Steamy lessons

Ruby Rose hadn't intended to fall in love (or sleep) with her own student. Really, she hadn't. Perhaps a little peek into the past would be a nice start to how it all began.

You see, since childhood, she was dead sure what she wanted to do with her life; she wanted to be a teacher, like her mom had been; a cool, responsible adult who inspired the youth to chase their dreams and become the good people of tomorrow, so she enrolled Beacon Academy, the most prestigious college in Vale at the age of seventeen, with a little help after an impressive demonstration of her skills. And by the age of twenty she was already graduating with honors.

It was in her last year when she met him, the after mentioned student who would steal her heart some time later. Their first meeting (if one could call it that) was rushed and absolutely graceless. Not to mention entirely Ruby's fault, the girl too focused on literally sonic-speed running to Goodwitch's class. The 'Witch of Beacon' was notorious for her harsh punishment on late-comers. And even if it was because of a stupid mix-up in Ruby's schedule, she did not want to be caught in her wrath, when she crashed square into a boy.

The clash sent both their books and pencil cases clattering to the ground, the force strong enough to knock them off their feet. Ruby had been too focused on picking up their scattered items while giving hasty apologies and rushed explanations off the floor to take note of the boy's sudden inhale of breath nor the way his eyes lingered on her even as she speed-walked away.

This-is-a-transition

Later that day when classes were done for the day, Glynda told Ruby to report to the headmaster's office. She took a measured breath, calming the bouncing nerves inside her before she knocked lightly on the wooden door, and a voice called her in, too gaily to sound displeased or stern, much to Ruby's relief.

"Excuse me." She said as she entered, slowly pushing the open door.

"Miss Rose." Ozpin sat at this desk, a cup of still steaming hot chocolate resting on his desk, giving her the same warm smile he did when they first met. "How are your studies coming along? This is your last year if I'm not mistaken."

"G-Good, sir!" Ruby internally winced at her frantic enthusiasm. "I mean, fine sir. Facing every obstacle head-on and streaking away with flying colours! I'm planning on getting a seminary course to get my teacher's degree once I graduate." She answered full of glee. She was forever grateful to him for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he had presented to her.

"I'm pleased to hear that. Anyway, the reason I called you here is that I have a favor to ask of you."

Ruby was curious as to what could the headmaster of Beacon Academy possibly need of her. She took the seat in front of Ozpin, waiting patiently for the man to continue.

"You see, my son has just entered the high school sector of my academy, but since he was homeschooled most of his life, (that's my own fault, I admit it) he is quite socially awkward, and I was hoping you could mentor him a little before you graduate, as you were in pretty much the same situation when you first arrived. He's only three or four years younger than you so I don't think the difference in attitude between the two of you should be that drastic."

Ruby blushed a little in shame. True enough, being two to three years younger than the rest of the student body and without anybody she knew, it was hard at first for her to adapt to her new environment. She'd never failed to notice the derisive eyes pointed at her, a little kid in the big kid's playground. Luckily, her older sister Yang was there, and she made friends close as family. Something else caught her attention however.

"Forgive me for asking professor," Ruby said, carefully. "but I wasn't aware that you were married, or had children."

Ozpin ducked his head down, trying in vain to hide the spilt-second blush on his cheeks. "Well you see Miss Rose, while I am happily in a relationship with an amazing woman, we are not married yet, hopefully soon enough, but that didn't stop us from adopting a son and raising and loving him as our own. But that's enough of my life. What do you say?"

She tough about it. On one hand, she wasn't eager to act as a babysitter for a hormonal teenager, on the other, she knew how hard it was to be the outcast on the first days of the school period. Not to mention, she needed more practice interacting with students and becoming a person that they could talk to without fear. Besides, she had enough time to balance that with work and studies, so why not?

Ruby gave the man a wry smile. "Well… I suppose I could meet him. What's the worst that could happen?"

Ozpin smiled back at her, pleased. "That's good to hear. Oscar, you can come in now."

