Just Trying To Keep Up With Everything

The train rattled steadily through the winding valleys of Patch, its whistle echoing off familiar hills as evening crept in and the sky shifted from gold to indigo. Ruby Rose sat by the window, her knees tucked up to her chest, her chin resting on folded arms. The countryside sped past—rolling fields, clusters of wildflowers, the occasional silhouette of a windmill—and each landmark tugged at memories she’d tucked away for years.

After everything—Atlas, Vacuo, the battles and heartbreaks and victories that felt both impossibly distant and painfully fresh—she was coming home. Not for a mission, not to regroup, but simply because she could. Because for the first time in what felt like forever, there was space to breathe. To rest. To be Ruby again.

The seat beside her was empty, at least for the moment. Oscar had gone to fetch tea from the dining car, promising to return before the next tunnel. Ruby smiled at the thought—he was always so earnest, so determined to do things right, even the smallest things. She glanced at the reflection in the glass: her own face, older than she remembered, a little scarred, a little wiser. And behind her, Oscar’s coat slung over the seat, a silent promise that she wasn’t alone.

She closed her eyes, letting herself drift. The gentle sway of the train was soothing. She remembered other journeys—leaving Patch for Beacon, running through Vale’s streets with Yang, standing at the prow of an airship as Mistral appeared through the clouds. She’d always been moving, always chasing the future or running from the past. But tonight felt different. Tonight, she was coming back to where it all began.

The door slid open and Oscar returned, balancing two steaming mugs. “Got your favorite,” he announced, settling beside her. He handed her a cup—black tea with a little honey, just the way she liked it. Their fingers brushed and lingered for a moment longer than necessary.

“Thanks, Oscar,” she murmured, taking a careful sip. The warmth spread through her, chasing away the last of the train’s chill.

They sat in companionable silence, watching dusk descend over the landscape. Oscar glanced at her, a small smile playing at his lips. “You’re quiet. Not like you.”

Ruby chuckled, nudging him with her shoulder. “Guess I’m just… soaking it in. I can’t believe it’s real, you know? It’s been so long since I’ve seen Patch. Since I’ve seen Dad, Zwei—Yang’s probably already there, waiting to tackle me.”

Oscar’s eyes softened. “You deserve a homecoming, Ruby.”

She shrugged, setting her mug on the little fold-down table. “We all do. You too, you know.”

He looked out the window, his expression thoughtful. “I never really had a place like this. The farm was home, sure, but… it never felt like I fit. After everything that happened, after meeting you and the others, I think I realized home isn’t just a place. It’s—” He hesitated, searching for the words, “—it’s where you’re wanted. Where people care if you come back.”

Ruby’s heart squeezed. She reached over, sliding her hand into his. “You’ll always have a place with us. With me.”

Their fingers entwined, and the silence that followed was comfortable, full of things unsaid but deeply understood.

The train slowed as it neared the station, the lights of Patch twinkling through the trees. Ruby leaned forward, face pressed to the glass, searching for familiar shapes—the old water tower, the winding main street, the flicker of lanterns from the bakery. Everything was smaller than she remembered, but no less dear.

The conductor’s voice called out, muffled and cheerful. Oscar helped her gather her things—her battered travel bag, his own modest pack, a paper-wrapped box of pastries for Taiyang, and a squeaky new chew toy for Zwei. They filed off the train into the cool night air, shoulders brushing.

The scent of pine and saltwater filled Ruby’s lungs, grounding her. The platform was nearly empty, but a familiar shape waited at the edge of the crowd: Taiyang, waving wildly, face split into a grin as wide as the moon.

“RUBY!” he shouted, gathering her in a bear hug that nearly lifted her from the ground. “Welcome home, kiddo!”

She hugged him back, laughing as tears pricked her eyes. “Hi, Dad. Missed you.”

Taiyang set her down and turned to Oscar, offering a hand. “Good to see you again, Oscar.”

Oscar shook his hand, a little awkward but genuine. “Thank you for having me, sir.”

“None of that ‘sir’ stuff,” Taiyang insisted, clapping him on the shoulder. “You’re family. Now let’s get you two home before your sister burns the house down.”

