AN: Yesterday was Ruby's birthday! Happy Birthday to Ruby Rose!
Anyway, let's get on with it.
Spider-Woman joyfully performed a quadruple backflip before burying her foot in the gut of a small-time criminal who thought it was a good idea to try robbing a convenience store. Then, she joyfully took his unconscious body and used it as a weapon to beat his comrade into the ground.
"Is it just me, or is this the most fun a gal can have in tights?"
Spider-Woman took aim at the last criminal and fired a web ball that blew his weapon out of his hand. "Tch Tch Tch… You shouldn't play with guns. There are more fun things to play with anyway. Ever heard of the Remnant board game? Actually, you might not be smart enough to play that one, sorry."
Spider-Woman smacked aside his fist when he made to punch her. "That's not very nice." She stomped down on his foot before he could try to kick her, breaking something in his foot in the process. "Is it really so hard to just not be a criminal?"
A small jab to his face snapped his head backward. "Not so fun when it happens to you is it?" A punch to his stomach knocked the wind out of him before a final uppercut sent him in the air before falling onto his back.
"Today's fight brought to you by Spidey and her trusty bag of heroic quips! Who knew fighting crime could be this much fun? Oh right, me!"
Spidey cracked her knuckles and admired her handiwork. The various citizens hiding behind shelves slowly rose to their feet when the sounds of fighting and hilarious quips ceased. Spider-Woman took the liberty of bounding the criminal's wrists with webbing to make the police's job easier.
"You're in a good mood today Spider-Woman," the friendly woman behind the counter said with a smile. "Did something good happen?"
Spider-Woman couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled past her lips. "Hehe, well, you could say that. Things are looking up for this little spider. Life is pretty cool right now!"
Who wouldn't be in a good mood in her situation? She had saved a bunch of kids from some horrible kidnappers and reunited them with their families. She unlocked the aura of a little girl who had dreams of being a Huntress. She beat up some dude with weird vibration gauntlets. And to top it all off, she got a date for a school dance! Life is finally going her way for once!
She barely got any sleep due to how excited she was. Everyone in class today must've thought she was crazy due to how happy she looked. Her goofy smile must've been plastered over her face all day. She just hoped she didn't look sadistic while sparring.
Her father noticed of course, and she was forced to tell him that she got a date to the Beacon dance. She wouldn't have been able to hide it if she tried with Yang around. She thought it best to just tell him herself. That might've been the only negative part of her day. Her father looked like he was considering becoming a murderer when she told him.
Still, her wonderful smile was enough to quell Taiyang's anger. Seeing his daughter so happy was more than enough to calm him down.
"Glad to hear it Spidey! Thanks for the save there, we owe ya one!"
Spider-Woman giggled like a happy schoolgirl before skipping out of the building just in time for the police to show up. Most of the police ignored her now, knowing that they stood no chance of catching her. She was even on good terms with a few of them.
Spider-Woman waved to the police and took to the skies once again. Her acrobatic stunts garnered the attention of every pedestrian on the sidewalk. She contorted her body in ways that should've been impossible. "Don't worry folks! Just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman, making Vale's skyline look good!"
She brought her hands to her side and plummeted straight down toward the street below. Her body twisted like a corkscrew which only served to enhance her speed. When she was moments away from becoming a red smear on the pavement, she ejected a web line toward a nearby building and swung herself back up, far above the buildings.
"Web-swinging at its finest! Who needs a subway pass when you've got Spidey speed?"
She twisted around a flock of pigeons before grabbing hold of a flagpole and swinging herself even higher than before. The winds caused her costume to flap in the breeze.
It surprised her how quickly she got used to her spandex costume. It wasn't revealing by any measure but it was skin-tight. It showed off her womanly curves extremely well. Maybe she was just so lost in the excitement of becoming a superhero that she never thought of it. It also helped that no one saw her face so her body was never attributed to Ruby Rose.
Spider-Woman zipped to a corner of a building and kicked herself off of it at extremely high speeds. She spread her arms wide and unfolded her web wings to keep her momentum going and pierced through the air. She was easily faster than a car while gliding.
"Is there anything better than web-swinging on a beautiful day? Spoiler alert: Nope!"
She had gotten much better at using her web wings since she added them to her costume. She never had a problem using them before but mastery came with time. It also helped that she could use her venom to propel herself further and gain even more speed.
Spider-Woman shook her head of her thoughts when her mask started ringing and her sister's name appeared on her HUD. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was calling about. Her cheeks heated up just thinking about it.
Still, she couldn't exactly ignore her sister. Reluctantly, she sent a mental command to answer the call.
"H-Hello," Spider-Woman stuttered, folding her web wings and ejecting a web line ahead of her.
Spider-Woman could hear the teasing tone of Yang's voice before she even started talking. "Why, hello there my darling baby sister," Yang purred into her scroll. "I received a very juicy bit of information last night. Care to guess what it was?"
Spider-Woman immediately put up a defensive wall of funny jokes. "Weiss finally pulled that stick out of her ass?"
Yang cackled. "HA! Nope. The ice queen is still as uptight as ever."
"E-Excuse me!?" Weiss sounded offended from the background.
Annoying Weiss was fun.
"My baby sister has a date for a school dance! With a handsome boy as well! Ah...I couldn't be prouder."
Spider-Woman flushed redder than her mask. In her embarrassment, she used way too much power when kicking off a building and slightly cracked the masonry. She pulled herself up onto a building for a moment's rest to talk to Yang.
"W-Well...y-yeah," Spider-Woman couldn't stop the smile if she wanted to. "He called me last night and asked me. I said yes…"
Yang's girly giggle was so unlike her. "This is great! You've gotta come over here so we can take your measurements for a dress! We'll take Weiss' credit card, don't worry."
