Hey there, long time no see. Truthfully, I kinda lost motivation on this one, but figured I should at least clean up the extended version of the RG Kiss Day prompt I wrote and that inspired this little ficlet, so here it is! I know I said 4 chapters, but the "technical" second chapter just wasn't working with me, and I don't have it in me to do the final one right now so...we'll call this complete for now.
Who knows, maybe once we get some news about v10 or when I inevitably include this into v9's version of 'Trust' I'll write the back half. Until then though, please enjoy :).
~Stormy
Hope was a rather fickle undertaking.
After all that had happened in Atlas, after all that had happened in their ongoing journey in Vacuo, after all that had happened as time dragged them closer and closer to an ensuing war that would likely be the determining factor of all of Remnant's fate…most days now, it felt as though he could not afford the luxury of hope.
Of course, after all that had happened, most days it also felt as though it was the only thing he could offer to those around him. Hope was the only light any of them truly had to look towards as this newly unburied war roared to life and raged on. After everything they did…after everything she did to get that message of hope out to the rest of Remnant, it was the one thing he would not—could not—let die. It was an obligation he held towards everyone else—one he chose to take on himself—and it was a task he felt was the only way to appropriately honor the missing. It was the one thing he would not give up, even on the worst days when it was as though he was running completely dry.
Well…no, that wasn't quite right. He was not running dry, as it were. If anything, he was overflowing and slowly drowning under a steady and ever-present hope they would return. They could return, Oz confirmed that much the first night they spent in Vacuo, and knowing Team RWBY and Jaune, they would return. It was just a matter of when, a matter of if he would witness in this lifetime or the ensuing ones. But it was the only thing he desperately wished to see happen now, and knowing it was a possibility—no matter how small—was perhaps more torturous than accepting their demises in the end. While he considered himself to be a patient person, he could feel that desire steadily growing by the day, only to torment him more and more as time marched forward and no news ever came.
It was not something he could dwell on, he knew that, but still that flickering hope remained, burning brightly in the back of his mind at all times.
Oscar sighed, sinking back into his chair and staring up at the map projected before them. Ren and Headmaster Theodore were discussing all that still needed to be done to accommodate their current situation; it was a conversation that never truly ended. The current discussion had been ongoing for two days as they argued about what constituted top priority after the critical situations (city infrastructure and increased patrolling for Grimm attacks along the border) were handled. They needed to come to a decision today if they wanted to have any hope of getting ahead of the current crises at hand. The problem was that the problems were always ongoing. New issues arose every day, as they had been ever since they walked through that portal with the majority of the Atlas and Mantle populations in tow.
To his credit, Theodore had been more gracious than he needed to be given the situation they dropped on his doorstep. After sharing some words with Oz regarding his…less than enthused response in telling the world about Salem, Shade's Headmaster was on board to help however he could. It was a relief and…nice, in a way, to be working with an official and one of Oz's inner circle who actually listened to them and was willing to help. It was a far cry different than what happened with Lionheart and Ironwood in any case, though Oscar could admit he was really striving not to commit the same, detrimental mistakes as last time.
It helped some too that Salem had gone eerily silent after the fall of Atlas. Granted, it did little for Oscar's nerves (and even less for Oz's) to know she was out there and likely plotting her next moves with two Relics and a Maiden, but it was invaluable time to have and use to their advantage. And they were doing their best with it, but in the face of the looming shadow hovering over them all, it still didn't feel like enough. There just weren't enough hands, even with the forces from other kingdoms joining them, and there wasn't enough time.
There never would be.
"Oscar, what do you think?"
Ren's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked between the older boy and Nora, who stood beside Ren, Emerald, who was sitting across from him, and Theo, who had pulled out his scroll and was vested in reading whatever message he just received. Admittedly, Oscar wasn't paying much attention to the debate occurring next to him, but he didn't really need to be either. They had been going in the same circles for two days, he already had all the arguments committed to memory. Actually, one of the few reasons they were still going at all was because no one else could come to a unified answer on where to focus next and everyone was waiting for him to issue a decision he had yet to make.
Why him specifically, he couldn't figure out. Well…no, that wasn't true. He knew exactly why it was falling onto his shoulders, he had willingly undertaken the role, but it was still somewhat darkly humorous to him. Months ago, it was a nearly unimaginable surprise he was able to successfully crash-land an Atlesian airship. Now, he was being asked about governing kingdoms and advanced war tactics without anyone batting an eye at the fact he was still that same, simple farm boy who grew up in Mistrali fields.
