What Good is Love? Ch. 21: That Time of Year
So this story is on a funky timeline vs the one that's going on irl right now. There is a fair amount of lag, so this chapter may seem a wee bit off to us. But keep in mind what did happen earlier in the story, so here we go. Oh, before I finished this story, I got to 210 followers! This is unreal how fast this story is moving, and I've actually eclipsed one of my personal favorites {With Fire Comes Shadow} so y'all are nuts.
Ruby woke up early, and threw her covers off of her in excitement. Today was a day that she had looked forward too the other 364 days of the year. Well, it was the day before the day she looked forward to the other 363 days of the year. So technically she looked forward to this day 363 days out of the year, except that one day that she was really looking forward too.
Her hands flew up to her head, as she realized that she had confused herself by thinking about it too much. Shaking the complex thoughts from her mind, Ruby just picked up her book. Today was the day before Christmas, even though the weather didn't reflect it. It had been an unnaturally warm winter in Vale, but that was besides the point. Today was the day before Christmas, which meant that {in true Rose/Xiao Long fashion} Ruby and Yang would be going Christmas shopping.
Normally, Ruby would have to find a way away from Yang's view and purchase her a gift while the blonde would just purchase a gift for Ruby and Blake. This time, things were going to be a bit different. Ruby had saved up the entire year for Yang, and set aside some things for Weiss over the course of the past few months. She would shop with Yang for Weiss to start the day. Then she would get to Weiss, dump off Weiss' gift with Yang, and then buy something for Yang. Easy to get away with.
Ruby bolted out of the door, and knocked cautiously on her sister and Blake's door. It slowly opened up, and Blake was standing there.
"Hiya Blake," Ruby said.
"Morning Ruby," Blake replied. "I take it you're looking for Yang?" Ruby nodded, and Blake smiled. "YANG!" She yelled out. All that happened was a slight shifting of the blonde, and Blake sighed. "Give me a minute." Blake closed the door, and Ruby just stood there. She could hear some words being exchanged, and then she heard Yang make a loud noise. After another moment, Blake reopened the door.
"She'll be right out," Blake said cheerfully.
"Okay great," Ruby said. "Hey, uh, what did you do to Yang?"
"I gave her a reassuring shove," Blake replied easily. "And it happened to result with her on the floor." Ruby just nodded, and bolted downstairs to grab her stuff.
True to Blake's word, Yang trudged downstairs within a few minutes. Anticipating her big sister's grumpiness, Ruby had pre-prepared some coffee for Yang. Yang wordlessly took the coffee, and slammed it in one go. She placed down the cup, and picked up her bag and the keys to Bumblebee.
"Now I'm ready to go," Yang said, her voice sounding cheery as ever.
"Woo hoo!" Ruby said happily. Both girls left the house, and Blake instantly walked downstairs. She grabbed her own bag, and pulled out her scroll. She dialed in a number, and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" One end of the line said.
"Hey Weiss," Blake said. "I think I have a way for us to be mutually beneficial to our girlfriends. You have access to a limo at all times, correct?"
Vale Mall: Ruby and Yang
The sisters pushed open the doors, and smiled. The mall had been decorated with multiple Christmas items. Snowflakes {which there were none of outside}, ribbons, reindeer, and so much more. Ruby absolutely loved it. Her childish nature made seeing something like this all the more special for Ruby.
The sisters pushed their way through the mall, and went towards anything nearby. Yang stopped at one point, and dragged Ruby into the pet store.
"Why are we here?" Ruby whined.
"Because, I can't get Blake a nice gift without something else to throw in there," Yang said. "Now, what to get her?" Ruby just shook her head, and wandered off towards the pets. "You could Weiss a dog collar and a tag," Yang contributed.
"Why would I do that?" Ruby asked.
"Because that'd say that Weiss is a-." Yang stopped, and then shook her head. "Never mind." She felt disappointed that her sister didn't get the joke, but that remained the differences between Yang and Ruby. Sisters in many ways, but similarities was not one of those things.
"Can I help you?" Someone asked. Yang turned around, and noticed a female wolf Faunus standing right behind her.
"Actually yes," Yang said. "I'm looking to buy a Christmas present for my girlfriend, and she's a cat Faunus, so what do you have?" The wolf Faunus stopped, and stared at Yang. Her eyes read slightly angry, so Yang was quick to raise her hands. "No, no, no, this isn't a bad thing. This is just playful banter between us, I swear." The wolf Faunus just sighed, and looked around.
