It started again with a flicker.

The cafeteria had quieted after the chaos. Students were trickling out, still whispering about the rooftop ballad, the fantasy music video, and the unlikely, blushing star of it all—Ruby Rose.

Team RWBY had almost managed to return to normal.

Almost.

Until the soft, static hum filled the air once more.

Ruby, mid-bite of a reconciliatory cookie, froze.

"No. No, it's back. Why is it back?!"

Weiss lowered her water with a sigh. "Maybe it's still buffering your next greatest hit."

Yang grinned. "Time for the sequel?"

Blake murmured, "This screen has a flair for drama."

The image flickered once more to life—and this time, the screen didn't show petals, or sunsets, or music video magic.

It showed their dorm room.

Empty, dimly lit, warm from the glow of a desk lamp.

A familiar figure sat on the edge of her bed.

Ruby.

Alone.

The footage was different from before. It had a rawness to it. The camera angle wasn't cinematic—it was still, natural, as though it hovered quietly in the corner of the room like a silent observer.

On screen, Ruby sat cross-legged on her mattress, hunched over her beloved spiral notebook. Her tongue peeked from the corner of her mouth in concentration, pen scribbling furiously as the room around her remained perfectly still.

The muffled scratching of pen against paper was the only sound.

Then she stopped.

She stared at the page.

Then slowly—so slowly—a proud, smug grin spread across her face.

She held the notebook up to eye level, eyes sparkling behind her bangs.

She whispered, with comic reverence:

"…A masterpiece."

A single, over-the-top tear rolled dramatically down her cheek.

She caught it mid-drip and wiped it on her sleeve. "They said it couldn't be done. They doubted me. But this…"

She stood dramatically, clutching the notebook to her chest.

"…is my Mona Lisa."

The real Ruby in the cafeteria let out a strangled groan. "WHY IS THIS FOOTAGE OF ME BEING A DORK?!"

The screen didn't answer. Instead, On-screen Ruby reached under her bed and pulled out a guitar. Not the tiny ukulele from before—a real, full-sized acoustic guitar. It was a little scratched, a little dusty, but clearly loved.

She sat back down, carefully tuning the strings, tongue peeking out again in concentration.

From the dorm door, a soft breeze stirred her red cloak.

She looked at her notebook one last time.

And began to sing.

"When life leaves you high and dry

I'll be at your door tonight

If you need help, if you need help…"

Her voice was different this time. Softer. Lower. The playful tone was gone, replaced by quiet vulnerability.

The cafeteria fell into another hush.

"I'll shut down the city lights

I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe

To make you well, to make you well…"

She strummed slowly, rhythm steady, but gentle—like a heartbeat.

"When enemies are at your door

I'll carry you away from war

If you need help, if you need help…"

"Your hope dangling by a string

I'll share in your suffering

To make you well, to make you well…"

On screen, Ruby strummed with growing confidence, eyes focused on the notebook as her voice rose with more power, more feeling.

The light from the desk lamp cast soft shadows across her face, highlighting the shimmer in her eyes. Not from performance this time—something more real. Her foot tapped quietly on the wooden floor. The air in the dorm looked still, the world silent but for the voice of a girl singing to no one… and to someone.

"Give me reasons to believe

That you would do the same for me…"

"And I would do it for you, for you

Baby, I'm not moving on

I'll love you long after you're gone…"

"For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long after you're gone

And long after you're gone, gone, gone…"

The camera held still as Ruby paused between verses, looking down at her notebook with a tight smile. She wiped her eyes again—this time less theatrically, more genuinely.

In the cafeteria, the real Ruby had sunken so far into her seat it looked like she might slide under the table again.

"That one was private," she hissed at the air. "Private! Lock-the-door-and-sing-your-heart-out PRIVATE!"

Weiss watched the screen, blinking slowly. "Ruby…"

"I swear, I'm not trying to have a full concert career—!"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You wrote that yourself?"

"No, it's a cover!" Ruby groaned, burying her face in her arms. "I just… changed the key a little… played with the bridge…"

Blake's voice was soft. "You meant every word."

Back on the screen, Ruby took a deep breath and kept playing. Her voice cracked a little—but she didn't stop.

"When you fall like a statue

I'm gon' be there to catch you

Put you on your feet, you on your feet…"

She looked up toward the ceiling, like she was imagining someone just beyond the sky. Her voice steadied.

