Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ilia was sleeping on a roof, basking in the afternoon sun of Menagerie, dreaming about Blake calling her name louder and louder until…

ILIA!!!!

She jumped out, nearly slipping off, to see one of Blake’s friends, the little one, Romby was her name?

“Oh… what’s up?” She said, sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs hanging casually. Trying to brush off how she had almost fallen a few seconds ago.
Rombo? Round? Rudy? it was something with R… Her mind kept pondering possible names.  She should write a post-it with their names or something.

“Blake and the rest are preparing the stand with slushies and crepes and she told me to ask you for some help!”  The small brunette said while yelling for no reason at all.

Humans love to make noise, Ilia had learned these days with them on the island.

“Oh, wait for me, I’ll be down in a sec,” Ilia said, disappearing from Ruby's eyes and reappearing after a while.

She was wearing the simplest outfit, just a jacket with some jeans, and as much as she loved being so casual she was hating it just as much right now.

Like, she was gonna be around three other girls, that she was sure as hell were gonna wear fine clothes. How was she supposed to make Blake pay attention to her like that?

She focused on the girl from Blake’s team. Ilia at least remembered that she was the leader.

She wished she was looking for something that would make her stand out in the way a leader talks or moves, but honestly, she was kinda eyeballing her figure.

Ilia could swear it wasn’t in a lusty way, but she couldn’t deny that the brunette was as cute as a button either. Being so small, looking how she was running with little jumps like a little bunny… She looked more like a little girl from a fairytale than a huntress.

Damn, now she hated not knowing her name.

They finally got to the town square, which was full of activity, people, and hustle and bustle. It was time for the music festival, and a lot of musicians, street artists, shopkeepers, and artisans were there. They had already placed the stands for sweets, caramel apples, and cotton candy; and in the last spot of the square, teams RWBY and JNP were working on their own huge stand, getting it into shape.

A blonde tall kid and a redhead girl were hobnailing at some tables. Meanwhile, Yang, Blake, and the Schnee were assembling some shelves, and other similar items you’d have in a kitchen.

Blake raised her head to look at the newcomers and jumped over the counter in an unnecessary elegant way. Typical Blake.

“Iliaaaa!” Blake ran to greet her with a hug. Ilia nearly fell with the sudden show of affection.

“Blake!” She answered back corresponding to the hug. “So busy you are that you have to send your minions to search for me?” Ilia gave the brunette a playful wink.

“Nah, we wanted to send Ruby to buy some groceries but with all these people and the celebrations, I’m not sure she’s not gonna get lost or scammed”

Okay, so her name is Ruby.

“Oh yeah… good old Ruby, not a problem, I’ll guide her around the market,” Said Ilia, smoothly showing how much she knew everyone’s names. 

“Thank you Ilia, but I didn’t need help Blake, I’m very good at moving in places I haven’t been!” Ruby yelled indignantly.

Ilia actually found Ruby’s behavior cute, like an angry little puppy. To be completely honest, the leader of team RWBY did look a lot like a puppy.

“Come on Ruby, the faster we end this the earlier we’ll try the food,” Ilia said, taking the lead and looking back at Ruby to make sure she was following her, instead of standing there all moody.

“So, Ruby, is Menagerie of your liking?” Ilia asked, slowing down so that she’d be beside Ruby.

“Well, for starters it’s too hot! Blake had told us it was summer here but still, sometimes it is like standing in the Sun” Ruby answered, sticking out her tongue to make it clear she wasn’t a hot weather person.

“Oh you should be careful, for someone that is so pale this sun is a hazard,” Ilia kept talking in the hopes of knowing more about the girls that Blake spent most of her time with. “You’re putting on sunscreen every hour or so, right?”

“Which sunscreen? to get a tan? Nah, I’m not” Ruby answered obliviously.

Ilia stopped walking, and grabbing Ruby from the shoulders she pushed her aside into the shadow of a palm tree.

“I-ilia? I’m sorry if I offended you in some way, can we…” Ruby was getting more nervous with the second “Please don’t hit me” The brunette closed her eyes, bracing for a hit that never happened.

“Wait for me here, I’m gonna look for some sunscreen,” Ilia said, and then disappeared from Ruby’s sight, walking grumpily.

After around a half-hour, during which Ruby stood there awkwardly waiting, she finally saw Ilia making her way through the crowd while holding a glass bottle.

“Come here,” Ilia said, annoyedly.