She had a feeling that Weiss would disagree on that point but the girl was loaded beyond belief so maybe she would be okay with it. She's probably lost a million lien in the couch cushions.
"Ugh...do I have to? Can't I just wear a-"
"Absolutely not," Yang denied before Ruby could finish. "Sorry Rubes, you aren't getting out of wearing a dress for Saturday. You aren't wearing sneakers either, so don't even try it."
Damn.
"Ugh, but high heels are so uncomfortable and hard to walk in. Can I just wear dress shoes instead?"
It was true that she would've had a very hard time walking in high heels if it weren't for her spider powers. She had an increased sense of balance when got her powers so walking around in heels would be no problem for her. Still, she absolutely hated those demon shoes. It was like walking on stilts.
"Nope," Yang showed no mercy. Spider-Woman pouted. "It's only for one night Ruby, you'll live."
She grumbled but accepted that Yang would never change her mind on this. She was right, it was only for a few hours of one single night. It would be annoying but nothing she couldn't handle.
It didn't hold back her excitement in the slightest anyway. She would be more than happy to bear wearing those demon shoes for a single night if she was with Jaune. Just thinking about it had her blushing.
How would she be able to dance in those things anyway?
...Wait…
"I can't dance!" Spider-Woman yelled, panicked. "Yang! I'm hopeless on the dance floor! What do I do!?"
Yang laughed, Spider-Woman didn't see the humor in her current predicament. What if Jaune laughed at her for not being able to bust a move? What if she just kept stepping on his feet? What if her heels injured his foot?
"Rubes, I guarantee you that 90% of everyone on the dance floor is equally as clueless when it comes to dancing. Do you seriously think that the blonde noodle will be a master on the dance floor?"
"He has seven sisters Yang! He knows how to braid hair, sew clothes, and apply makeup! I bet he knows how to dance too!"
Yang was silent for a few seconds. "Seven?" She eventually asked.
Spider-Woman couldn't help but laugh at Yang's tone of disbelief. She was much the same way when she learned Jaune had seven sisters. She bet Jaune had a bunch of other skills that he hadn't shared with her that were a product of his siblings.
"Yes, seven!"
"Okay, admittedly, I didn't see that one coming. But this is even better! This just means he would be a perfect husband! Nice catch Ruby," Yang said slyly.
Spider-Woman could feel steam erupting from her ears. She instinctively covered her face with her palms despite her mask still being on. "Y-Yang! S-Stop it! I-I'm not… We're not dating!"
"Not dating yet."
"Yang!"
"I'm serious Ruby." Yang continued, to her increasing embarrassment. "Jaune's a nice guy. You've never been this close with a guy before and you and Jaune get on really well. Why not give a relationship a try?"
Yang made it sound so easy! It's not like she could just walk up to him and ask him to be her boyfriend! Why was Yang encouraging this anyway?! Shouldn't she be trying to shield her precious baby sister from scary boys?
...Ok, Jaune wasn't scary... b-but still!
"Also...I think he's got a little crush on you."
"Eep!" She squeaked in embarrassment. Why did Yang say that?! "Y-You're wrong! There's… There's no way he likes me that way. We're…" She exhaled softly. "...just friends."
It was the truth. She valued her friendship with Jaune way too much to dare risk it by trying her hand at a relationship. She's seen that firsthand with boys who were friends with Yang. They were friends at first but once they developed feelings for her and she denied them, their friendship was never the same. Yang would be beaten up for weeks about that. Spider-Woman never wanted something like that to happen to her.
Yeah, she had a crush on him. Not that she would ever admit that to Yang. Still, she was happy just being friends.
She heard some shuffling and a door closing on Yang's side. She was likely moving to a different location to talk in private.
"Ruby," Yang began once she was satisfied with her location. "Let's get one thing straight. You are a beautiful young woman and Jaune is a hormonal teenage boy. Any guy worth a damn would be over the moon to have a cute girl like yourself go out with them."
Spider-Woman ignored her embarrassment and stayed silent.
"You think that just because you're friends he would never want to be in a relationship with you? Hell, the guy literally asked you out last night!"
Spider-Woman shook her head rapidly. "N-No! He probably asked me because he didn't have anyone else to go with!"
Yang scoffed. "Oh yeah? What about Pyrrha? She still doesn't have a date to the dance and Jaune never once thought about asking her. And let's not pretend that Pyrrha isn't beautiful too. You were the very first person he asked."
Spider-Woman wanted to crawl into a hole and never emerge.
"I'm not saying you absolutely have to go out with him and I would never try to push you into a relationship, especially one I thought you weren't ready for. But I am saying that guys like Jaune don't show up too often. When was the last time you met a guy around your age who liked hanging out with you?"
Spider-Woman kicked her brain into overtime to try to come up with an answer. Despite her efforts, she couldn't think of anyone. However, most of that was due to the fact that she was socially awkward and didn't know how to make friends.
"N-Never…" She admitted, reluctantly.
"Exactly," Yang continued in her smug tone. "He's a hormonal teenage boy with a cute girl as his best friend. I may not have any experience in the romantic department but even I can tell there's something going on there."
Spider-Woman collapsed onto her back, staring up at the bright skies of Vale, cheeks burning bright red. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was right about a few things. Jaune was her best friend and easily the boy she was closest with. Jaune had asked her out to the dance before considering asking anyone else. But still, that didn't mean he was in love with her! There was a big leap between dancing and love!
"Yang... I think you're reading too much into this. Jaune probably just asked me first because we were friends first. It has nothing to do with him...you know..."
"Being in love with you?"
"I-I didn't say that!"
"You're so cute," Yang teased. "Is there a problem though? With dating him I mean. Do you think he's ugly or something?"
"Y-Yang!"
