Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Co-Authored with ToxicExotic

Floral Scents

Ruby hummed happily to herself as she walked down the hallway; there was a lot to be happy about after all. Everything was going great with Blake, her beautiful upgrade for her beautiful Crescent Rose was coming along nicely, and her grades were slowly getting better and better. She'd gone up a whole grade in Dust, History, and General Studies, and was super happy about that, but there was still one area she was struggling. Plant Studies. With none of her team having much knowledge in that area, it had been tough to find someone who was actually good at the subject. Or at least, someone she actually knew.

With the mission board having been updated the day before, word of them having killed the Hellk had quickly made its way around the school. All morning, people had been saying hello and asking her about it; and while it was certainly fun to have everyone look at her with awe, she'd tried her best to cut those conversations short. After all, the win still didn't feel earned. The plus side was that with how people were trying to get close to the new popular team, she knew she could ask any of them for help with her studies. But most of them weren't even in her year, let alone her friends that she felt comfortable around.

However, as luck would have it, she had walked into the shared dorm kitchen and seen Ren making smoothies with a bunch of weird looking plants. While their schedules were mostly the same, she and Team JNPR didn't share every class. So, after asking what they were and hearing him talk, she'd asked what his grade was and found out he was top of the year. She had been so happy to have finally found someone who could help her, and asked immediately for him to tutor her; fortunately, he'd accepted.

So when he had finished making the smoothies, they'd begun to make their way back to her dorm to study. However, what waited for her took her completely by surprise. Laid on the couch was a small, shining white Beowolf almost twice the size of Zwei, its head resting on its paws. As soon as the door opened, one of its eyes opened and looked directly at her. Normally, the very shape of the beast would have caused her to immediately reach for her scythe, but there was always something warm about Weiss summons that put her at ease.

"Uhh, Ruby?" Ren said hesitantly. "What's that?"

"Good question." She chuckled and stepped into the room. "Weiss?"

"I'm studying."

The impatient reply came from one of the desks that lined the room. Weiss was sat hunched over with her hair let down, a sign that she'd been studying for at least a few hours, a book, her pen scrawling back and forth along her notebook.

"And the Beowolf?"

"Training my aura regeneration." She said dismissively and waved to a Scroll that sat beside her. Pulled up on it was her aura bar, which was constantly rising and falling around eighty percent. "Ignore it."

"Fair enough." Ruby shrugged, knowing that the beast was likely just going to sleep there since Weiss wasn't giving it any commands.

"Hmm, interesting." Ren said and walked forward, stopping down to glance at the Beowolf. A hand reached out and touched its nose, but the thing didn't react. "It feels like the real thing, but I can sense it with my aura. It feels like part of you is sitting here, Weiss."

"Well, it kinda is really." Ruby laughed and sat down next to the wolf. Again, it paid her no mind as she ran her hand through its soft fur. "Anyway, Plant Studies?"

"Ahh, yes. Mistral plants, right?"

As she gave a nod, Ren stood back up and pulled a surprisingly large book from his bag. It looked like it weighed a ton, and when he sat down and opened it, she saw that almost every inch of it was covered in writing. In the corner of each page he turned was an illustration of the plants, and the boy finally came to a stop at a pale pink rose, though its green stem was far more tangled than any rose she'd seen before.

"We'll start simple. Hulentia is on pretty much every test." Ren began and placed the book between them. "It's pollen is a powerful hallucinogenic that uses our aura to influence what we see. It's generally used to treat depression."

Almost an hour and a half had passed since they'd sat down to study. In that time, they had only covered three different plants. As it turned out, Ruby had severely underestimated just how much went into the course, and was realising just how stupid her previous study sessions of ten minutes per flower was incredibly stupid. There was just so much to go over, from natural affects, to brewing and uses, then side effects to dangers. Even with how thorough Ren was being, Ruby could tell that he was leaving a few details out to make it easier.