They piled into the old truck, Ruby and Oscar squeezed together in the cab. As Taiyang drove along the backroads, Ruby pressed her forehead to the glass, drinking in every twist and turn. The porch light was on when they arrived, casting golden pools across the yard. Zwei shot out of the darkness, barking madly, and Ruby dropped to her knees, ruffling his fur as he licked her face.

Yang burst from the front door, hair wild, tackle-hugging Ruby so hard they nearly toppled into the gravel. “You’re late!” she scolded, then immediately softened, arms tightening. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad you’re here too, sis,” Ruby replied, voice thick.

Inside, the house was just as she remembered—cluttered and cozy, walls lined with photos and half-finished projects. The kitchen smelled of bread and coffee, a pie cooling on the windowsill. Taiyang ushered them in, shoes off, voices low and warm.

They spent the evening around the kitchen table, swapping stories, filling in the gaps of months apart. Yang teased Oscar about his first attempt at Vacuo cuisine (“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to sand in your food”), and Taiyang made Ruby promise not to disappear on another world-saving quest without at least a postcard.

After dinner, as the others drifted off to bed, Ruby found herself standing on the back porch, mug of cocoa warming her hands. The stars were bright above the trees, and the old swing creaked in the breeze. Oscar joined her, wrapping his arms around himself against the chill.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded, leaning into his side. “I’m just…happy. It feels weird. Like I should be doing something more, but…maybe it’s enough just to be here.”

Oscar smiled, bumping her shoulder. “You’re allowed to rest, Ruby. You’ve earned it.”

She sipped her cocoa, letting the peace settle over her. “What about you? How does it feel, being here?”

Oscar hesitated, then looked at her, earnest and unguarded. “It feels like starting over. Like maybe—I could belong somewhere after all. If that’s okay with you.”

She set her mug down, turning to face him. “Oscar, you belong with us. With me. Always.”

There was a long pause, the night sounds filling the quiet. Then, slowly, Oscar reached out, his hand trembling a little, and took hers. Ruby squeezed back, grounding them both.

They stood together, watching the moon rise beyond the pines.

The days that followed slipped by in a gentle blur of warmth and routine. Ruby woke to the smell of pancakes and the sound of Yang and Taiyang bickering over the crossword. She and Oscar helped Taiyang repair a broken fence, their laughter echoing across the field as they struggled with tangled wire and stubborn nails. Yang dragged them to the beach for an impromptu picnic, where they skipped stones and dared each other to brave the freezing surf. At night, they played board games by lamplight, Oscar and Ruby inevitably teaming up—even when it meant losing spectacularly to Yang’s ruthless strategy.

Oscar settled in easily. He helped with dinner, learned to dodge Zwei’s excited leaps, and even let Taiyang teach him how to play guitar—a lesson that ended in fits of laughter when Oscar’s fingers got hopelessly tangled on the strings. He listened to Ruby’s stories about her mother, about old Beacon traditions, about the silly things she and Yang had done as kids.

Sometimes Ruby would catch him watching her—not just when she was talking, but in the quiet moments: watching her read on the porch, or sketching ideas for new weapons at the kitchen table, or simply watching the sunset. Each time, his gaze was soft, full of something she didn’t quite have words for, but which made her heart beat faster nonetheless.

One afternoon, after the chores were finished and the house was quiet, Ruby slipped out to her old workshop—a shed in the backyard, cluttered with tools and half-assembled projects. She found Oscar there, examining a battered schematic for Crescent Rose’s original design.

He looked up as she entered, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry—I was just curious. You really built this when you were a kid?”

She laughed, joining him at the workbench. “Yeah. It took forever. I messed up the trigger assembly at least five times, and Yang nearly had a heart attack when I set the worktable on fire.” She brushed her fingers over the faded blueprints. “But it was worth it. Building things—it’s how I make sense of the world.”

Oscar nodded, eyes shining with admiration. “I wish I had something like that. I was never much good at building. But I always liked fixing things on the farm. There’s something satisfying about making something broken work again.”

Ruby smiled softly. “You’re good at fixing things, Oscar. Not just machines. People, too.”

He blushed, ducking his head. “I’m just…trying to keep up with you.”

They worked together for a while, tinkering with an old gadget Yang had broken years ago. The sun slanted through the dirty windows, dust motes swirling in the beams. Their hands brushed often, and each time Ruby felt a jolt of warmth.

As evening fell, they wandered back to the porch, side by side. The air was cool, the world peaceful. Ruby glanced at Oscar, heart pounding.

