Chapter Text
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you.
This night is sparkling. Don't you let it go.
I'm wonderstruck. Blushing all the way home.
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you.
Enchanted - Taylor Swift
Wakey, wakey, Merc, my boy.
The voice snapped him to consciousness. He knew that tone very well. Marcus only ever sounded that cheerful when torture was soon to occur. And as sick as it made him feel back then, he wished it wasn’t him that was going to receive such attention.
We’re going on a hunt today, Merc. I’m gonna teach you how to catch you a nice, wide eye doe.
This was the code, his father taught him. “Hunt” meant he had a contract. “Wide eye doe” – well, that was a simple enough term for a young woman. Probably a beautiful one at that. Mercury breathed a sigh of relief when he found that the room was empty. He fell back against the pillows, closing his eyes before his Scroll begun to ring.
“Damn it.” He hissed.
Bang!
The muzzle of the sniper-scythe flared and the final Grimm fell.
"That's not true!" Ruby exclaimed, her cheeks reddening.
"Yes, it is." Her sister, Yang, argued. "You totally have a crush on him, admit it!"
Ruby averted her silver eyes, pretending to ignore her, "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."
"Weiss, Blake, back me up." Yang turned to their friends.
"You have been staring at him a lot during class," Weiss commented in that cool, logical way of hers.
"Because he's new and interesting." Ruby sputtered in her own defense.
Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Plus, you always seem extra-clumsy when he's around." Yang put her two cents in.
"I do not!" Ruby shot back.
Blake sighed softly, "Why don't we get this out of the way? Ruby has a crush on Mercury, but either doesn't realize it or doesn't want to acknowledge it."
"Hey! Are you guys ready to go?"
The girls jolted at the sound of Jaune's voice and turned to face him almost guiltily. Jaune Arc waved at the girls cheerfully before gesturing to the airship.
"I don't have a crush on Mercury!" Ruby cried, walking towards the airship, collapsing her scythe, slipping it into its case.
"Look, Ruby, every girl has to fall for and/or date a bad boy at least once in her lifetime," Yang said matter-of-factly.
"Excuse me?" Weiss guffawed, "Who died and made you Dr. Phil?" She swiveled to face Ruby, "First, don't listen to her. She has no idea what she's talking about. Second -"
"Aren't you dating Neptune?" Blake cut in.
"Yes, but he's the farthest thing from a 'bad boy.'" Weiss retorted, making sarcastic air quotes.
"Hey!" Neptune, the guy in question, waved to the group cheerfully as they approached the ship.
"See?" Weiss said, driving her point home.
Ruby remained silent, pondering the difficulties of actual dating before shaking her head. She climbed into the ship and made her way to her seat, exchanging pleasantries with the others.
The trip back to the academy went quickly. And if the others noticed how silent Ruby had been, they didn't comment on it.
Her thought-space had been invaded by a certain silver-haired boy.
The teams, RWBY, JNPR, and SSSN, made their way into the dormitories, after they'd parted ways, and to their rooms.
Ruby tugged on her jacket, straightening it nervously. Her shower had been quick, almost fleeting.
She piled food onto her tray before glancing at the amount of food she'd added self-consciously. Shaking her head, she carried the tray to her team's usual table and looked around the room.
Her breath caught when she spotted a familiar head of silver hair. Ruby ducked her head and began picking at her food. She gazed at him again, her blood rushing to her cheeks, warming them. She didn't know why, but she found him appealing.
She hadn't spoken to him much since his arrival, but she couldn't shake this need to know him, to impress him, gain his attention, and make him like her. She wanted to be closer to him, to talk to him.
But, every time she was within two feet of him, her mouth wouldn't open, and if she forced it to, her tongue didn't want to work. She remembered the day she'd gathered the courage to approach him.
She waved at him, and once she had his attention, she froze. She made a few vowel sounds then ran away. Ruby fought the urge to cover her eyes and whimper.
"What are you lookin' at?" Yang chirruped from next to her, causing her to jump.
"Nothing!" Ruby hissed, stiffening, dropping her eyes to her tray, staring at it until the food she'd chosen had been burned into her memory.
"Are my eyes deceiving me?" Weiss dropped onto the bench. "You're passing up strawberries?"
Weiss made a show of attempting to check Ruby's temperature.
"I'm not sick!" Ruby avoided Weiss's hand, warmth flooding her cheeks. "I just..." She searched for a solution as Blake arrived at the table, "I just don't feel hungry right now."
