I'm back!
So, this chapter probably isn't as long as the wait I've made you guys endure would suggest, but that just because this is, like the very first chapter, a beginning, the beginning of 'Volume 2,' as I've decided to call it. It sets the tone for the volume. This one will be heavily focused on the conflict between Freezerburn and Weiss's father.
Other than that, I don't have much else to add. Hope you guys enjoy what's to come!
Quiet.
For the first time in her entire life, Weiss Schnee was worried by quiet.
She didn't want to leave. Had it been anything else, she wouldn't have left. She had made it clear, to herself and to Yang; she wasn't returning to her father's residence. It wasn't her home, not when everything there seemed to go against her.
But then, three police officers showed up, claiming that the heiress had been kidnapped by Yang's father. Technically, since Weiss was still a minor, she couldn't leave her father's house permanently. Well, she could, if she got herself emancipated. But, that would require tons of paperwork and could be easily denied, since her father had enough power to make any lawyer that sided with her 'disappear.' Besides, by time she got emancipated, she'd be eighteen, so by then it'd be a moot point.
So, until Weiss became a legal adult, she wouldn't have any power against her father, at least from a legal standing.
She would count each and every day of the next four months until then.
The only reason Weiss was here now, sitting in the back of a police cruiser heading back to her father's house, was because it would spare Yang's father from any legal backlash. Yang had a point; the elder Schnee had no proof that she had been kidnapped. But the heiress knew that wouldn't matter. There were two outcomes of a legal battle with the patriarchal Schnee; you lost, or you lost everything. Even some of the richest people in Vale could barely survive the first outcome. Yang's family wouldn't stand a chance.
So, to protect the blonde's father, as well as the blonde herself, Weiss swallowed every ounce of pride and fear she could and obliged to return home. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but if it meant Yang's safety, she'd do it in a heartbeat. After all, Yang would do the same for her.
But the ride was completely silent, save for the sounds of the scenery passing outside the window. There weren't many cars out, so the trip would be much shorter than usual. It had only been ten minutes, and yet they were almost to her father's house. Almost to her father.
Quiet had been something Weiss appreciated in the past. It was a refuge from what had been, and what continued to be, a rough family setting. Shouting matches between herself and her father had become a tradition in the last few years, and they had been much more frequent as time went on. There was no doubt that, when Weiss arrived, she'd suffer a verbal beat down.
That wasn't to say she'd take it, but she would definitely be on edge throughout the tirade. After all, the entire reason she had left that place was because her father had hit her. He had gone past verbal abuse and to physical abuse, and that actually scared her. Words could be damaging, yes. She knew that entirely too well. But the threat of pain was something that worried her more than a few harsh words, because she could block out words. She couldn't do that with pain.
The quiet that had fallen over her was not a comfortable one. Weiss knew what was coming, and each moment that went by was another moment closer to her father's wrath. She knew she'd face his anger, and she tried to prepare herself for it. But, every time she thought about his anger, she thought about the pain he had caused her, and that made her even more worried. The fact that she hadn't developed an ulcer with all this worrying the last few days was surprising.
It was made even worse because the officer remained completely silent as well. The woman, taller than herself by more than a half-foot, had an air about her that said she knew things were not happy in the Schnee family. But, if she cared, she didn't say nor show it. The heiress wondered briefly if her father had bribed the three officers that had shown up. It was no secret, at least to the right people, that the Vale Police Force was in the back pockets of the rich and powerful.
As they pulled off of the freeway and made their way through the few streets that lead to the Schnee estate, Weiss exhaled heavily, the first noise that either had made in the entire ride. They pulled into the driveway of her father's house a minute later; the porch light was on, and someone was sitting on the steps to the house, shorter than her father stood.
The light blue hair signaled that this was, as Weiss suspected, Winter, the younger girl coming to her feet almost as soon as she saw the cruiser. The car had barely stopped when the heiress stepped out, the officer saying something that she gave no attention to.
