A/N: Hey all, sorry for the extended leave of absence! Had a hard time writing anything longer than a page so I didn't want to clog up my uploads with that junk. Instead, have this junk that was inspired by January's leading meme. Also, shoutouts to Gear001 for pointing out a rather... unfortunate mistranslation on my part. It has since been fixed.

Ruby sighed, smiling as she watched the crystallized breath snake its way through the air. The smile did not last on her young rosy face for long, as she felt the wetness of half-melted snow begin to seep through her bright red boots. As much as she hated the cold sensation cushioning her small feet, she hated how it made her boots look a different red than the rest of her outfit. Ruby wasn't vain but she really liked how all her reds were the same: ruby red. Sure, some of the other seventh graders made fun of her for it but she didn't care; she liked how she looked in her ruby winter gear. Even her braces matched the colour scheme, thanks to a great deal of insistence on her part and a rather laissez-faire attitude from the dentist.

During the spring and even autumn months, the walk home from the bus stop was quite enjoyable for the red-loving preteen. She loved the warmth of the sun and the brilliance of all coloured leaves. But winter was just…

Slosh. The noise her boots made as she trudged her way through the cold mess best explained how she felt about this awful season. The walk took far longer than it had too because even if most of the ground was just a soppy filthy mess there was always the ice to watch out for. Ruby still remembered how she had sprained her ankle last year when she tried to sprint for the bus. Even the thought made her wince.

By the time she finally reached the simple white oak door of her simple white house, Ruby's teeth where chattering and her body was shivering. She hated the cold and winter. Pushing open the door, she saw her sister getting out of her own winter gear. Yang was only two years older than Ruby but everyone thought she was much older. Yang had already started breaking hearts even though it was only her first year of high school, although the middle school and high school being joined may have helped this. Her long flowing golden locks haunted many a classmate and those soft lilac eyes bewitched plenty of souls. Meanwhile Ruby's short black hair and childlike silver eyes made her appear cute but not in the way she wanted.

"Well, good afternoon, Rubble," said Yang, smiling as she noticed the door closing behind her. That smile was yet another foul trick her sister had. Ruby cursed her metallic mouthwear for blinding people in the wrong way. "How was your day today?"

"It was fine," grumbled Ruby, unwrapping her wet scarf from around her neck. "And it's none of your business anyways."

Yang gasped, in the most transparent attempt to appear offended that Ruby had ever seen. "Ruby, how could you say such a thing to your dearest sister? I merely wanted to know how my little, childish sister was doing on this glorious day. Did something get stuck in your braces again?"

Ruby knew better than to continue this conversation. Yang was a relentless teaser. But Ruby was not going to lie down and just take it today. She just had to choose a better time…

As Ruby plopped down on her bed, she heard the soft rustle of plastic wrappers and suddenly her day seemed much better. Rolling onto her stomach, she hung her head over the side of the bed to look under it. Sure enough, her stash had remained untouched since last night. Ruby grinned as her hands shot out and grabbed two large chocolate bars from a pile of empty wrappers. Her fingers were a blur as she parted the plastic covering to access the delicious treat and promptly chomped away at it, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling as pieces of half-chewed chocolate and fragments of peanuts made their way into the wiring of her braces. The sweet delicious melting taste was worth the latter aggravation of spending an extra minute or so brushing and flossing her teeth. And the crunch… The crunch of the nuts seemed to release a sort of excitement in Ruby as the sound filled her with a feeling of power and importance. As the chocolate partially dissolved in her mouth, Ruby admitted that maybe not all half-melted substances were that bad.

As she finished polishing off the fourth Royalty Sized bar, Ruby felt on top of the world. She was happy. She was invincible!

"Ruby!" Ruby's mind snapped back into focus at the call from her dad. "Dinner's in five minutes! Don't have any sweets until then, okay?"

"Uh-oh," Ruby murmured to herself as she dashed off to brush and floss her teeth. The last thing she needed now was a grounding from Dad.

"Ruby, you haven't touched your plate at all."

Ruby's eyes glanced down at her plate and, sure enough, it was full with food. The enticing smell of the spiced pork chops wafted up into her nostrils as she played with a blueberry using her fork. She could feel her mouth watering a little just looking at it but after her little snackfest in her room, there was no room for it.

