I wrote this fic back in the spring of this year! It's nice to finally get to post and share it now! A special thanks to asouthernrussian and to kamenriderbiocore for their support!

A/N: This is a normal life AU (I call it Bakery AU). No Grimm or Faunus. It's almost like my Ice Cream Shop AU, where Weiss' father owns a business where she works.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Bread And Citrus

Chapter 1.

Vale was a busy town, constantly full of busy people.

People did their best to make an honest living. Running shops and restaurants were popular options, though many offered car services as well.

Weiss Schnee was in the former group.

Her father had opened up a bakery only three years ago in the streets of Vale, being fortunate enough to rent out a space next to a few thrift shops and tailoring stores.

His business had gone well. He'd easily managed to hire a handful of professional bakers to prepare the foods in a large kitchen in the far back of the shop, while he left the selling up to his youngest daughter. Winter, his eldest, was away studying to eventually open her own business.

Weiss' father's shop was a humble little thing, with old-fashioned styled wooden floors and vintage designs coating the wallpapers. The elevated counter displayed many of their finest choices behind the glass, everything from bread to cookies and all else in between.

There were only five small tables with even smaller chairs set around the perimeter of the shop, as it was more intended to be a place to buy and go rather than sit and eat. But every now and again there were customers who preferred the latter option.

Calming, classical music was always playing on the radio for background noise, and whenever Weiss found herself alone, she often liked to sing.

The hours weren't terrible, either. Being a young college student, Weiss only had three classes a week during the summertime, all consecutively on the same day. Aside from Thursdays, she was devoting the majority of her full days to the bakery, since she fully intended to one day take over the family business.

But that day was still far off, and she had a long way to go.

So for now, she settled for enjoying every day as it came and went.

Her father knew she'd be perfect for the job behind the counter, because Weiss was a strong-willed girl with a silver tongue, so to speak. It wasn't often when she couldn't utilize her vernacular prowess to persuade customers to buy that extra slice of cake or add in another cookie.

Not only was she a suave young saleswoman, but she was a stern one as well. Any disputes that ever tried to raise their ugly heads in Schnee's Bakery never lasted for longer than thirty seconds.

Weiss had a certain way of utilizing that silver tongue of hers to throw verbal daggers, and she always knew her way around a sentence well enough to put an end to any arguments. But those were rare occurrences, and thankfully she didn't have to deal with uneducated people very often in the shop.

She loved her job for many different reasons.

For starters, it was her father's beloved business.

Ever since she and her sister had been young, talk of the bakery had always been woven into nearly every familial conversation. And it hadn't been for the sake of conditioning her into subconsciously favoring the profession; it was simply because it was something her family often got excited about and genuinely enjoyed.

Until three years ago, she had lived in the town of Atlas with her sister and father, but only recently they had moved to Vale for various reasons.

It wasn't often, but this job had allowed Weiss to travel, and even leave the stifling hometown that had slowly suffocated her for fifteen years.

Here in Vale, she felt she could breathe easier – and perhaps she really could. Geographically, Vale was closer to the ocean, and farther away from industry like Atlas was.

Every once in a while, when all the cars were at red lights and all the people had paused in conversation, if Weiss stepped outside for a moment, she could hear the distant crash of waves.

And often at night, after she'd closed up shop and begun the short walk home, she could smell the salty taste of the sea-breeze.

There were plenty of reasons why Weiss loved her job, and she knew that in time, even more would reveal themselves to her.

Weiss woke to a cool spring morning, where the very last remnants of winter still lingered on the breeze, but it wouldn't be long before they faded for good.

She woke as early as 8AM, as the bakery opened at 9 and closed its doors at 7PM.

There was no specific dress code for working at the bakery other than "look halfway decent" and to put on the little white apron lined with blue and decorated in the bottom-right corner with an embroidered image of a cookie, a cupcake, and a loaf of bread.

Other than that, Weiss was free to dress as she pleased. So she presently pushed herself out of bed and went to her drawers.

Her selection of clothing today was a light blue blouse and a white skirt that fell to her knees. It was already warm enough in the season not to require a jacket, so after eating breakfast and freshening up in the bathroom, Weiss headed out the door.