"And if your heart is empty

Not a thing will prevent me

Tell me what you need, what you need…"

"I surrender honestly

You've always done the same for me…"

"So I would do it for you, for you

Baby, I'm not moving on

I'll love you long after you're gone…"

The scene shifted slightly—now Ruby was lying on her bed, guitar still in her arms, strumming from a reclined position, voice quieter now. She stared at the ceiling as she sang the next part, words like a whisper.

"For you, for you

You will never sleep alone

I'll love you long after you're gone…"

"And long after you're gone, gone, gone…"

The camera zoomed in—just a little.

Her eyes shimmered. Her fingers moved automatically on the chords. She wasn't looking at the lyrics anymore.

"You're my backbone, you're my cornerstone

You're my crutch when my legs stop moving…"

"You're my headstart, you're my rugged heart

You're the pulse that I've always needed…"

The strumming slowed. Ruby took a deep breath before the final chorus.

"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating

Like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you…"

Her voice trembled, but never wavered.

"And long after you're gone…"

"Gone, gone…"

"I'll love you long after you're gone…"

She let the last note fade into the silence of the dorm room, the guitar humming softly in her lap.

Then, Ruby exhaled and dropped her head back with a small, tired smile.

"Still think the bridge is too long…" she mumbled to herself. "But… not bad."

And with that, she gently set the guitar down, rolled over, and pulled her notebook close like a pillow.

The screen slowly dimmed. The image faded.

Then… silence.

For a long beat, no one spoke in the cafeteria.

Not one whisper.

Even the ever-lively Nora didn't so much as twitch.

It was like they had stumbled into a sacred space—something not meant for them, something too raw, too honest.

Then—

"Wow," Sun Wukong said softly from Team SSSN's table.

Yang cleared her throat. "That was… different."

"She wrote that?" Velvet asked.

"No," Blake corrected. "But she made it hers."

Ruby, curled in her chair like a hedgehog, peeked out with one blood-red eye. "Are you guys gonna say something awkward now?"

Weiss didn't look at her. "No."

"Okay."

Weiss finally turned to her, expression unreadable. "You really… felt that."

Ruby gave a nervous shrug. "I guess I was just having one of those nights."

"You wrote that song on one of those nights?"

"I sang it," Ruby corrected. "Big difference."

Blake murmured, "No, there isn't."

Nora sniffled loudly. "I didn't know Ruby was sad! I thought she just ate cookies and exploded through walls!"

Ren placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Even cookies get soggy sometimes."

Ruby groaned again. "Can I please go back to being just the hyper one?!"

Jaune grinned. "Too late. You're now Ruby: Slayer of Grimm, Queen of Ballads."

Velvet nodded with admiration. "That was beautiful, Ruby."

"Heartfelt," Coco added.

"Brave," Yatsuhashi rumbled.

Ozpin's voice came from somewhere behind them.

"Revealing your heart always is."

Ruby nearly flipped her chair.

"WHERE DO YOU KEEP COMING FROM?!"

Ozpin gave one of his enigmatic smiles. "I don't intrude. I listen."

"Creepy!"

He sipped his coffee. "Compassionate."

Glynda Goodwitch stepped up beside him, arms folded. "Miss Rose… while I do suggest keeping your musical pursuits within dorm regulations in the future…"

She gave the tiniest smile.

"…You certainly have a gift."

Ruby blinked. "I think I need to lie down."

"I think we all do," Weiss muttered.

Yang finally stood, grabbing Ruby by the shoulders. "Okay, songbird. You're coming with me. You need air, and maybe therapy."

"Will that therapy include not having another screen leak my soul?"

"No promises."

They headed out of the cafeteria, the crowd slowly parting around them. Everyone watched. Everyone whispered. But there was no mockery. No teasing.

Just awe.

Maybe even admiration.

The screen remained gone. But like before… it flickered once.

A pulse.

Like a satisfied sigh.

And then?

Stillness.

But there was more to come.

There was always more.


"Operation Cupid (ft. Ruby Rose)"

The cafeteria had just barely recovered from the emotional whirlwind that was Ruby's impromptu ballad session. Students murmured and chuckled, half expecting the screen to reappear with another soulful number. But as the lights above flickered once more, a familiar static crackled through the air.

The screen was back.

Ruby let out a strangled, "No, no, no—why again?!" and tried to duck under the table.

Too late.

