Retracted Resolve
Chapter 2

The whole conundrum started when Ruby Rose turned sixteen a few weeks ago. Although Ruby didn't act it, she was starting to look her age. Weiss had developed an aggravating case of dry mouth brought on by Ruby and her propensity to forget that little detail. She was a growing young lady, with assets that were only going to become more pronounced the older she got. It was true that she was not nearly as well-endowed as many, but that blasted corset she wore over everything didn't help the question of modesty in the slightest.

Weis could only imagine the sort of person Ruby would grow into. Given a few more years of wisdom, there would be very little to stop her headstrong attitude and willpower.

The evidence was clear as day. She came down the hall, shaking her hips in a manner that she had to have picked up from her older sister. Music blasting in her ears at unhealthy levels killed off any distraction that Ruby might encounter. She was dressed for bed in the new set pajamas that Yang had bought her, showing off just a little more belly than one might deem savory.

Still, there was no denying the way that black and red flannel bottoms swayed with Ruby's hips. They were slightly baggy, but that only made one's mind wander to places best left alone.

Even Weiss, who shared a room with her, had yet to see Ruby naked from the waist down. From the waist up, he had been lucky enough to have a somewhat modest partner, something he was grateful for. Ruby favored sports bras due to her future profession. Still, it was because she was so shy about her body that Weiss had never seen her naked. He wondered for how much longer that shyness might last. Yang had blinded him on more than one occasion with her nudity, she pranced around the room that way more than a little often.

Ruby's approach made him wonder. What went on beyond the curve of those slender but shapely hips? Would Ruby's confidence grow, as her body continued to do the same.

"Hey Weiss." The girl greeted, plucking off her earphones, looking at the door. "Did Yang change the locks again?"

"If only that were the case." He said, the edge in his voice crystal clear.

"They aren't um…in there…doing things…are they?" Ruby trailed, now looking at the entryway in trepidation. One accidental sighting was all she needed in one lifetime. "If you think they need some alone time, we could go hang out with JNPR."

"I assure you, that's not the problem." He said, picking himself off the floor to gaze at her. "Ruby, we need to talk." There was something attractive in Ruby's often messily kept hair. The way it framed her face, especially while she was in those in those pajamas. It didn't do Weiss any favors when it came to keeping a polite tongue in his head. "The only problem is, I haven't the slightest idea of how to say what needs to be said." He then looked back over to the door. "Furthermore, Yang will force the both of us to sleep out here tonight. If I don't say anything, we'll need to find another place to stay."

Ruby seemed to consider this with her usual flippancy. "Well, just blurt it out…it can't be so bad, right?"

"Well, that remains to be seen." He knew Ruby was fond of him, but, fondness alone couldn't carry the weight of their futures. Weiss wasn't asking for something simple like Yang might assume. He wasn't so sure he'd be able to live up to the staggering implications.

If this didn't work out, Ruby wasn't the only one who was going to be hurt. Weiss cared too much to come out of a bad breakup unscathed. All the more reason not to fail in his efforts. All the more reason not to do something he would hate himself for later. He took a breath. "I…that is to say…Ruby, we've been partners for a while now. We've become close. Closer perhaps, than one might consider appropriate for two people our age, training for the futures that we are…" He was already kicking himself.

That didn't sound anything like he imagined it would, and inwardly he cursed. Outwardly, he fumbled. "And it's just…I mean…" What was he doing? What in the bloody hell was wrong with his brain? He blinked. Oh, right. Ruby. The same problem he had been having for months, and here he was making a fool of himself. "If it's not an imposition, I'd like to continue being that close…" He swallowed hard. "And…closer…" Realized that he could be misconstrued, he blushed deeply. "But, perhaps not...unless you want that too, of course."

Ruby looked at Weiss owlishly, her beautiful face cocking to the side, delicate lips pursing in thought. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the slender, not to mention flustered, man in front of her. "I, um…" Now it was her turn to shy away from the inevitable. The air thick with the unmistakable torrent of mixed words and jumbled actions that had been carrying on for months. For all that she launched herself at Weiss on a good day, Ruby had never expected this sort of conversation. "I'd like that."

