Well this is it folks, the long anticipated finale to the Couples Dance.
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, otherwise this couples dance would be a legit thing.
The night had finally come, and the halls of Beacon Academy were decorated with brightly colored streamers and signs promoting the event. Couples were slowly filling up the ballroom as Velvet stood behind the reception podium, welcoming everyone with a bright smile and some kind words.
Bálor Moonlight would be staring at the clothing available in his closet and shake his head quietly, grateful that Ruby was still at her old dorm getting the finishing touches on her dress for the evening even though Weiss and the others had effectively put the kibosh on her wearing her trademark red hood in any way, shape, or form. (Much to the crimsonette's chagrin)
"I can't believe this, I'm nearly four months free from that hellhole of a prison, I've spent hundreds of Lien to custom-build a wardrobe of MY liking just to avoid the uniform..and at no point did I ever consider ANY KIND OF FORMAL APPAREL!?" The wolf Faunus would pull at his silver hair in frustration before looking through his various wrestling related shirts, pants, and even his shoes which while they displayed his sense of individuality with flair they were a far cry from ballroom worthy.
"I'm royally screwed, there's no way I'm going to make it through that dance without getting laughed at!" A knock at the door would interrupt the silver haired Faunus's woes as he looked over with a curious twitch of his ears, jumping back when the knocking sounded again.
"Now what's all this then?" He would open the door to find Ruby standing in the doorway, blushing in embarrassment at the floor length crimson gown she was wearing.
"W-well? How do I look?" The crimsonette would avoid looking him in the eye, precariously trying to keep herself upright in the heels she was wearing.
Bálor would sigh and put on a small smile, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her upright. "I'm a lot more comfortable then you are Rubes. But to answer your earlier question, you look radiant." Ruby would blush slightly before spotting her red hood sitting on the bed and sighing sadly.
"That's exactly what Weiss said when I stepped out to show the others, but it doesn't feel like something I'd wear..I miss my hood." The cookie loving Huntress would pout and look towards her precious hood with a pout, grateful that the wolf Faunus was helping her stand at this point.
He would see the unhappiness in her eyes and shake his head before carefully stepping back and gesturing toward the closet, where her own clothing hung in between some Bullet Club inspired apparel.
"Then for Dust's sake woman, you should wear something that's uniquely you!" The wolf would grin as he looked through his own side for something close to respectable even as he felt the crimsonette watching him curiously.
"Wh-what, but there's no way Goodwitch will let this slide, I mean it's a big..fancy-dancy thing!" Ruby would wobble slightly as she slowly made her way to the edge of the bed, sighing in relief as she finally sat down. "And besides if she somehow misses it, I guarantee you that Weiss will let me have it, not to mention all the stress she endured just to get a suit for you to wear."
He would stop rummaging through his treasured collection of t-shirts upon hearing this, turning around to face the silver-eyed girl. "She WHAT?" Ruby would shake her head at his look of shock, leaning down to carefully remove the heels she had been cajoled into wearing for the evening.
"She's really trying her best to win you over." She paused to rub her feet gently before looking up at him firmly. "Which is insane considering that she hasn't once tried to get to know the real you! Not like I have." The crimsonette haired Huntress would ball her fists indignantly as she spoke, Bálor would nod as he held a Wrestling Soup shirt in his hands not expecting her to be so passionate about another girl pursuing him. "I understand that she has the money, Yang has the looks, and Blake..well I'm not sure if Blake has any feelings for or against you not that that brain bug went away, but I know that deep down in the depths of my heart there is no one I'd rather spend the days of my life with then you Bálor." Ruby would blush furiously before standing up and retrieving the shirt he was holding along with a skirt and her boots from the closet before heading into the washroom and heading into the washroom to change, leaving the stunned wolf Faunus standing alone as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Damn Ruby, why did you have to go and say that?" He would sigh as he looked down at his hands, since the beginning of his time here he had done his best to keep quiet and off the radar of everyone. Aside from Ozpin, who was both his Keeper and the closest thing to a father figure he had in his life Bálor had resigned himself to a life of solitude, until the day he slugged Russell in the face and this strange journey of his began.
