„I swear I'm single because I'm surrounded by idiots!" As Weiss announced this newly found theory, Ruby couldn't do anything else but to wince at such a harsh statement. Although not without a smile. They were seated inside her bedroom, a somewhat sanctuary for her older friend, at least for the past… How many months? Well, at least a few. At least.
"That's not true Weiss, I'm sure you'll meet someone nice sooner or later." Ruby tried to cheer the other girl up, although it was the same thing she said every two weeks. Since this sort of thing did happen every second week, them meeting up for Weiss to vent.
"No, I'm twenty and I'm still single. I'm single because I'm surrounded by morons and the worst part? The worst part is that I'm surrounded by morons because I'm single! Ugh!" The Schnee hid her face inside her hands as she let out a frustrated grunt. It was at that moment when Ruby decided to give the other girl a hug, as Weiss eagerly leaned into it.
This, of course, was… This entire situation was a mess to put it simply. Each girl night, as Weiss liked to call it, was a form of purgatory for the redhead. She wanted to help the girl but at the same time? At the same time, she was happy that she couldn't find anyone. Not because she was malicious towards Weiss, quite the opposite! She wanted the best for her… But she also had this one selfish desire. A very simple one. She herself wanted to date Weiss. Which was impossible. Each and every time Weiss attempted to get a boyfriend. The key word, boy. As tomboyish as Ruby was, she wasn't exactly a boy.
"Well, it's not so easy and you shouldn't try to hasten the process just so you'd get it over with." Ruby patted the girl on the back. With a deep sigh, Weiss looked up at her, although she was now wearing a small smile, which Ruby decided was a good sign.
"I envy you, Ruby. While initially, I found your lack of any romantic interest to be… Odd, I'm starting to understand that the way you are must be a blessing." Weiss leaned to rest her head against the younger girl's shoulder. As for Ruby? Well, if she could it would be her time to cry out in frustration.
But instead, she just smiled and offered a chuckle of her own. "Well, you know how I am. I wouldn't have time for any romance. You don't choose to be a gamer, but gamer life chooses you." She gave a firm nod. Although at that point it was an act. Sure, she liked to think that way. Romance always seemed so bothersome for her. Deep down she knew she was rejecting any sort of feelings towards anyone, running away from them or occupying herself enough till those feelings went away. She even tried that with Weiss. Sure, she still wanted to be friends with her, but that other part? Dating Weiss? She tried to get rid of that! She really did… In the end, all she could do was to just accept it. The first boss in her life she couldn't solo.
"Perhaps, you have this objective way of looking at those things. While you might still act like a dolt from time to time, you're a real friend Ruby." With that said Weiss offered yet another smile, this time though it wasn't a tired or a small one. No, this smile was bright and wide. Almost shining, at least from Ruby's perspective.
This, of course, was another issue she had. Friendship. This was also why she hasn't really done anything to… "Court" Weiss as she would like to call it. At least Ruby liked to think that Weiss used those types of words. Why not? She sometimes actually did! Words aside, this was the worst thing. Ruby was… Fine. As long as Weiss was single, as long as her love life was unfulfilled, they could be together and Ruby could be, in some way, an important part of her life. Thanks to that situation, Ruby even learned a new word. Schadenfreude. She was happy but deep down she knew she was happy because Weiss was like this. Unhappy. Well, perhaps she was being too harsh on herself. She did try her best to help her out. She always nudged her to not give up, to try again. It wasn't exactly her fault that all the guys she tried to date were douchebags or idiots. At least from Weiss's story, they seemed like horrible people to be around.
"I'm not going anywhere, so as long as you need a shoulder to lean on, I'll be here for you!" She grinned and leaned her head, lowering her voice. "And if one of those guys pisses you off even more than usual? I have at least five good spots we could hide the body in."
That made the Schnee laugh, as she pushed the younger girl away playfully. "Ruby! That's not funny! I would never do such a thing." Contrary to her statement, Weiss couldn't stop laughing at the other girl's words. Perhaps all the pent-up frustrating found its way to finally leave her system. And what better way than laughter, right?
"I'm just saying!" Ruby giggled although not at her own joke. Just seeing Weiss laugh put her in such a good mood. It almost made her forget about this awful situation she put herself in. Or more like life put her in.
oooOOOooo
"Be careful on your way home!" Ruby waved to Weiss and after a few seconds closed her doors, letting out a deep sigh as she rested her back against it. It was always like this whenever they parted. This fear of letting Weiss go, not knowing what might happen. Will she meet someone? Will she get anyone to flirt with her? Will she get another message saying that Weiss is on a date or met a new boy? It was exhausting. Never in her life did she feel so excited yet scared whenever she got a text message. Let alone phone call.
"You should just ask her out, sis." Yang's voice made her jump in surprise, blinking she looked around to locate the source of the surprise attack. There, standing in the entrance to the kitchen was her older sister. Well, half-sister.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ruby answered as she bounced herself from the door and began to move. Only to be stopped as Yang placed a hand on a wall, her arm now in the way.
