Hunted or Busted: A Side Story
Dusted 25: The Fox and The Hood: A Date to Remember
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KnormalKn33s: Hey guys 2days the day!
Airess11: You always flood this chat with incessant pictures and videos. What thing are you referring to?
Fisticuffs69: Kmon Weiss she's been excited about this 4 a week now!
Airess11: It's Ruby, you need to be much more specific than that.
BookQueenB: Today's her date with Naruto
Airess11: Oh just that?
KnormalKn33s: What'd you mean just that! :[
Airess11: Do we have to hear about your date when we don't even know what number it is?
KnormalKn33s: It's the second date!
BookQueenB: If you spend a year going around the world and then a whole night walking around a festival, winning prizes for each other, kissing romantically under fireworks, and then doing it again, is that just the second?
Airess11: Exactly!
Fisticuffs69: Sorry Sis gotta agree with them
KnormalKn33s: ಠ_ಠ
1010RLZ: Don't worry Ruby, I still think it's cute you're so excited. And I know Naruto has been looking forward to this too
KnormalKn33s: Rel-E?
Airess11: Can you please just type normally?
Fisticuffs69: N0! We r-not middle-aged!
BookQueenB: But you aren't exactly kids anymore
RedEysHavIt: Jumping in here. Please keep it on topic
KnormalKn33s: So I'm nervous about our date tonight and worried something might go wrong
1010RLZ: You can't be worrying like that
RedEysHavIt: As long as you and he have fun I'm sure it'll be right
PumpkinPeteLuv: He's right Ruby. Just have fun and I'm sure you'll love it
AmazonChamp: If it was anything like me and Jaune's second date then I'm sure it'll be wonderful
1010RLZ: If it's anything like their second date have a heart and tell your neighbors to have earplugs ready
KnormalKn33s: We aren't doing that!
AmazonChamp: Tenten!
1010RLZ: Tell me the lie!
PuppyLovin: Can you assholes stop responding every three seconds? My Scroll is vibrating like hell!
THUNDERTHIGHS : FIND HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA!
XxLie_RenxX: Nora, stop linking shady websites
Fisticuffs69: Yeah! Last time I clicked my Scroll got corrupted!
BookQueenB: Why would you even click it?
PuppyLovin: That desperate for company?
THUNDERTHIGHS : MISTAL PRINCE NEEDS LOAN! GUARANTEE PAYBACK AT 200%!
KnormalKn33s: 200%?!
Airess11: Ruby no!
THUNDERTHIGHS : WANT EXTRA 3 INCHES TO LENGTH? HERE'S 6 STEP PROGRAM FOR RESULTS IN 7 DAYS!
PumpkinPeteLuv: Nora, as your former leader I need to know if any of these links are real
AmazonChamp#1: Nora, as a friend same question
PuppyLovin: Some of us don't need the help
RedEysHavIt: But a little more never hurts
1010RLZ: I think it can actually in this context
KnormalKn33s: Focus! What should we do?
Fisticuffs69: You could send Naruto that last link if you want. Or not. Up to you. You're the one who saw it
AmazonChamp: Did she see it again or are we talking about the thing almost two years ago?
BookQueenB: I think it's the one back then, but hey crazy things happen
Airess11: If anything happened again I don't think she'd have the tact to keep it private this time.
KnormalKn33s: I've got tact!
XxLie_RenxX: Not really. I remember the conversation you had with Nora and I could hear you screaming and freaking out over the speaker.
PumpkinPeteLuv: I can't believe I was the only one who didn't know until we reached Argus!
RedEysHavIt: Yeah, Naruto can keep his lips shut when he needs to
THUNDERTHIGHS : DOCTORS HATE HIM! LEARN THIS MAN'S SECRETS TO A GREAT BODY!
PuppyLovin: Less trolling, more advising
KnormalKn33s: Nuts to you guys! I'm sure Naruto has a great night planned
1010RLZ: If he's the one with the plan why did you bother reaching out to us?
PumpkinPeteLuv: To brag I bet
KnormalKn33s: SHUT UP!
StrominSwirl: You guys know I'm getting all these messages right?
BookQueenB: Yeah
Airess11: Of course.
Fisticuffs69: That's the fun!
[KnormalKn33s has left chat]
StrominSwirl: She's screaming in her room
XxLie_RenxX: She forgot.
((((((((Hunted))))))))
Ruby took a deep breath as she looked at the clock. 6. It was time. The short Huntress stood up, slightly fumbling to keep her balance on the platform shoes she wore so she could gain an inch or two standing beside her date. She looked herself in the mirror one last time. A red blouse with a black jacket over it, as well as a skirt down to her knees and leggings to keep her warm.
