A loud whacking sound echoes through the gym; the sounds of shoes squeaking on the floor were obnoxious to the fauna, with her more sensitive hearing. Regardless, she didn't let that stop her. Ruby seemed even more focused, as if she was angry about something and letting off steam. The tennis ball flew through the air at incredible speeds. Blake and the small red leader were neck to neck, not giving the other breathing room. Blake had to keep focused or else she'd be demolished. A thought crossed her mind to ask what was wrong, but she was worried even doing that would give their leader enough time to smack her in the face.
"Hey sis! Blake!"
Blake turned around to wave, and quickly realized the sin she committed, the ball went right past her head. Before the golden haired woman knew it, the ball hit her forehead, making her swear in pain. Ruby and Blake both flinched before walking over to her to check if she was alright. There was a light bruise but nothing extraordinarily serious. Ruby apologized profusely while Yang insisted that it wasn't a big deal. Blake left with her apparently being "summoned" by Weiss, leaving Ruby by herself.
Still in a sour mood, she grabbed the ball and continued with herself, using the wall as an opponent. Everyone around her noticed her sudden drop in mood. Her team, JNPR, and even a few others she doesn't talk to frequently. She figured she may as well keep up with letting out her frustrations, and went back to tennis, using the wall as a target. She figured if she just focused on one thing to release to her frustration, it could help. She didn't have a super saiyan mode to release her anger, nope, had to do it the old fashioned way.
Every hit she made, every sound that she heard, she focused intently on it; clearing her mind. Nothing existed but her racket, the ball, and the wall. With her speed, she had no trouble keeping up. She eventually attracted a crowd of people, watching the marvel. Her passion proved to overtake her, as before she knew it, she just smashed a hole in the wall. Needless to say, Goodwitch had her taken to her room, asap.
The sun slowly set, and with it he tried to fall asleep. But to no avail. Whenever she could lose consciousness she'd awake not much later. A light snoring came from her sister, while Blake and Weiss were out somewhere else. Suddenly Ruby felt a thump on her head, from Yang throwing a pillow at her.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was. But then my big sister senses went off."
"Oh wow. Really!?"
"Nah. I just wanted to mess with you, but then I remembered you've been down. What's up?"
Yang sat up and had Ruby jumped down and sat next to her.
"Tell me everything rubes."
"It's dumb though…"
Yang grabbed the young girl's cheeks and started squeezing them.
"Tell big sis. Big sis commands you~"
Ruby laughed a little bit, and inhaled, attempting to convey her thoughts. February 12th. Pyrrha was totally gonna be with Jaune, even if he was too stupid to realize how much she liked him. Nora was gonna drag poor Ren, then again he's used to it by now. Yang literally could not care less about Valentine's Day, feeling like she had more important things to worry about than boys. Only Ruby remained, leaving her grumpy and upset. Normally it wouldn't be too big of a deal, but not only were 4 of her friends inevitably pairing off, this year there actually was someone, or someone's she was interested in. First, the heiress Weiss Schnee: As mean as she could be, she was beautiful, and under that harsh exterior was someone who was amazing, generous, and a golden hearted girl. But Ruby was too childish and stupid for her.
Then there was Blake. She's so much bigger than her, whenever the Fauna looks at her, she feels as if a goddess is staring at her. Her voice was so calm and soothing, and she was always there for people. She's so strong, so brave, what isn't there to love about Blake. When she puts her mind to something, she'll do it. That determination was always... attractive to her. But Ruby isn't good enough for her either.
Even if she had a chance, she wouldn't be able to decide which one to go with. It's a rather mundane issue for someone who risks her life against monsters and terrorists on a regular basis, but it still bothered her. But it's not just that that's making her so, upset and frustrated. There have been rumors that Blake and Weiss are in relationships with Sun and Neptune respectively. So she could be very well wasting her time.
"Oh gosh, my baby sis is in love!"
"Myehh~" She groaned.
