Chapter seventeen: Roses and romance

"Are you okay Miss Rose?"

I groggily opened my eyes, my head was spinning, my arm stung, my back was on fire, everything hurt. I blinked a few times, clearing up the blur in my vision before I saw the familiar man standing there. The vibrant green hair that seemed to spike in every direction and the dirty glasses that were borderline opaque were evidence enough for me to figure out who it was. Even then, the askew tie and what looked to be lab coat also made it clear. "Fine." I said, keeping my voice emotionless as I sat up, standing, only to feel a grip on my arm as I felt my legs giving out beneath me. I heard the quick clicking of the doctor's tongue. "Oh nonononono! You must rest Miss Rose, you have lost approximately 5.43578219 pints of blood! Honestly it's a miracle you're even alive with the amount you've been losing! You've lost over twenty pints of blood in the last month alone miss Rose! If you do not at the very least slow down you will be at risk for death."

"I don't care."

I glared at the doctor as he flinched back, lowering his glasses and cleaning out his ears. "I'm sorry, did you just-" "I said I. Don't. Care." I said, not bothering to show any emotion to him. He didn't care if I lived or died, not really, he only cared that my mother kept signing his paycheck to treat me… and to keep quiet about why I kept losing blood. He frowned towards me, putting on a… different saddened expression than normal. Usually it was just the practiced one's that almost all doctors had, but this one was… different. "Why don't you care… Ruby?" he said, speaking a lot slower than normal. He was speaking like a hummingbird the rest of the time, even earlier… but now he was speaking like dad used to… or even Uncle Qrow. I shook my head, letting him help me back onto the bed as I clasped my hands, seeing the bandages on the sides of my arm. I didn't pick at them, Oobleck hated when I did that, but I did stare at them. "It's never enough… I must be perfect, I cannot be perfect… can you do me a favor?" I asked, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes, the one's I learned from our pet dog years ago, Zwei, before… well, I don't really know what happened to him actually. "What?" Oobleck asked.

"Could you please kill me?"

He flinched back, his eyes wide as I stared at him, hoping against hope he would accept. We stayed there in silence for awhile, but eventually, one of us had to break it. "Why?" turned out it was him. I frowned towards the ground as I clasped my hands. I let my shell break, just a little bit, as I felt fear enter my voice. "I'm… scared. Everytime I look in a mirror… I'm terrified of what I'm going to see on the other side. I want to be perfect for mama, I want to be her little angel, I want to be the Bloody Rose… but I still want to be Ruby Rose. I just… sometimes I wish I could go back, before all this. I wish that I could just stay alongside Yang and, grow up being the adorable, awkward little girl she kept asking what happened to… I think she had the right idea." I said, and I saw them hitting my hands, the droplets of water. I ignored them, it was the only time I would get to cry when someone wasn't watching. Oobleck wouldn't care, he didn't care if I cried, I was in pain, it's what I was supposed to do in his eyes.

"I'm not a dummy… there's no going back after everything I've done." I said, looking down between my feet as I saw more of my tears drip down my chin, landing down there. I didn't care, let them. "One thousand." I whispered. Oobleck raised an eyebrow, "One thousand, nine-hundred, seventy-five. That's how many lives I've ruined, and I've only ended a few hundred of them." I said, gritting my teeth as I felt the familiar flash of guilt pass through me. With it, came the pain of a blade to my rear, and I nearly unconsciously reached my hand back, as if expecting to feel blood. Mama stopped cutting me years ago though, so I was scared for no reason of that. "It wouldn't be heard. Give me the wrong syringe, too much adrenaline, make me overdose, suffocate me while I'm sleeping, slit my throat with your scalpel. Please." I said, outright begging the man that this point. I wanted to die, I knew that for a long time… this wasn't the first time I'd asked him to do so. It was only the second, and he was still shocked.