"In that case," she continued. "I guess cat nip or a ball of yarn are the ever so popular items for these kinds of things. Or maybe a mouse toy." Yang just rubbed her chin, but snapped her fingers.
"Mouse toy," Yang said, coming to a conclusion. "She'll get no kicks out of that, but I will." The attendant nodded, and went off to grab something. Yang proceeded to pay for the mouse toy, and then walked off to find Ruby. She grabbed the younger girl's hood, and pulled her away from the puppy display case.
"But Yang, the puppies are so cute!" Ruby protested.
"Ruby, I already have to deal with a cat and a puppy," Yang replied. "I am not adding on another one."
"We have a puppy?" Ruby asked, completely confused at that point.
"Nope," Yang replied. "But you're about as close as I want to get."
From there, the sisters moved on to Yang's favorite place in the world, and somewhere that Ruby thought would have something for Weiss, a jewelry store. Yang wasn't a very self-conscious person, but she was always attracted to shinny objects. Ruby couldn't care less about jewelry, but she figured that Weiss would.
Yang started to look over the items, choosing to just browse. Blake had no interest in jewelry, but Yang always stopped by. She would probably just get Blake a book or something because she was lame with giving gifts. Or maybe she'd step up her game? There was that one thing...
"How're things going for you, Rubes?" Yang asked, suddenly realizing that she knew exactly what she wanted to get Blake. Ruby was hovering right over a necklace and earring combo, and she just looked at Yang pleadingly. "I take it good then."
"It'll cost everything I have for Weiss though," Ruby muttered.
"Then you'll start again the next year," Yang said without a care. "Plus, from what you've told me, Weiss always is very kind and pays for dinner." Ruby just sighed, and looked up at the shop owner.
"I'll take these," Ruby requested. {A/N: I don't understand jewelry size}
After purchasing the jewels, the sisters moved on to the bookstore. The shopkeeper recognized Yang {mostly as the girl that Blake dragged in completely against her will} and greeted her. He also recognized Ruby, but he knew instantly that this visit was about Blake.
"What're you looking for today, Ms. Xiao Long?" He asked in a calming voice.
"Well I'm not getting a book this time," Yang said. "I was just wondering what kind of bookshelves you have? It's been a long time since Blake got a new one, and I'm pretty sure that this one is at the limit of books it can hold."
"Ah, so you're going to be thoughtful?" The shop owner asked.
"I figured it's always good to try new things," Yang replied with a smile. Remembering her and Blake's nickname, she started to specifically seek out a certain design.
"Hm," Yang said, stopping at a bookshelf. "Hey, Rubes!" Ruby put down a book that she was checking out {even though she only had money for Yang at that point}, and ran over to her sister. "What do you think of this?" Ruby looked down at the design, and smiled widely.
"Oh absolutely," Ruby said.
"Hey!" Yang yelled out. "I'll take a sheet and buy one of these things. When can I get it setup?" The shopkeeper walked over, and looked over the bookshelf slowly.
"I see," he said slowly. "I can get it setup in two days at the fastest for an extra 200 lien on top of normal setup price. Do you have that kind of money?"
"Absolutely," Yang said happily.
"Great," he replied. "I'll go ahead and ring you up. Thanks for the consistent shopping twice a year."
"You, are, welcome," Yang said proudly.
Vale Mall: Blake and Weiss
Blake stepped out of the limo, and looked around her. She saw that the parking spots reserved for motorcycles were all empty, and Yang wasn't one to pass up those spots. So that meant that Ruby and Yang had {possibly recently} left. She looked back at Weiss, and raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The heiress asked.
"That the hour and a half delay was necessary," Blake said triumphantly. "I wish you were like Yang or Ruby and could just tell what I wanted from looks. It saves me a lot of trouble."
"Well it's not like you and I are close," Weiss said, climbing out of her limo finally. "We'll call you when we need you, Geoffrey."
"Will do, Ms. Schnee," he yelled out. The limo drove away, and Weiss turned to Blake.
"Well?" She asked impatiently. "We're here for you."
"I thought you needed something for Ruby?" Blake asked. Weiss just laughed, but then refocused.
"I got something made special," Weiss said. "One of the few luxuries that I actually enjoy. So I will simply be your friend with a chauffeur." Blake smiled, and nodded.
