A/N: Oh boy. The first time taking a shot at writing a RWBY fic. Updates will come... whenever. They tend to be a bit sporadic, but they'll happen. Big thanks to anonofthecentury (Tumblr) for quality assurance and whatnot.
Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Mirrors can be a bit of a strange thing. They only ever show exactly what is placed in front of them and nothing more. A clear reflection, just as is. In front of this particular mirror stood Weiss Schnee, eyes cast downward as she ran her slender hands through her long, ivory hair. Her eyes were transfixed not on her reflection, but on the mirror itself. The small room behind her that shown on the surface served as only background noise to her as she reached down onto the vanity to grab a hair tie and began to pull her hair into a sideways ponytail.
With a small tug to be sure the hold was tight, she didn't notice what the mirror was showing until she began to straighten her bangs. The majority of the mirror was taken up by her form, and she eventually locked eyes with herself. Large pools of pale blue stared into themselves, wide eyed and refusing to look away. The mirror showed exactly who she was. Slender form dressed in a pea coat, black buttons being the only color on an otherwise white surface that matched both her hair and pale complexion. She looked away momentarily as she smoothed out her clothing, looking back at the mirror to see the faint smile she was wearing.
For a brief moment, she lost herself. Finding it hard to believe that it was actually her that she was staring at in the mirror. She was content to stand in the strange bliss she found herself in, until her eyes moved toward the large, jagged scar down her left eye. The only imperfection on an otherwise perfect surface, one that quickly turned her soft smile into a firm line. She brought her hand up to her face and lightly traced the scar from the top on her forehead, down her eyelids, to the bottom at the top of her cheekbone. A crushing weight began to settle in her chest and pressure started to build behind her eyes. Her scowl deepened.
Just as the first tears began to form and threatened to fall, she felt a familiar form wrap itself behind her, arms clasped together around Weiss' stomach. Her hand instinctively dropped from her scar to hold the ones wrapped around her as she looked away from herself, instead choosing to look at the reflection of the head seated comfortably on her shoulder. That very moment showed the smiling face of Ruby Rose, and the weight in Weiss' chest lifted and was transformed to a lightweight flutter. Her blue eyes found the silver ones in the mirror, and the small smile she was previously sporting came back as she felt Ruby tighten her hold.
"You're blushing." Ruby's voice came in a lighthearted tease, soft and gentle as it grazed past Weiss' ear. Before she could offer any retort, Ruby raised one of her arms and began to dab at the corner of Weiss' eyes with the cuff of her hoodie. The gesture was slow, tender, and Weiss could feel her heart swelling. "What's bothering you?" Ruby asked in the same tone, barely above a whisper.
Blue eyes quickly shifted from Ruby's silver to the pink scar that ran its way down Weiss' eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but could only manage a strained stutter. Not quite able to find the words; a disconnect between her brain and her heart. She could only stand there, mouth slightly agape, blinking repeatedly as she tried to find something to say. Before she could, she felt Ruby's hand make its way toward the side of Weiss' face and gently nudged her to face the concerned girl.
Now facing each other, Ruby's silver eyes immediately latched onto Weiss' blues. Slowly, tenderly, she placed both of her hands on the back of Weiss' neck and laid the lightest of kisses over the top of Weiss' scar. The pressure behind her eyes began to build up again, although for completely different reasons this time around. Once Ruby's lips departed from her forehead, Weiss blinked away the forming tears and wrapped her own arms around the girl's waist. "You dolt." Weiss murmured.
Ruby gave a wide grin in return, leaning in to kiss the bottom of the scar this time. "This dolt loves you though, and I never want you to forget that." She reassured, bracing her forehead against Weiss'.
With the sudden calmness now settling within her, Weiss softly gripped at the fabric of Ruby's hoodie, absentmindedly playing with the fabric between her fingers. An action that would earn her a scolding in the past, something she knew in the back of her mind and yet she let herself do it anyway once she realized it. "How could I when I have you incessantly reminding me every other sentence?" Weiss playfully teased, causing Ruby to puff her cheeks out in faux defiance. The white haired girl chuckled under her breath before bringing the slightly taller girl in for a kiss. When their lips departed, she was able to look away for a brief moment before being entranced in the silver once again. "I love you too, though. Promise." The smile on Ruby's face was contagious, as she briefly found herself lost in the moment created by the adoration in Ruby's actions.