But then, he supposed he wasn't quite that same boy anymore…and this really was an inevitability. It was the only logical conclusion to the night he woke up with Oz in his head. Still, when he dreamed of intrigue and adventure whisking him away from his boring life on the farm, this was never where he imagined ending up. He never pictured himself as a leader or someone people looked to for guidance, he wasn't sure he wanted that as a boy. He still wasn't sure he wanted it.
Yet, when responsibility called, he discovered Oscar Pine was not the type of person to look away.
"I don't believe you give yourself enough credit, Oscar," Oz spoke up, startling him slightly. Oscar had felt his presence lingering at the edges of his mind throughout the whole meeting, watching and listening silently as they debated again. Oz usually didn't speak up during those meetings though, instead choosing to have this discussion many times over only after leaving the makeshift war room in Shade Academy.
"Leadership suits you."
Oscar bit back the wry smile he felt twitching on his lips. Instead, he stood up and stared at the map before sliding his gaze to the details of the listed projects that still needed completing. "I don't know if that's a compliment."
He would have taken it as such at one point in time. Of course, he always had an idea of the immense burden that came with leadership, but he only understood it completely in Atlas. He wouldn't deny that witnessing Ironwood crumple under its weight shook some of his own faith in himself when it came time to make the decision to step up. He did not want to end up like the General. He didn't want to end up like Leo, either. Hell, he didn't even want to be like Ozpin…and maybe that was why it was ultimately so easy to step in and do what was necessary in the end.
If Oscar didn't want to be like them, then his only choice was to do something different. And the only others who would have done something different-the ones he did look up to as examples—were…gone. They had laid the groundwork, but they were gone, and that only further solidified the fact he had no other choice. It was only right to uphold all their promises to do better and do right by Remnant, to carry that torch for them even if he might not want to.
"It is. That you say otherwise only further cements my statement," Oz argued. He fell silent for a few moments, but Oscar could feel a nagging desire from him to say more. Finally, Oz added, "They would be proud of you, you know. Just as I am."
He did know. Oscar heaved a sigh and gave the subtlest of nods. "Yeah. I just…miss them."
That was the easiest way to put it, even though it was so much more than that. Oscar knew Jaune struggled with his leadership role over his team. The older boy spoke on it some, and the truth of it only became more obvious the longer Oscar spent traveling together with him and getting to know him. Yet, he also got to witness Jaune's resolve grow and harden him into the great tactician and leader his teammates and friends knew he could be. Jaune could admit to his faults and mistakes, and he readily and eagerly learned from them so as not to repeat them. Those were all admirable traits, and desirable in the person you wanted to follow into battle.
And Ruby…well…Ruby was Ruby. She always knew just what to say and was never afraid to make the tough decisions when she needed to. She was strong, and smart, and caring, and she and Oscar were almost always on the exact same page with their next plan of action. He trusted her more than anyone else in the world. She was amazing…but Oscar could see how she struggled just as Jaune did, though perhaps with slightly different issues.
He couldn't do much for either of them at the time, though he sought to alleviate the struggles for her…for them…whenever he could. Now though, standing in their shoes and feeling inferior, feeling as though he could never do enough and never be enough to stand against the war they were facing…feeling constantly out of time and out of options, Oscar couldn't help but wonder how little showed through the cracks in either of them. He couldn't help but wonder if he really did much for them at all.
"It'd be nice not to feel…quite so alone. And perhaps…apologize," Oscar admitted. His eyes flickered down briefly in consideration. "I hope they never felt like this." That was incredibly unlikely. "I hope I helped…at least in some small way."
That…was probably unlikely as well, and Oz didn't say anything else in response. All Oscar felt was a sad sort of sympathy and a few waves of guilt over being the one to place them in this situation. Over being the one to place Oscar himself in this situation, over being forced into asking children to take up the mantle in his own, personal war.
And of course, that wasn't all of his own thoughts either, but it was the one regret Oscar allowed himself to consider. The rest he couldn't dwell on—he didn't allow himself to dwell on, there was too much else left to do. He didn't…couldn't mourn his friends, they weren't dead. They would return, and he had to make sure there was a world left for them to return to. He promised them that.
