Yang:Do think Blake would be cool with me wanting to meet her folks sooner rather later? Iâve been thinking about bringing it up.
Ruby:The worst she could do is runaway again, and you survived that. Might as well ask.
Ruby:âŚMy bad. Sore spot I guess.
Yang:You were rather quick with it. Am I bugging you?
Ruby:No! Itâs not- I meanâŚlittle bit, but donât get the wrong idea! I like that you want to talk with me about this stuff, and Iâm happy youâre happy. Itâs justâŚsorta feels like I end up having to hold some of the emotional baggage between you two. Not that I donât want to be there for you! I-
Yang:Ruby, itâs cool. I have been rather yappy as of late.
Ruby:Thatâs not a bad thing. HonestlyâŚmaybe Iâm a little jealous of the situation.
Yang:Oh? *eyes widened* Does my little sis have feelings for someone? Is it actual farm boy or spiritual farm boy?
Ruby:Actually theyâre both real. Jauneâs family owns a few acres. They had turkeys.
Ruby:It couldâve been Weiss for all you know!
Yang:Pfft, nah. If you had a crush on Weiss then you wouldâve been trying to rebrand us as Remnantâs ultimate power couples or having a crisis that weâre following dadâs footsteps.
Ruby:Point takenâŚI canât deny any of that.
Yang:So, you gonna tell em?
Ruby:Letâs not be crazy now. No need for all that.
Yang:Donât tell me youâre about to act like your big sister?
Ruby:Pfft, I would never procrastinate so long. I justâŚdonât feel like potentially ruining a friendship or anything. Heâs been through hell; Iâve been through it too. IâŚsigh
Yang:Look, I know this is typically said as a joke, but the worst Jaune would literally ever do is say no. Iâm not gonna tell you what to do, but didnât we promise to speak up when things are weighing us down? That includes everyone.
Ruby:Yeah butâŚI like him! Itâs already awkward enough dealing with the feelings, butâŚ
Ruby:Yâknow, heâsâŚattractive.
Yang:Oh. Oh! You actually want to get handsy?
Ruby:Didnât say all that! ButâŚkinda? Itâs an attack on all fronts! Rationalizing deeper feelings is one thing; this desire to physically be close with him is too much! How do I cope with that!?
Yang:Maybe cross that bridge second? I know youâre not the best at reading a room but you will definitely gauge the vibe after admitting you like him. Treat it like a fighting game. Donât burn all your meter.
Ruby:Youâre being shockingly okay with your little sister having feelings for someone.
Yang:To be honest, I was beginning to think literal romance wasnât your thing, which is fine by me and probably dad. Learning someone is making your heart flutter though? Ah, I gotta admit it makes me kinda excited.
Ruby:*red*Donât make a big deal out of it, or be nosy! *rubs head*âŚI guess saying something would feel slightly better than screaming into a pillow for the rest of my life.
Yang:I mean if all goes well, that might be the rest of your life, hehehe.
Yang:Iâm joking! Feel better?
Yang:Good. Seriously though, what ever happens, Iâm there for ya.
Ruby:Thanks. Sorry again aboutâŚeverything honestly. I always feel bad butting heads with you.
Yang:That makes two of us. Apology and all.
She opens her arms for her little sister to graciously walk into. Despite it all, they were both still huggers.
On the sunny training grounds of Shade, Jaune sits on the outskirts of a grass field as he checks his sword. Ruby had a feeling sheâd find him here. She approaches from behind, casting her shadow over him to give away her position.
Jaune:Hardly working. Ran a few drills is all. Getting some training in?
Ruby:Nah. Iâm making today a lazy day.
Jaune:Then I guess youâre here for me? What can I do you for?
After a few seconds with no answer, Jaune was about to turn his head. Before he could, the weight of Ruby pressing her back against his stopped him from moving. It didnât feel bad, but clearly something was on her mind.
Jaune:Rubes? Everything alright?
Ruby:Yeah. I justâŚ.weâre friends; best friends in fact. Right?
Jaune:If we werenât, Iâd consider my name in your scroll being âvomit boyâ as a sign of bullying, hehe. Yes Ruby, weâre best friends. Arguably the closest Iâve had.
Ruby:SooooâŚI guess it would be weird if I said I liked you?
Ruby:I canât pinpoint the exact moment, but I do. Like you I mean. A lot. *hugs knees* I just thought you should know. It-It doesnât have to mean anything. Iâm not trying to ruin what we have or put you on the spot. I just couldnât stop thinking it; about you and everything if that makes sense? Ugh! Please shut me up or something! *pulls up hood* Iâm sorry.
Jaune:Sorry for what? You really think Iâd be upset or criticize our friendship because you like me more than what you used to?
Ruby:âŚWell when you say it like that I look dumb.