His response was predictable, "You know I can't do that Ruby. I signed the Hippocratic oath, and you know-" "'The number one rule is above all else, do no harm', yeah yeah you've told me before." I said, laying my chin in my hands as I glared towards him. He had the nerve to outright refuse me, me, the bloody rose, the most feared woman (other than mama) in all of Vale, possibly all of Remnant. Yet he did it without hesitation. That's why I liked him, no, that's why I respected him. He did what was right no matter the consequence to himself… "I like it because it's how I should be… isn't the old person supposed to live their life through the young person and not the other way around?" I thought to myself as Oobleck walked over, grabbing a nightgown and tossing it towards me. I stood again, tossing the nightgown to the side, I was already naked anyway.

"You don't plan on covering up Ruby?" he asked. I shook my head, he knew I'd say no. Why should I cover up? He'd operated on me, given me shots, done my physicals, done any surgery or looked over any part of my body that ever ached. When it came to him and my body, there were no secrets. "You've seen me like this a thousand times doc, why's today different?" I asked. He shook his head, he had no reason for it. Other than the inherent chivalry he must've possessed, not wanting to be considered rude… then again, he was a doctor, he must've seen a thousand naked people before me, and he'd probably see a thousand after. "Because normally you don't have guests." I heard a familiar voice say. I smiled as I looked up, nodding towards the man across from me, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. The messy black hair, crooked cross necklace, and most of all, the red eyes gave away who it was.

"Hey uncle Qrow!" I said, giving him a wave with my un-bandaged hand. He gave me a nod, smiling at me as I quickly grabbed the gown, pulling it on over me as to cover up slightly. Being my uncle, he'd seen me plenty of times when I was young, but he did make a point. That and, frankly, I respected very few people in this world. Some a little, and some a lot. Qrow? I respected him a lot. "Hey kiddo. Come on, someone's downstairs asking for you, Jaune something… you finally snag a man?" he said, giving me a little smirk. I didn't blush at the response, being as I harbored feelings for only one person in remnant, and it certainly wasn't Jaune, but I looked away anyway. "I asked him to help me find Yang… do you think he found her?!" I asked, letting my eagerness disguise my fear. If he found Yang, I'd have to kill her… I couldn't say I missed twice, Mama would know. She was smart like that. Qrow just shrugged,

"Maybe he did… who knows?"

I groggily opened my eyes, blinking a few times to clear my vision. When it was clear, I felt my face heat up slightly. I saw Blake, her head of black hair just beneath me, her cat ears flicking along the top of her head. I looked down, blushing slightly when I saw her bare back, dipping down beneath the covers slightly, said covers being around our waists. I just smiled down at her as I left my arms where they were, wrapped around her, and I just looked back at the clock. "It's already almost ten o'clock? Woah…" I thought to myself as I looked down. We needed to get up soon anyway. I smirked slightly as I got an idea, leaning down. I slightly opened my mouth, nibbling gently on one of Blake's cat ears. She let out a little moan, her face shifting into a smile, "You're so bad~" she said, squirming around a bit as I held onto her. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, looking up at me and giving a small smile, her face burning as red as mine was.

"Hey." "Hey." I repeated, keeping a small smile on my face as I looked down at her, amber eyes meeting blue one's once again. She leaned up, gently pressing her lips against my cheek. "Sleep well? I know I did~" Blake said, smirking up at me as I felt her leg wrap tighter around one of mine. I chuckled as I leaned down, kissing her cheek as well. When I pulled back, I gave her the same smirk she had on her face, "How wouldn't I sleep well with such a beautiful woman at my side~" I said, causing her face to burn slightly red. She nuzzled against my chest, laying her chin on it as she looked up. I moved my hand, reaching up and gently petting her as she purred, rolling her head around my chest as I felt her arms move up, wrapping around my back.

"What have we here?"

