Signs of Spring: Male Reade x Summer Rose x Raven Branwen

Chapter III: Definitely Not A Date

Author's Note: Following the end of the last chapter, I wanted to clarify something; Raven is NOT going to be a yandere in this story. It was requested by rwbyfan722 that Raven not be a yandere.

Reader's POV:

Team STRQ's dorm room was unnaturally quiet. Usually it would be subject to Tai's music or sounds of Summer munching on snacks or Qrow drinking from his flask. Today however, it was dead silent as every member of the team was studying for their exams. Tai and Summer were sitting in the corner of the room quizzing each other, and even Qrow had his head buried inside a textbook, studying diligently. Raven however, was having a more difficult time concentrating. Usually she had laser-like focus and studying for lengthy periods of time were no problem. Today though, she found her thoughts being pulled towards (F/N). Her mind kept replaying the events of a few days ago, when Summer had informed the team that she and (F/N) were going on a date following the end of exams. No matter how hard she tried or how many times she reread a paragraph, she couldn't absorb the information, her brain simply refusing to concentrate on anything other than the thought of (F/N) and Summer cozying up to one another, when it should be her instead.

These thoughts had kept her up late at night as well, as she tried to formulate a plan where she would be the one going out with (F/N), and not Summer. Normally her good looks would be enough to make any man want her, and when her beauty failed, she could simply intimidate the competition into submissiveness. The fact that Summer was her competition however, made things more complicated. Not only was Summer's beauty on par with her own, she was also her friend, and no matter how cold she may seem towards them, Raven would never do anything to hurt her friends, meaning eliminating the competition was out of the question. This left her with only one option; make (F/N) want her more than he wanted Summer. Easy enough, except not at all. While Raven usually surpassed her team in every aspect, in this case, Summer was miles ahead. She and (F/N) already had a bond. More than that, they already had a date planned. As much as she loathed the idea of chasing a man and not the other way around, it seemed that Raven's only option was to capture (F/N)'s attention.

With a sigh, Raven closed her book and stood up, making her way towards the door. Maybe a short walk around the grounds would help clear her head. Not one of her teammates questioned where she was going, they had all learned by now that Raven's business was none of theirs. Stepping into the elevator, the doors were just about to close when a hand slipped in between them. Raven groaned internally; she hated being stuck with someone in an elevator, or anywhere for that matter.

"Could you press one?" The person asked.

Raven was just about to tell the person to press it themselves when she looked up and realized who it was in the elevator with her; (F/N).

"Uh, s-sure." She says, uncharacteristically flustered. With a shaking hand, she jabs her finger on the number 1.

The doors slide close once again, trapping the two alone together in the small box as the elevator begins to descend. Raven does her best not to stare at (F/N), who is resting against the wall, massaging the corners of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"Tired?" Raven asks in an attempt to make conversation. Wow, really Raven? Tired? That's the best you could come up with?

"Huh?" (F/N) asks, looking up. "Oh, yeah. These exams are killing me. And to think they haven't even started. What about you?"

"Uh, yeah." Raven nods, staring at her feet. "I was actually just headed to the library to study." Well that's a lie. She thinks to herself. Still, not like I can tell him the truth. Imagine how that would play out. Hi, my name is Raven Branwen. I've admired you from afar for the better part of a year and was just going on a walk to clear my head because I can't stop thinking about you.