So, I promised myself I wouldn't do this… but I'm also a liar so I did it anyway. This is gonna be my first Christmas Fic, and I'm a little nervous. I admit to loving the idea of calling it "Dustmas" inside of fics. Don't know why, I just do. I'll try this out and let me know how it goes.

A Dustmas Meow-racle.

Jaune couldn't help but smile as he looked over his friends. They were all gathered in the mess hall, at their usual table, and everyone was talking about what they were planning for Dustmas.

Ruby and Yang were grinning ear to ear as they recounted all the fun they had in the past at Patch and how excited they were to go back.

Ren and Nora were giddily (mostly Nora on that part) explaining that they were going to be spending Dustmas in Vale together.

Pyrrha was almost jumping in her seat while explaining that she was going home to finally see her new brother. The little leopard Faunus had brought smiles to everyone's faces when Pyrrha had shown them. She had invited Jaune to come with her, but she knew he was probably the most excited to go home.

Weiss was surprisingly excited. When Taiyang has heard that she was 'requested to attend the formal Schnee Dustmas party and perform for the illustrious guests of the Schnee family,' he told her in no uncertain terms that she would be spending the holiday with her team members at Patch. Weiss couldn't hide the genuine smile she had at Taiyang's warmth towards her.

Jaune was obviously excited. Both teams could see how ecstatic he was about seeing his sisters again. Jaune's family were always very tight knit and, while he would have to explain why he left without telling them, he missed them all dearly.

But in the midst of all the cheer, Jaune noticed something.

Blake hadn't said anything. Strange, she never said anything about bad blood in her family. But she was always quiet.

"Hey, Blake." The ninja jumped a little as she turned to the knight.

"Yes, Jaune?" She knew what he was going to ask, but she kept her voice calm and smooth.

"I was just wondering where you were off to for Dustmas? I hadn't heard you say anything yet." Jaune kept his frown hidden behind a curious look. She's hiding something. Her bow is twitching, she only does that when she's nervous or really happy. The look on her face made it clear that it wasn't a happy twitch.

"Oh, well. I was planning to spend it with my Family." Blake could feel her bow twitching. Sit still you stupid ears. I don't want to have to deal with this. Blake sat perfectly still, save her ears, as she looked Jaune in the eye. He looked different, more intense than usual. Please just fall for it Jaune, don't-

"Oh, okay then! I was just wondering if you were gonna go with the others to Patch. I get wanting to go home though." Jaune chuckles a little, until he grimaced when he looked at his scroll. "Unfortunately, it seems I'll be leaving later. The Bullhead back home is delayed another twelve hours. Guess I'm stuck here till then."

Everyone gave him a sympathetic glance, they could see the metaphorical raincloud around his head. But Jaune just waved off their looks, and assured them it'd be fine.

Jaune stretched as he threw off his covers. Even if it was Winter and the air was freezing, Beacon kept the dorms a pleasant temperature. He grabbed a pair of new jeans and put on a black t-shirt. As much as Jaune loved his hoodie, sometimes it was nice to wear something different, and it was always good to save combat gear for when it was necessary. So instead he put a red flannel on over his t-shirt, grabbed his scroll and weapon, then left the dorm.

Jaune strode through the halls of Beacon with purpose, his longer leg stride allowing him to make good time to his target:

Beacon Academy's Library.

Jaune may not have been as well read as some, but he loved a good novel as much as the next guy. However, today he had a much different reason for being at the library. He stalked past the librarian, nodding his greeting to the elderly man, and very silently made his way to the back-left corner of the library. Despite the common assumption, Jaune was actually very light on his feet when he needed to be.

As he neared the secluded corner, Jaune felt a welcomingly calm presence around him. This area of the library was directly attached to the rest of the main building, so it didn't have any windows and was nearer to the central heating system. Conveniently, the staff had placed a refreshment stall nearby for the winter season.

All in all, the corner was very cozy and warm. Jaune smirked a little as he slowed his pace. I try not to draw comparisons, but she makes it awfully easy sometimes. He slowly rounded the corner and finally caught sight of his prey.

Though he wasn't quite ready for this.

Blake wasn't reading any of the many books near her. She was curled up on the large bean bag and looking at an old photo.

