Ruby found herself on the sidewalk, with her knees curled up to her chest and crying her eyes out. She couldn't believe Mercury could treat her this way. She had caught him cheating on her with another girl that attends Beacon, and he completely denied it. At first she was lying, then she was crazy and hallucinating. Her head hurt from the stress and the extensive sobbing. On top of it all, she had no idea where she was. All she knew is it was some back alley in Vale. She had used her semblance to run away after Mercury accused her of being insane. 'Why would he do this to me? What did I do to deserve this, after three months of being together?' A million questions raced though her mind as she tried to understand what was going on. 

  Roman was trying to unwind with a nightly stroll, after having a long day of dealing with Cinder. He had a lit cigar in his mouth. The cigars always helped him relieve the stress that Cinder put upon him. His walk was anything but relaxing when he saw a girl sitting on the sidewalk. 'She looks pretty upset about something. Oh well, it's none of my business. Wait, she looks familiar. Short black hair, red at the tips, and a red cape-- Shit. Red. I'm just going to walk past her and pretend I didn't see her.' Roman passed Ruby, but the small bit of conscience he had left was nagging him. 'Keep walking, Roman. Keep walking, and your life will be a lot easier. just keep walking, and... shit. I'm turning around. Why?!' 

  Ruby was in no mood for company at the moment. She honestly just wanted to be alone. She hoped the footsteps she heard would continue to walk past her. 'Please go away. Please go away. I just want to be left alone. Damnit, they're turning back.' She tried to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

  Roman turned around and walked back towards Ruby. He sat down on the curb beside her and put his cigar out on the ground beside him. "What happened, Red, did someone steal your animal crackers?"

  Ruby recognized the voice. 'Roman Torchwick.' Ruby gasped and jumped up. As soon as she saw the face of the man sitting next to her, her eyes widened in surprise and she instinctively reached behind her back for Crescent Rose, which wasn't there. She began to panic. "What do you want?!" Ruby spat.

  "Relax. I'm not looking for a fight. See?" He set Melodic Cudgel a few feet to the side and held up his open hands. "So tell me what a little girl like you is doing sitting on a curb in the bad part of Vale, crying her eyes out?"

  "I'm not crying. And I'm not little. I'm 17, a huntress-in-training, AND I drink milk." Ruby crossed her arms and tried to turn her face away.

  "Oh, you drink milk? I deeply apologize, I didn't realize you were so mature. But seriously, I can tell you've been crying, because your eyes are puffy and red. What's eating at you?"

  "Why do you care?" Ruby glared at the orange-haired criminal beside her.

  "Uhh.. because I have a small portion of my conscience left, believe it or not. Look, I'm not leaving until you cheer up, so you might as well get it off your chest."

  "But why? Why does it even matter to you?"

  "For fuck's sake, how many times do I have to tell you? Alright, look, I'm gonna give you a piece of my sob story. About six years ago, when I was your age, one of my classmates committed suicide. They were crying in class one day, and nobody spoke to them. We all thought it wasn't any of our business. The next day, the news spread around the school, and it haunted me that I didn't do anything to help." Roman sounded slightly agitated.

  "That's..." Ruby shifted her eyes away, at a loss for words.

  "Sad? Yeah, I know. that's why I'm sitting beside you right now. So, let's try one more time. What. Is. Wrong?" Roman leaned in a few inches closer and gave her a small, honest smile. 

  Ruby let out a sigh. "My boyfriend.. Well, I guess he's my ex-boyfriend now.. He cheated on me."

  "That's it? What'd he do, share his animal crackers with another girl?"

  "No, you idiot! I was walking to my dorm and I saw him kissing another girl. She ran off before I could say anything to her see her face, but when I confronted Mercury about it, he said I was lying. He said I was crazy, and seeing things that aren't there, just like my sister."

  "Well, that's not very nice. Wait, what did you say his name was again?"

  "Mercury, why?"

  "Oh, I just recognized the name. I remember the match he had with your sister a few years ago, at the tournament." he lied.

  "Oh, okay."

  "Here's a piece of advice for you. Accept that he's an idiot and a douchebag for doing that to you, but don't let it weigh you down. If he cheated on you, he obviously didn't think you were worth his time, so he's not worth yours. Or you could put a very small drop of rat poison in his food." Roman smirked and laughed a little.

