A/N: Well, I guess this is my official (unofficial?) introduction to the RWBY FanFic community, so hello! This is my first ever foray into writing RWBY FanFiction, so hopefully you all enjoy it. I am aware too that Remnant probably doesn't have Christmas, but I think it's probably okay to roll with it on this occasion. Anyway, I don't like to ramble up here, so without further ado let's get to the story! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!
Ruby couldn't even attempt to suppress the grin on her face as it stretched from one ear to the other. It was one of her favorite times of the year, and this year it happened to be even more special to her than usual, as this year would be the first time she got to spend Christmas with all of the new friends she had made during her time at Beacon. The actual holiday itself wasn't for another week, but the young huntress-in-training had been exuding immense amounts of festive cheer for the better part of the entire month; something which was received quite differently from person to person. Yang was all too happy to encourage her little sister's holiday spirit, whereas Weiss…well, Ruby was certain that by the time Christmas rolled around on the calendar that she'd figure out a way to get Weiss to embrace the merriment of it all as much as she did.
Maybe this would even be what did the trick, Ruby thought, as she stood up and grabbed onto the top of the large, red sack that she had with her. She had spent weeks and weeks doing the research to try to determine what the perfect gift would be for everyone, and after all the thought she had invested into her purchases she felt pretty good about what she had in store for everyone. Everything was – quite literally – in the bag, and she snickered to herself as she tied up the knot to hold everything in; slipped the traditional red, pointy hat on top of her head with a fluff of white cotton at the tip and a line of it around the opening; and donned the puffy, white beard that was held on by thin wire draped over her ears.
"Seriously, Yang? Again? How many times do I have to ask you not to leave your clothes on my bed?!" Weiss exclaimed with irritation as she'd only just returned to the dormitory that she shared with the rest of her teammates; discovering for what felt like the hundredth time that during the brief amount of time she'd been out of the room, her boisterous, blonde roommate had gone rummaging through her clothing and – as usual – had neglected to put everything back where it belonged once she found what she was searching for.
"Hey, you can't prove that that's mine!" Yang responded matter-of-factly in an effort to defend herself from such a severe accusation, although the smirk that curled up on the corners of her lips even as she was speaking perhaps undermined said efforts. Her case wasn't done any favors either when she propped herself up on an elbow and leaned over the side of the top bunk bed she had been lounging on to see Weiss holding up the offending article of clothing in question – a bright yellow sports bra bearing a small, black, burning heart symbol upon it. "…That could be anybody's!"
Yang's increasingly meager defense earned an exasperated grunt from the smaller white-haired heiress, who proceeded to fling the garment across the room and right into the clutches of her much more carefree teammate who in turn couldn't help but laugh at Weiss's indignation.
"Oh come on Weiss, it's not that big a deal! Are you sure this is what you're really upset about? Are you sure it's not just because…well, let's see, how to put this…because you might be a little bit jealous that you wouldn't fill this out as well as I do?" Yang asked lightheartedly while now holding up her sports bra to emphasize her point; the flustered expression and the rosy blush on Weiss's pale cheeks being enough to send her back into another fit of laughter.
"A-Absolutely not! First of all, the physical proportions of my body are perfectly healthy for a young woman my age! And second of all, my choices in athletic underwear should be none of your concern anyway!" She huffed, stammering slightly over her words and feeling somewhat foolish after a few seconds of watching Yang cackle for letting her teammate so easily get her goat like that. "Blake, you agree with me, don't you? Your bed is right beneath hers; surely you must have to deal with finding her clothes littering your bed as often as any of us, right?" Weiss asked as she decided to turn her focus elsewhere in search of an ally in what even she could admit was a rather petty squabble. It was the principle of the matter though, damn it.
"I think I'm going to take a pass on getting involved in this." Blake replied from where she sat on the bed right underneath Yang's with her knees up; a book sitting open on her thighs and her golden eyes not even leaving the pages as the raven-haired Faunus did not have to stop and think for very long to come to the conclusion that it'd be best to let these two settle this themselves. "Oh, by the way, I think these belong to you." She added however before reaching down towards where her feet were resting and grabbing onto a black pair of boy shorts that she subsequently held up with her arm, allowing Yang to grab those as well.
