((A little Nuts and Dolts never hurt anybody! Lindsay Jones ships it, so who am I to disagree? Anyway, more Mechanical Girls shenanigans! (See 'Your Nickel Ain't Worth My Dime' and Chapter 12 of '30 Days of RWBY Shenanigans') Penny and the band learn Ruby's most favorite song for her!))


Penny spun her trumpet around in one hand. She and the Mechanical Girls were waiting for Daisy to finish setting up her drums. Neo slapped away at her bass guitar. Magenta was in the kitchen checking on the meal she'd started for the band to eat after practice. Gen was an incredible cook, so she was invaluable to the band's survival.

Especially on tour, when fast food and instant noodles got really old really quickly.

All four of them had a talent aside from music that saved the band from this or that. Penny, being literally mechanical, could lift their van off the ground if it needed work, and Daisy could perform most simple fixes on it. Neo took care of all the scheduling for the band, and that was a job in itself.

"Genny, could you please bring some drinkage for the crew on your way? I'd like lemonade!" Penny called to their guitarist.

"Root beer for me, please!" Daisy added. Neo slapped her bass strings in a Morse Code pattern. "Sounds like Neo wants tea!" Daisy translated, Neo face-palming and holding up a sign. She felt like one of those cartoon characters she used to watch.

"Chai, rather! Excuse me, Ice Cream!" Daisy complained. Neo shot her the finger. "You would! If Gen didn't already do it so well!" The drummer with the bright yellow hair retorted.

"Ladies, calm down!" Penny laughed at her bandmates. A red blur appeared in the room and took the shape of Ruby Rose. Penny's eyes turned to hearts at the sight of her Gemstone.

'Maybe you should calm down...' Neo signed. At least Penny could understand sign language well enough to accommodate their mute bassist. Penny giggled at Neo's comment.

"Shush!" She blew Neo off and hugged her favorite shade of red tightly. Ruby made her way around the room and hugged her girlfriend's bandmates.

"Hey, isn't there a song based on Morse Code?" Ruby asked Neo. She nodded, her mismatched eyes lighting up at the thought of one of her favorite tunes. She signed the letters 'Y' 'Y 'Z' and then played the piece of music. "YOU'RE SO COOL!" Ruby made Neo blush bright red.

Daisy played a beat on her drums that corresponded with Neo's bass tune. "See, nothing special." The blonde bragged. Magenta finally returned with the crew's drinks, toting a cranberry juice for herself and a bottle of citrus green tea for Ruby. She hugged Ruby on sight.

"So, shall we practice?" Penny announced. Ruby perched on the couch as the band began practicing their usual set. She cheered loudly when 'Bumper to Bumper' came. She was so in love with the ska-punk sounds of The Mechanical Girls.

Penny's trumpet solo always captivated Ruby. There were such intensity and emotion in the notes. Ruby danced in time with her most favorite song. Penny smiled at her Gemstone, her green eyes turning to stars at the sight.

"YEAH! GO GET 'EM, ROBOBOT!" Ruby cheered before she remembered they were in practice and not at a concert. She blushed ten shades of red, but the Girls all just smiled at her.

"Hey, Girls, should we play that song we learned for my Gemstone?" Penny asked the band. "I think we should play it!" She reiterated, putting down her trumpet and picking up her guitar. Ooh, Penny almost never used the guitar! This would definitely be special!

Nothing could have prepared Ruby to hear those first chords. THIS WAS HER MOST FAVORITE SONG EVER! The opening tune from her most favorite anime, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

She couldn't believe Penny and the Girls had learned 'Sorairo Days', as it was a song that was far outside their usual style. Then again, Weiss Schnee had learned a Chili Peppers song for her significant other, and their music was nowhere close to Weiss's wild violin antics.

Penny began singing a few bars into the song, and Ruby thought her soul might leave her body. Penny sang this particular song perfectly, and the rest of the band weren't doing a bad job either. Magenta's guitar sounded stellar, and Neo's bass cut through the mix nicely.

Ruby's eyes weren't sure if they should be stars or hearts at this point. Penny had actually learned her absolute favorite song ever. Her heart raced as they performed for her. Penny and Magenta traded off some awesome guitar solos, Ruby smirking as she watched her girlfriend's fingers.

The song finally finished with a crashing chord from Penny. She looked at Ruby as the music stopped, immediately concerned by the sight of the awestruck girl in front of her.

"Ruby? Are you alright?" Penny asked. Ruby shook her head and came to her senses.

"YOU LEARNED MY SONG! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU ARE SO PERFECT AND I LOVE YOU!" Ruby squealed as she rushed Penny and hugged her, planting butterfly kisses on her face and head. Penny placed her guitar on a stand. "Ladies, I need to borrow this one for a few minutes..." Ruby told the band as she snatched up Penny and raced for the next room.

"No more than twenty minutes, ladies! I promise!" Penny told them before the door closed between the rooms.

"WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF PRACTICE!" Daisy loudly protested. Gen rolled her eyes and laughed. Neo took a sip from her chai tea, signing a joke to Magenta. Gen laughed out loud. Daisy looked at her girlfriend curiously.

"She said we should never have played that song with Ruby here. We should have known this would happen. It's really our fault." Genny relayed, Daisy scoffing.

"I wish I could come to band practice and get it! Must be nice!" Daisy complained even more. Magenta hugged her tightly and tousled her hair.

"If we both ran out on practice to have alone time, that would leave Penny and Neo with no rhythm at all!" Gen joked. Daisy chortled as Neo shot both of them a finger apiece.

"Whatever happened to your redhead boy toy, Neo?" Daisy asked her. The girl with the pink and brown hair shook her head, throwing her hands up and making rapid signs that were difficult for Magenta to catch.

"Um... she just signed a slew of graphic expletives, if that gives you any clues." Magenta translated.

"You want us to go break his face, Ice Cream Cone?" Daisy asked. Neo smirked and shook her head.

"I'd wager Neo did that herself already, honey!" Neo nodded excitedly at Magenta. Penny and Ruby emerged from the room, sweating and disheveled as they walked back into the practice area.

"Must be nice to get laid at practice..." Daisy joked.

"Sorry about that, ladies. That song just really inspired me, I guess." Ruby apologized. Penny took up her trumpet and brought the Mechanical Girls back into their practice. Ruby bobbed her head in time with all their raucous tunes.

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Recommended Listening:

'Sorairo Days' by Shoko Nakagawa (English Covers by Amalee and Nate Wants to Battle are also good choices)

((Ruby and Penny would have made the cutest couple ever! I ship White Rose over Nuts and Dolts, but I love and miss Penny and love writing her happy fics. The Mechanical Girls AU allows me to do just that, and to write about music.))

((Also I have this headcanon that Gurren Lagann is Ruby's favorite anime. I feel like she would be enamored with the mechs and be inspired to build weapons because of that show.))