Jaune didn't know when he began to fall for Ruby Rose.

It could've been the day they first met, when she showed her appreciation for weapons, along with that giant sniper-scythe she always wielded. (He still couldn't believe she built that thing.) He was impressed by her commitment and her care to detail, and he knew right then that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to.

Maybe it was during initiation, when he saw her lead what would become Team RWBY masterfully against a giant Nevermore, which she decapitated herself. She was strong and fearless in the face of death, and it was obvious to him that she was going to do special things during her time at Beacon, things he couldn't fathom doing himself.

Perhaps it was weeks later, while Jaune was forced to be Cardin's lapdog. He was losing his team—his friends, and he felt like he couldn't go any lower. Then Ruby came along and simply told him 'nope' and that he wasn't allowed to be a failure. She believed in him when maybe no one else did, when no one had any reason to. Her compassion and determination inspired him, and he saw the person he wanted to be inside her, which only made him admire her more.

He could go on if he wanted. There were many other moments when he could've realized it. But then he'd be rambling. In his own mind, but still, rambling nonetheless. Bottom line: Jaune had no idea when exactly he began to see Ruby as more than a friend. But he did. Not that he ever expected her to reciprocate these feelings. Compared to her, he wasn't nearly as smart, talented, or inspiring. But despite all of that, they had become friends, close friends. As long as Ruby was happy, Jaune thought he could live with that.

Yet his desires still fought him.

Professor Goodwitch's Combat Class was packed full, as it usually is. All of the students were murmuring with anticipation, waiting for their names to be called and the ensuing opportunity to prove themselves against their fellow classmates. All except one, that is, as Jaune rocked back and forth in his seat, eyes clenched shut and body stiff as a board.

"Please not me today, please not me today, please not me today," the blonde-haired swordsman whispered to himself, his mind filled with dread as he waited for Goodwitch to just start class and call people up already; as long as, of course, his name wasn't said today. He continued this act until he was startled by a gentle touch to his left shoulder.

"Jaune, it's okay," Pyrrha reassured him. "You've been improving marvelously throughout our practice sessions, and it's shown in class. You don't have to keep worrying yourself like this."

"I know, I know!" Jaune couldn't help but shake Pyrrha's hand off of his shoulder, startling his partner in the process. He shot an apologetic glance at her before letting out a heavy sigh and hanging his head again. "But, even though I've gotten better, I still haven't won a single match. And every time I lose, Goodwitch comes down just as hard on me as she did at the beginning of the year."

"And she's only going to keep doing so," a new voice jumped in. Jaune turned his head toward Weiss, who was sitting two seats to his right. "Despite how much you may have improved, you're still leagues behind the rest of us, and Professor Goodwitch is merely pointing out your mistakes. That's her job." Weiss's tone grew sterner as she spoke, as if it were a crime for Jaune to complain about the professor's teaching methods. "It's a long semester. You might as well get used to it."

"Come on, Weiss, lay off of him," Ruby piped up as she sat between Jaune and her white-haired partner. "You gotta admit, he has gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year. He knocked your aura into the yellow when you fought him last week, remember?"

Jaune couldn't keep his heart from fluttering at hearing Ruby defending him. She was so confident, she made it sound like what he did was a major accomplishment. Weiss, on the other hand, merely scoffed as she tilted her chin up slightly.

"That's because I was merely going easy on him. There's no need to waste my energy on a battle that I had won before it even started."

Now that Jaune was in a slightly better mood, he was able to notice an opportunity to have some fun with Weiss, which he didn't hesitate to jump at. "Now, Snow Angel, you don't have to keep playing hard to get. You obviously just didn't want to hurt me, that's all."

Hearing this threw Weiss off-guard, her face flushing as she shot a glare Jaune's way. "Would you knock it off with that, already?! And stop calling me by that dreadful nickname! I don't like it and I don't like you!"

Jaune was enjoying himself now, narrowing his eyes at Weiss as he put on his best flirtatious grin. "You don't have to keep reminding me that you don't like me. I already knew that you loved me from the start, Dearest."

A loud growl escaped Weiss's lips as she turned away from Jaune and crossed her arms, closing herself off to him completely. "In your dreams, you goon!"

