"Yang, have you seen Weiss around?"
Blake Belladonna was searching high and low for one Schnee heiress, on this very merry Christmas Eve at Beacon Academy, and ended up in the mess hall because of it.
"Nnnnnuuhhh, Rubes, you seen Weiss anywhere?" The blonde brawler asked her sister, who was busy fixing up the last bits of dinner she and Yang planned out for their team, along with Team JNPR. The original plan was to have a rib-roast, ham, some 'Yang-specialty' stuffing, dinner rolls, and pie. Lots and lots of pie. BUT, Nora, who was in charge of bringing the ingredients, was inexplicably caught up in some type of accident involving a horse, Professor Port, the left arm of a snowman, and the sign from A Simple Wok. Therefore, their dinner actually consisted of some microwave pizza, coffee, ice cream, and macaroni and cheese. They did salvage the ham and Yang made some more of her stuffing, so it wasn't like it lacked any holiday cheer. The two teams also agree on having a simple movie night for Christmas Eve, and the eight of them would open gifts in the morning.
"Haven't seen her all day!" Ruby called out from their pseudo-kitchen make-up the cooks allowed them to have.
Yang turned back to Blake with a crooked smile, "Sorry kitty-cat, she's not here. But uh, can you hand me those plates over there real quick? Kinda got my hands full with the stuffing right now," she motioned to the stack of plates on one of the long wooden tables.
Her eyes downcast, Blake performed the action without words, feeling slightly upset that no one has seen Weiss around. Apparently. She grabbed the plates off the table and was about to return to Yang, but she caught a glimpse of a scrap of paper that had been taped to the table, with nothing but the letter 'D' on it.
"What's that paper?" Blake asked, setting the plates down next to Yang's prep station.
"What's what paper?"
"The paper with the 'D' on it."
Yang snorted, earning herself a slap on the arm from the raven haired girl, "Be serious for two seconds, please."
"I dunno, it's just there? Maybe someone else left it there by accident. It's a mess hall, Blake. It gets… messy."
Blake rolled her eyes, "Okay, that one was too easy. I'll just.. see you in a bit, I'm going to keep looking for Weiss."
Yang eyed Blake, and continued her prepping with a knowing smirk, "What'cha need Queen Chilly for?"
Blake stopped mid-step, her cat ears twitching slightly under her bow, "I.. just wanted to wish her a merry Christmas. You know, considering how we both grew up without much to celebrate, I thought it'd be nice. That's all."
Yang playfully rolled her eyes, "You sure you don't wanna wish her a Marry Me Christmas instead?"
"Eeewwwww!" Could be heard from the kitchen, clearly coming from Ruby.
"Hey! It wasn't THAT bad!" She yelled back.
"Yang. Just, shut up," Blake chastised, a slight blush running across her cheeks. She turned around quickly, wanting to leave the vicinity as soon as possible, lest she get even more embarrassed by Yang's inappropriate implications.
"Rrrrr, kitty's got claws!" A boisterous laugh erupted from the blonde, but not before shouting after Blake, "Blake, you might wanna try the library! She could be studying, that nerd!"
Blake heard Yang's words, but chose not to look back. She wouldn't let the blonde know, but she would be heading to the library next because of her.
Once Blake was completely out of sight, Yang stopped her prep to visit the kitchen window, getting Ruby to meet her half-way. "So, you're sure they did it, right? I seriously don't want to imagine what'll happen to us if this doesn't go perfectly."
Ruby, wiping her hands on a Christmas themed hand towel, leaned on the wall adjacent to the window, "I hope so? Jaune said I could 'count on him' so, uh, let's hope that's what he did."
Yang let out a dramatic sigh, "That chick is so sprung, I can't even believe it."
The library was decked out with Christmas décor. The windows were lined with red curtains, and some of the bookcases had garlands on them, their green body wrapped in a smaller gold ribbon, twisting all the way down to the ends. There were wreaths placed on the walls in between the windows, and crystalline lights ran across the air, in between the ceiling and the floor. It actually looked a little haphazard, but they figured, hey, it's the holidays. As long as it looks festive, it's probably okay.
Blake weaved in between the study tables. There were students at them, but instead of reading, they were all playing cards or board games, or maybe just chatting in general. There weren't any classes right now, so they took this time for reprieve from their vigorous training and studies. In the distance, she could see Jaune and Ren, sitting in front of a laptop, laughing at something on screen. They noticed Blake as she approached, and looked up from the computer.