I felt my face pale as I slowly turn, my face exploding into blush as I saw Velvet standing there, likely just coming in for work. I could tell she was just coming in for work mostly due to the carrot in her left hand and the coffee mug in her right. She had a little smile directed at me and Blake as Blake looked over my shoulder, her face resembling mine not a second later. "How long have you been-" "I just got here. I came in to get a band-aid for Ton-Ton and I find you two with your clothes on the floor." she said, gesturing down towards my clothes, as well as Blake's top and skirt. Velvet just walked in, my eyes following her as I saw her grab a package of band aids, picking one out as she spoke. "I'm glad I didn't bring Ton-Ton up here, I don't want my daughter seeing you two going at it in the clinic." she said with a little giggle at the end, causing me to freeze up and Blake to bury her head into my chest. If the warmth was anything to go by, her face was bright red.

Velvet just left the room, shutting the door a second later. I moved my arms, pulling back from Blake, "We uh, should probably get up before someone else walks in." I said, looking over at the door Velvet had just shut. Blake just nodded, pulling her leg out from back around me. I moved around, slipping my legs out over the bedside and standing up, stretching slightly. I looked back at Blake, finding her smiling. "Don't mind me, just enjoying the view." she said, causing me to blush a bit more. I turned, walking over and actually locking the door this time, didn't want anyone else to interrupt, before I walked over and grabbed my pants and shirt, quickly pulling them on. I looked over, my face burning before I turned, seeing Blake stepping out of bed, still topless. I heard Blake giggle as well as the sounds of what I guessed was her putting her clothes on. "So pure and innocent…" I heard her mutter.

I decided against bringing it up as I reached down, grabbing my coat and pulling it on, taking my katana and gun, laying them back inside said coat before I walked over to the window, slightly pulling back the curtain, enough to see outside. It was raining, nothing out of the ordinary there, there were still people walking around the streets like always. I just stared for a few minutes before I nearly jumped out of my skin, feeling two arms slink around my waist. I turned my head, seeing Blake laying her chin on the base of my neck. I felt a sudden pressure on my head as I looked up, seeing the brim of my hat. "Forget something?" she said, smiling up at me. I smiled back, turning around and wrapping my arms around her as well. She leaned up, and I leaned down, meeting her in a kiss like we had last night. When I pulled back, I looked towards the door, "We should go before Velvet comes up, get ready for the day and everything." I said. Blake sighed, letting go of me before she started walking away, right before she flung something back at me.

I caught it, blushing bright red when I looked down, seeing a pair of black panties. "A little reminder." she said, winking at me as she turned around, flipping her hair back over her shoulder as she walked out of the room, not so subtly flipping the back of her skirt up. I looked away, naturally, and when I looked back, the door was closed. I sighed as I looked down, my blush deepening as I understood just what Blake meant when she said a little reminder. While I was no expert on female undergarments, I was fairly certain that none of them had a large, darker stain on the front by design. I moved my hand down, walking towards the door and keeping Blake's… soiled, for lack of a better word, panties in my other hand, away from the door. I looked outside, seeing Velvet and Ton-Ton walking towards me, Ton-Ton with a little scrape on her knee, cutting into the small pair of overalls she was wearing as well. "Someone's been working in their garden I see?" I said, smiling down at Ton-Ton as I quickly shoved Blake's underwear in my inner trench-coat pocket.

She smiled up at me, tipping down the large-brimmed straw hat she was wearing. On close inspection, she even had a few flecks of dirt on her cheeks… she wasn't very clean like her mother I guess. She walked over to me, and I almost instinctively hugged her. "I didn't know you had a cat." Ton-Ton said, smiling up at me, though her expression was clearly confused. I met her with just as confused a gazed, then I looked up at Velvet, seeing her with a panicked expression and waving her arms in an X. "I don't… why did you think I did?" "Because you smell like one!" Was Ton-ton's reply. Velvet immediately face-palmed as I realized what she was trying to get at. Ton-Ton and, probably her mother too, could smell Blake on me. Being a little girl, I guess Ton-Ton didn't know the difference between an animal smell and a faunus smell. I just stood up, giving a nervous chuckle towards her as I was about to walk away, "Well, I'm not sure why that is." I said, rubbing a hand behind my head in what was likely the most suspicious way I could do so.