“Can I ask you something?” she said quietly.

He nodded. “Anything.”

She hesitated, then spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Do you ever think about…what comes next? Not just for us, but for you. Where you want to go. Who you want to be.”

Oscar was silent for a long moment. Then he looked at her, resolve in his eyes. “I want to be with the people who matter. I want to build something good—something that lasts. And…I want to be with you, Ruby. If you’ll have me.”

Her breath caught. For a moment, she could see all the roads ahead—uncertain, winding, full of shadows. But this moment was bright, clear, true.

She reached for his hand, entwining their fingers. “I want that too.”

He smiled, relief and joy warring on his face. He leaned in, hesitating only a second before pressing a gentle, tentative kiss to her lips.

The world faded away—the old porch, the distant sound of Yang’s laughter, the hush of the wind through the trees. There was only Oscar, steady and kind, and Ruby, brave and hopeful.

When they parted, she rested her forehead against his, laughing softly. “Welcome home, Oscar.”

He smiled, pulling her close. “Home.”

That night, they sat together beneath the stars, sharing stories, dreams, and quiet hopes for the future. The battles and burdens of the past felt lighter here, softened by love and belonging. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new adventures, but for now, they were simply Ruby and Oscar—two souls finding home in each other, surrounded by family, wrapped in the gentle peace of Patch.

Oscar said "woah" the moment he first met Ruby.

"Woah. You have... silver eyes". Specifically.

The scene of them sparring at sunset and being goofy about it.

They're the two youngest members of the team, and both of their main allusions are stories about growing up (The Little Prince and Little Red Riding Hood).

Oscar's main allusion is of a character that's in love with a rose. Ruby's last name is Rose, she has a rose emblem, and can turn into rose petals.

They also have shared/parallel allusions from in-universe fairytales (Ex. The Boy Who Fell From The Sky, The Girl Who Fell Through the World, and most notably, The Warrior in the Woods).

The Dojo Scene

Their shared attachments to each other keep being put in focus.

Oscar cared more about Ruby being knocked out than Weiss being impaled at Haven.

Ruby's always watching his back in fights, and he always has hers in group conflict discussions.

Neo, the illusionist character, uses Oscar as both the first and last illusion to torture Ruby; going so far as to make Ruby "kill" him with her own hands. It could have been anyone, but it WASN'T. It was OSCAR.

Meanwhile, Oscar in the V9 epilogue laments to Ruby's "grave" about how he is struggling to hold onto who he is more than ever before. In large part because of the merge, but also because Ruby "always saw people for who they really were", and she's not around anymore to help remind him of who he is.

"You're your own person."

The Almost Hug.

The song that plays leading up to The Almost Hug is one about someone pining for a love they've lost and been separated from across worlds. The song airs a few episodes before Oscar and Ruby are the only "pairing" split up between Remnant and The Ever After. The song itself is called Treasure and Ruby is a type of precious gem, while Oscar's name alludes to gold.

Oscar's last name is Pine. Which, aside from the species of tree, is defined as: "to long or yearn for the return of something; to suffer, typically from a broken heart"(please see points 12 and 15).

They have multiple paralleling arcs and themes around choice, identity, responsibility, leadership, grief, etc.

Their character designs have complimentary colour schemes like other canon ships (red/green and silver/gold).

Sun/Moon ship

"Combat gear looks good."

They also follow the same story beats, separations, and reunions that other canon ships have in show (the meet-cute, the getting-to-know-you, the breakup arc, the distance makes the heart grow fonder trope, the (upcoming) emotional reunion, etc).

The animators, writers, and even voice actors on occasion, engage with fan content or discussions of the ship in a positive manner.

The Official RWBY Twitter Oscars Meme

Miles Luna has said a few times that the ship is cute. He also highlights that their relationship is built on mutual understanding from being in similar circumstances as the youngest kids in the group with too much weight on their shoulders.

Miles also said that in a hypothetical scenario where everyone celebrates Oscar's birthday, Ruby would buy a co-op video game as a present and the two of them would stay up really late playing it together.

Rosegarden won 2nd place in a popular RWBY YouTuber's "Top 10 RWBY Ships" poll as voted by fans after Volume 8 (it would have been third place if Renora and Bumbleby hadn't tied for first).

