Chapter Text
Ruby Rose has always considered herself a fairly competent hockey player. She’s the fastest on her team, able to stop or turn in a moment’s notice, and has the stickwork to match. She’s been the starting center forward on her college’s team since her freshman year. But today, she is an absolute mess.
White skates move smoothly past each other, shifting and turning to push graceful legs in a wide circle. Arms spread out as she lowers herself down – seemingly effortlessly brushing thin fingers along cool ice as her muscles coil tightly. Her head turns up, tossing silken white hair over her shoulder as she spots her landing, and then she’s flying. Moving through the air as she pulls her arms to her chest, she spins her body almost dizzyingly quick. Leaning forward midair, she lifts one leg parallel to the ice and stretches her arms out like wings as she lands perfectly on a single blade – skating backwards as a wide smile forms across beautiful lips. Stunning blue eyes flicker across to the other rink and Ruby feels her heart race in her chest as their gazes meet – before unceremoniously being smashed into the boards.
“Ow.” Ruby mumbles, staring up at the dome ceiling, bright white lights shine down on her as her brain reorientates to her new position and a mop of yellow hair pops into Ruby’s vision.
“Sorry, Rubes, I wasn’t planning to check you that hard. I expected you to juke me out.” Yang explains with a light chuckle, reaching down her hand to help Ruby up.
Taking the offered hand and digging her skate into the ice for leverage, Ruby is pulled back up to a standing position with a very embarrassed smile.
“Yeah, I was kinda distracted.” Ruby offers halfheartedly, rubbing a gloved hand behind her neck as she blushes and glances back over to the other rink. Searching for the beautiful woman she was just slammed into the boards for staring at. Ruby finds her standing at the edge of the rink, with her head tilted back as she drinks from a sports bottle. A few strands of white hair stuck to her exposed neck as she leans against the rink wall and Ruby’s mouth is suddenly very dry.
“Ah, the Ice Queen is here today. That explains it.” Yang hums, slapping Ruby roughly on the back – sending her little sister careening into the boards again with a yelp. Chuckling, Yang turns on her skates to move back towards the center of the rink. “Just ask her out already!” She yells over her shoulder with a wide grin.
“Yang! She might hear you!” Ruby squeaks, pushing herself off the rink wall to quickly skate up to her sister and punch her in the shoulder.
“Maybe you’d actually talk to her then.” She teases, rubbing her hand on top of Ruby’s helmet and sliding to a stop.
“I always freeze up and don’t know what to say! She’s just too pretty!” Ruby whines, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat and slouching forward.
Ruby has been watching the mysterious, and absolutely stunning, woman in the opposite rink during her team’s practices for the past three weeks – and getting mercilessly slammed into the boards over and over for it. She’s tried, on multiple occasions, to go talk to the gorgeous stranger, but every time she gets anywhere near – she almost instantly loses her nerve and turns tail. Basically, Ruby is a gay mess – and her sister is ceaselessly teasing her for it.
“Well, you better figure something out soon or you’re gonna start losing teeth.” Yang says with a shrug, tossing her stick to her other hand to lean on it.
“No! I need all my teeth!” Ruby cries out, covering her mouth and hiking up her shoulders at the idea. They all wear mouthguards, but the thick gummy plastic can only do so much against hard ice if Ruby lands wrong.
“Then” Yang hums, putting her hands on Ruby’s shoulder’s and spinning her around to face the other rink – where her crush is currently skating backwards around the edge at a speed that could almost rival Ruby. “Go say hi!” Yang emphasizes her words with a firm shove, sending Ruby careening towards the rink exit.
Normally, Ruby would be able to turn her skates and stop in a fraction of a second – sending ice shavings spraying across the arena. Instead, Ruby watches the ice skater shift all her momentum into one-legged spin, kicking her other heel out in front of her and slowly crouching down towards the ice as her snow-white hair whips wildly around her – and Ruby runs face-first into the plexiglass wall.
