In The Name Of Love (ch8)

2-day early release for all my patrons!!

This chapter you'll finally be getting a good amount of Ladybug (since this is a Ladybug fic). But I feel they're a very gradual budding relationship in any AU, so I like to take my time with them.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 8. Comforting Words

Weiss was completely better the next day, and the instant Blake arrived at her house to begin walking with her to work, the white-haired girl started hounding her.

"How could you do that to me? Bringing them here without warning me... and in front of Winter! Blake Belladonna you are unbelievable!"

And Blake chuckled and apologized half-heartedly.

"Sorry. They insisted, so how could I refuse? Besides, I knew you'd be at least a little bit happy about it."

To this Weiss turned pink, looked away, and mumbled something under her breath.

As they proceeded to the café Blake managed to get some details out of Weiss, like how Winter had guessed and already knew her little sister was crushing on the blonde model.

"Well that's good," Blake said. "Now that Winter's on your side you have someone to talk to about it at home when I'm not with you."

"I suppose so..."

"And... I mean if it makes you feel any better, Coco knows how I feel about Ruby. But that being said she also probably knows about you and Yang."

"Coco?" Weiss groaned. "Oh, wonderful. We'll never hear the end of her teasing..."

They got to the CFVY Shoppe and began their shift as always, and Blake had to admit she felt immensely better now that Weiss was back at her side.

It was a few hours before Ruby and Yang came in, but as soon as they did Weiss and Blake stiffened up. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but they were both still fairly nervous and shy around the sisters.

But the second the pair saw that Weiss was back, they were all smiles.

"Hey!" Yang grinned. "Good to see you back here, Weiss! Didja like the gift?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you very much. I'd meant to buy you a proper thank-you card-"

"Aw geez you don't have to go that far! I'm just glad you're feelin' better. That's all the thanks I need." Yang said this so smoothly it was as if she'd read a line from a script.

But Blake had to let Weiss fend for herself for the time being because Ruby was scampering right up to her.

"Hi, Blake! Are you excited for this Saturday's new Ninjas?"

"I sure am."

Ruby smiled and shuffled her feet a bit.

"Um... I don't wanna impose or anything, but do you think it'd be possible if maybe we... like, we could all get together and watch it? You guys could come to our place!"

"Uh, hold up there, Rubes," Yang cut in. "Dad's got people coming over this weekend, remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

By now, Weiss had mostly recovered.

"I-I would offer to host, however I fear it's too short notice this week. Though I can definitely guarantee next week would be open."

"Really?" Both sisters piped up at the same time as wide grins spread across their faces. Weiss could only nod.

"That'd be awesome!" Yang said.

"Okay! Next week then! That's gonna be so much fun!" Ruby cheered to herself before turning back to Blake. "Next week's episode is gonna be a good one for sure! Well I mean, this week's is okay too, but I'm not really allowed to give away any more details than that. But either way it'd definitely be better to watch next week's with friends!"

Blake was still getting accustomed to that word. Friends.

"I'm looking forward to it," she smiled.

After that there was a beat of silence as the world shifted back into place. Blake nearly forgot how to swallow for a second before she snapped out of it.

"S-So, um... the usual, then?"

"Y-Yeah! I'll have the usual! Heh, it's so cool to say that."

Yang placed her order as well, and then the baristas got to making the drinks.

Blake moved with surprising speed and accuracy while making the Strawberry Swirl this time around. The idea of getting to watch her favorite show based off her favorite book series with her favorite actress herself was mind-blowing to her. It was almost incomprehensible.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that she had the privilege of knowing her favorite actress in real life, as a customer, as a friend. She even had her phone number...

"Blake!"

Weiss' grunt made her realize she was mentally wandering once again, as she often did when it came to Ruby. Blake straightened up and got to work, trying not to let the excitement of next weekend's plans get to her head more than it already was.

The sisters paid for their drinks and chose a place to sit while the baristas got to serving the next wave of customers. Quite a crowd came in after that, and by the time it had died down Ruby and Yang had left.

Blake felt her heart sink a little bit. She'd wanted to say goodbye...

Just then her phone buzzed inside her apron pocket. Evidently Weiss' did as well because they both fished them out. They'd each received texts from Ruby and Yang respectively, which were essentially the same.

Blake read over the message from Ruby without breathing.

//Sorry we had to run! The place was crowded so we didn't wanna disturb you! Bye bye for today and see you tomorrow!//

Blake had almost forgotten she'd given Ruby her number since they'd rarely exchanged messages since then. But now Blake mustered up the courage to type a quick reply back.