The two girls entered into the store, and Blake felt for her lien. Being around the White Fang Faunus for so long had made her a little overcautious about her money and where it was. Blake instantly made her way over to the jewelry store. She walked inside, and saw Weiss trail in just behind her.
Blake started to looked around at the items, and tried to remember what it was that Yang had enjoyed looking at. She always saw Yang looking around at jewelry, so Blake had to assume that actually getting Yang a piece of jewelry would be good for her.
Blake's eyes grabbed onto one of the necklaces, and she looked over at Weiss and raised her eyebrow. The heiress looked down, and just nodded.
"It'd suit her well," Weiss agreed. Blake called over the attention of the jeweler, and paid up for the item.
Within a moment after Blake had paid for the item, Weiss' scroll went off. She reached down into it, and answered it.
"Weiss?" Ruby's voice came from the other end.
"No, this is the wrong number," Weiss said into the line. She heard a moment of silence, and the heiress panicked slightly. "I'm joking Ruby, don't hang up."
"Oh, okay, good. Hey, I think I saw Geoffrey out front, are you at the mall?"
"Possibly," Weiss replied.
"Okay good. I need to meet up with you so I can get Yang's gift." Weiss sighed, and looked over at Blake.
"May I assume that Yang is with you?" Weiss asked.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, I just wanted to be sure. Meet me at the fountain in the center of the mall."
"Okay, see you then Weiss." The line went dead, and Weiss looked over at Blake.
"Give me the bag," Weiss demanded. Blake raised her eyebrow, and the heiress didn't even need to wonder what Blake was asking. "Ruby and I are going to meet up at the fountain in the center, where presumably I will join her and you will join Yang in a pursuit of purchasing the sisters a gift from each other." Blake's eyes widened in understanding, and she handed over the bag. "Thank you." Weiss then turned, and walked towards the fountain in the center of the mall. Blake trailed just behind her, and both girls went to trade partners.
Fountain
Little did Blake and Weiss know, but Ruby and Yang had actually traded items. Yang had handed off her receipt and the image of the bookshelf she had purchased while Ruby gave Yang the jewelry bag. Both girls stood confidently as they were both positive that Weiss was only at the mall for Blake. It did help that they had spotted Weiss with Blake earlier. But being courteous, the two girls had stayed back. Well, Yang held Ruby away from things. The younger girl was awfully had to hold back when she was curious.
Finally, Weiss and Blake walked up to the fountain. Wordlessly, Weiss grabbed Ruby and dragged her away. Ruby cried out indignantly, but Weiss just ignored her. Blake and Yang watched as Ruby was dragged off, and smiled.
"She's so in over her head," Blake said.
"I've told her that too," Yang replied. "But she's stubborn sometimes. But hey, more comedy for us."
Ruby and Weiss
Ruby made her way through the mall, and walked right over to a clothing store. Weiss looked up, slightly intrigued for a second as to exactly what Ruby was thinking. A dress? No, too sophisticated for Yang. A new shirt wasn't Ruby's style. She seemed to want a gift that would mean something to the person she was getting it for. That being said, a clothing store...
Luckily for Weiss, Ruby knew exactly where she was going. She walked right over to the wall, and plucked off a yellow scarf.
"A scarf?" Weiss asked. Ruby nodded. "May I ask the reasoning behind this?"
"Well," Ruby started. "When we were little, Yang had a scarf. But after the accident, she lost it. Ever since then she's been trying to find a scarf. But other things have always taken priority for her, so I decided to get her one." Weiss nodded, and smiled. Ruby was very thorough while getting a gift, which really was special. "I saved up all year for this," Ruby continued.
"Well," Weiss said. "I think it's a lovely scarf, and I'm sure Yang'll love it." Ruby threw her arms around Weiss, and Weiss very tenderly hugged back. Ruby had a certain level of exuberance to her, but sometimes something that was as sweet as a hug was needed to be done in a slower fashion. Just to display the affection and convey the love a little bit more.
Blake and Yang
While Ruby knew exactly where she wanted to go and what she wanted, Yang was perfectly content to wander. She had a general idea of what she wanted, but it was all about time. It was also about making Blake suffer since her girlfriend despised shopping.
"Yang," Blake said. "You've been traveling in a general direction, shifting, and then going back on the route. Now if you don't cut the shit, I am going to end you and make sure they never find the body."
"Aw," Yang said. "You love me too-." She turned and looked in Blake's eyes, and realized that she wasn't joking. "Okay, right, onwards to the outdoors shop."
"Outdoors?" Blake asked.
