In The Name Of Love (ch6)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

As always thanks for the support! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 6. One Rainy Evening

After Blake and Weiss had given the sisters their tour of Vale, the four of them fell into a sort of routine.

Every weekday morning for the rest of the week, Blake and Weiss would clock in for their part-time shifts. Ruby and Yang visited the café just about every day, sometimes earlier and sometimes around lunchtime, depending on Yang's schedule. Though Ruby was finished filming for the time being, Yang still had the occasional photo-shoot to attend here and there, so they worked around that.

Unfortunately, since Blake and Weiss were working, the four of them couldn't exactly spare much time for talk and casual conversations. And being that Yang and Ruby didn't want to invite themselves over to watch this week's new episode of Ninjas Of Love before they knew the baristas well enough, they decided not to impose this Saturday.

Blake and Weiss made a habit of helping one another through their minor mishaps whenever their respective crushes were around.

They'd thought that they'd be able to get ahold of themselves after a few days, but even when Saturday evening rolled around they were both still equally as infatuated as they had been on day one.

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That Saturday evening, Blake scurried into Weiss' foyer, and together they headed up to her room to get ready to watch the new episode. But before that, they naturally got to talking about the sisters.

"So," Weiss began, taking a seat on the couch beside her. "Have you noticed if anyone else in town has recognized Ruby yet? Or do you really think you're the only avid Ninjas fan in Vale?"

"I'm really not sure." Blake twiddled her fingers in her lap. "I haven't really gotten to talk to her much. I might have her number, but I haven't texted her at all since she sent me that first text."

"Likewise," Weiss said. "I haven't been able to muster the courage to message Yang since I sent that text about the tour time several days ago. What about on her social media accounts? Does Ruby ever talk about meeting other fans here?"

"No. Not in person, anyway. She gets tons of attention from the online community, but I don't think anyone else in Vale recognizes her. It's a shame. I don't want her to think she's not as popular as she is."

"Blake, think about this realistically." Weiss put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you really think her family would've moved somewhere where they thought she'd be widely recognized? So she could be swamped by fans and the media day in and day out? Of course not. It's in her best interest to be somewhere where she can lay low and enjoy herself. And besides, does Ruby honestly strike you as the kind of girl to care about popularity?"

It was almost laughable how confident Weiss was in trying to cheer Blake up about Ruby, but when it came to her own crush she was as reclusive as Blake was. Even so, she had a ton of plausible points, and Blake lifted her head.

"Not really. She seems like she's happy just... doing what she loves. Acting and bringing this character to life for people. I feel that Ruby's the kind of girl who would be happy even if she just made one fan smile. One's all she needs."

As she mused to herself, a smile formed on Blake's lips unknowingly. But Weiss didn't miss it.

"And don't you think she's more than fine with you being that one fan here in Vale?"

Blake didn't have anything to say back. She simply mulled it all over, rewinding back to the day she'd first met Ruby in the grocery store. Even though Ruby hadn't recognized her from the café, she'd still been excited to meet a fan. And then to realize later that fan had been her barista, Ruby had been beyond thrilled just to know that anyone recognized her.

Weiss was right. Ruby had probably moved here hoping there wouldn't be a massive fanbase for Ninjas Of Love. But of course she wouldn't have been happy if no one in the entire town knew who she was.

She was overjoyed to be recognized for her role, even if only by one person. Having just one or two secret fans here was the ideal for Ruby, because it meant she wouldn't be swamped, but she wouldn't be a nobody, either.

"Blake!" Weiss' fingers tapped on her shoulder, pulling Blake back into reality.

"Huh?"

"The show is about to start."

"Oh!"

They enjoyed the new episode together. It followed Briar in another one of her missions, before she realized what she was doing wasn't right. Before her turning point, she was a ruthless assassin, highly skilled both with her sword and her tongue.

It was still difficult to get used to for Blake now that she was seeing Ruby on-screen instead of her favorite character. She had to keep reminding herself this wasn't Ruby right now. She'd see Ruby tomorrow, but for tonight it was Briar.

She was quite literally on the edge of her seat throughout the action-packed episode, antsy during the commercials, and then exasperated when it ended off on a cliff-hanger. But she'd read the books and she knew what was going to happen anyway.