Oscar promised himself that.
"Right. Right."
He drew a breath and released it slowly, his hands unclenching with it after being balled into fists on the desk before him. He would ensure there was a Remnant left for them to return to, whenever that would be, which meant doing the best he possibly could now to preserve what remained. And that meant focusing on everything at hand and finally delivering a decision on how to proceed.
He gave another look through the task list in front of him and quickly narrowed it down to the three he had been internally debating over since yesterday: water well refinement, excavation of a new network of Dust caves, and accelerating the setup of weather terminals created with the help of Atlesian technicians. Disregarding military organization, which was always the utmost importance at the moment, all three would provide vast benefits to the people currently residing—or harboring, as it were for many—in Vacuo City and the surrounding settlements. It was just a matter of which was more important, providing a surplus of resources or warning against the detrimental sandstorms the Vacuo deserts saw. One of the three, he figured, had to be their next priority, and everyone else in the room seemed to agree in some form or another since these were the tasks most argued over.
Nora and Robyn believed the water systems should come first, as that would be the quickest, direct benefit to the citizens in Vacuo. Emerald argued the Dust mines should be top priority, since a larger supply of their greatest resource would provide for quicker resolutions to basically every other problem they had. Though Qrow had not voiced his thoughts, the fact he volunteered to scout the mines himself led Oscar to believe he agreed with Emerald's take. Ren was the only one arguing for the weather terminals, as he believed a better alert system for Vacuo's unforgiving weather should be first priority to prevent further, unnecessary tragedy. That the Atlesians claimed they could update the terminals to provide better tracking of Grimm hordes was an added bonus.
Oscar hadn't made a decision yet, but he was leaning towards agreeing with Ren. The only thing that gave him pause was the timeframe for the terminals. If it was going to be a lengthy process, they could make do with the current system and complete the other two projects first to ensure a cushion for the citizens. And therein was the crux of the issue, there was no wrong answer, just…perhaps…a less correct one. Everything would need to be completed at some point, and everything would be completed if they did their jobs properly, but a decision had to be made as to where to start, and they were all looking to him to make it.
He agreed to be the one to make it.
With another, low breath, Oscar pointed up at the three options, highlighting them, and then turned to look at everyone else in the room. "Remind me of the timelines for these three again?" he asked.
"The Atlesian techs believe with the proper manpower behind it, systems would take two weeks at most to be online and fully operational," Ren reported.
That was significantly quicker than Oscar was expecting, and practically solidified his position then and there. Still, something small twisted in his gut over the certainty he held for his own decision. Could he really be so sure that was the correct option? Had he earned the right yet to even be so confident in himself?
It was a reoccurring feeling that had been happening ever since they arrived in Vacuo. Ever since he agreed to step into this leadership role he now resided in. He finally parsed it out to being a combination of uncertainty and caution; uncertainty in himself and whether he had the right—the ability to call himself a leader, and a caution that persisted because of all those who came before him. Men far greater than he had made mistakes…men far greater than he had fallen completely.
But…he had made his choice, and in choosing to step up, he had made his choice over and over again. With time, the insecurity gnawing at the corners of his mind had receded some, but it had still yet to fully leave him completely.
"It likely never will," Oz reminded him softly, "The best learn not to give it any credence, and you are quickly developing into the best, Oscar."
Oscar bit back a snort. This hardly felt as though it was the best: kingdoms in shambles, an all-out war looming, and half their friends missing in another dimension. He was just doing what he thought he needed to in order to survive. In order for everyone to survive. In the grand scheme of things, this decision wasn't even that pressing, and he could barely make a call.
"In a situation like this, everything feels greater than it may be. You must go one step at a time."
Right. That was all anyone could ask for.
His eyes moved back up to the board of jobs needing completed. His mind was all but made up, but as he scanned the list again, he acknowledged he still wanted the rest of the information before he set a plan in stone. "And the other two?" Oscar asked.
After a moment of silence passed through the room, he cast another glance around at the people who were there. Of course, the other two individuals who could provide a timeline were missing. "Qrow was supposed to scout the mines, wasn't he? And Robyn was taking the Happy Huntresses to view the wells and talk to the engineers? Where are they?"
