Ruby had fought her way through so much. So much of her life recently had been filled with fighting, with trying to survive, and by trying to decipher the mystery of Salem and Ozpin. She had been through so much, and even after arriving here in Atlas, she was left… afraid.

She didn't let her friends see it, of course. She did her best to smile, to keep everyone's spirit up, and to look on the bright side of things, but behind her plastic smile was fear and doubt.

What happened if she couldn't keep the Relic of Knowledge from Salem? What if the Grimm consumed the mighty city of Atlas? Her gut twisted in her chest as she thought about what could happen, and none of it was good.

People she loved, dead. People who fought beside her, gone. Everything they fought for, just… torn apart.

Ruby was alone in her room, and that gave her the chance to just bury her face in her hands and breathe. A respite from everything going on.

She wanted to look on the bright side of things. They had made it to Atlas, they were working alongside some of the best Huntsmen in the country, and even Penny was back! But looking on the bright side of things hasn't been very easy lately.

How much more could she take? She couldn't waste time with the question. Not when there was still work to be done.

There was a knock on her door, and she lifted her head up.

"Ruby?" Jaune? What was he doing here?

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Can I come in?" She took a deep breath, before sighing. She put on her best smile as her legs pushed her onto her feet and she wiped her face with the backs of her sleeves.

Another deep breath, before she walked over to the door and opened it, smiling back at Jaune.

"Hey. What's up?" she smiled.

Jaune Arc smiled back at her. The young man who helped her up at Beacon had grown up a lot over the last year. He was certainly still taller than her, though that may have been more about her own short stature than anything related to Jaune.

He wasn't wearing his armor. Just his regular clothes, including the hoodie he wore with a bunny symbol on it. For a moment her smile was real, just looking at the ridiculous man in his equally ridiculous clothes.

In contrast, she was just dressed up in her pajamas. She had been ready for bed for over an hour now, but sleep was a fruitless venture.

"Just came to check on you," he replied.

"Well… Here I am," she grinned. She lifted up a hand and tapped it on her chest. "Arms, check. Legs, check. Heartbeat…" She paused, and Jaune chuckled at the joke as she waited for a few seconds. "Yep. Still there."

"When did you get a sense of humor?" he teased. "I thought I was the funny one."

"No, I think that's Yang." The two chuckled together as Ruby leaned against the door frame.

"I remember when you were too shy to even talk to people after your sister ditched you."

"Yeah," she smiled. "Remember when our biggest problem was schoolwork?"

"Uhh, yeah, I was really scared of dying back then too, what with all the Grimm and stuff. Were you not?" Ruby's embarrassed smile was more than enough of an answer. He chuckled at the sight, before he asked, "Remember when Weiss had to fight that Boarbatusk?"

"How could I forget? It was kind of funny watching it knock her around," Ruby smiled.

"Probably would have just eaten me," Jaune commented.

"Aww, no. You'd be way too stringy." They laughed again, and Ruby felt a small wave of relief wash over her. Small, temporary, but a drop of water in the desert was still better than nothing.

"It'd probably get sick from you. Too much sugar." Ruby blushed at the compliment, before her eyes furrowed.

"Wait, because I'm sweet, or because I like cookies?"

"Yes." Ruby rolled her eyes as Jaune motioned behind her. "Can I come in?" he asked again, and her blush returned in full force as she stepped out of the way.

"Oh. Right. Sure, come on in." Jaune did so, stepping inside of the small room. He glanced at the window and he stared out at the sprawling metropolis that Atlas was.

"You've got a nice view."

Ruby hadn't even noticed when she first came to this room. She just remembered falling onto the bed and sleeping for what felt like days. She didn't want to admit to that, though, so she just nodded her head with a dismissive, "Yep."

His hand reached out to hers, and their fingers brushed against the others as Ruby froze. Neither said anything for a moment, before Jaune moved a little closer. She turned her body to face him, staring at him. His eyes were shimmering, bright with concern for her. She quickly looked away, unable to meet his gaze as his hand squeezed hers.

"I'm worried about you, Ruby."

"I'm fine," she replied, all too quickly. Fast enough for Jaune to see it was more of a reflex than an actual answer.

"You're clearly not."

"I'm okay." They both knew that was a lie. "I just… it's a lot. Everything we're going through."

