Three Years, Eleven Months, and Twelve Days After Cinder's Coup
Ruby fumbled with the ring on her finger. Just a little over four years ago, Weiss had given it to her before she'd departed to the Vault to train with Qrow and Ozpin. I guess that's six years, my time. Ugh. Ruby hated the missing two years of her life. For everyone else, it'd been a few days, but for her, it had been almost two years. Her internal clock was still all sorts of messed up.
Most days she just ignored the nagging sensation of feeling out of place.
The Gauntlet weighed heavily on her right arm. Thankfully, it was slim and didn't interfere with everyday life too much. If she concentrated really hard, she could almost feel her sense of touch through the cool metal.
The worst part about it was definitely the sex. Whenever she and Weiss would make love, she had to be very careful with her right hand placement. Once, Weiss, in a rather rare frisky mood, asked Ruby to use the Gauntlet. No sooner had Ruby's fingers entered her partner, than the Gauntlet emitted a short but intense electrical pulse. Weiss had shrieked so loudly, Yang burst into their room to see what was going on. The sight was mortifying for both sisters and the heiress, and it took a full three months for Ruby to convince Weiss to sleep with her again.
The Gauntlet, at first, had seemed furious. Almost, as if to say, "I am NOT a sex toy!" Now, the vague consciousness of the ancient device simply seemed to remember the time with mirth. Ruby smiled to herself and pulled the ring off of her finger.
The ring was silver and slim, simple yet elegant. The setting that held the stone was shaped like a snowflake, and the ruby that adorned it was a not-so-subtle message. The ruby completed the snowflake, and without it, the snowflake would be lesser. Ruby had poured a lot of thought into the meaning of the ring, as she would with anything else. When she'd figured it out, Weiss had been left reeling by the amount of passion that her lover had displayed, both in the bedroom and out.
Ruby flipped the ring in the air and caught it perfectly on her finger, the band sliding down her slim finger. The girl smiled and stood from the bench she was seated on.
It was time.
She crossed the street and walked into the store.
Weiss delicately caressed the ring on her finger. The white-silver shone brightly in the light. Of course the shop would be well lit; it was, after all, a jewelry store. The heiress strode to the counter and approached the shopkeep, an elderly woman who's eyes seemed almost closed due to the wideness of her smile.
"Why hello, Miss Schnee! It's been quite a while! How are you, dear?"
"I'm well, Ms. Andersson, thank you."
"And how are things with Miss Rose?"
Weiss smiled and set her hand down on the counter.
"Oh… Oh! Oh sweetie! Gerald!" the woman hollered, " Gerald, dear, come here!"
"What is it woman?" a comically stooped old man came shuffling from the back of the shop. "I'm in the middle of—oh. Oh my goodness."
Tears pricked the corners of both elders' eyes. "Isn't that beautiful, Gerald?"
"The craftsmanship is superb! The subtle imagery she used, and is that…?" The old man sniffed a few times, "Adamantium! Why, that metal isn't even native to our world! How would she get her hands on it? And to blend it into silver so flawlessly…"
The couple continued to gush over the ring while Weiss stood there, blushing deep red. She slowly pulled her hand back and straightened her cream skirt and brushing her side-ponytail back over her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry that I never came back in to see you. After the coup, there was a lot to do. Then school work and graduation. Then there was the company, and I just—"
"Dearie," the woman cut her off, "you needn't worry about us. We're just happy to see you happy. You've been all over the news, what with your company and all."
Weiss' smile fell. "Yes, my father has been…difficult in these past few months. Hard to believe it's been a year since I graduated… Thankfully, I have a very helpful partner in Blake. She's gathered so much support from the Faunus employees, and even the humans that support them. With Ruby's huntress career already in full swing, we've not had a lot of time together. Which actually brings us to why I'm here…"
"Adamantium…" Gerald was still mumbling to himself, his wispy white hair swishing as he paced back and forth, the jewelers monocle still firmly stuck in his eye. "How did she…?"
"Gerald," his wife cooed, calling him out of his train of thought.
"Yes, yes. I shall make you another ring. It will outshine Miss Rose's ring a hundredfold!"
Weiss covered her mouth and giggled as the old man took her hand and stared intently at the ring.
"Well, Mr. Andersson, I think a little competition is healthy, after all, Ruby designed and crafted the ring herself."
"Of course she did!" Gerald said. "Those Rose girls have always been extremely crafty. Did you know that Summer Rose was going to open up her own smithy? Poor lass, tragedy that."
Everyone was silent for a moment before Gertrude cleared her throat. "Well, Miss Schnee, any requests for the ring?"
Weiss smiled and stared at her finger. "Actually, yes. Here's what I had in mind…"
Weiss knocked on the door of Yang and Blake's apartment. The ring would be ready in a few days and there was just one more thing to take care of. Something that she knew Ruby would also be doing right now, were she able.
Blake answered the door and let Weiss in, but not after a huge hug. "Blake! How are you?"