She knew that it would take another few hours after the study session to sift through every note she'd taken, to at least try and make sense of it all, but it did feel like she was learning something at least. After all, less than an hour ago she hadn't known that willow bark could be used to relieve pain, and became stronger when mixed with drainweed; but mixing it with gildweed, which happened to look almost exactly like drainweed, turned it toxic.

However, before Ren could teach her exactly how to tell the two apart, the door slammed open and Yang stood in the entryway. A wide grin was on her face, and a strawberry milkshake was in her hand. Beside her was Blake, looking tired and a little fed up.

"... talk of the school, Blakey. Cheer up a little."

"Unlike you, I would rather not be the talk of the school. It makes people nosey."

Ruby watched her sister shake her head, but the smile didn't falter.

"Sup peeps?" Yang addressed the room cheerfully.

Before she could even take two steps in the room, the Beowolf that had been silently sleeping raised to all fours and glared at the girl, a loud growl rumbling from its throat. Yang was unfazed though, and approached it with a smile to kneel down. From her back pouch, she produced what looked to be a vanilla candy bar and held it out to the friendly Grimm.

"Take this to your master, little girl."

Ruby watched the beast size Yang up for a little longer, but it soon took the candy bar into its mouth and jumped off the couch. When it finally arrived at Weiss, the heiress absentmindedly reached down and took the sweet, giving the summon a brief stroke before putting on a pair of headphones. With the world around its master blocked out, it curled up around her feet and kept a wary eye in their direction.

"Weird. Oh well." The blonde said and dropped into the seat that the summon had just vacated. "Here you go, Sis." A chocolate bar was placed into her lap. "Sorry, Ren. Didn't know you'd be here, or I'd have got you something."

"It's fine." The boy replied with a smile as he closed the book. "I should get back to my own room anyway. Nora wants to train a little when she gets back."

"That's what you two call it, huh?" Yang giggled.

"Yang…" Blake let out a sigh and Ruby shuffled a little to the side as the raven-haired faunus squeezed between her and her sister. "I swear."

"What else would we call it?" The male asked with a confused look on his face.

"Ignore her, Ren." Blake said and closed her eyes, Ruby feeling a hand slip around her waist and pulling her close.

"Okay. Well I should be going. Ruby, we can continue on Thursday if you want?"

"Definitely." She said with a nod.

Apparently satisfied with the answer, the boy gave them all a small wave and quickly walked out of the room. Letting her head fall onto Blake's shoulder and pulling her knee up onto the couch, Ruby nestled into her girlfriend's side and picked up her note book. It was a little messy but she could at least make it all out.

"Poor guy. Madly in love and doesn't even know it." Yang sighed and sank further into the couch, reaching into her pocket to pull out her Scroll and turn on the Holoviewer. "What were you two studying anyway, Rubes."

"Plants."

"Boring."

"You're boring."

"Pffft! Nice try, Sis."

"So what were you two doing?" She asked Blake while Yang quickly switched it to her favourite channel, one that ran superhero action shows all day, and sipped on her milkshake. "You're a little sweaty."

"Sorry, I'll shower soon."

"It's fine." She shook her head slightly and hoped Blake wouldn't see her blush. It was a little embarrassing, but the slight smell of sweat, mixed with the girl's perfume, reminded Ruby of waking up wrapped in the faunus' arms the morning after they'd chosen to sleep together on the couch . "So who were you fighting?"

"Neon and Ivori."

That explained why Blake seemed a little fed up. While Ruby knew the two faunus were friends, not that Blake would ever admit it, she still remembered how at odds the both of them were on certain topics. And though the rainbow-loving girl's behavior didn't really bother her, she could see how it would annoy other people. Especially when taunting was a big part of how Neon fought.

"How'd it go?"

"We won, of course." Yang answered with a shrug. "Thinking about stealing her damn rollerblades though."

"Awww, can't keep up?" Ruby teased and stuck out her tongue. She had only fought against Neon once, but had easily won by being naturally faster.

