Alrighty, here's something different for you all: actual romance-y stuff! I'm taking a break from my other stories because let's be honest here, there are only so many ways you can write pornography. So, some White Rose RWBY fanfiction!
A couple of things: First, this is following an alternate timeline going from Volume 2. Basically, Cinder and her cohorts and by extension Salem are not present. So, after dealing with Torchwick in the early part of that volume (Assume he's just a giant dick and was going to do a form of Cinder's plan to take down Beacon) everyone basically does what would have happened if all that crap didn't ruin everything. (No, I'm not sore about the ending of Volume 3, why do you ask?)
Second, this is a romantic fanfiction. Don't expect my usual stuff in here. And if that displeases you, find something else to read. I'm not discounting it in the future, but with what I have in my head right now, don't expect it any time soon.
Now, on to the story!
Chapter One:
Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, never thought she would have time for silly things like falling in love. How could she? Between training to be the best Huntress she could be and restoring her family name, love was one of the things she thought she'd never have the luxury of. Companionship, maybe. An arranged marriage, not perfect but it would make sense. But falling in love? Head over heels, butterflies in her stomach, heart pounding, stars in her eyes love? Weiss couldn't ever fathom doing something so…so silly.
Then Weiss had met her.
Ruby Rose. Just thinking her name sent her heart aflutter and a blush creeping into her pale skin. Weiss was currently sitting in one of Professor Port's lecture…story things with the rest of the first year Huntsmen and Huntresses. Including Ruby. Ruby was sitting next to Weiss, head bobbing to something only she could hear. Weiss smiled in spite of herself, before quickly fixing a scowl on her face and focusing on the lecture.
But she couldn't. Weiss couldn't focus on anything right now but the girl sitting next to her. As carefully and as casually as she could, Weiss snuck a look at Ruby. The red hair that looked black, except right at the very tips. Those sparkling silver eyes that were always alight with a smile, even when her lips weren't. Her creamy skin, with very few scars, which was surprising, considering her choice in weapon.
Weiss shook herself again and forced herself to focus and not daydream. Certainly not daydream about laying on a hill in the sun with Ruby laying her head on her chest, Weiss idly stroking her cheek. Certainly not about their hands being entwined as their breath mingled before…
Come on, Weiss, Weiss thought to herself as she snapped back to reality. You can't keep thinking about this! But she did. No matter how many times Weiss snapped herself out of it, her mind kept showing her the young girl in the red hood. Always smiling, always happy. Never staying dejected or defeated for very long. So strong, so beautiful.
Finally, the bell rang, and Weiss got out of there as fast as possible. She needed to get as far away from Ruby as she could. Before anyone could stop her, Weiss had dropped her books off at the room and rushed outside. And then, she walked. Weiss walked and walked and thought. Weiss tried to think about her upcoming birthday, which was tomorrow and which no one knew about. Weiss was used to having lavish parties thrown in her honour for her birthday. But that had been in Atlas, where her father would insist on it, despite her not really wanting them. But as much as she pretended to enjoy them, the fact was the parties were never for her. Not really. So, she kept it a secret, so people didn't have to pretend to care.
Weiss looked up from her reverie and found that she was standing in the middle of the main courtyard. Weiss smiled to herself. This was where she first met Ruby. Weiss remembered it clearly: she had just arrived from Atlas and was having her stuff brought in, and almost out of nowhere this dolt of a person just fell into her things. Of all the nerve! Weiss shook her head as she remembered how badly she had treated Ruby those first few days. She had been so bratty. But despite Weiss's bad attitude, Ruby had persevered.
"You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, "Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool...and I wanna be her friend!"
And that was that. Ruby kept at it, and eventually wormed her way through the chinks in Weiss's armour and made it clear that she didn't care. Ruby didn't care Weiss was a Schnee, that she was rich or anything else really. Though they'd gotten off to a very rocky start, all Ruby saw was someone she could be friends with.
But it wasn't until the start of their second semester that Weiss realised her feelings for Ruby had jumped down the proverbial hole and weren't that of a friend.
"Weiss? Weiss! Don't leave me! NOOOOOOOO!"
It had been a silly way to spend their time, that food fight. Fun, but silly. Not the sort of thing people would associate with a Schnee. But when Weiss was knocked into that pillar, even though she was just feigning unconsciousness, Ruby had been concerned. Though it was very over dramatic, Weiss felt warm in her heart that Ruby seemed to care so much. And that was the first time Weiss daydreamed of them on a hill in the sun.
Weiss had tried to ignore it. But she couldn't. It had taken her a while to admit it to herself, but once she had, everything became both clear and muddled at the same time.
She, Weiss Schnee, was in love with Ruby Rose. It was like puzzle pieces locked into place and Weiss could see the two of them together. But now, it was an effort to keep it secret from everyone. Weiss wanted to tell Ruby how she felt, she really did, but it could cause so many problems. It could affect the team, it could destroy their friendship. Hell, if Yang thought Weiss was going to break her sister's heart, Weiss would probably have to be on the next transport back to Atlas just to slow her down.
