Disclaimer: RWBY and all affiliated characters/titles belong to Rooster Teeth, those wonderful geniuses.

Ruby leaned back against the wall and sighed quietly to herself. The hallway was pleasantly cool after spending all day out and about with her friends and Jaune. She closed her eyes slowly and raised her hands to rub gently at her temples. A quiet yawn made its way out and she felt some of the day's tension seep out along with it. Ruby's heavy lids fluttered back open and she lifted her eyes to stare out the window. The moon was high above the school now, hanging nearly motionless as it drifted weightlessly across the vast blackness that encompassed Remnant. Ruby stared up at the huge, unknown expanse and wondered for a moment, what else was out there? What was up there among the stars? She heard a cough and turned her head off to the side just to see a fellow classmate, a member of team Apricot making their way to their dorm for the evening. Ruby raised a hand above her head to wave and they waved back with a kind smile.

She let her head fall against the wall and her silver eyes drifted to the window, just as her thoughts drifted to what had happened today. It had started really well, going out with Jaune and Ren and Nora. They had a lot of fun, talking on the airship on the way down and then going out for pizza together. That place was really good and it was so sweet of Ren and Nora to share their favorite little spot with them. Jaune had been doing great too, he was funny, he hadn't gotten sick on the airship, he had kind of tried to come pick her up. It wasn't Jaune's fault that Nora was way too excited and had nearly kicked in RWBY's door to come get her for their date.

But then Jaune had started doing less and less okay as the day went on. In the dorm room he had made a specific point of not kissing her, or grabbing her waist or anything like that. They had hugged hello and held hands but that was all and that was exactly what Ruby wanted. She didn't want to be constantly touching each other in front of their friends. A big part of it was that she didn't want to be that way in front of Pyrrha. That's the way it had started at least. Ruby didn't want to make a huge show of her and Jaune's relationship in front of Pyrrha because she knew how she felt about Jaune. Ruby understood that Jaune had picked her and that was that, but, it was no reason to flaunt it in front of one of her friends.

Then as they got further into their relationship Ruby thought about it and realized that it shouldn't just apply to Pyrrha. She thought about how weird she felt when they lived on Patch and Yang would have one of her boyfriends or girlfriends over and they would kiss. It was never weird to Ruby that Yang had girlfriends, a lot of them were actually really cute, she didn't really care about that. She didn't care about the boyfriends either, they were never exactly Ruby's type so she never thought they were cute or anything. But, whenever Yang kissed any of them in the house, or when they would snuggle on the couch, Yang practically in their laps or them in hers. That was what made Ruby feel uncomfortable.

It was just so strange being around two people who were so physical with each other and it never failed to make Ruby extremely nervous and like she didn't belong in the same room. Even if they were all watching a movie or TV together, if Yang got like that, Ruby would always excuse herself and leave. So, when she and Jaune had started kissing and holding each other closer, Ruby decided that she never wanted any of her friends to feel like that. She was really close to everyone and didn't want anyone to ever feel that uncomfortable, it just wasn't nice.

She thought at first that with how shy Jaune was about everything, he had asked to kiss her, he had even asked if it was okay to hold her hand. She had thought that meant he was unsure enough about the whole thing that he would be less affectionate in front of their friends. She thought he was shy like she was about it and they wouldn't even have to talk about it. But, it seemed like it was exactly the opposite. It seemed like in front of their friends that Jaune was even more affectionate than when they were alone. It was sweet that he wanted to express how much he liked her but couldn't he do it with something other than kisses and hugs? It just felt like that was all he knew how to do and that wasn't what Ruby wanted from a relationship.

When Jaune had taken her to that little noodle shack, A Simple Wok, that had been great. Expressing little parts of yourself to the other person or doing considerate things like surprises or little meaningful gifts, even simple stuff like opening doors and pulling out chairs. Those were the kinds of things that Ruby wanted Jaune to do for her. The whole point of him picking her up this morning had been so that he could make that little gesture to start their date, coming over, telling her she looked nice and then them going out together. That was how Ruby had envisioned the morning going. It wasn't Jaune's fault Nora had run over and swept Ruby over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. But, he didn't even say she looked cute and she had worked so hard to try and look nice for him. She didn't care how she looked usually but she wanted him to notice the effort she had put in at least.

