(Tfw life is a fucking nightmare :D)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd person Pov

Beacon Cafeteria

Jaune: "I still cant believe you managed to let slip your own birthday."

Y/n: "I still dont see why it's such a big deal...I was never one to celebrate it much anyway."

About half of teams RWBY and JNPR were gathered in the cafeteria over breakfast. Ruby and Yang sat on either side of Y/n, while Jaune and Pyrrha sat opposite him. Blake and Weiss were god knows where. Same can be said for Ren and Nora.

He picked at his food in slight exasperation at the conversation he found himself unable to escape for the last hour. Ruby and Pyrrha seemed to pick up on his hints of discomfort, but hadnt spoken out about it yet.

Yang: "Well, why not?"

Finally deciding he had lost his appetite, he dropped the fork onto his tray and propped his head in one hand as he responded.

Y/n: "I've just never seen it as a big deal. That and I've always hated asking people for shit, so it always bugged me every year when I'd get bombarded with 'What do you want for your birthday?'."

There was a pause for all of about a second. It wasnt exactly a look she enjoyed seeing on his face, but it always somewhat surprised her just how quickly Y/n manages to develop The Stare.

The Stare, was only known as The Stare by Ruby herself. She used it to describe how, when Y/n enters deeper thought, or spaces out, even reminisces on something (particularly something rather sensitive), he manages to sprout this gaze that she could only describe as long.

She definitely didnt like it.

It made his eyes seem so empty.

Y/n: "As far as I was concerned, it just meant I had been waiting around for another year."

And there it was.

Nobody needed to ask what he meant.

Realizing the tone he had set, he internally smacked himself, shaking away his clouded gaze as he tried to pick up the broken pieces of the previous conversation.

"Listen, its obviously different now that I'm here. With all of you. My birthday is just something I've never seen as a big deal. Emotional conflicts aside."

Also attempting to move away from the previous tone, the group jumped at the opportunity to change the subject a bit.

Yang: "I guess that makes sense."

Jaune: "Cant really say I get it but you do you I guess."

Pyrrha: "I suppose we all see things differently."

Ruby was the only one who didnt say anything. Seemingly in thought, a small smile crossing her face after a few seconds. Definitely not unnoticed by Y/n. He turned his head to her, a wary look crossing his face

Y/n: "Oh god. Somethings stirring around in your head. What are we in for?"

Her smile only grew, a smug and confident look in her eyes as she gave  Y/n a surprisingly hardy pat on the back.

Ruby: "Oh, dont worry about it. It's nothing big."

Unsure whether or not she was telling the full truth, Y/n opted to remain on his toes. Ruby was certainly capable of surprising him at times.

Y/n: "Sure...well, anybody got any plans for today?"

And so conversation continued to float around the table for about an hour. Or perhaps it was longer. They wouldnt know. Nobody bothered to check the time.

And of course nobody had any real plans. It was after all a Saturday, and the dance was tommorow. If anybody was doing anything today, it was either looking for something to wear, or someone to go with.

And so the quiet day remained ever quiet. One thing though is Y/n was trying to keep track of the days. Made much easier now that he has a scroll of his own. But nonetheless, as the day slid into the evening, Ruby and Y/n found themselves being the only two students currently occupying the team RWBY dorm.

The Stare seemed to be rather potent today. Perhaps because of this mornings discussion. Ever since the two had returned to the dorm around noon, The Stare had taken to looking him out the dorm window. Only breaking for the fleeting pass of small talk between the two.

It gave Ruby some time to refine her little idea.

She sat on her bed fiddling with the pendant around her neck. To anyone else, it would look like she was just admiring it. And in some way, she was. When Y/n gave it to her the night before, it warmed her heart to an incredible degree. She loved it.

Y/n certainly wasnt pulling her leg when he said it would be special.

The bond their souls shared allowed him to do amazing things. Just the fact that the team and his friends could visit the Mindscape now was extraordinary in the least. But this was something else.

The pendant was...what could only be described as a wealth of knowledge only she could see. It had practically everything. It all just appears in her minds eye. Everything from Y/n and his life on earth, all the way to a full encyclopedia of music.

And there was so much music. Too many songs to count. She had listened to so many since she got the pendant nearing on a day ago, and she had only scratched the surface.

She had listened to a good few though. And she had an idea. There was one song in particular that stuck out to her. Mostly because it was that same song he had sang to her when she was having her leadership anxiety. The night of the initiation.

She couldnt help but let her mind wander slightly back to that night. She remembered how unsure she was of herself. She truly thought at the time that leading a team would be an impossible task for her. But look at them now.

