Chapter Text
Ruby had tried to brush it off the first few times. But every time Weiss insisted on partnering up with Neptune for one thing or another it became harder and harder to ignore.
Still, she tried to find excuses. Neptune had a reputation of being a “cool ” guy after all. Maybe it was some rich girl popularity contest thing she didn’t understand. Maybe her crush on Weiss was making mountains out of molehills and this was just envy.
Some part of her knew that wasn’t true, but the alternative was so harsh she didn’t really let it sink in.
The dance was fast approaching now and she didn’t know what to do. She was desperately trying to get Blake to go so there would at least be someone there to accompany her beside Yang.
She didn’t want to have to see Weiss dancing with Neptune while she was all alone. She knew the exact pain that would fill her chest. The same one that she felt every time. She hated that feeling, more than anything else.
She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Weiss would ever agree to dance with her, so she had resigned herself to not asking. She wanted it so deeply, but every time she had to kick herself before she made a fool of herself. She knew better than to think that she would ever feel that way about her. There was no way she was dancing with anyone but Weiss either, It just didn’t feel right.
She needed someone to spend time with. Yang would almost certainly be off doing her own thing, so Blake really seemed like her only hope.
Blake didn’t want to go to the dance in the first place, so it was unlikely she’d be left alone while she went off to dance with someone else. Maybe she’d dance with Sun or Yang, but she could see that being entertaining in its own way. She wouldn’t feel excluded from that.
Getting her to come wasn’t entirely utilitarian of course. She liked her, Blake was a deeply knowledgeable person and was truly passionate once you got her going. Ruby really did look up to her in a lot of ways. She deeply hoped that Blake truly meant it when she said she doesn't mind when she talks her ear off about one thing or the other.
Blake would be what would save this night. They could actually enjoy their time at the dance together. Weiss safely out of sight and out of mind.
Without her coming along, she didn’t even see the point in going to the dance. She would just be miserable watching everyone else enjoy themselves. It wasn’t like staying back was much better, but at least then she could play some games on her scroll or something. Anything to get her mind off Weiss.
All of this was swirling around in her head as she laid alone on her precariously hanging bed when she heard the door open and someone enter the room. She only saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eyes before she spoke up.
“Hey Rubes! I think I’ve finally convinced Blake to come along!” Yang said excitedly.
“Wait, really?” Ruby squeaked out in surprise. She quickly sat up at attention and caused her bed to make some concerning creaking noises and sway slightly.
“Yeah, I talked to her a bit down in the library. I think she’ll show up tonight!” Yang smiled fondly.
Relief flooded over her. The uncertainty of Blake’s presence at the dance had been hanging over her head. This was a massive weight off her chest, and she was excited.
“This is great news! Ooo I can't wait!” Ruby vibrated slightly in her bed.
“Took Blake coming to convince ya, huh” Yang winked at her, and despite the dim lighting she didn’t miss it.
“Yaaaaanng” Ruby whined.
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with that… You do need a dance partner.”
“I just want to see all my friends come along Yang. I wouldn't want to think about Blake being all alone while we’re all dancing.” Ruby pouted slightly, not making her case much stronger.
“Whatever you say Rubes” Yang teased, but it was clear that she wouldn't push it any further. She knew just how much teasing was still fun and where to stop when it came to her sister.
The next few hours felt both blazingly fast and terrifyingly slow. Ruby wasn’t sure how that was possible, but that's what it felt like. The anticipation, mixing with dread, mixing with excitement, all combined as a pressure in her chest that swayed in intensity throughout the night.
Eventually though, it was time to get ready. She felt as if she could barely slip into the dress it was so tight, and heels had been her nemesis for years now. Weiss had mastered these stilts to such an extent that she not only walked around in them all day but she also fought in them. Says a lot about Weiss, and a lot about Ruby too, she thought.
She could never be that elegant. She had to try though. If she went through all this trouble to get Blake to come out, and helped plan this whole thing, she was going to go the whole nine yards and get dressed up all fancy. Even if it was deeply unintuitive to her.
Ruby’s slowness in getting ready could only be partly attributed to her clothes being difficult. She went over her entire body dozens of times. Shifting a piece of cloth here, painting over an extra blemish there. Some part of her knew that she was stalling, but it wasn’t enough to stop her.
