All a Matter of Timing – Chapter 2

"So was she as cute as you remembered?"

Blake fell down across the edge of a bed, stretching out and groaning in frustration at her friend Sun's question. Her roommate was a tall, muscled guy who loved to leave his shirt unbuttoned, a deadly combination for most young women when you factored in his shaggy blond hair and boyish charm. "Ugh, cuter. She totally rocks having dyed hair and tattoos, it looks natural on her. Oh! And she has silver eyes."

"Oh, she sounds hot. Where's this girl work again?" It was Neptune, Sun's friend, that spoke. Both the boys were barely listening to her, instead focused on the TV that sat a few feet from the couch, mashing away at their controllers as they played the racing game. Without losing a beat, Sun smacked the shoulder of his friend even as Blake turned to glare at the blue-haired boy. "Hey!"

"And what's the problem?"

The question came from the blond, and it was one that Blake mulled over whether or not to reveal it, given that it could be a complete deal breaker for what she had desired from the moment she had first laid eyes upon the other girl. "She works at that animal clinic across the road from the cafe.. And she really likes dogs."

The noise from the game ceased as Sun paused it, ignoring the surprised exclamation from Neptune as he turned to rest his arms on the back of the couch and look at her. "Oh man, you sure know how to pick them."

"She loves dogs, she even trains them. I think the universe hates me." Blake lifted her head a few inches from the soft mattress before allowing it to fall again, letting out another soft groan as she did so. After a long moment, she finally looked over at Sun, who was giving her a sympathetic smile. "I stuttered when I went in to ask her out. I never stutter."

"Uh oh, you're head over heels for this girl. Did you even get her name, or did you chicken out?" Her roommates grin went unpunished as she joined him in a soft chuckle that turned into a sound she was making far too often now, another pained groan.

"Her name is Ruby Rose.. God, Sun, even her name is cute. I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Her pleading look was met with another laugh, this one joined by Neptune, who had also turned around to listen in on the conversation. "You're head over heels, Belladonna, and you've met this girl twice. Yeah, you're in trouble." After a moment the mirth faded from Sun's face as the blond took on a more serious expression. "So what're you going to do?"

"Move on, try to forget those beautiful little pools of silver.."

"Or.. You could go talk to her again." The thought made her perk up somewhat, as she turned to look at her friend with a questioning gaze. "I mean, outside of where she works so you aren't such a mess. Wait for her shift to be over and bump into her on the road, say hi, talk with her. You work across the street you have the perfect excuse! You might as well see if she's interested."

Nodding in agreement, Blake drew in a long breath before letting it out. Sun was right, if she didn't try she would end up regretting it every time she happened to see Ruby leave work. But as far as Ruby being interested, she was fairly sure the girl was. It was either that or Blake had misread that entire situation, especially with the receptionist that just reeked of gathering the next juicy gossip for the office.

Ruby Rose..

"I'll try again."

Leaning over the counter as she filled out the latest paperwork, Ruby was unconsciously swaying to the music that was softly playing through the speakers of Velvet's computer. It had been a week since Blake had walked ran out of the clinic, an agonizing slow passing of seven days where during each she held a diminishing hope that the golden-eyed brunette would wander back through her doors.

Each day had ended with a bitter taste of disappointment, her patience having run out at the end of the first day, when she had gone to the cafe across the street in search of Blake. Frustratingly, she had been told she had missed the other woman, whose shift was over a full hour before Ruby herself usually got off work. At least that explained why she hadn't been able to find the girl there except that first day. Small victories, she supposed.

It didn't really help to know that, as Ruby found her entire work day so jam packed that taking a lunch became munching on a sandwich in the back room for five minutes before getting back to it. It had never occurred to her, how much she really worked when she was here. It had never really mattered, and she didn't quite understand why the lack of free time bothered her now, the dogs here needed her. Most days she ended up staying an extra hour or so anyway, so what if it meant no slowing down, it had never mattered before.

"Ruby."

Before she met Blake, the girl she knew nothing about, that she had accidentally met twice. What had been frustration at how much she had been working melted instead into a feeling of guilt at how quickly she was willing to drop that work, the time she spent with these dogs who needed her.

"Ruby!"

A soft hand laid across the back of her own, drawing her from her thoughts as she blinked and slowly looked over at Velvet, who had called her name. "If you put any more force behind that pen, you're gonna tear the page right open. What's wrong, luv?"

Looking down at the paperwork she had been writing on, she could see that the last few sentences of the report were more indented into the page than merely written on it. "Uh." Glancing back over at the brunette, she could tell that the look of concern meant that her own expression a few moments ago must have been telling. "Well.."

By chance, her gaze wandered slowly towards the front windows as she thought, and whatever reply she had come up with for Velvet was stolen by what she saw there. The very woman who had occupied her ought so for a week, whose absence had caused such a worried and awkward train of thought, was standing there on the sidewalk in front of the clinic.