"Hey, it's a serious question. You can't very well start a relationship with someone if you can't even stand to look at them. Physical attraction is important. So?"
Spider-Woman rolled onto her side and brought her knees to her chest. "I don't think he's ugly."
"Could you be a little more specific?"
"He's very handsome," she said before realizing what she had just told her sister. "Ack! W-Wait! I-I-I didn't mean-"
"Well well well. My sister thinks a boy is very handsome. I bet you're wondering what he looks like without a shirt."
She wasn't until Yang brought it up!
"Just picture it Ruby. After a hard days training, Jaune slowly lifts up that thin fabric away from his skin. It still clings to his chest because of all the sweat. It goes higher and higher until-"
"S-Stop describing it! I wasn't thinking...about...t-that."
…
…
…
"Eep!" She squeaked into her knees. "Y-You're so... stupid!"
"You're the one being stupid here, Ruby," Yang teased. "It's all a part of growing up. You can't ignore it forever."
"Watch me!" She lived for 15 years without a single friend. She was pretty confident in her ability to go her entire life without a boyfriend. Yang on the other hand would not let that slide.
"Why are you so against it?" Yang asked. "Wait, just to check, you aren't into girls, are you? I won't judge."
Spider-Woman shook her head before remembering that Yang couldn't see her and responded verbally. "No, I'm not into women."
Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew… For a second there, I thought you were trying to get into Weiss' pants. That was scary."
Spider-Woman couldn't help but laugh. "Y-Yang!" she said in between giggles. The idea of being with Weiss was so absurd that she actually laughed out loud. "Never in a million lifetimes. Weiss is waaay too uptight."
"True that," Yang agreed in an instant. "You should've seen her trying to plan the dance. She wanted to add baked oysters to the menu! What kind of monster does that?!"
That sounded awful. A school dance was meant to have pretzels, potato chips, and fruit punch that would hopefully go unspiked the entire night.
"But enough about Weiss and her terrible ideas. We need to fit you into a dress so you can knock Jaune's socks off! We need to make you the most beautiful girl in Beacon! Actually, maybe not that beautiful. I don't want to be an aunt just yet."
Spider-Woman felt her brain fizzle. Her cheeks were so red that it was a wonder that she was still conscious.
"I'm free right now, so come over. Bye Bye~" Yang hung up before Spider-Woman could protest.
Well...that happened.
Was Yang actually right? Should she try her hand at an actual relationship? There was no doubt in her mind that she really wanted to give it a shot. She just doubted her ability to be a good girlfriend to Jaune Though realistically, Jaune was probably just as clueless as she was. He wasn't exactly a ladies man.
She was still young and had more than enough time to decide. But maybe starting her first romantic relationship would be good for her. Even if it didn't work out, it would give her valuable knowledge for future relationships.
Maybe her little crush will grow into something more at some point in the future. Who's really to say?
She really wished the comic books had more information on superhero romance. Romance was more of a side plot in all the stories she's red. It wasn't as interesting as kicking ass and taking names with a super awesome costume on. She would be going into this blind. Actually, less than blind. With Yang on the side giving her advice, she might find it a little harder to start a relationship. Yang liked to act all confident but she was pretty much hopeless when it came to romance as well. But Yang had the advantage of being able to hold up a conversation without boring everybody.
Spider-Woman kicked herself to her feet and launched herself off the building. Thinking about it right now was getting her nowhere. The fact was that she had a date to the dance and she was super excited about it. She'd have to play it by ear from there. Maybe some dancing lessons would be helpful.
Webbing gushed from her wrists as she made her way to Beacon.
The door slammed open, and she was yanked inside before she could even knock. How Yang knew she was outside, she had no idea. Ruby stumbled for purchase while Yang kicked the door shut behind her.
Ruby looked up to see Weiss holding a tailor ruler while looking more excited than Ruby had ever seen. That alone was enough to make Ruby regret coming here. Maybe she should've just gone to a professional tailor to rent a dress or something. She had extra cash from the Bugle so it wouldn't break the bank.
But Yang had her only escape route blocked and Ruby didn't want to throw herself out the window so she resigned herself to her fate.
Blake was reading a book on her bed while Penny was doing the same. Though, Blake was reading some smut book while Penny was reading a book titled "How to Make Friends: For Dummies." She sure was an odd one alright. Ruby, being socially awkward herself knew how hard it was to make friends.
Yang draped herself over Ruby's back. Ruby had to shift herself and adjust to the extra weight. "You ready Weiss? We're gonna make this Rose the most beautiful flower in the bouquet."
Weiss beamed. "Damn right, I'm ready! I've got so many ideas already." Weiss got right up in Ruby's face. "What's your favorite color? Are you right or left-handed? Preferred hairstyle? What style of dress do you want?"
So the rich girl just wants to play dress-up. At least that means I won't have to pay for this thing.
"Red, left-handed, whatever looks good, and I have no idea."
Ruby didn't know a damn thing about fashion. She could point to something and say "That looks good," but that was about it. She had no idea what Weiss had in store for her. Though, judging by the maniacal look in her eyes, she likely didn't want to know.
Yang grabbed the hem of Ruby's shirt and started to pull up. "Time to strip Ruby. Can't have these pesky clothes giving us bad measurements," she said in a teasing voice.
Ruby flushed bright red and slapped Yang's hands away. "I-Is this really necessary?! W-Why can't I just tell you my measurements instead?"
"Sure, we can do that," Weiss said, coming to Ruby's rescue. Ruby sighed with relief. "As long as you know your wrist diameter, finger length, neck length, bust size, shoulder width, arm length, bicep diameter, wingspan, back length, leg length, ankle diameter, foot length, toe length, overbust, underbust, underbust to waist, waist, low waist, hips, thighs, upper thighs, armscye, and of course, your height."
