Before I start this chapter I'd like to thank everyone who'd added this story to their favorites or has decided to follow it. On top of that it's awesome to the number of RWBY stories have climbed up to eight-thousand, shows how far the series has come in gathering a fan base. Now, last chapter we saw team IONC show off a little more of their combat skills and some dignity was lost (*cough*Jaune*cough). Well this chapter is going to contain fluff, reclamation of some dignity, shipping tease and Arc Rose, plenty of Arc Rose.

I do own anything.

Chapter 10: Waiting to Bloom

As Blake learned that evening after PT had ended the I and N of team IONC shared a similar habit she and her partner did; stopping by the library. Blake loved the school library, especially when it got colder. As a she loved cuddling up in a blanket with a nice book by her side. Those around her sometimes joked it's possible that's how she'd live the world. If Blake did go out like that then she wouldn't mind it at all. Yang had attempted to drag her to the training room so she could prepared herself for her "rematch" with Chicahua. Blake had no interest in going up against Chicahua, they'd walked away friends and unless the situation called for it she'd rather not have to fight him again. That led to Yang following Blake to the library because she "wanted to ask someone a certain question" with a sly grin. The dark clothed girl had a feeling her partner was up to something sneaky but she didn't feel like prying that information out of her.

She suspected it had something to do with Izaak when she saw him and Neil in the library. While Izaak had a stack of books beside him Neil had laid his head down and was catching a late afternoon nap. Without waiting for a pause Yang grabbed Blake and flagged the two boys done. Neil rose his head once, waved as a sign of acknowledgement then went right back to sleep.

"Does he have some kind of illness?" Yang questioned taking her sit. "Seriously whenever I see him he always looks like he's close to passing out."

"Oh no," Izaak laughed waving one hand. "He's normally like this all the time. The truth is Neil's just a tad lazier than the average person."

"I prefer to call it energy conservation." Said person countered not moving a muscle.

Blake took a minute to examine the books the axe-wielding Viking had chosen. He had good tastes though some of his choices through her for a little bit of a loop.

Yang coughed once to get everyone's attention, well Izaak and Blake's since Neil had checked out. "Great now that you two are together I can ask you a question that's been eating at me for a while." She reached into her bag then threw down a paperback novel right in front of Izaak. "Ever tried that series before?"

Izaak had to focus his eyes on the title before he could speak. His eyes went wide and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He shot a look at Yang who had a rather smug smile on her face. While she didn't strike him as a reader he hoped what she didn't read didn't include that or consist solely of that.

Her partner screeched before grabbing the novel and hiding it in her own bag. "How could you!" she yelled at her partner, her cheeks burning red.

"What?" Yang asked innocently. "You're a bookworm. He's a bookworm. I wanted to see if you two shared anything interesting." Once she turned her gaze towards Izaak her grin grew wider. "And judging by his reaction I'd say ya do."

"Well I…"the brown haired boy struggled to form a coherent sentence which was usually child's play for him. What of all the series did it have to be that one? He looked at Blake who was giving Yang her best impression of a puma snarling at its prey. "So you um…you like the Ninjas of Love series?"

"Like it? Oh Izaak she loves it?" Yang spoke before her partner could even open her mouth.

"Yang!" Blake shrieked again. "You've read it too right?" she asked turning to Izaak.

Izaak could feel the air getting uncomfortably hotter with very passing second. "Well I, I was walking and it caught my, it, um," there was no point in dragging it on any further. "Yes."

"Hm, so fantasy, history, blah, blah, and smut. That's what you like reading just like my dear Blakey." The brawler laughed putting both hands behind her head. "You two are going to get along great."

"It is not smut!" The ninja nearly screamed jumping out of her seat. Quickly she regained control when more than a few eyes turned towards their table with puzzled gazes. "Yes there's sex and the like in it but there's so much more to it than that." Those amber colored eyes homed in on Izaak. "Right Izaak?"

"Huh?" he blinked once before realizing she was expecting him to answer. "Well its-"

"You mean it's a safe get away for those oh so basic human urges?" the third member of the conversation jumped in. Now she looked to Izaak to confirm her words.

Izaak tried to defuse the situation by telling them both a half-truth. "It definitely discusses basic human urges." Not a second after making the statement he reached for another book in his stack. "Speaking of human urges this one here is-"

"And the power of love and the bonds between people." Blake added narrowing her eyes. "All sex is the result of some of those bonds reaching their conclusion."

"That's true." The Viking nodded.

Yang wasn't ready to give up. "That or maybe when someone does they just want to have a good time. Like almost every character in the book."

Blake finally locked eyes with her partner. "Have you even read any of them?"

"I skimmed through them." She hand waved her partner despite the glare she was receiving.

