Weiss smiled down at her notes, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction. She gathered up her small stack of homework –inked with neat, cursive handwriting– and filed them into their appropriate binders. A job well done, if she did say so herself. Weiss smiled smugly, feeling quite proud for finishing up her assignments just shy of a week before their deadline. Yang could eat her words when she made a jab about being too lax in her school work.
With everything finally in place, the heiress relaxed into her chair, drumming her fingers on her armrest as she thought of what to do next. With homework checked off her mental list, she had little things to do other than reading or perhaps doing a little more studying.
Reaching for the can of coffee on her desk, she very nearly missed her mark when a shiver suddenly wracked her body. Her eyebrows rose, the girl suddenly seized by conflicting emotions.
"…What was that?" Weiss muttered, glancing around warily. Trying to shrug off the uneasy feeling that gathered in her gut, her fingers wrapped itself around the cool metal of the coffee can and brought it to her lips.
"WEISS YOU GOTTA COME SEE THIS!"
The scream of gibberish had come out of nowhere and sufficed to say, it surprised Weiss, making her choke. She spewed out the mouthful of coffee, thumping her chest with one hand. Yang stood at the doorway, the door swinging back and forth as it tried to dispense the kinetic energy produced by the strength she'd used to fling it open. Blake stood behind her, shaking her head in exasperation.
"Yang." The cat Faunus sighed. "The door."
"Who cares about that?" Yang exclaimed, the excited expression never fading. Blake noted that it seemed to have grown even more after her quip, and that knowledge made her roll her eyes. This girl.
Weiss grimaced at the sticky, brown mess. Wiping away the rest of the coffee that dripped down her chin, she eyed her sleeve in annoyance and fought the urge to turn around and freeze the blonde in a block of ice. She firmly told herself that wasting dust on Yang would only egg her on in her quest to drive her nuts.
"It's ruined…" Weiss groaned, glancing down at her outfit. The pristine white was marred by a light brown stain, and the soaked material stuck against her skin. Grabbing some tissues and wiping down the desk the best she could while Yang and Blake bickered behind her, Weiss finally rounded on them with the fiercest glower she could muster.
"What. Is. Your. Goddamn. Problem?" She snarled.
Yang took one look at her and burst out laughing. Typical.
"H-Holy crap, what happened? Did I scar–"
Yang was cut off when Blake quickly lay a hand on her shoulder. From the look on Weiss's face, she wouldn't be terribly surprised if Yang got a right hook to the jaw.
"That's enough, Yang." She said, shooting an apologetic look in the heiress's direction.
Dust knows the girl deserved a break from Yang's quips. Especially when she hadn't heard what had happened to Ruby yet.
"What's going on, you two?" Weiss sighed, massaging her temples. Blake's intervention had tempered her fury. For the most part. "And you'd better have a good reason for bursting in like that."
"Are you gonna tell her?" The boxer turned to Blake. "Or can I?"
"I don't see how it would make a difference." Came the unenthused reply. "Or maybe we can just show her–"
"Will you please just get on with it? I'm not keen on sitting here all day." Weiss supplied dryly as she watched her teammates quibble among themselves. Her good mood had been vaporised by Yang's explosive entrance, and all she felt like doing now was changing out of her coffee stained clothes and crawl under her covers for a long nap.
"What are you guys arguing about? Is Weiss there or not?" Called a familiar voice.
The heiress's eyebrows arched. That voice…was that Ruby? No, but her partner's voice didn't sound nearly as deep. And for some reason, there was a slight rasp in the words that shot a pleasant tingle down Weiss's spine.
It was at that moment that Ruby chose to stride in, silver eyes immediately landing on her.
Weiss felt her cheeks go warm, face nearly bursting with heat. The Ruby lookalike stared at her with a hint of a shy smile, running her hand through the crimson tipped hair. And for the second time in her life, Weiss felt her heart do somersaults, her breath leaving her so completely that her chest literally ached. Well. That was new.
"I-I, you – Ruby?!" She squeaked.
The girl– no, woman, shot Weiss a familiar dopey smile that made her go weak in the knees. She thanked dust that she was sitting down, folding in like a paper airplane wouldn't be of much help in this situation.
With one hand on her chest, Weiss registered the sudden spike in her heartbeat, feeling the rapid palpitations under her palm that was the result of being on the receiving end of that particular smile. Sufficed to say, the heiress was at a loss for words.