And she was content to stay that way, holding onto Ruby and embracing the warmth and love that radiated off of her. She hardly even noticed when there was a knock at the door.
"Put your pants on, girls!" Came the loud, teasing voice from the other side of the door, distinctive of Ruby's older sister, Yang. "We're leaving in the next ten minutes; Blake doesn't want to miss the previews!" She practically sang, her voice loud and clear despite the wooden barrier.
Ruby's face turned redder than the ends of her hair, eyes widened at the embarrassment brought upon her by her sister. "Yang! We aren't doing anything like that!" She shouted back, but only after moving a couple steps away from Weiss to avoid shouting in her face. With a small shrug, she placed her hands in her hoodie pocket and smiled. "I'm still sorry about her, she can be a little… Yang-ish sometimes."
"Although I must admit I still find some of her mannerisms to be a bit, well…" Weiss crossed her hands behind her back and briefly shook her head back and forth. "Disruptive, profound, discourteous, and straight up brutish, I'd be lying if I said I didn't care much for her." She tried to hold a stern demeanor, but upon seeing Ruby's confused expression, she failed to hold back the small smile stretching across her lips.
"I'm not sure if I know what some of those words mean, but I definitely know what that smile means!" Ruby replied, beaming from ear to ear as she tried to contain her excitement. "You're warming up to her, aren't you?"
"Well, I wou-" Weiss started, but was cut off from another knock at the door.
"Weiss? There's someone here to see you." Came Yang's voice, this time much calmer and much more serious than her previous teasing.
Weiss froze. Her eyes widened, her chest tightened. A hundred different possibilities began to run through her mind, but she found none of them ending positively. Behind her back, she began to drill her nails into her palms. She simultaneously felt as if she were both drowning and being crushed at the same time, finding it hard to gather enough air to fill her lungs. In the midst of it all, she was able to mentally shake herself for a brief moment to look toward the figure in front of her. "Ruby-"
As if it were her own personal call to arms, Ruby bridged the gap between them and cradled the ivory haired girl's face in her hands. "I don't care who it is. They will not take you." She tried to reassure through a cracked voice, and for a brief moment, Weiss was able to see her own reflection through the pooling tears in the silver eyes. "I don't care what I have to do." Ruby strained.
Another knock at the door, although this time, neither of the girls flinched or paid it any attention. Through her peripheral vision, Weiss was able to make out the outline of a black bow peeking in through the door. "Weiss, she says it's pretty urgent. I'm not sure if Yang and I will be able to keep her waiting around long enough for you two to-"
"I'm coming, Blake." Weiss murmured, grim and forced. She never broke eye contact with Ruby, but briefly leaned into her hands before taking them into her own. "I don't know who it is, and I don't know what they want. But I want you there beside me." She confessed, lowering their hands and intertwining their fingers. Her thoughts were still racing, and her heart didn't fare much better. But despite it all, she was sure she'd be able to handle whatever was thrown her way as long as Ruby was standing beside her.
Without a second thought, Ruby nodded. Finally breaking the eye contact to lead herself and Weiss through the door, determination emanating in waves from the brunette. Weiss allowed herself to be lightly pulled, feeding off of the resolute aura Ruby was giving off to try and steel herself to face whomever was waiting for her. The moment the pair entered the small hallway, she found Yang leaning against the open door with Blake on a nearby wall. Using her free hand to smooth out any remaining wrinkles on her clothes, she nearly stumbled when Ruby stopped in front of the doorway.
And right outside the doorway, she stood. The very first thing Weiss noticed were the immaculate service uniform she was wearing. Not a single flaw or imperfection could be seen it's pristine condition only accented by the number of various patches and ribbons sewn onto it. "Hello, Weiss." She spoke, forceful and yet, somehow gentle at the same time.
Weiss' blue eyes locked onto the blues of the woman outside of the doorway. Her face was familiar, and yet foreign. Snow white hair was pulled back into a tight bun, contained within the dark blue wedge cap. Weiss froze again, tightening her grip on Ruby's hands, her mind urging her to say something – anything, but her body choosing not to listen. The only muscle in her body she had any control over was her eyelids, blinking away any forming tears.
The woman directed her attention toward Yang, who was looking back at her with a quizzical expression. "I'm sorry; I never caught your name."
