Ruby put on her apron, tightening the strip of cloth around her waist. Once she'd made sure that it was secure, she set about putting on her red choker, the rough material eliciting a giggle when it brushed against her neck.
"Alright Ruby Rose!" She cheered, her reflection mirroring her actions. "You're gonna do great today!"
She finished her sentence with a gleeful twirl, admiring the edges of her crimson cheongsam as it fluttered. This was the last outfit Summer had made for her before she passed on and needless to say, it was one of Ruby's dearest treasures.
A loud laugh snapped her out of her musings and the sound of it made Ruby blush, the tips of her ears turning red when she realized that she was being watched. Her embarrassment didn't last, replaced by irritation when another bark of laughter ripped through the delicate silence.
She spun around to scowl at the girl leaning against the doorway of the employee only bathroom. Yang winked, her lips tilted up in a coy smile.
"Aww Rubes, you're so cute!" cooed Yang teasingly.
She yelped when Ruby shoved past her, speeding in the direction of the kitchen. Worried that she might have pushed too far, Yang followed after her with an apology on the tip of her tongue but stopped mid-way when she caught sight of how red Ruby's ears were. Yang brightened, and followed up with a shout instead.
"Hey wait up! Come back and gimme some love!"
"Shut up Yang!" Came the flustered shout.
Yang laughed and shook her head, walking over to clear the few empty tables littered with empty cups and plates. She glanced around her discreetly, hiding a small smirk when she felt everyone's eyes on her. With gusto, she piled up the plates and placed them all on one arm, tossing the dirty utensils into the stack of empty cups. First-time customers stared at her in awe while regular patrons just grinned at the pseudo balancing act that was taking place.
A hearty jingle rang throughout the restaurant when more people entered, and Yang reared her head back to greet them with a cheerful yell.
"Welcome to Sun Dragon! Where the hottest thing here, is me!"
"YANG!" Came the exasperated shout, the sound ricocheting around the small establishment. The owner of the voice peering out of the serving window in annoyance, causing the blonde to laugh rambunctiously. The pieces of china on her arms clanged against one another dangerously, but Yang didn't seem to be worried in the least.
"That girl. I swear…" Tai Yang grouched, pouring a generous amount of oil into the frying pan. "Why do we even have a catchphrase if she's going to keep doing that?"
Ruby shrugged and handed him a bowl of freshly peeled prawns. "You know how she is." The girl sighed heavily, "Let it go, dad. The customers love that about her."
"Oh no!" He gasped. "Not you too! Don't go over to the dark side!"
"Daaaad." She whined, rolling her eyes. He could be such a drama queen sometimes. That was probably where her sister got her flair from, despite his protests.
Ruby moved back to the fridge to grab a bowl of rice he had prepared beforehand, throwing the contents into the wok. Loud sizzling sounds filled the kitchen, slivers of gray smoke rising into the stale air. Tai Yang followed up by adding a few other ingredients such as spring onions and soy sauce into the heated metal object, stirring it with practiced ease. Ruby smiled, taking in the look of concentration on his face. Only her father could make cooking look that interesting.
She peered over his arms to admire the browning rice, the smell of the food making her stomach rumble. Unfortunately, she had already eaten before her shift and having anymore would just be plain greedy.
Ruby all but tore herself away from the tempting sight, she wasn't about to torture herself looking at food she couldn't eat, and backed away to dump the empty bowl into the sink. Giving her hands a thorough wash, she looked up to check the time.
It was already 2pm, so she guessed that the trio would be clocking in in about fifteen minutes or so. As she wiped her hands dry and stared down at the ever growing pile of dishes in the sink, Ruby wondered whose turn it was to do the dishes today. Hopefully, either Jaune or Ren would be the one taking over that station. Nora skills were too…special for such a delicate job like that. It was an understatement to say that her friend was like a bull in a china shop.
"So, how were classes today?" Tai Yang asked, "Anything interesting happen?"
"Nah, not much. Oh, but there was this thing where students from big city colleges came for a visit. Professor Port said that they were here to study Patch's history and stuff. They'll be here until evening I think, something about 'soaking up' the Patch night scene."
"Good good." Her father answered distantly, his attention stolen away by the sudden influx of orders.
"You should go introduce yourself Rubes. You really need to get out more often."
Ruby huffed as she clipped up the orders which Yang had haphazardly tossed through the window.
"Hey! I have more than enough friends. It's not like I stay at home all day like I did when I was younger. And anyway, Yang goes out enough for the two of us." Ruby complained, lining the bowls and plates neatly.
She was startled when a paper airplane came soaring towards her through the small window.
"Dammit Yang! No more planes!" Ruby yelled, her hand shooting out to catch the folded piece of paper by its nose. A loud snicker from outside was her only reply, and Ruby sighed lowly before carefully unfolding the piece of paper to read out the terribly written contents.
"Wanton noodles and a large bowl of fried rice."