And was softly crying.

Jaune felt his heart shatter at the sight of his friend. She had always seemed so steadfast that would never have anticipated he would see her like this. He very slowly and carefully made his way forward, until he was right next to her. He knelt and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Jaune? W-what are you doing here?" Blake jumped as he touched her. She turned her reddened eyes towards him, and cursed herself for not hearing him. Her eyes widened even further when she finally figured it out.

He lied. He lied to every single one of us. Somehow, he knew I wasn't being honest, so he lied. That way none of us would expect him to stay and try to figure it out.

Blake looked to him and readied a verbal lashing. Sure, he was trying to help, but it wouldn't do for the innocent leader of team JNPR to deceive both teams so easily. Before she could berate him though, another realization flashed through her mind.

He stayed. He intentionally stayed behind. He didn't go home, to his family that he was so excited to see. He stayed here.

For me.

Blake felt her eyes start to dampen with fresh tears, her heart clenched in a vice.

Jaune's hand went from her shoulder to her cheek so he could brush away the new tears.

"I stayed because I was worried. You weren't telling us everything, and it got to me." He gently placed both hands on her upper arms, looking into her golden eyes. "What is it Blake? What's wrong?"

Blake fought to keep her voice steady as her eyes watered even more. She held onto Jaune's arms and lowered her head.

"You know I'm Faunus?" A gentle nod. "I was also… a member of the White Fang. Since I was a child." The arms shifted around her, slowly and smoothly, until she was completely wrapped in his embrace.

"You're seventeen Blake. The White Fang only turned violent eight or nine years ago."

"But I was still a member. I chose to stay with them. I left my home and my family to follow them." She started to shake, feeling the old wounds open.

"And we didn't deserve it? Violence may not be the solution Blake, but neither parties are blameless in this. They've turned to violence because too many people just watch from the sidelines." He held her a little tighter as her breathing calmed.

"How can you be so calm about learning this? You didn't even react to the point of my being a member of the White Fang." The only answer she got was a smirk, that both seemed to be out of place on Jaune and suit him very well. He shifted so that she was resting completely in the chair again, sitting himself on the ground next to it and leaning against the chair.

Jaune grabbed a thick novel from one of her many stacks and began to read it from the beginning. She stared at him until he looked back up at her.

"What? I can't enjoy a book with a good friend in the library, in complete silence, grab a cup or two of tea, and then a break in a few hours for tuna sandwiches?" She blinked in surprise. You are much more attentive than we give you credit for.

"You are very strange. You do know that, right?"

He just chuckled and turned back to his book. Blake leaned back into her chair and picked the closest book to her, glad for the silent companionship she had apparently acquired for the evening.

Almost three hours later was the first time either of them broke the silence. Blake stirred a little in her seat to shift her leg into a more comfortable position and Jaune cleared his throat as he tried to get into any position that was comfortable. The carpeted floor of the library was reasonably comfortable on feet, but it had begun to take it's toll on the knights rear.

He turned to look at Blake as she stretched in her chair. She looks a better. Good, I'm doing my job then.

"Hey, want me to get us some tea?" Blake tore herself away from the book to respond, and almost burst into laughter.

In lieu of just turning around like a normal person, Jaune had balanced himself on his head and pushed his body into a sort of bridge position.

"What…what are you doing?" Blake chuckled as Jaune tried to cock his head in confusion, only to throw off his balance and send himself tumbling down. "Yes Jaune, I would like some tea."

"Lemon, honey, or sugar?" He didn't stand from the floor, opting to just lift his head slightly.

"Lemon and just a little honey."

He stood and nodded before moving to the cart to get the drinks. Blake watched as he left, still trying to piece together why Jaune had elected to stay with her over the break. Despite that fact that everyone had pretty much agreed that, barring Ruby, Jaune was pretty much the kindest person they knew, she just couldn't figure why he would pick this over spending time with family.

"Tea with lemon and a little honey… honey." The grin on Jaune's face reminded Blake too much of Yang for comfort.

"Please don't. I already have Yang, don't you start." Jaune adopted a hurt look as he handed her the tea.

