Of Moonlight And Dawn Skies
Chapter One: Abandoned
White Rose
Ruby had always had a somewhat irrational fear of being left behind.
Yang used to tease her all the time, before she realized how much Ruby actually feared it. Yang insisted that she would never leave Ruby behind, and Ruby believed her.
Ruby also knew all too well that sometimes it might not be up to her to decide that. Like her mother, Yang could be forcibly taken from her, abandoning her when Ruby felt she needed a big sister the most.
Ruby sighed as she pushed her long, unruly hair out of her face. Weiss had been after her lately to trim it up, but it was coming in long now, and she was beginning to love it more and more every day. Still asymmetrical, her hair on the right side of her face was nearly down to below her chest, her left side tickling her chin. It tumbled loosely down her back, a proverbial lion's mane that refused to be tamed.
Except, of course...
Weiss huffed a much louder sigh, exasperation clear in her voice as she pushed herself up from her desk.
"Bed. Now." The heiress commanded as easily as if she were ordering a dog to get off her expensive, cream leather couch.
Much like said dog, Ruby practically leapt at the girl's command.
Ruby slid easily onto Weiss' larger than strictly necessary bed, sitting upright as she watched her partner with sharp, silver eyes.
Weiss ignored her for a moment, carefully pushing in her chair and picking up a black bristled, ivory handled brush.
Ruby wasn't one to rush the girl, knowing full well what she was in store for. Instead, she waited somewhat impatiently, eyeing up her friend like she were an Atlesian chocolate cake on discount.
Weiss had introduced her to Atlesian chocolate cake, and now Ruby refused to eat any sort of other pedestrian chocolate cake.
As it turned out, Weiss had not abandoned her after their stint at Beacon Academy. Ruby turned her mind back to her original train of thought, acutely aware of how she jumped between thoughts like an enraged beowulf.
Ruby was embarrassed to admit to herself that she thought the girl might. There was the two year age gap, as well as the fact that despite everything they'd been through, they really never seemed to be true friends.
Certainly not the way Ruby was friends with Velvet, or Jaune, or even Blake, as aloof and reclusive as she was.
No, what Ruby shared with Weiss was indescribable. It didn't make a lick of sense, and it mystified Yang in it's entirety.
Weiss, as far as Ruby could tell, treated Ruby like she treated everyone else. With mild disdain, a smidgeon of disgust, and a dash of impatience.
Yet as Ruby found herself gaining control of her childish impulses as she grew older, restraining herself from her partner as she learned the value of personal space, Weiss only ever seemed to increase the time they spent together.
Ruby wound up in the company of her partner almost as much as her own sister.
It was strange. Weiss never seemed happy when they were together, but she was never dissatisfied, at least, near as Ruby could tell.
Weiss didn't like anyone, of that, Ruby was convinced. So why Weiss called her up night after night, sometimes just to make sure she got home okay, sometimes to scold her for messing up the blankets or spilling a drink on the carpet, Ruby was certain she'd never know.
"-lost, space cadet?"
Ruby blinked as she became aware of the overwhelming sensation of her eyes tingling, a sign that she had been staring off into space without blinking again.
"Sorry, what?"
Weiss stood in front of her, arms crossed over her chest. An impatient glare graced her normally impassive features, and she shrugged her shoulders at Ruby.
"I asked if you wanted me to brush that ungodly mess of hair you refuse to cut." Weiss raised an eyebrow, turning her head to the side with a brash display of attitude that Ruby took zero offense at.
Ruby's nose scrunched up in confusion.
"What? Why would you tell me to sit on the bed if that's not what you were going to do?"
A small, impatient noise escaped Weiss' throat.
"Of course it's what I was going to do. That doesn't mean I won't ask you for permission to touch you first."
Ruby rolled her eyes.
Weiss was a stickler for personal space, boundaries, and rules. Despite the years they'd fought side to side covered in each other's blood, Weiss always asked before she laid hands on her.
"Weiss, I grant you permission to touch me for the rest of my life, in exchange for you not asking me ever again."