"Yeah, it is. When was the last time you did something fun?"

"I did weapon maintenance on Crescent Rose," she declared, motioning to her weapon as it laid on a stand.

"That's not fun!" he argued with an almost amused smile.

"It is to me!"

"Ruby, that's just work."

"I like maintaining my weapon. I used to do it all the same with my uncle when I was younger."

"That's weird," he shot back. She countered by sticking her tongue at him, which just earned an amused chuckle from the man. "You know, my mom used to give me some pretty good advice when I was younger."

He sat on her bed, patting the soft mattress. She frowned for a moment, before she walked over and sat beside him.

"When my mom was younger, she loved to sing and play the guitar. She's the one who taught me to, actually." Ruby nodded her head, though her stare clearly told him she wasn't sure where this story was going. "She even tried going professional with it, but she ended up quitting because it didn't make her happy anymore."

"So you're telling me…?" She raised her brow as Jaune sighed.

"I'm not telling you to quit. I'm telling you what she told me. 'When you start doing what you love as a job, you need to find new hobbies to keep yourself sane.' You're a Huntress now. We both are."

"You're a Huntress?" she teased, and Jaune rolled his eyes. They both knew she was just trying to avoid the subject.

"You know what I mean. Your dream came true, and you're a Huntress now. That means weapon maintenance isn't just something you do for fun now. It's work. Be honest, has it felt as fun as it used to?"

Ruby said nothing. She just avoided his stare as he crossed his arms and smiled. "I thought so."

"I'm just not really in the mood to do stuff with everyone. I know Yang took Blake out dancing and stuff, a-and you went to the movies with everyone, but I… I just can't do it. I already get nervous around crowds, I-"

"It doesn't have to be with a crowd. It can just be you and me." Ruby blushed at the offer. Why did the thought of alone time with Jaune make her feel so hot? Maybe she was coming down with something.

It'd be a nice excuse to get out of talking about her feelings…

"Ruby, I… I love-"

Oh. Oh, no. Oh, yes? Was Jaune Arc about to say he loved her? Her heart went from one to one million in a second. It was pounding in her chest. Was this unhealthy? Should she see a doctor? Maybe if she jumped out the window and broke all of her bones, she could get to the hospital faster?

She'd get out of this conversation, at least.

Wait, what was wrong with her? What was so wrong with Jaune falling in love with her? He was nice.

What was wrong with her?! She couldn't do that! Because… because reasons! Reasons she could probably think of if she was in a hospital bed with a full body cast! Or amnesia! Amnesia so she couldn't remember this conversation that she was afraid of for some reason.

Why was she scared? If she wasn't sure, did that mean she liked him too? Or did it mean she didn't?! What emotion was she supposed to be feeling right now? Maybe she could ask Jaune about his opinion.

No, wait, Jaune was the problem. Well, he wasn't the problem. He was never a problem. He was nice, and funny, and handsome, and-

Handsome? Yes, good with his hands! That was the definition of handsome. He had some hands on him! Yes, that was the definition and she would fight anyone who argued with her about it.

Why was Jaune taking so long to finish his sentence?!

"-making you laugh." Ruby's mind had raced faster than it had ever done before, because Jaune certainly hadn't missed a beat. This realization drove Ruby's blush to spread down her neck and onto her ears.

"Oh." Ruby blinked, and she quietly considered throwing herself out the window again. She turned her head away as she nodded her head quietly, not saying anything as Jaune continued.

"And I just want to hear you laugh again. Do you remember when you first saw my hoodie?" he smiled, tapping his chest as Ruby finally looked at him. "You laughed so much," he grinned. "And yeah, it was kind of embarrassing, but I loved-"

Ruby gasped.

"-hearing you laugh."

Ruby sighed. She had to stop doing that.

"And I guess I just wanted to hear it again."

"Weiss says my laugh is annoying," she commented. "But um, thanks."

"Well, I like it." He gently elbowed her. "Get it? Callback. That's what you said about Crocea Mors."

"You have such a weird memory."

"Hey, that was an important day for me. Got to Beacon, threw up three times, met my best friend, got lost, heard you laugh for the first time…"

"You… really like hearing me laugh," Ruby realized, raising her brow.

