Yang Xiao Long looked through the window, her lilac unfocused and completely indifferent. She knew the view outside more than just fine, and observing it for literal hours straight-which she sometimes did-wasn't exactly exciting.

"See anything interesting?"

The fact no other than Jaune Arc himself sat beside her on lonesome stool however, did break up the mundanity of her life just a bit. The simple fact in and on itself was quite something.

Then again…

She could have never imagined herself being defeated so effortlessly in a fight as well; losing her arm not once had crossed her mind, ever.

So…

Maybe him being here, beside her, shouldn't be surprising at all. Not nearly as much as her losing her arm at least-

"You're shaking." He pointed out carefully, his eyes trailing back down to the floor thereafter.

"…"

She didn't utter a word at first, just gave him a look. Observed all the details which proved he wasn't the same either.

His shoulders sagged down, his blue wandering about on the floor most of the time, lips a stiff line or the simplest of ways his eyes narrowed every now and then, most certainly remembering something.

"Outside's quite boring," She indifferently answered his question he asked, her gaze just briefly roaming about on the floor as well.

She too had developed a habit of indulging herself into the memories, but even more than that, she'd changed as well.

"It's not that bland, right?" He asked meekly, his half-hearted smile barely holding up.

"Well, if nothing else, it's at least sunny." She noted how ray of lights or rather countless number of dust particles shimmering in daylight hovered over her blanketed legs.

"It is." He noted so too, and she thought his voice sounded just a bit softer than usual.

"For how much longer are you going to stay?" She asked, irritated she wasn't sure what sort of answer she hoped for. Couple of days back she'd be sure she wanted him to leave as soon as possible, pretty much like everyone else at that time, but now…

He made a goofy grimace which looked criminally perfect and poked her arm.

"Am I really that annoying?"

"Yes."

He pouted.

She chuckled. Honestly.

"No."

He smiled, and she figured that this one seemed quite genuine.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," He answered, his blue momentarily pointing to the slightly open window. The whips of wind, which managed to slide through the opening swaying some of his messy, blonde locks this way and that, his blue washed over by the daylight outside.

Oddly enough, he looked to be slightly more mature than he did before, but she simply couldn't pinpoint how.

Well…

There was the fact he looked more serious or not even serious, but simply lacking that clumsy awkwardness he had before. Before everything changed, and not only for the two of them.

His eyes are still gorgeous.

That was true back then, and now as well.

"Wanna go outside?"

She set her eyes into his, and he already could tell.

"Sure, but only later, when it's not so frikkin hot outside."

His eyes dilated just slightly.

"Okay."

"…"

He looked back down to the floor, while her eyes went back to the window. She quickly got bored of it though, and turned back to him.

"Wanna kiss?" She asked, and soon found herself disappointed by how lacking his reaction was. He simply gave her a look, one of his eyebrows curved puzzlingly.

"Pf." Oddly enough though, his lack of reaction eventually managed to make her giggle just briefly still.

"You know, it's very rude to play with a man's heart like that." He joked, both of them sharing a smile thereafter.

"So what you suggest? That we'd actually kiss?"

"I simply suggest you never make offers you can't follow through with."

"And what makes you so sure I can't?" She inquired with snippets of confidence she used to have, but quickly thereafter clutched her blanket, and once again, turned to look outside through the window.

He did so too, creating a moment of silence between the two.

"…"

He absent-mindedly rubbed his fingers together while she simply continued to breathe quietly. Both of their faces washed over by the daylight outside, yet their eyes a shade or two darker than they should be. Voicelessly proving the impact of what was lost still lingered within.

I wonder why?

He asked himself as his eyes trailed back to her, and he quickly noticed the arm which previously was clutching the blanket, now did the same to the stump which used to be her right arm.

After all…

He had quickly become accustomed to hide the pain when being with friends, became good at it, yet around her it was different. Maybe it was so because he simply remembered; how straightforward, open or even blunt yet kind she was that he found himself struggling to hide the pain like he could around others. Instead, he lowered his defenses or struggled to put them up, if there ultimately was some difference between the two.

The fact they weren't exactly close friends back then didn't help solve the puzzle as well. Not as if they were now or rather, he wasn't sure at all what sort of relationship they had.

Just two acquaintances who for the time being lived under the same roof, and then…well, shared their not so exciting lives with one another. Maybe created some moments of value every now and then.

Does that amount to anything?

Both of them wondered.

Did it matter if it did or didn't?

They thought, their gazes coming together.

"…"

They simply stared into each other's eyes. No words uttered, no truths to hide or uncover. Just a meaningless stare which started from something, but ended with nothing.