Which wasn't exactly a lie. She just had butterflies swarming her stomach at the time, so eating wasn't an option.
"You're not hungry?" Yang gazed at her sister in disbelief.
Ruby nodded at the moment Mercury stood from his table and began to cross the room to dispose of the empty containers on his tray.
"Oh!" Yang stood, "This is perfect! It must be fate!"
She grabbed Ruby's arm and yanked her to her feet. Before she could say a word to discourage her sister, she was dragged across the room.
Yang waved at Mercury, calling out, "Hey! Mercury!"
Mercury halted in his tracks, his eyes narrowing slightly at the two approaching girls.
"Yes?" He asked not impolitely.
"Hey, hi. My sister wanted to - ah - talk to you." Yang chimed, shoving Ruby towards him as Ruby turned her head to hide her burning cheeks.
Mercury cast her a skeptical glance.
"Oh?" He said, fighting the mocking tone that always coated his words.
Yang turned to her sister, whispering, "Good luck!"
She scurried away, leaving Ruby alone with Mercury.
After an agonizing moment of silence, Ruby spoke up, "So - um - do you like books?" She gazed at him, rubbing the back of her head.
Moments later, Ruby found herself standing in the library with Mercury, perusing the shelves. And Mercury found himself wondering how he got into this situation.
What am I even doing here? He asked himself for the thirtieth time.
This girl was one of the students he and Cinder had evaluated. She was quite skilled. And yet, he was standing in the library with her. When she'd invited him to the library, he'd looked to Cinder for salvation. Instead, she nodded, telling him to – yes – go to the library with the girl.
So, you’ve found yourself a little something sof’n’sweet, hmm? The malevolent voice of his father invaded his mind.
Ruby pulled a book from the shelf, flipping it over, examining it before turning to Mercury, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Have you read this one? It's one of my favorites." She smiled.
"What's it about?" Mercury asked.
"It's about a teenaged boy who meets this girl and befriends her, only to find that they share a long and dark history together." Ruby replied, her argent hues dreamy and far away.
Mercury arched a brow in question, "Then what happens?"
Ruby beamed at him, "You could always read it and find out for yourself."
She placed the book into his hands as he protested.
"Wait -"
"What? It's a book. It's not going to bite you, Silly." Ruby giggled softly.
At that moment, her eyes met his, and her cheeks flushed. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Emerald rounded the corner.
"Hey," Emerald began, "Cinder wants to talk to you about that project we're working on. For class." She quirked a brow.
Mercury blinked, seemingly remembering himself and nodded, "Yeah, I'll be right there." He cuffed Ruby's chin lightly, "See you around, Little Red." He turned and walked away with Emerald.
Ruby slumped against the bookshelf. "Yeah. See you around." She sighed softly.
"So, what did she need?" Mercury asked as he stepped into the dorm room.
Emerald pointed to the book in his hands, "What's that?"
Mercury looked at the book, remembering the enthusiastic way Ruby talked about it before shrugging and tossing it onto the desk.
"I don't know. That girl gave it to me to read."
"You? Reading?" Emerald said in disbelief before laughing, "You?"
"Shut up," Mercury said bitterly.
"How was your date?" Cinder asked, strolling into the room.
"Terrible. Why'd you send me on it?"
Cinder smiled, sitting on the bed, "She has a crush on you. And I thought we could use it to our advantage."
Mercury snorted, "Who here at this school doesn't?"
"Careful," Cinder warned, "Arrogance can lead to stupidity, which, in turn, leads to a slip-up."
Mercury shook his head, "How long do I have to put up with her?"
Cinder narrowed her eyes at him, "For as long as I tell you to. Am I clear?"
Mercury grumbled before responding, "Clear as crystal, Cinder."
Cinder tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, smiling, and “Good. I don't want you to forget what happened to Roman Torchwick."
"Hey!" The man in question said defensively, talking to them through a Scroll.
"Yeah, well unlike him, I have no interest in little girls," He smirked at the holographic image of Torchwick and Neo.
"Watch it, Kid." Torchwick scowled. "There wouldn’t be any blood on my hands when they find what’s left of you."
"Excuse me?" Cinder cut in coolly, but the undercurrent of danger stilled the man.
"So, what is the plan again?" Torchwick asked, diverting the conversation.
"Mercury will befriend the girl, this Ruby Rose. And he'll find out everything she knows."
"And if she doesn't know anything?" Torchwick raised a brow.
"Then he'll kill her." Cinder said with a smile.