"Uh, is… that weird?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"I clean weapons for fun. I don't think either of us are good judges on what's weird for normal people." Jaune had to give her that one as the two continued to sit together.

As the two sat quietly, Ruby's mind began to walk back into her past. She thought back to the fun time of her family, when it was whole, and complete. Better days than this in many respects. She remembered how she and Yang would wrestle all the time, laughing as they fought epic battles of… well, epic proportions.

They'd have entire wars where they'd tickle one another, and Ruby felt her lips curl into a small smile as thought back to it. She glanced at Jaune, and her face turned red as an idea popped into her mind.

Probably a bad idea.

Definitely a bad idea.

She shouldn't do it. She really shouldn't… but she wanted to.

Why not? If Jaune wanted to make her laugh, make her happy, why not? What was the harm…?

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for caring so much. I know I have to be strong for everyone else, but… it feels nice to be myself with you." Jaune smiled back at her, before Ruby lifted up a hand and placed it on his neck. He didn't even seem to notice at first, before she gently tickled his skin and he jumped.

"Ay! Whoa! W-what are you doing?"

Ruby laughed in response. A genuine laugh as Jaune blushed. He scratched the back of his head as she continued to giggle.

"I barely touched you."

"It tickled!"

"That's the point." Ruby got off the bed and she stood before Jaune with a proud grin. "Yang and I used to have tickle fights when we were younger. It was awesome. We'd fight for hours just tickling one another."

"R-really?" Jaune blinked. He raised his brow, before she watched his mouth open, only to close, then open again. "So when you tickled my neck, was that-?"

"A declaration of war." Ruby smiled at him, and he swore his heart melted a little when she looked at him like that. She was so beautiful. He'd never wanted to admit it, but she was probably the prettiest of their little gang of misfits.

That wasn't weird. Jaune was just being objectively honest. Like saying the sun was the hottest thing around. Ruby was just… pretty.

"So you want me to just sit back and let you tickle me?" he asked, and Ruby shook her head.

"No, that'd be boring. I want to fight."

"By tickling each other?" She nodded her head. "If you did it with Yang when you were younger, why not do it with her now?"

"One: She's too busy flirting with Blake to hang out with me. Two: She'd tease me relentlessly no matter how she answered. Three: I don't want her to think I'm a little kid anymore. And Five: I'm scared her robot arm will hurt."

Jaune nodded his head in understanding. Those were some good reasons. "I don't know, Ruby," he muttered, falling back onto the bed, sitting on it as he rubbed his chin with his hand. "I mean, it's a little out there."

Ruby felt an inkling of guilt… and shame. She sat beside Jaune, staring down at her feet. "Y-yeah. I guess you're right. Sorry, I just thought that-" As she spoke, his hand moved behind her. Like a snake, it slithered behind her back, and before Ruby knew it, soft fingers tickled her exposed side, just under her shirt.

Her eyes shot open, and she shot up. "Bwaah!" She stumbled, falling forward, only for Jaune to move quickly and catch her hand, pulling her back up as he stood.

"Whoa! Are you okay?!"

The two were face to face, inches apart as Ruby rested her head on Jaune's soft chest. Her heart was racing, but not from the fall. She had nearly fallen plenty of times before. No, this was something else.

She looked up, staring at Jaune with wide eyes as her face slowly turned a bright shade of red. Jaune blinked, before his face slowly did the same. Rather than confront their feelings in a mature manner, Ruby placed her hands on Jaune's sides, slipping them under his hoodie, and she proceeded to tickle him.

Jaune jumped, laughing wildly as Ruby tickled his body. "H-hey! Stop it! S-staahaha! Stop it!" he ordered, pushing her back.

The two stared at one another, their hearts racing as Ruby eagerly grinned. Jaune swallowed his spit down, before he slowly lifted up his hands.

They each took a fighting stance, rather ridiculous ones specifically. They moved their hands through the air, like they were in a bad martial arts movie. They stared the other down as they stared at one another…

"That was a dirty trick," Jaune commented.

"Look who's talking."

"Eh. I have seven sisters. I had to learn how to fight dirty to win."

"Well, let's see if you can take me on." Ruby grinned, before rose petals fell from out of nowhere. Jaune's eyes widened and he looked up at the falling petals, before a burst of air nearly knocked him over.

