Chapter Four: The Hard Problem

Although she was able to eat, Penny didn't have a sense of taste, so she was happy to leave the choice of food up to Ruby. Naturally, they ended up at a place known for its all-day breakfast and its extensive dessert menu.

They sat across from each other, each with a stack of pancakes. Penny noticed, though, that Ruby's almost seemed to have more whipped cream than pancake.

It was fun watching Ruby eat, Penny decided. She devoured her meal, making happy noises as she shoveled the food into her mouth. Penny tried to imitate her enthusiasm, but the attempt just made Ruby laugh so hard that she almost choked.

"Is that really what I look like?" Ruby asked once she had recovered.

"Almost. You also have whipped cream all over your face," Penny said with a giggle.

"Oops!" Ruby grabbed a napkin and wiped at her face. "Did I get it all?"

Penny nodded. "Yep!"

"Oh, okay." Ruby looked disappointed for some reason.

They continued eating in comfortable silence, and Penny's attention wandered to her surroundings. The restaurant was busy, and the air was filled with the sounds of people eating and chatting at every table.

Ruby must've been looking around too, because she suddenly said, "There sure are a lot of people on dates here."

Now that she had brought her attention to it, Penny noticed it too. It seemed like there was a couple at almost every table. "I wonder why."

Ruby fiddled with her scroll for a bit. "Oh, it looks like they're having a promotion today. Couples get 25% off."

Seeing everyone enjoying themselves together reminded Penny of Blake and Yang. Maybe Ruby would be able to help with the questions that she still had. "Ruby? Have you ever been in love?"

"What?" Ruby dropped her scroll but made no move to pick it up. "Um, maybe?" she said, voice cracking. She bit her lip and stared down at her plate, color rising in her cheeks. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't think I understand love. I talked with Blake and Yang about it earlier, but it just confused me."

That got Ruby to look at her. "Why'd you go to those two about it?"

Oops. "Oh, no reason." Penny smiled sweetly and hiccupped.

If Ruby found her answer suspicious, she didn't mention it. Instead, she sighed and said, "I don't really know much about love, either. When I was little, I thought it was like in the fairytales, where there's someone you're destined to meet who will sweep you off your feet so that you can live happily ever after."

"But you don't think so anymore?"

"Sorta. I know it's more complicated than in the stories, but I'd still like to think that there's someone out there for everyone."

Penny decided to try a different line of questioning. "What do you think makes an ideal romantic partner, then?"

Ruby sipped her drink while she thought for a moment. "I don't know. I guess, I'd want someone who supports me. They'd push me to be the best version of myself, and I'd do the same for them. We'd highlight each other's strengths, and work on our weaknesses together."

"But how is that different from a teammate, or a friend?"

Ruby chuckled. "Honestly, it's confusing to me too. But it does feel different. More intense."

Penny was back to where she'd started, no closer to understanding than she was when she'd talked with Blake and Yang. "Do you think it's possible for me to love someone?"

"Yep!" Ruby said without a moment's hesitation. She must've been able to see that Penny was still unsure, because she continued, "You can feel happy, or sad, or scared, right?"

Penny nodded. "Yes, but—"

"Love is just another emotion, so there's no reason you can't experience it too."

"But love is different. I could ask anyone what it's like to be happy, or sad, or scared, and get a clear answer. But everyone I've talked to says something different about love."

Ruby didn't say anything, and Penny thought that maybe Ruby had realized she was right. But then, Ruby took a deep breath and slid out of the booth. She walked over to Penny's side of the table and motioned for her to scoot over. When she sat down next to her, she took Penny's hand in her own and looked her in the eyes. "We're friends, right?"

"Of course!" Penny couldn't believe that Ruby even had to ask.

Ruby, for her part, just nodded. "Then, how do you feel about me?"

That was a tougher question for Penny to answer than she'd like to admit, but she tried her best. "I'm happy when I get to spend time with you. And when we're apart, I'm always looking forward to the next time I see you."

Ruby smiled. "And I feel the same way about you, Penny," she said, squeezing Penny's hand. "But friendship doesn't have to be like that for everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, take Weiss. When we first met… we didn't get along too well." Ruby laughed. "Actually, we didn't get along at all. We worked it out, but even now she gets annoyed if I try making her spend too much time with me."

That didn't seem to line up with what Penny knew about the two of them. "But aren't you friends?"