Ton-Ton tilted her head a little, raising an eyebrow as she sniffed again, her nose doing that little, rabbit like twitch she and her mother both had. "Why does your coat smell so sweet?" she asked, pointing towards my trenchcoat, more specifically, the part that had Blake's panties in it. I fought to hold down a blush as Ton-Ton walked forwards, reaching a hand towards me. "What're you hiding in there?" "Ton-Ton, we need to get that knee treated, you've got a play date soon remember?" Velvet said, smiling at her daughter. Ton-Ton let out a little squeal as she rushed over to her mother, dashing in the clinic. I waited a second before breathing out a sigh of relief. Not a second later Velvet walked over and reached into my pocket, fishing out the soiled black panties. She looked at them for a second, holding them with her thumb and index finger a few inches from her. She looked at me, smirking slightly, "I didn't think you'd be one to put out on the first date." "IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" I nearly yelled as I grabbed them, shoving them back in my pocket.

Velvet giggled as she turned around, walking towards the clinic. "Either way, I'm taking Ton-Ton and Neo out to the park for a playdate, I'll be back in time for us to open, don't worry." she said, looking over her shoulder. My eyes widened as I dashed over, gripping her shoulder, "Velvet have you gone nuts?! Neo's being hunted by a serial killer! She can't just go out in public like that!" "Don't worry about that, Neo! Come here!" Velvet replied, raising her voice a bit and looking towards Neo's room. My eyes widened as, instead of Neo, a little black haired girl walked out, her hair done in twin-pigtails that stretched down just a little beneath her shoulders. She yawned, looking over at us with big, green eyes. She was dressed in overalls too, only her's didn't have carrot buttons, but rather ice-cream one's, fittingly enough. "That's Neo?" I asked, looking back at Velvet.

"I had a little help with her disguise." she said, gesturing behind me. I turned around and, sure enough, someone was standing there. The red hair gave it away pretty easily, even if the bright green eyes didn't. She was dressed in a large, brown sweater and black pants, her hair flowing around her shoulders instead of tied in a ponytail like normal. "Hello again!" Pyrrha said, smiling at me. I nodded as I, still disbelieving, looked back at Neo, seeing her walking over to us, leaning against the wall and humming slightly as she seemed to wait for Velvet, who had walked in the clinic, to finish treating Ton-Ton. "How did you-" "I used to work undercover, disguises are everything in that field." Pyrrha said, smirking slightly with a sort of subtle confidence about her. I just nodded, leaning back slightly against the wall as I waited for Velvet and Ton-Ton to come out.

It was maybe three minutes later when the two of them walked out, me and Pyrrha leaning against one wall and Neo against the other. Neo took Ton-Ton's hand, giving her a smile as the two of them started walking off towards the stairs. I grabbed Velvet's hand before she could walk off. "Velvet. Are you three gonna be okay?" I asked, my expression turning more serious than before. Velvet stepped back a bit, but then nodded, smiling at me. I sighed as I leaned back, reaching into my jacket. I moved Velvet's hand, holding it palm out as I reached in, laying my revolver in her hands, loaded with six bullets. "Jaune… I can take care of them, and myself." "I know you can, but it… it gives me peace of mind alright? Be careful." I said. She took my gun, pulling her shirt out a bit and sticking it in the holster I knew she kept beneath her bra, the one she'd always had. She leaned in, wrapping her arms around me in an embrace. I returned it, smiling at her as we parted. I laid a hand on her shoulder, "Take care Velvet." "I will Jaune, don't worry." she said, smiling at me.

As she walked away, Pyrrha spoke up, "Why'd you give her your gun?" she asked, stepping back and raising an eyebrow towards me. I just shrugged, walking towards my apartment at the end of the hall, Pyrrha following me as I spoke. "To protect her. Plain and simple." I said as I got to my apartment, pulling open the door. I found everything was the way it always was, nothing out of place, no one had been inside and rooting around since I'd left for Mistral. I saw my bags set on the bed, guess Velvet brought them up between when we got back and this morning. "Isn't that gun important to you?" "I can get a new gun if mine goes missing or breaks. Sure it's expensive, but I can do it. I can't replace her." I said, gesturing behind me towards the group that had just left as I started unpacking my bags, noting which ones had dirty clothes and which one's had clean one's. I took out some clean ones and laid them on the bed, one's to change into after I took a shower of course.