"Thank you kindly!" Yang called back down to Blake as she retrieved that particular pair of bottoms that had gone missing while Weiss let out another huff of disbelief and Blake couldn't help but smile softly. She might have felt a little bad about ganging up on Weiss like that, but she couldn't deny just how entertaining it could be to tease the occasionally uptight ice queen a bit.
"Fine! Go ahead and keep enabling this sort of slovenly behavior! Just know that the next time I find any of your clothes on my bed, I'm keeping them!" Weiss asserted now that it had become apparent she would not be receiving any support from Blake on the issue. The two of them could keep on being content living under such untidy conditions if they wished, but she was not going to allow her personal space in the room to become so unkempt.
The urge Yang had to make a snappy retort about how none of her clothes would probably fit on Weiss anyway was almost unbearably strong, but just as she was about to open her mouth to prolong her good-natured ribbing, she was abruptly startled in the same manner as both of the other girls in the room by the door being kicked open and the rather unexpected figure now standing in the doorway.
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas Team RWBY!" Bellowed their short leader who now stood there quite triumphantly with a large, red sack slung over her shoulder; beaming so brightly that her smile could be seen even with the long and woolly, white beard she's sporting as part of her costume – although considering the fact that other than the beard and the hat she's still wearing her usual attire, it was fair to question just how much of a costume it could truly be called. "I come bearing gifts, since you've all been such good girls this year! Even you Weiss!" She continued, deepening her voice as best she could to mimic that of a rather rotund and jolly man's while ignoring the protest of "Hey!" that an offended Weiss let out.
"Well forgive me for being the one to break the bad news to you Santa, but Christmas isn't until next week. I think you might've gotten started a bit too early this year!" Yang replied with quite an amused smile herself upon seeing the vast amounts of joy that her younger sister was clearly taking in this, and more than happy to play along just to see where exactly Ruby planned on going with it all.
"Yes, well, you see, it's a lot of work to visit all the boys and girls in Remnant in just one night! So sometimes I like to get a head start on things by visiting those at the very top of my list so they can experience some early Christmas cheer! Yes, that's right!" Ruby came up with her answer on the spot, but felt quite pleased with it once she was finished and had a moment to think about it. It made enough sense to her at least.
"You might want to do something about your beard then Santa…it's lopsided." Weiss pointed out as even she couldn't help but grin at her friend and team leader's antics; watching along with the other girls as Ruby quickly tried to correct her facial hair only to leave it crooked in the opposite direction, repeating the action a few more times in an effort to get it just right before becoming fed up at being outwitted by a fake beard and simply pulling it off her face altogether. Her roommates all shared a giggle at her unfortunate but entertaining plight as Ruby now stood there smiling sheepishly.
"I think you guys all sort of knew it was really me…aannnndd it was kind of itchy anyway. But! That still doesn't change the fact that I have hand-selected presents for each of you and I can't wait a whole 'nother week to see the looks on your faces when I give you them!" The diminutive and cheerful substitute Santa exclaimed while swinging around the sack she'd been carrying over her shoulder, dropping it down onto the floor in front of her with a light thud that evidenced some weight to the objects within.
"You really didn't have to go through so much trouble Ruby, at least not for me." Blake chimed in with a soft smile, watching her friend already opening up her bag of gifts and rummaging through its unknown contents. She was touched by the sentiment, but hoped that Ruby hadn't put any undue stress on herself just trying to find the Faunus and her friends the perfect gifts. "Just being here and spending time with you guys is more than enough for me."
"Are you kidding? Giving people gifts on Christmas is like, my favorite thing about the whole holiday! And, you know, getting them is also pretty nice too, and building snowmen, and making hot chocolate, and decorating with tinsel and lights, and…"
"Grab the wheel Ruby; you're drifting off the road." Yang piped in with a smirk after her little sister rather characteristically lost her train of thought by getting caught up in all the wonderful things about the yuletide season. Ruby responded by briefly sticking her tongue out towards her, though her focus was brought back to the matter currently at hand.
