Genre: Romance

Pairing: Ruby x Sapphire

Summary: Looking back in later years, Ruby wondered if there had been any sign as to how much the tennis match between Beach City High and Beachside Preparatory would change her life. Ruby/Sapphire. [High School AU]

Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe, but I really wish I worked on it because to be honest, Rebecca Sugar is my creative crush.

Author's Notes: It's my birthday, so I wanted to do this. Maybe it's my gift to myself.

I should note I have no idea where this is going. I should also note that I know the high-school AU idea is in no way original and has been done before, but... I love it. And thirdly, I chose tennis which may not seem like the most crazy sport, but if there's anything I've learned from anime, any sport can be made dramatic with a healthy suspension of disbelief, high enough stakes, and dramatic music.

Love Fifteen

Chapter 1: Matchmaker

The first time Ruby meets Sapphire, they're about to face one another in a tennis match that counts towards moving their respective schools forward in the league.

This match means a lot to Ruby. A victory here means a chance to compete at the district level—a chance to shine, to get noticed, to find some way to escape the suffocating sprawl of inner Beach City.

But for one brief moment, she loses sight of the goal for the petite girl in front of her.

Her opponent doesn't look like Beachside Prep's best singles player. With her slim arms and slight build, she looks soft—but not weak, Ruby thinks, just feminine, especially in uniform of the BP tennis team. It's an impractically cute outfit, and the girl wears it well, from her perfectly white sneakers with laces tied in delicate bows to her pleated blue tennis skirt to the white polo that boasts puffy sleeves, of all things. When Ruby finally settles on her face, she finds the girl is staring right back, her blue eyes barely visible under a fringe of bangs. Ruby notices first how dark her long lashes are and second the strange blue-gray color of her elbow-length hair as the breeze toys with the ends of her unfettered waves.

"Can you play with your hair in the way like that?" Ruby asks before she can really think about the question.

The other girl seems surprised, but then pushes at her hair with a helpless laugh, and Ruby finds the sound warm and precious, like the song of a pretty music box she had loved once as a kid. There's nothing pretty in Ruby's life now, but she can still call it when she sees it.

"I can't stand to cut it, and it doesn't stay back no matter what I do, so I play around it," the girl admits. "I like your ribbon idea though." She touches a hand to her temple to refer to the red ribbon tying Ruby's own curls back. "Red suits you."

"Er, yeah," Ruby says, rubbing the back of her neck. She doesn't know how to respond to the compliment.

If anything, the girl is amused. "I'm Sapphire," she says and holds her hand out.

"Ruby." Ruby takes her hand, and there's a tiny spark when they touch, but if Sapphire has felt it too, she doesn't give any indication.

They stare at one another for a beat until Jasper, Beachside Prep's team captain, barks at Sapphire to stop dragging her feet and start the match already.

Sapphire waits until Jasper passes to roll her eyes. Ruby grins.

"I suppose we should play then," Sapphire says. "Good luck."

Ruby likes the way Sapphire says it—unlike the other girls from Beachside Prep, who consider public school kids beneath them, Sapphire says it like a challenge, not a sneer.

"You too," Ruby replies, and they take their places on opposite sides of the net, Ruby up for the first serve.

The match against her is harder than Ruby expected. Ruby's known for being a power hitter and can usually dominate the court with her strong and reasonably accurate returns, but Sapphire's fast, faster than any other opponent she's played. She's not lazy either, running down every ball that comes her way.

Ruby just barely wins the first game, 7-5. The close score should annoy her, but she's not even concerned... she's fascinated. When they meet in the middle to switch sides between games, Ruby shoots her a grin.

"You're good," Ruby says. "I can barely get anything past you. It's like you know exactly where to be."

"I have a something of a sixth sense," Sapphire shrugs. "Even so, you're not making it easy to reach them. Have you clocked your serve before?"

"Nah," Ruby says, laughing because where the hell would Beach City High School get the money to afford a tool like that. "Should I?"

"Definitely. Your serve is like a bullet. I'm impressed."

Embarrassed and flattered, Ruby rolls her right shoulder, winces. It's still bruised from last night, but she barely minds the hurt now. For the first time in a long time, Ruby's kinda having fun.

The second game goes much more quickly but is equally intense. Sapphire's figured out enough of Ruby's basic strategy to give her a good run for her money. They play to 7-5 again, and Sapphire wins. Now it's down to the third game to determine who will win the entire match.

But it's easy to forget winning and losing when Ruby feels like this. Playing Sapphire's exhilarating. By the third game, they seem to know each other. Ruby serves, Sapphire returns. Sapphire lobs, Ruby smashes. Ruby rushes after a ball, slices it, and Sapphire's right there to volley it back. As their rallies get longer, Ruby thinks it's like having a conversation she didn't even know she wanted.

The game stretches on until sunset hits, and they're the last pair playing on the court. In the end, Sapphire gains the upper hand and wins the match. 7-5, 6-4. Ruby has to concede and jogs up to Sapphire.

"Good game," Ruby says, trying not to sound disappointed. She's sad she lost, but for the first time, it doesn't feel like a complete failure.

"Good game," Sapphire says.

They shake hands again. There's no spark this time, but there is warmth. Ruby is the first to pull away, even though she doesn't want to.

What Ruby does want is to say more, maybe say goodbye to her or something. They don't exactly hang out in the same circles, so who knows when Ruby is going to see her again. Sapphire seems equally lost. She makes as if she's going to walk off... but then turns to face Ruby.

"Actually, it was more than good. It was a pleasure," Sapphire says, and Ruby smiles. The look on Sapphire's face is both earnest and a little bashful as she rushes on, "I know that we attend different schools, but maybe... maybe we can play together some—"

Before Ruby can really figure out what Sapphire is saying, she's interrupted. Jasper strides up and puts a heavy hand on her shoulder. Sapphire is laughably short compared to Jasper's Amazonian build, but the joke is lost on Ruby. The blue-haired girl looks incredibly uncomfortable under her team captain's grip, and that doesn't sit right with Ruby at all.

"What are you doing?" Jasper demands.

"Nothing," Sapphire says sharply. She tries to step away, but Jasper doesn't budge. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is that you're turning this into social hour with the Beach City School for Losers," Jasper says. "And we've got better places to be."

"Geez, lay off," Ruby says, her temper rising. "We just finished. She's just telling me it's a good game."

Jasper narrows her eyes at Ruby. "I just bet it was a good game for you."

Ruby's not stupid, but she can't figure Jasper's meaning. "What are you talking about?" she demands.

"You lost, right? Well, of course you did," Jasper said. "You know Sapphire's real nice. She's always telling the people she plays against how impressed she is with their serve or whatever. But it's just her way of getting into people's heads, making them relax and think it's all friendly. It works on saps. Looks like it worked on you, too."

Ruby glares and clenches her hands into fists. She doesn't think she was conned by something as dumb as flattery, but she did just lose one of the most important games of the season. Whether or not Jasper is a two-faced liar, Ruby can feel the bruise that snakes from her shoulder down her arm.

Sapphire doesn't defend herself. She only shakes her head and hisses, "Jasper."

"Come on, the team is waiting for you to leave. Go on," Jasper says. "Unless you want to stay with your girlfriend... and what would your family say to that?"

Sapphire's face, which had been open and hopeful mere moments before, shutters, and her mouth flattens into a thin line.

"Thanks for the game, Ruby," Sapphire murmurs as she stiffly follows Jasper.

Ruby watches her walk away, and now her defeat really does feel like a loss.