Chapter Twenty Six: Normalcy
I like Ruby more than just as a friend.
Pyrrha had imagined that such a revelation would break the status quo, that everything would change because of it. And yet…
The birds chirped and tweeted without a care during her early morning jog. Nora tried her best to get an inhuman amount of pancakes into her stomach at breakfast. Jaune was nearly late for their first class, evidently trying to spend every last possible second with Velvet. Class began normally – albeit, at the caffeine-fueled pace that only in Doctor Oobleck's class could be considered normal.
It was a day just like the previous day, or the day before that, or the week before that, or the month before that. Normal. Comfortable. Pyrrha tried to keep up with the brisk pace of the lecture, transcribing notes as fast as she could. Class ended, and the next one began – full contact sparring overseen by Professor Goodwitch. Blake and Ren ended up in a long match, which finished in a draw as time ran out. Classes ended for the day, and Pyrrha spent a few hours studying in the library with Ruby before dinner. Then she tutored Jaune for an hour before taking a relaxing shower and going to bed.
The next day was the same: wake-up, breakfast, class, lunch, class, study, dinner, bed. And the next day. And the next. So forth and so on. Perfectly normal.
Except for one small, tiny little thing.
I have a crush on Ruby Rose.
That singular thought changed everything.
Little things started to make sense: that feeling of warmth in her chest whenever she made Ruby smile, the way she always hung onto every word that Ruby said, how she fretted over every little thing that troubled her friend, why she craved Ruby's attention.
In no way, shape or form could Pyrrha deny that she had feelings for her best friend. She had accepted that as simply a fact of the matter. There was no question in it; it felt just like how it did with Jaune. Yet it was precisely that reason that utterly terrified her.
With Jaune, those feelings were the basis of their very dynamic from the moment she laid eyes on him. They shaped how their friendship came to be, and how she saw him from the beginning. The blonde boy had started out as her crush before becoming her partner, her leader… and now her friend.
But with Ruby, it was an entirely different beast; she's my friend, my best friend! She's not someone I just met! These feelings were not the beginning of their dynamic, but now that they started creeping in, they risked changing it entirely, perverting it to something else altogether. That was Pyrrha's biggest fear. I don't know what I'll do if Ruby becomes another Jaune...
The vivid memory of the way her feelings for Jaune had mutated into jealousy and resentment pushed Pyrrha into wanting to smother any fledgling crush she had for Ruby. If I let it blossom into anything, this won't end well.
When she had embraced them with Jaune, they had, in the end, only hurt her. She saw Jaune try and fail to court Weiss, but even as he failed, he never once noticed Pyrrha, even as she tried so hard to express her feelings. Then, when he did give up on her, Jaune asked out Velvet instead! He never noticed how she felt – and for a time she had drifted from her friend.
The difference was, of course, that with Ruby, she had so much more to 'd never be able to go on a trip with her again… or spend a day running around a festival… and above all else, losing Ruby would mean losing her best friend.
I don't want to do this to Ruby.
It was never a question in her mind about what to do. The notion that the friendship she so treasured with Ruby could be brought crashing down because of some dumb, stupid infatuation ended any part of her that even contemplated acting on said feelings.
I don't even think that Ruby likes girls… or even boys, for that matter. Pyrrha couldn't recall a single time when they'd even talked about romance – either because Ruby didn't want to bring up bad memories or she just didn't think about love and relationships, if Pyrrha had to guess. Even if I do have feelings for her, it's not like she'd ever feel the same way about me. We're best friends and nothing… nothing more.
Pyrrha knew she was just making up excuses, but that was all she could do. She had to maintain the air of normalcy, even as her awareness of how she truly felt about her best friend grew. She had to keep their dynamic the same.
As long as I don't do what I did with Jaune, everything will be fine. I just need to be normal and everything will be fine. Pyrrha repeated this mantra to herself to reinforce it.
Everything will be fine as long as nothing changes.
Pyrrha let out a low sigh as she kept trying to read the dry textbook.
Certainly, nothing was changing with Doctor Oobleck's assignments – as informative as they were – were so unrelentingly brutal in their mind-numbing minute detail that Pyrrha felt she was going to fall asleep at any moment.