“Ruby! Do you mind if we head out to the dance now? You can come find us once you’re ready!” Yang lightly shouted just loud enough to push through the door to their shared bathroom. Some much more disgruntled mumbles could be heard through the door as well. The source of those was definitely Weiss.
“Go ahead! I’ll see you there!”
“Bye!”
Ruby stared blankly into the mirror. The possibilities of all of the ways that the night ahead of her could go overwhelmed her from every angle. From perfect fairy-tale endings where nothing went wrong. To some incredibly unlikely string of events leaving her humiliated. They all took equal footing in her mind. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was step out into that world.
But that was what she had to do. If she could fight a horde of Grimm without breaking a sweat, she could handle an awkward school dance.
As Ruby approached the intimidating doors to the dance, her chest was tighter than it had been for the entire lead-up. Her stumbling could only be partly attributed to the heels. The air was just starting to cool off after a warm day, but she still shivered slightly. No matter how daunting this was, she had to do it. She had to push through. She took a few moments to hype herself up, and after taking a few deep breaths, she took the leap.
As she pushed her way through the doors she was taken in by the culmination of all the planning she and her team had put in. Blue light spilled along the walls, creating bright columns where the moonlight poured in, shaped to the border of the windows. Chandeliers overhead were alight with blue flame and caused the whole room to flicker lightly.
The lighting was dim, but it was just enough that you would be able to see where you were going. This was a dance floor after all, not being able to see your feet could be disastrous.
Once the gravitas of the room wore off her eyes immediately found Blake in the crowd dancing with Sun. Her movements were sleek and each action flowed smoothly into the next, her dress lightly spinning, following her movements with a slight delay. It captured her attention far more than even the large hall had. The polished movements fully pulled her in and brought her along with the motions. Her thoughts seemed to sway to the same rhythm that she did and the world felt slower.
Her dress was a deep purple and had an intricate black design flowing up her left side. The sides were slit near the end and every now and then you could get a glimpse of her thighs as she danced. The top of her dress was transparent black up to her shoulders and ended with a pure black accent around her neck, complementing the short fingerless gloves she was also wearing.
Ruby had no idea Blake was this good of a dancer. Her movements were precise but never stilted. Each elegant move flowed flawlessly into the other, she never seemed to stop to think for a second. She wanted to hear where she learned to do this.
Ruby realized a moment too late that she was standing in the entrance-way gawking when someone bumped into her trying to get past. With the heels she was wearing, it could be classified as a miracle that she didn't instantly topple to the ground.
She clumsily stumbled forward and off towards the stairwell that led up to the balcony that overlooked the dance floor. She wasn’t at risk of being knocked over up there at least. As she made her way up she saw Yang leaning on the railing of the balcony.
“Yang!” Ruby called out as she slowly made her way towards her.
“Ruby! You made it!”
“Hey! This all came together so well, you did such a good job planning it!” Ruby said as she stumbled towards her sister.
“Awww, thanks! It wasn’t all me though.” Yang pulled Ruby into a death grip of a hug as Ruby squirmed around. She made a somewhat choked sound and Yang let her go.
“So… You gonna dance with anyone?” Yang said as she bumped Ruby in the ribs with her elbow.
“You know this kind of thing isn't my style, Yang. Plus, I can hardly walk in these stupid lady stilts.” Ruby said. She wasn’t lying per-se, dancing and fancy dresses were not something she usually had any liking for. But she was certainly leaving out some information.
“Awwe, Well I hope you can have some fun at least.”
“As long as there’s punch I'm sure tonight couldn’t be too bad.”
“Right down there.” Yang was wearing an amused but smug smile and began to turn around to see Ruby’s reaction, but the only thing there to greet her were rose petals slowly floating downwards, spinning and dancing through the air.
While her semblance made her rush down the stairs sleek and graceful, Ruby still nearly knocked Jaune onto the floor when she appeared in a flutter of petals by the punch bowl and stumbled to catch her balance.
Jaune made various strange noises in shock before awkwardly greeting his sudden guest.
“Oh! Hey Ruby!”
“Hi Jaune… Hiding at the punch bowl?”
“Ha… Yeah… Weiss didn’t exactly say yes.”
