"Ah, Weiss Schnee, I see a capable student as yourself has volunteered to help organize the storeroom after class." Dr. Oobleck had insisted that someone stay after to clean up for next week's lessons, and since no one else had wanted to do it, Weiss sighed and thought she might as well stay and help. Hesitantly, off to her side, Ruby slowly slid her hand into the air as well. Oobleck acknowledged it with pride.
"Ms. Schnee and Ms. Rose, I highly appreciate your valued desire to help. See me after class for your assignment!" Oobleck finished and moved onto the next thing in his schedule. Weiss didn't expect anyone else to volunteer, especially not her leader. She could definitely use the assistance, but Ruby had a tendency to be more a nuisance than a help.
In Ruby's mind, it was a way to get closer to the heiress as not just a friend. She wanted something more. But something always kept her back from revealing it. Her way of coping was being exceptionally clingy to the white haired princess. And now they had some alone time together.
The class droned on as per usual, but the only difference was two girls' minds, fluttering in their own affection for the other. Weiss wanted Ruby and vice versa. But they had always been too afraid to come out.
The bell sounded, and Ruby had almost missed hearing it. She was too lost in thought, unusual for her. She shrugged it off and gathered her things excitedly. She waited until everyone had left the class except for Weiss and Oobleck. The three of them stood alone in silence for only a few moments.
"You two are exceptional students of mine, and as I've already stated, I highly appreciate this work you are doing for me. Very well, you are going to be cleaning and organizing my storeroom across the hall. Report back to me once everything is in order." Oobleck was never a slow speaker, as he handed Weiss a checklist that would be used for organization. She held it proudly as though she had been given a very important task, which to some was true.
"You won't be counted as late to your next class, I guarantee it. Now hop to it!" Oobleck finished before exiting the classroom quickly in search of more coffee. Ruby looked over at Weiss and took a peek at the checklist. There were dashes and lines and boxes and scribbles all over the paper, it nearly gave the poor girl a headache.
"Ruby, come on. What are you doing?" Weiss caught Ruby looking at the sheet with such a look of confusion it made Weiss snicker.
Ruby snapped out of her trance as soon as she could and waited for Weiss to start walking. The white haired girl simply rolled her eyes and headed towards the door.
"Ah, coming Weiss!" Ruby called after her, setting her school things on the closest desk to her. Then the two girls exited the classroom and looked around for Oobleck's storeroom.
Weiss glanced at the checklist and noticed a number at the top labeled very clearly: 21A. Weiss and Ruby crossed the hall and walked alongside in one direction, passing a few classrooms labeled 18A, 19A, 20A…
"There it is. Room 21A." Weiss announced confidently. Ruby softly bumped into Weiss when they stopped, not paying any attention. Weiss spun around quickly to see what it was, but was only greeted by Ruby's friendly smile. She sighed and turned back around, entering the storeroom silently. It wasn't very big width-wise, but some shelves extended more than twice the height of the girls. A lot of stuff was just lying around, mostly boxes, crates, or stray papers and folders. The shelves were multi-tiered, meaning there were things that were too high for either of them to reach. They looked at each other with innocent determination.
"Where do we even start?" Ruby asked while looking around.
"How should I know? I think I see a ladder in the back. Let me bring it over and we can work from top to bottom." Weiss pointed out and started towards the back of the room. When she reached the wall, she was proud to know that her assumption was correct. Weiss tugged at the large metal contraption with little luck. Ruby was standing further away, watching the whole time.
"Well are you going to help me or not, Ruby?" Weiss turned around and was getting ready to lecture. Before she could speak anymore, Ruby rushed forward in a burst of rose petals and attached herself to the other side of the ladder.
"See? I can help!" Ruby giggled and picked up her end with ease. She was a lot stronger since she used a heavier weapon on a daily basis. Weiss glared at Ruby with an odd mix of embarrassment and gratitude. It soon faded when she picked up her end of the ladder, lazily carrying it to the center of the room and against one of the shelves. They set the ladder down and looked up to the top of the shelf. Weiss' attention drifted to the organizer sheet she still had.