"We are. Weiss just needs her space, but she lets me know she cares in other ways, like when she makes me coffee, or helps me study."

"So, friendship is different to her?"

"Right! And it's not just her. Blake likes someone she can pass the time with while they each do their own thing, and Yang wants to party and be friends with everyone." Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Actually, it's a little surprising how friendly those two are with each other."

"Indeed," Penny said, somehow managing to keep a straight face while remembering just how "friendly" they'd been earlier.

"Anyways, do you get what I'm saying here?"

"I think so. You're saying that, even though what they feel is different, it still counts as friendship?"

Ruby nodded with a smile on her face. "Exactly! And I think love works the same way."

Just like that, everything clicked for Penny. It was so simple when Ruby said it. Penny had been thrown off when everyone said something different about love, but that was because love itself was different for each of them. And since love could be different for everyone, that meant that maybe Penny…

"Oh!" Penny said when she realized it.

"Yep!" Ruby said. "It still counts as love, even if you feel it in your programming instead of in your heart." She leaned in and wrapped Penny in a tight hug. "Haven't I been telling you from the start that you're just as much a real girl as I am?"

Penny smiled at Ruby's kind words. But her epiphany went a step further than Ruby knew.

After their fight, Penny had told herself that what she felt for Ruby was stronger than friendship, but couldn't be called love. But that had been based on faulty assumptions about love. With her newfound understanding, she realized… why couldn't it be love? The only person she could compare herself to, was herself. And her feelings for Ruby were unlike any other.

Penny leaned back from the hug. "I think I know what love means to me."

"What is it?"

"Love is the feeling I get from someone who truly understands me, maybe even better than I do myself. She makes me feel special, not because I'm synthetic, but because I'm me. I cherish every moment I spend with her, and I want to spend as many more together as I can."

"Wait…" Ruby's eyes were big, and she was staring hard at Penny's face, like she was trying to tell if Penny was being serious or not. "Are you talking about me?"

Penny was suddenly unsure of herself. She automatically began running probability simulations of how Ruby might respond if she told the truth, but she shut them down before she had a chance to analyze the data. She had to trust Ruby. "I am." Penny resisted the urge to look away and met Ruby's gaze head-on. "Is that okay?"

Ruby was hugging her again before she could even blink. "Of course it's okay!" She pulled back slightly, resting her forehead on Penny's. "I feel the same way about you."

For just a moment, everything stopped for Penny. Her processors were entirely devoted to capturing even the tiniest detail about this moment. The pressure of Ruby's forehead against her own. The smell of whipped cream on her breath. The way the light reflected off of and almost seemed to emanate from her silvery eyes. The sound of her words as they left her lips and made their way to Penny's ears.

And then the moment ended, time resumed, and all Penny felt was pure, unadulterated joy. "I've never felt this happy in my life," she whispered.

"Me too." Ruby's breath brushed Penny's face as she spoke, and Penny couldn't help the giggle that came out. Ruby turned red and glanced away for just a second. Then she looked back, resolve in her eyes, and asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Penny could only give a small nod, and then, ever so gently, Ruby's lips were pressing against her own.

Kissing, for Penny, wasn't how Blake had described. It was certainly nice, but there were no fireworks. But as Ruby pulled away, her cheeks flushed and a huge smile on her face, Penny found herself loving that she'd been able to make Ruby look so happy.

That, at least, was addicting.

~ o ~

After their meal, they'd taken their time walking around the city, holding hands and enjoying each other's company. Now, the two of them were on the airship heading back to the academy. Penny was sitting next to Ruby, and Ruby was leaning against her with her head on Penny's shoulder. They were the same as they'd always been, but the air between them was different now, charged in a way that Penny still didn't fully understand.

"What happens now?" Penny asked.

Ruby tilted her head up to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"What happens with us? I've never had a girlfriend before, so I want to make sure that I don't mess anything up."

Ruby's face turned red at the mention of the word "girlfriend". She sat up and gave Penny a shy smile. "It'll be okay. I mean, you're my first girlfriend too. I think we just have to figure it out together."

"Together," Penny said with a smile. "I like that."

"Good." Ruby laid her head back on Penny's shoulder. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

Penny pressed her cheek to Ruby's head. She didn't know what challenges the future might hold, but as long as she had Ruby by her side, she knew she could face them. She loved Ruby, and that was no glitch.