Jaune turned his head as he looked to the other end of the room and Ruby followed his gaze, only to internally kick herself when she was met with the sight of Weiss dancing with Yang. The fact that it was Yang made it more amusing than painful, at least. Yang must’ve been determined to dance with everyone. It was still a reminder though, and It still brought the familiar sting in her chest back for just a moment. She forced her head down and turned back to Jaune after a few moments.
“Yeah… I’m sorry that didn’t work out.” Ruby said, mentally gritting her teeth.
Something about Jaune’s chasing of Weiss cut deeper than envy usually did. She saw herself in Jaune in a way, he embodied her fear of what she might look like to Weiss. A fool who had deluded themselves into thinking that Weiss would ever reciprocate their feelings. She didn’t blame Jaune, or really see him as harshly as she did herself, but it still hurt all the same.
“So… Did you bring anyone to the dance?” Jaune knocked Ruby out of her thoughts.
“Pfff, yeah right! I’m just here for the punch.” The words came out forced, but Ruby was fairly sure Jaune wouldn’t notice.
“Cheers to that.” Jaune said as he limply gestured for a toast.
Their plastic cups made a disappointing click, and they drank the mediocre school dance punch in unison.
Pyrrha passed in front of the two of them, making their way towards the stairs to the outdoor balcony. Notably not dancing, or looking particularly happy.
“Hang on Ruby”
Jaune moved to place his punch onto a table that wasn’t there, and hovered there frozen for a few moments until Ruby grabbed the punch from his hand.
“Thanks…” His voice was small, but he quickly shook it off and started walking off towards Pyrrha. Maybe he was less oblivious about Pyrrha than she thought.
As Ruby watched Jaune walk away the silence made way for her mind to start racing again. She felt the familiar tightening of her chest rush in, beginning to ache. And she wondered if Weiss had moved on from dancing with Yang. So much of her wanted desperately to just walk up to her and ask for a dance. Her mind was screaming at her to just do it. But she couldn’t.
She would never say yes. She could never feel the same. She was deluding herself by even entertaining this. She was a coward, and maybe that was for her own good. She was going to be humiliated if she ever admitted any of this. It was for the best to keep this inside.
It felt as if her head was collapsing in on itself. There was just too much hanging over her. The tightness in her chest was becoming a dull pain that spread down to the pit of her stomach. Every moment that she continued to stand she felt herself get more nauseous and disoriented. She needed to center herself.
She quickly sat down at one of the chairs that circled the dance floor. It was rigid and generally uncomfortable, but it was what she had. The stillness helped calm her fatigue, and it felt a little easier to breathe.
Ruby finally raised her head up and gazed out into the crowd, looking for a dance to capture her attention. If Blake had so thoroughly distracted her, surely someone else could catch her eye.
Immediately she was able to spot Nora’s bright hair, and watched as she danced with Ren. Their dance was surprisingly subdued for what she would usually expect of Nora. But a bit more exciting than she would expect for Ren. A flashy spin would occasionally break up the more relaxed swaying. Their styles balanced each other out, and created something unique in the process.
Nora looked as delighted and full of energy as she did on the battlefield, and that was saying a lot. She stared into his eyes with a look of pure elation as she led the two of them from pose to pose. Ren surprisingly shared her large smile. Happily being brought along on a ride catered just for him. It was kinda strange to see him so outwardly and enthusiastically enjoying something. It was charming in a way. It was clear how close the two of them were. Would she ever feel something like that?
She felt the beginnings of pressure building up in the back of her throat, and she quickly tried to get her mind off that track. Maybe there was someone else she knew here?
But as she searched through the crowd, she couldn't find a single other person she knew. No matter how many times she scoured the floor, there wasn't anyone that she recognized. Did she not know anyone else here?
A lot of them were out of her year range, but it was still a reminder of how much she kept to herself. She wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, and she doubted that she would get along with most of these people. But it was hard not to feel utterly alone. She could never approach the person who she really wanted to spend this night with, and everyone else she knew seemed to have better things to do.
Instead of this idea overwhelming her and causing panic like so many thoughts had that night, she felt as if she had no energy at all. It was like there were weights on her limbs; it felt as if doing anything at all would take monumental effort. Everything seemed so pointless. Why was she even here?
