Grilled Cheese

by Morbid1Curiosity

A grilled cheese sandwich is nothing more than a cheese sandwich grilled so that the bread toasts and the cheese melts. Often prepared on a frying pan or griddle, it's a simple meal that anyone can prepare. So how could it lead to all of this? For a certain pair to meet and form something special.

1. Chapter 1

Author's note:

I think at this point the description is both fitting for the story as well as have a meta-meaning… How the hell did I end up writing 15k+ words about this?!

Ruby took a deep breath as she approached her working place. It was a small restaurant in what looked like a big camper trailer, and by big, it was really huge, to the point that she doubted this thing could even move and was just a building designed to look that way. Of course, it was big for a trailer and not a restaurant since if compared to other food bars it was quite small.

Still, it had a simple, themed design that had a certain charm to it that she learned to enjoy. It wasn't crowded but had enough customers on a daily basis to ensure the place could pay for itself. Besides, it was her first job so she couldn't complain. She heard some people of her age, girls especially, sometimes did illegal or morally wrong things to earn their rent money, so she felt even more grateful for being able to attend to such a job.

She went around the building to enter through the back door that lead into a small kitchen that also was used as the backroom and… Well, everything that wasn't the main dining room. It felt efficient, and she liked efficient. Perhaps a bit clumped and small at bad days but you couldn't have everything. "Hey, boss! I'm here, sorry for being late!" She called as she went towards a single locker where she could find a clean, white apron to put over her clothes and a small green hat that was meant to keep her hair from getting into the food, although she always questioned that. Still, it was her work uniform and she respected that.

The man peered into the kitchen. "Why you late?" He raised a brow. He was a middle-aged man, balding with a thick and bushy mustache with a darker skin tone. He wore a blue, worn out dungarees and a red striped shirt underneath that. He was a large guy, both in height as well as in mass, as he had a big round beer belly to go with his size.

"Oh you know, this and that." She smiled sheepishly as she spread her arms for the effect.

"Got into trouble again?" He frowned.

"No… Maybe?" She bit her lower lip. She hated admitting to this sort of things, but she also wasn't very good at lying, such was her curse in life.

"You ain't becoming an engineer if you fail your school, kiddo. You're a smart lass, places like this ain't for you to be working until retirement." With that he disappeared behind the door, leaving her to just roll her eyes. She appreciated people caring enough to be worried about her, but she had enough of this sort of talks from both her sister and her dad.

As she was ready to start her new work day she entered the main room only to see… Nobody, outside of her boss that is. She raised a brow as she looked at the man. "It's slow today." He just shrugged. "Doesn't mean you can laze around, be sure that the tables are clean." He thumbed in an unspecified direction as he disappeared into the back room.

"Bleh..." She did hope that no customers meant she could just sit around for at least a bit and just daydream. Who knew that you had to actually work while working. She shrugged and grabbed a small notepad and a pen, tugging it away in the only pocket that was inside of her apron. Armed like this she nodded to herself as she took a piece of cloth to wipe the tables. With one last deep breath, she began her proper day of work.

oooOOOooo

This turned out to be such a boring Wednesday. She managed to slowly wipe all four tables clean and there were still no customers, she really started to appreciate the small crowds that sometimes managed to collect inside this small place, since at least then she had something to do.

With nothing productive to do she moved behind the counter to start cleaning that as well, she wasn't sure if her boss did it before, but it never hurt to do it again. Just as she was about to start, the small bell attached to the door rang as the doors opened. In the entrance of the small bar stood a girl that couldn't seem any more out of place if she tried.

She was short, wearing a uniform that Ruby immediately recognized as being part of the nearby private college, something attended by either the most wealthy or most talented, often both. It was a red plaid skirt, black stockings that covered her entire legs, and a brown jacket with a tan vest and a white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar. On it was, of course, the emblem of the institution.

The girl's skin was pale, with blue eyes and white hair, she couldn't be much older than herself. She looked lost and confused as she took a few steps inside. Ruby took a deep breath, whoever it was before entering this place was not important, right now she was a potential customer. "Hello, please take a sit, I'll take your order in a moment." She put on her best smile as she informed the girl.

Her soon to be customer nodded and moved inside, taking the furthest most table from the door. While Ruby pretended that she was occupied with something, she did observe the girl with the corner of her eye, mostly to be sure when she was done with deciding what she wanted, although it would be a lie if she wasn't curious as to why someone like her would dine in such a … Well, unfitting place.

Once she noticed that the girl started to browse through the card without really paying attention to it, she knew that she was ready to order. It was one of these things she learned after some time of working here, a very useful thing to know.

She approached her with the notepad in one hand and a pen in the other, a big friendly smile just as she was supposed to. "Can I take your order?"

"I'm not sure." Came a simple answer, although not the kind of answer she would expect.

"Excuse me?" While surprised she still managed to smile, although the smile managed to shrink a bit.

"What type of coffee do you have?" The mysterious girl raised her eyes to look at her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as soon as she looked into her blue eyes. Her face was so… Unnaturally neutral, as if it wasn't capable of emotion. She wasn't a robot, right? She did read that one article about robots getting better and better but they never said anything about cyborgs pretending to be humans.

"Eh? Black, I think? Oh! But we can offer some cream to go with it and sugar." She nodded only to be met with laughter from the other girl. Perhaps not laughter, but a giggle as she noticed the white-haired girl cover her mouth.

It didn't take long, but perhaps long enough to leave a small smile on her lips. "Very well, I'll have your coffee with cream." she answered, and Ruby couldn't help but notice that when compared to her previous, neutral expression? The smile made her look pretty. "Aren't you going to write that down hm?" The girl asked in an amused tone of voice.

Note down? Note down! "Right!" She blushed as she started to scribble something on the notepad. She blinked as she saw what was written, smile with coffee. She bit her lower lip and started to cross the previous sentence out and replace it with the proper order, coffee with cream.

"You're a very peculiar waitress." The blue-eyed girl commented which only made Ruby blush harder.

She offered a bow, not sure if she offended the girl or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "I apologize, I just… Had a stressful day."

"It's alright, it's cute in a way." A grimace appeared on Ruby's face, she hated being treated like that, as if she was a helpless puppy. With a soft sigh, she shook her head. Her customer didn't seem to mind her little routine, as she eyed the menu.

"What would you recommend I have for lunch?" She once more looked up at her with those cold, blue eyes and Ruby had to take a deep breath before answering.

"Grilled cheese sandwiches? I mean, you don't look like you'd enjoy ribs." She chuckled.

"Grilled cheese sandwich." The girl repeated with a thoughtful frown. "I never really had anything like that."

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "They are like… Well..." She paused, how do you describe that to anyone? "How about finding out." She offered with yet another smile.

The white-haired girl let out a soft sigh. "Very well. I'll have that and coffee."

She saluted with the notepad. "Be right back with your order!" With a quick spin, she was on her way towards the kitchen. Only once she got away from the girl did she feel how tense she was this entire time. Once she got there she saw her boss man putting on a jacket, preparing to leave. "Eh? Boss?" She raised a brow. Were they closing? Did something happen?

"I'm leaving for the delivery." He simply said as he started to move towards the exit door.

Her eyes went wide at that "What? But what about the bar?!"

"The rush hour is over so if we didn't get a crowd by now, we won't get more than a few customers. You'll be fine, consider it a test, if you pass good for you. I should be back before your shift ends" He said and with that, he slammed the door behind himself.

And people say you need to be responsible to have a business of any kind. She shook her head, today was horrible, and it didn't seem like it was getting any better. The order, that's right. She still had a customer waiting.

She moved to the coffee pot and turned on the coffee machine so that the thing would get all nice and ready. Her next steps took her towards the fridge as she had to prepare the food. Opening it she saw the prepackaged sandwiches that were there for the convenience and saving time, although with the corner of her eye she noticed the cheese and a thought occurred to her.

She closed the fridge and went towards the door that separated the dining room from the kitchen, as she peeked through the round glass to see that there was still no one but the white-haired girl. She could just prepare her something fresh… Well relatively fresh of course but it would still be better then heating up something that was in the fridge since at least morning if not yesterday. Especially since what else would she be doing with her time and no one around, not even her boss to chat with.

With a newly formed plan, she began to work. Perhaps if the girl ordered something more complicated she would just do it the normal way, but since it was something she could do by herself and did plenty of time even back home, she decided that why not. Who knows? It might earn her a tip or something.