"Rubes, if you don't want to tell her, at least be honest with those that already noticed," Yang said in an aggressive tone, something that even she had to notice as she took a deep breath and let it all out in a sigh. "Sis, listen, I don't consider myself the sharpest tool there is, and even I noticed, I'm worried."
"Yang, can this wait till tomorrow? Or some other time? It's late and I'm tired." And this was the last thing she wanted to talk about. It was bad enough that Yang noticed, but it was worse because she didn't simply tease her. No, she was concerned and wanted to help, in one way or another.
"No, lately you've lost weight. Not much, sure, but it's not because of exercise or a new diet. Unless avoiding meals or eating less was your way of dieting." The older girl frowned at that. "Do to yourself whatever you want, but remember that by hurting yourself, you hurt those around you. They'll notice. I noticed, Ruby, please."
"Then what do you want me to do?!" Scream, she screamed. She felt incredibly hot, but what felt hotter were the tears that now trailed down her cheeks. They felt like boiling tar against her skin. There was a sob, followed by another and another. She heard ringing in her ears, felt each heartbeat. She lost awareness of what was going on around her. How long it lasted? Most likely a moment, a very short moment. But for her, it felt like she was somewhere else for a much longer time. She found herself in the arms of her older sister, as she held her close. She didn't care about anything, the pent-up frustration was released and it had to find its way out of her system in some way. Apparently crying would be the way to go. It had to.
oooOOOooo
Sometime later both of them were sitting in the kitchen after Ruby calmed down, Yang offered to make them something warm to drink and talk. While the younger of the two didn't really feel like talking, she could use a drink. Something to warm her up. And so here they were, sitting in silence. Ruby wasn't sure what her sister made herself, she assumed it was the same she got, hot chocolate, mostly because she couldn't smell any other scent.
She looked down into her dark beverage. While her inner edgy teenager that was slowly fading away tried to convince her how bitter it tasted, it couldn't fool her tongue. It tasted the same as always, sweet and warm. It helped paint a tiny smile on her lips.
"Ruby." Yang called out to her but she didn't respond. She was here, so what else did she want? "Talk to me." Another pause and the blonde let out a sigh. "How long?"
"I don't know." She cleared her throat, only now that she spoke for the first time since her scream, did she notice how raspy was her voice. "I asked myself that many times, when did it start? How long was it inside my head?" She shrugged.
"So why not tell her?" Yang rested her elbow against the table, and Ruby almost laughed at that. Almost, and it wouldn't be one of those happy laughs. In the end, she just let out a dry chuckle.
"That's a stupid question." She took a sip of her chocolate.
"Why?" Came another simple question from her older sister.
Why indeed. So many answers wanted to leave her mouth at the same time, she had to calm down and collect her thoughts. Focus. "A lot of reasons." She answered and before Yang could tell her to name them all, she decided to do it on her own. "She's clearly into guys, for example."
"Seems to me like she has a lot of issues with guys." Yang shrugged her answer off.
"Maybe, but just the fact she's trying hard to get it, means she's motivated to find a guy." Ruby frowned, suddenly growing very annoyed at her half-sister.
"Or she thinks it's her way of being, and the reason she's having issues is that she swings the other way, but! Isn't aware of that. Yet." The blonde mused playfully with a little smirk.
"Stop that Yang!" She raised her voice, but as soon as she noticed how surprised the older girl was by that, she lowered her eyes. "Stop planting new hope. I accepted my fate, why do you have to dig into an old wound."
"Because you clearly gave up without even trying! You can lose, sure, but I sure as hell won't let you be a quitter." While it was clear that Yang tried to keep herself in line, she still came off as sounding at least annoyed. Ruby understood that it had to be frustrating watching this from the side, right? It sure felt frustrating from her point of view.
"What if she hates me after I tell her how I feel?" Ruby didn't have the courage to look up, so she just stared into her cup.
"Then she's a lousy friend. But I doubt she'll hate you. If she denies your confession, or whatever it is you do with confessions, then at worst it'll be awkward for a bit. I doubt Weiss would be the type to do that." At Yang's words, Ruby felt a bit better. Just a tiny bit, but it helped to hear it from someone else. "Besides, I did the exact same thing and I was fine!" Although at that she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"You two ended up together." She grimaced at that, while she was happy for her sister, her example wasn't helping.
"Do I have to remind you that I confessed to her when she was still with her now ex-boyfriend? And we still were friends for the few months she kept her old relationship going." Yang said, clearly winning that little exchange.
"Fine… Maybe. I'll think about it. I'm not even sure how I would go about telling her." She was starting to crack, she understood that. Or maybe she always wanted to do it and was just afraid. Just tell her and be done with it. If it was to rain hellfire, so be it. At least she'd have it off her chest. At this point, she wasn't sure which meant only one thing. No sleep tonight, fantastic.