As she slouched down in her chair, head pointed towards the ground, she caught something very peculiar just before it left her field of vision. Sun was walking across the edge of the floor, and he was carrying a glass of punch using his tail. The micro-adjustments and subtle rotations made it clear this wasn't his first time doing it either. He was able to weave it around people passing by and obstacles as if it were an instinct. Not a drop spilled. She even saw him bring it up to his mouth to have a drink. The sight of this was so genuinely unexpected that it captured her attention entirely.
After a few moments of being genuinely impressed, she realized she had been missing something that was right in front of her. If Sun was here, then Blake must be done dancing with him. Ruby had almost forgotten about her. She had been too suffocated in her own inner thoughts, and had let the real world fade to the background. She finally had something that she could actually see herself enjoying at this dance.
She wasted no time in standing up and beginning to search for Blake. She had spent enough time sitting alone, and she wasn’t going to waste another second she could be enjoying.
On the floor it was difficult to make out anyone past who was immediately surrounding her. The crowd was just dense enough that you couldn’t see everyone at the dance floor from any one angle. She had to circle the whole thing if she wanted to find Blake.
She shuffled her way around the edge of the floor, awkwardly trying not to interrupt anyone’s dancing or fall over in shoes she would never acclimate to.
When she found a less crowded area she was able to speed up her walk significantly, and focus less on what was directly in front of her.
It only took a few seconds for her to regret that change of focus when she ran directly into something hard and solid. She lost her balance and began to fall backwards, before someone grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her back up.
“I am so sorry Ruby! Are you all right?”
Ruby was surprised to find that, rather than a brick wall, she had run into Penny. She had never felt any part of Penny that wasn't her hands, so the weight of her metal body caught her off guard. Penny had grabbed onto her arm before her brain had even registered that she was falling, and it was a little concerning how much strength she had used to pull her to her feet. Ruby shook her head and cleared her thoughts the best she could.
“Oh! Yes, I’m totally fine Penny. Thank you for stopping my fall there.” Ruby’s cheeks lit up slightly red, and she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Of course! I am the one who caused your fall, after all. I should be the one to help you.”
“Well I appreciate it Penny. You stopped me before I even hit the ground!” Ruby smiled warmly. Penny had such a way of being very sweet in the most direct way possible.
“Are you having a good night Ruby? Aside from the fall of course.”
“I’ve been alright. I’m looking for Blake and I can’t find her. Have you seen her?”
Penny paused for a split-second, then perked up unnaturally quickly.
“The last time I saw Blake was 12 minutes ago. She could be out on the balcony!”
“Thank you Penny. Have a nice dance!”
“I will do my very best, Ruby!”
If she hadn’t seen her, Blake probably wasn’t on the dance floor. Penny was by far the most observant person she knew. There was no way she would’ve slipped past her. She decided to take her advice and check the balcony. Blake probably wanted to get some fresh air, and Ruby was looking forward to getting some herself.
As Ruby made her way over to the stairs that led outside, she turned to look over the floor one last time. She had a much better view of everyone from the second floor. She leaned on the banisters and looked closely over the student body. It seemed like Penny was right. Blake was nowhere to be seen.
Blake wasn’t anywhere to be found on the rest of the upper floor either. A few stragglers were looking out over the floor, but it was sparse. When she approached the balcony she could hear the muffled sounds of Jaune and Pyrrha still talking. She wondered what they could be talking about for this long. Maybe they were finally having “The Talk” that everyone except Jaune knew was inevitable. Or maybe they were just enjoying the cool air. Either way, that wasn’t her focus. She had gotten her fair share of watching other people enjoy themselves for the night.
Maybe Blake had gone back to the dorm? Maybe she realized she really didn’t want to come and called it an early night. One way or the other, she needed to get to the bottom of this.
Ruby did her best to subtly exit the dance and make her way back to the dorm building. The air had gotten much colder since she had gone in and it was starting to get difficult to see outside. Her dress was not designed for anything but ballrooms and she could tell, the cold cut straight through the soft fabric.
The warmth hit her in a wave as she entered the building, and a rush of relief flowed through her. Her heart was beating faster every moment that she continued her search, both from the speed she was moving and the anxiety slowly building in her that something wasn’t right.