Ruby followed her, afraid to disobey the faunus.

Ilia opened the bottle and soaked her fingers slightly in the white liquid it had, and without warning, she started holding Ruby’s face and rubbing her fingers all over it, especially over Ruby’s cheeks.

Ruby couldn’t open her eyes even if she wanted with how energetically Ilia was moving. Well, and also because staring into those blue eyes of hers without blushing would be incredibly difficult.

Ruby’s face ended up feeling sticky and shiny once Ilia was done with the sunscreen.

Ilia huffed, miffed “What do they teach you in Beacon? that huntresses are sunproof or what?”

She was annoyed. She expected this week to be a chance to try to get cozy with Blake and now she had to babysit her entire team.

Ilia let out a shriek when Ruby hugged her from behind, suddenly and without warning.

“What do you think you are d-”

“THANK YOU ILIAAAA,” The brunette said in a singing voice, leaning her head on the chameleon faunus’ shoulder.

“Okay, okay, I get it, it was nothing. Now stop, people are starting to look” Ilia tried to brush it off at the same she tried to hide the sudden blush that had crept up into her cheeks from Ruby.

“Well, we better get moving, those ingredients won’t buy themselves,” Ruby said laughing and running towards the market, with, of course, no idea of where she had to go.

Ilia sighed, this girl is gonna be the end of me.

After buying the ingredients, and after Ilia finished replying to the endless stream of questions Ruby’s curiosity came up with, they began walking their way back to the stand.

“So… how was Blake when she was little?” The brunette asked smugly.

“U-Uh? Blake? She was a clingy crybaby…” Ilia answered without thinking too much about it.

“Blake? our blake? I can’t believe it” Ruby was stunned.

“Yes, she hated when we went out bug catching, though she changed a lot when she became a teenager haha, and even more after she left, I assume” Ilia replied, smiling. She didn’t miss the irony of the contrast between Ruby wanting to know more about how she used to be, and herself wanting to know more about how she was now.

“Absolutely! She is so mature and serious, like a pillar in all our lives”

Ilia couldn’t hold her chuckle back.

“Well, I guess someone needed to be mature and serious in your team”

“Hey!” Before Ruby could answer that witty comment, Ilia was already talking with the others on the stand.

In the night, after that entire evening doing things on the island, helping around, and greeting acquaintances, Ilia went to see the Beacon teams, curious about how things had gone for them.

She spent a good hour catching up with Blake, sharing memories of fun stories about their childhood. Not much after that though, Ilia heard what felt like the trumpets of the apocalypse disguised as the voice of a teenage girl.

“ILIA!” Ruby screamed to the top of her lungs at the sight of the faunus.

Ilia damned her luck at finding the loudest human in the entirety of Remnant.

“What’s the matter? Also, have you been raised by beasts or something? there are people trying to sleep, you know?” Ilia said, trying to unclog her ear with her finger, her head still buzzing.

“Oopsie… uh sorry?” Ruby said, looking worried for a second before remembering what she wanted to tell Ilia “Oh but still, you have to try out one of our crepes? Please? Ilia Pleaseeee?”

Ilia relented with a sigh and found a plate with a chocolate strawberry crepe right in front of her face.

“Oh, I guess Blake did it?”

“Nah, it’s a present for me to thank you for guiding me earlier,” Ruby said with the biggest smile.

Ilia couldn’t say why, but she felt strange looking straight at that smile, so she instead looked down to the ground.

“D-did Blake chose the ingredients,” Ilia asked curiously looking at the crepe as Ruby handed it to her.

“Nah, I just put what I felt like it in it,” Ruby said amused. Ilia could swear she could see sparks crackling in those gray eyes.

She looked away nervously, trying to convince herself that Blake had probably advised her on the ingredients, or that she mentioned it in some casual conversation and Ruby just remembered when she was making the crepe.

And she did it because she was very, very sure that if she simply accepted that Ruby had just guessed her favorite kind of crepe, she would feel… Well, she didn’t know how she would feel, but she knew she didn’t want to feel like it.

“W-well, I guess it’s not too bad” Ilia stammered after having a small bite from the crepe.

Truth was, it tasted heavenly. The strawberries were very juicy and their flavors just exploded in her mouth, the cream was freshly made and was an amazing companion for them, the dough was perfect, and the chocolate… god, the chocolate.

