Good with a Healthy Dose of Awkwardness

Since neither of you are dressed particularly fancy, though in your opinion, Ruby looks fantastic, you treat Ruby to a meal at your favorite diner where you and your team often frequent. At the start of the journey, conversation was stilted. Neither you nor Ruby had ever really interacted much outside of a classroom setting your teams present, but eventually both of you began to feel at ease with one another.

This lead to the two of you trading amusing little anecdotes as you ate.

Ruby shared some of the more amusing tales of Sun Wukong's (of Haven Academy) many attempts at trying to impress her teammate Blake and her exasperation of Weiss' on again/off again relationship with Neptune Vasilias that went all the way back to the 40th Vytal Festival in your first year at Beacon. In return, you shared tales of Seneca's futile attempts at getting Mercury Black, also of Haven Academy, to notice her that same year, and some of your team's get togethers with Team NDGO, whom your team also first encountered at the 40th Vytal Festival.

"Noone could believe what had just happened. Dew looked particularly horrified, when suddenly Rica jumped up, hands in the air and shouted 'THAT WAS AWESOME!'" You share laughingly, your half eaten pumpkin pie mostly forgotten. Ruby cracked up as well, though her plate of chocolate chip cookies were reduced to crumbs.

"It sounds like you got real close with them," Ruby says wistfully.

"Yeah, though that was more of a side effect of Rica and Octavia becoming so close," You inform her.

"That's like how we became friends with the rest of Team SSSN. Sun wouldn't go a day without pestering Blake in some way and where he went, the rest of his team kinda followed," Ruby said with a shrug.

"What's up with them anyway? There are times where I'd swear they were dating, but then other times where their relationship seems completely platonic," You comment.

Ruby shrugs. "The only one, other than Blake or Sun, who could answer that is probably Yang. What about Rica and Octavia?"

"Neither of them are willing to do the long distance thing," You reply. "Whenever they're in the same place, they're clearly together, but otherwise, they're free agents. Which lead to all sorts of awkwardness at the last Vytal Festival, as both were dating other people. Rica's boyfriend and Octavia's girlfriend both ended up breaking up with them because they felt like third wheels around them."

Ruby winced at that. Neptune and Weiss' many break-ups were near legendary at how bad that could get. "How bad was it?"

"On a personal level, not all that bad," You answer. "Both Rica and Octavia took their break-ups rather well. Professionally, on the other hand... It did almost cost us the match in the triples round, which is why Seneca and I ended up fighting in the doubles round last year instead of me and Rica- a match that neither Rica nor Octavia showed up to watch, I might add."

Ruby blushed at the implications for a moment before frowning. "Joshua..."

"Yeah..." You say apprehesively, wondering about her change in tone.

"I-is this a-a date?" Ruby asks timidly.

Your heart is pounding so rapidly, that you're surprised Ruby can't hear it, or that it isn't somehow trying to burst out of your chest. You know what you want your answer to be, but at no point was the term 'date' ever mentioned, so you're not entirely sure how you should answer the question. "D-Do y-you want it to be?"

"I... I-it's just... I-I've never actually been on a... A date before," Ruby replied in an uneasy tone, clearly not knowing what to expect.

"Th-This would be a first for me too," You admit quietly.

Ruby looks shocked by the admission, not too surprising, as neither of you have been particularly close one another. Not to mention you both had shared stories of the various dating misadventures each of your teammates had expirienced. While Blake didn't exactly date either, she had a wierd flirty quasi-relationship thing going on with Sun and Yang and even Papaya had been on a few dates.

"R-really!? How come?" Ruby inquired.

"A-a couple reasons, really," You respond. "I was an early admittance, so that first year here most anyone I might have been interested in, only seemed to see me as a kid and thus 'off limits'. Then there was the fact that... That the girl I liked... Didn't seem to notice me outside of class."

You could feel your cheeks heat up at the admission as you focused on your half eaten pie. You felt slightly ashamed at the fact that you could easily face down a pack of Beowulfs on your own and not flinch, however it took all of your courage and then some to only indirectly admit to your crush that you liked her. Both of you were silent after that admission. There was an odd sort of tension, as if neither of you were entirely sure what to say.