That one video from Aaron Dismuke, Oscar's VA.

"That kid's got a collapsible staff" -heart eyes emoji-

We've gotten a "Rosegarden Moment" in every Volume premiere since Oscar's debut in V4.

Oscar shouting Ruby's name too many times in the V6 fight against Cordovin.

Maria tells Oscar to "keep that fire fed" after he overhears Ruby talking about food always making her feel better. Then a few episodes later, he suspiciously makes a casserole for the "team" after "they" had a rough day (where he stood up for Ruby when she was looking defeated in a group argument).

Oscar's the only person Ruby opened up to about her grief until the blacksmith. Meanwhile, Ruby's the one who's always assuring Oscar he's his own person despite the merge.

The parallels of Oscar's struggle with the merge and Ruby's ascension in The Ever After.

"I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" / "What if you could be anyone?"

Characters within the narrative regularly notice how close these two are to each other. Mainly Nora, Weiss, Yang, Cinder and Neo.

Oscar blushed when Ruby touched his shoulder???

one day soon, i'll hold you like the sun holds the moon

“Don’t come too close but

Don’t go too far”

and i will hold you closer than you have been held...

Rosegarden Week 2025 Day 3: I Can't Lose You Again

you are enough just the way you are

Ruby and Oscar getting dressed up as The Little Prince and The Rose for a Halloween Dance! Normal teenager things!! Wow!!! I like to think Ruby sewed the costumes herself. (◡‿◡✿)

And some goofy alternative outfit designs just for fun:

RG Week 2025 - Day 6!

Oscar kept his breath steadied and measured as he folded his hands together nervously.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

The door to the conference room clicked shut rather softly, Ruby leaned her back against it with a soft sigh of relief.

She stared at him silently for a few seconds, her expression difficult to read.

He averted his gaze away, overcome with a sense of nervousness all of a sudden.

“Ruby, is everything okay?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you.”

Oscar blinked owlishly, turning to face her, her face becoming a bit tense with worry as she looked at him.

“You’ve been favoring your right side all day, and you look tired,” she explained, “well, more than normal,” she added with a small chuckle.

He returned her dry humor with a small, tired smile of his own.

“Yeah, sorry, I guess my injuries were acting up more than usual today.”

‘Acting up more than usual,’ was the lightest way he could put it.

A few days ago, a Ravager had plucked him right off the ground from behind in a skirmish outside of Shade Academy, would have flown right off with him as food to be ripped apart into pieces and devoured too if it hadn’t been for Ruby decimating it and the rest of the pack in a flurry of vicious strikes and weaves with an ethereal mix of expertise and rage.

He recalled watching her soar through the air propelling herself with her bullets and the Grimm as she shredded through them with ease.

Her eyes had burned with as much rage as was delivered through her swings and fires, leaving him breathless.

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her so angry before.

Oddly enough, it reminded him of the first time he’d fallen into aunt Em’s rose bush after she took him in.

“I had wanted a closer look since I’d never seen so many before,” he’d explained sheepishly as aunt Em carefully finished plastering another of at least seven bandages around his arms, “and I didn’t think there were that many thorns.”

She sighed at him, ruffling his hair gruffly before she stood, planting her hands against her hips. “Well, if there’s something about roses they’re prettier to look at than to touch, yeah? Their thorns are tiny, so you probably don’t always see them at first glance if at all. Just be more careful next time, yeah?”

“Mhm.”

Unfortunately for Oscar, his aura had just shattered when the Ravager picked him up, meaning it shredded through his coat and skin with ease. Right in the same area where Salem had burned him with her magic.

He pursed his lips at the unwelcome memory resurfacing like clockwork.

He could still feel the breathless state his own screams of agony had left him in, the sensation of his skin burning and tingling under the scorching heat of the magic.

The worst part was that it wasn’t the first time he’d been burned by magic before either. Oscar shuddered violently, phantom pains burning through his whole body.

“Have you tried putting anymore salve on it? When was the last time you replaced the bandages?”

Ruby’s voice was soft, careful as she asked. Cool fingertips gently touched over the back of his hand as it squeezed at his shirt.

Oscar blinked slowly. When had his chest started seizing with pain again?

“Breathe, Oscar.” He swallowed dryly, forcing himself to inhale through his nose deeply.