It was because of this that she usually appreciated doing her work with Ruby, since she always made it so much more interesting. There was a kind of energetic quality about her that made even dull history readings like the one before her bearable, heck, even fun – which was saying something, given the subject matter.
Unfortunately, today was quite the opposite. A combination of a bad night's sleep and the tedium of the reading had resulted in Ruby dozing off, using her textbook as a pillow. Pyrrha didn't have the heart to wake her; Ruby had only stayed awake during class purely off a caffeine-fueled desire to be a good team leader – which, as Weiss had pointed out numerous times, didn't include falling asleep in class.
Another weary sigh escaped Pyrrha's lips as she started reading the next chapter. Being the library, there was always an air of quietness – students talked to others in whispers since the only other socially acceptable noise seemed to be that of the occasional page being turned. It was in this silence that Pyrrha's eyes started to wander for lack of better stimulation.
The tight control that she kept on herself loosened as she glanced occasionally over at her friend – it's not like Ruby is going to notice…
And so, her eyes wandered.
What she was doing felt a bit indulgent, but it felt liberating to not have to act normal with Ruby for a little while. To not have to be painfully aware of how she moved, or where she looked. To just… be.
And so, her thoughts wandered.
Her hair looks soft. Pyrrha felt a muted urge to reach out and touch the red-streaked hair. Ruby had let it grow out far longer than what it'd been when they first met, she idly realized, as it reached all the way down to her shoulders. It looked… more mature. That wasn't the only change; while she wasn't tall by any measure, Ruby had definitely grown taller. In fact, every part of her had matured – she was now the same age as everyone else had been when they had their initiation at Beacon, and it showed.
Pyrrha noticed certain… things.
Such as how her best friend had clearly not missed out on whatever Xiao Long genes that Yang seemed replete with. Ruby certainly did not look like she belonged at Signal now. Pyrrha couldn't help but notice her new figure every time they hugged. Despite the ever-so-slightly diminished difference in height, Ruby's head was still at the unfortunate – some might say fortunate – height of Pyrrha's chest.
These physical changes tormented Pyrrha; it's hard to ignore how I feel when Ruby's face is pressed up against my chest… but it also feels exciting…
Heat rose to Pyrrha's cheeks as her imagination wandered.
Her thoughts lingered on innocent longings; hand-holding, hugs or being able to spend all of her time with Ruby. If only she could let herself get caught staring and have it not cause her any anxiety. If only any blush she had would be just fine and normal.
She continued to let her wistful daydreaming carry her thoughts and her gaze… until Ruby started to stir.
It was only then that Pyrrha realized her hand had wandered towards Ruby, halfway outreached towards her hair. Her arm jerked back as she guiltily quashed her wandering thoughts and went back to normal.
"Bleh…" Ruby shook her head, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep as her eyes wearily cracked open. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Perhaps," Pyrrha answered with a convincing smile, as Ruby let out a long, pained groan. "You looked like you needed it, however."
"Yeah, well…" Silver eyes squinted at the nearest wall clock before widening in horror. "Shoot! If I don't get started on Profes – I mean Doctor Oobleck's reading, I'll be a zombie tomorrow too!" Ruby grumbled as she opened her textbook and started to flip through it.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Pyrrha."
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Why is it called Fort Castle? Why not… Fort Fort?"
Just like that, the norm returned; the comfortable, easy conversation that Ruby gave and Pyrrha loved.
Everything will be fine.
"…and then I smashed it with a hammer, and it exploded into a bazillion chocolate bars!"
Pyrrha nibbled on her salad as Nora recounted her dream for what must have been the thirtieth time this week. Not that Yang or Ruby seemed to care since they looked completely enthralled in the tale.
Simply put, things were normal.
Consequently, Weiss was discussing something or another with Blake – most likely something to do with one of their recent assignments. Ren was sipping tea and making the occasional correction to Nora's tale. Jaune was off with Velvet, opting to eat outside – as they tended to do when the weather permitted it – and away from prying eyes.
I wonder what they are up to…
It didn't take much guesswork to figure that out; the things that couples normally do, like holding hands, talking about mushy things, cuddling, kissing… it must feel nice...