The familiar visage of Ruby she had expected was gone, replaced by a taller, more muscled form of her crimson haired partner. Black hair with red tips kissed the top of her shoulders, cheek bones now sharp angles due to the lack of baby fat and the woman stood – no – towered over Weiss. The clothes she was wearing looked strangely foreign, and the missing red cape was what drew the heiress's attention away, cutting off her blatant ogling.
"Behold, Weissy," Yang swept her hand out dramatically, even pretending to hold a mic to her lips. "Feast your eyes on the Ruby of the future! Ta daaah!"
Blake rolled her eyes at the ridiculous introduction and shoved her partner out of the way. Yang was sent stumbling and the cat Faunus eyed Weiss with a cautious gleam in her eyes. Meanwhile, the older Ruby stood at the mouth of the doorway observing her partner – well, technically she was still her partner right? – with an amused quirk of her lips, feeling extremely flattered at the wide eyed, slack jawed reaction.
Weiss was definitely much shorter than she'd remembered. But that could be attributed to how tall she was now, so she brushed the thought aside and focused on the smaller details; like how the edge of Weiss's lips curled more downwards than up, the playful peppy air she was used to in the future replaced by a demure and self-conscious one. She still had a long way to go it seemed.
Ruby reflected that Weiss didn't change all that much in terms of appearance, but she couldn't help but find it endearing. Just another thing to tease her girlfriend about when she got sent back to the future. Whenever that was.
"Yang," Ruby chided playfully, cocking her hips. "That was the worse explanation I've ever heard."
"Er, are you forgetting the time uncle Qrow gave us the 'birds and the bees' talk?" Yang asked. She grinned when Ruby shivered at the memory, a disturbed look overcoming her.
"Okay I take that back." Ruby grimaced. She'd never quite seen her uncle in the same light again after that horrendous explanation. "Damn you for making me remember that." She hissed. "Remind me to hit the future you when I go back."
Yang shrugged, nudging her partner in the side. "Nailed it." Said the boxer, shooting her a wink. Blake smiled and replied with a nudge of her own.
Weiss looked back and forth between them, utterly confused by the turn of events. The only thing she had gleaned from that conversation was that this gorgeous woman was indeed Ruby, and that didn't help much considering that it wasn't logical for her partner to get a growth spurt between now and the last time Weiss had seen her.
As if hearing her thoughts, Ruby turned her attention back to Weiss, gracing her with cheeky smile.
"What Yang is trying to say, is that I'm Ruby. But not the Ruby that you know – I'm her from the future. There was this accident with dust, and don't even ask because I don't know how it happened. And before you say that it's impossible,"
She held up her hand when the heiress looked increasingly sceptical as her explanation went on.
"Keep in mind that I'm standing right here. In any case, I'm sure that this would wear off by tomorrow or maybe even tonight, so until then I guess you're stuck with me." She winked.
Weiss coloured, ignoring the amused look Blake sent her way. Damn this ridiculously attractive version of her dolt of a partner. She didn't understand why her heart skipped a beat each time she set her eyes on Ruby. She was straight. She liked Neptune.
Or at least, that was what she was telling herself. And even then, there were nagging doubts in the back of her mind.
"I-I see." The heiress nodded stiffly. "So what do you propose we do until then?"
Yang and Blake exchanged looks when they realised the question was directed to them as well. The cat Faunus chanced a look at the clock on their wall before straying over to her own desk to grab the books for her next lesson.
"Yang and I still have two classes left so you both can figure it out."
The blonde groaned. "We do?!"
"Yes, you're the one who signed us up for professor Port's extra credit classes, remember? Something about getting enough credits to pass." Blake said dully, gathering the books into her arms. As an afterthought, she grabbed her novel, knowing that the man was as interesting as watching paint dry. His stories might have been out of this world, but they tended to be the same ones rehashed with each lesson.
"Crap." Yang muttered. "Oh well. You two have fun! Make sure to take care of Ruby, you hear?"
"Hey." Ruby laughed. "I should be the one saying that. I'm the oldest here after all."
With that said, Ruby sauntered over to the heiress, and looped a slender arm around her shoulder. Weiss nearly jumped out of her skin at the contact, making the woman hide a sly smile behind her hand.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you." Weiss huffed, trying not to shrug off Ruby's arm. The weight on her shoulders felt frighteningly comfortable, and it wouldn't take long for her to melt into the curve of Ruby's side.