The lighting in the common areas had been dimmed for the people who were sleeping. There was just enough light to be accessible for the students who would be returning from the dance.
As she shuffled through the dorm building, she saw a much brighter light in one of the communal kitchens. Neptune and Sage were inside talking and preparing some sort of food. What was Neptune doing here? He was in his normal uniform too, not a suit like most of the boys had worn to the dance. She could feel her heart in chest now. Her thoughts were scattered, and all she really knew was that there was something seriously wrong. She needed to figure out what was happening.
The rest of the building was a blur, if there were any other teams awake, she didn't notice. Her focus was entirely on getting to team RWBY’s room. She used bursts of her semblance while she moved, popping in and out to round corners. As she approached her destination, her anxiety was at its peak. She slowed down to a normal walk as the door came into view, then slowed even further as she crept to the door.
She slowly creaked open the door, careful not to make any loud noises and scare Blake. She was probably here because she needed space or some alone time, but Ruby couldn't stomach not knowing what was going on. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't shake her fear, no matter how many times she told herself it was illogical.
When she peeked into the dorm room, at first it seemed to be empty. Blake’s bunk didn't have anyone in it, but the faint light of the moon glinted on some bright colors and brought Ruby's attention to Yang’s bunk.
Weiss was here. Sleeping. In Yang’s bunk. With Yang in the same bed.
The world felt as if it had shifted underneath her. She was frozen in place, her limbs feeling weighed down. Everything felt like it was spinning around her while she was the only still thing in the world. Everything in her brain stopped, and for just a moment it was like she couldn’t think of anything at all.
Then everything started moving at a mile a minute. She started to piece everything together, one thing at a time.
Neptune was here, and in his normal clothes. He hadn’t gone to the dance in the first place. He had turned Weiss down. Yang and Weiss were dancing together on the floor, and now they were in bed together.
Weiss’ heart had been broken, and when she needed someone there for her the most. Someone to comfort her and have a nice night with her, Ruby wasn't there. She was off doing her best to ignore her existence because she couldn’t handle one crush not going her way.
How could she be so petty? So blinded by envy? She was pathetic. Weiss probably hated her anyway. She sure did when they met, and that probably never changed. She could’ve been there for her. But she wasn’t, and Yang was. Now Weiss, the center of her thoughts. The person whose name alone made her chest flutter. The person who she had fallen for, was in bed with her sister. And she had nobody to blame but herself.
Why did she care? It’s not like she would’ve ever been able to make a move. This was inevitable. And yet her chest was still getting exponentially tighter by the minute. This was all so stupid. She should be happy for them, but instead she felt crushed. Why could a crush affect her this much? Why did it hurt like it did?
She had to get away from this, look at anything else. Think about anyone else. So she started to run.
At the start she didn’t know where she was going, aimlessly running away from the dorms. But at some point as she ran she decided she was going to the library. It was huge, and nobody was going to be there on a Sunday night. Maybe she could bury herself in a book and forget about all this for a few minutes. All she wanted was something to get her mind off of all of this for even a moment. A dark, empty room seemed like the best option she had.
She rushed through the huge open lobby of the library and pushed through section after section. Unlike the dorms, there weren't any lights on in here. She could barely see but the moonlight spilling through the windows was just enough. As she got deeper into the library, the open space slowly made way for a forest of bookshelves. She could barely stand and her legs ached from her heels but she kept running.
Suddenly the space around her opened up a small bit. She had reached the back of the library, her destination.
There was a small couch here and some lamps where you could sit down and read in a more secluded space, it was probably the most private feeling public place in the entire academy. Not that she could see any of it. This deep into the library the light of the moon was so faint she was navigating mostly off of memory.
As she finally stopped and caught her breath from her run, she heard a strange noise and froze. Someone was here , she could hear breathing. The breathing wasn’t normal though, it was… Sniffling? Ruby started to back away slowly from the source of the noise when she saw 2 distinct points in the dark flash with light, reflecting the faint moonlight back at her twice as strong.
And then her vision was filled with bright orange light.
“Ruby?”
It took her vision several seconds to adjust to the lamp and for her to stop rubbing her eyes, but once she did she saw Blake, sitting on the couch. Her cat ears were glued down to her skull, and she was continuously glancing around the room. Her eyes were red and irritated. She was crying.