"Robyn wanted Qrow for something," Nora answered with a shrug. "She said it wouldn't take that long, buuuuuuuuut…" she trailed off with another rise and fall of her shoulders.
Oscar sighed and ran a hand over his face. It would figure the moment he was finally set to make a decision, half of the information he needed wasn't even in the room. Qrow's findings in the mines and his estimations of how long it would take to get an excavation operation up and running would definitely shape his decision on the bottom half of the order, as would anything Robyn could provide regarding the wells and what the engineers had told her.
At least the first and foremost part of his decision was made. "Okay…well, regardless, I believe the terminals should be top priority," Oscar said, nodding to Ren. With a flick of his finger, that objective rose to the top of the list, and he disregarded the queasiness in his stomach at finally setting up plans. A decision had to be made, and he was the kind of person to step up and take responsibility when needed.
"Knowing when the sandstorms are coming will only help the other teams plan and keep them—as well as the citizens—safe in case of a natural disaster," he explained, "If the Atlesians can implement a better Grimm tracking system too, then even better."
Oscar pushed himself away from the center table and stood back, pacing a little as he stared up at the other two highlighted objectives. "It'd be nice if, while the terminals are being set up, we could send a small ground team to the mines or wells to confirm either Qrow or Robyn's findings. Planning for setup is crucial, that way we can move the moment we have spare hands…but…" he stopped his pacing and shrugged, "That depends on their findings. Whichever one will take less time should be prioritized next. I don't want to neglect the water systems if the mines are going to be too difficult to get into safely, but having more Dust would make the repairs go quicker if we can afford it."
Silence settled over the room yet again, and Oscar's eyes flicked nervously from the task list to everyone else. The logic made sense, didn't it? Safety should come first, and with the terminals up and running that would mean any other objective would be less impeded by surprise weather conditions. After that, it was just a matter of managing time, which they would never have enough of, but they had to do what they could with what they were afforded.
After another beat, it was Ren who nodded at him with a smile. "Should we go find Qrow and Robyn then?" he suggested.
"As I said, leadership suits you."
Oscar huffed and barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Relief flooded into him that they all agreed though, and he spared a glance at Theo, who was already busy on his scroll, likely figuring out which teams and Hunters to allocate to the weather terminals.
"I think so, yes," Oscar said finally, his gaze sliding back to Ren, "We need their reports."
"Then let's go find them!" Nora announced. She jumped to her feet and was already half-way out the door when she added, "We've already been here for hours…days! The sooner we can finalize this the sooner we can start actually doing something!"
He could understand the sentiment, actually doing something was what they wanted to be doing. It meant they were no longer sitting idle and instead were actually helping those around them. Those whom they swore to help and protect. Ren and Emerald seemed to agree as well, as they both immediately got up and followed after Nora out the door.
Oscar made it halfway around the table himself before sparing one more glance towards the Headmaster in the room. Theo had been particularly quiet this whole meeting and he wasn't sure what that meant. He found he often still had trouble reading the older man, and he wanted to make sure this was alright with him before proceeding further.
"Does this work for you?" Oscar asked, unable to contain some of his wariness, "You've been…rather quiet with your input."
"It works fine," Theo answered. He cast his eyes upwards from his scroll, piercing Oscar with his gaze for one, long moment before returning to whatever it was that he was doing. "Now that we have a focus, I intend on doing just that."
"Right," Oscar nodded, unsure what to make of that or how else to reply. "So…we'll be back within the hour to finish everything up?" he asked, somewhat sheepish.
"Go," Theo responded, dismissing him with a wave of his hand, "I'll have the Hunter assignments ready when you return."
That he did know how to respond to. "Thanks," Oscar nodded with a smile.
When Theo made it apparent he wasn't going to add anything else, Oscar turned and hurried after the others. It didn't take long to catch up to them, as they had stopped to wait for him not too far from the doorway.
"We all good in there?" Emerald asked, pointing her chin towards the war room.
"Yeah, I think so," Oscar nodded. He came to a stop and glanced over his shoulder before adding, "He'll have the assignments done by the time we get back, which probably means we have some time…I guess?" He turned back to the other three with a shrug, "So…we have no idea where Qrow or Robyn went?"
"Nope," Nora answered.
"We figured we would check the upper balcony first," Ren supplemented her answer, "Qrow usually flies back through there when he knows he's running late. And if we have the time, we could all probably use some air."
