Just Act Casually

AN: I originally planned for this to be seven chapters. But with the pacing as is, it's going to be more like twelve. And I'll probably extend it with an epilogue chapter or two. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Bedfellows

Ruby had stumbled into her apartment at five in the morning. She had wanted to stay at Oscar's hotel room while he was at work, but he didn't want to leave her bored. So, he took Ruby home on his way. Ruby was just a little peeved that she they didn't get to do much. Oscar was sweet but far from passionate.

Maybe it was time for her to go out on another mission. She checked her bank account, confirming that she still had plenty of money. But money wasn't why she became a huntress. Money just gave her reason to stay home. Drinking, sex, partying, good food and friends to share them with, these were things to live for. But risking your life out in the most dangerous parts of the world, watching as a Grimm howls in fear before vanishing into the void, these are the things that made Ruby feel alive. And all this together, business and pleasure, are what had kept her from going off the deep end when she was sure her life had fallen apart.

She shook those thoughts from her head as she sat on the couch. If she was going to find a ripe mission, perfect for her abilities, the best time to look at mission boards would be around nine in the morning. Right when the boards update. So, she couldn't afford to waste the day away in her bed. She silently thanked Oscar for being more of a coffee than alcohol guy. The fact she had stopped drinking as soon as she entered his hotel room had prevented another hangover from setting in.

She turned to television on real low. She plugged her headphones in and started listening to music while she nabbed a few extra hours of sleep on the couch. Her bed called for her. But it was too comfortable. If she went to bed now, she wouldn't get up until the afternoon no matter how many alarms she set up.

She was startled awake about two hours later. She heard the click of Jaune's door. When she peeked her eye open she saw Jaune's friend shuffle out. What was her name again? Reesh? She was haphazardly throwing pants on and holding back laughter as she did. In her hand was a pair of dress shoes. Her shirt was also disheveled, as if thrown on in the dark.

"Oh hey." She said.

"Hey." Ruby said.

"When did you get back?" She asked. Ruby checked the time.

"About two hours ago." Ruby answered. "Sleep good?"

"Oh yeah." She said with a big smile on her face. "Your roommate is quite the catch. But you probably already knew that."

"I, really don't." Ruby said.

"Oh, so you two have never…"

"Nope." Ruby popped her lips.

"Damn." She shrugged. "Anyway, I gotta get out of here." She walked towards the door. "See you around." She winked.

"Maybe." Ruby muttered after she heard the door shut.

Ruby stood up and changed into her usual outfit and cape. She made herself some coffee and chugged it down. Then, she headed out. She went to Beacon Academies mission hub. She got there just in time to see the boards flicker as the new data came in through the CCT.

She quickly scanned through the critical and high-risk sections. She found one that caught her eye. A behemoth had been spotted in the great wide north of Atlas. The Schnee Dust Company was personally paying for the travel fare should anyone sign on.

This was perfect. And it was an excuse to spend some time with Weiss when the mission was done. She filled her name out and registered for the mission. She then looked at the details. She had two days before the airship would leave Vale and head to the hunting ground.

Satisfied with her registration, she went back home. On her way, she swung by the store and got herself some strawberry yogurt. She had a craving for it right now and it would go great with whatever lunch she and Jaune have. Jaune would surely be up now. Maybe he would even accompany her to do some training. Ruby had spent plenty of time on her ass in the week since she got back from her last mission. If she was going to dive bomb a behemoth it was best to sharpen her body.

As she walked up the steps to her apartment, she got the uncontrollable urge to piss. Always right when she was doing something. She fumbled with the door in her anxiousness. As soon as she got in she went straight to the bathroom. When she opened the door Jaune was in there, buck naked with a towel over his shoulder.

"God, damn it!" Ruby shut her eyes and shut the door. Jaune let out a girly shriek at the intrusion. "Sorry." She said. "I really gotta piss though." Jaune came out with the towel wrapped around him.

"You could have knocked." Jaune said.

"And you could have locked the door." She shut the door to the bathroom. She took note that Jaune didn't have any clothes on the floor which meant he had walked naked from his bedroom. After relieving herself she stepped back out. Jaune was still standing there with the towel around his body.

"That was embarrassing." Jaune said.

"It happens." Ruby said.

"Your face is red." Jaune said.

"Piss off." Ruby deflected. "Go take your shower."

"Alright." Jaune smiled as he went into the bathroom.

A few seconds later, Ruby could hear the shower starting. She sat on the couch with a huff. She wasn't embarrassed. He was the one who shrieked like a little girl. He caught her by surprise, that was all. It's hard to live in such restrained quarters without seeing your roommate naked. Ruby knew that from four years of living with all girls. Hell, if Nora's stories were anything to go off, there had been a number of compromised moments in the coed JNPR room.