It took her a bit longer than it should, but soon enough she had everything ready. A cup of coffee and a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches. With a tray in her hand she pushed the doors open, the white-haired girl had to be daydreaming as she visibly jumped at the sudden sound, her head moving to look at her. Ruby just smiled sheepishly and shrugged as she approached the girl. She placed the tray in front of her with a smile. "Will that be all?"

"You forgot about the cream for my coffee." The white-haired girl said as she moved the tray closer to herself, curiously inspecting her lunch.

"Darn! I forgot I'm sorry, I'll be right back with it!" She was about to rush towards the kitchen, stopped by the girl's voice.

"It's fine, I'll have it black." She simply said as she peered up at her for a moment, only to go back at glancing over her food as if it was about to sing her a song.

"Alright, if you say so. It's nothing extra if you change your mind." Ruby smiled and sat down in front of the other girl, which made her look up at Ruby and raise her brow.

"Why did you sit down?" A soft frown appeared on her brow.

"Eh? Well, there's no one here and we sort of do it around. I mean, I guess we just have a lot of regulars so we know them. It's a reflex really." Ruby shrugged and smiled awkwardly. It was true, she sort of did it because she was used to it, plenty of older folks wanted to chat with her which usually meant that she sat there and smiled politely while they told and retold the same old story over and over. But hey, it made them feel better and it was part of her job. To keep customers happy, to some extent that is.

"But if you don't want to I can just go do something else heh." She thumbed towards the general area of where the counter was. Not getting any immediate response, she began to rise up. "Right, I'll leave you be." She was stopped in the middle, as she heard the other girl's voice.

"It's fine. You can stay." She said although she couldn't help but notice how her voice lacked something from before, confidence and edge. She shook her head as she sat down, feeling relieved that in the end, she could socialize with this girl. Perhaps the idea of a customer that was around her age was alluring? Or just not having to try and entertain herself in an almost empty bar? She wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it sure made her happy.

"You should probably eat that before it gets too cold." She pointed at the two pieces of grilled cheese.

"Right." The girl nodded and reached for one piece of her ordered food, as she inspected it for the last time, before giving it a bite. Ruby didn't want to make this any more awkward than it was, so instead of staring at the girl eating she turned her head towards the window.

"I'm Ruby, by the way, it's nice meeting you." She offered with a smile, glancing back at the other girl just as she was munching the food with what could be described only as a very confused expression. "I-Is something not right?" Did she forget about something? I mean she did basically what she always did whenever making this sort of food. Maybe she was allergic to something? But she should be aware enough to know that it had cheese and was clearly made out of bread, right?

Her panic was cut off as the white-haired girl swallowed slowly to be able to speak. "No, it's strange but everything is fine." She frowned at that and took another bite.

This just baffled the redhead, as she tilted her head not really sure what to say. While the conversation was going slowly and awkwardly, it was at least going forward, and the confusion occupied her mind enough for the girl in front of her to finish munching her second bite.

"I'm Weiss. Weiss Schnee." The white-haired girl, now with a name that Ruby could attach to her person, took a short enough break between bites to be able to introduce herself. After which she went back to her meal.

"Soo… I don't want to sound mean or anything, or like I don't want you here but I just… You know, I'm curious and all that..." Ruby started, not really sure how to ask this in an appropriate way. The more she spoke, the more regret she felt that she even attempted at the question, luckily for her she was saved by Weiss.

"Why I came to a place like this?" The blue-eyed girl raised a brow. "Because my usual spot was closed down, and I didn't have time so I decided to take a gamble. If this place was crowded then perhaps I'd seek some other place, or just endure the day hungry." She shrugged.

Ruby smiled at that, so it was by chance that she came here. Lucky chance. "That explains it. So do you like it here so far?" Or was it too early to ask that? She never was sure when to say what. She quickly learned that it wasn't always the best to say what's on your mind, not in this sort of business… But was she being social or having a business right now?

Weiss was obvious to her inner struggles as she finished her first piece. "It's surprisingly good. While it's a simple meal lacking any refinement, I find it pleasing enough." She nodded.

Ruby just smiled awkwardly, this was even more difficult then interacting with older folks. At least they talked and all she had to do was to smile and listen. Here? Here she had to do all the talking, and while she didn't usually have any issues with that, Weiss was clearly someone from a different social league.

As if reading her mind, the other girl spoke up. "Do you work here part-time? Or is this something you decided was better than education?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's part-time. I work here after school basically. Dad sends me some money but it wouldn't be enough to live by myself." She rubbed her neck, she felt like on one of her numerous job interviews, it felt weird to just talk about herself like this in front of someone like this girl here, Weiss.

Her answer did have some unforeseen result, as the blue-eyed girl looked at her for a moment, before smiling softly. "I see, that's something I can respect."

She grinned at that, for some reason this simple praise from someone that was but a stranger just a moments ago did seem like it had some meaning behind it. Some sincerity. Or was she just being naive again?

"You live all by yourself here?" The girl finished her food and reached for the cup that held the dark beverage that Ruby couldn't care less for, coffee.

The question itself raised a lot of red flags in her head. This wasn't something you should tell to anyone you don't trust. She was after all a young girl alone in a city. Then again Weiss didn't seem like someone who would hurt her. If anything she had enough of everything that why bother with any sort of felony. Besides, she already might have slipped enough that if she tried to cover it up now it would just come off as wrong.

"Yeah, my dad's friend had a building where he rents apartments for students and people like me, so he held one for me. I pay normally but at least I have it all for myself. It's small but hey, you gotta start somewhere right?" She gave out a nervous laugh, once more feeling as if something was dependent on this talk with Weiss.

"That's brave, I assume you have a reason for all this? Some end goal that motivated you to be away from your family?" The Schnee girl peered at her curiously as she took another sip of her drink.

While usually prideful of her goal and life dream, now she felt as if she was a child saying that when she grew up she wanted to be a princess or an astronaut or something like that. She blushed, looking to the side. "I want to become an engineer." She mumbled out.

"Excuse me?" Ruby cringed at that, she wasn't sure if the other girl didn't hear her or was she mocking her.

"Engineer." She repeated louder. "I want to become an engineer." As she looked back at her, she didn't see the other girl being amused or mocking her in any way. No, she saw curiosity. Weiss seemed to want to ask something more when the bell attached to the entrance door rang.

"Customers, Gotta go back to work." She smiled at the other girl. "Was nice meeting you Weiss." She said as she got up.

"Yes, good luck with your work." Was all that Weiss said, and Ruby couldn't help but notice something in the other girl's blue eyes. Disappointment? Was it targeted at her? Or maybe she wanted to ask something important? Or it could just be in her mind. She shook her head, it wasn't important now. She had a job to finish.

More people started showing up, perhaps not a crowd, but it kept her occupied enough that she almost missed Weiss leaving the place. She was in the middle of pouring someone a cup of coffee when she noticed the white-haired girl at the door entrance.

"Oh, Weiss! Have a good day, hope to see you again!" She called out to the girl.

The Schnee girl paused at the entrance for a few seconds, looking over her shoulder with a small smile, before exiting the place.

"Miss? Miss! The coffee!" Her client called out.

Ruby blinked as she turned her attention back to what she was doing, as she managed to over pour the hot drink. "Oh no! I'll go get something to wipe it off! I'm so sorry! This one will be on the house!" She settled the coffee pot and rushed to grab a piece of cloth.

Even though she just embarrassed herself like that, it didn't ruin her good mood from talking to the white-haired girl from before.

Although her boss sure will get mad.

oooOOOooo

The next day she felt weird, for the first time in her life she was actually excited to go to work, of course, it wasn't a mystery why she felt that way. Or perhaps it was, on some level at least. The lack of mystery was due to it being obviously because of the girl she met yesterday. The mystery itself was why she felt that way to someone she just met. Someone who seemed like she was interacting with her out of politeness.

This lead to her hoping that the girl liked it enough to visit again, after all, she did say that her previous place got closed down, she had to get food somewhere, right?

Which just made this day an adventure of its own. Today was more lively at her bar, meaning it was a normal workday, with clients coming in and out, familiar faces and regular customers, so while being polite, remembering who wanted what and making sure to be quick about everything, today had an additional obstacle added to the course.

Doorbell.

The little bell that jingled each time someone came or left, each time that soft jingle echoed in the bar, Ruby's heart stopped as she felt a rush of adrenaline, her hopes all high that it was the white-haired girl, only to each and every time quickly sink into disappointment. The worst was that her heart wouldn't learn from her mistakes, each and every time ensuring her mind that this time it was Weiss that would come by over.

How awful it was to be a slave to such feelings.

When the workday came to an end, she was exhausted, more than usual. The emotional swing she felt through the entire day took its toll on her.