Tai yang looked up. "Salted fish or shrimp for the rice?"
"Salted fish." She nodded. "Oh, and no onions."
"Gotcha." He nodded. Shutting off the fire with a grunt, the man grabbed a porcelain bowl that had a spiraling golden dragon etched on its surface and transferred the contents from his wok into the bowl. Tai yang almost preened in satisfaction and pride when he saw how the mild orange of the shrimp contrasting with the intense brown color of the rice. Ruby smiled. Her father was a damn good cook.
"Order up for table 5!"
Ruby walked out of the kitchen with the tray in one hand. She passed Yang, who was taking orders from a cute (if rather small) girl with tri-colored hair, and nearly tripped when she heard her sister make a horrible pun. When Ruby didn't hear any groans or anything along those lines that suggested annoyance, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She frowned. She'd never seen that girl around patch before. She would have noticed someone with that kind of striking hair colour. It must be one of those visiting students. City people were really strange. But then again, she had never been one to follow current trends, even on patch.
Ruby deftly moved through the tables and seats around the small restaurant, smiling at some of the customers she recognized. Some even waved at her when they saw her looking. As she neared closer to table 5, which was near a tall bamboo plant, the sight of a familiar black bow had Ruby almost tripping over own feet. Again.
"B-Blake!" She spluttered, the tray nearly tipping as she came to an abrupt stop.
"Hey Ruby." Blake visibly brightened when the girl came into view, giving the younger girl an easy smile.
Amber eyes flickered to the two bowls on her tray. "Oh, done already? Weiss will be delighted."
Ruby tried to smile, hoping that she didn't look too weird. She always acted like a total moron around Blake, like saying something horribly embarrassing or being a general klutz. Blake never failed to throw Ruby off her game (not that she had any to begin with) and it was a constant struggle to just. act. natural.
"Are y-you getting anything?" She said and silently cursed the stutter in her voice.
"Yang took my order." The brunette responded with a smile and leaned back into the chair, "You know, the one she folded into an airplane?"
"Oh so that was yours?" giggled Ruby. "I know you don't like noodles so it's probably Weiss's. Yours is the fried rice, no onions right?"
"Yep." Blake said, watching the girl set down the food on their modestly sized table. As she did so, a sudden mischievous urge seized her causing her to smirk and say, "I'll hold you responsible if I find any."
Ruby nearly dropped the tray, her entire body growing rigid. Cheeks colouring, Ruby stared at Blake with surprise etched into her face. A moment of silence passed. Blake chuckled, pleased that she was able to elicit such a reaction, the sound jolting the girl out of her blatant ogling.
"I-I hope you do- NO I mean…" Ruby squeaked, trying not to spontaneously combust into flames.
The brunette was unable to stand the absolutely adorable look on Ruby's face, and unwisely chose that moment to grin. The accidental action did nothing to help Ruby's growing embarrassment, making her flail about even more.
"Ehehe- I'll just go and check on your food."
She grimaced at how high pitched her voice sounded, like the obnoxious squeaker in a dog toy, and began inching towards the kitchen. With an amused nod from the bow-wearing girl, Ruby shot her a sheepish grin before fleeing the scene, her red sneakers disappearing out of sight.
As Ruby sped back to the kitchen, she crossed her fingers in hope that Yang hadn't seen that train wreck.
But judging by the loud snorts and chuckles coming from the kitchen as she approached…Ruby knew that she could never be that lucky.
"Oh man, your crush on Blake is just-" Yang clutched at the spot over her heart.
Ruby sulked, ignoring her sister completely as she waited for Tai Yang to finish up the next order. The blonde grinned at the annoyed look on her Ruby's, poking her sides to garner a response. All she got was a slap on the arm.
"Just ask her out already." Yang quipped, tossing a rag over her shoulder. "That bellabooty isn't going to be hands free if you keep dragging this out– if you know what I mean." She waggled her eyebrows.
Ruby groaned. "She's probably already dating someone else."
"Nope, she's single and definitely ready to mingle. Trust me on this one Ruby, Blake will definitely say yes. Hell, she'll be crazy not to!" exclaimed Yang. "I mean, you're a great catch!"
"I don't know, Yang." mumbled the shorter girl. She stuck her hand out and gestured in the direction of Blake's table, keenly aware of how warm she felt.
Yang waved her hand dismissively. "In the words of someone great, just do it! Look, I'll help you alright? You two would make a great couple."
The blonde smirked, running a hand through her hair as she plotted deviously.
Ruby gulped, wringing her hands together. She hoped that Yang didn't go too far since most of her plans could be absolutely absurd at times.
Yang went too far.
Ruby squashed down a sigh as she watched Blake hammer at the door furiously from her spot, hidden in one of the cubicles. "Yang!" The girl spat, "I swear to god, you better let me out or I'll–" The rest of the sentence trailed off into angry mutters when a muffled voice interrupted her.