Jaune was ready to take another playful jab at Weiss when suddenly, he heard Ruby erupt into a fit of giggles beside him, which drew his attention down to the younger girl. He swore his heart skipped a beat as he felt a smile grow across his face, and he was sure he could catch Blake and Yang eyeing him suspiciously from down the row, but he didn't care. Being able to make Ruby laugh like that was worth it. He did have a thing for Weiss, once upon a time, but that was more of a running gag at this point. Despite his 'ladies man' act, there was only one girl for him at the moment, and she was sitting right beside him.

"Alright, students," a feminine voice called from the front of the room, breaking Jaune from his thoughts as he turned to face Professor Goodwitch on the stage. "Class is in session. Let's not waste any time here."

Short, sweet, and to the point as always, Jaune thought to himself as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Now then," Goodwitch began again as she looked down at her scroll. "Our first two combatants for today will be Jaune Arc…"

A groan erupted from said boy's mouth.

"…and Ruby Rose. Please take the stage, both of you."

Ruby let out a soft hum as she hopped up to her feet and turned to Jaune. "Welp, looks like it's us today," she commented as she offered a hand to help Jaune up.

"Yeah…" Jaune didn't seem to pay attention to Ruby at first, still stuck on the fact that he'd be fighting. After he took her hand and stood up, though, he finally started processing the last ten seconds he missed, feeling the color drain out of his face as he did. "Wait, say huh, now?"

"Alright! Break a leg up there, Ruby!" Yang chirped as her sister slid by and made her way toward the stage. "You too, Lady-Killer," she added with a wink to Jaune, which only served to fluster him more.

"I-I…um…I-I-I don't…"

"Mr. Arc," Goodwitch spoke up again, drawing all eyes to her. "Perhaps you'd like to come up sometime today?"

"O-oh, right…" Jaune couldn't do this. Anyone else and he could resign himself to it, but not today. Not against Ruby. "About that…you see, I think I have this cold coming on, and uh," Jaune faked a cough, which wasn't convincing in the least, but he was going to roll with it either way. "Yeah. Maybe it'd be best if I sit this one out. I wouldn't want to get Ruby sick or anything, and I'd feel really bad if I got you sick, so—"

"Now, Mr. Arc."

"Gah, okay!" Jaune scurried down the row, accidentally tripping and falling on his face as he made it into the walkway. Another, softer groan escaped him as he heard his fellow classmates snickering around him, but as he moved to get up, another last-ditch idea popped into his head. "Uh…professor! I think I sprained my ankle! Aw, darn, guess I won't be able to go today, better call somebody else up—"

"Mr. Arc, if you aren't on this stage in the next ten seconds, it'll be a month's worth of detention. Now move."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" With that, Jaune jumped up to his feet and ran up to the stage. He knew Professor Goodwitch rarely lost her cool, but he wasn't going to be the one to push her past her limit. So he took his position across from Ruby, pausing to catch his breath for a few seconds before looking up to face his opponent. Even when getting ready to battle, something about the way Ruby looked was just so…alluring. Her determined combat stance, the confident look in her eye, the way those black…red…brown-ish bangs framed her face and made her look so mysterious…Rgh! Get it together, Me! Jaune yelled in his mind as he clenched his eyes shut and gave his head a shake for good measure. He then took a deep breath through his nose, opened his eyes, and stared Ruby down as best as he could.

He was so not ready for this.

"Combatants ready…" Goodwitch announced as she raised her hand, ready to start the match.

Last chance for Jaune to get out of this. He had to take it however he could. "Can I at least go to the bathroom real quick firs—"

"Begin!" Goodwitch lowered her hand and stepped back, giving the two students as much room to fight as possible.

"Oh, okay, that's fine…"

"Don't worry, Jaune," Ruby assured him as she pulled Crescent Rose off of her back, the weapon unfolding into its massive scythe form as she gave it a spin and rested it on her shoulder. "I promise I'll go easy on you, okay?"

"Gee, thanks," Jaune remarked, sarcasm dripping from his words as he pulled Crocea Mors out of its sheath. He then unlatched the sheath from his belt and expanded it into his shield form, holding it in front of him as he took his battle stance.