And from the door to his right, a boy entered. The very same boy she crashed with in the morning. Oscar Pine was a short boy of sixteen, even shorter than her, with freckles across his tanned skin, black hair curling at the ends and eyes like jewels, a mix of amber, hazel and emerald. As soon as he saw her, he turned red all the way to his ears and began a hurried apology.

"Oh my Gods I'm sorry! I didn't mean to crush-CRASH I MEAN CRASH on you and I'msosorry Iwasn'tlooking and-"

"Oscar." Ozpin said calmly, stopping the panicking boy dead on his rambling. "You know each other?"

"Well, not know know, per say.We kinda stumbled on each other in the morning." Ruby answered lamely, sparing the boy further embarrassing himself. She didn't get a proper glance at him the first time, but now that she looked at him with detail, she thought he was… cute actually, how he fidgeted with his fingers and his blush made him all the more appealing. Ruby quickly stopped that line of thought. It wouldn't do for Ruby's newfound professional boundaries to be crossed.

Ozpin threw an amused smile his son's way. "I see, well, I'll leave you to know each other better." Something inside of her told Ruby there was an underlying meaning to those words, which was confirmed when she saw Ozpin winking at her, leaving her somewhat confused, she didn't comment on it, too unprepared to deal with its implications, as he exited the room leaving the two younger occupants alone together.

"So… you're Ozpin's son?" She asked after a second of silence.

"Adopted son, but yeah." He answered in a meek voice, scrutinizing the canvas caps of his shoes.

"You don't have any other family?"

"Well there is my aunt. She took me in when my parents died in an accident, but she couldn't sustain the two of us on her own in the old family farm, so she sold it and we moved to Vale, then one day, I met dad on the street as I was wandering downtown, and a few days later he and mom chose to adopt me."

"I see. Also I'm sorry."

He looked at her baffled. "Wha-why are you apologizing for?"

"First, for your parents, and second, because the crash in the morning was also my fault, so I would like to re-enact a proper meeting." She got in front of him with a smile bright as the summer sun and extended her arm. "I'm Ruby Rose, nice to meet you."

After a moment of doubt, Oscar finally realized what Ruby was getting at and hastily accepted the hand. "I'm Oscar Pine, the pleasure is mine." He said with more confidence in his voice, which made Ruby relieved. It meant he was getting more comfortable about her presence. There was also a crooked yet so damn adorable smile that made Ruby fell weird in the stomach.

And for the first time since their unexpected re-encounter, she was sure of one thing: she would become (at least) very good friends with him.

They talked about everything and nothing for a while, and she discovered that he was actually really funny to spend time with, once he got over his initial shyness. She even tried to get him to tell her who Ozpin's girlfriend was, but all she could coax from him was that she was a teacher at Beacon, so she decided to drop the subject. In return, Ruby told Oscar a few stories about her first days in Beacon, even her disastrous first encounter with Weiss, accidentally spilling a drink on the girl's pristine white dress.

When afternoon came, they exchanged numbers and bid each other farewell as she watched him walk to the campus parking lot to get his ride home.

If she was completely honest, her time with Oscar was an excellent experience to prepare her when she would deal with her future students. In a more personal sense, it was also something new but definitely welcomed.

Even though they only had a year before her leaving for her seminary, she was determined to make the most of her time with Oscar. This was going through her head when she saw something that made her stop dead on her tracks.

No. Freaking. Way. She thought.

Glynda Freaking Goodwitch, just about the most demanding, stern and strict teacher in all of Beacon, was meeting up with Oscar. A pleasant, almost even kind, motherly smile was unbelievably there on her face. Ruby could swear her eyes bulged from their sockets when the woman went as far as to give him a brief hug, which he returned, placing his hands on her back, and placed a gentle kiss on his temple, Ruby watched on in muted silence as the two of them disappeared inside Goodwitch's sleek car and drove away.

'Huh.' She thought to herself, an eyebrow raised. 'Who would've thunk?'