It was a subtle shift since Atlas, but since they had arrived in Vacuo, Ren had become increasingly…nurturing, in a way, towards the rest of the group. He was the one to insist and ensure everyone took breaks and remembered the outside world…well…existed. He reminded them they were only human, and could only do so much in a single day.
For the longest time, it felt as though that was Oscar's primary duty to his friends, and he had enjoyed it immensely. He wasn't particularly fond of how that had been slipping away from him in Vacuo, but he wasn't necessarily surprised by it. The longer they were there, the longer he spent performing this new role, the easier it was becoming to forget about the simpler necessities. He found time passed him by much quicker now, and his days often stretched well beyond his usual bedtime and were filled with nothing but strategies for wars and governments. It had become a new routine for him to plan, train, and eat during his waking hours with not much else happening in between.
It was only the first time when he inevitably forgot to eat that Ren finally stepped in.
So, while most of him longed to take the quickest route possible in tracking down Qrow and Robyn, and a part of him was clawing to get back to finalizing and implementing their next course of action, Oscar acknowledged it was for the best to also take a break. As Nora had already pointed out, they had been going at it for days now. It would only help them to take a moment to breathe and enjoy the mid-morning sun before it got too unbearably hot outside.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Oscar agreed, and they started making their way to the other end of the hall. "Maybe if we wait a while and he still doesn't show up we can give him a call," he added as they reached the door to go outside, "Better signal out there…so long as there isn't a sandstorm."
Emerald snorted, "I know you want to update the terminals, but you'd know by now if there was a sandstorm at least."
"If there was a sandstorm, I don't think any of us would be intent on opening that door," Ren pointed out as Oscar's hand hovered over the handle.
"None of us want to relive our first greeting to Vacuo's desert," Oscar agreed, choosing not to dwell on the fact there were many, far greater reasons as to why none of them wanted to relive that day. The sandstorm on the other side of the portal barely reached the top ten reasons.
Instead, he pushed open the door and was greeted by the heat of Vacuo's mid-morning air immediately rushing around him. It wasn't gritty with sand particles at least, and it the heat wasn't too unbearable yet, but given the time of morning and the temperature already, it promised to be another scorching day in just a few more hours. Oscar couldn't help the small groan of complaint that escaped him. Mistral summers most definitely got hot, but he wasn't sure if he would ever be used to this.
"Oh come on, it isn't that bad," Emerald teased. Out of all of them, she was naturally the most accustomed to Vacuo's climate.
"I'm gonna be melting by noon!" Nora whined as they stepped outside, "Qrow better be nearby, or I swear I'll…oh!" she cut herself off as they all immediately caught sight of the figure leaning against the balcony. "Never mind. Hey, Qrow!" she called out to the man, "Are you coming to this meeting or—" Her question was abruptly cut off with a gasp, and out of the corner of his eye, Oscar saw her bring her hands to her mouth.
The atmosphere around the balcony seemed to still, and while the heat still hung oppressively over them all, the charge that surged through the air had nothing to do with Vacuo's dry heat or its propensity for the occasional storm. He followed Nora's wide-eyed gaze past Qrow's back and watched as a blinding flash of light sliced its way through the space on the far end of the balcony, like it was cutting through time and distance itself. A resounding, sturdy boom echoed slightly around them as the air shimmered and ripped apart, and then closed just as easily. And standing in place of that blinding light stood five individuals, a young woman in a red hood and with beautiful silver eyes standing front and center of them all.
Oscar's heart hammered in his chest three times and then forgot to beat altogether. No way…
A moment of silence passed around them. And then another, and then another. Every last bit of breath had evacuated Oscar's lungs, and he almost forgot how to replace it. He was certain Ren, Nora, and Emerald were all staring exactly as he was, slack-jawed and unable to believe their eyes, while the group of their missing friends stared back at them, smiling.
He couldn't help it, the longer he stared at the group, the more his eyes roved over each of their missing friends, cataloguing their appearance, checking for injuries, checking for…he didn't even know. After he finished with each of them the first time, he made a second pass, and then a third. And then a fourth, and a fifth. Perhaps he had grown too accustomed to catastrophes and problems in need of fixing, but the more he stared, the more he was prepared for anything else but the easiest answer that was standing before him. The answer he had been hoping for for months.