Ruby lowered her scythe as a pout formed on her face. "Hey, don't be like that. C'mon, I'll let you have first blow." Ruby's smile returned as she stuck her chin out toward Jaune. Normally he'd take the opening in a heartbeat, but again, this is Ruby. Things were different.

"I'd…rather not."

"Suit yourself." With a shrug, the red- and black-clad huntress-in-training launched herself toward Jaune and swung at him with the blunt side of Crescent Rose, obviously not wanting to risk anything with the bladed end. Jaune, caught off-guard with the quick turn of events, barely had enough time to raise his shield to block the attack, causing the scythe to bounce off. This didn't stop Ruby, however, as she merely directed her momentum the other way and swung at Jaune's exposed legs with the bottom of her weapon, tripping him from behind.

"Oof!" Jaune felt the wind get knocked out of him as he landed flat on his back. He started lifting himself up until he noticed Ruby holding her scythe up, ready to spear him with the bottom end. He instead chose to roll out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack as he jumped back up to his feet. Ruby swung at him again, hoping to catch him in the act, but he blocked it with his shield like before. She then tried for another low sweep, but Jaune was ready this time, jumping over it and bashing her in the shoulder with his shield as he landed, knocking her back a few steps.

"Ngh…Nice shot."

"Thanks." Jaune allowed himself to smile, as he felt good at countering the speedy Ruby Rose for once.

"You're gonna have to use that sword sometime, though!" Ruby charged again, swinging relentlessly with both ends of Crescent Rose, still taking care not to use the blade against Jaune, who growled at finding himself on the defensive again. Of course he knew he couldn't win with just his shield, but he just couldn't run the risk of hurting Ruby. The Creatures of Grimm were obviously fine, Cardin was fine if he ever got the chance, anyone he didn't know was fine, even in sparring with Pyrrha was okay, as long as it wasn't serious. But not Ruby. Not the first friend he made since coming to Beacon, his best friend, the girl that he...

It wasn't like getting a shot in would be easy, regardless. Ruby was a prodigy, after all. Accepted into Beacon two years early, master of one of the most difficult weapons known to man, a competent leader with her teammates' unquestioned loyalty at all times…She was everything that Jaune wasn't.

He wasn't fast enough.

He wasn't smart enough.

He wasn't strong enough.

He wasn't good enough for her.

Something boiled inside of Jaune, between his feelings for Ruby, his feelings of inadequacy, and being pummeled relentlessly by a giant metal death machine. It grew and festered quickly, over just a few seconds. Then he let it out in a roar as he thrust his shield forward, forcibly countering a swing from Ruby's scythe and knocking her off-balance slightly. With a clear opening in sight, Jaune tightened his grip around Crocea Mors, pulled back, and swung.

The previous onslaught over, Jaune took a few seconds to catch his breath. Deep intakes through his nose filled his lungs with air, which he exhaled through gritted teeth. Time seemed to freeze around him, which begun to confuse him after a while until he caught the slightest glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head toward the sight, only to find that the red was blood; blood on the tip of his sword. His expression softened slightly as his gaze found its way back to Ruby, but what he saw caused his face to contort into a look of petrified horror.

"Oh…my God, Ruby, your face!" Jaune shrieked, losing any remaining composure he might have had. "I can't believe I…How could this have…? I didn't mean it! You gotta believe me!"

Said girl merely tilted her head in confusion, one eyebrow scrunched up as the other raised above her eye. She started feeling all over her face with her free hand until a finger grazed across her cheek, causing her to wince slightly. The same finger found that spot again and poked around it, feeling the pain spread over a thin area across her cheek as little blood droplets dampened her finger. Ruby blinked in surprise. Jaune had cut her. Barely, and on accident, but still.

"Does it hurt? I hurt you, didn't I?"

Ruby blinked again, her focus returning to Jaune. "Well, yeah, you kinda cut me, but—"

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

"Hey, Jaune, settle down—"

"I swear, I don't know what came over me! I was just trying to break free and counter-attack. I didn't mean to actually hurt you!"