…
…
…
Ruby didn't get any of that. She just thought that every part of a dress would scale up along with the size of its wearer. Why did Weiss need her finger length?! Was she gonna wear custom gloves or something? There was also no way in hell she was gonna show up wearing a turtleneck so why did she need her neck length?!
This is confusing!
"Didn't think so," Weiss deadpanned when she saw Ruby's clueless expression. She must've looked quite lost indeed. "Now, shirt off. I'll get a notepad to write down these measurements. Leave your underwear on," Weiss said, moving to her desk.
Yang fished her scroll out of her pocket. "I gotta start looking at dresses!" She squealed in delight. "This is gonna be great!"
There was no getting out of this if she wanted to. She sent a brief glance toward the door to make sure it was locked. Nothing would be more mortifying than to have Jaune walk in at the worst moment. Not like he'd barge in without knocking but still.
It's just us girls in here, Ruby thought, reaching for her shirt. Nothing to be embarrassed about. As long as Yang keeps her mouth shut.
Ruby pulled off her shirt and set it aside. She flushed bright red at how exposed she felt. How is it that I can wear a skin-tight red and blue costume without a problem but I can't take my shirt off in front of a couple of girls without being embarrassed?
Yang kicked her feet happily while scrolling through some photos of fancy dresses while Weiss fished out a notepad and pen from her dresser. She placed the pen behind her ear and approached the secret spider.
"Alright," Weiss began. "Let's start off with your height. Can you stand against... the…" Weiss' eyes widened. "H-Holy...s-shit," Weiss swore, her eyes dipping lower as she started sweating.
Yang's head snapped up, concern filling her purple irises. Clearly, she never heard Weiss swear before. "What's wrong?" She asked, getting to her feet. "Weiss, you never swear. Is something... the... m-matter?" Yang followed Weiss' gaze. Her eyes looked like they might pop out of her head with how wide they were. "F-Fucking hell, Ruby. What h-happened to you?"
Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Hm? What do you mean?"
Yang and Weiss both pointed. Ruby followed their fingers downward and looked at her abdomen.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
That radioactive spider bite gifted her with more than just fantastic superpowers straight out of a comic book. It also burned away all baby fat across her entire body and gave her the body that most adult Huntsmen could only dream of. Her enhanced muscles bulged outward in full view. Primarily her six-pack abs that seemed to draw Weiss and Yang's attention. Even Blake turned away from her book to look at her.
Ruby flushed bright pink at all the awed stares. "O-Oh...well, y'know. I-I work out a lot. A-And I drink milk!" Ruby rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. She totally forgot about her physique.
Yang took a step closer. "R-Ruby. Even I don't have abs like that…" Yang looked a little jealous while she rubbed her hands across her own stomach. "Those are...i-incredible! Fuck…"
Weiss shook herself out of her stupor. "H-How the hell… that's... not possible," she stuttered. "What the hell kind of training do you do to get a body like that?"
Ruby rubbed her cheek in embarrassment. "Oh, y'know. Mostly upper body strength and combat training. Crescent Rose is quite heavy."
Web swinging and beating up criminals.
Yang's eyes widened even further. She dashed forward and got real close to the silver-eyed spider.
"And what the hell are these things!?" Yang yelled. She thrust both hands forward toward Ruby. Grabbing her breasts in both hands!
"Eek!" Ruby shrieked, her face looking like it was about to erupt. She swatted Yang's hands away before crossing her arms over her breasts. "Y-Yang! W-What are you thinking!? Y-You... You can't touch them!"
Yang thrust an accusatory finger toward Ruby. "Those mutant things are bigger than Weiss, Blake, and Penny." Ruby wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "When did my adorable baby sister get so stacked?!"
Weiss held her hand out and started squeezing the air in front of her as if she was trying to choke Ruby. "It's... not... fair! You're two years younger than me! Why are your boobs so much bigger than mine?!" Weiss looked like she was about to reach for her weapon and slice her breasts off!
"I drink milk!" Ruby yelled quickly, desperate to de-escalate the situation. "Lots and lots of milk!" She lied.
Not like they would believe her if she told them the truth anyway. Saying she got bigger breasts from a radioactive spider bite sounded insane. She felt crazy just thinking about it. And yet, it was the truth. She remembered how tight her clothes felt after she got bit, particularly around the chest area. Ruby had no idea why she wanted large boobs. They just got in the way of everything. She had to wear an extremely tight sports bra when acting as Spider-Woman so her breasts didn't sway too much while web-swinging.
Weiss' hands fell to her side. "Milk…" She whispered to herself.
Oh god, what have I just created?
Yang leaned down to Ruby's ear. "You think Jaune likes them big?" She asked in a teasing tone.
Ruby's brain felt like it was melting.
They did eventually get to take her measurements. Weiss looked at her with envy the entire time. Ruby even caught Blake sneaking a few peaks. Penny on the other hand looked like she couldn't care less.
Things got worse when she needed to flex her bicep when Weiss was measuring its diameter. Apparently, a resting and flexing measurement was important.
Yang was frankly blown away by the sheer size of Ruby's muscles while Weiss was just jealous. She had a feeling that Weiss would be making some changes to her diet and exercise routine pretty soon.
It took some time, but they finished taking her measurements and Ruby was finally allowed to get dressed.
Ruby didn't grow a single inch taller, much to her disappointment. She had a feeling she was going to remain short forever. She was actually an average height for grown women in Vale but she was only 15, so maybe there was still hope.
Weiss finished jotting down a couple of notes while Yang was scrolling through a bunch of dress photos with her sister, trying to find something that would suit her.
"Nope."
"Nuh-uh."
"No way."
"Nada."
"Absolutely not!"
Most of them were either way too over the top, way too revealing, or a literal wedding dress. Yang teased that she would need one for her big day with Jaune eventually. Ruby did her best to ignore that comment.