Weiss 'tsk'ed as she moved to sit behind Ruby, the bed sinking a bit as her weight joined the mattress.
"That's insane on the face of it, and I refuse to acknowledge it."
Ruby hummed something non-committal as she relaxed, slouching carelessly and rolling her shoulders forward.
A sharp rap on the back of her head had her wincing in pain and straightening up instantly, reaching up to clutch at the back of her head as Weiss hummed disapprovingly.
"Sit up straight before you destroy your back!"
"Did you have to hit me with your brush?" Ruby whined, the pain already fading as she slowly lowered her hands back to her lap.
"Would you have learned anything otherwise?"
Ruby stared guiltily at her feet, legs now folded in front of her as she sat ramrod straight.
"No... " She murmured.
Weiss didn't bother to reply as she reached up to gently drag her fingers through Ruby's hair. As her nails scraped pleasingly against Ruby's head and down her neck, the redhead fought to maintain her proper posture.
"I can't believe you insist on growing this out."
Ruby shrugged. "I'm starting to like it long. I've had short hair forever."
"Long hair is nothing but a pain with constant upkeep."
"So why do you keep your hair long?" Ruby asked, puzzlement coloring her tone.
Weiss didn't answer right away, digging gently at a tangle in Ruby's hair. After a bit of fussing, the knot was freed, and Weiss resumed her gentle clawing at Ruby's locks.
"It's just what I've always done." Weiss answered after a moment. "It's how things have always been, and it works, so why change it?"
Ruby didn't have an answer for that.
SIxteen year old Ruby would have argued the words at face value, but nineteen year old Ruby was different. With the experiences of the world behind her, she knew it was much more than a factual statement.
It told her so much more about Weiss than she was sure the silver-haired girl had intended.
Weiss hated change for the sake of change. She dug her heels in and resisted with every ounce of strength she possessed. It was inconvenient, and it was scary. Ruby knew that. Ruby knew that Weiss' father dicated her hairstyle when she was younger, as part of her training on becoming a proper heiress.
Now that she was well into receivership of the company reins, Weiss kept the same hairstyle out of routine and fear of change. Weiss may or may not have liked her hair like that; truthfully, Ruby thought, only Weiss would know the answer to that.
Yet the idea of changing it for the sake of change, whether or not to make herself happy, that was too much for the heiress.
The old ways had served her well this long, why mess with a good thing?
Taking a risk for risk's sake was not the mark of a good heiress, nor an intelligent business owner.
Ruby closed her eyes as Weiss began to draw the brush slowly through her hair, the bristles gently yet lightly tugging on her hair. Under Weiss' delicate, expert manipulation, Ruby didn't feel the slightest bit of discomfort as her partner worked the brush through her hair.
"It's getting softer." Weiss whispered quietly.
Ruby's lips lifted into a small, satisfied smile.
"Thanks to you and your fancy, expensive shampoos."
Weiss readjusted herself on the bed, the mattress dipping a bit lower as she scooted a bit closer to Ruby.
Ruby could feel Weiss lean a bit closer, and the brush was abandoned in favor of Weiss using both hands to gently comb her hair.
"I'm glad you never left." Ruby spoke quietly, surprising herself and, she was sure, Weiss, with her choice of words.
"When?" Weiss' voice was a mix of confusion and distraction, her attention fully consumed by Ruby's hair.
"When we graduated."
"Why would I?"
Ruby was tempted to shake her head, but she didn't want to disrupt Weiss.
"I don't know. I was just afraid that you would. I thought you would. Either willingly, or... "
Ruby trailed off for a second, wondering if she should - if she could - continue this conversation.
"My mom left me."
Weiss' hands paused their ministrations in her hair, and Ruby took it as a sign of exasperation, an emotion she was often on the receiving end of from Weiss.
"I know you're tired of me talking about it, " Ruby spoke quickly, a mild panic forming in her chest as Weiss seemed to lessen the gentle pressure on the back of her neck.
"I'm not." Weiss interrupted quietly.
"You aren't?" Ruby resisted the urge to turn around, to look at Weiss for any evidence of insincerity.