Sometimes, her father would walk to work with her, but for the most part he went to his office which was a five-minute car ride from home. While Weiss and the bakers dealt with the going-ons at the bakery itself, her father spent a lot of his time in his rented office space to deal with the financial aspects of the shop.

This morning, Weiss walked alone down the sidewalk, heading toward town with a strut in her step.

The people were just waking up and setting off to work.

The familiar faces Weiss was used to seeing on her path to work included an old woman who ran a flower shop nearby, and Weiss greeted her with a smile.

Now that the warmer weather was on its way, the petals of the potted plants were starting to brighten, adding a bit of vibrancy to the surrounding pale-colored buildings.

Another two minutes' worth of walking brought Weiss to the bakery.

The doors were locked, but the lights inside were on, telling her that the bakers were already present in their kitchen, hidden behind the back walls of the shop. Weiss tapped on the door and one of them hurried out to let her in with a good morning greeting.

The three bakers her father had hired came in a bit earlier than Weiss had to, and would prepare the usual quota of food for the day.

Morning time was Weiss' favorite time of day, as the scents of soft, freshly-baked bread were strong all around the shop.

When they opened the door to signify they were ready to start accepting customers, the scent wafted down the street for half a mile. And the soft whispers of the radio's music drifted through the air alongside the pleasant, homely smells.

As she entered, Weiss crossed the smoothly-waxed wooden floor of the customer's side of the shop. When she reached the marble counter, she went off to the far side, lifted up the movable edge, and stepped behind it. The floor was slightly elevated here, just by a few inches, so she may converse with customers comfortably, while still maintaining a slight air of authority in the shop.

Weiss put on her apron and took the short walk to the kitchen. She pushed open the doors and peeked in to greet the bakers briefly before returning to her station.

There were no customers yet, so Weiss took the liberty to start cleaning tables and the countertop.

The people knew that morning was the best time of day to pick up fresh orders from the bakery, so it was often their busiest time. Weiss entertained the line of customers herself, switching between being the salesperson and then working the register.

Most people knew what they wanted and were in and out quickly and entirely satisfied. The morning orders were things like bread and bagels, and they were simple enough.

But just as often as the working folk who were buying breakfast for the day entered, there also came in families with children who were seeking out freshly-baked cookies and treats.

Weiss had to be patient with them as they fumbled over the various choices depicted on the menu behind the counter, often taking several minutes to decide whether they wanted chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies or cookies with rainbow sprinkles or fudge cookies. Their brownies were also a popular choice, as were the cakes.

With the nicer weather on its way, more and more people would soon be coming through the doors to give Weiss plenty more business.

But for now, she enjoyed the semi-busy days.

Their early-morning hours were when the lines formed most frequently, and the lively people required a lively hostess.

Weiss was content to serve them and get a few extra dollars in the tip jar for it.

But even more than the paycheck, she simply enjoyed the work itself.

She took great pride in knowing she was helping her father with his business, and was glad and eager to be a part of what allowed him to live his dream each and every day.

And it was her dream too, to one day take over this business entirely. The smiles the food put on people's faces were rewards in and of themselves.

It could get hectic and even stressful at times with impatient or demanding customers, but Weiss was more than capable of handling herself and always managed to resolve the situation peacefully.

There was no commotion that morning, and by the time noon rolled around, there was a quick influx of customers for lunchtime, and then a brief hour of silence.

Rather than the chatter of customers, the music of the radio took prescience once again, and Weiss found herself humming along to the songs as she took her lunch break.

She sat in a single chair behind the counter, as the tables in the shop were exclusively for customers, and having a seat at one of them would be highly unprofessional of her.

She picked at her salad in between sips from her canteen, and finally bit into a green apple to savor the sour, juicy taste.

Every now and again, one of the bakers would come out of the kitchen to offer Weiss a leftover cookie, or something of the like.

But today, Weiss' typically-tranquil lunch hour was interrupted as a customer entered the shop unexpectedly. It was an odd hour of the day, but it still happened from time to time.