“Leave me alone Ruby.”
“Blake? What's going on?” Ruby’s voice was small and timid.
“Just. Go.”
“Please just t-”
“GO AWAY!” Blake shouted, her eyes wider than she had ever seen them. She was constantly glancing around her in every direction. She was visibly shaking, and she seemed to curl back away from her.
Something in Ruby broke. Weiss and Yang, the ache in her legs, Blake being in the one place she thought she would be alone, the yelling. It was too much, tears flooded her eyes and she collapsed onto her hands and knees.
“Blake?” She choked out, her voice hardly above a whisper.
Blake’s ears popped up, and she stopped shaking. Ruby breaking down had shocked her enough to knock her out of whatever state she had been in. Instantly she felt a wave of regret and rushed over to Ruby's side, lightly guiding her towards the couch.
“Are you okay Ruby?”
“Blake…” Was all Ruby managed to get out before she broke down sobbing again, this time into Blake's shoulder. Blake slowly picked Ruby up into a bridal carry and set her down lightly on the couch before sitting next to her.
“I’m so sorry Ruby, I was scared and I didn’t know how to handle someone else being here right now.”
“It’s okay Blake… I don’t know how to deal with it either.”
Blake wrapped her arm around Ruby lightly and pulled her into a weak embrace, making sure that she could pull out of it if she wanted to.
“What happened? We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to… But if you do, I'm all ears.” Blake said, as gently as she could.
Ruby’s heart was beating out of her chest. Her breathing was threatening to speed up but she was doing everything she could to keep it slow and steady. She was terrified, but she knew Blake was too. She was putting in so much effort to be sweet and comforting when she almost certainly wanted to run away. Ruby focused on the arm around her and the sweet words coming out of her mouth. She deserved the truth.
“There's nothing I wanted to do tonight more than dance with Weiss… But I knew that she would say no” Ruby’s voice broke.
“I… I wanted to hold her, to look into her eyes while she led me through a graceful dance. I wanted to go home laughing with another happy memory to share. I wanted us to be close, I wanted her to care about me.” Ruby took in gulps of air in between each sentence, barely getting the words out.
“But she doesn’t feel the same as I do… And she never will. I’m just a friend to her… Or maybe even worse… I wasn’t even there for her tonight when Neptune turned her down… I ignored her.” There was venom in her voice as the sentence dragged on. Despair turning into anger, at Neptune, at herself.
“But Yang swooped in, she was there to comfort her and now they’re sleeping in the same bed… And here I am, devastated that a woman who’s too good for me found someone better. And I never even tried to tell her.” Ruby shut her eyes with as much strength as she could muster and pulled herself into Blake's shoulder.
As Ruby sobbed into her shoulder Blake took a deep breath. She was shaking, and she had to fight every instinct in body not to stay quiet, to let Ruby open up but keep herself closed off. But she deserved to know this, to know that she wasn’t alone.
“The thing that convinced me to come out to the dance tonight was Yang.” Ruby perked up slightly to hear better, the back of her throat burned as she did her best to hold back the tears.
“She came to me, here in the library and… She talked to me so sweetly.” Anguish and pleasant nostalgia mixed on Blake’s face.
“She told me stories of when she was young that I don’t think she’s told anyone… She showed me she cared about my well being, and wanted me to take a break to have a nice night.”
“It was incredible. She told me she cared about me and I believed her… For the first time in so long, I could believe that somebody actually cared for me, that they weren't just using me.” Her voice wobbled as she struggled to keep herself together.
“But I guess that isn’t so out of line for what you do for a friend…” Blake’s voice finally broke.
“I’m so broken that I thought that there was more to it… I haven't been treated with that much kindness in so long.”
“I… I thought she felt the same way…”
“I didn’t even fully realize it until that moment, but I love her, and I think I have for a while. And she doesn't even know.” Blake wrapped her arms fully around Ruby and pulled her into an embrace. Her composure had fully broken and she was sobbing into Ruby’s shoulder, as she was in hers.
“And… And I saw what you did… They were gone, and I went to the dorm… And there they were.” Blake was hardly getting her words out now, taking gasps of air at every pause.
Ruby quietly shushed her and ran her hand along her back.
“I understand.”