What about makeup? Should she wear makeup? Makeup couldn't hurt, right? But she didn't know how to put on makeup properly. Could Weiss or Blake or Pyrrha give her a crash course? Oh right, it was six. Could they teach her everything and anything she might need in less than thirty seconds?
A knock on her door caused her to freeze, "Ruby? You ready?"
"Coming!" She took a deep breath and steeled herself before she opened the door. She found her date and best friend standing in their living room, a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt on as he greeted her with a smile, "Sorry. Just making sure I was ready."
"No problem. You look great." He complimented her and she couldn't help smiling at it. He paused for a moment and looked her over once. She felt self-conscious for a second before she noticed him snickering, "Sorry. I thought something seemed different before I realized you're taller."
"Oh!" She looked down and raised her foot to show her shoe, "I-I just got these because Yang said they would look nice. Are they bad?"
He smiled and shook his head, "Not at all. I'm just so used to you being smaller that I needed a second to make it right."
"I'm not that small!"
"Well you're not tall either."
"Shut up!" She jabbed him in the arm and he took it as payback for his comment. Stupid jerk and his stupid bragging about his stupid height. He didn't get to choose how tall he was just like she couldn't help how short she was! They couldn't help it!
She did like how much taller he was than her but he didn't need to know that.
She huffed and fixed her jacket before smiling, "Wanna go?"
"Ladies first."
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Their first stop was the movie theater.
"One extra large bucket of popcorn please! Thank you!" A giant bucket of popped kernels and butter was slammed on top of the counter and Ruby circled her arms around it to pick it up.
Naruto watched her walk awkwardly with it as he held a bag of candy and their drinks, "You gonna need some help digging into that?"
"Pfft!" Ruby scoffed, burying her head into the top layer of the bucket as the sounds of chewing suddenly escalated, "You want popcorn you go get your own bucket!"
Conceding the point, Naruto shrugged and turned to the posters, "Okay, it's gonna start in a minute."
"Which one are we seeing?" Ruby asked around a mouthful of popcorn, "Is it that cheesy action B-Movie?"
"Nope, I checked what everyone said on the internet and all the reviews." Naruto pointed to a poster with two characters gently embracing with their faces inches away from each other, "This is supposed to be one of the best movie out at the moment. And everyone says it's super romantic so I thought it'd be good for a date."
"Sounds good to me." Ruby agreed, a little disappointed that it was gonna be a romance but flattered he put in the thought for their date, "Let's go."
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Two hours passed before the theater started to empty. And in the midst of the crowd that left were two very unsatisfied Hunters.
"Oh my god that was a slog!"
"That had to be the most boring movie I have ever sat through!"
"Their romance was so dull and boring!"
"And it was so slow too! Sometimes I just wanted to scream at the screen for them to kiss and get it over with!"
"You did scream that!"
Ruby and Naruto deflated against the wall. The blond Faunus shook his head, "Well that was a total waste of 2 hours. If I knew it was going to be that boring I'd have just brought us to watch a wall of paint dry."
"Well, if we had to suffer through it then I'm glad we did it together." Ruby raised her bucket up and tossed it across the hallso it bounced into the bin.
"Sorry," Naruto apologized, "I really wanted us to enjoy that but it kinda sucked the whole joy of the night."
"In hindsight we should have just seen the monster B-Movie for fun, huh?"
"Yeah." Naruto groaned, "Maybe we can come back some time and watch it."
"Or...we could go see it now?"
Naruto looked down at Ruby's cheeky, mischievous grin. He showed his own as his ears twitched with excitement, "Ms. Rose, what you're suggesting is against the rules."
"Well I mean we could just be getting turned around and accidentally find ourselves in there."
"We can't just walk in." Naruto looked around before leaning in, "But we can sneak in." The pair smirked at each other before they looked around. They started slowly making their way over to the other theater, "Sneaking. Sneaking. We're sneaking."
"Such good sneaking."
"Real good sneaking. And - break for it!"
Ruby giggled as she ran behind Naruto, following him into the theater of the terrible B-Movie they would undoubtably enjoy more than the acclaimed romance movie.
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"That movie was loud! Obnoxious! The acting was terrible and the effects sucked!"
"I know! Way better than that first movie!"
"Totally!" He grinned as she walked beside him through the central hub of Vale's bustling nightlife, "Like when they combined that shark with the Ursa and created a twenty-foot furry monstrosity! It was such an awful prop!"
