted dozens of times saying that you're the smart one, so I've got no clue what you were expecting either." His retort, while not exactly flattering for himself, held quite a bit of truth. Tactics were one thing, but keeping up with conversations was a beast that even Jaune wasn't brave enough to go against.

Great, now Jaune was trying to ignore all of the other dangerous things he'd done. He snuck into Beacon, went through half of the initiation process without aura, and became a team leader, but conversation was where the line in the sand was drawn. It made him feel a little silly.

But while Jaune was busy being lost in his mind, he felt a pair of slim arms slink around his neck pulling him down to Blake's level. Now laying down next to her, his back facing her as her arms wrapped around his midsection. He didn't even bother fighting it, instead opting to rest his hands on hers.

"Just shut up for a second will you?" Blake's gentle demand brushed against his ear, her warm breath against the back of his neck causing his hairs to stand up. But again, he didn't fight it. This had become a normal part of their daily schedules at this point, taking anywhere between half an hour to however long it took for them to wake up from the naps that came from them resting.

So, Jaune did the only thing he really could and brought the blanket over both himself and Blake, becoming enveloped by the natural warmth. There was just something so soothing about being so close to Blake, it was calming on a spiritual level. Weirdly enough, it felt almost safe. If the world was to crumble to ash and dust, then by the time he woke up, he'd still be warm and safe.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to tens of minutes, and just as Jaune nearly faded off to sleep, he felt his shoulder being shaken ever so slightly. "Hey, are you still awake?" His only reply came in the form of a hum, his eyelids heavily resting as his vision was obscured by a dark curtain.

"So, weird thought, but I couldn't help but think about something." Blake's voice quietly drifted into his ears, feeling a vibrating feeling against his shoulder as he tried his hardest not to drift away into unconsciousness.

"That being?" He half-heartedly replied, at least trying to pretend like he was paying an ounce of attention.

"Have you noticed how life is a lot like the ocean?" Her question came immediately after his own, and Jaune felt his lips slightly part as his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"How so?"

He felt Blake let out a hum against his shoulder, her hold around his midsection tightening as she paused. "Well, the waves are constantly moving, no matter how bad things might be. And while it may be dangerous, there is just something so mysterious and interesting about wanting to explore it, if only to see what there is to find." Her normally stoic voice filled with a passion that he rarely heard.

A smile came over Jaune's face as he brought a hand up to tap at Blake's left forearm, "You seem to have put some thought into that."

"My brain tends to drift into weird existential thoughts when I'm left alone for too long. So yeah, you could say that I give it some thought from time to time." For reasons beyond him, Jaune felt a pit in his stomach begin to form.

"How existential are we talking?"

Blake paused for a moment, her mind going a mile a second as she searched for an answer that didn't make her out to be some kind of troubled youth. Something honest but easy to swallow. The last thing Blake wanted to do was worry Jaune about her mental state. Not that he had to in the first place, but she digressed.

"Just the odd thought about the existence of life, that sort of thing." It was technically the truth, but not the entirety of it. Sure, Blake had thoughts about the better part of the Universe and the beginning of life, but Blake wasn't some Modern-day West Mistrali Philosopher that sparked the ideas of the first republics. No, Blake's thoughts were shallow, shallow enough that no one could swim in them.

They consisted of herself, her problems, and the worst-case scenarios that revolved around them.

Blake heard Jaune let out a hum of his own as he tapped her forearm again, "Well, I don't really think about that sort of thing too much. I feel like it draws you away from what's in front of you." A yawn proceeded his statement, one that Blake found curious.

"You're not in the least bit curious about how the universe works? No questions, beliefs, anything?" Everyone had something to believe in, it was a universal truth that Blake not only subscribed to, but it was a truth that she knew to be factual. There wasn't a single soul in the world of Remnant that didn't have some sort of belief. To hear Jaune say that there was nothing to dwell on left her intrigued.

Jaune snorted as he turned his head to look over his shoulder to stare at Blake through half-lidded eyes, his eyelids still weighing like someone fastened a pair of anvils to each of them. "Blake, all I know for sure is that I've got a loving, if over-protective, family, some great friends, and you. That's good enough for me to think about for at least another year."

In that instance, Blake felt a sharp pang in her chest as she hid away from the boy's gaze, doing her best to hide beneath the covers that draped over her. At least Blake knew why the boy didn't bother pondering on philosophy and other existential thoughts. His head was just too full of the simple pleasures in life.

Weirdly enough, that made Blake feel ecstatic.

She couldn't help but laugh as she hid behind him, her laughs being muffled by his t-shirt as her grip on him tightened. "You're so dumb." She managed to get out between breaths.

Jaune only rolled his eyes, "Hey, what did we talk about when I said I wasn't cool with being treated like I'm dumb." Failing to crush the smile that slowly spread across his face with each word that left him.

In response, he felt Blake's hand tap him gently on his chest, "Stop giving me reasons to call you dumb, and I just might stop entirely." Jaune couldn't help but laugh. He knew she wasn't being serious, so he didn't have much of a reason to be upset. Not that he wanted to be in the first place. Why would he ever want to ruin the moment by being upset over something insignificant?

Blake felt a calloused hand give her own a light squeeze, a smile coming over her face as she basked in the warmth that came with the situation. Some people would probably call the moment something more than platonic, but Blake didn't care. She was more than secure with the friendship that she had with Jaune. So if anyone wanted to have some misconstrued idea on their relationship, they could go and shove it.

The two of them laid there for longer than either one of them bothered to keep track, simply enjoying the comfort that came with one another's presence. As time ticked on, Blake felt her eyes grow heavier, her vision blurring as she nestled deeply beneath the covers of her bed.