The waitress came by and you settled the tab and the two of you left the diner. Ruby once more took your arm, leaning into you as you both walked in silence, no set destination in mind, though mindful on the time so you wouldn't miss the last train back to Beacon. The swell of Ruby's breasts on your arm were a sweet ****, one you would willingly endure for eternity.

The two of you had only walked a couple of blocks, when Ruby noticed the arcade. She shifted and nonverbally pointed it out to you, raising her eyebrows as if to ask if you wanted to go. Your grin was all the answer you needed as you raced to the arcade.

The two of you had a blast as you witnessed a rare showing of Ruby's competitive side and you smiled good naturedly as she totally kicked your ass in Ultimate Ninja **** Slayer 4. Of course she got her comeuppance when playing Super Anima Grand Prix 5000. You couldn't help but wonder if the reason she didn't have a vehicle like Yang did was because she was a horrible driver. Something that you teased her for as she pouted cutely at how unfair the game was.

Unfortunately, with all the fun you were having, the two of you were a little late leaving the arcade, so you had to race to the train station. Your longer legs gave you a distinct advantage of Ruby in a fair race. However, still high off of the fun you had at the arcade, the race was anything but fair, as you and Ruby competed to who would get there first. Light shoved were exchanged, with Ruby even jumping on your back. You managed to shrug her off and put some distance between you when suddenly a crimson streak of rose petals passed you buy.

"CHEATER!" You shouted laughingly as you caught up to her.

"This... This was fun..." Ruby replied smilingly. Her smile was infectous and you returned it easily.

"Yeah..." You replied. You knew what you needed to say, and you knew that if you didn't say it now, you weren't going to. Riding the high of how well this outing of yours was going, despite your anxiety trying to make a comeback, you manage to actually do it. "I-I think... Think w-we should do this again, s-sometime."

It was with a wierd sense of relief and dread that you managed to say it, both glad and nervous.

"I-I'd like that," Ruby answered softly as the two of you borded the train.

Hoping to Oum you're reading her right, you take her hand as you sit down. Her other hand settles on the crook of your elbow as you each offer the other a smile before she leans into once more. You close your eyes to revel in this feeling, hoping that the next outing you two share is as good as this one was. Unlike the silence at the diner, which was full of tension neither of you knew how to deal with, the silence on the train back to the academy is more comfortable.

The trip from Beacon Academy Station to the Dormitories was uneventful as the two of you made small talk- mostly about the various assignments you'd each done or had do and whether or not Professor Peach was going to be in class the next day.

All too soon, in your opinion, the two of you ended up at Team RWBY's dorm. A brief check of the time revealed that you were a half hour early.

If the trip from Vale up to the dorm was easy going and peaceful, the good bye was anything but.

"So..." You trail off.

"So..." Ruby repeats.

Neither of you ever did determine as to whether of not you were actually on a date, poorly disquised as a "Captain's Meeting" or whether or not it was just a friendly outting amongst... Friends.

The mental avatar of Seneca nags at you to "JUST KISS HER ALREADY!"

The represntation of Papaya is wringing her hands nervously, as if hoping you do something, anything, to show Ruby that she's the girl you liked all along.

Rica's mental avatar, however, looks furious and is yelling at you inside your head. "You're blowing it, damn it!"

"I-I g-guess this is it..." Ruby says unenthusiastically, as she grips the handle of the door.

You feel a pang of disappointment, trying to rally your courage, but unable to make the move you want as you attempt to reconcile your wants with what you are guessing are her expectations. "Y-Yeah..."

"Joshua..." Ruby says as you're about to start heading to your dorm.

"Y-Yeah, Ruby," you reply.

"I... I've... I've always wanted to... To talk to you after class," she reveals.

Your breath catches, hoping against hope that she means what you think she means, when suddenly she grabs you buy the shoulders and jumps up to give you a quick kiss on the cheek before running into her dorm. You can't help but stare at her dorm room door like and idiot as you touch were he lips touched you cheek, grinning like a fool.

"YES!" you exclaim with a whisper, not wanting either Teams RWBY or JNPR to see your rather dorky moment of celebration, before you head back to your dorm, the smile not once leaving your face.