"Why Blake! I would never stoop to puns. Now… terrible jokes at the expense of everyone near me, those are just the cat's meow." Blake swiped at his head when he sat down, but she couldn't wipe the happy smile off her face.

"Oh, just be quiet and read you."

"Yes Ma'am~"

By the time Blake finished her book, it was almost time for dinner. The tuna sandwiches Jaune had made were absolutely delightful, but that had been almost four hours ago. Somewhere in between these two points Jaune had fallen asleep, and somewhere after that, Blake had taken to running her fingers through his hair. She justified it that his head was just right there and it was an unconscious movement on her part.

She put down her book and looked at the blond head her hand was on top of. I think we may have underestimated you. She smiled fondly and rubbed his head a little more tenderly. "I certainly have."

Jaune stirred and rolled over to face her, having the unfortunate (or, ya know, fortunate) side effect of trapping her hand under his cheek.

"You certainly have what?" All of a sudden, Blake was having a very hard time breaking away from his azure gaze.

"I uh… I was just, um, nothing. Don't worry about it." Jaune's eyes were still hazy with sleep and his voice was slow, but he still reached up and put his hand on her face.

"You doing better?"

"Yeah, I am." He smiled softly.

"Don't mind spending Dustmas with me this year?"

She pushed her head into his hand. "Not at all."

He leaned forward, moving his face in closer. "Would you mind if we spent more time?"

She closed the rest of the distance, pressing her forehead against his. "No. Are you sure you'd want to?"

Jaune stroked her cheek affectionately, the distance between them almost nonexistent.

"More than anything."

Blake felt her entire body warm as she felt his lips. They were a little chapped, tasted like the Hot Coco they had drank, and they were so warm. She could feel the purr worm its way out of her chest.

Jaune hummed in contentedness when he heard her start purring. It was the best sound he could've heard. A gentle throbbing that told him he was doing okay. That this was okay.

They pulled apart and smiled at each other. Jaune leaned forward, kissing her gently on the forehead, then her nose, followed closely by her chin, cheek, lips, lips, lips, lips, and you get the picture.

Blake finally managed to slowly pull him onto the beanbag with her, leaning back after each kiss to entice him further. She curled into his warm body, more comfortable than she had been all day, and rested her chin against his collarbone.

"We're staying here all night and tomorrow too. Then we can figure out what to do for fun." She brushed her lips against his ear, sending shivers resounding through him.

"I think that sounds like a fantastic plan." He wrapped her in his arms, planting a soft kiss to her neck, earning himself a subtle spike in purring. "Though, I'm having plenty of fun here."

Blake pulled him into a deeper kiss than the others, threading her hands back into his hair.

"Shush you, libraries are supposed to be quiet."

He grinned at her hand held his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay." Jaune pulled her even tighter, relishing the heat she gave off. He could feel his drowsiness returning now that his worries had been addressed, and pretty well if I do say so myself, and the comfort Blake was giving wasn't helping.

"Hey, Blake?" She nuzzled her head into his neck, her breathing slowing down and her muscles losing their tenseness.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." Fresh tears came to Blake's eyes, but these she let flow freely. These were not stained with fear, anger, and sorrow. They were tinted in hues of peace, love, and comfort.

"I love you too."

Like I said, I wasn't gonna… but then I did. Not my best work, but better than what I had written before, trust me. Anyways, I'll take this opportunity to admit: I have made a critical error. I keep making stories that are intended to be one-shots and then people review and ask me to continue. What Remains hasn't had a lot of negative reviews, but I've also only gotten two positives. People really seem to like Bond of Blondes, and I've been getting pretty positive feedback for A Shift in Power. So, we'll just do it in that order. I'll work on Bond of Blondes and try and get it wrapped up. Then I'll move on to A Shift in Power, then I'll get back to What Remains. If I get sudden inspiration for a one-shot, I'll still probably post it. If I randomly post a chapter to one of the other two before I finish Bond of Blondes, then I probably got stonewalled on that and had a good idea (or so I thought) for the other stories. Sorry for the long AN, and I genuinely couldn't think of a better name. I was going to say, 'A Snowy Knight' but that made it sound like Weiss and Jaune. Anywho, thanks guys!

Happy Holidays!