"I guess just telling her is out of the question huh?" Yang asked and Ruby decided to treat it as a rhetorical question, not answering it. "Try alcohol."
"What?! Yang! Are you nuts? You want us to drink and… And do irresponsible things?!" At that moment Ruby found enough willpower to look up at her sister, was she crazy? Was this another joke? She was so not in the mood for jokes.
"Calm down Rubes! Sheesh… I meant like have a glass of wine or something like you two have from time to time. Don't get wasted, just have some. It'll give you some courage and soften up the conversation a bit." Yang reached out and placed a hand on top of hers. "Look, whatever you do, just be honest with her. It's better to have regrets over what you did, than have regrets over things you didn't. You'll always have that "what if" scenario playing in your head. This is better in the long run."
The redhead glanced at Yang's hand thoughtfully, nodding to herself she drank the rest of her hot chocolate and slowly stood up, having to regain balance for a moment as her legs felt shaky. "I'll think about it. Right now I'm tired and I'll try to get some sleep." With that said she slowly exited the kitchen and went upstairs to her room.
To no surprise, sleep wasn't an option that night.
oooOOOooo
"It's official, I'm done." Ruby lost the count of how many times Weiss have said if not the exact same thing, then some form of that sentence. "And this time I mean it." And that too. It was two weeks since her talk with Yang. This sort of thing always happened every two weeks after all. One Friday or Saturday Weiss would go out, the next week they would meet up for Weiss to vent about what went wrong with that particular date.
"Don't say that You don't have to abandon the idea just because of one jerk." And as much as she wanted to say something else, it seemed like a form of groundhog day at that point. It was hard to escape the routine of their little meetups.
"No, this time I'm adamant about it. I decided that I would choose your lifestyle, even if it means I'll grow to be an old cat lady. It sure is better than dealing with those people." Ruby had to control herself from offering a very bitter smile at Weiss's words. Like her huh? If that was the case, there would be no problem for either of them.
"I thought you prefer dogs?" Ruby joked, although she didn't feel like bantering, it came naturally to her. It was strange how natural interacting with Weiss was, however strange that made her seem to even think about such a thing. It was always such a chore whenever she had to be social with anyone else.
"I do, but dog lady doesn't sound as cliché." Weiss took her glass and rose it into the air. "Toast to my new lifestyle." Ruby rose her own glass and they shared a drink. Yang claimed it would make her loose up, gain courage and all that, but so far it made her more and more nervous.
"Hey, Weiss? How about giving it a last chance?" Seeing as the older of the two wanted to say something, she immediately followed up. "Listen me out before you say anything! Since you had all those jerks so far, well..." She took a deep breath. She had to make it seem casual. Like a jokey thing, right? "How about going on a date with me?" At that point, the entire world froze for Ruby. Or perhaps not froze, but slow down.
Weiss wanted to say something, considering her furrowed brow, it was a rejection of the idea. Only after a few seconds did the full message of what Ruby said did occur to her, as she looked thoughtfully down into her glass. "You know what?" Weiss looked up at her, and Ruby decided that this had to be how people with heart attack felt like just at the start of it. "That's a great idea."
Ruby blinked at that, but she was prepared for it. She really was focused on delivering one of two reactions she came up with before this. She practiced in front of a mirror after all… For an hour. Two. For a week. It wasn't important! Right now, she knew how to react and that was what she should have focused on. "Really?" She asked in the most monotone way she could, which considering how much she wanted to scream in joy, had to come off as her own natural cheerful way, at least that's what she hoped for.
"Yeah, really. I'd like for once to go out with someone and have fun, and not be surrounded by constant disappointment while pretending that I'm enjoying myself." Weiss nodded. "I assume that since it's such a sudden thing, I'll get the details later. I do hope you haven't asked me out on a date only to change your mind." The Schnee let out a giggle, most likely amused by the idea, the small amount of alcohol she already managed to sip would just add to her good mood.
As for Ruby? Well, let's say that all the blood left her face as soon as she realized the fact that going out with someone actually meant going out with someone. As in it required a plan. A very good damn, foolproof plan.
oooOOOooo
Ruby was pacing in front of the gate to the Schnee mansion. She never liked to go inside Weiss's house. It was large, there were servants everywhere, they all asked things she wasn't sure how to answer and no matter where she looked she always saw someone standing there at attention, offering her a smile. It was creepy, like a dollhouse. Not to mention she knew that Weiss's dad did not approve of her daughter interacting with… Well, someone like her.
Why was Ruby here? Waiting for Weiss of course. And why was that? Well, it was their date. Sort of. Ruby knew that Weiss agreed to this as a form of them hanging out, maybe an idea to make Weiss feel better after all those failures and most likely thought that her calling it a date was to cheer Weiss up, mock at the idea of a date or whatever fancy way of thinking Weiss had going on inside of that pretty head of hers. She blinked and smiled softly, she just thought about Weiss's head as pretty… Wait actually that wasn't a smiling matter, it sounded pretty creepy. Face, she had a pretty face.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked and the younger girl jumped.