Blake looked like he'd just been slapped in the face. "Skimmed through it? God no wonder you think it's just mindless smut! You can't just skim through it!" She reached back into her bag and threw the book back onto the table. "Yang Ninjas of Love is a series that must be read from the first page to the last page, from one volume to the next, with an open mind and-"

"Closed windows, locked doors, low lighting provided by candles or moonlight, a soft bed, and some catnip by the side?" The blond interjected grinning. When she turned to Izaak the boy wanted to move to another table. "Or maybe an animal fur bed?"

The two bookworms went rosy red as Yang continued to list various items and situations that brought more suggestive images to mind. Blake it hit its high point when she mentioned bananas. At that the cat Faunus nearly pounced on the laughing blond. Neil momentarily rose up from his nap at the mention of bananas to share a look with Izaak. They both knew who Yang was talking about when the curved yellow fruit was mentioned.

"Feel like helping me out here?" Izaak questioned.

"With what? You seem to have everything under control." With that he put his head back down and went back to snoozing.

As Izaak watched the two girls argue back and forth he began to notice more eyes were being drawn towards them. He couldn't blame them. At best all they were hearing was smut, porn, cats, bananas, and maybe something about youth. There goes the rep I got from fighting Pyrrha. He thought somewhat amusingly. He had to admit Yang was quit the character. When Neil had returned from his fight with Ruby she seemed ready to take his brother's head off had it not been for him and Ruby talking her down. Now that same girl was enjoying herself getting a rise out of her normally stoic partner and him. "Aside from the Ninjas of Love series if you want real smut I'd refer you to look elsewhere. In fact generally speaking NoL is pretty good compared to some of the other stuff out there."

The Viking didn't realize rather than putting out the fire he'd just given it more fuel. "Oh so that means you do read smut eh?"

"What? No! I mean generally speaking! The paragraphs and writing style is actually better than a good chunk of what's on the Vale Best Seller's list!"

Without a warning or permission the blond began tearing through the stack of books Izaak had. "Let me guess erotic thriller? You told me you like mysteries of all types."

"Not that type!" Izaak cartoonishly cried trying to get Yang to stop.

It was at that moment Neil decided to add his two cents in. "He prefers it if there's murder involved. I once saw him read a six-book series about a call girl trying to avoid getting busted for murdering a shady client. From there it just becomes a long road of sex, guns, fore-play, and plenty of 'I did what I had to do' in almost every book. He read the entire series in two days."

When Yang flashed Izaak a grin he realized he was beginning to fear that Cheshire smile. It just screamed trouble. "Call girls? Why Izaak I never knew," In half a second her gaze shifted to Blake. "Sound interesting to you?"

The dark clothed girl had given up for the day. "Yang can you pick up a book that doesn't involve anything involving sex, motorcycles, or anything that has chapters?"

"With you two here I'm sure you'll give it your best shot." She grinned leaning back into her seat.

Abruptly the gray haired member of the table stood up to stretch. "Speaking of chapters ever tried The Dark Tower series?"

Blake's eyes lit up. "By Stephen King?"

"Yeah that one. I read the first two book but I haven't been able to finish the three. I would have but we got blown us. They have it?"

"They have the whole series."

The ninja and knight left leaving Yang and Izaak alone. Izaak had just finished re-staking all his books before he started laughing. "It took me four mouths to get him to open a book and stop staring at the clouds all day. Feels like it's the best thing I've ever done."

"I assure you it won't be that easy with me." The brawler smiled. That was the little contest they had going since that day in the library following Greensburg. Blake hadn't had much luck in getting Yang to pick up a book and when she told Izaak that the Viking had almost taken it as a personal challenge.

"I'll find you something to read. How about that?"

"You're on."

That was one of two bets he'd made to her and she was eager to see how he'd deliver.

"So this time around I've got a series about a talking tree that brings misfortune to everyone who listens to it, a book about an aging blitz ball player trying to get back on his feet, a supernatural thriller involving collecting skulls, a book about four guys taking a road trip through the desert, and a series about a king who tries to keep his kingdom standing while having an affair with one of his castle maids."

"The one about the affair!" Yang laughed. "It'll be just like my soaps!"

"So be it." With a light grin Izaak grabbed hold of the book and cracked it open.

Before he could start reading Yang leaned forward with a sly grin. "Now about that smut..."

While her sister was busy driving Blake and Izaak up the library walls Ruby was searching for a certain blond haired knight. Normally she would have spent her Friday afternoon in the newly built student lounge but her friend needed her. As she walked the halls it felt strange to Ruby how she'd felt like jumping into the arena during Jaune's match. The urge to do so only grew when Olivia pressed the barrel of Bishamon against the back of his skull in a completely cold manner. Worse was the look she shot him when the battle ended. It left Ruby feeling even more pived at the onna-bugeisha.

The redhead knew Jaune's pride had taken a blow, a big blow that would likely take weeks if not a mouth to heal. As one of his closest friends she knew of his self-confidence issues and the sparing match would only make it worse. Her walk through the school grounds had all but told her getting back what he lost wasn't going to be easy. Nor was keeping her temper under control.