"Things are good," Blake replied, a smile on her face. "Yang is huntressing full time, which leaves me home alone to watch after Zwei and work on the computer. I've got this great new idea for uniting the Faunus and human workforces. I think we can really break some common ground here."
Blake's smile lit up the room and Weiss beamed. "That's great! I can't wait to finally take the fight to Atlas. Speaking of, have you…?"
Blake's smile fell. "I haven't had a chance. She won't take it well. Not everyone has a girlfriend with magical teleporting armor."
Weiss nodded and sighed. "I understand. Just don't put this off too long. We leave in a few weeks."
"Is that Weiss?" Yang shouted from the bathroom.
"Yes, darling!" Blake hollered back.
"Be right there!"
Weiss stifled a laugh and glanced around. The apartment was small, but cozy. With only Yang's huntress income, they were stuck in a rather unfortunate situation. A situation that Weiss offered to remedy by letting them stay in the higher suites at her hotels. But both Yang and Blake had refused, and Weiss had to admit, the apartment really suited them. It may be cramped, but they were together, living and getting by, making a good life for themselves.
Finally, Yang emerged from the bathroom. "Hey, Weiss-Rice! How're you?"
Weiss grimaced but soon smiled and hugged the tall blonde. "I'm well, and depending on how this conversation goes, I'll be even well…er? More well?"
Yang laughed and shook her head. "Don't ask me, you're the princess here."
"Anyway, I've come to ask a very important question today."
Yang raised an eyebrow but leaned against the wall and motioned for Weiss to continue. Blake quietly excused herself.
"Yang, about four years ago, we talked about my future and the plans I had for it. You were…rather short with me, which was understandable, but I wanted to have this conversation again."
Yang raised an eyebrow, but she, thankfully, remained silent.
"Here's the deal. I love your sister. I love her so much and I want to spend the rest of forever with her. She had absolutely stricken me and stolen my heart. I love her, Yang. More than anything in this world."
The very tall, very intimidating blonde stepped forward, scowling, and Weiss gulped.
The woman scooped Weiss up and twirled her around. "About time, Weissy!"
Blake leaned against the small half-wall that separated the kitchenette from the rest of the living space, smiling.
"Hear that, kitten? Weiss is gonna be my sister-in-law!" The woman beamed and Weiss swore that her hair was glowing a little bit.
Weiss' smile soon grew to match her other teammates' and they laughed and talked for a while, with Weiss describing the ring and how she planned to propose. Eventually, however, she excused herself. It was getting late and there was one more place she needed to go.
"Hello, Taiyang." Weiss entered the hospital door quietly. The hunter was sleeping peacefully, thought, that's all he ever did anymore. He'd lost half of his aura in a battle against the villain, Cinder Fall. While he was very slowly recovering, he was still comatose.
"I came to talk to you about asking your daughter's hand in marriage. Call me old fashioned, but I've always thought it rather romantic. I know Ruby would, too. Though, I imagine, you'd be more like Yang, brushing it off and laughing." Weiss smiled and reached out, touching the stocky hunter's hand, hers seeming tiny compared to his large palms.
She'd seen the pictures of young Qrow and Taiyang, rather skinny young men. Now they were both these mountainous bears and Weiss understood where Ruby and Yang got their growth spurts from.
"The thing is, Mr. Xiao Long, Taiyang, sir…" Weiss cleared her throat. "The thing is, I love your daughter. I love her so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want her family to be my family. I love Yang, and I love Blake, and I love you. I know we've never officially met, but with all of the stories that Qrow, Yang, and Ruby tell, I know I will love you as if you were my very own father. Growing up in my household was…very different from what Ruby describes. Life on Patch…that must've been heaven for you."
The heiress stopped, finding herself suddenly saddened. "I know that Ruby and Yang have been struck by tragedy more often than anyone should be, and I want you to know that I will never do anything to hurt your daughter. I will always work at being the wife that I know you expect me to be. The love I feel in my heart is deep and pure and will never wash away. I will love her just as deeply in five years, ten years, thirty years, as I do right now, at this very moment."
She reached out and put her hand on the scruffy blond beard that covered Taiyang's cheeks. "One day, sir, I hope to call you father, but until then, know that your daughter is in very good hands." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek, at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, Taiyang Xiao Long, for giving me the gift of Ruby Rose. For that, I am eternally grateful."
Weiss left the hospital with small tears in her eyes, but a swelling in her heart. Now she just had to wait for the ring.
Two weeks later, Weiss sat side-by-side with Ruby on a park bench. Ruby, for once, was not wearing her new distracting huntress outfit. When she'd first unveiled her knew outfit, Weiss had immediately mounted her girlfriend. Weiss had even sewn Ruby a new cape to go with it; the old one was lost during the coup.
At first, Ruby had been hesitant. The cape had been a gift from her mother, and losing it had dealt a serious blow to the huntress. Yet, a few days later, Ruby was wearing the new, longer cape and loving it. She'd called it a 'rebirth', stating that some ends were new beginnings, and that made Weiss happy.