"This is stupid." She commented out loud to herself as she was moving through the dark streets of the city. She kicked some trash that was laying in her way, frustrated about her own stupid attitude. "Why do I care so much?" A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky. The brightness of the city killed all but the most bright stars, and only the selected few were visible together with the moon.

That was a good question, why?

Because it was someone new, met in a weird circumstance. Someone unique, or rather different than she usually spent time with. It was something fresh in her life, something that for a moment took her out of the monotony of it all. That must have been the case since it was the only logical answer to the question "why".

There was also the argument that she wouldn't see the girl ever again. Just that thought alone made her feel disappointed and sad. She enjoyed making new friends, although maybe this was for the best? She did seem a bit out of her league. She just needed some time to convince her stupid emotional side about this.

As she began to move once more, she already knew that tonight would be a long fight to even fall asleep.

oooOOOooo

She took a deep breath as she got her apron tied neatly behind her. Today would be different from yesterday, no weird feelings each time she would hear a stupid bell ring. Soon she would forget about the blue-eyed girl and everything would go back to normal. Even if just that thought alone made it hurt a bit.

"You had a test or something?" Her boss raised a brow as he looked at her.

"A test? No? Why would I have one?" She frowned at the odd question.

"You look like you haven't slept the entire night. Thought you were studying or something." He shrugged as he turned his attention back to the grill.

At that, she yawned, as she was reminded of the lack of sleep. It was indeed just as she predicted the other day, as she fought with herself, which in return made it difficult to sleep. She hated her brain sometimes. Or was that self-hate, since apparently, we were our brains?

She shook her head at that, there was more than enough work to keep her occupied and away from such weird thoughts today. With that in mind, she took one last deep breath before moving out to earn her paycheck.

oooOOOooo

It was Friday, and as such, it was more lively than usual among those that frequently came by. She wasn't sure why Friday was exactly that, as she never really tried to piece together what sort of profile did each of those people have, and what was in common among them. People weren't really her field of interest.

Still, her work kept her occupied, and while initially, the first few bell rings did make her feel tense, after a bit she got used to it. It was mostly the small crowd that went through the bar that made her occupied enough to actually forget about it, which in the end? She was glad for. It was nice to find peace in the daily routine of her job.

She finished taking the order from one of the customers, turning around to approach the next table where someone new was at. "What can I help… You… With?" She froze as she was finally able to focus on who it was. The girl from before. Weiss Schnee.

The girl in question peered up at her, a soft smile that quickly turned into confusion. "Did something happen? You look as if you just saw a ghost."

"N-No, no. Uh, just tired." She smiled and cleared her throat. "So what will it be for you?"

"Same as before, you do remember, correct?" The girl sounded hopeful to Ruby's ears, but she had no time to ponder about it.

"Yeah, grilled cheese and black coffee, coming right up!" She smiled… No, she grinned from ear to ear, which in hindsight could come of as creepy, but once she took notice of it, it was too late, as she was heading towards the kitchen.

"Hey, boss! Grilled ribs, cheese sandwich and some cola for table three and one black coffee and grilled cheese, although I'll take care of those." She paused as a thought occurred to her. "Actually? Can I take my break early today?"

"Early? Like right now?" He frowned.

"Y-Yeah? I uh… A friend came by, and I'm a bit tired after the lack of sleep. I mean you did notice right?" She smiled sheepishly.

The man let out a sigh. "Right, but I won't give you any additional breaks until the end of the day, got that?"

"Yes! You're the best boss! I'll prepare this one and once it's ready you can officially start counting!" She grinned as she started to prepare the food. Once more she didn't go for the premade packaged ones they had ready for time sake, no, she would prepare them specifically for the girl. Although at this time it made no sense since it was a waste of time, perhaps that was it. It was their little ritual, even if it's their second meeting.

Perhaps she was just giddy and happy to see her again? Was it because of the yesterday disappointment? Must be, with that explanation in mind she focused on preparing the food.

oooOOOooo

"There you go, your order." Ruby settled the plate in front of the girl as she sat in front of her with a smile.

"Thank you." Weiss paused as she took a glance at the redhead. "You're not wearing your apron?" She raised a brow.

"Nah, I'm on a break, otherwise I couldn't sit down and chat with you." Ruby offered with a grin, although that quickly faded as the girl grew anxious. "If you want to, that is."

"It's fine, I don't mind company. I didn't mind it earlier, I won't now." Weiss nodded and took the coffee-filled cup into her hands and raised it up to smell in the aroma of caffeine.

Ruby observed the other girl, fascinated by everything. From how she moved, to her facial expression and ending on what she focused her eyes on. It was so strange to describe as if Weiss was of some alien race.

"You're staring." Weiss's voice made her blink, was she really?

Ruby blushed at that and looked to the side and through the window, it sure was nice outside today. "Sorry..." She bit her lower lip. "I just was curious about something."

"I think that asking is more efficient and more polite than just trying to read my mind." The Schnee wore an amused smile on her lips, settling the cup back on the table and reaching for her food.

"Right, I just got curious why haven't you been around yesterday but you came here again today." She folded her fingers as she settled her hands on the table, trying to calm herself down. Why was she even feeling this way in the first place? Nervous and anxious, yet glad and happy at the same time.

"You noticed?" It was Weiss's time to blink in surprise.

"Huh? Of course, I did, why wouldn't I?" She tilted her head to the side. Was the other girl being sarcastic?

That was answered as she caught a glimpse of a smile from the other girl which she tried to hide by biting into her food. This all could just be her imagination, true, but at the moment with all the craziness going on in her head? She decided to just go with it, even if it was delusional thinking and nothing more.

After Weiss munched down the bit she took out of her food, she'd offer a proper reply. "I only visit places like this at Wednesday and Friday, since those are the only days I have a long, two-hour break between some of my classes." After finishing her explanation, she went back to her food.

Ruby wanted to groan at that. Why hasn't she said so earlier? Well, she didn't really have a reason, and she didn't have a reason to ask so there was that. Still, it would save her a night of sleep and a day of worries. Horrible, still it was in the past, and she could enjoy the company of Weiss for now.

"Does that mean you'll come here next week?" She couldn't help but sound hopeful, something that the other girl had to catch as she chuckled before responding.

"Well… Perhaps, for how simple it is, I do like it here. I might bless this place with my presence a few more times." While it was clear to her that the blue-eyed girl was teasing and joking, what convinced her the most was the genuine smile she offered to her after a moment.

Something she couldn't help but smile back at.

oooOOOooo

Ruby couldn't stop herself from smiling from ear to ear, she felt like she could dance, spin and even fly, although she decided against all of those. It was late, as per usual when she was heading home after work, and that sort of activities could bring too much attention to her. Especially the flying one.

It was so odd how just no more than half an hour with someone could make you this… Happy? Yes, that was perhaps a good description of how she felt. She felt happy, she felt joy and that was all that mattered.

Still, was this normal? This cooled down her joyful mood a bit. She never really felt this way towards any of her friends. Sort of, she felt it when she started having a group of friends of her own once she moved to this place, it felt nice to not be alone. The issue is that the reason was different. Back then it was because of not being alone anymore, now? Now she wasn't alone, yet she felt this happy about meeting this girl.

Was something not right about this scenario? Should she worry? Or was she just overthinking things? She let out a sigh, she suddenly felt exhausted over this entire situation. Maybe the lack of sleep last night caught up with her. All she wanted, for now, was to get to bed and sleep.

oooOOOooo

The next Wednesday…

"Here you go Weiss, the usual." Ruby smiled as she settled the tray and sat in front of the white-haired girl.

"Thank you." The Schnee smiled as she took the cup to inhale the aroma of her drink. "I hope I'm not being a bother? You don't have to take a break each time I come by." Weiss looked to the side towards the window as her face showed guilt written over it.

Seeing the other girl like this made her heart skip a beat, without even thinking she reached out to grab her hand. "It's fine Weiss, don't worry." She smiled, although that smile died as she saw the surprised expression on the girl's face. Did she go too far? She pulled her hand back and blushed, looking to the side, with the last of what she saw of Weiss, she noticed the girl's cheeks getting tainted with a soft pink hue.

They sat there in silence, and while it wasn't even a minute, it felt like an eternity for the redhead. Why did she have to do that, why couldn't her stupid brain stop her now, out of all the things it nagged her about, why not stop her now. Why allow for her stupidity to act. Now it all got awkward with the possibility of Weiss finding her weird or something along these lines.

"So an engineer huh?" Speaking of Weiss, her voice brought Ruby's attention back to earth, as she blinked in surprise, her gaze focusing on the other girl. Weiss had to understand, as she repeated. "You said you wanted to become an engineer."