Weiss quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and put her lunch aside on a small table behind the counter. She stood and straightened herself up instantly, directing her attention to her customer as she went over the usual greeting.

"Welcome to Schnee's Bakery. Is there anything I can help you with?"

After working here in their new shop in Vale for three years already, Weiss had come to recognize her customers fairly well. She might not have known them all by name, but she'd committed most familiar faces to memory by now, often to match them up to their specific orders.

But this girl was one Weiss had never seen before.

The weather may have been getting warmer, but there was still a cool breeze from time to time, which was why Weiss was a bit baffled by the girl's choice in clothing.

She was wearing brown shorts and a yellow tank-top speckled with tie-dyed orange and white splotches. She had long, blonde, wind-blown hair that fell loosely down her back in a haphazard cascade, unlike Weiss' straight ponytail that resembled a neater, more controlled waterfall.

The girl sauntered about the shop, awestruck as she took in the scenery a bit until she realized Weiss had spoken to her. She made eye contact, and Weiss was instantly caught off guard by her mesmerizing lavender gaze.

The girl wore a bright, eager smile, and when she saw Weiss, she showed her white teeth in a grin.

"Hi, there!" she said. "I, uh... this is my first time comin' here, so I'm not familiar with what you have. Could you help me out?"

"Certainly," Weiss nodded. "We have a list of all of our available options right here." She motioned to the large chalkboard on the back wall. It listed all of their bread flavors in green writing, treats in pink, and limited-time offers in yellow.

The blonde girl's gaze traveled to where Weiss was pointing, and she stammered a reply.

"O-Oh. Right, thanks." She walked over to the side of the counter to peer at the list of options.

Weiss kept a respectable distance as not to get in her way or interrupt her line of sight. She could see the girl's eyes light up when she found what she was looking for on the menu.

"Oh, perfect!" the girl exclaimed. "You've got just what I need."

"What can I get for you?" Weiss prompted.

"Hmm..." The blonde started mumbling to herself. "Well, I'm not sure if I should get a lot, or just a few to start out. Y'see the bakery I usually went to just closed down last week, and they got relocated to the other side of town, so now this place is closest to home."

She quickly slapped a palm to her mouth before looking worriedly at Weiss. "Sorry! That's not to say your shop was like a 'Plan B' or a lesser option or anything like that! The only reason I never came here before was because I actually never even knew about it! I don't come into this part of town often and I never even knew there was another bakery here until recently! I-I'm sorry, I'm probably sounding so rude right now..."

She trailed off hopelessly, shoulders slumping and her gaze dropping to the floor.

But Weiss cracked a smile and shook her head politely.

"Not at all. I take no offense."

Quite frankly, her business had been doing well enough without this mess of a girl stumbling in every day to buy from them.

Of course the news that another bakery had closed up and moved out was only good news to Weiss, meaning people like this girl would now likely become patrons here instead.

Still, Weiss tried to be patient with the girl as she tried to stop babbling to herself.

"Anyway," Weiss went on kindly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The blonde girl looked up sharply, clearly glad that she hadn't hurt Weiss' feelings with her mindless banter.

"Yeah! I could smell the bread from this place a mile away, so I already know your food is awesome! So I'll take a baker's dozen of your chocolate-chip cookies, two large fudge brownies, and a slice of strawberry shortcake!"

Weiss committed the order to memory quickly and gave a nod.

"Just a moment please."

From a tiny dispenser on the counter, she pulled out a small napkin, which she used to touch the food to keep it sanitary, rather than making direct contact with her bare hands.

Weiss went to the cookie shelf which was located next to the bread. She gathered a baker's dozen of their popular chocolate-chip cookies into a box, positioning them in neat, orderly lines.

She sealed the box with expert motions and laid it on the counter before going to the refrigerated end of the counter where they kept their cakes. It was enclosed by glass on all sides, and Weiss opened the tiny door to reach inside.

There was a shelf for whole cakes and a shelf for individual slices, and Weiss took a plate with a strawberry slice. There was a bit of whipped cream on top, as well as a fresh strawberry, and at the blonde girl's request, Weiss covered it with rainbow sprinkles before packaging it up.