"Anyway! How about I give you your present then first, Blake? Just give me a sec and close your eyes!" She proposed as she crouched down so that she could reach all the way down into the large, red, velvet pouch containing all the items intended for her friends. Blake meanwhile knew that there would be no arguing with Ruby on this, and decided to accept whatever she had coming to her as she marked the page in her book and set it aside before closing her golden eyes just as instructed.
In truth, Blake wasn't really sure what she should be expecting to receive. More than anything else she just hoped that it was something she'd genuinely enjoy and appreciate, since it would make her feel terrible if Ruby had gone through all the time and effort to get the best gifts possible for everyone and she ended up getting her something that she really didn't know what to do with. Just in case though, she started to mentally prepare herself to give the best fake reaction of delighted surprise that she could muster, despite poker faces not exactly being her strongest suit.
"Ta-da! Open your eyes Blake!" She heard Ruby's jovial voice cry out, and the taller of the two brunettes inhaled tensely in anticipation of needing to keep herself from hurting Ruby's feelings.
Those fears turned out to be completely unnecessary after all.
"Ruby…where did you even find this?" Blake asked with surprise after taking a couple of seconds to marvel over what she was being presented with; taking the large and bulky book from Ruby's and placing it upon her lap. It was leather bound, and the material was rough and worn; a sign of its age and making the relatively untarnished condition it was in all the more impressive. She ran her fingertips across the lettering of the front cover, embossed in a glimmering gold and spelling out the title of the tome – Maxwell's Definitive Anthology of Fairy Tales and Folklore.
"Welllll I asked Profess—err, Doctor Oobleck if he had any books like this one that were about old stories or stuff like that. He asked why exactly I would want something like that – still not sure whether or not I should be insulted by that – but when I told him I was looking for a Christmas present for you, he was happy to give me one from his collection! I also have to stay after class and help him organize all his research papers and stuff, buuuutt I figured it was worth it." Ruby explained with a rather pleased smile at seeing the expression upon Blake's face; one of obvious awe as she opened up the classic book that she now held in her possession. The pages felt so smooth to touch, the unmistakable texture of aged vellum holding up remarkably well considering that this book must be at least a hundred years old.
"This…this is…wow; I don't even know what to say. This is an incredible gift Ruby. I…thank you. Thank you so much." Blake managed to put together while still so overcome with emotion and gratitude, not just for the gift but for having a friend like Ruby who knows her well enough to discern exactly the kind of thing she'd want, plus giving up who knows how many hours of her free time assisting Oobleck in cataloging his amassed research on Grimm.
"You don't need to say anything besides that! You're welcome, Blake. I'm really glad you like it." Ruby replied as she and her bookish teammate shared an affectionate smile, this heartwarming moment between friends only being interrupted by a clearing of the throat from the bed directly above Blake's.
"Ahem! Some of us are still waiting for our gifts, please!" Yang interjected with a beaming, impish grin towards her little sis; particularly eager to see what Ruby still had stowed away in that sack for her after discovering the awesomeness of what Blake had just received.
"You're right sis, how rude of me! Weiss, let me give you your present now!" Ruby cheerfully proclaimed while flashing an oh-so-innocent smile before returning to her bag full of goodies; causing Weiss to put a hand over her mouth to hide her snickering as she peeked over towards Yang and shot her a teasing wink. The buxom blonde's expression had deflated quite comically, but for her part, she supposed that she did kinda have that one coming. Well played, little sis.
"Oh Ruby, you really didn't need to get me anything either. Like Blake, I would be quite happy with just the company of you three for the holiday…however, since you went through all the trouble of picking out a present for me, it would be terribly rude of me to not accept it!" Weiss consented while earning arched eyebrows and sideways glances from both Blake and Yang, who apparently found reason to be suspicious of their white-haired comrade's claim that she truly had no selfish desire for gifts. Her smile wavered momentarily as she felt their scrutinizing eyes upon her. "And…maybe I also really like getting presents too." She finally added a bit more demurely after realizing that what she was selling wasn't being readily bought.
