December 16th 1998... 9:00 pm
Ruby logged off her desktop computer and went to lay down. She felt horrible for letting the others talk her into bringing up what had happened to Jaune, she felt like she should have waited for Jaune to be there to discuss it as a group.
"If Jaune ever wants to see any of us ever again." Ruby thought to herself. The Silence never bothered her that much, you can't miss what you never had. She glanced over at her desk where she saw the results of a recent doctors appointment that she asked her mother to take her to. Ruby had been wondering about getting hearing aids for a while now. Ruby had eventually sold her mother on the idea when she appealed her her nature.
"It would make your life easier" Ruby thought. "Man what a horrid bitch..."
It didn't matter anyways, the results were what she expected. 'We are sorry to inform you that the results of your recent ear exam confirm that would would not be able to receive any of the benefits typical of the use of traditional hearing aids.'
Ruby got up and paced around the room a bit, she rubbed her throbbing arm and let her mind wander. It wasn't until she felt a vibration in the floor of someone stomping on it was her train of through stopped. She looked over and saw her dad looking at her.
[You good kiddo?] Tai signed to his daughter
[I guess so. What's up?] Ruby signed back to her dad.
[Well I just got off work, I'm going to get a shower before, I just wanted to check up on you] Tai asked.
[I'm actually pretty decent at the moment dad... I mean I'm feeling overwhelmed but I'm good otherwise] Ruby signed to her dad as sat down in a chair in her room.
[Well if it makes you feel better that friend of yours seemed alright, distracted, pretty emotionally Vacant.. But alright.] Tai mentioned.
[I didn't see him today] Ruby signed.
[Well that's for the best, I doubt he's in the right mind for having friends right now] Tai signed before waving it off [Get some rest, it's a new day tomorrow okay tiger?]
Ruby put on a fake smile as her dad left the room... And she began to hatch her own plan.
December 17th 1998... 12:12 am
Ruby was still awake, she figured both mom and dad were sleeping by this point, she held her hand to the wall and didn't feel any vibrations that would imply they were awake. Ruby hopped out of bed and swiftly got dressed and tied up her hair.
"Well this is going to be the dumbest single thing I've ever done." Ruby thought as she slipped on her shoes and hoped to god she was being as quiet as she hoped she was.
It didn't take long before she got outside, she peeked into her parents bedroom to confirm they were both out which it was reassuring for her to see. She just wished that it was Yang's mother sleeping with Tai's arm draped over her and not her own mother. She pushed the thought out of her head as the chill of the night air hit her causing her to bundle up her winter coat.
For a second she considered turning back, it wasn't until she remembered that look on his face when she saw him in his kitchen on that horrible evening. Her face hardened with resolve as she thought "No.. He needs me even if he doesn't realize it."
With that she started walking. One foot in front of the other, as she felt the snow give under her boots as she walked. on a summer day this would be a pretty easy walk, but on a cold moonless night that threatened to drop the entire skies worth of snow on their town. The walk was hard, even if she was hardly out of shape.
She didn't take the direct route, there was still a curfew to consider after all so she tried to avoid the main roads. It was almost one in the morning when she got Jaune's home. "Now let's just hope he's awake"
Jaune's home while it had a fence dividing the property from their neighbors, it had had nothing in the way of gates to keep someone from wandering into their backyard. As she rounded around the back of his home. she saw a light in his room."Is that his computer? Does that mean he's still awake."
It was confirmed that he was still awake when she saw him stand up and walk away from his computer looking like he was about to get ready for bed.
"Well here goes" Ruby thought as she approached his window and tapped on it a couple times to get his attention, hopefully not loud enough to wake his mom.
When she saw Jaune walk to the window and look out, she realized for the first time. that this might have been a mistake. Jaune blinked at her when she saw his face, it looked like he had been crying briefly. She just waved at him.
Jaune slid the window open and signed out [Ruby? It's one in the morning what the hell are you doing here?]
Ruby rubbed her arm before signing [You going to let a girl freeze all night or are you let me in?]
Jaune sat down on his bed a few moments later, he had just helped Ruby in through her window and closed it hoping he didn't disturb his mother "Jesus she's insane, she just walked all the way here in the middle of the night!"
