I stood in front of that door for far longer than I'd care to admit. The sun had begun to set when I'd arrived and night soon overtook. I didn't mind waiting, despite the snowfall. The calm of the scenery was much more preferable to the discomfort I would have to undergo inside. It surely wasn't that I believed Ruby's father to be in anyway like my father, I simply wanted a good impression. If her uncle Qrow was any indication, Ruby's family, beyond her and her sister, were an eccentric bunch; however, yang had a the gall to deplore her father's overprotective nature.
I shut my eyes and took a breath in through my lips, the frost in the air threatening to freeze my tongue. Finally, I shivered - the cold had begun to take hold of me. My thoughts had robbed me of the immunity I'd built up from my home in Atlas. I fixed my posture once more, adjusting as necessary, and quickly checked my attire, I had to look nice for this occasion - I took great care in deciding my wears. I had to show Ruby's father that I was worthy of his daughter. I donned my mother's choker necklace, a crisp blue blouse, my white coat, and a light blue skirt with white stockings, and, of course, my white wedges.
I made another physical declaration to knock; I took a final breath, another posture check, another fixation on my clothing. I was stalling. I decided that after I returned my hair to a side ponytail, instead of one centered behind me, I would finally knock. I let my hair down, running my fingers through it to make sure it would not bunch wrong. To my dismay the front door crept open, while my arms were up grabbing at my hair. My hands returned to my sides, my hair falling onto my shoulders and back, and I took an involuntary step back.
"Girl's I'm going to get more firewood!" A taller roguish blonde called out behind him before shutting the door and turning around to face me. His face showed me surprise, then contemplation, and then he soft smile. My heart rate fluctuated with each expression, as I'm sure my cheeks warmed. "You must be Weiss."
"Yes, Sir." I nodded, and held out my hand. I made sure to keep eye contact, but it broke when he laughed at me.
"Please, call me Tai. It's nice to meet you. Ruby talks about you, a lot." Well at least I seemed to have been given a good reputation by her, I hoped. Knowing Ruby, she might have told him something inappropriately outlandish, even if she decided to wait to tell him about us.
"Weiss, Weiss Schnee." I cursed myself immediately after my name left my lips, he already knows that! He gave no mind to my needless introduction, taking my hand and giving it a firm shake that reminded me of every hand-shake my father would give in place of a hug.
"Welcome!" The sudden roar gave me pause, but I wasn't able to hold still. Tai pulled me into a hug quicker than Ruby tackles me. I didn't dislike it, I was simply unaccustomed. Ruby hugged me often, in fact, she spent most of our days attached, but Tai was no Ruby. So, I unintentionally squirmed. "Sorry, this family is full of huggers."
"I realize…" Snarkiness aside, Tai continued to embrace me.
"You like hugs more than Blake." Tai chuckled to himself and finally let me go. The thought of Blake being compressed, such as I was, certainly made me smile. Tai immediately ejected me from the thought as he motioned past. "Please, go inside. I need to get more wood, the girls are all around the fireplace."
"I'll assist you!" I rushed to his side, good impressions were still to be made.
"Thank you!" Tai seemed like a teddy bear, the scruff on his face helped with the image. I found it odd that he attempted idle chatter - topics he surely had full knowledge of. He asked me questions Ruby had to of rambled to him about at length. By the time we collected the wood and were back to the front door, I'd recited every trivial fact about me. "Girls!" Tai, in the middle of my explanation of the Glyphs I use, gave a reasonable kick to the door. With both our hands full, the door was a wall, a wall that stayed unmoving. "Come on girls!" Tai gave another punt.
"Yang and Blake are probably cuddling…" I whispered to myself, rolling my eyes.
"Aren't they sweet." Tai certainly heard me. I'd forgone the pretense that Yang was also his daughter, but he seemed to take pride in my quib. "And Ruby is probably curled up in her cape by the fire… Not coming to open the door! Ruby! Yang!" Tai gave a final knock with his boot.
"I shall get it." Taking initiative would surely show him I was capable. I knelt down and tried to set the Logs down without spilling them completely, but Tai had other plans.
"No, no! Here." Before I could do anything he let his arms loose and all his logs fell into the snow below. I couldn't help but gawk, he didn't seem to concerned. He opened the door himself and turned back to pick up his mess. "Go inside, set the wood next to the rest." He halfheartedly waved to the doorway.
I stood up and stepped through, it was certainly nice to come into the warm air. Finding the area wasn't hard, Yang's snoring hadn't gotten any quieter. The fire was a good indicator, too. I came around the couch to spy a lump of cloth on the couch, yang's blonde hair poking out and engulfing Blake to the point where I could only make out black ears protruding from the mess. I would never admit it but, yes, they were a cute couple. Speaking of cute, Zwei was just below them, curled in a blanket that had fallen to the floor. Though, nothing could compare to the next sight. I turned to the fire to see Ruby sprawled out before it. Her face was using a plate as a pillow, crumbs riddled the vicinity. Her pajamas always made my heart flutter, everything about her did.