Jaune was first to speak, "Hey Blake, what's up?"
Blake simply nodded to the both of them, eager to get on with her business, "Have either of you seen Weiss? Yang told me to check the library, but I don't see her."
Jaune tried his best to hold in a smile, turned to Ren, "Uhhm. Ren, you seen Weiss?"
"No, I haven't. I'm sorry, Blake." Ren was pretty composed, but Jaune had to look around the library and pretend to find something interesting, so he wouldn't give in to his impending snicker attack.
Blake eyed the two, raising a brow in suspicion. "Um, alright, I suppose. Thanks anyway." She started to turn away, but Ren jumped up and lifted his laptop off the table, "Would you like to sit down? I can message Nora and ask if she's seen her," making a point to step away from his seat. On the table was another piece of paper taped down, but this time, it had an 'O' on it.
"No, I'm fine, but… what's with these letters? Is someone playing a prank?" She asked coldly, not understanding why everyone was acting like she was walking around with two heads.
Jaune looked at the paper, and back at Ren. "No, that was just there when we got here. Wasn't it, Ren?"
"It certainly was. Perhaps we sat here because we thought it was a special table."
Their excuses were definitely getting a little stupider, and Blake just didn't have time for it today. "Okay, you know what, I'll just. I'll see you guys tonight. I've got to go."
"Blake, hold on. Pyrrha just told me that Weiss was at the Amphitheater," Ren told her, his scroll in hand.
Blake's ears twitched so hard at this, her bow almost fell off, "Really?! I mean.. Is she sure?"
"Yes. It's Pyrrha, after all."
"Right. It is Pyrrha," Blake affirmed. "Thanks, Ren!" She trotted off, hoping to catch Weiss while she was still at the Amp.
As Blake left the library, the two boys just shrugged and sat back down, placing the laptop back on the table.
"Blake's a lucky gal, Ren. Such a lucky… lucky gal," the blond boy sighed, resting his elbow on Ren's shoulder.
Ren patted his elbow in consolation, "One day, Jaune. One day."
"Really?"
"... No. Maybe not."
The air was cold, but it was refreshing. Blake didn't hate the chilly weather, finding it rather comforting to curl up in a few blankets and indulge in her books, sipping tea all the while. That being said, it was nice to walk around the campus when it was relatively empty. She could get a better look at the architecture and scenery that was usually obscured by student activity. She finally spotted the Amphitheater in the distance, and started to jog toward it, in hopes of catching up to Weiss.
Nearly bursting through the door, Blake called out, a little louder than she'd wanted to, "Weiss!"
"Noraaaaa!" The orange-haired girl exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the bleachers.
"Hello, Blake," Pyrrha waved, beckoning her to come up to them. "You're looking for Weiss?"
"..Sort of, yes. Wasn't she here?" Blake scratched at her cheek in embarrassment.
"She was here, but she did leave earlier. Are we all still meeting up tonight?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. We are. So, you don't know where she went?" Amber eyes looked up at emerald in high hopes.
But a look of apology swept across Pyrrha's face as she shook her head, "No, I'm afraid she did not mention. I'm sorry, Blake."
Blake breathed out a small sigh, "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll see you both later."
"Wait, before you go," Pyrrha reached behind her and revealed a small box of cookies, "Would you like one? Nora made them, under the supervision of Ren, and they're actually quite good."
"Well of course they're good, I mean, I made them after all! I told Ren to let me make them pancake flavored, but that silly boy insisted it wouldn't work out, and who am I to tell him he's wrong, huh? So Blake, go ahead and try them, they're super super delicious and ultra-awesome! I call them: Valkookies. A masterpiece," Nora was bouncing around the bleachers at this point, exhausting Blake just by the sight of her.
But still, Nora's boundless energy helped cheer Blake up, causing the girl to chuckle, "Alright, I'll have one." Pyrrha opened the box, and as she reached in for a Valkookie, Blake caught sight of yet another damn piece of paper, taped to the inside of the lid. It had 'R' and 'M' on it. "Are you kidding me? What is this?"
Despite taking a Valkookie, Blake retracted her hand quickly, staring at the pair of strange women. "Did you guys all plan this? Is this some kind of joke? Because I'm not laughing, "Blake pressed, her growing annoyance becoming apparent.