“O-oh. I-I just picked the stuff that looked the tastiest from what we bought, and made the cream, chocolate, and dough for the crepe myself… s-so, if it’s not that good it’s probably because I’m still new at this”

No no no Ruby don’t do this to me Ilia begged Don’t say these things and then just get sad.

Then, a smile found its way into the brunette’s face, and with the most optimistic tone Ilia had ever heard, she proclaimed: “No problem at all! I’m gonna get better, and I promise I’ll make a crepe so delicious I’ll bring you to tears!”

Ilia couldn’t sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that bright smile, or those eyes full of joy, and she had to either close hers or feel a hole tear itself open in her chest.

Ruby was most likely just being friendly to her because she was also Blake’s friend, or because she wanted to know more about the island, or to thank her for her help in the market…

Ilia sighed. It was better not to get her hopes up.

Ruby couldn’t sleep.

She simply couldn’t; she couldn’t even try to close her eyes.

God, she had fallen in love with Ilia.

Chapter Text

Ruby was eating breakfast while the other members of her team discussed what to do today.

She tried focusing on the conversation, seriously, she did! but the croissants with strawberry jam were also making some really compelling points.

Then, she recognized Blake pronouncing Ilia’s name, and Ruby nearly dropped her croissant into the warm milk.

“W-what about Ilia?” She asked, suddenly looking at the other members of her team like they just named an archangel. Ruby tried to play it cool, clearing her throat and adding: “I mean, she isn’t a member of our team so I was surprised that you mentioned her, nothing more, seriously…”

After some raised eyebrows and a confused look, Blake finally said: “Well, I was saying that Ilia invited me to some hot springs, but I and Yang have to help my parents clean up the house and all those things”

“Oh… and what about it? I don't think she minds if you have a reason to not go”

“Well my idea was asking you if you wanted to go”

“M-me?” Ruby nearly choked on her milk, “Come one, why me? I’m sure Ilia doesn’t even want to see me”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Blake said taking a small sip from her black coffee “She did go with you to the market after all”

“But she was just doing a favor for me” Ruby retorted.

“And you’ll return it by going with her, I don’t see the problem” Blake settled.

“Don’t be so harsh with her” said Yang, entering the conversation “There’s no problem if you don’t wanna g-”

“I want to!” Ruby interjected, “I-I mean, I don’t mind going, it seems fun haha…”

“Yeah right… Then everything is settled, have fun girls!”

And just like that the both of them left.
Leaving Ruby and Weiss alone.

“Well… And what are you gonna do? Want to accompany us?” Ruby asked

Weiss got up, and looking at her with disdain, she said: “Believe me Ruby, my plan for today wasn’t and still isn’t to watch a clumsy lesbian all evening”

“But, what, where, when, I mean-” Before Ruby could find what to say, the white-haired girl left too.

“Well, fuck me I guess” Ruby cursed, before finishing her croissant.

Ilia was already feeling awkward. She usually didn’t wear dresses, and to do it when she had plans with Blake had her too self-conscious. 

Like even if it wasn’t like that, she was still excited to see an old friend and to remember those sweet, better times.

But it wasn’t Blake who was calling her with her voice soft like silk, no, it was an annoying shout, as whoever was calling her from two streets away was trying to hoard everyone’s attention.

She turned around to meet the brunette hooded huntress, and-

Oh.

OH.

Ruby wasn’t wearing her typical outfit, but a pastel red sundress decorated with pictures of cats; and a short skirt, too short for Ilia’s increasingly tortured imagination.

Ilia shook those thoughts out of her head.

“Hi Ruby,” She said, trying to show disinterest. “I just happened to be waiting for Blake, what’s up?”

“That’s the thing. Blake kinda forgot she had a thing with her parents today, a-and I guess you’re gonna spend another day stuck with me”

Before Ilia could feel disappointed, disheartened, or devastated, she felt another burst of emotion in her chest, she couldn’t explain exactly what it was… Did it feel like excitement?
“O-oh, I guess it’s all right”

“But if there’s a problem you can say it, I understand having to deal with me the whole day isn’t the greatest of ideas,” Ruby said looking down with her hands behind her back.

Ilia felt the same feeling she had when she accidentally stepped on a pet.

“I-it’s alright, after all, I just wanted to bring someone to get the 2x1 offer I have before it expires” Ilia lied, looking away from Ruby for a moment as she felt her cheeks heat up. “So, not a problem, I’m fine with whoever wants to come”

“Oh, perfect then!” Ruby quickly returned to her usual mood.