"It's okay Weiss, everyone likes presents! You were kinda hard to shop for though. I mean, what do you get for the mega-rich, Atlesian heiress who has everything, right?" Ruby chimed in as she found what she was looking for inside of her large sack, reaching down to grab it while inwardly feeling nervous about what she had ultimately ended up deciding on for Weiss. Everything that she had come up with at first, she knew that Weiss already owned; either that or she would own a superior version of it.
"Oh…well, I'm sure that whatever it is you got for me, I'll enjoy it every bit as much as Blake enjoyed her gift!" Weiss responded with a nod towards her team leader who had decided to play the role of Santa early this year. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt either while standing there beside the makeshift bunk beds that she shared with Ruby. Of course she was going to be an absolute nightmare to shop for, how could she not have thought of that? It wasn't her fault of course, but she still felt bad about Ruby having to go to such great lengths in order to figure out what to get for her so that she wouldn't be left out.
"Okay, well, close your eyes then! Let's find out!" Ruby replied with enthusiasm and Weiss did as she was told, shutting her startlingly bright blue eyes and bouncing ever so slightly up and down upon the balls of her feet with keen anticipation. She held her hands out in front of her with palms facing upward as well so that she could more easily receiver her gift.
Meanwhile Ruby was quite thankful that Weiss had her eyes closed and couldn't see yet what it was that the younger girl was gripping onto the edges of as she removed it from the sack. Not just because she had procrastinated for so long either on actually wrapping the presents that she ended up with no time to do so, leading to her asking all her friends to simply close their eyes instead to preserve the suspense and surprise of it all – though that was not an insignificant part of it. No, even with how far their friendship had progressed since that fateful day they first met at Beacon, Ruby still felt the need to prove herself to Weiss. Was it unnecessary at this point? Yeah, probably. But even when it came to something like picking out a good Christmas present, Ruby was determined to show her frosty friend that she was up to the task.
"Annnnnndddddd...Merry Christmas, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed as she walked over to her teammate and placed her gift directly into her awaiting hands; then proceeding to quickly bring her own hands behind her back and cross her fingers while Weiss opened her eyes and laid them upon the object she was now holding.
Almost at once, Weiss knew that it was perfect.
In her grasp she now possessed something so simple, and surely of far less monetary worth than many things that had been bestowed upon her during Christmases past – or even just the book Blake had been given – but it was without a doubt something that Weiss could treasure deeply. And something that she only now realized she didn't already have.
"Ruby…I think this might be one of the best Christmas presents anyone has ever gotten me. Thank you." She said with sincerity and warm smile, obviously quite touched by what Ruby had chosen for her as she looked up to meet her dear friend in the eyes before returning her gaze to what she now held with such fondness. It was a photograph that had been taken of the four of them during the early part of the month, when the first snowfall of the season hit the city of Vale; and it was set inside of a thick frame of dark wood featuring intricate designs carved all along the edges, most likely by hand.
"Phew! Thank goodness you like it!" Ruby replied after letting out a huge sigh of relief, her slender shoulders now feeling a lot lighter with that heavy burden having been removed from them. "I got a good deal on the frame from a craft shop in town, and you can thank Jaune again for taking the picture in the first place." She added as it was indeed their kind-hearted yet occasionally inept friend and classmate who did them the honor of photographing the moment.
For the moment though, Weiss was too wrapped up in appreciating the gift she'd just received as she clutched it in her small porcelain hands. To most people, a photograph with their friends would be simply that – a photograph. To the young Miss Schnee however, it was something much more. Her whole life she'd felt as if she never truly fit anywhere, or lived up to people's expectations of what they wanted her to be; most pertinently from her father, with whom her relationship had become – no pun intended – rather icy.
But ever since enrolling at Beacon, it finally felt like some of that was starting to change. Weiss finally felt like she belonged somewhere, and was surrounded by people who not only truly cared about her, but accepted her for who she was regardless of whatever flaws she might have. Her teammates were her friends, and her friends…they felt more like family to her than her father ever has.
