Love in the Air: The Smell of Steel and Roses
Another glorious Saturday was upon us. My team and I sat in the cafeteria eating and talking with our friends as we do every morning. Ruby and her team were in the line getting food while Nora was going on about another weird and wild dream of hers, with minor assistance from Ren. But I wasn't paying attention. I was having thoughts about my own dreams.
These dreams aren't normal. No matter how hard I try to ignore them, they keep resurfacing in my mind. They always start the same. I wake up alone in a dark void. The only other presence there is that white flame. What's even weirder is that she speaks to me. But just as soon as they begin they end, and I wake up feeling disoriented. Nothing about them makes any sense.
"Ace? Ace! Remnant to Ace!" Matt shouts, annoyed for some reason.
"Huh? Oh sorry. What's up?" I ask shaking my head clear of those annoying thoughts.
"You've been staring at your food for like ten minutes now. It was freaking me out." Matt says.
"Yeah, and you missed the best part of my dream!" Nora pouts.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to ignore you guys." I apologize. Nora was still frowning despite the apology.
"Nora, I'm sure Ace didn't mean to upset you. I suspect he had something else weighing on his mind." Ren says, reasoning with his hyperactive partner.
"Okey-dokey." Nora chirps with a renewed smile.
"Is something troubling you Ace?" Pyrrha asks. "You know you can talk to us if you need to." She says with a smile.
"Thanks Pyrrha, but it's probably nothing to be concerned about." I reply, but at this point I don't know if I'm trying to convince them or myself. I don't want to tell them I'm being afflicted by unusual dreams; lest I wish them to start thinking I'm going insane.
Pyrrha opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted when we hear Ruby approaching with her team.
"Please Yang? Pleasepleasepleaseplease…" She whines to her sister.
"Sorry Ruby, I've got training with Blake later to work on our teamwork. I can't go." The blonde replies simply.
"Aww." Ruby groans. "What about you Weiss?" The red and black clad leader asks her partner.
"I would, but I've got some studying to take care of for our next exam. Something you should also be preparing for." The heiress says flatly, but without her frigid edge.
"Ugh! I was going to study after!" Ruby practically screams. "I can't believe my own team is abandoning me!"
"Don't be so dramatic." Blake says in her usual calm tone.
"What's going on with Ruby?" Jaune asks.
"Ruby wants to go to Vale to pick up some ammo for Crescent Rose." Yang says sitting down with her food.
"Yeah and my team won't come with me." Ruby pouts. "Good thing I know I can count on my other friends." Ruby says smiling, looking at Jaune and his team.
"Well we… Uh… Sorta…" The blonde knight babbles.
"Sorry Ruby, but Nora requested we have a movie day with pancakes today." Pyrrha says apologetically.
"What!? This is unbelievable!" Ruby shouts.
"I'll go." I say earning looks from the others. "I need to pick up some Dust anyway." I have an idea for augmenting my weapons I've been wanting to test. And maybe this trip will help keep my mind off the dreams.
Ruby perks up, semblancing over and side hugging me.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!" She shouts rapidly. Her sudden contact makes me blush slightly.
"You guys wanna come?" I ask my team.
"Nah. Me, Dez, and Zweii are going to play that new shooter my mom sent over." Matt says.
"Alright. You guys have fun with that. You ready to go Ruby?"
"Yep! Let's go!" She cheers. I smile at her excitement.
"Lead the way."
We board the airship and take our seats. Shortly after, the airship ascends and we depart for Vale City.
"So, what's new with you and your team?" I ask Ruby, making conversation.
"Well, I'm training really hard to improve my skills and I study a lot more with Weiss to become a much better leader, just like I promised." She says smiling.
"That's good. How is Weiss by the way?"
"She's a lot more open then when we first met. She can still be a bit cold sometimes but she's trying really hard to be a good friend. She told me she has a talk with you not to long ago, and that you helped her figure out a few things."
"Oh did she now?" I say smiling.
"Yep. She was really upset that day and you helped her blow off some steam. I was surprised you got her to talk to you. Whatever you told her really helped change her."
"You know I couldn't have done it without you." I tell her.
"Me? But I didn't do anything. I couldn't do anything." She says frowning.
"That's not true in the slightest. You did the most important thing without even knowing it. You kept trying to get to know her and be her friend and treat her like any other normal person, and in doing so you slowly chipped away at her icy heart. You showed her more patience and compassion than anyone else ever could. In the end it was your words, not mine, that allowed me to break through to the friendly Weiss you saw deep inside. You are her very best friend Ruby. So never believe that you never did her any favors."
