Things only kept getting better and better for Ruby. She was almost amazed at how much her life had turned around. College at 21, a bright future, and the most beautiful girl anyone could ever call 'theirs'. Apart from the occasional dodged question about why she kept her arm hidden, it was the perfect existence. The weeks passed quickly, and their feelings only grew.
For Weiss, this also meant her irritation grew at the mystery presented before her. She couldn't deny that they had a lot of happy times, but she noticed Ruby tended to stumble over her words. Not because she was bad at speaking, rather she was avoiding revealing some vital information about said mystery. As Weiss ran through everything Ruby had ever told her in her head, she realized she still knew nothing about the girl from high school to Beacon. Six entire years unaccounted for, and Weiss felt the mystery of her right arm was tied to it all.
As much as she hated the feeling of Ruby hiding something from her, she couldn't press the issue this week. They had their first school break, and they were using it to knock out two nerve racking events. The dreaded 'meet the parents'. Ruby and Weiss organized it so they would go to the Schnees for one night, and then do the Xiao Long's a few nights later. Weiss was far more concerned with how her parents would take Ruby than she was about Ruby's parents accepting her.
It was a concern that stayed with her to this very moment, in which the couple stood in the elevator leading to a penthouse suite. Of course, there was a Schnee Manor, but it was too far from Beacon for a pair of college students to travel for a single dinner. One of the reasons Weiss transferred there, even though her credits couldn't come with her and she had to start from freshman year again. The penthouse was purchased in case Weiss needed a place to stay, but she chose the dorms anyway.
Weiss looked over her girlfriend. She had tried to get Ruby to wear something more traditional, but the girl stubbornly put on her black button up and red tie ensemble this morning instead of the sleeveless dress Weiss got her. The redhead did warn her when Weiss stubbornly bought it against Ruby's wishes, so they decided to compromise by getting Ruby a vest to compliment the shirt and tie and dropping the dress issue entirely.
She does make that look good. Ruby in a dress, what was I thinking…
The elevator finally opened, and Ruby was a little overwhelmed by the elegance of this place. Weiss led her shell-shocked girlfriend to the dining area, where her parents were waiting. Mr. and Mrs. Schnee sat at a large circular table while a professional chef worked in the kitchen behind them. "So, you are Ms. Rose." Mrs. Schnee noted her arrival with a smile.
"Hello Mrs. Schnee. Mr. Schnee." Ruby wasn't sure if she would wave or bow or do nothing. Weiss quickly led her to the table to sit down before she did anything.
"So, Ruby." Mr. Schnee spoke in a comforting type voice, which worried Weiss. If he wasn't immediately hostile to Ruby, then he had something else ready. "You're 21, correct? Do you drink alcohol?"
"No, sir." Ruby tried her best to maintain a semblance of professionality, desperately hoping she didn't klutz this up. "I prefer milk, if you have any."
"Milk? How curious." Mrs. Schnee seemed to like the look of Ruby, much to Weiss's relief. At least her mother wouldn't cause any issue just yet.
Dinner was served and the interrogation into Ruby's life goals began. Ruby told them of how she planned to become a computer designer, with most of her classes focusing on or working towards computer and software engineering. Halfway through the meal, Weiss's father finally revealed the information he had been sitting on since the beginning. "You certainly must have impressed someone high up at Beacon." He told the young girl. "Not many students get in on just a GED."
Weiss set her fork down. A GED? But wouldn't that mean she didn't graduate from actual high school? Weiss looked over and saw Ruby had frozen with the fork halfway in her mouth.
The redhead set the fork back down without actually taking a bite. "How did you learn that?" And what else do you know?
"It's not hard for me to find everything on someone I take interest in. Except… I can't seem to find you for three years after you drop out of Signal High, and then you suddenly reappear in an adult make up school program." Ruby kept a stony exterior, though mentally she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ruby, why haven't you told me?" Weiss asked.
"It never really came up in conversation." Ruby replied. "I'm sorry I never brought it up, I didn't think it would be a big deal… It's not something I think about."
"So what did happen during those three years?" Mr. Schnee asked.
Ruby stared at her food, refusing to look him in the eye as he spoke. "Nothing important."
"For three years? That's a lot of 'nothing important', even for a grieving child." He goaded. He knew there was some juicy secret, and this girl had to gall to date his daughter and hide it from both of them?