"I got pulled out every time it moved its mouth!" Ruby laughed, stumbling into Naruto for a moment as they both chuckled at the terrible effects they had witnessed, "And when it turned out the monster had the brain of the doctor's dead son implanted in its head I was like what?!"
"I know! Where did that come from! And what purpose did it serve?" Naruto laughed, "Mommy! Mommy! It feels like a doctor should expect some kind of problem like that when they decide to implant their dead son's brain into their experiment."
"Oh, that was fun." Ruby wiped a tear from her eyes before she looked around, "So what should we do now?"
"Now we go eat and-" Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh shit! What time is it?"
"A little past 10."
"Dammit!" Naruto palmed his face, "We were supposed to go eat at a restaurant after the first movie! I had a reservation for 8:45!"
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" Ruby covered her mouth in horror, "Was it hard to get a reservation?"
"Well actually Weiss pulled some strings and got me the reservation." Naruto confessed, "She is not going to be happy when she hears we missed it. And she also isn't gonna be happy when she gets the cancellation fee."
"We're gonna get an earful."
"I'm gonna get four earfuls."
She giggled as his joke before she hung her head, "Sorry about making us miss the reservation."
"Hey don't worry about it. It was a pretty high-end place with waiters and tons of utensils and specials. It would have been way too stuffy." He grinned, "And if we went after that first movie we would have had nothing to talk about."
Ruby gave a small smile before she realized he really wasn't angry with her. She grinned and pulled his arm, "You still hungry?"
"Always."
"Then let's go somewhere else."
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"It's my turn!"
"No, give me another chance!"
"Ruby you suck at this!"
"I just need to concentrate!" Silver eyes narrowed in focus before she took her shot, "There!"
A ketchup covered fry flew across the table and plopped against Naruto's cheek. The whiskered man closed his mouth as the fry dropped down, joining the rest of the failed attempts that only ended up dirtying his face.
"Ah!" Ruby roared in despair as Naruto wiped his chin, "Why can't I land one?"
"Because aiming with a rifle and aiming with a throwing weapon are two different beasts." Naruto picked up one of his fries, "You know I could bean this on purpose and get back at you for all the ketchup and beating me at the shooting booth at the fair."
"I got you Mr. Cuddles! You should be thanking me!"
"And now he stares at me in the corner of my room. I can see in the dark so we just have staring contests at night!" Naruto picked up one of his fries and held it up in preparation to fire. Ruby pouted before opening her mouth in wait.
The fry flew through a perfect arc and straight into her mouth.
"See?"
"Mmm." She grumbled around the delicious side she chewed on. She leaned her chin against her fist and frowned at her date, "I can shoot a wing off a fly."
"And I can nail a board of wood to a wall with a kitchen knife." Naruto bragged with a shrugged, "But when they invent guns that shoot fries down the barrel then we can come to you."
"I really wanna make that gun now."
"It would kill anyone without Aura, and probably hurt even if they did."
"Then don't give me the idea."
The couple shared a hearty laugh at the edge of the empty diner. Ruby suggested after they had missed their reservation that they stop by somewhere and grab a quick meal. Which was why they were in a small diner now, pigging out on fries, burgers, and shakes to end their night on.
Naruto mopped up a wad of ketchup on his fry and tossed it in his mouth, "How did you know this place was here?"
"My dad took me and Yang here a few times when we were younger." She said between slurps of her strawberry shake, "When she got accepted into Signal. When I got accepted into Signal. When she graduated. I even took RWBY here a few times when we were out in the city."
"I'm shocked. You guys went out into the city without dragging the rest of us along and getting us into some crazy trouble?"
"Uh, if I remember correctly we weren't the cause of the trouble every time." She smiled coyly and pointed her fry at him, "You. I'm talking about you."
"Yeah, I can't believe we made it through Beacon."
"I know right." Ruby chuckled, "Looking back we faced our biggest problems during those first few years. Torchwick. That attempted attack. The White Fang."
"And it just kept escalating. The Grimm grew bolder and attacked the city borders. Adam tried to lead a revolt. My mom..." Naruto paused and silently stared down at his food. His eyes lowered sadly and his hand tensed into a trembling fist.
He felt a hand settle over it and squeeze it tightly to try and ease his worry. Naruto looked up and saw Ruby's sympathetic smile. She rubbed the back of his hand, "Your mom helped a lot of people and brought a lot of bad guys to justice. We should remember her for all the good she did."
He took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah. You're right." He managed to give her a small smile, "Thanks Ruby."
Even after all this time it still hurt him to talk about the mother he couldn't save in time. Still...