Ruby's eyes closed as she let out a sigh. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere trying to talk some sense into Jaune. Instead, she took a deep breath through her nose, clearing her mind. Her body began to glow white as she lifted her free hand up and wiped her thumb across her cut, after which it was gone.

"I mean, you know me better than that, right? You know I wouldn't really try to hurt you! Please forgive me, Ruby, I wasn't really trying to cut you!"

"Jaune!"

"What?!"

Ruby, eyes open, body no longer glowing, and attention directed at Jaune again, was pointing at her cheek, which looked good as new, as if Jaune had never cut it. Seeing this, Jaune's body relaxed, allowing him to let out a breath he didn't know he had taken.

"Oh…right. Heh, thank God for aura, huh?"

"Yep."

Jaune let out a nervous laugh, still a little guilty for cutting Ruby, but thankful that he hadn't seriously injured her.

"Well," Ruby began as she hoisted her scythe on her shoulder, "I dunno about you, but I think it's time we ended this fight."

"Yeah…"Jaune absent-mindedly agreed, spaced out like he was when Goodwitch announced his and Ruby's names. And like before, it took him a few seconds to fully comprehend what Ruby just said. "Wait, say huh, now?"

A smirk graced Ruby's lips as she pulled her scythe back behind her and cocked the sniper part, causing Jaune's eyes to grow wide as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Oh, God…"

Ruby fired a shot behind her, propelling her toward Jaune faster than she had been moving at this point in the match. The blonde barely had enough time to block her with his shield, which threw him off-balance and ricocheted her up into the air. Another shot launched Ruby back to the ground, behind Jaune. One more launched her at him again, and she kicked him in the back while he was struggling to regain his balance, sending him flying. Before he could hit the ground, however, Ruby appeared in front of him and she smacked him up with the blunt end of Crescent Rose.

The pattern seemed to continue forever: Jaune would get hit, almost crash into the floor, ceiling, or a wall, only for Ruby to appear out of nowhere and hit him again. Her semblance gave her the advantage, Jaune knew he was no match for her speed. But despite every hit he took and the increasing pain that came with it, he couldn't help but be bewildered by this display. Ruby was flying. She was moving so fast and striking so hard that he couldn't fight back. Rarely had he ever been caught in such a helpless situation before. Normally, he would have felt disgusted with himself for getting caught, but instead, he was simply amazed at how well the younger girl was taking charge of this fight.

Finally, Ruby crashed into Jaune from above and tackled him to the ground. Straddling his abdomen and raising Crescent Rose in the air, she was about to land the finishing blow when a voice rang into both of their ears.

"That will do, Ms. Rose." Professor Goodwitch stepped forward again, drawing the two combatants' attention to her. A quick glance at the overhead screen showed that Jaune's aura was in the red, while Ruby's was still plenty in the green, Jaune's attacks barely doing any damage to her throughout the fight.

"Boop." Jaune's attention was drawn back to the cloak-wearing girl still sitting on him as she poked him on the nose. She then grabbed his hand and stood up, pulling him up with her. "Good effort out there, Jaune. Sorry I didn't end up going as easy as I said I would." Ruby's cheerful expression turned to one of slight embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head and shifted most of her weight to one foot.

"Yeah," Jaune breathed, still awestruck at how handily Ruby had beaten him. "It's okay." He latched his shield, now compacted in sheath form again, back to his belt before sheathing his sword, his eyes never leaving Ruby as he did so.

"Ms. Rose," Goodwitch began, focusing on the younger of the two, "you did an admirable job controlling the flow of the battle and exposing weaknesses in your opponent's defense. However, you left yourself carelessly open to attack on occasion, and frankly, I think you're very fortunate to still have your head attached to your shoulders. Pay better attention, at all times.

Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. She was surprised about being drilled over the two hits she sustained, considering she barely took any damage to show for them. "Y-yes ma'am," she stammered out, straightening her back and trying to look as attentive as possible, which her teacher acknowledged with nothing but a slight hum.