"It all started with Goodwitch's punishment, I ended up in the courtyard that day..helped out Coco, then it was off to the races I guess." From that day it seemed to get all the more stranger as Yang proceeded to add him to the list of "Ice Bucket Challenge" victims, it had cost him his SchneePod but he had gleaned a lesson to let himself out of his own world. "That was the day I kissed Yang, in front of everybody. It was nice, bit of a dick move but nice nonetheless." Following that was the infamous "Cookie World" incident, in which Bálor had to bribe the staff of his favorite Sub Shop to keep them from calling in the troops on a rampaging, cookie-fiending Ruby Rose before taking the crimsonette to the secret establishment known as Cookie World and letting her have her fill. "I'm still never gonna be welcomed back to that shop, and it's probably for the best..there's more to life then a good sandwich." He would look back at the washroom door, smiling as he imagined the crimsonette primping and preening to get herself prepared for this dance even though it seemed like social events weren't always her cup of tea. "Ruby, you'd really go through the fire for me wouldn't you?" Bálor would look at his reflection once more, thinking back to the three individuals who had turned this very event from a chance to strut his stuff on the dance floor into a big dramatic spectacle: Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren who all the same goal of finally getting Jaune to notice her but through the absurd reasoning that jealousy would awaken his feelings for the spear maiden. He had refused of course, but Nora (of all people) had the foresight to point out his own romantic failings between Ruby and Yang.
"It's about time I did the same thing! Not just for Ruby, but for all of my friends."
Bálor would nod to his reflection, a look of firm resolve in his amber eyes as he turned to his closet and plucked out his best Bullet Club related attire, complete with the matching shoes.
"Formality be damned!"
Yang and Blake would be sitting comfortably at a table watching the other students dancing happily and enjoying themselves, as much as the brawler wanted to be among them she was still waiting for her silver haired prince. The brawler had once again chosen to don the red satin dress she had bought for her first occasion with the wolf, only now she had added a simple yellow rose as a symbol of her undying love for the young man.
"He'll be here Yang, there's no way he would miss this." Blake would say this simply, seeing the worry in her partner's lilac eyes as she looked out on the dance floor calmly. "He's probably trying to make a flashy entrance, you know how much he enjoys that stuff."
The blonde would nod quietly, looking for any sign of a Bullet Club shirt amidst the crowd of tuxedos and dresses.
"If I know B, he's going to make an entrance so spectacular that this place is going to be jumping with excitement." She would grin with anticipation as her gaze was locked upon the doorway.
Bálor and Ruby would be confidently walking toward the ballroom, the crimsonette once again back in her trademark hoodie and gear while the wolf was rocking the Bullet Club's finest gear along with a leather jacket to boot.
"You know we're going to be raked over the coals for this right Rubes?" The silver haired Faunus would stop mid-step as he contemplated the hell Goodwitch and Ozpin would rain down upon them once they arrived. "You could still run back and grab the dress."
Ruby would stop and shake her head indignantly as she looked back at him.
"Nope, no way, I'm comfy in my hood and there's no conceivable way I'm going to wear a dress and heels again." She would smile and zip her way back to his side with her Semblance, taking his hand in hers. "Besides, there's no way I'm letting you take the heat for this alone."
The silver-haired Faunus would shrug as they began walking once more, his mind contemplating just how he would manage to fix Team JNPR's dilemma without ruining the evening entirely (or worse, drumming up more gossip for the rumor mill) and not only that, he was still at a crossroads with his own romantic entanglement. Both girls had done their best to state their case to him, not with knowledge or facts, not with the bribery of gifts or food, but by speaking from the deepest depths of their hearts.
Something he himself had yet to do.
"Ruby, hold up a second." Bálor would stop once again, her hand slipping out of his as he planted his feet firmly. "Before we head in there I need you to understand something."
The crimsonette would stop and look at him, her silver eyes glistening with tears as she looked at his. "Please don't tell me you're in love with Yang." He would stay silent, his amber eyes burning into hers as he faced her. "At least tell me why, I would do ANYTHING for you Bálor!"
The silver-haired wolf would walk up to her, placing his hand on Ruby's shoulder firmly as he looked into her tear-filled eyes.
"Would you give up your dream of being a Huntress?" Bálor would look at her stoned faced, knowing he was still running away from his own mess but he needed to know just how far the crimsonette would walk into that fire. "What if one day I decided to quit fighting the Grimm and leave it all behind, would you still follow me then my little rose?"
Ruby would sigh and shake her head while removing his hand from her shoulder before glaring up at him, her eyes becoming two silver flames.
"Don't bullshit me, if you're in love with Yang then be a man and say so! We both have our reasons for hunting down the Grimm: I want to be a hero and protect everyone, and so do you..you want to make Remnant safe so people can enjoy Wrestling without fear of being killed!" She would storm off in a flurry of roses, the door to the ballroom opening and closing quickly behind her.
"Wow, she's pissed. And that was just off a hypothetical." Bálor would shake his head while laughing softly, making his way towards the ballroom door.
Yang would sigh as she drummed her fingers along the table she was sitting at, Blake was currently on the dance floor with Weiss and Team JNPR and enjoying herself while the brawler had insisted upon waiting for Bálor's arrival.