Pyrrha blinked in sudden recognition of the passing thought.
I kissed Ruby, didn't I?
While it wasn't a kiss on the lips, or even with the lips, but kiss is part of an eskimo kiss… Much like before, Pyrrha's imagination started to wander into the realm of fantas-
"So Rubes, how'd you do so well on that pop quiz? Even Weiss had trouble." Yang jabbed a thumb over to the white-haired teen, eliciting a rather undignified noise of objection.
An unintelligible garble of something spewed from Ruby's mouth, as well as some crumbs, as she swallowed the three cookies that she had just crammed in. "Uh, Pyrrha helped me!"
A blonde eyebrow cocked up. "You two sure spend a lot of time together." A rather playful smile stretched the corners of her mouth. "So, when am I invited to the wedding?"
Ruby sputtered and threw a fork at her sister. "Yaaaang!"
"I was just teasing ya! But seriously, you two are pretty inseparable, y'know." Yang shrugged, "Right, Pyrrha?"
The normal response would have been to simply say 'yes', however…
Pyrrha's imagination was still wandering, as the image of Ruby drifted in with a lovely white dress, smiling up at her, silver eyes aglow with joy as the words 'you may kiss the bride' echoed through her head. Ruby's eyes were fluttering shut as Pyrrha leaned down to meet her halfway…
Understandably, the normal response was not the one that came out.
"…"
Pyrrha could feel her face turning a bright shade of red as she stared at her salad, while several of her friends turned to look and see what was wrong.
"Pyrrha…?"
"Y-yes, she's my best friend." Her voice felt small, akin to a kid saying that they didn't just steal from the cookie jar even though their arm is still stuck in it. "Who I-I spend a lot of time with. As a friend."
"As opposed to…?" Blake quietly inquired, her conversation with Weiss having ended in favour of watching how far Pyrrha could stick her foot in her mouth.
"Nothing!" Pyrrha's voice went a few octaves higher than she'd have liked, coming out in a shrill tone before she clamped a hand down on her mouth in horror. She could feel the panic rising, her heart starting to race as all eyes were definitely. She stared down at her now very unappetizing salad.
Just don't say a thing and it will all go away. Just don't say a single word. Everything will be fine. Pyrrha stared intently at her plate for what felt like eons before looking up…
…into lilac eyes that held absolutely no mercy.
Shit.
"So, what was that about my baby sister?" The smugness in Yang's voice was palpable in the air, constricting Pyrrha's breath in her throat. "I didn't quite cat-"
An apple smacked right into the blonde's forehead, cutting her off.
"Yaaaang, you're being mean!" Ruby came to Pyrrha's rescue, a brave knight fending off the dragon – albeit with fruit instead of a sword and shield.
"Ow! Fine! Stop throwing pears at me!" Yang relented as the stream of flying fruit did not stop. "I was just teasing her!"
"Apologize!"
"What, wh-ow! I'm sorry Pyrrha!"
"It's fine, I just spaced out a little…" Pyrrha guiltily admitted, while relief flooded her, driving away the panic and growing fear.
"There! Happy?" The stream of projectiles finally stopped.
"Yes!" Ruby puffed out her chest with pride, clearly happy with rescuing the maiden from the ferocious dragon.
Before whatever other insanity could ensue, the bell signaling the next class period rang. Thank goodness that's over. Pyrrha let out a deep breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in as she repeated what was quickly becoming a mantra to herself.
Everything will be fine.
Emerald eyes darted left and right, trying to track the crimson blur before angling Akoúo at it. She was just in time, too, as a red boot kicked against it. The impact forced Pyrrha backwards, her heels screeching as she skidded.
The red blur came to a halt, rose petals fluttering all around the now still Ruby. Her bottom lip arched upwards into a pout, prompting a small smile to tug at Pyrrha's lips for a brief moment before her friend turned into another blur of rose petals. This time, Milo shifted form into a spear and lashing out, causing Ruby to dart away from it, circling around Pyrrha for an opening to no avail, as metal on metal rang out.