The sparring matches had become one of the hottest topics of gossip in the short hours school had ended for the weekend. Rumors were flying all over the place about team IONC and their fighting style but one of the biggest was Olivia and Jaune's match. More than the fact that Pyrrha had been forced into a tie, more than her Beacon's youngest prodigy, had been defeated was Jaune's unceremonious beat down. That was the chatter on everyone's lips, even some of the teachers to Ruby's slight shock.

All of it was the same. All of it focused primarily on the undisputed fact that Jaune Arc had gotten his ass kicked in less than a minute.

Once class had let out Jaune had disappeared from Beacon entirely. According to Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha he told them he needed some serious alone time. That may have been true but Ruby couldn't suppress the geyser of worry inside her. It was like her heart was screaming for her to find Jaune and tell him the battle hadn't changed her view of him.

The training room, classrooms, airship hangers, and almost every other conceivable place had been scratched off the list within the first hour. Various accounts of a red blur zooming through the school began to circulate. This blur traveled into every building and through every crack yet whenever it went everyone could catch the air of despair it left behind. When Ruby had run out of places to look she retreated into the student lounge. Ordinarily she would have been dashing all throughout the room but the weight of her failure weighed too much on her shoulders. She fell face first on top the nearest couch and simply stayed there.

Where could he be? I checked every nook and crany of the Academy and still nothing. She could imagine Jaune sitting alone by himself with no one to comfort him. Once she'd talked to Pyrrha about Jaune's pride and still she'd begun to fear that pride. Growing up she read a few stories centered on it and when it was taken too far things usually did end well. Ruby had the cold feeling Jaune was on that route. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. Or how she would help him through it.

Half an hour passed before Ruby saw something from the window that caught her eye. It was just a brief occurrence but her silver eyes caught it; a small white object flying through the sky before touching down on the ground. Pressing against the window she saw a small paper airplane touching down on the ground. Her eyes widened for a second then she sped out of the lounge leaving a trail of rose pelts and confused teenagers in her wake.

Russel looked up from their paused game of Mortal Kombat to watch the pelts flutter to the ground. "Ever wonder where the rose petals come from?"

Cardin was slightly annoyed their game had been paused but answered his partner's question, "No. Ever wonder how the hell Rose managed to get that good with a scythe?"

"Crazy slasher uncle or relative? Seriously though it kind of creeps me out a girl that small and cute manages to wield that thing like a frinkin grim reaper." He turned back to the screen ready to continue their match.

The mace wielder shrugged his shoulders pressing the resume button. "That's why they're called reapers genius." It was just when Cardin was preparing to perform a fatality on Russel that his face screwed up and his eyes narrowed. "Since when did you find Rose cute?"

Access to the higher towers of Beacon weren't easily granted but they were accessible. Ruby suspected Jaune had found a way to get into one. The only question was finding out which one he was in. In order to do that she watched and waited for the airplanes to fly to the ground then deduce which one they came. Eventually she found which and was able to crack the door to get in.

Looking at all the stairs Ruby sweat dropped. "How'd he climb all this stairs so fast?" The walls were too narrow and the stairs too winding for her to use her Semblance. That meant she was going to the long way up. But it would be worth it if she found Jaune at the top.

The further up the redhead went the more clearly she could hear what sounded like music.

One life…is not a long time.

When you're waiting…for a small sign.

Patience…is hard to find.

Shadows…seem to seem to fill your life.

Don't be disappointed. Don't let your heart break. Don't spend another minute in this way.

It's okay.

Just as the music picked up Ruby soon Jaune sitting by the window, Scroll by his side filling the empty room with music. The window was open allowing the late autumn wind to blow through the small room. Besides a few tables and a desk there was nothing else in the room giving Ruby the impression the designers had just thrown it in because they felt like it.

Jaune looked up from the papers scattered over the table to her. She didn't see them until she got closer but she knew the feint trails of tears when she saw them. Clearly she'd miss the 'cry your eyes out' part of the breakdown and he'd moved on. Finding that out made Ruby even sadder, she'd come too late. "That song pretty much stole everything I was going to say."

She hoped that would be enough to get the conversation going. "Well I," He looked at the Scroll currently playing Wings and suddenly felt like jumping out the window. "I was feeling depressed and hey, this song really does help take your mind off depressive stuff huh?" Jaune knew that was terrible, he didn't need Ruby's narrowed eyes to tell him that much. In those eyes was the thing he'd come to despise with all his being. "Would you just stop looking at me like that! Don't you think I feel bad enough already!"

Something inside Ruby broke once those words hit her. Physically she jumped back while emotionally she felt like she'd been slapped in the face. This was the first time Jaune had ever yelled at her. No, this was the first time she'd ever seen Jaune this angry, and for added bonus it was at her. "I-I'm sorry." His words, "Would you just stop looking at me like that!" made her mentally slap herself. Here he was throwing a miniature pity-party and she walks in on it.