It felt… wrong. The way the gauze itched against his skin, he wanted to rip it off.

His shaky hands moved, fumbling over the button a frustrating amount before he gave up, he felt the muscles in his face tensing with frustration.

“Do you want me to help you take off the bandages?”

Words were lodged in his throat along with the mild sense of embarrassment, but both were overshadowed by the need to get rid of the stuffy, itchy feeling in his chest.

He nodded, scrunching his eyes closed. Embarrassment was quickly bubbling in his chest, making his heart race.

He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by his vulnerable, feeble state.

Most of the time, Ruby was so well-put together through her pain and fear, so why couldn’t he?

He didn’t want to see how Ruby was looking at him right now.

“Alright, I’m gonna unbutton your shirt, is that okay?”

“Mhm.”

She was quick, but careful with her hands, and in a matter of seconds he found himself shrugging the button up off.

Ruby’s hands were cool and gentle, a welcome change to the unwavering heat in the air around him.

He inhaled deeply, feeling like he had at least a little more breathing room than he did before.

“Do you still want me to take off the bandages?”

His fingers twitched, his hands were still too shaky. Part of him wanted to tell her he could handle it and that she didn’t have to keep looking after him like this.

After the barest moment of hesitation, he opened his eyes, ready to tell her that he could handle it, but paused at the look in her eyes.

There was patience, and a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Sadness?

“I-!”

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t, I brought salve and some new bandages for you that you can use, but, if it’s too much, you don’t have to do this by yourself.”

His lips pursed, and he looked back down to their hands. He hadn’t even realized Ruby had moved one to hold his still trembling hand.

Somehow… he felt calmer with it. Her hold was gentle, but steady. She was patient and understanding.

His voice was soft, barely above a whisper when he answered, “Yes, please.”

She nodded with an equally soft hum, squeezing his hands reassuringly before she moved it, setting to work on removing them as carefully as she could.

“If you ever need a break, or want me to stop, just let me know, yeah?”

“Mhm.”

Rather than bothering with tearing the gauze off like he was thinking of doing himself originally, Ruby reached over and picked up a pair of scissors from her pouch.

Carefully, she lifted thin layers of gauze at a time, cutting through them until he felt the air cooling his skin.

Though at this point, his breathing was already mostly back to normal.

Maybe he had just needed a minute of calm to recollect himself.

Ruby’s hands paused, making him look up to her curiously.

He was surprised when he found something deeper than anger lighting her eyes as she stared… not at him, but at the wounds (?) on his chest, or was she looking at the star-shaped scar?

He swallowed. She wasn’t mad at him himself, he knew that much at least.

“R-Ruby?”

Her eyes widened as she locked eyes with Oscar again.

“Oh-! I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s alright,” he reassured, “but, you looked… angry?”

Ruby sighed, lowering her hands.

“I’m not angry at you, I’m sorry if I made you think I was. I’m just,” she trailed off for a moment, her voice becoming softer, but more hesitant as she continued, “upset that you got hurt at all.”

Silently, Ruby carefully pulled the salve from her pouch, setting it on the table between them.

Her hand lingered over it, and for a moment, Oscar saw something dreadful, and haunted flash through her.

“I’m sorry that you’ve been hurt over, and over again, and-!” She scrunched her eyes closed, squeezing her hand into a trembling grip over the small container.

There they were again, those thorns of her’s, that anger that’s been roiling and bubbling within her.

He wanted to tell her that she had nothing to be sorry for, that it’s not like she was the one who hurt him, or made the choices he’s had to make for him, but he also understood it.

That helpless feeling, and the seething anger when someone around you has been hurt or worse, killed and you couldn’t do a thing about it.

He’d had to grow familiar with that feeling and learn how to cope with it all too well when he thought they’d all been lost forever.

He liked that was something they shared in common now, feeling not just for themselves, but for others.

Now, it was a matter of stepping back and realizing they both needed to process their own feelings for themselves as well.

“That’s not something you, of all people, need to apologize for,” he responded.

He lifted a hand, placing it over her’s gingerly. “Right now, I’m grateful to have you all here, it makes a difference. More than you’d think. It helps give me the courage to keep standing up.”

He squeezed her hand in return, noticing how the tremble in his hand had calmed enough.

“I can apply the salve myself, but, can you could help me reapply the gauze, please? Last time I think I wound it too tight.”