Ruby sighed and stood from her seat on the floor. She rested both of her hands on the windowsill and let her head drop against the glass with a gentle thunk. The glass was cold and focusing on that let her stop her thoughts from rambling in circles. She took a deep, unsteady breath and decided that walking a few more laps of the dorm rooms would probably help her focus a little better. The glass felt so good against her skin though that she wanted to stay there for just a few more moments.

She felt a light grasp at her hips, familiar fingers sliding gently around her waist. The sudden contact made her jump and despite the casual touch and the confidence behind the motion she whipped her head around to see who it was. She was met by the closed eyes and broad smile of the object of her rambling thoughts. Jaune pushed his hands the rest of the way around her slim waist and pulled Ruby against him. He was wearing his sweatpants and a light hoodie but still felt warm even through the layers of fabric.

"Hey Ruby. I thought you were going to bed?" Jaune's voice was sweet, not reproachful in any way.

"Yeah, I needed to walk a little though. You know, to clear my head." Ruby let her hands fall against his on her hips, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am now yeah," Jaune snuggled his head into the crook of her neck.

"No I meant from the airship." Ruby blushed slightly at his meaning, did her presence really affect him like that?

"Oh," he chuckled, "Yeah I am, thanks. Did you get all the sand out?" Jaune pulled his head back and opened his eyes to take her in.

"Yeah I did, it felt nice to take a shower." Ruby turned and pulled out of his arms, putting her back against the cool glass. She grabbed his hands as she turned and pulled them down between them, holding each in her own.

"That's good. I took one too." Jaune smiled at her and gave both hands a gentle squeeze. There was a comfortable moment of silence as they just stood and held each other's hands under the gentle moonlight and low buzz of the hallway's own lighting.

"What brought you out here this late? Did Ren and Nora come back and want the room or something?" It sounded a little embarrassing to ask that, but they had been a couple for a long time, It wouldn't surprise Ruby if they were at that point. She looked up at Jaune's crystal clear eyes and realized there was absolutely zero dishonesty there, his stare was completely affectionate and genuine.

"No. My dorm was actually empty and I was kinda bored. I guess I was just wandering around." Jaune chuckled quietly, "Why? Was something bothering you? Were Weiss and Yang arguing again?" He stepped towards her and dropped her hands, moving his own back to her sides.

"No. I'm just trying to unwind a little really." Ruby tensed a little as he pressed her against the wall with his presence. He wasn't really pushing on her, just standing extremely close with nowhere for her to back up. She sidestepped and reached her hand back out, offering it to him. "I was gonna start walking again actually. Wanna come with me?" Jaune reached out and took her hand.

"Yeah of course I do." Together they began pacing the hallway, slowly stepping down the quiet corridors, hand in hand. They made a full half lap, reaching the corner opposite where they had started before Jaune spoke again. "What were you thinking about?"

"Hmmm?" Ruby was pulled out of her quiet trance by his voice. As they had started walking her mind had gone just a little blank. Being with Jaune like this and trying to process what had happened throughout the day at the same time was a little hard. "Just today really. Our date and everything."

"I really did have a lot of fun with you." Jaune turned on her with that same bright smile he seemed to wear around her all the time. "I mean Ren and Nora too, but mostly you." He pulled on her hand just slightly as they walked and then released it and slung his entire arm over her shoulder. Ruby let herself fall into his torso and he hugged her small frame against him.

"Yeah, I had a good time today too." Ruby said quietly. She kept pulling away from him little by little and he just kept bringing her back in. It's not like he was forcing her to stick close to him, and she hadn't really said anything about not wanting him to. But still, it seemed like every time she moved away he would grab her back to himself again.

They completed their lap and came back to the window where they had started.

"Do you have stars like this at home?" Ruby came up to the windowsill again and moved away from Jaune to rest her hands on the smooth wood.

"Not really, no." Jaune leaned against the wall next to her and cast a sidelong glance out at the sky. Then he looked down the hallway one direction, then back the way had come. "Hey Ruby, you know there isn't anyone else around right now, right?" He said rather quietly, subdued almost.

Ruby took a half step away from the window and turned to face Jaune. She looked up and down the hallway as well, not really wanting to confirm what he was saying but more to give herself a moment to think. He was right, there wasn't anyone else around and that was the whole thing with her not wanting to express affection. Still, it just didn't feel the same as it had before. Maybe she was just tired.

"Yeah, there's not." Ruby extended her hands forward, open. Jaune stepped forward into her arms and wrapped his own around her shoulders. He leaned down towards Ruby and kissed her gently on the lips. Ruby closed her eyes and felt his lips brush against hers, soft and warm. After just a brief moment of contact he pulled back.