The image flared to life—not dramatic this time, but grainy, like a memory pulled from the bottom of a dusty shelf.

Jaune Arc went pale the moment the scene appeared.

"Oh no," he whispered, clutching his tray like a lifeline.

Pyrrha blinked at the image. "Wait… is that… our dorm hallway?"

Ruby peeked with one eye, and immediately turned beet red. "They wouldn't. They wouldn't."

Blake's ears twitched in interest. "This seems… juicy."

The Past - One Month Earlier

The scene on the screen opened on a quiet corridor in the Beacon dorms. The hallway was dimly lit by moonlight, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

A very anxious Jaune Arc was pacing back and forth like a trapped animal, nervously clutching a bouquet of wildflowers that looked like they'd been hastily assembled from the campus gardens. His blond hair stuck out more than usual, and he muttered to himself.

From the left, Ruby Rose strolled into view, munching casually on a cookie, her red cloak fluttering behind her like she'd just finished another high-speed snack run.

"Alright, Ruby," Jaune said, stopping his pacing. "Are you sure about this?"

Ruby gave him a lazy thumbs-up with the hand not holding the cookie. "One hundred percent. Trust the process."

"You're the process!"

She took a dramatic bite. "Exactly."

"Okay, okay." Jaune breathed in. "So I go out there, I walk up to her—casual, natural—and then you… start singing?"

"Yup. To set the mood. Romance." She waggled her eyebrows. "Jaune-mance."

"I… don't think that's a word."

Ruby reached behind her and pulled out a small guitar. "It is now."

Jaune blinked. "Where did you—never mind. Okay. Let's do this."

The screen cut to the dorm courtyard, moonlight spilling across the benches and garden hedges. Pyrrha Nikos was seated quietly, dressed in casual Beacon gear, humming to herself and sketching something in her notebook.

Jaune emerged from behind the bushes like a nervous meerkat, bouquet trembling in hand.

Behind him, Ruby crouched in the shadows—comically dramatic, as though she was in a spy movie. She adjusted a pair of black sunglasses, which she clearly did not need at night.

Back in the cafeteria, Coco did a double take.

"Is she wearing sunglasses?"

Velvet snorted. "It's nighttime!"

Ruby in the present facepalmed. "Why did I think that was cool?!"

On the screen, Jaune finally stepped forward. "H-Hey, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha looked up with a bright smile. "Oh! Hi, Jaune."

"Y-You look… uh… like a champion tonight!"

Silence.

Present-day Pyrrha whispered, "Oh dear…"

Jaune on screen looked like he might combust.

Ruby gave him a thumbs-up from the shadows.

Jaune took another breath. "S-So, I was wondering if you'd maybe… like to…"

Another pause.

Ruby groaned.

Jaune was frozen, lips twitching, bouquet drooping.

And then, like a silent, awkward superhero, Ruby stepped into the moonlight—guitar slung around her shoulders, sunglasses gleaming.

She strummed once, then spoke in a faux-deep voice:

"Love. It's a battlefield."

Pyrrha blinked. "…Ruby?"

"Cue the mood."

Ruby took position directly between Jaune and Pyrrha.

And began to sing.

"A hopeless romantic all my life

Surrounded by couples all the time…"

She began to sway, strumming with over-the-top flair. Her voice was shockingly decent, if a little theatrical.

"I guess I should take it as a sign…"

She gestured to Pyrrha like she was presenting her on a game show.

"I'm feelin' lonely (lonely)

Oh, I wish I'd find a lover that could hold me…"

Jaune buried his face in his hands. "Please make it stop…"

Ruby leaned dramatically toward Pyrrha.

"Now I'm crying in my room

So skeptical of love

But still I want it more, more, more…"

She air-kicked. Literally kicked the air.

"I gave a second chance to Cupid

But now I'm left here feelin' stupid…"

"Oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn't real

Cupid is so dumb…"

In the present, the entire cafeteria was losing it.

Nora was howling with laughter. "SHE'S YOUR WINGMAN?!"

Ren looked like he was having an out-of-body experience.

Professor Port let out a nostalgic, "Ah, young love…"

Glynda was stone-faced—except for the tiniest smirk at the corner of her mouth.

Jaune looked like he wanted to melt through the floor.

"I—this was supposed to be private! Ruby swore she'd never tell anyone!"

Ruby waved frantically. "I didn't! The screen did!"

Weiss looked halfway between appalled and amused. "And you thought singing a K-pop song would help him confess?!"

