Disclaimer, I do not own RWBY
AN/ I'm back, and ready to get this show on the road! After this chapter, tournament time! Who's ready to watch the fight between RWBY and ABRN? Cause I've got tricks up my sleeve for the whole arc, and a little bit more suffering. Anyways, on to the chapter!
As she expected, the moment the doors opened, Ruby could feel the stares she was getting from her classmates. Doing her best to try and ignore them, she followed Yang as she piled up her plate with food. With assistance, she was able to make it to their table where team JNPR were already sat.
"And here I thought you would lock yourself in your room for the week." Nora joked.
"Ease up on her Nora, it's not every day you pull off what she just did. Though I am surprised to see you out and about so soon." Ren commented.
"I'm hungry, plus I don't intend on using my team as maids, something I'm sure Weiss would have done in a similar situation." Ruby joked.
"Hey! That's not true!" Weiss defended.
"Sure Weiss, and I'm not blind." Ruby fired back. Seeing people begin to approach the table, Ruby tensed, something that didn't go unnoticed by Pyrrha.
"Hey, Ruby, right? Great job out there today. I was thinking, me, you, a nice little restaurant in Vale?" The first boy asked.
"Get lost lover boy, she's not into you." Yang spat, turning to face the other student.
"I don't believe my friend was talking to you, bimbo. So maybe not dinner, maybe we can go somewhere private and train then?" Another of the boys asked.
"I would rather not." Ruby spoke up meekly. Before anyone could react, the two boys were bent over, Nora yanking on their ears.
"I believe my friend here has just spoken, so I will give you five seconds to scram before your legs are bent forward and your toes are touching your chest." Nora threatened, releasing the two boys who quickly ran off.
"Not even ten minutes and you already have fanboys. I would say that's a new record, but they certainly aren't anything to be proud of." Pyrrha quipped.
"They're lucky Nora got to them first." Yang growled.
"Is everything alright?" Arslan asked, quickly approaching the group.
"Just some new fans is all." Ruby groaned in annoyance. Grabbing a handful of fries, Ruby quickly began feeding her ferocious appetite.
"You fully intend on eating all of that?" Arslan asked, looking over the small mountain of food piled onto the plate.
"Absolutely. Do you have any idea how many calories I burn in a single day?" Ruby asked before picking up a slice of pizza.
"She burns more than I do, and I'm a boxer with a heat-based semblance." Yang chimed in, glaring at any who dared approach the table.
"It's true. Normally I would have cookies piled high as well, but SOMEONE is determined that they need to prevent me from developing diabetes." Ruby spoke, turning towards Weiss. Looking between the others at the table confused, Arslan waited for an explanation.
"Watching those two fight over sweets is like watching strong winds try to push a mountain, fail to do so but still end up with what it wanted." Blake explained.
"Except today the gale force winds are tired and don't feel like fighting." Ruby grumbled as she finished her third slice of pizza.
"So, other than eating and avoiding a majority of the student body, what did you have planned for the rest of the day?" Arslan asked.
"You just listed off my plans for until the festival. And with only a week of class left for us, I think I can manage two weeks of avoiding everyone." Ruby stated.
"While I want to agree with you and let you hide in the room, I refuse to actually allow you to hide from everyone for the next two weeks. Stay with Weiss or Pyrrha if you need to, they're used to that kind of attention, but you have to realize, it's only going to get worse from here on out." Yang spoke with no room for argument.
"Fine." Ruby pouted as she finished her plate.
"You really ate all of that." Arslan said in disbelief.
"Duh, I said I would. Since I can't hide in my room, want to go out somewhere?" Ruby asked, turning towards Arslan.
"Sure, mind if I steal your leader for a bit?" Arslan asked, waiting for the reapers team to respond.
"Just keep an eye on her, she'll get into trouble if you let her." Yang said dismissively.
"I'm not the one who wrecked a night club they shouldn't have been in Yang." Ruby fired back.
"Touché, now go on, we're all still eating." Yang shooed as she took a bite from her sandwich. As the leaders left, Weiss looked at Yang confused.
"So, you're just going to let Ruby and Arslan go off on their own?" Weiss asked.
"Sure." Yang responded.
"Yet you were about to rip off someone's head for trying to ask her out, and don't think I didn't notice you glare at Nora earlier." Weiss accused.
"Those two boys clearly wanted more than what Ruby would have wanted, and Nora is Nora. What do you think I am, stupid? I see the signs just as well as you do." Yang responded, giving a knowing look at the heiress.