"Ok," Weiss started. "All the measurements are jotted down. Now, do you have any preferred colors? Either one solid color or two that work well together. Try to avoid combinations like red and yellow."
Well, she already had a signature color palate. She literally wore these colors just about every day. "Red and black. I wear those colors often and Yang says I look good in them."
Weiss nodded. "Good choice, I've got a few design ideas. I'm thinking we stick with the rose theme and add a black rose design to a red dress. What do you think?"
What did she think? She had no idea. Weiss was the expert on this stuff and Ruby trusted her judgment. Not like she had anyone better to trust with this anyway. Plus, Weiss was going to be paying for it. Sweetness!
"Sounds, nice. You took measurements of all my fingers, are we going to be adding gloves or something?" Ruby questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Opera gloves, yes. Don't worry, they're extremely thin and comfortable. They go up past your elbow and rest on your bicep. That's why I needed you to flex, it was so I could make sure the material doesn't squeeze you too hard." Weiss explained. "Although, crafting a pair of opera gloves that can handle your biceps is going to be tricky," Weiss whispered under her breath. Ruby heard it with her enhanced hearing.
"Sounds like you've done this before," Ruby commented with a raised eyebrow.
Weiss shrugged her shoulders while typing into her scroll. "I've only ever been the subject, not the maker. I've been in your position many times but was never on the other side. I've seen this enough times to know what I'm doing."
Ruby could only assume that Weiss would commission a dress to be made by a professional. Weiss didn't look like she had that particular skill set. Ruby was actually pretty good at making clothes considering how well made her spider suit was. But there was a difference between making a superhero outfit and making a cute dress. Ruby didn't know where to start. Weiss was spouting nonsense about all those measurements she took earlier and Ruby had no idea what half of them were for. Weiss actually took measurements for each individual finger. Now that is being thorough.
"The dance is this Saturday, if we're lucky, the dress will be finished by Thursday but I'd bet it'll be closer to Friday afternoon," Weiss said. "I'll have Yang call you when it's ready so you can try it on."
That was fast! "Doesn't this process normally take like six weeks!?" Ruby asked, appalled that it would be finished so fast. "There's a lot that goes into making clothes."
"Very good, you're not as dumb as you look."
Ok, that was definitely an insult.
"You're correct," Weiss said with a smile. "In order to finish the dress on time we will have to compromise a little bit. The dress will be much simpler than what you're expecting. Also, I'll be using a group of seamstresses that always make my dresses. They are the best of the best and can make virtually anything. They are much faster than the average professional so you have nothing to worry about."
That was the best she was gonna get. She would just have to trust Weiss this time. "What about the design?" Ruby asked. "Shouldn't I see what it'll look like before they start making it?"
Weiss sat her scroll on the desk, stood up, and slowly walked over to Ruby. Weiss rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders and stared deep into her silver eyes. Her own icy-blue ones froze the young reaper in place.
"All you gotta do is trust me."
That didn't instill her with any confidence! Ruby would just have to pray that Yang would play a part in making sure Weiss didn't go over the top. "O-Okay…" Ruby resigned.
Oh, I almost forgot! "Actually, I'll be wearing that rose hair accessory at the dance too. The one you saw me in the other day. Will that change anything?"
"Not at all. If anything, it makes this easier."
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Wearing her mother's accessory to her first dance made her very happy.
Weiss tapped on her scroll for a few more minutes. She smiled as she set it down. "I just sent the measurements and the specifications over to the seamstresses. They'll get started right away. You're in good hands, Ruby."
Nothing else to do but wait. Classes were over for the day so maybe she could hang out with her sister for a while. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. Ah, wait, Yang still had to plan for the dance and would be busy the rest of the week. Maybe Jaune wanted to hang out. Or she could just patrol for a bit longer before getting something to eat.
Ruby stood up and stretched her tired limbs. "Sorry you guys got saddled with organizing the dance. Sounds like a pain."
Yang shrugged. "Eh, it's not so bad. We just gotta make sure that Weiss doesn't get away with whatever dumb shit she wants to add."
Penny's bright orange hair spilled out of her top bunk. "Friend Weiss has lots of stupid ideas!" She cheered happily. "She wanted to hire an opera singer for the event."
Blake flipped a page in her book. "Not to mention her terrible choice of food. Who wants to eat caviar at a school dance anyway?"
Yang turned to the cat faunus with a sly grin. "You were the one that wanted to serve bluefin tuna. Not sure the school could afford that." Blake flushed as Yang called her out.
Weiss scoffed, "You three are just uncultured. There's nothing wrong with desiring gourmet cuisine and high-quality entertainment at a school dance." Weiss pointed a finger at Yang. "And You! You wanted to hire the Achieve Men! I'm ashamed to be on the same continent as someone who thinks that's a good idea!"
Yang stood up with an angry look. "E-Excuse me!? Look who's talking Miss Let's-serve-fine-wine-at-a-school-dance! We're all underage, Ice Queen!"
"Don't act like you weren't gonna spike the punch bowl anyway," Weiss jeered. "I would've at least made sure the alcohol wasn't too strong and actually tasted good. You would've just dumped a fifth of whiskey in there or something."
Ruby slowly shuffled toward the door, not wanting to get caught in the middle of whatever was about to go down. The door shut softly behind her and the voices of team PWBY became muffled. Ruby rubbed a thin sheen of sweat from her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
Those girls are crazy.
Her stomach rumbled loudly again. I could really go for a greasy pizza topped with pepperoni right about now. Or maybe a nice juicy steak. Oohh... but some barbecued chicken sounds delicious right now too.
Ruby's mouth watered, and she discreetly wiped away the hint of drool from her lips with a swift motion of her sleeve. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she quickly glanced in both directions, ensuring that no one had witnessed the unintentional display of her culinary desire.