"Well, do they know you're a lesbian?"
Ruby shook her head. In reality, they could both not even be attracted to women, it really felt the odds were stacked against her. She sighed and lied her back on Yang's bed and covered her face.
"I'll wing woman for you then!"
"N-no Yang!" Ruby sat back up blushing and shaking her head. As if on cue, Weiss walked back into the room having gotten back from getting a drink.
"Hey Weiss! What's your opinion of butts?"
"..."
Ruby covered her eyes frustrated and flustered as Yang stared at Weiss.
"Answer the qu-"
"Good night."
Weiss not even giving another glance at the sisters went straight to sleep, and Yang grinned.
"Nailed it"
After screaming into a pillow, Ruby got up on her bunk and joined Weiss in sleep.
February 13th. Team RWBY just returning from class, decided to enjoy lunch together with JNPR.
"*slurp* so then I removed his head, and threw it at this other one! Haha it was great!"
"Nora." Jaune sighed. "We… we don't need to be reminded of that."
"It was rather messy…" Pyrrha agreed.
"Yeah, there was red all over the room." Ren looked as if he'd seen some rather disturbing things. "Next time we cook gingerbread men and hands off the gumdrops, or… anything really."
"The horror… the horror" Their leader put his head on the table.
"Those poor snacks!" Ruby started crying overdramatically. "Waiting to be eaten, but wasted!"
Weiss rolled her eyes at her leaders escapades, but was glad to see her a bit less gloomy. She still pondered why Yang asked such an unorthodox question. Why would you ever ask someone that? Then again it was far from the first time she had done questionable things. Taking another look at Ruby, she still seemed tired. It's actually more likely that she was forcing her enthusiasm, as to not worry people.
"Idiot"
Always thinking about others, never herself.
"I'm going to head to the bathroom, does anyone want anything?"
"How oddly charitable of you Weiss" Yang laughed, prompting the summoner to retract her statement as she left.
"Soooo Blake."
"Yes Yang?"
The blonde's face twisted into a look of mischievousness, prompting an eyebrow raise from the faunus.
"Any plans for tomorrow?"
Blake shrugged "Nothing in particular. Valentine's has… never been the happiest day for me."
"Why's that?"
"Does it make a difference?" The tone of her voice came off as half irritated and half sad. Suddenly the mood dropped really quickly, and Ruby stared at her plate not wanting to make eye contact. Nora quickly tried to change the subject.
"Soo that grimm today! Anyone see me crack its neck! Like bam! Crack! Spladoosh!"
"...Is this a bad time?" Neptune held his neck in slight fear almost missing Weiss returning. He called for her and she gave him a surprisingly genuine smile. Not something any of them saw a lot. Jaune looked a little disappointed but kept watching the blue haired man's technique.
"What are you lovely ladies, doing tomorrow?"
"I-" Weiss was cut off by Yang coughing, rather overdramatically.
"You okay Yang?" Ren looked at her worried.
"Oh yeah, fine; just, got something stuck in my throat."
"Anywa-"
"What are you doing Neptune? For Valentines i mean."
"Ah turning the tables Ms. Yang. I will be finding a lucky lady to make my own." He takes a glance at Weiss which she notices, prompting a blush.
"I have to use the bathroom."
"Didn't you just go Weiss?" Pyrrha stares at her.
"I don't know what they're putting in this food." She not so subtly played off. "Neptune, do you mind escorting me?"
"Lewd~"
Ignoring Nora's comment, she walks off with Neptune, Ruby not looking up from her tray the entire time.
"O-oh gosh" Yang stood up" "She wasn't kidding. I gotta go too. Be right back!" Yang quickly ran off and Nora pushed her food away not wanting to get "sick" too.
"...so I figured that-"
"Look out below!" Yang tripped over and ended up landing straight on Neptune, Weiss jumping rather quickly out of the way. She gave a slight stomp in frustration, while Neptune looked rather pleased.