She never thought she would fall in love with him back then. But life is full of surprises. Although she did wonder how long her feelings for him were brewing inside her, she new for certain that they came to light on that first day of school.

When they had fallen through the door together...something just...not even clicked could describe it. It was just...right.

...

What was she doing again?

Oh! Right!

She had an idea. She only needed to wait until they fell asleep.

-------

Y/n wasnt sure when he fell asleep. His mind had been running at full speed since this morning.

He was 22 hours deep into the 24 hour Le Mans, screaming down the straight at 220 miles per hour. He was about to break 8000 rpm. The hairpin turn was coming, but his clutch was missing, and his brakes were shot.

And for whatever reason, he couldnt let off the gas.

This was the scene he found himself in all day. He sat there. The famous 1966 Le Mans track screaming past him over, and over, and over again. He really didnt know what time it was. How long he had been here. Or even if he was really asleep.

But here it came again.

*CRASH*

...

And there he was at the starting line again.

Start. Drive. Crash. Repeat.

Start. Drive. Crash. Repeat.

Start. Drive. Crash. Repeat.

He wanted to get out of this car. To get off this cursed track and go watch the stars with Ruby. But he couldnt.

There was something about this drive that was forcing him to sit here and think. He was close to figuring it out. But he couldnt quite. So close...one more lap...just one more...

Here...the straightaway. It always hit him on the straightaway. Every time he cracked 7000 rpm.

There it was again...

Crash.

...

Repeat?

No.

No now he was at the side of the straightaway. Just sitting on a bench, lookin out at the french country side.

Y/n: "So close..."

He simply sat there. Staring again. The view was beautiful. The sun setting over a green horizon of lush, beautiful french countryside. He wondered what Ruby was doing.

He never noticed her sit down next to him. He was too lost. He did hear her start singing though. He felt her take his hand, and lay his head in her lap. And it did well to break him out of his trance.

He listened to the angel in his ears with everything he had. Finally closing his eyes.

He almost didnt notice her stop singing. He had turned onto his back to look up at her. Just watching. But not with The Stare  he was there. Really there.

He smiled, tightening his own grip on the hand that still held his.

Y/n: "Never tell me again that you dont have a beautiful voice."

She giggled lightly as she ran her free hand through his hair. It had stopped growing at the base of his neck, and if she was honest, she liked him with long hair. Black and choppy. Messy, but still keeping form. It suited him perfectly in her opinion. And certainly went well with his outfit.

Ruby: "I'll do my best."

She let him sit up next to her, leaning into him this time. She took a moment to realize their surroundings had changed. A seemingly endless yellow field stretching out in front of their little bench. And Beacon, looming in the background. The school always seemed to find it's way into their environment.

(If it helps, imagine their bench being about where the guy is in the pic :p)

They shared ths comfortable silence for several minutes, before Ruby asked the question.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

A few seconds of contemplative silence.

Y/n: "Yeah. Yeah I think I did."

Ruby: "What was it?"

Another moment of silence passed, as Y/n gathered a way to explain what he found.

Y/n: "In a way, life is like a big race. Theres a certain point, where your going so fast, that the world slows down. It creeps up on you. You feel it coming, but it's hard to slow down."

"Eventually, your problems and stresses become...weightless. And there's just a body, moving through time and space."

...

"Once you finally crash, and you will crash, it all kind of...hits you. Your problems never left. Whatever they may be. You might have outgrown some of them, but most remain. It all serves one purpose.

"Its just there to remind you that, no matter how fast your going, no matter how many problems you carry, life isnt actually a race. So just, slow down, and ride easy."

Another silence returned, Ruby contemplating his thoughts. All this time she thought he was upset because his birthday had come and gone, but he just ended up getting hit with a reality check.

She figured now was as good a time as any. She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, deepening her embrace on him.

Ruby: "Happy Birthday Umbra."

He chuckled lightly, returning a small kiss to her head.

Y/n: "Thanks Rosebud. I'm gonna go for a walk here. Let this stuff drain outta me. You wanna come with?"

Suddenly feeling the time, Ruby yawned in response. Letting go of him as she responded.

Ruby: "You go on ahead. I'm gonna get some sleep."

She gleefully accepted the sweet kiss he gave her before he stood up.

Y/n: "Sleep tight Rosebud. I'll see you in the morning."

And thus he began walking into the field, the sun shadowing him as he walked. She could feel her grin widen as he began to sing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

(I hope you all enjoyed. The next chapter will be a full length one, and I would once again like to sincerely apologize for how long these take. I can only hop that they are of some quality.)

(As always dont be afraid to voice your thoughts in the comments. Any form of criticism is welcome. And thank you, all of you for almost 50k reads. It's ridiculous. )

(As always, Until Next Time.)