"O-Oh yeah well, hopefully, one day." she smiled, thoughts about her future goals, however far away, did make her forget about what just happened, or at least the awkward part of it. "I did my first project with my uncle, I mean I wasn't sure what I was doing, and he did most of the work. But he really tried to put into working all those crazy ideas I had, and I did my best to help him out. It was silly, but I really liked doing it. After that, I decided that I wanted to do this for a living since it's what made me happy. Ever since I always tried to fiddle with this or that, see how things work, try to put something together or deconstruct and put it back together, see if I'll do it right."

She noticed that Weiss was looking at the window, her expression thoughtful, she sighed softly, she did it again, she babbled about things other didn't care. "I'm sorry, I tend to talk too much, don't I?" She chuckled.

The white-haired girl turned her attention slowly away from the window and glanced at her, a warm smile on her lips. "It's nice that you're trying to achieve something you have a passion for, Ruby." There was something off in her blue eyes, it's not that the girl was insincere, but… There was something off, something she didn't like. Still, she didn't want to make things awkward twice today, so she decided to try and find out about it on some other day.

oooOOOooo

The same week, Friday…

"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby moved her eyes away from the window as she peered at the white-haired girl.

The girl in question finished the bite she just took out of her grilled sandwich before answering. "Yes?"

"What's your plans for the future? I mean, you're surely going to get some degree, right?" She smiled as she hoped that this sort of topic would have the same emotional vibe as it had for her. The happiness of having a goal to aim for.

The Schnee girl paused her food and let out a deep, heavy sigh, settling her sandwich onto the plate only to reach for the cup and take a sip from it. All of this made the redhead anxious, did she do it again? Did she do something she shouldn't?

"I assume it'll be something concerning the economy." She gave a shrug and went back to her food. Ruby bit her lower lip at that, it sounded so… mechanical, there was no joy or passion in it. It didn't sound like talking about your plans for future, more like talking about which class you'll have next.

"You assume?" She finally asked the other girl, not sure really where and how to lead this topic, as it got into a weird dead end.

"Yes, I was not yet told what my future will be after I finish this part of my education." She shrugged.

This was something not yet experienced by her, to be forced to do something. Well, not exactly, we all were forced to do something. Pay taxes or rent, get an education, eat food, all that stuff that is encoded into our social structure or whatever its called. But this was… Different.

This was like taking away your dreams, your goals… Your happiness.

This was wrong.

oooOOOooo

The next week, Wednesday…

"Those are very good," Weiss said with a smile, although it wasn't her words that brought Ruby back from her thoughts, just the sound of her voice. She wasn't even sure what Weiss said, her brain working on autopilot.

"Yeah, you said that before." She smiled for a moment, although that smile was short lived as she once more looked through the window, her mind not allowing her to really enjoy this moment she so much looked forward to.

"That's because it's true." Weiss continued with the same smile of her own, yet even that faded away as she saw the redhead being so thoughtful. "Is something on your mind, Ruby?"

"Well… Sort of. Weiss? What… What would you like to do? In the future. I'm not asking what you will do, or what will others tell you to do, but what do you want to do?" She focused her silver eyes on the other girl. She no longer was afraid to ask this question, although a small whisper still tried to demoralize her, she had to know.

She could see the other girl's jaw clench itself, as she inhaled deeply through her nose, it's like she visibly could see her blue eyes grow colder, emptier. Like an ice husk. "So this is what's on your mind." Weiss replied, her voice monotone and mechanical, distant and cold.

Ruby gulped, even her own bravery had some limits, her own annoyance at the world and how certain people were treated could take her so far. Yet she still retained her composure, at least on the outside. She hoped that the girl would answer her, and do it soon because said composure already started to crackle from the inside. "Yes." She replied quietly.

"It's not important since I won't be allowed to achieve it." She replied with the same tone, luckily for Ruby the Schnee girl lowered her gaze, no longer glaring back at her, which helped in controlling both herself and hopefully this conversation.

"But you still have dreams, right? Like, goals you'd like to achieve, something you would like to do in the future." This felt wrong as if she was talking with someone terminally ill who had no more time in life to dream long into the future.

"I don't know if I do." Weiss's gazed up at her, and what she saw was no longer an icy, frozen husk. The ice melted, leaving sadness.

"Of course you do, everyone does! I mean, it's important to have dreams, to aim for something or at least have something you want to aim for." Ruby wasn't sure if she did the right thing in trying to be cheerful in a moment like this, to perhaps try and infect Weiss with some of her own energy and positivity.

"I have to go." The white-haired girl said, as she left a single bill on the table and quickly stood up, it seemed that she lost her gamble on how to handle it. As she was moving past her, Ruby grabbed her hand.

"Weiss, please." She bit her lower lip, only to blink in surprise as she heard the other girl's quiet voice.

"Psychology." She almost whispered.

"W-What?" It's not that Ruby didn't hear her, but she was just… Surprised by the sudden answer.

"I always wanted to help people." She said and jerked her hand free out of Ruby's hold, not that she had to use too much strength, as the redhead basically let go of the hand on her own, stunned by the answer.

Soon the Schnee girl left the bar, leaving her puzzled.

Sleep would not come to her that night.

oooOOOooo

The same week, Friday morning…

"Ugh..." Ruby groaned as she tried to sit up on her bed, which didn't end up too well, as the dizziness caught up with her, sending her back into a lying position. She hated being sick.

Still, it was Friday so she could maybe get herself a free day from her classes and work since she had today and the weekend to get better. She reached with her arm to try and find where her phone was, she had to make some arrangements.

First was school, since that was earlier in the day.

Ruby: I'm sick, mind keeping some notes for me to copy later?

Penny: You borrow them sick or not, so of course I won't suddenly change my mind about it. Hope you get better soon!

She smiled at that, it was true, she did it anyway. Well, it won't hurt to ask now and then just to make sure it's still actual. Not that she had any other option if Penny ever changed her mind. This reminded her of something.

Weiss…

She groaned, they parted on such weird, bad terms last time, and she didn't even have a phone number to her. What if she'll think that she got upset with her and won't ever come back to the bar? Or if she wanted to talk about it and she wasn't there so she'll assume that everything was over? What if today would be the only moment she could apologize?

That filled her with determination, she had to go to work, she had to face Weiss and explain everything, she wouldn't let a stupid sickness overcome her blooming friendship with the white-haired girl.

Just as she was about to get out of bed, said sickness did overcome her, defeating her in a few seconds as her head once more hit the pillow. She let out a sigh, she had to pray that Weiss would understand.

This would be a long few days for her.

oooOOOooo

Next week, Monday…

"Hey boss, missed me?" Ruby grinned as she entered the kitchen through the back door.

"As long as you're feeling good enough to work." Came a dry reply, to which she just rolled her eyes. How welcomed she felt.

"I hope everything was fine? I know Fridays are populated." It never was a bad idea to be a bit more social towards people, even if it's your boss.

"Mmm… Your friend asked about you." That made her freeze on the spot, not only did it surprise her, but the sole fact that Weiss, she assumed it was Weiss, asked for her was… Troubling.

"She did? What did she ask about? And what did you tell her?" Even to herself, she seemed too eager, as she spun around and almost demanded to know.

The man just shrugged. "She asked if you were around and why not after I told her you weren't. I said you took a free day. Afraid that's all." He spread his hands.

She let out a sigh, two days to find out how this all will turn out. She hated having to wait.

oooOOOooo

The same week, Wednesday…

Ruby was anxious, not only did she not sleep too well last night, something she found out became a common occurrence since she met the girl, but she was battling her own thoughts this entire time. It was her positive and hopeful attitude against the worries and cold reality that she learned to understand.

Yet it all would come to an end, as the bell rang and the doors opened and there she was, no other than Weiss herself. The Schnee girl paused as she noticed Ruby, their gazes crossed. The redhead did what she thought would be the best in this situation, try and have a positive outlook on this whole thing.

Which meant that she smiled brightly at the other girl and invited her further inside. "Come on Weiss, I'll be right with you. The usual, right?" She grinned.

It had to work, as the worried expression turned for a brief second into one of surprise, only for the white-haired girl to offer her own soft smile. "Yes, the usual, Ruby."

No more than fifteen minutes later both girls were sitting at the same table as always, while the initial reunion if it could be called that, was on a positive note, once Ruby got Weiss's her order it all turned awkward.

"So you asked about my Friday absence huh?" Ruby began, wanting to break the awkward atmosphere between them.

Weiss just blushed at that, as she looked to the side. "Perhaps." Was her only answer.