Taiyang sighed, but he kept smiling. Ruby and Yang's father was a soft-hearted man who was almost as short as Ruby. He carefully kept his jet black hair short and gelled into a comb-over style. His eyes were beady black but always full of joy and love, especially for his two daughters. "Would you like me to help you cut the meat up more, Ruby? I can imagine that braces can be quite the nightmare to wear." But then those eyes narrowed and Ruby felt a little colder suddenly. "Or were you having a snack before dinner?"

"N-no, that's not it, Dad," began Ruby. Desperate to find an excuse, Ruby's eyes wandered the dining room before noticing the smug grin on Yang's face. Time for my revenge. "Actually, I'm trying to watch my figure for my girlfriend in my German class."

Ruby relished this moment as she took in her family's reaction. Taiyang raised an eyebrow and smiled. Yang, however, looked confused and… almost jealous. Score one point for me!

"Well, that's news!" laughed Taiyang. "What's her name?"

Suddenly Yang's lips parted to reveal a smile of perfectly white teeth. "Yes, Ruby, what is her name?"

Ruby was not a person who spent a lot of time considering plans before acting on them. "Uhh, her name is… Uhm…" Her eyes flickered all over the room, looking for something, anything to provide inspiration. Her gaze landed on the window as white snow fell to the ground. White snow… "Weiss Schnee!"

"That's funny. I've never heard of a Weiss Schnee at our sküle."

"Th-That's because…"

Ruby was sunk. There was no way out from this. She had made up too many details and yet not enough. Why she had even thought to mention the girl was from her German class was beyond… Suddenly, inspiration struck like a blinding strike of lightning.

"She's a transfer student," Ruby stated, matter-of-factly. "From Germany. She only started a few days ago. She's really pretty and thinks I am super cool!"

Yang gave Ruby a look of bemused pity. "Sure, Ruby."

Ruby glared at her sister. Those two words were a declaration of war. Ruby would find a girl to pretend date her and show Yang.

Ruby groaned to herself as she took her seat. A restless night of thought had made her realize that this whole idea was far too much work for what would almost inevitably result in painful, crushing defeat. She couldn't ask one of her classmates to fake being Weiss Schnee because Yang would likely recognize them.

Ruby dropped her head to the hard plastic desk, her messy hair muffling the thud. At the very least, this crisis was happening in German class rather than a class that would be difficult to breeze through.

As the bell rang to signify the start of the period, Ruby softly raised her head immediately went wide-eyed. The most beautiful girl she had ever seen stood at the front of the classroom next to Mr. Blaine. Her skin was porcelain white, matching her long elegant hair, styled so that a ponytail cascaded down the left of her face. Her piercing ice blue eyes seemed to look right through Ruby, although Ruby admittedly wasn't looking at the eyes. A thin scar cut from above her right eye to just above her cheek. It added a layer of mystery to the ethereal beauty.

"Alright class," began Mr. Blaine, his voice deep yet withered from old age. "Before we begin, we have a newcomer to our class. Please introduce yourself."

The white haired girl was the picture of refined sense as she pinched the edges of her white skirt and bowed deeply. Ruby noticed that her attire was almost entirely pure white. Except for the trim of her collar, which was a deep red. "My name is Weiss Schnee," she said, her voice softly accented. "I am a transfer student from Germany. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

Ruby wondered why the universe had decided to make her their plaything for the day. What had she done to deserve this cosmic comeuppance? Eating some candy before dinner shouldn't carry this grave a penalty.

"Thank you, Miss Schnee. You can sit next to Miss Rose."

Ruby's face turned a deeper shade of red than any cold had ever caused. Weiss followed Mr. Blaine's finger to where Ruby sat and nodded. Her posture made her walk seem like a float, her head and upper body never moving up and down as she calmly made her way to the desk next to Ruby's. Her manicured hands softly gripped the poorly made plastic chair before pulling it out enough for her to sit down.

She's an angel… "H-hi," stammered Ruby, flashing an awkward smile at Weiss. Ruby's new deskbuddy looked at her and Ruby realized she hadn't seen her smile yet. "My name's Ruby."

Weiss merely nodded before taking out a notepad from her shoulder bag. Ruby looked away and bit her tongue. You're choking! Quick, say something flattering!

