CH 4 A Blooming Rosebud

Author Notes: Woo hoo a new chapter! Time to find out what happened after the chaotic breakfast. Side note, does anyone like the song suggestions for the stories? If not I'll stop doing them. These are the songs I listen to on repeat when writing the chapters and thought I'd share with all you lovely people. OKAY onto the story~

CH song Opinion Overload – Simple Plan watch?v=HDklgJ3MCx0

Why, why, WHY did she have to hang all over him like that? WHY did he just let her? And WHY did it bother her so much?! Ruby Rose was mulling over how a perfectly good morning had been ruined because someone insisted a known criminal join them in their meal, a criminal that was trying to steal her best friend. Breakfast had long since ended, long enough for Qrow to wake up and wander down stairs. Sitting alone on the couch where not even comic books could distract her from her 'ice cream' headache, Ruby mulled over that morning once more.

Finding Neo in Jaune's bed was becoming the norm, not that she ever got used to it. She couldn't figure out why seeing those two together bothered her so much. Unfortunately, Jaune was right. Neo hadn't tried to hurt anyone since they brought her home. There were a few harmless pranks, mostly at Ruby or Jaune's expense, but nothing that'd cause any injuries and certainly nothing life threatening. Neo not hurting people was a good thing after all, so what should it matter if the psycho only needed a blonde impulse control.

Ruby: "Ugh, stupid Jaune. Stupid Neo. Stupid Jaune feeding stupid Neo. 'Oh I have seven sisters so I have to spoil her rotten.' What's up with that? He's never fed me before . . ."

Ruby was so absorbed in her own little world that she hadn't heard Yang walking up behind her. Seeing the golden opportunity presented before her, how could Yang resist? She grabbed an ice cube out of her cup and with a grace that'd make Blake proud, dropped the frozen bobble down the back of Ruby's shirt.

Ruby: "GAHH, COLD! COLD! COLD! YANG!?"

Yang: "Ha ha Sorry Rubes, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. "

Ruby: "Not cool!"

Yang: "Aww come on, don't go giving me the cold shoulder over it. Heh heh."

Ruby: "What do you want?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that one. She'd never admit it but Ruby really did miss her sister's puns. Yang hopped over the back of the couch to take a seat next to her favorite sister and rested her drink on the table in front of them.

Yang: "You doing alright? You're looking a little . . . bla."

Ruby: "I feel a little bla. heh heh. But yeah, I'm alright. How are things between you and Blake?"

Yang: "Oh that? We patched that up, no worries."

Ruby: "Heh that'd be nice." She scoffed under her breath. 'No worries' are exactly what she needed right now.

Yang: "Something on your mind Rubes? You know you can talk to me about anything that's troubling ya. What're big sisters for eh?"

Yang Xiao Long, the sunny little dragon as their dad would call her, always there to help when Ruby needed a shoulder to lean on. Especially now that her new shoulder was currently being used by someone else.

Ruby: "No there's nothing really. Just wondering when we're going to get to Atlas, we've been stuck here for too long."

Yang: "Hmm? Not that I don't agree with you, but I think there is something else eating at ya sis."

Confused, Ruby looked into her sister's eyes for answers and those lilac eyes looked back like they knew something they shouldn't.

Ruby: "No . . . well maybe."

Yang: "Let me guess, it's short, two toned and is where she doesn't belong right now?"

Ruby: "Is it that obvious?"

Yang: "I could practically grill an egg on your head this morning with the way you were glaring at her. I know why I don't like Neo, but what's your excuse Ruby?"

Yang had her suspicions, but she wanted to hear it form the horse's mouth first. It had started slow at first, Neo taking any chance she could get to cling onto Jaune. It always got a blush out of the leader and Ruby wasn't very good about hiding her disdain towards the two. Yang was pretty sure Neo was doing it deliberately to mess with the both of them. She hated to admit it, but it was a pretty good prank; though it was starting to get old fast.

Ruby: "I don't know. At first it was because she was a dangerous criminal, I mean she still is but she hasn't done anything bad since we ran into her."

Yang: "That we know of."

Ruby: "Right. Now I'm not sure what it is that bothers me about her."