At that Ruby grinned as an idea popped into her head. "You noticed huh?"

Weiss turned her eyes back to her as confusion reflected in her blue eyes, although she had to catch up to what she was trying to do as she decided to play along. "How… I mean, why wouldn't I." It sounded stiff as if she was rehearsing a script for the first time.

Yet it worked, as Ruby started to giggle which soon turned into a proper laugh that started to infect Weiss who joined in shortly after. It was stupid sure, but it worked, sadly while the mood was fixed there was still something to be done, something less fun and more serious.

"I'm sorry Weiss for… Pushing you like that with my questions. I guess the world isn't the same for all of us." She looked down as she rubbed the back of her neck, while she knew this had to be done, it was still not something she was used to, apologizing.

The Schnee girl just shook her head at that. "It's alright, I understand you and… Well, I would want for things to be the way you said, sadly life isn't always what we want it to be."

"I guess… So psychology huh? Why that?" She tilted her head, perhaps she was trying her luck with this but it never hurt to try and give this a more positive vibe to the other girl, to let her know that it wasn't bad to have your own goals and dreams. And who knows? Maybe it could help her break out of whatever chains she had around her.

The other girl just gave a soft sigh. "Yes, I'll inherit a big company so my parents wish for me to be prepared for it, but they want for me to grow it in the way they seem fit. Although I think it's just my father that prefers it that way. I gave it a thought and I assume I'll either go to a law school or like I said before, something related to economy… Perhaps both, who knows. He's not retiring just yet so he'll assume that while I wait for my right to lead the family business I should prepare as best as possible." She took a sip of her cup as she looked through the window.

Ruby wasn't sure what to say at that, this wasn't really what she expected from the other girl. She hoped that asking about what she told her the other day would invoke something considering the said dream, not the harsh reality. It always sucked to be splashed with cold water, even if it was just a metaphor for reality.

"Yet it's not what I wanted to do. I don't want to be the queen of drones, see people as numbers and dollar signs. I want to understand them, I want to help them. I'd rather give something from myself than take from them." Weiss shook her head. "Yet it's out of my reach."

"Hey, don't be like that." Ruby raised her hand, wanting to put it on top of the other girl's, yet a quick flashback of what happened before stopped her just in time, as the said hand was placed close to that of Weiss's, yet not touching her.

The other girl had to notice that, as she slowly moved her hand to entangle her fingers with hers, something that while surprised the redhead, it did put a smile on her lips and encourage her to continue what she started just seconds ago. "I know it's rare for things like that to happen in real life, but… Sometimes? Sometimes things happen that allow us to be happy. So don't lose hope, because if you do, it'll never happen for sure."

Their gazes crossed once more as she looked into the cold blue eyes of the other girl, she really wanted to believe that she gave a little hope, perhaps even a nudge in the right direction to her. After a few moments, the white-haired girl lowered her eyes.

"Ruby? Your absence made me think, which concluded in me wanting to ask you something." Weiss raised her head to look at her, those blue eyes now filled with confidence which was such a contrast to what she saw just moments ago that it made her a little worried.

"Yes?" She asked, putting on a semi-forced smile.

"Are you busy this Friday? After work that is."

Ruby blinked at that. "Eh?" Was the only audible sound she could muster at the moment, as her brain required some time to reboot.

The Schnee simply raised her brow at that, not exactly expecting this sort of reaction. "I'm asking if you're doing something this Friday."

"I don't think so? I'd probably do the same thing just… Head home. Why?" She tilted her head curiously.

Weiss took a deep breath at that. "Would you join me? This Friday that is to… Hang out. Spend time with me, it's my treat." After she finished with her oddly phrased question, the girl in front of her clenched her jaw as she awaited her answer.

Which Ruby didn't have. This was such a weird thing to ask, especially considering their previous topic. Why ask about it now? And why did her absence made her think about it? Also, why ask about such a specific date, Friday.

Then it all clicked in her brain.

"A-Are you asking me out on a date?" Her eyes went wide in shock at the mere possibility.

"I… Perhaps, yes." Weiss nodded.

"But you're a girl." She leaned forward and whispered as if it was some sort of secret.

That amused the Schnee as she chuckled and smiled. "How nice of you to notice that, Ruby."

"No, I mean… I don't know if I'm… I'm into that." She bit her lower lip as she grew confused with each passing moment.

"I see, you don't know? Which means that there's a possibility you will accept it." Weiss nodded with a thoughtful expression. "I'll wait for you in front of the main entrance at the end of your shift. I'll try to position myself so that you can easily sneak by. If you do not wish to accept it, you can simply head home and we can forget about any of this happening. How does it sound?" The Schnee girl peered at her and she just gave a defeated sigh.

"Fine." She felt her arms slump a bit at that. Why couldn't things be simple for once?

"Just one more thing Ruby, when does your shift end?"

"At six."

oooOOOooo

She wanted to scream, just let it all out. All this frustration and conflicted thoughts, feelings and emotions. Yet she couldn't, not here nor back home. Even if she screamed into her pillow her neighbors would bash at the walls and there was a chance they would report her for being too loud. That she didn't want to risk.

Did she really not know if she wanted to go out on a date with Weiss? Or was that just a soft way to let her down. This leads her to a more horrifying thought. Did she like girls?

That was indeed a scary thought.

It was scary because that changed what she thought about herself. A normal girl with normal plans, trying to survive in this big cold world and be happy at the same time and not rely on cheap ways to achieve said happiness.

Normal girl, she repeated that inside her head. Would liking girls not be normal? But Weiss liked her, right? It's why she asked her out on a date, and she was a girl so that all connected… Did she just call Weiss weird for liking her as a girl?

She reached with her hand up and bit on her knuckle, she didn't really mean to think that way, but it was how she grew up to be all her life. That's what was normal all this time.

Maybe she wasn't normal?

That made her stop and look at the sky, it always calmed her whenever she did. Although it wasn't as effective in the big city, as most of the stars were not visible to her, it was still something she identified as calming.

Maybe she said the truth to her, she didn't know, which meant that the question stood. Was she attracted to girls? That would explain a few things that happened in the past week or two with Weiss. Maybe it was one of those first sight crushes or something, like in the love movies or cheesy romance stories.

She shook her head at that, if she grows some sort of insomnia from all this, she's making Weiss pay for all the doctor and medical bills.

This wouldn't be an issue if not for the fact that she was really considering going out next Friday with her as if the offer was luring her in. Would that mean they would become girlfriends? At that, she had to bit her lower lip. Her girlfriend Weiss.

She gulped at that, feeling her heart increased its pace in which it beat inside her chest. She glanced at the sky one last time before continuing her walk home.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try and answer that question next Friday.

oooOOOooo

The same week, Friday…

The past two days were a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions for her. Yet here she was, leaning against the back door of the bar she worked in, pondering if she should head home or meet with Weiss. Deep down she already made up her mind, deep down she knew what would happen, at least up till the point she met with the white-haired girl, yet it was still a scary thing to do, to face her.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the door and started to walk, now instead of doubts about her liking girls, a smaller, more petty worries clouded her mind. What if she looked horribly? She did have her normal clothes and was after a day of classes and work. What if she did something stupid? She did so a few times already with her. Finally, what if she won't fit in whatever scenario Weiss prepared, she already had a misconception of how the world worked for both of them.

Once she moved to the corner she saw her, waiting patiently and still wearing her school uniform. She must have ended her classes not long ago, hopefully, because the alternative was her waiting all this time just for her, which perhaps was what actually happened. Of course, Weiss wouldn't tell her about it, since that could paint her thoughts about meeting with her even if she didn't like her the way Weiss liked her.

She shook her head, she was getting at it again, too deep in thoughts. "Hey, Weiss!" She called out, deciding to do something before her brain would start filling her mind with doubts once more.

"Ruby, you came." It was perhaps the first time that she saw so much joy showed in such an open way from the other girl. Her blue eyes seemed so alive and the smile that painted her lips made her face look so pretty. All regrets vanished from her heart in that instant, just seeing how happy she could make Weiss by just appearing.

It was just hard to showcase that, as she felt a bit embarrassed by the fact of how important she seemed to be, as a blush appeared on her cheeks and she reached to rub her neck. "Y-Yeah, I did. So uh, what's the plan?" She wanted to slap herself at that, what a romantic thing to say, what's the plan.

Luckily the other girl seemed to expect such behavior, or perhaps it was part of what she found charmful about Ruby, as she just chuckled at that. "The plan is that I'll be treating you and that we'll have some bonding time together. Perhaps picking Friday after my classes and your work wasn't the best of ideas since it's already late but… Somehow I just thought that picking one of the two days we had for each other was somehow fitting."

