Edited by: Crescent Sunrise
'This day could not get any worse!' The shy sniper groans mentally. Nolan—true to his word of course—related her joke to Brawnz the second he sat down. She then endured the rest of the class listening to three boys poking innocent fun at her. Her face lighting up a dangerous shade of embarrassed red when Roy asked if she thought about borrowing Nolan's weapon to use after she wins Ruby's heart.
'Well I'm certainly thinking about it now... Image is going to be stuck there all day. Would Ruby even be into something like that? Am I even into that?! Well maybe with Ruby... Bad May! Focus!' She remarks to herself focusing back on the last target for the day. She knows where it is the problem is getting a clean shot on it without getting caught. Sticking straight out from the side of the building it only offers her two angles on it from a long distance. The issue is that she has to shot either facing the angle with Ruby on it and risk Ruby spotting the muzzle flash, or shooting on the side with Ruby and risk her hearing the sound of the shot.
The choice is tough but knowing Ruby is in the tree line, no doubt trying to avoid the issue of being in the same building as her target again. May slips through another building connected to her chosen perch hoping to go unnoticed as she makes her way inside. She moves up the stairwell and down a hall. Moving into the room directly across from the target she opens a window from the side and slips back out of the door leaving it open and across the hall into another hall, parallel to the previous.
'And NDGO can't hangout tonight. They're heading into Vale for a team bonding excursion and if I'm right that means they're going dancing. I'm surprised they got Gwen to go with them. But I suppose they are a team.'
Next she starts lowering blinds to keep her location dark before twirling on her silencer and looking around for something to cover the flash. Seeing nothing that would work without risking catching fire she bites her lip. Her flush returning as she removes her jacket and the shirt underneath it before pulling her jacket back on and wrapping the shirt around the silencer so the barrel is covered by a single sheet of cloth.
Finally prepared May steadies herself and takes aim through the window across the hall and out towards her target. Unable to spot Ruby in the tree line but certain the short girl saw the window being opened. The feeling of missing her shirt is an odd one. Good thing the shirt isn't really a favorite of hers. Otherwise she might have had to use a sock. And a sock with a hole is not a sock May Zedong will wear. With no need to even mention that only wearing one sock would be weird.
'Besides walking around without socks gives me blisters and those really suck.' She continues mentally before lining up her shot and taking it. The shirt partially doing its job to hide the flash, but just in case May drops low, lifting her head up to be see the now destroyed target before dropping back down and carefully fleeing the area.
May finds herself at an impasse. She can start disguising herself and remove Ruby's ability to identify her should she manage to get a picture of May. Or the sniper can continue as she has been and allow the inevitable to happen. In the two days thus far in their competition each target has gotten increasingly difficult for May to hit without getting seen. With three days left and six more opportunities for Ruby to catch her out before she's ready.
As tempted as May is to disguise herself so she can make it through the game unidentified, she knows it defeats the purpose. Finding out Longshots' identity is half of the incentive she offered Ruby when proposing the game in the first place. To undermine it now wouldn't be fair to her adorable crush.
'Well I can at least not wear my usual clothes. She gets a picture of my hat, or weapon though and I'm sunk. And I'm not about to give them up.' She confirms to herself. She's about to knock on the door to NDGO's room when she remembers they're out in the city for the evening. She can only hope her team will have gotten their teasing out of their system by now.
She gets through the door to her room and sets her gun down next to her bed before flopping onto the soft comfortable mattress. Her visible eye closing until she hears her scroll going off.
She opens it and gives herself a little smile at the message inside, before starting to respond.
'RR - Heya Longshot, if you're not busy to you want to talk for a bit?'
'LS - Sure Ruby, do you want to talk about anything specific?'
'RR - Not really. How about alternating questions? If something's too personal you can pass.'
'LS - Sounds fine to me, your idea so you go first.'
'RR - Okay, Well I have a dog called Zwei, he's a corgi. Do you have any pets?'
May snickers at the question. Framed to keep her from just asking the same one and forcing Ruby to carry the burden of conversation. The shy sniper wonders for a moment if it's intentional before shaking her head and simply responding. Choosing to ask a question that's gotten her curious.
'LS - Nope, I've never owned a pet though I imagine it would have been nice when I was younger. I noticed you never seem to be without your cloak, even in your school uniform. I can assume it's important to you, may I ask why?'