Ruby looked around while Blake was preoccupied with slinging insults at Yang, still unaware of her presence. She quietly dug into the small bag Yang had tossed her, with instructions to only open it once Blake had been lured– ahem, escorted here. She smiled wryly when she retrieved a delicate looking plastic rose, and a…chapstick. She colored, internally shrieking at the implication before throwing it back into the bag.
"What's her problem?" Blake sighed, finally turning away from the door to observe her surroundings. Yang had told her that Ruby needed to tell her something important and that it couldn't wait. She was just about to leave the restaurant, shooting one last longing look at the kitchen doors before Yang flung them aside and scared the crap out of her.
Blake growled. "That little…just wait until I get out of here."
Ruby stepped out of her hiding place and coughed to get her attention. "Um, don't blame her." She said lamely as the Blake spun around in surprise. "She was just h-helping me."
An eyebrow rose, the irritation melting into confusion. Blake felt anticipation build as she watched the smaller girl step out from the shadows, smiling in embarrassment. The redness of the redhead's cheeks was nothing short of endearing, and she could feel herself melting at the sight that was presented to her.
"Helping you?" She asked, amber eyes tracking Ruby's every move. "For what?"
"So that I…" Ruby swallowed. "Could do this."
Blake felt her body stiffen in shock when Ruby closed the distance between them, arms snaking around her waist as she pressed her face into Blake's shoulder. The redhead felt her legs shake with fright, breathing in deeply as the soft material of the shirt brushed against her face.
She was instantly captured by the faint thumps of Blake's heart, her own heartbeat rising in response when Blake's quickened.
Ignoring the feeling of something digging into her back, Blake reacted to the touch and let her own arms circle Ruby's waist as well. She delighted at the sudden hitch in breath when she tightened her hold and felt a soft purr building in the back of her throat.
"I like you." Ruby mumbled, not daring to look up to meet those gorgeous amber eyes, for fear she would lose herself in them. Praying she wasn't shaking, the redhead continued talking, not aware that Blake's heart had leapt into her throat.
"I mean, I like like you. Not the friend kind. Er, y-you're still my friend but–"
"Me too, Ruby." Blake murmured into her ear, cutting of her rambling. "I like you too."
"R-Really?" She squeaked, stepping back to look up. Blake hissed at the loss of contact, but felt a gentle smile forming when she looked at the silver eyes gazing at her with wonderment. This girl was honestly too cute for her own good.
"Yes. For quite some time now, actually."
"That's…" Ruby blushed darkly, "Good. Um, here. This is for you." She said, and thrust the plastic rose toward her. Blake giggled, gently taking the flower out of her grasp. She ran the brightly coloured stem between her fingers, her gaze never leaving Ruby's.
"Thank you. That's really thoughtful of you."
Ruby shuffled nervously at those words. "Yang was the one who prepared it actually." She said, biting her lip in worry that the revelation might make Blake disappointed or maybe even angry. To her relief, the brunette just shook her head in amusement. Her shy demeanor now dissipating, the redhead bounced on the balls of her feet in quiet excitement.
"Does this mean that we're, y'know. Dating?" She asked.
Blake smirked, using her free hand to grab Ruby's collar and pulled her forward. Ruby squeaked when she stumbled toward her, a finger lifting her chin until their faces were bare inches apart. Messy, black hair tumbled down Blake's shoulders framing her face. Ruby felt her breath catch at the sight and more than once, her heart tripped over itself as her brain tried in earnest to emblazon the image permanently into her mind.
"Hm, I suppose so. But first–" Blake purred. "I think that we should make it official."
Before Ruby could ask what she meant, the space between them disappeared as the brunette leant forward, capturing Ruby's lips. Eyes fluttered shut, their respective hands tightening around one another.
Ruby and Blake could only describe the sensation of the kiss as something inherently beautiful and wonderful, like cuddling under a blanket on a rainy day, or nursing a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy winter's night. Fireworks bloomed at the back of their closed eyelids, explosions of colour and bright emotions making their heart do a stutter step.
They held the kiss for quite some time and when they finally pulled apart for air, their flushed faces and identical shy smiles could have melted even the coldest of hearts.
Blake reflected with excitement that this kiss would be the first of many. Euphoria swept through Ruby, the redhead threading their fingers together.
"Let's get out of here before Yang gets any funny ideas." She said, the now couple walking toward the bathroom door.
Blake nodded, eager to get out of this dimly lit place and perhaps even spring the good news on Weiss. The girl had been supportive, and she deserved to know what happened. She would probably give Yang a good dressing down as well, which was greatly appreciated in Blake's books.
"Definitely." She agreed, raising her hand to knock on the door.
AN: MERRY CHRISTMASSSS! :D This was a rwby secret santa gift I made for corgi-kid over on tumblr. I'm glad I signed up for it tbh. Have an awesome christmas! Imma spend my day at work and at night, watch some anime. My version of a happy christmas day :3