"No. Continue."
Ruby bit her bottom lip for a moment, before summoning up whatever courage she could find to continue talking.
"My mom left me when I was young. She died. You know that. I've talked about it before. She passed when I was young, and even though she died a hero, fighting the grimm, I can't help but feel abandoned by her. When I first started Beacon, I had the irrational fear that Yang would leave me. That, being two years older, she would have her own friends and distance herself from me. She did try to, but not out of a desire to abandon me. She wanted me to have my own friends and grow as a person. Once I explained how I felt, she came around. Imagine my relief when we wound up on the same team!"
Weiss, realizing she'd been stopped for a long moment, restarted her ministrations, dragging her fingers gently down Ruby's neck, silky red tipped strands slipping seamlessly through her fingers.
"When Blake ran away after you... " Ruby gestured ineffectually, and Weiss gently pinched the back of her neck, mild embarrassment welling up inside her. Her cheeks burned at the memory of her immaturity and hot-headedness.
Ruby squeaked, ducking away from Weiss' grasp. Weiss, however, threaded her fingers through Ruby's hair, giving it a warning tug and halting Ruby's retreat as she elicited a very different type of sound from the girl.
That particular sound did nothing to quell the heat in Weiss' cheeks.
An awkward silence filled the room for a second before Ruby got her voice under control.
"When- when Blake ran away, it hurt. Not that we were especially close, or anything, so I didn't view it as a direct abandonment of myself. Rather, of something greater. I saw it as the abandonment of our team. It wasn't a nice feeling."
"I imagine not." Weiss' voice was low, as she tried not to think about the sound that Ruby had made seconds ago.
"I know it's stupid, I know it doesn't make any sense, but that didn't stop the pain from crushing my heart."
"It's not stupid, Ruby." Weiss murmured. "You're a product of your circumstance, I understand that."
Slowly she resumed what could now only be described as petting. Her hand gently stroked Ruby's head, sliding down her neck to end at her upper back. She paused a moment before repeating the process, the heat from Ruby's body soaking into Weiss through her palm and warming her entire body.
"When we graduated, I was ecstatic. I was finally everything I'd ever wanted to be. I was a huntress, with her whole life ahead of her, itching to fulfill her destiny by ridding the world of the malevolent creatures of grimm."
"Hnn, malevolent. That's a big word for you." Weiss gently needled Ruby.
Ruby scoffed. "I learned from the best."
"Hmm? Who might that be? I know it sure isn't your sister."
Ruby ignored Weiss.
She was certain that Weiss already knew the answer anyway.
"On the outside, I was excited. It seemed like I had everything I'd ever wanted, everything I fought so hard for. Yet, on the inside, I was terrified. There's a large history of Beacon teams sticking together once they leave the academy, going on to fight glorious battles together. However, there's no requirement for one to do so. For some reason I was terrified that you'd leave us the second you were able, either to pursue your future in your father's company, or to find a better team."
"You thought I'd leave the team?"
Ruby pursed her lips for a moment. "I wasn't entirely convinced that you wouldn't."
"Well, I didn't."
Ruby smiled, tilting her head back until it rested against Weiss' shoulder.
"You have no idea how much that means to me, Weiss."
Weiss rolled her eyes, reaching up to pull sharply on a chunk of Ruby's hair. The girl yelped in pain, hurriedly pulling away as Weiss pushed herself off the bed.
"Weiiiiiss... " Ruby whined.
Weiss refused to look at Ruby, moving to stand near her desk as her cheeks burned.
"Maybe... Maybe growing your hair out isn't such a bad idea after all."
Weiss didn't see Ruby's grin, but she heard the happiness in her partner's laughter.
"Of course!" Ruby stared at Weiss' back as the girl fidgeted near her desk.
"All the prettiest girls I know have long hair."
Ruby didn't need to see Weiss' face to know she was hiding a smile with a scowl.
"Just so you're aware, Ruby, I don't plan on going anywhere. You're too much of a hazard to let run amok unrestrained and unsupervised. So as long as you plan on acting like... well... you, I'll be there by your side."