Although, just as she was about to drift away into the deep slumber that her body so desperately craved, she felt her scroll violently buzz in her pocket. She tried to ignore it as it buzzed again. And again. And again. With a sigh, she untangled herself from the boy and reached into her pocket, pulling it up to see a call screen pull up.

Her eyes still not adjusting, Blake uncaringly hovered her finger over the answer button before giving it a light tap. "Hello?"

"Hey, Blake!" The voice of her leader screamed through her scroll, Blake's amber eyes shooting open as she sat up, instinctually scooching away from Jaune as she held both of her hands onto her scroll.

"Oh, hey Ruby," A strained smile plastered onto her face as she held the scroll up to her ear, "I wasn't expecting a call from you. What's going on?" Trying her hardest to sound as pleasant as possible. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Jaune slowly turned over to stare at her, a brow quirked on his face.

"Aw, not much, just figured I'd call you to see what's going on in the life of Blake." Her Leader trailing on as though it was just a spur-of-the-moment thought. "And I guess I wanted to see if you weren't feeling too bored." She followed up with a light chuckle, and she could already imagine her Leader rubbing the back of her head.

The Faunus girl let out a sigh as Jaune pushed himself up to a seated position, "How could I possibly be bored? I've got the dorm to myself, as many books as I can handle, and a whole city to explore."

A sheepish laugh came from over her scroll, and again, in her mind's eye, she could see her Leader once again rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I'm glad you're having fun all by yourself."

"Says who?" She heard from beside her, turning her head to look at Jaune with furrowed brows and a tilted head. "Shutting up now."

After a brief pause, she heard a cough come through her scroll. "Uh, was that Jaune-"

"No!"

Another pause in the conversation ensued, Blake's breath hitching as she waited for something, anything to come from the other side of the call. "Right…" Her Leader drew out, seemingly unconvinced, "How is Jaune, by the way?"

"Oh, I'm great! Thanks for asking." Came his natural response, Blake's ears folding downwards as she glared at the blond boy.

"Jaune, please stop talking." Her voice filled with the annoyance that she had been holding back.

"Why? It's not like she doesn't know I'm here." The least he could have done was act like he didn't exist. It could have made the whole situation a little less awkward. "Besides, it's not like we've got anything to hide, right?"

The amber-eyed girl felt her spirit leave her body as she heard Ruby squeal from the other side of the phone, "You've been exploring Vale with Jaune, haven't you? What have you guys been doing? Find any fun places to visit? Wait! You guys have been alone for a whole week, have you two been doing anything nasty l-like holding hands, and hugging-"

"And filling pies!" The sound of Blake's partner came from over the line, Blake's eyes widening to the size of saucers as she held her scroll out in front of her. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Am I on speakerphone?!" Her voice rising to an octave that Blake didn't even know she could hit, her ears ringing from the loudness of her own voice. She was even sure that she saw Jaune flinch at the volume.

"Uh, hmm," She heard from the other side of the call, "Promise not to be mad?" Her voice rising in pitch with every word that eked out of her mouth, Blake imagined her Leader's shoulders tensing up to her ears.

"No." Came her quick and emotionless response, her lips curled to the side, her eyebrows furrowed as deep as they could go.

"Then no, you're not on speakerphone." Ruby lied, albeit stiffly and unnaturally. Blake would know, she was a master-class liar- That wasn't something to brag about, come to think of it.

"So I am then." Her stoic voice droned out, she gave up. There was no point in even dwelling on it anymore. The shock had passed and so did her embarrassment.

Her only response was white noise, the sound of Ruby's scroll lightly crackling as some kind of background sound played, probably a television or something. "I'm sorry." Guilty, she was guilty! Blake was hoping that someone was going to barge into Ruby's home, drag her away, and sentence her to hard time in prison.

Jaune snorted as he rolled his eyes. It was almost comical to witness the scene, watching on as Blake tried to glare a hole through her scroll. Granted, it wasn't honest anger. It was a little closer to shock with extra spice. "Hey, no biggie, it's not like extra people to talk to is a bad thing."

He heard Blake scoff as she looked at him from the corner of her eye, "It is when it's Yang." Her voice was cold and emotionless, her face holding a blank expression as she stared back at him. In return, Jaune just gave her a bright smile, there was little else he could do. He was having way more fun with this situation than he had any right to.

There was an indignant cry from the other side of the call, but Blake paid it no mind, caring more about whatever it was that her Leader had to say. "W-well, uh, I just wanted to call and see how you were doing, so… Bye!"

"Wait, I still have more innuendos to use!" Her partner's voice barely managed to drift through the scroll before the call suddenly ended. She watched as the call blipped away as she was taken back to her home screen. With a breath, she flicked her scroll shut before tossing it aside.

"That could not have gone any worse." Mumbling to herself as she flopped back onto her pillow. Not only had she been embarrassed by a surprise call, but she was also subject to the filthy innuendos.

She heard Jaune let out yet another snicker as a hand tapped her shoulder, "I mean, I'm sure it could have." His words casually rolled off his tongue as he leaned against the headboard. Something about how uncaring he was about what just happened set off alarms in her head.

She tilted her head to the side as she stared at the boy, her eyebrows raised, "Well, you took it a whole lot better than I did." There was nothing more that she could say. He took the whole call in stride while she sat there, fumbling with her scroll at every other minor suggestion and innuendo.

Jaune shrugged as he crossed his arms, "I'm just kind of over it at this point, you know?"

"Uh, no, I don't." What did he mean he's 'over it,' that wasn't something you just get over. If it was, then she would have had a much simpler time.

He let out a hum as he brought a hand to his chin for what felt like the third or fourth time in the past half hour, it was such a hard thing to explain. "I mean, I know that we don't do all the stuff that they say we do, so I guess it doesn't really matter, you know? I'm not talking crazy, right?"