"Is there a problem Yang!?"
`"Yeah, my shoes came untied."
"They look fine!"
"I agree." Neptune grinned. The pseudo super saiyan as she dubbed herself put her knee on Neptune's stomach in order to get herself up, making him squeal in pain. She wiped the dirt off of her skirt and looked at Weiss.
"You smell that?"
"Smell…what?"
"I don't know. Something nasty" She slid her hand into her skirt and dropped some of the 'slop' from her food. "Ugh Neptune? What are you playing at boy!?"
"What!? You th-"
"Let's get away from food deodorant boy." She pushed Weiss away quickly, not giving the girl a chance to rebuttal. Apparently watching from a distance, Sun walked up and patted his friend on the back. Before the team returned to class, Ruby gave Yang a rather long hug, with her saying that she can pay her back by letting her be the best woman at the wedding.
As class came to a close, Yang talked to Blake who had seemed somewhat depressed since Ruby brought the date up. Blake insisted that she didn't want to talk about it. Taking a page out of Weiss's book, Yang brought up the promise between them of always talking about their issues.
"I… I'm sorry i really don't want to talk about it."
"Is it about Adam?"
"..." Blake visibly cringed and looked away from her partner. The day was a day Adam would never forget as long as she lived. He'd constantly drop 'hints' about the date that in hindsight weren't very comfortable. 'Don't forget our date sweetheart. There's nothing more important than the two of us. I'll be very sad if you do.' Not to mention how he'd constantly say that they couldn't truly enjoy valentines until humanity was overthrown, and talked about how 'for our happiness you have to play your part.' He'd constantly make sure she felt she wasn't doing enough. Whenever she'd show a hint of hesitation for anything, he'd make things personal and never looked from Blake's point of view.
"Look on the plus side. He's gone now isn't he? You're not with him anymore; what better way to celebrate and spite him than with friends on Valentine's?!"
"I… I suppose. I-I mean if everyone else is okay with it?"
"Yeah exactly! It's gonna be tons of fun!"
"I'll… take your word for it." Blake forced a smile, in truth she didn't really want to argue about it, and Yang does usually have her best interests at heart. So with reservations she decided to… actually she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. Before she could ask, Yang had run off, she sighed, exasperated but with a light smile on her face.
Ruby laid on her side staring at the wall, clearly tired. At least she could potentially fall asleep tonight. Night had come and tomorrow was the day. Blake was the first to speak up, destroying the silence.
"So what's up with Neptune Weiss?"
"Oh, yes I finally got to talk to him." She glared at Yang prompting her to innocently whistle.
"What did he want?" Ruby sat up.
"Nothing that important, he was just asking me about Valentine's."
"Shit." Yang swore mentally. She was so focused on Blake she forgot to keep tabs on Weiss. The heiress continued her answer
"He wanted to know if they were selling roses on campus."
"...Is that all?" Yang widened her eyes.
"Yes."
"Oh."
"Oh."
"Oh."
"...Why are you all so shocked?" Weiss moved back on her bed slightly. "He's kinda flirts with any woman that moves."
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. Ruby jumped from her bunk and sat next to Weiss.
"Neptune is… weird Weiss. I mean, there are better people out there for you ya know? So no worries!"
"I was still hopeful though."
"There's nothing wrong with that. None of us are really gonna do anything tomorrow anyway." Blake reassured her.
"Yang" The lady in white looked at the older girl. "Was that what you were trying to do? Stop me from getting hurt?"
"Uh huh, yeah!" She lied. "Killed two birds with one stone" She muttered.
"I appreciate that. Thank you. I'm heading to sleep. Night everyone"
Everyone said goodnight to each other and fell asleep. A few hours later, Ruby woke up again, noticing a certain Faunus wasn't around anymore. Ruby left to go see where he went, wanting to make sure she was okay; especially after what happened earlier. She found her wandering around the center of the campus around the statue. Ruby stood next to her not saying anything, just giving a sort of moral support.