//It's okay! Thank you so much, and see you tomorrow!//

She checked and re-checked it several times to make sure she hadn't mis-spelled anything before sending it. It gave her a bit of a rush to realize she was texting Ruby Rose. It was much more invigorating than liking one of her social media posts almost anonymously, since Ruby didn't know her by username there.

She and Weiss finished their shift and already began making plans for next weekend. Blake was planning to buy snacks while Weiss was debating how to arrange the furniture.

When they parted it was with a hug, hearts full of excitement.

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The rest of the week passed by in the manner that was becoming normal for Blake with Ruby and Yang coming in at some point during hers and Weiss' shift. They'd chat for as long as they could before more customers came in, but they always got at least a few solid minutes together to talk.

Blake still didn't have a reason or the courage to text Ruby first, and Ruby didn't text her anymore either.

Evidently Weiss and Yang texted one another somewhat regularly now, even if it was just one message a day, and Blake was both happy for and envious of her best friend for that.

When Saturday came, Blake used her day off to play around online and browse Ruby's accounts as usual. She was posting about her excitement for tonight's new episode as usual and raking up the likes and comments. Blake was sure to like her post as well and even gathered up the guts to reply to Ruby's post in a comment:

//"I'm so excited for tonight's episode of #NinjasOfLove as always!"//

It was just something simple to show her support, yet nothing that would make Ruby feel pressured to respond.

When it was evening, Blake packed some pajamas to sleep over at Weiss' and headed over.

Blake knew already that tonight's episode was going to be a tear-jerker. Briar was going to be assigned to assassinate someone she'd later find out to be innocent, which was a major turning point for her character and therefore it was very important.

Blake made herself comfortable on Weiss' couch as the episode began and made sure not to give anything away.

Ruby looked perfect as Briar as always. Blake knew for a fact now that her voice was naturally much higher-pitched, but when she was acting Ruby typically spoke in a lower, more serious tone.

Blake liveblogged the episode and reacted to other people's reactions, but nothing was more priceless than seeing Weiss' for herself. When the reveal was made, Weiss mumbled an "oh no..." and put a hand to her chest, and even though Blake had been expecting it she was still a little emotional as well.

Ruby expressed so much anguish and regret and she did it so perfectly. Blake could almost feel her pain with how miserably she cried.

The episode ended on a shot of Briar curled up on the ground sobbing before cutting to black. It was really impactful, and for a moment afterward neither Blake nor Weiss said a thing. But when she was finally able to talk, Blake ended up smiling a bit.

"So? What did you think?"

Weiss was astonished.

"You knew that was going to happen and you didn't warn me?"

"Of course not. That'd take away from the fun of seeing your reaction."

"Well it was certainly ruthless. But I suppose that's the point. I need a glass of water."

As Weiss went to refresh herself and take it all in, Blake pulled out her phone to check social media. #NinjasOfLove was trending like crazy and people were saying all sorts of things. There was a lot of outrage at what Briar had done but a lot of praise for Ruby's acting as well.

Blake added her own thoughts into a post where she actually felt gutsy enough to finally tag Ruby for the first time.

//RubyRose did an amazing job as always! This was straight from the books and it was perfect!//

She posted it and was shocked when Ruby liked her post almost immediately afterward. Of course she didn't know it was Blake, but it still made her heart flutter anyway.

This also meant Ruby was actively online checking everyone's reactions to the episodes live.

But unlike all the other thousands of fans, only Blake had another, more personal way of contacting Ruby.

She swiped over to her messaging screen and typed out a text to her; her first time ever texting Ruby first, but she was too excited to be nervous about it.

//Tonight's episode was so great! You were really awesome!//

And to her delight Ruby texted back within a minute.

//Thanks, Blake! Glad you liked it! See you tomorrow!//

So Blake and Weiss got ready for bed, thinking tomorrow would be just like any other Sunday.

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Little did Blake know she'd go in to work that morning with Weiss expecting to see Ruby and Yang at some point, only to not have them show up at the usual time.

Yang hadn't texted Weiss to tell her she had a photoshoot or anything like that, and when Blake and Weiss sent out texts asking if they'd be coming today, neither of the sisters answered.

Blake was quick to get nervous, though Weiss realistically reassured her that the sisters were probably very busy or had a good explanation for not responding.

Blake used her phone to check Ruby's social media accounts but found she hadn't posted anything there this morning.

"Anything?" Weiss inquired.

"No. plenty of other people made posts and tagged her, but nothing from Ruby herself..." Blake bit her bottom lip and put away her phone.

