Title of this chapter taken from an episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena. Enjoy!
There's an unfamiliar warmth buzzing in Ruby's chest as she waves goodbye to Jaune and begins to make her way back home. It's been quite a while since she interacted with someone outside of her immediate family, and even longer since she talked to someone who wasn't Yang or her dad or her uncle that wasn't just talking to her as a means to an end—to ask for tutoring or to help fix their weapon or things like that. It's a nice change.
Jaune hadn't seemed annoyed by her rambling about weapons—in fact, he'd seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. He'd asked her questions about herself and made small talk, almost as if he actually did want to know more about her and to spend more time with her.
Like maybe he potentially wanted to be friends with her.
The idea is foreign, and probably just wishful thinking, but Ruby can't quite squash down the hope that rises in her at the thought. It's just too exciting. Is this why her father and Yang and even her uncle are always encouraging her to make friends?
The walk home feels much quicker than the walk into Vale, and Ruby spends most of it lost in thought, pondering the events of the day and what it all could mean. When she arrives home, she greets her father and calls out to Yang—once again receiving no response, but best not to dwell on that—and helps her dad put away the supplies she'd picked up.
"Hey, kiddo," her father greets her with a smile, reaching out to ruffle her hair even as she ducks away. "You're certainly in a good mood all of a sudden. Did you have a good trip?"
"Oh, yeah!" she agrees immediately, nodding fervently. "I think you were right about getting a change of scenery. I think it really helped."
"Glad to hear it!" Her father tucks away the last of the groceries and closes the pantry doors. "Now, if only your sister would give it a try." Her shakes his head. "But never mind that. I appreciate your help, kiddo. Why don't you head on up to your room? I'll give you a call when dinner's ready."
"Are you sure you don't need any help with the food?" Ruby asks innocently, pausing halfway up the stairs. Her father isn't exactly known for his incredible cooking skills.
"I think I can handle making pasta, Rubes." Clearly, Tai sees right through her. "Go relax for a bit."
So Ruby does as she's told, completing her trip up the stairs and crossing over the landing to her room. She's careful not to make a sound as she passes Yang's room, not wanting to disturb her sister. Once upon a time this would be because Yang was taking an afternoon nap and Grimm have no fury like her sister when you accidentally woke her up. But these days, Yang doesn't seem to want anything to do with her no matter what's going on, so Ruby does her best to give her sister her space.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she shuts the door behind her and collapses onto her bed, burying her face in a pillow and sighing loudly. Her scroll is poking her awkwardly in her side, so she tips onto her side with a groan and pulls it out of her pocket. She stares at the screen for a few seconds before pulling up her most recently programmed contact. She's tempted to message Jaune, but she finds herself hesitating. What if she's reading the situation wrong? What if it's too soon to text someone after they've given you their contact information, according to those unwritten social rules that she's alway struggled with? What if—
Her scroll vibrates slightly in her hands to let her know that she's received a message. Fingers shaking slightly, she goes to check it. It's from Jaune.
"Hey, Ruby, I hope that this isn't too awkward since we just saw each other but I just wanted to check and make sure that you made it home safely, and to let you know that Ren really appreciated the new parts and the suggestions you came up with! Thanks for helping me with that, by the way, I'm kind of hopeless at that kind of thing. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully we can hang out again soon? I've got a few friends that would love to meet you! Say hi to your sister for me."
Even with the pang at the mention of her sister, Ruby's heart soars as she reads the message, a wide grin spreading across her face. She quickly types her response. "That sounds great! I'll tell her you said hi. Tell your friend I'm happy to help him with weapon stuff anytime!"
If this is what friendship feels like, Ruby doesn't ever want to let this feeling go.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.