"I really did that much?" She asks, a bit taken aback from what I told her.
"Absolutely. Ask Weiss yourself when we get back."
"Alright." She says with returned smile. "So how about you? How are things going for you and your team?" She asks returning my question.
"Pretty good actually. We won that match against JNPR so that's something."
She laughs remembering the match from a couple days ago.
"You fought Pyrrha with the flag! That was so cool, and she was so surprised!" She says excitedly.
"Well she wanted the flag, so I gave it to her." I joke making us both laugh.
The airship begins to descend at the Vale City landing pad. We step off the airship and begin walking with Ruby continuing to lead the way. As we walked I could see people staring at us. More specifically me. Some pointed and a few shot nasty looks, others I could hear whispering. I've received this treatment before. I look forward and ignore the crowds.
"So, know any good Dust shops around here?" I ask.
"I think I know a pretty good one." She beams proudly.
"So what kind of sniper rounds do you buy for Crescent Rose?"
"I don't really buy ammo; I buy casings and powders to make them myself." She replies.
"Wow. A do it yourself job. That's how you know they're good."
"Only the best for my sweetheart!" Ruby says pulling out her folded Sniper-Scythe and cuddling it. She really does love weapons.
We walk up to a small shop with From Dust Till Dawn displayed in the window as its title.
"This is the shop I was in when Torchwick attacked with his henchmen." Ruby says.
"And where Goodwitch showed up and scolded you." I add.
"Hey! How'd you know that?"
"Yang." I answer simply.
"Big mouth." Ruby pouts.
'Dust, even when she pouts she's adorable… Wait, what did I just think?' I shake my head to dispel the thought.
We walk in the shop and find a balding man behind the counter. He smiles when he sees Ruby walk up.
"Ruby! It's so good to see you again. How are things going at Beacon?" He asks.
"Great! I'm team leader and I have a lot of cool new friends. Speaking of which, this is Ace." She says motioning to me.
"Hello." I greet politely.
"Ah, well any friend of Ruby's is most welcome here. What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here again?" He asks.
"I need some casings and powder for Crescent Rose. I kinda ran out." She answers.
"Lucky you I just got a fresh shipment. Unfortunately, due to all the recent attacks on Dust shops we've been forced to raise our prices. I hate to make you pay more, especially after what you did for me." He sighs.
"I understand. How much do I owe you?" Ruby asks.
"It will be fifteen lien." He says as he pulls out Ruby's usual supplies.
"Wow. That's five lien more than usual." Ruby says pulling out her money and handing it to him. "Here you go."
"Do you also need something?" He asks me.
"Yes actually. Two crystals, Shock, cut."
"That will be twenty lien please." He says as he picks out the Dust from the display case.
"Sure, here." I say producing two tens.
"Will that be all?" The man asks putting our items in bags.
"Yep. Thank you." Ruby chirps.
"You're welcome. Come back any time you two." He says waving as we leave the shop.
We don't make it far from the shop when we are stopped by a random guy. A teenager outfitted in civilian clothes. Definitely not a Grimm slayer, though he was quite bulked up with muscle.
"Hey there cutie." He says in a cocky tone to Ruby. "Why don't you come hang out with me? I could show you a fun time." He says grinning.
"Eww, get away from me." Ruby shrieks.
"You heard the lady. Get out of our way and leave us be." I say.
"You be quite! Stay out of this freak." He spat, his words cutting deep.
"Leave him alone! I said no, now go away you creep!" Ruby shouts angrily.
"Come on let's ditch this loser and have some fun." He says clearly miffed but still wearing that smug grin.
"She said no, now leave." I almost yell.
"I said be QUIET!" He roars, punching me in the side of the head and knocking me to the floor. My check stings a little, since I didn't ready my aura in time. "Freaking monster." He says.
I get back up and dust myself off. "This is your last warning. Leave or we will get the cops to make you leave." I practically growl. This guy was testing my patience.
"You just don't know when to SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" He yells pulling back for another punch. Before his fist reaches half way to me I cloak myself briefly, confusing him, and reappear at his side grabbing his arm and bending it behind his back. I plant my foot on the back of his torso and push him down into a very uncomfortable kneeling position. He struggles to break free but I keep my hold on him.
"Argh, let me go!" He groans. I ignore his request.
"Now, you said some hurtful things a while ago that I'm willing to forget, and if you value your arm you will do what I say." I command.