Their shift ended soon after that, and that's when Blake's phone went off. She quickly checked to see a message from Ruby.

//Hey, um sorry we didn't come by today. I got a lot of bad comments last night so I don't really feel like going out...//

Blake's eyes went wide at the message. She went back to check Ruby's page and actually read the posts this time.

Alongside the people who were praising Ruby for her performance and praising the episode in general, there was quite a number who were saying things like "This sucks! Ruby Rose why would you do that?!" and "You're the worst!"

Blake felt a boiling rage in her stomach.

/What the hell? Don't these people realize this is a show? And that Ruby didn't actually kill anyone? She's an actress for goodness' sake!/

Rather angrily, Blake typed back a message to Ruby, though its contents were quite the opposite.

//Hey, don't listen to people like that. They don't know what they're talking about. They aren't smart enough to know it's a TV show and no one actually killed anyone.//

She sent her message and then briefly explained the situation to Weiss, who was appalled.

"What? People are actually like that? Imbeciles."

"Tell me about it. Ruby doesn't even wanna come out of her house today because she's so upset."

"She's very sensitive," Weiss observed. "This is probably her first time getting such a negative reaction from the fans. She hasn't learned how to handle it yet."

"That's not her fault," Blake growled. "Why are people being so stupid?"

"Easy." Weiss put a hand on Blake's arm soothingly. "Why don't you see if Ruby will let you go see her? I'm sure that will make her feel much better."

"...You really think so?"

"Blake, I know so. Shall I ask Yang for their address?"

"H-Hold on. Let me ask Ruby if she'd want me to go see her."

Despite her anger at the fanbase, Blake's fingers trembled with nervousness as she typed another message to Ruby.

//Would it be okay if we met up? I'll take you somewhere and you can vent to me.//

She sent and waited. And then:

//Really? I think that would be really nice. Thanks Blake.//

And so Weiss asked Yang for their house address, explained why they needed it, and then gave it to Blake. Yang seemed relieved that Blake would be coming over to help comfort her little sister.

"It seems Yang's been trying to cheer her up all day," Weiss said. "But Ruby just won't accept it."

"I hope I can help..." Blake mumbled. "If Yang can't help her, then how could I?"

"Blake." Weiss pulled her aside and gave her a firm pat on the shoulder. "There's a difference between being comforted by your big sister and being comforted by your crush."

"Wh-? S-She doesn't like my that way! D-Does she?"

"I'd be shocked if not. But in either case you're a good friend of hers now, Blake. She needs you."

Blake swallowed audibly.

"Right. Thanks, Weiss."

After confirming that Blake knew how to get to the sisters' house, Weiss wished her luck and they headed off from the café in opposite directions.

Blake started running before long, eager to see Ruby as soon as possible. When she found the house matching the address, she was a little surprised. It was an average-sized place, one that certainly didn't seem like it would be supporting a family that brought in three decent incomes. It was humble. She was assured by the familiar yellow car in the driveway.

Heart pounding, Blake hurried up to the front door and steeled herself to knock, but when her knuckles hit wood they trembled, so she settled for the doorbell.

To her surprise a dog started barking almost instantly from inside and she took a step back. She heard some shuffling about, and then an unmistakable voice.

"Zwei, quit it! Lemme through!"

Ruby opened the door a second later, dressed in casual clothes. A black and white corgi was jumping at her ankles, trying to get to Blake. "Zwei, stop it! Get back inside! Yang, I'm going!" And with that she shooed the dog inside and closed the door before turning back to Blake. "S-Sorry. It's a little crazy here sometimes."

Blake made a fist, the nails digging into her palm helping her realize this was reality.

"It's fine. I think it's nice to have a lively home." She smiled and lowered her voice gently. She tilted her head in somewhat of an invitation. Ruby followed her, and the two began walking around the block.

Blake didn't want to lose her confidence so early on, so she kept talking.

"So... h-how are you feeling?"

Ruby let out a huge sigh and her smile disappeared.

"I'm okay I guess. It's just... I've never gotten such nasty comments and bad reactions before. And there were so many! They were so mean..."

Blake snorted but made sure to keep her voice gentle for Ruby.

"Don't listen to those people. They can't differentiate fiction from reality, clearly. They're just idiots. A few rotten apples spoiling the bunch, right? The rest of us thought it was a wonderful episode and you did a great job. The mean ones are a bunch of morons." She didn't realize how much venom was in her own voice until she realized Ruby was staring at her. Blake paused and looked at her. "W-What is it?"