“So… Did you bring a bikini or a swimsuit beneath those clothes of yours?” Ilia asked, resigned.

“Eh? No? Why would I want one?” Ruby asked confused

“Because it is a hot spring!?” Ilia said in horrified surprise.

“Well, why do I need a bikini to see some springs getting heated?” Ruby asked, like a kid asking where the kids come from.

“Ruby… Do you have hot springs in Beacon?” Ilia asked with patience.

“Nope! First time I have heard of this show!”

“I-it’s not a show, they are thermal baths like… It’s just a fucking pool full of hot water!” Ilia clarified, noticing the blush that was blossoming in her cheeks.

“Aa-AH!” Ruby yelped after realizing what that meant.

“W-well, we’re two serious women, fully-fledged Huntresses, t-there’s nothing weird about taking a bath while n-naked” Ruby said, making an effort to look as indifferent as she could, despite the fact that she looked like a tomato about to explode.

“W… what do you mean naked? I have a bikini, Ruby”

“B-but won’t you go naked too, in s-solidarity?”

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD RUBY STOP TALKING ABOUT BEING NAKED, JUST GO WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR”

“BUT THEN IT’S GONNA GET SOAKED AND SHOW THROUGH!”

“IT’S STILL BETTER THAN BEING NAKED”

She does have a point, it’d be hotter if it showed through than if she was just naked. Ilia thought for a moment.

No no no Ilia focus, surely the hot springs will have some spare swimsuits in case this sort of thing happens.

Ilia sighed in relief as she let herself sink up to her neck in that nice, warm water. With one simple explanation to the hot spring's owner and five minutes of waiting and the bikini´s crisis had been solved.

And now she was waiting for her companion.

“Ruby???? Are you okay?” She asked, worried, the girl was still changing her clothes. “It’s your size, right? If it isn’t we can just ask the manager to give you a different one”

“No, no it’s all fine, sorry for the wait” Ruby replied, finally making her presence known in the room. “

Ilia quickly lowered her head until her mouth was under the water, and screamed , the noise turning into an abrupt bubbling.

Ruby was very slowly entering the water, and Ilia could swear their temperature had just raised a thousand degrees.

She was wearing a one-piece swimsuit with the hot spring's logo on the left breast, and no matter how much Ruby said it was her size, Ilia knew it had to be at least one size smaller.

Maybe she was wearing a binder or a sports bra or her Huntress outfit was simply good at hiding it, but Ruby’s chest was bigger than it looked.

In general, Ilia had no idea where that beauty of a woman in front of her had been hiding all this time..

It wasn’t hard to accept that Ruby might be beautiful, but ever since she met her, she was unable to see her as anything but innocent with that attitude she had.

God, even the sight of Ruby’s choker tightening around that slender, pale neck was driving her crazy.

Ilia felt like she was bathing inside a boiling pot instead of a hot spring.

“Is something up, Ilia?” Ruby asked as she slowly lowered herself into the hot springs.
“N-no, don’t worry, I’m fine” Ilia said, though not before noticing how the water level rose around Ruby’s chest as she sank in it.

Fuck, this is bad.

“So… Ilia, can I ask you a personal question?” Ruby said, resting her back on the edge of the pool as much as possible.

“Well… it depends on the question, but I guess there’s no problem”

“Are you gay?”

FUCK, THIS IS SERIOUSLY BAD, Ilia thought as the surprise of the question make her sink completely under the water.

After rising over it again and throwing some water on her face, Ilia replied with:

“Can I ask why you’re asking that?”

“No reason, I’m just curious, but if it’s offensive I apologize, I mean I’m bi myself and Blake told me you were never interested in boys and I assumed…”

“Well, well, well, we’ve got a detective on the loose. In that case, yeah, for your information, I’m a lesbian” Ilia said, giving her back to Ruby with the excuse to be more comfortable, so that Ruby wouldn’t see her face getting so red even her eyes were hot.

And the worst thing was that she didn’t even hate the sensation.

“Oh, I’m glad! o-or I mean, i-it’s nice to know!” She heard Ruby statter behind her.

“B-by the way… what else can we do around here?” Ruby asked, kicking slowly in the water, creating small whirlpools of white foam and turquoise water.

“What do you mean? we can stay here and relax… that’s what hot springs are for”

“I’m just bored…”

“Really? Can’t you stay still for a while and relax?” Ilia turned around, shocked at Ruby’s impatience.