Seeing the downcast look on the redhead's face hit Jaune hard. Shit now I've done it! He had to act fast before he lost possibly one of the only people he could really talk to outside of his team. "Ruby! Wait please stop! I'm sorry!" Jumping from his seat he banged his knee on the table, still he kept his attention on the young reaper before him. "I didn't mean to yell at you! I goofed up! I was just angry and I…I'm sorry."

The blond continued to mumble apologies until Ruby took both his hands in her own. "Are you okay? You didn't hit your knee too hard did you?"

Ironically Jaune barely registered the pain and when Ruby brought it up it had already faded. Even if it was still there it would have been forgotten in favor of the feeling he felt fluttering through him as Ruby's hands gripped his. They were soft and gentle against the ruff leather his gloves. "N-No, I'm fine." He would have been better if he could remove his gloves so he could feel her hands but he nipped that thought in the butt. "It's understandable if you want to uh, throw me out the window."

Ruby blinked once then sat down right across from him. She recognized the homework that had been handed out over the week, she was just surprised how much of it Jaune had gotten done fast. Work from chemistry, history, T&S, and Grimm studies. "Why don't you always work this fast? Did you check any of this?"

"Actually yeah. It turns out if I put my mind to it some of this stuff is actually kind of easy." The knight sheepishly admitted. "What you need to create a firebomb and all that…kind of wish all of it came to me in class." He laughed a little hoping it would take Ruby's mind of his outburst. Instead she was looking at him with worry. How does she do that? Only total blindness would have blocked the fact she seemed more concerned about him. Could she have detected the sadness in his voice?

Apparently she did as she pushed the papers aside to give the blond her undivided attention and to make sure she had his. "Jaune seriously. What's bothering you? No's seen you since the match and here I find you, in one of the highest towers around and with an open window." Briefly her eyes flashed to the window then back at Jaune. "How did you get up here anyway?"

The blond shrugged, "The locks on this towers are kind of old and a little rusty. Breaking into them is easy once you know the right methods. It also helps if the doors are left unlocked. I just needed some place to think and be alone. Usually no comes around any of these towers so I thought it might be a good place."

Relaxing the redhead reclined in her sit. An uneasy silence fell over the two teenagers, one neither was quite sure how to break. That was until Ruby decided to start things off with an innocent remark, "You make good paper airplanes."

"Thanks." He said looking out the window. "Now if I could fight as well as I could do that then the world be a brighter place."

I should have known that's what was eating him. The reaper grabbed a handful of the papers that had been pushed aside. "You don't need to fight in order to be a good student Jaune. Look, you've completed almost the homework we had for the week so you're free the whole weekend." Once Ruby had his attention a smile finally appeared on her face.

Even if it was a sad one Jaune mirrored her. "You can copy them if you want."

Stars danced in Ruby's eyes before they were extinguished by the light of reason. "I think it'd be better if you explained it to me. Ya' know, in case we're tested on it or something."

The smile grew wider as Jaune began his miniature lesson with Ruby as his sol student. She listened intently to him and it made him forget about the despair he'd been knee deep in only moments ago. Inside the tower their private class went on in undisrupted bliss. Amid the laughter, joking, and teaching Jaune began to realize he was happy Ruby had been the one to track him down. She always had that ability to cheer him up with her childish ways and genuine kindness. As he tutored her he wondered if this was how Pyrrha felt when she tutored him; this feeling of joy and closeness it brought.

Behind her silvery eyes Ruby wondered why she found it easier to listen to Jaune explain things than it was for her to listen in class. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jaune was one of the closest friends she had and when he spoke like he was now you'd think he was a professional. His explanations weren't long-winded or too vague, he slowed down when she asked and explained in depth what was needed. He's a genius, he just doesn't know it yet. As Jaune continued talking Ruby began to suspect her earlier thoughts may have been wrong as he kept casting a quick glance at her face. He was studying her. That confused Ruby a little, why would he do such a thing? He had her full attention.

Closing the history book Jaune leaned back in his seat with a groan. "Did you get all that?" Piping one eye open to see Ruby's nodding head he braced himself.

His actions weren't lost to Ruby. "Why are you doing that? You're acting like I'm going to hit you or something?"

"You're…not going to call me a nerd or anything?"

The way he phrased the questioned left her feeling slightly miffed. "Why would I do that? Thanks to you I'm free the whole weekend!" Once her joy faded she saw the slight shock that manifested on Jaune's face. "Wait a minute, has someone called you a nerd for this?"

His frown told her all she needed to know. Her first impulse was to go out and look for everyone who'd dare call her friend a nerd but Jaune reached across the table and gently took her wrist.