And it's not like she hated what happened. Jaune was a good-looking guy. If he had been a stranger she might have smirked and complimented his physique. Had it been someone like Oscar she would have offered to join him. But this was Jaune. Dorky, well-meaning, kinda dense, admittedly handsome Jaune. Her seeing him naked would be like if Yang saw Sun naked or something like that. Scratch that, Yang would still act as lewd as possible.

Jaune emerged from the shower and went straight to his room. While he was getting dressed, Ruby grabbed a spoon and a package of yogurt. He emerged a few minutes later, clothed in white pants and blue shirt with white lobsters on them. Ruby couldn't help but laugh at the cartoonish shirt. It had actually been a birthday present from Weiss, who simply had no idea what to get anybody that year.

"See something you like?" Jaune asked.

"No, just you." Ruby teased. Jaune sat down next to her.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"I'm the one who walked in on you." Ruby said as she took a bite from the creamy snack. "Speaking of which, I ran into what's her face this morning."

"Really? What did she have to say?"

"That you really suck and should get a life." Ruby said flatly.

"Not funny."

"I think it is."

"Do you do this to make up for the fact that your man couldn't spend more than a few hours with you last night."

"Alright, you're an asshole." Ruby said.

"Don't play games if you're afraid to lose." Jaune said. Ruby stuck her tongue out at him.

"I know what I was getting myself into last night." Ruby said. "Or rather, I knew what I was letting get into me." She smirked. "Do you?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means careful who you stick your dick in. Girl who puts out after just one night, usually not the best."

"I didn't know you were so concerned."

"I'm not. But I get it. You went from having a lot of sex pretty often to having no sex. Your choice, but sometimes after something like that you have a hard time remembering how awesome it feels to build up to something like that."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Speaking as a woman. The saying goes, women use sex to get love, men use love to get sex. Most guys just like instant gratification." She snapped her fingers. "Women have softer pots for chivalry. Men are like a bop-it, women are like a puzzle cubes."

"Meaning?"

"Patience." Ruby said. "Take it from someone who literally gets off on sweet romantic gestures. Any girl worth keeping is a girl worth putting in some actual fucking effort into seeing. Someone like Reesh…"

"Reese." He corrected.

"Whatever. The girl you fucked last night, might have felt good, amazing even, but what about her is going to be worth remembering?"

"Um?"

"Exactly. You want a rebound girlfriend, or someone you can spend the rest of your life with? Then put in some effort. Take your time. Seriously, one date without you trying to bang them will weed out the whores real fucking quick."

"That makes sense." Jaune said.

"See, I knew you'd understand. Wish I could get Yang to realize that." Ruby poked at the last bit of yogurt in the cup. Jaune had grabbed himself one and was now eating it.

"Yeah, has she even contacted you since she left?"

"She sent me a text a few days ago, bragging about how awesome Mistral is. As if I didn't know." Ruby said.

"Seems like everyone is so spread out." Jaune said. "Just the two of us, and Pyrrha, are the only ones still living in Vale." Ruby leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn't know why. But all this talk about their friends was starting to bring back all the memories, good and bad.

"Yeah, but it's not like they're gone forever. In fact, I just took up a mission in Atlas. SDC is going to be writing my paycheck and you know what that means."

"Judging by your tone I'm going to guess Weiss."

"Ding, ding, ding." She said.

"That…to bring this conversation full circle…what you were saying about being patient…is that what you had to tell yourself after what happened two years ago?"

"Why would you bring it up?" Ruby whispered.

"Just…you don't like talking about anything that happened around that time. Not even to me, not even to Yang."

"Drop it!" She commanded.

"Alright." Jaune said. "But you should be patient too. If it's really that bad to talk to me about it, how do you know you've gotten over it enough to carry on with your life?"

"I said fucking drop it." She ordered again. Her hands clenched into fists. She looked into his eyes. What she saw was strange, it was genuine worry. No one had looked at her like that in a very long time. Everyone thought she was some hard-nosed badass super-soldier but she was still human. And in the darkest moment of her life, she had turned to the person she was supposed to be able to confide in, and he had only made things worse. If it was just one thing she could have dealt with it. But having it all happen at once…

"Ruby?" He asked.

"Sorry and…thank you." She said. "You're right. It's just…I haven't had any alcohol today let alone enough to vent about that bastard." She said. "But I know you're not like that. You've never been the kind of guy who likes to see people suffer."

"Yeah. I'm nice like that unlike someone who lives here." Jaune accused. Ruby laughed and her mood lightened.

"Yeah, which is why you'll always finish last."

"No, it means I have to work hard, just like you said."

AN: So, that was chapter five. We're getting a little closer to the climax of this story. Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this so far. It's been fun writing this for you all. Gives me more time to plan out my next Generations arc before I actually start writing that.