"Grieving?" Weiss asked. Ruby saw a window out, if she could take it without hitting a wall.
"I dropped out of high school just after my mom died. And you knew that, didn't you?" Ruby looked back to Mr. Schnee. "If you could find all this out, but not me for the three years after, then isn't it possible I was doing nothing important? Too low for your radar?"
Mr. Schnee was surprised by the girl's sudden tenacity. He had underestimated this opponent, and had to recover the situation quickly. "Of course, you're right. How silly of me. You are dating my daughter, perhaps I am trying too hard to find fault. I apologize."
"Apology accepted. Thank you for a wonderful meal." Ruby stood and left the room without waiting for a response.
"And there goes a brilliant mind." Mr. Schnee said in his daughter's direction. "She dropped out of high school, finished the makeup in just two years, and got into Beacon soon after." As he listed off the high points for his daughter's benefit, he silently berated himself for not seeing the obvious. Someone with those unique accomplishments would certainly have more intelligence then they appeared to possess.
Weiss thanked her parents for the meal properly and went after Ruby. She saw the lights above the elevator mark its descent. The girl had already left the penthouse. Damn it, father… By the time Weiss caught up with her girlfriend, she was already sitting in Weiss's car. But, how? The rich girl was sure she still had they key. A quick check of her pockets and purse revealed no car keys.
Weiss got into the driver's seat and turned to Ruby. "I'm sorry for my father. He gets really protective."
"Will you be mad if I say 'If I never see him again, it will be too soon'?" Ruby asked in reply.
"Maybe a little, but don't think I don't understand." Weiss answered. Ruby handed her the key and she started the car. "Ruby… what did happen during those three years?"
"Nothing, Weiss. Nothing at all. I just stayed at home and grieved." Weiss nodded and began the drive.
Ruby watched the scenery pass her window for the whole drive. She couldn't bring herself to look at her girlfriend. She tried so hard not to lie, telling many half-truths and completely dodging many questions. But she knew Weiss was getting more anxious, that she wouldn't give up without an answer. And so Ruby lied to her. For the first time, Ruby lied to Weiss. And it hurt, because Weiss believed her on the spot. She trusted her, and Ruby repaid that favor by lying to her.
Ruby was packing clothes in the dorm the day they would leave for the Xiao Long household. Weiss was fed up with Ruby's hole riddled jeans (Ruby called it her saintly attire, for it was so 'holey') and finally talked the redhead into getting rid of them and letting Weiss take her clothes shopping. And so Ruby packed away a number of clothes to be dropped off at home and replaced with clothing Weiss would probably trick Ruby into letting her pay for as well.
Weiss was across the room from Ruby when she spotted something curious, a syringe on Ruby's nightstand. She had never seen the thing before, and she and Ruby had already gotten to the relationship stage where all their things managed to co-mingle in their environment. "Ruby, what is this?" Weiss asked, looking across the room to her packing girlfriend.
Ruby looked at the syringe and her eyes went wide. "What the…? Where did…?"
"I just found it here, on your nightstand." Weiss responded.
Ruby picked the syringe up quickly. Weiss didn't even hear her cross the room, she moved so quick. "I have no idea! I've never seen it before. Let's just… toss it! Yeah, let's throw it away!" Ruby dropped it in the trashcan and the pair heard it shatter on the bottom. "We should get going, Weiss! We don't want to be late!"
Weiss was rushed out of the dorm before she could remark on the curious incident. Ruby busied herself explaining the directions to her home to Weiss, and successfully avoided an awkward conversation about her hasty reaction to the needle. As they got closer, Weiss felt nervous about the off chance Ruby's family didn't warm up to her. A repeat of the Schnee family dinner the other night was far from ideal.
But the Xiao Long's accepted Weiss in an instant, and dinner went splendidly. It was certainly very different from a Schnee dinner. It felt warm and inviting, and the whole thing reminded her of Ruby. Is this what 'family' really feels like? Where instead of heavy professionalism, you get things like-
"I think it should be socially acceptable to fart in public!"
Like that?
Yang had let a fart loose a moment before, to everyone's disgust, and that was her reaction to their reactions. "Seriously, farts are harmless, and you can control them about as well as you can control a sneeze! Sneezes can be way more harmful, but it's perfectly fine to sneeze in public! A sneeze can spread sickness, but a fart is a fart!"