"Just like her mother." Tai almost caused me to drop all the logs I held. I faced him to see his gaze on Ruby, his expression wasn't as loving as I thought it would be. Ruby told me about her mother, but even if she hadn't, Tai just explained everything. "Please, over here." He visibly shook off whatever his mind was on, and took a knee beside the fireplace. Only a few logs lay there but he began to stack his and mine into a nicely organized pile. As I stood like a hunched over table, Tai grabbing the logs in my arms, I couldn't help but look at my team (mostly Ruby). "Think we should wake them up?"
"No, no." They all looked quite comfortable. Well, Ruby was sound asleep, regardless.
"I should take Ruby to bed, though." Tai gave a heave before effortlessly taking Ruby's small frame in his arms - I still envy his ability to do such a thing. Without much else to do, besides watch Yang and blake sleep, which I certainly got enough of when we would all stay together, I traced Tai's steps. Following him up the stairs, I got to see a few family photos in the dim lighting. I would hesitate to say a full family, though; the photos only ever had Yang, Ruby and Tai. Mothers absent, and thankfully that drunkard Qrow was not to be seen. They did look happy, despite maternal figures absence. "She's still such a heavy sleeper." He must have meant to say it to himself alone, because I could barely hear him.
"Yes, but she is able wake up at an alarmingly early hour." I always appreciated that about her. Ruby may be somewhat of a grown child, but she was grown. She was a responsible leader if nothing else.
"When she was younger it'd take a lot to get her out of bed." Tai began to chuckle. Once we'd made it to Ruby's room, a quainter setting than I could've ever imagined, He turned to me. "I would sometimes bake her cookies and leave a trail out of the room to get her to come down." He gestured with his chin, from the bed and down out the door. I had to stifle laughter, thinking of a smaller Ruby chasing after a trail of cookies. Tai laid her down on her bed, brushing the crumbs from her cheeks, and kissing her on the forehead before standing straight again. "Night, Ruby." The sight, everything, I almost felt like crying. "Come on Weiss, I had hours to talk with Blake. She wasn't much for chit-chat. I'd love to drill into you." Tai's words almost made me worried, like a threat. He began to exit the room, but I kept inside, standing beside the bed.
I inched to the head board, and kept a good eye on Ruby. She had a bit of a snore, nothing compared to Yang's, plus, Ruby's was endearing. I never managed to keep from smiling whenever I watched her. I took the liberty of pulling the blanket at the foot of the bed over her. Before I left, I had to, I knelt down, just as Tai did, and kissed her forehead. "Love you...Good Night, Ruby." I let myself enjoy the serenity for a few seconds. I almost forgot where I was at that moment. I had to quietly rush out and down the stairs. I had to search for a few seconds before finding Tai in the kitchen, sipping from a mug.
"Tea? I bought a lot, since Yang told me Blake loves the stuff." The man was trying too hard. At least, that was my immediate thought. I knew that look. The way he stared at his tea before looking back up to me with a smile. He wasn't feigning happiness, certainly not, but he was afraid. He had to be terrified that it wouldn't last, that he wouldn't have people to try hard for.
"Thank you." I bowed my head. I preferred coffee, but it was late, and I couldn't very well refuse him.
"Sit down, I'll get you some." I took a seat at the dining table. Besides the obnoxious snores Yang let out rhythmically, the crepitate of the fire, and the gentle clatter Tai serving the Tea, the house was silent. All that white noise helped calm my nerves. I wouldn't be talking of Ruby and I's relationship until the following day, anyways - Ruby and I decided to tell him together. She did want to do the same for my father but I insisted for me alone, I feared what my father would say to her. My instincts had been well followed, as my father was more than disapproving of our relationship.
"Here you are." The waves of heat wafting from the tea directed my eyes. I looked up from the mug to see Tai sitting across the table, all too pleased with himself. He and Ruby had similar smiles. "So.." he took a draw of tea, "how long have you and Ruby been together?"
Nothing came out of my mouth. I knew my lips weren't closed, but my throat felt blocked. How did he know!? Was it so deplorably obvious!? I thought he was already down stairs when I kissed Ruby good night! Did Ruby let it slip? She did have a habit of just saying whatever came to her mind, but she was responsible enough.
"Sorry, are the two of you not together?" He set his mug down, looking ready to apologize profusely. "I know how easy it is to fall for your teammates, and Yang had Blake, so I-"
"Yes, we are sir." I took on a tone akin to the way I addressed my father.
"Good." Good? Good!? What did that mean!?
"Excuse me sir-" I was stopped with raised hand, I almost winced, ready for a quick smack.