Winter approached quickly, her face worried. "I overheard father talking to the officers." She said immediately, bringing the older sibling into a loose hug. "I tried to warn you, but you weren't answering."
The heiress sighed, returning the hug as best she could. "I was asleep…" She answered the inferred question. She had seen the messages in the car, but that did little for her now.
The officer huffed in annoyance. "Get your father." She half-demanded. The heiress gave her a bitter look. Weren't officers supposed to show sympathy to a 'kidnapping' victim?
The younger sister nodded. "Alright." She breathed, heading up the stairs and into the house. Weiss followed, pausing when she was just outside the doorway. "Father!" Winter called out, her voice only raising enough to be heard throughout the house.
There was some shuffling, and then the tall man entered Weiss's vision for the first time in over a day. He gave the heiress a hard, almost evil look. "Go inside and wait." He ordered, his voice low. He then turned to Winter. "Off to bed with you." It was the first time Weiss had heard him ordering the younger sister around. In different circumstances, the heiress might've enjoyed the Schadenfreude.
However, it did no such thing. Instead, it made the heiress worry about her sister. The younger girl didn't look worse for wear, nor did the words affect her much. She nodded politely, then headed into the house. Weiss followed, and she wanted nothing more than to run to her room. But she had already angered her father enough.
The sky-haired girl sighed as soon as their father was out of earshot. "When I showed up at the office, he started getting…bitter." She explained as Weiss headed into the den. "When he caught me trying to warn you…"
The heiress's face softened. Winter shook her head. "He never got violent. But he's never yelled at me like that." A slightly fearful tone entered her words. "I actually though he was going to hit me, though."
Weiss's fear was slowly becoming anger. "What about mother?" She asked thickly. She was trying not to snap, not yet. She would wait until it was just her and her father before that happened.
The younger girl sighed. "I'm not sure. I didn't see her much after I got home." She breathed. It wasn't unheard of to not see the matriarch of the Schnee family. She wasn't officially a part of the company, so she didn't work. She was a housewife at best, and she didn't even do that. Mostly, she stayed in either the kitchen or her bedroom, out of eyes of any guests.
There was some shuffling outside. Weiss gave her sister a soft look. "Go. I'll be fine." She said quietly. Winter didn't seem to believe it, but she nodded, heading up the stairs quickly and getting out of sight before the front door opened again.
Weiss's father shut the door gingerly, then turned to the heiress. His eyes hardened immediately. "Explain yourself." He started, his voice as hard as his face.
The heiress matched the look easily, but only for a moment. It was long enough to show the taller man that she wasn't going to be as subservient as he wanted. "I left." She answered simply.
Her father growled, but he remained stationary. For now. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could've done to this company?" He continued, his voice still hard but much more exasperated than last time.
Weiss almost laughed at the words. "Is that really all you care about?" She countered bitterly, her face becoming just as bitter. "Your oldest daughter disappears and you're more worried about your company. Nice to see your priorities are in order."
The man took a step closer, and the heiress was thankful that she hadn't flinched. She stood tall, or as tall as 5 feet could be. "Do not claim to know me." He warned evenly.
This time the heiress actually laughed. "Oh, I make no such claim." She remarked. Her father gave her a hard look, but again, she didn't relent. "You do that yourself." She smirked at the way her father paused.
He then let out a half-growl, turning to face away from the heiress. "I told you not to see that…girl ever again." He said after a moment, his voice becoming a bit more bitter, but only slightly.
The white-haired girl chuckled. "And I said good luck stopping me." She countered easily. So far, her father hadn't gotten too unbearable, but there was still the chance things could change.
Upon hearing those words, the man turned, his face red with anger. That worried Weiss, but only internally. "Do you know what could've happened?" He continued his tirade, though his voice was more weary than angry. "Of what the public would've thought if they discovered you were living with another?"
