A/N: I suppose stupid fluffy fluff and wishful thinking is ok from time-to-time. I couldn't help myself. I have another RWBY story allegedly along the way, but this was easier to write and finish. Oh well.

This takes place in what will most likely be an AU of Season 2, episode 7 and whatever comes after it.

Alternatives

Smiling was just another skill Weiss had mastered; it was another tool in her vast arsenal she used when facing adversity. It was as practically a requirement for a Schnee to learn how to smile even when they felt the complete opposite. After all, how else were they supposed to act like everything was normal when reality begged to differ? How else were they supposed to keep the façade of normality when the dawn of a new day brought with it the news of another failed Dust shipment, another facility bombed, or the death of yet another family member? So when Weiss sat alone in her dorm room, twenty minutes after the dance had started, her first reaction to her sadness and disappointment had to been to steel her face into a well-practiced smile.

That smile only grew brighter and progressively more fake as she walked to the dance. This was the first time she had ever gone to a social gathering without an escort. Even though she hated the company she was usually paired up with—they all were sniveling sycophants and silver-spooned brats who road on the coattails of their parents, never once having to work hard for anything in their lives—company was still company. More than the cold air of the night, it was the empty space beside her that stung.

She kept her mask up as she celebrated with her team the recovery of their wayward team member and tried to make the most of her evening. She even made small talk with a few people, danced with a couple boys because, damn it, she was Weiss Schnee! She was the heiress of one of the largest Dust companies in the world and definitely a highly desirable bachelorette. She wasn't some social pariah or an awkward outcast—she wasn't like some dark-haired dunce whose only skills in life was with a scythe!

That thought caused her to look up from her dance with some nondescript boy whose name she couldn't bother remembering. She caught the sight of her leader wobbling her way to the punchbowl. Feeling sorry for the girl and compelled to assist her, Weiss politely excused herself. As she got closer, she heard the younger girl muttering to herself:

"…right, left, right…urgh, I swear these are torture devices. We should make the Grimm wear these…right—woah! Not right, not right—aaah!"

Weiss caught Ruby just as she tripped over her own feet. At the sight of her, the gray-eyed girl immediately perked up.

"Weiss! You saved meee!" Ruby cheered as she righted herself. "How do you walk in these deathtraps? I feel like a duck—a really uncoordinated duck because I don't think I've seen a duck trip over itself, maybe if it was a really drunk duck and—

"Just come with me," the heiress sighed as she dragged her teammate out of the hall and into the corridor. It was mostly unpopulated since most of the students were in the main hall. She then casted a critical eye over the younger girl. "Why are you wearing heels if you don't know how to wear them?"

"Um, Yang said they went with the dress?"

"And she never taught you?"

"She's been really worried about Blake and I thought, 'Hey, Weiss wears heels twice as high every day and fights in them too—how hard could it be?' And then turns out it's really, really hard. And now my feet hurt."

Weiss found herself shaking her head and sighed again. Having nothing better to do—and secretly happy to have an excuse to not be in the dance hall—she made her decision. "Fine, I'll teach you."

"Yay!"

"Stand up straight—no slouching! The key is good posture, confidence and keeping your chin up—not that up, you dunce!"

For the next five minutes Weiss drilled the basics into Ruby like it was just another sparing session between the two of them. In another five minutes, the girl was able to barely make it to the end of the hallway and back. And after another ten minutes, a red-faced, but triumphant Ruby was able to walk the length with some semblance of grace. Weiss let the girl rest and went back to the main hall to retrieve drinks. When she returned, she found Ruby had made her way to the balcony. Two other people were there but when faced with Weiss's irritated glare, the couple quickly scampered off and left her alone with her partner.

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said when she was handed the drink. She took a sip out of it before she looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "You didn't have to leave the dance for me. I know you and Yang put a lot of effort into it and you should make the most of it."

"It's fine. Honestly," Weiss admitted, one of the sides of her lips quirking up. "I wasn't having a good time myself."

"Really? But you had everything planned out and a date."

"Well he's not here. N-not that I care or anything. Who needs to have a date to a stupid school dance," Weiss huffed. When she turned, she saw gray eyes peering curiously at her.

"Do you have to have a date?"

"O-Of course not. It's just customary to have one."

"Maybe I could be yours?"

Weiss blushed at her partner's comment and couldn't resist the impulse to slap the other girl's arm. So she did. "Why would I go with you, Ruby Rose? You don't even know how to dance!"

The younger girl rubbed her arm before smilingly ruefully. "I could if you taught me?"

When faced with Ruby's helplessly earnest expression, even Weiss couldn't decline. So she set her drink on the railing and approached her partner. "Fine, but if you step on my toes even once, I'm stopping."

"I won't, I promise!"

So Weiss taught her and Ruby caught on much faster than she did learning to walk in heels. Even in spite of wearing them, the younger girl easily fell into the tempo set by her partner. Ozpin was right: dancing was a lot like fighting. And in the few month that they had become partners, the two had become incredibly adept at operating on the same wavelength. After hours of training, they easily picked on each other's more subtle, nonverbal cues. And those same cues helped as they danced in the moonlit night to the music that gently flowed from Weiss's scroll.

At some point in time, Ruby had taken the lead. Laughing, she spun Weiss around.

"This is kind of fun," the younger girl admitted.

Weiss's only response was a smile. It was the first genuine one she had all night.

This was a lot of fun—much more than anything she had expected. When the music stopped, Weiss couldn't help learning forward and kissing Ruby on the cheek.

"Thanks for being my date."

Ruby blushed darkly, bringing her hand over the place Weiss's lips have touched. "Not a—no problem, Weiss. C'mon, let's go back to the dance." The girl rushed to the balcony door, not noticing that she left rose petals in her wake. Only when she opened it, she realized her misstep. Smiling sheepishly, Ruby offered both the opened door and her arm to the heiress.

Weiss couldn't help giggileat the sight or the slight bounce in her step as she caught up with her new date. Walking side-by-side—and feeling the warmth radiating from her still blushing partner—Weiss couldn't think of a better outcome.