"Smooth, Yang. What tipped you off?" Weiss asked.
"The dance, mostly. What, did you expect me to go all big sister and try to keep anyone from dating her, or threaten Arslan with extreme bodily harm? I try to keep her from hurting herself on things she can't see, not try to spare her feelings from a bad breakup." Yang stated.
"Could have fooled us. So, how long until they actually start dating?" Nora asked, diving into the conversation.
"Ten lien says next week before the festival starts." Jaune wagered, slapping a card on the table.
"Agreed." Ren said as he tossed another card on the table.
"I say during the tournament." Blake added, another card on the table.
"I'm with Blake on this one." Pyrrha piped in, pulling a card from her wallet.
"Same!" Nora jubilantly spoke up, another card added to the pile.
"Please, I know my sister better than anyone, after the tournament, before the transfers leave." Yang said confidently.
"While I don't condone gambling, I want to know who wins. As a neutral party, I will hold onto the bets." Weiss stated as she scooped the cards off the table, separating them into a separate pocket.
*Ruby and Arslan*
As the pair of leaders walked about the campus, Arslan began asking questions.
"So, is what just happened normal? Not the massive grimm part, but working with Atlas?" Arslan asked.
"Very. I'm pretty sure Ironwood is planning a personal ship or something for me so I can get to Atlas faster." Ruby joked.
"I would hope it comes with a pilot. You know, I just realized, we need to come up with a new bet, considering our old one is now void." Arslan suggested.
"You're right, we do. How about this, whoever can progress further in the tournament, gets a favor from the loser, how does that sound?" Ruby asked, turning towards the blonde.
"It's a deal. I already know what I would use it for." Arslan joked.
"Who says you'll win? Need I remind you, I took down a massive grimm wyvern this morning?" Ruby boasted.
"Well for one, my eyes work." Arslan countered, but immediately regretted her words.
"Wow, what a low blow, are you sure you haven't been spending too much time with me? Because that is something I would say." Ruby asked as she slowly descended into a laughing fit.
"You're not mad at me?" Arslan asked, confused.
"Arslan, the only people that offend me with blind jokes are the people who do it to mock me, you're fine." Ruby reassured as she tried to stifle her laughing. As Ruby recovered from her laughing fit, Arslan looked up to see that they had wandered to on of the secluded edges of the campus.
"Looks like we wandered away from the main campus a bit. We should start heading back, it's starting to get dark and I need to get to bed." Arslan spoke up, looking at her scroll to check the time.
"Fine, remember, I want updates if possible." Ruby reminded.
"Of course. Let me walk you back to your dorm." Arslan offered. Following close behind, the pair fell into idle chatter, talking about their respective teams and duties. Despite wanting to continue, Ruby knew Arslan needed her sleep. An idea formed in her head as they walked up the stairs. Standing outside her dorm, Ruby waited for Arslan.
"Well, it was good talking with you. I promise to keep you updated, though I think you stole all the excitement." Arslan joked.
"Maybe. Thanks for walking me back to my room. I enjoyed tonight as well." Ruby thanked. Pushing aside the butterflies she was feeling, Ruby lunged forward, hugging the blonde leader. Stunned, Arslan slowly reciprocated the action.
"Goodnight Arslan, good luck!" Ruby suddenly bolted into the room. Arslan, to her credit, wasn't at all phased.
"And she thinks she's embarrassed." She muttered to herself, her cheeks bearing a slight dusting of red. Walking back to her room, Arslan couldn't help the smile plastered across her face. Inside her own dorm, Ruby tried desperately to calm her racing heart.
"Why did I do that?" She asked out loud as she slumped to the floor, thankful that her team still hadn't returned. As she prepared for the night, her thoughts continually drifted to the other leader. Surely, she had overstepped some kind of boundary, but she had also returned the hug. Confused about what she was feeling, Ruby opted to talk to someone about it tomorrow. Climbing into bed, Ruby passed out quickly, thoughts of the tournament and Arslan filling her dreams.
AN/ Short and sweet. Hopefully. As I said, next chapter starts the tournament and kickstarts my whole plan and justification for the ship, though my justification is something that only works in this little AU I carved out. Anyways, let me know what you think, after this there won't be a whole lot left, maybe five to ten chapters, depends on how well I can manipulate canon and fill with some sweet fluffy goodness. Anyways, until next time, have a great day!