Chapter Text
Love is one of those things that Humanity has spent millennia trying to explain, some people believe it’s a zap and then the image of the other person becomes engrained onto your soul for eternity. And while yes sometimes you will see a person illuminated by moonlight and that image will be engrained into your soul for eternity, that is not this story. This story is about a simpler love, it is the story of a boy and girl meeting first as strangers then as friends, and then eventually something more.
“Ah no Yang please don't leave me!” a young red-haired girl yelled into the recently vacated void before her. This girl’s name is Ruby Rose. Ruby is a young girl of 15 with chin-length black hair that fades into red. A brand new student beginning her first day at Beacon Academy. The premier training academy for Huntresses in Vale, normally the acceptance is 17. However, Ruby is a special case due to protecting citizens’ lives from a criminal, she was allowed to apply to beacon academy two years early. However as she is two years younger than literally everyone else she only knows one other person, that being her big sister Yang. the person who just ditched her out the front. Ruby starts panicking as she doesn't know where to go she doesn't know anyone else and she isn't the best at meeting new people. Therefore Ruby spends a good while frozen out the front of Beacon trying to think of how she can find where to go with minimal interactions with people.
Suddenly like a bolt of lightning, it hits her and she gives out a whoop of excitement. Her semblance gives her superspeed, superspeed lets her get around quicker therefore she can just run around using her semblance until she finds where she’s supposed to go. Crossing her arms over her chest and nodding Ruby ignores the funny looks people give her, clearly they just don’t understand her genius. Realising how long she's been standing there though Ruby quickly starts running narrowly avoiding a white-haired girl with a ridiculous number of suitcases who quickly exploded.
However, there is an important issue Ruby forgot to consider before she started sprinting around at super speed. That being she’s at a school, not an empty field or forest. Meaning, there are other people. Other people, she can hit or run into, especially when she is instead of looking at where she is going and instead looking at door numbers. Other people like the boy suddenly in front of her.
CRASH!!!
Two voices echo out.
“Ouch.” one from Ruby,
“Owwwww.” the other from a green-haired boy who just had a speeding missile named Ruby Rose crash into him, so as can be expected he is a bit out of it and stays down while Ruby gets to her knees. Ruby however is oblivious to the boy she just bowled over like a bowling ball instead too focused on dusting herself off and not noticing she is sitting on someone.
“Oh Brothers I can’t believe I hit a wall, I haven’t done that since I was eleven I am so glad no one else was here to see that I would be mortified. Phew but it’s all good since no one is here.” Ruby continued to brush herself down until a noise distracted her “Wait what’s that high-pitched squealing?”
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” Ruby looked around trying to discern the origin point but failed to notice anything until she looked downwards, seeing a strawberry the size of her head. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” a high pitched squeal emanates from the strawberry.
“Wow, why does Beacon have such massive strawberries that squeak? Wait.” If one were to be watching this encounter one would see the gears turning in Ruby’s mind right at this moment. Finally realizing what has happened Ruby does what is natural… dashing backwards using her semblance which covers everything in rose petals and screaming her lungs out.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH” thankfully with the removal of Ruby's legs from the boy's torso the squealing had stopped and the boy’s blush receded slightly. Ruby’s face however was now a bright crimson
“Oh Brothers, I hit a person, not a wall? Then I sat on you oh Brothers” All of Ruby’s relief disappeared in an instant her face plummeting. “Oh, Brothers I accidentally hit someone oh Brothers I can’t believe it, oh Brothers, oh Brothers, oh Brothers, oh Brothers. Oh, Brothers, I am so glad Yang left already.” Ruby relaxes once she realises the only other person there is the boy she bowled over. “Oh thank the Brothers no one saw that, I would not be able to handle being known as the girl who bowled over another student that would be horrific. Wait oh Brothers I’ve just left him on the floor.” turning back to the boy Ruby starts to help him to his feet.
“Nrgh.” the boy just grunts with spinning eyes while Ruby helps him up. Looking over to make sure that she hadn’t injured him too greatly unable to see any clear injuries on him and getting him back on his feet. she then releases what may be the greatest sigh of her life.
“Wheeew. Thank the Brothers I haven’t grievously injured you, wait I haven’t hurt you have I.” Ruby starts running around the boy's eyes frantic. making sure none of his limbs was sticking out at weird angles. “Brothers that would be awful if I’d broken any of your bones before orientation we’d both probably get kicked out and it would all be my fault oh Brothers. Please tell me I didn't break any of your bones did I? Oh Brothers what would dad say, oh Brothers what would Uncle Qrow say.” The boy finally seems to have returned to reality with a girl he’d never met before on the verge of a panic attack directly in front of him.
“H-h-huh? W-w-what h-h-happened?” the boy's eyes are darting wildly around trying to figure out what bus hit him, soon noticing what is in front of him. Even though he has now recovered from his near-coma he still has his greatest weakness in front of him… a girl his age.