And with that, Yang shot them one final grin before being dragged away by the impatient bow wearing girl. Now alone with the older version of her partner, Weiss broke out of the lazy grasp and pulled out of Ruby's arm, the corner of her lips tugging up when Ruby pouted, the action looking childish as it did cute.
"Weisssss!" The woman whined, eliciting a giggle from her. "Why did you pull away? I was just getting comfy too." She grumbled, folding her arms. Ruby noted with smugness that Weiss's discomfort around her had begun to melt away at her teasing, the two falling back into easy, familiar banter.
"I have to go change you dolt." Weiss scolded gently, taking out an identical version of her outfit. The stickiness was getting close to unbearable, and she wanted to change out of it before it got any worse. She didn't want to smell like a walking expresso either.
"Wait here. There's a lot of questions I want to ask you. And it seems that your knack for trouble didn't fade with time."
"Eh." Ruby shrugged, taking a seat at the desk. "I won't leave you so don't worry."
Weiss blushed at that innocent remark, rolling her eyes at her own reaction. There was really something wrong with her today, she concluded. And it was only early afternoon. Praying that she could survive the rest of day, Weiss turned on her heel and disappeared into the bathroom.
Ruby looked up from the papers with an affronted gasp, eyebrow arching at the indignant look on Weiss's face. Well someone certainly knew how to make an entrance. "What are you doing? Don't touch my stuff!" Weiss said crossly. Dumping her dirty clothes into the hamper near the bathroom, she strode over to Ruby with large steps.
For the most part, Ruby just rolled her eyes at the display of intimidation. She'd forgotten how touchy Weiss was about people going through her stuff. Before she could start a tirade on privacy and 'minding her own business' Ruby extended the piece of paper in her hands, a small smirk being her only reply.
Weiss halted, looking confused as she took the paper into her own hands. A look of disbelief crossed her face when she saw her previously neat answers crossed out by the pen she'd left on her desk. "Ruby!" She screeched. "What did you do?!"
"Calm down." Ruby soothed, placing a hand on her arm. "I was just correcting a few of your answers. I'm a full-fledged huntress now, I'm pretty confident that I know Grimm anatomy like the back of my hand at this point."
Weiss sputtered angrily. "But the textbook said that–"
"You mean this?" She held up the thick tome filled to the brim with markings and dog ears. "I'm not sure if you noticed, Weiss, that this is the third edition which dates back at least ten years ago. I know that it's one of the books Beacon recommends the students to read, but many things have changed since its publication."
Weiss stumbled, her anger fading in the face of logic.
Ruby smiled, the lack of reply encouraging her to continue. "Make sure you do check up on things like this. And if I remember correctly–" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You got a B on this paper."
As expected, the heiress paled at that remark and looked down at her paper once more.
Ruby stood from her seat, gently taking the paper out of her grasp. "You can do your fact checking later, Weiss." She assured. Lightly squeezing her arm, Ruby let a bright laugh spill forth from her lips and grabbed Weiss's hand, tugging her toward the door. The heiress gave a startled yelp, her introspection broken.
"Let's go for a walk!"
Ruby glanced about the school grounds with a small smile, cheerfully greeting anyone she recognized. They must have heard about the dust mishap, since they weren't all too surprised when they saw her. She dragged Weiss around Beacon, visiting all the spots they'd frequented as a team, and by herself.
Some part of Ruby knew that long, pleasant walks in Beacon were something she'd been dying to experience with Weiss. Their relationship in Beacon had taken a turn for the worst in the second year, due to the revelation of a particularly…sensitive secret she had kept from her. Namely, her feelings for her partner.
That was one of the worst fight's they'd ever had.
And one of the longest. Their relationship remained rocky until the fourth year, where team RWBY had a hand in bringing down one of the most nefarious plots in history. Everyone had come out battered and scarred, but were wiser because of it. Needless to say, Weiss and Ruby didn't waste any more time and had gotten together soon after everything had settled down.
Ruby shook her head. The two years following that fight were definitely the only ones that she'd didn't miss.
"Hey, watch it!" Weiss snapped, pulling the redhead just in time for her to avoid walking into a streetlamp. Ruby stumbled in surprise, the strong grip on her arm the only thing keeping her from falling flat on her keister. Weiss shook her head as she steadied the huntress.
"Whoa, sorry." Ruby laughed weakly, "I was taking a trip down memory lane. Guess I should have paid attention."