"Yang." She responded in short, her eyes snapping over toward Blake, Weiss, and then Ruby before returning to the woman in front of her. "Yang Xiao Long."
"Very well, Ms. Xiao Long." She began, removing the cap from her head and holding it behind her back. "May I enter?"
"You're not taking her away." Ruby began, slowly inching her way in front of Weiss. "I don't know who you are, but she's finally happy here with us and I won't let you or anyone else ruin that." She declared, voice shaking and threatening to give out with every word.
The woman's eyes scanned over Ruby, sizing her up before giving a small sigh. "I take it you're her girlfriend?" She asked, slightly exasperated but still managing to be calm. "How appropriately… underwhelming. Though I must recommend you to show a little respect and let me speak to my sister."
Blake pushed herself off of the wall, head turning to look toward Weiss and then back at the woman. "You never mentioned a sister, Weiss." She calmly stated, grabbing Yang by the hand and giving a small nod. In turn, Yang gestured toward the inside of the apartment as the woman slowly entered.
"Winter, I-" Weiss finally spoke up, timidly moving out from behind Ruby but never letting go of her hand. She took a quick moment to look into her girlfriend's silver eyes once more before turning to face the doorway. "Why do you show up now? After, what, a decade?"
"I never asked you how long it's been since we've seen each other. More importantly, are you eating properly? Take up any new hobbies? I see you've made some friends, at least." Winter said, taking another confident step toward Weiss as Yang shut the door behind her. Her eyes darted between Weiss' and Ruby's, and sighed, her perfect posture breaking for a brief moment. "Ruby." She began, Ruby suddenly standing a little straighter, her grip on Weiss' hands tightening a little more. "You're welcome to stay, but I really cannot leave here without speaking to Weiss first."
"Ruby." Weiss softly called, her apprehensive gaze softening ever so slightly. She placed her free hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath. "Let's hear what she has to say. Together."
Ruby slowly, but surely, gave the smallest nod of agreement. The thickened air between all five girls began to thin back out as Weiss gave her an unsure smile. "Okay." She whispered, trying her best to mirror Weiss' smile.
Weiss mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Ruby before looking over toward Blake and Yang. "Could I ask you two to go on ahead without us? I get the feeling you'll miss more than just the previews if you wait on us."
"Yeah, sure." Yang commented before opening the door for Blake to leave first. Before she left herself, she reached into her back pocket and held up her phone, violet eyes locking with Ruby's silver. As soon as she got the confirmation nod from Ruby, she placed her phone back into her pocket and exited the apartment.
"Causing either one of you trouble is on the very bottom of my list today, so I do hope you pardon my intrusion." Winter commented, walking past the pair in the small hallway and taking a seat at the nearby dining room table. She gestured with a gloved hand toward the other side of the table for Weiss and Ruby to take their own seats.
"I have… a lot of questions." Weiss meekly stated as Ruby pulled out her chair for her before taking her own.
Winter raised her hand, and Weiss bowed her head. "I'm sure you do, dear sister. And I'll answer them. All of them. But I hope you'll answer mine first."
"Are you here to take Weiss back?" Ruby finally spoke up, voice much more sure this time as she reached for Weiss' hand underneath the table.
Winter, for a very brief moment, flashed a small smile before shaking her head. "No, Ms. Rose. That is not my intention."
As if those were the magic words, any remaining tension that was left hanging in the air seemed to fall. Weiss let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, and the weight in her chest seemed to lighten a little. The pressure behind her eyes started to creep up on her again, but she was able to force it back. However, she could not hold back the toothy grin that crept its way across her face when Ruby began to profusely thank the woman seated across from them. Winter entertained her for a moment before raising her hand again.
"First and foremost-" She began, placing her cap onto the table and smoothing it out. "I'd love to know how you two met, if you'd be willing to oblige."
Weiss and Ruby both looked at each other, the gleeful expression mirrored between the two. "It was at your high school graduation, right?" Weiss started as Ruby nodded, looking over toward Winter with a smile.
Ruby snickered, looking over toward Weiss. "It was pretty much love at first sight."
"I wouldn't go that far, you dunce. But it is a pretty interesting story."
Winter let out a small chuckle, leaning forward on her elbows. "Please, go ahead."