Ruby sat down in his computer chair and noticed something in his trash can, pulled out his Sketchbook from his trash bin and signed at him [Jaune Arc I know your not seriously thinking about tossing this out did you?]
[It's mine to get rid of.] Jaune signed back [Why do you care?[
Ruby absent mindlessly flipped through the book before she smiled at one particular picture and set it down [Hey, You know you shouldn't just quit something you enjoy doing like that.] she left the Sketchbook open on to a page where he had apparently taken the time to sketch all the girls in their group.
Jaune leaned forward on the edge of his bed [You didn't walk across town just to tell me that Ruby, what's really wrong?]
Ruby rolled the chair next to where Jaune was sitting [Your what's wrong you idiot. You couldn't have at least said hi to us today?]
[Well Yang was pretty insistent I keep my distance. Also it's officially yesterday now] Jaune signed as he gestured at the clock.
Ruby rubbed her hurt arm for a moment as she tried to gather he thoughts before Jaune took her hand to look at her injured arm. [I'm really sorry about this, I'm not really a good friend am I?]
Ruby shook her head [When is your operation on your shoulder?] she asked before she rubbed his shoulder.
Jaune shook his head [January 3rd.] Jaune signed [That's not fair though, it's different.]
Ruby shook her head as she let her hurt arm rest on his hand and signed with her free hand [No it's not, Jaune I might have died, or ended up in a chair like Weiss if you didn't push me.] she took a second to trace a finger around his chest [This would have been a lot worse if I wasn't there.]
Jaune broke eye contact and signed [Yeah, I guess that's true but I still feel terrible about it.]
Ruby tilted his head to look back her [The point is, that were both here because we have each other.]
Jaune smiled [I guess, I mean could I argue so many things that are wrong with what your saying But I get what your trying to say.]
Ruby smiled. [Good, because I put my sister in her place and you will come back to our table tomorrow okay?]
Jaune waived it off with a silent chuckle [Okay you're the boss alright? We better get you back home before your parents notice your gone]
Ruby blushed and got a bashful look on her face [There was one other thing I wanted to say.]
Jaune tilted his head at her waiting for her to speak.
Ruby took a noticeably deep breath as she built up the nerves [I wasn't sure I'd be able to convince you to come back to our group, so... I just wanted to say this to you.]
Ruby pointed at Jaune, holding her finger to his chest just about right where his heart would be. She then with a gentle nervous smile then pointed at herself before she finally held her left hand out with her palm facing his chest and made a soft motion like she karate chopped her left hand with her right hand before she held both lands in front of him with her fingertips pointing at him. [You and me are partners]
Jaune smiled having heard this one before...
Ruby then drew a small circle in the are, before she held out her hands off to her sides like she flexing a bit, and then bringing her hands together in fists with her thumbs pointing at Jaune. [And we are stronger together]
Once she let her hands fall to her side and gathered her thoughts while Jaune watched her. Once she worked up the nerve to do so she signed [The truth is... I love you. I mean I know you can't let yourself feel the same way right now. But I just needed to say it in case you didn't come back to us.]
Jaune looked at her wide eyed with a blush. thinking back to his earlier conversation with Sam, he knew, somehow, knew this is what maybe Pyrrha would want for him. [I would probably be the worst boyfriend on earth right now you know that right? I know I would be distant at times, I'd hurt, I'd be confused about my feelings, and I would probably make you cry more than once.]
Ruby nodded as she braced for the sting of rejection she figured was coming.
[But... I love you to Ruby.] Jaune signed with a smile. [Truthfully that's why let my demon win the other day, I couldn't reconcile that, with the fact that I still felt like I had to memorialize Pyrrha.] Jaune paused and looked at her. [I guess what i'm trying to say is i'm sorry, I put you through so much in the last week.]
Ruby shook her head and signed [Please don't apologize, We can't all be strong all the time.]
The pair sat in silence, well more silent than they already were for a minute.
Ruby smiled at Jaune and broke the silence to ask [How long have you felt that way.]
Jaune shrugged [I guess maybe since the dance?]
Ruby smiled [Sounds about right for me to as well.] Ruby blushed as she wrote the next part [Hey you know... I know it won't be perfect, but nothing is.]