"I meant your face!" She turned around to face the Schnee, afraid that the girl was actually able to read her mind and with such idea, she decided that the best course of action was to defend herself from the weird thoughts she just had.
"My face?" The white-haired girl rose her brow at that, although there was a playful smile on her lips. After all, this wouldn't be the first or even the second time that Ruby made a fool out of herself by accident in front of her. Such was life.
"Erh, no, nothing." She then took a proper glance at the older girl. "Whoa, Weiss I think this is the first time I see you wearing pants!" That was a lie… Or was it? Ruby wasn't so sure anymore. But going back to pants, Weiss was wearing light blue jeans with a checkered white and blue shirt, the blue color having various shades in seemingly random spots. On top of that, the girl wore a black coat, although she didn't even have her arms inside the sleeves, just wearing it on her shoulder at the moment.
"Well, you were the one to make sure I didn't wear anything fancy and to actually wear some pants." Weiss let out a small chuckle. "And don't mind the coat, you told me to take something warmer in case it would get cold, so this is my answer to that."
"Right! Right, I did." Ruby said and… Well, then there was silence. It didn't last long, as the redhead tried to think of something to say, it was Weiss that took the initiative.
"Well? We are going somewhere, correct? Or drive somewhere? Or are we waiting for a taxi?" Midway through her sentence, Weiss had to notice the other girl growing strangely nervous, so deciding it was the influence of her household, that she already knew was not a pleasant place for Ruby, she wanted to nudge her in the right direction.
"Yes, of course! This way." She started to lead the way towards their way of transportation. As they walked she was wondering if it was alright to try and take a hold of Weiss's hand. Her mind was locked in a tug of war over the idea, plenty of reasons to do it and just as many to not do it. The walk didn't take long, a few minutes before their carriage came in sight.
"Your father's pickup truck?" Weiss rose her brew at the sight of her dad's car. Perhaps it wasn't a carriage but it still could take them places, right? A yellow pickup truck that while old, had that oldschool sturdiness to it, something you don't see in cars nowadays. It had character, at least that's what Ruby's dad told her each time a topic of buying a new car came up. Although it was mostly Yang that had those endless discussions with him. Ruby didn't care, she liked the old thing and perhaps would be equally sad if it had to go away or be changed for something newer.
"Well… Yes?" She smiled sheepishly at that, not sure if Weiss was offended or not. The car might have had an emotional spot for her, but Weiss? Well, wasn't she used to be driven by comfortable, expensive cars?
"I thought your dad wouldn't let you drive till you got your own car?" The Schnee smirked at that, playfully nudging her with her elbow.
"Erh, well this is a special occasion." She rubbed her neck at that.
"I already feel special and this date of ours barely even started." Her smirk turned into a grin at that point and Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Har har, you don't know what I had to go through to even borrow it for the evening." It consisted of another driving test, this time by her dad. Both the theory and the practical part. Which she failed, but still managed to convince her dad to let her borrow it. There's nothing worse for a father than to make her daughter cry. Crocodile tears, sure, but its all the same right?
"Aw, I'm just joking." With that said she offered a half hug with one arm as they walked, and the sudden closeness made Ruby smile, as well as feeling a tiny bit warmer in a certain place. That being her face since she was blushing. What else could get warmer over such a thing?
Speaking of warmth, Ruby hoped that her hoodie could keep her warm. Sure, she took a jeans jacket with herself, but after someone making a comment that it made her look like a dyke, which of course was meant as a joke considering no one knew about her little secret, it did make her a little bit self-conscious. A tiny bit.
It was only when they got inside the car, that Weiss turned her way with a concerned look on her face. "Ruby? You've been awfully quiet so far. If you're not feeling well we can reschedule this to some other day. I won't mind." She offered a soft smile, placing her hand on the younger girl's shoulder, stopping the latter from buckling up her seatbelt.
"Huh? N-No, no I just..." She paused and let out a soft sigh. Weiss noticed, which wasn't a good sign. "I just am focused to um… Provide you with entertainment!" She nodded, faking up a smile, which had to work as the Schnee giggled at her choice of words.
"I see, just remember that in the end what's important is that we'll be spending time together, so I'd rather you have fun as well than have you try to make it fun as best as possible." Ruby understood what Weiss wanted to say by that, but it was still easier said than done.
"I'm sorry, I will. I just wanted to make sure you had some good experience to um… Show you that dates can be nice." She nodded, this was more for Weiss than herself. Since this was the plan, always think positive. If Weiss didn't like her back, at least she wanted to give her a good time to show her that dates can be fun. So that if she won't want to date her, she won't abandon the idea completely. So yes, this was for Weiss, not for herself.