The heiress rolled her eyes. "Like I care what anyone else thinks about me." She commented easily. "I only care about one person, and it sure as hell isn't you."
Her father's eyes narrowed slightly, anger showing more in his face. "Obviously." He droned, his voice harder than steel. "Did you even give thought to what your mother felt?" He asked suddenly, his voice lowering. "Or your sister, for that matter?"
Weiss almost snapped. She should've know that he would try to pull out that card. After all, it was a good plan. The heiress did, thinking back, act a bit selfishly when she left without any warning. But, that was only because her mind was in such a mess. Her father had struck her, and she knew that Yang would be in danger. All coherent thoughts beyond those were moot, as far as she was concerned.
So, she simply huffed. "Of course I did." She countered shortly, trying to sound annoyed that he would bring that up. "But tell me, what did mother think?" She asked, her voice matching her father's tone. "Was she upset? Or was she thankful that her oldest daughter had finally gotten out?"
That, Weiss found, was a nerve. And a particularly sensitive one, at that. Her father took a step closer, his voice becoming even more dangerous. "Watch your tone, girl." He started slowly, enunciating every single word. "You forget your place."
The heiress chuckled in his face, which angered him more. "What is my place, father?" She half-hissed, her voice more amused than confused. "If I'm so important to your plans, then where the hell do I stand?"
The taller man huffed, stepping back only a single half-step. "Your importance to my plans is marginal at best." He responded coolly, his voice flat but still angry. "All you are to do is marry Fade and produce an heir." A pause. "After that, I don't care what you do."
Weiss gave the words a curious look over. It wasn't ideal, but that was the first time he ever gave her an option regarding her future. Well, not the first; she flat-out refused to go to a private school, something she had done most of her life. It was the reason her and Winter didn't both attend Signal. The heiress wanted to have her own life, and her father reluctantly agreed to it, so long as she kept her grades up.
But, as there had always been, her father had a catch; she could do that after she had already had a child. When his plan reached its apex. That wasn't something she was going to do.
So, she frowned. "Are you thick?" She started in disbelief. "Have you not seen what has happened every time Fade and I are together?" Her father narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't you realize that we will never work out, ever?"
Her father growled in his throat. "You have done nothing to make things work." He countered. "You stubbornly refuse to accept that this is the best option that you have left." He gave her a bitter look, one that might've worried her in the past.
Now, however, it only annoyed her. "You don't see it, do you?" She asked again, her annoyance growing further. "I'm gay, you idiot! As in I like girls!"
The man shook, in either rage, annoyance, prejudice, or some combination of the three. "I thought I told you otherwise!" He shot back, his voice raising enough to shake the heiress's bones.
Weiss sighed heavily. "Saying something doesn't make it true." She reminded flatly. "You've obviously seen the proof that I'm seeing another girl." She added, her voice slightly amused. "Or has your mind shut that out, as well?"
It had been what the heiress was waiting for; her father to react physically. Unlike last time, though, she was able to avoid it, ducking when she saw the arm go into motion. For once, she thanked her lack of height.
She then took several steps back, and the man did not pursue. Not yet, at least. Of course, she couldn't leave well enough alone; Yang's personality must've rubbed off on her. She smirked. "I guess you are capable of change." She uttered sarcastically.
Her father's face hardened. "What does that mean?" He questioned dangerously.
The heiress chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, where do I begin?" She started in faux excitement. "You've denied every indication of my sexuality, all because it clashes with your goal. You're stuck in the Dark Ages. You treat the entire faunus race like lepers." A pause. "Why exactly are you so hellbent on having me marry Fade, anyway?"
The taller man huffed, as if the question wearied him. "You know the reason, girl." He answered flatly. His voice wasn't loud, though, as if he had lost all will to continue shouting.
Weiss chuckled. "So that's it, then?" She started evenly. "You want to make it look like you've changed." Weiss did know that. Why else would he set up her marriage with a faunus if he still hated them with a burning passion?