She smiled at that, it was true in some way. "But you do have a plan right? Are we going to see a movie or something" She inquired, it was a bit embarrassing to admit but it was her first date. When she was younger and still living with her family, Yang was a successful shield from any potential boy that tried to approach her about a date, and later she just got so busy with school and her job that it never crossed her mind to even look at anyone that way.

That is, up till now.

"I had something different in mind. We should start heading there now since it's already late and we don't want that place to close before we even get there." With that, they began their walk. She was expecting a car or a taxi, which lead her to think that this place had to be close by, right?

As they walked side by side, there was only silence and Ruby wasn't sure if this was a good sign. They should talk, right? That was an appropriate thing to do. Or was it something bad… But how could talking be bad?

"Soo… Weiss?" She started, not sure what really did she want to discuss, but it was always better to just get yourself in there and improvise. Thinking under pressure was always more effective, kind of. If increasing the chances of making a fool of herself was called being effective.

"Yes, Ruby?" The other girl looked at her, those blue eyes staring back into hers which made her hold her breath. While she enjoyed the sight of Weiss's face, it was perhaps the context of this situation that made it so hard to bear it at this exact moment. Still, she didn't want to remain silent for too long, especially after it was her that started this conversation.

"Why me? I-I mean, I'm not ungrateful and I'm not trying to fish for compliments but… I'm just an ordinary girl you find plenty of around places like where I go for classes or where I work." She rubbed the back of her neck at that, it was true and while she understood it was sort of cheesy to ask this kind of question, she was genuinely curious about why Weiss asked her out. It also could help her understand her own motives since she still wasn't exactly sure what she was doing or why.

"Tsk, You're special Ruby, that's why." Weiss offered with a mysterious smile as her eyes moved back to look at what's in front of the girl, no longer did she peer at her. That made the redhead raise her brow.

"What's so special about me?" She crossed her arms stubbornly. She wasn't special, and never in her life would she even think that about herself. That only lead to vanity.

"You make great grilled cheese sandwiches." The Schnee chuckled at that, and Ruby blinked surprised.

"You do know that places like the bar I work at making them in advance and just puts them in a freezer, right?" That was, of course, a lie, since each and every time she did make them for the other girl herself.

"Perhaps, but there must be something about the way you prepare them. That Friday you were absent? I ordered the same thing. While the coffee tasted the same way, the sandwiches were awful… Well, perhaps they weren't that bad, but I could taste the drop in quality." The white-haired girl nodded.

Ruby just bit her lower lip, that was true, she forgot that Weiss had the chance to try the food without her being present there to make it for her, which meant she could indeed taste the difference. She sighed at that.

"So what's your secret? I always assumed that such simple dishes wouldn't really differ in taste." The Schnee hummed softly as she glanced at her with the corner of her eye.

The redhead wasn't sure if she should say anything, would it make her seem like some sort of a try hard? Or like she was interested from the start… Was she interested from the start? Ugh, she shook her head as these sort of thoughts started to gather around her mind. Among the storm, a single brilliant idea appeared.

"That's a secret." She nodded while wearing a proud smile on her lips.

Weiss blinked at that, but a smile of her own formed on the white-haired girl's lips. "I see, I do enjoy myself some secrets, especially if I can try and pry them from someone." She smirked, to which Ruby blushed at the idea.

A few moments after that they were standing in front of a restaurant, which Ruby recognized. It was one of the fancy places that she didn't pay much attention to since she never thought she'd ever come here for any reason. La Note Restaurant Provencal, whatever that meant. Her brain took a moment but it did catch up with what was going on, did Weiss brought her here for their date?!

"W-Weiss? Is… Is this the place you wanted to bring me to?" She gulped, those sort of places scared her since she had no idea how to behave in those or what to do or… Anything really. It was like some sort of alien civilization embassy or something.

"Yes, is something wrong with my choice?" The other girl raised a brow, some of the worry sinking into her expression.

"N-No! No, just… I don't think I'm dressed properly for it is all." She smiled sheepishly.

Weiss blinked and chuckled at that. "Oh don't worry about that, just act naturally. Now let's go, we don't want to just stand here being weird." The white-haired girl began to move, and Ruby had no other choice but to follow her inside.

"Excuse me miss." A man with waxed hair and a small mustache called them out as they approached the counter he was standing behind. He had a dark blue, striped tuxedo with a white shirt and a black bow tie. "But this place has a strict dress co-" He was silenced as Weiss held between two of her fingers a blue, transparent card that was sparkling with some sort of glitter. The man froze at the spot, Ruby could see that he grew anxious at the sight of said card. "I-I need to see if everything is correct, can I, ma'am?" The man reached with his hand towards the card, but would not take it before the approval was granted.

Which it was a few seconds later. "You may." Weiss said, not even looking at the man, instead, she offered her a reassuring smile. The man at the counter took the card and slid it through some sort of card reader, which bleeped and lighted up in green color.

"Everything is in order." He announced as he gave the card back to Weiss.

"Of course it is, did you want to accuse me of being a fraud?" She sent him a cold glare, even Ruby, who wasn't the target of said glare had to shiver at the mere sight of it.

"N-No, of course not ma'am, just we have procedures we need to follow and..." He was once more silenced as Weiss raised a hand.

"Yes, I understand. I'd like a table for two for me and my friend." The Schnee girl declared dryly.

He gulped and pressed a button under the counter which made a buzzing sound, not moments later another man who looked almost identical to the one behind the counter. Ruby had to look at them a few times to make sure it wasn't the same person. The counterman addressed his co-worker with a nervous smile. "This young lady is asking for a table for two."

"That's not possible right now, all the tables..." The man started but was cut short by the first one.

"She's a diamond card owner." He added.

The second man's eyes went wide at that. "I see." He then turned attention to the two girls and bowed deeply. "Please, follow me to your table."

Ruby wasn't sure what she just witnessed, but seeing Weiss act so… Differently was odd. Perhaps she should have assumed as much that this girl would be different towards those she doesn't really care for. Maybe it's how people of her class acted towards others? Which made it a bit more special that she was so nice towards her.

They were seated at a table near a window, a bit to the side and away from the sight of the main room. She wasn't sure if it meant that this was a bad spot in a place like this or quite the opposite. If anyone asked her, she enjoyed this spot, since she didn't want to be seen by all these rich people staring at her normal clothes and all that.

"Ruby, just relax. Don't worry about all these people, they will assume you're worse than them no matter what you wear or how you behave." The other girl smiled at her.

The redhead once more had a case of speaking before thinking about what she was about to say. "Do you do the same?" Once that question left her mouth she bit her tongue, wincing at her own stupidity.

Weiss's eyes went wide for a moment, but she smiled softly at her after a second that she needed to regain her composure. "I did when I was younger. Then I noticed how… Wrong it was. Perhaps it's a reflex now, but a reflex I try to control and eliminate from my life."

Their conversation was interrupted, as a waiter approached them, offering each of them a separate menu. While she thanked the man, she noticed that Weiss just took it and didn't say a thing, not even look at the man. "Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?" The other girl raised a brow as she looked at her.

"Should I ignore them like you do? I'm not sure what's a proper… Um… Way of acting in a place like this." She hugged the menu to her chest.

Weiss blinked a few times and smiled. "Etiquette, and you can. People that come to places like this want to be served, and those that work here are being kept outside of their bubbles that they form. Since it's either business related things or some family occasions, and clearly staff that works here is not a family member nor part of any transaction that is being held." She explained slowly.

Ruby nodded, she wasn't used to something like this. Everyone was so nice to each other at the place she worked. She let out a soft sigh, another difference to take note of. Perhaps that's why people working in places like this earned more because they had to deal with people like this.

She shrugged and looked at her menu, opening it and finding… Gibberish, well perhaps that wasn't a polite thing to say, considering it was most likely a different language. "Weiss?"

"Yes?" The girl once more looked away from her own menu as she peered at the redhead.

"I… Don't really understand anything that's inside of this menu." She smiled nervously, was she ruining this for the both of them? She hoped that this wasn't the case since she really didn't want to order something disgusting by accident like in the cartoons. Like cow brain or snails, yuck.

"Oh right, Why haven't I thought about that." She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, to which Ruby raised her brow. Yet she was once more surprised when a waiter appeared out of nowhere.

"Are you ladies ready to take your order?" He looked at both of them with a friendly smile.

"Could you give my friend a menu in English?" Weiss waved her hand towards Ruby.