But keeping it secret wasn't helping either. Weiss could hardly be in the same room as Ruby now, not for any length of time before her heart began to ache. Before Weiss's hand almost unconsciously reached out for hers. Before the words "I love you" left her lips and ruined everything.
Thankfully, at that point, her scroll began to buzz, shaking Weiss out of her thoughts. Weiss answered it. "Hello?"
"Hello Weiss."
"Winter!" Weiss was immediately cheered up hearing her beloved older sister's voice. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."
"Silly girl," Winter said coldly, before her voice softened, "Did you think I was going to miss saying happy birthday to my little sister?"
"Oh, thank you," Weiss said, surprised. "I thought you'd be busy with your work."
"Never let work get in the way of what's important, Weiss. What are your plans for tomorrow? And don't say nothing, because that is unacceptable."
"I," Weiss hesitated, "I didn't have anything planned. I didn't want my team to feel pressured into living up to Schnee expectations."
"Meaning you didn't want them to try and fail to throw a huge party. There is more to life than lavish parties, Weiss."
"I know that!" Weiss snapped. "But…"
"But what?" Winter's voice was cold and inflexible. Weiss realised that she'd stepped over a line.
"I'm sorry," Weiss apologised, "I've had some things on my mind. Well, someone."
"Oh? Does my sister have a crush on some Vale boy?"
"It's not a boy," Weiss admitted, "And it's not a crush!" Weiss blushed at the thought. Crushes were for kids or young teenagers. That wasn't what she was feeling. At least, she was sure it wasn't. "Her name is Ruby."
"Ruby Rose? Your team leader? That's…surprising. Your letters never gave me the impression you were nursing a pining heart."
"It's…a fairly recent revelation."
"Ah, I see. Well, I…" Winter's voice seemed to go distant as she exchanged short words with someone. "I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't talk longer. Have a happy birthday, Weiss."
Before Weiss could say goodbye, Winter hung up, leaving Weiss staring at her scroll. Winter was always busy. Ever since she joined the military, Winter had less and less time to spend with her. Now Weiss was at Beacon, that time was even more strained. The one person Weiss could count on, and now she could barely speak to her.
Tears leaked out of her eyes. Weiss knew loneliness well: it comes from a difficult childhood. It was like a cold blanket wrapped over her, a clutching hand over her heart.
"Mirror, mirror," Weiss sang as tears leaked out of her eyes and dripped to the ground. "Tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all? I'm the loneliest of all." Alone in the courtyard under the fading light of the sun, Weiss Schnee cried her silent tears of loneliness.
"Hey," Ruby said as she, Blake and Yang walked back to their room, "Have you noticed Weiss has been acting weird lately?"
"What do you mean?" Blake asked, curious.
"I'm not sure," Ruby admitted, "But she's been really distant lately. She's always running off and not coming back to the room until late. I thought someone might be bullying her first, or blackmailing her or something, but she just seems really distracted." Once Ruby had really noticed what was happening with Weiss, she'd immediately gone to Jaune and asked if he'd heard of Cardin or someone picking on Weiss. Thankfully, Ruby and Jaune couldn't find anything, but that didn't stop Ruby worrying something had happened.
"You're worrying too much, Ruby," Yang said, flicking her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. "Weiss is probably just busy with Weiss stuff. She'll be back to normal in a couple of days, you'll see."
"Yeah, maybe," Ruby said quietly, "I'm still worried though."
Ruby wasn't great with people. That much was obvious to anyone who knew her. She'd gotten better since she came to Beacon, and she had lots of friends now. But Weiss was the one friend she'd worked hard for. Weiss had been standoffish, rude and egocentric when they'd first met, and while Ruby would be the first to admit she'd made some mistakes in trying to make a first, second and third impression, Weiss wasn't the easiest nut to crack. Especially with her early mistakes in being a leader.
But there had been a moment, after Ruby had learned what being a leader really meant, that she felt that they had connected. Over homework, a cup of coffee, and a shared childhood wish.
"Ruby? I always wanted bunkbeds as a kid."
Something was bugging Weiss, that much Ruby knew. But what she didn't know was how to help her through whatever was bugging her if Weiss kept avoiding her. It was a hopeless situation. At least when Blake was working herself ragged trying to hunt down Roman Torchwick, they had an idea on how to help.
It was stupid, Ruby had decided. How could she be a good leader and friend if the one person she tried so hard for wouldn't open up to her? It just felt so hopeless.
Once they got to the room, Ruby deftly climbed onto her bed and lay down, thinking. There was some idle chatter as they sat, and Ruby watched the sun set out of their window. Weiss still wasn't back yet, and Ruby was thinking about going to look for her when her scroll started to buzz.
"Hello?" Ruby answered, frowning. No one really called her: everyone she knew was at Beacon.