Ruby shrugged. "It's a banger."

Back on screen, Ruby was now spinning slowly in place, still singing:

"I look for his arrows every day

I guess he got lost or flew away…"

She strutted toward Jaune and dramatically leaned on him mid-verse.

"Waiting around is a waste

Been counting the days since November

It's loving as good as they say?"

She yanked the bouquet from his hands, presented it to Pyrrha with a flourish, and sang directly to her:

"Now I'm so lonely (lonely)

Oh, I wish I'd find a lover that could hold me…"

She spun the guitar, struck a final pose.

"Cupid is sooo DUMB!"

And stopped.

Silence fell in the courtyard.

Pyrrha blinked.

Jaune had turned redder than a boiled crab.

Then Pyrrha smiled gently and said:

"…You could have just asked me out, Jaune."

He blinked. "Wait. So… is that a yes?"

She giggled. "It's a maybe. But only if you sing next time."

"NOOOO—!"

The screen faded to black.

The room roared.

Nora slammed the table. "Ruby, you're a genius!"

"I'm a menace," Ruby muttered.

Yang laughed so hard she nearly fell off her chair. "Guitar… sunglasses… 'Cupid is sooo dumb!' That was amazing!"

Pyrrha was laughing softly beside a still-suffering Jaune. "You were very cute."

"I was mortified!"

Ozpin sipped his coffee with a grin. "Ah, the delicate dance of courtship. Quite literally, in this case."

Glynda pushed her glasses up. "Miss Rose, if you ever consider a musical career, perhaps… rehearse first?"

"I did!" Ruby said. "That was my best take!"

Weiss shook her head. "At this point, I'm scared of what else that screen knows."

Ruby muttered, "It knows everything."

Jaune groaned again. "So much for dignity…"

Ruby patted his shoulder. "Hey, you got a 'maybe.' That's like a win!"

"Because of you! Wearing sunglasses at night!"

"I stand by the aesthetic."

The laughter continued around them—but this time, it wasn't cruel. It was warm, communal, genuine.

A story shared, a memory relived.

The screen, as if satisfied with its latest act of chaos, flickered once more… and vanished.

Until next time.

Because the past?

The past never stays quiet for long.


"Wingman Gone Wild"

Beacon cafeteria had become a stage.

No longer a place for eating. No longer a neutral ground.

Now it was an arena of secrets, a temple of mystery memory leaks, a screening room for Ruby Rose's increasingly strange extracurriculars.

Every student in the hall was on edge, their heads tilted slightly toward the center, waiting. Hoping.

The screen hadn't flickered again in hours.

Ruby was almost starting to relax.

Almost.

She was mid-cookie, eyes darting warily at the ceiling. "Maybe… maybe it's done."

Weiss was skeptical. "We said that three screens ago."

Jaune shuddered. "I don't trust anything anymore."

Then—

ZzzrrrRRKKK—

Flicker.

A low hum filled the air.

A grainy image lit up above the faculty table.

Ruby groaned. "Dust dang it! What now?!"

Blake blinked at the image and went rigid. "Oh… oh no."

Sun Wukong, sipping juice nearby, choked. "Nope. Nope. Turn it off. How do we turn it off?!"

Yang looked intrigued. "Now this should be good."

The Past - One Week Earlier

The image on the screen cleared to show the Beacon training field at sunset—empty, golden, peaceful.

Sun Wukong was pacing back and forth, radiating nervous energy like a microwave.

"Okay," he muttered to himself. "You've got this. Just compliment her… and maybe don't talk about bananas."

From the side of the field, Ruby Rose sauntered into view with her now-iconic bag of cookies, nibbling one while wearing an expression of complete disinterest in the seriousness of the situation.

"Are you sure about this?" Ruby asked, eyes half-lidded.

Sun nodded. "Yeah! You helped Jaune! Sort of! You can do this again!"

Ruby tilted her head. "You want me to sing again?"

"Totally. Just like, set the mood. Keep it chill. Romantic."

Ruby squinted at him. "You do know Blake has combat knives in her boots, right?"

Sun gave a lopsided grin. "She'll appreciate the gesture!"

Ruby shrugged. "Alright. But if I die, I'm haunting you."

She gave a thumbs-up.

Cookie still in hand.

The scene cut.

Now it was Blake Belladonna, reading peacefully under a tree near the edge of the field, her long hair catching the wind.