Just then, the door directly across from her swung open, revealing the stoic face and magenta eyes of Lie Ren. His weapons were sheathed at his sides. "Oh, hey Ruby," he smiled toward the silver-eyed reaper. "You looking for Jaune?"
Ruby flushed upon hearing Jaune's name. "Uh… n-no. I was just leaving. Gonna get something to eat."
A door closed from inside team JNPR's room. It was Jaune walking out of the bathroom rubbing a towel on his head. He clearly just got out of the shower. "Ren?" Jaune approached. "Who is it?"
Oh lord. I'm not ready for this!
Ren shifted to the side to allow Jaune to see her. "Oh, hey Ruby," Jaune smiled before blushing, clearly remembering what he asked her last night.
Ruby flushed too. "H-Hey, Jaune…" She waved shyly toward the boy.
Ren looked at Jaune, then at Ruby, then at Jaune again, then at Ruby one last time before looking at his wrist. "Well, would you look at the time?" His wrist did not have a watch on it. "I gotta go... be anywhere else right now. Bye Jaune, see ya Ruby." Ren then hauled ass down the hall like his life depended on it. Leaving Ruby to deal with this on her own.
An awkward silence lingered between the two, neither having any idea what to say. Why was it so hard to talk to him now that he asked her out? On any other day, they would've immediately started talking about whatever random nonsense that interested her. Now she couldn't stop blushing.
Jaune didn't look much better. His face was just as red as hers.
Ruby decided she couldn't take it anymore and started the conversation. "Soooo… Where's the rest of your team?"
Jaune looked relieved that there was noise to fill the air. "Nora is in the gym and I think Pyrrha is training. She went right to the training ring after classes. I think something is bothering her and she wants to distract herself," Jaune said with a look of concern.
I wonder what could be bothering her.
Ruby's stomach grumbled loudly again. Jaune laughed while Ruby flushed. "S-Sorry... I guess I'm a bit hungry."
Jaune rubbed his stomach. "Yeah, me too. Had a light lunch."
Ruby almost started daydreaming about food again before she shook her head clear of those thoughts. "Um…" Ruby flushed a deeper red. "Do you wanna...get something to eat?"
Jaune smiled. "Sure. Let me just grab my scroll and we can go to the cafeteria."
Mng! That's not what I meant!
Ruby gently grabbed Jaune's arm before he could re-enter his room. He turned back curiously. "Hm?"
Ruby refused to meet his eyes. More afraid that she wouldn't be able to speak if she looked too deeply into those beautiful blue orbs. "N-No... I-I meant…" Ruby stuttered, face growing hotter and hotter. "L-Let's go to Vale... J-Just us…" She whispered just loud enough for Jaune to hear.
She felt Jaune's hand grow clammy in her own. She finally worked up the nerve to peer through her hair at Jaune. His face was just as red as hers, if not more so. But his smile was so wide and filled with joy.
"Y-Yes!" He said a little too loudly. "A-Ahem…" He coughed into his fist. "Uhh… yes. I'd love to."
Ruby smiled warmly at Jaune. She finally did it! She asked out a boy! Sure, she hung out with Jaune before and even asked him to hang out on more than one occasion but this was the first time that she asked him out with completely different intentions! Score!
Jaune grabbed his scroll and they headed outside to the bullhead docks. This would actually be Ruby's first time riding the bullhead from Beacon. Normally she would just slice her way through Emerald Forest because she didn't want to pay the fare but she would make an exception this time. The fare wasn't expensive in the slightest but still.
She slid a few lien into the deposit box while Jaune flashed his student ID to the pilot. She plopped down on one of the seats while Jaune took the seat next to her.
The bullhead ride was fast. Much faster than her trip through Emerald Forest. Though a normal person without super speed or a speed-enhancing Semblance would likely have a much harder time getting to Beacon. It was good training for her anyway. She rubbed her arm beneath her sleeve and felt her bulging muscles. There was no doubt about it. She had gotten stronger. She hadn't pushed her strength to the limit in a while so she had no idea how much stronger she had gotten. She would have to test it soon.
Ruby and Jaune exited the bullhead and made their way into the big city.
"How's training going Jaune?" Ruby asked, hands linked behind her back.
Jaune lifted his arm and flexed his bicep. Not that she could see his bulging muscles with his sleeves.
Stupid shirt…
"I think I'm making a lot of progress! I can lift around 500 pounds now! And I'm no longer the weakest one in school. I won a few spars."
Ruby smiled widely. "500 pounds already? Damn… Pretty soon you'll catch up to me."
Jaune eyed her curiously. "Out of curiosity, how much can you lift?" He asked, lowering his arm.
Ruby put a finger to her chin. "Oh… about 20 tons. Maybe a little more."
Jaune's eyes widened in absolute shock before his expression softened and he chuckled. He punched her arm lightly. "Ptff, yeah right! Only Huntsmen with crazy strong strength-enhancing Semblances can lift that much." He pat her head. "You're too small and adorable."
Ruby swatted his hand away, cheeks red. "I'm not adorable!" She growled. "I'm dangerous…" She muttered under her breath. Jaune heard it and began laughing. Ruby started laughing too.
It was amazing how quickly they fell into their usual rhythm. All previous nerves had dissolved as they fell into their banter. Cracking jokes at each other's expense and lightly jabbing each other. It was wonderful.
They sat down at a local pizza place and placed their order. Jaune started talking about his training and showed off some of the results.
He brought his palm up and showed Ruby the dim light that shone around it before the light completely vanished. Ruby held his hand in hers and could tell that it was still covered in aura. He had gotten to a point where he could push his aura around his body without wasting it in the form of light.