"Whoa!" Jaune stumbled back, before he turned to find Ruby smiling at him. His eyes widened, before her hands shot towards his belly and she began to tickle him.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

"Dyaah! Ruby, no!" Jaunnue's legs hopped up and down as he tried to run away from the shorter woman, but Ruby's grip was deceptively strong. Her fingers danced on his sides as he tried to get away, only to remain imprisoned by the heartless Huntswoman.

Jaune boomed with laughter, nearly falling over again as Ruby continued to attack him. His leg ended up slipping a bit, but she caught him, helping him stay on his feet… A move that proved to be a huge mistake as Jaune hooked his foot behind Ruby.

He pushed her hard enough to trip her up, and she fell back as he tripped her. She fell onto the bed, and by the time she looked up, he was on bed too. Ruby blinked, before Jaune attacked her, grabbing one of her hands and using his elbow to catch her other one.

She was trapped, with Ruby's back pressed against Jaune's chest. Captured, with rosy cheeks and a shocked expression. With one arm free, Jaune placed a hand on Ruby's side and proceeded to tickle her again.

"Gaaah! No, no, no, no, no!" she laughed, kicking at the bed as he tickled her. "D-darn you, Jaune Arc! I'll, gyaahaaha! I'll get you for this!"

"No, you won't!"

"I will!"

"Will not."

"Will to-oooh! Hahaha!" Ruby gasped for air as Jaune grinned, continuing to tickle her side. "Gaaah!"

"You cannot defeat me, Ruby Rose!" he yelled in dramatic fashion. "I have bested the greatest warriors of the Arc household! You are beaten!"

"N-no-haahaha! Not yet, I'm not!" Ruby's arms wriggled against his, trying to break free of his grasp as the two wiggled on the bed together. One of her arms slipped out and she reached her arm back, feeling Jaune's soft hair.

Man, she loved her hair. It was so soft and nice to touch.

Focus, Ruby. Focus! She reached a little lower, and she poked his neck, making Jaune squeak and release her hand. He realized his mistake as Ruby escape his grasp, slipping away from him and crawling towards the other side of the bed with a wide grin.

They were laughing together. Lost to a special kind of euphoria. Just happy to be dumb and mess around with one another. It was like the rest of the world hadn't gone crazy. Like they could just have fun and be young again.

Ruby grabbed her blanket and pulled on it, pulling it out from under Jaune. His eyes widened and he cried out as he fell back onto the bed. He was off balance, and that gave Ruby her chance.

She leapt onto the bed, this time pining Jaune under her. She was deceptively strong as she used one arm to pin both of Jaune's hands together, over his head. Her legs held his down as she grinned, holding up the hand that would seal Jaune's fate.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes!" Ruby's hand slipped under his hoodie and up his body. She felt his body underneath her hand, and she only took a moment to feel his physique.

He had definitely gotten into better shape since they first met. Jaune's body was firm, not super hard, but strong. Ruby could feel his abs and pecs brushing against her fingers, making her face turn red as she leaned down, trying to hide her face from his.

Of course, that just let Jaune get a better look at her breasts. Said breasts were inches from his face and closing in as his eyes widened. He squeaked, a very unmanly, unimpressive sound, all while burying his head deeper into the bed as he avoided her chest.

The situation was strange. The scene, bizarre. The positions, uncomfortable. The heroes, socially awkward.

Neither cared as Ruby tickled Jaune's armpit and made him howl with laughter. "Gyaahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA! Ruby, quit it!"

"Haha! I got you now!" she grinned, tickling him harder as he tried and failed to resist.

She had to admit. Jaune had a pretty cute laugh too. She liked the sound of it, enough to attack Jaune again, making him laugh as she grinned.

"Take this! And that! And this!"

"Ruby, q-quit it!" he laughed, throwing his head back and nearly hitting her. She just laughed, continuing to tickle as her other hand moved down to tickle his belly. Her fingers danced on his body, driving him into a fit of giggles as he remembered how his sisters would tickle him and he'd tickle back…

That was back when he was a boy, though. Here and now, he was a man, and he wasn't going to just lay down and let Ruby tickle him, especially when she foolishly freed his hands, thinking he'd be too overcome to do anything.