"Oh, you know Ruby. No way that she'll go for anything really girly. So I figured, let's upgrade her hoodie a little bit." Blake raised her eyebrow, and Yang grinned. "You'll see."
Both girls arrived in the outdoors shop, and started to look around. Yang dragged Blake away from some of the areas that carried items that would help her in parkour, and went right up to the jackets. She took a close look at some of them, and noticed the option for custom designs. Yang flashed a wide smile at Blake, and the Faunus shook her head.
"I don't even know how you know this mall so well," Blake said.
"Easy enough," Yang replied. "I lived in here for a while. Quite literally actually. After foster care and before our apartment, me and Ruby stayed put inside of the mall."
"Ruby and I," Blake corrected. "And really?"
"Yup. We just found comfy places and crashed. The security guards didn't really give a shit about us since we weren't trying to steal anything. But anyways, I'm distracting myself. Time to buy."
The Next Morning: Ruby, Blake, and Yang's Home
Ruby woke up, and threw the covers off herself. This was the day of the year that she most loved. Not the one that she looked forward too for only 363 days of the year, but the one she looked forward too for 364 days of the year. Today was Christmas.
The previous day, the four girls had all purchased gifts for each other and wrapped them {much to the difficulty of hiding it from each other since three of the four lived together}. A few days prior to that, they had all agreed that they would meet at Ruby, Yang, and Blake's house since Weiss didn't want to bring Ruby to her house for Christmas. But Weiss actually just didn't want to get around to her house since it would remind her that her family wasn't there.
So Ruby had convinced Weiss to show up in her pajamas. There was a lot of protesting, but Ruby had insisted on the Christmas, "tradition," that was shared between her, Yang, and most recently Blake. Weiss finally agreed, but really she wasn't too happy about what her pajamas were.
Ruby slid down the rail on her stairs, and landed safely on the ground. She looked back proudly, and took a step forward. As soon as she turned her face forward, Ruby slammed into a wall. She just sighed, and stepped around it. Luckily for her, no one had seen it.
Within another hour, Blake had woken up. She managed to drag Yang out of the bed {which was considerably easier once she had reminded the late sleeper that it was Christmas} and Yang hadn't even done up her hair. The couple met Ruby downstairs, and briefly greeted her.
"So where's Weiss?" Yang asked.
"Oh, I just sent her a message," Ruby said. "She said that she had to get something finalized, and she's almost-." Without another word, the three girls heard the door unlock. "Here." The door opened up, and Weiss entered into the home.
"Sorry I'm late," Weiss said.
"What're you wearing?" Yang asked, a grin on her face. Weiss had shown up in some high-end fabric blouse, and her hair was straight {contrary to her normal ponytail}.
"I like to sleep in comfort," Weiss said indignantly.
"So why're you wearing clothes?" Blake added in. Weiss shot a look at the Faunus, and her cat ears just twitched in amusement.
"Aaaaaanyways," Ruby said, standing to hug Weiss. "Let's get going after we all get seated." The other three agreed, and they continued on.
The four girls formed a square in the middle of their living room, and went about placing their gifts behind them. Only Ruby and Yang had multiple gifts to give. Ruby had known Blake for a few years, but she still didn't feel comfortable enough with the Faunus to save up some money {hard to come by for Ruby since her competitions rarely had prize cash} for her. Ruby's plans actually were to do so this year, but then she started dating Weiss. Yang and Blake hardly knew Weiss, and the feeling was mutual.
"So who's first?" Weiss asked, choosing to be the speaker.
"I think the two gifters should go," Blake contributed. "You know, swap it out a little bit." Blake had seen what Ruby had purchased from Yang, and she of course was with Yang during the purchasing of Ruby's gift.
"Alright," the sisters agreed in unison. Both of them picked up a small box, and started to move their arms slightly. "One, two, three!" At three, both of them tossed the boxes over to the other {Ruby going under and Yang going over}. Both of them succeeded at catching it, and smiled to each other.
Yang choose to go first, and opened up her box. She looked down, and stared at the yellow fabric that greeted her. She gently lifted it up, and studied the scarf.
"My god," Yang whispered. "It looks like the one-." She stopped, and smiled at Ruby. "Thank you sis." Yang got up, and wrapped her sister in a crushing hug.