"Screw you." He mutters. I respond by pushing down with my foot, making him even more uncomfortable. "Okay, Okay fine."
"Good, now you apologize to this young girl for wasting her time with your atrocious behavior."
"Sorry." He mumbles. I twist his arm a little more.
"Louder and like you mean it." I order.
"I'm very sorry for acting that way to you. I won't ever do it again I promise. Please let me go." He begs. I let his arm go and kick him forward. He gets up with fear in his eyes.
"Thank you very much." I say dryly. "For the record, I've been called far worse by people far more threatening then you. Now get lost."
He runs off holding his sore arm without looking back once.
"Ace, are you okay?" Ruby asks touching my check. The feel of her small, soft fingers brushes against my skin. If my face wasn't already warm from the punch it was definitely blazing now. Why am I feeling this way?
"I'm fine. Yang and Matt punch way harder even with my aura active. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." I say turning my head away.
"Are you kidding? That guy was asking for it! You let him off easy." She says smiling.
"Thanks, but still…" I say frowning.
"He called you those horrible things! And you only did it to keep him away from me. Don't worry about it."
A slight silence falls between us. Ruby tries to speak when she is interrupted by the growling of her own stomach. She blushes slightly. "Heh, sorry. Guess I'm a little hungry."
"Well then how about we get something to eat?" I suggest. "I didn't really touch my breakfast this morning. I think I saw a bakery around here somewhere."
"Ooh! We could get some cookies!" She cheers.
"Sounds like fun." I smile.
We walk around until we find the small bakery I saw earlier. The name The Crumbling Moon was displayed on a wooden sign above the doorway. A bell rings as we open the door, signaling the owner that customers had arrived. An elderly woman, in the process of sweeping the floor, turned to greet us.
"Welcome to my shop. How are you two youngins doing today?" She asked sweetly. A much better reception then most others today.
"Fine Ma'am. We were hoping to purchase some goods here. Got anything sweet?" I ask.
Oh ho ho, I think I have plenty around here that would satisfy your tastes. Have a look around; my grandson will help when you find something you like."
"Thank you." Ruby says.
The store did indeed have some great looking foods. Breads of many kinds were neatly displayed on shelves. There were also small cakes and plenty of cookies. If I know Ruby she's going to want…
"Chocolate chip cookies!" She cheers as she finds a box with at least a dozen perfectly baked cookies. "I want these."
Yep. Classic Ruby.
I spot some chocolate chip and banana muffins for sale. I wouldn't mind grabbing a couple of those. I pick out two big ones and we walk to the counter where the woman's grandson was waiting.
"Hi. My names Jorge. Did you find everything satisfactory?" He asks politely.
"Nice to meet you Jorge. Everything looked wonderful. My names Ace and this is Ruby." I greet, introducing ourselves.
"That's nice to hear. We like it when customers appreciate our work. I see you two have weapons. Are you Hunters in training?" He asks.
"You got it. We're from Beacon." Ruby explains.
"Beacon. You two must be very talented to get into there, and very brave to fight those creatures."
"Someone has to do it. We can't all have the luxury of making baked goods for a living." I say with a smile.
"Very true. People like you do us all a great service. Now then, did you find some things you would like?"
"I'll take these." I say putting the muffins on the counter.
"Good choice. That will be four lien please."
I hand him the money and Ruby put's up her box of cookies.
"Cookie lover I see. That will be six lien." He says.
Ruby reaches for her money but tenses for some reason. She frantically checks herself for her cash.
"Oh no. I must have spent it all when I bought my supplies. Sorry but I can't pay for these." She sighs.
"Here, let me pay for those." I say pulling out some extra lien.
"Ace, that's your money." Ruby says shocked. "I can't make you do that. I'll just go put it back."
"But I want to. Just think of it as a thank you for being a great friend." I say handing Jorge the money.
"Aww. Such a gentleman." The elderly woman says. "He's definitely a keeper." She says to Ruby, laughing. "You two make such a cute couple."
"C-Couple?" We stutter. Both our faces turn almost as red as Ruby's cape at the implied suggestion.
"Grandmother!" Jorge scolds. "I'm sorry about that. Grandmother tends to speak without thinking sometimes."
"Let's just eat our food. We can sit at that table." I say to Ruby, pointing out a place to sit.
"Okay." Ruby replies.
"Jorge," His grandmother calls. "You've been working hard. Why don't you take a break?" She suggests.
"Alright Grandmother." He says grabbing a sweet roll to snack on. "Mind if I sit with you two?" He asks us.