Her father growled. "I don't have to explain myself to you." He spoke darkly. "When you've graduated from that school, you will marry and you will begin the process of taking over the company." He left no room to argue his point.
But Weiss Schnee had learned, long ago, how to make room. "No I'm not." She stated evenly. "Hasn't it gotten into your thick skull that I'm not even interested in the male gender?" Her father made a noise of amusement. "And how do you expect to convince Fade to go along with this when he feels the same way about this as I do?"
The patriarch chuckled once. "I have Arktos's word that he will." He answered, as if it was set in stone.
Weiss almost laughed. Well, almost caught her laugh. "That changes nothing." She corrected easily. "I promise you that I will not be marrying anybody anytime soon." She added defiantly. "And when I finally do, it'll be my choice, not yours."
Her father gave her an evil look. "You will do what I say!" He half-shouted, the heiress once again feeling the words in her bones. "You don't realize just how much power I have. I can make anything happen."
The heiress didn't doubt that, honestly. She knew that her father was used to getting what he wanted. But, that was only because everyone else feared him. He had never faced an opponent that defied him at every move. It was the only advantage that Weiss had over him, and that was one she knew she'd have to exploit if she wanted to win this battle.
So, she simply nodded sarcastically. "Really?" She started slowly, getting a hard look from her father. "Then answer me this; what was the result of the last 7 years of hell that you've put me through?" She asked, as if she didn't know the answer.
The hard look on her father's face weakened. It didn't soften, because he didn't have it in him to be 'soft.' Instead, it was just less hard. It was more indifferent than anything. "What are you trying to prove?" He asked in confusion.
Weiss simply chuckled. "Don't you think it's a bit ironic that your countless attempts at trying to sell me to a businessman's son has resulted in this?" She asked, her voice taking on a faux innocent tone.
The man gave her a long look, as if he hadn't quite registered what she had said. "How is this my fault?" He inquired simply, his voice slightly calm. "All I have done has been for your welfare."
The white-haired girl almost laughed out loud, instead giving a mostly restrained snort of derision. "Bullshit." She countered easily, smirking when her father's face turned a bright red. "You haven't done anything for my welfare. You only care about yourself."
The man shook. "That is not true!" He started dangerously, taking another step forward. Weiss didn't retreat, standing as tall as she could when he approached.
The heiress's smirk grew. "Oh, forgive me." She continued, her voice full of sarcasm. "You care about the company, too." She gave him a knowing look. "I'm sorry." She made sure her words didn't match her tone.
Smack! That time, Weiss wasn't quick enough, and like last night, she had stars in her vision. But, she didn't back away nor flee. She simply stood there, defiant. However, while she might not have run, she couldn't completely stop the tears from forming in her eyes, but they never spilled.
She gave her father a dark look. "So this is you, then?" She started, her voice broken only from the instinctive pain that she felt. If anything, she was making a statement; her father had changed.
Her father's eyes narrowed. "You don't listen to my words anymore." He informed sinisterly. "Perhaps it is time for a change."
That was the first time since arriving that Weiss allowed herself to feel fear, even if it was for just a moment. "I haven't listened to anything you've said in the last 7 years." She reminded simply, her voice lowering. "What makes you think I'll start now?"
The man turned to her, and for a moment Weiss expected another slap to come her way. But it never came. Instead, he gave her an evil look. "Because you have yet to see my full wrath, girl." He hissed. "After you've graduated, you will marry Fade. No exceptions." He then turned on his heel and headed upstairs.
The heiress watched him do so, rooted to the spot. With the adrenaline of the argument wearing off, everything was starting to hit her. First, the pain in her cheek. Compared to last night, it wasn't nearly as bad, but it still hurt. She brought her hand up and rubbed it gingerly, trying to massage the pain away.