  Ruby smiled. "Wouldn't that kill him?"

 "A small drop would just make him violently ill. Or, for a safer alternative, you could give him flavorless laxatives."

 Ruby burst into a fit of giggles. "I might try that."

 "I'm glad you're feeling a little better, Red. By the way, I never caught your actual name." Roman stood up and brushed himself off. He offered a hand to Ruby.

 "Ruby Rose." She grabbed his arm as he pulled her up.

 "Cute. It suits you. Do you want me to call a cab to take you back to Beacon?"

  Ruby blushed slightly. "Thanks, for both the compliment and the cab, but Beacon is the last place I want to be right now, considering the whole Mercury thing."

  "Understandable. Well, what about your house? If it's close, I could even walk you home," Roman offered.

  "I'm from Patch." Ruby stated.

  "Oh, well then." Roman stared blankly at the ground for a moment. "You could stay the night with me." Roman suggested, giving Ruby a small smile.

  She eyed him suspiciously and raised an eyebrow. "I could just stay at an inn."

  "On this side of town? That's not a good idea, Red."

  "As if staying the night at the house of the most notorious criminal in Vale is any safer." She retorted.

  Roman rolled his eyes and extended his pinky finger. "I promise you'll be safe. I wont do anything without your consent. However, if you agree to it, that's a different story." Roman chuckled, earning him a slap on the cheek. "Ow! You didn't have to hit me that hard!" Roman rubbed his sore cheek.

  "I accept your promise. If you do anything stupid, I will not hesitate to castrate you."  

  "Well, there's another reason for me not to harm you. I actually like having my penis intact, thank you very much, so if you could go ahead and punch me in the throat, bust my windpipe, and put me out of my misery, that'd be great."

  Ruby snickered. "You said penis."

  Roman rolled his eyes again. "Alright, Red. I can't have you knowing where I live, so, I either blindfold you, or you close your eyes. One of the two."

  "That's okay, I wouldn't want you to know where I live either. I'll just close my eyes. Honestly, it probably wouldn't make a difference. I'm really bad with directions anyway.  Don't let me walk into anything, okay?"

  "I won't. If you want, you can loop your arm around mine." He held out his arm for Ruby.

  "Umm.. No thank you." Ruby looked at him skeptically.

  Roman huffed. "You're so difficult. Fine, you can keep your eyes open. I'll trust you, but if  your little friends show up where I live, we're going to have a problem."

  "I promise they won't. I honestly have no idea where we are. I used my semblance, and I just kept running after that. I managed to grab some underwear and socks before I left, but Mercury started to call my scroll, so I ran out before he could find me." Ruby cast her eyes down to the ground in front of her.

  Roman shook his head in disgust. "It sounds like he's emotionally manipulating you. Be careful, Red, and avoid him if you can. He could get violent if things don't go his way."

  "Says the guy who tried to blow me up on several occasions." Ruby laughed lightheartedly. Over the years, Roman and Ruby hadn't ran into each other as often as they used to. 

  "I thought you were going to cut my head off with that over sized gardening tool of yours. It was self-defense." 

  "Crescent Rose is not only a scythe, but it's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle. It's not just a 'over sized gardening tool', for your information." Ruby put her hands on her hips.

  "It's twice as big as you are, Red."

  "Okay, maybe I went a little overboard when I designed it, but that's no reason to degrade it." Ruby crossed her arms. She noticed that Roman seemed to be lost in thought. "So... Tell me more about you, to pass time?"

 "Sure. What do you want to know?"

 "Hmm... parents?"

  "Overdosed. You?"

  "Well, my mom went out for a mission one day, and she died in the field. After that, my dad sort of drowned himself in his work as a teacher at Signal. Siblings?"

  "Nope, and I'm familiar with blondie. What music do you listen to?"

  "Oh, it's mostly rock, like Three Days Grace, In this Moment, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, and I listen to Cascada on occasion. What about you?"

  "Aren't you a little... innocent to be listening to In This Moment and Hollywood Undead? and I don't really listen to anything, but I guess classic rock doesn't hurt." Up ahead, Roman spotted a small drugstore. "Hey, Red, let's go in this shop to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste for you." he grabbed Ruby's sleeve and walked quickly towards the shop. 