Blake blinked once, then twice, then thrice, her furrowed brows rising slightly. "No, but I just- I don't get it. How is that something you get over?"

Jaune let out a breath as he brushed a hand through his hair if only to get it out of his eyes. "If there's something I've learned in the past year since we came to Beacon, it's that people are weird." He knew he was coming out swinging, but it was the only way he could honestly start his explanation.

"Elaborate." Her demand led to the boy quietly chuckling.

"Humans, and by extension, the Faunus, we all exist with one purpose in mind: to care about ourselves. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. So, we have this sort of warped perception about ourselves. When somebody comes along and crushes that perception, we do everything we can to either appease the party that broke that mirror, or we just ignore it and keep staring into this broken reflection." Huh, and here Jaune was talking about something that sounded philosophical. He must have looked like such a hypocrite. It made him feel a little sick. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we, as people, seem to care a lot more about what others think instead of caring more about what we think."

As he turned to look back at Blake, he saw that her eyebrows raised. Her lips slightly parted as she stared up at him, a pair of deep amber orbs looking into the deepest parts of his soul. He felt his heart slow to crawl as he stared back, only one question prodding at the back of his mind. What's happening?

After a moment passed, Blake cleared her throat as she brought a fist to her mouth, "That's… really mature of you, Jaune." Her soft voice danced in his ears like a calm lullaby.

Jaune laughed as he brought a hand to the back of his head, "Hey, you know me. I'm just full of surprises." Surprising himself at just how quiet he was being.

They both sat there for who knows how long, quietly staring at each other. There wasn't a way to explain it. It just felt right, like there weren't supposed to be any reservations. Soon enough, time just stopped moving, frozen in place by a moment in time that neither of them wanted to come to a close.

But like all things, this moment had its beginning, so it must certainly have an end.

Eventually, the two of them broke their eye contact, a fluttery feeling in both of their stomachs as they tried to bring themselves back to solid ground. Blake couldn't help but wonder just what it was that made her stare at the boy for so long. For however long that she sat there, she physically could not bring herself to look away.

"Well," she started, her eyes having trouble fixating themselves on one singular object as she crawled to the edge of her bed, "It's gotten late enough. How about we go and find something for dinner before ending the da-" She cut herself off as her hand slipped off the edge of her bed, her body tumbling off her mattress and hitting the carpeted floor with a loud thud.

As she stared up at the roof of her room, she watched as Jaune's head peeked out from the edge of her mattress. "Uh, are you okay?" Well, her back hurt, her ears were quietly ringing, and she was laying on the floor. Physically speaking, yes, she was fine. But mentally, Blake was never going to recover.

"Just great." She forced out through gritted teeth, rolling over onto her stomach to push herself up. Although, as she rolled over, she saw something poking out from underneath her bunk. A white plastic bag, crumpled and tattered in many places.

Blake let out a hum as she reached out and pulled the bag out from under her bed, the sound of glass clinking made her Faunus ears twitch as she tilted her head. As she pulled the bag out, she pushed herself into a seated position, placing the bag gently on her lap. Had Blake been a more timid person, she would not have bothered trying to open the bag. She knew well enough what curiosity did to felines.

Luckily for her, she wasn't a cat.

"So, whatcha got there?" She heard a certain blond that she knew ask. From her peripheral vision, she watched as Jaune leaned over the edge of the bed, nearly teetering over as he tried to get a glance at the contents of the plastic bag.

The Faunus girl shrugged as she looked down at the bag, "Don't know, but I'm about to find out."

With great swiftness, Blake tore open the bag and found… a pair of bottled drinks? With furrowed eyebrows, Blake pulled out the pair of bottles and set them on the floor, the text on the labels being a language that she couldn't decipher. It was entirely foreign to her, and she wasn't even going to bother asking if Jaune knew. If she didn't know, it was equally as likely that Jaune didn't know either. Unless Jaune was some kind of bottled drink expert and never shared that information.

All that Blake knew was there was a big word on the front that read, "Mezcal." Not that she knew what Mezcal was, but she was sure that her scroll had an answer for it. "Ooh, those look fun." She heard, followed by Jaune plopping down onto the floor next to her.

From the corner of her eye, she gave Jaune a questioning look, "There's a fine line between looking fun and being fun." Holding the heavy bottle in front of her, Blake fished her scroll back out of her pocket. If she didn't have the information now, she would soon.

With a flick of her wrist and a quick search, she found the results she was looking for. "Huh, it says here that-" Blake was interrupted by a loud 'foomp.' Quickly blinking, she turned her head to the source of the sound, staring at the side of Jaune's head as he took a swig from the bottle.

His face contorted as a chill shot up his spine, tearing the bottle away from his lips before setting it aside, coughing up a storm into his free hand. "Ugh, why is it spicy? Oh, it burns so bad!" A searing burn gripping at his heart as he patted himself on the chest.

A hand quickly struck him upside the head, "You dumbass! Do you always drink things that you don't fully understand, or did you take an extra big sip from the stupid juice when I wasn't looking?" Her words harshly left her mouth as she snatched the bottle from his hand. Hey, what's the big idea with the swearing? That's rude. Jaune never called her rude names, aside from the times that he called her a cat.

"Hey, it's not like a little mystery drink is going to kill me, right?"

His reply was enough for Blake to pull at her hair as she tried to set the boy on fire with her glare alone. "Did it ever cross your mind that it might have been dish soap or something?" Jaune could have been endangering himself and he would have never known, and for some reason, that really pissed Blake off.

"Who keeps dish soap under their bed?" Quirking a brow and tilting his head tilted to the side, his thoughts running wild. What other things could Blake be hiding under her bed if dish soap of all things was down there?