Secondly was her father's change. That was, perhaps, the most frightening thing to happen in the last few months. That meant that he would do anything to get his way. Granted, he was already doing that. He had shown that he only cared about one thing; ensuring that Weiss took over the company and produced an heir. Yes, he didn't care what happened after that, but that was only after he had finally gotten his way.
The heiress stood still for a few more moments before she let out a shaky exhale. She refused to let her tears spill, but they were stubbornly refusing to listen to her. She headed up the stairs, each step slightly heavier than the last. Whether it was from the pain, emotional and/or physical, or from tiredness, she didn't know, but after what felt like hours, she reached the doorway of her room.
She pushed it open, noticing the expanse had remained untouched in her absence. She let her bag onto the floor near the entryway, and headed to her bed. She was about to fall asleep when her phone buzzed from her bag.
Weiss let out a short sigh, standing up and approaching the satchel. Given the situation, she knew who it was texting her, and while she was thankful for it, a small part of her just wanted this day to be done with.
The light of the phone was bright as she unlocked it and looked the message up.
-everything alright?-
*all things considered*
-what happened?-
The heiress returned to her bed, laying back as the conversation continued.
*hes changed*
-he hit u again?-
Weiss heard the anger in the words.
*yeah*
There was a long pause.
-say the word and ill get u out of there-
*thx but i dont think that will change anything*
-i dont care weiss-
-u dont have to put up with ur fathers shit anymore-
There was a part of Weiss that found the words a bit harsh, considering they were implying that Weiss chose to put up with her father's attitude. But at the same time, it was more likely that the words were kinder and supportive, just worded poorly. Yang didn't have it in her to be mean nor hateful, but at the same time she also didn't bite her tongue often, if at all. She spoke her mind and didn't care what people though about it.
*i know that but its not that easy*
-like hell it isnt-
Another long pause.
-look, all i want is for u to be happy-
-and ur father isnt making that easy-
*i know yang*
*really*
*but dealing with my father isnt as simple as it should be*
-then make it-
*lol if it was that easy id have rid myself of him long ago*
Yang didn't say anything for a while, and the clock hit 2:00am. The heiress could barely keep her eyes open, let alone keep up with the conversation she was engaged in.
However, as she was typing up a message, she got one from the blonde.
-u can still run away u know-
Whether the words were a joke or not, Weiss wasn't too sure. However, it was the first thing to bring a genuine smile to her face that night.
*what about u though?*
-what about me?-
There was no denying that the blonde was paying now. Weiss could feel it, even though she couldn't see nor hear it.
*if i ran off we wouldnt see each other*
-oh pls-
-theres no way ull be able to hide from me ;)-
*u underestimate me :P*
-lol i think ur the one doing the underestimating babe-
Weiss almost let out a laugh at that. Suddenly, everything felt so far away. She wasn't worried about her father anymore, or rather she wasn't immediately worried about her father. Instead, she simply allowed herself to feel slightly jovial. She had someone who wouldn't leave her just because of this small (actually very big) hiccup. Yang wasn't petty nor spiteful. She cared about the heiress as a person, not a bargaining chip or means to an ends. To the blonde, Weiss Schnee was Weiss Schnee, just another girl whom she happened to be dating.
After a few moments, the heiress let out a small yawn and started typing up a short message.
*im going to get some sleep*
She set the phone next to her head, turning onto her side and pulling the comforter up to her neck. After a moment, the phone buzzed again, the screen lighting up.
-alright sweet dreams babe-
*sweet dreams yang*
Weiss's dreams that night were mixed. Some of the were happy. Others were frightening. Some were forgetful. However, throughout all of them, good or bad, there was one constant. One thing that never changed, no matter how bad things looked.
Throughout every single dream, there was blonde and lilac there with her at all times. Kind smiles and caring words, even in the face of certain anguish.
No matter what, Weiss knew that Yang would never abandon her. And that thought was enough to numb away any pain she'd face in the future.