Part One: Verified Feelings
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 the sky. I didn't mind waiting, despite the snowfall. I was safe, out here, alone. I pressed my frozen fingers to my still warm cheek. The calm of the scenery was much more preferable to the discomfort I could undergo inside. It surely wasn't that I believed Ruby's father to be in anyway like mine, I simply wanted to cement a good impression. If her uncle Qrow was any indication, Ruby's family were an eccentric bunch. The bunch had always given a close air that I had more than envied; 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 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. I prayed upon any higher forces that my hair had not become as disheveled as I felt.
"Girls 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." He certainly reminds my of Yang.
"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 (I always worried about that girl's ability to stammer about). She did, however, entreat that the two of us be present when our relationship become known.
"Weiss, Weiss Schnee." I cursed myself immediately after my name left my lips - he already knew 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. Tai was not Ruby, sadly, 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. She only ever let Yang hug her, or much less touch her. 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. Not to mention, if Ruby was in there I wasn't ready for Tai to know.
"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. It was certainly in ease, however, as opposed to any small talk my family could muster. As to relish in that, Tai was more than a bit curious about my family affairs.
"Girls!" Tai, in the middle of my explanation of my Glyphs, 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. The door rattled, as we adjusted the pile of wood we'd stacked in our arms.
"Yang and Blake are probably cuddling…" I whispered to myself, rolling my eyes. Ever since those two had become a couple, I don't believe they were able to pry any part of their bodies away from one another for an extended period of time. Perhaps it was Yang, seeing as Ruby was more than a casual cuddler. Those sisters were into some aggressive cuddling.
"Aren't they sweet." Tai certainly heard me. I'd forgone the pretense that Yang was also his daughter in my irritation, but he seemed to take pride the remark. "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. The thought of Ruby curled up on the floor was pertinent, and a motivator to get inside, more so than the fire.
"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 too 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. He was going to be hard to deal with, much like his daughter that seemed to take after him.
I stood up and stepped through, it was certainly nice to come into the warm air. Finding the area wasn't hard, with a nice audio cue to navigate towards. Yang's snoring hadn't gotten any quieter. The glow of the fire was a good indicator, as well. I came around the couch to spy a lump of cloth, 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 to Yang 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 (even that garish red cape).
"Just like her mother. Cookie monsters." Tai almost caused me to drop all the logs I held as I jumped in my skin. 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 with that look. "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 rack, Tai grabbed the logs in my arms. I couldn't help but look at my team (mostly Ruby). "Think we should wake them up?" Tai read my mind.
"No, no." I had to dismiss the idea. They all looked quite comfortable; well, Ruby was in a special position, but sound asleep, regardless. Once we finished constructing a pyramid of firewood, I appreciated his needless complexity, he stood and attempted to brush off the splinters and bark on his trousers. I, reluctantly, tried to clean my hands in much the same fashion.
"I should take Ruby to bed, though." Tai stood above Ruby, she looked so much smaller with him over her like that. He 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 in most, and thankfully the 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. Upon his words he held her closer, he missed her…
She doesn't visit this place often, certainly not enough for such a wonderful father. In the years at beacon, I can say she only ever visited between semesters. Even then, she would insist on taking jobs. I began to search my mind for something that might bring reassurance for his daughter. "Yes, but she is able to wake up at an alarmingly early hour." I always appreciated that about her. Ruby may be somewhat of a grown child, even at eighteen, 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 chortle. 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, was more than I assumed I'd be witnessing that night. Something about how tender the scene was, I almost felt like crying. "Come on Weiss, I had hours to talk with Blake. She wasn't much of a chatty KAThy" He was Yang's source of godawful puns, of course he was. Tai's words almost made me worried, though, 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 her sister'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 knelt down, just as Tai did, and kissed her forehead, I had to. "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 the room and down the stairs, not to keep Tai waiting. I had to search for a few seconds before finding him in the kitchen, sipping from a mug.