"Weiss, please, Tai." Right, I had forgotten. Tai was a much more casual soul, just like his daughters.
"Tai, do you approve of this?" I had to ask bluntly. I needed that direct confirmation, no sugar-coating.
"Um. Well, of course, dear. I really don't think my approval has anything to do with it, but yes. I mean, Blake seems good for Yang, and you seem to be good for Ruby as well." Thinking on it, I don't know why I expected anything but that. Ruby and Yang were certainly some easy-going and open girls.
"Thank you si- Tai." I bowed my head. I felt like crying again. A better type of crying.
"Don't thank me yet." His grin was far larger than the serious tone a few seconds prior would have allowed. This man had the same skill Yang had, he gave me cause for concern. "Yang was able to protect Blake, plus that girl doesn't seem to be a talker, but I've got you all to myself." If the secret was out, and, better yet, he approved, then I found only slight anxiety in his words.
"I would be happy to oblige"
"Well then, let's start out with something simple - how?" I frankly didn't understand the question, 'how?' How, what? Besides that, why did he even have any interest. Ruby would be much easier with this sort of glib.
"How?"
"Yeah!" His response was leading, gesturing for me to go on. I assumed he was meaning to ask how I had come to be smitten his daughter, or maybe how his daughter had been ensnared by someone like me.
"May I ask… Why?" I had trepidation of what my inquiry would do, but Tai was very odd. I had grown used to Ruby and Yang's pesterings, but Tai was a new man entirely.
"Why?" visibly, the man was taken aback. It almost looked like he was trapped in a moment of introspection, with brows furrowed. "Weiss. I love my daughters. I want to know about the ones they love."
It finally got to me. I had learned, at an extremely young age how to keep myself in check. I always had perfect poker face. I would shut my eyes, breathe, and open them to lock eyes with whomever needed to be confronted. I wasn't fast enough to run through that exercise, and simply kept watch of him. I could see his smile fade and his face turn to abject horror and frantic concern with each passing second. I hated it, but I couldn't stop. I could feel my nose redden, my eyes puff, some of my make up smear as I attempted to rub out my eyes. Each tear that streamed down my cheeks was warmer than I thought they'd be. I hadn't cried in so many years. "I'm sorry." I was able to atleast get a semblance of that out as a whimper before letting my palms cover my face like a safety mask.
"Why are you sorry! I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do I…" I thought he threw a blanket over me for a second but as the sound of a heartbeat became clearer I realized he was attempting to embrace me. Attempting, I say, because it reminded me of Yang's bear hugs, but was much nicer, like how ruby would try to hang off of me at times. "Hey, I think I can learn to love you and Blake, too. Like my own daughters." God, this man. Was he meant to be an emotional saint! If I assumed the waterworks had been turned on before, I was sorely mistaken. The dams broke behind my eyes and that ugly crying began. How could this man be a father. Mine would simply demand I stop, not encourage such shameful behavior. I didn't even cry one tear after my father disapproved of this relationship.
I was not going to give him the satisfaction, perhaps.
Tai had to have been uncomfortable, physically and mentally. I sat there sobbing for too long, longer than I cared to admit. Tai simply stayed. He would occasionally pat my head. I made up for years of never being able to have such a situation.
Finally, I stopped. It was odd, suddenly, I just didn't have to cry anymore. I removed my hands from my face, and jerked my head. Tai let go and backed away. The face he wore as I looked up to inspect him was as if Zwei had died. "Feeling better?" He didn't ask me why I had to show such a despicable side, he just wanted to know if it was over, if I had overcome it. I nodded, fearing for what my voice would sound like. He gave a returning nod and left the kitchen.
I closed my eyes and took a breath. Calming down was hard at times, but it came. When I opened them again, Tai offered a box of tissues. I reluctantly took them and worked on fixing my sorry state. Out of respect, Tai left the room again. I heard him tending to the fire in the next room. Thank god the girls were heavy sleepers, all of them, I didn't want them to see me like this. Ruby, especially, She could not see me like this. I thanked Tai under my breath that he moved her upstairs.
It was clear Tai was not coming back into the kitchen. I stayed, sipping my tea. Soon enough, after I'd finished it, I took Tai's tea and made my way to the fireplace. Tai was no longer there. Yang and Blake were still stuck like glue on the couch, but Zwei had removed himself from the room. It took but a second of searching to find Tai in the main room, sitting on the couch, petting Zwei. "Your tea." I had to murmur it, or I would strain my throat. He took it with a smile, and I sat. Zwei was very happy to see me, jumping at the chance to climb onto my lap.
"That dog loves everybody." Tai sniggered. Then looked up, "I mean, not that you're just an everybody. I- uh." He seemed determined to consul me, despite not even knowing why I had become a blubbering mess.