"I'll tell you just promise me you won't do anything about it." He pleaded.

"Okay but if someone hurt you…" She let the thought hang in the air with a pout, one he found rather cute.

By the time Jaune was finished Ruby was beginning to feel much like Nora; fighting off the desire to find a set group of people and either break their legs or give them a very clear demonstration of Crescent Rose's ability to cut. Just like before Jaune noticed the anger building in her eyes and quickly worked to cool it down.

Sadly Ruby wasn't having any of it. "It's not okay Jaune! So who cares if you're not as good a fighter as everyone else you're still a good person! You're one of the nicest, smartest people I've ever met!"

"That's the problem Ruby." Jaune groaned. "We're at a school that trains us to fight monsters and defend the world; a school where everyone is tough enough to take out a room of criminals or thugs. Everyone expect me." The self-pity came back into his voice with resounding force. "Let's do a count of what my skill set: zero fighting ability, zero ability to inspire fear in bad guys or confidence, failure to live up to my family legacy, and I can't even get one girl to look my direction." When Ruby's face barely changed he thought that meant he had to be more descriptive. The good news was they were totally alone so no one would hear what he was going to say next. "Now what I can do: cook, clean, knit," he spoke the word with a borderline sneer that made Ruby cringe. "Do desk work, and if I had to say so I'm a pretty good forger."

"What do you mean forger?" The redhead questioned leaning closer. "You make weapons and armor too?"

"No Ruby," What he was about to say would more than likely kill his friendship with the redhead. Be that as it may, she deserved to know the truth. "Forger as in falsifying documents. I used faked transcripts to get into Beacon. I never graduated combat school, hell, I never went to combat school period!"

Ruby fell back into her seat with a puzzled expression on her face. Suddenly everything about her blond haired friend made so much more sense."Well you had to be in order for forge documents to get into Beacon, I mean I hear nine times out of ten they're usually caught and punished." The young reaper countered not realizing the full impact of her words. "NO!" Now it was Ruby's turn to launch into an apologetic stream; however hers was far more flustered. "I mean it means something you manage to beat the system! You managed to-"

"Make sure I'm going to spend the rest of my life with a sword hanging over my head? Yeah Rubes, totally awesome." Sighing he placed both hands on the window frame and gaze at the horizon. It was a heartbreaking sight. "I just want to be useful! I want to be able to kick ass like you, Pyrrha, Weiss, Ren, and everyone here! I want to make my family proud! I want to have a girlfriend that'll like me for me!" There was a brief pause as Jaune inhaled for what was probably the loudest yell Ruby had ever heard from him. "I JUST WANT TO BE A BADASS!"

…

To say Ruby was baffled would have been an understatement. She had utterly no idea how to respond to Jaune's outburst. She came to this tower expecting to find a depressed Jaune but she wasn't expecting it to be this bad. Her mind ran through a list of things she could say to comfort her friend but all of them seemed like they would do little in mending the damage. How could she have been blinded to the underlying problems the knight had been dealing with for months on end? Looking back at the homework she found the answer she'd been looking for. "…You're a badass to me."

Those words caused Jaune to face Ruby with his mouth agape.

"I mean, yeah you're not the best fighter but you can cook better than anyone else I've met. You're there for your friends when they need you, no matter what. You're in the top ten in tactics and strategy. Just now you just explained a bunch of stuff I never would have gotten unless someone spoon-fed it to me. You're a smart person." One of her trademark smiles graced her face. "Even if you can't fight, the fact that you can do all those things, especially since other guys can't, that makes you a badass in my book."

The blush on Jaune's face made Ruby's giggle fill the room. The redness in his cheeks continued to grow even as he looked away scratching his head and muttering a thank you. Somehow hearing Ruby saw those words had evaporated everything that been eating at him. How was that? Was it the fact that she was a prodigy and had acknowledged him? Had her acknowledgement done so much? Whatever reason behind it Jaune felt like grabbing the redhead and giving her the biggest hug possible.

"So um," her voice had gone from confident to shy. "If you're free tonight then I was kind of wondering if you could help me with something."

"What is it?"

"Well you see Blake's birthday is next week and I wanted to go out and get something for her in advance. After seeing how good a cook you are I was also wondering if you could help me bake her a cake."

"You want me…bake a cake for Blake?" Thank God Yang isn't here. That sounded horrible enough coming out of my mouth. "I-I can do it but I'd need the right ingredients first." The knight paused putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Come to think of it I actually need some ingredients to keep making breakfast."

"Great!" She jumped out of her seat and gathering all their papers and school books. "Then we can catch an airship into town, go to the store, and be back before ten!" Half a second later she was out the door.

"O-Okay just me go to my room to get a bag to carry everything." Jaune didn't realize he was talking to himself until he heard the door slam shut. As he began making his way down the stairs a question wormed into his head, Did I just say yes to a date?