She really is a fidget-arse, isn’t she?. Ilia thought.

“Then what would you want to do?”

“I don't know, at least let's talk about your early years with Blake while I’m slowly turning into soup.”

“Okay. What do you want to know?”

“I dunno… haven’t you gotten in trouble before?”

“I’m starting to think you might be a bit of a troublemaker behind that innocent face,” Ilia said, laughing when she saw Ruby’s blush at her answer “But no, we didn’t get in a lot of trouble, other than joining the White Fang”

“S-sorry if I’m overstepping your boundaries but… why did you decide to join?”

“I guess… none of us really decided to join. Blake's dad was the leader and… in my case, I didn’t have much of a choice” Ilia looked at the reflection of the stars and moon on the water of the springs. For some reason, to her, it looked full of melancholy. “I guess it was just something that had to happen to us.”

Yes, it was the best way I found to deal with those feelings.

Shaking her head, she leaned on the border of the springs and rose until she could sit down there.

“But that’s enough sad stuff for today, I imagine you’re hungry, right? They have an amazing buffet in here”

“E-eh” Ruby thought she was actually dealing with everything well, just fine, since asking her crush if she was a lesbian would scratch the score too much to say perfectly. 

But, the moment Ilia got up, showing her body in that precious and delicate bikini, her mind just went overload. Its intricate design showed curves that were driving Ruby crazy, to the point that she lowered her eyes to avoid getting any redder. And that was her downfall.

If the upper part was already maddening, the lower part was even worse. A series of thin lines joining up in the same part, a part that was too low, showing a part of Ilia’s m-

RUBY  CALM DOWN I SWEAR, SNAP OUT OF IT.

She quickly left the hot springs, her back to Ilia, with the excuse of quickly going to change her clothes.

“Oh… okay, I’ll meet you in the hall then, in 20 minutes or so,” Ilia said, puzzled by the Huntress’ behavior.

Right after entering her room, she leaned her back on the door and covered her face, trying to control the sudden heat that had ignited in her face and her chest. 

This was torture. She knew Blake hadn’t been trying to do that on purpose because Ruby hadn’t told her about her feelings for Ilia, but even then, it was like spending months in a desert and then watching someone spill perfectly good cold water right in front of her.

Strangely, the dining room wasn’t as full of people as Ruby thought it would be, given the quality of the place. Upon seeing Ruby’s confused expression as she stared at the empty tables, Ilia quickly explained that the owners never accepted too many reservations at once, so that the customers would have a more relaxing experience.

“Oh… I did expect more people our age, at least” Ruby said, a little uncomfortable, after waving at the fifth kindly elderly couple she came across.

“Ah… well… you know, between being Hunters, the White Fang, and the like, the younger faunus here don’t usually have a lot of free time” Ilia explained, some veiled discomfort in her voice.

“Oh… I understand… After all, this is the first time we actually can relax and enjoy ourselves since… I can’t even recall” Ruby said with a melancholic tone.

Ilia got surprised but chose not to inquire further because she didn’t want to look nosy… and because she understood what Ruby meant.

“Well, if your tastes are more particular, this buffet has everything: meat prepared in lots of ways, shellfish, fish, salads, and even soup…“ Ilia said like she was proud of the buffet’s options.

“Ooooh, and it even has a section for dessert!" Ruby said, full of excitement and obsessively looking at the list of cookies one could choose.

Ilia couldn’t stop the dumb smile that appeared on her face while she watched her. There was something in Ruby’s innocence that made her chest feel full of warmth only comparable to what she felt when she was little and was spending time with her family.

It was such a nostalgic and homey sensation that… she just had to smile.

After choosing what they were going to eat, which for Ruby was a burger with fries and a little of every dessert to ‘try out, they sat down and once again began talking about how Ruby and Blake met.

“And there was another moment where I impressed her with my literary knowledge”

“With everything I know about your team, I’m sure you all just made a lot of noise while she was reading and she told you to shut up,” Ilia said chuckling,

“W-well… I mean… H-how do you know?” Ruby asked in disbelief.

“You humans are just too noisy for some reason,” Ilia said amused, “And Blake has always valued calm and quiet over everything else”.

“W-well, sorry for not being quiet like a puma,” Ruby said, looking jokingly indignant, which Ilia responded to with a chuckle.

“Relax, you’re forgiven” She replied while still laughing.

“H-hey, this is the first time I’ve heard you laugh so sincerely,” Ruby said, smiling from ear to ear. 

