A/N Hey all. This idea was in my head and I had to get it out. Then I developed it. I originally wanted it to be a one-shot, then it sorta spiralled out of control to be slightly longer than that, so this'll be a 5-part series, updated every week! Every week cuz that's actually manageable.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters involved, with the exception of the four minor OCs and the story.
16
*beep beep beep*
The alarm jostled her from her sleep. She turned to the side to reach her scroll and turn the alarm off. Slowly, silver eyes opened with fatigue, then widened at the display screen.
Her body shot up, rigid as a board. Today was the day! She couldn't wait! Today would be exciting and fun and awesome! Hurriedly, she crawled out of her sleeping bag and got changed as fast as possible, while trying not to wake the others in the confined space of their tent. Unfortunately, that left little room to maneuver, and she just had to trip over something while putting her combat boots on.
"Ow!" she yelped as her bottom hit the floor. The nearly immovable object sluggishly turned to face her. The lilac of her irises could hardly be seen through the mess of golden locks, but the irritation at the rude awakening was still there.
"Ruby? What're you doing up so early?" the half-asleep mess asked.
"Sorry Yang! I just woke up to my alarm and then went to shut it off, then I saw the date! Guess what day it is!" Ruby exuberantly sped through her explanation in a hushed tone, so as to not cause any more disturbances.
Yang furrowed her brows, thinking hard. Then like a lightbulb, it struck her. ""It's the day we get back to Beacon!"
Ruby rolled her eyes. Yang tried again, "It's Saturday!" she smirked lazily.
Typical Yang. She did this every time there was an important day: either feign obliviousness or give a more simplistic answer.
"Aaaaaaaaanndddd?"
Yang blew some hair from her face and slowly sat up. Her lopsided grin evolved into a caring smile as she stretched her arms out towards her sister. Eagerly, Ruby leapt into those arms. Those strong arms that comforted her in hard times and congratulated her in times of triumph. They both couldn't help but smile warmly.
"Happy birthday Ruby." Yang whispered into her sister's hair.
"Thanks Yang!" came the muffled reply. They both giggled at the tender, sisterly moment they shared. Despite everything, they still had each other. Family truly was the strongest of bonds.
Sadly, the moment didn't last long.
"It's your birthday?!"
The sisters quickly exited from their hug. A little too quickly, as they both ended up sprawled on the floor. Turning towards the sound, they looked up to see an irate young woman in a white combat skirt and bolero. Her ice-blue eyes were fatigued from keeping watch the past few hours. Her off-centered ponytail swayed back and forth with the shaking of her head. Her arms were on her hips in a confrontational pose and her slightly unbalanced stance subconsciously asked, 'Really?' Clearly, she was cross with the two dunces in front of her.
"Hey Weiss! How was patrol?" Yang asked, sincerely curious as to how it went while also attempting to redirect the conversation.
The heiress raised one eyebrow at the question. The blonde quickly closed her mouth, smiling sheepishly.
Ruby stepped in, "Wait, you didn't know about my birthday?" her voice was innocent, but there was a slight hurt tone in it.
Weiss turned to her partner, her gaze softening quickly. She had learned a lot about her team in the past year, "Ruby, you haven't told me about it. You've never mentioned that at all."
Ruby quizzically examined her partner, then turned to her sister for the answer. Yang's guilty smile didn't falter the whole time, but grew larger. Her scratching the back of her head put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
"Heh… oops?"
"YANG! YOU NEVER TOL-Mfmfffm?!" a hand covered her mouth from continuing the rebuke. The reaper stood puzzled, then turned to see her partner, with icy scorn in her eyes and a finger on her lips: the universal sign for quiet.
"Don't yell! Blake's still asleep, remember?" she whispered, all while still covering Ruby's mouth.
Nobody could see Ruby's reaction, what with her partner still covering her mouth, but she pouted, then grinned, then proceeded to lick Weiss' hand, causing the heiress to release her grip and shriek at a very loud volume and ungodly high pitch.
"What the HELL Ruby?!" she screamed, her earlier remark about being quiet completely forgotten. Frantically, she wiped the slobbered hand on her skirt, repeatedly exclaiming, "ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew…"
Ruby grinned triumphantly while Yang guffawed at the scene before her. A loud sigh came from behind the trio. All three turned slowly to see amber eyes looking upon them with both annoyance and endearment.
"Since we're all up, we might as well get out of bed. And yes, I heard everything."
Blake smirked at their various expressions of paled or blushing faces, awkward smiles, and the one pulled-over hood of embarrassment.
"She started it!" the three pointed at each other in a triangle, causing Blake to shake her head in amusement.
"Let's get some breakfast."