The moment the duo got off the airship Jaune made a beeline for the nearest bathroom to hurl. Ruby didn't hold it against him knowing how much he hated the mundane weakness. He came out declaring one day he'd conquer it and they set out on their way.

With the earthquake a little over one month ago it was clear Vale City was almost completely back on its feet. People were walking the streets, businesses were bustling, and life had begun marching on. As they walked they noticed some of the older structures had been torn down in favor of new, more high-end businesses. Some of the little shops they used to pass were no longer there, some even had for sale signs showing that the owners were still waiting for new businesses to buy the building.

Ruby found it saddening to see some of the little shops were gone and some of the buildings were now empty. "Why do you think some of these people had to move out?"

"A whole number of reasons probably," Jaune answered. "It's possible some of these people had lost too much to stay in business, the business couldn't be salvaged, or some just thought it would be best to move to a new location. Notice how we're seeing more brand-name stores."

The two continued talking about the changes that had been made including what they liked and didn't like. One thing they could agree on was the strangeness on looking up and seeing skyscrapers dominating the northern end of town. They loomed over everything else below them like trees in a multi-colored grassland. When Ruby mentioned how in the following week she'd be in one of those buildings courtesy of Weiss Jaune had a brief moment of depression.

"Could I ask ya to bring me some super rare experimental Dust samples back?" He joked.

"I'll see if I can sneak any out." She answered with a wink.

They stopped at a bus stop realizing it would save time if they had a ride to get around town; not to mention some parts of the district had no doubt changed with all the reconstruction. Jaune grabbed a map of the current layout to make sure he and Ruby didn't end up getting off at the wrong stop while Ruby put her headphones on.

"Do you have a metro card on you?" Jaune asked as he saw the bus approaching.

"No I don't. Usually because I'm fine with walking everywhere." Ruby answered reaching into her pocket to get her money.

As both suspected the bus was half full when it stopped in front of them. The redhead and blond ended up taking their seats near the back. They were the only teenagers amidst a growing bus full of middle-aged men and women, elderly, and parents with children. While Ruby tuned out the world with her music Jaune became ever more aware of how some of the occupants were looking at them. They were the only teenagers on board and Ruby was sitting awful close enough to him to give people ideas. He'd ditched his trademark armor for a dark blue windbreaker with yellow outlines. Ruby still had her cape but in addition to it she'd found an old coat in her closest and just thrown that on top of her normal outfit. Couple with the bag Jaune kept folded in his lap and the way he kept glancing at Ruby's small smile it wouldn't be wrong to assume they were a young couple on a date.

Lucky for Jaune Ruby was far too innocent and zoned out to notice any of these things or realize it. Throughout the whole ride Jaune couldn't help but think the idea had some appeal to him. More than once he'd had to stop himself from thinking this was a date, because of course it obviously wasn't. Just a shopping trip. Just a shopping trip. Just a shopping trip.

Once their stop came up they rushed out and down the street towards the nearest grocery store. It wasn't Jaune's first trip to the grocery, but it was his first with Ruby Rose at his side. "Okay I'll focus on getting the base ingredients, Ruby, focus on getting some stuff Blake might like." When he got no reply he looked to his left to find Ruby had already left his side. "Or I can go get the basic stuff and you can go stock up on candy. That works too."

Again, he had people looking at him strangely as he moved down the aisles with Ruby occasionally zip by to drop something into their cart. As they went on a fair share of people began to turn their gaze towards Jaune causing the knight's cheeks to heat up considerably. On the bus they looked like a couple; in the store they looked like parent and hyperactive child. Mentally groaning the blond gently tapped Ruby on the shoulder just as she was about to zoom away. "Um Ruby, does Blake like any kind of cake in particular?"

"I don't really know." The redhead decided to stay with Jaune as he continued his trip and down the aisles. "Blake never really eats much in terms of sweets. Usually when I offer her any of my cakes or strawberries she says no." It was true, Ruby could actually count the number of times on her fingers she'd seen Blake eat a cupcake, a slice of cake, or even a piece of pie. Despite the rarity of such an event she couldn't exactly remember what flavor Blake liked. "What are you laughing about?" While she'd been thinking Jaune had broken out into a small fit of snickers.

"Nothing." He lied turning his cheeks. "I'm just trying to imagine you sharing any of your strawberries with anyone."

"Hey!" Ruby started with a cute pout. "I do share my sweets! I just don't do it often."

Their journey took them into the diary section and eventually where the meat and fish were being frozen. "You don't think Blake would ever eat fish-cake would you?" the redhead offered looking over the various fish on display.

"Fish…cake?" The knight asked clearly confused.

"Ya' know fish-flavored cake." The reaper specified.

Both teenagers paused to envision what Ruby was talking about. A moment later they both cringed and after that their faces turned an interesting shade of green. Jaune felt like he was on an airship and Ruby felt like she'd just eaten rotten chocolate.