Ruby's jaw dropped a little.

"I've never heard you talk like that before, Blake."

Blake quickly slapped a hand to her mouth.

"S-Sorry! That wasn't very nice of me-"

"No, no! I liked it! You got so into it, standing up for what's just and right against those meanies! It made me really happy!" The smile found its way back onto her lips. "Those mean people can't bug me if I know I've got you to defend me, Blake!"

Blake had stopped walking, but she still almost tripped somehow. Ruby's mood had lifted in only a minute of talking to her.

/Maybe... what Weiss said-/

"Blake?"

"Huh?"

"I said thanks!" Ruby piped. "I feel a lot better already! I guess it's better to get out of the house and stop looking at those mean peoples' comments. You're right, most of the fandom is really nice and supportive! Including you!"

"W-Well, I-"

"Oh! By the way, do you know my social media accounts and stuff? You can look me up!"

"A-Actually..." Blake looked down at the sidewalk as they began walking again. "I'd been meaning to tell you but... I've been following you online since day 1. Right after I learned the name of Briar's actress, I looked you up and followed you, and I've been liking all your posts and stuff. B-But I was scared to tell you. I didn't want you to think it was weird since, well... now you know me in real life..."

"Wait, really?" Ruby squeaked. "You've been supporting me online all this time too? What's your username? Can I know?"

Blake bit her lip again and brought out her phone. She pulled up her own social media and showed Ruby her username. Ruby gasped.

"Oh my gosh, no way! That was you, Blake? I always noticed this person liking all my stuff and tagging me in really nice posts! They were one of the first people to ever do that, and the only one who's stuck with it so much until now! That's you?"

"Y-Yeah..." A little overwhelmed, Blake still couldn't bring herself to look Ruby in the eye. The brunette's energy level skyrocketed.

"That's so neat! That was you all along, Blake! And then I even met you in the supermarket that one time after we first moved here! I wasn't sure at first but then I met you in the café and I knew it was you! It was always you, Blake! You were always there helping me out even when I didn't know it!"

Blake's heart started going into overdrive.

"I-I mean... I just really liked you a-and I wanted to be a good fan and show my support in any way possible. Especially when you were just starting out. I'm glad you don't think it's weird..."

"Weird? No way! That's what being a fan is all about! And it's the nice ones like you who motivate me and make me wanna keep acting and filming more!"

Her beaming smile was almost blinding to Blake, but she decided that her sight was a fair sacrifice. Ruby stepped a little closer as they rounded the block and kept walking.

"You're right, Blake. There's always gonna be mean people or people who take stuff too seriously and wanna make me feel bad. But... there's also always gonna be nice people, too. People like you."

As the words registered in Blake's mind, she found herself smiling as well.

"That's right. And... And even if for some reason every other fan drops off the face of the earth, you'll still have me, Ruby. You'll always have at least me."

"At least?" she chuckled. "Blake, having you is the most I could ever ask for!" Ruby opened her arms and threw herself at Blake, squeezing her in a tight hug.

Blake froze in place as her mind started swarming with thoughts and feelings she couldn't make sense of. But somewhere in her heart, she reminded herself to respond.

And so she slowly lifted her arms and encircled Ruby's back, trying to find a balance between making the contact too light or too hard.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged or had a hug from anyone other than Weiss or her own parents. And for it to be Ruby Rose of all people...

She was trying to savor the contact for as long as possible, but it felt like only seconds had passed before Ruby stepped back. Blake might've regretted the loss of contact if not for the return of that smile.

Ruby still held onto her hand for a moment though, giving her fingers a squeeze.

"Thanks, Blake. I really mean it. Not just for talking to me and coming to see me today, but for supporting me behind the scenes all this time! I really appreciate it!"

"D-Don't mention it."

"Well, Yang and Dad have been worrying about me all day. I guess I should go back and tell them I'm all better thanks to you!"

When Blake looked up she realized they'd already made their way back to the house.

"Oh. Okay. I'm... glad you feel better."

"Yeah! Thank you, Blake! I'll see you tomorrow at the CVFY Shoppe!"

Blake perked up and finally cracked another smile.

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

Ruby turned to head back to her house, but she paused. To Blake's surprise the brunette spun around and pulled her into one last hug before scurrying off.

Blake stood there in utter disbelief for a few minutes, still trying to comprehend what had happened.

When she finally managed to make her legs move, she took off running back toward her neighborhood.

She had a lot to tell Weiss.

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A/N: Finally they get a bit of alone time, and how worthwhile it was! Their friendship may be turning into something more...