Jaune smiled [I know I won't be able to move on alone, I'm just not strong enough on my own.]
Ruby stood up and stood in front of Jaune [You won't be alone, if I have my way, you'll never be alone for as long as I can help it] She signed as she leaned into him.
Jaune felt a Warmth in his chest, the same feeling Ruby was feeling. It didn't take long before they both kissed in the darkness of his bed room. Although Jaune still felt a bit guilty for even doing this. he was able to push it down knowing that he was finally allowing himself to be happy with another person again.
Jaune didn't expect Ruby to push him back further onto the bed, nor was he protesting by that point. the thought briefly occurred to him that this might be Ruby's first kiss, and as he unconsciously allowed his hands to roam a bit he thought "Well better make it count then"
Jaune would only notice when he glanced at his alarm clock later that they had been making out for about fifteen minutes when a flickering of his bedroom light caused both of them to pull away and look at the door frame.
Jaune and ruby would look shocked to see Jaune's mother looking at the pair with a look of bleary eyed exhaustion with a phone to her ear. Jaune didn't even hear the phone ringing. Mina just said "No it's okay Tai, I think I found your daughter." Mina shook her head "Yes she still has clothes on."
Jaune signed out looking flustered and embarrassed one hand signed [Uh, let's be real for a second this is not the worst thing you caught me doing]
Mina pointed at her son and them made a stabbing motion as she spoke "Okay I'll let them know." before she ended the call.
It was at this point Jaune realized he had at some point managed to get a hand up the back of Ruby's shirt, and she was grabbing onto his shirt collar. Mina asked very nicely "Ruby would you please un-straddle my son so we can all talk"
Jaune and Ruby looked Mortified As Mina looked at the pair with folded arms. "While I am glad to see you both getting along so well. It's almost 2:00 AM on a school night and Ruby clearly didn't tell her family where she was." Mina pinched her nose as she spoke "So, yeah you can imagine where we're going with this right? Once your dad gets here assume that your grounded Ms Long"
Ruby winced and signed [Worth it?]
"You too Jaune i'm not trying to be a grandmother before i'm forty" Mina scolded her son.
[Also worth it?] Jaune signed
Mina pointed at the pair to go wait in the living room. One they were both out of his bed room, Mina caught herself smileing as she turned off the light.
The following morning saw Ruby sitting with her sister and friends, Jaune wasn't at the table still. but Ruby didn't seem to bothered by it, she sipped a cup of coffee she bought with her own money on the way to school that day. As she sat and nursed her drink she listened to her sister regale the others with the previous evenings escapades.
"Yeah, and no shit it turns out she went all the way across down in the snow Alone to Jaune's place at like one in the morning." Yang said flabbergasted. "I have never heard of this girl doing anything even close to that level of crazy before."
Weiss chuckled "So that's why you're grounded till New Years?" She leaned over the desk shaking her head "Well good lord I wouldn't have expected that from you."
Blake rolled her eyes "Well is means the Christmas party is shot. We can't very well have a party with three people."
"Not like a party of five is much better" Yang chuckled out.
[Quiet I know you watch that show because you have a low key crush on Matthew Fox] Ruby signed casually to her sister.
"Says the girl who watches the WCW for the shirtless sweaty men?" Yang scoffed back at Ruby while signing the same thing back to her.
Ruby just sighed and took a drink of her coffee, why deny what's true after all?
"So..." Blake asked Ruby "Was it worth it?"
Ruby felt a smile creep on her face as she saw the face of the person walking towards them, Jaune was walking towards their table with his sketchbook under his arm, and for the first time in a few days he was smiling. Ruby thought "It's a small step, but i'll take it."
[Totally worth it.] Ruby signed out.
Hell of a Journey to reach this stage, I do hope it was worth it. Now this is not the end of the story by a long shot, but it sorta ends the "first year" of the story. My notes breaks it all down by the year the events takes place in. Chapter 20 starts us off in "Year two" of the story.
How long does it go? Wait and see.
Also I kinda low key really enjoy writing Lancaster I won't lie. So expect me to work on this for a while.
Until next time, See you next chapter.