Jaune:Youâre not dumb. AndâŚI like you too, yâknow?
The speed in which she pulled down her hood and properly sat next to Jaune made him more than a little bashful, causing him to not make eye contact.
Jaune:I know I didnât think about everything I needed to in the Ever After, clearly, but I did think about you a lot. I donât think there was a day I didnât. You mean a lot to me in many ways.
Ruby:Hey, no need to diss yourself in the beginning there. You- weâve been through enough. No need to add more insults to injury.
Jaune:My bad. Easier said than done I guess. I uhh, Iâm sorry. About everything. I never properly apologized.
Ruby:Iâm sorry too. Things got really, really strained. We said somethings we shouldnât have. And looks like thereâs other things we clearly forgot to say. Whatâs up with that?
Jaune:Well for starters, I donât know exactly how you feel about me. I mean I know weâre close, but I wouldnât blame you if you still saw me as an older guy.
Ruby:Ah. Yeah I can see you feeling a little worried about that. Honestly, maybe if we found you living a full life with new friends. Jaune, you were living the worst moments of your life for decades. Iâd hardly count that as growing up.
Ruby:That came out wrong! Iâm not judging! I literally canât. I didnât even survive three full days in there without phoning it in. Man, we really are a mess.
Jaune:At least weâre back together again. Things will get better.
Ruby:Iâd like to think so. Heh, together. *red* Sooo, itâs mutual then? More or less?
Jaune:What exactly is the more and less?
Ruby:W-We donât have to get into all that right now, do we?
Jaune:*makes eye contact*âŚ.
Ruby:âŚI really think youâre cute! Itâs been distracting lately!
Jaune:Hahaha! Really? Well, thank you. *grins* I think youâre cute too.
Ruby:Why do I feel like youâre picking on me? This is a big deal for me. I practiced on the way over here. Not that it really helped. AnywaysâŚummm
Jaune:BeingâŚmore? Ruby, even if it doesnât work out, Iâm not going anywhere. Youâre unfortunately stuck with me.
Ruby:âŚWhatâs so unfortunate about that?
Ruby wasnât sure why she did it, but her hand found its way on top of his. It was hard to tell whose hand was trembling. Perhaps both? The silence felt okay. Comfortable even. Gentle smiles were exchanged while her heart raced. This was already more than what she could hope for, so why couldnât she stop herself from slightly raising her chin? Maybe her eyes betrayed her intent, and she was easier to read than a book; what shouldâve been a conversation now had her eyes close the moment Jaune leaned down. To call it a simple kiss didnât feel right. Every muscle relaxed, letting the gentle warmth on her lips wash over her. Ruby leaned into it only a little bit, attempting to take things slowly for both their sake. Still, she hadnât realized how long itâs been since sheâs felt soâŚrelaxed. No, that wasnât the word. In this moment, Ruby felt safe. This was okay. It wasâŚnormal.
As he slowly pulled back, Jaune immediately noticed the girl looking at him with tears in her eyes.
Jaune:Ruby!? I-Iâm sorry! I thought-
Ruby:No. Y-Youâre fine. This is more than fine. *wiping eyes* Hehe, sorry. Iâm justâŚIâm feeling a lot of things right now. Gods, I must look crazy. Like get it together, ehe.
Jaune:âŚDonât say that. I think itâs okay to feelâŚall of it.
So much for a dry face. Hearing that brought a few extra tears. This time, it was Jauneâs hand that cradled them. He looked directly at her with caring eyes. They were always so sincere. So kind; even though the worst of things, Ruby always knew his eyes looked at her with such an earnest expression. Her hands rested on the collar of his shirt, gripping it slowly and gently tugging him back down. Right now, all she wanted to do was feel this moment. The fear, aches, comfort, and warmth. Everything else could wait. Today, Ruby was going to put herself first.
Ruby:*walks back in* I have returned.
Yang:Did you find him? *sips drink*
Yang:!? Wh- cough! Agh! Ugh! What!? You-
Ruby:Wow, you really believed that. My bad. Take another sip before you croak.
Yang:You lied!? Why would you do that!?
Ruby:Pfft! I wanted to see your reaction. Anyways, rest your heart. It was a joke. *blushes* However we did kiss. Tada, IâŚhave a boyfriend now. *covers face* Yippee.
Yang:Oh. Wait, yo! Okay! Congrats! Thatâs huge! *holds head* Damn, really taking me on a ride here. Seriously though, glad it worked out.
Ruby:Weâre testing the waters but thanks. I really appreciate it.
Yang:Iâm surprised he isnât here right now. Something come up?
Ruby:I didnât know how well youâd take that joke.
Jaune:*slowly opens door* Am I safe to come inside?
Yang:No. Stick to kissing.
Jaune:âŚI walked into that one.
