Edited by: Crescent Sunrise

A shudder, dark skinned hands clutch at the loose beanie covering light red hair and obscuring an eye and pull it on more firmly. Used to the desert heat May Zedong was NOT adjusting well to being in Vale. Her attire being a thick jacket in a dark red color, a thick black scarf wrapped loosely around her shoulders matching her head wear, and a pair of jeans with boots.

"I don't understand how any of my team can stand it. They're dressed like we're back home but it all just feels so cold here. I miss the desert." She mutters to herself gently setting her rifle down on a pair of branches next to her little perch in the small wooded section of Beacon used to host events like the Vytal festival fairgrounds.

Looking at the position of the Sun she sighs softly. 'Sun will go down soon. Then it will get even colder, I'll have to head back to our room soon.' She thinks detaching the scope from her rifle and using it to people watch for a bit. The temptation to take a nap now would only lead to her waking up freezing and the last thing she needs is to get a cold here.

She turns her eye from the fair and towards the school as she catches a flash of bright red. Turning her scope she spots a short young girl dressed in black and red with a long hooded cloak over her shoulders. The sight causes May to groan softly in frustration.

'Now why didn't I think of that? I could have brought my trekking cloak it would be nice and warm like a constant blanket and with all the other people visiting I wouldn't be to out of place wearing it.' She curses herself softly her eye peering through the scope again, enviously gazing on the girls' thick cloak. 'Maybe she'll have a spare I can borrow if I ask?'

May ponders the pros and cons of actually approaching the girl about it. Certain she could go into the city and get a cloak or at the very least the material to make one. But that would require going into the city... With the people... During the Vytal festival when the streets are certain to be packed. Not ideal for the shy recluse. Compared to that asking the girl to borrow a cloak seemed much easier by comparison.

'I would ask the boys to get one for me but... They're boys and I do not trust Stallion with my shopping.' She says before blinking suddenly realizing she's spent the last few minutes staring rather blatantly at the target of her envy. At least it was through her scope where she couldn't be caught.

Breaking from her musing she returns to her scope moving to follow the girl talking to her team trying to get a better picture of her personality from a distance and memorize her features so she can approach her later. 'She's short but still cute, wait why is she turning?'

May nearly falls out of her tree as bright silver eyes turn in her direction, her back pressing firmly to the trunk. Her eyes close as she tries to reign in her breathing. When she doesn't hear the yelling she thought she would she slowly opens them and looks through her scope again her eye falling on a soft face framed by dark black hair tipped with red matching her cloak and the trim of her outfit.

She watches as a puzzled little frown crosses the younger girls' features as her eyes scan the tree line before she shrugs and turns back to her team.

'Cute was the wrong word. She's beautiful.'

The thought crosses May's mind as heat blossoms in her chest. Her mind filling with images in silver, black and red. So much so she doesn't notice until her gaze follows the girl inside the Beacon dormitories that the sun has long since set and she's yet to notice to cool night air biting at her exposed skin.

With another shudder she grabs her rifle, reattaches the scope and uses the climbing axe built into the stock to swing herself to the ground heading for the guest rooms and her team.

Opening the door to their room, Brawnz looks up from his bed and sits up swinging his legs over the side. "May, there you are, I was wondering if I was going to have to go looking for you. You're back really late, something happen?" Her team leader asks his brow turning upwards in curiosity.

"Nothing, I just got distracted people watching, I think I might be getting sick too." The sniper replies moving towards her own bed and the bag filled with her belongings. Her face set in a frown as she rubs her chest.

"Stomach bothering you?" Nolan asks from his bed next to Roy, the two have a hat placed between their beds taking turns flicking cards towards it trying to land them inside.

"Yes? Kinda... I've never felt sick like this before you know? Like my stomach is squirming around and my chest feels all warm and I can't stop—" She starts before Brawnz clears his throat loudly interrupting.

"Nope." He says firmly glaring at the other two members to keep them quiet before turning back to a confused May Zedong.

"What do you mean by 'nope'? I was just trying to say—" She tries again before once more being immediately interrupted.

"Nope! Nope nope nope nope. We aren't having this conversation. I'm not and neither are Roy and Nolan. Too awkward, too weird. You're like a sister to us and we really, REALLY don't want to know anymore." He replies before nodding firmly, not in any way helping her confusion.

"Brawnz what are you talking abo—" She tries to ask, stopping when he puts a hand up.

"NOPE! Do us a favor, actually; it's an order from your leader. Go next door and tell NDGO what's up. Let them give you advice on what to do and if it's any of us. Put it out of your head." Brawnz adds gently but firmly pushing her out of the room. "You can come back after you talk to them."

May stands there blinking in confusion for a moment as the door closes in her face. As the confusion fades it's replaced with annoyance and she huffs blowing her bangs away from her exposed right eye. She contemplates taking her climbing axe to the door before sighing and stomping next door tugging her scarf. It isn't until after she knocks she remembers that her scroll is next to her bed and she'll need it to get back into her room later.