"Thank you, Sir." another murmur, this time I kept my sight on Zwei as I gently pet his fur.
"Weiss, please, Tai." I heard him sigh, a heavy one, before shifting on the sofa. "Actually, I'd be fine with dad, father. The girls never like to, but I love the nickname pop." The very notion had be snickering.
"You are an incredible father, Mister Xiao Long." I didn't feel it, but I knew I was smiling.
"I have to be." right, he has to be, and my father doesn't. I remember the first time Ruby spoke of her father, she droned on and on about how wonderful the man was. She very abruptly stopped when I very crudely, and tactlessly, let it slip she was lucky to have a father that cared. That may very well be the reason she wanted to tell him about us together.
"You do not, have to be. You want to be, and you are." I didn't mean to growl. I didn't know why I felt a indignant.
"Weiss-" I picked my head up to look at him, "I have to be, because some fathers aren't." Did he know my father? Or was he just eerily good at pinpointing the horrible things about a person and their life.
"Thank you," for being this way. I wanted to know why he was this way, but I don't think he even knew. I had to say something, I had to give him acknowledgement that had worth. "Thank you for being Ruby's father."
"I can see why my daughter is with you, Weiss. Thank you for falling in love with her." Love? Ruby and I had only been together, officially, for so many weeks. Yang and Blake have had months together and not stated such a profound word. I wasn't about to protest, in fact, despite how soon the beginning of Ruby and I's new relationship was, I was already positive, in the back of my head, that it was love: real, wholesome, organic, selfless love. I'd known Ruby for longer than my feelings of infatuation dated back to, but the two of us had been through so much. We had shared so much, and the official status of our relationship was more in name than anything else. We'd kissed before the word 'girlfriend' was even uttered. Yes, I loved her. I wanted her, forever, and on. I needed her, because she gave me more than anyone else could.
"Taiyang Xiao Long." I cleared my throat and adjusted my posture. I fluttered my lashes before holding a staring contest. He looked content but unnerved. "May I ask for your permission?"
"Weiss, I already told you, you don't need my permission to-"
"No, I'm sorry, but that is not what I mean."
Even at the time, I knew I wanted it. I wanted that family, that warm family. Maybe Ruby was too good for me, actually, she probably is. But, I had something, and I knew what was going to happen, I knew what I wanted, I knew I could get it, and I was sure all I needed was the support.
"May I marry you daughter?" Those few seconds were torture, something no one should ever experience. My mind worked much faster than ever before, running through ever single outcome. If he refused, after everything that just happened, I might have to leave.
Then, he broke into a fit of laughter. And I was petrified. He was loud and had surely woken up the house, scaring Zwei - he jumped off my lap and began running around the sofa we sat on. I had no idea if that was at all good. Then, Ruby finally came down stairs. Leaving that signature trail of rose petals behind her, she sprung from the steps exclaiming cries of worry. "What!? Whose dying!?" The confusion only caused Tai to fall further into hysterics. Blake soon crept into the room, curious, if not irate. Yang was noticeably unintrigued, never entering the room. I looked to Blake, she just stared into my eyes before disappearing again to rejoin Yang. Ruby was definitely more engaged. She leapt over the back of the couch tackle me off it, squealing in glee. For once, I didn't know how to feel about her aggressive hug. I had just asked her father a very serious question, he was not taking very seriously. "Weiss! You made it! I was trying to stay up for you, but I fell asleep eating these awesome chocolate chip cookies Dad made me. I hope I didn't eat them all, you should have one."
"Calm down, please." I was a bit irritated, but, none the less, happy to see her. She did try to talk my ear off whenever meeting me after a prolonged absence.
"Sorry, sorry, I' just so happy to see you!" She squeezed harder, her cheek pressing against my chest. I couldn't help but smile and return the embrace.
"It's lovely to see you, too, Ruby." I let myself get sucked in by her, but the question I asked Tai seconds before shot back through my mind in thinking about Ruby. "Ruby, may I get up." She complied and rolled off of me. I sat up and looked to Tai to find he had stopped laughing in Ruby's fervor. He was watching his daughter, and by extension me.
"I approve, yes." Tai nodded, and my stomach felt like a hot snowstorm. I wanted to turn to Ruby and show her how much love I brimmed with but Ruby had taken the opportunity to get behind me. She had to of been on her knees, as she placed her body against my back and placed her chin on my head, her arms slung around my neck. I felt thoroughly protected.
"Darn it! Sorry Weiss, I got excited. Thanks, dad, yeah, we're a thang." I couldn't see ruby's face but I had no doubt she had that stupid grin on her face. She rocked her body over top of me causing me to rock with her, side to side. I just looked at Tai as he stared back. I mouthed a thank you, and he just smiled. I had a feeling I'd have a stupid simper plastered across my face if I stayed with this family. And that was in no way a harrowing eventuality.