A perfect moment.

Then…

A rustle.

Sun stepped into view holding a small bouquet of sunflowers.

"Uh… hey, Blake!"

Blake looked up, curious. "Oh. Hi, Sun."

Sun smiled nervously. "You look… uh, shaded today."

She blinked. "I'm… sorry?"

Before he could continue, a loud, obnoxious guitar chord shattered the moment.

Then came the voice.

"Ay caramba, lovebirds!"

Ruby slid—literally slid—into the frame, somehow wearing a giant red sombrero, black sunglasses, and strumming a ukulele like she'd trained in a mariachi band.

Sun's jaw dropped. "Ruby, no!"

"Ruby, YES!"

She struck a pose.

And began to sing.

"What color is the sky? Ay, mi amor, ay, mi amor

You tell me that it's red, ay, mi amor, ay, mi amor…"

Blake blinked. "What… is happening."

Ruby danced in a circle around them, strumming and kicking like she was summoning a mariachi spirit.

"Where should I put my shoes? Ay, mi amor, ay, mi amor

You say, 'put them on your head!' Ay, mi amor, ay, mi amor…"

Yang wheezed from the present. "She did NOT—"

Onscreen, Ruby leaned into Blake, one hand dramatically pressed to her chest.

"You make me… un poco loco

Un poquititito loco…"

She winked. "Translation: a little crazy."

"The way you keep me guessing

I'm nodding and I'm yes-ing

I'll count it as a blessing

That I'm only… un poco loco!"

She did a full spin and struck a flamenco pose.

The cafeteria erupted in laughter.

Velvet had fallen off her bench. Jaune clutched his ribs. Ren looked like he was biting his tongue to stay composed. Nora shouted, "¡Olé!"

Back on screen, Sun looked like he'd swallowed a bug. "Ruby?! This is not what we discussed!"

"I'm improving the vibe!" she said cheerfully.

Blake sat frozen, holding her book midair like a shield. "Did you rehearse this?"

Ruby strummed again. "Mi amor, I'm always ready."

As the last chord rang out, Ruby turned to Sun with exaggerated sadness.

Then, with her most solemn mariachi face, she said:

"Sun Wukong… I apologize, mi amigo."

Sun blinked. "For what?"

She turned to Blake, bowed deeply, then turned back to him.

"She is already spoken for."

Sun blinked. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Ruby pointed dramatically at the sky.

"Yang Xiao Long has called dibs."

Sun gasped. "Dibs?! Since when?!"

"Since always!" Ruby declared. "She saw the ears first."

Blake turned crimson. "Ruby—"

Ruby put a hand over her heart.

"Blake Belladonna is to be my sister-in-law."

Yang, in the present, stood bolt upright. "WAIT, WHAT?!"

Ruby onscreen strummed one final chord.

Then…

She moonwalked away.

Sombrero wobbling. Ukulele still in hand.

Fade to black.

The room was in chaos.

Blake had her face buried in both hands.

Sun was screaming into a napkin.

Yang pointed wildly. "I NEVER CALLED DIBS!"

Ruby was already halfway under the table. "Why does this keep happening?!"

Jaune was doubled over laughing. "Sister-in-law?! You declared sister-in-law status?!"

Blake groaned. "We agreed never to speak of that day!"

Coco had tears in her eyes. "This is the greatest television show I've ever watched."

Professor Port stood proudly. "Romance! Music! Sibling declarations!"

Ozpin calmly sipped his coffee. "I must admit… this one had flair."

Glynda was massaging her temples.

"Miss Rose… was the sombrero strictly necessary?"

Ruby's voice came muffled from beneath the table.

"It was thematic."

Yang turned to Blake. "You never told me you were pre-married."

Blake threw her hands up. "I didn't agree to anything!"

Ruby popped back up. "You didn't disagree either!"

"I WAS STUNNED!"

Nora, practically vibrating, shouted, "THAT MEANS YANG'S THE BRIDE!"

Yang facepalmed. "I'm gonna need a moment."

Blake sighed. "We aren't actually engaged, just to be clear."

Ruby strummed her ukulele solemnly. "For now."

"RUBY—"

The screen above them flickered again, once—softly.

Like a wink.

Then disappeared into the quiet.

The memory lived on.

So did the sombrero.

Somewhere in the world, the universe laughed.

Because nothing stayed secret forever at Beacon.

Not even impromptu musical proposals.