The two looked at each other and simultaneously looked at each other and spoke, "Let's just get her some sushi."

"Blake isn't allergic to peanuts or chocolate is she?" Jaune asked after they turned away from the fish display.

"No why?"

"Well I have an idea of what kind of cake we can make for her." His voice had gone from soft to slightly commanding surprising Ruby. "It is going to be for Blake right?"

Immediately Ruby straightened up. "Definitely."

"Okay here's the model; milk chocolate, with cream cheese icing, and small cherries around the rim. Sound good?" When he finished Jaune noticed a small puddle of drool forming around Ruby's feet courtesy of her mouthwatering. "Is that a yes?"

"YES!" She shouted surprising everyone in the vicinity. Shocked and embarrassed she dropped her hood over her head to cover her reddening cheeks. She wasn't blind to how everyone had been looking her before but now she'd practically given them a big neon sign to look out. Damn her sweet tooth, damn it and her inability to control it!

A comforting hand fell on her shoulder while another lightly pilled back her hood. Her eyes went from the ground to a pair of sparkling blue eyes and a kind hearted smile. Quickly a blush spread over her cheeks keeping her from meeting Jaune's eyes for the next ten minutes.

She didn't speak again until they were at the cash register at which Jaune took out a platinum colored credit card. Ruby made a mental note to ask him about it later. Once they had paid for everything and Jaune had put everything into the shopping bag he'd brought she lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for earlier."

At first he didn't know how to respond however a smile soon crept onto his face. "Don't mention it." A growl from both their stomachs created a blush on both of their faces. "What do you say before we head back we grab a bite to eat?"

"Sure."

By luck they came across a diner two three blocks from the grocery store. A large silver rectangular box with yellow, orange, and red neon signs lining the roof and corners. A triangular sign read Frosch's Diner in red-orange colored letters bright enough to be seen three blocks away. Inside the building resembled a typical diner a red colored ceiling and orange and red color scheme present in the chairs, booths, and counters. Drink name brands and posters were strewn over the walls alongside portraits of famous singers, athletes and Hunters. By the left end of the diner was an old school jukebox. A little over half the diner was filled with occupants of all k: young, middle age, and old. Very few people were sitting alone; therefore an ever present chatter filled the diner causing Jaune and Ruby to relax somewhat.

They took their seat at a both on the right side and waited patiently for their waiter to get to them.

"Ever eaten at this place?" Jaune asked lightly thumping his fingers on the table.

"Nope, in fact I never knew this place existed. Then again I really don't do diners, I'm more into bakeries."

"You know I get the feeling if you weren't a Huntress you'd probably be owning a bakery in some quiet part of town." Jaune said with a smile.

"That would be great…if I knew enough about cooking." Ruby laughed. "Maybe if I had someone like you working with me then why not."

It was probably their laughter that gave their waitress the idea to suggest the couples special when she came around with their menus. She was maybe in her mid-twenties with cherry red hair and bright green eyes. "Might I suggest the spaghetti?" She jokingly asked just to the reactions on their faces. "I'm Chloe by the way and I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders."

The two teenagers practically buried their noses in the menus to hide the redness in their respective cheeks. Their eyes scanned every corner of the menu in an attempt to keep from looking up and seeing the other's cherry colored face. Once more they'd found themselves in that familiar awkward silence. This time though it was in public with countless eyes to observe them.

When Chloe came back still wearing that sly grin on her face she asked, "Do you guys need more time?"

"No," Ruby said putting her menu down, at last having regained her composure. "I'll have a large hotdog, ketch-up, mayo, and cheddar cheese with cheese fries and a strawberry shake."

Jaune stared at Ruby with wide eyes for a second before Chloe's green eyes zipped to him.

"Double cheese burger with cheddar cheese, barbeque sauce, lettuce, and pickles with a side of onion rings, and a medium Sprite." He answered sitting his menu down.

With a wink Chloe left them alone promising their food would be ready in a few minutes.

"So…did you hear about the Lockjaw that's been running around in the sewers?" Ruby innocently asked trying to start up a conversation.

"Hear about it? The minute I saw it on the news I knew that was the same one that nearly turned me and Ren into meat chops in the CCT." Jaune groveled. "I wish I'd been able to kill that thing when I had the chance. It's already killed eight people and they still haven't caught it."

"Someone will eventually get it." Ruby shrugged. "I'm more surprised it's still around given all the repairs that have been done."

"It's not impossible to imagine." Jaune said crossing his arms and leaning back. "The moment I saw that thing I guessed it had to been a few years old, maybe eight or almost ten judging by the scars it had on its noise. When Nora showed it realized the situation had turned against it and retreated. From there odds are it decided to stay in the sewers and gorge itself on corpses, trash, and whoever was dumb enough to wonder around in there." His face screwed up as a shutter ran up his spine. "Like that Chandler guy."