"You can be so sweet Ruby, I appreciate it." Weiss raised her hand to gently brush her fingers against the younger girl's cheek. "Now let's go before its too late, yes? You did get a car for a reason I assume."
It would be hard to miss on the blush that appeared on Ruby's cheeks once Weiss's fingers came in contact with her skin, but the older girl had to ignore that, which she was glad for. As she started up the engine, she had to admit to herself that no matter how many time she questioned her feelings, seeking rational reasoning behind them, each and every time the Schnee girl did something to remind her of what was so special about her. It was never anything grandiose. It was always something small, something that could perhaps go unnoticed. But her lovestruck eyes always found those small gestures and she was glad for that since it was perhaps one of the few things she could genuinely enjoy, without feeling guilty or without having to worry. It was just there, either friends or… Or lovers? At that, her eyes went wide and she shook her head, deciding to focus on the road and not delve deeper into that particular topic.
oooOOOooo
While Ruby memorized the route, it still took her fifteen minutes to leave the urban area. While she navigated the labyrinth of tall, look-alike buildings Weiss was being quiet, most likely noticing that it was taking some effort for the girl to find her way through the streets of the city. After all, it was a completely different perspective to walk and to drive through the same streets. Especially when you actually have to pay attention to all the signs and lights. Although she had to thank her dad later for actually giving her a reminder of what all of it means together with a quick refresher on how to actually drive a car. Who knew that worrying actually paid off sometimes.
Once outside of the city, or rather more once they got to the more rural part of it, Ruby could finally relax. Sort of. Here it was just mostly a straight, dark road. All she had to do was to be careful of wild animals big enough to make it a problem if she hit them. And signs that would point her in the right direction. Those were the two things she was on a lookout currently.
"I didn't expect us to leave the city." Weiss said as she looked outside, it was dark and she could barely see anything, but it was rare for her to leave the city, at least leave it by such means as a car. Airplane, now that was a different story.
"I hope you don't mind? I mean, we still can go back if you'd rather do something more civilized." As Ruby let out a nervous laugh she wasn't sure if she was trying to make a joke or if she really meant it.
"Nonsense Ruby, I'm actually excited. As long as there won't be any bears. There won't be, right?" She squinted her eyes glancing at the younger girl.
"Of course not, I think bears are asleep by now." She started and paused for the effect. "That's why everyone was so surprised at that one bear attack that occurred in the area."
"Ruby! That's not funny! Bears are dangerous!" The redhead couldn't help but laugh at that, and for the first time tonight it was a genuine one too.
"I know, but you aren't afraid of bears, are you? It was for me. This question I mean." It sounded too… Silly for Weiss. It wasn't hard to guess the true intent.
"Mmm… Perhaps I'm growing a bit predictable, but you were being so nervous I thought I'd help you lighten up a bit." There was a short pause before Weiss glanced at her. "But seriously, there won't be any bears, correct?"
oooOOOooo
Half an hour, one bear story and one saved bunny later, if not driving over it was saving it, they were at the place. The spot was different than Ruby remembered it. It seemed abandoned, as if this was a popular place, only for people to forget about it and thus it becoming ruined by not being used by many, if by anyone at all. The road was bumpy and it was hard to see exactly how it went anymore, with the small parking spot… Well, not resembling a parking spot anymore at all. Not like it was that before, at least from her fuzzy memory. Just a path of dirt where cars parked. Now? Now the dirt itself was covered in green grass. Luckily not high enough yet so that she still noticed the spot.
"So here we are, in the middle of nowhere. Or so it feels. I won't lie that I'm drawing blanks as for the reason you took me here." Weiss said as she was allowed to exit the car.
"Well duh, isn't the reason of us being here to have fun? Well, not fun but enjoy ourselves is a better way of putting it." Ruby nodded as she avoided the real question that Weiss asked. The older girl just rolling her eyes at that, but not pursuing her for information any further. "Now come on, we're technically almost there." Without even thinking, at least at the moment she did it, she took her hand and lead the girl but a few steps and through a bush, that while seemed thick on the outside, was actually quite easy to walk through. On the other side awaited them a small patch of grass, perhaps enough to hold a few people without anyone toppling down the small hill, but sadly not enough space to host any kind of picnic. Still, it looked almost the same from what she remembered and Ruby smiled at that.
"Oh my." As she heard Weiss's voice, she glanced at the girl. The Schnee was looking up at the sky, the main reason for dragging her all the way here. "It's beautiful, like in those photo blogs you see. I always thought you have to travel far away from the civilization to actually experience a sigh like this."
While Weiss exaggerated a bit, this was indeed a beautiful sight. After all, that was the reason to drag her all the way out here. The night sky was clear, with the full moon watching over them. Perhaps fate was being kind to her to allow for everything to be perfect. What was so unique, at least for a city girl like Weiss, was that most of the stars could be seen. They all sparkled, some more than the others and those few rare stars that could be visible even in the city would shine even more brightly among their peer. Below was a small valley, untouched for the most part, most likely since housing in this area would require quite some work and be expensive and nothing could grow here anyway due to how the terrain was. At least that's how Ruby understood it. The truth could always be different. Overall it was a pretty sight, perhaps not the prettiest that there was, but for anyone not used to sights like those? It had to be something.