"Idiot." Weiss huffed, as she guided them towards Beacon's gardens. "You're lucky I was watching out for you." The heiress let go of her arm as they entered the gardens, both of them straying off the path, strolling into a large field filled with decently sized trees and a plethora of flowerbeds dotted around them.
"Yeah." Ruby smiled.
Weiss felt her heart jump at the look Ruby gave her, and opened her mouth to reply when something blonde came hurtling towards them.
"Heads up!" Sun yelled, springing forward to catch the Frisbee that was flying across the grassy field at a breakneck speed. Both girls made noises of shock and surprise, immediately ducking before they would get a disc to the mouth. They were very much attached to their teeth, thank you.
"You…you ruffian!" Weiss screeched, jabbing a well-manicured finger towards the Faunus boy, who grinned cheekily in response. His tail whipped about haphazardly as he smugly admired the neon pink Frisbee in his hands. The look changed into one of interest however, when he realised that there was someone other than Weiss who was staring daggers at him.
"Whoa," He whistled appreciatively, eyebrows rising. "Who's this ice queen?"
Weiss shook her head with an exasperated sigh just as Neptune shuffled up beside him with an interested look. Ruby noted that Weiss had straightened her back almost instantly at his appearance and inwardly sighed. She'd forgotten about the 'crush' the girl had had on him at this age. The memory of those days brought back a bitter taste in her mouth, and she wryly reflected that she was going to be put through the pain of seeing it again.
The redhead regard the two boys with her politest smiles. "Sup." Ruby greeted them amiably, tucking her hands into her pockets.
"What are you doing out here?" Weiss smiled, one hand playing with her pony tail.
"Sun wanted to play some frisbee." The blue haired boy shrugged, snatching said object out of Sun's hand. He tucked it under his arm and suddenly levelled a charming smile at Ruby, causing her eyebrows to rise in thinly veiled amusement.
"So," He drawled, "You must be new around here. I would have remembered someone as beautiful as yourself. Are you a close friend of Weiss?"
Sun chortled at the smooth delivery and pretended to gag, drawing several eye rolls from the girls. Neptune pursed his lips, slapping the Faunus on the arm. "Dude." He hissed.
Ruby felt rather gratified at the exchange between them, her mouth quirking up into a grin. Well, she'd never thought that he of all people would hit on her. The phrase 'there's a first time for everything' rang true in this situation, whacky time travel included. But she knew she couldn't fault Neptune for his actions. The boy was a huge flirt, and her looks probably weren't helping either.
Ruby was no fool, she knew that she'd matured beautifully, both mentally and physically. But that didn't mean that she was the least bit interested in him though.
Meanwhile, Weiss glowered at the attention that was being showered on Ruby, her heels digging into the soft grass beneath them. Swallowing a sarcastic remark of which it took the entirety of her wit to create, the heiress smiled blandly.
"She's–"
"Someone you don't need to get to know." Ruby cut in abruptly, a wide, shit eating grin directed at the heiress. Using Weiss's surprise as leverage, she looped an arm around her waist and pulled the girl flush against her. As expected, Weiss turned a brilliant shade of red, choking when she felt Ruby's fingers drawing small circles on her hip bone. Neptune and Sun had been taken by surprise as well, the two stopping their squabbling to stare at Ruby.
"No hard feelings, but our preferences are the only thing we have in common." Ruby chuckled, her free hand forming a finger pistol – the redhead grinning cheekily at their expressions.
Sun laughed when Neptune's jaw flapped and elbowed the boy with a loud guffaw, shooting Ruby a thumbs up. "Nah, don't mind him." He said, eyes shining with mirth. "He's just dumb."
Ruby nodded in agreement, "Well, we gotta run. Stay safe kiddos!" She said, and threw Weiss over her shoulder with all the grace she could muster. Meaning, not a lot. The girl shrieked angrily and begun slapping the redhead's shoulders as she was carried away.
"Put me down this instant!" She screeched. "Ruby rose!"
As the pair disappeared into the distance, Neptune and Sun exchanged curious looks. 'Ruby?' They mouthed in confusion.
AN: So I hope that this chapter lived up to the first one. This was wayyyy longer than I was aiming for, and it isn't even done yet. I'll be finishing the 'present' POV before moving on to the 'future' POV, where young Ruby meets with older Weiss. I'm personally very excited for those chapters :-) huehue. In any case, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