"Don't need to keep up when you can slow them down."

"Says the one who shouted at her to fuck off and went to fight Ivori instead." Blake yawned. "Thankfully I don't have… as much as you... to make fun of."

Ruby couldn't help but laugh. It sounded so unbelievably like Yang, that it really didn't take much to envision it. Hell, she could remember the time when they were kids that she'd watched from her room as Yang screamed at birds and chased them away from the house. That had continued for almost six months before she finally seemed to give up and let them be.

"Yeah well… We still won." The blonde shrugged. "Not sure about going with them to Junior's next week though. Loud music might drown her out."

"So long as you don't drag me with you."

Ruby knew her girlfriend's plea had fallen on deaf ears. Whenever Yang went out clubbing, she would usually drag Blake with her too, and Ruby suspected it was her sister's attempt to get Blake out of her shell a little.

"You know the rules. If I… Hey, wait a minute!" Yang turned to face her partner with a scowl. "What do you mean as much as you?"

"Exactly what I said." Blake grinned, obviously amused by Yang's reaction. "You can't deny that you're definitely…"

"Definitely what, Blake?" The blonde's voice was low and dangerous.

"Bigger." Ruby finished for her girlfriend, laughing as she dodged the Scroll that was thrown at her.

"You lot wouldn't know perfection if it slapped you in the face."

"Pretty sure I'm holding it." Blake replied smugly.

Ruby felt herself blush as Yang let out a disgusted groan and stood from the chair to retrieve her Scroll. However, she didn't bother to return and instead walked over to Blake's bed. Picking up a cushion, she walked back to the couch.

"Hey, Rubes. Lift your head up."

"Huh?"

"Yang, don't y…"

Before Blake could finish her sentence, or Ruby could dart away, Ruby felt herself pulled into a headlock. As she tried to pull away, the pillow was mashed against the top of her head and rubbed back and forth.

"Gah! Ya… ng. Stop."

The assault continued for a couple of seconds, but Yang finally let her go and shoved the pillow into Blake's face. A wide, mischievous grin was on her face as the faunus slowly pulled it away and looked at it with what seemed like a pained look.

"Good luck sleeping now." She said and returned to the beds to jump up onto her own.

"Stupid brute." Ruby grumbled and fixed her hair, not quite sure what Yang had just done. However, since the girl was gone, she pulled out her own Scroll and turned it over to a documentary channel. "Wanna go over these notes with me?"

"Huh?" The amber eyes finally pulled away from the pillow and locked onto hers. "Oh! Yeah, sure."

Blake quickly threw the pillow back onto her bed and cuddled closer to Ruby to look over her shoulder. Apparently though, the over the shoulder view wasn't good enough, and she saw a glint in the girl's eyes. A kiss was placed on her neck before she felt herself being pulled backwards on the couch until the two of them were laid next to each other. Unable to resist a giggle, Ruby twisted onto her side and happily cuddled up to her girlfriend, handing her notes out to the waiting hand. Feeling a little brave, she also draped a leg over Blake's.

Before they started their own little study session though, she looked up and pressed her lips against the faunus'. Feeling the warmth rush over her, she let out a content hum before finally pulling away and resting her head on the girl's chest.

"Much better." Ruby breathed, and settled down to study.

The past hour had been nice. She'd enjoyed helping her girlfriend understand her notes from Plant Studies, even though it wasn't a strong suit of hers. During it, she'd held her in her arms and been comfortable, even despite the fact that her hormones were driving her up the nearest wall. Not that returning her bed while Ruby showered made things any better. Thanks to Yang's earlier antics, her pillow now smelled of nothing but the redheaded reaper, and Blake knew that falling asleep was going to be a pain in the ass.

Though many people often found comfort in having something that smelled of their partner, those people often only found that comfort because said partner was not available. But Ruby was. She would be in that very room, and the smell would only make Blake want to cuddle up to her more. However, despite them having already chosen to spend a night together on the couch, Blake wasn't sure if Ruby was at the point where she could just request it because she felt like it.