"I thought she was just your secretary?" "She is… but she's more than that, a lot more." I said, taking off my hat and setting it on the nearby rack, the one that was supposed to be used for coats. Speaking of, I took my trenchcoat off, laying it next to my hat before I reached in the pocket, blocking view of my coat with my body as I grabbed out Blake's underwear. I shoved them in a drawer in the nightstand, not letting Pyrrha get a good look at them, as quickly as I could without arousing suspicion. "You love her, don't you?" she asked, giving me a slight smile as I turned, laying my now empty holster on the bed. I was about to refuse that statement, I wasn't interested in hooking up with Velvet, especially now that I was going out with Blake, but… then I realized she was kind of right. "Yeah but… not in a romantic kind of way. She's…" "Family."

I turned around, smiling slightly as I saw Blake standing there, wearing, strangely, exactly what she had the night before. Maybe she ran out of clean clothes or something? She was smiling at me as I nodded, "Yeah… exactly." I said. Pyrrha just nodded, smiling slightly as she turned to leave, Blake stepping aside and letting her go past. Pyrrha just smiled back at me, "I'm off today, and now that I'm not paralysed, getting home should be easier. I'll see you around, Jaune. Oh! And tell Velvet I'll send her clothes back in the mail." she said, turning away and walking back towards where I guessed she was sleeping last night. Once Pyrrha walked away, leaving only me and Blake, she smiled at me, walking in. "Almost had me worried… when you said you loved Velvet." she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I leaned down, pecking her lips before I leaned back. She smelled like lavender, she'd just gotten out of the shower no doubt. I chuckled, "Blake, believe me. The only woman I have eyes for, is you~" I said, smirking slightly as I leaned in closer, wrapping my arms around her back. She giggled, leaning her head against my chest before she spoke.

"You need to take a shower still right?" "Is it that obvious?" I said, giving a somewhat embarrassed smile. She shook her head, sniffing slightly as she reached her hands up, running through my, likely greasy, hair. "No… you still smell like me. Like a cat. I think your scent works better for you though." she said. I blushed slightly as I turned around, walking towards the small door that lead to the bathroom, as there was one in every apartment. I just nodded back at her, "Once I'm out we'll go talk to Ruby… then we can have that date I mentioned last night." I said, smiling. Blake giggled again as she gave a little wave, starting to walk towards the door. I turned around, opening the bathroom door as I walked in, locking it and quickly shedding off my somewhat dirty outer shirt. I started working on my pants as well before I stopped, standing up straight and looking in the mirror. I saw my chest, lined with small cuts and bruises here and there, just occupational hazards really, but then I saw the big one, where I was gutted. I shook the thoughts out of my head as I shed off the rest of my clothes, getting ready to take a shower.

When I got out, my towel wrapped around my waist, like usual. I saw Blake, sitting on my bed, my katana in her hands. It was out of it's sheath, and she was slowly tracing her fingers along the writing. She seemed almost mesmerized by it, and when I walked towards her, she didn't look up until I spoke. "Why is that out of it's sheath?" I asked. Blake jerked her head up, her face burning bright red as her eyes wandered down, looking over my form. I saw what looked to be a small drip of blood coming from her nose as I walked over to her, holding one hand out to her and one hand around my towel. She handed me the blade, and I quickly took it, holding it up in the light. "This remind you of anything?" "Blake I'm not role playing Ninja's of Love with you right now… maybe later." I said, setting my blade on the desk. She was no doubt referring to the infamous 'shower scene' where the main character had just walked out of a bathhouse, meeting the princess for the first time. The scene was infamous because it gave a highly detailed description of the sexual acts the two performed, not to mention it was on, like, page nine of the book.

