"…No."
"Pleaseeeee?" Ruby whined, tugging pitifully at Weiss's sleeve. Her pout did not work on her partner this time and the heiress turned away with an exasperated huff, her icy blue eyes narrowed in irritation and stubbornness. Fortunately, Ruby was well-versed in the art of pulling at her partner's heartstrings. She sighed internally before bringing out the big guns; namely, her puppy dog eyes.
The steadfast resolve Weiss held was slowly crumbling under that look. 'Dust damn it' she cursed colourfully, blushing as her dolt of a partner continued to tug on her sleeve. Each time she chanced a look at her, Weiss ended up looking at those unspeakably soulful eyes. No matter how much she denied it, almost everyone knew that the W in RWBY was positively whipped when it came to their leader.
Weiss shut her eyes and groaned. The image of a grinning Yang came to mind, her arm moving back and forth to mimic the motion of a whip.
"Ugh, fine!" She snapped, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Just do what you want." She grumbled. Ruby grinned, the feeling of victory giving her a cheerful high. Laughing, she swept her girlfriend up into her arms and started spinning them around their room in a gleeful little dance.
Weiss yelped, smacking Ruby on the arm lightly with several exclamations of 'Put me down right this instant!' but her light hearted tone greatly lessened the sting of the order. Weiss rolled her eyes good naturedly as she tried to keep up with her partner's clumsy foot movements, but she didn't deny the flutter of happiness in her chest.
Once the impromptu dance had ceased, both girls collapsed onto their bed, giggling playfully. "Sooo do I get to come with you?" Ruby asked when their breaths had evened out. Weiss sighed through her nose at the dogged persistence, but nodded anyway.
"Yes. Although, I don't see why you would want to accompany me. After all, I'm merely meeting my sister for lunch while she's here on business."
"Why wouldn't I want to?" came the reply. "And sides' I've never met anyone from your family before!" Ruby said. Then she paused, turning to look at Weiss in slight disappointment. "…Are you afraid that I would embarrass you? I-I mean…you didn't want me to go at first."
Now that got her attention. Shaking her head, Weiss shot her a tender smile before rolling across the bed, closing the small distance between them; coming nose to nose with Ruby. With practiced ease, she pressed a light kiss onto the warm cheek, marvelling when the other girl turned as red as her cloak.
"Never." She said seriously. "It's just that Winter can be a little…intimidating at times. I may have told her about our relationship, but that doesn't mean that she has accepted it. Understand it, yes. But accept it? I think not."
"Oh…" Ruby breathed. "Er well, if it makes you less worried, I promise to be on my best behaviour." The girl solemnly swore, tracing a pattern on the soft skin of the heiress's arm. The gesture made Weiss shudder as a pleasant tingle shot through her. It was far from unwelcoming, and she began to lose herself in the gentle scent of roses and the comfortable ministrations.
"Alright…" Weiss mumbled. "As long as we don't bring up any sensitive topics like my father or the white fang, our lunch should be relatively smooth sailing."
Ruby nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting towards whether she should wear something other than her usual combat ready outfit.
The day of their meeting had arrived sooner than expected. "Well. We're here." Weiss announced. Stepping out of the hired limousine, Ruby scrambled to open the door for her girlfriend, getting a small peck on the cheek from the grateful heiress. The two girls were in a rather swanky part of town; where adults milled about in their expensive tailored suits and dresses, their outfits completed by branded handbags and briefcases dangling from their arms or shoulders.
Ruby looked at their surroundings nervously, keenly aware of the gazes pressing into them from all sides. She looked down at her outfit, extremely glad that she had foregone her usual skirt and top. They were much too casual for places like this. Beneath her precious red cloak, she wore the collared black blouse much like a second skin. Even Yang had agreed that it fit her to a tee. Combined with the stunning red oxford vest and dress pants loaned from Blake, Ruby could safely say that she didn't feel out of place in the least.
Biting her lip, Ruby let her eyes roam across Weiss as she leaned against the limo. Her girlfriend looked even more stunning than usual; donning a gorgeous white backless dress with curlicues rimming the collar of her neck.
Thankfully, Weiss wasn't displaying the entirety of her bare back (Ruby refused to let her leave the room if she did) since there were spaghetti straps stretched across the sides of her dress, creating a nice balance between 'classy' and 'promiscuous'. The heads that turned as Weiss bent forward to thank the driver was a testament to how beautiful she looked, and Ruby felt a pang of jealously as men (and women) eyeballed her girlfriend.