The two of them quietly held each other and cried for what felt like forever, letting all the pent up emotions out and into each other, comfortable that the other person understood completely what they were feeling. Genuine warmth and caring was the one thing that the two of them wanted more than anything. And now they had found it in each other.
As their sobs were starting to die down, Ruby broke the silence.
“Y’know, I came out here to distract myself…” Ruby said quietly. Blake made a small questioning noise in response.
“Maybe we still can…” Ruby swallowed and took a deep breath.
“Do you… Do you wanna dance?” Ruby said. She put on an exaggerated smug smile, which would’ve been much more effective if she wasn’t still crying.
“What?” Blake looked up at Ruby in genuine confusion.
“We never got to dance back there with all the people… If you ask me though, dancing here sounds a lot more nice.” Ruby stepped back and extended her hand in her closest approximation to a fancy dance invitation.
Blake’s face formed into a wide smile, and she laughed, genuinely and sweetly. When the laugh tempered off into a sob again she cleared her throat and looked up at Ruby straight in the eyes.
“I would love to.” Blake's voice shook and tears were still in her eyes, but her smile was no less real. Blake took Ruby’s hand into her own, and Ruby pulled Blake up to her feet and lightly spun her around in a single sleek motion. She pulled Blake in close to her and held her there, frozen for a few moments.
Blake's face filled with shock for a beat before shifting into concentration when she realized that the two of them were already dancing. She shook off her surprise and took the lead, moving her hands to Ruby’s waist. Blake pushed the two of them apart and began to sway to a non-existent beat.
“So… Where did you learn to dance.” Ruby said quietly.
“Aren’t you suave?” Blake replied with a smug but affectionate grin.
Ruby’s face lit up and as she was about to open her mouth to apologize, but she was interrupted.
“It’s cute”
Ruby’s cheeks lit up red and she lowered her head, both from embarrassment, and to make sure she wasn’t about to step on Blake’s feet. She wasn’t much of a dancer, and she’d hate to hurt Blake during what was supposed to be a fun distraction.
“There were some… events that demanded dancing when I was young, I was taught by a professional. I’m probably not what I used to be.” Blake started to wear a blush of her own.
“If this isn’t your best, I can’t even imagine what your best would look like. Watching you dance was seriously mesmerizing! I couldn’t look away.”
Ruby didn’t mean for her words to come out that genuine, but she couldn't feel too much regret while in Blake's arms, watching her smile and blush in response.
“What kind of dances were you going to if you needed to be professionally trained?” Ruby said, an innocent curiosity in her voice making it clear she wasn’t teasing.
“Well…” Blake bowed her head, the red in her cheeks deepening. She paused for a few beats. The back of her head still buzzed with the instinct to run, to close herself off. But Ruby wasn’t going to hurt her. She had to fight it. She wasn’t him.
“My… My father is the chieftain of Menagerie… It was important I knew what I was doing.”
Ruby’s eyes lit up in a moment of recognition, and a huge smile overtook her face.
“Oh my god you’re a princess!”
“That’s… Not really how it-”
“Shhh , I’m dancing with a princess”
Blake brought her head back down and resolved herself to quiet embarrassment until she felt Ruby’s hand on her cheek, gently pushing her head back up.
“I thought Weiss was the closest thing to a princess I would ever meet. But you were right here.”
Ruby’s face of pure affection and admiration was too much for Blake to handle, every response she could think of died in her throat and she looked into her eyes.
“You certainly have the beauty to be a princess, even if you aren't technically one.” Ruby’s eyes began to tear up again, and Blake couldn’t look away. She was doing her best to focus on the footwork of their dance to have anything else to think about.
“You really are enchanting, that dress looks so phenomenal. It fits you so well.” Ruby was lightly sobbing and began to gush with affection.
It felt like her thoughts were falling directly from her brain out of her mouth. At that moment, she was so happy and comfortable in Blake’s arms, but she was still hurt. She was so overwhelmed, but she felt safe, so she let everything out.
“So does yours…” Blake paused for a moment, gauging Ruby’s reaction as she looked back at her in surprise.
“The red and blacks perfectly complement each other, as well as your hair. And they feel so perfectly suited to you. And your eye shadow makes your eyes shine even more brightly than they usually do.” Blake didn’t know why she was saying this, why it was all coming out of her so easily. But in that moment, she felt nothing but affection. She finally felt safe, like she could say anything and she would still be met with acceptance. And so she let that affection out.