"That's a nice bag," Ruby said. "It's pretty…" Like you.

Again, Weiss only nodded to acknowledge before turning her attention to Mr. Blaine, who was now beginning to teach today's lesson. Ruby cursed her luck and took out her own book, determined to find some common ground with Weiss.

"Now, who will read the next passage?"

Weiss felt a strong desire to roll her eyes but she was taught better than that. This was pretty basic stuff. At the very least, this would guarantee a high grade point average, something that Weiss needed to achieve. She was not going to let Winter get the better of her again.

"Miss Rose," completed Mr. Blaine. Weiss looked over at the girl next to her who practically yelped as she was called upon. Ruby was kind of cute, Weiss had to admit, but she still seemed far too airheaded and silly for Weiss to want to be associated with.

But then Ruby began to read.

Weiss could not believe what she was hearing. This girl's German was perfect. Not only that, but there was not a hint of an accent in her voice to show she was not a native speaker. On top of that, Ruby had a knack for storytelling, knowing when to stress certain words and phrases as well as visibly enjoying being able to convey such emotion and passion.

Weiss was, against all odds, impressed.

As Ruby concluded the passage, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Turning around she saw those intense ice blue eyes staring at her. She froze, unsure of how to react as she tried to read the situation and the expression of those eyes. They didn't seem angry, at the very least.

Weiss seemed to realize she was staring and suddenly averted her gaze. "Nicht schlecht…" she muttered.

After what seemed like no time at all, the bell rang to signal the end of the class. As everyone made a mad dash for the door, Ruby watched as Weiss packed her things. Ruby couldn't believe how beautiful this girl was. She stopped herself. Focus. This might be your last chance; she might not be in your other classes.

"Hi again," Ruby began, waiting for Weiss to stand up from her chair. "Listen, I know you just got here and probably have a lot on your plate but I really need your help with something."

Weiss paused and turned to face Ruby. "What would that be?"

"I… uhh…" Ruby wasn't quite sure how to put it in a way that didn't seem at least a little shifty. "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."

Weiss's expression was blank. Ruby internally winced, afraid she might have blown a real chance to get together with this pale goddess. "What is in it for me?" Weiss finally responded, after a moment that felt like an eternity.

Ruby cast her gaze down at the floor. "N-not much, really. I just… I just want to get back at my sister for all the years of teasing."

Weiss froze in place before grabbing Ruby by the chin. Before Ruby could screech her surprise, she found herself once again gazing into the frozen abyss of Weiss's eyes. "Older sister? Constantly one-ups you?"

Ruby tried to nod but found that despite the dainty look of the fingers, they held their grip very effectively. "Y-yes."

"People say she is prettier than you?"

"Yeah…"

Weiss held Ruby's gaze and chin a second longer before releasing it. "Very well. But you will follow my lead."

Ruby, now free to nod, did so vigorously. "Understood!"

"Meet me here after classes," Weiss said, throwing her shoulder bag over her right arm.

As Weiss left, even though Ruby couldn't see her face, she swore that Weiss was smiling.

The next day, Ruby rose bright and early. Tonight was parent teacher interviews, which meant being dragged along with your family as the school practically exploded with all the bodies that roamed in between classes, desperately wishing they were somewhere other than the cramped institution. Normally, Ruby would consider herself among that group but today… She had a plan.

Her and Weiss's afterschool planning session had yielded fruit. While the sweet food metaphor would usually distract Ruby, she could hardly think of anything but the plan at this point. It was simple but effective.

As she was ploughing through her cereal, Yang snickered. "What happened to watching your figure? Did Weiss break up with you?"

Ruby locked eyes with her sister, slowly wiping away a milk mustache. "Not even close."

It was time.

Weiss was suddenly doubting her resolve as she led her father and older sister to her German class. They shared the piercing ice blue gaze and the well-kept pure white hair that Weiss had. However, whereas she was currently nervous, they remained impassive. They also stood a good head or two taller than her but that was not an important detail to Weiss.

As Weiss took her seat in class, her family stood behind her, silently scrutinizing the few families who had arrived before them. Weiss could tell that they were less than impressed, not that she blamed them. They would probably be doing far more important tasks if she had not practically begged them to come.