"Of course, apologizes for the inconvenience ma'am." The waiter reached out to take her current menu, and once that was in his grasp, he gave her a different one, which had a dark red color, not a deep blue like the previous one. She wanted to thank the man, but she remembered what Weiss told her earlier, and instead decided to focus on the new menu.

Soon she heard the man leave and she let out a sigh of relief, she still felt a tiny bit bad for not being polite, but perhaps being polite in her own way was impolite in here… Or something weird like that. Ugh, this is why she hated places like these, aliens worked and lived here, aliens from a different planet!

She shook her head and noticed that she could understand what was written on it… Well, in a way. Most of the meals still had fancy names, but luckily there was a list of general ingredients listed underneath that she could get the general idea behind the dish.

Then she saw the number part, and she felt the blood being drained from her face and her pupils shrink. Weiss had to notice that as she called out to her. "Ruby? Ruby! Is something wrong? Do you need some fresh air? You became so pale all of a sudden."

"W-W-Weiss? I don't think I can eat here." Ruby announced with a shaky voice.

"What? Why? Are you allergic to something? I'm sure we can find something that you could have." The Schnee girl's worry over her date's health was instead replaced with a different kind of worry, one about the quality of the date.

"No, no, just… Those prices! Weiss, one meal here costs my weekly paycheck." As if Weiss wasn't aware of that, she turned the menu around and pointed at something with her finger, she even wasn't sure which of the dishes she was pointing at, but it didn't really matter since all of them were around the same price range.

The Schnee looked at her as if she just grew another head, only to get into a giggle fit a few seconds later. "Oh Ruby, I told you, it's my treat. Do you think I would offer to bring you to a place like this if I couldn't afford it?" The white-haired girl smirked.

"That's not the point Weiss! I just… I can't. It's so expensive." She bit her lower lip.

Weiss just let out a soft sigh. "Ruby, it's fine. Could you please try and relax? Really, this is for you, and you can feel guilty later if you want. But could you just enjoy it for this evening? Please?"

Two to one. The one part was her not wanting to be gifted anything this pricey, yet on the other side stood the curiosity about how this sort of food could taste, and it did look tasty just by reading the ingredient list. While it was initially a draw, the pleading of the other girl was what convinced her to give in, with a sigh she nodded. "Fine."

"Great." Weiss grinned at that. "Pick something and we'll place our orders." The redhead nodded at that and started to look through the list of meals. She decided upon something and once both were ready, Weiss called the waiter who took their orders.

"Do you like wine, Ruby?" The Schnee girl asked as she smiled at her.

"Mmm… I don't know. I had it once or twice, but it tasted weird. It was mostly when my sister offered me some when she was drinking with her friends or something." She shrugged.

"I assume it wasn't any specific brand of wine, just wine for the sake of wine?" Ruby tilted her head at the question, she understood what it meant, she wasn't stupid. Weiss asked if it was expensive, fancy wine.

"No, I guess it's like you said, wine for the sake of wine." She shrugged.

"I see, you might enjoy this one then." The white-haired girl offered another smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh? Of course." Ruby nodded.

"You asked me why I decided to… Ask you out. I'm curious why did you accept my invitation?" She saw curiosity in those blue eyes and she squirmed a bit in her seat. That was a question she asked herself a few times already and couldn't provide a satisfying answer.

"Oh, you know… You're nice and pretty and..." She paused as she saw the other girl roll her eyes.

"Giving me a generic answer won't really sate my curiosity." Weiss crossed her arms.

Ruby let out a defeated sigh. "I'm not sure myself."

The Schnee girl grimaced at that. "It's not out of pity I hope."

"No, no, don't worry about that. If it was out of pity I'd probably act in some different way or something. That's the point really, I don't know. I'm just confused." Perhaps honesty wasn't always the answer but in this case? Honesty was the only answer she could provide.

"I see, I appreciate hearing the truth about how you feel concerning this. Don't worry about it, like I said, just try and enjoy yourself." Weiss offered her a friendly smile, and she couldn't help but smile back at her.

Their talk was interrupted as the waiter brought their order. Once he settled the plates in front each of the girls, he held a bottle of wine in his hand. "Do you wish for me to remain by your side and pour the wine?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Just leave the bottle open, we can handle that ourselves." Weiss waved at him, to which he just bowed down and settled the wine on the table, leaving them once more alone. The Schnee reached for the bottle and poured each of them half a glass of wine.

"How about a toast before we start, to us, whatever will come from this evening." Weiss smiled as she raised her glass, Ruby nodded and took her own, gently clanging it against that against that of the other girl.

Ruby at first took a testing sip, but while she found the vile taste of alcohol, she was pleasantly surprised that it was masked under the delicate, sweet and refreshing taste of the grapes. It clearly was something else from what she drank in the past, both considering wine and any sort of alcohol. She wasn't even sure when, but she emptied the entire glass.

As she looked at Weiss, she noticed the amused look on her face and noticed that the wine in her glass was barely touched. At that, she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry."

"Don't be, Ruby, I like you the way you are, so please, just enjoy yourself." Weiss smiled and poured her some more wine.

The evening continued with her enjoying the offered meal, while at first, it was mostly because she didn't want to ruin this for Weiss, it didn't take her long to genuinely enjoy the food. Food and wine that is, as she enjoyed each and every glass of wine. She really wasn't sure why, it just had this pleasant, delicate taste, it was almost hard to taste the alcohol. Weiss at some point did explain that it was some sort of white ice wine. She wasn't sure what ice had to do with anything, but it sure tasted nice.

After the meal and two bottles of her new favorite beverage it was time to head back, although while she was feeling alright up till that point, outside of just being more relaxed and able to focus on the fun part of this entire ordeal, it was when she attempted to stand up that she noticed something wasn't quite right.

She lost her balance and had to heavily rely on the chair she was sitting on to not fall down, Weiss had to notice that as she quickly appeared by her side, helping her with sitting back on the chair. "I think you had a bit too much wine, Ruby." The Schnee girl smiled softly at that.

"I'm alright, just tried to stand up too suddenly. I'll be fine, really, no need to worry." She offered a reassuring grin, perhaps a bit too wide but hey, it never hurt to smile, right?

Weiss had to have a different opinion on the matter as she just sighed. "Right, let's call a taxi since it's late."

"Oh come on, you already spent so much on me, I'll be fine. I don't live that far from here." Ruby crossed her arms stubbornly, just because she had a few glasses of wine didn't mean she needed a police escort. Weiss was worse than her sister.

"Right." Was all the white-haired girl said before she summoned a waiter. "Could you order us a taxi and inform us when it'll arrive?" She addressed the man with a neutral expression.

"Of course, will that be all?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Yes, you may leave." She nodded and turned her attention towards the redhead.

"Weeeiss, come on, I told you I'll be fine." She pouted.

"And it didn't work to change my mind about this. We'll get you home by taxi." At that point, Weiss massaged her temple, perhaps not yet ready to deal with tipsy Ruby.

"Ma'am, your transportation arrived." A man appeared next to them and with a bow he informed the Schnee about the taxi arriving.

"Very well." She nodded and left the payment with an appropriate tip for the place. She then stood up and approached Ruby, taking her hand and helping her up. "Carefully." She said as she wrapped an arm around the girl's waist to help her keep balance.

"Weiss I think we skipped holding hands by like, a lot." Ruby said as she looked down at the other girl's arm around her waist. Weiss just blushed and shook her head.

"I'm sure we'll be able to make up for that some other time, now let's go." Weiss began to lead her slowly towards the exit. The restaurant was mostly empty by now, the staff most likely waiting for them to leave before closing. Once outside, the cold wind brushed over her face, making her aware of how warm she felt. Before the entrance, a black car waited for them.

Ruby noticed that it had the little thingy above it, the one that all taxi cars had, but it looked like a taxi for rich people, at least that much she could determine with how her current state of mind was. Although even sober she wasn't good with cars. Soon with the help of the Schnee she was seated in the car, she couldn't help but notice how nice and warm it was inside, it also smelled so pleasantly and the seat was so comfy that she could just… Fall… Asleep.

A sudden shake of her entire body woke her up as she blinked a few times. "Ruby, don't sleep, not yet. First, tell me where you live."

"Mmm… I live in my home, where else." She frowned, was Weiss making fun of her, where else would she live.

The Schnee just facepalmed at that. "Ruby, where is your home, I need an address."

"But Weiss you don't even have my phone number, and you already want to know where I live?" She could understand the arm around her waist, she did need a bit of help with keeping balance but wasn't this going really a bit too far.

"Yes Ruby, I'm sure. Address, now." Weiss frowned and glared at her, and perhaps it was the glare that made the redhead decide that it was a good time for the other girl to know where she lived.