Her rant had the whole table in stiches with laughter. It took everyone a while to calm down, and Ruby had to actually use the restroom from laughing so much. Weiss watched her walk away, and took to opportunity to have a quiet conversation with Yang. She nudged the blonde's arm and leaned in close. "Did Ruby ever take any medications?"
"Medications? What do you mean, like Tylenol or prescribed stuff?" Yang asked.
"Well, I know she was grieving her mom for three years." Weiss told her. She missed Yang's flinch. "I found a syringe today and thought, maybe it was for some hardcore anti-depressant stuff she's embarrassed at having to take."
"Wait, you found what?" Yang asked, her tone more serious then Weiss had ever heard.
"A syringe…" Weiss answered slowly.
"How did she react when you found it?"
"She said she had no idea how it got there and she threw it away. I think it broke at the bottom of the can…" Weiss was becoming suspicious of the whole affair once again.
Yang was deep in thought. She promised she wouldn't out her sister's secret to Weiss, but had Ruby seriously not told her girlfriend yet? "I don't remember Rubes needing any syringe based meds. Perhaps someone snuck it into your room as a bad joke? I'm pretty sure it's nothing, Weiss, don't worry."
Weiss nodded, accepting the answer. Dinner ended on the high note of Weiss being invited back whenever she wanted. As they set themselves to leave, Yang grabbed Ruby's arm. "Hey, there's something I wanted to show Ruby," She told Weiss, "I'll only have her a minute." With that, Yang dragged her sister into her room.
Once behind the locked door, Yang rounded on Ruby with fury in her eye. "Weiss told me she found a syringe in your dorm."
Ruby couldn't say she didn't see this coming. "Look, I have no idea how it got there! I swear, I thought I got rid of them all! I must have missed one and accidently packed it. Maybe it got stuck in a sock or something."
Yang knew Ruby could be a good liar when she wanted to be. A skill she had unfortunately picked up in a darker period of her life. But, from time to time, Yang could also tell when Ruby was being genuinely honest. Like now. The blonde let out a sigh of relief. "You tossed the syringe, right?"
"I made sure it broke on the bottom of the trashcan." Ruby answered.
"Good." Yang hugged her sister and smiled. "You keep doing good. Now run along! The love of your life is waiting for you, for Christ's sake! Go, woman!"
Ruby ran back out to Weiss and the two bid farewell to everyone and drove away to clothes shop and go back to the dorm. Once they returned, Ruby didn't even bother turning a light on, she just collapsed onto her bed.
"What, no goodnight kiss?" Weiss teased, though she was genuinely disappointed, if only a little. Ruby stood back up and tried to walk the direction of her girlfriend's voice. Unfortunately, the couch was in the way, and Ruby fell over the arm and landed face-first on the seat cushions. Refusing to move once more, she simply groaned into the couch. "How can one person be so clumsy?" Weiss asked aloud, helping Ruby up.
Ruby smiled and pulled. Instead of the redhead coming to her feet, Weiss fell onto the couch on top of her. "Mwaha, my plan worked perfectly…"
"Your plan to fall over the couch so you could pull me into this position?" Weiss asked in disbelief. There was no way the girl's tired brain planned this from the start.
"Totally."
No way indeed.
Ruby smiled and gave Weiss her goodnight kiss. And then another. And then a few more… the girl's soon understood that their innocent goodnight kiss was turning into something a little more heated. The lovers pressed into each other, and Weiss found herself lost in Ruby's scent of strawberries and roses. Ruby still had some of her senses, though, and despite being on bottom she managed to push Weiss up and at a more PG distance.
"Sorry, but I think it's still a little early for that…" Ruby told her.
"Right… sorry…" Weiss sounded defeated, but she understood. "I just… got lost in the moment." I got lost in you.
Ruby caught the true meaning and smiled. "We can still, y'know… cuddle for the night? If you want to."
"I do." Weiss smiled back. "But not on the couch, please. One of the beds?"
"Sounds good!"
The couple stood and changed into their sleeping clothing before coming together on Weiss's bed. They were careful not to kiss again, afraid that neither of them would be able to stop themselves another time. But it didn't matter. They had each other, and the best night's sleep either of them ever had.