He reached behind him, desperately trying to grasp for something to help him. It was hard to think, though, especially with Ruby relentlessly tickling his body. He laughed and kicked his feet around, but she had him pinned.

She kept tickling him, and he couldn't do anything but laugh as he threw his head back, tears forming in his eyes.

"Gahahaha! R-Ruby, quit it!"

"What's wrong, Mr. Seven Sisters?! Can't take it?"" she teased, but the tip of Jaune's finger brushed against something behind him.

This was his chance! He grabbed the weapon, feeling how soft it was, before he made his move.

A pillow smacked into Ruby's face, blinding her. She was stunned, before Jaune grabbed her hands and the two rolled off the bed together. They fell onto the floor, both of them were plenty strong enough to take the blow, but by the time Ruby pushed the pillow off her face, she realized what Jaune had planned.

And it was the scariest thing she had ever seen, no contest…. Okay, no, not really, but it was still fairly, mildly shocking.

He had a single feather in his hand, and her foot in the other.

"Where did you even get that?" she asked.

"The pillow."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense. How did you get it out so fa-gaaah!?" Ruby squealed. She gave an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak as Jaune pressed the tip of the feather against the sole of her foot.

He tickled her, and Ruby tried her best to pull away, but his hold on him was stronger than any Grimm, and that was most certainly not an exaggeration Ruby was making because it was more fun to play along.

No, certainly not.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" she cackled, pounding her hands on the ground as Jaune continued to tickle her foot.

"Haha! Never! Looks like the feather's on the other foot!" Jaune declared, and he came to a stop as he contemplated his own words. Ruby was snickering, no doubt amused by Jaune's attempt at wit. "T-that sounded better in my head."

He quickly began to tickle her again and she was thrown into a fit of giggles, placing her hands on her stomach as she laughed. She was crying, even drooling a little as she wiggled in Jaune's grasp. He held onto her leg as he tickled her foot. Ruby tried to reach out to grab him, but he outmaneuvered her expertly, dodging her attacks as he continued to tickle her with that accursed feather.

It was hard to think, due to how much he was making her laugh. All she could think about was Jaune's soft hands and how cute his smile was. But even through her tears and manic laughter, Ruby was a smart woman.

And she had a plan.

She quickly grabbed the pillow from earlier and she took it into her hands. With a mighty pull, she tore the pillow in two and rained down feathers on them both. Jaune was blinded for a moment, before he felt something brushing against his neck, tickling him as he burst out laughing.

He foolishly believed it was just a feather caught in his hoodie, and so he tried to smack the feather away. He was quickly tickled again at another spot on his neck. He slapped his hand against his mouth, holding back laughter as familiar hands slipped under his clothes.

Soft, warm hands. Slender fingers… He liked the feeling of them against his body, but he quickly remembered that this was a war between him and Ruby. Before he knew it, he felt feathers tickling the pits of his arms and he began to laugh once more. He laughed loudly, his hand unable to muffle the sounds as he flailed wildly.

"Ahahaha! Hahaha! R-Ru, Rubeee! Quit it! Hahaha!"

He saw the young woman. She had her hands under his clothes and feathers in her hands, used to tickle him like crazy. He was completely defenseless, and as he tried to fight back, Ruby would move her arms, tripping him up since her arms were under his clothes.

He was trapped, and Ruby was free to tickle other parts of his body with her evil feathers. Jaune laughed until he was crying, trying in vain to control himself as Ruby showed him no mercy.

Desperate times, desperate measures, it seemed. Jaune quickly grabbed his hoodie and he pulled on it. He was still laughing, but soon the sound was muffled as his head slipped down under his clothes.

He threw his top away, leaving it forgotten in a corner of the room as Ruby was stunned silent. Her eyes widened as she stared at the blond, her mouth hanging open as she realized he was… topless.

"Uh…"

Jaune's body was exposed to Ruby's vision. She stared at him, examining the shape of his muscles, the curve of his physique, imagining his strong arms around her…

Ruby swallowed spit down her throat as she tried to think about what she was supposed to do. What was she doing? It was hard to think when those abs, which had a thin layer of sweat due to exerting himself so much with her, were glistening.

Was that weird?

Maybe.

Did it change the fact that she liked him without a shirt on?

No. Not at all.