"Okay, Ruby, you need to climb up to the top and clear a spot for a couple crates of papers." Weiss commanded calmly, directing Ruby's attention to the top of the ladder. The red leader politely accepted her task and swiftly climbed the steps. She soon poked her head over the rim of the top shelf.
In the dim light of the storeroom, Ruby saw a thick layer of dirt and dust, a few boxes and stray papers scattered around. She quickly collected as many stray papers as possible, shaking a whole cloud of dust into the air. Suddenly, Ruby had a bad feeling.
The dust was now in the very air that Ruby was breathing. It forced her to reel back for clean air. But the moment she did, she violently sneezed, kicking up a much bigger cloud of dust and scattering the papers even more-so. The ladder moved with the force of the sneeze and Ruby felt herself wobbling. A few moments passed and Ruby clung to the side of the shelf. The ladder gave out and Ruby began falling.
"Ruby, no!" Weiss let go of the checksheet and held her arms out, moving underneath of her leader. Ruby didn't have a time to react before she had landed squarely in Weiss' extended arms. Weiss nearly fell forward from the sudden impact.
Neither girl moved for a couple seconds. They were both in as much shock as the other. Weiss was holding Ruby bridal style, while Ruby held onto Weiss' arms.
"Be more careful, you could've gotten hurt!" Weiss scolded a little louder than she intended, letting Ruby slide to her feet. The little reaper looked away and softly said she was sorry. Weiss crossed her arms, but instead of anger, she found herself blushing. She had saved her leader from getting injured. Before she could think too deeply about, she cleared her head and picked the checklist up. Ruby smiled at Weiss to show she was thankful.
"I suppose...you're welcome. Now let's get back to the task at hand. We've already wasted enough time." Weiss motioned with her hand at a stack of crates in the corner to indicate that they were to go up top. Ruby replaced the ladder and climbed back up to give it another go. Weiss found herself smiling despite the troubles that the other girl gave her.
The Iceflower duo worked quickly but quietly, only speaking when necessary. They finished organized and cleaning the room much later than they had hoped for, but at least the job was finished. Ruby stood in the doorway and admired their work. Weiss simply sighed and leaned against the wall.
"See, we didn't need help after all, right Weiss?" Ruby gleamed with pride. She definitely made for a charismatic leader.
"You're still quite a dolt," Weiss responded with, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Now let's get back to the room. I'm sure Blake and Yang have been waiting for us."
"Good idea!" Ruby cheerfully suggested, spinning around to start her journey to the dorm room.
"How are you still so high-maintenance after all that work?" Weiss groaned at Ruby, not sounding harsh but not exactly friendly. Ruby didn't have an answer. The pair walked back to their room together. Ruby always managed to stay a few steps ahead of Weiss but neither of them noticed.
Once they arrived, they were greeted with a cold air of silence. No one was in the room.
"Oh, darn. Where did those two run off to now?" Weiss rhetorically asked, looking around the hallway and room. Ruby bolted past Weiss and picked up a letter that lay on Blake's bed.
"Dear Rubes and Weissly, Blake and I are eating out tonight, be back soon." Ruby read aloud. When she got to the end, she traced her finger over a crude drawing of a bumblebee.
"Uh, let's forget about them for a while." Weiss snatched the letter from Ruby's hands, remembering her young innocence.
"But where do you think they're-"
"Nowhere. Probably a place called Bumblebee," Weiss quickly answered, then whispering to herself, "or inside Blake's pants…"
Ruby gave an acute look of confusion, then turning around and stretching her arms, yawning while doing so. Weiss gently smiled as she watched.
"Looks like someone wore themselves out after all." She smirked and waited for Ruby to respond.