Blake slumped back against the couch with a sigh.

"Dang... it was so good though... What'd you think?"

But as she turned to the side, she was surprised to find Weiss slumped back against the cushion, fast asleep. Blake found it a little odd, because Weiss didn't typically fall asleep unless she was in her bed. Blake shook her shoulder gently to rouse her.

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

As her friend shifted and opened her eyes, she nodded.

"Yes, fine. Perhaps I should go to bed."

"Yeah. Need any help?"

"That won't be necessary."

After a moment of stretching, Weiss stood herself up and staggered to her bed. Blake watched her a little worriedly, fearing she was getting sick. Hopefully she could nip it in the bud by getting some rest tonight.

Once Weiss had lain herself down, Blake called a "goodnight" to her and turned off the TV, then the only remaining lamp. She opted not to go through the trouble of opening the sofa up into a bed and making all that noise, so she simply curled up on the cushions and pulled some blankets over herself.

In just a few hours she'd get to see Ruby again. She couldn't wait to talk to her about the new episode and a lot of other things.

When she woke the next morning, Blake discovered her hunch from last night had been justified.

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Weiss was coughing miserably in her bed, barely able to push herself up. But long before she could even hope to make a move to slip her legs over the edge, Blake was sitting beside her and coaxing her back down.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not going in today."

"Blake, please. If I don't go with you, you'll end up dropping every drink you handle after Ruby walks in."

"And if you do go in, that'll make two of us dropping everything we touch. You've gotta rest. I'll see if Velvet can come in a bit earlier to cover for the second half of your shift."

Weiss heaved a sigh of prideful defeat.

"Very well... Give my regards to those two when they come in."

"You know I will."

Blake left her with a soothing hug before she went to get changed into the extra clothes she'd brought with her last night. On her way down to the kitchen she found Winter and told her of Weiss' cold. The older girl immediately went up to Weiss' room. Blake smiled, relieved to know she'd take care of her today.

She made herself a piece of toast and happily ate a muffin Whitely offered to her before heading outside.

It was another bright day, and she actually had to wonder if it was ever going to rain this season. It felt odd walking without Weiss. This was the first time since they'd started working at the café that Blake had gone alone. Instead of talking aloud she just kept her thoughts to herself.

When she got there, she sent Velvet a text, relieved when the other girl confirmed she could come in early to help her out.

Blake clocked in first and began tending to the customers, subtly checking through the glass doors before anyone entered to see if she could catch a glimpse of strawberry-patterned stockings or garish orange shorts.

But Ruby and Yang didn't come in early. In fact, Velvet arrived first, which meant Blake's shift was already half over. Even so she was glad to have the help, promising Velvet she'd send her regards to Weiss.

Blake checked the time and realized she was going to be clocking out in thirty minutes, and yet still no sign of Ruby or Yang.

/Guess Yang had a shoot today. Darn... I'd really wanted to discuss the new episode with Ruby.../

She hadn't tagged Ruby in any social media posts last night about her enjoyment of the new episode nor had she texted her. Blake wanted to start telling her face to face.

She was musing to herself as she handed out another drink, her confidence gradually building just at the thought of getting to talk to Ruby again.

And then the universe decided to throw a rainstorm in her face.

The sky darkened seemingly without warning and pouring rain came hissing down. A lot of the last customers she served that day were stragglers coming in for shelter and a warm cup of coffee.

Blake groaned as she realized the rain wasn't planning to slow down anytime soon. She hadn't expected it, so of course she hadn't brought an umbrella.

Starting off with Weiss being sick, and then Ruby not coming in, and now rain, today just wasn't her day.

Velvet timidly tapped Blake's shoulder and informed her her shift was over.

"Unless you'd want to stay until closing and hitch a ride home with Coco and I. She'll be driving, so at least you won't have to get so wet."

But as Blake hung up her apron she sighed.

"No, it's okay. I should get back and check on Weiss."

"Are you sure? You don't even have a sweatshirt, Blake."

"I know. But I'll make due somehow."

"Then you'll catch cold as well, and then Coco and I will be running the whole café!"

"I won't get sick. Promise."

Blake smiled and said as much. But as she turned back to face the downpour outside she grimaced. Inhaling sharply, she began making her way for the doors.

And then her saving grace.