As if hearing her thoughts, the heiress turned to face Ruby, a delicate eyebrow arching in curiosity. The cloaked girl shrugged dismissively (and glared at the waiter who was mimicking a goldfish) and laced her fingers with hers. Weiss smirked knowingly but said nothing. Instead, she squeezed her hand lightly in a show of comfort. With a small smile on her face, Ruby returned the action in kind.
Taking in a deep breath, Weiss schooled her expression into a neutral one. Despite being on cordial terms with Winter, her sister – her older sister, was still a Schnee through and through. And Weiss knew better than anyone, about how dangerous a Schnee could be. Letting Ruby hook her arms through her own, the two girls were escorted into the establishment. The waiter bowed deeply as he left them in front of the private room, stealing one last glance at the two beauties. Ruby caught his action and scowled
"Let's go in." She said, shooting daggers at the annoying waiter who kept lingering around her girlfriend. Weiss took in a deep breath, not knowing what was to come.
"–and that was the time Weiss tried to go fishing." Ruby finished the story with a flourish. From the seat beside her, the heiress glared at her girlfriend threateningly. But with a half-speared salmon in one hand, she looked less scary than usual; Ruby just smiled innocently, like she hadn't just told her older sister about the time she had nearly flung Myrtenaster into the lake. It was humiliating, especially to an overachiever like Winter, who practically excelled at everything she did.
She winced when her sister let out a small chuckle, the woman glancing at her with thinly veiled amusement. It was only an hour into their lunch and Weiss already felt like shoving Ruby into her purse and high tailing out of the restaurant. On hindsight, the heiress should have expected that Ruby would regale tales of how she had embarrassed herself over the course of her stay at Beacon. She was just regretful that she hadn't tried to stop her sooner.
"Like I said." Weiss gritted out. "It was an accident. How was I supposed to know that my weapon had gotten tangled up in the fishing line?!"
Ruby guffawed, trying not to choke on her steak when Weiss tried to defend herself. She would have answered the question but a single glare from her girlfriend let her know that she was already walking on thin ice.
"How interesting. I'd never thought that my younger sister would want to indulge in such a past time." Winter said, taking a sip of her wine. Like a statue cut from a block of ice, the older Schnee eyed the couple carefully. Running her gloved fingers through her fringe, Winter turned her attention to Ruby, her neatly styled bun making the girl compare it to that of professor Goodwitch.
"That is quite the story, Ruby." She said. "It was a stroke of luck for Weiss to have you as her partner, don't you agree?"
Ruby blushed at the praise. "Hehe, I think I'm the lucky one actually. Weiss has helped me out a lot. I don't know what I'll do without her." She answered honestly, looking down at her food.
From across the table, Winter hid a small smile behind her napkin. From the letters Weiss had written to her, she had always depicted Ruby as a clumsy and recalcitrant girl with a big heart. The older Schnee sibling had an inkling that there was more to it. And now she understood. Ruby was a person that couldn't be described properly in words. Words would merely brush the surface, it was not enough to capture the girl's true essence.
As Winter and Ruby continued chatting heartily, Weiss toed the material of the carpet with a childish sulk on her face. She had felt a small prick of pride at the fact that Winter had finally approved of Ruby (after a dozen letters had failed to convince her so) but as she watched her girlfriend lose herself in the conversation, Weiss felt a little jealous.
'Stop it' She berated herself. 'Schnee's are never jealous' She repeated the phrase to herself. Trying to focus back on her grilled fish, Weiss took a sip of sparkling water to calm herself. And promptly began coughing when Winter leaned across the table to wipe the sauce off Ruby's cheek. With. Her. finger. She recognized that teasing gleam in her sister's eye. Winter had obviously taken too much of a liking to her girlfriend.
Weiss glared, growling under her breath. "Oh hell no."
Ruby squirmed in her seat, her face a brilliant shade of red. Weiss's older sister was smiling at her, and she couldn't help but squeal internally at the action. If Weiss was a queen, then Winter would be an empress. Her very presence commanded respect, and every time she spoke, it demanded for attention with a need to be heard and recognized. Sufficed to say, Ruby was a little star struck.