Weiss also noticed the lack of Crescent Rose. Since their graduation, Ruby never went anywhere without it, yet today it was curiously absent. In fact, Ruby herself was curious today. Eyeshadow, very faint lip gloss, and black nails adorned Ruby's features, and her hair was styled into a messy, yet somehow elegant bun. However, that was the extent of her gussying up as her outfit was a simple black tank top and long blue jeans with a pair of high heeled (as if she needed them) black sandals.
The heiress, as usual, wore a white skirt and a white jacket. The red bustier underneath really stood out against the starkness of her white ensemble. The tight thigh-high boots, she knew, would really drive Ruby wild. Even now, the huntress kept glancing away from her coffee to gaze at Weiss.
The woman smiled and took another sip of her mocha. Four years and Ruby still looked at her like she was the most extraordinarily beautiful creature she'd ever seen. There was a time when Weiss' vanity would've adored that. Now, her heart burst because she looked at Ruby the same way.
"Ruby, I…"
"Weiss, we…"
They both spoke at the same time, then giggled in unison. The red leaves of the park trees rustled around them. "You first," Weiss whispered, her hand on Ruby's leg.
Ruby squeezed the hand then shook her head. "No, you."
Weiss stared down into her cup before setting it down and standing up. "Ruby, we've been dating for… four years about, right?" Neither of them was very good at remembering the exact date they started dating and neither of them much cared, either. They were together and that was enough.
Ruby eyed Weiss but kept silent.
"We've been together for a long time, and it has been the best time of my life. You rescued me when I was alone. You saved me from myself. You loved me when I was unlovable. We've been through…so much together. We've fought side by side against unbelievable enemies. We've done so much good together. When fate had us become partners all those years ago, in that big lonely forest, I thought 'there is no way this will ever work.' Yet, here we are."
Weiss walked over to Ruby and knelt on both knees in front of her. Ruby set down her coffee and took Weiss' offered hands. "Through everything, you've been there for me. You've been my friend, my partner, my team leader. You've made this life so special for me."
The white-haired girl sniffed and then laughed softly. "And the thing is, I know I'm stealing your thunder here."
Ruby laughed softly as well, tears beginning to drip from her eyes. "Weiss, ever since I met you, I've wanted your approval. When I gained that, I wanted your friendship. When I gained that, I found I wanted more. I fell so far and so fast that I didn't know what to do. You completed me in ways I never knew I need completing. I always thought you were some unattainable goddess, until I found that goddess in my bed, in my arms, and in my heart."
Weiss leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Ruby's, who leaned down into the pose. "Ruby, you've become my everything."
"I can't imagine a world without you, Weiss."
"Today…"
"I want to show you…"
'Everything I've ever felt…"
"Summed up perfectly into one tiny, crystalline moment in time…"
"And yet also completely undefinable…"
"I love you," they said in unison.
Both women reached into their pockets and produced their respective rings. There were no velvet boxes, no cards, no elaborate showing or even planned speeches. Everything they said, they said from the heart. This moment was, to them, as spontaneous as the beginning of their love, and as personal and deep as their commitment to each other.
Ruby took the ring from Weiss' hand—a black-steel band with a bright red cross engraved on either side of the setting, bearing a very lightly etched rose stem wrapping around each crucifix. The setting itself was shaped like petals, and the gem inside was a dazzling snow-white diamond, cut into a rose. Gerald, who could craft jewelry in hours, had spent two weeks, entirely dedicated to this singular piece of jewelry. Well, mostly dedicated.
Weiss took her ring and gasped. Inside the band, in tiny flowing script, were the initials G. & G. A.. The ring was solid white-gold. It shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the light just as a snowflake would. On either side of the setting were three small rubies, perfectly circular. Almost indistinguishable was the engraving of a rose stem, threading through the rubies. In the center of the band was not a setting, but a circular disk that was a part of the band itself. The Schnee family crest was carved into the disk, but what really took Weiss' breath away, was the fact that the ruby inlaid in the engraving had not been cut, but melted.
"I…" they said, once again in unison.
No further words were spoken. The pair looked at each other, gazing deep into blue and silver eyes. Their passion peaked and they pulled each other into a deep kiss.
After several minutes of deep, passionate kissing, they pulled away.
"Will you marry me?" they both asked.
"Yes," they both replied.
Their walk home was interrupted by a call on Ruby's scroll.
"Hello?" she answered. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my… Dust… I'll be right there."
She closed the scroll and turned to Weiss. "That was Neptune. Sun was at Blake and Yang's place. Something happened. Yang hit Blake."
Weiss' eyes widened. "Let's go, Ruby."
The taller woman nodded. "Yeah."
Author's Note: #LoveWins 6/26/15
After yesterday's monumental occasion, I had to write this chapter first. I was going to start it after my planned Arkos chapter, but this...this could not wait.
The Arkos chapter should be out tomorrow evening, so stay tuned. Also, the hiatus for Part II may be shortened, if I can find enough time to finish the chapter I was halfway through. I just needed a break from the storyline to write some filler fluff. You know how it is.
Thank you guys, as always, for reading. And thank you, especially, that supported me and every other member of the LGBTQ community. Love wins!