Ruby might have gotten faster, but her reactions haven't improved as much, Pyrrha noted as the two traded blows. Crescent Rose was a whirlwind of black and red as it spun around Ruby. Milo parried every swing before Akoúo slammed into the spiked end opposite the gun. With the momentum that Ruby had been building up, this move threw her off balance. Pyrrha swept at her leg… only for her friend to dash away in a torrent of rose petals.
Pyrrha smiled to herself as she trained her eyes on Ruby. At least I don't have to worry about acting different when we spar. Any feelings of infatuation were pushed away from the forefront of Pyrrha's mind as she dodged Crescent Rose once more. Muscle memory took over as Pyrrha merely acted and reacted. Block, dodge, stab, shoot, parry, repeat, with a few tweaks from her semblance here or there. Incidentally, Pyrrha was increasingly relying on her semblance as Ruby got the occasional hit in on her – I take that back, her reactions have improved.
Yet, as all things do, the match came to an end as a low-kick from Pyrrha brought Ruby landing solidly on her face, with Crescent Rose clattering several feet away. Ruby stretched an arm out before Pyrrha pulled her to her feet. "Would you like to try again?"
"Nu-uh." Ruby shook her head as she collected her cherished weapon. "I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna end up on the ground again… that first round was definitely a fluke…"
"No it wasn't!" Pyrrha vehemently shook her head. "You really did manage to make me fall."
"Yeah, but if you were being serious I wouldn't have even won once… You'd just use your magneto powers on Crescent Rose."
"Well, then you'd just whisk it away from ever hitting the ground with your own powers," Pyrrha countered without missing a beat.
"Yeah! Well!" Pyrrha could see the gears turning in Ruby's head as she continued to pout. "…you'd just, uh, move it farther away!"
"And you'd just run after it while I couldn't keep up?"
"I…" Ruby shrugged, her pout disappearing. "Good point."
"Besides, it's not like you're defenseless - at least, if that kick was anything to go by," Pyrrha added with a smile.
"I guess so…" Ruby returned with a smile of her own. "Fine, let's do a rematch, buuuut!" Ruby dramatically pointed at her. "Winner is whoever gets first strike!"
Pyrrha knew it was a trap, especially given Ruby's semblance, yet saying no would be backing down from a challenge. Ergo, Pyrrha took a few paces back before dropping into a combat stance. "Whenever you're ready."
Ruby slowly walked over to her precious Crescent Rose before picking it up. Her actions were slow and deliberate, and when she finally stood up again, Ruby held her weapon limply to the side. She had to be up to something. Yet Pyrrha found herself more curious than concerned. What does she have up her sleeve? She narrowed her emerald eyes on Ruby, trying to guess what Ruby's first move was going to be… and then she blinked.
When her eyes opened, there were only rose petals.
Instinctively, Pyrrha braced Akoúo against her shoulder as she scanned the room for her opponent. Is she going to come at me from the left? A quick glance in the direction caught none of the rose petals that followed Ruby around. Right? Again, nothing. Above? Only empty air was there.
Unfortunately for Pyrrha, that is to say, fortunately for Ruby, the seasoned fighter never thought to check the simplest approach, the one she assumed that she wouldn't need to worry about. Which is why Ruby collided head first into Pyrrha's chest, knocking the two of them over and – most importantly - giving Ruby the win.
"It wasn't a fluke, hehe, I guess you were right!" Ruby pushed herself up, having landed on top of her friend during the tumble. "So, do you want to do another match?"
However, Ruby's words went in one ear and out the other. Surprisingly, it was only slightly because Ruby had ended up face first on Pyrrha's chest. Rather, it was due to how Ruby had inadvertently pinned her arms down as she rose up. Seeing Ruby looming over her, being all too close in just about every manner, smelling those scents that she had come to associate with Ruby… it all suddenly enveloped her senses. It was for all these reasons and more that Pyrrha went completely stiff as her face turned a bright rosy red.
"Uh… Pyrrha?" To Pyrrha's dawning horror, her involuntary reactions didn't pass by unnoticed. "Your face is turning red…"
"I-it's nothing Ruby," Pyrrha quickly stammered out after taking a few moments to compose herself. "It's rather hot in here, is all."
"Oh. Okay." Ruby seemingly accepted her excuse at face value before clambering off of her and then offering a hand – mirroring what Pyrrha had done earlier. "So… rematch?"
