The night had started like any other. Ruby and Jaune had the dorm to themselves, a rare moment of peace amidst the chaos of Atlas. Video games, comic books, and an unnecessary amount of junk food littered the floor as they laughed and competed over who could beat the next level first.

"You're cheating!" Ruby accused, pointing a chip at Jaune. "There's no way you made that jump!"

Jaune smirked, controller in hand. "It's called skill, my dear Rose. Maybe try it sometime?"

Ruby let out a mock gasp and tackled him playfully, sending them both tumbling onto the bed in a mess of tangled limbs and laughter. But then—

Silence.

They were close. Too close. Faces mere inches apart, warm breaths mingling, the laughter dying between them as realization dawned. All those unspoken feelings, buried under years of friendship, came rushing to the surface at once.

Neither of them spoke. Neither of them moved away. And then—one of them closed the gap.

What started as an impulsive kiss quickly escalated into something deeper, more desperate. Hands roamed, hesitant at first, then emboldened by mutual yearning. Clothes fell away, and the world outside their shared moment ceased to exist.

—

Jaune Arc sat alone in his dorm, the glow of the bedside lamp casting soft light over the scattered books and battle plans on his desk. The Atlas war effort left little room for rest, but tonight, for once, the room was silent. Until the knock came.

Ruby Rose stood in the doorway, her hood down, fingers twisting together as she hesitated.

"Hey, uh… you got a second?"

Jaune, always eager to help, sat up straight. "Of course. What's up?"

She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, taking a deep breath.

"So. Uh. Wow. Okay." She let out a nervous laugh, pacing a few steps before stopping. "This is… a conversation. Yep."

Jaune blinked. "You okay? You look like you just saw Weiss willingly eat fast food."

"I'm fine!" Ruby's voice cracked slightly. "Totally fine. Everything is fine. Except… it's not. Because I have to tell you something. And I don't know how. And I feel like if I don't say it now, I never will, and then I'll just explode into tiny rose petals because my nerves can't handle it."

Jaune's concern deepened. He stood, stepping closer. "Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is, I'm here."

Ruby inhaled sharply. Her silver eyes darted up to meet his, and she bit her lip before finally, finally forcing the words out.

"Jaune… I'm late."

Silence.

Jaune tilted his head. "Late for…?"

And then it hit him. His whole body locked up, every neuron in his brain firing off like an explosion in a Dust mine.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait—wait. You mean—" He pointed between them. "You and me—That night—Oh my Oum."

Ruby flinched at his volume, hands clamping over her face. "Yes! And please stop yelling before someone hears!"

Jaune immediately lowered his voice but was now pacing—frantic steps back and forth across the small room. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Breathe. Stay calm. That's important. That's what we need to do. Stay calm—"

Ruby watched as he proceeded to do the exact opposite of staying calm.

"I mean, statistically speaking, this happens all the time, right?! It's a normal thing! A life-changing, terrifying thing, but normal! It's not like I'm freaking out or anything, ha ha ha—" He turned, gripping his own hair. "Oh gods, I'm freaking out."

Ruby let out a groan, rubbing her hands down her face. "Yeah, well, welcome to my past four days, Jaune."

Jaune stopped. He looked at her—really looked at her—and saw the way she was hugging herself, the way she was biting her lip to keep from trembling. His panic stilled.

She was scared.

And if she was scared, then he needed to be strong.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune stepped forward and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey. We're gonna figure this out. Together. Okay?"

Ruby hesitated, then exhaled slowly, nodding. "Yeah. Together."

Jaune squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "…Okay. First step. How do we tell Yang without her literally punching me into next week?"