But maybe they were. The couch had not only been a place where they slept, but where they had been spending a lot of free time. It wasn't unusual for them to get back from classes or practise and just drop onto the sofa together, and unless Velvet and Coco were over, or someone from Team JNPR, their position would usually always default to laying side by side. And she really, really liked that. Being enveloped in Ruby's scent, feeling the warm body against hers, the gentle rise and fall of the girl's chest against her ribs; they were all wonderful. She just wished her body was simply content with just those things.

Though her mind was perfectly happy with that being all that happened, that didn't mean her body didn't still respond. It didn't mean she didn't feel herself getting aroused when Ruby's hands moved in just the right way, which they seemed to do frequently. Blake knew it was her own fault though, and that her choice of reading material didn't exactly help matters, but she really did wish her body would just fall in line. That it would understand there were so many things that were more important than some carnal release.

Like how barely even five minutes after they'd laid down, Ruby had reached up to pull away the ribbon that kept her ears hidden. Or how Ruby had laughed for a good minute when the documentary on bears had made a comment about their protectiveness, and Blake had made a remark about Yang. Or even just how the fact Ruby fingers seeking out her own could send such joy rushing through her. They were all far more important to her, they were all things she would remember in the long run, but still, her body's natural response was pushing those things out for the night.

"What's up with you?"

The rough voice brought her out of her thoughts, the slightly cracked cadence signifying that it hadn't been used for a while. With Yang already asleep, she knew it could only be one person. Opening one eye, she saw Weiss sat on her bed stretching her arms. She hadn't heard a single peep from the heiress all night, which wasn't too unusual for Weiss, but she had found it curious that she'd kept her summon up the entire time. It had acted as a guard dog, defending its master with a growl when any of them got too close, but it was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"Just… thinking." Blake sighed and turned onto her back.

"About?" Though Weiss didn't look to be paying attention, there was a curiosity to her voice.

"You wouldn't understand." She replied.

Blake knew Weiss wasn't exactly inexperienced, especially since she knew things had definitely happened with Neptune and Weiss wasn't shy about admitting to it, but she also knew Weiss was always a little more closed off when it came to actual relationship stuff. She didn't doubt that the coldness was just a front, but she also couldn't forget how easily the girl had shot down Jaune and ditched Neptune.

"Let me guess," The girl said with a roll of her eyes. "You want Ruby to join you tonight, but are worried to ask."

"How did yo…"

"Maybe because all you two have done recently is lay together, or because I'm not blind." Weiss said shortly. Blake knew she wasn't intending to be though. "Or maybe because all I have heard from Ruby for the past two days is that exact thing."

"Really?" Blake sat up a little on her bed.

"Yes. It's very annoying. I'm actually starting to miss her babbling about weaponry."

"Oh! So I should just ask her?"

"You should."

"Then that's what I'll do."

"Good." Weiss' tone signified that the topic had run its course. Just like usual though, the heiress' no-nonsense attitude had helped her find the answer she needed quickly.

The snow-haired girl let out a small yawn and stretched her neck. Despite only having eyes for Ruby, Blake could hardly deny how pretty Weiss was. With her fair skin, silken hair, and pretty features, all wrapped up in a highly intelligent package; Blake could easily see why so many guys at Beacon had tried to pursue her for the first few months. However, the girl always seemed far more focused on her studies than actually accepting any of the offered dates, even finally putting a stop to the offers by publicly berating one of the boys that asked her out and shouting that she wasn't interested in any of them. Even with Neptune, Blake knew that studying had always come first.

She understood of course. The girl's father was an unbelievable asshole, even without the hatred she had for him personally. It was never hard to see how Weiss' mood shifted after he called, or how she would work herself sick when she felt she was underperforming enough for him to take an interest. Blake knew how those relationships felt from experience, though hers was a little different, and hated seeing her friend stuck in one without any way to help.