"Tea? I bought a lot, since Yang told me Blake loves the stuff more than milk." The man was trying too hard, with the cat stuff and trying to care. 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. That air of contentedness, I've gotten it time before. 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. I had to acquire a taste for tea, there was no question, Blake would only ever drink it as the sisters gallivanted about.
"I'll get you some." I took a seat at the dining table, Klien made a point to never reject one's services. I let myself relax. As much as I could with all the white noise: Yang's snores, the crackling fire, and the clatter of Tai serving tea. I took the moment to rest my mind, 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 to do so - 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. The conversation played out just as I envisioned. I gave say, and he overwrote my every word, spinning his own words. What he said cut deeper than the slap to the cheek he had given me...
"Here you are." After the sentence registered I felt a warm pain on my cheek again. I almost yelped before taking it and glaring up at him. He seemed all too pleased with himself. He and Ruby had similar smiles. "So..." he took a draw of tea, and sat across from me. "How long have you and Ruby been together?" For the love of all the dust my family has ever mined...
Nothing came out of my mouth, tried as I did. I knew my lips weren't closed, but my throat felt blocked. How did he know!? Was it so painfully obvious!? I thought he was already down stairs when I kissed Ruby good night! Did Ruby let it slip before I arrived? She did have a habit of just saying whatever came to her mind, but she was mindful enough.
"Sorry, are the two of you not together?" He set his mug down, looking ready to apologize profusely. "The way Ruby talked about you, and now meeting you... Yang had Blake,so I-"
"Yes, we are sir." I took on a tone akin to the way I addressed my father. I had to stop him before he began to bring himself down.
"Good." Good? Good!? What did that mean!? Was that a good 'Good', or a unnerved 'Good'.
"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. He was a more observant man, immediately registering that I may have been a bit anxious.
"Don't worry, I know, better than anyone how easy it is to fall for a teammate." That wasn't really what bothered me, besides not truly understanding him at the time.
"Thank you…" I was awkward, those words slurred out as I tried to mutter between sips of tea.
"Don't thank me yet." His grin was far larger than the serious tone a few seconds prior would have deemed appropriate. This man had the same skills Yang had, he gave me cause for concern. "Yang was able to protect Blake, but I've got you all to myself." If the secret was out, then I found only slight anxiety in his words.
"I would be happy to oblige" I would have been even happier to oblige if Ruby were down here with me.
"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 have to ask me? Ruby would be much better with this sort of gossip.
"How?" I hoped he would actually clarify his words if I asked nicely.
"Yeah!" His response was leading, gesturing for me to go on. Of course, this family, I swear. 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. Maybe it was my own bias, but I was sure he had something deeper and darker in questioning.
"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."
Love. I certainly liked Ruby's company, she was a welcomed foil to my demons. I had learned so many things from that red bouncy ball, not the least of which being how to play - have actual fun in practice. I liked so many things about her. She became the object of many of my happier thoughts. Was that love? Was I in love with Ruby?
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.
I had refused to shed a single tear in front of my father when he denounced my relationship with Ruby, not daring to even show the contempt in his estate. I was not going to give him the satisfaction, perhaps. I could be lonely and cold, but all this warmth and kindness… I couldn't.
"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, it's okay. Love is a hard thing. I understand, and I'm here." 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 tear-ducts and the ugly crying began. How could this man be a father? He was so nice! Mine would simply demand I stop, not encourage such shameful behavior. I wasn't even Tai's daughter, yet he seemed insistent on treating me no different.
Tai had to have been uncomfortable, physically and mentally. I sat there sobbing for too long, longer than I cared to admit. Tai just stayed. He would occasionally pat my head. I had to have made up for years of never being able to have such a pleasure.
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 nod.
I closed my eyes and took a breath. Calming down was hard at times, but I managed. When I opened them again, Tai offered a box of tissues. Where did he get those, just where? I reluctantly took them and worked on fixing my sorry state. Out of respect, Tai left the room. I heard him tending to the fire in the next room. I thanked that the girls were heavy sleepers, all of them, I didn't want them to see me. Ruby, especially, She could not see me like that. I thanked Tai under my breath that he moved her upstairs.