The topless Jaune stared back at the stunned Ruby, and he seized the moment as quickly as he could. He moved forward, tackling Ruby and knocking her to the ground. His body was on top of hers, half naked, and her heart raced so loudly…

He was on top of her, and the sensation Ruby felt at that moment would follow her into her grave. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do or say, and she so almost wanted to thank Jaune as he was able to slip around and grab her from behind.

She felt his hands on her bare stomach, and she blushed at his soft touch, before she began to laugh wildly as he tickled her.

"Gyaaahahaha!"

"Not so tough now, are you, Ruby?"

His hands fell onto her legs, sliding down them as Jaune fell into a sort of bloodlust, just replacing the blood with laughter. He wanted to see Ruby laugh and smile, and if that met tickling her soft thighs, he would.

The blond's face was red as his hands tickled Ruby's thighs through her thin pants. Her laugh grew louder as her eyes widened, and she thrashed in Jaune's hands in a futile attempt to escape. He had his hands on her, though, keeping her imprisoned as his hand continued to tickle her.

"Hahaha! Ja, Jaaahahaha! Jaune!" Ruby ended up laughing so much that she snorted, and her eyes widened.

The two paused, staring at one another in shock. Ruby's face was burning like a red lightbulb as she looked away.

"I-I-I-"

"That was really cute," he laughed, throwing his head back as he laughed. "I didn't know you snorted!"

"I-I don't!" Ruby replied, frowning as Jaune smiled.

"Ruby, I heard. Don't worry. I always thought that was… kind of cute. It's natural," he smiled, and Ruby felt her heart pounding in her chest.

"Um, t-tha-aaaahhh! Ahahaha!" Ruby's gratitude was quickly replaced with more laughter as Jaune continued to tickle her legs. She fell back, her back pressed against his chest as her head rested on his shoulder.

She laughed right into his ear, like music to his ears…

He continued to tickle her, even pressing his lips against her neck and blowing on it. She laughed more, louder, melting in Jaune's arms as it made a loud silly sound.

It was funny. Ruby didn't think of Salem or Grimm. She just thought of her and Jaune. Laughing. Having fun. Being the weird ones. Being together…

Eventually, Jaune's fingers got tired. She laid on Jaune's lap as he sat on the ground, panting along with Ruby.

"You okay?" he smiled. She nodded her head.

"Y-yeah." She sat up and wrapped her arms around the half naked Jaune, squeezing him tightly as the young man blushed. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we keep messing around?"

His arms wrapped around her, holding her gently as she rested her head on his shoulder again. She could practically hear his smile.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

Ren gently pressed the brush against the canvas, painting its surface with an image of beauty.

They all had to find something to do to destress. Yang would hang out with Blake, Ruby and Jaune had their bizarre sexual tension neither liked talking about, and Ren had recently discovered painting as a way for him to burn through stress.

Today he even convinced Nora to model for him. The young woman stood on a small pedestal, completely naked save for a swimsuit she was wearing and the large leaf she was using to hide said swimsuit. She essentially looked naked as Ren used her as the base for his next piece.

"Hmm…" Ren nodded his head, painting Nora's hair as the young woman spoke up.

"How's it looking, Ren?"

"Please, don't move, Nora."

"But how's it looking?"

"It looks good, just please stand st-"

The door to Ren's room was practically kicked open, almost knocked right off its hinges. Nora jumped as Ren glared at her. She quickly got back into position as Ren sighed and turned his head to find Ruby and Jaune there.

The former was wearing her pajamas, while the latter was just wearing his hoodie and jeans. Their clothes were messily hanging on their bodies, with each of them panting like they had just come back from a run. Despite their clear exhaustion, they were laughing, each grinning ear to ear.

And… were those feathers in their hair?

"What-?"

He didn't even have time to finish his question. The two dashed over to him, practically hopping up and down.

"Ren, can we borrow some brushes?" Jaune asked, a wide smile on his face as he and Ruby stood side by side.

"Um, sure." He looked down at his supplies, before he picked up two large brushes and held them out to the two. They quickly took the items from him, before Ruby laughed and vanished in a shower of red rose petals.

"Hey!"

"Jaune."

"Huh? What's up, Ren?" the blond asked, turning to his teammate as Ren gently rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Why are you topless?"