"As for you, Mr. Arc…" Goodwitch leered at Jaune as she nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose slightly. "While I admire that you're finally taking our discussions of defensive strategies to heart, you still lack discipline when it comes to adjusting tactics mid-battle. You rarely took the offensive throughout the entire match, instead feeling content to hide behind your shield. You can't expect your defenses to hold out forever like that, particularly against an opponent like Ms. Rose, who is often too fast to block or dodge. There is no one single strategy you can follow to certain victory each time; you must balance both offense and defense perfectly and change strategies to suit your needs throughout the battle."

Normally, each critique of Jaune's fighting style was like a dagger in the chest from his teacher. However, it was like he couldn't hear her this time, as he was focused on Ruby. He watched Crescent Rose fold back into its compact form as its owner stored it on her belt behind her back. Ruby then took a moment to dust off her combat skirt, and then run a hand through her hair, moving any stray bangs out of her face. He then noticed her gaze go back to him, not really paying attention to the confused expression on her face as she tilted her head at him.

"…Mr. Arc," Goodwitch narrowed her eyes at Jaune, beginning to lose her patience with him again, "are you listening to me?"

No answer. Ruby began to look concerned now as she took a step toward her friend. "Jaune? What's up?"

For a moment, there was still no reaction. No change in the young man's expression for the past minute, now. Then, out of nowhere…

"I love you."

Ruby recoiled at this, taking several steps back as her eyes darted all over the room, looking anywhere but directly at Jaune. Her face flushed more and more until she looked nearly as red as her cloak. She struggled to find a response, her mouth opening and closing like a fish at first, then she stuttered as she struggled to find her voice. "I…er…um…what?"

Seeing Ruby's current state was what seemed to finally snap Jaune out of his trance. Why was she stuttering like that? Why was her face so red? Why wouldn't she even look at him? Before he could truly think about why, however, he immediately remembered what he just said, and his eyes widened in horror.

"Ruby…" Jaune stared at the younger girl, who only continued to look every which way except at him. He then glanced into the crowd, surprised murmurings from that area echoing in his head as he focused on his friends. Pyrrha and Weiss looked the most shocked, with Weiss's mouth hanging open and Pyrrha covering hers with her hands. Nora had a look of wonder on her face as Ren had to keep her seated with a hand on her shoulder, a concerned expression of his own directed to his leader. Even the stoic Blake and all-knowing Yang looked at least a little surprised. How could they not? Jaune just blurted out one of his most personal secrets, the feelings he held for one of his closest friends. Emotions flooding his head and sweat now pouring down his face, he decided to do what to him was the most reasonable, logical thing to do at the time.

Run.

In two big steps, Jaune found himself at the edge of the stage before leaping off of it. He stumbled a bit as he landed in the walkway of the seating area, but picked up his pace again as he regained his balance. On one of his better days, he'd brag that he was running as fast as Ruby right now, but this was definitely not one of his better days. Right now, he was in a nightmare, and all he wanted to do was wake up. He ignored a cry of 'Mr. Arc!' from Professor Goodwitch, several shouts of his name from his friends, and a few teasing words from his other classmates as he slammed into one of the doors to the classroom, pushing it open as he continued to run. He had no destination in mind, no means of escaping this train wreck. All he could think of at the moment was running; fretting and running as he mentally cursed himself the whole way.

"How could I be so stupid?!"

It hadn't taken Jaune long to bolt out of class and find himself standing outside of Beacon campus, in front of the school statue. It took him even less time to find himself pacing back and forth in front of it, the blunder he just committed still fresh on his mind. Ruby knew how he truly felt about her now, something he wasn't sure he ever wanted to tell her, and even if he did, not like this. With frustration still flowing through his body, he felt he had nothing better to do but shout about the situation as he paced, though there was absolutely no one around to hear him as he did.

"She was right there! Everyone was right there! But no, I just had to blurt it out, didn't I?! That's smart!"

The blonde flung his arms up into the air, only for them to fall back down to chest level as he mercilessly smacked his palm with the back of his other hand.

"I mean, this is Ruby we're talking about here! You think she doesn't have standards?! You think she'd actually be desperate enough to settle for a stupid, talentless flunkie like me?! C'mon, man! You should know better than that!"

Jaune raked his hands through his hair, tugging at golden locks as if the pain would knock some sense into him. But if getting pummeled by Ruby was any indication, he knew there was no chance that this would work, either.