"Hey, I'm not done for the night just yet!" Ruby picked up a pillow out of Weiss' line of sight and quickly spun around, smacking the heiress in the face with it. Weiss wasn't expecting the cushiony attack and fell backwards onto Blake's bed.
"Ruby! How childish of someone who's suppose to be a responsible team leader!" Weiss lashed out at the little reaper. Ruby was too busying laughing at how perfectly the surprise had worked out to listen.
Slightly upset, Weiss picked up her pajamas and stormed into the bathroom. She gently closed the door behind her and began changing out of her school uniform. Ruby was left alone in the room, settling down from her fit of laughter. Her attention was turned to the bathroom door as she waited patiently for the heiress to return. Suddenly, a thought arose. Weiss was in their changing, meaning that she was removing her clothes. Ruby felt herself blushing when she imagined Weiss stripping herself.
The thoughts subsided quickly as Ruby remember that she was still in her school uniform. Before Weiss could leave the bathroom, Ruby removed and folded her cape neatly. Next she started changing as fast as she could. But it wasn't fast enough.
The doorknob turned and Weiss stepped out, fully in her pajama clothes. The first thing she saw was Ruby standing in nothing except a black pair of panties and a matching bra. Both Ruby and Weiss' eyes grew wide as they took in the situation. The little reaper couldn't move and Weiss couldn't look away. It lasted for about ten seconds when Ruby finally snapped out of it and finished changing. Without saying a word, she climbed into her bed and looked towards the wall, blushing hard.
Weiss was unsure about what to do. She moved herself to her own bed and sat on the edge, staring up at Ruby's bed. Silence hung in the air as Weiss was choosing what to say.
"Hey Ruby?" She gently asked, not expecting a response.
"Y-Yes?" Ruby mustered.
"You have a cute body." Weiss lightly smiled as she heard a soft giggle coming from Ruby's bed.
"Thanks Weiss." Ruby replied. She turned around and moved to the edge of her own bed, peering down at Weiss. The heiress was sitting and staring back. The two locked eyes with each other and an unspoken connection was formed between them.
Ruby hopped down from her own bed and took a place beside Weiss. Ruby had a few things on her mind that she wanted to work out with the other girl. She felt comfortable enough to share them finally.
"Weiss? Do you know what it's like to truly love someone? When I wanted to become a Huntress before joining here, I had this idea that maybe this life would be full of romance and love." Weiss was surprised when she heard Ruby's innocent tone. The question she asked was completely something she didn't expect to come from Ruby.
"Well...love is difficult, Ruby. In order for it to work out, both people need to have feelings for each other. And it's not even that simple. Those feelings need time to develop." Weiss carefully explained.
"What happened with you and Neptune?" Ruby suddenly remembered and asked without thinking. Weiss paused a few seconds to take in the question.
"I didn't like him so much, especially after he proved to be an idiot unfit for a Schnee." Weiss prided herself with feeling special. Ruby giggled a little as she watched Weiss sit up taller.
"So you don't like anyone right now, right?" Ruby persisted.
"I...Didn't say that exactly. Just not Neptune, or Jaune, or pretty much any other guy I can think of." Weiss started to mentally categorize the boys of Beacon. Ruby immediately was reminded of something when the two of them first met.
"I bet you never thought we would be talking about boys like this, huh?" Ruby giggled again as Weiss' face began turning a light shade of red. Her reaction was to throw a small pillow at Ruby's face.
"I certainly did not. And this conversation is over now." Weiss defiantly crossed her arms and looked away.
"Aw, come on Weiss, don't be so negative. We're friends now, right? We can stay up late and talk about all kinds of things together!" For a brief moment, Weiss almost felt sorry for her actions, but continued to act privileged.
"Hmph, maybe I want to sleep, do you ever think about that, you dolt?" Weiss teased, hoping to get Ruby's attention.
"You don't get to sleep, not when I'm here!" Ruby leaned over and hugged Weiss tightly. She wrapped her arms around the heiress and squeezed, forcing Weiss to move closer. The embrace was one-sided though, and Ruby parted soon after realizing that Weiss wasn't going to return the hug.