“Oh thank the Brothers you’re not dead. Wait of course you’re not dead otherwise you wouldn't have stood up and been squealing oh Brothers now I’m rambling, Brothers now he's gonna think I’m weird great first impression Brothers Ruby what the hell are you doing… why can't you do anything right … Brothers … such an idiot … just … normal … knees” trailed off into an unintelligible mutterstorm and beginning to curl into a ball.
“O-o-oh what did mum say about dealing with crying girls, it was what was it think Izuku you have a girl having a breakdown directly in front of you? Um…um…um damn I can’t remember Brothers dammit Izuku can’t you do anything right.” the now named boy Izuku almost managed to work himself into a panic attack mirroring Ruby’s. Failing to recall his mother's guidance Izuku instead falls back to the one thing all humans and Faunus rely on in their times of need … the innate Instincts every person has … Unluckily for Izuku though his instincts default to the flight part of fight or flight. And so every single facet of his being is telling him to run away from the emotional minefield that is a crying teenager. However that is not good enough for Izuku, as running helps no one, and so Izuku makes a decision that will impact the rest of his life.
Hearing and feeling what appears to be a seismic event next to her Ruby begins pulling herself out of her downward spiral. However, as she was still hunched over she couldn’t see it but she did feel it when what may have been an arm vibrating at intense frequencies wrapped around her and started rubbing her arm in some attempt for comfort.
Looking up Ruby finally reacts, “huh. W-what *sniff* are you doing?” instinctively Ruby moves into Izuku.
“I-I-I think I’m c-c-comforting a g-g-girl who just started freaking out in front of me. How well do you think I’m going at it?” Izuku’s face twists into his best anxious smile which considering Izuku is Izuku was pretty damn good.
“Nrgh. *sniff* Was that supposed to be a joke.. that-, heh, that was, heh, awful.” Ruby was finally pulled out of the manic panic she entered after crashing into Izuku. Seeing that the crying girl was no longer crying and was instead laughing at his crappy joke Izuku’s body flooded with relief while his mind took note of the laugh and smile, thinking he’d like to see it more.
“W-W-Well it made you laugh so hah.” Izuku was so flooded with relief that his normal anxieties regarding interactions with other people vanished, to the extent that he poked his tongue out at Ruby. an act that would previously be unheard of for Izuku. The act however just inspired more intense laughing from Ruby.
“Ha ha ha he, you’re almost a bigger dork than I am.” Ruby managed to fight through the laughter and soon the two teens began talking, quickly becoming comfortable with each other, both so engrossed they miss the bell ringing.
“So you look a bit young to be at Beacon.” Izuku with his limited positive social interactions goes for the most direct question possible to start with,
“EH! It’s that obvious… no, no, no, no, I didn’t want to stick out… I don’t want bee’s knees I want normal knees…” bringing up what Ruby saw as her weirdness compared to other students immediately brought her mood down. Luckily however he did manage to quickly realise that the topic upset her. Quickly Izuku starts trying to make her happy again. The fact he thought her laugh and smile was cute didn’t cross his mind.
Frantically Izuku started rambling in an attempt to cheer her up “N-no it's not obvious don’t worry.”
“Eh… but if it’s not obvious how could you tell? HUH, are you a stalker” Ruby jumped backwards finger pointed directly at Izuku’s head, both teens also finally noticed how close they were to each other, both missing the feeling.
“W-W-W-What a Stalker…” Izuku soon devolved into a mutterstorm where he didn't even know what he was saying “whywouldIbeastalker?likesureyou’recutebutisstalkingawholedifferentthingLikethatssupercreepytotallynotcool. Eh ignore that no I only guessed that because I’m starting early and you looked close to my age so I thought you might’ve been starting early too.” turning to Ruby Izuku is shocked by the shine her eyes had taken.
“WAIT REALLY!?!?!?!? You’re starting early too? Oh Brothers, I’m not the only person I’m not weird…”Ruby raised her hand to her chin. “Well, maybe a little…” suddenly Ruby grabs Izuku by the shoulders “But you're weird too this is so good… we can be weird together you’ll be my friend right???” Ruby pulls off the most impressive puppy dog eyes Izuku had ever seen but they were unnecessary Izuku had already been hoping Ruby would be his friend.
“yeah, of course, to be honest, I'm glad you want to be my friend, I don't have many if any…” Ruby didn’t like the dour look Izuku’s face took so he tried to fix it.
“Don’t worry now that I have you and Yang we just need to find a fourth person and then we have a team and we-”
BRRRRRRRRRING!!!!
Suddenly stopping talking the two teens looked each other dead in the eye “OH CRAP, ORIENTATION WE GOTTA GO!” the two began sprinting to orientation hoping they’d make it in time. Ruby had considered using her semblance but decided that she A. didn't want to ditch her new best friend and B. didn't want to risk hitting someone else. resulting of course in Izuku and Ruby running together into the next chapter of their lives each joined by a lifelong friend.