"Rockstreet Seven." She gulped at the angry face that the other girl wore, followed by a sigh of relief as she noticed the features of the white-haired girl soften at that.

"I apologize for that, Rockstreet seven." The Schnee addressed the driver and soon they were on their way home, which Ruby couldn't wait to be at since she got really tired.

The ride while short was annoying, each time she wanted to take a short nap Weiss shook her and told her to keep awake, which was a request hard to follow considering how comfortable the car seat and the other girl's arm was, yet with the help of said girl she did manage to not fall asleep.

Once there they exited the car, as Weiss helped Ruby retain balance. "Will you be alright from here?" The Schnee bit her lip.

"Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I live very high up."

"...How high."

"At the topmost floor." At that both of them looked up the big apartment complex, it was tall enough for the upcoming venture to be annoying, yet too short to have an elevator. Just their luck. A voice from the car made both of them look back towards it.

"Ma'am? Am I to wait or is that all? The clock is ticking and I'm charging no matter if I'm waiting here or driving you somewhere." Weiss rolled her eyes at that.

She approached the car and paid the driver. "Here, and a little bit extra for the trouble, you can leave."

"Alright, you ladies stay safe, it's late." With that he closed the window and drove off, leaving them both alone in front of the tall building.

"Keys, Ruby." Weiss reached with her hand towards the redhead.

"Yes, ma'am." She didn't want to anger Weiss anymore than she already has, as she reached towards her pocket and placed the keys on top of the other girl's open palm.

"Good, now wrap your arm around me and let's go." With one last nod Weiss did just as the instructed Ruby to do, opening the front door and slowly began to walk through the corridors and up the stairs.

"Hey, Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss turned her head to glance briefly at the redhead.

"I'm sorry for… For this." She blushed, sure she might still think a bit differently because of the wine from before, but even now she understood that she just made a fool of herself, even if just a bit.

"Don't be, I told you to relax and you did. Besides I don't mind, this sort of activity while exhausting is bonding in a way, and we'll laugh about it tomorrow." The white-haired girl shrugged.

"Weiss you're so forgiving!" In a sudden wave of affection, she moved to wrap both her arms around the other girl, hugging her. Weiss had to take hold of the handrail with both of her hands so they wouldn't just tumble down the stairs.

"Ruby! Control your… Hugs and affection please!" Weiss frowned as she scolded her.

The redhead gasped as she understood what could have happened, one glance behind her at the stairs made her realize the mistake. "I'm so sorry Weiss!"

"And stop being sorry ugh, Ruby." The white haired girl rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry." The redhead winced as she repeated her apology.

Weiss just let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "Let's just take you home and put you to bed."

The rest of the climb continued in silence till they arrived in front of Ruby's apartment door. Weiss opened the door and once inside, she closed it behind them. At that point, the redhead suddenly moved away from the Schnee girl, which surprised her so much that she didn't manage to keep a hold of the drunk girl.

"Home sweet home! Weiss want some tea? I don't have coffee." Ruby wanted to start moving in the direction of her kitchen, but once more her lack of balance told her otherwise, as she started to stumble. Luckily for her, the other girl jumped to help her before she'd fall down.

"Bed, Ruby, You're going to bed. You can invite me for tea some other time." Weiss looked around, most likely looking towards the place or room where the redhead slept, finding something that resembled a bedroom she began to lead the other girl into the room.

"I'm sorry it's so messy, I didn't know I'd have guests tonight." Ruby apologized as Weiss tried to maneuver between various weird items scattered across the room, pieces of clothing and books.

"Eh, it's alright Ruby, they say only a genius can control chaos or something like that." She nodded as she successfully delivered the redhead to the bed. "There, now to change you into something and -Ack!" She yelped as the silver eyed girl tackled her onto the bed.

"R-Ruby! What on the brightest stars are you doing?!" Weiss attempted to shove the girl off of her, but the redhead managed to cling to her.

"I'm tired." Was all that Ruby managed to say, besides she was promised she could sleep if she got to bed and Weiss was so comfortable… So very comfortable.

With that last thought, she drifted off to sleep.

oooOOOooo

This Saturday morning began differently for Ruby. Usually, she would sleep till afternoon after the previous night of browsing the internet or playing games or whatever it is she would find suitable for that particular Friday evening and night, yet this time it was different.

As she opened her eyes she noticed that she was staring at a ceiling, which meant she was currently laying on her back, something that rarely happened as she never found it too comfortable to sleep on her back. She tilted her head to the side, and with that simple gesture, she confirmed that indeed, the events of the last night weren't a dream.

Weiss was lying with her face towards her, curled up a bit. Ruby could tell that Weiss was, just like her, wearing just her underwear. She doubted anything happened since up till the moment she tackled the other girl onto the bed her memory was perfectly fine. A soft blush appeared on her face, yet she tried to not focus on that thought too much, what else would you wear to bed if you had no pajamas? Or didn't want to dress someone who's asleep.

She reached with her hands and covered her face with them, never again will she drink, never, ever. This was the last time. The worst was that it wasn't the hangover which she miraculously avoided for gods know what reason, but the way she acted. It was supposed to be a simple evening, share a meal, maybe Weiss would see her back home, a kiss on the cheek and there… Not this mess.

"Having regrets?"

A soft voice from the side made her put her hands away from her face and back under the cover, as she tilted her head to look at the source of the sound. Weiss had her eyes open as she stared at her with those icy blue orbs.

"Only for how I acted after we left the restaurant." Ruby chuckled.

"And the rest?" Weiss inquired further.

"I..." She paused and closed her eyes. She had her answer, for the first time she knew the answer to this indirectly asked question. "I think I'd like to continue this." She said with a smile.

She saw a wide smile blossoming on the other girl's face, as she felt the white-haired girl's hand seeking out hers, which she helped her find, soon their hands would intertwine their fingers.

"Thank you." Was all Weiss said as she closed her eyes. Ruby decided to do the same, after all, it was Saturday morning, there was no need to hurry right?

Both of them were proven wrong as a certain sound emerged from under the cover, a soft rumble. That made her open her eyes and raise a brow, as she turned her attention back to Weiss, she noticed a soft blush on her pale cheeks. "Hungry?"

"A tiny bit, yes." The Schnee girl replied.

"That's fine, I'll make you something." Ruby rose up and sat at the edge of the bed, finding pieces of clothing to wear for now, before she had some time to properly dress up. "What do you want?" She asked in the meantime.

"I think you know what I want." Weiss answered with a chuckle.

Ruby just rolled her eyes at that. "Right, the usual huh? I just warn you I don't have coffee, so you'll have to work with tea."

Weiss let out a heavy, fake sigh. "Very well, although that puts in question if I'll ever visit this place."

"Har har, if you're so addicted to caffeine I'll be sure to keep some around, just for you." She poked her tongue at her as she stood up, stretching a bit.

"Now you're making me feel special." The white-haired girl grinned.

"I'm all about that, you're not getting up?" She raised a single brow.

"Mmm… No, I think for the trouble of yesterday I deserve a breakfast in bed." Weiss nodded.

"Right, one breakfast in bed, coming right up." Ruby chuckled as she began to move towards her kitchen. She hoped she had everything for the meal that Weiss wanted to, after all, it would be a pity if she couldn't deliver.

Especially considering that it was somewhat special since all of this started with that.

Grilled cheese sandwiches and a cup of coffee.

Author's note 2:

I had a horrible easter, at least creatively. I had constant stomach issues which didn't feel me with motivation to write, but I still managed to finish this off.

If you're following any of my stuff, I just wanted to say that I'm struggling with a weird, busy schedule that keeps me away from writing, I hope to work something out and get with proper updates soon enough.

About this story? I have no idea. It all started with me wanting to write a whiterose from Ruby's perspective, thinking that I too often write WH from Weiss's side. Later I wanted to see if I could perhaps be a bit more subtle with themes for my stories.

I'm not trying to defend myself, but I am self-aware enough to know that I can't really find the middle ground in this. I either get too subtle and I get the adventure game syndrome in which you'd need to be in my head to get it, or I'm too obvious and in your face with the symbolism. In regards to that I just more often than not decide to on purpose be in your face with the themes. So here's my attempt at it being a bit more subtle, just for myself to see if I can do it.

Why 15k words? I don't know. I Really don't. I just started writing and I went on and on and...Well, here we are. Yes, once more its food oriented. Don't ask me why.

Also, this story will have an epilogue, a short one but it will be there so if you enjoyed this little story, hopefully, you'll have something small to look up to with this one.