"Come on B, I think you've already passed "Fasionably Late" at this point." The golden haired Huntress would sit up once she saw the door open hoping that he had finally arrived, instead it would be Ruby making her way inside and making a beeline for Yang.
"Hey, Ruby!" She would smile and make her way over to her younger sibling, stopping once she noticed the heated and determined way the crimsonette was walking toward her.
"Ruby, what happened?"
The younger Huntress would look up at her sister, eyes glistening on the verge of tears as she stood across from her. Yang would quickly rush to her sister's side wrapping her arms around Ruby tightly, letting the crimsonette cry quietly even as the man she had been waiting the whole night for finally made his entrance into the ballroom just as emotionally frazzled as Ruby had been.
"Just what the hell happened?" Yang would watch silently as the wolf Faunus made his way over to where the DJ was playing an upbeat dance number and grabbing a microphone, tapping it a few times just to get everyone's attention.
"Good evening everyone, sorry to interrupt the festivities but I have some things I'd like to get off of my chest and since this IS the Couples Dance I couldn't think of a better place then right here."
Everyone who had been dancing up to this point now stood quiet, their eyes now firmly planted on him as he tried to gather his thoughts.
"I know that the word 'Couple' can mean a lot of things to everyone here: A couple of good friends who have come together for nothing more than a good time, a couple of people who came here look for love of some kind, or a "couple", meaning two individuals who are romantically involved and have planned to spend their evening together." Bálor looked back at the crowd, noting the different reactions amongst them that ranged from outright embarrassment of those who had come there looking for dates, to those who huddled close to their respective partners and exchanging looks of happiness or whispering loving words to one another.
"No matter what your reason for coming here tonight is, know that you have my envy. For you all know where you're going in life." The wolf Faunus would focus his gaze upon the members of Team JNPR, taking a breath and measuring his next words carefully. "You have the courage to bare yourselves out to the world even though it may hurt, and even then you can stand up and keep trying."
The crowd would begin to murmur impatiently as the silver-haired young man held the mic in his hand.
"Get to the damn point!" A voice would call out suddenly, others slowly voicing their agreement as Bálor took a shaky breath and nodded.
"My point is..that you shouldn't let a good opportunity pass you by, I'm sure there are those among you who are unsure of yourselves..that there might be words left unsaid, feelings left untold, let this night be the one where you put it all on the line..because no matter what happens there might not be a tomorrow." He would calmly set the mic down on the floor and begin walking out leaving Yang stunned at his words, even Ruby who had stopped crying long enough to hear him out was silent as the silver haired Faunus made his exit as those left inside would be talking in hushed tones. Even Pyrrha had taken Jaune aside and was now sitting with him at a faraway table as they spoke amongst themselves.
"Yang, you need to go after him.." Ruby would calmly step away from her older sibling as she began to wipe her eyes. "I know you care about him after all."
The blonde brawler would sigh as she looked at the doorway, then back to her sister worriedly. "But..Ruby..you, you like him too don't you?" She shook her head, unwilling to let her relationship with her sister be ruined by a boy who was all pretty words but no spine to back them. She had tried twice to let her feelings for him be known outright and both times something seemed to get in the way of that, perhaps fate was trying to let her know that it wasn't meant to be.
"Yang?" Blake would touch the brawler's shoulder lightly, trying to rouse her partner out of the dumbstruck silence that had overtaken her.
Yang would just stand there numbly before putting on a small smile and shaking her head. "Nah, you told me that this dance would be his last chance at me. Apparently he's made his choice." The brawler would quickly grab a random boy and start dancing as the music came back in full force, the feline Faunus would nod quietly as she watched her partner cutting a rug while Weiss and Ruby were now dancing with one another. It should've brought her a sense of peace, things were now finally seeming to take a turn towards normal.
But even as everyone seemed to settle back into the throes of dancing and merriment all Blake Belladonna seemed to feel was a sense of impending dread.
For those of you expecting some kind of happy ending after this mess, I truly apologize but there's still too much left in this story to bring it to a close. Pairing-wise I left enough just to let you Arkos folks draw your own conclusions so do with that what you will.
Speaking of Arkos there's a poll up on the profile page letting you all decide the fate of my infamous Peaches fic, the choices are as follows: You can either vote no to a redo and I'll pull it off FF, or vote yes to bring it back as a JauneXPyrrha Fic, or a PyrrhaXOC fic (And no the OC in question won't be Bálor.) By the by, please try not to let reviews color your voting.
As it is now the weekend, I'll be stepping away for a while, but feel free to leave reviews (even if it's to complain about the ending to this set of events.) After all, we wouldn't wanna upset anyone by letting "Mr. Perfect" win the day would we?