"It's a hypothetical, Jaune!" She yelled out, grabbing at his collar and dragging him down to her height, her amber eyes boring into his own with an intensity that only his early life could have prepared him for. His life quickly flashed before his eyes, and in that second, he knew exactly what to do, a single phrase repeating itself as he stared death in the face.

What would Dad do?

Jaune carefully placed both of his hands on her shoulders, "Okay, I'm not sure what I did that made you so mad, but I'm sorry." His voice was soft and quiet, maintaining eye contact with his uncharacteristically upset friend.

He watched her eyes narrow even further, "Who says I'm mad? My idiot friend just took a drink from a bottle with a label he couldn't even read, and he's pretending like everything is perfectly fine. There's nothing to be mad about at all." Her words flowed like a thick venom from an oozing wound as she set the bottle aside. Okay, okay, that didn't work. That's fine, that's fine, so long as the next line works, everything should be a-okay-

"Um, that's a nice outfit, is it new? It makes you look very pretty." No, not that one! The other one!

Her face went from being the incarnation of wrath itself to devolving into a very annoyed deadpan, her black bow twitching violently. "Oh, the same outfit I wore yesterday?"

"Yes." Plastering a smile onto his face in the hopes of projecting some kind of confidence. That's okay, this was fine, he could probably work with this. Probably.

Her lip twitched slightly as she stared at the smiling boy, she couldn't even keep her mask on if she wanted to. As her hands slinked off of his collar, she let her head droop as her ears fell flat. "Why are you the way that you are?"

Alright, it seemed like whatever he did was working. Maybe. Okay, he didn't know, but it didn't matter. "Uh… I don't know. I guess I was just born this awesome."

Blake couldn't help but place her hands against her face as she tried to suppress the giggle, failing miserably. "You're so stupid."

The blond boy only wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tapping the side of her arm as she continued giggling. He wasn't sure what he did that was so funny, but he was just glad that something went well. Either that or someone was looking out for him.

"So, what's the deal with the bottles?" Jaune asked, letting his arm slink away as he scooched to face her properly. "Because not only does it taste bad, it punishes you for drinking it in the first place."

Blake rolled her eyes as she flipped her scroll and flashed the screen at Jaune, "Huh? Oh, it's hard liquor. I'm surprised you forgot so quickly." It hadn't been more than a minute since she last voiced that little fact. Granted, she was screaming at him when she said it.

An awkward laugh tumbled out of his mouth as he instinctively placed a hand on the back of his neck, "I'll be honest, I was just trying to deescalate that whole thing. I wasn't really paying attention too much."

She paused as she stared at the boy, letting out a deep sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're lucky that you're all I've got for the next week." It didn't take long for Jaune to laugh off her comment, patting her on the back as he continued laughing.

If anything, Blake felt pretty lucky too. Not just because she had Jaune for the entirety of Spring Break, but because she had him to be her friend in the first place. Before actually getting to know Jaune, life was inconsistent. Some days were full of life, adventure, training, and chatting, but most of her days were painfully slow.

Then she threw a wrench into the finely oiled machine that was her daily routine by adding the blond boy to it. It was small things at first, short greetings in the mornings, sharing notes in class, talking during lunch, that sort of thing. But at some point, something changed. She didn't know what, and she didn't know when, but something changed.

Whereas before, Jaune being around was just something fun, if only a little distracting. He was a way out of her dorm, an excuse to escape from the constant bundle of shenanigans that was her team. But after a while, she started getting excited about each following weekend, always ready for the next Sunday to find Jaune and have another day to themselves.

What changed?

She felt a hand pat her on the back as Jaune's lips moved, and sounds were coming from his mouth, but it all felt like gibberish. "Huh?" She muttered, snapping away from her innermost thoughts.

Jaune blinked as he quirked a brow, it wasn't like Blake to just phase out of a conversation. He wouldn't push his observation any further, but he tucked it away in his mind. "I said, what are we going to do with the bottles?"

He watched Blake place a hand on her chin as she stared down at the glass bottles, picking back up one of the two drinks. The amber liquid gently waved in its glass prison as she stared down at it. "Maybe it would be best if we just put them back. Besides, it's not exactly like they're ours to drink."

Jaune curled his lips to the side as he looked at the bottle, "I don't know. Aren't you the least bit curious about what it's like to, you know, drink?" He certainly was. For all of his life, he lived in an isolated settlement in the middle of nowhere. Constantly surrounded by Farmers, Militiamen, Gunsmiths, Merchants, they all had one hobby in common.

Alcohol.

Shoot, even his father would drink in his study from time to time. Nothing too crazy, but enough to put him in a good mood. But despite being surrounded by it all his life, Jaune had never once thought to do it himself. In his eyes, this was a perfect opportunity to give it a go. He was with someone he trusted, and he was tucked away where no one else would see him, so it was safe.

Blake let out a long hum as she stared at Jaune from the corner of her eye, her vision quickly flicking between the bottle and the boy. "I'm not sure…" Blake was never much of a drinker, whether it was growing up on Menagerie or when she was working with the White Fang. Her father wasn't much of a drinker, and he always encouraged her to steer clear of alcohol at a young age.

Then again, she was far away from her family. They wouldn't even have to- no! No. Blake was better than that.

"Okay," Jaune started, a smirk stretching across his face as he leaned forward, "How about this: we'll drink to a point where we're satisfied, and we can stop whenever. We don't even have to drink a lot of it, just enough to feel comfortable." It didn't have to be a whole lot, just enough to sate his curiosity so that he never had to look at the stuff again.

Blake bit her bottom lip as she stared at the bottle through furrowed brows. Well, it didn't have to be a lot, right? "Just a little bit, okay?" Blake couldn't deny her own curiosity any further. Okay, fine, she admitted, she wanted to try it too. But she didn't want to get drunk or anything, just try it and maybe get a little buzzed. And that was a big maybe.