"Not at all." I answer
The three of us make ourselves comfortable at the table and begin eating. Ruby quickly inhales four cookies in literally a second. Guess she's fast at everything. I wonder if her Semblance runs on sugar. It would explain how she doesn't get sick from eating so much of it.
I take a bite out of my muffin. I can taste the sweet chocolate mixed with the fruit. They blend wonderfully in my mouth. These have got to be some of the finest baked goods in Vale.
Jorge silently consumes his roll. Ruby has cleaned out all but four of her cookies already. She stops and a look of worry forms on her face.
"Ace? When you were protecting me from that guy, you said that you've been called worse things than what he called you. Was that true?" She asks, concerned about what answer she may receive.
"It's true." I say almost emotionlessly. "That guy wasn't the first and he probably won't be the last." I say before taking another bite from my food.
"I don't mean to be nosey, but what exactly happened?" Jorge asks.
"Some jerk tried hitting on me, and when Ace stepped in to stop him he punched him and called him a monster." Ruby answers.
"That's terrible!" Jorge exclaims. "What would possess someone like him to do such awful things?"
"Like I told Ruby, my armor seems to draw a lot of unfriendly attention."
"Well why not wear something else?" Jorge suggests.
"Because I don't feel that I need to wear something else just to prove I'm not a monster. All of the people whose opinions matter don't have a problem seeing me for who I really am through the armor. Besides it's sentimental to me."
"Maybe but it would probably help avoid being called such nasty things." Jorge says.
"It doesn't matter. I've been degraded long before I donned this armor. Some people are just naturally cruel." I say finishing my first muffin.
"Yeah but-" Ruby starts.
"HELP ME!" We hear someone scream nearby. We all get up and run out the shop. A couple of blocks down we turn into an alley where three guys are ganging up on a small boy bear Fanus.
"Quit yelling! No one is going to help a worthless piece of trash like you." One of the bullies sneers.
"Yeah! You Fanus are nothing but filthy lesser beings that deserve to be exterminated!" A second one adds.
"We're just doing the world a favor by making one less Fanus in this city." The larger one finishes. Probably their leader.
The whole situation reminds me of that fateful day where I was in this boys place. With no one to protect me. Until Matt showed up. I will not allow them to put him in the same position I faced.
"Leave him alone!" I shout drawing the attackers' attention to me.
"And why would we do that?" The leader asks sarcastically.
"Because if you don't, I'll make you stop." I threaten.
"Yeah! You have no right treating him like that!" Ruby yells.
"He's nothing but Fanus trash! We have every right!" The leader shouts. "But if you're ready to take a beating for him then we will gladly include punishing you Fanus lovers too. Get them!" He commands. All three of them charge at us.
Ruby unhooks Crescent Rose and unfolds the massive scythe in front of her. She grabs a nearby trash can with the blade and hurls it at one of the attackers, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him over.
We both run up to the remaining two and engage them in combat. Ruby sped past the other lackey and hit him in the back with the blunt end of her scythe knocking him out.
The leader threw punch after punch at me but he didn't land any of them. I kneel down to avoid a right hook and uppercut him in the jaw sending him to the ground.
Ruby and I walk up to the frightened Fanus boy to see if they had harmed him. We step over the unconscious forms of his would be attackers. Suddenly the leader rises up behind us and yells as he tries to hit us from behind.
With a sudden clang, he drops back down to the ground for good this time. Behind him was Jorge wielding a trash can lid that he used to bash him upside the head.
"Nice work for a baker." I say smiling.
"I'm not completely defenseless." He retorts.
We get down to eye level of the boy, but he flinches.
"Don't worry. They won't bother you anymore. We won't hurt you either." I say trying to calm him down.
"T-Thank You." He manages to get out.
"Hey don't worry about it. What they were doing was wrong. We were happy to help right Ace?" Ruby says smiling. I nod.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Teddy." He answers shyly.
"Well it's nice to meet you Teddy. I'm Ace and this is Ruby and Jorge."
"Hello." Jorge says.
"Where's your parents Teddy. It's dangerous to be in the city alone." I ask.
"My parents are gone." He says starting to tear up. "I'm all alone." He continues sniffing.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. Where do you live?"
"On the street. I've been here for at least six months. I have no home to go to."
"Well that certainly won't do." Jorge says. "Come with me. My Grandmother has a shop close by. We can get you cleaned up a little and get some food in you. You look like you could use some."
"Really?" Teddy asks, rubbing tears out of his eyes.