"Helllllooooo~?"

'Too late now.'

The voice of Octavia Ember rings out into the hall as the door is pulled open. "Oh heya May! Come on in! Girls it's May at the door!" She calls out to her team in the room as she steps aside beckoning May in.

"Zedong? Your team's room is next door did you get the wrong room number or do you need something?" Nebula Violette asks softly stepping out of the bathroom wearing a simple purple tank top and grey sweat pants her hair wrapped in a towel.

"Well, not really I told Brawnz I think I might be sick, but when I started listing the symptoms he interrupted me and told me to come over here to 'ask you for advice' and that it's 'too awkward' for them to help me with." May explains getting a weird look from team NDGO, the four girls all looking at each other before shrugging and each taking a spot on their beds to listen.

"Well, tell us what's up and maybe we can figure out what's going on and help." Dew Gayl suggests, idly swinging her legs back and forth above her head from her position on her stomach.

"Well, like I was telling them. I was relaxing up in a tree earlier people watching a bit. But just before I came down I noticed my stomach felt weird. I had this odd heat in my chest, my heart was going like crazy and my skin was flushed." May explains, her exposed eye moving from girl to girl.

Gwen rolls her eyes before turning over in her bed muttering "Oh here we go." While Octavia, Nebula, and Dew look at each other before the last gets a strange glint in her eye and a wide smile breaks over her features.

"So, who's the guy? Is he from one of the other schools?" She asks ignoring the groan coming from Gwen. "Ignore negative Nancy over there. She doesn't remember what feelings are." The spear wielder adds before ducking the pillow projectile and tossing it back.

"Guy? What are you talking about?" May asks still confused. Her frustration mounting as she gets tired of people commenting without explaining. Nebula seems to notice and holds a hand up stalling Dew as she approaches and draws the sniper to her bed motioning for her to take a seat before she resumes her own spot, legs crossed under her. She waits for Zedong to make herself comfortable before speaking.

"May, you said you were people watching? Was there someone in particular you were looking at when you started feeling strange?" She asks calmly ignoring Octavia's knowing smirk and Dews eager nodding.

May looks contemplative for a moment before her visible eye widens and her hands tap on the rifle in her lap. "W-well there was one person I guess. A short girl in a red cloak."

Silence fills the room as May gets distracted for a moment, her heart going again at the memory. That warm feeling returning to her chest. It takes a moment before she realizes no one is saying anything and looks up from her rifle the four girls all looking at her in surprise.

Dew is the first to recover and shakes her head before responding breaking the spell over the others and sending Gwen back into disinterest. "Well, I didn't see that coming. I was certain it would be a guy." She adds before a glint reappears. "May, You're thinking about her now right?" She asks bluntly grinning wide.

"Well yes but—"

"Not yet, you'll understand in a sec, just answer a few questions. Do you clearly remember what she looks like? Every detail?" Octavia adds helpfully.

"Yeah, she had hair about my length only all black except the tips, they were red like her cape. Bright silver eyes and black clothes trimmed with that same red with bits of silver here and there. Oh and a rose sewn in. I only saw her face for a short while before she turned away again." She says at length, patiently waiting for the explanation.

"Would you like to get closer to her? Be her friend or maybe more?" Nebula inserts softly a warm look on her face.

"Well yeah, she seems really nice. Well... I got that impression from the little I saw anyway... Wait, what do you mean by more? l-like being toge—" She asks blushing before cutting herself off with a gasp as the dots connect. She's seen it enough in others to identify it when it's laid out in front of her.

"Looks like she figured it out! Now want me to tell you her name? I know it." Dew asks teasing lightly smirking as May nods slowly, still reeling from her realization. "Little Red's name is Ruby Rose. First year Beacon student and leader of Team RWBY." She replies while Nebula pulls up the team listing for the upcoming tournament and picks out Ruby's profile offering May the scroll to look at.

Zedong takes it staring at the grinning image of the little red girl with the cloak before tipping backwards on the bed her head landing as she lets out a low frustrated groan. A single thought bouncing around in her head refusing to give up.

'I have a crush on Ruby Rose.' After a few minutes of staring and tormenting she hands the scroll back weakly before another thought hits her shortly echoed by Dew. 'Now what do I do?'

"Now what will you do about it?"

AN:

Okay so while I've written before for an audience this is the first time I've written something purely for my own enjoyment with the idea of sharing it with others. This story may be a one-shot or (more than likely) I will post another chapter and make it a two-shot. The idea came around while I was bored and looking for new fanfiction to read and thought. "There have to be at least a few about Ruby and May." but the search result came up empty so my next thought was "how would I do it?" This is the result. I have the idea for a second part but I'm not sure I'll find the motivation to write it. (probably will just not right now) so maybe in a week? I dunno I'll see how this one does. I also have an idea for an actual multi-chapter story but that's one I'm still considering.

Thoughts on how I can improve? Share'em.

Side note: I'm naming this ship "Long Distance"