"Yes, is this Ruby Rose?" The voice on the other end sounded kind of like Weiss, but older and, if possible, more dignified.
"Uh, yeah," Ruby said, confused, "Who is this?"
"My name is Winter Schnee. I'm Weiss' older sister. If you had a moment, I'd like to discuss something with you."
After a few minutes of conversation that Yang and Blake stared confusedly at Ruby, Winter hung up and Ruby stared at her scroll. That was not a conversation Ruby thought she'd ever have.
"What was that about?" Blake asked.
"Uh, that was Weiss' sister," Ruby said slowly, "asking me to throw Weiss a birthday party for tomorrow night."
"Wait, it's Weiss' birthday tomorrow?" Yang asked. "Why didn't she say anything?"
"I don't know," Ruby said, jumping down and becoming excited. "But this must be what's been bugging Weiss so much. So I am going to throw the best birthday party ever!"
After a second of Ruby's dramatic posing, Yang and Blake looked at each other, then back to Ruby.
"Uh, Ruby," Blake said carefully, "Do you know how to throw a birthday party?" Yang turned to look at Blake, before conceding she may have a point. Ruby wasn't the best in terms of domestic planning. Stick her on a battlefield, Ruby would have five plans ready in a matter of moments. Stick her in the regular world, she fell apart.
Ruby was deflated for a second, but she soon brightened up again. "We!" she said, correcting her statement. "We are going to throw the best birthday party ever!"
"We don't have a lot of time," Yang said, already on board. "How do you expect to throw the sort of party Weiss would expect in…the next 24 hours? I don't think we have enough money between us to afford a Schnee party."
"I said 'best'," Ruby said, raising a finger for emphasis, "Not biggest. Just us and JNPR, some party games and food and lots of decorations," Ruby waved her arms to emphasise this, "It's going to be amazing! Weiss will love it, you'll see."
Blake and Yang exchanged concerned looks. Weiss was probably not the sort of person to appreciate a small party. But Ruby's enthusiasm was always infectious. It was going to be a lot of work, but it would be worth it. Ruby rushed off to start preparing, leaving Blake and Yang behind.
"Ruby seems extra excited about this," Blake noted, looking at Yang. Yang looked sad, or contemplative.
"Ruby didn't really have many birthday parties growing up," Yang said, "She didn't start making any friends until she started going to Signal and by then…" Yang trailed off, lost in thought. Yang was remembering the three of them: Ruby, herself and their dad Taiyang surrounding a small birthday cake with a few burning candles. Ruby was smiling as they sang Happy Birthday, but there was a sadness behind the smile. A longing for something she couldn't have. It had been only been a year since Summer Rose, Ruby's mother, had disappeared. Ruby was still missing her. They all were, but their dad insisted on giving Ruby a birthday party. Yang shook the memory out of her head. It didn't do to dwell on how things were back then.
"Well," Blake said, "We're going to have to throw the best birthday party ever then, aren't we?" Yang smiled a dangerous smile, and they started drawing up plans. Ruby may be the impetus, but Yang was the one who knew how to throw a good time.
When Weiss returned to the room, everyone was asleep. Except Ruby, dressed in her pyjamas, hunched over the desk, fiddling with something.
"What are you doing up, Ruby?" Weiss said, and Ruby yelped and jumped about three feet in the air.
"Weiss!" Ruby said once she got back on the ground and held her hands behind her back. "Where have you been? It's been hours."
"I…" Weiss hesitated, "I needed to clear my head. Professor Port's lectures go on a bit too long. What are you hiding back there?" Weiss tried to look behind Ruby, but Ruby moved, blocking her. This went on for a few seconds, before Ruby just stepped around Weiss with her Semblance.
"It's nothing," Ruby said quickly, "Just a…thing I'm working on." Using her Semblance, Ruby left the room before Weiss could stop her. Weiss was left looking at the rose petals that were left in her wake. Weiss caught one before it vanished, holding it in her fingers. It was soft, warm and perfect. The petal faded away and after a second, Ruby was back. "Weiss, are you okay? You've been acting really weird lately."
"I'm fine," Weiss said, looking into those silver eyes. They really were beautiful, like pools of water in the sunlight, "I just have some stuff on my mind."
"Weiss," Ruby said, reaching out and touching Weiss on the arm, sending an electric charge through Weiss' body. "I won't force you to, but you can talk to me, you know that right?"
Weiss didn't answer straight away. She was lost in those eyes, her body trembling under her touch. "I know," she said eventually. "Thank you, Ruby." Ruby smiled, and Weiss gave a small smile in response. Weiss excused herself to go and get changed for bed. When she was back, the lights were out and Ruby was already asleep, the covers askew. Weiss wanted to reach up and brush the hair out of her face, maybe kiss her forehead gently, but she settled for pulling the covers up a bit more.
"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss said, before climbing into bed, falling asleep to the sound of Ruby's breathing. Love was so complicated.