The blond boy mentally pumped his fist as he gave Blake a nod, "Just a little bit." He parroted, but only to assure the Faunus girl that he was on the same page.

"Promise?" A thin brow rising on Blake's face, and Jaune couldn't help but let out a breath.

"I, Jaune Arc, do solemnly swear to not drink too much and ensure that you, Madame Blake Belladonna, follow the very same guidelines. Should this vow be broken, then may my family condemn me and may my soul burn in the deepest pits of Damnation for my name is Arc." Jaune recited the oath of honesty that his family had drilled into him since he was a boy, not missing a single beat in his citation. And that was because he meant every single word.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the boy's over-the-top oath, but she appreciated it nonetheless. As she held the bottle out towards him, she gave him a small smile, "Be my guest."

Jaune took the bottle from her hand with a laugh as he took the glass bottle to his lips, taking a more confident swig and- nope! Upon the liquid going down his throat, he couldn't help but cough roughly into his hand as another chill went down his spine, involuntarily shuddering. "Geez, if this stuff had to be an animal, it'd be a donkey. It looks friendly at first, but it's got a heck of a kick."

Blake patted the boy on the back as she rolled her eyes, "Oh please, it can't be that bad." Taking the bottle from Jaune's outstretched hand, she slowly brought the bottle up, the thick stench of the Mezcal forcing her to close her eyes before shaking her head. Pushing past it, she took a sip of her own, the harsh liquid going down with some effort. The taste was unbearably bad, the smell was overpowering, and it was generally unpleasant. "How anyone can enjoy this stuff is beyond me."

The blond boy quietly nodded as the bottle was passed back to him, "Seriously. This stuff tastes worse than a wad of garbage scraped off the bottom of one of the cafeteria tables." He mumbled as he held the bottle in his hands, watching as Blake's ears violently twitched underneath her bow.

The sound of Blake laughing filled his ears as she brought a pale hand up to her mouth, her amber eyes carrying a playful spark. "Why do you know that?" And see, it was a good question, honestly fair in nature. However, um, Jaune did not want to answer.

Jaune awkwardly chuckled as he brought the bottle back up, "Well, you see, funny story-" He managed to get out before muttering incoherently, taking a quick swig as the bottle touched his lips. "And that's why I don't trust talking hamsters. Or was it the gerbils? I don't remember too much of that day anymore, too fuzzy."

Blake snorted beneath her breath as her smile brightened, "I feel like I'm missing a lot of that story." Came her response, taking the bottle back before taking a swig of her own. With every sip, Blake grew more and more used to the burning feeling that lingered. It wasn't comfortable, but at least it was bearable.

Although, if there was anything that Blake had to admit, the drink did make her feel a bit more confident.

As she went to hand the bottle back to Jaune, she heard him let out a hum as he leaned his head against the edge of her bed. She held the glass bottle out for a moment, but Jaune was too busy staring off into space to care. "Jaune," she spoke up, holding the bottle up within view, "It's your turn."

"Huh?" He muttered, shaking his head as he stared at the bottle of Mezcal, "Sorry, sort of spaced out for a second there." Wrapping his hand around the glass bottle, Jaune brought it up to his mouth but stopped before he took a drink.

Amber eyes blinked curiously at the blond boy, "Well, are you going to take your drink? Or are you all tuckered out?" Blake snipped, watching as Jaune shrugged his shoulders as he set the bottle down next to him.

"No, I can still go on. It just feels like something's missing, you know?" There was just something missing, something Jaune couldn't put his finger on. Drinking was nice, but it wasn't fun alone.

Blake let out a hum as she placed her index finger on her lips, her eyes narrowing for a moment before a thought sprang to life in her mind. "How about a game?" Her eyebrows rose as she smiled.

A game involving alcohol? Well, that certainly caught his attention. But there was just one problem with that, what kind of game could they possibly play with alcohol? "Unless you've already got one in mind, I'm not sure how well that'll work out."

He watched as the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes, "Truth or Dare, and if you don't finish one of the two, you drink."

He paused for a moment as he stared down at the bottle next to him. Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, right? With a breath, Jaune picked the bottle back up, "Alright, sure. You first."

Blake couldn't help but smile wider. Oh, she was going to absolutely torture him. "Okay, Truth or Dare."

"Truth." His response was immediate, not even skipping a beat.

She rolled her eyes. Coward. "What's it like having so many sisters?" She couldn't help but be a little curious since she had found out a couple of weeks ago. To have lived with so many siblings had to be hectic, if not downright chaotic.

Jaune blew out a raspberry as he tried to collect his thoughts. "There's always something to deal with when you're living with that many people. If it's not one thing, it's another, and being the only Son in the family doesn't make life any easier."

Blake felt a brow rise as she stared at the boy, "How so?"

She heard Jaune snicker as he handed off the bottle. "Save it for your next question." His quick retort caused her lip to twitch, "Truth or Dare?"

Blake took the bottle from his hand, her hand feeling almost weightless as she reached out. Huh, that was new. "Truth."

Jaune's smile widened as he leaned forward, he had the perfect question in mind. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why do you get so mad whenever your team insinuates something about, well, you know."

Blake blinked as she stared at the boy. If she was going to be honest, she didn't know. It was just one of those things. Granted, she knew full well how an answer like that would be received, even if it was Jaune. So, Blake took another swig from the bottle, the lingering warmth that came with it grew stronger.

"Oh, come on, really?" Jaune asked, failing to mask his disappointment. Something about that made Blake feel kind of happy, if only a bit confused as to why.

"You wouldn't like my answer." Her casual rebuttal did nothing but drive home Jaune's disappointment. Was there something wrong with him? "Now, it's your turn. Truth or Dare?"