'RR - My mom made it for me a long time ago. What do you do in your spare time?'
'LS - I like finding places people don't go often and the higher up it is the better. It goes hand in hand with people watching. I learn a lot through observation like that. Are you from Vale or one of the kingdoms?'
'RR - That sounds a bit lonely. But I guess it's less embarrassing than trying to talk to someone and running your mouth a mile a minute as you stumble around trying not to offend them like me. And no, I'm from Patch. It's an island off the coast. Signal is there! It's where I went before coming to Beacon. My Uncle Qrow teaches there! Man, now I'm curious where you're from but you just asked... Oh! Do you like music?'
May pauses and frowns for a moment. Ruby wants to know and just giving her where she's from doesn't necessarily give her away but it would be a strong indicator and wouldn't be hard to get found out from there. But on the other hand what the sniper has learned of her crush so far she finds it difficult to believe Ruby would do that. So she doesn't feel too worried answering the implied question.
'LS - It can be lonely yes, my partner will sometimes come out with me though and just hang out with me. He's pretty nice like that. I'm from Vacuo, the main city not one of the smaller villages. And yes, I like music but I left my head phones behind when I came here. It's okay though, I can just borrow my partners if I really want to listen to something. My preference leans towards classical and opera. So how did you manage to get into Beacon so early?'
'RR - Well actually I got the headmasters attention when I helped stop a robbery at a dust shop. Professor Goodwitch showed up and kinda saved me a bit. But the headmaster was still impressed and invited me to come to Beacon! He gave me some cookies too. Headmaster Ozpin is pretty awesome. So are you looking forward to the festival?'
The conversation carries on like that for a while learning more little innocent facts about each other and falling into easy conversation until Ruby stops to take a shower and work with her partner on her homework. Homework May had been working on in between messages. With a shrug she goes back to it and enjoys a mostly quiet night relaxing with her team until there's a knock at her door. Thinking it's NDGO she hops up and heads to answer it only to be greeted by a widely grinning visage and bright golden hair.
"Y-Yang?! Wh-what are you doing here? D-did something h-happen?" May asks trying in vain to relax her sudden tension as she steps to the side inviting Yang into the room. Watching as the brawler steps in with confidence looking around at the beds and her team mates before shrugging.
"I'll say something happened. You talked to Rubes, I'm actually curious what happened. You seemed pretty adamant about the whole keeping your distance thing." Yang questions curiously her head tilting as one of her fingers twirls a lock of her hair.
"H-how does everyone know a-about that? I only t-told NDGO and my team heard a-about it b-before my next class." May replies with a weak groan tugging down on her beanie still not particularly pleased with how spastic she seemed losing control of her weapon and stepping on an unknown landmine in the conversation at the end.
Yang shrugs in response before actually answering. "Well when I found out that you're the friend the black haired girl was asking for I decided to network a little since watching you two is adorable." She admits freely without the smallest hint of remorse for turning May's romantic pursuit into some kind of real life drama. The shy sniper blames Dew for this. "So, what gives?" Yang asks again bringing the topic back on track.
"I-I didn't p-plan it. I w-was just working on L-longshot and she c-came in and took the w-workbench next to me. W-we talked a l-little but I think I m-messed up near the end." May admits staring at the ground. Missing the excited spark flaring in Yang's eye so similar to the one of Dew whenever juicy romance gossip is mentioned.
"Weeeeeeeell. Don't worry too much about it. Oh, and make up an excuse to hold off on your little competition tomorrow. Trust me you'll be kicking yourself if you don't. I could tell you why, but it's more fun for me if I let it be a surprise." Yang adds with a wink before practically skipping out of the room. Leaving a sniper behind in a strange mix of emotion. Curiosity, frustration, nervousness, and just a little excitement anticipating it will have something to do with Ruby.
She moves back to her bed and grabs a towel and her night clothes before heading towards the shower. Determined to relax and knowing if she doesn't calm herself down she'll likely spend the night tossing and turning until exhaustion takes over. She's actually grateful it's her turn to take notes tomorrow, it will help distract her from Yang's surprise.
Letting the warm water cascade down her back running in cleansing rivulets over her flesh to carry away the remnants of a days' trials down to the floor and into the drain she leans forward against the wall of the shower. Grateful her team already handled their showers leaving her with all the time she wishes and with the academies industrial strength boilers she could likely stay under the water the whole night and not run out of the delightful spray.