  When they entered the shop,  the cashier's eyes widened in fear at the sight of Roman. She started to tremble, but it was obvious she was trying her best to stay calm.

  As they walked towards the toiletries aisle of the store, Roman leaned down and whispered in Ruby's ear. "If anyone asks, you're my adoptive niece. Got it?" 

  Ruby only nodded her head in response. She picked up a travel sized set that included a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, and a comb. She walked up to the cash register and set the items on the counter. she began to pull out her wallet, but Roman stopped her. "I've got it, kid, don't worry about it." He placed five Lien on the counter and watched as the cashier took the bills with trembling fingers. Roman took his receipt from the cashier and walked out of the door with the toiletries set in hand. He grabbed Ruby's wrist and walked briskly in the direction of his apartment. 

  "Hey! You don't have to manhandle me!" Ruby said with slight annoyance as she jerked her arm away and stuffed the items in her backpack.

  "Sorry, Red. My apartment isn't far from here. We need to hurry, it's getting late." He began to walk even faster. 

  "Hey, slow down!" Ruby protested. "Speed may be my semblance, but my legs aren't as long as yours! Why are we hurrying, anyway?"

  "Sometimes, the person I work for likes to keep tabs on me. I don't think they are tonight, but just in case, let's hurry." Roman suddenly picked Ruby up, much to her disliking.

  "Put me down!" Despite Ruby's objections, Roman continued to carry her. Five minutes later, they arrived on Roman's doorstep. He threw her over his shoulder and held her with one hand and fished a key out of his pocket with the other. "Damn, kid, you're just a feather. How much do you weigh?" He pushed the key into the lock and turned it.

  "110 pounds." 

  "No wonder. Your weapon probably weighs more than you do." Roman pushed open the door to his apartment and walked in. "Home sweet home." Roman shut the door behind him and set Ruby down. "Shoes off, please," he requested of Ruby. She obliged and unlaced her shoes. Roman placed his coat and hat on the coat rack beside his door. "Cape, please." he held out his hand and Ruby unpinned her cape from her shoulders and handed it to him. Roman hung it by the hood on the coat rack and walked up a small set of stairs to the main section of his apartment. "Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?"

  "Umm.. I ate a snack around five-ish, I was actually coming back from the snack machine when, you know..." Ruby aimed her eyes at the floor.

  Roman just shook his head and opened up his cupboard. "Strawberry toaster pastry?" He offered the shiny foil package of toaster pastries to Ruby.

  "Yes, please, thank you." She happily took the package from Roman.

  "Mhm." Roman picked up Ruby's toiletries set. "I'll go put this in my bathroom, then I'm going to go smoke, and I'll be right back."

  "Okay." Ruby sat in a chair at the kitchen table and nibbled on the pastry as he walked away, after throwing the wrapper into the trash can. She took the time that he was gone to look around the room. He had a fairly small kitchen, and a decently big living room. He owned a large sofa that had a recliner on the end. By the time that he returned, Ruby had finished her snack and texted her teammates saying that she was okay and staying with a friend.

  "Feeling better, Red?" he asked as walked towards her from the front door.

  "Yes, thank you for asking." She had never seen him without his coat before, but she had to admit, he looked really good without it. He had the top button of his black dress shirt unbuttoned, and he had placed his gloves and scarf on a table beside the couch.

  "If you're ready to go to bed, I could show you to your room." He gestured to the hallway.

  "Umm.. no thanks, not right now, I'm not tired." Ruby shook her head slightly.

  "TV then?" He gestured to the couch with a hologram projector on a table in front of it.

  "Sure." Ruby chirped as she walked over to the couch and sat down in the seat next to the recliner on the end. She assumed correctly that the recliner was where Roman usually sat. He picked up the remote and turned the TV projector on to a movie channel, where a sci-fi movie had just started. Ruby remembered to 'sit like a lady' and cross her legs while wearing a skirt, as her mom had instructed her to do when she was very young. As they watched the movie, Ruby couldn't help but take quick glances at Roman when she thought he wouldn't notice. Ruby pulled out her scroll and began to text Yang. 

  Ruby: "So, the person I'm staying with is a guy. And I really, really like him, but I don't know how to tell him. Any ideas?"