“Ouch…” Ruby mutters, rubbing the side of her helmet as she glides back a few feet – Yang cackling loudly behind her. “Yea, yea. Laugh it up.” Ruby grumbles, skating back over to her older sister and whacking Yang’s hip-pads with her stick. “I’m telling Blake you’re being mean.”
“Blake is on my side about teasing you for once. You’ve gotta make your move, little dude.”
“Okay! Fine! I’ll think of something!” Ruby exclaims, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms in frustration. “Now, can we please get back to practice?”
“Sure thing, sis.” Yang hums, throwing her arm over Ruby’s shoulder and pushing both of them towards the rest of their team. “Just try not to get too distracted.”
Ruby found herself laying dazed on the ice again within five minutes, lost in thoughts of graceful spins and a fluttering snow-white skirt. She really needs to come up with a plan fast; she can already feel bruises forming.
“Ruby, that is a terrible idea.” Yang groans, slapping her hand over her face and shaking her head as she sinks into the couch.
Blake, Yang, and Ruby sit in their shared apartment, the TV playing a rerun of one of Blake’s soap operas softly in the background as Ruby explains her plan to the two women. Ruby's knee bounces quickly in nervous excitement as she fiddles with the strings of her sweatshirt, convinced she has a good plan despite what Yang may say.
“I think it’s cute.” Blake offers with a light laugh, shrugging her shoulders while giving Ruby a warm smile.
“Overruled!” Ruby announces triumphantly, leaning forward and pointing at Yang with a wide grin.
“Blakey, how could you betray me like this!”
“Oh, come on, it’s a timeless classic. Useless lesbian meets beautiful woman and turns into a wolf to spend time with said woman because she can’t work up the nerve to talk to her. I think it’s romantic.” Blake explains, patting Yang on the shoulder in consolation.
“You’ve been reading way too many fanfics…” Yang mumbles, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Ice Queen won’t even know it’s Ruby! I’d be real worried if she falls in love with Rubes in her wolf form!” Yang tries to reason, holding her hands out pleadingly in front of herself before pausing momentarily in thought. “Wait… unless, do you think she’s a furry?”
“Yang! She’s not a furry!” Ruby whines, pressing her palm to her forehead and sighing loudly at the suggestion.
“She could be.” Blake counters, tilting her head in thought.
“That’s it. No more AO3 for you.” Ruby mutters as she points at Blake. “And no more tumblr for you.” She says, shifting her finger towards Yang with a disapproving frown.
“Ya know, if you’re really gonna do this, you’re probably going to need a collar. Otherwise, she might think you’re a stray and call animal control.” Yang muses, raising an eyebrow as she looks at Ruby with a devilish smile – completely ignoring her sister’s reprimand.
“Kinky.” Blake says with a wry grin.
“I hate both of you!” Ruby whines, throwing up her hands in defeat and sinking back into the couch with a bright blush forming on her cheeks. She can’t even argue, Yang has a point – she’s going to need a collar and a name tag. Oh god.
“So, are we going to petsmart tonight or…?” Yang teases, leaning forward to rest her forearms across her thighs – clearly enjoying Ruby’s embarrassment. “Maybe we should get a leash too.”
“I regret telling you both already.” Ruby grumbles, puffing out her cheeks and looking away so she doesn’t have to see their expressions. “But, yes please.” She whispers sheepishly – earning a loud laugh from Yang as she slaps her knee.
“Oh man, I take back what I said earlier. This is a great idea.” Yang says happily, sitting back with a wide smile and wrapping an arm around Blake’s shoulder.
“This was a terrible idea.” Ruby complains, covering her face with her hands and blushing profusely. What did she just get herself into?
“So, what name and phone number are you gonna put?” Yang asks with a wry smile, sidling up to the engraving machine. Soft radio music plays out of the store’s speakers as sliding doors thump closed behind the trio. “I’m thinking, maybe, Fluffykins? No, no… Fluffykins Jr.” She says, crossing her arms over her chest while closing her eyes and nodding in mock seriousness.