"Of course. Grandmother won't mind." Jorge says helping Teddy up.
"Here. Take this." I say offering him my last muffin. "Go ahead. I'm not that hungry. It's really good."
He accepts it and takes a small bite out of it. His small furry ears perk up and he smiles a little.
"It is good. Thank you." He says before continuing eating.
We walk back to the bakery and are greeted by Jorge's grandmother.
"There you are." She says relieved. "You three took off in such a hurry." She stops when she notices Teddy. "Oh, whose your cute little friend?" She asks.
"Grandmother, this is Teddy. We found him being attacked by some people in an alley."
"Oh you poor dear. I assume it has something to do with those cute little ears on the top of your head." He nods sadly.
"Well let's get you cleaned up before we get you back to your family." We all cringe when she mentions family.
"Actually, Teddy has no family. He's been living on the streets for almost half a year now." Jorge explains. His grandmother frowns briefly but then smiles.
"Well we can't have that now can we? You are more than welcome to stay here with us."
"Grandmother! Are you sure?" Jorge asks, shocked at the suggestion. Teddy looked equally surprised.
"I'm as sure as the year is long. We have plenty of food and space and I could always use some extra help around the shop. It would be no problem at all." She turns to face Teddy. "So how about it? Would you like to stay here with us?" She asks sweetly.
"I-I would like that." He says, holding back tears of happiness. "Thank you Ma'am."
"Ha ha ha. Call me Grandmother. We're your family now."
He walks up and hugs her tightly. Jorge rubs his hair between his ears smiling.
Both me and Ruby smile as we turn to leave.
"Take care now Teddy." Ruby says happily.
"Do come visit us again sometime." Jorge's grandmother calls.
"We will." Ruby answers before the door closes behind us.
We walk back to the landing pad and get on the next airship to Beacon.
"I'm so glad Teddy gets to live with Jorge and his Grandmother. He'll be much happier now." Ruby says as we take our seats.
"I agree. If only it were so easy to help others like him. But I think we can feel good knowing we helped give him a happy new beginning."
A few minutes later we arrive back at Beacon. We find JNPR walking down the hall talking about the movies they watched.
"I'm just saying Nora. Pacific Grimm has nothing on Grimmzilla." Jaune says calmly.
"But those robots were so cool. And the story was way better!" Nora exclaims.
"I thought they were both good." Pyrrha says calmly. Ren nods in agreement.
"Hey guys. How was movie night?" I ask.
"Great! We had lots of yummy pancakes and the movies were awesome." Nora replies happily.
"Sounds like it." Ruby smiles. She then turns to me. "Thanks for coming with me. It was fun." Ruby says.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." I say as I walk to my dorm room.
I walk in and find the rest of my team still shooting it out.
"Stop camping Matt!" Dez says annoyed as his character takes a bullet to the brain.
"Never!" Matt laughs maniacally before his character was taken out by a well-aimed RPG to the face. He turns and glares at Zweii. "How do you keep doing that!" Matt yells.
"Skill." Zweii replies. The game ends with Zweii in first and Dez and Matt tied for second.
"Hey guys. How was the game?" I ask.
"Great aside from the fact Matt kept camping and Dez kept running around with a sniper and crossbow." Zweii answers.
"You kept blowing us up with explosives." Dez argues.
"Well at least I didn't have to worry about Ace knifing us." Matt scoffs.
"Hush now. Be glad I'm tired from today or I would hop on and stab you in the face." I taunt.
"We were about to turn in for the day anyway." Matt responds.
They turn of the system and we get into our beds.
"Good night everybody." I say turning off the lights.
"Good night." The others say before drifting to sleep.
As I lay in the bed I can't help but think about today, and Ruby. How I blushed at her very touch. How she constantly brought a smile to my face. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I felt strange around her a lot today. I feel my heart beat against my chest. My heart aches at the thoughts of us enjoying the day together. But it's a different kind of ache from what I've felt before. Not sorrow or hurt. Could it be… Love? Have I found feelings for the adorable young huntress? Could I have fallen for Ruby Rose?
I sigh and drift to sleep. I don't dream of the weird light tonight. I dream of me and Ruby. Together.
A/N: ... Yep. I went there. Plenty of easter eggs in this chapter. Wonder if you can find them. Just A note, I actually wasn't going to pair those two together, but as I got more ideas, well it sort of just became a thing. Once again I'm doing a lot of firsts when it comes to writing so romance is the next thing on my list. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did or want to guess the easter eggs, leave a review or shoot me a message. Until next time.