"No, Blake, it's not a joke, please don't be angry! It's just—" Before Pyrrha could finish her defense, Blake had already put two and two together; well, in this case, she'd put the word together, and took off to the dorm rooms with a speed that could rival Ruby's. Almost.
The door to Team RWBY's dorm slammed open, and Blake scanned the room for any sign of our little heiress. But.. to no avail.
"Seriously…!?" Blake angrily paced the room, confused and irritated about the events that just transpired. What the hell was up with those letters? And, they obviously spelled out 'DORM' and yet she's not even here? What's up with that? That's not how these things are supposed to go.
With a frustrated grunt, Blake collapsed onto her bed and laid her arm over her eyes. After several slow breaths, she finally felt just a little bit better, and uncovered her eyes to stare at the bottom of the bunk above her. "What…"
She shot up instantly, almost crashing her head into the wood, when she saw something taped above her bed. It was a small box, being held to the wood with double sided tape, and a piece of paper taped to the top of the box. Blake hurriedly snatched the curious package off the wood and opened the note. In a feminine scrawl, it read:
Knowing you, you probably collapsed onto your bed out of frustration, right?
Blake stuck her tongue in her cheek at this, shaking her head at just how well the heiress knew of her habits. She continued to read.
DON'T YOU DARE open this box yet! Come to the gardens.
The mysterious courier hadn't left a name on the note, but Blake already knew who it was from. Both by the handwriting and the scent of white orchid and snow, Blake knew damn well who it was from.
Needless to say, she bolted out of the dorm room and made a beeline for the Academy Gardens.
Slowing to a jog after the sprint she'd taken to get there, Blake finally arrived at the gardens behind the academy. It was evening by now, and the sky was dark. The pond had been lit up, both from beneath the water and with more of those crystalline Christmas lights across the backdrop of the garden, giving the scenery an extra boost of something a little short of 'magical.' Blake was panting lightly, her breaths could be seen in the night air. Her amber eyes shone brilliantly in the low light, and they could be seen shifting back and forth beneath her dark purple eyeshadow, silently checking every inch of the area for a petite figure. She walked along the pond, the greenery providing a comforting atmosphere of serenity to the area, the lampposts also lit up in a dazzling display of light and shadow. She trusted Weiss would be here, so she walked slowly, taking the time to look at the water, her reflection slightly visible.
"You sure took your sweet time."
Blake's ears twitched for a final time upon hearing that oh-so-familiar voice. She had finally found her, standing by herself, also looking down at the water. A silly little crooked grin appearing on her face, Blake put the small box behind her back and took exaggerated steps toward the girl, making a point to be extra slow to annoy the heiress.
"That was a really cheesy thing you did, do you realize that?" She asked Weiss, taking a few moments to drink in Weiss' features after having gone the entire day without seeing her.
Weiss feigned offense, putting her hand over her chest and scoffing, "What ever do you mean? I'm incapable of being cheesy."
"A scavenger hunt? Seriously? Little letters left all over the place and having our friends direct me all over campus? I thought Weiss Schnee could think of something a little better than that."
"Okay, don't even pretend you didn't enjoy it. It was a perfectly plausible thing to do! All things considering…" Weiss took a step closer to Blake, unable to hide the apparent red tinge on her cheeks. "You did bring it, didn't you?"
Blake brought the small box out from behind her back and presented it to Weiss, "Of course. Mind telling me what's inside? You purposely masked the box with your scent so I wouldn't know, didn't you?"
"You're a sharp one, Belladonna, I'll give you that." Weiss cleared her throat a little and looked to the side, before taking the box from Blake's hand. "Close your eyes."
Blake started to protest, "But—"
"Close!"
Blake screwed her eyes shut, not wanting to anger Weiss tonight. She waited for a few moments, her senses on edge expecting something… a certain something, but she tried not to get ahead of herself. Sure, it was a pretty cliché scene, but really, it was Weiss Schnee, there's about a million things that could happen at this very moment, and they certainly didn't all have to do with a certain Christmas tradition, involving a certain plant, and—
Blake heard the box open, and she caught the scent of it instantly. Blake's ears stood up and forward, shifting her bow even further. Her heart sped up in anticipation, and she so desperately wanted to open her eyes, but she held steadfast.
A chaste kiss was placed gently on her cheek, and the fluster on Blake's face was so strong, it was almost goddamned audible. Her eyes shot open as she looked at Weiss, who was equally as red, and holding up—yep, there it was—mistletoe, olive green leaves and white berries and all, decorated with a little black and white ribbon, over their heads.