“A-ah, is it? Well, I guess having you here has livened up the island life” Ilia said, not thinking much of it.

Ruby still didn’t drop that shit-eating grin.

“Ehem… And I’ll admit that you are fun to be around” Ilia conceded, after clearing her throat.

And, even if she would never admit it, even under the threat of horrible torture… Ilia enjoyed seeing that proud and satisfied smile Ruby had, just for having been able to make her smile.

Fuck, Ilia began realizing something she had been trying to ignore. I’m truly falling for Ruby huh? and she also noticed that her idea had been to share a room with Blake to catch up, but now she had to share it with the girl that she maybe, maybe , had a crush on.

Chapter Text

Curiously at night, Ilia had the pleasure to find out that in fact, Ruby was able to whisper. Maybe she just liked to be heard by everyone two blocks around.

“H-hey, do you mind if I ask you something?” Ruby whispered from the other side of the room, tucked in her bed.

Despite being in darkness, some moonlight sneaked inside the room. Enough that with effort, Ilia could roughly see Ruby’s shape between sheets and cushions, and especially, those precious silver eyes shining with the moon in them.

Did she call them precious? By the Gods…

“Of course, tell me” Answered Ilia with a culprit's whisper, as if they were some teenagers goshipping in a sleepover.

Well… They were some teenagers goshipping in a sleepover.

“Like I find it fun to talk about Blake but… can I ask you things about you too?”

Ilia snorted, what was so interesting about her enough to make someone ask? One of her abilities was to stay unnoticed for the Gods’ sake! 

“I don't think there’s much to talk about.” Even knowing Ruby wouldn’t see it, Ilia couldn’t help but smile sympathetically.

And it was true, she couldn’t gather anything interesting about herself… Well…

“Maybe you’ll think it's silly… B-but I have an aquarium” 

“Oh yes?” Ilia could swear Ruby’s eyes got brighter.

“Well I have more than one… When my parents went to the mines, I always went and waited for them in the main street, and to kill time I always got mesmerized by one big aquarium the pet store had” Ilia talked feeling silly, feeling like she was a child again, like her only worries were again to just look into the fish tanks until 3PM, when she would start running towards the silhouettes of her parents to hug them and tell them how her day was.

“Ooooh, could you show me one day?” Ruby  sounded excited like a little kid, as she always did, maybe that was one of the reasons Ilia couldn’t stop smiling when talking to her.

“Of course, is tomorrow good?” Ilia promised to Ruby at the faint moon light.

And with that promise and an innocent smile in the face of each one, both girls fell asleep.

“Well how was yesterday’s date?” Blake asked with a smug smile written all over her face.

Ruby frowned for a moment at her before answering “First off, it wasn’t a date and second, it was good, Ilia is such a fun guest”

The smugness in Blake didn’t decay by that answer “Oh come on! You wont give me more details? I had to tell you even the beer brand me and Yang drank in our first date” Blake continued with a fake annoying tone and her hands in her waist in a comic angry gesture. 

“That’s different, Yang is my sister!” Ruby replied while a blush started to form in her cheeks.  

“Well, Ilia is like a sister to me and also I’m sure Yang also wants details” Blake said pointing at the blonde girl who was busy eating, at her attempt to coax more information from Ruby.

“Yeah Rubes, tell us what you did!” Yang said in a mocking manner, while failing at disguise how fun she found the whole situation to be. “We are older than you so you can also tell us more… lewd… details”

The both girls started to laugh as loud as they could at the ashamed face of Ruby.

“Oh come on! Shut up both of you!” Ruby said trying to hide her shame. “I mean, I expected that from Yang, but you Blake?, you are supposedly the mature one in our group!!”  

“Chill Ruby, how can I enjoy life if I can’t poke fun at my sister in law with her love adventures?” Said Blake, with a little tear on her eye from all the laughter. “Also; the mature one is Weiss, I'm the elegant one.“

“Pfff Weiss mature? I think you meant to say she is the snobby one” Snorted Ruby with a mocking tone.

“Oh, red hood’s date has gone wrong and I’m the one paying for it?” Weiss appeared suddenly looking upset.

“Eh… Uh… What I mean was-” Ruby tried to find an excuse.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll forgive you because I know love can make your brain more stupid that it already is” Weiss lectured Ruby while picking an apple. “Ah by the way Ruby, your girlfriend was asking for you outside”

“SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEEEEND” Ruby whimpered as she started to run towards the door.