Her hand slides up from her neck on its way to her hair only to stop and hesitate over the no longer hidden eye. Her mood begins to sour until she shakes it off letting her hand slide into her hair as she rubs shampoo into it. As the water rinses the suds out she turns the heat a bit higher letting the now hot water beat a soothing uneven march across her dusky skin as steam builds in the room at large.
She doesn't leave the shower for some time after that but when she does it's with a smile. Steam billowing from the open door to the bathroom as the fan inside fights to dissipate the thick cloud she allowed to form in her shower. Her bangs hiding her eye as she puts her jacket to hang from one bed post with her beanie on the other before sliding under the covers the lingering heat of the shower rapidly warming the cool space beneath keeping her from growing uncomfortable dressed as lightly as she is in shorts and a tank top.
"Good night guys." She calls out getting a trio of good nights in return from her team. Her eyes closing as warmth and relaxation send her into easy slumber with dreams featuring a girl smelling of strawberries and rose petals. Her last thought being a short and simple one.
'Maybe today broke even.'
AN:
Okay, a few short things. This chapter was incredibly irritating to write for some reason. It just did not want to cooperate and dispite re-reading several times and pulling out sections and adding others to give the information in new ways this is the best I could manage and I'm sorry for that. But who knows maybe you'll like it more than I do. regardless this chapter needed to happen to set up certain things I actually really want to write and to give a few more looks into how May's mind works. Just about the only things about this chapter I like are Yang's scene and the first paragraph.
So yea, poll is still up for what i'll work on after this. it looks like it will be "MK:MZ" Which hilariously enough i actually started before this story. This only went up first because I thought it would be over first. So funny how that works out.
This is the part where I respond to reviewers I like doing this and I try to get to everyone because I like to reply in a public forum. though if things continue as they are I may begin cutting back on that a bit and cherry picking because otherwise these will get to long. however I will still give mentions! now onwards!
Raisuke & Alpha: Thank you two,and yea I hadn't seen them shipped together before I made this either but maybe it will get more love now? I can always hope.
RatedRSuperstar: Nice to see you back, I'm curious what you saw or think you saw. and do you mean you saw something in chapter 7 or 6?
SanDemonMax: Yes, Ruby is adorable. she agreed to the competition so feels at least some obligation to try it out. plus Longshot has been very sweet and nice to her.
Imoshen: Yes, People seem to be very curious as to exactly when Ruby will find out. I know when she will but I'm not telling because that's a spoiler and I'm looking forward greatly to writing that scene.
CinderBurn: Rambling Ruby Rose is so fun to write. And knowing what social anxiety feels like makes it all the easier.
Ventori: Well then let me just say I'm honored you decided to speak up here then! I mentioned my reasons for writing it in the first few chapter notes I think but as far as being the best to start with on this pairing... well I think this and my oneshot are the only current choices on Fanfiction, at least they were last I looked. STILL! I'm sure there are others out there somewhere and I'm grateful you like it so much, and yea, I have a few more ideas for Long Distance (thanks for the approval there hehe) Some will be longer stories some not so much but still. I imagine they'll get written eventually.
MetalFury: Well It's not that I don't like writing long stories. it's just that this story was planned to be only one or two shots. but I threw out so much after the first chapter and decided to go in a different direction with it. The issue was that while I have a start and ending in mind getting between them without any events planned more than one or two chapters in advance can be a bit nerve wraking and I sometimes worry that i'll end up writing myself into a corner or that my quality will slip because I'm trying to fit in things that don't seem quite right. I already said I'm not going to guess at length anymore, story will be done when it's done. I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. Hope you continue doing so.
LordNodrogLock: I took it as a compliment. And YES! I actually do have a few different Ideas for epiloge. I may even break it into different parts and get a few bonus chapters out of it. I'm not sure yet.
KevinDynamite: I actually can. but for different reasons. I put off reading updates to my followed stories until after I finish whatever I'm currently reading and sometimes that can take days. it's a little bit of suffering to know there's something I really want to read but I can't because I'm only halfway through whatever I'm already reading. and after re-reading it I realized you're right. I meant for her stuttering there to be a sign of how flustered Nolan got her but I didn't actually make that as obvious as I intended. My apologies there. I will try to do better in the future.
Thats all for this time my wonderful readers. I love you all, see you next time!