"I'll make sure to do that. Thank you again Ruby; this really is a wonderful gift. I should thank all of you, really. It's because of you guys that my time spent at Beacon has been so…rewarding. You're the best friends that I've ever had, and truly, I mean that." Weiss confessed to her assembled gal pals as she placed the framed picture prominently on the dresser beside her bed. Looking over towards the opposite pair of bunk beds, she earned a couple of earnest smiles from Yang and Blake before starting to turn her attention back to Ruby. Her speed was no match however, and before she could react, her team leader had beaten her to the punch.
"Awwww Weiss! Stop it before you make me cry! You're our best friend too!" Exclaimed the pint-sized, black-and-red-haired Santa impersonator who could no longer contain herself; racing over to her white-haired companion and flinging her arms around her with enough force to knock Weiss off balance and nearly topple them both over. Fortunately, the older girl managed to steady herself, and after doing so reached up to tug upon Ruby's ear to elicit a yelp from her of surprised discomfort.
"This does not give you permission to hang yourself all over me whenever you please!" Weiss protested as she found herself forced to remind Ruby about personal boundaries and the certain limitations that she prefers to have on intimate physical contact.
"Ugh! Okay! Understood!" Ruby grunted out before breathing a very relieved sigh as Weiss released her grip upon the younger girl's ear lobe. When she looked back up though, the soft smile curled upon Weiss's lips was unmistakable, and Ruby gleefully responded with her own bright, toothy grin.
"Are you done ignoring your big sister now? Or are you going to make your one-and-only, flesh-and-blood sibling wait even longer before you give her present to her?" Yang once more piped in with a playful attempt to guilt her younger sister for handing out early Christmas treats to both Blake and Weiss before her, though she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't enormously proud of Ruby for coming up with such meaningful gifts for their two teammates.
"Oh come on, I was just saving the best for last! And maybe it was also a teeny, tiny bit of fun to make you wait. But now it's your turn, so get down here and close your eyes!" Ruby replied as she went to go back to rummaging through her sack while Yang swung her long legs around and hopped down over the edge of her upper bunk bed to land gracefully on her feet. Glancing from one side to the other at both of her teammates whom were still admiring their gifts, she couldn't help but feel giddy with anticipation either to see what Ruby had gotten for her.
"Hopefully whatever it is, it isn't something fragile. It's not exactly as though you're known for having the most gentle touch." Blake remarked at the blonde's expense; teasing her over her occasional tendency to let her notorious exuberance get the better of her at times.
"As long as she didn't get her any clothes. Otherwise I have the sinking suspicion that sooner or later I'll have to hold it for ransom after finding it on my bed." Weiss joined in before Yang could even respond to Blake's jab; shooting the messy teenager a stern look as it's clear that the icy heiress was only half-joking. Unfazed, Yang countered by sticking her tongue out towards the princess of dust, which in return earned her an exaggerated eye roll and a huff of annoyance while Blake quietly chuckled at the two.
"So would this be a bad time then to say that it's kinda clothing and kinda fragile?" Ruby asked with a sheepish grin and a shrug as she stood back up with a small, long wooden box held in her hands in front of her; looking like the kind of thing you'd keep a piece of jewelry or a watch in.
"Ruby, I hope you didn't get me something expensive or anything like that. I don't want you blowing all your money just on a Christmas present for me." Yang said back to her younger sister upon taking notice of the box herself, rubbing the back of her head and feeling somewhat guilty with the assumption that Ruby had gone out and bought something on the more costly side for her.
"Nope! Why don't you just take it for yourself though and see what it is?" Ruby proposed while still sporting a glowing smile, extending her arms out towards her big sis so that the blonde brawler could accept the wooden box and regard it with some intrigue before finally lifting up the lid and discovering what was hidden within. Her lilac-colored eyes widened when she saw the necklace nestled in the velvet lined interior of the case; particularly upon the dark red gemstone that served as the centerpiece of the accessory and the thin, silver chain it was hanging from.
"Ruby! I thought you said that—"
"I did! I wasn't lying either. It didn't cost me anything." Ruby confirmed while cutting off Yang's protests over the seemingly high value of the piece of jewelry that had just been gifted to her; prompting Yang to look back up towards her in confusion. Ruby could barely contain her excitement now. This was going to be the best part. "It didn't cost me anything because it's, well, kind of an heirloom now I guess. I talked to dad. I asked him for advice on what I should get you this year. Then he said something about how he figured you were finally old enough to have something, which I didn't really understand when he got up and left, but then he came back with this! Yang…this necklace used to be your mom's."