Thoughts flew through Pyrrha's head a mile a minute as she tried to think of some reason, any reason that she could say no. She had to get a moment to herself to breathe and calm her racing heartbeat – even if she would be leaving with a loss.
Accepting the hand, Pyrrha got to her feet. "As much as I… don't want to end on a losing note, I think Jaune wanted to do some extra practice today… sorry."
"Pfft, it's fine! I'll see you later!" The moment Ruby said that, Pyrrha started to make her way out of the training room as fast as possible without looking like she was running away, saying a quick good bye. I'm not running away, I just need a minute. Pyrrha breathed in deeply and let it out.
Everything will be fine.
What is wrong with me?
The further Pyrrha walked away from the training room, the more agitation started to seep into her thoughts.
I'm just getting some fresh air for a moment. I just need to calm down. That was the excuse that she told herself, but even she didn't believe it. No, I'm running away from the problem… I'm avoiding my best friend. I'm avoiding Ruby.
Her lower lip trembled. She had to forcefully bite down on it as the agitation boiled into frustration. Pyrrha was trying her damnedest to be 'normal', but everything she was doing just felt 'wrong'.
Wrong because she couldn't express how she felt. Wrong because the idea of showing how she felt about her best friend scared her to death. Wrong because every action she made felt like a failure to keep herself in control – to stay 'normal'.
Pyrrha hated how wrong it felt to so much as look at the person she cared so much for, how she feared the one-in-a-million chance that Ruby might realize just how she truly felt about her. Or how a single mistake about what she said could lead to the same. Or the mere fact that she wasn't trusting herself around Ruby…
Her frustration burned angrily as the grimace turned into a snarl. Why should I have to hide it? I never did with Jaune and he never noticed! This isn't fair! Why should I have to do it with Ruby?
The anger venting off of her dimmed as she entered her team's quiet dorm room. Because if Ruby ever finds out and it ruins our friendship, you could never forgive yourself.
Hopelessness' grip solidified on Pyrrha, as she let out a defeated sigh. Because I'm too scared that it'll damage what we have. The snarl sagged into a sad frown. Do I have such little faith in my best friend?
It was a question that Pyrrha already knew the answer to.
"Why does it need to change?" The rhetorical question was greeted by silence as Pyrrha let out a sigh. "Why can't everything just stay the same…"
"Everything changes eventually," the silence answered back.
The unexpected comment made Pyrrha's heart nearly jump out of her throat as she pivoted towards the source of the sound. She found Ren sitting at his desk across the room, a book in hand.
"I, uh… I'm sorry?"
"In my experience, everything changes at some point, and nothing can stop that." Ren shrugged. "The only thing you can control is how you react to it."
The concept slowly sunk into Pyrrha.
I can only control how I react to change and not change itself?
That certainly made sense, given that her attempts to stop the change were failing utterly. This, in turn, left Pyrrha with a question.
She looked back up at the magenta eyes coolly regarding her. "What if what I'm doing isn't working?"
"Then try something else. If you don't, you'll only end up hurting yourself."
Something clicked.
The gears were churning in Ruby's head while she changed in the locker room, as something about Pyrrha suddenly made a great deal of sense… the reason why her friend seemed so out of it. Why she felt a sense of déjà vu.
Pyrrha is almost like how I was right after summer break, which means… Silver eyes widened as the natural conclusion came from that.
Does Pyrrha like-like me?!
It was only a possibility – it could just as easily not be true. Yet, if it was true, it answered so much; why Pyrrha had been saying she really hot a lot whenever her face went red, for example. Or started to ramble at the lunch table… Or would freeze up when they were sparring… Or even when she could have sworn that those emerald eyes were lingering on her… Those were all things Ruby had done, heck, still did around her crush.
Hope for the first time flared up inside of her, only to be tempered; what if I'm wrong and I'm just imagining things? What Ruby wanted, no, needed, was a second opinion – someone who she could trust explicitly, someone who would have more experience… someone who had her best interests at heart.
Ruby made a beeline towards the hanging bag that was being pummeled, the person using it noticed her immediately.
"Hey sis, what's up?"