Nevertheless, that didn't mean she couldn't try.

"You were studying for a while today?" She said, keeping her voice as neutral as she could. "Ruby said you were studying when she got back too."

"Gave me something to do while I worked on my aura regeneration." Weiss said dismissively. "Only went down to forty percent. Could be better, but not too bad."

"Yeah, Ruby mentioned that. Never seen your summons act like that though?"

"Like what?" Confusion was written across the heiress' face.

"I dunno. Like a dog."

"Oh. No idea. I wasn't ordering it to do anything, so it must have just done its own thing."

"Fair enough."

A large black glyph appeared between them and began to rotate at high speeds, causing the girl to vanish from sight completely. Blake knew it meant the girl was getting changed for bed.

"I haven't seen you study that much in a while though?" Blake retried. "Not since before the party. You okay?"

"I'm fine, Blake." Weiss said firmly. "Would just rather not come second in an area I am supposed to specialize in again."

"You're still annoyed about Flynt beating you?"

"I'm annoyed that I have been studying Dust my entire life, that my family built an empire on Dust, and yet I'm getting beaten in a test by some jazz player from Mantle with a shut down shop."

Blake remained silent. Though Weiss' words had been harsh, she knew what was coming.

"I shouldn't have said that." Weiss sighed, clearly disappointed in herself. As the sound of springs greeted Blake's ears, the glyph vanished and she saw the heiress sat on her bed in her nightgown. "I'm just… Dust is my thing. It's the only thing I have and everything my future is. If I can't even come first in our class, how can I deserve to run a company."

Blake knew those words weren't Weiss'. She knew what it felt like to have someone exert so much pressure on her life that her own words became their too.

"Those are your father's words, Weiss." She said softly. "You have so much more than Dust, and you can do anything with your future." Turning onto her side, she gave her teammate a firm look. "Don't let him dictate your worth."

Weiss' tired eyes locked onto hers. Everyone seemed to be under the impression that they were icy just because of their pale blue colour, but Blake actually found them to be warm more often than not. Nevertheless, Blake could tell the conversation was over from the way they flicked to the side.

"I know." The girl groaned and fell back onto her bed. "But I should get some sleep. We have a test tomorrow."

Knowing it was useless to argue with Weiss, Blake accepted that the discussion was over and gave a small nod.

"Night, Weiss."

"Goodnight."

Laying back down in her bed, Blake turned to stare up at her own partner's bed, since Weiss had already turned away from her. Though nobody else would have even thought anything of it since Weiss' always slept facing the wall, Blake remembered how Weiss had slept facing her for a while after the truth had come out; so that simple action meant a lot to her. That show of trust made it hurt even more that Weiss was still caught in such a relationship with her father.

However, before she could really think on how to help the girl a little more, though she definitely wasn't going to stop trying, the door to the bathroom and Ruby stepped out in her normal black t-shirt and heart stamped pants. Drying her short hair with one hand, and brushing her teeth with the other, the girl happily danced over to her desk and ran a finger over her notepad. That kind of thing had been happening a lot lately, Ruby's sudden realisations and the rush to write it down, and Blake always found it extremely cute.

"How was yo…"

"Ahhh! Wha'ru..." Ruby jumped in her spot and spun around, her chest rising a little. "Oh Blek. Thut yo wud sleep."

"Huh?"

Clearly realising her mistake, the girl pulled the brush from her mouth and gave a nervous chuckle.

"I thought you would be asleep." She clarified. "Thank Oum I put on my…"

Despite it not being said, Blake felt her cheeks warm at what had apparently almost happened, but quickly pushed the image aside.

"Yeah." Blake breathed and flipped back to face her. "Just one of those nights I guess." She lied. "You turning in for the night?"

"Mhm. We have a test tomorrow, and I have a good feeling about it."