"If you ever want to talk about, I'm right here." She smiled, "I have stories I can feel about my mom too. We can share stories about them if you ever feel like it."
He grinned, "That sounds nice."
The pair sat together in silence and enjoyed the rest of their meal.
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"Blah!" Ruby groaned as she walked into their apartment and groaned, "I'm stuffed! I shouldn't have asked for that third helping of fries."
"I think it was the two strawberry shakes you inhaled like air that really hurt you." Naruto followed in and closed the door behind them, "Man, it's after midnight. We stayed out late."
"Well we had a lot of fun." Ruby stretched her arms and yawned. She stepped out of her platform shoes and let the relief of her socks hitting the ground shudder up her body. The platforms weren't nearly as bad as heels but she still preferred her boots any day of the week. She felt a gaze on her back and looked behind her to see Naruto watching her, "What? Is something wrong?"
"So?" The Faunus asked with inquisitive look, "How was tonight?"
"Fun. Really, really fun." Ruby smiled, "I'm glad we did this."
"I am too."
...
"N-Naruto," Ruby nervously spoke while trying to look her friend in the eye, "I still like you. But we can't do this if you don't feel the same. And I don't want us to just to spare my feelings. That hasn't changed." She said firmly with a shake of her head, "So if we can't, just say it. Don't try to spare my feelings. Because that would just hurt so much more."
Naruto stared down at her and nodded. He waved towards the couch, "Can you sit down for a second?" Ruby looked up at him oddly before agreeing and taking a seat. She sat down and looked up as Naruto silently walked around the room. She was remind of the last time this happened when she kissed him during the fireworks and they had to talk it out. At least this time there wasn't a layer of tension and awkwardness in the air-
"You should take off your jacket." He suddenly said, "I want you to be comfortable."
Oh god!
Ruby's brain went into panic mode as she sputtered, "W-Wait Naruto! We can't do this! We're still just friends and that's a big leap and even if we did do it I want us to be better people than Jaune and Pyrrha and at least warn our neighbors first!"
"What?"
"Huh?" She watched him as he sat down beside her and looked at her like she had a second head. She blinked a few times before tilting her head, "W-Why do I have to get comfortable?"
Naruto smiled warmly and turned around. Ruby looked on in surprise as he leaned back and rested his head on her lap. The blond man opened one of his eyes and smiled, "Can you rub my ears?"
"R-Really?"
"Please?"
It was Ruby's turn to look like she was out of the loop. She looked down at her crush in silent confusion as he just seemed to relax in her lap like it was a pillow and asking her to touch his ears. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't wanted to touch his ears since Beacon, but it never seemed appropriate. But now they were being offered on a silver platter?
She couldn't pass this up.
Ruby gently curled her fingers around his ears and started to softly rub them. She marveled as the comfy fur around and in the ears, and just how soft it was to the touch. They were so cute and cuddly that Ruby couldn't stop herself from rubbing and petting them. And every time she did she felt Naruto hum and relax further into her lap.
Holy crap. How had they gone this long without ever doing this?!
"I haven't done this in years." As if reading her mind he answered, breaking the lull of her sporadic gasps and his relaxed humming. She looked down as he stared up at the ceiling as she felt her heart flutter at his expression, "When I was young my mom and dad used to rub my ears to calm me down. Then when I got older it was just my mom that did it. But now it's been years since anyone other than me has even touched them."
"A-And you're letting me touch them?"
"Well I trust you." He admitted, "I trust you with my life. I trust you to have my back." He smiled, "You're the most important person on Remnant to me, Ruby. My partner. My best friend."
...
Ruby leaned down and pressed her lips to his. She took him by surprise again, but he adapted much quicker now and shared the passion in return. Their kiss was much more chaste and shorter than the one they shared on the night of the festival, but still filled with affection and heat.
Ruby finally pulled back, her face red like a rose as she looked down at him, "You better not end up regretting this."
"Never." He reached up and gently squeezed her hand, "We're gonna have to think up a third date after this."
"Does us going around the world for a year count as a date?"
"What does the shower incident count as?"
"Should we ask everyone?"
"I don't wanna poke that nest."
Ruby sat back and Naruto allowed her to keep rubbing his ears, "We really gotta figure out the details for this later."
"Tomorrow morning. Let's just enjoy this moment."
"Agreed."
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Done
Well at least some people have someone to be with at this time of year.
It just felt right to let these two oddballs finally have their night out when there's love in the air.
Full disclosure, it is really unsettling to be writing these characters all cute and friendly with each other again considering in my other story everyone is still separated and sad.
Real dissonance of writing there.
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Thank You and Bye