Editor/BETA: ASouthernRussian
Editor/BETA: Gorsouul
AU: I wonder what next chapter will be…
I realized in hindsight that Pyrrha has a somewhat similar response to the realization of the crush as Ruby did... hopefully this was different enough?
Pyrrha's got a bad case of having a crush, eh? :P
I FINALLY FINISHED THE CHAPTER, WOOHOO! I tried to get it for early December, but, well, it wasn't that things weren't working out this time, rather, it was that the scenes of Pyrrha acting dumb around Ruby took a while to figure out, and were written pretty much completely out of order. So yeah. That's a thing.
Real life has also been kicking my butt hard… in some instances. Like lower back problems… oooor my descent into Voltage lesbian visual novel hell… (I REGRET NOTHING!)
…Medusa is kinda like Pyrrha and it was fun, okay?
But on a more serious note, this chapter was less of a complete bitch to write like chapter 23 and 24 and more of just harder due to little things getting in the way. So I'm not completely frustrated to death by it, albeit, I'm sure I could have shown Pyrrha's feelings better and may have done more telling than showing… but if I keep agonizing over it, it'll never get published…
I'd like to take a moment and thank each and everyone of you for the reviews for last chapter (even if I responded to the vast, vast majority last night…)! It's been a long while since I broke thirty reviews for a chapter, and that was the second time I've broken forty for this story… it felt really good… thanks guys and gals :D
It really does mean a lot when I get feedback… makes me feel like I'm not writing in an empty room… also that everyone liked I got Pyrrha to say fuck made my day hehe :P
ANYWHO, the next release of an Acceptance chapter;
So usually I try and make some promise about doing it soon but not this time. The next chapter's concept is… ambition to say the least. It's easily the most technically difficult thing I'll have tried to do yet across any form of writing and there is a significant chance it won't work, and I'll have to go back to the drawing board with it. I'd LIKE to have it done in a month and a half, but that might not realistically happen, so failing that, maybe on the two year anniversary in the middle of March? Maybe? I can only promise it'll come out sometime this year and that's about it…
Finally, to roundout the update, I have three omakes, two short ones and a long one provided by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil as always.
Thank you all for reading and bearing with me, I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful day! :D
Omake I:
"Yeah, but if you were being serious I wouldn't have even won once…" Ruby didn't sound convinced by any stretch of the imagination. "You'd just use your ASS AND TIDDIES powers on Crescent Rose."
Omake II
Before whatever other insanity could ensue, the bell signaling the next class period rang. FUCK ME IN THE ASS WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT. Pyrrha let out a deep breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in as she repeated what was quickly becoming a mantra to herself.
Omake III – Guest Author: Super Saiyan Cyndaquil:
"Five minutes, guys!" Coco called, voice carrying with it her usual touch of impatience. Whether that was directed at the boys who were scrambling to make sure everything was perfectly set-up or just at Father Time - who seemed to be moving ever slower the closer the new year came - Velvet had no idea.
Regardless of what it was, she had to suppress a giggle as she aligned her camera. With an audible click the moment was captured and forever preserved on film, one of the last they would have for the year. The camera then made a soft hiss, releasing the picture out of a slot in the front.
"How did it turn out?" Fox asked. He sat next to her on a malt-colored blanket Coco had spread out on the grass. His sightless eyes looked up at her expertly, having no doubt of where she was or what was going on all around him at the moment. Velvet sat back down, tearing the film from the camera and waving it back and forth. She then turned it upright and took several seconds to admire the instant photograph.
Winter in Vale was cold and usually covered in a healthy layer of snow. This year had been mild, all things considered, and while it had been a White Christmas, the following days saw all the snow melted. The grass was still slightly damp, but the thick blanket kept them from feeling any of the soggy earth.
The moon was shining brightly in the backdrop, illuminating the scenery in her picture magnificently. Just before the edge of the cliffs to the Emerald Forest, Jaune, Ren, and Yatsuhashi scrambled around, the three boys in obvious motion as they worked to set the remaining fireworks and ensure they were all linked together.
This had become somewhat of a tradition for the members of Team CFVY to welcome in the new year with an explosive display of colors and lights; courtesy of their mocha-themed leader. Coco never did anything sparingly and yet the extravagant array of unreleased capsules was excessive, even for her.