"Yang?"

"Hmm?"

"I think you're beautiful," He said.

His words, perhaps they exactly came from that place of nothingness. No deeper meaning to take away from the linked syllables, just words he said in this one, exact moment.

"Oh." She remarked coldly, her hand clenched into a tight fist yet as quickly as flames rose, they settled down even quicker and her now relaxed palm slid down to her lap.

His blue, as far as she could tell, spoke of nothing.

"Heh," She dryly chuckled and indulged her hand into her greasy hair.

"It'd be nice if it wasn't so random."

He blinked, soon reaching and scratching his own head.

"Don't even ask, I've got no idea where that came from." He explained, some of that clumsy awkwardness he used to have now evident here and there on his face.

"Sure you don't," She said, and found herself appreciating he looked sheepish right now. A genuine emotion across his face which looked too bland at times.

"Then again though…" He started, paused, his blue wandered about just briefly then firmly settled into hers. "I really do think you're beautiful," He said, his words now coming from heart. His blue soft with emotions, but what kind of? He wasn't sure himself.

"And I've always admired you." She admitted, her tone matching his.

"Seriously?" He asked, surprised.

"Yea, I've always had a thing for underdog stories ever since I was a child. Be it movies or books…well, books I rarely read but the ones I did, always had a hero facing the seemingly impossible odds yet finding a way to rise victorious."

"Nah." He shook his head dismissively. "I think I was too busy to fill in the role of a loveable idiot stuck in a tree."

"Not in my eyes, Jaune. You were a whole lot more than that." She spoke from her heart, and noted he bit his lip.

"Yea, well…" He started, both of them aware his voice trembled. "I'd rather been more than a loveable idiot or even an underdog. Maybe then Pyrrha would still be alive or at the very least I…" He stopped, his mind an utter mess and his voice barely there. Clenching his eyes shut, he covered his face with a hand, as the rush of tears was overwhelming. "…Maybe then at least I'd been strong enough to go with her, and both of us could have-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence, his teary face now a mere inch away from hers.

Those two, piercing red eyeballs of hers staring into his now stunned blue.

"Don't you even dare to finish the sentence, not even the thought of it," She said, demanded, her hand tightly clutching his collar.

"But…" He uttered just that, though nothing else thereafter.

"Don't." She demanded of him, her red changing back to lilac, her fist loosening up until it was no more than just an open palm.

And she rested it against his chest.

"You're not the only one devastated by the loss of Pyrrha, Ruby is too. She's still heartbroken from losing her friend, friends, yet you go and say that…don't give me that!" She cried out, all the corners on her face tightly clenched. "If she'd lose you too, I can't even imagine how broken she'd be." She looked away just briefly, the crippling fear in her eyes meaning more than she knew. "That's why," She started, turned back to him and was surprised her hand now rested against his cheek. "Don't ever you dare to say words like that. Not even think of them, got it?" She threatened, reprimanded and ordered or anything else which could help him against such thoughts.

"Please…" She uttered quietly, softly, her hand reaching up to dry away the still lingering tears from his eyes.

"Never give up on your life, ever."

And in the end, she begged him.

"…"

For a few moments to come, he simply breathed, yet she still appreciated that little as well.

"I'm sorry." He apologized to both of them, his salvaged voice sounding tired, yet oddly enough, also relieved. His hand soon overlapping hers, and it really sank into him; he absolutely adored the way her hand felt against his face, her thumb soothingly caressing his cheek.

"Forgive me, I really didn't mean that, I just…" He struggled to find the right words and reassuringly squeezed her hand in between his two instead.

"I get it," She said in response, their saddened eyes brighter unlike before. "I get it. Just please, never say anything like it ever again. Never ever."

"Okay." He promised, though it wasn't so much the promise itself which comforted her.

His smile did. His blue did. Warmth of his two hands around hers one did.

"Good," She said as her smile deepened just slightly, her head soon resting in the crook of his neck.

The way his breaths move some of the strands of my hair is comforting too.

"Jaune."

"Yea?"

"Remember I asked you when you would leave?"

"Yea. What about it?"

"Nothing special, really. Just wanted to let you know that you have no permission to leave."

They both chuckled.

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely."

He rested his head atop of hers.

"Oh well, what can you do? Guess I'll have to oblige."

And this sentence, it comforted her too. The way he massaged her right stump did too, and the softness and warmth of his lips against her hair did even more than that.

"Yang?"

"Yea?"

"You're beautiful." He uttered softly, and noted she smiled.

For him, that smile was comforting.

...Rather.

When it mattered the most, he loved it.