“That was cruel Weiss” Blake said, still looking at the newspaper.

“Oh come on, you loveeee teasing her” The white haired girl grumbled.

Ilia was sitting in a bank near the entrance, wearing some black shorts and a simple oversized white t-shirt. Her precious brunette ponytail resting softly over the bank’s back.

Ruby loved how beautiful she looked even without trying. 

The moment they looked at each other, a smile appeared on their faces, and Ilia started to prepare for the “spectacle” as she called it.

“ILIAAAAAAAAAAAA” Ruby screamed with all the strength she could collect in her lungs.

Ilia wasn’t even bothered, she had become used to the brunette’s energy,, and honestly she couldn’t deny it was contagious, with Ruby near it was like having an extra pair of batteries.

She looked over at what the girl was wearing, Ruby still refused to ditch the goth style, was it even goth? Ilia wasn’t an expert in fashion, despite the island’s weather, and so she was wearing a black dress with a deep dark red corset.

Ilia sighed in relief seeing that at least Ruby was wearing a black summer hat and that her skin was shiny from the sunscreen.

“So are you ready for our… uh…” Ilia muttered.

Fuck, Blake was right… is too hard not to call this a date She thought, granting that one win to her old friend.

“O-our sleepover in your house?” Ruby answered with a blush on her face.

Oh fuck it hasnt even started yet and im already embarrasing her Ilia thought clumsily.

“Yeah t-that!” She answered stuttering.

Even knowing this uh… sleepover, was designed with Blake to be the perfect night for Ruby, Ilia couldn’t stop thinking something was going to go wrong.

After all that is the perfect summary for her life.

Walking alongside the petite girl was so embarrassing, Ilia couldn't control her blush and she felt pathetic, like a little girl with a secret crush or something.

Come on Ilia tried to calm herself down, Ruby was just another girl like her, yeah, she was amazing, cool, funny and very, very, very beautiful but she was just like her.

Nothing to say, trying to deny she had a crush on the petite red hooded huntress was out of the question.

“And well now that you have been here for a couple of weeks…What is it that caught your attention on the island the most?” Ilia asked to make small talk until their destination, which was her house… Oh fuck I’m gonna be alone with Ruby in my room The realization sinked to Ilia.

She casually pulled up her scroll and searched for Blake’s contact.

-I can't do it, why do I let you convince me.
+Yes, yes you can, Ilia, it’s literally just having a friend in your house.
-It’s not a just a friend its fucking Ruby Rose!!!!
+Oops too bad Weiss is having an allergic reaction to peanuts, we aren’t gonna be available the entire day, bye, xoxo.

Ilia frowned as the “online” on Blake’s profile disappeared.

She sighed trying to calm herself, after all it was gonna be a looong day… And night, if Ruby wanted of course.

“And well, what’s the plan?” Ruby asked with a wide smile on her face.

For a moment, Ilia wished to have that smile aimed at her forever.

Just for a moment.

“P-plan?” Ilia asked, slightly confused.

“Of course silly, we aren’t gonna look at each other the whole day are we?” Ruby continued giggling, though she realized that it wasn’t a bad plan after all.

“O-oh yeah, Well I was gonna make some cookies and then show you my aquariums if you want… And I was hoping that it distracted us until dinner” Ilia said, feeling how her cheeks started to hurt from smiling without stop.

“You know how to make cookies?” Said Ruby unable to contain her excitement.

“Yeah, grandma’s recipe” Ilia giggled.

“Ooooh now you got me hyped up” Ruby said right before throwing her arms into the air and screaming “LET’S GET SOME GRANDMA COOKIES”

Well, Ilia lied, you don't get used to Ruby’s levels of energy.

It was strange to welcome another in her house, it was a small one and by someone not used to poverty it could even be scrappy, so Ilia usually didn’t invite people there.

“Wow, do you have it all just for yourself?” Ruby said contemplating the hall of the house. “I always have to share, if it isn’t with my family is with my team so.. you are very lucky uh”

“Well, and I think you are very lucky to have a family to share your house with”

“Ah, oh god, I-Im sorry” Ruby said, already pulling that face that she made like she was the worst criminal in remnant. “I didn't t-think… I didn't mean it that way… I…”

“It’s no problem, seriously, I was just talking with honesty”

And it was true, Ilia desired nothing more in the world than to have someone to share her life with.