Just like any hero, Ruby came scurrying through the doors at the last second, huddled beneath an red-and-white polka dotted umbrella. Unlike Blake, she was appropriately dressed for the weather with leggings, a skirt, and a sweatshirt. She and Blake nearly crashed into each other, but Blake jumped back before the impact.

"Whoa!" Ruby squeaked. "S-Sorry, I was just- Blake?" As she looked up, a smile bloomed across her face. "Oh, I'm so glad I caught you before you left! Yang had something to do today so we weren't gonna come, but I really wanted to see you so I came on my own!"

Blake was still trying to register everything past the shock.

"You... wanted to see me...?"

"Yeah! I wanted to talk to you about the new episode and stuff! But if you're leaving we can do it some other time!"

Blake instantly took a step back into the warm café.

"N-No. I mean my shift is over but I don't have to leave right away."

"Really? Great! Lemme just order some hot cocoa. Wanna grab us a table?"

"Uh, s-sure..."

Blake moved almost robotically now that she'd been given a task, locating an empty table in one of the corners. She claimed a seat for herself and left the other open, watching as Ruby folded her umbrella and bounded up to Velvet to place her order.

As Blake began to calm down from the surprise of it all, she was a little grateful Ruby was ordering hot chocolate today. Blake felt admittedly jealous at the idea of anyone else preparing her a Strawberry Swirl.

But now, Blake was faced with her next dilemma. Weiss wasn't here and neither was Yang.

It was just them. Alone.

/Oh god.../

"I'm back!" Ruby's chirp of a voice snapped Blake from her thoughts as the brunette took her seat across from her. She warmed her hands around the styrofoam cup with a hum before taking a sip and squealing. "Mmm, it's so yummy! Nice to have some cold summer days sometimes so we can enjoy the warm drinks, don't ya think?"

"Y-Yeah..." Despite her lackluster conversational skills, Blake felt a smile coming on. She just needed to be herself. Hopefully she could manage that much without panicking. "So... last night's episode was so great. I loved it."

"Ohh, you did~? I'm so glad! I remember filming that one fight scene because I lost my grip once and just totally dropped the prop sword!" She sent herself into a fit of giggles, and Blake felt as though her heart was going to burst.

When Ruby collected herself again, she lowered her voice a bit. "It's nice to have someone to talk to about Ninjas Of Love! You're the only fan I know of in Vale, so it's kinda like we have our own little secret! Like we're the ninjas!"

She went off giggling again, and Blake could only muster a smile. She didn't trust herself enough to speak without stammering like an idiot yet.

So she let Ruby carry the conversation for a while, which the brunette seemed very happy to do. She talked in a hushed voice about her career and how she'd landed it.

"I tried out for the part of a background character, actually. But the producer said he thought I'd make a great Briar! So even though it was my first time acting, everyone helped me out a lot so I'd be more natural on-screen.

"They said they really liked how I played her, so I talked to my dad and sister about it. We all gotta kinda travel a bit for our jobs, but it just all happened to work out in the end.

"So after filming season one, we moved to Vale for my dad's work! I'm gonna go to the high school here when the summer ends, and when we have to start filming for season 2, I just fly back to wherever they need me to film, then fly back here!"

Blake nodded, getting lost more so in Ruby's voice than what she was actually saying. Her comment about eventually going to school in Vale went entirely over Blake's head.

"So do you guys like it here in Vale?"

"Totally! My dad's got a ton of friends at his workplace, and Yang's made a lot of friends modeling too! And I know I'm gonna have a great time here if I've got you to help me!"

Blake had to reach for a napkin and pretend to blow her nose just to cover up her blush.

"That... That means a lot. Thanks, Ruby."

"Sure! So, how caught up are you with Ninjas?"

"All the way."

"Okay good, so I don't have to worry about spoilers!"

"Definitely not."

Blake got more engaged as they started discussing her favorite book series now. She gradually started to talk more than she stayed silent. It felt nice to have someone to rant about her obsession with. Of course she had Weiss, but there was something more engaging about talking with someone who'd been a fan as long as you have, rather than someone who's just gotten into it.

Somewhere along the lines, Blake forgot about her nervousness for a while and simply chatted comfortably with Ruby as the brunette finished off her hot cocoa.