The redhead tossed the towel aside and picked up a hairbrush from Weiss's desk, which was right next to hers. The tips of the bristles glinted red in the lamplight, and as she pulled it through her hair, the damp strands of dark silk quickly dried and fell back to frame her pretty face.

"I'm sure you'll do great. All that effort you've been putting in is showing."

"Thanks." The girl beamed happily, though glanced down at her toothbrush. "Uhhh, one minute."

Watching the girl run back into the bathroom, Blake heard running water quickly followed by gurgling. A couple of seconds later though, she ran back out and bounced over to stand beside her bed.

"Night." Ruby said, stooping low to press their lips together.

However, when the girl pulled away and began to walk backwards towards her bed, Blake reached out and took her hand.

"Wait." Ruby immediately stopped, a little confusion on her face. "You uhh… You don't have to go." The confusion lingered a little, but realisation soon took over and Ruby's eyes widened. "Not if you don't want to?"

Blake bit her lip nervously as she watched thoughts pass over her girlfriend's eyes. While they had already shared a night together, the couch was hardly as intimate as a bed. There were no covers on the couch, it wasn't as warm and there was only one real position they could sleep in without it being uncomfortable. Thankfully though, the girl didn't take too long to decide, and quickly smiled as she took a step forward with a small nod.

Feeling a rush of happiness run through her, Blake shifted back and pulled her covers open to allow the girl to slip inside. Once she was, she put them back into place and wrapped an arm around her warm girlfriend, who turned to face her. Remembering what Weiss had said earlier, she gave the reaper a soft smile and reached up to tuck a strand of hair out of Ruby's face.

"You know, I could definitely get used to this." She admitted, seeing Ruby's face break into a grin.

"Me in your bed?"

"And waking up with you. That was a really good morning last week."

"I enjoyed it too."

"Good."

Leaning forward, Blake pressed another kiss against Ruby's lips, and felt a hand slip onto her waist. Pulling away, she couldn't help but smile herself.

"We could make it a regular thing?" She said cautiously. "If you want."

"You mean… every night?" Ruby asked, her voice quite and a little embarrassed.

"No. Not every night. Unless you want to, that is. I just mean that I wouldn't complain if you wanted to just slip in whenever."

Ruby's silver eyes widened again, but it didn't seem to be from shock. It almost felt like the girl was weighing up a couple of things. But the smile remained on her face and she soon gave a quick nod.

"I'd be okay with that."

"Good."

With the understanding having been made, it didn't take much longer for the rest of the awkwardness to fade. Just with the couch, Blake turned on her back and Ruby cuddled up to her side, a leg slipping over her own, just as it had earlier. The feel of the soft material on her skin caused a shiver to run up her spine, but just as she always did, she pushed those thoughts from her mind; though it was made harder by the fact she could feel the girl's bare toes grazing her feet. But, after getting settled, it didn't take too long before Blake felt her earlier tiredness begin to overwhelm her.

So, with Ruby's slow breaths sneaking under the top of her nightshirt, Blake closed her eyes and let herself fall to sleep. With the warmth of the leader pressed against her, and the content feeling settling in her stomach, it really didn't take too long.

Raalm's Note

Hello everyone. Just a cute chapter from us today. Mostly just wanted it to touch up on some things that are ongoing (Their new popularity, Ruby's studies, Blake and Ruby spending nights together,) and show the team being stupid together. Next chapter is a little more serious, though there were a few serious things touched on here that are ongoing too. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, especially a certain thing we did that was rather new. Anyway, I hope you all have a nice day :)

The next chapter will be uploaded on the 6th of June.

D (Guest) - Hello there I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much We try our best to balance out all the fluff and angst, and keep everything moving at a good pace, so I'm happy you are finding all of those things to be good You are definitely right that Ladybug needs some more love though ;-;

And wow. There have been a few people binging this story lately, and I am very honored that you cared enough to spend so much time here Hopefully the day wait wasn't too rough, because now you have 10 days to wait xD That is the schedule btw, every 10 days and the time is usually around 8pm UK time