Ruby herself bristled as she recalled the memory of seeing the Lockjaw's eighth victim show up on the news. Like the others his body had been mangled and half eaten. "The next time you see it you're going to kill it right."

"That's what I'd like to do but…" he hung his head low. "Let's face it me against a giant crocodile; I'll be the guy that either gets eaten alive or need to have his butt saved from getting eaten."

"Don't be so down! All you have to do is get on top of it and then cruch!" She made a stabbing motion with her knife he couldn't help but find both laughable and cute. "I'll be there to help you if it comes to that. I'll distract it and you go in for the kill."

Jaune gave her a hopeful smile. "Promise?"

"Promise." Ruby cheerfully answered.

Chloe arrived not a minute later with their food in hand. "Enjoy your date." She laughed walking away to another customer.

Jaune and Ruby let the comment slide by in favor of digging into their meal. Neither of them had eaten since they left Beacon just over three hours ago and they were starving. Half way through their meal their conversation turned to a more serious direction.

Jaune looked down at his half-eaten burger then at his redheaded companion. "Ruby…is it okay?"

"Is what okay?" she questioned with those silver eyes Jaune had come to enjoy looking at. "Oh." She whispered realizing what he was getting at. "What you told me doesn't change anything."

"But I lied to you, lied to everyone." Jaune countered balling his fist.

"Jaune," Ruby began grabbing his attention again with the sudden seriousness in her voice. "Do you remember how I got into Beacon?"

"Yeah, you stopped a robbery, Professor Goodwitch was there with you, and Headmaster Ozpin decided to enroll you." He answered in a manner that seemed to asking her to get to the point.

"The point is I never graduated combat school either."

Jaune appreciated Ruby's attempt to cheer him up but her statement had several holes in it. Holes he quickly pointed out, "Ruby's there's a difference between skipping grade levels because of skill and skipping combat school altogether." He took a sip from his soda then looked out the window at the night lights. "Besides even if I had gone to Signal I never would have passed anyway."

"Even though you're passing now?" The little reaper countered having grown tired of hearing Jaune tear himself down. One day she was going to have to ask him where his depleted sense of self-worth came from. "If you keep going the way you are you could graduate near the top of the class. Now compare that to how you would have done at Signal."

And by some divine power she'd done it again. Jaune could count the number of times he'd fallen into a depression only to have it be cured by this silvery eyed reaper and her boundless sense of optimism. He showed his gratitude through a smile. In return Ruby shot him the peace sign then went back to eating. The rest of their diner didn't stray one bit from the blissful serenity they were in until they'd both finished.

Chloe returned to their table wearing an eerie smile on her face that reminded the teenagers a little too much of Yang. "So I take it you enjoyed your meal."

""Yep!" Ruby smiled.

"Definitely coming back if that's what you're asking." Jaune responded with a smile.

"Great! Now would either of you two like anything for dessert?"

Leaning out of his seat Jaune noticed the various pastries that had been on display. "Yeah, one slice of chocolate cake, to go."

The expressions on the redheads were opposites; Ruby's was shock and Chloe's was approval. With another wink she went of towards the counter to place their order.

Once the older woman was gone Ruby looked at Jaune with worry present in her eyes. "Jaune are you sure about this? Did you check the pricing and how much money you have?" Throughout this whole night out Ruby hadn't spent one cent of her own money expect for the bus ride. "I don't want to blow all your money on me."

The concern in her voice was met with a small chuckle. "It's not a problem. Trust me I made sure to bring enough money with me so we would could eat out."

"And there you go, you're prepared." Ruby laughed.

After picking up her piece of cake and paying the bill Jaune and Ruby caught the bus to the airship harbor. Just before stepping on Jaune braced himself for the ride back. It helped a little as he only had to run to the on ship bathroom twice. After the second time he's face simply remained a light shade of green for the rest of the trip.

"Hey Jaune," Ruby started getting his attention. "Thanks for tonight."

Through the whirlpool in his stomach Jaune managed a smile. "No problem. And thank you for making me feel like I…for making me feel like I'm useful."

Placing a light kiss on his cheek Ruby giggled. "You are useful. Your team sees that and I see that. We just gotta work on making everyone else see it too."

Some might have wondered if the blond haired knight had eaten some rotten food or caught some strange disease based on the interesting mix of red and green painting his cheeks. They would have been far from the truth. What was running through Jaune's mind and beating down his motion sickness was something more comparable to a cool glass of water; pure and refreshing. What was running through him was the relief that came with liberation and the happiness he felt from being accepted.

Was that a date? It definitely felt like a date. Do you guys think it was a date? Did I have enough fluff in this chapter? Let me know in the reviews. I will say this; this chapter was fun to write, mostly because it was about my favorite pairing. In the future I'll be doing more little quiet chapters like this for Arc Rose and other pairings. Until next time!