And was fidgeting, from what she could see. Blake looked like she was struggling to build up the courage necessary to walk through the doors again, and for a moment, it even looked like the girl was going to leave before she turned back and made a frustrated expression. The entire display brought a wide smile to Ruby's face, this confirmation that the reason for the other girl coming in was a far more personal issue where she was concerned.

"Oh my god.." Velvet made her presence known again by uttering those words, the shock there telling Ruby all she needed to know.

Whirling about to face the receptionist, she pointed a finger directly at the girl's cute button nose. "Yang can never know about this, got it? She will never let me live it down." The brunette held up both hands in a sign of peace as she laughed, and gave an affirmative nod. "Thank you, Velv."

For all the trouble that her sister and the receptionist gave her when her love life was concerned, Ruby knew that it was all in the spirit of fun. That didn't mean she wanted to hear this moment repeated back to her a thousand more times from Yang, especially not when her sister thought the story had gotten too boring and started inserting her own ideas of how to spice it up. Ruby had mistakenly revealed too much to her sister before, she knew what it would ultimately mean if Yang got a hold of an awkward moment.

Not this moment, though. If she played her cards right, this might be a chance to continue things with Blake. A gentle shove from her friend got her out and around the desk she had been leaning over, and she tossed a teasing glance back at Velvet as she advanced toward the door. The woman outside hadn't seen her, not until she was already through the first set of doors.

By the time she had opened the second set, Blake had froze in place, watching her with an expression of immediate regret. "Um..Ruby?" The girl was wearing a torn up pair of jeans today that matched well with an old band tour t-shirt, somehow matching casual wear with a grunge look and managing to pull it off.

"Hey there, stranger." Greeting the woman with a warm smile as she slid around the edge of the door, Ruby made an effort to not push her luck with the brunette, not trusting her instincts that Blake was here for her. So she stood near the entrance, hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans and rocking on both heels. "You ran out pretty quick last time."

"Oh? ..Uh, yeah. I had-" There was a solid second of silence that passed between them before the end of the laughably bad excuse came. "A friend call me, needed my help with his homework."

But Ruby didn't press for the holes that were bound to be in the excuse, even though the fact Blake had to lie probably meant that the waitress was not here for her, and the real reason for the running away was likely personal. Even with the itch of curiosity at the back of her skull demanding to be satisfied, she refused to press. "Well, if you want to see if any of the dogs might take a shine to you, I'd be happy to show you around."

She couldn't help but be deflated of all the confidence and swagger she had held but a moment before. A whole week of hope, of waiting, of wondering what she would say when next she saw the beautiful girl that was Blake Belladonna. Only to turn out she may have grossly misread the situation. The brunette stammered a few times before replying, show if an uneasiness that seemed to be growing. "I-I actually don't know all that much about dogs, to be completely honest."

Ruby swallowed her pride, and her nervousness. She was not a strange to attraction to girls who did not return it, it was something she had gone through many times. Being a friend afterwards was always difficult, but doable. "Well I'm off in a few minutes, if you want to stick around.." She gave a shrug that was meant to be aloof, but judging from the eyebrow that was raised, it probably came off as the weird jerking motion it felt like. "Maybe we could walk together, my apartment is only a few blocks from here and I'd be more than willing to answer whatever questions you have."

It seemed as if all the awkwardness of their meeting bled away with that suggestion, and Blake gave her a brilliant smile while a hand drifted upwards and brushed a cluster of dark hair back behind a pale ear. "That sounds perfect, Ruby."

"Well I've always had a way with animals, even when I was a kid. There was this one time, and I swear this is true," Ruby Rose was and interesting individual, Blake had decided. In their walking together, the younger woman had told her many things, each branching off the previous question naturally. This latest story was no exception. "I fell down a cliff while my sister and I were mountain climbing, back in high school. I broke.. Uh, three or four bones in my right leg? I think it was three."

A small smile had found its way to Blake's lips the moment the girl with dyed hair had nearly tripped exiting the clinic and had carried on as if nothing had happened. Quirky, and with a sense of humor to match, Ruby was proving such a distraction she had fallen a half step back so she could watch where she was going and look at the girl at the same time.

"Anyway, that's not important. Basically, I had landed in a ravine, Yang had no idea where I was, and it was winter. I don't know how long I was out but when I woke up I wasn't alone." Stepping past a man who was balancing a lidless cup of coffee, Ruby barely missed a beat before continuing. "There was a big shaggy dog laying next to me. At first I thought it was a wolf, because it was one of those Atlesian sled dogs, you know?"

Blake nodded, but knew it didn't matter if she truly did know or not, the other girl wasn't looking for confirmation. "Imagine how I felt when I spooked the poor thing by screaming. He looked like he'd been lost for a while, but he found me and kept me warm until Yang figured out I'd slid a lot further down than she had thought. And that was the last time I let her talk me into mountain climbing, which was okay with her.. The next summer she was onto mixed martial arts."