Just when Weiss was starting to let herself calm down in preparation for what would inevitably be a huge mistake, she caught Ruby entering the class out of the corner of her eye. Accompanying her was a tall blonde, who was likely Yang. Weiss could understand Ruby's jealousy, knowing her own sister was often the one praised for her beauty and brains. Behind Yang strode Ruby's father, resembling neither girl at first glance but the jolly face quickly became an apparent family trait. As Ruby took her seat, Weiss looked away, for fear of botching the plan. She could feel her face begin to warm up, fearful of the events to come. No… It was a feeling closer to anticipation than fear.

Before Yang and Taiyang could attempt to initiate some small talk with their rather pristine looking neighbours, Mr. Blaine tapped the chalkboard with his pointing stick. "Thank you all for coming today. I am Mr. Blaine and I am the professor of this German class. Rather than bore you with chatter about what my students are learning, I feel a bit of interactivity would make this a more enjoyable experience for all of us." He sneezed to the response of about half a dozen 'gesundheit's. "Ah, it seems most of you already know some German!" The students groaned, having already heard this joke during their first day. "Now, every pair of students are going to teach you an important phrase in German to illustrate what they've learned."

Ruby seemed to find a very important groove in her desk, as her eyes were glued to it. She couldn't even think about looking up for fear of immediately locking eyes with Weiss. She needed to wait for her turn. The plan… The plan was simple and not going to fail. The plan was simple and not going to fail. The plan was sim—

"Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee are up next."

The plan was too complex and it was going to fail.

Ruby refused to make eye contact with anyone as she marched up to the front of the class. She could already tell that Yang and Taiyang were eagerly awaiting the ensuing event, finally meeting Ruby's girlfriend.

Ruby took an empty gulp as she reached the front and looked up at the crowd. Sure enough, her sister and father were smiling, although Ruby knew they were for different reasons. Turning her head slightly to her left, she saw Weiss, looking similarly nervous. Having seen her family, Ruby could understand the feeling better than she would've thought. But it was now or never.

"Fur dich ich habe Lieb!" Ruby said. Well, shouted better described the act. As she spouted this, she grabbed Weiss's face and pressed it against her own. Not the most elegant of kisses to be sure but Ruby doubted there would ever be a time that that descriptor would be applied to her. Not that this thought occurred to her in the next few moments because as messy and sloppy of a kiss, Ruby felt it melt away her world.

Weiss heard the resulting cacophony for a moment. She heard screams in German. Her father and sister, no doubt. She heard astonished gasps. Probably Ruby's family. She didn't hear the hooting and applause of the class and the indignant confusion of the parents as the rest of the world dissolved around her. She could not hear anything. She could not see anything. All she felt was Ruby's warm hands cupping her face and Ruby's soft lips pressing up against her own. Nothing else was important.

Ruby expected to pull away from the kiss and declare "…means I love you!". She would be looking her sister dead in the eyes and see unending envy in her lilac gaze. She would have finally beaten her. But as she pulled away from Weiss's lips, she did so slowly and found she couldn't look away. She had known Weiss was gorgeous but in the afterglow, she was more than an angel. The girl she had just had her first kiss with was a goddess.

However, the perfect moment would not last forever and the two girls found themselves back to being aware of the rest of the class, even if only peripherally. Weiss froze with panic. "…m-means I l-love—" Ruby stammered.

"I think that's enough outta you two," muttered Mr. Blaine, shaking his head.

The two girls solemnly took their seats, ignoring the smiling faces of their classmates and the scornful looks from the other adults in the room. Except Taiyang and Weiss's father. While Taiyang's grin may have been larger, the small grin on Weiss's father seemed far more noticeable.

As everyone made their way out of class, Ruby had finally recovered from her complete embarrassment over having had her first kiss in front of that many people. "So, Yang," she began, looking smugly at her older sister. "What do you think of my super good looking girlfriend, Weiss Schnee?"

Yang paused midstride to turn around to face her sister. She was wearing a kind grin on her face, to Ruby's surprise. "I'm happy for you."

"Really?"

The kind grin turned into a mocking one. "Not a chance, pipsqueak."

Plan B: I chop off all her hair. would have been Ruby's next thought in almost any other situation. But only one thing was on her mind now. I hope she will go out with me for real…