Weiss felt a weight lift off of his chest. "I would as well…"

It was the most that either of them could muster, relief and newfound anxiety bubbling from within. Saying they wanted closeness was easy, but acting on it? Weiss lifted his hand delicately, cupping the girl's cheek, wondering if it was rushed. He could see the anxiety in silver eyes, Ruby weighing the feelings going on at that exact moment. The strange level of intensity between them only managed to get worse, and Weiss wasn't sure if it was a good thing.

The air was uneasy, but, Ruby was tempting.

As if on instinct, Ruby tilted her head to the side, leaning into that soft palm of his. She hadn't the faintest idea of what she was doing, but, Weiss knew he was no more experienced. His sheltered nature demanding he merely needed to be a man of principle, not anything else. He was a Schnee, after all. He didn't need to please or appease anyone but himself.

That was what his father had taught him.

Surely, it was that backwards thinking that had landed the Schnee Dust Company in boiling hot water as of late. The critical eye of the press notwithstanding, the general public didn't align with his father's mindset, either. He did not want to be like his father…and so, reluctantly Weiss blushed while pulling away. As much as he wanted to kiss her, this was not the right place, nor the right time.

He cleared his throat delicately, dragging his eyes northward to meet Ruby's once again. "I…" His normally eloquent tongue failed him again, and he sighed at length, frustrated at his own hesitance. "If I were to…well…"

"Become close?" Ruby supplied, her own cheeks an unhealthy level of crimson as she fought down her own nervousness.

"Yes, yes, of course…that…" He licked his lips taking a small step forward closing the distance. "If I were to do so…would you by chance be favorable?" He looked around worriedly. His voice dropped to a bare murmur. "If not, I can understand. This is hardly the proper place."

"Oh, holy shit!" Yang yelled from under the door, her compact angled out of the crack in a manner that clearly indicated spying. "Someone just kiss someone else, good god…it's not that hard."

Unfortunately for everyone, Yang's interference had spooked both of the young lovers into inaction. Ruby darted one way, and Weiss darted the other. They hadn't been expecting an audience, most certainly not from Yang, and their shared mortification set the two backwards in more ways than one.

She sighed, unlocking the door. "Whoops…"

"I told you, leave them alone." Blake said from her place on her bed.

"Jumpy little thing, isn't he?" Yang considered, wondering if she should go pluck Ruby or Weiss from their thoughts.

"Weren't you jumpy before your first kiss?"

"Uh, no." Yang frowned. "Was I supposed to be?"

Blake rolled her eyes before she turned the page in her book. "All I'm saying is, it seems to me that Weiss gets nervous easily about things like this. Maybe pushing so hard isn't helping. Why not just give it a little more time. They've talked now, so if you back off, maybe things will sort themselves out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We'll worry about it later." Blake said, putting her book off to the side. "Now close the door and come to bed. You've meddled enough for one night."

The blonde in question growled as after the third day, the blushing, stuttering, duo tiptoed around each other once more. It was her fault, she could own up to that. Ruby was a fragile person in many ways, and her playful nature guarded a world of tenderly kept wishes that not even Yang herself could truly begin to unravel. Ruby wasn't stupid, and she wasn't naive as to what couples did behind closed doors.

The younger girl didn't talk about it very much, but even she knew a thing or two about dirty magazines and particularly long showers.

Their father had been sure that Ruby had left for school well informed about ways to take the edge off. Something that Ruby refused to ever bring up, and Yang had no way of knowing just what Ruby's collection of such media consisted of. Then again, if there was one thing that the Xiao Long patriarch had learned from raising his daughters, it was that perverted teenage boys were not his primary concern. Yang, in her younger years, had seen to that misconception with flying colors. Such details were ones that he wouldn't soon forget.

"Mail call." Blake said, tossing Yang an expected package, one that was sent to her every single month, as if on cue.

She frowned, plucking the top letter off of the box, and chucking the unopened package in with the rest that were crammed into her bedside drawer. "I really need to tell him to stop sending these…" Yang muttered, looking Blake up and down. "It's not exactly like they do me any good..."

"Monthly condom box?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, I think it's about time you told him we're dating."

"I did." Yang said, scratching the back of her head uneasily. "I told him I was seeing a girl, and well…" Yang dug through the drawer and shook a box that was still closed in cellophane. "Least he's supportive…"

"Latex gloves…" Blake's ear twitched under her bow at that.