"...I'm sorry."
Ruby looked up at her uncharacteristically silent.
"There's just a lot going on in my head around this time of year. I got mad at you for that and that's not fair at all."
Ruby smiled, a genuine smile this time, and gave Blake a hug. "It's okay! I was never angry; I was just worried I made you mad!"
"No of course not!" Blake hugged her back. "...I could never be angry with you Ruby."
Ruby after enjoying the closeness for a few seconds, let go of her.
"Ruby, listen. I know I'm calling the kettle black but, just 'cause you're our leader doesn't mean you can't feel emotions other than joy. If anything happens, we're all willing to listen."
"...Thank you." The two sat in a comfortable silence before heading back to the room.
February 14th, the day was finally here. Weiss and Blake had left the room. The former was probably still upset over Neptune so… perhaps it'd be best to go with Blake. Besides, Weiss wouldn't want someone as annoying as her. Blake… probably wouldn't either but, maybe she should give it a shot. At least if she says no she'll probably do it gently, unlike the harsh rejection she'd get from Weiss. At least if Jaune was any indication. Putting on her clothes, she left to one of the in school stores to buy a rose for her.
Her task was complete. Now all there was to find was Blake; wherever she may be. She saw her in the cafeteria, and saw her with Weiss. Perhaps she should wait for a bit. If Weiss was there too, she'd be incredibly embarrassed.
"Blake…" Weiss pulled a bouquet from behind her back.
The Cat Faunus' face turned red, and she absentmindedly tugged on her bow flustered.
"I… well. When we first met, I know we were not on the best of terms. The two of us were at each other's throats and our families both hated each other. But we grew close the more we fought together. And I began to trust you more and more. While I admittedly was attracted to Neptune, to some extent… part of me was glad of his lack of interest. So… i wouldn't have to choose between him and you."
Ruby dropped her flower, but couldn't look away from the conversation.
"I don't… I don't care what you are. I don't care what our families say. Not my father, not even my sister." Weiss shocked herself with that comment, not even she was completely aware of how much she cared, even willing to ignore her sister. Blake was simply more important than anyone's opinion of her or her actions.
"W-well don't just stand there! A-are you going to take the flowers or not?"
Blake took them as told and hugged Weiss rather tightly.
"I- I need air…!" She gasped. Blake let her go and looked like she was looking for the right words.
"I… was under the impression you'd never see me the way I saw you. For quite some time I've… secretly been bitter towards Neptune because… you seemed so into him. This… well this is like a dream" she confessed. "The idea that someone like you could feel so strongly about me…" Blake felt tears starting to form in her eyes. "T-thank you. Weiss…" She hugged her again, removing the air from the poor girl's lungs again, but this time she decided to just endure it until she was done. Ruby on the other hand, felt her heart drop.
Despite her insistence, there was a part of her that had hope. And it was misplaced. It was almost as if she'd been betrayed, but those two didn't owe her anything. She walked away in defeat, hoping they'd enjoy their day together. She still went to class, not able to focus for even a second. Blake and Weiss sat next to each other, and went on their own as soon as they were free to. Ruby took a walk around the campus. There were a bunch of people already split up, mocking her. Making fun of her. Just by being there, enjoying themselves, she felt insulted.
She knew it wasn't their fault. But she was too depressed to care. Maybe if she was faster? No, most likely not. It wouldn't change anything. She spent the day mostly by herself, before returning to the gym. On the plus side, the hole she made was repaired. On the bad side. it was probably about to be broken again. She once again, hit the ball against the immovable object, and didn't for a single second miss a step. As if the ball was all that mattered. The ball suddenly stopped mid air, and landed on the floor. She heard heels clicking, belonging once again to Glynda Goodwitch.
"I do not wish to need to repair this again Miss Rose."
"I'm sorry." Ruby walked away, before the supervisor called her back.