"Even if you had planned it all out, you could have at least tried to do it properly! You know, ask her out to dinner? Take her to the park or somewhere underneath the moonlight? Actually explain your feelings before you confess to her? But nope! Blurt it out in the middle of class, with everyone watching! What a great idea! I mean, that's just…! I just…! I can't believe I just…

Jaune paced for a few seconds longer, more angry thoughts in his mind and on the tip of his tongue. But he suddenly found that he didn't have the drive to say them as he came to a stop. He could ramble on about what happened as long as he wanted, but there was no point in beating a dead horse. It was done. Ruby knew. Now, like it or not, he was going to have to suffer the consequences.

The obvious reaction played out in Jaune's mind as he sank to a squatting position in front of the statue, arms folded on top of his knees and chin resting on top of his arms. Ruby would be scared of him now; what, with a practically adult man coming onto her, a still very teenage girl. Or…maybe not. He wasn't eighteen yet, and she was still only a couple years younger than him, after all. But still, judging by her reaction earlier, she's bound to feel uncomfortable around him from now on. Then there was the matter of Yang, Ruby's protective, strong, and occasionally scary older sister. She obviously wouldn't be very happy with Jaune making Ruby feel uncomfortable, and he has seen how Yang gets when she's really angry. Needless to say, his remains wouldn't be a pretty sight to any innocent bystander unfortunate enough to stumble upon them. Even if he did survive, it's not like the rest of Team RWBY would be on his side. Weiss was Ruby's partner, Blake was like a second sister to her, and both were very protective of their leader. They'd do anything for her; maybe not to the same extent as Yang, but if it meant keeping Jaune at a distance, then they'd find a way to do exactly that.

He was never going to hang out with Ruby again.

Their friendship was over.

Jaune lied flat on his back, his arms and legs lying limp on the ground. The frustrated anger he had felt melted into resigned sorrow as he felt moisture building up in the corners of his eyes. He quickly wiped them with his sleeve, even though he was still sure no one was there to see him cry anyway, and let out a shaky sigh as he covered his face with his hands.

"I'm such an idiot…"

"I dunno if I'd go that far, but you are a bit of a knucklehead."

A shiver ran down Jaune's spine as his hands pulled away from his face, an expression of shock written on it. He recognized that voice, but there was no way its owner would be here right now, given the circumstances. Yet as he slowly tilted his head to where it came from, he found none other than Ruby staring down at him, a concerned smile on her face.

"R-Ruby?!" Jaune quickly bolted upright before pulling himself to his feet, his gaze never leaving the younger girl. "I-I, uh, w-w-what're you doing here?"

"Well, you kinda ran off in the middle of class," Ruby replied, scraping her boot against the stone walkway as her eyes darted toward the ground. "That's a pretty obvious sign that something's wrong."

No kidding, Jaune thought to himself. Everything was wrong right now, how could she not notice? He made sure not to actually voice his thoughts, however. He was going through enough Ruby-related grief right now, he didn't want to add to it.

When it was obvious that Jaune wasn't going to say anything, Ruby tilted her head back to face him and pressed on. "So, what about you? What're you doing here?"

Jaune couldn't help but shake his head as his head lifted toward the sky. "Oh, you know," he began, "just thinking about my will. Seeing as my life's over and all." The swordsman turned away from Ruby, not wanting to look at her and hoping that this would calm any desire to do so.

"Why?" Behind him, Jaune missed Ruby tilt her head slightly, a curious expression on her face.

"Because of what I said? Back in Goodwitch's class?"

"And what was that?"

Jaune turned back around, beginning to get frustrated as he glared at the younger girl. "C'mon, Ruby, knock it off."

"No." Ruby took a step forward, a completely serious look in her eye. "What did you say that was so bad that you ran out of class with no warning? That made you think your life was over?"

Jaune recoiled at the expression on Ruby's face. If she was playing dumb, she was doing a good job of it, but something inside him think that this wasn't the case; that she actually wanted to hear what he said. But shouldn't she know? There was no way she couldn't have heard him earlier. Or was there?