Tears began to run along Blake’s face along with Ruby, and their dance slowly became more intimate . Too many feelings to fully process were floating around both of their heads, and the only thing they could do was softly cry.
Their dance felt endless, their weeping slowly tempering off as they looked into each other's eyes and focused on their movements, shifting and spinning to an imagined beat. The rest of the world ceased to exist, and the only thing that mattered was each other. Ruby didn’t know if it had been minutes or hours since they last spoke.
Blake’s eyes glimmered each time the light was caught in them. Ruby had caught a glimpse of this in the dark, but up close, it was stunning. She realized it was because of her night vision. She had never seen a faunus’ eyes this up close, and watching them glow was transfixing. A shimmer of light among her dark hair and purple eyeshadow.
She really was beautiful. Ruby had always known that Blake was attractive, classically so. Her long flowing hair, sleek figure, and quiet and mysterious energy were all stereotypically alluring. But she had never really looked closer at Blake, and every moment that she did she wanted more and more to never look away from Blake’s face again.
Blake had always considered Ruby first and foremost cute. Maybe it was just because she was younger than her, but the idea of Ruby and romance had never crossed her mind. Looking at her now though, it was clear that she was more than just cute, beyond the affection overwhelming her senses.
She had no idea how she had never noticed before. She was adorable, of course. Her personality itself exuded it. But staring into her eyes as she danced, she realized just how gorgeous she was.
Her dress seemed to perfectly compliment her own. Her chest and her stockings were covered in a transparent black mesh, and she was wearing dark eyeshadow. She had learned to see Ruby as more than a child, but now she was realizing just what that meant.
As the two of them became more fatigued, their dancing became sloppier. It was late at night and they had both gone through more than enough emotional turmoil to tire anyone out. Neither of them made any move to stop though. This was a moment that neither of them wanted to end. But like all things, it inevitably would.
When Ruby pulled Blake in after a spin, her foot caught on the couch and she lost her balance, Blake was pulled in too close to Ruby to counter balance at all and they fell to the ground. Blake landed first, with Ruby only barely managing not to crush Blake under herself as she propped herself up on her hands above her.
Blake felt the air get forcibly pushed out of her lungs and squinted her eyes shut as a wave of pain came in reaction to her fall. When she opened her eyes she was looking directly up at a very frazzled Ruby unintentionally straddling her. As Ruby’s eyes frantically flicked back and forth, Blake reached up with a hand and gently held her cheek, guiding her back to look into her eyes.
As Ruby gazed into Blake’s eyes, she felt herself getting calmer with every passing moment. Despite her awkward position, this was the most comfortable Ruby had felt in a very long time. Her eyes were locked onto Blake’s as she took in everything about her. The more her mind swam, the more it felt right that she was here, with Blake. Every feature of her face seemed to compliment the last, not a single thing out of place. Ruby didn’t realize she was getting closer to her until their faces were nearly touching, and once she did, she didn't stop it.
As Ruby’s lips met Blake's, the world might as well have melted away. Her chest swelled with pure compassion and joy. It was the exact opposite of the burning envy and anxiety that plagued her so often. It felt as if every part of her was lit up in a moment, filled with delight.
The air in the library was still and the moment was surprisingly tender and quiet. There wasn’t a noise to be heard aside from the two of them. A few small tears of happiness started to drip from Ruby’s eyes, and as she pulled back from the kiss, she saw her expression mirrored on Blake.
They looked at each other for a few moments, tears running down their cheeks, but with faces filled with nothing but adoration. Ruby pulled Blake into an embrace and pulled her up off of the floor and onto the couch. When Ruby started to let her go, Blake quickly wrapped herself around Ruby.
In response, Ruby wrapped one of her arms around Blake, and used the other to slowly run her fingers through Blake’s hair, feeling the softness and watching it glide through her fingers. Blake made a light noise of contentment and snuggled even closer into Ruby’s side.
As Ruby relaxed more and more into Blake and fell into a rhythm she felt a sense of serenity she hadn’t felt in an incredibly long time. And slowly, the both of them drifted gently to sleep.