Jaune took the bottle from her hand, holding it out in front of him for a moment. He was probably going to need a bit of liquid courage if he knew Blake. With a quick swig from the bottle, Jaune wiped his mouth with his left arm as he set the bottle down, "Let's switch it up a little. Gimme a Dare."

He watched as a twinkle lit up behind Blake's amber eyes, her sly smile growing ever wider as she stared into his blue orbs. "Okay…" The way her voice quietly traveled into his ears drove a shiver up his spine, but he didn't flinch. There were things more dangerous than a dare that Jaune has survived. "I dare you to… pretend to be a Beowulf screaming out of the window."

Jaune let out a sigh, "Well, that's not too-"

"Shirtless." Blake cut him off, and only then did the dread kick in. Great, he was going to be compared to that one bad Werewolf movie for weeks.

With a loud groan, Jaune tore his hoodie and shirt from his person as he stood up before walking over to the window sill. As he pulled the window up, the cold night wind brushed against him, the white light from the shattered moon in the sky shining down on him. It would have been funny if it were anyone else doing the dare.

With a deep breath, Jaune stared up at the moon before giving his best impression of a wolf howl, his voice traveling across the empty campus with little resistance. Now, that wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't hear the distant sounds of more wolves howling. At least, he hoped it was actual wolves and not people making fun of him.

The sound of Blake's infectious laughter broke out behind him as he tossed his clothes back on. He wasn't ever going to live that down. As he took his seat at the edge of her bed, Blake clutched at her stomach as her roaring laughter continued, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Jaune didn't bother to hide his annoyance. It's not like Blake wouldn't see through him anyway, so what was the point?

As her laughter slowly died down, he watched as she ran an arm across her eyes to dry away her tears. "Oh, that was so worth it!" Her face lightly dusted pink, whether it was from the drinking or from her laughing so much, he couldn't tell.

"Just pick, Truth or Dare?" His lips curling downwards as Blake leaned forward, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Dare." Stating as she snatched the bottle of Mezcal from in front of her.

Alright, this was his chance. He had a chance to get back at Blake for the embarrassing dare she had just forced upon him, all he had to do now was come up with something just as embarrassing. But what to do? A second passed, then another, and then a third before his alcohol-muddled brain kicked in. "Alright, I dare you to… put on one of Weiss' dresses and snap a selfie."

She blinked in rapid succession as her ears twitched beneath her bow, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Can you-"

"Put on one of Weiss' dresses and snap a selfie." He repeated, his brows rising as a smile spread across his face.

Blake took a moment to look down at the Mezcal bottle, she could always just take a swig and ignore the dare. But then again, that would have made Jaune the braver of the two of them, and she just couldn't let that slide. So with a bit of liquid courage in her systems, Blake marched over to Weiss' closet, pulled out one of her many white dresses, and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Now it was Jaune's turn to pause. He didn't actually think she would do it. Was- was she even going to fit in it? Especially with the- and the, well you know. The point was, it probably wasn't going to fit very… loosely to say the least.

As five minutes passed, he heard the sounds of constant shuffling from behind the bathroom door along with the odd tear or two, which were quickly followed by a quiet 'oops.' All Jaune did was keep sipping at his drink and hoped that the world would not be cruel. Eventually, he heard the sound of the doorknob jiggling before the door slowly creaked open.

He watched intently as Blake's head peeked out from behind the door, the discomfort on her face being more than evident. "Just… don't laugh. It's a little tight."

With that being said, Blake shuffled out from behind the door. But calling it 'a little tight' was underselling it. Blake had to not only keep a hand where her chest was to make sure it didn't pull down but also keep a hand dragging down at the hem of the skirt so that it wouldn't crawl up. Jaune was beyond uncomfortable, but he just couldn't look away. The way that the dress clung to Blake in a way that it was never supposed to was something that he couldn't ignore. Seeing Blake in a bikini was one thing, she wore it the way it was meant to be worn. But seeing her wear Weiss' dress set off the little goblin in his brain that wanted out of its cage.

Not that he would let it out.

Upon feeling his senses return to him, he quickly looked away, his face heating up in such a way that the sun's heat paled in comparison. "Uh, yeah. That, uh… yeah." His brain managed to get out before he felt the sizzling start. How was he supposed to approach this situation? Blake might as well have been wearing nothing with how much leg he could see, and that wasn't even getting into how little the dress actually covered in a place that it needed to most!

Why was he so stupid?!

Something about how embarrassed Jaune was getting about how she dressed made Blake feel even more self-conscious. She didn't even know that was possible, considering she had just walked out of the bathroom in a dress that was a few sizes too small. She should have just taken the drink and a wound to her pride!

But no, Blake instead decided to be stubborn, not wanting to be one-upped by the only boy she had bothered to be close to, which sounded weird when applied to the context that she was in. Swallowing her pride, she took a seat back on the floor, dragging her blanket off her bed. "There, I've done your stupid Dare." Her voice cracking involuntarily as she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself.

Jaune cleared his throat into his hand, his face beet red as his eyes darted around the room. "R-right, well, uh, your turn." He stammered out.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." He quickly answered. The last thing he wanted to do was catch flak after what he'd just dared Blake to do. In the eyes of some, it might have been a cowardly thing to do, but in Jaune's eyes, it was a tactical retreat. Better to live and fight another day.

Blake let out a sigh, slumping forward as she gripped tightly on the blanket, "Okay, be honest, who do you think has the smaller chest, Ruby or Weiss?"

Jaune's answer consisted of him slowly reaching for the bottle of Mezcal and taking another drink. If Jaune was going to be honest, he was starting to feel pretty good, if not very embarrassed. But even with the feelings that he had rolling around in him, he wasn't going to answer that question.