Ruby looked at the meager portions in front of her: some rations with a small pile of berries and edible nuts. This was her birthday breakfast?
"Very funny guys, so where's the real breakfast?" she asked. Of course this was a prank on her team's part! Where was the beef jerky? And what about the snacks they normally brought on missions?
"This is the real breakfast Ruby. We never had time to pack the normal supplies, remember?" Weiss jogged her memory. The mission was pretty last minute now that she thought about it. Ruby groaned. It was gonna be a long day, what with a small meal like that. There wasn't even milk or juice! Wait, where would they keep a fridge though… Well they should've at least brought a pack of cookies dammit!
"You ate your cookies on the way here… and you're talking out loud Rubes…" Yang told her.
Ruby blinked in surprise. Yes, it was going to be a long day indeed.
"At least we found some strawberries," Blake tried to stay positive. Yeah, they did find strawberries despite being in the wilderness, so it wasn't that bad. She smiled at the cat Faunus, "Good point! Thanks Blake! Although, I do wish I was back with dad and uncle Qrow…"
Yang chuckled, "You're just thinking about the feast at home, aren't you?"
"What kind of breakfast did you two have on your birthdays?" Weiss asked.
Yang went on to explain the feast they would prepare. Birthday breakfasts at home with her dad, uncle and sister were legendary. There was eggs, fried, boiled, scrambled, or poached at the request of whoever's birthday it was, lightly seasoned with the celebrant's choice; a heap of fried bacon and sausage; not to mention the mountain of pancakes or waffles their father would make, along with their choice of toppings; be it syrup, whipped cream, chocolate chips, or ice cream. Four collective growls sounded after the explanation.
"Ugggh, you're just making it worse!" cried Ruby, as she started to dig into her rations. Big or not, food was food, and she wasn't gonna be picky, especially while she was on a mission. The four of them ate at a rapid pace, trying to forget the delicious sounding breakfast Yang had described.
After finishing and cleaning up, they waited and talked to pass the time away.
"Hey Ruby, remember that one time we had cake for breakfast?" Yang asked her sister.
Weiss and Blake looked at her incredulously.
"How could I forget that?! It was the best breakfast ever!" she recalled with gusto, a contented sigh escaping her lips.
"Yeah, that was good." Yang reminisced wistfully.
Weiss' eyebrow twitched. Blake's eyebrow disappeared behind her fringe. The discussion-turned-argument-turned-screaming-match they had over the nutritional merits of birthday cake as a meal scared off small Grimm and animal alike, and even woke up their charges.
"WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT CAKE?! I AIN'T GOT NO CAKE! I AIN'T NO BAKER! THE CAKE IS A LIE!" The old man shouted, bursting out of the tent adjacent to the Huntresses-in-training's, brandishing a frying pan as his weapon of choice. All four were a mix of ashamed and embarrassed. Their mission was to protect this man and his family for their journey towards Vale, and here they were, talking about such mundane things, as well as disturbing the little amount of peace they had outside the Kingdom's borders. To say they felt bad was an understatement. It would have had a lasting impression on them. That is, if the man's wife didn't throw her shoes at the back of his head, knocking him out.
"SHADDUP FAUST! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!" came the shriek of the elderly woman from the same tent.
Team RWBY could only stare in awkwardness at the spectacle. After about two minutes, a middle-aged man and woman came out of the tent with contented sighs and smiles on their lips. Their apparel wasn't the finest, having lived outside the ensured safety of the kingdom, but they were not poor either. The man turned towards the teens eating breakfast, "Sorry about that. Father always was a little senile to begin with…"
"…then he just got worse as he got older!" the woman finished, giggling with mirth.
"That's okay. Sorry to wake you up, Mr. and Mrs. Feirdon." Ruby replied, making sure to emphasize their apology. They did start the conundrum.
"Oh it's quite alright Ruby, and call us Jorum and Donna. No need for formalities here!" Jorum began, "Besides, the earlier we wake up, the farther ground we'll cover anyhow, so it's good you woke us up when you did." He surmised optimistically.
"What say we continue after we've given Mother and Father their breakfast?" Donna Feirdon suggested.
"Or, we could just keep travelling while they sit in the caravan and eat. That way we can travel far-"
"I'M NOT CLEANING UP THE CARAVAN AGAIN." The woman growled loudly. A "meep" followed by a very submissive "yes dear" was heard. She turned to the Huntresses-in-training. "We'll be a couple of hours before we continue on."
A/N While I could end this as a one-shot here, I have a storyline with a definitive end, so I'll just keep going. Like I said, one chapter a week. Don't worry, OC's are only supporting roles, they're gone by next chapter probs. As always, feedback is much appreciated. Review or PM me with your thoughts! Follow and fave... eh. if you want.