Yang couldn't help but let out an audible sigh. Either Ruby was completely oblivious or the girl was in denial. Now the question Yang had to ask herself was, 'do I give her a much-needed shove or do I continue to sit back and watch?'

Yang: "Ruby are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with a knight in shining armor?"

Ruby just stared at her sister perplexed before it finally dawned on her a second later. The realization brought a rosy hue to her cheeks as she tried to protest.

Ruby: "What?! No! Jaune has nothing to do with this!"

Yang: "I never mentioned Jaune~" She teased, unable to hold back a wickedly playful smile.

Ruby: "Ugh well you implied it!"

Yang: "*sigh* Ruby I heard about what happened this morning from Weiss. If you keep this up, we're going to run out of dishes. I'm with Ice Queen on this one, if Jaune being close with Neo bothers you so much then you need to talk to him.

Ruby just sat there, her arms crossed not giving Yang the pleasure of her attention for the duration of the unwanted advice. Like all great things though, her resistance had to come to an end and she looked up at the cheeky grin plastered on her sister's face.

Ruby: "I hate you, you know that right?"

Yang: "Love you too sis." She said while ruffling up her troubled leader's hair. "If you need me, I'll be out back working on Bumblebee." She hopped off her comfy spot on the couch then spun around to shoot an accusing finger in Ruby's face. "Remember, talk-to-him."

Yang then turned on her heel and headed out towards her precious motorcycle. A little shove, right Xiao Long? Good job. Yang patted herself on the back as she took one more glance over her shoulder at her socially awkward sister. Ruby knew her way around weapons and a battlefield no problem, but the battlefield of the heart? Now that was something Ruby had to navigate on her own.

Ruby Rose was once more alone in the large room; left alone to stew on her sister's unwanted advice. First Weiss, now Yang; what were they talking about?! They made it sound like she liked Jaune. Well she did like him but like, like him?

Nora: "Hey Rubibbles, you got a sec?"

Ruby: "Hey Nora, Right now's not-"

Jaune: "WAH HEY!"

Both women's attention was immediately drawn to the upstairs balcony as Neo could be seen dragging Jaune by his arm towards the stairs while he tried to keep up with her. She was oddly dressed up, WAIT was that Weiss' old battle outfit?!

Jaune: "I guess we're going out for a bit I'll keep her out of trouble see you guys later."

SLAM! And out the front door the two of them disappeared.

Ruby: "You know what, yeah I can spare a sec."

And she needed the distraction. The girl was practically fuming as her face burned red.

Nora: "My room, five minutes, don't be late. The doctor is in!"

Nora was great for a pep-up. Her personality always managed to liven up the room and Ruby was actually looking forward to whatever Nora had planned. Maybe she wanted help upgrading Magnhild~

Ruby: ". . . uh Nora, what's with the mustache?"

Nora: "It's to set the mood silly~ Now step into my office!"

Ruby was starting to regret this decision. Exactly five minutes had passed before she met Nora at her room just as the powerhouse of the group had instructed her.

Nora: "Now zell me, vhat is bothering you?"

Ruby: "Uuuuugh! Not you too!"

Nora: "Now now, ve must get to ze bottom of vhis."

Nora was taking her psychiatrist role-play too seriously for Ruby's taste. Still Ruby was lying on the bed while Nora sat in a chair next to her, writing something on a notepad.

Ruby: "There is nothing wrong! Why does everyone think something is wrong?! Can I go now?"

Nora: "Umm hmm, umm hmm. And zell me Ms. Rose, how do you veel about Jaune and Neo's relationship?" Nora inquired through crooked eyebrows.

Ruby: "Relationship?!" The young girls voice cracked a pitch Nora didn't know the little reaper could reach. "They don't have a relationship! What are you talking about? That's crazy, you're crazy!"

Ruby felt a pit in her stomach thinking about the possibility of those two being in that sort of relationship. It would certainly explain their clingy behavior. Of course, finding Neo in Jaune's bed would be on a whole new level of bad. NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! Not thinking about it!

Letting out a sigh that also washed away her cheery disposition, Nora removed her fake Prof. Port mustache and quietly observed her flailing comrade.

Nora: "Ruby," She said flatly. "You like Jaune don't you, as more than a friend?"

It felt more like a statement than a question but the meaning was nevertheless there. Ruby was seeing a side of Nora that she seldom witnessed, and that serious look made it hard to lie.