“No! I’m putting my name and my phone number!” Ruby argues, shaking her head firmly at the idea of anyone calling her ‘Fluffykins’.
“So, if you’re figure skater friend calls the number on your tag about Ruby the dog – she’ll get the voicemail of Ruby Rose? That would be pretty weird.” Blake says nonchalantly, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow in question.
“Aw man…” Ruby whines, dropping her chin to her chest as she hunches forward in resignation. “Why do you always have to be right, Blake?”
“It’s a heavy cross to bear, but someone has to do it.” Blake replies with a shrug and a small smile.
“So… ‘Fluffykins Jr.’?” Yang suggests again with a wide grin, threading her fingers through Blake’s as they team up on Ruby mercilessly.
“No! Fine, I’ll put Blake’s phone number.” Ruby grumbles, shaking her head and pushing Yang away from the engraver to take her place.
“Wait, why Blake’s and not mine?” Yang asks in mock hurt, holding her free hand over her heart as she frowns.
“Because I trust Blake to embarrass me less.” Ruby says in defeat as she inputs the information into the computer. Blake will likely say something Ruby doesn’t want her to, but at least it will be subtle rather than whatever Yang would come up with. Probably something like: ‘Well, if you like her then you can just keep her!’. Ruby shudders at the thought.
“Aww, but I wanted to embarrass you! It’s my right as a big sister!”
“Yea, you’re proving my point right now.” Ruby mumbles with a small shake of her head as she hits the button to start the engraving process.
“Sorry, Yang.” Blake says with a consolatory pat on the shoulder. “You’ve been overruled again.”
“Dang it!” Yang whines. “Ganged up on by my girlfriend and little sister. Is there no justice in this world?”
“Well, we still haven’t picked out a collar yet…” Blake hums with an ominous smile, nodding her head towards the isle in question.
“Oh!” Yang exclaims with a wide grin, already tugging her girlfriend to the indicated section of the store. “Rubes, you wait here until your tag is done. Blake and me are gonna go pick out your collar!” She beams, swinging Blake’s hand in her own with a bright smile.
“No spikes!” Ruby begs desperately, her cheeks heating hotly in embarrassment as she realizes Yang is going to pick the weirdest collar she can find.
“No promises.” Yang replies in a sing-song voice, clearly greatly enjoying herself.
Ruby slumps back against the engraving machine and places her head in her hands to cover her bright blush. Oh man, she’s so screwed.
Ruby tugs absently at the collar loosely fastened around her neck as she waits patiently in the stall for the rest of her team to leave the locker room. All she has to do is transform into her wolf form, sneak out the back door, find the stunning figure skater, and somehow convince said stranger that despite being a one-hundred and thirty pound wolf – she comes in peace. Simple.
Ruby groans softly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. No, this is insane. But, honestly, it still sounds easier than trying to start a normal conversation, considering every time Ruby gets anywhere near her crush – her thought process is promptly reduced solely to: ‘Oh my god, she’s so pretty’ and a whole lot of internal screaming.
Ruby sighs and drops her hand from the circlet of red leather around her neck, causing a blue starshaped tag to clink softly against the metal ring holding it in place. Slumping back against the stall partition, she turns her head up to stare at the white ceiling tiles and bites her lip in thought. At least she had been able to convince Yang out of buying that shiny black collar with huge metal spikes. Ruby was too mortified to even look at it closely, let alone wear it.
With a small shake of her head, Ruby tries to clear the thought and focus on her plan. She’s seen the figure skater sitting on a bench at the back of the rink almost everyday after practice. Ruby has no idea why, but she can only hope the stranger will still be there by the time the locker room empties. She wishes she could just shift to her wolf form outside, around the corner of the building, but she’s quite fond of her clothes and doesn’t want to shred them today. And she is absolutely not going to try getting naked where anyone could stumble across her before she has a chance to transform. She shudders at the idea. No, shifting in the locker room and sneaking out is her best option in what feels like an increasingly terrible plan.