The rain was still hissing outside by the time they said all they could say. Ruby leaned back with a grin and a hum.

"I'm so glad I can talk to you about Ninjas in person like this! My sister is only halfway through reading the series so I can't discuss a lot with her."

"Same here. It's great to talk to you about it. Especially since you're Briar."

"Heehee, yep! I'm still so glad you like me as her! A lot of people online do, too!"

Blake wondered if now would be a good time to tell Ruby she'd followed her social media accounts. She'd been hesitant to bring it up because it might've sounded invasive, but now that they were getting more acquainted with one another, Blake thought it was only right to tell her the truth.

But before she could muster up the courage to speak again, Ruby beat her to it.

"Oh! I'm gonna have to be home soon. I should get going." She stood up and took her cup to the trash can before returning to the table for her umbrella. She looked over Blake curiously when she noticed she wasn't getting up, too. "Are you gonna walk home with Weiss again?"

Blake shook her head.

"No. Weiss is sick today. I think I'm just gonna stay here and wait the storm out after all. It's gotta almost be over by now..."

"What? Weiss is sick? That stinks! I'm gonna tell Yang to text her." Ruby pulled out her phone and swiped a quick message. Blake had to swallow back a chuckle, imagining Weiss' reaction to waking up to a text message from Yang.

As soon as Ruby was finished with her message she reached her hand out toward Blake.

"Come on!"

And Blake stared, dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

"You don't have an umbrella or someone else who does, so I'll just walk home with you, Blake!"

Blake blinked, trying to process her words. Then she remembered Ruby had said she needed to be home soon, and if she'd be going out of her way to walk Blake back as well...

"O-Okay."

Shakily, Blake got to her feet, nearly stumbled over her chair as she pushed it in, and then staggered over to her. Ruby led her to the doors and opened her umbrella before pushing outside.

"Stay close!"

She ran a few feet out into the rain and held up the umbrella to shield herself, then quickly turned back to make sure she covered Blake as well.

Blake had to duck down a little due to her height and the height at which Ruby could hold the umbrella, but she'd rather bend a little than get drenched.

But of course, sharing an umbrella meant standing in close proximity to the other person. She bumped shoulders with Ruby and nearly forgot how to breathe-

"Which way?"

"Huh?"

"Your house!" Ruby grinned. "Which way do we go?"

Blake shook herself out of her trance and nodded in the correct direction.

"This way..."

"All right, got it! You lead the way and I'll keep us dry!"

Blake nodded and set a brisk pace across the sidewalk, avoiding all the puddles and potholes whenever they had to cross a road. Ruby scampered right beside her with the umbrella at an expert angle to protect them both.

Blake felt like she was flying instead of walking. When the wind blew at her and got her a bit wet, she hardly even felt it. It was like a dream.

She didn't say much else other than a mumble of the direction as they entered her neighborhood. Ruby dutifully held the umbrella and stuck close enough to provide a bit of much-appreciated warmth.

They passed Weiss' house, and Blake felt she herself was getting her just dessert now for thinking taunting things about Yang texting the sick girl earlier.

"Almost there," she muttered.

She led Ruby onto another sidewalk, but a small scuff of shoes caught her attention. Ruby squeaked and nearly stumbled, but Blake lashed out to grab her by both arms and haul her back to her feet.

"You okay?"

"Yeah! Nice catch!"

And only then did Blake realize she was holding her up by the underarms. She quickly let go.

"I-It's that house," she wheezed. "This is far enough. You should get home. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah! Yang's gonna come pick me up in her car. We like to walk around here, but she does have one!"

"All right. Well, um... thanks for walking me back, Ruby. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it! It's what friends do!"

This time it was Blake who almost stumbled.

"Yeah..."

She gave a shy wave, which Ruby reflected with ten times the enthusiasm. Blake turned away and ran from the shelter of the umbrella to her door, fumbled for the key, and stepped inside. She quickly ran to the nearest window to keep an eye on Ruby.

But it was only moments later when a garish yellow Porche with a black stripe down the middle and vanity plate BMBL-BEE drove up. Ruby closed her umbrella and jumped inside before they drove off.

Blake staggered to her couch and collapsed, burying her giddy smile into a pillow.

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A/N: Probably the most stressful but best day of Blake's life to date.