He was trying to find something that pointed to this all being an illusion, a simple trick of the light or some cruel joke. Or, even worse, an ambush by Salem using their own loved ones against them. It was way too normal of a day, way too sudden to have the people he had been longing for—the friends they all missed so, so terribly—magically appearing before them again as if nothing ever happened in the first place. As if months hadn't passed by, and the hole created in their absence hadn't grown bigger with each passing day.
This couldn't be real. There had to be a catch, there was always a catch.
"Perhaps it is alright to trust your own eyes and instincts," Oz whispered in his mind, surprisingly chipper compared to his usual self, "They've served you well enough thus far."
Maybe…just maybe this time, Oz was right. Maybe it was alright. Maybe there was no catch and maybe, just this once, they were lucky enough to have half their problems solved by magic.
Logically, he conceded it only made sense. How else would they have returned from the Ever After?
Oscar swallowed back a swell of emotions and shot a wide-eyed glance at Nora, who was teary eyed and grinning and bouncing on the balls of her feet in badly contained glee. "They're really back?" he asked quietly, needing at least one confirmation that those around him were also experiencing this. He needed to know he hadn't finally cracked under the pressure.
Her blue eyes flicked between him and Ren for a second, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other boy nod. "They're really back," Ren agreed just as softly.
"They're really back!" Nora exclaimed. Without another warning, she launched herself at top speed at the group and threw herself at Jaune, excited giggles escaping her the entire way.
It was enough to shake Ren out of his stupor, at least. "Nora…Nora! You have no idea how they're faring!" he chided, rushing after her. Though, Oscar did not miss the way his feet seemed lighter in the way the older boy was almost floating as he carried himself to their friends. Nor did he miss the grin that lit up Ren's face.
It was…real, then. Their missing teammates…their missing friends were really, truly back on Remnant. Oscar stood there, momentarily rooted to the spot by an overwhelming sense of relief that washed over every inch of his body. It was a feeling quickly burned away by an intense jubilation. They'd really made it back. The hope he'd held for the last several months had finally, finally paid off.
"Your faith in them has never been misplaced before."
No, no it had never been misplaced. Time and again they proved it was never misplaced.
But this was a miracle to pull off, even for them. Returning to Remnant was always a possibility, Oz assured that, but even with all of his hope, even with all of his faith and trust in RWBY and Jaune, Oscar knew it was not an easy task that laid before them. It was not an easy task before either group, really, but returning from another place? Another dimension altogether? Alyx fell through the world and returned, but the journey was long and arduous. He didn't doubt it was any different for them, but they were back now. They were back now, and of course there was no warning, of course it was sudden and magical coming from the place they were, and of course it felt like something reignited the moment he saw—
A nudge against his shoulder pulled Oscar from his thoughts. He blinked and tilted his head to find Emerald's amused red eyes staring back at him. "You gonna just stand there staring all day?" she asked and nudged him forward, "Or are you actually gonna go say hi to the friends you've been waiting on for months?"
Right, right.
He chuckled at himself and nodded in confirmation that she was correct, he was going to go reunite with his friends. "Thanks," he muttered softly to Emerald and turned back to the rest of their newly returned group.
It was at that moment Ruby turned towards him after surviving a bear hug from Nora, and his gaze locked with those silver eyes that spent a good portion of the last few months haunting his memories.
A feeling unlike anything else welled up in his stomach and started blooming in his chest, causing it to constrict as the emotion took over. This was something altogether new and exciting and…yes, he had been long for this moment for months, but this emotion ran so much deeper than his simple joy at finally being reunited with his friends. This was deeply…deeply personal, and admittedly had probably taken root from thoughts he refused to linger on, or even acknowledge, during the months of their absence.
And perhaps he should have given them some consideration, because now he felt like he was practically boiling over with those feelings coming back with a vengeance while he finally shared a smile with the girl he had been waiting for until the ill-contained giddiness consumed him in full.
"Ruby!"
His feet moved before his mind caught up, before her name was even fully out of his mouth. Oscar was glad everyone was back—overjoyed beyond words—but he wouldn't deny that seeing her specifically standing on the balcony of Shade Academy, alive and whole and looking even better than the visage of her he seared into his memory, caused his heart to soar to new heights. And he should temper himself, he should, but in that singular moment everything was right again.
For just one moment, nothing else in the world mattered but the fact Ruby Rose and her team had returned.