"And these too." Yang said pulling out a box of dental damns. "My bedside drawer looks like I'm getting freaky every night…don't know what the condoms are still about, considering…" Yang shrugged, not seeing the need for all of the protection. They both went to medical visits after every mission, they were clean as could possibly be. "Unless he thinks his innocent little girl isn't as vanilla as he wants to believe…" Yang grinned dirtily. "Ain't nothing getting through all this…that's for sure."

"He just wants you to be safe Yang…" Blake said, though she never did believe in barrier sex. As a Faunus, she didn't sleep with someone unless she was going to be in it for the long haul. Sorting through the mail, there were two letters for Ruby, and five for Weiss. She took the last one for herself. "Uh, Yang, what's with this?"

"With what?"

Blake turned the letter, the return address was Yang's residence in patch. "Your dad's writing me now, too?"

"Eh," Yang shrugged. "If you're dating me, you're part of the family. Don't think too much into it, Blake. Dad's just trying to get to know you. Sending letters is just one of the few ways he can." She sat down on Blake's bed. "Wanna read ours together? Might be fun…"

"Yeah, sure." Blake murmured, trying to get accustomed to the odd feeling welling up in her chest. Acceptance had never come so easy for her, and she was still trying to get used to it. "How about you read yours first?"

Weiss had been eavesdropping. Not because he was some sort of deranged ignoramus, but because he needed to make sure the coast was clear. Blake promised to keep Yang occupied, and it seemed that all was in order. That was a good thing, because he was still trying to settle his skittish nerves when it came to Ruby. He slipped along the corridors of the hallways with a distant edge in his gait, searching out the one place he knew that Ruby was waiting for him.

Blake spent a good deal of lien every month to renting out a small study room, and Ruby had the key. It was Blake's rather insistent suggestion that a planned study session might help work out the kinks that Yang had unintentionally caused. Weiss had hoped that might be the case as well, but as he closed the door shut behind him and locked it, he realized he was now completely alone with the woman of his affections.

"Are you ready to study?" He asked, books in hand.

Ruby nodded soundlessly.

"What would you like to go over?" He came around the table, sitting down gingerly as he brushed his long hair behind him.

Ruby's fingers tapped along the table, her nervous fidgeting reaching a whole new level when she jumped a little in fright. Blue eyes landed on her once again, and she averted her silver eyes from him. Weiss lifted an eyebrow, waiting rather impatiently, but Ruby didn't have her heart set on studying. She wanted to clear the air, and fix the distance that seemed so intent on separating them.

With a hard breath outward, Ruby pushed her books away. "I don't want to study Weiss. I want-" Well, she didn't know exactly what she wanted. All she knew was that this distance between them hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Weiss had heard the audible click of teeth when Ruby snapped her jaw shut. "Keep going…"

"I don't know." Ruby rested her head down onto the table. "I like you Weiss. I really like you, but…" This distance couldn't maintain, they'd lose everything. Ruby didn't want to say that. She couldn't bring herself to. "I want to be with you, without it suddenly being all…" Struggling she settled on the one word that came to mind. "Well, weird, I guess."

Tentatively, as if he might break her into a billion bits, he rested his hand flat against her back. Even this type of touch rattled him to the very core, because her shirt was warm to the touch. Soft under his fingertips, and just inches away, her messily kept hair covered the back of her neck. "Ruby…" His voice betrayed him as he gathered his courage to speak. "I know you think that I know what I'm doing. That I've had a lot of conquests, given my blue blooded upbringing, but, you see...it's...it's exactly the opposite."

"Really?" Her voice was equally shaken, fearful, shy, and wishing she wasn't.

Weiss nodded. "The circumstances are new to me too."

"Then…why can't it be like it's always been…but, like…more?" Ruby asked, the undercurrent of her voice proving that she thought she was the cause of the whole mess.

"How do you mean?"

"Like…" But, how could she explain that? Frankly, she couldn't, because their friendship was a special one. So instead, she nervously reached forward, clutching at the shirt that covered his long, slender arms. She made her way into his lap, the way she used to do before. She cuddled into him, trying to see what he might do, and when a small, insecure sound worked its way up from the back of her throat, Weiss returned the embrace.

Hugging her felt so good, and frankly, he was exhausted from three sleepless nights in a row. Tossing and turning in his bed. Afraid to hurt her, afraid to make a horrible mistake. It all melted away with her in his arms. He closed his eyes, feeling the tension sag out of him, taking comfort that Ruby was doing the same. He would take it slow, he promised himself as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Take it slow, and make his every action count.