RWBY One-Shot Collection

What's Your Favorite Color? (Nuts n Dolts)

Over the years, Ruby had been forced to ask herself many odd questions. 'Am I on a date right now?' had never been one of them until today.

Officially, she could say with full confidence that she was not, as there had been no prior agreement. Unofficially, she had literally no idea. One might think that going out in the middle of the night to admire fireflies with exactly one other person could constitute a date, and that a simple yet enthusiastic request to come and meet some friends of a friend could be a clever ruse to get Ruby alone, but honestly, that might be giving Penny too much credit.

After all, if anyone at Beacon was going to genuinely befriend a group of bugs, it would be Penny.

Still, Ruby wasn't sure what to make of the frolicking and the glancing and that one awkward moment when Penny had suddenly grabbed her hand and then immediately let go without a word. She really wished she could figure out Penny's endgame here. Not that she was favoring any particular outcome; she just wanted to know what was going on.

They'd been frolicking for quite some time when Ruby managed to trip over her own feet, landing on her back in the grass, and Penny simply plopped down beside her as if that had been the plan all along. It was then that a silence settled over them. The energy of their movements and the soft sound of their laughter had faded from the evening air, leaving just the occasional buzz of a firefly passing close to Ruby's ear.

Ruby looked to her companion, who seemed completely dazzled by the swarm of blinking lights moving all around them. It was admittedly quite a spectacle, but she found that she'd much rather keep her gaze on Penny. There was something about the tiny, childlike grin on her face that Ruby enjoyed seeing.

"What's your favorite color?" Penny asked suddenly, turning her head to meet Ruby's eyes. She looked vaguely serious, as if the answer to this question would mean something to her.

"Red." Ruby replied after a moment. Penny smiled, apparently quite satisfied with the response.

"What things do you like to eat?" She continued. It was such a trivial question, just as the previous one had been, but the way Penny asked made them seem far from trivial. She wasn't trying to fill the silence; she actually wanted to know these things.

"I really like strawberries." Ruby offered. "And cookies. Chocolate chip is my favorite."

"Do you bake?"

"I've tried, but I'm not really good at it." Ruby admitted sheepishly. "Oh, but my sister makes the best cookies. If you want, I could get her to bake some tomorrow so you can try them."

"I do not have a stomach." Penny replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh."  Ruby wasn't sure what to say to that. Why had she assumed an android could eat?

"Do you have a favorite animal?" Thankfully, Penny didn't appear to be offended in any way.

"I guess dogs are pretty cool." Ruby decided. "How about you?"

"I like fireflies." Penny reached upward with one hand and allowed a few of the insects to perch on her fingers. Ruby let out a small chuckle at the sight, and Penny laughed with her.

This was the perfect opportunity for Ruby to ask whether or not they were on a date, but she rather liked the evening as it was. There was no need to risk spoiling it over labels. She and Penny were having a nice time, and right then, that was all that mattered to her.

                                                                         -------------------------------

It was odd to be alone with Penny again after all this time apart. They hadn't seen one another in nearly two years, and yet Ruby still felt at home with her, just as she always had. And even though a cold night on the roof of Atlas Academy's dorms couldn't quite compare to their night with the fireflies, she couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be right now.

Not a word had passed between them since coming up here. Penny seemed more than content to simply exist together, admiring the night sky, while Ruby was happy to stand there by the guardrail and watch the moonlight reflecting in Penny's bright eyes. Yet the longer Ruby stared, the more difficult it became to maintain her silence. She couldn't help but feel that she didn't really know the girl beside her, not anymore. It had been too long. They'd both grown so much during their separation. Ruby wasn't the same girl Penny had known back at Beacon, and she knew that the same must be true for Penny.

They needed to reconnect. They needed to learn about one another again, and Ruby knew exactly where to start.

"Hey, Penny?" She asked softly. Penny turned to her with a questioning hum. "What's your favorite color?"

Penny stared at her for a moment, as if she was surprised by the question despite having asked the same thing herself. Although, Ruby reminded herself, it had been years ago. Did Penny even remember that night? She wasn't certain that androids could forget things like other people, but she also wasn't certain that all of Penny's memories had survived her destruction.

"Green." Came Penny's quiet reply.

"Are fireflies still your favorite animal?"

"I don't know." Penny admitted. "I have not seen one since returning to Atlas."

"What have you been up to here anyway?" Ruby inquired. "Aside from being the Protector of Mantle, I mean."

"I have been learning to bake in my free time." Penny said. "I believe my chocolate chip cookie recipe has finally be perfected. Would you like to try them sometime?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Ruby gave her a smile, and the one she got back could have rivaled the sun. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"You have already asked me several things." Penny pointed out innocently.

"Fair point." Ruby chuckled. "But this one's important. Are we on a date right now?"

Penny gave a surprised blink, seemingly unsure of how to respond. Had Ruby made her uncomfortable? Perhaps she should have left well enough alone.

"Would you like for us to be?" Penny inquired, and now it was Ruby's turn to struggle for a reply. The honest answer would be yes, but she couldn't just say that out loud.

Did Penny even understand what a date was, being so under socialized? She almost certainly hadn't back at Beacon. And if she did happen to understand the basics, did she know what it entailed? If she didn't, there was a chance that she'd agree to a date just to make Ruby happy, and Ruby would never want to take advantage of her like that.

"It's alright if you would not." Penny went on after Ruby had been silent for around thirty seconds. "Personally, I think it would be nice, but I could understand how it might make you uncomfortable. After all, you are my best friend."

"It wouldn't make me uncomfortable." Ruby said hastily. "I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page, y'know? It's been a while since were together, and I honestly wasn't sure if you knew what a date was."

"Admittedly, I only recently came to understand the concept." Penny replied. "But I have felt very strongly about you for a long time. When I awoke in Atlas after being destroyed, I was very upset to learn that I wouldn't be able to see you. I missed you more than I have ever missed anything."

"I missed you too." Ruby said softly. "It was really hard when you weren't around." Her voice cracked, and suddenly she had to make an effort to keep herself from tearing up. "I didn't think you were coming back."

"I'm sorry that you were worried." Penny's hand drifted along the guardrail until it was resting on top of Ruby's. "But I'm here now, and I will not leave again."

"That's good," Ruby replied, wiping at her eyes. "Because I was kind of a mess without you."

Penny let out a quick laugh, and Ruby laughed with her. For a moment, it was like nothing had changed; they were those happy, innocent girls from Beacon. Then the moment passed, and Ruby asked the question she wished she'd asked two years ago.

"So... we are on date?"

"Yes, I think so." Penny said with a quick nod. "We are on a date."