Taking her eyes away from the sight itself, she noticed that Weiss was hugging herself, which was a sign that she had to be cold by now. "Oh! I'll be right back." She announced and rushed towards the car. Once she got there she went for the small trunk inside the car, where she kept the two… Well, technically three things that she prepared for this evening. But there was something else. The jeans jacket. Her inner fire seemed to get extinguished almost immediately. A dyke, wouldn't a dyke wear like, leather clothes? No, that wasn't important. It was just a bad term no matter what. But if it was out in the open… Some people would call her that, wouldn't they? If not to her face then behind her back. And what about Weiss? She had it worse. Not only was there the reputation outside, but also her family. At that she sat down, looking at both the bundle she prepared for today as well as the jacket. Was she being selfish? She never thought about this. With the denial of her feelings and then believing it would never happen anyway she never really thought about any of this. It's not just about them being together. It's never this simple, is it?
She took a deep breath. No, it's too late to quit. If… If anything happens they'll discuss it and go with whatever might seem rational at the moment. If anything happens. Anything she wants to happen. Just like Yang told her. Visualize and achieve or something like that. Imagine you won and you'll win is what she got from that. So all she had to do is imagine… Imagine… No, don't imagine that.
Ruby shook her head, deciding that perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to come back while her face was all red like that. Right! She had to go back before Weiss starts worrying! With that in mind, she threw the jacket back into the trunk and jumped out of the car.
"I got it!" She announced triumphantly waving her hand to the older girl as she got back to the little-hidden area.
"A blanket and a thermos?" Weiss's eyebrow rose as she identified the things that Ruby brought back. "Took you quite some time to fetch those from the car. I started to worry you would drive off without me."
"Huh? I wouldn't do that!" Ruby answered feeling almost offended at the thought and remembering she was still holding the folded blanket and the container. "And yeah! I thought that… Well, since we came all the way here we could spend some time here. So I prepared something to keep us warm on both the inside and outside." She announced happily.
"How thoughtful of you." It was just that, a praise and a smile from the Schnee girl to make Ruby grin like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. It just made her that much happy.
"O-Oh Well I… I thought we could share one blanket, but if you prefer I got two just in case… You know, if you'd rather have your own." The happiness quickly vanished from her face, now replaced with more anxiety as the previous happy smile shrunk into a nervous one.
Weiss just rolled her eyes at that. "I think I'll survive to share a blanket with you. Unless it's very small. But I trust that you took an appropriately large one to cover up two people." She crossed her arms and smirked, amused at the emotional turmoil that Ruby voluntarily inflicted upon herself.
"Really? I mean, of course! I'll just go back to put the spare one into the trunk." Before she could leave the area, she was stopped by the other girl's voice.
"Ruby, wait." And just as if she cast a spell, Ruby froze in place. Did Weiss change her mind? Would they not share one blanket? And why did such a simple thing felt so important to her? "We can use the spare one to sit on it. I think it might be more comfortable than just grass." Ruby needed a moment to decipher what she just heard. It was very simple math, as her brain went from the most simple to more complicated facts. Weiss still wanted to share a blanket. That was a relief. She wanted for Ruby to keep the second blanket. Understood.
What seemed to take minutes, happened in a spare of a moment as Ruby turned around and nodded. "I didn't think about that, if I did I would have brought a third one heh." She rubbed her neck at that. Weiss just rolled her eyes again and approached her, taking one of the blankets off her hands and seeking the best spot for it. While not some sort of survivalist, she still had an eye for detail, so Ruby trusted that even if they'll end up sitting on top of an anthill, it'll be a comfy anthill. Although it better not be an anthill.
"Here." She announced and placed the blanket on the ground, folding it as much as she could to make it as soft as possible, while still making it wide enough so that both of them could comfortably sit on it without having to squeeze together too much. Not that Ruby would mind that. With that done she sat on it herself, testing it and after a few seconds, she nodded to herself. "All good, feel free to join me whenever Ruby."
With a big grin, she walked over to the spot that Weiss picked. This was it. They didn't get lost, didn't hit a deer while driving here, she found the place, she didn't forget the blanket, Weiss seemed to like it here. It's almost like everything worked out so far!
Focusing on the more positive aspect of their date, she sat next to the older girl, slowly unfolding the blanket and with a little help from Weiss they soon were bundled up together under it, both of them gazing at the sight.
"You know, I don't want to question your idea since I do like it here, but this is a very specific spot to choose." Weiss glanced briefly at her younger friend.
Ruby blinked a few times, not sure at first what the other girl meant by her words. "Oh! Well, this spot has a bit of history." She explained with a shy smile.