The confession, that exasperated look on Ruby's face, the shocked expressions of his friends, and the whispers from the other students; could he have imagined them all? If Ruby's attitude was any indication, then maybe that was exactly the case.

"Oh, thank God," the blonde breathed in a sigh of relief as he wiped a sleeve across his forehead. "For a while there, I thought I accidentally told you that I loved you in front of the whole class and ruined our friendship. But since you didn't hear that…"

He then trailed off as he caught another glimpse of Ruby's face. Instead of the serious look he had just seen, her cheeks were puffed up and she wore a big smile, like she was about to burst out laughing any second now. He didn't understand why for a moment, but then a furious blush broke across his face as it hit him.

"Oh, come on!"

Ruby lost it there, clutching her stomach as her laughter echoed around the area. "I'm sorry!" she gasped as tears began to build up in her eyes. "It's just…the way you said that…and the look on your face…!"

Jaune rolled his eyes as he turned away from Ruby again, figuring it'd be best to just let her get it out of her system. Eventually the laughter died down to stifled giggles, and then to deep breaths as she replenished the air she had lost over the past minute or so. All the while, Jaune waited for a snide comment about how hopeless he was and how he had no shot at a girl like her before she walked out of his life. What he heard next, however, surprised him a little.

"I'm not deaf, you know."

That caused Jaune to turn his attention back to the younger girl, an apologetic expression on her face as she held her hands together behind her back.

"I heard you back in the classroom. Although for a minute, I didn't know if I was hearing things or not. I just wanted you to say it again, to be sure." Ruby's gaze found its way to the ground as she shifted her weight to one leg slightly. Jaune could swear he could see her blushing a bit, too. Or maybe it was just the way the light hit her face or something, he didn't know. "I'm sorry."

The older boy let out a tired sigh. Of course Ruby didn't hate him. She was too considerate to hate anyone over something like this. He found that he couldn't stay mad at her, either, although his stomach was still tied in a guilty knot.

"No, Ruby," Jaune's head shook slightly before he continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I mean, I did mean it, but…I didn't mean it. Know what I mean?" The perplexed look in the redhead's eyes told Jaune that she didn't. "Never mind. It's all stupid, anyway. Just forget I said anything."

Suddenly feeling the need to get away, lest he make a bigger imbecile out himself than he already has, Jaune turned away and began walking back to Beacon. He was only able to take a few steps toward campus, however, before he was stopped by a gentle grip of his shoulder. A glance backward led him to Ruby, that friendly smile on her face again.

"Hey, c'mon," she said assuringly. "Have a little confidence when you talk to a girl about love. Girls like confidence, remember? That's what you said."

"Ruby, stop, please." Jaune was near his limit as he could feel moisture building up in his eyes again. "I get it, okay? You don't like me that way. You can stop trying to let me down easy, it's only making me feel worse."

"But I'm not trying to let you down easy, I'm trying to tell you that I love you, too!"

Jaune swore his heart stopped as every muscle in his body tensed up. She said it. She said the one thing he wanted to hear from her more than anything, yet never thought she actually would say. He must have misheard that. He had to be dreaming. There was just no way. Time stood still, years seemed to pass as he played Ruby's words in his head over and over again, each time making less sense than the last. Yet Jaune couldn't stop listening. That one sentence was like a symphony to his ears, and he kept calling for encores.

"You're strong," Ruby spoke up again, finally breaking the swordsman out of his thoughts after he turned to face her. He found that she suddenly had difficulty looking at him, her gaze off to the side as a red layer of color coated her cheeks. "Not just combat-strong, either. You keep trying, even when things don't work out at first, and you're always dedicated to making yourself better." A warm smile found its way on the younger girl's face as her arms hugged themselves around her stomach. "You're really nice and caring, and you're willing to do whatever it takes to help others in need. Yeah, you goof up and make an idiot of yourself sometimes, but you always get right back up and take it in stride. That IS admirable, Jaune. Everything about you is." Ruby's eyes met Jaune's, a more pleading expression on her face now, hoping that he would believe her, hoping that he would accept her. Yet for all the begging that her eyes did, Jaune could only stand there, staring back in wonder for the longest moment.

And then he laughed.