“Rubes, I’m heading out. You’re the last one in here. I’m taking your clothes and phone like you asked and I’ll leave the doggie door unlocked for you.” Yang explains, chuckling softly as the sound of her feet along the tile floor retreats. They both know there’s no way Ruby could fit through anything made for a normal dog in her wolf form.
“Okay, thanks Yang.” Ruby calls out, ignoring her sister’s jab about a pet door.
“Good luck!”
“Yeah, I’m gonna need it.” Ruby mutters to herself, hearing the locker room door thump shut and pushing herself off the stall wall. “Okay… first things first.” She mumbles nervously, unlocking the stall door before crouching down to the ground. She learned pretty early on to do anything that requires apposable thumbs before she shifts.
Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and focuses – a shiver running down her spine as her skin prickles and ripples. She leans forward, dropping onto paws that clack against the smooth tile and shakes her head lightly, feeling her fur ruffle out. She pushes up on her hind legs, opening her eyes with a small huff and wiggling her ears as she adjusts to her new senses.
It’s always a bit of a shock to have a wider field of vision and it takes a moment for the dizziness to fade. She can hear the fluorescent lights buzz loudly above her and pins her ears back slightly to block out the sound. The stall smells far worse in her wolf form, something she had forgotten to consider as she paws lightly at her nose and whines under her breath, her tail falling between her legs. She really did not need to know this much about her teammate’s bodies. Quickly nuzzling her snout into the crack of the stall door – she pulls it open and trots out into the locker room.
Ruby quickly glances around to make sure she’s alone, unsure what she would do if she actually wasn’t, and relaxes when she finds the air still around her. Okay, step one – complete, on to step two.
Moving smoothly towards the exit, her claws clacking along the white tile, she perks up her ears and listens intently as she pushes the door open slightly with her snout. Greeted by silence, she huffs happily and flicks her tail up. Glancing both ways down the hall, she takes a quick breath and sprints towards the exit. The floor rushes beneath her as the air whips past her ears loudly and she jumps up on her hind legs awkwardly to press her paws onto the crash bar. Shoving the emergency door open and barreling through the opening, she skids to stop on hard concrete.
Ruby takes a deep breath of cool night air, feeling the breeze ruffle through her fur as her tail wags happily. She briefly glances up at the moon – currently only a half crescent and has to stifle the urge to howl at it. Stupid ‘Were’ instincts. She really doesn’t need to be announcing her presence to anyone in the area, or scaring off the figure skater she is hoping is just around the corner. Shaking her head lightly, feeling her ears wiggle with the motion, she stills her tail and focuses back on her plan. Step two: complete! Now… the hardest part, convincing a gorgeous stranger that, despite being a very large wolf, she’s not a threat.
Ruby huffs softly, her tail dropping slightly at the thought as her ears press against her head. Yeah, this probably isn’t going to go well – but she has to try! And, at least she won’t have to attempt to say anything and make an absolute fool of herself in the process. Strengthening her resolve, she trots up to the corner and peaks her head around to the back of the rink – grateful at how well she can see at night in her wolf form. The ice rink backs up to a small forest, its trees swaying slowly with a cool summer breeze. A small wave of comfort washes over her at the familiar sight – the woods have always, unsurprisingly, been her favorite place.
After only a second, her eyes lock onto the white figure skater sitting on a bench pressed against the wall of the arena. Wearing a white blouse and a light blue skirt, with her hair tied back in the same off-center ponytail Ruby is accustomed to, the stranger’s head is turned up and staring at the night sky with her hands folded in her lap and her legs crossed. Ruby can’t help the way her tail whips up and wags excitedly back and forth – it’s her!
Before she has a chance to second-guess herself, Ruby steps around the corner and promptly sits down on the concrete – her tail brushing rapidly back and forth across the sidewalk as she raises her head and barks once softly to get the woman’s attention.
Time to find out if her crush likes dogs.