That was because they had help this year and so she sought to make it their biggest celebration yet. Fox was by no means, uncoordinated as his skills on the battlefield often proved. Even so, they didn't bother him with setup, and it was Velvet's unspoken duty to capture every moment so the two of them usually sat off to the side while Yatsuhashi and Coco set everything.
Now that Velvet had a boyfriend they were able to enlist two more members to their get-together. Jaune had invited his whole team, but it appeared that Pyrrha and Nora were having a special girl's-night with all the members of RWBY for the holiday. So it was only him and the brother-he-never-had, Ren, who had joined them for the annual event.
Vevlet's rabbit ears twitched merrily, corners of her mouth turning up as she focused in on her boyfriend. The photo caught him in a picture-perfect moment; his arms stuffed to the brim with more fireworks than he could carry and tripping over one of the numerous already placed rockets. His mouth and eyes were gaping wide in peril and she could still hear the astonished yelp only he could make as his body bent at a forty-five degree angle with the earth, several red canisters airborne.
Poor Ren was crouched just in front of the flailing blond, magenta eyes and mouth open in a matching expression to his leader, their faces so similar Velvet actually believed they were brothers. What the picture didn't show was he managed to dive out of the way in the last second, catching several of the fireworks Jaune had tossed, although you wouldn't have thought it possible looking at the still-shot.
Yatsuhashi was running behind Jaune, one hand extended out to catch him and save as many of the fireworks as he could. It was one of the rare pictures Velvet had managed to take where Yatsuhashi's eyes were open wide enough to see his pupils and something more than the stoic expression on his features. It wasn't that he never displayed different emotions, it was just that he seemed to have a knack for doing it when she didn't have her camera.
So it must have been a New Year's miracle that she managed to get one. Jaune being… well, Jaune, helped too.
Coco stood off to the far side of the frame, one hand planted on her hip and the other brought up to her bowed head, pushing up the sunglasses she wore - despite the fact that there was no sun.
"It turned out wonderful." Velvet answered Fox's question.
"Mind if I see?" Jaune asked, suddenly appearing next to her, one arm snaking around her waist and his body pressing up against hers. Velvet leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth of it and passing the picture over to him. "Ah...man. You couldn't have got one of me not making a fool of myself?"
"There was no such moment." Ren sat down next to his leader, eyes silently laughing at him. Velvet had never realized he could be so expressive, but in hindsight wasn't shocked about it either. Most thought the same thing about Yatsuhashi too and only those close to him knew better.
"Asshole." Jaune shoved him, trying to suppress a laugh and ruining any indignation he might have had at his teammates cold but true statement. The blond had pretty much been fumbling around the whole time they were up there and truth be told, had probably slowed things down more than helped.
"It's a miracle we got done in time." Coco stood behind them all, eyes on the watch on her wrist, and Yatsuhashi sat down wordlessly next to Fox. Rummaging through the bag that doubled as her weapon, she pulled out a small remote detonator that would begin the light-show. "Ten seconds to go." She waited for several beats that felt to the rest of them like an infinite span of time. "Five."
"Four." The rest of them chimed in.
"Three." Velvet lifted the camera up and turned it around so the lens was facing herself and Jaune.
"Two." She turned to face her boyfriend and didn't have to say anything, his lips locking with hers.
"One." Coco pressed the button to the detonator the same time Velvet hit the one to her camera. The two devices let out overlapping clicks. Fireworks of all colors raced into the sky, letting out shrill whistles the whole way up.
"Happy New Year!" Everyone cried out, including Jaune and Velvet who pulled away to join in with the chorus.
Boom
Their voices were promptly drowned out by the deafening explosions that shook them all to their core. The night sky lit up in a multitude of blues, reds, greens, yellows, and white, completely erasing any and all darkness. The low thrum of oohs and ahhhs could be heard by the collected student body throughout Beacon in brief intervals between bangs.
Turning her eyes away from the show just for a moment, Velvet shook the latest picture and held it up between herself and Jaune. The still drying film reflected the colors of the fireworks. Jaune held up the other picture she took and they held them side-by-side, admiring the two.
The last picture of the year and the first one of the new year.