Ruby: ". . . I mean yeah, maybe as a best friend. Wiess and I are besties, but Jaune is probably my best guy friend."

Nora didn't seem convinced. Neither did Ruby if the way she tapped her two index fingers together was any indication.

Nora: "What makes Jaune your best friend over say Ren, or Sun?"

Ruby: "Well he was the first friend I made at Beacon. He's also funny and fun to talk to. We're both leaders so we can understand one another there and we've always been there to help each other out. He helped cheer me up when Qrow was poisoned and I was stressing out about getting everyone in danger. Thanks to Jaune I didn't lose faith in myself, he gave me hope. He has always helped calm me down and cheer me up now that I think about it. It's relaxing to be with him; he gives off that kinda vibe. Not only that, I've seen how far he's come and I'm really proud of him. I mean back when he chopped off the head of that Ursa while protecting Cardin, and holding his own against that Grimm at Kuroyuri he looked so cool! Uhh don't tell him I said that, please."

The smile on Nora's face just continued to grow as Ruby ranted about the loveable dork of a leader. She knew Ruby had a crush on Jaune but she didn't realize it was this bad.

Ruby: "Hey, what are you smiling at? It looks creepy."

Nora: "Nothing much. You seem to really care about Jaune."

Ruby: "Of course I do, he's like family. You all are."

Nora: "Aww Ruby, that's so sweet. We think of you as family too!"

The silver eyed warrior was trapped in a bear hug that was far harder to escape than the one her blonde sister often gave her.

Ruby: "Ugh Nora, you're crushing me."

Nora: "Oh sorry Ruby. You know, Jaune cares a lot about you too."

Hearing that caused her to perk up, but still she refused to look Nora in the eyes. Thankfully the light blush on her face was easy enough to see.

Ruby: "I know that, he cares about all of us. He should care more about himself if you ask me. He's always over training and taking unnecessary risks. I don't care if he has a huge pool of Aura, that's no excuse."

Nora: "Yeah but he always seems more concerned with your wellbeing than with anyone else's. Or haven't you noticed all the times he's rushed to your side?"

That weird pit in Ruby's stomach had migrated up and into her heart. Something was giving it a squeeze but she just couldn't figure out what. Was Nora right? Did she have feelings for Jaune that went beyond friendship? Was she falling for him, did she fall for him, had she already fallen for him? If so, when? For how long? Her mind became a flurry of questions before Nora's voice snapped her out of it.

Nora: "Now I'm saying this as your friend, you shouldn't bottle up or deny your true feelings. It's not healthy and it'll leave you with nothing but regrets."

Ruby: "Speaking from personal experience?"

Nora: "Mmm hmm."

Ruby: ". . . you and Ren?"

Despite her recent behavior, Ruby wasn't blind. Even she could tell Nora had feelings for Ren. That, and she noticed something had changed between them after the fight with the Nuckelavee in the ruins of Kuroyuri. They seemed closer now, more intimate then they had been. She thought that they had finally gotten together-together as Nora would put it.

Nora: "Pyrrha . . ."

The room was silent. All the color from Ruby's face washed out leaving a porcelain frown behind. You could hear a pin drop in the room.

Nora: "I don't know if you noticed, but Pyrrha had a really bad crush on Jaune. She didn't do a very good job of hiding it, yet Jaune still never noticed."

Ruby: ". . . I uh. I thought that after the dance they had gotten together."

Nora just sadly shook her head. Oh, if only it was that simple.

Nora "No . . . even after Jaune had given up on Weiss and she had no competition, Pyrrha still never made that final move. She thought she had all the time in the world to wait for him to recognize her feelings."

Ruby: "But, the way Jaune acts whenever someone brings her up-"

Nora: "Yeah something must have happened the night beacon fell, but he still hasn't told us the whole story. He'll tell us when he is ready."

Once more the room was silent as they mourned their fallen friend. Only the rhythmic sound of each girl's breathing filled the air before Nora couldn't stand the silence any longer.

Nora: "The whole time we were at Beacon I just sat back and watched over the two of them. Don't get me wrong I am no master of love so what advice could I give, really? But it was hard you know. Watching her encourage the man of her dreams to chase another woman. Pyrrha was just so self-conscious and afraid of what would happen if she confessed. 'What if he said no, what if he said yes?' In the end, she never got the chance to tell him her feelings."

