Dancing in the Rain

'Oscar, if you keep twiddling your thumbs you are never going to ask miss rose to accompany you in time.'

"Don't you mean our thumbs?" Oscar mumbled the question just barely loud enough for the man in this head to hear.

'In this scenario, they are all yours.' Oscar groaned in response. Why couldn't he have gotten a helpful soul in his head instead of the difficult century old wizard? Though, Ozpin was right. If Oscar didn't ask Ruby to go with him soon then he would miss the opportunity to really get to know Ruby outside of combat, and there was no telling when his next opportunity would be.

Somehow he doubted Atlas would have any kind of party that Ruby would enjoy.

The flyer for the festival had hit him in the face on their way home from standoff off at Heaven Academy. The piece of paper had been wet with morning dew and some of the ink had started to bleed, but it was still legible. The flyer had advertised an event called "Festival of Lights" and was to be held the next day. They weren't leaving Mistral for a few more days to make sure everyone was healed and supplied.

'Honestly, with how drained you were I was surprised you could still read.'

"Do you ever shut up?"

'Not really, no.'

Oscar let out a groan in response. He really wanted to set up some mental barriers that would shut Ozpin up. But for now, he had bigger issues at hand. For starter, asking Ruby out in the first place. Oscar stood outside of Ruby's door, hesitant at first. What would he do if she said no? How could he explain away the incident? Finally, with a shaky breath, he knocked- other hand clutching tightly at the flyer.

"Coming," Ruby called as the sound of shuffling feet began to drift closer to the door. Oscar swallowed hard.

"Oscar, what is it?" Ruby asked with wide eyes when she finally opened the door- completely baffled by the sight of the smaller male. "Is Ozpin calling a meeting?"

"Uh, no," Oscar mumbled as he hid his hands behind his back with the clutched paper concealed. "Not really."

"Then what?" Oscar finally moved his eyes to look at her face. Her eyes, a metallic gunmetal gleamed in the fading light of the afternoon. His heart began to pound in his chest and his palms suddenly became very sweaty in his gloves.

"I um, I-" got he was starting to get pissed at himself. A small part of his mind was noticeably content with the fact Ozpin seemed to have no intention of meddling, but the rest of it was screaming for an abort mission. "Here!"

Once the word was finally blurted out he shoved the paper at her in a very unceremonious way. She jumped a little at the sudden movement but didn't grab for Crescent Rose like she normally would. Instead, she blinked at the crumpled and water damaged flyer Oscar had shoved at her. Oscar couldn't watch as he felt the paper leave his hand, his hazel eyes watching the floor once more and he shuffled his feet against the ground.

"I thought you might want to go, you know," Oscar finally managed to say weakly after a moment of silence while she read the flyer. "Get away from all this crazy for a while."

"Oscar," Ruby started and he flinched. Actually flinched at the idea he was about to get shot down. He knew he wasn't going to like getting shot down but he had no idea he was going to react this badly. He could even feel tears stinging in the corner of his eyes.

"This is an amazing idea!" The sudden outburst from Ruby sent him reeling. His watery eyes vanishing almost instantly as they now blinked with wide surprise.

"It is?" Oscar asked, feeling that stupid confused and happy grin grace his face that he hated so much.

"Of course, we all deserve a break. I'll go tell the others, see you tonight!" And with that, she bolted in a flutter of rose petals leaving him with the faint smell of roses and evergreen pine. He was so happy that it took him a second to register what she said exactly. He was bouncing up and threw his hands in the air in victory with a genuinely happy smile on his face, the first one he has had since he saw Yang and Ruby reunite. Then mid, jump it occurred to him what she said exactly.

"Others?"

And he fell on the floor having forgotten to put a foot out for landing at the mid-air realization.

...

When Ruby said others she wasn't kidding. Almost everyone was in the Lobby dressed in traditional festival yukata. It had taken Qrow a few pleas from his niece before being content with the Realec not being surrounded by huntsmen, instead, he was satisfied with just Yang and himself. The both still stood with everyone else in their makeshift townhouse, just dressed in their casual wear instead of formal clothes like everyone else.