"Hands off, I just got this gown ironed! You need to learn proper manners, Ruby." Weiss was slightly irritated but the sourness disappeared quickly as she stared as Ruby's face. The little scythe wielder lowered her head because she thought she had done something to upset Weiss. The white haired girl sighed and extended a hand, lightly touching Ruby's chin and raising her head back up.
"You're fine. Just don't get so excited, and I'll be a little less irritable." Weiss gave Ruby a tiny smile and allowed herself to be less tense. Ruby could only stare deep into Weiss' large blue eyes. They seemed to be inviting, which was new to her.
"Yes, Ms. Schnee." Ruby responded with sarcasm. Weiss rolled her eyes and leaned back onto the bed. As soon as her back hit the mattress, she relaxed herself and closed her eyes. Ruby repeated what the other girl had done, laying herself beside Weiss. The heiress stirred slightly as Ruby unexpectedly stayed next to her. Weiss turned her head in the direction of her young leader and opened her eyes only wide enough to see the black and red hair of the small girl beside her. It was a comforting sight to her, a sign that she wasn't alone.
"Weiss, can I sleep with you tonight? I want to know what it's like to sleep with someone else...just for tonight though!" Weiss' gaze was interrupted with the sight of Ruby's prevailing silver eyes. The question startled the drowsy heiress.
"I suppose so." Weiss repositioned herself so that she was laying normally with her head on her pillow. Ruby followed suit and laid next to her friend, each of them facing each other.
"This is new...and awkward." Weiss pointed out. Ruby didn't react or try moving away.
"I kinda like it. Hehe…" Ruby whispered, making Weiss slightly blush.
"You're too close…!" Weiss shifted minorly, distancing herself a little bit. There was silence between the two as they settled in, still facing towards one another. As soon as Weiss closed her eyes, Ruby decided to begin a new conversation.
"Weiss, have you ever kissed someone?" The thought pushed itself to the front of Ruby's mind. Weiss was starting to accept the odd conversation-starters from the reaper.
"No, I have not." Weiss still did not open her eyes.
"Do you want to find out?" Ruby spoke in a hushed voice, but it was gentle enough that it made Weiss want to listen.
"I suppose...wait, what are you implying?" Weiss immediately opened her eyes wide, watching the younger girl shift uncomfortably.
"It was...just an idea…" Ruby squirmed, looking away. As much as Ruby wanted to kiss the heiress, Weiss wanted it just as much. Ruby sure was taking her time though…
"This is the first time I'm hearing you say anything about love. You're too young for any of that." Weiss stated with a hint of challenge in her voice.
"I am not!" Ruby shot back, whispering loudly.
"Oh, then prove it." Weiss' face felt warm as she fell into an inviting facial expression.
"Prove it? How?" Ruby suddenly looked confused. It was funny to Weiss how Ruby seemed to be easily confused. Without hesitation or further thinking, Weiss simply leaned forward…
...And although it was just a short peck, Weiss gave Ruby her first kiss. Both girls were visibly blushing like crazy, and neither of them could satisfy their feelings. Right as Weiss began pulling away, Ruby quickly leaned back in and picked the kiss back up, forcing it to be a little deeper. The kiss never made it past their lips, but Ruby was just fine with pushing herself against the soft welcoming lips of Weiss. They parted and stared at one another. Neither wanted to speak. They were lost in the others eyes.
"...So I guess you like girls afterall." Weiss whispered.
"No...just one girl." Ruby finished adorably. She then moved her arms forward and wrapped them around Weiss' waist. She didn't want to let go. Weiss didn't want her to let go.
"Goodnight, Ruby." Weiss yawned quickly before closing her eyes and drifting into sweet dreams of a long future with the little red reaper beside her. Ruby took the heiress' advice and sank into a nice relaxing slumber, right next to her precious ice queen.