"Okay, fine, you don't want to answer? Sure, but can you at least guess Weiss' bra size?" He heard her ask. Why would she want him to do that?

"Um, why?"

"Because her dress is extremely tight, and I have more than a few complaints." Her eyes piercing his very soul as her brows furrowed.

The blond boy let out a sigh as a hand rubbed the back of his head. Man, it had been so long since he had to guess that. "Um, okay, if I had to guess, then… I don't know, somewhere between 32A and 30B." Granted, he could have been wrong, but again, it was a rough guess.

Blake tilted her head as she stared at the boy through furrowed brows, "Wait, how do you know that?"

She heard him let out a hum as he quirked a brow, "Having seven sisters gives you some really weird skills, most of which I'm not proud of." He started, his eyes getting a faraway, glassy look. "All the scrubbing and blisters."

It was almost impressive that he knew such precise measurements from a mere glance, if not a little concerning. Although, a thought popped into her head, and her mouth instantly went to move. "Wait, then what size do you think I am?"

She watched him shake away from whatever traumatic memory sucked him away before he properly stared back at her. A hand reached up to his chin, his eyes tracing over the ceiling. "Hmm, 34D? Maybe 34DD."

She felt her eyebrows scrunch deeper as a crease formed between them. "Gimme a second." She quickly spouted as she rushed to her feet, walking over to her dresser as she dragged her blanket behind her. Rummaging through her drawer, she pulled out one of her spare bras and- "Oh, what the fuck. How do you do that?" She yelled out, jamming her bra back into her drawer before slamming it shut.

Jaune snickered to himself as Blake took her seat again, "I already told you I'm awesome. What more proof do you need?" He jested, waving aside the glare that she gave him. "Well, that and I've had to take them off whenever my sisters would ambush me and force me into one."

This time it was Blake's turn to snicker, "I'd pay to see that happen." The thought of Jaune having to unclip a bra was a funny thought in her mind. The idea that he would struggle to get his arms behind him and unclipping it was something that amused Blake greatly.

She watched him quirk a brow as he tilted his head, but eventually, he shrugged. "I mean, sure, I can do that." He said, his confidence almost concerning her as he scooched next to her. What was he doing? As he reached a hand behind her back, she heard a quiet snap, and suddenly everything felt freer.

Only then did Blake manage to put two plus two together. Blood rushed to her face as she lashed an arm out from beneath her blanket, slapping Jaune up the back of his head. "I meant on you, not me!"

His face quickly paled as both of his hands shot up in front of him, "Oh man, I'm so sorry. Total miscommunication, gimme a second." She heard him quickly apologize, the feeling of her bra quickly returning, and there was only one thought buzzing through her mind. Just how was he doing that through her- er, Weiss' dress? "And there we go! Again, sorry, miscommunication. Totally misread that, that's all me."

The Faunus girl took a breath as her bow twitched, pushing aside the embarrassment that came from that situation. "So long as you didn't see anything, I don't mind."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief as he lightly tapped the side of his face, he must've been feeling the alcohol now. Everything felt more sluggish, almost weightless. His thoughts were becoming harder to keep in check. Shoot, even the thing that he'd just pulled was purely impulsive. "I just feel like everything's starting to get… sluggish, I guess. Do you know what I mean?"

Did she? That was a dumb question. Blake felt more than sluggish, she was giddier than she had ever been. She had an easier time making bad decisions and found herself laughing and expressing herself more. It wasn't a bad thing, because she knew that of all people, Jaune would have stopped her from going too overboard, but still. "Yeah. Do you think we should stop?"

Something in Jaune's brain pleaded with him to go for one more round, just enough for one more drink. After that, sleep. "Just one more round? Then we're done, I promise."

Blake brought her hand up to her mouth, biting on a knuckle as she thought to herself. She had more than her fill of drink, but she was also having so much fun, even with all of her blunders. It couldn't hurt to play one more round, right? "One more, then we both get changed and go to bed."

"Alright, awesome! Uh, whose turn is it now?" The blond boy asked. He'd honestly forgotten, they'd both gotten so sidetracked by bad questions and miscommunications that the turn order completely slipped his mind.

"My turn, I think."

Jaune let out a hum as he placed a hand on his forehead, "Okay, Truth or Dare?"

"...Dare." She knew she was making a decision she was going to regret, but Blake had more than enough Mezcal going through her that she didn't mind. If anything, the alcohol almost made the idea of being embarrassed bearable, even if she was wearing her teammate's outfit. Barely.

Okay, Jaune needed to come up with something tame after all of that. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of giving Blake another weird one, so he had to think of something manageable. "Uh, okay, let's think. I dare you to… hug me?" The words slipped out of his mouth like something slippery. He didn't know! He was more than tipsy at this point, and he was already pushing his luck.

Blake felt her mind come to a screeching halt, the sounds of old dial-up playing loudly in her mind as she tried a mental reboot. It was an easy dare, sure, but something about it set off alarms in her head. This was not the right time to be hugging Jaune, her system was all sorts of full of alcohol, she was wearing her teammate's dress, and she wasn't even sure if she could handle it.

It was either hugging Jaune or drinking more Mezcal, and she wasn't sure if she could even handle more Mezcal right now. Reluctantly, Blake stood up, dragging the blanket with her as she plopped down next to Jaune. How in the world was she supposed to do this? If she went to hug Jaune, she was probably going to lose her blanket, which would leave her more than a little exposed.

But a dare was a dare.

She shrugged off the blanket as she stretched out her arms, quickly wrapping them around the boy if only to stop him from staring. Her forehead sat on the crook of his neck, his breath hitching as Blake sat on his lap. Blake tried not to enjoy the hug, but she couldn't help it. Being close to the boy always left Blake a little warmer than not.