"I won't lie that I'm very much curious about this history. Or is it a secret?" Weiss now focused more on Ruby's face than on the starry sky.
"Would you like the less boring short version or the long boring version? You know I got horrible grades whenever I had to appear before the class to talk about anything." While Ruby preferred for the short version to be picked, she very well knew the answer already.
"I think we have plenty of time so I wouldn't mind hearing the longer version. But I won't force you, tell me whatever you're comfortable with." With a soft smile, Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, making the younger girl take a deep breath as she wondered how to start.
"Well, long version it is. This place was showed to my dad back when he was in college, he took some astronomy class or something and this was a great spot to observe stars." She smiled at something. "I remember my dad saying about his professor that he had quite the character, he always preferred to take his group out, claiming that campus is good for giving boring lectures, but if you really want to learn anything you have to go out there and experience it first hand." She chuckled at that. "He seemed like a fun guy."
"Well I'm not sure how I feel about being so disrespectful towards an educational facility like that, but I'll perhaps agree that there is something about gaining experience that the current system we live in is lacking." Weiss commented and Ruby just nodded, she expected to hear something similar.
"Then my dad moved to another city, got into the first marriage with Yang's mom. After she left, he came back here and meet my mom." She paused at that. It wasn't that she missed her, as she barely remembered anything about her, but she still wished that she could be around. She wondered how much more different things would be with her around. She shook her head. "This was where he took her for their first date." She giggled. "Or tried, as he got lost and only after two hours of trying to find his way, did they finally stumble upon this spot."
"So being a dolt runs in the family hm?" With a smirk of her own, Weiss playfully bumped the other girl's shoulder with her own.
"Yep! Guess so." She nodded with a grin. How long was it since that term, dolt, stopped being an insult. It was almost like a pet name. Well, she'd prefer something else, but you take what you get, right? Besides, she never heard Weiss call anyone else that, so it was special. It belonged to them.
"Anyway, she apparently really liked it. It became their special place. It's where their first date was, where he asked her to marry him. It's also where my mom told him that I would be born for the first time." She curled up her legs and rested her chin against her knees. "Although most of this I gathered from various versions of the same story. Dad seems to say things a tiny bit differently each time he tells those stories. Depends who he tells it and in what mood he is." She paused for a moment. "I think he misses her greatly." Not soon after her words, she felt an arm wrap itself around her. Looking up she noticed Weiss, her blue eyes looking at her tenderly as she wore a small, warm smile. She didn't say anything, just offered a small nod.
"She said that she would love to one day show this place to me. See my reaction, see my smile, see how much joy it would bring me to share this with them." She gave a shrug. "She never got the chance." She clenched her jaw at how dry her words had to come out. "After she passed away and after my dad got better with me being big enough, he took me here." She smiled at the memory, once more deciding to focus on the more positive side, in this case on the positive side of the story. "But I was just a child back then. Sure it was awesome to go out on a trip when it's dark and outside of the city and see this amazing sight. But I wasn't really aware of how important this place was."
"Ruby..." Weiss started but was cut off by the younger girl.
"When we're young we don't really understand how important certain things are. Only when we grow up and look back do we grow aware of why certain things were important for our parents or people around us that lived far longer then we had so far. I think this is how we learn to appreciate things and those people more. There might be some guilt, sure, but I think we should focus on learning from that experience." She nodded, more to herself than the other girl.
"So I thought that with all that in mind I would visit this place again. Now understanding more how important this place was for my parents. And I thought I could share this with you." She shrugged and glanced at Weiss. "Pretty lame huh?"
Weiss seemed shocked, by what? Ruby wasn't sure. "Ruby Rose." She started and the younger girl couldn't help but wince. This was her lecturing voice. "Do not dare call any of this lame. I think this is perhaps the sweetest thing anyone ever did for me. To let me share something this… Important and intimate with them."
She blushed at that. "Well, maybe, but it's kind of a cheap date, isn't it?" She said, trying to deflect some of the praise, diminish some of the value that the other girl put onto her idea.
"You dummy, do you really have me for someone that first and foremost looks at the price tag?" While initially scowling at her friend, her expression was soon replaced with a smile, as she turned fully towards her and hugged the surprised girl. "Have some faith in yourself. This entire trip you were so nervous, yet so far you managed to make this the most fun time I ever had on any of my dates." Pulling away she gently grabbed Ruby's cheek, looking her in the eyes. "Thank you." She leaned her head forward till their foreheads meet.
While initially flustered beyond belief, Weiss's words slowly sink in, making her relax and give a very small nod. The older girl had to decide that her words had its effect on Ruby, as she slowly pulled away, still staying close enough, but once more glancing at the night sky. Soon they leaned against each other, their heads touching as silence lingered between them.