Blake stood speechless, staring at Weiss. Her ice blue eyes reflected the lit-up pond perfectly, the soft light cast over her pale but now pinkish skin. Her alabaster hair was up in her signature off-center ponytail, cascading over her right shoulder. Blake could only sum up the scene in one word: enchanting.
Weiss flit her eyes from Blake to the pond, and back and forth again, before getting fed up with the silence and stomping her foot, "Say something, you idiot! Do you know how embarrassing it was to get everyone to coopera—mmmff!"
Blake sealed Weiss' mouth with hers, grabbing the heiress by the small of her back and pulling her in close, causing Weiss to stumble. Weiss' eyes were wide, but she soon closed them and brought one hand up to Blake's neck for support. She tossed the mistletoe into the water before bringing her other arm up, wrapping them around Blake's neck completely, pressing herself into the kiss even further.
The two stayed connected for several moments, and finally Weiss broke off, unable to handle the heat rising to her cheeks any longer. She simply laughed and buried her face into Blake's chest as the taller girl hugged her waist.
It was Blake who spoke first, "Well that was… something."
Weiss lightly hit Blake's arm, "Oh. How very eloquent of you. The girl of your dreams set up this stupid little puzzle for you, and then kisses you under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve, and all you can say is that it was 'something'? I can't believe I let you take my first kiss."
Both girls froze at Weiss' words, Weiss lifting her head up to meet Blake's face, which was smiling proudly, "Is this true?"
"Of course not! I mean, it.. yes, it is true, but.. ughhh, just be quiet!" Weiss playfully batted Blake's shoulders with her fists, unable to hide her widening grin. Blake squeezed the heiress a little more, earning a yelp in response, "Stop that! Come on, we've got to get back to our friends. Let me go already."
Blake did as she was told and relinquished Weiss from her grip, feeling dismayed at the loss of her warmth. "You're right. I caught Yang making her stuffing just a little earlier, and it smelled really, really good."
"Ah, yes, the sorry attempt at fixing the dinner we had planned. I told them time and time again not to let Nora handle the gathering of important supplies, but does anyone listen to me? No. Hmph!" Weiss turned her head up, intertwining her fingers with Blake's. "Let's go."
Blake looked at Weiss once more, their eyes meeting, "Gladly. But.. wait, did you say that you were the 'girl of my dreams'?"
"Well, am I not?" Weiss answered, as if Blake's question was unfathomable.
Blake laughed heartily at this, "No no, you're right. Alright dream-girl, let's get going."
The mistletoe floated gently across the pond, its ripples pulsing slowly as the reflection of two enamored women could be seen, bathed in a soft light and walking back toward the dorm room and into whatever the rest of the night would bring.
Blake and Weiss arrived at Team RWBY's dorm room a little later, greeted by a crowded area of makeshift tables full of food and people strewn all over the room and RWBY's beds. Blankets and pillows were everywhere, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. They were facing a portable pull-down screen brought over, courtesy of Ren. They were going to use Ren's laptop and a projector to show movies on the screen, but it seemed they wanted to wait for the couple to show up before actually starting any movies.
"Aaaayyee! Look who finally decided to show up! Weiss, did your proposal go well?" Yang teased, probably waiting all day to pester the heiress about her little plan.
"P-Pro—Just stop talking Yang, please," Weiss insisted, trying to hide her face with her hands.
"C'mon you two, get snuggly with us! We've been waaaitinnnng!" Nora invited, rolling around on Ren while he was trying to configure his laptop to the projector.
Ruby brought over two plates of food for them, pushing them into their hands, "Eat! We've got like, a million pizza rolls. Seriously, we need help finishing it all." She turned to Weiss, "How'd it go?" Ruby asked with a suggestive tone.
"It went just fine, Ruby, please don't ask about it anymore tonight! And you really should stop hanging out with Yang so much, she's starting to rub off on you," Weiss told her with a curt voice.
Yang chimed in, "And we all know who's going to rub off on you tonight, right Weiss?"
The room erupted with laughter, which included Blake to some extent, and Weiss Schnee had never felt so embarrassed in her life.
a/n: I tried so hard to get this out on Christmas Eve, and I did! Well, technically, it's only Christmas Eve for me, but it's already the 25th like everywhere else.
Just a short thing I spat out in like two hours before I go out tonight. Happy Holidays everyone, hope you enjoyed this little piece of Monochrome!