"Ruby and I are having a tickle fight, so… you know."

"Ah. Of course." He did not know. Ren took great pride in research and his own intellect, and he had no idea what Jaune was talking about. "Have a good night."

"Thanks!" he gave Ren a quick smile, before he began to give chase. "Hey! Ruby! No fair, get back here!" Jaune beamed, chasing after his not-girlfriend. He ran out of the room with a quick wave as Nora and Ren watched with utter confusion. "Bye, Ren! Bye, Nora! We'll see you later!" he shouted.

"That was weird," Nora commented. "What do you think that was ab-?"

"Shh." Ren held up a single finger, silencing Nora. "Hold that pose," he ordered, quickly adding some red to his painting. He watched the rose petals fall, capturing them around the ginger-haired woman. "Perfect… Alright, Nora. I just need you to stand there for a few more hours. Jaune and Ruby knocked me out of the zone, and I need to properly return to it."

"No problem!" Nora declared, before she blinked. She cringed slightly at the request as he asked, "Ah, can I go to the bathroom?"

"No. Now hold still. I'm capturing beauty…"

"Aww!"

"Hold on, let me toss some roses back up. They really add to the image."

"Ahh…"

Meanwhile, Ruby was racing back to her room as a red blur. She left a river of roses behind her as Jaune tried and failed to keep up. He soon reached her room and he raced inside. The door fell shut behind him, before Ruby nearly slammed into him. She hit the wall behind him and for a moment, Jaune thought he was safe.

Then the wind picked up from Ruby's dash and he was flung into the wall, slamming against it. "Oof!" Ruby pinned him before he had a moment to think, and she held her brush before his face with a wide, eager grin.

"Oh, Jaaaune. Look what I got," she giggled, spinning her weapon between her fingers.

"You wouldn't," he gasped, dramatically.

"I would! What have we been doing for the last hour?" she chuckled, before she revealed what was in her other hand. Her characteristic hood and cloak. With a swing of her hand, his hands were captured, wrapped up in the crimson clothing to Jaune's shock and amazement.

"Whoa! That's a neat trick."

"Right? Now, Jaune Arc…" She spun her brush one last time as she placed her now free hand against his chest. Jaune's cheeks blushed from the intimate contact as her fingers slowly slid up and down his chest. "Prepare to laugh!"

"Nooo-bwaaahahaha!"

She pressed the furry tip of the brush against Jaune's side, earning a wild laugh from the young man. He tried to break free, but Ruby's cloak had him caught. He wasn't able to escape as Ruby tickled him relentlessly, making him holler with wild laughter.

His laugh echoed through the walls of the building they were in, and Ruby found herself enamored with the sound. She continued to tickle him as Jaune struggled to free his hands.

"Hahaha! M-mercy! Mercy!"

"Never! Ruby Rose shows no mercy!"

Finally Jaune was able to free his hand. Rather than simply pushing Ruby away, he went for a far more badass, and impractical, maneuver. He dropped the brush, catching it in his teeth and turning his head. He then wiggled his head around, tickling Ruby's nose with the tip of the brush.

Her eyes widened, before she fell back, sneezing adorably as Jaune was freed. "Hmm!" He spat the brush into his hand, before he spun it in his hand. "En guarde!"

"Guard on!" Ruby replied, holding her own brush tightly in her hand.

The two clashed, and their brushes slammed into one another with the force of a mild breeze. The two didn't care, though. They rolled with it, making sword clanging sounds as their brushes smacked into the other.

Their skills seemed matched, but Jaune was able to move his leg aand trip Ruby. She fell back, only to be caught by Jaune, held in his arms. Her eyes widened, before she felt the brush tickling her back, making her giggle once more.

"Nooo! Hahahaha!" The two fell to the ground together, wrestling and aggressively cuddlnig against the other as they continued their battle.

Weiss was ready to tear someone's arm off. She had been sleeping peacefully when she began to hear a commotion from the room right beside hers.

Ruby's room, of course. Lucky for Weiss that she was neighbors with the rambunctious leader of their leader. She sighed quietly as she dragged her feet through the hallway, soon approaching the door.

She was ready to just bang on it and demand Ruby shut up for the night, but she stopped. A part of her was curious about what in Remnant Ruby was doing in her room. Weiss bit her lower lip as she heard the strange commotion again, before the ex-heiress leaned in a little closer. .