For one of the very rare times in her young life, Yang was left speechless. She hadn't the faintest clue of how she was supposed to react to or process any of what Ruby had just informed her of. First was the shock of simply learning that what she held in her possession now was the very same necklace that her mother used to wear. Then there was anger at the thought of her father keeping something like this a secret to her, when he knew better than anyone just how desperate she was to get closer to her mother in any way possible. That feeling subsided almost as quickly as it had been birthed however, and was replaced by a wave of heartfelt warmth as she carefully reached her slender fingers into the box and lifted the necklace out by the dangling jewel to admire it more intimately.
"This…this is…it's everything I've ever wanted. Thank you Ruby…thank you so much!" Yang finally said back to her as emotion threatened to overwhelm her judging by the water that had begun to take up residence in her eyes, which she reflexively attempted to fend off by wiping it away with the back of her free hand.
"Aww you don't have to thank me! Really you should thank dad since he's the one who gave it to me to give to you. I'm nothing but a humble messenger!" The shorter scythe-wielder replied with modestly while proceeding to give a somewhat exaggerated bow at the waist.
"Messenger or not, I don't think any of us could have asked for a better Santa Claus this season." Blake smiled towards Ruby with sincere appreciation for everything that she had done for the rest of their team. She couldn't deny either that she was getting a tiny bit dusty-eyed herself just from witnessing the emotion being expressed and exuded by Yang at the moment.
"Or a better team leader. I can admit that I had my fair share of doubts in the beginning, and though it may pain me to say such a thing…I suppose it turns out that I had unfairly misjudged you, Ruby Rose. I'm proud to call you my team leader…and my friend." Weiss added with a smile of her own and breaking from her typically business-like demeanor to join in on singing Ruby's praises for her efforts this Christmas.
"Awwwwww Weiss! That's like, the nicest thing you've ever said about me!" Ruby exclaimed while bouncing up and down on the balls of her tiny feet like a small child on a sugar rush; Weiss's eyes meanwhile growing in size a bit as she started to realize what she'd just done and what was likely about to happen next. "Come here you!" Ruby followed up before lunging for the girl who was practically the embodiment of the current weather outside, forcing Weiss to instinctively throw her arms up to try to shield herself from the impending collision. To her surprise though, it never came, and when she peeked her head back up she found out why.
"Oh no you don't! Nobody gets to hug my super amazing and awesome little sister before I do right now!" Yang cried out with the biggest and brightest smile imaginable spread across her face from one ear to the other while embracing Ruby tightly in her arms and up against her well-proportioned figure; grunts emerging from the trapped girl's lips as she appreciated Yang's affection but was finding it a struggle to breathe thanks to her innate strength. After a few seconds of flailing miserably in the hopes of escaping, Ruby was finally granted her release by Yang; immediately gasping for oxygen and catching a lighthearted smirk from Weiss that seemed to say, "Now you know how it feels."
"I'm just really glad that all of you like your presents so much! Now, if you'll excuse me…" Ruby said with joy before walking over to the place on the floor where her discarded beard laid; reaching down to pick it back up and loop the string around her ears to don the mask of white fluff once more. "…there's still more Christmas cheer that needs to be spread!" She finished in her deeper disguised voice as she grabbed onto the top of her large red sack and slung it back over her shoulder, gifts still clearly remaining within. Heading for the door, Ruby Claus paused just before exiting and looked back over her shoulder at her teammates to tell them in her normal voice, "Oh if you guys need me, I'll be across the hall."
And with that, she took her leave and shut the door behind her, leaving Weiss, Blake, and Yang all with smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts. For a few brief moments, nobody said anything and they all enjoyed a serene sort of content silence together. Then they heard the muffled sound of a door opening on the opposite side of the hallway.
"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas Team JNPR!"
"SANTA! You came early!"
"That's right Nora! Now gather around and come get your gifts!"