Finally, she grabbed two fudge brownies, wrapped them up, and put them into a bag. She put the brownie bag and the cake container on top of the larger cookie box to ensure it was easiest to carry.

"I'm assuming this for a birthday party?" Weiss inquired. "If so, I can give you our birthday discount," she explained, since this girl was new here.

But the blonde shook her head.

"Nah, not for a party. They're for my little sister!"

Weiss' eyes went wide. All of this? she thought. For a single girl?

Despite her astounded thoughts, Weiss made sure to remain professional when she spoke.

"I see... Well then, your total is fourteen dollars."

"Got it!"

The girl fished into her shorts' pocket to retrieve her wallet, and for whatever reason, Weiss felt mildly impressed; this girl seemed like the type to make an order and then forget she had no money on her.

She wouldn't go so far as to label her as a scatterbrain – not right away, at least – but from what Weiss had seen of her in the five minutes she'd known her, this girl seemed to tend to get overly-excited about things, enough to act without thinking.

She handed Weiss a ten and a five dollar bill, and Weiss gave her back a single. The girl slipped that into the tip jar with a wink.

"Keep the change~" she said with a grin.

In all honesty, the action made Weiss' heart thump a little bit, and she might've been flattered for a minute longer-

-if the girl hadn't picked up her order, turned around, and then proceeded to trip over her own two feet and drop all of her food.

There was a thud as she hit the floor, the cookie box slipping from her hands, though by some miracle the cake and brownies didn't fall off.

Alarmed, Weiss instantly rushed from behind the counter, pushing past the movable board and jumping off the small step.

"Are you alright?" she fretted, rushing to the blonde girl. She crouched down beside her, but didn't touch her, instead digging into her apron's pocket for her cell phone. "Should I call for help?"

"No-" the girl moaned. "Haha, I'm fine, I'm fine! Don't worry, it was just a lil' trip is all." She pushed herself up and dusted off her clothes, dragging her food containers back within her range.

Weiss watched her with concerned eyes.

"Are you sure?" she checked. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"Nah, not at all!" the blonde reassured her. "I'm fine, see?" She gave a wide grin to demonstrate.

Weiss might've been more convinced if not for the red mark on her forehead.

"I can get you some ice-"

"N-No need!" The girl quickly gathered her things into her arms and got to her feet.

Weiss hastily put a hand to her back just for support, and stood alongside her. The girl was clearly frazzled and in a hurry to leave now, and Weiss didn't want to hold her back. But she just wanted to ensure she was alright.

"Is your food damaged?" she wondered. "If so, I can give you new ones-"

"Nope! S'all good!" the girl said quickly, not even bothering to look back over her shoulder at Weiss. "I-I'll be on my way, for today! Thanks for everything!"

Before Weiss could figure out what else she could do, the girl had already rushed out the door and disappeared.

Weiss found herself alone once more, the blonde girl having left just as quickly as she'd appeared. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Weiss' stomach; the girl had seemed a bit jumpy from the start, but she'd practically ran out of the shop just now. Weiss couldn't help but feel guilty.

Was I too curt with her? she wondered. Did I offend her somehow? She wouldn't even let me help her up...

Despite her conflicting emotions, Weiss wouldn't be getting any answers today, and she knew that much for certain. She returned to the counter and slipped behind it, getting back into her proper place beside the register.

But even as the next wave of customers began filing in that afternoon, Weiss couldn't drag her thoughts away from the blonde girl.

There had been a sort of charm to her crooked smile, and despite her stammering words, her voice had been lively and pleasant.

As she closed up shop that night, Weiss found herself hoping the girl would come to visit again, and if she did, she would be sure to ask her name.

A/N: Next chapter will be from Yang's point of view! Let me know what you thought of this little introductory chapter, please!

Ch2 preview: She'd never been one to care much about appearances – people always just told her she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

But this was one of the first times Yang had deliberately gone out of her way to dress nicely, and in the back of her mind, she knew exactly why.

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