Ruby: "Nora, that's . . . tragic, but I don't see what that has to do with me?"

Nora: "Ruby, Ren and I are dating now."

Well that came out of left field! Ruby wasn't sure how to react with the sudden tone shift in their conversation but she knew this was something worth celebrating. Still why did her counterpart seem so down expressing the happy news?

Ruby: "Congratulations?"

Nora: "Thanks, but do you know when we got together?"

Ruby didn't say anything, but that was alright. Nora wasn't looking for an answer. She stared wistfully past Ruby and into the memory.

Nora: "It was after Kuroyuri, when we were on the airship. Ren made the first move. We could finally be together-together and I was happy, ecstatic even." Nora let out another long sigh. "Ruby it took a near death experience where nearly none of us made it out alive before we could make any progress. And in the end, he was the one that finally made the first move while I was still too afraid to ruin what we had; even though I wanted so much more. Now I just feel silly for all that wasted time."

Now it was Ruby's turn to stare off into space, finally realizing the connection to her current situation. Okay yeah sure she probably had feelings for Jaune, feelings that she had tried to hide. Feelings she couldn't lie to herself about any longer, not when it pained her every time she saw Neo clinging to Jaune and a part of her wished their rolls were reversed. It seemed like everyone had figured it out before her . . . wait did Jaune know too? Did he know about her feelings and just ignore them like she had tried to?!

Nora: "Don't worry Ruby, I don't think Jaune knows you like him. He's a good guy but probably as dense as one of those guys in the comics you both read."

Her worry must have been written all over her face since Nora had brought it up so fast. After their little giggle fit both girls settled into a much lighter mood before returning to the topic at hand.

Ruby: ". . . what do I do?"

Nora: "You go get your man!"

Nora said with the same cheeriness that she'd become synonymous with. Ruby couldn't help but raise a judgmental brow at the ginger's advice. Especially after hearing about how her love life came into existence. Sure, Nora's was a success story for taking it slow; but that didn't mean it always worked out.

Nora: "All I know is that if you wait too long then you will miss your chance. There is no way of knowing when is the right time to act, you just need to follow your heart and don't hesitate."

Ruby: "But what if Jaune only sees me as a kid? Do I even have a chance? I can't be all fancy pansy like Wiess-"

Nora: "Ruby Rose, I happen to know for a fact that our Jaune Arc is awed and inspired by you. And just between you and me, I've caught him staring at you more than once." She finished that sentence with a wink. "Give yourself more credit girl, you're a bad ass beauty to rival any other! Besides you two are so~ cute together. "

Ruby: "Haha knock it off. You're starting to sound like Yang."

Nora: "Just call me big sister number two~! But seriously Ruby, if you really want to be with Jaune then I suggest you start making your move. I don't know how serious she is, but Neo clearly has some interest in him. At this rate it's only a matter of time."

Ruby: "Well how do I do that? She is around him almost twenty-four seven. Gerr"

Nora: "Flirt, duh!"

Ruby: "How?"

Nora "Now if I knew that then I wouldn't have had that much trouble with Ren. -fraid you're just going to have to figure that one out on your own. Hmm you could start with clinging to him more. Doesn't look like Jaune minds and more skinship never hurt anyone~"

Ruby now had the answer to why she was so irritated watching how close Neo and Jaune were getting, but with that one answer several new questions rose to take its place. She'd need time to process all this information. Oh that's right, Neo had dragged Jaune out of the house to who knows where. She had time before they got back.

Nora: "Welp~ I need to go make sure Ren isn't getting into any trouble."

Ruby: "Pfft Isn't it usually the other way around?"

Nora: "Naw~ But don't tell Ren that. Heh heh Alright Ruby, the doctor is officially out. Go flirt your butt off and call me in the morning~"

And with that she gave Ruby a wink good bye before leaving the room to find her stoic boyfriend. All that talk about love had made her a little lonely and she wanted to be spoiled. Once more lying on the bed, Ruby let the thoughts wash over her as she tried to take everything in. But the more she tried to think about it, the more distracted she got.

Ruby: "What are they up to?"