  Yang: "Aww! That's so sweet! You're over dickface already? That's great! If you want, you can hand him your scroll and I'll tell him for you!"

  Ruby:"Thanks, Yang. You're the best. I'm gonna hand him the scroll now, and I'm deleting these messages before it."

  "Roman?"

  "Hm?"

  "Um, my sister has something to tell you. she doesn't know who you are, though." She gently placed the scroll onto Roman's lap. Her muscles tensed, and she held her breath. She could her cheeks and ears burning.

  "Uh, okay?" He picked up the scroll and read the message that popped up.

  Yang: "Hey buddy! I don't know your name, but today is your lucky day! Ruby has a crush on you."

  Roman (from Ruby's scroll) : "Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to take care of the situation. ;)"

  Roman set Ruby's scroll down between where he and Ruby were sitting. He laughed inwardly at Ruby. She was leaned over with her head rested on her lap and her face buried in her hands. She was tense and her face was a bright red.

  'Oh my goodness. I can't believe I let Yang tell him that. I never should have said anything. He's probably totally grossed out now.' Ruby thought to herself. She was startled when she felt a tap on her shoulder and shot straight up. She squeaked in surprise.

  "You could have told me, you know." He smirked and beckoned her over with his index finger in a come-hither motion. When she moved closer, he patted his lap. Ruby scooted over onto his lap and was facing the TV, but he quickly spun her around to face him and put her legs on either side of him. He ran his fingers along the outside of her leg and thigh, which caused Ruby to shiver.

  "Sorry.. I'm really ticklish." Ruby blushed even deeper and avoided eye contact. 

  Roman pressed a finger to her lips, then brushed his thumb along her bottom lip and chin. He used the same thumb and index finger to lightly caress her jaw. 'Oh, this is going to be fun.' He thought to himself. "Your eyes are beautiful, Ruby." He leaned in and kissed her, and ran his hand over her outer thigh and leg. 

  Ruby felt like she was going to faint. All of a sudden, her body was a million degrees, and she felt like every touch was going to make her pass out. She knew Roman was inching his hand under her skirt every time he rubbed her thigh, but she didn't care at the moment. 'Oh goodness, he's a good kisser. Oh my god, I'm sitting in the lap of the most wanted criminal in Vale, whom I just admitted to having a crush on, and I'm letting him kiss me!' Ruby wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her body closer to his. She heard him chuckle to himself and felt him press her closer by pressing his hand t the back of her head. 'Oh my goodness, his chuckle feels.. really soothing to my ears.' 

  Roman broke the kiss for air and grinned when he saw Ruby pout slightly. He gently bit Ruby's lower lip  then kissed her cheek. "Before we go on, I need you to do a quick favor for me." He pressed his forehead to Ruby's and looked into her eyes sincerely.

  "Whatever you want." 'Oh no, that sounded desperate.'

  Roman picked up Ruby's scroll from beside them and handed it to Ruby, who took it into her hands. "I need you to text Mercury, and tell him it's over. I just need to be sure." Roman gently ran his hand up and down Ruby's lap. She went to Mercury's contact in her scroll, and typed a quick message.

  Ruby: "It's over, Mercury." 

  She went a step further and deleted the contact. She then showed the screen to Roman, who smiled and nodded. He took Ruby's scroll and placed it in his pocket before biting her lower lip again, which caused her to almost whimper. He pressed his lips to hers again, this time licking her lower lip, giving her a not so subtle hint. To his surprise, she parted her lips and let his tongue in. He licked her tongue and swirled his tongue around hers. While he had her distracted, his hand went up her skirt and gave her butt a gentle squeeze. Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin and she gave a surprised squeal. Roman smiled and sneaked his hand to her inner thigh, inching its way past her skirt again. Ruby didn't protest, and his hand slowly moved its way under her skirt. Roman broke the kiss for air again, earning a small whine from Ruby. Roman gave her a provocative grin. "Someone's damp."

  Ruby squealed in embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. Roman wrapped his arms around Ruby and pulled her into a hug. Ruby hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. After that moment passed,Roman flashed her another flirtatious grin before giving her a quick kiss. He leaned in beside her ear and whispered, "I'm gonna tear you to pieces." before picking her up bridal style and carrying her to his bedroom.