Pure bliss coursed thoughout the blonde as he lifted his head toward the sky, his laughter echoing through the air. "Man, I thought you were going to hate me!" he choked out between gasps. "Then I thought you were just pitying me!" A thumb and index finger brushed across his eyes, wiping away fresh tears. "I never would've guessed, not in my wildest dreams, that all this time, you liked me back."

As Jaune caught his breath, Ruby found herself able to giggle a bit, relieved that he was happy again. However, she still couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of guilt left over from the ordeal. "I'm sorry," she began. "I've…never had a boyfriend before, so I don't know exactly how this is supposed to work." The younger girl scratched the back of her head as her gaze found its way to the side again. "I guess I should've told you how I felt sooner, huh?"

"It would've been a little easier on me, yeah," the blonde replied with the slightest hint of sarcasm, his tone remaining positive overall. In spite of everything, Jaune couldn't be mad at Ruby, not during what might just be the happiest moment of his life. Not to mention she looked too cute right now, even when embarrassed.

It was at that moment when Jaune remembered something about Ruby that he had forgotten until now. Back when they first met, he wasn't drawn to her combat skills or leadership abilities. At first glance, she was just the girl that caused an explosion in front of the school, (not too far from where they were currently standing, as fate would have it) and he was just the guy that threw up on the ship ride to Beacon. But Jaune approached her anyway, Ruby let him in, and the two became friends. The silly antics that gave birth to nicknames like 'Vomit Boy' and 'Crater Face' weren't important. The bottom line was that they were kind and genuine to each other, and that's all that really mattered. There just happened to be more to Ruby than meets the eye. Maybe the same could be said about him, too.

But for now, Jaune was done dwelling on the past, what he didn't have or couldn't do or how inferior he may or may not be to others. Because if Ruby could see through all of that and love him anyway, then who was he to judge? Right now, all that mattered was that he had her. "So, what happens now?" he asked. "I mean, are we…? Do you wanna…?" Despite hearing the words from Ruby's mouth, he had to make sure she really wanted this. Probably because he still couldn't believe it for himself, but that was beside the point.

A warm smile lit up Ruby's face as she turned back to face Jaune, giving him a nod of agreement. "Yeah," she replied. I do."

Jaune beamed as he took a slight step forward, closing what little distance there was left between them. He hesitated for a second, then began to instinctively lean forward, only to be held up by a finger pressing against his lips.

"But…"

"'But?'" Jaune felt a lump build up in his throat, wondering what could possibly be coming next.

"Before we…'are,'" Ruby had to stifle a giggle before continuing, "I want you to say it just one more time. Like you did in class."

"Like I did in class?" Jaune racked his brain for a few seconds, trying to figure out what Ruby meant, realizing that she meant his first confession. "Oh! Right, that." Jaune cleared his throat, a faint blush briefly grazing his cheeks as he leaned back again.

The young huntsman-in-training took Ruby in from top to bottom, her tinted hair, her warm smile, her elegant attire…As he admired her cute appearance, he knew that she was just as beautiful on the inside, with her gleaming confidence and her desire and capacity to care. She was amazing, amazing enough to deserve anyone she wanted. Yet out of everyone on Remnant, she chose him: tall, blonde, and scraggly. He couldn't be happier about that fact as a peaceful smile found its way on his lips, his eyes making their way back to meet Ruby's.

"I love you, Ruby."

The younger girl's smile grew as she returned a slight nod to the older boy.

"I love you too, Jaune."

Jaune's heart fluttered again as his smile also grew bigger. He leaned forward once more, this time being met by the younger girl in front of him leaning toward him as well. The distance between them grew steadily shorter, yet seemed to be unreachable for the longest time. Then it was closed as two pairs of lips pressed gently together, capturing the both of them together in a feeling of pure ecstasy.

A/N: Phew, this ended up being more work than I thought it would be. But I hope you guys like it, anyway. It's been a while since I flexed my writing muscle, first time doing so for RWBY and this site, so if this is just a flat-out disaster, blame my inexperience.

By that, I mean blame me, the writer, naturally. XD

P.S., Happy 'Time to Say Goodbye' Day. =D