"Are you okay?" His eyes were open again.

"Uhh, no. Not really." Ruby let her shoulders droop and looked down at her feet. She was so embarrassed that she didn't even really want to kiss him right now. "I think I might just be tired."

"Are you sure?" Jaune was almost pleading with her. He obviously knew that something was wrong now. "You've been like this since we were at the beach earlier. If something's up I wanna help you with it." He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead but Ruby turned off to the side and he stopped.

"That's what's wrong Jaune. You just keep kissing me and holding me and I don't know, it doesn't feel like it did and I'm trying to figure out what's going on but it's so hard." Ruby closed her eyes to try and hold her emotions back, she really wished she had worn her cloak out here with her so she could clutch at it and throw the hood up over her head to help her think.

"What? Ruby I had no idea." Jaune stopped, apparently uncertain of how to really continue. "I know you said the other day that you didn't want to kiss in front of Yang but I thought-" Jaune stopped when Ruby turned on him.

"What? That's not what I said." Ruby clenched her hands at her sides, "I said I didn't want to kiss or anything like that in front of any of our friends." Jaune's shoulders dropped and he looked at the floor.

"I know…. But I guess I thought…." He failed to finish his thought. He just stared at the piece of carpet between his feet. "I thought you were just embarrassed in front of your sister."

"No Jaune. That's not…" Ruby thought about it for a second and realized that as soon as Yang wasn't around is when he had started holding her and kissing her again. But that isn't what she had asked him and Yang was probably the one she was the most comfortable around because Yang had done it so much around her. "But that isn't what I asked Jaune."

"I know but it's just that I like you so much and I want you to know that. I try to tell you, but I don't know what to say." Jaune shuffled his feet. "And you're always so cute, I guess I can't help myself."

She's too cute to not kiss? Ruby was befuddled by what he was saying. What did he mean he couldn't help himself?

"I told you though Jaune. I told you it made me uncomfortable to kiss in front of everyone and you still did it. You did it a lot today with Ren and Nora. They didn't kiss. Not even once the whole time we all hung out. Why do you have to kiss me in front of everyone?" Ruby could feel herself getting upset now and she was really trying to keep her voice quiet. Lots of other people were already probably sleeping and she didn't want anyone overhearing her and Jaune having an argument like this.

"I just, I can't really believe that I got a girl like you Ruby." Jaune finally looked back up to her, "I just want to them to see that you're mine." His eyes were shining now, not with tears but with the passion in what he was saying.

"Yours? Jaune I'm not yours and you aren't mine. We're dating." Ruby threw her arms out to her sides and she felt her voice raise. How could he say that? His? And what did he mean, a girl like her?

"No I didn't mean-" His eyes flew open in exasperation, "I only meant that… We're dating and so I want people to know."

"To know what Jaune? That they can't have me?" Ruby turned around. She couldn't be upset with him and look at those eyes at the same time. "Are you worried I'm gonna run off with someone else?"

"Of course not… I just…" Jaune touched Ruby's shoulder, asking her to turn back around but she took another step away.

"Stop it Jaune." She had just asked him not to touch her all the time and that was the first thing he did. "I just. I came out here to think and I can't do that with you here."

There were a few moments of silence. Ruby stared down the hallway angrily, arms crossed against her chest. Jaune didn't say anything, didn't move from where he was standing.

"Ruby. I don't know why you're so mad at me. I thought you liked kissing me?" Jaune's voice was low, he sounded defeated and Ruby felt her heart pang.

"It's not that I don't like kissing you." she admitted, "I just. I don't want anyone to feel weird or uncomfortable because we're together." She turned back to him and saw that he was crying softly. No huge bucking sobs or shaking shoulders. Just light tears running down his cheeks. "I'm mad because I asked you not to and you kept doing it."

"Why would they feel weird though? We're together. We're gonna kiss. We're gonna hug and hold hands. That's the way it's supposed to be right?" Jaune shrugged his shoulders and let them drop again.

"And? That doesn't mean we can make them all feel weird the whole time we're together. They're all still my friends too Jaune. And they're still your friends. Just because we're dating doesn't mean it should change how we are with everyone else." Ruby wanted to run forward and hug him. She wanted to wipe the tears off his cheeks and tell him they could figure it out some other time. But, she had to make her point. Yang was right, this was a talk they needed to have and if this is what had to happen to get her point across then it's what had to happen.