Ruby gently poked around his palm to feel for any weaknesses in his aura. The bond between aura and body could be stronger but he was making amazing progress for someone who has only had his aura for a few months. Though she supposed it was easier for him because he had a professional like Ren to teach him. He also had a lot of it so he could train for longer.
She could also feel the callouses that formed from holding his sword. It showed how much effort he was putting into his training.
"Y'know," Jaune began. "It's funny. When I ran away from home I thought that everything would go wrong. I was homeless for a while when I left. I had to camp out in the middle of nowhere," he shivered. "It's a miracle that I didn't get eaten by a Grimm in the middle of the night."
Ruby stiffened. That was really lucky. Especially considering how much negativity he must've been giving off at the time.
"I had just enough money to feed myself and give myself a place to stay for a few days. I was panicking the entire time. I didn't want to return home a failure." Jaune clenched his linked hands together.
He looked up into her eyes. "Then I met you. I watched you helping those people after that apartment building burned down. So small but so strong at the same time." He chuckled when he noticed Ruby's pout. "Don't give me that look. It was a compliment."
Ruby sighed and let it go. She grumbled something about her height under her breath.
"I just figured that I might make a friend in Vale. I didn't have any of those back home. My sisters were the closest things to friends I had."
Not unlike her. She only had Yang to keep her company for the longest time.
A short breath escaped Jaune's nose. "Who knew that one decision would lead me here? I'm in Beacon, I have the best team I could ask for, and I have the best friend I could ask for. I guess I'm trying to say thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me." Jaune bowed his head.
Ruby wanted so desperately to leap over the table that separated them and give him a big hug. Instead, she simply took his hand in her own and gave it a light squeeze. "Jaune." Jaune looked up. "It was my pleasure."
They ate their meal in comfortable silence, content in enjoying each other's company. Ruby made sure to slow down her eating pace so as to not disgust Jaune. Ruby paid for the meal, knowing that Jaune wasn't making any money at Beacon. She wasn't sure if students got paid when they went on school-sanctioned missions.
Either way, she was happy to pay this time. Jameson paid her well when she brought him selfies. He didn't know they were selfies of course. Ruby pulled out her scroll and checked the time. It was still early. This gave Ruby a devious idea. "Hey, Jaune. You got your sword?"
Jaune looked nervous but nodded regardless as he pat the sword resting on his hip. "Good," she smirked. "Hope you're ready to get it all bloody!"
Jaune paled and started backing away. "You... You want to spar?" He shivered.
Ruby's smirk got wider. She grabbed his arm and held it close to her before he could escape. "Nope." She started to pull Jaune along. "Come with me. This is gonna be fun!"
Ruby and Jaune stood at the entrance to The Emerald Forest. Jaune knew immediately what was about to go down and started looking for escape routes. Unfortunately for him, Ruby was at least 50 times faster than him and 100 times stronger. That and she still had a tight grip on his arm.
She released him, either trusting him not to run away or trusting herself enough to catch him should he try. She reached behind her, twirled Crescent Rose into it's battle formation, and brandished it in front of her. Rose petals fluttered in the breeze as Ruby walked forward.
Crescent Rose hooked around Jaune's back and tugged him along. "Stop dragging your feet or I'll throw you at a Death Stalker."
Jaune believed her and rushed on ahead to catch up with her. He pulled out Crocea Mors and brandished it while bringing up his shield to protect himself. There were no Grimm for a while. It made sense, Grimm rarely got that close to the city and there were Huntsmen always around to make sure they were dealt with if they got too close.
After a while, Ruby sensed the increasing vibrations of a massive beast just up ahead. She couldn't tell what it was though. But judging by its slow speed and massive bulk, she could only assume it was an Ursa.
"Time to show me what you've learned, Jaune," Ruby said, pushing him ahead. "Go get 'em!"
Jaune gulped but walked ahead. Ruby made sure she was battle-ready just in case he needed a hand.
She was correct, the Grimm was an Ursa. Its massive bulk came into view through the trees and each step sent cracks through the ground.
Sensing Jaune's terror, the Ursa turned its head and widened its beady red eyes at the young Huntsman. It reared on its hind legs and let out a thunderous roar. Jaune stood tall and charged at the massive beast.
Ruby took aim with Crescent Rose, ready to blast a hole in its head if Jaune couldn't handle it.
She needn't have worried. Jaune took her training to heart and held his shield up at a slight angle. In an ideal scenario, he would've smacked the Ursa's attack away but he knew he wasn't strong enough for that. The Ursa struck and Jaune shifted his shield slightly so the attack could slide off harmlessly.
The Ursa stumbled when its attack failed and that provided Jaune with the perfect view of its exposed neck. Jaune needed no further instruction and thrust his sword into the Ursa's neck. He twisted it and wrenched it to the side, spraying himself and the grass in black blood.
The Ursa growled weakly with its last breaths and collapsed with its head half torn off. The rotting carcass and ebony blood started dissolving, signifying its death. Jaune sighed and lowered his sword.
Crescent Rose barked as a dust-enhanced bullet blasted from its barrel and exploded the head of a Beowolf that nearly got the jump on Jaune. He brought his shield up and got back into a battle stance.
"You can only let your guard down once you're sure you're out of danger. Just because you took down one Grimm doesn't mean that you're not still in the middle of a Grimm-infested forest," Ruby scolded. "Still, good job on that Ursa." She smiled.
Jaune twisted his wrist and rolled his shoulders to loosen his joints. "Alright, let's do this!"
Ruby could still feel vibrations in the ground, there were more Grimm nearby. The training wouldn't be very effective if she took the lead and helped him avoid all the Grimm. She would make sure to lead him to as many Grimm as possible.
Ruby smirked devilishly. "Alrighty then. Follow me!"