"Y-You didn't have to do that." Ruby stuttered out. "Your glove is kinda dirty now." She apologized. Winter just gazed at her calmly, quite enjoying the shade of purple that was painted across Weiss's face. As a Schnee, Winter knew how possessive her family could be. Her interest in the sweet girl before her was not unfounded, and it seemed that Weiss had realized it too. While she was not as heartless as to steal the girl away, the older Schnee sibling wasn't against (pardon the uncouth expression) charming her socks off.
"It will come off easily enough." She replied with tilt of her head. "Don't you think so, Weiss?" Winter felt her eyebrows rise when Weiss nodded tartly, glaring at her with an iciness that would make even their father proud.
"Er, Weiss?" Ruby took in Weiss's pinched expression. "Are you…okay?" She ventured cautiously. When there was no answer, the anxiety bubbling in her stomach grew. About to reach for her girlfriend, Ruby stopped when she felt her scroll vibrate. A glare from Weiss let her know that it was from her, so she discreetly unlocked her scroll while Winter turned her gaze back to the food.
'Look up.'
Confused at the rather redundant message, Ruby did as she was told. When she did, Weiss grabbed her collar and pulled her forward, kissing her. Hard. Ruby melted into the kiss, very much enjoying the taste of Weiss's strawberry chapstick. She blushed hotly when she felt something warm and wet prod at her teeth, and she let her girlfriend in without hesitation, stifling down groan when the tongue traced the upper part of her mouth playfully. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby could see Winter hiding a smirk as she watched her younger sister stake a claim. The girl was so predictable that it was almost embarrassing.
Her eyes half-lidded with surprise and desire, Ruby shivered when Weiss bit down on her lip. The bite didn't puncture the skin, but it succeeded in sending a burst of desire through Ruby. She let her hands trail across the porcelain smooth skin of the heiress's arms, the intimate gesture making Weiss smile albeit against her mouth. Nibbling on Ruby's lip one last time, Weiss drew back with a satisfied smirk. Her gaze clashed with Winter's, the huntress in training visibly gripping the sleeve of her partner's blouse.
"I bought this blouse for her." Weiss said. "Don't you agree that it looks really good on her, Winter?"
"Yes." The older of the two replied with a neutral tone. "Although, I feel that you should have gotten another colour instead. White, preferably."
Weiss held down a snort but nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
Ruby finally snapped out from the Weiss induced trance, glancing between the sisters with a gobsmacked expression. Her instincts told her to stay out of it, and she was going to do just that. It was like that time Yang tried poking an Ursa Major with a stick. It didn't end well.
The rest of the lunch carried on smoothly without any more surprise French kisses (much to Ruby's relief and disappointment) , and a soft knock of the door made all three occupants look up at the same time. They had booked a private booth to enjoy their lunch, since both Schnee's cared little for being stared at by gaping patrons. One of the waiters peered into the room and Winter nodded in acknowledgement; her calculating eyes then making him flee the scene.
"Well, it seems that my time is running short. Excuse me, but I'll be heading off first." She said. "Feel free to enjoy the rest of the time here. Everything has already been paid for."
Ruby nodded in understanding while Weiss just 'hmphed', much to Winter's unending amusement.
"It was nice to meet you, Ruby." Winter curtsied politely, nearly making the girl spill her drink. "We'll be seeing a lot more of each other, from now on." Weiss bristled at the teasing glint in her sister's eyes, but had enough sense to hold back from rising to the bait.
"Of course!" Ruby chirped, her lips spread in a broad smile. "Weiss and me really enjoyed the lunch."
"Weiss and I." Both sisters corrected at the same time. Gracing each other with bewildered stares, Winter chuckled under her breath when Weiss shot her an apologetic grimace, the hostility in her eyes receding slightly. Their upbringing still shone through despite their differences.
"You guys are definitely sisters." Ruby said with a grin. She nudged Weiss playfully, receiving a small flick to the forehead in return. At this, Winter smirked, waving goodbye as she turned to leave.
"Indeed. Our tastes are quite similar."
The door shut with a soft click, and the older Schnee turned to leave; the smirk never leaving her face.
The End
AN: Winter is one cool cat, amirite? *laughs* This is the product of staring at Winter fanart for a long time. Let me know what you think! And many thanks to dreadnaught for letting me know because I wouldn't have known that the concept art was released! And tbh, this is my interpretation of Winter's personality. I actually wanted to make her as prickly as Weiss when she had first met Ruby, but I changed my mind. Eh who knows, really?