If I didn't look disheveled from my hair being let down, I was absolutely in horrid state after crying like a child. He was handling this all too well. His daughters' teammate comes into his house at night and just starts sobbing. It wasn't the norm for any person I could ever imagine. I was never like this, to begin with. I was better than simply sniveling before a man I had just met. What could Tai have possibly been thinking about me? His daughter had found a crazy woman to date! Somewhere in between self loathing and rude curiosity, I fixed myself up and assumed an overcompensatingly strict demeanor. I had done so just in time for Tai to return to the kitchen.
"You are an incredible father, Mister Xiao Long." I didn't feel it, but I knew I was smiling. My back was straight and my hands were folded in my lap, but Tai did not return my formal reserve.
"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. How strong he 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, or to glare. I didn't know why I felt a indignant.
"Weiss-...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. He has been so effortlessly ripping apart my entire life and facade. He must be lonely, too.
"Thank you..." for being this way. The rest of the sentence couldn't be bothered to leave my tongue. I had to say something, I had to give him acknowledgement that had worth. "Thank you for being Ruby's father." It's better that he is her father than mine.
"I can see why my daughter is with you, Weiss. Thank you for falling in love with her." Again with the 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 was sure they felt that elusive feeling. They loved, but did Ruby and I? 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 a real, wholesome, organic, selfless relationship. 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, sitting down as if I was deliver life altering news. "May I ask for your permission?"
"To date my daughter? Now isn't that old fashioned!" He laughs often, and loudly. How my team hadn't woken up by then and rushed into the kitchen is beyond me. His giggles were to my dismay. I began to fear the worst. He wasn't about to deny me! No, he couldn't, not after all the chaos. "Sorry, sorry." He sensed my frustrations. "Please, it's Tai." That's not something I cared to hear. "Permissions, though?" Finally he addressed my question, but not with an answer I deemed worthy.
"Yes." Please, please, I just wanted him to give me a yes.
"Permissions aren't really gonna factor into it, not from me. But, yes, of course. My daughter is with you, so you earn my permission." That was a very elaborate yes. Nevertheless, I felt tears again. Very unlady-like but, seriously, what the fuck? I wasn't going to be so atrocious to let my emotions best me once more.
"Thank you." I breathed, having to cock my head to the side as to not look him in the eyes. That's when I sat staring directly at a sloppy, and unkempt Yang and Blake. Yang looked half asleep but was able to give a ridiculous thumbs up, Blake seemed much less engaged. Blake's head nodded, as her eyes shut, she jerked up in an awakened state but soon slipped back. The rhythm stopped when yang had to pick her up, thankfully the two returned to the other room. If those two were up, then… After that thought ran through my head, I heard the footsteps of a small girl running on the second floor.
I was barely able to turn to the arch way before roses fluttered in and a warm lump crashed into me. "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." Thankfully, when she crashed into me the chair only tipped. We didn't come crashing to the floor, only because I had built up reflex to hang onto something. The table saved us both from some pain.
"Calm down, please." I was a bit irritated, but, extremely happy to see her. She did try to talk my ear off whenever meeting me after a prolonged absence.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm 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 - it was so easy to.
"Aren't you two just adorable." Tai's glib would have been hurtful if it wasn't so true. Ruby was taken aback by the comment, retreating from our embrace. She stood, hiding behind me, and slung her arms around my neck, resting her chin on my head. She loved to act like she was taller than me. I wasn't gonna complain, I actually liked it when she did this. I felt thoroughly protected.
"Darn it! Sorry, Weiss, I got excited. Thanks, dad. We're a thang." I couldn't see ruby's face but I had no doubt she had that stupid grin. 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, he just smiled. I had a feeling I had a silly simper plastered across my face. I love this feeling, I love this family and I love Ruby.
I'm glad I had the audacity to fight my father, enough to get into beacon. That first day, the day I was, admittedly, bitchy, to that little red girl, was a magnificently fortuitous day.