A/N: I'm starting to worry myself with all this writing! This is partially (mostly) an introduction to one of my OCs- who, for those of you groaning, isn't going to be shipped with any canon characters, because I'll just be trapping myself into writing a huge, boring Stu.
I hope you enjoy him.
§SS§
All was quiet on the firing range as Ruby cracked open the door. Beacon provided this facility for students with ranged weapons so that they could practice without destroying a wing of the building. She idly twirled Crescent Rose around her body as she approached the other student- the only other student- on the range.
The young man was an odd breed. He looked far too portly and jolly to be a huntsman, but the way he spun his spear said otherwise. He wasn't as agile as Blake, as strong as Yang, or as skilled as Phyrra. He was certainly not the cream of the crop, but he was still nothing to sneeze at. He hummed quietly as he let go of his long spear, allowing it to switch itself into a rifle- such transforming weapons were common among Beacon students. "So you made it. Does Weiss know you're here, or did you give your sweetheart the slip?"
Ruby frowned. "Of course I told her I'd be here," she replied, letting her scythe become a rifle as well. "Now are we going to do this, or do I have to shoot you, Alex?"
The young man burst out laughing. The professor on range duty jumped a little at the sudden noise. "Let's get it done."
Giving some background here might be important. Alex had started at Beacon that year as well, and he'd noticed something while he watched Ruby fight on missions- her weapon was a scythe and a high-impact sniper rifle, but she always seemed much more eager to engage at close range, and indeed barely used the scope. When he'd asked her why, she'd sheepishly explained that she simply wasn't good at long range. He offered help, and she took it.
"Well," he said, "first thing's first- a good position. Prone is the best place to start. Here, let me help..."
Alex, for his part, fought primarily at distance. He was, as such, picky with these things. It seemed to Ruby that he spent a whole hour explaining the prone position's finer points. All the angles and distance measurements hurt her head a little, but she got them down. Once the finicky young man had himself satisfied, he started on breathing. "Slow and steady, that's the key, and don't believe that hold your breath bullshit, oxygen deprivation makes you shake," he muttered. "Gotta control your lungs. See how your breathing moves the sights around? It's all about stability..."
He spent another hour (or what felt like one to her) explaining, of all things, how to breathe. She'd never thought that basic involuntary actions could require this much explaining! It all seemed like senseless drivel to her, but she listened nevertheless.
Next came trigger control and follow-through. At least this was easy to understand. And Ruby was noticing something- her grouping was getting tighter. By the end of his lesson, she was staring at her targets in disbelief.
"It's amazing how much the little things matter, isn't it?" Alex asked her. "Just wait until you have to deal with wind and the curvature of the-"
"Whoa there," she said, cutting him off. "I just wanted to be a little better at a distance! You really don't need to start talking about that."
He sighed at her. "It's kind of a waste of your potential if you don't learn it..."
"Look, I'm sure I'll be fine," she giggled. "Thanks. Really, it's been great."
"Good," he laughed. "Just remember that sparring match you promised."
"You know I couldn't forget it!" Ruby replied indignantly.
"Good," he said with a grin. "Now go see Weiss. She probably misses you. And try and remember the range isn't the only place where little things matter, eh?"
She looked at him quizzically, and his meaning took a moment to sink in. "... Oh my Dust. I can't believe YOU'D remember something like that! How could I miss something so big?!"
He shook his head and laughed. "Go to her, Ruby. And I mean run. Double time!" Alex shouted.
The little reaper took the sniper's cue and started running. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten her promise when someone who had nothing to do with it remembered! Six months ago that night, she'd kissed Weiss Schnee for the first time, and last week she'd promised her partner the night- and it was already almost 1830! Ruby ran hard and fast, leaving many windblown messes in her wake as she rushed downtown to buy the things she'd need. All little things- the chocolates Weiss liked, a bottle of the scent she liked the most on Ruby, a new fountain pen... All the little things that mattered.
By the time Ruby returned, smelling of strawberries and bearing her gifts, the sun had already set, and Remnant's shattered moon was beginning to rise in the sky. When she opened their door, Weiss was there, waiting, playing with her hair- alone, since Yang and Blake had been kind enough to vacate until curfew hit. The heiress' eyes lit up when her little reaper walked in, only slightly out of breath. "You're here," she said with a smile, delighted with everything about her girlfriend.
"Of course I am, snow angel," she said, walking up and bending to kiss the older girl's forehead, and presenting her gifts.
Weiss looked on them with wonder- the fountain pen more so than the chocolates. It was just her color, engraved with her name... "You went to all this trouble, just for all the little things..."
Ruby giggled. "Well, the little things matter, Weiss."
Weiss grabbed her partner, yanking her into a tight hug. "I hope you know I got you something," the older girl said, reaching behind her and pulling out her gift. "I know books aren't usually your style, but-"
Ruby interrupted with a loud gasp and a squeal. "Is that a copy of Know Thine Enemy?!"
Weiss grinned, pleased with Ruby's delighted tone. "Yep! One copy of Know Thine Enemy: A Huntsman's Guide to the Creatures of Grimm! I noticed you eying it at the book store when Blake dragged us there."
"This is soooo much more comprehensive than the school textbook!"
Wiess grinned, popping a chocolate into her mouth and chewing slowly, savoring the flavor. "I thought you'd like it."
Ruby set the book aside, still grinning like a nut. She watched Weiss carefully- and as soon as she swallowed the chocolate, Ruby decided to taste it for herself, putting a hand behind her snow angel's head as she locked their lips, hungrily licking at them. Weiss obliged her and opened up, letting their tongues touch and melting into Ruby's arms while the younger girl played with her hair. After some time, they parted. Now the both of them were grinning like madwomen, staring into one another's eyes with love.
They spent that whole night doing the little things- stroking hair, nuzzling shoulders, murmuring sweet things in ears and kissing cheeks and foreheads and definitely lips.
They fell asleep in one another's arms, legs locked together, noses touching at the tips, pressed against one another in an intimate embrace beneath the blankets, the pen and the book aside while the emptied chocolate box laid on the floor, the wrappings scattered.
When Ruby woke up pressed to her partner, best friend and girlfriend all in one, she brushed the hair from Weiss' face and thought how lucky she was. She closed her eyes again and sighed with content. The little things really did matter.