Something by the way Yang looked at where Blake and Sun were laughing that she really wanted to go, but chose not to as she wanted to let Sun have Blake to himself for their last night in Mistral. Oscar could only guess that it was fair since Yang got Blake all to herself the first day after the fight. Not even Ruby and Weiss interrupted them.

Oscar felt naked without his gloves on in the burning orange yukata but Ren insisted that he leave the gloves off. The wooden sandals weren't all that comfortable either but it was customary apparently.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Weiss said pulling his attention away to where she was staring out of a window. Her ice inspired yukata shining with silver in the evening lights.

"I doubt it will get over the mountain," Ren reassured the heiress and Oscar let out an unintentional sigh of relief. He would hate to have the day rained out after Ruby got so excited for it.

"Oscar." The boy turned at the sound of his name and he could have sworn at that moment all time stopped.

Ruby stood there in a deep red silken yukata, black wrapped tightly around her waist showing just how tiny he was as all the fabric seemed to swallow her up. There was slight silver embroidery all though out the yukata that was the silhouette of a cherry blossom tree. One side of her hair was held back by a small red clip and her eyes looked at him as innocently as she had the day he asked.

"Oscar, Oscar!" He snapped out of his intense concentration to notice her looking at him with mild amusement. "Come on, we're all leaving."

"Right," he agreed and headed out with all of them.

...

Oscar really hated when Weiss was right. They had only just finished at the food stands of the mid streets of Mistral with the glowing paper lanterns lighting up the way when the downpour started. Everyone had run for cover, trying their best to get out of the way of the sudden shower. Oscar pushed his hair up out of his face as it was now dripping wet. He could feel a shiver also begin to go down his spine as the chill of evening air began to mix with the rain. At least it wasn't windy though, or they might actually have to go home.

Ruby was next to him under the awning of one of the many game tents that was around the area. He flushed a little at the thought of the two of them alone until he remembered the others were all at various stalls in the exact same area and in eyesight. As if to acknowledge his own mental note he waved at where Ren and Nora were huddled together by a ramen stand, the pink and green of their yukata looking obnoxious but right next to one another.

"I'm sorry I dragged you out tonight," Oscar mumbled the apology to Ruby who was now looking at him.

"Why are you sorry? We all wanted to come."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't asked then we wouldn't have gotten soaked."

"It's ok," Ruby reassured with a comforting hand on his shoulder. "A little rain never killed anyone."

He laughed at him, his skin burning where she had placed her hand.

"You know," Oscar spoke as he watched the rain drip from the awning. "I originally planned for it to be just the two of us tonight. I didn't expect you to invite everyone else."

Oscar finally looked at Ruby and she looked so vulnerable almost that he ended up being quick to backtrack. "Not that I mind you did, all of us needed a break and it ended up being super fun to be with everyone. Well, minus the rain part."

"Why did you want to go with just me?" He hadn't expected that question. He should have, but he didn't.

"Because I want to get to know you better." The bold answer slipped out before he could even register the question entirely. However, he was glad he said it. The way her eyes lit up and shined was enough to make him lose all feeling in his knees and his chest feels like a train is running through it. With a shy blush of her own, and her hair moving to hide her face she took his hand.

"I want to get to know you better too." And with that, she dragged him out into the rain. He was shocked at first by the sudden return of the cold water assaulting his flesh but smiled when he saw Ruby bounding around from puddle to puddle. And for the first time since he met Ruby, she seemed like a kid. Not a grown-up acting like a kid, but a real sixteen-year-old girl.

With a shrug he began to join her, both of them ignoring Ren as he yelled protests about getting their yukata muddy. They didn't care. They wanted to have fun and get to know the 'them' that was still a kid. The 'them' that they would have to put away for a long, long time.

Oscar knew she probably meant as friends and they wouldn't be able to take anything further in a relationship until everything resolved itself. But for now, in the rain, he let all of that wash away. Content to just feel her close to him and they did their own version of a dance.

BRK: Happy Rosegarden Week!