She started at the sound of her name, but barely had the chance to respond before Oscar was in front of her and enveloping her in his embrace. She was here, she was real, he could feel her warmth and the softness of her skin and the tautness of developed muscle as he pulled her close.
"Ruby," he sighed, nearly unable to think of anything else to say but the chant of her name repeating over and over in his mind, "You're here. You're back."
For a long moment, she didn't respond to him. She just stood somewhat stiff in his arms, as if she were surprised by his outburst. And perhaps in his excitement he overstepped—he should have tempered himself—but before he could pull away and ask if everything was alright, Ruby's arms circled around his back and gripped at his shirt, tugging him just as close.
"Oscar," she breathed softly. He could feel her smile into his shirt. "I'm glad to see you too."
If he were more cognizant of his surrounding, he perhaps would have paid more mind to the few pairs of eyes turning to them. But as it were, all he cared about was the fact the young Huntress Ruby Rose returned. The only thing he was aware of was her presence being near once more. And the longer they stood there in Vacuo's morning sun, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it, the more he became aware of her stature as it started to fall apart. There was a small tremble here, a shake there, and then suddenly a dampness on his tunic.
Was she…? Well, if he were being honest, as he turned his gaze to the ceiling, a few tears pricked the edges of his eyes too. It was an overwhelming wave of joy and heartbreak, immense relief and finally an acknowledgement of all the stress and fear he had been holding at bay for them. For her.
"I'm so, so glad you're back," Oscar murmured to her. On instinct, before he could even think better of it, one of his hands moved to cup the back of her head, and he shifted just enough to place a kiss on her temple.
Ruby stilled. "O-Oscar…?" she asked quietly and pulled away from him, just enough to stare up at him with wide, teary eyes. She didn't utter another word, but the way she said his name was more than enough to imply what she was asking.
"Oh! I…uh—"
Heat flared in his cheeks, and he pulled his hand away from her to awkwardly rub at his neck. Why had he done that? No…no he knew exactly why he'd done that, but why had he done it to Ruby? A faint laugh echoed in his head, and he rolled his eyes as he glanced away from her.
"Shut up," he groused. That only encouraged a louder laugh.
"—Sorry," Oscar said with a sheepish grin, returning his gaze to Ruby, "That was always how my aunt greeted me when she returned home from a long trip to Mistral or some such. Guess I just got a little carried away…"
It was what he was used to, a common gesture he was comfortable sharing amongst loved ones. Admittedly, he had no intention of doing it with anyone else outside his family—it was weird to do with friends, wasn't it?—but it came so easily to him in that moment he didn't even question it until she did. It was instinctive, second nature…like so many things were when it came to Ruby. Like it was proper, correct in a way he couldn't quite describe and that…well.
That was the truth he had been ignoring for months. It was a truth he would address at a later date.
Ruby continued examining him, and he did not miss the storm that crossed her face as her pretty silver eyes drifted downwards, over his neck and chest, and then back up. He had half a mind to ask what was wrong, but before he could open his mouth she flashed him a soft smile, and for the second time in the past twenty minutes, all the air escaped from his lungs. She moved closer again, wrapping her arms around him once more and resuming their hug.
"It's okay," Ruby whispered, "I'm glad to be back too."
Oscar breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok…thank goodness," he chuckled and eased back into her embrace.
The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, or make things awkward the moment she returned home, but the feelings welling up and springing forth inside his heart were almost too much to keep completely contained. And as he wrapped his arms around her again, the desire to lean down and kiss her flared up again. In part, to prove to himself that she was, truly there in his arms, and in part to prove to her that he was there too. That no matter what happened to her and no matter what came next, he was there and ready and able to stand by her side and help.
"Ruby?" Oscar asked and swallowed back a new lump of emotions growing in his throat. "Can I…would you mind if I did it again?"
She chuckled, he felt the small shake in her shoulders, and the sound did more to soothe his nerves than anything had since Oz first popped into his head. "Yeah, you can," Ruby agreed and turned her head up to peek one silver eye up at him. A faint dusting of red covered her cheeks. "I…think I'd like that."
"Thank you," he whispered, unable to contain his grin. He moved again, brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, and pressed another soft kiss to her temple. This time, instead of pulling away, her grip around him tightened. "Welcome home, Ruby Rose."