Although, despite the warmth that came from Jaune, she felt a very obvious lack of arms around her. It wasn't fair. How was he going to ask for a hug, but then not hug her back? It defeated the purpose of asking for one.

She couldn't help but dig her fingers into his hoodie as she gripped his tighter, feeling his back straighten as he sat up taller. "It's not fair if you don't hug back." Her words quietly floated out of her mouth as she leaned deeper into the hug.

Jaune's fingers dug into the carpet beneath him as his eyes trailed down towards the girl on his lap. The back of the dress was so tight that he could see down her dress a bit, which he tried his hardest not to. Something about this situation felt… wrong. Like he was doing something he shouldn't be doing. And then there was how she wanted him to hug her back! He didn't know if he could without some part of his brain kicking into overdrive.

For some reason beyond him, Jaune kept struggling to keep his eyes off her. He might have been going crazy, but Blake looked prettier than she usually did. Something about seeing Blake's hair rest against her exposed upper-back sent all sorts of neurons firing. And that wasn't even getting into how warm she felt, her arms tightly wrapped around him, an unidentifiable softness against his chest.

With a deep breath, Jaune let his grip on the floor slacken as he calmed himself. He was probably just drunk or something. Yeah, that's right, they had spent the better part of the last hour drinking and playing a game. The drink was probably just messing with his-

"Come on already." He heard Blake impatiently say, breaking away from the embrace to look him in the eyes, her face red as the corners of her lips dipped downwards.

It took him half a second to wrap his arms around the raven-haired girl, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull at how sudden the response had been. His arms wrapped around her tightly, leaving her nearly no place to move. On the bright side though, at least her warmth was returned.

A warm feeling spread across her chest as she placed her hands on his back, a sly smile spreading across her face. She wasn't sure what it was, but Blake suddenly felt really floaty, like she wasn't in the fullest control of her body. But, you know, in a good way. "Your turn," She whispered, her words brushing up against his ear, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

She had a dare in mind but hesitated for a moment. She probably wasn't going to remember too much about tonight. Oddly enough, Blake was alright with that. "I dare you to… k-" She managed to get out before the blond boy started reaching for the bottle. Oh, he already shot down the dare. That was a little disappointing.

Before she could follow up on her dare, she felt a hand against the side of her face as something soft brushed against her lips. She could smell the fresh alcohol from his mouth, but it was almost welcoming. It further enticed her already intoxicated mind to explore. Jaune was feeling brave, so he continued to take the initiative. A bite on the lower lip from Jaune sent her over, and she played along.

Blake leaned further into the boy, the sound of the mattress creaking as he sank further into its side, his eyes widening a smidge as his initiative was instantly contested. Her hands suddenly resting on the back of his head, his own hands resting on her waist. Jaune couldn't stop his temptation to let his hands wander. Lightly massaging her back and inching ever lower as they were locked together.

After a moment, something in Blake just snapped. As she broke away from the embrace, she took a moment to breathe, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tore the bow from the top of her head, tossing it aside before awkwardly slamming her lips against his.

Not having a moment of reprieve, Jaune couldn't help but try and find something that would hand the initiative back to him. As his hand roamed upwards, his fingertips eventually found her hair. Trailing further up, he felt a pair of fluffy ears brush against his fingers. His brain unintentionally wandered away as a thought crossed his mind. He'd never touched Blake's ears before, had he? Very carefully, he reached up to touch the seemingly soft Faunus appendages.

"A-ah!" The sound of Blake suddenly yelping as he gave her ears a light squeeze set something off in his head. He could have sworn he heard the sound of glass breaking somewhere in the back of his mind.

Blake felt Jaune gently push her back, her eyebrows scrunching slightly. Why did he stop?

She watched as he stood up, took a deep breath, suddenly picked her up, and tossed her on the bed behind her. As she sunk into the mattress, she couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen now. Maybe it was because she was beyond buzzed, but her brain was sending her all sorts of signals. It didn't help that she still felt the nerves at the top of her head were going on like bundles of firecrackers.

Then she heard the sound of something rumpling and falling to the floor as she heard her lamp click, the orange light that illuminated the room suddenly ceasing. Only then did she feel a sudden weight, his figure hovering above her.

"Oh." She smiled.


Alright, that's about as far as I'm taking that. It's 1 A.M, I'm tired, and honestly, I don't think I've got it in me to write the stuff you guys were asking for. I hope this gets the message well enough across.

Anyway, it took me about 3 weeks or so to get this chapter done. Feels pretty good considering that it's somewhere about 12.2k or so, so that's pretty good. Especially since this whole chapter is just one long scene.

I bet some of y'all didn't even notice.

Um, what else is there? Uhhhhhhhhh. Oh, I know.

So, in about 4 or so chapters, I think I'll be done with the main story for Street Lights Flicker, look forward to that, please. But I will be writing some side-stories which will consist of things that I couldn't fit into the main story without it drawing away from the flow of the story itself. The last thing I want to write is a fuckin' Seinen manga.

Oh, and one last thing. A buddy of mine, Luzifer the Sixth, I've mentioned him a few times now, decided to make a server regarding Writers, Artists, and Musicians in mind. A place where folks can mingle and hopefully improve themselves at their respective art. If any of you lovely folks want to mingle and try and get better, swing by. Shit, even if you just want to share works from others, that works too.

For the link: /7ksPCNs3ZM

And in case some of you nice folk don't see how it's relevant, you can just start with discord. gg and then add the rest. But, you know, remove the space.

Anyway, I think that's about it. Follow, Favorite, Review, and all that good stuff. Share it too, if you like, because any little bit helps the story get out there. And I hope some of you folks do decide to swing by our little Goblin Industries.

That's all for now, Buenas Noches, and Ciao.

Oh, and I can finally change a certain tag now.