There came a distinct pause as they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to turn with the lights in the street. Ruby looked at her so quickly that several red bangs swept across a forehead and ended up sticking out in a more exposed position than before. "Uh, what was your question again? I'm sorry, I tend to ramble."

"It's okay, I'm usually the quiet one so I like it when the other person keeps talking. And I like your stories, you've led an interesting life." The crosswalk signal dinged to alert them it was clear, and they began their crossing over an empty road. "I asked you if you liked your job?"

"Oh, right! Yes, yes I do. I love animals and I love caring for them and getting to know them. I'm not.." Silver eyes dashed back and forth for a second while Ruby thought of a way to word her thoughts. "Good with people? I don't make many friends but with animals, I just get them. And they get me, and they don't mind when I say the wrong thing."

"Sure, there are some sad cases like that pit bull we rescued last week. Poor thing was being used in this dog fighting ring the cops have been breaking up over the last few weeks. But for the most part.." Ruby stopped and looked over at Blake, swear if a wide smile. "I love my job, I love being able to help."

Blake returned the grin with one of her own, waiting for the other girl to keep moving, but all Ruby did was glance to the door into the nearby building. "I just realized I didn't really answer any questions you might have about the adoption process." Something she was actually grateful for, as the simple act of being so close to the brunette was sending her thoughts into a tail spin. Silver eyes snapped over to her and widened as an idea came to the girl. "If you'd like, you can come up. We can talk more?"

"Well.." Blake took a look at the watch on her wrist, more for appearances sake than anything else. "I'm free, so if you don't mind, I'm okay with it."

The absurdity of the situation didn't truly dawn on Blake until they reached the apartment door, and Ruby fiddled in one pocket after another to locate the keys to open it. They were strangers, having ran across one another only a couple of times, and yet the strange girl who had invited her up hadn't thought twice about it. Odd how at ease she herself seemed with it, too.

A mumbled curse followed by an exclamation triumph preceded the door being opened, the younger woman taking the first few steps into the dwelling before yelling out a greeting. "Drei, I'm home!" Silver eyes glanced back at her, revealing cheek tinged with an embarrassed blush. "Sorry about the mess, I try to keep it clean but Yang.."

In truth, it didn't seem all that messy to Blake. Sure, there were clothes thrown about the room with a couch that lay directly to the right of the entrance hall, but it wasn't anything extreme. Following the woman down the hallway, she cocked her head to the side. "Who's Drei?" Her answer came in the sound of a deep, booming bark as a dog that easily reached thigh height slipped around the corner and charged at her.

She was first shocked at the sudden appearance, and merely rocked back a step. But then came the fear, and with it a hell of terror that echoed through the narrow hallway before being consumed by yet another bark. Her heart went from a relaxed state to pounding in her chest as she backed away from the animal that was now attempting to jump up on her, and her breath began to hitch as her panic spread.

In the part of her mind that was still capable of rational thought in that moment, she told herself that the dog was just being happy, with a long tail wagging wildly behind it. But Blake's fear overrode that, and she put both her hands up into the air and stretched away as the large paws thudded against her sides, fear coursing through every vein as she fell to the ground.

There came a moment of relief when she saw Ruby dragging the dog back from her, and her ears caught sound of the other woman reprimanding the beast for jumping on her. But those silver eyes that had entranced Blake widened when they looked over at where she sat, curling into a shuddering ball at the same time she was attempting to scurry away. A dose of shame entered the mixture of fear and panic that had overtaken her emotions, a feeling that only grew as she saw confusion melt into a small degree of understanding, and pity.

With a hand hooked through the large red collar around the dog's neck, Ruby spoke to her and waited for a response, but all that Blake heard was the thud of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. After a long moment of staring, the brunette moved away from the hallway, taking the animal with her. She couldn't believe her own stupidity, the lack of foresight. After all that the girl had rambled on about on their walk from the clinic, of course there would be a dog here. She had hoped to explain her fear in time, after getting to know Ruby better, but now..

Now she had probably ruined the chance to get to know the girl better.

In the seconds after the dog was removed from her vision, Blake attempted to scramble to her feet. Her plan proved somewhat hazardous, as a dizzying sway accompanied her movements, and she was forced to lean heavily upon the wall to stay upright as she made her way to the door. Closing a shaking hand around the knob, she turned it and began to leave.

She was stopped by fingers wrapping around her trailing wrist, warm and gentle as they guided her in turning back to face the wary gaze of Ruby Rose.

Author's Note: So much for no angst, I guess? At least it's 'actual problems angst' instead of 'killing off characters angst', right? The story has been helping with my writers block immensely, and I've got the entire idea of it mapped out. It's gonna be short and sweet, not a lot of world building and I can't stress this enough: Not my best work. This is just a rambling about my favorite pairing in RWBY with a wrench thrown into the works. But people seem to like it, so that's good! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, until next time! -Fox