Weiss pressed her ear against the door and she closed her eyes. She heard… Ruby's voice.

"Geee! Heehehehee! Jaune, no! Not there!" she laughed, and Weiss' eyes shot open as her jaw fell to the floor.

"Aww, don't worry, Ruby. I'll be gentle." That was Jaune's voice alright. Weiss couldn't believe it as her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

"Eee! You haven't been gentle all night!"

"Oh my…"

"You know you like it," Jaune replied and Weiss clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping again.

"Okay, I kind of do… Ahh! W-what are you doing now?"

"Well, Ruby Rose, you've been a bad girl. This… is your punishment!"

"No! No, wait! Not there! Jaune!" Ruby squealed, and Weiss practically tore the door open as her face turned a burning shade of red.

Weiss opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but she was about to say something… Only to stop and watch as she beheld the bizarre scene playing out before her.

Jaune had Ruby on the ground, on her back, while Jaune had his hands on her belly. She would have thought it was some sort of bizarre foreplay between the two if she didn't know better...

The two clearly had a thing for one another. Why they didn't do something about it was beyond her.

Just like this.

Weiss had no words for what she saw as Jaune pressed his face against Ruby's stomach. Was this some sort of chaste kiss to his lover's skin? No, that'd actually make sense! Instead Jaune began to blow on Ruby's bare belly, making a loud farting noise as Ruby squealed again, kicking at the air and banging her fists against the ground.

"Ahhh! Ahahahaha! Jaune! Jaune, stop! No, no, noooo!" she laughed, tears falling down her face as Jaune kept going for a few more seconds, before he lifted his head up. He grinned ear to ear as Ruby was left panting, with beads of sweat on her head.

"Ugh… You got me," Ruby admitted with a chuckle as Weiss shook her head.

They hadn't even noticed her, and that was for the bed as she closed the door and she began to walk back to her room.

"Nope. Not dealing with this. Nope. No, no, no."

Neither was sure how long they played around, nor did they know who won. Perhaps they both had. Either way, the two were exhausted now, unable to even stand as they laid on the bed together.

Ruby combed a finger through her hair, laughing weakly still. She had never been high before. Was this what it was like?

Her skin still felt tingly as she laid on the bed with Jaune by her side. Neither said anything, both still trying to catch their breath as the night ticked on.

What time was it? How long had they gone at it? Did they need a bath? Each question had the same answer. Who cared? She and Jaune had fun. They laughed. They burned through stress that had been building up for a good, long while.

"Thanks, Jaune," she panted, her eyes falling shut as Jaune glanced at her.

And that was it. She was out like a light, sleeping beside him with a light snore. The blond blinked as he stared at Ruby, before he brought a finger to her face and gently poked it. Her lips curled into a small smile, before she muttered something too quiet for him to hear and reached her arms out.

Her arms found his and she quickly and easily wrapped them around his, clinging to his limb now as Jaune's face burned a hot shade of red.

Should he leave? He tried to pull away, but Ruby groaned in her sleep, her lips curling into a thin frown as he gulped. Maybe he shouldn't…

He moved closer, back towards Ruby, and she seemed to sight quietly in her sleep. She squeezed his arm a little tighter, a smile on her lips as she slept peacefully against the young man.

"Well, looks like I'm trapped," he muttered. He poked Ruby's face once more, and she giggled, before she nuzzled her face against his arm.

The young man let out a quiet yawn as he rested his head on a spare pillow Ruby had. His eyelids were getting heavy. Why not close his eyes and try to get some sleep? He yawned one more time, before his eyes fell shut.

He was soon sleeping soundly, not minding as Ruby squeezed his body a little tighter. One of her hands rested on Jaune's bare chest as the other held his arm. Ruby slept on her side as Jaune fell asleep on his back.

The two didn't move, happily falling asleep with the other right by their side. A happy ending for sure, at least until one of their friends opened the door and found the two leaders cuddling together and Ren wondered why there were bite marks on his brush.

But that was a story for another time.

End

This story was a commission actually. Hit me up on Twitter at Leafydream0 if you ever want to commission me. All the same, I hope you enjoyed the story. Just a silly, cute love story. Hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful day!