Ruby finally could feel at peace with herself. She wasn't sure for how long this feeling would last. But it felt so nice. She was here with Weiss, someone very dear to her. And it didn't matter who she was. Friend or girlfriend. She shared something special with her and Weiss accepted it. She understood it and embraced it as something special. She knew that it would never be as special for Weiss as it was for her, but it didn't matter. Special was special, no matter of how many memories were attached to it.
"Hey, Ruby?" Weiss's voice sounded so quiet that the younger girl wondered if she just imagined hearing it in the first place.
"Yes?" She tried to glance at her but with their current position, and how comfortable she was in it, she couldn't really see much of Weiss's face.
"Is this a real date? Like not just you trying to make me feel better." Weiss's question was inevitable, Ruby knew that. She let out a soft sigh before answering.
"It… It depends… Maybe?" She offered a nervous answer, buying some time as she tried to gather the courage to admit to it full heartedly.
"I see, we're going to play it like that." Weiss nodded, moving her head away from hers. "Very well, maybe means that there are two possibilities. So if it's a maybe real date, what happened to your claims of not pursuing any kind of romantic interest in anyone."
Ruby opened her mouth at that. She wasn't expecting that sort of question, although it did make sense. "Well… It was like that. I really wanted to think that way and I even succeeded with most people I could have liked. But I knew that it would pass away, this feeling." She let out a deep sigh. "But then I meet you and after the initial little… Well, once we became friends it started again. It got me by surprise since, you know, you're a girl like me. But I tried to do the same with those feelings. Just wait them out. So I did. I tried for a very long time." She leaned forward, hugging her own legs. "After some time it got so frustrating that I just gave up. I accepted my feelings."
"I'd like to ask why didn't you tell me, but I assume it's the usual." It wasn't a question, more of a statement. "I just don't understand why did you try to push me towards all those dates if… If you had feelings for me. Was that part of you trying to get rid of those feelings?"
"N-No! Nothing like that. It was after I accepted my feelings. But you were trying to date all those boys. It almost seemed like there was a line waiting to try and go out with you." Ruby tilted her head to look away. "I thought I had no chance since you weren't interested in girls." She shrugged. "I decided I would be a friend and help you out. Keep you motivated to try, since you were trying so hard to get a boyfriend."
"Your mother would be very proud of you." Ruby blinked as she heard that, once more being caught off guard by Weiss's words. She raised her head and glanced at the older girl, seeing the Schnee smiling back at her. "I didn't know her and from what I understand you barely knew her yourself. But anyone would be proud to have someone like you as their daughter."
"W-Weiss? What brought that up?" And was this a good sign? A bad one?
"Well, I apologize if I offended you by bringing her up, but since this place is related to her and is special to your parents and you in that regard, I just thought that I would start by saying that. And I mean it." She let out a soft giggle. "You look so confused right now, Ruby. Relax, I'm proud of you myself."
"S-Soo..." Ruby started, hoping that Weiss would catch up on what she wanted to say.
"Hm?" Sadly that wasn't the case.
"Well… It's a date, right? Or do you not want this to be a date? But if it's a date, it should end up with… With some sort of answer, right? I think? To be honest I have never been on a date before." Ruby fiddled with her thumbs nervously, feeling like a child, which just made her feel even more stupid on top of her anxiousness.
"Oh yes, correct." Weiss nodded to herself and moved her hand to gently grasp the younger girl's chin, tilting her head to the side as she leaned in to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "Here, a thank you for a wonderful date. While we're not yet going back, I think we both can agree that I couldn't really thank you like that in front of the gate leading to my house."
Ruby's eyes went wide at that. So it was a date, right? Weiss accepted it as a date. She would jump up in joy if not for the next thing that the older girl did, as she could feel Weiss's head rest against her shoulder.
"Ruby?"
"Y-Yes?"
"You set the bar very high with this date, I hope you understand that you'll have to try even harder if you want to impress me on our next date."
Author's Note:
I'm in very much a white rose mood lately, aren't I?
This story was a conscious effort for me to try and make a story in which I mixed the exposition of the "setting" with the actual story, instead of making an exposition dump and then go with the story.
This story was inspired by a friend, and if you're reading this, u gay. But I'm not sure if this person will read it, so that's just a waste. But yeah, this person was my muse for this story, since all I need is a spark and from that point, I just sort of roll down into something. Sometimes it ends up as a story I upload, more often I just scrap those things. In this instance, I went with it.
This might be the last thing I upload before going out for the holidays, although I do hope to upload some stuff while out visiting my family. Since I won't have my gaming stuff I'll be pretty bored, just having a notebook and a crappy laptop, it's like all I'll have to do is to write basically. Although I'm not sure if I'll upload anything Christmasy. I did have another idea for a white rose story, but maybe I'll give this ship a rest? At least in terms of one-shots. I could update my ongoing white rose story. We'll see!
In case this is the last thing I upload, I hope you all have fun and happy holidays! If you're not celebrating anything at this time of year? Or if you're reading this on some other time? I hope you have a wonderful day (or night).