She frowned for a moment, but then nodded, standing up and getting off of my clothes. "Yeah, hate to keep Ruby waiting." she said, frowning slightly. I just stood there, waiting on her to leave the room. She looked contemplative for a second, but then she walked away, heading back out the door behind her. I walked over to the door, shutting and locking it behind her before I dropped the towel, laying it on the bed as I grabbed my underwear, pulling them on first. Then my pants, my white undershirt, and at last, my trench coat and fedora. When I was dressed, I reached behind me, pulling my katana onto the familiar sheath around my waist. I reached up, panicking a bit out of instinct when I didn't feel my gun in it's holster. "Right, right… never get used to that." I thought as I walked over to the door, pulling it open. I started walking towards Blake's room, standing in front of the door as I knocked. "Come on in." I heard Blake say. I pushed open the door, raising an eyebrow towards her as I felt a blush creeping up to my face.

She was standing right in front of me, clad in a similar pair of black underwear as she was the night before, though these one's weren't stained. She smiled at me as her own face flushed slightly, her pulling out two skirts from a drawer. "Say… which one looks better?" "Whichever one you put on. They'll look better on you than in a drawer." I said, giving her a playful smirk as she giggled, grabbing the lighter of the two, laying it on the bed and picking out a simple white top, rather strange for someone that wore so much black. She got dressed, not at all minding that I was watching her, until she got to her denim jacket. She looked down at it, her eyes flashing with something I recognized, though I'd never really experienced myself. Homesickness. I walked over, looking down at her jacket and seeing a golden thread on the inside. Hand stitched, "We'll always love you… mom and dad… you miss them don't you?" I said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Blake just nodded, turning the jacket around and quickly pulling it on, grabbing her M1911 and laying it in it's holster, as well as a few clips of ammo in the pockets. She sighed as she spoke, "I never told them… I couldn't." she muttered. I gave her a confused look, laying a hand on her shoulder. I asked the question with my eyes that words couldn't, and she understood, and this time, she answered. "I didn't tell them I was in the White Fang, I didn't tell them I had a boyfriend, I didn't tell them I was pregnant… I didn't tell them I was running away with Adam." she said, looking down at the floor as I saw something flash across her face, something I usually didn't see in the stoic cat faunus. Something that, to be honest, I began to contemplate if she even had, considering how easily she killed and fought. Not in a hitman or assassin way… but in her way. That emotion, it was rather familiar to me.

Guilt.

"Would it make you feel better? To go and see them I mean." I said, placing my hand gently on her shoulder. She turned, her eyes widening as she looked at me. She blinked a few times, and I noticed her ears twitching back and forth behind her little black bow. "They live in Menagerie, they're really far away." "Then we can fly there." I said, smiling slightly at her. Her eyes widened even more, if that was possible, before she started asking questions, most of them 'What if' statements. I just answered them all.

"What if they won't let me in?" she asked.

"I'll kick the door down." I answered

"What if they try and hurt us?"

"I'll protect you."

"What if they've left? Gone somewhere else?"

"We'll find them."

"What if… what if they don't love me anymore."

That last one stopped me from answering her. I moved in, wrapping my arms around her waist and laying my chin on top of her head. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around my waist as well, her head sinking slightly into my chest. "Blake… they're your parents. Even if they have a weird way of showing it, they'll always love you." I said, pulling back and giving her my warmest smile. She smiled right back, leaning up and pecking me on the cheek as she giggled. Which only caused my smile to widen, and my blush to deepen. "Your such a dork." "Hey, you're dating this dork, what's that make you?" I asked, giving her a smirk as she lightly pat my arm, stepping back and walking towards the door. She reached back, taking my hand in hers as we walked out her door, both of us with light blushes and small smiles. I felt strange walking around without my gun, almost felt like I was naked without it. I'd done it a hundred times but man, never got any easier to give it to Velvet. We walked over to the stairs, and I smiled at Blake.

"Here goes nothing I guess."