"Do you need to talk?"
"...Have you ever wanted anything really badly, and at the last second realize you had no chance."
"Of course. I believe that's a feeling that everyone experiences. Is that what has you so worked up?"
"Yeah… it's… dumb."
"If it's causing a large amount of distress, it can't be that dumb. I know you Miss Rose and you wouldn't react this way to something so petty. I understand if you don't wish to discuss it. But perhaps take some more time to yourself. Clear your mind."
"I'll do that… thank you." Ruby walked away, and headed out to the forest holding with Crescent Rose in tow. She didn't dare go too deep; she didn't have a death wish. But she ended up cutting down a tree in frustration, reminding her of one of her first encounters with Weiss. Alone, she finally allowed herself to cry. She wished she was indifferent or uncaring over simple affairs such as these, but she couldn't help it. She wanted Weiss, and she wanted Blake, but in the end she got neither. She stood up noticing she got her outfit dirty. Not really caring much at the moment though. She sat on the stump looking at the sky. On the plus side it wasn't raining.
She hadn't eaten today, not really in the mood to do so. She tried to, but couldn't. She started getting annoyed with all the bugs crawling on her legs.
"Guess I've been here long enough."
She'd need a shower before the day ended. She felt really unclean. At the room, Yang greeted Ruby, but she didn't give more than a grunt acknowledging her. She didn't seem like she was in the mood to talk. Yang, who saw Blake and Weiss together, felt like she was at fault. She felt she could have done something about it. Everyone has heartbreak from time to time, and Ruby was still young. But it's still not something a guardian ever wants to see. Ruby fell asleep before the duo even managed to get back.
"Do you think she's okay?"
"She was out for a long time. I'm hoping Yang gets back soon at least."
"I'm ashamed… perhaps I should have kept a closer eye on her. I didn't even notice how miserable she was."
"I didn't notice either."
Ruby opened her eyes, seeing the Monochrome two sitting over her. She also noticed she couldn't really move, and her throat was rather sore. Weiss noticed she was awake and checked her temperature again asking if she was okay. When Ruby looked confused, Blake told her she'd been groaning in her sleep, and Yang was the first to realize she was actually sick.
"I guess I did get bitten a lot."
"That was stupid of you to go out by yourself. Even if you didn't get sick you could have gotten hurt by Grimm. This was the best case scenario in fact!" Weiss seemed frustrated.
"Sorry… I wasn't trying to make anyone mad."
"Well… why did you do that? Why have you been so upset these last few days?"
"Because I like both of you and you like each other." Ruby explained it rather quickly and matter of fact. She was just tired and didn't care anymore. She hid her head under her pillow and the remaining two looked at each other, both stammering not really knowing what to say to that.
"That' a pretty good reason." Blake finally said. She put her hand on Ruby's cheek and apologized for never noticing. Weiss looked away apparently feeling guilty too. She took a deep breath and looked at Blake.
"Would… you be mad if i told you… I… I… somewhat feel the same?"
Both of them stared at Weiss and Blake looked down and spoke up.
"No… I'm the same. I mean if we're admitting things."
"W-wait. You're… you both like me?" Ruby started sitting up.
"I… guess so." Weiss looked away flustered. "I… do have a certain amount of… respect for you. And… you are rather pretty."
Ruby hid herself back under her pillow.
"Well. I mean. Ruby if we are all. Y'know. Maybe we should. All enter a relationship together?"
"I… can't say i object… it doesn't seem like either of you have had the best experiences with Valentine's day. So, Ruby. Blake. I will make sure next year's will be perfect. For both of you."
Ruby didn't say anything for once she was speechless, and under her pillow she was still blushing. Later on, Yang re entered the room and saw Ruby asleep on Blake's lap with Weiss laying her head on Blake's shoulder. They both were staring at the young leader, watching her to keep her safe. Yang, hiding a light smile left them by themselves. She'll be fine.