After Blake pulled Yang off of Ruby, the youngest opened up her gift. Like Yang, she lifted up her hoodie and studied it. It was a red hoodie, very similar to the one that she was wearing at that moment. Except, this one had a single rose embroided into the right breast, and an R embroided into the left breast. Ruby spun it around, and looked at the text that rested on the back. Ruby Rose, The Running Flower.
"Running flower?" Ruby asked, a huge smile on her face.
"Heat of the moment," Yang replied, an equally wide smile on her face.
"I love it," Ruby said. "Gentle hug though." Yang smiled, and the sisters traded another hug.
"Who's up now?" Blake asked once the sisters had separated.
"Well I say that Yang does you," Weiss contributed. "Seeing as of how the sisters just had all the fun."
"Because it's Christmas I'll let those slide," Yang said smoothly. Weiss realized what she had said, and just shook her head.
"Pervert," she whispered. Yang didn't hear the heiress, and just pulled out a single sheet of paper. Yang handed it over to Blake, and just waited to hear her reaction. The image contained a single, three level bookshelf. The bookshelf was pained in alternating shades of yellow and black, with small bees carved into the design. Blake smiled, and looked over at Yang.
"So you've paid attention," the Faunus said.
"I mean, I tried too," Yang said.
"Well I love it," Blake said easily. She walked over to Yang to hug her, but the blonde dipped her and planted a kiss on her lips.
"I am so smooth," Yang said after she had pulled out of the kiss.
"Well then, now that you're done being smooth maybe you can let me give you your gift," Blake said. Yang nodded, and returned the cat to her upright position. Blake pulled out a tiny box, and handed it over to Yang. She popped it open, and looked over what rested inside. It was a pendent with a pair of boxing gloves engraved into them. Yang noticed a small set of hinges, and tried to open up. She found that she could, and looked at the picture that rested inside. It was one of Yang's favorites actually. It was her and Blake. Yang had her arms around Blake's neck, and she was planting a big kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. Blake looked very overly annoyed, but her eyes contained humor.
"I finally have jewelry," Yang said. "And it contains my favorite kitty cat in it." Yang went to dip Blake again, but found that the Faunus wasn't there. Yang went to turn around, but felt herself being dipped. Her eyes trailed up to the assailant, and she saw that it was indeed the cat in black.
"Oh how the tables have turned," Blake said smoothly.
"Gaw, you're so sly," Yang replied. They kissed again, but then went back to being seated.
"Ooooooookkaaaaaaaaay," Ruby said. "Well, Weiss, it's your turn to open a gift from me." Weiss just nodded, and watched as Ruby cautiously handed over two boxes. Weiss took them, and popped them open. She paused for a moment, as she couldn't really believe what she was seeing. The first box contained a set of earrings. Both of them were designed to look like ice crystals, and the metal shined brilliantly. The second box contained a necklace. This necklace was also a pendent, and it had a snowflake design on the front. When Weiss opened it up, she smiled at the image it contained. It was one where Ruby was hugging Weiss' waist, and looking up pleadingly at the heiress, who's face just looked annoyed.
"Thank you Ruby," Weiss said as she started to thread the earrings through the holes in her ear. "I don't wear jewelry often, but it looks as though I'm making exceptions." Weiss wrapped Ruby in a hug, and the younger girl returned it happily.
"Boo!" Yang called out. "I wanna see some kissing!" Blake slugged Yang in the arm, but the blonde looked pleased with herself. Just because of how confident Yang seemed, Weiss complied. She pulled Ruby into a very deep and passionate kiss, leaving Yang with a stupid look on her face. She couldn't believe that Weiss had actually kissed Ruby. Weiss finally pulled out of it, and flashed a smug look at Yang. She then brought her attention back to Ruby, and handed off a box.
"Merry Christmas," Weiss said happily. Ruby just nodded, and opened up the box. She looked down at the custom designed pendant, and just felt her eyes get wide. The design on it was a heart that was splitting, but the gap was being filled in with a budding rose. On the bottom, it simply read La Rose Crescent. Ruby opened up the pendant, and stared at the image that rested there. It was Weiss scolding Ruby, and she was cowering slightly. An accurate image of how most of their relationship was spent.
"Thank you Weiss," Ruby said happily. She wrapped Weiss in a massive hug, and Weiss just softly returned it.
The four girls all sat around, chatting with each other about their gifts. Everything was perfect in their lives at that moment. The only way that it could be better, was if something were to happen the next day to let them bond a little bit more.
End: Whoo, that was long. You're welcome for this nice and long update, and I hope y'all enjoy. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is apprecaited.