"But we are different now. We're not just Jaune and Ruby right? We're Jaune and Ruby now." The emphasis he put on their names the second time said everything. He thought that now that they were together they should be different around their friends. But Ruby didn't want things to change like that. She still wanted to read with Blake and tease Weiss and play with Nora.

"I don't want to be though." Ruby could feel tears in her eyes now, "Like today when we were with Nora at the beach and we were playing that silly game. You came over and totally interrupted it. If you were just playing around too that would be fine but you weren't Jaune. You tackled me and kissed me and Nora ran away."

"I just wanted to play with you too though. You and Nora had been having so much fun. I was-" Jaune stopped and looked up, at the ceiling, trying to blink some of his tears back. "I guess I was jealous a little."

"You were jealous of Nora? Of Nora, Jaune?" Ruby's tears fell as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah. I don't know. I was, I guess." he stuffed his hands in his pockets and dropped his eyes back to her. "We were supposed to be on a date right? But you were running around with her and I was over talking to Ren."

"We were out with Ren and Nora though." Ruby sighed and dropped her hands. She felt like she was talking in circles. "It wasn't just you and me. We were hanging out with our friends. Don't you get what I'm saying?"

"But Ruby..?" Jaune took a step towards her and she took a step back, "Ruby I get what you're saying but what about what I'm saying?"

"What are you saying Jaune?" Ruby crossed her arms again. If he said he wanted everyone to know they were dating again she was gonna explode.

"I'm saying that I want to kiss you in front of them. I want to hold you on the beach and I want to be with you all the time." Jaune took another step forward and outstretched his arms, but Ruby continued to backpedal.

"I can't Jaune." Ruby gripped her own elbows and squeezed them together. "I can't do that." She felt her tears well back up and start flowing down her cheeks. Ruby dashed one arm against her face to keep them back. "We want really different things Jaune."

"But don't we want each other?" Jaune dropped his hands and Ruby put both of her palms to her eyes, trying to force the tears to stop.

"I thought I did. But now, I don't know if I do anymore." Ruby couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't stand here, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the hallway and argue with him anymore. "I can't do this anymore." She turned and ran the last few steps back to her dorm room door. Threw it open, pulled herself inside and slammed the door.

Jaune couldn't believe what had just happened. One minute they were walking and talking like they had done before they started dating and then they were yelling at each other and crying and… What had she meant just now? She couldn't do this anymore? Jaune felt fresh, hot tears run down his cheeks and he stared after her, stared at the door she had slammed. He heard someone coming up the stairs, two people maybe but he didn't care. Their steps got louder and their laughter grew closer but he didn't move. He recognized their voices, the high ringing laugh, like a chorus of bells and the other, slightly deeper but with a definite feminine peel.

"Jaune? Jaune are you okay?" Pyrrha asked quietly. Both sets of laughter dying in their throats.

"What happened?" They both came up to his sides and rested a hand on either shoulder. He tried to respond but he couldn't make his jaw move and so they stood there. Waiting for him to react to their questions. It took a concentrated effort but he freed his tongue from whatever had been holding it down.

"I…" even once he started talking he still had trouble vocalizing his thoughts, "I think Ruby and I just broke up." he turned and collapsed onto Pyrrha's shoulder, throwing both arms around her shoulders and letting himself sob finally. His shoulders heaved and he felt her hand patting his back, trying to comfort him. He didn't raise his head but he heard Blake dash off down the hallway and the door to Ruby's room open and shut.

A/N - Uhhhhh...Okay don't hate me now. I mean, I didn't put any ships in the summary for a reason. This is a very fluid fic and it's definitely not gonna go like they usually do. People are more complicated than rooftop confessions and blushing in the closet right? I think so.

I hope this came across pretty believably. Please tell me what you thought of the chapter. I've never even read a chapter like this before so I'm really in totally unknown territory here, blazing forward with my pen held high...or keyboard I guess?

Also, uhhh, this is the last chapter until I get back from my vacation. I promise I didn't plan that.

Okay yeah I did. I wanted to build a little bit of suspense with a for realsies cliff hanger.

Well there it is. All out there for you to tear up. I really hope I don't get any hate mail written in letters cut out of a magazine. That would be weird and also take a long time.

Thanks so much for reading. I'll be back with the next bit on Tuesday the 26th.

-Zach