The next hour consisted of Ruby and Jaune trudging through Emerald Forest, destroying any Grimm they came across. Jaune's technique could be improved a little bit. She had to stop him a few times to correct a flaw he had.
I don't know what training Pyrrha is putting him through but it's working wonders. His sword skills have improved greatly.
Still, it looked like he was trying to emulate Pyrrha too much. She saw Pyrrha fight Yang and knew how the amazonian fought. Her fighting style relied heavily on her insane acrobatic skills coupled with her versatile weapon.
Jaune on the other hand simply didn't have the body for acrobatics like that. He improved, sure, but he would eventually reach a point where his bulk would work against his acrobatics.
"Jaune," Ruby started, slicing the head off a Creep. "I can tell you're trying to emulate Pyrrha." She jumped over the paw of an Ursa and sliced its arm off by its elbow.
Jaune used his shield to hold back a Creep while he wrenched his sword free of a Beowolf. "Really? I've just been listening during training. If I emulate her then it's because that's how she's been teaching me."
Ruby aided him by killing the Creep hanging off his shield. "Yeah, I know. That's the problem."
Jaune ducked and held his sword straight above his head. The diving Nevermore flew straight into his sword and sliced itself in half before collapsing onto the ground. Jaune stood up, looking curious. "Why is that a problem?"
"Because you and Pyrrha are two entirely different people," she said simply. "Because Pyrrha's fighting style isn't suited for someone like you." She fired a bullet into the head of a Beowolf and used the recoil of the shot to launch her toward an Ursa which she promptly sliced to pieces.
Her Spider-Sense calmed down, they were safe for now. "Don't get me wrong Jaune, being more agile in a fight is always a good thing, but I just wanted you to know that your body will eventually work against you because of how much you're growing. When was the last time you weighed yourself?"
Jaune looked briefly offended for a second. Ruby chuckled. "Don't give me that look. I'm not saying you're fat, I'm saying your muscles are growing. It'll only get harder to move like that as you get stronger."
Jaune held his hands in front of him and flexed his muscles. It was true that his body was getting larger from all the intense training. He hasn't really noticed a difference in mobility just yet. "Are you saying I should modify my training?"
Ruby shook her head. "Not at all, there are plenty of professional Huntsmen who are bulky and flexible at the same time. But I am saying that it'll be difficult to build up muscles while retaining flexibility. Maybe you should do a few different stretches for half an hour before bed every night. It'll keep your muscles loose and allow you to move freely. Even I still do that on occasion."
"Also," she continued. "Never forget that your greatest strength is your aura reserves. Take advantage of that, not just in a fight, but also during training."
Jaune pushed his aura through his body, soothing his muscles and healing minor injuries. "Got it! I'll just have to work even harder!"
Ruby smiled brighter than the sun. "Good! Now, let's get out of this forest."
Jaune hefted Crocea Mors. "Right!"
Jaune tumbled out of the forest onto his face with a Creep chewing on his leg. Ruby watched in amusement as Jaune tried to kick the small Grimm off his limb. She could've helped, but this was funnier.
"Jaune!" Someone yelled from across the courtyard. Ruby looked up to see the happy and bubbly Nora skipping over to them with Ren right behind her.
Nora and Ren watched in equal amusement at Jaune trying to pry the small Grimm from his leg. He eventually had enough and worked his sword into his mouth before plunging it as deep as he could. The Grimm died a second later.
"Damn! Those things are merciless!" Jaune complained as he stood to his feet. He pushed his aura to his leg to ease the pain. "Thanks for the help guys…" The blonde grumbled.
Ruby grinned. "You seemed to have everything under control," she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "And, honestly, it was pretty hilarious."
Jaune was betrayed by his own team instantly as they both started laughing at his misfortune. Boisterous laughter striking into the boy's soul tinted his cheeks a bright red.
Spider-Sense!
Ruby planted her feet firmly on the ground and braced herself in time to catch a blonde bombshell that decided to literally drop on top of her. She stumbled back a few paces, though that was just for appearances. Locks of beautiful golden hair spun by King Midas himself spilled over her black threads. Violet eyes more pure than cut amethyst gazed into beautiful orbs of shimmering silver.
The blonde then entrapped the smaller warrior's head under her arm and began affectionately rubbing her knuckles against the girl's tresses.
"Yang! Nghh! L-Lemme go!" The warrior protested, trying to wrap her fingers around Yang's arm. Yang released her —much to her relief— only for her to forcefully pull the hybrid into her chest.
"My baby sister went on a date! Ah…" Yang wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye. "They grow up so fast…"
Ruby used her vastly superior strength to free herself from Yang's cleavage. "It wasn't a date!" Her red cheeks betrayed her words.
The rest of team PWBY had arrived just in time to hear her scream. "Well, not yet," Weiss teased. "Your date is this Saturday, right?"
"Weiss! Not you too! Yang is corrupting you! I knew it!" Ruby yelled. Someway, somehow, it was always Yang's fault. Yang had a knack for screwing things up.
"Oi! Why do you always blame me for everything?!" Yang asked, offended.
"Because it's always your fault!" Ruby countered. "Bah! Whatever, I'm going home." Ruby turned around and stomped back through Emerald Forest.
"H-Hey!" Yang called out to her. "Just take a bullhead! It'll be faster!"
"No! Crescent Rose isn't satisfied yet!"
That was false. She just wanted to forget her embarrassment by killing lots of Grimm. She disappeared beyond the trees and deployed Crescent Rose. She pulsed her Semblance and dashed far into the forest.
The dance is this Saturday huh?
Maybe I should watch some dancing tutorials.
The growl of Grimm reached her ears.
A bloodthirsty smirk graced her lips.
AN: This chapter was finished much faster than usual. I hope it didn't compromise the quality at all.
Review if you want.
Or don't.
I don't really care.