“Well aren’t you gonna show me the little cuties?” Ruby said with the shine of a thousand stars in her eyes.

“They… are just fish” Ilia tried to calm the girl.

“Little cute fishes!” Ruby didn’t yield.

“Okay…” Ilia sighed “First you are gonna help me with the cookies okay?”

“Weeeeell only if you let me eat some of the dough”

“Ruby… You know that isn’t healthy for you don’t you?”

“Heyyy if it was that harmful why is it so delightful?”

Ilia had to stop looking at Ruby’s smug face and leave the discussion at that for her own mental wellness.

Ruby looked in awe at Ilia’s kitchen, it was fully equiped with the best of the best.

“Yeah, after making amends with Blake and her family, her mother made me accept her offer to renovate my kitchen” Ilia answered awkwardly at the face Ruby was making.

“Why the kitchen?” Ruby asked curiously.

“After all a home is not a home without the sanctuary where the food is made” Ilia quoted badly imitating Blake’s mom voice.

“oh yeah, well I quite agree, having food together is what makes a family” Ruby nodded.

Ilia felt relief in the fact that Blake and Yang didn’t lie when they told her she could conquer Ruby just by cooking for her.

“Okay so let’s get cooking okay?”

“YES MA’AM!!” Ruby kept, for the first time since Ilia knew her, a serious face.

The cookie cooking was coming together without any misfortune, Ilia checked that Ruby was a good kitchen helper, even with the pet peeve of having to taste every single ingredient.

Just then she looked at Ruby throwing a handful of chocolate chips into her mouth.

“Sowwy” Ruby said with puppy eyes, still munching on them.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
“Just try not to make a mess, look you already have some chocolate on your face” Ilia said chuckling, and seeing Ruby unable to find it, and without thinking, she cleaned the dark haired girl’s cheek with her thumb, nearly caressing Ruby’s lips.

Realizing what she had done, and seeing Ruby’s red face from, Ilia supposed, pure awkwardness, her brain suffered a short-circuit and she badly babbled a sort of apology.

God how can you be so careless Ilia thought, she wanted to cry so much as she discharged all her rage in mixing with furious energy the cookie dough.

She was always like that, fucking up friendships with her feelings, mudding perfectly clear waters with her ooze.

Ilia felt shivers in her nape as she felt the arms of Ruby embrace her.

“W-what are you doing!?” Ilia squealed, with a little jump included.

“I don't know… You have the same face my sister or my father have when they remember bad moments” Ruby said with a smile that made Ilia’s heart shrink. “And the best solution for that is a hug!”

Ilia had to use all the self control left in her body to not melt with Ruby’s trail of thought.

“Don’t worry Ruby, what do you say while we wait for the cookies to be done, I’ll show you the aquariums?”

“Nothing would make me happier! Well… except the cookies” And Ruby once again gifted Ilia the most beautiful smile in the world.

Ilia led Ruby into a room that was bathed in the blue artificial light of aquarium lights, and she felt like she was setting foot in Ilia's personal paradise.

In front of her there were seven tanks, each one of a different size and decoration but her eyes magically gazed into what she supposed was the crown jewel.

A huge tank that shines with the clear blue of water, the shiny green of huge plants that filled the background of the tank and in contrast of them all a bank of six red huge disco fish.

“Hahaha I see you are as mesmerized as I was when I was a little girl” Ilia said with a smile, “This was the tank of my dreams, like literally I always dreamt about it so hard I drooled all over the sheets… I-I don’t drool anymore tho”

Ruby didn’t even giggle, she was too focused on looking at the tank, the soft deep blues blended with the rich greens and that made the red fish stand out even more.
.
It was just lovely, and as Ruby turned around to see Ilia, she realized that she was just as lovely too.

“What's the matter ruby? I guess it’s quite boring n-no? S-so” Ruby couldn’t even wait to let ilia finish her mumbling and without care just embraced her blushed face and kissed her gorgeous lips.

It was just a brief contact, where the lips of the both girls interlocked like they were long lost pieces of a puzzle finally reunited.

Like that was their place naturally, together.

But like the kiss, the magic only lasted an instant and after that, Ruby realized what she had done was betrayed by the redness of her face.

“Eh uh… e-eh…” Ruby’s confidence and boldness crumbled and crashed in an instant, “I’m really sorry…”

And she disappeared in a trail of rose petals, leaving Ilia confused, still tasting just a little of heaven.